Chapter 2

"Leo? B-b-but how?" I rambled.

He pulled down the hood. Although the years had worn him out as much as they had on me, he was still the same unmistakable Leo Varce.

"I saw you die!" I clamped my mouth shut at realizing how loud I was.

Leo flashed a smile. "Sorry to disappoint shrimp."

I stole a quick glance around making sure no one had noticed.

"Follow me," I told him. We got up and made our way to my shack.

I swung open the tin door that was tied to the wall with string. "Nice place you got," Leo said as we stepped in.

I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic. "It's not much but it'll do. Please." I indicated a place on my straw bed for him. He gratefully took a seat, relaxing his legs.

I started a fire in a little fire-pit in the middle of the shack.

"Since when did you learn how to set camp?" Leo laughed.

I forced a smile. "When I was about to die." I went and retrieved a iron pot and dumped some water from a small bucket into it and placed it above the fire. I took a seat on the ground.

"So how did you make it out alive?" I bluntly asked. "I saw your Grade crash."

Grades were humanoid war machines that most military regiments switched to after tanks became too immobile.

Leo took off his hood and folded it neatly beside him. "Always to the point. Long story short, I faked my death. I was tired of Xeta and with my rank and abilities there was no way they would release me from duty. And if I ran away they'll hunt me down and kill me. So what better than to fake my own death and switch sides?" Leo winked.

I considered what he said. There seemed to be something else about the whole situation that made me feel uneasy. Perhaps it was the three years spent in isolation. "So why are you looking for Trieze?"

"Talking in third person huh? That's a sign of too much loneliness my friend." Leo smiled wryly. "Well, I need him to..."

I stopped stirring the water with my ladle.

"...to come back into commission," he finished.

I quickly stood up, placing the ladle down. "I'm sorry but that won't be happening."

"Trieze..."

"No!" I interrupted, my anger igniting. "I'm done fighting." I sat myself down and went back to stirring the water.

"The war is still going on," Leo firmly said. "It's time to stop pretending that it's not. People are still dying."

I felt my blood boil. "And now you come here, all this way just tell me to kill more?"

Leo stared me straight in the eye. "You know how much this means to the world. If Xeta wins, we're finished. There's a new alliance out there. They call themselves HAR: Human Alliance Rebellion. They need you. We need you."

I laughed bitterly. "So what, we're going to plunge ourselves into another stupid bloody war?"

"Don't you get it? We can end this once and for all. The killings will stop! God has everything work out in the end."

At hearing God mentioned, I felt my blood pressure spike. "Hah, God. Don't tell you still believe in a god much less the God," I spat.

"It's the reason why I'm still alive."

"If there's a God then where the hell has he been? Where the hell was he when the innocent were dying before my eyes? Why the hell hasn't he stopped me?" I was on the verge of hyperventilating at this point.

At seeing me in my current state, Leo remained silent. After regaining my composure I asked, "And tell me exactly why are you fighting this war?"

"To restore peace on earth," he replied in a steady voice.

I snapped. All those years of pent up hatred released in one short instance. I roughly grabbed Leo by his collar, pulled him close, and stared at him right in the eye. By now I was literally breathing on him.

"Everyone says that exact damn thing but instead we just follow a circle back into destruction. How do you think Xeta tricked us? It was because they promised us peace and prosperity. Well look at us now! Where do you think we've been living in the past few years?" I was practically screaming at him now.

"Then tell me Trieze, what kind of future do you want?" Leo asked.

I choked. I stood there, struggling to find an answer. I thought of a beautiful valley with the lust green blades of grass and the soft sweetness of the cool breeze kissing at my neck. The gently rays of sunlight beamed down, illuminating the valley, exposing the majestic butterflies. The trees sang and danced with the wind: the rhythm of nature. I glanced up and saw a sky as blue as it could be. A sight I haven't seen in many years. The wispy white clouds rolling across the sky. Total sanctuary. Total peace. Total happiness. But most of all: total understanding of nature.

I loosened my grip on Leo's collar. My grip was so tight my knuckles became pure white and my hand numbed. I backed away, dropping to the floor. Leo walked towards me.

"How do you want to achieve the future that you want Trieze?" he asked, towering over me.

I glanced down at the floor. "I don't know. I just don't know," I replied, shaking my head. Leo kneeled down, looking me straight in the eye.

"Well I know. Join the HAR and fulfill your destiny. Restore the peace that we've always dreamed off from the beginning. Don't let our past comrades die in vain," Leo said, holding a hand out. I slowly looked back up at him and slightly hesitated before grasping his hand. That was when we heard the water start boiling. I retrieved the only tin cup I had and filled a glass for him. "It's hot," I warned. He nodded and gratefully took the water. After he slowly drank, I asked, "When do we head out?"

"This afternoon. But first I need to catch a nap, haven't slept in awhile."

"Wait how are we getting to the HAR base?"

Leo slyly grinned. "I brought a hould." Houlds were aerial vehicles similar to the old helicopters from the 21st century but more advanced in terms of maneuverability and tech.

It struck me. "So you were just acting to be tired?"

Leo gave me a smug look before lying down in my bed and dozing off. I chuckled. It's been awhile since I've been fooled. But I suppose Leo was a good actor. I tossed dirt from the ground onto the small fire and stomped out the ashes. I laid against my aluminum walls and soon found sleep over me...