Fourth Reflection

Fourth Reflection

And yet another day passed in Kohligen.

How long had he been here? Seven months? Perhaps eight?

Locke stepped away from the small harbor that Kohligen had sprouted since the previous time he had been there. He had no money, no food, and no clothes. Edgar had dumped him here.

To die.

His stomach was doing cartwheels inside him. It had probably been three days since he had ate something you could call a meal. Now winter was beginning and he needed clothes to make it. Yes, Kohligen did stay warmer than most cities due to its relative location to the ocean, but Locke's life revolved around alleyways and curbsides.

His slow steps quickly became a staggered saunter. He hadn't drunk any alcohol. At least he didn't think there had been any in the miscellaneous fluids he'd drank from the trash.

So would this be the tragic end to Locke Cole's story? After saving the world he became a dirty vagabond on the streets of Kohligen, the very town where he grew up. And in recalling that, where were all the familiar faces he knew? The whole place seemed to have changed since he had last been there.

Have I spent that long cooped up or on the sea?

The siren sounded.

He saw the mass of sailors dashing for toward his stance on the harbor. The remaining people of Kohligen were headed in the opposite direction to take cover from the nearing onslaught.

Locke had nowhere to go.

He decided people would be abandoning drinks and meals in the tavern. The building was very unstable, everyone would evacuate from it leaving the opportunity for Locke to gather what he needed to survive for a few more days.

He supported himself on the railing of the staircase as he neared the entrance to the tavern. Two people, two women, darted past him down the stairs. The flash of speed left him disorientated for a moment. He started his ascent again and pushed with his body on the door. It opened to what was a Utopia for this new Locke Cole. Spreads across the vacant tables were half-finished meals and drinks. The bottles behind the bar were open for the taking. Locke smiled in satisfaction.

Locke sat down at the bar on one of the red stools. "Beer, okay? And add a pinch of salt." Locke knocked back the glass of scotch before him. "Hit me again, Ed."

A large crash shook the tavern. "Damn Ed, when are they gonna win this war?" He downed another drink before finding a plate of unfinished chicken. "Down the hatch."

Smoke could be smelt nearby. "God Ed, you know, I've been coming to this bar for 20 years, right? Man, been running around for these past 20 years, looking for what? Well what else is there to look for, huh? What's left in this damn world? That's right, Ed. You got it. Nothing. No princess to save, no nothing. I've lost it all now, all my friends, and my love. I got nothing. That's why I'm drinking myself in tonight Ed. No, no, no. You're not stopping me, okay?

"I don't want it to go on. I lost Rachel. I lost Celes. I even lost Terra! I'm through!" He paused for a moment before continuing. "Ed, you got anything to help me out with this?" Ed slid him a small box. "Thanks Ed." Locke opened the box and stood up from behind the bar. He dropped one of the pills into a random drink. He started to laugh as he slid two other drinks over. "Tonight Ed my fate rests in itself alone." Locke started to move the drinks around like an old magician's card game. Eventually he knocked one over. "Shit." He opened the tiny tin case again. "My chances are better now, eh Ed?" He dropped another pill in. He started switching the scotch glasses around again.

"That's pretty risky."

"Shut the hell up. Who are you to tell me what to do? Last I checked you were dead and gone. Just like the rest of them."

"Locke, you have a life. You don't need to end it."

"When you have to resort to rats to survive, come back and tell me this, all right?" Locke picked up one of the glasses.

"Won't you be dead?"

"Maybe I will."

"Don't do this Locke."

And down went the scotch.

He sat down on the barstool. "I never liked you, okay?" He felt his nerves starting to ease up. "You were always the one whining at me. Telling me how you loved me oh so much. Then you go off a screw any other damn man you please, right? So why don't you just fuck off?" His vision started to cloud. "Sticking around eh? God, you just don't know when to quit. Can't leave me alone. 'Oh Locke, I love you.' Tell that to all the dick you've sucked." Limbs started to go numb. "So now it's the silent treatment?" He fell back in the barstool. The stool broke his fall, keeping his head from impacting with the floor. "Trying to kill me now? How low will you sink?" As he finished his sentence he found that he couldn't seem to open his mouth to speak anymore.

You're not going to help me up? Seems just like you.

His head got heavy. His eyes closed. Blackness. Blackness was all around.

Damn, what the hell are they burning?

He felt the floor shaking. The blackness ended for a split-second as his eyes flashed open. It was quick enough to see the roof coming towards him.

"Locke!"

The blackness concluded again. He awoke to the sight of small hands caressing his battered face.

"You're awake," said the sharp female voice.

"Yeah. Uh, what happened?"

"Kohlingen was attacked by Narshe. You were in the tavern when it collapsed." Locke looked up at the girl that was beside him. She had short dirty blonde hair that parted down the center of her scalp and curled at her ears.

"Who are you?" Locke asked.

"I saved you. My name's Clefara." The young girl smiled with warmth. Locke found her to be compassionate yet . . . Yet she was enticing.

What am I thinking? This girl's what? 18? Maybe she's in her mid-twenties at the most. I'm already 35 . . . No. I can't.

She smiled at him again. "Oh you dirty swine."

Locke's jaw dropped. He started to stammer but was drowned out by her sudden uproar of laughing. "I was just kidding, ok Locke?"

Locke wiped the worried expression off of his face. He sat up in the bed to look around the room she'd placed him in, but found it to be without light.

"The attack severed the power cables." Clefara said. "But we're leaving here anyways." She stood up and went to what looked like the outline of a desk.

"Leaving?" Locke asked, looking down to find himself naked except for a small pair of underwear. He blushed thinking that this young woman had seen him exposed like this.

"Yes, Kohligen won't be in good condition for awhile. And if Narshe occupies this place you won't be safe."

It was as the powers had shifted entirely. With the people who formed the New Regime tiring of Narshe's aging and archaic procedures slowly enlightening others to their beliefs and findings the pendulum of power was starting to swing the other way. When the New Regime found the world declaring them the rulers of the South Continent's West Peninsula they changed their name to The Miranda Regime. Although the Regime had originated in Albrook it had not stayed there for long. Locke remembered the day he was sailing with Edgar to see the plume of industrial smoke over Miranda. It was just about that time, two years ago, when the Regime had moved their operations to Miranda and began to expand their power.

Although Locke and Edgar had both agreed that Narshe and the Regime were peaceful governing bodies, that prediction was false. As a new president upset the predicted vote. Locke had heard worry from Arvis, who was Chancellor of the Senate. The new president, Karan Mengsk, was a tyrant with nothing to work with. The Regime was growing by the day. Soon enough he was launching attacks on those that "defied" him. But with Narshe's dwindling power and support, Mengsk found himself grid locked.

The original Returners and those with sense joined with the Regime. They soon controlled the world, with Narshe having loyal pockets spread sparsely throughout the land.

Suddenly Locke felt her warm hand return from the desk. "Come, we don't have much time till those bastards will be here to claim this place."

"Got any clothes?" Locke asked.

Clefara blushed and pointed to what looked like a corner. Locke felt his way over and found his clothes resting on a chair. They felt clean for once.

"You've seemed to have done a lot for me." Locke said.

"You deserve it."

And as his next day on the dock concluded he felt everything piece together.