Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 7

Chapter 22: A Tough Inquiry

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

I was staring at Marnathi as she was there to collect me in which I didn't want to do it in front of Roderick and Tori last night. Sitting in an observation room in Helvarga's precinct, I was in the doghouse as it was no fun for me in this mess. I never wanted to agree to this after all the hassle I endured, but I had to anyway. It wasn't fun for me as it was also getting monotonous for me to be put in the middle. It was also hell for me as I was at the mercy of Marnathi and her rhetoric when it came to her hauling those who skip an inquiry, but I couldn't get past her as I was in for a long day in the morning.

"I'm stepping up the inquiry for next month up to today as of now," she said.

"Lollia said it for me to be for next month in the letter she wrote," I said.

"Is that so? According to some of the locals in the Sprawl, the villa where Cesare Zampano ran a chamber of horrors and breeding ground to pay off his debts was blown to bits."

"That concern falls only to the responsibility to the Governor of the Sprawl, not to me or the Intergalactic Space Patrol."

"There was evidence in there and it all went down the toilet when that priss of a governor had the gall to blow it up! Cesare Zampano may be broken and sent to Belbe Citadel on Gehenna, but we were banking on trying to scrounge for clues about the madness that went on there."

I saw Marnathi pace around as she was not too happy with Olivia's decision to destroy the villa in the Sprawl. What I didn't expect was that she fished out the pictures of the destroyed villa as I saw it in shambles, but collecting evidence inside was too little, too late to begin with. I was cornered to face this inquiry as there was no way out of it, for this was something that I had to do, even though I loathed the fact of seeing it early.

"Lollia was about to collect evidence in that villa, but it was too late," said Marnathi.

"According to Olivia, most of the evidence was looted and sold before the villa was blown up," I said. "You can't detain me just to play out that inquiry, which violates your code of conduct as an officer of the Intergalactic Space Patrol."

"Let him go, Marnie," said an middle-aged man as he was dressed in civilian clothes complete with a cap and apron. "You can't just hold him indefinitely, you know."

"Gregory Tinker," she said. "You were a war veteran in the Alecrian Army, only to turn tail and run a bakery here on Lannister. I'm glad that your son got hitched, but now's not the time to get Sam out of this predicament."

"Sam's an Elder of the Order. He can't be detained by us no matter what we say. And as I recall, he's got a summons to Essos to where the Universal Library is, remember?"

"Sam's not going anywhere! He's staying put whether you like it or not! There's an inquiry to hear out, so I suggest that you leave before I throw something at you!"

I saw Gregory leave the observation room as I was alone with Marnathi for this long day. Even though I loathed it, I was trapped with an officer of the Intergalactic Space Patrol as this was also a pointless argument that I was tossed into, for there was no end to such suffering so far…

Roderick was waiting outside the precinct building as he was worried about me being detained for no reason. He never wanted me to be trapped in there to begin with as he saw his father enter out of the building with no luck into getting me out. Still, he was wanting me to get out of such a pointless inquiry as it was to no avail due to Cesare's villa being destroyed in the Sprawl. Even though his attempt to get me out of the precinct failed, it didn't stop him from trying his darndest to get me away from the inquiry that I was forced into.

"So, any luck getting him out?" he asked.

"Marnathi can be a bitch, but when plans to shut down an operation go awry, she really unloads on those who screw it up," said Gregory. "Still, those who serve in the Intergalactic Space Patrol have a tendency to go over the top when it comes to dealing with busting criminals."

"Those people shouldn't hold Sam there to begin with when he didn't do anything wrong."

"According to the one who started up that sting operation to shut down Cesare Zampano and his illegal activities in the Sprawl, the governor destroyed evidence, which is an S-class felony."

"Everything is deemed an S-class felony to those pricks. The Intergalactic Space Patrol ought to leave this village and never come back."

"Roddy, let me remind you that your late mother was a member of the Intergalactic Space Patrol until she passed away. She served under Marnathi, for she had her reasons to protect what was precious to her. As for the one who rained on Sam's parade, she was once married to Cesare's father in which the marriage itself wasn't a happy one. She never wanted to marry that prick and bear his sons, but all the Count wanted was the pinnacle that came from his mistress who died in childbirth. With heaping praise for all the wrong reasons towards a bad apple and not praising the other four sons, Marnathi had it with him when she filed for divorce and finalized it the moment she decided to become a cop. Even though she took her sons away with her, she had them be in the same force as her in which she valued them more than that prick of an ex-husband, that's for damn sure."

"I just hope that she doesn't get too rough with Sam..."

Roderick was worried about me as he feared the worst that was yet to come. He wasn't with good terms to the Intergalactic Space Patrol, but he was worried about me more than anything, for I was in the doghouse that was unwarranted from the beginning…

I remained in the observation room as I still sat at the table with Marnathi staring at me for the past two hours. She was not about to let me off the hook as she was still miffed about the destruction of the villa in the Sprawl. Even though I wanted to return home, I was forbidden as I was under the watchful gaze of the one who started the operation to shut down Cesare Zampano in the first place. It was going to be hell for me as this was also something that became unwarranted for no reason at all. I hated to be interrogated, but I had no say in this matter, for it was a step too far on Marnathi's part after all.

"Your friend destroyed countless evidence in that villa," she said to me. "How are we gonna prosecute my stepson now?!"

"'Stepson?'" I asked out of curiosity.

"Cesare Zampano was the oldest, but he was the most indulged in which his own brothers were left without a penny in his daddy's fortune. He was the most favored out of all of the spawns that Emiliano created due to him having a mistress to chuck him out before she died."

"And Cesare will always remain a bad apple till the bitter end."

"Emiliano and I were never on good terms the moment I was forced to marry at the behest of those who were late in the matron stage and something bad happens to us if we don't mate. As for our farce of a union, I produced two single births and a set of twins—all of them boys—for that prick in general, but he still favored Cesare till the bitter end. After all that resentment I faced, I decided to leave and take my boys with me in which I divorced his ass with only a chunk of the fortune that was settled to us, but it wasn't enough to pay the bills or make ends meet."

"I've seen it before… on the Doohan. There were Draaza who were forced to be celibate against their wishes in which the Red Inquisition have an annihilation agenda against them. In the end of that tragedy the people in the Doohan turned into Askradi who fed on their victims and themselves. As for your divorce against your ex-husband, my group in the order literally condemns that separation in which it leads to adultery. It also seems that your dire predicament in the small settlement that was given to you made you more stronger than what is perceived to be in the force you serve. Favoritism is a dangerous mechanism, for it will be a lethal set of choices in the end if one child is favored more than the rest of his or her siblings."

"You sound like John Winchester. Back in the day, he loved his boys equally, even you, but he also had a stranglehold over the wayward boy who often strayed away to his own adventures years ago. As for the predicament that you got put into, it won't slide until I get some answers from that governor who lives in the Sprawl."

Without warning, we saw the windows in the observation room glowing as we tried to get out of there. Even though I was up from my chair, I bolted to the door as I noticed it to be locked in which we were trapped in the room altogether. With Marnathi trying to break out, she noticed the images outside weren't in Helvarga at all as she saw the image of a barren wasteland from outside. She never expected to be in another dry world like what happened on Crixus, but she wanted to get some answers in which she finally opened up the door and went outside to see the new terrain. I also ventured outside to see it as I had a gut feeling that the dry terrain would be too much, for I sensed a chain reaction to occur on this land soon enough.

"What the hell's wrong with this picture?!" I heard Marnathi yell out as she was seeing the barren wasteland even further. "This dry place isn't in Helvarga on Lannister, you know!"

"Something pulled us here, but this place isn't like the last four planets in the central part of the Ashizoka System," I said. "This place is different, but it is also about to have a chain reaction activated soon enough."

"What do you mean, 'chain reaction?!' You're still not off the hook on the last form of crap in front of you, Sam! You can't just walk away scott free, you know!" She stares at me briefly as I was on the verge of having a wet accident in my clothes. "Hey, where are you going?!"

"I have to pee!"

I spotted a rock near a cave as I rushed behind it and began to relieve myself carefully. Even though I was no stranger into relieving myself in wooded areas, I couldn't hold it as I was grateful that I didn't wet my clothes. By the time I finished up, I walked back to where Marnathi was as I began to scope out the rest of the wasteland that we were in. What we didn't expect was that drops of rain were coming down as it began to become a cloudburst altogether. Spotting the cave, we rushed inside as we watched the rain pour down in which it was all too much for us, but this barren wasteland will be like the rest soon.

"This is insane!" yelled Marnathi as she removed her jacket and wrung out the excess water.

"It's normal to bring wherever we're at to fruition," I said as I removed the overrobe from my kimono. "This isn't the first time that this has happened. I first touched down on Benezia, which is the second planet of the central part of the Ashizoka System, but Bhunivelze is off limits due to its closeness to the sun."

"Wherever we're on, it's not like Crixus."

"We'll explore the rest of this place as soon as the storm clears. As for the rest of our problems, let's hope that help finds us before we end up starving on this desolate planet."

I watched the rain pour from outside as I was hoping for help to arrive. Still, I ended up causing a chain reaction to this place as I wanted to get back to Reiko and Elise before they worry about me too much. I was also starting to worry as I had a gut feeling that something was wrong indeed in my absence, for this wasn't the first time I ventured into the unknown like this and it wouldn't become the last anytime soon…

Elise was searching frantically as she didn't want Dean on her back for losing me at the hands of Marnathi and her inquiry. She had a bone to pick with the patrol officer as she walked towards the precinct to see the windows glowing on one of the sides. Rushing to the main doors of the precinct, she saw several officers searching frantically for me and Marnathi as they were fearing the worst in this farce of an inquiry. When she ventured inside of the precinct, she noticed Reiko looking at the door to the observation room as it was opened to reveal a darkness where it was once visible. There was a sign that I was whisked off somewhere as they were concerned about what could happen next, for they had to find me and bring me back sooner or later.

"Dean's gonna be pissed if he sees me shirking my responsibility into protecting Sam!" yelled Elise as she was worried to the gills. "Everyone that lusts after his raw power is wanting a piece of him and it's up to the bodyguard to protect him!"

"Sammy's safe, so there's no need to worry," said Reiko.

"How the hell do you know that he's safe?! He could be whisked in the bowels of Hell where that Milverton guy rules with an iron fist over the demons who live down there!"

"He's on the planet, Gannicus, for it is in a chain reaction from becoming a barren wasteland to a vibrant place to live in."

"Are you serious?"

"He probably either sneezed or worried himself to a fever, but it's different when he had no other choice but to tinkle."

"I bet that there's no toilet there, but Sam's raw power might dream up an old piece of the Elder Days. His past self did live in a bunker that he found, didn't he?"

"Then my Sammy will dream up of a bunker to take shelter from. Therefore, we'll find him and Marnathi before they worry themselves to a frenzy."

"How will we get there? We don't even have a spaceship to fly in!"

Reiko grabbed Elise by the hand as they were whisked to where the unknown planet was in which they experienced a downpour that was caused by my meddling. The sight of the dry ground turned into grass as the rain continued to pour all over. When they reached the cave that we were in, they noticed that we were gone, but our traces of the whereabouts were everywhere. Even though they were on Gannicus, they were aware that my raw power was changing the structure of the cave in which it was becoming more liveable by the second. Therefore, Reiko knew where I would go to as she saw a lamppost that was recently sprouted up with a light in it, for she was ready to find me soon enough in this strange cave so far…

Akio was in his office in the Order's main headquarters on Valinor as he was looking into what occurred in the Sprawl on Lannister. Even though Cesare Zampano was shut down from his unholy and heinous business practices in that place of outcasts, he was aware that I had work elsewhere as he saw the door open up. Coming into the office, there was a familiar angel that was there as he was on business into retrieving me from Lannister before anything else got out of hand. With the war going on so far, everyone was on edge as it was a hellish reminder of what the Executive Division was doing, for they were going too far into delving with their further lust on the horizon.

"You've come a long way, Castiel, but your timing is bad," said Akio as he sipped his cup of coffee.

"There is a shrine for Sam and Lady Reiko located on Minas Tirith," he said.

"I know, but the chieftain who rules that region of Eorana within the capital city of Theoden has been going mad for a long time now. Even his family are concerned about his mental stability, but their only hope is in the shrine that is tailor-made for Sam and Reiko to get a little kinky in there."

"That's not our only problem there. The last time I was there, I was greeted by an unsavory character who hung around the chieftain, who goes by the name of Brackavar."

Akio put his cup of coffee down as he dug into the filing cabinet in his desk. Digging into some files, he took one out as he opened it up in which he saw a picture of a shady man with small scars on his face and lips. He was aware of what Castiel spoke of as he had a gut feeling that my work wouldn't be easy with such a slimy toady crawling on Tirithian soil.

"Looks like our 'friendly' toady has a criminal record, Castiel," he said. "It turns out that Brackavar was a member of the Black Dragon Guild and a shot caller for the Red Inquisition while bowing down and kissing the Red Cardinal's ass all the live long. It also turns out that he is wanted by the Intergalactic Space Patrol for false advertising, embezzlement, murder, blackmail, and even abducting royalty, which is punishable in the form of death by hanging."

"And he hides behind the robes of the chieftain he is manipulating," he said.

"That's not all. If Sam is there, our little toady will alert his handlers in which the Red Inquisition will stop at nothing to steal him just to make him say yes to Lucifer and become the devil's vessel. It happened once before in the Elder Days, but it won't happen here in this galaxy. Protecting Sam from harm will always be our top priority because of the fact that his raw power has become a target for those who have a primal lust for it, especially for the Red Inquisition who will stop at nothing to force him into becoming Lucifer's vessel."

Castiel remembered the presence of Lucifer clearly as he was no stranger into dealing with the devil who caused havoc in the Elder Days. He also remembered saying yes to being the devil's vessel as he even regretted his choice when the Darkness was released from her prison once. Still, he was feeling the heat of the consequences that he had as he didn't want me to make the same mistake that he made long ago. Pausing for a brief moment, he saw a white crow outside as it was flying towards a tree branch. He was aware of the bad omen coming as he was no stranger into dealing with the troubling fact that the sign of a white crow meant danger, for it was there without warning…

I was walking further in the cave as I had Marnathi in tow. The both of us were venturing into drier territory until we spotted a door that was shaped like the one in the bunker in the Elder Days. Taking no further chances, I opened it up as I enterd into a familiar place that was recorded in the Order's archives. With Marnathi following me inside, she noticed it to be fully lit as she saw the typical switchboard that was in front the moment she followed me down the stairs where it was. We also noticed other strange objects that resembled an ancient control panel from long ago as we even tiptoed into a room with plenty of tables and bookshelves in it. I was seeing nostalgia rebuilt by my raw power as I was even seeing some books that were published after the colonization of Earth's inhabitants, for it was a rebirth of seeing knowledge there in front.

"This is a copy of the bunker from the Elder Days," I said as I spotted a sword that was mounted on top of one of the shelves. "I read of how this library had a lot of things that dealt in lore."

"Well, this isn't like the Batcave," said Marnathi as she ventured out into the hall the moment I followed her. "It's been said that the bunker of yore was once dormant until your past self and your brother's took up residence after they found out that their family was part of the Men of Letters."

"It seems that this bunker was my doing by copying what I knew in my brain."

"Well, you're not like a certain tyrannical fat-ass who cheated his way to becoming president with the help of Russians." Marnathi steps into a room as she spotted a box of adult magazines on a nightstand. "Seriously?! What kind of jack-ass would peddle this smut in the bunker like that?!"

"Oh, dear..." I walked into the room as I examined the magazines gingerly. "It's been ages since a purveyor of pornographic tendencies saw a copy of Busty Asian Beauties stacked in a box, but these are dated in the year that the Winchesters of old took up residence in the original bunker." I see a stack of old vinyl records as I took one of them out gingerly. "Led Zeppelin in all its glory… Dean would love this once he gets a day off from his duties on Shiganshina..."

Without warning, I heard footsteps approaching as I rushed into the control room in which I spotted Reiko and Elise standing near the entrance above it. They were grateful that we were found, but we were in a bit of a pickle as we had to wait until the storm cleared, for it was something that we had to get used so in this long day of rain. When we saw Reiko and Elise walk down the stairs, they saw us to be unharmed as they were grateful that we were safe after all.

"It's about time that we found you!" yelled Elise. "Do you know how wet it is outside?! We should've brought some ponchos or something!"

"If the weather outside is bad, you should see the nostalgia that's here," said Marnathi. "Did you see all those porno mags that were in that room?"

"I've seen them before," said Reiko. "They once catered to the interest of Brother's past self with his fondness of women with large breasts."

"Then we can toss them out."

"I'm sorry, but nostalgia can't be tossed out so lightly..."

"And you're okay with that?!"

"Marnathi, nostalgia like this in the bunker copy can't be erased so readily," I said. "Even though this place is similar to the one on Earth, every nook and cranny must be preserved."

It wasn't long until I heard my stomach growling as I was starting to get hungry the moment I began to think about what could be suitable to quell my hunger. My first instinct was going towards the kitchen as I saw it to be similar to the one in the original bunker, but it had a few upgrades attached to it. With a brick oven and digital food replicator spotted, I was seeing it to be more feasible until I went towards the storage pantry where I saw several onggi stacked on shelves. Taking one of the earthenware jars, I set it onto the counter as I opened it up to smell a familiar, but stinky scent that permeated from it. I found some kimchi in the onggi as I was ready to find some bowls to put some in it. Looking into the cabinets, I saw some bowls that were stacked up in place as I grabbed one and was ready to dig into the kimchi, for I was hungry on the spot. Just as I was about to do so, I saw a familiar rush of children coming as the sight of Aora and Ghimru running all over the kitchen was more than enough to keep me on my toes until I spotted Carly running after them.

"Get back here!" I heard her yell.

"It seems that you came here by one of the rooms with the red rubber ball, fusspot," I said.

"Mr. Sam, Aora and Ghimru won't behave!"

"Does Moro or one of the others know that you aren't there in the Cerulean Palace on Targaryen?"

"Carly!"

I spotted Kanna running into the kitchen as she noticed me trying to catch up to Aora and Ghimru, who were running around in clean clothes. Even though I caught up to them, I had a gut feeling that this tough inquiry would be tougher by the second in which I had to keep them in line after that scuffle earlier.

"Dvora's been looking for you, but you decided to run off in looking for the twins," said Kanna,

"Dvora's nothing but a sourpuss," said Carly. "She thinks that she can boss us around when you're not here, but—"

"You should pay attention to other elders besides me and Reiko, fusspot," I said sternly. "Yes, Dvora can be a sourpuss, but she's also expecting a baby."

"Dirk and Gyatso are helping Miss Deejatra take care of the younger twins, but I didn't wanna be around Dvora too much."

"And that was when you ran after Aora and Ghimru," said Kanna. "Luckily, I found a room with a red rubber ball in our temporary lodgings, but we should get home before everyone worries."

"There's no need," I said. "There's plenty of kimchi for a starter, for it's that time for dinner anyway. Still, we have our work cut out for us, but this copy of the old bunker has plenty of the same jars that James Farragut stores all over his homestead for other uses in his recipes. If there's some meat present, we'll even make some mandu or budae-jjigae for dinner."

I was optimistic into fixing a meal in the bunker replica on Gannicus as I had plenty of company to deal with. Still, I was busy, but I also had to deal with family with all the bells and whistles that came with it, for I was thankful that there was comfort in the time of uncertainty after all…

Roderick was waiting outside the precinct as he was worried about what occurred earlier. He never liked the fact that I was trapped in that unwanted inquiry as he was sitting there on the sidewalk. Even though it was almost dusk, he spotted Tori with a bag of groceries in her hand as she sat down beside him. Like Roderick, Tori was also worried about me as she wanted to know where I was, for I didn't deserve to be held up by the Intergalactic Space Patrol for no reason whatsoever.

"It's been three hours since Sam got stuffed in the precinct," said Roderick.

"Does Reiko know where he is?" asked Tori.

"She could be worried about him if he's not there..."

"I knew it…," said Gregory as he came back with a basket of kimchi buns in his hands. "The phenomenon of the savior being whisked away to one of the barren planets in the central part of the Ashizoka System just started up again."

"What are you talking about, Dad?"

"I keep sensing Sam's imagination run wild before in which a replica of the bunker from the Elder Days. How do I know of this?" Gregory shows his arm all scarred from an unusual force. "I got struck by lightning once in this arm while cleaning the gutters of the bakery once, but I was surrounded by those people in suits while they had angel wings. The real kicker was that I ended up being one of their Father's prophets after that. It's bizarre, but I hope that Sam comes back from wherever he is..."

Without warning, a patrol vehicle showed up as Lollia emerged from it the moment she received a post from Marnathi about bumping the inquiry. Dressed in a patrol uniform, she was ready to have a bone to pick with her superior as she wasn't too happy with her about changing the date of the inquiry that involved the case against Cesare Zampano a few days back. She was ready to let loose, but she noticed the observation room all blackened for no reason, for there was something wrong indeed.

"What's the meaning of this?" she asked.

"We've been camped out in front of the building, but there's no sign of Sam or Marnathi," said Gregory. "It's strange that they've been whisked to another planet, but there's no stopping the raw power that Sam possesses."

"Marnathi should've known better to change the date of the inquiry about the Zampano incident, only to go out of her way to hold Sam against his will."

"Don't take it personally, but Sam and Marnathi aren't there in the precinct," said Tori.

"I was about to allow Sam to be in the inquiry about Zampano's illegal activities, but it seems that the bastard's possessions were sold before the villa was destroyed. Still, Marnathi shouldn't be jumping the gun on keeping Sam indefinitely, but I'm keeping him away from the inquiry that was scheduled for next month."

"And why is that?"

"I got a message from Akio in which there are warring forces out for blood against Sam. I heard about the Executive Division, but the other groups are unknown until Hell's finest and those religious fanatics wanted in on abusing the raw power that he has."

"They're after Sam because he's the ultimate prize in this ongoing war," said Castiel as he appeared out of nowhere. "Right now, he's on the planet Gannicus in which his raw power has vitalized it to fruition."

"I had a gut feeling that another one of those central planets would be in that chain reaction..."

"Right now, the enemy forces that we are fighting against have staked their claim to Sam. What's even worse is that those who are against him have literally feared his ascension as the god of the Ashizoka System altogether. Even though he and Reiko have used their sexual encounters to unlock the potential of the other planets in the central part of it, they have work to do when they are meant to do their duty in the remaining shrines that were made for them on Atreides, Valinor, and Minas Tirith."

"I hate to say it, but Minas Tirith is not on good terms with those people you speak of. It also seems that a chieftain has been blocking the shrine that was built by my people centuries ago. If Sam and Reiko ever go there, they should also be wary of what that chieftain is under, for a dark force has been controlling him for a while, according to some of the locals who live around that region."

It wasn't long until Castiel fished out a letter as he gave it to Lollia. Opening it up, she saw it to be from Jeriba Farragut herself as it was a summons to Minas Tirith as planned. Still, duty was calling to us as it was also a rallying cry to stop the Executive Division and their allies before we all fell in front of them. War itself was a barrage of danger, for we all had to pull our weight in this ongoing battle that was on the line in this time of crisis…

We were all in the library of the bunker replica as dinner consisted of what was found earlier. The sight of the budae-jjigae was a godsend as we ate our fill before resuming our duties. By the time we finished our meal and washed our dishes, we were ready to return back to our usual positions as we ushered Kanna, Carly, and the older twins to a room with a red rubber ball in it. Even though we had business elsewhere, I would soon depart this bunker as I had to explain things to Roderick and Gregory back in Helvarga on Lannister, for there was going to be an earful of worry after that inquiry went sour in the long run.

"Looks like you're not coming back with us," said Kanna.

"I would, but Reiko and I have to return to Lannister," I said.

"Are there people who are worried about you over there, Mr. Sam?" asked Carly.

"I'm afraid so, fusspot, but once you, Kanna, and the older twins return back to the Cerulean Palace on Targaryen, I want you to be on your best behavior and don't give Dvora a hard time while getting home."

"We'll see you when you get home..."

I saw them depart after they closed the door behind them in which the room glowed while bringing them back. When I opened up the door, it was our turn to return from our folly as Reiko and the others stepped in first. By the time I entered into the room with the red rubber ball, I closed the door behind me as we were all going back to Helvarga on Lannister. We were home free as we returned to our temporary position in which I opened up the door and stepped into the precinct to see the rest of the officers relieved that Marathi was safe. When the rest of us stepped into the precinct, we were met by Lollia, who had a bone to pick with Marnathi, as this inquiry was about to get tougher by the second.

"Looks like you returned in one piece, but that doesn't mean that you're out of the woods yet," she said. "The inquiry has been cancelled, so Sam doesn't have to participate in it."

"Are you kidding me?!" yelled Marnathi. "This inquiry is to be put together after that farce dealing with the Zampano incident! So much evidence against that prick is going straight down the toilet right now! Oh, I need a drink of tequila after all that crap going out the window!"

"It's not what you think. Akio Ashizoka sent me a message to give to Sam to cancel it because of the fact that he and Reiko are needed on Minas Tirith. You can't fight this one because of the fact that their duty into going to the shrine in the Tirithian region of Eorana, which was once a stronghold."

"Let me remind you that walking away from an inquiry is a Z-class felony! What kind of duty is Sam doing right now other than being a witness to that now cancelled inquiry about the Zampano incident?"

"It concerns one of the final three to get to in order to complete the central part of the Ashizoka System's awakening, but it appears that I have stiff competition."

"You bet your ass!"

"Hey, don't be harsh on him," said Elise. "If he's needed on Minas Tirith, then let him go. Akio did send that letter to Lollia to give to him, didn't he?"

It wasn't long until I saw Lollia give me a letter that was addressed to me from the beginning in which I read it carefully. I had a gut feeling that I would soon be called forth to Minas Tirith as there was no other choice right now. Even though I was given that message, I only had a rough glare coming from Marnathi as she was not about to let me off the hook after shutting down Cesare's malignant operations in his villa in the Sprawl. By the time I saw Reiko take the lead into escorting me out of the precinct, we were met by the presence of Castiel, who was most likely to be at our disposal for the time being.

"You got the message, didn't you?" he said.

"Yeah, but Marnathi isn't too happy with me for skipping out on the inquiry that got recently cancelled," I said. "Still, I may have been saved by that cancellation, but I'm still under the threat of being stuck with a Z-class felony for doing so."

"Marnathi will understand your reasons to be put with different circumstances, Sam. As for Akio forcing a cancellation of the inquiry just to do your duty on Minas Tirith, he's also aware that the planet itself has a shrine to be visited in. After that, there will be two more places for you and Lady Reiko to fulfill your duty: one on Atreides and one on Valinor. Both places will be waiting for you in order to fulfill what you were ordained to do."

"I just hope you're right about this one..."

"He's right about our reasons to do our duty, Sammy," said Reiko. "As for Marnathi, she can't fight against what Akio brought out after all that toil when we all went to Gannicus and into the replica of the Earth bunker from the Elder Days."

"'Bunker?'" said Castiel as he was curious about our trip to the newest planet we visited.

"The place on Gannicus was a copy of the ancient Men of Letters bunker that was once built on Earth centuries ago down to the detail of what was found in the room where Dean's past self had his box of porno magazines."

It wasn't long until we spotted Roderick and Tori standing in front of us as they were glad that we were safe. Even though I had a reprieve from being called into the inquiry, my troubles were far from over as I noticed Mitriel appear out of nowhere in which he was there to cause mayhem against my wishes, for he was there to kill in my name, which I refused to allow. What I didn't expect was that he stopped time briefly as he was ready to give me a warning against my wishes, for he was out for blood for those who would be perceived to commit lese majeste against me.

"You never learn, do you, Mitriel?" I said.

"I'm here to give you a warning, Sam," he said to me.

"You know that I won't have much of a reputation if one kills in my name for the wrong reasons."

"Let me remind you again that you will always be the savior and our future deity within the stars deserves respect among the masses, even if it comes to bringing fear to those who defile you at every turn they get."

"I'm pretty much used to such belittlement, but having people like you kill in my name is a stain on both my reputation and honor."

"You and Lady Reiko are going to Minas Tirith, aren't you? There's a shrine there, but there's a familiar name of the past that is waiting for you there, for he was once thought to be dead from that factory explosion on Drakonus."

"Crowley's alive?"

"He's alive as he could ever be, for he is also on a much shorter leash coming from the one who had the gall to resurrect him in the form of the true leader of the Order of Letters."

"The only leaders of the Order are Ginryu, Ryosuke, Shion, and Akio. There is no other so far."

"Does the name, Seto Ashizoka, ring a bell to you?!" Mitriel's voice rang in my ears as I felt the sting of them striking every fiber of my being. "She calls the shots in the Order, for she also likes to keep her closest 'pets' at close range. Every being all over the cosmos knows of her vile temper if one falls out of line. As for your status as a savior, there will be more of us that will kill in your name and you won't do anything about it, mark my words."

I saw Mitriel disappear without a trace as time's flow returned to normal. I was shaken by his words, but I recovered quickly the moment I was greeted by the couple that I officiated on their wedding day. Still, I had a foil there, but I didn't want it to get to me as I had to remain firm into seeing to my duties in the long run.

"I see that you came back," said Tori.

"I thought that you would be kept in that precinct forever and Marnathi refuses to let go," said Roderick. "Still, let's hope that she doesn't get too mad at you..."

"I have business on Minas Tirith," I said.

"What kind of business?"

"He and Reiko are going to some shrine over there," said Elise. "As for that farce of an inquiry, it's been put to bed for now. It's also a great thing that our superior who leads the Order of Letters gave Lollia that note or else we wouldn't hear the end of it."

It wasn't long until a drop of rain fell from the sky as it started to become one hard downpour. Even though dusk settled in, we had to reach for shelter as the rain fell all over Helvarga the moment we all reached a dry spot from the weather. Still, we had enough bad weather for one day as it was also something that we often got used to, for it was a time for us to stand up against our enemies in this ongoing war…

To be continued...