_Essex_

"Hey, Experiment." Rosalind said. "You can have mine!!"

With that, egg number 17 impacted the back of his head and promptly yolksploded.

Essex was whimpering, and then glanced over, noticing that Hal had exploded his own egg.

She couldn't help but let her whimpering turn to giggles at that. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Rosalind in the meantime was slinking around, eyeing the other egg-holders. If I can get the others to bust their own eggs, I've got this one in the bag.

Essex nodded to Experiment wordlessly.

Kneeling next to Keegan, she placed her hands on the boy's shoulders. A green light, similar to that of nanites but wholly different all at once, washed over him, and the green of her eyes pulsed along with the resonation of the energy.

"...I...think I know what I am." she said in response to the stone, quietly. "But I am not to tell anyone." Her gaze turned to the Philosopher's stone, frowning slightly.

"And what cause have you given me to trust you to such an extent?" she said, her words sounding strange in her childish voice. "Nothing. You have verbally berated me, insulted me, merely for doing what I was told. You are nothing but an impatient brat. So be quiet until we can reach somewhere safe. Until then, all your screaming is doing is annoying people and possibly drawing attention to us."

Her gaze lifted and flickered over those gathered.

"...I recognize...many of you. But I don't know why or how. Please forgive me if I withhold the greater portion of my trust for the time being. While I hold memories of happiness and freedom in a bright, prosperous city, they are distant and surreal. All I have had in my life are steel walls and sterility, my father's love and my stepmother's undying hatred. Until I sort out the two..."

She glanced over her shoulder at Midas.

"...He is the only one I trust." she concluded, in a bit of irony.

Essex stared at the stone.

"....."

She didn't know what to tell it.

Her eyes flitted to Acid, Tam, John...lost.

Essex raised a hand to her forehead in surprise, her other hand propping her up in her seated position, legs still somewhat dangling over Tam.

"Father's sigil..." she said, more to herself than to anyone else.

Essex stumbled back, tripping over Tam as she jumped, startled, at the Stone's roar. Tumbling to the ground bottom-first with a melon-like thud, she stared, wide-eyed at the artifact like a deer in headlights.

"...My father said...N-not to tell anyone!" she stammered back. "And I'm especially not going t-to tell you...You're nothing but..a ...a mean rock!"

Her voice had reached a shrill volume, and it was strange - it seemed to fill the air with her words. Then, all at once, the mark on her forehead shimmered, and all was once again, ominously, as it should, as though the momentary resonation had only been a change in pressure....

"I am --"

Essex trailed for a second, looking lost.

Replicated humanoid-
Bioengineered-
Procedurally driven artificial intelligence-
The bond of the soul-
I've done it, Roksana, our daughter will live--
What? Wings!? The energy, quickly! Raise the sigils! They mustn't-
Stay in the lab with me so you don't get-
We have to keep her here, Gretchen-
I don't want her in battle-
Protect her from the Overmagus-
How can an artifical heart feel-
Seraphim 666--
Selene--
Essex--
S6-


"...It's a secret." she finally said, folding her arms behind her back and rocking on her heels a little.

Essex watched the stone's exchange with wide eyes.

"N-no." she protested, standing in front of Midas and extending her arms out to the sides protectively. "I like him. He protected me."

Her eyes falling on the glowing stone, she screwed up her sallow face into a little frump.

"You... are mean."

You want to disassemble me.
"You want to disasse-"

She paused.

"...I don't like you very much." she finally decided on, standing firmly between the rushing-about Midas and the Philosopher's Stone in the hand of Acid.

"Kyaaah!" Essex cried in surprise as her egg exploded in her hands. She visibly jumped, startled, at the cheerful POP! that the egg made, covering her in goo.

For a split-second, she looked lost, shocked, and utterly miserable, like someone who had just been vomited on in a carnival ride.

"Haha, dramabot!" Rosalind jeered a little.

"I -am- a kid." Essex protested as she tossed her old blanket to the ground to gather up Midas'.

The stark whiteness of her entire figure was apparent in that split second, between the sleeveless little white shift to the pallor of her skin. Even her hair seemed more white than blonde. The only color she even seemed to have was in those luminous green eyes, and the dried blood that was on her forehead, in addition to the no-longer fresh blood on her cheek from the gunshot.

As she leaned over to pick up the warmer blanket, a bit of her back was exposed, the top fraction of the heavy scars visible for a split-second before she wrapped it around her once again.

"...I have to run. My father told me so." she said, reaching up to touch her cheek.

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

"All you [censored] are..." Rosalind growled as she kicked her desk-lamp in the way of the slash to disrupt it as she combat-rolled backwards. "...Is a white, mechanical ninja."

The Berettas flew out of her hands with a disgruntled toss, and in a fluid motion she drew a large combat knife from her boot and pulled a machete off the wall. Her eyes were cold as she regarded the Ivory Engine and she aggressively launched forward, parrying its attack of opportunity and jamming the knife at its neck joint with all her strength.

In the close range, her words came as a whispering, bloodthirsty taunt.

"And I say [censored] ninja."

With a quick slash, she rolled to the side, barely ducking the door that flew at Ivory from Cortianna. Rosie didn't look back. She knew she could count on her bodyguard come hell or high water.

"Corti." she said. "Grab the main intercom; the one in here is dead. We've got a Code Tessaract, I repeat, a Code Tessaract. Base location's been compromised, I want sectors Delta through Phi evacuated yesterday."

Essex remained clinging to Midas throughout the whole ordeal, her face buried in his labcoat.

Nevertheless, her eyes scanned the small bunker curiously. Her current life had never been outside the lab...

...but no matter how curious she was, she didn't trust anyone but the man who had protected her thus far. Essex's arms still encircled Midas' leg as she clung to him...

((Hey, lay offa me. Maybe I'm waiting for someone besides you and the GM to post in CoT, so blah. ))

"Flight?" Essex echoed, puzzled.

That's right... I flew.

But I could always fly.

Couldn't I?

She clung tenaciously to Midas' leg, only barely peeking out to stare at Acid suspiciously.

"I don't even know any of you people." she murmured softly, even as their names flashed through her mind. "I just want to go home... I just want to see my father..."

"Oh dear..." Essex replied, looking at her egg unsurely.

Rosalind nodded with a snicker, tossing her egg up and down in her hand.

Essex clung tightly behind Dr. Phillis. The man could feel her shaking with fear.

A slight glow built around her for just a moment, but was immediately surpressed as the butterfly emblem on her forehead flashed momentarily.

"Please..." she whispered, barely audibly with her face pressed in Midas' labcoat. "Please be quiet, both of you. They'll find us..."

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

Rosalind sat down at her desk, kicking up her feet. She reached into a drawer and pulled out some hard candy, sucking on it rather loudly as she scanned the teletype transcript with critical eyes.

Every once in a while, her gaze would flit to the framed picture on her desk.

Emry and Pherelith. The handsome white-haired magnolia spirit. The deranged, fun-loving zombie girl.

Both of them sent to the world beyond by the Overmagus.

Rosalind cursed under her breath. She never should have given Archlich that angel's blood. She was appropriately respectful, but she should have kept him at an arm's length.

Rosie supposed it was telling that he barely spared her life, as if in a mockery of thanks. But it came so much later, even after the three of them had stood against him. After so much had happened. Her eyes moved to a second photo - this one a portrait. Rosalind's gaze softened. The bouquet. Phe's green dress and racuous grin. Emry's black tuxedo, so striking against his white hair, and her own black hair striking against her white dress -

- wait.

Rosalind's gaze narrowed at the white shadow that had barely shifted.

"[censored] no." she growled, seemingly at the teletype.

Instantly twin berettas were unholstered as she whirled on heel, firing on the assassin-bot. Her eyes were narrowed painstakingly as she dropped her heel on a button.

Instantly alarms blared through the base.

"Security breach!!" she screamed through the intercom system.

You killed my best friend. Rosalind thought murderously as she rolled to evade the bot's fire.

You killed my husband. she glowered as she peppered it with armor-piercing rounds.

I refuse to [censored]' let you kill me. she thought in determination as she kicked over her desk, using it as a shield as she reloaded.

((Apologies, Devious. :3 I though saying "Group Fly" in the previous post and having them slip in through the window was enough. But I guess it was kinda sudden. ))

((No teleport - flight, babe. XP))

((And now is the perfect time to introduce my second character. ))

The Underground.

In order to pose any sort of chance in this strict, oppressive world, you had to be strict and oppressive yourself. Meet the man where he's at. The men moved like clockwork, strictly on schedule, everyone in their place.

The sound of boots down the hallway, a quick, calculated step.

The sound of the boots was accompanied by the sounds of dozens of boots, responding in turn, clicking together sharply in salute. The commander didn't acknowledge the men, instead turning their attention forward.

"Status report. Now."

"We have reports of mobilizations at points 4x-20 through 32.beta12. Army of Death cordons located here, here, and here. Code Tangerine Dream at Point L.40."

"Good. Next order of business. Calibrate the nightvision scopes to 575 nanometers. It seems they're finding more ways to slip past. If we isolate that wavelength, we should be able to pinpoint much anything."

"Right. Commander, we have rumors of the Secret Police moving in certain civilian sectors. It seems Officer Danya is accompanying the patrols personally."

"Keep an eye on that situation. Feliks Danya is dangerous. I will not lose to him."

"Commander, the Overmagus' newest commands have been intercepted and are waiting for you in your office on teletype for analyzation."

"Good. What else?"

"The Cubs lost again."

"[censored]. I guess I owe you a five, Private."

The crowd of officers were allowed a chuckle, but their Commander remained serious-faced as the individual checked over some papers.

"...How are the Oranbegans doing?"

"Miserably, Commander. Despite the rallying of most of the existing totems and otherworldly phenomena to their aid, it seems the Overmagus has commanded a much larger stockpile of supernatural troops."

"Beh." the Commander spat, and whirled to face the officers, throwing the papers to the floor, along with her hat.

Long, black hair trailed to the middle of her back, white streaks framing her face. Canine ears clipped to alert triangles, usually hidden below a military-grade hat. What was once a black and white fluffy tail was now just a small protrusion of the tailbone, it having been lopped off in combat long ago.

The Commander of Sector Lambda of the Resistance looked somewhat strange surrounded by her best and brightest, as she herself resembled only a twenty-something girl with dog ears.

Rosalind.

"If I wanted to [censored] hear about the traitors that Overmagus Archlich has convinced to aid him, I'd request a report." she snarled. "Give me a list of the resources we do have. Keep the communications coming from Headquarters. And GOD DAMN IT, Jenkins, if you bring me one more cup of decaf I'll beat you to death with a rolled-up newspaper. I want [censored] answers, I want [censored] solutions, I want [censored] eyes on whatever the Secret Police is doing at ALL times. Do I make myself clear?"

"YES SIR!" the officers intoned as one.

"Good!" Rosie snapped back. "I'm going to be analyzing those teletypes. I want hourly status reports from each department, two minutes apiece. I want to know who, what, where, why, when, and how. Dismissed!"

With that, the were-human stalked back to her war room, mind cold with calculations.

She wasn't on the side of the Oranbegans. She wasn't on the side of the Mu.

Rosalind was on the side of freedom.

((I'm-a hijack my ride so we don't get arrested while Billyboy's in class. ))

Essex and Midas Phillis....were gone.

One of the taller warehouses, scored from years of use, had a broken-in window. The entry-way hidden by boughs of laundry hanging from a low line, it was a simple matter to quickly slip in unseen, especially with the benefit of limited flight. A locked-off attic area, filled with dust, rats, and insects, was nevertheless the perfect hiding place.

Essex was suddenly tired, her vision swimming as she nevertheless tenaciously clung to Midas.

((Hehe, it's fine, I edited. XP))

((Noooooo!

*cling* >____<

You're only gone till Saturday, ja? Our freakin' pool party on the first night lasted like three days. I'm sure someone can fill you in when you get back. ;_; ))

Essex's eyes brightened and she carefully picked up egg number 6.

Rosalind saw she took it, and pondered for a moment before reaching for the number 9 and snickering. However, another hand deftly scooped it up before she had a chance to, and she grumbled, begrudgingly taking 17 and going to lean against the wall.

When a boy teleported behind her, startling her by saying her name - her codename that her father had given her, no less!! - Essex was petrified. She was already white as a sheet, but had it been possible to go paler, she would have. Compound that with the sudden feral growl from above, and the closing in of the strange lizardman and the man in the trenchcoat.

Clinging to Midas, she buried her face in his neck from behind, shivering in fear. She couldn't let them find her. Wouldn't let them find her. Her father had told her to run...

"Hold onto me." she whispered.

Midas Phillis' feet lifted off the ground as Essex clung to his back, as though the tiny girl was carrying him. The grey blanket fluttered out behind them like a cape...

((Group Fly. <_< But only Midas is on her 'team.'))

"...Acid..." Essex barely breathed.

The name seemed to come to her from...nowhere, and yet, it was perfectly obvious to her. Frightened, she clung to Dr. Phillis, seemingly startled by her own revelation and the sudden swimming influx of half-memories that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Sir!" Essex cried, her eyes widening in fear. "Don't give up!!"

Suddenly John saw the girl emerge from the blanket, flinging her deathwhite arms around Midas Phillis' neck. Her fluffy blonde hair tossed around by the wind and the force of the robots' steps, she hugged him tightly.

"Don't give up..." she whispered, the child's voice close, and her breath warm on his ear.

Suddenly, Midas felt himself full of more energy than he knew what to do with. The skin on his back suddenly itched terribly for a split second before the pain abruptly faded, the wounds having closed in a mere instant.