Chapter 8
General Hein woke up to the sounds of loud, stomping footsteps from the hall; "I hate this place." He muttered and he buried his head into his pillow, "If I had died I wouldn't have to wake up to this stupid reality." Though, as he thought about it, stupid didn't quite fit it; more like depressing.
Slowly he rose from his bed, grabbed his trench coat and walked out the door, right into-
"Ah, it's about time you got up." Aki said with a smile.
Hein moaned into his hand, "I really, really hate it here."
"What, because we're living in the same building? Aw… I'm really hurt." Aki laughed, "The table have just turned. You're the one supposed to be mocking me."
"Uh-huh." He said half-heartedly, slowly edging away.
Aki looked as though she were about to say something, but suddenly her watch started beeping. She looked down at it and her eyes widened, "Uh, I have to go." She muttered turning and starting to walk away.
General Hein fell into pace besides her, and Aki glared, "What do you want now?"
General Hein smiled unctuously, "You have me curious now, and anyway, I doubt that message on your watch was really that enlightening, judging by your look of surprise. And you know how much I like to see you, of all people, worried."
"I'm flattered, really, but this isn't a bad thing." Liar.
"Okay, then tell me, if it isn't, in fact, a bad thing."
Aki rolled her eyes, "If you don't go away you're coming with me to go somewhere rather dangerous."
"With phantoms?"
"Yes."
"Huh," General Hein smirked, "Maybe I'll get killed."
"Wouldn't that be a pity." Aki turned her dark gaze on him, "You're still following me."
"Really? I hadn't noticed…" He shrugged, "I might as well go help you save 'your' planet, and maybe I'll have the fortune to get tossed off a cliff."
"My planet?"
General Hein sighed, shaking his head, "I thought we had already discussed that…"
"Oh. That."
"Yes, we had that discussion recently. Your mind must have wandered off and got lost."
Aki gave him a side-look, "You really shouldn't be talking about losing your mind…"
Aki just laughed when General Hein glared; she just laughed.
--------------
Aki allowed herself to be pulled to the side when Sid had seen General Hein, "What is
General Hein doing here?"
Aki decided to keep the childish part out of it, "He kindly offered." Haha. Right.
Sid gave her a hard look, but decided to let it go, "Okay…" He said uncertainly, "But you have to remember how he sabotaged that one mission…"
"There's no reason to do that now."
Sid gave a sigh, "Alright."
Sid and Aki turned back to General Hein, who was now surveying the ship, obviously bored.
"We have discovered the location of another spirit wave." Dr. Sid said, "But the phantoms have spread there already. Not many, but a few."
"Where is this, exactly?" Aki asked.
"San Francisco." He said.
General Hein visibly stiffened, suddenly going drastically paler then usual, his green eyes wide, "San Francisco?" He asked quietly.
Dr. Sid nodded slightly, then looked back at Aki, "The ship is fixed, so it should go much faster this time. Good luck."
----------------
General Hein looked out the window as they traveled through space (which was faster without the gravity). To the side, the clock read "00:06:34"; it wasn't long until they arrived.
Aki didn't know, she couldn't have. She would have stopped him from going, right? No, wrong; she probably wouldn't have cared.
The gun strapped to his side was more tempting then ever as he sat alone. He smiled slightly as he thought about suicide, ever so tempting, ever so close. "General Hein blows his brains out; discovered of vicious manslaughter". He pulled the gun out, running a finger down the black grip. "Comment by Aki Ross; 'Whatever…' ". He couldn't help but give a slight chuckle at the thought.
00:04:02
Too close…
He felt the ship hit the atmosphere.
Just put the gun away.
Surprised by the sudden order, which, for the first time wasn't to kill himself, he strapped the gun back to his chest and leaned back on the chair, preparing for the tug of gravity.
----------------
He felt the rush of cold, chilling air as he stepped out into the barely, just barely light sky. Here it would be about 5:00, right? Yes, that sounds about right, he thought to himself.
He found it hard to breathe, as he looked at his surroundings, so familiar and yet so foreign. The cold chill and the emptiness was nothing he wanted to remember of his home, but that's all it was. Cold, empty, and full of ghosts.
He felt a chill run through his spine as he saw the dead tree to the side in a large plain of opened grass. He remembered when it was tall, green, lush.
"The Spirit wave is around here." Aki said, looking around cautiously, "No phantoms so far."
"Yeah, go ahead." He said.
Aki gave him a weird look, but she started walking down the street. As soon as she was gone around the corner, David Hein walked to the tree. He hoisted himself up to the first branch, which was about half a foot thick and curved in an odd direction so it was perfect to sit on. He propped his feet up, leaning against the trunk, and as he closed his eyes. He could almost convince himself that his daughter was climbing higher, coaxing him to climb up with her, and he, blushing slightly, would admit his fear of heights, his wife laughing as she sat on the ground, book in hand.
Laughter.
Now there was something that was completely alien to him; true, blissful laugher, not a snide chuckle, just a laugh.
-------------------
"Oh, come on daddy! It's not that high!" Sarah looked down, wavy black locks of hair falling into her pale face; it was disturbing how much she resembled her father, with the full, pouty lips, narrow green eyes and a little splash of freckles on her pale skin.
"You really should get down." David said worriedly, "Alright?"
"Oh David." Anna said with a smile, "Just let her play."
"But-"
"No buts. Just let her be a kid." She laughed; her lavender colored eyes peaking up at him,
"By the way you act it's almost as if you never had a childhood."
"You know I was serious when I was little. I think my mother told you those stories a million times." David looked fearfully at the grassy ground, "Even being this high bothers me!" David whined, a death grip on the branch.
"David, you're only six feet off the ground. Calm down!" Anna commanded, laughing.
"Only?"
"You're taller then six feet."
"No, I'm six foot, Anna!" David said, crossing his arms for a moment before he grabbed the tree trunk again, looking worried.
Sarah's laugher rang down to them, "Dad! You won't fall! And the ground's soft, I've fallen before. It doesn't hurt much."
"But it still hurts…"
Anna shook her head slightly, blond curls bouncing lightly, "David, you've been training and getting worse then little bruises."
"But we don't climb trees."
Anna laughed again, "Are you ever going to lose an argument?"
"I doubt it." General Hein said truthfully, looking down at the ground with wide eyes, "Are you sure it's six feet?"
Sarah giggled cheerfully, "No, dad, it's more like six foot one."
"See!? I'm not as tall!"
"David…" Anna said warningly, trying to keep the amusement out of her tone.
"See, I'm not as tall! I told you! You were wrong and I was right!"
Anna stood, dropping the book, "You're acting younger then Sarah."
"Hey!" David and Sarah yelled in protest.
Anna grabbed a branch that was a foot above her and swung herself up, climbed higher, then hooked her knees over it and hung upside down so her face was only a foot from David's, "You will not fall."
"Anna, that's dangerous!"
"Will you stop worrying already?" Anna asked, trying to give him a hard look, but failing since she was upside down; glaring didn't have it's full effect that way.
"No!"
"Did something happen to you when you were two or something?"
"No, I'm just afraid of heights, like when I was claustrophobic. I just was."
Anna tilted her head, "You're claustrophobic?"
"I was, but after we snuck into the kitchen, went into the walk in freezer and-"
"There's a kid here, David!" Anna snapped, flipping back up and sitting on the branch, "We should do that against sometime, anyway." She gave him a devilish smirk.
David felt a blush creep onto his cheeks, "Um, yeah. Do you think Sarah will care that she was conceived in a walk-in freezer?"
-------------
David Hein couldn't help but laugh at the memory. The laugh felt alien in his throat, but he felt relieved, or better at least.
"Something funny?" A voice asked, and David's head snapped around to look at Aki.
David smiled, "I was just thinking."
"There's a first for everything." Aki muttered, looking around, "See any life forms yet?"
"Oh yeah, I saw one and it slipped my mind that I was supposed to tell you." Hein said sarcastically.
"It should be right here." She said, looking at the dead grass under her feet.
Hein gave an amused look, "Have you ever heard of insects? Or, pointedly, insects that live under ground."
"Oh." Aki said, annoyed.
She crouched down and started digging with her hand on the tough ground. After a moment, she rolled her eyes, stood and started kicking the ground, which proved more effective. The minute the ground was loosened she leaned down and brushed the dirt away, and sure enough a small, little worm was there.
"Perfect." She said, then looked up at Hein, "Well, pick it up."
"I'm quite comfortable right here, thank you."
"Um…" Aki looked at the writhing worm and bit her lip.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of worms."
Aki blushed, "Just get down here and pick it up." She snapped.
Hein sighed, shaking his head and jumped down, "I was quite comfortable up there…"
He learned down and scooped up the worm, then dangled it in front of her face, "It won't kill you." He said, "It's just a little worm."
-It's just six feet-
"Let's just go." Aki said, blushing.
-----------------
Hein: *Points and laughs at Aki* What a wimp.
Sev: You really shouldn't be laughing. *blinkblink* Go eat some ice cream or something.
Hein: Will do! *Runs off to go find ice cream*
Sev: So, reveiws are good. Like this chapter? I did this one solo. I rock. Now we're getting closer to chapter 13, which isn't done, so I might post slightly slower, okay? Raine will be done with that Chapter and I'll probably have mine done in five minutes after I get it (hehe) so we'll be up to chapter 14 soon. I just don't want to keep posting and run out of chapters to sell you guys for a few days. I think you guys can handle it. Most likely that won't happen.
Ta ta (I've been watching too much Hannibal)
----------------
General Hein woke up to the sounds of loud, stomping footsteps from the hall; "I hate this place." He muttered and he buried his head into his pillow, "If I had died I wouldn't have to wake up to this stupid reality." Though, as he thought about it, stupid didn't quite fit it; more like depressing.
Slowly he rose from his bed, grabbed his trench coat and walked out the door, right into-
"Ah, it's about time you got up." Aki said with a smile.
Hein moaned into his hand, "I really, really hate it here."
"What, because we're living in the same building? Aw… I'm really hurt." Aki laughed, "The table have just turned. You're the one supposed to be mocking me."
"Uh-huh." He said half-heartedly, slowly edging away.
Aki looked as though she were about to say something, but suddenly her watch started beeping. She looked down at it and her eyes widened, "Uh, I have to go." She muttered turning and starting to walk away.
General Hein fell into pace besides her, and Aki glared, "What do you want now?"
General Hein smiled unctuously, "You have me curious now, and anyway, I doubt that message on your watch was really that enlightening, judging by your look of surprise. And you know how much I like to see you, of all people, worried."
"I'm flattered, really, but this isn't a bad thing." Liar.
"Okay, then tell me, if it isn't, in fact, a bad thing."
Aki rolled her eyes, "If you don't go away you're coming with me to go somewhere rather dangerous."
"With phantoms?"
"Yes."
"Huh," General Hein smirked, "Maybe I'll get killed."
"Wouldn't that be a pity." Aki turned her dark gaze on him, "You're still following me."
"Really? I hadn't noticed…" He shrugged, "I might as well go help you save 'your' planet, and maybe I'll have the fortune to get tossed off a cliff."
"My planet?"
General Hein sighed, shaking his head, "I thought we had already discussed that…"
"Oh. That."
"Yes, we had that discussion recently. Your mind must have wandered off and got lost."
Aki gave him a side-look, "You really shouldn't be talking about losing your mind…"
Aki just laughed when General Hein glared; she just laughed.
--------------
Aki allowed herself to be pulled to the side when Sid had seen General Hein, "What is
General Hein doing here?"
Aki decided to keep the childish part out of it, "He kindly offered." Haha. Right.
Sid gave her a hard look, but decided to let it go, "Okay…" He said uncertainly, "But you have to remember how he sabotaged that one mission…"
"There's no reason to do that now."
Sid gave a sigh, "Alright."
Sid and Aki turned back to General Hein, who was now surveying the ship, obviously bored.
"We have discovered the location of another spirit wave." Dr. Sid said, "But the phantoms have spread there already. Not many, but a few."
"Where is this, exactly?" Aki asked.
"San Francisco." He said.
General Hein visibly stiffened, suddenly going drastically paler then usual, his green eyes wide, "San Francisco?" He asked quietly.
Dr. Sid nodded slightly, then looked back at Aki, "The ship is fixed, so it should go much faster this time. Good luck."
----------------
General Hein looked out the window as they traveled through space (which was faster without the gravity). To the side, the clock read "00:06:34"; it wasn't long until they arrived.
Aki didn't know, she couldn't have. She would have stopped him from going, right? No, wrong; she probably wouldn't have cared.
The gun strapped to his side was more tempting then ever as he sat alone. He smiled slightly as he thought about suicide, ever so tempting, ever so close. "General Hein blows his brains out; discovered of vicious manslaughter". He pulled the gun out, running a finger down the black grip. "Comment by Aki Ross; 'Whatever…' ". He couldn't help but give a slight chuckle at the thought.
00:04:02
Too close…
He felt the ship hit the atmosphere.
Just put the gun away.
Surprised by the sudden order, which, for the first time wasn't to kill himself, he strapped the gun back to his chest and leaned back on the chair, preparing for the tug of gravity.
----------------
He felt the rush of cold, chilling air as he stepped out into the barely, just barely light sky. Here it would be about 5:00, right? Yes, that sounds about right, he thought to himself.
He found it hard to breathe, as he looked at his surroundings, so familiar and yet so foreign. The cold chill and the emptiness was nothing he wanted to remember of his home, but that's all it was. Cold, empty, and full of ghosts.
He felt a chill run through his spine as he saw the dead tree to the side in a large plain of opened grass. He remembered when it was tall, green, lush.
"The Spirit wave is around here." Aki said, looking around cautiously, "No phantoms so far."
"Yeah, go ahead." He said.
Aki gave him a weird look, but she started walking down the street. As soon as she was gone around the corner, David Hein walked to the tree. He hoisted himself up to the first branch, which was about half a foot thick and curved in an odd direction so it was perfect to sit on. He propped his feet up, leaning against the trunk, and as he closed his eyes. He could almost convince himself that his daughter was climbing higher, coaxing him to climb up with her, and he, blushing slightly, would admit his fear of heights, his wife laughing as she sat on the ground, book in hand.
Laughter.
Now there was something that was completely alien to him; true, blissful laugher, not a snide chuckle, just a laugh.
-------------------
"Oh, come on daddy! It's not that high!" Sarah looked down, wavy black locks of hair falling into her pale face; it was disturbing how much she resembled her father, with the full, pouty lips, narrow green eyes and a little splash of freckles on her pale skin.
"You really should get down." David said worriedly, "Alright?"
"Oh David." Anna said with a smile, "Just let her play."
"But-"
"No buts. Just let her be a kid." She laughed; her lavender colored eyes peaking up at him,
"By the way you act it's almost as if you never had a childhood."
"You know I was serious when I was little. I think my mother told you those stories a million times." David looked fearfully at the grassy ground, "Even being this high bothers me!" David whined, a death grip on the branch.
"David, you're only six feet off the ground. Calm down!" Anna commanded, laughing.
"Only?"
"You're taller then six feet."
"No, I'm six foot, Anna!" David said, crossing his arms for a moment before he grabbed the tree trunk again, looking worried.
Sarah's laugher rang down to them, "Dad! You won't fall! And the ground's soft, I've fallen before. It doesn't hurt much."
"But it still hurts…"
Anna shook her head slightly, blond curls bouncing lightly, "David, you've been training and getting worse then little bruises."
"But we don't climb trees."
Anna laughed again, "Are you ever going to lose an argument?"
"I doubt it." General Hein said truthfully, looking down at the ground with wide eyes, "Are you sure it's six feet?"
Sarah giggled cheerfully, "No, dad, it's more like six foot one."
"See!? I'm not as tall!"
"David…" Anna said warningly, trying to keep the amusement out of her tone.
"See, I'm not as tall! I told you! You were wrong and I was right!"
Anna stood, dropping the book, "You're acting younger then Sarah."
"Hey!" David and Sarah yelled in protest.
Anna grabbed a branch that was a foot above her and swung herself up, climbed higher, then hooked her knees over it and hung upside down so her face was only a foot from David's, "You will not fall."
"Anna, that's dangerous!"
"Will you stop worrying already?" Anna asked, trying to give him a hard look, but failing since she was upside down; glaring didn't have it's full effect that way.
"No!"
"Did something happen to you when you were two or something?"
"No, I'm just afraid of heights, like when I was claustrophobic. I just was."
Anna tilted her head, "You're claustrophobic?"
"I was, but after we snuck into the kitchen, went into the walk in freezer and-"
"There's a kid here, David!" Anna snapped, flipping back up and sitting on the branch, "We should do that against sometime, anyway." She gave him a devilish smirk.
David felt a blush creep onto his cheeks, "Um, yeah. Do you think Sarah will care that she was conceived in a walk-in freezer?"
-------------
David Hein couldn't help but laugh at the memory. The laugh felt alien in his throat, but he felt relieved, or better at least.
"Something funny?" A voice asked, and David's head snapped around to look at Aki.
David smiled, "I was just thinking."
"There's a first for everything." Aki muttered, looking around, "See any life forms yet?"
"Oh yeah, I saw one and it slipped my mind that I was supposed to tell you." Hein said sarcastically.
"It should be right here." She said, looking at the dead grass under her feet.
Hein gave an amused look, "Have you ever heard of insects? Or, pointedly, insects that live under ground."
"Oh." Aki said, annoyed.
She crouched down and started digging with her hand on the tough ground. After a moment, she rolled her eyes, stood and started kicking the ground, which proved more effective. The minute the ground was loosened she leaned down and brushed the dirt away, and sure enough a small, little worm was there.
"Perfect." She said, then looked up at Hein, "Well, pick it up."
"I'm quite comfortable right here, thank you."
"Um…" Aki looked at the writhing worm and bit her lip.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of worms."
Aki blushed, "Just get down here and pick it up." She snapped.
Hein sighed, shaking his head and jumped down, "I was quite comfortable up there…"
He learned down and scooped up the worm, then dangled it in front of her face, "It won't kill you." He said, "It's just a little worm."
-It's just six feet-
"Let's just go." Aki said, blushing.
-----------------
Hein: *Points and laughs at Aki* What a wimp.
Sev: You really shouldn't be laughing. *blinkblink* Go eat some ice cream or something.
Hein: Will do! *Runs off to go find ice cream*
Sev: So, reveiws are good. Like this chapter? I did this one solo. I rock. Now we're getting closer to chapter 13, which isn't done, so I might post slightly slower, okay? Raine will be done with that Chapter and I'll probably have mine done in five minutes after I get it (hehe) so we'll be up to chapter 14 soon. I just don't want to keep posting and run out of chapters to sell you guys for a few days. I think you guys can handle it. Most likely that won't happen.
Ta ta (I've been watching too much Hannibal)
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