A.N: Ok, this is chapter...12? Something like that anyway, so we're a good way through the ficcy now (if you wanted a progress report) as always thanks for the reviews...although I think it may have been 'review' as in singular here, but oh well.

Now, as for this chapter, I know I've been following the sort of pattern of - Raine chapter, other character chapter, Raine chapter. etc - but this one is another Raine chapter because I really wanted to get this particular part of the fic done. Also because due to the time scale, there wasn't a lot else for the other characters to do/ report on.

So here she is, Raine in all her wonderment, once again. Read on.

Specimen

She had thought the days couldn't go any slower than they were 2 days ago. Now she knew she was wrong.

Since the loss of Genis, days ceased to exist, blending into meaningless periods of time that had no direction, no use and no sense of reality. The working hours were spent on her own in the lab, reading through endless reams of paper, making pointless notes and assessments. Constantly watched over by two guards now, who served as a helpful reminder of the fact that she had to work for her brother's safety.

Raine had been told repeatedly, that her brother was well, if not comfortable and happy, and would remain in such a state of safety as long as she continued to work. Like she couldn't have worked that out for herself. What did they think she was a dullard?

She tossed her head slightly as she stared blankly at the shower wall, her fingers running along the wound on her head, wincing when she pressed a little too heavily. She pulled her fingers away to continue washing herself in the cold water that rained down on her body, and it suddenly ran hot. Boiling in fact, to such a degree that it scolded her skin.

She stood under the spray nevertheless, taking the pain along with the heat. It was only once a week that they got to shower and hot water was a rarity that should be taken full advantage of.

The water sputtered as she rinsed, turning cold again. The temperature fluctuated often…just like her emotions nowadays.

She found herself suffering through great periods of distress, fear and loneliness, terrified for herself as well as her brother and the rest of her race. There were other times, like right now, when she felt angry and it was a deep, dark anger that wanted to rage and rip, tear out the throats of her oppressors and she used that to fuel the plans for escape. It was what gave her the power to deliver those inspirational speeches that Lloyd was so good at.

And then…on occasion, she found herself calm and peaceful at long last. Those moments were few and far between, but she relished them, basking in the feeling of hope that she had tried to maintain for so long and was now crumbling around her in fits of anger or troughs of cold depression. It was in those moments that she allowed herself to dream and yearn and believe.
She knew, no matter what, that her friends would come for her, but she often found herself doubting whether they would come quick enough to save a number that mattered…to save a percentage of her that mattered.

The water shut of suddenly and Raine stepped back, feeling for the towel to her side that she wrapped around herself, wishing that it was long enough to cover more than just the bare minimum. The guards in the corner of the room grinned lecherously at the women present, their eyes locking onto her in particular, knowing that she still had enough emotional response left to care, still had the presence of mind to scowl angrily at them and turn away, embarrassed and in equal parts enraged at her indecency in their presence.

She grabbed the spare towel hanging on a hook, one arm pressed across the top of the towel to stop it from coming undone as she reached up ever so slightly. The towel hem still lifted too high for her liking even with that tiny movement.

Staring at the rough cloth distastefully she sat down on one of the crude benches roughly drying her legs off, noting that the skin was left red and sore by the treatment but not having the presence of mind to care about her skin's condition at the moment as she proceeded to dry her arms, shoulders and face.

Her short hair hung wet in her face as she pulled on the rags they called uniform over the towel, before shimmying it off underneath the clothing, saving her some dignity. She slicked her hair away from her face, drying it roughly with the towel she had just had wrapped around herself before slicking it back crudely again with her fingers.

Lifting her head, Raine stubbed her feet into the flat shoes they provided, passing the towels she had used to a new girl who was clearly a little more than flustered at the presence of males in the women's shower room. She nodded at Raine gratefully, knowing who the professor was, knowing that this was the woman who was trying to rally the half-elves. The girl had already pledged her allegiance as it were, and was spreading that hope she had through the crowd at Raine's bidding.

Nodding back, Raine left the shower room, holding her head high as she strolled past the bathroom's guards, only to be met with two more faceless male soldiers. Her escorts.

These were the two that watched her when she was working, breathing down her neck and checking she was doing her job every five seconds. It was infuriating. It was like they thought she was willing to put her brother in danger just so that she could slack off.

They clearly didn't have a very good gauge on her personality.

Automatically, she turned down the usual corridor, the guards trailing behind her like she was the one in charge as she strode towards her work place. She had to smile at their behaviour. They were both fairly young and inexperienced, clearly not aware of how to treat a woman of her calibre and it was something that they other half-elves, filing into their respective work places noticed too. It was just another one of those little things that was slowly giving them hope.

Even as she just walked to work, she noticed there were more and more of her 'in-mates' acknowledging her, believing in her ideas instead of just thinking she was the crackpot escape artist that they had when she had first arrived here…and that was only 17 days ago. If they carried on at this rate, there would be a rebellion within a month of her arrival.

It wouldn't be a minute too soon in Raine's opinion. She just wanted to get the hell out of here with her brother and never look back.

She stepped into the elevator at the end of the long corridor she had just walked up, pressing the appropriate key for her floor before the guards were even in the box.

"Keen, aren't we?" One of them commented as the doors slid shut.

Raine didn't answer initially, knowing that she could only give a sarcastic comment that would result in her being beaten at the moment.

"Well?" the guard prodded.

Raine turned a cold glare on him, before swallowing back sarcasm and answering. "I'm merely trying to keep my brother safe."

He accepted that easily enough and turned away from her, chatting to his colleague as the lift travelled up to their floor, barely noticing that when it stopped Raine was out in seconds and striding through the labs.

They jogged to keep up, and Raine smiled at another half-elf scientist in the lab, well aware of how it looked to have two human guards trotting behind her like wayward puppies. The guards sent the lab worker a cold glare and he scampered away under the pretence of being intimidated. Raine knew better. He was going to spread the gossip to the other scientists.

Pushing the glass door to her lab open, Raine's eyes automatically scanned the hatch for the half-elf it contained. Not there again. His or her attendance was becoming more and more infrequent and the mana given off was starting to feel…thin.

Frowning slightly, she sat down at her usual place, gathering her papers from the day before, spreading them in front of her and picking up a pen, resuming her work.

--

There was something different. Something about the customarily random markings that made Raine sit-up and take note of what they actually meant.

There was a pattern emerging and it would only take the humans a second to figure out what it meant if they caught sight of it.

Raine cursed, glancing over her shoulder at the two guards who were lost in their own conversation and then back to the work, wondering if there was a way she could hide it….or make them think it wasn't important. The markings were obvious though…their placement, the repetition of certain symbols…all of which the Saloth'sarians had come up with themselves. It was their own private language that they were using, that the two guards behind her were using, the language that kept their secrets secret.

Of course, it had become apparent to Raine some time ago that their language wasn't really all that original…it was actually just a removed dialect of the Angelic Language…and had Raine paid closer attention to that fact, she would've realised just what the point of the project she was being made to work on was a lot earlier.

Chewing her lower lip, she scribbled a note onto the paper before standing abruptly, papers in hand. The soldiers turned at the sudden movement, questioning.

"I need to pay a visit to the bathroom," Raine informed them, shuffling the papers.

"No. You stay here and work."

"In that case you're going to have an awful mess on your hands. I'll ask you again to escort me to the bathroom."

The guard jumped off the desk, approaching her, his companion watching smugly.

"Why?"

She dropped her eyes, shifting slightly, hoping that her plan would work and that she was reading these soldiers who were little more than boys correctly.

"Why do people usually need the bathroom."

"Feh. You can hold it."

"…this isn't the sort of bathroom needing situation that you can just 'hold'"

"Look sweetie, I need to go too but I'm not allowed to leave so you can and will hold it."

"How would you know? You're male." She snapped and the guard stepped back, glancing at the floor.

"Oh…you mean?..."

She nodded, smiling condescendingly.

"Uh…yeah, right…in that case I guess…" he looked to the other guard who nodded almost frantically. "Yeah sure, I'll uh, take you now…"

"If you insist…" She allowed herself to be led from the room, folding the papers, hoping they would mistake them for something else and not realise that she was taking the notes from the lab. The guards hurried along in front of her and she allowed herself a triumphant smile. They were so easily manipulated, bless them.

Wiping the smile, she slowed her pace freeing the top paper slightly noting how far she was from the door of the next lab.

One of the guards turned back, noting that she was trailing behind instead of striding ahead.

"What's up with you? Hurry up."

She continued her slow pace, watching with hidden amusement as he became uneasy and angry in equal measure.

Annoyed at her slow pace he walked behind her and shoved her to move.

Raine used the momentum to fake a fall, swiping the top paper from the pile into her left hand. She threw it out to the side, pretending to use it to stop her from falling, trying to push it through the gap beneath the door to the lab.

"I barely touched you!" The guard snapped and Raine rolled onto her back, throwing her right hand to the side with the movement, fingers surreptitiously pushing the paper beneath the door. Task complete, she got to her feet, dusting herself off, hiding the rest of the papers under her arm in feigned embarrassment.

"Just…walk." He ordered, pointing her in the appropriate direction. She slid into the bathroom, the guards standing inside, hiding the notes inside a pocket on the inside of her uniform, and staring in the mirror, waiting for an appropriate amount of time before exiting, hoping that the scientists would have the sense to destroy the paper.

--

Raine tapped the pencil lightly against the remaining notes, her mind wandering from the task at hand as worry gnawed at her stomach. Had the other scientist found the top page of notes? Had they been destroyed? Had they fallen into the wrong hands?

There was only one of those questions that would be answered anytime soon and if it was…that was very very bad. It would mean that—

"Atten-tion!"

Raine jumped at the voice, spinning in her chair to look to the door. Her escorts jumped to their feet, standing stiffly at the presence of the disturbingly large man standing in the doorway.

"This is the lab of subject 1-0-1-7, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is she working on the mana signature area of the project?"

"Yes, sir…" and there was a confused edge to the guard's voice this time.

"Good. I'm in the right place."

He stepped into the room, letting the door swing shut behind him and walking slowly over to the half-elf, his gait attempting to be intimidating. Raine would've rolled her eyes at the exaggerated machismo if the situation hadn't been quite so dangerous.

Arms held behind his back, he stood in front of Raine looking down at her.

"1-0-1-7…Ms…?"

"ProfessorSage."

He smirked at the edge in her voice. "Professor Sage…have you lost anything of value recently?"

"Apart from my brother, no."

"Is that so?..." he rummaged for something behind his back before bringing out a crumpled piece of paper. "Are you sure?...because I'm fairly certain that this is familiar and very, very valuable to someone in your position."

'Gods…'

It was her notes. Her handwriting…and someone else's blood spattered over it.

"We find it curious that you claim to care about your brother's safety and yet you try to sabotage our project…which is clearly against our agreement, Professor."

She scowled but refrained from answering.

"It's very fortunate," the man continued "That you're just so important to this project otherwise this…" he pointed to the blood "would be yours. As it is, there is someone who would like to meet you due to your outstanding work in this field...and it would be very unwise to decline," he warned, shoving the paper into her hands.

She lay it on the desk and looked back up at him. "Since I don't have a choice…take me to them…"

"Clever girl."

He seized her unceremoniously under her arm, dragging her through the corridors of the laboratory and Raine helplessly trotted beside him, unable to pull away.

She locked eyes with one of the workers in the lab as she was dragged past the window, noted the look of shock and panic that was forming on his face.

Her new guard tugged forcefully, throwing her into the elevator and pressing the button for the level up from the labs, somewhere which she heard was where the 'important' guests would meet the leader of this place.

The lift slid up smoothly, opening into a long glass and chrome corridor that was ornately decorated. The floor was tiled, but with polished white tiles that looked classy, not the half scuffed, half glossy flooring of the rest of the building. A red carpet ran the length of the corridor, potted tropical plants placed by the windows at perfect intervals, lights hanging from the ceiling casting a soft glow in the corridor.

The guard resumed his hold under her arm, pulling her left and she noted there was another elevator opposite the one they had just come up in. An access point to the male housing areas no doubt.

He was dragging her along the tiles, not the carpet, as if she would ruin the expensive decoration by stepping on it and it was with a look of disdain that he opened the double door at the end of the corridor so that she stepped through before him.

The doors opened into yet another corridor, this one just as pristine as the former…but this one offered a hell of a view…and the guard let her dawdle as she took in the sights when they had reached the centre of the corridor.

They were suspended in mid-air, the corridor being a tunnel that led to an extraordinarily large white building that was a cross between a mansion and a castle. Either way, it was grandeur and no doubt it housed an extremely wealthy person.

The rest of the view was dull. Brown walls of rock and roots hanging from the overhead wall of the cavern the entire organisation was housed in. Purple blocks of stone were still set into the walls, adding the odd dash of colour…remains the base of the Tower of Salvation's architecture.

A flash of grey caught her eye as she looked back towards the bland building she had been housed in for the past 17 days…an exercise yard, from the looks of it…two actually, one on each side.

"Enough dawdling, you don't want to keep your host waiting."

He tapped her on the shoulder and Raine moved of her own accord, walking beside him now instead of being dragged along, her interest just about peaked by the bizarre building ahead.

Glass doors up ahead slid open silently at their approach and they stepped through into yet another corridor…exactly the same as the two before…except there were two doors down the far end. The soldier directed her to one, following her in, and Raine found herself in another shower room. Except this one was larger and cleaner and considerably more private.

"There are shower stalls over there," the guard pointed to an area around a corner "Shower quickly. There are clothes left for you around there…and try to make yourself look somewhat presentable."

He turned, walking out and closing the door behind him. Raine got the distinct impression that he was waiting outside the door.

Stepping around the corner she found the shower stalls, fully private and with constant hot water no doubt. She was hesitant as to whether she should really be doing this…but then, she didn't have a choice anyway and she finally stepped into the shower, washing herself with decent products for the first time in nearly three weeks, her mind racing constantly at the thoughts of what was going to happen next. Whatever it was, this 'being made to look presentable' business was un-nerving. Whoever she was meeting knew she was a slave so surely she was expected to be in a rough condition?

Frowning, she rinsed off, and stepped out of the shower. The room was warmed to such a degree that she didn't so much as shiver at the water clinging to her skin.

There were large, white towels laid out on a table in front of her. Soft, fluffy cloths that didn't grate and scratch her skin as she dried herself, and she performed the motions of drying herself a little longer than was necessary. Whether it was out of a desire to put off the meeting or whether it was because it would be a while before she could relish in this 'luxury' again, she didn't know. Perhaps it was a little of both.

Either way, despite the fear and uncertainty of what was about to happen, she was glad of the change. It was doing her mental state some good to have some variation.

Throwing the towels into a basket, Raine turned back to the table and grabbed the white clothes laid out for her and she examined them before dressing. They were plain, just a skirt and a shirt, but they were a vast improvement from the usual rags and she pulled them on, feeling uncomfortable about the lack of underwear. Then again, she probably would have felt more uncomfortable if they had known what size to provide her with.

Turning to the mirror, she examined herself properly, checking the wound on her scalp first before taking a hesitant look at her face.

She wasn't in as bad a state as she had expected, but there were obvious signs of maltreatment lining her face. Her eyes were surrounded by grey circles from lack of sleep…they hadn't yet had the chance to mature and darken to black, but she was sure that would follow eventually, and the cut on her cheek that she had received when she had fought against the Saloth'sarians at their first encounter had left a red scar on her cheek where it had healed. She pressed her fingers to it, noting it was slightly tender, as she thought back to that day.

'Why did I have to decide to go to Exire? It's nothing to do with me anyway…except for mother…'

She flinched a little. She hadn't thought of her deceased mother since she had arrived here….but then again, she hadn't had a massively emotion reaction to her death when she had first found out anyway. The only thing she had thought of since arriving here was escape, Genis and…Kratos.

He had fought to try and protect them that day and she had to wonder how he was coping with the idea that he hadn't been able to. Badly, knowing Kratos. In fact Raine was fairly certain that the seraph was mentally torturing himself over the fact that he hadn't been able to protect the people he had admitted to caring about.

She sighed, pushing herself away from the mirror, brushing a few strands of short hair into a style that resembled the old one…the one she had been sporting when she met him and she found that it took some the harshness of oppression from her face.

With little else to do, she walked away from the mirror and to the front door of the bathroom, stopping just before she reached to open it. There was a distinctly unsettling feeling that had just hit her…like someone was watching her.

Raine turned, scanning the room with her eyes before opening the door slowly. It wasn't just paranoia kicking in…there was definitely something there.

"You took your time." The guard stated, reclining against the wall next to the door.

"Well I'm done now."

"So I see…follow me. The Leader awaits your arrival."

--

He sat in front of the screen, submerged in darkness, staring at the image of the half-elven woman as she dressed.

"A perfect specimen."

He smiled, turning away to get ready to greet his new 'guest'.

--

It was extremely elegant, Raine thought, standing in the room she was to meet 'The Leader' in, taking in every detail of the room…but it wasn't anything personal or original. It was as if it had been decorated according to what the commissioner thought other people would approve of upon seeing it.

Cream walls bordered with mahogany, a plush mahogany carpet and matching furniture…a desk at one end of the room, a coffee table and sofas set before that. Richly coloured tapestries hung on the wall, interspersed with oil paintings that all bore the same type of scenes. Angels dying.

Images of men, women and children, all blonde haired, pale and blue-eyed, all clad in white, all with a pair of swans' wings protruding from shoulder blades.

All bleeding and in pain, their bodies twisted and mutilated, and every pair of wings hanging by threads from their bodies, feathers scattered over the floor…and the background of every painting was bright and cheerful as if nothing malicious was occurring in the foreground.

Raine pulled her eyes away, not wanting to study the horrendous scenes any further…but they at least offered an insight into the character of this 'Leader'. He had a problem with half-elves, which evolved into angels given the right catalyst…hence the scenes of the holy beings being struck down…it didn't explain anything particularly new though.

A door creaked at the back of the office and Raine turned slowly to the door to the left of the desk, opening slowly to reveal a tall, thin man dressed in metallic blue, long black hair falling about his shoulders.

He seemed harmless. Raine knew better.

"Are you Ms. Sage?"

The voice was strangely strangled sounding, as if it were far deeper than the voice he naturally had and was trying to change people's opinion about him…deceive them with the first impression.

"I am." She answered hesitantly, forcing her voice through vocal chords that were tight with nerves, hoping the waver she felt inside wouldn't be portrayed in her voice.

It wasn't, fortunately, but she wasn't sure how long that strength and confidence in her voice would last under the pressure of the situation.

"So you're our head researcher? Impressive. It is rare to meet someone with such intelligence as to be able to cope with the task you're undertaking."

"You make it sound like it's difficult work…"

"Is it not?"

Raine bit her lip before answering. "Only in the sense that it is a rather…wearisome task."

"I see. Well then, I'm sure the next step in the project will be far easier for you to complete then, since you've already completed the original task. It is commendable that you've achieved it in such a short space of time, but I'm confused, giving the 'wearisome' nature of the work that you did not report your findings straight away."

"I like to have the chance to double check my work before submitting it," she lied, holding slightly trembling hands behind her back.

The Leader mirrored her stance as he walked further into the room, his steps stunted and hurried, like that of a small child. Every physical attribute seem to play to the idea that he was harmless and helpless…child-like almost. It was strange that the language he chose to use was anything but.

"I see. It isn't because you disagree with the nature of the work then…"

"Why should I? I have no knowledge of what the purpose of the project is."

"You're brother seems to know."

"…My brother is quick to jump to conclusions. He's young and sometimes brash within his actions."

"So you're telling me that you and he haven't worked out the true purpose of the tasks we are setting, and have passed the information onto your …in-mates."

She swallowed thickly, mind racing to come up with a convincing come back…but the Leader was already smirking.

"I've been aware of you for sometime, Raine and it is impossible for a woman of your intelligence and calibre not to be curious as to the purpose of the tasks you've been set. I'm not overly concerned about the fact you know either, as long as youkeep working. Your brother clearly isn't going to comply."

Raine didn't reply as the man walked further into the room, all too aware of his proximity to her…and the electricity in the air about him, the smell of wind that he gave off.

"Do you realise what the language that the Saloth'sarians speak is?"

"…It's a dialect of the Angelic Language."

He smiled, nodding. "Yes…it is called 'Lothlorne' and it means…"

"Pure tongue…the pure language."

"Correct. The project you are working on is named the Loras project…or the 'Purification' project."
"It's genocide."

"Ethnic cleansing, is the appropriate term, I think you'll find."

Raine scoffed "It doesn't matter what you call it, it's still mass murder."

"All for the better." He waved a hand vaguely at her accusation, still approaching her slowly, his hand playing with a strand of loose hair that hung in his face.

She caught the action, noting that the roots of his hair weren't black…they were dark green.

"I'll let you in on a little secret Raine," and he tilted his hand and put a finger to his lips in a mocking act of a child telling their friend something. "Saloth'sar means 'Angel Death'…or rather the 'Pure beings death' and it was the old name for what the chosen goes through upon their trials. Or used to go through, as things now stand."

"…Angel toxicosis."

"If that's what you wish to call it now, yes."

"And the Loras project, if successful will kill every half-elf with the symptoms caused by Angel Toxicosis. Except they won't become angels or even just lifeless beings. They'll just die."

He nodded again, worryingly close now and Raine felt herself tense even as her senses told her that something about this human was…off.

"And what do you gain from killing all half-elves?"

"Just piece of mind. Half-elves are disgusting creatures that soil our…sorry, my, beautiful planet. After all, you're a half-elf, it doesn't belong to you."

Raine scowled disgust evident on her face but now her senses were screaming at her to take note of what they were trying to tell her what was wrong with this man as he stopped in front of her.

Mana was pouring from him, the smell and feel almost over whelming, and it was telling her he was old, very old in fact.

"From the look on your face Raine, I think you've just realised something about me…and you understand my predicament with that knowledge, yes?"

"You're…"

He reached up to his hair by the side of his ear, pulling the hair back to expose the smooth curve of it…but it wasn't a smooth curve, not if you looked close enough. There was no folding at the top of the ear like there should have been on a human, no extra curve to catch the air…but there was scarring, a terrible amount that completely marred the flesh. Surgical scars…or at the very least, cosmetic.

"I removed the elven points of my ears…they gave away my race far too easily. Half-elven ears are quite bad at that…"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you trying to exterminate your own race!?" She asked, the clues fitting into place. The dyed hair covered up the fact that he was of half-elven blood and so did the cutting of the ears. The voice and manner of movement were a cover-up too, removing the characteristic elegance that permeated the elven blood.

"That's not for you to worry about. All you need to do is note down my mana signature and scurry back to your lab and find a way to guard me from that bomb."

"Buildings usually do that. Lead is a good one too." she spat.

He laughed, coldly. "Raine, I wouldn't have a weapon made if it only killed half of the people it was intended to. The mana that powers the project is from a wonderful specimen. His mana signature is linked to every half-elves in the world, due to his age and that means, it is related to mine and the bombs tracking device would find and kill me."

Raine stared back at him, letting the information sink in.

"Now," He reached out for her suddenly, catching her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. "You go back to that lab and you find a way to either turn me completely human or otherwise protect me from that bomb or your brother will be turned into a test subject for it immediately." He patted her cheek, releasing her.

"How am I supposed to turn you human?"

"There have been humans who've added elven blood to their own, essentially turning themselves into half-elves in the past….I'm sure you'll find a way to do the opposite."

"How do you know…"

He snapped his fingers and called for the guard, cutting off her question as the guard came in to collect her. The Leader turned his back, walking back towards the door he had entered in.

"Make sure Ms. Sage is returned to her lab and that she gets to work immediately. I have a feeling we're on a bit of a tight schedule."

Hope all the talking wasn't too dull for you. As always, please, please, please review...I'm desperate for some feedback here.