The Morning After.
It's been about two weeks since the destruction of the Second Quantum Dial. The attacking squads which charged the outer perimeter only suffered only suffered minor injuries. Lara only had small first degree burns, bruises, and a broke left arm. Ever since then, she's been sulking in her old room at the her parent's manor. She sat in front of he window in a long pure white kimono. She was asleep with her head in her arms, and her legs were curled to her chest. There was a knock at her door, waking her up. She woke up with a splitting head ache, sore red eyes, and a tear misted cast.
"Enter," she whipped the extra tears off her eyes as Anthony entered the room.
"Hellooo," Anthony greeted with his regular go-easy smile which always made her smile. "I'm here to deliver something from your parents."
He handed her a piece of rolled up parchment.
"My annulment." She said in relief. "It's like my engagement never happened."
"A fair point." Anthony said. "But now you have something to look forward to, with the true love of your life." He stretched and then started to leave her room. "Oh, by the way, your aunt had her baby. A boy. They named him Aaron, go figure. Do you want to visit him?"
XxXxXxX
Hon Yao and Fuu stood guard of Aaron's room at the Echidnaopolis main hospital. In front of them was a small army of reporters wanting to get the newest photo of Aaron's condition. The door opened, the reporters got their cameras ready, but the only person to leave the room was a doctor. But, either way, the reports still badgered the doctor with questions. The doctor, being escourted though the mob by several Oni-Wabans, gave the only state ment: That Aaron had left the critical state and is now sleeping.
XxXxXxX
Two hours had past since the doctors left Aaron's room. Just looking at him now, no one would clearly reconize him. his chest, forehead, and lower left arm where completely covered in guaze. His right arm was gone at the shoulder. The only thing that was there was a metal dock for a autopart appendage. Long black hair had to be buzzed back in order to apply treatment to any head wounds. His mouth and noses were covered by a respitory mask on. The only forms of good news is that his legs were not cut up, no form of brain, spinal, or mental damage, and he was in a stable state. Just sleeping.
He slowly woke up for five seconds when he rolled onto his right side. The feeling of nothing there was uncomfortable, but that didn't keep him from sleeping.
"I have to stop doing these crazy stuff. Or I'm going to get myself killed."
XxXxXxX
Anthony escourted Lara, now in regular clothes, to Aarons room after seeing her aunts baby. Little Aaron looked just like his father and had a small trigram birth mark of the Yin and Yang simble on the center of his forehead. Just like his mother, he was dead asleep in Demi-la's arms while Mace watched with happieness and pride.
The Oni-Waban were able to clear out the rest of the reporters before either of them got to Aaron's room.
"Hey Tonny," Levitas grabbed his little brother's shoulder. "The Senate wants to hear from you at once," he whispered. "They said something about you being the replacement Mandalord. For the time being."
"I see," he turned back to Lara. "I think you can take care of things from here." He smiled. "I have to go do some stuff, and I'll be back later."
Standing before the hospital door in silence; Lara made up her mind. Slowly opening the door she looked at the room. It was the middle of the afternoon, and the hospital shades kept some of the light from coming through. She saw a blurry shadow behind a backdrop sitting up right.
"Son-of-a!" Aaron yelled as he grabbed his side in pain, causing him to loose his coat. "Damnit, not again. How does Anthony do it?"
"Do you want some help?" Lara said from the doorway.
Aaron stood up and looked over the backdrop. "Lara! You're Okay!"
"All I had was a broken arm." She said as she walked over to him. Taking off her coat, Lara stopped at the side of the bed and helped Aaron put his haori on. "And it doesn't hurt when you're in the presence of the hero of Mobius."
"So does this mean you're mad at me?"
"I think it means, any conflicts on this planet have now be resolved." they kissed. "But don't ever do something that stupid again."
Aaron smiled and looked scarred. "Fine then."
XxXxXxX
On the deck of the Oblivion, Anthony was surrounded by fifteen holograms of people from the senate.
"We cannot proceed with the U.R. without a Mandalord." An elder gentleman said.
"We have no choice..." a Iccan woman sighed. "We'll have to nominate you for Mandalord. Levitas has already recommended you."
"I'm prepared for the job." Anthony said.
"Anthony Wynne. You..." Maxi said.
"EXUSE ME!" Levitas busted into the room.
"What is it?" The Iccan senator said. "We're in the middle of an important meeting!"
"Well this is important, too!" Levitas said. "Dad's up!"
XxXxXxX
Aaron and Lara at bowl after bowl after bowl, one handed, of rice, beef and pork.
"please slow down." Lara said after finishing her seventh bowl.
"Keep it coming." Aaron swallowed a mouth full of rice. "My energy hasn't come back yet. I can't be Mandalore's greatest warrior, if I haven't eaten in two weeks!"
"There isn't a single crumb left in your office." She said. "You'll have more soon, but in the meantime take a break." Aaron stared intently at Lara like a rack of ribs. "NO! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! YOU CAN'T EAT ME!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked as he noticed his two boys entering the room.
"I'm glad to see that you recovered." Anthony said. "I was just mere seconds away from becoming the next Mandalord. And honestly, I don't think I'm ready for the position yet. In these situations, your presence will be a lot more effective than mine."
"I'm surprised about the joint forces," Aaron said with a mouth full of rice. "I can't believe that that Sonic guy passed new, fairer, laws for the Overlanders."
"That just shows how serious it was." Levitas said.
"With some forms of peace settling between the two," Aaron swallowed. "We can start up negotiation and trade with everyone on Mobius. But first....." He sulked his head down. "I need a new arm."
XxXxXxX
Falco undid the bandages on his upper right arm, while Maxi dryly snored in the bed next to him.
"So what do you think of the team?" Hon Yao asked from the corner.
"Well, to be honest. The fact that five people, and a bird, was able to beat army of clankers was pretty impressive."
"Easy for you to say." Akisu pulled the curtain open to reveal his broken leg. "Not all of us can move as fast as you."
"Well maybe if you drank your milk a little more often." Falco pointed to the full bottle of milk on his tray.
"You drink it. I hate milk. It's like drinking vomit."
"What are you talking about? Milk's good for you! Drink it!" Falco shoved the bottle in Akisu's face.
"Forget it! I hate what I hate!" Akisu pushed the bottle away. "It's not like I'll die 'cause I don't drink that crap!"
"And this is the reason you're always gonna be the size of a bean!"
"A BEAN!"
"Yah, a bean." Falco laughed. "I think I can get used to this
XxXxXxX
A few days later.
"We're going to visit Aaron, whether you like it or not," Julie-su said to Knuckles. "so be on your best behavior, dear,"
"Geesh, what do you think I am: a kid?" asked Knuckles. His brown durable shoes made a clunking sound as the two of them walked down the hall of the hospital. He wore his regular brown sleeveless jacket, blue outfit, white gloves, and Hawking's brown hat. Julie-Su had developed a slightly more feminine look from her past days with the Freedom Fighters, although still with a tomboyish touch. She was wearing a blue colored sleeveless top, and gray shorts and boots, with the legs on the bottoms stopping just above her knees. Her hair was much longer and more femininely styled, and her dreadlocks were much longer, as well, with fewer cybernetic attachments.
"Well, you are known to be a little overprotective of her when she ever has an intrest in boys," said Julie-Su, before they saw Lara-Su and Anthony sitting outside of Aarons room.
"Hi mom, Hi dad." Lara-Su smiled.
"Hi Lara," Julie-Su said. "So where is this Aaron man. We like to meet him." Both Anthony and Lara said nothing. They just sat there, backs up against the wall, as a screem of pain came from the inside. "What was that?"
"Autopart attachting." Anthony said as he cleaned off the lens of his Timex ski goggles. "That is when we attach mechanical limbs to function as the real part. The screem and pain is from the attachting of metal to nerve."
The door opened and a young hair woman came out. She wore a black tank top, a tool belt which she had around her hips, and her denim work clothes were tied around just above the belt. Petite and youthful, has violet hair with slightly parted bangs and is pulled back into a long braid.
"How is he doing, Nemu?" Anthony asked his wife.
"Your father is deffinately a fighter," Nemu said as she took her whelding goggles off. "He's also an idiot. He told me to attach the whole thing at once. Said something about recovering within the week."
"Hey, remember that I recovered in three months and the regular is three years." said Anthony.
"You can go in and visit him. If you want--" She wasn't able to finish her sentence before Lara-Su, Julie-Su, and Knuckles entered the room. "Should've seen that coming."
XxXxXxX
Aaron breathed deeply as he tried to relax his muscles and move his new mechanical arm. It was just like his regular right arm, except for the for the scars and the fact that it was mechanical. He finally got himself to relax, until the three echidna's came into the room. Lara-Su ran to his side and hugged him, cutting off any air circulation. Thankfully her parents soon followed, causing her to let go andfor Aaron to breath again.
"Hi." Aaron greeted Lara's two parents. "You two must be Lara-Su's parents." He stuck out his left hand. "Aaron Wynne."
"Knuckles." He shook Aaron's hand. "Nice to meet you. So Mr. Mandalord, how are you liking our taste in medical care? Fansy enough for you?"
"Knuckles!" Julie-Su elbowed him.
"It's great," Aaron said. "You haven't killed me yet."
"Aaron!" Lara elbowed him
Both Aaron and Knuckles started to laugh hysterical.
"Wait... I'm confused..." Julie-Su said while watching her husband laugh.
"It's guy humor." Lara said. "Hey mom, no offense, but could you two give us a little alone time?"
Julie-Su caught on before Lara even said those word. She practically dragged Knuckles out of the room, using some half baked excuse on why they had to leave so sudden. Soon enough, Aaron and Lara were alone in the room. Lara found herself cozed up next to Aaron on his bed.
"So," Aaron said, breaking the pleasant silence. "Where do we go from here?"
"I don't know." Lara pulled out her ring. "But I think it starts with this."
"I love you." he smiled.
"I know."
These are the greatest moments in history.
They are also the scarriest.
Who wouldn't be affraid?
Next Time: Epilogue: Living the Future.