Chapter 8: Visit

Eventually, her next sleepwalk came, with her replies to his offer, and such. He asks "Are you sure its safe to give shield all this data? I know you don't trust them fully." Another he wrote was "That Agent Dill is a fucking dickhead. If he ever truely attacks you, i will give a word to Mr. Fox to pull him into his TV at home." She felt unsettled at that, and yet... chuckled. She'd laughed out loud reading that one. Karlen was loyal, in a way that felt human and unsettling. Protective. But he didn't seem to understand that justice on Earth didn't work the way it did in the Fox Realm. Or maybe... he understood perfectly, and just didn't care. She sighs, and frowns, unsure. All this supernatural stuff is above her pay grade. She was a SHIELD agent. This was what she did. Observe. Analyze. Document. Even if the subject was herself, and she never shared it. There is only a few pepole she would trust with such... personal data. Fury, perhaps Captain America, both are legends after all, thou all she hears is the rumors of what they are doing. She read her question to him "Yes, i will go. But... first... can you tell me who you were when human. Please."

He responded simply "My name was Karlen Lim, Chinese. I was a mafia boss. I... hurt people. A lot... killed i guess... every day, when quite... i relive that nightmare, now with no barriers to hold it back. It... hurts... but I've known it a long time... yet i cry every time. So now, my skills are put to use with Mr. Fox. He is my savior... i may have hated him at first... but now... i understand what i did wrong... what blindness i had... and... i respect him... and feel a need to do good. So I'm his second in command. Literally. I helped greatly in his force. He had to have someone replace me in his force, for this mission. We are close. If you wish to visit, come in 3 days, at 3am. Simply stand nearby a TV. He will do the rest." That was all he said. She felt... uneasy at that. It felt like a bad horror movie setup. But it was also real. She'd seen too much not to believe it. Felt too much. She whimpers loudly at that. Holding, and shaking her head.

She reads her theories on how the realm works. She is sending these documents after... her agreement to be more open with the team. Thou she hates Dill, at least he is put in check by Lawton, close to having him off the team. As she reads her theoretical preposal of the nature of the realm. "The realm that the entity, Mr. Fox connects to seems to be a reflection of his mind, at least partly. Its likely this reflection has stabilized into natural law, as shown by the shadow fox's abilities to manipulate the realm, and make home within it. All forms of Mr. Fox as seen, are likely reflections of him, and not him in totality. Its likely, him in totality is not even physically real, and a large scale energy, dimensional, topological state. Yet, a sentient, and soul based one. His realm seem to infect all that enter with a visual stylization of matter. Turning it into what appears, and acts like a cartoon. Its unknown if mass exists in this realm as we know it, or if its all just illusions. But it is known, that sometimes, stuff acts like it has mass, and at the very least acts constantly to its rules." She has not even been there truly, and she has this down. Given the recordings, and her short times in that water space in her dreams.

A while ago, she asked, and Karlen said "The water space, or foundation as we call it. That place is something we rarely visit. Its a space at the edge of the realm. The very edge. One that shows the boundary between the physical world, and the fox realm. Its not so much of a place you decide to go, as a place that comes to you, and appears when its there. There are known entrances within the fox realm, but its known to kick you out if you stay for too long, and are doing something pointless. As its the core of the realm, and it only shows up in the most serious moments. When a new shadow fox is born, or dies, or... stuff like us meeting." She asked why, and he replied "What do you expect from being the most profound link the realm has ever had into the physical world? The realm is flowing into you, like water down a river. Many foxes know, that if you die, the realm gets hit hard. Mr. Fox is trusting you, as a force of influence, as a person with a job, a responsibility. He is like the boss, and you his highest secretary. You are above most foxes in raw rank. A shadow fox, with a physical body, and non-inverted mind."

Soon, she sits in her living room. A few cameras set up, even a fox frequency detector she borrowed from work in secret. As she sits, waiting. Then.. 3am... a few seconds past. She sighs. Then... the lights flicker, as purple cracks cover her skin. Fox Frequency detector, detects nothing. Like the kits personal lessions. Then... she feels something from her ass. She stands, and a black figure of a animated 3d tail forms on her. She frows... its physical, her hands can touch it. As her eyes turn to slits, and begin to spark with static. Then... the TV shifts to static, turning on. Before the static clears slowly, unlike the sharp instant incidents during Mr. Fox's abductions. As Mr. Fox sits in the animated, dead forest, with cracked ground, and brown dead trees. With him sitting there. A living fox, with black-grey fur, unlike the more abstract shadow foxes, that are black figures with purple glowing eyes. As her shadow slowly extends from under her, turning so dark, its pitch black. As a shadow fox forms on the wall, likely Karlen, as his glowing eyes, and sharp teeth watch her from the wall. Mr. Fox says "Hi Ally Miller. Nice to see you." The fox flicks its tail on the TV screen. "I like your new look! Must say, very nice job on the ears." It tilts its head, jokingly.

She slowly sat down, and then sat back up, yiping in pain, as she sat on the tail, it twitches, and shifts to her. She... she can control it. She feels her head... ears... sounds are louder... so... so much louder now. Clearer... not louder. More detailed, like sound went from 480p, to 1020p. She shakes quietly, its a bit overwhelming. Mr. Fox says "Seems she has some work to do getting use to the tail, and ears. They are quite... sensitive." She says "Its... gezz..." Her tail is a solid black color, animated, yet 3d. Mr. Fox tilts his head, and says "They look good on you," gently. "It suits you, very pretty." She slowly sits, moving her tail to the side, and it lays besides her knees, as she sits on the edge of the chair. She says "impractical." Mr. Fox laughs loudly "Yes! I suppose it is for your world!" Karlen seemed to chuckle, shadow moving in a cartoonish laugh motion, she could... almost hear him. Like a whisper in the room.

"Why... can i not hear him?" she asks. Mr. Fox says "He is in your world, your shadows. You can only see him now, due to the dimensional barriers being thin, and enough energy floating the surroundings to make him visible." She asked "Why me? Why... why change me... into this... hybrid..." Mr. Fox goes quite... and sighs deeply. "Because i need someone. A human, a... avatar. A avatar to act in your world thru. A avatar to establish a more powerful link to your world. A more... active! One. Currently, i have two tethers to your world, and you are one of them. You don't know where the first is, and i plan to keep it that way. I will tell you... purely because i trust you... that if all get cut... i lose your realities... solidness... and my realm dissolves to nothing, with every person in my realm... and me... dying. You can understand why i want a extra.." "Why me?" she asked again, smaller this time. Mr. Fox leaned forward, eyes sharp, voice soft. "Because you looked at us... these weird beings... and asked... why? Because you felt a pulse of empathy, and on a whim... i took a chance on you."

Her breath shuddered. Her hands moved up, as she felt the ears on her head. They felt furry, soft... nice, despite clearly being animated, and cell shaded. With glowing purple within there fluffy triangles. She is quite, and asks "What is this... connection?" He nods, "Correct Question #1" A sound effect plays, like she was on a gameshow. He says "Very simple, time is not stopped, meaning if someone walks in, they will see you, me, and Karlen. I only stop time in sensitive spots. Saves on effort. Anyway, beyond that, You... are currently only... half linked? To the fox realm. You need to enter here, as your soul, and we need to do a ritual to stabilize it. Get it to such a point, that Karlen does not need to follow you everywhere, and can visit home. Currently, he is acting as the stabilizer. If he left! According to my calculations, your DNA would mutate rapidly, grow fur, and you would die from cancer." Her ears jump up in alarm, as she jumps up "WHAT!" She shakes "So... you are saying if he was not here... i would die!" Mr. Fox nods utterly unconcerned. "He was assigned to you for a reason!" He shrugs. "The reality is, our rules try to make concepts real. Without... translation. It can not guarantee you live thru it. You would die without him, because my energies, and laws would try to rewrite you into a full shadow fox, without care for your worlds limits of... well ya know, blood, body trauma, etc."

She grit her teeth... looked at her hands. Rubbed... her hands... those ears, her hand touched the puff ball within it, and a pulse of weird feelings was felt, warm ones... wrong ones. "S-Sensitive..." Mr. Fox freezes at that, and chuckles within, watching with knowing eyes. "Yeah... that's a part of the body that triggers... uh... instincts of... affection? The.... well... ya know kind. Hey! Foxes need intimacy! Popole need it. So there is the soft parts, and the aggressive parts in the form." She goes cold at that. She sighs "Ok... whatever... what now?" Tired, she says, she whimpers quietly. She frowns, and holds her head, at how open her expressions are. It... it feels harder to hold back her emotions from expressing. Mr. Fox nods, and gets up with a jolt "Simple! Let Karlen... pull your shadow into the realm... your soul into the realm. Your eyes go white with TV static, your body freezes in place. You enter the realm for a few hours. Then return." 

She looks... quietly "Yeah... ok... but... how? Why can i go back?" He sighs, and explains "Simple, the link between a body and soul is way... WAY stronger then you think! When i make my shadow foxes, i forcefully drag! There matter into my realm to convert it! Body, and soul! They don't have a physical body anymore. That's why i can't change them back." She sighs deeply... rubbing the sides of her... oh so real ears. Fur... so soft... hand moved down to her hips, and rubbed the tail... very soft as well, reactive, sensitive, but not in the same way. She whimpers deeply. Then sighs holding her head. "ok... ok... but... will i be inverted?" Mr. Fox pauses... thinks, and said "Half..." She is confused for a sec "What you mean?" He says "Half inverted. You are to be the new point between worlds after all. The realm wants you to be something in between. You will be inverted... in some ways, but not all. Your body will change how fox it is based on need. Human in human world, fox in our world. Its... complex. I will note... that some side effects include immortality, and enhanced abilities, superhuman. Thou it also includes the fact that if you die, you cut from your world, and become a full shadow fox in my realm. Along with... the loss of a tether, and my realm losing a stability tether to a world with more solid reality, then mine."

She turned to the TV, to the forest where Mr. Fox still watched. He didn't press her. He waited. Slightly nervous, she could see. He was not looking forward to if she said no... he was scared of it. Her saying no. Scared... this... this god... was scared. She sighs deeply, tears forming in her eyes, ears down. He mutters quickly, in half fear "Don't worry! It... it will all be safe! I assure you! You are a guest! Royalty even!" She cuts him off "Stop! yes... i will go do your ritual. Just..." She looks at herself... quietly. "Yeah. Lets go." As Mr. Fox nods excitedly "Good! Yes! Lovely! Now... just sit down, and get your body comfy! Don't want to return to it in pain!" She moves, and sits. As Karlan floats nearer to her, his shadow on the ground. Mr. Fox says "Now... don't... resist. Otherwise, Karlen may need to pull you harder." She frowns, and closes her eyes. Ready... as she can be. Fearful... and nervous.