-III-
I had a dream... The stars and the moon circled viciously around the Earth, I stood in the center of it all. I tried to calm the heavens by calling out its name. "Ladon! Ladon," I screamed. This name seemed familiar... A deafening roar was my answer as the stars danced madly colliding into one another. The world was destroyed and I was flung into darkness. I drifted through the nothingness, until my feet touched the ground. It wasn't the Earth that I was standing on, it was blackness. Far away I could see a flickering light. I ran towards it. As I got closer to the light, I could see it was coming from a single torch, held up by a marble pedestal. Underneath, bathed in the iridescent light was the body of a human dressed in red robes. Something made me turn away, run as fast as I could away from the light. "Ladon..." I whispered.
***
I awoke sitting up, panting, and drenched in sweat. My side still ached, but I felt glad to be alive. I was sitting on a bed in the corner of a small room. There was a small vent in the corner, not big enough to fit through, and an old hinged door. I slid slowly out of bed and checked the door. Locked, just as I thought. I went back and sat on the bed. I wondered how long it had been since the attack. I figured we were in Wiava by now. I hoped that Scy and the others were still alive -
The door creaked open suddenly and the woman walked in, still wearing the same robes. She brought a chair with her and sat directly across from me. Her blue eyes seemed relaxed and her voice was steady as she spoke. "I heard you yelling and decided I should come and check on you," she paused and waited for me to say something and when I said nothing she continued, "You called out a name, do you remember?"
Ladon
I grabbed my head and looked at her. "Who are you," I asked her.
"Do you remember the name you called out last night?"
Ladon!
My body gave out and I fell back onto the bed. It felt like fingers were prodding around in my head. "Ladon, why?"
"That's... not a very common name, do you know what it is associated with?" I turned my head to face her. She met my gaze levelly. "I see, you do not," then what she added made my mouth drop, "High Lieutenant." Was that her poking around in my head? Could she read my thoughts? I tried in vain to block her attempts. Then abruptly the probing stopped. She smiled lightly, "Don't worry, I left your dirty little secrets alone. I only needed a little information." She left and I heard the door latch behind her. I had never heard of anyone being able to read minds. If the rebels had more people like her they might be able to turn this conflict around.
I rolled over and faced the wall. I thought about Alec and when we were younger. My parents had adopted me from the orphanage on 45th Street about two years before my mother got pregnant with Alec. It was a miracle for them, I was happy even knowing that I wouldn't be the center of attention anymore. I was about five when Alec was born which in most relationships causes a gap between siblings, but Alec and I had never had any problems. I really just wanted to go home.
***
A few days past, or at least I thought it was a few days. They brought me three meals everyday, they were not very harsh to me, it seemed their attitude had changed a little. Nina, the woman in robes had visited me on a few occasions. On her second visit she had told me her name and apologized for the ruff way they had treated me. She said that she sometimes forgot that the enemy were people too. I told her that I forgot myself sometimes, too, that all I really wanted was peace and that was the real reason I fought, to stop everything. She had looked at me funny, "You know this war won't stop other wars. The government will keep finding things to fight. Like in Gaderla - " She stopped abruptly and took a deep breath. "You've been good so far, but if you try to escape, we will kill you." She left and she only came once more after that but did not say anything, she just stared at me. I started to think she was messing around in my head again, but just as the thought occurred to me she left again. I haven't seen her since.
I bolted awake as two rebel soldiers burst into my room and dragged me out into the hall. They threw me down in front of a videophone. I looked up and saw General Koe looking down at me. "Good, he's in descent shape, but I'm still not sure this is enough for us to release Aludrad," General Koe said calmly. "We really don't make deals with the enemy." They weren't going to trade me out. My heart stopped and my body felt cold. This is what they had been holding me for. They had no use for me if this didn't work. One of the soldiers kicked me in the chest. I screamed out in pain. My rib was still broken.
"We will kill him, Koe," one of the rebels yelled at the screen. "We're not messing around here."
"I know that, I know you're serious, but so am I. If we released Aludrad, this war will just get more severe. My final answer is no, traitors." The video went black. Koe had hung up. The soldier that had kicked me looked down and spit on me.
"What do you think about that, soldier boy? He didn't even try to save your ass. The people who you were fighting for didn't give a - " The other soldier grabbed his arm.
"Get him out of here." No, no, no! Damn it, Koe! I want to see my family again. He dragged me outside. The soldier tore a piece of his shirt off and handed it to me. I threw it on the ground. I was going to do this looking into his eyes. He cocked his gun and pointed it at my head. Alec, I'm glad I saved you from this.
"You're not any better than them, you know that right," I said trying to stop him. He struck me across the mouth with the butt of his gun.
"Shut up," he said and repositioned the gun against my forehead. I swallowed hard trying to keep calm.
"I have a family - " he struck me again, harder this time.
"I'm sorry about this, really I am, but they won't take us seriously otherwise." That made me angry.
"You don't think they're taking you seriously? They waged war on you with fifteen-year-old boys! They pulled them away from their families to stop you! I say that you have done enough damage! And what about Verotoxin, huh? That's a nice way to fight clean! Crushing these children's ribcages into mush!"
"You don't know much about this war, do you?"
"No one does! Not even you!" The soldiers face hardened as he tensed ready to pull the trigger. "My name is Ryu Hito, my brothers name is Alec Hito, my mother's is - " he kicked me in the side and doubled over in pain. I tasted blood in my mouth, probably from before. I tried to glance up at him. He had his eyes shut trying to concentrate. I knew I was only stalling fate. I sat up and looked him in the face. "I hope you burn in hell," I said as I closed my eyes.
I had had hope..
I had a dream... The stars and the moon circled viciously around the Earth, I stood in the center of it all. I tried to calm the heavens by calling out its name. "Ladon! Ladon," I screamed. This name seemed familiar... A deafening roar was my answer as the stars danced madly colliding into one another. The world was destroyed and I was flung into darkness. I drifted through the nothingness, until my feet touched the ground. It wasn't the Earth that I was standing on, it was blackness. Far away I could see a flickering light. I ran towards it. As I got closer to the light, I could see it was coming from a single torch, held up by a marble pedestal. Underneath, bathed in the iridescent light was the body of a human dressed in red robes. Something made me turn away, run as fast as I could away from the light. "Ladon..." I whispered.
***
I awoke sitting up, panting, and drenched in sweat. My side still ached, but I felt glad to be alive. I was sitting on a bed in the corner of a small room. There was a small vent in the corner, not big enough to fit through, and an old hinged door. I slid slowly out of bed and checked the door. Locked, just as I thought. I went back and sat on the bed. I wondered how long it had been since the attack. I figured we were in Wiava by now. I hoped that Scy and the others were still alive -
The door creaked open suddenly and the woman walked in, still wearing the same robes. She brought a chair with her and sat directly across from me. Her blue eyes seemed relaxed and her voice was steady as she spoke. "I heard you yelling and decided I should come and check on you," she paused and waited for me to say something and when I said nothing she continued, "You called out a name, do you remember?"
Ladon
I grabbed my head and looked at her. "Who are you," I asked her.
"Do you remember the name you called out last night?"
Ladon!
My body gave out and I fell back onto the bed. It felt like fingers were prodding around in my head. "Ladon, why?"
"That's... not a very common name, do you know what it is associated with?" I turned my head to face her. She met my gaze levelly. "I see, you do not," then what she added made my mouth drop, "High Lieutenant." Was that her poking around in my head? Could she read my thoughts? I tried in vain to block her attempts. Then abruptly the probing stopped. She smiled lightly, "Don't worry, I left your dirty little secrets alone. I only needed a little information." She left and I heard the door latch behind her. I had never heard of anyone being able to read minds. If the rebels had more people like her they might be able to turn this conflict around.
I rolled over and faced the wall. I thought about Alec and when we were younger. My parents had adopted me from the orphanage on 45th Street about two years before my mother got pregnant with Alec. It was a miracle for them, I was happy even knowing that I wouldn't be the center of attention anymore. I was about five when Alec was born which in most relationships causes a gap between siblings, but Alec and I had never had any problems. I really just wanted to go home.
***
A few days past, or at least I thought it was a few days. They brought me three meals everyday, they were not very harsh to me, it seemed their attitude had changed a little. Nina, the woman in robes had visited me on a few occasions. On her second visit she had told me her name and apologized for the ruff way they had treated me. She said that she sometimes forgot that the enemy were people too. I told her that I forgot myself sometimes, too, that all I really wanted was peace and that was the real reason I fought, to stop everything. She had looked at me funny, "You know this war won't stop other wars. The government will keep finding things to fight. Like in Gaderla - " She stopped abruptly and took a deep breath. "You've been good so far, but if you try to escape, we will kill you." She left and she only came once more after that but did not say anything, she just stared at me. I started to think she was messing around in my head again, but just as the thought occurred to me she left again. I haven't seen her since.
I bolted awake as two rebel soldiers burst into my room and dragged me out into the hall. They threw me down in front of a videophone. I looked up and saw General Koe looking down at me. "Good, he's in descent shape, but I'm still not sure this is enough for us to release Aludrad," General Koe said calmly. "We really don't make deals with the enemy." They weren't going to trade me out. My heart stopped and my body felt cold. This is what they had been holding me for. They had no use for me if this didn't work. One of the soldiers kicked me in the chest. I screamed out in pain. My rib was still broken.
"We will kill him, Koe," one of the rebels yelled at the screen. "We're not messing around here."
"I know that, I know you're serious, but so am I. If we released Aludrad, this war will just get more severe. My final answer is no, traitors." The video went black. Koe had hung up. The soldier that had kicked me looked down and spit on me.
"What do you think about that, soldier boy? He didn't even try to save your ass. The people who you were fighting for didn't give a - " The other soldier grabbed his arm.
"Get him out of here." No, no, no! Damn it, Koe! I want to see my family again. He dragged me outside. The soldier tore a piece of his shirt off and handed it to me. I threw it on the ground. I was going to do this looking into his eyes. He cocked his gun and pointed it at my head. Alec, I'm glad I saved you from this.
"You're not any better than them, you know that right," I said trying to stop him. He struck me across the mouth with the butt of his gun.
"Shut up," he said and repositioned the gun against my forehead. I swallowed hard trying to keep calm.
"I have a family - " he struck me again, harder this time.
"I'm sorry about this, really I am, but they won't take us seriously otherwise." That made me angry.
"You don't think they're taking you seriously? They waged war on you with fifteen-year-old boys! They pulled them away from their families to stop you! I say that you have done enough damage! And what about Verotoxin, huh? That's a nice way to fight clean! Crushing these children's ribcages into mush!"
"You don't know much about this war, do you?"
"No one does! Not even you!" The soldiers face hardened as he tensed ready to pull the trigger. "My name is Ryu Hito, my brothers name is Alec Hito, my mother's is - " he kicked me in the side and doubled over in pain. I tasted blood in my mouth, probably from before. I tried to glance up at him. He had his eyes shut trying to concentrate. I knew I was only stalling fate. I sat up and looked him in the face. "I hope you burn in hell," I said as I closed my eyes.
I had had hope..