Wow, jeez, okay. It's been awhile since I've been here. Reread this story and thought I should rewrite it a bit, so that's what I'll (hopefully) be doing! And, maybe, I'll actually get further this time around and get to important stuff too, that should definitely be a thing that happens. Well, here's the revised first chapter, R&R and enjoy!
Materinski Estate; Ephyra, Tyrus
5 years before E-day
"Adela? Where are you?"
Hector Materinski roamed the empty hallways, hands clenched uneasily in his pockets in spite of his active effort to suppress the chill that ran up his spine. He always felt as if he was being watched here, the looming portraits of past Materinski men on the walls observing and knowing all of his secrets. He shuddered, just imagining what it must've been like for a four-year-old girl to be alone with such haunting commemorations for six hours a day. "Adela?" he asked, peering into one of the many rooms of the house, which happened to be his wife's old study. "Catherine, have you seen Adela? I can't find her anywhere," he piped up, entering the room and sauntering across to stand before his wife's desk, eyeing her over his spectacles. The woman sighed, putting down the files she was reading and sitting back in her chair. "Did you check in the garden? She loves it out there," she suggested, fingernails drumming idly against the polished wood. Hector sighed, and lifted a hand to run through his ever-thinning hair and slick it back from before his eyes. Adela didn't love it out there; the garden, sadly, was the closest thing she had to a playground, and there was absolutely no way he would let her go to that trash heap the city officials called a 'park'. He'd come to the conclusion that mansions simply aren't really places for children, especially with no one around to entertain them all day. "I think the workers are cleaning the greenhouse," Hector replied, and with a shake of the head another weary huff passed his lips. "It's alright. I'll go check somewhere else."
He hated this—this whole damned thing. If the COG really wanted his expertise, they should hire him, as had been proposed several times. His family could live on the base; he'd never have to leave his daughter, ever again. Hector quietly pushed open the door to the great room, and there she was: sitting in a chair too small for her, reading a book silently. He was, as any sane parent would've been, proud of his daughter. She was an intelligent young girl, and he prided himself in raising her like this.. but another part of him, that part of him that wasn't the Materinski half, said that he'd done it all wrong, and he started to agree with it more and more every day. Adela deserved a childhood, one that didn't involve worrying about not getting a perfect score on some stupid little test that meant nothing, or having to bother house servants for something to do. Hector always had to stop himself from continuing at that point, though; he wouldn't have been where he was then if he hadn't done well in school, and his daughter would have to grow up without the same opportunities he had.
"Hi, sweetheart," he said, and a brief moment's preparation passed before he began ambling towards her. "What are you reading?" He kneeled down next to her as she flipped the book to the cover, allowing him to see the title—she was reading a newer version of that old folktale, Romily, and at this point, he had to stop himself from visibly shaking his head. She'd been reading that book almost every day lately, and she knew exactly what happened, so why did she keep reading the same book every time? "Dear, you've read that book fifty times," he spoke, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips as he said this. Adela shrugged, not bothering to look at him. She'd seen many times that there would never be any real emotion in that face of his. "I'm trying to picture the monsters," she said, and with that, she simply continued to read. Her father cleared his throat, standing up straight and forcing a smile once more. "Why don't we go for a nice little walk? You need some fresh air in you," he said, bending down and scooping her up in his arms. At first, Adela seemed almost noticeably surprised; she wasn't used to such friendly contact from her father, or anyone really, for that matter. Her face straightened out, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"You're leaving again," she said certainly. He sighed, setting her gently down on the floor and stooping so their faces were level. "Adela, the COG needs me. We're saving Tyrus, remember? And Tyke and mommy," he said, putting on a false smile. She remained detached, looking up at him with his own father's impassive eyes, and for a moment it was as if he could hear that old, gravelly voice haunting him again. "You say that every time. I asked mommy. She said they'll always be in danger," Adela said, staring at him expressionlessly. "Well... I'll make it different this time," Hector said, and smiled at her, "and I'll make it safe. For everyone." From the noticeable shift in her position, he could tell she had no quarrel with this, and was, for once, actually relieved. "Okay," she said, nodding. The Doctor took her hand and led her outside, and though the invigorating burst of fresh air that bombarded him as he pushed the doors open was refreshing, the conversation continued to trouble him.
Aspho Fields, Ostri Republic
2 years before E-day
"Mr. Harvard? Where are momma and daddy?" Adela asked for the tenth time that day, peering over the edge of the CO's desk, pudgy fingers sliding along the rutted oak. "I already told you, Adela, they're busy." "With the UIR?" "Yes, the UIR. That's it. Why don't you go play with Michael and Francis?" Lee asked, tapping away at his keyboard for a few more moments, and raising the mike to his lips as the little girl trotted away. "Catherine, she's asking me again," he said, eyeing the map sprawled across his several-monitor display to aid in tracking the progress of capturing the Hammer of Dawn technology. "Oh, quit your griping, Lieutenant. You're telling me you can handle insurrectionists, but not a 7-year-old?" the static-y voice on the other end of the line questioned, and Lee chuckled as he heard another Long Shot fire, round after round until the clip emptied. "I might have kids, Cathy, but I don't have a girl," he stated matter-of-factly. "Wait… you've got hostiles. Left flank. Keep an eye out."
"Understood. Materinski out."
Catherine sighed as she ducked into cover behind a few empty ammo storage crates, Lancer cradled to her chest as she dropped her hand from the mike and her fingers found the trigger once more. "I think this mission's gone FUBAR," one of the Major's teammates yelled over the gunfire in the background towards her, and another artillery strike detonated a few dozen meters from their position, rattling Catherine's bones down to their core. "I noticed, Harvard. We need to find a way to take out those Asps," she shouted back towards the call, blind firing over the barricade and hitting an Indie dead center in the abdomen.
Meanwhile, Adela sauntered down the hallway in search of her other young companions, fingers laced behind her back as she craned her neck to see through the doorways. "Adela! In here!" a high-pitched voice called out to her, originating from a room at the end of the corridor. The girl skipped to the door, grabbing onto the brass doorknob and pushing it open with a loud creak. "Francis, what are you doing?" she asked, looking up at the little boy on top the tall bookshelf with an expression of disdain. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Adela paused for a moment, chewing her lip in thought, before eventually giving a small shrug. "Well, sitting on top of a bookshelf," she stated simply, causing Francis to sigh and hop down from the shelf. "You weren't supposed to answer, dummy, it was retoritical." "You mean rhetorical?" Francis just looked at her, a confused expression on his face. "That's what I said." Adela sighed, shaking her head and turning on her heels, stopping just short of the doorway for a moment before continuing back into the hall. "Never mind... I'll just find someone else to play with."