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"Within the past 24 hours, I have helped a group of Northwesterners escape from a high-security facility, openly destroyed and stolen government property, and assaulted fellow Caretakers. They disconnected me from the network just about an hour ago, which means that I have been placed in the category of threat." He answered without looking at the man, "The primary directive to protect the simulation at all costs can only be stopped in two ways: By destroying the entire system, or by rewriting the directive in the Caretakers' server. Unfortunately, I no longer have access to the necessary server."
Genesis still watched the hulking machine and the faint outline of its pilot, "It is a creation of the Northern faction. They call them 'mecha.' It acts as a secondary body for the pilot within, both armored and armed. North is renown for its use of them in combat."


Layla merely nodded in response as the girl's presence left. The other presence was stronger despite the distance; it was more familiar to her. That energy brought to mind a color halfway between indigo and violet, a wispy flame-like light engulfing the uppermost point of a pentagram. She knew that energy and symbol very well. That was Aerilo.
She tore her attention away long enough to board her mech, its deep heartbeat and warmth a comfort to her. Everything was completely intact, restored to its former glory. The machine stood and took its first few steps under her control, noticeably less fluid in movement than before. Layla approached the two entities with caution, a full torrent of emotions swirled inside. Was it really him?
Then, she saw the Caretaker on-screen, beside a strange man she'd never seen before. Her breath released in one hard sigh, her muscles tensed. Both of them had easily seen her by now, yet the robot did nothing more than smile at the oncoming mech. Layla stopped a short distance away.
'It has been a while, Layla. I am glad to see you again.' Aerilo's voice rang out in her head, relaxed in tone. That was him. That was really him.



Raowan chuckled, "No, but we'll give you adequate supplements. Anyway. Whenever you're ready, there will be a portal where I stand now. Just walk through it and you should exit the program instantly. See you in the real world."
The Guardian started to take a step toward the city, but faded from existence mid step. In his place lingered a tall, thin oval of white light with scrolling grey digits. Just then, another disturbance crackled across the sky like lightning.




Eva heard the crack! inside her head, a very distinguished sound amidst the silence of the outside world. Something had broken. Not bone, not flesh, not her remaining sense of sanity. Something unnatural.
She straightened her posture, Odessa still ahead of her in the training room. She headed for the exit. A fuzziness occupied any thought she had of the simulation, similar to the "snowy" static of an analog TV. She wandered haphazardly through the halls, searching either for Genesis or her room. Whichever came first.

((I was trying to describe his own color (from when he was still living), like how Scarlet's is sapphire blue. Not heaven's color, but the color which resonates with the soul's own unique personality/traits. I doubt Layla would be able to sense heaven's color, so she recognizes his presence merely as it looked before his physical death. I imagine that heaven would be majorly confusing to look at; every single color, probably, and then some. @_@ ))


Eva did notice, and it alarmed her. Something else was obviously wrong, outside of the simulation. She thought back to that dreadful feeling she'd had prior to training. This was the mark of something massive yet to come.
She let herself get lost in the activity, just trying to stay out of peoples' ways as they shuffled past, desperate to overhear anything regarding the current situation.





The machine's chestplate fell away with a hiss, its pilot carefully navigated her way down to ground level. Layla glanced from the man to the robot, confusion evident in her expression. Both of them appeared as deadzones to her, until ever so slowly, that violet-indigo light pulsated back into the Caretaker's form. Panic quickened her pulse.
"Are you alright?" Genesis asked, genuine concern in his tone and posture. She saw a flicker of the same color enter his eyes.
"How...?" Layla asked, ignoring the robot's question, "How...is this possible?"
She was drowning in years' worth of questions and thoughts, overwhelmed. Yet she could barely vocalize any of them. This robot wasn't just a robot, was it? Had he been "alive" all this time? Was this intentional? Had Northwest known?
She noticed Lukas and Scarlet standing back a distance, and her incredulous look shot over to them. Especially Lukas.

Genesis's smile faded. She was greatly upset. He shook his head, "Not even I really know. I was...unaware until just very recent. But I had dreams while in this body, a physical impossibility, and I know who you are, Layla."

((Gyzvx may not post for a few days. He's having issues with one of his hands.))

"Well, might as well see just how far the rabbit hole goes eh?" Virgil said to himself with a chuckle and walked into the portal.

Southeast, once, had my people within to help with the farming and the care of the plants and animals. That was two to three years ago-- they would not let our people rest so I had to withdraw them, and our allied status with Southeast.

We may be tough, but not indestructible.

Lukas smiled warmly and ruffled my long hair.

We do not know if any other factions visited Southeast since. But my people reported no standard caretakers and hovercrafts while there or upon returning to our faction. Them becoming allied with the government may have occurred within the last two to three years... maybe sooner, but our people are... observant. If they saw something unusual they would attempt to subtly report it to the Council.

As my father talked, I looked up at Layla's Mech, and looked at Layla herself; I saw her fatigue and pain. Knowing my father he would have noticed this too. We shared a glanced and nodded to each other, before returning our attention to the North Leader before us.

After this meeting, Miss Layla, would you like to stay and rest?

"This discovery could prove to be very problematic, for many factions. Southeast was one of the few which could provide supplies for all of the others, and many still rely on them." She grimaced, "I have no idea how we'll manage after this war, considering that Northeast still refuses open trade with us. Wouldn't be surprised if Southeast attempts to sabotage our next shipment. I'm not looking forward to dealing with that mess." Layla sighed and shut her eyes. Her face was paler than usual, except for the massive dark circles just under her eyebrows. The monarch's armor was tattered and dirty, halfway covered in stained bandages. Overall, she looked sick and worn out.
She glanced back to the girl, then to the forest ahead. Honestly, she never wanted to return to North ever again. Not as a leader, anyway. The past years had been easier; politics were simple, alliances were valued, the goal was straight-forward. But now... it was far too much to handle. She couldn't keep up her strong facade any longer.
"I would like to, but..." Layla paused as she reconsidered the offer, "I don't know if I can. Things are probably hectic at home." She concluded. She stepped away from the mech, trying to fully support her own weight. Her knees gave in, and Layla started to collapse...
...only to be caught by Genesis. The robot helped her back onto her feet, keeping an arm around her shoulders. She looked to him with confusion.
"You should rest, Layla." He insisted in a soft tone, "You cannot be strong forever. No one can."




Raowan was about to speak, but it was Shane who responded, "You and the others will be taken on a tour, and then shall undergo some physical testing." He spoke rather sharp and concisely, "You're Virgil, correct? If so, Raowan is the one who'll direct your group."
The other Admin nodded, then pointed for two other guardians to come join him and Virgil. They were the first group to leave, heading down the hall to a series of large double doors. Raowan handed each guardian an identification card while they walked, "If a robot stops to scan you, hold up this card. None of you have been input as authorized officials yet, so they may attempt to give you the simulation serum." He proceeded to the terminal next to the doors, unlocking them with the numbered code. "First, this group will enter the testing phase. You will each enter separate spaces and be given a task. Depending on how well you completed the previous trials, the difficulty of the next may raise or lower. Some will be strictly physical, others will involve mental assessments. Upon completion of all the trials, you will be released and treated as necessary. Are you ready?"