[PG-13] Cloudland Swing [MatrixOne and Naraness]

[MatrixOne]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Even two hundred years after a nuclear 'disagreement', when new societies begin to emerge from underneath the ruins of their predecessors, the same mistakes are being repeated all over again.
Even then.

Especially then.

In fact, you could just look around, and you would most likely find a perfect example of the ever-unchanged human mentality.

Like a smoke trail, or a wrecked truck.

Or a smoke trail coming out of a wrecked truck's engine.

This particular truck crashed not so long ago - no longer than fifteen minutes.
You could tell by the goons that were searching it and counting their victims.

"We killed four, two more ran south. Go after them if you want the full payment"
The cold voice belonging to a leader of these freelancers directed them towards their targets.
One of the three pursuers fired his weapon.

The bullet hit a young girl, no older than eighteen. She fell face down into tall grass.
"Just one more"
The last girl had nowhere to run. The only reason she wasn't executed straight away was because the freelancers noticed something... peculiar about her, and were unsure what to do.

She appeared to be about nineteen or twenty. Her dark green eyes measured her pursuers calmly. As if she didn't care.
Her chaotic, auburn hair contrasted with the emotionless expression.
But that was not the main reason that confused the freelancers.
What was so interesting about her was an apparent lack of hands - they ended abruptly at the shoulders, leaving the empty sleeves of the girl's white shirt to flap in the wind.

The goons looked at their leader, unsure about their next course of action.
"The, uh, orders still stand" - he said, commanding one of them to finish the job.
The freelancer nodded, and aimed his weapon at the girl.


That's how humanity is. Just as it always was.
But there are exceptions.

All it takes, is one person.
One person to notice the smoke.

One person to take matters into her own hands.

[Naraness]

In a world such as this, often times, justice was found in the most unlikely places. In times like these, authorities didn’t give a damn if a few people were shot down, or if a store was robbed blind. If an innocent person was assaulted; it was just more paperwork. These ‘inconsiderable’ cases, were a nuisance. The mandatory part of the job.

That was why the 'inconsiderables', sometimes had to stand up for each other.

The woman's long ebon hair swept in waves behind her. She walked briskly to stave off the cold brought by the morning air. Her cold blue eyes watched, hidden behind dark sunglasses as she walked the old paved streets. They scanned the road, taking short notice of the potholes and deep cracks. The road was in dire need of repair, but it this part of town, nobody cared. She dismissed it with a thought. That was just how the world was nowadays. If you weren't famous or rich, nobody cared. That was just... life. Something everyone had to deal with.

Her eyes flicked up towards the sky. It was a muddy brown color, like swamp water. The woman heaved a long sigh, trying to remember if the sky was ever blue above the city. She remembered once there had been a heavy rain, and it had washed the pollution out of the sky. But that hadn't lasted more than a day.

Her eyes caught sight of something different. Below the canopy of smog, there was a thin line of grey smoke filtering up into the sky. She thought for a moment. Most likely it was just street people burning waste in a trashcan. But something about the color, something about the smell, told her otherwise. She picked up her pace, and began a steady jog towards it. Only a second later she heard a gunshot. That couldn't be good... She heard a scream, and her brain sent out a thousand warning signals to her body.

“Stay out of zis Delain.” She muttered to herself. But her limbs wouldn't listen to her words. She broke into a run, pulling her trench coat up with one hand to reach with her other for her firearm. Her fingers closed around the familiar pistol’s grip. She skid as she reached the lip of the alleyway. She listened to the voices, painting a picture in her imagination. Three armed men, one person dead, one or two about to be shot.

The firing had ceased. Had she been too late?

“The, uh, orders still stand.” She heard someone say.

Someone was still alive. She swung around, moving her feet to place herself in front of the alley. The scene wasn’t much different from the one she had imagined. There were three armed men, one was holding a gun in his hand. An auburn haired girl stood up against the wall, staring down the barrel of the weapon. Another woman had already been shot, and laid face-down in the tall grass that grew wild in the alleyway. A couple others had been shot as well.

Delain raised her gun, and decisively pulled the trigger. Her professional aim took the gun out of the shooter’s hands. “Doezn’t anyone know how to play nice around here?” She asked sarcastically as the other two drew their weapons on her. She really hated street thugs. Taking a split-second to examine them, she realized that they weren’t even holding their guns correctly. But instead tilted to the side so they weren’t even looking down the sights on the top of the barrel. She rolled her eyes.

Amateurs. She thought. With two fast shots to each they fell limp to the ground. The last, disarmed thug took off running. Delain’s hands fell to the ready. Her eyes scanned the alleyway. She looked down at the two men one their backs. After deciding that they were, in fact, dead, she holstered her gun. Taking a deep breath, and straightening her coat, she offered a small smile to the girl against the wall.

“Are you alright?” She asked in an accented voice, casting a sympathetic look towards her companion who had been killed.

[MatrixOne]

The girl looked into Delain's eyes.

Her expression was absent, as if she didn't acknowledge what was happening.
After a few seconds, she took a step forward, staring bleakly.

Something was wrong. The world felt... different.
As if it lost color, and some kind of stability. It was desaturating.
Thick fog covered the far landscapes, and brownish colors of sky and dead grass shifted to grey.
Trees were distorted, and curved into weird shapes.

And the girl's eyes were not dark green anymore.

They were pitch black.

Just like the world around her.

Just like everything.

Bleak, empty void.

Suddenly, a loud ringing noise, like shellshock after an explosion, shattered the silence, hurting Delain's ears. She flinched from the unexpected sound, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

And during that moment, it all came to a stop, as unexpectedly as it began.
The world was normal again. That same, brown sky, the same smell of smoke and blood.

But they were not where they were standing before the world went crazy.
The smoke from the crashed truck was visible half a mile away.

The girl spoke.
"You're searching for someone"
Her eyes returned to their usual, dark green color. She pierced Delain with an inquisitive gaze.
"I couldn't stay there"
She was probably referring to the truck crash site.

She shook her head, attempting to throw the memories out of her head. After taking a deep breath, she spoke, this time with a more confident voice.
"My name is Rin Tezuka. I would shake your hand, but I don't have any"
It was hard to guess whether she was joking or not.

_____________
(the weird thing was a hallucination. It happens when Rin 'accesses' your mind. But you can easily snap out of it, and it's not very strong ;q)

[Naraness]

Delain shook her head after the intrusive feeling finally left. She didn't like it. At all. She wondered briefly if she might have made a mistake by saving this girl. She had a certain aura around her that Delain didn't necessarily enjoy. And even more so the fact that she knew Delain was searching for someone was even more unnerving. It was true that Delain had spent the last four years of her life searching for her brother, Nathan. He was the only family member she had who was still alive. Her parents had died when she was only a child. And they had lost contact with any other living relatives long ago.

“Rin, huh?” Delain asked. She pronounced Rin’s name as ‘reen’, due to her odd accent. She raised an eyebrow, and acting as if she was unaffected by... whatever had happened. Though the truth had been said in her earlier wince. She got a strange feeling the noise had come from the girl. After all, she knew things she shouldn’t know, and there was something different about her. Something Delain couldn’t explain, and probably never would.

She narrowed her eyes. Not that she didn’t trust her, but… Well okay, Delain didn’t trust her. But trust wasn’t something that came easily to her.

Delain looked her up at down at her third statement. She could have sworn that she had had hands before. But now that she looked, it became quite apparent that she was not only handless, but armless as well. “Uh, zat’s okay, I’ve nezer been one for handshakes anyways.” She said, shrugging it off. She wondered briefly what had happened to her. No offense to her; but girls didn’t just sprout out of the ground without arms. Did they? Maybe she had been born that way. The possibilities were endless. Delain decided to stop thinking about it.

“I’m Delain.” She hesitated to give her last name. But decided that since Rin had, she would return the favor, and do the same. “Delain Amaterasu.” She said, her French accent particularly strong as she spoke her last name.

“Uh, if you don’t mind my azking, what was zat you just did a momen’ ago?” She asked, rubbing her temple with one finger. She could almost still hear the ringing in her head. It had been an experience she did not wish to repeat. Especially if the painful ring in her ears would return.

[MatrixOne]

Rin's eyes lowered as she was thinking of a suitable answer.
"It's like reading a book" She finally said. "You look at the cover before you open it. So that you know what to expect"
Satisfied with her own response, she looked back into Delain's eyes quizzically.
"That's what I did. I read your cover"
It was hard to imagine Rin actually reading a book. In fact, hardly anyone in this wasteland ever had time for books, let alone a girl with no hands to turn the pages.

She took a deep breath, and said:
"It was boring."
Her voice was confident, but didn't mean to be insulting. She said it like it was obvious, with the same tone that would be normal for 'It's raining' or 'I like trains'.
"You were lonely all this time."

Her eyes suddenly turned black. The odd feeling came back, filling the world with uncertainty. As if someone flicked a magic 'stability' switch to 'off'.
But then, the switch came back 'on'.
"But you're closer to finding him than you've ever been during those years"
Her expression changed, now revealing slight sadness.
"But I don't know. I can't help you. I'm kind of useless"

She sat on the ground, with her back against a wall. Staring blankly into the landscape, she released a quiet sigh.
"Now what do I do? I could just die from a bullet and it would be over and I wouldn't have to be here... It's a better end than starving to death in some abandoned building, alone and forgotten."

The sun started setting. The entire landscape was submerged in red, slowly dimming sunlight.
"Before you resume your search... Maybe you could... spare one more bullet?"
She closed her eyes.

As night slowly took over, the lightless streets were growing darker and scarier with every second. Rin's silhouette looked helpless and vulnerable. She probably wouldn't make it through the night.

[Naraness]

Her heart pounded excitedly at the discovery that she was close to finding her brother. She told herself that that was impossible, and he was most likely dead. But would her excited heart listen? No. Her practical mind argued ruthlessly. What did Rin know? She might have just coincidentally guessed that she was searching for someone. Nowadays almost everyone was looking for a long lost loved one. It wasn’t exactly a rarity.

She sighed as the sky began to darken. The red clouds of toxins tainted the light, making it shine down red. The whole city was blanketed in an eerie crimson haze. Just as it always was at this time of day.

As Rin continued talking, Delain felt an unexpected surge of sympathy for her. Even if she still held an unnerving aura... It was obvious that she was troubled. And as Rin finally requested her own death at Delain’s hands, she was already shaking her head. She stepped forward, the tall grass made quiet rustling sounds as she walked through it.

“Listen… uh, Rin, I mighten be a killer,” She said, glancing over at the two dead freelancers. “But I am not a murder.” She held a hand over her heart, which, coinsidentially was also the place her gun was secured. Her voice softened a little. “And you are far from useless.” Where these words were coming from, Delain had no idea. She didn’t know why she suddenly wanted to help her. Maybe after saving her, Delain felt it was her responsibility? “Do you ‘ave a place to call home?” She asked quietly. “If not… “

Don’t do it Delain, you’re going to regret it. Don’t you even… think about it. This is going to end badly, just do what she asked and walk away. She hesitated, then argued with herself. No, she needs my help, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

“You can come and ztay at my place for a while.” She offered quietly. “C’mon.” She would have given her a hand up, but… The obvious complication stopped her. Instead, she compromised, placing a firm hand on each of her shoulders and pulling her to her feet. The girl was relatively light, and easy to pick up. Once she was steadily standing, Delain removed her hands.

By now the sun had already darkened quite a bit more. The sky had become a dark color, like blood. Delain shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders. She made a little motion with one hand for Rin to follow her.

“Unless you have somewhere else to go.” But Delain doubted that she did.

[MatrixOne]

Rin hesitantly followed Delain.
"I don't have a home anymore. Me, and... the others you saw... We were from Project Hope. But the facility was raided. We were the lucky ones who got to the truck before..."
She paused.

So, this was it.

Project Hope.

It was popular among the radio channels lately. It brought just that - Hope.
And that's exactly what people need in this world.

It was a simple idea at first. Make a school.
That was it. People got to work, because they felt like it gave them purpose.
And a few years later, there it was. A pre-war library repurposed into a sort of college.

It was supposed to change people. And it did.

The students focused on aiding their society, and humanity as a whole. The mercs helped as guards and information gatherers. Even the raiders kept their distance.

It gave people purpose, a goal. Perspective.

What changed?

"I was an artist at Project Hope. I was a symbol of determination. My painting motivated people to overcome their limits"
Her tone switched from quiet and depressed into loud, almost angry.
"But it never helps, does it? When something big appears, there is always someone trying to get something out of it. And it wasn't about people anymore. This facility was supposed to prove we can change"

She took a deep breath.

"And now it's just a bunch of rubble."

"So why should I believe you're different?"

[Naraness]

Delain listened quietly as Rin spoke about an organization called ‘Project Hope’. She pondered over the familiarity of the name. She had heard it mentioned a few times on her old radio back at her house. But considering how much crud was on the radio stations these days… She didn’t tend to listen to it very often. However, from what Rin told her, it had been a program that a lot of people really needed in their lives. She was sure that its downfall was yet another scar in humanity’s history. And it sounded like Rin might’ve been the only survivor. Delain thought it was really too bad. She would’ve liked to see if her brother had been part of it. He had been that kind of person… The kind of person who would selflessly help another. Delain’s opposite. She sighed.

“It makes me sorry that Project Hope is no more.” She said quietly, and halfheartedly.

She scoffed as Rin asked why she should believe Delain was any different from the people who had destroyed her hope.

“You don’t have a reason not to believe zat I am exactly ze same as zose people who tried to kill you. As a matter of fact, I’d probably be counted among zem on any police report.” Delain shrugged her shoulders, looking straight ahead as she walked. “And I have no way to prove zat I am different. But I am. Not because zat I follow ze law, or play by the rules. I do neizer of these things.” She said, while looking around.

She heard sirens, and flashing lights. The authorities were ‘heroically’ rushing to the scene of the crime. Where five people laid dead by a busted truck.

She sighed. “But because I care, I am different.” She said firmly.

She heard the wailing sirens approaching at a rapid pace. Her head whipped around. A few police cars were parked just outside the alleyway where the bloody scene was laid out. Delain thought darkly that the police always seemed to arrive just after the dirty work had been completed.

“Come here.” She said in a low tone, pulling Rin into a dark corner of the street so they wouldn’t be seen. Delain and the authorities weren’t on good terms. She continued on down the street. The sun had finally disappeared, and the city was covered in darkness... The occasional lamp post flickered with light, but for the most part, the streets were dark, and empty. She heard gruff voices and the sounds of bottles breaking on tables far off. She took an extra turn to go the long way around a rough bar. She wasn’t on good terms with anyone in there either…

After about fifteen minutes of quiet travel, and silent, calculated dodging. Delain maneuvered them safely back to a small brick house squished in between two abandoned apartment complexes.

Delain stepped up to the small stone porch. She pulled a small key out of her pocket, and unlocked the door. It swung open with a groaning creak. She stepped inside, and hit a switch on. The room flickered to life. Despite the humble looks from the outside, the inside was surprisingly well cared for, and organized, as well as clean, and orderly.

A couple of comfy maroon chairs sat in front of a dead fireplace. A bookcase against the back wall probably held more books than all of the city’s combined. Newer editions were mixed in with older books that might have even have been handwritten. A family painting was hung on the wall. A smiling ebon-haired family stared out at the room. A mother, a father, a daughter, a son...

A couple of door led to other rooms. A staircase on the opposite side of the room from the fireplace led to what appeared to be the bedrooms.

“None of this is really mine; it was my parents, until... Well, I guess it’s mine now. Make yourself at home.”

[MatrixOne]

Rin's attention was immediately drawn by the family photo. It must have been taken years ago, but two of the faces were... somehow familiar to her.

Suddenly, Rin turned around, and walked up to Delain.
"I think I know..."
She was feeling this weird energy, that was tied to her psychic abilities. Her subconscious was lit up like a christmas tree, making her remember images, faces, sounds...

"So it's true. I think your brother did work for Hope"
She couldn't handle this energy. She was walking nervously around the room, with a concerned expression on her face.
"His name must have been fake... But his intentions were not"
Realizing that she told Delain the facility is destroyed, she quickly added:
"Not everyone was at the college at the time of the attack. The older, more responsible people were being sent on missions. The whole Purity department had its own facility. Some of us are still left"

She lowered her voice.
"Maybe even five, or so. Not enough to restart Hope... But enough to not give up hope of finding Hugo"

"Or whatever his real name is"

She smiled.
"I could help you find him. You did a lot for me, and I thought I was unable to do anything in return. Maybe I was wrong"
Rin stopped walking nervously, her mind set on a new objective.
"Seeing an another survivor of Hope might help me... clear some things up. Besides, chances are, they might be going after Project Purity next. So we should... We should..."

Rin didn't finish, because she realized how tired she was. The weight of her eyelids was hard to overcome.
She needed a rest, after all she's been through.

[Naraness]

“Wait, wait, wait, my brother worked for Hope?” Delain asked, an incredulous look etched on her face. “How can zat be..?” She asked quietly. When Rin mentioned Nathan's fake name, Hugo, she couldn't help but laugh. “Hugo? Oh zat's just like him...” She rolled her eyes. If her parents had survived, he would have been the tallest of them all, at 6' 4". And that was just when he was fifteen. Delain was sure he had grown since then.

Don't get involved in this Delain... She pushed the annoying voice into the back off her mind, and protested. Oh shut up, I'll decide what to do.

“So you’d really help me find him? Nathan. That’s his name.” Delain asked, her eyes searching the other girl. She looked only a little younger than herself, and with her… disability, she wouldn’t be able to do much. And yet the odd way she knew things, and the odd ‘book cover’ ability she had, were both more than enough for Delain to know that she was anything but defenseless.

Delain’s eyes drifted up to the family portrait. Her eyes lingered over her brother. The picture had been taken when Delain had been only an infant. Her brother had been two. Days later her parents had died. She tried not to think about the incident. Sometimes she would go and stand by the portrait, and try to remember them. Try to remember what it was like in that instant that the picture had been captured on film. That moment, in her mother’s arms, with her father’s strong hand nearby to always keep her safe. That millisecond with her brother, her best friend, her protector, right there next to her. Sometimes she could remember what that felt like. But it didn’t last long. Her parents were dead. She didn’t know where Nathan was. And so she learned to do without their protection, and protect herself.

She tore her gaze from the picture, and realized that Rin looked quite exhausted. “Are you alright? Oh here, zere’s a spare room upstairs, you’re welcome to it.” She gestured up the stairs, wondering if she would need any help. But she hesitated to offer help unless it was asked for.

Delain untied her coat, and shrugged it off, draping it over a hook on the wall. She also pulled her sunglasses off, and set them on the ledge over the fireplace. She knelt down, and firmly grabbed a few of the synthetic wood logs that she used as fire fuel. She sighed, only wishing that she could use real wood. But it was hard to get ahold of these days, and far too expensive to use for a fire. After a moment a soft glow filled the room as the fire took.

Delain nodded to herself, standing. “Do you need anything?” She asked Rin. Delain wondered sarcastically to herself when she had changed from a cold, heartless, street killer, into a hostess. She mentally rolled her eyes, and protested to herself that the only things that had changed were her environment, and she hadn't changed at all.

[MatrixOne]

"I think I remember how to climb stairs. It's easier than climbing mountains. And you don't need hands"
She walked upstairs. Unsure which door leads to the 'spare room', she hesitated for a second, but decided to approach a random one.

"It gets complicated when it comes to doors"
If it was her house, she'd have opened this troublesome gateway with a well placed kick.
Well, Delain did tell Rin to make herself at home...

As she waited for Delain to give her a hand, Rin decided to fill her in on some issues.
"Project Purity was our biggest undertaking... And I think it was also the main reason for our downfall. The idea of it was very simple"
Rin smiled.
"Nathan said he hated the sky as it is today. He said it was 'muddy brown', and reminded him of swamp water. He also mentioned that... A long time ago, he was out, spending the time with somebody, and it was raining a lot... And they both caught a glimpse of the real sky, just as it was before the world crumbled.

And that's what Project Purity is about. Bringing back that long lost sky. So that people could look up, and see the heartwarming color of hope, instead of a constant reminder of how everything fell apart"
Rin's voice lowered.
"But the costs were too high. They spent so much, setting up a facility in the mountains. And there was more. Food, supplies, bodyguards, equipment... They couldn't handle it. But they were dedicated to their work, not about to just leave it.
And the debts were growing...
Today we all felt the consequences of that"

Rin paused for a moment.

"I... I think he might have avoided contacting you, because he didn't want to get you involved in this"

[Naraness]

Delain sighed, stepping up the stairs after her. Her hand rested on the door knob as she listened to Rin speak. Her mouth twitched towards a smile as Rin mentioned Nathan's description of the sky. It had to be him... Her own thoughts of the swampy color had originated from him describing it to her that way. She had never thought of the sky the same way again.

"Sounds like it was a worzy cause... Just as Project Hope was. I... I hope it does not fall to ze same fate." She shrugged, and turned the doorknob, letting the door swing inward. It creaked slightly, like everything else in the ancient house did.

Listening to what Rin said next, Delain scoffed. "So he had a chance to contact me, and he didn't?" Delain asked. Her face remained a cold facade of not really caring. On the inside she was hurt that he would think she couldn't handle it. It wasn't as if her life had been any safer living on the streets. her life had been in jeopardy several times, she had seen more people die at the hands of others than she herself had killed. How could she have possibly been better off this way? Maybe it was just his brotherly pride. Delain figured that he probably didn't know much about her life, and had assumed she was living peacefully and out of the way. Maybe he did know everything she had been involved in. The thought that he had probably avoided her all these years didn't help. Delain felt like a cold knife had pierced her heart. Her face expressed nothing but cold calculation. In other words, her mask that hid her emotions.

"Well what else can you expect from a big brozer?" She raised an eyebrow slightly, and gestured to the room. "Everyzing you need should be in 'ere. If you need anyzing..." Again she was reluctant to offer her help. "Give me a call. I'll be next door." She stepped away from the doorway, and began to walk towards her own room.

Delain couldn't help but remember when Rin had mentioned Nathan seeing the sky with 'Somebody'. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She had been the somebody. Nearly five years ago... A heavy rain had filled the streets with inches of rain. Stepping out the front door meant being drenched to the skin. In that day the water had washed the pollution out of the sky just long enough for the ozone lair to be seen, and the blue sky to be visible. Delain could still remember the feeling. Light had shone down on the city for the first time in years, the pure warmth of the sun had met her skin. It had made her feel alive. That heavenly light lasted nearly an hour before the clouds of smog, and radiation had covered it up again. She sighed, remembering what her brother had told her that day.

He said, 'That's how the world is sometimes. A light will appear, but alone it doesn't last very long.' She had asked him why it couldn't stay. She didn't want it to go. He told her, 'It's hard to be a flame of hope in a mud puddle'. Always she had thought of those words. A few people of hope couldn't shine alone, when the rest of the world was trying to tear them down.

[MatrixOne]

Rin didn't respond.

She took a step inside the room, not bothering to close the door, and looked around.

A bed, chair, desk, bookshelf.

In other words - useless, space-consuming junk. At Hope, her room was simply... empty.
No chairs, no desks, no shelves.

And, most importantly, no beds.

Rin sat down on the ground, with her back against the wall. Too exhausted to think about anything, she fell asleep almost instantly.

She has always had trouble sleeping. Her mind was... special, and dreaming silenced her control over her subconscious. When in her direct vicinity, one could even sometimes experience parts of her dreams - her emotions, and thoughts.

She was moving nervously in her sleep, sometimes whispering words, as if parts from a conversation.

"..... I trusted you.....
It's too late....
You will stay here, with the chaos you created....
Goodbye"

After that, there was an explosion. It didn't really happen, but the sensation of it - the sound and vibrations spread throughout Delain's house.

And the dream was over. The weird aura disappeared.

***

[Naraness]

Delain shut the door quietly behind her. She vaguely heard Rin moving around in her room. She tried to remember the last time she had heard movement in the house; other than herself. It had been a while, to say the least. She sighed, and started to get undressed, pulling her shirt up over her head and throwing it into a basket in the corner. She proceeded to unarm herself, removing her pistol, and setting it on her bedside table, and continuing by removing the other numerous sharp objects on her body.
Finally she collapsed into her bed, restless, as usual. An open window allowed cool air to wash over her bare shoulders. Her hip-length hair was splayed all over the pillow in a dramatic effect. She sighed, and shut her eyes. Sleep came more quickly than it usually did.

What seemed like a second later came all too quickly. Delain bolted awake in a cold sweat, her chest heaving great breaths. Her eyes darted around. The house had been on fire. Mother’s wedding gown in the closet had turned to ash, father’s books… they had been burning. But upon a quick glance around, any trace of a fire was gone. It didn’t make sense. Delain could have sworn she had felt the flame melting her flesh… She could have sworn she had screamed. But after examining herself, it was apparent she hadn’t come into contact with any such fire. It had only been a dream.

She laid her head back, and tried to get back into the sleep that had come so easily. Unable to, she laid wide awake. She starred at the ceiling, trying to imagine that a blue sky could be seen through it. It was a nice idea anyway.

-

The next morning Delain got up early, dressing and replacing all of her weapons in their proper places on her person. Without her coat her pistol remained in plain view strapped across the left side of her chest.

Walking down to the kitchen, she blended up a protein smoothie as breakfast, deciding she could just give Rin a straw and leave it at that. Drinking her own down quickly, she gazed out her window, eyes scanning for irregularities. Immediately she spotted an unwelcome sight. A wanted paper, with her name on it. She gave a small grunt of acknowledgment, and proceeded out her door to tear it down, and bring it inside.

She had to admire the picture they’d gotten of her. It captured her features, and was not a public photo someone could have given out; no, they had taken this themselves. Below was a reward. She gave a small snort at the sum. Five hundred dollars. It was a healthy amount for anyone to collect. But honestly when she had imagined a wanted sign going up for her, she had imagined the award money being, well, more.

“Let’s see, here… Crimes include…” Her eyes scanned the paper. “Theft, well I can’t protest. Murder, that’s a little harsh… Assault, blah, blabbity blah, blah, shooting an officer… Oh gosh I didn’t think they knew about that… Funny they don’t count all the lives I’ve saved, or robberies I’ve stopped…” Delain sighed, and set the paper on the counter. So the authorities were officially out for her. Brilliant.

Strangely enough, she was reminded of the dream she had had that night. It hadn’t felt like it wasn’t… hers. It had felt oddly foreign, and unreal, yet more real than any other dream she’d ever experienced. Her mind boggled as to why that would be. She shrugged it off.

Delain decided to go and wake Rin, that was if she wasn’t already awake. If there was a bounty on her head, than she would have to leave. Too many people knew her around here. As if they needed another reason to be out for her… Realizing that probably meant Rin would be coming with her, she sighed. Then stepped up the stairs. Her footsteps made quiet ‘thump’ sounds on the hollow steps. As she reached the top she quietly knocked on the wooden door leading to Rin’s room.

[MatrixOne]

Rin was standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly at a wall, thinking heavily about her newfound ally.
The sound of knocking snapped her our of it.
"Oh... Hello"
She looked puzzled, but did not say anything more than that.

She remained quiet for a while, but gave Delain a nod of appreciation upon receiving the protein breakfast.
Her eyes were drawn to the wanted poster.

Rin got up, read it carefully, and sat back down, looking troubled.

Finally, she spoke.
"You are not a bad person"
An empty statement, voiced with an empty voice.

"But you are not good, either. You saved my life and let me sleep here. You keep taking care of me, forcing yourself to do things you hate. But you do it. And other times... You kill and steal, doing whatever you want"
She lowered her voice, expressing sadness.
"I do not understand. Usually, people are easy to read - they are good or bad, not... both. I do not know what to expect from you. I gave you the location of Project Purity, you do not need me anymore. You do not have to keep helping"

She tilted her head inquisitively, waiting for an answer.

[Naraness]

Delain watched silently as Rin ate. She made no move, and no sound as she noticed Delain’s wanted paper, and proceeded to read it. She listened in stony silence as Rin spoke. She raised an eyebrow, unsure herself about which side she stood on.

“It’s not about if I’m good or bad.” She said quietly. When she thought about it, she was probably more bad than good… “I don’t zink I could rightfully be called eizer. So we’ll just say it how you did. I’m not bad. But I’m not good. I’m somewhere in ze middle, and I’d prefer not to define zat very thin line.” She said, narrowing her eyes just slightly. A scowl twitched at the corners of her mouth. She didn’t like to think about where she stood on the side of good and evil. She didn’t like the answers she would come up with.

She turned, glancing out the window. Delain heaved a sigh. Her expression softened, and she ran a hand through her hair. “Either way, ze authorities are out of me. If zey catch me it’ll mean a death sentence, it’s not as if anyone will vouch for me.” She clenched her hand. “Too many people know zat I live here. I have to leave.” She said firmly. “You can come with me if you want. But where I’m going… All I’ll be is a runaway. I plan to find my brozer, where else can I go?”

She took a deep breath. “By ze way, I never needed you. I’m not about to dump you on the streets now. It’s your choice, come with me, it will be dangerous. Stay, it will be even more dangerous.” She shrugged. “But it would be nice not to be alone.” She admitted.

[MatrixOne]

"I never needed you"

These words hurt Rin quite deeply, although she knew they were true. She wanted to help Delain with her search, and seeing other survivors of Hope wouldn't hurt.

"I still don't see why you want to take me with you if you think I am useless to you. But I can make things happen. Many things. I am not good with people, but I know how to... handle them. Usually"
She smiled.
"Not always. For example you. I think you have your own set of rules that you follow. But I do not know those rules. And I am afraid to find out. But..."

She walked up to Delain, and gently put her head on Delain's shoulder. It was an awkward gesture, but Rin was confident.
"I think I would vouch for you. And I want to go with you. Because you're my friend. I guess"

Rin took a step back, her eyes focusing on her friend's face. For once, she was looking AT her. Directly.
It did not happen often.

[Naraness]

Delain listened to Rin speak, and was startled as she proceeded to lay her head on her shoulder. Delain tensed slightly, unaccustomed to people touching her in any way. She figured that Rin’s odd gesture had been the equivalent of placing her hand on her shoulder in an assuring way. Her next words startled Delain more than she would have expected.

“You would vouch for me?” Her head swam with confusion. Rin had only known her for a day. She had watched her as she kiled two men. She had seen the wanted paper, read an account of her crimes, and probably knew that those on the list were only the known crimes she had committed. And her crimes far outnumbered her good deeds. Still she said she would vouch for her. And then continued to tell her that she was Rin’s friend. Delain tried to remember the last time she had been able to call someone ‘friend’. She hadn’t had a friend who hadn’t betrayed her, or stabbed her in the back since… Nathan. And person who she had been able to call her friend had either betrayed her, or used her.

“Do you really mean zat?” She asked, unsure what to think. She stared right back into Rin’s eyes. “I would very much like to call you my friend as well.” She said quietly. Her mind reminded her that she had given up on having friends a long, long time ago. She insisted, as she had done quite a few times, that she was
different. She could only hope she was right.

Delain broke eye contact with Rin, and continued, trying to pretend she hadn’t just let her cold façade lift for a moment. “I don’t see you as useless. Perhaps physically, but you 'ave a very strong mind, and I believe you can defend yourself just as well as I can. So, ze offer remains. You can come with me, but you are welcome to stay here, or whatever you want; if you don’t want to be around me. Which I wouldn’t blame you for.” She said flatly.

The sound of distant sirens rang through the air. She hadn’t thought they would be here so quickly. But then and again… More than a few people wanted her dead, and would have no objection to using the police to get their way. Delain tensed.

“Decide quickly, I am leaving in sixty seconds.” She said, running across the room to grab her coat, and pull it on. She grabbed her sunglasses from the mantel above the fireplace. Then proceeded back into the kitchen. She opened a cabinet, and pulled a wad of cash out from of a ceramic jar, slipping it into her jacket pocket. Going over a mental checklist in her mind, she was ready to flee her home. She looked back to Rin, expectant of an answer by this point.

[MatrixOne]

"Something will happen. Something bad. You must go. I will stay here and delay them, and we will meet under The Lone Rock, where you used to spend time with Nathan"
She spewed it out as if it was a single sentence. She was obviously worried.

Lone Rock...
This must have been a place Delain had a lot of memories associated with, because Rin felt the strong connection to it in her friend's mind.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself. And be extremely careful"
Rin was very serious. She could feel something bad is going to happen, and she knew she couldn't stop it. But maybe she can delay it?

Two police cars stopped outside the house a minute after Delain left it.
Six officers got out and took positions around the outside of the house.
"The house is surrounded. Come out with your hands up!"
The squad leader was shouting through an ancient pre-war megaphone.

Rin casually walked out through the main door.

She wasn't shot - as if something was keeping the officers from firing their guns.
"Put your hands in the...."
Then, the leader noticed the girl's disability.
"...Uh... Don't move"

They lowered their guns and approached her. A girl with no hands couldn't possibly harm them in any way... Could she?

"You three, search the house. And you... did you see her?"
He showed Rin the wanted poster.

One of the policemen that were ordered to search left the house and approached , holding a poster Delain teared down this morning.
"Oh, I bet she did. She must be an accomplice. We should lock her up"

Rin's eyes were pitch black.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "I think you both know you came to a wrong city"

They laughed. It was ridiculous - how could this be a wrong city? There are even wanted posters here, and this clearly is Delain's house...
But there was something else. They both suddenly remembered something.

They could recall seeing Delain far away. This memory appeared without warning nor explanation, it just... was there.
The posters didn't exist in their minds anymore. All they knew was - they have to search another city.

"Also, your superior told you to drive me somewhere. Right, Jim?" She asked the commanding officer, and at the same moment he remembered a phone call from his boss.
A phone call that never happened.

But he didn't know that. It was a memory as vivid as any.

And, as Jim was driving Rin towards her destination which was suspiciously close to Lone Rock, he was thinking about his passenger - and especially about her pitch black, empty eyes, looking at him as if they knew every single thought of his.

Every. Single. One.

[Naraness]

Delain was about to flat-out protest. She wasn’t going to run, while Rin held them off! But the determination in her friend’s eyes, and the ever approaching sirens convinced her otherwise. She nodded to Rin, and turned on her heel, taking flight to the back window. She grasped the bottom lip of the window’s border and thrust it upwards. She felt cool outdoor air seep in from outside. Taking no real notice of this, she swung a leg through the opening, and then pulled the rest of her body through, setting her feet on the gravel behind her house.

She heard a loud voice say the house was surrounded. That meant she would likely run into someone. Ready, she jumped the wooden fence that caged in the backyard.

As her feet hit the ground on the other side of the fence she felt an increasingly familiar aura fill the air. She could tell that Rin was working her magic again. If you could call it magic. That girl was really something… Delain silenced her thoughts and focused on running. Lone Rock was too far to go by foot, she’d have to find a car. Of course, she’d be stealing it, but it wasn’t as if she was going to steal it from someone who needed it. She was more than capable of taking one that belonged to some good-for-nothing thug.

As she took off through a small parking lot, her eyes came upon a suitable candidate sooner than she had thought she would. A small, busted up mustang. The windows were down, the keys were in the ignition. A poor old fool was passed out, probably drunk, in the front seat. She marched towards the lad, wrenching the door open and grabbing him roughly by his shirt collar. He mumbled something incoherently as Delain tossed him to the pavement, and stepped in. She turned the keys in the ignition and the car roared to life. It had a surprisingly strong engine for such a broken down vehicle.

Delain shot out of the parking lot, rolling up the windows as she went. She took a quick glance around the car, looking for anything she could use to disguise herself. In this part of town security cameras were virtually nonexistent, but she couldn’t take chances. All she saw was an ash tray, and she wasn’t about to try to turn her hair white, not to mention the smell. She figured just her temporary presence in the car would require a bath. She didn’t know where she would be able to get one though.

Delain took the most unused routes she could find. After about ten minutes of driving she stopped so she could tear the plates off the car. She couldn’t risk someone reporting her only so she could be tracked. Not that a plateless automobile was any less suspicious.

Her thoughts drifted towards Lone Rock. She had only good memories associated with it. She had been surprised when Rin mentioned its name, because the landmark wasn’t known by any official name. She had Nathan had dubbed it ‘Lone Rock’ themselves. She figured that again, Rin had seen it through Delain’s own mind. Thinking of Rin Delain could only hope she was alright. The guilt would silently eat her alive if she was harmed, and Delain had left her there.

Delain took an exit, heading West, out of town. Lone Rock was just outside to suburbs of the city. She was surprised Rin had chosen it, considering how close to danger it was. They would have to be careful.

Ahead, she spotted her destination. She wheeled around, leaving her car in an abandoned parking lot, then hiked the remaining distance. Lone Rock was simply quite a few large boulders stacked against one another. It was situated in a pine forest, and was quite cool. Most people didn’t dare to enter them because it was said they were haunted. She and Nathan had started the rumors using tin foil and perfume bottles. A smile twitched at the corners of Delains mouth as she entered the familiar shade created in the cave-like area. She pulled her sunglasses off, hooking it on her coat collar so it hung. She breathed deeply, memories flooding her mind…

“Put your hands in the air.” A cold voice said. Delain’s eyes snapped over to the other side of the cave, where a young officer in uniform stood. “I knew you’d come here. They didn’t believe me.” He said, an almost insane glint in his eyes. He held a semi-automatic black pistol in his hands.

“Do you really zink you can shoot me before I can kill you?” Delain snapped.

“Go for you firearm and I’ll pull the trigger.”

“You won’t be able to before I put a hole zrough you.” Delain said just as coldly, and without fear. It wasn’t the first time she had stared down the barrel of a gun before. “Put it down before you get yourself killed.” She warned, her hands ready. She could just feel her pistol against her chest, she could imagine how quickly it would be in her hands, the feel of the grip under her fingers. All he had to go was twitch the wrong way and she would shoot him. “When my gun comes out, people die. Zat’s its purpose, to kill. Zink about that.”

“That’s why I have to shoot you.” He said. “You’re a murderer.”

“Liar.” She hissed. “I kill, I don’t murder.”

“You murdered my Pa.” He said, his voice going shaky.

“Oh zat was the officer who I shot?” Delain chuckled mirthlessly. “Don’t make zis personal boy. His gun came out first, don’t make me shoot you too. You don’t have ze guts. You’re really gonna shoot me wizout a gun in my hand? I zought you had to bring me to court before I could be put to death.”

“I can make an exception.”

“Zen go ahead. Shoot me. I won’t stop you.” Delain said, shaking her head. She could see the innocence in his eyes. He wouldn’t do it. “Shoot me.” She whispered, gaining satisfaction from the way he trembled. Her sharp blue eyes flashed. “No?” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Zen cuff me.” She said, offering her wrists in front of her, side by side. He looked reluctant to step towards her. “Afraid?” She taunted. He glanced down at the hand cuffs at his belt. When his eyes came back up to her it was his turn to stare down the barrel of a gun. “Drop it.” Scared, and obedient his gun dropped to the ground. Delain smirked, and stepped forward, holstering her gun.

Delain made a very bad mistake. She had forgotten about a recent edition to the police department’s equipment. An acid they carried at their belt in powder form. It was the equivalent of pepper spray, only being an acid… the effects were sometimes more lasting. She didn’t have time to shut her eyes before he was able to reach to his belt, and toss a handful of the dust in her face.

Her ice blue eyes suddenly felt like they were on fire. They felt as if they were melting in their sockets. One glance at the world told her she’d never see it the same way again. If she’d ever see it again at all. Through the pain she wasn’t able to register anything as she stumbled to her hands and knees. Vaguely she felt a pair of strong hands bind her wrists behind her back, and remove her gun, as well as search her. She felt her many knives leave her body as they were discovered, and distantly heard the words ‘I’ve got Amaterasu, meet me at the rocks just outside the city.’

That was when Delain passed out from the pure pain alone.

[MatrixOne]

Jim's eyes flashed with excitement.
"Somebody caught her! And it's not far from here, actually..."

Rin's influence over him degraded, but she attacked again.
"Her? You are pursuing a man" She finally said.

"Uh... A man...?"
He shook his head, trying to remember the wanted poster. But it had been erased from his mind.
"Yeah... How could I forget"

They arrived at the Lone Rock. Rin dashed toward the cave, already knowing what had just happened. Jim followed, with his Glock pistol ready.

The kid stood over passed out, handcuffed Delain. He straightened up and saluted upon noticing his superior.
"Sir"

But his boss was not himself anymore.
"Step away from her" he said, aiming his weapon at the kid. "Another one of your victims? You will pay for every single crime you committed"

"But... I'm..."
He didn't finish, because Jim punched him in the stomach and threw him to the ground in order to apply handcuffs. These sudden blows made the kid lose consciousness.

Rin was watching silently until it was done.
"Can you free her?" She said, looking at her friend.

Jim did as Rin asked.
"She's going to need medical attention, and we should take her for questioning..." he said dismissively.

"You mean who? There is nobody here"
Rin influenced the officer one last time.

"Huh? But I just..."
He shook his head. The place was empty.

"Ah... I don't even know what I'm talking about..."
He forced the kid into the back seat of his squad car, and left the 'crime scene'.
When he was far enough, Rin released her influence over Jim.

The next day, he forgot every single thing that happened while Rin was near him.

***

"Delain. Wake up"
Rin blamed herself for what happened. If only she could have picked a different place to meet up...

But it was done. Now everything lies in ruins.

The acid was weak;
Enough to soften up door hinges for easier breaching, but not really enough to burn a hole through steel.
Any burns on the skin will disappear in a few days.

But the eyes...

"You must get up and focus. I think..."
Rin hesitated. She was about to do something that would change their lives forever.
Was she ready to do something like this for a person that was a complete stranger two days ago?

Yes.

"I think I can help"

[Naraness]

Delain’s mind swam from consciousness to unconsciousness. She found that she greatly preferred the latter. Vaguely she heard a familiar voice through her dreamstate. Rin’s. She was telling her to wake up. But Delain didn’t want to wake up. She wanted to lay there, unconscious, until the pain stopped. Oh how she wanted the pain to stop…

Her eyelids fluttered open. Her eyes stung with a white hot pain. She saw only darkness, and faded shadows moving around. It had to be night time… But she got a feeling that that wasn’t the case. Usually she had very good night vision. Now everything melded into a shifting grey, colorless blob. Her heart went into panic. She was blind. She couldn’t see. A helpless feeling overcame her. She hated it. All her life she had relied on herself, only herself. How could she do that now? She felt sick to the stomach. She’d never find Nathan now. She’d never be able to shoot her gun again, and she would never be able to do anything if someone attacked her. She didn’t even have a mind ability like Rin that would give her a different kind of strength. She was worthless. And when the authorities found her again… It would be the end of her. She mentally cursed her stupidity.

She sat up, finding her wrists free of cuffs. She felt along the ground, feeling pitifully unable to do anything. “Rin..?” She asked quietly. She felt like such a fool. She put her cold mask on, and stood up, trying to pretend like she could see, trying to remember where everything was. “I don’t understand how you can do anything…” She looked down at her feet, though she was unable to see them. Delain imagined her eyes had faded to a dull, sick blue color, rather than their previous piercing azure. She swallowed hard, her eyes empty-looking.

Delain took a step forward, trying to remember all the times she had played with Nathan, tying a blindfold around her eyes for fun. How ironic it seemed now…

If not for her pride, Delain would have wept then and there. Her heart cried out helplessly, and silently.

[MatrixOne]

"Do you feel that?" Rin asked with a gentle voice.

There was nothing to feel... Just darkness. Emptiness. Even the ambient sounds seemed to die down completely.
All there was to be heard was Rin's steady, calm breath. How could she maintain such an attitude now...?

Maybe... Maybe there was something more. The surroundings were familiar to Delain... She knew this place like the back of her hand. Come to think of it, she knew exactly where she was.

"Delain"
Rin's quiet voice snapped her out of it.
"A few meters from you, there is a gun. How many bullets does it have left in its magazine?"

What kind of question is that? There was no way to know even whose gun it is in the first place. Maybe it was Delain's. That policeman could have left it, or the boy. They were all brainwashed, so they wouldn't care about simple things like that.

"Just focus on it"

Focus... Well, at least the atmosphere was right. There were no disturbances.
The gun...

Delain threw everything from her mind. Stopped thinking about Rin, about her own condition, about Nathan...

Just the gun.

Why would she even concentrate on such an old thing? It was manufactured twenty years ago, and had three users. First one was some businessman, who then got robbed, and the gun got passed onto a thug. And the thug got killed by police, so the main officer got hold of it.

Wait. How could she... know of this?

It came so naturally, she barely even noticed.

She focused again.

Surely nobody would use such an old gun if there was no reason for it. Its age was not the only bad thing about it - the magazine capacity was only 7 bullets.

But the policeman had it for a very long time, and developed a kind of an... emotional tie with this weapon. He knew every single thing about its rate of fire, handling, and accuracy. Each bullet hit what it was meant to hit.

Today, for example - an ambush. There are lots of ambushes these days - raiders and whatnot love causing trouble to the police.

But Jim and his trusty sidearm could win every gunfight. He just leaned our of his car, fired three bullets, and it was done. The patrol resumed. Jim did not even bother to reload.

...her mind was racing again. She knew things she could not know. There was not much to it, really, it all came so... naturally.

So.

How many bullets are in the magazine, Delain?
That thought was not her own.

Was it...?


***

How did Rin describe this... 'power'?

"I know things"
That's what she said about it. So is it all there was to it? 'Knowing things'?

Apparently... Yes.

Those random thoughts that come and go. Rin may be sitting inside a cave, but she could shift her attention toward the outside world to know what's happening.

There is a car. Delain was driving it not so long ago. It belonged to some drunken loser.
And Delain will drive this car again today.

Rin smiled.

I just shared with you the only real treasure I had.
Rin did not say this aloud.

But Delain heard it.

[Naraness]

Delain’s experience was unlike anything she had ever imagined. Her eyes didn’t see. Her mind did.

Four. She thought. He hasn’t fired a bullet in the last 24 hours. The last time he fired it he never reloaded it. Kind of lazy really. Her thoughts traveled back to RIn as if she had been talking to her out loud. Delain was confused, and fascinated at the same time. She tried to focus on something else. Not know what, she focused on… everything.

Immediately an overloud of information shot into her mind. Her head swam. Bits and pieces of conversations screamed in her min; facts about every pebble’s locations, and originations… Cars and their various scratches and bumps… Delain couldn’t describe it. She knew it all, and yet she couldn’t sort anything out. She had to stop. Her head swam. A lingering image was left in her mind. As if she had just tried to look directly at the sun. Delain stumbled slightly, and swallowed. She would have to get used to this... But in a way, she could see better than ever before.

“Zank you.” She whispered. Rin had just given her something she thought she’d never have again… She had taken away her helplessness. She had given her a way to continue living. A hope. Her dull, filmy looking eyes flicked around the room, having no real direction. Her mind was her eyes now…

She set her mind to a general focus on the area around her. A very simple, easy focus, just enough to see the shape of things around her. A colorless picture painted itself in her mind. She could see Rin’s smile… She smiled too.

You don’t know what this means to me. She thought to Rin. Delain blinked back tears, unwilling to reveal any kind of weakness. “Um, shall we get out of 'ere before ‘Jim’ gets back?” She asked.

[MatrixOne]

"We still have to find Nathan. And we have a lot of distance to travel"
Rin proceeded toward the exit of the cave.

"You should be able to drive us to the city called Solitude... The main highway leads there. You know which one. If we hurry, we will get there before sundown"

Her smile disappeared.
"After spending the night there, we'll have to either cross a desert or go around it. And we will only be halfway through"

Suddenly, Rin's voice became cheerful and happy, letting down her barrier of seriousness for a moment.
"As soon as we stick together, we'll make it. I'm glad to be here with you"

***

Delain's new power...


It was even more complicated than she imagined.

Because it was not centered around certain objects.
Its focus was on... people.

If she 'looked' at a weapon - the first thing that came to mind was not the material, or production date... But the owner, and his emotional connection to the gun.

So... How would 'looking' at people be like?
How would looking at Rin be like?

She seemed to quietly encourage it anyway.

Delain's eyes changed their color to black. Or at least that's what Rin saw...
Indicative of her friend's focus.

So what happens if you 'target' a person?

Their feelings and thoughts start overwhelming you.

Guilt. Regret.
Rin was devastated. She blamed herself for her friend's blindness.
All those negative thoughts... But they were all initiated by one positive.

It resurfaced, like a shiny bubble in an ocean of sorrow.

It was sympathy. Honest sympathy.

So how does mind manipulation come into this...
Delain felt the ability to slightly manipulate thought processes. From the deeply hidden to plainly visible.... But the bigger the emotional connection to something, the harder it was.

For example... It was easy to cut Rin's thoughts of a tree standing behind her. But there was no chance in hell she would forget about Delain. Ever.

***

So, is that why Rin is always so distant? So... disconnected?
She rarely looks directly AT things, living in a world of her own...

Will this happen to Delain, too?

[Naraness]

“Zen to Solitude we will go. We’ll worry about ze desert when we get zere.” Delain gave a small nod. She ‘looked’ at her friend. Her eyes centered where she had heard her voice. Delain attempted to look at her with her mind. She just wanted to see her physically, as she would see her with her eyes, nothing else. Little did Delain know her eyes had turned black, as Rin’s often did. She saw a lot more than she had planned. Emotions of guilt, sorrow, pain, and … sympathy, flooded her. She had never experienced such a feeling before. To feel badly for another, as if what you had done had caused them grief. What surprised Delain most was that it was all centered around her. The fact that Rin could feel such feelings for her ... left her stunned. She didn’t speak on her thoughts. But how she felt was as clearly visible to Rin’s mind as it was to Delain’s.

She pulled her sunglasses off her collar and put them back over her eyes, hiding their distinctly absent look. She took a deep breath. Delain knew that her life would never be the same after this. Never. An entirely new chapter had begun in her life. Already the way she had lived just a few days ago seemed so far away. So foreign.... so unreal.

Delain again focused just enough to ‘see’ the landscape around her. She was slightly annoyed by is grey colorlessness. She would have to work on seeing color another day.

She felt a new depth in her mind. Like she could finally reach the corners of it that she had never been able to reach before. Like… a sixth sense, almost. She took a moment to remember where her car was, and walked out of the small cave-like area. She said a silent goodbye to Lone Rock. It held so many memories. Most… good. One that had changed her forever. Perhaps, also for good. She heard Rin say that they would be okay when they stuck together. An honest smile formed on Delain’s lips.

“I am too.” She said quietly. Her heart glowed with the knowledge that she was no longer alone. That she had someone who she could rely on. That she had a friend. “Zank you Rin, for seeing somezing in me, and being my friend.” She said quietly. Again having let her cold exterior melt, she hardened her expression as she walked back towards the car. She could see it before her natural eyes would ever have seen it. She walked with purpose. A new purpose.

Upon reaching it, she first opened the passenger door for Rin, and closed it once her companion was safely inside. She rounded to the other side of the car, and opened her own door, sliding in and shutting the door behind her. Her nose crinkled. She made a mental note to find a less odorous car if she could get her hands on one.

The car roared to life as Delain turned the ignition. Soon enough they were shooting down the highway. Delain had to remind herself that she needed to follow the speed limit. She wasn’t in her little downtown community anymore. She found a side road that lead to the highway, and turned onto it. Happy to go a little faster, she breathed deeply. ‘Glancing’ at a road sign she found that Solitude was eighty miles away. At their current speed of 65 MPH they would get there in about an hour and a half.

[MatrixOne]

"We don't even need to talk anymore..." Rin thought to Delain. "It's interesting"

She straightened up in her seat.
"I think I should tell you more about myself. We should be honest with each other... We're friends. Friends should not keep secrets"

---

"My family..."
She pondered on what to say.
"My father is quite a famous person. I'm sure you've heard of him"
Her tone was now back to its default 'serious and mystic'.

"My hands had to be amputated due to a birth defect. I was unable to do physical work for him, so I was useless. But then, one of his facilities started doing research on mind-control..."

After taking a deep breath, she continued.
"It was... rough. I was the only subject to make it out of there alive, and not because I was tougher than the rest... In fact, the reason was opposite. I couldn't work, so I had it easy"

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"And, after what seemed like an eternity, they actually succeeded. It... worked. Clumsily, but it did. For the first time in my life, I had an actual weapon... And I used it. I busted out of the facility. My father ordered his freelancers to catch me, alive, and resume the research... And that's when I found the people from Hope"

Rin knew of Delain's disgust towards people who lacked any compassion.
"My father is not... evil. Everything he did, he did for humanity. He believes the ends justify the means... And sacrificing some people to bring humanity back from ashes is not a big price to pay. Maybe he is right..."
The last sentence wasn't said, but thought. Nevertheless, Delain heard it.

"And I'm telling you so much about him because... We'll have to talk to him. I'm sure he recognizes the value of research at Project Purity. I think we can talk him into sparing some resources to help us get there faster, and.. safely"

"And when I say 'we' can talk him into it... I mean 'you' can. I'm hoping to avoid direct contact with him."
Delain could sense Rin's fear of facing her past.

[Naraness]

Delain listened to Rin speak, nodding, and occasionally making a small noise to let her know she was still very much listening to everything she had to say. She had to admit she was quite enjoying this 'mind speak'. It made speech so much simpler and impossible to eavesdrop on.

As Rin finished speaking, she was silent for a moment. Rin's father seemed like the kind of person who Delain wouldn't want to tangle with. Not because she couldn't take him on. But because she didn't usually associate with the kinds of people who hurt others for the 'greater good'. But what was the point in hurting those who mattered to save the masses of those who you didn't know? It was stupid in Delain's opinion. But then and again, those people all mattered to someone...

“He sounds like ze kind of person I wouldn’t get along well with.” Delain said, a slight scowl etched on her features. She flicked some of her long charcoal colored hair out of her eyes, and gave a small sigh. Her eyes flicked over the road, though they weren’t looking at it.

When she thought about it, maybe Rin's father had done the right thing. After all, he had given his daughter strength to call her own. And through that, had also provided a way for Delain to 'see'. For that, she

"I can speak to him. But I will not go in alone. I’m sure we can make you appear to be someone else.” She said, glancing over at her friend. “I can see you don’t want to meet with him, but maybe it’s time. Wizout him knowing it’s you I mean.”

A short silence passed. “What about your mother?” She asked quietly, hoping she wasn’t prodding into more painful memories. She spoke her thoughts, “I don’t mean to prod if zey’re painful memories.” Delain said, looking at her friend, since she didn’t need to look at the road to know where she was going anymore.

[MatrixOne]

"I don't have painful memories"
A genuine smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Only sad ones. But it's okay. I am more afraid of the future than the past"

The afternoon sun was shining mercilessly. She gave the window knob a look; Obviously, she had no way of opening the window.
She sighed.

"My mother was shot while opposing the idea of taking us..."
She paused, realizing she said something she didn't want to say.
"...taking me to the facility"

A memory flashed through Rin's mind, but she locked it out.
There are things she won't tell even her only friend.

But Delain felt that this secret shall be revealed soon.

"Anyway... I won't have to hide from my father. I am hoping he will realize the importance of Project Purity. I'm sure he will see the benefits of it and agree for a temporary ceasefire"
After a brief silence, she added:
"But that doesn't mean I have to talk with him. You can do it instead... Our interest in Project Purity and help restarting it might be a good bargaining chip. You could ask him to clear your bounty, for example..."

Finally, they arrived at their destination. 'Solitude' was not a place of boring loneliness - it was a large, lively city located near a deep, dry chasm sculpted by rivers flowing through it during the wet seasons.
"Turn left here"

They stopped outside a large, futuristic-looking establishment surrounded by a thick wall. Security was heavy.

Rin got out of the car, and made her way toward the front gate. Her pace was steady and confident, despite the fact every one of the guards had orders to capture her on sight.
"I think you know who I am" She said calmly.

"Everyone knows who you are, Rin" he laughed. "Decided to stop running and turn yourself in?"

"No"
She gave a brief answer.
"Set up comm with my father. My friend here has a proposition for him"

The guard was reluctant to do as she asked. 'You are in no position to make demands', he thought.
But the gate swung open.

Rin and Delain entered the facility.

Security guards were looking at them as if they were their prey. But none of the freelancers dared to attack. Rin had a grim reputation, her myth growing scarier with every tale made up by travelers and mercs.

An elderly woman approached Rin, her lips bearing an insincere smile.
"Both of you are to be offered rooms and food. We shall ask The Overseer about letting you talk with him. We will withdraw any hostilities until your chat is done"
And she left, leaving Delain the keys to a special guesthouse.

Why would there be a guesthouse here, anyway?
And who the hell was The Overseer?

***

"I know it is all foreign and bizarre to you"
She smiled, slowly walking around the room.
"But don't worry. They are reasonable people, to an extent. And you will have contact with me while meeting The Overseer... My father"
She stopped.
"After all, we can talk just like this. Walls are no longer preventing us from contacting each other"
Rin sat on a bed. She had a pulsating headache, which was very distracting.
'Side effects are kicking in...', she thought to herself.

Delain detected a bar not far from here. She could relax there while waiting for permission to contact The Overseer... Or she could just stay here with Rin.

[Naraness]

Delain took small notice of Rin’s temporary slip up between the word ‘us’ and ‘me’. “I’m sorry about your mother, I know what it’s like to lose a parent. Or two.” Delain gave a small shrug, and turned back to the road.

She drummed her fingers of the steering wheel as they approached Solitude. She honestly wondered how such a bustling city had gotten such a name. Then and again, it had probably been named before the money rolled in, and the people with it. She took a look around, exploring the features of the city. It seemed to be one of the main shipping districts, she noted, as they passed by some large warehouses.

Shortly after passing the industrial portion of the city, they arrived at a large, futuristic building. Delain stepped out with Rin. She looked around, and realized just how out of place they looked compared to the immaculately clean facility. Everyone seemed to be following a dress code. They were all dressed in white, generic uniforms. In her raven apparel, and color, she felt quite different. When she thought about it, she was glad to be distinctly out of place. No need to blend in with these types of people…

She noticed with applaud the fear everyone seemed to hold, looking at Rin. Delain liked being in control, and the obvious respect of Rin’s abilities, if not for her, herself, was impressive. She walked with confidence, and alertness beside Rin, not speaking.

As they were approached by the older woman, she was thinking about how she was going to approach ‘The Overseer’ when she met him. She could only assume ‘The Overseer’ was Rin’s father. But what if she was wrong? Rin didn’t seem to know what the woman was talking about. Maybe her father had lost his place, and been replaced by another. In this case Delain would have even more trouble negotiating with him. Not to mention Delain’s negotiations were usually as simple as pointing a gun at the right person to get what she wanted. She was positive that that would not work in this situation, and she would have to take an entirely different approach.

She accepted the keys that were handed to her, and wondered harshly why they were given a guest room. It wasn’t as if they would be staying. “Do they expect us to stay long?” She wondered to her friend. Delain didn’t like the idea of staying there any longer than necessary.

Soon they reached their room, Delain unlocked the door, and went in with Rin.

“My definition of reasonable might be a little different than yours.” Delain ‘said’, listening to her friend as she spoke. It seemed Rin was sure that The Overseer was indeed her father. But why the new name? What had changed? Delain wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. “It will be fine. I’ll try to keep contact with you to a minimum. You’re not the only one who could use an aspirin.” She gave a small chuckle, smiling as her own head pounded slightly.

Delain sensed the bar nearby. She couldn’t deny it had been a while since she’d had ad rink, but she wouldn’t consume anything these people had to offer. Besides, she would need her wits to be sharp when speaking to this ‘Overseer’. Either way, she'd rather stay with Rin anyway.

Delain paced slightly, unwilling to sit down. Restless. She waited.

[MatrixOne]

The elderly woman angrily knocked on the guesthouse door.
"One of you, get out. The Overseer won't wait all day"
Her tone was impatient.
She gave Delain an unfriendly look, and pointed at the facility.
"Just get into the 'Comm Room'. First floor, big flashy signs. Even you won't miss it"
Her orders were to escort Delain to the room, but she seemed to take her responsibilities lightly.

True enough, it was impossible to miss the Comm Room. The whole building was designed in a way to allow quick access to it.

When Delain stepped inside, the door automatically closed behind her.

The Comm Room was... claustrophobic. Dark and cramped, with a big circle drawn on the floor.
Was this some kind of joke?

Just as this thought arose in Delain's mind, a holographic image of a person has appeared in the room. (http://imgur.com/a/aiMSL)
It was The Overseer.

***
"Miss Amaterasu" he said, bearing a shrewd expression on his face. "A pleasure to finally meet you"
His tone was calm, almost... challenging. His behavior indicated one thing - power.

"Forgive us the unpleasant incident at the guesthouse. We don't often have visitors here"

He continued with a sly smile:
"But today, our guests are even more special than usually. Rin... It has certainly been a while"

His smile disappeared, and he went straight to business.
"I am aware that the reason you're here does not involve reuniting me with Rin. But I think you should consider it"

The hologram approached Delain.
"She has a great power. I am sure you know what I am talking about. And I'm sure you agree... It's a shame such power is only possessed by so few"
His gestures were slow and calculated. He was a master negotiator, knowing exactly what to say in order to convince the other party.

"Imagine what humanity could accomplish if everyone had this power. Foreseeing the consequences of important actions, communicating through walls... And it all is ruined by selfishness of one unimportant girl"
His tone was cold, but his arguments were... reasonable.

"In fact, she even has the ability to share her power. But it won't happen. Such action would cut her lifespan by half, make her mind more prone to hallucinations. It would induce headaches so powerful, the pain would make her lose consciousness"
He looked at Delain. The hologram was only a few feet from her.
"That's why she would never do it. For anybody. Not even her father, mother or sister. But we can not let selfishness get in the way of humanity's progress. If we have Rin, we will learn how to give this power to everyone. Of course, you shall be heavily compensated. I might pull the strings in law enforcement, and get a pardon for all your crimes. And, of course, I shall offer assistance in finding your brother"
The hologram took a step back.
"The fate of humanity is certainly worth more than a petty three day friendship... Is it not?"
The monologue was beautifully played. Flawlessly.

Except... Rin did share her power.
With Delain.

...she knew of the consequences, but she did it anyway.

Even The Overseer did not foresee that.
________________
Okay, it got longer than I expected, so - now we begin PM posting. You first xD

Once you answer, send me the PM. Title - "Post 1" or something ;q.

Let's do it! ;]

[Naraness]

Nara:
The hologram appeared before Delain. She cocked her head slightly, studying him as he spoke. Like a bird of prey, she analyzed every word he spoke, every move he made... She came to the conclusion that he was very good at what he did. That didn't lessen her negative feelings towards the man whatsoever.

"When Rin wishes to make contact with you, she will do so. Until zen I won't do anything to convince her. Not after what you did to her." How can you call yourself her father? She thought bitterly, careful to make sure her thoughts didn't slip to Rin.

"You don't understand the consequences that would come if more than just a few held that power. Her ability would mean nothing if it was something everyone had. Humanity was built with limitations for a reason." She said, her voice void of any discernible emotion. She listened as he continued to speak of her ability to share her power, but with consequences. He continued to say that she would never be willing to do that for anyone. A shock ran through Delain's limbs.

Rin had done that for Delain. She had sacrificed so much... Why? What had she ever done to deserve that? The answer was that she hadn't.

Delain hid her emotion well. "My answer is no." She gave a barely visible smile. "I'm not here to negotiate ze price to betray Rin, if zat's what you're asking." She knew that that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted to know how much he would need to do so that he could use his daughter to his own ends. Delain wasn't going to have any part in hurting her. "So you can forget about me turning her in. It's not happening. And zat's not what I'm here for." She said firmly.

Matrix:
He sneered at her refusal.
"Well, I do have a couple hundred mercenaries at my disposal. Your help in capturing her would minimize the violence... But if I send the hunters, she might end up with a bullet in the knee, or something like that"
He pulled out a cigarette and lighter.

"But I suppose it's for the best. With a crippled leg, she won't run from me again"
He lit the cigarette, smiling mockingly.

"The offer stands, should you reconsider it. I am sure you'll make the right choice"
He slowly exhaled the cigarette smoke.
"Now, I hear you have a proposition for us. As The Overseer of Terminus organization, I have countless resources at my disposal. I might requisition a land speeder or tank for you, if the need arises. But forget air support. The smoke clouds hovering over this pitiful planet make it impossible for pilots to maintain control and visibility"
He straightened up, ready to listen to Delain's offer.

Nara:
Delain gave a small smirk as he mentioned the mercenaries he had at his disposal. "I won't mention what happened to the last people who tried to hurt Rin." She said, her smile shining of innocence, and her eyes sparking with deadliness. Her expression alone was enough to tell him that she killed them, and that she was willing to do so again on behalf on her friend.

Delain was increasingly glad that he was there in holographic form, for the smell of cigarette smoke sickened her. She had to admit, the way he presented his offer was... impressive, to say the least. What he offered what more than desirable on her part.

Moving onto another subject, she spoke. "I'm sure a person with your connections will have heard by now what happened to Project Hope?" She asked, her expression teasing on the edge of mischievousness. "Of course ze loss of such a program must have been a dire blow... It would be a shame for e same to happen to Project Purity, wouldn't it?"

"This is what I have to offer you. I and Rin have reason to seek out zose who brought down Project Hope, and stop zem from doing ze same thing to Project Purity. In exchange, some kind of reliable land transportation, my name cleared, and a ceasefire on behalf of capturing Rin. Now I know I can't convince you to stop trying to bring her back, but it would be helpful if you weren't trying to take her while she was helping eliminate Project Purity's threat." Delain chuckled.

Matrix:
"The destruction of Hope was unfortunate, but there was a reason behind it. The scientists on Purity were in need of increasing amounts of money in order to continue their undertaking. But you don't get money for free"
The Overseer looked Delain in the eye.

"I was contacted by a man calling himself 'Hugo'. He was taking loans from major corporations, Terminus included. But I don't think he was planning to repay them. After a brief investigation, it turned out he was not who he said he was... "
The hand wielding a cigarette disappeared from the hologram boundaries for a moment, and returned empty.

"Miss Amaterasu, if you want my help, you need to come clean about the reason for your interest in the Project"
He obviously knew, but it was yet another psychological trust-trick.

"'Hugo' wasn't paying back his loans, so our mercenaries were forced to intervene. But I, for one, was opposed to the idea of destroying Project Hope. It offered a safe haven for refugees, and also housed brilliant minds capable of pulling humanity back from the post-apocalyptic rubble. But I never expected four faction armies to be there. We stood no chance in defending the establishment"

The Overseer pressed a few buttons at a control panel, and a holographic image of a facility in the mountains appeared next to him.
"Project Purity is located atop a mountain, well protected from any kinds of artillery or mortar fire. The only way inside is by climbing the mountain or using a special elevator, which is now most likely destroyed in order to prevent enemy entry. Air support is out of the question, since the acid-polluted air chews through planes easily"

The holographic facility disappeared.
"I will provide you with a land speeder. It's an all-terrain hovering vehicle, capable of sliding over water. Climbing the mountain might give you some trouble, but we'll get to that part later. Now, obviously, I agree for a temporary peace with Rin, but that cancels out as soon as our business is concluded. She's too valuable an asset to just give up. In addition, I will pull the strings in law enforcement to clear your bounty"

He straightened up his posture, and his voice became cold and demanding.
"In exchange, I want you to restart Project Purity. I know you may want to take the main researcher away with you... If that happens, I need him to allow me to bring in my own researchers in order to finish this undertaking. Also, I want you to take one of my operatives with you on this mission - I need someone I can trust in order to monitor your progress and make sure you're putting my resources to good use. I'm sure you understand. Besides, she can enter the facility and reactivate the elevator, allowing you safe entry"

Nara:
Her heart gave a tiny jolt when he mentioned 'Hugo'. So maybe Delain didn't even need to bargain to learn more about her brother's whereabouts. As she listened, she had to wonder what on Earth her brother had been thinking. Of course, he had probably just been doing what he needed to, knowing the consequences. Of course, the consequences might have been worse than the good.

She decided she had ought to come clean about Hugo. After all, what could it hurt? She needed to convince him that she wanted to be on his side, which was neither true nor false. "''Ugo' is my brozer." She said quietly. "I've been looking for him a long time, zough my search for him is not the primary reason for my coming here." Delain lied flawlessly.

She watched the hologram of Project Purity appear in the air before her. As she listened to The Overseer explain the difficulties in reaching it, she realized that she had her work cut out of her. She nodded, and listened with satisfaction as her terms were met. Delain felt an unexpected surge of relief that she would no longer be hunted by the authorities. What could she say? Being a wanted fugitive was not fun.

She really thought it was too bad about the air support, ad wondered when the pollution had gotten that bad. The main source of long distance transportation always used to be industrial planes. A lot had changed.

Delain frowned as she discovered that she and Rin would not be the only ones on the mission.

She paused, thinking hard. She didn't want to bring someone who would just be a dead weight. She didn't want to bring anyone other than Rin for that matter. "Alright, who is 'she'?" Delain asked, hoping with all her might that it was someone who would do some good.

Matrix:
The Overseer quietly noted that Delain can't be trusted. The reason for asking about Nathan was the fact that he knew all about Nathan already.
Lying about this means she could lie about anything, and betray him at any point. He has to be prepared.

He smiled when Delain asked about the operative.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to give it out and ruin the surprise. Rest assured; You'll know her when you see her"

His tone changed to serious and threatening.
His psychological tricks were perfect.
He developed an image of being 'good for friends, bad for enemies'. Offering huge rewards for cooperation and obliterating his enemies - that was his game.
And it worked flawlessly. People were scared to cross him, and his employees did their best to work hard.
Well, maybe except certain elderly women...

"But be warned. If you start anything with my operative, the consequences will be dire. She is my most valuable asset, and not just money-wise"
He seemed to have some emotional connection to this agent of his. Could it be a weakness?

"You can find her at the barracks. And remember to keep your 'friend' in line, Amaterasu"
He pressed a button at the control panel, and the hologram disappeared.
The doors opened.
...Wait, do they open only on command of The Overseer? What if she wanted to leave before?

...Well, never mind. At least they're open now.

Delain should probably go and wake up Rin. She might have some info on the situation. Besides, The Overseer told Delain to keep Rin 'in line'. That means she could start something...

Nara:
Convinced she had pulled off her bluff, she didn't give it another thought.

Delain was afraid she knew exactly who would be coming with them. She was hating this more and more... She sighed mentally, and decided that she would just have to get through it, whether or not she had to endure a particular elderly, rude, and arrogant woman. No doubts she would have to endure Delain's company as well.

"You have nozing to worry about, I will make no move to harm your operative as long as our deal remains fully functional." She said, keeping eye contact with the hologram. If she made the first move to harm either Delain or Rin, she would not hesitate to stop her by whatever means possible.

In a way, Delain was appreciative of The Overseer's more sinister tone. It meant she was a threat, and that they knew each other's strengths, and possibly their weaknesses. Delain knew he knew at least one of hers, being Nathan. She was positive she'd found out one of his as well. The kind of understanding they had was exactly how Delain wanted it to be. Dangerous, cautious, wary. Nothing to be underestimated.

She gave a firm nod, and left as the door opened. She felt an unexpected relief as she left the small, cramped room, and realized that in her concentration she hadn't felt claustrophobic as she usually would. She was glad for that. It would've been quite unpleasant to have lost consciousness due to a phobia she couldn't control...

She stepped out, noting The Overseer's control on the door. She walked briskly back to the barracks. her eyes searched for the woman who she was sure would be accompanying them. She decided she'd greatly like to delay that meeting. Delain opened the door to she and Rin's room. She didn't shut the door behind her. She saw Rin at peaceful sleep, sitting in a chair. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She could never betray her... Delain didn't care what The Overseer offered, or threatened. She wouldn't do it.

Gently she shook her shoulder to wake her.

[MatrixOne]

Rin didn't flinch when Delain woke her up. She didn't even move, and her breath was as stable as when she was asleep...

She just opened her eyes, and slowly looked at Delain.

"He wanted you to capture me, right?" her tone revealed no signs of sleepiness whatsoever. As if she's been awake all this time.
But she was asleep....

Another of the many peculiarities about her.


Rin detected no hostility in her friend's posture, or thoughts.

She stood up from the chair, and... Hugged Delain.

Well, it's hard to call it a hug - after all, Rin had no arms, so she didn't meet all conditions required for a proper hug. But she didn't care.

She rested her head on Delain's shoulder, her soft, auburn hair gently touching her friend's cheek.

---

Impatient knocking on the door made Rin take a step back. She brought her gaze to the ground, as if she was being scolded by somebody.

"Would you two hurry up? New orders from your employer"
That old woman again...

She gave Delain a grouchy look as she opened the door.
"Your operative went to the infirmary to grab some gear. Go there, she'll give you all the equipment you'll need"
She sighed.
"Yes, the infirmary is that big building with a huge sign that says "The Infirmary" on it. Great catch, Eagle-eye"
And she left. Why does The Overseer keep her around...?

---

"I think we should go..."
They left the barracks, and made their way to the infirmary.
Rin was somehow unsettled. She stopped her friend right before the door to the building.
"Wait... I see what my father is trying to do here. It's all one of his tricks. Please be careful around... her"
And they entered the building.

---

The infirmary consisted of two sections - Equipment and Medical. The medical ward was located deeper inside, and Equipment was the one Rin and Delain entered.
The room was filled with weapons, explosives and devices of unknown purpose. It was probably the place where soldiers resupplied before going to battle.

There was only one person in the room. (http://i.imgur.com/XFIac.jpg)
But...

Those dark green eyes, this auburn hair...

Rin was standing next to Delain. She shuddered slightly.

The girl took a step forward, and extended her hand to Delain.
"Hello. I'm Nia Tezuka"
She smiled.
"You know, I'm supposed to give you headphones and some short-range comm equipment, but I don't think it's necessary. You can fool Father, but it won't be so easy with me"

Her eyes went black for a moment.
"I know who you are."

A moment of silence.

"So! See all those guns? Feel free to grab a few. I think you're familiar with firearms well enough to choose something without my help"
From assault rifles to sniper rifles, this place had pretty much anything.

But something was... wrong with this girl. She didn't seem to notice the presence of her sibling in the room.
Or maybe she didn't want to.

Rin was the one who broke this invisible barrier.
"Nia..."

The smile on her sister's face slowly faded, but she didn't answer.

"We should talk"
Rin tried again.

It worked.
"Look, I don't fall for Father's games either. I have nothing to say to you; You left this life behind when you ran. I just want to finish this and be done with you"

Delain could sense Nia's words hurt Rin deeply.
"I understand"

Nia turned back to Delain.
"Is there anything else you need...?"
Her voice was bitter. No wonder.

[Naraness]

Delain was only slightly surprised by Rin as she woke up. At first Delain thought she had been awake. Then she realized that most likely her mind had been awake, and her body had been asleep. Her friend was so unique, and abnormal… She supposed that was what made her special.

She nodded when Rin asked if her father had asked Delain to help capture her. Her expression spoke for her. Delain hadn’t thought twice about the proposition. Her friend’s betrayal wasn’t for sale, and there was no price anyone could set to buy it. It was as simple as that.

The corners of her mouth twitched towards a smile as Rin did her best to hug her. Delain put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently- Her own awkward attempt at a hug… Delain had her own reasons for having trouble expressing her emotions. But even their awkward embrace meant much.

Again her cold mask came up as there was a knock on the door. She noted Rin’s expression. She looked like she was being told off for something. Delain squinted slightly, almost positive she and the woman had history. By Rin’s reaction, Delain had one more thing to add to her list of reasons that she disliked the old woman. She also disliked the way she called The Overseer their employer. She supposed it was probably a correct term to her. Still, it implied that they were his employees, and Delain refused to accept that as a fact.

Hearing the loathing and sarcasm in the woman’s voice as she pointed out the infirmary, she rejoiced silently that in fact, the woman was not she who would be accompanying them. But then… Who was?

As she left, Delain couldn’t help but shoot a comeback behind her. “So glad you pointed that out for us.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “What would we ever do without sharp people like you?”

She listened carefully a moment later as Rin explained that the operative who would be accompanying them was someone who Delain would need to keep an eye on. She nodded her understanding.

-

As they entered the weapons section of the infirmary, Delain caught herself in awe. The devices, weapons, firearms… They were everything she had obsessed herself with for so long. She saw an assortment of bladed weapons in the corner. Her eyes were lit with an excitement. Like a child in a candy store.

It was only then that her yes caught sight of the only other person in the room. At first, she was shocked, and was about to ask Rin how she had gotten over there so fast. Then she realized that this person had arms. And upon closer inspection, she found that her features were actually quite different from Rin’s, despite the initial similarities. Still, the fact that they were related was more than obvious. She got the feeling that the sisters’ relationship wasn’t a good one.

As Nia introduced herself, and extended her hand, Delain firmly grasped it. “I’d introduce myself but I’m afraid you already know who I am.” She chuckled. As Nia continued, and expressed her knowledge of Delain’s abilities, her mirth disappeared.

She greatly appreciated her invitation to the weapons in the room, and began considering the options.

She noticed Nia’s ignorance to the fact the Rin was in the room. And as her friend tried to strike up a conversation, the hurt in Nia’s words was obvious. She wondered how a sister could act that way towards her. Whatever had happened between them must have greatly damaged their relationship… She could almost feel Rin’s hurt.

She took a step back beside Rin, just letting her know she still sided with her fully, and knew, as well as understood her pain.

She heard Nia ask a final question. “No. As far as equipment goes we can handle it from here.” She said firmly. She looked at Rin, and mentally sent her a feeling of comfort, rather than actual words. Delain’s eyes traced over the walls. She decided that as tempting as it was, the only weapons he needed; she already had. She was near positive they would have ammunition for it though, and that she would need.

Her eyes switched from Rin to Nia, and back. She could tell this would be an interesting assignment. And ‘interesting’ was an understatement.

[MatrixOne]

"Well, it's your loss, but at least grab some ammo. Wouldn't wanna be unprotected, now, would we?"
Nia smiled devilishly.
She did a backflip off of a wall to demonstrate her athletic skills.

"You guys should be glad. Boss got you the best operative he had; With me to help, this mission is a guaranteed success"
She pulled out a set of keys.

"So! Let's check out our ride. I guess I should be driving... Probably because I have hands. And my eyes are functional. No offence..."
She shrugged, not very apologetically.

Her laid-back, informal and energetic attitude was a complete opposite of Rin's silent nature.
But her appearance... They were nearly identical, although slight differences could still be seen. But they resembled each other way too much.
There must have been something more to it.

Rin stopped.
"Nia.... I think Delain should know about... us"

"Hey, isn't it more or less obvious that we're sisters? I think she figured it out by now"

But Rin shook her head.
"No. We're twins"

Nia sighed.
"Does this have any other point than feeding her curiosity?"

"Trust, and fairness"

"You got your values wrong. But okay, go ahead, let's tell the tale. A tale about selfishness and betrayal"
Her tone was bitter and cold. Rin ignored her.
"I was supposed to be... what Nia is now. But..."
"But you were destined to fail; You blew it right at the start, and they had to amputate your hands"
She finished for her, in the most insulting manner possible.

Rin did not protest; as if she agreed.
"It was obvious I'd never be what I was supposed to be"
Nia took this as a cue to continue.
"You were useless. Living at the expense of others, giving nothing in return... That's not how it goes. Of course you'd like it this way, but it ain't gonna happen. We all work for what we have. You're not an exception"

"They wanted to take me to a facility for a study of mind-control"

"Obviously, since it was the only thing you were good for. But your selfishness couldn't just accept the fact you have to work for what you get; You wanted to run away, and you pulled Mother into this"

Rin closed her eyes. Her sister's words were getting to her.
"Mother was... killed when she tried to help me escape... And they captured me anyway..."
"Yes! They killed her because of you. And then you got the chance to help. Help recover humanity, help your family... Because the experiments worked. But that power you could use for so much good, you decided to use for your own selfish needs. You busted out, and ran, and left everything behind. What do you expect from me? Pity? Forgiveness? Well, you ain't getting any"
Her fingers were twitching nervously, as if she was about to grab a gun. But she calmed herself down; She wouldn't go against her father's orders. Not here.

Rin still didn't deny anything. She simply continued.
"That's my story... But the story of Nia is different. It starts... two years after my story"
Two years? So how could they be twins, if...

"We share the same DNA, just not the same birthday"
Nia was quick to explain and get it out of the way quickly. She continued:
"After your failure, they made sure it wouldn't happen again, and it didn't. I was like you, only... capable. I topped the Op rank in my second year of service. And after you ran, they used the research they did on you to give me that same power you had. Our minds are identical, after all"

But their characters were very different. They were brought up in different environments - Rin was always the 'failure', when Nia was the 'winner'. And after Rin was forced to live strongly relying on her power, it made her become more disconnected from reality. But Nia never used her power outside of training and extreme cases. That's why she could never match her sister in use of it.

"Okay, are we done with this? I'm sure your friend already knew how pathetic you were even before she heard about your selfish nature. The faster we finish this mission, the better. I want to be as far away from you as possible"
There was disgust in her voice. And hate.

[Naraness]

Delain raised an eyebrow at Nia’s backflip. She had to admit it was impressive, but the girl was a bit of a show off. Sure, she had talent. But in Delain’s eyes, she was just taunting her sister with her disability, rather than demonstrating her abilities for the benefit of the group. She thought it was cruel the way she worked behind the scenes to hurt Rin.

An annoying voice told Delain she had no right to judge who as ‘cruel’ and not. Delain had dealt out her fair share of invisible slaps in the face. Still, there was an odd growl inside her to defend Rin from her sister’s words. Especially as Rin asked Nia to explain their history. Delain listened, and a scowl became etched on her face.

That scowl grew throughout the time that Nia spoke.

“Hold on, hold on.” Delain held a hand up to stop Nia as she finished explaining the story. She could tell Rin had grown up as the one who didn’t matter. Nia was the one who was treated as The Overseer’s daughter. Not Rin. She wondered which of the two had been cloned from the other’s DNA… She got a feeling she knew it was Nia. In the Overseer’s eyes, Rin had failed him as a proper daughter. SO he had made a new one. How he had wanted Rin to be.

“How exactly can you call Rin selfish?” Delain asked. She displayed little to no emotion on her face. Only a vague scowl could be seen. “I get ze feeling that you have ze exact same ability to share your power. Why is it so important zat Rin shares her abilities, when your father has zem in his grasp, inside you?” Delain knew why. It was because Rin was disposable. Nia wasn’t. She had sensed from The Overseer, during their talk, that he cared deeply for Nia, and Nia alone. Why couldn’t he care for Rin? What kind of father would choose to not love his daughter, because she wasn’t exactly what he wanted? Apparently, he was just that kind of father.

She thought back to Nia saying how Rin was always taking, never giving. She had to think that Rin didn't have much to give. If she had been her, she'd hold onto the little that she had, rather than giving away the chance at freedom.

Delain mentally sent another feeling of comfort to Rin, falling silent. She walked briskly to a counter, and reached into one of the drawers, labeled with the correct ammunition for her handgun. She tugged on the drawer handle, and it pulled out smoothly, and revealed more 3x6 inch boxes than she cared to count. She reached for one, and set it on the counter. Delain opened it removed a small, shining bullet. She inspected the butt end of the ammunition, reading the fine print on the back, to ensure that it was the correct caliber, and millimeter. She approved, and closed the box, taking a few more as well. She wouldn’t need any more.

“So, you said somezing about a land cruiser?” She asked, coldly addressing Nia.

[MatrixOne]

"Oh, yes! Let's check out our ride"
She left the Infirmary, and signaled one of the mercs guarding the garage. He saluted, and proceeded to open the garage doors.

"I can't wait to drive it!"
The land speeder (http://wiki.reliccommunity.com/images/9/92/Land_Speeder_Tempest.jpg) was a four-seat hovering vehicle. It had medium armor and a minigun mounted at the front.

Suddenly, a ball-shaped device Nia had with her started glowing.
"Ah... Father wants to talk with me"
She moved away from Rin and Delain, and activated the device. It started hovering, and once it found a suitable place, it created the Overseer's hologram.

"Is everything ready?" He asked silently.

"Yes, Father. But I am really not enjoying her presence..."

"You'll have your shot at revenge soon enough. But you need to hold on until the contract is over; If you are patient, we will have Purity, Rin, Delain, and maybe even her brother. But for now, we have to make them believe they own the situation"

"What does that mean? I thought I'd be leading the op"
Nia felt like she's been played. Taking orders was never her specialty.

"Amaterasu was the one who made the contract. That means she is the leader. If you let her believe she has the power over you, she will let her guard down, allowing us to strike"

"I... understand"

He smiled. It was a foreign gesture to him; Even more so, since it was insincere.
"Glad to hear it. Contact me when you're in the base"

The ball deactivated itself, and the hologram disappeared.

***

Rin was concentrating heavily, trying to make out scraps of the conversation. But all she could 'read' were her sister's feelings - anger, hate, but also some evil satisfaction.
"We must be careful" Rin said to Delain. "I can feel something terrible will happen... Although not very soon"
She could only hope her friend didn't sense that event. Because all that... 'bad luck aura' they could feel - it was all centered around Rin.

Something bad will happen.

To her.

***
Nia had a very insincere smile.
"Allright, guys. Just a little, uh, progress check. We're good to go"
Hard to imagine The Overseer checking out progress of a mission that hasn't even started yet...
"Well, we have two ways of doing it. We can either just go to the facility directly, or... We can try contacting whoever's in there"
She hopped into the land speeder, and waited for Rin and Delain.
"There is a radio broadcast tower 50 miles north from here. If we manage to shoot whoever's guarding it and patch into the system, we might try contacting the Purity facility. If we're lucky, that brother of yours might still be alive"
She giggled.
"So, boss, where do you want to go? Purity's, like, 300 miles from here so I doubt we'll get there in one run"
Nia's tone was bitter when she called Delain her 'boss'. It wounded her pride, but she decided to endure it.

For the sake of revenge.

[Naraness]

Boss… Delain really did like the sound of that. She liked the sound of being in control. She liked the sound of being in charge. That was how she liked life. In her control.

“Well of course not. We’ll go to ze broadcast tower and contact Purity from zere. By ze looks of ze land cruiser, getting zere before nightfall will be a breeze. We can make ze zree hundred miles before weeks end. When we reach ze tower we can stay zere until morning.” She said firmly, nodding just slightly as she spoke.

“Nia, I trust you to know the way.” She glanced around, looking for a map of the surrounding area and the route they would be taking. She spotted one almost immediately. She walked to the counter, and looked down, studying it.

Her eyes rested momentarily on the comm tower. She hoped against hope that she would be able to speak with her brother… She doubted it. It was unlikely that he was even still alive. But she could still hope. She wondered if he had forgotten about her. Delain also wondered if he would even recognize her voice. She had changed, her appearance, morals... Even the way she saw the world had changed dramatically. She had been hurt, and healed. She had been betrayed and befriended. Had he gone through similar ordeals?

Delain absentmindedly unholstered her Glock handgun, and pushed a small slide on the side of the grip with her thumb. The magazine fell out into her hand. She looked at the back, and saw, as she knew, that she was short on ammunition. Her magazine was capable of holding a total of seventeen rounds. However, she only filled it to fifteen. If she filled it above that, the excessive pressure from the spring would be too much for the rounds to load properly.

She opened one of the cases of bullets, and began thumbing them into her magazine until it was filled to fifteen. She made sure the amount was correct, checking the back. She was truly in gun heaven, she also grabbed an extra magazine, and clipped it to her belt. She never knew when she’d have to preform and emergency reload… Sometimes fifteen bullets just weren’t enough.

She finished looked down at the map, and rolled it up. From what she had seen there would be places they could stop on the way there, about every fifty to seventy miles. There was one long stretch of wild lands, but there were some caverns in that area that they could stay in. The hope was that the underground shelter would be uninhabited. She doubted that fact, but they would have to take some calculated risks. It wasn’t as if the journey would be sunshine and rainbows. And she doubted they’d be singing songs around the campfire. No… This was going to be dangerous, and there would be no homey comforts along the way.

Delain holstered her firearm, and smoothed her coat down over it to conceal it’s shape. Not that concealment was as important now.

“Alright, let’s go.”

[MatrixOne]

Nia quietly noted where Delain hid her weapon. This knowledge could be very useful later on...
"Of course I know the way"
She gave her ego a quick boost, and activated the land speeder engine.

Some guards started slowly opening the gate.
"Psh! Like we have time to wait around!"
She rerouted the power to the rear turbine, and the land speeder jumped sharply into the air and over the fifteen meter high wall of Solitude.
"Fifty miles isn't that far. And we have boosters!"

The land speeder sprang forward like a rocket. Nia was clearly overcapacitating the engines, but she looked like she knew what she was doing. Going 150 miles per hour... If only the road was straight and nice, they'd be at Purity in two hours. But Nia had to make sharp turns, go around swamps and forests, dodge trees and hop over car wrecks.

It changed the estimated arrival time a lot. But at least they'd reach the broadcast tower rather fast.

***

Rin was thinking heavily.
"Delain... Will you sleep tonight? Do you trust her enough? I saw how she looked at your gun. She could try something"

***

"Yeah, we're like 10 minutes away. Any, uh, thoughts on how we should deal with whoever's guarding the tower?"
Nia's voice was bitter again. No wonder.

[Naraness]

Delain didn’t mind the sharp turns much. She wasn’t easily made motion sick, so it wasn’t really a problem. Now Nia eyeing her weapon… that was something she was worried about.
I noticed that. Delain spoke to Rin, and Rin alone. I don’t trust her, I may start keeping my gun somewhere else… She thought, half to herself. I think it might be a good idea to sleep in shifts. She won’t strike yet. Not without her father’s permission, but as soon as she finds a loop hole we’ll need to be ready.

Delain watched the landscape pass by. Forests, swamps, deserts… Some of the land had started to flourish. Other parts had become dead wastelands. But everywhere the sky was rusty, and murky. She wondered if there was really anywhere where there was still visible sky…

She sighed as Nia spoke. “I can’t exactly start zeorizing much of a plan before seeing ze tower. But our first step will be to take out any security cameras or watch bases. Zen we’ll need to get in quickly before zey know where we’re coming from.” She nodded quickly. “For ze most part I believe we’ll be winging it.” She said with a small shrug. “We’ll try to make casualties a minimum.” She said firmly. Delain had no objection to killing if she had to, but she was not the kind of person who would go into a tower and slay everyone in sight…

Delain absentmindedly watched Nia. She doubted she would ever fully trust the girl. She couldn’t afford to. Delain could sense her objection to being the one who wasn’t in charge. Nia didn’t like that she was in charge of her. She would have to get used to it.

[MatrixOne]

"Yeah, yeah. Full stop!"
She pulled the handbrake and pushed the vehicle into a sliding motion, making it lose speed slowly, but steadily. The land speeder stopped completely next to an old truck wreck.
"They won't find it here" Nia said cheerfully, and hopped out of the vehicle. "Oookay. I work best on my own, so I guess I'll just make a diversion and shoot up a bunch of bad guys while you hit the flank as you suggested, or something" Her tone was careless. She just wanted to get away from Delain who was increasingly bossing around.

Nia was a real expert on the battlefield. Her stance changed completely, and her movement became sharp and sudden, hard to predict.
"Try not to die!" She said, smiling mischievously, and jumped in between the trees, nearly disappearing from sight.

She was moving in long, sharp jumps that were probably further enhanced by some gadgets located in shoes, perhaps. She was wielding a long sniper rifle with a heavy barrel and a large magazine - oddly enough, she never had such a gun with her in the land speeder.

Unless it was one of the retractable models. These were the most expensive prototypes... The Overseer must have spent a whole lot of money just on Nia's equipment, but judging by her prowess in use of it, it was money well spent.

"Right. I'm on the other side. Beginning the attack shortly... So, uh, tell me when you want me to stop the attack and let them run, or something. Although I think it's best to just shoot them all... Safer for us, that way"

A sniper rifle bullet broke off the silence, and Nia literally jumped into the action. She didn't take cover and fire from a distance; She hopped over the wall and fired her rifle from the hip, thirty feet away from her target. After the shot, she quickly jumped to the side, and fired again on the unsuspecting enemies.

Another long jump, and she appeared on the roof of a building.

Shot!

And she was gone again.

***

Rin carefully followed Delain.
"I wonder how it feels to be like this..."
She sighed, watching her sister.
"But she is driven by anger and revenge. That is why I would rather be like this. With you. I think"
She walked calmly alongside her companion.

_______
I didn't describe who our enemies are - it's your action, after all ;q.
We don't have to make this battle into 20 posts - you can manipulate Nia if you want, so that the fight ends faster. She's gonna obey Delain's orders. More or less. ;q

Just sayin'. Do what you want ;]

[Naraness]

"I'd tell you to try not to kill anyone, but in zis case... Have at it. We'll help if we can, but our goal will be to get inside." Delain said without emotion. She had no objection to letting Nia be the distraction. She wasn't sure if she was making the wisest choice in letting her kill as she pleased, but Delain figured it was good for Nia to have a little leash. For the sake of letting her think that Delain trusted her. To a degree, at least. Her eyes followed Nia until she disappeared. The tech her father had given her was impressive. Delain decided that her natural skill would be as impressive, and it almost became a contest in her mind. So Nia liked to show off? Delain could play her game. A smirk came into being on her face.

She looked to the side at Rin, comforted to have someone there who wasn't an enemy. And yes, she did, in a way, consider Nia an enemy.

"I wonder how it feels to be like this..." Rin sighed, also watching as her sister disappeared. "But she is driven by anger and revenge. That is why I would rather be like this. With you. I think." Her expression was calm as she walked next to Delain.

"There's nothing wrong with who you are." Delain said quietly. "You're stronger than Nia is, even if not physically." She offered a small smile. It was her version of a comforting hug. Compassion and sympathy weren't things that came easily to her. She'd just have to do her best, and hope her best was enough. "Come on, we've got a comm tower to take." She said, chuckling as she pulled her pistol out of her holster, bringing it to the ready in a two-handed fashion. She pulled with one hand, and pushed with the other, rather than squeezing the grip; to minimize shaking. It was an old trick she'd learned from Nathan.

Delain was about to signal to Rin to follow her, when she realized that that was no longer necessary. Aright, stay close, get down low if there's gun fire. She told her. Her voice was firm, but it no longer held the greater authority that she had used when speaking to Nia. Rather than orders, these were more... Guidelines. Friendly suggestions, one could say.

She began a quiet run. It wasn't like Nia's springy, quick motion. Rather it was steady, fast, and straight. Delain didn't move up and down more than an inch or so with her steps. Her feet rolled on the ground, creating minimal noise.

Her mind's eye scanned the grounds. She could 'see' Nia about a hundred yards away. Distant gunfire took place. Delain winced, ducking just slightly to avoid any possible mis-fired shots. When it faded, Delain again focused, only one shooter remained on that side of the tower. Nia was good what she did, there was no question to it.

Delain focused her sight ahead of her. She could sense a few stations set up in the trees. Some where occupied, some weren't. Those that were occupied contained one person, equipped with three grenades, and a firearm of some sort, as well as a radio linked into the comm tower. She'd have to be careful, or the entire facility would know they were here.

Delain decided to experiment a little bit with the abilities she had recently been gifted with. She slowed, ducking behind a tree to catch her breath. She shut her useless, physical eyes, and opened her mind, focusing singly on the radios inside the nearest guard station. The rest of the world became white emptiness for a moment. All that mattered was that singular piece of equipment. She could feel teh electricity running through it. She felt like she was in the frequency. She smiled. It was interesting, she felt like she could reach out and crush the circuit boards...

Her eyes snapped open. She had done it. The radio was destroyed. She shook her head, wondering just what kind of unnatural power the three held...

Now that that tower was no longer functional, Delain dashed right, traveling at three o'clock. If the guard saw her, she'd shoot him. She'd have to. However, Delain would try to avoid it. She glanced back once to ensure that Rin was still following behind her.

Delain 'watched' the watcher in the tree. As far as she was able to tel, he never became aware of either of them. She successfully made it to the back of the comm tower. There were no guards who would see them. None had been positioned at the back wall, and though the East wall would have had a clear view of them, Nia had taken care of that problem...

Her eyes caught sight of a steel ladder leading up to a back entrance. Delain didn't hesitate to grasp the bars, and pull herself up. She planted a foot of the lowest bar, and thrust herself up. Repeating the motion several times, she climbed to the door. It was locked. However, the tower wasn't very well set for an invasion, despite the unsuspecting guards.

She took a small precaution, looking for any kind of alarm. She discovered none. Delain solved the problem of the door with a well placed kick. It swung open with a quiet creak.

It was then that Delain realized Rin wouldn't have been able to climb the ladder. She looked down, guilt of her features. Um... How..? The silent question was obvious. Delain pursed her lips. She hadn't thought about this. I'll come back down, we'll figure it out. She started the descent back down to the ground.

___

Ah, gotcha. ;)
Turtles? /:)

[MatrixOne]

"Don't"
Somehow, Rin managed to appear on top of the tower.
But how...?

She was still standing down there; But she was also with Delain.

Nia propelled herself upwards, and landed in front of the kicked-out door.
The answer to the double-Rin problem presented itself when Nia just passed through her sister while entering the tower control room.

So... This Rin was some kind of a mental projection hidden deep inside Delain's mind until this point? One that only she could 'see'?

When Rin joined her mind with Delain, she gave her not just the power - but also a part of herself. But was this Rin 'real'? She looked and behaved normally, although independently from her other self.

"Let's hope they answer your call", the mental projection said.

It could be just an unimportant hallucination, a side-effect from the mind fusion... But if so, why did it appear when it was useful?

And, most importantly, if Rin is killed, will it disappear and die with her?

[Naraness]

Delain had to blink once or twice. At first she thought she was seeing double. The sight was made even more confusing when Nia appeared, and suddenly there were three red-heads in the area. Delain started to piece things together quickly though. She thought about asking Rin why she was seeing another version of her, but decided she would leave that to later.

Delain glanced down once at the Rin on the ground, offered a small smile, as if promising to return (Whether or not this second Rin was real) and followed Nia into the building. As Delain entered, her mind started exploring the complexities of the building. She could feel tunnel ways, and hallways. The place was immensely complicated considering it was only a comm tower. But what scared her was that when she focused on the walls, the floors, even the ceiling, all she saw was the people that walked through them. All the people who had laughed there, cried there, died there… It was like an invisible history book written in the walls. She could hear the voices echoing in her mind. For a moment it was hard to distinguish the sounds of the past, and the sounds of the present.

In an instant, all that she could hear was the sounds of distant creaking. The entire facility was made of metal. The sounds of old walls and beams groaning echoed throughout the hallways. Delain kept her senses alert, and ready. She could feel some movement about a hundred feet away. She thought about alerting the other two with her, but she assumed they could feel it too.

Delain slowed, searching the building. The main comm room wasn’t too far from here. There were surprisingly few people in the facility. It wouldn’t be hard to get to the comm room, restrain whoever was there, and communicate with the people at Purity. Whether or not they would actually be able to take down the whole of the place, Delain was unsure. But if it was within her ability she would do exactly that.

“Alright,” She said in a low voice, so that no one would hear. Not that anyone was close enough to hear anyway. “I can see ze comm room, I assume you both can as well. It’s pretty simple getting zere.” She shrugged. As they came to a split in the hall, she didn’t hesitate to turn left. Delain rolled her feet to minimize sound, walking quickly. Distantly she sensed a hand-held radio go off. She could hear the vibrations in it, and ‘heard’ the words. ‘There’s been a breach, move to the South wall, you’ll find them there.’ “Zey found us.”

Discretion was no longer necessary. Delain broke into a run. Her head pounded with a hammering headache. Her eyes scanned for security cameras. They lined the walls periodically. She knew she could take them out with her mind, but the headache protested. Instead, a well-placed bullet did the trick.

She barely registered the trip to the communication room itself. She had to rein in her mind’s eyes so she only saw about twenty feet in front of her. The headache was too much; she’d have to learn how to portion out her ability until she learned how to better control it…

Her black coat swished around in the air as she moved quickly along the hallway. Her hands were firm on her pistol, ready to shoot if any unfriendliness came into view…

Footsteps could be heard ringing against the metal floors. Delain stopped, raising her gun up to eye level. As she came onto target, her finger moved into the trigger and pulled out the slack. All it would take was one instant for her to fire. Three men armed with batons came into view. They shouted for her to stop. Then their eyes widened, seeing as she was much better armed.

“Get down or I’ll shoot.” She said it like a heartfelt promise. Apparently her intimidation tricks were successful, for they dropped their weapons. Delain moved forward carefully. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake that she had made before. But it wasn’t as if they could take her sight again. “Hands behind your heads.” She said quickly. Time was of the essence. She reached for the handcuffs at their belts, and cuffed them together so that all three of them were stuck with their hands glued behind them in a circle of three.

“Don’t try to follow us if you want to live.” She said in a low tone. There was deep warning in her voice. They all nodded quickly. “Good. Stay.” She said, emphasizing the last word. She nodded to Rin and Nia, and continued on. She was close now. Suddenly a siren rang out, wailing endlessly. Delain cursed loudly, and sped up.

They reached a large door labeled obviously ‘Comm. Room (Authorized staff only)’. Delain went for the doorknob immediately. When that proved unsuccessful, she went for her generic solution of shooting the problem. The lock mechanism. She realized that this might cause it to lock up, but it was too late. Luckily for her, it was a cheap machine, and opened as soon as something inside stopped working.

The door swung open, and Delain was staring down the barrel of a gun. Of course, she would have sensed this had she had the mental strength, but she didn’t. Instead she shot from her waist, without using her sights, then ducked down and rolled to the side. The man stumbled backwards, firing a harmless shot at the ceiling. Delain looked at the two associates. It was clear that those inside the tower were not given proper means to defend themselves. It had been assumed those protecting the outside of the tower would be able to keep everyone inside safe from any danger. However, they had been wrong. Delain slammed her hand on a quarter-sized crimson button on the counter. The endless wailing ceased.

“You.” She said firmly, raising her gun to one of the two associates. “Come here.” She glanced to the side at a microphone that was labeled as the way to send a verbal message to everyone in the facility. The man took a shaky step forward. She gave him a look of exasperation, and grabbed him roughly pulling him over. Delain felt her heartless, bloodthirsty side coming back. She tried to fight it off, but it was strong. And the power behind it felt pretty good.

She pulled him up to the microphone, and held her gun up to the side of his head. “Tell zem ze zreat has been eliminated.” She said, almost growling. She hated what she was doing, but at the same time she felt a sick satisfaction. The man, boy really, did exactly as she asked. His voice never shook. He was pretty good at what he was doing. “Good.” She said, just before slamming the butt of her pistol into the back of his head. He went limp as he faded out of consciousness. She crossed the room to perform the same action on the other associate. My this time, the first man had bled out. She frowned.

“Alright, I believe we can get a message out before we’re found.” She said, crossing the room to the large system of radios.

[MatrixOne]

Nia wasn't as merciful as Delain. Not even close. She picked up a communication device, and began tracking down the remaining stragglers.

She noticed Rin, quietly sitting on a bench.
"I could end it right here...", Nia thought to herself. She could kill her sister and be out of this place in no time. It's quite unlikely Delain would attack Solitude...
"Uh. I must be patient"
Nia approached her sister.
"So you're just gonna sit here, as useless as ever?"

Rin thought about it.
"What would you do in my place? After all, I am you in my place"

Nia smiled with arrogance.
"You can only wish you were me. But it's not gonna happen. Your only chance of making an actual difference in this world is Father's experiment. But you'd rather run around deserts with that 'Delain'. She's cute, isn't she? You seem to like her a lot..."

Rin didn't answer.

Nia shrugged, and jumped back inside the facility. She thought about executing the people Delain left behind, but it would probably cause conflict with her.

***

The mental projection followed Delain like a shadow.
"I'm not just a hallucination. Not... really. You don't have to ignore me. I am a part of you now... And I'll be one forever. I can be quiet, if you don't want..."
It was losing itself in a conversation just like Rin often does. In a way, it was Rin, just... not real.

Suddenly, the door swung open as Nia barged inside.
"Whoa... Looks like you took care of things. Let's hope we establish contact with the facility. I'd hate to see them all dying for nothing..."
She laughed devilishly.

[Naraness]

Delain gave a small start when she heard Rin’s voice behind her. She turned, and realized it was the projection of Rin. She was beginning to understand that she was always there. Whether or not she was aware of it at the time. It was strange… Did the real Rin know about this Rin? Did they share an awareness? Or were they independent of each other..? It was confusing, and yet, it was nice to have Rin always there. Even if she was just a hallucination that was etched permanently into her mind.

“Are you… real?” She asked quietly, reaching a hand out to touch the side of ‘Rin’’s face. Her hand passed through her. If she was the only one who could see, or hear her, than perhaps she was only real to Delain. It would be nice never to be alone again. To the rest of the world however… She did not exist. It made sense to her, and yet confused her even further. It seemed a lot of things confused her lately.

“No, you don’t need to be quiet. Being alone? Overrated.” Delain shrugged, and turned back to the complex system of radios. Just then the door behind her was forced open loudly. Delain reacted the way she had trained herself to react. She spun, and her gun came out. She was about to fire when she realized who it was. She holstered her pistol. “A little warning would’ve been nice.” She muttered to Nia.

“Whoa... Looks like you took care of things. Let's hope we establish contact with the facility. I'd hate to see them all dying for nothing...” Nia said, having taken a quick stock of the room, and it’s silent occupants.

“Actually only one of zem is dead.” Delain said, “But yes, it would be quite a shame if zis proved…” She sighed. “Unsuccessful.” She shook her head, and looked back at the comm. System. The dials, buttons, switches… She hardly knew what any of them did. Well, except for the large red one that had sounded the alarm. She made a mental note not to touch it.

“It sound be pretty simple actually.” She said. After all, it was just a radio. She had a radio at her house. How much different could it be? … Then and again, this was a very different kind of radio. And now she’d need to send broadcasts, rather than simply pick them up.

Delain glanced back once at the holographic version of Rin, and then looked through the doorway, seeing the real Rin behind Nia. She offered a small smile, reminding her again that she was still on her side. Then she began looking for a list of broadcast frequencies. She found them in a large, spiral-bound book. Luckily for her, it was very well organized and she was able to find Project Purity quickly.

“173.97, section B…” She murmured quietly to herself, leaning over the radio equipment to reach the correct nobs, and switches. After a moment the speaker just above all the other equipment made a whining sound. Delain winced, and turned a nob jus a few more clicks to the left. The whining toned down. Then she flipped a large lever, which switched the broadcast from Section ‘A’ to section ‘B’ she assumed these had to be two counties, or something or other… Either way, it didn’t really matter. Because the whining ended and a steady, quiet static filled the air.

Delain took a steady breath and reached for a similar microphone to the one that she had forced the passed out lad to speak into a few minutes earlier. She pressed a button on the side, holding it down as she spoke.

“Zis is Amaterasu, broadcasting from comm. tower 8724.” She spoke with clarity, in a strong voice. “Purity, do you read me?” She let go of the button, and waited for a response. When she received none, and repeated the message down to each syllable. No response. “Purity, do, you, read, me?”

This time the line was picked up immediately. “That’s impossible. Amaterasu isn’t in the field. You’re not fooling anyone.”

Delain’s eyes narrowed in disgust. “As a matter of fact zis is[/is] she.”

“No, I happen to know Amaterasu very well.” This voice was becoming irritatingly familiar. “[i]He’s not a she.”

“Listen, I’m not here to discuss my gender!” Delain snapped. “I am who I say I am and zat’s it. Now will you shut up for a moment and let me speak because I went zrough a lot to get here.” She said, finishing. It wasn’t that it was that hard to get to where she was. But looking back at the few who she had hurt… killed, just to get here. That was what was hard. And that was why this trip was going to make a difference, even is Delain had to hold it up by the britches and slap it in the face.

A long silence. “Delain?” The voice asked quietly. The faint, French accent was now heard in his voice.

“Oh my dear lord… Nathan-“

“Shh!! You’ve gotta call me Hugo, hear? Oh it’s good to hear your voice. What’re you doing? Why aren’t you at home?”

“Well, it’s a long story… Listen Na-Hugo, I really, really, wanna catch up but I can’t right now.” She said, obviously ruing that fact.

“That’s alright little sister.” He said gently. “Tell me what you need to tell me, we’ll talk soon. I promise.” Delain smiled, She was oddly conscious of the fact that Nia was standing behind her, hearing all about their sibling love for each other.

“Alright, Project Hope was destroyed just days ago. We believe that whoever did will be coming after Project Purity next.” She heard Nathan mumble something about having known about this. “We’re coming…”

“We?”

“Myself, a friend… And her sister…” Delain wasn’t sure how to convey the message that she wasn’t to be trusted without letting Nia know she didn’t trust her… “Hey I don’t zink it’s safe for you to stay where you are.”

“Oh I know Dee, I’m leaving in an hour actually. I can’t tell you where. I’m sorry I’ve been vanishing on you. But I can’t drag you into what I’m in the middle of.”

“Well I’m in a crapload of my own problems so don’t worry about it.” Delain said semi-bitterly. Nathan chuckled. “Seriously zough… be careful. And why on Earth are you monitoring the radio broadcasts? Don’t get me wrong, I love talking to you, but...” Again, Nathan chuckled.

“Actually, I was talking with a friend here, he’s the one who should’ve picked up your broadcast, but when I heard you voice I grabbed the mic. before he had the chance.”

Delain smiled again. “Zat’s good…” She gave a small sigh. “I hope to see you soon.”

“Me too. Me too.”

[MatrixOne]

Nia smiled mockingly.
"Yeah, how sweet... And after all you went through to find him, he runs away from you again. I guess I'm not the only one who has problems with selfish, ungrateful siblings"

She was about to leave, but stopped, as if remembering something.
"But the mission still stands. I won't let you run off after him until you finish the contract"
She gave Delain a distrustful look, and left the facility.

***

"I am as real as you want me to be", the mental projection said.
After that, it disappeared.

***

Rin looked worried.
"Something will happen in Purity soon. Do you feel it, too?", she thought to Delain.

There was something in the air. Instability. Like a continuous ringing sound in complete silence - hard to notice at first, but when you do notice it... It's everywhere. And it's impossible to get rid of it.

Nia waved impatiently.
"Come on! It's getting dark, and I don't really wanna sleep here. Get in the car already"

Well, enemy reinforcements could arrive any minute, so sleeping here was not a good idea.
______
Since Delain's the 'boss', she should choose the place for a camp (gotta spend the night somewhere) ;q.

[Naraness]

All Nia received from Delain was a dark scowl. She bit back a harsh retort, and looked around the room. She had killed a person, and hurt others… The heartless killer within her receded to one of the dark corners of her mind, waiting for its next opportunity to take over. She told herself that it wouldn’t get that chance. She doubted that.

“Zere are some hills not too far from here, we should be able to find some kind of shelter. If we were willing to travel another hour or so we could reach some caves, but we’re losing light.” She shrugged. “Let’s head out then, before they realize what happened…” Delain sighed.

She looked up as the non-corporeal version of Rin spoke, and then vanished. She shrugged the occurrence off.

Without another word to either of the siblings, Delain walked to the door, brushing briskly past Nia. Her mind guided her through the hallways as if she had a map in her hands. Better, actually. She came to the back door which they had entered through very quicky.

Distantly she heard voices of exclamation, and general confusion. She guessed that they were taking care of the people Nia had so kindly rid them of…

__

When the trio reached the land cruiser, the sun had set, and Delain’s headache hadn’t let up to any degree. When she got into the cruiser, she completely let go of her mind’s hold of the rest of the world. The headache subsided, but she was as blind as a mole. She sighed, and started to rely on her hearing to support her.

"Alright, let's head out. I zink we could all use a good night's sleep."

[MatrixOne]

"Yeah, great call. We'll be sitting ducks on that hill"
Nia didn't seem to agree with Delain's orders. No surprise there...
But she didn't have a choice.

She landed the vehicle next to a broken tree - it should be enough to disguise it from one side, at least.
"I'll keep watch. Wouldn't want anyone sneaking up on you in the middle of the night, would we?"
Her tone didn't bode well for them.
"I'll just give a situation report to Father. I'll leave you two here... All alone... In the night..."

She left the 'camp', and made sure she wasn't within Delain's earshot. She didn't want anyone listening in on her conversation with The Overseer.

***
Rin stayed in the land speeder.
"I was not sure earlier, but now I think she does not plan to try anything just yet. I see what she thinks. She is suppressing herself, telling herself to be patient... That her time will come. We must be careful, but... Not yet"
The interior of the land speeder was big enough for her to stretch, and possibly sleep.
"I'll stay here... I won't be much use to you anyway"
She sighed.
"Delain, I... I'm glad you're with me"

***
The hovering device created a hologram.
"I assume you completed your secondary assignment"

"Yes, Father. She managed to contact that money-stealing sibling of hers. He ran again. That means she could try and abandon our mission for him... But I doubt that. She developed a strange relationship with Rin... I'm not sure who she would choose - Rin or that brother. We'll see"

"I'll send a group of hunters after him immediately. He might be our bargaining chip. A way to get what we want from Amaterasu. Even if she doesn't want to give back Rin, I'm sure Rin herself will come to us. She does not wish to cause trouble for the Amaterasu family"

"Well, I guess they're in more trouble than ever because of her"

"Perhaps. Contact me once you're in the facility"

[Naraness]

As they reached the hills, Delain was confused when they landed right on top of a large hill, in plain sight.

Delain scowled -Something she was doing more and more-, she was about to tell Nia that by 'the hills', she had meant between several hills, but Nia, being Nia, assumed Delain had made the choice of sitting on top of a hill like a lightning rod. Before Delain could mentioned it Nia had already left, saying something about making comm. with her father. She mentally shrugged. It wasn't like anyone would think it suspicious, or at least, so she thought. Delain had very little knowledge outside of her home city. She didn't know how the rest of the world worked. All she knew was the streets. Running, thievery, lies, trickery, power, cruelty... That was all.

She shook her head, wondering what kind of mess she had gotten herself into this time. Her mind drifted to what Nia had said. 'I'll leave you two here... All alone... In the night...' Delain glanced over at Rin, still in the land cruiser. Well what on Earth had Nia meant by that? A gut feeling told her she knew. Her mind, however, denied that she had any clue as to what the girl had been talking about.

After making sure that Nia was, in fact, gone, Delain returned to the land cruiser where Rin was. "Don't worry, when the time is right, we'll be ready." Delain smirked, and reclined in one of the cruiser's chairs. She crossed her legs, putting an arm back behind her head. She took a deep, slow breath, and let it out just as slowly.

"I'm glad zat you're here too." She said, smiling blindly where she assumed Rin was sitting. She turned away to avoid another gushy moment. She really was unsure about how she felt when she opened up to Rin. Delain didn't like people getting into her head. And despite how wonderful a friend Rin had been in the day and a half that she had known her, she had already gotten into her head. In a way, this annoyed her. Delain liked to keep to herself. She liked to be hidden. That was how she was wired. She was untrustful, and to know that anyone knew her secrets made her feel vulnerable. But, in a way, it was comforting. All in all, confusing.

Delain sighed, and turned her unseeing eyes to the ceiling. The headache had subsided, but she knew that without a full night's rest she wouldn't be able to see at all. She would have to ration out the ability for the next few days. She got the feeling that once her rational mind stopped trying to resist, she wouldn't get the headaches anymore. She hoped so. The things she had done just in that day... Incredible.

Delain reached up with her left hand, and pulled her sunglasses off. There really wasn't a point since nobody was around to see their cloudy, blue, color. If she had ever admired anything about herself, it would have been her eyes. They had been such a brilliant azure... Now that was gone, stripped away. She supposed there were more important things in life than her eye color.

She sighed, and flicked some of her waist-length ebony hair out of her eyes, turning back to Rin. And again, not seeing her. "What do you zink you'll do when zis is all over? If we survive I mean. Zere won't be a home for me to go back to, so I suppose finding a new home is a good idea." She shrugged. "But what about you?" She asked, genuinely curious.

[MatrixOne]

Just a soundtrack to the post, if you like that sort of thing ;] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Yz6APOHA8)
-------------------------

Rin closed her eyes, thinking of an answer.
"I was always able to see into the future. Especially my own future. I never knew anything for sure... But the images, the feelings, they always held some sort of truth. What was important about them wasn't the exact meaning, but the fact they existed. My future existed. But now, if I bring my mind to us after all this... I can't find myself. There is nothing. Emptiness. And that means I probably won't be there to see the end of our story"

She smiled.
"But you will"

***

Who was Delain to Rin?

They only knew each other for a short time... But it feels like an eternity passed since they met on that hill, near a burning truck. Together, they saw their dreams get crushed and fulfilled. Delain saved Rin's life. Rin made Delain 'see' again. Now, they're on an important mission together, having nobody to trust but themselves.

Rin trusted her friend more than her sister.

Delain let Rin experience the wonders of a real friendship.

But was it... all?

Or perhaps, in light of all the things they've been through together... One more feeling starts to arise in Rin's heart... A feeling she's never, ever hoped to experience...

And, most importantly...

Was this feeling... mutual?

[Naraness]

Delain drew her eyebrows together in confusion. She couldn't understand the pang of denial in her heart. She knew what Rin meant. But that just couldn't be. She couldn't... die. She couldn't leave Delain alone in the world. Rin was the first real friend she had ever had. The world couldn't be so cruel to take her away so quickly. It simply couldn't. Hadn't she already lost enough people she cared about?

"You don't meant zat..." Delain said, hiding her emotions well. But it was apparent that Rin was serious. She brushed some hair out of her face, letting the long strands fly behind her. "No, ze future is never a set course. You don't know zat." She said firmly, more to assure herself than to assure Rin. But a lingering doubt remained in Delain. What if the future was set?

She crossed her legs, folding one on top of the other. It was a gesture that was meant to make her appear as though she wasn't worried about anything. But she was... Delain stared up at the ceiling and put an arm behind her head as a rest.

Her thoughts drifted off. She felt lost in a sea of happenings she couldn't control.

A silence fell in the cabin of the land cruiser. Delain cleared her throat to put a stop to the silence. "Well," She clapped her hands together once. "I zink we could both use a good night's sleep." She removed her sunglasses from on top of her head, and slid them back over her eyes. "I'll wait for Nia to come back before I drift off. You go ahead and sleep zough." She nodded at Rin, and didn't wait for a reply.

Delain left the land cruiser, unsure of... everything.

She sat down in the pull-out steps on the side of the vehicle. Delain let out a breath, sweeping her long, ebony hair back with her hands. She released it, and it fell in dramatic ribbons over her shoulders. Delain gazed up at the sky, into the billowing red clouds. She could almost imagine a starlit sky above them... How she wished to see the stars again. They used to bring her so much comfort. Now even that comfort had been taken from her.

Maybe she shouldn't have left Rin so quickly, and without letting her reply. She might feel as if Delain was trying to distance herself. In a way... She was. She felt as if two personalities inside were battling for control. The side that wanted to have friendship, that wanted to trust, to learn, to help, to love... And the side that cared for no one, spoke to no one, hid from the light, reigned in the dark... And hated everything. One side offered happiness with the risk of losing everything. The other promised power, no pain, and loneliness. These sides of her were at each other's throats, threatening to tear her apart if she didn't choose a side.

She sighed. For so long she had thought the world was in her hands. That she was in control of her life. When in truth, she was letting the world rule her. And yet.. She still couldn't choose.

[MatrixOne]

Only Rin slept that night.

Nia and Delain didn't trust each other enough to let their guards down. But nobody tried anything bad, and as soon as the sun managed to rise, they were all sitting inside the land speeder again, heading toward Project Purity.

The trip took three hours, but Nia made sure it wasn't boring - by dodging trees and rocks at a dizzying speeds...

Finally, the cliff Project Purity was built on appeared on the horizon.
"You think they remembered to lock the door?" Nia asked. She was not looking forward to climbing that cliff if the way inside was blocked.
Rin smiled, and began to explain:
"The elevator is always functional, but you need to identify yourself as a member of Project Purity. I'm sure Nathan authorized his sister, though"
"Well, we're about to find out if he did"

Nia slid the land speeder neatly along the cliff wall, and stopped right at the elevator entrance.
"Eye scanners? Looks like you forgot to mention a few minor details to your brother... For example, the fact that you're blind"
Nia shook her head disapprovingly.
"Wow, scanning you is of as much use as scanning a lump of plastic"

Rin only smiled.

Nia backed away, frustrated.
"Now we have to climb the cliff. And it's all your fault"
She walked back up to the eye scanner and scanned herself.

The computer screen flashed a green light.
PERMISSION GRANTED

"Wha...?"

Rin laughed.
"I'm a member of Hope. And I've been here a few times"

"Yeah, but I'm the one who..."
And then, Nia understood.
"Oh."

Looks like Nia didn't want to acknowledge the fact that she was a nearly exact copy of Rin - eyes included. They seemed so different...

---------

The facility wasn't too extensive and consisted of five rooms, with the biggest one being the Central Control Room (CCR), which contained lots of machinery, and a large window overlooking both the cliff and the murky sky. From this room, small corridors led to other, smaller rooms - Elevator Room, Crew Quarters, Research Lab and Mess Hall.
______________
Darn, I don't know any synonyms to 'room' D:
Okay. Describe how we're welcomed (It should be friendly, more or less). Don't worry, I have no characters planned for scientists or helpers, so be free to make them up ;]

[Naraness]

Delain ignored Nia's taunts, and only smirked as a green light scanned over Rin's eyes, allowing them access to the facility. She smiled oh so innocently at Nia. "My eyes might be a useless 'lump of plastic', but Rin's? Zey are not." She said in a cocky tone.

As the door slid open to reveal an old, but immaculately clean facility. The rooms were organized, even if the equipment wasn't 'state of the art'.

As they arrived, immediately Delain took the lead beside Rin. She knew they would be the only two who were recognized, even though Delain had never set foot in the building. A small party of three greeted them, consisting of an old man with wispy white hair, a athletic looking woman with fiery hair, which was streaked with silver, and a young, shy looking boy in a dirty white coat. The Eldest of the trio greeted Rin like an old friend, clasping her shoulder as one would clasp another's hand. "It's wonderful to see you again my dear." He smiled warmly.

The woman with the streaked auburn hair turned to Delain. In a gravelly, yet feminine, and experienced voice. "You must be Nathan's sister. It's a pleasure to meet you at last." She offered a gloved hand.

Delain took it firmly, shaking in a greeting. She could tell just by the strength within the woman's glove that she had had her hard days. And that those days trembled in fear at teh memory of her. "I'm glad to hear zat, zough I zink you'll be disappointed, I'm not as much like my brozer as you might zink."

The woman shrugged. "Everyone's different, welcome anyway." Her battle-worn smile was warm despite all she had likely been through. "I'm Amber, or at least that's what I've been called since I came here." Delain nodded, voicing her returned pleasure at the introduction.

The third member of the trio stood back, silent. The boy glanced at the three women who had arrived. His eyes lingered of Nia, but he looked away quickly, as if afraid she would meet his gaze.

The elder man called the boy over beside him. "Everyone meet Zachary. He's new and pretty shy, so don't mind him." The man playfully shoved Zack. Zack gave a small smile, taking the joke quite well. "Go on, be off with you." The boy nodded, almost relieved to be dismissed. Delain thought he was curious. Not enough to hold her attention for long though. The remaining two of the greeting party showed them around the small facility. The entire place was only made up of about fifteen people.

As they came to the Crew Quarters, the number of beds greatly outnumbered the sum of people in the facility. Delain surmised that they must have lost close to twenty members.

As the short tour of the place was finished, Amber spoke quickly to them. "Please make yourselves at home, with obvious restrictions. Please don't go poking around, but do make yourselves comfortable. You're free to stay in the Crew Quarters, of in your vehicle of transportation. If you need anything, please do ask. Any of the staff will be more than happy to help. Oh, and Ms. Amaterasu," She siaid, pausing, and reaching into her coat pocket. She retrieved a small piece of paper. "Nathan left this for you." Amber handed it to her, and Delain took it curtly.

"Zank you." She said simply, tucking the note in between her shirt and her coat. She made sure it was secure, before straightening her coat, and looking forward without emotion. Her dead eyes glanced around behind her ebony sunglasses.

She turned back to her companions, assuming they would be staying inside the facility. In Delain's opinion, any excuse to be out of the land cruiser was a good one. She ran a quick hand through her hair, and cleared her throat. In another of her opinions, in every likelyhood there was a place where someone was bound to be able to get some food around here. The Mess Hall seemed like the place. She voiced her thought to Amber, and was told that the next meal would be in about an hour. Delain nodded, and watched Amber and the older man (Who had introduced himself as Henry, or Mr. Vincent) as they walked away.

They had an hour to kill. Delain wasn't planning on spending it in the crowded facility.

_________________________________________________


Delain didn't go very far away from the facility. Just far enough. She didn't tell Nia where she was going, only Rin. She didn't think this would stop Nia from knowing exactly where she was, but she simply saw no point in letting her know of her whereabouts.

Delain let out a long sigh. She looked around at the thick forest trees. She imagined this was one of the last living forests. Many plants had died with the lack of light, and suffocating pollution on the air. Even here, the leaves of the trees drooped with a deep sadness and pain. But they were alive, that was what mattered.

The modern warrioress' eyes were closed. Her hands were at her sides, she breathed in the scent of the trees. Pine, and juniper... She let her mind filter out the smells of pollution. For a moment, she could imagine that the world was just as it had always been. That she could see the sky... But it was all a lie her mind had made her to believe. Delain was almost angry with what wasn't real. She was infuriated with the beautiful lie she wished was reality. Her passionate fury powered her muscles as she drew her firearm from it's new position at her hip. She dry fired a shot at a nearby tree. The small 'click' the gun made was the loudest sound in the forest.

She rolled to the ground, ducking quickly behind a tree. She wracked the slide made hard to reset the action. The simulated stress and anger she had worked herself into was all she needed to get her mind into a battle mode. It was her version of a training ground. And if she was going to be holstering her gun in a new place on her person, she would need to relearn how to reach it, and present it.

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She ripped her coat off, and tossed it to the side, using it as a 'distraction' while Delain 'shot' from behind the cover of the tree she was hiding from. Another plant 'died' at her hands. She repeated this again and again, using cover to reset the action in her gun, and then firing at whichever tree looked the most threatening. She used tactics, and decision.

Delain glanced at the watch strapped to her otherwise bare wrist. It had been forty five minutes. She decided it was time to go back to the facility. She had been gone too long already... She sighed, running another hand through her hair. She felt almost... distressed. Exercise usually helped her, but this time was an exception. She still felt stressed, and out of control. A low growl rose in her throat.

Remembering the note, she realized that it must have fallen on the ground when she had taken her coat off. However she found it quickly.

Delain decided that she had enough time to read it before going back.

She sat down, leaning against a tree. She laid her coat down beside her, and unfolded the paper in her hands. It unraveled, revealing her brother's neat handwriting.

Hey Dee,
I know this is inconvenient, and if you miss me how I miss you than you know that I didn't want to leave you. I really am sorry Sister, but it had to be done. I don't know when I see you, or even if I'll ever see you again, but I promise I'll do all I can to bring us back together. I want to get the family back together as much as I'm sure you do. Even if it is a family of two. Haha.

I know what you've been up to. And I'm sorry that I left you to fall into that kind of a lifestyle. But you've been doing well for yourself, and I'm proud of you for adapting, and surviving. Just don't forget how to be a friend, and don't forget how to care for another more than you care for yourself. Most of all, don't forget about that little girl who saw the sky with me. I beg you, don't lose her. You'll regret it if you do. And I miss her. I miss you Dee.

I honestly hope I see you again soon, and again, I'm sorry for leaving you. But I guess it's been proven that you're doing fine without me. You're doing a great job with yourself. I mean it. Mom and dad would be proud.

I love you.
Nathan

Delain hastily wiped a tear away. "Yeah sure." She said bitterly. "I've been doing just fine." She shook her head, blinking back more tears. She wasn't supposed to cry, she was stronger than this. "No, I haven't been doing fine. You abandoned me." Delain crumpled up the paper and threw it into the fire. "How dare you tell me zat mom and dad would be proud? Zat you love me? Yeah, sure. I believe you." She spat out, standing and grabbing her coat. "Just do me a favor and shut up Nathan." She said to empty air.

Delain started the short trek back to the facility.

[MatrixOne]

When Delain left the facility, Nia began executing her plan.

It was not a betrayal - the contract ended as soon as they reached Project Purity. And right now, the Project is better off in the hands of The Overseer. Also, Rin is here, so it is a good time to take care of everything at once...

The only person who could interfere is Delain. And she doesn't suspect a thing. She's distracted by the letter from Nathan.

Nia barged into the Central Control Room, where Amber and Mr. Vincent were working on a moisture channeling device.
"This place is now property of Terminus. You two better fall in line and do as we say... That way, there won't be any problems"

Amber was clearly shocked by the sight of Nia waving her gun around and giving our orders.
"Please, put that away!" The woman shouted, backing away.

Henry remained calm.
"Does this mean the facility will be shut down?"

Nia shook her head.
"What? No, you'll get money directly from the big boss. And more scientists, too. As long as you cooperate"

"We would accept this offer without hesitation. If you made the offer. Why resort to threats?"

Nia smiled devilishly.
"Well, I'm also here to put a bullet through Delain's skull and capture Rin. Where is she?"

Right behind her.
"You won't get away with this"
Rin's voice was calm. Not angry. Perhaps a bit sad.

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

Delain had just returned from her target practice. As she was making her way for the mess hall, she received a mind-message from Rin...
"I need your help"

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

Nia heard movement behind the door to the Central Control Room. She jumped towards Rin and took her hostage. There was no time to take cover, so she pressed her back against the large window. Just in time.
"Finished weeping over the letter already? How about you come out here so I can finish the job"

Rin smiled.
"A hostage only works when you don't have orders to bring her back alive"
Nia gripped her by the neck.
"I can always shoot you in the knee. You won't run away from us again that way... Is your girlfriend going to risk giving you another disability?"

The power Rin gave Delain revealed an important detail.
Nia's pistol was loaded with explosive ammo. A single round wasn't much of an explosion, but a full magazine inside the pistol...

A well-placed bullet could make Nia's weapon explode, leaving her unable to defend herself.
There was little risk of causing damage to Rin - Nia held her with her left hand, and the pistol was in her right hand. Pointed at the door, too - even less a danger. But Delain had to make that bullet count - she only had one chance.

One chance.

[Naraness]

As Delain entered the facility, a familiar voice entered her mind. I need your help. It was Rin. Delain's heart gave a jolt. How could she have been so stupid? She should have known Nia would do this.

Delain's mind when into a panic. It sent signals out into every corner of the facility. She could 'see' Nia holding Rin hostage in another room. She gritted her teeth, and a feral growl escaped her lips as the killer in her mind arose. Throughout the facility lights flickered, and some shattered, sending shards of glass to scatter across the floor. Some screams of pain could be heard echoing through the hallway. Computer screens flashed, glitching spasmatically. It was as if every one of Delain's erratic emotions was embedded in the wiring of the facility.

This only increased when Nia threatened to shoot Rin in a way that would force her into a wheelchair.

Girlfriend? What is she talking about? Delain wondered bitterly. But those thoughts quickly fled her mind.

Delain didn't respond verbally to Nia's taunts. She simply stared at the gun in Nia's hand, which was pointed at one person who she cared most about in the entire world. Delain's own firearm was safely in it's hostler, at her hip. Could she get it out before Nia could get a shot off? Could she take that chance? Could she risk it? No, she had to play her cards right.

"You're really going to shoot her? Your own sister? Rin is you. Only... well for one, Rin is real. You're just a copy. How does zat feel? You're a fake, Nia. You're a replacement. " Delain smirked. "Rin is ze real one. I can understand why you would hate her. But oh... You're not allowed to kill her are you? Even zough you're so much better, your father won't let you end her life. No matter how much you want to... But you can't. Me on the other hand? Oh your father would welcome my death would he? I'm just a little scratch in his plans to him. A nuisance. He wants you to kill me doesn't he? You won't shoot Rin. You're going to shoot me, aren't you?"

She paused. "You won't shoot Rin." Delain repeated firmly. "Because you'd rather put a bullet zrough me. Isn't zat right? Don't deny it." She paused. "Why don't you? Just shoot me. Get it over with." She scowled deeply."My gun isn't even drawn. You have all of ze advantages." She said, simply buying time. She was waiting for the moment when Nia's guard would be down. She was stalling. It wouldn't take long. She knew her pride was easily wounded. As she needed to do was get Nia to point the gun at her, and she would have enough time. Even if it meant Delain would receive a bullet.

A couple days ago Delain met Rin in an alley, with a gun pointed at her head. In that day, Delain's life began to have meaning. She remembered what it was like to care for someone more deeply than she cared for herself. She remembered what it was like for someone else to give up so much to make her life better... And now, she was prepared to give everything up. Her life meant nothing before she had met Rin. She had nothing to lose.

"Go ahead. Do it." Delain held her hands out, exposing her chest. "I won't stop you." She whispered, her eyes taunting Nia.

[MatrixOne]

Delain's speech worked, angering Nia to the point of fury.
"I'm not a copy! I am improved, better! I was engineered for greatness, for perfection! You think I can't kill her right here, right now? Ha! It wouldn't be much of a revenge. It's better to watch her being experimented on for years and years. Same room, same facility. While I'm Father's best operative. This is way better than just killing her. But you? I don't need you. Terminus thanks you for all your hard work"

With a lightning fast move, she pointed her pistol at Delain.
However arrogant Nia might be, she's still a great and well-trained operative. There's no way anyone could pull out a gun, turn off the safety, take aim and fire in the time it took Nia to just switch targets.

Rin knew that.
That's why she pushed backwards, colliding Nia with the window and causing her to miss the initial shot.
A few cracks appeared on the large windowpane. Delain's influence damaged the glass even further...

The sound of the shot terrified Amber even more. She hid behind Henry, who just stood there calmly, observing the situation. They couldn't do anything to help; They were just scientists. Well, Henry was a mercenary for some time, but right now he didn't even have a gun.

Nia adjusted her aim, but the loss of time gave Delain a chance to pull out her gun.

Good thing she practiced.

[Naraness]

When Nia moved, Delain was resigned to her fate. She would just have to get a shot off before she bled out. To her surprise Nia's shot went wide as Rin shoved her backwards into a window. Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the glass, but it did not shatter.

Delain's hand whipped to her side, her fingers wrapped around the familiar pistol grip. Her gun was made simply, and reliably; thus is had no safety as some models might. This allowed her to get a shot off just a millisecond more quickly.

She brought her gun up to eye level. The sights seemed to align themselves, and all she needed to do was place them in the right place. Right under Nia's trigger guard, at the stock of her weapon.

Time seemed to slow to a painful pace. It seemed to take too long to pull the trigger. Too long to breathe. Too hard to decide if she would hurt Rin or not. Then it all sped up again. Delain's bullet went straight into, and through, Nia's magazine. It continued it's flight and seemed to pierce Nia's side. Delain was unsure though. It may have simply passed through a piece of her clothing. A small amount of smoke trickled out of her opponent's firearm.

The bullet's travel ended in a concrete wall.

Nia's gun was rendered practically useless. But there was a problem. The gun's mechanisms were still completely intact, and not only that, but she had a bullet in the chamber. She had one remaining shot, and Delain couldn't do anything to stop it. She could shoot again, but what was the likely hood she would hit just right?

Then and again, she could always just shoot Nia.

The killer in Delain wouldn't hesitate. She raised her fully functional gun up, pointing it was the center of Nia's face, where a bullet would pass through her head unobstructed. "Don't make me do it." She warned in a low growl. "Let Rin go, and put down ze gun."

Delain glanced to the side at Amber. She had thought the woman was more hardcore than this. Apparently she had softened up since her time in the force. Her blind gaze came back to Nia, watching her every movement.

[MatrixOne]

Henry turned to face Delain.
"This is a place of peace and science. A sanctuary! Take your gunfights someplace else"

A droplet of blood appeared at the corner of Nia's lips. Looks like that bullet didn't just hit a piece of clothing...
But the girl was as angry as ever.

She pulled the trigger again.

The gun was too damaged to hit anything, though. The last bullet present in the firing chamber got lit up, but didn't leave the barrel of the gun.

If it was normal ammo, nothing would happen.

But this was explosive ammo.

----

The entire magazine exploded, with explosion's impact tossing Nia right through the already damaged window and down the cliff.
It was a long way down.

----

Rin fell on her knees.

Was she hurt? The explosion was not big enough to cause any real damage to her.
All the blood on her shirt was Nia's.
So what was wrong?
"She brought this on herself. But... I never wanted this to happen, I..."
With difficulty, she stood back up.

"She hated me. But she was my sister. I had hoped it wouldn't have to come to this..."

Rin was often sad, but she never cried. Life taught her to bottle up her feelings and never air them out.
But this was a bit too much to bottle up.

So she let out a single tear.
"Nia... I'm so sorry"

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

Henry turned back to Amber.
"Weren't you in the army? Pull yourself together"

"There are plenty of non-combat roles. Right...? Being in the army doesn't always mean shooting people to death... But it's over now. It's all over. Look, there's an incoming transmission"

Indeed, a console was displaying an incoming call. The caller ID was encrypted, but the transmission type had Terminus encryption algorithms.

Henry typed in the password and opened the streams.

A hologram of a person appeared in the narrow space reserved for holo-conversation streams.

The Overseer!

"Mr. Vincent. And Amaterasu. Looks like you both have the situation contained"
Henry stepped forward.
"A bit late for diplomacy. We just killed your daughter"

But The Overseer didn't seem moved. Perhaps he knew already.
"Nia's failure is unfortunate, but not entirely unforeseen. There are other plans in motion. This project needs financial support and I am willing to grant it. I am sure you see the need for cooperation"

Amber seemed to disagree.
"They're terrorists! Why would we work for them?"

But Henry could see the bigger picture.
"If they're willing to help us, what does it matter? It's not like we can clean a part of the sky. This project will restore the atmosphere for the entire planet. No matter whose money we use"

The Overseer smiled with arrogance.
"Good. I want a full progress update along with the potential cost of scientific equipment you'll need. I'm sending over a team of scientists to help with the project, and some soldiers to keep you safe. I'll also send an engineer to repair the window"

He finally decided to talk to Delain.
"...there is one more issue to deal with. One I need to discuss with Rin and Amaterasu... In private"

Henry nodded, and left the room, taking Amber with him.

The Overseer lit a cigarette again.

"An interesting turn of events. Although I believe your victory is more due to luck than skill, it's still a victory. And we can still help each other. Your brother left the facility, and again, you have no information about his current whereabouts. With my help, you tracked him here. With my help, you'll track him further. But we need to cooperate, so I suggest you put your grudges behind you. However it may seem, it was not a betrayal. You completed the contract, and the ceasefire with Rin has ended the second you entered this facility. It may be hard to not want revenge, but we need each other. I am willing to forget about the death of my daughter if you cooperate. Is that not enough?"
_____
When I started writing this post two hours ago, I thought it would be a few-liner xD. Hope it didn't bore you too much ;q

[Naraness]

Delain stood silently and watched Rin crying. All Delain felt inside was relief that Nia was gone. But Rin felt sadness for a person who had hated her. For a person who had voiced that she would enjoy to watch Rin suffer for the rest of her life. And yet... She mourned for her. Delain watched the tears roll down her friend's cheeks. All she felt was confusion.

It was something that she didn't, and couldn't understand. It made her start to rethink everything she had lived for. How could Rin have loved someone who hated her?

Delain stopped trying to understand it.

The holograph of The Overseer appeared. Delain glared at the man. She had thought that he cared for Nia. Yet there was the growing feeling that he knew something that Delain didn't. And that all was not as it seemed.

"Why should I trust you again?" She asked, growling slightly. She pointed her gun at the holograph, but after a moment, she brought it back down, and holstered it. Shooting the holograph out of anger would do nothing to aid the situation. "It may not have been a betrayal, but it was as good as one. If you want me dead so badly zan what are you gaining from me? You must be using me, otherwise I wouldn't be here anymore. I want to know our cooperative relationship in and out. Or this day will not be forgotten."

-
Lol, now I feel bad for posting so little.

[MatrixOne]

The Overseer slowly exhaled the cigarette smoke. He was awfully calm about this whole situation; Losing a daughter, losing allies, losing control over this whole thing, and possibly losing the project as well.

"Miss Amaterasu, you are aiding a wanted fugitive in her futile escape attempt. Formally, you and my faction are in a state of war. But we reached an agreement. I agreed to hold off the attacks until the job is complete... And after it was done, the war came back. Right now, I am extending another offer. This is a gesture of good faith on my part"

Rin finally stepped away from the window, and decided to stand by Delain's side as Delain negotiated another deal with The Overseer.

He ignored her, and continued the monologue.
"You want to find your brother, and I want to get rid of the pollution layers from the sky. By working together, we can accomplish both goals. Once the Project is restarted and sky is clear, I will launch a prototype satellite into orbit. It will allow me to broadcast signals all over the planet, including radio waves, communications, and even light particles. I'll be able to scan any part of the globe, and contact any comm unit on the planet. With such power at my disposal, finding one person won't be much of a challenge"

Rin stepped forward.
"Why us? Don't you have other operatives like Nia? And what about Nia? Is her death just a 'misfortune' to you?"

"Nia had a perfect chance of accomplishing her mission, but she let personal feelings distract her. That caused her defeat. I need people who can get things done, and she can't get anything done while she's dead. That doesn't mean she can't be useful to me; We'll take her body in for experiments. She may be of more use to me dead than she was alive... Unlike you"

Rin couldn't say anything.

The Overseer addressed Delain again.
"For now, focus on restoring the Project. The scientists will tell you what they need. Contact me when you're done. By the time the restoration is finished, I believe I'll have some information on your brother"

And the hologram disappeared. Looks like The Overseer assumed Delain would agree to his terms...

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

Rin decided to break the silence.

"Lain... Are you okay? She fired at you... It all happened so fast, it must have taken you by surprise..."
She didn't notice any wounds, though.
"Will you work for him again? Restoring the sky seems like a good thing to do... And having a satellite in orbit could help humanity a great deal. But it would also mean giving Father a lot of power. I'm not sure if he's human enough to use it properly"

Now that she mentions it... There's something distracting about The Overseer, and not just his character.
His gestures, moves... They repeat. The way he lit that cigarette was exactly the same like last time. It's just a minor detail maybe, but...
No one ever saw The Overseer in person. Just holograms, video logs, audio banks...

An AI... Is that even possible? Can there be a program so advanced that it makes its own choices and reshapes the world as it sees fit?

And perhaps The Overseer is something entirely different whatsoever...

______________
Allright, now. If you choose to work with Terminus, then you may stay at the facility - just describe how the forces the Overseer sent are settling in around the base. And inside, too. If you don't remember - he sent some soldiers and scientists.

If you refuse to cooperate, you should probably escape the facility, because those guys will probably be hostile to their enemies ;q.

And one last thing - please describe what you can about Nathan - where he went, what he does, why he ran again. The satellite-Purity plot revolves around him too, after all ;].

[Naraness]

Delain remained silent. She listened to every word the Overseer spoke. He seemed completely indifferent about losing Nia. Strange... He had seemed attached to her before. Delain had thought that she might be the only person he cared for. But maybe even she wasn't enough to be loved by him.

Her face remained calm, and expressionless. She knew that without the Overseer's help, she might never find Nathan. And if she became his enemy, no doubt she would become an enemy to the law again as well. Without an alliance with him... She would no doubt die. As much as she hated to admit it, even her extensive skill wouldn't be enough to protect her from the legions of power he had... Perhaps she'd need a little help, and a little luck.

The hologram flickered out.

Delain would not work for him. Not again. There was no way she would let someone with so much power, who wanted to kill her, control her. And no way would she put Rin that close within his reach again.

Computer monitors flickered again with her conflicting emotions. She quickly reined in her emotions. She needed to learn to control them, such as Rin did, rather than let the raw power seep out with her emotions... As she had gotten into a habit of doing.

The computers settled down. A small breeze came in through the window, causing Delain's night-colored hair to sway slightly.

-

Delain was quiet for a moment when Rin spoke to her. Delain ceased her silence, and spoke.

"I'm fine." She said quietly, offering Rin a small smile. "And I'm sorry, I could be causing both of our deaths... But I will not work for him again." She shook her head slowly. "We'll need to leave as soon as we can. It'z not safe to stay here anymore. We can't take ze land cruiser... It has a tracker in it." She had discovered this the day before out of curiosity. "So we'll have to go on foot." She looked around with deep suspicion in her eyes. "We can't let anyone know where we're going. And we need to leave before zey know we're gone."

Delain could sense the forced the Overseer had sent. They had arrived very quickly. "You probably saw that they're already here..." She shook her head. "This will be more difficult than I thought." She paused. "It seemed like they haven't covered the East side of the building. We can get out through the roof. We'll work from there."

__________________________________________

Nathan:

Nathan Amaterasu was nearly exhausted. He had only been traveling for half the day... But the day before had tired him to no limit. He wondered if he could dare to take a break.

"No." He told himself firmly. "There is no time to waste, you must keep going." He spoke to himself as if he was speaking to another. Listening to his own voice gave him a feeling of friendship. Almost as if he wasn't alone. Yet... He was very alone.

His jet black hair had a vague sheen to it. The forest was so hot... Ten years ago the jungle would've been much cooler. But since the sky had been stained red... Light couldn't get in as well. And the dense pollution was like a giant comforter. It made the Earth like an oven. Maybe the idea of Global Warming hadn't been so ridiculous all those years ago... He chuckled.

A small, metallic device in his hand gave a beep. Like a nagging wife, it scolded him as he turned slightly off course. He quickly adjusted the direction he was travelling.

Nathan knew that this was important. Really he did. But he couldn't help but think that this had to be one of his most unpleasant trips... Honestly, he didn't have any means of transportation other than his two legs. He was equipped with only enough water to get to his destination, and he was on a time frame. Nathan grumbled.

His destination was Red Peak. It was at the top a nearby mountain range, and it spanned over a small, dying city. It was the highest point in the nearby area. It rose to high that the tip dipped into the swampy clouds of sewage-like fumes that coated the sky. He was going there to collect samples of the pollution from the sky. He had other tasks as well, this was just the first. After he collected the samples he was going to an uncharted position by the coast where there was a secret lab carved in the side of a cliff that rose against the ocean. It had been specially designed so that no device, or unnatural power, could find it. It was covered from view. And no electronics worked within it. There he would begin his research. He was working hard to create an item that would slowly, and efficiently collect the pollution from the sky. The only problem was that after it was collected within it, the extremely concentrated pollution would be highly toxic. From there he would have to find a way to dispose of it, convert it into a different kind of matter, of launch it into space.

In the sea cave, he would also hide the items he knew the Overseer wanted... But he couldn't have them. It was too dangerous. Already Nathan had collected two of the items that had eluded him for so long.

Those two items were hidden in a vault there. He carried another with him. These items had been created in a project that had been purely experimental. They were projects that bordered on fantasy. Teleportation, instantaneous healing, time control, speed-of-light travel, artificial intelligence... All of these experiments had been successful! To a degree. If you didn't count the people who had appeared in walls, or who got trapped in the Jurassic period...

Still, the knowledge was dangerous. Because now, with today's technology, it could be expanded on very easily, and it could be worked to perfection. That kind of power... It was inhuman. It played with Nathan's mind just to know that he had it within his grasp...

The question was, would he, one person, be able to contain it? And keep it out of the wrong hands? And what about Delain? She was caught up in her own mess. He hoped she wouldn't come after him. He hoped she wouldn't find him. And yet... He was sure that with her stubborn determination, she would do just that.

[MatrixOne]

A Terminus scientist-advisor was nervously awaiting The Overseer's message.

And finally, the hologram appeared, and the Overseer spoke.
"Everything's going according to plan. Is the satellite ready?"

The scientist couldn't understand.
"She won't work for you! You tried to kill her, you think she's gonna run errands for us again after that? Impossible, has to be"

But The Overseer just smiled.
"I am sure Rin sees the need to help. More importantly, I don't need Amaterasu doing what my other operatives can easily do themselves. I need her to lead me to her brother, who in turn will grant me unimaginably powerful technology. Amaterasu is a tool, an agent with a singular purpose, and you don't ask a tool to do something, you use it"

"So... So you used her to kill Nia? Was that planned as well?"

"Nia was expendable. Her only real purpose was tracking Amaterasu, and planting a tracer in the documents she picked up from Purity. After that, Nia ceased to be useful alive. Her apparent death is yet another cause that will lead Rin back into our labs. No matter what they do, their actions shall grant me increasing amounts of power. It's a perfect plan. Flawless. And carefully executed"

Then the hologram disappeared.

------

So what did it all bring Rin? She escaped one death trap, just to fall into another. She lost her sister. And she's about to turn her back on her father's work, again.
"Lain, I... I'm not sure if..."
She went after Delain, who begun executing the escape plan.

"Lain, if you do this, we'll be fugitives for the rest of our lives. If Father gets power... He'll turn the whole world against us. There will be nowhere to go. And we can't stop him... Lain, I... I don't want to lose you"

Rin wasn't sure. She didn't want to abandon Delain, but going with her was a death sentence for both of them. She didn't want that either.
What to do...

What to do...

What to do?

[Naraness]

Delain looked at Rin. "I know. Most likely we'll die." She sighed, and shrugged, as if she didn't care. That might've been due to the fact that she really didn't care if she died. Rin maybe... But not herself.

"But he'z using us. And you know he'll bend his words, and he'll bend his promises. If we work for him we'll be anozer disposable tool in his control. And I won't let zat happen. If I die, I die." She said firmly.

Something occurred to her. She was leaving Rin without a choice. Her friend couldn't work for her father alone. Without Delain there, she would immediately be taken back for science. So whatever Delain's choice was... Rin was forced to follow. So Delain needed to make the right choice for both of them.

She continued to walk down the hallway. She sensed a staircase ahead, and headed for it, quickly moving up. She paused, and slowed, looking back at Rin. "I don't want to leave you out of the decision, but I can't go back to that. There is no in between. I'm against him." Soon she reached a small metal hatch above her head. She pushed it up with the tips of her fingers, and dim light flooded into the stairway.

Delain stepped up, onto the roof. The warm, unconditioned air washed over her. She whipped her head back and forth quickly making sure nobody was on the roof. After assessing that the floor was clear, she waved Rin up. She sighed as a breeze hit her, causing the tips of her hair to sway slightly. She listened, and looked with her mind. The East side was still clear. "The East side is still clear. We have a few minutes." She closed her eyes momentarily, and looked at Rin. "Alright, it's your choice. From here there is no turning back. We can leave, and risk everything, or we can go back downstairs." Her face displayed nothing.

Delain longed to be away from this place. Away from the Overseer's men. But if Rin wanted to stay in his hands, Delain would stay as well.

[MatrixOne]

"If we help him, he will gain power... Power he does not deserve"
Rin shook her head. No, she won't help him anymore.

"But he's going to get it. Even without our help. He won't stop at anything. That's why we have to stop him..."

She was... Angry. For the first time, she was really angry.

"I've had enough of running. He wants to use my power to seize control of the world... But I can use this power, too. And I will to use it. I'll stop him"

Rin turned around, and went right back down the stairs and into the facility. Delain could sense her determination, and anger.

I'll stop him.

She could also sense that Rin wasn't throwing herself at the Terminus without a plan.

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

Two squads of Terminus soldiers were waiting for the cargo elevator to arrive and take them to the facility. Each squad consisted of twenty men, not counting the scientists.

The elevator let out a silent 'ding', and the door opened, revealing...

Rin.

"That's the HVT! Take her alive, and... argh... and..."
The Terminus commander couldn't finish his sentence.

"What is she... I can't..."

Their memories were being manipulated, some deleted, some readjusted. Each of them was turned into a barely-thinking tool, eager to serve.

"At your command"

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

Amber didn't seem happy about the way things turned out.
"Absolutely not! This is unethical! I don't know what you've done to them, but... It's still nothing compared to what The Overseer will do to us if..."

"Amber"
Henry interrupted her.
"If he succeeds, we'll all be mindless husks. If he wants to attack, he is welcome to do so... We have a new armed escort in an entrenched position. Storming this place would be suicide, and he's not one to waste resources"

Rin nodded.

Purity was Rin's now. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
And she was just getting started.

"I want a message sent to every city, every settlement out there. I want them to know that there are people who stand up to The Overseer. I want them to spread this message, to bring hope. And to help our cause"

"Yes maam"
The former Terminus commander began broadcasting the messages immediately.

Rin stopped him.
"Wait, there is one more thing... Any news on Delain's brother? Where he went, or what he's after?"

"The intel was sketchy. I think TO has plans for him, but it's easy for a person to disappear in this wasteland. But sooner or later he has to visit a settlement and get restocked, and then we'll have him tagged"

"I suppose this will have to be enough..."
Rin stepped away from all the soldiers and scientists.
She needed to talk with her friend.

"Lain... I know you want to go after Nathan, but this... It's important. You know I can't do this alone. Just a few days ago, I was without hope. I wanted to die, and you found me. Saved me. Woke me up. And I feel I have a new purpose. I can stop Father, I can help remind the world what it means to be human. But I need you by my side to make this happen"

________________
Well, that was epic. Kind of. I think.

[Naraness]

Delain followed her friend with confusion. Her mind insisted that they needed to get out of there as soon as possible. But she trusted Rin. Her friend knew what she was doing.

After they next few turns of event, Delain starred at Rin with awe. For a moment, she was struck dumb. Things had changed so quickly. They were officially standing up to him. The Overseer would not win. Well, not without a fight at least. And Delain was going to put up the fight of her life. A wicked grin found it's way onto her face.

"I'm with you Rin." Her grin faded to a smile. "We're in this togezer." She placed a hand on Rin's shoulder. It was a sign of trust, and of care. The look in the woman's scarred eyes was one of determination. A look that said she wouldn't turn back. "Until ze end. I'm by your side." She removed her hand, and glanced over at the men who Rin had taken over. I wonder if I can do that... Delain wondered with avid curiosity. Curiosity... It was one of the things she had started to feel over the last few days. Something that she had never felt before.

"Let's get started." She smirked over at the window where Nia had crashed through. "Ze Overseer's other men..." She frowned. "Do you zink you can edit their minds as well? Every person he doesn't have, is another part of the war we've won.

She couldn't help but notice Amber. Who looked bitter, and displeased. The woman muttered to herself. Delain noticed that Henry was ignoring her completely.

The boy who they had met earlier came running in, exclaiming that people were coming who seemed to want to take over Purity. Henry rolled his eyes. "Thank you, for catching up." The boy seemed severely put out. "Go alert the scientists downstairs of what has happened. And... Tell them that we're now enemies of The Overseer. You know the intercom won't reach down there." The boy's eye's widened with surprise. Apparently he had missed more than he had thought.

"Um... Sir, what happened to the window?"

"Don't ask such foolish questions! Go!" Henry ordered with force. The lad ran off without another word.

Delain chuckled. "Well zen. I believe zis is the start of a new chapter for us Rin." She said with one of her rare, honest smiles. "Ready to take on ze world? If we die... Well, we'll die together."

____________________
Very epic. ;D
Sorry I was away. Kind of had a family emergency.

[MatrixOne]

Rin didn't answer. She knew of the future. She knew that she would be the one that won't live to see the end. And she knew that Delain would have to finish what Rin started.

But now, they had to fight.
And Rin knew how.

"Father is careful, but even he can't secure every trail. He communicates with everyone through holograms and radio signal, so he has to use an enormous signal transmitter... something like the Shroud"

The Shroud was the biggest signal tower around, situated conveniently next to a Terminus outpost.

"If we get there and take it over, we may find something that would help us determine The Overseer's location. Or some information about that satellite he's constructed"
It was the first time Rin called her father 'The Overseer' instead of 'Father'. He was an enemy now. She was trying to suppress any positive feelings there were left.
It wasn't like Rin.

"So lets' get started," She said. The former Terminus soldiers prepared and armed themselves, and the group moved out.

The trip wasn't long because the Terminus guys brought All-Terrain Trucks with them (the things had wheels that were as big as an average land speeder). The ride was bumpy, but quick.

The Shroud was really tall. They would have to raid the Terminus outpost first, preferably without killing the soldiers - it was a good time for Delain to try and dominate and influence a soldier's mind. Her powers were nowhere near Rin's level, but she could still take over a few of them before getting too tired.

After that, they'd need to take the elevator to the top of the Shroud, and dig up some info on the Overseer.

Delain was the one with the most combat experience, so she would be the one leading the assault.

_______________________
We are nearing the end of our RP. It's not THAT close, but not that far either.
You're free to describe the battle how you see fit, but leave me the 'digging up info' part ;q

[Naraness]

Delain nodded. With a plan in place, she felt a small sense of security wash over her.

As they arrived at the Terminus facility, Delain's mind started to seek out the intricate passages of the building. She had to force herself to stop, or risk another headache that would jeopardize the mission.

The group pulled off into a small area of the forest where the surveillance cameras wouldn't reach. From there, Terminus would never suspect them. There were underground sensors that didn't allow anything bigger than a mouse to go by unnoticed. But the soldiers who were under Rin's control had knowledge of the places where the sensors were, and were able to navigate the invisible roads of safety.

"Alright." It was Delain's moment to use her skills. And she planned on doing that to the utmost of her ability. "If we can, we will not harm any of zose within the building. However, if there need to be casualties... We're not saints." She said with a slight scowl. The killer was coming out again. "We have work to do. Spare those who we can spare." She said. Her voice had become oddly hard. As it did whenever she thought about things objectively. She knew there were innocent lives in there. But they worked for The Overseer. And that was their first mistake.

"I'll take two thirds of the soldiers. Rin, take the last third. First, one of the two of us can take over someone inside, and have the operative shut down the security system. The ground plates, the cameras... everything. Zen I'll go in first, and clear the area. According to what I've learned, we have smoke grenades zat are infused with a sleeping powder. Zat should knock most of zem out. Zen we'll go in, and clear ze rest. You follow, and head to ze tower. I'll keep it under control downstairs while you get ze information." She paused, and then continued. "Oh, I had a thought. Before we leave, if possible, we ought to take down ze tower. If so, all of Ze Overseer's communications will be brought down." She nodded firmly.

______

Awesome! And you've got it. ;)

[MatrixOne]

Rin smiled. Putting Delain in command of the assault was perfect.

The plan went swiftly and without surprises, with Rin focusing on taking over the minds of soldiers Delain left for her. They reached the control panel and took out the cameras, blinding the entire facility. Then, the former Terminus guys prepared to fire the sleeping gas, but Rin stopped them.
"I'll handle the tower," She said quietly. "I don't want to leave anyone asleep in here. This tower won't last"
She marched in, with the soldiers following her.

She covered the entire tower, room by room, staircase by staircase, without even ordering her troops to fire. The minds of the guarding soldiers were being taken over, usually before she entered the room they were in. After the brief struggle, they joined the crowd that followed Rin upstairs.
It was like a zombie march. They were mindless slaves. But in combat, they were unstoppable.

Rin stopped before entering the main control room of the tower.
"I'll go there with Delain and the Commander. The rest of you, leave the tower"

Rin was right. This place was filled with information on the Terminus operations, and even the Overseer himself.
"I found something, maam" The Commander said, and opened an operation report for a so called 'Project Luna'.
It turned out that Project Luna was the satellite that the Overseer was working on. The report gave further info about the satellite and the goal behind the whole project.

The Overseer didn't want to use this satellite as a planet-wide comm station. It was in fact an enormous relay for something called The Control Beam. It was supposed to affect every person on Earth.

But this satellite should be on standby and waiting for the sky pollution to clear up. It... wasn't. The sit-rep said that it was currently... in orbit!

As Rin came closer to investigate the document further, a message appeared, saying that someone is trying to connect to the network.
"Allow it, and track its location" She said to the Commander, and he put the signal through.

A holographic image of The Overseer appeared in the room.
"You have done an admirable job trying to hinder my plans. The attack was so fast, they did not even manage to call for backup. And I never thought it would be you, Rin"
He seemed surprised, but confident as always.
"This outcome was not foreseen. Very interesting, but unfortunately, doomed to failure" He said coldly.
But Rin had an answer to that.
"You can't launch the Control Beam without researching my power. Your plan failed, and my forces grow with every second. You have nowhere to go, and the Terminus won't last long. It'll be over soon"
This didn't fit Rin. Cold, angry speech, her dark green eyes lighting up in rage...

"Terminus is not just a faction. It is an idea. An idea that is not so easily destroyed. On the contrary, I have achieved everything I have ever imagined. Almost everything. I couldn't study you, but I managed to catch quite a few other subjects. People whose minds you changed and dominated. Policemen, warriors, mercenaries. You erase their memories, make them see, hear and believe what they can't see, hear or believe. They become tools and follow you without a thought. You created countless husks like these, so studying them and adapting the same technique is not a problem. When I fire the Control Beam, the whole Earth will be at my command. All united in the name of one noble idea - the advancement and preservation of humanity"

Rin couldn't believe it.
"I did it to some people in order to stop you from doing it to all the people. It's insane! You can't make humanity preserve themselves by making them lose their humanity. Look at what you're trying to do!"

The Overseer smiled, confident of his victory.
"There was one more way," He said. "The way to control the people, but without them knowing or noticing. Without them losing even their character. You know what I mean - this is how you control one person. One very special person"
Rin backed off, The Overseer's speech surprising her. He found out!

"That person is Delain Amaterasu" He continued. "You made her save you, give you her home, protect you. You made her ally with me in the name of your own idea - Project Purity. You made her kill for you. You forced her to abandon her family - her brother - and fight me. You got into her mind, manipulated it, enveloping your thoughts and desires over her own, pretending you're giving her back the ability to see. Delain became your willing slave without noticing it. This is the perfect control. The control I could have if not for your escape!"

He was right. The indoctrination of Delain Amaterasu was complete.

Delain longed to be away from this place. Away from the Overseer's men. But if Rin wanted to stay in his hands, Delain would stay as well.

"This could be how all the people on Earth would be," The Overseer added. "But you had to run away, and left me with only one possibility - complete and utter domination. It does not matter. The satellite is set to fire, and in six hours, you will all witness the birth of a new age"
He disconnected, and the hologram disappeared.

***

Rin couldn't look Delain in the eye.
"If we don't stop him, we'll both become mindless husks. We can't dwell on anything right now, we have to track his transmission and disable the satellite before it's too late"

The Commander managed to locate where the Overseer's comm signal was coming from - it was what seemed to be a small facility located in the desert. It was located well out of harm's way - because who would raid a Terminus outpost? They were not guarding anything, like a comm tower. A facility has nothing of value, and nobody ever set foot there. Nobody suspected that under the small outpost is The Overseer's main base and comm hub. If anything can disable the Luna satellite now, it's the control panel in this base.

Rin and Delain didn't have to worry about manpower. More and more soldiers and people were gathering around the tower, and the ranks of the resistance were growing all the time. Rin's resistance was created about five hours ago, and it already had enough forces to take on The Overseer's main base. Rin's powers worked quick.

______
Well, now you see why it took so long for me to write : D. Sorry if it's a bit chaotic. If there's some part you don't quite understand, PM me and I will explain it more ;q

Now we need to assault the main base and see the epic showdown - I have also a huge choice for you at the end, which is quite close now. Let's do it!

[Naraness]

Taking down the tower was a job done almost too easily. However, Delain liked the feeling of power inside of her. It burned within her heart, and made everything she did seem right. It caused her to feel like she was in control, which was a feeling she treasured. All in all, it was something that she didn't want to fight. No matter how much it might destroy the small amount of her heart that was still compassionate. She embraced it, and struggled to fight off the ruthless killer that was also trying to free itself from the bonds of the kindness left in her.

With Rin close behind, it wasn't hard at all to disable, and then knock out the guards she encountered. A few times she even attempted to take over the mind of a soldier. She found it a very taxing task, and left the job to Rin, who was much more adept at the action.

Before Delain knew it, the facility was clear. She searched it once with her mind, to make sure. All of the minds within the place were under either her, or Rin's control. Thus, they were safe to proceed.

Delain entered the main comm tower with Rin. The place was an information metropolis. It seemed that on every shelf there was a paper containing an earth shattering data. She looked around, noticing as Rin immediately looked into this ‘Project Luna’. At first, it seemed that The Overseer had launched it out of foolishness, of by mistake. But as he and Rin spoke to each other, she doubted that very much. A fear climbed into her throat as she realized that before she knew it, the world could become a shadow of it’s former self. Not only would there be no light, but there would be no one left to enjoy the world. The essence of their human nature would be gone, and every person would be like an insect. Crawling around, having nothing better to do than live. No emotion, no passion, no creativity. Nothing.

But what stunned Delain even more was what the overseer said next. Her emotionless mask never flickered when he told Rin what she had supposedly done to her. Delain didn’t believe it. He was trying to put doubt inside of her. Rin would never have taken her over. Not like he said she did. Whatever Delain had done for Rin, she had done herself. Or… What there more to it than that? Delain let out a slow breath, her confused emotions creating turmoil inside of her.

Delain noticed with interest that Rin wouldn’t look her in the eyes. She wondered why. And a niggly voice in the back of her mind wondered if Rin knew that what The Overseer had said was true, and she simply wished not to tell her. Delain mentally argued. Rin wouldn’t do that. She would tell her everything that she needed to know. And either way, if she still had her personality, Delain didn’t see what the problem was. She didn’t care what the Overseer had said. Whether Rin had made her or not, to Delain it had all still been her choice. That was all that mattered to her.

She nodded to RIn as she spoke, trying to ignore the white elephant in the room. “Let’s go then.” She said firmly. Delain quickly memorized the small facility’s whereabouts. It was located in the desert. The kind of place where no one would suspect their most important signal to come from. It was out of the way, and almost no one knew it even existed. It was perfect really. And with the sheer number of soldiers they had, it wouldn’t be a problem. Or at least, that was what Delain hoped. If The Overseer knew they were coming, then there was no doubt in her mind that he would send people to defend the tower.

Delain glanced around the room once before they left. After a moment she was able to gather that Project Luna would be launched in eight hours. That would be able the time it would take to get to the tower. They would have to go quickly, and ride through the night.

_________

Before Delain knew it, they were already going quickly over the land. The ride in the all-terrain trucks was bumpy, but no matter how much they were bounced, and jostled, the things always managed to stay upright. The sun was setting, again casting the land to turn the color of ox blood. She gazed out the window as the land rolled by. She remembered how the light used to rain down on the land, casting a golden glow. Now everything looked blanketed in death. She turned away, before she could get caught up in more memories that were no more.

She and Rin had their own truck. Several soldiers were in the backs of the sturdy, monster-like trucks. They were built a lot like any other flatbed truck. Only… Well, they were enormous.

She looked to her right, at Rin who was in the passenger seat beside her. The truck went over a large bump, and Delain tensed up, taking the shock of the bounce. Once the rise evened out a little bit, Delain decided to make conversation, and just figure this thing out once and for all.

“Rin… What exactly did Ze Overseer mean when he said zat you had already corrupted my mind like ze others? Only… in a different way? I don’t believe it. But you seem to have doubts. I just want to know what exactly it is zat’s going on.” She paused. “I trust you. But I need to know.” Delain said firmly, glancing over at her friend again. By now, the sun had almost set, and the night was turning dark. However, that didn’t affect either of their abilities to see.

She turned her eyes back to the ground in front of her, and slowed down as the truck climbed over a particularly rough spot. The truck recovered smoothly though, and Delain looked over at Rin again. Her eyes searched her friend’s face, as if she was trying to find the answer in her expression.

__________

Sounds awesome to me! I can't wait.

[MatrixOne]

Rin didn't answer at first. She was not sure how to begin, how to say it.
But she had to.

"Remember the night when I told you I wouldn't survive to see the end?" She asked in a detached voice. "The end is close. Now's a good time for honesty"
She took a deep breath, as weighing the words and thoughts.
"What Father said, it... It's true. After the accident at the cave, when you lost sight.. I gave you my gift, but that wasn't all there was to it. Our minds merged, and I was in power, I was controlling it. I made sure you wouldn't refuse to help me, to do what I wanted. I... I'm sorry"
She looked down. She felt as if it was a betrayal. So Delain was just a tool to her, after all...
"But none of this will matter if Father succeeds at launching this signal. We need to stop him"

Was it true? Or was it another one of Rin's tricks to maintain control without Delain noticing? Delain could refuse and just not help her. But... Then all will be lost. Or maybe not? Maybe it's yet another trick to manipulate her mind?

The base was visible now. At first it seemed like it's nothing significant, but then... The ground shook and came open, revealing a massive underground complex, with a huge tower in the middle of it.
Looks like all the Terminus forces were there to defend it. But Rin had her own army. And nobody could hide from her power. Nobody.

****

The Terminus soldiers started breaking off and joining Rin's side. Backstabbing their friends against their will.
It was harsh, but it worked. Nothing could stand in her way. Nothing except for... Time.

"I need to stop Father. I'm going to that tower! But there is not enough time for me to abort the signal launch. You must be the one to do it, Delain!" Rin shouted to her.

The whole base was engulfed in chaos. The soldiers didn't know who's friendly and who's an enemy.
And Delain would have to go through all this and get inside the satellite control building.
But The Overseer left someone there to protect it.

The control room is very spacious, containing fifty spots for operators that control and maintain the tower in orbit. A front wall is covered by a giant screen, which constantly transmits the video and audio signals from the Overseer's tower, allowing him to give the orders directly and instantly.

And right in the middle of this room, waiting for her revenge, was... Nia.
Modified and upgraded by implants and cybernetics, she was a lot more dangerous than before.
There is a hard fight in front of Delain... If she chooses to help Rin.
______________
This is not the final choice, don't worry.
I think there will be over five different endings, with only one being the 'good one'. And you'll get to choose.
Also, only Nia and the Overseer know the abort codes.

[Naraness]

Delain looked at Rin. Then she looked away. She didn't speak a word, because it felt like a barrier had been set between them.

In the beginning of Delain's life, she had been naive, and kind. When she found out that people liked to use her for their own personal gains, she separated herself from her emotion. She trusted no one but herself. Because she knew that her emotions got in the way, an they would get her hurt.

Then now, when she had thought that she had found a real friendship, she learned that it had been no different. Rin had been using her, just like the others did. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to look at the facts. Rin had given her a way to continue living a life worth living. She had done nothing against her. She had acted towards her with kindness, and helped her to find her brother. But was she really any closer to finding Nathan than before? Was this really what Delain wanted? Or was it what Rin wanted?

Delain's feelings didn't change towards Rin. She still cared for her friend just as much as she had ever cared for her before. But a sting lingered in the woman's heart. Was this how it would always be for her? Would she never be able to care for someone, without there being strings attached? Her will was not her own anymore. Was she even Delain? Or was she a tool of her friend's will? Maybe she had never deserved better.

Delain cleared her throat, blinking rapidly. "Yes. It will not matter." She said firmly, setting her thoughts aside. "Let's do zis."

Whatever had happened in their minds, Delain decided that it would not matter. Whether or not her will was her own, Delain had felt happy for the first time with Rin around her. She had felt curiosity, care, mercy, and love for the first times in years. Wasn't it worth it?

_______

Delain nodded firmly to Rin. "I'll do it. I told you before Rin, I'm wiz you." She reached out, and put a hand firmly on her friend's shoulder. "We are in zis togezer." She smiled at her. "Keep in touch." She said, putting a finger on Rin's temple, gesturing to her mind.

Delain had changed her outfit, and was now wearing a sandy-colored shirt, and similarly colored cargo pants. Her pistol was strapped to her hip. There was no longer a need to have in concealed, so she threw her coat to the side.The enemy knew she was there to get them. Let them see it. Delain took one look at her hair, and realized that sacrifices had to be made. It's length could be used against her if someone decided to take a fistful of it. She wordlessly took the bulk of her hair in one hand, and with her other hand, took a knife to it. The long threads fell to the ground in a silky, lifeless heap. She put the knife back into her boot. Delain looked like a completely different person with her hair coming only halfway down her neck.

"I hope to see you when zis is over." She said with another smile. "If one of us is no longer breathing by zen, know zat... You made my days special. Good luck."

With that, Delain left, hopping out of the truck and making quick time across the sand. She looked ahead of her, seeing the throng of people, all fighting for themselves. Each person was as indistinguishable as the next, and the body count rose by the second as men killed their enemies, and their allies.

Her mind took a brief overview of the tower. She could see everything. Including where she needed to go. She also saw Rin. She was new and improved, and Delain would be lucky to escape unscathed. It was time to give it everything she had. It was time to fight to the death. It was time to end this.

She fought madly. The soldiers were no match for her. She knew that they were just a warmup compared to her upcoming battle with Nia.

Delain didn't count the number of people she had to kill to get through the masses. Her hands moved in a blur, striking anyone who got in front of her. She could see in a three hundred and sixty degree angle, and so, no one could sneak up on her. She saw every attack before it came. She dodged every attack perfectly, and delivered a counter offense flawlessly. She continued to steadily make ground, never giving, always taking. Her eyes flashed with deadliness, even in their pale, useless form.

She tried not to fire her gun, and save her bullets for when they would count, but on occasion, she needed to use them to clear her way. Luckily for her, most of the men were too occupied with killing each other to really notice her. What seemed like hours passed in about ten minutes, and she made it to the tower. Delain let out a breath. "No going back." She muttered, opening hte door, and stepping in.

[MatrixOne]

And Nia was waiting.

Surprisingly, not with a gun drawn. She was just sitting on top of a file cabinet, without even giving Delain a hateful look as she entered the room.
"You took your sweet time" She said, and hopped off to the ground.
She was a bit... Different. Her right hand had to be replaced by a cybernetic prosthesis, and there were traces of metal implants all over her body.

She approached Delain.
"Trust me when I say I want to put a bullet in you right now for what you've done to me. But I don't have time for hate. Father's gone crazy! And I've got no desire of becoming a mindless slave. I wanted to enter the abort codes, but something... Something is... wrong, I... I can't do it"

That sounded idiotic. Couldn't do it? There was nothing wrong with her.

"The code is... Is..."
But she could not say that aloud.

Then, the giant screen came online, showing the Overseer's office along with The Overseer himself, staring right at Delain and Nia.
"Nia. How foolish of you to think I would not be prepared for your betrayal"
She took a step forward. Only she didn't do it. She didn't want to do it.
"Control is the means to survival. Control of the usual people, and of you, if necessary" He spoke coldly. "Now attack! The satellite launches the beam in fifteen minutes. Try to delay her before you die, Nia"

The Overseer was controlling her through her implants!
She took hold of her pistol, and pointed it at Delain. Looks like they'll have to fight, whether they want to or not.

***

But there was someone else next to The Overseer. The only person that made it past all the guards and mayhem.

It was Rin.
"Terminus is over, and so is Project Luna" She said silently.

"You changed nothing. Your friend does not know the abort code, and soon enough, you will all be rebuilding what you destroyed" He replied with cold confidence.

"...I see" Rin said calmly.

"You've lost. I studied your victims, and made sure your control signal won't affect me. You're here alone, unarmed. It was a foolish mistake"
He slowly pulled out a pistol, and carefully reloaded it.

"Maybe"
Rin was as calm as ever.

"It will be better that way" The Overseer said, and pointed the weapon at Rin. "You were a constant hindrance, and my biggest disappointment"

He wanted to pull the trigger. But... He couldn't.

"I released all the soldiers from my control" Rin explained. "Now that they see what you are really trying to accomplish, they don't need convincing to fight you. And now that I'm not focusing on anyone in particular, I can use my power fully in order to stop... You"

The Overseer wasn't so confident anymore.
"It's impossible. I've devoted all my resources to finding a way to block your signal. It worked! It worked on Nia! You couldn't control her! So why the hell can you control me?!"
He was scared, but also angry. Very angry.
"This is not over!"
He concentrated all his energy, all his willpower. Rin was strong, but even she couldn't prevent that last twitch of his finger, caused by the sudden rage and fear.
And the twitch was enough to fire one bullet.

***

Rin fell to her knees, a red stain spreading throughout her white shirt.
She looked up. The world was blurry.

It was always blurry for her. But this was a special kind of blurry. A kind that will stay like this forever.
She looked at the monitor in Overseer's room. Delain and Nia stopped fighting for a moment. They just stared at the monitor showing the events in Overseer's office.

Then, Rin looked at her father.
He saw her eyes turn black, even though they didn't really turn black.

He brought the pistol to his head. He didn't want to do it. But he was being controlled.
Rin was still in control.
She focused her last bits of power to make his finger twitch again.

The gun fired, and both Rin and the Overseer fell to the ground, never to get up again.

***

"Three minutes to launch. "

The loudspeaker broadcast kicked Nia into action again. She was no longer being controlled by The Overseer.
"The code! The code, it's 'power, future, control', in that order. You need to stop the missile before it's too late! He... He prepared even for his loss"

Nia backed away from Delain. In case of losing signal from The Overseer, Nia's implants were set to self-destruct.

"It'll be up to you to figure out what to do with this power" Nia said angrily. "Don't screw this up, and remember our sacri..."

The implants didn't explode in a burst of blood or anything like that.
They simply stopped working. Limbs, brain, heart... They stopped working, all in an instant, and Nia fell to the ground.

So at the end of the day, Delain was the last one standing. It all passed so quickly...

"One minute to launch."

________________
Do not destroy the satellite - my next post will require it working. Just disable the signal.
Wow, that was grim.

[Naraness]

Delain walked towards Nia, a dark scowl on her face. "What do you mean you cannot tell me?! You must!" She shrieked. But Delain knew that Nia was no longer under her control. "I don't want to have to kill you again."

The enormous monitor flashed and the Overseer came into view. Delain's scowl grew darker. She would have to fight Nia. At least she didn't have much of an objection.

A moment later, Nia pointed her gun. Delain ducked to the side, grabbing a stack of papers. She threw the object, the flurry obscuring her from view just long enough for her to pull her sidearm. All the while, Delain's eyes kept flickering up to the monitor. Even as Rin walked onto the screen... Her mind screamed to help her.

But she knew that as long as she was fighting Nia, The Overseer would have to use a part of his mind to control her. He wouldn't be as strong, and Rin would have a better chance of taking him on.

Her face was calm, and precise as she wheeled around a table, turning it over in yet another distraction. Bullets flew towards her, but somehow... She could feel when Nia's finger tensed. She was ready for each shot. But Nia was ready for her shots as well. Bullets danced around the two of them, burrowing deep into the walls of the room on each side of them.

With an animal-like growl, Delain launched herself at Nia. In a surprising turn of events, both of their weapons clattered to the ground. As their battle became a fist fight, she couldn't stop listening in to the conversation coming through the monitor. Her hands struck out, only to be blocked by Nia's snake-like reflexes. As Nia tried to hit her, Delain was just as fast, her mind predicting where every hit would come from before Nia moved a single muscle.

Delain heard a gunshot through the monitor. Her heart went cold. In that moment, she slipped up, and Nia landed a successful blow. Delain reeled back, rolling off of the girl. She recovered quickly, and stood up. Nia was right there.

"The code! The code, it's 'power, future, control', in that order. You need to stop the missile before it's too late! He... He prepared even for his loss" Nia told her, backing away. Delain looked at her in confusion. Then she looked at the monitor. Her worst fears were confirmed. Two bodies laid motionless on the ground. They were lying in pools of their own blood. A single pistol laid on the ground. Two of it's rounds had been fired.

"No." Delain whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Rin. Rin get up." She said desperately. "Please get up."

"It'll be up to you to figure out what to do with this power." Nia said with anger in her voice. "Don't screw this up, and remember our sacri..." With that, Nia fell to the ground. She was like a puppet, who's strings had been cut. Delain had hardly heard her words through the pain she was feeling in her heart.

"Thirty seconds to launch." The loudspeaker said in it's monotone voice.

Delain stumbled to the nearby computer where the signal broadcast was operating from. Her vision was blurry. She hurriedly wiped away her tears so she could see clearly. She looked at the keyboard. Her hands shook. "Power..." She typed as she spoke. "Future." Her fingers slowly, shakily pushed the buttons. The letters appeared on the screen. "Control." Her voice broke.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Enter.

"Seven- Signal launch aborted."

Delain muttered a curse, her heart twisting. She heard an uproar of cheers from outside the facility. The loudspear must have reached the soldiers as well. Delain knew that she needed to destroy the satellite. But she couldn't bear to think about the mission. Her legs moved without her thought. She ran, her feet propelling her through the hallways. She had tunnel vision. Her only direction was forward. And her mind guided her to Rin. When she reached the Overseer's office, she collapsed by her friend's side. A red stain had spread across her chest. She clutched her body, hugging her lifeless form, and rocking slowly. Rin's blood seeped into Delain's clothing, but she didn't care. "Rin... Rin..." Delain sobbed her name out again, and again. "Don't leave." She begged. "Please, please come back. Rin..."

An image came to mind. An image of a wrecked truck, and smoke trailing into the sky. She saw the people who threatened this odd, auburn haired girl. Delain shot, and the aggressors fell to the ground. She invited a stranger into her house. She lost the stranger, and gained a friend. It hadn't even been a week. But it felt like years.

Her best friend was gone. But Delain never felt any differently. If Rin had really been controlling her, wouldn't she have been released when she died? But Delain's loyalty, and love for her was not gone. They remained, along with her shattered, lonely heart.

________

Okay, this is the part where the other Rin is still inside of Delain, right? D:

[MatrixOne]

Please read the post while listening to this song: *click* (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kWo8N4QNXM)

***

"There is one last thing to do"
That... Thought, it appeared in Delain's mind, but it was not her own.
"Do not give up now. I knew this would happen to me. You are the one who has to end this once and for
all"

Everything vanished. Plain white, everywhere.
Just like when Rin influenced Delain's mind for the first time.

And then, she appeared. Unreal. Distorted.
"I am just a memory. A trace left in your mind, a mark formed by my power. I am not real. But I am also... me"
She took a step forward. None of this was real, it was only a mental projection.
"I am dead. You must finish what I started. Because if you don't, nothing will change. Defeating Father was a victory, but there will always be people who crave for power, and we can't stop it every time. My death is proof of that"
She looked at Delain, a distorted smile appearing on her face.
"You can use this power. The satellite, it's ready to go. You can change the world, you can decide of its fate"

***

Full Control.
"You can do what Father wanted to. You can use the beam as it was intended to be used. Will it end conflicts? But will it also rid us of our essence, of our humanity?"

Guidance.
"You may use the power to plant the seed of peace in every mind, without completely sacrificing their independence. Just like I manipulated you... The people won't... Feel it, they'll be happy. But is it real happiness, or will they be just tools, unaware of the fact that their free will was altered?"

New beginning.
"Perhaps if humanity gets a fresh start, the fight for power will be suppressed and removed? This choice will rid the planet of human traces and prepare it better, allowing them to evolve again, hopefully in peace"

A second chance.
"Choosing this will restore the Earth and humanity to their former glory, balancing the power from before the great war. It will also show them what could happen to the world if they wage war again. Maybe it will be enough to stop them from doing so"

Emptiness.
"None of this would happen if the world never existed. Isn't life a constant, painful struggle? If the world never existed, the pain and conflict wouldn't exist either. If you choose this, everything will vanish forever"

Example.
"You can unleash the power to bring all the people who lost their lives in the fight with Father, including Nia, and even your brother, back to life. Maybe humanity will learn from their mistakes and make sure they never happen again?"

Fate.
"You can also walk away. The satellite will vanish, and nobody will know about it. With space and time undisturbed, life will go on as it always did, and humanity might listen to reason one day. They will dictate their own future, without anybody making this choice for them"

***

The empty void disappeared. Rin disappeared. Delain was now standing in the control room, where she defeated Nia. There were six monitors, each displaying one of the choices.

Full Control.
Guidance.
New beginning.
A second chance.
Emptiness.
Example.

If Delain decides to leave humanity in the hands of Fate, all she has to do is leave the control room. Then the satellite will vanish.

"It is time to choose"

______
Only one choice will make sure humanity survives and thrives. And it's not very obvious.

Also, hitting this choice doesn't mean 'victory'. It's not a game, you can't win or lose, simply choose how you want the world to be.
Even the 'Emptiness' choice is not a defeat.
Also, you don't know if Rin will live after you choose the Example. She may live, but she also may not, since she's using last bits of her power on the satellite.
And lastly, not every choice might turn out to be like it was described. You never know...

Have fun choosing! ;]

[Naraness]

Delain's head jerked up to look at the voice. "Rin." She whispered, her heart pounding. But this was only an illusion. A ghost of who Rin was. "Please don't leave me." She begged. But she wasn't real. She was just a last whisper of guidance. A last nudge in the right direction. A last goodbye.

She was reluctant to let go of the lifeless form in her arms. She slowly stopped rocking, and looking down at her friend. At her wonderful auburn hair, and her open, green eyes. Slowly, she drew a hand over her eyelids, closing them. Now, she looked as if she could be sleeping. As if she was alive, ready to wake up at any moment. But such wasn't true. Her friend would never wake from this. This sleep would be forever. Never again would she get to see her smile, or hear the crazy way she looked at the world. She was gone. But a part of her still seemed to be inside of Delain. She still had her vision. That part of her that she had given to her.

Delain stood slowly, peeling her arms away from Rin's body. Her clothes were stained red with her blood, and red droplets fell in a steady stream to the ground, splashing in the crimson puddle at her feet.

She wiped the tears away from her eyes, creating a red smear across her face. She looked the illusion of Rin, and listened to everything that she had to say. She wished with all of her heart that she could reach out and touch her. But her friend was only a memory now.

The fate of the world was in her hands.

Delain looked at the screens. Stray tears made tracks through the blood on her face. "If I control Earth in ze way zat he intended... I will 'ave fought for nozing but control. If I 'guide' zem... Maybe zey will be happy. Maybe zey will live, and thrive. But wizout evil, tere can be no good. Life would be meaningless. A new begenning... Zat's a zought. But Humanity will repeat it's mistakes. It's in zeir nature. A second chance." She paused here. "Balance." She whispered the word. "Will zings not turn out ze same way? Perhaps, or perhaps not." She sighed. "Emptiness... No. I have not saved ze world to destroy it. You wouldn't have wanted zat." She said, looking at Rin. "Example..." Again she paused, a knot growing in her throat. What if she could bring Rin back? What if she could have her best friend at her side again? But... Would it also bring the overseer back, as well? "Fate." She choked on this word, her breath catching in her throat.

She looked at the choices, trying to figure out what it was that she wanted. Trying to figure out what the best choice was. But in the end... All she wanted was Rin. And she wasn't getting her back. "Goodbye." She said quietly, turning around, and walking out of the facility. Fate could have the Earth. Let the people choose their own future. She wouldn't save them again.

___________________

No idea if this is the right choice. It's just what I know Delain would do. Loved the music, by the way. :)

[MatrixOne]

Just the final tune: *click* (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE8Rhmy8v0E)

***

The defining characteristic of human life is that they make their own choices. Think for themselves.
Take that away, and they might as well be machines, designed with one goal in mind.

So Delain chose not to choose.
Not to interfere.

Because the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Even two hundred years after a nuclear 'disagreement', when new societies just managed to emerge from underneath the ruins of their predecessors, the same mistakes were being repeated all over again.

Even then.

Especially then.

In fact, you could just look around, and you would most likely find a perfect example of the ever-unchanged human mentality.

Like conflicts, or hunger for power.

Or conflicts because of a hunger for power.

This particular battle ended long ago - about two years. That's also when the enigmatic Overseer just disappeared, and Terminus, the faction that had control over most of North America, simply fell apart.

Nobody knows this was the time when fate of entire humanity depended on the flick of a switch.

Humanity as a whole is violent, aggressive... But there are exceptions. Silent heroes, people who lost everything for other people.

Just as one of the heroes said - "Without evil, there can be no good. Life would be meaningless".
All she ever wanted was a happy life. A friend by her side. A sun shining over her head.

But she lost it all making sure others would get a chance to obtain it.
Her deeds were not known, or rewarded. She was the only one who knew, the only one who remembered.

She was alone. But every time she looked at something, every time she saw the shape of an object - she did it thanks to a gift from her only true friend. The friend that was not there anymore. Only the memory persisted.
Because memories were all Delain had left. Were there doubts? Regrets? Second thoughts?
Only she knew.

But after those two years, it was obvious that people wouldn't change. Newformed societies grew in power, only to battle and conquer others. That's how it always has been.

Maybe it's wrong to try to preserve humanity forever?
Everything that has its beginning, also needs an end.

A life. A day. A species.

Humanity.

Their existence was filled with evil and conflicts, but there were also moments of greatness. There were heroes.
Good people.

Human lives are never pure, but... Should they be? "Without evil, there can be no good".
Maybe they've found their balance in a cycle of constant destruction and restoration.
The good, and the bad.

They chose to be this way, and it's their choice. Delain knew that when she refused to use the power of the satellite.

Thanks to her, people will live their lives just how they want, and shape the world however they desire.

She gave them freedom. She gave them choice.

The rest... Is in the hands of Fate.