Exploring The Datsan

[Lucas]

Any sense of pride and awe quickly evaporated like steam at The Ascendancy's words. Fear lanced through Lucas. It had only been less than an hour when he'd learned of Aria's mission- her death sentence. But that was in the future, something that might still be avoided, that might be changed.

Instead, it was here, now. Aria was with the man she had been ordered to kill. Now, more than ever- he'd seen what he had done- he knew Aria would die if she tried anything. Fear and grief warred within him and he nearly felt overwhelmed.

But somewhere deep inside, a kernel of determination grew. He looked at the man who ruled the world, the man who represented everything strong and good in this world. He knew he was insignificant in comparison. There was nothing he could think of to do. But he couldn't give up.

His eyes were burning and his voice shook as he sent every ounce of pride and love and trust to her. "Aria, I love you. I will wait for you, for as long as it takes."
The man was human. He had to have compassion somewhere inside him, a sense of justice, of right. He turned his eyes to The Ascendancy, trying to figure out what he could do.

"Forgive me, Ascendancy, but I have to speak. Aria is a good woman. I have never known someone so driven to hold on to her humanity, to her kindness and compassion. Everything she does is to protect your people, Ascendancy."
He shook his head, anger at the Atharim surging forward. "But these...Atharim!"
- his disgust was clear as he nearly spat he word-" these....people who've had her since she was a child have only ever used her. Never once did they appreciate the person they had in their midst. She cares, Ascendancy. I hate the Atharim with every fiber of my being. They have trapped her and either way for her means death. And yet she never stops protecting people. Though she is Atharim, she is not. And neither is Nox. They care. They suffer and risk their lives to protect people, sir, from things I can't even begin to imagine."
Memories of Aria's injuries sprang into his head and he shook his head to dispel them lest rage overwhelm him.

"They do it thanklessly, in the shadows. And yet they never lose sight of the fact that they are doing this for others. Aria clings to this. I love Aria, Ascendancy."
His words were simple and earnest. He looked over at Nox. "Nox can sometimes be a di- er, irritating, but he has been a loyal friend to Aria. And to to me."
Memories of the his request to make a home for her came to the back of his mind. "Please let her come home to me when you have finished talking to her. Please. You have made our nation a great place where people can find security and hope."
He felt Valentin's hand on his shoulder that night in the alley, the kindness in his eyes. "A place where people can help each other to lift themselves up from the gutters and find happiness. I know this from experience, sir. Aria deserves hope too. Please, Ascendancy. You are a good man. I believe in your justice."


He looked at Aria again and smiled at her, unshed tears in his eyes. He prayed to God that he look out for her.

[Aria]

Everything shifted. Once Ascendancy freed Nox and Lucas everything shifted. Relief flooded Aria's system. She feared for her own life, but she did what she did because of others, not to save herself. They would be free, or as free as being watched allowed them. Her life was not valuable to anyone but herself. Though Lucas didn't feel that way. He continued to plead her case. She smiled weakly at him. She felt his love, the pride, but it was foolish to think that pleading would get her freed. This was a man used to getting what he wanted. If he wanted her dead, she was going to die no matter what anyone else said.

The stark difference between Lucas and Nox was apparent in their emotions. Nox cared, but he cared more about himself, though he did offer Ascendancy a warning, that his life was dangerous. And Nox was not likely to save a man who was following him, if he got himself into a sticky situation. But then again he had changed a lot since she'd know him.

Where as Lucas pleaded for her life. It was nice to know he cared this much, but he put himself at risk with each word. Aria wanted to know what Ascendancy felt, she couldn't watch if this turned horribly wrong. Aria smiled at them both, "I'll be fine. Whatever happens is how it is meant to."
She didn't add because that was how God saw to see it, Lucas would believe what he believed. And Nox didn't care about predestined or fate, or religion. He was a man of little faith. At least faith he didn't have first hand account in. Aria believed it would go where it went because it was meant to be her path. Death came to them all. If it was her time then so be it. But Aria didn't feel it was. If Ascendancy wished her dead, she would be dead and she would not be walking ten paces in front of him, she'd be lying on the power cleared earth staring blankly up at the sky and uncaring. But she walked. She talked. It was living. More importantly it was surviving to fight another day. And that's what she'd do. She'd survive for as long as possible.


Edited by Aria, Apr 23 2015, 12:51 PM.

[Ascendancy]

((Aria moded with permission))


Nikolai was a patient witness to their goodbyes. Aria's behavior elicited a measure of respect. Her composure in the face of uncertainty and probable fear was noteworthy. It exceeded that of the two men she was leaving behind. They tried to hide it, but Nikolai recognized the solemnity of separation writ on their faces. If they were to see their companion again it would be in the world of the dead, they assumed. Lucas asked for mercy and understanding like he was worthy to explain the noble cause of the Atharim. Nikolai did not explain himself, or highlight the boy's woeful ignorance of the subject. Aria said he was not Atharim and his diatribe proved it. Nox was less articulate in his pleadings, but Nikolai was resolute. He could not allow an Atharim with a warrant for his head wandering free in this world. He thought the extent of CCD surveillance was limited by men on the streets. The technologies at the Ascendancy's fingertips were beyond the imagination of mere mortals. Nox would not lose a minute of sleep over the welfare of anyone surveying him.

Aria started along the snow-cleared path that led to the helicopter and true to his word, Nikolai followed behind. Simon lingered to cover the rear and ensure the two men did nothing foolish, like attempt a rescue. He appreciated the isolation of their location, if not the view of an assassin, and maintained silence as they walked. Simon would have the best chance of hearing an unsolicited approach that way, although as power rumbled through his body, Nik would be the one to sense the crunch of snow first.

As soon as they reached the helicopter, Simon's approach hastened. He kept Aria under guard while boarding. She was to be strapped into a seat on a diagonal from Nikolai and as far from arm's reach as possible. Simon sat opposite her, continuing her guard. The two pilots looked at one another when they realized an extra passenger approached, but upon orders from the Ascendancy, prepared the aircraft to lift off.

She was given a headset for ear protection and communication, however Nik ordered her microphone muted. There was plenty he was going to ask her, but not on a four-way radio communication service. Their conversation required a more personal hand. Once all were secure and they were airborne, Nikolai double-checked his straps and gripped the seat tight. The initial sensation of leaving the earth's surface was tumultuous to say the least.

Several hours later they arrived at an airbase and Aria was placed under the more secure guard of military police. She was treated humanely, although she was stripped of anything that could be used as a weapon on her person. After a short time, a fresher Ascendancy visited the room where she was being held.

The room was empty but for her and an extra chair, which he spied blandly. His limbs ached to stretch through the waters of his swimming routine, but he was days off his usual schedule. A smooth gesture unbuttoned his suit jacket just before he sat opposite her. Power flowed through him, but nothing near the capacity to which he could wield, only enough to cast his aspect aggressive. "First question, why did your companions describe you as trapped by the Atharim?"

[Aria]

(Ascendancy holding the power used with permission)

A helicoptor was new experience even if she was in the middle of a very dangerous situation. Aria kept her hands in plain sight the whole time. She didn't want to be interpreted as a threat. And it was probably a good thing no one sat next to her, not the coercing was something she would have done with the Destroyer sitting with in arms reach.

There was no conversation. There was nothing but the loneliness of the ride. At least that was what they thought. Aria could feel everyone but Nikolai Brandon. The man on guard was studious in his job, his feelings hardly straying. The pilot was wary of her, but then who wouldn't be. He had no idea what she was or why she was here and under armed guard. She was hardly dangerous if no one was close enough to touch. She longed to push their fears back at them, to make them quake in their boots because they feared things. Everyone feared something. Aria wondered what the Ascendancy feared.

Aria took a deep breathe and centered herself with the fire and emptiness like she'd been taught so many years ago. It only helped to push away the sharp desire to escape. But this high above the ground, there was only one way out, and that was sure death. Aria would wait to see how it played out.

They landed at an air base and her guard increased, Aria smiled. She was just a little girl, and the Ascendancy feared what she could do. It was flattering to be feared like that, but really what did he expect her to do, lash out with the unseen power of the gods? No amount of armed guards could have stopped that if she had that power. Nox could have easily taken out the circle around her. She had no weapons and unless someone touched her she was harmless. She could take maybe one or two of them with her if she wanted to go out like that, but Aria didn't want to go out anyway. Survival. Home. That was a new thought. She wanted to go home - her home.

Once they arrived to Aria's final destination they checked her over for weapons. They would find none, Aria kept the fact that touching her could be used as a weapon, but they can't take that away. But they removed anything mundane as well that could have been used as a weapon.

Aria waited in the room in a chair, much like an interrogation room. And she was pretty sure that was exactly what was going to happen. Aria wondered what sort of treason she'd be applied with. There was no proof on her person that she was sent to kill Ascendancy just her own words. Her orders were verbal, there were of course confidential records at HQ but those weren't on her wallet. And her research of the man himself lay in the basement of the Baccarat Mansion in a cozy little office space that no one used.

Ascendancy himself came to question her. He was void of all emotion and that sent a shiver down Aria's spin. The man was already scary enough, holding the power and the memories of Nox's awe at his power made it even worse. The Ascendancy sat down in front of her and calmly asked why she was "trapped" in the Atharim.

Aria smiled. "I'm not trapped. That's his version of it, the only way he can rationalize why I stay with the Atharim. I AM Atharim. But I am also a monster by that very same dogma. Almost as immediately killed as a your kind."

[Ascendancy]

Her calm was incredible, and also unnerving if one were predisposed to such things. In his time, Nikolai stared down the unflinching faces of world leaders. He was not about to be disturbed by one Atharim's bravery, but he was impressed none the less.

Her response was likewise unexpected. She explained that she was as dogmatic an Atharim as the most brutal of the brainwashed yet she was also an intruder upon their doctrine. The great protectors claimed to preserve humanity, and for that cause Nikolai joined their number - or so he thought at the time. He almost laughed. "This is a new tactic on your part. I will compliment you for your creativity. So what is this? Are you trying to appeal to my sense of empathy? You are going to have to explain in much greater detail if you want me to believe you."
Acceptance, however, of her truth did not promise pity for the Atharim gave him none.

Whether or not her story elicited a sense of understanding from the Ascendancy remained to be seen, but convincing him of some tragic story that bound them together as the Atharim's mutual enemy would not guarantee her freedom.

For now, she had her chance to speak.

[Aria]

He at least was willing to listen. Aria smiled at his choice of words, appealing to his empathy, ironic really.

Aria leaned back in the chair, her hands folded on the table in front of her. She was hardly threatening for a man with such power at his beck and call but Aria didn't intend to be a threat, at least not until her life was in danger of ending. Then she would fight or at least try to.

Aria pulled the emptiness around her even tighter as she started, her voice holding no emotion, no fear, no hatred, no love for anything... just empty sounds, "I do not know how much time you spent among us, before..."
She paused. She wasn't exactly sure what he knew and what he didn't. And Aria did not want to sound like a textbook, nor did she want to offend the Master of this realm. He could easily take her life in that offense. "I can prove what I am. Though I doubt you'd like any method of proof I can provide."


Aria smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, "I was trained to be Furia. Meaning, my mother was Furia and I was assumed to be like her. However, my father was Sentient."
Aria watched Ascendancy for any sort of reaction to the word of her nature.

Unable to discern anything of importance from his gaze Aria continued as if he hadn't gotten that far into the Lore of the Atharim. "I am Sentient, an empath for those who care for mundane terms. I can read a person's emotions."
She smiled, "Before you ask the inevitable question, when a man or woman holds the power of the gods, they are unreadable. I see you with my eyes, hear you and know that you are there with all my other senses, but in that moment you cease to have any emotions."


Aria looked down at the table to decide whether or not she should reveal to him everything. She sat in her moment of silence, there was nothing to lose in anything she had to say. Her decision made, Aria tapped her fingers on the table once, looked up and sat up straight in her chair, she met the Ascendancy's gaze without fear of repercussions. "I know that you hold the power, that you didn't let go of it at any point in my company since the moment I met you on that snow covered mountain top. If you were to release that power, your emotions would be readable. Though I do not think for a moment that that is proof enough of what I say. Emotions can be discerned from just looking at a person, if you know what to look for. However, that is not the extent of my ability."


Aria swallowed quickly before she continued, she knew speaking the words would invite the darkness inside. "Some of my kind, can manipulate emotions. I am one of them. My father before me was the same, and it has been the reason he has been targeted twice for his transgressions against man. Manipulation is frowned upon. Free will and all that. I can show you your own fears. I can give you mine. I can give to you what your lover feels for you at the peak moment of your shared intimacy."


Aria leaned forward and smiled, the words slipped from her mouth with little coaxing. "I can bring the entire weight of this base upon you and watch you wither under the insanity that I live with every day of my life with a mere touch."
The emptiness punctuated the stated fact. Aria smiled, she could almost feel the darkness dripping from her lips. "And that is why I'm here. I'm nothing more than a monster to the Atharim. I'm expendable. Let others learn from my mistakes so when the true work is to be done, they don't fail as I inevitably will."
Aria continued to smile, she longed to push the limits of the mind. She'd come close once to killing someone with her ability, but something far darker took over then. Now... The darkness pulled at her and she knew that her life was probably forfeit there was nothing left but to wait to die.

So Aria waited, relaxed in the chair, her hand still folded on the table through the calm of the emptiness that surrounded her... Aria pushed aside the darkness refusing to let it win, dropped the emptiness let her sincerity show through, her eyes never diverting from the Ascendancy's gaze. "I choose not to kill your kind. I choose my death over theirs. I hunt you because it allows me to survive to protect them. To protect secrets like Nox and his sister harbor. Either way this ends, I die. I die by your hands when my attempt fails, because my hand will one day be forced. Or I die at theirs for failure to do my job. Failure to kill a god. A traitor to the dogma I have lived by my entire life."
Aria smiled. "So in that I suppose I am trapped."



Edited by Aria, May 20 2015, 08:10 AM.

[Ascendancy]

Nikolai listened with rapt attention. His eyes watched hers, analyzing their flickerings and glances as they paired with what she was saying. Detecting a lie for those untrained in subversion was easy. Strangely, much of Aria's behavior was consistent with his entire encounter with her. She was telling the truth insofar as much as Nikolai could discern, and that truth was peculiar.

He'd never heard of a Sentient, but then again he only vaguely remembered furia. Their kind had something to do with emotion, anger and tracking, but a sentient was entirely foreign. The description of her power sent a chill down his spine, and there was little in the world that rendered such an emotion from Nik.

"I am protected from you because I am a god,"
he said, tone flat. He rarely said the words out loud, the proclamation of being a god despite the frequency of such thoughts. The smoothness with which he said it betrayed his true belief in the matter.

He considered her a moment longer, cool gaze narrowed to sickles of blue. It was a difficult guess to know he held powers throughout the duration of their time together. "If I were not a god, how would you manipulate my emotion as you claim to be able to do?"

[Aria]

He at least beleived enough to ask questions. He however had misunderstood part of her explanation. "You are not protected from my power. You are shielded from detection of your emotions. I could easily reach out, touch you and make you relive your worst living memory. It is only through touch that our power works in manipulation. I can delve deep into your emotions with a touch. I have never tried to read Nox through touch while he held the power."
It was something she was now curious about, and if she ever saw her friend again she would have to try. Aria's hands never strayed from the table.

***

With a touch and he would become a slave to her emotional invasion. Merely suggesting the idea conjoured the image that began the path that led to becoming what he became. He was suddenly glad the power was a cloak of privacy. Forcibly sharing something so intimate, so innate to his identity, sickened him with anger, brief as the emotion flared. He was not often prone to anger. "To the Atharim, power over others is evil, and those with potential power are evil incarnate. I see why they fear you. So then, what can you offer that would make me want to spare you? Whatever they say about me, I do not slaughter human beings without reason. Why keep you alive?"


***

Why? Aria wanted to laugh, she honestly had no idea why. Not anything of merit anyway. Aria remembered going to Commander Vellas with a similar tactic, to insight some sort of alliance with the very man she was sitting in front of now. And now she was at a loss for words. "I am virtually no one."
There was little she could provide other than knowledge. "I offer the same thing I extended earlier if not in so many words. Intelligence. Unfetted access to all things Atharim, well with in my paygrade anyway. Known gods dead and living. Atharim hunter identities. Knowledge of the next assassin to come after you."
Aria smiled, "Not that the Regus or my handler will assign another so long as I survive. Other than that I have little to offer a man of your power short of my training. I got what I needed out of our encounter earlier. Everything else is icing on the cake."


***

He hadn't asked her opinion on her usefulness without having an idea already formed. Her offer was legitimate, but he had little need for Atharim intelligence. All these years he didn't care about their activity, so long as they continued to do the job they were best at. He laid his hands on his lap, "I was recruited by Wilhelm Ravid. I do not claim knowledge of the traditions of a Regus progression, but I suspect it was to groom me to be his successor."
He wondered if that surprised her. "You can offer me intelligence on the Atharim, but you can be so much more."
With that, his hands gripped the edge of the table as he leaned forward. "You can be my Sentient. My agent in a world I care more about than the Atharim. You spoke of a handler, you'll have another, now. You'll have targets and operations."
If she enjoyed her power, here was her chance to wield it for the greater good. Or, at least, Nikolai's will. "Therein is your use to me, and if you prove to be what you say you are, you'll live another day as my agent."


***

It was unexpected and yet so very not. It was precisely perfect for her life. An Atharim working against the founding purpose of the Atharim who was also working for the very man who saught to bring an end to the world as the Atharim beleived. Aria smirked, "And how would you like me to prove to you what I am?"


***

Nikolai nodded, pleased with her acceptance. He lifted his voice, speaking to whomever was listening on the other side of the door. "Nicola!"
A moment later, a woman in combat greens entered. "Tell Simon to come in here."
She saluted and turned to carry out her orders. A few minutes later, the agent that escorted Nikolai to the datsan and was the one to witness their encounter, entered. Nikolai stood, moving to the edge of the room. "Disarm yourself."
The agent complied without hesitation, handing his sidearm and a knife to Nicola. The soldier was dismissed and the three were left alone again. Nik motioned that Simon go to Aria, "Uncuff her,"
he added. A thumbprint and passcode opened the locks of her cuffs, which he pocketed afterward. Once she was freed, the Ascendancy locked his gaze upon hers, peering through their shadowy depths. "Now's your chance. Make me believe it."
Even as he said it, Nikolai prepared his own defenses. He wasn't sure what to expect.

(( with Ascendancy ))


Edited by Aria, May 20 2015, 08:04 PM.

[Aria]

Aria rubbed her wrists they weren't sore but it was just one of those things that you did, it was a reflex, it was good to be free. Ascendancy had moved away, she wouldn't have tried anything even if he hadn't, but she wondered how much he believed her and how much he actually doubted her. No one ever believed until they experienced themselves. Usually, they didn't inflict such torture on others, but no one had ever had the power the Ascendancy had.

Aria stood up and looked at Simon, he watched her with curiosity. It should have been fear. Aria took a deep breath, trying to decide what exactly she should do to prove it. The name of this game was survival, what would ensure she survived to live another day. Seduction was easy, it worked better when there was a spark to work on. And it was hardly any fun really. At least not for the darkness inside. It hovered on the edge of her vision - wanting, almost thrumming with need to kill this man. To inflict upon him the joys of her life - the nightmares of others, their loves, and joy, their sadness and hatreds.

Aria turned to Ascendancy and smiled. "Proof..."
She turned back to Simon. He was not unattractive as far as men went, but he was nothing to her. She smiled sweetly up at him and he just looked at her with curiosity. She could feel his emotions wondering what was going on. What was she proving to the Ascendancy. Aria held out her hand palm up. "Give me the pass code you used on my cuffs."


Simon looked at Aria then to Ascendancy, Aria didn't know what the other man did she just smiled at Simon and reached up with one finger on her right hand and ran it down his cheek and pushed every desire she'd ever felt to please, to serve, of every willing member of the base into the man. Their desire to serve and obey their superiors. It didn't have to be sincere, it just had to be an emotion. Aria smiled as her finger trailed down the side of the man's face. His eyes widened and, in that moment he was hers. She smiled at him, "Give me the passcode."


There was no hesitation, he dug in his pocket and handed the small slip of paper from his pocket and placed it in the palm of her open hand. Aria closed her fingers around it. Getting it had only been a ploy to prove she could do what she wanted with him. She whispered to him. "Do you wish to please me?"


He nodded and Aria smiled wider, the darkness was full inside her, she could feel its need and she put her hand to his face again and pushed his fears into him, she gave him her darkest fears, and anyone else's close enough to pull from. She could have given him everything but she wanted him to cower in front of her like a dog who'd been beaten. The big strong man that had kept a watch over her and the others, the thought of them pulled at her as the man fell to his knees cowering, he tried to pull away. Aria only had to send a desire to do her bidding again and he stayed his place as fear wracked his body.

Memories of Father Stone in the exact position pushed at him, the man cowering at her feet before Tehya had walked in. Aria could almost feel the blood dripping from the corner of her mouth from where Father Stone had struck her. The power over him was intoxicating, Aria remembered feeling the same way when she had been with Dane. She closed her eyes and let the memories flood in.

With the dark memories, others came - ones to counter her darkness. Lucas holding her. Nox fighting with her. Connor resisting her attempts. The Irijaq's death with the help of Giovanni and Jensen. Even her encounter with her savior brought her back. They were why she was here now. Not Dane, no matter how strong the draw. Aria pulled her hand away from the cowering man.

He backed away from her in fear and Aria could only smile. She smiled through the darkness, "Too much and he'll suffer a painful death. I imagine it's something akin to a heart attack, dying of fear."
Aria tried not to sound like she would enjoy that very thing, but she was sure she failed the attempt. "The effects usually wear off after a time. I cannot permanently change a person unlike my father. A willful person can thrawt my attempts altogether or break free of my control."
She smiled, "He was not very strong of will."


She turned to Ascendancy. "Do you need more proof?"
Aria placed the slip of paper in her hands with the passcode on the table without looking at it. She pushed it towards Ascendancy to indicate she didn't really care about it.


Edited by Aria, May 21 2015, 08:41 AM.

[Ascendancy]

Every time Aria smiled at him, he disliked her further. It made the respect she showed previously feel like a tease. As she toyed with Simon, touching his face and smiling sweetly up at him, Nikolai came to realize her emotions were always manipulative. Thus he would need to assume nothing about her was sincere. The epiphany was freeing, actually. Knowing someone was always untrustworthy was more reliable than the day he was betrayed by someone who had his trust. Michael came to mind, and a sliver of an idea formed as to how he was going to confront the man regarding this secret he kept.

Aria showed that she could manipulate someone into obeying her. How, Nikolai did not truly understand. She claimed to be able to control another person's emotions, but how that translated into control of free will was an elusive concept.

She also made apparent that she did not have to constantly maintain physical touch to continue her mind-control. If she had, then the moment she withdrew her fingers from Simon's face he would have rebounded. Instead, he remained in the daze she'd previously induced with a single brush of the hand.

Then, her demonstration changed. Simon physically bent his neck. His eyes lowered to the floor. His arms tensed and his hands began to shake. What Nikolai witnessed was terrifying. An agent of his, in whom he trusted his safety, fell to his knees like a beggar. Simon tried to escape, Nikolai saw him pull away, but the resistance was momentary. When Aria finally released him, the agent hurried from her side, huddling behind Nikolai like a child in need of protection.

Nik glanced at the hidden Simon. The man was unrecognizable, now. With that, Aria revealed another of her limitations: the effect would wear off. Was it similar to the manipulation Nicholas Trano used upon him? That he did not even know it was happening at the time?

Nik remained where he was, looking down upon this new, dangerous weapon in his arsenal. "What are the limitations of your powers? What can you not do?"
He was not going to send a weapon into battle without knowing when it would break. "If you say that one of my best Barrier Preator agents is not strong of will, then I doubt few men in the world exhibit the strong-will you describe. What of me? Would your power work on me? Did it work on Michael? And to what extent?"
He had to know.