Genesis Crisis: Resurgence IC

Aegis

- Keynes -

"This," Keynes responded with a grin, "is going to take that form you just worked on with the bag, and translate it into an accurate, reproducible, motion."

He watched her fidget with the top for a moment before launching it at the target. It didn't particularly surprise him that it dropped to the ground instead of landing on the tray. In fact, what did surprise him was the accuracy of her second shot.

"You tell me. If you were the teacher, and I was the student, would it count?" Keynes asked as she retrieved the top and began to rewind it.

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

- Marcus -

Well, he couldn't argue with her logic. Still, something about seeing the flames in a contained room (where no one else was trying to dodge out of the way) made him nervous. Before he could raise a complaint about it, Rise had already moved back into action though, and with a resigned glanced at his surroundings, Marcus did the same.

"Tarukaja."

Instead of shielding the blast as he had the first time, Marcus dove directly into it. He felt the warmth of the flames as they passed over him, but it didn't sting like it had before. Coming out of the other side, he was only a few paced away from Rise now, and Marcus put on an extra burst of speed to close the gap, leaping at the last moment and swinging both arms down at her shoulders.

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

Ocean

- Lisa -

Lisa frowned at the expression on the woman's face. Clearly, the device was exactly what Jax had suspected. No other result would warrant that kind of reaction.

With a sigh, she reached down to collect the device from between Ehlana's feet. And that's when she noticed it. On the back of the device was a clock. A clock that was at 20 and ticking down.

"Crap..."

Grabbing the device, Lisa threw it into the air, using her magic to propel it further than it normally would have gone.

"Get down!"

The words were barely out of her mouth before the device detonated in the air, throwing out a spray of flames, which were followed by a shockwave, and then an ocean wave, all of which washed over the tiny raft.

As things settled down again, Lisa grimaced, wiping sea water away from her mouth. "You guys okay?"

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

Capitol

- Alina -

Alina blinked at Raidon's response, taking a moment to weigh her answer.

"Could you disappear for a day or two without anyone noticing though?" She asked with a pained expression. "I want someone I can trust out there looking for them, and you definitely fit the bill, but we might need someone a little less high profile."

Even so, she was considering it. If he could explain the absence from the Capitol, Raidon was definitely equipped for the job.

Ergo Research - Gym
- Rise -

Rise gave a surprised gasp when Marcus burst through her flames, but she hadn't spent so much time training around Jax for nothing. When Marcus swung his arms down at her, she moved sideways and swung her fan to redirect his blow to the other side.

The force was enough to crack the floor, and Rise staggered back as she brought her fans up once more.

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

Ocean

- Jax -

Jax was startled when Lisa suddenly snatched up the black box with her Overlimit and hoisted it into the air.

"Wait, but that-" he began, but too late. She'd hurtled the box far away with a warning shot, and Jax was smart enough to heed it first and ask questions later.

As he hit the rubbery floor of the raft, an explosion shook the air. The raft was swept several feet aside by the movement of the waves before Jax dared to lift himself up and look around.

"A failsafe, huh?" he murmured. "Not bad."

He looked over at Ehlana, who was still lying on the floor of the raft with seemingly little motivation to get up from it.

"You all right?" he asked, hoisting her up into a sitting position.

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

Capitol

- Alina -

Raidon nodded solemnly at Alina's request.

"I think you forget," he said, the faintest hint of old pride in his voice. "Stealth was my specialty."

If the Old Guard were coming though, that left precious few friends in the Capital to help Alina deal with them.

"You'll need to ask Keynes to return to the Capital then," he said. "I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you to deal with the Old Guard alone if neither of us are here."

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

Peterny - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Garett smiled at Kurik's question as he lead him down the hallway.

"That would be General Thorne," he said. "He's as prickly as his name, but anyone would get that way from being around the Lord Commander so much."

He winked and motioned for Kurik to follow him through the doorway.

"I'll introduce you to him first, since you'll be working together."

They entered an office and found a middle-aged man with dark hair and trim beard, his eyes heavy.

"So you're the ex-Army man," he said, his voice deep and low. "The one those Arusians brought. I'm General Thorne. I'm in charge of this facility's security and defenses."

Ergo Research - Gym
- Lenka -

Lenka sighed, catching on. “Probably not,” she said and grinned.

Once again she took her stance at the line and eyed the metal plate. She closed her eyes for a second, visualising the motion she wanted to achieve. Then she rose on her tiptoes and threw the top. In an attempt to get more spin, she had thrown it with even more power.

However that proved too much and it overshot the metal plate without even touching it.

“Well, I guess that was a little too much,” she said and went on to retrieve the top.

The next few tries weren’t much better as she struggled to get enough spin on the top to steady it on top of the metal plate. Hitting the target accurately wasn’t so much a problem, but keeping it there was.

“What am I doing wrong?” she finally asked when she once again hit the metal plate, but the top didn’t have enough spin to steady itself.

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

- James -

When Luke rushed towards him once again, James reacted a little more quickly than last time. This time he was more prepared and had anticipated his interference.

Quickly he raised his bokken to block the attack. In the same instant, he realised that Luke’s incoming slash was too powerful to block it one-handed, especially not with his weaker right hand.

Before the wooden blades touched, James pulled his weapon down and dove out of the way, landing behind Luke. From his crouched position, he raised his bokken, lightly touching his side.

“You can’t surprise me the same way twice.”

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

Ocean
- Ehlana -

“Get down!”

It was more the tone in Lisa’s voice that reached her than the words itself. Ehlana looked up startled, just in time to see her throw the black box into the air. A second later it detonated.

Just time, Ehlana covered her head and ducked down before explosion and water washed over the raft.

She should’ve known there was a failsafe on that device, but she’d been too preoccupied with her own thoughts. This left no doubts in her mind that the attempt to kill her was real.

Her grey eyes locked on Jax when he sat her up.

“What kind of question is that?” she snapped at Jax, not bothering to hide her accent anymore. “Of course I’m not alright. I’m a captive. The transport airship crashed and now we’re stranded on a freakin’ raft in the middle of the ocean. My own team just tried to kill me. People I worked with, people I trusted.”

As she ranted on her voice became less and less angry and more hopeless. Saying it out loud made it even more real.

“So no, I’m not alright and I’m having a real shit day.”

On some level she knew Lisa and Jax weren’t at fault here and their day probably not going the way they imagined. But at the moment, she just didn’t care.

“I should be dead,” she said and buried her face in her hands.

Eventually Ehlana sighed and shook her head at herself. This wasn’t the time to be feeling sorry for herself. Moping around wouldn’t help her get out of this mess, in fact it had almost cost her her life. Again.

“But I’m not,” she finally added firmly and this time her eyes looked clearer. She leaned back and looked up. A motion she instantly regretted when the sun blinded her eyes.

“So what now?” she asked. The hostility in her voice was gone, instead she sounded a little lost.

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Kurik nodded and had just enough control over himself to prevent himself from chuckling at Garett’s words. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who had problems with Farrington.

Confident he stepped through the doorway towards General Thorne. Kurik took a quick second to take in his appearance and voice. He liked what he saw.

Kurik gave a thin smile and nodded. “Yes, Kurik Akatsuki, Sir,” he said in a calm voice. He didn’t want to appear too inferior so instead of giving a formal salute, he extended his hand towards General Thorne.

“As unusual as the situation is, I look forward to working with you.”

Ergo Research - Gym
Luke Jaron

As James decided to dodge Luke's attack, Luke quickly changed his grip on the bokken as soon as it finished its strike. Luke' bokken now was pushed into his behind and pointed its blade at James head, who had decided to dodge Luke's attack by moving behind Luke and hit the side.

If Luke was really an enemy, James should realize that it would have been somewhat draw, and no telling who would have gotten the favorite trade.

"I was counting on it, and it shows me that you do not know how to block enemies' heavy attack with your dual blades." said Luke, "By all means, I think you did well; however, I would have used both of my bokkens to block the heavy strike and look for counter. That would less likely allow enemy to find an opening to strike me back." Luke wiggled his bokken to indicate what kind of opportunity that James had given his opponent when James dodged in such big movement, of course this was done just in case, to check if James is not aware of the trade that Luke had mentioned.

Aegis

- Keynes - 

"You're thinking with your muscles again." Keynes responded with a grin. "Take a moment to consider how the top works. Toss it on the floor a few times to get the feel of it."

He stood by as she did so. "Notice how all of the spin is generated by the last foot or so of the ripcord. Everything before that point is your forward momentum, but that last little bit needs to be focused on rotational force."


"I'd say it's all in the wrist, but I'd be lying." Keynes chuckled. "Your forearms are gonna be on fire after this."

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

- Marcus -

Marcus flexed his hands against the ground, surprised by the force of his own strike. If that had connected, he could have actually hurt Rise. No, that wasn't quite accurate. He would have broken her.

Swallowing his discomfort, he turned his attention to the slightly stunned woman who was holding her fans, once more at the ready. Even that hadn't unhinged her. What kind of mental fortitude did that take? Marcus was unsure, but he wanted that. The calm presence in the face of immense danger.

Inhaling sharply, he launched forward again, rolling over his shoulders and pushing off the ground with his arms. Outstretched fingers reached for her wrists, and if he connected, Marcus would drag her into the air with him.

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

Ocean

- Lisa -

Lisa shared an uneasy look with Jax while Ehlana took a moment to vent. She was beginning to wonder if there was a different kind of time bomb on board this raft.


"Now, we determine a course and stick to it." Lisa responded, leaning back into her seat, which was now coated in sea water from the wave that had washed over them. She didn't want to waste the energy to expel it from the boat though.

"How far out were we, Jax?" She glanced in his direction. "We need to decide if it's better to head for the mainland or try to get back to Ergo."

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

Capitol

- Alina -

Alina took another moment to consider Raidon's words before giving him a nod.

"There's a small airship in the hangar on my family's estate. It's not been driven since..." She paused for a moment, choked up by emotion.

"It was Jane's. So, you better not crash it."


"I'm the only one that even knows it's there. So, there's no chance of it having been tampered with." She stepped into her office and scribbled the code on a piece of paper, which she handed to Raidon.

"It shouldn't be too hard to get Keynes and the rest of Aegis back to the Capitol quickly. Jax was trying not to impose on Kokonoe's generosity, but I don't think Keynes will hesitate to ask for the use of Lambda."

Alina raised her hand in a salute. "Good luck, soldier. Bring them home safe."

Ergo Research - Gym
- Rise -

"Surprised?" Rise asked at Marcus' stunned expression. "I'm not very strong, but if I can be pretty fast. And if I can wear my opponent down and make them waste energy by redirecting attacks, then I can finish them off. It's better to fight smart than hard."

Marcus leaped for her once more, fingers reaching for her wrists. Rise pivoted on her foot and slapped his hand aside with her fan. She backpedaled a few steps and got back into position as her turned toward her once more.

"Distraction works well, too," she said as he lunged. "Like... how long have you been crushing on Lenka?"

[OOC: Hoping that might get a comedic response. :P Then she can grill him and offer her woman's wisdom on how to pursue Lenka.]

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

Ocean
- Jax -

Jax sighed as Ehlana ranted. He knew this part would come eventually. He'd seen it before.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know how you're feeling. How much it hurts."

He'd seen Alina go through it, how hard it was for her to come to terms with the Army's betrayal. Ehlana would need to go through the same steps, but unlike Alina, she didn't have a group of friends to lean on.

"Lisa's right," he said, nodding. "Based on what I last saw on the radar, we're closer to the mainland at this point. We should try to head toward it."

He squinted upward at the sky. If only he knew what direction that was.

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

Capitol

- Alina -

Jane...

Raidon swallowed. The fact that she was trusting him with this, with anything at all, when it was his fault Jane was dead meant a lot. He took the paper she handed him and nodded.

He was relieved to hear that she was planning to rely on Keynes and Aegis. That should put his worries to rest and allow him to focus on the matter at hand.

"I will," he said, saluting. "I swear."

He couldn't save Jane back then, but he'd save Jax now.

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Thorne took Kurik's hand and shook it.

"With your Army background and your ties to Arusia, I expect you might have a unique perspective on our defensive measures here," he said. "Lieutenant Ormsby here can show you around the facility."

Garett nodded and smiled at Kurik.

"A question first though," Thorne continued. "Would you mind giving us a minute, Lieutenant?"

Garett's expression became more serious as he gave another quick nod and stepped out of the office.

"Perhaps you won't take kindly to this question, but I need to ask it anyway," he said, his eyes intent. "But why return to Kaddath? You left it once, and I can't imagine your feelings toward it being positive. Lord Commander Farrington may be willing to make deals for his grandiose plans, but I'm responsible for the safety and well-being of the personnel here. So why should I trust you with this?"

Ergo Research - Gym
- Lenka -

Lenka looked thoughtfully at Keynes. He did have a point. She was trying very hard to force the right movement. Maybe if she approached this more like one of her gymnastic routines.

Following Keynes’ advice, she tossed the top a few times on the floor, trying to create a steady spin. After a few tries, she finally managed to let it spin steadily.

“Oh yes,” Lenka jumped up happily and clapped her hands, looking genuinely excited. "Did you see that?"

With renewed enthusiasm, she rewound the top and took her stance by the line, facing the metal plate.

It took her a few tries to find a rhythm and slowly but surely there was an improvement and the top began to spin steadily on the metal pate longer and longer. However, she had yet to achieve the five times in a row that Keynes had set as her goal.

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

- James -

When he came to a stop, he realised that Luke’s blade had moved and was now pointing at his head.

James frowned and stood up.

“I guess I have a lot to learn,” he admitted and looked over to his second bokken that was leaning uselessly against the wall.

“Should I continue practicing?” James asked and walked over to grab the other wooden blade. Luke was right, he needed to make working with two weapons feel more natural again.

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

Ocean
- Ehlana -

Ehlana was surprised by Jax’ words. The last thing she expected was to be met with understanding in this situation. Her anger and frustration faded away and she swallowed the snappy response she had been about to give.

Lisa also didn’t seem much more upset than before, but she was more focused on finding a way for them to get back to the mainland.

Ehlana took a deep breath to calm herself. She felt a little bit like a fool. They were right. She could worry about her future later. For now they need to get out of this mess.

She sat up a little straighter and pulled back her sleeve, revealing her watch. It didn’t look like a Kaddathian watch since time was measured differently in Arusia when you didn’t have the sun to rely on. However, it did have a sort of compass on it.

“I don’t know if this helps, but the North Pole is this way,” she said to Lisa and Jax and pointed to her left.

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Kurik couldn’t help but feel a slight tingle of nervousness when General Thorne asked Garett to leave the room.

When he heard the question, he felt relieved. It was expected that that would come up. When he first contacted the Old Guard, he had to disclose quite a bit of his history and it was no surprise that Farrington had passed that information on.

“It’s a legitimate question that I understand well,” Kurik replied calmly.

“My quarrel isn’t with Kaddath itself, but the current administration of it,” he explained. “I left because at that point there was no other option. My alliance with Arusia and the alliance between Arusia and the Old Guard will change the Kaddath we know now.”

His voice took on a more passionate tone. “We have the same goals and that’s reason enough for me to do everything in my power to further that alliance. And that now includes making sure this complex is secure and well guarded.”

Kurik looked at General Thorne, his eyes steady. “I know my history doesn’t exactly inspire trust, but trust me when I say this: I am fully committed to this.”

Ergo Research - Gym
Luke Jaron

Luke nodded at James, "And this time, try to switch grip on both hands together" Said Luke, he went to the training weapon stash and got himself another bokken. At ease, Luke changed his grip on both bokkens at once. "Drop, then give another fifty together." Luke grinned, then he continued. "After that we will start training the offense and defense."

Luke then he moved to the wide area again and got into the stance. Luke breathed out, then he made his step with the two bokkens; each movement had bokken slicing the space and James could see that the grip on Luke's bokken was never the same and James could probably now able to catch how bokkens from Luke's hand were able to slash in different angles. The switch of his grips on bokkens were natural and it was fast enough to misguide the watcher to think that he had been holding his bokkens in one direction.

Interestingly enough, this time around the movement felt like more gentle, and subtle; however, it was fast. Luke moved like if he was dancing. Perhaps, the old term such as 'blade dancers' existed because of that.

Then Luke's movement quickly sped up its pace, and as his movement sped up, it looked more threatening and dangerous.

Aegis

- Keynes -

Keynes nodded his approval as Lenka continued to test out different techniques with the top. "I saw it. Now translate that into hitting the target."

He continued to pace around her as she worked on her form. There was definitely improvement now that she knew what she was doing, but it still wasn't the level of perfection she would need to be safe. And safety would be key for someone without a strain. He knew that from experience.

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

- Marcus -

Marcus twisted over Rise's head, landing on his feet and shaking out his wrists, which smarted from the slap of Rise's fans. Apparently, even with his magic, a strike in the right place could still do some serious damage.

"You talk a lot." He grumbled as he lunged forward again, but Marcus stumbled on the next step. Almost immediately, he corrected his motion, resuming his charge. There's no way a trained fighter wouldn't have noticed though.

Maybe she was right about this distraction thing. He'd need to come up with his own tactic for that. It could be useful.

Shoving his forearms forward, Marcus struck at Rise's fans, trying to hit them with enough force to make her lose her grip on them.

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

Ocean

- Lisa -

"That definitely helps." Lisa responded to Ehlana with a grin. Her help was in no way a declaration of cooperation, but it was a step in the right direction.

Making her way around the interior of the raft, Lisa pressed her fingers to each side before returning to her previous seat and leaning back.

"If North is that way, we can turn the raft East Southeast, which is the direction we need to be headed in." As she spoke, the raft slowly rotated, putting the direction Ehlana had indicated as North to Lisa's left and slightly behind her. A moment later, the raft shifted forward, cutting through the waves at a moderate pace. Although Lisa wanted to reach land as soon as possible, it was better to not burn up her reserves too quickly.

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

Capitol

- Alina -

Alina sighed as Raidon closed the door behind him, finally allowing all of the day's bad news to hit her. She slumped forward, onto her desk, letting out a groan.

"Damn it, Red, pull yourself together!"

The words didn't help as much as she'd hoped. They just reminded her of Jax, which made her feel even more alone than before...

Ocean
- Jax -

Jax breathed a sigh of relief. Ehlana seemed willing to help them, at least for the moment, and the sense of direction was a big help. The raft began to move, thanks to Lisa's Overlimit, and the wind licked at Jax's hair.

"We might make it out of this yet," he murmured.

Jax turned and surveyed Ehlana. He didn't want to press her right now, after what she was trying to process, but there were too many thoughts going through his mind.

"Your accent," he said, which had come out strongly in her rant. "I've never heard it before. Your tech either."

His hunch didn't make sense, based on everything he'd been taught, and yet, it was the only thing that seemed to make sense at the moment.

"Are you... not from Kaddath?" he asked.

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

Capitol
- Alina -

Alina barely had a moment to let her guard down before her com beeped.

"High General Grey," the communications technician said, "we've received transmission from the Old Guard. They're headed to the capital now to meet with you."

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

Capitol
- Raidon -

Raidon strode down the streets of Caltha, heading to the Grey Family's estate. He knew the location well enough. When he arrived, he bypassed the house - a beautiful but modest home that suited Alina and her father's disposition well - and went straight to the hangar. With the access code Alina had given him, he entered and found the ship waiting for him as promised.

Jane's ship...

He sighed. How different would things be right now if Jane had survived? There were too many variables to say for sure.

Shaking away past regrets, Raidon climbed into the aircraft and began the launch sequence. As he did, he turned to look at the coms and bit his lip.

He should call Ergo and assess the situation. And Arya...

She would want to know, of course. But he didn't want to worry her without knowing for sure, especially with the baby.

Baby. He swallowed a lump in his throat and dialed Ergo.

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

Ergo Research
- Rise -

Rise smirked as Marcus missed his footing. Sadly, it wasn't as strong a reaction as she was hoping for, but that might just require a bit more prodding.

"I'm guessing you haven't told her?" she asked. "Lenka isn't that perceptive about these kind of things. You'll need a more overt approach."

Shoving his forearms forward, Marcus struck at Rise's fans. The angle was awkward for Rise, making it hard to deflect and redirect like she normally would. She let the fans move with the blow, keeping her grip but sending a painful jolt up her arms. She gasped and fell back, quickly bringing her fan up to conjure.

"Maragion!" she cried, encircling herself with a ring of flames. That should give her a little breathing room.

"I could put in a good word for you, you know," she offered, smirking. Her expression faltered, however, when she saw Kokonoe enter the room and beckon to Keynes, her expression grim.

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

Peterny - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

General Thorne held Kurik's gaze, his dark eyes deep and intense. Finally, he closed those eyes and nodded.

"I needed to hear that directly from you," he said. "And I do believe you mean it. I don't intend to drop my guard just yet, but I'm willing to give you a chance."

He pressed a button, and Garett re-entered the room, smiling once more.

"Lieutenant Ormsby, please give Kurik here a tour of the facilities and introduce him to the troops," Thorne instructed. He nodded to Kurik as Garett led him out of the office.

"Looks like ya passed Thorne's inspection," Garett said with a wink. "No small task. I served under him when he was just a lieutenant in Terra Firma. His standards haven't gotten any easier since then, I'll tell ya."

They headed down the corridor, Garett moving at an easy stride.

"By the way," he continued. "I have to ask while I have ya. What's it like, over there in Arusia?"

Ergo Research - Gym
- Lenka -

Lenka kept on trying. The top spun on the metal plate sometimes more steadily and sometimes it dropped off after a short wobble. However, she was able to hit her target accurately most of the time. Only on rare occasions did she miss the metal plate.

As Keynes had predicted, eventually she could feel the burn in her forearms from continuously throwing and rewinding the cord. It felt like she was not getting any closer to achieving her goal.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally did it. Five times in a row, each time the top spun steadily on the metal plate. Lenka’s eyes widened and it took her a few seconds to realise it.

“I did it! I did it!” she exclaimed happily and bounced up and down. It was a small achievement, still she seemed overly excited to have done it.

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

- James -

James nodded and grabbed his second bokken. Immediately he began practicing after Luke showed him the motion.

It wasn’t so much the motion of changing grip, but the coordination of doing it with both hands that proved to be very difficult. In the beginning he dropped at least one bokken quite often.

Eventually the motion clicked into place and he began to move in a fluid motion. It still took him quite a while to finish off his sets of fifty because he dropped one of the wooden swords at one point of the other.

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

Ocean
- Ehlana -

Ehlana watched curiously as Lisa manipulated the raft with her Overlimit. And there was no other explanation for what she was doing. She had heard of them as Kurik tried to explain the concept of magic to them. Still, it was different when you saw it first hand.

So Lisa only had only one strain, but what she could do with her Overlimit looked pretty impressive.

As time went on and they slowly moved through the water, her clothes finally began to dry. An unanticipated and unappreciated side effect was the residue of dry salt on her skin. She pulled her arms around her knees and rested her head on them. This was going to be a long and hot day as it was still several hours until the sun went down.

When Jax asked his question, Ehlana looked like she’d been caught red handed. She bit her lip. Not really a question she wanted to answer lengthily at the moment.

“Where else would I be from?” she decided to answer with another question to find out how strongly he believed in what he had said. “Kaddath is a big country, surely you’ve come across regional differences. Have you ever been to the far East?”

Her voice didn't have the same hostility as before.

It was a half-hearted attempt to deflect. Maybe he would drop it because if he kept pressing about the technology, she would soon have difficulties explaining that…

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

“I understand,” Kurik nodded and with one final glance he followed Garett out of the room.

Kurik grinned. It was easy. Garett’s easy going attitude seemed to rub off on him a little.

“Hm…interesting,” he replied, wondering if their paths had crossed previously, but he doubted it. “Do you know why he left and joined the Old Guard?”

Come to think of it, he wondered why Garett had joined the Old Guard. Surely not just because General Thorne did. They continued to walk down the corridor.

Kurik chuckled at Garett’s question. “Have you ever been to the underground floors of Helios?,” he asked, struggling to find something to compare it to. “It’s kind of like that if the facilities were less well maintained. And darker. And without the possibility to go outside and more buildings for people to live in.”

He looked at his companion. “Does that make sense?”

Ergo Research - Gym
Luke Jaron

Luke grinned at James as he made progress, but that disappeared as he saw Kokonoe entered the room again. This time, the researcher face showed not only face of troubled, but it also showed face of someone who had to make an announcement that she didn't want to announce it to the group; did she bring another news regarding the old guard.

There's saying curiosity kills cats, but Luke could not help himself, but go to Kokonoe and asked. "What's wrong? Did something else happened?" Luke asked carefully.

_______________________________

Peterny - Prison
Nadenka Orlov

"So..... Did your leader ask you to kill me with boredom?" She asked, then she sighed as they responded with silence.

"By the way, the guy who looked sick last day... Is he okay?" Nadenka sighed as they did not reply to her question.

She sat down on the ground and meditate, "Find, I will play your game." Said Nadenka and quiet down.

Aegis

- Keynes -

"Well done." Keynes responded, glancing in Kokonoe's direction. The look on her face didn't speak well of whatever news she was bringing, but he couldn't let that keep him from appreciating Lenka's success.

"Now." He pulled out another stand, this one with a hoop on top of it, and sat it in front of the plate stand. "Stand at the next line back, and throw it through this." Keynes gestured to the hoop. "And land it on that, just like you were before." He motioned to the plate.

"Five times in a row." Keynes called over his shoulder as he made his way over to Kokonoe.

"Why the long face, love?" He asked, trying to imagine what she was going to say.

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

- Marcus -

Marcus was having trouble determining if Rise was making fun of him or simply talking because it helped her focus. Either way, it wasn't doing much for his mental state. Whatever emotions he might or might not be harboring for Lenka were his business.

"Rakukaja."

He pushed the barrier into the ground, cutting a path through the flames, which he leapt through. Rolling over his shoulder, Marcus came to his feet within a meter or Rise. Hopefully, now that he was in close quarters, she would be too occupied to keep talking.

Launching forward, arms outstretched, he attempted to tackle her to the ground.

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

Ocean

- Lisa -

"Well, history tells us that there were countries all over the world before Leviathan." Lisa responded to Ehlana's question before Jax could. "Kaddath was founded a little over a century ago, which isn't a very large portion of time, as these things go. So, while we've not met anyone from outside the country before, that doesn't mean they aren't out there."


"I think assuming we're the only ones to survive the cataclysm would be shallow. We just haven't made the effort to branch out because so much of our technology isn't equipped to make that kind of journey without the promise of a destination."

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

Capitol

- Alina -

The Old Guard? Already in the Capitol? Alina shouldn't have been surprised, but this had been a day full of them. So, what was one more?

"When they arrive, show them to the Kaiser's Complex. I'll meet with them in the main conference room." Alina shook at the thought of the place, as she was sure Raidon probably did now as well. If these people wanted to meet with her, she would greet them, but it would be on her terms. The old interrogation building allowed them relative privacy, but it also provided her with some tools to protect herself, if need be.

Ergo Research - Gym
- Rise -

Marcus burst through Rise's flames with the help of his Rakukaja spell, and Rise clenched her teeth as he leaped for her. He was clearly going to tackle her to the ground.

So she beat him to it.

Rise dropped to her knees and bent herself backward as Marcus sailed inches overhead. God, that was close. She was starting to wear down, but all these Kaja spells seemed to be keeping him in top form.

Flipping back onto her feet, she pulled out her fans, panting.

"Fine," she murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. "I guess I won't help you. Maybe Luke will make his move first then."

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

Kokonoe

Kokonoe scowled as Luke approached her.

"You're too nosy, kid," she muttered, but she didn't have the heart to send him away.

Keynes made his way over, and despite appreciating his pet name, it still wasn't enough to bring a smile to her face.

"The Army lost the signal of the transport ship," she said. "Raidon just contacted me. Alina's sent him out to try to find out what happened to it."

She looked away, brow furrowed. It could just be a glitch or problem with the system, but with everything else going on, it seemed too coincidental.

"The prisoner might have managed to sabotage the ship," Kokonoe sighed, more to herself than the other two. "Their technology is very advanced."

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

Ocean
- Jax -

Jax looked between Ehlana and Lisa, brow furrowed.

"I'd always thought the rest of the planet had been flooded out," he said, "At least, that's what was always taught in Kaddath. But... do you think there could be another country out there?"

Was Lisa right that they just didn't have the means and capabilities to find out? Or did the Grand Army not want anyone to go looking?

"I was born out east," he said. "Not as far east as the Kappal Coast, but I've heard a lot of eastern folk taught, and I definitely haven't heard that accent. I guess it's not impossible that I missed it though."

He looked up at Ehlana, his keen grey eyes searching hers.

"The accent I might have overlooked, but definitely not the tech," he said. "Not even Helios has tech like that."

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Garett -

Garett frowned a bit at Kurik's question and rubbed at his chin.

"Well, Thorne wasn't entirely in favor of High General Adalia's methods, particularly toward the end," he said. "But he was our leader and all, and the way Alina Grey suddenly came back after being branded a traitor and took over was just too unusual. None of us ever got the whole story, really. Thorne felt that Alina might have conspired to grab the High General's throne for herself."

He glanced at Kurik.

"Things didn't feel quite right to me either," he continued. "But I didn't have as much of a grasp on why. It was only talkin' to Thorne that I figured it out. And when he left to join the Old Guard, I followed 'im here."

Kurik's explanation of Arusia intrigued Garett, and he hummed appreciatively as he considered it.

"I think so," he said. "Sounds a bit dreary though."

They reached a mess hall, and Garett led the way inside.

"Oi!" he said loudly, waving for attention. "Introductions are in order. This here's Kurik, appointed by Lord Commander Farrington himself to help oversee security and defenses of the facility."

[OOC: I'll leave the introduction of those minor characters you created to you then.]

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

Peterny - Prison
Alexei

Alexei entered the prison and heard Nadenka trying to engage her prison guard in conversation, but he was silent as usual. He had to hand it to her; she was persistent.

Alexei approached the cell and stood before her, his large hands gripping the bars.

"Defender of men," he said without preamble. "My name meaning."

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

Capitol
- Maxim -

Maxim strode down the main corridor of the Old Guard's transport ship, Belo in tow.

"There's a possibility they might have footage of you from the attack on Ergo," he explained. "It would be best if you could disguise your appearance, just in case."

It was unfortunate that he'd had to bring Belo instead of Kurik, but it was essential that Kurik remain at the facility.

"Try to make it brief," Maxim said as they approached a small bathroom at the back of the ship.

The Old Guard would be unloading soon with pomp and circumstance, so Belo would need to act quickly.

Ocean
- Ehlana -

“Your technology isn’t equipped to make that kind of journey?” Ehlana quoted back, raising her eyebrows. She sounded like she was between disbelief and anger.

“What does that even mean? It sounds more like an excuse to me,” her voice took a firmer tone, Lisa had definitely struck a nerve. “You have all the resources in the world, if you wanted to go exploring, you could’ve done so decades ago!” Ehlana folded her arms across her chest. What kind of reasoning was that? She couldn’t understand it.

Well maybe it was good that Kaddath hadn’t started exploring beyond their boundaries after the Leviathan incident. Otherwise, Arusia might not have stayed hidden for so long.

"Oh.”

She hadn't expected Jax to be from the eastern part of Kaddath.

There was a silence that dragged on. Ehlana felt like she shouldn’t be saying anything, but at the same time…did it really matter? They would figure it out eventually. And after all, who was she still keeping those secrets for? Certainly not for Maxim and those who had tried to kill her.

Ehlana looked astonished at Jax' words. It was just as surprising as what Lisa had said. Had no one ever really considered that there were other people out there?

"You're serious?" she asked, the surprise still reflected in her voice. "No one ever wanted to look beyond the borders of Kaddath?"

Well, now it didn't surprise her anymore that they were so caught off guard by the appearance of the Arusians. They had gotten too comfortable and too occupied with anything that happen in Kaddath. Anything beyond the borders was inconsequential.

"I..." she didn't quite know what to say. Finally she sighed. "I doesn't matter. My people are not a threat," she said. "The danger to your country is already well within your borders."

"And regarding the tech...," Ehlana added as an afterthought. "I guess it does make a difference if for a century your focus lies on technology advancement or magic..."

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Kurik nodded “Yeah, I get that,” he said. Since he’d been deployed to the far east when all this happened, he didn’t know everything that had happened at the Capitol. However, one thing was sure: the change in the regime happened very suddenly and very fast and no one knew exactly why.

They entered the mess hall and Kurik braced himself mentally for what was to come.

After Garett’s announcement, there was a silence and all eyes focused on them. The name Farrington was enough to grab anyone’s attention.

The silence dragged for a few seconds and then a middle-aged man stood up. His face looked well worn and his hairline was receding. Still, he carried himself with authority and his dark eyes focused on Kurik’s face when he approached them.

“That means you should be talking to me,” he said, his voice giving off a tone that showed he was used to being in charge. “I’m General Ramirez and currently in charge of coordinating this facility’s security and defences.” It was clear, he had heard of who Kurik was and it came with scepticism.

Kurik extended his hand. “I will be happy to work with you, Sir,” Kurik said, following the same line of behaviour he had with General Thorne. General Ramirez eyed his hand for a few seconds and then shook it firmly.

“Why don’t we retire to my office?” he suggested, obviously having decided that he wouldn’t go against Farrington’s orders. He looked around and waved a woman over.

“This is one of my Captains,” he introduced her. “Captain Annabelle Simon.” Captain Simon was a slender woman, her short dark hair contrasting harshly with her paler skin. She winked at Kurik and gave a little wave.

Ramirez’ eyes searched around the room. “Private Carver, where’s Captain Davidson?”

Another woman stood up and joined them. “I don’t know, Sir,” she replied, saluting. “Should I have him sent to your office?” Ramirez nodded and dismissed her.

With a hand gesture, he invited Kurik and Garett to follow him towards his office.

Kurik breathed a quiet sigh of relief. This had gone better than he expected, though the look Captain Simon had given him was a little creepy.

Ergo Research
Luke Jaron

"I... I am sorry..." Luke responded in apologetic tone; curiosity kills cats... and it seems that idiom was not wrong at all. However, instead of shooing Luke away harshly, Kokonoe told the news about the transportation that carried Jax, Lisa and Ehlana when Keynes approached to lighten her up.

Luke could not believe what he had heard; he was stunned for a moment that such accident happened, but he quickly found his calm. He bite his lips, and shook his head as Kokonoe suggested that prisoner managed to sabotaged the transport. "I think we are giving too much credit to the prisoner..." said Luke, "What if this is an action against Aegis who brought down the old government?" He looked at Keynes and Kokonoe, Luke rubbed his bicep area that still had scars. it was covered by his shirt, but Luke clearly remembers why he got it."You know, Aegis victory was not welcomed by everyone in Kaddath...I had to... I had to run away from such group in the past..."

Perhaps, Luke might be trying to defend Ehlana; but, it really wasn't. Luke had seen how blind faith of one ideology makes human inhuman and do inhuman things to another.

It would not surprise Luke if it was done by some extremist who believed it was right time to strike the new government as the old guard made themselves known just now. Even if the figure head was child, to them, just like Legion moved ahead with their "joker" figure head, they might just go ahead and start revolt....

Perhaps Luke was thinking too dark about this as his experiences with past conflict itself was too dark; but he couldn't agree with Kokonoe that Ehlana was the one who sabotaged the transport.

___________________

Capital
Belobog "Belo" Volkov

"Sir, yes, sir" Replied Belobog, and he swiftly entered the bathroom. Even Belobog didn't like the uniform of Old Guards and how they looked old fashioned with it; for his country disguising as one of the old guard was no big deal.

Besides, he was not the "Belobog" that started this mission. He is the "Belobog" who wanted nothing more than revenge, and gets even with Kaddath for good. More importantly, he is the "Belobog" who wants to make his country proud.

Disguising as Kaddathians was something he had been practicing, and after losing his comrade, he was taking it even more seriously by practicing their accents and even bringing lenses that made his eyes less stand out.

Just like Maxim asked, Belobog made it Brief; Belobog looked like one of the Old Guard's unit, and even his pronunciation made it clear that he had been practicing it for good. "Sir, Ready for deployment, sir."

Most importantly it looked like he had even made sure his hair looked more Kaddathian.

It definitely showed that Belobog was now taking ievery single step seriously, even seriously than he did before; he was a soldier that was ready to charge into enemies' line, even if it would kill him... For his country, he definitely would do so.

__________________________________
Peterny - Prison
Nadenka Orlov

Nadenka was surprised by Alexei's reappearance, she blinked and then she quickly caught what he was telling her. Her face quickly became brightened and cheerful, "See! I told you!" said Nadenka, she smiled playfully. "So, defender of people, huh? she smiled at him warmly as she come close to see Alexei "It suits you." she looked at Alexei, eye to eye, sparkling with interest, "So what about its origin?" she asked in excitement.

Aegis

- Keynes -

Keynes frowned at this news, but it wasn't entirely a surprise. "I don't think the kid is entirely right." He said, nodding to Luke. "But I do agree that the prisoner couldn't have caused it. Not only did the techs scan her for anything weird on her person, but we've also had her under constant surveillance since she was captured. Whatever caused the transport to lose signal had to be from a different source."


"My bet is that it was somehow related to her, even though she wasn't the cause. Which leads me to wonder whether they were mounting a rescue attempt or just trying to eliminate evidence. They've already proven their mentality with the attempt on the Redcape."

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

- Marcus -

Marcus clicked his teeth as he rolled over his shoulder again. Turning and sliding to his feet in the same motion, he pivoted back in Rise's direction. Surprisingly, she'd already gotten her guard back up. Maybe if he had a little more reach? Fighting her bare handed probably hadn't been the best idea.

"Why would you help me anyway?" Marcus grumbled as he paced around her, taking the time to think out his approach this time. Without the element of surprise, he needed a sound strategy to catch her, and she was proving to be quite elusive. "Up until yesterday, you didn't even want me around."

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

Ocean


"You're not entirely wrong." Lisa responded, keeping her eyes on the horizon. "We do have the resources to branch out and explore. The concern is all based on stability."


"As you've been so quick to point out, Kaddath's government has been in a constant state of flux. Even now, with an administration that's actually got the people in mind, times are still hard."


"If we're having this much trouble managing the people we already have, why would we go looking for more?"

She didn't comment on the stab about magic versus technology. It was a conversation she'd had with Arya before, and not something she needed to revisit.

Ergo Research

- Rise -

Rise shrugged at Marcus' question. It was true she hadn't wanted him along, just like she hadn't wanted Lisa or James along when they set out from the University of Academia two years ago. But just like them, Marcus had proved that he might be worth keeping around.

"You're one of us now," she said. "So, do you want help or not?"

She raised her fans, as though to conjure, and winked. "Say uncle and not only will I help you, but I won't drop a meteor on your head. Deal?"

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

- Kokonoe -

Kokonoe considered Luke's and Keynes' words and nodded.

"You might be right," she said. "But... the Anti-Strain movement, these agents, the Redcapes, the Old Guard... it's all too coincidental. The last time I saw this kind of activity - well, you were there. You know what happened."

She sighed and shook her head.

"There was something else," she said, looking at Keynes. "They want you back at Caltha. Alina has to meet with the Old Guard, and she wants allies there."

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

Ocean

My people are not a threat...

So it was true. Ehlana and those agents were from another country. Jax sighed and ran a hand through his damp, salty hair.

"Not a threat?" he said. "Weren't you behind the Redcapes? I'd call that a threat."

But her other words were even more troubling. The danger was already within their borders... Was there some kind of greater conspiracy at work? The thought of another Legion made his stomach twist into knots.

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

Peterny - Old Guard Prison
- Alexei -

Alexei raised his eyebrows in surprise. It suited him? He wasn't much of a defender of anyone.

"You think so?" he asked. She smiled so cheerfully at him. Nobody smiled at him like that before.

"It's something called 'Greek,'" he said. "Some place from before the Flood. Not too far from where we are now, I think."

Ocean
- Ehlana -

Ehlana didn’t give a reply to Lisa’s words, but stared at her for a long time with her grey eyes. She found it a strange notion. Lisa made it sound like any people found outside of Kaddath would be added under their management. Surely that wasn’t how it worked.

“I prefer to think of it as liberation rather than calling it a threat,” she shrugged.

Obviously she didn’t feel comfortable with the current topic, especially when it turned to the Redcapes. “Besides, only people with a magic strain are in danger of turning into a Redcape. It’s not our fault you chose to form your military around strain users.”

“You shouldn’t be surprised that something you shouldn’t be possessing in the first place, a mutation really, is being used against you. Especially when you don’t protect it.”

Ehlana hugged her knees tighter and let her eyes move towards the ocean. Wasn’t there anything else they could talk about? She sighed. Probably not. Their curiosity was understandable, but Ehlana was still too hesitant to give out any actual information.

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

They arrived in General Ramirez’ office. The room was surprisingly imposing with a large desk and old dark furniture. In the back there was a framed picture taking up most of the back wall that displayed a large castle.

Captain Simon moved over to lean against the wall and used a finger to twirl a strand of her short hair. Meanwhile General Ramirez offered Kurik a seat across from him.

Kurik sat down, still slightly apprehensive.

“So Farrington assigned you to help with the security of the facility?” he asked and sounded a little more accepting of that notion than General Thorne did. “Very well then. I’m currently overseeing six companies, but only two deal directly with the security of the facility. I want you to go with them and become familiar with their work.”

It wasn’t a request. It sounded more like an order.

“I understand,” Kurik replied. “Do you want me to just observe?” He was rather hoping to be of some practical use.

A soft knock on the door interrupted them. “Enter,” Ramirez barked. The door opened and a man with sandy brown hair came in. He was average looking but well built, definitely trained.

“You sent for me, Sir?” he asked. Ramirez nodded.

“This is Kurik, he’s been assigned by Lord Commander Farrington to help oversea security of the facility. I want you and Captain Simon to show him your work stations, posts and schedules as well as the defensive measures we employ,” Ramirez ordered and then turned his eyes to Kurik.

“Any suggestions and ideas can go to them, but anything new implemented has to be cleared with me first,” he said, his voice authoritative. “And I expect a report.”

Kurik nodded and stood up. “Thank you, Sir,” he said.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them all.

Once outside, Kurik exhaled audibly. That earned him a chuckle from Captain Davidson. “The General can make quite an impression,” he said with a crooked smile. He held out his hand. “Captain Davidson, but you can call me Lorrin.” Obviously he wasn’t that big on formalities. His handshake was firm.

“Kurik. Nice to meet you,” he replied out of curtesy. He couldn’t help it, but his eyes wandered back to Captain Simon, who was standing rather close. Her expression was still more sceptical.

“Let’s go, let’s go,” she urged impatiently. “I don’t have all day. Some of us actually work for a living.” And with those words she strode ahead, walking down the corridor.

Lorrin rolled his eyes and started walking as well. “Don’t mind her, she has a short fuse,” he said and then turned to Garett. “Lieutenant, what are your orders?”

Kurik looked at Garett. He would be sorry if the young man had to leave already, but he couldn’t very well object to his orders.

Ergo Research
Luke Jaron

"Then all Aegis have to go, if this is not a coincidence, they are going to get to her with all they have..." Said Luke making a remark and remembering how Legion were committed to their cause. "Let me help!" said Luke, mastering his courage, "I might be considered as reliability, but let me make it up to you for getting my friend back." Luke continued firmly. "And I have faith in Jax, I know I met him for the first time, but I don't think he is the kind of guy who go down without a fight." Said Luke, scratching his face with his finger as he feel embarrassed by how he sounded like an anime character. "I am not trying to just be optimistic, but I don't think Jax wants us to be down like this, but be strong and fight back." Luke then scratched back of his head, he felt now really embarrassed, "Uhhhh... erm..... I mean...." He cleared his throat, he could feel his face turning little red, "I can feel it in my gut that he will come back, so, you know, do our best to help Kaddath until he gets back?" Luke was not so sure where he was going with this, but he had strong feeling that Jax would be back. Such strong soul would not go down easily and he was not going to give up hope that easily as well, Jax given him hope and he was not going to let that hope run away with even dire news such as this.

Perhaps he had said too much and he was too nosy, but meeting Jax, and after seeing how strong he was, Luke was willing to bet his life Jax would be back and he decided, just like Jax helped Luke to find his foothold again, he was going to do his best to help Aegis to hold off what opposition they might face.

__________________________________

Peterny - Old Guard Prison
Nadenka Orlov

"What do you mean by 'you think so?'? Said Nadenka curling her lips, "You are in perfect shape and you look like a capable man to handle any task." she smiled warmly, "You know, if I were superior officer, I would definitely chose you for every special mission that needs to be discrete."

When Alexei told the origin of his name, Nadenka was even more surprised. "You are very through, aren't you?" said Nadenka, then she gave a playful smile to Alexei, "I didn't know you were interested in me that much," she giggled, "Promise is promise, said Nadenka, "My name means 'hope', and it's origin is from a country called Russia." she smiled cheerfully, "So what do you think?" she asked Alexei, with her sparkling green eyes looking at him through the bar.

Aegis

- Marcus -


"Define help." Marcus responded, chancing a glance in Lenka's direction. She seemed distracted with whatever task Keynes has set her to. So, it was probably safe to talk for the moment. "I don't want anyone doing anything over the top. The goal isn't to make her uncomfortable."

Turning his attention back to Rise, Marcus raised an eyebrow. "I hardly think you'll spawn a meteor in this enclosed space. That would hardly be subtle, and even less safe."

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

- Keynes -

"Oh, Jax definitely won't go down without a fight, but that doesn't mean he can't be taken out of the picture for a while." Keynes responded to Luke's musings.

"I can see why Alina would want us around though. If things are about to escalate at the Capitol, we should be prepared to help." He turned to observe the different members of Aegis as they carried out their individual tasks. "I'll want to borrow Lambda." Keynes said, looking back to Kokonoe.

"While I understand your need to not involve her in military actions, we can't afford not to use her here. If whoever is pulling the strings can take out a secure transport, she'll be our ace in the hole."

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

Ocean

- Lisa -

"You make it sound like those of us with magic aren't real people." Lisa's voice was cold. Harsh even.

"We didn't choose to possess such a mutation. It's something that we were born with. And the notion that we're any less human because of it is short-sighted at best."

Keeping her eyes on the horizon, she took a deep breath before continuing. "While I can respect your point of view, a large portion of Kaddath's population are, in fact, at risk because of this technology that you've specifically engineered to target magic users."


"I personally don't agree with the military's stance on magic, but in order to ensure stability, I'm willing to go along with them."


"I also don't understand as much about biology as Kokonoe or my sister, but I do know that strains can lie dormant in children for years. And from what I understand of the serum, you could shoot up a baby with it, and it would work. Take a moment to think about that and tell me which of us seems less human."

Ergo Research
- Rise -

Rise rolled her eyes. Men...

"Help give advice on how to get your intentions across and prove you're worth her attention and affections," she said. She watched as Marcus glanced over at Lenka, and she smirked. So smitten.

When he turned back and spoke, however, Rise's smile dropped. She planted her hands on her hips and glared.

"Hey, she's my friend," she said. "You really think I'd make her uncomfortable?"

Maybe it was that annoyance that gave her the spunk to raise her fan and begin to conjure.

"You willing to bet on that?" she asked. "No one said I'm safe."

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

- Kokonoe -

Kokonoe looked uncomfortable at Keynes' request. She folded her arms and looked away.

"Lambda's been helping with transportation and aid of the Redcape victims," she said. "They're my patients and my responsibility."

She sighed and ran a hand through her long ponytail.

"But given what happened with the last transport, I guess I can't let you risk that right now."

She pulled out her com and pressed a button. Within a few seconds, a magic circle appeared on the floor in a flash of light, and Lambda emerged a moment later.

"Lambda, I need transportation to the capital. Lambda hesitated a moment, then nodded.

"Of course," she said. "Right away."

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

Ocean
- Ehlana -

Jax shook his head at Ehlana's words.

"You really think having magic is justification for exploiting it?" he asked. "But I guess you need a justification, no matter how flimsy, or you wouldn't be able to do your job, much less look yourself in the mirror. I know what that's like."

Jax gripped the sides of the boat, his brow furrowed.

"When are we going to stop this?" he murmured. "When are we going to playing with people's lives like pawns in a big game?"

There was no point in getting upset with Ehlana. She was just another pawn like he had been. Maybe she'd figure that out. Maybe she wouldn't.

"How are we doing, Lisa?" Jax asked, trying to dispell the uncomfortable atmosphere that had settled over them.

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Garett rubbed his chin as Captain Simon walked away.

"Short fuse, huh?" he mused. "Feisty, more like. Nothing wrong with a little feistiness, I say."

He turned to Lorrin and Kurik and smiled.

"Gotta be gettin' back to General Thorne," he said. "But we'll run into each other again, no doubt."

He grinned and gave them an informal salute, then headed off down the hall. When he passed Captain Simon, he gave a particularly cheery smile and nod before disappearing around the corner.

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

Peterny - Old Guard Prison
Nadenka Orlov

"Strong and capable, yes," Alexei mused. "But is that all it takes to be a defender of men?"

He wasn't so sure, but he was even more unsure of why he was considering that. Completing orders had always been fulfilling enough. He'd never considered such lofty and impractical goals like being a defender of men.

When Nadenka started to talk about her name's origin, Alexei focused his attention of her. At the word 'Russia,' his eyes widened.

"Russia?" he murmured. He knew that part of Arusia's name came from that frozen landscape beneath which Arusia lay.

No doubt, she'd find all that information quite interesting, but he still wasn't fool enough to share it, even if it was unlikely to do them any harm.

Peterny - Old Guard Prison
Nadenka Orlov

"Of course, it's not enough." said Nadenka, she definitely had bright ears, "You have to be fighting for the right reason and doing everything for the men you wish to defend..." she curled her lips, she suddenly had the glimpse of sadness that covered her. "But, remember this, once you die, you can't defend anyone." she said softly and she had a painful smile on her face.

However, she looked cheerfully again as she notice the surprise in Alexei of her name's origin. "Yup, Russia!" she smiled like a child, her smile didn't look painful any more. "My parents told me their home town is Moscow, but you know, after Leviathan, they couldn't go back because they were not able to hear anything from their hometown." Then Nadenka smiled playfully and spoke in Russian, "Я думаю, что ты милый"(I think you are cute) she had that proud grin, she looked pretty confident that Alexei would not understand what she had said "Naturally I picked up Russian as well, my families were very proud of their heritage."

______________________

Ergo Research - Gym
Luke Jaron

"I will round up everyone then" Said Luke, taking it serious and quickly went to the closest member that he had to speak, and it somehow surprised him that it was Lenka who was close to where Keynes, Kokonoe and Lambda were. Then again, Kokonoe wanted to talk with Keynes, so that's probably the reason why... Luke quickly shook his head, stopping himself from dazzled by what she was doing. "Now is not the time, Luke" he whispered to himself, he cleared his throat, signaling his presence of some sort and approached Lenka; he remembered how Lenka was mad at him for being silent and surprised her. He didn't want to do that again. Not so sure, he was able to disrupt her concentration or anything, but he tried. "Lenka, we are moving to...uhhhh... teleporting to capital." Said Luke, and looked at her to see if Lenka actually heard him.

Ergo Research
- Lenka -

Lenka had taken to the next challenge with the same enthusiasm as the first. However, this one proved to be much harder. She tried and tried, but find a way to throw the wooden top through the hoop and let it land on the metal plate with enough spin to steady it.

Most of the time, she couldn’t even get it through the hoop properly and some parts bounced off the rim.

Lenka sighed and closed her eyes for a second. She needed to concentrate.

“Okay,” she said to herself and opened her eyes. “I can control my stance, my arm and my strength. Once I let go, I can only watch, so let’s make sure those things are perfect.”

With renewed motivation, she rewound the cord and continued to practice.

Then she heard Luke approach and she turned around. The news he brought confused her.

“Huh?” she asked. “What happened?” Only now did she look over to Keynes and Kokonoe and took in their expressions. Then her blue eyes wandered back to Luke. He also looked quite serious. “What’s going on, Luke?”

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

Ocean
- Ehlana -

Ehlana looked at Lisa, but the girl kept her eyes on the horizon.

She gave a bitter laugh when Lisa voiced her thoughts, defending strain users and the military. “You think a mutation will just stop?” she shook her head. “No. Look at what it did to you in a hundred years. Give it a millennium or two and a Redcape is exactly what you could become.”

“We just accelerated it in a controlled reaction. It was a weakness. We exploited it. Simple as that.” Jax called it a justification. Well maybe it was just that or maybe not. Arusia was prepared to fight a war and a war always came with casualties. And that seemed to something unacceptable to both Jax and Lisa.

The fact that Lisa thought she would inject a baby with the Redcape serum hurt a little bit. She wasn't a monster. Would she do it? Or better yet, could she do it? It wasn’t a question she had ever confronted herself with. Ehlana knew she probably wouldn’t want to, but what if the child posed a grave danger to Arusia?

“You really think I would inject an innocent child on the random chance it possesses a strain?” she asked quietly. Strains were undetectable from the outside as long as they laid dormant, so hopefully she would never be in that position. It didn’t matter. She didn’t really expect an answer.

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

Peterney - Old Guard HQ
- Kurik -

Lorrin nodded. “See you around,” he said as Garett left. He could see that Captain Simon was scowling at Garett when he passed her. His cheerfulness seemed to irk her a little.

“We better go too or she’ll rip us apart,” Lorrin said to Kurik with a grin. It wasn’t quite clear whether he was serious or joking.

Kurik glanced at Garett’s disappearing figure and then straightened up. The entire time he’d felt like he’d been thrown into cold water. It was time he started to swim.

As they were walking to wherever Captain Simon was leading them, Kurik finally asked, “Where are we going, Captain?”

Captain Simon glanced back, but decided not to answer so it was up to Lorrin to fill Kurik in.

“Probably the basement to Annabelle’s secret torture chamber.” His voice was so serious that Kurik wasn’t even sure he’d heard right for a moment, but then he saw the sparkle in his eyes. Obviously he was joking.

At least this made Captain Simon turn around, her eyes dead serious. Clearly, joking was not a word she was very familiar with. “Haha very funny, Lorrin.” She didn’t find it funny at all. “We’re going to the surveillance room,” she finally answered and then continued walking.

Kurik exhaled. Captain Simon sure was hard to figure out.

Shortly after they arrived in a large room with monitors mounted on all walls and a large map of the complex and surrounding area on an electronic table.

“This…,” Lorrin gestured around. “is our command centre. From here we can control all levels of the complex. We know who comes in, who goes out. Not even a mouse can pass our detection scanners on the outside without us knowing. There’s cameras in all public rooms and corridors.” Lorrin explained the various monitors and instruments to Kurik.

Meanwhile, Annabelle sat down at a computer station and pulled up several time tables and lists. She had no interested in explaining anything to Kurik. Why did they even need a stranger to tell them how to do their job. This complex was completely secure.

“How do you monitor communication?” Kurik asked. This was more his element. He could feel his confidence return. These were things he knew.

Lorrin waved him over to one of the computers to show him the communication channels. They were soon quietly discussing the communication setup when suddenly a loud signal sounded through the room. Kurik looked up alarmed, but both Annabelle and Lorrin stayed calm.

“Shift change,” Lorrin explained and pushed a few keys on a keyboard. The large monitor now displayed what appeared to be the common room for the guards.

“Can I talk to them?” Kurik asked, curious to see what kind of people were in the security squads. “And I want to see their schedules.”

Lorrin nodded. “Sure, I’ll lead you there,” he said and headed to the door. “Annabelle, dear, will you be okay here, all by your lovely self?” His voice definitely took a patronising, teasing tone. The effect wasn’t lost on Annabelle. Her head shot up and she glared at him.

“Screw you, Lorrin,” she said. He had just time to duck before a pen sailed past his head with great precision. With a grin he headed out the door, followed by Kurik.

“How long have you known Captain Simon?” he asked.

“Oh, we went to the academy together,” Lorrin said, “That was almost 15 years ago.”

“So you both served in the Grand Army?”

“Yeah, there wasn’t really any other choice back then,” Lorrin explained. Kurik nodded. He knew that only too well.

“Why did you leave and join the Old Guard?” Maybe it was too soon to ask this question directly, but Kurik felt oddly curious.

“I don’t know why Annabelle joined the Old Guard. She had already retired from the Grand Army when the whole Legion incident happened. I didn’t even know what she was up to until I met her here,” Lorrin was surprisingly forthcoming with information and for once sounded serious. “For me…orders mostly. I served under General Ramirez for my entire career.”

Kurik felt like there was more to it, but before he could push for more information, Lorrin stopped and entered a room.

“We’re here,” he announced. “Welcome to the barracks.”

Ergo Research - Gym
Luke Jaron

Luke bite his lips, he was not really sure it would be best for him to bring the news to her. However, he had to inform others about this as well, he probably had to be quick too."The transport that had Jax, Lisa and Ehlana... it seems it was sabotaged and the capital called in for Keynes." Luke bite his lips, then looked at where Kokonoe and Keynes, then looked at Lenka, "You know, my gut feeling tells me that they need everyone's help. So, I am just informing everyone to come around." Luke gave hopeful look, "And my gut feeling tells me Jax, Lisa and Ehlana will definitely come swinging." Luke added, "Trust me, this time, I think I am not too far off." Luke tried his best to tell it in lighter note; he was not so sure if he was doing this right...