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The Voice was gone. Echoes of multitudinous sounds shuddered in Sinclair's ears, to say nothing of the images that were still etched deeply on the inside of his eyes. He blinked once, twice, willing himself to focus on the world in front of him. The ship. His legs felt weak. If it weren't for Zephyros holding him aloft, he was certain he would have fallen.

He felt strangely empty. As he collected himself, that emptiness was quickly filled, boiled over with blinding anger.

The destruction of Silver Kingdom was a gift? So many lives had been lost, and those who lived (for now Sinclair could breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that he was truly not the only one to escape) were forever altered. They, the survivors, were expected to watch -- help, even! -- as the remains of their once great kingdom were looted away.

Some traitorous part of him coaxed him on. He must collect Miasma. It was necessary. Absolute.

But the rest of him, the parts that were indisputably silver, refused to accept that order without question. He remembered their dogma: Learn, Question, Adapt. For all the times that he had felt out of place, every other moment, it had been his home.

He must go.

He will go, but for himself, with every aim to understand. And so, when he received his directive, Sinclair couldn't stop the harshness tearing through his voice. He flailed in Zephyros' arms, trying to lurch out of his grip.

"Commander! Sir! Send me to the Tower! I've lived there all my life, I know how to navigate it -- please, you must let me go!"

It seemed his protest fell on deaf ears. The commander was already moving, conversing with another soldier, and then... he was gone.

Sinclair's hand fell limply to his side. Why? It would have made logical sense to take him along! He knew the Tower better than any soldier on this ship! He sought for clarity, and it hit him as he remembered the blood staining the bandages the nurse had administered, and the cloth Zephyros had wrapped around his head. He was still injured. Not to mention the Commander had no other assurance but his word that Sinclair would do nothing to harm his people.

From that perspective, it made sense to send him somewhere as far away as possible. Embittered, Sinclair's fingers clenched slowly into fists, but as his nails dug sharply into his palm, pain shot through him and with it came a realization.

He could have sworn he saw the soldier the commander spoke to leave not too long ago. How had she returned so quickly? Perhaps it was possible, then, that he might come back alive.

No. He would make certain of it. Sinclair knew he was capable. He was adaptable.

Wearily, he turned to Zephyros. "I've decided. I'm going. Regrettably, I must ask for another favor, or two, actually. Could you provide me a weapon and show me... well, how exactly you travel?"

[Exiting the White Kingdom with Zephyros]

[bonding first and THEN they leave]

Leo nodded to her Commander and made ready to go. There really wasn't much else to say, and the sooner she went, the sooner she'd get back - hopefully.

((Exit!))

Zephyros jerks up at the sound of the voice. His eyes quickly moving at the images. It is strange to hear the voice.. Such a devious sounding thing, and yet it made him feel calm. Their creator, the one who will cause them to destroy themselves... or gain absolute power.

Once the voice is gone his eyes furrow in determination and he softly sets Sinclair down. The man was given a new command-- he will be going to the silver tower, so he can't help him now. However he can give him a weapon that he asked for.

Taking off the gem from his right hand, he grabs Sinclair's and places the jewel in his palm. "I wish you luck comrade, in your adventure back to your kingdom. Do not die-- I give you half of my weapon to defend yourself. It sends out electrical currents when you focus.. so try not to touch yourself with the hand you equip it on."

But his blue eyes scan worriedly over the damaged man, and he nibbles his lips. "Are you sure you will be alright to go out into this? You should be resting.. so you won't die in vain. You barely escaped with your life-- and yet you want to go back? " his mouth quirks up into a weak smile as he looks around at the officers quickly exiting to their own duties. "I envy that feeling you have and wish I can reciprocate it. But for now I feel grief. Grief for my comrades, grief for this kingdom. We have fallen once and now the Voice sends us out in a mission.. if we fail, we will fall again. "

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Sinclair staggered slightly, immediately reaching out for Zephyros to steady himself. He startled as Zephyros took his other hand and pressed a cool, smooth gem into it.

"It looks so innocuous," Sinclair muttered. "And yet..."

Testing his words, Sinclair drew his hand away and narrowed his focus onto the gem. What was he supposed to think, exactly? Spark? Glow? Go.

Sparks danced across his finger tips, pricking his nerves, and he gasped, in a strange mixture of surprise and pain. "I... I think I'll need to be very careful with this. Thank you, though. I'll use it wisely. But believe me -- I'll be fine." Sinclair assured him. "Although... what do you mean, go back? I wasn't... assigned..."

Belatedly, he realized the directions flashing above him had changed. Instead, they pointed to a far more familiar location...

It was hard to miss the way Sinclair's eyes shifted. They flared, turning bright with determination, standing out in the solemn set of his face.

"... I must go back. I need to find out what happened... and in this case, I'm certain I can help! It was my home! I know it well. With that knowledge, I could save someone!"

Careful to use his other hand, Sinclair pressed his palm to Zephyros' cheek, leveling him with that intense gaze. "And with that knowledge, I refuse to die. We are adaptable. We are strong enough to survive --" Here, he leaned closer, wanting to make his point perfectly clear, "All of us are."

Once Zephyros disappeared, Sinclair steeled his shoulders. Flickers of emotion -- he refused to label it as fear -- ached beneath his bravado. He chose not to think about it; instead, he focused on other words, a promise.

I will come back to this kingdom alive.

Repeating the words in his mind like a mantra, Sinclair strode forward, head held high, and not once did he allow himself to think he was walking to his doom.

[Exiting the White Kingdom]

[ENTERING]

Zephyros has fallen back into the kingdom, slimy.. wet and bleeding at the side. His eyes are staring blankly at the ceiling until a shudder erupts through his body. The images he has seen from the valley... it disturbed him greatly.

And he's saddened. He failed both Wilson and Sinclair, he had.. nearly died. Despite all his talking, he had proved that he wasn't right.. how will he help now..?

"I.. I'm sorry commander I failed you as well..."

Syusaki

The voice had been so sudden and overwhelming Mitsu was afraid something terrible had happened. Her vision and senses were gone, there was nothing until the images flew across her vision and the voice spoke so clearly in her mind that there was no mistaking it. It was time.

With the playing field open and her senses back in order Mitsu shook her head a bit to regain her composure before she looked to her beeping PDA. Pulling it up she tapped the devise looking at the screen that popped into existence with her destination. It seemed she was going to be needed after all. She had been off the ship before but she had never ventured to the silver kingdom. This was going to be an interesting for sure. "Alright." She said softly trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. There was no time for doubts. "I'm on my way."

[[Exiting to Silver Tower]]

Bix appeared again, sweating and panting and his white clothesmarked with dirty marks of impact from the tower collapsing all over him. He was glad to be back, away from the desolation and abandonment of the Silver Kingdom.

Thankfully he'd brought back some miasma. He had no frame of reference for what 'a lot' may be but he'd done his best under the circumstances. He leaned against a wall and closed his eyes.

[ENTERED FROM SILVER]