Rise and Fall

Chapter 3: Vindicated

I was half way to my destination when I realized that someone was following me.

At first I thought it was merely coincidence that the guard's patrol was the same direction that I was traveling. I tried not to panic. I decided to make a detour that would inevitably lead back to where I was. If the guard was still behind me then, I was definitely being followed.

After a few minutes, the man began getting closer. I walked a little faster trying to find a way to bolt before the man caught me. I kept the little package clutched to my chest tightly and took deep breathes. This week was not my week.

Not paying attention to where I was going I ended up walking into a corner in the industrial section with the only exit being blocked by the KG. I sucked in a deep breath as the man approached me.

"Where are you headed so early this morning?" the guard asked none too nicely as he pulled off his helmet.

I gulped, "I was headed to see my grandpa. I thought this was where he lived but he just moved and I couldn't remember if I was supposed to go left or right once I passed the Power Station."

It seemed like a good enough lie but the guard looked dubious, "What's in that package?"

He reached for the parcel in my arms and I panicked.

I side stepped his reaching arm and dashed pasted him before he knew what was happening. As soon as I'd done it I knew I'd made a huge mistake. I had no clue what was in the package but I assumed it couldn't be too important if Torn was having me deliver it. The more important stuff he delivered himself.

I rounded the corner and felt an arm grip my wrist and pull me quickly into an alley. I sucked in a breath to scream but a hand clamped down over my lips before I had the chance. I was held tight against a boy's body by his other arm wrapped firmly around my waist. I froze, my eyes scanning the street I'd just been pulled from.

The guard ran by not bothering to look down the alley.

I let the breath I'd been holding blow out my nose. I wiggled trying to break free of the boy that was holding me.

"If I let go do you promise not to scream?" he asked and his voice sounded slightly familiar.

I nodded and sure enough the boy released me. I took a step away from him before turning to look. It was the boy that I'd run into the day before. He smirked as I recognized him.

"Thanks, I guess," I stated, scratching the back of my head.

"Sure thing," he stated holding out a hand. "The name's Aron."

I shook his hand hesitantly, "Jenny."

"See ya around," he stated as if he were sure we'd run into each other again.

"Yeah, okay," I stated before taking off towards my destination again. This time I grabbed a zoomer.

. . .

4 months earlier…

In the weeks following their escape, Jenny hadn't gotten any better. In fact, she was getting worse by the day. At first she seemed to be getting better once he'd gotten her to the safe house designated to him by the Shadow. But she started sleeping more and it was becoming harder to wake her. Even when she was awake she was half delirious from the fever.

Torn feared she wouldn't last another month.

The now ex-commander grunted in dissatisfaction grabbing his hoodie off the back of the couch. The Shadow had finally summoned him for a meeting out in Haven Forest. He gave one last look over his shoulder at the small girl shivering under the many layers of covers he placed over her before throwing his hood up and stepping out of the small apartment.

. . .

I handed over the box to the Underground member at the port safe house. He gave me a quick nod before going back inside. As I turned to head back towards the Hideout someone ran up beside me, draping their arm around my shoulders.

"What the hell?!" I shouted, as I was knocked off balance and looked up to see Aron. "Did you follow me?"

"So what if I did, sweetheart?" he laughed, keeping his arm around me as I straightened up.

I knocked his arm away from me and began walking away. I had barely made it a couple steps when the black haired boy grabbed my wrist. I snapped around to glare at him but he only gave me a charming smirk.

"You're part of the Underground aren't you?" he asked.

My eyes widened, "Shut up, you idiot! I don't know how you know but I'd prefer if half of Haven didn't as well!"

"Hun, there's no one around," he stated with a laugh while running a hand through his short, black hair. "Besides, I'd like to join."

At that I raised an eyebrow at him giving him an inquisitive look.

He furrowed his eyebrows at me and frowned, "What?"

"You think you can just show up and ask to join?" I chuckled. "It doesn't work like that. Besides I don't think your parents would like that too much."

"My parents died in the takeover," he stated looking down. "They were loyal to Damas."

I gasped lightly, "Oh… I…"

He waved his hand, "It's alright. You didn't know. Besides how did you manage to join?"

"Well I'm not much of a member. Just an errand girl really," I stated, rubbing the back of my head. "But I was kinda just a package deal with someone the Shadow wanted to join. But maybe I can talk to him, see if he'd be interested in you joining."

Aron smiled lightly, "Thanks. Here's my comm. number."

I took the small piece of paper he was holding out, "Well see you around. And this time don't follow me."

With a laugh the dark eyed boy turned and walked away.

. . .

Four months earlier…

Torn sat with his legs crossed in front of the Shadow, who had been sitting under a large tree meditating when the ex-commander had arrived at the destination for the meeting.

"Torn, thank you for coming on such a short notice," the small, green man stated. "I'm terribly sorry for not making contact sooner."

"It's fine," Torn grunted. "So why did you want to see me?"

"Well as you are well aware the Underground has been progressing in our fight against the Baron," the Shadow said. "But if we are ever going to win this fight we'll need a strategist. With your previous rank and knowledge of the KG you make the ideal candidate."

"Okay."

The Shadow chuckled, "So that's it? I thought I'd have to try and convince you a little more."

Torn shook his head, "I've seen what Praxis is capable of and he's needs to be stopped."

The Shadow nodded his head with a solemn look, "Well we both agree there. I'd like you to come by the Hideout tomorrow to meet the other members. In the meantime is there anything I can do for you?"

"You're a healer right?" Torn questioned and the man nodded. "Well there's this girl that I brought with me when I left. She'd been in prison for a couple years but now she's really sick."

"I would be glad to stop by a take a look at her," the green man said. "What was a girl doing in prison?"

Torn gritted his teeth, "They were experimenting on her with dark eco."

"By the precursors," the Shadow stated. "Well if it's fine with you I'd like to see her right away."

. . .

The Fortress

"Bring in the new test subject," the red-haired man ordered of the guard.

With a salute, the man snapped to obey. He walked over the occupied cell, quickly punching in the key code. When the door slid open he stepped inside grabbing the young boy inside by the scruff of his shirt. The blonde boy was dragged from the cell over to the metal chair in the center of the room. With fearful, wide, blue eyes the youth was strapped to the chair.

A man with a white coat and clipboard stepped up to the control panel pushing various buttons, "As discussed earlier, we've infused the dark eco into an electrical shock instead of using the previous method of injecting raw eco into the veins."

Baron Praxis gave a nod, "Then let's begin."

The scientist nodded, slowing lifting up the lever and powering on the machine. The boy watched as a large pointed objected descended from above him stopping half a foot above his forehead.

When the first currents hit him, his back arched off the chair as his mouth opened and he began to scream.

. . .

Four months earlier…

The Shadow shook his head in displeasure as he examined the young girl. She could have only been 14 or 15 at the most. Her body was covered in sweat from the fever and he noticed the scars across her arms and legs. Her skin was pale and the circles around her eyes were as dark as bruises.

"And you say she was injected with dark eco?" the Shadow asked.

Torn nodded as he leaned against the wall, "At least once a day except for the week prior to our escape. They stopped the experiments."

The green man sighed, "It would seem her sickness is like that of an addict's who has stop taken a drug completely. If not weaned off it slowly they can become very sick. I'm afraid we'll have to keep injecting her with dark eco."

"But won't that kill her?" Torn questioned, his eyebrows pulling together.

"She's survived two years of it," the Shadow stated. "The dark eco could keep her alive for a few months or a few years. I've never dealt with this sort of thing before so I can't give you a straight answer. But without the eco she will die within the week. It's the best recommendation I can give until I've had more time to look into it."

Torn grunted as he rubbed his forehead in discontent.

. . .

Torn was in his typical place hovering over reports when I returned from the port. He looked up and upon seeing it was I returned to his work.

"Hey, Torn," I began, leaning against one of the bunks. "When I was heading to the port a guard tried to capture me."

The brunette grunted, "Well he obviously didn't so what' so important?"

"A guy helped me get away," I sighed running a hand through my hair. "Anyways he wants to join the Underground."

Torn looked up and raised an eyebrow at me, "And do you think he could be of use?"

"I'm not really sure but he did help me get away from the guard," I informed with a shrug. "It couldn't hurt to look into him. The movement really does need some new recruits."

The brunette rubbed his chin as he spoke, "Well were going to meet another recruit tomorrow at the Hip Hog. Tell him to meet us there at 9."

I nodded and pulled out my comm. to send a message to Aron.

. . .

The Palace

Baron Praxis was pacing the floor in front of his throne. He did this often when he thought about the future. The man paused for a moment to stare out of the large window that made up the back wall behind the large staircase leading to the throne.

The room itself was an ingenious design. The throne room made up half of the uppermost floor. The other half was occupied by a variety of other rooms, including his personal office. The central most point was the elevator. The whole floor spun around to view Haven City. What better way to show your superiority over people than having a throne room that could look out over the whole city?

The Baron stopped pondering over the room and returned back to his previous train of thought; the boy that had been brought in by Commander Erol. The boy definitely wasn't what he was expecting. He had been expecting exactly what that old coot had showed him; an average height young man with long hair and angry blue eyes. What he had got was what must have been a younger version. He sighed resigned to the fact that he would have to wait at least a couple more years. Still it had been the same thing with the girl.

The man's eye drew together at the thought of the brunette girl. He had invested a lot of dark eco into that brat and thanks to that traitorous bastard, Torn, she had gotten away from him.

Still if he believed what that old soothsayer had shown him then she would suit his purposes just fine. He had waited four years for this, he could stand to wait a couple more.

. . .

Four years earlier…

It had only been a few months after the takeover but the new ruler of Haven still didn't have a complete plan to get rid of the metal head threat. He knew he would have to come up with some kind of super weapon but Baron Praxis didn't know what that super weapon would be at this point. He was in the process of having a large bomb built that could be dropped into metal head nest.

The man grunted as he swung his leg over the zoomer before walking down the steep ramp into the bazaar. A group of guards had reported an old woman had a tent set up and when the ordered her to leave her monkaw told them that she wanted to speak to the Baron, that she knew the solution to his problem.

'This is a waste of time,' the man thought angrily stomping as he walked. 'There's still a lot of work to be done if the takeover is going to be a success and I'm doing most of the work myself…'

He stopped as he rounded the corner. Indeed there was a large, beige tent sitting back in a corner but still taking up most of the square area. Two guards were waiting for him at the entrance of the entrance of the tent. They gave a quick salute as the Baron ducked inside.

The inside of the tent was full of strange knickknacks sitting on the floor as well as hanging from the wooden supports that held up the canvas. Sitting on a rug with her legs crossed was the oldest looking women he had ever seen. She look frail and her skin hung off her like an oversized sweater. Her long ears sagged and she sat hunched over making her frame look smaller. When she finally decided to look up he saw that her eyes were milky white telling him that she was obviously blind. And just like the guards had reported, sitting in the soothsayer's strange bowl looking hat was a colorful monkaw.

The woman's hand began moving in a strange, fluid motion with bright blue lights leaving her fingertips. The monkaw looked down at her watching the movements before looking back to the Baron.

"Onin says thank you for coming, Baron Praxis," it said while rolling its eyes. "Blah, blah, blah you usual salutations.

"What did she mean when you told the guards that she knew how to solve my problem?" the man demanded, jumping straight to the point.

More hand movements before the monkaw spoke again, "She means your problem with the metal heads."

The man raised an eyebrow at the old soothsayer.

"She says you will need a super weapon to defeat them," he stated, watching the signs fly. "And Onin says she can show you exactly who your super weapon will be."


A/N: FINALLY! I blame summer classes… In Engl. 2331 we had to read Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in four weeks! And I had to write an essay… I don't like essays…

Anyways I'll stop complaining. I have my finals tomorrow and then I'll be a junior! Hopefully I can get this ball rolling and get the next chapter out sooner.

Hope you all enjoy!