Fatal Technology

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Misha arched a brow, trying to look as she was fine, but her body gave slight tremors and Adah shushed her gently, knowing that the younger woman's mind was much more fragile right now, unstable than she was showing at the moment. Pushed too far and she'd revert to being childlike and they'd never get anything out of her, like trying to make a porcupine uncurl itself. Misha took a breath and she looked away from Silas, finding it was easier to talk about something she didn't want to talk about when she wasn't watching him because she could almost pretend he wasn't there.

"There have been others, yes, but I don't know how many or who. He doesn't go for programs. He wants..." She stopped and Adah spoke softly. "Misha, he can't help unless he knows. Come on, be a brave girl for me." She kissed her younger sister's temple, treating her for all the world like she was a child in that moment and Misha seemed to calm again. It was clear the doctor know her cues well by this point.

"He wants to see us scared and struggling. The programmed personalities don't do that. Adah..she says that..." Misha looked to the doctor, looking for help and Adah finally relented, now checking over Misha's ribs, satisfied that they weren't rebroken, though, one had cracked again and she moved to her equipment for the device she needed to encourage bone repair. "Misha has been a lover on many missions. The programs are not given fearful responses to intimacy and all programs are defaulted with a fight response if threatened, not a flight one."

The doctor looked back over at Silas for a moment, expression angry behind her brown eyes. "Cory has been abusing Misha."
 
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The handler watched Misha intently. Body tremors were there. They were slight, but they were there enough for Silas to pick up on. She was trying to be strong and brave, and she was succeeding excellently. She only spoke again when she looked away from her handler though, and then she confirmed that Cory had indeed been with many. When she stopped, though, Silas looked to the older female. He had no way of helping the situation so he let Adah do that with ease, watching as she kissed her younger sister's temple and treated her only with love and encouragement, like a sister should. Misha seemed to relax then, and spoke once more, saying that Cory was the type of man who had some sick pleasure in seeing them scared and struggling. Because the programs didn't respond to that...

That was where the handler lost his agent again and Adah spoke up for her instead as she inspected her sister's ribs. She explained that Misha had been a 'lover' because the programs were not given fearful responses to intimacy. In result, Handler Cory had been abusing Misha directly. And that was something that ticked Silas off, an obvious glint of his own anger showing in his light brown eyes. Cory got away with it because agents real personalities could rarely ever shine through, and when they did, they were drugged up within seconds. Even if they managed to get something out, who would believe them?

He was silent, reeling all of this new information inside of his brain. Would Cory try using Misha again even if she had a new handler? Quite possibly.

"Thank you for telling me this," Silas finally said, looking to both his agent and her sister. "I promise to keep everything that you have told me confidential."
 
He was angry.

Misha looked him in the eye then, wondering if maybe....just maybe he was as truthful as he seemed to want her to believe. She'd never seen anyone but Adah angry on her behalf and whether Silas realized it or not, it went a long way in Misha's mind toward tentative trust. Oh, she didn't trust him yet, but....the seeds had been planted. The agent nodded slowly and Adah smiled in a slightly tight way, but it was a smile and she nodded to Silas in appreciation before moving to Misha and pressing the device to her skin, letting it hum over her body.

Misha winced at the sensation, but didn't move and it was over with soon, the bone mended enough that it wouldn't break completely and would heal in a few more days along with the rest. She looked at her sister then, noting that her hazel eyes were growing misty and Adah sighed. "Come on, Misha. Time to lay down."

The agent looked almost stricken as she glanced at the clock and realized her time was a minute from being up. She let Adah coax her down to her side and she curled then, starting to shake with a fear she could not help. She didn't want to go back in the dark. Adah set a hand on her head gently, but then moved away and she spoke quietly to Silas. "She needs to trust you above anyone else if she's ever going to become stable again. Go." she tilted her head toward Misha. It was his job to learn how to calm her and it was about time he started learning, especially since she wasn't going to snap his head off this time.
 
Silas didn't know if Misha would ever, or could ever really trust him, but he felt like he was on the right path and as long as he was careful and continued to be thoughtful, he knew that they would at least get along. He was also grateful and appreciative for Adah's help, for her trust in him. His light brown eyes scanned over the two again, glancing to Misha's rib and watching as the device hummed over her skin to help the bone mend.

The fifteen minutes had passed by too quickly, but they all had made great use of their time and the male in the room could accept that. However, as Misha curled onto the table and Adah advanced towards him and told him that he'd have to help her, he got a little doubtful of himself. He wasn't one for showing affection that much and he only planned on watching Adah calm her sister, but it seemed that this was also a way he'd have to gain Misha's trust. So he accepted it and caught the doctor's gentle gaze before striding over to the trembling woman.

Silas didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. He only stared at his agent for a few seconds before glancing back at Adah. Restraining a small sigh, he looked to Misha again and gently put his large hand on the top of her head, trying to softening his face or at least his eyes but wasn't sure if it was working or not.

"Misha," he could at least get his voice to soften. "It'll be all right. No harm will come to you anymore from Cory, so do not worry about him. I will protect you to the best of my abilities." He paused for another couple of seconds. "I will get you as many visits with Adah as I can, so you won't have to be so shrouded in darkness anymore."
 
She flinched slightly at the contact, but didn't move beyond that. She'd said she'd give him a chance. She'd try. It wasn't easy, though. He was male, he was a handler, he had a control over her life that was frightening if he chose to abuse it and Misha didn't want this in the first place. His words were an attempt at being soothing, though, even if his face just looked kind of awkward and she nodded slowly, acknowledging his words before her eyes slipped closed no matter how she tried to keep them open for just a few moment longer.

Her body stilled of its shaking and this time there was no fight when the program slipped back into her mind. It was Misha's way of telling Silas that she was extending some tentative trust that he'd keep his word. She didn't fight the technology and Raven's personality came forward easily as she blinked and looked up at Silas with a small smile.

"I slept."

Adah smiled softly as she came back over. "That you did and I checked you over while you did, so you're all set to go." The doctor glanced at the handler. "She has an art class today. It starts at the three." It was time to act as if nothing had happened again.
 
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The nod seemed to be more acknowledging than accepting, but it was still something and for that, Silas let out a breath that was only audible to himself. Misha hadn't fought against him and she was already trying to trust him, he could tell. So when she closed her eyes, his hand only stayed for a second longer atop her head before he backed up, allowing the program to run its course and once more take control of Misha's mind and body, whom of which didn't fight and was like a silent way of telling Silas that she was allowing some trust, even if she was still a bit iffy.

Raven soon 'awoke' and looked up to her handler with an easy smile. He nodded to her briefly before Adah stepped in, telling her everything was fine and acting like nothing had happened. Of course Silas followed the lead (he would have acted so anyways) and he nodded to Adah when addressed. He gave the doctor a simple look of trust before leaving with Raven.


The week was nearing its end now. In the few days that had passed, Silas gave direct orders to whoever was in charge of handling the cameras in Misha's room to not let anybody but him mess with them or even see them. Now hopefully, Cory's connections weren't so strong as to outbalance Silas's intimidating and powerful aura, so until he knew for sure that his orders were truly obeyed, he stopped by Misha's room during the night or whenever she was in there alone. He was given questioning looks, of course, but nobody asked anything as they figured this new guy maybe had some tricks up his sleeve. He had somehow made Misha calmer when she was being injected with the program during the early mornings, so they left whatever routine he had up to him.

He stuck mostly to Raven during the week, wanting to get to know her a bit more before he tried to meet with anyone else. He had met one other program during some day, but it was only like a test course and was soon replaced with Raven again.

And now Silas had gotten permission to go on an outing with his agent. Said outing would be spent in the great city, out of ESIA's dreary grey walls. It was going to be a breath of fresh air for the handler, and definitely a breath of fresh air for Raven and possibly even Misha, if she would be able to fight the program and see. They would be going shopping for clothes for both, and food and drinks for Silas to put in his own refrigerator. Maybe pick up a few more things along the way.

He was now heading for the living room area where Raven was most likely already waiting for him. He was dressed in dark blue jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a pair of stylish sneakers, along with a black watch wrapped around his left wrist. Admittedly, he only spent a day of the week in casual attire as he had been waiting to get more comfortable in the environment, so this was the second day of being out of a suit.
 
Misha had started cooperating more because Silas kept to his word. She was not harassed at night, but anyone, and so she slowly learned to start sleeping again. It was in small bursts, but it was still sleep. Getting rest and starting to trust her handler little by little, Misha became calmer if not any less adamant about how much she hated being programmed every single day. The brief visits with Adah were good relief, but not enough.

It was never enough when what she wanted was complete freedom.

Still, she made a good presentation for the scientists in the morning and when superiors came by to speak to Silas, she behaved. Small things that she could do to show him that if he kept to his word, she could make life easier for him. But she could also make it hell and they both knew it. He'd been through a different version of difficulty with the one other program he'd seen besides Raven. Her name was Victoria and she was a spitfire, sassy and energetic. The poor man hadn't done that program again.

Her programming was once again Raven as it seemed Silas was not up for trying a new personality and the agent smiled as he approached, looking him over briefly with some interest for his attire. Her own consisted of a pair of black jeans, a red shirt that said 'coca-cola' on it and a simple pair of black converse. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she looked excited as he grew closer, standing from the seat she'd taken.

"Are we allowed to leave now?"
 
"Yes," Silas answered with a small smile. "I already told the director, so we can leave now." His eyes scanned the room briefly before he looked back to Raven, who had indeed been waiting for him. She was dressed casually, too, and she looked very excited to go out in the city. "You're all ready?" he asked, making sure she had everything that she needed before they should leave the facility. Once they both confirmed they were ready, Silas walked out with his agent and almost smiled at being outside. The world wasn't what it used to be, but it still felt great being outside with the sun.

He led them to the large parking garage and to his black SUV, courtesy of ESIA, and opened the door for Raven. Once she was in and he shut her door, he went to the driver's side and hopped in, starting the engine before taking off.

"Is there anywhere specific you want to go?" Silas asked, glancing to Raven.
 
Raven was a program that had never been outside. It was her base program, one that stayed in the facility and now as she looked around, the wonder in her eyes was true in a sense because flickers here and there in her hazel hues showed that Misha was looking, too. Her amazement was as real as it could ever get while being a program and when Silas questioned her, the agent could barely bring herself to look back over at him and miss everything they were passing as she looked out the window.

For a moment she looked puzzled by the question. This programming was not one that had desires except perhaps ones that included bodily functions such as bathroom needs, eating, drinking and sleeping. Desires have not been inserted into her personality. She is supposed to be content with whatever her handler wants and Silas should know this due to his training. So when Raven finally answers, it is clear Misha influences it because by all rules, Raven would not have been able to formulate a 'correct' response.

"The beach."

It's nearly a whisper, a touch of longing in her voice before it was gone again and Raven smiled, completely her programming again. "Anywhere you'd like to go is fine." she answered rather predictably and then looked back out the window, smiling at everything she saw.
 
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Silas looked over to Raven when she hadn't answered his question and it was then he saw how in awe Raven was, though it could have been Misha too. He couldn't say for sure since the girl was facing out the window, but he knew that she was definitely amazed. His question was a bit directed towards Misha, too, mostly because he knew just how strong she could fight the programming that took over her body.

When Raven answered, it was definitely not Raven. It was Misha, hands down. It was quiet, barely above a whisper, and nostalgic. He was sure the program had never been outside the facility before, and she would answer clearly for her handler, so he automatically knew it was Misha. Especially when she corrected herself and said that anything was fine with her.

"To the beach it is," the handler said with a slight smile. They would visit for however long either one of them wanted to stay, and then he'd get the shopping out of the way afterwards.
 
If Misha had been in control of herself, she would have looked at Silas in amazement for his compliance with something she wanted. She would have smiled and thanked him, wondering if maybe....she truly had been wrong about him being so cold and uncaring, but as it is, she can't do any of those things and Raven merely nodded, her eyes continuing to look out the window as the world going by.

They made their way through the city and congestion started to clear as they took the back roads to get to the ocean. It was one thing that had stood the test of time as some brilliant scientists had created a formula to clean the oils out of the water and his partner had discovered how to modify a few forms of sea life to be able to clean up and even eat some of the materials that ended up in the ocean. It had saved the sea in a way the vegetation had not survived in any wild sense. Such greenery was now confined, protected like the wildlife it had once housed.

Raven - and Misha - were not focused on such thoughts, though, and when the beach finally came into view, she almost seemed to be unable to wait for Silas to get out of the car, shifting on her feet excitedly. Hazel eyes flickered rapidly, Misha determined to see this with her own eyes, to experience it. When she saw that her handler was following, the agent grinned and dashed toward the white sand, hopping to take her shoes off once she arrived and smiling with happiness as her feet curled into the warmth of the grains beneath her.

Yes, this was definitely Misha as well as black hair whipped around her face in a sudden breeze and the female laughed, trying to contain the wild locks futilely.
 
Silas took the back roads to get to the beach in a faster manner since traffic was always a risk and they only had a certain amount of time before they had to get back to the agency. Once the blue ocean and its white sand shore came into view, he looked over to see Raven's reaction and it seemed like she could hardly contain herself in her - and Misha's - excitement. He got a decent parking spot since not too many people were at the beach, and once they stopped, Raven and Misha were both itching to go to the warmth of the grains.

The handler followed behind the elated girl as she immediately went to the sands once he was following her. She was laughing and and completely happy, and Silas could see the frequent flickers in her hazel eyes. He liked that Misha was able to experience this, too. He stayed about ten feet away from her though, hands in his pockets as he just watched her. It was nice, and the weather wasn't unbearably hot, so he could handle it.
 
The beach was an experience unlike anything Raven - or Misha - had ever had. The agent wasn't here for work, wasn't on a mission...she was just happy and playing and it was nice. She ran and played along the sand like a child might, chasing the water and laughing when it finally caught her, wetting her rolled up pants. It was the closest thing to being free that Misha had ever experienced, but after a time, she grew too tired to fight the programming anymore and when the agent started to calm a bit, started to pay more attention to where her handler was, stopped straying so far, it was clear that Raven was in charge again without competition.

After a time she came back to Silas, ever duty-bound and conscientious, and informed him that if he wished to still go shopping, they should leave. They headed back to the car then and while Raven showed no sadness in leaving, she did look back at the ocean through the window as they departed. It was the last flicker Misha gave before she retreated for good, exhausted by the effort, but strangely happy, too.

She'd have to thank Silas the next time she saw him as herself because she was determined not to forget this day.

Raven looked over at her handler as they got back on the main roads, back into the city. "Where are we going now?"
 
Silas smiled in amusement. The agent was truly enjoying herself as she played in the sand, chased the small waves of the water, acted completely free. It was more so Misha that was in control, but that took up a lot of fighting power and after a while, Misha tired and disappeared, Raven coming back in control. After Raven enjoyed what she could, she came up to her handler and said that they should go shopping now if he still wanted to. Agreeing, they headed back to the car and left the beach.

Once they got into the city, Raven asked where they were going. Silas had thought about it during the ride back into the main roads. "I guess the mall first, get some more clothes. And then grocery shopping." They got to the mall within twenty to twenty-five minutes and he had to park in the more back part of parking lot since it was kind of crowded.
 
Raven had remained quiet through most of the car ride, occasionally asking what something was or why someone was doing something, but for the most part she just absorbed. When they got to the mall, she stuck close to Silas, not wanting to lose him in the crowds of people, bright colors, smells and sounds. Her senses were overloaded as they walked through the main section of the shopping center, but when they finally entered a store itself, things toned down slightly and Raven became a bit more animated and less wide-eyed and tentative.

She didn't know when she'd wear any of the things she looked at and ran her fingers over other than on a mission, but it was nice to see all the different styles. She knew she could by almost anything she wanted, but Raven was far more fascinated in looking first and she weaved her way through the story with a calm grace and calculating eye, her mind on what kind of clothes would work for different settings.

It was rather fun and finally she started selecting what she'd chosen, meandering back to Silas with a smile, head tilting. "Should I try them on or just buy them?" Either way would be fine with her, but she knew they might be pressed for time. The agency wouldn't let her go out again if her handler was late getting her back and Raven didn't want him to get into trouble. She liked him.
 
Silas made sure to keep himself close to Raven as well. She usually led him around the agency, but here in the real city, it was time to put himself more at work and really start to sense Raven at all times. It helped that she stuck so close to him as well, and once they were inside an actual store, she seemed much more at ease and less... frazzled.

While the agent looked around for her styles, Silas looked around for his own. The store they were in was unisex, so there wasn't a problem with him finding clothes either. When Raven came back around for him, he looked at the watch on his wrist. "You... should probably only try on the things you aren't sure that will fit you," he answered honestly, looking back up to the female. "We still need to go grocery shopping." His own set of clothes were laid on his arm.
 
Raven nodded in understanding when she went to a dressing room, she only tried on the pants and one dress she'd picked out. The shirts she was more than sure would fit and the skirts were fine. One didn't fight right but the others were good enough and the agent signaled she was done with a nod to her handler. Silas paid for the clothes on the card the agency had given him for this outing and then they were off to the store.

The agent, much like a child, was growing tired by this point and though she looked around and followed Silas faithfully, this programming was meant for a much less active lifestyle and when they finally got back into the car, Raven nodded off a few times on the way back. She was almost relieved to see the familiar building and Adah was waiting for them when they stepped into the lobby. The doctor smiled and then chuckled at the weary, but happy look Raven gave her back, coming forward to touch her sister, almost as if to reassure herself that she was okay.

Brown eyes looked to Silas as they started for his room - because where else were the groceries going? - and Adah raised a brow. "How she'd do?"

Raven smiled. "It was fun." she supplied and Adah smiled at that, but still waited for a response from Silas.
 
Once Raven was finished trying on her few clothes, Silas paid for both their amount of material and they were off again to go to the grocery store. He only picked up a few things, basically just necessities and a few snacks and drinks since the cafeteria served all of them food on a daily basis. They only took about an hour in the third and final destination before heading back to ESIA. Raven was obviously very tired and though Silas felt a little bad for putting the laid back agent through a more active day, he was also slightly amused when she nodded off to sleep a couple of times in the car.

When they got back to the agency, Adah was already waiting for them in the lobby and she came forward as the handler and agent started for his room. He met eyes with the doctor, and once Raven finished answering, he gave the doctor a look that only she would know he meant for Misha. "She was very happy, and did great. Tired, though," he offered a slight smile as he looked back to Raven.
 
As if right on cue, Raven stumbled a little, steadied by the sister she didn't even know existed and Adah laughed softly. "I can see that." She appeared relaxed, glad that Misha had done well on this outing and not just the program. She looked at Silas with an expression that genuinely said 'thank you' before offering to take Raven back to her quarters for him. After getting permission, the doctor escorted the tired agent back to her room and Raven tumbled into her bed.

She smiled up at Adah as the older female brought the covers up over her and fondly shook her head as she undid Raven's shoes and set them aside. The doctor sat on the edge of the bed, fingers gently stroking her sibling's temple. "Did you have a good time?"

A nod. "The beach is pretty."

Adah smiled and since Raven had pretty much drifted off even while speaking the words, she said her own back quietly. "Yes, you always did like the beach. It's the last place we saw mother before she died." With a sigh, the older woman stood and left the room, resisting the urge to kiss Raven's head as she knew such affection would be looked on with suspicion. Besides, as soon as she exited the room she paged on an emergency. An agent had been shot on a mission.

Adah hurried off and she never saw the figure that lurked at the corner of the hall.
 
(( Uh oh. ))

Silas returned the look with a 'you're very much welcome' before Adah asked for permission to take Raven back to her room. Granting it to the doctor and watching them walk for a few seconds, Silas turned back towards his room and was there within a minute, unlocking the dorm and setting all his groceries down on the table. He started taking out all the stuff and putting it in his fridge, thinking back on the day he spent with his agent. It was good, and it was nice that both the program and Misha had seen the city in all of its delight. The two girls were definitely tired, but their handler wasn't in the slightest. He figured he should let the director know he had returned, though, so after setting everything in its place, he left his room and out towards his superior's office.
 
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