Love Struck Delusion
Chapter 128 – Let's Reconnect.
Raptor's POV.
Putting down the trimmer I looked myself up and down. This was crazy. I felt like I was a newborn. My quills gone. My fur mostly gone. Molly was even looking at me like I was some poor skinned pup. But I knew this wasn't going to last long at all. Thank god hedgehog coats grow back quick. Give it a day or two I'll be back to normal. But as I stared at myself I noticed the coloration of my skin was a bit darker. It's been a while but I'm pretty sure that's not normal for me. Disregarding that I decided to hop in the shower again. Can't begin to tell you how much loose hair was on me.
With Molly thinking she was getting another bath, she got all excited and began to try and climb her way in.
"Baby this is for me." I told her as she clearly wasn't concerned with that fact. Managing to hop in, I gave her some room and watched as she tried to figure out what was happening. She was looking for where the water was coming from and in seconds she saw it was falling on top of her head. I could only laugh as she then tried to bite it. Her attempts were feeble, but good none the less. Soon she looked back at me to bark.
"Braf! Braf!"
This dog was something else.
After a few minutes of me bathing and Molly fighting the water, I turned off the water and stepped out. Not soon after I grabbed her and put her back on the ground. Grabbing a nearby towel, I started to dry her off first. As I did I noticed her coat was starting to come in more. Soon enough she would be a full fledged coyote. With her fur somewhat dry, I refocused on myself at last. Not soon after I was ready to go. Opening the door back out into the main room, Zeta was still asleep. Molly immediately jumped right back up to try and find a spot to rest next to her. When she did, I began to put back on my clothes. I couldn't help but keep watching the wolf as she slept. I won't lie, she had a body to rival gods. Not to mention she was actually pretty sweet when given the proper "motivation."
As I got my belt on, I wondered now where she took my gear. Heading for the door, I looked back at Molly to say.
"I'll be back Molly."
She was too focused on keeping Zeta company as I stepped out. Once in the hallway, I walked over to her room. Inside I found nothing but the usual. Just her bags and her guns. All kept neatly together as I grew curious where my stuff was. Letting out a sigh, I walked out and made my way back to Mason's office. His eyes instantly widened as he saw me. Smiling and starting to chuckle he shouted.
"Holy crap! What the fuck have you done to yourself?!"
Standing up to approach me, Mason came in close to look me over.
"You look...just wow."
"Shut up." I ordered him as I pushed him back.
Laughing still he replied.
"How long till it grows back?"
Approaching one of the seats in front of the desk, I replied while sitting down.
"Hopefully in a day or two. Thank god as well."
Mason slowly came back to his chair to ask.
"So what's up? Did you catch the news?"
Cocking my head slightly, I replied.
"I was...busy these last few hours. What happened?"
"Well I'm sure you know about Pakistan." Stated Mason as I nodded.
"Yeah I heard. Is Linnen doing anything?"
"He's putting all his efforts into helping the city. Which is good for all of us. The city is under a lot of stress without power."
"What else?" I then asked as he calmly replied.
"I set up a meeting for this weekend. It'll be held here but the city will be watching. Hopefully by then you'll have that coat grown back. Can't imagine you want to go world wide with that look."
Chuckling I then said.
"Got that right. But hey I need to run a few things by you. I've been thinking."
"What about?" He then asked in confusion as I just straight up said it.
"I'm going to go visit Gorgon."
Mason slowly nodded.
"I want you to know I do not plan on killing him outright. But I do need you to understand that I would not like it if you or any of the men get in my way. Even if what I decide to do seems...inhuman."
"Your going to torture him." Stated Mason as I just kept him locked on with my eyes. After some time Mason began to nod his head.
"All I ask Raptor is that you keep your methods inside the cell. The men and women here shouldn't have to see that."
"I understand. But I can't promise you anything. I plan on showing him more then just the inside of that box he's in now. In time anyway."
Mason began to tap his fingers on his desk. I could tell he was thinking about what I just said. After a few moments of silence between us he just replied.
"The men and women here Raptor do not know nor understand what went down between you two. The only people who know are myself and other high ranking officials. This way to keep it private. What will they think if they see you butchering a man in the courtyards?"
"That leads me to my last announcement." I then stated as he widened his eyes.
"I'm stepping down from my position as commander."
Mason just opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but the words weren't able to come up. His eyes were dead locked on mine as I nodded once to say.
"After the battle. After killing Hannon. After all that shit I saw. I realized I can't be the man everyone wants me to be. I can't make those choices. Leading a team? Sure I can do that. Starting a rebellion and starting a war where young kids die for me? I can't do that. Not anymore. The way things are going now with Iraq and this city under our control this rebellion does not need me anymore. That's why after this business with Gorgon, I want to focus on just being myself again."
Mason then slowly muttered through his disbelief to what I was saying.
"Raptor wait...this isn't...?" Raising my hand to him I stated.
"This is my choice. No one forced my hand. But like you just said I'm probably going to be caught butchering the man who killed my wife and kids. A man like me should not be looked to as a leader. Even more so as a person who is deciding the future of this nation as a whole."
"But the contract?" Questioned Mason still lost for how to react as I nodded and replied.
"It is signed. It secures our freedom. We work with G.U.N and we rebuild. The contract gives us the choice to do whatever we see fit as a country to progress forward after the war clears. I never signed a contract that forced us to operate a single way. Whoever leads after I step down...whoever takes the mantle and starts guiding to the future will be the one allowed to make those choices. By then the rebellion and the people of this nation will be working hand and hand together, and those choices will be better then anything I can think of by myself."
Standing up from my seat, I kept my eyes on Mason and said.
"I haven't decided if I'm staying. I need time to think that over. But right now my focus is on Gorgon. When the meeting happens this weekend I'll announce my resignation. Then after, I'll decide what I want to do."
I didn't know what else to say or how to say it. Mason too was sitting there in utter shock to what he had just heard. Turning around, I got to the door to look back and smile.
"I don't blame you for what happened to them Mason. They died because of me. That's something I'll never live down."
Shutting the door as I left the office, I proceeded to head downstairs. The men all looked at me in confusion to where my coat of quills and fur had gone. But that wasn't much of a surprise.
As I reached the main door, I got outside to head for the holding blocks. Inside would be the only person left I cared about. Now it was my time decide what would happen next.
Mason's POV.
Raptor left leaving me in complete and utter shock.
"He was stepping down?" I questioned to myself as I tried to understand what just happened.
Leaning back into my seat, I ran my hand up to my face. Rubbing my cheeks and trying to think I said to myself.
Was this his way of punishing himself? He blames himself for what happened to Alicia and his kids. Even though it was my fault G.U.N even got that close to begin with. This war however isn't just because of him and his actions. It's a part of us all. Everyone who is in this army is fighting for their own reasons. Not just because he decided to step up before someone else.
"This can't be happening." I told myself out loud as I stood up to try and think about what to do next. The rebellion can't lose Raptor. We are in a great spot right now, but that doesn't mean we will still win. The rebellion still needs him. I need him. The troops need him. The middle east needs him. What will happen if he just walks away? I need to convince him to rethink this before this meeting happens. What the fuck do I say though? I tried to think about as I wondered if I should get anyone else involved. Archer wouldn't want this. For him to leave. God damn it, Shadow wouldn't even want this. I can't think of a single person who would actually agree to this. Even fucking Hecan Moore probably would disagree.
I had three days. Three days to come up with something. I only knew one person to call.
Gorgon's POV.
I was groggy to say the least. My arms were killing me, my ass hurt from sitting here, and my eyes were barely staying open in this darkness. Not to mention I was hungry and dying to catch a drink. What the fuck was going on? Was this my punishment for Lore? Being left to just rot here like this? I wondered as I suddenly heard a loud clink from outside the door.
With blood pumping through my veins, I opened my eyes and looked up as the door swung open. The light from outside quickly flooded in and instantly I closed them again. It was blinding almost as I heard someone walk in. With the door shutting and the dark taking over again, I asked out loud.
"Who's there!?"
My voice bounced around the room as I was sure someone else was here with me. Nothing but silence however soon came. Trying to look around I shouted.
"What is this huh!? You know who I am!? Do you!?"
In seconds I heard something get placed in front of me. It was metal sounding and starting to hear some footsteps feet away from my legs, I began to ask.
"Who are you!? Come on just show yourself!?"
Soon I got my wish. A light popped on above my head in nothing short then a second after the question left my lips. Again my eyes had to adjust, but I soon saw a man standing by the door. His hand on a switch. Refocusing my vision, I widened my eyes as the figure came into focus. Shock took over. My body completely still as we stared at each other. The first thing I thought to myself was that this had to be a dream. Or some sick nightmare. But taking a step closer I soon saw it wasn't.
A hedgehog. Shaved down to almost nothing, but with a long scar crossing from his forehead down to the back of his right ear. Another scar across his eye. I knew just who he was. And the first thing to leave my mouth as he sat down in a chair he had placed right in front of my feet was.
"How? I...I...shot you."
Voltz was alive. That much was real to me now. Nothing but that could be focused on as he remained silent to stare at my eyes.
"You should be dead. I killed you. Point blank I shot you in head!" I shouted as he was contempt with just listening to my emotions.
Shaking in my shackles, I went on to yell.
"I know I killed you! Scrotus checked! You should be dead! You stupid motherfucker!"
Sending my legs up to try and kick him, I couldn't do nothing but begin to panic as I knew what kind of situation I was in now. But that's when it all struck me at once. The man hunting me down in Pakistan wasn't alone. This was a setup the whole time. Raptor was behind all this. He had to be.
Bringing my body to a halt, I began to breathe heavily. With a tear coming to my eyes, I began to fear what was next. I knew I was fucked. This man wasn't here to save me or just say hi. He was going to kill me. He was going to hurt me so much. And all I could do was wait for it to happen.
Raptor on the other hand just had a straight face on the whole time as I started to show fear. Never once in my life was I this scared. Mainly it was because I couldn't do anything to fight back. Linnen put me in this position. But regardless of what he did to get me here now it was still my fault. I pulled the trigger on this man's family. I took everything from him and brought him to the brink of death to shoot his own kids. This was all my fault. I fucked myself.
With a tear running down my face, I widened my eyes as Raptor said with a calm tone.
"Funny how the tables shifted. Your right though. I should be dead and I wish I was after that night. You took everything from me. You even watched as I shot my kids. Midnight and Ghost. That was there names if you didn't know." He stated as he shifted his weight to lean forward.
"I want to get this out in the open for both of us. Cause we may not agree on some things as leaders but I think we can at least agree to this. We both feel the need to avenge the deaths of people close to us. Be that our men or family. And I won't say it's an easy thing to handle losing people close, but regardless of how much we try both me and you have gone overboard in our drive to hurt one another for it. And to be honest I lost. You beat every hand I had by just snooping at the whole deck and going right for them. It wasn't clean. It wasn't pretty, and god was it not fair. But when has that mattered to ether of us right?" He said as I carefully replied.
"It was Linnen's idea. He had the men in place at the capital."
"Yet you decided to take that opportunity to kill them for what I did to you. Those men probably had orders to wait till the first battle with my army. They were most likely in place to kill Mason. Who is the commander of Afghanistan forces. They weren't there to watch over my family. That order was only given when you felt the need to retaliate. Linnen had them there sure. But it was you who gave the order."
Shaking my head I shouted back.
"You rigged Jagger and Ruby with C4 you deranged animal! You blew them up! Nearly killed me and my other men in the process of just recovering the bodies! Their families will never see their faces again because of you! So your damn right I wanted you dead! But Linnen offered up the idea! That prick Hannon told us your family was there and Linnen was already worried you were doing too much! So it was going to work out for both of us! I would get revenge and he would run you into the ground and end the war before it even started and more people had to die!"
Raptor just listened from his seat as I went on to say.
"Linnen came up with the fucking idea Voltz. Not me. I lost control after that night. I just saw red. I wanted you dead. That's all."
"Then why shoot my wife!? Why make me shoot Ghost!? Huh!?" He shouted with such anger as he leaned in closer out of his rage.
Our eyes kept locked as I struggled to come up with an answer. Pointing at my face directly Raptor went on to shout.
"If you just wanted me dead you would have let them go! They didn't deserve to be shot like fucking dogs! Like some kind of animal! I never even got to hear my wife's last words you fucking...?"
It happened in an instant. Raptor sent his right fist down into the side of my left eye. My whole head was raddled as he nearly knocked me out in place. The power behind his attack alone felt inhuman. I could feel he even managed to crack open the skin above my eye as he finished his last sentence with a distribution of anger in his voice.
"…..asshole!"
My eyes were rolling in my skull as Raptor pulled back to breathe. Very slowly I looked back up at him. His whole body was shaking. I knew this was going to happen. It was only a matter of time.
"My family never hurt a soul! They didn't deserve to die! If anyone that night deserved that treatment it was me!" He stated as I just stared at him in silence.
"They were a means to getting me alone. Which you accomplished the second I heard Alicia's voice over the phone. The fear she had in her voice. She was scared of not just the position she was in. She was scared of you and for good reason." He told me as he watched a small trickle of blood run down my face.
"I can accept the fact about what happened Gorgon. I understand why you killed them and I understand perfectly clear that you had no intentions of letting any of them leave that warehouse alive. So don't you dare sit there and tell me otherwise. Look at me!" He ordered as I locked my eyes back on him. Kicking his chair back, Raptor got right on top of me to get right up in front of my face. We were near an inch apart as he just stared me right down. I began to shake slightly as he grabbed me by the neck with his left hand. His grip wasn't tight, but he just held me there. After a few seconds he said with a fierce voice that brought shivers down my spine.
"We are both deranged fucks. We both get off making other people suffer. Especially when those people take something precious from us. Trust me when I tell you this, I would love nothing more then to just kill you right now. But against my better intentions my deranged side wants nothing more then to watch you suffer for what you did to me and my family. My kids will never see this world for what it will turn into after this war is over. They will never have a future. I'll never get to see them grow into something special. All thanks to you." He told me as he then focused on the blood leaving my cut.
Releasing my neck Raptor then said.
"I plan on breaking you. I want you to know that. I plan on hurting you not just physically, but mentally. I want you to understand just a fraction of how I feel every waking moment without them in my lives. This is not the last time we see each other. Even after we both die I'm sure in hell we'll be sharing a room. But before we get there, I damn well will make you my bitch. Starting with letting you feel the pain of your actions."
His words struck me right to my core. What he was saying didn't bother me as much as to how he was saying it. Without any more words, Raptor placed his right hand over the top of my wound. He just stared right at me as I felt it get warm. In confusion I tried to look up at what he was doing. But without another action Raptor pulled his hand away to stand back up.
"Enjoy what time you have alone. Cause the next time I see you, me and you are going to get to know each other better. A lot better." He told me as I watched him leave the room. Shutting the lights off as he did, I was now left alone in the dark. Even as he did I was lost as to what happened with his hand. All the sudden I didn't feel the cut. What happened? I asked myself as it was clear this wasn't nearly over.
Raptor's POV.
It took every bit of willpower I had to not keep beating him. That man took everything from me and all I did after getting the chance to avenge my family was punch him so hard his eye cracked opened. And even after that I healed the fucker. But I didn't lie to him. The plan was to keep him alive. For that to happen I would need him to stay stable. Letting him sit another day would put some more mental pressure on him. My question that I would soon have answered was just how long would it take for a soldier like him to start begging for food and water?
Heading back to the main building, I made my way inside and up to my room. Inside Zeta still slept. Looking to the wolf, I came close to put the covers over her body. She was lost to herself right now. So peaceful and to be honest just putting my eyes back on her helped me forget what just happened with Gorgon. Running my hand behind her ears, I gently rubbed and began to pet her. Her tail which was between her legs slowly came out to lay on my lap as I knew she was enjoying this. If I liked it, I knew she would. I have yet to meet a girl, especially a wolf, that hates pets. After some time just stroking the soft Russian, I pulled my hand away to get back up. Heading into the bathroom, I looked in the mirror. I knew something was happening to me. I wasn't blind. I saw my coat. What was growing. The only question left to be answered was why?
"You've been using my power Raptor."
Looking to my side; Marcus sat on the edge of the tub. Looking me over with curious eyes he went on to say.
"A while back I said if you were to keep using my power it would take more from you. Not just energy."
"So what then? The more I use the further I turn?"
Nodding Marcus replied.
"In simple terms yes."
"So my coat?"
Continuing to nod, Marcus listened as I went on to wonder.
"What about my body? My eyes? My nose? What else will happen to me?"
Keeping his place on the tub Marcus replied.
"Nothing so obtuse. Your eyes yes, but your form will remain the same. For the most part."
"Should I be worried?" I then asked as he stood up to approach me.
"If losing your look bothers you then yes. But for right now no."
"For right now?" I questioned as he reached for my chest to run his hand towards my heart. I watched as he felt the insignia on my chest. With his eyes looking at it he replied.
"I don't know the extent of your ability yet. Though I'm going to assume it'll get harder as time goes on."
All I could do now was focus on his touch. After some time he pulled away to ask.
"Did she notice?"
Looking into the room at Zeta, I replied.
"I would be surprised if she didn't. But after all that I doubt she'll remember. Does it matter?"
Shaking his head he replied.
"Not if you don't tell her. If she does ask; just play it off as a tattoo or something."
"Do you have one?" I asked as he looked back at me with a new look in his eyes.
With only one word he replied.
"Yes."
Marcus was clearly someone before this. Someone different then I know him as now. I wanted to ask more questions, but I knew it wasn't my time. He looked distracted anyway as he turned back to the tub.
"Are you okay?" I asked him as he nodded and retook his seat.
"I'm just thinking."
"Anything you want to talk about?" I then wondered as he had his eyes on my mark.
"Maybe another time. For now focus on what you got to do."
Nodding my head I watched as he disappeared. Looking back to the mirror, I questioned what he was thinking. I couldn't imagine the things a person like him has gone through to become what he is now.
mT Shadow.