Aberrant: 2011 - Recruiting Trip

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

When Project Utopia said they were going to arrange to have her fly out to Addis Ababa, Akaisha didn't realize they meant they were going to put her on a Utopia owned jet to fly her there. Instead of flying to the international airport she was flown directly to the A-A complex. The flight was extremely long but otherwise uneventful.

As she disembarks and looks around, she's completely overwhelmed by the absolute beauty of the architecture. From where she stands on the tarmac, the main complex is clearly visible in the distance, towering over the grounds. A young man walks over to her as soon as she puts her feet on the pavement and grins, extending his hand, "Dr. Ross, I presume? I'm Kevin Williams."

Akaisha looks over and smiles, shaking Kevin's hand, "I've been looking forward to meeting you."

Kevin pulls out a badge that has visitor emblazoned across a Project Utopia log, "You'll want to wear this. Aside from letting people know you're supposed to be here, it'll keep the bugs away." He chuckles, "Not that people like you really need to worry about bugs but its still not pleasant having them crawling on you." He motions for her to follow as he climbs into a small electric cart to drive them to the complex.

"People like me?" Akaisha asks as she climbs on, "You're not a Nova?"

Kevin smirks and shakes his head as he starts driving off the tarmac, "Nah. Novas got more important things to do than give tours. I'll show you around the gardens first since I hear you're a biologist. They're pretty amazing."

Akaisha doesn't say much as Kevin takes her around the incredible gardens. Every plant and animal she saw looked to be a physically perfect specimen. The vividness of the colors on everything was incomparable to anything she'd ever seen before. She was equally amazed not only by the perfection she was witnessing but also the diversity. It was as if each area of the garden was a microcosm of entirely different ecosystems. By the time Kevin was pulling the electric cart into a charging station next to the main campus, Akaisha was a bit breathless.

"So, what do you think so far?" Kevin asks, grinning.

Akaisha shakes her head, "Its, wow...its incredible. I could wander in there and never come back out."

"Oh," he says with a chuckle, "you're not the only one. Its actually close to lunch. Why don't we go eat. The dining room is going to blow you away. After lunch I believe you're scheduled to meet with someone else."

Akaisha follows Kevin into the facility. The interior of the complex matches the luscious surroundings as light streams in through the windows, glittering off the polished marble. Akaisha dizzily tries to keep up while turning in all directions to take in the entirety of the facility. No one really gives Akaisha and Kevin much notice as they pass through the lobby, hurrying along on their own ways.

Before long, they arrive at the dining hall. Akaisha is a taken aback when she walks in. Until now she'd felt the future and all of the advancements of technology that had made everything she'd seen possible. The dinning hall, however, was out of ages long past as 13th century tapestries adorn the walls. The furniture of the room matched the era and was made of beautiful woods that were so rich in color that Akaisha suspected they were made of some of the same trees that grew in the gardens. Lunch itself is actually a rather simple affair of just a simple burger and fries. Not that Akaisha minded. Sometimes simple is good and this was no exception.

"Not many people turn Utopia away after seeing what we've done here," Kevin says between bites.

Akaisha nods, "I'm so overwhelmed right now. I really am. I've heard about what was done here and I've seen the pictures but they don't do it any justice."

Kevin nods enthusiastically, "No, not at all. Tomorrow will be just as impressive I promise."

Akaisha grins as they finish their lunch, "I can't even imagine anymore."

Kevin nods and stands up, "Well, let me take you up to the radiation labs since you're going to be able to meet with one of the researchers there I've been told."

The two walk out of the dinning room and head deeper into the complex towards the labs. Akaisha grins happily all the way there. 'I don't know if I've arrived in heaven or paradise but I feel like I'm on cloud nine.'

[z-Aura]

Aura ran a brush through her long hair, then nimbly wove it into one thick braid. She was humming a little as she worked, happy to be meeting someone new, a possible recruit. Not only might she make a new friend today, she might also help her find a place with Project Utopia. This made Aura happy, almost as happy as Gabe made her.

Tucking the brush back in her drawer, she settled back to wait for Instar to get there. She was truly excited to be meeting with a professional scientist in her lab, someone who she could talk with about those things that ninety percent of everyone else didn't get. Even the super-smart novas didn't understand; they just didn't have the foundation knowledge to discuss things properly. They might understand the complexities of the fusion of atoms, but they couldn't discuss it professionally, and they often couldn't make the professional leaps necessary to continue the dialogue properly.

But with Instar, it would be different. Instar was a peer.

Aura couldn't wait.

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Kevin leads Akaisha into the lab area. There is a small lobby with some couches to sit in. This area of the compound is clearly more clinical and functional than the more public areas. Kevin pushes an intercom on the wall, "I have an Akaisha Ross here to see Dr. Durham."

"Ah, yes, we were informed you would be by this afternoon. Have Dr. Ross wait in the lobby and we'll have Dr. Durham meet her there."

Kevin shrugs and turns to Akaisha, "I'm sure I don't need to repeat the instructions to you. Enjoy your afternoon with Dr. Durham. I'll be back tomorrow morning to take you to breakfast and finish the rest of the tour."

Akaisha grins and nods, "I look forward to it. Thank you for everything so far!"

Akaisha fidgets nervously as she waits. Kevin had been very nice and a knowledgeable as a guide. She really wanted talk to someone who was a Nova. She wanted to see how someone else dealt with the life altering changes. She hadn't even told her parents yet, two weeks later. She knew she had nothing to worry about from them but she wanted to understand what she was telling them.

Suddenly, the sound of an electronic lock disengaging gets her attention and she looks over towards the door.

[z-Aura]

When the call came, Kylie nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement. This was it; this was an awesome moment. Kylie could feel it, just like she could feel it at the beginning of her first date with Gabe. This day would change her life.

Kylie hurried through the halls to the lobby, her face flushed and a wide grin on her face. At the door to the lobby, she twisted the handle, hearing the lock snap back and the door open with a soft hiss. There was one woman in the lobby, and Kylie guessed, "Dr. Ross?"

Kylie was an awkward looking young woman, but that may have been the glasses perched low on her nose, or the way she was hugging her arms to herself. Or it may have been the general vibe the lanky woman was giving out. But beyond the clear social awkwardness, she didn't stand out; plain brown hair, soft brown eyes and pale, sun-denied skin.

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha smiles and stands, paying little note to the awkwardness. While spending the last several years getting her doctorate she had been around many others who had a similar disposition. She had long ago figured out that many of them were still fun people. She had little worry that Dr. Durham would be any different.

She extends her hand, "Please, you can call me Akaisha. I wish I could tell you how much it means to me that you asked me out here."

[z-Aura]

"And you can call me Kylie, Akaisha," Aura said, taking the offered hand and gently shaking it. "And it is my pleasure to have a peer come and talk with me. I'm glad you accepted by invitation."

Still holding the door - the code for the electronic lock was a pain to type in, and it always took her a couple of tries - Kylie waved Akaisha through. "It's a bit of a walk," Kylie confessed. "They only have a few entrances to help limit access, and they've put the actual radiation labs way back behind several safeguards." As if to illustrate her point, the hallway in front of them stretched on for a while.

As she walked, Kylie searched for an appropriate topic; after a moment, she said, "Oh, how was your trip? How has your tour been so far?"

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha grins at the question, thinking back to the gardens she saw earlier in the day, "Oh, the flight was good enough I guess. A lot more comfortable flying here on a private jet than a commercial flight. I have to say the tour has been amazing so far. I knew Utopia has done some truly amazing things since Novas started erupting but to finally see some of the best examples of your work has just been stunning. Its already given me a lot to think about and my tour isn't over yet."

Akaisha pauses a moment, glancing at the woman next to her. Nothing about her counterpart would indicate she was a Nova. No, she looked as typical as any researcher in the labs. But she would be able to relate to her in ways that none of her friends at home could. As they start to get closer to the radiation lab, Akaisha looks over at Kylie, "When you erupted...were you excited about it?"

[z-Aura]

Aura laughed oddly, but her reaction was explained when she said, "I was excited to be alive! When the reactor went critical, I knew I was going to die. And when my skin went golden, I knew that I was going to live. When it happened, that was the first thing I realized: I will live. Not, I'm a super-person, or I'm a nova - no, I'll live. So yeah... I was really excited."

Aura glanced at Akaisha, tilting her head. The look took away the awkwardness, because it was all Kylie, the true Kylie - inquisitor, researcher, investigator. It was the quality that made her a good scientist. "What about you? Were you excited to find you were a nova?"

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha grins when Kylie explains her eruption. Not an uncommon story, really, as many eruptions happened in moments of life or death, “Yes, I think if it saved your life then that would be very good reason to be very happy about it.”

“As for me though?” She stops and looks down, self-consciously looking towards her tail, “I don’t know. I’ve felt a lot of things. I guess I’m more scared than anything else. Seems kinda silly doesn’t it? I have more power now than I probably even know and yet, I’m scared.”

[z-Aura]

Gabe had been having lots of influences on Aura. And one of the weirdest, at least to those who knew her before, was her new-found realization that touch was comforting. And so now, she stepped forward and hugged Akaisha. She even managed not to look nervous as she did it, and she didn't trip, bruise or maim anyone. "It's ok to be scared," Kylie said when she'd stepped back. "It's a big deal."

Without another mention, Kylie changed the subject. "What is your area of study? I think mine is obvious, given what labs we're headed to. Where'd you get your degree?" She stopped herself, blushing. "If I'm being too nosy, feel free to tell me to shut up."

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha is surprised when she’s suddenly wrapped in a hug since she’d been looking down. She returns it appreciatively, holding on for a moment. She can feel her eyes moisten and she sniffles a bit as Kylie takes a step back. She looks up again, smiling at Kyle’s comforting words. Knowing that what she felt wasn’t surprising made it seem a bit easier.

However, when Kylie changes the subject, Akaisha is more than happy to move on. It would take more than a trip out here for her to sort her own personal feelings out. “I studied biology at NYU and got my Ph. D. in biology with a specialty in ecology, evolutionary biology and behavior from the City University of New York.” She grins and shrugs, “I don’t think it’s nosey. And what about you? Where did you go to school?”

[z-Aura]

"I got my undergraduate in Chemistry at the University of Dallas," Kylie said eagerly, "and my doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin." She grinned and looked a little abashed as she said, "I grew up in Temple, TX, and I was kinda a homebody. Until I moved to Addis Abba, the furthest I got from home was Mexico City, when I was hired by Project Utopia." Kylie smiled. "And the lab accident happened while I was working for them. So that's my professional life in a nutshell."

As they passed doors, Kylie shared whose lab it was, and what they were researching. It was all related to radiation in some way, obviously, and the experiments' potential lethality and danger increased as they wound deeper into the complex. Finally, Kylie announced, "This is my lab, and I study some of the effects of radiation on quantum-saturated or 'attuned' eufiber, which is the best way to study the interaction between quantum and radiation. Since we can't really zap novas to see, you know."

The room was not huge, but it was orderly and well-kempt. A computer sat off to one side, humming softly on a long table. Most of the work stations were taken up by trays of eufiber in various stages of health. Dates hung over the sealed trays and a clipboard of notes was laid out below each. "This is my life," Aura joked, holding out her hands in a displaying gesture. "Pretty glamorous stuff, huh?"

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha grins as they move through the labs. While radiation was as far from her specialty as anything else in physics, seeing the equipment being used in the lab was very interesting to her. She could tell that like everything else she'd seen in Addis Ababa the equipment here was not only the best but better than anything she'd ever seen. She leans over the samples to get a closer look while Kylie talks. She's never actually seen eufiber before. It was expensive and really only Novas could use it.

Straightening herself, she turns to look back at Kylie, "It is glamorous. This place. What you're doing is all so amazing. What's it like working here? How much say do you have over what direction you take with your research? I can't believe you'd give up these amazing facilities to join Team Tomorrow either!"

[z-Aura]

Kylie grinned. "Well, I was joking," she laughed. "Usually, people have glazed eyes at this point in the tour. Even my mom and dad, who have only seen my former labs at Mexico City, can only summon a polite amount of interest. And others... well, I've had other idiots mock what I do."

The flash of anger that passed her features was quickly gone, and just like that, Aura was smiling again. "Working here is wonderful. It's a dream. I can't imagine doing anything else, so its not sure I'll join Team Tomorrow," she admitted. "While I'm training for it, they may decide that my skills are better suited for the lab." She shrugged as a rueful expression crossed her face. "And my powers are hard to use in most emergency situations. When you become living Roentgenium and have a twenty meter hot zone, your usability in a team situation is kinda limited."

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha nods, "Well, it is hard to discuss such complex things with people who don't understand." She notes the anger and while the emotion seems to be a bit of an overreaction to her, she doesn't pay it much mind. She's much more interested in what Kylie said after that anyway. As interested as she was in the research, she could have come to work here before her own eruption.

"How does that affect what you do here?" She hesitates, "You know, being what you...we...are. Does it make it any easier or harder? I feel like I can see things in ways that I never could before. If I had the right tools I know I could do some amazing research." She pauses for a moment to try and collect her thoughts so she can say what she's trying to say properly.

"Do you know what I mean? I feel like I can do so much more now. I've always wanted to use my gifts to help people and now I have a whole new world opened to me. But would coming here matter? Should I come hide in these amazing labs? Or do I see what's out here for me?" She looks into the other girl's eyes, searching for the answers.

[z-Aura]

"Yes, my capacity has increased," Kylie admitted with a smile. Reaching out, she anally straightened a tray a bit as she continued, "In fact, recently, my mind has become clearer. And I know that it wasn't like that after my eruption. It's a result of always using my mind, of constantly being here and thinking and working.

"I love the Project," Aura added, a look of loyalty crossing her face. She crossed her arms and settled her hips against the counter. "I think that most people would be happy working here, if they could find their niche. I do know that you'd be happy in their laboratories, adding to the general knowledge of the world. Maybe there's something else that you'd enjoy as well. But I know that my recent mental clarity has come from working in these labs, so Utopia has shaped me."

Content brown eyes leveled with Akaisha's green ones, windows to Aura's soul. "I think you should think about what you want to become, and decide who can help you get to that point. And that should be the group you end up with."

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

"Well, I don't know what I want to become anymore. I spent the last decade knowing what I was going to do once I graduated from college. Its something I haven't thought about in a long time." Akaisha smiles softly, "I can't really complain about the universe opening its doors to me though. I definitely have a lot to think about."

She looks around the labs, "So you got me a free vacation to the Addis Ababa resort. Did you want to show me anything in particular? How any of the equipment or experiments work? I'm on your time after all!"

[z-Aura]

Kylie grinned impishly and grabbed her hand. For the next six hours, the two novas toured several places. Akaisha was a little surprised that Aura took her to a cafe as one of the places to see, but the brown-haired nova was accurate in her assessment: they had the best Ethopian-blend that Akaisha had ever tried. Next, Kylie took Akaisha to her "thinking park," one of the more secluded green spaces in the Addis Abba complex. Then it was back to the lab, where Kylie and Akaisha irradiated a small piece of eufiber together. It was a bit odd to close Aura in the shield working room, then watch her skin turn a strange, almost-but-not-quite-gold color. Perhaps the only stranger thing was to watch the effects that her direct touch had on the eufiber, her mere touch turning it black.

"There," Kylie said, stepping out of the shielded lab's airlock. "We'll leave that tray in there overnight to let the eufiber start to react. And I do that everyday, and then monitor the trays. Every one of them reacts differently, but then, they've all been attuned by different novas. It's fascinating work. And don't worry - I checked myself with a Giger counter. I'm not irriated. Well, no more than I am from working this close to it day in and day out."

Kylie glanced at her watch. "Wow, I lost track of time. Would you like to get some dinner?"

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha puts a hand on her stomach and nods, grinning, "Wow, yeah, I didn't realize how hungry I was until now. That always happens to me when I get into my work. I usually made sure to bring food with me or I'd never eat. I can't believe how much I've seen today and how much there is left to see."

She lets Kylie lead the way to dinner since she would know the best place to go, "I really wanted to thank you for everything today. No matter what I decide, its really meant a lot to me. Seeing what Utopia does will really help me decide but just being able to talk to you about what its been like for you. There's so few of us really even if we seem to be everywhere."

Us. Yeah, I guess I really am one of them.

[z-Aura]

Aura took them to a pizza shop. The list of toppings was heavily influenced by the area, with strange things that Akaisha had never heard of before, much less seen offered on New York pie. "I'll have a large, three topping," Aura ordered, "with guava, feta cheese and steak. And whatever she wants, but put it on my tab." She flashed her ID in front of the register as she explained, "Automatic payroll deduction from a chip in my card that the register scans. I never even miss it."

They got drinks and went to their table, waiting for their food. "Anyway, as I was saying on the way over here, it may sound bad, but as a nova, you'll probably get your own lab, and you'll be able to call your own shots." She glanced down at her hands. "Ugh, I need to wash my hands. Be right back." Kylie got up and pulled off her coat, dropping it over the chair. As she walked away, something clattered out of the pocket to the floor.

Bending over, Akaisha saw that it was a digital storage device. The screen was active, and Akaisha saw dozens of video files - Gabe-me-roof.omv, final-cut-no-msc.omv, final-cut-POST.omv, camera01.omv, camera02.omv - on and on. Some of the titles were really strange: bye-bye-eyes.omv, whores-secret.omv and saltwater-lemon-bath.omv. One of the movies was queued up and ready to play: best-slice.omv.

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha blinks as she picks up the media stick as some of the file names are very unusual. It didn’t take any enhanced intelligence to see there was something very odd about what she was holding. Looking up, she can see that Kylie is still walking away. Hesitating just a moment, she decides to play the file that’s already been queued up.

The video starts playing and Akaisha feels her heart start to pound in her chest as she watches. The video is a graphic depiction of an assault. An assault that she’d even seen once before on the OpTube. Quickly, she shuts down the video player and drops it on the table. Why would anyone keep such a horrible video?

Akaisha stares at the media stick, thinking about all of the other file names on there. After seeing what she just saw, they make so much more sense now. It all seemed so sick and twisted. Kylie seemed like such a sweet girl. That stick couldn’t be hers.

[z-Aura]

Kylie hummed as she returned from the bathroom, a wide smile on her face. That smile faltered as she saw what was laying on the table. "Where did that come from?" she asked in the lightest tone she could manage. Sadly, that wasn't very convincing. "I thought I'd left it behind."

Kylie picked it up and check the files; best-slice.omv had been played again. Kylie's stomach curled in on itself and her breath was sucked out of her lungs. The look in Akaisha's eyes said it all - her secret was out. No, no! This can't be happening! What... will happen?

Panic faded as Kylie made a decision. She wouldn't go down for this. She would fight, and run, and she'd live to know Gabe's love. She wouldn't surrender. "So... did you look at any of my movies?" Kylie asked, her hard with false friendliness.

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha watches the other girl as she picks up the media player. Despite what she'd seen on the player, she couldn't believe that she could have... But there were far more files on that player than were ever seen publically. Kylie's return to the table changed everything though.

Akaisha tried as hard as she could to remain calm. She didn't know if Kylie could tell she'd watched it but the flash of panic in Kylie's eyes said everything she didn't didn't want to believe possible.

She had to stay calm though. Maybe if Kylie believed she hadn't seen anything she'd be able to make it through the rest of the afternoon. She shakes her head slowly and shifts a bit in her seat, "No, it started playing when it fell out of your pocket so I stopped it and left it on the table for you."

[z-Aura]

"Oh. Okay," Kylie said, her voice telegraphing that she wasn't sure it was okay at all. But instead of saying anything, she merely slipped it back into her pocket. "So, where were we? Oh, yeah... the labs." Drawing a deep breath, Kylie continued. If there was a little less warmth in her voice than before, it wasn't that noticeable. But the discomfort that had settled over both women was palpable.

The pizzas were eccentric but good, just as Kylie promised. When they finished up, the petite scientist lead the way back to the Science Complex. "So," she said softly, "what would you like to see now?"

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha eats her pizza quietly and then follows Kylie back to the complex. Despite her efforts to keep a good front up her attitude was noticably subdued from her earlier enthusiasm. And now Kylie was offering to show her even more. But did she really want to be alone with her? She could take her anywhere and she wouldn't know where they were going.

Akaisha forces a small smile and tries to look sheepish, "Well, its been a long day for me. I did fly in today too and I think jet lag may be catching up to me." She wasn't lying either. The time difference between New York and here is nearly half a day. "I wouldn't mind seeing my room."

[z-Aura]

Kylie would have said yes, but something was bugging her. It was the sudden reversal. Everything had been fine until the incident with the recorder. Hadn't it?

Kylie's prodigious mind went back over the events of the day. Yes, everything had been fine until that one, little mistake. I have to know.

"Sure, we can take you to your room," Aura said, smiling the friendliest smile she could manage. "But my experiments are time sensitive; I need to check them now. Come on, and then I'll take you to the room. Don't worry - it won't take long at all."

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha pauses a moment, not expecting that answer. Everything since lunch felt like it had been happenning in an alternate reality. The insincere smile that Kylie had flashed since then was probably the worst part of the rest of the day. And now she wanted to take her deep into the labs? But what could she do? Despite being in this huge complex she felt trapped.

"Ok," she says, her will to keep her own emotions in check is fading but she still manages to smile, "I wouldn't want them to be ruined."

In the meantime, Akaisha's head starts spinning. Hos is she going to get out of this? The answers she does come up with she doesn't like...

[z-Aura]

Kylie was no killer. The thing with Balm had been an accident, and with that whore - well, it wasn't like she'd been able to do anything to her directly. It was why she had hired Cyn. But now, she knew that someone else knew her secret. Kylie hadn't been sure, but the uneasy look in Akaisha's eyes was impossible to disregard. Ok, so she may not know, but she certainly suspected.

There was a way to find out, Kylie mused as she checked over her pans of eufiber. Now, to be slick enough to pull it off, she told herself, ignoring the knot of fear in her gut.

She was using a small, handheld Geiger Counter to check her readings. It was easy enough to loosen the connecting cable enough that hte screen went totally blank. "Dang it," she said, her tongue dry with fear. Would it work? Would Akaisha believe it? "What is wrong with this thing now?"

Turning to her storage counter, she pulled open a drawer and dug in it for a tool. For a couple of moments, she pretended to fiddle with the Geiger Counter; when she felt like Akaisha wasn't watching her closely enough, Kylie slipped a tiny listening device she had made out of the drawer and into her pocket. She'd originally created them so that she could check in on Gabe, but she hadn't gotten the chance to place it yet.

"There we go," Kylie said, as she reseated the cable and the Geiger Counter started to 'work' again. Turning back to the experiments, she finished the last couple of pans, then set her work aside. "Let's get you to your room," she said, nodding and smiling at the prettier nova. She couldn't know that her smile was nothing nice.

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

After they got to the lab, Akaisha did her best to hover on the far side of the lab. Even though it actually did appear that Kylie was working on something, it definitely was not the same as when they first were here earlier in the day. But whatever she was doing, she was importantly not trying to hurt her. That was Akaisha's great fear. She hadn't tried using her powers again since her eruption for both lack of understanding of how to use them and more importantly the fear of hurting herself or someone else. This was hardly the time to start learning how.

Still, Akaisha can't avoid Kylie in this little space, especially when she starts complaining about her equipment. After watching for a moment, she sighs slightly to herself and returns to her own thoughts. A bit more confident that she'll be able to get out of here since nothing has happened after all this, her thoughts drift to the future and what it holds. She had a lot to think about.

Her attention is snapped back to reality when Kylie addresses her, smiling brightly. The smile seems sincere again which leaves her unsure of whether to feel relieved or more nervous. Testing her own smile, she nods, "Thank you. I really think I need to rest after today. Its been very eventful." Her eyes meet Kylie's for a moment and she just as quickly looks away again. She wished she knew what was really going on behind them. She was confident after what she saw, though, it was nothing good. And when she's finally away from her she'll have to do something about it.

[z-Aura]

"Well, here you are," Kylie said as they stopped in front of the door to her room. The walk over had been one-sided; Kylie had babbled on and on about her scientific work, while Akaisha had replied in monosyllables. She opened the door and snapped on the lights, taking a couple of steps into the room. "Wow, these guest rooms are really nice. Nicer than mine."

She drifted closer to an end table. It looked to be a good place for her toy, and it was in a good position. Just give me a moment, Akaiska, just a moment to place this, and then we'll see what kind of person you are. Kylie smiled at her guest and tilted her head. "So what do you think of the Project so far?"

[Dr. Akaisha Ross]

Akaisha smiles and looks around the room. She was so excited to finally be here only because once Kylie walked out of the room, she would be alone, finally. She just had to get through a few more minutes of this. She made it this far so she may as well play along. She could at least be honest here, "Its really been amazing. I feel like I've stepped into another world here. I have a lot to think about." Isn't that the truth?

Akaisha sidles up to the bed and looks over at Kylie, "If you don't mind though, I'm really exhausted. I...want to thank you for bringing me out here. If you don't mind, I think I'd like to get read for bed. Maybe I'll see you in the morning?"

Akaisha tries not to look Kylie in the eyes as she wishes her good night and leaves. For the first time in hours, Akaisha can finally let go of the wall she'd put around her self and sits on the bed, trembling slightly. Her thought process goes into overdrive as she tries to make sense of what she'd seen. Kylie seemed so sweet...yet there was a dangerous edge there that appeared after she saw the video. Why did this have to happen?

Closing her eyes, she stands up and walks over to the directory and looks for security's extension before placing the call, "Hello? Yes, this is Akaisha Ross. I'm not sure but I think Dr. Kylie Durham may have been involved in something..."

[z-Aura]

Her heart sunk as Kylie heard Akaisha betray her. "Damnit," she muttered, angry. "Why do they never understand? Why don't they realize what I'm doing and why?" She felt the gaping hole of loneliness that she always felt in these moments, the cold realization that no one understood her, or her goals.

For one, long moment, she started to transform into the golden form, to burn out the bitch and anything that stood in her way, but logic overcame her impulsive behavior. She didn't have time to kill the betrayer; she had to run.

She did have time for a message. Her body turned to a goldish-green metal, and Kylie ran her finger down the door, turning the paint black. Her message delivered, Kylie fled the dorms, making plans as she sprinted for her life.