Genesis Crisis: Resurgence IC

Aegis

Kokonoe nodded back at James, rolling a white stick around her teeth. For a moment, Rise thought she had taken up smoking again, but she realized it was the stick of a lollipop.

"Likewise," she murmured. Her eyes flickered over to Lambda, who was holding the unconscious Redcape.

"Get that to the containment field asap," she ordered. "I'll be along shortly."

Lambda nodded and marched out of the lab. Kokonoe turned to the others, hands on her hips.

"Keynes has filled me in on the details - mostly - but I'd like to hear it from your mouths. If I'm going to crack this Redcape mystery, I need to know everything possible."

At that moment, Luke chose to collapse onto the ground. Kokonoe gave an exasperated sigh as Rise rushed over to his side.

"He's exhausted," she said. "I think we all are. Can we get some rooms to rest up in?"

She ignored Marcus' question and motioned James over to help her pick Luke up off the ground. Kokonoe clicked her teeth impatiently against the hard surface of the cherry red lollipop before waving over one of her researchers.

"Get them guest rooms," she told him. "And make sure the mess hall has some food prepared."

Kokonoe turned back to the others and waved them off.

"Hurry up and rest," she said. "I'll be taking a look at that Redcape in the meantime."

She strode off, leaving the others alone.

"Let's get Luke to a bed," she said to James, then turned to Lenka and Marcus, "And then you two had better come up with a good reason why we shouldn't have Lambda teleport you right back to the university."

She didn't want to snap at them - well, she didn't want to snap at Lenka - but the adrenaline of the battle was still in her veins, and the realization that things could have gone very badly for them all was still fresh in her mind.

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Arusians

Alexei remained still and silent as Ehlana worked. He barely registered the touch of her fingers on his skin as he thought of Belo, and the images from the battle flashed through his mind.

He grimaced as she poured something that stung sharply at his wound, then worked to stitch it up. When she had finished, he sat up and tried to stretch cautiously.

"You're good," he said. "But your bedside manner could use some improvement."

He offered her a smile, which faded when she handed over his communicator. He stared at it, puffed his chest out, and dialed.

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Old Guard

Lord Commander Farrington and High Lady Adalia strode down the red-carpeted staircase into the grand hall as Maxim and Kurik were ushered in by two soldiers in the smart red and black uniforms of the Old Guard.

"Dr. Valery," Farrington said with a nod. "It's good to meet you in person."

"The pleasure is mine," Maxim said, smiling at Farrington and Ariana in turn before bowing his head. Farrington gave Kurik a cold stare.

"I don't think much of the company you keep," he said bluntly. Maxim's pleasant expression never faltered.

"Ah, but I do," he said. "And if Kurik's presence will be a problem, then I'm afraid I'll have to take my leave as well."

Farrington pursed his lips, but Ariana waved an impatient hand.

"Forget him," she said. "Let's just get on with this."

Farrington nodded stiffly and ushered the small group though a door to the side and down the hall to a conference room.

"I trust," Farrington said, once they'd been seated, "that your agents are capable of dealing with this Aegis group? You know, of course, about their reputation."

That he did, and it wasn't a good sign that they were involved already. Hopefully, this potential crisis could be dealt with shortly.

"I can assure you that-"

Maxim was interrupted by his communicator. He looked down to see that it was Alexei trying to reach him.

"Actually, would you mind excusing us for a moment?" he asked. He stood and beckoned for Kurik to follow. They passed into the room across from the conference room, another one that was not in use at the moment.

"Alexei," Maxim said in greeting. The agent's face was grim as he began to report.

[OOC: You can have Alexei finish his report in your post if you want, Noin]

Lab facilities
- James & Lenka -

"You just need to embrace it," James said and steadied Lisa. "You okay?"

They went over to Rise and together they carried Luke to one of the guest rooms and laid him onto the bed.

Afterwards they returned to the hallway where Lenka and Marcus were waiting. He gave both of them a serious look.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked. "I thought you were smarter than that, Lenka. You both could've been killed."

Lenka who had quietly followed now straightened up. She still felt weak and wanted to do nothing more than sleep.

"I disagree," she said. "It didn't look very promosing for you until we came along."

She looked down. "I'm sorry I had to go behind your back," she aplogized quietly and glanced up at Rise and James, "but you can't expect me to stay behind on something like this. I know you feel I would just be in the way, but that's not true."

As if to prove it, she lifted her camera. "While you were all busy fighting, I took pictures. You said, you don't know who those people were, well maybe this can help."

She paused, twirling her hair between her fingers. "We meant to just observe, but then they shot you and I got so worried..." there was a true emotional tone in her voice when she looked at James. "Knowing what you both are facing everyday, I can't just sit at home and wait."

James expression softened a little. He could understand Lenka better than he wanted to admit. Still he was torn between wanting to keep her safe and letting her make her own decisions.

"And Marcus already proved he is a skilled fighter. I think you need all the help you can get." She looked over to Marcus, hoping he would say something. He didn't look completely okay and she felt a little worried.
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Arusians
- Ehlana & Kurik -

Ehlana shrugged. "I didn't want you bleed more than you had to," she said and gave him half a smile in return. "I'll try to be more gentle next time." Hopefully there wouldn't be a next time.

Alexei connected to Maxim and Ehlana sat down next to him, watching silently.

"When the mobile doll appeared we saw no other choice but to abort the mission," Alexei finished his report.

Kurik's expression changed into a frown. They had left someone behind. For a few seconds that was all that registered in his mind.

"Are you going back for Belo?" he asked quietly, unable to focus on any other aspect of the report.

He could tell from their expressions that they were pretty concerned and that their decision to abort had not been made lightly. That somewhat appeased him.

Ehlana bit her lip. She wanted tongo back and check. There was still hope he had survived and was waiting for them to find him. However, she would follow orders, so she waited for Maxim to make a decision.

Nadenka's House
Nadenka Orlov

"What a mess..." Said Nadenka, the man was all looking better and she could not help, but had to comment on her own house status.

She thought she had been cleaning her house well, but apparently not; she turned on robotic vacuum cleaner that started to roam around the entire house, she did her part of wiping the floor clean, washing dishes and it was started to become clear that she had not been taking care of her house for at least two days...

She bite her lips, "That couldn't be helped though... That day was coming closer..." She muttered.

Nadenka sighed as she finish the last dish.

_______________________________________________

Aegis
Luke Jaron

"What are you doing!" Said the man, Luke stared at the man coldly, "You either let the boys go, or I will burn this building down." The man bite his lips, "You think you are some sort of hero, boy? You got no guts to pull off that stun! Besides! We are doing the favor for boys! They do not deserve this fake freedom!" Luke's eyes became narrower, "That's not what I want to hear it from you. You take them forcefully, cause they had awaken their strain." The man lips did not say more, instead, the man and his group attack Luke, Luke smirked. "Yeah come at me!"

Aegis

"Yeah, I think I'm good now." Lisa released James' shirt from her death grip and slowly swayed to the nearest wall, which she leaned against until her features lost some of their greenish shade. "Don't get me wrong, I love being able to get places quickly, but that swooshing thing my stomach does every time that happens is not pleasant."

Meanwhile, Marcus was still trying to process everything around him. Was there a good reason not to just get sent back to the university? The events of the last day or so weren't quite lining up. He was sure that Rise had healed him though. Otherwise, he would still be in pain. Right? His wounds were physically healed, but his brain hadn't caught up yet for some reason.

He shook his head when Lenka mentioned him being a skilled fighter. What was she talking about? All he'd done was get himself crushed into a rock face...

But then, how had he gotten into the position to be holding Lenka and Luke up at the end?

More images flashed through his skull. The Redcape thrown over his shoulder. Dust and debris being thrown everywhere as he crashed down from the sky.

With an audible groan, he reached up to massage his temples. Considering the warm welcome that Lenka and himself seemed to be receiving, it probably wasn't a good idea to mention that he couldn't exactly remember the last hour of his life. Maybe if he could talk to Lenka alone?

A hand suddenly landed on Marcus' shoulder, and his head jerked around to see Lisa giving him a weary smile. "Relax a little. You look like you're about to have a meltdown."


"Right." He tried to offer a smile in response, but judging from the look on Lisa's face, it wasn't a very good attempt. "Headache." Marcus muttered. Half the truth was better than a lie, right?

"No doubt. Take a few minutes to get it together." She nodded in James' direction. "The dangerous part of the operation is already over. So long as you're not missing any classes, I don't see a reason for us to send you back now."


"Perhaps it would be in your best interests to be a little less reckless though?"

"Not my idea." Marcus muttered low enough so that only Lisa could hear him, and after her eyes drifted to Lenka, she gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Right. That one's out of my jurisdiction." She responded with a grin. "In any case, get some rest."

Aegis

Rise planted her hands firmly on her hips, glaring at Lisa.

"I'm glad you're taking this so lightly," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Just take it easy? That's it?"

She huffed angrily, but could see that there was no winning this. James was already giving into Lenka, and Lisa couldn't be bothered to even give Marcus a slap on the wrist.

"Fine, fine," she muttered. "I take no responsibility for anything that happens to them."

She marched to her temporary room and shut herself up inside. The exhaustion from the fight was getting to her, but she hadn't wanted anyone to see it. Flopping down on the bed, she sighed and let her hair loose around her.

There was a lot to think about, but she didn't want to bother with any of it. Kokonoe wouldn't wait too long to call on them, and she wanted to get a little peace and quiet till then.

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

Old Guard

Maxim had been silent all throughout Alexei's report. Once he had finished, the scientist closed his eyes for several moments.

"No, Belo is to be left as is. If he's still alive, he'll manage to make contact with us. If he's not, we can't waste time going after the dead," he said calmly.

So, their reports weren't entirely accurate. One of the mobile dolls was still functional after the battle with the Leviathan. That was an unfortunate complication. Even one would be difficult to defeat.

"They'll be at Ergo Research Lab," Maxim said, turning his attention back to the agents. "They'll have taken the Redcape to Kokonoe Velda. She can't be allowed to study it."

If the agents had little luck with an ambush, assaulting the research lab had an even lower chance of success. It couldn't be helped though.

"Infiltrate Ergo Research immediately," he ordered them. "Eliminate the Redcape and dispose of its body. Take care of Dr. Velda as well if you can."

Alexei's face had gone quite blank, but he managed to nod. Good. The last thing he needed right now was for his agents to start getting independent.

"Report back as soon as possible," Maxim finished before cutting the channel. He turned back to Kurik, his expression almost imperfectibly tighter.

"I think our allies have been kept waiting long enough," he said quietly. "We'll need to approach this... delicately."

[OOC: I didn't post for Alexei this time, but you can post Ehlana's reaction to the orders, and I'll respond with Alexei to that.]

Lab facilities
- Lenka -

Lenka handed the camera over and watched as first Rise left and then Lisa and James walked away.

When they turned the corner, she let out a long exhale. "You are not looking too good," she said to Marcus and took his arm, looking up at him worried, "Do you need a medic?" she asked. "Or perhaps something to eat?"

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Lab facilities
- James -

James watched as Rise walked off into a room and shut the door behind her. He sighed. He knew Rise was probably worried and upset, but also exhausted. For a moment he thought about going in after her, but then decided to give her a little room and time to collect herself.

"It's okay. You can stay for now," he said to Marcus and Lenka and then motioned for Lenka's camera. She handed it over with no protest.

"Get some rest," he suggested. "The mess hall is that way." He could tell Lenka was about to protest so he quickly added, "Don't worry, we'll catch you up later."

"Lisa, you want to get some rest as well? You were looking quite green earlier" he asked her with a grin and turned back towards the lab. "I'm going to bring Kokonoe these photos and a few things to take a look at."

OOC: Feel free to take us back to Kokonoe.

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Arusians
- Ehlana -

Ehlana intertwined her fingers. The fact that they failed their mission weighed down on her.

This shouldn't have happened. Even if they had a lack of information and preparation time beforehand. They were chosen because they were the best. So why had it still gone wrong?

Ehlana nodded at Maxim's orders. "Understood," she said before the connection cut.

When the screen turned black, she stared at it for several seconds before finally moving.

No emotion had betrayed her face while they were talking to Maxim, but now her face looked quite worried.

"I would've liked to go back for him," she finally said quietly. "It doesn't feel right to just leave him."

She booted up the laptop and pulled their information on the Ergo Research lab. After looking at it for a few moments, she sat back and sighed.

"This looks like a very impossible mission. We need a perfect plan," she said, "but first, I think we need something to eat and you need a little rest," she added and grabbed the keys.

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Old Guard
- Kurik -


Kurik inclined his head. He didn't quite agree with Maxim's decision, but he accepted it.

Maxim was right. Their recources and man-power here were limited and the priority mission for the agents was the Redcape.

"Would you like me to gather additional data for the agents?" he asked. "Or should my presence continue to irritate Lord Farrington?" He actually sounded slightly amused at the notion. "They probably should start doing their part of the alliance," he muttered.

Needless to say, he didn't really trust the Old Guard alone with Maxim and felt better if he could keep an eye on things.

Aegis
-Marcus-

Marcus shook his head at Lenka's words. "I don't know."

He glanced after the others, who were already making their way down the hall.

"Can we..." His words trailed off as a pair of researchers moved past them. "How about we find a spot that's a little less public?" Marcus asked, trying not to sound too unhinged. "I'd like clear up a few things, and I don't really want an audience."

Shaking his head again, as if still trying to clear it, he made his way down the hall. Entering what had been designated as one of the 'guest rooms', Marcus made his way to the coffee table inside and dropped into one of the chairs beside it.

"What, umm..." He glanced around the room, making sure no one else was present. "What happened after the Redcape brained me with the ground? I'm sort of foggy on the last thirty minutes of my life."

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-Lisa-

"I'm good." Lisa responded, offering James a half-smile as she followed him down the hall. "So long as there's somewhere for me to sit down, I think I'll come with you. Body's sore, but the mind's awake and all that."

She shrugged. "Maybe listening to you and Kokonoe communicate in nerdish for a few minutes will help knock me out."

Ergo Research

Kokonoe narrowed her eyes as the Redcape writhed on the examination able. Fortunately, the electrostatic restraints were keeping it well-secured, and there was no way it was getting outside the containment field surrounding the table.

Even so, she chose to stand on the glassed-off walkway above the high-security lab, simply observing the specimen.

"We got it in there just in time," Kokonoe said as Lambda approached her. "We'd have had a hell of a time getting that thing secured while awake."

So, that thing had been human. Fascinating.

"It only happens to strain users," she murmured, tapping her cheek. "Whatever is causing it happens at a strain level then. A mutation, possibly? And now we know there's a human element involved, if whoever those people were tried to stop us from obtaining the Redcape."

James and Lisa came onto the walkway, and Kokonoe gave a small smile.

"Couldn't stay away, huh?" she said, folding her arms. "All right, kid. Tell me everything you know. No detail is insignificant."

[OOC: Make sure to mention the fact that James was sniped in the battle. That's going to be the key discovery.]

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Arusians

The connection to Maxim cut, and Alexei and Ehlana were left in silence.

"I would've liked to go back for him," she finally said quietly. "It doesn't feel right to just leave him."

Alexei's jaw clenched, but a moment later, his face relaxed.

"Can't be helped," he said. "Orders are orders."

Alexei didn't like the idea, but Ehlana was right. They needed to rest if they wanted to have even a slim chance of success. He laid gingerly back on the mattress and sighed.

"A short rest. A quick meal. Then we move out," he said.

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Old Guard

Maxim ran a hand through his hair, humming thoughtfully. He regarded Kurik for a few moments, then relaxed his stance.

"I believe you're right, Kurik," he said calmly. "It is time the Old Guard plays their part."

He headed for the door and motioned Kurik to follow.

"I'll want you here for now," Maxim continued. They entered the other conference room, and Farrington got to his feet.

"I assume you have a good explanation for this," he growled. Maxim returned to his seat and waited for Kurik to take his before speaking.

"High Lady, Lord Commander," he said. "We have a situation."

[OOC: I'll timeskip and have Maxim finish filling them in in the next post, as well as proposing the next step of the plan.]

Ergo Research - Guest Room
- Lenka -

A little confused, Lenka followed Marcus into one of the guest rooms. Something was clearly troubling him.

He was being very cryptic and it soon became apparent why.

"What do you mean what happened?" she asked. As she saw the expression on his face, Lenka realized that he really had no idea.

Slowly she sat down on the bed and crossed her legs.

"Well," she began, "You charged at the Redcape after you activated some kind of spell. My guess would be an Overlimit because to me it didn't look like any spell a kaja strain user has at their disposal."

She paused and leaned against the wall. Now that she was sitting, she could feel how exhausted her body still was.

"Then you fought with the Redcape...well wrestled  is probably a more accurate term and eventually overpowered it and threw it at the guy that tried to attack us with his guns," she continued. "There was a small rockslide and he disappeared while Luke knocked the Redcape unconscious. That's when Lambda showed up and a few minutes later we were all here at the lab."

Lenka went quiet after she finished talking. Her eyes were watching Marcus, wondering what happened that caused him to not remember and worrying that it could become a potential problem since no one else was aware of this...yet.

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Ergo Research
- James -

"I hadn't realized these technical conversations bored you that much" he said amused and rolled his eyes at Lisa.

He understood what she meant though. Sometimes a conversation, much like a good song, provided a background noise when the mind needed to calm down.

They rounded a corner and arrived on the walkway where Kokonoe was standing.

"While we tried to capture the Recape, we were suddenly attacked," he began to recount the events that happened. "They were well prepared and well informed about us," he said, remebering that the one called Alexei actually knew his name.

James held up the camera. "My sister managed to take some pictures of two of the attackers," he said. "Hopefully we can identify them."

Then his expression darkened. "I'm sure there was a third one though, a sniper probably," he continued and reached into his pocket and pulled out the empty nano bug shell casing.

"Out of nowhere, I was shot with this and I think it injected something into my blood...?" his voice became a little unsure. He still had no idea what the intended effect could have been.

"Maybe you should take a sample of my blood as well," James suggested, his expression pained at the memory. "Because the effects of this were...excruciating. It felt like my blood was on fire."

"Nothing happened after the effects ran out," James shrugged.

He swallowed hard at the thought of having a needle stuck into him again, but he trusted Kokonoe. Afterall, she was the one who had accompanied him through the whole process of silencing his magic gene.

"I admit, we were quite overwhelmed at first, dealing with the unknown attackers and the Redcape and then Lenka and Marcus showed up out of nowhere," he continued and briefly told Kokonoe what happened until Lambda showed up.

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Arusians
- Ehlana -

Ehlana nodded in agreement. Orders were orders. She left the room. It didn't take her long to return with a meal and while they ate, she continued to analyze the information they had on the Ergo Research Facility.

It was incomplete, because a lot of data was kept as top secret.

"I don't know if you can go in with me," she finally said. "I'm sure Aegis is be regrouping there and if they remember your face..." she trailed off.

"I need to get my hands on some reseacher ID. That could allow me to get close enough to finish the Redcape," she mulled over the idea in her head, not happy with any of the options.

When she finished eating, she tossed Alexei a new shirt. "You can rest in the car," she said. "Let's go. We have a job to finish." There was cold determination in her grey eyes.

Aegis

-Marcus-

I overpowered the Redcape?

Marcus shook his head slowly, unable to accept the thought. Yet, Lenka continued with her story as if stating simple facts. You'd think that a person would remember a thing like that...

"To wrestle with a Redcape..." His voice trailed off. "What kind of strength does that take?"

Marcus swallowed, leaning back in his chair. She didn't need to answer. Only a monster had that kind of strength.

No, he couldn't think like that. Blessing or curse, his strain had kept him alive today, had kept Lenka alive today.

"I keep getting flashes of what happened." He said, staring up at the ceiling. "Not like memories though. It's like my brain took a bunch of still-frame photos and is bombarding me with them in no particular order."

Shaking his head again to push away some of those images, he glanced in Lenka's direction and muttered a curse. Her eyelids were barely open, but she seemed to be fighting off sleep.

"I'm sorry. It's been an eventful afternoon." Marcus pushed himself from his chair, offering her a smile. "We should both probably get some rest."


"I'll go find another room to crash in." He said, making his way to the door. Somehow, he doubted that he'd actually be able to sleep though...

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

-Lisa-

"Sometimes, life bores me that much." Lisa responded with a smirk and a shrug. "Unfortunately, today isn't one of those days. So, I'm relying on the heavy artillery that you nerd pack into your conversations."

As James lifted the camera to Kokonoe, Lisa snagged it. "Let me. I can pull the photos while you two do your thinking. It'll give me something to do with my hands."

She slid into a seat and popped open the back of the camera. Now, to find an adapter that fit the card...

There didn't seem to be one on the terminal, but after a few seconds of scanning the desk, she found an insert that accepted it.


"One of them had some kind of weapon that made my magic more difficult to use, too." She called over her shoulder when James finished his assessment.

The terminal beeped, and a series of images spread across the screen.

"Umm..." Lisa raised an eyebrow at the first few images. A woman stood in the center of the park with a small child. A fountain cascaded upwards at an obscure angle. Was that photo taken upside down? She flipped through the next few, all of different scenes, followed by a photo of Marcus sitting behind the wheel, his attention clearly focused on the road.

The next was the scene she was looking for though. "Found them."

Aegis
Luke Jaron

Luke eyes were slowly opened, he could feel his strength coming back to him. Thinking back now, he was never exhausted this much two years back then... Perhaps, he was getting too used to the peaceful life, and after battling that bear-man, it was clear he was not sharp as he used to be.

Luke looked at his hands, the memory of having his hand covered in blood... Memory that he thought he had buried away started screaming in his mind, asking him a question that he thought he doesn't need to answer anymore... Are you ready to kill again?

Luke bite his lips, then the name of his friend slipped out from his mouth, "Mark..."

Luke quickly stood up, and got out from the guest room. "Where's Mark?" Said Luke as he came out to the place where it looked like James, Lisa and the researcher looked busy. "Is he okay? He was injured badly when I took him out, is he going to be alright?" Luke asked them with concern.

_____________________________________

Nadenka's House
Nadenka Orlov & Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog opened his eyes, "Did I die?" Said Belobog, a rhetorical question, but he was surprised when he was answered by the female voice. "No, you are at my place." Startled, Belobog quickly sit up from the bed and looked at the direction where the voice came from.

There it was, woman with green hair and she was carrying a tray. On the tray, there was something like a bowl of soup.

Belobog quickly tried to reach for his weapon, but there was none and he also realized that he was shirtless.

"After getting better, you could leave. Your things are over there." said the woman coldly, Belobog stared at her. "What are you trying to do? Did you put a tracker on me?" Belobog asked her, Nadenka just shrugged. "Well, I am just a doctor. I happened to find you and cured you. I did nothing wrong." Nadenka put the tray on the small table that was in the room. "Anyways, I made something. Eat and leave." The woman then left the room.

Belo curled his lips, "What a cold woman..." Said Belobog and quickly got up from the bed and started eating the soup. "Well, she's a good cook..." Belobog commented, looking at the shut door. Then went on finish the soup.

Aegis

Kokonoe listened intently to James story, nodding thoughtfully throughout. She took the pictures Lisa handed her, scanning them quickly.

"Not familiar to me," she said. "I can run them through the Army database."

The nanobug was of much more interest. Her eyes widened as James recounted being injected by one, and she snatched it quickly from his hand.

"Ahh, this is promising," she said, eyes narrowed. "Let's take a closer look."

She led the way down the walkway and into the adjacent lab. There was a microscope nearby, and she placed the nanobug beneath it. With her eyes screwed up to the lenses, she hummed and murmured to herself.

"Well, well," she muttered, hands twisting and turning dials. "It's some kind of microinjector. Holds a small sample and injects with an extending microsyringe. Then it flies off and initiates a self-destruct sequence. It's so small you wouldn't even notice. I suspect you swatted it before it could fly off. It looks a little mashed."

She finally looked up from the microscope at James, studying him carefully.

"So, this injected you then. I'm starting to suspect that whatever causes the Redcapes is manmade. These people, whoever they are, inject people with these little devices, and they turn into Redcapes. The question is - how?"

She looked over at the containment field with the Redcape, which seemed to be holding, then back at James.

"Lucky for us, we have an experimental and a control," she said, finally cracking a satisfied smile. "Time to crack this mystery."

Luke chose this moment to enter the lab, concerned about Mark. Kokonoe folded her arms and surveyed him impatiently.

"Your friend, or what's left of him, is fine. Those Redcapes are durable, if nothing else. The sooner you get out of my hair though, the sooner we might be able to get him back to normal."

She brushed past him, catching James by the elbow and dragging him over to a stool at one of the lab's benchtops.

"A sample from you."

She pinned his arm to the table and picked up an instrument nearby that looked like a bracelet. She attached it around his elbow, and it gave a few beeps before James felt a very tiny prick. It gave a chirp, then detached from his arm.

"All done, and your vitals look good too," she said. "Now, for the Redcape."

This was a good deal trickier. Kokonoe retrieved a very long, very thin needle, which she carefully maneuvered through the containment field. She pricked it in the neck, which made its head writhe more than usual. After a few beeps on the syringe's handle, she retrieved it and moved over to the computer.

"Now, we analyze the two and see what's cooking," Kokonoe said, her fingers flying over the keys.

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Arusians

Alexei didn't like the idea of Ehlana going in alone, but t was the most sensible plan.

"Sneak in and out," he said. "If you encounter trouble, I can create a diversion from outside to buy you time."

He didn't see the shirt coming, and it covered his face for a moment. He pulled it off, allowing the ghost of a smile to cross his face before nodding.

"Yes, let's get moving," he said.

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Old Guard

"They what?!"

Farrington slammed a fist on the table.

"If they have a Redcape, they could undermine everything!" he shouted. Maxim remained unruffled.

"Perhaps," he said. "It's safest to assume that Kokonoe Velda will discover the truth about the Redcapes, and possibly a cure. But if we move ahead with the next step, we can mitigate the damage."

"Disseminate the Leviathan reports?" Farrington asked, slowly sinking back into his seat.

"This is exactly what the Anti-Strain supporters are looking for," Maxim replied. "More than enough to pit them against those strain users protesting the silencing or conscription choices. And considering how many strain users are at the top of the Army, this should undermine leadership as well. The Redcape will be the least of Alina Gray's problems.

"Very well," Farrington replied. "We'll begin distributing the documents immediately."

"And when will it be my turn?" the High Lady asked sulkily. Maxim gave her an indulgent smile.

"Soon."

Ergo Research Lab
- James -

“That’s an alarming development,” he said to Lisa, still thinking about what she said. They had weapons that could affect magic. How was that even possible?

James was looking at the pictures and reached over her shoulder to open the Army database on the computer for her to scan the pictures. Just then Kokonoe pulled him away to take his blood. The procedure wasn’t as bad as he feared.

For some reason it was a relief for James to think that the creation of Redcapes was probably man-made. That meant it couldn’t spread uncontrollably and that also meant somebody was responsible. Somebody they could find.

James joined Kokonoe at the computer when she began to analyse the blood. He pulled up Mark’s file. Since he was a known magic strain user, there was also a blood sample from him on file. “We also know the person the Redcape was previously,” he said and pulled up the sample. “Here, you can also compare the blood from before and after the transformation,” James said and gave Luke a long look.

His eyes followed the numbers on the screen and the graphics that appeared.

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

Ergo Research - Guest rooms
- Lenka -

Something in his voice made Lenka open her eyes and sit up straight. There was a sort of emotional distress or disbelief in it?

“Wait…,” she called before Marcus was out the door and hopped off the bed.

Her wide eyes were watching him. “Do you want to talk about it?” she offered with a genuine smile. “It sounds like it’s a lot to wrap your head around. And that’s not really helpful if you want to sleep…”

Yes, she was tired, but it was more her body that was exhausted than her mind. And she didn’t like to see her friends so confused.

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

Arusians
- Ehlana -

Ehlana nodded noncommittal and got into the car. She drove off more fast than gentle.

“It’s a long drive,” she said, “Maybe we can come up with a better plan before we get there.” However, she didn’t sound hopeful.

She left the laptop open on the dashboard, glancing at it every now and then to memorise as much as she could about the Ergo Research Lab.

“Best place to get an ID would be at the mainland before they ferry over to the facility,” Ehlana broke the silence eventually. “Security will be tighter closer to the facility.”

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

Old Guard
- Kurik -

Kurik had to force himself to stay seated when Lord Farrington slammed his fist on the table. His calm expression gave way to a more angry one.

He couldn’t help but admire Maxim for his unreal calm, something he was barely able to imitate. If he was in the same situation, he would have already raised his voice. He looked at his hands. They were tightened into fists and he couldn’t help but give a small smile. At least he hadn’t jumped his seat to get in a heated argument with Lord Farrington.

To his surprise, he realized that he had underestimated Maxim a little. He wasn’t just a brilliant researcher, but also well versed in diplomacy and politics.

The situation seemed back under control. Still, he hoped the agents would succeed in containing the Redcape situation before it got even further out of hand.

“Well done,” he said quietly to Maxim.

Aegis

-Marcus-

"Do I want to talk about it?" Marcus turned back in her direction with a forced smirk. "Not really, but a friend of mine has recently been telling me that sometimes it's best to get things off your chest anyway."

He stood in silence for a moment before stepping to the side of the door and leaning against the wall. "To be honest, I'm not sure I want to sleep. If the images are this potent while I'm still awake, I can only imagine what my subconscious will do with free reign."

The smirk disappeared, replaced by a sad smile. "And I don't want to keep you up with talking about my issues when you're already tired. What kind of friend would that make me?"

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

-Lisa-

Lisa frowned at Kokonoe's brash explanation and got up to put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "He's in good hands, Luke." She gave the shoulder a squeeze before withdrawing her hand. "Kokonoe's the best, and I'm sure she'll figure something out."


"How about you and I go grab a bite to eat and leave these nerds to their work? They'll get things done faster without us hovering." Lisa turned to the door, offering a half-shrug to James. Hopefully she wasn't lying through her teeth here. Kokonoe was the best, but she had no idea whether or not the Redcape could ever be restored. Even then, what were the odds that Luke's friend would ever be the same?

Probably best not to dwell on that right now...

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

University

Keynes pulled out his communicator and punched in the number for James, frowning at the news he was about to deliver. He reached for a cigarette, but thought better of it. Probably not a good idea to be caught smoking on campus.

When the line connected and James appeared, he tried his best not to broadcast any emotions. "James, we have a problem."


"Your sister never showed up for her classes today."

Ergo Research

Kokonoe worked in silence, analyzing the samples she'd taken. The only noise in the room came from the slight slurping of her lollipop and the tapping of the computer keys.

Then, quite suddenly, James' communicator began to ring. Kokonoe shot him a disgruntled look before returning to her work.

"James, we have a problem."

It was Keynes. She knew the voice anywhere. Her fingers slowed slightly as she listened.

"Your sister never showed up for her classes today."

Kokonoe sighed, rolled her eyes, and sped back up to her usual typing pace.

"Old news, hun. We've got it covered," she said. She muttered in an undertone about how he liked being the one out of the loop when results suddenly popped up on the screen. She gave a soft gasp and sat up straight, eyeing the data closely.

"Well, well," she said.

Three separate images popped up. The first was Mark's original blood sample, where his magic strain could be seen. The second was the Redcape's, where an unusual red molecule, an ugly thing with red tendrils, had latched itself onto the magic strain.

In the last was James' sample. Here the magic strain was also bound to something, a crystalline white molecule. The red ones were present, but merely floating around the magic strains, seemingly unable to get hold of them.

"So, they couldn't turn you into a Redcape, because your strain had already been silenced," Kokonoe said, pointing the white molecules. "The Redcape virus has no binding sites to attach to, thus rendering it inert."

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

Arusians

Alexei nodded to Ehlana, but kept his silence. At the moment, her plan seemed the best they could come up with, and he really had no alternatives. It wouldn't really surprise him if they both ended up dead, but that couldn't stop them from trying. They had their orders, and neither of them would back down from them.

"Do you think it's worth it?" he asked abruptly. Realizing she probably didn't know what he meant, he waved a hand vaguely at the outside passing by their vehicle.

"All this - the surface world," Alexei clarified. "We had peace and stability in Arusia. This outside land seems to bring nothing but chaos."

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

Old Guard

Maxim smiled at Kurik's words, but made no effort to reply. He waited until Adalia and Farrington had left the room before finally standing and ushering to Kurik.

"Would you like to get some air?" he asked. Maxim led the way out of the room and down the corridor until they reached an exit to the outside grounds. The land was no especially scenic, but it had a fresh, untouched feeling.

Maxim and Kurik walked a bit before Maxim finally spoke.

"After this is all over," Maxim said softly. "What do you hope to gain, Kurik? What is it that you want most?"

Ergo Research Lab
- James -

James’ eyes followed Lisa out the room. Hopefully she was right, Luke’s friend depended on them to succeed.

Suddenly his phone rang and one glance told him who it was. After Keynes had spoken, a guilty conscience flooded his mind. He had totally forgotten to inform Keynes that Lenka and Marcus were with them. Damn, why was it that he could remember lines and lines of code, but failed to remember simple things like making a quick phone call?

He sighed internally.

Kokonoe was quick with an answer for Keynes.

“I am so sorry, Keynes,” he said, looking slightly remorseful. “I completely forgot to tell you that Lenka and Marcus, another student from the university, actually showed up during our fight with the Redcape,” James explained.

Just then the results from the blood analysis appeared on the screen.

“And… I… and…,” James forgot what he wanted to say to Keynes, his eyes locked on the three images that had appeared.

He paled when he realized what the results meant and had to sit down. When he saw how close he had come to turning into a Redcape himself and that the possibility was still there, a cold feeling gripped his body.

“If they had picked anybody else…” he whispered as his thoughts moved on. Anybody whose strain was not silenced, protected from modification. Somebody he loved. They had all been in danger. An invisible danger for anyone with an active strain.

It took him a while to shake off the dread and focus his mind on the problem at hand again.

“It doesn’t look like it destroyed the strain,” he said eventually. “That means if we can find a way to un-attach the virus, the effects could be reversed, right?”

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

Ergo Research - Guest rooms
- Lenka -

“So don’t sleep,” Lenka said and rolled her eyes. “Talk then. I don’t mind at all.” She pulled him back into the room by his sleeve and sat him down at the coffee table. She felt like Marcus wasn’t completely honest with her and from his expression she could tell that he felt slightly uncomfortable.

She waved his concern off. “I’m tougher than I look,” she said cheerfully. “And there is still plenty of time to nap later.”

Well, she was’t the type that would take no for an answer, especially if she thought it could help the other person. After placing herself in a seat, she looked at Marcus expectantly. “Do you remember how you activated your Overlimit?”

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

Arusians
- Ehlana -

Alexei’s voice suddenly broke the silence that had been building up around them.

“Do you think it’s worth it?”

Ehlana looked out the window, her eyes looking over the landscape that was flying by outside. She took her time to answer.

“Yes,” she finally said. “Remember how you felt when you stood outside for the first time?” she asked, remembering how relieved and free she had felt. Almost like anything was possible.

“Even though we had more peace and stability in Arusia, in the long run, it would not have worked,” she continued. “It was already expanding at a difficult rate. Eventually we run out of resources or room. Plus we’re humans. We are not meant to hide underground.” There was a hard line around her mouth.

When she said the words, she realized that she might not be around to enjoy this surface world in the future. However if that meant the rest of Arusia could be free of the underground then she didn’t mind.

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

Old Guard
- Kurik -

“Yes,” he replied. “Fresh air by all means,” Kurik agreed and they walked outside.

Outside was quite rural, far from any detection by random strangers.

Kurik sat down and pulled out a small piece of wood and began slowly and deliberately carving away small pieces.

“Well, firstly, I would like to snap Lord Farrington’s neck,” he said lightly. It was unclear whether he was completely serious or not. “That man irks the hell out of me.” It wasn’t completely Lord Farrington’s fault. He was old school. A representative of a society that Kurik resented deeply and any interaction with him and his people brought back memories of why he had turned his back to Kaddath in the first place.

His face became more serious and he turned his eyes up to the sky. “And when a new order is established, I want to be there to tell people that no one can tell them their worth. That no matter their abilities or talents, they are all equally valuable and should have an equal chance for success.”

He looked at Maxim. “I know that outcome is unrealistic because there are too many power hungry people around, but showing the common people that strain users are not better than them is a nice start.”

Aegis

Marcus couldn't help but grin as Lenka dragged him back into the room and practically pushed him back into his chair. Could he have overpowered her and remained standing? Sure, but for some reason, he actually wanted to be here right now.

"I know you're tougher than most people give you credit for." Marcus responded with a smirk. "But I'll counter with the fact that it takes a strong person to admit to being weak sometimes." At least that's what he was telling himself right now anyway. It made this a little easier.

He took a deep breath and actually met her eyes for the first time since being pulled back into the room. "I honestly don't remember anything clearly after having my skull whipped back into the rock face." Just thinking about it made his hand travel to the back of his head. To none of his surprise, Marcus' fingers came away with several flakes of dried blood.

"Everything up until that point is clear, but after that, all I have are still-frame images." He shrugged. "Every other time I've used my magic, the world has seemed to slow down around me, almost like I'm the only thing that's actually moving at a normal speed. But this time..." His voice trailed off, and he shrugged again. "It's like the exact opposite. The world seems to have been moving by so fast that my mind didn't catch everything happening."


"The thing is, I'm not sure if that has more to do with the fact that I used an Overlimit or the blow I took to the head right before the fact."

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

University

"I see..." Keynes grumbled, pulling out a note pad and scratching down the two new names to give Alina in his report. This was quickly getting out of hand.

When he turned back to the communicator, James had a far-away look on his face. "Hey, you alright?" Keynes asked. After a moment of no response, he called out a little more loudly. "Any chance you can send Lambda my way? I'd like to talk with everyone and observe the situation first-hand." Too bad he'd have to be back at the capitol in the morning.

Aegis
Luke Jaron

Luke stayed silent, he could not do anything, but stay silent.

What could he do anyways?...

James and the researcher, who now Luke knows as Kokonoe, sounded like they got this in the bag, Luke could only trust them with it.

Luke just took a sit at the empty chair, his hands praying for his friend to come back to him in one piece.

And hopefully he would be normal again...

_________________________________

Nadenka's House
Nadenka Orlov & Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

"I need to contact my comrades." Said Belobog as he came out with his weapons, "And you are not that bright... You should have removed my bullets when you had the chance." Two guns were pointing at Nadenka, sipped her tea that she had made just few minutes ago. "I do not know you contact them, but I do have some old radio equipment." Belobog frowned at the woman's calm reaction and very much co-operative attitude. "You are not going to stop me?" Belobog asked her, confused. Nadenka shrugged her shoulder, "Do I have the reason to stop you?" Then Belobog saw the guy's photo, he smirked, "Ha, I see. You have so much faith in your man! I am guessing he is coming soon? You should -" However, before Belobog finish his sentence, Nadenka interrupted him. "No. He is not coming back. He is dead." her voice was louder and firm, it surprised Belobog. Her calmness was gone. "You know what..." Said Nadenka, she stood up and came closer to Belobog. She directed one of Belobog's pistol to her forehead. "Just kill me so I can get out from this misery."

Ergo Research

Kokonoe hummed, low and dark, as James took in the realization of just how lucky he'd been - and how lucky they were, now that they had a lead.

"It's a pretty big 'if,'" she said, studying the images. "But it might be possible to tweak the silencing compound to target the Redcape virus instead of the magic strains."

She tapped a com on the lapel of her labcoat.

"Lambda, I need a pickup. Keynes," she said.

"Roger."

In a few moments, a magic circle appeared in the lab, and Lambda and Keynes stepped out of it. Kokonoe swiveled in her chair, arms folded tightly across her chest.

"Nice of you to drop by," she said.

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

Arusians

Alexei said nothing as he digested Ehlana's words. He had always lived following orders, and that's probably how he would die. But it was some relief to know that Belo probably had, and Ehlana probably would, die for something that held a little more meaning.

When did he start thinking like that? This overworld... It did the most chaotic things to people.

"That's good," he said finally.

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

Old Guard

Maxim chuckled at Kurik's harsh words against Farrington, but his expression softened as Kurik expressed his wishes for Kaddath's future.

"Nothing for yourself? No selfish indulgences?" he asked. He looked fondly at Kurik for a moment, then nodded and looked away.

"You're a good man, Kurik. If more people like you existed, perhaps none of this would be necessary."

Aegis
Luke Jaron

Loneliness was not something strange to Luke; he had been trained in mountains and other harsh environments to live like martial artist by his father; Luke, before even he had awaken his strain, had to be trained differently from others... Climbing the cliff with his bare hands, swimming against strong water current, breaking woods, and stones to survive the wilderness...

Then again, he still had his family who trained and coach him... The family members were not cold; they were warm people, but because he had to be the next head of the Jaron martial artists' line, he had to train harder than anyone else. Perhaps, it's also because of this reason he had been away from his peers in heart... He had no friends... not because he was not likable, but because of his self-absorbed(training) schedule, he did not really had the chance to make friends...

When he awaken the strain, everything fall apart; he even lost his family for a good year due to his run from the army and the fights that he had to go through against the Legion did not do any favors, but made him cruel and merciless...

As he had to fight for survival, he had to break the martial artist code... To survive, and he had to survive alone...

That kind of mindset had mold him into dangerous person... a beast... That experience made him feel different from others when he came back and others started to push him away as well... Even his warm family members started to see him in different light...

Yes, his own family noticed it too, and it became much more apparent in the martial artist competition... The people started to talking about how Luke, his fighting style, did not reflect the honor of martial artist, but a beast ready to kill and end the life.

However, Mark, the first runner up who had to fight Luke in final and lost, came forth and became his friend...

Mark became his only friend ever since then... Perhaps, only person who decided to be involved with him willingly.

Luke clenched his fists, the bear-man... and other attackers who were with him... Luke could not shake off his feeling that they were responsible.

"I won't hesitate..." Luke said it firmly to himself.

_____________________________________

Nadenka's House
Nadenka Orlov & Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog let his gun barrels point at the ground, "Forget it. I was not going to kill you anyways." Nadenka somehow, weirdly, gave Belobog a disappointing look. Belobog curled his lips. Not so sure what to make of her reaction. "You look disappointed..." said Belobog; he was somewhat expecting rude comment from her... Something like 'he got no guts' kind of statement. Instead, Nadenka went and sat again, sighing heavily "Of course, I am... I thought I was going to get myself out from this misery..." Belobog bite his lips, not so sure what to make out of such statement. "You mean you really wanted to die?" Then Nadenka started to sobbing, and Belobog started to panic.

Ergo Research Lab
- James -

“Ehm…yes. Yes, I’m alright,” James finally replied to Keynes just before he disappeared from the communicator. “Just a little surprised by recent discoveries.”

A moment later Keynes appeared in the lab beside them.

“Is there anything else I can do to help?” he asked.

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

Ergo Research - Guest rooms
- Lenka -
Lenka gave a small shrug. “Physically, I’m not very strong,” she admitted. “And never have been. Not like you or Luke or even James and his friends.”

Then a grin spread across her face. “So I have to make up for it in other ways. Mostly by being stubborn.”

She listened to Marcus struggling to find a way to make sense of what happened. “Mhh…,” Lenka wrapped a strand of her hair around her finger, wondering what the explanation could be. However, her knowledge of magic and strains was limited and her mind couldn’t come up with anything that made sense right now.

When she saw the dried blood on his fingers after he touched his head, a small gasp escaped her lips. “Are you sure you shouldn’t see a medic about that?” she asked worried. “You could have a serious concussion.”

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

Arusians
- Ehlana -

Ehlana threw him a questioning look when she heard his short answer. It sounded like had wanted to say something else, but then decided it didn’t matter.

She let it go. If he wanted to talk about it, he had all night to get it off his chest since they would be in the car for quite a while.

The silence continued to grow, but it was not an uncomfortable silence. Ehlana was glad Alexei didn’t feel the need to fill every quiet minute with words.

“You should try to get some sleep so your body can rest up,” she said eventually. “I’ll be fine to drive for a while. I’ll wake you, when I get tired.”

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

Old Guard
- Kurik -

Kurik shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about things,” he said, referring to the time he spent in Arusia. However, there was no bitterness in his voice. He didn’t regret it. “It put everything in perspective.”

He raised his eyebrows at Maxim’s last words. “Good may be a little exaggerated,” he said amused. “You do realize, I betrayed everything I once believed in and I wasn’t exactly a saint when I was in the military.” His face turned serious. “Don’t forget that I can be very dangerous.”

Kurik gave Maxim a long look and then moved on to a lighter topic. “What is it that you want the most?” he asked.

Aegis

-Marcus-

It didn't surprise him that Lenka didn't have much advise to offer him. What did surprise him was how much different it was to open up to her instead of Lisa. Unlike their session together, when he practically had to force himself to speak, Marcus could barely keep the words from tumbling out of his mouth.

"Rise used some kind of healing spell on us, right?" He asked, trying to sound composed. "I'm not entirely sure how healing magic works, but doesn't it cover things like that? Besides, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Marcus glanced at his fingers again. "Maybe it would be best if I hit the shower though." He barked out a laugh and stood once more. "Thanks for listening. Oddly enough, it may have been exactly what I needed."

"I suspect we'll be getting the third degree for this stunt." Marcus said as he reached for the door. "So, I guess we'd both best get what rest we can."

Offering her a smile, he stepped out of the room and started down the hallway. Now, to find a shower somewhere...

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

-Lisa-

"Hello?"

Lisa waved her hand in front of Luke's face.

"I asked if you wanted anything to eat." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Although I can understand a need for contemplation, it's proper etiquette to offer some kind of response when a lady asks you a question."

She sighed and stepped back, giving him some space. "If you just want to be left alone, you can tell me, but this whole non-responsive thing? That's not gonna fly."

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

-Keynes-

"What can I say?" Keynes responded to Kokonoe with a sly grin. "I just couldn't make it through the day without hearing your sarcasm-laden voice."

He put a hand on James' shoulder, offering it a squeeze. "Just relax for a bit. I'll need to talk with all of you at some point, but it can wait until you've all had a little time to decompress."


"I do need the basic information on anyone who has joined in this little venture though. Alina needs to be notified due to certain circumstances."

Aegis
Luke Jaron

Luke was surprised as he had realized that there was a person waving her hand; Luke was surprised that she was even there.

"Sorry, I was thinking a lot of things..." Said Luke, giving weak smile at Lisa, "That said, it would be amazing to get something to eat. But, I do not know what they have here, so could I go with you?" Luke asked politely as he remembered that Lisa was a senior year class.

Ergo Research Lab

Kokonoe gave Keynes a withering look, then swiveled her chair to face James.

"You can help by getting some sleep. Tomorrow, I need to start working on a Redcape cure, and I plan to use you for all your worth."

She poked him in the temple, about as affectionate a gesture as was possible to get with her, then gestured toward the door. Lambda glanced between Kokonoe and Keynes, then took her leave as well.

Once they were gone, Kokonoe turned back to Keynes. She still looked annoyed, but her body language was softened.

"She's been asking for you, you know," she said.

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

Old Guard

Maxim gave Kurik a searching look.

"I've read your file. I've studied you for a long time now. I know exactly who you were," he said, "And I know I exactly who you are."

He let the matter go as Kurik turned the topic to Maxim's own desires. Maxim tucked his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and smile wistfully.

"Not all dreams are worth voicing," he said. "But I do hope to see Arusia saved, united with Kaddath in peace and prosperity under a leader worth following."