Nighthawk Chronicles – Julian's Song
The 32nd Special Operations Unit, A.K.A. the Nighthawks, has within its claws the most versatile collection of warriors Clan Jade Falcon has ever wielded. Hand picked from Loremaster and Commanding Officer of the Falcon Watch, Kael Pershaw, each member has grown into their position through trial, tribulation, and acceptance of their peers. A tight-knit unit atmosphere formed as they worked behind enemy lines and abroad, collecting intelligence and thwarting enemy operations while remaining invisible. Their existence is classified, and so are their accomplishments.
One member, however, stands out from the rest. Julian Buhallin, the appointed face man of the unit deploys ahead of the rest, working on his own under the guise of many faces, gaining friends and contacts with positions and knowledge crucial to the unit's success. That success comes at a price however, and none knows the burden he bears from day to day. Friends and comrades are betrayed or killed as casualties of this shadow war more often than anyone would like to admit, and yet he stands tall, strong in his convictions and ever so loyal to his clan.
There is more man than loyal servant in his being however, as the inner workings of his mind allow him to turn his emotions on and off at the flip of a switch. The least social of the group, he has been accepted through the good graces of his friends, though they still fail to know his true nature.
He was not always like this. Once a socially active and emotionally dominated individual, the events of his second right of passage echo through his mind like waves in an ocean. What happened to this man to make him the machine he is today?
This is his story. This is Julian's Song.
PROLOGUE
The mist of his breath caught in his vision slightly as he tried to control his erratic breathing. The cold was eating into his body slowly, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins kept his blood burning hot. The only thing that mattered was the man walking away from him in the snow, and the gun he raised to point at his head.
Kael Pershaw stopped in his tracks, sensing that the mechwarrior behind him was having second thoughts. His trench coat hung still, telling full the absence of any wind. His head dipped as he spoke from his heart, a metaphorical source of passion that he long thought he had lost. "I know you want to kill me right now…"
Julian blinked twice to keep his vision clear. The pistol in his hand turned to concrete within milliseconds as the heat of the body at his knees dissipated into the cold air. The snow absorbed every sound, making it eerily quiet, though Julian struggled to clear his thoughts as if he were in a crowded stadium. His friend's lungs stopped pumping only seconds ago, as his left hand was still on the man's chest to confirm his presence.
The three of them, on the mountain, alone… it made for one memorable moment, if anyone would ever know about it.
