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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Calinon" data-source="post: 1509749" data-attributes="member: 13737">ChinaX12You enter the main house and find Li waiting for you.  Seeing your forlorn look, she comes up and gives you a somewhat shy hug, something you are not expecting from the reserved girl."The past has troubled you, and I failed to properly help you," she says appologetically.  "But I do not believe that things are as bad as you believe them to be.  Your day will get brighter," she says reassuringly.  "You get to eat with Grandfather, are at a refuge of safety with your friends who care about you, and you even have had a hug from me," she says with a reserved smile.  "And do not forget, you finally get to meet Xi.  I hope meeting him will put some things in a clearer perspective for you," she says as she leads you through the house to areas you've never seen.As you go, you can't help feeling a bit better for her helpfulness, and you can't help but notice a lot of the intricate decorations the house itself has within it.  Many look ancient, and you have no doubt that if put into a museum collection, the artifacts would be amazing.  Along with armor and weapons, statues, jade carvings, paintings and pottery are arranged tastefully.  You recognize many of the works of art, and know them to be priceless, but where that knowledge originates, you don't know.Finally, you come to a simple, sliding wood door, like the others you have passed.  Nova stops before opening it and says softly, "Just remember, no matter what happens, nothing in your past, nothing anyone may have done to you, and nothing you may have done and forgotten can make you someone you don't wish to be.  Good luck," she finishes.  She starts retracing her steps away.You slide the door open, and enter a small, private dining hall.  The room is very bright, the floor mats are padded, and there is a liquor cabinet along the far wall.  At one end, you see a massive entertainment system that makes the institutes main system pale by comparison.  The room even contains a small kitchenette.  But even though you notice all of this, you are most drawn to the table.A low table to kneel at is in the center, simple fare spread out upon it.  Kneeling at the head of the table is Master Wen.  And kneeling directly across from you... is you.  Well, an older version of you."X12 come in.  I introduce you to Xi," Master Wen says in a calm and reassuring voice.  You barely register it as your mind starts racing."It wasn't my fault!" you shouted as the straps were placed around your arms.  The straps jerked tightly as the final one was placed around a wrist."You lead the mission, you are the one who killed the dancing girl I explicitly told you was not to be harmed, you are the one who will pay for the mission mistakes!" the man in the darkened booth boomed through the microphone.Strapped spread eagle as you are, there is nothing you can do to deny the fact that you are to be punished, and if the punishment is to be anything like the others you've witnessed, this will not be pleasant.A door opens and the other directives, men and women, come in.  Most of the other twelve are impassive.  Directive Seven, with her one eye, looks at you pleadingly, mouthing silently for you to remain quiet."I can't control the actions of others!" you say desperately, fear setting in.  You turn your wrists, trying to channel your powers to burn through the straps, but it doesn't work."Thirty lashes!" the voice shouts.  "Then silence his defiant tongue!"The lashes you took were painful, laced in salt or acid or some sort of enzyme as the whip was.  The burly man who struck you did so with a gleam of joy in his eye, laughing out as you cried out.  Thirty lashes came, and he struck you again, for no reason.  He was not punished.  One of the other directives started forward towards you, but was stopped by a soldier."Back in line!" came the voice.  "Proceed."Your head was jerked up, and you felt a flash of pain as something slid across your throat, then the warmth of your own blood flowing down your chest.  The cut would be fatal soon.  The same directive tried to come to you, again stopped by a soldier.  Directive Seven clenched and unclenched her fists looking at the soldier holding the other Directive, indecision etched on her face.  She took sudden and decisive action.Reaching behind her, she pulled a blade from her vest, and in one fluid motion drove it into the neck of the soldier, grabbing his rifle as he dropped to the floor.  She aimed the gun at the punisher."Release him," she said without emotion."Do it," came the voice over the loudspeaker as the other Directive rushed up.  You recognized him now; he was the one that delayed in killing his target.  Weak from blood loss, you slowly lost consciousness as his touch healed your wounds.  You hear him scream as he takes on your injuries, then... blackness.You slowly came to, looking around.  You were strapped to a table.  How long you'd been there, you don't know.  A woman stood above you, hand on your head."Was it successful?" a man with a hooded cloak asked."Mostly.  He has some holes in the memories transferred from Directive Three.  But if we continue perfecting the procedure, we may be able to use this method to mentally prepare all future Directives and perhaps correct a few behavioural anomolies in a few others.""Excellent.  Well done, doctor.  Well done indeed."You blink your eyes, still focussed on Xi.  He's older than you are, easily by five years and maybe ten, but beyond that, looks exactly like you, with one major exception.  He has a long scar across his throat.You realize you are standing with your hands protectively over your throat, starying open mouthed at the two.Kevin and RaisaYou make it to the dining hall as Li and Nova are setting out food.  They seem to be having a slight argument."Come on, they're just old clothes," Nova says.  She's dressed in a rather form hugging, blue silk dress, with oriental dragons curving about it."I do not mind you using my clothing, Nova," Li responds.  "But I would like you to at least ask before simply taking my favorite outfits, or those of my mother," she says rather hotly, her voice getting quite loud, though she quickly composes herself."Alright Li, keep your knickers on.  I'll go get something else to wear.  Jeeze," Nova says.  "Hey, Kev, Raisa, Dara," she says as she ducks out through a side door."Raisa, Grandfather and Xi are busy.  Could you take Jackal his food, please?" Li asks after a moment.  You see a large bucket of something, on wheels, sitting on the floor, covered."Ooo, can I go too?  I wanna see him.  Won't be as scary in the daylight I betcha," Dara says excitedly.Arizona - LockheedLoki is able to quickly pull a dusty, dirt covered and somewhat dented Johan from the ground.  Johan notices some fairly deep scratches in his armor and laments a bit that it's definitely broken in now, and probably the reason he's alive.  Cosmo drops the huge slab that was on him with a boom.Doctor Worthy checks on CEO Morgan, then on Johan, applying some first aid from a kit, which is all Johan really needs after a few minutes.  CEO Morgan's staff is insistant that he go to hospital to be examined."A little help," you hear from Anna, who is still rather pinned by her chair.  Cosmo goes over to help her, much to Anna's displeasure, at least you gather from the look she gives him.Once recovered enough to talk, CEO Morgan is not pleased.  "Ok, I can handle someone stealing from me, but I really draw the line at someone trying to kill me.  I want whoever did this brought to justice!" he exclaims.  "You will have the full co-operation of every staff member, and access to anything regarding this cryogenic research, and if anyone isn't completely helpful, just let me know," he says, handing Johan a card with his private cell-phone number on it.  "Any time of day or night.""Mr. Morgan, I think it would be best if we did get you to hospital, just to be safe," Mr. Tynes, Morgan's lawyer, says."Alright, Wilfrid.  I never argue with my legal counsel," Morgan says, coughing a bit.  As they leave, Vincent overhears another snipet of conversation."I think we'll have to bite the bullet and contact SAP and tell them their containers were stolen.  Can you handle that for me?"  Morgan asks Tynes."Of course, sir.  I'll contact them on the way to hospital," Mr. Tynes says.Johan, as you search for the claw Cosmo dropped, you notice that the hole in the wall goes back quite a ways.  Maybe a bit too far back actually.  You look past the wall and can make out the rim of a hole leading downward in the darkness.Loki, you find the claw. (Lucky you!)Vincent, as Morgan leaves, something gets a hold of your tail.  Looking behind you with your extended range of vision, you see Doctor Worthy has unabashedly taken hold of your tail and is in the process of measuring it!</blockquote>

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