(Note: I'm splitting the previous thread into two, one for Kites and Gen and the other for Brandon and Macamber so we can move forward.)

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(Brandon)
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Brandon looked at Macamber and did his best to keep a straight face. ?Every time he heard the name it was another stab to his heart that he had failed his father when he was alive and didn’t trust…only to let his ego and self-depreciation keep him from loving those around him. ?Maybe in another life, his sister would have been…

He pushed those thoughts aside, but still, there was that part of him that wondered if his negativity was what truly drove her away. ?He shook those thoughts away, he wasn’t about to go down that pity road again. ?He didn’t have the damned time. ?He had a company to run and a team to train. ?He knew what father wanted deep down, but he was almost sure Raine was NOT coming back.

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?“That makes two of us,” there was a slight smile upon his face but it was just the mask he would have to…be wearing for a while. ?He said nothing only complied with her request to sit down. ?He was in a suit, even though his uniform was underneath he was going to have to get used to the suit and tie also now.

?He looked at the woman and reached for the envelope he kept the mask in place as he looked at it. ?‘Another stab…God, he loved me far more than I trusted him!’ He didn’t have time for the water that was threatening his eyes. ?“Fine! I am going to need you to continue to do a great job as you have been doing Ms. Macamber. ?I will need the report for the crash ASAP. ?I will keep the team and their training will continue and some of your members that you think are better suited for training…will help to train them in combat, espionage, weapons. ?I can’t make them an efficient team to protect others if they don’t know how to protect themselves. ?That is security for the team, I will have to handle the company's day-to-day operations and finish fulfilling the outstanding contracts before deciding on what to do with the rest. ?I know my father wouldn’t want me to just live off of his patents and inventions. ?He would want me to help the company also grow and flourish.” ?He paused.

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?“He left ME in charge, but he left Raine…nothing?!?” ?He asked which didn’t sound like his father at all, but he was still fighting his own bit of shellshock at present. ?> ?He was given the keys to the kingdom to run…alone! ?No Harrison, No Ireland, No Raine even. ?Just him and he was no Atlas!! ?He was just finding that part of himself that could walk upright instead of feeling like the world was on his shoulders, now so many people’s lives were in his hands.

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?“Ok so any other suggestions? ?You have the boss’s ear, now?” ?He asked. ?He would meet with all of the department heads he couldn’t do this alone but that is what the department heads were for, if he couldn’t trust them to run their departments he didn’t need them!
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?Those that remained he would make sure they were trained. ?He wouldn’t let his ego get in the way and if Mia still wanted the leader spot…he wouldn’t dare fight for it. ?Even Harrison felt she was better suited for the spot than he was and right now…he had no qualms with that.

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(Macamber)?

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"I can't say about what your father loved or didn't love," Macamber replied. ?"I only know that he considered you the better choice to run his empire. And when it came to business, your father never let emotion sway him. ?Your brother made his choices, and so your father made his. ?For the good of the company." She hesitated, then shrugged and added "Perhaps for the good of all concerned."?

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"We are still working on the report about the crash," the security chief went on, "though at this point we're of the opinion that it was not an accident, that it was in fact sabotage. ?Sabotage with the intent of assassination." ?She picked up a separate document and flipped a page over. ?"The androgyne, Gen, was able by some extraordinary means to detect and isolate a chemical found in the water at the crash site, a sample of which she was able to provide us with. ?Our analysis determined that this was a military-grade explosive, extremely powerful and extremely difficult to make. ?Our analysts estimate it wouldn't have taken more than a few ounces to produce the explosion that destroyed the helicopter. ?Something that small would've been easy to conceal in the interior of the helicopter. ?How it got there and where it came from is where we are now concentrating our efforts."

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"This is why we are taking measures to insure your safety and the safety of everyone else associated with your father's work and his projects. Whomever was behind this, we doubt that your father's assassination was their only objective."

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"My only suggestion is that you take the time you need to..." Macamber paused, considering her word choice, then went on "process your grief. And to familiarize yourself with the extent of your father's assets and operations. ?All legal, administrative and technical staff are at your disposal. ?I've taken the liberty of keying over his access codes to you, including the ones you'll need in his personal office. ?Which, of course, is yours now."

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"We've managed to round up the androgyne, Gen, and the winged youth Kites. They are now secure within our facility. ?We're still looking for the water-shaper, Mia. ?She has not yet responded to my messages, but we do not think she is in any immediate danger." ?Her expression darkened a bit as she continued. ?"We are also looking for your brother, Raine. ?We need to inform him, of course. ?But we also need to determine if he had any involvement with the assassination." She held up a hand as if to ward off any objections. ?"I know it's not something you want to even consider, but it _is_ necessary. At least until we know who or what was behind this attack."

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Tag - Brandon, Macamber

(Note:? I'm breaking the old thread up into two threads, one for Brandon and Macamber and the other for Gen and Kites so we can move forward)

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[Kites]

His heart beat like a machine gun, his body reacting in all sorts of ways as he watched Gen strip off his own shirt, hands going to touch his lover's smooth chest, hands, palms and fingers reverently worshipping each and every inch of that glistening skin.? It brought to mind the times they had gone through all bases save home.? On the bed, in the shower, the memories of which made his Adam's apple bob as a fine layer of perspiration covered his body and an electrifying shiver skittered down his spine.? Why did it all seem so easy then but now that they were clearly about to go all the way that his hands trembled so much?

"Then you know more than me, Gen.? At least you read books.? I've barely got anything," Kites laughed nervously, hissing when Gen shifted above him, his own erection painfully pressing against the tight band of his pants.? "Unless you can count some looking at porn mags or some racy programs that one of the orphans managed to find on TV."? Suddenly he found his hands pinned to the floor and the androgyne's sultry voice in his ear, and he uncontrollably moaned out, his cheeks immediately flushing if they haven't already been glowing hot red.? Kites couldn't tell.? He felt hot all over, especially where the blood was pooling below Gen's thighs and quite urgently pressing up.? Mere seconds later, his top was off but unlike the other piece of clothing that still remained, the androgyne was fully naked and at attention atop the winged youth's body and Kites' hand was brought to wrap around his lover's jutting cock.

"No, I want this.? I want all of this and all of you," Kites rasped, his breathing ragged as he panted.? He sat up just a bit, propping himself up on one elbow as the other arm started pumping.? Should he say something about being a virgin?? It felt embarrassing to even think about but it sounded like Gen was too, so would that mean they'd be each other's firsts?? Was it horrible how thrilling that felt and how much faster his heart started pounding at the very thought?? "I'm a virgin and I don't know what I'm doing either, but to hell with everything.? You and I, we will figure it out."

"There is one problem, however," Kites cleared his throat, looking down.? "I still have my pants on."

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(Gen)

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"That's a problem I can solve," Gen snickered, rapidly unbuckling the belt on Kites' pants, then hopping off to the side and dragging them down over the winged youth's legs and tossing them to the floor, leaving the other boy in just his undies, now very bulged out in the front.? He put his hands on Kites' waistband, giving the remaining garment a slow teasing draw downward, but stopped halfway.

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"Before we go any further,"? the androgyne said, the look on his face making it clear that he was pausing only by sheer willpower, "I should ask how you'd like me to be.? I mean, I know you like me in male mode, but if you'd rather have me in female mode, now's the time to say so.? It'll be kind of hard for me to switch if we, uhm, you know, get much further into this." Gen chewed on his lip a bit.? "I... I just want to be whatever you want me to be, Kites.? I mean, I'm designed to do it, but I really like you.? I just want this to be special for you, as much as it is for me."

Tag - Kites

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- Mikayla -

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The woman watched him fall. Moving from her place at the dais, she approached. Watching him lay helpless on the hard cold ground. Did he remember her? Did he know himself? Without a word, she knelt beside him. Gently moving his now wet hair for his damp forehead, she placed her forehead against his.

"Remember" she whispered

Mikayla sat with her head resting up The Dragon's large strong, scaley, meaty paw. Currently, he lay in the nest that she and Angus had built in the large foyer of the castle proper. She was worried. It had been nearly a fortnight and he still had not awakened.

She had been resting in a deep sleep when Angus's loud banging on her door caused her to come awake with a start. He explained that he had found The Master, passed out, outside very close to the edge of the property. She didn't know what to make of it, but Angus had been so distraught, she rushed there with him. It had taken them all day to get him in the wagon. And another day to get him to the castle and another day to get him inside.?Together they tried to keep him comfortable. They didn't know what was wrong. He didn't appear to have any injuries. But he wouldn't wake up.?

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(The Dragon, Angus)

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The Dragon slowly became conscious.? Opening one eye just the barest slit, he realized that he was in the keep, but his surroundings puzzled him.? It took him a moment to realize that he was resting in what seemed to be a pile of makeshift bedding, like a nest for some enormous mythical bird.? And Mikayla was there at the edge of it, her head resting on his right forepaw.

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It took him a moment to orient himself though.? Not so much as to the where as to the how and when.? He'd had the strangest dream.? He'd had them before, but this one was unusually vivid.? He remembered a girl.? A girl who was like Mikayla and yet not Mikayla.? Someone he'd known... before.? And she'd told him something.? "Remember" she'd said.

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And suddenly he remembered something.? He remembered her name.? Jerusha.? And he remembered her calling him by his name.? Sebastian.? His eyes opened wide.? It was there, in his mind..? His name.? The name that had been lost to him for so long.

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"Sebastian," he rumbled out loud, lifting his head up and turning it to face Mikayla, his reptilian eyes wide with realization, of what this recovered memory was and what it meant.? "My name... is Sebastian."

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Tag - Mikayla

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Callie eased back the hammer of her pistol, then lowered the weapon away from Sicilien's head. She stepped back and then looked over to Flynn.

"Where exactly are we?" she asked him. "Which way to Miller's Crossing?"?

It was almost beginning?to feel like an obsession for the redhead. She was tired of the delays. They had given the evil in Miller's Crossing plenty of time to prepare for their arrival. She reckoned it would not be easy to undo all that had been done there at this point.

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(Flynn)

The Pookah relaxed when Sicilien released his grip and stepped back and Callie lowered her weapon as well.? He spent a moment soothing his horse, then looked to Callie.? "We're down below the cave you were just in, 'bout seventy, seventy-five feet or so.? This is part of a whole complex of caverns that runs under the lands in this territory.? And this particular cavern..." he gestured to the cool rock walls surrounding them that formed a large tunnel that extended ahead of them into darkness "...goes all the way to Miller's Crossin'. Or rather under the Crossin'.? Them undead ain't likely to be botherin' us down here, so we should be safe.? Till it's time to go up to the surface again, anyways."

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Flynn then held out one hand, palm up, and concentrated.? A glowing ball of silver-white glamour seemed to grow out of his fingers and then float in the air, the glow lighting up and penetrating the darkness around them.? He whispered a few words to it and it began moving down the tunnel ahead of them.? "Just follow the wisp and it'll show the way," he said to everyone in the little band.? "It'll stop when we're under the Crossin'. But don' go wanderin' off nowheres.? Whatever sent them undead at us is still gonna be lookin' for us, so we gotta stay close together in case it finds us."

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The Pookah paused to exchange a grateful look with Callie.? "Thanks for comin' to me rescue there, lover," he said softly, giving her hand a squeeze.? "Ah probably could'a managed on me own, but you saved me from havin' to spend any glamour dealin' with that poor lovesick fool.? And ah think ah'm gonna need ever bit I can hang on to for when we finally come face to face with whatever's been causin' all this trouble."

TAG - Chase

Update Posting Order: Flynn, Chase, Sicilien, Callie

(Mia)

(Kutsuki)