Project Genesis - Episode One: Semile, 'Tis for Thee

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Blind Hemingway

Ancient Iwaku Scum from 2006.
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  1. Primarily Prefer Female
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Surrealism, Surreal Horror (Think Tim Burton), Steampunk, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Spaghetti Westerns, Mercenaries, Dieselpunk, Cyberpunk, Historical fantasies
Episode One: Semile, 'Tis for Thee


Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords.

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We stand here on a dawning of a new era, 600 years ago no one would have thought that civilization could have lasted. The world was thrown into disarray and all seemed lost. However, one brave man, the very first High Priest of Semile supported change and he got it.

Now, three months after the untimely death of my father, Leopold the Red, I come to you all as the new High Priest and head of state. I will continue the projects he so nobly started and will alter them to fit our new state of mind.

I come to all, not seeking aggression or removing any liberties you already have as citizens of this great and powerful nation. I will do everything in my power to ensure that our peace and our freedoms will be safeguarded from terrorists and any other group that seeks to wage war on our way of life.

As a people were are strong and peaceful, as well as wise and brave. We are fighting the fight for the whole world to save. We will ceaselessly strive to keep our great revolution alive. Never before in the history of mankind has such glory been seen*in one place.

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In a small village outside of our fine city, a child was born. She from a farmer’s background, much like myself. We have great faith in this child, for she is everything that leads to being a Messiah. She is coming to you all this very year. I cannot tell you when or exactly where but the Messiah is coming and the world will become a safer place for all.

I pray that you will have faith in her, as you all do in me.
 
Two guards paced themselves on the hard marble stone floor of the luxurious home they were assigned to.

“So Jim, do you think that this project is actually worth all the risks? You know as well, as I do that the Brotherhood most likely knows about the girl.” One of them asked.

Jim shrugged and removed the now dead cigar from his mouth and then scratch his oversized grizzly bear looking beard.

“Hector, I am a veteran of this so called rebellion. Those red bastards aren’t anything to be afraid of. Every time that they attack us, we always drive them off. This new campaign against the “Dante Branch” will end the same way. The Crusaders will kill their leaders and then the reds will become disorganized and flee to the hills, where the Norfolkians wipe them to kingdom come for crossing over illegally.”

Hector wasn’t easily persuaded by anyone, “But Jim… What if they…”

The grizzled vet then slapped the other guard, “Don’t worry. We have the blessings of the new High Priest. Unlike, the last one, he is young and full of passion. We can’t start doubting our religion, the Lord will protect us. That’s way, we have to be assigned her to protect the Messiah Gen…”

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Just then the voice of a sulky young girl was heard, “For the one hundredth time, my name is Sahar. S-A-H-A-R. How many times do I have to spell it out for you? And not to sound rude, but you guys are really loud. You aren‘t very good guards if I can hear you all the way in the reading room.”

Jim and Hector stared at each other, “Uh… How did you get out?”

The two guards remained unsure, when neither of them could give each other a decent answer, “Did you allow Genesis to get out of her room? I thought that those scientists were supposed to be watching her twenty four, seven.”

The young girl was bored of watching the antics of the two bumbling government guards,“So, you guys are supposed to know things, were are am I supposed to be going anyways? This wait is boring and I don't like being in my room all day. And why isn't mommy around for this trip?”

The guards then looked on in concern, when Sahar eyes seemed to become distant and gloomy.

“Why isn’t my mom home by now? I didn’t did anything to offend her, did I? Eeep! What happens, if I did? Oh no! She isn’t going to care for me anymore!!!! And that means that mean old men will watch me!!! Gaaa!!!”

The girl’s face then went into distraught. Her bright brown eyes started to fill with the pure crystal colored forms of tears.

“Look at what you did, you made her screwy with that damn beard of yours!!!!” Hector shouted.

Jim rolled his eyes, “Hector, she is just a young woman. She‘s just scared about this big change..."

Hector shook his head, "But Jim, she isn't a normal little girl!"

That statement made Sahar go off the deep end even more, “Not normal??!!? I’m 14 years old and I’m the best in my class, even if I am just home schooled…”

The older soldier walked over to Genesis, “Now now, Genesis, there is nothing to be worked about. Your “mother” is just out for the night, she has work to do with the Mr. Talbot. You know that, she will be back sooner or later. She just can't stay here at home all the time, you know.” He smiled at her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

TA-DUMP….
TA-DUMP….
TA-DUMP….
TA-DUMP….
TA-DUMP….
TA-DUMP….

However something strange occurred to him as he touched her. Increased heart rate. Labored breathing. The soldier felt, as if his heart was starting to burn in pain.

“Gaahh!! Put out the fire; it is burning!!!! Gaahh!!” Jim pulled his hand off of Sahar.

He then started to roll around the ground, acting as if there was a flame spreading across his body. He felt the pain grow in pain.

Hector looked on in fear, the blood in his very veins stopped flowing. A pale ghost, he had become. Animal instinct took over his mind.

“She is distracted!!! I can’t let her kill me…” He thought.

Then by natural instinct he grabbed for his rifle and readied it at the young girl. Sahar was indeed busy yelling at the man on the ground crying in pain.

“Don’t touch me! No one is allowed to lay a finger on me. And for the last time, I am Sahar! Stop calling me Genesis!”

“She is not a human, she was created by mankind…So I can kill her, it won‘t be a sin…Because she was created by man, not God, she has no soul…Yeah, like a machine….”

Sahar could feel the fear following from the diminutive man with the firearm. He then looked up to feel the same “flames” now spreading to him. It soon surrounded his body and the same intense feelings of pain; both men were now on the ground. This was no way for a soldier to go down….

“Idiots. You weren’t very fun to mess with.” She laughed.

Sahar then walked back towards her window and looked out the window to see the massive man-made habitat they called Semile.

A voice then came from down the stairs, the voice of a college graduate aged woman was heard, “Sahar. Mommy is back, where are you?”

The sounds of moaning then ceased.
 
'I am so tired. A little Johan Sebastian Bach and dinner would be nice. I wonder what Sahar wants for dinner.'

Doctor Amy Sherriden was on her way home. Not that any normal individual would call the cold marble structure a home. If they would have seen her old apartment, they'd realize this wasn't odd for Amy. Everything was cool, clean and spotless. At least now there was a simulation of comfort. This was all done for the benefit of that experiment. The one she affectionately called Sahar.

Sahar who was increasingly becoming restless and Amy hardly blamed her. The girl was growing in to a young lady, and needed to see more than just the walls of this building. Talbot didn't seem to agree, in fact most of the superiors didn't agree. Genesis was an experiment. A weapon, a creation, a thing. Something dangerous that needed to be contained and controlled. Treating her like a human child was called reckless and unacceptable.

But Amy was finding this harder and harder to believe.

"Sahar. Mommy is back, where are you?" Amy called out, stepping inside and looking around. It was awfully quiet. Amy let out a sigh as she started up the stairs.

When she found the guards on the floor, she sighed again. "Sweetie, what did I tell you about harassing the men? They're fragile."
 
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Eros stretched out across the chair, her half-lidded eyes following the movements of the young man before her. He looked like her beloved, but weaker and softer, less sure and less handsome. She resisted the urge to sigh, covering her mouth with her delicate hand.

Taking to her feet, Eros smoothed her skirt down and moved her immaculate hair behind her ear. She did not need to be here for his reading of documents, and in fact her only purpose would be to calm him. At this point, he should be more alert anyway.

Striding to the door, Eros shot a look behind her before exiting the room and clicking the door shut with a very final tap. Unsure of where to go from there, Eros gazed down the hallways.
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Deirdre looked down at the sandwich in his hand and let out a slight grimace. It was some cheap, fully processed food that was no doubt artificially made. It tasted good enough, but not one days like today. Days when Deirdre found himself thinking about his previous life, the one that he had before his father's death, before the company that was his inheritance had been decimated, before he had to hide his small fragment of remaining wealth so the government wouldn't take it from him - before every aspect of his life had been destroyed.

God, the food back at his father's mansion had tasted so damn good.

Shaking his head of such thoughts, Deirdre continued walking down the sidewalk along the street. He stuffed the sandwich in his mouth and ate it in about four bites, tearing large chunks out of it and barely chewing before swallowing. After the deed was done, Deirdre wiped his mouth with his hand and looked up at the building that his feet had lead him to.

The sign read "NOVA" but anyone walking by knew it wasn't truly the bureaucratic goliath company that ran so much. It was really a side branch that dealt with the simple tasks, such as calculating revenue and create sideshows to display said revenue. It was mindless, work for Deirdre, who was sure that anyone with any type of primary education could handle the simple equations and computer tasks that he completed everyday.

Deirdre walked into the building and joined the mass of people swarming to the elevator. After three minute of navigating the swarm of elevators, stairs, and aisles, Deirdre plopped down in his cubicle. He turned his computer on and logged on. A message popped up confirmed his identity and that he was on time for his shift - the late shift - followed by instructions and rows of data that needed to be computed.

Deirdre lazily looked through the data and began typing on his terminal, crunching numbers and calculating with ease that came to him thanks to his astounding education, courtesy of his father. He would finish early for sure, and then he could kill time until his shift was up.
 
<table><tr><td valign="top">
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</td><td><p>"Awful, just awful," said Mr Grazer as he clenched his cigar between his teeth, lighting it with impatient puffs. "Even an idiot could tell you didn't write that speech for him. What the hell were you thinking, Dayne?"</p><p>On the other side of the small smoking room, Minister Dayne swirled his glass of sherry, watching the light from the fireplace catch on the rich colour. "Come now, Mr Grazer," answered his silken voice, "It was the Boy's first address to his people. How could my Ministry deny him the chance to write his own words?"</p></p><p></td><td valign="top">
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</td></tr><Tr><td colspan="3"><p>Grazer sat back in his chair, flicking disdainfully through the transcript of the High Priest's address. " 'We are fighting the fight for the whole world to save' Pfft!" He flung down the transcript and puffed again on his cigar, "The Farm-Boy can't even string a sentence together! He's an imbecile!"</p><p>Thaddeus Dayne chuckled as he leant forward and placed his drink on the fireplace table, his cybernetic finger whining softly. Even in the flickering shadows his eyes and teeth seemed to gleam white, accentuating his handsome features. Even his laugh was beautiful, a perfectly crafted display to win the heart and mind. "My dear Mr Grazer, for one who has been in politics as long as yourself, it saddens me that I must educate you."</p><p>On the opposite chair, Grazer paused mid-drag, the eyes of the old statesmen narrowing. Before Dayne's time, no one would have dared to speak in such a way to a Minister of the Faith. But just like the Farm Boy who now held the office of High Priest, Dayne was a young upstart who was not afraid to ruffle feathers.</p><p>Dayne sat back again, adjusting the folds of his black robe, his arms servo-motors whirring softly. "You are quite right: the Boy does indeed have a woeful grasp of speech writing. Saying that he will 'alter' the projects of his father, that he will 'not remove any liberties' whilst 'defending us from terrorists'. Saying that we should be 'peaceful' and yet uphold our 'revolution'. These are all the mistakes that a child would make... but they are good ones, I assure you. When the repercussions of this speech are felt... when the media ask him questions that he cannot answer... when ministers question the detail and the semantics... when he is held to account for his own contractions... then this new High Priest will realise how much he needs us."</p><p>"You had better be right, Dayne," muttered Grazer, running a hand through his pale white hair and shifting in his seat.</p><p>"Dependency is the greatest force of nature," continued Dayne, picking up his glass again and sipping delicately. "It makes such men as Tobias abandon their ego and their childish conceptions, and makes them fall in line with the greater mechanism of state and history. For we, the Church, have outlasted a billion farm-boys such as he, and through that we have a wisdom that he could not begin to conceive of. In time he will learn this, and we shall begin shaping this imbecile into the correct instrument that history requires."</p><p>Grazer looked away, staring at the fire. He, like other Ministers of Faith, had caught on quickly that there was no use in arguing with Thaddeus Dayne. The Minister of Public Information was, for better or worse, the true power behind the Nation, for it was Dayne who controlled the record of history, the interpretation of events, and the ideas of the people. He could, on a whim, lift a very man's existence out of all living memory, change fools to kings and heroes to villains. In these days and times, information was all.</p><p>"The timing is all wrong," the old man muttered, "First Leopold dies and then the Genesis Project comes to fruition. How can we trust the Farm Boy to control the Messiah properly?"</p><p>Thaddeus Dayne pulled back a strand of his golden hair, before draining his glass. And then to his cherubic face there came a smile, serene and overpowering.</p><p>"Leave that to me, Mr Grazer. Leave that to me."</p></td></tr></table>


[SUMMARY: In a shady backroom, two ministers discuss how the ordaining of a new High Priest will affect their plans. Head of Propaganda, Thaddeus Dayne, is confident that he can control the "Farm Boy" Tobias.]
 
-Crusade, High Priest Tobias’s Office

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It was a stagnant smell, the smell that could make someone who dreamed of a life outside the city barf. For Setem, however, this smell was just the smell of leather and other furniture sitting and collecting dust. The smell was almost relieving in a sense, at the very least it eased what small tension Setem had. The clock ticked away in the waiting room until one of the Father’s was guided out of Tobias’s office with a cheerful smile on his face laughing. “Yes yes and thank you for bringing it up Father Haden.” Tobias said guiding his guest out even further. Finally he stopped next to Setem and watched Haden leave. “He is a good man you know? Offset by troubles from before but I have had some time to get to know him.” Tobias now turned his attention to Setem. “You used to protect him correct?”
“I was merely assigned to guard him from assassination attempts while in hostile areas. That is my job.” Setem answered in a clear soldier-like tone.
“True but emotions is what guide us and supports us. You should try getting to know the people you are protecting every once in awhile. Especially with your next assignment.” Tobias said as he turned toward his office and waved for Setem to come in. Taking a seat in the sunbathed room Setem remained focused on Tobias. On the other hand Tobias ran his hand along the wall before taking a seat. “Did you know that this room was all constructed out of one person’s dream?” Tobias said looking about the room. The walls were made of a very fine wood. One of those wooden walls had a large window taking up half of the wall itself letting the sun in. As Setem moved his gaze back over to Tobias he noticed a clock on the wall. It was an old fashioned coo coo clock. “Everything here down to the very chair you are sitting in was all planned out. Beautiful how one person’s dream can become reality, don’t you think?”
“Not to be rude sir but you mentioned a new assignment.” Setem said trying to get back on track. Tobias did not show it but Setem could tell he was frowning upon him. Setem never really had time to take in scenery. The only time he had to himself was community service and there he showed a side of himself he rarely ever showed before.
“Very well onto your assignment then. Looking at your almost perfect track record we have decided to once again promote you. Your subject identification is alpha nine seven zero nine two. Her code name, Genesis.” Setem had now shown his first sign of surprise when given a promotion.
“You cannot mean that I am to be assigned to-“
“Yes Setem. She likes to be called by her own name so I suggest you get to know her. As for her name you can ask her that yourself.” Tobias said smiling slightly.
“Why won’t you give me her name now? It will make this job easier.” Setem argued.
“Let’s just say that it would make her happy. Now off you go, she will be located in building seven zed A. You will not miss it, after all, it is the largest house there.” Tobias now resumed his work as Setem now left.

[Summary: Setem has a meeting with High Priest Tobias. During this meeting he is assigned to guard Genisis.]
 
Tobias sat in his office, alone once again.

As soon as his honored guest had left, Tobias felt his soft palm dusting off the hard oak desk that once belonged to his adopted father, Leopold the Red. The High Priest then shook his head and walked towards the window.

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Now he had his hands firmly against window ledge facing the village simply called the Old District. It was vast and beautiful; it was something he could’ve never imagined as a farm boy. The Ancient Victorians sure had a powerful taste in homes and designs. The modern buildings had no soul according to him, but these ones did. As the High Priest, it was right before him, and would always be there under his rule.

Since both of his fathers were now gone from his life, it was up to him to make sure that their way of life would never be forgotten or changed. All though apart of him wanted to respect those “Brotherhood rebels. ”

He had been told over and over that there could only be one true religion and everyone had to follow it or perish. At first the idea of punishing another for believing what they wanted had frightened him because he still felt that he was that simple minded farmer boy. He had moved past that simple and carefree way of life, he was no longer a child, but a man. Men were not careless, reckless, and didn’t waste their time thinking about only themselves and what they wanted.

Over the years he had proven himself to the late High Priest that he was capable of such things. The hiring of Setem was something he felt was for the best, Sahar needed a guardian.

“Ah, Sahar…”

Once again, Tobias found himself thinking about the child. He hoped, that deep down the child would view him more as a brother than a master.

However; he wanted this life, though he almost felt the time had come too fast. Those who aided him had encouraged him to not fear that he was more than ready to take this position.

To not be afraid of death, but to face it head on, was what he taught by his adoptive father, ten years beforehand. He had to bring the people together to have faith in what was in store for them.

The advent of the scientific creation of Genesis would prevent the coming of any further wars. She would be the key to keeping the world as it is. He just had to keep praying that the rebels would not take her away from the rest of the world for they did not understand the plans that were in store.

Looking to his turban that sat on his desk he looked back outside.

“Am I really the leader that the world had hoped for?”

He still had much to learn about being the High Priest and what was to be expected of him. He knew there would be those that would try to control him, but appear to be helping him. And yet he knew that he would not be aware of it at the time. He would have to work hard to be above them, so that in time, they will learn to trust him as he would trust them.

[Summary: We meet the High Priest for the first time. Tobias is a young man, clearly naïve about his job but knows deep down he will learn over time how to be a proper leader.]
 
Yuri blew into the metal tube, it was still warm from the machine but it was perfect. “Vwala, now for the flash-hider.” He said to his new barrel. Taking the metal cone shaped piece he had made earlier he fitted it and lowered his blackened goggles. Sparks flew as metal was seamlessly joined to metal, then after the arraignment had cooled he took off the goggles and slid it into place and tightened it down to the wooden body. Then the last piece, a telescopic scope, was screwed into place.

“Ahh, perfect. Now you’re ready.” He said to his new rifle, before sliding a round into the chamber and sighting the scope on a target with marking around it. A quick prayer followed by a loud bang echoed through the basement workshop and Yuri lowered the weapon and walked over to the target. “Two degrees left, half a degree up,” he said to himself making the adjustments and walked over to the mark and firing another round, this time it hit dead center. “That should give those fanatics something to think about.” He chucked to himself before quickly disassembling the rifle and putting it back together. Then he swapped the chamber for a larger version and slid in a sniper round, the slug was the same size, just the casing was bigger. “Brilliant.” He congratulated himself before taking it apart again and slipping it under his coat.

He went back into the shop and nodded to the other brotherhood member who had been keeping watch, the simple gesture relaying that it was finished, along with a small number of standard rifles for other members. Without a word his comrade moved off, the weapons would be moved one by one and the brotherhood was a little stronger.
 
Amy Sherriden was almost started when Sahar had decended down the fancy marble staircase that led to the upper levels of the ancient marbled structure. The smile on the young girl's face always made her day. She couldn't help but smile as the young 00 embraced her stomach with a bear hug. Dr. Sherriden let her hands drop onto the child's shoulders.

"Hi Mom!" Sahar grinned. "You were gone for sooo long!"

"I know, Sahar," Dr, Sherriden replied as the child let go and looked up at her, "I had business to do at Nova Corps; “Father” and I were discussing something with the High Priest and then went out for lunch."

Amy knew that Sahar disliked people calling President Talbot her father, but she was doing it for herself more than she did it for the girl. Although Amy, like every other girl when they were growing up, had her crushes, but she didn’t have many boyfriends in the past few years. Hell, even her last one-night stand had been almost three months ago.

"What were you talking about with the High Priest?" Sahar questioned.

It took the smile off Amy's face, thoughts went through her head. Should she tell her? How would she handle it? She eventually decided to settle on the general facts. "We were talking about work."

"Work, eh?" Sahar questioned. "You seem to talk to Mr. Talbot a lot lately…"

"This is just for now, Honey. When this problem with the Rebellion is over, I'll be able to spend more time with you. Like back when you were littler."

"Why can't we just ask them to be nice and go home? I‘m sure Talbot has some super trick up his butt ugly stripped blazer coats…" Sahar mentioned as she crossed her arms together and raised an eyebrow.

Sherriden sighed with a smile, "Not everybody's nice like I am, Sahar."

Sahar was still for a while, she struggled with what words to use, "You mean like ...Daddy?"

Once again, Sahar had managed to remove Sherriden’s smile. Talbot had no real interest in the human aspects of Genesis.

"Yeah... like Daddy."

About Two Hours Later

Amy, sat alone in the make shift office she used.
“Another spike in Genesis’ gastric secretions. Possibly nothing more than a response to hormonal imbalance, but perhaps the phenomenon was related to the genetic root causes of the bypass that she had to undergo in infancy.” Amy spoke a loud to herself.

Sahar had been born with an unusually thickened coronary artery, rendering it useless which suggested she was suffering from developmental aberrations. In simpler terms, Genesis’ natural aging process was being suppressed.

“Doctor,” one of the lab assistants asked her nervously, clearly wary of upsetting his superior while she worked.. “President Talbot wanted to speak with you about Genesis’ recent behavioral development. Apparently, the incident with the guards…”

“I know,” Amy mentioned, “I know…”

“Oh…And one more thing, a new guard has been assigned to us….He’s waiting in the lobby to speak with you…” The assistant added.

Amy raised an eyebrow, not once in their meetings did Talbot say anything about a new guard.

[Summary: Sahar talks with her mother. Later on, Amy ponders if Sahar's act of violence is somehow connected with the research. Finally, a lab assistant informs her of Setem's arrival.]
 
-Home 7 Zed A, Lobby

A brief wind was caught behind the stone wall lining the yard around the house. It whisked up a beautiful scent of flowers and fresh grass cut to standard. Setem continued on into the greeting hall and very soon after that the lobby where he was greeted by a lab assistant. “Hello sir. What business do you have here?”
“I have been assigned as body guard to Genesis.” Setem said showing him some papers and a valid Crusader identification.
“Very well I will go tell the Doctor.” The lab assistant scurried away into the large house as Setem sat in the lobby waiting.

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The house was overwhelming in size. Just looking at the stairs could almost make a person dizzy from heights. It was old fashioned and seemed to not have a touch of security, when in reality this place was crawling with cameras and the such. As per usual in situations like this Setem remained calm and ready to accept whoever it was he was going to protect. He knew this project was going on for awhile so the entity known as Genesis had to at least by eighteen or even older by now. “A brash young woman…just what I need.” Setem quietly commented to himself. It was not long after that the assistant came back with a female almost the same height as Setem but slightly shorter. She walked up with a slightly worried look on her face.
“I am Doctor Amy Sherriden can you please explain? I was given no notice of this.” She asked in a simple business tone. Setem got up and held out his hand. Dr. Sherriden grabbed it and they shook hands with some silence before Setem explained what was going on.
“Hello, I am Setem 07, no last name. I have been assigned here by High Priest Talbot to protect Genesis.” Setem said, letting go of Dr. Sherriden’s hand.
“07? You must be the one I’ve heard about in the papers, the body guard.” Amy replied knowing a bit about Setem’s work.
“And you are the doctor that is in charge of this division. I have always wondered what people were assigned to her. Of course being who I am I knew about this little project but never the full details. All of it was on need to know and I was not at the time.” Setem looked around now getting a slightly better view of the home. “So where is my assignment?”
“We’ll get to that but first let me show you around a bit.” Amy said guiding Setem into the house. Bringing a new person into the house probably would easily upset the already unhappy Sahar. This small tour would be just the trick to give her time to cool off.
 
As the clock in the next room over chimed twelve times, a very unwelcoming growl came from Altair. He looked up at the clock and yawned loudly, "Dammit. Noon again. I really need to regulate my sleeping schedule..."

Once again Altair had spent the majority of the night awake while the rest of Infinity had long since gone to bed. Infinity: Altair's mercenary group consisting of five people based in an old police station turned heavily defended fortress. This was largely thanks to Jason Xavier, the son of a scientist once working for Nova Corps. As smart as Altair was, he didn't know how to build a entire computer network capable of hacking like Jason could. As Altair felt around the floor for his pants, he fumbled for the remote control and clicked the television on.

"--And in recent news, High Priest Leopold the Red died on Tuseday. Preliminary examnations show that-"

"What!? NO!"

Altair turned up the TV and listened to the report, panic quickly being replaced by rage. An loud back echoed throughout the base as Altair's fist slammed into the wall.

"That son of a bitch was the last link I had to Project Genesis!!! Bastard! Probably commited suicide. He must of known I was about to make my move..."

Fully awake, Altair got dressed before hearing a knock on the door.

"Al? I heard yelling?"

"Come in, Jay..."

The door slid to the side as Jason entered the room and glanced over on the TV.

"Who did what now?" he asked as the report changed to the latest exploits of David Talbot, "Talbot only just now came on, so it must be bad."

"Leopold the Red is dead."

"No kidding? Well, that's not good," Jay adjusted his glasses as Altair retrieved his sunglasses from the nightstand.

"How the hell can you be so calm when the man we've been watching for the last three years dies just as we're ready to move!?"

"One of us has to be, now don't we? Who replaced him?"

"That kid of his. He's useless to me if I can't use him to get where his father would have gotten us."

"Well then, what do, Altair?"

"I don't know. I'm going to eat breakfast before I worry about that."

"Its 12:37 in the afternoon!" Jay smirked as Altair grabbed his duster off of the hangar and exited the room.

"Ask me if I care!"

"You never do!"

[Summary: Altair wakes up in the eary afternoon to discover that the late Leopold the Red is deceased, much to his anger. When Jason Xavier inquires what to do next, Altair declares that he'll deal with that after he eats.]
 
Deirdre looked up from his computer as he finished checking his work for the shift. All neatly bundled and ready for presenting. Deirdre took a moment to wonder just who actually used his work - was is a suave businessman who was in line for a promotion? Or maybe the files were just stored and never seen again. Either way, Deirdre cared little what really happened - as long as he got paid it didn't matter a single bit.

Taking a quick glance around his cubicle, Deirdre pulled out a small portable drive from his pocket and fed it into the CPU and carefully but quickly opened the file located on said drive. The file seemed empty besides a few meaningless pictures and documents, but after Deirdre punched in a series of complex codes, two small icons appeared in the lower corner. Deirdre clicked the first and typed in another password, initiating the program.

The program started and Deirdre watched as its effects took place. The computer's monitoring device, a standard on all work-place CPUs, was fed data that showed Deirdre to be correcting his early finished work. With a sly smile, Deirdre clicked the second icon and initiated the other file.

Deirdre's screen suddenly became filled with raw data that represented the company's advance security and firewall systems. Deirdre had been monitoring the system and trying to slowing wiggle his way in since he first started. It was a long and tireless task, but Deirdre knew that the day he succeeded was the day the Brotherhood claimed a humongous victory.
 
When Tobias had first informed Setem of the Messiah, he could only imagine a grown woman, who cared only about her destiny as the Chosen One. Like many others, there was a knowledge about the Project but it was kept well under wraps. Granted, to the vast majority of unregistered citizens, it was the same old claim of change that wasn't going to occur.

It had been a relatively short tour of the grounds, in fact Setem had only seen the main level. Apparently, Amy had enough foresight, not to interfere with Sahar's daily routine.

"So, did you enjoy your walk, Sahar?" Amy smiled as she saw the white haired young girl enter the scene once again.

Setem now finally saw the girl he was now sworn to protect. She was not yet a woman, nor a child; a female trapped in between the ages of 10 and 20.

“It was fine. Though I have to admit is a little cold outside.” Sahar mentioned. Even if it had been a cool night, she only wore a purple shirt with fancy crosses hand stitched to the cuffs. In an era of machine made goods pumping out clothes at record speeds, anything so fancily hand tailored was considered something only Registered Citizens could have.

“Who’s the dork in the hat?” Sahar asked as soon as she glazed upon Setem. Her bright red eyes locked in on him, as if she were trying to hack into his very brain.

“Uh, excuse us for one second honey…” Amy was forced to say, knowing Sahar might be up to something.

Leading Setem into a small corner room, she pulled a thick file out of the leather briefcase she had been carrying. During the few hours she had been home, the doctor took her time reading the file. Sahar had become upset and attacked two guards; they were currently being held in the Hospital Bay's Psyche-Ward. Over the past few weeks, Sahar had been developing a quick temper while she was gone. The Messiah had almost torn a soldier in half who was told to tell the girl that her mother would be late two nights earlier.

“Are you sure you want to be a guard here? It’s not exactly a fun job…She's been acting increasingly unacceptable lately…” Dr. Sherriden muttered.

Surely enough, there was a link between her frequent leaves and Sahar's behavior, but she would need better reasons than that if she were to request a permanent placement at Sahar's location. Amy was needed in multiple projects in different labs now that there was a new High Priest, even now Talbot was discussing another with her.

“Sahar is a growing girl, Doctor,” Setem replied. “She just needs someone to look up to and to take care of her. A strong, normal mental development is just as important as physiological development. I don‘t think most of her guards have ever, well thought that aspect out. They fear her. Doctor, that’s something, I will not do. For I am not like normal guards. Please keep that in mind.” Setem mentioned in a calm and professional manner, "Allow me, to get to know her."

It was around 11:00 PM and Sahar was still awake. She sat there staring at the ceiling of the large fancy room she called home.

“Hmm, I wonder who decided to put those little holes in the plaster? Seems rather pointless me.”

She then stared at a few yellow wood pencils, which she had discarded there from the previous morning.

A large, board childish smile formed on her face, “This should be interesting.”

She then converged her thoughts on the pencils, which started to float in midair and soon the sharpened tips found themselves caught in the little air holes.

“Well that was mildly entertaining ….”*

There was now a knock on the door.

“Hello, Miss Fairchild. May I come in?” Setem asked.

“Meh, whatever floats your boat, sir.” Sahar coolly responded.
 
A fresh dew had coated the grass outside giving off a rich smell. Setem could now feel each individual blade of grass even though he was just simply looking out the window. It was not long before he noticed Sahar was looking at him with an unpleasant stare. “I’m sorry, I just…like the moonlight.” Setem said as his attention was entirely focused on the room. “A large room, you are a lucky one indeed.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Sahar said her annoyance still not leaving her face. Setem looked in her direction.
“I used to live in a room, but it had no windows. I did not have anyone to care. I’m just impressed is all. Sorry if my reminiscing bothers you I am still getting used to guarding…” Setem really did not know what to say. He knew he could not call her a little girl or Genesis as per warning from Tobias. Instead he decided to take his advice this one time. “I’m sorry I did not quite catch your name.” Setem said hoping she would at least give him that.
“I am Sahar not any of those other names people talk about.” It did not seem he made her happy but at least he was not being tormented like the cases with most of the guards.
“Nice to meet you Sahar, I am Setem 07.” He said in the most polite way he could. As he looked up trying to figure out what to say next he noticed the pencils in the ceiling. “Interesting use for them.” Was all he could say.
“Why do you not just leave for the night?” Sahar asked.
“Because I am your shield and wherever you go I’ll be sure to follow until my last breath.” Setem was once again more professional in his vocal tone.
“Just leave this house, I only need Mom.” Sahar said again.
“I can’t.” Setem replied quickly. Nothing she said would make him leave this house. If he did not accomplish his duties then not only would he have his first real bad mark on his profile but he would have failed himself in a way.
“Get Out!” Sahar yelled. Her telekinetic abilities picked up a glass of water next to her bed and threw the liquid at Setem. His head and torso were drenched.
“Now that was not nice. I think you might need a lesson in proper etiquette.” Setem said. He closed his eyes and lifted the water right off of his skin and clothes and turned it into a small ball in front of him.

[align=center]
waterball.jpg
[/align]

“You quickly forget that there will always be someone stronger than you, more knowledgeable than you and they may not always be as nice as me.” Setem said tossing the ball out of the window letting the water rest on the grass below. “I’ll leave you alone tonight but I will not leave this house.” Setem now exited believing he made his point. As he closed the door behind him he sighed. “This one is not going to be an easy one.”
 
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<table><tr><td valign="top">
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</td><td><p><B>"Something on your mind, Colonel?"</B></p><p>At the opposite end of the red leather seat, Colonel Gustave sat upright, his police uniform at odds with the plush interior of the golden car. The old veteran had a way of looking out of place on anything but a battlefield. But since a Brotherhood bullet had shattered his knee five years ago, Gustave had little choice but to indulge the luxuries of a city police posting.</p><p>"I do not like Setem," replied the soldier, his gravelly voice as clipped as ever.</p></td><td valign="top">
1ddWUy8F7o1oacw8oRsvVN5Ro1_400.jpg
</td></tr><Tr><td colspan="3"><p>There were two things in Gustave's world - things he would defend and things he would not like. And there was plenty in this day and age that Gustave did not like.</p><p>Opposite him, Thaddeus Dayne reclined in his indigo Ministry robes, a stack of data-slates perched on his lap, which he was steadily working through. The first one displayed in pale white text.</p><p><ul><i>Lowetta Regis, a Brotherhood suicide bomber. She hid explosives in her baby's push-chair, blowing up herself and her child at a Crusade rally. Three members of the Inner Party were killed, along with five civilians.</ul></i></p><p>Dayne's mechanical fingers started working, the cybernetic pistons flexing beneath his sleeves as golden text replaced the white.</p><p><ul><i>Lowetta Regis, hero of the Crusade. She was one of the youngest female flight officers to graduate, and led several daring raids into the Outlands. Her plane was hit after a surveillance run on the western coastline. She spent her last minutes transmitting intelligence safely to Headquarters, before piloting her aircraft directly into a Norfolkian frigate.</ul></i></p><p>His eyes barely moving, Dayne turned to the next slate.</p><p><ul><i>Michael Carrahine, long-serving member of the Ministry of Finance. His wife and two children were liquidated for heresy seven years ago. Michael was found innocent and allowed to continue his duties, serving the Ministry for the next seven years before taking his own life by leaping from the rooftops and colliding with a hover-coach. His last internal memo was sent to nine departments of the Ministry, explaining his misery and condemning the Inner Party.</p><p>Michael Carrahine, hero of the Crusade. After his wife and children were arrested for heresy, Michael was enraged. He could not bear the shame of being tricked by enemies of the state. To redeem his honour and make amends to the High Priest, Michael tracked down his wife's contacts, following the evidence back to a Brotherhood cell in an antiques shop in Lower Weston. With a pistol purchased from the sale of his wife's belongings, Michael attacked the cell, killing three of the terrorists before he was cowardly gunned down. The antiques shop will now be demolished and cleared for a memorial to this act of citizen zealotry.</ul></i></p><p><b>"Setem's record is immaculate."</b> answered the Minister. <b>"He is a faithful servant of the Crusade."</b></p><P>Gustave came forward, his deep voice resonating around the car in short hisses. "That's not what I'm talking about. Genesis must remain pure. You said yourself: she is the blank slate. No bias. No preconception. Innocent. That is why the people will follow her."</p><p>Dayne switched to another data slate, rewriting the history of the dead as he spoke. "And you believe that Setem will be too 'human' with her?"</p><p>Gustave leaned closer, his face pitted with creasing scars. "They already tolerate this 'mother' delusion of hers. Things are going too far."</p><p>Dayne continued typing, the skyline of the city speeding past the shimmering windows of the car. "Genesis is still young, and we must grant her these necessities. If she wishes to have a 'mother', then we shall allow it. The teenage years are... cluttered... ones, a twist of fire and fury that is prelude to the proper 'adjustment' of adult life." Dayne looked up, his blue eyes fixing his old friend's. "God knows, I was a mess before I met you." He put the data slates aside, another cherubic smile coming to his face. "Do you remember the drinking halls, Gustave? A young boy making speeches, jeered and cajoled by the workers. They never listened to me, did they? But you, my friend - you did. You brought your soldiers to the meetings, and you made them listen. You made the city hear me, for the first time." He looked down at the twin prosthetics that rested in his lap. "You were my arms... when I had none."</p><p>There was a moment of silence. The car turned northwards into the central airway, a criss-cross of flying cars moving in each direction as the rising sun turned the city to sickly yellow. Gustave reached across and placed a hand on Dayne's shoulders. "I will follow you to the end, Sir, as I always have."</p><p>Dayne reciprocated the gesture, the two men linked in a grip of flesh and metal. "When the time comes, we shall remove Doctor Sherriden... even Setem if we must. And Genesis will learn as we both did... that when the days of youth are spent, all humans must put aside their baser passions... and become something. We shall take away all she has ever known, and she will be reborn."</p><p>In the distance, the towering pyramid-shaped structure of the Ministry of Information filled the western arm of the city, its highest landing platform lighting up to receive the Minister's arrival.</p></td></tr></table>


[SUMMARY: Thaddeus Dayne travels to work at the Ministry of Information. He is accompanied by his closest friend and bodyguard, Police Colonel Gustave. The two men discuss the eventual elimination of Doctor Sherriden and Setem in order to safeguard Sahar's unbiased development.]
 
After 11pm, An Undisclosed Building

"This doesn't seem safe."

"That is why you are here."

"It's not what I meant."

"Stop whining and do as you're told."

Do as your told. Rhiannon Wade was starting to hate that phrase. Miss Emily had been a lady of manners and grace. Someone that Rhiannon took pride in caring for. Her nephew, however, was a foul little man with increasingly disturbing ideas. A first, the things Val Mancini had her doing were illegal, but they were hardly considered dangerous. Stealing from private homes or closed business. All she had to do was make sure no one was awake to see them.

Tonight was different.

Rhiannon stayed behind the man as the crept along in the shadows of the crates that lined most of the building. It was probably a storage warehouse or perhaps a factory. She didn't know what was there, or what Mister Val wanted... just that no one could see them.

"Stay here. If you see anyone, you know what to do."

She stayed put. Val crept across the distance, pausing only for a moment before slipping behind a door marked PRIVATE. When she caught sight of someone passing down the hall, she raised a hand. Adjusting her fingers as if she were slowly pulling a sheet from a bed. The man coughed, wheezed... after a few moments he passed out. She hated doing that.

Rhiannon waited.


Summary: Val Mancini is making use of Rhiannon for some mysterious plans! What he's after is unclear!
 
Yuri peeked out the window, the square was mostly empty except for the men he had paid to be there. They where not brothers, but rather gangsters and thugs, and more importantly couldn't be linked back to him, in fact they had never even seen him. There he was, the crusade officer, sitting pretty in his fancy car, thinking he was safe. There was a car with his bodyguard ahead of his, and another behind, 20 men in total. That wouldn't give him long before the rabble he had hired either surrendered or ran.

He fingered a remote, “Almost there.. 3... 2... 1...” he pressed the button and the lead car disappeared is a fireball, its wreck blocking the others' way. In the same moment the hired guns opened fire but their bullets couldn't penetrate the armored glass. The rear car's doors flew open and several soldiers spread out finding cover and returning fire while the officer's staff car turned only to find its path blocked by pre-placed obstacles the way back blocked by debris from a second explosion. All according to plan the mercs attacked from the opposite side of the motorcade as Yuri's hiding place, and any second now.....

Yuri skid a single round and slid the bold on his rifle back and rested the stock against his shoulder. Several explosions echoed through the square, grenades.. “Any second now...” he steadied the rifle against the window sill. “There we go.. now take cover.” He said at the Officer abandoned his vehicle as it was rocked by even more grenades. Looking through the scope he took aim, zooming it in far enough to see the expression of fear on his face. A grin spread across his face as the recoil punched into his shoulder and the face disappeared in a spray of blood. “SNIPER!” A voice cut through the gunfire. “WHERE IS THE BASTARD! DID ANYONE SEE?” “HE GOT THE CAPTAIN! HE GOT THE F***KING CAPTAIN.”

Yuri didn't stay long enough to see anything more, he had done what he came to do and it didn't mater if the mercs got out or not, their contract was over and they could go back to robbing the innocent. He puled the barrel out of its socket and folded the stock reducing the rifle into a tiny package that didn't resemble anything in particular, and caped the scope to protect the lenses and stuffed into a small art of miscellaneous items, Nope couldn't stick around, he had a delivery to make.

<b> Summery:</b> Yuri makes a big mess and kills an anonymous captain, and there are street gangsters there to take the blame.
 
"...one of the country's foremost soldiers, one Captain Williams of the Crusaders, was killed earlier today during a violent and despicable gang attack... it is believed this is associated with the underground terrorist cell... gang members at the scene of the crime were apprehended and taken in for questioning... Captain Williams will be sorely missed by his fiancee, who is holding a service in honour of him and all he has accomplished in the holy name of the church..."

Asheron took a moment to pause in his work, sweeping the dirt from the floor of the shoddy bar, and stared at the television screen. There was only a brief recording of the attack- a gunshot and a man crumpling- and then it was immediately cut for a far more flattering image of the reporter in question, giving in effect a heavily-embroidered summary of the dead man's life.

Piggart. If you honestly think that Captain was nearly as pious as you make him out to be, you're as stupid and gullible as the sheep that drink this up.

Wish I could shake that sniper's hand...


"Oi! Do I pay ya to stare at the telly screen, ya scrawny white rat?! Pick up that broom and work!"

His pale eyes narrowed, but he held his silence, and turned his gaze on the floor, resuming his chore. But quiet observance only gave him more time to think, and more to think about.

It would be interesting, he decided, what happened at the next meeting.
 
A slight bead of sweat dropped down Deirdre's brow as the screen in front of him rapidly cycled through a massive amount of data. Deirdre took a slow, deliberate breath and casually wiped the sweat away. Deirdre's eyes narrowed as the screen began to dim slightly and the data stream began slowing down. Deidre had just broken through several layers of firewall, but in the process he had almost brought the whole security system down on him. After several minutes of tense maneuvering and data input, the infrastructure of the system had been put back up in place well enough to fool anyone looking at it, although it did now have a new addition - a hidden "back door" of sorts that would allow Deirdre to pick up his work at that point without triggering security.

Deirdre allowed himself a small smile at the work he had just accomplished, then shut down his hacking program. He let his decoy program play for a minute more before carefully shutting it down as well, leaving his work from earlier on the computer screen. The employee surveillance program let out a soft "bing" and Deirdre saw a message pop up on his screen.

[ALIGN=center]CLOSING TIME
SUBMIT ALL WORK TO SUPERVISOR[/align]

Deirdre let out a sigh and pulled himself out of his chair. He stretched and brushed the few wrinkles in his shirt that had formed from a hours of sitting in one position. Stifling a yawn, Deirdre pocket the small portable drive that contained his secret work and walked out of his cubicle into the small mass of employees who were filing out of the building.

'So what to do tonight?' Deirdre thought to himself. 'Oh yeah - meeting my brothers.'
 
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