Memoirs of a RAFian

[guitarhero01234]

Ah there is at least one fictional entity . . . all right, Saffa, put it away. I won't indulge in any spoilers.

. . . You just love teasing that stuff, don't you.

[redtailedsaffa]

He really can't help himself.

[Cloak]

Why, I don't know whatever you could mean.

Oh, and I guess you guys haven't guessed tyat Charlie, Adam, and Donna were from a previous book yet? Because they were.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
Convening the Council

"So, Ash has had an encounter with the siren as well," Yarin had reported, having recieved her communication. "We really need to do something about this."

"Yeah, I'm surprised that idiots like Bern Bridges haven't started blaming us for the deaths or the severely injured." Faerie said, dryly, with her arms folded over her chest.

"He has," Saffa pointed out, indicating a muted monitor.

"Wonderful," Faerie said, facepalming a little.

"What exactly can we do?" Kelly said. "We can't through its disguise, unless we touch it with our Mark."

"Simple, we can show it our Mark. Whoever runs away like a little pansy will be our guy." Parker suggested.

"I don't think it'll be that easy," Abby said, thoughtfully.

"Yes, surely -- no, Parker, that 'don't-call-me-Shirley' joke is overused -- surely, it would be smart enough to be more discreet after these two encounters. More careful." Cloak said thoughtfully.

"How can you be so sure about that?" GH asked.

"Fear is a powerful motivator," Cloak said. "Or demotivator, as the case may be."

<Unless causing such things have an addictive quality for the siren,> Noelle said. <Addiction can drive people to do things they normally would not. It can change their behavior, change their mindset, change their outlook, depending on their dependency on whatever they should be addicted to. Let us not forget Tobey Agrowch.>

Acknowledging nods greeted this, when Noelle finished thought-speaking.

"Right," Richard said, "before we move any further, I do think we should consider our plan of action very thoroughly. One misstep, and we can make a grave mistake. One reckless move can undo us."

"Yeah, our PR image ain't the greatest right now," Sakki said, dryly. She gave a sidelong glance to the monitor that had Bern Bridges's frozen visage that marred the screen. She added, "What's left of it, anyway."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Siren Succumbing

The terror that Alluria felt soon evaporated as soon as he -- it -- got a sufficient distance away. Another creature with one of those accursed marks. It looked at its hand, which was very nearly healed up, but the memory was fresh. If there were two, perhaps there were more. . . . And if there were more . . .

No.no, it was being ridiculous. It was an isolated incident. It just didn't exercise prudence in choosing victims. It misread them both, and it took them too lightly. It must remember not to do that again. It must be more cautious in choosing its next victim.

There. That girl. Her name? Valerie. Valerie Thomas. She had a brother . . . Ian Thomas. She pretended to be annoyed by him and that she hated him, but, deep down, she loved him as any sister would. There were arguments, sure, but they always got over them.

Huh. There was a discrepancy in her mind, in her memory. But that required delving deeper into her mind than Alluria could go. Alluria wasn't a Nyac or an Amperi, atter all. Hmmm . . . a car crash about six months ago. She and Ian very nearly died. But she served, although her joints were stiffer and she lost about half of the use of her left hand, she was reasonally okay. Ian was much the same, though he was now an eleven-year-old who had to walk with a cane and a limp.*

So much pertinent information that it could use to its advantage. Valerie's beauty was compromised by the accident, and she was not looked at as being a beauty, but merely glanced at with pity. She felt even more self-conscious about looks. That would be the venue that it would use.

It disguised itself at a tall, handsome, teen heartthrob. He had carefully quaffed hair, an unblemished appearance and visage, and a warm countenance. "He" affected a winning smile as he strolled right up to her, flirting with her. She allowed it. So "he" preceded further, and she permitted it. He brushed his hand against her skin causng her flinch and tremble a bit at the touch. But the venom took instantaneous effect, making Valerie open to suggestion and persuasion.

Alluria was subtle in its persuasion. It made it seem as they couldn't be together because of her brother and his best friend, Chazz Mitchell, would be getting in the way. They would need to go. Need to go away . . . permanently.

She was racked with indecision about it, but Alluria turned on the charm, and convinced her that there were no other way. It did it slowly, carefully, and with finesse. Valerie had her mind made up, and she went to act upon it, to commit both murder and fraternicide.

Alluria had already gotten what it wanted, so it didn't stick around. Didn't stick around to see that Valerie . . . couldn't go through with it.


*Okay, you guys know where these two come from? Which book?

[guitarhero01234]

Ugh, that just reminds me how badly I need to catch up

[redtailedsaffa]

How far back are you going with the names?

[Cloak]

"Virus Alert" and "Beyond the Veils".

[redtailedsaffa]

Whoa, that's really way back.

[Cloak]

Yep.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
A Dangerous Target

Assuming that it had successfully goaded Valerie into killing her brother and his friend, unaware of her getting cold feet right before commiting the act, and being unable to doe what "he" wanted, it was feeling enthused, having discarded the teen heartthrob appearance, and remaining invisible to the naked human eye.

Then it spotted a potential victim. It was a rather baby-faced man with a day-old beard, silver-rimmed glasses in front of closed eyes, and black, lanky hair. He had a rounded head, rounded ears, and moderate build. He wore a thick black jacket, thick black gloves, a horizontal-striped shirt, blue jeans, and white shoes with black laces. He was leaning on the bricked wall of an alleyway.

Alluria tried to discern from this new victim what the perfect guise would be to manipulate this guy. It was surprised. It couldn't draw a single thing. It was like there was this impossible force field or something blocking and shielding even the most superficial thoughts in his head. This hasn't happened before.

This should have scared it, but it just perplexed it. It believed something must be wrong, or off with its power. It wasn't aware that his would-be victim was perfectly aware of its presence. It wasn't aware just how dangerous this target would be.

Alluria was at a lost of what disguise to use. This was important. This was the best way to get close enough to manipulate the victims. One could say, "Why not choose someone different?" Truth was that Alluria didn't possess that kind of practicality. It never changed vicitms, barring the encounters with the two RAFians, before getting them to kill, or take the initiative to kill and took pride in this fact. Took stupid pride. Hubris.

It decided to go with a standard, cookie-cutter, stereotypical "pretty girl" disguise. Decided to go with the "dipsy, airhead blonde" personality. But this was all guess work, as it did not have any clues from this victim's mind. This could be seen as rather stupidly dangerous.

"Hey, there, boy," it said, with a full-on valley girl infliction.

The man looked up and looked straight at "her", and Alluria was visibly disturbed. It was like he was looking right through it. But it tried to keep up the facade, but it faltered when the man spoke.

"You're really going through with this, then, are you?" he said, his tone low and dangerous.

"What -- ?"

"I know what you are," he said, still with those piercing, penetrating eyes. Alluria was starting to feel uncomfortable. "I can see you for what you are, siren."

Alluria was taken back at this.

"You do not know what I am, do you, siren?" he said. Then he reached up held his face firmly, and pulled off the ID mask, disappearing into the darkness of the alley. All Alluria could see was the amber eyes of some eight-foot-tall creature. Alluria did not have any presence of mind to be afraid, or run or anything.

"My name is Cloak, siren," the creature said. "And you're going to be brought to justice for your crimes."

[redtailedsaffa]

So badass.

[Cloak]

 

Feeling a little anxiety, so . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Captured and Interrogated

"Wha --" Alluria gaped as it dropped its disguise, so that it would appear that Cloak wasn't talking to anyone.

"Ah," Cloak said, calmly and in control. "You're still confused."

Alluria said nothing, but gaped open-mouthed (and it wasn't the least bit attractive) at the Realm Walker. Cloak was nothing like it had ever seen before, and it was stunned by him. Cloak wasn't exactly prepared for this outcome, having expected it to fight him or flee, not gawk at him like he was some incomprehensible thing. But, still, this was an advantage.

"I am a Realm Walker, siren," Cloak said, ever so subtly making sure that the siren was hanging on every word. He was waiting for the right moment to present itself. "You are powerless against my kind. Your venom does nothing to us. You can't even touch us. Literally. You cannot probe our minds for disguise ideas. Your disguises mean nothing to us, as we can see through any of them. There is nothing you can do about it."

At this, Alluria tried to run away, to flee like a little -- er, never mind. Only to realize that its feet were submerged in the earth, into the concrete (which is Earth technically), to halfway up its calves. It was unable to move.

"You can't do this," it said. Its true voice sounded rather like a hissing, squawking Gollum. Not really a pleasant sound, which was ironic, in a way, given hiw the myths described sirens. "You can't!"

"An odd protest coming from you," Cloak said, dryly quiet, "given what you've done."

"I've only done what's in my nature!" it protested louder. It would have been more convincing if its voice wasn't quavering and it didn't sound like was grasping at straws. "It's . . . it's what I was born and bred to do."

"Doesn't make it right," Cloak said, with the same silky calmness. Alluria found it maddening.

"Who are you to make that decision?" it argued. "Who made you the arbiter of what's right and what's wrong? Manipulating humans is my nature. Besides, I'm not the one who actually killed anyone!"

"You compelled others to do it for you," Cloak said.

Alluria looked around frantically, knowing that its arguments weren't holding water with the creature. It was just doing what it was supernaturally designed to! How was that wrong? How did that make it any different from any other animal?

Truth was animals killed and ate their prey, but sirens like Alluria did not. They subsisted on pain and misery. Specifically, the pain, heartbreak, and misery of their own doing. Eventually, it would amount in it going into a state where they would seduce a human where they would need to propagate their species.

"Why?"

"What?" Alluria said.

"I want to hear why," Cloak said, "in your own words, I want to hear why you feel the need to do this."

"I . . . I don't know! It's just what I was born and bred to do!" Alluria said, nearly shouting. "My kind --"

"Ah. Your kind." Cloak said, as if he were goading it to say something that shouldn't have. "There are more of you."

Alluria was left speechless at this. It believed that Cloak's goal was to exterminate its kind, that his goal was siren genocide.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
No Escape

"You can't keep me here!!" Alluria raged, pulling on its legs only to cause itself to sink crotch-deep into the concrete. "Stop that! You can't keep me here!"

Cloak noted the fear in its voice, which was borderline hysterical. Cloak only replied with a calm, "Can't I?"

Alluria tried struggling some more, and sunk waist deep, but did not sink any more. It was desperate to get away, sure that Cloak would kill it. And it was sure that Cloak was very capable of doing it, too.

"How many?" the Realm Walker inquired.

"What?" Alluria was confused. Did he mean how many victims it had, or hoe many sirens there were? In any case, it mattered very little, as it did not know on both counts.

"You heard me, siren," Cloak said. There wasn't any decipherable emotion in his tone, nor any overt malice or aggression.

But an idea came to Alluria, it would turn the tables. This new creature might be able to see through its disguises, but that didn't mean the passersby would be able to. Alluria quickly adopted the form of a thin man with short black hair on a rather flat-topped head. It projected this man in a dark gray suit with a tie to match, and a long-sleeved dress shirt beneath it.

"Hey! H-Hey!!" "he" called out to a passerby, hoping to be noticed.

"That won't work, siren," Cloak said. The calmness with which the Realm Walker spoke was starting to become grating on the siren. Aluria refused to believe him, and tried again, this time adopting the form of a young boy with freckles and a mop of red hair. "He" wore blue jean overalls and a white, long-sleeved shirt with thin, blue horizontal stripes with blue cuffs at the wrists and neckline.

"H-Hey!! Help! Help me!!"

"Nice try," Cloak said, with mocking tones. Then his tone went flat. "I told you that that wouldn't work."

Alluria ignored him. Instead, it shifted to the form of a limber, twelve-year-old gymnast, wearing a red shirt and dark blue jeans. It had long brunette hair and a thin frame, as well as pleading, puppy dog eyes.

"H-Help me! Help me please!"

"You just plain do not listen, do you?" Cloak sighed.

This did not work any better than the first two times. Alluria was desperate, and not thinking well. It decided to disguise itself as a high-ranking politician. It usually avoided this, as it was harder to do things of the nature sirens do without being caught. Being caught was considered amateurish by other sirens, and Alluria was dreading being seen like that as it was definiteky caught.

"Thst won't work, siren. They cannot see you." Cloak said. He didn't acknowledge the presence of Rocklobster, preferring to keep him hidden, and prevent Alluria from coming up with an escape plan. He wasn't quite done pumping the siren for information.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
Not Forthcoming

Alluria dropped the disguise, looking rather deflated. There was no way that it could get out of this. No way that it could wiggle and wriggle and worm its way out of this. It couldn't run away from this conflict.

"Now that you seem to have realized that you have no leverage," Cloak said, rather crisply, "answer my questions."

Alluria said nothing. It had basically gave up. Gave up and gave into despair. It was a horrible thing to do. With despair comes an intense feeling of hopelessness and futility. It makes you want to coil up into the fetal position and cry at the sheer unfairness of it all.

"Stop that," Cloak said, rather harshly and coldly. "Considering what you have done, you do not have the . . ."

Cloak realized what he was saying, and was disgusted with himself. If he allowed himself to be that heartless, he'd be no better than Malice. He already demonstrated an intense amount of arrogance already, and heartlessness, as well. But this creature had indirectly, but knowingly caused the death and grievous injuries of many. To many this behavior would be justified and rightful, but yet he started to question his methods.

Alluria seemed to sense his doubt, and decided to try and use that to get out. But before it could so much as muster even the most minute utterance, Cloak's expression hardened, his eyes set.

They needed this information. This was the best way to get it. It wasn't ideal, but the information wasn't able to be gathered any other way. . . . Any other RAFian would not be able to see through the siren's disguise as easily as Cloak.

"Answer the question," Cloak said, cold and emotionless. "How many of you are there?"

Ah, that's what he wanted. Siren numbers. But why? That wasn't clear to Alluria, and this wasn't going as well as Cloak wanted.

"Siren!" Cloak said harshly. He hated himself for it, but this was necessary to mitigate the damage Alluria's kind made. It wasn't just because people like Bern Bridges were quick to blame RAFians for it. "Answer the question, if you will."

"I DON'T KNOW!!" Alluria roared.

Since it was waist-deep in earth, it was easy to discern if it was lying. It wasn't. But there was the argument that the siren's biology, supernatural though it was, could be markedly different from humans or other mundane-natural creatures.

Cloak narrowed his eyes. A decision now had to be made, a decision which would lead other decisions that were equally important. And the fallout would potentially be explosive.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Quandaries

This left Cloak with a serious quandary.

He could let it go, but there was absolutely no guarantee that it wouldn't victimize more people. It was more likely than not that it would, and Cloak could not permit that. It already had too many victims, Cloak assumed, and it would be unconscionable to allow it to victimize more. Not to mention he didn't want Bern Bridges to be actually right, although he blamed them anyway.

He could keep it imprisoned, but that left the question of where. It would be a very bad idea to imprison it with the Pootang and the lifeless doll body of Bucky. They didn't need it influencing the Pootang, especially when they discovered the way to calm it down to near tameness and docility. And just because it was imprisoned didn't mean it wasn't dangerous.

He could have Broken Transfigure it into something else, something more controllable, something less. Like a raven, perhaps. Or a flobberworm. But that seemed . . . wrong somehow. Not to mention, while Cloak's knowledge of magic isn't as extensive as Broken's, he did not know how permanent this state would be. The last thing that they'd need is if the Transfiguration wore off.

And, perhaps, the simplest, but far from easiest, opinion was to slay the monster in cold blood, or in his case, cold ichor. It may have seemed to be the less complex of the current options, and seemed to be the go-to option. But Cloak didn't think so. He considered the possible ramifications and consequences of doing such. The Realm Walker was sure there would be. They may not even be able to die, or stay dead for that matter.

The question still hung in the air. Should he be as humane as possible or should he throw the book at it? Then there was the question of the other members of its species. How would they be handled?

So many things to consider . . .

"Are you done deciding my future yet?" Alluria said, with bitter spite. "Deciding my fate?"

Cloak said nothing.

"Cloak?" Rocklobster prompted quietly.

"What was that?" Alluria said, sharply.

Cloak allowed a soft growl, indicating that Alluria should shut up.

[guitarhero01234]

Oh my god, the suspense is friggin killing me