A.N: Not much to say here, except that hopefully it's just picked up.
Monotony
6 days. 6 days since she had been captured and for the last 3 days, she had been working in the lab. 3 days of researching the relationship between mana signatures and genetic variation.
In any other situation, Raine would've found the subject fascinating and jumped on the opportunity to study something like this, with all this high-tech up to date equipment. In this situation however, it was frustrating and…boring.
Gods, she was sounding more like Lloyd each day and that fact alone was extremely worrying to her.
Yet there was no denying the fact that the work was boring, consisting of nothing more than standing in front of groups of humans and half-elves and working out what their race was depending on their mana signature before trying to note down the difference between the signatures. Which meant cross-referencing them with their family members (if present) to try and distinguish which part of the signature related to the elven and human elements of the blood. Not only that but the Saloth'sarians had oh so helpfully decided that it must be written in runes and symbols which theydecided, represented the feeling of the signatures.
As if a human could ever hope to understand that feeling.
It was just lucky that Raine and Genis had some basic grasp of the Angelic Language, thanks to Kratos, because the runes that they were using seemed very closely related to that language. Oh and it most certainly did not represent that feeling of mana. Not even close.
The oldest, most subtle and beautiful language in the world, as close to nature as is linguistically possible would not be able to describe the ambiguous, warming, soft yet electric feeling of mana. See? Those words didn't come close to describing it.
Raine signed, waving a group of human slaves out of the room (and she had been surprised to see that the Saloth'sarians held humans captive) and turning to Genis, reading over what he had written briefly.
Apparently once they had finished identifying mana signatures of sub-species, they would move onto the genetic aspect. Which probably meant drawing blood and causing fear and pain, something which she wasn't looking forwards too.
"This is so boring," Genis mumbled, scratching a rune half-heartedly onto the paper.
"I know, but there's nothing we can do for now except lay low and try to find out what this experiment is for."
"I don't like it. It's not going to be good for half-elves whatever it is."
"No."
"And that mana in the reactor is making me uneasy."
Raine turned to look out of the small examination room's window at the tank in the main lab, the blue-violet light spilling out into the office-like space where they wrote up and processed their notes.
"I know it seems…familiar."
"It's coming from a person I'm sure it is."
"Quite possibly but we can't do anything about it yet Genis. Let's focus on what we can do now."
"Alright, I know."
Raine glanced back to the tank and sighed before turning back to her own notes. A siren sounded a second later and she wearily lowered the pen.
"Lunch! Finally!" Genis spun on the spot, heading straight for the metal door that sealed them into the ante-chamber like room.
This was it now. This was her, their life.
Wake up, have breakfast, work, have lunch, work, have dinner, work, got to sleep. Repeat. Day in, day out.
It was monotonous, boring and…
"Oh phe-uw!" Genis commented, pinching his fingers over his nose as they met up with the other half-elves from their section. All five of them.
Smelly. In fact they were only allowed to bathe once a week, twice if they maybe smelt really foul. Which some poor guy was.
"Ugh Lamar! You're really…ew."
"Yeah thanks, Genis really appreciated there."
"Sorry but, y'know?"
"Yeah. I know. Strangely enough I can smell it…it is coming from me after all."
Raine smiled politely at the pungent half-elf and he blushed profusely, scurrying away into a corner to eat his lunch away from the other scientists.
Delicately, she reached out and grabbed a soggy looking sandwich from a small pile of….soggy sandwiches, biting into it and trying not to taste it at the same time.
"So…what've we discovered?" she asked, addressing the group, chewing thoughtfully.
"Other than our own work is boring and repetitive? Not much. There's a definite difference between human and half-elf signatures but finding out what it is exactly is tricky." It was a small woman, Storme, who answered her.
"It'd be easier if we had a full blooded elf to compare to." One of the younger scientists commented, flicking a strand of blonde hair out of his eyes.
"Yes, but we don't have that liberty,"
"You said our work is boring and repetitive," Genis pointed out through a mouthful of bread "What about the others work?"
"What about it?"
"Well what are they doing? 'Cos I don't really care what we're doing separately but what it'll lead to when all the research comes together."
"He has a good point," Lamar murmured from the corner "what are we doing this research for?"
"Like they'd tell us that." Storme scoffed.
"But it is a point," Raine drew the attention of the assembly "If they don't tell us…we should find out ourselves. I don't like the idea of working on a project that we have no idea what it'll do when completed."
"So what we go up to them and ask nicely?"
"No. We gather information and draw our own conclusions. We're far more intelligent than those who've captured us or we wouldn't be working on this for them."
"Or they're just lazy."
"Again, no, they wouldn't risk the information slipping to us unless they had no other alternative."
"It's a good point."
"Lamar! Say something different for a change." Storme turned, hurling a chunk of half-eaten bread at him.
"Sheesh, touchy touchy."
"Children," Raine admonished "Can we please have some focus?"
"So what're we going to do to get this information?"
"Simple, we talk."
--
A hand roughly shoved Raine and she stumbled into her cell, turning back to face the guard just in time to see him slam the door on her, walking away without a second glance.
Slipping her arms through the bars and resting them on the waist high horizontal ledge that ran along the inside of the bars, shifting her weight back onto her lower body, waiting until he had left before she did anything else.
The door to the room slammed shut and she waited a moment, keeping her head tilted as she listened for any hint of them returning. There was none that she could hear and the other prisoners had begun their whispered conversations to their cell-mates, a hum of hushed voices filling the room.
Raine straightened and stood at the bars, looking around before calling to Siofra. The pink haired woman, just one down and opposite from her was at the bars in seconds, looking back at the professor.
"Any luck?"
"Oh there are plenty of people who want to, just not many who believe they can."
"Anyone in this quarter who does believe?"
"Me. And a couple of girls down the end."
"What do the rest think?"
"The same as they think about everyone who believes they can escape. They're insane. Then again, everyone before has just sort of sat in a corner muttering plans to themselves and rocking. You're a bit different."
"I should certainly hope so."
"So, is it motivating speech time?"
"Yes…I just wish I was more like Lloyd…and there I thought I never hear myself say that."
Siofra smiled kindly, encouragingly, before shouting to grab the attention of the women in the room.
"Our newest addition has something she'd like to put to you," she announced and pointed to Raine. Eyes of every shade known to sentient races turned to her.
Raine regarded them for a minute, thinking, before she spoke.
"How many of you think about escaping?"
A murmur ran through the room.
"All of us, yes? How many of us believe we can?"
"Only you." A voice shouted.
"Is that really true? Does no one other than me believe we can get out of here alive?"
"I believe." Siofra stated, raising her hand through the bars of her cell.
"Oh wow the crack pot believes, that's reassuring." A dark haired woman called.
"I suppose two people aren't that impressive…let me put it to you this way…how many people believed that the world they lived in either Sylvarant and Tethe'alla was the only world?
Everyone.
How many people believed that could change?
No-one.
How many people believe that the world is now truly one?"
She waited for the rising murmur to die down again, noticing the fixed attention she had from everyone in the room.
"If something as big as the re-unification can occur, why can't something as small as our escape occur? Why can an entire world be re-united by just 10 people, but not a group of thousands of people escape oppression?"
"Because it's humans who oppress us."
"So? They're not our superiors. They are not better than us…If every single half-elf in this room rebelled, we would get somewhere, not far, but somewhere. If every single half-elf in this facility rebelled, we could be free.
We are standing under the roots of the Great Tree of Mana. A giant tree that was once just a fleck of mana like everything else. If it can grow from a nut to a tree, then we can grow from a handful of prisoners to a tidal wave of people fighting for freedom."
"We can escape," Siofra stated "As long as we unite and believe."
"And we're not alone," Raine cut off a girl who had opened her mouth to speak "There are people on the outside who are working to free us, who will do anything to get us free."
"You mean 'you' free"
"No. These people are my friends and I know them, they won't save one or two and leave thousands suffering. When they have a job, they see it through."
"So you're saying that a few half-elves on the outside are going to save us?"
"No, we're going to save ourselves a few humanson the outside are going to help us."
"Humans? Yeah right."
"I've travelled with these people, they're my friends and family and they're more powerful than you know.
Tomorrow, in the mess hall, I want those of you who believe we can escape to tell your friends that we can, I want you to spread the message."
"What about the men?"
"I have my brother working on them. If we all stand together as a race, we can over come them…we can escape."
"And your human friends…will come?"
"I have faith in him."
"Him?"
Raine shook her head at the word, not understanding "What?"
"You said I have faith in 'him'."
"Ah…I was just thinking about one of them in particular."
"Why him?"
"Because he's…him. Does the name Kratos Aurion mean anything to you?"
"Kratos Aurion?" It was Siofra who asked, a look of perplexity crossing her face.
"You know him?" The professor was mildly puzzled by Siofra's reaction.
"He's my sister's Professor, he teaches Angeology…there are all these weird stories about him, that he's an angel, a companion of the hero Mithos."
"Is it true?"
The woman in the cell across from Raine stood, staring intently at her, waiting for an answer.
Raine shrugged and smiled "Maybe." And there was a glint in her eyes and told them all they needed to know.
---
The glass and chrome slid shut with that bizarre sucking sound that made Raine feel like there was a vacuum about to be formed in the room and she looked up from her notes to Genis who had just walked in. He was cradling his right arm with his left, a red scratch running up his forearm.
"Genis, what happened?"
She got up, putting her notes down on the table and walking to him, taking the injured limb in her hand, running a thumb experimentally over the already swollen flesh. He flinched away slightly.
"I made a diversion…"
"..Why?"
"Because the guys in the other room have told me what they're studying."
Her hands paused in their ministrations at his words and she looked up her eyes meeting Genis'.
"So what're they doing exactly?"
"Well one group is looking into creating mana-based explosions…"
"As in the same way the sorcerer's ring acted in the Toize Valley Mine,"
"Exactly…but bigger, thousands of times bigger."
"What about the other groups?" Raine grabbed a first aid kit from a cupboard, taking a swab out and dipping it in an iodine solution.
"Another one is looking into tracking devices using mana signatures and genetics as a trail."
The professor remained silent, gently cleaning the scratch as Genis relayed the information, flinching away from the stinging liquid.
"And there are how many groups in total?"
"Four or five. One is apparently working somewhere in the ocean…the tracking devices group is supposed to be working with us once they've reached a certain stage in their research."
Raine pulled her hand away as she crouched before her brother, raising her eyes again to meet his again.
"You understand what they're trying to do?"
Genis nodded, his mouth set into a firm, grim line. "They're trying to wipe us out all at once."
"Genocide of the half-elves."
I'd like to take this point to make a more serious note about the continuation of this fic, now that you've finished with this chapter. Before I do, I 'd like to point out that I'm not a petty person who wants people to fall to their knees gasping in awe at my writing, opinions are opinions. Meaning that I would actually like some feedback i.e. if I don't see any sign that people are reading a liking this fic, I won't continue it. I don't want to stop writing it, but if I haven't got evidence that people are getting something out of it I will stop. I'm not saying I need every single person reading this to review, just one or two would be nice. Anyone else reading this who writes fan-fics themselves understands right?
So please, if you wanna see this fic continuing, let me know somehow. Thanks for reading.