NationStates Jolt Archive

Between DA and Sevaris:

Ooc-

Ties in with these:
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=367067
http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=370432

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/ComMiss/TheCouncilofTwelve.jpg

Pyramid explained here (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=7390038&postcount=5)


IC-

Gregory was in Madrid, he'd taken a boat from Mississippi to Western Sahara, and then swum from there to Spain, it was a long swim, but he came up on shore in the middle of the night and then he managed to steal a car and get to Madrid.

It was dawn...the sun had just risen over Madrid. Yuna had just woken up...Alec had been in his office doing work most of the night.

She walked into Alec's office. He was slumped over in his chair, asleep. She walked over to him, "Alec?"

Alec was startled. "Eh? Yuna?"

The phone suddenly rang. It was Roger, they could tell from the number.

Yes, it's me. You've been here all night, you know..."

Alec picked up. "Roger?"

Roger chuckled, "Ah, you know it's me eh, well are you all going to the WKM rally coming up in Kahta?"

"Yeah, yeah..but why'd you call so early? It's only 5:15."

Roger frowned, "Oh sorry, I forgot, time differences..."

"It's alright...you'll have to forgive me, I'm not really awake until at least six. Yes, we'll be there, I assure you. Don't expect me to be joining, though."

Roger chuckled, "Fair enough... Well see you there, and oh, Alice is fine with Yuna's apology, she hopes this can all be put behind us."

"That's good. Glad to hear it." Yuna then spoke up, "Again, I really regret what I caused...stupid of me, anyway."

Roger nodded, "I'm sure you all have heard about the legalization of stem cell research, eh?"

Alec spoke, "Yes, I did...Strange of you to do that, but, at least it's a step forward."

Roger replied, "Yes, but I have my reasons... Anyway... Anything else you need to say?"

"Erm..not really." Alec then got up, and Yuna spoke- "Before I forget...what's with this project Gregory I've been hearing about?"

Roger frowned, "Nothing, I don't know what you're talking about..."

Yuna was puzzled. "Strange, it's been popping up in all of our reports. Meh, just keep it away from us, will ya?"

Roger frowned again, "I don't know what you're talking about... There is no project Gregory..."

Yuna smiled, "You go ahead and think that, Roger. I've got to run, so, we'll be seeing you at the rally."

Roger nodded, "Okay, safe trip then, see you there Yuna... Oh Curtis will be there, he said he looks forward to seeing you..."

Yuna frowned, "I can just imagine." She hung up.

Alec walked back in, "What's that "Project Gregory" you were talking about?"

"It's another one of their crazy little ideas- super soldier project. Whether or not it works, I don't know."

Alec appeared very confused. "Just like them, I suppose. Anyway, I've got something to do down at the Defence Ministry...I'll be back in two or three hours."

He hugged and kissed her, "Don't get yourself into any trouble, and, if someone tries to shoot you, call me."

Yuna laughed, "I know, Alec, I know."

Alec then left.


Meanwhile, at the airbase Yuna was due to go to, Gregory walked up to the front gate...

The guards stopped him. "Halt- Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

He smiled at the guards as he moved his hands apart saying, "Open the gate.. I belong here... Tell nobody I am here..."

The guards then saluted, "Yes, sir." The gate was then opened.

Gregory nodded as he walked through the gate, "Very good, I'll put you in for an accommodation for your great work, make sure nobody knows I am here... Secret operations..."

"Your purpose remains confidential, sir."

Gregory walked on into the main hangar that he knew Yuna would be using. About twenty minutes later, she arrived in the hangar, alone, the doors were open... She sensed it was odd and walked in so as to investigate.

Yuna was thinking, "That's strange, they're not normally stupid enough to leave doors open." She drew her Makarov, just in case.

Suddenly the two doors flew shut and the bolt slid down... She heard a voice call out as a figure stepped from the shadows, "Greetings, Yuna...."

Yuna was frightened. "WHO ARE YOU?"

She aimed her pistol directly at the mysterious figure.

He smiled as he came closer to her, standing in a space illuminated by a crack of light coming in from a window... "Gregory..."

"So you're that....abomination I've been hearing about." She started to move back.

He smiled as he moved closer to her, he suddenly made her gun fly from her hands and land on the ground about twenty feet away... He chuckled, "You won't be needing that..."

Yuna was horrified. "What are you doing here?" She moved further back, and found a Typhoon sitting in the hangar. She climbed onto the wing.

He moved his hand and the plane tipped over and she slid off the wing, he caught her in his arms and in a calm voice whispered, "Don't worry, don't worry, you'll be fine... Eventually... I'm going to make you better than you are..."

"Put me down, dammit....."

He shook his head, "No, I think I'll keep you... You are so much prettier in person than in the pictures, or how I thought you'd be..."

"Put me down, or I'll have this building swarmed with soldiers..."

Gregory frowned and shook his head, "No, Yuna, you'll come with me..."

She shrugged, "Why?"

"The people need me. My country needs me. Alec needs me."

He smiled, "You're going to be made better, like me... I need a mate..."

Yuna's face turned pale. "No.....never...."

He nodded, "There are very few in the world who can become what I am... You have had major genetic modifications and your DNA is believed compatible to become what I am, well the female version of it... You and I shall be mates, trust me, you'll be happier when you're nearly invincible."

"No....I'll be made better in my own way...not yours. I am perfectly fine with who I am. Now, put me down."

Gregory smiled as he forced her mouth to stay shut with his thoughts, he gently patted her head, "That's enough out of you, okay? Don't worry, you'll be fine..."

Yuna tried to resist, as much as she could. She was thinking, "I am going to kill you...painfully..."

Suddenly she heard his voice in her head, "You'll not kill me..."

"No! I will!"

He chuckled aloud, "Yes, Yuna, I can read your thoughts..."

"Stay....out...of my head......"

She kept trying to break free of his control, if only she could speak...

He said into her mind again, "Oh Yuna, I know you better than you know yourself, your memories are so... unique..."

"Not true...dammit, Not true..."

He smiled, "Ah, I can see you and Curtis had some fun once... Very interesting...."

"Not terribly pleasant. Let me speak, and I can tell you more."

He shook his head, "No, we can speak via our thoughts... You need not communicate verbally..."

"Dammit, let me. I sound much better than I do in my head."

He shook his head, "No, now don't question me again, if I let you speak, you'd cry out for help... I know how you think..." He suddenly started to cause her massive pains throughout her head as he grinned and said into her thoughts, "Will you stop bothering me about being able to speak?"

"No....I want you to...leave...me..."

He smiled at her and then let her open her mouth, before she could say anything, he pressed his mouth against hers and kissed her... As he was thinking into her head, "Ah, Yuna, you'll enjoy being like me...

"No...I will be who I will myself to be...Leave me alone, you sick bastard..."

He kissed her deeper as he thought, "No, Yuna, you'll like it better this way, trust me... I know you want to gain more enhancements to be better, I am the ultimate in enhancements."

"No, you're no longer human. I will remain human...unlike you, you monstrosity...."

He sighed as he said, "Yuna, Yuna, you will become like me, don't worry, it won't hurt, you feel a thing, you won't feel anything..." He smiled as he spun his head entirely around and chuckled, "Well you'll get used to it..."

"No.....no...."

Gregory sighed, "Yuna, you need to get some rest, we'll be out of here shortly..."

"You'll never get out of here in one piece..."

He shook his head, and said to her, "Sleep...."

She resisted..."No,.....no....."

He said it stronger, in her head, "Sleep now, Yuna... Sleep..."

She finally gave in. As she went deeper into sleep, she thought to herself, "Alec...help me..."

Gregory picked her up and tucked her into a large duffle bag that he found lying nearby in the hangar. He then slung the bag over his shoulder and walked out of the hangar to a waiting plane on the runway that was meant to take Yuna to Kahta...

A patrol stopped him. The Captain stepped forward, "What's in the bag?"

Gregory smiled, "Nothing that concerns you, national secrets, stand aside..." he said, as he simultaneously got into the captain's mind.

He started jerking about, strangely. The other soldiers got worried.

One of them radioed for help.

Gregory sensed the man was about to radio and he stifled the call, the other end never got it.

Gregory set the bag down and called for the soldier who tried to radio to come closer.

Meanwhile, the air tower saw what was going on, and ordered the plane to not be allowed to take off.

The soldier did come closer.

Gregory grabbed him and literally snapped him in two over his knee before he jump kicked the captain in the chest... He grabbed a pistol from the holster of the captain and the man he snapped in two and shot dead each member of the squad before they knew what hit them.

Patrols nearby were horrified, and immediately called for backup. A general alarm was ordered throughout the base.

Gregory walked over to the plane, taking the bag with him; he tucked the bag, with Yuna in it, in an overhead compartment, sealing the bag shut with a lock. He then turned and walked back outside to greet a platoon of thirty soldiers.

He chuckled, "You're in front of the plane, I need to take off, move, now."

They wouldn't move, and raised their rifles. A Lieutenant barked, "Down on your knees-NOW!'

Gregory spun his head completely around and then chuckled, "No!" he moved his hands down, all of their rifles dropped from their hands... He erupted with laughter as he made a soldier pull the pin on his own grenade, taking out no less than six of the platoon... He chuckled again, "You all down, now!"

Two more platoons hurried over, and began opening fire.

Gregory dove for cover as he redirected their fire against their own comrades, the three platoons were decimating each other... He grabbed two MP-5s and joined in, killing those he could sense had high will power.

Two Mi-24s began taking off, to aid their comrades on the ground

Suddenly the base commander's voice came over the speakers, it was Gregory making him talk, "There are insurgents attacking the southern perimeter, all available units move there now."

He made two trucks at the southern perimeter explode in a massive ball of flames... He then made one of the Mi-24s fire rockets at the other Mi-24....

Meanwhile, a few APCs were moving onto the field, to try to assist.

About six platoons went down to the southern end, moving to engage.

Gregory smiled as he watched the ACPs rolling towards him... He focused all his thoughts and made a fissure in the ground in front of the APCs, at least fifty feet deep and twenty feet wide... They were all swallowed up.

Meanwhile, two pilots boarded the waiting An-225, and heard something moving about in an overhead compartment.

They opened it, and found a locked duffel inside.

Gregory sensed they were on the plane, he caused each of them to collapse over, heart attacks.

Yuna managed to wiggle out of the compartment, and fell flat on the floor.

"Fat lot of good that did me..."

Gregory turned and walked back into the plane as the platoons fought each other...

He shut all the doors and started the engine.

He could hear her voice...

"Gregory, put this plane down now or they'll shoot it down"

He chuckled, "Ah Yuna, how are you dear, wake up already?"

"Put down the plane, or we're both dead."

Gregory smiled as he finished taking off and headed west to the Atlantic, making all the SAMs miss the plane.

"Would you mind letting me out of the bag? I think it's safe now."

As they were over the Atlantic, he turned, and made the plane fly itself, keeping in control with his mind... He smiled as he unzipped the bag and helped her out, he took her into his arms and kissed her, then he let his hold on her get loose as he guided her into a seat, "Ah Yuna, how are you?"

"I'm alright." She then observed their location, only two miles offshore.

She then got up, and ran toward the rear.

There, she found a pistol, and a parachute.

Gregory forced luggage to fall in her path, and he grabbed her.

He was holding her in his arms now.

"Let me go....or we die."

He took the parachute and shredded it with his bare hands, he then handed it back to her, "Here..."

"Look....you don't understand...I can destroy this plane."

"I'm not afraid of death."

He smiled, "And I'm not afraid of death, anymore, it feels great..." He grabbed the pistol out of her hands and then forced her with his mind to sit down in a chair.

Yuna then whistled the first few bars to "Deşteaptă-te, române"

He smiled as he made the self-destruct automatically shut down...

He shook his head at her, "Yuna, Yuna, Yuna, you know better than that..." He suddenly cause a massive spike of pain all throughout her body, paralyzing her in place.

She thought to herself, "You would've been correct, Gregory, had that been the self-destruct mechanism."

He frowned, and quickly undid what she'd done, he sighed, "Ah, I've been doing too much, my thoughts were slow to catch on, but I corrected the problem..."

Gregory used a large number of seatbelts rigged to strap her to the seat, she couldn't move an inch after he was done.

He chuckled, "One less thing to do..."

"The fuel tank is emptying, Gregory. Soon we'll be at the mercy of the wind."

Gregory frowned as he focused all of his powers; he was going to do something he'd never attempted to do... He made the fuel actually fly back into the tank... After he was done, he rubbed his head from the pain exerting all his powers of concentration had caused... He then slapped her, "You fool, you caused me great pain... But I always win!"

"Not quite."

"The base mobilized MiG-29s to intercept."

Gregory smiled as he let her get an image of what the MiG-29s were doing, they had each been struck by lightning as they left the base... He chuckled, "Ah Yuna, don't you get it? You're mine now, soon you'll be just like me..."

"No...."

"Do me a favor though, get me my painkillers, would you? They're in my pocket."

Gregory frowned, "Yuna, don't you want to be able to use your mind to do almost anything you could dream of?"

Gregory shook his head and then used his thoughts to soothe her pain...

He smiled, "Is that better?"

She thought to herself, "Another plan dead...He's even able to stop suicide."

Gregory thought in her mind, "You won't kill yourself, I won't let you..."

He took the pills out of her pocket and then tossed them into the toilet and flushed them all.

He walked back and sat down next to her.

"How good of you- 'twas Cyanide, really."

He nodded, "Yes, I know..."

"Why are you doing this to me? I hate you. I don't want to have sex with you- and I will be transformed in my own way."

Gregory freed one of her hands and stuck a knife in it, "Here Yuna, do you want to kill me?"

Yuna sighed, "I know I can't kill you. As much as I want to, I can't."

He took the knife back and restrained her hand again, "Ah, so you learn fast, very good..."

"I want the knife."

He shook his head, "No, you might kill yourself..." he said, as he played with her hair, "And I wouldn't want that..."

"I want to die, Gregory. Or, preferably, get back home, but death looks more appealing."

Gregory sighed, "Yuna, sleep... Sleep now..."

She resisted, but then fell asleep.

"Alec....please.......baby, please......" were her last thoughts before she slipped into unconscious.

Eight hours later, Yuna awoke in the top-secret, Schacht Advanced Pharmaceuticals underground lab in rural Mississippi, so secret, not even Roger knew about it.

She was tightly strapped down on an operating table

Baldur Von Schacht and Gregory were standing over her.

"Kill me, please....."

Schacht smiled, "Yuna, in a manner of speaking, we will be killing you..."

"Look, I'm going to be modified. In my own way, yes, but I'll be different."

She watched as he opened the IV valve and let the IG-BS A Strain flow into her veins. Out of the other vein, she could see large amounts of her blood being drained, replaced by a mixture of IG-BS virus and IV fluids.

Yuna cried in agony. But, she managed to whistle "Risen from Ruins".

Yuna was praying the signal would get to Madrid somehow...it didn't matter how long, as long as Alec knew...

Schacht looked at her as she watched the process taking place, "How do you feel?"

Yuna sighed, "I want to die...."

Schacht shook his head, "Sorry Yuna... Not yet." Gregory chimed in, "Your signal attempt failed, this lab is so deep underground, we are surrounded by mountains, and we have jamming equipment working..."

Yuna growled, "Alec will tear you apart limb from limb...you and your monster will die."

Schacht moved over Yuna as her blood finished draining, he smiled at her as he noticed the last of her blood wasn't red but rather greenish/brown, it was already starting to work.

Schacht smiled, "Soon you'll have new blood, glorious blood."

"My blood....my humanity....."

She was crying in pain, she wanted to end it all.

Schacht patted her on the head, "Don't worry, Yuna... You'll be okay..."

"I want you to stop this."

Gregory focused his thoughts and made her keep quiet.

She was screaming in her head, "If you don't, Your sacred Mississippi will be reduced to smoldering ash...."

Gregory sighed, "Nobody knows about this, Roger has no idea this lab even exists, no idea what I am...."

"Logic has no place in Alec's mind."

Schacht and Gregory moved her into the stasis cell and strapped her inside and they shut the lid... It started to fill with a cold liquid, it was rapidly rising on her, gaining past her legs and up to her waist.

"Kill me.....kill me........."

Suddenly the liquid was nearly up to her neck.

"Alec....don't give up on me...avenge me...."

The liquid covered her entirely up, nearly filling up the container, but leaving some room so it could expand when it solidified. Then it did just that, and solidified... She was in stasis. Baldur and Gregory set the alarm for exactly sixty days.

Yuna’s last thoughts before slipping into unconscious were, "Avenge...my...death...kill them. kill them all."

Sixty days later, Alec was still worrying about where Yuna was... The radar hadn't been able to track the plane that she was abducted in, nothing seemed to work that day... The entire Spanish electrical grid went down, all air defenses were offline, it was an awful day... Electrical storms of lightning had hit every one of the twenty or so MiG-29s sent after the plane, and all major power plants had been hit.

Suddenly Yuna came awake, in stasis, it was sixty days but a few hours before she was due to be awakened, she'd made herself come awake, she willed herself awake.

She was trapped. "What the fuck?"

Schacht had tampered with her genetics while she in stasis, making her more powerful and altering her as he had altered Gregory, he also expanded her mental powers, but she had many weeks before she'd come to hone the skills of the mental abilities she now had.

The liquid suddenly started to drain and the lid opened, Gregory and Schacht pulled her out.

Yuna sighed, "You again......"

Gregory smiled, "Ah Yuna, how do you feel?"

"Like crap. Not surprising, given that I've been frozen for 60 days."

Gregory raised a pistol and smiled, "Now to test it, shall we?"

Yuna gasped, "You wouldn't...."

Gregory shot her in the leg, she felt no pain at all, the wound stopped bleeding within a minute, and it sealed over within three minutes.
She looked at the brown/green blood on the floor, and she was shocked as it was only in trace amounts.

Yuna was stunned. "That was quite possibly the strangest moment of my life. Now, I want out."

Schacht shook his head, "I'm afraid not, Yuna... You've were selected for a very special purpose..."

Gregory smiled at her, "Yuna, come with me and we can get on with the mating..."

"No. I shan't be your sex slave."

Gregory frowned and started to try to bend her to his will using his powers, he said in her mind, "I want you to be my equal, to complement me, not to be a slave... But you must first submit to my will and then I shall help you hone your skills and elevate you to the level of my equal, I shall complete your mental training and focus your powers... Trust me Yuna."

"I want to go home....to my family, to my country. My destiny does not lie with you, I am certain."

Gregory struggled even harder to bend her towards his will, his mental powers were far more well honed than hers, it'd just be a matter of time before she did as he said... He called out to her inside her head, "Yuna, Yuna, follow my commands, trust me Yuna, You'll see it's for the best."

"No.....no.......out of my mind, you bastard. OUT!"

She then looked over to the table, and a surgical knife was lying there.

She picked it up, and held it to her neck.

"Don't make me....."

Gregory gasped, "Yuna, no!" He immediately left her mind

Schacht chuckled, "Let her do it, let her see what happens..."

Gregory nodded and went back to probing her mind.

Yuna held the knife close. "I know you want me alive...and I want to leave. However, if you don't agree to my request, I'll be forced to take drastic measures.."

Gregory moved forward towards her, he was in contact with Schacht, who assured him it'd do nothing to her... Gregory chuckled, "Yuna, fine, do it, but believe me, you'll be wasting your time... You probably have noticed you're not even breathing now, well you don't need to breathe..."

She then dropped the knife, realizing that it was useless.

She then saw a guard nearby, and motioned for him to come over.

The guard walked over, not knowing why, but she was making use of her now forming powers of mental suggestion.

He walked over, "Yes ma'am..."

She then kneed him in the groin, and took his MP5. She trained it on Schacht's head.

"Now....You listen to me."

Schacht frowned, "Oh my... This is a bit of a spot, eh? I guess you'll have to shoot me...."

"You find someway to reverse this process...and get me to a phone."

He suddenly smiled as his eyes flashed red from rage.

"If you don't, I'll kill you."

Schacht chuckled as his eyes suddenly flashed red again, "Ah Yuna, go on, shoot me..."

"Don't tempt me, Baldur," she growled, "Don't tempt me...."

Schacht drew his own pistol, aimed it at his own head and pulled the trigger... The round blew into him, tearing out pieces of skull, but not getting to his brain, his skull had been hardened, and his brain could regenerate now... She looked at the large gaping hole in his head as it started to seal up... Brown and green blood dripping out... He chuckled, "How do you think I first tested this idea?"

"You did it to yourself. Crazier than I thought."

"See you in hell, Schacht."

She then ran for the door.

He and Gregory combined their powers and forced her to stop in her tracks.

"This is fucking brilliant....."

Gregory walked up to her, looking at her nude form, he eyed her up and down, "My, Yuna, you sure are beautiful when you're mad... I'll enjoy having you as my mate."

"I'll enjoy it too- cutting your balls and dick off should be fun."

Gregory smiled, "I'd grow new ones.... It doesn't matter... Anyway, you'll want me soon enough..." He cut his hand and let her smell the blood, making sure she got a good whiff as he excreted pheromones from his sweat glands...

She thought to herself, "Get some soap...idiot."

Schacht had programmed her with an urge to mate, and Gregory was doing his best to bring that urge out.

Gregory smiled as he forced her to take a bigger whiff of the blood.

She kept trying to resist, "Come on, Yuna...resist..... You've won before, you can win again," she thought.

Gregory used all his mental powers to make her want him as bad as possible... Schacht helped assist his "son" in this endeavor... He made her take another whiff of perspiration and blood.

He then wrapped both arms around her and kissed her deeply, as he put the thought in her mind, "Give in Yuna, give in."

"Must...not..let...hormones..take over..."

Yuna was losing it. Her mind was being torn in two. One side wanted to escape, the other one wanted to just have sex."

Gregory nodded for Schacht to leave and he did so, giving them privacy, but still focusing his mind to make Yuna want Gregory.

Gregory pushed her down onto a nearby table and kept kissing her, as he put thoughts into her mind, overwhelming thoughts of sex and mating.

She tried to push him off, but, she couldn't. Her mind was too busy fighting itself to help her body.

Gregory started to communicate with her in her mind, sapping her concentration away from fighting her urges, "Yuna, you want it, I can feel it, you want to mate, you want to have my son, Yuna, give in Yuna..."

"I don't want your son, dammit. I want to...." At that moment, her mind failed her. Her urges took over.

Gregory started the mating, it lasted for what seemed an eternity to her, she could see inside his mind the entire time, reading his thoughts, she knew he was reading her thoughts as well... She gained knowledge of most of his memories, and he likewise with her. After what was only actually about thirty minutes, he finished... He stood up and smiled, saying into her mind, "You enjoyed that, yes?"

She chuckled, "All depends on your definition of 'enjoyed', yes?"

He nodded, "Well, did you like it?"

"I'm indifferent."

He shrugged, "Well, it got the job done..."

" Riiight......You think that."

He chuckled as he helped her hone her mental powers to see what was happening, the sperms hitting the egg, one getting inside, she realized she was pregnant.

"That doesn't make sense....my reproductive system is fucked up as hell."

He shook his head, "Schacht fixed it, good as new, better than new..."

She muttered to herself "Pula", which means dick in Romanian.

She kept thinking about Alec, "He's worried sick about me...but how do I let him know that I'm here?"

Gregory smiled, "Do you want to talk to him? I can help you hone your skills and focus your thoughts so you can speak to him, but he won't be able to speak back, just tell him to think his replies and I'll help you to read his mind, then you can reply back, okay?"

Yuna thought to herself, "Risky, but it's worth a shot." She spoke up, "I'd appreciate it..I want to let him know."

She then began thinking of what she needed to tell Alec.

Gregory nodded and helped Yuna focus on speaking with Alec, Schacht also helped as the distance was so great.

Yuna began, (translated from the Romanian) "Alec...It's Yuna. I'm alright, but I've been tampered with genetically. You can get me back- remember Sirius. I will always love you- get me home, safely. I know I can count on you. All the love in the world to Elektra. I'll see you soon."

Thousands of miles away, in Madrid...

Alec was lying on his couch when he heard Yuna's voice. He was confused and stunned, he couldn't have been hallucinating. He then rembered what Yuna meant by Sirius, and had an aide start an attempt to get Yuna's location. With any luck, it would work.

Gregory's voice appeared in Alec's mind, "Alec, I know what you're planning with Sirius, don't worry, you can have her back after she gives birth to my son..."

Alec was even more confused. "Who are you?"

He replied, "The original solider of project Gregory..."

Alec became enraged. "You're the beast that kidnapped my wife...I'LL KILL YOU! YOU AND YOUR BASTARD FATHER! YOU'LL ALL DIE!"

Gregory made Alec's head ache with pain, "Silence, stifle your moans, or I'll kill you now..."

”I will stop at nothing to get her back, you know? Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the Earth, I will save her."

Alec suddenly realized his nose was bleeding, and his legs suddenly failed him, he collapsed.

Gregory's voice echoed in his head, "See how powerless you really are?"

"You....damned...fucker....I'll kill you. If not me, then Yuna.."

Gregory suddenly put images of him and Yuna having sex, into Alec's head, as he shouted into his mind, "She wants me now, the mating urges in her are far too strong..."

"You did that to her...you bastard...I will make sure your death is slow and painful..."

Alec then cried out, "Yuna-- don't worry, I'll be alright- I'll be with you soon."

Suddenly Alec felt his breathe give out, his lungs had both stopped working.... Gregory started to chuckle, "See Alec, what I can do to you?"

Try as she might, Yuna couldn't undo what Gregory was doing, her powers were far too weak, she'd have to plead with him.

Alec collapsed to the floor in agony. "Yuna, please...help me.."

Yuna spoke, "Gregory, ENOUGH! This is my husband you’re dealing with, my friend- I've not let him down before, and I don't intend to start now."

Gregory sighed and turned to Yuna, "If you want him to live, you must agree to stay with me, at least for now, do you agree?"

Yuna realized she had no choice in the matter. Alec would do something, but she couldn't.

She sighed, "Fine."

Gregory nodded and let Alec breathe normal again.

She then spoke to Alec again, "Help me...you know how."

Alec didn't hear what she'd said; Gregory blocked it, and made it so they couldn't communicate further.

Gregory turned to Yuna and smiled, "Cheer up, Yuna, he'd reject you now, you're not like him anymore, you're like me..."

"I'm still the same Yuna Alessandri he married seven years ago. I'm still me. He wants me, and I want him. That's not changed a bit."

Gregory nodded, and made her realize she lacked a large number of emotions she hadn't yet realized, she'd been changed more than she realized... He smiled as it sank in, "Yuna, you're different... Get used to it."

"No...I'm not. I'm still me. I'll never be like you...heartless, emotionless."

Gregory nodded and smiled, "I think you need to learn more manners, I'll find it hard mating with you in the future if this keeps up."

"Good. I don't like having sex with you."

Gregory frowned, "I know you do like it, I can read your thoughts..." He smiled, "We should do it again then, and see if you like it more the second time..."

"You can't make me, Gregory. I have free will."

Gregory nodded and then started to focus his mind to make her want him... "You have nothing that I haven't given you..."

As her mind slowly gave up, she thought to herself, and to Alec, "Please, baby...you've never let me down before.."

Schacht helped Gregory focus his thoughts to break down the barriers Yuna was setting up in her mind.

Gregory chuckled into her mind, "Yuna, you want me, admit it, admit it, say it to me, "I want you Gregory.", say it."

"No, you asshole."

Gregory frowned and redoubled his efforts, Schacht also lending support, as they strained themselves, they eventually started to overcome her defenses in her mind... Gregory again suggested into her mind, "Say it, Yuna, say it..."

"I want.....Alec."

"Musn't give up, musn't give up," she thought

Gregory frowned and nearly flew into a rage... He forced his thoughts deeper inside her mind, telling her again, "Say it Yuna, say it..." that echoed in her head again and again, "Say it Yuna, say it."

All she could hear was "Say it Yuna, say it."

"I want you, Gre---Alec."

Schacht lent full support, the veins in his head started to bulge, same as with Gregory. He shouted into her head one last time, "Say it, Yuna, SAY IT!"

"I want you Gre...", before she could finish, her mind just absolutely failed, and she collapsed.

Gregory picked her up gently in his arms and helped her to regain consciousness, he smiled at her, "Yuna, you know what you started to say? Tell me..."

"I was saying something?"

She was far too weak to resist even a poorly focused mental probe of either of the two men. Schacht nearly fainted, Gregory still had a nice deal of energy left. He smiled as he said into her thoughts, "Say it Yuna, say it." She suddenly remembered what she had to say, what he commanded her to say, what she knew she couldn't stop herself from saying.

"I want you, Gregory."

She then immediately thought to herself, "Why the hell did I say that?"

Gregory smiled; "I know you do, Yuna..." he took her hand and started to lead her towards his bedroom down the hall in the project management personnel quarters, away from the laboratory.

"Greg, I don't want sex."

Gregory frowned and put a thought into her mind, "Yes you do, you just can't admit it... Admit it Yuna, you want me... Admit it."

"You son of a bitch....you bring me here, you force me to lose my humanity....you're going to pay."

He grabbed both her arms and pinned them tightly against her side, chuckling, "I'm much stronger than you are... You have the potential to be stronger, but I am more experienced and my skills honed, you were just born earlier today... I'm much older..."

She felt him focusing her powers to keep her from attacking him.

"I'm 26...you?" She kept trying, and looked for anything to use against him.

She suddenly saw images of Alec suffering pain and spasms in Sevaris. Gregory chuckled, "Submit to me Yuna, or he dies...”

"You kill him, I kill myself."

He frowned and then let his hold on Alec go. She saw him collapse down to the floor in his office in Madrid, nearly dead, but just barely alive.

"If I ever get the chance, I will destroy you, Gregory, you have to realize that."

Gregory shook his head, "No, we are connected in a way you can't yet comprehend, soon you will though..."

"I'd like to see you point that out when I have you slowly consumed by a wood chipper."

Gregory waved his hand and she collapsed to the floor... He picked her up, "You're too rebellious, you're no good to me in the long-term, I should kill you now..."

She laughed, "I welcome it."

He shook his head, "No, you're carrying my child, the future of the program..."

"That'll be no more within two months."

He frowned, "You harm my child and Alec dies... It's your choice..."

"You harm Alec and the child and I die."

Gregory nodded, "I'll make you a deal... Have the child, and you may return to Sevaris and never be bothered by me again, agreed?"

"Let me go, and I'll have the child back home."

He frowned, "Yes, but when he's born, I get him, agreed?"

"Yeah, yeah...I don't want it anyway."

Gregory smiled, "Good... And if you're a very good girl, father (he considers Schacht his father) will return you to the way you used to be, if that is what you want, to be imperfect, weak, slow..." he scoffed, "mortal..."

"Perhaps not, but once I get back and let my doctors do the job, I'll be more powerful than you can possibly imagine..."

"You don't know what I'm capable of, Gregory."

Gregory smiled, "Stay with me Yuna, please, I can hone your skills to such a level, you'd never think possible..."

"I can train myself, thank you. I run the secret police, you know? Plenty of people to vent on."

Gregory nodded, "Very well, then you may return to Sevaris... I have a suspicion that we shall meet again though..."

"Not if I can help it. You won't recognize me anyway."

Gregory put his arms around her and deeply kissed her, holding her in place with his thoughts... A minute had gone by, he was still kissing her.

She was kissing him as well, and thinking, "Okay...strange."

He kept kissing her, speaking to her via her thoughts as he did, "Yuna, you know we'll meet again, you can't live without the sort of connection we now have... Connected in our minds."

"You're one of those people I can do without. I'm already connected to Alec in more ways than one."

He broke the kiss and stepped back, releasing his thoughts that were pinning her in place, he waved his hand, "Then leave, but remember, we shall meet again, in nine months... I'll want my son..."

"I'll have it sent on the first plane to Mississippi. I’m not sure what to think about all this- I feel I'm on a new plane, but, there's something missing..."

Gregory frowned, "Him, not it..."

"It's not human, in my mind."

Gregory nodded and then turned to leave the room, "Yuna, you may leave now..."

She nodded, "Thank you."

He nodded, "No, thank you, you've done more for me than you'll ever know... Well you know, my son, very important to me... Thank you... Go now."

He turned and left.

She went back to the first room, and gathered her belongings.

As she was getting dressed, she was thinking: "At least this will all be over..."

Schacht was sitting in the room, he'd been using his thoughts to cloud her mind to the fact he was there... He chuckled aloud, "Leaving Yuna?"

She was startled. "Yes, actually."

Schacht nodded, "Well, what a trip to Mississippi be without a visit from your favorite Mississippian, eh?"

"Do me a favor, and keep him out of it. I don't want to talk to him now."

Curtis smiled as he walked out from behind a large filing cabinet, "Yuna, how are you?"

She chuckled, "I'm alright, I suppose. Lost my humanity, but otherwise alright.

He smiled, "Well, you're looking great... How do you feel?

"Like crap. You try spending two months in a stasis chamber."
He smiled, "I have, it isn't so bad, is it?

"It's dull...deadly dull. Anyway, why'd you come here? I thought this place was supposedly a secret."

Curtis nodded, "It is a secret, but Baldur and I keep no secrets from, each other, we are both Council of Twelve..."

Yuna was puzzled. "Council of Twelve...heard it mentioned before...what is it?"

Curtis frowned, "Sorry, can't tell you, far more secret than anything else, so secret Roger doesn't even know what they do... Only the Twelve Enlightened men know... And I am one, Baldur is obviously another, you are not..."

”That's plainly obvious. But still, why come here? Did you want to see your old enemy captive?"

To see the shell of myself that I've become?"

Curtis shook his head, "No, I just wondered if you were okay, and what you were doing..."

"I've been turned into a monstrosity, but there are compensations. I can now screw around with people's minds."

Curtis smiled as he said into her head, "I know, isn't it great... Yes, me too... What do you think saved me from the Parkinson’s and the cancer...

She groaned, "Not you, too?"

He nodded, "What do you think the Council of Twelve is... The Twelve Enlightened Men... The truly enlightened are those who are one with the virus and can see what gifts it has to offer..."

"So that's what it is. Anyway, the moment I get back home, I'm getting the virus for the most part undone. My mind's too damaged, but I'll get my red blood back. Also, you won't be able to recognize me- good for me, bad for you."

Curtis smiled, "Ah Yuna, if they attempt to undo it too early, I'm afraid you'll die, permanently that is... Your blood is a part of you, for now at least, you are carrying Gregory's child, you must remain this way for now at least."

"You mean I have to carry the little bastard?"

He nodded, "Yes, but you know what might make it easier?”

"No...and I have a feeling I don't want to hear."

He smiled, "I would be willing to help you focus your abilities to make carrying the child easier... He will begin to probe into your mind when he develops more, it will likely be hell on you... I can help, if you do something for me."

”Riddle me this, Curtis, why can't I get rid of the thing? It's only been here a few hours."

He smiled, "Already you can hear his thoughts, you know to get rid of it would be to doom yourself..." She could indeed hear his thoughts, strange as it seemed, it was already alive in her thoughts, she knew Curtis was right.

She was stunned. "How the hell could any of this happen?"

"This isn't right at all...I can't go through with it."

Curtis frowned, "Don't worry Yuna, you'll be okay... Of course you'll have to go nine months without sex, at least from Alec... You're no longer compatible with him, only with one of the Twelve, at least for now... In nine months, Schacht will have found a way to reverse the process, you'll be normal again then... Well normal meaning imperfect, to be perfect is to be one with the virus."

Yuna seethed with anger. "You destroy me completely...tearing me apart from Alec. I will have my revenge. My scientists will fix this- not your quacks."

Curtis sighed, "Yuna, relax... Please, just relax."

"Quiet, bastard." She turned to Schacht. "As for you, If I ever lay eyes on you again, I will make sure you are erased from the Earth for all time. I'm not letting you get away with this."

Schacht frowned, "The council is strong... If she were to join the council, we'd be stronger..."

Curtis nodded and looked to Yuna, "Join us..."

No...You people defy all the things that make us human. You're monsters, all of you...people who should be killed."

"I don't want to be like you people. I want to be who I want to be, not who you want me to be. I just want to be home again."

Curtis frowned and looked at Yuna, she could sense him in her thoughts, probing her mind, "Yuna, Yuna, you don't really mean that, do you?"

He made her shake her head.

She took back control, "No- I do mean it. I want to be me. Not you, not Schacht, not Gregory. I will be who I will myself to be."

She looked to the door. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going back home." She darted toward the door.

Schacht, Gregory, and Curtis all focused their minds and made her halt in her tracks. She could immediately read their thoughts though, and knew they were all part of this "Council of Twelve"

She realized there were twelve, just like them...

"Alright, I'll do this the hard way. If you don't let me leave, I'll have Alec kill us all."

Curtis walked up to her and frowned, "Yuna, we're blocking your thoughts, Alec is currently unconscious, the rest of the council saw to that... Do as you're told, and you and he shall be fine, okay?"

Yuna broke down in tears. She had failed- not only couldn't she get back home, but Alec was unconscious, possibly dead. She managed to say, "Kill me. I want to die- I have no purpose living any longer."

"Well, come on man! Are you scared?"

Curtis moved closer to Yuna, talking her in his arms, he wiped the tears away and let her rest her head on his shoulder, he said into her mind, "Yuna, don't cry... Don't worry...."

"Damnit, Curtis...Kill me. There's no reason for me to continue on. I'm dead for all intents and purposes anyway."

Curtis sighed and then gently kissed her forehead, "Don't worry Yuna, you'll be okay..." He took her into his arms and walked out of the room, carrying her, as he whispered, "You'll be okay, don't worry..."

"Then let me go home. I don't want to stay here any longer.. If you care about me so much, then why can't I leave?

Curtis kissed her on the lips as he put his hands on either side of her head, "Don't worry Yuna", he said into her mind, "You'll be fine... Trust me."

She tried to wiggle out of his grip, "Let me go, damnit, let me go...."

Curtis used his mental abilities to calm her, as he eased his hold on her, breaking the kiss, "relax Yuna, I'm trying to help you, you need to focus your abilities, open your mind to me Yuna, I can help you... You should be on the council, you have the potential to be the strongest and greatest of all the Learned Men, well you'd technically be a Learned Woman... But still."

"I'll do it myself. I don't want to be corrupted by you and your bleedin' cronies. Why can't I leave? I just want to be left alone, really..."

Curtis smiled as he kissed her again, holding her tight against him, as he said into her mind, "Yuna, trust me, trust me, Yuna, I can help you..."

“No...Never..." She kneed Curtis in the groin, and broke free.

She looked for something to kill herself with...didn't matter what it was, as long as it worked.

She found a knife laying on a shelf, and grabbed it. She held it to her neck.

Curtis nodded, not being bothered from the pain, and he focused his powers so well, she immediately dropped the knife... He then grabbed both of her arms and pinned at her side, "Yuna, Yuna, you know better than that..."

"DAMMIT! WHY CAN'T YOU LET ME DIE?"

Curtis smacked her in the face, "Don't you get it! You can't die, at least not easily, no knife or gun can kill you!"

Angered, she went berserk. Although she was unaware of it, she used her newly found mental powers to fling a fire extinguisher at Curtis.

"Then let me leave."

Curtis chuckled as he deflected it with his forearm, letting it impact against it, and then absorbing the blow effortlessly. He grabbed her even tighter, "Yuna, you're not going just yet... Not quite yet... I want you to meet the council; do you want to meet them? You already know the council yes? You can sense them..."

"I know of them, but I don't want to meet them. I want to go home- Alec's worried as hell."

Curtis sighed, "Would it make you feel any better if he didn't have to worry anymore?"

"No--I miss him." She then used her powers to fling the extinguisher at him again. "Don't you get it? I want to go back home- my life is there, not here."

Curtis nodded, "Okay, don't worry about Alec, he will be dead in a few minutes, unless you cooperate..."

"You wouldn't. I'd then have all of us destroyed."

Curtis frowned, "No, the Sevarin high command could so easily be influenced by the collective powers of the Council, and besides, a large number of your officers are our citizens anyway!"

She smiled, "Thanks for that. No- our SRF has orders to immediately launch an attack on Mississippi if Alec dies. It's unstoppable."

Curtis smiled, and showed her what the SRF commanders were currently doing, whoring on beaches in southern Spain, being kept busy by Mississippian female operatives, while officers loyal to the Spanish National Front, were encrypting the nuclear launch codes to their own sets of codes.

“You've not got the whole story, Curtis. There are certain protocols we have in place that you don't know about."

Curtis nodded, "Yes, but since I've probed your mind and Alec's mind, I know them all now..."

"Even I don't know them, it's useless to look inside my mind."

Not quite, Curtis. Not even Alec knows about it. We were only told that it exists- nothing more, nothing less. Curtis, why can't you let me go in peace? I don't want to be here any longer."

Curtis smiled, "Well Yuna, meeting the council will be much easier than a nuclear war, eh? You might learn something."

"Fine, I'll talk to them. Don't get any ideas, though. Also, I'll only go on one condition- that you let me leave afterwards."

He nodded, "Yes, after the meeting and some quick sex, you may leave..."

"No sex. I'm not budging on that."

Curtis frowned, "Hmmm... I'm sure you'll budge." He chuckled as he started to use his powers to bend her towards his will.

"Not today, Curtis. Not today. Go any further, and we're all dead."

Curtis frowned, "Yuna, trust me, you don't want that... Think of your husband and daughter in Spain... You'll be normal in a year and can be with them..."

"I want to go home NOW. Not in a year, not in nine months, not next week. NOW."

Curtis nodded, "Yes of course, forgive me, I meant you'll be with them as the normal Yuna in a year, you'll be with them in a few days, but you'll be a freak until we change you back..."

"Our scientists are competent. They'll make me human again, but more powerful than you people."

Curtis sighed, "They have no idea what's been done to you, if they tinker with you, you'll die... Trust me on that..."

"Then you people tell my people how to undo the blood shit. I know my mind is changed beyond repair. I just want to be me again, really. Perhaps a bit different, but the same personality."

Curtis nodded, "Yes, I agree you are different, certainly, but I suggest you embrace your new self... But oh well, the choice is yours."

"I'm embracing certain elements of the new me- like my increased mental powers. However, I can't deal with the freaky blood."

Curtis nodded as he continued to hold her arms in place while he kissed her again, he was working her up to wanting him, planting messages in her mind, having the other council members in the area doing the same.

"Would you people mind staying out of my head? I have no desire to have sex with any of you."

Curtis smiled as he cut his hand and put a pinch of the blood under her nose, the scent was strong.

"That is possibly the worst smell I've smelled recently."

She looked around for things to fling at Curtis--she found a toolbox, and a gurney.

She used her powers to send the gurney sailing into the two of them.

Curtis stopped it as the last second and then slapped her.

He had the other council members focus their thoughts to suppress her powers, whilst he made her want him.

Unable to take the pressure, she collapsed to the floor. Her mind had completely shut down.

Before she completely collapsed, she thought, "I've won again..."

Curtis forced her to wake up with his mind, she had only been unconscious about a minute.

"Where am I?"

Curtis smiled as she came to, realizing she was on a bed...He chuckled, "In the room I sleep in when I'm here... You passed out, don't worry, you're okay... Now where were we?"

"You had mentioned something about taking me that council? And, again, I don't want sex. I am not letting you rape me."

Curtis nodded, "Yes, the council but that can wait, you and I have something to tend to first..."

"Not again. I'm not letting you."

He frowned, "Yuna trust me, it will help you focus your thoughts much better..."

"Sex with you? I fail to see the connection."

He chuckled, "Because I am on the council, and you are like me..."

"I'm not like you, not in the least. I still have a shred of decency and compassion left."

Curtis leaned over, taking her in his arms and kissing her as he thought into her mind, "Trust me Yuna, you'll be much healthier for it..."

She tried to break free. "Lemme go, dammit, lemme go.."

He frowned and held her tighter, "Yuna, you're not serious, are you?"

"Yes, I am." She used her powers to turn the bed on its side, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

The council was in her mind, "Say no, you want Curtis, you want Curtis."

Yuna cried in agony, "OUT OF MY HEAD, DAMNIT, OUT!"

Curtis pulled Yuna up, and entered her thoughts, chuckling as he did it, "Oh my, Yuna, it's a mess in that head of yours... But oh well, let's just get going to the council meeting, okay?"

Yuna returned to normal, "Alright, alright- I'll go. Stay out of my head, for Christ's sake..."

Curtis chuckled and kissed her quickly on the lips, saying to her in her mind, "Okay, you're the boss, I'm out of your mind, starting.. Now." when he left her thoughts and broke the kiss.

Yuna breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over. Say, I want to ask you something, it's a small request, nothing serious."

She was hoping that Curtis would agree- she wanted to be with Alec again.

Curtis nodded, "Yes, ask, what is it?"

Yuna gulped, "I want Alec to come down here to be with me."

Curtis erupted with laughter, "OH MY GOD! YOU'RE FUCKING HILARIOUS! Let the leader of a hostile foreign power into an installation so secret, the Czar himself doesn’t even know about it!"

"I'm not lying. Alec doesn't want to destroy Mississippi at all. He's more concerned about me at this point than anything. He doesn't want to steal any of your technology- he doesn't want it."

Curtis threw his hand back in the air and she sailed into a nearby wall, he shouted, "Enough of your insolence! Silence woman, we shall go to the meeting, you shall keep quiet." He overpower her mentally and kept her powers suppressed as he forced her to keep quiet, he then beckoned with his hand, "Woman, this way, follow me..."

She followed. In her mind, she was thinking- "I want to get out of here...Alec, where are you?"

Curtis let her see where Alec was, lying unconscious in his room in Madrid.

"Why, Curtis?"

Curtis shrugged, "Eh, you didn't do for me the other thing I wanted... I'm still toying with killing him, I'm not sure though..."

"I have other weapons you don't know about. I don't know where they are either."

Curtis nodded, "Yes, but do you really want your entire nation to die? We could deflect a large number of your missiles, with our thoughts alone, the council that is, and then the defense systems could get a large portion, we'd come out better off than you would."

"Look, let Alec come down here. He'll be too frazzled to remember anything- he just wants to be with me."

Curtis used his powers to force her forward, hard into the door. He then opened it for her and pushed her down a flight of stairs. "Shut up, would you!" he shouted.

She stumbled to her feet, and shouted: "If you let Alec come down here, I'll have sex with you. I'm not lying. Yes, before you ask, I'm THAT desperate."

Curtis smiled, "Really? No fooling?"

"Just let him come down here to be with me and I'll have sex with you. That simple."

Curtis nodded, "Yes, but we do it first, okay? Then he can come here..."

"I had planned on that. I know you're not stupid."

Curtis smiled, "Ah Yuna, I hope you enjoy your just rewards... Your nation insults my son and my daughter-in-law... You attempted to topple our regime here during the recent peasant uprising, and I know you worked with the Hogsweatians in TBD to abduct William... Thank God he is alright though... But you must now learn the price of your betrayals of the trust Mississippians placed in your supposed treaties of friendship and declarations of peace."

"Okay- I agree that we did the first two- but the second two are absolute bullshit. We had nothing to do with either of those."

Curtis looked at Yuna, "Yuna, there is one more term we must agree to... I have seen things, the council helped focus my abilities and I was the one who could have sight before sight, if you know what I mean... Shortly after 2020, my grandson will want to marry your daughter... I want you to swear you'll keep that from happening, I don't want my grandson sullying himself with Sevarin flesh..."

"Curtis, I put no stock in forecasting the future. However if something happens, I'll do something about it."

Curtis nodded, "Okay, Yuna, well shall we go then?"

Yuna sighed, "I suppose. Let's get this over with."

Curtis chuckled, "Yuna, you don't seem excited... Something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I'm just a bit out of it."

Curtis nodded, "Well... If you don't want to..."

"No, no- I want to. It's just one of those things in life you have to do."

Curtis nodded, "Yes, but if you don't want to do it..."

"I'll be honest with you, I really don't. I just thought that was the only way to get Alec down here."

Curtis shook his head, "No, I've changed my mind... He may come down here, no strings attached, just keep your daughter from seducing my grandson, okay?"

"Alright, I see. No problem."

Curtis nodded, "Okay, well since you get out of that..." he kissed her for about thirty seconds again and then when he broke the kiss, he swatted her on the butt and chuckled, "Get moving then, the council awaits..."

Yuna followed him. On the way, she sent a message to Alec- she hoped he would come soon.

Curtis snapped his fingers and let Yuna see that Alec was on his way, Curtis had let him get up and leave while they were talking.

"That's good. At least I'll be able to stop worrying."

Yuna and Curtis walked through a corridor that was damp with a marble floor, walls, and ceiling, it was lit by torches. She could hear every step she made echo through the entire corridor. It was narrow as well, they had to go single file, Curtis was behind her, he kept swatting her in the butt and chuckling, "Come on, pick up the pace"

"I'm moving, damnit," she growled. "Not exactly the nicest place for the secret almighty council, is it?"

Curtis smiled as the corridor widened so he could walk alongside Yuna, he put his arm around her and pulled her close to him, chuckling, "It's still a nice place for a secret council, eh?"

"Interesting, to say the least." She batted his hand off. "Keep your hand off of me, will ya?"

Curtis frowned, "Hey, just a while ago you were ready to do it, now you're all over defensive..."

She smiled, "You with your all-seeing mind, and you forget that I suffer from mild bi-polar disorder.."

He nodded, "Don't you forget, I suffer from over-active urges..." He put his arm back around her, whispering in her ear, "Maybe I'll take you up on your earlier offer..."

"No, Curtis, I'm not in the mood."

Curtis frowned as he slowed his pace, "Yuna, come on, you were so much more willing to cooperate earlier, now that you've got what you want and he's on the way, you don't have to do anything eh? Is that it?"

"I told you, it's the damned bi-polar disorder."

Curtis nodded and then stopped in his tracks and pulled her up close against his chest, kissing her, as he said into her thoughts, "Forget the disorder, you don't suffer from it anymore..." She suddenly realized he was right, whatever he'd done, or the council had done just now, she felt fine...

"I feel...cold."

Curtis smiled as he made some of the nearby torches burn brighter; he then went back to kissing her.

As she was kissing him, she said, "Could we just move on? I'm eager to meet the other freaks."

Curtis pushed her up against the wall and kissed her harder, "Not yet, they're not expecting us yet, we'd be early..." He smiled, "We have a while..."

She continued as well. "God, you're good...not good enough, though."

Curtis kept kissing her as he said into her thoughts, "What does that mean?"

"Alec's better than you are- what else could it mean?"

Curtis frowned, "Ah, is that so?" He started to slide her pants down.

"Oh, Curtis, please...must you?"

Curtis nodded, "Yes, Yuna, yes..."

"This so typical of you," she sighed. "Can't you do anything original?

Curtis frowned, "What would you want?"

"I don't know, just think of something original, will ya? This probably means I have sex too much, but, whatever."

Curtis shrugged, "Ah, just get ready Yuna..."

"Heh...love to see what you can do."

About twenty minutes later, when they were done, Curtis helped her get dressed again, he nodded, "Well Yuna, I think the Council heard you shouting..."

"Anyone could've, unless they were deaf. I admit I am a bit loud."

Curtis nodded as he kissed her for a few seconds, "You're very good also... Well then, shall we move along now that we have that out of the way?"

"I agree. I'm somewhat interested in meeting these people."

Curtis kissed her again and then moved away as he broke the kiss, "Well Yuna, shall we move along then?"

"Yes." As she was walking, she felt a bit nervous- she knew Alec was coming, but would he get in alive?"

She could sense Alec was near, however, she was uneasy about what would happen? Would he die? Would both of them die?

Curtis moved forward and opened the last door, the door that led to the Council Chamber room.

"Impressive, to say the least."

There were twelve chairs inside the room arranged around a circular table. Eleven of the chairs had occupants in them, men with long black capes flowing from their silver robes, their monastic style hoods pulled up over their faces to conceal themselves. She could hear the flicker of nearby torches that were located to illuminate the room. Curtis walked to the empty chair, it was at the far end of the table, elevated above the rest.

As he was about to sit down, every other member rose and shouted, "ITSOTC!"

Yuna was puzzled. She thought to herself, "Odd..I wonder what it meant?"

One of the members nodded as Curtis sat down, "Brothers we are gathered here tonight to speak with Yuna..." He rose, "One named Yuna, speak, tell us about yourself... We'd like to hear it in your own words."

She laughed, "So much to say...so little time. I'm 26, yes, I'm that old...born and raised in Bucharest, Romania- suffered alterations courtesy of Nicolae Ceausescu... Fled to Sevaris when the commies went bust in '89, fought in the revolution, met the man of my dreams 7 years ago, married him- and here I am today."

A man stood up and removed his hood, she recognized him as Bertrand Navarre, he nodded, "Yuna, tell me, what do you want from the council?

"To be honest, Marshal, Curtis was the one who brought me here. I've no idea why I'm here to begin with."

"That's another thing- why AM I here?"

Schacht flipped his hood down over the back of his cape, as Navarre pulled his hood back up to sit down. As one sat down, the other stood up, it was freaky. Schacht started to speak, "You were called here, this is your calling, it was destined to be." he sat back down, replacing his hood, Philippe Bon stood up as he took his hood off, "You had to come here, it was written..." He then sat down, replacing his hood.

She scoffed, "You know MY destiny? Even I don't know that."

Arthur Nelson stood up, taking his hood off, "Yes Yuna, the texts spoke of this." He then sat down, replacing his hood.

"Texts? You have books with this shit in it?"

Nelson stood back up, removing his hood, "The Sacred Books cannot be discussed with an alien..."

"Texts? You have books with this shit in it?"

Nelson stood back up, removing his hood, "The Sacred Books cannot be discussed with an alien..."

"Sacred?" She started to chuckle, "So you DO have a sense of humor."

Schacht stood up, removing his hood, he frowned, "The texts are not to be insulted, hold thy tongue, devil woman!"

"Why don't you tell me what these bloody books ARE first? The only text I hold sacred is the Bible..."

He frowned, "The most sacred of books is the Necronomicon..."

"The book of the dead? Isn't that a myth or just a historical curiosity?"

Schacht shook his head, "No, it is the way of truth and power."

"Ancient history was never my strong suit. Anyway, so, Schacht, riddle me this, why did you tear me from my home, my family, and my country just to bring me here and change me completely?"

Schacht nodded, "You Yuna, you shall balance out and complete the council, giving us each the power to have a son born into the way of truth and enlightenment... You are already carrying a child by Gregory, you shall eventually bear each of us a son..."

"No...I already have a family. Speaking of my family, where's Alec? I heard he'd be here."

Schacht shook his head, "He is on his way, keep patient, anyway, you have no real choice in this matter, the texts say you must either join us or perish... You have been brought into our secret lodge, and you know our secrets, you must join us now..."

Yuna was puzzled. "I know jack-shit about this lodge--I honestly don't know why I'm here." She pointed to Curtis- "It was your bloody idea to begin with- why am I here?"

Curtis shrugged, "You are here because you need to be here..."

"That's cryptic. Any better answers, people?"

One of the men stood up, removed his hood, it was Major Karl Von Konig... He said some words in Latin, "She is here because she is here" and then sat back down...

"This is utterly pointless. I know for certain my destiny doesn't lie here."

Konig stood back up, "We must she her the book..."

The entire council gasped, Schacht shouted, "No, not the sacred word!"

Curtis nodded, "Yes, it is the only way to convince her."

"Guys, calm down. I can keep a secret- I run the freakin' secret police."

Curtis took a skeleton key from a piece of string around his neck... He walked over to an altar that had skulls lining the edges. He opened up a drawer and removed a dusty book.

"What is that?"

Curtis spoke, with a hint of fear, fear out of respect, in his voice, "This is the Necronomicon..."

Yuna was surprised. In her mind, she said, "I thought this was just a myth." She spoke, "And you say this mentions me?"

Curtis placed the book down on the table and put her hand on it, she could feel a sudden surge of energy through her body and she could her shrieks and screams, as though they were coming from within the book itself.

"Curtis, what's going on? This makes no sense...it's like the book is screaming!"

Curtis remained silent and then opened the book to the pages about Yuna, well it didn't name her, but it had a depiction of what "The woman of the Council" would look like, it looked very much like her, the similarity was too close for comfort, it said, "She shall bear the council each a son, for a total of twelve sons, then there shall be a council in Jackson City and Alexandria, the Alexandrian Cabal shall reign supreme over Asia Minor."

"So...This says that I'm your key to controlling TURKEY?"

Curtis frowned, "We will control Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan, the Holy Land... The book means the Holy Land when it says Asia Minor, it's their definition... But we shall control the lands of power..."

"You want to control the old Ottoman Empire, essentially. Why, though? Seems a bit pointless to me. I mean, you already own more land than God."

Curtis nodded, "The source of Power is from the land of the old kings of Egypt and the Holy Lands, we must control them to appease our master."

"And, pray tell, who is your master?"

Curtis closed the book and returned it to the drawer, locking it... He pulled his hood back up and beckoned for her to follow him... The others lined up in two single file lines and followed behind them. He led her to a large open room, it was designed so as to appear to be outside in a clearing in the woods. There was a large wooden snake in the middle of the room, at least twenty feet tall and forty feet long.

"Pardon me for sounding stupid, but that thing is fake, right?"

Curtis nodded, "Yes, that one is..."

Yuna appeared a bit scared, "There's another one?"

Two of the men walked around the wooden snake, letting dry ice fumes float about, and creating a mist.

They were whispering things in Latin.

"You worship this thing?"

Curtis fell down before the wooden snake and started saying things in Ancient Egyptian, words she couldn't possibly understand.

The other members of the Council all did the same thing.

She was even more confused. She thought to herself, "What in God's name are they doing?"

Curtis rose and spoke, "Oh Nehebkau, we pay homage to you, grant us your powers and make us victorious in our pursuits to achieve power in your name!"

(Ooc-Nehebkau = the Egyptian snake god)

Her jaw dropped. "They worship a fuckin' Egyptian snake god," she muttered.

She thought to herself, "Curtis Fabus, supposedly the most loyal disciple of Christ out there- and he worships an Egyptian snake god."

Curtis read her thoughts; he suddenly turned with inhuman speed and frowned as he moved towards her, saying into her mind, "You will tell nobody of this, do you hear me, Yuna?"

"It's alright Curtis, I'm very confused as it is- I have hardly any idea what's going on," she replied.

Curtis nodded and Yuna watched as the snake suddenly moved.. .In the fog cloud that had been created, the real snake had been brought in. It was a Cobra, specially bred, it was no less than sixty feet long, it was able to keep twenty feet in the air when it arched it's head and neck back.

Yuna was cowering in terror. "CURTIS---WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

Curtis moved his hand in a friendly manner and the snake immediately slithered over to him, looking right at Yuna... Curtis said into her mind, "Will you join us?"

"Why should I? There's a giant snake breathing down my neck- I'm scared shitless- what d'you expect me to do?"

Curtis frowned and then moved away as the snake moved closer to Yuna.

"Get..that..thing..away from me.."

The snake suddenly dove at her and started to wrap around her, it wasn't a constrictor totally, or a cobra totally, it was a cross basically between a black neck spitting Cobra an Asp, and an Anaconda.

"Curtis...stop this thing, damnit, stop it."

Curtis frowned as it constricted around her, now so tightly she could barely move... He said into her mind, "You know our secrets, you must die now since you will not join us... We made a mistake in agreeing to let you in..."

"I just want to go back home...I want to be with Alec again.."

Curtis frowned, "Will you ever speak of this place or the Council, or what we do?"

"I am as confused as hell.. I..." She then passed out, her mind had shut down again.

When she came to, she was back in the conference hall, the first room she'd been in, the others were gone, except for Curtis and Schacht.

"You two AGAIN? Can't you leave me alone?"

Curtis frowned, "Would you rather be with The Symbol of Nehebkau?

"No--but why am I here with you two again?"

Curtis sighed, "We hoped you would join us, we were wrong... Now we need to prepare for a ritual to purify you..." He grinned.

"You do realize I'm not changing back? I don't want to kill myself in the attempt."

Curtis frowned, "I know, once you give birth to the son of Gregory, we'll kill you..."

"You do know who my husband is, right?"

Curtis nodded, "Yes, I know who Alec is, he is a Council of 33..."

Yuna's jaw dropped. "I didn't know that..."

Curtis nodded, "Of course you didn't, he can't tell you, you're an alien, his oath to the Order of Enlightened Men comes before anything else... If we decided you need to die, he'd have to allow it..."

She chuckled, "You don't know Alec. Logic really has no place in his mind. Anyway, what did you mean by "purify"?

Curtis pointed to a large glass pool, he tossed a piece of bread into it, it immediately was eaten away by Nitric Acid... He smiled, "You need to be purged so you can't tell about our secrets..."

Yuna was horrified. However, her horror soon turned to anger- her eyes started to glow bright red.

Schacht and Curtis used their powers to keep her pinned in place.

"This is what you do to me? All you made me suffer, and I meet my end in a pool of Acid?"

The rest of the council suddenly returned to the room, Alec was now with them...

Yuna was overjoyed, "Alec! Thank god you're here- Curtis has lost it."

Curtis smiled and gave Alec an Enlightened Man's greeting hand signal, he then frowned, "Alec, your wife, Yuna, she knows about our secrets, she must be purged..."

Alec was puzzled. "Are you certain?"

Curtis nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid so..."

Yuna shouted, "I've no idea- I'm confused as hell."


Alec said, "Curtis, why not ask her? It's the easiest way."

Curtis frowned, "She saw it all, I can sense her thoughts, she knows it all.."

Alec shook his head, "I doubt that. You don't know everything."

Curtis sighed, "Alec, remember your oath, we can't afford to risk her knowing, she must be purged, you agree, yes?"

Alec shook his head again. "In no good conscience can I. She is my wife, I swore to protect her seven years ago- and I intend not to break that promise now. I say she lives- she is my wife, after all."

Curtis frowned, "Alec, your oath as an Enlightened Man matters more than any other promises..."

"No. There are four things I swore an oath for: To defend the state, to defend the people, to defend Yuna, and to defend the Enlightened Men. Of those priorities, Yuna ranks first. I cannot break that, Curtis."

When he said Yuna came first, the entire council gasped and started to communicate via their thoughts. Nelson removed his hood and spook, "You Alec have broken your oath, Yuna may live, as may you, but you are hereby ejected from the 33 and will have to work your way up the ladder from the Sevarin WKM into the upper echelons of the Councils of Enlightened men again..."

"That's alright. If I have to put some order before my family and country, then sod it."

Ooc- The WKM is Christian, well 100% of members are, and most would be horrified by what the "Enlightened Men" do, but the 12 use mind probes to find WKM men who might be receptive to the "Councils" ideas, and then elevate them into "Enlightenment"

Curtis nodded, "Well then Alec, goodbye then?"

"I suppose." He walked over to Yuna. "I'm glad you're alive- you hurt badly?"

Curtis smiled, "One last thing, Yuna has been changed into the a learned woman, and she is pregnant with the symbol of modern power, Gregory's son..."

Alec was stunned. "What the?"

Yuna spoke up, "I'm afraid it's true. However, I feel better. I will be getting rid of it, I assure you. The baby, that is."

Curtis frowned, as did the entire council, "Yuna", they all said in unison, "If you harm the child, you will die... It is too connected to you to be removed."

"We'll see. I doubt that's true- you just want your little bastard to be brought into this world."

Curtis frowned, "Well Alec, yoy should be getting back to Spain then, eh?"

"Yes, I should."

Curtis nodded, "Well then, you and Yuna have a safe trip, Gregory will see Yuna in nine months to get his son..."

Yuna's eyes flashed red again. Alec was confused. He then spoke, "No. We'll send the thing to you...Gregory is forbidden to set foot in Sevaris."

Gregory frowned, "Thing! My son is no thing; my son will rule the lands of our Aryan ancestors! Egypt and the near East!"

"Your son will never be born," Yuna growled. "Farewell, all."

Gregory screamed and then in a fit of rage he charged Yuna, smashing her hard into the wall.

Yuna went berserk, and her powers went out of control- she sent Gregory flying across the room into a wall.

Gregory picked himself up and then focused his thoughts, making Yuna nervous and afraid.

Alec grabbed Yuna by the hand, "Come on- we've got to leave!"

Gregory walked slowly back towards her, he let out a massive roar and started to grow in height, at least eight feet tall, his back started to split open, his skin became green, he was not even human in most of his genetic coding anymore, the others were just modified humans. Gregory, was completely different, a revolution. His hands suddenly grew longer, turning into massive sixteen inch claws.

Alec, at a loss for words, tossed a grenade, and fled with Yuna out of the room.

Gregory tossed the grenade aside into another room and then smashed the wall to pieces as he ran after Alex and Yuna.

Gregory stopped in his tracks and reverted to human form as he had Yuna and Alec cornered against the bunker blast doors.

He moved closer to them.

He smiled at Yuna, "My son, alive and well in nine months?"

Yuna eyes flashed red once more, and she sent him flying a few hundred feet down the hall into a wall.

"BASTARD!"

Gregory stood up and sent a ball of flames rushing at Alec as he himself rushed forward, stopping as he got near Yuna.

Alec cleared the fireball's path, and landed in a corridor nearby.

Gregory sighed and lifted Yuna up by her neck, keeping her from struggling by using his powers.

He smiled at her, “Well Yuna, what will it be?”

bump for the night, updates later. Argh, I still need to update 1984...

tag

Ooc- http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=7409587&postcount=101

Posts 101 and up deal with some interesting issues.

Yuna struggled to speak, when Alec came out of the hall. He threw his revolver to the ground. "Drop the woman- take me instead."

Gregory motioned with his free hand and Alec went flying back against the solid reinforced steel blast door, he was knocked unconscious.

Gregory smiled at Yuna, "Well Yuna, you're all mine now, eh?"

"Never."

"I'll die first...I don't fear death."

Gregory nodded, "Yuna, I'll let you and Alec leave in peace, but I must be assured my child will be safe and allowed to be born, well and unharmed..."

"I can make no guarantees. It's all up to the doctors."

Gregory tossed her aside, hard against the wall, and pinned her in place with his powers as he walked over to Alec.

She chuckled, "Gregory, don't be stupid. You can't kill Alec- otherwise, you'll lose me too."

Gregory nodded and picked up Alec, and then made him wake up, easing his pain with his powers, he pushed him towards Yuna, and then he released his hold over Yuna and let both of them move closer to the still tightly sealed door.

Yuna hugged Alec- "You alright?" He replied, "A bit sore- nothing bad, really." He then turned to Gregory, "Well? Can we leave?"

Gregory looked at Alec, and said into his mind, "Only if and when you agree to let my child be born..."

"I can't make any guarantees. I'm no doctor."

Gregory nodded, "You two may leave..." he used his powers to let the door open...

Yuna and Alec left. As they exited, Alec turned around and screamed at Gregory (in Hungarian), "Rot in hell, you sick bastard..."

Gregory used his powers to make Alec trip and smash his face on the concrete floor leading to the staircase that would take him to the elevator to leave the bunker.

Yuna reached for her Makarov and fired a few rounds at Gregory. She then helped Alec into the elevator.

As the elevator got 1/2 way up, it suddenly stopped, and started to rapidly fall, Gregory's voice echoed in it, "HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Promise me the child will be born, or you both die!"

Yuna used her powers to hold the elevator in place. "I will do my best. It may very well die during birth- that remains a possibility. I don't know. Just leave us alone, would you?"

Gregory nodded and suddenly the elevator was propelled upwards with great speed, coming to a peaceful halt at the top.

Alec and Yuna exited, and boarded a waiting An-70.

As they prepared to leave, Yuna said into Gregory's mind, "I will have my revenge. Be afraid, very afraid..."

Two T-98s pulled directly in front of the An-70, one radioed the pilot, "You will board an Mi-24 and come with us to Stalingrad..."

Alec got on the radio, "Why? I've been cleared to leave already-over."

(Commander) "The Czar's orders... He wants to speak with you and Yuna..."

(Alec) "Very well. Out."

Alec and Yuna left, and boarded the Mi-24.

(Yuna) "What could he want? According to Curtis, he doesn't know about this place."

An hour later, they were at Stalingrad, Alec and Yuna wondered what the Czar wanted.

Roger was waiting at the helipad, he was wearing a suit and dark sunglasses, he smiled at Alec, "Alec, Yuna, this way please..."

Alec was the first to speak. "Roger, why are we here? I've not the foggiest- and neither does Yuna."

Roger walked forward, beckoning for them to follow.

They did. On the way, Yuna whispered to Alec, "Something isn't right..I can sense it." Alec whispered back, "He can't afford to do anything- he knows what will happen if he does."

Roger sat down inside the side room they entered, he smiled, it was dark enough inside, and yet he kept his sunglasses on, "How are you two doing?"

Alec spoke, "We're...fine. You?"

Roger nodded, "Never better!"

Yuna then said into Roger's mind, "Why are you wearing sunglasses? It's dark as hell in here- and you're a bit too hyper. Is something wrong?"

Alec was puzzled. "Roger, you seem a tad excited. Something I should know about?"

Roger shook his head, "No, I'm fine, just excited is all, a lot has been happening recently eh?"

Roger chuckled into Yuna's mind, "Yuna, Yuna, so you can talk to me eh? You know how to do it? Interesting, isn't it?"

Yuna sighed, "You've got it too, don't you?"

Roger took his sunglasses off, his eyes were glowing red, he smiled, "Ah yes..."

Alec sighed, "Here we go again..."

"Enough shit, Roger. Why did you bring us here?"

Roger smiled, "Alec, I think you'll like it this way, eh? You should join us..."

"So, you brought me here to make me into a mental freak?"

Roger smiled, "It really is better this way, you'll see..." Alice came in and sat on his lap, she nodded, "Roger's right, it is better this way..."

Yuna's jaw dropped. "Alice, not you too?"

Alice smiled, "Oh relax Yuna, it's nothing too terribly, surely you know that by now, yes?"

"I know that. I didn't expect such a sensitive girl like you to get it either."

Alice grinned, "You know Yuna, there is something I've always wanted to do to you..."

She then lunged at Yuna, punching her in the face with a tightly clenched fist.

Alice put both her hands around Yuna's neck and kneed her in the stomach.

Alec got up, and tackled Alice off of Yuna. He then held her in a headlock, and kicked her a few times.

Roger immediately ran into Alec and knocked him down, and then smashed his boot into his stomach, immediately bruising if not rupturing one of his kidneys.

Roger then picked Alec up and ran him head first into the wall before he threw him through a window.

Alec stumbled to his feet, and fired a few rounds at Roger.

Inside, Yuna tackled Alice to the ground and punched her a few times in the stomach and head.

As she was attacking her, Yuna cried out- "YOU STUPID BITCH! WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!"[/b

Suddenly Alice flipped Yuna off of her, and then shook her head, "Yuna, get off me, stop." Her voice sounded much more normal now.

[b]Yuna made a move to go after her again, but then stopped. Alec stumbled back into the room, and collapsed into a chair.

Roger sat down, next to Alice, both of them apologized.

Yuna and Alec apologized as well. Alec was puzzled, "What was that all about?"

Alice shook her head, "They won't leave my mind, I can't fight them off very well... I'm so sorry, they made me attack you... Schacht thought it'd be funny to see..."

Alice frowned, "I'm sorry Yuna..."

Yuna stopped. "Same here...but why did you do that?"

Alice shook her head, "I told you, I don't know... They made me do it..."

Alec woke up briefly, and said, "Erm...why don't you two just kiss and make up or something? Seems to be easiest option." He then fell asleep again.

Roger chuckled, "What a thing to say, eh?"

Schacht laughed into Yuna's mind, "Yuna, good idea, kiss Alice... I'd like to see it, so go ahead..."

She replied, "Schacht, no. Fuck off, would ya?"

Schacht smiled and then his voice echoed into her head, "Do as I say..."

“No, no, no...."

Schacht focused his mind and started to bend Yuna to his will, "Yuna, do as I say..."

Yuna tried to resist, she started jerking about violently. This woke Alec up. "Schacht again?"

Schacht asked Gregory for help, and he lent his concentration to making Yuna do as Schacht had ordered her.

Roger looked at Yuna, "What is it?

Alice frowned, "Is it them?"

Alec went over to Yuna, and tried to restrain her. Yuna replied, "It's them! Help...me...."

Alec shouted to Roger, "D'YOU HAVE ANY TRANQUILIZIER?"

Suddenly the entire council was in Yuna's mind telling her to do as Schacht ordered... Roger sighed, frozen in place by the council, "No... I don't... I don't, no, not sure, what was the question?" Smith and Navarre made Alec collapse into a chair.

Alec tried to speak, but instead fell unconscious. Yuna tried to resist all she could, but, eventually, temptation gave in, and she tackled Alice.

Alice swiped at Yuna, "Yuna, are you crazy?"

As she tried to kiss her, she whispered into her ear: "Forgive me..."

Alice turned her head to the side, struggling to push Yuna off of her, "Yuna, get off!"

Yuna did get off, but her mind refused to do anything more. She was fighting herself again.

Schacht and the council focused, Schacht shouted, "Yuna, obey!"

Yuna screamed, "OUT OF MY HEAD!" She then ran toward the window.

However, her mind lost the battle. She then ran back over to Alice, and tackled her again. Again, she said, "Alice...forgive me..I know not what I'm doing.."

Alice frowned, and struggled to get up, Roger remained frozen in pace, Alec remained unconscious, Schacht's voice barked in Yuna's head, "Yuna, obey!"

Yuna finally gave up. She then kissed Alice intensely for roughly a minute. She then let go, and collapsed to the ground.

Schacht laughed in Yuna's head, "HAHAHA! Well, I had no idea you swung that way, well anyway, you're a whore so you'll take anything you can get, eh?... See how much we control you? You're powerless before us, you will do exactly as the council says, or you may be forced to things that aren't just mildly embarrassing, but perhaps deadly, to people such as Alec."

"You will die, Schacht. You and your friends...I will see to it myself."

Schacht smiled, "See Yuna, I can make anybody do anything I want..." She heard his voice echo throughout the room, "Roger, slap yourself in the face, hard..." Roger shook his head, and started to struggle with himself, then suddenly he gave in and smashed his palm hard against his face. Schacht erupted with laughter.

Yuna growled, "You will pay, you bastard, you will pay."

Alec then regained consciousness. Yuna rushed over to him.

Schacht smiled as he said into Yuna's mind, "Maybe I could have the council freeze Alice and Roger in place, and you and Alec could put on a show for them... See, I can do whatever I want... But what I want is for you to get me something from Spain... A spear of sorts, will you get it for me?"

Alec struggled to speak, "Schacht...no one hurts my wife and gets away with it. I will expunge the foul trace of you from the earth.... What are you talking about? I don't know what this spear is?"

Schacht replied, "Let me go to Spain and get it..."

"No, no...You're not allowed in."

Yuna then spoke, "The SSD will see to that."

Schacht frowned, "The Spear of Destiny, I want it..."

Alec shouted, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, DAMMIT!"

Schacht frowned, "I want the Spear of Destiny and the Holy Grail, both of which are in Spain..."

"I don't care, you're not getting it. You're nothing more than an agent of the devil, are you? You seem that way to me."

Suddenly Alec realized his nose was bleeding, and a few seconds later, his eyes started to pour out blood.

Alec screamed in agony. Yuna began easing his pain. She then spoke to Schacht, "Kill him, and I take you, me, and the rest of the world with him."

Alec suddenly seemed fine again, the bleeding stopped. But then, Yuna heard Schacht's voice in her head, "You should hit Alec, in the face, hard..."

"I know I don't want to hear the answer, but why?"

Schacht frowned, "Because I can make you do it, so do it..." The entire council focused their powers.

"No, I won't...I won't hurt Alec, I love him too much."

Alec heard what was going on. He walked over to Yuna, and hugged her tightly. He whispered into her ear, "It's alright, babe, don't worry. I’m here for you.."

The entire council was exerting their powers to get her to be bent to their will... Schacht shouted, "Do it!"

She started hyperventilating, "Don't let them, Alec, don't let them. He held her, "I won't, Yuna, I'll keep you safe."

Suddenly the councils voices all left Yuna's head, as Alice and Roger came shook themselves out of the hold they were under and focused their thoughts to drive the council away... Anyway, the council was now arguing amongst themselves, too busy to play games and fool around with others minds.

Yuna turned to Roger and Alice, "I can't thank you enough- close call back there."

Roger nodded, "Yes, but it comes and goes, more often than not, I am under the sway of the council...."

Alec spoke, "We need to stop them. But how?"

Roger nodded, "The book, the book..."

"I remember Curtis was talking about that," Yuna said. "What do we do with it, though?"

Roger shrugged, "Destroy it somehow, I think the pope will know how..."

"Can we bring him here? I think time is of the essence."

The pope walked into the room, "I am already here..." he said with a long face.

He smiled, "You might recognize me as Herman Von Thaller, the fighter ace..."

Alec walked over and shook his hand, "Ah, good to see you, Herman. We have a major problem on our hands- the battle of existence is about to begin. Any ideas?"

Herman nodded, "I know exactly what is going on, it is all in the codices and this is all written...."

He looked at Yuna and frowned as he shook his head.

Yuna was puzzled. "What's wrong? Something I did?"

He sighed, "Not yet, but soon, soon you shall bear the child of the anti-Christ, Satan, after the seed growing in your womb right now is expelled..."

"You can't be serious, can you? I mean, the devil isn't human, is he?

Herman shook his head, "No, he is not human, not yet, he will assume a host though... Likely one of the Council..."

Yuna stopped to think for a moment. "Gregory- he's the most advanced of the lot of them- he's the most likely candidate, in my mind."

Gregory smiled as he read Yuna's mind, "Yes Yuna, yes, you are right, I shall give myself up to the dark gods..."

Yuna scoffed, "You betray everything that you supposedly stand for, even Christ himself? It's not like you'll be able to overrun the world, Gregory. You're just one man."

Gregory smiled, "Ah for now, but my master shall raise up legions of the dead..."

"Dear God....you can't be serious, can you?"

Gregory smiled, "Yes, deadly serious..."

"We will bury you, again. No matter what it takes, man shall be victorious."

Gregory suddenly broke the link, but not before he made Yuna collapse into a deep sleep.

Alec looked to the moon outside. "So it begins," he murmured.

Roger nodded, "You and Yuna should get back to Spain now, yes?"

Alec nodded, "Yes- we have to plan for the coming fight. Will you and Alice be safe here?"

Roger nodded, and Alice nodded, "Yes, probably..."

"I have a feeling this is not going to be like anything we've experienced before..." He turned to Herman. "Can we kill these people?"

Herman shrugged, "Maybe...”

Alec muttered, "Shit. Ah well, I'm sure we can blow them to pieces, eh?" He turned to Roger. "Our first objective is to make sure he doesn't get his hands on those artifacts- can you seal Mississippi's borders, airspace, etc?"

Roger shook his head, "No... I don't... I can..." It was obvious the council was in his mind again.

Yuna helped Roger concentrate. "I'm here for you- we need you to help us. Otherwise, man ceases to be- we lose civilization as we know it."

Roger nodded, "Our air space is always sealed anyway, I can try.... I need to rest now..."

Suddenly they heard a loud voice in the room, and Roger seemed to breathe easier, the voice called out, "Roger, they shall trouble you no more..."

The pope fell down and made the sign of the cross, "Praise be to God!"

Alec was puzzled. "Is that God?"

Roger fell to his knees and made the sign of the cross, shouting "Praise be to God!"

Alec fell to his knees as well, and joined in the praising. Yuna began praying thanks in her native Romanian.

Alice joined in the prayer. The voice called out to Roger, "Roger, find the sword and the shield of your ancestors, use them..."

Roger stood back up, his eyes no longer altered, and he nodded, "Yes, I shall set to work at that at once."

Alec began speaking, "God, if you can hear me, I ask you to help all of us in our noble undertaking- we need your help to save man from its untimely death. Of the cross of Christ over the snake of the traitors, Amen."

Yuna stood up. "It's the hour of reckoning. What we do now will influence history for the next millenia- I suggest we move wisely."

They could hear the voice again, "Go forth, and gather the faithful..."

Alec nodded, "Yes, Lord. We shall win."

The voice called back, "To win, you and Mississippi will certainly need to put aside your petty bickering... You realize this, yes?"

Roger replied with an affirmative, "Yes!"

Alec replied with an affirmative yes as well. "I realize I've done many rash actions with regard toward Mississippi- I am sorry indeed. I realize now that we have a greater cause to work to now." Yuna was in the background nodding, she continued praying in Romanian.

The voice called out again, "Roger, you should keep the role as Czar, and appoint a most trusted man to the role of Patriarch of your Orthodox Church, he has temporarily lost his way, but he shall realize the true way soon... You must forgive all who ask for it and repent, you cannot hold grudges or you will damn yourselves all. For you must love your enemies as you love yourself. But hold no love for the evil that is about to be unleashed, for there is no good at all left I him."

Alec and Yuna continued praying.

The voice suddenly called out again, "Yuna, you no longer need worry yourself over the evil that was growing within you, it has been purged from you..."

Yuna cried out in joy, "Thank you, Lord. A great burden has been lifted from me."

Alec was elated. "God, thank you. You've really helped my family. I don't know how to repay you."

The voice replied, "Go forth, and ready your forces... Only fight alongside believers though, do not be yoked together with the unbeliever, for as you have been told before, him who is not with me is against me."

Alec replied, "Amen to that."

Yuna was still praying. She concluded with, "God, just as you helped my parents and the resistance win victory over Ceausescu, give me strength to help the victory over the traitors."

The voice then said, "All of you, the virus will leave you shortly and you shall all be restored to normal..."

Yuna, although she didn't say anything, was glad she'd be normal again.

Roger spoke, "Lord, where can I find this sword and shield of which you spoke?" The voice replied, "You will know it when you have found it..."

Roger didn't know that meant, but he didn't question what was said either.





Ooc- Basically the only way for DA and Sevaris to get along was a divine intervention/miracle, and thus one had to happen... Sorry if this went too far out into the realms of unrealistic for anybody. But isn't that what writing is supposed to be about? This will be finished soon and I (And hopefully Sevaris as well) will get back into more realistic stuff.