Why is it that no one likes reviewing my stories?
7. Draconian Skunk
Enmy ushered Sanguine out onto the dingy landing of the ballroom. "Go on!"
"But Enmy, I-"
"We maids aren't allowed to show ourselves, yet. Mr. Red is waiting for you, so just walk down that staircase. Do it with grace and elegance!"
Sanguine cast a scowl at Enmy and clenched her hand in a fist as she took a deep breath in and out. She strode along the red carpet until she came to top of the grand staircase. She cast her gaze downwards-running her eyes down the red carpet of the staircase until she met the many people mingling on the polished marble floors.
The ballroom had been changed considerably since the Ziggurat's collapse and reconstruction. The stage that Duke Red, Mayor Ryon, President Boon, and Minister Skunk had stood on at the original Ziggurat celebrations was now gone and had been replaced with windows like the ones in the Ziggurat. This design went around the whole ballroom so that it was covered in windows displaying the nighttime of Metropolis. One addition was the balcony opposite the staircase. It was made of a fine white stone, she could see for where she was, and the stone banisters were covered in creepers. There was a bench of the matching stone in the middle of the balcony, where some people were sitting now. It would be a good place to commit suicide, Sanguine thought, what with the twenty story or so drop to hard concrete below.
She cast her gaze around the golden ballroom again, sighing in relief on seing no intrusive reporters. Her eyes came to land on the concession table. But it wasn't the concession table that caught her attention, but who stood at it with his back turned to her. None other than the black- suited Rock. For a moment, she felt like turning and running back to Enmy.
"Ah, there she is..."
Rock looked up from the spot on the floor that his bored stare had been fixed to. Duke Red stood before him in his special occasion white suit, although he wasn't looking at Rock. He was looking upwards at the top of the staircase. Rock saw this and turned around. "Who? There who is?"
He made a small gasp and his eyes widened as he noticed the figure at the top of the staircase.
"Beautiful, isn't she? Just like Tima was..."
"Hn...I guess..." Rock looked back to Duke Red, whose expression was now sad and unfocussed by a daydream. "Father? Are you okay?"
Duke Red remained in his reverie a moment longer before shaking his head and glancing down at Rock. "Oh? Yes... As I was saying, just like Tima... That is why you are to attract and then dispose of her," Duke Red replied, moving forward to greet Sanguine, who was now descending the staircase.
Rock took a few steps forward to keep up with him. "What do you mean 'attract and then dispose of her'? If she's that 'beautiful', then why would you want me to kill her?"
"You want to be the Marduk leader, Rock."
"No, I don't."
Duke Red turned to him, a dazed look on his face. "Don't lie to me. You want that as much as you want me to love you."
Rock drew back in surprise, his eyes wide with horror. He was at a loss for words. Duke Red moved closer to Rock and embraced him in a warm hug, making Rock now feel utterly shocked and mortified.
"If you kill Sanguine, then you will prove to me that you deserve to be the Marduk leader and not her. It will show that you have the true, ruthless heart of Party leader. You'll be treated as my equal, and I shall accept you as my foster son and treat you so."
Rock continued to stare at Duke Red with wide eyes even as he pulled away. "B-But I don't see what that has to do with her...loving...me...?"
Duke Red merely smiled and whirled back around to face Sanguine who was now coming down the last five steps. He threw his arms wide to her, though didn't hug her as he had Rock. "Sanguine! My beautiful little flower!"
"Sir," she replied with a smile. "Thank you."
Duke Red placed his hand on her shoulder and moved out of the way for her to see the full ballroom. "See? This is the new Ziggurat and the officials of Metropolis. Everyone's here except for President Boon and Acetylene Lamp. I received word from Minister Skunk that they had passed away and Orion informed me that it was of natural causes. Rather unfortunate and suspicious, but that't how life is." Duke Red turned to Rock. "You know everyone, don't you? If you wouldn't mind, could you make the introductions?"
"Yes, Father," Rock answered, unsure of why Duke Red was suddenly so jubilant and open, but he knew he didn't want to ruin a mood such as this.
Without another word he began to walk away to the group nearest him, Sanguine following in his wake but not before giving Duke Red a confused look. Once she had turned back to Rock, a heinous smile crossed his features. "If this all works out properly, my legacy shall be carried out thanks to you, Rock," he murmured as he tore his gaze away from the two and turned to move towards his associates.
"I don't really need to explain about everyone, do I?" Rock questioned a few metres before two chatting officials.
"Well, I know Minister Skunk, but not the lady." She answered.
"Very well then," Rock said, leading her up to the two.
Skunk and the other lady stopped halfway through their conversation immediately and turned to them. "Why, hello, there, Rock," Skunk drawled. "I see you survived the Ziggurat and collapse of Metropolis?"
"That's right."
"One of the few-amazing. I had heard that it was you who set off the mechanism for its destruction? And if it hadn't been for you, none of us would be alive today? Not even those in other countries because of an utter robot's malfunction?"
Rock nodded succinctly.
As Rock and Skunk carried out their idle chatter, Sanguine surveyed the unfamiliar woman. She had dark purple, almost black hair which was swept back in a ponytail so short that her hair couldn't have been much longer than her shoulders-that was certainly the length of the strands of hair that weren't tied back. She had bright green eyes that only made her satisfied scowl look even more threatening. She wore a black dress with a strap that hung only from one shoulder and with slits up the side of her skirt-the same style as Sanguine's skirt. Her shoes were black high-heels.
"And who's this girl, Rock?"
Sanguine jolted out of her reverie partly out of mention of her and a different voice. The lady's voice was deep and cold.
"This is Sanguine Algethi, the new Marduk leader before you decide to question me. My father thought her more suitable for the job because of my injuries at the time," Rock explained, gesturing to her. He glanced to Sanguine and indicated to the purple-haired lady. You know Minister Skunk, Secretary of State, so this woman is Miss Rose Draconian, Vice President of Metropolis."
"Soon to be the president once the hearing takes place and the Metropolitans have decided on their new president." She cast a shifty glance at Skunk. "It was unfortunate for President Boon to pass away so quickly- he was rather young and a close working partner of mine."
"Red appointed a female Marduk leader?" Skunk questioned, his usually calculating expression becoming one of slight surprise. "I knew he was a little dishevelled since the deaths of his wife, Duchess and daughter, Tima, but now I believe he's truly off his rocker."
"My father is not deranged," Rock said defiantly.
"Whatever you say, boy. And I hope you know that Duke Red isn't your real father or did the glory of being the world's saviour go straight to your head?" Draconian taunted, leaning down from her immense height.
"Rock would not allow such nonsense to deter him from his sanity, unlike you," Sanguine countered, leaping to his defence.
"My, my, such words coming from a little girl who probably can't even fire a gun without knocking herself out with the recoil," replied Draconian as she stood back erectly, her sneer only intensifying with the satisfaction of victory.
"I can fire a gun properly, would you like me to prove it? First I'll need a target-" Sanguine was interrupted by Rock tugging at her arm, for she had begun to advance on VP Draconian.
"We don't need to waste our time with these two," he said. She cast one last loathsome glance at Draconian and Skunk before allowing Rock to lead her away.
"Yes-don't let us stand in the way of your little lovelife, Rock," Draconian called after them.
"You'd better hope that what happened to President Boon doesn't happen to your precious father, Rock," added Skunk.
Rock stopped dead in his tracks and stared straight ahead blankly for a moment or two before he continued walking away from them. "Those bastards...what's the bet he killed Boon himself..." Sanguine thought she heard him growl through clenched teeth.
He dragged her to another pair of officials, both men. Again, one was familiar while the other wasn't. Both were engaged in deep conversation, and didn't turn until Rock cleared his throat.
The blond haired, blue eyed man looked down at Rock and Sanguine, his permanent scowl softening into the friendliest smile he could muster. "Rock! I've been meaning to talk to you. Um...your hospitalization hasn't affected your memory, I presume?"
"No, Mayor Ryon, sir," Rock replied, returning the polite joviality.
"Right then, you haven't heard any more about the assassination of President Boon, have you? I was talking to Mr Castor here. He said that he felt suspicious of your father and the Marduks," informed Ryon.
"I could ask Devin, but I didn't give them any commands regarding the president's death. If indeed it was them, I wasn't around and I doubt that my father would issue such an order."
"I'm not accusing you of anything," the other man finally said. Unlike Ryon, he was tall and thin. His short hair was blond and his eyes light blue. He wore glasses that seemed to be there more for fashion than aide in reading ability and he wore a copper red suit with cape that draped from his shoulders and cast for his broken arm. He had the same hardened expression as Ryon, though he wore a shifty smile-like Draconian. He continued with his sentence. "I'm simply saying that I gained my suspicions from a reliable source. That's what Mintaka told me. He and some of the other Nins said they saw some five men in Marduk uniform enter the President's residence the day he was discovered dead."
"Who's Mintaka? And what are the 'Nins'?"
Rock had completely forgotten about the girl cowering behind him. "Oh, sorry. That's my fault. This is Suzerain Castor. He holds the same political position as my father and is the founder of the Nin-agal Party, though they're often referred to as the Nins. Mintaka is the leader of the Party." He looked up to Castor. "This is Sanguine, the new Marduk leader."
"Ah, nice to meet you, Miss Sanguine," Suzerain Castor said, taking her gloved hand in his and kissing the top of her hand daintily.
Mayor Ryon made a deep bow. "My pleasure."
Sanguine acknowledged them both with a nervous nod, after which she tried to conceal herself more behind Rock. He could see that she was beginning to feel uneasy and so turned back to the two men. "Is that all?"
Mayor Ryon looked upward absent-mindedly. "Nothing that I can think of. If I think of anything, I'll come to look for you."
"If you could introduce the two parties to each other, Rock, I'd appreciate that. I've yet to talk to Duke," said Suzerain Castor.
"Yes, Mr Castor, sir," Rock answered with a departing nod.
Sanguine made a small giggle as Rock let out a huge sigh. "My, you're the messenger tonight, aren't you?"
"Sometimes you'd rather not know people..."
The two came to the Marduks who were all in a secluded corner of the ballroom. All of them, even Dactyl and Nusku, were in matching black suits with red bow ties. Fornax was the first to notice their approach. He turned to them though he kept his one hand firmly around his wineglass and the other buried in his pocket. "I saw you greeting officials around the room. They all want to get acquainted with the new Marduk leader?"
"Some more than others," retorted Sanguine as she stepped out from behind Rock.
Sam had now turned his attention to them along with the rest of the Marduks. "Encountered VP Draconian and Minister Skunk, did you?"
Rock nodded. "I never thought that they could be so rude."
"Don't mind them-they're just edgy about the election. They'd turn on each other if it would secure their vote," Patrick informed dismissively.
Spike adjusted his glasses. "So what is this election all about? I understand that Metropolis needs a new president, but is there any more to it than that?"
"Yer right, Spike," responded Gerra, and everyone immediately turned to the source of the gruff voice. "There's goin' ter be a hearin' about the murders o' Boon an' Lamp. Forensic scientists 'ave been trying to find out what 'appened to 'em that way they can find out the killers and present it ter the Metropolitans in a trial."
"Boon and Lamp were murdered?" Devin exclaimed, sounding only half- surprised.
"Yeah, if there are any linkages between the deaths of the two men and the presidential candidates, they'll be taken out of the election and thrown in jail," Fornax added.
"Who's running in the election, then?" queried Nusku.
Fornax took another sip of the red wine before replying. "Lucifer Ryon, Suzerain Castor, Weasel Skunk, Rose Draconian, and Duke Red. Of course, with that group, the new president's already been chosen," he finished as he drained what was left in his glass.
"What do you mean by that?" Spike asked.
"I don't know if you remember the original Ziggurat celebrations, but President Boon himself said that no one stood a chance against Duke Red in a Metropolitan election for president. Unless it is found out that Duke Red was somehow tied to the deaths or he steps down from the campaign, the others don't have a prayer of a chance," Fornax concluded.
All this talk of the murders reminded Rock of something he had meant to ask the Marduks. "Say, Devin, Sam, Orion, Patrick-You wouldn't happen to know anything else about these murders, would you?"
"What do you mean, Rock?" Patrick asked, his voice sounding slightly uneasy.
"I mean that Suzerain Castor told me of something that Mintaka saw a couple of months ago. Mintaka said he saw some men-"
"Five," intercepted Sanguine.
Rock shot her a murderous glower before continuing. "Yes, five men in Marduk uniforms enter the building on the day of Boon and Lamp's deaths. I definitely wasn't there, and I never gave orders for you to go there. Would you care to explain?"
Devin and Sam looked at each other. Devin answered for the two. "We don't know anything about it, Rock, honestly."
Patrick and Orion cast each other innocent glances, each waiting for the other to come up with an excuse. Patrick, being more of the loudmouth came to the rescue. "We don't know anything, either."
Rock raised a suspicious eyebrow as he glared Patrick straight in the eye. Patrick was a pretty convincing liar, though he would fall apart if you knew which buttons to push. "Your blood is no object, Patrick."
Patrick opened his mouth to speak but Orion interrupted him. "Lance was the one that said it was a direct order from Duke Red."
Patrick slapped a hand to his forehead and sighed deeply. What he had been about to say was nowhere near even half as stupid as what Orion had just revealed. When Orion realized this, too, he gasped and closed his mouth, grinding his teeth.
"Well, Rock, it appears we have an all-out confession," Sam announced. "Turns out only five of us partook in the assassination, two of which lack the self-dignity to step down from being a Marduk after such an incident," he said, circling them like a hungry vulture.
"I couldn't agree with you more, Sam. What should we do with these barbarians, Rock?" Devin concurred, a scowl on face.
Sweat was beginning to pour down the faces of the two men, the angered eyes of the other Marduks on them.
"I'd say we show them how Boon and Lamp felt," Rock suggested coldly. "But since at least one of them was given justice by those rampaging robots, we've only four to take down-Orion, Patrick, ...?"
"Gill, Deimos and Ray," answered Patrick fearfully.
"Deimos listened to you dunderheads?" cried Devin. "Hanging around me a lot of the time you'd think he have some..." Hr trailed off as Rock held up his hand to silence him.
"We've six, now, do we? Well that's another one down. Unfortunately, those robots took care of Deimos, too. A shame-he'd always been a valuable addition to the Party... As for Gill and Ray-they've been missing since the collapse of the Ziggurat. Unless we find them, they're not our concern," Rock said in the same angered, yet steady tone. "Meanwhile these two deserve-"
"Hang on," Sanguine interrupted once again. "Shouldn't I have some say in this, since I'm the new leader and all? I may not have been familiar with this incident, but I have heard enough to come to a fair punishment."
Rock opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off by another voice. "I'm not trying to be biased, but I say we listen to what she has to say," Blade voiced, having spoken for the first time this evening.
Rock sighed and turned to Sanguine. "Fine, then. What do you say?"
Sanguine looked to Patrick and Orion. "Lance only said it was an order from Duke Red, right? He had no actual proof that it was true?"
The two nodded.
"Did the five of you carry out this mission by yourselves or were you lead by someone else-like Duke Red, perhaps?"
They made no acknowledgement towards her question.
"There is no point in remaining silent. We know you killed them, and we can use that information against you, so spill it or I hand your condemnation over to Rock where he can do whatever he wishes to within his- "
"M-Minister Weasel Skunk..." stammered Orion.
A gasp rang through the Marduks and Spike's glass fell to the floor, shattering into many small shards and spilling its contents. "I knew that old fool wasn't to be trusted." "That guilty look should have given it away..." "What's the bet he'll frame Duke Red for it?" "Yeah, he's trying to give the Marduks a bad name!"
"I say we rat him out right now!" Dactyl clamoured over the voices of the others.
"Wait just a minute!" Blade ordered, stepping into the middle of the throng. "While Skunk may have accompanied them, that doesn't mean it was on his order. Maybe it really was Duke Red that told him to escort them?"
"Boy's right. How do we know t'wasn't Duke Red 'imself? Skunk could've just been obeying an order," reasoned Gerra, nodding his head in agreement.
"My father wouldn't give such an order to have a president and his advisor murdered. He's not that selfish, and besides, he wouldn't have a motive," Rock countered. "And if he'd wanted the job done, he'd have sent me to command, not Skunk."
"You see-that's the problem with you, Rock," said Blade sympathetically. "You trust Duke Red too much to admit that he may have done something wrong. This is one of those times when you have to let go of what your heart feels and listen to your mind."
"Duke Red wouldn't send Skunk to kill Boon," Rock repeated, sounding slightly exasperated.
There was silence among them all. Rock finally turned to Sanguine. "You believe me, don't you?"
Sanguine looked at the floor, unsure of how to answer. "Well...I...I can't quite say. Lance took the answer to his grave and...Duke Red can be a bit...um...They say the closer someone is to you, the more they blur..."
Rock gnashed his teeth within his mouth, trying to prevent an outburst. He then turned to scowl at the others. "That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it because I know it's the truth." With that, he stormed off towards the balcony.
They watched him disappear from view behind one of the curtains leading to the balcony before they all turned to each other, at a loss for words. Sanguine bit her lip and then broke the unnerving silence. "What do you guys think?"
"All in favour of the murder being Duke Red's command?" Fornax vociferated to the group. When they all merely glanced at each other with dumb expressions without putting up their hands, Fornax spoke again. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."
Again no hands went up, and so he made his conclusion. "There you go. No one actually agrees with it, just stating it as a possibility."
Sanguine looked once more to the figure standing out on the balcony, blurred by the translucent curtains and then back to the Marduks. "You guys try to squeeze some more answers out of those two. Try to ask Duke Red if you can but be subtle about it. He may decide to silence those that know what they shouldn't and Spike, clean up that mess. I'm going to see Rock."
Spike gave a succinct, "Yes, ma'am", before saluting and obeying the request.
She pushed the curtains out of her way slowly and slipped up slowly behind him. He was leaning against the handrail, looking up at the dark night sky. Her voice startled him, almost causing him to jump.
"Rock?"
He turned to face her. "Oh. Come to tell me that my father's now going to take out the candidates in the election?" he asked sarcastically.
"No. I'm sorry, Rock. I didn't mean it the way you took it. I trust that Duke Red wouldn't do such a thing as much as you do and so do the rest of the Marduks. There were just including it as a practicability. Personally, I think it was that Draconian lady or even Skunk himself."
"Hn..." Rock sighed, turning back to the railing.
Sanguine moved to his side and placed her hands on the banister. She lifted her head to try to see what he was gazing so intently at. "What is it?"
Rock seemed to hesitate with his answer. "...The stars..."
"What about them?"
"Nothing. I just look at them often. I just go to the window of my room and look out. I can stand there for hours, but I'll stop if my father comes in."
"Why? Are you afraid of what he might say?"
Rock didn't reply.
"There's no reason to be afraid. I agree that they're beautiful, but I have a feeling that their beauty isn't what you seek in them... Am I right or am I right?"
Rock looked her directly in the eye before the heavens recaptured his attention. "You're right. I assume that now you want to know what it is I look for?"
Sanguine nodded.
"I know this sounds crazy, but...I've kind of come to believe it after all of the stories I've heard or read. You know-the ones about people who have looked to the stars believing that the ones they love who absence has been prolonged allows them to seek solace?"
"Yes. You're talking about your parents...?"
"That's right. And sometimes, if I stare long and hard enough at one particular star formation in the sky, it begins to remind me of them. I think that they're watching over me..."
Sanguine looked over to him and saw those bright blue eyes begin to water. "You okay?"
Rock blinked and turned his head away from her. "Yeah..."
She lay a hand to his shoulder. "Don't be afraid to shed your tears. Crying means that you care and have a noble heart, Rock..."
He shrugged her hand away, wiped his tears on his sleeve and whipped around, his face now angry. "I'm a Marduk, not some sympathetic little boy! I'm not supposed to be a weakling, in case you haven't noticed!" he snapped.
Sanguine pulled away, shocked at his violent outburst. She cast a sideways glance down to the streets below and remained silent for a moment. "I'm sorry-you're right. You're no longer an infant-it's time to stand on your own two feet and walk." She moved away and sat on the stone bench, Rock watching her do so. She averted her gaze from him, keeping it focused on the ground. "But you know that people who have known real pain are less likely to inflict it upon others...It's why I don't understand why you hurt those robots."
"They deserve it. And...I mustn't know real pain, then...Only pain that controls my violent actions and has no sympathizing effect on me..."
Rock noticed that she was unusually quiet, though feared to ask why. He no longer felt anger, but the sympathy he shouldn't have. He took a wary step closer, tilting his gaze to try to get a look at her lowered face. "Sanguine? I-"
"Nothing. It's nothing! It's...just..." she shook her head through sniffles and mildly choked sobs. She brought a hand to her eye to wipe away the stream of tears.
Rock moved closer, now pining even more to get a look at her face. "It's just what? Was it something I-"
"No, I was just thinking about how you must feel about all this," she replied, finally raising her head but not looking at him. "You saw both of your parents die right before your eyes when you were young, then Duke Red brought you to a strange city. You were assigned the merciless job of Marduk leader and you want Duke Red to like you, but no matter how hard you try, he always pushes you away. Only to make matters worse, now that you've recovered from a long term in hospital, most of which you were in a coma, you find that you've been replaced as a Marduk leader-the one thing that seemed to be your only key to attention from Duke Red. And if that's not bad enough, the new leader's a girl that looks and acts just like your mother!"
Rock was quiet for a moment, regarding her with disbelief and empathy. "How can you know my feelings so well?" He finally realized what he was saying and whirled away from her, scowl having returned. "Not that you'd understand them. The war didn't reach your country, you're loved by everyone you know and you wouldn't know my anger, hatred, and sorrow."
"I'm loved by everyone I know?" Sanguine repeated, confused. "Says you. What about VP Draconian and Minister Skunk? Besides, if I'm loved by everyone I know, that would include you, too, wouldn't it, Rock?"
He made a small gasp, having forgotten to factor in that part. He turned nervously, casting sideways glances. "Yeah...I guess. But you know what I mean by that, don't you?"
Sanguine nodded, wiping her eyes again, a smile now on her face.
Rock turned away again. "Well, as I was going to say, how can you cry for my parents when you hardly knew them?"
"I just do. There's no explanation except that I'm human."
"The end of one life is merely the beginning of thousands more, so why do you weep for the dead? I rejoice for they have died for me," Rock answered, folding his arms.
"You say that, but you don't mean it." Sanguine had now stopped crying and the smile disappeared.
Rock shifted his gaze from the heavens to the ground. "Maybe you're right. It was just a saying I'd heard some time ago, though I can't remember when. All I can say is that I'm not afraid of death because, as I've said before, I believe my parents are waiting for me. Somewhere, their spirits are waiting for mine to run its course and finally join them in a land we can only begin to comprehend. And that is why I live my Marduk days to the fullest, knowing that if I can do good in this lifetime, the life after should treat me kindly. It's also why I was a little upset when the Ziggurat's destruction didn't kill me. Unlike you, I've nothing much to live for."
"An orphan will remain an orphan until the day what made him so takes that away."
Rock pivoted to face her, a confused expression on his face. "What's that supposed to mean? Is it some sort of philosophical question or something?"
"Not quite. I just composed it myself right now. Isn't its meaning obvious?"
Rock stared at her, contemplating it a moment. "An orphan...what made him so takes that away?" he mumbled, trying to make sense of it.
"What defines an orphan?"
"One whose parents have passed away."
"Exactly, and what is that called?"
"Death?"
"If death took the parents, then what will it eventually do to the orphan?"
"Take their life, too... Now I get it," Rock said, turning away. He smiled. "Clever."
Sanguine stood up from the bench and walked over to where he stood, taking his hand in hers consolingly. "I know. If it hurts you, just think of it this way; what is pain but a violent pleasure?"
Rock lifted his head, hardened blue eyes meeting with softened green eyes. "Hm, violent pleasure...I like that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I think that Rock was way out of character...and so was Duke Red, while I'm at it. Maybe even Devin, Orion and Patrick, too... Such as I don't think Rock would be that feeling towards anyone but Duke Red, he wouldn't cuss that badly, and he probably isn't that sensitive about his parents. As for Duke Red, he's definitely not that open and affectionate towards Rock, but then again his recent hospitalization could have done a number on his brain...
Oh yeah-and do you like Sanguine's comment about the orphan thingummy? I just love that line! It should be like the motto or whatever you call it for my story and the fact that I came up with it myself is quite "clever", as Rock says.
Still confused about Suzerain Castor and the Nin-agal? Don't fret-there'll be more about them in upcoming chapters (if I remember, point is, I don't know much about them, myself. They were completely spontaneous characters along with Draconian. Only Nin I've got so far is Mintaka).
7. Draconian Skunk
Enmy ushered Sanguine out onto the dingy landing of the ballroom. "Go on!"
"But Enmy, I-"
"We maids aren't allowed to show ourselves, yet. Mr. Red is waiting for you, so just walk down that staircase. Do it with grace and elegance!"
Sanguine cast a scowl at Enmy and clenched her hand in a fist as she took a deep breath in and out. She strode along the red carpet until she came to top of the grand staircase. She cast her gaze downwards-running her eyes down the red carpet of the staircase until she met the many people mingling on the polished marble floors.
The ballroom had been changed considerably since the Ziggurat's collapse and reconstruction. The stage that Duke Red, Mayor Ryon, President Boon, and Minister Skunk had stood on at the original Ziggurat celebrations was now gone and had been replaced with windows like the ones in the Ziggurat. This design went around the whole ballroom so that it was covered in windows displaying the nighttime of Metropolis. One addition was the balcony opposite the staircase. It was made of a fine white stone, she could see for where she was, and the stone banisters were covered in creepers. There was a bench of the matching stone in the middle of the balcony, where some people were sitting now. It would be a good place to commit suicide, Sanguine thought, what with the twenty story or so drop to hard concrete below.
She cast her gaze around the golden ballroom again, sighing in relief on seing no intrusive reporters. Her eyes came to land on the concession table. But it wasn't the concession table that caught her attention, but who stood at it with his back turned to her. None other than the black- suited Rock. For a moment, she felt like turning and running back to Enmy.
"Ah, there she is..."
Rock looked up from the spot on the floor that his bored stare had been fixed to. Duke Red stood before him in his special occasion white suit, although he wasn't looking at Rock. He was looking upwards at the top of the staircase. Rock saw this and turned around. "Who? There who is?"
He made a small gasp and his eyes widened as he noticed the figure at the top of the staircase.
"Beautiful, isn't she? Just like Tima was..."
"Hn...I guess..." Rock looked back to Duke Red, whose expression was now sad and unfocussed by a daydream. "Father? Are you okay?"
Duke Red remained in his reverie a moment longer before shaking his head and glancing down at Rock. "Oh? Yes... As I was saying, just like Tima... That is why you are to attract and then dispose of her," Duke Red replied, moving forward to greet Sanguine, who was now descending the staircase.
Rock took a few steps forward to keep up with him. "What do you mean 'attract and then dispose of her'? If she's that 'beautiful', then why would you want me to kill her?"
"You want to be the Marduk leader, Rock."
"No, I don't."
Duke Red turned to him, a dazed look on his face. "Don't lie to me. You want that as much as you want me to love you."
Rock drew back in surprise, his eyes wide with horror. He was at a loss for words. Duke Red moved closer to Rock and embraced him in a warm hug, making Rock now feel utterly shocked and mortified.
"If you kill Sanguine, then you will prove to me that you deserve to be the Marduk leader and not her. It will show that you have the true, ruthless heart of Party leader. You'll be treated as my equal, and I shall accept you as my foster son and treat you so."
Rock continued to stare at Duke Red with wide eyes even as he pulled away. "B-But I don't see what that has to do with her...loving...me...?"
Duke Red merely smiled and whirled back around to face Sanguine who was now coming down the last five steps. He threw his arms wide to her, though didn't hug her as he had Rock. "Sanguine! My beautiful little flower!"
"Sir," she replied with a smile. "Thank you."
Duke Red placed his hand on her shoulder and moved out of the way for her to see the full ballroom. "See? This is the new Ziggurat and the officials of Metropolis. Everyone's here except for President Boon and Acetylene Lamp. I received word from Minister Skunk that they had passed away and Orion informed me that it was of natural causes. Rather unfortunate and suspicious, but that't how life is." Duke Red turned to Rock. "You know everyone, don't you? If you wouldn't mind, could you make the introductions?"
"Yes, Father," Rock answered, unsure of why Duke Red was suddenly so jubilant and open, but he knew he didn't want to ruin a mood such as this.
Without another word he began to walk away to the group nearest him, Sanguine following in his wake but not before giving Duke Red a confused look. Once she had turned back to Rock, a heinous smile crossed his features. "If this all works out properly, my legacy shall be carried out thanks to you, Rock," he murmured as he tore his gaze away from the two and turned to move towards his associates.
"I don't really need to explain about everyone, do I?" Rock questioned a few metres before two chatting officials.
"Well, I know Minister Skunk, but not the lady." She answered.
"Very well then," Rock said, leading her up to the two.
Skunk and the other lady stopped halfway through their conversation immediately and turned to them. "Why, hello, there, Rock," Skunk drawled. "I see you survived the Ziggurat and collapse of Metropolis?"
"That's right."
"One of the few-amazing. I had heard that it was you who set off the mechanism for its destruction? And if it hadn't been for you, none of us would be alive today? Not even those in other countries because of an utter robot's malfunction?"
Rock nodded succinctly.
As Rock and Skunk carried out their idle chatter, Sanguine surveyed the unfamiliar woman. She had dark purple, almost black hair which was swept back in a ponytail so short that her hair couldn't have been much longer than her shoulders-that was certainly the length of the strands of hair that weren't tied back. She had bright green eyes that only made her satisfied scowl look even more threatening. She wore a black dress with a strap that hung only from one shoulder and with slits up the side of her skirt-the same style as Sanguine's skirt. Her shoes were black high-heels.
"And who's this girl, Rock?"
Sanguine jolted out of her reverie partly out of mention of her and a different voice. The lady's voice was deep and cold.
"This is Sanguine Algethi, the new Marduk leader before you decide to question me. My father thought her more suitable for the job because of my injuries at the time," Rock explained, gesturing to her. He glanced to Sanguine and indicated to the purple-haired lady. You know Minister Skunk, Secretary of State, so this woman is Miss Rose Draconian, Vice President of Metropolis."
"Soon to be the president once the hearing takes place and the Metropolitans have decided on their new president." She cast a shifty glance at Skunk. "It was unfortunate for President Boon to pass away so quickly- he was rather young and a close working partner of mine."
"Red appointed a female Marduk leader?" Skunk questioned, his usually calculating expression becoming one of slight surprise. "I knew he was a little dishevelled since the deaths of his wife, Duchess and daughter, Tima, but now I believe he's truly off his rocker."
"My father is not deranged," Rock said defiantly.
"Whatever you say, boy. And I hope you know that Duke Red isn't your real father or did the glory of being the world's saviour go straight to your head?" Draconian taunted, leaning down from her immense height.
"Rock would not allow such nonsense to deter him from his sanity, unlike you," Sanguine countered, leaping to his defence.
"My, my, such words coming from a little girl who probably can't even fire a gun without knocking herself out with the recoil," replied Draconian as she stood back erectly, her sneer only intensifying with the satisfaction of victory.
"I can fire a gun properly, would you like me to prove it? First I'll need a target-" Sanguine was interrupted by Rock tugging at her arm, for she had begun to advance on VP Draconian.
"We don't need to waste our time with these two," he said. She cast one last loathsome glance at Draconian and Skunk before allowing Rock to lead her away.
"Yes-don't let us stand in the way of your little lovelife, Rock," Draconian called after them.
"You'd better hope that what happened to President Boon doesn't happen to your precious father, Rock," added Skunk.
Rock stopped dead in his tracks and stared straight ahead blankly for a moment or two before he continued walking away from them. "Those bastards...what's the bet he killed Boon himself..." Sanguine thought she heard him growl through clenched teeth.
He dragged her to another pair of officials, both men. Again, one was familiar while the other wasn't. Both were engaged in deep conversation, and didn't turn until Rock cleared his throat.
The blond haired, blue eyed man looked down at Rock and Sanguine, his permanent scowl softening into the friendliest smile he could muster. "Rock! I've been meaning to talk to you. Um...your hospitalization hasn't affected your memory, I presume?"
"No, Mayor Ryon, sir," Rock replied, returning the polite joviality.
"Right then, you haven't heard any more about the assassination of President Boon, have you? I was talking to Mr Castor here. He said that he felt suspicious of your father and the Marduks," informed Ryon.
"I could ask Devin, but I didn't give them any commands regarding the president's death. If indeed it was them, I wasn't around and I doubt that my father would issue such an order."
"I'm not accusing you of anything," the other man finally said. Unlike Ryon, he was tall and thin. His short hair was blond and his eyes light blue. He wore glasses that seemed to be there more for fashion than aide in reading ability and he wore a copper red suit with cape that draped from his shoulders and cast for his broken arm. He had the same hardened expression as Ryon, though he wore a shifty smile-like Draconian. He continued with his sentence. "I'm simply saying that I gained my suspicions from a reliable source. That's what Mintaka told me. He and some of the other Nins said they saw some five men in Marduk uniform enter the President's residence the day he was discovered dead."
"Who's Mintaka? And what are the 'Nins'?"
Rock had completely forgotten about the girl cowering behind him. "Oh, sorry. That's my fault. This is Suzerain Castor. He holds the same political position as my father and is the founder of the Nin-agal Party, though they're often referred to as the Nins. Mintaka is the leader of the Party." He looked up to Castor. "This is Sanguine, the new Marduk leader."
"Ah, nice to meet you, Miss Sanguine," Suzerain Castor said, taking her gloved hand in his and kissing the top of her hand daintily.
Mayor Ryon made a deep bow. "My pleasure."
Sanguine acknowledged them both with a nervous nod, after which she tried to conceal herself more behind Rock. He could see that she was beginning to feel uneasy and so turned back to the two men. "Is that all?"
Mayor Ryon looked upward absent-mindedly. "Nothing that I can think of. If I think of anything, I'll come to look for you."
"If you could introduce the two parties to each other, Rock, I'd appreciate that. I've yet to talk to Duke," said Suzerain Castor.
"Yes, Mr Castor, sir," Rock answered with a departing nod.
Sanguine made a small giggle as Rock let out a huge sigh. "My, you're the messenger tonight, aren't you?"
"Sometimes you'd rather not know people..."
The two came to the Marduks who were all in a secluded corner of the ballroom. All of them, even Dactyl and Nusku, were in matching black suits with red bow ties. Fornax was the first to notice their approach. He turned to them though he kept his one hand firmly around his wineglass and the other buried in his pocket. "I saw you greeting officials around the room. They all want to get acquainted with the new Marduk leader?"
"Some more than others," retorted Sanguine as she stepped out from behind Rock.
Sam had now turned his attention to them along with the rest of the Marduks. "Encountered VP Draconian and Minister Skunk, did you?"
Rock nodded. "I never thought that they could be so rude."
"Don't mind them-they're just edgy about the election. They'd turn on each other if it would secure their vote," Patrick informed dismissively.
Spike adjusted his glasses. "So what is this election all about? I understand that Metropolis needs a new president, but is there any more to it than that?"
"Yer right, Spike," responded Gerra, and everyone immediately turned to the source of the gruff voice. "There's goin' ter be a hearin' about the murders o' Boon an' Lamp. Forensic scientists 'ave been trying to find out what 'appened to 'em that way they can find out the killers and present it ter the Metropolitans in a trial."
"Boon and Lamp were murdered?" Devin exclaimed, sounding only half- surprised.
"Yeah, if there are any linkages between the deaths of the two men and the presidential candidates, they'll be taken out of the election and thrown in jail," Fornax added.
"Who's running in the election, then?" queried Nusku.
Fornax took another sip of the red wine before replying. "Lucifer Ryon, Suzerain Castor, Weasel Skunk, Rose Draconian, and Duke Red. Of course, with that group, the new president's already been chosen," he finished as he drained what was left in his glass.
"What do you mean by that?" Spike asked.
"I don't know if you remember the original Ziggurat celebrations, but President Boon himself said that no one stood a chance against Duke Red in a Metropolitan election for president. Unless it is found out that Duke Red was somehow tied to the deaths or he steps down from the campaign, the others don't have a prayer of a chance," Fornax concluded.
All this talk of the murders reminded Rock of something he had meant to ask the Marduks. "Say, Devin, Sam, Orion, Patrick-You wouldn't happen to know anything else about these murders, would you?"
"What do you mean, Rock?" Patrick asked, his voice sounding slightly uneasy.
"I mean that Suzerain Castor told me of something that Mintaka saw a couple of months ago. Mintaka said he saw some men-"
"Five," intercepted Sanguine.
Rock shot her a murderous glower before continuing. "Yes, five men in Marduk uniforms enter the building on the day of Boon and Lamp's deaths. I definitely wasn't there, and I never gave orders for you to go there. Would you care to explain?"
Devin and Sam looked at each other. Devin answered for the two. "We don't know anything about it, Rock, honestly."
Patrick and Orion cast each other innocent glances, each waiting for the other to come up with an excuse. Patrick, being more of the loudmouth came to the rescue. "We don't know anything, either."
Rock raised a suspicious eyebrow as he glared Patrick straight in the eye. Patrick was a pretty convincing liar, though he would fall apart if you knew which buttons to push. "Your blood is no object, Patrick."
Patrick opened his mouth to speak but Orion interrupted him. "Lance was the one that said it was a direct order from Duke Red."
Patrick slapped a hand to his forehead and sighed deeply. What he had been about to say was nowhere near even half as stupid as what Orion had just revealed. When Orion realized this, too, he gasped and closed his mouth, grinding his teeth.
"Well, Rock, it appears we have an all-out confession," Sam announced. "Turns out only five of us partook in the assassination, two of which lack the self-dignity to step down from being a Marduk after such an incident," he said, circling them like a hungry vulture.
"I couldn't agree with you more, Sam. What should we do with these barbarians, Rock?" Devin concurred, a scowl on face.
Sweat was beginning to pour down the faces of the two men, the angered eyes of the other Marduks on them.
"I'd say we show them how Boon and Lamp felt," Rock suggested coldly. "But since at least one of them was given justice by those rampaging robots, we've only four to take down-Orion, Patrick, ...?"
"Gill, Deimos and Ray," answered Patrick fearfully.
"Deimos listened to you dunderheads?" cried Devin. "Hanging around me a lot of the time you'd think he have some..." Hr trailed off as Rock held up his hand to silence him.
"We've six, now, do we? Well that's another one down. Unfortunately, those robots took care of Deimos, too. A shame-he'd always been a valuable addition to the Party... As for Gill and Ray-they've been missing since the collapse of the Ziggurat. Unless we find them, they're not our concern," Rock said in the same angered, yet steady tone. "Meanwhile these two deserve-"
"Hang on," Sanguine interrupted once again. "Shouldn't I have some say in this, since I'm the new leader and all? I may not have been familiar with this incident, but I have heard enough to come to a fair punishment."
Rock opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off by another voice. "I'm not trying to be biased, but I say we listen to what she has to say," Blade voiced, having spoken for the first time this evening.
Rock sighed and turned to Sanguine. "Fine, then. What do you say?"
Sanguine looked to Patrick and Orion. "Lance only said it was an order from Duke Red, right? He had no actual proof that it was true?"
The two nodded.
"Did the five of you carry out this mission by yourselves or were you lead by someone else-like Duke Red, perhaps?"
They made no acknowledgement towards her question.
"There is no point in remaining silent. We know you killed them, and we can use that information against you, so spill it or I hand your condemnation over to Rock where he can do whatever he wishes to within his- "
"M-Minister Weasel Skunk..." stammered Orion.
A gasp rang through the Marduks and Spike's glass fell to the floor, shattering into many small shards and spilling its contents. "I knew that old fool wasn't to be trusted." "That guilty look should have given it away..." "What's the bet he'll frame Duke Red for it?" "Yeah, he's trying to give the Marduks a bad name!"
"I say we rat him out right now!" Dactyl clamoured over the voices of the others.
"Wait just a minute!" Blade ordered, stepping into the middle of the throng. "While Skunk may have accompanied them, that doesn't mean it was on his order. Maybe it really was Duke Red that told him to escort them?"
"Boy's right. How do we know t'wasn't Duke Red 'imself? Skunk could've just been obeying an order," reasoned Gerra, nodding his head in agreement.
"My father wouldn't give such an order to have a president and his advisor murdered. He's not that selfish, and besides, he wouldn't have a motive," Rock countered. "And if he'd wanted the job done, he'd have sent me to command, not Skunk."
"You see-that's the problem with you, Rock," said Blade sympathetically. "You trust Duke Red too much to admit that he may have done something wrong. This is one of those times when you have to let go of what your heart feels and listen to your mind."
"Duke Red wouldn't send Skunk to kill Boon," Rock repeated, sounding slightly exasperated.
There was silence among them all. Rock finally turned to Sanguine. "You believe me, don't you?"
Sanguine looked at the floor, unsure of how to answer. "Well...I...I can't quite say. Lance took the answer to his grave and...Duke Red can be a bit...um...They say the closer someone is to you, the more they blur..."
Rock gnashed his teeth within his mouth, trying to prevent an outburst. He then turned to scowl at the others. "That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it because I know it's the truth." With that, he stormed off towards the balcony.
They watched him disappear from view behind one of the curtains leading to the balcony before they all turned to each other, at a loss for words. Sanguine bit her lip and then broke the unnerving silence. "What do you guys think?"
"All in favour of the murder being Duke Red's command?" Fornax vociferated to the group. When they all merely glanced at each other with dumb expressions without putting up their hands, Fornax spoke again. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."
Again no hands went up, and so he made his conclusion. "There you go. No one actually agrees with it, just stating it as a possibility."
Sanguine looked once more to the figure standing out on the balcony, blurred by the translucent curtains and then back to the Marduks. "You guys try to squeeze some more answers out of those two. Try to ask Duke Red if you can but be subtle about it. He may decide to silence those that know what they shouldn't and Spike, clean up that mess. I'm going to see Rock."
Spike gave a succinct, "Yes, ma'am", before saluting and obeying the request.
She pushed the curtains out of her way slowly and slipped up slowly behind him. He was leaning against the handrail, looking up at the dark night sky. Her voice startled him, almost causing him to jump.
"Rock?"
He turned to face her. "Oh. Come to tell me that my father's now going to take out the candidates in the election?" he asked sarcastically.
"No. I'm sorry, Rock. I didn't mean it the way you took it. I trust that Duke Red wouldn't do such a thing as much as you do and so do the rest of the Marduks. There were just including it as a practicability. Personally, I think it was that Draconian lady or even Skunk himself."
"Hn..." Rock sighed, turning back to the railing.
Sanguine moved to his side and placed her hands on the banister. She lifted her head to try to see what he was gazing so intently at. "What is it?"
Rock seemed to hesitate with his answer. "...The stars..."
"What about them?"
"Nothing. I just look at them often. I just go to the window of my room and look out. I can stand there for hours, but I'll stop if my father comes in."
"Why? Are you afraid of what he might say?"
Rock didn't reply.
"There's no reason to be afraid. I agree that they're beautiful, but I have a feeling that their beauty isn't what you seek in them... Am I right or am I right?"
Rock looked her directly in the eye before the heavens recaptured his attention. "You're right. I assume that now you want to know what it is I look for?"
Sanguine nodded.
"I know this sounds crazy, but...I've kind of come to believe it after all of the stories I've heard or read. You know-the ones about people who have looked to the stars believing that the ones they love who absence has been prolonged allows them to seek solace?"
"Yes. You're talking about your parents...?"
"That's right. And sometimes, if I stare long and hard enough at one particular star formation in the sky, it begins to remind me of them. I think that they're watching over me..."
Sanguine looked over to him and saw those bright blue eyes begin to water. "You okay?"
Rock blinked and turned his head away from her. "Yeah..."
She lay a hand to his shoulder. "Don't be afraid to shed your tears. Crying means that you care and have a noble heart, Rock..."
He shrugged her hand away, wiped his tears on his sleeve and whipped around, his face now angry. "I'm a Marduk, not some sympathetic little boy! I'm not supposed to be a weakling, in case you haven't noticed!" he snapped.
Sanguine pulled away, shocked at his violent outburst. She cast a sideways glance down to the streets below and remained silent for a moment. "I'm sorry-you're right. You're no longer an infant-it's time to stand on your own two feet and walk." She moved away and sat on the stone bench, Rock watching her do so. She averted her gaze from him, keeping it focused on the ground. "But you know that people who have known real pain are less likely to inflict it upon others...It's why I don't understand why you hurt those robots."
"They deserve it. And...I mustn't know real pain, then...Only pain that controls my violent actions and has no sympathizing effect on me..."
Rock noticed that she was unusually quiet, though feared to ask why. He no longer felt anger, but the sympathy he shouldn't have. He took a wary step closer, tilting his gaze to try to get a look at her lowered face. "Sanguine? I-"
"Nothing. It's nothing! It's...just..." she shook her head through sniffles and mildly choked sobs. She brought a hand to her eye to wipe away the stream of tears.
Rock moved closer, now pining even more to get a look at her face. "It's just what? Was it something I-"
"No, I was just thinking about how you must feel about all this," she replied, finally raising her head but not looking at him. "You saw both of your parents die right before your eyes when you were young, then Duke Red brought you to a strange city. You were assigned the merciless job of Marduk leader and you want Duke Red to like you, but no matter how hard you try, he always pushes you away. Only to make matters worse, now that you've recovered from a long term in hospital, most of which you were in a coma, you find that you've been replaced as a Marduk leader-the one thing that seemed to be your only key to attention from Duke Red. And if that's not bad enough, the new leader's a girl that looks and acts just like your mother!"
Rock was quiet for a moment, regarding her with disbelief and empathy. "How can you know my feelings so well?" He finally realized what he was saying and whirled away from her, scowl having returned. "Not that you'd understand them. The war didn't reach your country, you're loved by everyone you know and you wouldn't know my anger, hatred, and sorrow."
"I'm loved by everyone I know?" Sanguine repeated, confused. "Says you. What about VP Draconian and Minister Skunk? Besides, if I'm loved by everyone I know, that would include you, too, wouldn't it, Rock?"
He made a small gasp, having forgotten to factor in that part. He turned nervously, casting sideways glances. "Yeah...I guess. But you know what I mean by that, don't you?"
Sanguine nodded, wiping her eyes again, a smile now on her face.
Rock turned away again. "Well, as I was going to say, how can you cry for my parents when you hardly knew them?"
"I just do. There's no explanation except that I'm human."
"The end of one life is merely the beginning of thousands more, so why do you weep for the dead? I rejoice for they have died for me," Rock answered, folding his arms.
"You say that, but you don't mean it." Sanguine had now stopped crying and the smile disappeared.
Rock shifted his gaze from the heavens to the ground. "Maybe you're right. It was just a saying I'd heard some time ago, though I can't remember when. All I can say is that I'm not afraid of death because, as I've said before, I believe my parents are waiting for me. Somewhere, their spirits are waiting for mine to run its course and finally join them in a land we can only begin to comprehend. And that is why I live my Marduk days to the fullest, knowing that if I can do good in this lifetime, the life after should treat me kindly. It's also why I was a little upset when the Ziggurat's destruction didn't kill me. Unlike you, I've nothing much to live for."
"An orphan will remain an orphan until the day what made him so takes that away."
Rock pivoted to face her, a confused expression on his face. "What's that supposed to mean? Is it some sort of philosophical question or something?"
"Not quite. I just composed it myself right now. Isn't its meaning obvious?"
Rock stared at her, contemplating it a moment. "An orphan...what made him so takes that away?" he mumbled, trying to make sense of it.
"What defines an orphan?"
"One whose parents have passed away."
"Exactly, and what is that called?"
"Death?"
"If death took the parents, then what will it eventually do to the orphan?"
"Take their life, too... Now I get it," Rock said, turning away. He smiled. "Clever."
Sanguine stood up from the bench and walked over to where he stood, taking his hand in hers consolingly. "I know. If it hurts you, just think of it this way; what is pain but a violent pleasure?"
Rock lifted his head, hardened blue eyes meeting with softened green eyes. "Hm, violent pleasure...I like that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I think that Rock was way out of character...and so was Duke Red, while I'm at it. Maybe even Devin, Orion and Patrick, too... Such as I don't think Rock would be that feeling towards anyone but Duke Red, he wouldn't cuss that badly, and he probably isn't that sensitive about his parents. As for Duke Red, he's definitely not that open and affectionate towards Rock, but then again his recent hospitalization could have done a number on his brain...
Oh yeah-and do you like Sanguine's comment about the orphan thingummy? I just love that line! It should be like the motto or whatever you call it for my story and the fact that I came up with it myself is quite "clever", as Rock says.
Still confused about Suzerain Castor and the Nin-agal? Don't fret-there'll be more about them in upcoming chapters (if I remember, point is, I don't know much about them, myself. They were completely spontaneous characters along with Draconian. Only Nin I've got so far is Mintaka).