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 Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 7:22 pm
When Juno saw the thing nod, she brightly smiled and hugged him/her/it in thanks. But before she could verbally thank the cloaked being, the cave lit up and displayed a very different sort of scenery. "Wha-" She was suddenly picked up by a group of people (where did they come from?) and taken around the transformed room. When looking around, Juno saw a lot of things that only made created more questions. Who are these people? Why are we celebrating? Where are the roses? And why the disguised drowzee? Things weren't making sense.
Once set down, Juno listened to the "Light of the World." Wow. I wasn't expecting this. Well, now it was her turn to introduce herself. And maybe I'll get some info as well. "Hello there, my name's Juno Galladeigh. And this is Evie," she pointed to her friend. She looked at the cup in her hand and was thinking of the politest way of asking questions. "If you don't mind, could you perhaps tell us what this place is? And why are there gravestones? What's the significance of the roses? Why the test? And--" Juno stopped herself from going any further. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to go on and on like that."
She tried fingering her rose, but realized that her hands felt numb. So did her legs. Eh? What's wrong with my hands? Juno felt scared, but not so much that she was panicking; she just wanted to know what was going on and have the use of her limbs. After all, it didn't seem like either she or Paul were going to die.
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:52 pm
((For clarity's sake, I will be doing the same, during the posts concerning Elian, until we're caught up.))
"Ah, I... see," Beati said. "It is good to have such a level of caution, and faith. I understand that very well. Part of what has kept me and the rest of the Exterminant alive for so long is that caution. And what has kept us together and functioning is that faith. And now I owe you an explanation.
"Oracle, I know you know little of our goal; you have not been informed of the extent of your importance to us. I will right that wrong, starting with the beginning." With that, he opened up the old, old volume he had been reading. "This is the Bible. New King James Version. There are some correlations I would like to draw.
"Egyptian legend points to two pokémon, each of which has dominion over one of the two broad expanses mentioned in Genesis: sky and sea. They call these pokémon Ho-oh and Lugia. While on that topic, they are said to be able to spawn storms that can last up to forty days. That number may remind you of the biblical story of the Flood, in which it rained across the world for forty days and forty nights. Perhaps you see where I am going with this.
"I believe - as does the rest of my flock - that the mews are, collectively, God, and that they have provided us with you, Elian, as their prophet." He said this with his eyes shining with all the fervor of religious conviction. "You, through your intimate and unique connection to your pokémon, have full access to the human realm and full access to the ethereal - the spiritual. Because you and Aislin have fused, you see?" He brought his two hands together into a ball as a visual. "Though you maintain separate consciousnesses, you both receive glimpses of the future from the mew - you are its chosen ones. Prophets, and saviors.
"We know that the mew is capable of tremendous power - we have seen that through the Calamity. We believe, though, that upon its awakening, there will be Armageddon. All life will be swept away in the wake of its tremendous awakening, but due to the ethereal nature - the spiritual nature, if you will - of this phenomenon, it will be a grand Journey of the soul! A revitalizing of the human and pokémon spirit. A great oneness - a Completion.
"But the mew yet sleeps, and we know not how we might awaken it. You should be able to awaken it. Your powers are not yet great enough, but if we could somehow amplify them, we could make you able to contact, locate, and beseech the awakening of the mew. Do you see that? Do you see that you can bring us to Heaven?"
He fixed her with his fervent gaze and waited for her response.
---
((Have been lazy. Will complete other posts later. Is enjoying the laziness of Thanksgiving holidaysszzzz...zzz...zzz...))
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:29 pm
Elian shifted uncomfortably, knowing that she was missing a couple of gestural cues here and there, but, the message came across as clear as it could have, considering it sounded like a conspiracy theory taken seriously. Throughout the history of man, there have been those with the consciousness and imagination working to make connections between seemingly separate entities, rationalizing what cannot be rationalized or forcing those that listen to think in a different direction. Disasters, political farce, deaths, all of it has been analyzed and judged, then, fed to the eager ears of a lost humanity, only to be turned around by a select few and fed once more in a different way. Conspiracy has never been something far from the human imagination, so long as paranoia continued to be a characteristic of the nature of man. Even at its core, however, conspiracy theories are nothing more than brainstorms, a rationalization of a difficult problem viewed in a different scenario, however, when the subject is something far more grand than your middle school science project, you find yourself in panic and sometimes, denial over the truth or rationale given to amend the fears of the unknown.
Starting to see that the Exterminant took their beliefs farther than she had anticipated, Elian started to grow nervous, unsure of whether to think the cult as crazy or confused. A Pokemon was now God, and she, their metaphorical Messiah? Not only did Elian now count that she would probably be sent to hell for disobeying one of the crucial commandments, involuntarily, but she had become something far greater than she ever anticipated, she was the messenger of humanity's death, the bringer of Armageddon. What disturbed Elian the most, was Beati's mentioning of the great flood, the one that cleansed humanity in a pouring rain that lasted fourty days. Lugia, Ho-Oh, the legendary entities of myth and stories, and recently, the fodder in Elian's dreams, were suddenly a part of the picture.
There was no way, that her stories, the ones her father told when she fell asleep at night, were suddenly manifesting into reality, into truth. Either the Exterminant knew far more than Elian would have ever realized, or, they were just as crazy as she imagined them to be.
Now, the problem was, Elian needed to figure out and rationalize her next move. Should she try and reason with the good Reverend? Could her own words, valued as being those of the Messiah, be considered blasphemy if they didn't align with Beati's ideals? Perhaps it was worth trying, and in any case, if she could make progress, this would be the time to do it.
"Keep your senses open... If I make him angry, I need to know before I face the wrath of the Exterminant." Elian thought to her Pokemon as the Espeon laid her head down on her paws, the dark, void-like stare of the Pokemon locking to Beati in a strong feat of concentration.
"Please understand Reverend, that your assumptions regarding my powers are accurate, and I am no more but a human placed on this earth with a purpose, however, I do not believe that the end of all the human race is what the Mew intends to happen." Elian spoke softly, her pale eyes floating as they idly moved to glance between nothing. The woman remembered her dream, and how the Mew behaved. According to Beati, he needed it awake, but, what if it was already awake? Not to mention, the heart-breaking sorrow the creature exuded with every fiber of its being, like a neglected child only searching for acceptance, the being seemed to hold only to itself, and long for something more. Elian couldn't imagine that such a gentle, beautiful creature would wish any harm on anything, no, not with the overpowering sense of guilt the creature also carried on its heart.
How could anyone, even the Oracle, force the creature to do such a thing as destroy humanity? It already wept for the lives it had taken!
"I believe... I have felt, it is a gentle creature, and it longs for prosperity and happiness; In fact, it seems to thrive on such emotions, even such chaotic feelings of confusion and curiosity seem to make up its entire being, but, it is not without guilt."
Elian hoped, prayed, that explaining at least what she had felt, would at least make the Reverend think about what he wanted, think about what he intended to do. Who could he believe, other than her on the matter anyway? Would he be so stubborn as to ignore her advice on something he himself sought answers for, that he relied so heavily on Elian to comprehend?
"I cannot say, whether this... Experience... Was an encounter with the Mew or not, but, whatever has happened to me, during the short time I slept within the walls of your compound, has had a profound effect on my mind, my very soul. Even as I lay awake the visions of that dream, that experience return to me, haunt me. I firmly believe that my vision was an encounter meant for me to share with someone, possibly you. The Mew values life, Reverend, it feels guilt for the Calamity and lives alone in its tears. Although I think such a creature needs someone to comfort it, someone to tell it that humanity forgives it for its mistake, I cannot condone causing it more pain than it already experiences. It's inhuman, in every sense of the word."
Once she had finished her little speech, Elian took a slow, deep breath. She didn't want to impede on Aislin's concentration, but she almost wished to see the Reverend's face.
"Please... Please don't kill us..."
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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:54 pm
As Elian continued to speak, Beati's smile grew broader and broader. Every word she said simply corroborated what he already believed. He had to restrain himself from chuckling with mirth at the wonder of it all - here was the Oracle, in front of him, confirming everything on which he had built this organization. The Mew was real. If she had seen it, then he knew the reason. The vents in her room had allowed a gas to seep into the place, one that induced a deeper sleep than most human beings were allowed at night. As a result, Elian's increasingly ethereal brainwaves had been able to pull her into a realm where she could be asleep, and yet fully conscious - similar to the comatose sleep of abras that allowed them to sense danger and teleport away. And she had... she had seen the Mew! Contacted it; known it to be!
Beati was an ambitious man. He always had been. His, however, was an ambition to rival the fascist politicians of old. Beati had grown up with the Church, and thus with teachings of what to expect after death and of the unbreakable power of God. He learned the purported power of prayer, and used it to comfort himself... frequently.
Like many megalomaniacs, Beati had not grown with a firm familial foundation. His father was the classic raging alcoholic and his mother was too weak-willed to do anything more than pray about it. Every night that his father passed out, after cursing at them, cursing God, and giving one or both of them a beating, mother and son would kneel by the bedside and beseech God for an answer. Beati, though that was not his name at the time, spoke silently while his mother prayed aloud, often weeping while she did. The weeping... scarred him. He grew to hate it, but still, he prayed with her, fervently asking that they no longer have to contend with the man who daily ruined their lives. One night, tht man did not come home. The prayer seemed to have led to Beati's father being run over by a semi.
Good things come to those who wait.
And thus was born Beati's new faith: that to break free of the pressures and indignations of the outside world, it was prayer that was the answer. And not just prayer, because his mother and he had prayed for different things. She had prayed for a cure. He had prayed for an elimination. And he had prayed harder. So Beati decided that he would work his way through the ranks of the Church, and become the most spiritually powerful man alive: the Pope. By securing the papacy, he would effectively become God, able to bring the divine will to his hands by the power of his position and his faith. The Calamity, unfortunately for him, cared nothing for his ambitions.
The rest was only natural.
"I agree completely, Oracle, and I am glad you have accepted your position here on Earth so willingly. The mew does not want to kill human beings at all; rather, it wants to save them. To produce a new existence, by stripping them of their earthly bodies. I would never, ever wish harm upon the mew. No; I want to aid it in realizing its purpose! If it feels remorse now, as you say, then that remorse must be due to the fact that its awakening was left incomplete at the time of the Calamity. In the same way does the Bible relate that God shows no pleasure destroying those he must, and if you trace the development of God's personality, if you will, through the Bible, you will see He becomes nigh apologetic for his earlier mass killings! Christ's - no, your placement on Earth is no simple sending of a savior; it is a plea for a second chance with humanity! A plea for forgiveness! Help us grant the mew absolution, Elian; it begs it of the whole human race, on behalf of its own!"
---
Jñan laughed a warm, glorious laugh that seemed to echo through the chamber and beyond. "Juno, what a wonderful name! This, my inquisitive child, is the Haven!" she cried out, and was answered by another round of cheers and applause. "We are the gathered masses of those who know what the Calamity is - a punishment for the sins of humanity! A warning: that if we do not cease our contrary and warlike ways, we will destroy ourselves. And so we, in this Haven, have designed a society in which there is no greed; no enmity; and not even the thought of war!" At that word, the gathered masses hissed and stamped their feet, as though trying to deny the concept even existed.
"Juno!" the Light said in a proclamatory tone, "These are not graves! These are shrines - shrines to the greatest human beings ever to have lived! We decorate and sanctify their past, and base our future on their ideals. Marx, Lennon, Ghandi - we are their mental progeny. We will create the future they are not here to see!" The teeming crowds erupted in thunderous screams and shouts of adulation.
"The flowers, young one," she said in a quieter voice, "are for decoration. Honoring their memories still further, and honoring our own. The test was to see if you, indeed, have the potential to step past warlike and separative ways, and you do. The roses are little Raj's way of showing that." That voice shrank to a whisper. "He once worked with the late Professor Oak, you know - an honor, indeed."
Jñan watched Juno's clumsy movements with light laughter, like the tinkling of bells. "I'm afraid we cannot trust all who enter, and we have taken your weapons from you with the least discomfort possible - the numbing effects will wear off quite soon. Would you like me to show you to the feast that has been prepared for you? We celebrate every newcomer to the fold."
---
Richard watched the engineer's interactions with his creature interestedly. He simply could not believe that something with as few as-of-yet exhibited sounds as this could bring down the whole of the Exterminant. And yet there it was - a construct he and his most trusted friend had recently determined was a demon with the potential to end the Journey and the salvation of millions. And he no longer had a reason to destroy it.
His smile broadened at Abe's words. "Oh, if our scientists are right - and they are - the mew will more than decimate the area. The mew will in fact wipe out the entire human race," he said matter-of-factly. "It's a simple exercise in neuroscience. If you amplify waves of any kind enough, resonant frequency fails to mean anything; the infrastructure will be shattered. Period.
"As for killing you: if I had wanted you dead, you'd likely be in three or eight pieces by now. I'll take you to your lab. Glenville's south - help me check around for some motorcycles. I'm not going to walk thirty miles." And the most frightening thing about Richard was that his tone of voice had yet to change.
He turned his back to Abe and walked down one of the streets, casually searching for a working vehicle.
---
Jacob mumbled in his sleep as the trio carried him (Lexi had found a potion, but the effect had not awakened him) to the burnt-out scattering of logs and brick that had apparently once been the Howards' home. With every step closer, a familiar smell got stronger - that of apple pie. Indeed, one last step took them over the threshold of the illusion and revealed the same, intact house Lexi had originally visited. Mrs. Howard poked her head out the door, saw who it was, and disappeared before rushing out as fast as her short, arthritic legs could take her, carrying warm, wet towels and bandages. Her husband followed and took up a place on one side of Jacob. He glanced at the gun that the youths had put on him and his gaze darkened a little bit before returning to normal.
As they all carried the body, Mrs. Howard talked constantly. "Oh, Lexi, we are so glad you made it; we were worried you wouldn't be able to make on your own but of course you're a strong enough young woman to hold your own but even so it is dangerous to go out alone on these roads; and you even found young Mr. Waverly - and a handsome boy he is, my that photo didn't lie, young man - so now you all have eachother and this man whoever he is and what is your name, young lady?" she asked Alexandria.
"It's... it's Alex," the girl said shyly. "Alex Tourmaline, I... they ran into me. On the road."
"Well, you look like you could use a bite to eat - we have some apple pie and I'm sure I could whip up some leftovers for you, dear." As she spoke, she cleaned Jacob's wound, checked his pulse, listened to his lungs, and felt for other injuries. "Let's get this poor soul inside so he doesn't have to wake up here in the grass, hm? Come on, come on, get all inside and you can tell me all about what happened and we can meet Mr. Waverly properly." She smiled warmly and started ushering them inside.
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 3:58 pm
Gerard assisted in carrying Thatcher silently, stepping back to allow the old woman to administer her care. Old wives are notoriously good at everything. In the time that she was talking (Gerard now understood why there were so many "old wives' tales"), he took the opportunity to return Justice to his Pokeball.
He continued to help as they carried Thatcher into the house, eventually laying the man out on an empty bed. With that, he stepped back to allow the final checks on the unconscious patient. It seemed that these were the people he had been sent out to meet; excellent. They had even been expecting him. When they were done with Thatcher, it was Gerard's turn to talk.
He smiled and bowed his head slightly to the woman, shaking the old man's hand firmly. "Hello. I'm Gerard Waverly. I was sent out of Glenville to meet you. This," and he released Justice, "is my friend Justice, and this," out came Guts, "is my other companion, Guts." Justice and Guts introduced themselves and Gerard waited for any questions.
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 5:39 pm
Juno listened to the Indian lady patiently. She nodded when appropriate and looked thoughtful when she wasn't nodding. This place sounds really nice. But can it be done? It wasn't that she didn't like it; she loved the idea. But after moving to Glenville, she wasn't sure if she could believe in humanity. Not after what happened to her family. Maybe...maybe they really are like me. It could be possible. SHE certainly wanted a greedless world. Maybe after the suffering came the need for peace. It'd be really nice if we could live in a place without war.
"Why roses specifically though?" She paused. "In any case, I really wish to thank Raj for his flowers. He is very kind." She thought about the food offered. "If you don't mind, I WOULD like to see the feast. Maybe you could tell me more about this place and what you do here while we eat?" The food being poisoned entered her mind but immediately fled. If they wanted to kill her, they could have done it earlier.
Just as they didn't trust her, she wasn't ready to trust them. She needed to talk to them more before she could come to any conclusion.
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 10:59 pm
As the group carrying Jacob broke out of the grass on the way towards the Howards’ illusion, Lexi noticed the return of a very familiar smell. Oh yum, they’re doing pie again!If it wasn’t for the fact she was worried about Mr. Thatcher, a smile might have crept across her face, even after everything that just happened. She wondered if anyone else had noticed the smell yet. When she looked at Gerard, he just had a blank expression on his face, which stayed even as they broke through the illusion. She had seen the place intact before and still was curious about the barrier, while he walked right through it as if he’d done it a hundred times…It was just interesting to see how different he was from her.
When she saw Mrs. Howard stick her head out of the door, Lexi nodded her head in greeting, as Mr. Thatcher was getting kind of heavy. As the older couple got close, Phoenix traded Lexi’s shoulder first for Mrs. Howard’s, then, as the group set Jacob back down gently, for Mr. Howard’s, where she settled in, happy to see her old owners. Lexi noticed the older man’s reaction to the gun, and understood. Like she had been doing, he put his dislike behind him to help the group carry the unconscious man.
Rex too was nosy about greeting the couple. As soon as the group put Mr. Thatcher down in the green grass and it was clear that the couple were nice people who weren’t going to hurt anyone, he started sniffing at them. Lexi would have ordinarily found his antics amusing but right now he was making it a little hard for the couple to help Jacob, so she gave a few gentle pulls at the fire-dog’s collar. “Come on Rex, give them some room to work.”
A small smile really did cross Lexi’s face as the old woman took up her favorite hobby of talking nonstop. It surprised Lexi a little to find out that the woman didn’t know Jacob, when it had been him, not Gerard, who had been expecting Lexi, and she rolled her mind’s eyes at the lousy communication that had been showing up in this project. She worried for a second when the woman turned her attention to Alex, as the girl still bore the mark of a group that wanted the Howards out of the picture, but Alex had calmed down considerably now that the drugs had had time to clear out, and the older woman didn’t seem to care. Lexi wondered what she was going to say when it came time to tell the story of what had happened in that ghost town, as she hadn’t even really gotten into it with the two men she had travelled with either, but she would figure that out later.
After an invitation to more apple pie, the group picked Jacob up again and moved him to a comfortable–looking bed inside. While they were walking, Lexi couldn’t help asking the Howards “Do you think he going to be okay?” Her small amount of medical knowledge wasn’t enough to tell her how bad his injury was, and the man had gotten hurt while trying to protect her. After she set the man down, Rex pushed his way under her hands, where she rubbed his back absentmindedly as she listened to Gerard’s introduction, finally learning the name of the polywag she had seen earlier. She waited with her introduction of Rex, considering how he ended up on her team was pretty deeply intertwined with everything that had happened and how she had already used his name.
[[Anyone else seeing the violation of causality going on? With Jokerman's, Isa-sama's and my posts coming in from the top?]]
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:44 am
((Temp character rules have been quite significantly altered - I strongly suggest checking them out. As per the new rules for them, I say to you that one (1) profile has been submitted in contest for Richard Allbrite. In seven days, I will judge any and all received submissions for Richard, and pass judgment.))
This time, every word of Elian's seemed to push the old mana bit further back, as though a wall of some kind of pressure were puffing out from the woman. He eventually fell against the back of his chair, steepling his fingers and waiting with failing patience for her to finish her nonsense. The Mew, a child? The Mew, without purpose? It was a foolish idea. She simply could not understand the depth of what she had felt - that must have been it. He was enraged by her brimming tears. As if she, even as a prophet, could dare to sympathize with God!
"Oracle, you do not know what it is you are saying. I am well aware that you have not been fully informed of your position or your power, and I feel that you simply do not understand what it is you felt. Here in the compound, we can help you to better access the Mew, and with greater frequency. We have developed compounds that can alter your state of mind to facilitate psychic communication. And let me remind you that the mews are the progenitors of the entirety of ether-using life, and the human beings absorb ether on a day-to-day basis; we are destined, therefore, to return to the Mew; it is our- WHAT?" he practically roared as Abe vanished. In the peak of his self-righteous outburst, he stood and threw his chair to the floor.
A sudden frigidity surrounded his countenance. Now was not a time for anger. Someone had stolen his engineer; not only that, but someone with enough influence on the world to mean something to the Oracle and by extension, the last remaining mew. "You will excuse me, Oracle," he said with barely-contained rage, "I must coordinate a search-and-rescue for your friend." He marched out the door, barely acknowledging his murdered and compromised guards, and swiftly made his way down the mess of hallways, out of sight.
---
Richard raised an eyebrow and continued looking around where he was. He had stumbled upon a collection of various items, most damaged. A teddy bear, a wooden box engraved with a pair of white roses, a collection of rags that may have been children's clothes. People had lived here. And they had ceased to because his chosen God had twitched in its sleep. He really had been mistaken.
Finally, he walked back over to Abe and appraised the bikes. "Should work. These things get left around everywhere, nowadays." He shook his head in a kind of bemused nostalgia before mounting up. "You know how to hotwire one of these, right?" Withdrawing a screwdriver and pocketknife from his pockets, Richard began working on his, getting it to roar to life after a false start or two.
((Other locales to be updated later. Happy Saturday, by the way!))
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:19 pm
It seemed as if Elian's tears would not fall in vain, as Beati outright argued everything she tried to say. Feeling the man's level of aggravation rise, Aislin started to tense and allow Elian to see in front of her, the woman's eyes instantly snapping to the man who, was now leaned back far into his chair, and obviously irritated by what she had to say. Of course, the bulk of his argument revolved around the fact that she was young, naive, that nothing she would ever feel could be as genuine as what he could interpret it as. Elian even considered the fact that she had been loathed from the beginning, simply because the Reverend wished that he, himself could make contact with the Mew, not the blasphemous, naive prophet he had kidnapped to his compound.
"Compounds that alter... What exactly is it that you plan to-" Elian suddenly stopped, her vision fading into darkness as a collective pressure started to build in her mind. At the same time, something else was heard, something terrible that she recognized as the voices of David, and Solomon, then suddenly, a heavy weight, accompanied by a feeling of emptiness signaled the Mime's death, only to double as a piercing scream erupted in her mind, causing the woman to raise her hands to her ears. By now, Aislin had moved to Elian's lap, the pokemon's tail twitching as it stared blankly at the nearest wall.
"Oh, God..." The woman muttered as Beati spoke, nearly every word the man had spoken drowned underneath the chaos erupting in her mind. Teras rolled down the woman's cheeks as that familiar pressure, once lingering in the back of the action, now moved forward as it started to grow larger, and larger, Elian's eyes narrowing in concentration as she tried to comprehend what she was feeling. It wasn't until a sudden rush of energy erupted beside her did the woman understand, long before Beati had a chance to verbally announce it, that Abe was gone.
Only the sound of the chair impacting the floor managed to snap Elian from her trance, the woman's, and the pokemon's eyes snapping to the Reverend as the semi-controlled aura of his rage leaked clearly through his being, even without psychic abilities. Elian simply remained silent, watching the man exit the room with nary a word as to what she would do, where she would be sent to, and as the Reverend left, so did the guards.
Sinking in her chair, Aislin gently leaped from her chair to slowly wander outside, meanwhile, Elian cradled her head in her hands as she leaned forward on her knees.
"I don't... I don't understand." The words applied to nearly everything. Abe had vanished out of thin air, Solomon was dead along with another Pokemon, and what did Beat exactly mean by "compounds" in regards to altering her state of mind.
"I... I need to leave, soon, but I don't have enough information to-"
"This way!"
A quiet voice echoed in her mind as Elian turned towards the door, her vision slowly coming into focus as Aislin bounded into the room, lightly rubbing against Elian's legs before skipping out of the room.
"Do you feel it? Big thing... Important!" Aislin reasoned as she quickly started to move. Elian, unprepared for her eagerness, had to practically stumble out of her chair to follow. "You feel something?"
"Yes! You can feel it too!"
Moving outside of the room to follow, Elian paused as she noticed the bodies of the two pokemon, her stomach turning at the horrible sight of the bloodied mind, and the comatose state of Solomon, who's mind was surely gone, since Elian could not feel a pulse or presence around him. Aislin paused at the doorway as Elian moved over to the Pokemon's body, kneeling down to gently run her hand across the Pokemon's forehead, then, over his eyes "For what it was ever worth, you showed me kindness, regardless of what foolishness caused this." The woman whispered as the same tears continued to fall from her eyes. Leaning down, she gently pressed her lips to the pokemon's forehead, then, stood slowly and stepped away from what was once Solomon. A sharp meow interrupted her prayer as Aislin obviously felt they needed to leave. Knowing that Aislin was never rude enough to interrupt such a thing, Elian reasoned that whatever it was Aislin had found, was important, and they had little time.
"I am sad too, but we must hurry." Aislin assured as the pair quickly moved to catch up for lost time. Elian wasn't sure what Aislin was talking about, but as the two moved quickly through the now (mostly) unguarded compound, Elian could start to feel what Aislin was driving at. As the pokemon darted down a flight of stairs, Elian groaned softly and carefully moved her way down. Each step felt like she was moving further into an abyss, into more pressure and more weight. What exactly were they moving towards?
"Aislin, wait." Elian said softly as she stopped at the bottom of the staircase, closing her eyes to concentrate as Aislin impatiently waited beside her.
"Must hurry, time is short." Aislin prodded, but only met with silence in return as Elian allowed herself to feel whatever it was she could. There were points around the compound, like large clouds of energy that had a physical weight to it. Above these clouds, was a collective haze that seemed to give off some sort of strange trace, that Elian recognized from David. As if feeling the pokemon's struggle through the strange barrier, Elian noted that the compound, at least in theory, had some sort of strange defense around it, specifically designed to ward against something the Pokemon had did, and, if Elian reasoned that David had something to do with Abe's disappearance, then the barrier must affect psychic abilities.
Then, surely David was a powerful pokemon, or, he had help.
Focusing more internally, as her mind sensed further and further downwards, it felt like a huge, heavy cloud floated deep beneath the compound, interlinking all of the other, similar energy sources.
"There!"
"You see? Must go!"
"How do we know it's safe? What if we're stumbling into something dangerous?"
"You are Oracle, no? Nothing here should harm you, and, this thing important and big. I felt it since we come here. Funny man will like." Aislin referred to Terrian as the "funny man" after all of the experiences the pair was graced with. Knowing that Aislin was right, Elian nodded and the pair continued to move, quickly and quietly moving deeper and deeper into the compound.
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:03 pm
Paul's attitude had changed drastically, and his poker face had come back into play. That meant he looked very, very serious, something he was very good at at this point.
Somehow he felt as though he stood out amongst the colors, dressed in the camoflauged flak jacket and similarly darkened pajamas as he was. Most of what he was wearing was covered in dirt from driving, including his glasses, a fact which made life difficult. He felt like a brown stain on the colors of this 'haven', but like he was cleaner than any of them could possibly be.
Marx. They worshipped Marx. Not disgusting, but foolish. His ideals were great, but however grand they thought they were, they were human. Paul could attest to that everywhere. Opulence would inevitably follow; where parents may have been good, children would change. Their motivation would become unclear. Their internal economy would stagnate...
...well, but there were not that many of them.
Nonetheless, Paul looked through the crowds over his dirt-encrusted glasses, and knew that at least one pair of eyes he met was stealing. Stealing from the others for his or her own gain. At least one there, and one was all it took.
Paul had laconically stated his name, only barely stopping himself from delivering some sort of counter-interrogation message, be it a fake identification number or some other deterrent. They would not receive his presuming himself a prisoner well. Nor should he do so. Not openly, anyway. He already assumed they would not permit departure. It was increasingly likely that they would fear for the knowledge of their safehouse, and that those who would enter would most probably not be permitted exit.
Where Juno's mind though of poison, Paul's thought of drugs. Pacification more subtle than any psychic pokémon could deliver. Furthermore, some accidental mixing of drugs could be... fatal for Paul. He had enough s**t in his systems as it stood. And where he would suffer some accidental reaction, Juno would be left on her own, as good as brainwashed and unable to fend for herself.
But first Paul had to speak. "I just would like to ask - when we leave, will my motorcycle and weapons be returned to me? I do have things to do, although I would love to attend your feast." So many questions would be answered here... maybe. They might lie. Paul would have to see.
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:17 pm
The Light of the World gave Juno a curious look as she continued to ask about the roses. "I cannot say for certain, Juno Galledeigh. They are his chosen method; we appointed him the examiner because he was one of the first pokémon to show an active interest in the Haven after the Calamity; at first, we were all humans, with hardly a pokémon among us. Little Raj came to us one day bearing news of the true nature of the dangers of population density - if you will look into that crowd, you will see that though we seem many, there are in fact little more than three thousand souls here, in the Haven."
As Juno and Paul took second looks at the crowd, they could see that in the chaos, there was a careful spacing, producing an average of about two feet between every pair of people, though there were clusters here and there; it tricked the eye into trying to find patterns, and failing. Somehow, these people and pokémon had determined a safe density to deal with the dangers of the mew's brainwaves, and seemed to almost unconsciously adjust themselves to suit it.
Jñan graciously let Raj out of his pokéball. The pokémon, almost like a doddering old man, took the soonest proffered mug and took a long swallow before smiling up at Juno and offering a sincere, if tottering, bow.
"People!" Jñan called out to the audience. "The girl would like a feast - shall we show these neophytes a feast?" The answer was a deafening roar as people and pokémon began filtering out of the tremendous space, waving flags cheerfully, colors swirling around in the warm lighting in a joyous celebration. In short order, long tables of various materials and an assortment of chairs, benches, and boxes were brought out into the cavern. Interestingly, Juno's motorcycle was nowhere to be seen.
The man Paul had seen caught his gaze and smirked, flipping a shining coin over his knuckles smugly. This man was Willam McFadden. His greased, black hair was split in a sickeningly perfect part and he stood at least a head shorter than the rest of the men in the crowd. At first, his face seemed out of proportion with the rest of his body - even taking into account the twice-broken nose and tilted jawlin - because it was so thin, while his clothing made him seem fat. And then, to an eye as well-trained as Paul's, the bulges of different goods stood out. A knife here, a pistol there, a heavy chain wrapped around his middle; Willam was ready for anything, all the time. He pursed his lips and blew a jeering kiss at Paul. Military men were always fun.
Jñan blinked at Paul, considering his words. "You have a motorcycle? Of course! You were following Juno; you must have had a vehicle. That will naturally be returned to you, Paul McCulloch; you need not worry." She smiled at them both. "You are welcome to our tables. May I ask from where you have come to join us?" She gestured magnanimously towards the largest table, and took her seat once a silk cushion had been placed on it, at the head of the table. Juno was on her right; Paul on her left; and Raj sitting woozily on the table, his mug drained. "We welcome those from all walks of life, and from all corners of the earth. And if I am not prying, may I ask your missions?"
While they sat, tremendous plates heaped with meat, vegetables, some nuts, and berries were placed up and down the table, and smaller ones were laid in front of each feaster. Jñan set the trend by reaching with her bare hands to begin filling her plate, being sure not to touch the meat, though other feasters took it just as eagerly as the rest.
---
Beati was well out of sight by the time Elian left the room. At her kiss, Solomon did not stir at the least; his empty eyes continued to stare forward into an endless abyss. There was nothing there to feel.
Some guards rushed passed her, being certain she was well, before taking in the scene with shouts of outrage. They immediately began a sweep of the area, searching for anyone who may have been involved, but dared not question the Oracle's choice of direction. As she descended lower and lower into the compound, following Aislin's fine-tuned senses, the pressure that she had merely sensed before almost became tangible.
For psychic pokémon, the dark element is inexplicably inaccessible to their powers. Some part of it repels them and allows no access whatsoever - David's escape implied knowledge of a powerful and likely dangerous technique to bypass the field over the complex. As a result of this, Elian began to get a sense of being suffocated from Aislin; not as though her airways were blocked, but as though the very air had become thicker, even though that was not the case and her physical lungs were in no way affected. More noticeable than that was the drop in temperature; the air was getting colder from the weight of dark-type ether that veritably oozed from the source.
The closer she got, the more it seemed that the single, tremendous source connecting every point of power was being resolved into three sources, coordinating with one another. More and more guards were present in the hallways as Elian pressed onward, and though some began to mumble to one another about the Oracle having chosen to venture there - the hallways were darker, the walls less inviting, the air damp and growing frigid - until one, the apparent commander of a unit surrounding a single, metal door with no windows, stepped forward with a bow that did not meet Elian's eyes and said, "Oracle. I'm afraid that I cannot allow even you in this room. Forgive me, Oracle. It is my duty." These guards, Elian noticed, were exceedingly heavily armed. Battle armor and the best of modern rifles were carried with the confidence of military experience - these men had been chosen for a very clear reason.
"Oracle, if I may be so bold as to ask, why have you come down here? Are you not preparing with the Reverend for the Journey? We have eagerly awaited your coming." Even though he didn't look at her, his eyes began to glow with religious fervor. "What is it like, Oracle?" Some of those under his command gasped at the directness of his question. "To speak with the Mew? To understand it? Does it know we are here? Are we really its children?" He was grinning by this points, taken up by his own vivacity.
---
Above Elian and Aislin, too muted by the dark presence to be felt, a flicker of activity seemed to blink in existence and then back out. And back in. It was almost... offended by itself, so rapidly did it seem to flicker. Suddenly, it stopped at "on."
And then, it began to follow Elian's exact path, about ninety seconds behind her.
---
The Howards grinned at Phoenix's actions, pleased to be so well greeted, and beaming at the swift bond that had formed. They both took a moment to pet Rex, exclaiming at how thin he was while Mr. Howard sucked air through his teeth and let another narrow-eyed gaze pass from the houndour to Alexandra.
Once they were inside, Billie double-checked that Jacob was stable, then bustled into the kitchen, answering Lexi's question over her shoulder. "He'll be fine, Alexis. That's a strong man. What hit him, Alexis? Oh, I'll get so confused - Alexis and Alex." She laughed to herself and beckoned the two girls into the kitchen with her and let them help her set out plates while she almost miraculously began tossing food onto those plates; it seemed they would be fed a full meal whether they wanted it or not. "And how did you two meet? It's uncommon just to meet people on the road, these days." Alex's ears went scarlet and she meekly helped the old woman, but seemed to have gone mute with shame.
Allan, on the other hand, put one strong arm on Gerard's shoulder to detain him. "Mr. Gerard," he said quietly, with a dark look in his eyes, "would you mind explaining to me your two friends? Why is this man so well-equipped, and why does Ms. Alex have a two-way radio with open communications with her, and the stamp of the Exterminant on her forehead?" After making sure it was off, he handed said radio to Gerard, smiling a little as the boy realized the old man had somehow stolen it off the drug addict. The crows' feet around his eyes, it seemed, did not stop this man from being incredibly observant.
Shaula Al Nair: +1 AP subtlety win
((There is a bug in the posting system that does not feel chronology is a necessary thing to have. Everyone please be aware of this when reading posts; the time stamps are still correct and no posts have been lost, but the placement on the page is wrong. Also: 6 days until judgment on Richard Allbrite. Also: all temp costs have been upped, to account for me being rather free-handed with AP.))
(Willam McFadden, young-un extra. See Temp post for details.)
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 5:08 am
It seemed that the further Elian traveled, the harder it became to breathe, and the more obvious it became that her status as Oracle would not get her through every single door the compound kept hidden in the shadows. Although everyone she had passed, every guard that had checked up on her acted kindly enough, it soon became apparent that the guards around her and in front of her were quite different, nice, yet different. Their armor was thick, decorated, top notch military-grade weaponry at their backs, hips and hands. In her short amount of time with the Minutemen, Elian had the ability to recognize a specific weapon or two, but even she hardly believed she was seeing such a thing, especially when the other guards of the compound held no such weaponry.
These men, they were highly trained, highly skilled warriors, however, such thought into the poise and demeanour of the guards only lasted for a fleeting moment. Elian knew that the air around her, the oxygen within the room was perfectly fine, especially considering that the guards were breathing easily enough, but, it felt as though her lungs were losing the will to breathe, the heavy, thick and cloudy darkness she had sensed before seemingly surrounding them, as if the pair had stepped into the storm. Aislin, especially, was affected by the strange ether surrounding them, the pokemon's ears drooped as it took each heavy, laboring step forward to stay caught up to Elian, who also moved rather slowly. It wasn't until a guard, the man directly in front of a strange metal door, addressed her, did Elian really snap into focus. The woman appeared winded, even though she really had no hard obstacle to overcome to get there, she appeared drained.
Knowing that access to such a place of power would not come easy, Elian wasn't honestly surprised to be denied access by the loyal and obedient guard. Silence ensued for only a moment, Elian taking the small amount of time to try and catch her breath, which, only served to help her breathe in more of the air that seemed so heavy and dark to inhale. Raising a hand to her head, she started to feel a bit dizzy, knowing that it was her lack of willpower, and the strong connection between her and Aislin that was causing such symptoms, but, what did that mean for whatever was behind the door? What was so strong as to nearly suffocate the woman where she stand, simply by willing her mind to shut itself down?
Aislin, at this point, was sitting down, huffing small breaths of air that would once in a while, be accompanied by a squeak as the pokemon seemed to have even more trouble handling herself than Elian. Elian considered turning back, leaving for their own sake, but, a voice sharply rang in her mind as her thoughts crossed such a path.
"No! We must see!" Aislin nearly growled as the pokemon bravely willed itself to stand, Elian nearly ignored the pokemon's words in favor of picking her up and turning the other way, however, the guard in front of her spoke up, and it drew her attention away from Aislin for the moment as the man started his interview.
The other guards gasped as such questions, but for Elian, she felt reminded of the brave man who sacrificed himself to save her back when she was still on the road. This man, he seemed no different, a kind and determined individual, but blinded by the fodder he had been given, by Beati, no doubt. Elian truly wished that such faith, such undying loyalty could be better spent on someone else other than her, yet, this predicament could possibly mean that her words, not Beati's would be taken as truth.
Still breathing longer, shallow breaths, Elian smiled kindly at the man, his questions pouring forth like a child discovering life.
"I... I've come down here, because I feel something, behind that door." Elian, once again, spoke the truth. Lying to these people would only bring harm, no doubt, not to mention, any answer she gave them would most likely meet acceptance.
"I'm... I'm honored to hear... That you think so highly of me... As for your questions regarding the mew, I can only say... That it knows of you, it knows of all of us very clearly..." Elian had raised her hand to lightly grasp the man's arm, one, for balance, and two, to give a gesture of compassion. Elian, although speaking the truth, avoided her revealing speech that she had given to Beati, who, reacted with much anger to her words. She didn't need the guards angry at her, but they did deserve to be reassured that the mew, whatever its purpose in the cosmos, at least knew of humanity, and perhaps went as far as to care for it.
A sudden, strange pressure nagged behind her, and, knowing that it would be foolish to ignore such a strange presence, Elian slowly turned to look down the hallway. It took a good amount of concentration, to see, and even believe what was behind her, yet, she would not question such a thing, not at that moment. A small smile crossed her lips, and, without another word, Elian allowed herself to lightly fall back against the guard, as if she had fainted.
Knowing the man would at least drop his weapon, Elian continued her best performance (although, she had plenty of aid from the dark ether), to appear weakened and faint, yet, she remained conscious. Aislin, at this point, had her eyes locked to the strange presence, but eventually, turned back to Elian as the pokemon readied itself, for whatever opening they were about to receive. Knowing the man would be far too distracted to focus against any sort of psychic warding, Aislin focused on the door, and waited.
"Please... The door...I..." Elian spoke softly. Honestly, the words were vague enough that she could have been talking to anyone, but, the words were clearly meant for a specific purpose.
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 7:00 am
Gerard couldn't help grinning at the old man's alacrity, though he was quickly sobered as he realized something.
"It was open, you say? Then I suggest we get rid of it, before someone realizes where this radio disappeared from their radar. I'll take care of it when we leave.
"As to Thatcher and Alex," he said more seriously, "Mr. Thatcher in there was charged with getting me here safely; hence the guns. The Drs. Oak though it would be a good idea for me to have some protection other than Pokemon on the way here. Alex, on the other hand, is an ex-agent of the Exterminant that we met."
He sighed and made sure that only the old man could hear him. "I use the term 'ex' lightly, sir. She has yet to do anything to prove that she's not truly still an agent. In fact, when we met her, she was in the process of trying to assassinate Lexi. If Thatcher and I hadn't intervened, there's no way to know what might have happened."
A thought hit him. "Oh, I was sent to meet you by the Oaks. They said you would be expecting me?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:46 am
Paul met William's eyes, and there was a clear message shot across the momentary contact.
You think you are dangerous, but you are wrong. I have killed many, many men, and you wouldn't even make a worthy trophy. I see what you are doing. I do not like it. And if I must, I will stop it.
That being thought through, Paul considered the boy's position. He was armed... apparently angry and perhaps useful. If things went south, Paul could gain the boy's assistance. Whatever payment he might offer would probably be in vain; Paul didn't have money. However, the boy might enjoy being paid in not-killed-ness. Harsh as it was, Paul had his instructions from Terrian and from Beati, and he would obey at least one, if not the ideal both. This Haven was beautiful, if it was not a lie, and Paul did not want to wreck it. If it came to that, though, Paul was prepared.
At the very least, the boy's weapons were probably acceptable for engaging a large group of unarmed humans. If pokémon could be disposed of somehow...
The blown kiss was ignored or overwhelmed, however, by Paul's glare. He turned it away as they sat, resuming his poker face as quickly as possible. Jñan had more or less avoided the question of weaponry. The motorcycle she had promised. Perhaps she hadn't heard him. Perhaps she was pretending she hadn't heard him. Perhaps she was just ignoring it. If he didn't get the rifle back, well, s**t was going to go down, that was for certain.
"I live between Riverdale and Woodmount," Paul explained. He took the food, but did so conservatively, preferring to eat food that Jñan herself was eating. This meant that he did not have the opportunity to partake of the meat, something he regretted. However, if she would not eat, he would not eat. That was just the way it was going to work. "I work with the Minutemen there." Paul restrained himself from saying anymore before hearing what Juno would say.
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 3:47 pm
Abe arched a brow and jerked his thumb at the garage door. "No...no, see, I know how to hotwire a garage door to open, but I completely missed the useful stuff." He looked around the garage and found a small switchblade in a rubber sheath. After hotwiring his bike on the second try, he revved it and hopped on, pocketing the switchblade and threading his metalic cane through a beltloop.
He took his glasses off and peeled out of the garage up next to Richard.
"I'm not much familiar with the world outside my lab and the Exterminant. I trust you can lead the way?"
More specifically, I can't trust you behind me.
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