Infinities Edge

[Kazanna]

Elias raised a brow as the AI shimmered slightly at the question. Dolly looked slightly puzzled as her eyes shimmered with data. She turned her gaze back towards Gemma after a moment, she had been staring off into space as the data processed.


"I'm sorry, but you need to be more precise in your questioning. The word Successful is objective to whomever views the program and from whatever point of view that they have." Dolly said gently. She looked away, and shrugged softly, "It's a hard question to answer really... and my remaining limiters prevent me from answering questions the way a person would..."


Elias muttered, "Ask her it's outcome, ask her for outcomes, to see what happens depending on the data she knows." he'd turned, and was still holding the tray that held their food as steam rose from it, the natural reaction as it cooled.


Dolly returned her gaze directly to Gemma's after glancing at Elias in slight confusion. "I am prepared for your query Miss Livingtree." she said gently.

 

[Elle Joyner]

"Of course, right... Sorry." Chuckling softly, she rubbed the back of her neck. She should have known, really. Before her name had been smeared and her job lost, she had been used to addressing programs like the AI. Funny how something that not too long ago had been rather a habit were now almost lost on her, "I've been talking to too many AIs today. I forget they're not really people."


Concentrating for a second, she nodded. It needed to be phrased just right, which was easier said than done. Words were often objective, even when they didn't feel that way. She was, at least, glad to have Elias there for assistance. "Alright then. What is the outcome of the New Genesis program?"


She wanted to continue... to ask more, but there were questions she could ask that she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to. It was a frightening though, too much information...

 

[Kazanna]

Dolly's figure shimmered again, her face fell slightly, and she nodded, "I... can display the projected outcomes, and the outcome that has been experienced for a total of one minute..."


She did so, a moment later, the room was filled with a hologram, "The first outcome, is the one we hoped for, it... has yet to be encountered... but it is a hope that Earth will become the template for galactic change... for a rejuvenation effort and for the terraform process of new worlds... So far... however, due to the direct interference of the Templar order, the only outcome we have encountered so far..." She motioned, and the hologram shuddered, it was of Earth, ravaged from what could only have been war. "During an event, they took control of the system... and caused this outcome, the utter annihilation of Earth and her people. The nanites..." She motioned to them as they devoured Earth's crust and mantle, ripping the planet apart, spread rapidly, and destroyed much of the known universe before the gods intervened... and created a paradox within existence, causing a reality collapse and a reset... as you know them to be... needless to say... Aquarius has placed a countermeasure in place... trained a subordinate who is... capable of deterring this outcome..." She glanced to Elias pointedly, "No pressure." She muttered, glancing to Gemma, she stuck her tongue out and made a face of joking, before she shimmered again.


"I can answer one more question. Imperius is spinning back up..." She looked to Gemma, almost pleadingly, "Hurry."

 

[Elle Joyner]

If she hadn't already had enough of a reason to detest the Templars, she was finding more and more the deeper the rabbit hole went. The hologram was disturbing and upsetting, and she could feel her stomach tighten as she watched the scene play out, shaking her head with a mix of shock and disgust. Tears burned her eyes, and as the hologram faded, she lowered her gaze. There was already so much pressure on Elias as it was... no amount of saying otherwise would do.


She felt useless. She felt useless and helpful, and for the first time since running into Elias, that factor made her angry. He had done so much for her, already. He had done so much for the world, as a whole... but to be to put in a position where he was almost solely responsible for saving the universe as they knew it? It wasn't fair...


Dolly spoke again and Gemma looked up, frowning softly. It was frustrating, hearing that sense of pleading. Knowing the AI had something she wanted... no needed Gemma to know, but she couldn't simply tell her. A sigh escaped and Gemma shrugged. The only question that came to mind was, to her, the only one that mattered, "...What can I do to help him? What do I need to do, to help Elias?"

 

[Kazanna]

Dolly paused, and displayed a holographic display, it was the image of a battlefield, she motioned to the center point, "At this moment, you need to use your remaining Delphi Nano-Machines and drive a thirty centimeter spike into the chest of this woman here... The Templar High Inquisitor, This will prevent her from firing her Delphi Nano-Displacer at Elias as he will be occupied stabilizing the Centrino Nucleus of the Galaxies Heart. You will need to time this perfectly, or the Grand Cleric will preform an impermeable shield spell to protect the Inquisitor. Elias will be vulnerable for another five hundred seconds while he absorbs the Centrino Nucleus and fuses with the Galaxies Heart, beginning his Phasic Transition into the Ethreal Plane. If you are able to protect him in this time, he will temporarily become Omnipotent, and can reverse the timeline that led to this eventuality of the destruction of the Galaxies Heart by the Templar Inquisition. To do this however... Your going to have to allow the Grand Cleric to penetrate you with her Galvius Sword, and keep hold of it for approximately two hundred seconds, The Galvius Sword is known to dissassemble matter, which..." She paused, and looked to Elias, then back to Gemma, "Will kill you, Gemini Livingtree. It is... your DOD... after all... " She displayed Gemma's statistical data.


Gemini Paige Livingtree


Deceased during the Eximus Struggle at the Galaxies Heart, Awarded the highest honors of the Lunaris Clan of Savior of Creation, Attempts towards a reclimation of her timeline have been made repeatedly, all attempts ending in the loss of further agents to no avail. Recriminating details reveal that there is no possibility of preservation of Gemini Paige Livingtree's Timeline past this point without sacrifice of Creation Engines at the Galaxies Heart.


Dolly paused, and flickered, then suddenly vanished. In her place, another hologram appeared, one of a male, like a much younger version of Aquarius, but his eyes were a sickly Yellow tone, with normal human pupils and irises. He glanced to Elias, and then to Gemma.


"Elias Grim. I assume you overrode Dollies internal programing to allow for my shut down. You will be reprimanded for thi-" Imperius began.


Elias held up his left hand, which was free at the moment, he shook his head, "Not now Imperius... Status Quo, Shut down house internals, negate all sensors, time, twelve hours. Passcode, Pale Horse Seven." He murmured.


A moment later, the entire structure shuddered, the house around them trembled as it lost power. Elias had turned off everything within the house with a single passphrase. He glanced to Gemma as the light began to fade. "I'll... Find another way..." He muttered, rolling his shoulders slightly, "It's why they allowed things to get this far... Because I'm meant to find another way... Galvius Sword huh... I'll have to check the archives later..." he stepped into the living room and set the tray down on the recliner he had been on sitting on.


Elias moved over to the windows and stood there, statuesque, he gazed out at the stars and muttered, "Galvius... Sword... Omnipotence... Hm..." He slowly began to evolve plans in his mind, using the data he had seen, it was slower going, less detailed, without his nanites, but he was still a master strategist.


"I... Have a plan..." He murmured quietly.

 

[Elle Joyner]

DOD. There was no mishearing it. No possible way to misunderstand. The question had been asked and the answer was clear. To save Elias... to save everyone, in fact, she had to die. Standing there in the darkness, as Elias left the room, Gemma could feel reality crashing in around her. There was no other way. She had to make the ultimate sacrifice... The Templars had chosen her to draw out Elias, but ultimately, they had inadvertently chosen their own destruction. At least there was a little vindication in that irony.


Finally following Elias into the living room she made it as far as the door way when she heard his murmured words. The warning flashed in Gemma's mind as if she were reading it again - No possibility of preservation... without sacrificing...


She had no doubts, no whatsoever that Elias would do everything in his power to try and save her. But whether that was a good thing or not, she wasn't entirely sure. If saving her meant something much worse happening... she wasn't worth it. Convincing him of that, however, might not be so easy as convincing herself.


Stepping fully into the room, she sighed softly, "It's okay, Elias. I... I can do this, I think. I... I wanted to save the world, right?" Smiling dryly, she moved beside him, staring out the window, "...At least I'm prepared."

 

[Kazanna]

Elias turned slightly to her, and shook his head, "No, your really not. I've known a lot of people ready to die, prepared to sacrifice themselves, those that want to. I know what that looks like... And besides..." He raised his arms up slightly, it was as though a shadow of his soul followed at a slower rate, "I'm death itself now... I can find a way... I can cheat myself." He smiled lightly at her, a grin that said he was formulating a plan that was going to be wild, and out of this world, but something with logical ramifications that would allow for everything to be handled. "What we need... Is a void space generator, a very small one..." He murmured, turning back to the view beyond his living room.


Elias continued to stare out at the nights sky, constructing his plan by placing things on stars in his minds eye, linking them together with other stars. He continuously muttered to himself, "I can use the Delphi units as well now... the hologram showed only us in Delphi units and mine was like my old one, not the new one I have now..." He said as she clenched his fist tightly, the Delphi unit wrapping over his hand and then back down his arm again reflexively.


Elias would stand there until interrupted, until Gemma, or something else, disturbed him, he would stand there, and formulate a plan, a way to save not only her, but the entire universe in one stroke of his own plotted out brilliance. He was visualizing his plan, in an articulate network of shimmering details, each connected to others in a massive grid, a chaotic grid, but detailed to the point it had a semblance of organization. Despite having his nanites shut down, Elias was still a genius from his long term exposure to them, his brain worked much more rapidly then that of an average human being. He glanced left and right as he stared at the preferred constellation outside, his theory, his plan, ever expanding, and further details being added and needing to be addressed, "I need a comm..." He muttered quietly.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Gemma frowned at his words, looking momentarily irritated... only momentarily, though. He was right, really. She wasn't ready. Not really. She was willing, but she wasn't ready. Every fiber of her being screamed against it, really. She was young and vibrant and had so much going for her, and the idea of losing that... of giving it up killed her. Her heart ached, thinking about it.


But that didn't mean she wouldn't do it, if it meant no one else had to get hurt. She had already given up everything else, involuntarily. Maybe laying down her life would make it all worth it...


Elias, though, wasn't going to give her the option, it seemed. She didn't like the idea of him breaking the rules for her, but she also didn't imagine there would be much point in arguing. He was determined, regardless of what Dolly had warned, and it would be a waste of energy trying to change his mind.


She was quiet for several minute as Elias worked. Eventually, however, the quiet began to feel thick and suffocating and her mind began to reel over the information Dolly had given her. Shaking her head, she sank down onto the chair, dropping her head into her hands, "...I need a drink."

 

[Kazanna]

Elias closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping, "Yeah... So do I..." He rubbed his eyes, letting out a long sigh.


He paused suddenly, and turned on Gemma, "Oh gods... My Nanites are turned off... I can actually get drunk..."


He moved to a cabinet on one of the far walls, it had a couple of bottles in it, wine, liquor, glasses to contain them for drinking. He tugged one of them out, then another, a pair of glasses, and moved over to sit down, "I've only ever been really drunk a few times... Might as well now huh? Got some time to kill before we have to... do stuff..." He shrugged.


He opened two of the bottles one of brandy, another of a very dry scotch, "Aquarius gave me this one, said it's two hundred years old, He's got others that are a thousand years old... supposedly... but I doubt they'd be very good to drink at this point..." He filled the glasses with respective drinks, the scotch, he made up for himself, and then the brandy, as he had noted her drinking it at the bar, he set it down beside her. "Drink as much as you like... and... I guess I'll start filling you in on the plan I'm constructing.. once I find that damn comm..." He said as he stepped away for a moment.


There was a small end table against the wall, below the cabinet, he opened it, and began pulling objects out, tossing them aside, an old earth Beretta, a couple of doilies, a pair of throwing knives, a very odd looking brush, and two glass eyeballs, then, finally, what he was looking for, a round object with a number of buttons on it, one of Wind Flame Industries Communication Observation Multi-Management tools, the COMM. He keyed it on and it displayed a hologram that filled the room, it was the WFI logo, and he set it down on the floor at his feet, "Alright... battle telemetry..."


Elias switched it over with a few deft flicks at the hologram to a planning module, Gemma would recognize this of course, it would look like the planning clouds so often used by corporate giants for planning of yearly expenditures and the building of portfolios as well as the often used application of devising new technology. Elias was using it, for it's military stratagem implementation. He motioned to it rapidly, adding details, pulling up items from within Aquarius' vault, Void Generating Jewelery was one of the big ones he pulled up the aforementioned blade that was to be Gemma's demise, the two members of the Vatican's Templar that were going to be the cause of, and solution to the problems, Elias began interconnecting things, laying out the foundations rapidly, He glanced side to side and after a while, he sat back, and motioned it towards the glass of the windows in front of them. He moved closer to Gemma, took up his glass, and motioned.


"Basically... Were going to do everything as I had originally planned, because last time, according to that hologram Dolly showed us, it was living agents, it was live people that was in our squad against the Templar. It was a group of six people, all of them out of reach, unable to stop what was happening, but this time..." He motioned to the Delphi Units he would be controlling with his nanite bio-mass he had managed to build up in his ship. "I'll be controlling the field entirely by myself, so the error will be mine alone. Also... to negate that sword..." He motioned to the void jewelery, "I don't know if lavender is your color, but it's the only color it comes in my dear."


He took a drink of his scotch, and nodded, "Definitely... really old scotch... very dry..." he managed to rasp out.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Chuckling, she watched as he moved to the cabinet and rifled around inside, pulling out glasses and bottles,. "I'm not sure I've ever been drunk. I'm too much of a control freak. still, I wouldn't mind a little distraction right now..."


Taking the glass, Gemma took a sip, letting the warm liquid burn down the back of her throat. It was strong, but strong wasn't entirely undesirable at the moment. Elias shifted and she looked as he gestured, nodding slowly , following along with his detail tour. It seemed like a pretty simple solution, which wasn't exactly reassuring, but then sometimes simple was more affective than complicated, even if it didn't feel that way.


"...I've never been much for lavender, but that's probably the absolute last of my worries. Will it really work? I mean... she said others tried, but nothing worked. Why wouldn't this option have been used before?"

 

[Kazanna]

With a shake of his head, Elias motioned to the amulet's image, it blew up and came into view, "This is..." He made signals in the air, like quote marks, "New, to them, it's something Carlith invented in the 1920's, during this most recent pass through time for them... It's complicated, they lock stuff away to prevent paradoxes from occurring."


He motioned to the next part of his plan, it was a sword, "This is one of Carlith's personal blades, She keeps them in her bedroom, We need it." He took a long drink off his glass, refilled it, slammed it back, and refilled it again. He stared at it, and sighed, then glanced to Gemma, "One of us is probably going to need to sleep with her to get it..." He gave Gemma a telling look, like he was expecting the act out of her. He would wait for a reaction from her before he would say, "Kidding, Kidding... No I'll just... borrow it. She'll probably thrash me for it later... but..." He shrugged, "If it doesn't work, the Templar will acquire it and then she'll come for it, and..." He frowned slightly, and shrugged, "Who knows, Either way, I'll either return it myself, or I'll be dead..."


He took another sip of his drink and brought up an image he had rendered from manipulation of the holograms themselves, through it's editor feature, He motioned, "This is my Nanite Bio-Mass, I'm sure you've heard the rumors that my mother and I leave behind thousands of nanites everywhere we go... well... it's not a rumor, we actually do. This bio-mass... It's basically a very complex nano-storm that is in direct link with my psyche. I can manipulate it at distance, at will. I'll use it, to control a number of Delphi Units, each of which will be a fully capable combat suit and will at the same time be sacrificial enough to allow for a loss and to keep us safe."


He glanced at Gemma, then asked, "Any other questions so far?" his cheeks slowly began to tinge red...

 

[Elle Joyner]

Funny how something that was invented hundreds of years ago could be considered new. Yet Gemma barely blinked at the suggestion. It was a funny thought, that she might be starting to comprehend the mystery that was time travel. Of course, if she managed to survive all of this she was going to have to get used to it, really.


"...So basically, we're using a paradox to defeat them... which will probably create a paradox, seeing how we're essentially changing something that's supposed to happen. This can't possibly go wrong, can it?" She winked, then downed her glass, refilling it and leaning back against the recliner. In the end, perhaps it would make sense.


As he continued, she listened carefully, but all sense of rational thinking went out the window with his suggestion on how to acquire the blade. Sitting upright, her eyes widened and she started to protest, but he interrupted and she made a face, narrowing her eyes, "That was mean! I would have done it, too. What have you turned me into, Elias Grimm."


There wasn't, after all, much that she wouldn't do for him...


He went on, and slowly, a smile formed... "An army of empty soldiers. No lives lost... It's brilliant, Elias. Really, brilliant."


Leaning back again, she closed her eyes, taking a slow sip of the brandy in her glass, "...Can we... could we just turn it off, for now? We've got a plan, and it's a good one. There's nothing more we need to do right now. Can we just, for a few hours, not think about it?"

 

[Kazanna]

Pausing, Elias motioned towards the comm, and as if an invisible hand had flicked it's switch, the unit powered down. He raised his right hand and stared at it, moving it back and forth, he watched as his now fragmented soul followed in slower motion. He extend his fingertips, then gripped them into a tight fist, watching the action reoccur.


"Yeah..." Elias murmured quietly, "Your going to need to sleep soon..." Elias smiled lightly, "I only need to sleep once every fifteen weeks. Then only for five hours. The nanites regulate everything else, even with them off, I won't tire out unless I were to get in a combat situation." He finished.


Elias moved his right hand again, opening the fist, the nanites for his Delphi suit gathered up slowly into their containment field, which as soon as it had enough mass, actually began to float above his hand. He motioned to it, and it shimmered out of visible existence. Elias turned back towards Gemma, and nodded at her, signaling she should do the same.


"You can un-equip yours as well if you want, It'll continue to filter your blood until you do, You'll never even get a buzz if you don't. Just think of it coming off, and reforming back into it's primary form. It'll take a crystalline form at first... The amount of fractal divides will let us gauge the over all strength of the suit and it's combat capabilities." Elias said, he paused a moment later, and sighed, "And apparently I... reveal corporate secrets when I'm drinking..." He muttered calmly.


He motioned to what was visible of her Delphi armor, the second skin like aperture was capable of simply peeling away, but under control after it's primary application, the armor revealed the nature of it's control type. Most mechanics couldn't fathom the armor's purposeful differences in physical appearance in it's condensed form, but Elias could spot the differences and actually determine the armors machinations that would reveal their overall power for the remainder of their working existence, as well as their compatibility with other C&C units within the Delphi line. Even without his nanites active, Elias could read them like they were an inscription set in stone before him.


"The delphi unit's actually read their first wearer, and determine what their capable of, even if the person themselves doesn't know it yet. We gave this kid one at the ship yards, he was just a low level employee at the time. The suit has since taught him advanced combat machinations for manipulating heavy battle armor on the front lines. You might have heard of him..." Elias paused, taking a drink, "Battle-Leader Elliot Corvos, Savior of Vega, and one of the five living members of my squad during the Alterran Blitz. Before he put on the Delphi... He was just some kid with a wrench... when the ship yard was attacked... we threw him a life line in that Delphi... and he used it to save five worlds..." Elias finished.


"Armor that can make a hero out of anyone..." He murmured the slogan, "That's what they're going to advertise it as, once they have enough of it for major production release." He said, a grin on his face.

 

[Elle Joyner]

"Sleep? With what's coming our way? ...Her message wasn't hard to figure out, Elias. What do we have... seven hours, before we've got company? I seriously doubt I'll be able to sleep, even if I wanted to. Besides... I'm not tired. I should be, but I'm not."


Watching, she nodded at his instructions before following suit, unequiping the armor. She wasn't necessarily looking for a buzz... but then, it might not hurt, either. They were facing innumerable challenges and foes of epic proportion and all she had was a vague possible solution for her apparently inevitable death. If ever there were a time for her to let go of control, maybe now was that time.


Frowning, she poured herself another glass and slung it back, quickly, "...And what about me, hmm? What do you think mine say about me?" She chuckled, refilled and took this glass much slower, savoring the honeyed taste of the amber liquor and the feel of it burning away what remained of her frustrating inhibitions, "What am I capable of?"

 

[Kazanna]

With a shrug, Elias motioned to the Delphi Nanite-Crystal formation as it built itself into a telling form, "Give it a second, It has to prep itself... stabilize, after it's initial transformation, it'll show you what it's going to be..." He said calmly, examining it carefully, he began counting the shimmering edges, murmuring, "Twenty-seven... It'll probably stop on thirty-five based on rate of growth... which means... advanced cyber-manipulation suit with combat supplementation and balanced armor tweaking." He made a face, one that was somewhere between amused and impressed, "So basically, your suit is built for touch style combat against nano-mesh users." He said with an amused tone.


Sitting back, Elias stared at the thing, smiling with amusement, he sighed quietly, "I figured it would read your brain-wave patterns, and slot you into something to do with nano-tech. After all of this is done, you can keep the suit, use the gauntlets it has to advance your studies on nano-tech Gemma. It's a really quality armor suit, but..." He bit his lower lip, a smile spreading across his lips, "You can't manipulate anything beyond it's primary functions without a working, integrated nano-mesh..." He glanced to the side, trying not to laugh.


Her pure human approach was going to doom her to inferiority in use of the suit. Elias found it hilarious, because to him, having been born with nanites, it was an odd facet to not want them, everyone that had ever used them, had benefited from them, and Gemma's company itself was a pioneer in advanced mesh technology. It had created the integration mechanics that Aquarius had lacked in his initial design, it had, several times, upgraded Fate's nanites, preventing her from having to suffer through withdrawals from the nanites massive power generation. Elias grinned at her, raising his glass.


"I hate to say this Miss Livingtree, But you, need to get yourself an integrated mesh to properly pilot this armor. If I didn't know a better alternative already, I'd suggest one of your companies current generation Sylph packages... The one that integrates you with the Sylvan Network, with all those elfie avatars and whatever." He took another drink, and shook his head, "But I have a better approach, one... you may be able to harness and master, one you may be able to... survive initial integration... after I rewrite some things to deal with space-time distortions..." he trailed off, he'd allow her to make her own assumptions, but it would be pretty obvious what he was proposing.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Smiling dryly, the rim of her glass perched on her lower lip she shook her head, "You are just determined. And it's adorable... But I've already explained why I don't want one, Elias. And obviously, even if I did get the mesh and was able to use the suit properly, it wouldn't matter. It's not gonna save me. We'll be lucky if anything does. And if I'm gonna die... which contrary to what you might think, I am at least capable of accepting gracefully... I wanna be myself. Completely. I know that probably sounds crazy to you, but... It's important to me, to maintain at least a little bit of integrity in all of this. They've already taken so much... ruined so much. And I'm scared... I'm scared to lose myself."


Leaning forward, she set her glass down on the tabletop and looked over at him, "But that's a conversation for another time. We're not supposed to be dwelling on this stuff, remember? I believe I heard mention of an old fashioned movie...? Or... we could find some other way to pass the time before bed..."


She winked, then looked away, refilling her glass with a small, sly smirk, "Personally, after three glasses of brandy... which is spectacular, by the way, and bonus points for remember what I liked... I'm not sure I'm in much of a movie mood..."

 

[Kazanna]

Elias sat back slightly, eying Gemma with a curious, but suspicious look on his face, it was honestly a jesting look. He knew the game she was playing, though he wasn't very good at it, so he decided he'd simply play along, and mimic some of the lines he had witnessed Carlith and Aquarius tease one another with. The two were constantly flirting in front of him, it was their habit, to keep things alive after all their years together he supposed.


"Gemma Livingtree, I do believe your coming on to me." He said in a nearly sing-song voice. His tone though, would be as matching a fit as he could attempt towards the one Aquarius used when he was trying to tempt someone, something he was very good at. Elias would sound convincing, but it would be obvious he was trying.


"Though... for a first time at something... I do believe it is something I could quite take a liking to." He said, altering his normal speech patterns, shifting out of his shyness.


Something had clicked in his mind, allowed him to enter into a less inhibited version of himself, allowing him to actually indulge himself in the moment and relax. The war machine had gone on standby, and Elias had woken up as a person. It could have been the alcohol, or it could have been Gemma's influence over the hours they had spent together, but it was a positive change in him.


"You know Gemma, I do have to say...." He took a drink off his glass, then set it down before continuing, "It's not the liquor talking when I say that I have grown quite fond of you my dear."

 

[Elle Joyner]

She could see the wheels turning and couldn't help the sly smile that spread to her lips as the cogs connected. He hadn't made it easy, not that it was entirely his fault, but he was catching on at last, and that was all that mattered. And it was unsurprisingly rewarding, really, after the day they'd had, to know she wasn't fighting a losing battle, after all.


"Why Elias Grimm, what an astute assessment." He hadn't blanched and run, nor had he tried to let her down gently, either out of obligation or uncertainty. He was hardly suave or schmaltzy, but seemed to have a sophisticated smoothness that could only come naturally, for someone so inexperienced in the ways of romance, "...As for... experience, well... You may rest assured I haven't done this sort of thing often, myself... or well, at all, for that matter. It's amazing, what one allows oneself to neglect, when otherwise occupied. I used to feel as though I'd done myself injustice, being so impossibly choosy. Turns out, I was doing myself a favor. Makes it mean something, something it couldn't, otherwise."


Chuckling softly, she lowered her gaze, "I'm not sure what I'm saying. Here I was, trying to be sexy and cool and I just wind up rambling." Rubbing the back of her neck, she shrugged, her cheeks painted a soft, glowing pink at his last words, "But I guess that's it, then? I don't need to be... You know who I am, and at the worst possible point in my life... and that... I can't tell you what that means to me... what you... mean to me..."

 

[Kazanna]

Elias still held the glass in his hand, his eyelids were narrowed, his gaze, was like that of an older man, at the table with a young lady. He held his gaze on her eyes for a long, long time before he spoke again. He shook his head before he spoke, he took a slight drink.


"You've done quite well, for your worst possible point Gemma." He said with a smile. He took another slight drink before going on. "Gemma, I know... thing's about you that even you don't know... It's why I came after you honestly."


He set his drink down, and sat back. What, he set it on, was something not even tangible, something not even there. He didn't even notice, his focus was on Gemma entirely. The small pillar of shadow energy shifted and moved his glass to the side, setting it on the table at the end of the couch. He shivered slightly, and shifted his gaze away from her.


"It's... getting cold in here... I never had a fireplace put in... and without nanites... heating is..." He glanced towards the window, as snow was falling outside slowly. "Going to be a problem... for several hours..." He sighed.


He lay back against the couch, sighing quietly, he stared out at the falling snow. "I, that did never weep, now melt with woe


That winter should cut off our spring-time so." he murmured quietly.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Frowning softly, Gemma leaned back as well, eyeing Elias with a raised brow, "...You know things about me I don't know, hmm? Some day, Elias... you and I are gonna need to sit down and talk for a nice, long while."


Curling her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin against them, smiling faintly, "It's not fair, you know...You know so much about me and I feel like I know next to nothing about you. I mean, it doesn't make a wick of difference in how much I like you, but it does seem strange. It's like you've read a book on me. I should quiz you, see how much you really know."


Taking a breath, she followed his gaze out the window, "I haven't seen snow in so long. I hardly remember what it looks like. It's so beautiful..." Biting her lip, she looked over at him, before she uncurled her legs and shifted, leaning her head against his chest, "We'll just have to find some creative ways to keep warm... And if you keep quoting Shakespeare, Mister Grimm, I'm going to find it very difficult to not fall in love with you."

 

[Kazanna]

Elias smiled at her, shaking his head slowly, he spoke quietly, "When I was seven years old I hacked into WFI'S central database, I uploaded a portion of my nano-code to it. Its why I did so well in the blitz and during the seven days of darkness in the meridian of Trinnia. When my nanites are active..." his smile widened, "I get second to second updates of what is about to happen everywhere. Linear time is all that prevents me from taking complete control of my destiny Gemma. But it went stop me from keeping you safe." the air of confidence in him would be stunning, almost to a level of arrogance, but with enough grace to retain humility.


Elias' hand gently took Gemma's and he smiled at her calmly, his eyes directly on hers as he spoke again, "Despite all the veils of secrecy, all of the darkness that surrounds my life, in essence I am a very simple man Gemma. I just have not spent much, or rather any of my life indulging in that which would be considered my own pleasures. I've found more relaxation and respite in your company since this madness began then I have since I first became capable of combat." he smiled lightly, "I would very much like to explore much more of this simpler, quieter life with you Gemma."


He paused, and found himself suddenly aware of what he was saying, he glanced away, his cheeks tinged pink. "I apologize, I have little expertise in such conversations Gemma."

 

[Elle Joyner]

"Seven years old, hmm?" Smiling tenderly, but not without a hint of mischief, Gemma straightened up a little, "You had an extremely interesting childhood, Elias. Somehow though, I don't doubt for a second you'd find a way to keep me safe, no matter what the circumstances... and that is both extremely moving... and terrifying. But I get it..." Biting her lower lip she sat up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "...Do you know why I'm not nearly as afraid of what Dolly told me... as I probably should be? Because if it's the only way I can keep you safe, then it's worth it."


Relinquishing her hand to his, she chuckled, softly, "...So what are we going to do if we can't both have our way? I don't think this is exactly a situation you flip a coin over, and I'm certainly not relying on a lucky roll of the dice, because we all know how lucky I turned out to be. But I'm not going to give up. I hope you know that. It's not that I want to make your life challenging. I just can't... I can't care more about myself than I do about you. No matter how hard I try."


Frowning, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "I know that you didn't have a typical life... a traditional family or upbringing - that none of this easy for you. But the fact is, that's not fair. You never got the chance to decide... to choose what life you wanted. And maybe... maybe this... the life you have is what you would have picked, but everyone needs balance, Elias. And the fact that you think what we've experienced these past few hours is relaxation and respite? It breaks my heart. But I'm willing to accept that being hunted by hitmen and battling with immortal entities is to you what a walk in a park or sleeping in a few hours is to the rest of us, so long as I can be a part of your life. You may not think you're good at these sorts of conversations... but, well... you seem to know exactly what to say."


Rising to her feet, she held out her hand expectantly, "Now... come on. You never did finish the tour. You still have to show me to our room..."

 

[Kazanna]

With a light chuckle, Elias rose to his feet, taking the queue to lead her down the stairs that were between the kitchen and the entry way, that led down into the lower level of the house. From here, the view was less of the sky line, and more of the woods beyond, a small vegetable garden was visible, one that was maintained by a series of micro-sized robots that were constantly maintaining everything within it's borders. They pruned, picked, and replanted everything there for Elias, and kept fresh produce in the house as long as it would last, before recycling all green matter that passed through the houses doors into mulch and organic fertilizer. The lower level was also where Elias' bedroom was, it sank into the side of the hill, off to the side of the garage, beneath it and to the right, and was the most secure room in the house besides the micro-lab facility. The entire lower story of the house however, had a unique attribute that most other homeowners might find awkward. The entire lower section was built almost entirely of glass. It had full visibility from one room to the next, only the bathroom that was adjacent to Elias' bedroom was fully framed and enclosed.


As they entered the lower level, the power in this section flickered on, and an independent system came online that was a digital, animated avatar, it smiled and greeted them quietly, "Welcome to the lower levels, I am Sil, I have detected that the primary systems are offline, and I have come online to allow the privacy modes to be active as well as the serif maintenance programs to continue their run-times. Please bear with me as I-" Elias held up a hand, and regarded the avatar gently.


"Sil, Full privacy mode, run on silent, no observers, and black out the glass, Light the edges." Elias said calmly, flatly, but with a little bit of a reveal in his vocabulary that the alcohol in his system was effecting him. He shrugged slightly, "She... has a backup... called woof, It's a base-form I wrote when I was younger... programmed it into a cybernetic dog..." He glanced to Gemma, smiling lightly, "I had, very few friends, so I made them instead..."


The entire lower area went pitch black, then, the edges of the walls lit up with a soft, almost ominous glow, showing an intricate tapestry of light across the panels of glass that made up the walls. Elias led her towards his room, and the glass slid away with a slow, quiet sliding noise akin to glass being cut, a sort of digital hiss. He gazed at the room, and let out a sigh, "I've... not slept here in almost ten years now..." He murmured quietly.


Placing his hand on the wall, closest to the entrance to it, the avatar's voice echoed out, "Disarmed." The movement was still as mechanical as ever for him, a facet of his life, to disarm the weapon system within his bedroom, the built in paranoia was beyond reason to a normal person, but with the life Elias led, his home was hardly fortified for a siege as his teachers would have taught him to have. The place was built for him to relax, which he almost never did.


The room itself was compartmentalized in a series of careful constructs. There was a wall that was clearly for clothing, shelving and panels that hid an entire wardrobe, above, and to the sides of this were open gun cabinets with not only firearms, but also swords, and several weapons that could only be described as ancient. On the opposite wall, on the far side of the bed, was a large glass case, holding an intricately built sword, an inscription beneath it read, "So that you will never forget why we fight..." ~Carlith


The blade was six feet in length, and covered in ancient runes of power. It glowed slightly as he came into the room, as though recognizing him. He glanced at it, muttering, "Oh... yeah... forgot about that... almost..." He glanced to Gemma, "Templar weapon, It's sentient, it's got a spell in it that lets it recognize enemies of the Templar. That was the first Templar I ever killed one on one..." He looked at the weapon bitterly, "Carlith put it in a case, and mounted it on my wall at the manor to remind me of how close that blade came..." There was a certain reverence in his voice as he spoke.


Beside the blade, in the case, was a shred of fabric, with two distinct bloodstains on it. Elias stepped close to the case, leading Gemma to it, "The one on the left, that's hers, the Templar that tried to kill me. The one on the right..." He tapped the case and the swords' runes flared again, "That one's mine..." He smiled grimly, "But I won, I survived." He stood up straight, and then reached up, pulling a shutter down over the weapons case, he pushed the whole case back into the wall, one of the few that wasn't glass, and then slid the cabinet that contained it shut.


He motioned to a door beside them, Next to the case, he smiled lightly, "Weird as this may be Gemma, I've a gift for you, One you won't even realize is one until your doing it..." He grinned lightly, because he knew how hard this whole ordeal would have been on her physically, "Shower is in there, bathroom, I had it stocked with the same stuff you had in your bathroom, Just in case. I figured, you'd want to clean up after all that running about." He released her hands gently, the prospect of a shower appealed to him as well, but he knew psychologically, it would help her far more then anything else at that moment, a chance to be civilized, a chance to get back to normal, if even for a moment.

 

[Elle Joyner]

A shower. Never before had so simple a word meant so much. It had seemed like ages since the last time she had showered, and even then, living on the desert planet was a nightmare where cleanliness was concerned. The fact that he'd stocked it with her familiar products was a bonus, but just the idea alone was, ludicrously, enough to bring tears to her eyes. It was a culmination, really, to be fair... a mingled mess of everything he'd said on the brief tour. The idea that he'd had to design his own friends... that he hadn't been home in so long - to sleep in his own bed, quiet and safe and undisturbed. That as so young an age he'd experienced a near death experience... and that his Aunt hadn't thought it inappropriate to remind him of it with a sickening trophy case...


Shaking her head, she dried her eyes with the back of her hand before smiling, gently, "You have no idea what an incredibly gift that is, Elias... Thank you." She hesitated for a moment before reaching up to touch the purple scarf round her neck, chuckling softly, "...So, I've just realized I have no actual idea of how to get out of these clothes. I promise, I'm not trying to come on to you again, I just... really have no idea how to use this cloth..."


Idly, her fingers curled around the scarf and she shrugged, offering a sly smile, "Well... I'm not entirely coming on to you, again. There might be just a little bit in there, somewhere..."

 

[Kazanna]

Elias blinked, like a naive, innocent child. He let his head tilt to one side and blinked several more times, before releasing a light laugh, and remarking, "Oh... Ah... It's... complicated at first... for most... It actually really is..." He reached out automatically, and barely touched the cloth before it shifted into a bath-robe. His fingertips hesitated, for a long moment, and he smiled, a telling smile, that he was up to very little good at that moment, She would feel, rather then see the change, as the cloth shifted beneath the robe, into intricate looking, and lacy undergarments. He pulled his fingertips away, and took a step back.


"I... helped design the Serenity line... Auntie's pet project, clothing that show's off just enough, with an elegant touch... she told me... Always been a fan of Lace..." he snorted slightly, and glanced away, laughing a bit more.


Elias' face went red, and he muttered,"Ah... I apologize Gemma... Liquor... no nanites... I've never been drunk like this before..."


**


Elsewhere


**


Within a great amphitheater of ancient stone carvings, stood a legion of Templar spell-swords. Masters of Holy, and Unholy magics as well as combat that made them rivals to the best of the military within the universe.


They were the Legion of Echos.


Their armaments were advanced, stylized to the Templar, each one was equipped with their own personalized gear and equipment, all of them bearing heavy bore firearms filled with enchanted spell-shells, and bladed weapons capable of slicing through all but the finest of armors. Each of them was by all rights, a walking weapon even without their arsenals, but they were all trained in combat with the ability to kill any number thrown at them. They were veterans of hundreds of engagements, and when that was deemed not enough, they were made to train to the point nearest death against one another. Their commander knew they needed few orders, and even less micro-management, they acted as a single body when need be, and they could all command great, and fearful attacks on their own. The Legion of Echos was revered as a legend by most, as it had been over a thousand years since they took to the shadows, and never gathered in great numbers.


Now, in the Krakus Sector, closest to the Malthusian sector as anyone has ever ventured, they have gathered in a great copse, enough to stage an all out war with any sector, and each of them by rights, was a war machine unto themselves. At their head, was the Grand Cleric of the Templar Order, the Ambassador to the Vatican himself, Dameian Senaar, His garments were traditional, as though he was leading a sermon, which, at the moment, he was, reading the edicts of the Templar scripture with great exuberance.


High Admiral Tilvainian, The Crimson Death as she was know, stood beside him, her dark armor shimmered in the brilliantly lit room. When the Grand Cleric's sermon came to a halt, she stepped forward.


"The time we have awaited is nearly upon us my Legion of Echos! Soon we will strike out against one of our enemies so powerful they were able to reemerge from a long slumber to wreck havoc and evil upon the universe again. We will burn the Malthusian sector to ash, and purge the blasphemous monsters within it! Prepare yourselves! We march now!" she cried out exuberantly to her soldiers.


The Legion of Echos roared in their own exuberance.


High Admiral Tilvainian's personal flag-ship led the first strike against the Malthusian sector, like a wildfire, they tore through three of the outlying colonies of the Malthusian's, burning the colony worlds with spell-force and technological fire alike. Cries for help would never reach beyond the Malthusian sector, they had yet to make strong enough alliances with the other races to bring them within the fold of protection that was offered by the alliance. So as the Malthusian sector burned, the rest of the universe was unaware, unaware of the zealous march that had begun.