p r i v a te -- ∂uəl syndяome

[[Bang Bang]]

Whether she wanted to follow or not, really, never was a choice. If she had chosen not to listen, then the entire Red Tail would watch as Modemura dragged Lye Delph by her hair to wherever it was that he was taking her. The sounds of her footsteps behind him was the only barrier between his hands and her neck. Luckily for her, she kept a good enough pace, though Bradley would still have called her a straggler. For someone who was military orientated, she sure didn't do well with pace. Half the military was all about marching, keeping formation, and making sure your speed was legit. She would have failed all three categories if this was, indeed, a military. Modemura did his best to shrug it off, though he wasn't sure why. He noticed how the littlest things about this woman irritated him. How it was easier to pin - point her mistakes over anyone else's.

He was starting to think that maybe his vendetta against her was something personal. Although, that was a bizarre theory in itself because he couldn't figure out why he would channel all his energy into hatred when he could be working on controlling his shift. Yet, almost as if it were expected, he was disappointed with her and her responses. “I don’t know, I’ve lost count. I’m not sure what you mean about that second one, coming to as in after you punched me or after I phased out of my shift? My longest, I don’t know,” That was four questions immediately wasted. What was the point in him asking the questions if she didn't know a damned thing. This possibly could have been his escape route to having to spend time with her. He could simply go back to Cyrus and tell him her responses, in turn releasing him. It quite possibly could work.

That was when her fifth response came around. “Before, it’s complicated. Um, it’s just--it's like, this previous time I decided that I had had enough. It was like all of the rage and emotion I was feeling gathering in the pit of my stomach and then engulfed my body rapidly.” Her answer was slightly vague and nothing out of the ordinary. He knew exactly what she was speaking of - about the anger welling up - but his transformation seemed so much more detailed then she could offer. He knew every stage of it and how it all felt. He understood it as if were just a casual routine, yet every time seemed to be more intense then the last. This was another subject he wasn't going to respond on. Her answers were feeble, at best, and if he could report how little information was given to him, there was a good chance he'd never have to do this again.

The two made their way in as the last ones on the lift. Because of this, they were standing at the front and would have to watch everyone else exit first, unless they too wanted to go to the third floor. Catching the lift was always a guess, unless you had been watching it previously. When it arrived, you didn't know what your chances were of reaching your destination in a hurry until it actually started up. Being on the second floor, Modemura and Delph had a fifty fifty chance of getting lucky. Either the lift was progressing upwards, to the third level, or it had just made a previous stop there and was descending to the first floor. If so, they'd have to endure a stop on the first floor, the second floor, and finally the third, before they could get off. If it wasn't obvious by now, the lift had it's own controls to move on every level (save the sixth and seventh) constantly, so long as it was occupied. There was no changing it's course, no redirection ; you got in and waited until your level arrived. It was the easiest way to operate it, all while saving loads of energy.

It was then that Modemura proposed his deal. While speaking, he dusted off his clothing out of habit. Over time, he had developed many small habits to occupy his mind away from anger and they seemed to randomly pop up without his notice. “Promise me one thing before I commit to this,” Modemura wanted to laugh right then and there. Instead he chose to listen to her as she explained her 'terms'. “You’ll give me honest and full answers; no more of this crap where you try you avoid any true answer and throw the question back in my face like I’m an idiot.” Ridiculous. The lift began to pick up, heading for the third floor, making Modemura feel better but not enough to lessen his ridicule. With a scoff, he replied, “This isn't a negotiation. You have no grounds to be making demands. Take it or leave it.” In all honesty, Delph really didn't have any place to negotiate. He wanted nothing from her, that wasn't wanted from the Red Tail, itself. His questions could easily be asked by another speaker. It was her who was benefiting from the deal he was cutting her and to try and get picky was just selfish. Besides, Modemura was a man of his word. Her delusions of him 'avoiding answers and then retorting them' was, to put it plainly, fake. Modemura didn't 'avoid' anything, he simply shut down any ideas that this was a two way conversation.

The depth of his answers would rely on a reflection of her own. Bradley had ignored the small snicker in the lift at first. It would have been more then easy to blare his severe anger in the direction of the recruit but with the small amount of space, it'd only ricochet off the walls and cause the entire lift to become heavy with fury. Not to mention, it'd be a horrible place to have to control his shift in. Avoiding all forms of distraught would be his best and only option in order to keep everyone safe. These were the thoughts, going through his mind when the lift immediately shot downwards. To keep himself from reverberating like the rest of the crowd, he leaned his back against one of the walls and held onto whatever was nearest. His body seemed to stay in place with ease, while he watched the others panicking recruits shake like matches in a box. Then, the lift stopped itself and that was when everyone went flying about. People stumbled over each other, crashed, bumped - even Lye took her turn which resulted in her bumping against him. Modemura released his hands from the side of the elevator and started to pick her back up and steady her. Once she was standing, he reached out and helped others in the lift, making sure everyone was okay.

In this process, he noticed a couple of familiar faces. He knew only two of them by name. One, being a boy who was close with one of the Red Tail Vets, was named Arden. He had been around for a while which was slightly surprising because his age didn't suggest he knew much about surviving. Then again, when you worked on the first floor, you didn't see much action. The second was a girl named Quen who he had herded not too long ago, last time it was his turn to go scout. She came with a family but they all left once the herding process was over. She was the only one who chose to fight. After the people in the lift had recovered from the fall, Modemura turned to the front, to try and find something which could explain what had just happened. In the mean time, his peripherals caught sight of Lye looking not too healthy. His concern was lacking, however. She could have been foaming at the mouth and he'd still be more interested in transporting the group to a dock over one person. A small beeping sound spoke from one of the walls, in an statical reception voice. "This is Mathis," The voice said in an immediately recognizable voice, to Modemura. He was yet another one of the vets. "We didn't realize anyone was in the lift when the power went out and we're deeply sorry. My team is working on switching the batteries as we speak. Power should be returning in just a few minutes. I hope no one is injured, we'll be back online shortly."

Damn batteries. They were always the cause to some sort of problem. When Kei used to be a functional planet, electricity surged through every building in the planet - they had nearly an unlimited stock. When the government got turned out, the power went with it. Now, they had to rely on rechargeable batteries. The time gap between Lye's and Bradley's conversation must have been enough to change the Commander's mind about his offer. Once the speaker turned off, she started to speak again. There were a few other people in the lift, talking amongst each other about this little predicament they found themselves in. “First question to you, Modemura, since I answered five of yours previously,” In all actuality, she answered only one but he wasn't about to start splitting hairs. There was a slight intrigue running through his mind which could only guess at what questions he rose in her. Soon enough, she was sitting on the floor, making Bradley not the only person who was staring down at her. “Why did you choose to become a part of the Shifter program?" After the last word escaped her mouth, the room became quiet.

Bradley turned his gaze away from her, forward once more at the closed doors of the lift. In the reflection of the metal, he could see the widened eyes and awkward faces of the people behind him. 'Ah, so they know too.' He thought. He hadn't figured his story would go that far. Then again, what they heard could always be a rumor.

"Um, Bradley, are you okay? I thought I saw you take a fall when the lift stopped." Arden said, trying to change the subject. Modemura, who had taken note of the way he used his first name, picked up on his attempt at sparing him from answering. And although he was sure that Arden knew the truth about Lye's question, being close to one of the Vets and all, he still felt like Arden was being included on a subject that didn't entail invites. “I'm fine.” He said, not referring to his physical condition but to the question Lye had just subdued him to.

“Our squadron, consisting of twenty men, was selected to become apart of the test group. They required seven volunteers.” A small scoff escaped his lips. “Required volunteers,” He repeated. It was a paradox in itself but the military seemed full of them. “Six soldiers had already signed up - they only needed one more. Fourteen men in that squadron, including myself, had grown to become what you would call, Brothers in Arms. And we had all heard about the side effects of the serum. Not to mention those subscribed to the effects would be put on the front line.” The room, if possible, grew even more awkward as Modemura spoke. He didn't want to be speaking to a crowd of eavesdroppers but being a man of his word, he had to keep the question-for-a-question deal. “I volunteered so that no one else had to.” His last bit was largely summed up compared to all the information he could have given her. Including how the fourteen vets were the brothers he had referred to. Or how they began to fight and become enemies in order to decide who would become the last test subject. Or that it seemed each member, besides Modemura, had something to fight for. All these reasons were excluded. This being because her previous answers were so badly told.

“I have no further questions for you that I'd care to ask this crowd.” He stated. So long as they were in the elevator, he didn't want to get into deeper matters with her.

[Korrye]

Commander Lye Delph of the Varro, Prisoner of War. Shifter Status Complete; Dual Syndrome Active

_______________For the short moments after Lye had asked that he answer the best that he could she was annoyed. Every time he never took her comments lightly. Someone had shoved a major stick up his a** and left it there. And now, unfortunate for her, she was stuck with this a*****e who didn’t seem to like or understand the nature of her answers. Maybe she’d be able to explain it to him later. But that of course came quick enough because soon before long there were in the elevator and she was on the floor, fighting nausea and vicious memories.


* * *


“Commencing simulation,” the intercom rang. The high pitched male voice echoed loudly in the chamber while Lye stood up to her waist in a thick solid gel. It had no give and so she was stuck, hooked into something of a virtual reality visor, strapped around her face while her arms were shackled to the floor, through the gel. When the helmet buzzed to life the vibrations hummed in her ears causing her skin to erupt in shivers, like a fly keeping close to your ear. But as the vivid scene was played before her she found herself not in the tiny white cylindrical room (no bigger than an ordinary lift) and maybe ten years back on the war front with animated soldiers rushing about her. The scene was gory, a man nearly exploded in front of her, struck by a propelled photon in the chest causing his skin to sear open and his chest to be exposed much like an autopsy with the exception that he was alive and there was now blood everywhere. Men brushed past her, tossed weapons at her and the concept of ammunition being fired at her seemed as ideal and realistic for such a simulation. However Lye refused to admit to herself that any part of it was true.

Grinding her teeth she fought to ignore what she was seeing. Part of her was kept conscious that it was all a fake story. But her soldier side overcome everything ten minutes later and soon enough, mentally, she was moving about the scene and taking part in the battle. No matter what she did she could not win, she could not kill or destroy. This helplessness and anger raised her natural heart beat and soon before long the familiar emotions were welling in her stomach and exploding over her body, taking control.

“Subject has reached dual syndrome Sir,"
"Good, push her to stay there for as long as she can endure it. Watch for signs of distress."


* * *


When she’d asked the question Lye hadn’t thought that Bradley would respond at all. In fact the people in the elevator, including a few that he knew, seemed to suck in a deep breath at the mention of the program. It seemed to be proven to her time and time again that it seemed like taboo to say the words out loud. But the voice over the intercom had reassured them earlier– it wouldn’t be long before they could all get back with what they were doing. And when the young boy came forward and asked if Modemura was okay, trying to shift any sort of focus on the subject off, Lye tilted her head and locked eyes with the boy who, upon realizing she was staring at him, became skittish. The people who knew him, they seemed so protective. How odd, she was inclined to think. When his response came she listened with little response, closing her eyes and taking in the pitch of his voice, the way the words fell from his tongue and into the air but also how they came together with what she knew of him. It, as a whole, was close to something she had thought up herself. Originally she’d figured he hadn’t been in the infantry until the program was released, that maybe he’d been patriotic for his family and signed up to protect them. So when the government terminated the program and his family died he became an a*****e. But this, this was something new to work with and think about. For awhile she said nothing and figured he would be happy about that.

In fact Lye stood up in silence and found a spot on the wall to lean on. The people, despite the cramped space, parted around her like she would infect them with some disease. Soon after the lights overhead flickered on and Lye sighed , cringing as the lift slid back into it’s regular motions. It raised itself to the third floor where more than three quarters of the passengers slid out, including the boy that Lye recognized as the one who had asked if Bradley was okay. Keeping quiet Lye waited for Modemura to make any motion that he was getting off, which he did. And when he disembarked, she quickly followed. When the doors finally closed behind them. The group immediatley dispersed, walking away through various halls to whatever it was they had wanted to do or simply to escape the situation (or so it seemed). Ly chose to wait a moment until they were somewhat absent from a crowd before she chose to speak.

“Maybe I should explain this to you,” Lye muttered, grabbing him tightly by the sleeve of his shirt and tugging him off to the side, into a hallway devoid of any people. It was a place that she hoped wouldn’t have any eavesdroppers. “When I entered that place, I was handled as a precious jewel, I was the only dual syndrome shifter ever caught. They wanted to know everything possible about the serum, how it bonded and what my body suffered when it went through a phase. When I say I don’t know how many times I’ve shifted it’s because they forced me through that maybe a thousand times in their presence. When I say I don’t know my longest shift is because they pushed me past what I would think normal. It was days at one point. Does that make sense?”

Taking a breathe she paused for a moment before continuing. “As a shifter whatever you feel or exert is like something contagious on the air, I grab onto it and I experience it. So if you’re emotional, I am too.”

Pursing her lips for a moment she hesitated with going further but she did, just to say something worth his while. Because obviously his time spent with her wasn't bringing up anything valuable. And it wasn't like she was trying to withhold information from him.

“I became a member of the fleet when I was the human equivalent of sixteen. I finished my schooling there and then the war happened. I quit when the war started because I felt that our government hadn’t done enough to prevent what was happening. I didn’t believe in what they said or did. But I was taken in by a captain who recalled my father’s previous potential and what I had shown during my time at the academy. I was dared to re-enlist so I did. But my punishment for returning was to under-go the shifter treatment. So I did. And somehow I ended up first officer and then commander for all of any hour. So, now you know. Let's go.“

The story, it pained her somewhat, to remember why she’d become so disgruntled, so out of character as a Varro when the war had erupted. And all the while that she had stood there she had clenched onto the sleeve of his shirt tighter and tighter until the very end, letting go with an "I'm Sorry," mumbled under her breath. Lye should have took it all in stride like all the others, she should have never been thinking that they would be protecting themselves but she had and it had gotten her a fare share of scorn. She had been the outcast simply for thinking that way. But she’d gotten back in and survived on her own will power. However it was not a story that she was proud of.


- Can't I get anything through his thick head!

[[Bang Bang]]

The rest of the ride seemed to run smoothly enough. After Bradley had given his answer, Lye allowed him the silence in the room to dwell in. However, his thoughts started to creep up on him, in the back of his mind, making all the events which happened a little more then a year ago start to seem real. What she had asked was just the beginning. It was the doorway to a lifetime of bad memories - at least the ones he was conscious for. Modemura tried to focus on anything else while he saw flashes of violence and regret in his eyes. In the meantime, Lye was picking herself up off the floor. It made him wonder why someone so weak could have developed the Duel Syndrome and not died from it, like many others. After all, there were plenty of soldiers who couldn't make it past the transformation, when their heart was racing past speeds never thought possible. All he had ever seen of this girl was her struggle to stay on her feet and not collapse from exhaustion. It could have been the reason why he didn't give her much attention anymore when she was on the floor having an episode.

Finally the lift had made it's way to the third floor and the doors had opened. A handful of people started to push their way out, while Modemura waited against the side wall in order to let everyone else go first. He was in no rush to get out and he didn't want to get caught in the crowd so instead, he was going to choose to go last. His eyes caught sight of Lye, on the other side of the lift, leaning against the wall. In between the passing heads and bodies which distracted their view, he could see that she was keeping her eyes on him. Once the last person who was getting off on the third floor left, Modemura stepped out, as well. He didn't pick back up on his fast pace just yet - he hadn't heard the second pair of footsteps make their way off the lift yet. When he was sure that the girl could walk a steady pace without falling to the ground and hyperventilating, he would start up again and begin to walk faster.

As they both walked, Bradley only slightly ahead of Lye, the ex-lift riders all started to disappear into their separate holes. Many of them took turns into the hallways which lead to the bunks, while others just walked away quicker then they did. As Modemura was noticing the headcount reduce to maybe three or five, Lye spoke. “Maybe I should explain this to you,” Before he could turn to face her, he felt a tightened grip against his sleeve which started to rip at him to follow. Immediately, that contact sent his heart rate climbing. Physical contact had become increasingly hard for him to decipher the difference from. Was this an attack, or a threat, or something entirely different? Should he counter it or follow along? Trying his hardest not to overreact, he simply maneuvered his body towards the direction Lye had chosen to take him. She lead him to a hallway with no lurkers around but since the entire third floor was filled with rooms, it couldn't necessarily be deemed as 'safe'. After all, if they raised their voices there was a chance it could carry through the walls.

Lye began to speak. Modemura knew this only because he saw her lips moving. His ears sounded as if two drums were being slammed savagely and relentlessly by stone hammers. The beat was quick and left no space in between each beat to listen. After a second of adjusting, he realized he could hear her, but it sounded like her voice was coming from the other side of a long tunnel. It took all of his focus to listen to her and understand the gist of what she was saying. If he was making her words out correctly - he had to keep his eyes on her mouth and listen intensely in order to understand - then she was talking about her captivity with the humans. He knew this was important and that he wanted to hear this and yet, the drumming in his ears wouldn't quit. The entire time she spoke, he was on edge, just waiting for that hand which was gripped onto him to reach for his neck and try to choke him. Or for him to feel a strain as she attempted flipping him over and suffocating him with her knee. Both being military trained, they knew so many tactics towards harming someone. Modemura was waiting for Lye to lay out on of hers.

“Does that make sense?” She asked. Or so he hoped that was what she asked. Taking in a deep gulp, he nodded responsively. If he had tried to speak, he wasn't sure how loud his voice would sound or if he was using his voice at all.

It was almost painful for Bradley to have to stand there, with his guard at it's highest and no sense of sound to guide him. He wished that Lye would just get past her disguise and attack him already so he could give into the adrenaline and stop fighting the borderline between explosive and sedentary. It was then that she started to speak again and Bradley felt her hand on him tighten. Although his eyes were on the movements of her lips once again, he only saw Lye drawing a blade and thrusting it towards his abdomen. He couldn't remember if he mentally scanned her items beforehand. Was it possible that she could be holding something? His bewilderment on whether the Red Tail would even allow it, distracted him. By far, Lye was the most talkative person in the Red Tail base as of now. At least, the most talkative towards him. Being new, she didn't know that Modemura didn't have conversations with people. Unless it was one of the vets and the conversation was necessary, he was rarely caught talking. So when Lye went into another long story, Bradley wondered if she did this to everyone or if it was him who had triggered some sort of confessional moment.

Her story finally ended and Modemura thought he managed to understand the majority of it. When she finished, her hand loosened on his sleeve until her grip was entirely gone. Bradley thought that would be the end of it; that his guard would sink down and the drums would cease. However, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Lye recreated the distance between them, but it made no dent which caused Modemura to panic. He was on the brink of a shift and he couldn't stop himself. Since he was never the kind to ask for help or share information, he didn't say a word about his physical status. Instead he pushed himself off of the wall he had leaned his body on and attempted moving forward. “We need to hurry.” He said in a voice that was deeper and darker and not his at all. It sounded as if his voice box had been replaced by an entirely different Varro. If Modemura was under normal conditions, he wouldn't be capable of mimicking the voice, if he tried.

As usual, Bradley walked quickly. It was for a different reason this time, but none the less, he was rushing. After walking past four hallways of endless doors all separated by equal distances, he made a turn for the fifth hallway and close to jogged. Modemura did his best to hide the pain that he was feeling from his chest due to the speed his heart was taking, but the sweat which trickled from his forehead more then likely gave something away. The drums in his ears kept him from hearing anything Lye could have said so if she had spoken, he wouldn't have noticed it. When he got to room 919, he paused and ran his thumb over the grid on the wall. The door beeped and Modemura opened the door. Inside was a room which was spotless. The bed was made, the floor was swept, the walls were white and blank. Unlike the others, this room only had one bed in it which left space for a desk with a monitor built in it. He may have been one of the originals but unlike the others, he didn't ask for a room which was separate from the third level. All he required was that he have no bunk - mate. Modemura stepped inside and stumbled once while heading for the closet.

He was breathing slightly heavily as he slid back the door and threw clothes and items aside, making a mess on the floor. He knew what he was looking for but he couldn't remember where he put it. He reached up and grabbed a box on the top shelf then pulled out exactly what he needed. Turning around, Modemura took in three deep breaths and faced Lye as best as he could without looking like something was wrong. In his hand he held out a pair of clothes which hadn't been used in over a year. It was a woman's outfit, army based but holding no logo of the Varro military nor any camouflage. “It should fit.” He mumbled, again in a voice that was no where near his own. When Modemura saw her in the War Room, he had sized her up as well as noticed that her clothes were ridiculously large on her. After he handed it over, he noticed the discoloration in his hands. Very slowly they were turning a sickly color of dark grey which could only leave him questioning what his face would look like. “You need to go.” He told her, half pushing her out. His thoughts started to spot again, leaving him only seeing for a moment Lye holding the clothes, then Lye moving for the door, then the door shutting. When he blinked, he was on the floor, breathing like a maniac and clutching his heart as it made an attempt to rip out of his chest.

He had no memory of it, but he had hoped that he remembered to seal the door after closing it so that after he shifted, he didn't have a way out without proper finger print identification. It might have been the lack of fury this time around, but his shifting felt much more extreme then any other time before. Usually all his pain hid behind the comparison of his anger so nothing felt as intense. Whatever emotion had sent him over the edge, wasn't anger. Modemura let out a loud yell as his body shifted over and his memory blacked out.

[Korrye]

Commander Lye Delph of the Varro, Prisoner of War. Shifter Status Complete; Dual Syndrome Active

_______________As she was so caught up in telling her story, coming clean to him, Lye had no sense of how she was affecting him. Grabbing onto his shirt was habitual when she wanted to get someone’s attention. The physical contact he had used himself recently, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the door, it all seemed to point that he had no issue with it. But after she finished Lye watched him bob his head in accordance. What, no rebuttal? No looking past her as if her words meant nothing? It was then that she began to sense his tension and unease with her. Was it something she had said? When he pushed off the wall and said that they had to go Lye took a second to look around her. Why? There wasn’t anyone there? Or was she missing something? God she felt so out of it lately! This vulnerable state was so unlike her and she hated that she couldn’t control herself. Like a roller-coaster, especially after spending a year on drugs that took away any sense of personality that she had had before. But more so the tone of voice he used, Lye sucked in a deep breathe. It wasn’t him. And in fact the hairs on her arms began to rise. Had it really been so long since she’d been around another shifter? Yes and as she walked after him, nearly jogging to keep up, Lye found her intuition picking up on what was happening. And this scared her more than she would have ever let on.

Getting to his room seemed like three quick bounds down a nearly endless hallway of matching doors and plain walls. When the door slid open to the clean and open space Lye held back for a moment. When he rushed inside he knew immediately where he was going-his closet. And the immaculate space that had been his was soon disturbed as he threw clothes on the floor and then a set at her. It was standard issue street clothes for a female soldier, maybe a few years old yet clean. Catching them she watched him change before her, his skin seemed to crawl and then change so suddenly, growing paler and paler. Yet his face told her that nothing was wrong. Lye stood there holding the clothes, her senses pulsing as he continued to change. Alarms were going off in her head. He was phasing. He couldn’t control himself. And the worst part was when he forced her out of the door. Stumbling out into the hallway Lye immediately dropped the clothes in her arms and rushed the door which slid shut in front of her. “Bradley!” she shouted, pounding a fist against the metal. When the sounds came, the screams, her ears rang. Lye turned her back on the door so that her face looked out across the hall. Though her own pulse was elevated it was nowhere near what it would need to be for her to phase. Leaning her head back against the door she listened. And the noises that greeted her were ones of disaster.

Inside the room a commotion appeared to be going on. Lye could hear what appeared to be claws tearing through metal, breaking furniture and shredding fabric. If he managed to rip through the walls Lye couldn’t be sure that people were in the surrounding rooms. And with the growing noise from inside a few doors slid open and heads began to peak out, curious and widening eyes looked at her. Lye squeezed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath before making her decision.

“Close and lock your doors, run. Get out, now!”

At first a few people exchanged odd looks with her. But then the metal of Modemura’s door suddenly jarred, a solid push from inside sent Lye forward. The pounding continued.

“Leave or barricade yourselves now! That’s an order!”

It was then that they started to run, most of them heading straight past her for the lifts. Smarter ones took the stairs to avoid the wait. Others, she heard, locked their doors. In maybe two minutes the hallway was nearly vacant, three people waited for the lift at the far end. Closing her eyes Lye focused on the reverberations on the walls of Modemura’s room and the sounds he made. Then she flipped her focus, running through the past week and before finally bringing herself to that moment when she’d been strapped belly down to a gurney with Humans fishing in her lumbar column. “The a*****e,” she pushed herself. “Protect those people, feel it, remember that hatred.”

The anger welled faster than she would have ever anticipated. Her skin when pale and cold until the darkness crept over her hairline, exploding from her stomach over her body until her skin was rippling with it. Energy crept through her, sending her hair flying out behind her like fire. And when she opened her eyes they were white with a solid teal iris, they focused on the door. The pounding continued, she watched, the pounding ended however when a solid punch was through the metal and the door itself was through off of it’s slider, launched through towards her. Lye caught it with two hands and lunged at the beast that had been Bradley, extending the metal out towards him. But he caught the door too and tossed it and her with it back into the hall. Lye smashed into the paneling sending out a wave of debris and a spiderweb of cracks and fissures around an imprint of her shift. Screaming in anger she let her shift take her, pushing the door back out onto the floor. But again Bradley came at her, pushing himself off of the floor so hard that he left indents. Hitting her he struck her hard in the shoulders. Lye, though pinned, kicked her legs up into his stomach and forced them out to extend. Bradley momentarily lost his grip but not before he threw his right first up into the base of her jaw. When the force hit her Lye’s anger grew stronger. Anger at herself for losing, hatred for the reckless beast in front of her.

Releasing an animalistic screech she bucked under Modemura’s pin, thrusting her head into a head butt which made solid contact with Bradley’s own. Sending him back somewhat Lye regained her footing. But as she stood there the man made eye contact with the three Varro waiting for the lift. And suddenly he leapt off like a hungry bear stalking prey. Before he could reach them Lye pushed off of the ground in a tackle, grabbing Modemura from behind by the shoulders and pulling him to the ground, rolling with him while he thrust his every limb at her. Lye felt the gouges of claws and noticed a faint trail of silver on the floor—her blood. But that didn’t faze her; instead she kept with him, rolling him into a wall which shook from their force, another web of cracks meshed their way up to the ceiling. Dodging any further punches towards her face Lye wrapped her legs around his waist and her left arm in a tight lock under his jaw, her other hand other her wrist tight and pulling as tightly as she could across his airway. Bradley’s body refused to run out of options, his shift screamed at her in pitches that caused her to flinch. But her vice grip was something that she refused to let go of. And the more he put up forced Lye to exert further pressure on him, to cut off his breathing.

Just as she thought he was losing tension Lye eased. But suddenly Bradley thrust an arm up through her grip connecting with her left ear. In reflex Lye released her grip and suddenly the beast was free. His rampage would not be done it seemed, as he took two lunges towards his former door before picking it up and thrusting it back at her. Dodging, Lye rolled to her left. The metal impaled the wall, slicing itself a patch until it was halfway into someone’s quarters. Charging after him Lye threw himself at him yet again, this time with a swift kick to the head. For once he didn’t have a chance to catch her as she landed the side of her leg against her waist through which she forced as much power as she could, sending him dancing sideways. The setting in which they were fighting seemed to pass in a blur now. Lye kept herself in the moment with an ease she never knew she had. And when Modemura went sideways following her kick Lye sent a swift uppercut into his jaw sending him onto his back and sliding, literally, through the floor. When he rose to stand Lye sent a kick into his knee causing him to stumble, sending a wild thrust at her waist and connecting, tearing through what was her flesh.

Retaliating Lye resorted screeched again, tossing her head back before finally exerting her last bouts of stored energy. Leaping forward she twisted her body rapidly, leaping off off her left foot into a butterfly kick connecting with the back of Modemura’s head as he rushed towards her and just past her. When he landed onto the ground he made no movement and Lye collapsed behind him onto the floor. Phasing out she grabbed at the clothing that he had given her earlier, dragging it over her body as the darkness receded, revealing bare, bruised and gouged skin. Her left shoulder was sliced open and bleeding heavily amongst others while her head spun from Bradley’s consistent blows. Sitting in a pile of debris she breathed through her mouth and stared at a single spot on the ceiling. Never had her arms ever felt so heavy in their sockets, her muscles sore and so tense while her fists and palms were raw. “You a*****e,” she muttered, leaning up against the wall to keep herself at least sitting up.

When Emeric arrived what met his eyes was nearly a war zone

“You really need to keep a leash on that one,” Lye joked, pulling at the edges of the clothes so as to keep herself concealed. Because whatever she had been wearing earlier barely clung to her frame, so torn and bloody.


- I controlled myself...I willed myself into my shift on my own...

[[Bang Bang]]

Crossing over to the other side was bliss. There was no struggle, no need to keep guard, and absolutely no violent thoughts. Even sleep didn't make Modemura feel so...free. It was like all his built up emotions were cradling his exhaustion and finally allowing him to be rid of them. Mentally, Bradley remembered nothing. His conscious mind shut down, leaving him to feel as if he had fallen asleep. One minute he was hyperventilating on the floor of his room and the next, he was waking up elsewhere. Physically, he did recall something slight. It was as if his body was being drained of emotion. The paranoia and anxiety he had felt subsided, little by little, until there was nothing left. Every now and again, the two emotions would burst with new life but only to be met by more draining. Modemura could feel his body urging out the overload of feelings, in order to get them out of his system - almost as if it were a poison in his blood. When finally, there was nothing left to be absorbed, Bradley started to come to. Where he woke, wasn't where he remembered passing out.

As Modemura began to open his eyes, he noticed his head had been laying in a dent which was shaped perfectly around his body. The metal floor was warm, just like his skin which had just recently started to subside from a 140 degrees F. Humanly, it wasn't possible to reach such heights in temperature but Varro's were more durable when it came to physical activity. The duel syndrome also required more body heat in order to phase. Bradley lifted his hand towards his face and pressed off the floor in order to sit up. He immediately saw his fingertips were covered in a silver substance that he quickly recognized as blood. Pushing his sore body upwards, and forcing himself to roll over onto his back, he started to see the damage of his phase. The hallway was a complete wreck. There were dents all over the floor, cracks in the wall, blood lined the room in different directions, and clothes were tattered all around. Bradley immediately began to panic. He could instantly see himself ripping innocent varro limb from limb like they were tissue paper. As his heart attempted to skyrocket, once more, he only felt dizzy in response. He didn't have the energy to phase once more yet.

Ahead of him, he spotted Lye and Emeric. Behind Emeric were six men with guns, all loaded and ready to fire. On the lift behind them, he could see even more men beginning to unload. Lye, who was closest to him, looked like she just went through hell. She had gouges all through out her body which leaked silver blood over her skin. Bradley's eyes made contact with her clothing, sending him into a whirl of flashbacks that he fought back with as much energy as he could muster. 'She looks a lot like her.' Very soon, Bradley was turning towards Emeric, only to see that his eyes, too, were locked on Lye. Except, he didn't carry the same look of panic as Modemura did. Only nostalgia leaked through his eyes, making Bradley choke back the sorrow he felt bubbling in his throat. He lowered his head, in silence. Emeric kept his eyes on Lye as he spoke, keeping a low voice the entire time.

"Take them both to a holding cell." Modemura winced, as if his words had just stabbed him. The men who positioned themselves around Emeric now started to move towards both Lye and Bradley. “Emeric, please.” Bradley beckoned. Emeric didn't say a word though - he simply stared into Lye's eyes. Bradley had no energy to resist the two men who were lifting him up by the pits of his arms. Even though he wasn't using a single bound of energy, it still hurt to be moved. The men shifted Bradley into a standing position, though his feet hardly scraped the floor. Once the two of them were both secured, the seven of them - Lye, Bradley, the four guards who were holding them, and Emeric - all moved for the lift. The other men had already taken a separate lift to the sixth floor. When the doors of the lift closed, Emeric placed his finger on the grid below the speaker, causing a small beep to respond. Bradley soon spoke, afterward. “Emeric, you have to reconsider.” He felt as though he had much more to say, but from the corner of his eye, all he kept seeing was Lye and her outfit, which only distracted him. "You know I can't do that. You've proven to be too much of a threat."

“Don't do this.” His words fell on deaf ears. The lift soon opened up and the group was greeted by another pack of men. Among them, he spotted Cyrus. As the man took a look at the group, his eyes furrowed at the sight of Lye, but soon looked away. Bradley started to push his body backwards with what little energy he summoned but the two men holding him easily shoved him forwards. “Emeric, just listen to me. You can take me in, but don't drag her into this,” Modemura tried to bargain, giving up on the idea that they would let him go. “You and I both know this has nothing to do with her and-” Bradley was quickly interrupted. "This has everything to do with her." Emeric disagreed. He seemed stubborn about changing his mind. “Just listen to me, you idiot!” Bradley shouted, knowing his anger was on the rise. Emeric turned and grabbed Modemura by the shirt - the shirt which Bradley was now realizing was tattered and hanging by a thread. "No, you listen," He said in a low hum. "I finally have you and there's not a goddamn thing you can do to save yourself. Not this ti-"

“I spent my whole life trying to make it up to you, why can't you just-” Modemura was yet again cut off. "It doesn't change anything." Shoving his body forward, to push Emeric off of him, he yelled, “Why not?!” In response, Emeric ripped at his shirt, harder and shoved him back, as well, screaming, "Because it won't bring her back!" His hand instinctively pointed at Lye. Upon noticing, he pulled his hand away and released Bradley. He started to straighten up while Modemura was awestruck. His eyes remained wide and slowly lowered to the floor. "Escort them to the holding ce-" This time, he was not interrupted by someone else's voice. A thunderous roar shook the entire building, leaving everyone too look around for the source, dumbfounded. An immediate alarm rang throughout the levels, skipping the sixth and seventh, but still being loud enough to hear. "They're here." Cyrus said. Even though 'they' was a very vague description, Bradley was sure everyone knew what he meant. "That's impossible!" A soldier shouted.

Cyrus looked towards Lye and immediately, understanding flowed through his face. "It makes sense now..." He stepped over and slowly pressed his finger towards a smear of blood on her skin. He lifted it up to his finger and smelled it, delicately. "They needed her to report to the infirmary today - her blood wasn't responding to the litmus test." Emeric didn't seem to catch on as quickly. He didn't specialize in science like Cyrus did. "So?" He asked. Cyrus smeared the blood in between his thumb and index finger. "She's bugged. We didn't find it because it's in her blood. But when you're blood is being nano-traced, your PH balance neutralizes perfectly, so a litmus test would be ineffective." Modemura looked towards Lye, but not as a Varro. All she seemed to be now, was an instrument. Wherever she went, the humans would be able to follow so long as she had nano-tracers in her blood.

"We need all men on the front line. Get the Goliaths up and running. We need to hit them with everything we've got. No survivors." The soldier who Emeric was speaking to brought his fist to his chest in salute and nodded, then ran off to the stairs. Bradley finally felt now would be the right time to speak, “You can't lock me up, not now.” Emeric nearly laughed. "And why not?"

“Because I belong out there, fighting. At least give me the possibility of dying, fighting for what I believe in, then rotting in a cell. I deserve at least that much.” Emeric paused, finally finding some sense in Modemura's words. He sighed and signaled to the men who were holding both Lye and Bradley to release them. The second Bradley was on his feet, he stumbled and tried to hold himself up. "You better pray, for your sake, that you do die, today." Modemura looked at Lye and jerked his head towards the lifts, signaling for her to follow. He slowly stepped into the lift and waited for Lye to enter along side him. Then he pressed his thumb on the grid which started the elevator back up and sent it moving downwards. Modemura sighed and leaned back against the walls, trying to restore his energy by not standing up straight. “We're both going to have to fight, that much isn't an option. Are you capable of phasing?” When the lift stopped at the third floor, Modemura stepped off. “I need clips.” He stated. He quickly saw the damage he had done once more, only this time people were flooding the halls, running towards the stairs and lifts with speed. Many of them had weapons in their hands while others were dressed in army apparel. Modemura knew he'd be sniping his enemies, due to the lack of energy his body contained. He had chosen a very poor time to phase, and unfortunately, it might cost his side many lives.

As the two made their way for Bradley's door - less room, he stepped in to greet the horrible mess he had made. His bed was torn to shreds, his desk was mince meat, the monitor was flickering with a craze, the walls were all dented and punctured, and his closet still looked like a tornado had whirled by. Bradley caught sight of himself in a cracked mirror and noticed his shirt looked ridiculous. With one quick pull, he ripped it off, revealing the Y-shaped scar which sprawled out across his chest like a super hero symbol. The scar was a dark red and looked as if it were still healing, even though it had finished healing months and months ago. His chest was also now growing blue and green spots from where Lye had landed heavy blows to his ribs. He had managed to escape their battle without shedding any blood, though he could feel every last bruise. However, he had no idea it was Lye who had caused all the pain.

[Korrye]

Commander Lye Delph of the Varro, Prisoner of War. Shifter Status Complete; Dual Syndrome Active

_______________When Emeric saw her, amongst the wreckage, he ducked into the entrance way of one of the rooms to grab a quilt. Bringing it over to her, without any sort of smile, he held it around her, turning his head away for a brief second while she tossed the clothes on. When she finished he tossed it away, knelt down in front of her.

“s**t,” he muttered, bringing his hands under her jaw to trace along a large gnash, the blood sticky and drying. However the cut itself was half healed, the edges flushed pink against her dark skin.

“I’m fine,” Lye said, turning her head away and grabbing at his wrist with her left hand, bringing it down to his side and releasing it. The way he was looking at her, it was almost discomforting. In his eyes, for the few brief moments that she looked into them, Lye felt as if she were a ghost in front of him. All of the sudden the large number of men sucked in a deep breath, adjusting their weapons to aim at the heap of a man in the gouge on the floor. “The crater that I sent him into,” she reminded herself, refusing to smile now. Yet Emeric didn’t stop looking at her. Lye kept her head bowed, away from Emeric’s gaze but also averting Modemura.

“Take them both to a holding cell,” Emeric announced. At the sound of his voice, so close to her, Lye nearly jumped. A shiver rippled through her cooling body.

“Wait, what?” she replied, wrapping one arm around her stomach and using the other to tuck loose strands of her hair behind her ears and out of her face. When they grabbed Bradley and carried him in front of her Lye could only fall in line. When they entered the lift Lye sucked in a half panicked breath, shoving herself in the back corner between two of the guards. All the while Bradley seemed to protest. What was wrong with what had happened? Sure the floor was nearly destroyed but it was still standing and no one had seriously been hurt. In fact, as a shifter her body healed twice as fast as any normal Varro.

By the time the lift landed Lye could no longer flush out the hum of the argument between Emeric and Bradley. When the doors slid open the crowd greeted them with suspicious and frightened gazes.

“Emeric, just listen to me. You can take me in, but don't drag her into this, you and I both know this has nothing to do with her and-”

"This has everything to do with her."

Her, they kept using that word. Her, her her. “Did I do something wrong?” she tried to interject. But they were so caught up in one another that they couldn’t be bothered. Emeric’s intensity was startling, he had yet to ever see him in such a mood.

“Just listen to me, you idiot!” Bradley shouted. The frustration in his voice boosted her heart rate. When Emeric whirled around Lye unfurled her arms from around her chest and took a step forward only to feel a tug on her shoulder by one of the armed guards. Watching as Emeric grabbed Bradley she couldn’t help but feel panicked.

“Emeric, wait, you don’t under----“

No, you listen I finally have you and there's not a goddamn thing you can do to save yourself. Not this ti-"

“I spent my whole life trying to make it up to you, why can't you just-”

Everytime that Modemura was cut off Lye felt her heart surge. Frustrated she continued to try and step forward, the guard only gripped her shoulder harder and harder, eventually taking hold of her arms behind her back completely.

"It doesn't change anything." Emeric told him.

“Why not?!”

Watching as Bradley’s shirt was ripped clean, despite already hanging in tatters, Lye felt about ready to scream.

"Because it won't bring her back!"

When Emeric’s finger extended to her the guard immediately released her. Lye stepped forward and stared at his hand.

“I look pretty alive, don’t I?” she said aloud. But it was becoming more and more apparent that there was a history here, something that she wasn’t going to hear about later either.

"Escort them to the holding ce-"

Lye gasped at the interruption, staring immediately at the floor and covering her ears with her hands as the roar ripped through the building. This, this was familiar. Underneath her she could remember the building collapsing, being left mid-air like some cartoon figure only to fall with the rubble. When the alarm started buzzing Lye licked her lips and stood tall. Cyrus, from the elevator earlier, announced what she knew as there. Nothing was impossible for them.

When Lye looked up she saw Cyrus approach her. Instinct told her to take a step back but she didn’t. Instead she stared level into his face.

"It makes sense now..."

When his finger pressed smooth across her skin it felt so cold and dry. When he brought it to his nose Lye looked at him as if he was nearly mad.

"They needed her to report to the infirmary today - her blood wasn't responding to the litmus test."

“So?” Emeric immediately questioned. But understanding came immediately to her.

[********] she muttered, her left hand extending to her back and tracing the small scabs from her most recent incision. That’s what that was and had been.

"She's bugged. We didn't find it because it's in her blood. But when you're blood is being nano-traced, your PH balance neutralizes perfectly, so a litmus test would be ineffective."

The immediate change in atmosphere, with how they regarded her, she saw what she thought to be betrayal in a few of their eyes, like she wasn’t even alive anymore. Had…had she been…wait, no! Was…had she been released intentionally? Was that why she didn’t remember? Lye’s mind was spinning and from the back of her head came a mounting pressure, much like a migraine.

"You better pray, for your sake, that you do die, today."

Having phased out so much of his conversation Lye came out of her reverie to the sound of rustling people, many of the Varro began to take flight off to some station or other. Lye watched Modemura jerk his head towards the life ad when he started towards it she followed; looking over her shoulder at Emeric who only stared at her like she was a ghost. When the lift shot down Lye extended an arm for the wall to brace herself, hanging her head low, almost forgetting to breathe. The headache shot from the base of her head to her temples; in her ears she thought she heard something of a faint buzz. Even though her body should still have been cooling she felt her core temperature rising. Looking over to her wrist her heart rate monitor was severely damaged, the face plate split.

“We're both going to have to fight, that much isn't an option. Are you capable of phasing? I need clips.”

They returned to their war zone and when Lye stepped out into the wreckage she felt her eyes averted from the walls and floor, picking the back of Bradley’s head instead. Deep down she knew that something was wrong; the noise began to pick up in her ears. When Bradley spoke it was like listening through a wall, foggy and slurred.

“I need one too,” she said aloud, referring to the clips. God she needed something to get rid of the damn noise! Choking back a mouthful of phlegm Lye watched as they reached his room.

“Sniping equipment too, I’ll start long range.”

God she hadn’t use something like this is in over a year. For an instant she yearned for her former weapons, the one’s she’d modified and collectively built upon during her participation in the war. Instead she was receiving something standard issue, something that probably had never been shot or levelled. Waiting in the halls she refused to enter, respecting his privacy and almost trying to avoid him. The noise in her ears continued to rise until eventually she could feel the steady beat of her heart in her ears. If people died today or were taken captive it was her fault. This burden welled up a pool of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Now she was garbage to them. It was something that would consistently be held against her, one would think. When Bradley emerged they took off for the armoury. Keeping pace with him Lye cringed through her pain, trying her best to concentrate on the task at hand. If she was leading this resistance to a fight she would show to them just why she had been made a commander for all of an hour.

Look for rounds that will chase heat signatures, instead of locking on using a frequency lock. They can refuse those and send our own rounds back at us. They’re going to have Valkyries with lift to drag ratios that will put them beyond anything that you can lock onto. I suggest that if you have anything that can block a photon frequency send it up, that’ll make it screwy for them to navigate. Otherwise we may have to improvise.”

There really was little else she could do. When he gave her a weapon she felt the coldness of it against her body, concentrating on it as she ran her hands over the trigger pin and locking mechanisms. When he had his back turned, for whatever reason, she started grabbing at familiar objects; small tedious things that she preferred to have on her. The scope she saw, on the weapon, was only a 150x. Lye grabbed an add on and shoved it into the pocket of her pants, all the while grabbing a camouflaging protective best and tossing it over her head. Suddenly she found herself pulling at other familiar objects, as if having them was a no brainer. Tossing a hand held rail gun over her shoulder she finished with stuffing a series of flares into a holster on the vest. When Bradley took her out to their spot they ended up with choice space on the rooftops of the hideout. Keeping low, she crept up to the ledge, setting the large sniper rifle down beside her, extending it’s legs, before bringing sliding a pair of scoping lenses onto her eyes. The glasses instantly lit up with heat signatures which led Lye to adjust them by hand, extending her vision five kilometers out where she caught sight of the white hovering artillery vehicles from a place too familiar to her. Above them she saw the flash of a Valkyrie fighter jet, circling until it would be given the exact coordinates via photon laser identification. It seemed like there was so little that they could do. Turning off the lenses Lye turned her back to the hoard of humans gathering at the edge of the field, bringing her weapon into her lap and twisting on the additional scope and turning her head to catch a drift of what the others were planning or doing to prepare themselves. The buzzing persisted in her ears, the headache pushed her heartbeat hard into her temples. In her lap she also had Modemura's clip, something that she planned to use just before they were set to start. "I have brought these people into this, I am damn well going to show them what I can do."


- I now fight for my people, whether they want me there or not.