Hello, everyone! As you know, "At Your Service" was a story that was quite poorly done. It was filled with plot holes, abandoned elements, and unrealistic character development.
I hope you guys find this rewrite better than the original. It isn't going to be that much of a romance story this time, but I promise I'll put somma that gay shit in there my dudes
-Felix
CHAPTER ONE: A Terrible Day for Rain
Ness was thrown to his knees onto the cold ground by the soldier behind him. He drew in a sharp, pained breath through his teeth as a sharp pain shot up his legs. A familiar figure from his childhood stood before him. Ness shakily raised his head, wincing from the searing burn in his neck. A trail of blood ran from his mouth and stained his shirt. He managed to open his eyes enough to see the towering person above him, grinning a twisted grin. The slick blond hair and smug expression was something he could recognize anywhere.
"...Pokey? Is that y-"
"Don't call me that! God, you think I liked being stuck with that name? Nowadays, I'm known as 'My Lord', got it?" The Lord commanded, advancing forward and aggressively grabbing a fistful of Ness' hair.
"Wait, what? Pokey, what do you...?!" He was interrupted by his own yelp, when The Lord yanked him forwards.
"My name is what?" He demanded.
"M...My Lord..." Ness muttered, gritting his teeth to stop tears from coming. He hadn't seen this boy in nearly two years, not since he disappeared from Eagleland to pursue his own path. Ness knew he had formed a cult of some sort with the Happy Happy Village folk, but had no idea he had grown this powerful.
"Good boy, Nesley!" The Lord taunted, releasing his grip, and letting Ness hit the floor, "I thought you'd put up more of a fight than this! You've got a bit soft, haven't you? Back when we were kids, you'd've kicked and screamed. Guess saving the world gave you a bit too much of an ego, didn't it?"
"Don't test me, Blondie!" Ness challenged, trying to lunge forward. His wrists, however, were bound in chains. The Lord narrowed his eyes.
"Theeere's that ferocity I remember. Perfect for what I have in store for you!"
"What, are you gonna kill me?"
"Oh, much, much worse. You see, Ness, you had the opportunity to have me by your side to stop Giygas. But you chose that loser scientist, that worthless prince, and that weak little girl? Not your friend of thirteen years? Pathetic. Then you rejected my invite into what would soon become the world's most powerful cult. You could have had it all, Ness. But now, I can give that to you. This army needs military ranks, you know. Every army does. There's a Captain, a Lieutenant, a Second in Command, and...a General." The Lord sneered, tossing a bundle of fabric at Ness, who realized it was a jacket.
"Wait, you want me to..." Ness gasped, "No! I'm this world's saviour! I'd never join an army that killed and clawed it's way to the top! You burned down Onett just to get to me! You imprisoned my family, I..."
"Oh, but this is for the good of your family, Ness. They're alive, you know. And if you accept this role and join my ranks as a fairly high state of authority, they'll stay that way." The Lord threatened in a honeyed voice. Ness' heart skipped a beat.
"You wouldn't."
"You know I would."
Ness stared down at the crumpled uniform before him. A typical navy blue colour, representing the authority. It seemed appealing at first, but he was only fifteen. He didn't know this army's goal, but it couldn't be good it they were willing to set a city ablaze without prompting.
"Tick tock, Ness. You're mother and sister's lives are on the line. You already lost your dad, wouldn't wanna lose them too, yeah? I have a recently developed flamethrower that I'd love to test out."
Ness stared on, a troubled expression on his face.
"Well, fine. If you don't want to, then-"
"I'll do it."
The Lord, though surprised at first, cast a smug, pleased look at the noirette, who hung his head in defeat and shame.
"It's greater than you think, love. Trust me. You have the third highest level of authority, besides the Second in Command and me. You will refer to me as 'Sir', or 'My Lord', got it? Your job is to protect my Second in Command. You will refer to them as 'Your Highness'. Through heaven and hell, thick and thin, fire and ice, you will lay down your life to keep them alive. Got it?"
"That's not what a General does-"
"Does it really look like I care? Does it? I dunno what you learned in school, but this army is different. I run it my way."
"Yeah, okay."
"Sorry?" The Lord threatened, balling a fist.
"Yes sir." Ness reluctantly recited, bitterly.
"Wonderful! Your family will be spared, I promise." The Lord kneeled down to Ness' level and looked him in the eye with a malicious glint. He tossed a small object to the ground below him, which clattered on the floor. Ness looked, and saw it was a badge. In capital letters was the word "GENERAL" engraved in the metal. He finally let tears flow. A single drop fell on the tag.
"Welcome to the PigMasks." The Lord murmured.
"You're a fucking monster." Ness growled, letting hatred seethe in his voice.
"Sorry to tell you, but you're one too, now."
As The Lord chuckled to himself, walking away, the chains restraining Ness loosened. He scrambled to his feet and massaged his wrists. Ness glared down at the blue uniform that had been dropped at his feet, and the badge that lay beside it. He picked up both items and examined them both, narrowing his eyes. How much blood would stain these clothes? How many lives would be lost from his gunshot? How much sweat would he shed? Would the rest of the little innocence he still had be lost? Hundreds of questions ran through his head.
He shrugged on the jacket and pinned the newly received tag just over his heart. A surge of authority washed over him, but nothing about it felt good. It had been his childhood dream to be part of the army, as it was with most school-aged boys. But now that he was actually doing it, with no idea how the future would turn out, Ness didn't know how to feel.
"For mom...for dad...and Tracy..." He whispered to himself. Maybe this army wasn't all that bad. Maybe their intentions were good. Maybe they were set on protecting the world and everyone in it, and him being the General would just make them stronger.
He hoped so.
Dear god, he hoped so.
"...Hah...!"
Ness shot up, eyes wide, breathing heavily.
"Whoa, you okay, Army Boy?"
He felt a hand on his shoulder; the hand of his Lieutenant General and dearest friend, Paula. Her empty but still sweet voice calmed him. He turned to her and was relieved to see her face. Through the years, her once beautiful and cheerful face had worn down to be pale and sickly, but Ness still found comfort from it.
The two were currently sitting on a sturdy branch on an oak tree outside the army's home base, watching the sun rise.
"I'm...fine. Thanks, Lieutenant." He muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"You don't have to call me that. Anyways, I haven't seen that in a while. You seemed...scared, for a minute." Paula put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. Ness sighed and furrowed his brow.
"It's strange to admit it...but...I was. I think..." He paused, and lowered his voice to a whisper, "...I think I had a dream."
Paula tensed, and went silent. She then relaxed and let out a bit of a nervous laugh.
"Uhh, Ness? You know that's...a little impossible?"
"I know, but...still. Maybe it was a flashback, I don't know. But I think I saw the day I joined this army."
Paula didn't say anything. An uncomfortable silence dragged on. She broke the silence by clearing her throat and sitting up straight.
"...That was a long time ago." She murmured quietly, almost in a whisper. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and sighed. "308 years, Ness. Why are you just now remembering this? I can't even remember when The Lord convinced me to join. All I know is that he used that damn charisma of his. He threatened to kill my family if I didn't." She pulled her legs over the branch and let them swing, as if she were still a child.
"Mine too. But..." Ness grit his teeth, "...They're gone, now. Mom and Tracy. God dammit, I should be gone too. I should've died years ago."
"You, me, every soldier between the numbers of 1 to 2000 should be dead. We can't do anything about it." Paula reminded, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, we are high up on a tree about 15 feet off the ground. There's one thing we can do about it." Ness said, half jokingly, half serious, staring at the ground below.
"Don't start with that. You know they'll just bring us back."
"...Unless," Ness predicted, rolling his eyes. He'd heard this spiel many times before.
"Unless, we just...I don't know, escape?" Paula said.
"And leave Jeff here? You know that he-"
"I know about his leg...but Ness, come on. We'll get him a crutch or something...hell, we'll carry him! We need to get out of here, we..."
"Paula, it's a lost cause, alright? Everyone in the world knows our faces, who we are, and what we do. We take one step into the outside world, and all it takes is one report from a human to get us caught." Ness shot back, staring at her with bittersweet eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again and nodded hesitantly.
"Yah, I know." She admitted, "So, what do we do?"
Ness looked at the slowly rising sun. He squinted against it's rays peeking through the tips of the pine trees.
"I don't know." He emitted, "We stay here."
"I guess it's all we can do. But...no matter what, we're here together, right?" Paula grinned a bit, trying to stay on the bright side.
"...Yeah. Paula, listen, out of all the friends I had that could've been brutally forced into a bloodthirsty army built on world domination with me," He smiled back in reassurance, "I'm glad it was you. I wouldn't want anyone else as my Lieutenant General."
"I wouldn't want anyone else as my normal General." Paula said, lightly punching him in the shoulder.
As they sat in silence, the sun turned from a dark orange to a bright yellow as it rose over the horizon and a gentle breeze began to blow. Paula glanced over at her friend and observed him for a moment. He stared on, his face devoid of emotion. His jet black hair fluttered softly in the early morning wind, and the sunlight illuminated his violet eyes. She stayed like that, casually admiring him. Despite the bags under his eyes, almost grey skin, and somewhat skeletal facial structure due to lack of sleep and proper nutrition, he was still a handsome little boy.
"Hm?" Ness noticed her, "Something wrong?"
Paula jerked up and turned away, shifting uncomfortably, and sighed, "Listen..." She hesitated, "Ness, I-"
"My Generals, sir and madam!"
A voice from down below alerted the two. Ness peered over the tree branch and spotted a soldier standing straight up and heels together. He sighed, and stretched out his arms.
"Let's go." He murmured to Paula. He stood up and instantly leaped off of the branch and let himself fall for a moment, letting his genetically engineered wings spread at just the right moment to let him hover a bit just above the ground, before safely landing on his feet. The soldier lifted her arm in a sharp salute.
"My General! Permission to speak!" She asked.
"Granted." Ness passively told her. She relaxed her arm, and rested her hands respectfully behind her back.
"Orders from The Lord; he wishes for you to make your way to the laboratory. The new Second in Command is predicted to wake today." She reported. Ness' eyes darkened.
"I see." He murmured, "Right, then. At ease, dismissed."
The soldier nodded and walked away. At first, Ness didn't move. He stared at the ground, eyebrows knitted. Paula approached him after climbing down the tree and sympathetically took his hand in hers.
"I'm sure you'll do great with this one." She said softly. Ness bit his lip and didn't say anything. Paula walked in front of him and tried to look him in the eye, "Ness, come on. You couldn't keep her alive forever. I'm sure that this one will be just as great as she was."
"They'll never be like Commander N438, though. What kind of General am I if I can't protect the one person I'm responsible for protecting?" He spat.
"Hey. You kept her alive for over 300 years. That's incredible. And I can guarantee that you'll keep this one alive for even longer, okay?" She smiled at him reassuringly, "Now go meet them."
Ness, grateful for her comfort, gave a fake smile back, straightened his hat, and entered the headquarters. The cool air instantly hit him as he entered the building. The warm, calming, soft atmosphere from outside was replaced with a bustling, loud, colourless one. Once the busy crowd of soldiers noticed him as he walked along, they parted to allow him to pass through easily.
Within minutes, Ness stood in front of the laboratory entrance. He lifted his sleeve, exposing the bar code on the inside of his wrist and positioning it under a scanner built into the door. It beeped and clicked, allowing him to enter the room. He sent a nod of acknowledgement to the front desk operator and made his way down the main hallway, his combat boots clicking on the tiled floor.
"34...35...36...Here we go, 37." He silently counted under his breath as he passed numbered rooms. One more bar code scan, and he was in. He instantly spotted an old friend of his, who was sitting at a computer, typing away. The room was covered in clean, polished technology that Ness only knew how to use because of his programming.
"Jeff." Ness said. The blond scientist looked up, and his face instantly brightened.
"Nesley, hello!" He smiled as he got up from his chair and approached his friend with a slight limp. "Pleasure seeing you. I suppose you're here to supervise the programming of Commander C657. He's right there." Jeff gestured to the bed in the corner of the room where a body lay. Ness slowly walked over to observe them. It was a young boy this time, around 15 years old. He had messy red hair and pale skin covered with bandages soaked in blood. He flinched, noticing that the poor kid's arm was broken, torn, and mangled beyond recognition and usage. This was the work of a chimera attack.
"It'll have to be amputated." Jeff suddenly said, noticing Ness' disturbance. "C657 was found yesterday at the foot of a cliff; dead. After a thorough examination, I guessed that he got attacked by one of our chimeras, but fell over the edge. I put him under age enhancers and blockers. He's made the transition from ten years old to around your age."
"He does not look three hundred and eight years old." Ness said with a smirk. Age enhancers were a drug developed by Jeff himself to age up whoever it was used on within hours. The blockers, however, would stop them from aging altogether. Ness had been placed on them the instant he joined the army, while Jeff was permanently stuck at 23 years old.
"Neither do you, genius. And I mean your biological age, you lot. Fifteen, maybe sixteen years old." Jeff said. He walked over to a nearby medical table, where an assortment of tools lay, organized neatly. He retrieved a syringe and walked to a table across the room which supported a shelf filled with test tubes, all labeled. Jeff scanned each label before finding one filled with an opaque red liquid. Ness recognized it immediately.
"Felidae?" Ness asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's what The Lord wants; a human-feline chimera. He wants the enhanced hearing and sight, as well as the incredible stamina, balance, all that. He also wants a little bit of bat in there, because he wants him to be able to use echolocation." Jeff, with careful inspection, inserted the needle into the crook of the young boy's arm and slowly injected the essence into his bloodstream. After a few moments, his body began to respond, and he began to twitch and spasm. He also made small choking sounds, which made Ness turned away, unsettled. He had watched this procedure many times before. The creation of chimeras was always unpleasant to watch.
Suddenly, the new Second in Command burst into a coughing fit and began to take deep breaths. Jeff smiled in success.
"Why...why can't I move...? Why does everything hurt?" The boy slurred. His words were barely recognizable and his eyes were only half opened. He made sudden eye contact with Ness, who froze. He'd felt this pang of sympathy before. He'd felt it for the last innocent human who was corrupted in front of him. It was just a little kid who was scared and confused. He reached forward and took his non mangled hand, trying to give as much comfort as he could.
"Don't worry, it'll be over soon. Give it a few minutes, and you'll be asleep again." Jeff calmly said. Of course, as promised, the boy's eyes closed eventually and he fell into sleep once more. However, Ness didn't let go of his hand. He couldn't find the motivation to. This boy would never return.
"Ness." Jeff murmured. "He's gone."
Moments later, the subject's eyes opened again. But they did not contain fear and confusion. They didn't contain anything. The boy was now simply a vessel waiting for its soul. Jeff gently guided him to sit up. The catatonic boy simply stared ahead as Jeff went to go fetch something else. Ness walked in front of him, and felt a chill go down his spine as he met the boy's eyes. Blank and lifeless. He leaned in close and whispered one thing to him;
"I promise I'll protect you."
The boy blinked, as if he had heard him. Ness knew he hadn't, though.
"Alright, let's get you programmed..." Jeff said. He approached the boy and inspected a cotton ball that was taped to the back of his neck. He gently removed the medical tape holding it there and examined a clotted wound that had been purposely put there. Ness felt the base of his own neck. He had the same wound; a built-in USB port, which was used to 'program' the chimeras.
A small click told Ness that a chip had been inserted. He watched the boy's face, which remained blank, until a small flicker of something flashed in his eyes. A flicker of life.
"...Sir?" Jeff spoke.
"Nnh..." The boy suddenly came to life, slouching a bit and putting a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. "...Yes?"
"Allow me to introduce myself, your highness. My name is Dr. Andonuts, I'm the head scientist here." Jeff introduced. The newly generated chimera turned to him and gave a nod of acknowledgement, before turning to Ness and observing him with narrowed eyes. His movements were precise and neat, as if he were a machine.
"And you. Judging by the stars on your uniform, it is safe for me to assume you are my General, yes?" He said.
"Correct. I swear my loyalty, your highness." Ness promised, bowing his head slightly in respect. Another nod from C657. The new Second in Command examined the room he was in for a moment, before catching sight of his mangled arm. He jumped ever so slightly, startled by his limb's appearance.
"Fear not, Your Highness! I was just about to start working on that." Jeff assured, turning to Ness, "...Due to risk of contamination, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Ne-" He paused, then corrected himself, "...Sir."
"Fine," Ness replied, "Doctor Andonuts."
Once out the door, he closed it slowly so it wouldn't make a noise, and fell back against the door, slowly falling to the floor. He was defeated. This was a child. His new Commander was a child, just like him. He didn't even want to think about what his life was like two or three days ago. Back when he had a family, and friends, and a home.
"That bad, huh?"
He looked up in response to the voice he instantly recognized; it was Paula. She held out her hand and helped him up with a grunt.
"You always know how to comfort someone, Lieutenant." He said sarcastically, giving her a smile. She saluted playfully and jerked her head to the side, motioning for him to follow.
"We gotta get your mind off'a things. Some good old fashion paperwork will put your mind in the right place." She reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope between two fingers, handing it too him. Ness sighed and stuck it in his front pocket.
"The best way to start a morning." He jokingly replied.
By that afternoon, Commander C657 was awake and fully programmed. His torn arm was replaced with a brand new prosthetic model Ness didn't recognize; obviously something Jeff had just recently developed. It was crafted out of metal and moved almost as naturally as a biological arm and hand, and had the ability to connect to the body's nerves to allow him to actually touch and feel things. It was quite impressive, even for Jeff. But if there was anything the young scientist could prove, it was that he could always outdo himself. It seemed that just yesterday, he was apologizing profusely for accidentally blowing up a bottle rocket with a faulty design, forcing Ness to pay damages for any hotel wall that was destroyed. Practice certainly made perfect, it seemed.
Ness sat at the nearby desk as Jeff worked with the patient, completing the finishing touches. Having finished his previous work, he'd decided to once again supervise the progress Jeff was making.
"Alright, Young Master. I'm going to ask you to make a fist with your right hand." Jeff requested. Without even as much as a nod, The Second curled his fingers and clenched the prosthetic hand into a tight fist, the metal making a quiet clanking sound as it rubbed together. Jeff hovered his own hand over it, before eyeing the patient, "May I?"
A nod in response.
Jeff gently prodded the hand of The Second, inspecting each joint and curve for any malfunctions. His blue eyes expertly grazed over the steel surface, seeing things that Ness couldn't. With a deep exhale, Jeff once again leaned back and scribbled something on his clipboard. He brushed back his blond hair and looked up with a tired smile.
"Well, looks like your arm's all done." Jeff sighed, stretching his sore arms above his head.
"Finally. I have things to attend to." The Second murmured, beginning to hoist himself up on to his feet. However, he was stopped by Jeff's hand on his shoulder.
"As much as I'd love to agree, I unfortunately can't let you go just yet. You may be done, but your body is still too weak to support your own weight. Plus, using that arm of yours before letting it set will surely cause malfunctions. I'm going to have to ask you to get your rest, Your Highness." Jeff interrupted.
Jeff shivered when his new authority figure sharply turned to him, staring him down with those dead, empty eyes. Ness felt a chill go through his body. That one movement was so fluid, it was unsettling. He wondered how someone could have so many feelings of agitation in his face, all the while still being completely emotionless. Ness felt his hand just barely twitch; the beginning of an instinctual movement of reaching for his side holster, which contained a loaded hand gun; a gesture now in his muscle memory which happened whenever he felt even slightly threatened.
The room stayed in the tableaux for multiple seconds, each moment growing in tension. It was only broken by the sigh which came from The Second. The hostility in his eyes died.
"Understood." Was all he said, shifting his weight back onto the bed.
Jeff continued to smile, despite the obvious terror in his eyes. He shakily stood up.
"Ah, thank you," He replied, "I'll be back in a few minutes, sir. I have some medication I need to retrieve from another room. Please excuse me." Jeff sent a quick glance at Ness. The two shared an entire conversation in that one look; Jeff was obviously off to go gather his wits. Both of them now had an idea of what was to come when things didn't particularly go this Second's way.
When Jeff left the room, Ness felt an overwhelming sense of dread and uneasiness. He awkwardly glanced around the room, pretending to be observing the familiar office. In reality, he was doing his absolute best to avoid those eyes. His efforts would, of course, prove to be not enough, and he finally gave into the temptation to shift his gaze to the chimera across from him.
Once they made eye contact, Ness tensed. He got the same feeling one would get after being startled in a dark, frightening place. The soulless eyes of the Second were deep red in hue, as was the case with most chimera patients. The dark red contrasted against the sclera, sending a haunting, uncanny look back at Ness. The Second sat completely still, not a single muscle moving. There was nothing but silence and the buzzing of the lights above. Ness couldn't take it anymore; he had to feel safe.
"So," He began, instantly feeling better upon hearing his own voice, "I look forward to working with you."
No response. A malfunction, maybe? Perhaps he took a while to process things. A few more seconds went by with no words being said. Ness glanced down and fidgeted with his hands. He clicked his tongue a few times. Anything to fill the silence. He tried again.
"You wanna...tell me about yourself?" Ness asked. A few seconds. Ness nearly jumped when the patient in front of him shifted.
"There's nothing to tell." The Second replied in his monotone voice. "I am a mechanically created chimera. My only purpose is to serve our Lord."
"Well, yeah, but...you know, everyone's got some qualities. Like...take me, for example. I like...uh..." Ness thought for a moment. He realized that he didn't really have anything he particularly enjoyed. Ness had never quite thought about the fact that he was, without sugarcoating it, pretty boring. This was harder than he thought. "You know what? Never mind. You're good." He confirmed.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. By the time night fell, Ness was already in his resident unit; a room which he shared with Paula. The Lieutenant General was already in the dorm when Ness arrived. When he entered, Paula was facing away from him, hanging up her uniform jacket. She turned, and gave him a tired smile.
"How was he?" She asked.
Ness sighed as he walk to the corner of the carpeted room and sat down on the cot he slept in.
"Scary." He responded, as he took on his hat and brushed back his matted hair. He quickly undressed, completing the action in the memorized order he'd been doing for years. Boots were put at the end of the cot. Jacket was hung up, pants and undershirt were folded and placed to the side. Paula turned off the light, and the room was lit by a bedside lamp. The two climbed into their respective cots, which were beside each other. Ness turned over onto his stomach and rested his chin on his hands, glancing back at Paula, who was in the same position.
"He just...looked so dead." Ness murmured after a few moments of silence. Paula smiled, sympathetically.
"How old is he again? Fifteen?" She asked.
"Our age. sixteen." Ness replied.
"He's cute." Paula smirked, trying to lighten up the mood. Ness perked up, scoffing.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm not wrong. He's very pretty."
Ness thought for a moment, shrugging a bit.
"Eh, he's alright." He admitted. It was only a matter of time before that face of his would slowly wither away. In no more than a few months, his soft, suntanned skin would turn rough and sickly gray. His eyes would soon be dressed with dark bags. The bones in his face would soon be much more visible than before. Ness rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He struggled to remember his own appearance back when he was a human boy. He struggled to remember Paula's and Jeff's. He could not. Even the face of his mysterious friend, Pu, who had managed to escape the army centuries ago, had left his mind.
It had simply been a very emotional day for Ness. He had to admit; he slightly enjoyed the feeling of sadness and pity he had for his new Commander. At least he was feeling something. The occasion where he would feel anything other than emptiness was a rare one.
He gently lifted his wrist to a nearby scanner on the wall. With the sound of a beep came a small, pocket-sized contraption from the side. It was a machine Jeff had built in order to preserve chimeras as they slept, for their weak, altered bodies could not function properly in a sleep state. Ness grabbed a wire protruding from the box-like invention and felt around at the base of his neck for the USB port. When he finally found it, he clicked the wire in place. Instantly, he felt his heartbeat slow down to a steady, rhythmic pace. His mind became less jumbled, and his breathing was smooth and controlled.
Before Ness felt himself automatically drift into sleep, he thought back to earlier that day. He regretted his words he'd said to The Second; there was one thing he enjoyed. It was this.
The brief period of time where it was just him and Paula, alone with their thoughts, before each of them would feel that euphoric moment of peace before they were mechanically programmed into unconsciousness. That last few seconds of not pain, not happiness, not even emptiness.
Just peace.
When Ness woke again, he noticed something was very, very wrong.
On a usual morning at four O'clock, he'd wake up with a migraine and a sore throat. He'd groggily sit up, feeling every distorted bone in his body crack and shift, and not in a pleasant way. He'd unplug himself from his charger, stand up, and routinely put on his uniform, now ready for the long day ahead.
However, now, there was none of that.
Ness' eyes fluttered open. Above him, he saw darkness. This was normal, as the light probably hadn't been turned on yet. His head felt fine, and his throat felt clear. As he sat up, there was a beautiful silence. Rather than feeling everything shuffle around, every joint smoothly moved the way it should've. This was a sense of ecstasy that Ness hadn't felt in ages; a clear mind and body. He looked around, not feeling the need to wipe any sleep from his eyes, as he felt well rested.
He glanced to his left, then his right. Still darkness.
Ness realized that there was nothing but darkness. His moment of tranquility was interrupted by his own paranoid thoughts.
"Where am I?" He thought, getting to his feet. Underneath his bare soles, the ground felt odd. Not fuzzy, like a carpet, but not hard either. It felt like how a cloud looked. The world around him was nothing but an continuous shade of black, unmoving and never ending. Moving his hand through the air was like pushing through water; not difficult, but not without some level of force.
"Hello?" He finally gained the courage to speak. His voice made no echo, no reverb. It was as if the sound traveled nowhere. He took a step forward, once again shivering at the touch of the peculiar feeling floor. Ness took a few more steps. His feet made no noise. He was beginning to panic, he needed light. He held out his hand in front of him, "PK Fire," He muttered.
Nothing. Not even a spark.
"You can't use PSI in a dream, love."
Ness jumped. The voice he heard was a female. He couldn't tell if it had come from behind or in front of him. It panned from all directions. No one was in sight.
"There has to be a mistake..." Ness called, "I'm a chimera. I can't have dreams."
A single flash alerted him from the side. From far away, he saw a flicker of light and movement. A soft glow began to radiate, and illuminate...something. As Ness approached it, he saw that it was a person. He couldn't make out the face or the figure, but he knew it was human. A spirit, maybe? As he walked closer, he could begin to see little details. It was definitely a female. She was tall and slender, with a curved face and long, soft hair that floated as if she were underwater. Her body glowed with a golden light, which normally would've been too bright for Ness to handle. But oddly, it didn't affect him. He stopped and stared at the woman, mouth agape in awe and eyes wide. She smiled at him with a sweet curve of the lip.
"You're beautiful." Ness murmured, unaware of what he was saying.
"Thank you." Said the apparition. She walked; or rather, floated to Ness. As she came closer, Ness could feel warmth engulf him. The woman raised a poised hand and gently rested it on the side of Ness' face. It felt like nothing. He couldn't feel the touch upon his face, but he could feel the overwhelming sense of care. "What a handsome young boy." She cooed. Her voice sounded like the wind, panning from right to left.
"Huh?" Wondered Ness, "I-I'm not very handsome at all."
"Nonsense. You're beautiful as well."
With her words, Ness believed her. He felt a surge of confidence.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"I am a soul who was taken from this Earth far too early." Responded the spirit, a look of grief crossing her face. Ness could feel her grief. Empathy washed over him.
"M-me too." He expressed. The woman nodded.
"Both of us had our lives stolen, each in different ways." She agreed. Ness nodded.
"Where am I?" He asked. The ghost looked around, observing the area.
"A place that was once yours. A place inside your mind. Do you not remember?" She asked, gesturing around them. Ness looked around, taking in everything, but once again, he was confused and lost. He shook his head.
"I've never seen this place before." He murmured.
"Surely, you must," The ghost insisted, with a slight look of disappointment, "Many years ago, you collected eight separate melodies to form a song. Only then were you able to access this place. A place of your memories. A place that once, only you could come to."
A slight itch of familiarity pulled at Ness; the melodies. He remembered those. But he didn't remember how they went.
"That was over three hundred years ago," He said, "I've long since forgotten about that."
"I see..." The spirit whispered, "Aye...I did not expect this."
To Ness' shock, she turned around and began to float away, her bare feet just barely touching the ground from under her dress. As she went, she muttered to herself; something Ness couldn't quite hear. He took a step forwards.
"Wait..." He breathed, "...Wait! Wait a minute, where're you...?!" He began to run, but even though it seemed like the woman wasn't going far, he never caught up to her. Ness broke out into a sprint in a desperate attempt to cling to her light, which was slowly fading away. "Please, what is this place?! Just gimme a hint...a clue, or something! Then I'll remember!" He pleaded, thrusting out his hand.
He stopped upon noticing it. Ness' attention was suddenly torn from the woman as he focused on his hand.
It was normal.
The tips of his fingers were no longer callused, and lacking of fingerprints. They were soft. The skin on his hand was a familiar shade of tan, no longer the pale shade he was used to. His fingers, when bent, made no cracking noise like they usually did. Ness suddenly realized that these were his old hands. The ones he had when he was really sixteen, almost three centuries ago. He looked down, and saw that his feet were the same. He hadn't realized, but he was also clothed in unfamiliar nightclothes; he only slept in boxers and a tank top. These were white nightclothes with blue pinstripes, buttoned down the middle. Nostalgia hit him like a wave. These were his. He had worn these years ago.
Ness began to realize that he was in the body of his old self, back in...what year was it? Nineteen ninety something. He ran his hands through his hair, which was soft and thick. His face felt smooth, and it felt full. He wanted to cry, but of course, he didn't. He couldn't. He hadn't been able to for ages. That being said, he couldn't feel anything, but for the first time, he felt like he could.
A spectacle it was, being in a body so foreign, but so familiar.
"Ness!"
A voice jolted Ness from his sleep. He flinched, feeling the familiar crackling in his body and the scratch in his throat. He looked around, and realized that he was back in the real world. The cold, colourless one. He turned to face Paula, who leaned over him with a slightly panicked look on her face.
"What...what is it?" Ness yawned, still in shock of the odd dream. He sat up and turned to the wall clock, which read 2:36 AM. "It's not even close to four yet, Paula."
"I-I know..." Paula murmured, embarrassed, "...But you were acting weird, Ness. I knew you were a sleep talker, but...damn. You were screaming."
"I was?"
"Oh yeah. Like, full on bloody murder. I figured I outta wake you up before you had an accident or something." Paula said, sitting back on her own bed. Ness glared at her. She shrugged unapologetically, smirking.
Ness put a hand to his head, wincing at the sharp aching. He barely remembered the dream he'd just had. There was darkness, and...a woman, and...
"Paula, um..."
"You had another one, yeah? Another dream?"
Ness, unsure of how to answer, only nodded. Paula looked at the floor with a mixed expression of worry and interest. Both wanted to discuss it, but neither said anything. Paula only sighed and flopped back onto her bed, turning the other way. Ness bit his lip and did the same. Might as well catch a few winks before he had to get up.
However, he did not sleep. Minutes went by, spent by him staring at the wall. He noticed that the device used to put him to sleep had been unplugged; probably Paula's doing. He did not put it back; he couldn't find the strength to. He was just too confused. Somehow, in the back of his mind, he knew Paula was awake too.
"Lieutenant." He murmured, rolling over to face her.
"Hm?" She hummed back, still facing the other direction.
"Do you, um..." He paused, "Do you remember the melodies?"
A long silence. Paula let out a quiet gasp, shocked at what he'd asked her. Slowly, she rolled on to her side to face him again.
"Just barely," She replied, "Where'd that come from, Ness?"
"I dunno, it just...popped up in my head, that's all. Just wondering."
"You're remembering a lot of things, Ness. Just make sure the Lord doesn't find out, 'kay? You're lucky he left you the way you are now. You could've turned out like-" Paula stopped herself. Ness knew what she was going to say. He sighed, and looked up at the ceiling. He rubbed his hands together; they had their familiar rough feel. He frowned, wishing he could go back to that dream just one last time. He still couldn't remember what had happened, but he was anxious to find out. Tentatively, he reached up and grabbed the stray wire, and guided it to the port at his neck. Upon clicking it into place once again, he quickly powered down, all the while hoping he'd return to that strange, wonderful place.
He didn't, and before he knew it, he'd been automatically woken up at four O'clock sharp.
The previous Commander was a strict woman; she never took nonsense and despised disorganization. Many people were terrified of her, except for Ness. He'd shared a bond with her that no one else did. He knew things about her that no one else did. He'd seen sides of her that no one else had. She had a hidden playful personality that gave her a sense of humanity. Despite being sharp and snappy, Commander N438 was a surprisingly friendly person. Jeff had been told that he hadn't done good enough, and was forced to swear that he'd make the next one stricter, stronger, and less capable of feelings.
And dear god, did he do a good job with this one.
This Second in Command had one, and only one, personality trait: Asshole.
Within the first day of him being up and about, he'd already proved to be nothing short of a perfectionist. Everything and anything done around him had to be done just right, down to the very last detail. If one thing was out of line, one would be forced to redo it under his supervision. Every order given was said in a projected but droning voice. For a while, Ness had been wondering if he was as strong as Jeff was supposed to make him. That question had been answered when a soldier had accidentally bumped into him, and said soldier was placed in the hospital minutes later with three broken ribs, a snapped arm, and a concussion. After that, even the sound of his combat boots making clicking sounds on the tile floor was enough to frighten everyone in the area. With his black uniform, narrowed eyes and dark mechanical wings, he was, as Paula described, "Fuckin' scary, man."
And almost immediately, Ness didn't like him.
His overly perfect movements and entitled personality weren't exactly desirable. He hadn't actually done anything to Ness, he actually seemed to tolerate him. He'd been trying all day to introduce himself further, but the most the Second ever said to him were one word orders. Ness, needless to say, was irritated.
After an entire day of trying to track him down, Ness finally found the Second in an isolated conference room, which was closed off by sheets of glass, lights turned off and a single projector in the middle of the room, displaying a digital map of a land Ness didn't recognize. He examined the picture lit up on the wall, pinning multiple coloured sticky notes to different locations, in a code only he could understand. Ness put a hand on the wall and observed from behind it. As usual, he moved with precision. Even the way he stuck a note to the wall was perfect. Ness frowned.
"Geez..." He thought, continuing to observe him. As the seconds passed, silence only grew. He fell into a trance, watching the treadmill movements.
"General."
Ness stifled a yelp of surprise, having been startled by the sudden calling on his name. He realized it came from the Commander, who had somehow detected he was there without even turning around. He straightened his collar, took a deep breath, and approached the entrance.
"Sir?" He replied, trying not to sound nervous. He stuffed his hands casually into his pockets.
"It appears to me that we have not formally met." The Second brought up, still not turning around. Ness cleared his throat.
"It would seem so." He said.
"Fix that voice of yours, for Chist's sake. You sound like a frightened child." The Commander turned around, and observed Ness up and down, "And take your hands out of your pockets. You're supposed to be authority, right?" He added, sharply. Ness scrambled to put his arms at his sides.
"Of course." He responded, adding a slight hint of attitude to his voice. He was not going to show that he was intimidated.
"Act like it, then." The Second shot right back, with even more of said attitude. That had been the most emotion he'd shown in the few hours Ness had known him. To avoid confrontation, Ness said nothing. He had to make somewhat of a good first impression. Upon noticing that the Second had returned to his work, Ness walked to his side and inspected the unfamiliar map.
"Where is this?" He asked.
"Where we are right now; the Nowhere Islands."
"Ah, I see." Ness understood now. The islands were an odd place. They floated many miles above Earth, and was the current location of the army's home base. He knew that this was where he was, but he mainly performed his duties back on Earth. "Would you mind discussing your plans?"
The Commander gave a sigh, as if he was irritated, but replied, "A larger village, 'Tazmily' is under watch right now. The Lord wants it taken over, but it won't be that simple. The village is tucked away in a forest, so they'd easily hear us coming from miles away if we just invaded."
Ness nodded; he knew about the situation, "We actually invaded that village a few days ago; one of our soldiers started a fire. Blew our entire cover."
"Yes, I've heard of that. I'm trying to find a possible way to invade without causing them to evacuate or panic. We can't use our air troops, those make too much noise as well. I was thinking, perhaps we could send in undercover soldiers disguised as villagers." The Commander suggested. He had his finger rested on a specific part of the map marked with a red dot; Tazmily. Ness thought to himself, years of experience running through his head.
The purpose of invading villages in the first place was to transport their residents to a city that the Lord had created, in order to make a world that he himself could rule. He thought about some previous tactics they had used.
"Did the Lord say anything about a time limit? Does he want it taken over right away?" He asked.
"No. He doesn't care how long it takes, he just wants it done."
"Well, then I have an idea that worked on a few other villages. It'll take quite a while, though."
"How long?"
"Try about three years."
"...Explain."
"Yes, sir. See," Ness used the map to explain his plan, "What we do is go with your plan of sending in undercover soldiers. What they do is begin to introduce our technology. Lots of villages on the Islands don't use currency, so that's one thing we can introduce. Happy boxes will be important. Over time, we introduce more and more soldiers and more and more technology." He explained, "The happy boxes will use our propaganda to...brainwash them, in a way. As they become more comfortable with us, the more they trust us, and the more we can infiltrate them. Then, once we get an airship here, we convince them to get on, we take them to the city, done. No fuss, no scenes. Worked perfectly with the last village." He finished.
The Second thought to himself for a moment, before nodding a bit.
"That does seem sensible...we do want them to be on our side." He agreed. "Very well, let's begin. Get five of your men and give them the task of entering the village under false identities. Inform them not to come on strong."
Ness nodded, gave him a salute, and exited. Once he turned a corner and was out of view of anyone, he let out a sigh of relief and collapsed against the wall, struggling to keep himself up.
"Jesus and his mother Mary..." He thought to himself. Just talking to the guy was threatening. He looked around and searched for an intercom. Thankfully, he saw one a few feet away. With a scan of his barcode, a loud beep echoed through the hallways, and Ness pressed the broadcast button.
"All soldiers between the numbers of 500 and 505, report to the main hall immediately for and urgent mission." He ordered in a clear voice, which he struggled to keep calm.
By the time he'd reached the vestibule of the home base, the five soldiers he'd called were already standing there, at attention. When they noticed him approaching, they each stood up as straight as possible, obviously proud they had been selected, and obviously trying to impress him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've decided it's time we make our next move." He announced, as he stood in front of them, arms placed behind his back, "Just north of us is a village called "Tazmily", I'm sure you've heard of it after the...unfortunate incident involving Number 3018 and 3029." He recalled, remembering the sight of the two soldiers falling to their knees and begging for him to forgive them after starting a severe forest fire.
The group of soldiers all nodded slightly.
"We mustn't waste any time. Your job will be to enter the village and pose as citizens of the Lord's city. Be friendly, and play nice. Be subtle. You will be spending the next little while in Tazmily, introducing our ideas and concepts. After the first few months, we'll do the rest." Ness finished. "Questions?"
Silence.
"Good. Off with you! Go dirty yourselves up, pretend you're hurt; those Tazmilians can't help but assist someone who's been through trouble. Wear human clothes. I don't care what, just look like you aren't a soldier. Dismissed."
With his last word, the group of soldiers simultaneously saluted and ran off, excitedly chatting with each other about their fascinating new mission. Ness watched them go, feeling a rush go through his body. As miserable as this army made him, giving orders and having everyone do exactly as he said was...pretty enjoyable.
The rest of the day went by surprisingly quickly. By that afternoon, the five soldiers were off, and had begun their trek to Tazmily. It would be a few days before they reached their destination.
As Ness sat in a private office with a desk in the corner, he stared down at the mission plans, fingers on his temples. He could see through the small porthole window that the sun was setting. He let out a long, drawn out breath and laid his head on the desk. His mind had been so jumbled up with so many new things, he'd barely had any time to just be with himself that day. At least now, it was quiet for a while, so he had time to sit, alone, and have an hour or two of him time.
'Commander C657 and General N82, please report to the top floor office.'
Ness let out a very audible groan, and slowly lifted his head off the table.
"Five minutes. Five insignificant minutes is all I need..." He muttered as he got to his feet and exited the office, making sure the door was locked behind him. He forced himself to stand up straight as he walked. As usual, the soldiers going about their business parted to let him pass. He made his way down the main hallway and took a left turn at a branch, which led to an elevator. Upon entering it, he selected the top floor, and patiently waited as the unit made it's way up. Once it made a 'ding' sound to alert him it had arrived, he gathered his wits before stepping out of the open doors.
If the other floors of the home base were cold and colourless, this floor was worse. A large corridor with a high ceiling and tall windows lay before him. He nervously walked through the wide hallway and closed in on a large wall at the end, with a single door in the middle. He eventually approached the door, gingerly placing his hand on the handle. He hesitated, before taking a deep breath and pushing on through.
"Master, you called for me?" He mumbled upon entering.
"Yes. Right on time, as usual."
Ness walked into a large, barely lit room. A single mahogany desk sat in the middle, with a dark figure looming over it. In front of the desk, already there, was the Commander. The figure looked up to acknowledge Ness, who couldn't see their face due to the large black hood they wore in order to protect them from sunlight. There was a reason the room was so dark.
This was the Lord.
"You two have met, yes?" He asked, his tone shaky and raspy with age. Both of the officials nodded. "Good, good. Look at him, General. What a gorgeous creation of science. My own little monster. A truly lovely sight to see. Wouldn't you agree?"
Ness begrudgingly answered, "Y-yes, my Lord."
The Commander said nothing.
"Show me...show me your arm again, Young Prince." The Lord said.
Without a second thought, the Commander lifted the sleeve of his right arm and exposed it's metal surface, which gleamed from the faint light of the window and the multiple candles lit around the room. The Lord shivered.
"Oooooh, yes. Beautiful." He said, "How lucky am I, to have two stunning boys such as yourselves? Hmm? How lucky, General?" His voice was so honeyed, Ness could swear he could taste it.
Ness, feeling nauseous, replied, "...Quite lucky."
"Yes, I would agree..." The Lord nodded. He laughed, an odd, cheerful giggle, almost. "Two wonderful little freaks of nature to play with." He said. He continued, "You must be confused as to why I called you here."
Neither chimera spoke.
"Well, I'll tell you. You may be familiar with a legend; the legend of the dark dragon and the seven needles suspending it in the Nowhere Island's core." The Lord began. "Ah, yes, you know what I'm talking about, General." He grinned, noticing Ness' shocked look.
"Y-yes, erm...with all due respect, sir, the needles are not something to be tampered with. I understand you have a plan formulating, but...but..."
"Are you trying to give me orders?"
"No, sir. Proceed." Ness shut up after that.
"I've decided that in order to truly reach our full extent of power, we need to take action. For my next plan," The Lord paused, "We will be the ones to pull the needles and summon the dark dragon from it's resting place. We will then order them to make us the most powerful beings on this planet. And with that, we'll be unstoppable."
Ness swallowed. He searched for any reason to contradict the plan. Finally, he found something useful.
"A-ah! But sir, we can't! Remember, Fassad said that the needles can only be pulled by someone who has mastered PK Love. None of us can, not even me." Ness said confidently.
PSI was an important part of Ness; a type of Psionic abilities that rested in the mind, which he was very, very good at. The world had a known list of the top twenty most powerful psychics of all time; he'd kept the number three spot for ages. But even he couldn't seem to master the rarest move of all; the beautiful, but dangerous PK Love. A move that used energy purely from the heart of a psychic, which is what made it so powerful.
The Lord smiled and clicked his teeth. "Oh, Ness. How foolish of me; there's one thing I haven't shown you, yet. See, your little friend, Dr Andonuts, worked to the bone to perfect our new addition. Hundreds upon hundreds of sleepless nights. And thanks to that, C657 can do this. Show him." He said, glaring at the Commander, who nodded and stepped back a few feet, holding out his right hand.
Ness' heartbeat quickened. Was he...? Was this real? Was he about the witness what he thought he was?
The thoughts came true as the Commander muttered a small incantation.
"PK Love."
After a moment, wisps of pink mist began to curl around his gloved fingers, waving into the air and increasing in brilliance. Ness felt his heart skip upon witnessing the display, his jaw dropping. The clouds eventually formed into flames, which twirled and flickered as if in slow motion. Particles of magical debris scattered from the Commander's palm. He closed his hand into a fist, dousing the light. He looked up at Ness, who stared back at him with disbelief.
"Incredible..." He breathed. Despite his skill in PSI, Ness had never seen a PK Love enchantment performed with such control and such ease. The spell usually took a large physical toll on the user, but the Commander didn't even seem phased. He hadn't even broken a sweat.
"It is incredible, isn't it? Now, that's all out of the way. We have someone capable of using PK Love, meaning we can pull the needles. All that needs to be done now is locating them. And that rests in your hands. I'm counting on the both of you. First we will locate all seven, then we will pull each one by one. Understood?"
"Understood." Said both authorities, Ness lagging behind a bit due to his concern. They raised their hands into a salute.
The Lord smirked and intertwined his fingers, hunching his shoulders.
"Good boys. Off you go."
And with that, the two of them turned and walked away. As Ness made his way out of the gloomy room, a million thoughts on how much of a bad idea this was raced through his mind.
Ness had never touched excitement for the last many decades. But now, with the arrival of a new Commander and now this, he knew that the next few years were going to be a slap in the face for him. He wanted nothing more than to get out of his uniform, lay down, talk to Paula for a little while, and then sleep.
"I don't get paid enough for this crap..." He mentally groaned.
Funny. He didn't get paid at all.