Cast: Abel, Santiago, Mizoon
Place: Gym, Toride.
Scenario: The combat simulated at the gym goes awry, leaving Mizoon officially broken by her re-adjustment process as Abel and Santiago tend to her.


----
MIZOON - Mizoon wrapped herself in her longcoat on her way out of the aquatic center, the feelings she had lifting the moment she stepped into the night. Perhaps she should swim alone in the future so as not to be disturbed. Where to go...there were still many sights to see that had changed over the years...the malls, the dyne dealerships just to see what was being flown these days, firearms vendors, grocers...eventually she knew she'd run out of places to see, but if they had people like Reynold and Czeska, it would be nice.

SANTIAGO - Santiago had to clean himself up rather rapidly, having received a sudden desire to chase after Mizoon. There was something about her that was, somehow, very concerning to him, and he wanted to discover for himself just what it was. He knew, of course, that she would likely rebuff him, even get offended, but he had gotten a lot of that in the past before. Whether through sentimentality or perspicacity, he had the feeling that his company was required. "Hey, Miz!" he calls out, jogging after her. "Wait up!"

MIZOON - His voice had her ears pinning back to his direction, and she stopped along the sidewalk, looking over her shoulder at him. What did he want now? "Is there something you need, Santiago?" she said, lightly. "If there, please tell me." That's all she had for him for now...an offer for help should he really need it.

SANTIAGO - Santiago pants as he catches up to her, bending over to rest his hands on his knees momentarily. "I just..um..." He balks, realizing that he hasn't thought of what he was going to say once he did catch up with her. His mouth fumbles about wordlessly for several moments while he tries to catch his words. "I, um, just...I was just a little worried about you, is all. You seem very...bothered?" Well,that was certainly eloquent.

MIZOON - Mizoon blinked. From that bit of jogging he was...leaning on his knees. "For someone that in the Militia, you seem to have lost your physical prowess. You shouldn't be panting like that." He did have her curiosity, but she wasn't going to ask. Just an observational note. "Worried about me?" she said. "Of course I'm bothered. The tratior that killed my dear Kez and our child came to MidCity...I've been in turmoil ever since that night..I've been questioned...I've been in the hospital..."

SANTIAGO - Santiago blinks. "Oh, sorry...I guess I have a penchant for being dramatic," he defends, knowing that he was still quite fit, thank you very much. He listens carefully to Mizoon, coming to greater understanding of her plight. Turmoil was something with which he was very familiar, having experienced it for himself in battle, and by himself, whenever /she/- "Mizoon, I know that what happened that night really affected you in a really...important way, but I just wanted you to know...that you never have to feel as if you're going at it alone, as long as you have friends like me." He smiles, trying to be as reassuring as possible. "The Ministry does what the Ministry does to deal with threats, but the question is what you're going to do in the meantime. Are you going to let yourself become a passive observer to your own life, or are you going to try and make things happen around you?"

MIZOON - "I can't tell you about Kez...as much as I would like to, I simply can't," she said. "I've been advised not to. The only things I can tell you about him was how he loved me, not what he did. It hurts that I can't say more. Yet it is likely for the best." She did say that one thing about him, but that wasn't it. There was a much bigger picture that she couldn't speak about, and wouldn't. "Our little girl...my face, his ears, beautiful large ears. His eyes..she should be standing next to me right now...nearing five years old. "

SANTIAGO - Santiago nods solemnly, thinking about someone else in his life who should have been close to him. He had dwelt upon this question several times, becoming increasingly distraught by a future that could have been, but recently he had begun to realize that he couldn't live in the world of possibilities, though he could hope for it. "Unfortunately there is nothing we can do to change the past," he says, trying to sound sensitive. "Yet there is much we can do to improve the present, and therefore the future. Miz..." He tries to place a hand on her shoulder. "I won't claim that I can even partly understand what it's like to lose your child, even though I've...lost family before. All I can say is that...the past is there to help us face the future. That's what we should be doing."

MIZOON - Mizoon started walking again, but didn't do so in a way the said not to follow. Since the aquatic center, she felt abnormally watched for some reason. She wouldn't admit it, but it was there. Upon coming out she swore she saw someone in black among the trees in a square, watching her. Every light went by felt like a pair of eyes. "...I don't even know what happened to everyone at Station NLRS-110B. It's all dark...like someone has sealed my memories of what happened. Whenever I'm in the presence of a Minister and the subjects of my experience in the Nightlands arises, I practically ask to be wet-wired...to see if it reveals what happened that night. Why I ended up stuck out there..."

SANTIAGO - Santiago has gotten used to the feeling of being watched. He had spent much of his time discreetly watching the Ministry guards come and go, the aircams sail across the windows, and he knew just how much 'watching' there really was in the Toride. He knew as well that Mizoon was probably interesting enough to merit her own surveillance outfit, and thus his own actions were being closely watched as long as he was with her. "Maybe you should have visited my father," he says, trying to divert the conversation. "He was working a lot on the mysteries of neurology way back in the day. Hell, he might've come up with his own version of wet-wiring if he hadn't...well, that's old news, really." No need to talk about his own worries; this was about Mizoon after all. "In the end, I really don't know how significant it should be. The point is that you're here now, and you need to continue on with your life." He suspected that this would come across the wrong way, but he didn't care; he valued honesty over sensitivity, and he figured that Mizoon was particularly resilient anyway.

MIZOON - "Where is my life heading?" she said. "It all keeps pointing in one direction. Each counseling session, I'm asked how much I know...about the Ministry, about the Imperials wiped out by Ab-Zero bombing. I've asked how efficient my Yerushalemite Gun-Katta is, but all these questions do is shut me in." She looked up at a sign the pointed the direction to the gym, where she had considered going. She needed holographic targets to shoot. "I'm not even sure how much I 'can' say about Kez. He looked a lot like..Agni, kind of acted like him. But the two are very different---why am I telling you this?" She sighed, lowered her ears. "Was a hybrid of a fennec base, some raccoon and komodo."

SANTIAGO - "I don't know. I thought you did," quips Santiago, though in his mind he was considering very closely how the Ministry was behaving towards her. What exactly did they want? He knew that the Minisry didn't go about 'recruiting' people, so why the tests? Why the questions? "But Kez sounds very interesting, Miz, and I would've been glad to meet him if he was still alive." Agni...he knew who Agni was. After all, they were both recipients of Einheit's highest decoration, and all of those tended to know each other although they may never have met personally. "Agni? Captain Agni Vasudev? You know him?"

MIZOON - "I have a plan, that's all," she said. She turned the corner. The idea of being in a sim sounded pleasing right now, and she was keen on getting there. "Yes, I know him," she said. "It is...funny how quickly we were on first name basis. I don't know if he does that with others. Within seconds, he told me to call him Agni. Maybe he saw something in me as a soldier."

SANTIAGO - A plan, eh? Santiago has heard such talk before from people who had no idea what they were going to do with themselves, but he was not so foolish as to presume to judge Mizoon; she seemed more determined than others. He continues to follow Mizoon, intending to keep her company. "I don't recall any Ministers being so casual in recent memory, so I guess you can consider yourself lucky." He winks slyly, but his thoughts are deep and contemplative. Indeed, Agni's attitude was intriguing, especially for a Minister. He needed to look him up in the near future. "The Ministry's ways are very different, very bizarre in comparison to what normal people would expect from a military organization, but I suppose, in the end, we are all soldiers."

MIZOON - "No, Santiago, we're not all soldiers," she said, continuing down the sidewalk. "Some of us cannot fight for themselves, and some cannot fight because they don't like violence. People tell me the Ministry's ways are different, but Kez was also different..." Mizoon went through the gym's front doors. "Just like not everyone is content with losing themselves in escapist comics. Their interest in escape from reality is at times a sad thing to see."

SANTIAGO - Santiago frowns considerably. He lets the comment about comics slip by; she didn't understand that aspect of him at all. Yet for the rest... "If no one fights for themselves, then how can they survive in this world?" That is all he is able to say for now. Clearly Mizoon's issues were far more deeply ingrained than he had imagined. Silently he follows after her to the gym, finding comfort in familiar territory.

MIZOON - "The answer is in front of you, Santiago," she said. "The general citizen of Toride does not fight for themselves because everything is provided by Unity. Others do the fighting for them to keep them safe. People like me...Agni...the other Ministers, the old Militia. If everyone had a part in fighting, then Toride would not be the paradise it is. Paradise can't exist if there are no people who do not fight." She checked in with the clerk, who regarded her almost stiffly. "I hope you don't intend to be careless again, Comrade," he said. Mizoon ignored the stare, but gave him a stiff reply. "If by some oddball chance someone enters this place to shoot people, who do you think will save you?" Her tone remained soft, but in general she was displeased by what the clerk said. "An Uniclasser, that's who. " And this was the sort of attention she had been receiving from most ignorant Toride citizens. They saw her act in the MidCity as careless despite the fact she was protecting others.

SANTIAGO - Santiago had a much different approach to this existential question. "In Paradise, there would be no need of soldiers," he says simply. "In Paradise, the strong never oppress the weak." And that was as overt as he was ever going to get within the confines of the Toride. He also signs in with the clerk with a smile, which certainly livened up the clerk's day, and follows after Mizoon, thinking about everything they've just said.

ABEL - It is strange to see the good doctor in civvies - a light jacket and jogging pants, clothes that were appropriate enough for treadmill running, but looking strangely unnatural on the young hybrid. Recently, he had began spending more and more time exercising at the gym, using the repetition of the workout as a form of distraction from troubles at work, his own personal stresses. He had heard word of inquiries at work, attempts to trace the location of supplies and medicine that had simply gone missing from the hospital's stores. The idea of being caught racks him with anxiety - so, he runs. He does not notice Mizoon and Santiago's entrance at the other side of the gym; he is listening intently to the telescreen just feet away from his face, a pair of headphones wrapped about his head so that he may listen to the nightly news playing out before him.

MIZOON - "Within the boundaries of Toride we're exact to Paraside, Santiago," said Mizoon, shedding her longcoat. "It's Paradise here compared to outside those walls." She looked at him, wondering what sort of point he was trying to make because it wasn't getting across very well. She took into consideration that people were people and there was, in the end, no paradise in that. "Unless you were to > instate a mandatory, world wide drug that nullified emotions of every living person...you wouldn't have complete Paradise to the extent which you speak." Mizoon noticed Abel on the treadmill, but he seemed occupied in his nightly news and earphones.

SANTIAGO - Santiago can understand how Mizoon would come to such conclusions, and once more his heart was filled with great anxiety and longing. Oh, how he wished he could really express himself, explain his true beliefs, his aspirations, his hopes for the future! Here, in the Toride, he was trapped, but outside, perhaps in some secluded MidCity area, or even in the Nightlands, he could be free, or as free as any man could be in this wretched world. But, for now, he must be patient. That time will come. "Going back to the combat sims, Miz?" he says, casually using his given nickname for her.

MIZOON - Miz bought herself a formfitting black suit with leggings down to her feet and paws for the gym, pitch black, her favorite color. Today her usual armored attire was at home. Though she hated what Lexus had said, it did put into her mind to upgrade despite being so sentimentally attached. She'd see to that within the next week, however. Miz opened the door to Public Sim#4 and closed the door, looking at Santiago. "Yeah. The only one that really does any good is the hardest civilian sim. Stick around...you may like what I can do. Just don't go getting any boners."

SANTIAGO - Santiago chuckles. "I'll be careful not to hurt myself," he jokes, following after her. He had only heard about Mizoon's prowess through hearsay, that night in the MidCity, and the gym patrons, and looked forward to see it for himself. "Maybe later I can hook you up with some Militia scenarios; I think my account is active for life."

MIZOON - "If that's permitted, it might be more to a challenge," she said. Mizoon stepped down into the main center of the arena under a meticulous watch of hidden cameras. Little did she know she was being recorded today for a reason. Mizoon streched out her body, loosening herself as the computer came online. "Nightland Mausoleum," she said, "Floor and wall base stone. Light snowfall, no fog." The parameters were confirmed. Simulation was to begin in 20 seconds. "Santiago," she said. "I'm glad you came with me...you being former militia. Should bring your fellow soldiers some time."

SANTIAGO - Santiago settles into a bench in the back and observes, watching as the simulation parameters are set. "You know, I don't think the 'boys' and I have gotten together for a while now...maybe I /should/ have them tag along. Thanks for the suggestion." He winks yet again, but quiets, letting Mizoon deal with the holographic foes. This should be interesting.

ABEL - Abel can only focus on the beat of his feet against the belt, his tail swaying side to side and up and down as he jogged in place. The news had moved on to something less interesting - the genome of a plant, discovered at last, and the plans to introduce it to the Toride. He is distracted just long enough to notice two figures pushing past the door to one of the combat sims off to his right, the glance he makes in their direction to fleeting for him to make out their features. He is briefly curious, but his attentions quickly revert back to the telescreen ahead. The commercial break has started - a brief but invigorating piece of propaganda for the Ministry. "/Join today - fight for Unity./" Abel's ears twitch at this, a worried frown crossing his muzzle. The concept of Unity had less and less meaning to the hybrid doctor as of late - a waning of fierce pride in class that disturbs even him.

MIZOON - Mizoon's vital data loaded on the real-time screen near the bench where Santiago sat. Ten seconds to environmental loading, and she stood still, focusing inward on herself.As with all of her battles in the past she went in knowing what to expect. Her mind clear, the emotional gauge on her vital display immediately flatlined, but her other vitals were intact. She was now in what Kezjik had called the Dead Mind, where her senses were more in tune with her surroundings. The flat stone floor and wall-base loaded and the small specks of snow floated by, driven by the wind. There were other parameteres coming into play, Miz having a belt of two pistols as she specified in her ID. "Simulation Will be Loaded in 5 seconds," chimed the computer. No doubt she drew a bit of a small crowd, though unbeknownst to them all, they were in for something entirely different from what Miz expected out of the routine sim. She breathed, waiting for the clock to hit zero.

SANTIAGO - When he was feeling less than optimal, Santiago would often try to very difficult civilian sims just to see what they were like. Although his memory of them has faded, he nevertheless endeavours to remember which scenario Mizoon would be facing next. "Give 'em hell, Miz!" he cheers from the sidelines, but he quickly quiets. He knew about the focus you need in combat, after all.

ABEL - Abel reaches out, stops the treadmill. Even he is puzzled by his sudden lack of interest, the soft ball of sadness that rested in his belly. It wasn't healthy to feel this way - as a doctor, he should know more this more than anyone else. Perhaps lack of sleep was getting to him; perhaps he should consult a psychological counselor himself. He glances once more in the direction of the sim watching as spectators shuffle in to watch the fight. Perhaps a little action would be enough to distract him, he reasons. Neatly returning his headset to the rack by the treadmill machine, the hybrid follows the other members of the gym - eventually joining them inside on the sidelines. He leans forward on his taloned toes so that he may get a closer look at the one fighting in the arena. He blinks, ears rising a fraction. Was that... Mizoon?

MIZOON - Upon loading, however, the normal foes that appeared did not. The environmental setting shifted, this wide sort of hall being one lined in slim pillars. What was this? She didn't specify it. Perhaps the program had been upgraded since the last visit...that had to be it. Yet, she waited...and waited for the holographic purebred foes to come but they didn't. Something else did, the very last thing she expected to see in a sim. It came in the form of a slender...hybrid...dressed in all black, a dual shoulder holster at his chest and a sheathed katana across the lower portion of his back. Immediately, Miz recognized him, that face, those eyes...those ears...those snout-pinching spectacles. Her emotional gauge shiftede lightly, borderlining a break from the Dead Mind. "...Kez..?" she mumbled. What was he doing in a simulation? Did they...change it just for her? To help her allign better? What was this? Did they actually have combat data on Kezjik? She breathed in, staring right back into his face. It was as if he came back from the grave and was really there. She was confused--why was it here, this projection of him? The restriction of information regarding him from being seen by the eyes below the Ministry aided in the mystery driven by his appearance. Civilians wouldn't know who he was..at all. "Freeze Sim," she said. However the computer had only one thing to say about that. "Unable to comply until simulation is complete."

SANTIAGO - Santiago stares as the simulation suddenly assumes characteristics that he had never seen in a civvie scenario before. Well, this was interesting. Intrigue turns to shock as the hybrid warrior appears, and for a moment Santiago swears that he is looking at one of...Them. Long ago, when he was a child, he had caught a glimpse of one of those mysterious Blackgeared Ministers, and due to its quick disappearance he had thought it a phantom, a trick of the mind, but part of him suspected there was much more than that. Of course, the hybrid is not wearing anything resembling Ministry gear, except perhaps the katana, so at least there was relief in that, but when Mizoon speaks he begins to understand that something much more sinister was afoot. "Computer, Freeze Sim, Authorization De Leon-Alpha-455." -- "Unable to comply until simulation is complete." -- Well, fuck.

ABEL - Abel 's eyes grow wide, unable to understand. This is the first sim he's ever watched - there was no way he could assess how wrong things were going, how differently the simulator was behaving. He listens intently to the panicked whispers being exchanged by the surrounding crowd, trying to pick up on what was happening down on the floor. The others, however, seem just as confused as he is. Panic .arching through his mind, Abel pushes to the front of the crowd. A doctor's instinct to protect - fueled in part by the burgeoning kinship he felt for Mizoon - made him tensed to help.

SANTIAGO - Santiago thinks about stepping into the arena to try and interrupt this madness, but he knows that there are forces beyond his control at work here. Why was the Ministry doing this? What did they hope to gain from pitting Mizoon against Kezjik? The alarmed voice of Abel reaches him quickly, and he intercepts him at the door. "Doc, I wouldn't try to break this up, if I were you!" he declares "Whatever this is, it's not a malfunction." Hopefully, he got the hint. "But we might need you after this..." He opens the sealed door and lets Abel through.

MIZOON - "S-San," she said. "That's...that's Kez! I don't know why he's here!" She too began pacing, just as she did whenever she sparred with him. The entire arena was quiet except for their footsteps, but this hologram..it actually spoke, actually sounded like him. "Even in death, I am your mentor," he said. "How long can you survive without handicap, I ponder." Miz's emotional gauge flatlined, then broke, flatlined again. Something major would come out of this either way. But still, the tension in the air between the hologram and Miz was nothing like the usual sims. It was as if this one had a limited intelligence compared to drone holograms. More pacing, more staring. Miz's e-gauge flatlined again and Kezjik paused, boring into her with that analytical stare. It acted so much like him it was unnervingly accurate..but how fast would it be compared to the real Kezjik?

ABEL - Abel glances upwards, meeting Santiago's eyes. "Oh!" he yelps, surprised to see a familiar face. "You mean - this was done on purpose? Who would do this to Mizoon? Is it... is it the same man from before? The one who bit her?" /No,/ he quickly corrected himself. /He's been captured already. What's this then? Who has it in for my patient this time?" Nodding anxiously at the other's invitation to join them, the hybrid doctor quickly steps past the threshold of the door - eyes never leaving Mizoon and the virtual Kez for even a moment.

MIZOON - Kezjik crouched low, his toned body well adapted for unorthodox poses and strikes. He crouched low enough that his katana's sheath angled with his tail which bristled as bore his teeth, hissing at her...just like the real Kezjik did to make his enemies think he'd gone mad. Miz too crouched, but she remained stoic. He'd pull that sword...he'd do it. She knew he would. The only way she'd survive against the sim is by knowing how he did things. Any moment he'd start charging...any momennt. Kezjik broke his stance, sprinting to her with a frightening amount of speed, a paw on the hilt of his katana and the other on a pistol. Miz, too, sprinted at him, her paws remaning off her pistols...for now.

ABEL - Abel gives an almost timorous nod, assured by the fact that San seems to have a good grasp on what was going on - or, at least, a better one than he does. "Oh, good," he breathes in reply, brows drawing tightly together with concern. "But she's only just out of the hospital - I hope this doesn't cause her condition to regress." He swallows quietly, tail twitching at his feet as he watches Mizoon and Kez circle each other. With his civilian clothes and worried expression, Abel almost looks more vulnerable than the seal-otter does. At the sight of her charging towards the well-armed Kezjik, he stiffens with panic - as if he had convinced himself that what he now saw was something more than just a simulation.

SANTIAGO - "I think that was taken into account, Doctor," Santiago says, looking very certain. As assured as he plays himself out to be, though, the old soldier is filled with trepidation. How was this going to turn out for Mizoon? He remains standing, watching the fight closely, observing as much as a normal, non-Ministry person could. The postures, the attacks, the movements, the tactics...he observed it all, putting everything in its proper place. He wasn't going to let the Ministry monopolize this!

MIZOON - The two met at the the center under the snow flurries, and just before Kezjik pulled his blade she dove to the side and spun her weight to sweept him from his feet, but he countered by barrel-jumping over, removing his paw from the katana's hilt and pulling his pistol to fire at her mid-spin. It was only because she knew what he'd do that she could likewise pull her pistol and in all improbability their rounds hit each other square on. Neither took a hit, nor missed. They distances themselves, once more pacing, eyes locked on each other as if they meant to kill. It was confirmed this was no easy fight. It wasn't about completely subduing the opponent, but reading him, figuring him out. Her vitals on the display showed a composed, yet shaken sign of unsettled nerves at having to face him, but her mind was attuned to his movements exact. How did they get this information? Kezjik unsheathed his blade at last and held it in a reverse grip, his other paw holding his pistol by the barrel and trigger guard. The spikes on the bottom of the pistol's butt emerged, and again they paced. Miz unholstered her pistols and held him in the same manner, spikes out. The only question was how brutal this simulation would be. Would it even draw blood?

ABEL - Abel 's lips draw into a distracted frown at Santiago's words, gaze trailing from opponent to opponent. He is no fighter, no warrior - the very idea of an actual physical fight making him blanch with anxiety. He cannot help but appreciate how agile and lithe Mizoon was, however - how quickly she ducked about, avoiding the Kezjik's assaults and countering with her own. At several occasions he guiltily finds himself forgetting his worries and becoming hypnotized by the rhythm of combat. He swallows again, even softer this time.

SANTIAGO - Santiago watches the duel with a mix of fascination and awe. He had fought against the troops of the Empire before, and at one point even duelled one of their great warriors. He could see many similarities between that style and the style of Kezjik, but it was the differences that intrigued him the most. The form, the counters, all were designed to take advantage of the enemy's swift attacks. It was almost beautiful. With a soldier's mind he continues to anaylze and observe.

MIZOON - Again they charged each other, and on the initial swipe of Kezjik's blade, Miz managed to somehow ducked under the steel, and jam one of her pistol butts up against his exposed ribs, but the elbow of his sword arm came crashing on her forearm as the blade made direct for her neck. Miz fended it off with the spikes on her other pistol's butt and the two seemed locked where they stood, fighting against each other. Kezjik was fast in this sim, but a mite too slow. She never had been able to block that before. He did not speak, nor did she. What use would it communicating with a hologram? Her only free arm sore from his hit, she made a guess at shoving him off, her larger bulk against his with that very arm between his legs had him partly thrown, but even then he balanced him and sheathed the blade. Pacing...more pacing. The program was analyzing her just as he used to. She backstepped, keeping a firm grip on her guns. If this was real, he'd have backpawed her across the face by now. That was about to change, though. When he pulled both of his pistols she immediately went running for cover behind one of the pillars, pressing her back against it. This where it would become hard, much harder. He had her in a corner. One, two, three...breathe out...

ABEL - Abel watches intently as the fight slowly unfolds before him and Santiago. Again, he is struck by the desire to intercede - to do anything he can to help. But he remembers San's words, and dutifully forces himself to stay locked in place. Abel can already see how much Mizoon is pushing herself - mind anxiously calculating out the sheer amount of damage she could be doing to herself. In the face of the inevitable pain Mizoon was going to incur from this he felt helpless, feeble and lost. He turns to Santiago once again, black-dipped ears twisting backwards. "Is there really nothing we can do?" he plaintively whispers, even though he already knows the answer.

SANTIAGO - "I think I would have done something by now if we could," Santiago replies, only half-listening. For him, the fight is what matters. He had never seen Mizoon fight up close, even back during the fight with Matta, so to see her fight now was most interesting. He wondered how he would fare against either of them, and indeed he has busied himself to calculating the movements and attacks he himself would use or ought to use against Kezjik...or against Mizoon. To be able to put forward such calculations, relying on his rich experience as a soldier, was probably the closest he would ever come to thinking like a Minister.

MIZOON - "Freeze Sim," said Mizoon. But the computer stoned her with the same answer. "Unable to comply until simulated completed. The target must be eliminated." She breathed, and then yet another unlikely thing happened. Kezjik spoke again as he stalked the valley of pillars. "You will achieve nothing by terminating me with overrides. They do not exist in the real world, Mizoon." Limited AI and capability of interactive speech? The Ministry went out on this one.They're the only ones that could sit behind this and then claim it was all an program glitch. Either way it gave gym enthusiasts a show, and show biz was booming. Still, Miz kept herself pinned to the column. He was getting closer...so very closer. She should have shot him when he was on the ground, but the emotional feedback she had from seeing him walking...talking...it interefered with her judgment because she saw him die. She knew it happened, felt it happen--his pulse fading away under her touch. This wasn't an impressive fight. They wanted to get a rough idea of how she could survive. Who knew what the Kezjik sim serviced. They likely didn't expect her to last long against it. There was one thing...just one guess. Would this simulation even get that right? Mizoon did the unlikely thing and tossed her guns into Kezjik's view. He still stood there, waiting for her to come out, which Miz did, her paws raised. By all means, he should shoot her but the program portrayed him with that factor in mind, likely based on what she had told the Ministry about their love life. She was a clear disadvantage now, standing in front of him unarmed as he held his pointed at her. "The real Kez knew I'm not a threat to Unity," she said, which brought an unusual response from the hologram. It..listened. "By attacking me, it has broken the meaning of Unity. I have only defended myself against a threat." It was a desperate move, as her egauge portrayed. She wanted the sim to end...and was willing to lose against the sim to end it.

ABEL - Abel droops visually at Santiago's distracted response, the doctor's gaze following the other's to the action taking place in the arena - sighing softly through his nose. Worry riding high, he watches as Kezjik drew nearer and nearer to where Mizoon stood, wondering what Mizoon would do to defend herself. What she does next both astonishes and relieves him, making him lean even further forwards Why was she throwing in the towel so soon? What motivation did she have to do this, out of the blue? He does not question her for long, however, so pleased is he that the sim would be ending soon - that Mizoon would be safe. As entrancing as her style of combat was - some might even say an art in and off itself - it is difficult to enjoy it fully, knowing that the next place he might see her in could be the hospital bed because of it.

SANTIAGO - Santiago continues to observe, but amazement creeps in dramatic as Mizoon exposes herself. Had she given up? Would the sim stop because of that? He knew that she was taking a big risk in thwarting the Ministry's experiment, but he hoped that she succeeded. Above all he did not want the Ministry to consider her an asset, like they considered Anita an asset... He holds back whatever he has to say until .the very end, though his eyes wander towards the growing crowd outside.

MIZOON - Kezjik's eyes narrowed behind his spectacles. That's what this simulation was...psychological with a hint of danger. The sat truth was the Minstry did not have enough information regarding the actual physical technique of Kezjik, only theories based vague eye-witness accounts and knowledge of the art he used in battle, and his tactical mind. Why did they put her on a spotlight? Why did they make her do this in front of other people? She had enough who all ready called her careless...was this also a way for the counselor to protect her from that ridicule given her circumstance? Kezjik lowered his pistoled and tossed them to her feet. "Then by all accounts, I am guilty of betraying what I believe in," he said. "There are no Ministers here...only you. Keeping me alive is too dangerous, killing me makes the information in my head vanish. You are at a crossroads...either way you will be a failure." Was it really appropriate to have a conversation with an augmented hologram? Miz snatched up his pistol and immediately shot the holographic Kezjik between the eyes without warning, her gaze at the crumbling visage cold, callous..dead. "...its what you would have wanted either way," she said, "...you are are too dangerous to be kept alive, and in the past you said that if you were ever captured, to shoot you. Your living....was a security risk to soldier, civilian, and Unity a whole for if you were captured out of me leaving you alive, your mind would be used against it." Right then...it ended. "Psychological Victory. End Simulation." And the environment disappeared, along with the weapons, Miz started to shake. What the hell did they do that for if it wasn't meant to be a physical test?

ABEL - Abel stiffens slightly when Kezjik is gunned down - wincing instinctively at the violence he knew was not real. He glances about with astonishment when the monotone computer voice announces the end of the match, watching as the fabricated world melts around them. His gaze quickly darts back to Mizoon, inhaling sharply at the sight of her trembling. He takes one shaky step forward, then another, tail trailing low to the ground behind him. "Mizoon? Miss Mizoon, are you alright?"

SANTIAGO - Santiago has no words to describe what just transpired. So...is this who Kezjik was? Who Mizoon was? He couldn't say, and despite everything he had experienced, he couldn't seem to fathom or grasp the motivations that drove this forward. No...he does grasp it, and grasp it well. Utility had triumphed over dignity. He strides into the arena, and, seeing Mizoon tremble, places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We should go somewhere more private," he says. "Doctor? I think you should come, too. Your clinic, maybe?"

MIZOON - Mizoon breathed, knowing that there were a fairly large amount of eyes on her. The gym staff immediately started 'analyzing' the equipment right on time and announced the entire mess as having been a 'program glitch due to mis-installed software'. The specific arena in question had been shut down for 'maintenance' earlier in the night and just reopened a half-hour before her using it. It was all conveniently explained, and the people accepted it as the truth, though they regarded Miz with a mixed feeling yet still. They didn't know what to think. No one had seen that sim before, and no one probably would again. "No," she said. "I will be fine..I don't need a clinic. I just need to sit down....with some of that nice water." She still shook after that, keeping her eyes on both of them, though mainly Abel as he was the doctor.

ABEL - Abel 's eyes quickly dart from Santiago to Mizoon, wondering how to proceed. "Are you sure, Mizoon?" He takes another step forward, eyeing her intently. "How are you feeling? Are you dizzy at all?" The doctor pauses, lips curling into a frown - wishing he could convince Mizoon to allow herself to be quickly looked over, preferably in a clinical setting. "If you are sure that you are feeling .fine... perhaps we should all go some place you can rest and get a drink. I know of a cafe not far from here"- his gaze returns to Santiago's, silently beseeching him to put forth any ideas if he had them -"I'm sure they have water she can drink - and the place should be empty enough at this time of night. It wouldn't be too overstimulating for her, I'd imagine, after all she has gone through tonight." His words tumble quickly past his lips, and it is clear that they are meant as an aside for Santiago.

SANTIAGO - "I'm with the Doctor," says Santiago, keeping a supportive arm on her. "I think we should talk about this somewhere where there isn't a lot of people." He takes a good look at the crowd, many of whose members are trying to get a good look at Mizoon. "Hey, there's nothing to see here; get on with it!" he shouts.

MIZOON - Mizoon shook her head. "I'm not dizzy, just lightheaded," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "With all these people here...take me out...get me out." She rubbed her neck and gently pushed passed them to retrieve her longcoat, with more people still watching her. She looked as if she'd fall over at any moment, though she held herself quite strongly.

ABEL - Abel nods a quick agreement with Santiago, doing a quick visual assessment of Mizoon. It is clear that, to some degree, the seal-otter is out of it - and, desperately, he wished she would acquiesce to coming to the clinic for a quick check-up. It was no use pushing her, however - especially not in the manic state that she is in. "Oh, I see - no, wait, Mizoon, where are you going?!" The doctor .jumps up, quickening his pace to match hers - ready to reach out and catch her if need be. He glances towards San, brows drawing together. "Let's lead her to the cafe, then - she needs to rest! It's just around the corner from here, from the right out the door."

SANTIAGO - Santiago shares Abel's surprise and ideas. "I think something a bit more drastic is required." He steps towards Mizoon and tries to grab her shoulder, tries to hold her back. "Mizoon, I really do think you need to come with us to the clinic," he says firmly. "You're not well, despite what you may believe." Whatever Mizoon was feeling, she was in no position to shrug it off, to pretend that she was completely sound. She was not, and Santiago was not about to let her endanger herself.

MIZOON - Mizoon had enough. Ever since she came to the city, she had been tested, poked, prodded, questioned, ridiculed, and otherwise told things. "The cafe," she said, "the cafe...please." It was Abel's company that currently supported her decisions, and had an easier sway on things. The insistance of Santiago, however, didn't. It nagged her. She wasn't going to go back to the clinic. "Just a nice warm...drink...I can't think right now."

ABEL - Abel halts in place, turning about to face Santiago and Mizoon - quite obviously relieved that the other hybrid had said what he could not, although he is still quite nervous about the idea of upsetting his patient only further. "I agree, actually - you are not well, Mizoon. Ideally, you would be resting in a hospital bed right now." He frowns, lips drawing tight across his muzzle. Again, he is torn between Mizoon's dazed demands and Santiago's firm hold on reality. His tail twitches anxiously behind him. "Please, Mizoon - Santiago is right, you need medical attention. I can have the hospital cafeteria bring you something hot, if you think it would help. We are just concerned for you, ma'am... you could easily make yourself worse, if you don't allow yourself medical attention and rest." His gaze flicks towards San, looking entirely bemused. He was used to having orderlies to do this work for him; he had never had to plead with a patient to return to her room!

SANTIAGO - Momentarily Santiago considers relenting, believing that perhaps he had gone too far, but Abel's words reassure him. If her doctor was willing to agree, then he had few problems. "Mizoon, you need to come with us to the clinic...please." He keeps his hand on her shoulder, gentle but firm. She needed this more than anything right now.

MIZOON - "Clinic," she said, swaying in their grasp. "Clinic.....I just...want to go home now. To my own bed where I can rest. Ars....he's sad without me." She finally slouched in her posture, ears down and tail low. "Just..visit me, Abel, if you can. I...I...."

ABEL - Abel is as glad to have Santiago's support as he is to have the doctor's; even though he was the doctor, he knew that he might be unconvincing by himself, especially with Mizoon in the state that she was in. Mizoon's response, however, only makes him even more confused. He crouches slightly, tail wrapping around his clawed feet. "Ars? Do you mean Archie?" His brows draw together, and he is unsure of what to do next. "I promise that I will visit you, but... can I not convince you to come to the clinic? It isn't so far off from here." Genuine worry began to set in to his voice. Had the fight really affected Mizoon this deeply?

SANTIAGO - Santiago is fairly certain that he knows what's going to happen next. Leaning back, he prepares to catch the faint Mizoon, letting her weight rest entirely on his. Either way, he is greatly saddened by how...broken Mizoon seems. She was so full of fire and determination earlier, but now here she was, helpless. He himself had felt helpless many times, but always in private. Perhaps now was a time where he could show strength of character.

MIZOON - Mizoon didn't faint, not quite. She was close to the point of fainting, but forced herself to hold. The combination of all the mental games and tricks that had suddenly been piled on her, plus Sdhava's appearance--the primary cause of all of this--plus the overbearing environment. Her re-adjustment had been off to a good start until the shootout happened the other night. Everything was going ine, and once again Shava had thrown a wrench in things. "Take...take me to the Clinic....Just...let me transfer to my home after I've rested...When I went home the other day...I saw Ars come in...he looked so sad that I wasn't there to greet him over the last few days....it was like the wind had been taken out of him..."

ABEL - Abel sags with relief, a sigh rattling past his lips. "Alright, Mizoon - let's go, then. Ivanova is only one floor down from here, and very close." He blinks at what she says about Archie, once again confused. "We can make sure he's updated about your stays at the hospital, if you like. He is free to visit you any time that he likes." He squats down, offering his shoulder for her to wrap an arm around, using him for support. Between him and Santiago, the weakened Mizoon could be carried to the clinic with some ease.

SANTIAGO - Santiago listens to Mizoon tenderly. "All right...we'll bring you there as quickly as we can. Doc? I think you know the way." With Abel's assistance, he proceeds towards the nearest lift and to the clinic, memories of helping injured comrades during the war flooding back. So, even now he still needs to give this support, but that was fine with him. He felt best when he could use his strength to help others. "I'm sure Archie will be just fine, Miz; he'll be glad to know that we took care of you."

MIZOON - Mizoon finally went, leaning her weight entirely into both Abel and Santiago. All of this came too much, too quickly. She tried not to let her feet drag, but the experience of having to face a nearly perfect model of Kezjik in the sim had broken her. It was a cruel thing to have done, and despite that, she was still willing to serve when she passed the re-adjustment phase. Her mind was not with it after that. It was bad enough she saw him die once. Twice was uncalled for. "I still ache from when he died four years ago..." she managed to mutter between them. "I haven't...had the chance to ever have closure about his death until now..it was always rush...target, rush, no time for myself."

ABEL - Abel nods at this, shifting Mizoon's weight across his narrow shoulders. He knew the way to the clinic by heart - he worked there, after all. It does not take long for a lift to appear before them, a handful of other hybrids waiting to board it. "It's alright to allow yourself to ache," he attempts to sooth, owlish gaze turning briefly towards Mizoon. "It's one of the few pains us in the medical profession allow to unfold - because it's one of the only pains that one must experience in order to heal. It's a good, healthy thing to grieve, and now you have plenty of time to allow yourself to do so." His voice is soft, gentle, and supportive, hoping a few kind words would help ease the obvious turmoil his companion was going through. They were at the elevator now - Abel doing his...best to ignore the stares of the crowd.

SANTIAGO - Santiago widens his grip around Mizoon's shoulder. Abel's words are stirring and compassionate, just as they should be, but he has his own words to provide. "I think it would be good if we helped you find closure, helped you find peace. Kezjik is gone...but I can see that he was a strong warrior. He would have wanted you to be strong." He was taking a gamble by even saying such things, but as he always told himself sympathy was always a gamble. "But I know that true strength is found in weakness." Cryptic, but somehow true.

MIZOON - Mizoon didn't like it. Though she knew Kezjik was gone, she didn't want to hear that within minutes of having shot him dead in the sim. Santiago had been right in expecting her to faint. She the admission, she finally lost her footing and became limp. For now, she was entirely broken.