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 Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:39 pm
It sits at the heart of the city, renown as the tallest skyscraper on the planet. Built in 2450, the tower was intended to stand as a symbol of Genesis’ position in the world, a guiding light that everyone looked up to, leading humanity into the future several steps at a time. It’s monitored by a super-intelligent AI named Cicero, though there are multiple occupying the building. It is rumored that Ves Nuada resides on the tallest floor, overlooking his city like a god. No one ever sees him as he comes and goes, so it hasn’t been confirmed, though the most radical theories have been born as a result of this. Some say he is really Gal Nuada, having succeeded in achieving ageless immortality, others say he isn’t even real and is only a projection of a young Gal Nuada, and some even claim he’s just a fiction created by Genesis. A growing amount of people don’t believe he exists, even though his sister seems to be real, while others ponder the illusive mystery that is Ves Nuada.
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 2:43 pm
Ves watched the city from the window of his office, his hands clasped behind his waist in a reverse arm-fold. It looked so beautiful from his elevation: the landscape built by man to serve as representations of their achievements, the ships that sailed the skies, the countless people that inhabited it. It was five o’clock in the afternoon, and it was easy to see what was below with the sun shining gloriously over the city. He’d taken the organization farther than it ever dreamed it could go, but there was a tragedy hidden beneath all this. He was, above all, a mortal man, much to the disbelief of the theorists who pondered his mystery. Yes, he was aware of what they claimed, and he wished they were true, more than ever.
He’d called for Ceto just a few minutes prior, the reason being that he had news he’d been meaning to tell her. Despite wishing to contact his sister as well, she was managing a very important project, and he wasn’t willing to interrupt her research if the news could wait. She’d know soon enough, and it must’ve been important, seeing as it was specifically in-person that he wanted to inform. It had been plaguing his head for some time now, and he felt it appropriate to explain himself. Perhaps he’d inform his sister tonight when she wasn’t occupied with her schedule.
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 7:14 pm
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ceto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was in this manner that she found him, the office door gave a quiet 'swish' as it closed behind the strange female.. Her finned tail gently swaying across the floor behind her pawed feet as Ceto paused to study the figure. A faint inhale made it clear why.. The creature's ears flattening back as she sank down to her haunches and settled onto all fours; The rather defined fingers on her hands curling into her palms until only paws could be seen where hands had been. A hesitant step.. Ceto watching her companion intently.. and then she moved closer. Every step brought her a better view of the world beyond that glass.. and it was as foreign to her now as it had been the first time she'd witnessed it. In a way she could understand the awe it inspired.. but honestly, in her heart, she favored the sea that lurked in her dreams.
Pressing her cold nose against his clasped hands the creature continued the contact as she rubbed against his side, ducking her head under his arm so that his elbow could stroke down her neck and come to rest on her shoulder blade. It was meant to comfort him, hints of her own pheromones drifting through the contact to ease some of the stress she could sense in the figure. Only for he, and his sister, would she do such a thing.. Though it had been such a short time she'd bonded with the pair rather deeply. Enough so that she worried for them.. and came when they called. Lifting her head the finely finned structures of her ears quirked up as if in question, her mind gently brushing against his as if not wishing to disturb his thoughts. " .. Ves?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 7:41 pm
The compound simply wasn’t the place for such news, hence why it was specifically his office. Her senses were sensitive, so precautions were taken when she was brought there. Despite Ceto’s limited understanding of the world, he knew quite well of her capacity for learning. When she neared, his hand naturally found its way to rest upon her shoulder blade. He found some relief through the pheromones she emitted, so it was easier to speak his mind. He spoke only two words at the time, two powerful words, “I’m dying.” His voice said plenty, the uncertainty, as if the cold truth had pierced him. While creatures were naturally dying all the time, his was a special case, a death sooner than a simple lifespan. He’d likely evaluate more, but he needed to let that settle first. The fact that he was willing to share this very personal moment with her said plenty of his respect for Ceto. Death was inescapable, but this was simply too soon for a man such as himself.
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:03 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ceto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dying.. A slow blink answered him.. Ceto turning her head towards the window as she grappled with the meaning behind those grim words. Steadily, she had started to learn the tongue of these creatures.. Their way of thinking and the emotions that they tried to control were quite complicated compared to her own. Yes, they were complex, but her companions had never hesitated to help her understand. Every step, Val or Ves had taken care of her.. But this was a concept she knew very well on her own. Their word, dying, was another phrase for 'death'.. In her mind it translated to the feelings of absence, sadness, and loss. The others like her, those that resided in her dreams, she knew they were gone in this manner.. but she did not wish for Ves to join them.
Ceto's head lowered a bit, her weight shifting a bit more against his side as she closed her eyes. Gathering her thoughts she sent him the image of his sister, Val, sitting at her desk.. Curiosity and worry lacing the silent question. Did she know? Could they help him?
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:40 am
“Val isn’t aware, not yet at least,” he replied. He’d tell her as soon as she was available. While he knew she’d arrive in a heartbeat if he stressed the urgency, he was a man who valued the cultivation of knowledge, and her project was a priority. “When she discovers my condition, she’ll do what she can. I can only hope the answers are found before it’s too late. I’ve discovered the early signs of degradation, and I have anywhere from a few weeks to a few months before I’ll pass from this world. At the moment, I can only postpone it, I’m afraid. You see, my father believed that he perfected human cloning, because I was the only specimen to show no signs of degradation. He was wrong.” Ves proceeded to extend his left arm and pull the sleeve back to display the easily-perceived veins, signs of his body degrading. “It’s a slow, painful death. I’ll lose my sanity long before I lose my life.” After he lowered his arm and sleeve, he spoke once more. “I’ll be going away for a while, a private facility where they’ll be keeping me during the duration of the search.” He was the most capable of finding a cure, but he would degrade faster if he was at work, leaving his life in the hands of the peopleasure he led. “I called you here because I don’t want you to remember me as the weak, dying man. When you gaze upon me in your memories, I want you to recall me as I am now, standing strong, looking upon this same window, as I have for many years.” It was agonizing to recall what he’d seen. His father showed him what happened to the failed clones long ago, and now he was on his way to joining them.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:44 am
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ceto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gently, so very gently, Ceto lifted her muzzle until she could press the side of her nose against his sleeve; The female offering a small lick against the fabric.. though she knew it would do nothing to heal the wound he had explained to her. To be a clone, a creature created from another, she understood very well what they were.. yet, as he spoke, she could also feel the chaos rolling in his mind. Fear, self restraint, desperation.. To know one was dying far too soon yet unable to slow it. They might have been 'created' but they were living things, different from their original in many ways yet bound to them just the same.
Sitting down the creature wrapped her tail around his legs, tapping her fin against his shins as she flexed the dorsal upon her back.. Her mind slipping more firmly into his own as distress radiated from her. " I want to go." She had full faith in Val's abilities, disliked the idea of leaving her.. but to let him suffer alone was not something the Nereids would allow. " I'm.. also a clone. My fate?" Was this also to be her death, being a clone as well? If so, she did not mind.. being the last of her own species all she had left as a 'kind' were those known as clones.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 11:12 am
He politely shook his head. “Val may need you. You were engineered with far more precision; there may be a chance your genetic coding can save me. Trust me, dear friend, you’ll do far more for me if you stay with Val.” He was impressed by her conviction in not abandoning him to die, but she could only ease his suffering if she attended to him, where else she could potentially save him if she was with Val. She, too, was curious to her own condition, and he managed to smile, bearing good news for her, though he wished he could say the same. “You were created from a purified sample with no existing damage to the cells. As far as I can tell, there is no reason you should degrade. I, on the other hand, was engineered incorrectly. I’ve long suspected a chance I may degrade, but no signs were seen. I thought they succeeded, but the technology was unfit to create a perfectly identical copy, so alterations were made, alterations they shouldn’t have made.” In a foolish attempt to enhance his clone, Ves’ father condemned him.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:12 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ceto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hesitation.. and then the creature gave a slow nod, visibly collecting herself as she suppressed the need to argue with him on the matter. In this world she did not know much.. but she did know the Nuada siblings. Fawning over Ves and treating him like a victim would frustrate the male, he was one used to wielding power not being at the mercy of someone else.. or having anyone witness his discomfort. Val was brilliant, patient, and unyieldingly dedicated. Ceto would trust their judgment, if it meant she could help him recover from this. But it did not mean she was happy about leaving him at such a time.
A low rumble, somewhere between a purring sound and a growl, vibrated from her throat as the Nereids gave him a gentle whack with her tail.. Watching him from the corner of her eye as if warning him to mind himself. " You will rest." Ves was a busy body, she did not trust him to behave and sit still while they worked on his behalf. Ceto was proof of that, considering he had more or less created her with far more care than those that had created the male himself. It was only fitting that she could now return the favor, even if it was only by giving samples and keeping Val company.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 10:03 pm
He smiled amusingly. “I’ll do my best.” Her idea of him was correct; given the situation, he’d likely try and work alongside them, but since that had the potential of accelerating the degrading process, he had to refrain. He truly was at the mercy of both his condition and the people tasked with saving him. His whole life he’d been so independent of others, seeing as what others could do, he often did better. He’d never deeply relied to do anything he couldn’t do himself.
After a few moments gazing through the window, he spoke once more, “I have something to show you.” He turned around and walked to the center of the room. “Juno, display holo-environment 2479BCE.” Juno was the AI that served as his personal assistant. “Yes, Mr. Nuada,” she replied, the room changing dramatically in appearance. Having spent some time researching the environment Ceto’s species grew around, Genesis was able to work on taking all their research to create a holographic version nearly identical to the one in her memories. ”This can all be real, one day.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:20 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ceto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mirth warmed her dark gaze and Ceto let the matter rest, well aware that at this point Val would have rolled her eyes at the male's claim. Val. Concern muted her humor a bit, her mind straying to the female. How best to help her..
So distracted by these thoughts she barely noticed as he stepped free of her tail, her ears twitching at his voice.. Yet it was only when the room started to shift that her attention snapped into focus. The window went first, her head lifting in time to see the ceiling and walls follow suit.. Then the floor under her feet, Ceto's dorsal fin flaring up in alarm as she back peddled towards Ves. She realized, considering how calm her companion was, that the changes were not a threat.. the female able to stamp down on the itch to flee as she lowered her head and scanned the room more carefully. What this study revealed was almost just as unnerving. She knew this scenery.
A careful step forward brought her close enough to sniff the edge of some sort of reef, her ears slowly quirking up with interest as the fin upon her back started to relax.. but still she seemed on edge with the display. For a moment she had thought.. " Real..?" A strange ache, like a vise, seemed to catch between her collar bones.. earning a uneven pant from the creature as she sat down. Strange, but familiar.. it was loneliness. As though warding the sensation away her tail curled around her, drawing Ves a bit deeper into her mind as she sorted through the emotions his announcement inspired. Always, he was taking care of her.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:57 pm
“After you were conceived, many doors were opened to us. We started with simpler things like fossilized plants, then we moved on to small, living organisms. As time passed, the possibility of recreating your world, per se, grew more likely.” He too looked around the hologram for a few moments, but continued. “I can return to you what time has taken away: your world, your home, your people…” No one deserved to be alone. Ceto wasn’t just some artificially bred organism, she was one of his greatest creations and friends. He had a moral duty to Ceto ever since the two bonded. What cruel creator could he have been if he had the power to free her of her loneliness and didn’t take the opportunity? And to think that he, despite the tragic fact he was dying, still sought to give what left of his potential in the world to her. Ves then turned his glance to her. “It may very well be my last gift to you, but I hope it is to your satisfaction, dear friend.” It involved one of the planet’s hospitable moons with land they owned suitable for establishing a reserve, setting up the remnants of Ceto’s world so they could live again.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 6:46 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ceto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ " To what end, Ves?" The words carried a bitter sweet peace with them as Ceto watched a ghostly fish slip by along the wall, the creature certainly something she could 'remember' yet like nothing she had witnessed personally. The way he said it, as if she could step back in time and exist like her original did, was tempting.. but the reality was this world would only be a memory she'd inherited.
Slowly Ceto stood, leaning back as she carefully balanced on her hind paws and braced herself with her tail.. her arms sliding behind her until her hands ( now uncurled) could interlock at the small of her back. Steady on her paws the creature half turned, gesturing towards the hologram with her muzzle as she corrected her friend firmly. " This isn't home. Home is.." Images flickered between them; Val asleep at her desk after hours of work, him smiling after figuring out something new, her living quarters in the compound that accommodated her needs to the point of luxury.. " I like the idea of my kind living again, very much, but the gift I want is your survival. I will accept nothing less." She wouldn't refuse a chance to let her kind live again, wanted it deeply, but she was far too domesticated to enjoy such a life now. Her chosen pack was here.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 7:41 pm
He smiled at the images, how they held such an essence of home and family to him; they comforted him. After a nod, the hologram disappeared, returning the room to its former appearance. “As you wish. I am, after all, in good hands.” He’d simply been mentally preparing himself for the last few days. After all, he needed to embrace the inevitability of his death in order to die with dignity, not that his death was truly inevitable. “We’re inseparable, are we not? If so, whose to say fate won’t smile upon the three of us and let me stay a while longer?” He did his best to remain positive. Val was no fool; he was aware that they were capable. In fact, he knew they’d succeed, and it was only a matter of figuring out when. He wasn’t so much concerned about them succeeding in finding a cure as he was concerned about the degrading. What worried him was how unpredictable the process of degradation was; he wasn’t like the previously degraded clones, so how soon he’d degrade was incalculable. He was a man of logic; things he couldn’t predict always concerned him. It was clear he wasn’t panicking, though. As always, Ves was calm and collected, his fortitude clear despite his own life in the balance.
“You have my thanks for putting my mind at ease.” He thought about how Val would react and how stressful it would be to figure it all out knowing her brother’s life was on the line. Val would have Ceto keeping her afloat, though. If all went well, things would be as they should: Ves, Val, and Ceto, together safely, without him degrading. Time would tell.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 9:03 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ceto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fate.. the term was still something she did not understand entirely, knowing it by the vague explanations thus far yet unimpressed by the notion that a creature could control everything. What creature? To what end? A faint grimace, the wrinkling of her muzzle to faintly bare her teeth, said everything she cared to about such folly. If there was in fact such a Being, and it tried to take Ves away, she would kill it herself. Domesticated.. did not make her tame, only tolerant, though so far none had been unfortunate enough to test her on such matters.
Her steps were muffled by the pads of her paws as she finally moved, prowling closer until she could slide her arms around the man's waist; Ceto rubbing her cheek against his chest affectionately as she hugged him. Adoptive or not she considered him a sibling, and by now she could tell when his mind was overworking itself even without her telepathy. " We fear unknown things because we know nothing about them..." Val often told her 'knowing was half the battle'.. Once something was understood it could be influenced. Ceto barely understood this world, but she knew her siblings very well.. and both were proficient in this matter. She would protect them in her own way. After a moment of this she released him.. turning towards the door and prowling towards it with soft steps; Pausing only long enough to brush his mind with a parting thought. " .. sometimes we must learn from experience, but it will not be scary once we understand this. You need to tell Val." And she.. needed to make use of those thick books in Val's study. If she was going to ease her sister's mind in this, she wanted to at least understand the basics in this matter. Her tail swept over the floor lightly, and then she was gone.. the office door hissing shut behind her.
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