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+--- Thread: Ivan Sarkozy (/thread-253.html)
Re: Ivan Sarkozy - Ivan Sarkozy - 06-12-2014
<small>((continued from The God Wars of South America))</small>
Age:23
Ht:6'2"
Wt:205
Hair: brown
Eyes:blue
Ivan Sarkozy, called Vanya by his family, was born in Moscow in 2022 to Anton and Vasilisa Sarkozy and grew up in the Zamoskvarechye neighborhood. Anton was a beat cop and his mother worked in a bakery. He had 2 siblings, Yegor and Valeriya, both younger. They were a poor but relatively happy family. Anton worked hard in their neighborhood. His father had been a police officer as well, as had been his grandfather. It was a tradition in the family, being brought up to serve and protect in that capacity. But as much as Ivan loved and respected his father, he felt like being a cop was a losing battle. The neighborhood continued to fall apart, what with the crumbling old buildings, the illegals and even the black market activities. Being Russian helped (though his last name was French from his great-great grandfather.) They weren’t exploited like the illegals. And they lived in the “better off” parts of the neighborhood. But Ivan felt like what his father did made very little difference. It was only a matter of time before the corruption spread to their neighborhood. Ivan hated the thought though.
And then one day when he was 15 his fear became a reality. He got home from school to find his father’s fellow officers there. Father had been shot and was in the hospital. For the family, it felt like the world was crumbling around them. Anton had been their rock. Mother kept all of them going, but she too was suffering. And Ivan suddenly found himself imagining having to take up his father’s place. But in the midst of that heart-ache, something happened that changed Ivan. The neighbors quietly came in and started helping out. Little things. Dropping meals off. Visits to help clean the home. Help with Yegor and little Valeriya. Words and deeds of kindness. “Anton is a good man. He’s strong. He’ll come out of this.” “Don’t wory Vanya! Your father will be fine. He’s a bear!. Look at how he takes care of our neighborhood, keeps it safe.” “Silisa, shhh….It’s ok to be scared. But we are all here. Your family is our family.”
Vanya was touched by the love and support they’d received. Nobody had organized it. No one was in charge. It was just a natural organic growth. His mother and father had served their neighbors and community. And now when they needed help, they had been supported and served in kind. And true to their reassurances, Anton did make a recovery, though he walked with a limp the rest of his life. Vanya, more than ever, realized the power his father had- and that he wanted to be just like him. He was a Sarkozy and Sarkozy’s were cops. After graduating school, Vanya joined the CCD police academy. He worked hard and graduated with top scores.
When he was 21, though, he and his partner were busting a pimp who’d been working out of a crack house. The place was filled with chaos and it was dark and hard to see what was going on. Terror threatened to claw its way passed his throat but he forced it down. They had a job to do. They were walking through the house, clearing the rooms one by one, when one of the many limp bodies on the floor surged up, needle in hand and went for his partner. Suddenly, Vanya saw the room clearly and time slowed. He moved his hands without thinking and the woman with the needle flew back into a wall. He was stunned and didn’t know what happened. They eventually finished in the house, but a couple days later on the job, he had a fever and passed out. It was the Sickness. Their precinct captain, following procedure, called his superiors and before long, Vanya found himself being studied inside the thick walls of an unknown building, unsure of what was happening to him. He wanted to be let out. The symptoms had gone away and he felt fine. And he hadn’t done anything wrong.
And then, one day, he received a visitor.
*
A cold, sterile light greeted Nikolai. He held a hand to his brow to see beyond the lamps flooding the room with brightness.
A data screen next to his door reminded him of the young man's name, Ivan.. Twenty-one years of age and already a promising candidate in Moscow's police academy. He came from a line of respected officers, although Nikolai did not recognize the family's name. Men like those of the Sarkozy family aided Nikolai's peaceful transformation of Russia into the empire it was today. These were the families that were most loyal to his cause; he could almost feel the effect ripple along the glass partitioned between him and the young man. Perhaps he did too, because he looked up.
Nikolai let himself in.
On his heels were two of his personal body guards, elite members of Security Services that were given allowance in and out of the vaulted passages of The Facility. Each quietly flanked him, but like shadows, Nik gave them little heed.
In his customary suit and immaculately arranged appearance, the intent of Nikolai's gaze was occupied solely by Ivan. The Ascendancy's double crescent pin shone on his lapel.
He tucked his hands behind his back, "Do you know who I am?"
The door opened and Vanya's mouth dropped open. It was Ascendancy himself. He'd seen his face often enough, a face that had remained unchanged since his childhood. The films and documentaries from school telling of the ASU's rebirth and reclaiming of its rightful place, the transition to being the CCD, the clamor of surrounding nations to join- it was part of general education. This man was the CCD. He personified every aspect of it.
Vanya watched as two other men walked in on his heels. They didn't do or say anything, but Vanya's heart was pounding. The man projected quiet power. Despite his best efforts, a worm of fear slithered in his stomach. In the distance, beyond thought, he felt a warmth.
“Do you know who I am?”
he asked. Strangely, Vanya wanted to laugh nervously. It was a ridiculous question. But he knew better. Stifling that fear- the warmth subsided- he stood up hesitantly, hands going to where pockets should have been but instead found only the general smooth feel of material in government issue hospital wear. It was strange not to know what to do with your hands. Get a hold of yourself, he told himself. He took a deep breath, calmed. He was a cop. He knew how to deal with stressful situations. Assess, focus, suppress. He assessed the situation; he focused on what was happening; he suppressed any emotional reaction. It never helped in tense situations.
“Yes, of course Ascendancy.”
He wasn't sure if he should bow or kneel or something. In the end, he just stood there.
As he should be intimidated, the young man hid his reaction well. Ivan stood, seemingly wavering on additional movement that was monitored by the CSS agents.
"Good,"
Nikolai's response was succinct, but he truly expected nothing less. Ivan was between episodes of Sickness; his mind was sharp. He would not remain in the Facility for long.
In that moment, power, always near and all the more enticing down here, surged vast and wild. The immensity of it beckoned and drew itself out, menacing, on his expression, but he resisted taking more.
Ivan sharpened into painstaking focus. Nikolai could view every small bit of stubble on the young man's jaw, could see the pulse of a vein writhing in heartbeat up one temple. He could discern his own reflection in the blacks of his eyes. He sought a reaction to the sudden presence in the room.
"Do you sense it?"
He finally asked.
"Do you sense it?"
Vanya didn't know how to answer the question. Ascendancy's question was quiet, but insistent. What was he supposed to sense? The worm in his stomach squirmed and again, he felt that warmth. Ascendancy's eyes penetrated him, knowing him somehow. He didn't know what the man wanted. The warmth beckoned him. He refused to move. This was Ascendancy but he couldn't bring himself to kneel or plead. He just...couldn't. The warmth beckoned. Escape, it called to him. He hadn't done anything to be here, hadn't done anything wrong. Anger spiked his fear.
He reached for that warmth and for a moment, life flowed into him. It was as if the lights had been off and suddenly were turned on. He shuddered at the sheer sense that overwhelmed him, the vibrancy even in this place. He could smell the guard’s after-shave, could hear Ascendancy's breath, see his reflection in the man's eyes. He was alive. His voice felt different. “Feel what, Sir.”
Something changed. The man drew upon the power, drank of it until it brimmed his very skin. The sensation of another never settled well with Nikolai, and even now, Ivan's presence threatened his tranquility. His choice of honored phrasing fanned irritation to a hot glow, but crushed as he was with power, he didn't care.
He'd delved into the source of his powers and Ivan responded in kind. Whether he knew it or not. "you felt it,"
Nikolai replied. He raised a hand, cutting short any subsequent question, and strode around the space. He heard the subtle shifting in his agents' stances; they were watching him closely.
"Several days ago, you fell ill after an extraordinary event. Left to yourself, you will very likely die of the Sickness; howling in fever, aches and pains until you've lost your voice to scream any longer."
Nikolai turned. There was a chill in his gaze; he remembered all too clearly his own horrific days. The first time had been somewhere between Budapest and Kiev.
"You were brought to me, to this Facility, because I can save your life."
Everything in the room was clear. Ascendency's face darkened, though how he knew Vanya couldn't say. Irritation? The thought skittered across his consciousness. He felt so alive he could hardly stand it. He felt close to bursting out of his skin.
A sense of dread filled the room, as if it had shrunk and he was nose to nose with Ascendancy. Everything looked the same…but he felt crowded and uncomfortable. He looked about for escape.
Then Ascendancy spoke. ""You felt it."
Vanyas eyes widened. Was it him? Was that where the feeling was coming from? His mind reeled. He'd heard the rumors. Everyone had. Ascendancy was more than a man. But they were just stories, tales to explain why the CCD was so great, why Ascendancy was so powerful. Just stories. But it was true!
Ascendancy's next words chilled him. It was like he had been in that house with him, had seen the woman thrown back, had felt his sickness. And he said it would come again. How? What was happening to him?
""You were brought to me because I can save your life."
The words, spoken calmly and clearly cut through the dread and suddenly Vanya collapsed, legs weak. Whatever euphoria or power had been with him popped like a bubble. He felt deflated.
"Please help me. I don't know what is happening to me."
Nikolai watched the young man fall weak to one knee. The power drained, and although he empathized, he did not offer a hand to help, but there was little pride to be had in standing over a weakened child. Nikolai almost knelt to one knee as well to meet Ivan eye to eye, but he held himself upright. They were neither friends nor partners; they were allies, ascendants.
Rather, unblinking eyes sharp as ice peered down at the young man. There was urgency in his voice that did not match the strictness of his gaze: a plea from one who went through alone what Ivan was to endure with a teacher. "I will help you, Ivan. In return I expect your service in life ... for as long as it may be."
The firmness of his words trailed at the end. The Ascendancy was in his sixties, yet appeared only a few years older than Ivan himself. He frequently weighed the validity of such terms of life: 'For as long as it may be' may be forever.
He turned to go. "Rest, ascendant. I will return when you're stronger."
Vanya only saw the steely blue eyes staring down at him. The face was not cruel, but neither was it kind. It just was. It peered at him, expecting him to be what he would be.
"I will help you Ivan. In return, I expect your service in life...for as log as it may be."
His words were quieter at the end. Ascendancy just looked at him, waiting. It was all so much to process. He needed time to think. The man knew what was happening to him, would tell him, would help him. He only wanted...his soul. But you already serve the CCD, a voice inside him said. He paused. His whole life, that of his father and hist grandfather had been pledged to the CCD.
The only difference was that Ascendancy himself was personally asking him for his service- in exchange for saving his life. It was the same thing....and yet it wasn't. Ascendancy turned to leave. "Rest, ascendant. I will return when you are stronger."
As the man walked away, Ivan stood up. Maybe he was a little weak, but he knew who he was. . "I will do it, sir. Service to you, for as long as I live."
He paused. "I serve the CCD already. You already have my life in service."
The next two weeks were like nothing Vanya ever experienced. Ascendancy himself visited and, true to his word, helped him learn what was happening to him. The ability to somehow call upon such great power, to manipulate it, well it was humbling and ego-swelling all at the same time. Ascendancy made sure that the ego didn't swell too much, though. Soon, Vanya had passed through the Sickness and was no longer in danger. He could only use a small portion of the power, especially in comparison to Ascendancy, but even that was enough to amaze him. He was taught the different threads of the power, Ether, Essence, Water, Flame and Firmament, and that he could weave them in various fashions. But Ascendancy's teachings came with a warning, both for himself and the dangerous nature of weaves. But even more importantly, he made it clear that he served Ascendancy. There would be no abuse of power tolerated.
It bothered him less than it might other men. He'd never been ambitious in that way or sought power of others. It was enough to be like his Father in that respect. So Vanya didn't view the warning- what others might call a threat- with anything other than acceptance.
Once he was released, Vanya was able to resume his work on the force. Papers from the Kremlin made it clear that Ivan was to continue where he was in his career, his absence not something held against him. He continued as a cop, patrolling his assigned beat. But now, he had another tool at his disposal, his abilities. He was glad to be able to use them to serve and protect- carefully. Ascendancy's words rung in his ears. He felt grateful for Ascendancy’s trust in him. He would not let him down.
<small>((continued in In Handcuffs))</small>
Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Sep 7 2014, 09:45 AM.
Re: Ivan Sarkozy - Ivan Sarkozy - 06-30-2014
Ivan was once Viracocha, an Incan god from the 6th age. His love for his people was only rivaled by his love for his wife, the goddess Amana, and their two sons. The God Wars of South America wreaked havoc across Central and South America and their relationship wasn't spared the chaos.
In the 1st Age, he is reborn as Ivan Sarkozy, an earnest easy going cop. He enjoys his work, even if it includes occasionally busting cute tree hugger girls. Of course, he does not know that the girl he busts, Zoya Bocharov, is Amana reborn. The pattern is throwing them together again, but for what reason?
And of course, true to her nature, Zoya find herself in more trouble. But this time she calls Ivan to help her. Though he is out with friends and is too late to help, he does try to come to her aid at the dive bar where she is drinking to forget.
Ivan's abilities land him in Chief Inspector Drayson's nascent special response squad tasked with dealing with the reemergence of the power as well as monsters. Eager to get to work, the descend into the tunnels where more than just vagrants and squatters live.
The day of Ivan and Zoya's date arrives and his hopes are that they have a crazy good time
Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Sep 7 2014, 09:50 AM.