Disclaimer : I own nothing except for the plot...
A/N : I'm sorry for the late update since I just finished my whole exams at school and now, I think it's time for update...
Warnings : Do you think if I put some characters from Modern warfare 3 it will be a spoiler? I don't know... If you think it is, it's up to you...
This chapter is dedicated to my lovely beta-reader, Lieutenant Jayden... For the readers who review.. and all the silent-readers out there... this one is for YOU!
Chapter 4: Of Past and Future
"With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
The thunder roared at the sky and lightning lit up the sky over the city. In a small dark room, there was a boy, cowering in the corner. He sniffled a bit. His body shaken when the thunder roared and the lightning slashed the cloudy sky. The wind howled and the heavy rain smacked the thin window. The young boy was barely six. His small figure only made him look a lot younger.
"Gary, you're here?"
"Simon?"
The little boy looked at an older boy who stood in the doorway. He was older than the first one and taller, with dark-brownish hair and a pair of perfectly blue eyes.
"Mum and Dad aren't home tonight. Guess you can sleep in the bedroom for tonight, yeah?" asked Simon. "Come on, Gary..."
The thunder blasted and Gary jumped from his spot, tear in his eyes. Simon let out a sigh. He grabbed a blanket from the couch and covered the boy with. Gary only shuddered when the thunder roared again. He let out a sob.
It was always like this, in each stormy night. And like always, Simon would seat beside him, and told him that it would be alright.
"You two seemed pretty close," said Soap. They were in the club room. Roach slept on the coach while Soap tried to figure out a large puzzle game with small pieces. Ghost only sat besides Roach's head, trying to practice his new assignment from Price at today's Self-Development Class; making rose sculpture with his ability. Ghost could freeze everything by a flick of his wrist, but making some artistic piece? Hell! It wasn't his thing!
"Hmmm... I'm the only one he got," said Ghost after he threw his twentieth "rose" to a basin. "I had enough! What's with this assignment anyway? It isn't like I'll be an artist in the future!" yelled Ghost.
Roach woke up from his sleep. He looked around when he noticed Soap and Ghost were beside him. He glanced at nearby basin and saw some ice in it. He smiled a bit. Roach knew, Ghost was never good at art. He watched Ghost in amusement when he tried to produce more roses.
"Ghost, what are you doing?" asked Roach when Ghost grew tired of producing his so-called art.
"Hey, Roach. Uh... This is an assignment from Price," said Ghost.
Roach smiled and looked at Soap. The boy started to play with the puzzle pieces.
"Hey, Soap, let me help you with that..." he stood up from his seat when...
Red.
It's all red.
A face. Who is it?
Screaming... Shouting... Yelling... Is that... Ghost? Soap? What are they doing here?
Flashback. A boy riding a bicycle with a smile on his face. A boy eats a cream puff; his eyes stared at me... Who is he?
A loud crashing sound. Blood. What is it? Soap... He says something...
"ROACH! LOOK OUT!"
"GARY!" Ghost yelled frantically at his brother. He fell down; just when he was rose up toward Soap. And he started shaking without control, as if he was afraid of something. Ghost quickly jumped from his seat tried to calm Roach down. Ghost was afraid. Roach's eyes were open widely, but all he could see was white. As if some fog clouded Roach's eyes and the boy started mumbling something quickly. The words were too fast for Ghost to catch up with it. The only word that he thought he heard was "blood". Soap ran quickly out of the room to search some help. He cursed when all he could find was Ramirez who talked to Deadly.
"Where's Price?" he asked them. When they saw fear in his eyes, they quickly caught up with the situation.
"I-I call him!" Ramirez quickly ran up the stairs toward Price's office on the second floor.
"Soap, what's wrong?" the girl asked him calmly.
"Something's wrong with Roach..." he said quietly. Soap lead the way to the room while Deadly followed him close behind. She saw Ghost; still wearing his creepy mask trying to catch his breath and lying limp in his arms was Roach. He already stopped shivering and shaking, and now his eyes were close calmly as if he was sleeping. Deadly checked Roach's condition first while Ghost tried to wipe the sweat behind his dark-red sun-glasses.
Ramirez appeared with Price behind him. The older man crouched and checked Roach's vital sign. Deadly watched him work, and so did Soap and Ramirez.
"No good," said Price. "We need MacMillan. Deadly, call him immediately. Ramirez, contact the infirmary, and make sure they prepared everything that Roach may need," ordered Price.
"I'm on it, Sir," Deadly already held her cell phone and called MacMillan. He was a researcher, as also a doctor of the academy. "Sir, Doctor MacMillan said he would be here in a few minutes. He told me make sure that Roach was warm enough when he's here."
"Ghost, Soap, find all the blankets in this building and bring them here. Ramirez, get me some warm water. Deadly, help me here for a bit. We had to move him from the floor."
"That was a close call, son," said MacMillan toward Price. "Nothing's dangerous now. I don't know what happened to this boy at that moment, but I assure you that right now, he's fine."
Ghost let out a relieve sigh, and so did Soap. Roach was lying on the infirmary's bed, an IV attached to his veins while the clear liquid ran down to his system. An oxygen mask was attached to his nose in order to make him breathe easily.
"Now, tell me, what's wrong with him?" asked MacMillan. "From what I've seen, there's no major damage on his internal organ or body. Only several scars and a nasty one near his clavicle."
"How could you tell it?" asked Ghost. "You don't even open his clothes or bring an X-Ray here..."
"I have x-ray vision. Do you think I can be a doctor and researcher here by being a normal person? Shepherd won't even hire me..."
Ghost only nodded at his comment. Shepherd was the leader of this Academy. He also led an independent institution who researched about supernatural ability.
"I think it was his precognition," said Ghost quietly.
"Precognition?" asked MacMillan. "Son, I know what precognition is, but it's never been like this. This boy's internal organs even stop functioning for several seconds before it's suddenly alive. He was shaking, yes, that's precognition, but until he goes unconscious? I'm a doctor and a researcher, but I never find this kind of case before."
"How many Unclassified people that you've met before?" asked Price.
"Hmmm... Not many, even though they're part of my research. There are many variable and probability in them. You cannot base everything on common knowledge about special people," said MacMillan. "Don't tell me that he's..."
"Aye. His one of them," said Price.
MacMillan shook his head.
"What a pity. Especially for a bright young man," said MacMillan.
"What do you mean, Sir?" asked Ghost concernly.
MacMillan stared at Ghost's masked face. He sighed heavily.
"Most Unclassified doesn't live long, young man," said MacMillan. "I hate to say it, but it's the truth. If he could live for another ten years, that's a miracle."
"Mac, I think we should leave," said Price. MacMillan glanced toward Ghost and nodded. Both the older men left, leaving Soap and Ghost. Ghost sat beside the bed. He held Roach's arm which didn't have IV attached to it. Soap could see sadness in his eyes, behind those glasses.
Ghost couldn't believe what he just heard. Something was wrong with his ear. Roach couldn't die... right? He should be alive until he was old. Ghost swore that he would protect his brother from everything that may harm him. Everything. He couldn't just die! Ghost won't let it happen. Not a chance!
"You alright, mate?" asked Soap. He put his hand on Ghost's shoulder in a calming manner.
"He can't just die, Soap..." Ghost whispered quietly. "He can't just die... I won't let him, Soap..."
"Ghost..."
"I-I mean... I'll be there to protect him and become his shield. He cannot just die! I won't let him!" said Ghost.
"Ghost, it's alright! He won't die, okay?" said Soap. "He's just sleeping. Come to think about it, I think you should take a rest too."
When Roach woke up the next day, Ramirez was standing beside his bed. The boy gave Roach a small smile. He held an apple in one hand and a knife in the other hand.
"Afternoon, Roach. You want apple?" asked Ramirez kindly.
"No thanks. But I want water though," said Roach. Ramirez helped him to pour the water into glass. Roach only watched the boy worked. Ramirez handed him the glass and Roach finished it with one big gulp. He looked around him.
"Where am I? Where's Ghost?" asked Roach.
"He's going to Price's office to talk to MacMillan. Toad and Archer were here though. They left before you wake up. Soap, Ozone and Scarecrow would come after lunch," said Ramirez. The boy shrugged and cut more apples. "Are you sure you don't want these?"
"No thanks, I'm fine."
The two remained silent. Roach just stared at the ceiling, thinking about the things that he just saw. Suddenly, something popped out of his mind.
"James, how long I've been here?" asked Roach.
"A day," said Ramirez casually.
Several seconds later, the door opened and Roach could see Ghost and Soap entered the room. Following closely, there were Ozone and Scarecrow, both of them were grinning like crazy. Soap smiled when he saw the younger boy woke up and looked fine. Ramirez was done with his apple and tried to arrange it on a plate. He offered it to Ozone and Scarecrow, and they ate it gladly. Roach only watch in amusement when two of them finished the apple in a few seconds.
"Roach, how do you feel?" asked Ghost. Roach could sense that Ghost was smiling behind his balaclava. Roach returned the gesture.
"I feel great. I was hoping that—"
"Get out of here! Take Yuri with you!"
"YURI!"
Blood... all over the place.
It's Ghost. He says something... What...?
"Gary, wake up!"
Gary's eyes shot open. He felt weak. Ghost was hugging him in calming manner, his hand patted his head. Roach's hands were clutching Ghost's jacket tightly.
"Simon... There's a lot of blood..." the boy murmured quietly. Ghost still strokes his hair quietly. It had been a long time since the last time Roach called him by his given name. Only in a pinch, or when Roach was really scared after something. Something big and terrible.
Ramirez was gone in order to find MacMillan or Price or anyone who could help them. Ozone came up beside Roach and Ghost. He gave Ghost a questioning look and Ghost silently nodded. Ozone smiled. Calmly, he reached out and took Roach's hand in his. Suddenly, Roach could feel a warm feeling shot through his body, settled him in comfort. He closed his eyes and relaxed in Ghost's arms. After awhile, Ozone released Roach's hand, and stand up straight.
"It's fine now, yeah?" asked Ozone. "There's nothing to be scared, Roach, we're all here. You have Ghost, Soap, me, Ramirez, and all the guys to look after you, you know."
Roach blushed at his statement.
"I don't need all of you to look after me," he tried to sound tough. "I can manage on my own."
"Really?" asked Scarecrow teasingly.
"But how'd you do that?" asked Roach. "I mean, you just held my hand and suddenly I feel warm and all..."
"It's called 'Empathy', Roach," said Soap. "Do you really pay attention in your class?"
"I did! It's like... I never experienced it first-hand before..." said Roach.
"True true..." said Ghost. "Thank you, Ozone."
"Don't sweat it," said Ozone, grinning widely.
A few seconds later, MacMillan came with Ramirez and checked Roach's condition. He smiled when Soap told him what happened and how Ozone handled the aftershock of it. Ozone blushed when he heard MacMillan praised him. When MacMillan left and so did Ozone, Scarecrow and Ramirez, Ghost stared softly at Roach.
"Roach, what's wrong? Is it your precognition?" asked Ghost. Roach nodded. "Care to tell me what you saw?" asked Ghost again.
"It was blood..." Roach murmured. "Blood... And a boy rode a bicycle... He ate cream puffs happily before the blood sputtered all over the place... He's name is..." Roach paused for a few seconds. "Yuri?"
"Who the bloody hell is Yuri?" asked Soap to Ghost when they were outside Roach's room.
"I don't know. Never heard that name before..." said Ghost. "Do you think he's a student here? I mean he could be in any year..."
He bumped onto someone. Ghost quickly apologized and looked at the person in front of him. There was a boy, not older than Soap with buzz cut hair, and fair skin. His eyes were greyish and cold. Without a word, the boy left them.
"Who was that?" asked Ghost.
"I don't know. Never seen him before," said Soap. "Back to the topic, Ghost; who is Yuri? I mean, I spent four years of my life in this place, and I'm assured you that I never heard any Yuri came to this Academy. Does he really exist? I don't meant to sound offending, but what if it's just a dream? A nightmare rather than a precognition?"
"It's Roach that we're talking about, Soap. You know he can see the future..." said Ghost.
"I mean... Roach was having a bad time before you guys came to this Academy and all... Don't you think it's just... uh... After effect of his past?"
"Do you think Roach had gone mental?" asked Ghost sharply.
"My God, no! It's just... It can be a simple nightmare!"
"You're wrong, Soap. I know Roach better than you. He's precognition saved our arses for many times!" said Ghost. "If you don't want to help, it's fine. But I will find this Yuri, and found out what's wrong with Roach."
Ghost ran quickly before Soap could stop him. Ghost could be so stubborn and hard to deal with.
A/N : I need review... review... in order to continue this story... :D