Forward Motion

Character: Miri "Sibley" Kalsade | Dorei "Twyce" Losom
Game: The Secret World
 
--
Miri returned from her meeting with Tenji more confused then ever. She should have been happy. After all, he'd accepted their terms and agreed to play along. But it was just that fact. Miri knew he was just playing along.  He would be looking for an opportunity, an opening to strike, and then they wouldn't know what hit them. Just like so many years ago. Not to mention his not so subtle warning to her about what side of the line she fell on. From this point forward, every single one of their actions had to be weighed and calculated, less they end up dead.

If Lorton realized this, he didn't show it. Miri found him in the living room when she returned home, a newspaper spread out in front of him, a tumbler of whiskey to the side.

"So, it sounds like we got what we wanted. Mizushi agreed." He briefly looked up from his paper. "It seems you were right about he and Twyce being more than acquaintances. What did you say they were, apprentice and guardian?"

Miri nodded as she shrugged off her jacket. She hoped Lorton had forgotten the fact that they had 'lost connection' for a brief amount of time. It had been stupid to remove her transmitter, even if it was only for a minute. Lorton noticed most everything, and he saw her as potential weak point... There was no point in worrying about it yet, she already had an excuse ready about interfering signals.

Smoothing her hair, she turned and faced him. "Speaking of which, what do you want to do with her? Start drugging her again til this over?"

It sounded harsh, but in reality being knocked out was Twyce's only reprieve while they worked on eliminating Tenji. Miri didn't know how long that would last, the higherups had so many conflicting plans that she focused on her part only, but she hoped it wouldn't be long.

"No." Lorton said, and lifted the glass to his lips.

"'No?'" Miri repeated. "Why not? We have Tenji where we want him. Information would be nice, but if she hasn't given up by the this point, then I don't think she will. We just need to hold her until we're done with him."

He chuckled. "Sibley, I forget how new you are to all this. That girl isn't going anywhere. It wouldn't matter if she took us right to him."

"But I thought--

"She's a murderer. Have you forgot that?" He looked at Miri sharply. "It's our jobs as Templars to ensure her sickness is purged. I don't care if Mizushi directed her to do it, she's not a child."

Miri remained silent, stunned at his words. In a sense, she knew he was right, but to hear it said out loud...

Lorton finished his drink and stood up from the couch.Smiling, he walked over to Miri and patted her arm. "Don't worry Sibley. I know you are soft on the girl, I'll handle things from this point forward."

She stared at him, her brow knitted in confusion. Lorton taking control? This would not end well and she didn't know how to fix it. The higher-ups wouldn't care, they had made it clear that Twyce was expendable. She was on her own and completely clueless.

"I'm sure you understand," he continued. "That because of this, I revoked your access to the room. Can't have you changing your mind in a moment of weakness, can I? From this point forward, you will only be allowed in there when I say so."

Miri took a step forward, finally finding her voice. "Lorton, this is ridiculous. What are you talking about?"

He poured himself another drink and finished it in one sip. "This isn't personal. You will still play your part, don't worry."

She shook her head in protest, her thoughts going a mile a minute.

"Now, one final thing." He put down the glass, eyes meeting hers. "If you ever disconnect me again from your conversations, I will kill you and the girl both. Is that understood?"

"I-It..." She was fumbling for words, only incriminating herself further.  "It was interference."

He waved away her excuse. "We have work to do. You contact the others and let them know Mizushi said yes."

And then she was alone, standing gape jawed in the middle of the living room.

--

Time had ceased to exist for Twyce. Between the tranquilizers she had been constantly injected with and not being able to see outside, she no longer knew what day it was, or even if were light or dark out. Even when not drugged though, she still tried to force herself to sleep. But without the drugs it seemed useless, whenever her eyes closed all she could see was that day. When all of this had started. Repeating over and over. The mistakes she made. How she had let her guard down. How she had carelessly discarded one of the key points of Tenji's teachings. Always have a weapon nearby.

The more she thought about it, the more signs she saw that could have helped her prevent the abduction. She'd felt strange the weeks before, like she was being followed. Of course she found no proof of this, but the gut feeling alone should have tipped her off she realized. Then there was the actual day it happened. A spectacular failure on her part.

She'd been on her way to the Horned God, one of Tenji's haunts. It'd been awhile since they last talked and she wanted to catch up. She didn't bother letting him know she was on her way, figuring if he was busy than she didn't want to disturb him. Her first mistake. Determined not to get caught in the crowds on the sidewalks, Twyce began cutting through various alleyways. It was unusually chilly that night, so she had a  sweatshirt on. It's hood was pulled over her head, not only blocking her peripheral vision, but also helping her headphones block out the sounds of the street.

Mistakes two and three.

It was only as she entered into the last alleyway that she noticed something was off. That feeling of being watched that she'd been experiencing was back, stronger than before. Her walking slowed, and she looked around. To her surprise, there was actually a woman standing a few feet behind her. Blue eyes and blond hair.

Twyce squinted. Her hand reached up and slowly tugged off her headphones.

The woman took a tentative step towards her. "Dorei?"

For a second, Twyce's vision blurred and she frowned. Dahlia?

No. The woman was moving closer, her face inquisitive. "Dorei Losom?" 

She caught sight of something in the woman's hand. Something that looked like a needle. Her off feeling was replaced by alarm. It was time to move. The faster the better.  She didn't bother to say anything. Just spun on her heel and turned to ran--

--Straight into a man. She moved to the side, but he grabbed her arms, easily overpowering her. Twyce attempted to struggle, but it was short lived. Within seconds of him grabbing her, she felt a sharp prick on the side of her neck. Her call for help died in her throat as the drug began to work it's way through her system. She felt her legs go weak beneath her, then nothing.

Now, here she was stuck in the room and clueless as to what was going to happen. It was obvious this all went back to Tenji. These people thought they could get information on him from her. They were right of course, but Twyce was determined not to let them know it. She figured the best way to convince them otherwise was to pretend like she barely had anything to do with the man, aside from maid like duties. She didn't know if it would actually work. She was well aware that they knew a decent amount about her at least. After all, the man, Lorton had been quick to bring up her 'hits.'

Her head fell forward, and she shut her eyes. It didn't matter, she'd stick her story of ignorance. No matter what the cost.