Paranoia ;;DJ;;

[Nelly]

Zrion… Curious. What a strange name to go by, thought Noel. And the way he slipped his first name in reminded her randomly of the original James Bond, so Ellie couldn’t help but smile anyways, though it was only the slightest hint.

When Zrion asked her of her name, she was hesitant too. But he had given his name, and it was only expected to provide him with her as well.

Quietly, she said, “Noel, I think.” She paused. It was true; she never knew what her real parents had named her. It was Benita that had chosen that name for her, back in the lab. She sighed, shaking off the memories.

“…but I usually go by Ellie.”

She gave an effort to give him a smile. Noel briefly considered offering a hand to shake, but that seemed so formal. She didn’t like being formal. It was too… ah… formal.

Instead she just tilted her head to one side and said. “You’re sure your willing to do this?”

Seriously, he might as well just kill her and bring her body back with the excuse that she’d died before he’d found her. Ha. That would make everything simpler. She didn’t say this aloud, however reasonable it sounded to her. They’d figure out another solution, one that made everyone happy.

Or safe, as the case may be.

Ellie looked down at her feet for a while. "Mr. Zrion?" She asked after a long, hesitant pause. "Can I ask you something?" She fidgeted a little. "Something... important."

[Darkjak87]

Noel he thought. He liked the name. It had a certain ring to it, similar to his own. Odd though, that she goes by Ellie. For the life of me I can't figure out how it relates to Noel.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he saw her head tilting, obviously preparing to ask a question.

Hmm, was he willing to do this?

Well, that was the million dollar question wasn't it? Well, he certainly wasn't backing out now, in any case.

However, before he could answer, she followed up again with another question. Something important, apparently. Well, no harm in that he supposed.

"Fire away."

[Nelly]

She was quiet for a moment, obviously in deep thought. Would what she wanted to ask be too classified, or somehow even personal to him? She really hated to address this subject, but it just seemed all too necessary for her. Well, there really was no backing out of it now. She bit her lip, trying not to think back to several hours ago.

No. She had to keep her head clear. She had to put the past behind her sooner or later.

Hakunah matata.

Hm... The old Disney movie had always been her favorite. It brought a hint of a smile to her lips, even now. "It ain't no passin' craze," she muttered under her breath. The song replayed itself in her head, and she had the childish urge to sing it aloud. But she refrained, as it would be far to strange considering the situation.

She mentally slapped herself for letting her thoughts run loose. He was waiting for her question.

Noel forced her gray-blue gaze to meet Zrion's own, shaking 'Hakunah Matata' out of her head. "E-Erol. He's your l-leader, right? As a red soldier, you work for him?" She began warily, but paused for the thousandth time. Sighing and looking down again, she continued. "He's... well, he..." Ellie couldn't complete her sentence, no matter what way she reworded it. Her hands came up and wrapped around her torso as if she were cold. She sighed and locked her eyes to his once more.

"Do you trust him?"

[Darkjak87]

Zrion's face was blank for several moments, as he waited to allow her to stutter out her question. Errol...The man was an enigma to Zrion, that much was certain. Errol was an absolutely brilliant tactician and all of the very few successes that the KG had scored against the Metal Head Army were under his guidance. But while leading his armies into battle first hand, his many immoral acts cast quite a bit of doubt on him.

After all, he couldn't help but to feel that he would like the man a little more if he didn't regularly stage kidnappings of known eco users for experimentation, wasn't fiercely loyal to Praxis, known for personally ordering harsh treatment of prisoners for little reason, and was known for needlessly sacrificing entire KG divisions in order to allow larger forces to move into position.

Quite a quandary indeed. An evil man, but a brilliant one at that. And frankly, he was all they had. Errol was the only man that Praxis considered loyal enough to lead his army for him. And despite Zrion's respect for the man's ability to inspire and lead his armies, he couldn't help but to be reminded that Praxis' right-hand man would throw him into a laboratory as soon as he caught wind of his eco abilities.

So did he respect Errol? Yes. Could the man's genius be denied? Zrion didn't think so. Would he like to see Errol replaced by someone else? Well, only if it was the Special Operations Commander, but he knew that Drekker wouldn't want that job, with all the strings attached to it.

But did he trust Errol?

Hell no.

"He is my leader...But I prefer to answer to the head of Special Operations when I can. Errol is a good leader, and a great strategist...But do I trust him? No."

He paused, for the briefest of moments, before he threw caution to the wind.

I'm already dead if what I'm doing is discovered...What do I have left to lose?

"And I can't help but to be aware of the fact that he would have me arrested the moment he discovered that I'm an ecoist...Regardless of all that I've done for Haven City."

[Nelly]

Ellie gave a silent sigh of relief. Zrion didn't trust him, though he worked for him. He wasn't on Erol's side... thank goodness. But that didn't mean he was on her side either. Well, this man was shaping out to be the only person Noel could trust.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Zrion's next statement. He told her that he would have been arrested by Erol if he were to be recognized as an ecoist.

Hang on... what was an ecoist? Ellie stared at him, her face undoubtedly a big question mark.

Hell, what was eco?

She had heard Erol say something about 'eco,' said something like her body contained some percentage of some bright eco or something. She'd had no clue what he'd meant, of course. Then he'd said something about another eco.
A teasing "Well, you musn't stray to far from Light eco. You never know if its opposite is just around the corner... you never know what it would do to such a fascinating creature like yourself." Then she'd been left to wonder what the hell he was talking about.

"What is eco?" Ellie asked, feeling all foolish for not knowing about it. It seemed to be a big thing in Haven City. Her shyness gave way to curiosity, and she stared up at the man with big questioning blue eyes.

[Darkjak87]

Zrion was surprised to learn of her ignorance towards eco, and it got him wondering. Hmm, where could she come from where eco isn't a part of daily society? It generates our power, protects us from the Metal Heads, and fuels our machines and weapons. Eco is everything that we have...How can she live any other way?

Preparing himself for a long lesson, Zrion sat down on the floor of the hallway, and leaned back against the wall.

He looked at her for a long moment, before answering. "Eco...Is everything. It is life. It is energy. It is power. It is our way of life. Everything that we have or could ever want, is something that Eco makes possible. Without it, we would have no power, we would have no shield wall, we would have no weapons to defend ourselves from the Metal Heads. Even the most basic thing, such as crafting metal, somehow relates to eco. It is hard to explain. It is not liquid, it is not a gas, and it is not solid. It is unique, and it is powerful. Some, such as myself, are capable of channeling this substance in our bodies. It will provide great power...Can do great things...But can cause so much destruction." As Zrion said this last part, he looked very sad.

"Four types of eco...Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. These are the core ecos, and the types that a gifted individual can wield most often. This is not something you can learn. You either have the ability, or you do not."

He took a deep breath, and let it out, as he prepared for a lesson that even the youngest child knew by heart.

"Red eco...Is the element of strength. It provides great strength to the user, and provides a feeling of empowerment. This eco favors the strong-willed and stubborn, and tends to manifest itself in individuals who are already very strong of body. I wield this power myself, and reasonably well."

"Green eco, is the element of life. It is pure, and it is good. To those lucky enough to control it's power, it inspires feelings of protectiveness, happiness, and concern for others. This type of eco favors the wise and detached, and, it shows itself in these individuals. Those who control Green eco, have the ability to heal the worst of wounds, and even restore life to simpler organisms, such as plants."

He couldn't help but to bitterly think of Zephan as he said this. Zephan was like that by nature, he could tell, but his hard life had led him to be somewhat uncaring. It was a shame, that such a thing had befallen the ottsel. He was the only known exception to the rule that all Green Ecoists were completely kind. On the other end of the spectrum, however, Zephan was quite wise.

"Blue Eco, is the element of energy, and that is exactly what it is. Outside the body it appears as a cluster of lightning. To those gifted with it's amazing energy, they can run faster than any normal person could ever hope to, and dodge weapons in a way that I can only dream of. This eco favors those with slim, agile bodies, and provides feelings of energy and excitement. It manifests itself in the carefree and pure of heart."

"Lastly of the core ecos, is Yellow Eco. This type of eco is heat and fire, and this makes it ideal for attacks. However, it also has many practical uses, such as cauterizing wounds and wielding metal. It burns hotter than any fire, and shows itself in those with determination and drive. When it's used, it you feel warmth, power, and a hard determination. This eco manifests itself in those who favor determination above all else, and prefers a reasonably strong body. I also wield yellow eco, as a full master in the art."

He leaned his head back against the wall, with his eyes closed, as he considered what to go over next.

"There are three other ecos...Dark Eco, Light Eco, and White Eco. These are the strongest and most powerful of the ecos, and can be used for great good...Or great destruction."

He shuddered, for a moment. "Dark eco...Is the most vile and evil substance in the world. It is pure destruction, and the end of anything that comes into contact with it. If you are exposed, it spreads and destroys you with everything that it has. Exposure to Dark Eco is fatal, unless a Green or Light ecoist intervenes in time to save you. This eco favors nothing but the strong, cold, and cruel people of the world. It favors only the people who have had the hardest of lives, as they are always stronger and crueler than anyone else. It grants great power...But a power that can only be used to destroy."

With a thought of relief at having covered that, he moved on to another topic.

"Light eco...Is the absolute opposite of Dark eco. It is pure joy, life, and power. It is like green eco, except it favors only those of the purest of hearts, and never shows itself in anyone who has even a hint of evil in their bodies. It provides great power...But is ineffective as an offensive weapon. The closest it can be used as a weapon, would be against creatures imbued with Dark Eco, which it will destroy. Dark eco is more dangerous, but cannot survive any contact with Light Eco."

"The last type of eco in known existence, is white eco. This type of eco, is a perfect fusion of all the four core ecos, and is incredibly rare. For White Eco to exist in a person, he or she must have control over ALL the core ecos. The chances of that happening alone are almost totally nonexistent. But even more impossible, is actually being able to master this eco. It is amazingly powerful. It can destroy anything in the blink of an eye. It is more powerful than dark eco, but it is not destruction in itself. Dark Eco is destruction...But White eco is simply power. The way you use that power is up to the user."

He sighed, and closed his eyes, deep in thought.

[Nelly]

Holy mother of—!

Noel sank back against the wall opposite from him as he closed his lecture. Her mind was whirling. This was so much to soak up in one sitting! She rubbed her temples, trying to recap everything he’s said.

Such an energy source – or sources, rather – were totally unheard of! Or at least, not in her world. She’d read Physical Science textbooks before that taught of so many energy sources. She’d heard of fossil fuels, solar energy, wave power energy, hydro energy…. But not eco. Eco was short for ecology, which was the study of interactions between organisms and… their… habitat. Wow. Okay. So, maybe it had a couple affiliations with earth. But for all she knew, she could be on a whole new planet. No, no. That was impossible. Perhaps it was that this ‘eco’ could only be found on certain locations on the planet, or just is very difficult to notice when not fully aware of its existence.

Ellie sighed as the beginnings of a headache poked at her brain.

She considered asking about simply harvesting electricity from the elements like they did so in her long-lost life, but she figured if she was to live among them, she must live alike them. No objections.

Instead, Noel focused on what Zrion had said about the three final ecos. He explained Dark and Light and White eco. By the time he’d moved to White eco, she’d hardly been listening. Dark and Light eco were like Yin and Yang, she thought absently. …Keeping balance and order. Like the white and black bulls of ancient history. The only difference being that the black wasthe good one, the white being the beast…

Her babbling thoughts flickered to Light eco, and then to her dagger. That gem that dangled from the tie on the knife’s hilt glowed without any real light source. And the moment she had touched it, hope and bliss and happy thoughts had filled her mind. She felt so connected to that little stone, that perhaps a part of her being resided within it. Was this crystal of such eco?

Was Erol serious when he told her that she had some affinity or some crazy thing like that for Light eco?

“Impossible,” she murmured to herself.

Ellie shrugged the thought off and looked at Zrion after a long moment of silence.

“So eco…” her sentence was suddenly interrupted by a huge yawn. Damn, she had totally forgotten just how tired she was, what with all the excitement and such. Exhaustion was finally taking its toll on the girl, as she hadn’t slept soundly for numerous days.

Rubbing her eyes wearily, she finished her sentence in a more soft tone. “So eco is everything then? It’s like Earth’s way of giving then taking back…”
She bit back another yawn, her thoughts still buzzing around the ecos, especially Light and Dark.

[Darkjak87]

"Not quite...Eco is not everything...But it is what holds the world together. Think of it this way. Would sheets of metal be held together without rivets? Would sand stand firm without water? Eco is not the substance that everything is made of...Eco is simply what holds everything together. Eco is the Earth's way of keeping everything balanced, in check, and working as a whole. Without eco...It would be like a sandcastle, without water. Everything would fall apart." A saddened expression crossed his face. "My only regret is that our best use of these gifts from the Earth is as weapons against each other. You might think that weird, coming from me, as a soldier...But I don't fight because I like killing. I fight for what I love."

He simply stopped talking, and stared at the floor, again deep in thought.

After another minute of this, he abruptly stood up, retrieved his helmet, and pulled it over his head.

"Just stay close to me, and we won't be bothered. Do try to keep your head down though...Just because I'm in Special Operations doesn't mean that other KG won't ask questions. However, if we go through the slums, we shouldn't have any problems."

He checked his weapons one last time, and ensured they were all secure against his body. He cast an expectant look at her, and began walking down the hall.

[Nelly]

The very glue that held the world together… yet so few people know about it. Not to mention perhaps only a max of only two cities actually used it. Maybe she’d introduce the concept of eco when she returned home… if she returned home. She felt so clueless around here. Like she needed to go back to preschool or something. Zrion probably thought she was mental or something. Really, she usually didn’t act like she was six, but her conscience was still in a state of shock.

She felt like a little girl in a big strange world.

When he stood so unexpectedly, Ellie looked up at him from where she still sat against her wall. The soldier told her to follow. She nodded sleepily and pushed herself to her feet.

“I’ll be right back,” she told him candidly, then hastily scurried back to the room he’d found her in. She picked up the jacket from where she’d dropped it on the floor, and dusted it off. Of course it had several blood and tearstains in its tattered cotton fabric, but it sufficed as a cover for her wings. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and tenderly nestled her wings into it. Then Noel left the empty room along with the memories it held.

She hurried to catch up with Zrion, pulling her hood over her face as she ran. Hopefully the cover of night would make the blood that covered her less obvious, and the hood would hide her abnormal ears from sight. Ellie nodded to him as she took her place by his side, then was silent as the two, soldier and child, left the building.

[Darkjak87]

As Zrion moved to the ground floor, he paused, and put his back to the wall next to the entrance of the building. He carefully looked out, and pulled his head back quickly. He glanced over to Noel.

"Soldiers are out in force. Errol must really want you back at the Fortress. We can't go this way, we must find another door." He said all this as quietly as he could. "Stay close, yell if you see anything."

Zrion moved, again, keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible, as he did when he first entered the building. He ignored doors off to the side, as they wouldn't lead to another door. The building was bordering on an alley, and if there was a rear door, it should allow them to leave through it without being spotted by Guards.

As he moved quietly, even more careful than he was when he entered the building, he reached the end of the hallway, and it opened into a medium-sized room, bare of furniture except for an old table sitting near the wall. As his eyes searched for an exit, he found a door, and a glance out the window showed that it lead outside. He moved up and twisted the knob, and after considerable effort on his part, managed to make the rusty mechanism of the door knob move. He pulled the door open, and poked his head out.

The alley was deserted, fortunately. It was a stroke of luck that no homeless people were around. Zrion couldn't afford to have ANY witnesses at all as to what he was doing. If the KG even suspected...There would be a death squad on his doorstep before the night was over.

He turned back to face Noel. "It's clear. Keep your head down and stay in the shadows until I say it's good. This will take a while if we don't want to get caught."