Cyriel

Veil sat under a tree, watching James, Mira, Kitsune, and Haze. She felt uncomfortable with them...it was so..personal, like she was invading their private space. They showed so many emotions... Didn't Mira feel uncomfortable and nervous? How could she stand being beside the man who obviously had feelings for her? Veil thought it was like walking into a bedroom...she had no right being there. Unconsciously she started reaching for her headphones, and then stopped. She didn't have them anymore; she had thrown them back at the Academy. Although she missed the familiar items, she was glad; she didn't depend on them anymore. No more raucous noise to keep her sane while she was killing other students, no more clashing cacophany while she was murdering children taken from their homes. No more Academy. Veil continued to watch as Mira's pictures fell to the ground.. Such personal items; Veil wanted to pick them up and give them back to her in a box. How could she be so brave to display her feelings? It was like walking out on a wire; new territory, and risky too. And she watched as Kitsune woke up, his face radiating love for Mira as she sat weeping. Veil stood quietly and left, leaving them. She thought they needed privacy. She went back to Shrapnel, taking the parts that James had fetched, and went to work, trying to block out the voices that she could still hear. Finally, in an effort to give the others some privacy in their clearing, she sat in the cockpit, and breathed slowly in the dark. It still smelled like blood.

Veil was headed towards Mallenfire, walking by a stream in the forest. She came upon the road, and decided for once that she would take the easier path, since there was no one in sight. She usually didn't take to people that well...it was easier avoiding them. Suddenly, the sound of a wagon and running horses reached her ears. She went to the side of the road, where she blended in with the shade and trees. Someone would have to look very hard to find her. A wagon came into view..with no driver. Veil stepped out again, and then reined in the horses. She looked in the wagon, and was almost amazed by all the supplies in it. This could be very useful, and would no doubt last her a long time. Finders keepers... She took the reins, and it wasn't long until she was in Mallenfire. She booked a room at one of the inns, using money she found in the wagon, and then made sure the horse was comfortable in the stables. Veil then sat in the tavern, sipping her drink and thinking about the owner of the wagon. Should she have taken it? There had been a bag - a leather bag, and she opened it now, hiding the contents from the other few people in the tavern. There were three instruments: a piccolo, a drum, and a guitar.

Veil ran to the headquarters of Independence, merging in with the others there. Usually there were only about twenty people in there at a time; others were away gathering information or on missions. Members were careful about being spotted, and took care not to go too often. This would be her third visit this month, which was actually more than usual. She noticed one of her friends at the command terminals, "Hey, are we tracking?" The person nodded. "Yes, we have new JECHTcoms all over the place. We're still downloading the pilot signals, and we'll be able to identify them in a few minutes." New technology enabled them to hack into the JECHTcoms AI codes, and reap the life reports of the pilots. With this information and other clues gathered, they could piece together the identity of the pilots, and then assassinate them. They did this to the very skilled and deadly ones, leaving the ordinary pilots to get killed in battle. But the talented ones they had to take out on their own. Meanwhile, Veil went to her superior officer. "Sir, mission complete. There was maximum success and no casualties." He nodded and then handed her a paper for her next operation, a solo observation on the new pilots. The reports were printed out and given to her. She looked over them... there really were a lot, and some had stats that she had never seen before. This would be interesting... "Where is the ASR getting all these skilled pilots?" she wondered to herself, and then she read one of the papers again. "Those bastards. Now they're using kids to pilot their machines. Murdering bastards." She had just read Logan's stats. The officer came back, and handed her more papers, "You'll have to try and find the identities of these pilots. They're too skilled to keep alive. We have to eliminate them before they get the upper hand. Someone else in the Earth line is working on the pilots there, so we don't have to worry about them." "Yes sir." Veil left, papers stowed away, and returned to her small flat. She went up onto the roof, and watched the JECHTcoms fight, explosions and blasts coloring the clear blue sky. Time to figure out who was who... Observing their movements carefully, she tried to pinpoint which models each of the pilots were in. She watched until she could identify them quickly, and then started to wonder... What would they look like? Did they have families? What did they do in life before the war? "Stop it!" she said out loud. Veil couldn't allow herself to wonder; the emotional bond had to be erased before it could take root. Otherwise, when the time came, she wouldn't be able to perform her mission. She wouldn't be able to kill them. Veil went back to work, checking electronic records to find their assigned hangars. Now all she needed were their names and faces.

Sare heard Gerret struggling in the next room. Thinking that he was in danger, she ran into the room, her hand on her weapon. "What's going on???" Gerret looked at her, breathing hard, and his eyes wide, "What? Huh? Oh, um...nothing's going on." He looked at her again, his brows raising. "Isn't it kinda dangerous running around with weapons? Don't poke someone's eye out kid." Sare shook her head. "Right, whatever. Hey, has anyone seen Kari around? And where the heck did that guardian of hers go?" Gerret rubbed his eyes, pondering the dream at the same time. "Which guardian?" "Makiyu of course! He should be protecting her! I don't trust him alone with her, and if she went with him, I should be there watching them!" Sare said indignantly. In actuality, she did trust Makiyu, almost looked to him as an older brother, but as a young adolescent, couldn't let others know that. Gerret shook his head, hiding his smile.

Name: Veil Banesylvia Age: 19 Weapon: Axe - Two light axes that are made of silver metal. They are lighter and slimmer than normal, since Veil can't wield the normal version (they're far too heavy; she doesn't have that much muscle.) They're also both double-sided. The handles are slender and made of a dark wood, smooth and finished from everyday use. Intricately carved with twisting dragons, they have been threaded at the ends of the handles with dark leather bands. From blade to band, each axe is 1 1/2 feet in length. Clearly they have been made for a woman - they look to decorative and delicate to be fought with, but they are quite strong and hardy. Deadly too. :D Dragon Elements: Healing-Harp; Light-Clarinet; there don't seem to be any others left. Personality: Veil is wary of most people, downright distrustful to others. She is contemptible of nobles, especially the family of Silverdane, the ruling family of Silverside. She knows her goals, and reaches them with a grim determination. Failure isn't an option for her right now. She also holds grudges when hurt is inflicted on her family. However, once you befriend her, she is loyal and trustworthy. Kind of blunt, she never hides the truth, and says whatever she thinks. She detests dependence on anything. If you're skilled in the arts of combat and war, she will afford you a grudging respect. But beware, if you're her enemy, she'll hate you until you are laid to rest. Appearance: Short, dark hair that comes just below her jaw-line. Her height is average, maybe an inch or two shorter than what's normal in Edith. She has misty gray-silver eyes, and a slender figure. She wears a coarse, wool tunic, with several warm layers underneath. Light mail covers that, and around this she has leather bands. Thick wool trousers and knee-high leather boots. A thick, gray cloak completes her ensemble, and she wears leather gloves to protect her hands. The axes hang from her belt on their leather bands, which she is able to slip off with ease. Information: Veil's mother was a peasant who dallied with Edreck Silverdane. As a result, Veil was born, a bastard princess. When Edreck found out that Veil's mother was pregnant with her, he quietly disengaged contact with her, "assisting" her out of his estates. She returned to her family's farm, living in a hut on its edge, where her angry family put her. When she was unpacking her belongings from the castle, she found two orbs of light, which turned into instruments. She kept them hidden, looking at how expensive and rich they were. She gave birth to Veil and raised her on her own, pawning off all the rich things she had gained while in Edreck's favor. She changed Veil's name, making the surname Banesylvia like a riddle. "Bane" as a threat, and "sylvia" as a twisted version of silver and Veil. Thus, Veil's name means that she will be the bane of the Silverdanes. Veil grew up amidst the meager surrounding of her mother's hut, who struggled constantly. However, it was still a somewhat happy childhood, and she was content, after knowing no other world. However, Veil's grandparents and uncles never forgave her mother for giving birth to Edreck's bastard, and kept her secluded. She therefore grew up with a hard grudge against the rest of her family, and detests the sight of them. Also, she hates the Silverdanes with a passion, because her mother constantly talked of how Edreck dumped her back onto the farm. Her mother's weeping at her loss continually drove in the knife in Veil's heart, and she vowed at the age of 12 to avenge her mother's pride and honor. Since then, she tried to train herself in weapons and combat, fighting with village boys for practice. One odd child of a nobleman who befriended her (surprisingly), allowed his weapons instructor to teach her, and she was well-educated in the arts of combat. She took a liking to the double-headed axes, and the boy gave her a present of two of them (the ones she has now) for her 19th birthday. Soon after, he left for a foreign land. Her mother died recently, and just before gave her the harp and clarinet, asking her to keep them since they were from the castle. She is wary of the instruments, since when she touched them, she felt an odd power. She keeps them wrapped and tucked away in leather, waiting to learn what they do. After her mother finally passed away, in pain and sorrow, Veil burned the hut and all memories of her past life. She then lit the fields of her mother's family, her grudge living in the fire. Veil now searches for a way to take her revenge on the Silverdane family, and inflict pain on the heirs. She wishes to grow and seize power, so that she can rise against them and avenge her deceased mother. She likes to thwart and make chaos for nobles, since she holds contempt for them, as some of them don't care for the peasants under their rule. She is slowly insinuating her way closer to the family of Silverdane.

Suddenly, they looked around again. "Are we all here?" Line asked, counting the group. "Wait, who's missing?" Toshi looked around at the bodies lying in the field. So much death... "Veil! Where's Veil??" He just noticed that his guardian was not with them. They all spread out, yelling for Veil. Inside, they wondered if she was still alive. Toshi ignored the smell of the blood, turning over bodies in his frantic search. "Veil! Veil, are you still alive? Come on, answer us!" They kept shouting, praying that her voice would reach their ears... Suddenly, Asunan yelled to them, "I found her! She's over here!" They ran to the base of the archer's tower, where Veil lay where she had fallen. When the others saw her, they almost threw up. Toshi gasped, "Is she alive? Tell me if she's alive!" Veil was covered in blood, her clothes soaked through. Her skin was paper-white, and her eyes were open, reflecting the sky. She had scratches all over her face, and her legs and arms were at odd angles, crushed and broken. The bruises and deep gashes on her body made dark red spots everywhere on the paleness of her skin. In every right, she looked dead. Slashes in her throat and wrists were still seeping blood. Riv turned Toshi away, who was too shocked to protest. The others looked silently down on Veil's body. Suddenly, Tr'shiel knelt down, excitement in her voice, "Wait, she can't be dead. She's not dead! If she was dead, then the blood wouldn't still be pumping out of her wounds! Veil's alive!" Veil was alive. Barely.

"Come on! Move out! This is perfect!" Veil waved her team forward, pulling her mask over her mouth again. She and five others slid from building to building, unnoticed as the forces from Earth attacked overhead. She watched as JECHTcoms flew through the air, explosions everywhere. Rubble and dust started to rise, and she could smell smoke. They moved quickly into the warehouse, spreading out quietly. Men were shouting in their uniforms, running to their JECHTcoms and making ready to defend from the attack. No one noticed the six dark figures slip in. They slid into the shadows. Veil moved to one of the corners, and spotted large boxes of ammuntion. 'Perfect,' she thought to herself, and slid behind them. She quickly arranged the small explosives into the boxes, sliding them between the cracks. She looked for the other members of her team, and then signaled the retreat. They all slipped out, and ran away quickly, hidden beneath the smoke. Once they were back in the civilian area, they slipped into a house, going underneath to the bomb shelter. They all changed into normal clothes, hiding their dust-ridden garb into a chest. Then they went out into the street by some trees. Veil nodded to one of the others, "Ok, do it." He slipped his hand into his pocket, and pressed something. Five seconds, and then a huge fireball went up, some shrapnel flying into the sky. Smoke billowed out, and some missiles shot into the air, blown into the sky by the explosives. She nodded again, and they separated. Mission complete.

Veil clutched her chest, her breathing laboured. "We...we can't do this. The administrators..." Zieg almost forced her into her seat in Shrapnel, "We don't have a choice anymore! They're going to kill us anyway. If we don't leave, we die here. If we leave, at least we have a chance." Then he remembered the condition she was in. "Will you be able to make it? I could probably take you in mine if you need." Veil's eyes hardened, and she sat up. "No, if they can do it, then I can make it. I won't leave Shrapnel here; I've worked too hard on her, and no one else will be able to pilot her." Zieg looked at her with a little worry on his face. "Well...ok. We can make it. Don't get soft now." "Right." Veil waited until Zieg had left the cockpit, and then she let herself curl up, the pain almost making her scream. She bit her knuckles, more blood running down from the new wounds. The cockpit still reeked of blood. She concentrated on breathing, and listened to the jangled chaos in the Academy. Screams...yells...the voices of admins...all echoing in the halls. Suddenly, she heard Kitsune's voice, "Hey! Let's get out of here! Move move move!" Veil sealed the hatch, the pain taking her breath away. She gritted her teeth, and the blood leaked out from under her bandages. She gripped the controls, breathing slowly to get herself under control. She looked at her hands trembling again, and forced her mind to concentrate. Zieg's voice came on the com: "Hey, Veil, you ok? Lets get going before they blast us outa here." She breathed deeply before she replied. "Ok, go first. I'll follow you. And Mira and the others might need some cover. She's never been in real combat. She might go into shock, so watch it. I don't know if the others will be able to fire on their people." She launched, feeling the steady hum of Shrapnel under her. She almost smiled. It was surprising how much comfort she found in the MPSB. Then, as she was following the others out of the hole that they had blasted, she saw the devastation of the chaos. Students were running everywhere on the ground, and several MPSBs were warming up to come after them. She fired some shots, disabling their power units and scaring off the pilots. Fire and smoke was billowing out of the buildings, and there was shrapnel flying through the air. It was odd, but she felt so calm... Veil looked down, and saw her headphones on the floor. They were stained with blood, and she could still hear sound emitting from them. She picked them up... With her com she could hear the others talking to each other back and forth, conflicting with the rambled noise from the headphones. Veil held them carefully in her hands, Shrapnel piloting itself for a few minutes. Then, she put the headphones carefully into the dispenser, and pushed the button to eject them. They flew through the air, dropping as the pull of gravity met them. The headphones disappeared, falling back towards the chaos and the Academy...now an old life. Veil turned, setting her hands back on the controls, and followed her friends higher into the clear sky...

Name: Veil Koryuma Age: 19 Description: 5'8", with short black hair and gray eyes. She has pale skin, and a slender form. She's wears body armour under her clothes, which are usually some loose pants and a long-sleeve shirt. She wears dark, muted colors, and her pants always have many pockets. Personality: Veil is very outright. Blunt and strong, she'll tell you what she thinks of you right away. She's very practical, and will use what she needs (including people) to get what she needs. However, she never does anything without a purpose in mind. Her determination and will are rock-solid, and once she sets her mind on something, she can't be moved, so yes, she's a touch stubborn. She's very strategical in her thinking, and likes it when she knows what's happening. Very often she will take the lead if she thinks the commander is lacking. Her personality allows for people to follow her and trust in her decisions. She's very confident as long as she knows what she's doing. When her emotions go out of control, however, she's indecisive and nervous. She hates not having her emotions under check, and makes sure that she's thinking rationally at all times. Bio: Veil had a completely normal childhood, and was just entering a prestigious university when the war started. She was ambitious, and ready to start her life until the war interrupted it. Her older brother is a soldier for Earth, and his unit is preparing to leave and go to the combat zone. Veil was angry at the war, and she never really liked the government of Earth all that much since there was a lot of corruption and such...as there is in all governments. Then her brother told her that he had enlisted, and she got very angry. Her parents tried to reconcile them, but they ended up saying that she was being a traitor by not supporting her family and brother in this decision. She left home, cutting off all contact with her family. She discovered a shady, rebel group called Independence, and joined up. They are against both the government of Earth, and also the governing body of ASR, because they believe both are wrong and unjustly started the war. While they're against the production of all the mass weapons, they will use the JECHTcoms in their fight if they must, and seek to sabotage both governments. Veil went to ASR when the Earth branch of Independence transferred her there, and she still works with another line, spying and sabotaging the efforts there. Currently she is seeking for any new technologies that ASR has built. Perhaps secretly she is there with another motive...to keep her brother from getting killed. Side: Independent rebel Location: ASR JECHTcom: Veil doesn't have a JECHTcom. She will steal and use them when in need of one, but as a rule of thumb in Independence, she doesn't own one. Despite this, all members of Independence are trained quite thoroughly in piloting various models, and she's quite adept at it.

Name: Veil Koryuma of the Auraski Gender: Female Age: 17 Weapon: Glaive Bio: As the only child of a noble family in one of the Auraski Clans, she was betrothed at birth to the heir of the Siroshuma Fire (Siro Lioxsi, who is born 2 years after). Her parents didn't inform her of this until recently. Her childhood was spent happily doted upon by her parents, but she was also required to learn and excel at many skills, since she was supposed to be the future wife of the Chosen One. Her mother taught her to use the glaive (which was considered a female's weapon), and one of the masters at the temple taught her the skills of wielding a katana. As for the bombs, she experimented by herself, perfecting the homemade bombs after many trials and errors. After she found out that she was betrothed to the Chosen One, Veil rebeled against her parents and ran away, slipping through the tight security that was set up around her home. She now travels as a renegade, helping those in need and defending the poor. Wishing to be a full-fledged warrior and ninja, she's slowly making her way to the Academy. However, her secret goal is to find the Siroshuma Fire and claim it as her own, so that she won't have to marry. Description or Pic: short black hair (she cut it off), silver eyes, slender form. Her katana hangs on a belt with tiny silver bells, and she is garbed in flowing blue cloth with silver embroidery. Trousers underneath match the tunic, and leather bands criss-cross her chest, all decorated with tiny silver bells and silver embroidery. The bombs are attached to the bands, where they are in easy reach. Side: Auraski Clan(good) Secondary weapons: katana, bombs Class: warrior/ninja/renegade

'Hmph, love,' thought Cicero as he watched the group. His slender form walked with them unseen, as he observed their ways. His eyes grew cold as he watched them embrace. 'Time for another game,' he thought, the corners of his mouth turning into a cruel smile. 'But what should I do this time? I've been bored for so long...and now that I get to play, I want to make sure that I have as much fun as I can.' He thought, ignoring the group as they rambled past into the fields. "Time to play with their head a little," he said to himself. Suddenly, as the group breasted a hill, the sun turned blood red, sinking to the horizon. Crosses were illuminated...hundreds of crosses, the corpses still bleeding from the recent lives that had just departed. The stench of the rot was like a cement wall, permeating the air, and making it unbreathable. Cicero heard Carrie sob at the sight, hiding her face in sorrowful horror. 'Does it hurt?' he thought. 'Does the death of strangers twist the knife deeper into your heart? Hurt, please hurt...'

Sare slowly awoke, blinking her eyes. She sat up abruptly, looking for the white feathers that she had last seen through her vision before she fainted. "Kari" she called, a little frightened. "Yes?" Kari was there instantly, taking her hand. "Hey, are you feeling better?" "Um..yeah, I'm fine." Sare answered. The feathers...must have been a dream... But... "I'm kinda hungry." Kari laughed, "You never change. But I'm glad you're ok." "Are the others ok?" "Yes, they're fine. We all managed to survive. Makiyu's already up and out." Kari didn't mention Gerret. "Oh, ok." Sare thought as Kari left to get some food. 'My dream,' she thought....'it had..angels. Angel feathers..and angels. Are there angels here? Or was it all just a dream?' Kari came back in with the food, "Here you are Sare! Enough food to feed an army! And it's good too!" Sare looked up, instantly snatching a pastry with her fingers, "This is awesome! mmf grmph smiirf! Wow!" Kari laughed at the spectacle, but then Sare turned serious. "Hey, Kari...I'm sorry that...I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I don't make a very good guardian."

A small, blonde figure waited by one of the computer terminals. A few others filled the small lab, periodically checking and making adjustments on some of the machines. In a tank of water, a human figure was swimming, cutting through the water easily. The two guards shifted uncomfortably, stretching their tired muscles. They were bored, tired of watching this odd mutant, tired of guarding against an "unknown factor" that could turn "potentially dangerous." They saw no danger in the girl. What threat could she pose? "Dr. Smith?" one of the scientists called. The blonde figure looked up, and then abandoned her post beside the computer terminal. She went to check on the monitors, and then spoke quietly with the scientist. She returned, watching the screen like a hawk. In her mind, her memories returned. How long...had they been on this project? She had been a young, fresh mind when she had discovered the Organization, a group that she thought would revolutionize humankind. And, in a way, they had. She had been assigned to this specimen when she was 22, and now she was 34. She wasn't old; in fact, reaching the prime of life. And she was worried. Slowly, the truth had come out behind the Organization. Not the whole truth, but enough to reveal that what they had in mind wasn't all good, wasn't all that she had thought. Instead, the secrets ran darker, deeper...and she had been mortally frightened by what she had found. Her eyes went to the tank, where the girl swam. Would that girl have been a normal girl, playing in a pool today? What other future would there be for her, if she hadn't been...transformed? Dr. Smith shook her head, banishing the melancholy thoughts. They were unnecessary tangents; she couldn't afford to have thoughts like that, because then, then she would start questioning...and that was too dangerous. Her memories returned again... It had been two days ago that the higher authorities in the Organization had contacted her. They had told her that she was to be moved to another project today. When she asked what would happen to the test subject, they had told her that she didn't need to know. Instantly, warning bells rang in her head. But she hadn't been able to do anything. Nothing, and she felt her anger build at her frustration. Now she waited, wanting to somehow warn...the girl. Secretly she had given her a name: Veiya. How had the bond formed? She didn't know. Veiya, on the outside, was no different than any of the others she had seen. She could almost pass for a normal human. Perhaps that was why she had felt a slight tug in her heart for Veiya; Veiya had always shown a wish to be normal. Instead of raging against her captors, she had tried to befriend them. But after a few years of failure, she had slowly given up, becoming silent and meek. Indeed, if Dr. Smith hadn't known that she was a project of the Organization, she would never have known it. Her...powers were so...diminished compared to some of the others. They were still extraordinary, but... Dr. Smith had watched the inquisitive Veiya, secretly forming a silent bond... a tentative smile here, a knowing wink there...and it had gone on, until they had become...almost friends. Dr. Smith waited dutifully by the computer terminal now, waiting for her transfer notice, waiting for her next project. A message flashed up, distracting her from the memories. She looked down. *Project Alert* She opened the message, looking for her new work station, and stopped. *Termination of Project #10056 confirmed as of 1100 hours. Await live confirmation by wire* The phone rang, and her heart thudded as she picked it up, "Yes?" An emotionless voice answered, "Termination of Project #10056 is confirmed. Terminate the test subject. The facility should be evacuated by 1145. Understood?" She barely was able to breath. "Yes," she answered. She put down the phone, and then deleted the message, checking to make sure the guards hadn't noticed, but they had. She made her decision. "Come on, we just received an order from the top." The other scientists grouped and came toward her, and she motioned for the guards to join. "We just received notice that we have to transport the test subject." "What?? Move it?" a voice asked. She nodded, keeping her calm, businesslike manner, "Yes, move it. They're evacuating the facility. We have to be out by 1130, and we have to take the test subject with us. They're moving the project to a different location. Let's go." They all scurried, putting Veiya into a restraining device, and packing up all the machines. It was a procedure they had practiced dozens of times. Dr. Smith was the last to walk out of the lab, closing the door behind her. They walked through the other halls, the two guards carrying the device that held Veiya. Suddenly, the alarm bells went off, and the sirens turned on. The intercom turned on, repeating its warning message: *BREACH IN SECURITY. RETURN TO YOUR STATIONS. BREACH IN SECURITY. YOU ARE TO RETURN TO YOUR...* The group was confused, and Dr. Smith immediately took command, "We have to keep moving. The top orders are that we are to evacuate the facility. Lets go." One of the guards stopped her, "Dr., I think it's better if we go back to the lab. We should obey the orders of-" "NO! We have to go! The door is right there! It's just around the corner! You're crazy if you think we're going back!" The guards drew their weapons, and some of the scientists screamed. The game was up now; she could see it in the guards' faces. They knew what she was playing, somehow..but no time for that now. She instantly took hold of one of their weapons, firing shots into each of them. "Help me!" she cried to the rest of the scientists. Some of them scrambled to obey, while the rest ran. More shots were fired, and she felt something go into her abdomen. Looking down, she saw red spill out onto her white lab coat. She aimed and fired again. Screaming filled her ears, and she tried to run. It was all dizzy...she couldn't walk. But she forced herself to. She watched herself break open the device holding Veiya, watched herself shoot open the lock on the door to the outside world. Veiya...her sweet face was frightened, confused by the chaos surrounding her. And when she saw the scarlet on Dr. Smith's body, she licked it to taste what it was. And then, Dr. Smith shouted at her, "Run! Run Veiya! Run run run run run!!" And pushed her through the door, and slammed it. Inside, Dr. Smith fired crazily at the guards; they just didn't seem to die. They must have body armour...and she was getting dizzy...she looked at her watch to see what time it was....1142...3 minutes to go. She propped her body against the door. Veiya heard the screaming echoing behind the door, and looked around her. Strange, everything was strange. She wanted to explore everything, but...run run run run run...it reverberated in her head. She ran. As best she could, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, unaccustomed to the hard ground, the bright light, the strange smells and sights. But she ran, because that's what...that's what SHE had told her to do. Then a huge blast knocked her off of her feet. When she looked back, a huge fireball had enveloped the area, and smoke and dust were spreading. She looked, and then got up and ran again. Ran away from the fire and ashes...of an old life.

Fera twirled her scimitar expertly, dispatching demons to the next world on its curved blade. Here she was, an elf sided with a cynical demon, fighting for some rock called the Earlif that she didn't know anything about. Wonderful. She took out her frustration on the demons, who obviously didn't know better than not to challenge her. They thought they had a chance. Fera almost wanted to laugh at their foolishness. Pathetic demons. Then, Inferna showed up. Fire pulsed in her hands, spreading around her body in fatal waves. "It's Inferna!" Fera shouted, making her voice heard over the chaos. Inferna hadn't noticed her yet; she was keeping her attention on Lidora, who was concocting magic of her own. Fera summoned a little magic of her own, sprinkling their group with a small protective charm.

Another familiar scent reached her on the archer's tower, as she dispatched the enemy with her deadly arrows. Veil closed her eyes briefly, looking for the familiar orbs of energy. Tapping one, she focused, looking for a clue that would tell her who this familiar thing was... She rushed to the Gate, and then...her eyes widened. The familiar profile of...Morak. Suddenly, he seemed to turn, and then his eyes glowed. Her body convulsed, pain running through in waves. Her spirit returned to her body, and she fainted, her bow falling from her grasp. She too, followed it, falling... She tried to regain consciousness, but Morak's power was too strong, and she fainted again. Toshi looked up, and saw her figure fall off the tower. "Veil!"

Veil rushed out of her room, the wrist-com barely finishing its message. She had hacked into Phalanx and watched the whole fight on scene. That idiot! her mind screamed. But then again, it was her fault for leaving that disc in the MPSB. God, why was she such a fool? She had just been bored and playing around, and now James was going to be executed. Well, she wasn't too worried about that, but the disc...it could get her into serious trouble. That idiot! The administrators had told her to annihalate both of them: James and Kitsune. Sensors in both of the MPSBs had shown that their emotion and sanity levels were peaking sporadically, and now the officials had decided that they had had enough; James and Kitsune were too much of a risk. Those idiots. "Veil!" She turned, and saw Zieg running after her. She didn't say anything, just started accelerating as much as she could to get past the blast doors into the hangar. She was almost there...she didn't want to have to explain to anyone right now... oh god, why did she have to do this? "Veil!" Zieg shouted again. When she hadn't answered him the first time, he had known what she had been called in to do. Only Veil would have been called in for a mission like this: to execute some of the top students of the academy. She was the only one that the officials could trust to carry out the assignment. After all, she was their creature, born and molded by their twisted hands. He had to stop her. Pushing for more speed, inch by inch he slowly caught up to her, and then rocketed himself off the ground. Veil was rammed into the wall by Zieg's form, crushed beneath his weight. She bit her lips at the pain, and then attacked. Quickly she showered blows to his head and groin, attacking the sensitive pressure points. All the while, the headphones were screaming into her head, their soundwaves interrupted by the administrators' voices ordering her to kill James and Kitsune. It took a little while for Zieg to defend himself; he couldn't bring himself to hit her, but soon enough he realized that he wouldn't live if he didn't protect himself. Instinct soon kicked in, taking over the fevered emotions as the two struggled in the hall outside the hangar. She was smaller and faster, more agile and quick, but her size didn't reflect her strength. Her blows were enough to kill any normal human, but Zieg, like all students at the academy, was not normal. He withstood her blows, but barely. Meanwhile, he was trying to disable her without seriously hurting her. He was almost shocked; when had Veil learned to fight like this? Had the administrators trained her to be this horrific monster? "Veil! Stop! Stop now!" he cried, as he turned her blows away. She said nothing, just continuing her savage attack. Her dark eyes stared at him, and for some reason he thought that they looked...sad. Was she silently pleading with him to help her? To help her escape? That one moment of distraction cost Zieg. Veil whipped out a small syringe and plunged it into the side of his neck, emptying the contents. The drugs flowed out into his bloodstream, paralyzing him instantly. He felt his body grow heavy, and his eyes closed. Veil ran into the hangar and then locked herself in, sealing the blast doors. There from one of the computers, she hacked into the system, taking over security and all modes of transportation. The admin would think it was normal - she would want to be secure and have privacy while she worked. In fact, it was in her orders; they couldn't let the government of Japan find out that they were exterminating their own students. Veil blocked all the other signals, and jumped into her Shrapnel, loading a program for swift execution. She readied to launch, and then...stopped. On her radar, she could see the Phalanx approaching. It would be in target in 15 seconds. 14...13...12... Her hands shook...her body was covered in cold sweat. Blood started seeping from her body, her veins pushing through her skin and pumping blue blood out. Damn it, she thought. 3...2...1... They were in sight. Her target was set. She watched as Phalanx loomed closer, saw it raise its gun just in case she fired...which she was supposed to. She knew that they would never have a chance...and that she would live. And then she realized, 'I'm not living. I'm not living right now. No one here is really alive, we're just programmed to fight, and kill, and die. I'm not...alive. Do I have a right...to take away their lives?' Veil pushed another control, putting communication between Shrapnel and Phalanx. "Veil to Kitsune: take James. Get away. Don't come, they know you're alive, and I'm supposed to kill you. You don't have a chance here anymore, they'll kill you. Leave now; they'll think you're dead. Leave." She released the comlink, breaking communications. She hung her head, now dizzy from blood loss. Blood pooled around her ankles, and it was steadily growing deeper. Through a haze, she saw the Phalanx turn, and then lost sight of it. She quickly targeted a piece of rubble and fired at it, using her ammo. 'Zieg,' Veil thought. He would recover in about five more minutes, and she had something to do. She hacked the security system again, and revised the videos in the hallway of them fighting. Then, she shut down her Shrapnel, sealing herself inside. "Breathe," she said quietly. "Breathe...oh, please, let them live..." And she gave herself away to the dark fog enveloping her... ___________________________ "Veil! God, Veil, where are you??" Zieg ran through the tidy, deathly-quiet hangar. He had broken through the codes, unlocking the doors. "Veil???" He saw Shrapnel, prepared to launch, standing frozen before the open launch pad. Climbing up, he forced open the hatch. He drew in breath as a trail of blue blood flowed out, a thin, steady stream flowing to the floor. The coppery smell filled the MPSB, and he resisted the urge to be sick. He waded through the calf-deep blood, going two steps before seeing Veil's still form. Too still...deathly... "Veil! God, Veil," he said, rushing to her side. The blood had stopped flowing, but it had made trails everywhere on her body, and her clothes were soaked. The headphones were gone, somewhere beneath the blue pool. He gently lifted her limp form, somehow getting to the floor in one piece. He checked for a pulse and breathing...none. "Veil, come on, Veil!" He ducked his face, he didn't want to cry. He stayed bowed over her still form, until the administrators found him there. OOC: she's not dead. yet.

Zieg looked at Veil, "Hey, you didn't tell Fox that we already have these." She continued hooking various wires to other components, "Yes, well, you didn't either. There's no sense in letting him feel like a fool. For now, he's a suitable ally." Zieg shook his head, looking at the code running down his screen, "Do you always have to be so...tactical?" Veil shrugged. "You should keep an eye on your friend Fox. His...emotions...are quite unusual it seems. It could affect his performance in training." "Ok, I'll keep an eye on him. And meanwhile, I'm going to install something in your room." Zieg stood up, a small device that looked like a bottle cap in his hand. Veil strained to see it, but turned back to her wiring, "What is it?" "Well, it's a sound barrier. It'll neutralize any sound waves that travel outside your room, so that we won't have an unexpected surprise like Fox again. And it works so that the sensors in the security can't detect it either, so don't worry about it." Zieg took out a panel in the ceiling, fiddling with the device there. Veil continued working, running through all the encryptions, her brain taking in all the codes. "Music to my ears," she said, her hands flying over the keyboard and twisting over the sensors. Her headphones remained over her ears.

Ceris noted the new group that had appeared at the playground. She was also smart enough to know that this was an experienced one, not like Chris's little mock fight. But she also knew that she was not with normal people. Throughout the fight, she had seen their powers come to life. They had forgotten their disguises. James's had been hard to catch, and she still hadn't totally confirmed it. His skill in making his power look normal was very high indeed. Kari's power had been obvious when an elephant's trunk had suddenly appeared from her face. And for Brandon, well, getting stabbed with a knife fifteen times and not bleeding had kind of made it obvious. As for Matt, she had seen him in the water, and that had been enough. Ceris almost thought that the others in the group were lucky - their powers could be used almost anytime. Well, sort of, but more easily than hers could. But she turned her attention back the the five advancing thugs, and yelled out, "I hope you have bandaids, because poor little Chris here looks like he needs a couple..hundred." Chris's older brother swung the chain menacingly, "Cocky little bitch. I've heard enough about you from Chris to know you're not all that you say you are. But don't say I didn't warn you; you're going to be in a world of hurt in a couple minutes...and I hope you told your parents you loved them this morning, because by the time we're through, you probably won't have a tongue..or a throat...or a body. We'll eat you alive." Ceris's eyes narrowed, and she didn't speak anymore. What kind of weirdos were these? She felt the others' comforting presence around her, and was for the first time in her life, glad that she wasn't alone in this fight. And then her breath was forced out of her, as the advancing group started to...change... Their skin seemed to stretch..and their eyes grew yellow and discolored. Their limbs seemed to grow longer.. What were these things???

"Iscariot." Ariyel's voice was stone cold. He turned to her, "Yes? Would you like to speak to me?" Her eyes were dark, but the glint of gold showed her demon heritage, "What has the Lord Gavriel been involved in of late. You came so recently out of the Chaotic Realm that you should know something, right?" Iscariot smiled cruelly, "Oh, the daughter of Gavriel would like to know her father's intentions?" Instantly Ariyel pulled her sword up against his throat. "Do not ... relate me with him...ever," she hissed, pressing hard enough that it went through his skin. He merely sneered, and then pushed the blade away with his hand, "Anger does not become you, Ariyel. Or, actually, the loss of control over your emotions doesn't suit you. I thought you had better training than that." "My training and actions don't concern you. Answer my question." Iscariot smiled again, and then shrugged, "As you wish. The Lord Gavriel at the moment is one of the Overlord's more favored and powerful commanders. Or, he was. Until you left and started...shall we say...diminishing our numbers.. Thus, Lord Gavriel took into training the Pyrl prototypes. He's such an odd lord though...never boasting his power or position...and actually, he almost acts like a human. Most other demons don't understand him. However, recently his whereabouts have been unknown. He's constantly traveling to other realms...and there are clues that he's brought another human in." Ariyel stiffened, "...another...human?" She bit her lip until the blood ran, not aware of the pain. "Are you sure this is not just another mage? The Chaotic Realm does have a human court, for the human mages that serve the Overlord." Iscariot shrugged, "I do not know. No one is aware of who it is, although many are trying to reveal the identity of the human. It could be a mage, for all we know." Ariyel still stared, the line of blood not stopping. It dripped onto her hand, and she looked down at the dark red spot on her pale skin. 'Damn you, Gavriel,' she thought. 'Damn you to deepest Hell.'

Zieg and Veil were in her room, a panel of the wall removed to reveal the wiring underneath. Both had their wrist-coms and electronics devices surrounding them. Veil readjusted her headphones, "That wire is one of the leaders to the main system. But since it's so far out in the webbing, the security was really poor. With this, we have our little glimpse at the main wiring of the entire facility, the power, the programs, the sessions, and more isolated records. We can gain access to the most secure programs in the entire country...but..." Zieg finished for her, "But if we get caught, we're expendable." She nodded, "Well, yes, but that's not what I was going to say. After you broke the introductory encryption, I watched one of the larger systems. It's not going to be that easy sneaking into the next systems. They're constantly maintained and watched by live operators, who modify the security codes and programming at random intervals. I only looked that far, so I don't know about the main yet." Zieg whistled, "Wow, so basically, Kakashki is some pretty big shit, eh?" Veil simply nodded, her expression still blank. Then he spoke again, "So, why are we breaking into the Main?" She shrugged nonchalantly, "Because we have nothing better to do. And there'll probably be some restricted programs that we can load onto our mechas." He smiled, and put his hands behind his head, "Well, sounds good to me."

The power shut off on her Shrapnel, and Veil waited in the darkness for the next level to be loaded. So far, she, Zieg, Kitsune, and some others had survived. Zieg and I have it easy, she thought. They had done all these simulations before, and had been able to train longer and harder with their mechas. The admins had been very encouraging in their sessions together, allowing them practice and time until she and Zieg could work almost as one, each knowing automatically what the other would do. They were almost perfectly synchronized, with a few small glitches here and there. However, at the academy, they were the pair with the highest success rate in synch. The admins were still matching the others up, and hadn't introduced them yet. As for now...the culling was to process which still had skill...and which were expendable. Although, the admins had thought that some of the students would participate in a later session. The group was too big to do all at once. They would wait their turn...to live...or die. "Hey, Veil, did you tell Fox?" Zieg's voice came in on her com. "No," she breathed. "He's too unstable. And while you were finishing those last two units, I checked some of his classifieds. You should read it. Very interesting. If I told him, he'd probably try to kill the admins right now, which would be a very foolish move." Suddenly, the lights blinked on again. The final round was about to start.

They all walked down the halls, Kari and Matt somewhat less jubilantly than Ceris and James, since they didn't want to swim 10 extra laps. As they passed the cafeteria on their way out, they heard a large group of people. "Leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you! What's your problem?" "Little f*****, think you can talk to us that way?" The sound of a fist hitting flesh echoed, and someone groaned. Ceris ran over immediately, throwing the doors wide open. She saw one of the jocks standing over a short, little kid, with all his cronies behind him. They were some of the richer kids of the school...and they had obviously been torturing the poor little kid. She glared, "Picking on little kids again? What, did I whoop your butt so bad last time, that you're practicing on midgets?" James, Matt, and Kari followed. Kari immediately went over to Jedgar, who was on the ground holding his stomach. Unbeknownst to Kari, however, was that Jedgar had quickly turned his stomach to liquid at the same time the punch landed, diminishing the force of the blow. He pretended to be hurt, watching the group take on the bullies. A tall kid with a slanted cap sneered, "Ah, it's the Nazi Ceris. Come to greet us again?" "Nazi? I'll ignore you this time, and give you a chance to walk away. How about apologizing? To both of us," Ceris's eyes had narrowed, and she was barely containing her fury. The kid laughed, shrugging and turning to his friends, "Hey, she's had a change of heart. She's not the Nazi anymore, she's Mother Theresa!" He turned back to Ceris. "As for the dwarf, he's not worth the effort of apologizing. And you?" He laughed and shrugged. "Careful, Chris, I'd watch where I was going with this conversation," Ceris warned, her fingers twitching. James wondered if she was anticipating strangling the little bugger. The kid called Chris turned, the ugly sneer on his face again. He readjusted his cap, and then smiled. "I think that YOU should be careful. You're outnumbered five to one. Think you can still whoop us this time?" James now stepped forward, "Hey, she's not alone. I'll be lending my services to her for this round, if that's what she needs." Chris smirked, "You? I've heard of you. James, isn't it? Yeah, the lazy kid who plays hookie and thinks he's some Jap gangster. Get lost before you get hurt." Ceris turned to Matt and Kari, "Hey, will you two go and get that kid out of here? And check if he's ok." Kari and Matt started helping Jedgar up, (since he was still pretending.) She turned to Chris, and stepped forward, "Ok, are you going to match your big mouth?" Chris's group surrounded him, "You're going to get it, I'm warning you Opel." They started to surround James and Ceris. "Wait!" Ceris said, holding up her hand. James looked at her. What was she doing? Chris raised his eyebrows, "Losing your nerve already? I understand - it's hard for a female to stand up to her superiors." "Ha, funny. No, I was suggesting that we take this somewhere less obvious, and some place where there'll be no interruptions. I'm just thinking, which is more than your monkies can do." Ceris turned and led the way outside. They all went into a deserted playground. She turned again, "Ok, ready now. But Chris, one thing before we start. Just a tip for next time: if your enemy is superior, than avoid her." She smiled, waiting for their clumsy attacks, James waiting as well...

"It's gone," Ariyel said to Ryan when she noticed his searching gaze. She turned to Blake, who was still holding his throat. "Aren't you Blake v. 3.0? You should be able to handle Pyrls, especially prototypes." He didn't answer, choosing to ignore her for the moment. She sheathed her sword, the gold receding from her eyes. Then she turned to Logan, "I drew first blood, but you took the kill. I applaud you." She bowed gracefully, and then stood. "Next time, though, I won't make the same mistake." Logan smiled, "A challenge? My pleasure. It'll be very enjoyable, I'm sure." Ryan shook his head as he rolled his eyes, "This is despicable. You're counting your kills?" Ariyel turned her cool gaze towards him, "We're not counting kills. It's just a comparison of skill. Would you like to join, or do your commandments bar you from that?" She smiled coldly, and Logan almost laughed. How did she put such flair into her words? He supposed it was from being raised by a demon lord. What an odd girl.

Veil laid her hands gently on Shrapnel's controls. She breathed, finding comfort in the scent of the cockpit. This was where she lived her life. She put her headphones on, and then turned to her wristcom. She noticed that Zieg had already broken through the codes. Damn him. He was getting faster and faster. She'd have to study more to catch up. She almost laughed; he was the only person that she had known to be better than her. Then the warning beep from Shrapnel told her that the session had started. Immediately, she saw Kitsune's Phalanx take damage. "Kitsune, status report," she asked, talking into the com. He answered, "Shit, this is a bad day." Always so blunt... "Why are you talking to me anyway?" "Look at your instructions again. You're part of our unit," she answered, making it blink up on his screen. More shots came out of no where, and they were getting stronger. Veil could see mechas blinking off of her screen. "Report in, please. Just affirm that you're here," she commanded. One by one, panicked voices sounded in, reporting their units. Kitsune was fine, swearing in his grim voice. "Hey, am I late?" Zieg's voice came in on her com. Veil readjusted her controls, shifting to take aim at another enemy unit, "No, just in time. But it's not like you to be late for a battle." She could hear him smile as he answered, "Yeah, well, I found something better to do for a couple minutes. Besides, we've already done this before." "True, but the commanders won't like your tardiness." She dispatched another enemy, moving quickly through the lines. Then she paused, and said, "Zieg, you know this is live, right?" "What? Where'd you hear that from?" "The commanders. They're culling this time," she answered tonelessly. Zieg swore, and then asked, "What do you mean? Are you serious?" Veil turned up the volume on her headphones, "I'm serious. They're culling. The ones who pass this session are the ones that stay alive. The casualties are going to be sent out." "In boxes," Zieg replied grimly. This wasn't training anymore. This "special" session was different than all the other special ones that he and Veil had attended. This time, students were going to die. He could already see their signal lights blipping out. He took aim again... "Zieg." Veil's voice came again from the com. "Yeah?" he answered, firing shots. "Should I tell the fox?" His mind thought..."The fox? Oh, you mean Kitsune? hmm..."

Suddenly, Veil walked in, her headphones around her neck. They stopped talking, looking at the odd girl. She ignored them, putting her headphones on. She walked on past them, and was just about to turn the corner to her own room, when she stopped. Turned, and walked back to them, stopping directly in front of Kitsune. Her voice held no expression, "This is for you. Are you done with the bandages?" She handed a slip of paper to Kitsune, and then took the roll of bandages, walking to her room. Mira looked to Kitsune, "Hey, what is that? Don't tell me that the ice-girl has a thing for you." She smiled teasingly. Kitsune rolled his eyes, "Don't even think that. I'll see you guys later." He left, taking the note into his room where he could read it in private. He opened the slip of paper: Special training session 2100 hours Do not be late His mind wondered...another training session? Two hours later? What was this? Then he thought about Veil...what the heck had she been doing with the note? He looked at the paper again, and then...noticed that on a small corner of it, there was blood. A tiny spot...he realized that Veil had been bleeding. That's why she took the bandages, he thought. He tried to think of more clues, but no more came to him. He would have to wait until the training session. And think of an excuse to give to Mira and James. In her room, Veil slowly took off her uniform, but kept her headphones on and her eyes closed. When she looked down, she looked at the puddle of blue blood that was pooling on the floor. She quickly cleaned and bandaged the wounds, stopping the blood flow. Head phones on, she lay on her bed, thinking... Thinking about the small wire that she had discovered in investigating Haze's explosion. She had quickly hooked into it with her wrist-com, downloading the encrypted codes. She wanted to look at them, piece them together, but she stayed still, forcing her body to rest and ready itself for the next training session in two hours. This time would be different...this time there would be others there with her...