CHAPTER ONE
I struggled to keep my eyes shut, just like my grandmother told me. She didn't want me to see what was going on, to protect me from all of the dangers behind us. I trusted her and loved her. She was the only person I ever really knew. The rest of my past was a blur. I remembered some of my mother, my father not so much. She was a beautiful woman, always seeming to smile at me whenever I was scared. I remember her holding me tight, running her long, slender fingers through my hair. Then, all of a sudden everything went black. I felt like I slept an eternity after that image and the next thing I remembered was my grandmother telling me everything was going to be okay, and cradling me in her arms as though I was a newborn infant. Week's pasts as my grandmother took care of me, feeding me, bathing me, and tucking me in at night when the bombs were most frequent. I always cried for my mother, but grandma was always there to wipe my eyes and tell me that she was safe, out of harms way. As time passed I grew to believe her. I was too young at the time to contemplate anything else, even though many things were confusing to me. I grasped my teddy whenever I felt vexed by my own thoughts, hoping the furry creature could compensate for my grandmothers touch whenever she was resting away beside me, sleeping soundly as though the world had stopped just for her. Then fatigue and lack of nourishment would take its toll on me and the dream world would have me as its slave.
The next thing I remembered was waking up in my grandmother's arms as she ran towards a group of armed men. Fires erupted all around us as she dashed, faster than any old woman I have ever seen. Beams of plasma wisped by us one by one, missing by a couple of inches. I tried to obey my grandmother, I really did, but something tempted me to keep them open. That's when I saw it. A wave of fire crept over the hills behind us, ready to pounce on the flesh of all those in its way. I clung to her shoulder tighter than before as the heat began to burn my eyes. My face grew hot and my hands felt numb as blood seeped through my fingernails. The flame rose high into the air, peering down on us, seeming to grow dark blue eyes. They looked at me with an almost satisfaction. There was no mercy in those eyes, no pain, and no love. They were the eyes of hell, ready to end whoever looked at them. The flame bore down on me, growing a mouth and teeth of red. I screamed my last breath as the demon scorched my body.
I rose from my bed, gasping for air as the sweat trickled down my face. My chest felt as though it had been cracked open and something was lodged deep inside. I kept struggling for air, but no matter how much I sucked in it didn't seem to be enough. Vazer must have heard the commotion as he ran in, his spiky hair ruffled along the sides and his gray eyes half closed, concerned.
"Hey, man. You okay?" He asked me as he walked into my room.
"Yeah."
"Bad dreams again, huh?"
"You know me. The usual."
Vazer sat on the edge of the bed as I wiped my forehead off with the palms of my hands. He was always concerned whenever I had my occasional nightmares. Usually they would be worse than this. The other times I woke up with blood from my nose, ears, and mouth, unable to breathe completely. He would always be there though, to make sure I came out of it okay. The next mornings he and I would go to the MedHalls to see about my condition, but I would come out normal all the time. The doctors described it as a "Nocturnal Phenomena".
"Maybe you should go see her tomorrow. That ought'a make you feel better." He said to me, patting me on the shoulder.
"Yeah. Good idea."
He lifted himself off of the bed and proceeded back to his room, "Get some sleep bro. We gotta' big day tomorrow."
"Got ya'." I said as he left, silently tiptoeing out.
That night when I was rescued, Vazer's parents took me in. He was two years older than me at the time, so he always treated me like his younger brother. I didn't have anything against it. He was always there for me whenever the bullies tried to inflict pain, when I was sick, and always there whenever there was someone to blame. Even though he was my best friend and not of my blood, I treated him like my own kin. His parents, I would have grown to love too, perhaps, but I never got to know them since they both died in an MTI raid not too long after the incident. Ever since then he and I have lived together, working for the Organization and supporting ourselves.
I laid back down, my hands behind my head, supporting it as I drifted back to sleep.
******
C: F: RAIMITSU/PS
Company Number: 00523900
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Fifer Raimitsu Age: 45 Race: Human Sex: Male Height: 5'11 Weight: 178 lbs Hair Color: Black Complexion: White Abnormalities: Trauma, lung disease Status: Living Family: Mother, Father, Brother, Wife, Son Status: Deceased
COMPANY AFFILIATION
Hired/Temporary
Company Number: 00523900 Abilities: Covert Operative hired for attaining company rival data. Orders issued only by Board of Directors. Termination only allowed by death. Further information regarding employee to be seen in the following files:
Company Files:
C: F: Raimitsu/CPN C: F: Raimitsu/H C: F: Raimitsu/PS (Currently In View) C: F: Raimitsu/ES
Peace Tech Files:
PT: F: Raimitsu/CN PT: F: Raimitsu/X PT: F: Raimitsu/X/CO PT: F: Raimitsu/X/BR
[[[[END FILE]]]]
Directorate Senti read the file up and down as he held the delicate pieces of shaven bark between his fingers. He placed his index finger between his spectacles, pushing them up off his sweaty nose. He leaned in his chair, still examining the file, sipping at his warmed drink hesitantly as he continued.
"Are you done yet, Senti? The Board grows tiresome.", Directorate Lesp called from the other end of the table.
"Quiet, Lesp. Let him read the rest of the files.", Head Directorate Silver called out from atop of the room.
He sat highly above the table, leaning into a large metallic chair atop an incline that allowed him to view the entirety of the room. He peered at the other directors, his underlings, with a sort of observing stare, like an owl watching for its oncoming prey. He glided his bony fingers gently across his lips, breathing softly to the rhythm. Gray was awash all about his hair, which strung wildly down to shoulder length. His eyebrows flared in all sorts of directions, making his lustful, shining gray eyes stand out. His intensity often shocked those that he commanded, making his orders, aside from other things, unquestionable.
Senti stopped reading, "I still don't understand as to why this man is of importance to us. I've been reading through his company files, he doesn't seem too much out of the norm, besides his health issues. I do see here that he's with the Peace Tech division, though. But I can't access the files, they require an encryption code."
"My lord, Senti, could you be any more ignorant?", Silver said as he jumped down to the base floor.
"Sorry sir, I've been away for awhile. Division One has been holding me up for quite some time."
Silver walked along the table's edge, gliding his fingers delicately behind the chairs of his Directors, his long cloak flowing across the jade floor, "No need to make excuses, Senti. You know you should have read these files before the meeting today. Mega Tech Industries does not rely on slackers. Now give me those." -He reached over Senti and snatched the files from his hands- "Now as I was saying before. This man is a special case. He knows much about certain things. Without his help Projects Red through Blue wouldn't have been possible. Of course his help wasn't of the voluntary nature. It took some persuading to get the information we needed out of him."
"And what sort of persuading are we talking about here? Just for curiosities sake.", Directorate Fiole asked.
Silver slid one of the files towards Fiole, "Under Company File Raimitsu/History check section Rebel Encounter: Last Stand, paragraph four."
Fioli read down the lines, "It says here he lost all of his family in our attack on their base. What's so special about this?"
"Funny that you ask that."-Silver laughed-"It so happens that one of his bloods survived that attack. However, it was never put on record, to avoid any problems with our Peace Tech forces. I didn't want to spark any questions coming from the commanders, seeing as they don't know much about this.Fifer. All they know is that he was recruited and voluntarily signed up for Covert Ops. Pretty much, we force him to work for us by bartering the life of his loved one for information."
"Does is matter, though, sir? I mean, you rule this company, why care about what our forces think?", Senti asked.
"Well there's been some distention among the soldiers as of late. I'm getting the feeling that some of our commanding officers are feeling the need to disobey their orders. It's been coming about ever since we announced the Projects from Division 3. If they knew they were going to be replaced then we'd have a rebellion on our hands. I'm having enough trouble keeping their minds shut. Keeping their mouths shut would be more than we can handle right now."
"So what are we to expect from this.Fifer, this time?", Directorate Dinan asked.
"We need to gather the last vital piece for the Projects. I'm sending him to Sector 2.5, Capital of the Organization. Rumor has it that they are holding the final piece somewhere in one of their installations. I don't wish to risk stealing it without proper information first. He's going to go there and view the latest, in preparation for an assault and raid on the location of the piece. I don't wish for him to risk stealing it himself, seeing as we will most likely be blamed for the incident, causing another damned war."
"And what of a war if we are to attack?", a mysterious voice called from outside of the room.
The double doors slid to the side, allowing for a man dressed entirely in black and baring the MTI Peace Tech logo, a metallic hawk, to step through. Military honors flooded his uniform, while his small cape covered the entirety of his right arm. His face, scared from previous battles, bore only one eye, the other covered with a metallic strip to preserve a slightly better look. His black hair was spiked to the side, thin and short. On his waist he carried a belt where an assortment of close combat weapons rested, ready to be awakened at any time.
"Chief Commander Osai, reporting for duty, sir.", the commander yelled as he stiffened his posture.
"Right on time, Chief Commander. Onto your question. I assume you won't let the Organization know it's us this time, am I correct?", Silver asked.
"Yes sir. I understand completely. First I'd like to know the reason for this assault and raid, sir, before I send my men to their deaths."
"Directorate Dinan will debrief you on any information you may need for this mission. And trust me, it's well worth the cause.", Silver said as he walked over to Dinan, files in hand.
He pulled out the Peace Tech files, which were protected with a digital sheet, number pads littering the cover. He tapped a few of the keypads gently, opening the lock, uncovering the paper documents within "Be sure to read these and inform the Chief Commander of his mission after Fifer is through with his.", Silver said as he handed the files to Dinan.
"Yes sir."
"Now someone get me some damned tea.", Silver said, as leapt back into his chair, a menacing smile exposed to his staff.
I struggled to keep my eyes shut, just like my grandmother told me. She didn't want me to see what was going on, to protect me from all of the dangers behind us. I trusted her and loved her. She was the only person I ever really knew. The rest of my past was a blur. I remembered some of my mother, my father not so much. She was a beautiful woman, always seeming to smile at me whenever I was scared. I remember her holding me tight, running her long, slender fingers through my hair. Then, all of a sudden everything went black. I felt like I slept an eternity after that image and the next thing I remembered was my grandmother telling me everything was going to be okay, and cradling me in her arms as though I was a newborn infant. Week's pasts as my grandmother took care of me, feeding me, bathing me, and tucking me in at night when the bombs were most frequent. I always cried for my mother, but grandma was always there to wipe my eyes and tell me that she was safe, out of harms way. As time passed I grew to believe her. I was too young at the time to contemplate anything else, even though many things were confusing to me. I grasped my teddy whenever I felt vexed by my own thoughts, hoping the furry creature could compensate for my grandmothers touch whenever she was resting away beside me, sleeping soundly as though the world had stopped just for her. Then fatigue and lack of nourishment would take its toll on me and the dream world would have me as its slave.
The next thing I remembered was waking up in my grandmother's arms as she ran towards a group of armed men. Fires erupted all around us as she dashed, faster than any old woman I have ever seen. Beams of plasma wisped by us one by one, missing by a couple of inches. I tried to obey my grandmother, I really did, but something tempted me to keep them open. That's when I saw it. A wave of fire crept over the hills behind us, ready to pounce on the flesh of all those in its way. I clung to her shoulder tighter than before as the heat began to burn my eyes. My face grew hot and my hands felt numb as blood seeped through my fingernails. The flame rose high into the air, peering down on us, seeming to grow dark blue eyes. They looked at me with an almost satisfaction. There was no mercy in those eyes, no pain, and no love. They were the eyes of hell, ready to end whoever looked at them. The flame bore down on me, growing a mouth and teeth of red. I screamed my last breath as the demon scorched my body.
I rose from my bed, gasping for air as the sweat trickled down my face. My chest felt as though it had been cracked open and something was lodged deep inside. I kept struggling for air, but no matter how much I sucked in it didn't seem to be enough. Vazer must have heard the commotion as he ran in, his spiky hair ruffled along the sides and his gray eyes half closed, concerned.
"Hey, man. You okay?" He asked me as he walked into my room.
"Yeah."
"Bad dreams again, huh?"
"You know me. The usual."
Vazer sat on the edge of the bed as I wiped my forehead off with the palms of my hands. He was always concerned whenever I had my occasional nightmares. Usually they would be worse than this. The other times I woke up with blood from my nose, ears, and mouth, unable to breathe completely. He would always be there though, to make sure I came out of it okay. The next mornings he and I would go to the MedHalls to see about my condition, but I would come out normal all the time. The doctors described it as a "Nocturnal Phenomena".
"Maybe you should go see her tomorrow. That ought'a make you feel better." He said to me, patting me on the shoulder.
"Yeah. Good idea."
He lifted himself off of the bed and proceeded back to his room, "Get some sleep bro. We gotta' big day tomorrow."
"Got ya'." I said as he left, silently tiptoeing out.
That night when I was rescued, Vazer's parents took me in. He was two years older than me at the time, so he always treated me like his younger brother. I didn't have anything against it. He was always there for me whenever the bullies tried to inflict pain, when I was sick, and always there whenever there was someone to blame. Even though he was my best friend and not of my blood, I treated him like my own kin. His parents, I would have grown to love too, perhaps, but I never got to know them since they both died in an MTI raid not too long after the incident. Ever since then he and I have lived together, working for the Organization and supporting ourselves.
I laid back down, my hands behind my head, supporting it as I drifted back to sleep.
******
C: F: RAIMITSU/PS
Company Number: 00523900
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Fifer Raimitsu Age: 45 Race: Human Sex: Male Height: 5'11 Weight: 178 lbs Hair Color: Black Complexion: White Abnormalities: Trauma, lung disease Status: Living Family: Mother, Father, Brother, Wife, Son Status: Deceased
COMPANY AFFILIATION
Hired/Temporary
Company Number: 00523900 Abilities: Covert Operative hired for attaining company rival data. Orders issued only by Board of Directors. Termination only allowed by death. Further information regarding employee to be seen in the following files:
Company Files:
C: F: Raimitsu/CPN C: F: Raimitsu/H C: F: Raimitsu/PS (Currently In View) C: F: Raimitsu/ES
Peace Tech Files:
PT: F: Raimitsu/CN PT: F: Raimitsu/X PT: F: Raimitsu/X/CO PT: F: Raimitsu/X/BR
[[[[END FILE]]]]
Directorate Senti read the file up and down as he held the delicate pieces of shaven bark between his fingers. He placed his index finger between his spectacles, pushing them up off his sweaty nose. He leaned in his chair, still examining the file, sipping at his warmed drink hesitantly as he continued.
"Are you done yet, Senti? The Board grows tiresome.", Directorate Lesp called from the other end of the table.
"Quiet, Lesp. Let him read the rest of the files.", Head Directorate Silver called out from atop of the room.
He sat highly above the table, leaning into a large metallic chair atop an incline that allowed him to view the entirety of the room. He peered at the other directors, his underlings, with a sort of observing stare, like an owl watching for its oncoming prey. He glided his bony fingers gently across his lips, breathing softly to the rhythm. Gray was awash all about his hair, which strung wildly down to shoulder length. His eyebrows flared in all sorts of directions, making his lustful, shining gray eyes stand out. His intensity often shocked those that he commanded, making his orders, aside from other things, unquestionable.
Senti stopped reading, "I still don't understand as to why this man is of importance to us. I've been reading through his company files, he doesn't seem too much out of the norm, besides his health issues. I do see here that he's with the Peace Tech division, though. But I can't access the files, they require an encryption code."
"My lord, Senti, could you be any more ignorant?", Silver said as he jumped down to the base floor.
"Sorry sir, I've been away for awhile. Division One has been holding me up for quite some time."
Silver walked along the table's edge, gliding his fingers delicately behind the chairs of his Directors, his long cloak flowing across the jade floor, "No need to make excuses, Senti. You know you should have read these files before the meeting today. Mega Tech Industries does not rely on slackers. Now give me those." -He reached over Senti and snatched the files from his hands- "Now as I was saying before. This man is a special case. He knows much about certain things. Without his help Projects Red through Blue wouldn't have been possible. Of course his help wasn't of the voluntary nature. It took some persuading to get the information we needed out of him."
"And what sort of persuading are we talking about here? Just for curiosities sake.", Directorate Fiole asked.
Silver slid one of the files towards Fiole, "Under Company File Raimitsu/History check section Rebel Encounter: Last Stand, paragraph four."
Fioli read down the lines, "It says here he lost all of his family in our attack on their base. What's so special about this?"
"Funny that you ask that."-Silver laughed-"It so happens that one of his bloods survived that attack. However, it was never put on record, to avoid any problems with our Peace Tech forces. I didn't want to spark any questions coming from the commanders, seeing as they don't know much about this.Fifer. All they know is that he was recruited and voluntarily signed up for Covert Ops. Pretty much, we force him to work for us by bartering the life of his loved one for information."
"Does is matter, though, sir? I mean, you rule this company, why care about what our forces think?", Senti asked.
"Well there's been some distention among the soldiers as of late. I'm getting the feeling that some of our commanding officers are feeling the need to disobey their orders. It's been coming about ever since we announced the Projects from Division 3. If they knew they were going to be replaced then we'd have a rebellion on our hands. I'm having enough trouble keeping their minds shut. Keeping their mouths shut would be more than we can handle right now."
"So what are we to expect from this.Fifer, this time?", Directorate Dinan asked.
"We need to gather the last vital piece for the Projects. I'm sending him to Sector 2.5, Capital of the Organization. Rumor has it that they are holding the final piece somewhere in one of their installations. I don't wish to risk stealing it without proper information first. He's going to go there and view the latest, in preparation for an assault and raid on the location of the piece. I don't wish for him to risk stealing it himself, seeing as we will most likely be blamed for the incident, causing another damned war."
"And what of a war if we are to attack?", a mysterious voice called from outside of the room.
The double doors slid to the side, allowing for a man dressed entirely in black and baring the MTI Peace Tech logo, a metallic hawk, to step through. Military honors flooded his uniform, while his small cape covered the entirety of his right arm. His face, scared from previous battles, bore only one eye, the other covered with a metallic strip to preserve a slightly better look. His black hair was spiked to the side, thin and short. On his waist he carried a belt where an assortment of close combat weapons rested, ready to be awakened at any time.
"Chief Commander Osai, reporting for duty, sir.", the commander yelled as he stiffened his posture.
"Right on time, Chief Commander. Onto your question. I assume you won't let the Organization know it's us this time, am I correct?", Silver asked.
"Yes sir. I understand completely. First I'd like to know the reason for this assault and raid, sir, before I send my men to their deaths."
"Directorate Dinan will debrief you on any information you may need for this mission. And trust me, it's well worth the cause.", Silver said as he walked over to Dinan, files in hand.
He pulled out the Peace Tech files, which were protected with a digital sheet, number pads littering the cover. He tapped a few of the keypads gently, opening the lock, uncovering the paper documents within "Be sure to read these and inform the Chief Commander of his mission after Fifer is through with his.", Silver said as he handed the files to Dinan.
"Yes sir."
"Now someone get me some damned tea.", Silver said, as leapt back into his chair, a menacing smile exposed to his staff.