Private Roleplay~ IOD

asi • 8 July 2013 at 9:24 PM

Raven examined the packaging carefully, before discarding all but two. "These are morphine, and I'm pretty certain these are just sleeping pills..." the others, definitely better not to risk them. She brought them over to Annabell.
On the matter of the serum... The blonde had talked about recreating it, but only now did she consider how difficult this could turn out to be. How exactly were they going to go about that..? Raven hoped Annabell had some kind of idea. The only expert she knew of about this kind of stuff was with the rebels; by the name of Mael.

The ninth leader stared in horror at her friend, as the other slowly advanced, blood dripping from their hands and splattering the ground...
"Dani, snap out of it! I... I don't want to hurt you!" she gripped her blade tighter. Normally she would just be able to paralyze Danielle, but for some reason, her power wasn't working at all!
The answering silence was disturbed only by Lily's broken sobs, as she lay helpless on the ground, half-dead, and with her limbs all sticking out on angles horribly wrong... No answer in sight.
Was Karen going to have to kill her friend?
CRASH.
The door was smashed open. In a flash, Danielle hit the ground, unconscious. Karen didn't even see him do it. The second leader stood still for a second, expression unfathomable. Then he was gone again.

taffy789 • 8 July 2013 at 11:36 PM

 "Thank you." Annabell told her friend upon receiving the pill bottles, and then turned her attention to the talkative Leader. Balancing the bottles on her knee and only using one hand, as the other one was still caught by Eight, she managed to take out the correct dosage per labeled. She faltered when it came to the next part if her plan, which was getting the Leader to actually ingest the medicine.
At first, she tried to soothingly bring up the loopy girl back to reality, and talk her into swallowing the pills, but it became quickly clear the Leader was too far gone to even hear her. Instead, she went with plan B and carefully sat the chatty Eight up, propping her back against a raised knee, and Annabell hastily popped the pills into her open mouth. Eight swallowed them as soon as they hit her tongue, and after a few minutes went by, the medicine started to do its magic and the Leader faded to sleep like a slowly dimming light.
 The now freed girl sighed, and pulled her hand from the sleeping Eight's grasp. The entire thing with the Leader left Annabell feeling... little to nothing, surprisingly. Eight being revealed to be crazier than previously thought ranked pretty low on her list of mentally scarring things that had occurred today.
 "Really, I don't know why the government bothered to train me as a stupid spy." Annabell bitterly muttered out loud, and to nobody in particular.
 "It's now obvious I would've contributed better to society working in a nursing home forcing-feeding all the senile old people."
She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath to try and calm herself. 
 "Anyway, Raven," She forced a tight smile on her face, standing up and trying to push the thought of the red blood staining her melted shoes to the very back of her mind, "I think that's good for now. Eight's okay, we have the second power-repressor, we're alive and breathing. I would suggest we take a victory nap, but I'm afraid there's still ferals and other things around, you know?" She attempted to make light of the situation they had at hand- a base full of still murderous psycho powers.
"And besides, there's..." she continued, her eyes moving to where she left Riley's body."
 "... Is he okay yet?"

asi • 12 July 2013 at 9:06 AM

Raven was definitely relieved Annabell was able to take care of the leader without her help; not only was she not good around injured people generally, but Eight's brand of craziness was the kind which looked slightly contagious. She didn't know what was wrong with the leader and didn't want to.
After listening to Annabell, she hesitated, before wandering over to Riley's side. What if he hadn't revived yet? That would definitely be bad... Seeing no signs of breathing, she reached out and took his wrist to try and find a pulse. Then jumped backwards, startled.
Two had, sometime in the last few minutes, entered the room with completely silence, so much that she hadn't even noticed his presence until he spoke; "You don't need to worry about the Ferals; they're taken care of." Even though he did his best to disguise it, Raven could tell he was weary... No wonder, had he been around the entire base? Surely that was impossible, even running the entire time, the perimeter of each floor should take around an hour... Not to mention it was now the late hours of the morning.

Turning back to 'Verse, Mael said carelessly, "You should know by now; everything I do has a reason, Inverse. Why else would I have chosen exactly the number of the girl's guard to be six?"
"You..." she started, disbelieving.
"I knew exactly how much she would need to kill. Although I admit, I didn't expect she would let this one live," he shrugged. "Maybe they knew each other? No matter. It shows some control, good."
'Verse became very wary at this. "How could you know something like that..."
"You didn't!!" Bliss suddenly yelled. "Spence, you didn't... Use THAT on her? You promised to me that you'd find a way to end THAT!" He grabbed Mael's shoulders and shook him. "Tell me you didn't."
Mael just looked amused. "Look up," he told the group, who couldn't help but shiver at his tone as they tiled their heads back to glance upwards at the ceiling...

taffy789 • 12 July 2013 at 7:10 PM

 "Uh- okay." Annabell replied to the Leader's words dumbly, not sure how to react to Two's sudden appearance.
 "Eight's..." she finally decided to say, and started giving a report on the girl's current status, once again failed couldn't find a good to describe it. Even not frozen in time, there was not one was to describe the Leader! How could she call Eight "fine" when clearly there was something wrong with the girl mentally?
 "...Alive. Not in danger of dying." Annabell recovered expertly, only having a second's hesitation in her words. She wondered, for a spilt second, if she should now tell Two about the power-repressing burning in her pocket and being held in Raven's hands, but brushed the thought away. It had been a long enough day already. Figuring out the business with the drug could wait for another day, and seeing Two looked tired and remembering his callous attitude from before, Annabell decided not to mention it.
 She instead pondered what the next course of action would be. Personally, she thought it would to be to try to get healers to the injured... and to get the injured all in one place, at that. Wasn't there an intercom system in the base? She silently looked to the Leader, wondering what the next priority was.

(*whispers* I'm not even trying anymore. XD)

asi • 13 July 2013 at 8:49 AM

After a disinterested shrug, Two walked over to Eight...'s laptop, sighed lightly, and clicked on the 'cancel' button, lifting the lockdown. Now the others would be able to go around, collect all the one's who had turned feral whom he had knocked out, and isolate them in the Punishment's cells. Chances were some of the users would manage to regain control once the repressing drug wore off. The others, well. They were Nine's problem now.

Raven glanced at Annabell meaningfully. She didn't trust Two one bit, no matter what had just happened, and was reassured that the blonde obviously felt the same, as she was withholding the information about the drug. However, they couldn't exactly just skedaddle off with or without Riley's body, could they? Urk...

Finally, Two looked up from the screen and to where the blood-soaked Eight slept. She just lay there, unmoving, like a broken doll. His eyes were as dark and unreadable as ever as they rested on her face... His swordhand clenched and in a flash of flame, the white blade he had wielded vanished.
There was really nothing left to do here. He'd fallen a bit behind schedule on paperwork, and this was definitely going to make mountains more. If he didn't catch up before he left, he would have to find a way in the midst of the front lines... Yeah, if there was nothing else, Two definitely wanted to finish that. He turned away from the eighth leader for the door.
That would be about when suddenly Four shot up to a sitting position, coughing loudly and even succeeding in making Raven jump slightly in surprise.

taffy789 • 13 July 2013 at 2:16 PM

 "Riley?!" Annabell exclaimed, now focused on her reanimated undead friend. "You're a-awake!" She caught herself from saying "alive".
Overall, she felt relieved that the boy was okay- or at least as okay as he could be- and not currently kidnapped by the evil rebels. She unthinkingly walked closer to where Riley sat, looking to see if he was really okay.

 (Short reply because I have nothing. ^^;; And I won't be able to write a long one right now. ^^;; )

asi • 13 July 2013 at 11:05 PM

Two stopped. Turned around, blinked. Then resumed walking away, slowly.
Watching him go, Raven sweatdropped. That lack of response... Uh. Wow. Their second strongest was really a special guy. Shunting aside that problematic equation for another time, she focussed on the people at hand.
Riley shook himself, as if trying to clear his head. "Raven, Annabell... What happened?" his expression looked very troubled and confused. "The last thing I remember was.... Was..." he struggled for a moment, scrunching up his face in an effort to remember. "My office- no, then I fainted and..."
"You met Raid, your power?!" Raven realized suddenly.
He nodded, then blurted out unthinkingly; "Y-yeah. He said some crazy stuff... Listen, he, he seemed to think that Two was a part of the rebels, and was responsible for their 'cure', or something," he pressed a hand against his temple where he could feel a headache coming on at full-force. "...I definitely wouldn't trust my power's word over Two's but-" then he recalled something else. "Oh, he was wrong about something else too; he seemed to think I was in danger, and was going to die," he shrugged. "Whatever his sources are, they really can't be very accurate... I'm obviously still breathing."
Raven looked darkly at Annabell. While breathing was obviously happening, it didn't seem to have 'not dead' as a prerequisite, at least not for Riley.

smilies • 13 July 2013 at 11:11 PM

Her hair flowed down in long, silky blonde waves, the dirt and grime which had tainted it these past few weeks absent, the nasty tangles it had tied itself in missing. She was sitting perched on the tip of a giant stalactite protruding from the ceiling, upside down. And watching the group with wide, innocent orbs; except they weren't her usual brown color- instead, they were a shockingly electric violet. When their eyes met hers, she let herself drop to the ground, twisting midfall to right herself vertically, and landing softly without a sound, though the distance was one that the fall should have broken bones or even killed.
"A-angel," Zan stammered slightly, shocked into forgetting his nausea.
The light in her eyes dimmed slightly, and she slumped to her knees, tears all of a sudden flooding her vision. "I, I, I..." she began sobbing hysterically. "What have I done!?"
"Shhhh," Mael murmured in a soothing voice, going over and holding her in a gentle hug. "You're going to be okay," he told her softly as she cried on his shoulder.
Bliss just stared. "Spence..."
None of the others dared remain where they stood, hastily backing away from the couple. Because anyone with eyes- no sensing ability needed- could see the wild aura surrounding the girl, twisting, swirling and thrashing as if it had a life of it's own. It was violently intense; bright enough to blind, heavy enough to crush, thick enough to suffocate. If they went any closer, they might find out whether auras could kill... And one other thing; it was the same colour as her eyes.
"That's... This is..."

taffy789 • 15 July 2013 at 11:57 PM

 Annabell took a moment to marvel at the sad irony of Riley's statement before she even thought of replying. She didn't want to go around lying to the boy about his condition, to be truthful, but if Raven was right and him finding our would crush him... Perhaps they could find out more about his problem first, and then try to explain it? She really didn't know what to do, and just dropped the subject from her mind.
 "Riley," Annabell started to explain the boy, assuming the least she could do was explain why he'd been almost kidnapped, "the rebels had invaded the base and tried to carry you off somewhere. They wanted you because of your power, it seems. Raid is the leader of the rebels, according to Raven." She gave a small nod towards the girl and quickly continued, "They don't exactly have you with them now, so... that's good."
"And in the case of Two, I don't really know what to think about him." Annabell confessed to the group with a passive shrug. "I've heard terrible rumors, and he seems to match them- an overall mysterious, callous guy. I don't even know what his power is."
She went silent but then remembered another important fact of the night to pass onto Riley. Annabell didn't want to question him directly, and instead skirted around it by randomly bursting out with, "Riley, you don't have an identical brother, do you? Just checking."

asi • 16 July 2013 at 9:11 AM

"Time, Two's power is to do with manipulation over time," Raven informed them. "I think he can slow areas and stuff..."
That also matched up with what Riley knew from when he'd trained with the leader, so he nodded. "But Two... I don't think he's such a bad person," he surprised even himself a little by saying it, but continued anyway; "When I'd lost my memory, he helped me get it back, and then trained me so that I could even become Four, even though I can't think of a single motive he might have had for doing so! It doesn't make sense, as he definitely doesn't have anything to gain from it, but he did... And also, he let you go, Raven."
"That's... That's true," she was forced to admit, and then remembered to explain to Annabell; "They found out I had been with the rebels and took me in for questioning... Though Two threatened me, he never actually did anything, and then easily let me go when Riley made a weak excuse... Say, maybe he has some kind of crush on you!" she suggested, with a look of ultimate realization.
Riley sweatdropped. "No."
"Anyway, even if we don't have anything on him personally, I know for a fact he tortured that rebel we captured until he died... Thanks for turning him in, Riley; even I wouldn't have wished that fate on him," she scowled sourly, not forgetting the earlier incident.
In response to that, Riley could only stare at the floor...
Then addressing Annabell, he said; "...No, I don't have an identical brother, I just have Alex- I hope," he added the last part depressedly. Who knew if she was alive or dead?

taffy789 • 16 July 2013 at 11:11 PM

"Time."
 As soon as Annabell heard that, one hundred things clicked together in her mind at once and she facepalmed at her own failure to see it sooner. If Two can control time... She was reminded of Eight's sleeping presence to her back and felt chills run down her spine.
 "The doctor who helped Eight survive... He said that Eight had been frozen in time when she'd been stabbed." Annabell said to the group, sounding a bit disbelieving herself. "I'd seen Two earlier, and had asked him to find Eight, who had stolen the power repressor. After a while, I found her frozen and wounded myself while I was with that doctor who saved later saved her, but I just assumed a feral did had attacked her. Later, I tried to talk to Two again- before I met up with you, Raven- and he didn't even know what I was talking about. I suppose he could've just been lying to me, but..." She stopped, growing more flustered as she tried to explain everything. 
 "Everything's all just very scattered- confusing." Annabell continued, frowning. "... Something else that is confusing, Riley, is that the rebels... Had another you. Like as if, as Raven mentioned, they had somebody with a body duplication power make two if you- or something. It was all very... creepy. They were carrying it around in a coffin and everything."
 Annabell finished, and now sat down on the floor, resting with her knees pulled up to her chin. She listened to the sounds of Eight's peaceful, deep breathing in the background, glad that at least somebody could get a good night's rest after tonight.

randomness • 18 July 2013 at 2:24 AM

The small group of teens had been hastily organized within a few minutes after the doors unlocked by a bookish-type girl from the Eighth squadron with extremely good organization skills. 
 They were a sad and sorry bunch, to be frank. So far in their ranks, they had a two people from Fourth and Third, a girl who, despite being from Fifth, had a panic-induced mental blank and forgot most of her rescue procedures, a newbie from Seventh who'd thrown-up twice already and won't stop bawling despite the Third girl trying to calm him down, and about ten assorted members from Eighth with hardly any prior fighting experience who'd been found cowering in the Archive Room armed with only sharpened pencils to protect themselves. No healers had yet been found, so they were set on trying to stem the grievous wounds of survivors using the only supplies they were able to find in five minutes- ripped bedsheets, five capsules of Tylenol and a half empty tube of Neosporin. For better or worse, they hadn't found nearly as many wounded survivors as they had mutilated bodies.
 The bookish girl from Eighth leading them all glumly relented to the fact that if any ferals attacked, their entire little team would be wiped out in one fatal swoop. Luckily, they hadn't met any of those monsters masquerading as old friends yet, and their search-and-rescue mission seemed to be slowly gaining ground. The bookish girl lead the platoon into a hallway she dubbed safe, broke her squads men into smaller groups and sent them into the rooms in twos or threes to search for survivors.
 Her herself went into a room off into her right, and she was surprised to actually find somebody alive, considering the other dead bodies on the floor around her. She was even more shocked to see that the person still breathing was none other than Seven herself.
 The Leader laid across the floor in a more relaxed position than the bodies laying spread eagle around her, as if she had simply collapsed from exhaustion... The Eighth girl noticed that Seven did look slightly anguished as she slept, but other than that, seemed completely normal...
 The Leader reminded the Eighth girl of something of extreme importance, so she put the sobbing guy from Seventh in charge of taking care of his own Leader, and gave the person from Fourth command of the rest of the group before hurrying away on her own.

asi • 19 July 2013 at 11:51 PM

Riley sighed. "I guess we just don't know the whole story. It's useless to try and solve a jigsaw puzzle when you don't have all the pieces..."
Grinning dangerously, Raven smacked her fist into her palm. "That's why I vote we corner the guy and beat him until he talks!" the expression on her face said it all; she was dead serious.
He closed his eyes and tried to imagine it. Maybe if they got Five, and all of their subordinates, then created a human pile on top of the leader... In that case, would Two be more likely to suffocate than explain? And anyway, that brought up the issue of actually ambushing him...
This plan was absolutely ridiculous. More than anything, it reminded Riley of his twin sister. It was exactly the kind of reckless plot she'd make, and carry it out to the letter, too... Remembering her crazy, wild smile, he found that he missed her even more than he had realized.
"Anyway, I really do think Two has a problem with power-play. This kind of bipolar behaviour is exactly what happens during a power struggle," Raven pointed out, once having realized that the votes were definitely against her proposed plan.
That's when Annabell told them about the... Clone, or whatever it was the rebels had. Another Riley? How was that even possible? Raven had been with the rebels for a time, but she'd never came across anything about this.
The air seemed to grow stiller in the room, and she looked across to see that Riley had frozen completely, not even breathing.
"Riley!" she jumped to her feet instantly and shook him roughly, forgeting herself completely in panic. He'd died again? How?! He couldn't-
"Eh!? Raven?" he looked at her, shocked.
He wasn't dead...? She nearly fell over, but quickly regained her balance and sat back down abashedly. What had come over her? Sure, she was worried a lot for him lately, him being all dead, but Riley wasn't that delicate...! Embarrassed over her overreaction, she looked away. "Nothing, sorry..."
He looked puzzled, but shrugged it aside; he had more troublesome things on his mind. "Before, when I was talking to my power- I mean, Raid- he seemed to say 'goodbye', like he was going sonewhere... I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now, when I try to read your minds... I can't!"
"Well, you don't say; I've got my barriers up! You know, that thing we learnt back in Psyche class, to stop people from messing with our heads- barriers!" Raven rolled her eyes, sarcastic.
"I remember that," he said patiently. "But normally, even if I can't get it, I can at least approach the door, and try the handle. But now? Nothing. I think, sonehow... He's gone. Raid's gone," Riley confessed heavily.

"Oi! You do know, you're going the wrong way~!" came a teasing call, bouncing off what remained of the base's walls, so that even he couldn't tell the direction from which it hailed.
So he just stopped.
One strode up to him, smiling brightly despite their miserably wrecked surroundings... (Miserable in the fact that he'd have to find a way to fit fixing the place into their budget, sob!)
"They have a vwery, vwery powerful suppressor back there! Two of them, to be precise," One winked knowingly. "I can see everything, remember."
"...Everything...?" Two echoed slowly, meaningfully.
She blushed, horrified. "No! I definitely do not abuse my powers like that! I definitely don't, I'm an innocent maiden! Don't you dare try and dirty my name with your, your... Wicked insinuations!"
"..." He resumed walking.
"Hey, Twwwwwwuu!! Wait up!" she whined, having to jog to catch up, her legs not being all that long in comparison.
"What is it?" he scowled, starting to become slightly fed up with her antics. Two wasn't prepared to put up with that kind of behavior, not from anyone but Eight. "I'm tired. Whatever it is, I can deal with it in the evening." It was late morning already, what a nightmare...
One slid infront of his path, angered by his dismissive tone. Though it was tempting to just push her aside, he refrained from doing so and stopped. She was One, after all.
"What I'm trying to tell you," she looked up at him through thick eyelashes in a show of innocence that deceived no-one; "Is that the rebels left us a message. It's about to start, so we should probably find a screen, huh~."
"Couldn't you have stopped it?" he asked impatiently. Firstly, he was too tired for her flirting, and secondly, the Falchions definitely didn't need some Power on tape rubbing salt into their wounds. They'd undeniably been injured in this fight. Preventing the video was the obvious course of action...
"Oh... I hadn't thought of that.... Well, too late now!" she shrugged carelessly, and, grabbing his hand, dragged a weary and irritated Two off.

taffy789 • 20 July 2013 at 3:28 AM

 Raven had seemed so serious about her ridiculous plan that Annabell had taken it as a joke, and hadn't bothered to reply on the subject. Riley saying that his power was gone received a greater reaction from the girl, though.
 "Gone. What do you mean by "gone"?" Annabell asked the boy, concerned.
 "Gone is usually defined by "being away from a place" or "having departed"." a quiet voice answered from the open doorway.
 Annabell jumped, wondering to herself just how many people were going to keep barging in out of nowhere and scaring the daylights out of her in one day.
 "Sorry for such a smart-aleck-ly answer," the girl stepping over the mutilated steel door continued in her naturally soft voice, "but really, I couldn't resist. Don't mind me here. I won't be interrupting anything." She carefully jumped over the remaining obstacles in her path, and then looked up across the room to the dreaming Eight on the blood stained carpet.
The newcomer faltered, and frowned before saying, "...May I ask, is she-?"
 "She's alive." Annabell found herself quickly answering, all the while giving the girl a strange look herself. Even if the girl said she wasn't interrupting anything, the blonde found it hard to continue on with the normal conversion while the intruder wandered around in the office. Instead, Annabell added, "Eight's also in stable condition too."
 "Well, that's good." the girl smiled, visibly relieved, "I can...get her cleaned up later. This office is a mess too... I swear I saw one of the filing cabinets in the hallway-! I think she threw them. Those things have to weigh twice her own weight, but she threw them." She shook her head sourly, with a matching expression on her face. "Ah, but I can deal with all that later."
 Annabell watched with interest as the strange girl moved across the office with a clear mission in mind. She made it to Eight's desk, and started to mess with the Leader's computer, and Annabell didn't bother say anything to the her, as she looked busy and consumed with her "mission". However, she couldn't help but think that the strange intruder, with her square purple glasses, dark hair pulled back into a pony tail, and the laptop light reflecting onto her face, looked a bit like a... mini librarian. Or an IT worker. Or some other nerdy or bookish profession. Yeah... bookish. Annabell liked that word to describe the girl. It was one of those adjectives that just seemed to fit perfectly.
 The librarian-girl looked up from the laptop.
 "...If you all wish to go now, you may. I can take care of things here. I would suggest you watch out for ferals when you leave, though."
 "Two came by earlier and said that he had taken care of the ferals." Annabell replied helpfully.
"That makes a lot of things easier then. ...If you still want to go though, you guys can feel free to. Anytime." the girl gave a small shrug. She then began to mess with the bent-up intercom system, getting it ready for use.
 ... To Annabell, it sounded more like the girl sitting behind Eight's desk wanted them to leave the office, but didn't want to ask directly. A bit lost, she looked to her friends for their opinion on what just happened, their old conversation having been interrupted and this new, weird person mulling around in the room.

asi • 20 July 2013 at 8:28 AM

"U-uh, okay, let's... Go... Somewhere," Raven finished awkwardly, getting on her feet and going about the task of pulling a dazed Riley towards the door; she could tell just from his expression that he was stuck with a complicated flowchart puzzling over how Eight, with such petite-proportioned muscles, could possibly even lift something so heavy. Let alone manhandle it like the Incredible Hulk, by testimony of the poor, innocent door.
Leaders, huh... They sure were... Special, in all sorts of ways. She pitied Riley; how could he ever hope to live up to this kind of reputation, sigh.
That's when the screen in the room flickered on.

"My name... It's Mael."
Their face was cast in shadow, their features entirely concealed by the poor quality of the camera. Only their lower throat, shoulders and the hair which fell just past could be made out. But his voice came through, loud and clear.
"I... Work with the rebels. On his behalf, their leader bid me tell you this; the Winter Solstice. That's the date set, got it? December twenty-first; seven months from today."
He tilted his head slightly, and a smile was audible in his tone as he said; "The rebels have become their own side now, an entirely different force in this war... Things are bound to get interesting, don't you think? In any case... We've got our 'angel'... Falchions, you'd better find yours soon, if they have any chance of growing their wings...
And oh, Spike, Spike, Spike~y..." he rolled the name around on his tongue, as if savoring the sound.

The entire time, One had been watching with concern not the Mael on screen, but Two's expression. From the very start, he'd tensed up suddenly, as if recognizing something. But now, when the person started addressing him personally, Two froze completely. She was loathe to admit it, but she had no idea what was going through his head as he stared at the screen, as if by concentrating and looking hard enough, he could penetrate the fuzzy darkness enshrouding the mystery guy's face.

Mael now grinned. He was being silly, teasing, but not in a happy or carefree way. Instead, it was purely mocking. "Love that name," he drawled. "It's got... Attitude. But your new name, it's singular, isn't it? Spike... I don't care how good you've become, you still can't take on me and my protege alone, okay? It's against the rules," his tone was absolutely patronizing, guaranteed to set one with even the sweetest temper on edge. "And Spike? The dead don't count either."
The screen blacked out.

"...Spike?" One uttered softly.
For once, he refused to look at her, or meet her eyes. Slowly, composedly, he admitted; "This 'Mael'... They played me. Whoever they are, they definitely... Are not 'that person'." Yes, he'd recognized... Recognized that they WEREN'T who he had been led to believe by the rebel's impression of them.
Mael had, somehow, known he still cared for that person... And exploited it, manipulating that rebel, Sest, to have him confuse Mael with 'them'... Thinking he'd been attacked by 'that person,' all in order to make Two unstable... And it worked, too. Locke had been pushed into the dominant position and had nearly gotten himself killed...
"But listening to their voice, you sound too similar; you can't be unrelated," she commented, chewing on the inside of her cheek in worry. "If it's not you, and not 'that person'... Then who are they?"
"...I don't know," he said forcefully, meaning to walk away, then stopping. "There was one other person, but... No, it can't be them, either. They're gone. One, I... I honestly don't know." For the first time in her hearing, she heard Two actually sounding unsettled.
"Call me Kitty," she smiled, ecstatic that Spike had truly, for a moment, abandoned that 'attitude' and been all sincerely HONEST with her. This was the person she'd known!
He paused mid-step, then slowly, calmly said; "...Katrix....?"
Her jaw practically hit the floor in disbelief. "Ah! You remembered~! I'm so touched!! Ah, Spike~y, you didn't get that brain transplant after all! ....Hey, wait... Don't you leave me!! Twwwwuu....!"
Two's headache was back in full-force. This... It seemed a side-effect to the user-suppressor was halucinations. How could she be here...? No... He really needed that sleep.

taffy789 • 20 July 2013 at 1:24 PM

Speechless and confused, Annabell stared up at the screen wordlessly.
The all-consuming silence was only interrupted by the girl at Eight's desk saying, "What's with the Winter Solstice that makes everyone use it for their deadlines? I know it's the shortest day of the year, but really, what's wrong with December twenty-second?" She finished straightening out the intercom, and sighed. "Or December twentieth, for that matter. ...Ah, I guess I'm just upset that they chose my birthday. I already had a nice party planned out too."
 Annabell still didn't say a word, and the girl continued, "The Leaders can deal with whatever that was- I have important things to do now. Uhh, sorry about that Four." She blinked at Riley, her quiet voice softening even more and becoming slightly timid. She picked back up her regular whisper when addressing Raven next.
 "Speaking of Leaders, Raven, you should really be looking for Five. You are his assistant after all, and it's your job to look after your assigned Leader...even if you can hardly stand them." Her voice became flat, and she frowned, "And even if they scare you. A lot. ...In any case, you should all run off now, if you want to do that."
 Without another word, the girl switched on the intercom system and started to talk into it, telling the survivors in the base that she followed protocol to override the system, and started to command them to perform certain actions, like organizing them together to save the wounded.
 It was made clear to Annabell that the girl was too busy to talk to the group anymore, so she just left the office without a sound, perhaps even more confused than before.


 The guy from Seventh wiped his snotty nose with the sleeve of his shirt, sniffling without cessation. The Fourth boy had told him to suck it up and stop crying three times already, which only made him start sobbing even harder. Even the girl from Third lost her patience and gave up trying to comfort him, and instead focused herself to a more productive work- moving the dead to one side of the room, closing their eyes if they still had them, writing their number down on a pad of paper and throwing a bed sheet over them. 
To be fair, the guy from Seventh thought he had all the right to cry. He was new here, and had just came a week earlier. Just three months prior to even that, he had been living at his house, on a farm in Wyoming, and now he was thrown into an all-out war! With dead, disgusting bodies around him and everything! Really, the tears were completely justified.
 He sat by Seven, keeping a close eye on his Leader, and "watching her", whatever that detailed. Although he must've not been watching her closely enough, as when the girl suddenly groaned and picked herself from the floor, the Seventh squads man shot ten feet up in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs!
 This prompted yet another harsh reprimand from the Fourth boy, and the Seventh guy teared up yet again because of this.
 Gale tried to ignore the screaming and yelling as she attempted to remember where she was. It came back to her slowly and in bits and pieces- she'd been... fighting something. A pounding in her head. Evil laughter. An energy that pressed against her that felt unconquerable, as if she was falling and trying to fight against gravity itself...
But in the same way she could beat gravity, she won against her power.
 Different flashes of memory suddenly attacked Gale now, ones full of frightened faces, screams of terror, and pleads for mercy and death. The Leader shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm a chill that never actually existed. Yes, she realized she had fought off her power, something many could not do, but at what cost? She'd been too late.
 Gale stared mournfully at the bodies clothed in white laying by the wall to her left. She never had seen them before this day, but the images of them as she, barely aware of what was happening around her and fighting for control, murdered them, would never leave her mind.
 The girl from Third noticed the shivering Seven, came over to the her, and draped a blanket over the girl before going back to her work.
 Gale wasn't exactly sure how to feel about the action, but accepted the warmth anyway.

asi • 20 July 2013 at 10:29 PM

Scared!? Why would she be SCARED of the guy? Raven wanted to grab the girl by the neck, slam them into the wall and have them remember who exactly was scared of whom...
But honestly, it wasn't worth the effort. If she had to deal with Zach again, then she'd have to conserve her energy.
"Raven, you don't have to worry about Five. I'm sure he can look after himself," Riley said, unconcerned. "You should just go and get some rest."
"Thanks, but I'm really fine," she brushed him off. "After all; I have to 'look after him'- like a big baby," Raven rolled her eyes. Since when was Riley all concerned over her? Last time she checked, he was the worrisome one.
All of a sudden, Riley's phone, the existence of which he'd been completely ignorant of until this moment, sprung into life, the theme of James Bond filling the room at full blasting volume. Jumping like he'd had a heart-attack, Riley snatched it from his pocket and rapidly pressed buttons at random to get it to shut up.
"Uh, phew..." Raven slowly lowered her hands from her ears. "What was that?"
He showed her the screen. It was a message calling all leaders to a meeting in the forgotten Leaders' Lounge (which no one had used probably for years, to the point where it had almost become a myth among the lowliest). The laptop had just pinged with a similar notification.
She glanced at the Eighth. "Guessing she's not going."
"Well, if you really want to find Five, you may as well just come with me," Riley pointed out.
"...I don't," she muttered under her breath.

After summoning the others, alone in the dusty lounge, One wondered about who would actually be able to show. Two won't, she thought, and considering his work today, he was excused. Who knew when Three would reform after that explosion of his; he was out of the picture as well. She sighed. Those rebels were definitely troubling, especially that Mael. But the worst thing was that 'angel' he had mentioned. Of course she knew exactly what he meant; she was One, after all.
As leader of all the leaders, her task was not, as one might immediately assume, to manage them all. That actually fell to Two, and for good reason. Above all else, One's primary purpose of existance was to ensure the survival of the Falchions. The reason her room was made of a screens, designed to survey the entire base, was not so she could control things. It was so that she could watch every single individual, being constantly on the lookout for the signs of something greater than just the potential for power.
To seek the Unnoen. That was the task the former One had entrusted her with.

taffy789 • 20 July 2013 at 11:37 PM

 The bookish girl frowned as the message popped up, read it, looked towards Eight and gave a sigh before closing the message window. She then went back to directing the survivors around the base.
 
"Well, you guys have fun with that!" Annabell smiled goodbye to her friends, actually relieved she could go and sleep now. "Raven, can you explain the power repressor you have to them? Oh, and to Riley as well. You can take it to the Leaders and explain it all, and I'll hang on to the other serum... Just to be safe."
Actually, she was lying about her reasons for wanting to keep the repressor by her side. If this was the best thing she had to having a way to help out Leon, she didn't want it out of her sight.


 A buzzing awoke an irritated Zach from his short nap, and he grumbled a few choice words under his breath while he pulled a pager from his pocket. The little device had been given to him after he became a Leader, around the same time they tattooed the five on his arm, and they said it was "only for emergencies". If they were trying to warn him about a emergency, he thought they were doing it a bit too late.
 He read the message on the electronic, and frowned. A meeting, huh? Five knew he should go, but as soon as he tried to stand, he remembered how tired he was... Without thinking, he slumped his head against the wall behind him and dozed back off to sleep...


Seven's pager shook her out of her world of thought. She checked the message, pushing away her red-eyed underling who tried to look over her shoulder to read it.
 A... Leader's meeting?
 ...She stood up, thanking the small group for everything, and left the room without looking back at the bodies.

randomness • 20 July 2013 at 11:42 PM

~
The hot air felt humid and sticky, and sat like a rock in the power's lungs. Because of this, he wanted nothing more than to destroy it. Sadly, destroying the air was an impossible feat, so he instead wished that he could recover fast from his annoying illness.
 His sickness had been brought about by the sword wound that was inflicted upon his side during a battle with a Falchion. The stupid cut became infected soon after the feral's retreat, and had grounded him to the muddy rainforest floors of A-D. Now, not only was it causing him great pain, but it was also forcing him to exhaust his small supply of food, and the feral began to slowly starve to death. The only thing keeping him going were his pitiful rations of beef jerky and water from his stolen canteen. Though this was barely enough to sustain him, and the feeling of slow starvation coupled with boiling hot skin from his light fever attacked his body without restraint, tearing and clawing at him without mercy.
One pitifully tiny wound became a multitude of serious problems. While having a human body did mean being free from his mental prison, it did have its drawbacks.
Charge's usually fierce golden eyes now dully stared up at the canopy of trees above him, a vacant expression on his face as he wondered how much electricity it would take to set the trees around him alight. If only he had the energy, he would burn the entire infernal forest to the ground- no, he would level the entirety of IOD to the dirt and destroy any one he came across... Just the thought of committing this act caused a mad grin to inch across his face.
Despite the fact Charge still suffered, writhing in the mud, the thought of destruction acted as an anesthetic. When he imagined the euphoric sensation of the pent-up, all-consuming pressure of the electricity built up in his core flowing to the palms of his hands, and then being released to shoot across the sky or into the body of a victim, he shivered with delight. If every molecule of your being produced a large amount of power every second of your life, you would start to go crazy trying to keep it built up inside. Releasing the pressure that kept on rapidly gathering was not only to keep him from exploding- possibly literally- but provided a marvelous source of entertainment too. How much fun was it to use your limitless supply of sheer force to mow down everything around you? Buckets of fun, to be exact!
However, Charge was weakened, and didn't produce as much electricity when fighting the infection, which left him both agonized and utterly bored. He didn't know which one was worse, as they both had their downsides. But at least the feeling of agony was interesting...
Thankfully, the infection did seem like the feral's only real problem at the moment.
Suddenly, a small voice echoed at the back of his mind, falsifying his earlier thought.
 '... Can you please just die already?' The voice may have sounded quiet, but it still carried the sound of loathing.
The electric-Power growled in fury, his head bursting with pain as a second consciousness surfaced in his mind. Make that TWO problems... Luckily he knew just how to get rid of his little Pain, and would entertain himself doing it.
  "My, my, Pain, you sure don't know when it's just easier for you to give up." Charge smirked, voice dry with both contempt and dehydration.
The Pain tried to sound fierce with its reply, but came off as weak and tired, as if it suffered just because it was existing- which it was, and Charge made sure of that.
 The small voice continued, growling as it commented on the how "tough" Charge was being, dying from an infection.
 The Power couldn't help but laugh at  his old user's attempts to demoralize him. Pathetic, just plain pathetic in Charge's eyes. Had the Pain already forgotten that it had no chance of regaining control?
 "I'm not dying, but I'm glad to see you so worried about me." Charge purred, to which the Pain showed its disgust by cursing the feral out.
"Compared to you, who's basically already dead," the Power continued, voice like honey, "I think I'm doing wonderfully. In fact, I'm planning how to kill all your little friends right now. I'm sure you won't mind, as it's not like you minded much when I murdered your old team mates that long time ago on this same accursed isle, right?"
 The Pain's response was fast, and laced with fury- just how Charge had expected it to be. Too bad his old user wasn't creative enough to think of anything more than an angry "Shut up."
His Pain could be rightfully described as... emotional. Although hard to provoke, if you knew how to trip the right wire, you could set it off like a dangerous explosive. Causing these violent bursts of emotion amused Charge to no end, and it was easy to do so, as he could read his Pain like an open book.
 "What did you do when I sent that electricity coursing through your friend's hearts? Oh, that's right-" his tone dropped from purring to scathingly cold in a blink of an eye. "Nothing."
 That set the Pain off. It began to rage at the back of Charge's mind, defending itself and its actions, screaming, RAVING about how it'd been in shock, hadn't known what was going on, and that Charge had completely caught it off guard. The old user certainly worked itself up, reminding the Power that he'd failed at killing everyone he'd wanted to, and then going on to say that it would give anything, anything in the world to just go back in time to fix all its mistakes...
Obviously, the entire subject remained a sore spot for the Pain. Charge could almost feel his old user's emotions as it felt them... a deep regret that stabbed the chest like a knife, a feeling of mourning and sadness, and an utter, pure and bitter hatred for not only Charge, but for its own actions...
 The feral found all this anger and emotion highly worthless. The events the Pain was all worked up about happened MONTHS ago. Even if he was just recalling what had happened now, he'd forgotten them completely before, so shouldn't it be just as easy to forget them again?
 Despite the user's negative emotions being a mystery to Charge, the Power understood them enough to know how to use them against the Pain, and had been, this entire time.
 His old repressor had resurfaced because the infection had caused the feral to become weaker, so the feral had to subsequently weaken his user to get the annoying voice out of his head... so he let the it tire itself out, screaming at the Power like it did.
 "You're completely dense." Charge snorted to his mental annoyance, preparing to repress his user once again.
 "Look, you and I both know that if you had really wanted to prevent me from taking over and causing your friend's deaths back then, you had the option to end yourself right after you discovered my take over was inevitable. And no matter what you try to trick yourself into believing, you knew it was coming for a long, long time. Face it, because of yourself, you just have to deal with the fact I'll be killing a lot of others from now on. You could've prevented it, but you DIDN'T. So sorry." Charge finished with an overly dramatic sigh, and then began to mentally push his user back.
 The Pain slipped back easily, throughly exhausted from just talking. Though if it still had the energy to speak, it would be speechless- stung by the power's words, it didn't reply until  it was almost completely re-suppressed. It managed to cling onto consciousness for dear life just as it was about to slip over the edge. In a snap, it turned wild, like some stubborn, half-crazy, rabid animal, and fought with every last molecule of power it had to fight the tsunami of energy that was its old power, Charge. It wanted- with all of its soul- to not go back to the nothingness. The nothingness terrified it. Defiant to the bitter end, it continued to not yield its grip until it no longer had the strength to hold, and managed to get out one last bitter sentence before disappearing once again into the dark, lifeless oblivion of its subconscious mind.
 '...You already know I'm regretting not killing myself.'

 Charge frowned, once again alone as he lay on the muddy ground, and the repressed user's words echoing strangely in his head. Was it just him...or did the Pain's tone almost sound...hard. Stressed. 
The feral tried to peg what it'd meant by its final words, the ones that sounded as if it'd resolved itself to do something, but the power couldn't come up with anything.
 It was almost as if... the Pain had accepted a personal challenge?

asi • 21 July 2013 at 3:02 AM

"..."
By the time Annabell had addressed Raven, she'd already stormed off to elsewhere. Riley sweatdropped.
"Ah, Annabell, it'd probably be best if you explained it," he smiled helplessly. "Otherwise, they'll probably just come and drag you out of bed..."
He dragged himself to his feet and wearily set off in the direction specified in the note; apparently it was located near the Western Gate, luckily one he was familiar with by now.

"Rise and shine, sleepybreath!" Slowly and sadistically Raven tilted the bucket over her leader's head so that the ice-cold water poured steadily down, allowing her time to savor the moment of his hair's ruin.
Then she just let the rest pour out in one big splash, before he could do something like swipe the bucket away and waste water.
It wasn't particularly original, emptying a bucket of water on someone's head, but hey, they had an important meeting to attend, and being late as well as sopping wet wouldn't be a great impression. If she'd had more time, Raven would have waited for the water to heat up a little, then... An evil smirk crawled across her features as she imagined that beautiful little scene.

In the meantime, Two slipped into bed, not even bothering to change out of his clothes as he simply wrapped the covers around him and, not long after, fell asleep.
During these times, he no longer suffered from any of the violent, blood-soaked nightmares which had once plagued him on first coming to IOD. Most of the time, he was too tired even to dream of anything but numbers, lines, and mountains of paperwork flashing before him... But sometimes, he received dreams, of the kind where you simply walked down a long, dark path, searching for something. Personally, Spike found these more tiresome than the nightmares. He prefered not to dream at all.
But tonight, he saw something he hadn't seen in a long time.
"...M?" It seemed like the figures of his past were cropping up everywhere now. First Inverse, then Bliss, Katrix, now M? He rubbed at his dreaming eyes frustratedly; how could he be seeing this person now, after so many years of silence?
But the cloaked person just flickered and faded away.
"Good riddance then," he muttered, as the dream dissolved into nothing.

taffy789 • 21 July 2013 at 4:06 AM

Annabell sighed, wistfully thinking about how she'd been cheated out of so much sleep already, and followed Riley. Her red, blistering knees and arms were still killing her with every step, but she'd made it this far already, so she stubbornly trudged forward. Sure, there were still those morphine tablets in her pocket, but weren't those supposed to be super addictive or something? Honestly, she wasn't even sure she was supposed to give them to Eight, but she had to do SOMETHING to pry that clammy hand off of her wrist. In her desperation, she may have put a Leader in a drug-induced coma, who knew. 
 ...Annabell kind of knew that wasn't the case, but the point still stood, she could've hurt Eight and she wouldn't have really known.
"...Leader's meeting, huh?" Annabell attempted at small talk, "I've heard... colorful things about them all. A real... lively bunch." She picked her words carefully at first, but then gave up. "...I guess what I'm saying is that I'm sorry for you. You have to work with them now, after all." She smiled jokingly, and continued to walk.


 His intuition had picked up the danger, but Five's reaction time still suffered from his prior lethargy, so by the time the first drop of water hit his head, he had barely opened his eye lids. Although he eyes FLEW open as the water started to trickle down, but by the time he'd reached out to swat the bucket from Raven's hands, she finished dumping the water over him, soaking him to the bone.
 Zach glared up at Raven, not sure if he was more angered about the water, Raven's presence, or the girl's evil yet pleased grin... He decided that all of them equally annoyed him.
He reached upwards, grabbed the bucket from his assistant's hand, and wordlessly flung it to the other corner of the room. He then stood up, pulling the ruined, wet gauze from his injuries, and turned to face Raven, smoldering with tired fury.
 He could think of a million things to say to her, and most of them involved cursing, but as he stood there, seething, he couldn't utter a single syllable that could express his current emotions. Raven, with her icy water bucket from heck, had left him utterly speechless. After a few seconds of glaring and getting no where, Zach decided that his vocabulary failed him, gave up, and instead stormed out the room.


 >C>
(Spades Quadrant? xD )

asi • 21 July 2013 at 8:10 AM

"Yeah," Riley returned the smile. "Except I'm one of them... It's probably only a matter of time before I lose it!" At that thought, he wondered what kind of crazy he'd become. Self-obsessed and egotistic like the former Five, Damon? Violent and ceaselessly agressive like the former Nine, Ivory? Depressed and isolated like Col...? Emotionless and- Riley had to admit- cruel, like Two, or just the plain, wacko, "lost their marbles" type, Eight? He laughed aloud somewhat nervously at the prospect.
They reached the door, and he held it open for Annabell to go in first, before remembering; "Oh, and thanks for looking out for me back there... I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't been there," he said sincerely.
"I do~ but oh! What a gentleman," a voice sighed romantically from inside the room. "I know someone who could take a few leaves from Four's book..." The girl bounced up to the door to greet them. "Hi! My name's Kitty~ as for your question, Four, I think I can answer that," she smiled knowingly.
Kitty had a pretty face, long, lush, wavy brown hair slicked back into a high pony tail and the kind of naturally perfect hourglass figure which would have models who worked hard for their shape fire-truck red with rage. Anyone with eyes had to admit she wasn't a common beauty, but the thing that made her really stand out was her extraordinary eyes; they were a bright amaranth pink.
He hadn't exactly asked a question, but of course Riley just smiled politely and let it slide.
To Anniebell, she sighed and said; "Ah, you're so lucky, having a," her eyes raked over Riley teasingly, "friend, like that." The way she happened to emphasis the word 'friend' turned it into a whole other meaning... "Spike isn't exactly known for his kindness..." she looked pitifully down at the floor.

Feeling ever so fulfilled at her leader's complete failure to retaliate, Raven sauntered along right after him, not forgetting to call out; "You do know where you're going, right? It's a leaders' meeting, in the old unused leaders' lounge... While usually all meetings take place through computers, this time you've actually been summoned in person... Does that mean One will be there themselves, I wonder? Do you think they're a girl, or a boy? Oh, we should have a bet, just in case," she chatted incessantly, just because she knew how much the sound of her voice bothered him.
This was such a beautiful hate. >C>
But personally, Raven was getting sick of it. If she annoyed him enough, maybe Five would just give up and ask for her to be changed. Although it was tempting to just throw in her jumpers with the large letter fives on the backs and yell that she quit, her heavy weights emblazoned "pride" wouldn't allow her to do so.
She'd just have to make Zach do it for her. By making life for him as horrible as possible. Which was basically what she'd been doing before, in any case... (Sweatdrop).

taffy789 • 21 July 2013 at 7:03 PM

 Annabell laughed. "Try not to go too insane on us, you're already attracting a lot of trouble as it is." she joked with him. At the door, she smiled when Riley thanked her. 
 "You're welcome... It was the least I could do. Seriously." Yes, with the entire base in chaos around her, it WAS the least she could do, in a sense.
 As Kitty appeared, Annabell quietened, but when One addressed her, she didn't really know how to reply to the girl.
 "...Uhh, okay?" was all she could come up with after hearing the girl. She blinked, feeling a bit awkward, and then entered the room without a second word.
The Leader's meeting Room was nicely furnished, even if a bit dusty. Annabell quickly found a padded, professional armchair that was sitting by a long, rectangular table that she collapsed into with a groan.


"Betting? That reminds me, you owe me thirteen favors." Zach wheeled around on Raven, finding his voice.
 "I'll use my first one to get you to stop talking."
 Normally, it wouldn't bother him THAT much, but right now, he was soaked, tired, admittedly crabbier than usual, and Raven was purposely trying to annoy him. Also, he remembered his earlier commitment to avoid her like the plague, which was hard to do when she kept following him around while chatting like that.
 "And of course I know where I'm going." he snapped, "I got the message earlier. ...Also, I would bet a week's worth of ice cream privileges that One is a girl." He added the last sentence as an after thought. He hadn't bothered to consult his power on the question, as that takes the real fun out of betting, but he had a fifty-fifty chance in any case and proved himself to be a good guesser in the past.
 Five wondered to himself if making bets with some one he'd made up his mind to avoid canceled his original plan, but decided that if he if the possible opportunity to sucker some one out of their commodities presented itself, he should take it.

asi • 21 July 2013 at 8:24 PM

"You're hurt," One smiled sympathetically. She followed Annabell to the seat and gently took one of her hands, saying; "Let me ease your pain." Her eyes flickered briefly over the burns, before she demanded; "Heal."
Before her eyes, they did just that, skin appearing now as soft as... Well, as soft as Annabell's skin normally was.
"However, I'm afraid it's only temporary; my persuasion power will only last while you're in my field of influence," she said apologetically.
"That's pretty amazing, in any case," Riley stated curiously. "How come I've never heard of you?" A power like that had to be strong. He wouldn't be surprised if she was in the top fifteen of the Falchions. (Besides, it wasn't in Two's nature to associate himself with those who were weak or useless).
"Ah," she sighed tragically. "Spike's so... Possessive. He doesn't like it when I leave my room..."
He sweatdropped and just took a seat. Too much information.

She closed her mouth and smiled somewhat smugly. One down so easily, twelve to go. Well, she couldn't exactly accept the bet this way. Raven just followed silently, a little appreciating the fact that she no longer had to speak. And if he didn't want a total mute as his assistant, he might have to use another favor sometime.
They arrived at the lounge.

Meanwhile, all the way across the Isle in the base of the Glaeroes...
"Breakfast is served~" a voice sang out, as the girls' door opened and Lich entered stage center, carrying a gigantic tray piled high with... Not ice cream, Xela noted with no small relief.
"Yay!" Guithe bounced up and down, chanting, "Waffles!"
Xela, however, crossed her arms and stared him down. "Do you know what the time is?"
Lich looked slightly puzzled. He glanced at the clock. "Er... One pm?"
She rolled her eyes. "We've already had breakfast and what Guithe calls, 'morning tea'. In between trying out all the different training rooms... Don't tell me you only just got up?"
He just laughed idiotically, then set down the tray. "Lunch then."
Looking at Guithe's pleading eyes, she sighed. "Alright..."
Xela didn't particularly like eating meals with the leader around. No matter how thick skinned you were, it was very difficult to carry out the simple acts of opening and closing one's mouth, chewing, and swallowing when someone was staring, wide-eyed and unblinking at you the entire time...

taffy789 • 21 July 2013 at 9:39 PM

 The blistering red, ugly skin disappeared completely, and Annabell sighed as the pain left her as well. She moved her fingers against the healed skin, as if making sure it was real.
"It doesn't even hurt anymore... Thank you, Kitty." she smiled gratefully. Too bad it wouldn't last forever...
 Then the girl mentioned Spike.
Annabell looked up, paling with confusion. Slightly worried, she asked, "Uhh, what was that you just-"
She was interrupted when, suddenly, Five came sloshing in, his shirt and head throughly soaked... and with Raven smiling to herself while following behind him like that, Annabell easily put two and two together.
 Zach strolled in without greeting anyone, and sat himself down in a padded chair on the other side of the table.
 There was silence, and then, "Six went feral. He attacked me and my...assistant-" he put angry emphasize on the word "- earlier. I don't know what happened to him, but he won't be joining us."
 "Same goes for Eight." Annabell added, "She's okay, but badly wounded and resting. ...That means we just need One- I guess, maybe?- Two, Three, Seven, and Ni-"
 If this were a movie, the person who would've thrown open the doors and walked into the room before the girl could finish her sentence would've been Nine herself- but they weren't in a movie so it was just Seven.
Gale had shed her blanket by this point, but still walked as if something weighed down her shoulders. She moved slowly, saying nothing as she sat down and looked expectantly at the rest of the people positioned around in the room.
 "...What?" she slowly questioned in an over-exaggerated tone, her blue eyes scanning the table top, "...No snacks? I thought we were Leaders, don't we get all of the good stuff?" 
Finished with her joke, she resumed her before mentioned sullen mood, and her hand started to absentmindedly play with her own cut short, brown hair as she waited for the meeting to start.
 ...After being interrupted twice already, Annabell wondered if she was going to get a word in edgewise during the meeting.

asi • 22 July 2013 at 2:08 AM

"Then everyone's here," she exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together, before explaining to Annabell; "Two's not coming, so he made me do this instead... Nine's okay, but she's busy taking care of some of the wounded. And Three, well, he exploded," One finished nonchalantly. "Shall I get started?"
Kitty strode over to the head of the table so that she could address everyone. "I'm sure you were all wondering about the base's lockdown and the powers' attack-" she began, when footsteps could be heard outside the door. Before it could open, Katrix snapped; "Lock!" and with an audible click, the door obeyed. "-but rest assured that the ferals are all accounted for, and the base is once again safe. Healers from the mainland have also been sent for, and the space they used before, the Eastern Wing, is being prepared for them again." She gave her audience a very persausive and reassuring smile, before calling out; "You can come in now, Nine! Open." The door did so.
Riley sweatdropped. What a distance to go to prevent a little interruption, huh... And although Katrix continued smiling, he could tell she was displeased that Nine had shown when Kitty had assured them she wouldn't.
"..." Karen silently entered and took a seat.
"However, more worrying is the rebels' message," she stated seriously, suddenly no longer appearing a silly, vain girl but a woman with the brisk air of a military leader. "This Mael spoke of a date; the Winter Solstice, and an 'angel'. I'm afraid that his meaning is clear. The rebels have got their hands on someone they believe has the potential to achieve the rank of Unnoen. That's what he meant by, 'growing their wings'- realizing their potential to the point where they become something else entirely; that is, an Unnoen. He's claimed that theirs will be ready by the twenty first of December... Which means that if we- and the Glaeroes too- don't each have our own Unnoen by this point, our side will... Be completely annihilated. That's what an Unnoen means...
It's probably the first time some of you have heard the term. There are many things about IOD that we simply don't tell the masses; their stays are usually too short to be worth the effort," Katrix sighed.
"Unnoen is basically a level of power which is virtually godlike. On average, only one person from each side achieves this per decade. And so far, every time it has happened, there has been another from the opposite side to balance it out. Inevitably, the two will fight. Often, both are killed in the ensuing battle, but if one manages to kill the other, then..." Her eyes grew dreamy for a second, "The victor is granted a wish, then disappears from IOD for good."
"A wish? Then they disappear?" Riley echoed, frowning. "Disappear where?"
"That's not our problem," Katrix brushed his doubt aside and continued; "If an Unnoen isn't found, then there will be nothing to counter theirs. No matter how powerful, no... Human, can stand in the way of an Unnoen. If we don't have one, we'll get wiped out in a second flat," she raised an eyebrow. "It's the difference between having nuclear weapons or... Cheese slicers. Have any of you heard of IOS? Well, during an Unnoen battle, an Unnoen used fire manipulation to cause the volcano in A-F to errupt, and with it's lava, fought an Unnoen who controlled the sea... After the battle was over the lava cooled and formed the Islet of Silence... And in another, between an ice and an earth Unnoen, the mountains of A-C were created... Need I go on?
Therefore, we have three options," Katrix looked around the room, meeting the eyes of each and every leader plus Raven and Annabell. "One, that we do nothing and all inevitably die horribly, painfully, and possibly slowly, the amounts of which depending on the Unnoen's preference," she said harshly. A grim aura settled over the room. No one was optimistic enough to be able to find anything remotely positive about that scenario. Even if you thought you were going to die anyway, who wanted this?
She continued; "Two, that we stop their 'angel' before they can 'sprout their wings'... In other words, assassinate them," Katrix looked down coldly at her audience. "I've already made the necessary preparations for this. Killing their potential Unnoen is actually the best case scenario. As you can tell from IOS's creation, Unnoens are incredibly unstable, their arrival always means change. And considering that all of us are alive and eating ice cream on more days than just Sunday, it's rarely for the better... To infiltrate the rebels, these people need to be powerful enough to give off the feel of a power in control- enough to fool the rebels- and on good enough terms with their power that even having a user surpressor in their system won't jeopardize the mission. Luckily, we already have two such individuals readily available. Enter!"
Once again, the doors opened and two figures entered. To Riley's shock, he immediately recognized the both of them; it was the former leaders; Damon and Clay. Damon smirked and walked over to lean again the wall behind One, and shot Annabell a firtatious wink, before reluctantly acknowledging Riley with a nod- who felt both shocked to see the previous Five alive, relieved that he hadn't actually killed him, and slightly embarrassed and guilty that he'd won and taken Damon's place... Clay just looked shiftily around the room, and on seeing that the third leader, Col, was absent, gave a (slightly uncomfortable) laugh and relaxed slightly- but still didn't move away from the door.
"If any of you have more recommendations for this task, you are welcome to submit them. You may volunteer yourself, but remember that leaders each have important roles. You'd have to find a powerful substitue in order to do so, and don't forget, it's a very dangerous mission. However, you do have that choice," One informed them, before moving on.
"Finally, we have a third option. Finding a potential Unnoen. This... Is much, much harder than it sounds. Ones dedicate their entire lives to watching for such a person..." she trailed off for a moment. "I should tell you that several months ago, my su- uh, the previous One thought that h- they had seen someone with this potential. However... Because of the change an Unnoen means for IOD... They knew that it would better if it was prevented. Therefore, they sent the individual on the most dangerous missions, hoping that it could turn out to be nothing, and... This person was lost. The problem is, it's unknown if they actually died in this event... In fact, we have reason to believe they didn't," Katrix confessed, chewing worriedly on the inside of her cheek. "We don't know either if this is the person the rebels have, or not...
And then there was Three- the former Three, I mean; Fain. While the person the former One mentioned was low in the ranks and did not stand out, Fain couldn't be ignored or easily disposed of... And because of this, he was seen as a much more likely candidate, I guess. Fain was sent to the Islet of Silence, where a test exists that actually determines whether someone has the potential, or not. However, without someone who possesses an Unnoen potential, you can never leave this test. So as he never came back, it was assumed he'd failed. But the truth is, there are other possibilities. He could be still undertaking it. It's been recorded that some have taken a whole year to complete it... Or he may have never reached the test, or have succeeded but been unable to return back to IOD for another reason. We have no way of knowing, as we don't have a way to contact the Islet..."
Suddenly, Riley remembered a conversation he'd had with Col. "On IOS... Isn't there supposed to be some kind of fortune teller, whom leaders are supposed to go to to predict their deaths?" he asked slowly.
"Yes! Fain did have his fate predicted by Muffin... And it didn't at all sound like his death would consist of starving in the test. But it's possible that someone entered and killed him... Then again, it's possible that a Falchion is meant to enter the test and save him," Katrix replied. "Any one of these could be the case. Three has been planning on heading to the IOS soon, to see if he can discover Fain's fate, and taking some of you new leaders with him, for training as well as the option of finding out your future. Also... We have no knowledge of the situation at IOS. It may be that the Falchions there are in need of assistance... And on top of that, there's the fact that we in are severe need of some of the Islet's technology... Not to mention the possibility that an Unnoen could be found among their ranks! Yes, a trip to IOS is inevitable..."

taffy789 • 22 July 2013 at 6:48 PM

Annabell stared solemnly at her reflection in the shiny wooden surface in front of her, soaking all of this new information in like a sponge.
 Out of all the options Kitty discussed with them, the second one did seem like the best bet. With luck, the assassination plan would work.
 If not...
 Well, the stuff the girl said about the Unnoen was certainly troubling. It worried Annabell just thinking of somebody with enough power to take down an entire army... Actually, the thought didn't just worry her- it terrified her.
 Nobody should ever have THAT much power in their possession. It was unthinkable- inconceivable. Downright dangerous.
 Kitty was right with her analogy; the Unnoens sounded like nothing more than walking, talking nuclear weapons just waiting for the order to explode a wipe out hundreds of people. Human beings used as tools in warfare... though, in a sense, that's what they all were.
 ... Thinking about these things further Annabell's tired depression, so she brushed them out of her mind.
If the ex-spy wasn't concerned about the level of friendship she had with her power- which was yet another terrifying notion to consider, a vengeful, sadistic power- she might've volunteered herself for the mission as well. Though, it was something probably best left to the Leaders...she knew she wasn't all-powerful, but a simply teenager who just happened to know a lot of self-defense moves and how to handle a knife. If she got found out, not only could she be torn to shreds, but worse, her power could take over her.
...Things like the mission and the Unnoen, Annabell realized glumly, were things that were completely out of her hands. She couldn't do a thing about it if she wanted to.
... She didn't know wether to feel saddened or relieved by this fact.

asi • 22 July 2013 at 10:51 PM

Raven was struggling with her pledge to remain silent. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she just couldn't...! Her pride wouldn't allow it!
Thankfully, Riley came to her rescue. "Could you please explain how IOS differs from IOD?" he said, puzzled. "Why is their technology different from ours?"
One nodded. "Long ago, on IOD, when modern weapons; guns were spreading across the world, we made a pact with the Glaeroes, that these would not be used, only medieval weapons would be allowed on IOD. IOS, created afterward, chose not to follow this."
"But why?" he asked, confused.
Sighing, Katrix said; "This is one of the things we don't talk to the troopers about. It's just not something they need to know. But I guess once you're leaders, you should be told... To understand this properly, you first need to know about powers.
Primarily, a power is a mutation we all possess. It is bound in every cell of our bodies- oh, and yes, this means you can blame it on the parents- it's in our DNA, if you know anything about biology. But the actual 'power' part; the energy that is them- their 'essence', if you will- is in the blood." She pulled a knife from her pocket and before anyone in the room could so much as blink, Katrix had sliced open her hand. Blood dripped onto the floor. "If you've ever heard anyone talking about auras; that's a small amount of 'energy' leaking out of your blood as radiation. Most people can't see this normally, unless a person has a power strong enough that they can concentrate the energy..." Katrix started sounding slightly strained. She closed her eyes and her rate of breathing seemed to accelerate up slightly. As she did so, the cut of her hand began to turn a light pink, the same amaranth shade as her eyes. "So that it radiates enough to be visible to the human eye," she said, panting slightly as her blood returned to the normal dull red. "Return," she commanded, and the droplets on the floor did so. "Heal," she told the cut, and it was gone. "For reasons involving a lot of scientific terms I'd rather not go into, the source- blood- is pretty difficult, needing a very high concentration before it will show it's color, whereas..." Her hair turned the very same pink, before fading back to brown. "Hair and eye color are relatively simple. My natural eyes are a boring brown, by the way," One blinked and showed them. "You've probably noticed these changes when a power takes over; this is only normal, as their ability to utilize their own energy is much better than ours, and they do it without even thinking. With a high level of control, they theoretically should be able to hide their aura and return to our natural colors..." she shrugged. "But in any case, it's not something a feral, the very antonym for control and order, would normally care to, let alone be capable of.
But back to weapons. You see, when you run a blade through someone, you're inadvertently drenching it in their blood. The same stuff that's filled with a power's energy. You could basically say that it's the lifeforce of both the user and power. Their physical link. Normally, that energy would harm the blade. However, if they were made specially right, the blades can... Soak it up. It sounds strange, but... If they've slain many of us... With each life lost, they gain... Swords can become powerful things."
"...The legend of the divine Demon Sword," Nine muttered.
"Exactly!" Katrix smiled. "The 'Demon Sword' is one such a blade... In fact, that sword is also called the Falcon's Blade for a reason; it's supposed to be the sword of our Unnoens. It's said that only a true Falchion Unnoen can hold that sword without having their hand burned off... Or at least, that's what the myths says. Whether this sword actually exists, we don't know..."
Riley met Raven's eyes, and she smiled guiltily, remembering how she'd accidentally called it the Death Sword and got it mixed up with the Sword in the Stone. But she hadn't really been paying attention; the rumor had sounded so stupid at the time.
"Wait, isn't this supposed to be some kind of requirement to become an Unnoen?" Riley questioned on behalf of Raven, having picked up on her seeming muteness.
Katrix turned to him; "Well, it's true that that's been said... Whether or not it's true... We just don't know. There are a lot of rumored specifications floating around, such as saving one hundred lives of your own side, and taking a hundred lives of theirs... But we've never been able to confirm any of these. Unnoens have done these, but whether all of them have, we don't know. It's a difficult thing to measure. On the other hand, no person in recorded history has ever made Unnoen being at odds with their power. We don't know whether they have to merge with them, but we do know that a feral power cannot achieve this, and certainly not someone without their power's cooperation... If you want to know more about history, Col- Three would be the person to ask."

When it seemed that no one had anything to say to that, One's expression darkened and she continued. "However. Steel isn't the only thing that can take our energy. What I'm saying is that sometimes, people like us can 'bond' with... Well. People like us."
At this, Raven sat up straighter.
"It's a difficult process," Katrix winced. "One I'm not even half-qualified to explain. I can tell you, however, that there are two types; temporary and true." Her gaze shifted to Annabell. "The same as with suppressors... In any case, this bonding isn't something you should have to worry about much; true bonding, for one, is theoretically impossible. On the other hand, temporary..." she pouted her lips, trying to think of the best way to explain this.
"There are three qualifications needed to complete a temporary bond. And know that if you fall short in any of these stages... It could kill you.
"First, the two parties must be compatible. It's impossible to gauge this, but the narrower and weaker the power, the more easily it can be associated with others. For instance, a power like lie-detecting would have a high compatibility with one such as," she gestured to Riley, "mind-reading. (No offense). Both of these powers are from the same area and have a low range of abilities. More basic, broader powers, such manipulation of the elements are nigh on impossible to match..." she shook her head. "Just don't go there.
"Secondly, the two individuals looking to bond need a strong connection emotionally. Fairly simple; love, hate, or understanding will do if they're powerful enough, that is. This can be balanced out with the previous stage; a lower compatibilty could still succeed with a high connection, or vice versa.
"Thirdly... A blood transfusion has to take place. That's why, this kind of bond... It's called a Blood Bond. For a temporary bond, it's up to seven percent depending on how long the bond is wanted. Any more is deadly," Katrix said warningly, looking up and down the table.
"So you should understand how impossible a true bond is, since it requires a blood transfusion of... Ninety-three percent. It has to happen quickly too; completed within twelve hours. Theoretically, this operation is impossible. If one loses too much blood, or gains too much... And if one party dies mid-true-bond, the consequences for the other would be... Unpleasant. And then there's the ridiculous compatibility and connection required for a true bond..." she shook herself out of the daze. "The reason I'm telling you all this, however, is because of the kind of power one gains from a blood bond... Two individuals who have temporarily bonded are able to 'borrow' each other's powers, while it lasts. While true bonds... Create a permanent linkage between the two. As I've said; theoretically, it's impossible. But in reality, it's happened. And the truth is, that if one of the two in a true bond is killed... Than the other will keep their power, all to themselves," Katrix finished darkly.
"Blood bonding can make people incredibly strong. Therefore... You should be careful," she stared seriously at the group, her eyes lingering noticeably longer on Riley. "I wouldn't put it past the rebels using something like this..."
"Finally, there is one last thing you should all know about IOD," One sighed.

taffy789 • 23 July 2013 at 11:58 AM

 Annabell was on the edge of her seat. Literally, as she had subconsciously scooted forward as she listened to Katrix speak. Looking around her, she could see that others were just as interested in what the girl had to say. 
Leaned back in his chair, Five didn't remove his eyes from the speaker, and watched her mouth move with interest. Gale sat ram rod straight in her chair, hanging onto every single word. This "Kitty" knew much about their powers and the workings of IOD. Annabell attempted to wrap her head around all this new information as it came to her, but the process was only made harder by how tired she was...
 All in all, she felt relieved to be finally getting some answers, even if the answers were to questions she'd never asked, and only spurred more questions, in some cases...
 Annabell had shrank back in her chair as Katrix mentioned the power suppressers and then glanced in her direction. Did the girl know about the drug..? How was that even possible?!
 It was obvious that the speaker was a very powerful person, but an all-knowing omniscient? It was yet another scary thing to add on her list of terrifying thoughts for today, but Annabell waved her fears off as foolish. Still, she had to over hear or see the suppressers somehow...
The girl decided she would ask later, and directed her attention to Katrix once again.

asi • 23 July 2013 at 5:16 PM

"Wait," Karen stopped her with a listless expression.
One paused, but smiled invitingly for her to ask away.
"I feel there are things you didn't address about the rebel's message... Such as why this person addressed Two in particular. Do they know each other? If so, who exactly is this Mael character?" she recited her questions in a dull monotone, as if nothing bored her more, but the way her eyes were carefully trained on Kitty's face betrayed her real curiosity.
On hearing these questions, Katrix immediately grew uncomfortable, forgetting to even feign nonchalance at the mention of Two. "Uh," she stalled briefly, hesitating. "As for that... Two does not know the identity of the person Mael..."
The ninth leader frowned, and said slowly; "Not only did he speak to him familiarly, but this Mael had a very particular voice, didn't he? Soft, silky and dangerous. The voice of someone who could easily lie, as natural as breathing. I wonder, who else do we know who sounds like that?"
"Nine..." Katrix stared at her hard, and barely suppressed in her tone was anger.
"Maybe we should run voice records," Karen said cooly.
Quietly, Damon groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead, muttering; "Never blame it on the boyfriend..."
"Nine, you should know that there are powers which allow people to take others' appearances, like shape-shifting," Katrix managed with clearly forced calmness.
"Yes," Karen replied evenly. "But in that case, he just gave away his power. And since he obviously knows Two personally, I should be able to find his identity by looking over of all our shape-shifting records... If there is such a person. But haven't you looked already?"
"I, I... You dare..." Stuttering now, Katrix looked about to cry. "Nine, you may be in charge of Interrogation now, but this is out of line!" she growled.
Clay looked very ready to leave.
"Does Two have close connections with the Glaeroes then? An identical twin? Tell me, has the person in charge of control had some issues controlling himself, or is he just a plain traitor?" Karen deadpanned, as if unaware she was accusing the second strongest person on base.
The first leader swallowed. For a moment, she seemed completely at a loss. "... Get out," she finally snapped. "I call raincheck on this meeting. Except..." her gaze fell on Annabell and Raven, "For you two, the non-leaders. Everyone else, dismissed. Now," she added for emphasis.
Riley shot his friends a worried look, but didn't really have any choice. By now, who in the room hadn't realized that this "Kitty", with all this ridiculously secret information, just had to be One?