Smoke and Shadow
By: Emily Burke "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people
who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
--Dale Carnegie--
August 17, 2129
The Sahara of Africa was just as dry and hot as one would expect. A vast expanse of towering sand dunes, beat down upon by the ruthless desert sun.
"Are we almost there, commander?" one of the three Reploids behind me complained.
"Yes, Nick," I replied, "we're almost there." 'There' was a temporary hidden outpost that had been made beneath the dunes. It was rarely ever inhabited, except by occasional Hunters who used it for surveillance. The site was dangerously close to a seemingly abandoned rail road track. Satellite imagery suggested that the tracks were being used to move supplies to Maverick installations. Our job was to stay in the tiny outpost, and watch for such activities. We had been in the area for a week, going out daily on patrol. So far, we had spotted nothing.
At the base of a sand dune stood a huge boulder, at least twenty feet in height, and, appearing to be buried somewhat in the ground. At eye- level, a perfect square was carved into the stone. I placed my hand against it, and a door opened in the rock, revealing a downward staircase.
"Here we are, Nick," I muttered. Our small band headed down the stairs, the door closing behind us. I watched as my three teammates set their gear down.
Nick, our medical officer, was only about five feet tall, with jet black armor that sparsely covered his lithe form. His hair was short and messy, the same dull, tan color as the desert sand.
Kira, the resident demolitions expert, was the only female of the group. She was nearly as tall as I, and had a lot of muscle on her, thus her nickname, the 'Amazon'.
Jetlag, so named for his hate of long-distance travel, was slightly taller than I, and more willowy than Nick. It was well-known that his specialties were goofing off, and repairing machinery.
"How much longer until we get out of this Godforsaken place?" Nick questioned.
I sighed, "two more days." I was hoping to be home soon, as well. I missed my family a lot.
"Jetlag," I started, "those two ion turrets are our only real defense. Are they working yet?"
"Hey, man," the green-armored Reploid began, "those things were a mess when we got here. I busted my ass working on the piles of crap. Turret B is up and running, but A has a bunch of sand in it. The rotary gears are all jammed up... the turret won't turn. It'll fire, but in only one direction, and that's straight forward."
I sighed in frustration. "You think they'd have put newer turrets in by now," I began, "instead of these junked-up heaps. Turret A faces west, right?"
"Aye, sir," Jetlag replied.
"If we're attacked from the west, we're screwed. And, Jetlag, this isn't the Navy. Don't say 'aye'"
"Aye, sir," Jetlag proclaimed with a grin. Every one of us gave a slight chuckle. Jetlag always lightened the mood, and made missions like this all the more tolerable for everyone else.
"Sir!" Kira exclaimed. "The monitors are picking something up! There are freight cars moving down the railway tracks."
We all gathered around the monitors. The picture was bad. A sandstorm had kicked up, making it almost impossible to see. However, the shadows of slow-moving rail cars could be seen.
"There's a wind generator on the fifth car," Kira started. "That's what's making the sand storm."
"Aim Turret B, and destroy that generator!" I commanded. Kira typed a few things on the computer, and targeted the generator. There was a loud boom as the old turret fired, and the fifth rail car blew up, bringing the train to a halt.
"Sir," Kira started, "the turret blew up as it fired!"
"What!?" I yelled. "Kira and Nick, stay here. Jetlag, gear up, I'm going to raid the supply train. I want you to cover me from on top of the boulders."
Jetlag nodded, and grabbed his rifle, slapping the scope into place. Along with his skills as a mechanic, Jetlag was also a class Special A sniper.
I put on my helmet, and the two of us went outside. The generated wind was gone, and the desert seemed eerily still. Jetlag leapt atop one of the many large boulders, laying motionless on top, aiming his rifle at the train.
With some assistance from my wings, I jumped up on top of fourth car of the armored train. The side doors on the cars opened suddenly, and a group of Mavericks came out. I stayed on top of the car, having not yet been noticed. Our enemies numbered eight. A shot from Jetlag's rifle, and they numbered seven.
The Mavericks began shooting wildly at the boulders. I was so entranced at Nick's shooting that I didn't notice the movements of the train. Everything after the car I was on had been detached, and left behind. The train was picking up speed, and I couldn't let the supplies go through. I morphed my wings and tail away, to reduce drag.
Eighty miles an hour, shooting down the tracks. I was nearly thrown onto my back. Crouching, I extended my claws, and stabbed them through the roof of the car. I continued forward, from car to car, until I reached the engine.
Using my claws, I ripped a hole in the roof, and dropped down into the engine, only to discover the engineer, a Maverick, lying on the floor with a hole in his head. Jetlag had gotten him, and he had fallen against the control panel, starting the train back up. Something exploded, throwing me through the front window, and onto the tracks. The train was barreling down on me. I tried to roll to the side, but wasn't quick enough. My left shoulder was caught between the wheels of the train, and the iron track. I didn't feel it until the train derailed a ways down the track. My arm had been severed, shoulder and all. Emergency valves closed, so that precious vital fluid wouldn't be lost through the wound. But it was too late. A lot of fluid had already been lost, the sand was stained black with it. Vision blurring, I lapsed out of consciousness.
Everything was black, but I could hear voices, and feel something cold and hard poking at the remains of my left shoulder.
"The screws are in place, and the brace is affixed. Fluid flow is starting to return. Get him to recovery."
I opened my eyes slowly, to find myself in a hospital room. There was an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth, and wires taped to my chest. My left arm, though very numb, had been reattached. There were metal staples holding the wound shut. A plastic and metal brace ran the length of that arm to hold it immobile. The screws had been driven straight through the flesh.
Looking around the room, I noticed that none of the equipment bore the insignia of the Maverick Hunters.
Out the window was more desert. It was a hospital in the middle of an American Army base.
I tried to move my left hand, and only succeeded in some small, jerky finger movements.
"Excellent!" a female voice said, startling me. Looking up, I saw a human nurse, clothed in white. The name tag read 'Teresa'. Her skin was a dark, rich chocolate color, and her eyes were so brown that they were nearly black. "You're moving your fingers already," she continued. "Your nerve wires are repairing quickly." She began removing the wires from my chest.
I was going to ask her what time it was, but then thought of a more important question. "Where's my team? Are they okay?"
The nurse's cheerful expression faded ominously. "Jetlag," she started, "took a shot to the chest. His pulse pump was damaged, and... he might not make it."
It took a moment to process. Jetlag was wounded. Severely. I had ordered him to cover me, endangering his life.
"Can I see him?" I nearly whispered. The nurse nodded in reply.
Jetlag was in Intensive Care. I could barely see him through all of the tubes and wires in him. His fluids were being circulated by an exterior pump.
He opened his deep blue eyes when I stepped up next to the bed.
"It was horrible, Commander," he choked. "It was like... a demon... with horns, and... flaming red eyes in a bare skull..."
"Quiet, Jetlag," I demanded. "You're in no condition to be telling stories."
"And stained armor, stained with blood..."
"Jetlag!" I nearly screamed. "Don't speak, and that's an order!" My voice was stern, but the tears in my eyes betrayed how I felt.
"You can't court-martial me, Commander... I'm dead anyway," he said with a weak grin.
There was no use denying it. Jetlag's pale face revealed all, and there was barely any spark of life in his eyes.
"What happens to us, Commander?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"The humans say we just... die... and we're gone. Is that true? Is there really no place for us to go after we... leave?"
My brushes with death came to mind. "Sure there is," I said softly. "It's warm, and peaceful, and everything glows... All your pain just... drifts away..."
Jetlag closed his eyes for a moment, and said, "I want to die holding my rifle."
I nodded, and looked around the room until I spotted all of the items that had been removed by the emergency team. Among these was his rifle. It was now dented and scorched in places, no longer functional. I picked it up carefully, and placed it in Jetlag's waiting hands. He held the gun across his chest, as if he were doing a drill, and stayed in that position. After several minutes, I realized that he was gone.
He seemed so peaceful lying there, no longer burdened with the responsibilities and risks of a soldier.
Making a final glance back at Jetlag's body, I walked back out into the hall, where the nurse was waiting.
"Where's the rest of my team?" I asked.
The nurse shook her head lightly. "They're dead, sir."
Kira and Nick were in the morgue, laying flatly on stainless steel tables. Their faces were pale, and lifeless, eyes closed in a dead sleep. They each had a single bite wound, but only on the arms.
"It seems like such superficial damage," the coroner muttered. "There's very little fluid missing. I can't find any reasonable explanation as to why they died."
Something wasn't right. I placed my hand over Nick's chest, and felt a sudden shock. An image of something dark and terrible flashed in my mind. I could taste something bitter in the air. Evil magic.
"I have to go," I stated. The coroner started to say something, but I walked into the now-empty hallway.
I concentrated, and felt a bit of my own magic flicker inside of me. The sterile white hall widened, and grew ever larger. The dull walls shaped into black marble pillars. The floor tiles gave way to more black marble. It all took a split-second. I had shifted into the Draconic Realm. The Great Dark Dragon, Erebos, sat in his throne, peering at me.
"What has happened?" he asked immediately.
"Something," I began, "has sucked the life out of two of my troops. I could feel... evil magic. Before he died, my sniper said that he saw a dark, red-eyed monster with curved horns and blood-stained armor."
Erebos was silent for a moment, thinking. He finally said, "they are Dragon Wraiths. The ghosts of dragon soldiers with wicked hearts. The Wraiths bear a hatred for the living, and a love of bloodshed. I cannot imagine how one would have managed to get into your realm."
"Likewise," I muttered. "Is there any way to kill them?"
"You cannot kill what is already dead. Not by conventional means. Have you used the Nightblade?"
I thought back a bit, and growled slightly as I remembered. "Yes," I murmured, "I used it to disintegrate Discord's body."
"There is at least one weapon for each element," Erebos began. "The Nightblade represents Shadow... I prefer to use my own magic, so I gave it to you. There is an elemental weapon for Light, and it has the ability to destroy the Wraiths."
"Where is it?" I asked immediately.
"Nobody knows for sure," the dragon replied. "It hasn't been wielded for many a millennia, since the last Dragon Lord of Light died. He only used it once, but its power was too much for him, and he was destroyed as he used it."
My heart sank. The one weapon that could destroy these monsters had vanished, and could kill its user.
"He failed," Erebos started, regaining my attention, "because he had no anchor."
"What? 'Anchor'? What do you mean?" I asked.
Erebos looked up momentarily, before looking back to me. "He was very strict, and a loner. He was isolated on the inside. Pure breed Dragon Lords always had such a rigid sense of duty that they ignored everything else. He had no family, he had no close friends, he had no anchor. It is time that someone should be able to tame the Blade of Light... which is why I made you."
I stuttered, "but... but why me? Why not someone else? Or another dragon?"
"We dragons," he started, "can only reach a certain amount of power, and then we become static. We don't change. We have nobody to teach us new ways. You're different. I saw your potential when X was first constructing you, but knew that he would fail to make you alive on his own. So, I used a bit of draconic energy to compensate for the errors in your systems. You're different. You can adapt, you can learn and mature."
I was finally beginning to understand a little, but what about Techno? "What about my brother?" I asked.
There was an uncomfortable pause. "I couldn't give enough energy to save him as well," Erebos said. "It was a hard choice between you two, and I didn't want either of you to be lost. A gryphon Storm Queen, named Lira, used her energy to save your brother. He inherited her power over electricity. Now, about these wraiths. You must retrieve the Blade of Light."
"How?" I asked. "Where is it?"
Erebos looked at me deeply, and said, "it is in a place that only you can see, in a reality that only you can touch. Look inside yourself, and you will find it."
I was confused, but not given the time to ask anymore questions. The great hall faded around me. I was in the hospital corridor again, and Teresa came running to me.
"We've been looking all over for you!" she exclaimed. "How are we supposed to take care of you properly when you're running around and disappearing?"
"I'm sorry," I nearly whispered. "I just needed to think."
"I understand, hon," Teresa said. "Right now, though, you need to go back to your room and get some rest. You look awful."
I was lead back upstairs to the hospital room, and mildly scolded back into bed. It was getting dark, but I didn't feel like sleeping at the moment. It was raining lightly, and drops of water pattered softly against the windows. I tried moving my left arm again. There were some half- spastic muscle twitches from shoulder to wrist, but my fingers were working better. I could make a fist, and spread my fingers apart.
My holo-beeper, which had been laid on a table next to the bed, started flashing. I picked it up, and opened the lid. Judging, by the fact that no hologram popped up, someone was calling me on a phone.
"Hello?" I muttered sleepily.
"Dear, you sound awful," it was Serena. "When are you coming home?"
I thought for a moment before saying, "sometime tomorrow. The airstrip is about a hundred miles away, in the middle of nowhere. I'd have to hop onto a smaller plane just to get there, and you know how long it takes to rent out one of those things. I'd use my own wings, but I'm so sore."
"Why don't you use Raziel?" she suggested. "You could go just out of sight, and call him. He'd get you to the airstrip." There was a bit of background noise. "Hasaki wants to talk to you." There was a little more noise as the phone was handed away.
"Hi dad!" the boy's cheerful voice came over, making me smile.
"Hey, kid. What have you been up to?"
"Not much. Grandpa X came over, though!"
This perked my interest. "Oh, did he, now?"
"Uh-huh, he said that you got hurt, are you okay, dad?"
I looked at my arm, which still had the brace pinned into it. "Yeah, I'm okay. You be good until I get back."
"Okay, I love you, bye!" the phone clicked off.
I turned off my beeper, and set it back on the table. Laying my head back down, I listened as the steady beat of the rain intensified, growing harder, and louder. A white scar of lightning ripped through the sky, followed by the cannon boom of thunder.
I pulled the covers tighter over me, and buried my head in my pillow to drown out the noise. But the thunder kept coming, seeming ever louder than before. The howling wind sounded like a freight train. I could see it barreling down the tracks. Then, it stopped. Loud raindrops were the pounding footsteps of Mavericks disembarking from the train. There were bright flashes as their weapons discharged, followed by a booming explosion. Jetlag fell, and hit the ground, his rifle crumpled underneath.
A dark shape moved among the Mavericks, red eyes burning under a hooded cloak. Feelings of dread and loathing emanated from it, making the air cold, and biting. It slithered forward, and threw itself at Kira. She screamed as it bit into her arm, and she tried to fight it off.
It was too strong, and Kira was soon motionless, lifeless eyes staring upward, lips slightly parted, as if in a silent scream. The shadow turned, and its blackness consumed everything.
I sat up in bed. Cold sweat made a few strands of hair cling to my face and neck. I had fallen asleep during the storm.
It was well into morning, now. Gray clouds hung low, threatening to bring on another torrential rain. I had to check out, before it started storming again.
I quickly ridded myself of the drafty hospital uniform, and summoned my armor. It was, thankfully, completely repaired. I left off the armor for my left arm, however, as it would not fit with the brace in position.
Teresa opened the door, and jumped slightly when she saw me, holding my helmet under one arm.
"You're leaving, I take it?" she asked.
I nodded slightly.
"I'll get you checked out," the nurse stated. "Good luck."
Within an hour, I had made my way onto the other side of a rocky ridge, out of sight of the Army base. I didn't have to whistle, shout, or call out loud. Raziel seemed to materialize out of the clouds on his own. He swooped down, and landed gracefully next to me. He nickered softly as I hopped onto his back, putting my legs in front of his broad, soft-feathered wings.
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, and the steed burst forward at a gallop. His hoof beats were nearly silent, and didn't jostle me at all.
Faster, faster, ever faster, mane and tail whipping back in the wind. A sudden leap sent us airborne. Powerful wings brought us ever higher, straight into the clouds. Water vapor condensed on my armor like cold dewdrops.
We broke through the clouds suddenly, into sun and blue sky. Raziel now barely moved his wings at all, opting to glide most of the time. His ears were forward, and alert, listening for any sounds of danger.
I started thinking about what Erebos had said. 'Look inside yourself.' But, what was I supposed to look for? Answers seemed unreachable.
A half hour passed, and Raziel began to descend through the clouds. When we broke through, I could see the airstrip. It wasn't all that big, three runways, but with a lot of airplane hangars.
Raziel touched down behind a junked scout plane, out of view of the buildings nearby. I stepped back onto the ground, and patted the winged horse on the neck for a moment, to show him my thanks. The steed reared up, and leapt into the sky, vanishing once more into the clouds.
I walked out from behind the wrecked plane, and headed toward the airstrip entryway. A pair of armed humans stood outside. They both looked up at me.
"Could you take off your helmet, please?" one of them asked.
I carefully removed my helmet, it vanished as I did so, that way, I wouldn't have to carry it around.
"You can go in, they're waiting for you." The gate opened, and I walked inside the razor wire fence, straight into the main building. Army soldiers, all human, were mingling about. A young colonel approached me, one of his medals read 'Col. Steven Ferral.' He didn't seem entirely happy to see me.
"They're waiting for you out that door," he said, pointing across the room. I merely nodded, and went through the door in question, coming into a hangar. There was a small transport plane there, started up and ready to go.
I stepped into the plane, past the cockpit, and into the passenger hold. There were six seats, three on each side, facing the middle. Three human soldiers took the seats on the right of the plane, so I simply took the middle seat on the left side.
I looked at the three humans across from me, glancing at their features and nametags. The one in the left seat, 'Dio', was a man who looked around twenty-five. His black hair was in a crew cut, and hazel eyes sat in his soft, fair face. He also sported a goatee. In the right seat was a woman, 'Jenna', in her late teens, the typical rebel. Her shoulder-length hair was dyed a fiery red, and there was a snake tattooed around her neck. In the middle seat was a guy in his early twenties, 'Perry'. He was fidgeting nervously with a pen as the plane took off.
"Don't be such a wuss, Perry," Dio remarked. "It's not like he's gonna jump over here and suck your blood."
"I think vampires are sexy," Jenna commented, studying me with blazing green eyes. She reached over and punched Dio playfully in the shoulder, just for good measure.
Dio muttered something under his breath, then turned to me. "You're the third one, right?" he asked.
"Beg your pardon?" I replied, confused.
"The third High Commander of the Maverick Hunters," he stated. "The one that everyone says doesn't exist, even though the paparazzi says otherwise?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "What would the tabloids know?"
Dio pulled a rolled-up newspaper from Perry's back pocket, and opened it up. The headline read 'Mysterious Hunter Third Commander Wounded in Mission' There was a clear photo of a red and black-armored Reploid being unloaded from an Army Rescue helicopter. Two wings and a tail hung off the stretcher.
"Some loony," Dio began, "managed to sneak close enough to the fence to take the picture. They found him, but the photo's out. Lucky for you, it doesn't show any of your face. But, everyone's going to know your armor."
I stared at the photo in disbelief. Word was out, now. Someone outside of the military knew that I existed.
"There was even a statement, made by the President," Perry stuttered. "In which she said, and I quote, 'we don't know of any Third Commander, but I will definitely look into identifying the Reploid in the photo.' She's gonna find you, man."
Dio laughed. "President Amy J. Harris, what a fox. She could go right ahead and 'identify' me any day."
Jenna smacked Dio again. "You're such a moron," she sighed.
Perry got up suddenly, and fled towards the back of the hold, flinging himself into the restroom, and locking the door behind.
"What's with him?" I asked.
"Perry," Jenna began, "doesn't exactly like flying."
Nearly five hours passed before we landed at an Army base near HQ. There were a great many people gathered near the isolated airstrip, and a huge jet of red white and blue parked nearby. Most of the people were men in black suits, carrying guns.
"She tracked you down real fast," Dio muttered.
Slowly, I descended the stairway, and was immediately surrounded by government goons with cameras. The bulbs flashed brightly, in rapid succession. Every flash was like an explosion in my head. The pulsing lights confused my eyes. My body tingled, and I felt dizzy for a moment, before the cameras finally stopped.
My vision cleared, and I saw a woman standing in front of me. She looked about thirty, with beautiful, fiery red curls framing a soft face, and eyes the color of deep water. Amy Harris.
"Sorry about the cameras," she apologized, "it's standard policy that we have some photo documentation of high-ranking military officials. You're a High Commander, Shadowfire, correct?"
I nodded slightly. "How did you know my name?"
"I asked Signas, and he told me." I felt betrayed, somehow. "Don't worry. We're not telling the public anything without your consent. We need to discuss some things. Come with us."
The President's jet was extremely roomy. I was rather envious, but didn't hesitate to enjoy a nice leather recliner in a sort of 'office.' Amy was at a desk, typing some things into a computer.
She turned to me, "Signas said that we can basically tell the public what you want. So, what do you want them to hear?"
I was being given a choice, what a nice change. "Tell them," I started, "that there is a third commander, but..." I paused, "his identity can't be disclosed. For security purposes, of course."
Amy nodded, and typed down a few more things. "Also, I'm just curious, what do you make of this 'Shadow Death' thing that's been popping up in the news?" she asked.
I frowned slightly, saying, "I hadn't heard anything about it."
"People are turning up dead, the count is fifty-six so far. Only superficial wounds, but killed. Survivors always say that they saw a horrible black beast." The wraiths. They were on the loose.
"That's horrible," I stated. "I don't know exactly what these things are, but, as a Hunter, I'll do all I can in stopping them."
Amy nodded once more. "Tell me some about yourself. Family?"
"I'm married," I said quietly, "with a son. My brother lives with us, and I ask that you please not get him involved in any of this."
"Of course," Amy replied. "I don't want your family to be badgered if you wish to remain anonymous."
"Thank you," I said, leaning back slightly. "But, why are you so willing to help keep me a secret?"
"Well," Amy started, "there are many reasons. You're... different from other Reploids. If the public knew who you really were, the prejudiced, hate-filled harassing would never end. A hero doesn't deserve that."
My face flushed with heat when I heard this. She thought I was a hero.
"And," she continued, "you're shy, it's quite obvious, from the way that you're blushing right now." There was another long pause. "Well, good luck."
I walked straight into Signas's office. He looked up at me and smiled, but his expression dimmed when he saw the anger in my face.
"You told her!?" I yelled, "just like that! You didn't tell me anything!"
Signas frowned. "She's the President. What was I supposed to do, just lie to her? I have a lot to worry about right now, so you bite your tongue and remember your place."
My eyes widened for a second. Signas had never been so harsh to me before. I lowered my head slightly, and muttered, "yes, sir."
"Now, go to the medical bay to have that brace removed, I'll meet you down there after a while. You are dismissed."
I gave a quick salute, and left.
Eric unwrapped my bandages, so he could clearly see where the metal pins were drilled into my arm. He then loaded a syringe with something.
"A little local anesthetic, so it won't hurt."
I looked away. It was embarrassing to be so afraid of such a little thing, though I had gotten a bit better with needles. Still, the cold sting was unmistakable, and brought flashes of nightmarish memories.
Eric put a hand on my steadily-numbing arm. "I heard that Signas was a bit harsh?" he asked. I made no reply. "Don't take it personally. He's not mad at you, he's just stressed out over recent events." I felt a jerk as one of the pens was pulled out. Eric mopped up what little fluid bled from the tiny wound, and continued pulling pins. Soon enough, the whole brace had been removed, and the numbing chemicals wore off. My arm was sore, and felt stiff.
Eric had me bend my elbow, rotate my shoulder, and drum my fingers on the table before he was satisfied.
"Good," he muttered, rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully with one hand as he wrote something in his log book.
The door opened, and Signas walked in. I snapped into attention immediately, not wanting to displease him again.
"At ease," he said quietly, prompting me to sit back down. His expression was grim, thusly dimming my hope of any good news. "A high- ranking Hunter has gone missing. We've tried tracking him down, but he seems to have disappeared from all of our scanners."
"Is Zero missing? He has a tendency to do that. You know him, cut off his scanner and go off for a little quiet time."
"No," Signas continued. "The missing Hunter... is your father."
I could feel the fluid drain from my face, and then come rushing back.
"I won't lie to you. We don't know where he his, he could be dead, he could be Maverick. I want you to find him."
"But... but," I stammered. "You said that nothing we had was able to track him... Why would you want me to try and find him?"
"You really don't know?" Signas asked. "Come on, everyone else sees it, so don't try so hard to hide. You've always been able to find thing that aren't obvious to our scanners. Nobody knows how you do it, but you do it. You must find X and... deal with him appropriately. You will start your search tomorrow."
Slowly, I saluted, and left, yearning to return to the safety of home.
I went into the house, and found a note stating that Serena had taken Hasaki to play out by the lake. It was getting dark, so they would be home soon.
I trudged up to the master bedroom, and changed into my pajamas before falling onto the bed. Gripping the silk sheets, I wanted to curl up and disappear for awhile. X, a figure of hope and lover of peace, was missing, maybe dead... maybe Maverick. If he was Maverick, I would have to...
I wrapped the sheets around me tighter, as if they would help me contain the sorrow threatening to spill out. Sitting up, I looked at the nightstand. There was a crystal dove with the words "war will end with hope", an old trinket I had made. I picked the fragile thing up, and looked at it closely, cradling it in my hands. War will end with hope... A war that took people's family from them. Women, children, mothers... fathers... I felt something well up inside of me.
"There IS no hope!" I screamed. "This stupid war will NEVER end!" I threw the crystal. The dove made its final flight, crashing into the stone wall, and shattering into a hundred shimmering pieces.
Tears flooded my eyes, and the anguish escaped as a roar so long and loud that it stung the back of my throat, and rumbled the walls like thunder. I was a killer, a tool of murder and destruction. I was a danger to my enemies, and myself.
Claws raked across my sides. I felt the warm Reploid blood seep out onto my fingertips. Gritting my teeth, I could already sense the self- inflicted wounds healing. I would have to cut deeper.. gouge in until-
"Shadowfire!" Looking up, I saw Serena, and immediately turned away. She ran her fingertips gently across newly-mended skin, still tender and sore to the touch, making me flinch. "What have you done?" she asked softly. "It's X... isn't it? Thoughts of him are cascading from you so openly that I can hear them in my own mind." There was a pause. "Please, don't think the worst. I know you're worried, but you shouldn't destroy yourself over it." Her arms slipped around my neck, and she rested her head against my chest. "You're slipping away..." she whispered. "You're curling up inside yourself, trying to escape. Don't leave us. Be strong."
I stood inside my gunship, Phantom, safe inside its sleek, black hull. I was barely outside the Earth's atmosphere, the perfect place to begin my search. Concentrating, I drew invisible energy inside myself. When it had built up enough, it was released as a soundless shockwave, traveling at an incredible speed. The energy encompassed the planet, tuned to pick up on familiar energies. It was like a bat's echolocation, familiar energies would produce 'pings' that I could sense in the returning ripples of the energy shockwave.
I could sense X, but just faintly. He was beyond the realm. But... what could possibly have taken him outside of the realm? That didn't matter though... I just had to get him back.
Concentrating, I shifted myself into the Draconic realm, leaving my gunship to pilot itself back to the base.
I had shifted to the edge of a field, bordering a strange forest. The trees were like skeletons, gray and lifeless. A thick fog hugged the ground, obscuring my view into the forest. X was in there, I could feel it.
I stepped into the woods, where the birds were silent, and the air chill. A sense of foreboding hang in the air, and the path I walked was covered with mist. It felt as if the trees were watching, like their finger-like branches would reach out to claw at me. The forest breathed, an eerie, whistling breeze that sent shivers up my spine. My armored feet fell on damp ground that seemed alive with crawling things. Activating the Dragonsmaw made me feel a bit more secure.
I kept heading toward that feeling, the feeling of X nearby. I was drawing ever closer, and the sky grew more clouded, and dark.
Finally, the fog cleared, revealing a horrific sight. A great black castle, with a drawbridge made of bones. Empty, white skulls were stuck on spears, snarling fiercely at all who came. Then, there was the moat... A flowing stream of blood, thick with entrails, and other remains. The castle gate hung open, beckoning me to enter like a toothed maw.
I swallowed hard, and began across the drawbridge. The soup of dead flesh and fluid below me made hungry sucking sounds, as if hoping to swallow another victim to add to its collection of death.
I hurried into the castle, into a huge, torch lit room. It was empty, except for an altar of black stone at the far side of the room. Something was laying on the altar, and I prayed that it was not what I thought it was.
Drawing closer, my breath caught in my throat. X lay on the altar, armorless, chained down. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and looked at me. I took off my helmet, so he could see my face.
"X? Dad... are you okay?" I asked.
He didn't answer, he only shuddered. His bare torso was covered in small cuts, bruises, and abrasions.
"How dare you interfere!" a voice hissed. I whipped around to see a black-cloaked figure. It looked like a dragon, but with old battle scars and an evil presence. His skull-like head housed gleaming red eyes. It was a wraith.
"What have you done to X!?" I roared.
"Nothing... yet. I was about to make him into a new wraith. So, you came to get him, Dragon Lord of Light... I have spent many a day in your realm, feasting on the fear, pain, and death of my victims. They were powerless, and you have the nerve to come here with a useless weapon, and expect to defeat me." I had been unable to find the Blade of Light. "You had better put up a good fight... Dragon Lord..."
The wraith gathered a sphere of black energy in his claws, and threw it at me. I dodged just in time, and the orb flew past, smashing into a wall. He kept doing this, while I was forced to avoid his attacks. I fired the Dragonsmaw at him a few times, but the shots barely even slowed him down.
"You bore me!" the wraith yelled. "Be gone." He stood over X, and began a dark, eerie chanting. X was trembling, trying to get out of the chains that held him down. He cried out in pain suddenly, the evil magic was going to work. I had to stop the wraith. It didn't matter what X saw... I couldn't just let my father suffer such a fate.
I morphed dragon, right there, in front of him, ten feet tall. X's eyes grew wide, and the wraith turned his attention to me, halting the effects of his wicked spell.
I sucked in a deep breath, allowing air into a special chamber inside my body. Chemical reactions began to take place. Blue and white fire rose up my throat, and streamed from my jaws in a great jet. The wraith dodged to the side, but was distracted with stomping out the fire in his cloak.
Another plume of fire issued from my jaws, and hit the wraith dead on. Scales and flesh blackened, and peeled away, exposing muscle and bones. The wraith shrieked as the flames died away, but was soon laughing. He was regenerating, the fire had done nothing. I couldn't hurt him.
He turned back to X, and restarted his evil incantation. I charged at him, but stopped suddenly, as if I had hit a wall, a wall of dark energy. It forced me back into Reploid form, and prevented me from coming closer. My father writhed in the chains, shouting out in agony.
I had to do something... I was powerless. Only one thing came to mind. I knelt down, gripped my hands together, and prayed. A human would have jeered at the sight of one of the 'soulless Reploids' desperately trying to gain help from a Higher Power. They didn't bother me, though... deep inside, I believed, and I had faith. I had faith because nothing else made me feel whole inside.
The wraith had turned to me, halting his spell once more, to watch in curiosity. He seemed on the verge of laughter. "You are a pitiful sight indeed!", he sneered.
A white glow began to coat my body, something was forming in the grip of my hands. The light shaped a glorious sword. The hilt was silver, with a hand guard in the shape of two angel wings. The blade itself was around three feet long, and made out of some kind of glowing, shimmering crystal.
The sword's power flowed over and through me, like a warm wind. I lifted my arms, and the crystal blade flashed as I brought it down on my enemy.
The wraith screamed and shrieked as the blade cut into his right shoulder. The sword sliced down through his chest and stomach, coming out his left side. Both halves of the wraith fell, and exploded into sparks and ash as they hit the floor A dark, mist-like phantom drifted from the black dust, and dissipated with a hiss.
I now approached the black altar, where X was still restrained, shivering and panting. He blinked at me with uncertainty in his eyes, watching my sword carefully as I brought it closer to him. The blade cut nicely through his chains. The Blade of Light vanished from my hands, waiting to be needed once more.
Free, X jerked to the side, falling onto the floor. I started to help him up, but he scooted back, away from me. He had seen what I had done, what I had turned into. Perhaps he finally saw me for what I was, a monster.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to run up to my father and hug him, and never, ever let him go. I wanted him to comfort me, and tell me that everything would be fine, just as he always had before. He didn't, though, and the fear in his face cut me more deeply than any blade could have ever reached.
"You..." he stammered, "you're a..."
"Go ahead," I muttered lowly, "say it. A freak, a monster, an aberration." I looked down, and closed my eyes. I nearly jumped when I felt arms wrapping around me. I opened my eyes to look. X was squeezing me so tightly that it nearly hurt, crying against my shoulder.
I concentrated, and the two of us shifted, back to the safety of my living room. Serena came running up straight away.
"Can you get something for his wounds?" I asked quietly. Serena nodded, and hurried up towards the supply closet.
I sat on the couch, and X curled up against me. He had stopped crying, but was still shuddering, and pale, refusing to loosen his grip on me.
A couple hours later, X's wounds had been treated, and I had told him almost everything. I told him what I was, and what had happened. He now knew that Serena was an elf, and Hasaki was not a normal child.
"I'm not sure what to say," X muttered, looking at me. "I always knew there was something..." he paused to find the right word, "special... about you, but I never thought it was anything like this."
Hasaki looked up at X from his position in my lap. "Does this mean you don't like us anymore, grandpa?" the boy asked tearfully.
X smiled, "of course I still like you," he answered. He messed up the child's hair, provoking a smile from him. X looked back to me. "I'm not going to tell anyone else," he continued. "Nobody else needs to know."
"Right on," Techno said from his position in the easy chair. "You're the greatest, pops." He grinned that mischievous grin as he twitched his furry tail. We were a family again.
EPILOGUE
The Blade of Light had saved X, and, in a way, it had also saved me. I was still, in ways, just a child, and he was my only real means of guidance. To lose him would have been to lose myself. He was part of my family, part of my anchor, and he kept my secret. In ways, I wasn't surprised that he continued to support me, despite knowing what I was, and what I could do.
Nick, Kira, and Jetlag were buried in HQ's cemetery. I made sure that they were all given the finest honors and services.
I was revealed to the world only partially, a mysterious figure who's face was never to be seen by the public eye. When the fighting was over, perhaps it would be safe to unmask myself.
An end to the war had to come... After all, with hope, great things are possible.
By: Emily Burke "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people
who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
--Dale Carnegie--
August 17, 2129
The Sahara of Africa was just as dry and hot as one would expect. A vast expanse of towering sand dunes, beat down upon by the ruthless desert sun.
"Are we almost there, commander?" one of the three Reploids behind me complained.
"Yes, Nick," I replied, "we're almost there." 'There' was a temporary hidden outpost that had been made beneath the dunes. It was rarely ever inhabited, except by occasional Hunters who used it for surveillance. The site was dangerously close to a seemingly abandoned rail road track. Satellite imagery suggested that the tracks were being used to move supplies to Maverick installations. Our job was to stay in the tiny outpost, and watch for such activities. We had been in the area for a week, going out daily on patrol. So far, we had spotted nothing.
At the base of a sand dune stood a huge boulder, at least twenty feet in height, and, appearing to be buried somewhat in the ground. At eye- level, a perfect square was carved into the stone. I placed my hand against it, and a door opened in the rock, revealing a downward staircase.
"Here we are, Nick," I muttered. Our small band headed down the stairs, the door closing behind us. I watched as my three teammates set their gear down.
Nick, our medical officer, was only about five feet tall, with jet black armor that sparsely covered his lithe form. His hair was short and messy, the same dull, tan color as the desert sand.
Kira, the resident demolitions expert, was the only female of the group. She was nearly as tall as I, and had a lot of muscle on her, thus her nickname, the 'Amazon'.
Jetlag, so named for his hate of long-distance travel, was slightly taller than I, and more willowy than Nick. It was well-known that his specialties were goofing off, and repairing machinery.
"How much longer until we get out of this Godforsaken place?" Nick questioned.
I sighed, "two more days." I was hoping to be home soon, as well. I missed my family a lot.
"Jetlag," I started, "those two ion turrets are our only real defense. Are they working yet?"
"Hey, man," the green-armored Reploid began, "those things were a mess when we got here. I busted my ass working on the piles of crap. Turret B is up and running, but A has a bunch of sand in it. The rotary gears are all jammed up... the turret won't turn. It'll fire, but in only one direction, and that's straight forward."
I sighed in frustration. "You think they'd have put newer turrets in by now," I began, "instead of these junked-up heaps. Turret A faces west, right?"
"Aye, sir," Jetlag replied.
"If we're attacked from the west, we're screwed. And, Jetlag, this isn't the Navy. Don't say 'aye'"
"Aye, sir," Jetlag proclaimed with a grin. Every one of us gave a slight chuckle. Jetlag always lightened the mood, and made missions like this all the more tolerable for everyone else.
"Sir!" Kira exclaimed. "The monitors are picking something up! There are freight cars moving down the railway tracks."
We all gathered around the monitors. The picture was bad. A sandstorm had kicked up, making it almost impossible to see. However, the shadows of slow-moving rail cars could be seen.
"There's a wind generator on the fifth car," Kira started. "That's what's making the sand storm."
"Aim Turret B, and destroy that generator!" I commanded. Kira typed a few things on the computer, and targeted the generator. There was a loud boom as the old turret fired, and the fifth rail car blew up, bringing the train to a halt.
"Sir," Kira started, "the turret blew up as it fired!"
"What!?" I yelled. "Kira and Nick, stay here. Jetlag, gear up, I'm going to raid the supply train. I want you to cover me from on top of the boulders."
Jetlag nodded, and grabbed his rifle, slapping the scope into place. Along with his skills as a mechanic, Jetlag was also a class Special A sniper.
I put on my helmet, and the two of us went outside. The generated wind was gone, and the desert seemed eerily still. Jetlag leapt atop one of the many large boulders, laying motionless on top, aiming his rifle at the train.
With some assistance from my wings, I jumped up on top of fourth car of the armored train. The side doors on the cars opened suddenly, and a group of Mavericks came out. I stayed on top of the car, having not yet been noticed. Our enemies numbered eight. A shot from Jetlag's rifle, and they numbered seven.
The Mavericks began shooting wildly at the boulders. I was so entranced at Nick's shooting that I didn't notice the movements of the train. Everything after the car I was on had been detached, and left behind. The train was picking up speed, and I couldn't let the supplies go through. I morphed my wings and tail away, to reduce drag.
Eighty miles an hour, shooting down the tracks. I was nearly thrown onto my back. Crouching, I extended my claws, and stabbed them through the roof of the car. I continued forward, from car to car, until I reached the engine.
Using my claws, I ripped a hole in the roof, and dropped down into the engine, only to discover the engineer, a Maverick, lying on the floor with a hole in his head. Jetlag had gotten him, and he had fallen against the control panel, starting the train back up. Something exploded, throwing me through the front window, and onto the tracks. The train was barreling down on me. I tried to roll to the side, but wasn't quick enough. My left shoulder was caught between the wheels of the train, and the iron track. I didn't feel it until the train derailed a ways down the track. My arm had been severed, shoulder and all. Emergency valves closed, so that precious vital fluid wouldn't be lost through the wound. But it was too late. A lot of fluid had already been lost, the sand was stained black with it. Vision blurring, I lapsed out of consciousness.
Everything was black, but I could hear voices, and feel something cold and hard poking at the remains of my left shoulder.
"The screws are in place, and the brace is affixed. Fluid flow is starting to return. Get him to recovery."
I opened my eyes slowly, to find myself in a hospital room. There was an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth, and wires taped to my chest. My left arm, though very numb, had been reattached. There were metal staples holding the wound shut. A plastic and metal brace ran the length of that arm to hold it immobile. The screws had been driven straight through the flesh.
Looking around the room, I noticed that none of the equipment bore the insignia of the Maverick Hunters.
Out the window was more desert. It was a hospital in the middle of an American Army base.
I tried to move my left hand, and only succeeded in some small, jerky finger movements.
"Excellent!" a female voice said, startling me. Looking up, I saw a human nurse, clothed in white. The name tag read 'Teresa'. Her skin was a dark, rich chocolate color, and her eyes were so brown that they were nearly black. "You're moving your fingers already," she continued. "Your nerve wires are repairing quickly." She began removing the wires from my chest.
I was going to ask her what time it was, but then thought of a more important question. "Where's my team? Are they okay?"
The nurse's cheerful expression faded ominously. "Jetlag," she started, "took a shot to the chest. His pulse pump was damaged, and... he might not make it."
It took a moment to process. Jetlag was wounded. Severely. I had ordered him to cover me, endangering his life.
"Can I see him?" I nearly whispered. The nurse nodded in reply.
Jetlag was in Intensive Care. I could barely see him through all of the tubes and wires in him. His fluids were being circulated by an exterior pump.
He opened his deep blue eyes when I stepped up next to the bed.
"It was horrible, Commander," he choked. "It was like... a demon... with horns, and... flaming red eyes in a bare skull..."
"Quiet, Jetlag," I demanded. "You're in no condition to be telling stories."
"And stained armor, stained with blood..."
"Jetlag!" I nearly screamed. "Don't speak, and that's an order!" My voice was stern, but the tears in my eyes betrayed how I felt.
"You can't court-martial me, Commander... I'm dead anyway," he said with a weak grin.
There was no use denying it. Jetlag's pale face revealed all, and there was barely any spark of life in his eyes.
"What happens to us, Commander?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"The humans say we just... die... and we're gone. Is that true? Is there really no place for us to go after we... leave?"
My brushes with death came to mind. "Sure there is," I said softly. "It's warm, and peaceful, and everything glows... All your pain just... drifts away..."
Jetlag closed his eyes for a moment, and said, "I want to die holding my rifle."
I nodded, and looked around the room until I spotted all of the items that had been removed by the emergency team. Among these was his rifle. It was now dented and scorched in places, no longer functional. I picked it up carefully, and placed it in Jetlag's waiting hands. He held the gun across his chest, as if he were doing a drill, and stayed in that position. After several minutes, I realized that he was gone.
He seemed so peaceful lying there, no longer burdened with the responsibilities and risks of a soldier.
Making a final glance back at Jetlag's body, I walked back out into the hall, where the nurse was waiting.
"Where's the rest of my team?" I asked.
The nurse shook her head lightly. "They're dead, sir."
Kira and Nick were in the morgue, laying flatly on stainless steel tables. Their faces were pale, and lifeless, eyes closed in a dead sleep. They each had a single bite wound, but only on the arms.
"It seems like such superficial damage," the coroner muttered. "There's very little fluid missing. I can't find any reasonable explanation as to why they died."
Something wasn't right. I placed my hand over Nick's chest, and felt a sudden shock. An image of something dark and terrible flashed in my mind. I could taste something bitter in the air. Evil magic.
"I have to go," I stated. The coroner started to say something, but I walked into the now-empty hallway.
I concentrated, and felt a bit of my own magic flicker inside of me. The sterile white hall widened, and grew ever larger. The dull walls shaped into black marble pillars. The floor tiles gave way to more black marble. It all took a split-second. I had shifted into the Draconic Realm. The Great Dark Dragon, Erebos, sat in his throne, peering at me.
"What has happened?" he asked immediately.
"Something," I began, "has sucked the life out of two of my troops. I could feel... evil magic. Before he died, my sniper said that he saw a dark, red-eyed monster with curved horns and blood-stained armor."
Erebos was silent for a moment, thinking. He finally said, "they are Dragon Wraiths. The ghosts of dragon soldiers with wicked hearts. The Wraiths bear a hatred for the living, and a love of bloodshed. I cannot imagine how one would have managed to get into your realm."
"Likewise," I muttered. "Is there any way to kill them?"
"You cannot kill what is already dead. Not by conventional means. Have you used the Nightblade?"
I thought back a bit, and growled slightly as I remembered. "Yes," I murmured, "I used it to disintegrate Discord's body."
"There is at least one weapon for each element," Erebos began. "The Nightblade represents Shadow... I prefer to use my own magic, so I gave it to you. There is an elemental weapon for Light, and it has the ability to destroy the Wraiths."
"Where is it?" I asked immediately.
"Nobody knows for sure," the dragon replied. "It hasn't been wielded for many a millennia, since the last Dragon Lord of Light died. He only used it once, but its power was too much for him, and he was destroyed as he used it."
My heart sank. The one weapon that could destroy these monsters had vanished, and could kill its user.
"He failed," Erebos started, regaining my attention, "because he had no anchor."
"What? 'Anchor'? What do you mean?" I asked.
Erebos looked up momentarily, before looking back to me. "He was very strict, and a loner. He was isolated on the inside. Pure breed Dragon Lords always had such a rigid sense of duty that they ignored everything else. He had no family, he had no close friends, he had no anchor. It is time that someone should be able to tame the Blade of Light... which is why I made you."
I stuttered, "but... but why me? Why not someone else? Or another dragon?"
"We dragons," he started, "can only reach a certain amount of power, and then we become static. We don't change. We have nobody to teach us new ways. You're different. I saw your potential when X was first constructing you, but knew that he would fail to make you alive on his own. So, I used a bit of draconic energy to compensate for the errors in your systems. You're different. You can adapt, you can learn and mature."
I was finally beginning to understand a little, but what about Techno? "What about my brother?" I asked.
There was an uncomfortable pause. "I couldn't give enough energy to save him as well," Erebos said. "It was a hard choice between you two, and I didn't want either of you to be lost. A gryphon Storm Queen, named Lira, used her energy to save your brother. He inherited her power over electricity. Now, about these wraiths. You must retrieve the Blade of Light."
"How?" I asked. "Where is it?"
Erebos looked at me deeply, and said, "it is in a place that only you can see, in a reality that only you can touch. Look inside yourself, and you will find it."
I was confused, but not given the time to ask anymore questions. The great hall faded around me. I was in the hospital corridor again, and Teresa came running to me.
"We've been looking all over for you!" she exclaimed. "How are we supposed to take care of you properly when you're running around and disappearing?"
"I'm sorry," I nearly whispered. "I just needed to think."
"I understand, hon," Teresa said. "Right now, though, you need to go back to your room and get some rest. You look awful."
I was lead back upstairs to the hospital room, and mildly scolded back into bed. It was getting dark, but I didn't feel like sleeping at the moment. It was raining lightly, and drops of water pattered softly against the windows. I tried moving my left arm again. There were some half- spastic muscle twitches from shoulder to wrist, but my fingers were working better. I could make a fist, and spread my fingers apart.
My holo-beeper, which had been laid on a table next to the bed, started flashing. I picked it up, and opened the lid. Judging, by the fact that no hologram popped up, someone was calling me on a phone.
"Hello?" I muttered sleepily.
"Dear, you sound awful," it was Serena. "When are you coming home?"
I thought for a moment before saying, "sometime tomorrow. The airstrip is about a hundred miles away, in the middle of nowhere. I'd have to hop onto a smaller plane just to get there, and you know how long it takes to rent out one of those things. I'd use my own wings, but I'm so sore."
"Why don't you use Raziel?" she suggested. "You could go just out of sight, and call him. He'd get you to the airstrip." There was a bit of background noise. "Hasaki wants to talk to you." There was a little more noise as the phone was handed away.
"Hi dad!" the boy's cheerful voice came over, making me smile.
"Hey, kid. What have you been up to?"
"Not much. Grandpa X came over, though!"
This perked my interest. "Oh, did he, now?"
"Uh-huh, he said that you got hurt, are you okay, dad?"
I looked at my arm, which still had the brace pinned into it. "Yeah, I'm okay. You be good until I get back."
"Okay, I love you, bye!" the phone clicked off.
I turned off my beeper, and set it back on the table. Laying my head back down, I listened as the steady beat of the rain intensified, growing harder, and louder. A white scar of lightning ripped through the sky, followed by the cannon boom of thunder.
I pulled the covers tighter over me, and buried my head in my pillow to drown out the noise. But the thunder kept coming, seeming ever louder than before. The howling wind sounded like a freight train. I could see it barreling down the tracks. Then, it stopped. Loud raindrops were the pounding footsteps of Mavericks disembarking from the train. There were bright flashes as their weapons discharged, followed by a booming explosion. Jetlag fell, and hit the ground, his rifle crumpled underneath.
A dark shape moved among the Mavericks, red eyes burning under a hooded cloak. Feelings of dread and loathing emanated from it, making the air cold, and biting. It slithered forward, and threw itself at Kira. She screamed as it bit into her arm, and she tried to fight it off.
It was too strong, and Kira was soon motionless, lifeless eyes staring upward, lips slightly parted, as if in a silent scream. The shadow turned, and its blackness consumed everything.
I sat up in bed. Cold sweat made a few strands of hair cling to my face and neck. I had fallen asleep during the storm.
It was well into morning, now. Gray clouds hung low, threatening to bring on another torrential rain. I had to check out, before it started storming again.
I quickly ridded myself of the drafty hospital uniform, and summoned my armor. It was, thankfully, completely repaired. I left off the armor for my left arm, however, as it would not fit with the brace in position.
Teresa opened the door, and jumped slightly when she saw me, holding my helmet under one arm.
"You're leaving, I take it?" she asked.
I nodded slightly.
"I'll get you checked out," the nurse stated. "Good luck."
Within an hour, I had made my way onto the other side of a rocky ridge, out of sight of the Army base. I didn't have to whistle, shout, or call out loud. Raziel seemed to materialize out of the clouds on his own. He swooped down, and landed gracefully next to me. He nickered softly as I hopped onto his back, putting my legs in front of his broad, soft-feathered wings.
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, and the steed burst forward at a gallop. His hoof beats were nearly silent, and didn't jostle me at all.
Faster, faster, ever faster, mane and tail whipping back in the wind. A sudden leap sent us airborne. Powerful wings brought us ever higher, straight into the clouds. Water vapor condensed on my armor like cold dewdrops.
We broke through the clouds suddenly, into sun and blue sky. Raziel now barely moved his wings at all, opting to glide most of the time. His ears were forward, and alert, listening for any sounds of danger.
I started thinking about what Erebos had said. 'Look inside yourself.' But, what was I supposed to look for? Answers seemed unreachable.
A half hour passed, and Raziel began to descend through the clouds. When we broke through, I could see the airstrip. It wasn't all that big, three runways, but with a lot of airplane hangars.
Raziel touched down behind a junked scout plane, out of view of the buildings nearby. I stepped back onto the ground, and patted the winged horse on the neck for a moment, to show him my thanks. The steed reared up, and leapt into the sky, vanishing once more into the clouds.
I walked out from behind the wrecked plane, and headed toward the airstrip entryway. A pair of armed humans stood outside. They both looked up at me.
"Could you take off your helmet, please?" one of them asked.
I carefully removed my helmet, it vanished as I did so, that way, I wouldn't have to carry it around.
"You can go in, they're waiting for you." The gate opened, and I walked inside the razor wire fence, straight into the main building. Army soldiers, all human, were mingling about. A young colonel approached me, one of his medals read 'Col. Steven Ferral.' He didn't seem entirely happy to see me.
"They're waiting for you out that door," he said, pointing across the room. I merely nodded, and went through the door in question, coming into a hangar. There was a small transport plane there, started up and ready to go.
I stepped into the plane, past the cockpit, and into the passenger hold. There were six seats, three on each side, facing the middle. Three human soldiers took the seats on the right of the plane, so I simply took the middle seat on the left side.
I looked at the three humans across from me, glancing at their features and nametags. The one in the left seat, 'Dio', was a man who looked around twenty-five. His black hair was in a crew cut, and hazel eyes sat in his soft, fair face. He also sported a goatee. In the right seat was a woman, 'Jenna', in her late teens, the typical rebel. Her shoulder-length hair was dyed a fiery red, and there was a snake tattooed around her neck. In the middle seat was a guy in his early twenties, 'Perry'. He was fidgeting nervously with a pen as the plane took off.
"Don't be such a wuss, Perry," Dio remarked. "It's not like he's gonna jump over here and suck your blood."
"I think vampires are sexy," Jenna commented, studying me with blazing green eyes. She reached over and punched Dio playfully in the shoulder, just for good measure.
Dio muttered something under his breath, then turned to me. "You're the third one, right?" he asked.
"Beg your pardon?" I replied, confused.
"The third High Commander of the Maverick Hunters," he stated. "The one that everyone says doesn't exist, even though the paparazzi says otherwise?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "What would the tabloids know?"
Dio pulled a rolled-up newspaper from Perry's back pocket, and opened it up. The headline read 'Mysterious Hunter Third Commander Wounded in Mission' There was a clear photo of a red and black-armored Reploid being unloaded from an Army Rescue helicopter. Two wings and a tail hung off the stretcher.
"Some loony," Dio began, "managed to sneak close enough to the fence to take the picture. They found him, but the photo's out. Lucky for you, it doesn't show any of your face. But, everyone's going to know your armor."
I stared at the photo in disbelief. Word was out, now. Someone outside of the military knew that I existed.
"There was even a statement, made by the President," Perry stuttered. "In which she said, and I quote, 'we don't know of any Third Commander, but I will definitely look into identifying the Reploid in the photo.' She's gonna find you, man."
Dio laughed. "President Amy J. Harris, what a fox. She could go right ahead and 'identify' me any day."
Jenna smacked Dio again. "You're such a moron," she sighed.
Perry got up suddenly, and fled towards the back of the hold, flinging himself into the restroom, and locking the door behind.
"What's with him?" I asked.
"Perry," Jenna began, "doesn't exactly like flying."
Nearly five hours passed before we landed at an Army base near HQ. There were a great many people gathered near the isolated airstrip, and a huge jet of red white and blue parked nearby. Most of the people were men in black suits, carrying guns.
"She tracked you down real fast," Dio muttered.
Slowly, I descended the stairway, and was immediately surrounded by government goons with cameras. The bulbs flashed brightly, in rapid succession. Every flash was like an explosion in my head. The pulsing lights confused my eyes. My body tingled, and I felt dizzy for a moment, before the cameras finally stopped.
My vision cleared, and I saw a woman standing in front of me. She looked about thirty, with beautiful, fiery red curls framing a soft face, and eyes the color of deep water. Amy Harris.
"Sorry about the cameras," she apologized, "it's standard policy that we have some photo documentation of high-ranking military officials. You're a High Commander, Shadowfire, correct?"
I nodded slightly. "How did you know my name?"
"I asked Signas, and he told me." I felt betrayed, somehow. "Don't worry. We're not telling the public anything without your consent. We need to discuss some things. Come with us."
The President's jet was extremely roomy. I was rather envious, but didn't hesitate to enjoy a nice leather recliner in a sort of 'office.' Amy was at a desk, typing some things into a computer.
She turned to me, "Signas said that we can basically tell the public what you want. So, what do you want them to hear?"
I was being given a choice, what a nice change. "Tell them," I started, "that there is a third commander, but..." I paused, "his identity can't be disclosed. For security purposes, of course."
Amy nodded, and typed down a few more things. "Also, I'm just curious, what do you make of this 'Shadow Death' thing that's been popping up in the news?" she asked.
I frowned slightly, saying, "I hadn't heard anything about it."
"People are turning up dead, the count is fifty-six so far. Only superficial wounds, but killed. Survivors always say that they saw a horrible black beast." The wraiths. They were on the loose.
"That's horrible," I stated. "I don't know exactly what these things are, but, as a Hunter, I'll do all I can in stopping them."
Amy nodded once more. "Tell me some about yourself. Family?"
"I'm married," I said quietly, "with a son. My brother lives with us, and I ask that you please not get him involved in any of this."
"Of course," Amy replied. "I don't want your family to be badgered if you wish to remain anonymous."
"Thank you," I said, leaning back slightly. "But, why are you so willing to help keep me a secret?"
"Well," Amy started, "there are many reasons. You're... different from other Reploids. If the public knew who you really were, the prejudiced, hate-filled harassing would never end. A hero doesn't deserve that."
My face flushed with heat when I heard this. She thought I was a hero.
"And," she continued, "you're shy, it's quite obvious, from the way that you're blushing right now." There was another long pause. "Well, good luck."
I walked straight into Signas's office. He looked up at me and smiled, but his expression dimmed when he saw the anger in my face.
"You told her!?" I yelled, "just like that! You didn't tell me anything!"
Signas frowned. "She's the President. What was I supposed to do, just lie to her? I have a lot to worry about right now, so you bite your tongue and remember your place."
My eyes widened for a second. Signas had never been so harsh to me before. I lowered my head slightly, and muttered, "yes, sir."
"Now, go to the medical bay to have that brace removed, I'll meet you down there after a while. You are dismissed."
I gave a quick salute, and left.
Eric unwrapped my bandages, so he could clearly see where the metal pins were drilled into my arm. He then loaded a syringe with something.
"A little local anesthetic, so it won't hurt."
I looked away. It was embarrassing to be so afraid of such a little thing, though I had gotten a bit better with needles. Still, the cold sting was unmistakable, and brought flashes of nightmarish memories.
Eric put a hand on my steadily-numbing arm. "I heard that Signas was a bit harsh?" he asked. I made no reply. "Don't take it personally. He's not mad at you, he's just stressed out over recent events." I felt a jerk as one of the pens was pulled out. Eric mopped up what little fluid bled from the tiny wound, and continued pulling pins. Soon enough, the whole brace had been removed, and the numbing chemicals wore off. My arm was sore, and felt stiff.
Eric had me bend my elbow, rotate my shoulder, and drum my fingers on the table before he was satisfied.
"Good," he muttered, rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully with one hand as he wrote something in his log book.
The door opened, and Signas walked in. I snapped into attention immediately, not wanting to displease him again.
"At ease," he said quietly, prompting me to sit back down. His expression was grim, thusly dimming my hope of any good news. "A high- ranking Hunter has gone missing. We've tried tracking him down, but he seems to have disappeared from all of our scanners."
"Is Zero missing? He has a tendency to do that. You know him, cut off his scanner and go off for a little quiet time."
"No," Signas continued. "The missing Hunter... is your father."
I could feel the fluid drain from my face, and then come rushing back.
"I won't lie to you. We don't know where he his, he could be dead, he could be Maverick. I want you to find him."
"But... but," I stammered. "You said that nothing we had was able to track him... Why would you want me to try and find him?"
"You really don't know?" Signas asked. "Come on, everyone else sees it, so don't try so hard to hide. You've always been able to find thing that aren't obvious to our scanners. Nobody knows how you do it, but you do it. You must find X and... deal with him appropriately. You will start your search tomorrow."
Slowly, I saluted, and left, yearning to return to the safety of home.
I went into the house, and found a note stating that Serena had taken Hasaki to play out by the lake. It was getting dark, so they would be home soon.
I trudged up to the master bedroom, and changed into my pajamas before falling onto the bed. Gripping the silk sheets, I wanted to curl up and disappear for awhile. X, a figure of hope and lover of peace, was missing, maybe dead... maybe Maverick. If he was Maverick, I would have to...
I wrapped the sheets around me tighter, as if they would help me contain the sorrow threatening to spill out. Sitting up, I looked at the nightstand. There was a crystal dove with the words "war will end with hope", an old trinket I had made. I picked the fragile thing up, and looked at it closely, cradling it in my hands. War will end with hope... A war that took people's family from them. Women, children, mothers... fathers... I felt something well up inside of me.
"There IS no hope!" I screamed. "This stupid war will NEVER end!" I threw the crystal. The dove made its final flight, crashing into the stone wall, and shattering into a hundred shimmering pieces.
Tears flooded my eyes, and the anguish escaped as a roar so long and loud that it stung the back of my throat, and rumbled the walls like thunder. I was a killer, a tool of murder and destruction. I was a danger to my enemies, and myself.
Claws raked across my sides. I felt the warm Reploid blood seep out onto my fingertips. Gritting my teeth, I could already sense the self- inflicted wounds healing. I would have to cut deeper.. gouge in until-
"Shadowfire!" Looking up, I saw Serena, and immediately turned away. She ran her fingertips gently across newly-mended skin, still tender and sore to the touch, making me flinch. "What have you done?" she asked softly. "It's X... isn't it? Thoughts of him are cascading from you so openly that I can hear them in my own mind." There was a pause. "Please, don't think the worst. I know you're worried, but you shouldn't destroy yourself over it." Her arms slipped around my neck, and she rested her head against my chest. "You're slipping away..." she whispered. "You're curling up inside yourself, trying to escape. Don't leave us. Be strong."
I stood inside my gunship, Phantom, safe inside its sleek, black hull. I was barely outside the Earth's atmosphere, the perfect place to begin my search. Concentrating, I drew invisible energy inside myself. When it had built up enough, it was released as a soundless shockwave, traveling at an incredible speed. The energy encompassed the planet, tuned to pick up on familiar energies. It was like a bat's echolocation, familiar energies would produce 'pings' that I could sense in the returning ripples of the energy shockwave.
I could sense X, but just faintly. He was beyond the realm. But... what could possibly have taken him outside of the realm? That didn't matter though... I just had to get him back.
Concentrating, I shifted myself into the Draconic realm, leaving my gunship to pilot itself back to the base.
I had shifted to the edge of a field, bordering a strange forest. The trees were like skeletons, gray and lifeless. A thick fog hugged the ground, obscuring my view into the forest. X was in there, I could feel it.
I stepped into the woods, where the birds were silent, and the air chill. A sense of foreboding hang in the air, and the path I walked was covered with mist. It felt as if the trees were watching, like their finger-like branches would reach out to claw at me. The forest breathed, an eerie, whistling breeze that sent shivers up my spine. My armored feet fell on damp ground that seemed alive with crawling things. Activating the Dragonsmaw made me feel a bit more secure.
I kept heading toward that feeling, the feeling of X nearby. I was drawing ever closer, and the sky grew more clouded, and dark.
Finally, the fog cleared, revealing a horrific sight. A great black castle, with a drawbridge made of bones. Empty, white skulls were stuck on spears, snarling fiercely at all who came. Then, there was the moat... A flowing stream of blood, thick with entrails, and other remains. The castle gate hung open, beckoning me to enter like a toothed maw.
I swallowed hard, and began across the drawbridge. The soup of dead flesh and fluid below me made hungry sucking sounds, as if hoping to swallow another victim to add to its collection of death.
I hurried into the castle, into a huge, torch lit room. It was empty, except for an altar of black stone at the far side of the room. Something was laying on the altar, and I prayed that it was not what I thought it was.
Drawing closer, my breath caught in my throat. X lay on the altar, armorless, chained down. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and looked at me. I took off my helmet, so he could see my face.
"X? Dad... are you okay?" I asked.
He didn't answer, he only shuddered. His bare torso was covered in small cuts, bruises, and abrasions.
"How dare you interfere!" a voice hissed. I whipped around to see a black-cloaked figure. It looked like a dragon, but with old battle scars and an evil presence. His skull-like head housed gleaming red eyes. It was a wraith.
"What have you done to X!?" I roared.
"Nothing... yet. I was about to make him into a new wraith. So, you came to get him, Dragon Lord of Light... I have spent many a day in your realm, feasting on the fear, pain, and death of my victims. They were powerless, and you have the nerve to come here with a useless weapon, and expect to defeat me." I had been unable to find the Blade of Light. "You had better put up a good fight... Dragon Lord..."
The wraith gathered a sphere of black energy in his claws, and threw it at me. I dodged just in time, and the orb flew past, smashing into a wall. He kept doing this, while I was forced to avoid his attacks. I fired the Dragonsmaw at him a few times, but the shots barely even slowed him down.
"You bore me!" the wraith yelled. "Be gone." He stood over X, and began a dark, eerie chanting. X was trembling, trying to get out of the chains that held him down. He cried out in pain suddenly, the evil magic was going to work. I had to stop the wraith. It didn't matter what X saw... I couldn't just let my father suffer such a fate.
I morphed dragon, right there, in front of him, ten feet tall. X's eyes grew wide, and the wraith turned his attention to me, halting the effects of his wicked spell.
I sucked in a deep breath, allowing air into a special chamber inside my body. Chemical reactions began to take place. Blue and white fire rose up my throat, and streamed from my jaws in a great jet. The wraith dodged to the side, but was distracted with stomping out the fire in his cloak.
Another plume of fire issued from my jaws, and hit the wraith dead on. Scales and flesh blackened, and peeled away, exposing muscle and bones. The wraith shrieked as the flames died away, but was soon laughing. He was regenerating, the fire had done nothing. I couldn't hurt him.
He turned back to X, and restarted his evil incantation. I charged at him, but stopped suddenly, as if I had hit a wall, a wall of dark energy. It forced me back into Reploid form, and prevented me from coming closer. My father writhed in the chains, shouting out in agony.
I had to do something... I was powerless. Only one thing came to mind. I knelt down, gripped my hands together, and prayed. A human would have jeered at the sight of one of the 'soulless Reploids' desperately trying to gain help from a Higher Power. They didn't bother me, though... deep inside, I believed, and I had faith. I had faith because nothing else made me feel whole inside.
The wraith had turned to me, halting his spell once more, to watch in curiosity. He seemed on the verge of laughter. "You are a pitiful sight indeed!", he sneered.
A white glow began to coat my body, something was forming in the grip of my hands. The light shaped a glorious sword. The hilt was silver, with a hand guard in the shape of two angel wings. The blade itself was around three feet long, and made out of some kind of glowing, shimmering crystal.
The sword's power flowed over and through me, like a warm wind. I lifted my arms, and the crystal blade flashed as I brought it down on my enemy.
The wraith screamed and shrieked as the blade cut into his right shoulder. The sword sliced down through his chest and stomach, coming out his left side. Both halves of the wraith fell, and exploded into sparks and ash as they hit the floor A dark, mist-like phantom drifted from the black dust, and dissipated with a hiss.
I now approached the black altar, where X was still restrained, shivering and panting. He blinked at me with uncertainty in his eyes, watching my sword carefully as I brought it closer to him. The blade cut nicely through his chains. The Blade of Light vanished from my hands, waiting to be needed once more.
Free, X jerked to the side, falling onto the floor. I started to help him up, but he scooted back, away from me. He had seen what I had done, what I had turned into. Perhaps he finally saw me for what I was, a monster.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to run up to my father and hug him, and never, ever let him go. I wanted him to comfort me, and tell me that everything would be fine, just as he always had before. He didn't, though, and the fear in his face cut me more deeply than any blade could have ever reached.
"You..." he stammered, "you're a..."
"Go ahead," I muttered lowly, "say it. A freak, a monster, an aberration." I looked down, and closed my eyes. I nearly jumped when I felt arms wrapping around me. I opened my eyes to look. X was squeezing me so tightly that it nearly hurt, crying against my shoulder.
I concentrated, and the two of us shifted, back to the safety of my living room. Serena came running up straight away.
"Can you get something for his wounds?" I asked quietly. Serena nodded, and hurried up towards the supply closet.
I sat on the couch, and X curled up against me. He had stopped crying, but was still shuddering, and pale, refusing to loosen his grip on me.
A couple hours later, X's wounds had been treated, and I had told him almost everything. I told him what I was, and what had happened. He now knew that Serena was an elf, and Hasaki was not a normal child.
"I'm not sure what to say," X muttered, looking at me. "I always knew there was something..." he paused to find the right word, "special... about you, but I never thought it was anything like this."
Hasaki looked up at X from his position in my lap. "Does this mean you don't like us anymore, grandpa?" the boy asked tearfully.
X smiled, "of course I still like you," he answered. He messed up the child's hair, provoking a smile from him. X looked back to me. "I'm not going to tell anyone else," he continued. "Nobody else needs to know."
"Right on," Techno said from his position in the easy chair. "You're the greatest, pops." He grinned that mischievous grin as he twitched his furry tail. We were a family again.
EPILOGUE
The Blade of Light had saved X, and, in a way, it had also saved me. I was still, in ways, just a child, and he was my only real means of guidance. To lose him would have been to lose myself. He was part of my family, part of my anchor, and he kept my secret. In ways, I wasn't surprised that he continued to support me, despite knowing what I was, and what I could do.
Nick, Kira, and Jetlag were buried in HQ's cemetery. I made sure that they were all given the finest honors and services.
I was revealed to the world only partially, a mysterious figure who's face was never to be seen by the public eye. When the fighting was over, perhaps it would be safe to unmask myself.
An end to the war had to come... After all, with hope, great things are possible.