Gone AWOL(Saber,Prythian)

[Mani4c]

Alexi returned with four cups of coffee and several cream and sugar packets on a tray. "Good, you didn't try to tear each other's eyes out. I'm sorry for exploding like that, but it was ridiculous that three trained police officers were getting into an argument over something as stupid as keeping secrets, that is behavior I'd expect from teenagers in a high-school lunchroom." Alexi set the Tray on Kate's desk and began preparing everyone's coffee. "There, now we can sit down, have our coffee, and discuss this like adults." Alexi pulled up a chair between both parties so he could play mediator, it was an old trick from his drill instructor days. By sitting in the middle of both groups you give off the impression of being impartial.

"Okay, so we all know why Mary was here. I'm going to be honest with you Mary, the fact that you were willing to kill to protect Erika was not only impressive, but it again makes me glad that you two are together. To be willing to do such a thing for the sake of a loved one is touching to me, BUT, your unwillingness to communicate with Erika led to you becoming paranoid and overprotective. A mistake that could have cost you your life if you drew those pistols of yours." Alexi's voice was calm and collected, but still forceful. He wasn't coddling Mary, but he wasn't outright berating her either, and now that he was calm he became much more articulate as well. Alexi then turned to Erika

"Erika, I understand your desire to protect Mary, but Mary is capable of protecting himself." Erika tried to speak up, but was cut off by Alexi. "Let me finish. If you had told Mary, she could have been a target, that much is true. However, the fact that she is close to you would be enough to make her a target, by hurting her they would hurt you. If you told her from the beginning, the only thing that would have happened is that Mary would know what she's up against, thereby making her more capable of fending off an attempt on her life. Like Mary you succumbed to your protective instincts and did not think clearly." Alexi took a large drink of his coffee before continuing. "If I had to say anything to you two, it would be this: Never let your love for each other make you blind to what either of you are truly capable of." Mary and Erika nodded, "I understand Alexi." "Yeah, I got the message too chief." Alexi smiled, "Good, now then..."

Alexi turned to Kate, "Captain, I know it is out of place to criticize my superior officer, but your actions today could have created a bloodbath. Mary is possibly the best gunfighter I know, now she most likely would have died if it came to a shootout. But you would be dead as well, along with possibly a large number of officers. If you were on my team and pulled what you did I'd have s*** canned you without a second thought." Alexi paused for a moment to let his words sink in. "Now I know that Mary didn't care much for regs and rules, but you did the exact same thing, and the rules Mary broke never would have landed her in jail. So before you judge her too harshly think about what you've done to try and do the right thing."

Alexi took another sip of coffee, "Now, I've worked with Mary before. As impulsive, violent, and crude as she is. She is equally kind, giving, and in possession of a strong moral compass. So whatever bad mojo you two have with one another, you are both going to leave it at the door right now." Alexi shot both Kate and Mary a stern glare. "We have too many powerful foes knocking at our gates for this kind of s*** happening. So, I recommend that we reinstate Mary Richards as a special member of Net-Ops, so we can use her firearms and mechanical expertise to it's fullest. but...she is to be partnered with Erika, that way they can have each other's back, and you don't have to worry about Mary becoming overprotective due to being out of the loop. As an added bonus, Totenkopf can be registered as a Net-Ops member, that way we can keep tabs on him and he can look for his family."

Alexi looked between the two groups, "Now then...Are we willing to act like adults, or are we going to continue acting like children?" The tone in Alexi's voice was undeniable, it said "Start fighting again, I dare you."


Viral begrudgingly stopped laughing, "Sorry, it's just that seeing Alexi go all drill sergeant on those three was so unexpected." He sat back down in his chair and began mulling over recent events when someone entered Baretta's office. It was Onimaru, and he had a guest with him, Totenkopf. "I know that this is a bad time, but Totenkopf requested a private meeting with you and Viral, Baretta." Totenkopf had both of his hands held in front of him, a gesture meant to show that he wasn't armed. "If what I'm being told is true, it seems that I attacked you for some reason." Totenkopf dropped to one knee and put his hand over his heart. "I cannot apologize enough, my behavior was vile and I will accept any punishment that you deliver onto me." Unlike Onimaru's groveling, Totenkopf carried himself with a great deal of dignity. "However, because of my deletion I cannot remember the circumstances that led to this. As childish as it sounds, could you, as Madam Mary would say: "Run it by me again"?

[Saber]

Kate raised an eyebrow when Alexi suggested Totenkopf be registered as a Net Ops member, along with Mary "There are two problems with your suggestion, Sergeant. One: Totenkopf isn't technically Mary's avatar, and is likely to leave when his business is done regarding whatever family matters he has to deal with. And two: As good as she is skill-wise, I don't think internal affairs would like the idea of reinstating someone who has almost zero control over her temper, and is quick to violence when said temper gets past the boiling point."

Baretta listened to Totenkopf's apology, but was hesitant to discuss why exactly he went out of control in the first place. She figured it would be best to try and test him, to make sure it wouldn't become a routine incident "...Onimaru told me you were looking for some family of yours, right?"

[Mani4c]

Mary looked at Kate, "Tch, good to know that IA's still a pain in my a** even after I've left." Mary had a small smile on her face, she seemed to have cooled off quite a bit. "Well, as an expert at getting IA off of my back, here's an idea. Why don't you make me a consultant like Erika? That way all you have to do is stamp the waivers I need and if I cock up It's on my head. That way I'll be near my darling Erika here." Mary put her arm around Erika's shoulders, making the smaller woman blush slightly. "And Totenkopf can still look for his family, and when he leaves I'll still be able to help out on this end."

Mary stood up, "Look, we've NEVER gotten along, ever since the academy we've been at each other's throat's in some way. But this is bigger than us, bigger than this precinct, we're looking at all out war on both the digital and physical plane. You're going to need all of the back-up you can get." Mary held out her hand. "So, are you willing to have me?"

Meanwhile, Onimaru was explaining who Totenkopf really was, from the legends about the four horsemen(though it was more like two horsemen and two horse women.), to his arrival in Cyber City and his meetings with both Dagger and Onimaru. "And that's how he got here, but as for the fight...I don't know. Look Totenkopf doesn't like killing, it's just his job. And I know that he wouldn't fight you guys unless he felt that it was really important." Totenkopf nodded. "My family is all I have, they were born with me, all I want is to find them." Viral nodded, "Well...s***. I can sympathize, my Bro's got the same thing going for Baretta and Saber, if they went missing he'd tear this whole city apart to find them." Viral turned to Baretta, "It's your call Boss, are you going to tell him?"

[Saber]

Kate listened to Mary's sarcastic retorts regarding internal affairs, shrugging their shoulders as her only response. After hearing Mary's idea of how to get around IA's rules and regulations, and her idea of being a consultant like Erika, she merely smirked and shook her head, taking Mary's hand and shaking it "You always were the queen at dodging political bullets, you stubborn bitch." Even though Kate called Mary a bitch, there was just enough of a friendly undertone in her voice to prove that she at least said it in good faith. "Just remember your own words, Richards. You screw up, it's not on us. And I expect you to cooperate with any consequences from my end if it does happen."

Baretta nodded as she listened to Onimaru explain Totenkopf's existence, and the existence of his family "Being a personally customized avatar, I can't really relate much to your predicament, but I can understand that this is important to you." Crossing her arms, she gave him a cautious glare "I'm going to say this once, Totenkopf. If you do overreact, I WILL make sure you are kept contained until you learn some patience, and don't jump straight into chase mode when something pops up. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

[Mani4c]

Mary smirked, "But of course, and trust me, Erika'll reel my ass in if I get too rowdy." Erika nodded, "I'll keep her out of trouble, I'm used to it anyway." Alexi stood up and clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Now that we're in agreement, I'll take care of the paperwork, though you'll still need to stamp the papers." Alexi left, leaving the three women alone in the office. Mary looked at Kate, "Okay, now that Alexi's gone I can talk. Look Kate, I'm... sorry for losing my s*** like that, I was being a damn fool." Erika looked at Mary like she'd grown a second head, she never apologized. "It's just...Erika, means everything to me, if I lost her I don't know what I'd do." Mary looked uncomfortable, she wasn't used to showing her emotions. "So, for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Totenkopf nodded, "I understand, and thank you for being so understanding." Viral Mani4c looked at Baretta, "So, do you want to tell him or should I? Cause he's told us his life story."

[Saber]

Kate raised her eyebrows, actually surprised that Mary, the person with the most pride, and the hottest temper Kate knew -even worse than her own- was apologizing for her behavior. She lowered her brows and nodded her head as Mary explained why she acted the way she did, and repeating her apology "Never thought you of all people would apologize for acting out of line, I figured you would have tried throwing out some random excuse to get out of saying that. I suppose Erika's having a good influence on you, Mary. Well, I'll admit I was out of line myself, I don't take kindly to death threats, even from former colleagues, so my responses were certainly less than desirable. I've been having some stressful situations on my end as well as you know..."

She sighed and crossed her arms, closing her eyes as she reflected on the day Mani4c quit, and when she realized exactly how narrow her vision had become "I mean hell, I was even doing things outside of protocol, and approving of such actions under my management. Me, of all people. So when I finally opened my eyes to what I was doing, I had to leave Frank in charge of the station as temporary captain because...Well, quite frankly, I NEEDED a break...And I needed to figure out exactly what I had fucked up on..."

She then had a smug grin on her face, looking out the door as she checked to make sure Alexi was still gone writing up paperwork "You know something, I bet if the drill sergeant out there saw how well we were making up and getting along right now, he wouldn't know what to do with himself, knowing our history and all."

Baretta lowered her arms to rest her hands on her hips "Alright, I'll tell you what I know, but keep in mind that I don't have definite answers on if this is confirmed or not, it's only a theory." She then began explaining Lilith's reaction to Totenkopf's presence, and how she overheard that they were both having moments of deja vu "You see, when you were talking about how you felt like you knew her, she was talking the same thing, like you've already met, but you can't remember. It's just a theory, but I think she might, and I can't emphasize enough on the word MIGHT, be one of your sisters. We'll try and get more info on her by having someone go undercover for gathering intel." She then gave Viral a coy look "And I think I might already have a volunteer."

[Mani4c]

Mary snickered, "Well, let's just keep this to ourselves, no need to confuse the poor guy." Erika rolled her eyes, "Five minutes ago I had to worry about you killing each other, now your best pals, I need some Sake..." Mary grabbed Erika and pulled her into a hug, "Hey! No hitting the hooch until after we get home, I don't want the men out there knowing how adorable you are when your drunk." Mary looked at Kate and smirked, "Seriously, she turns into a sleepy five year old, it's precious." Erika pulled out of Mary's hug and slugged her in the shoulder. "Mary!" Mary just laughed. "Actually, if you have any free time do you want to hit a bar with me? I used to work at one in midtown, and the guy give me a discount, and he serves no-alcoholic drinks if you don't want to worry about that. After all, can't have the Captain of Net-Ops getting s*** faced can we?"

Totenkopf's eyes widened underneath his hood, he could have run into one of his siblings? "Please, if she'll even talk to me, let her know that I wish to see her! Even if she's not one of my siblings, I need to apologize for my actions." Onimaru put his hand on Totenkopf's shoulder to steady him. "Easy, just let them do their jobs my friend. I know you're used to trusting no one but yourself, but if they promise to try and help you, they will." Totenkopf nodded, "Of course, of course..." Viral looked at Totenkopf with an odd expression, he wasn't used to showing compassion, and it showed on his face. "Don't worry man, I'll let her know that you didn't want to hurt her, and if I explain your situation I'm sure she'll try and help. Lilith's a good egg."

[Saber]

Kate grinned when Mary started talking about how Erika acted when she gets drunk "I'm almost tempted to want to see that now. And I'm no stranger to having a boiler maker now and then if I've had a crazy day. I might just take you up on that offer Richards, but you're covering the first round."

Baretta was about to get on the defensive when Totenkopf was getting eager to contact Lilith, but Onimaru managed to diffuse the situation before it got too out of hand, and Mani4c was even on board with reassuring Totenkopf she and the NPD would help him reunite with his siblings.

"Onimaru is right. and Viral Mani4c will be the one who takes point on this job, since she seemed to take a shine to the two of you." She was looking at Viral as she finished the second half of her statement, making it very clear that she was addressing him as she spoke.

[Mani4c]

Mary laughed, "You're on! I just finished a huge restoration job on a 68' Camaro, so I've got plenty of cash." Erika pinched the bridge of her nose, "If you beat the crap out of another drunken fool who hits on you, I'm not bailing you out." Mary just smirked, "Hey, it's not my fault he got all grabby. And besides, I asked him nicely and he still decided to lay hands on me, so I was justified." Erika just nodded, "Riiiight, anyway, I'm going to go help Alexi write up those papers. You two enjoy girl time." Erika walked out of the office, muttering in Japanese about "crazy women".

Viral looked at Baretta and nodded, "Got it, I'll explain the situation and see if I can't convince her to at least have a sit down with Bojangles." Viral started to walk out of the office before turning to Baretta with a somewhat uncomfortable expression. "Hey, uh, thanks again for giving me a shot at this. I can't promise that I won't screw up, but I'll do my best to stay on the straight and narrow." With a small wave, Viral left to find Lilith.

Totenkopf looked at Baretta, "Thank you, I can never repay you for this, and I can never atone for being such a fool and trying to hurt you. I will assist you whenever you need me."

[Saber]

Kate watched Mary and Erika half talk, half argue, amused by their behaviors, and smirking when Mary was accused by Erika of apparently beating up a drunken man with wandering hands "Well, considering she's not able to flash her badge anymore, it sounds like what she did was justified, albeit law breaking. That was an amusing case to read, I must admit."

Baretta nodded to Viral as he showed gratitude for Baretta giving him a chance to prove himself "Hey, it's on me if something goes wrong too, just do your best to make me look good, got it?" She waited for Viral's confirmation before waving him farewell. She then looked over at Totenkopf as he was also being thankful, and apologetic, dismissing it with a wave "At least you're not always like that. If you were, I wouldn't have even given you this much, you'd have found yourself in an isolation cell as soon as I laid eyes on you." She crossed her arms as Totenkopf mentioned helping however he could, an idea popping into her head.

"There is one thing you could do, not so much for me, as for a colleague of mine. You seem familiar with Dagger, how much do you know about him?"

[Mani4c]

Totenkopf scoffed at Dagger's name, "He thinks that he's some kind of savior, blindly following his programming and butchering anything that he sees as 'Immoral'. He has no sense of moral grey area, he's better off deleted if I must be honest, he's a disaster waiting to happen."

Totenkopf started to pace, "He and I fought before, and if it wasn't for the fact that I was restricted to my sealed form at the time he'd be dead right now." Totenkopf thought for a moment to see if he could remember anything else. "He has an odd ability to detect an enemies weak points, and deliver fatal blows in swift order, I'd recommend heavy armor to limit the amount of open spots he can strike at. He can also cloak, as you've obviously seen, making it almost impossible to attack him if he tries to hide." The reaper avatar stopped for a moment, "Honestly, it would be easier to create a special unit to hunt the bastard down instead of trying to go toe to toe with him on your own." Totenkopf looked at Baretta, "I don't know what to tell you other than that."

Meanwhile Viral was heading towards Lilith's address, shooting down the street on Mani4c's cyber speeder. "Luckily I remember where her place is, thank you shared memory." Mani4c's voice cut across Viral's thoughts. 'You should let me handle convincing her, she doesn't know about you yet.' Viral nodded, "That's a good plan, I'm no good at being convincing anyway, short of being threatening." When Viral arrived at Lilith's address, he gave Mani4c control. 'Good luck champ.' Mani4c sent Baretta a message, <I'm at Lilith's I have an answer for you within the hour.>

[Saber]

Baretta listened closely as Totenkopf explained his knowledge about Dagger, why he acts the way he does, what he can do. She was actually surprised that there was an ability that could analyze and pinpoint weak spots in an opponent, finding that ability intriguing. She didn't like how Totenkopf viewed Dagger as being better off deleted, scowling at him in response "I can understand that you may have ill will towards him, but he isn't as bad as his more power-hungry brother. Thank you for your input about Dagger, but I would appreciate if you kept your opinions about him to yourself from now on. Until he harms an innocent avatar, he's doing just as he was originally programmed to do; keep the network safe from criminals. If we can bring him in and reformat him, we might be able to get him back on our side."

She then had a message pop up in front of her from Mani4c, telling her he would have an answer within an hour "Well, looks like you're going to have your answer soon, Mani4c's already at your supposed sister's home."

[Mani4c]

Totenkopf nodded, "Excellent, perhaps I may get some answers after 2 years of futile searching." Totenkopf sat in the chair that Viral had made and summoned a fireball in his hand, he began idly playing with it, trying to pass the time.

Meanwhile, Lilith was watching an old game walkthrough on her video screen, the video was made by a man named "Markiplier". He was a favorite of hers; mostly because he was both funny and charitable, evidently in 2054 he donated a sum of $50,000 to a children's hospital.

Lilith looked up when she heard a knock on her door. "Just a sec!" Lilith paused the video and walked over to her door, she looked through the peephole and smiled. Lilith unlocked the door and opened it, revealing Mani4c. "Hey, I just thought I come over and see how things are going." Lilith smiled flirtatiously, "Oh aren't you the gentleman, checking up on little old me." Mani4c blushed visibly. "W-well..." Lilith hugged Mani4c, "Thanks hon, I'm flattered."

Viral snickered 'Oh isn't this precious? the cute little hero's speechless before the beautiful damsel. Now I NEED to speak to this woman.' Before Mani4c could object Viral took control, his eyes flashed purple. "Much better..." He looked at Lilith, taking in her appearance, "Heh, well aren't you cute?"

Lilith immediately noticed Mani4c's sudden personality shift, "Who are you and what have you done with Mani4c?" Viral noticed the tinge of fear in her voice, and his friendly expression vanished instantly, replaced with one of anger. "Well aren't you the polite one?" Viral almost snarled, she didn't even know him and she became defensive. "As for who I am, the name's Viral Mani4c, but just call me Viral." Viral walked past Lilith, looking around the apartment. "Nice place, homey, chipper. Not my style, but it's got it's charm." Lilith gave Viral a sharp look, "Would you mind explaining who you are exactly? It's not every day that you learn that a friend has another person living in his head." Viral shot Lilith a look, "I'm the viral personality traits that Mani4c ignores given consciousness. I'm basically sharing a body with Mani4c. Now time for me to ask you something...Would you mind coming down to the NPD station? That reaper dude from before wants to speak to you."

Lilith froze, just the mention of Totenkopf seemed to give her fits. 'Not surprising, considering how they met the first time.' "Yo, calm down, he just wants to apologize and ask for some info that you might have." Lilith swallowed, "Wh-what kind of info?" Viral just shrugged, "Personal info, I think that it would be better for either him or Baretta to tell you." "What makes you think that I want anything to do with him!?" Lilith was visibly shaking, she was beginning to have a panic attack. She remembered how sick being near Totenkopf had made her, it had made her feel like her brain was going to claw it's way out of her head, and the mark on her hand had burned like a branding iron.

Viral saw Lilith's reaction and rolled his eyes before walking over, he had a look of discomfort on his face, he wasn't used to being comforting. He knelt down and gently hugged Lilith, "Hey, just take some breaths okay? In and out, it'll calm you down." Lilith grabbed Viral's shoulders, fearing that her legs were going to give out. Viral just gave Lilith a pat on the back, "Just relax, I got ya." Lilith took a few deep breaths, letting her nerves settle before letting go of Viral. "I'm good." "You sure? I don't want you freaking out on me again, I'm not good at this 'caring' stuff."

Lilith smirked, "Coulda fooled me, you're a lot more like Mani4c than you think." Lilith smiled and gave Viral a peck on the cheek, causing him to turn beat red. "Uh, *Ahem* well...I'm not completely heartless." Viral let go of Lilith and looked away from her, trying to hide his blush and failing miserably. Lilith gave a small chuckle. "Come on honey, let's go see what Baretta and that robed creeper want." Viral nodded and opened the door holding it for Lilith, "Always a gentleman eh?" Viral just rolled his eyes. As Lilith walked by Viral opened a chat window and sent Baretta a notice <We're on our way, have an interview room ready.>

((Timeskip to Lilith's interview.))

Lilith was sitting in an interview room in the NPD server, Viral was sitting next to her, she had asked that he stay nearby so she wouldn't get cold feet. "So...How's this going to work?" Viral shrugged, "I have no clue, though I have a feeling that Baretta's going to want to have a word with you, your reaction to Totenkopf was rather extreme. We need to know why that happened, and I think a woman's touch would be better here." Lilith nodded, "You'll stay though, right? Cause I'm actually kind of scared, I don't want to feel that sick ever again." Viral put a hand on her shoulder, "Just stay calm, I'm right here with you." Viral put a finger to his ear and contacted Baretta, "She's ready to speak with you Baretta, feel free to come in."

[Saber]

Baretta shrugged her shoulders as Totenkopf started playing with a fireball, dismissing it while working on some documentation that was starting to pile up. After about 10 minutes she got a response from Mani4c. "...H-uh, Straight and to the point, Viral must have taken over during the errand" *...Hopefully he didn't overdo it or try to be intimidating...* Getting to her feet, she filed the last bit of documentation and sent Rotor a message "Rotor, it's Baretta, I need an interrogation cell available for a guest. Have it set to triple encoded, and send Mani4c the pass codes." "You got it chief! One triple encoded interrogation room coming up."

With that done, Baretta looked at Onimaru and Totenkopf "Onimaru, you and Totenkopf are to wait here until I notify you that you can escort your friend to the room. Totenkopf, I'm giving you some leash here by setting this meeting up with your possible sister. Don't choke me with it, alright?" Once she got confirmation from both parties, she headed for the interrogation cells, where Lilith and Mani4c would be waiting for her.

Baretta came in not too much after Viral gave the okay, giving Lilith a comforting smile when their eyes met "Hey Lilith, sorry for contacting you so suddenly after that incident. Mani4c's viral half wasn't too intimidating, was he?" She looked over at Viral, who no doubt would've given her a look because of her comment "No offense intended, Viral, but your social skills ARE kind of lacking right now, we still have to work on making you approachable."

She took a seat adjacent to Lilith at the end of the table,"Entrance to this room is triple encoded, I can assure you that if anyone were to get in, it was because Mani4c, myself, or another official let them in, so we won't have any unexpected interruptions until." Her tone of voice changed from kind, to slightly more serious. Indicating that, while still showing empathy, she was getting to the point, so as not to waste too much time, and to make sure Totenkopf wouldn't get overanxious and try acting without getting the okay "I assume that Mani4c, or Viral have told you why we brought you in?

[Mani4c]

Lilith nodded, "It's fine Baretta, I know that you wouldn't call me if it wasn't important. And Viral was just fine, though he did knock out some guy who's eyes were wandering, I didn't even tell him to. He just up and clocked the guy." Viral shot Lilith a glare, evidently he wanted to keep that under wraps. "Hey, considering Mani4c had to save your tail from one creepy stalker today, I'm not taking any chances. I'd so the same for Baretta or Mirror, I'm a sociopath, but I still think women deserve respect...Well, most of them anyway, I ain't afraid to clean a ladies clock if she's trying to off me for no good reason." Lilith just laughed, "Honey, I'm not knocking you! I'm actually kind of impressed, I wouldn't have thought that you'd be the chivalrous type." Viral scoffed, "Well like I said, even I have morals, as screwed up as they are."

Lilith looked back at Baretta, "But as for me knowing about what it is you want exactly, Viral thought it would be best for you to explain it, he was nervous about mucking up the message." Viral nodded, "Considering the fact I nearly gave her a nervous breakdown just mentioning Bojangles in the other room, I think you'd be better suited for this, I did give her the abridged version though." 

[Saber]

Baretta gave Viral a brief death glare, then sighed and rolled her eyes in dismissal "Well, considering what's happened today, I can't say I can blame him for acting how he did. But Viral, until someone actually tries anything, do try and keep your hands to yourself next time." When Lilith explained that Viral said it would be best if Baretta told her the full story, confirmed by Viral, she nodded

"Very well, I'll explain to you what Totenkopf explained to me. But first, there's some things I want to ask about you specifically, Lilith." She leaned forward, hands folded together "When you were in my car, during the fight with Totenkopf, you were acting like you were becoming ill, something I've not seen avatars do. What was happening to you when he was nearby?"

[Mani4c]

Viral nodded, though he was a little irritated with being told off, he understood were Baretta was coming from. "Got it Baretta, I'll be a bit less reactive next time."

When Baretta asked Lilith about her illness during the confrontation with Totenkopf, Lilith began to shake and breath rapidly. She tried to speak, but the words were getting caught in her throat. Viral noticed Lilith's reaction and quickly grabbed her hand, "Calm down Lilith, remember what I told you before, deep breaths." Viral gave Lilith's hand a gentle squeeze, Lilith nodded and took a few shaky breaths, eventually calming down. "I-I'm sorry about that, I kind of...Panicked." Viral loosened his grip on Lilith's hand, but didn't release it. "Just take it slow, if you need a minute just stop and get your bearings. We need info, but we don't want you to have a panic attack either."

Lilith nodded before taking a deep breath. "Right...Okay, well when he first showed up I just felt a sense of Deja-vu, but as he got closer it began to devolve into a headache. At first it was just a small smarting feeling, kind of like when you bump your head on a cupboard door, but then my ears started to ring...It got worse as time went on, getting more intense along with the headache."

Lilith swallowed nervously before continuing, "Eventually it was less of a ring and more like a roaring kind of sound, almost like wind when it's blowing really fast, and my headache was so bad that it felt like my brain was trying to claw it way out of my head. Then, the mark on my hand started to glow, it's never done that unless...unless I start...feeding." Viral gave Lilith's hand a squeeze again, trying to reassure her, albeit in a clumsy manner. "And finally, it started to burn, it felt like someone had pressed a branding iron onto hand." Viral finally spoke up. "I hate to be intrusive, but what mark? I haven't seen one." Lilith sighed and lifted her right hand and made a fist, causing a slight glimmer to appear on the back of her hand. Emblazoned in the center of her hand was the emblem that she had shown Baretta.((See here)). Viral's eyes widened, and for the first time in history, something had made both Mani4c and Viral completely speechless. "Whoa." "Jesus...That's...I've got nothing."

[Saber]

Baretta sat silently, waiting for Lilith to be ready to tell her story. She was actually surprised to see that Viral was actually showing compassion for someone rather than being rude or cynical. As she listened to Lilith tell what happened to her during the encounter with Totenkopf, she noticed some strange things that she's never heard happen with avatars. Deja-vu, headaches, those were typical signs of amnesia for most humans. The mark on the hand was certainly not normal, but it was something she might be able to work with. Keeping the mark in a temporary PDF file, she decided to check some other clues that might help her figure out some answers.

"...These aren't your typical symptoms for avatars, Lilith...But I do have a theory that my next few questions might confirm...How much do you know about your past? When you were created for example, the type of data that sparked your creation. What's the very first thing that you remember about yourself; your earliest moment after becoming self aware?"

[Mani4c]

Lilith took a breath, her past wasn't exactly a nice topic for her. "I barely remember anything about how I was made, I have no idea what kind of data created me and I have no idea just how I came to exist. All I remember is waking up in an alleyway in the middle of a thunderstorm, I was in the fetal position and I was only wearing a simple robe, dark grey I think...or maybe black." Viral's eyes widened at the mention of a black robe, "Was it similar to the one Totenkopf has?" Lilith nodded, "Yes, but it didn't have a hood on it."

Viral's mind started to race, but he couldn't confirm his suspicion without Totenkopf. "Continue, sorry for the interruption." "Anyway, I wandered around the net for what felt like months, squatting in abandoned buildings like a goddamn rat." Lilith's voice became bitter. "I managed to squeak by for a while, but that ended when that psycho found me. He tried to attack me with a knife, so I ran. But he had some sort of upgrade or something, because all the sudden his arm turned into a black mass, almost like ink." Lilith took a breath, and became silent for a moment, trying to work up the nerve to finish her story. "He-he grabbed me, and tried to stab me, laughing like a slasher film villain the whole time. I thought that I was dead, but suddenly this voice in my head said "Bite him!" so I did..."

Lilith stopped again, she looked almost ashamed, "I...I bit him, and drained his data, but...I lost control, I became almost feral, I ended up draining him down to the source code." Viral looked at Lilith, his face had an expression that looked like a mixture of pity and understanding, he was all to familiar with losing control because of an inherent instinct. "I blacked out, and when I came to, I was...different. I  was in my vampire form, and I had the ability to shapeshift by turning into a shadow, just like that lunatic." Lilith put her head, in her hands "I'm a f***ing monster."

Viral suddenly grabbed Lilith by the shirt, "What the hell!?" "Don't ever call yourself a monster! You're only a monster if you give in to those impulses, you have fought day after day to control your instincts, trying to make a life for yourself. A monster wouldn't care, they'd revel in their power, use it to make others suffer. Halberd is a monster, the Big 4 are monsters, THAT PIECE OF S*** THAT YOU DRAINED WAS A MONSTER!" Viral seemed to suddenly snap out of it, realizing what he was doing. He immediately let go of Lilith and sunk back into his chair, Viral began to speak again, almost pleading. "Please...don't call yourself a monster again...you're not." Viral looked at the floor, "I'm sorry..."

[Saber]

Baretta listened to Lilith tell her story, piecing things together as potential amnesia. The robe was leo an interesting clue to keep in mind, so she kept that in her memory banks as well, to help confirm her theory by bringing all of her reference material to Totenkopf. When Lilith started calling herself a monster, she was about to say something, when Viral gave into impulse, grabbed Lilith's shirt, and started lecturing her about calling herself a monster when she actually wasn't.

"...While I would have been a bit less direct as Viral was, he's right. You resisted your urge to feed on other avatars, something that a civilized individual would do, be they biological or digital. You're only a monster if you make yourself into one."

Baretta folded her hands together, looking into Lilith's eyes as she took her turn to speak "Alright, you've told me everything that I've asked of you, now I believe it's time I held my end of the exchange...You see, the reason Totenkopf was so aggressive before, when he found you, was because he believes you to possibly one of his three lost siblings; siblings that he is trying to find. And honestly, after what I've heard so far, I'm starting to believe he may be right."