jojo
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Post by jojo on Apr 28, 2018 11:43:39 GMT -6
For days Stroud had found himself at quite a quandary for himself to wrestle with. Upon being given some original observations of Garrett's initial encounter with this Sapphire woman, it originally read like a case of severe head trauma. Though his interest was more thoroughly piqued when he began to delve into the section about her personality shift and it's seeming impact on her ability to access and direct her psychic powers. Though Stroud had never worked with a psychic before, he didn't find himself intimidated. Rather, it seemed that he was being presented with a rare opportunity. After all, only Calvert and his most trusted worked with these individuals and cold understand their inner workings. The scientist in him could only imagine the prospects of what this treatment could mean for him. He had joined these rebels in order to survive the war's impact on his city, yet now he could do more than just take up space. At last he had some form of direction for himself. This psychic and their sessions were sure to be most informative.
Despite being at a young age of 33, Stroud was a man who was clearly affected by the state of the world around them. His eyes had lost all of their light, a dull brown that only seemed to light up when drinking the bitter brew of coffee that the soldiers provided him with. A mug of it sat on his desk, still steaming in freshness. His hair was black but was slowly becoming more of a salt and pepper on the sides above his ears, the grey hairs a small price to pay for being alive. Better to have grey hair than go into cardiac arrest from the stres he supposed. He had some stubble on his face, giving him a slightly shabby look. Over all, the average heighted man looked to be a tired but good natured fellow. Like an overworked employee that everybody liked but preferred to be left alone. His clothes were simple as well, with a grey sweater and light brown pants that matched a pair of faded slippers on his feet. It was best that he try to be comfy after all.
His office was surprisingly homey with pillows and soft chairs facing each other. Easier to work with patients that way after all. There was a light glare from the sun coming in from the surrounding windows, adding to the somber tone of his workspace. As he heard the wrapping at the door he perked his head and called out, his voice soft but firm, "oh yes, do come in! Please have a seat!" He called as he took a sip of his coffee after blowing on it, his curious eyes witnessing Sapphire come into his office after a sheepish introduction. The reports were accurate. She seemed to be a far cry from that vicious woman he'd read about. "Welcome, I'm Dr. Stroud," he said as he rose from his chair and opened a drawer to retrieve a small bowl of fruit candies for her. He'd heard she enjoyed sweets.
"Candy?" He asked with a small smile as he held the bowl. "I'm glad you were able to make it today. It sounds like you've made an astonishing recovery!" He said cheerfully
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Post by Emiko on May 1, 2018 18:00:36 GMT -6
When Stroud first addressed Sapphire, the shy girl quickly shrunk back behind the door she was standing behind showing just how timid she really was. When the good doctor insisted that she come in and have a seat though, Sapphire reluctantly made her way in and closed the door behind her. She still wasn't all that thrilled about all of this, but...Garret was pretty insistent on her being here. That...and Amber promised her something nice if she went through this thing.
As she made her way over to one of the couches in the doctor's office, she quietly took a seat and glanced towards him with the most tense expression she could seem to muster. A small, but noticeable shiver showcased that she was obviously a little nervous. If her body language didn't hint as much, her words that followed suit certainly did.
"...I...I'm S-Sapphire... It's n-nice to meet you, D-doctor S-Stroud..."
Sapphire was obviously pretty nervous, and by this point, Dr. Stroud's keen medical eye would surely have picked up as much. His timing of offering the candy to the timid girl though seemed to be right on par. Whether he meant it as a gesture of good will, or just something to settle her nerves, when Sapphire saw what he was offering, a good portion of that timidness melted away.
With a small smile forming on her face, Sapphire politely grabbed one of the pieces of candy he was offering and quietly started to eat it. As she did, like with the cake before, she couldn't stop herself from quietly moaning at how good the sugary sweet was. It seemed like the fastest way to Sapphire's heart was with something sweet. And this doctor was proving not to be any sort of exception by his actions.
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jojo
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Post by jojo on May 5, 2018 20:50:55 GMT -6
Stroud chuckled lightly at Sapphire's appreciation of sweets. Normally he would keep them for himself but the rebel soldiers did have a penchant for raiding his desk from time to time. He moved his chair to sit across from Sapphire, choosing to not be separated from her by his desk to create a more familiar space. "Feel free to take more. We don't have a dentist around here so I would do well to avoid having too many at once," he explained as he placed the dish on a nearby table.
The doctor picked up his notes from the desk by leaning over, grasping them firmly as he crossed one leg over the other so that he could prop up his notes. "So Sapphire, I understand that you've made quite a recovery! It's certainly a testament to your own personal strength, most impressive," he complimented as he smiled at her.
"I do hope you've been able to find some positivity while being with us. Understandably squatting isn't one of the most ideal situations," he said with some light frustration. "Though I suppose it's better than the debris and chaos of when you first came into contact with Heinkel," he stated plainly as he looked at her, his face inquisitive and his tone seemed to soften, "As you know we'll be working on your memories among other things. To do so I'll need to ask you a few questions Sapphire. Could you tell me what you remember what happened that day?" He asked kindly.
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Post by Emiko on May 5, 2018 21:20:34 GMT -6
After finishing the first piece of candy that she had been given, Sapphire wasn't shy about heeding Stroud's offer and took yet another. Just like the previous piece, she munched on it with incredible satisfaction finding the sweet tantalizing and delicious. It almost seemed like a little slice of heaven to her that brought humor to anyone watching.
Not long after eating this second piece, Sapphire stopped to listen intently as the doctor commended on her remarkable recovery and went on to comment about how he hoped something positive might come out of this. However, when he asked if she were able to tell him what she remembered from that day, everything seemed to stop... Sapphire stared at Stroud with an almost blank expression as if she didn't understand before looking away at him to the ground below.
She stared at her feet for several moments in silence in what seemed like a defiant act towards the doctor to tell him anything she wanted to know. After a little more time passed, she finally did answer his question. However, what she said was strange to say the least and proved the real reason why she didn't answer sooner...
"...I...I don't remember very much of anything..." Sapphire commented in a rather sad tone. "...I've been trying to think about it since I came here, but...I don't know... The only thing I remember was waking up in a pile of rubble and seeing the blue sky. It...was so pretty that all I could do was stare at it for a long time. Then...I met Garret and he brought me here..."
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jojo
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Post by jojo on May 6, 2018 19:11:19 GMT -6
Stroud gave a small grimace when Sapphire looked at the ground but couldn't assume that she was resisting his question simply based on her body language. Whatever had happened she appeared to have some deeper feelings that she didn't want to confront or couldn't access. Stroud sat up a little straighter as she answered his question, offering nothing substantial ornof any consequence. He wanted to comfort her as she looked at the ground but didn't want to encourage her to bottle up or avoid any pertinent information. As he saw that she truly didn't appear to remember anything, Stroud stood up and reached for a pair of dark rimmed glasses on his desk.
"That's just fine Sapphire," he said kindly as he sat back down and slid the glasses onto his face. "You see, we're going to work together to learn more about you and how we can help you. And it all starts with you looking right here," he explained as he indicated his lenses. "All you have to do is look here and you'll start seeing something that'll help you relax and open your mind to what we're trying to find. It's a process called hypnosis and it'll be completely safe and painless," he assured as he pointed to a small switch on the right frame. "To demonstrate you just look here and I hit this," he said with a pause as he hit the switch. Like clockwork the lenses appeared to shine and glow with exuberant colors that flowed from his glasses in varying arrays of colors. Dark and bright hues of blues, greens, purples, yellows, reds and more flowed through the lenses at a slow, steady pace with the colors varying both lenses as they coaxed her to stare and take in the colors.
Stroud was curious about Sapphire's susceptibility as a psychic though he couldn't truly anticipate what sort of reaction would occur...
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Post by Emiko on May 6, 2018 19:55:40 GMT -6
Sapphire continued to look down at her feet sadly for several moments before she noticed Stroud get up to get something off of his desk. Curiously, she watched as the doctor made his way over and picked up a strange pair of glasses that looked like little more than a pair of sunglasses. Even as he came to sit back down before her, Sapphire couldn't help but tilt her head curiously wondering what he had in his hands and what he intended to do.
The curious girl maintained her confused expression towards Stroud until he slipped the glasses onto his face. The moment that he did that, Sapphire couldn't help but smile finding this new look of his rather amusing. In fact, as he attempted to explain what he wanted to do in helping her to reclaim any lost memories and using something called hypnosis to help her do that, Sapphire could barely pay attention to what he was saying. She missed pretty much every word that he spoke doing her best not to laugh at the doctor, though her childish amusement was not easily missed. All of that suddenly changed however when the doctor pressed a small switch on the glasses that activated their true potential...
The moment that the glasses began to radiate with colorful rings, Sapphire's attention was immediately drawn to them. Her childish behavior instantly faded away leaving the once vibrant girl now frozen in place as a blank expression took over her face. She sat on the couch in this position perfectly still with her attention focused entirely on the spiraling glasses before her. In that moment, you would have thought she was the most well behaved woman on the planet... What was really going on though was something far stranger...
Most people upon seeing these colorful, ring-filled glasses would perhaps be a little curious and need a little coaxing to get to the state that Sapphire was currently in. However, Sapphire herself seemed to fall naturally into this state with incredible ease... There could have been a variety of factors leading to this, but Stroud should obviously be able to deduce from his expertise exactly what was happening... This girl was abnormally susceptible to his hypnotic glasses, and it greatly showed...
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jojo
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Post by jojo on May 6, 2018 20:56:27 GMT -6
Behind Stroud's hypnotic glasses his eyes widened in surprise as he saw just how quickly Sapphire's demeamor changed from a sort of immature child to a fixated, fascinated woman who didn't seem to have a thought towards anything that wasn't about staring at those glasses even more. Stroud decided to capitalize on this, still intending to provide a proper induction despite Sapphire's clear susceptibility to the hypnotic properties of the spectacles.
"Very good Sapphire, that's most impressive," he said, his tone a softer, soothing sound than it was in his normal speaking voice. "Now you'll find yourself focusing one these colors and the sound of my voice. Allowing yourself to let go of any and all thoughts. Allowing the colors and my voice to push away any worries or fears you may have. Focusing on your breathing as your breath flows in...and out....nice and slow as your body allows all tension to leave you."
Stroud watched closely for any changes in her body language and facial expressions as cues for her falling into the trance. "And with each breath you find yourself falling deeper into trance, every color you watch flow towards you taking you another step closer. Your mind is clearing ofnsl thoughts by the sound of my voice. Your body releases all tensions starting from your head...then your shoulders...your chest...your stomach....your legs....your feet..."
As Sapphire began to react to his words, Stroud began to think of how he would begin to lead her towards the memories they needed. As he continued the induction, he had to confess he was curious about what he would uncover.
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Post by Emiko on May 6, 2018 21:29:09 GMT -6
Sapphire's gaze into Stroud's hypnotic glasses never once faded. In fact, the more the colors flowed from the lenses, the more absorbed she seemed to become into them... She took in every color before her eyes studying each one carefully as best she could before it faded out of the lens. Doing this with the ever-flowing colors of the rainbow lenses worked tremendously well to drop the girl down.
After a brief period of taking in the spiraling patters of the lenses, Sapphire's ears caught the sound of Stroud speaking to her and giving her various instructions. As he spoke, Sapphire's body began to show signs of pure obedience to his suggestions. Not one seemed to go unheard or ignored.
Sapphire's muscles began to ease up tremendously and though still frozen, her posture began to slacken considerably. She fell limp to the back of the couch she had been sitting on while continuing to stare into those hypnotic frames. As Stroud further went on giving her suggestions to relax every part of her body, Sapphire seemed to take them with great ease and sincerity... In just a matter of moments, the poor girl's eyes were glazed over, half-lidded while her body was limp on the couch showing not only her susceptibility to trance, but also her amazing ability to follow suggestions...
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jojo
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Post by jojo on May 9, 2018 21:36:46 GMT -6
Sapphire's body language and physical changes in her demeanor made it clear that she had been exposed to hypnosis multiple times before though he could only wonder to what extent or what means it was used for. Such curiosity hadn't stirred within him for so long, the need to survive and run from violence having pushed anything like that far from his consciousness. For now he could capitalize on what appeared to be a strong susceptibility.
"Your body and mind both remember these sensations that are taking hold. The feeling of your body being freed of all tension, the comfort of a mind full of nothing but a kind voice guiding you deeper into that welcoming bliss of trance. Knowing that with every word you hear me speak, with every breath you take, you know that you're another moment closer to that complete trance once more," he continued until the trance had taken hold before moving forward.
As the process continued to show fascinating results, Stroud began to lead Sapphire towards their intended destination. "Now as you're feeling yourself slide deeper into that familiar state, picture a door that you will open. Behind it is all the parts of your mind, all those memories that you're trying to access for your friends. You're able to reach them, and the way to do it is to open that door. What happened on that battlefield, what you saw, what you're capable of...all of it is right there," he said calmly, gulping in anticipation though having no idea what he could be in for.
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Post by Emiko on May 10, 2018 21:25:52 GMT -6
The way that Sapphire had been responding to the trance thus far, it may have been pretty obvious that she had been hypnotized before...many times in fact. How she reacted to seeing those glasses, and how well she genuinely took the suggestions that were given to her were just too good to be a natural reaction... In a strange way, Sapphire seemed like she had almost been conditioned to respond in this way which was frightening to consider as to why...
The words that Stroud spoke over her were taken in without any hesitation. The detailed suggestions the good doctor fed to Sapphire about her mind and body freeing up of all tension and knowing nothing but bliss became a reality almost as quickly as he spoke the words... Sapphire's limp body continued to sink deeper and deeper into the couch while the poor girl struggled to keep her eyes open and staring into those rainbow spinning frames. However, just when it seemed like her body couldn't take anymore, Sapphire began to do something...very peculiar...
When stroud began guiding Sapphire's mind to what he deemed as a 'familiar state', the strangest thing began to happen. Inside of Sapphire's eyes, a reddish tint began to form in her iris... That gentle color was only present for a split second before fading back into her eyes as if nothing had happened. It was only a moment after this that the hue of her eyes began to change in a noticeable way... Very gently, Sapphire's deep blue eyes began to take on a purplish colors which should have been very easy to pick up. It wasn't the only change Stroud received, though...
Just as soon as Sapphire's eyes faded to that purplish tone of color, the mesmerized girl gently forced herself to sit back up on the couch through her hypnotic exhaustion. Once she was up, Sapphire gently slid to the end of the cushion before falling off onto her knees on the floor below. She took only a moment to get herself comfortable before looking up from her kneeling position into Stroud's swirling glasses. How she was sitting...it almost seemed as if she were kneeling in reverence...
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jojo
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Post by jojo on May 11, 2018 8:17:46 GMT -6
Stroud's eyes widened in confusion and surprise before narrowing slightly in clinical fascination. This wasn't something that he himself had suggested, yet here she was kneeling before him like she was going to begin praying. The change of the hue in Sapphire's eyes was initially lost to him as he was focused on setting the foundation of the trance. This was certainly new to him. He considered Sapphire's background and what sort of training she could've received as a psychic, then it hit him. That Calvert. The way Sapphire had reportedly revered and proclaimed Calvert as her master to Mr. Heinkel was now making much more sense. Of course he would deify himself to Sapphire to get her servitude. This kneeling was likely some kind of subliminal, almost Pavlovian reminder to herself of her loyalty to Calvert. Though Stroud wasn't that madman, clearly Sapphire was associating hypnosis with Calvert.
Nonetheless, Stroud needed to push forward. He couldn't fathom what secrets he could possibly learn from Sapphire in this state. These rebels were putting plenty of pressure on him to figure this out and he was frankly hoping for results to get out of the hot seat as well. Stroud adjusted himself by sitting closer to Sapphire, giving her a better look. This helped him get a better look as well as he saw that purple hue in her entranced eyes! Astonishing? Was his maybe a side effect of hypnosis on her psychic biology? He couldn't help but wonder.
"Very good Sapphire, now feel your hand grip that doorknob and twist. You open that door and walk through, giving yourself back those memories and parts of yourself. All while in this controlled and safe state. Now as you open your mind to those parts of you again, what can you see?" He asked, not sure where to start with this. It was oddly exciting! Who knew what secrets he could learn from her?
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Post by Emiko on May 12, 2018 15:23:59 GMT -6
Sapphire was so lost in the trance she was in that she couldn't comprehend anything that Stroud might have been thinking. Her attention was too focused on his spiraling glasses along with a mesmerized mind so absorbed in bliss that she could not see or think of anything else... Her powerful reactions to this point were a good reward for the doctor's brief efforts, but also in some ways incredibly terrifying. The strange thing was...this was only the beginning...
As Stroud went on to explain the visualization of Sapphire opening the door to her memories, like with everything else so far she took it with great results... Sapphire was indeed able to open that door that had been blocking her memories. And even though she only did it in a mental sense, there was a noticeable physical reaction just as it all unfolded...
Very gently, the purplish hue in Sapphire's eyes darkened considerably until her eyes no longer had any traces of blue left in them. With her now purple eyes glazed over in bliss, Sapphire stared at Stroud with these deep purple eyes for several moments before her heavy eyes could no longer remain open. Just as quickly as the color changed in her eyes, her eye-lids gently slammed shut and she lowered her head in what seemed like she had fallen asleep. In reality though, she had closed her eyes due to being unable to handle anymore spirals from the glasses and needing to keep her eyes closed to truly access parts of her she couldn't do so otherwise...
For several moments, Sapphire sat in her kneeling position with her head facing down to the floor quietly. There was at least a brief minute pause in utter silence before the kneeling girl finally said something back to answer his question... The answers that Stroud received though weren't exactly the memories he may have expected to hear out of here. They were though memories that she had nonetheless.
"...I...I see myself on that battlefield not long ago..." Sapphire whispered in a soft, almost sleepy tone of voice. "...It was when the rebels invaded three days ago... I...I remember...Master Calvert stationing some of my sisters and I in the west business district...to defend the road leading to his mansion..."
After speaking these words, Sapphire again drew quiet for a few moments. In that time of silence, she couldn't help but squint her closed eyes as if trying her best to remember some of the things that she had forgotten. After yet another minute of silence, she went on to reveal some things about the fight that would explain to Stroud how she ended up where she was.
"...The rebels...were upon us within two hours of being stationed, but...we turned the tied of the battle as we were instructed... I...slaughtered so many that...I lost count... But...one of the rebels self-destructed with a bomb strapped to himself and...sent me flying into a building that collapsed on me... I...remember hitting my head hard on the concrete floor before...the ceiling fell in on me and then...a part of me went completely dark..."
What Sapphire revealed may not have been enough to gather intelligence about the psychics, but it did reveal some intriguing things as to what had happened in the previous battle. Despite all that, the doctor DID at least receive a few bits of information in that Sapphire referred to the other psychics as her 'sisters', and that only some of them were present on the battlefield. It may not have been a lot, but he had just opened the door and she was able to remember things now. Though...it did seem as if she were struggling to at least a little bit...
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jojo
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Post by jojo on May 19, 2018 22:14:47 GMT -6
Stroud listened carefully, his body rigid as he attempted to keep his breathing calm, not wanting to alert Sapphire to the level of importance that was held within her words. The doctor had watched her eyes shift colors to purple. It was impossible for him not to see the way they shifted as she stared up at his hypnotic apparatus. Then suddenly her eyes slammed shut and she remained on her knees in that odd almost revering stance. He shuddered to think what this poor girl had been exposed to in the past by that madman on top of the battles, injuries, and near death experiences that she had surely been exposed to throughout her life after being indoctrinated into this life. How many times had she been exposed to hypnosis and possibly even more mind altering techniques and experiments. He had to brush his concerns aside for now. He knew he couldn't change what had happened to her but surely he could find a way for her suffering to have some kind of cosmic justification if he could find some information that could aid them in ending the madness that was enveloping the country.
"So not all your sisters were on the battlefield....because you and others were guarding the road..." He almost wanted to ask how many psychics were killed in the blast so they knew what they were up against only to realize that she was beginning to go into her memory of the day that Heinkel and Amber had found her. She said that...part of her went dark? How could she register the anomaly in her brain as a sensation that she could consciously acknowledge? That sort of self-awareness was unlikely to be possible.
"You're doing...very well Sapphire...lets keep going into those memories of that day. You said part of you....went completely dark?" he said as he turned the hypnotic aspect of the glasses off. "Could you...tell me more about those parts? Perhaps we can help those parts get up and running again," he said aloud, wondering if there would be a way to physiologically aid this girl in reactivating the portions of her brain that she wasn't able to access. Though he couldn't possibly be aware of the level of fire he was playing with right now.
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Post by Emiko on May 19, 2018 23:07:26 GMT -6
As Sapphire finished speaking these words, a brief period of silence seemed to fill the room as Stroud contemplated what he just heard. During this stretch of time, the mesmerized girl remained on her knees with her head down, eyes closed lost in the sensations of trance. She was still thinking on her memories trying herself to piece together everything that had unfolded, though with obvious difficulty based on the look on her face...
When Dr. Stroud went on to question what Sapphire meant when she said a part of her went dark, the kneeling girl wasn't exactly sure herself what she meant... Sapphire sat in total silence for several moments as she attempted to figure out the best way to convey the information of what she was experiencing. When that time of silence passed however, the answers that Stroud received were far from anything conclusive...
"...I...I don't fully understand... When I woke up...I...wasn't myself anymore... The girl Master wanted me to be...trained me to be...I wasn't her anymore... That perfect girl that...Master admired so much just...went dark... I...I can't seem to access her or...her memories at will anymore..."
Sapphire's words were confusing to say the least, but to someone in the psychology field like Stroud, he may have been able to make some sense of what she was saying... By the way she was talking, Sapphire seemed to have been suffering from a sort of multiple personality disorder. It wasn't clear whether this was something she had been dealing with her entire life, or a forced persona, but the fact alone that she referenced this perfect girl as a separate entity was fairly telling. The only problem with diagnosing her with this disorder outright was the fact that Sapphire stated she didn't seem like she could access either this persona or her memories anymore... It was one thing for her to have a separate persona with its own memories, but having the ability to access that persona at will wasn't something normally found in individuals with this kind of disorder leading to even more questions than answers...
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jojo
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Post by jojo on May 22, 2018 20:31:10 GMT -6
Stroud listened carefully, his mind full of curiosity and perplexed technicalities of previous knowledge regarding psychology and dissociative symptoms. The whole point of dissociative identity was an escape. A way to flee from the circumstances in one's life. To hear of this perfect girl and Sapphire who seemed to almost come from her if he was deciphering her assertions correctly, she had almost talked about separate consciousness parallel to hers as if they were in the same body. Like roommates sharing a house? Surely it wasn't that simple. But he was still getting results and that was what mattered.
Stroud considered the weight of her words. Calvert had thought the world of Sapphire. Or rather, this perfect girl that Sapphire spoke of was very important to Calvert. Like a right hand perhaps? If she was such a prize to Calvert then he wondered why there wasn't more of a search party out for her. Did they really think someone with her abilities would be obliterated in that explosion. And what's more, if she was truly that important to him, what secrets could she possibly know. Or rather....what would Calvert do to see her returned safely?
Calvert was a man who appeared to live by some form of code or honor. Perhaps he'd be willing to grant favor to someone who helped return a valuable weapon such as her. Stroud was so sick of being stuck in warehouses, holes, and dirty basements. It was just no way to live. Maybe Calvert would allow him some creature comforts in exchange for her return. He shook his head and grit his teeth. No! If she did return to Calvert and had her powers restored he could wind up causing even more havoc. Perhaps it was best to try finding this other girl first and then deciding what to do with this knowledge.
"You can't access her...? Perhaps you can tell me about her then? Her name perhaps?" He gulped, knowing that at this point there was no way to make an educated guess of where this would lead.
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