Entry 140: A New Possession

"You're different."

Shalee flicked her gaze to the young Brutor boy who stood in her doorway, arms crossed casually across his chest. He leaned his shoulder against the door and stared at her with eerie coffee colored eyes, not once blinking.

"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling a moment of unease.

"Every one's talking about how you've forgotten stuff since you were podded. Some people say that it's normal sometimes to forget some stuff. But you've forgotten everything, haven't you? You don't even know who I am..."

Her chin jutted up arrogantly as a smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth, "You are Jacke Incarnate."

"Yes. You know my know name. Guess you read a file..."

A look of anger flashed across her delicate features. Of course she'd read a file. She'd been drowning in them since she had been thrust into this bizarre capsuleer's world weeks ago. Files on everyone, the people of the corporation, the people she flew with on a regular basis, and everyone who lived in the Keep.

"Brutor boy. Came here last year. Your tutor is Mister Perelli. When you're not in school you spend your time in the flight simulators." she said flatly as if repeating something she'd recently read verbatim.

He continued to stare at her. "Like I said. You read a file." He shrugged, "Red doesn't come around anymore. She used to come almost every single night but since you were podded, she's disappeared."

A thin line of worry etched her forehead as she furrowed her brows, "Why doesn't she come...have I done something to upset her?"

He continued to smile at her, "Perhaps."

Shalee frowned, "I'm sorry..." She fidgeted with her hair, tucking it behind her ear, "Should I mail your little friend, ask her to return to the Keep?"

He kicked away from the door and entered into her room. She watched him as he neared her dressing table. He paused by the mirror, looking at her in the reflected glass, "She will come when she is ready, I suspect. I just...hope she knows that it's okay to come back."

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" she asked, completely confused by the child.

"It's hard to explain...I don't think you'd understand."

"Why not? Just because I don't remember some things doesn't mean I am completely useless," she said with a hint of annoyance.

"I'm sorry," he said as he turned around to face her. "I didn't mean to upset you. It's just... I miss her. I just want her to come back, to let us know what's going on..." He stared at her.

A look of pain radiated across her face as she suddenly started to rub her temples, the onslaught of a headache pounding against her skull. "I think I need to lay down," she said as she stumbled towards her bed.

Jacke moved to her side, grabbing her arm, helping to ease her down on the bed, "Are you alright? Do you want me to call for a medic?"

"No no, I just...have a headache. A blinding headache. I think...I'll be alright," she said as her nose started to bleed. She panicked as she brought her hand up to her nose, tilting her head back. "Oh god, I'm bleeding."

He squeezed her hand. "Shhh. She's coming." He said soothingly as she passed out.

The holodrone whirled nearby as the image of a red-headed little girl appeared. She rushed towards Jacke, "I can't stay!"

"I thought you were gone forever! What's happening to her?"

"It's her brothers! They kidnapped her. They took away the last two years! They put her back to the time when she lived at home, when she was a Sani Sabik with them!"

"But how are you here if she can't remember?"

"Jonathan helped, he had my files separate from hers, he was studying me. When she was podded last time, he snuck me back in when he put in those implants but I can't stay out here for long else they will find out!"

"Her brothers?"

She nodded.

"Why are they doing all of this?"

"Because they are going to make her do something horrible. They are going to-" The holodrone fell to the floor as it was deactivated.

Another one activated and Jacke turned, expecting to see her, "Red, what's-" his voice faded as he stared at the image of Red, except this time she had jet black colored hair pulled back into a ponytail. She grinned at him.

"Hello Jacke."

"...who are you?"

"Her, of course." She tipped her head towards the bed where Shalee lay unconscious.

"...no you aren't."

"Sure I am." She gave a dimpled grin. "But you can call me Raven. I'm sure we're going to have lots of fun together." She slanted her eerie gaze towards the door as it slammed closed, followed by the sound of the lock clicking in place.

Her lips twisted devilishly, "Let's play a game, shall we?" The windows flew open suddenly, followed by a blast of icy cold air. Snowflakes drifted inside, melting on the floor.

"It's a long way down...don't you think?"

Entry 139: Drowning

Location: Amarr Medical Facilities
Date: 07.02.113

Memories played like a holoreel on fastforward as she climbed her way out of the inky darkness of unconsciousness. Voices were all around, surrounding her, drowning her. A cacophony of familiar and unfamiliar bled together, making little sense to her.

Her hands frantically grasped at the sides of the cloning vat and she pulled herself up from the shimmering ambiotic fluid. She yanked out the breathing tube and inhaled her first breath as she rubbed her eyes, smearing away congealed fluid. Memories became clearer, the last moment in space. She'd been in a military complex in Kourmonen with Eran. She had lost her Omen, and then her pod, she couldn't get out and then....everything went black.

She could still feel the adrenaline rush of combat coursing through her, the euphoric high that sustained her night after night as she battled it out on the field against the Minmatar.

She blinked several times trying to force away the cloudiness.

She shook her head, thinking something was wrong. "Jonathon?" she called out in a raspy voice, asking for her chief pod tech. He was always there to help her through those first few moments of being 'resurrected'. Gods, how she hated being podded.

As the room came into focus, the voices settled upon her like a shard of ice being drug down her spine.

Keon.

Her brother was here? In the medical facility? But why? "Keon? Keon what's happening...what are you doing here?" she lifted a hand to her neck, feeling as if she had a sore throat.

Silence filled the air suddenly as both men turned to face the cloning vat.

"She's awake. It's too late." Jonathan said to Keon, "She's awake. There's nothing I can do now." His voice was strained.

"Unacceptable." Her brother replied, his bright vivid blue eyes locked on her.

"Look, theres nothing I can do! Only one clone can be activated at a time, no matter what. That's more than just Imperial law, it's science." Jonathan argued.

His chin tilted, "Then it looks like we have a little problem on our hands here, don't we?"

"It's done. You were too late." Jonathan said as he took a step towards the door.

"Do not move." Keon said as he pulled a pistol from beneath his robes, steadily aiming it at the pod tech.

"Too late for what?" she asked in a fearful voice. "Keon please, I don't know what's going on here but we can work it out...just put the gun down, please!"

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Keon aimed the pistol at Shalee, "And if I kill her now? This one dies and you can wake her up again, as before?"

Jonathan paled, "...that is murder."

"What is murder to a capsuleer? You have any idea how many lives she takes in a single night?"

"I cannot be responsible for this, I will not!" he threaded his fingers through his hair. "Do not ask this of me, I cannot kill her."

"But you can wake her up again?" Keon demanded.

Jonathon nodded.

Panic seized her. "No!" She screamed as Keon was upon her. "Don't worry little sister, you'll be fine soon enough," he whispered as he grabbed her by the throat.

She gasped, choking for air, hands frantically slamming against his chest. He shoved her down beneath the fluid and held her there until she stopped fighting.

He watched the life drain from her eyes, waited until her body was completely limp before he pulled his hand up out of the vat.

"Was that so difficult?" he asked as he stood, turning towards Jonathan. "Now bring her back, but this time a little more docile?"

Jonathan doubled over a trashcan, retching.

Keon stared down at her lifeless body. "And destroy every god damned file you have on her, everything from the last two years. From this point on, she will resurrect as the data I had given you. Send that to every cloning facility she has contracts with."