Trinity RPG: Back to the Stars - Prequel: Twin Flesh [Anatole & Evana]

[Krul]

Norca, one of the most mysterious of the various psionic orders, it's social makeup was a odd one, a mix of a family, business, espionage, criminal, & research organization, somehow like all of these, and yet truly like non of them. The biokinetics were also one of the smallest of the various orders, in part because of how careful the proxy was regarding who he accepted into the order, and the sort of individuals he looked for.

Of course, finding potential psions wasn't all that easy either, however, sometimes, even today, he found folks who were actually nearly perfect in terms of their potential. The twins, that had been recently discovered, were tested, and discovered to be extremely powerful latent biokinetics.

As usual, the proxy himself decided to meet with them both, and interview them, before putting them through the prometheas chamber.

[Evana]

The room was nice. The twins both sat across from each other at the long polished wooden table. Everything about the place was screamed 'corporate board room' even of the atmosphere screamed 'Scarface'.

Evana was nervous and she hid it poorly. Her brother was always better at handling things like stress and anticipation better than she. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, fame, prestige and power were just the beginning of what Pai de Norca could offer the siblings. The twins were about as rich as God thanks to Mommy and Daddy's hard work and effort... and then suddenly passing, so it wasn't the money they wanted, at least not Evana. It was one thing to be rich and affluent, it was another thing entirely to actually be doing something with it all. Life for the twins was about as boring as it could get. Sure the partying was endless and the life of excess was something out of a day-time holovid, but put simply the twins needed to escape. The publicity around their parent's death, the constant expectations from the upper echelons of society, the constant media circus... stress was slowly wearing away at their sanity. She wanted a way to show everyone that they weren't just spoiled rich twins.

Then came the offer from Norca. As was customary they were approached by a member and informed of the organizations interest in them without explaining nothing about Norca that the twins wouldn't have been able to find off an OpNet search. From there came second meeting and the official test and the offer to join. Now however, came their greatest challenge: they had to convince Proxy del Fuego that they were Norca material. If they failed, he would send them on their way and they'd never hear from the Family again.

Her perfectly manicured nails tapped the table repeatedly until Anatole was about to tear his hair out. Gently he placed his hand on her to still it's movement. "Sorry." she said to him, knowing she was being a bother. "It's just... I'm worried. This is big Anni. Did you see our results? I mean, they said they'd never seen tests results like ours, what if something goes wrong? What of we're anomalies or whatever the egge head guys call it?"

She brushed her long, straight chestnut colored hair back over her shoulder and looked to her twin brother. "What if this guy doesn't like us? Oh, you know I'm no good at this kind of thing, I'm going to embarrass us, I know I am. I wish we had done this separately so I'm not screwing up your chances too."

Ever the worrier, Evana tried to keep her hand still as del Fuego kept them waiting...

[Krul]

Her brother didn't say anything at all, because at that moment, the proxy entered the room, silencing him before he could respond. Standing there a moment, he looked both of them over, then he shook his head slightly.

"Like doesn't enter into it, Evana, the real question, is can you handle it?" He looked both of them over a moment. "I see before me a pair of spoiled rich kids, who had everything handed to them on a silver platter." He paused, his tone was a touch distainful, as he circled around the two of them. Of course, he was deliberately pushing buttons here, testing them, to see how they would respond to him. "What lengths are you willing to go to, to prove yourselves, hmm?"

[Evana]

"Um, w-well, we've spoken with our recruiter," She didn't say his name since she wasn't sure if it was polite to do so, considering the things Norça was involved in. She'd never really pushed the envelope of crime before and wasn't aware of protocols. "Despite everything we've seen and been informed of, we've decided to stay and speak with you, have we not?"

The gaze of Proxy del Fuego was paralyzing. He was handsome and charismatic beyond reason, carrying an air of power and superiority about him that made Evana wanted to melt into her chair and become invisible.

She spoke her mind but found it impossible to meet his gaze. Her eyes wandered away looking here, and there and completely unable to focus on the Proxy. She'd never met someone that wasn't already her best friend because of her status in high-society yet here, she met high-society itself, a man who had everything the twins' had plus with very hefty multiplier.

"As far as willingness, um, sir, uh Proxy del Fuego, sir." How do you address a Proxy like him?!? 'Don' del Fuego? She wondered as she formed her words carefully. "As far as willingness, I can vouch for us both and say we are willing to do what it takes, else we would have left by now. As far as competency; as you say, we are but spoiled rich kids, what you ask of us may beyond our applied level of skill." One thing was certain, Evana knew how how turn a conversation around. "F-for now, of course. What we do not know, we can simply learn."

She kept stumbling on her words and it was frustrating her to no end. She must've looked like a fool in front of this man, but once more she averted her eyes and looked at her brother for comfort.

[Krul]

He glanced at her as she stumbled over her words, and raised an eyebrow at her response, then turned his gaze a moment to her brother, before turning it back to her, then he took a step back, and his gaze moved from one to the other and back again, as he spoke, carefully observant of their response to his every word.

"Well, being willing to learn is a good step, girl.. but the real question, is how far you can push yourself? If I told you that we were going to drop you naked in the heart of the wilderness, miles from civilization, with a week to get to some location, could you do it? Of if the future of humanity depended on you seducing, and then killing a man, could you do that?" He point a finger at her, and his manner was almost, accusing..

"What are your limits? Do you even know them? Can you push yourself to them, and beyond? Because if you become Norca, I assure you, you will be put in places where you must push yourself, to your limits and beyond.. " He paused. "You see, I don't care how spoiled you are, if you can do that, then the dross can be reshaped, and cut from the whole, to make something new, something greater.. you would be shaping the very future of humanity.. is that what you want?"

[Grim]

"I do not know my limits yet." Anatole was as calm as Evana was agitated, chilly where she was warm. Hard to believe the two of them were twins by looking at them: His eyes were like chips of pale green ice, and his hair so platinum blond it was near white, though the signs were there in the shape of the eyes and the cheekbones. It was even harder to believe they were twins when you spoke to them, however. Anatole's voice was quiet, his body language respectful but contained. The one trace of warmth about him was with regards to his sister. His hand reached out again, gently covering Evana's as his eyes fixed on Pai De Norca. He was not as adept as his sister at social maneuvering and wit, but Anatole dealt with being out of place by adapting to the environment... and by shifting the environment to suit him.

"I do know that the man you sent to us believed we might have something to offer the Norca. Yes, we may have had everything handed to us as children. But our parents also encouraged us to strive, to use the privilege and safety of our rearing as a foundation on which to build, not as a nest to spend the rest of our lives in." He paused then, removing his hand from Evana's as his gaze transferred to her.

"I also know that whilst we may not be able to survive or succeed at a task you may set us, we will certainly try to achieve it. If we think at first that something cannot be done, we will question that thought, and see if a way can be found." His pale eyes shifted back to Proxy Del Fuego.

"This is what we want. When our parents died, my sister and I had only each other as family. We know what family means. We know what loyalty to family means. Put us in your forge, and let the dross be cut away. We are ready."

[Krul]

It was the right tactic to take, and the proxy looked between one of them and the other, then he laughed. "Well now, at least both of you have courage, as well as potential, you may very well be what we need. So be it, I'll put you to the test, you shall experience the forge, and we'll cut away the dross, and see what remains, and if you can pass my tests." He looked between them and then smiled, then turned to walk out of the room. "Come with me."

[Evana]

She stood, straightened her fairly short skirt with a few tugs, and followed the Proxy to where ever he was leading them. Her heels tapped on the tiles as she kept pace with Anatole, allowing the Proxy to get a healthy enough distance so she and her brother could speak.

"I'm sorry." She said softly to her brother. "I'm embarrassing us, I've just never been so nervous. I at least hope that if I screw up it doesn't reflect poorly on you, you've always been better at all this physical stuff."

[Krul]

The Proxy continued forward, he knew why they dropped back, but he spoke aloud, enough for both of them to hear him. "As part of Norca, you will be defending and shaping the future of humanity, your very flesh becoming fluid and flexible to your will. Your body becomes your greatest tool, I simply insure that the tool is in prefect order." He walked with them through to a helipad, were a copter was waiting.

Gesturing for them both to enter, he gets in behind them, and they fly out for a few moments, before they are over the amazon jungle and he gestures to the land beneath them. "A place of beauty, mystery and savagery, where life thrives and grows, and where you will face your first test." The copter stops over the river, about 50 feet up, and the Proxy points in a northerly direction.

"The chamber is around 20 miles in that direction, jump in, if you can make it there, we'll continue to the next step." He waited, to see what they would do.

[Grim]

"You don't embarrass us." Anatole murmured back to his twin, favoring her with one of his rare, ripple-quick smiles. "You'll do fine, Evie." He took his sister's hand again, giving it a squeeze before letting it go once more. That was all that was said, all that needed to be said.

They remained silent during the copter ride, both siblings gazing out the viewports at the verdant green wilderness below them. When the copter came to a hovering stop and the Proxy issued the challenge, Anatole simply nodded, leaning over and opening the sliding side door. He unlaced and took off his shoes, tying them tightly to his belt, before removing his socks likewise and putting them into his pockets. He felt a flash of irritation that they had not been given better preparation: he and his sister were not geared up for a twenty-mile hike through some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. Still, the challenge had been set. And he meant to adapt to it.

He looked at Evana, his face calm. "I'll go first. Wait for me to surface before you dive."

[Evana]

Her looks could have frozen water. Her lips pursed as she looked at her brother. "Do you have any idea how much these shoes cost? Let alone this skirt?"

Too late, he was already out of the chopper and half way down. Her hesitation left her looking at Pai De Norça. "You could always leave your shoes with me." He said calmly with only the hint of a smirk. "Least I could do."

She looked at herself for a moment, still a bit scared about the jump. "The skirt too, but I wouldn't recommend it."

"I'm scared, okay?" She said, looking out the side of the helicopter to the river below.

"Fear is fine." He said over the thundering rotors. "Learn from it, use it," She turned and looked at him again and his charismatic smile won her over. "Make it your bitch."

The confidence in which he spoke fanned a fire of boldness within the rich young debutante and she let herself fall over the edge. The winds roared and the cold mists they stirred were like pin pricks against her skin. The smack of the water was a wake up call, for a world class diver she was not. She plummeted into the river with all the grace of a epileptic chimpanzee.

Pilot, Pai, and brother all winched from the graceless landing that could not have felt anything short of painful. Face red from the impact she slowly raised her features above the water's surface, chestnut hair darkened and wet in her face.

Her finger darted out of the water, sending a splash in Anatole's direction, commanding his silence. "Not. A. Word."

[Grim]

He trod water while staring at her before blinking once, slowly. He didn't smile, but that was scant consolation to Evana: her strange brother had a way of deadpanning that was worse than the biggest shit-eating grin. He didn't say anything, either, just nodded once before setting out with an easy, smooth stroke towards the shore. Grumbling under her breath, she set out after him.

Anatole slogged up through the muddy shallows, studying the rainforest ahead of him with a wary eye. Snakes, spiders... hell, even the frogs were deadly down here. And twenty miles was no joke in this terrain, either. If they were lucky, they'd be able to cover maybe ten miles in a day. He glanced back at where Evana was splashing out of the water like a muddy, bedraggled naiad, and his brow furrowed, considering her. Well, she can do this if I can. And together is better.

When Evana finally stepped up onto dry (-ish) land, Anatole handed her a sturdy makeshift walking stick, a thin branch maybe four feet long. He rooted around a little more in the tangle of wood and detritus on the water's edge before managing to find a second staff.

"These should help." he told her, looking around once to get his bearings. He pointed. "Pai de Norca said the facility was that way." He smiled at her, another ripple of warmth on his features. "Sooner we start, the sooner we're done, Evie."

[Evana]

"Jumping from a freakin' helicopter?!?" She complained, snatching the stick in irritated frustration. "I swear I'm going to wring his protean little neck. I can't believe I let you talk me into this Anni, this is insane!"

"Were in a the fucking jungle!" She cried out. "I could be on a beach in Haiti right now sipping 120¥/glass champagne being pampered by cabana boys while getting a god damn tan!" She whipped her long, wet about to dry it somewhat and let it fall back behind her. Dark streaks of mascara ran down her cheeks. "But oooooh no! Let's get tested, let's do something now that mom and dad aren't looking over our shoulders anymore, controlling our lives... let's jump from choppers and pry poisonous snakes off our asses! Yay! That'll be fun! Sure beats the fuck out of-..."

His cold stare was locked on her with a single raised brow and there was a sudden awkward silence.

"Yes. I'm done now." The look of rage on her face would almost be sexy were it not for her completely hideous appearance at the moment. "Lead on."

They set off with almost no other words, the last thing to echo through the trees as the disappeared into the wilds was: "And stop looking at me in that tone of voice!"

[Krul]

The biokinetic proxy watched from overhead, his hearing sharpened to high degrees, so that he could actually listen to the two twins, and he chuckled softly at the young woman's manner. He was actually rather pleased, and he gestured to the other biokinetic with, who had until this moment, been using their abilities to be cloaked and unseen. "Follow them, do not be seen, but make sure that they are pushed to their limits, drive them onward, but try to keep them from getting killed."

With a respectful salute to the Proxy, the Norca waits a moment, until the twins are out of sight of the water, then simply steps off, to slide into the water like a fish, and to trail the twins. Then the copter moved on, to wherever else the Proxy in mind.

Meanwhile, as the twins move forward, the biokinetic following them begans to lay a few traps and tests along the way. Unlike them, he isn't limited to walking, as he's able to change his body in many different ways to carry out this task.

[Grim]

"Wait."

They had been travelling for about an hour at this point. Anatole had been keeping them following game trails as best they could and using the river as a landmark. After the inital tirade of bad temper, Evana had dug in and slogged along like a trooper. They had made reasonably good time, thanks to the trails and the daylight that filtered dimly through the canopy overhead.

Now, though, Anatole crouched, heedless of the dirt smearing his already-ruined slacks, and studied the ground ahead before poking at it with his makeshift walking stick, seemingly at random.

The stick went through the leaves and thin topsoil covering on the third prod.

"Pit." He said over one shoulder before clearing away the disguise of leaves, soil and sticks that created the illusion of solid ground for the unwary. It turned out to be neither wide nor particularly deep, perhaps six feet. But that would be enough to cause a sprain or even a broken bone if someone had blundered into it. Anatole's normally stoic expression became grim as he rose, a change that wasn't lost on his twin.

"Test got tougher."

[Evana]

"Then we should do the same." She said softly. She would have fallen for that trap unless Anatole was with her. She didn't possess his survival skills or ruggedness.

"But, if it's just traps..." Her thoughts lingered. "Do you think he sent a few friends for us to play with? You know, to test our skills?"

Suddenly she hoped a six week class in self defense would help much against trained Psions.

[Krul]

In some situations, especially in a movie, this would be the perfect point for someone to jump out of the jungle and grab one of them.. but nothing like that happened. Still, the fellow watching them from the trees nodded silently, and then gestured to the other one who had joined him.

Time to try a few more traps.. nothing lethal, but annoying, yes, difficult yes, a pain in the neck.. yes. Snares mostly, things to grab feet or limbs, and force one of them to cut the other free, though in one or two cases, it was worse then that, sense a snare was set to catch someone who tried to free the person from the previous snare.

It was highly likely that Evana at least, ended up hanging from the air by her ankle at some point. What was worse, however, was about 8 miles along, was a cliff face, maybe at least 200 feet, they would have to scale to go up. And there didn't appear to be any way to go around it.

[Grim]

Anatole considered his sister's words, nodding slowly. "He might have sent people to test us more directly, though I'd doubt the wisdom of it. Too many variables, too much chance of something going wrong beyond his control." Pale green eyes scanned the trees, wary as a wolf's, then looked back at Evana. "We'll be ready."

* * * * * * *

Anatole's wilderness skills were good, but not up to the standard of a trained Norca guerilla. By the time the twins reached the cliffs, both were dirty and bedraggled yet further. Anatole's lip was split and his left ankle was sprained from a pit trap he hadn't been sharp enough to spot as he moved to cut Evana free of a snare. Evana sported thorn cuts on her shapely legs and a bruise on one arm that was purpling nicely. Both twins, to their credit, were more angry than disheartened by this point. Two sets of green eyes locked like laser beams onto the cliff that towered above them, then panned left and right into the distance on either side, then looked at the other.

"Maybe 200 feet. Maybe a little more." Anatole said flatly. "Looks climbable." He gave his sister an appraising glance. "How tired do you feel right now?"

[Evana]

Her leg felt like is was on fire. The snare trap was well designed enough that she thought it had pulled the bone right from her hip. Luckily that was not the case but her limp was severe.

Her hair was a mess as bits of twigs and dried leaves clung to her and mingled with the satins and mud that now littered her clothing. "Tired?" She asked, heaving a bit to catch her breath. "Snares, pits, lurking Norça agents hunting us like sport..."

The twinkle in her eye told Anatole that she had either just gone off the deep end, or was enjoying this. "We've never lost, ever. At the end of this lies a warm bath, a hot meal, a glass of wine and a pedicure." She gripped the rock and pulled herself up a bit, looking for a secure handhold. "Let the pillars of Heaven shake, Annie, because I want my pedicure."

[Krul]

Climbing the rock face was hard, but not an impossible task, and apparently whoever was trailing them was having some measure of mercy, as there were no traps on the cliff face itself. Apparently, just having the cliff in the way was good enough of a test, and both of them managed to finally get to the top after a bit of a struggle.

At the top of the cliff face, someone was standing there just as they climbed over the edge, this time in plain view. "Well, you too certainly are determined, that's good.. unfortunately for you, here is where we split you up.. the last 10 miles, you go alone."

With that two others stepped out of the jungle and fired web emitters, trapping both of the twins in the webbing. Tired and weary, on the edge of a cliff and surrounded, there was no were to go to escape. Then they picked up Evana and walked away, leaving Anatole trapped in the webbing as they went off into the forest. "Don't worry, the webbing wears off in about 4 hours.. and we'll make sure your ok until it wears off. Don't bother to try and find one another, we'll be blocking that sort of thing."

************

Evana found herself blindfolded, and carried for what must have been a couple of hours.. then she was placed on the ground, and someone pulled off the blindfold.

"That's the way you want to go." The biokinetic pointed, this time it was to the east. "No more cliffs to travel up.. and the traps will be the sort you can get yourself out of.. unless your willing to give up now? We can have you out of here, and let you go home if you prefer."

[Evana]

When the blind fold was removed the sun was well on it's way to cascading behind the canopy of trees. Still covered, partially, in the sticky webbing material she squirmed about on her back as the Norça Psion gave his speech.

Even with her disheveled appearance Evana was a damn knock-out. She had an amazon quality to her after a day in the jungle with her chestnut hair mingled with the leaves. Perfectly curved features speckled with dried mud as an ample chest seemed to scream for its freedom from the loose and torn sweater she wore. Tears went up each thigh of her designer leather skirt teasingly exposing the dark lingerie hidden beneath.

Either enticed by her exotic look, or just out of some sympathy for her current predicament one of the Norça boys offered her a hand to her feet.

*WHACK*

The deafening thump of her heel slamming into the polite man's crotch was only slightly louder than his collapse and resignation to the pain the welled up in his cash n' prizes. The two with him had to wince slightly, no man in his right mind couldn't after a cheap shot like that.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" She shouted, getting to her feet. "You have any idea how hard this is going to be to get out my hair!"

She was fueled by pure rage. The Psion just grinned and let her vent, he remembered his test and was about as sane during it, too. "What is it with you guys and your sneaky-weaky..." She couldn't even focus on a cohesive thought. "webby... shooty... stuff! For crying out loud you could have just met us on the top and said: 'Great job guys, have a bottled water. By the way you have to do the rest alone now. You go that way, and you go that way...'."

The Psion just pointed in the direction she needed to go and said nothing else.

"UUUGH!" Fists clenched at her sides she stomped off into the night, currently holding the title of 'meanest thing in the jungle'.

Norça Command Center...

Laughter broke out in furious tones as agents leaned over their consoles, nearly crying as the massive holo-display played the entire scene out.

Pai de Norça covered his mouth and snickered silently in the darkened room trying to keep his composure. She certainly has spirit...

[Grim]

Anatole, as always, got quieter and more contained the angrier he grew. He didn't bother cursing or swearing, but his tanned face took on a taut, pale intensity that fairly glittered in his ice-chip eyes sa he watched the agents walk off with his sister. The psych evaluation people watching in the Norça command center were somewhat concerned by this. Internalisation was all well and good, but this much self-control couldn't be healthy for a body.

Pai de Norça nodded as he saw this, happy with the decision he'd made: namely to not have any valuable agents hang around to release the male twin. He wouldn't attack them straight away, the Proxy intuitively knew. Oh no, he would more than likely wait for their guard to be at it's lowest then strike to kill with the nearest tool to hand, be it rock, his hands or even their own clothing. The initial psych-profile was spot-on, the Proxy mused as he watched the young man test the webbing's strength silently before ceasing any more wasteful activity and just lying still, his eyes half-closing, letting his body rest.

Roughly four hours later, the sun was setting and the webbing was starting to disintegrate. Anatole sat up and freed himself with quick, economical motions, then rose to his feet. No telling where they took Evie. He fought back a moment of panic, hating not knowing where she was, hating that she was probably scared and angry... and alone. Like him.

No. No telling where she is. But I know where the people testing us can be found. And they will tell me where she is. Sooner or later. He looked towards the west, the sky lit ruddy by the setting sun, and his eyes narrowed with cold intent. Without any further pause he moved off, and the only word suitable to describe his gait was stalking.

[Krul]

For Evana, nothing got in her way, that kind of explosive rage was more then enough to scare off most of the wild life. She might hold the title of meanest, but her brother presently, at least in the proxy's mind, held the title of 'most dangerous'.

While the folks in the command center were following Evana, who even he had to admit, was a lovely sight, he was watching Anatole, and every moment confirmed his initial impression. Evana could be dangerous, he was certain, and would be quite a asset, but her brother was the deadly one..

They would make a wonderful team, actually..

**** **** **** **** ****

Both of them would encounter more traps, but these would not be quite the same... instead of immobilization, they simply were there to hinder.. pit traps filled with mud or water, that one could crawl or pull one's self out of.. or nets that could be untied or pulled apart.

About 4 miles out however, due to a simple command sent from the Proxy, the traps stopped. Of course, by this point, the two twins would be covered in mud, with clothing ripped and torn...

[Evana]

She was getting the hang of this.

Without Anatole she had to rely on her own skills and that forced her to remember what she'd seen Anatole doing and mimicking it. She stumbled into a few traps but most of the others she'd deftly avoid with the natural grace of a gymnast.

Her stamina, which most of the command center wanted to put to the test, seemed limitless. She refused to give in and let anyone besides her and her brother win. Through the trees and over shallow brooks she moved, under massive roots and fallen logs she rolled. Anni... I swear, if they hurt you.

She ducked under a low branch and gracefully leaped down to a smooth polished stone. What am I saying? Of course they didn't hurt you. You live for this kind of crap. Leaping off cliffs, fending off nature, carving spears from wood with your teeth. I swear if I didn't love you so much I'd kill you myself when this was done...

She pressed on, hardly realizing that the more she complained inwardly the better performance was within the terrain. Thoughts of her brother kept her going and deep inside it was no longer about the test to get into Norça; she just wanted to be with her brother again.

And then there was nothing...

Clear sailing for far too many steps. No pits, snares, or blunt objects connected to string. It was quiet now, too quiet and Evana knew something wasn't right...

Click to reveal..

Skill Roll (Awareness) rolls 3d10 and gets 7,5,10.

[Grim]

Anatole knew something wasn't right.

He was covered in mud now. The fine cotton shirt he'd worn to meet the Proxy was rags clinging to his tautly-muscled frame. His fashionable slacks were so silt-filled from a waist-deep quicksand trap that they had dried stiff as boards His shoes were a distant memory, one lost to that same trap, the other sucked off his foot by a mudhole. Thorn scratches covered his body in red lines, and his eyes were the only light colour on his mud-blackened face, coldly assessing the terrain ahead of him for traps or difficulties as he moved with economical, predatory grace. His reserves of endurance were as deep as his sister's, and to those watching he seemed like nothing so much as a wild creature with the intelligence of a human being behind those eyes.

And now there hadn't been a trap for about two miles. Anatole was even more alert now. It was dark: night had fallen on the jungle, and he could hear the buzz of insects and the sounds of distant wildlife. The platinum-blond man moved more warily, veering off his course a ways and placing each foot as carefully as he could, making as little noise as possible as he listened for any sound that might betray those people he was sure were out there.

Click to reveal..

Skill rolls:

Awareness: (02:26:35) ChatBot: (Anatole) rolls 4d10 and gets 7,10,3,2.

Stealth: (02:27:25) ChatBot: (Anatole) rolls 6d10 and gets 1,9,9,2,6,6.

[Krul]

What was to follow, was mirrored for both of them, about 2 miles from the final complex, a single individual stepped out of the forest. Both of them managed to see the psion, so neither of them were jumped, instead, they just stepped out of the forest, their very skin rippling in a pattern that had made them all but invisible before.

For both of them, their opposite appeared to be quite unusual, in fact, the patterns of their shape altered, and a moment later, each of them was looking at a perfect replica of their twin. "Now, your task is simple.. get past me, and those who follow.. one will be your real twin however."

[Evana]

She quirked a brow, thankful for the rest and conversation. Then the Psion gave her the pitch.

"Wait." She held up her hand. "Think about what you just said there. 'Get past you', okay, that makes sense, I gotta fight you or some such male machismo thing. If groping on me while wearing my brothers face is how you get your rocks off, then sure, I'll concede. It's all for the cause I s'pose."

She folded her arms across her chest, one of which was now completely missing a sleeve off the sweater. "But where's the challenge? The fight or finding my brother? Because seriously I can't fight a whole horde of you, and I'm pretty damn sure," she pointed at 'Anatole'. "Neither could you or any of your buddies. If it's to locate my brother and not beat the snot out of him on accident, that's easy."

He shruggeed and rolled her eyes. "Why would my brother try and stop me? This was his idea! Anni would never hurt me, but if you guys are walking around wearing my face and trying to hurt him... I feel so bad for your guys."

So it breaks down like this... get the hell out of my way, or fight me." Her hands rested on her curvaceous hips. "Because with the day I've had, if I gotta lose and do the walk of shame, one of you jerk is never going to walk again, or breathe. Question is, which of you is it gonna be?"

[Krul]

He laughed, with her brothers voice. "Oh, I didn't say you had to fight me, just had to get past me, there are dozens of ways to do that, girl... but as to why your brother would try to stop you, someone has just told him the same thing... so your going to have to figure out if it's a fake, or your real brother... and he has to decide the same."

He considered her a moment, then smiled. "I do have something to pass on from Pai, though, the proxy doesn't believe your going to give up, no matter what happens.. and from the look of things, I agree... still, I'm not just going to step out of the way, girl."

[Evana]

"Yeah... that's kinda my point." She folded her arms again. "Why would we, as siblings, be interposing each other? I mean, if your just here to impede my progress, why have Anni's face? The moment you stop me from going any further, I know you're a fake."

"At any rate, I got a hot bath to get to, so if you're not miving I'll just go around."

She started to walk the long way around the agent, several feet away from his reach.

[Grim]

Anatole said nothing, gave no indication that he had comprehended the words spoken, indeed he barely broke stride as he approached the Psion, his eyes fixing on those of the imposter wearing his sister's face and form. They narrowed slightly as he came within four feet of the Evana-copy.

That was all the warning the Norca got.

A hand lashed out as Anatole lunged for the shapeshifter's throat. The Psion, skilled enough in close-combat, swept the attack aside with a graceful, circular motion, intending to step in and trip the rash young man so that he would fall headlong. That was when a tightly-arcing elbow shattered the Psi's jaw, having arrived so fast and so untelegraphed that she barely even saw it. She reeled sideways drunkenly, and then the pale-eyed man had grasped the back of her head with one hand, his free arm snaking around her neck like a steel cable. She saw his face, locked in a faint frown of concentration as though he was doing a crossword.

There was a *snap*.

Anatole let the body fall without a backwards glance as he turned away, moving off into the dark jungle on his implacable course.

* * * * *

Fifteen minutes after the prospective Norca left the clearing, the body of the shapeshifter twitched, then sat up with a curse and a groan, rubbing at her neck. She activated her communicator.

"You guys get that?"

"We got it." The control room replied. "What do you think?" The Psion glanced off the way Anatole had gone, then got to her feet, rubbing at the still-painful jaw.

"I think I'm glad I don't have to do that again."

[Krul]

When she went around him, the psion lashed out, abandoning Anatole's form for something more, dangerous and bestial, a mix of snake and tiger. It leaped towards her, and fought with her for a few minutes, striking with claws though mostly only scratches and tears in her clothing.

Actually, it didn't take long for her to be certain that he was better then her, even without the shape-changing effects, but she continued to fight even so.

Abruptly, at some point, when he was holding her hands behind her back, and pressing her to the ground, he got up and left. Leaving her to get back to her feet, her skirt hanging on by little more then a thread, and the rest of her clothing in little better state, she was able to continue on.. a bit more bruised.

****

Meanwhile, in the command center, the Proxy gave the command, no one else was to get in their way, and to see to it, that they arrived at the entrance at the same time.

[Evana]

Clutching her side as warm blood trickled from a series of slight cuts she limped on. She'd live. The wounds were superficial enough to not cause any permanent harm but she'd defineately be feeling the stinging cuts for days to come.

The must be why they were wearing Anni's face. They're afraid of reprisals.

Ow... She winced inwardly as her wounds all flared up under the caress of a gentle night time breeze. Everything hurts. Parts of me hurt that I didn't know could hurt are hurting...

She pressed on into the night...

[Grim]

He felt no regret for his murder of the Psion. He'd felt nothing at all about it beyond mild surprise at how easy he'd found it to kill. He had mused over that for a few more minutes as he travelled, then he had dismissed it.

Anatole had trained in multiple styles of martial arts throughout his childhood, up through adolescence and into his young adulthood. Had he wished to, Anatole could have competed professionally. But the competition didn't interest him. He didn't even enter official grading fights, instead having employed a succession of private tutors from different countries to build on his skills. It wasn't about competition or recognition for him. It was more about honing his skills purely for the sake of perfection. Anatole appreciated perfection, strove for it in any endeavour he undertook with the same abstract intensity with which he had snapped the Norca's neck. Whatever passion fired him was buried deep, under chthonic layers of ice that only his sister could penetrate.

He emerged from the jungle into a cleared area, stopping and scanning his eyes over the low-built compound sprawling ahead of him. He waited for a moment, attempting to detect any movement, then slowly began circling the site on the forest's edge, looking for the main entrance.

[Krul]

He circled around for a moment, only to find the Proxy himself sitting on a rock beside the entrance to the compound. Checking his watch a moment, he looked up at Anotole and tapped the watch a moment, there was a crash, as Evana stumbled out of the jungle on the other side of the clearing.

"Interesting, you have determination, and you are certainly have proved yourself with regards to some of my tests." He turned his gaze to Anatole. "I have three words of advice for you, first, snapping someone's neck is a bit of an extreme action to take, when they arn't trying to kill you. And second, when you snap someone's neck.. make sure it can actually kill them, especially when dealing with a psion. Third, and most importantly, if you would be of Norca, never kill one of your own, except in the case of betrayal, or necessity."

He turned his gaze to Evana. "As for you, you look lovely, even as tattered, bruised and torn as you are. Your spirit is quite impressive, however it's all well and good to be enraged, but control it, don't let it control you. I suggest in the future, you channel it better.. "

He paused a moment, to look at both of the twins, with a smug and almost infuriating smile on his face. "So, here we are, the final test.. I have a simple question for you. Knowing a bit more about how things go here, are you willing to join us? And to live by our rules? To belong to the family of Norca? Both of you could certainly get by elsewhere, you have enough drive and will. This is your last chance, once you pass though this door, you will be bound by laws and traditions of our order."

[Evana]

She moved to Anatole, limping slightly but fighting through the pain the whole way. The Proxy was talking, but she wasn't sure about what. Her arms wrapped around her brother and she gently squeezed. She hugged him for a moment and looked over her shoulder at the Proxy. "We've come this far. Test, after test, after test. Every time our answer is the same. Here we stand."

She let go of her brother and stood as tall as she could manage. "Do you think that if you ask it enough times, that it'll change? Because it won't."

[Grim]

The relief on Anatole's face was matched only by his concern for his sister: both emotions surprisingly obvious and intense as he hugged her back. When she moved away to stand beside him, facing the Proxy, the male twin's eyes were warm, human, and full of love as they regarded her.

The merest eye-blink as he shifted his gaze to the Proxy, and the warmth was gone, the steel-hard ice returning to his gaze. He added nothing verbally to Evana's reply, merely nodding once in affirmation of her statement.

[Krul]

"Very well, your choice is made, from this day forth, you will be Norca. Decide between yourselves who is to go first, that one should simply leave their clothing here. Modesty, after all, is nothing to to one who can alter their very flesh, it is either tool or hindrance, it should mean nothing to you..." With that he turned and opened the door and walked inside, allowing them to chose between themselves, before they choose follow him once more.

They would then walk down a stair though a series of rooms, into the room of the Prometheas chamber itself, where whoever chose to go first would be hooked up by the Proxy himself, while the other waited to go next.

[Krul]

Beside the chamber, they stopped, and the Proxy opened a door into what appeared to a bathing room. "Clean yourselves up, then come back out.. make sure to be through, whoever comes out first will be first into the chamber. And we can only do you one at a time, so the other will have to wait a couple of hours before they go in."

With that, he left the too of them in the bathing room, to clean up a bit. There was a pair of bathrobes hanging up, for when they finished.

Anatole was out first, and he didn't even bother with the bathrobe after what the proxy had said a bit before. Besides, he knew his sister would desire a bit longer to clean up, and with a nod to her, he simply walked into the chamber.

The Proxy himself, together with a pair of assistants hooked him up and then put him into the tank. Once there, the twin began to slip into a sort of lucid dream state, somehow he knew what was happening, and his flesh seemed to shift and alter according to his thoughts... sometimes without him wanting it too.

Life.. that was the core of the Biokinetic power, even more so in certain ways then it's mirror, the vitakinetic power. Anatole's awareness of life, his own, and the life around him exploded outward, then turned inward. His body began to shift inwardly, and he could somehow sense the changes, and almost control them.

During the time he was in, Evana of course, was able to finish cleaning up, and able to take a good bit more time about it, sense her brother was under for about two hours.

[Evana]

Covered in nothing but a thin, short, icy-blue satin robe Evena watched as her brother trembled and shook within the tube-like prison of the Prometheus chamber. Her hands pressed against the glass of the observations wall as she looked on worried and helpless.

While most present couldn't keep their eyes of the way the curves of her backside was slightly exposed while her hands were raised upon the glass, the Proxy watched her with interest. Her expression of worry for her brother was obvious and her desire to be near him and comfort him while he went through a very difficult time of adjustment and change seemed to be all that mattered to her now. As her straight chestnut hair whipped over her shoulder and sh gave the Proxy a dark glare that suggested vengeance should anything happen to her dear brother, he simply nodded casually and gave her a charismatic half smile that assured her that he would be okay.

Through it all, pass or fail, all that mattered was that her brother was going to be okay.

The chamber drained of chemicals and the staff removed Anatol from the cylinder. Surprisingly he could walk on his own, with some assistance, which was not unheard of but rare enough that once again the proxy was impressed. She darted through the hallway around to where the doors opened into the Prometheus Chambers room. Rest assured by the time she stopped running half the staff couldn't wait until that robe came off and her sweet-sixteen presents could be seen in the raw.

Her bare feet slid on the sterilized floor and she collided with one of the assistants, knocking him away as she took his spot close to Anatol. "Anni... Anni!?" She clasped his cheeks and slapped one a few times gently to get some response. "Oh god, Anni, look at me, are you okay?!"

[Grim]

Pale eyes opened and fixed on her face, and Anatole smiled at his twin as his own hands came up and clasped her cheek in unconscious imitation of her own tender gesture. He seemed different, more centered and less tight-wound. He was definitely still Anni, though, that much was certain.

"It's beautiful, Evie." he whispered, touching his forehead to hers and holding it there, creating their own inviolable space as, around them, technicians and medics fussed and prepared the chamber for the second procedure. "The change, the way you feel. It's beautiful. For a moment, it's scarey, but it's scarey like the top of a rollercoaster." He looked up to the observation booth where Pai De Norca stood watching them.

"He's with you in there. I can't explain it any better than that. But he is, and he's watching over you." Anatole looked back at Evana. "You'll be fine. You'll be better than fine. We're the same, you and I. Beneath the skin: in the bone and sinew and flesh and soul... we're the same. He knows he's not getting two Norca today. He's getting one Norca with two bodies and two brains." He hugged her tightly then.

"It's your turn now. I'll be waiting for you. I love you, Evie."