A/N: Thanks to ChasexJinjaForever and monsuno power for the reviews.
Enjoy!
"Even with the disappearance of the leader of Eklipse, we need to start taking direction. Now more then ever."
The world council sat at the long table, speaking out to Jon Ace as the commandant stood in front of them, the only light in the room focused on him. He still had a decent amount of bandages around his arms and face from the fight that took place between the Forge Resistance and S.T.O.R.M. a week prior. But if he felt any pain, he didn't show it. Jeredy and many commanders and lieutenants were sitting behind him on the benches lined up along the single path leading in and out of the room. All of them watched with baited breath.
"Commandant Marshall Jon Ace," the woman to the left said, "It has been decided by the council that now is the appropriate time to start pulling your troops together. That last battle has only proved that the Forge Resistance has become too powerful and must be stopped."
"I understand," he said, nodding, "In that case, I feel that it is a good a time as any to announce who I have chosen for Trey's replacement."
The three at the front each nodded to each other, "You may proceed."
"Thank you," Jon said, then turned around. He motioned towards the red-haired teen sitting next to Jeredy. Alpha stiffened immediately, and shakily stood up. Slowly, he made his way next to Jon.
"I would like to request that Strike Squad Specialist Alpha be given the title of Lieutenant," the commandant said, "He has been working closely with others within higher ranks for the past year, and is my first choice for the position."
The three exchanged looks, Alpha nervously moving from one foot to the other.
"Isn't he part of the team that was assembled by Charlemagne?" the man on the right asked.
"He is, but it was a team originally assembled by Commander Trey," Jon Ace explained.
"He's a bit young. Don't you think?"
Jon shook his head, "I can vouch from experience that despite his age, his leadership skills are exceptional within the battlefield, and even more so with monsuno. In fact, he's been acting as a temp for Lieutenant Trey while also leading the Strike Squad for this past year with great success."
Alpha had to turn away as his cheeks grew red, but Jon continued to face the council with a straight expression. The three exchanged words under their breath, and gave a nod to each other before speaking again.
"We approve of your choice," the head of the council said, "We'll get started on the official paperwork, as well as bestowing the title when we promote the other troops."
"Thank you," Jon said, then nudged Alpha with his arm. The teen jumped a little, and gave a salute.
"Th-Thank you! I won't disappoint you!" he said.
"You are excused. Lieutenant Alpha" the woman said, then looked to the rest of the crowd, "We will be going into a private session. All those with other business may wait outside."
The rest of the soldiers started to trail out the room, including Alpha. Jeredy briefly saw the teen reunite with his teammates outside the room (nearly falling over into their arms in relief). As the doors closed, he and Jon Ace were left with the world council and one other sitting on one of the benches on the other side of the aisle. A woman with short brown hair and bright green eyes. Jeredy paid her no attention. Not when he had to figure out why he was called in.
It was strange to be summoned to see the council. Especially when they hadn't even explained why. He just hoped it didn't have to do with Chase's defection...
"Jon Ace. What is the status of the rest of the Strike Squad and Team Core Tech?" the head of the council asked, the tone shifting, "Even though that fight at the Tiger's Lair was a year ago, they seem to all be having difficulty recovering."
"I take full responsibility of the situation," Jon said earnestly, "As well as for the past few months. I should've paid more attention to their actions prior to the whole incident. They all can still work. And we have been trying to find the others from Team Core Tech that went missing-"
The woman in the room let out a scoff, gaining the attention of the others. When she stood Jeredy took in her full appearance, finding that he didn't recognize her at all.
"Don't you mean deserted?" she said, crossing her arms, "I would've thought that'd be obvious. You've been too slack with them. I doubt you'd have any control of the situation with any of your troops. Perhaps that's why the old commandant got free and my own squad had to come in to save your asses after half the temple was already in ruins."
Jon's hands clenched into fists, though he kept his lips pursed.
"Lieutenant Diellza, you're speaking out of line," the man to the right said, "It's to our understanding that your team was also injured though correct?"
"Hardly," she waved off, "Strike Squad II was fully prepared for the situation, even with the other team running around like headless chickens trying to find the old commandant, Eklipse, and this 'Hand of Destiny' group. And in the end my team were the ones who apprehended Charlemagne and... That boy."
Jon frowned at her, "Still, that doesn't give you the right to feel ill towards Trey's team. If anything, this shows the necessary steps that we'll need to take towards forming stronger teams. Which is something I wanted to speak to the council about."
The woman huffed, eventually sitting back down and crossing her legs. It finally clicked who she was in Jeredy's mind. But when one of the council members cleared their throat, he turned back to the center of the room.
"What did you mean Commandant Marshall?"
"I would like another Strike Squad team formed," he responded, "It was something that Trey had mentioned before, and with the state of S.T.O.R.M. I feel this would be a good time as any to start, especially seeing how Strike Squad II was a success."
He glanced at Diellza for a brief moment, watching her get flustered at the compliment. Jeredy couldn't help but grin at Jon's idea. They had talked about it earlier that day with much enthusiasm, and it would be a nice way of giving remembrance to Trey. Jon had even started finding potential recruits with the help of the first Strike Squad. After whispering under their breath, the council turned back to Jon.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to deny that request," the head of the council said, earning a small gasp from Jon. He stiffened himself immediately.
"Sir, may I ask why?"
"You have the leader of the first Strike Squad leaving his team, which means you already have to fill that position first," the man to the right said, then glanced over towards Jeredy, "And from the sound of things, Team Core Tech is also in disarray. I would think that you would put those two in priority before attempting to create another team."
"Agreed," the head of the council nodded, "Until those two are stable and you find a commander who will assemble a team, your request will be put on hold."
"... I understand," Jon said, resigned.
"Good. In that case."
The head of the council turned to Diellza.
"Lieutenant. We'll be transferring custody of Charlemagne to you and your base."
"Of course," Diellza replied, ignoring Jeredy's surprised look.
"H-Hold on!" he exclaimed, standing up, "Is that really necessary? She hardly poses a threat anymore-"
"Silence Doctor Suno. This is a matter of the safety and defense of S.T.O.R.M.," the woman on the left said, then looked to Jon, " You realize that she has been given too much leniency with letting her stay here on the cloud carrier. And from the past it is clear that she has the ability to escape."
Jon frowned, and glanced briefly over to Jeredy. The two of them knew that the only reason she was allowed to roam the halls was to stay with her son (but even that was extremely strict with three guards watching her at all times). And from that alone it was clear that she was more interested in the wellbeing of her son than to try pulling a fast one.
(And Jeredy could only imagine the wraith she would incur from being separated from him).
Jon simply nodded, knowing that speaking out of turn would stir up trouble, for many reasons.
"And speaking of Charlemagne," the man in the center continued, then looked over towards Jeredy. The others also glanced at him, making the doctor suddenly aware that he was being addressed.
"Doctor Suno," the head of the table said, "What is the status of this... Experiment that was taken into custody? The one from the Hand of Destiny."
Jeredy scratched the back of his neck, "Well... There hasn't been any change in his status since the last time I spoke to you all. And I'm not sure how to go about curing him, if that's even possible."
"If I may," Jon interjected when he saw the expressions of the council, "this boy that was brought in has a condition that isn't like anything Dr. Suno has seen before. He needs time to fully understand what this child is before we can determine-"
"Weren't you able to see what he is capable of during your battle?" the woman questioned. Jon shook his head.
"To my knowledge, he wasn't present during most of the fight. And according to members of Team Core Tech and both Strike Squads, he had been heavily injured at some point that left him incapacitated. At the moment, he poses no threat. Especially given how he's not even conscious."
Jeredy shifted on his feet.
"At the moment that might be so. But what about the future?" the man to the right asked. Both Jeredy and Jon exchanged looks, but didn't respond. "You two do realize that the incident in the Tebab mountains only took place because he was part of a group that could take on the entire army of S.T.O.R.M.. Someone - anyone - who is capable of such feats can't be taken lightly."
"And rumor has it that Charlemagne has been seen in the restricted area of the hospital wing," the woman on the right said, "Another reason why she needs to be sent away. If she's planning on using this child somehow, we can't afford any chances.."
Jeredy inhaled sharply. So they didn't know...
"You must understand what that means don't you doctor?" the head of the council said, lacing his fingers together. The rest of them looked down at him with cold stares. Jeredy took a step back, eyes wide. After regaining his composure, he took a breath.
"I do know what it would mean," he said, stepping forward so that he was standing next to Jon, "But until he explains himself, I don't think that he should be held accountable for actions that weren't his own. He's not just any child after all-"
"That is obvious," the man to the right said, "A normal child couldn't break in and out of prisons, or take on full monsuno like it were some sort of game. While he is under your custody as a patient, he is not your responsibility. And we don't have the ability to fund research into monsuno while also trying to find an impossible cure. You have to admit, cutting losses when they might be more harmful then helpful are necessary. especially if he can't fight back."
Jeredy clenched his fists and swallowed hard. Even though he knew what the world council was suggesting, the thought of having to pull through with it was troubling. His hands clenched into fists at his side.
"... I understand," he said, keeping his gaze low.
"In that case, you're excused Dr. Suno."
He gave a short bow and turned back towards the exit. As he walked out and was briefly blinded by the hall light, he let out a curse under his breath.
"How could they..." Jeredy mumbled, the door clicking shut.
He hated the fact that he had to go through with the council's decisions, especially when they requested the worst from him. Sure the worst type of orders he had ever received were from Charlemagne when he worked with Emmanuel and Jon, but that was different. No one was around to challenge her authority.
But now.
"... Um. Excuse me."
He looked up to see a teen in a Strike Squad uniform with bright orange hair. Jeredy blinked a few times, trying to recall where he had seen him before.
"Are they finished in there?" he asked, looking towards the door that Jeredy had left through. The doctor shook his head.
"No. Still private session," he said, then turned so that they were facing each other, "... You're part of Strike Squad II aren't you?"
The teen's face immediately lit up, and he puffed his chest up in pride.
"Yup! That's my squad! And I'm their leader, Lux Apollo!" he said, then quickly blinked a few times, his lips twitching, "I-I mean. One! My name- i-it's One! Great leader with even greater monsuno!"
Jeredy couldn't help but stare, and let out a chuckle. For some reason he couldn't think of this kid as a Strike Squad leader, if only because Alpha had been so serious. If anything, Lux reminded him more of Chase...
His gaze dropped in reflection.
So much had happened to his family, constantly being torn apart, mostly because of the Hand of Destiny. And the World Council was right. They did pose a threat to everything. Monsuno. Humans. Everyone. It made sense that the council would seek justice for those crimes.
However, the doctor couldn't fully believe that was the case with this child turned experiment. Especially with how Driftblade had reacted, and how Charlemagne was currently trying everything she could do stay close. The Hand of Destiny may have been evil, but that wasn't the same for their victims.
Because that's what Charlemagne's family was. And what his was...
"Lux. What are you doing?"
Jeredy jerked, and turned around to see Lieutenant Diellza coming out from the room, glaring a bit at the orange-haired teen.
"I thought I told you to wait in the cafeteria or something," she said.
"Oh. I was. But then I ended up hanging out with the other Strike Squad," Lux replied, "I can't believe they get to travel around the world on this thing! And their food is surprisingly tasty. I thought you said it was the worst."
Diellza let out a huff, putting her hands on her hips, "If you're done visiting, why are you standing here? You should be waiting in the cloud hopper, I have more business to take care of."
"Oh. R-right!" the teen said, then turned around to head down the hallway. Jeredy watched, wishing to speak to him more.
That thought was halted when he saw the glare that Diellza was giving him.
"And what are you doing talking to my Squad leader?" she asked, "You better not be thinking of putting him in charge of the other Strike Squad to replace that other kid. 'Cause I'm not about to give him up for that failure of a team."
Jeredy raised a brow. He glanced behind her briefly, seeing the door still shut.
"Why do you dislike them so much?" he asked, "That much was clear by the way you spoke to the World Council."
She scowled deeply, then looked away towards the direction that Lux left in.
"I don't have to explain myself to some stuffy scientist," she said, "Let's just say I didn't agree with the old management around here. Makes me glad to know that vile woman is finally locked up."
She turned and looked intensely at the doctor. He raised a brow.
"...What is it?"
"It's clearly obvious that you and Charlemagne are up to something," she huffed, crossing her arms, "You seem awfully interested in this... Boy that was brought in. Especially considering how there were two other monsuno hybrids brought back, including the Commandant himself."
Jeredy let out a gasp, "How do you know about that?"
"My son tends to have a running mouth when he gets excited," she shrugged, looking off towards the side. Then she stared intensely at him. Neither of them said anything for what felt like forever. Eventually, Jeredy turned away.
"... I wouldn't work with Charlemagne on anything," he said, "You're just reading too much into things."
"Maybe I am," she said then started walking away, "But I just think it's a little odd that you would be concerning yourself with this boy when your own son is missing. Either that or you are planning something with her, and the Commandant Marshall."
As Diellza left, Jeredy's hands clenching into fists. Frustrated, he turned and walked in the opposite direction back towards the hospital wing. No doubt Charlemagne would be removed soon.
Which left no time to lose
HLP
The hidden caves by the beach were always something to be explored. Many children who loved to get lost or play games often came down during the low tides. One such group was splashing around in the shallows, laughing joyously.
One looked over towards the caverns, its depths shadowed, and let out a gasp.
"What is it?" one of the others asked, looking towards the darkened cave. The last one that was still splashing stopped when he noticed the other two standing there.
"Um... I'm not sure," the first child said, "I think I heard something in there."
He took a few steps forward, an unknown noise coming from inside. They all flinched. The first child continued forward.
"What are you doing?!" the one still in the water asked, his voice growing meek, "What if its a monster or something?"
"Oh please. That's just a story that your grandpa told you," the second child said, a girl that pouted deeply. Despite the other two bickering, the first child continued towards the cave. He could see something inside, but it was hard to tell. Soon, the other two's argument fell silent as they watched him get closer.
There was a hissing noise from inside that made them all halt. Something moved in the shadows. Something big!
The one leading gulped, taking a single step forward. Bright blue eyes leered out of the shadows. A large snake head rose out, hissing loudly.
Frozen in fear, the group of children watched as two more rose from behind. It was only when it let out a loud shriek did they let out a round of squeals and flee back down the beach.
A white-haired man popped out from behind some of the rocks, barely catching the sight of the children running through the trees. He looked up at the cobra with a glare.
"Glowblade, that was rude. I thought it was actually someone dangerous," Beyal said, then turned to go back inside. The monsuno let out another hissing noise, and followed behind. The monk new that it was just being protective, but insisted that there was no point. After all, they hadn't exactly seen any of their past enemies for years (and a gaggle of children could hardly be considered threatening).
As he passed through the cavern halls, the sound of trickling water became louder. Eventually, he and Glowblade ended up in a cave with water coming through from one of the nearby rivers in an abundant waterfall. Giant pools of water were all around, cascading into each other until they inevitably led back down towards the lagoon leading into the ocean. The smell of salt water was present, though the water flowing through was fresh. This was the only place they could get water for the camp without the chance of being seen..
Glowblade lingered by the entrance as Beyal took steps further in. He turned around when he realized the monsuno wasn't following.
"You don't have to be that way," he said, "I'm sure no one else is around. And they wouldn't go near Chase. I'm sure they're just going back into town."
Glowblade let out a hiss, then proceeded to move down into one of the larger pools. Its tail slumped into the smaller ones as it leaned down. The warm climate often got to the monsuno, so it wanted to be in the cool water or the caverns hidden from the sun as much as possible. Beyal let out a laugh, and walked over towards another pool.
Silently, he started to undress, hearing the birds chirping through the large crack running along the ceiling. Because they had been staying in a warm area, all that he wore was a simple shirt and pants (Chase said that having cloaks or jackets would make them suspicious). With only a pair of boxer shorts on, Beyal sat on the edge of the water, letting out a sigh as he dipped his feet inside.
Glowblade let out another hiss. When Beyal looked up, it splashed at him, its large tail easily sweeping a wave over the teen.
"Agh! Stop!" he laughed, holding his hands up in a weak defense, "You wouldn't be acting that way if the others were here!"
Beyal stopped at that thought, shoulders slumping as his gaze fell. His monsuno noticed the immediate change, and started to curl around in the water instead.
Besides Chase, Beyal hadn't seen nor heard anything about Jinja, Dax, Bren, or anyone else that he knew. He tried not to be worried about them, considering how all has been calm for the past few years. But sometimes there were times like this where he missed them, and the longing for the past was strong.
The monk shook his head, pushing away those lingering thoughts. He needed to get back to Chase after all. Reminiscing wasn't something he could afford to get lost in.
He reached up and undid the tie that kept most of his hair up, feeling it drop around his shoulders. He paused for a moment. Briefly, his fingers ran through the back.
"Were you going to finally cut it? It is getting long."
He turned around, seeing a familiar tall woman standing there by the wall. Her arms were crossed over her chest, simply staring off to the side.
"Probably not," Beyal responded, his hand falling to his lap. After another moment, he took a breath and dove into the pool.
The water was crisp, faintly lit up by the sunlight coming through the crack in the ceiling. Coming back up for air was refreshing, the warm air giving off a comforting feeling. He drifted along on his back, letting out slow breaths as he listened to Glowblade and the trickling water.
Unfortunately, trying to clear his thoughts just meant they trailed back to his friends.
Whenever he was left to ponder, visions would reveal where he and Chase needed to go to. That's what had been leading the two of them for so long since Chase wasn't able to do it anymore.
But for some reason, the past few weeks Beyal had been getting nothing but visions of his friends. Their presence haunted him, if only because these type of visions had not come up at all during travel. The kind of visions that focused on the five of them once more.
It was becoming more frequently for some reason, and he didn't know why.
"I bet it must be driving you crazy," Duo smirked, "You must be missing them now. I bet that's it."
He glanced up towards her, frowning. Over the years, Beyal had found out a lot about her previous life as a monk serving with Master Ey and the rest of his people, though there was still something off about her. And despite his want to know more, Duo typically appeared and disappeared without any warnings, making it difficult to hold a conversation.
Over the years, Beyal just learned to accept her presence (and that she was probably just another type of vision that he could see). Although, he couldn't help but wonder why she was the one that he could see so often. Maybe it was because of her ties to the Hand of Destiny, or even the fragment of meteor infused with monsuno essence that she carried, but he had a feeling that wasn't it...
Beyal let out a sigh, looking back up to the ceiling.
Out of everyone, the only one he wanted to speak to was Master Ey. But even he had been missing from visions. The lack of his master's presence was unnerving, especially with all that's been happening over the past four years. Chase once mentioned how he was able to speak to Master Ey before, but hardly spoke about it at all. (Beyal was somewhat convinced that Chase only said that to be nice).
After a few more minutes of drifting along (with Glowblade happily dipping into the other large ponds of water) Beyal lifted himself out, eventually sitting back down on the edge. He watched his monsuno as he dried off, knowing that it wanted to stay as long as it could. Normally, it was only when he was away from Chase that he let his monsuno out of their cores, so he didn't have the heart to call it back so soon.
"I'm sure it would be fine now," Duo said from behind, practically standing a foot away, "You know they don't like staying in their cores for very long. And they can sense you're troubled."
"I don't want to make Chase feel unhappy," Beyal retorted, "He hasn't gotten the chance to see his own monsuno for years... And I'm sure he would just feel bad if he saw mine again."
He pulled his legs from the water, intending on getting dressed and going back to Chase. But he hesitated, staring down as the water's surface rippled along.
Chase hadn't seen his monsuno for years, given how he gave them all up when they left S.T.O.R.M.. And maybe that was what was preventing him from reconnecting to his monsuno sight. And maybe if Chase actually got to see them again he could make progress. But...
He felt the woman's presence come closer.
"... Is it because of this?" Duo sighed. Beyal let out a shiver as he felt her touch graze lightly against his back along sensitive flesh, "This ugly reminder trailing down your spine?"
He ignored the strange fridged feeling he got from her touch (something that was unnatural in general given how she didn't have a body). Instead, he reached over and grabbed his shirt. He could still feel her fingers tracing along sensitive skin as he slipped the cloth back on.
"That wasn't Chase's fault," Beyal said earnestly, "And you both need to stop saying that it is. It's been... It's in the past."
He felt her hand move away, and he stood up to redress. Glowblade, knowing they were going to leave, slowly left the cooler water in the shadows and lingered by the entrance to the tunnel leading out. After making sure he had everything, Beyal started to head towards the monsuno.
"He's becoming more unstable," Duo stated, "It's obvious by the past few months of you two wandering without any direction. He's not getting better. He's regressing. You may not see it, but you can feel it in his soul."
Beyal stopped, silently pondering.
He didn't want to admit that she was right. But Chase had been desperate to try and reconnect to his monsuno sight with no success. And without Locke around, there was no way of telling if he could even spin out.
"... Glowblade, return."
The monsuno reluctantly went back into its core. When it disappeared with a pop, Beyal held onto the core, gazing down at it.
They had traveled to all the places that were connected to the Five Tribes and had looked for any information on the Hand of Destiny and their research to no avail (and it wasn't like Duo was willing to say anything).
There was nothing else they could do, so did that mean Chase wasn't meant to have his monsuno sight anymore? Was his role as a monsuno controller over? Then would they ever be able to go back and see-
There was screaming in the distance, making Beyal jerk. Duo let out a small chuckle.
"Better get back to your patient there, little master."
When he turned around, Beyal was left alone in the dark cavern. A sliver of sunlight still faintly streaming through.
A/N: Review Review Review!