[Center][i][h3]Preface[/h3][/i][/Center] [indent][indent][indent][indent] [i]The inherent wantonness of Merse single-handedly antagonized Allure. Impulsively, he knew this debacle of an interrogation constricted Margaret, forcing her hand with much already on her plate. This kept her busy and more importantly, it shortened her reach. And to think, a "slip" of the tongue could pave for worse! Tingles finger-walked his spine. The tantalization of the operative with unspecific and open to interpretation statements only added to this but alas, the jig was up. His stamina waned, having had little time to collect himself. With just a minor lapse of concentration, a hiccup allowed The Aldare to learn something about him [b]no one[/b] else knew...[/i][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent] [Center][i][h3]More Of The Same[/h3][/i][/Center] Margaret's affinity for wacky space imports was vein deep. The occasional magical artifact even found it's way sprinkled in under the guise of interior decorating. As prude as Margaret was, her sense of style was just as appalling with alien rights organizations lamenting her exotic rugs and wall busts. Fearis' and Eal's not bound to lockers, locker room talk, in which she was often the topic of, offended less. For this moment, Merse too was focused on her visage but not because he received his jungle fever vaccination the day prior. A skeptic squint pried through his poker face. "A rare error..." He thought to himself, recalling the perplexity around Margaret's oh so situational appearance among species. Allureans knew, and them, this was no big deal but in this instance, it confirmed Merse's suspicion. The projection was falsified, and perhaps some of the others as well. Despite the dubious display, he was inclined to believe much of it. Clearly, it represented the direction in which the EarthF67x favored. The prospect of Allureans banding together wasn't preposterous but Merse wasn't the only individual capable of such trickery. His stomach turned at the idea of disloyalty but it was his reality as long as he was bound. [color=720b98][Center][i][h1]THE MIND[/h1][/i][/Center][/color] [color=720b98][Center][i][h2]THE MIND[/h2][/i][/Center][/color] [color=720b98][Center][i][h3]THE MIND[/h3][/i][/Center][/color] [center][indent][indent][indent][indent][i]The deeper I voyaged, the crux of normalcy waned. Wicked ideas roosted in flocks within this callow mind. A cauldron where vanity reigned unsupervised and details became muddled. After every question, spontaneously I examined more. I provided insight regarding the creature’s statements, as he routinely left out details. Despite my apparent effectiveness, I felt stonewalled. For not my own recollection, said revelations vanished as quick as they surfaced. With every disappearance of memories, the louder a sound became apparent to me. A hissing purr... It lead me away and only then I realized it wasn't a mere sound. I was enlightened to a new sense, comparable to nothing I’ve encountered prior. It appealed to my desires, its message felt...like...like me. Trapped... It wanted to escape. The oracle placed upon me swung gates, allowing for a detour into a chamber of memories. I poured my own into the pool and witnessed burdens I carried, great traumas and evils I ported from the fallen flushed with the mundane. More than ever, it was clear to me now. These were not the memories of Merse Granstrum. In fact, I could not find any in this boundless vat. Where was I exactly? I followed what I could only describe as a canal, allowing me to traverse into a lightless space. An apparition then made itself known. Its body, if you could call it one, was a pulsing violet nebula of wispy chromatic tones. A cheshire grin of white and amber hues unsuccessfully contained itself, overlooking in entertainment. Three felinoid figures caromed off each other like a newton's cradle, lynched and caged behind the creature's fangs. The celestial entity continued to laugh, forever cementing its convicting gaze into me. It acknowledged my presence, which seemed like an impossibility, but as time lingered, the phantasm drifted further and further away… "Give me the 4th..." The inhabitants of Spain... They [b]can[/b] be saved...[/i] [/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/center] [Center][i][h3]THE HOW?[/h3][/i][/Center] Merse’s mind emulated corpus callosotomy subjects gone mystical, possessing an ethereal sense of duality, routing VPN-like consciousnesses within alternating cerebral hemispheres. Memetically induced pathogens entered lobes unhampered, only for facsimile systems to filter channels and reset before information could be passed to the intended cognizance. As clever as Merse was, he was an individual of many tells. Inconclusive biometrics, constant twitching, the lack of response to pain and induced ailments. It took an extreme amount of concentration for Merse to keep his body in such a homogenous state. One capable of misguiding Earthf67x's sensory systems, for the most part. Under a greater scope, the mystifying nature of his paleomammalian cortex unswervingly defied logic, often empowering organs and body systems beyond their means. [Center][i][h3]The Aftermath[/h3][/i][/Center] “Tic…Tic…Tic…” His watch was soundless, but the tics pinged in his head thunderously like loud consecutive sonic booms. Merse realized what happened even though it was less than a second in realtime. The moment she slipped through this game was over. Balling his fists, he prepared himself. Liaison's fur stood on end. His zig-zagging whiskers operating like audio spectrums interpreting signals before pointing upwards like tv antennas. A hurried tone uncharacteristically left his lips. "You know, operative... Your unwillingness to be lured down the rabbit hole is impressive, almost as much as it is disappointing. Its simply not as fun without a struggle, but I give. You win. “Is that so?” “Why, yes! It's that easy. Some time ago, I copied the blueprints of an ancient piece of technology that I believe to be all-pervading in regards to time and dimensional barriers. For several lifetimes I gathered materials, including a series of stone rubbings of interstellar smaragdine tablets. I haven’t been able to find out where they are from but the language is clear to me. I also believe one is here. Which I happened to want to find for charitable reasons... (A visible sweat dripped down his brow) If what I’ve built so far is handed to an Allurean engineer, it can be completed. After that, discretion is yours.” "You must forgive me if I find this sudden change of heart disingenuous. Despite the confidence I have in my own talents, it would be foolish of me to think you have no ulterior motives. I will graciously accept this olive branch, on certain conditions. Would you be so kind as to inform us of this cache's location? We have assets situated across Allure that could secure said designs in moments." "Well, I could direct you to Xercial to build it but you'd need someone who could decipher it. I suppose you have a few talented espers around?"