Infinities Edge

[Elle Joyner]

If you had told her ahead of time what would have happened, she would not have believed it. She had trouble believing it, even as it happened. For everything that had occurred thus far, she had anticipated an entirely different reception, and for a moment, she was stunned into silence as the women addressed her so informally...accepted her, so readily. For inexplicable reasons, Gemma felt tears forming in her eyes as she bowed her head to the Empresses, "Thank you..." She half-whispered, "I'm honored and I certainly will be sure to return..."


She turned to Elias then, as he spoke, unable to help the brief, but radiant smile. She was proud of herself, and all too pleased with how things had gone, considering the disaster upon meeting Angel, and the ridiculous experience with Carlith and his mother.


Of course, it was a short-lived victory... because seconds later, they were back to speaking vaguely of things which sounded like nightmares, none of which she was looking forward to experiencing.


Looking from his Aunts back to Elias, a brow quirked, "...The red one? What does that mean?"

 

[Kazanna]

Elias was quiet to her question, He was lost in a moment of thought, so Tenika, the less forward of the two sisters, answered for him, "It's the room where all the Templar Artifacts show up... See... The Warehouse is sort of... a collection bin for the universes refuse... It doesn't really... It's hard to explain, easier to show. But the Red Room, Only a few of us are allowed in there, the list is like... Meera... Aquarius... Fate... Angel... and Elias... It requires two people that are authorized to go in at a time, Requires full Delphi Armor suits with Juggernaut Frames from the Cerberus Line and a lot of spell reinforcements... It's crazy stuff really... Zeni and I tried to break in there once... just to see what was in there..." Zenika nodded, confirming her sisters words, she spoke as well, "We got as far as the first lock-"


Elias interrupted her, "Before I showed up and beat both of you senseless." he turned his gaze to Gemma, "We need to check the room again though, We'll have to get Angel's help. She's my entry partner. Aquarius goes in alone, Meera goes in with my Mother..." He shrugs, "It's something about compatibility, you need to be able to reflect brainwaves. Angel is neutral, I need someone with a lot of calm to go in with me, I emit intense rage. So she focuses out calm, It keeps me from being effected by the Warehouse. Zenika and Tenika Can go in, but they aren't supposed to."


Turning towards the twin empresses, he nodded at them, "Open the door to the warehouse, I need to go in, with or without Angel. I need to visit the black room as well. Divine some clarity about all the bullshit that's been going on lately." Elias said flatly, he wasn't asking them either.


Zenika turned to her Sister, and shrugged as Tenika shook her head. Zenika turned back towards Elias, "In all honesty, we can't. Aquarius closed the door to us. You'll have to ask one of his inner most confidants for it's new location. Carlith will never tell. Neither will your Mother." They shrugged in unison.


Elias paused to think, he was quiet for a moment before he raised his eyes, "Morridan, or Valenayn wouldn't know either, he'd keep it from them..." He muttered, "Morridan would hate him for it's existence, and Ayn would just find it to be a playground, shame, they'd make a good entry pairing..." He crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from the twins, he knelt down and released a large amount of nanites into the floor. A moment later a holographic display began to emit from them, it was interactive and allowed him direct visual access to the mainframe that the nanites made up across the universe. Across the top of the screen, showed the title, Eye's of The Reaper Network.


He began to bring up the detailed network that was Aquarius' inner circle, he and the twins had listed most of them off. But there were still other members of the Shadows that could access it, or possibly knew of it's location. Elias placed his fingertips on Angel's profile, it was marked Confidential, and refused his entry attempts. So he swept it aside, placing it to one side. "Angel, She knows where it is. I can ask her, but I just sent her off to collect something for me..." He muttered, sounding frustrated.


Elias pulled up several other files, one of them was a human man, old and wizened looking, wearing a lab coat, his file was marked, Protected. His name read Akitoko, and nothing more. Elias paused on that name, muttering, "Auntie would murder us all if she ever found out I'd visited Akitoko without permission... He may have designed most of the technology we use today, but we cant just go and pop in... So no..."


Zenika was watching him avidly, She loved his nanites, and was jelous of them, "You could just... Tap Solo..." She covered her mouth with her paws quickly and jumped back like she'd been bitten by something. Her fur was standing on end. Tenika's was as well. She looked to Elias, then to her sibling, muttering, "Uh-oh..."


Elias sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips, "Confidential shit... is confidential for a reason... Man this sucks... Now he's going to memory wipe her..."


A voice bubbled out, and Aquarius was standing there, a tablet in one hand, data streaming across it, he had a massive weapon in the other, it was a massive axe, made of what appeared to be human flesh, blood, and bone, with a single, very angry eye at it's center. He simply appeared and said, "Yeah... but maybe not..." He looked to Gemma, and smiled, "Sup?" He was wearing far less refined clothing, in fact, far less, a simply hakama was all. He was topless, his long hair only held back by a simple hair tie. He tapped his weapon against his shoulder and it folded away, deforming from the visage of the axe, it slid up his arm like a living thing, wrapping across him from his fingertips to his shoulder.


"We should have met by now... I think... Right?" He glanced to Elias curiously, "But this is before you go to the Warehouse, Right?"


Elias nodded, and muttered, "Yeah... how many cycles..." he let the sentence trail off.


Aquarius raised his index finger, and waved it at Elias, "Ah-ah-ah Elias Grim. Spoilers."

 

[Elle Joyner]

It was almost a little like listening to a conversation in another language. Ironic, because these things were being described to her, but none of it... not a lick of it made any sense. She missed simplicity. A world where everything made sense and was self explanatory. Where the most complicated thing in her life was what she wanted in her morning coffee, or what blouse went best with her heather grey pencil skirt. Here, nothing was easy.


When Zenika fell suddenly silent, Gemma looked to Elias, pursing her lips, softly. It was the second time he'd mentioned the possibility of a memory wipe. She couldn't tell who he was concerned for, but she made a mental note that if anyone came at her with something like that, she wasn't going to handle it well, that was for certain... It was bad enough having her mind read, she would not have it tampered with, as well...


When the voice interrupted and the man she'd seen in Elias's instructional tour appeared, she jumped with a small, startled gasp, moving instinctively closer to Elias, a hand gripping his arm. Her eyes fell first to the axe, then to the man's face and she shook her head at his greeting, uncertain what to say... or if she should say anything at all.


The exchange between Elias and the man was more complicated and confusing than anything she'd overheard yet, and a brow quirked at the last sentence, "...But you can't possibly..." Looking to Elias, she frowned, "He can't know what's going to happen before it does. That's not... Is that even possible?"

 

[Kazanna]

Aquarius smiled at her, and shrugged, "We keep intimate records on everyone's lives, everything said, done, things like that. Elias there, He's the snitch at the moment. Not willingly of course. It's the price of Nanites. It's how our justice system has become so absolute. It was put in the headlines I think... Twenty years ago..." He raises his hand, a green light shimmering across it, "Yeah, that's about right. Twenty... Would allow for the... Yeah. Anywho." He pointed at Gemma, "Let me ask you a question Miss Livingtree."


He had a grin on his face that read he could not only kill them all without effort, he would do it too. It wasn't like he needed to though, Elias, Zenika, and Tenika, were all loyal to him and his organization. But it still didn't change the fact that he would be able to do it effortlessly.


"Are you still loyal to Wind Flame Industries, Or rather, are you willing to place your loyalties in not only Elias Grim, but also myself and my other associates? We really mean you no harm, at this point... Those that have ruined your life are turning out to be some of our greatest enemies. You've just learned a name they cant ever find out. If they did... It would tear the entire universe asunder." Aquarius said gently.


He shrugged slightly, "Honestly, I'd rather just raise her security clearance Elias, Memory wipes are such a bother, and then it leaves them all addled and useless, and Livingtree is a genius after all, even if she's not up to Akitoko's specs, she's still a genius."


Elias snorted, "As if anyone is up to Akitoko. You aren't even on his level, and THAT is saying something Uncle. What year are you from anyways?" He asked forcefully.


Aquarius grinned at him, "I'm the farthest progressed as far as I know. I know that your going to enter the Red Room, I know how this will end, and I know that if I interfere, and change the course beyond whats going on right now. Carlith and myself will be sent for another cycle." He glanced at Elias, "So do try your best Lad, You are the best we could make you, all of our best, myself included. Angel, Morridan, Fate, Carlith, Were all counting on you Elias." He said gently.


He turned his attention back to Gemma, "So? What's it to be Miss Livingtree, a Declaration of Loyalty to me and mine, or a memory wipe that will remove knowledge of the last..." He considered it, "Two hours."

 

[Elle Joyner]

She was afraid. It was considerably the wisest course of action, after all. She had no doubt that Aquarius would do whatever was necessary in this particular circumstance to protect the information, to protect his and his own... She was afraid, but she was also consciously aware that he was giving her a choice that might not otherwise have been extended to her, had she not in some way proven herself reliable.


The answer was obvious. She wasn't stupid, by any stretch of the imagination, but even if she had been perfectly simple, it was clear what she needed to do. Nevertheless, it was a lot to take in, and she never made any decisions without thinking them through, thoroughly.


"...I accept." She said, softly, taking a calculated step away from Elias before continuing, "...Conditionally."


Keeping her eyes trained on Aquarius, she kept her expression neutral... a technique taught to her during her business classes. She was negotiating, and emotions had no place in a negotiation... least of all one with so much on the table, "...I trust Elias with my life, I have not wavered in that for one moment, and I will not. He had proven himself someone worthy of that trust time and time over, and I have no difficulties putting my life in his more than capable hands. But since coming under his protection, I have been subjected to all manner of inconsiderable impropriety. And I have endured it, because I saw no other option. All due respect... loyalty is earned. It is earned, because only a fool puts their trust in the uncertain... and I imagine, in your position, you know that well enough. I cannot be asked to declare fealty to anyone who doesn't, in turn, offer me the respect I am due... which in this case, would be simple human decency. That brings me to my first condition. There will no more teasing, or mocking or belittling what I am going through. It may mean nothing to you and your people, but it is my life, and it isn't a joke or a game or a test... not to me. I have been living a nightmare for over a year, because some sick bastard out there decided I would make a decent scape goat for an unspeakable crime, and in your universe, that might not seem like much. But it has ruined me. It had taken from me everything I have worked for, everyone I cared about and invaded every aspect of my life. Speaking of which, condition number two; there will also be absolutely no more mind reading. If there is something someone needs to know, they will ask m, but otherwise, my thoughts are my own... I won't have them broken into like that."


Frowning, but refusing to break eye contact, she went on, "I realize that I probably have no authority to ask those things, but I'm a business woman and I would be bereft, if I didn't at least try. I don't want to lie to you and tell you that I'm loyal to anyone, if I'm only saying to avoid something unpleasant. We all know how fickle promises are when they're made out of fear. And rest assured... you terrify me. You have my word, however, that so long as these conditions are met... you will never need to question my loyalty. Or, you can risk a mind wipe, which might backfire and go horribly wrong, which may not be the wisest of decisions considering you and I both know I wouldn't be here if there wasn't something I was needed for. You don't seem like the type to waste your time. And for what it's worth... I think you're a smart man... So... those are my conditions. Do we have a deal?"

 

[Kazanna]

For a long moment Aquarius was silent, Zenika, and Tenika's faces had gained horrified expressions of doom, and Elias had remained as usual, stoic, and calm. He glanced to Gemma, frowning after her speech.


"There's an issue... in what you said Gemma. Aquarius isn't human." Elias said flatly.


Aquarius shrugged at Elias and nodded, "This is true, I'm not." He tapped the air in front of him, a small sitting room table with four legs and a shiny top burst out of thin air, and landed on the ground with a light clatter, he snapped his fingers and several chairs appeared. Another snap, and pot of tea with an assortment of cups appeared, He took a seat, and released a tired sounding sigh. It took him a moment to do anything else. So when a moment later, he pulled his arms to his sides, and thrust his hands out as though they were entering a coat, and suddenly a haroi wrapped around his chest, he seemed to be doing it naturally.


He reached into the haroi, as it settled around his shoulders, and pulled out a long pipe, a small bag along side it. He motioned to the chairs, the one next to him, he motioned for Gemma to sit in. "Well, Come, Sit. I will try to repair that which has been broken Gemma Livingtree. Mind reading is a horrible thing, but almost all of my clan can do it, but none of us ever really do intentionally... Except for Carlith, but you cant tell her what to do, I certainly can't. She's a right Devil that one." He said with a scowl.


Filling the pipe, he set about filling the tea cups as well, saying, "I'll explain me, then you'll have a better idea as to what is going on here Hm? Elias already told you I'm not human, also showed you the house, Was refreshing to meet you there those years ago, but sadly, In my time, the house is no longer accessible. Things will change, very soon unfortunately. You see, I am a very old, and very powerful being, not just politically, or financially, because currently, I have enough strings that if I pulled them all at once, the whole of the universe would collapse, and if I spent every penny I had I could buy the cosmos a thousand times and legally own every person in it. Wealth, power..." He shrugged and scoffed at them, "I never sought either of them, they are simply means to the end that I do seek. That is absolute certainty that my clan, and those within my company, will continue to live and be fortunate enough to live good lives." He said calmly.


He clicked his fingertips together, and the end of his index finger ignited in a black flame, which he touched to the end of his pipe, igniting it. He took a long drag off of it, and then released the breath, the smoke wrapped up into the ceiling and away, it would smell faintly of roses, and fire with an after note of cinnamon, "Dragon-Flax. Wonderful stuff, No risk of lung cancer, not that I can get that anyways." he muttered.


Elias, Zenika, and Tenika took their seats, watching the exchange, Elias knew where it was going, he'd had this conversation, and he hadn't liked it. It had seemed false from the beginning, but Aquarius had a way of doing things that twisted reality into a knot and then untied it right in front of you only to produce more rope then there was to begin with.


"My name is Aquarius Kazanna Lunaris. I am the oldest living thing in creation, I have watched mankind rise and fall more times then I can count now, and I cannot die. My age is estimated to be around..." He glanced up at the ceiling of the throne room, "Five hundred Billion years old. You met me the first time when I was Four hundred and ninety billion years old dear Gemma. Before you start trying to do the math, I'm not only able to travel through time, but I also have a very unique method of watching the world end. It cause me to... be moved through time.. in a very painful, and long way, which places me back at the beginning of human civilization..."


He took another drag off the pipe, blew the smoke out, took a sip of his tea, and gazed at her, a smile on his face, "Questions?"


Elias remained silent through the entire speech, he glanced to Gemma, he remembered when he'd been told, he'd thrown up. Twice.

 

[Elle Joyner]

It was a lot to take in. More than anything she had heard before - and for a moment, she was grateful for the chairs, because she could feel her legs giving out as she sank down onto the base. Still, it wasn't as damaging as she might have anticipated, and certainly no where near what the other, judging from their expressions, might have expected. Everything she had seen thus far had been out of her league... out of her world, so there was hardly much more out there that could totally surprise her.


Looking up, she smiled, dryly, "...No offense, because I'm sure it's probably not exactly the reaction you were expecting, but... well, if I'm honest, I sort of figured out you weren't exactly human some time ago. Probably around the time Elias mentioned that we were in a house... inside your head. I'd be a fool to think that I could possibly comprehend everything you're saying, but it's also a really big universe, and frankly, I don't know half as much as I should about what lives in it. It's a lot to take in, what you've said, but from the sounds of it, it doesn't seem like a life I'd envy, and for that, I'm sorry. Not that I'm pitying you, of course. Seems stupid to pity someone who's been around so long... seen so much. Maybe I just know a little bit about what it's like to watch the world you know crash around you... and not being able to do anything about it. And honestly, I can accept that Carlith might not abide by my terms... She doesn't seem to much about abiding of anyone. For what it's worth... you telling me this, it's a start. I'm not complex... and I don't like drama... I just wanna know that the people I'm putting my faith in are worth it."


Sitting back, her mouth fell in a frown and she lowered her gaze, thinking for several seconds before speaking again, "...I Just... I do have one question. You don't have to explain, and I don't need details. I know you can't give them... I just need to know... Do you know who set me up? Have you always known?"

 

[Kazanna]

Aquarius took a long, slow drag off his pipe, he muttered, "No. I know now, But no... when we met... I wasn't aware..." He looked to Elias, and nodded to him, "You'll find the answers in the red room, But be careful boy... even I don't know what actually happened in there... You'll find out..." His face was cold, dark, as though something had gone wrong. "Your going to go through a lot of pain boy... before your finished... Like nothing you've ever experience before..." He looked down his nose at Elias, "In the future, the version of you that I know... is very damaged Elias... But..." He took another drag off the pipe, murmuring, "Thing's can always change... for the better, or the worse, Remember Elias..." He took another drag off the pipe, his visage looked like an old dragon, wise beyond his years, "Your rage is much more dangerous then you know... It's going to cost you everything you've ever held dear..." He glanced to Gemma, "Do remember that He's helped you when he blows up my house..."


With a snap, loud enough to crack reality, Aquarius Vanished, the table and chairs, the tea, and everything, began to decay rapidly. It was as though the universe was taking it all back. Elias stood, and offered Gemma his hand, muttering, "Basically, He agrees with your terms..." He shrugs slightly, "But I honestly expect the teasing to continue forever. It's kind of hard to tell them not to tease... That's like telling a fish not to swim." He would wait for her to take his hand, so she wouldn't fall from the chair as it departicalized beneath her. The twins were standing, used to this sort of thing.


Elias sighed, and muttered, "I always hate it... when this happens..." with his free hand, he rubbed his forehead, and groaned slightly.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Taking Elias's hand, Gemma rose, staring in the wake of Aquarius. What he had told her about himself had been uncomfortable, but not the worst possible scenario, but what he had said about Elias frightened her to the core. Looking at him now, watching him accept the news like it were nothing to be concerned about, she frowned.


He'd already endangered himself more than he should have, to help her. And maybe that was what he did, and maybe it was what he was used to, but in the end, her life wasn't more important than his... If anything, given her circumstances, he had a lot more to offer the world than she did. Not to mention if something did happen to him, she wouldn't last long any how...


Her grip on his hand did not relent and she stepped closer, lowering her voice, "Don't do it. I... I don't care about the evidence. Not... not if you've got to risk your life to get it. It's not worth it, Elias. It's not. We can find another way... we'll figure something out, but you can't... you can't go in there. Not after what he said. I don't want you to do it."

 

[Kazanna]

With a shake of his head, Elias frowned at her, "No, I'll be going in, I'm just going to do it more intelligently then he thinks I will. I'm going in with Angel, My mother and Carlith, It will lower the risk factor. We need that evidence. I said I'd clear your name, and this is the way to do it. Don't worry..." His eyes shimmered with a mixture of worry and confidence, "I won't get hurt. I'll seek the help I need to survive. Just as I always have." He smiled at her calmly, and turned away from her after a moment of letting his gaze meet hers. He motioned to the Twins.


"Where is your gate to the Warehouses." he asked them flatly.


Zenika looked to her sister and shook her head, Tenika nodded, and replied to Elias, "It's locked, we can't get it open, use the primary site on Luna Four. That's what Meera said." Zenika had an earpiece in that was blinking with several feeds. She nodded slowly and muttered, "She wants you to go into room five-five-three, says there's a surprise waiting there for you, something you'll find useful for the case..?" Zenika shrugged, "She spent way too much time with Aquarius, she's all kinds of mysterious now." She said with a wrinkled nose.


Another voice sounded off, "Who did?" Angel had reappeared, a smile on her face, she had a sack in one hand, a large one, it was pulsating, like something within was trying to get out.


Elias turned to her, "No one, Back already?" he asked.


Angel beamed, and nodded, "Oh yeah, he was easy, I just portaled into their HQ with a hologram of one of their thugs, asked who was the commander, and they gave. It was awesome. Should'a seen the look on their faces when I threw him in a sack and vanished." She visibly bounced, smiling widely.


Elias raised a brow, and stepped over to her, removing his hand from Gemma's. He took the sack from Angel, and dropped it onto the ground, a moment later he pushed it open and spilled it's contents out, an angry looking man in red, platinum, and gold armor. He pushed himself off the ground, and was on his feet in an instant, peering at Elias with an anger that could not be matched.


"You monster, You killed my entire unit!" He shouted, "You have struck down holy warriors, I will defeat you in the name of the lord!" He reached to his right, and a spell seal appeared on his wrist, a blade began to materialize.


Elias watched him, a bored look on his face, he motioned to Zenika and Tenika, to Angel and to Gemma, "It's cool, I got this." He stepped towards the man, who grasped the sword and brought it before him, it was a brilliant bright claymore, electricity sparking across it, a fuel doser on it's edge. Elias allowed himself to come into the mans range, his hands at his sides, his palms open towards the man, "Who sent you after my charge."


The man, who, by all rights, was a paladin, struck his blade towards Elias' head, "Die Blasphemer!" the paladin shouted, His blade sang as it zipped through the air, it came in contact with Elias' right shoulder, but only gained the man a frown from Elias, and a sigh, "No, Idiot. You tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to tear out one of your arms and beat you with it until your ready to talk."


Angel made a face, glanced at Gemma, and said, "He'll do it too, I've seen him do it, It's not pretty at all, He pulls the arm out all wrong... or... well... He does it in a very vicious manner."

 

[Elle Joyner]

She wanted to argue. She wanted to remind him what Aquarius had said. More than anything she desperately wanted to convince him to see reason, but it was obvious from the look in his eye that she wasn't going to win. Still, it was frustrating, knowing what could happen... what probably would happen, knowing he was walking into it for the soul purpose of trying to help her.


She wanted to argue... but the minute she opened her mouth, Angel appeared in the room, carting with her a sack with something roiling around within it. She could only imagine what that something was, but she needn't imagine for long. As Angel emptied the bag, Gemma's eyed widened at the sight of the man, spilled out on the floor, a mess of fury and threats.


Elias approached him and Gemma frowned, watching as the man boldly declared his intentions not to cooperate. His violence culminated as the weapon he appeared to form from nothing at bore down, uselessly on Elias's armor. Threats were exchanged between the two, and she could hear Angel saying something to her, but all she could think of was Aquarius's words ...


"Your rage is much more dangerous then you know... It's going to cost you everything you've ever held dear..."


"Elias..." She said, softly, "...Maybe this should wait till later...? I suggest we lock him up and let him think about the consequences of his potential stupidity... Maybe a few hours somewhere cold and dark might jog his sense of self preservation?"

 

[Kazanna]

Elias glanced at Gemma, ignoring the Templar as the man came at him again, slashing down at him in a strong right cross attack. Elias didn't even react. Instead, he replied to Gemma.


"He's a Templar, they don't think about self preservation. They're religious zealots who die in the name of a god who does not even exist. It's their own stupid blind faith that gets them killed." Elias said as the weapon bounce off his neck harmlessly.


"Besides, he's probably got it figured out by now that I'm not going to go down easily." He said turning back to the man, scowling at him. "Time to talk little man, it's that, or it's time to lose an arm."


The Paladin took a sweeping jump back, he frowned and gazed at his blade, "Nanite armor... I'll have to raise the level of my attack strength." The mans armor suddenly flashed, and it folded around him as the weapon itself began to crackle with power. He shot towards Elias in a shimmering triple image.


To this, Elias turned and raised his right arm, the Delphi armor had already reacted, increasing the strength of the armor significantly. "Idiotic Paladin." Elias spat as he allowed the strike to continue on it's path, guiding it past himself harmlessly, he caught the blade on his thumb and spun the weapon, causing a harmonic singing shriek of metal on the Delphi's armor plates.


With a rapid twist of motion, Elias used the mans own momentum to send him past himself, he struck the mans chest three times as he shot by, issuing out a word to each, "Ji, Sah, Ko!" He pushed the man back with his open palms, before he approached him again, "Don't make me finish it Paladin, Or this wont end well."


The paladin turned defiantly and brought his blade up. Elias feinted away, and came back in, with a fourth strike to the mans chest, "Ray!" He shouted forcefully, and the mans armor crumpled beneath his strike.


Elias was careful as he extracted the sword from the mans grip. The paladin stood there, in utter shock. His body shuddering, he was no longer able to move. "The spell seal for this is in the hilt of the blade, interesting..." He tossed the blade to Angel, who caught it and spun it by it's hilt.


Elias placed his right hand on the mans shoulder, and turned him around, forcing him to face him. His nanites were spreading across the man's body rapidly, anyone would be able to see the pulsing movement of the itty bitty nanites as they raced around on their current target. Elias was careful as he administered them, they began to consume the mans armor, replicating into it, learning how it worked, until they were able to remove the armor entirely.


Through the entire encounter, Elias had been calm, collected, and without any sign of anger. He slid back the nanite's of the Delphi until his hands were bare, and slapped the man across the face several times as the nanites continued to tear apart his armor, removing the remains of his helm at the same time.


Elias looked into the mans eyes, and asked him simply, "Do you want to A. Give me my answers, or B. Wait for my nanites to bury themselves in your brain so I can extract all the information you have for me?" Elias had a cold, dangerous look on his features, but it was almost as though he was bored.


The Paladin stared at him hatefully, as Angel, who was now admiring the new blade in her hands, glanced to Gemma, "He's fine, trust me. Elias is really good at interrogations." She leaned in close to Gemma, whispering, "Most of the time he never even draws blood either." she gave the paladin a mockingly upset sigh, "Now gasp and act as though I've just told you something terrible." She said under her breath to Gemma, a dark grin on her face.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Shaking her head, Gemma watched the encounter. The man was relentless, but he could not have been terribly intelligent, either. Despite his failure, he continued to come at Elias as if it might actually accomplish something, showing no indication that he even recognized his attempts were doing absolutely nothing. It was a little embarrassing...


When Elias stripped him of his weapon, Gemma took a breath, relieved to see he had kept his cool. Aquarius's warning resonated within her, and the idea terrified her, that Elias might be the cause of his own downfall, but for now at least, he seemed to be in control of his emotions... and for a short moment she felt sorry for the Paladin. He was making a fool of himself...


Angel spoke again and Gemma looked to her, nodding slowly... Like it or not, she knew Elias better and Gemma had to trust what the woman said. At her suggestion, Gemma's brow quirked, and she shook her head. Acting had never been her strong suit, but the sooner they were done with the Templar, the sooner they could get on with the real mission... not that she was entirely looking forward to that, either.


"He wouldn't!" She said, with conviction, a tremor in her voice as she brought her hands to cover her mouth, before giving the Paladin an apologetic... nearly pleading expression, "That... that's not even possible, is it?"

 

[Kazanna]

Elias placed his foot on the mans chest, and pushed him over. The act was, if anything, brutal, savage, and probably unnesscary, but it was increased by the horrible fact that he not only did this, he followed the man down with his foot and pushed him down with all of his increased weight and the power of his nanite enhanced legs, along with the power-suit's torque. The breaking of the man's ribcage was audible. "Talk Templar. I will carry through with my threat." He lowered himself down slowly, and took the mans left arm in the grip of his right hand. The man groaned up at him, before spitting in his face. The saliva shimmered across the nanite barrier on Elias' face, but it didn't change the message.


Elias shrugged, and sighed, "Have it your way Templar, but you were given a choice." He slid his foot to the mans shoulder, and grasped the mans wrist firmly, like a vice clamping shut on a piece of metal. Elias began to slowly pull on the mans arm. He stared at him, his expression unchanging as the man began to grunt and groan from the pain, he reached up with his free hand and began hitting Elias' leg, but to no avail. He cried out several times as the arms tissues became strained.


Angel stepped over to him and knelt down, staring at the mans eyes, "You know, the last time Elias did this, We kept the poor idiot alive through the whole thing until he squealed. He was a Trinian, one of the High King's personal guard. Great big sodding Rex. Elias dropped him just like he did with you just now, and when he pulled his arm out, the sound of the bone dislocating... which, should happen pretty soon for you, Was..." She released a shiver, "Just so amazing. I asked Elias to do it again with the other arm." She glanced up at Elias, who was still cold, and uncaring about the situation, "But he's all business this one. Never mixes the two, Not like me. See, I'm a lot like my mother. I'd torture you until you were begging for More. Then I'd deprive you of it. But Elias..." She shook her head, "He'd rather just use the pain to break down your fortitude against his nanites, so they can burrow into your brain, and extract the information he wants. Oh and Paladin..." she whispered leering in closer, "Elias here has never failed. Not once in the forty years he's been alive. Not during his training, or afterwards. He has Never, Ever, failed. He is perfect at what he does. It's almost boring how good he is at it. The only reason he doesn't use conventional torture... Probably because this has meaning to him. See, this is how he killed his first demon, he tore out it's arm. And then beat it to death with it... When he was a child..."


Angel's voice was sick, like she was getting off on what she was reminiscing about. She was playing a part, but in all honesty, even Elias knew she was feeding her own ego. So as he pushed down on the mans shoulder, and the pop of the dislocation sounded off, like a gunshot of low caliber. Angel released a shudder, and loomed closer to the Templar. "See... now your at the point all he has to do is yank it out, here is where we usually give you a chance to change your mind, to talk... But your a Templar... Your a member of the Vatican, You've been hunting my mommy and my daddy since before I was even an Idea. Since before Elias or I was even within the genetic template of the world. Before they had flying cars, and teleporters, and nano-technology, Your kind has been chasing my parents for billions of years... On a blood feud my mommy started because she was in love with my daddy..." She said childishly, "And what your stupid leaders don't understand... Is that as long as you keep doing the stupid things you do... As long as you keep ruining our lives, and as long as you all keep using people like the young lady over there... Our clan, our family, will hunt you, and we will kill you, Because mister Templar. Were not the monsters..." She ran her fingertips across his face, "Your people are..."


The Templar looked up at her, in utter horror, and muttered, "Who... are you people..?" He asked, his voice shaking. Elias knelt down, and stared into his eyes, malice dripping from his words as he spoke, "We are Clan Lunaris, The Burning Winds, the protectors of that which you view as wrong, We are the saviors of the races which you hold as wrong and perverse, we are those who have protected humanity for over five thousand years. I will grant you mercy Paladin, All you need to do is to tell me what I want to know." He loomed over the Templar menacingly, and twisted his arm slightly, showing how serious he was.


The Templar shuddered and murmured, "God will save my soul... I will not waver in my conviction." Elias snorted and then began to laugh, he threw his head back, his laughter raising to a hysterical level. Even Angel backed off a bit as his nanites washed over him in a dark coil, the Delphi expanded and created a cloak of flowing nanite monostructure. Elias grim took on the visage of the Reaper, the skull mask with it's horrible fanged jaws, the dark cloak. He looked down at the Templar and growled out, "Wrong Templar, Your god will forsake you, he has never existed. The gods of this plane are chaotic and savage, They will not take mercy upon you, and you will die, and your soul will be doomed, Now before I send you to meet them, Tell me what I want to know!" He shouted loudly down at the man, wrenching at his arm once again.

 

[Elle Joyner]

She had seen a lot in the brief time she had spent with Elias... had seen those things that he was capable of, which had earned him such a horrid alias... but there was something about watching it, fist hand, which was so intensely uncomfortable... so disturbing it was hard to think, hard to function at all. Her stomach twisted at the sound of the man's ribs, cracking under the pressure of Elias's weight and she for a moment, felt dizzy.


As Angel spoke, Gemma's earlier feigned horror resurfaced, genuine this time, and she stepped back, shaking her head. She'd never had to interrogate someone, but she had been in enough business negotiations to recognize when someone simply wasn't going to change their mind. The man wasn't going to give in... he wouldn't cave, and she had no doubt whatsoever that Elias would follow through with his threat, but she couldn't stand there and watch it happen.


Turning away from the would-be carnage, Gemma made her way out of the doors they had come in by and continued about halfway down the long, narrow hall before she paused, leaning against the wall with a deep sigh, rubbing her face with her hands.

 

[Kazanna]

Elias did follow through with his threat, without any further hesitation, he wrenched the mans arm out of it's socket, the flesh separated as the nerves and tendons snapped under the straight of Elias' overpowering strength, "Easier then the Trinian." He muttered as the man screamed in agony. Elias Grim's face was filtered from view as he used the mans severed arm as a club, "Just keep in mind little man, I can always reattach it, and then rip it off again, You'll feel every fucking painful moment. My nanites are great for impromptu surgeries." He continued to pummel the man, he sent a message through the Delphi unit to Gemma.


"I apologize for the barbarism, but they need to understand that this isn't a joke to me. I need them all to know, Lunaris, the Templars, All of them. Even you. I need all of you to realize this is not a joke." The message would come through sounding as though he was slightly angry, but in full control of his own emotions.


He was very methodical as he beat the man, the human body could only take so much damage, so his nanites that had been infiltrating the man's body was forcing his adrenal glands to go into overtime, keeping the man awake, they forced his heart to slow down it's beats, they ceased the blood flow to the arm, so he wouldn't bleed out The Templar grunted with each blow, so Elias increased the pressure until the limb had been savagely torn apart.


After another few minutes, Zenika and Tenika had turned away, closed their eyes, and were gripping their hands into fists. Angel was even in slight shock as she watched her protégé's dedication to his job. He was precise, but savage, wicked, but calculated. Elias The Grim Reaper, Grim, had truly earned his nick-name.


It took only a few more moments for the Templar to begin begging for mercy.


"Please... I'll tell you... I'll tell you anything..." He said piteously.


Elias paused, mid swing. Then smashed the limb into the mans face once more, before dropping it on his chest. He stepped back and nodded slowly. He held up a hand, and looked to the door, "He's ready to talk. Come back inside." His vocal modulators amplified his voice slightly as he spoke towards Gemma.


Elias nanites were hard at work, repairing the damage done to the mans body, they had already devoured his arm and they were rebuilding it, armor, clothing, and all. The Templar stared at his rebuilding limb in slight amazement, there wasn't even any further blood on his body. Elias glared at him as his armor unfolded around his face, "I told you I would show you mercy Templar, now stop looking so amazed. We keep to our word, unlike your kind." he spat out.

 

[Elle Joyner]

She'd jumped at the voice as it filled her head, startled both by the tone and surprised by the words. He'd already proven to her time and again that he was serious... but his determination, the intensity of it gave her pause. If he didn't understand by now the degree of trust she had in him... She couldn't be angry with him for his actions within the throne room., not when they were done for her sake... but she also couldn't be witness to it. It had no bearing on her trust...


Taking a few more breaths, she waited until she heard his request to return and, preparing herself for whatever she might see when she walked back in, she swallowed and started down the hall again. She was shocked, to put it mildly, at the sight of the man... whole as he had been when Angel had freed him from the sack. Pausing in the doorway, she looked around at the other women, before catching Elias's eyes, but she said nothing... there was no need to explain.


Stepping fully inside, she returned to her spot nearest Elias, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at the man on the ground, "...Well?"

 

[Kazanna]

The fallen Templar looked up at Gemma and sighed, he looked utterly defeated. He turned his gaze to Elias and then stared at the floor.


"I was given my orders by High Admiral Tilvainian. She sent me after Livingtree, and ordered that I kill her along with anyone else who might get us implicated in the treason." The Templar said sullenly.


Elias stared at him, and asked, "Was it Tilvainian who caused the coup in the first place?" He demanded with a growl.


The Templar shook his head, "No Sir, She's under her own set of orders. Tilvainian is just very good at her job... She shows results. She was given permission to mastermind the entire Coup. The order would have been given to her by the Grand Cleric Himself."


Elias looked to Gemma, and nodded, "Now you know who set you up. Now I see why we need to go to the Warehouse, to get the evidence that will implicate them both in this."


The Templar shook his head, "You'll never implicate the Cleric, or Tilvainian, they never sullied their hands in this work, simply sent down unwritten orders..." He muttered, "Anything that would even be remotely suspicious, has been relocated off of the central command to various holding points galaxy wide.


Elias shrugged, "It's fine, that's why we have the warehouse."


The Templar frowned, and said one final piece, "Even if you are able to implicate Tilvainian and the Grand Cleric, how will that help you, you'll never be able to persecute them."


Elias glanced at the Templar, and raised a brow, "You don't get it, do you? I don't plan to persecute them. I plan to use the evidence to get Death Warrants on both of them. I kill them both, It will clear her name." Elias growled out.


Angel nodded quietly, "That's our boy..." She muttered, a wicked grin on her face.


Elias motioned to Gemma, "If you have any questions, ask them now." He nodded to Gemma.

 

[Elle Joyner]

They were strangers. Somehow, she hadn't anticipated that... In a way it should have been a relief, knowing the people who had framed her weren't the people she knew and loved, but all she felt was frustration. The concept that she had been a pawn in a larger game, but that she need not have been targeted at all... that anyone, really, would have done... it was sickening.


So much so, that she couldn't quite bring herself to feel guilty over Elias's threat and couldn't quite bring herself to follow Angel's twisted praise with much more than a subtle frown. People like that... who would pin something so atrocious on an innocent. person for no other reason than convenience.... she wasn't sure that they deserved her pity.


When Elias turned to her, she nodded, before looking to the man again, "...Just one. Why me? Was there a reason... or was it just because I was where you needed me to be? I'm just curious, is all, what I did to deserve having my life ruined for your blind crusade... Was there something I did? Some purpose for picking me... Or was it just bad luck?"

 

[Kazanna]

The Templar looked up at her, and shook his head, staring at her, "No.. Not bad luck. You were targeted for a reason.. I don't know all the details... but..." He turned his gaze to Elias, "It was because of him." The Templar said, motioning to Elias, "I don't know whats so special, but just like your people, we have a few that time jump, they leave messages about our greater mission, what they want us to do later on, at different points, things like that..." He shook his head, "But Every time... every time we get something set up against your group, you find some way to throw a wrench in the machine."


Elias shrugged, and nodded, "That's what happens when you go to war with someone who used to lead your organization's military efforts. He wrote your handbook, the one you bastards are still following. Kind of a stupid idea if you ask me. But hey.. I've only been following his guide book for forty years, You've been following it for almost four thousand, must have something in there worth knowing yeah?" He said with a smart ass tone.


Elias turned to Gemma, and shrugged at her apologetically, "Sorry Gemma. Looks like I'm the reason why they ruined your life. Now I owe you double." He glanced at the Templar, and motioned to him. "I said mercy, I didn't say life."


The man nodded slowly as he began to disintegrate, "Were you telling the truth... when you said my god wasn't real..." He asked. Elias' helmet slid back, and he shook his head at him, "Blind faith until the end... In all honesty, I don't know... but I have met a god of Chaos... so I do know that they exist. I'm unsure of your god though Templar... Though I doubt he will fault you for your betrayal..." He watched the man's form particalized and he drifted away in a nano-storm. His nanites had extracted data from the mans brain, codes, creeds, information regarding the mans entire history. Who he was and what he had done in his life.


"Rest well Reverend Jerimiah Carlyle." Elias murmured.


He turned to Gemma, and then glanced to Angel, "We'll be heading to the warehouse now." He said quietly.

 

[Elle Joyner]

If she could have selected off of a list of the worst possible answers to her questions, the Templar's response definitely would have been disturbingly high on said list. Quite possibly, it would have been at the very top of said list. Up until that point, she had always assumed that her involvement had something to do with her work... with the business she did or her position in her company. To hear that the reason she was framed was a direct result of their knowledge of Elias's eventual involvement... It was both disheartening and disturbing.


Stepping back, hardly consciously aware of what was happening to the man in front of her, Gemma's gaze fell distant. They had involved her, because they knew that Elias would take up the case. They involved her, because they needed to get to him... And she was giving them exactly what they wanted in her continued involvement with the man.


When Elias turned to her again, she frowned softly at his words, "...I don't imagine telling you I don't want you to do this is going to make a difference? You heard what he said Elias. They used me because they knew you would get involved. Do you really think it's a smart idea... continuing with this?"

 

[Kazanna]

Elias shrugged at her, saying, "Not at all, but when I come in with an entire battalion of Delphi Weapon Platforms under my direct control with nanite controllers, I'm pretty sure any plans they had will go out the door. You've seen maybe a drop in the bucket of what this thing is capable of. I'm using ten of them. I'm going to equip out another five hundred of them through control strands. Angel uses twenty. She's going to be supporting us as well. I'm pretty sure this is going to go very badly for them."


Turning, Elias began striding towards the door, "The battle of Cal Droma was not won by a fleet, it was won by a single man, wearing a single layer of Delphi armor. The armor was destroyed, but the man survived. Without a scratch on him. I'll be wearing ten of them when we do assault them. The Grand Cleric probably expects me to attack him headlong, alone, without any type of backup. I will involved all of Valoria, and as many of the other sentient races as will support me." He said as motioned for her to follow.


Angel followed after them, and muttered, "Gods Elias, are you serious? Can you actually control a fifty man squad all at once?"


Elias glanced back at her, and nodded, "I did it at Culls Crossing, during the Thirty Days of Rain. I was the battalion leader of Battalion Three Oh Five. I was acting independently. It's why I got court-martialed and put on trial for treason. Remember?" Elias said flatly.


Angel tilted her head, "I was in Antigua, leading the Mech Assault when all that was going on. It was right after we downsized The Halo to a ship-board size and increased the density of it's metals so it could just breach things." she replied with a bored tone.


Shrugging at her, he said, "Either way, you read the report. So you know what happened there."


Angel nodded slowly, "Your going to regret it though... Eventually... It's going to put strain on you." she muttered, more for herself then for him.


Elias shook his head, "No, That's what makes me special Angel, I have a nanite matrix like no other. That's part of the reason why Miss Livingtree's case is so personal." He turned slightly, and glanced at Gemma, "Her research team was heading the research on my Nano-Matrix. Her company was the one that was set to go into deep studies on my entire main-frame. It's part of the reason why I want so badly to clear her name. I have a very personal stake invested in her." Elias admitted casually.


The twins had also followed along, Zenika and Tenika were both watching Elias, bickering between themselves. Zenika looked to Gemma as Elias spoke, "What he means is, he's covering for the fact that he likes you and he just doesn't want to admit it." Tenika chimed in as well, "More he views her as someone that he see's as an intellectual equal." Zenika continued, "Which is all he looks for really, He's rarely dated anyone. They were always just pretty, pretending to be smart until he sniffed out that they were dumb." Tenika nodded earnestly. "He's all for brains, none for beauty."


Angel glanced back at them before Elias could chastise them, "You'll earn your death's with the way you two gossip. You may be empresses, but don't forget where you come from, or your place. Elias Grim is a hero, his personal life isn't up for discussion. If he has interests in Miss Livingtree, that is between the two of them, not half of the Cal Droma Guards in this section." Angel said harshly.


Elias nodded his thanks to her and the twins simply stuck their tongues out defiantly at him. Elias Glanced back to Gemma, "Like Angel said, It's between you, and me." He winked at her with a grin.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Gemma sighed as Elias shrugged off her warnings, unsurprised but also hardly satisfied by his response. The warnings from Aquarius, and now this... If he wouldn't see reason in those things, she certainly wasn't going to convince him of anything. Still, it was hard to complain, considering she was relatively sure by now there was no one else in the entire galaxy she'd feel quite so safe with.


The conversation that followed between him and Angel was met with a frown, but there was little she could say that would alter his plans. It was frustrating, to put it mildly... He was strong, but he wasn't invulnerable and if he pushed himself beyond his limits. Then again, he wasn't wrong. His Nanites were almost unheard of, and it was difficult to know the limits of something that hadn't been thoroughly tested...


Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed Zenkia's comments... almost. Turning to the woman, her cheeks flushed as once again, the insinuations were made about Elias's feelings towards her. She'd opened her mouth to respond to the twins when Angel beat her to it, surprised at her words when not long ago she had been sharing the same sentiment...


It was Elias's statement, however, which threw her. Catching his eye, Gemma blinked, the color in her cheeks deepening, "...Then I guess we'll have something to talk about when you get back from the warehouse..." She started, softly, "...So you'd better come back in one piece, hmm?"

 

[Kazanna]

Elias, Angel, Zenika, and Tenika all stopped at once, and turned on Gemma. The expressions on their faces would explain everything, so when Elias spoke, it was almost redundant.


"Er... Well... See... Your coming too Gemma. That's the whole point of this." Elias said bluntly.


Zenika nodded, "We've all been inside since this whole debacle started." she said looking to her sibling.


Tenika continued, "It needs fresh essence to give us anything worthwhile."


Angel was the one to actually explain things, she almost glared at the others, "It works on a property that is actually quite simple. There is a spell seal inside, it's one of my father's creations. Basically, what it does, is it extracts a small amount of the essence of those who enter it, and give them what they need in relation to the room they enter. He also added a paradox seal to it, so that if what they need is advice from themselves.." She shrugged, and looked Gemma over, "Basically, a future version of you would appear, and explain exactly what you needed to know. Not much else. Mum used to meditate in there, until she had an entire army of paradoxical clones... that's when Dad installed the Limiter Matrix Spell. Which is why we need fresh essence. Namely, Yours." She finished.


With a light nod, Elias muttered, "Yeah... But were going to have to find her an entry partner... Who's our other universal?"


Angel frowned and glanced between Elias and Gemma, "Honestly, I'm not sure who else is neutral besides myself and Father... and bringing him along... would take months of prep... you know how he is..." Angel said with a sour look on her face, "You, me, Zeni and Teni if they're coming, then who else for Gemma..." she murmured.


Elias shrugged, "You'll partner with her. I'll just go static." Elias said calmly to Angel. Her eyes were sharp, they detected no subterfuge in his statements, nor in his body language.


"Can... You even do that?" She asked incredously.


Elias nodded, "I passed into the warehouse once, unaided, I made it through each room."


Angel frowned, "But you were only seven then, things have changed, you've matured, your mind is a lot more advanced now, there isn't-" Elias held up a hand, interrupting her.


"The only real risk is in the red room. When we get to the red room..." He glanced at Gemma, and shrugged, "Things happen..." You'll see... It'll be based on you more then anything." Elias said quietly.

 

[Elle Joyner]

And suddenly, things went uncontestably from bad to worse... Suddenly, she had gone from being the uncomfortable bystander to their exodus into the troublingly titled "Red Room" to being the very thing which could potentially ruin all of them. She could feel panic rising in her throat and she shook her head at the four of them, stepping back.


"I... You...What? No... I don't... I can't... After what Aquarius said? What if I do it wrong? I could... I could ruin everything." Tears burned at her eyes and she blinked them away, "I'm not like you... I can't do the things you can. And if something happened... if anything happened to any of you..."


There was, simply put, too much pressure. Ironic, given her natural ability to withstand pressure, under normal circumstances. She was used to being responsible for some of the most complex, detailed projects her company had undergone, and she was good at her job... But this... this was something new. This was something new and terrifying, which could potentially result in unspeakable things happening.


"...I can't do this, Elias..."