Despite growing up on her own, Melody's control of her two legacies are surprisingly concise. I guess exploding fruit and cooking meat has its perks. After a few weeks of training her, she is almost a decent opponent. Her hand to hand combat is weak, like I was when I first arrived at the West Virginia Compound, however I blame that all on our stupid, incompetent cepan. With every passing day, my anger towards him gets more intense. What the hell were the Elders thinking? They assigned ME, the powerful Tenth Garde, to such a useless cepan? And Five, though he never said it, I know he thought it. He was assigned an old man who couldn't survive Earth's diseases. These are the kind of cepan Lorien had to train the Garde? It's no wonder the planet fell. Beloved Leader practically just walked in and took it, just like we'll do with Earth.
Deltoch was definitely watching the cams in my room when I reunited with Melody, and he has treated me like a failure since, although he hasn't fully voiced it since he knows I still technically outrank him now. He doesn't like Melody, and thinks she will be a weakness I don't need. I don't know if he has reported this to Beloved Leader or not, but there is only one thing I am worried about. Those projects that the new Head Scientist at the West Virginia Compound had going on. I had met Dr. Zakos when Deltoch showed me what had become of the old garde they had rescued. He was extracting their powers. A brief image of Julia, who I had always thought kinda looked like Mel, sprawled out unconscious on Dr. Zakos's table pops into my mind. I can't let them do that to Melody. She's not weak like they were; she's just untrained. All thanks to our piece of shit Cepan.
It's a lot harder to be the one in charge of training, which I never really gave Five that much credit for. I find myself trying to remember all the early sessions with Five, although he was flying around pummelling the shit out of me. With Melody, I had to take a gentler approach. I played nearly strict defence, with small waves of telekinesis as my only offence. It didn't seem fair to get into her head again with my Mind Control.
Five was lucky when we first started training; he couldn't feel any pain that I inflicted. And I didn't have a crazy legacy that fried his skin. If not for the healing stone that Five had left behind from his chest, I would be in and out of the medical wing constantly. Not that the Mogs had much of one since most of their soldiers just disintegrated.
"I'm so sorry!" Melody gasps when one of her lightning strikes hits me directly in the thigh, sizzling the flesh and causing an uncontrollable yell to escape my lips, despite trying to hold it back. Training with Five, I had always felt both his pain and mine, but nothing compared to the pain of burning flesh. Her Elecomun Legacy as Beloved Leader had called it when she was reported to him, was growing strong.
"It's ok," I seethed, pulling the stone out of my pocket and healing myself. It took a few moments, but the skin was soon good as new. Only evidence left behind of the assault was the charred uniform. I was going through a lot of them these days. "See? I'm fine. You shouldn't worry about your opponents when you strike."
"I know," She mumbles, shaking her head. "But I can't help it."
"We can use vatborn soldiers if that makes you feel better?" I suggest but instantly her face crinkles.
"No," Mel shakes her head vigorously. "I won't do that, Andy. I already told you how I felt about that. I don't care if they just turn to ash, they are people! Or beings, I guess. They still don't deserve that."
"I expected as much," I sighed. "But it doesn't matter, Melody. You need to drop this if you want to be a leader here."
"I don't want to be a leader," She scoffs. "Not if it means hurting people." I haven't even told her about the Earth Expansion yet. How will she take that news? I think briefly about just making her like the Mogadorians with my legacy, I instantly shake it out of my mind and hate myself for it. No, she needs to know that this way of thinking is unacceptable. She has to.
"Melody, you have met Deltoch. You know what the Mogadorians are like. We have to do this," I tried so hard to explain to her about our progress, but she always responded the same. At least Five and I agreed on everything. How do I convince her that this is the best way? The ONLY way?
"No we don't," She says in a hushed tone while generating electricity from her palm to prove a point. "There are others like us, Andy. We can join them! You said that your friend Five is with them." I shook my head in disbelief. What is she saying! Join the rogue Garde? That's a terrible idea!
"Five won't be with them for much longer," I sneered, instantly her face changed and I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I hadn't told her much about why Five was with them, or what we planned to do to Nine and his penthouse.
"What does that mean?" She asks quietly, her eyes pleading for an answer.
"It means that I have been called in to help Five complete his mission.," I answer slowly, trying not to reveal too much. She would only try to talk me out of it, which wasn't an option. This happens now. "You have to stay here, train your powers and read more of the Great Book. I won't be long, and we'll come find you after."
"Five?" Her eyes widen as she realizes what I am not telling her. "You're going to kill them, aren't you?" Her voice is shaky, and she seems horrified.
"No," I tell her, although I'm not convinced there won't be a battle. "Our mission is to bring them to reason. To bring them here, on our side. You might see some of your friends soon." I feel a twinge of jealousy that Melody has met them and not me, the Tenth they never knew existed till a few weeks ago, but they will get their time.
"Andy please, don't hurt them." She pleads.
"I can't guarantee any outcome," I shrug. "Now please, it's time for your studies. The Great Book awaits you."
"How can I sit in some room and read a book while you are out there!" She exclaims, her electricity radiating from her palms across her arms uncontrollably.
"Relax," I tell her calmly. "Just read the Great Book till I return," Her legacy suddenly stops, her face relaxing while she stares at me.
"I gonna go read the Great Book," she smiles. "See you when you get back." Without another word, she turns on her heels and leaves me all alone. It takes a few moments to even realize what I have done. Dammit I just used my mind control on her. I didn't want to do that to her, not again.
Five had communicated with me briefly a few days ago with our plan, using the phone he gave me, and suddenly last night there was a quick change. This plan was set in motion long ago, I had almost forgotten about it until I got his first texts. Five's chest needs to be retrieved.
Originally, the plan was for him to infiltrate their ranks; then have them separate to retrieve the chest. Five was to take out his group once they found his chest, after ensuring Nine was among them.
My role was to blow up Nine's penthouse and take out the garde left behind. Setrakus Ra also wants us to take his granddaughter during our attack. Ella is not to be harmed.
That slightly changed when Ella rendered Number Four useless in some kind of nightmare, courtesy of Beloved Leader. Of course he could also attack in our dreams, he was just that powerful. It would be stupid to stand against him. Any resistant garde is to be eliminated, as per Beloved Leader's orders.
Now our plan is to attack together, while we send in a team of soldiers to retrieve a comatose Ella and kill the humans that the garde stupidly left to defend her and a useless Number Four. Three total, apparently. Should be easy for Deltoch's men to deal with.
Five, Six, Seven, Eight and Nine are on their way to me now, to the Everglades. They will be here in a few hours, or more specifically, a small plot of land not too far from here. I will be waiting, and if they fail to give in to Five's more than generous offer, they will have to be eliminated. Five says he is also delivering me yet another surprise, although he was very vague on what it was. We are ready now to take them on. Five and I will prevail.
