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Black Angel

Black Angel is an organization started by a power hungry human. The human started by testing on some humans, trying to give them powers, when they finaly did succed, he turned it into a large organization Shortly after it became a large organization, a powerful demon turned his own people against him, before taking control of the organization experimenting on kidnapped humans, trying to improve on the original owners methods, to make the humans into the most powerful army in the world. He often either kills or abandons the experiments that either fail or refuse to join him, He has his agents leave them with no memories, and no knowledge of how to survive. Though, on rare occasions one of the abandon experiments are found by other humans who take them in, and help them survive. When the leader finds out about them, he sends out skilled agents to do away with them, no one has survived after being a failed experiment. Not yet anyway. The demon leader plans to strengthen and enlarge the army, until no one can stand against him, at that time, he will expand his control to take over the world, one country at a time. though they are failures, If too many are allowed to survive, they could team up, and possibly stop him, simply because of the fact If you have tons of them running all around you all the time, you wont know a traitor from a loyal experiment

Champ goes up to her brother's 'office', sweat, dirty, and panting. She has on her usual outfit, her hair in a braid, with her sword on her back. She knocks on his door, rather violently, clearly irritated. She is to have lunch with her brother today

Elliott Frost held up a bruised and disfigured man by the neck, who was covered in scars and burns. Yet another failed experiment.

As his solid grip tightened around the mutant's neck, he spoke in a raspy and lifeless voice. "You'll be glad to leave your miserable life. Now, rest." He pressed his pale thumb forward and pulled the experiment's neck backward. It crushed his neck, causing the abomination to stop struggling, and he became nothing more than a dead weight. Elliott threw him to the side, and the body smashed against the cold, brittle sidewalk below.

Regina's heart beat faster than normal. She sighed softly as she looked around. Her crystal blue eyes scanning the people, looking for anyone out of place. She turned around and walked into a coffee shop.

The wind was blowing softly.

Its chill brushing through the little children in the park, causing parents to quickly zip up their young one's jackets. It was an October afternoon, and the park was a bustling environment. Kids were jumping through piles of fallen orange leaves, men and women jogged and bicycled, their portable c.d players drowning out the hustle and bustle of the world around them. A man stood off to the side, catering a small vending cart, while a young woman asked him for a diet soda. Today, the world seemed like a calm and loving place.

But the stranger who stood deeper into the park, the lonesome individual who watched the pleasant scene from afar...he felt otherwise.

His name was Adrian, and as he gazed at the sight of loving parents and friends tackling each other into the brush, he felt a small waiver of contempt. He felt the cold wind splash against him, but it didn't register. He had felt colder and faster winds before...

He let out a sigh and turned around, feeling more worried and helpless then before. It was then that his phone began to vibrate. He stopped moving and glanced down at his jacket pocket. It shook a second time. A third. Then, hesitantly, Adrian pulled the slender black phone out of his pocket, and read the caller I.D. His brow furrowed.

"Why are you calling my phone?"

"....listen...Adrian...we need you. It's not safe wit-"

"We've been over this. You all need to move on. Forget about the black angel organization. This isn't some war."

"Can You hear yourself Adrian? If they find you-"

"Talk to Julia or Thanos. I'm not the person who is capable of doing anything."

and with that, Adrian snapped the phone shut. He looked at the phone with longing before slipping it back into his pocket. There was a brustle of leaves and Adrian looked to his right quickly, but it was a false alarm. Only a little boy who had wandered too far from his parents. In his hands, the boy held a small blue doll. A superman doll. Adrian turned from him, and was off.

The boys jaw dropped.

When the boy's nervous mother finally caught up to him in the woods, he had the same look as someone who sees the presents under the tree on christmas morning. Pointing up at the sky, the boy said only one thing to his mother.

"Superman!"

Elliott pulled up his gray hood, concealing his grievously-scarred skin and his right eye, which was completely destroyed. He pulled a small scope from a compartment on his belt and looked through it. Peering into the dull October sky, he scanned up and down, checking his radar for the signals he had just gotten after slaying the last experiment. There were more of them around here, and he would find them.

He started running with a great deal of speed, blowing some of the auburn leaves around him away. When Elliott reached an intersection, he lifted his scope to his eye and waited.

julia ran down the alley panting heavily, she had to think quick to get away. She quickly made a trashcan top come to her as she stepped onto it and rose herself higher and into the dark. A couple seconds later men in black suits ran by, they slowed down as they realized she was already gone. One pulled out a cellphone and called someone.

"Im sorry to say this sir but she got away...I don't know where she would go...I don't think they know about her yet ...yes sir, I will have my men find her before they do." themen hung up the phone with a serious face and turned to the other man in suit "We need to find her before the others do, he apparantly liked this one" The man said with a strained expression as the other guy nodded and they both took off.

Julia slowly came back down to the ground after they left as she held her chest as she was still panting from all the running she had previously done. She started her walk to somewhere safe but she didnt know where to go, she had no home anymore and even if she did she would not risk them. She pulled the black hood over her head as she started her walk down the street trying her best to blend in.

The air was always much colder up here.

From 1000 feet off the ground, Adrian stretched his arms outward, feeling the wind blow through his hair. He looked down at his feet. They dangled their limply. Closing his eyes, Adrian remembered the first time he was able to fly freely...without being confined to the B.A.O's test facility. The memory made him shake.

He spun himself around in a circle slowly, looking down at the city. From up here, Adrian still couldn't find the peace he so craved. Not with the Black Angel organization hunting him down. Hunting down his fellow experiments...his "friends." He put his hands on the back of his head, and leaned, seemingly lying down in mid-air. Some people think cloud watching is fun, but it was nothing compared to the close up Adrian got every day.

Still, even in the quiet cloudy sky, Adrian's mind wandered back to the phone call. He wished he could help. He wished there was something he could do to help the others. But it was pointless. Someone like him would only get killed going up against the organization. Thanos and Julia...even Tira....they could certainly fend for themselves...but not him. Not against guys like Elliot....or....Her.

The leader.

Adrian shook the thought from his head. He didn't want any part of it. He wished he could fly away from it all. But he knew he wouldn't be able to. There was no escaping the organization. Only hiding from it temporarily...until they kick down the door...and then go to work on you. The only thing he could do was to just-

Suddenly Adrian broke into a sweat. Someone was watching. No...not watching...someone was looking for him. But that was impossible. there were no members of the organization with a super sight...or the ability to fly at such high altitudes. The only person who could do that would be...

"Oh No."

Adrian turned his body in mid-air, and blasted himself forward. It had to be Elliot. Elliot and his scope. Elliot and his torn flesh and dead eye. Adrian knew if they came to blows, it would be all over. The only thing to do was to fly as fast as he could, away from his position. Hopefully Elliot was looking for someone else...

Elliott heard a sharp sound a block away. It was like a gust of wind or a plane. But it wasn't.

Turning around, he leaped forward, clearing almost five meters. He advanced quickly with great strides, though small steps would have been faster. It didn't matter, because he would not let his pray escape.

Turning around his block, he looked around. There he was. A short man in a torn up jacket sped through the sky.

"I have you now."

Elliott jumped at the nearest car, gripping the handle of the door. With a huge surge of power, he ripped the door clean off the car, and the car sped away uncontrollably. The Black Angel general spun around and threw the door at the flying person with great force. It spun like a frisbee and shot straight at the man, its sharp metal edges cutting through the wind.

Originally posted by Wolf_Girl15
Champ goes up to her brother's 'office', sweat, dirty, and panting. She has on her usual outfit, her hair in a braid, with her sword on her back. She knocks on his door, rather violently, clearly irritated. She is to have lunch with her brother today

Thanos was at a large table on papers laying around randomly as he was reading a something when he heard knocking and sighed alittle "enter" he ordered simply

Champion enters, closing the door behind her "Hi Thanos, still reading those are we?" She says, walking over to his table, standing infront of it

(I was going to wait for Jill, but I suppose I'll post anyways. I am assuming that my idea for a Cerebro-like machine was approved as well. I'll make it so that the machine only allows Shiki to find people when their powers are used, though the distance restriction is lifted.)

"Experiment #2559 located..."

His voice rebounds off the curved walls of the chamber - the curved walls hidden behinds layers of projections and his own illusions.
This is his niche in the world, or at least within the Black Angel Headquarters.
The Mutant Omni-Tracker, Prototype H34 - fondly referred to as MOTHER by the organization - a device created specifically for Experiment #13666.

"Alias Adrian. Power... Self-propelled flight..."

#13666, the number he's gone by for most of his life.
Only the favored experiments, those considered valued by the
organization - by Mistress Song - are assigned pseudonyms.

"Location...."

And only he, #13666, codename Shiki, can control MOTHER.
Only he can use her to find the others, the ones who abandoned the family,
so that they may be brought home.

Reaching out with one hand, he warps the image before him.
The world is enlarging, clouds whip past him - through him,
until he finds what he is searching for.

"New York City, two thousand feet above sea level."

He can sense the others even now, those who are hiding within the grand city.
Many are not worth tracking - photographic reflexes, reactive adaption, night vision.
He's been ordered to locate the more important ones - those who pose a threat to world and to Black Angel, those who might help their cause.

"Elliot is hunting him."

"Very good, Shiki. That will be enough for today, you may return to your room now. Program terminated."

And with that, the room descends into darkness.

Originally posted by Wolf_Girl15
Champion enters, closing the door behind her "Hi Thanos, still reading those are we?" She says, walking over to his table, standing infront of it Thanos looked over and nods some tossing the paper aside and looked at his sister calmly "so why so irritated

She is breathing calmly, as she stands there, looking at her brother, most of the sweat gone, the dirt is still there, all over her outfit and face "I almost got my ass kicked, thats why"

Originally posted by Arcade Fire
Elliott jumped at the nearest car, gripping the handle of the door. With a huge surge of power, he ripped the door clean off the car, and the car sped away uncontrollably. The Black Angel general spun around and threw the door at the flying person with great force. It spun like a frisbee and shot straight at the man, its sharp metal edges cutting through the wind.

The wind was still pushing against his body fast, cutting him like a cold knife. He was pushing his limits, and the end result of pushing his limits was never a good thing. There was a flash of pain, and Adrian dropped a near fifty feet as he reached for his forehead, the source of the pain.

The most he could do was spit out a "Tch" of pain, and flew forward more, one eye closed against the splitting headache that was his mind. It was at this point that Adrian risked a glance back down at the ground. His sight wasn't the best from so far away, but he could always tell when there was an experiment nearby, no matter how faintly it was. And this source of power was much larger than anyone else's. It was clearly one of the generals of the loyalist experiments.

"It has to be him...I can already smell that disgusting- SHIT!" Adrian shifted his body in mid-air, an airborne corkscrew as a large black object nearly gut his body in half. His vision erupted in a sea of white, and Adrian looked up at whatever it was that hit him - a big black shield. No, it was a car door!

Adrian angrily looked back downward at his assailant. Luckily for him, Elliot couldn't fly. At least not to Adrian's knowledge. But still, he couldn't stay airborne forever, otherwise...well more of them would come.

With his remaining strength, Adrian flew back upward to the still flying disc that was the car door, and grabbed it with his one good hand. He spun himself quickly in a circle, and hurled it back into the direction of his attacker. The second he let go, Adrian's body cringed, and he noticed that the car door had done more than just frighten him.

The left side of his torso was split from his naval to his armpit. The sight made Adrian's stomach churn, and he again felt himself losing altitude. If he were to pass out, Elliot would surely find him and bring him back to the BAO. There was only one option.

Adrian hesitated only for a second, the searing pain in his side drove him onward, and he reached back into his jacket pocket for his phone.

"if we ever need each other in a moment of absolute danger...hit it"

"..d....damn Thanos...."

He pressed the buttons on his phone, hoping to reach someone who would be able to find him before Elliot could. He saw his fingerprints leave blood on the buttons he pressed, but began to lose consciousness as he pressed them, and hastily put it back into his pocket. He didn't know who he called. It didn't matter.

Unfortunately for him...he didn't ring someone he had a very nice relationship with. He turned and saw a tall apartment complex below him, and landed harshly, his body falling on its good side almost immediately.

It was Tira he paged....

The corridor is empty as Shiki exits, empty of both people and sound. It is merely him and halls of white - a labyrinth of sheer, clean walls as smooth as metal sheets and as cold too.

He knows that it's autumn outside but in here, deep within the Black Angel complex, the temperature is as it always is - moderately cool. Regulation - everything has its place, a place or position it should not try to escape. Or was it that they were not able to escape.

Either way, B.A. is all he knows. It is home and family, life, purpose. To run from such was impossible for his mind to comprehend, and yet part of him....

No...

Turning suddenly, almost upon instinct, Shiki found himself almost face to face with yet another of the loyal experiments.

experiment number 21900 smiled predatorally at Shiki, "what are you doing in my corridor?" 21900 didn't like to be bothered, and he liked even less to be bothered by another experiment. His black clothes were a stark contrast to the white walls, but his icy expression fit right in. The only reason he stayed loyal was because of Shiki. He knew that the little brat could find him, and what B.A. would do once he had. 21900 hated the white walls, the sterility of the place, it reminded him too much of the time he got out, and sent 5 people to the E.R. with plague.

"hehehehe"

Unseen by both 21900 and Shiki, another Loyalist experiment stood only a few feet from them. He tongued a lollipop from one side of his mouth to another and shuffled his feet. He was leaning against a wall, and he pushed his glasses up over the bridge of his nose further, a constant habit when he felt superior to whoever was nearby.

"You two really are interesting." He said, stepping away from his wall, and literally appearing out of nowhere. It was him.

The Invisible Man.

"219, you are such a strange being. One I can't help but loathe the very core of..." he started, walking towards the two experiments. The whole time, he locked eyes with Shiki, smiling a sadistic half-smile. "You always hate when people show up here, but you never notice that I walk where I please." He stated, willowing passed the two of them.

Not bothering to listen to what 21900 had to say, he continued walking. And then he vanished.

----------------------------------------------------

Name: Isaac.
Age: 30
Alliance: Loyal Experiment.
Ability: Invisibility.
Weakness: Unconsciousness.
Personality Traits: Sadistic, violent and manipulating.
History: Not much known, but it probably wasn't very cheery.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/Neji_Whirl/1120.png

Julia continued down the sidewalk, people bumped into her as if she was a nobody, but in truth she basically was to them. She felt tears well up when a large guy push her out of the way, she was still wounded and tired from her previous escape. She hit the wall of a building and she gasped for air since she had a very large wound on her back and she figured it had hit part of her lungs.

Julia closed her eyes trying not to kill the people around her, she was flustrated, wounded, and people randomly being violent to her was not helping the situation. She tried to calm herself, she didnt want the organiztaion to notice her untill she could at least recover.

"Watch it you little *****" the huge guy who pushed her yelled at Julia with a bad slurr and she could easily smell the alcohol coming from this man. Julia held her eyes closed as she tried to ignore both the pain and the man standing infront of her. She slowly opened her eyes when she thought he had the sense to leave but he was still there and staring at her in a weird way. Her eyes widen with realization and she quickly ran away in the nearest escape she could find, which was an alley she had abandoned her follower from before.

The man chased after Julia as she ran but in her condition even the drunken man easily caught her and threw her against yet another wall but this time he grabbed her by the neck and held her in place as he slowly looked up in down her body since her coat had flung open showing her torn clothing.

Julia kept shaking her head "You dont want to do this" she told the man with a completely frightened face as she could slowly feel herself losing control but he laughed at her and started to grab for her clothing. Tears fell from Julia's eyes as she cried out but then her eyes grew black and the man was flung into the air as the things around her raised as well and started to circle around him. The man looked completely frighten but didnt get the chance to speak anything before he started to feel his bones being crushed by an invisible force and he gave a loud painful scream.

General Frost looked up at the backfired projectile that was descending toward him. He stepped out of the way quickly, and the car door came crashing down on the street. Glancing up again, he noticed that the target had eluded him. This man was the first experiment to escape him for quite a while.

Elliott wouldn't be able to pursue him on foot, since not even he was fast enough. But he knew where he would go. He started to run off at top speed, trying to keep his eye on the distant figure of the experiment. It disappeared into the horizon of buildings, so he stopped. He heard a shriek off in the distance, however. There were still mutant signals around. Elliott continued his run, this time into an ally. He flipped over a fence and gazed off into another ally across the street. There stood a girl and a man who was being crushed by some force. An unnatural force

"Shut up Isaac!" 219 glared at where he disappeared. he started to turn a sickening colour of green. "you and your bloody lolli!" 219 tried to calm himself and returned to his icy stare, his normal palor returning. He turned his glare to Shiki, hoping he would get the hint

Knowing that Isaac was still within hearing, Shiki turned away from his fellow experiments and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Neither of you impress me with your show of power."

He knew they wouldn't dare harm him.
After all, as defenseless as he was, he was much too valuable to B.A.
He knew what they called him behind his back - Miss Song's pet, B.A.'s dog, a loyalist to the very end.

So what. It's a dog eat dog world where only the fittest survive,
and though he wasn't the strongest or the smartest he was useful,
very useful. With him, B.A. could find any rogue experiment once
they used their powers. That in itself made him much more
dangerous than any of his fellow experiments - 219 knew too well.

"Don't forget, it is futile to hide from me. If you run, I will find you,
and I hold no love for traitors."

He glanced back towards where his fellow experiments were.

"Perhaps you two should relax a bit... Some time on a beach?"

Turning again so that his back was towards the others, the loyalist began to walk away, fading as he did.

"Think of it as a gift from me."

Waves splash upon the warm sand, darkening it and leaving foam in its wake.
The wind is almost nonexistent here, only enough to make the bright leaves of the palm sway a bit.
Between the trees and the ocean, though is paradise.
A shore of gold sand broken only by the occasional boulder.

"Perhaps a picnic with some friends?"

The disembodied voice floats over to the now visible Issac and 219.
Both find themselves clothed, unhappily - 219 more so, in beachwear.
Others are emerging from between the trees carrying food, umbrellas, towels - familiar
faces, experiments who have disappeared, acquaintances from before life in B.A., family, friends...

Shouts and cheers of delight fill the air, but above that, only just audible, floats a voice of sarcasm and spite.

"Enjoy."

219 looked around at the illusion, he hated to admit it but it felt nice. It had been so long since he was actually allowed outside. He had never seen the beach, only once in a movie that he slipped into. He saw the faces of those he had known, experiments that had been sentanced to death, and he was their executioner.

He reached out a hand and brushed the cheek of a passerby. He watched how his sickness spread.

He stepped back and tripped over a bucket, hitting the sand. His entire body started to become a sickening colour of pale yellow, his eyes filming over and his gums turning black. As he touched one person, they touched eachother and soon the beach was full of bloated corpses. 219 sat there shaking, hoping that he wouldn't be put away again.
"Kiki.....make it stop....Now!" he could barely control his power, and this wasn't helping. He was worried that the virus would become airborne.
"Damnit Kiki!"

The illusion begins to deteriorate.
Colors blur together like wet paint running down a canvas.
The ocean, now an unfathomable black, is rising to consume the red sun which hangs in the sickly yellow sky.

"Don't..."

Suddenly the corridor is back, cast in bloody reds and black.
A hidden light flickers eerily, illuminating the end of the hall where Shiki had retreated to.

"You bastard."

The darkness of the illusion deepen the lines of fury which mar his face.
Half thrown into the shadows, he looks like a monster ready to strike.

"Don't..."

Shaking in his anger, the experiment only just manages to unclench his fist and make a
motion towards the executioner. Sharp spikes detach themselves from the shadow walls before flying towards
219.

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME THAT, THANATOS!"

The darkness explodes outwards as Shiki collapses against the wall.
The human operatives are coming now, coming to confine all three of them - three if they can find Isaac.
It doesn't matter, though. Doesn't matter that he, the one who's always gone by the book, broke the
rules. The only thing on his mind now is her....

"Kirrin..."

His rival.


_______________________________

'Kin, Kin! What are you doing!'

It's a stupid question, he's seen her hidden stash of food, seen the bag, he knows what she's doing.

'Please Kin, don't do this.'

He already knows it's no use, she's made up her mind.

'Don't ask me to stay, Shiki. I can't and if they hadn't already polluted your mind with their lies, you wouldn't either.'

'Kin-chan...'

'This is goodbye...'

'I'll find you!'

'You know you can't. Sayonara, brother...'
_______________________________



The only one to escape his ability. The one who shared his blood...


_____________________________________________

Name: Kirrin (or Kin - pronounced Ken)
Age: late teens (~19)
Role: Inactive Member of Traitor Experiments
Powers: Power Negation/Depowering (requires skin contact for a long period of time, she does not keep the power)
Background: Though she was raised by B.A. along with her twin brother, Kirrin was not convinced, as her brother was, by the organization's lies. She ran away a while ago and is the only know experiment who cannot be tracked by Shiki and MOTHER. She is not exactly allied with the other traitor experiments as her power affects anything within half a square mile of her. She is currently hiding in Colorado.
Appearance: http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1066/sayaoriginali3youvb6.jpg

219 held up his arm just when the spikes flew, hitting his lower arm and bicep.

"Thats not my name....kiki" 219 snarled. He hated his name, how close it was to Thanos's.
"You little bastard dog of Song!" He yelled, before he realized that Shiki had collapsed. He deftly found his pager, and paged the emergency room. He could take it out and page in exactly 6 seconds, they had made him practice. He pulled the spikes out of his arm and let himself bleed. As soon as his blood hit the floor he knew he had made a mistake. His blood, along with the rest of him, was considered a biological hazard. Only he could clean it up, and he hated to clean floors.

Doctor ran over to the group, careful to walk widely around 219. "O geeze Shiki, what did you do this time?" he said as he tended to the boy. "Come on up ya go, you're fine now." he said with a smile.

Name: Izu (doctor)
Age: 25
Alliance: Loyal Experiment.
Ability: can heal others.
Weakness: can't heal himself
Personality Traits: quiet, but quite nice. He seems more the tortured soul, who is repenting by healing.
History: walked the streets before being taken in
((panda will post pick))

"I don't need you pity."

He refuses to meet the doctor's eyes, ignores his concern and the offered hand.

"But you do need my help," he grabbed his arms and forced him to stand up. "remove the illusion on 219, youre hurting him," he looked over, concerned. Izu looked him in the eyes, not caring about his powers. "You need to be more careful."

Izu didn't mind working at BA, they took him in during his worst time, and his "power" wasn't half bad either. He had wanted to be a doctor before his family was deported, leaving only him, the naturalized citizen, behind. With only a small grasp on the language, and no money of his own, Izu soon turned to the streets. He changed his name to oishii, which means yummy, and became fairly well known. BA had contacted him about him becoming an experiment, and he readily agreed. The only thing that Izu disliked was how the other experiments treated eachother. There was always infighting, and he was constantly on call to treat another wounded or maimed
I'm just happy that theyre ok

Julia's felt fear rush through her as she couldnt stop her own ability, tears slowly fell from her face as the man floating in the air screamed out for her to stop but she couldnt. She could feel her power completely taking over and it made her sick, it was like it had a mind of its own in her opinion. The objects floating around Julia started to randomly slam in the man breaking more bones as her force continued to crush him.

Julia wanted to stop, she needed to stop or else they would find her again and she didnt want that. Her eyes started to bleed as she tried to force her power down but she couldnt do it, she closed off her mind knowing that the only way to stop herself is to just finish what has been started.

Julia slowly raised her hand towards the man screaming out in agony, she closed her eyes "Im sorry" she whispered before the man went silent as he dropped to the ground. She opened her eyes and saw that she had completely crushed all of the mans bones in his body so now he was a sack of liquid.

Julia turned to throw up from the sight of the twisted man and after she emptied her stomach she noticed someone staring at her and what she had done. Fear shot through her and she turned to run but she had no more strength left and just fell to the floor. She tried her best to pick herself up but for using so much energy in one day not including the wounds all over her body. Julia let silent tears fall as she realized if that person was there to take her away she wouldnt be able to do anything with her condition.

Frost approached the tired and feeble girl. He turned his attention to the crippled corpse next to her, then back to the girl.

"Madness... The experiments, including myself, are an anathema to me. You are a tormented creature. A mutant." He looked at her morbid expression, the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I will give you a choice. Would you face death now... Or live like this?" Elliot asked, raising his right arm up, which was covered in an armor-like glove. It hovered next to her neck, and he saw the image of his hand ready to throttle her. Such a dreadful sight.

Originally posted by raenef
"But you do need my help," he grabbed his arms and forced him to stand up. "remove the illusion on 219, youre hurting him," he looked over, concerned. Izu looked him in the eyes, not caring about his powers. "You need to be more careful."

Izu didn't mind working at BA, they took him in during his worst time, and his "power" wasn't half bad either. He had wanted to be a doctor before his family was deported, leaving only him, the naturalized citizen, behind. With only a small grasp on the language, and no money of his own, Izu soon turned to the streets. He changed his name to oishii, which means yummy, and became fairly well known. BA had contacted him about him becoming an experiment, and he readily agreed. The only thing that Izu disliked was how the other experiments treated eachother. There was always infighting, and he was constantly on call to treat another wounded or maimed
I'm just happy that theyre ok

Green eyes glared back at the healer in
anger - anger not directed at him, but focused inwardly.
If the man knew better he'd never have looked him in the
eye. One glance, a mere second of eye contact was all
he needed to put you through a world a pain. A simple
action such as this and Shiki could kill you from the inside
out, comatose you for the rest of life.

"Doctor, please be so kind as to leave me alone. I have
no need for your professional care. As for 219, he will
survive - however, he will have to learn his manners."

The hands still grip him, though, continue to hold him in place.
Once again, they lock eyes - Shiki with the intention of using
his powers. But now the tables have turned.

"Shiki..."

That look. Not pity, but something more. Understanding. Pure,
untainted understanding of the pain, the guilt, the sorrow of
loss. How he hated that, hated it because he wanted to be alone
in his misery. And yet, at the same time, how he lusts for
the chance to confide in someone else.

"It's okay.

And for a brief second, it is. For that moment in time everything
is better because there is hope once more. But time passes too
quickly as he feels the needle slide into his neck and sleep
embraces him.

Thank you, Izu. Without your distraction I doubt Shiki would
have gone down so easily.

Her glasses flash as she adjusts them, pushing them ever so
slightly up so that her eyes are hidden behind the glare.

Her...

All the experiments knew her, not because she was one of them.
No, she'd never be one of them, this woman.

"The others will take care of 219 now, and I think it's best if
you return to the clinic. Some of our gifted youngsters had a run
in with the acid-spitter from room 759 while he was in transit. I
believe you know what to do."

The specially outfitted labtechs move past her on there way to
attend to 219, but to Izu's eye it looks almost as if they refuse to
touch her. And who wouldn't. That smile on her lips is so deceiving.
Who would think that the pretty blond, dressed in a clean white lab
coat was the cause of so much pain.

Reena Bryd, the woman who every experiment meet, the woman
in charge of their destiny.

"I didn't do it to distract, Ms. Byrd." Izu stood back up and fixed his disheveled labcoat. He had hated Reena as soon as he met her. Where the other "labcoats" had treated him with a bit of dignity, she looked at him as if he was a toy....or an experiment.

"We all have names Ms Byrd, try learning them," the doctor looked down at her with his steal coloured eyes. He felt bad for the other experiments involved in this little squabble. He knew full well what would soon happen to them.
Shiki was one of their favorites, but what about 219?
He only hoped that he wouldn't be called in to heal him when they finished 'teaching' him.

"I suppose you will be joining me Ms. Byrd? Us experiments can't be trusted on our own," he fixed his hair.
" What are you going to do to those two?"

219 growled when he saw the HAZMAT suits
"Sod off!" he had almost no control at this point.
"I'm fine!" he fell to the floor, as a tranq dart hit its mark.

the world grew dimmer as he looked through his faded vision at the woman he loathed.
"fu..."

Julia stared at the man and then at his arm "If I choose life than you will take me away or not?" she asked him confused, she knew the tortures the life of being an experiment was like and if only people would leave her allone she would be able to live a happy life. She stared down at the man's mutated arm "If you would choose to live freely wouldnt you do so? To be able to choose what is to happen to you? To be more then a simple test to them, if I cant have that then you shall kill me now for wanting what should rightfully be mine" she said as she stared to the man, her eyes turning black but yet she wasnt doing anything yet, she only waited for his decision.

Originally posted by raenef
"I didn't do it to distract, Ms. Byrd." Izu stood back up and fixed his disheveled labcoat. He had hated Reena as soon as he met her. Where the other "labcoats" had treated him with a bit of dignity, she looked at him as if he was a toy....or an experiment.

"We all have names Ms Byrd, try learning them," the doctor looked down at her with his steal coloured eyes. He felt bad for the other experiments involved in this little squabble. He knew full well what would soon happen to them.
Shiki was one of their favorites, but what about 219?
He only hoped that he wouldn't be called in to heal him when they finished 'teaching' him.

"I suppose you will be joining me Ms. Byrd? Us experiments can't be trusted on our own," he fixed his hair.
" What are you going to do to those two?"
Originally posted by raenef
219 growled when he saw the HAZMAT suits
"Sod off!" he had almost no control at this point.
"I'm fine!" he fell to the floor, as a tranq dart hit its mark.

the world grew dimmer as he looked through his faded vision at the woman he loathed.
"fu..."

"Shiki will be returned to his room.
And I believe you know as well as I that 219 dislikes the name we
assigned him, Izu. You need not concern yourself with his well-being, we
will make sure that he is at full health, both mentally and physically.
As it is I believe that now is the opportune time for us to to test a
device we just developed."

Her heels click as she steps forward and returns his look with
her own stormy gray. She dislikes him, he's too soft, too fatherly.
He's always looking out for the others, but she knew he would from
the very beginning. His application implied that he would be inclined
to such behavior.

Ironic really that he was endowed with his flawed healing ability - it
characterizes him quite perfectly. Put others before yourself... Pathetic.

The process was suppose to turn them into the ultimate army.

She watches as her assistants handle 219. Walking plague, the perfect
biologic weapon of mass destruction. And no one missed the street
urchin who disappeared to make this superior being. None of the
experiments are missed. Orphans, homeless, criminals, black
market slaves - only a select few had known families, but of course
certain steps were taken to erase the details.

"I'm sure you would appreciate my company, Doctor, but I have
other things to attend to. 219 and I have a few discoveries to make."

She knows he'll do what he's told - he wants to make sure she can't
hurt the others, especially the young ones. He'll stay, she knows he will.
And if not for himself, then for the others.

She knows...

But then again, she knows most everything about Black Angel.

Izu watched her with a vile hatred.
He knew what she was going to do to 219. Her 'discoveries' usually involved pushing the experiments to, and often further, than they could go. He'd had to save many from the brink of death because of her 'studies.'
"You know I would never appreciate your company Ms. Byrd. Just tell me where the children are. Youve spent this entire time speaking with me, and the children have been suffering."
He looked at 219 being dragged away like a slab of meat. He knew thats what they thought of the experiments, nothing more than something to be used and thrown away.
he knew that once they made a better healer, he would be sent to the executioner.
"You have my pager number, page me if you need me to patch him up." He didn't care if he made her mad, he knew she could send him to his own personal hell, care of Ms. Song's dog. He had lost the will to care about himself when he had seen an innocent girl murdered because she was deemed
'imperfect.'
"Youre despicable Ms. Byrd."
you truely are

Originally posted by spongeherbob
Julia stared at the man and then at his arm "If I choose life than you will take me away or not?" she asked him confused, she knew the tortures the life of being an experiment was like and if only people would leave her allone she would be able to live a happy life. She stared down at the man's mutated arm "If you would choose to live freely wouldnt you do so? To be able to choose what is to happen to you? To be more then a simple test to them, if I cant have that then you shall kill me now for wanting what should rightfully be mine" she said as she stared to the man, her eyes turning black but yet she wasnt doing anything yet, she only waited for his decision.

Her words were a storm of chaos in his mind. "No!" Elliott yelled, striking the girl with a stroke of his forearm almost hard enough to knock her out. They were only words, yet they shattered his iron will like bullets shattering glass. For once, he was vulnerable. He would not let that happen again.

Julia quickly recovered from the strike and she could see the emotions flashing through his eyes. She looked him straight in the eyes as the black in her eyes retreated and she stared at him "Why dont you use your fighting to free yourself? Why do you let them control you?" she asked him with concern, with his outburst she could tell her words affected him, she was only asking honest questions but to have an affect on this man was something she didnt expect.

Julia slowly forced herself to her feat as she stared at the man infront of her, she had a feeling he was probably going to hit her again if she continued to talk so she figured she would at least try to put forth some type of fight. "I have chosen to be free from those who made me this way and want to take my freedom away, so I shall stay alive and free for as much as my last breath takes me" The black in her eyes reappeared as she waited for him to strick her again for some other reason. "So why do you fight for them when you could easily free yourself from them?"

"I serve no one. I could incinerate each and every one of those fools. But they are implements to me, to kill people like you. These scars..." he said, pausing to raise up his seemingly mutilated arm, "I could heal them right now if I wished to. I do not, though. I keep them to remind me of what I am, what I've become. I am an executer. My reasons for being apart of Black Angel are my own. Not because I wish to serve the monster who did this to us. If I were to destroy them, it would do nothing for me. I will make sure they suffer someday, however."

He raised his covered arm again. He struck at a pressure point close to her back which would incapitate her if hit.

Originally posted by raenef
Izu watched her with a vile hatred.
He knew what she was going to do to 219. Her 'discoveries' usually involved pushing the experiments to, and often further, than they could go. He'd had to save many from the brink of death because of her 'studies.'
"You know I would never appreciate your company Ms. Byrd. Just tell me where the children are. Youve spent this entire time speaking with me, and the children have been suffering."
He looked at 219 being dragged away like a slab of meat. He knew thats what they thought of the experiments, nothing more than something to be used and thrown away.
he knew that once they made a better healer, he would be sent to the executioner.
"You have my pager number, page me if you need me to patch him up." He didn't care if he made her mad, he knew she could send him to his own personal hell, care of Ms. Song's dog. He had lost the will to care about himself when he had seen an innocent girl murdered because she was deemed
'imperfect.'
"Youre despicable Ms. Byrd."
you truely are
"I will pretend I did not here that comment, Izu.
But in the future I suggest you hold your tongue. Now, off to the clinic
with you. Or do you need an escort?"

Noticing his trembling fists, she smirked. This man was so easy to toy
with. She could drive him to the very edge, corner him like prey, and he
would never lash out at her.

He could call her every name for evil in the book, but he'd never truly
understand. These tests, what Brogan Song had her call experiments,
they were nothing near the perversions so saw them as. What she
was doing could only be considered evil in the same sense as animal
testing was to develop medicine. Perhaps it bordered along morally
questionable, but morals had to be compromised in the name of science.

"I take that as a no. Well, go on now, the girls do need a hero
to save them. Oh, and Izu. Don't interfere with my assistants, we
are currently trying to locate Isaac."

Surely enough, a group of lab coats wearing infrared goggles
emerged an adjoining hall.

"He is, unfortunately, being uncooperative today."

With that she turned and briskly disappeared around the corner.

_______________________________


Meanwhile, somewhere in the state of Colorado...

"Just hang in there, we're almost done and the pain will be
gone in a bit. And after this.... After this you can live a normal
life again."

Normal... What did she know of it?
Here she was seated at a small table on the porch of her modest
house. She'd been sitting here for the past four... no, five hours and was
covered in a layer of sweat which wasn't in the least bit
caused by the weather. Across from her sat a man who had come
looking for her help, a man whose face was twisted in agony and
gaunt with fatigue.

It was an odd sight, and she was indefinitely glad that she was off
the main road, she and the man grasping each others forearms as
she rewrote the very essence of his being.

Ten years ago, a computer had scrambled his DNA up and
reformatted it so as to make him, in there words, "superior". And,
in there perverted minds, he had become such. A human sponge,
only what he was able to absorb wasn't water, but life.

Who knew how many others had been damned like him. All because
a group of individuals believed that they were entitled to play God.

"And we're done...."

Leaning back in her chair, Kirrin wipes her forehead. She's been
through this so many times before, and she knows she'll never get
used to it. But as long as there are people suffering due to Black Angel
she'll be around to offer a cure...

Julia moved quickly expecting the attack and jumped out of the way barely missing the attack, she turned to the man with glowling red eyes as she just let herself loose of her power as everything around her moved around, she sent a telekinesis blast at the man as she winced from the earlier wound on her back. She sighed, she just couldnt get any rest today. "I dont want to fight you!" she yelled at the man

Elliott gripped the ground below and dug his fingers into the pavement, grounding him and preventing him from flying back from the blast. "Your words will do nothing. If you choose to parish, I will satiate your desire." He thrust himself forward like a leopard, lunging at the girl with all of his speed and power. He threw his knee into her stomach with the speed of a javelin, attempting to knock the air out of her.

Izu nodded and unclenched his fists. He hated Byrd but he knew he had to go help those girls. He walked off cursing in his mind to all high heavens. He hoped that they wouldn't find Isaac.
kisama

* * *

219 looked up in a daze at Ms. Byrd. His mind couldn't put together why he was with her but he flinched at what his mind put together about what she might do to him
"lemme...go" he was able to put one sentance together.
He knew what the answer was going to be but he hoped that for once the evil queen might just be like the hunter and let him go. The last time he had been 'borrowed' by Ms Byrd was to test how fast his pathogens worked. The innocent girl that Izu had saw die, died by 219's plague.
He hated that number, he knew his real name...though they discouraged using it.
He had been born Avery Bailin, then code named Thanatos, with his new 'name' 21900. Just once he wished he could hear another speak his name. No one had for 3 years now, though on the streets it was butchered too. He went by Aubry or Abe, whichever people could remember. Avery looked up at his evil queen.
"please?.."

"Now, now 219, I'm quite sure you'll like this test.
We've been working on this little gadget for the past 2 years and though
testing it on you may present some dangers, you are also one of the
better choices. Isaac has made clear his contempt for this test - I
believe he has adjusted to his ability quite well."

She's smiling again, that sweet smile that makes your stomach churn.
So pretty and yet so very dangerous, like one of those vipers.

"When it came down to it, only Shiki and you will be able to prove our
theory correct. However, I believe that doing this to Shiki would cause
too much trauma. Mr. Bennett, if you would..."

Without releasing him, the labtech to Avery's left produces a metallic
box from some unseen pocket in his suit. With a click and a hiss the top
pops open to reveal a flat stone - no... not a stone.... some sort of
liquid, metal maybe, but blood red in coloring.
It reflected the world, mirrored everything in a scarlet tint. But as Bennett
moved to retrieve it from the box, it attached itself to his glove.

"I'm sure you remember the rogue experiment that escaped a
couple of years ago. The designation we gave her was "Cure" for
good reason. The object that Mr. Bennett is holding, 219, is some
of her blood mixed with the latest in nanotechnology."

The blob now firmly attached to his hand, Bennett forcefully raised
Avery's arm and wrapped it around his wrist.

"It is our theory that as long as you keep that bracelet on, 219,
you can be the normal person you were before. You can once
again be street urchin Avery Bailin"

There was a solid ring about his wrist now, large enough that it didn't
impede upon his blood flow but now large enough to pass over his
hand. The bracelet in place, Bennett and the other labtech backed
off and nodded to their superior.

"Shall we proceed, Miss Byrd?"

"Yes, release patient 465."


_____
(OOC: "Cure" refers to Kirrin, you can decide whether it works or not)

Avery looked down at his wrist.
"And what do I need to do? This isn't some kind of gift....what's the catch? Why won't Isaac agree to it?" Avery became worried."And why not let Shiki use it?"
Avery thought of what it might do to him, or those around him.
"Get it off!"

Originally posted by Lt_Champion
She is breathing calmly, as she stands there, looking at her brother, most of the sweat gone, the dirt is still there, all over her outfit and face "I almost got my ass kicked, thats why" She looks over to her brother, calming down some "Black Angel found out where I was today, good news is they underestimated me, agian. so, where are we going to eat at

Originally posted by raenef
Avery looked down at his wrist.
"And what do I need to do? This isn't some kind of gift....what's the catch? Why won't Isaac agree to it?" Avery became worried."And why not let Shiki use it?"
Avery thought of what it might do to him, or those around him.
"Get it off!"

Avery shook his wrist, hoping to remove the bracelet. It had by now started to become uncomfortable, burning slightly where it rested on his flesh.
"ngh...get it off!" he tried to pull it off himself.

Though Avery had always hoped that he coould one day be cured, this was not how he wanted it. Everytime he became agitated and used his power the bracelet stung him.
What could have become his savior had instead turned into something like a correctional collar. When he disobeyed he was shocked, like a dog when it barks.
219 whined and held his wrist
"stop it!"

With the Illusion dispelled, Issac almost lost his balance, and this stumbled up against the wall he was leaning on earlier. He hated illusions. And he hated being caught in them.

"Son of a *****"

He said, coughing slightly. For some reason, the illusions always made him queasy. He always had a hard time adjusting back to what was real and what wasn't. He started to get up, but then heard the splitting noise of spikes being hurled downward through the air. Quickly, he turned invisible, as spikes landed hard into the floor next to him. Taking advantage of his ability, he stood quickly, and ran away from the fighting experiments. He didn't want to get caught up in any fights between these guys. Slightly irritated and annoyed, he turned back to insult Shiki, but a stray spike slashed his right leg.

Taking that as a sign, Isaac walked away slowly. Before the virus was released. And before anyone else would show up.

Maybe he'd kill one of those boys later. They would never ... see it coming.

Julia let a small tear fall from her face as she coughed out blood from the blow to the stomach, she had a major wound there as well and now it started to bleed out. She blinked a couple times as running seemed tempting but she knew she wouldnt make it far. She looked up at him as she completely gave herself to her powers as her mind went blank and her body went into a defensive mode as things quickly moved around her to sheild herself from the man she her body fell onto her knees.

Julia closed her eyes as she tried her best to not let her powers destroy everything around her but she could feel telekinesis blasts building up inside her body and would probably sent out in more then one direction. She forced her powers to slow down as she considered in her state a blast that was building up would probably kill her. She quickly jumped onto a random item and made it go into the air and quickly made it to the roof of a tall building before collapsing but not unconscious just yet as she could still feel the blood flow from her, she had a feeling that the man would follow.

Julia closed her eyes as she brought out the top of the roof out as her body fell into the building and she replaced what she removed. She landed in a random empty office as she stop doing anything as she just laid there.

Elliott stood upright, recovering from the shockwave that had just let his target escape. Again. But he wouldn't give up that easily.

He looked upward, then behind him. She couldn't have gone forward since there was a thick fence there, and he wouldn't have let her go past him. He barely saw her move, but getting past him took a great deal of stealth and swiftness. It was something he had never seen.

He looked up again, and jumped upward. Elliott used a ledge where a windowsill used to be to throw himself up onto a roof. He scanned the plain of buildings. Nothing. There was still a signal on his radar, though. It was coming from below. The roof was crumbling and unstable, like the builder had no experience. There was something wrong about it. With all his strength, he punched the roof. Some of it caved in, and if it collapsed, it would crush anything below it.

Julia had already crawled to her feet and had made it to the stairs and was in the middle of making her escape when he finally crashed through the roof. She had found a small first aid kit and she was working on herself as she made her way down the stairs. She had already treated the major wound on her back and stomach and now she was just taking care of the rest.

Nothing. General Frost mulled over whether he should pursue the girl further. Perhaps she was not worth her time. Perhaps he could continue searching for the other man. Perhaps Black Angel had a mission for him. This was, after all, a voluntary seek and destroy run that had no real significance beyond clearing out a few of the experiments. They were getting smarter, though.

One more time.

With an explosion of power, he blew through some of the rubble and emerged in a demolished office. There was a stairway down the hall, and he proceeded down it. Then, he turned a corner and jumped straight down the steps, landing on his legs and right arm.

Julia had just reached the bottom of the steps as the man continued to chase after her, she quickly fled from the building and ran down the street where there was a lot of people, she only hoped that he wouldnt follow her further.

She walked with the crowd of people easily blending in as she readjusted her trench coat.

By the time Elliott had reached the bottom of the steps, the girl was gone. In a burst of rage, he let out a bloodthirsty shout, but then accepted his failure. He stepped outside, and he pulled his shredded hood over his head again. He used a device to give out a signal that would call his helicopter down to his location.

After a short trip, he arrived at the ominous Black Angel base. It was damaged from when the demon attacked it, adding to its lurid image. He entered it with his passcode, and the black monolith that protected the base opened up briefly. He walked through the halls, on his way to his training quarters, when he stumbled upon a scene.

Experiment 219 and the woman called Byrd were standing there. He could hear some other commotion a few hallways down, but this scene interested him more.

"What is this?" he asked Byrd. How he hated the witch, the monster who did this to him. But he never showed it. He hardly ever showed any emotion to others. That made him weak.

Avery was hissing from the pain, trying his best to rip the bracelet off. He hated Elliott but there was just a slight hope that he might help him. "Please! ungh.....Get it off me!" Avery looked up at him, tears welling up from eyes that had not cried for many years. The pain from the bracelet was spreading up his arm, and he was terrified that it would spread over his body. Yes he could not use his powers, but he thought it was better to live and be cursed then to die this way.

"Stay in your place, Elliott, or I shall
have 465 restrain you."

The placid girl with a blank face standing behind Reena seemed no
real threat, but 465 was much more than she seemed.

She had arrived at the facility just over a year ago, a frightened
child who suffered from a split personality disorder. Her file from
the orphanage claimed that she had been removed from an
abusive situation. The experimental procedures she had endured
during her time at B.A. only added to her unfortunate life - adding to
her list of disorders kleptomania, obsessive compulsive tenancies,
paranoia, and Dissociative Identity Disorder.

But the B.A. didn't carry. She was merely an experiment, and a
good one at that. Her multiple personalities and dependency upon
others made her much easier to control than fellow experiments - given
a command, she would care out the task to the very end. Ironic,
really, that her genetic modifications allowed her to control others
through their personal belongings.

With a snap of Miss Byrd's fingers, the girls eyes came into focus - two
orbs of piercing, unadulterated blue.

The eyes always told who was in control. A flat, faded blue was likely
to be an unimportant lesser personality, likely induced with hypnosis.
A livelier light signified one of the three dominate individuals.

Light blue like the sky on a clear day was Mattie, the original
personage of the young girl who had been "stolen away" from a
better life. She was gentle and caring - a child who knew no evil,
she was completely unaware and unable to consciously use her powers.

Blue akin to that of the deep ocean was Lynnette, the most
free-minded. Likely to do as she pleased and when she please,
Lynnette was the least predictable. She could go from hot to cold
in a matter of seconds, and a single word could set her off. With
enough concentration she could exert limited control over and individual.

And then there was Anna. As dark and uncaring as her blue-black
irises, Anna was the most likely personality to manifest. Unlike her
two counterparts, Anna was able to utilize her control to the fullest,
and it was not in her character to hold back once she did so. A
cold-blooded killer driven by a lust for revenge.

"I have those items in my pockets that you told us to collect,
Miss Byrd. I'm quite sure that their very close to some certain
individuals. Am I to be allowed to play today? That would make
us all very happy, Miss Byrd."

It was Anna, Anna who knew what all of her seven or eight
counterparts thought, Anna who enjoyed being in control, Anna
who subsisted on pain. A small smile spread itself across her doll
face as her hands buried themselves deeper into the folds of her
smock. It was a smile would never touch her haunted eyes.

"Perhaps, Anna, perhaps. For now, have Mr. Bennett undress
himself - no, no, just his HAZMAT suit, child."

The man's eyes grew wide in terror as Anna withdrew a locket from
one of her many pockets and rolled it between her fingers. Smiling
even wider, she plopped herself down on the floor and began to hum.

"Miss Byrd, please," he began to argue even as his hands tugged
at clasps on his suit. "I have a wife and two kids! They need me!
Y-you can't do this t-to me, I-I-I'm too young to die! I-I- you can't!"

"Oh, do shut him up, Anna. The faster he undresses, the faster this
test can be completed and the faster I can do more important things."

The petite brunette pouted for a moment, but Bennett was quickly
silenced, though his eyes continued to frantically flick back and forth as
his hands moved deftly down his body.

Avery looked in horror at Mr. Bennett walking towards him, hand outstretched.
"No! Stay away! I don't want to hurt you!" Avery scooted back, then stood up weakly and backed up into a corner. "I don't want to kill anymore Byrd!" He stood there shaking as Bennett stepped closer still. Avery ran around the room, like they were playing tag. "no! Stop it Anna!" Avery hoped she didnt have any posession of his. Avery stopped dead in his tracks, he looked at Anna, now holding his ring. 'Damnit!'
Avery was shaking slightly, frozen in place as the terrified Mr. Bennett stood right in front of him, and touched his cheek. Tears ran down Avery's cheek, as his arm seared in pain from the bracelet.
Anna giggled cruely as she made the experiment peck Mr. Bennett on the lips.

"You two again..."

A slurred voice hailed the twins from behind. There was Shiki, in rumpled
pajamas and bed-head, leaning against the frame of his door. The
illusionist looked to be groggy and a bit confused.

"Ooo are ya talking to?" He yawned a couple of times before
continuing. "Ya know there ain't no one there, right?"

His green orbs seemed to drift in there general direction, but he
was unable to focus.

"Eh.... Ere there always five o' you?" Rubbing his eyes and then
looking again, Shiki squinted, trying to make sense of everything.
Mori...Rose? When ja get more brothers?"

Mori looked at his brother and giggled, "There's two of us...and Isaac....but he ignored us." He was cut off by his brother "He was a meany. Will you play with us Shiki." "Yea Shiki lets play!" Rose poked Shiki. "Guess whose who Shiki." "Shiki...your going to make us cry." Mori looked at Rose and they laughed, they had come up with one of their plans. "Be happy with us Shiki!" Mori touched Shiki. "Lets go Shiki! We'll go have fun Shiki!"

"I...I guess we can have some fun, as long as Miss Byrd doesn't
find out. Where's Kirrin? We should let her play with us too."

A broad smile lit up Shiki's face as he smoothed his shirt. He looked so
different drugged, like from before he had been dragged away to
Level 13, Sector 6 of the Omega unit, Miss Byrd's special unit. This was
the boy from before all of the B.A.'s perversive tortures, from before
the cold demeanor of Experiment #13666 had been established.

"Where is Kirrin anyways, Rose?"

Rose looked at Mori questioningly, so Mori answered the question. "Your sister is off with the doctor." Rose smilled at the drugged Shiki.
"Let's go play in the pool!" The pool was what they nicknamed the underground lake that was used to test the aquatic experiments.
Those who were not being tested couldn't use it.
"Grab some swim trunks," Rose pointed to his own trunks.
The normal dress code the twins established for themselves was trunks and flip flops, much to the chagrin of most of the staff.
"Rose I can't swim!" Mori had been afraid of water since one time he fell asleep in the tub and almost drowned. He was saved when, while talking to a technician, Rose had started to suddenly cough up large amounts of water.
"Mori, I'll get you some floaties," Rose sighed.
"Hurry up Shiki!!"

"Okay, okay. But if you see Kirrin, tell her come along too. You
know how much she loves swimming. I'll get the towels and met
you guys at the pool!"

He didn't seem too thrown off by the twins' response - after all, Kirrin
wasn't the most healthy of individuals Dr. Izu was sure to take good
care of his sister. Turning back into his room, Shiki quickly unearthed a
blue pair of trunks from the back of his closet and grabbed a couple
of towels from the shelf. Smiling to himself, he raced down the hall
after the twins.

Breaking the rules can be so much fun

Julia had made her way to a library and went to an empty area before rechecking her wounds, they were healing quickly but she still felt weak from the banging around her body had gone through today. She leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground with her eyes closed, the only thing she wanted to do right now was to sleep.

Julia slept in the back corner in the library for about an hour before the librarian told her that she had to leave. She left while noticing she felt much more better then before and walked down the side walk as she remembered that she still has no place to go.

Julia reached the city park and sat down at a bench as she watched the little children play as their parents watched them as well. She sighed as she leaned back and stared out at the sky.

Morose waited for their friend, wanting to make sure he came with them. "Shiki, whens the last time you actually went anywhere?" Mori spoke over his shoulder, letting Shiki get dressed. "Not to mention, youre how old now and you spend all your time working! You need to loosen up and have fun" "yea Shiki, lets go have fun!"

"Huh? What do you mean I don't go anywhere? We tried to infiltrate
the Omega unit yesterday? But Isaac caught us, don't you guys
remember that? We only just got away because Kirrin tripped Mr.
Invisible Man."

Shiki was wholly confused. Sure the twins looked different than
before, but he had merely attributed that to one of the weird
tests that the Witch Queen Miss Byrd had put them through. He
thanked god that he and Kirrin had thus far dodged the bullet.
Miss Byrd and the president of B.A. had merely passed them
through the mandatory physical exams.

"By the way, did the evil bird inject you with a massive amount of
growth hormone or something?"

He stuck his tongue out at them as he ran out the door dressed
in trunks and carrying a bunch of fluffy towels.

"Later ya old men! You ain't never gonna catch me! I ain't the one
who's got a whole bunch of weird ass tests run on me!"

Rose ran up and pinned Shiki, "dont call us old men!" "Yea Shiki! We're not old! Where the same age as you!"
Morose sighed together and scooped Shiki up, throwing him into the lake, towells and all. "We win!!" The jumped in after
"Shiki, why don't you remember getting bigger" Mori had inflated his floaties and was tooling around.
"You got big too, not just us. Dont you remember? You can use your mind thingy to make thingies." Rose was not too coherent most of the time, especially when his brother was holding on to him. He smiled and broke out into a fit of giggles.
"You can make pictures Shiki! make us a pretty one!" Rose couldnt stop laughing.

Floating on his back, Shiki laughed. He loved hanging
out with the twins. They were the nearest things to normal he knew.
Every other kid from their original group had disappeared or changed
over the years. Just yesterday, Rori had tried to rip out Shiki's
throat using teeth alone. It was disturbing, yes, but it was also
the norm. Every kid raised here knew that someday the labcoats
would come your door and take you away. Many didn't come back,
but those who did were never the same again. And as sad as that
was, the "normies" always joked about it.

"Sure I can, Morose! And I better you guys and Kirrin have
super powers too!" He was finding this game much too fun.
"Bet I can make it to the other side of the lake before you two do!"

Mori looked at Rose confused. "But we all do Shiki. We have for a couple of years.
dont you remember?" Rose looked at the carefree Shiki.
"Watch then Shiki if you dont believe us." Mori and Rose swam away from eachother.
Mori gently picked at a cut, letting it bleed into the lake.
Rose held his arm up as the cut suddenly appeared and the blood dripped down his arm.
"See Shiki? You can make pretty pictures!"
Mori and Rose were a little worried about their friend. As worried as they were Rose still couldnt help but continue to giggle, inhaling a bit of water.
Mori coughed up water, "Hey! Rose be careful! That Hurt!!"

Wide eyed, Shiki stared with shock at the twins.

"No..."

A trembling hand made it's way up towards his throat, searching for
a wound that wasn't there. When he could find a bandage, his fingers
immediately began to scratch at his skin.

"Wha-what did they do to you? You're like Rori now, aren't you?
You-you brought me down here to kill me. This is a test isn't it? Byrd
had you trick me, had you bring me down here to test your powers
on me! Th-that's why she left me and Kirrin alone. Oh God! Kirrin!
You killed her, didn't you?!?!?! You killed her!"

His hands moved from his neck to the ledge behind him as he
struggled to get out of the pool. He was frantic, his green eye flashing
towards the exit. About him, the air began to warp...

"You killed her.... That's why I haven't been able to sense her
presence since I woke up."

The tears were running freely down his face.



((The "sensing" Kirrin is in relation to their bond as twins.))

Morose looked at eachother "We didn't kill anyone Shiki. Your sister ran away. Byrd doesn't know were down here. calm down before she hears you!" Mori touched Shiki, hoping to make him happy again. "We dont kill Shiki. It's just Rose and I. Don't you remember anything? We're adults now! Get down from there Shiki." Rose stood there helplessly as one of his best friends had just accused him of murder, he started crying slightly. "See now you made Rose sad! Just get down from there Shiki."
"Yes we're experiments, but you are too....dont you remember?" Rose said between tears.

Elliott ignored the woman's comment, glaring at the girl beside her. Such a tormented and twisted being. How he longed to end her life there and then and put the poor creature out of its misery.

He watched the humiliated 219 and Bennett being taunted and mortified by the wretched girl. His hands were tightened to the point that they were like sledgehammers.

"Enough of this. You're wasting your time on them." He gripped Bennett's neck and hurled him into a wall, and he slid to the ground. Then he turned to 219. "Get lost."

Mori's touch calmed Shiki slightly, so instead of having
a full on panic attack, he hiccuped slightly as he sank to the floor and
leaned his cheek against the cold stone.

"Kirrin... Kirrin ran away? No, she was here yesterday, she... she...
She's only fourteen, she won't be able to survive on her own out there...
We're not like you, Morose... Byrd and the dark lady haven't experimented
on Kirrin and me... Unlike like you, we're completely normal humans
with no idea of how to survive in the world..."

The illusions had vanished again, obviously not under Shiki's
conscious control. Leaning back, he looked up at his friends.

"Why... why can't I remember anything? What's wrong with me?'

Rose stayed back, careful to not touch Shiki. His twin picked up the broken Shiki and held him. "Its been a couple of years Shi. You can't remember anything at all? Your sister ran off, but you know shes alive. You...like working for Ms. Byrd. Your scaring us Shiki. Whats wrong?"

* * *

Avery looked at Elliott with hatred. "You think I'd still be here if I could?! Your daft! Sod...off!" Avery was crying slightly from the pain and humiliation. He hoped Bennett would be ok, he could take a little beating but he wasnt sure about the techi.
"Go help Bennett idiot"

"I work for Miss Byrd? Why, why would I do such
a stupid thing?"

His head flicking to one side as if he hurt a noise,
Shiki moved away from the twins.

"Izu.... Izu knows...."

________________


((Bennett is a NPC))


"Elliot, you bully. You've destroyed one of our dollies! I guess you'll
just have to replace him. Anna wasn't too please about you hurting
Bennett, so she's gone off to sulk."

An insane smile twisted the child's face into something much more
disturbing as she withdrew another object from her pocket. A glass
tube was held in one hand, and in the other, an eye - an eye which
match the one in Elliot's head.

"And Miss Reena Byrd, that's such a pretty name!"

"Lynnette, what do you think you're doing? I want to speak with
Anna right this instant."

"I'm afraid you can't, she's not home right now. But don't you like
playing with me, Miss Bryd? You and Elliot have to be my dollies now!
So, Miss Blackbird Pie, I want you to take the bracelet
off sweet Avery right now. Yes, there's a good girl. And Elliot,
perhaps you should wait in the hall!"

What a vile creature this child was. Reena just hoped that
Lady Song would arrive soon.

"Izu knows what? What are you going on about Shiki?" Morose walked after.
____________________

Avery looked even more frightened. Anna was one thing, but this new personality was much more volatile.
"P..Please...just dont hurt me," Avery edged over to where Bennett had fallen. He remembered what happened last time he was a "dolly" to this girl. "Go away Lynette! I dont need your sympathy! I have no desire to have any dealings with you!" Avery started turning a sickening colour of greenish pale, except where the bracelet is. "Go away!" Avery threw up vile smelling blood.

______________

Izu could hear Shiki running towards him, and he hid in his office. He didn't want a pissed off Shiki playing mind games on him. "No ones here!"

"IZU! I know you're in there, so get your sorry
ass out here now! We need to have a talk.'

He was dripping all over the floor, something the B.A. probably would
be too happy about, but what did he care about the B.A. They'd
ruined his life. Hell, he didn't even know what had happened for
the past five years, let alone what was happening now.

"IZU!"

____________________

"Hehe, heyo there, Avery! You're interesting, and I don't like when
interesting things have to go bye-bye! So Miss Four-an'-Twenty-Blackbirds
is gonna let you go for now. Then maybe we can have some fun later!"

Her eyes were squinted up in half circles as she cocked her head to one side.
Toying with his ring, she made him stand and move towards the door.

Avery walked toward the door. "And when should I expect the visit?" He asked, his cold demeaner set in once again.

_______________

Izu looked confused for a second then growled to himself. They had erased Shiki's memory of when this happened the last time, and now he was going to have to calm the boy again.
"Come in Shiki!" The doctor sat reclining in his office chair.
"I imagine your going to ask why you cant remember anything?"

Bursting through the door, Shiki stared at the doctor in shock.

"You... you were the last one I saw yester.... no, on that night.
What happened to me, Izu? What the freaking hell is going on?!?!?"

His fist connected with the desk hard as he glared back at the man.

Izu's chair fell back on to four legs.
"Hello again Shiki. I take it this is the Shiki who doesnt work for Ms. Byrd?"
"Whats going on is that you dont remember the past couple of years. Simple as that. You can thank Byrd for that one. That night was the last time I spoke with the real Shiki, except for now. When you are drugged, you come out of your shell, so to speak." Izu looked at the crying twins. "Great, you did it again. Last time you made them cry too. You know they are unstable Shiki, think man! Close the door, we can get this all settled. go on then"

Elliott's dead eye turned to a thick shade of red, the blood in his head rushing to it. It was an odd phenomena that had resulted from his mutation. His left eye, which had been replicated by the girl, was turning a sickly red color as well, but the area around his pupil became black.

"You filthy urchin. These fools may be a slave to your will, but not I.... That eye is no longer my possession. I have no true possessions. Not anymore. My body is a cage, as is yours."

Her powers were difficult to resist, and he even stepped back a little. But he would not fall to something when he had raised a fortress of his own thoughts to barricade all of this chaos. "You will not pass." he said, knowing she would not understand. He looked to the wrecked Avery who had given in. What is this monster?

"What the Hell did they do to me, Izu? I remember you knocking
on my door, telling me I had to get ready. Ready for what, Izu?
What happened that night that I forgot, that made me become
a mindless loyalist? And what do you mean except when I'm drugged?"

He has so many questions running through his mind, and somehow,
somehow he knows that Izu has the answers.

Drip

"This.... this has happened before, hasn't it? I've become a monster,
haven't I?

Drip

Drip

Drip


__________________



"Poor, poor Elliot. I don't need you mind to make you move. Your
blood recognizes this eye as part of you. I can make you body do
whatever I want it to do, you're just a bystander in all of this."

She smiled again and then looked at Reena. A gold cord ran through
her fingers as she moved towards the scientist.

"It's time you pay for what you did to us, you wretched blackbird."

"They did it to you Shiki. Just like they did to the twins and I.
They hypnotize the more important but dangerous experiments. Each has a trigger of some sort. With you, they make sure your obediant all the time. You hunt down those of use who escape. You lost control, they drugged you to stop you. They havnt....reset....you. Shiki you have to play along. Pretend you're a drone. Please...." Izu looked pleadingly at the dripping Shiki.
"please shiki, stay our friend." Morose said in unison.

The girl is controlling me through my eye. It's only a replica of my DNA in my bloodstream. The connection is only made by my mind, though. Even though she controls a part of me, my blood, the brain is only influenced because it is fueled by blood. Smart girl, but she has much to learn.

He focused on the connection she had made with his mind. If she was using his eye's blood to send signals to his brain, he still had functionality of his mind and half of the connection. He mustered all of his most grievous memories, and Elliott reminisced.

A torrent of gruesome thoughts were sent to the girl's mind, as splashes of blood, mutilation, men laughing at a boy, Elliott screaming as chemicals were injected into every inch of his body, being torn apart by blades and shot by guns, and all of the images of the wrecked experiments and mutants he had slain. They had tears streaming down their faces, and they were demented from years of being tested and beaten, as they plead that they had loved ones that they had to protect, and their families would parish without their support. Each and every one of them were executed by his armored hand.

In an instant, 465 collapsed to the ground due to
mental overload. Various objects, necklaces, marbles, photos, keys,
tumbled from her pockets as she fainted. The eyeball has had so
recently held rolled from her fingers and hit the floor.

Reena Byrd was one of many who rushed forwards to reclaim the
objects strewn across the floor. She bent quickly and ripped the
gold chain from 465's grip before straightening and addressing
Black Angel's loyalist general.

"Thank you for your help, Elliot. We did not expect 465 to snap
like that as hypnosis has previously kept her under control.
I will see to it personally that it does not happen again. If you
are looking for Lady Song, she is likely to be in her office, I have
not seen her today."

Turning towards the rest of her men, the scientist began
giving out a list of orders. The lab needed to be clean, Isaac still
needed to be found, 216 had to be contained again, 465 was to
be taken to the psychosis ward, and she needed a glass...
no, make that a bottle of wine.

_________________


"I don't think I'm able..."

Shiki was seated now, dressed in a white t-shirt as well as
his semi-dry trunks. He seemed calmer than before, though he
still looked as nervous as he had been in the moments past.

"You said this happened before. That I... I came back. What
happened that time? I mean, obviously they put me under again.
But if I remembered, why didn't I pretend last time, why did I go
back to hunting the others down?"

He was truly a mess, his hair sticking up at odd angles, the bags
under his bloodshot eyes.

"And how do you expect me to pretend to be someone I don't even know?"

The doctor hated to admit the reason but he had to say it, "I didn't tell you to last time...I didn't think of it in time."
The twins sat down with Shiki on a couch, bookending him.
"The twins...they were the ones who fought for you last time. But she has control over them, like you..." Izu couldn't say anymore. Last time brother had turned against brother, as Rose was being controlled by Byrd. Mori almost killed himself trying to protect his friend. The wounds on both sets of identical wrists was testimate to how much they cared for him.
"You need to pretend, or you'll go back to hunting us down." Izu looked frightened at the pager, knowing what would soon come to pass..again.
"We'll protect you Shiki"
"Yea Shiki! Just pretend! please"
"please pretend Shiki!"
Both brothers wrapped their arms around Shiki and held him tightly

"Ma'am..."

"What?"

Yes, she was taking her anger out on him, but today was not her day.
Just from his tone she could tell that his message was going to be
troublesome. Damn, all she wanted was to be left alone with her bottle.

"Come on, man. What do you need to tell me?"

"Bennett, ma'am, he's still alive."

"Why are men so stupid? We have a doctor, you know, or must I
tell you everything, idiot. Someone get me Izu, now."

_______________________


Smiling sadly, Shiki looked up at the doctor and nodded in
forgiveness. He didn't want to forget again, didn't want to lose
himself again. The past five years meant nothing to him, just a
blank. He'd do everything in his power to keep everything like this,
but... how could he?

"I understand your regret and concern for me, Doc, but I don't
know if I can play this game of make believe. I mean, I don't
even know who I was for the past five years. I have no knowledge
of how to use these so-called powers I have. Byrd and her minions
are likely to realize I'm an impostor the moment I step out of this
room. I can't act like someone I know nothing about, especially
if they ask me to do stuff. I want to stay like this, but I don't see how
it's possible when pretending will ultimately fail."

His pager sounded from his hip."Bloody witch. Listen Shiki, stay with the twins, theyll protect you. Alright? Just....practice." Izu looked panicked. He knew the call was either about 219 or Shiki, he hoped the former. "Stay in here Shiki, got it? Morose, watch him." Izu took off at a fast clip, making sure the door closed after him.

"Don't worry Shiki, we can fight." Mori looked at his friend.
"Why don't you practice? We can tell you how you talk...your all like 'I am Shiki. I speak formal and boring. Fun is for the weak.' try it!"

__________________
Izu arrived in the testing facility.
"You rang?" Izu saw Bennett and ran over to him, healing him the best he could. "What the hell is your problem?! You could have killed him!! People arent expendable Ms. Byrd. Dont forget that." Izu glared at her, knowing she wouldn't harm him today, he was their only healer.

"Oh do shaddup, Izu. I don't have the patience to listen to
your lectures today. 219 and Shiki almost killed each other, 465
almost destroyed everything I have worked for, my lab looks as if
a bomb exploded, and what do you care about? Bennett."

Raising her glass to her lips. Reena almost
inhaled the red liquid.

"Someone take Bennett to the psychosis ward, have the Eraser
look him over. And what are you still doing here, Izu?
Get out of my sight!"

______________________


Shiki was rolling on the floor with laughter. The twins had continued
in their attempts to be him after Izu had left and thus far they had
personified everything from a robot to a emo kid.

"Come on, guys, I really wasn't like that, was I? The robot I
understand, but that depressing? How do I know that your not
making me seem worse than I really was?"

Izu glared at the evil woman. "Dont speak to me that way Ms. Byrd. My services are far too valuable."
"I go where I please. What are you going to do with them?" Izu looked at the terrified Avery being taken away and 465.
"Clean up the garbage? Pretend this never happened? You make me physically ill woman."

_______________

"We're serious Shiki!" Morose said in unison.
"Now....you try! or....or make us pretty pictures!" Rose smiled.
"please Shiki,you have to stay with us."
"Yea Shiki. No more scary grr Shiki."
The twins didn't want Shiki to go back to how he was. This was the first time that they could remember where Shiki was carefree. He was always so concerned with what Ms. Byrd wanted that he rarely had time for them, not to mention that he had broken the rules today. This was the Shiki that they knew and loved.

"You dare to insinuate that I would kill them, Izu?
I am not Brenda Song, Doctor. I do not just throw away my
previous experiments. In science ever bit of data is important, destroy
a single piece and years worth of knowledge could be unraveled."

Byrd was rather drunk by now, her words slurred together as she
wobbled her ways towards Izu.

"I do this only because human perfection is in my interest. Any
other thing, any death, any torture besides what happens in this
lab is outside of my control. I do not, no matter how much you want
to believe I do, kill the experiments. I shall be going now, Doctor."

Still carrying her now empty bottle of wine, Reena stumble out the door.

____________________


"Um... Ok..... Er..... Here goes."

Taking up a stance in the middle of the office, Shiki ran his hands
through his hair to put in a somewhat decent form before letting
them fall to his sides.

"What do you two think you are doing here, you know the rules:
You are to stay in your ward unless needed, and even then, one of
the Omega guards will come get you. As there is no guard
accompanying you, I assume you have no need to be present in the
medical area. Return to your room now, or shall I have to use force on you?"

Shaking his head, Shiki began laughing again.

"How was that? Did I do good?"

And then he noticed their shocked faces.

The doctor walked after Byrd, making sure she didn't get hurt. He hated her but he didnt like anyone to get hurt when he was around.
_____________

"That's spot on!" they both shouted in glee.
"You did it Shiki!" Mori beamed.
"Now try out your powers! They have you do that a lot. Just...Make us see something. Remember how we were when you last saw us. Take us back to there, you can do it." Rose reasurred Shiki.
They hoped that he could pull it off, if he didnt not only would all three be in serious trouble, Shiki would return to his cold scary self.

"Uh.... What exactly do I do, guys? You keep saying
I make pretty pictures, but how do I do it?"

He blinked back at them for a bit before siting down on the desk.
His finger tapped against his chin as he contemplated it, and
suddenly he smiled.

"Is it like those cartoons we watch? You know, I think hard enough
and say some special words and then something happens?"

__________________


Somehow, Reena had managed to make her way to the elevator
and was trying to find her room. Unfortunately, she had gotten off
on the wrong floor and was now stumbling down a corridor of
the medical ward. Izu was still following her, she was vaguely aware
of that, but she really didn't care. She just wanted to fall into her nice
warm bed. Finally reaching a door, she grasp the handle and turn it,
falling forwards and into the well lit room.

"Shiki, what are you doing here?"

The twins froze in terror. They hoped Shiki would be able to keep his composer. "No Shiki, just think hard...please think hard"

Izu grabbed Ms. Byrd and directed her away from the door. "Come on, lets get you into bed." He kicked the door closed behind him and hurried her back to the evavator. "Shiki is here because he almost died. I was working on healing him when you called." He quickly pushed the up button.
______________________

As soon as Byrd left the twins started to visably shake. "I hate her!" Morose said.

As Izu lead the scientist back to the elevator,
she muttered something about Shiki and a clean slate.

________________________


"Hey, doesn't Izu have a television somewhere in here? I mean, he
does spend most of his time confined here."

"No tv in here, Shiki. Izu's not a really big fan of the outside world."

"Aw man! But it's four o'clock! BLEACH is on now, right? I really
want to know what's going to happen with Ichigo and Grimmjow!
Com'on guys, lets go find a tv!"

"Um....I dont know if there are many tvs anymore." Mori looked to his twin for help.
"Sorry Shiki. Things have changed. Bleach isnt on that episode anymore....We dont even know if its on. We stoppd watching when you lost interest. Sorry Shiki."
"You could try your illusion....you always liked to try out new illusions Shiki. Sorry."

But I was looking forward to that episode! I have to
know what happens to Hitsugaya and Ichigo! Nooooo! Oh cruel, cruel
world! Why? Why? Why? What have I deserved to be tortured like this?????

While poor Shiki lamented over the loss of his precious anime, the
walls of the office seemed to bend outwards, infinately outwards
so that in their place houses and trees began to form. At this sight,
the twins immediately froze up.

"Why, why, why, why?!?!?!?!?"

A roar from behind Shiki stopped any further questioning. Turning
cautiously, he found himself staring up at a face he knew from
the television screen.

"Oh snap....Run!"

Unfortunately, Shiki never moved a step as he tripped, falling face
forwards as a sword trimmed his hair.

Rose stood in front of Shiki, his white Espada robes flapping in the wind. Instead of his tattoo he shared with his brother he had a hole.
"Shiki step back! We didn't mean for you to imagine a giant hollow in the middle of the fricking town!" Rose looked at him with black rimmed eyes and white pupils.
"Just...turn into something! Come on! SHIKI!" He held up his sword as the hollow attacked.

"Gah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Espada! Run away!"

And off he went, a blue and white blur that didn't stop to listen
and realize that the Espada he had been so frightened by was
in truth a friend. He continued running out of pure fright through
the maze of streets until he shopped an open door to a great
hiding place.

Quickly shutting the door behind him, Shiki looked back and
forth suddenly noticing that the walls were covered from floor to
ceiling with boxes of pocky. Only one spot, in the far back,
seemed to be cleared. Making his way through the piles
of boxes, he was shocked by the sight before him.

"Mori! What are you doing?"

Mori was sitting on the floor, working on consuming boxes of pocky.
"Nothin, I was just hungry. You seen Rose Shiki?"
Mori had eaten around 4 boxes of pocky already an was looking to make it five.
Just then Rose stepped through the door and let out a huge burp.
"mm....tasty hollow. Whyd you leave me Shiki?"
His sword was now sheathed and his number, 4, was proudly displayed on his chest.
"Why arent you cool looking Shiki?" Mori asked as he finished another box.
"What are you doing Mori?" Rose looked at his chocolate covered brother.
"I was hungry...so I found pocky." he beamed, mouth rimmed in chocolate.

"Es-espada!"

And off he went, again, run away down the street from the things his
brain just wasn't able to process. None of this made any sense.
All he had wanted was to be able to watch BLEACH, and now he was
stuck running away from the Espada.

Shit...

But he didn't have anymore time to think as a giant black leg
crashed down before him. Shiki was caught by the blast and flew
backwards into a bush. Dizzy as he was, it only took the hollow one
roar to get the boy on his feet and running again.

"What the Hell, what the Hell, whatthehellwhatthehellwhatthehell
whatthehellwhatthehellwhatthehellwhatthehellwhatth
ehellwhatthehell!"

"Shitshitshit!" Rose ran after Shiki, knowing he would most likely get into trouble.
"Shiki get down!" Rose thought quickly, trying to remember the Arrancar's attacks.
"Cero!" He let out a huge blast, frightening himself along with Shiki.
"Shiki, get behind me! Come on! Transform or something! Pretend your a shinigami....wait...then youll kill me....do something!!" where the hell is Mori?! Rose thought as he tried to hold the hollow off.

But Shiki kept on running, running from the big scary
black thing, from the the blasts and roars behind him, running for his life.
He didn't care if the Espada was will to help him, didn't care that the
hollow was gone. No. He just wanted to get away from all the craziness.
It didn't even occur to him that all of this might actually be caused by him.

After consuming the souls from the hollow Rose ran after Shiki. Using pesquisa Rose was able to find him.
"Shiki it's me Rose. Shiki you gotta stop the hollows! Turn into a shinigami! Something or theyl kill us both! Hurry up!" Rose looked over to see Mori smilin passivly at him. He realized then that Mori was a mod soul, protecting his body. "damnit! I need Mori! not this...this....ugh! Seriously pull it together Shiki!" Rose had a much worse temper when he was a collection of dead souls and hollows.

But he kept running, motivated purely by fear.

"Not real, not real, not real. It's just a dream, just something I made
up in my head, so I should be able to control it. Just think hard....
Think hard, the hollows.... the hollows are bunnies, they're bunnies...
Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, bunnies!"

Daring to stop and look back was a mistake, as Shiki found
himself once again airborne. It wasn't working, this whole control
thing. It seemed that he was a victim of circumstance here.

"Heh, pathetic."

"Wha-what was that?!?! Who's there?!?!"

"And you wonder why they hypnotized you."

Shiki's shadow was manifesting itself, taking on a human shape.

"You're not real, your just an illusion."

"How wrong you are, Shiki. I'm no illusion.
I'm much more real than you'll ever know. You see..."

The shadow had completed itself now, a mirror image of Shiki.

...I am you. I am the you that existed for the
past five years, the you who can actually control this."

"Please, make it stop. I just want everything to be normal again."

"Poor, poor Shiki. I'm afraid I can't do that, at least
not for free. I expect a payment from you and your friends if I stop
this. Will you agree to it?"

"I...I will pay for all of it, just make it stop."

"Very well, time to go back to sleep, my weaker half."

Shiki stared in shock as his shadow plunged its hand through his
chest, but it was worth it, for the last thing he saw was the ceiling
of Izu's office and the twins' faces.

"Shiki! Shiki! Are you alright?!?" Morose said in unison, shaking Shiki rather violently.
"Cmon Shiki snap out of it! Ms. Byrd might come back any minute!" Rose looked scared.
"Please Shiki!" Mori shook him a little harder.
"Now boys, don't shake him so much he passes right back out.
Shiki, are you alright? Your vision....you lost control of it didn't you?
You need to work on that if your ever going to trick that witch woman.
Why dont you just lie down for now, we can work on your powers later."
Izu scooped up Shiki and placed him on a cot.

Pushing him away, Shiki deftly landed on his feet and
glared back at the others. His stance was once again that of predator,
a hunter who might move to attack at an given second. And as
undignified as his currently dripping outfit was, he looked as calm
and collected as possible.

"As much as your concern is justified, I do not need
you treating me like a child. Let me make it clear to you,
I am not someone to be brainwashed by your foolishness.
I have no intentions of helping you, or of impeding Black Angel's
goals. Part of me may have mislead you into believing that I was
the naive, weak child I once was, but that part of me has been
dealt with. If you go about you business now, I will overlook your
actions as I did not have the sense to stop you before hand."

No smile brightened his face, and somehow they knew right away,
the Shiki standing before them was no friend.

The Hunter had returned.

Mori looked at Shiki in terror, his friend had left once more.
Rose, on the other hand, wouldnt stand for it and walked up to Shiki and slapped him.
"Dont you ever try to pull that shit on us!! Give us back Shiki!" He pushed him, hard.
"Rose dont...!" Izu glared at the new Shiki.
"Hes not worth it anymore, your going to get hurt."
"You bastard! how could you do this to us Shiki! Stop hiding!" Rose shook him
violently, "Snap out of it!!"
"Rose stop!" Mori was going to grab his brother but was stopped by Izu.
"He needs to do this Mori." The doctor held him.
"Change back! Change damnit! Give us back Shiki! What do you want?!?
Ill give it to you! Just give him back!!!" Rose started to cry as he shook Shiki.

Eyes narrowing, Shiki glared right back at his former
friend. How dare he slap, how dare he make him fell pain, feel sadness.

"You should not have done that, Mori or Rose, which ever one
you are. I was willing to let you go before, however now I see
I will have to prove to you that I am not your friend."

To his captor it would seem as though Shiki was drifting farther away;
to the others, as though Rose had merely given up. A grim smile
set itself upon the illusionist's face as Rose's hands left his shoulders.

Within his mind, he knew what Rose experiencing, for everything
was under his control when it came to this. The ticking of the clock,
the movement of the sun, every feeling, every action. The illusions
pertained to his own world, and once they took someone, Shiki knew
their very thoughts.

And right now, right now Rose was in an ocean, desperately swimming
towards an invisible shore. Drowning was his brother's fear, but
in ones as close as Mori and Rose, it was just as easily Rose's.

Freed from the twin's grasp, Shiki brushed himself off and headed
towards the door, in the process giving the doctor and Mori and look
which told them not to interfere. They had met his eyes already
he would need no further contact to break them to his will.

Mori coughed up what felt like water, but nothing came out. He glared at Shiki.
how DARE he treat his twin this way?!
Mori grabbed the side of Shiki's head by his hair and pulled him close, looking right into his eyes.
"I dont care What you do to me, you DONT touch my brother!"
Mori grabbed Shiki's neck.
He only needed a patch of unexposed skin to work his power.
He breathed in deeply and went to work.
"Give us back Shiki!" He tightened his grip.

Rose stood there shocked. He had never seen his twin become so angry, let alone try to hurt anyone.
"Mori...be careful...!" Was all he could say. He feared being drowned again.

"Fool! Release me at once!"

Having a larger body slam into his did nothing for Shiki's
patience or concentration. He wasn't used to physical contact
of any type, and he definitely wasn't ready to be jumped. The
force put into Mori's action unbalanced Shiki so much that he
found himself falling backwards. Arms pinned to his side, he had
no means to stop himself from a painful meeting with the table.

There was a loud crack as Shiki's head came in contact with the
table. There was no blood or breaking of bones, but pain ricocheted
through his head. Mori's power of emotion wasn't helping any of
this - his neurotransmitters were already processing an overload
of dopamine, causing the pain to intensify that much more. And
having not felt pain for a very long time, Shiki did the one thing
anyone with a low pain tolerance would do.

He fainted.

"Wake up!" Mori kept using his power, shaking him lightly at the same time.
"Mori stop! Your going to kill him!" Rose looked terrified at his brother.
Doctor went over to Shiki and gave him a shot of painkiller, then something to wake him up.
"Wake up monster. We want to speak to you. Mori stop shaking him please, we need him to be coherent." Izu looked at the now awake Shiki,
"Tell us monster, what did you tell Shiki to make him give up? Mori is willing to use force if neccesary to bring him back." With this Mori growled and his eyes opened wider.
"Make Shiki come back!" Rose started to cry.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow."

Tears welled up in Shiki's eyes as he came to. The back of his head
was throbbing, it felt like he'd hit it repeatedly. Izu was kneeling over
him with a needle, and from the numb feeling spreading up his arm
he judged that it was some sort of painkiller.

Shit...

The twins were glaring at him, but from his befuddle state he could
make out only a couple of words.

"Wake up...coherent...monster...Mori...force..."

What was going on? From the drops of liquid falling on his cheek
he could tell someone was crying. It was likely Rose... He was
always the more sensitive one. Damn... What had he done?
He couldn't remember anything since his attempt to create an
illusion. He'd hurt them again... He knew he did... Damn...
He was truly a monster, so volatile that he would turn on his friends
without a moment's notice...

Pushing the others away from him, Shiki raced for the door and then
down the hall. If he couldn't be normal, couldn't be sane, he'd rather not
exist at all. He was hurting them consistently, he'd probably done the same
to Kirrin. Deep down, he knew that he was why she'd decided to risk
running away. If he was cursed to be a monster, he'd rather not live at all.

Determined to stop himself, Shiki crashed through another door
and began his headlong rush down the stairs, deeper into Black Angel.

"Shit! Thats Shiki!" Rose ran headlong after Shiki, catching up to him on the staircase. He pulled Shiki into a tight and slightly suffocating embrace.
"Damnit Shiki, dont pull that shit again. got it?" Rose had started to cry, but he was smiling at the same time.
"Please dont let that monster out again!" Rose visably shook from the memory of drowning.
"You do, and I'll really let Mori hurt you, got it?" He tussled Shiki's hair.

_______________

"I dont know what were going to do if he gets out again Mori. This time we were able to sedate him, but the next I'm not so sure." Izu was working on cleaning up the office.
"Rose and I will deal with him if it comes to that." Mori looked out the open door.

"Lemme go, lemme go!"

Beating his fists against Rose's chest, Shiki managed to summon up
enough strength to push his friend backwards and into a wall. The
twin's embrace had not come at the best of times. Rose's ability
to magnify negative feelings had merely intensified Shiki's
self hatred. He didn't want anyone around him, didn't want to risk
letting himself - his real or hypnotized self - torture them again.

Continuing down the stairs, he finally smashed into one of the exits
and found exactly what he was looking for.

Here the immaculate white walls were interrupted by numbered
doors. Shiki, himself, could remember living in these dorms.
Room number 721 was the one he had shared with Kirrin. But
before him now was another door, one he had never dared to
pass through - one that not many dared to come near.

Room 219...

Hesitantly, Shiki raised his hand to the door knob and turned...

Rose looked in terror at his best frind opening 'the plague''s door.
"Shiki stop! We'll figure this out! We...we can all run away from here! Just don't do this Shiki!"
Shiki opened the door and looked in.
Avery was sitting on his bed, with only the light of a small lamp, reading Hamlet
"What do you want dog?" Avery looked up from his book.
"Time to run another experiment on me? I don't think so.
I'm staying here until I know Bennett is alright.
That witch better not have sent you, or I'll.....just go away!"
A very upset and fragile Avery threw the lamp at Shiki.
His wrist and lower arm were bandaged where the bracelet had been.
In the other hand he had an IV pumping pain killers and sedatives in him so he didn't eradicate the entire floor.
He was still his normal self-hating antisocial self, but he just couldnt 'plague' people.
"And you brought one of the brat twins, wonderful.
Just get the hell out of my room before I make you sick.
I have no time for either of you.
The brat bugging me or you, dog of Song, trying to coerce me into 'testing' some technology again.

"Avvie...."

The younger boy had always been scary. In part the fright was
due to his strange power, but his aura was just as frightening.
And now, after suddenly "awakening" after five years, size was
yet another factor to cause fear. Avery stood a good head's
worth of height above his slight frame and he'd made it quite
obvious that he despised Shiki.

It was hard to believe that this imposing figure was the little kid Shiki
had once looked out for, the one he and the twins had protected
many a time. His fourteen year old mindset couldn't comprehend the
fact that the person before him was the boy who had been dragged
down the hall by the Omega guard, the one whose screams had
woken all of the hall's occupants.

Teeth digging into his lower lip, Shiki forced his eyes to met Avery's
piercing glare. He was shaking badly, but that wouldn't stop him.
Slowly, putting his will into every movement, Shiki's unclad feet
slid over the threshold of the room, leaving a damp trail behind.

"Avvie... I... I can't say that I remember how I treated you
these past few years, but... I realize you must hate me..."

Having had his arms wrapped around himself, Shiki disentangled
one and reached out a hand in Avery's direction.

"As much as you hate me, Avery, I want to ask you a favor...
Will you... Will you save me from myself?"

Avery looked confusedly at Shiki.
"You...you havnt called me that for a long time dog, why change all of a sudden?"
He eyed the wet one with fear and anger.
"There is no way I'm going to help you at all! Not after what you did to me! Get the hell out of my room!" Avery's book followed after the lamp.
"Um.....Shiki....please come out. We'll help you...just....don't piss off Avery." A scared Rose didn't dare go in the room.
"Shoo twin. The dog wants to have a word with me. What does Ms. Byrd want of me now dog? Or is time I kill someone? Those are the only two reasons you bother to come to this wing. I'm not killing any more experiments for BA. I don't care if they give me to Elliott, I'm done!" Avery was now out of things to throw, he kept only one lamp in his room as decoration. He started to cough, not because of his power but because he was weakened by the sedatives. He wasn't supposed to be doing anything that would agrivate himself at all, and Shiki's presence wasn't helping.
"Go away! You stopped being my friend a long time ago!"

"Idiot. You despair so you decide to end your life.
I should have dealt with you while you were sleeping, maybe then
you would have some desire to live. I fear you've remembered too
much this time around, Shiki. No matter, it is time you come with me."

A figure cloaked in black detached itself from the shadows of the room,
striding forwards without looking like it had taken a step. From the
depths of its hood something shimmered with silver light. This could
only be one person, a person who was rarely seen, even by Black
Angel officials. But technically, he wasn't a person, at least not
anymore. Under all the fabric, there was no body, only an occasional
flash of silver, a picture, a voice, a song. He existed only when
someone truly needed him.... A shadow, a memory,
Experiment #00001...

Avery glared at the hooded figure.
"Why.Must.Everyone.Be.In.My.Room!?" He was getting quite frustrated, and if not for his sedatives he would be lethal.
"1, Get Out! I dont need you hovering....or whatever you do....around here! Just go curl up in your little corner and leave us alone. I will deal with Shiki from here."
Avery was not having a good day. He hated even the idea of experiment 1 and what they did to him.
By this time Rose was shying away from the group, trying to figure out how to get Shiki from the 'crazies.'
"Um....Shiki come with me please. Mori can make you happy again." Rose was worried that he, or she, would return Shiki to his hyptnotised state.

"Please forgive the intrusion, Avery Bailin, I
understand how much you desire to be left alone. However, it is
dire that Shiki accompany me now. In his current state he is a
danger everyone he comes in contact with, including himself."

Raising an arm, or more appropriately a sleeve, #1 motioned
for Shiki to approach. No hand extended past the edge of the fabric,
but there wasn't expected to be any hand there. #1 was, through
Black Angel's first attempt to create a super human, a collection
of data, living, breathing encryptions of memories and information.
It was, in itself, a part of the B.A. headquarters and in the same
instance, so much more. Every computer, every mechanism, every
being that had passed through the center's doors was known to
it, their secrets, their lives, their very genes where stored in its being.

Of the remaining experiments the B.A. possessed, #1 was the most
free-minded. It had once had a gender, a designation beyond #1, but
all that was forgotten. All of that, all of what would have made it human
had been stripped away through experimentation. But #1 was not
in the least bit a loyal experiment. It did what it wanted, when it wanted.
Depending upon the situation it could either help or hinder the B.A.'s work.

Drifting forwards again, #1 embraced Shiki before he could
utter a word, and just as quickly as the enigmatic experiment had
appeared, it took leave.

Avery rolled back over and went to sleep. He didnt care much about what he would do to Shiki, he had hoped that Shiki was his old self but it was most likely just a farce.

Figuring out that he was not wanted Rose went to go play with fire. He knew that as long as he reported to Byrd and cooperated with her wishes that his brother would be spared. They were one in the same, and what she could do on Mori she could do on Rose. He took the elevator and knocked on her door.

"What? This had better be important..."

As Rose opened the door and stepped into the dark room, a enrobed
Reena squinted at his wrist to make out where his tattoo was. Upon
realizing who it was that stood before her, Reena's tone lightened.

"Rose. What information do you have for me?"

That fool of a doctor had no idea she had a spy so close to him.

Rose...

She'd made sure that the twin stayed loyal to him after the last slip
with Shiki and after the incident this afternoon, she was quite glad
she had. Shiki in the Izu's office, laughing... It obviously wasn't
good. He'd likely reverted again, the Eraser would have some work
cut out for him again. Destroy any recollection of his former life
and reestablish the personality nicknamed the Hunter.

"Promise me you will leave Mori alone first."

Rose had become Byrd's unwilling spy.
Last time that Shiki got out Rose had been under her thumb, and had reported Shiki's regression.
They had since worked out a pact.
In exchange for Mori being safe, Rose did some projects he wasn't proud of.
Unlike those who were hypnotized Rose did it of his own volition, which made it all the more horrible.
"Promise me woman, and get me something to drink. I can't do this sober." He wondered, if anyone ever found out, what they would think of him.
he only did this to help protect his twin. As much as he would like to have friends he didn't care about using them to keep Mori safe and not on the experiment rotation.

They went through this every time.
He'd make her swear not to hurt his twin
She'd do it.

And then they'd sit, a bottle of wine on the table between them,
while he told her everything. Sighing, she looked him straight in the
eye, or as straight in the eye as she possible could. She couldn't
see a damn thing clearly with her glasses off, and what with her
drinking rampage this afternoon, she couldn't quite see straight.

"I promise not to hurt him, Rose. Do you believe me this time,
or must I get the sodium pentothal out again? And help yourself
to anything at the bar."

Rose dried his eyes and nodded. He never trusted her but he knew he word was good. He grabbed another bottle of wine and a glass and sat down in a chair.

"Shiki....he's with 001. And...his memories have returned." Rose started to cry. He had become such a horrible person, snitching on his friend. But it was to protect his twin, the only important person in his life.

"I don't want to keep having to do this. I want Shiki to be like he is now. Can't we just convince him to help? I'll do my best. It's just....Mori misses him Ms. Byrd." Some thought that the twins were too close. They thought that they were the same person, when one was hurt so was the other.

001.... She still existed?

She must, 001 was the only one capable of spiriting one of the
experiments away unnoticed.

But 001 and Shiki weren't of concern right now, she could do nothing
about them but the doctor was another matter. Mori presented no
real threat, but Izu was too smart for his own good sometimes. Song
already thought that Reena was too lax with the experiments,
it would do her no good if the doctor had found a way to prevent
Black Angel from hypnotizing the others.

"You know very well I can't let Shiki walk around like he is. As
you saw today he is a remnant of his fourteen year old self. He has no
control over his ability, no knowledge of what and how he does things.

Lady Song trusts me to keep all of the experiments in line. She
already thinks I am losing control of some. Take into consideration,
should I be replaced, the next person to take my place may not be so
kind. The others hate me for anything that goes on outside this
room, but only you know why I stay here, why I continue the
goddamn experiments.

But tell me, Rose, what of Izu? What is he planning?"

She needed to know... Needed to be assured that Izu wasn't
going to attempt to "free" them. Only God knew what Brenda
might do in such a case.

Rose hadn't planned on snitching about Izu. He looked down at the floor, took another gulp of wine and started.
"Yes Ms. Byrd. He wants us to leave with Shiki's help. They plan to do this as soon as possible. Most likely using Mori and I as the brawns of the operation. I need your assurance that, if this comes to pass, Mori will not be punished."
Rose filled his glass and drank that. He was now more than slightly drunk.
"I can...pursuade Shiki to work for you. Mori will be happier if he is as he is now."

Sighing again, Reena reached for a glass of her own
and downed it swiftly. Black Angel was coming so close to falling apart
and no one, not a soul had seen Brenda Song for some time. She was
probably planning something... Something big if it had anything to do
with how many times the hypnotized Shiki had been stuck into MOTHER.

Sometimes she hated working here... Hated having ever been the
innocent MIT graduate who was desperate for work. Had she known
what she was getting herself into back then she would never had
accepted the job, no matter how much they were willing to offer.

"I'd like to say that no harm will come to anyone, but that's
not a promise I can make. If Izu decides to run for it the situation
becomes Song's problem. She will be the one to punish those
involved, and I will have no say in what happens. I suggest that
should Izu decide to go through with the plan you keep out of it.

As for Shiki, Rose... I can promise nothing. 001 is not someone I
can influence. 001 is unique, she has her own motives and she
will see to them herself. I can only hope that she returns Shiki to
us. What exactly did she say and do when she appeared? It is
important that you tell me the truth."

She did care about them... As much as she wouldn't let it show,
as much as she feared Song's wrath, Reena Byrd was not
the tyrant she appeared to be. She sympathized with the
experiments, but she'd only go so far.... Song was not one
to mess with, and not the one to anger.

"I dont care about Izu or Shiki.
I would like them to be safe but I won't ask you for that.
Mori is the only one I want kept out of harms way.
If he gets hurt I will personally kill you." Rose glared drunkenly at her.
"I don't care how you pull it, Mori stays safe."
He didn't want to have to admit the other information he had,
so he just stayed silent, staring at the wall.

"I will promise you that no one, be it
Mori or anyone else, will be harmed as long as it is
possible. If I can, I will keep Mori as humanly safe as possible,
beit just for you. Now, Rose, I desperately need to know what
happened when you saw 001."

Rose sighed, "She just....appeared. She told Shiki that she had information for him and they left. What has this got to do with anything else?" Rose worked to finish off the bottle. He knew that Mori would feel the effects but he needed it to protect him.
"Is there anything you have planned for Mori? As usual I would like it all switched to myself."

So it wasn't as bad as she had thought. Reena
had feared that 001 had deemed Shiki unworthy and....
She honestly didn't want to think about it. At least now she
knew he'd be okay.

"I have not been told of any upcoming tests, but Song
might have some planned. I'll inform you if anything comes up.
For now, I think it best if you head back to your room before
someone finds you here with me."

Rose did not look like he could make it back to his room. He had collapsed on to the couch and was holding his head. He had passed giddy drunk and moved on to not-wanting-to-move. He had fallen asleep on the couch by the time she was done talking. With a pillow held in his arms he looked far less like a man much more weathered than his actual age.

After watching Mori 'magically' go through the stages of drunkeness and fall asleep Izu figured it would be best to pay a visit to a woman who probably had answers. he hated the woman but he had to find out what was wrong with Mori. He hoped that Rose wasn't becoming some new alcohol test subject or something, as Mori lately often ended up passed out somewhere.
"Ona!(woman) Let me in!" He banged on Byrd's door.
"What are you doing to the twins!? You're killing Mori!"

"Shit..."

Reena had just begun to fall asleep in her desk when the banging
started. It wasn't enough that someone had to pass out on her sofa
and that because she was so drunk (and that the sofa was occupied)
she was forced to doze at her desk, but some fool wanted to yell at
her again. She wasn't in the mood. Each and every thud reverberated
through her head as if she stood below a large bell.

Pulling herself from the desk, she stumbled across halfway across
the room and almost fell over the sofa. She was almost tempted to fall
asleep again, her head cushioned by Rose's arms.

BANG!

Dammit... the knocking just wouldn't stop, would it? Grumbling,
Reena grasped and tugged the pillow from Rose before getting
clumsily to her feet. The door wasn't too far away, but Reena careened
forwards into the wall before fumbling and managing to crack the
door open.

Hair spilling across her shoulders and eyes squinting to make out who
had so rudely interrupted her sleep, Reena hugged the pillow even
tighter. Not able to put a name to the blob of peach and blond, Reena
did the one thing anyone in her situation might do.

"Who are you?"

Izu could smell the alcohol on Byrd's breath, it seaped from her very pores.
"What did you do to Rose Ms. Byrd?" His sharp glare burrowing holes into her head (figurativly).
"Where is he? Wh..." He was cut off by the sound of vomitting from over by the couch. Without even hesitating to ask the doctor flung himself into the room and over to Rose.
"Shit! What happened?" Izu closed his eyes and cured Rose of the poisoning, though he was still drunk.

Rose looked up at the now fuming Izu and squeeked.
"I..Izu! Go away!" He stumbled off the couch and behind Ms. Byrd.
He couldn't remember how Izu had gotten in and Ms. Byrd had promised to keep Mori safe, which meant keeping him safe too.

Izu looked from Rose to Byrd and back.
"Rose you idiot! What did you do?!" Noticing they were both still dressed Izu knew the frequent visits were for buisiness, not pleasure.
"You're going to get us all killed! You know that?!"

"Get the Hell out of my office, Izu. Why Rose is
with me is none of your business, and you have no right to come
barging into the office at this hour. Now... GET OUT!"

To emphasis her point, Reena had thrown the pillow she had been
holding at Izu before motioning to the door.

Izu glared at her once more before speaking to Rose.
"You're brother should know you work for her Rose..."
He was cut off by a drunk but concious Mori stumbling in.
"Rose...? What's going on?" Izu helped Mori stand and gently led him to the door.
"When your done here, he will be in his room, traitor." Izu walked off, with Mori in tow. Leading him down to the room he shared with Rose.

"So... You finally found out, Izu..."

The lights flickered before plunging the elevator into
darkness. Within the darkness, though there was a silver
glimmer as another passenger entered the car.

"I always expected you would... Though it took you
longer than I thought."

It was #1 again...

"Perhaps I overestimated you. No matter. Come now,
doctor, have you anything to ask of me? I know for a fact
you do; however, what I shall answer depends on how you ask."

The doctor looked at where number one should have been, if she was still human.
"What made Rose sell his soul to that devil woman? What does he get out of this? Betraying his own brother?! Tell me number one! What are they going to do to Rose!?" Izu was by now highly upset with the evenings activities and he had no patience for games.

__________________

"Ms. Byrd...?" Rose looked at the door, highly confused. "Wha....what just happened?"

"Chance plays the cards, Izu. Rose merely
had a good hand, and he's played the game as he thought fit.
Thus far, his choice has saved a life."

The lights flickered again, revealing the black cape #1 always
wore, and behind it, a figure slumped against the wall.

"And now, doctor, I am dealing you a new hand. You too
have a choice, you and Mori. Will you take the chance or
abandon all hope? I shall take my leave now, and you...
you take care of my gift. I removed the genetic inhibitor."

#1 was gone by the time the lights came back up and the car
jerked back into motion. But in her stead, the enigmatic being
had indeed left something behind. The hazy bundle which had
appeared with #1 was not a object... No, the sheet wrapped figure
was breathing, if only shallowly.

Izu picked up Shiki and shaked him gently.
"Cmon Shiki, wake up." what did she do to him? he thought, arriving at the floor they needed to get off at.
"Mori, take Shiki back to your room. Set him where Rose goes, he won't be back tonight. I need to run my rotations." He hurried off, leaving a drunk Mori with a sheeted Shiki.
_____________________

"Did they see us Ms. Byrd?" By now Rose was back to being pleasently drunk, and slightly confused.
"Was there a party? I like parties....with candy and drinking and booze...." Rose laughed.
"Booze sounds like nose! But with more ooooo!"

Patting him gently on the head, Reena retrieved
the pillow and handed it back to him. The sofa was a mess, as
was the carpet below it. She'd have someone clean it
tomorrow. Right now... right now it was time she got in bed.

"Mori and Izu just don't want to party. You're free to do as you
please, Rose. I however will be in my bed."

_____________________________________


"Mori...."

The shaking was making him feel sicker than he already felt.
That... that woman had forced him to remember everything,
not just the horrors he had performed but his loyalty to the
B.A. over his sister, his hate for the others, everything. He
just wanted to be alone, but Mori's presence was helping. It
was helping to relieve the other pain.

#1 had explained it as removing the dam that was holding him
back. She had said that with it gone he could stay as he was...
No more hypnotizing, no more waking up after years of being
someone else. So he had agreed to it...

Had he known the side-effects before he wouldn't have. But had
he known, he would have gone back to being Byrd's dog...

True, he had bartered for his soul but the pain he was it... It
wouldn't subside, she told him it never would. This pain was the
burden he had traded his soul for, he would bear it forever.

And even now it was working; he could feel Mori's power even
though there was no skin contact. It was a warm feeling, like
the doctor's... Nothing like #1's.

"Mori... Please stop shaking me, I'm gonna throw
up if you keep at it...

He'd wished he could open his eyes and smile at his friend
again, but somehow he knew he couldn't... Who knew what
would happen if he tried.

"Shiki!" Mori hugged his friend, "Are you alright? You just...appeared in the elevator....it was so cool! Why won't you look at me Shiki?" Mori had repressed the idea that Rose could be working for Byrd, and his drunken mind was much more interested in what Shiki was doing. He looked down at Shiki and broke out laughing, curling up on the floor from it.
"NEKKID!!! Shiki!" He couldn't stop his laughing, as much as he wanted to.
"Shiki's NEKKID!!!! NAKED SHIKI ON THE LOOSE!" He flung open the door, yelling to everyone.
Just then someone not to happy had walked past and glared in at Shiki. Without even going in his presence was known.
"Byrd's dog, and one of the flighty birds here to chirp again. You reak of alcohol." Avery had had his mind wiped by 1, not remembering their encounter. he did remember he needed to talk to Shiki about something, but looking at the naked Shiki on the bed he decided to not question him tonight. Holding on to the IV rack Avery looked questioningly at Mori.
"You learn something every day. The dog shacks up with the bird. Interesting."

Tugging at the sheets, though he knew he shouldn't,
Shiki finally managed the escape from it. Eye's still tightly shut,
he managed to scoot himself of the side of the bed and away from
the twin. Mori really did reek, it didn't take a pro to tell that he'd
been drinking. Hugging the wall, Shiki, who was actually clad in the
t-shirt and trunks he had been wearing when abducted, felt around
blindly in search of a chair.

"Mori... I am not naked. And as funny as you might find
that thought, I'd prefer you didn't scream your head off about it.
Avvi.... I can't feel you, so I guess they have you drugged up.
Can you help me? I can't seem to find a chair..."

"What are you? the blind prophet? Find your own chair...and never call me that name. You lost the right to a long time ago. " Avery looked at the fumbling Shiki and finally gave in, helping him to a chair.
Mori laughed at Shiki closing his eyes. "MARCO!!!" He didn't quite get the seriousness of the situation.
"Avery and Shiki sittin in a tree...!" He walked off, down the hall singing that.
"Should I even ask what you did to him dog?"

"I have my eyes closed, do I not?
You do not want to open my eyes right now, Avery."

He grumbled inaudibly as Mori stumbled past, obviously mocking
Shiki. This was going to be a very long night if Izu didn't get back soon.

"He's drunk, Avvie. Don't know why or how in Hell he got stuff
to drink, but I could use some myself. Mori, sit down and shutt up!"

Mori obeyed, lying down in his bed and stifling any further laughter out of fear of Byrd.
Avery continued to glare at Shiki. "I told you not to call me that did I not?" he said, mocking Shiki's grammar.
"Now....open your eyes Shiki. You said it yourself, I'm harmless. I want to see what you're hiding. Do it Shiki...come on...you too afraid? hmm? Dog of Byrd submitting to us 'lesser experiments'?"He laughed weakly.

Izu was about half way done with his rotations and pacing back and forthe about what 1 had said...and why she gave him Shiki.

"No..."

He wouldn't do it... He might have more control over the actual
illusion, but he couldn't control who it affected. #1 had said it
eye contact wasn't necessary anymore... But then she'd also
said his illusions would be more like reality than ever before....
If he could make the others happy, put them in a hypnosis so
deep that it seemed really, why not do it?

But he knew the answer to that....

"It's wrong... To live in an illusion when reality is
too horrible. You can't always lie to yourself..."