Greetings most-esteemed readers (always wanted to say that!). Enjoy the next chapter! I would very much like to thank Atlas FF for beta-reading this chapter and being a tremendous help. If you haven't checked out his astoudingly-written addition to the Spyro fandom, Tango, then you should go do that, after you're done reading the following chapter.
Hive HQ, Unknown location
...
The automatic, reinforced, metal door was sealed with a quiet thud, as the last dragon walked into the dimly lit chamber. The four adult dragons, each sporting the colour commonly associated with their own element, assumed the positions on their respective pedestals. The center of the room, where the majority of the shining light was concentrated, was decorated by a tablet. Mystical runic inscriptions spread all over its surface. The tablet appeared to be covered by a protective gel, a means of preserving the aging inscriptions from further wear.
Mercer admired the writings, mesmerized from what was essentially the apocrypha of the Hive. He was completely aware, that they were here, because of his initiation into the inner circle. This tablet would play a significant role into it.
All the dragons in the room donned white robes, just like the ones he was instructed to wear earlier. The silky fabric slid smoothly across his scales, the smell was intriguing too, like scented candles and incense, only the scent of detergent didn't fit with the mix and left his nose twitching.
He checked to his right, Volkron had already hastily propped himself on the pillows, lying softly on them and scratching the silky fabric impatiently with his front paw. For as much as he always claimed to value the sacredness of these meetings, he never acted like it. His tail was as restless as his paws too, making huge swipes that shuffled the robe constantly.
Mercer couldn't stand the sight of him, he had to keep his temper at bay, so as not to pounce at him and rip those arrogant eyes of his right out of their sockets.
To his left lied the ever indifferent and as cold as his element Lieutenant. He had adopted a pose, that was commonly seen in dragon sculptures. In fact, one would pass him for a statue in this light, what with his full-of-pride stance and unwavering expression, even his robe had come to a standstill. Not a single wrinkle could be spotted on his light blue snout, a hint of contortion that would betray at the very least some sort of emotion regarding this union. The cloak made most of his features unrecognisable, apart from the few azure splotches that were his tail, paws and snout. The robe covered his body, yet his element was still betrayed.
The dragon had taken a seat across Volkron, ice against lighting, two elements that reacted strongly against each other, just like their respective wielders. Volkron's impatience was the polar opposite compared to the ice dragon's stoicism.
Mercer's eyes finally connected with the dragon facing him past the giant tablet. An imposing earth dragon, the bulkiest of the bunch, his muscles bulged even under the surface of the white cloth. The General was supporting his head with a propped elbow, mud brown paw scratching at his chin and swooping over the room, with a slight telescopic movement he examined each dragon, just like Mercer was doing. His snout finally aligned with his for good, a chilling shiver run down his spine all the way to the tip of his tail, making it stretch and cutting off its idle wagging.
Despite his eyes being shielded by the white hood, Mercer was fully aware they glared daggers right into him, the earth dragon was headstrong and direct to share his doubts, always testing a fellow member with a piercing look, eyeing them to snuff out a hint of discomfort, a weakness, a secret.
Mercer didn't even attempt to swallow the lump in his throat, for fear of choking on it.
He realised he had been standing like a mannequin in front of the door this whole time, his front right paw was hanging in the air, in the process of taking another step. He cursed himself internally for lollygagging and hoped he hadn't made a fool out of himself or worse.
Volkron shot him a smirk and invited him with a discreet swipe of his claw, aware of the discomfort his comrade was going through. Mercer decided to stop beating around the bush and climbed onto the pillow pile, not taking time to tenderize them before dropping on his haunches.
A short pause and immediately after a cough from the General officiated the beginning of this council.
"Before we start allow me to congratulate you Major Volkron on the successful raid in Quebar. Now, that the taint called the purple dragon has been erased we can finally proceed with our plan. Is the SUD ready for further orders?"
"Of course, brother. They barely took a dent from the raid, we met no resistant from the pathetic dragons living there. This exceptional unit is up for deployment."
The Lieutenant perked up at Volkron's words, he finally gave away signs of life "Don't address them as such, brother. Every dragon is a blessing to our cause whether they acknowledge it or not. Their children will be the perfected new generation, that will unleash the true potential of dragonkind. And we have the citizens of Quebar for their umm… generous donation. I trust you also collected a fair amount of eggs?" He wasn't agitated at Volkron, using the hypnotic voice of a lecturer to admonish him instead, his voice carrying a heavy accent to it, Common was not his first tongue.
"More than I thought this town could hold. They'll be an adequate number to start our unit with, we'll add more as we raid settlements in Sakhra Valley, if only those damn rebels didn't get there first and genocided the population of every village. Looks like we'll have to expand to new lands, although it'll be difficult to move units with Warfang's surveillance reigning strong in the more peaceful nations."
The General heard the suggestion patiently and retorted "I'll take your insight into consideration Major and notify the All Seeing One, too. We shouldn't diverge from the purpose of this meeting though. I trust you didn't fulfill this task alone, right?"
"No brother, Mercer's information was indeed confirmed from multiple sources and he led us to the egg, it wasn't that hard for him to find it in the beginning." He shot Mercer a sideways look as he said that.
"Then his service to the Hive must be repaid with the greatest honour. We shall pick him for his loyalty to our creed and his prowess regarding the element of fire to receive a position in the inner circle. But first Mercer. Have you severed all your ties to the past? Ancient tradition doesn't approve of distractions."
Mercer's eyeballs shot out of their sockets. Memories of his only remaining family member rushed to his mind, why did she have to bear the cursed egg, was his one question to the Ancestor's
What have I done? Forgive me Elaina.
He contorted his face in a wince, the mental load was too heavy. Volkron spoke up for him "I was there, made su-"
"I did it. There wasn't a more obvious option, when the dilemma was presented to me. The Hive is my family now." It clearly took a toll on him to exclaim that, Volkron's maw was left hanging open mid-sentence.
"Very well, and the Hive shall welcome you to its embrace brother, there is just one more step to take and receive your Guardianship title."
Mercer remained silent, intrigued at what next feat he would have to accomplish.
"Place your paw on the tablet and the pureness of your actions will be tested. It contains the wisdom of the ancient masters of the elements. Then you will unleash your fire fury, as the element surges through your veins and if you are adequate for the role you will not harm anyone in this room by losing control, thus proving your worth."
He wasn't expecting that, while being proficient in the use of his element, he'd only ever read of a fury of any kind, never had he performed one himself, unsure of his next step he slowly got on all fours and walked the small distance between the cushions and the tablet with hesitant strides. Upon reaching it he stared at the ancient text, avoiding the watchful gaze of his superiors. The runic text was understandable to him, he had studied ancient languages and this one was spoken by the nobles of Warfang.
"Fire is no gentle master. The dragon who is thankless for the fire, is as if he had no fire at all. And to appreciate the fire, a dragon must set himself on fire, for only then can he understand it's gift without being consumed by it's destruction."
Mercer contemplated the words in his head, this magical tablet was genuine, he could feel the magic pulsate within the stone. This was just his final test, nothing to be worried about, all the hardships would be rewarded and one day, maybe just one day, he would redeem himself for the pain he has caused.
The gel flowed, slowly seeping into cracks to the side, thus exposing the timeworn surface.
He braced himself mentally and squeezed his sole against the tablet, taking care not to scratch it with his claws, cold stone send a small tingle up his leg and he closed his eyes, seeking to link with the magic. He just hoped that the tablet would deem him pure enough to allow him access to the secrets of the Ancients.
Oddly enough he did sense something, a sting in the middle of his paw, the underside started burning instantaneously after that, he ignored it and prayed a little that he would be chosen. The runes glowed in a bright gold colour, small tendrils of smoke started to rise from under his burning paw.
All there was left to do was exhale his held breath and embrace the pain, turning it into a weapon of harmony.
Set myself on fire.
His paw lit up in flames, he raised it up to his snout and opened his eyes. The writings he had read mere moments before were now burned into his flesh for good, the tablet had marked him as worthy, these were not simple tattoos, nor a healing wound.
He had become one with the essence of the fire.
The other three Hive officials had also presented their paws, each one presented a different set of words embedded into their flesh, shining intensely.
Mercer felt the rush of energy course through him, in a sharp jerk of his unmarked paw he tore the robe off his body and rose onto his hind legs.
With an echoing roar his entire abdomen, not just his paw, was covered in scorching flames, even his eyes were on fire, the meaning of the proverb more than simple words etched in stone
The fire was dangerous alright, yet he kept it at bay, storing energy for a short period of five seconds. The destructive potential it had, if he let loose would be catastrophic for the room and those around him, so he had to maintain self-control.
It was an internal battle between him and the primal spirit called fire, a feud for dominance, neither did he strive to come out on top and suppress the fire, limiting it, nor could he let go of himself and allow the fire to spread, burning him inside out like a forest in summer heat.
His fiery eyes landed on Volkron, who was watching at the spectacle with pride in his smile, feeling responsible for bringing his comrade to such a high position.
Oh, he was responsible.
Responsible for Elaina's demise.
A tiny nerve popped in Mercer's forehead, something snapped in him, the fire enhancing his emotions by a hundred times.
Revenge, hatred, detastation all targeted towards that sly son of a bitch.
He was letting his mind slip, the fire strengthened its grip on him, not the other way around.
No, it was his mission against his feelings, he had to pick which side he would lean towards now.
With a final roar he formed a column of flaming tongues that made him briefly disappear behind a wall of red and orange. At last he expelled his energy, measure collided with passion, a ring of fire was sent outwards covering everything in its path. The dragon's shielded their faces with their front legs to avoid being blinded.
The ring passed by them harmlessly, leaving a pleasant sense of warmth and a scent of magic dust in the air.
That applied to all except one yellow dragon who hissed in pain as the ring scorched a few of the scales on his left paw. The natural armor was cracked and blackened, the wound already cauterized by the same source that caused it. His robe was singed too. He was left appalled by this result, Volkron was aware of Mercer's hot-headedness at times but this… This had just put a dent on the undeniable trust he always had for him.
He couldn't let a tiny slip up cost Mercer's entire career though, so he quickly masked his pained expression and wrapped his paw under the silk. Finding out what had created this harmful wave of energy was in his list of priorities for later.
The General on the other paw was satisfied, unaware of Mercer's mistake he could easily admit that this was the cleanest execution of a fire fury, had he ever seen one.
As the flames on him died down, Mercer settled on four paws once again,amazed at what he had just achieved, he looked to the other officials for confirmation of his skill.
"Breathtaking, you truly were our missing link. By participating in this ancient tradition, you have proven yourself capable of devoting your services to the Hive and the betterment of dragonkind. From this point onward you shall be known amongst our circle as the Guardian of Fire and our brother."
Mercer wasn't sure what to believe, he had made it to the top of the ranking chain. Now it was time for his real mission to begin, yet he couldn't place this paw with certainty on the Guardian talk.
"Guardian?"
"Yes, hasn't Volkron filled you in yet? The titles we show to the rest of our organisation are just fronts. Our true nature is to be the Guardian's of our respective elements, there is no greater honour and sense of duty for a dragon. You may know share our knowledge and spread it to our apprentices, so that dragonkind can rule over the other lesser species again. With you completing the circle and the eggs already in place, only time stands in our way and we shall fight it with patience."
"I understand, I'm honoured to be accepted for this duty and I shall do my best to fulfill it, I won't disappoint."
The lieutenant spoke up again "We are sure you won't let your fellow brothers down. Which is why it is of utmost importance that you continue your work within Warfang. Your assistance in regaining control of the once great Dragon City is immeasurable."
Mercer simply nodded in response.
"I comprehend this is a joyous moment for all of us and I wish I could remain in my comrades' warm company, but we have all abandoned important business for this ritual. Which is why all of you will be departing immediately for your respective posts. Volkron, I take it you'll keep Bahamut HQ under control, as well as resume with your assault in Sakhra Valley.
Mercer you are in charge of changing Warfang's line of leadership from the inside and provide intel on the world's surveillance. Are you certain you can handle such a task alone? All of the Hive's units are available at your disposal."
"Yes, I like working alone anyways, less distractions that way."
"Excellent then. I will be taking my leave for Miramar Highlands to resume in the mining process and Dorofeyev is staying here to ensure control of the North remains. With that said, we should all part ways."
As the other dragons got up from their seats Mercer was left to ponder for a bit, wondering what was in store for him now. He had hoped for an audience with the All Seeing One. As a matter of fact he was surprised they weren't present for his initiation ritual.
What would he tell Cynder after all this? Has the egg survived and reached her safely?
His train of thought was cut short, when he noticed Mercury eyeing him with a hateful glare. He narrowed his eyes back in response and they maintained that stare, until Volkron exited the room first.
Mercer was now left to his own devices, exhaling hard for one last time, he also departed the chamber.
International Waters, Southwest of the Cherdyn Continent
...
The cold harsh climate around these parts gave a miserable tint to the atmosphere. The oceanic water was potent enough to freeze any non-marine organism that came in touch with its surface. In the greyish cloudy horizon a black dot could be spotted hovering slowly but steadily towards one direction. No other black dots were present to follow so this couldn't be mistaken for a flock of migrating birds.
It was a chopper in fact, soaring through the sky. It was outfitted with the latest technologies to allow durability in all kinds of weather and distances, as well as a stealth camo utilizing light patterns to cover its surface, however it was currently deactivated. Two powerful gatling guns were set on each side, able to spew firepower at enough rate to shred infantry and light vehicles to pieces. Of course that wasn't the only highlight of its arsenal. Sets of heat-seeking and chemical-detecting missiles were also packed within it's bowels, ready to blast at anything that didn't resemble a friendly at the touch of a button.
"Boss, we're approaching HQ in five minutes." The pilot addressed to his superior, who was currently sitting in the back of the chopper and was changing his old bandages with new ones from the medkit. A little dragoness was enjoying a very peaceful sleep by his side, one that she needed for a long time.
Her cute horn-decorated head was laying against his leg, a content smile was always outlined her snout. Mercury wasn't for Ira snuggling up to him, but couldn't do anything to remedy it, since the child shuffled closer to him in her sleep every time he pushed her to the side. That was just her body seeking warmth in the cold that reigned supreme around these parts. Seeing as he couldn't get rid if her, he just succumbed to it.
Upon finishing with wrapping the bandage around his right arm and discarding the old tattered and bloodied one he nudged the little yellow awake. In response she curled up closer to him and smacked her lips. A gruff noise was all that escaped his lips, as he nudged her again.
"Wake up, we're almost there." His tone had carried a little relief in it.
Scaly eyelids lazily opened this time, then drooped right after, Ira drowsily squirmed in her half-awake state, subsequently bumping into something fluffy. She stretched a paw to grab the furry pillow and ended up giving it a little scratch.
Mercury's eyes widened, immediately dropping the bandage he was working on. Ira had taken a fancy in rubbing and scratching against his scarred back.
The chill that was sent down his spine wasn't a welcome experience to say the least. No one had ever touched that part of his back with affectious purpose, at least not after he got most of these scars.
Ira didn't even seem to notice what she was doing, happily scratching and ruffling his fur. She gave out a sweet growl, clearly having the most comfortable sleep in some time. Mercury was having none of this though, especially not in front of his pilot.
He glared at Ira again, disturbing her fun time was a harsh thing to do, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Lowering his head down to her ear hole, he stated seriously "Not gonna repeat myself, you get up now or I'll leave you in the chopper."
Ira's eyes shot open at the premise of being abandoned "NO! What did I do? I'm sorry, whatever it was, I'll never do it again. Please, don't go away!" It wasn't even a minute, since she had woken up and she was already disrupting his sensitive hearing with a fast high pitched squeal of a voice and her childish antics.
Still, a hint of remorse crept up on his stone mentality, scolding him for using such a cruel method to scare her awake, even if he didn't mean it.
"Relax, you haven't done anything, I just couldn't have you drooling all over me." He was beginning to reach maximum levels of indignancy.
"Really? Okay then! I was afraid you were gonna cry on me. I can't deal with others being sad because of me."
"What? Why would I cry?"
"Because you have all these nasty cuts on you," she pointed a claw at his back "these ones don't heal nicely, I know because I got some back in the jungle and they always had me tearing up when I got them."
She threw her front paws up in the air, to present him her impressive collection of three claw marks, all on different spots from different creatures, two on her underbelly, one on her left armpit and a bite mark on her hind left thigh. Her flank had a long rake running alongside it too.
Mercury couldn't say he wasn't amazed at the amount of scars a simple child could have attained. Ira was no simple child though, not even close to the ordinary, her time spent alone in the jungle was represented in these scars, each one carrying with it a story of trial and error.
"These are scars Ira, they never heal properly, they stay with you as a reminder of how strong you are," he stated.
Ira cocked her head to the side, she was puzzled to say the least. "What has this got to do with my strength? I remember being scared out of my mind when I got them."
"Well, if you had succumbed to them you wouldn't be here right now. It doesn't matter that you were scared, you still went out to survive, never gave up on yourself."
Ira gleed with happiness at her protector complementing her, for believing in her.
Mercury was a little satisfied at himself for making it up to her, after that rude awakening. He stared out the window for a moment, Ira was no ordinary kid, she could be something greater, if she put her mind on it. That would mean of course giving up some of her freedoms.
A beeping sound from the control panel up front snapped him out of his trance. Ira's attention was also captivated by it.
"What's that?"
"It means we're here."
"Well, where is your home? I don't see it."
Mercury dressed up in his suit "Wait for it."
The chopper seemed to have passed through an invisible wall, that led to another dimension. Where oceanic waves once crashed, stood a gigantic system of platforms sprouting from the depths of the sea, all connected with bridges. This system spanned hundreds of kilometers to the naked eye and was suspended so high above sea level that the waves crashing against the supporting beams didn't even splash the platforms.
Many of these platforms were filled with all sorts of constructs: Buildings, cranes and containers for the most part. The colour grey was dominant here, plain and serious, nothing special in terms of decorations, this was a military fort above the sea alright, truly diverging from the usual formula.
The highlight of the base was the central platform. It was greater in size than the others and it's main structure boasted several floors towards both directions, up and down. In fact, it seemed to continue its descent below sea level, but that couldn't be confirmed from the outside.
Other choppers patrolled the airspace, not paying attention to the joining helicopter, everyone was notified when the boss returned from missions. Subsequently, there was extra commotion in one of the smaller landing platforms, personnel scurrying in line and assuming a salutation stance.
As the chopper neared the helipad, Mercury opened the side door facing the platform and the chopper started going down steadily. Ira's mouth was hanging open the whole time, taking in as much of the sight in pure awe, this place was definitely much bigger than Peshawar.
She edged forward and was stopped by a hand to the chest, her jaw was almost dislocated from hanging so low. Her snout turned to Mercury, who took a little pride in his famed accomplishment.
"This is our Headquarters young one, home of the Foxhounds."
Ira was no less shocked than before, yet she managed to stutter a few words "Y-y-you own this?"
Mercury flashed her a grin "Don't get used to this place."
Why he would say such a thing passed her awestruck mind by a mile.
The chopper was suspended just a little above the helipads level, the gust created from the spinning blades winnowed every soldier's uniform, yet they maintained their salutation with discipline. The militants came in all species and sizes, no dragons were present in the bunch though. Their uniforms consisted of aquamarine camouflage patterned suits and holsters for their SA-T8 assault rifles, the initials standing for Starfire Armory Type 8 rifle.
Across Mercury stood a raccoon, shorter than him with his hands also in salutation. His fur was grey, with a brown stripe extending from the nose all the way to the back of the neck. His eyes were khaki in colour and surrounded by the distinctive black coloured circles, common colouration with his species. The resemblance to a thief's mask was awkwardly justified. However, Mercury would never think of Sigint as a thief, he was his comrade, his trusted business partner and above all a loyal friend. Instead of the protocol uniform he sported a long black coat, ideal for this type of weather.
Mercury made few a steps forward and spontaneously took notice of Ira's absence from his side. The child had crawled back to the chopper, too afraid to step out in front of all these people. Mercury turned to find her shielding herself with a wing. He whispered annoyingly towards her.
"Something wrong again?" He raised an eyebrow.
The trembling squeaky voice that responded tugged at his heartstrings "It's them Mercury, the ones who took Mum and Dad, I can't let them see me, please Mercury… Hide me." She stifled a whimper and tried to make herself as invisible as possible.
The fox felt that headache rushing to his head again. Cursing himself at not being able to maintain a proper posture in front of his soldiers, he climbed back up into the chopper, Sigint was left dumbfounded and so did the others.
Mercury rolled his eyes and crouched to get to her level "Hey, let me see your eyes." Ira obliged at the familiar voice and peeked over her wing a little.
"A-are they gone?"
"No, they're still outside waiting for us. These are my people and had nothing to do with Peshavar. Yes, they may look intimidating, but they are not going to lay so much as a finger on you. I apologize, I should've mentioned earlier."
"Promise?"
"Again? You already made me-"
"It's the only way I can be sure."
"Fine then, I promise no harm will come to you. In fact, a child arriving at HQ is rare occurrence and it raises the morale. The troops will be more than happy to see you."
Once again his reassuring words blew some courage into her. He was getting better at this by the minute. Ira gathered up her strength and hopped out along with Mercury.
Sigint replaced his confused expression with a serious one. When Mercury approached he dropped the salutation and the two tightened each other's arm, a sign of mutual respect.
"Glad to have you back Mercury; everyone could benefit from your presence around here, the soldier's missed their leader."
Mercury gazed over the group of militants that had made up his welcoming committee and exclaimed "And I'm grateful that all of you guarded our home during my absence."
Ira was practically shrinking with each second, she huddled closer to Mercury's leg. The soldiers noticed how close she got to their boss and fastened their grip on their guns, a dragon had never set foot on this base before.
Mercury sensed their unrest and ordered them austerly "At ease! The dragoness here bears no ill purpose. She is just getting warmed up to our ways. I expect you to treat her like any other child that has passed by this base. If you are unable to do so, then I warn you to stay clear of her. This matter is non-negotiable."
The soldiers shouted in unison "Yes, sir!"
"Excellent, I hope you've all maintained your top physical performance while I was away, because I'll be checking on your training regime at 0600 hours tomorrow. Resume your duties. Dismissed."
The soldiers scattered at the order, each one tending to their obligations. Mercury stopped a young wolf, who was on his way.
"Get the two eggs from the chopper and carefully deliver them to Zofia, inside the Medical Ward, she should be waiting at the hatchery already." Mercury ordered calmly, patting the back of the younger canine.
"On it, sir." He turned his back and set off to complete his newly appointed task, happy that he was the one to fulfill the boss's personal request.
Now that he got the important part set and done, he was finally able to converse with Sigint about the situation at paw.
"Huh! Who would have figured the hatchery would actually find some use after all?" That was the raccoon's first observation.
"Zofia insisted we add it to the Medical Ward when we first begun construction, females and their motherly instincts."
"Watch out not to slip up in front of her with a comment like that."
They both shared a genuine laugh at that, then Sigint pulled a pack out of his pocket.
"Smoke?"
Mercury nodded and kindly accepted the offer, Zofia would fume at Sigint for encouraging this hazardous habit.
After lighting it with his hologear, he looked back at Sigint who was staring at his torso.
"You mentioned injuries sustained, during the mission, you should get yourself checked out."
He couldn't agree more, but the matter he wanted to discuss was urgent.
"True, but I assume you wanna know, why I didn't finish the mission?"
Sigint's eyes glinted at that "You're not one to act so off the book of professionalism. What happened down there? We couldn't get a signal."
Mercury recalled the still fresh memories of the events that occurred near the core of the world.
"We got ambushed, me and the old dragoness, the cheetah rebels wanted to foil her plan, whatever that was. What I'm sure of is that it involved that purple egg."
"The same egg over which an entire down was reduced to rubble? Damn, what is it with everyone's obsession over it?"
"I think I understand kinda. It… saved me by pausing time." Even he was straining himself to believe that.
"What! The egg saved you? I don't think you're the kind of person that needs saving."
"I'm not sure what happened, everything came to a standstill, like looking at a photo of a scene, even the flying bullets were left hovering in the air. And there was this voice, calling for me specifically."
"Boss,with all due respect, are you sure it's safe to bring something like that here of all places? It's already giving me the creeps."
"Your skepticism is understandable, but I know what I heard. This isn't like any magic I've encountered before, the egg must be kept safe by all means necessary. The voice asked me to raise the dragon within it."
"Whoah! Now we're taking up parenting, Mercury this isn't like you. Do you even know how to raise a dragon anyway? We built a refugee village on your orders, a safe haven for the war-plagued. You can leave it to them and focus on the serious issues."
"I decide what's important!" He jerked his hand holding the cigarette, sending a few gops littering the metal floor.
"I'm sorry, I was trying to consult you, is all. Don't allow what I believe to be a hoax vision to cloud your judgement."
Mercury softened up his irritated expression "Didn't mean to snap like that. Everything's been a blur these past few days. It's almost like after that time. The old guilt keeps coming back, you were there then and you still remain by my side. I should be more disciplined with my words."
Sigint was concerned, this wasn't the Mercury he knew. "I thought the trauma had recceeded after so many years. Is it possible that what you saw was a result of it resurfacing?"
Mercury let out a puff of smoke, his nerves were tinged badly "I couldn't save the dragoness from that house."
"You're not always able to save everyone, what changed this time?"
"I saw her eyes in these sockets, I couldn't back off on my promise to protect her egg, maybe that's why the voice chose me later on."
Sigint sighed intensely, opting to avoid the topic, not wanting to further upset Mercury "What about the black dragoness, Cynder? Maybe she influenced you in some way?"
The fox shook his head negatively "If I were a sleeper, you'd already be dead. She didn't get her chance too, the cheetahs jumped her."
"I got notified you took a picture of her and I passed it through every database we have access to."
"And?" He already knew the answer to that.
"There isn't a single hint of digital information matching her features, nor a name. In essence, you were talking to a ghost."
With a huff he responded "Like speaking to a mirror."
Buzz...
Buzz...
His hologear was vibrating, an unknown caller.
Sigint gulped "It's from Warfang, they called earlier asking for you boss. I didn't patch them through, until you would return. I distinctly remember saying that calling for the chopper in the jungle was a bad idea."
Mercury pulled the cigar quickly from his mouth. "Get Ira to the nursery so she can get a medical check. She got injured in the snout and I had to patch her up briefly," He turned to Ira who was shuffling her paws the whole time, feeling ignored. "Sigint is my friend, he'll help you to the doctor, so you can heal nicely. I'll only be gone for a few minutes."
Ira nodded silently, Mercury's anxious expression didn't slip by her. She allowed Sigint to guide her, despite her trust issues "What's wrong with Mercury? He's more upset than usual."
Sigint was surprised at the blunt but keen observation of the child. "Mercury's had a hard time, you especially know that, since you got to follow him around, he'll be at the top of his game in no time. I'm sure seeing you treated will ease his mind, that's why I hope you won't resist the good doctor."
Ira pouted, she had a few brief unpleasant memories of doctors, but the thought of Mercury suffering because of her was enough to convince her to accept her fate "Fine, I'll do it for Mercury."
Sigint smiled at her willingness, never had he met a dragon so pure of intentions.
Mercury steadily paced back and forth on the platform. A few of his troops noticed his anxiety, yet didn't comment on it or uttered a single word, not out of fear, but of respect. Mercury had given his very lifeforce to ensure a safe haven for soldier's away from the prying eyes of politics and fanatical feuds.
"I'll ask one last time," a demanding voice sounded over the comms "Am I speaking to Mercury?"
"What do you want, Counselor Barrett?"
"Ah! I'm overjoyed to be recognised by the legend himself!"
"Cut the sucking up, Counselor. What is this about?"
"You know very well I wouldn't have called without you giving me a reason to."
"Really? I guess you called by mistake then?"
"Playing the ignorant card, eh? You haven't been conducting any operations on our continent, while I distinctly banned you from doing so, have you?"
"Your continent? I believe Warfang's a city nation, neighbouring to others in the same patch of land. Your so called idea of a continent is going up in flames from war."
"Yet you had to intervene in it. Don't try to trick me, you love sticking your nose into our matters, even after you lost jurisdiction to do so. You should have thought twice, before contacting me as an insider source. I warned you there would be… consequences."
He knew were this was going "Why would I be such a fool to enter your restricted airspace? You know I never slip up. I'm not the same up-and-coming agent from many years ago."
"See, this is where you're shooting yourself in the foot. I kept records of satellite feeds detecting a digital print distinct to your chopper the last time you got caught by our surveillance system. At this point, you're trapped on a one-way street with no chance of backing off."
Prick!
He had to take a mental note to have all his means of transport reverse engineered.
No response came back.
"Nothing to say, I thought so. Because if I give a holler, then they'll mount a search and snuff of your base of operations sooner or later. I already got a narrowed down area of operations. You've been hustled, dumb fox."
If it wasn't for his collected nature, he'd have already lashed over the radio.
"Name your price." He exclaimed that through gritted teeth.
"My price comes in intel, care to share?"
This was his chance to untie his paws, he thankfully had just the right information that would let him off the hook. Hopefully, this numbskull of a counselor would take it seriously.
"I was on the trail of an old target, does the name Volkron ring any bells?"
"Volkron? The rogue officer, you're passing me for an idiot, he disappeared ages ago."
"And resurfaced now, I got photographic proof of him operating in Warfang's back turf. I think that's enough for you to mount a search for him instead of me."
"Go on."
Baited!
"I spotted him in Sakhra Valley, after he wiped the small fishing town of Quebar of the map. My suspected FOV is between there and Bahamut Desert. He is leading a small militia, called the Hive."
"That's not enough."
"Pardon me?"
"That's not enough to convince Warfang to call off a search for you and your organisation. These photos could have been tampered with by anyone. However, the satellite doesn't lie."
"Isn't there more solid proof I can provide?" He was in all honesty getting agitated beyond his limits. "You're yanking my chain here."
"Well, I could put those legendary skills of you to the test and have you hunt him down to prove your innocence, it'll be like hiring you for dirty work, with no monetary gain if course."
Mercury crushed his remaining cigar with his palm, a nerve had definitely snapped in his forehead. A burning spew started building up in his throat.
"I'm not your servant." The guttural growl emanating from him was filled with hostility "You can't keep calling upon me, everytime a mess is too big for your incompetence."
"Fine then, I got senator Gilderoy on hold, he'll be interested to hear about your intrusion, unless you opt for cooperation."
Mercury just facepalmed at this point, then slowly dragged the hand down his face. He had an organisation to protect and employees to take care of. And he couldn't manage any of that with tied hands.
"Consider it done."
"Excellent choice old partner. Glad to have you back in action."
"Watch that you don't chew too much and choke on that council position Barrett. Because when that time comes, I'll be there to see it happen. Lastly, we're not partners."
"This is where our call reaches its end, I'll be waiting for a progress report."
The line went dead, static humming was eating at his ears, before he ended communication.
His heart was the only thing he heard now. Racing to the point it hurt. He had just noticed the sweat forming on his forehead. There goes his moment of respite, wasted in a last ditch attempt to secure his cover.
When all of the heat died down and Volkron was put to the ground permanently, he'd pay the counselor a visit and choke him with his own tie. Would serve the bastard right. No one threatened his legacy and got away with it.
The comm channel was activated, a crystal clear message came through, though the voice was filled with a sense of urgency.
"Mercury, get to the hatchery now, we have a situation."
Mercury took off in towards the infirmary by climbing up stairs and propelling himself through the hallways, receiving some confused looks from healers and patients alike.
He stormed the hatchery, only to be greeted by the sight of two nurses, Sigint, Ira and the doctor, Zofia standing over the cracking red egg.
The brown badger, Zofia, was sent into a furious fit, upon seeing Mercury, interrogating him with her intimidating heavily accented voice. "Where have you been? Didn't you notice the eggs were this close to hatching? And what took you so long to show up for a proper medical treatment? You probably have leeches still left on you!"
"Zofia please, I don't have time for this, We're already knee deep in sh-"
"Not in front of the child!" She scolded "And you're not ready to do anything until I clean and close your wounds properly."
Ira stared at Mercury acknowledgingly and giggled, he wasn't fazed by her childish game though. "Don't make me bail on you now, little one. How is the egg progressing?"
One of the cracked shell pieces fell off.
"Does that answer your question?"
Everyone was staring at the birth of the dragon in awe. The sight was truly fascinating.
Claw scratch after claw scratch...
Piece after piece breaking away...
The little frail creature was trying to avoid suffocating by opening a hole for air. The tight prison was too much for it anymore.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Ira's voice was full of worry.
"No, the hatching process is a test the dragon takes alone. There's nothing to be done about it, except wait. You can't force the hatchling out. Nature has sadly dictated that only the strong-willed hatchlings are granted freedom."
Crack...
Crack...
More pieces fell off...
"If the dragon can't escape the shell, it'll die of oxygen deprivation."
Ira gasped in horror.
A small pause.
No more shell pieces fell off.
It was over. Deadly silence was reigned in the sombre atmosphere. The prospect of a new life faltered. The egg stopped trembling, while it's neighbour was still going strong.
The race was tipped to the purple egg's favour for a moment it seemed.
Then out of nowhere a deafening final crack was heard and the upper half of the red egg's shell was broken off, chunks of gooey transparent substance shot everywhere, spilling out the sides in thick globs.
"Ewww!"
Inside, lay a small dark red coloured hatchling. It's three horns almost non-existent yet. The underbelly and wings were coloured in onyx black. It squirmed and squealed attempting to gain a parental figures attention.
Mercury oddly felt compelled to respond to the call for help. He had done so many other times. He stretched a hand towards the little dragon, only for it to be immediately slapped away by Zofia.
"Uh uh." She motioned with her head to a box.
Sterilized gloves. Of course.
After wearing a pair, he moved the hatchling with great care to the comfortable mattress. It's tiny underdeveloped wings and soft scales felt so smooth. It wasn't bigger than his arm in length. The poor thing had stopped crying, upon noticing his relaxed features. Instead it examined him with great focus, having never seen such a creature before, or any other for that matter in its few minutes in the land of the living.
He momentarily forgot about his demons, embracing them for what they were worth, if it meant innocent creatures such as this one got to live.
"I checked the little one's egg earlier, it's a boy, so is the one in the purple egg."
As if on cue, the steady cracking of the purple one resumed, but quickly transitioned to pieces being broken off. Soon, they were greeted by a second tiny squeal filling the room. It was like a symphony of nature, of the cutest kind.
The new dragon that burst from his egg was decorated with two horns, his primary colour was purple, a unique sight for the eyes to feast on. His teal blue underbelly complemented the set. Mercury was once again given the honour to cradle the young one and set him next to his newly appointed brother.
The two dragons had stopped squealing and wear now taking in each other's sight. Deep gold eyes of the purple one met with royal blue. They sniffed at the bed and each other and trying to absorb every new experience that they could take in.
Unable to find warmth anywhere else the two brothers huddled together, creating a small bundle of joy, the sight hit everyone hard, melting hearts. The little ones seemed to get along right off the bat, allowing each other to take in the welcoming heat. They curled their tails together and the purple one supported his head on the two minutes older red one's back.
This tender moment had drawn more doctors, nurses and passing-by guards in the room, these were the lucky ones to have witnessed such a pure spectacle that shined a small ray on hope on the total abyss that was known as reality. A few captured the moment on video, this was a never before seen occasion in this military fort. Which is why most would find the scene it extremely comical and out of place.
Mercury was the first one to break the silence "They're beautiful."
A shocking thing for many in the room to say the least. The nurses were even broken out of their crying fit. A guard was also flabbergasted to hear his boss utter these words with such emotion put behind them. His fellow comrade had to wipe a tear and keep strong, hiding his shame behind a handkerchief.
Ira was the next one to get excited. She rushed to the bed and got on two paws, hoping to get a clear view of the hatchlings "Are you kitting? They're the cutest sweetest little balls of scales I've ever seen! They're gonna be the best brothers ever and I'll be there as their big sis'!"
She finally got her snout close enough to the purple drake, after suspending her hind feet in the air. The little one perked his head up to inspect the new face, Ira responded with a bright smile and she nuzzled him with her nose. She booped his snout one final time, before providing the other one the same treatment.
Ira got to the ground again and ran up to Mercury, passing under a doctor's legs.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for keeping us all safe! I promise I'll do the same for them."
Mercury couldn't sustain a nonchalant stance with her around as he broke his statue-like face, sporting a gentle grin. "I know you will. You're a perfect fit for them."
She smiled gleefully at being approved of, but then her expression shifted to puzzledness. "Soooo, what do we call them?"
Everyone in the room was actually quite intrigued by the four year olds solid question. Then after a moment of sizzling confusion they all turned to Mercury for an answer.
Sigint placed a friendly hand on his shoulder "This is your achievement boss, you get to name them. They wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for your protection."
All that heard clearly approved of the notion, judging by their looks of anticipation, they were itching to find out what names the boss would pick.
Mercury neared the hatchlings again, his presence was somehow sensed, as they immediately shifted their attention to the closest and only parental figure they could recognise.
The fox set a hand on the red one, contemplating what name he should give him. It didn't take long to find the perfect match.
"His name is Pyrus. The fire nestles within him, he's a fighter alright."
The attendants in the room were genuinely surprised at Mercury's naming capabilities.
He moved onto the next one. The purple drake had been accustomed to the fox's voice, finding it soothing and basking at the security it gave off. His purple head nuzzled against the tender touch, awaiting for more signs of affection.
"This one will be named according to his mother's dying wish."
Everyone bowed their heads in respect for the dead. Total silence took over the room, even the hatchlings had realised something was up and were mimicking the grown-ups, halting their shuffling.
Time seemed to slow down to a heartbeat for each present individual. All were holding their breaths, savouring the fruit of anticipation of the moment. Unbeknown to them, this day was determinant for the fate of the world.
Mercury dropped his snout to eye level, his chin lying on the sheets. The gaze into those innocent, yet radiating with magic eyes told him everything he needed to know.
"Nice to meet you, Zephyr."
Message to Guest-Loki: I've played many video game adaptations of Tom Clancy's books, but never gotten the chance to read them, since they are not available in my country (e-books aren't for me, I like physical copies). Mercury was made as homage to Naked Snake (MGS) and Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell). You can tell he shares traits from both of these characters, however he is totally unique in his own way and crafted lovingly.
