Reason to Live II
Epilogue: Just Another Day…
The gunshot from the M92F Beretta echoes through the entire warehouse, followed by a single empty shell hitting the ground as the sign. We knew that it is the end. We knew it's all over…
…the last curtain is closed
March 4th,
Warehouse Alpha, Cargo Area 3,
1700 hrs
On that day, we walked our separate ways
I wonder what kind of excuses I should come up with now
"P-petra…"
The moment she fires her weapon, we knew it is the end of our fight. The empty shell that fell from her weapon marks as the bell; no…rather, it marks as the judgment on who win this fight. One of us is going home, while one of us will be going to the morgue.
"…W-why…?"
I couldn't help myself thinking; is this really the end? Is this what I really wanted? Is this the result of our fight? Why did it have to involve everyone? Why…?
"…WHY DID YOU SHOOT ME…?" It was John…
I sense weakness which could not be concealed every time I stumble blindly
Your existence on that day strangles this body
Petra shot John as the judgment befalls upon us. Her hand is shaking intensely, while her weapon is still up and ready. Tears start rolling down her cheek as she watches John Michael; or Edward, as he is called by her staggers to gain his footing as he stare at her with disbelief. John immediately replies by lifting his weapon towards Petrushka, in an attempt to shoot her, but Petra's quick response quickly ended his attempt. Three more shots rings through out the whole warehouse…two shots hits him in the chest…the last bullet, pierce through his left eye and ends his life…forever, this time.
Petra drops her pistol soon after and fell on her knees, crying for what she'd done. The way she cried reminds me of when Triela cried that day before I went missing. She loves him so much…and she couldn't afford losing him. I couldn't help thinking about it…either John, or Edward and I was similar in many ways. Not only the fact we're both assassins and cyborgs, or the fact that both of us were the only male operative in the agency; but the fact that both of us has our reason to live. His reason, is to avenge the ones he love; the avenger. My reason, is to protect the ones I love; the protector. Petrushka cried and cried at the body of her victim…or the one who victimized her and used her for his own good. No matter…all I know now is that everything is over…
I walk up to the lifeless body of John and take a good long look at him. It was then, too, that I notice that tears are forming in my eyes. This is the person whom I once call 'friend'. This is the person whom I taught wicked techniques using grenades. This is the person who harmed Hillshire and Triela, nearly killing them both. I look back towards Triela, who's resting peacefully without care by the crates. I couldn't tell whether she died, or just resting peacefully. Turning my head towards John, I cry.
With my firm self, I swear to the future that I will believe in those strong eyes of yours
"THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPENED YANK!!" I said as tears rolls down my cheek "THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN IF YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW YOUR VENGEFUL HEART! WHY…? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS!? IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT!? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO INVOLVE THE REST!? WHY, YANK!? WHY!? WHY!? ANSWER ME GODDAMN IT WHY!?"
I pause for a second, calming myself… "We…we could've just talked about it …we don't have to go this far…no…I should've talked to you about it…"
The rain outside continues pouring down as the rest of Section 2 unit arrives at the scene, ending my longest day…
The skies I have traveled, they have a freedom which is similar to solitude. I only don't want to turn back
March 11th,
Social Welfare Agency,
0600 hrs
If you recall, we were very alike, right?
Whether it was our untruthful words or our retreating figures that pretended to be brave
A week has passed since the day I went face to face with Edward, ending his life. Things have changed since his disappearance. Section 2 had been having debates again, just like the earlier Elsa/Lauro and Pia/Arnester case where the operative went out of control, or when they defected to help the Padanias. Petrushka locked herself in her room for a couple of days. Inside, we could hear her crying almost all day long without stop until eventually, Alessandro decided to take the matters to his hand and try to confront her. José eventually recovered from his wounds and is returned to duty. However, he never wanted to remember what happened to him that day. He didn't want to remember how disastrous it had been. Hillshire also recovered from his wounds and is returned to his job as Section 2's handler. And Triela,
…Triela…
I'm sure the circumstances are the same for the both of us. We had our mutual emotions too
I'm not strong enough to tell you about my feelings of insecurity
She's the person who suffered the most. Due to the wound she sustained, the Agency doctors use so many medications on her for her operation. The side effect of it is unavoidable; memory dysfunction. She recovered, yes, but she didn't remember a thing that had happened to her. None of she remembered. The way John treated her during her captive, when I rescue her, she didn't remember any of it. However, what hurts me the most is that…
…she nearly didn't remember anything about me.
If it wasn't because the dog tags I've given her that day, she would forget about me and leave me forever. I can tell when I came up to her one day at the Agency's Relief Center. She looked at me…stared at me as though she didn't recognize me. I called her name a couple of times, mentioning mine. But she asks in return, 'who are you'. It hits me hard. I decided to embrace her before I left the room, maybe as a last goodbye. That is when she remembered. Like a memory flash, it returned to her in a flash and she replies by circling her arms around me before she called my name and thanked me as tears roll down her eyes…
The dream I want to grasp, I was always being buried by my own answers to my questions within the interval of wishes
"Frederick…thank you."
She remembered. Though not everything, but she remembered. We began talking to each other after her week of absence, telling her what had happened and what had she missed. She does remember the time when I went missing, about Giorgio Adriani, and when we met that night at Piazza di Spagna. She also remember the time when I took her out to Campo de' Fiori. However, she never recalled the events that happened after. She never recalled anything about Edward's defection, nor about Hillshire's near death experience. She never recalled what John Michael did to her. But what surprised me is, she never recall what I did to him.
"Edward? Now you remind me…I haven't seen him lately." She said after I asked her about him "…speaking of which, isn't he always tailing you around?"
I never told Triela what happened to him. All I mentioned is that he went for a mission assigned by the Agency, and that both he and his handler will be unavailable for a long period of time. That day she knew I was lying. She can see through my lies, and I can tell she's rather disappointed with me for not saying the truth. However, she decided to keep herself quite and embraces me. I was there to comfort her…not the other way around.
If it is your present self, will I be reflected in your happy eyes?
March 14th,
Social Welfare Agency,
0600 hrs
There are things which will become tainted and time that flows on
But that's right, because it's definitely not a mistake …Yes, I'll believe that
Days passed by without any disturbance. Everything seems to return to normal. Henrietta and José walking around with bags of goodies, Rico and Jean in the firing range, Claes and Luke strolling around the agency, and Petrushka; though she is the person who's hurt the most, seems to have recovered and had been seen walking around with Alessandro just like usual. As for myself…well,
An eternal dream, if I keep on tracing the painted world,
I will find those times and your radiance there which existed without changing. See, you will be rewarded everything
I had been buried in thoughts lately. Thoughts about my actions, why I'm here, and is what I've did is right. Petra loves Edward. She loves him to the depth of her heart. However, when Edward changed to John Michael, things aren't the same for her anymore. She continues to follow him until the end and eventually, she decided to make him realize his mistakes. That didn't work for him as he continues torturing Triela. Then it hit her; if she can't make him realize, then might as well stop him. She did stop him, even though it hurts her deep within. I as a friend of Edward knew I must stop him from his doing hurting others. I should've confronted him earlier, and could've prevented it from happening. But I couldn't…its all because I was blinded with vengeance
In the middle of a continuously bewildering journey, I bore my wounds within the fragments of regret but
Vengeance…revenge…it all seems too familiar to me. When Koch died, I took matters to my own hand and confronted Giorgio and killed him gruesomely. Not to mention, what I did to his underlings. I still remember that I pulled one of their eyes out during interrogation before I kill him with the combat knife. That goes for the time when I confronted John Michael in the warehouse. I wanted revenge for what he did to Triela. I never try reconsidering on negotiating with him; but I knew it will end that way one way or another…or is it?
Vengeance is a dish best served cold. And John Michael has successfully translated that term and served them to me in the form of the girl I love tortured to death. I as well have translated that term and served it to him and Giorgio in the form of their deaths. I still can't believe that those are the thought that drives me on killing my own companion for the past several months. And it all started because I assassinated his father. When I thought more about it, I could've ended it by talking straight to him earlier and maybe, avoided the outcome. What's done is done; we can't turn back. However, we may be able to start something new from the wreckage. That's the one gift we humans have: we can rebuild.
The answers I kept on searching for are here now, and I held onto your small hand…
My life has since turn for the better. I've been doing missions as usual, killing Padanias and terrorists in the process but that's just a typical daily work. Of course, I wouldn't skip my normal days at the agency with Triela; keeping it with our own traditions. Hillshire returned to his old self, complaining and threatening Triela on upping her conditioning. Of course, I 'reply' to those threats and prevent him from upping her conditioning. Yeah…my life is turning for the better this time.
It wasn't a coincidence that the both of us met
"Good morning Henrietta…had a good sleep?" I ask grabbing a tray of food in the cafeteria; with the compliment of an omelet from the chef
"Yeah!" She nods "I've been having dreams about Giuseppe and his doing in Afghanistan!"
"Aaah…so that's the boy you've been sending letters to?" joke Triela as she too, grabs a tray "Oh, good morning to you, Frederick."
"Morning Triela" I reply with a quick peck on her lips "How's life?"
It was a destiny decided long ago
"Same old, same old my 'Prince charming'," Her reply hiding her face while rather tease "But…could we not do it here…?"
"Ah, right…right."
It wasn't a coincidence that the both of us met
We walk towards the table, gathered with the rest of the fratello seated with us. Everyone is at present; Angelica, Claes, Luke, Henrietta, Rico, Camille, Leiko, Clarice, Odilia, Petrushka, Triela, and myself, Frederick. However, at the far ends of the table, there were those missing. There's Carol, Terra, and…
…Edward.
It was an unchanging destiny since long ago
"What's wrong Frederick?" awoken from my daydream, I turn my attention towards Triela "You don't look so good…"
"Well…just having some thoughts, lately."
"Thoughts about you, precisely!" tease Luke
"Shut up Luke!"
To my surprise, Triela grab a hold of me and kisses me in my lips. The other operatives goes 'oooh' or 'woooaah', but she didn't mind. I didn't mind.
It wasn't a coincidence that the both of us met
"Remember Frederick, whatever happens…"
"We'll always be together…"
This is just another day, another day. Same faces, same name, same activity, and same relationships. The daily announcement in the cafeteria rings and announcements of certain handlers were called in to the board room as each of the names of the operatives was mentioned. As they begun to scramble, Triela and I stayed behind and cleaned our mess. Together, we walk outside for another mission, hand in hand.
It was a destiny we dreamt of long ago
…Just another day in the Agency
My name's Frederick Heckler,
…and she is my Reason to Live.
Finn
Author's Note:
And…THAT'S A WRAP!! ANOTHER ONE DONE!!! Cheers
This marks the end of the project. Project over, and I have the time again! Now…what's next? Who knows? Maybe there's more? Thank you for reading 'Reason to Live II'. Please R&R on what you think; comments, etc. Ok, that's all!
Since I've been caught up in my own part-time work, sorry for the delay on publishing this last chapter of 'Reason to Live II'.
Preview:
Everyone has their secrets. And everyone has their place to keep it. When Frederick went missing, thoughts went over a certain girl who kept track of how many days it has been, how her longings haunts her, and how she wishes his return…
Reason to Live: Triela's Diary
You think you know everything about the Social Welfare Agency's child assassins? Think again! There is more to them, than meets the eye! Classified documents telling the tale of other junior operatives working under the SWA besides the original six; beyond the original six!
Colors of the Agency: Beyond the Original Six