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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kookalouris" data-source="post: 4456250" data-attributes="member: 23872">Part 2 of 2 of background, rough draft...2115 -   Pat stood naked amongst strangers, eyes straight ahead on the mysterious Prometheus chamber.  The latent before had spent time floating in the tank with a wide-eyed expression of indescribable transcendence.  To the Legionaires around them, this was just the dunk before lunch hour.  Soon these would be Pat's siblings in battle.  The new psion was helped out of the tank, singing in a kind of ecstatic trance.It was Pat's turn to leave mere humanity behind.  One barefoot step forward and..."Stop."  Pat did, so did everyone else, the Legion Prometheus tank was an assembly line, not to be stopped for any small reason.  Everyone turned to face the voice."The Karoo rescue has been put on hold indefinitely, it is considered not a ...prudent use of our limited resources."  The General said through clenched jaw, he also had family on Karoo.  He had also been Pat's sponsor, helping the young latent speed through the recruitment process.  There were groans and howls of protest throughout the Prometheus room."So," said a young tech, "We're the LEGION!  No one can stop us if we want to go anyway.""We aren't lawless monsters, we follow orders."  The general said as evenly as he could.  The protest continued for several minutes, as respectfully as protocol allowed regarding a senior officer.In the din, few people heard Pat say quietly, "You're powerless!  No, worse than that,  you won't use the power you DO have."  Pat turned and walked slowly towards the exit.  A few latents gasped in shock at the breach of decorum and protocol but no Legionaire offered the slightest protest of resistance.As the doors slid open, Pat asked distractedly, the idea had just occured, "General, why didn't you tell me after dunking?   You would have had one more Legionaire.""An angry, undisciplined and resentful Legionaire, bad for us and you."Pat nodded and walked out of the Legionaire complex, never to return...That night, Pat lay in bed in the dorm room provided by Aeon Trinity, most of the other latents had either been dunked or been disqualified by now.  The Orders would still be interested despite Pat's 'outburst' earlier, even the Legion would still be willing, latents were rare enough.  But to what end?  The Legion was the least regulated of the Orders, all would follow orders and none of those orders would include freeing faraway Karoo.  Pat eventually drifted into a dreamless sleep...A shimmering display of phospenes cascaded across Pat's eyes which naturally forced themselves open.  Standing at the end of the bed was a strange being, bipedal, two sets of eyes, rippling patterns of light across its strange body. A Chromatic, one of the same monsters that attacked the faraway McKnight Clan!  Pat started to scream, but the creature clamped what might have been an arm around the latent's throat and began to slowly squeeze.  "How badly do you want to kill me?" it taunted in an inhuman chitter.  "More than anything else!" Pat would have screamed the words if possible, it was a reflex, years of rage behind it.  The monster nodded approvingly in a very human way.  And then it hit home, Chromatics had never been reported to talk.It's other appendage went to its strange mouth in what would have been a 'keep quiet' gesture if done by a human being.  The other hand didn't release  Pat's neck until the confused teenager stopped struggling.  And then the Chromatics flesh flowed like a river, sculpting, changing into the mirror image of Pat."Maybe it won't have to come to that." winked Pat's new twin.It took a full minute for Pat to understand and then slowly say,  "...a biokenetic,--Norca?!""It takes a lawless monster to FIGHT lawless monsters, something no other order understands but us.""Wait, I heard that today at the Legion Chamber, you were there?""Maybe, I have one of those faces that seems to blend in."That sank in and Pat slowly asked, "Why are you here?  What do you want?""To give you the one best chance you might ever have to get to your family and fight these creatures, if you want it bad enough.  Still listening?"It took Pat a long time to nod but the two Pat's shook each other hands and the second began to talk to the first...2119  The young couple on the park bench was so very obviously in love and lost in each other's company that onlookers and bystanders looked away out of respect for their privacy.  Which was exactly how the two of them wanted it.With his eyes closed, Patrick could sense the life all around him, Earth was like no other place he had ever been, here, life simply was.  Out there, living things were either human, served a human purpose, were vermin, or the enemy.  For now, he scanned to confirm there were no other people nearby.Content, he willed his flesh to bring the very tiny biochip to the surface of his skin and then Camille took the biochip into herself the same way, the adaptation mode had its advantages."Well done," she whispered, "your control is improving, you have held this face for an hour without any noticable drift.  I think your eyes are changing color, though."  "Not as impressive as being a Chromatic, though." Patrick whispered back.   Camille giggled, "The hard part was incorprorating the light-emitting bioware."  They both chuckled, the years of working together had been pleasant."Do I want to know what you had to do to get this data, would I be jealous?"  She teased.  Patrick kissed her with more passion.  "Are you answering or evading the question?" she teased."Whatever it took. It was worth it, I know some of what Aeon's working on."Camille sighed, "You remembered the data?""It was necessary to keep cover.""I know some friends who can help with inconvenient memories.""No.  Aeon seems to really be committed to the new starships."Camille gritted her teeth, which were sharpening with her annoyance."We've had this conversation before, you will get to be on the ship to Karoo, when the time is right.""The time is now.  I have given the Norca everything.  I can't remember my original face and form without a photograph.  I will return but I have to go now.""You don't just leave us!"  She hissed, almost loud enough to startle nearby parkgoers, Camille caught herself and looked around warily."I'm not leaving, it's a ...sabbatical.""They won't see that, they will do what it takes."  Her fingernails were suddenly claw points on his neck.  "I will too, if you force me.""You won't do anything is this very public place.  For now, I will make it out of this park alive and from there I will take my chances.  Give my regards to Del Fuego."And with that, Patrick gave one last kiss to his rarely startled partner and walked away into the night...OK, that is it for now.  Give me Feedback, barring any unanswered questions, I think I am ready to go.  Sorry it took so long...Gerry</blockquote>

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