((Continued from this thread.))

Kaiser was too heavy for Usurii to hold up, and she had been quite surprised already. He toppled over, falling back against her, and inevitably brought them both to the ground. She landed back first, with Kaiser's back half-way laying upon her. The man was practically in ruins, and yet . . . he kept talking. He even congratulated her. That didn't seem fair, though. Usurii hadn't fought at all. She only did two things, and while they may have been important, they were nowhere near as important as Zach Kaiser's contributions.

Ignoring the pain in her back, Usurii pulled herself back to the best of her ability, at least until she was no longer completely under Kaiser. He'd be laying his head in her lap at that point, with Usurii looking down at him, surveying every wound, and hushing her concern.

". . . I . . . it was impossible," Usurii whispered, shakily trying to reassure Kaiser--anything to make him feel just a bit better at the moment, even if it was purely an emotional and mental affect. "It was impossible without you. You're . . . you're the hero . . ."

As she spoke, she hesitantly reached her left hand down, running her fingers through his hair. Kaiser was such a mess. She barely knew him, and yet she felt so concerned for him. Attached, even. He was just too familiar, and now . . . Usurii had no solid concept of death, as she had never witnessed someone experience it before today, but she was scared to death for Kaiser. The fear of her own death had subsided when Theleaus burnt out and lay out flat as a smoldering pile of flesh and bone, but had now been replaced by a fear of Kaiser's death. He was so hurt that he couldn't have possibly made it if they waited too long to treat him. She didn't know the truth of the matter, though. Usurii looked away from Kaiser quickly, looking up to the sky, instead.

"M-Master! Master, please! Please help him!!" Usurii cried out as loud as she could, calling out to the man whom she almost exclusively relied on.

Damn...can't even move enough to get off of her. Guess this is it, then. Fortunately she was still able to maneuver, and managed to sit up and allow him to rest with his head in her lap. Had any part of his body been able to feel comfortable he would have been very, but at the moment all he could really feel was varying levels of pain. Dying here with some girl nearby, practically ready to weep over me...heh, it's like the golden rule of comedy. A three part gag, the first two to set it up, and the third subverts it.

His mind was drifting, which probably wasn't a good sign, but it snapped back to attention when she spoke. "A hero, huh...?" He closed his eyes as he thought about that. He didn't feel like a hero--the fight itself may have been extraordinary, but it wasn't as though he acted any differently than he usually did. He just had to take things further this time, that was all. "Naw, not me. If anyone here's a hero, it's you. You're not a fighter, I can tell...but you still held on this whole time, and you even protected Fenix for me. Even though I bet you've never even been in a battle before...most would have just run away, scared out of their wits."

Coughing heavily as Usurii called out to her master, it only served punctuate Kaiser's next words: "I don't think there's anything he can do for me now." He refrained from mentioning that it was Sturm's serum that was truly killing him, though it was entirely possible he would die from the wounds first at this point. It was his choice in the end, after all. Sturm may have given him the serum, but it was his own hand that injected it. That pleased him--Theleaus had constantly ranted about destiny, as though he was kill him, but in the end Kaiser decided his own fate. If one had to go, that was a pretty good way.

"Fenix...he's the one that needs help. Please, make sure he survives." He closed his eyes and smiled contently. Serenely even. Either he'd lose too much blood and die, or the serum would eventually stop something immediately vital like his lungs or his heart. It was out of his hands. He'd insisted on living by his own choices all his life, following his beliefs and being responsible for himself. Not that he was particularly eager to die, but now that it was out of his hands it was a bit of a weight off of him.

Diane, Seri...have I used this life you gave me well?

Kaiser's words shook her. She didn't want to think of what she did as heroic, as she had essentially stayed back and did nothing but protect someone from harm. That wasn't heroics--that was kindness. She had just felt compelled to keep Fenix from harm. What Kaiser said about his survivability shook her the most, though. Truth be told, Usurii had never witnessed a human being die before. Theleaus's men could not be considered human, and they had simply disappeared when covered with silver flame . . .

But here Kaiser was, dying in her lap. He was going to bleed to death if nothing was done, and though Usurii was ignorant to it, his organs were failing one by one. By this point, nearly half of the man's vital organs had all but shut down. There wasn't much left; now it was muscle failure, and then it'd move onto his nervous system. He could only be dubbed as lucky for the fact that his lungs hadn't collapsed yet.

Usurii shook her head quickly. "N-no! That can't be . . . that can't be true. You're going to be okay . . ."

Though she sounded sad, she also sounded sincere--the young woman truly believed that Sturm would be able to help Kaiser--that Sturm could help anyone. It said a great deal for her devotion to the man, to the point where it may have been slightly blind. In Kaiser's condition, it was unlikely that any sort of medical technique was going to save his life, but Usurii still believed in the possibility.

There was also a good chance that she was in denial.

"My Master . . . he . . . he can fix anyone . . .," Usurii sniffled, "B-because he is the best doctor to live. So--so . . . he'll make you better . . ."

He just didn't know what to say to her; without telling her the real reason he was dying, there wasn't any way to convince her that it was pointless. Besides, there was no harm in letting her call him over--let Sturm figure out what to say to her about the situation.

"Heh...I'll be fine, you're right on that. Don't know where I'm going, but I've made a living of journeying into the unknown. I-" and here he was forced to pause for another fit of coughing, this time accompanied by some blood coming out of his mouth.

By now he was almost completely limp, not just lacking the strength to move but rather he could no longer control some parts of his body. On the off chance there was some way to reverse the serum, it'd need to be done in a hurry, as it wouldn't be long now before he lost too many functions to live.

He could still move his head (and thus his mouth), but his voice was extremely strained. "'Sides...won't be long...forget 'bout me..." There were no doubt those that would mourn his passing, and some would even celebrate it, but he was certain that he'd be little more than a vague memory to Usurii in no time.

"N-no--no way! Y-you fought too hard . . . !" cried Usurii, "It's not fair!"

Usurii was ready to cry over this man--a man she did not even know. It felt so strange--though, once again, so did the fact that she also felt as if she had met him before, perhaps adding to the feelings of unabated sadness she was currently experiencing.

". . . not . . . hard . . . . . . enough . . . .," a nearby gurgle could be heard . . .

Shock was visible on Usurii's face. Skeletal structure had grasped her by the arms: fingers with muscle barely clinging to them, no trace of skin, connected to a lengthy arm. Sinews ran through it, but a majority of the muscle mass was gone. Theleaus. The Silver Flame had done a number on him--it should have incapacitated him for good, but the warlord had more willpower than that . . . he kept on going, just like Kaiser had. No face could be seen crawling out of the muck of boiled flesh and smoldering remains, only an obscured, still steaming skull, its jaws, its three rows of jagged teeth, still moving along with each word.

Instinctively, Usurii tried to pull her hand back, and felt in the back of her throat a scream--one which she did her best to suppress, resulting in nothing more than a snuffed out whine. She let go of Kaiser, holding onto the bony wrist with her other hand, and tried to rip it off of her--

". . . I . . . will take it . . . from you . . ." the smoldering gurgle announced, ". . . your power . . . . . and mine . . ."

--before Theleaus could begin stabbing his fingers into her wrist. As soon as she did, Usurii let out her cry at last. He was carving into her skin, drawing blood with the tips of his fingers, what little he had left--the bone covered in loose muscle, barely controlled by the massive will of the power hungry monstrosity of a "man." He was trying to carve the circle into her skin--trying to take her power, and even in Theleaus's miserable state, he still had a stronger grip than Usurii could personally withdraw from . . .

You have got to be fucking kidding me. Kaiser was just as surprised to see Theleaus moving as Usurii was, but even in his current condition he wasn't about to lose his head over it. "Usurii, calm down and listen, peek into my memory and take some of my magic to protect yourself."

That would be his only instruction--what if anything she did with it was up to her. He needed to stop the madman now, or he'd die for nothing. It didn't matter how hard he pushed himself now; he accepted that he was going to die, and that made it easier for him to do stupid things that would hurt him a lot.

He concentrated all his willpower on his leg. C'mon, c'mon, move dammit! One more time...just a little bit! With agonizing deliberation, he pulled one of his legs back and set it against Theleaus's chest, pointing up and away.

"How's this for fighting hard, bastard," he spat, and concentrated his ki into his foot for one last shunpo powered kick, the force of which would enough to likely send the man flying.

Unfortunately, the cost of doing such a thing in his state was high. Immediately after Kaiser began to convulse wildly, coughing up blood as his body rebelled against being pushed too far beyond its limits.

"P-peek into your memory--I . . ."

Usurii was about ready to say I can't, just based on the moral obligation to leave the memories be of a person in Kaiser's state . . . but the urgency in defending herself from Theleaus trumped that, temporarily. If Theleaus got a hold of her ability, then everything they had done would have all been for not. Giving that madman the ability to peek into the memories of others and draw from them abilities, memories of abilities, and any amount of knowledge that the person ever had, without even speaking to them . . . it would have made him a force that even the combined efforts of Kaiser, Remmy, Sturm, Fenix, Shin, and herself would have been unable to stop.

She shut her eyes tightly and let out a sharp cry--not out of pain, but surprise and anxiety. The instance of Silver Flame had been the first she had ever personally wielded the ability of another person--other instances were those such as providing Sturm temporary use of telepathy, based upon an innate ability of another individual that happened to be in Galaens at the time.

The result was a bright yellow "field," an aura--a shield, even, that brought itself forth just before Usurii's wrist. Truthfully, Usurii had no fair idea how powerful of a technique she had. Useful, yes; she knew very well from her experiences with her Master that the ability of hers was far more useful than most others'--but powerful, she couldn't venture to assume. The moment that the shield disintegrated the fingers of Theleaus and knocked his hand back, however, was the moment that Kaiser would be able to see for himself exactly how massive of a combat asset Usurii truly had: she had inadvertently borrowed from his memories of Star magic. It was only temporary, a fraction of a second of power, but it did its part.

Rattled, Theleaus withdrew his hand, only to be throttled by Kaiser's boot. The exhaustion of Ki from Zach Kaiser resulted in a foot buried in the warlord's skull, bringing forth enough power to boot Theleaus back, cracking and shattering the jaw and plummeting the body back, forcibly returning him to a state of immobility--uselessness, unconsciousness. Theleaus was finished.

There was no fanfare to be had, though--no congratulations or bidding of a job well done, for it wasn't much more than seconds following the warlord's final attempts that Kaiser's body rebelled against his actions, far worse than they had before. Usurii, already panting, gasped as soon as she felt Kaiser's body twitching sporadically, and was quick to act--to try to calm him, no matter how impossible it may have seemed . . .

"K-Kaiser? O-oh, God! Please hold on! Please!!" Usurii cried as she again threw her arms around Kaiser, trying to squeeze him in order to calm the convulsions--a futile, but desperate effort. She was on the brink of tears, as if part of her knew how futile of an effort it was. "M-my . . . my Master . . . he can . . . he can save you . . . so please hold on . . . please . . . . ."

And . . . unfortunately, a "peek" into another person's memories, to her, was never just a peek . . .

Had Kaiser had time to think about what he'd seen, he would have commented on Usurii's power--he had meant for her to use some of his basic ice magic, something even a person with no more than normal mana would be able to use. For her to use Star Magic should have been impossible...unless she either had much more mana than she let on, or she unconsciously took his memory of drawing mana from the surroundings as well.

But as it was, his kick had come just after she used it, so there was only a single moment of amazement before his body was sent into convulsions. His death had already been inevitable; now it was imminent. Without some kind of medical intervention and fast, either his heart would give out or his remaining lung would collapse from the strain of using shunpo again.

". . . don't . . . don't die . . ." Usurii couldn't stop herself from crying anymore. "Please . . ."

"Usurii, move."

The gruff voice drew her attention away from Kaiser. Usurii looked up, only to find her Master standing above her and the nearly deceased Kaiser. He had something in his hand--a hand-held device, like the hilt of a weapon, but without a real weapon attached: it was nothing more than a white, solid "syringe" with nine prods at the end--hard needles, all fit for immediate injection, designed to go against bone. Usurii was ready to ask what Sturm was doing, but found herself shutting her eyes tightly and recoiling, gasping when she opened her eyes to find that Sturm had lodged the end of it into Kaiser's sternum. She had no idea what he had done . . .

"It's adrenaline. Literally the physical will to live," Sturm remarked as he withdrew the "syringe" from Kaiser's chest. "It should keep his body functioning for ten more minutes . . ."

". . . M-Master, y-you're . . ." Usurii, still in tears, could barely speak. "Y-you're going to save him . . .?"

But Sturm said nothing. He had stood up from Kaiser and Usurii, and for several seconds, simply stared down into the crater. The shadows were gone. Theleaus was defeated. All they had left were the loose ends of keeping this situation contained--which was much more difficult than it sounded. For all intents and purposes, he should have been able to recall an ally, leave, and assume the task to be complete, but . . .

"M-Master! Please!!" the woman cried, snapping Sturm's attention back to her again.

Sturm's eyes investigated every trace of sadness on Usurii's face. The way her cheeks puffed up, her eyes became dry and bloodshot, and how every individual tear that streamed down her cheeks seemed to glisten in the moonlight--a sullen observation of nature.

Finally, the man nodded. "I will attempt to, yes."

This was such a massive relief to Usurii, who believed in her Master's ability more than anyone else. It was that sort of devotion that may have actually coerced the man to save Kaiser's life: Usurii's emotional state had the man prepared to do whatever he could. Sturm knelt by Kaiser's side, withdrawing from his coat yet another device, though this one had little medical purpose--a small device able to be held perfectly in one hand, flashing a bright light from one end, to be concentrated upon one particular area. The effects of an external adrenaline boost could be random at times, and Sturm felt it necessary to get a better look at Kaiser's eyes.

"Can you hear me?" he asked. The convulsions should have died down enough by now that Kaiser would be aware of his surroundings again, and though barely able to breath or feel his heart beating, still alive. Just barely--as Sturm had said, he'd only given his body a last physical will to live.

With the intervention of the adrenaline, Kaiser's body slowly stopped its shaking. "Yeah," he croaked out when he could open his mouth without blood pouring from it, blinking painfully at the light in his eyes. That had been...unpleasant. In fact, part of him wanted to say that if that was what it would take to bring him back, dying would be perfectly alright, thanks. But he didn't want to risk that he'd actually be taken seriously.

"That's some pretty potent stuff you've got." To Usurii it would no doubt seem like he was referring to the adrenaline, but Sturm would be able to infer what he was really talking about: the serum he'd been given, which was at least part of the reason for his condition now. Though, when Usurii got the chance to fully comprehend what she'd seen of his mind, she might figure it out too.

He wasn't sure what Sturm was doing...was he just trying to make Usurii feel better? Surely he had to see that Kaiser was beyond saving now. Still, he seemed to have something to say to him, so he'd listen.

“They’re necessary,” replied Sturm; though his voice remained deep, gruff, and humorless, the tone in his voice held little merit with his next statement: “I can never be sure when I will walk headlong into a false god and a couple of hot-heads who’d need all the help they could get . . .”

The way he said it sounded absconding, but it may very well have been the only crack of humor that Sturm had uttered in weeks. For a short time, he continued to check over Kaiser, but only the vitals: the pulse, breathing, and pupil dilation. It was far from nominal, but it'd have to do. The adrenaline boost wasn't going to be taken well by his already wracked body. Sure, it'd keep him alive for longer, but were it not for the fact that Kaiser was already dying, the shot would have guaranteed his death without medical treatment.

“Given what little time we have, I will be blunt: we are going to be departing this world. There are no facilities in the vicinity with the proper life support systems to contain you. In the meantime, Vaerbond and an associate of mine are going to get the citizenry back in one place.”

“An . . . associate . . .?” Usurii asked as she helped Kaiser, doing what she could to help him sit up, even if that meant using her as a makeshift chair.

“One of Sobiadin’s. The operative has already been contacted,” replied Sturm, a means of subtly quelling any argument that Usurii may have had.

Sturm's quick addendum had very clear point: as soon as he mentioned the name "Sobiadin," Usurii immediately tensed up. Rather than being so willing to let Kaiser go, it was almost as if she started to cling to the dying man like a cornered warrior with a large shield.

“Tehnos volunteered to assist you with the cleanup of the area,” Sturm continued as he reached forward, gently taking Usurii's wrist in an attempt to guide her hands away from Kaiser. She had been holding onto him from behind, arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding him close to her. It must have been discomforting for Kaiser, considering his injuries, and Sturm needed to get a hold on Kaiser, anyways.

“. . . Tehnos is . . .?” Usurii asked, unable to keep her voice from brightening up, even if it was only minor. Kaiser was going to get medical attention, and that individual--Tehnos--was going to be there to help out. Usurii was already convinced that things were looking up.

Kaiser just had to make it through the night . . .

“Indeed. Now—assist Vaerbond for the time being. And please pay attention to details. I’d rather the citizenry know the same story," Sturm remarked, now that he finally got Usurii to let go of her subconscious, physical hold on the injured treasure hunter.

Usurii looked up to her Master, pouted out her lower lip, and stared at him pleadingly. "B-but, but I want to help him . . ."

Even in his current state, Kaiser couldn't help but respond to Sturm's comment. "Yeah, Broomhead and Blueberry sure are hotheads, aren't they?" he quipped ironically, knowing full well that Sturm was referring to him and not Shin.

After that, however, the conversation suddenly spiraled out his reach as Usurii and her master not-quite-fought over what was going to happen next. The former, who was currently propping him up so he was practically sitting in her lap, didn't seem to want to leave his side, and the latter wished for her to help Remington and whoever Tehnos was.

He wasn't able to follow it much, though he did note (via the tensed arms around him) that whoever Sobiadin was, Usurii didn't like him.

When they seemed to be deadlocked, he decided to throw his thoughts out. "Well...unfortunately, I suck at healing magic, so there isn't much you can do for me," he commented. Especially as what was really killing him wasn't his wounds, though he didn't say that aloud. Rather, he said, "Don't worry--if gloomy here's as good as you say, I'm sure I'll be up and around in no time."

He tried to sound reassuring, but truthfully he figured that the reason Sturm was trying to get her to leave was he was going to tell him that there wasn't anything he could do.

It took a lot of convincing to get Usurii to let Kaiser go without being able to go with him. Not only did he seem so familiar to her--and that they had experienced quite a bit together in this entire conflict, but she had gotten a look at his memories. Even though they were pushed back and given little attention at the moment (as Usurii was still afraid of him dying, and thus did not want to wrongfully peek into the life of a dying man), they remained back there, remembered by her, stored in her mind like papers in a filing cabinet.

"Okay . . ." Usurii whispered quietly. "B-but . . . but . . . please, Master, please don't let him die . . ."

"I won't," Sturm replied as he reached for Kaiser's shoulder.

While Sturm lifted Kaiser up, Usurii slowly began to stand up, herself. Sturm did what he could to wrap his arm around Kaiser's shoulders and anchor his hand under the man's opposite armpit, as seemed to be the only way he could carry him. It was a strain, though. It was the only suggestion provided up to this point that Sturm truly had the strength of an average man, but the mind of something far beyond that. Usurii watched them go from the peak of the crater, and even followed them for a brief moment. Sturm had no intentions of saying anymore and simply progressing onward, but Usurii had a realization that prompted her to call out an inquiry.

"Master! Do you think . . . do you think we should get help from the others?" Usurii called out, trying to be more helpful by throwing out what she believed to be a good idea.

Sturm stopped and turned his head, showing her the profile of his face. "The others?"

"Emitt, Davon, Desmon, Exitus, and . . . Eilert--"

But before she could say much more, Sturm shook his head. "No. They're to continue the investigation. They will not be assisting here. We cannot afford to make any organized movement just yet . . . also, Usurii--"

Feeling bad for her failed suggestion, Usurii hung her head. What the two were discussing was going to go above Kaiser's head, and there was a good chance that he'd never fully understand what was going on. The two were involved with so much that it was difficult for Sturm to understand, himself. Were it not for the fact that Usurii's personal memory span was unlimited, as was her ability to recall her personal memories, the man would have been lost in a sea of papers reminding him to read over other papers.

"Yes . . .?" Usurii whispered, downtrodden.

"There has still been no contact from Eilert. I suspect that Silver has already cut off my communication with other operatives," replied Sturm, before he looked ahead once again, "In any case, before I go, I need to ask you a favor. Vaerbond is going to transport Black to a couple personal friends of mine. In the meantime, I need you to put particular detail into Shiden's debriefing. We need Azure mobile, but as unaware as possible . . ."

"Oh . . . you said you wanted his memory wiped, is that--" Usurii began, but Sturm cut her off:

"That plan has changed. The only memories that need altered are the ones from today--and anything that could connect him with it, respectively . . ."

"O-oh . . . I'll do my best, Master," Usurii bowed her head before backing away.

She felt that Kaiser was in good hands, though Sturm had provided no evidence to support this as a possibility at all. Usurii simply believed in the man, enough that she was able to solemnly nod her head and turn from the two men. She walked away, slowly, back towards the crater and around its edge. Just ahead, towards the other side of the abandoned market, there was a hooded man waiting for her.

As Sturm continued to walk, holding Kaiser up by his shoulders, he personally went silent. There was still a short distance to go, off where no eyes could follow them. Had Kaiser questions and the strength to inquire, now was his time to ask, while Sturm was still willing to indulge a dying man who he obviously owed a great deal.

Indeed, for the most part Kaiser had no idea what the two of them were talking about. None of the names were ones he recognized, so the only thing he knew was that they were comrades of Sturm's...and that he was reluctant to rely upon them. The urgent way they spoke suggested that there was more going on than he knew, but he couldn't begin to fathom what.

And honestly, that was his business--there two other pieces of information he needed to know, ones that related directly to him. He was glad to hear that Fenix was going to be taken care of--even if Sturm was a bit shady, he was positive Remmy wouldn't leave him with anyone dangerous. But that left where he was going, and prompted his first question.

"A couple of questions for ya, so I know what I'm gettin' myself into here." Which was assuming he'd live through the hour (let alone the day), but whether or not that happened was largely out of his hands now. "First off, what's this 'bout another world? And secondly...why do ya need to change Shin's memories?" The first was asked with an almost excited curiosity--Kaiser had of course read legends of other worlds, but he'd never found any way to actually travel to one himself. If he was being taken to a different realm, this may be an opportunity--though he didn't like the idea of leaving Fenix behind.

The second question, though, was asked with considerable more caution--he got the impression that Usurii's mention of it was not something Sturm had wanted him to hear. He wondered if Sturm was saving him because he really was a decent person, because Usurii wanted him too, or--and this was the one he thought most likely--because he saw some benefit to saving his life.

"I'm taking you to my lab. I have an experimental method in mind which may save your life. Likewise, if it fails, it will kill you," replied Sturm, "But I don't see that as much of a threat. If I don't do it, you'll die anyways."

And so, Sturm's willingness to answer his questions, assuming he had the opportunity of time to answer them. He wasn't going to deny Kaiser information at this point, primarily because Kaiser was more than likely a dead man, and Sturm wasn't that heartless towards someone who had been that much of a help. Similarly, if the experiment were to succeed, Kaiser would essentially owe Sturm his life, and though Sturm wasn't the type of person to take advantage of that, Kaiser really didn't seem like the kind of person to stab a man who saved his life in the back. If anything, Kaiser was as good of a confidante as Usurii, who he knew wouldn't share tactical secrets with the rest of the world.

"My lab is located in a place called Oblivion--namely within a metropolis known as the City of Shadows," Sturm continued, "Oblivion. You may have heard of it, if you are as weathered of a treasure hunter that you give yourself credit for."

Oblivion--"the dark world." Of course Kaiser would have heard of it; he was a seasoned veteran with traveling, getting local information, and seemed to have a decent understanding of divinities and popular religion. The concept of Oblivion was built into the framework of a popular cult religion--at least, as far as most kingdoms in the world were concerned. Theleaus may have been living proof that there was a bit of truth behind the cults' beliefs.

Then, the topic of Shin Shiden. This was the only question he had the time for, now; they were close to the point he wished to reach before they left.

"Shiden was the entire reason we were here," Sturm said, his voice strained for only a short period of time, as he readjusted his position, "Theleaus was just a side-note. I may have been partly responsible for what he's become, but he was wholly unrelated to my purpose here. It is more than likely that he followed me, and caught on to the scent of that girl once he arrived."

That didn't answer much, but after a brief pause from Sturm, there was more:

"I work for an organization that "protects" this world. Not from itself, but from that which is outside of itself. Heavens, Hells, shadow worlds, Purgatories. The organization itself exists to keep those beings away, and remove them if they pose any significant influence to the world's political climate. Shiden was supposed to be a member of that organization--and I'm going to keep that from happening. The organization has done far more harm than good, and needs to be dismantled and replaced. It is corrupt. He is corrupt."

"And the more operatives I have with me, the better. As it is, Shiden needs to be ignorant of today if he is to be any help--and, unfortunately, Usurii can only copy, steal, and repress memories--if she could write him a life story within the organization, this would be much easier. Anyways--are you prepared? We're going to depart; you should soon feel sick, but I doubt it will be any further discomfort than you're currently experiencing . . ."