[cover is split four ways, with a small black box in the center
of the image, tied with ribbon. The color of the ribbon is
different in each quadrant, and a different room is in the
background of each quadrant. The colors are dark red, dark blue,
dark green, and dark pink.]

____________________________________________________________________________
.|, COHERENT COMICS PRESENTS An ASH Universe Story
--+-------------------------------------------------------------------------
'|` SHADOW GIRLS #3 - The Presence of Presents
copyright 2021 by Dave Van Domelen
____________________________________________________________________________

[April 30, 2027 - Chinatown]

Maddie sighed as she looked at the neatly sealed envelope that had
accompanied the gem-less oversized pendant. "Maybe I should meet with the
others and get their stories before I even open that letter."
"Go ahead and read it," Julie suggested. "It'll take some time to get
everyone together, might as well give them some idea why they should meet
you. I need to go get my phone where I hid it...no pockets," she gestured at
the skintight shadows covering her body.
"Yeah, I can probably help you with that, at least. Go ahead, I'll meet
you back on the roof, in the alley, what?" Maddie cocked her head.
"Um, are you okay to go out on your own right now? We usually meet on a
rooftop south of school."
Maddie chuckled. "Yeah, I have my ways of getting around town safely.
I just wasn't expecting to get jumped by the cat patrol tonight. I'll see
you there."
"Okay, if you're sure. So...open a window, or...?"
Maddie walked to one of the windows and placed her palm on the
lockplate, opening the window to the cool night air. "No one looks up in
this town anymore, no one should notice you. Except maybe whoever planted
that," she nodded to the box, "and until we know more about them it's kind of
a lost cause trying to hide from them."
"See you in...half an hour or so? Later!" And with that, Tetra-Red
vaulted out the window and landed on a fire escape across the street, before
bounding out of sight across the rooftops.
Maddie sealed the window, which was a better grade of armored glass than
was typical in the neighborhood...and armored glass was pretty much the norm
for anyone who stayed in Manhattan past the arrival of the paragangs.
"Okay, let's see what you have to say, creepy benefactor person."
She picked up the letter and carefully opened it with a small blade that
one would never have noticed she was carrying prior to that moment. The
letter was neatly typed, either on a manual typewriter or on a printer that
did a very good job of looking like the output of a typewriter.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings, Ms. Chin:

By now, you have likely heard at least one of the stories of how I
gifted several teenaged girls with the power to make a difference. Likely
Miss Li, given her proximity. I know you have far more reason to be cautious
than a high school student does, so I won't insult your intelligence by
including a data drive that you'd no doubt destroy unopened.

My name is private, but you may have heard of my former heroic identity,
that of Professor Shade. My career ended in the sewers of Manhattan in 1998,
as you might have heard. Or perhaps you did not. I was never very prominent
even in my hometown of Boston, and it was a busy year. Unlike other heroes,
I survived because ultimately I was but a mortal man, my powers coming from
the pectoral I have gifted to you, and the gems which I split among five
girls. While they only granted me minor power over shadows, I believe they
will perform much more impressively for their new owners. As far as I can
tell, the pectoral is sacred to the goddess Inanna, who always did favor the
fairer sex.

I am too old and too impaired by the injuries that ended my career to
take a direct hand, but for a time Warden and the Hellhound kept my adopted
city safe. Naturally, you know quite well that neither is available, so I
finally took matters into my own hands. I believe Bathory is on the verge of
something dangerous and destabilizing, and I know you can't stand back and do
nothing while she enacts her plans. If not as Hellhound, then perhaps you
would take up my old moniker and act as a mentor for the girls who I have
reluctantly thrown to the wolves.

Yes, I am being cruel, but it is necessary. No one from outside will
help, and no one inside seems willing. Should you agree, there is further
data hidden inside the files I provided to the girls, unlocked with the
passcode MORNING STARS. I hope you will help them cast some small light in
the darkness covering the city.

Professor Shade I

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Great. Just great."
If Jimmy were still around, he'd tell her to burn the letter, ghost the
girls, apologize to Julie next time she saw the kid.
But Jimmy left because Maddie couldn't give up on being Hellhound. And
then Hellhound had to break up anyway in the wake of the whole Marx fiasco.
Not that it was looking like it was going to hold together even before that,
what with Beth getting more and more official responsibilities and Jessa
coming under more scrutiny even without her involvement in the failed brain
copy.
Fine. Probably time to hire another manager for Grocery Store anyway,
the sixty hour work weeks were getting old anyway, and it's not like she
couldn't afford it. She just preferred to look like a regular small business
owner just getting by.
Secret identities even when she wasn't a vigilante. Couldn't get out of
the game if she tried.

* * * *

[April 30, 2027 - West Village]

Maddie's grandpa had secretly bought up a lot of small properties around
Manhattan and turned them into exits from the disused tunnels under the city.
There were always some tunnels that were officially closed, whether for
repairs or because they'd been replaced and it was easier to seal them than
to fill them or recondition them for something else. Add in the secret
building projects under the city during the 1990s, some of which involved
divine alteration of the bedrock itself, and it was technically possible to
get almost anywhere underground without using the official subway system.
Maddie had inherited a lot of portals into this shadow tunnel network, and
then Dumont had helped her expand the network further to help with
Hellhound's mission. A depopulated Manhattan used even fewer of the known
tunnels, making more available to Hellhound...and others. Thus, Maddie was
able to step out of an "abandoned storefront" within a block of the Manhattan
Unified Secondary School number 1 without being seen. Now she was dressed a
little more warmly, since she expected to spend time up on a rooftop.
There was a faint "tup" of sneakers hitting pavement nearby, and she
turned to see Tetra-Red emerge from the shadows.
"The rest are up top. We found a good roof with a decently sized blind
spot from anywhere nearby, lets us meet after school and get in some practice
without being obvious about it," Tetra-Red explained. The few nearby tall
buildings had been deconstructed over the years and replaced with shorter
structures or even left as empty lots. "Ready to go up?"
Maddie nodded, and for the second time that night found herself hauled
rapidly up into the air, landing a little more gracefully this time. Julie
was getting the hang of this, she thought.
In the center of the roof, difficult to see in the shadows, were three
more figures. Each was tinged a different color, and had a colored gem
shining somewhere on their body.
"Introductions," Tetra-Red said. "Miss Chin, this is...well, Tammy,
since I gave that up already. She's Hexa-Blue."
A midnight blue silhouette with a blue cube on her forehead nodded.
"And then there's Octa-Green," nod from a forest green shadow with a
green eight-sided gem on her left fist, "and Icosa-Pink."
"Hi!" bubbled a cerise shadow with a pink twenty-sided gem on her
sternum.
"Everyone, this is Maddie Chin. She runs Grocery Store in Chinatown, I
think you've been there T...Octa-Green. Our creepy benefactor sent her a
letter and what looks to be the necklace our gems used to be set in."
"Hello, everyone," Maddie waved. "Our creeper is named Professor Shade,
he claims to be a TwenCen hero looking to pass on his legacy. Old white guy,
probably doesn't even realize how bad this all looks."
"No kidding," Octa-Green snorted.
"He wants me to be your mentor, and..."
"Why you?" Icosa-Pink interrupted Maddie. "I mean, running a store
doesn't really seem to be mentor material."
Tetra-Red waved her down. "I saw her move while I was coming up to save
her from some Snow Leopards, and I'm not too sure she needed saving. She's
got skills."
"Thanks," Maddie nodded. "I try. Anyway, Julie, you hadn't gotten very
far with your origin story before you noticed I'd gotten a box. And you
hadn't even mentioned Green and Pink."
"Allow me," Hexa-Blue stepped forwards. "Julie...Tetra-Red...tends to
digress, and we haven't got all night." Her tone was very clipped and
precise, like someone working hard to get rid of her accent. Was she ashamed
of her origins, or did she just have a better grasp of the secret identity
thing than Julie did?
"Go on," Maddie said. She could tell her own story, no point
speculating before it was told.

On 12/25/21 2:06 PM, Dave Van Domelen wrote:
> [cover is split four ways, with a small black box in the center
> of the image, tied with ribbon. The color of the ribbon is
> different in each quadrant, and a different room is in the
> background of each quadrant. The colors are dark red, dark blue,
> dark green, and dark pink.]

Dargenta :o

> Maddie walked to one of the windows and placed her palm on the
> lockplate, opening the window to the cool night air. "No one looks up in
> this town anymore, no one should notice you.

I mean, it's New York, did they before

> "Okay, let's see what you have to say, creepy benefactor person."
> She picked up the letter and carefully opened it with a small blade that
> one would never have noticed she was carrying prior to that moment. The
> letter was neatly typed, either on a manual typewriter or on a printer that
> did a very good job of looking like the output of a typewriter.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Greetings, Ms. Chin:

Welcome to Rokkenjima. I am Beatrice, this family's consulting alchemist, under
the employ of Kinzo-sama...

> By now, you have likely heard at least one of the stories of how I
> gifted several teenaged girls with the power to make a difference.

They got the touch.

> My name is private, but you may have heard of my former heroic identity,
> that of Professor Shade.

I dunno if you should trust this shady character

> Should you agree, there is further
> data hidden inside the files I provided to the girls, unlocked with the
> passcode MORNING STARS. I hope you will help them cast some small light in
> the darkness covering the city.

awwwwww <3

> Professor Shade I

Ballsy.

> Fine. Probably time to hire another manager for Grocery Store anyway,
> the sixty hour work weeks were getting old anyway, and it's not like she
> couldn't afford it. She just preferred to look like a regular small business
> owner just getting by.
> Secret identities even when she wasn't a vigilante. Couldn't get out of
> the game if she tried.

Heeheehee. Good times. |>
> There were always some tunnels that were officially closed, whether for
> repairs or because they'd been replaced and it was easier to seal them than
> to fill them or recondition them for something else. Add in the secret
> building projects under the city during the 1990s, some of which involved
> divine alteration of the bedrock itself, and it was technically possible to
> get almost anywhere underground without using the official subway system.

Just watch out for the anthropomorphic reptiles.

> There was a faint "tup" of sneakers hitting pavement nearby, and she
> turned to see Tetra-Red emerge from the shadows.

smh if your feet don't go "tup"

> Maddie nodded, and for the second time that night found herself hauled
> rapidly up into the air, landing a little more gracefully this time. Julie
> was getting the hang of this, she thought.

Awwwww :> <3

> "And then there's Octa-Green," nod from a forest green shadow with a
> green eight-sided gem on her left fist, "and Icosa-Pink."
> "Hi!" bubbled a cerise shadow with a pink twenty-sided gem on her
> sternum.

Yay :D

> "Hello, everyone," Maddie waved. "Our creeper is named Professor Shade,
> he claims to be a TwenCen hero looking to pass on his legacy. Old white guy,
> probably doesn't even realize how bad this all looks."

X3 <3 <3 <3

> "Allow me," Hexa-Blue stepped forwards. "Julie...Tetra-Red...tends to
> digress, and we haven't got all night." Her tone was very clipped and
> precise, like someone working hard to get rid of her accent. Was she ashamed
> of her origins, or did she just have a better grasp of the secret identity
> thing than Julie did?

Heeheehee

> The first thing you need to understand is that most of the problems with
> MUSS Two go back to the Twentieth Century, Harlem has traditionally been
> shortchanged by city services. You might have read about the protests that
> were required in the Seventies to even get trash picked up. The Boys of
> Pain have actually been fairly good about growing up and becoming the
> government, although the Aunties of Pain have some small responsibility for
> that.

Oooooh, yes, historical context, I love it! <3

> The gems primarily enhance us physically, to a standard that has come to
> be known as "Grind Type" in the informal paranormal literature.

Heeheehee

> We generally
> also get taller and in better physical condition, gaining or losing mass
> where it would be appor...appropriate.

hmmmm interesting.

> Perhaps to a harmful degree...I assure you that I do not
> normally talk like a stereotypical science fiction android, and Julie does
> have *some* sense of self-preservation when not "powered up."

Aw. X3

> So, I got the gem too, but you already figured that part out, yah? My
> parents are always leaving me little and not so little gifts because they're
> not around much on account of being workaholics like so many who survived the
> False Rapture.

Awwwwww.

> But I figured the box was from
> them, and ooh, a pink twenty sided die? I don't really do the tee tee arr
> pee gee thing, but I like pink.

heeheehee I like her.

> But it didn't have any numbers which was
> pretty weird, but it seemed to have a heartbeat when I picked it up, so of
> course I held it against my chest to feel it. Who wouldn't? Okay, I know
> you wouldn't Green.

X3

> Then I noticed the dongle...dongle dongle dongle...hee.

heeheeheehee X3 <3

> I asked him if I could be a cyborg when I'm older and he told
> me to hold off because of the potential legal issues when it comes to aliens
> and I guess he figures I might grow up to be important enough to deal with
> aliens? Or he's a worrywart. But this gem is so much better than being a
> cyborg!

I love her so much

> Blue forgot to mention that I got a special power that the others
> didn't, or maybe she still doesn't BELIEVE me that I have it, but I can get a
> sort of ping off the other gems when I get close enough, or they're being
> used a lot. Maybe it's because my gem is so close to my heart? Or maybe I'm
> just the only one open enough to my gem to feel it.

Heart! :D

> I've been trying to help her and Dominique
> and Jessica come out of their shells and try to make more friends with the
> other students instead of being a little clique of "immigrants" because I
> mean America is all about being a melting pot, even if I guess technically
> we're not in America right now. Culturally this is still America, yah? Jess
> is the hardest nut to crack, I don't think she trusts anyone, but that just
> makes me try harder.

Ohhhhh, this archetype. <3

> The second time I passed...Octa-Green...in the hall, though, I knew it
> had to be something special. I could feel it in my gem, that it was her.
> After school, I made sure to follow her and once we were more or less alone I
> asked her if she'd gotten a strange gem lately and she was shocked and said
> YES! I could feel it, even though she had it hidden.

Eeeeeheehee. :D That's amazing.

> "The next day, Pink and Green found me and Tammy at lunch and Pink
> REALLY SUBTLY...not...started talking about gems and dice and things," Julie
> recalled.

X3

> Maddie suppressed a shudder. "Mentor" still meant something entirely
> different to her, thanks to the time she spent in Warden's life.

Yeesh, indeed.

> "There's
> also the fifth girl to find. There's five gaps in the pendant I received,
> and there's a missing shape."
> "Or two," Pink interjected. "I'm not a lot into games, but I know
> there's still ten-sided and twelve-sided dice."
> Blue shook her head. "I see where Miss Chin is going with this. The
> fact that these are shaped like dice is coincidence. They're Platonic
> Solids, the five 'perfect' solids made up of copies of a single regular
> polygon. Three with triangles, one with squares, one with pentagons. We're
> missing the twelve-sided dodecahedron."

I remember I first learned about these the last day of fourth grade and I was
amazed.

> "Guys, I've tried and I've tried, and I don't feel any other gems," Pink
> protested. "If there is another one out there, they must not be wearing it
> yet."
> "Stands to reason at least one teenaged girl in town would have a
> healthy sense of paranoia," Julie shrugged.