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| Midnight | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 27 2009, 12:08 AM (163 Views) | |
| [-Angeles-] | Jun 27 2009, 12:08 AM Post #1 |
Ex-Turk
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The night was darker than any she could remember. There was no moon in the sky, and the stars were hidden in a heavy overcast. The only light was the occasional Crack of lightning that tore through the clouds. It was enough to light up the empty streets of Kalm. The town was dead, save for a few warm glowing windows here and there, shedding a yellow ray of light into the dark world. Angeles strayed away from these lights, wrapping her coat tighter around her, and barely daring to look inside at the family behind one of these windows. They were happy, a father, mother, and son, sitting at the dinner table together. Angeles’ eyes watched them with a tint of envy before she turned away and stalked deeper into the night. She needed supplies before she left. She was not sure how long she would be gone so she had to be prepared, and with the impending storm, she had to move quickly. The only person she trusted was well asleep, and she did not wish to wake him from some pleasant dream he might be having. She would get what she needed in a way that would give the humans reason to hate her as passionately as they did. Stealing would be easy, she had after all been a stealer of lives for most of her life, what was clothing, food, and money compared to that? She visited various stores throughout the town, packing all that she could carry in a small bag before calling it good and heading back towards the gate to leave and disappear for however long she needed to. She dared stop at the window again and saw the family with their heads bowed and their arms crossed in prayer. She paused a moment to watching, thinking of the cruel irony and the sick sense of humor that belonged to the god they prayed to. Angeles reached into her pocket and withdrew a picture of a young girl and looked at it. She felt no emotional attachment to the one in the picture, in fact she did not know who she was. The picture was a simple reminder that she was not human any longer. |
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| Takeru | Jun 27 2009, 12:25 AM Post #2 |
The White Mage
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"You're getting sloppy. It's quite unexpected." There had been no indication of his approach, for even the keenest of ears would have difficulty detecting footsteps when they occurred at such a high rate of speed. It likely would have sounded more like a low-pitched hum than any individual beats. Regardless, Zander appeared a few feet behind Angeles and stared down at the back of her head. He could see that she was holding something as well, but could not see what it was. Given that there was no reflected glint from the light coming out of the window,, he could assume that it was not a weapon though. He had been called in to investigate a series of robberies in the area. There were few clues that the locals could locate, and even Zander had had some difficulty with finding traces of the thief. The break had finally come in the form of an excessively long silver hair. There were many of Sephiroth's so-called progeny scurrying around the planet, but he had only ever encountered one with hair that long. During some of his downtime after the incident with Daze, the Rockport had taken the time to look up the files of some of the participants he had met there. What had surprised him was the file of the woman known as Angeles. Large portions of it had been blacked out, but he had been able to find that she had been a Turk at one point, and then was changed. Changed like he had been, only seemingly on purpose, and to a far greater degree. Since then, she had been linked to a number of disturbances and potentially to a few deaths around the world. "So you have degenerated into a thief now, I see. I suppose I had thought better of you than that. Perhaps I was wrong." |
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| [-Angeles-] | Jun 27 2009, 12:37 AM Post #3 |
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Ex-Turk
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“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Angeles sighed loud enough for only the other to hear. The hairs on the back of her neck rose on end at being snuck up upon, and she slipped the picture into her pocket. She did not reach for the gun mere centimeters away on her belt, and held her hand laxly by her side. She did not turn to face the man, not yet, instead trying to place his voice with a face. It was none of her Turks, but perhaps a new recruit in their division. “Shinra will be hunting me soon, so I need to be ready to disappear for a long while. No one will sell to me, so the only logical answer is to steal what I need,” she gave up on trying to recognize the voice and turned to look over her shoulder. She felt her heart jump to realize she was facing a Soldier, though her exterior was calm. She flexed the fingers of one hand then curled them into a fist as she studied the Soldier and recognized him. She didn’t recall his name, but she had fought beside him against Daze. “It appears that I am perhaps too late, and Shinra is already sending its dogs out to get me,” Angeles reached up over her shoulder and gripped the hilt of her sword. She did not draw it, but kept her hand there as a warning that she was armed, and she would kill him if she needed to. Her eyes were on only him, her pupils dilated to take in as much light as possible, almost seeming to glow, "and how is it exactly that you have come to know me so well in order to think better of me?" |
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| Takeru | Jun 27 2009, 12:48 AM Post #4 |
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The White Mage
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An eyebrow twitched. "Dog? You consider me a dog? I am honestly insulted." His gaze connected with her own, his own slit pupils widening a bit as his eyes flickered to her hand and then back to her face. She was ready to attack...and from what he knew of her, he would be hard pressed to survive a concentrated attack. He decided that being honest was the best policy in a situation like this. "I glanced over your quote-unquote public file. Most of it is classified even to me, but from what I can see you used to be great...full of promise. And even now, you don't seem to display nearly the level of...eccentricity that the Sephiroth experiments seem to display. You have superior control to all of them, really. I suppose I had just thought you might find some way around your other difficulties by now." He shrugged. "I seem to have been mistaken though. Your burglaries were blatant enough to warrant an investigation, and on top of that you left a trail. I figured a former Turk would make a better showing, is all." |
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| [-Angeles-] | Jun 27 2009, 12:58 AM Post #5 |
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Ex-Turk
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Angeles saw that the Soldier made no reaction to her warning, but she did not remove her hand from her hilt, “I’m a bit pressed for time,” she said, “therefore my sense of subtlety is notched down. I may have left a trail for you to follow me here, but I assure you the mistake will not be made again.” Angeles looked over the Soldier. He had changed, the Jenova cells that were injected into all Soldiers must have been condensed within him. He retained human features, but the tale-tell slit-pupiled and streaks of silver hair gave testament to his mutation. It was interesting to her that Shinra kept a hold on him and allowed him to remain in the ranks of Soldier. Perhaps it was on request of Professor Hojo, He would probably love the possibility of a human-clone hybrid. “So what are you goin to do, now that you have me in your sights? I will warn you that I will die before I return to Shinra and its labs, and I will take as many as I can with me.” |
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| Takeru | Jun 27 2009, 01:05 AM Post #6 |
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The White Mage
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Zander's gaze flickered upward and over Angeles' head as she announced her threat-slash-promise. He watched as the family inside of the house joked around and ate their meal, entirely oblivious to the stand off that was occurring right outside of their home. It was too close to a residential area for any sort of physical confrontation, so a verbal one would have to suffice for now. "I am not going to fight you. That would be...counterproductive." The excessively tall younger man paused and shifted his gaze back down to Angeles' face before picking up his part of the conversation again. "...instead, I'm going to ask for your part of the explanation. What I know of your situation is admittedly very little. You were a Turk. You were experimented on, presumably by that egotistical psychopath named Hojo. You ran away, doing mercenary work and such. You helped fight Daze, and tried to destroy JENOVA. And now you're planning on going into hiding." He paused to gauge the woman's reaction, then delivered the clincher. "But what I don't know is why. Why or how. If you can explain that to me, then I won't try to fight you tonight. I'll let you go...say I couldn't find you. But I need some cooperation." Edited by Takeru, Jun 28 2009, 06:32 PM.
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| [-Angeles-] | Jun 27 2009, 01:21 AM Post #7 |
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Ex-Turk
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Why or how. Those were two simple things; then why did Angeles all of a sudden draw a blank? Her hand slowly slipped from her hilt as she thought, though she kept the Soldier in her sights at all times, even if it was only in her peripheral vision. “Why… why did I become a Turk? Because I wanted the tools necessary for vengeance. Why was I experimented on? You’d have to ask Hojo. Why did I run? Because it was better than being where I was. Why did I fight Daze? Because he manipulated and cause many to die. Why did I try to destroy Jenova? Because she was the one manipulating Daze. Why am I going into hiding? Well you were there, you saw what I had done.” Angeles finished and looked towards the gate and was silent for a bit then spoke up again, “as for how… I became a Turk because I excelled in categories others did not. I was experimented on because I was betrayed. I fought Daze because I could fight the calling. As for Jenova, I’m going to try to burn her into ashes and see if that works. And as for Hiding… I will go to the one place that people will not think to find me, and those who do think to find me will not dare go.” Angeles turned to look at the Soldier again and folded her arms over her chest, “did that answer your question?” |
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| Takeru | Jun 27 2009, 01:47 AM Post #8 |
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The White Mage
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Zander was silent for several minutes as he processed all of what Angeles had said and tried to make some sort of sense of it within his own mind. After a time he nodded slowly in response to her question. "You answered some of the questions, but raised new ones as well." He paused to let that sink in, then spoke again. "Did you complete your vengeance that prompted you to join the Turks? Do you know why, or have any suspicions as to why you were betrayed?" The SOLDIER lapsed into silence as he considered one particular part of Angeles' little speech. Where would one not think she would go? Knowing what little he did of her past and that of Sephiroth, he could try to formulate a few mediocre guesses. "...as for your hideout...Nibelheim, maybe? Or one of the Turk bases. I don't personally know where any of them are, but I'm sure you do." Zander shrugged once and fell into silence once more. He was just going out on a limb with those two guesses, but if he was right then he would feel rather smart. He doubted that would be the case though. |
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| [-Angeles-] | Jun 27 2009, 01:57 AM Post #9 |
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Ex-Turk
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Angeles tilted her head slightly and considered his new questions. She had to think very little on the first two and answered almost immediately: “the vengeance was taken in full and five are dead. I do not know why I was betrayed, only that the Turks I trusted so well allowed this to happen to me.” She stopped there and listened to his guesses about where she was considering hiding. Nibelheim was a definite no; it was run entirely by Shinra personnel pretending to be Nibelheim citizens. The Turk Headquarters were also unlikely as they were also a part of Shinra, and were probably not too pleased by her most recent actions. No, she was going to hide in a place that even she detested. The Northern Crater; it was cold, wet, and where Jenova’s calling and Sephiroth’s voice were the strongest. She figured she would not be bothered there, and it would be an excellent place to train herself against the both of them. She shook her head, “not even close Soldier,” was all she said and moved her arms to hang at her sides, “any other questions? I’m more than willing to share the dirty little secrets of the so called ‘immaculate company’ you work for. And I assure you, you are nothing but a mere dog to them. Easily disposed of and replaced just as I was.” |
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| Takeru | Jun 27 2009, 02:16 AM Post #10 |
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The White Mage
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Zander's eyes narrowed, the glow intensifying within the irises as the annoyance he felt grew at the way she put down both Shinra and his standing within the company. Yes, she had been with them before him, and yes, she had more experience with the company, but he was not some wide-eyed innocent either. "I know that Shinra is not perfect. I had the...fortune...of meeting Hojo face to face once. He is a narcissistic monster that mangled my closest friend just because he could. Any company that employs a person like that cannot be wholly good." He paused to collect his thoughts and distance himself from the emotions associated with the memories of how the man interfered with Celest's life, then pressed onward. "But Shinra also does a lot of good. It provides power and services to the people. We in SOLDIER and the Sentry and Turks protect the people from monsters and terrorists and maintain order amongst the chaos of crime. Sure, I may not be held in the highest of esteem because of what I am or who I am related to, but I am an important part of the company. They wouldn't just toss me aside for no reason, like you seem to be implying." |
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| [-Angeles-] | Jun 27 2009, 02:28 AM Post #11 |
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Ex-Turk
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“No,” said Angeles darkly, “you’re correct, they wouldn’t just toss you away, they’d give you to Hojo as a toy for him to fiddle with. Where do you think the monster’s come from? Trust me, you are easily dispensable in the name of science. You said a lot of my files were denied to you, do you want to know exactly who I was?” Angeles took a step forward and stood tall and proud as her voice came out strong, pronouncing her next words like gunshots, “Angeles Clementine, second in command of the Turks,” she eyed the Soldier sternly, “I was sometime often considered commander-in-chief by Veld himself except that I did not want that responsibility, and I wanted to be in the field rather than behind a desk most of the time.” She shoved her hands into her pockets, “Hojo has done far worse than you have witnessed, and he has done things far more incorrigible than you can even imagine. And Shinra pays him to do it. That is why I am going to kill him. It is him and that monster Jenova that is behind everything. All the suffering of the Planet, can be traced back to those two,” Angeles tilted her head to the side slightly, “so what else would you like to know?” |
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| Takeru | Jun 28 2009, 05:39 PM Post #12 |
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The White Mage
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Zander was silent for a time as he worked things through at his own pace. He had known that Hojo was a nefarious individual for some time, even before he had witnessed the man's casual disregard for human life with his own eyes after Celest's accident. There had been rumors fluttering around the SOLDIER barracks for years to that affect, even a few off-the-cuff comments about getting rid of the man. It was impossible though, by all accounts. The man was constantly protected by at least one member of the Turks, whose training was second to none. It was said that even a rookie Turk could stand toe to toe with a First Class SOLDIER. Having seen Angeles in action a short time ago, he was inclined to believe that statement. With all that being said though, the SOLDIER was at a bit of a loss as to what to do now. Angeles has raised some valid points and concerns, but it was not as if there was a lot he could do about it. Hojo was a menace, but a highly-regarded one...killing him would do the world a lot of good, but would make him a top target of Shinra, assuming he could even get close enough to get the job done without being killed himself in the process. As for JENOVA, he had experienced that entity's power firsthand. It was a fearsome power, and one that no creature should rightfully possess...but it was the company's chief asset, and if he tried to help this woman destroy it he would be eliminated without a second thought. In the end, self-preservation won out. "...alright. I cannot say that I disagree with your intentions, per se. What I can say is that if I am ever in a position where I can aid you, I will endeavor to do so. All I ask is that you extend the same courtesy." The step toward him that Angeles had taken earlier had brought them into rather close proximity, now being only a little over a foot apart. From such a small distance, she would likely be able to see the truth in his words. He wanted to help her in a more active role, but as it was now, his hands were tied. |
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| [-Angeles-] | Jun 28 2009, 06:13 PM Post #13 |
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Ex-Turk
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Angeles looked into the Soldier eyes and saw the truth in his words. She nodded at his final request and took a step back, then another, “If there is no further inquiries I must be leaving now. The more time I allow the closer Shinra gets to putting me back in the labs. I understand that you will no longer hunt me, but that does not mean others will not, others more willing to obey Shinra’s orders rather than listen.” Angeles looked towards the gate then at the Soldier again, “there are those who call us monsters, more often then not those individuals are ourselves,” she eyed the Soldier carefully as if inspecting a strange animal never before seen that should be approached with caution before finishing, “what are you?” Then without another word she spread her wing and took off into the sky. She was halfway to the clouds when it began to rain and she was soaked when she finally found cover within the storm. It was a dangerous place to be, with the lightning cracking around her but it was the best place to hide. Now away from the sight of everything living on the Planet she turned Northwest and flew towards the crater, not knowing when she would be able to walk in the sun again. |
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| Takeru | Jun 28 2009, 06:43 PM Post #14 |
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The White Mage
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He said nothing, watching as Angeles took flight and ascended up into the clouds. Thunder rumbled and a few drops of rain began to fall, but the SOLDIER made no attempt to move or to seek shelter. The clone had had a point, as obscured as it might have been to some. She and he were rare breeds, truly, and both were confined to the roles that society demanded that they play. She was a Sephiroth Clone that was not entirely insane, and he was a hybrid that was bound to the will of Shinra. Even with her wings and my speed, neither of us are truly free. It was a depressing realization, to be sure. He was stuck serving a company that abhorred half of what he was while they extolled the virtues of his other half. He was stuck working for an organization that allowed maniacs like Hojo to literally play God in some twisted excuse for making the world a better place. If what Angeles said was true, then Hojo had helped to create some of the monsters in the world...monsters that SOLDIER had been created to eliminate. Was it truly such a self-perpetuating cycle? Was Shinra not only the solution to the world's problems, but the cause of them as well? The situation would require some thought. A rumbling sigh escaped Zander as he stared into the window where the family was now clearing the table, having long since finished their meal. He was dimly aware of the fact that the rain had soaked him through entirely, but he paid it little mind. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone and selected one of his contacts. "This is Rockport. No sign of the thief...no, the trail has gone cold. Mission failed. I will return soon." The statuesque young man snapped the phone closed and put it away. He spared one last glance toward the house before being enveloped in a silver aura and vanishing in a gust of wind. |
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