Hello! This is the second chapter is my story. Its taken off rather well, I must say! It been a lot of fn to write thus far, and It should only get better from here. For those of you enjoying my story, this chapter is dedicated to all of you... few or many. Enjoy!
Chapter Two: On the Other Side of the Mirror
"Mors... Its time for you to die now." Devil said gleefully.
Mors turned around, only to catch Devil's fist right to his temple. Mors fell, and at the same time, tried to whip Devil, whom only stepped back a bit to avoid it. Mors fell to the ground, but quickly got back up.
"Are you serious this time?" Mors asked, unaware of what was really going on.
"More than you know, dead man. I'll flay the skin from your bones!" Devil said. Alyssa could only watch and see that this new Hagan's eyes held none of the kindness that they held before. Now, only hate and malice were in that gaze of his.
"Glad to hear it! Now I can get serious!" Mors said and shot his whip out in a series of attacks.
Devil simply either dodged or blocked all of the strikes, without any real effort. Devil then threw a handful of chopstick at Mors.
"Flame Knives!" Devil shouted and snapped his fingers. The chopsticks caught fire in mid-air and homed in on Mors. The astonished assassin barely dodged the flaming weapons by falling to the floor in a roll.
"But...! You're element is water! How?" Mors sputtered in shock.
"Too much for you? Bah! Don't waste my time! Fight or die!" Devil shouted as he leaped in for the kill.
Devil delivered several quick jabs to Mors' body, all the while weaving and dodging around Mors' clumsy counter-strikes. Devil leaped back suddenly, and drew his fighting chopsticks again. Mors got to his feet slowly, looking carefully at Devil. Devil suddenly smirked at Mors.
"What is it? What are you smirking at, you stupid bastard!?" Mors shouted, his frustration evident in his voice.
"You're dead." Devil said simply.
All the while, Alyssa watched the fight with growing despair and horror. She knew a bit about this man called Hagan, even though she had only been with him for a little bit. This person fighting Mors wasn't the Hagan she had seen at all. This Hagan was what she had always pictured a monster to really be like. This Hagan was a nightmare for her. She sunk to the floor in despair, not knowing what was going on anymore. All she knew was that she had again been saved by him, even if he was now somehow evil. She could also tell that Mors was going to die at Hagan's hands, there was do doubt about that. She could tell that he was simply playing with Mors, waiting to make the kill. What was she to do?
Before Mors could react to Devil's statement, Devil threw chopstick after chopstick at Mors. "Rain of Fire!" Devil shouted as each chopstick caught fire in mid-air and flew at the bewildered Mors.
Mors' whip flew out over and over, trying to deflect the flaming projectiles, but there were too many, and one pierced Mors' leg, both impaling and burning him. He fell, and another one sunk into his right arm. He did escape most of them, but he was now badly wounded, and his fighting ability was now next to zero.
"Mors... I really expected more of you than that. After all of that talk you gave earlier, I was hoping that you would be able to actually fight. I guess you're just trash after all. An inferior warrior from an inferior teacher. You fail." Devil taunted mercilessly.
Mors grimaced from both the pain and the insult. "Who... are you, you freak of nature? You're not the Hagan I saw train..." Mors said, pain laced in his voice.
"I... I am... call me Devil, if you want to name me. I am a devil and am the one who will send you to hell." Devil said simply.
This Devil stood over Mors, leering at him. He was quietly chuckling, his hands going for the kill, wrapping around his neck.
"No!" cried out Alyssa. Tears ran down her face. She had a look of tremendous emotional pain on her face, and she sunk to her knees.
Devil turned suddenly to face her. She shivered when she looked into his eyes, seeing the blood lust within. He stared at her intently for a moment, as if she confused him somehow.
"Girl... You should run. This will get bloody." Devil said simply, though his voice shook a little.
"I heard you were an assassin from Dizzy, but I didn't believe it... until now." Alyssa said, obvious sorrow in her voice.
Both turned when they heard Mors grunt. They saw him standing, though barely. He was beaten, and he knew it.
"You fool girl! He's one of the best, you know! He beat me well enough... You were fooled by his repentant demeanor, and now you see his true self." Mors said grimly.
"That, that's not true... I... I'm not a killer... But I am an assassin! I..." Devil said, his voice badly shaking and emotional.
He was no longer totally Devil, as some of his other self had come out. He had paused in his steps, his face betraying the struggle occurring within his mind. He twitched violently, and his hands went up to cover his eyes.
Everyone was so focused on the spectacle of Hagan that they hadn't noticed their new guests. Johnny and Dizzy watched from the corner of the hall, clearly astonished.
"What can you tell me, Dizzy?' asked Johnny.
"I... I don't know. Its like looking at two people when I see him. One is... kind, yet fragile. The other is... rage. Pure rage. Its like nothing I've seen." she said, watching.
Johnny stepped out to stop the fight. "You, Hagan... stop this at once!" he shouted, resting his hand on his sword.
Devil turned, his control wavering. "You... you're too late for that. I'm already losing... control." he said as he clutched his head. "He will awaken soon. I'll see you again... sometime." he said and passed out.
Johnny took the two to the medical bay, not quite sure as to what exactly was going on.
Hagan 'awoke' in a dismal void, befit of color or feature. It was as if he stood above nothingness its self, and he was the last thing alive. He felt somehow at home here though, and that troubled him most of all. He started to walk, obeying some sourceless compulsion to go somewhere. He soon saw another him walking towards him... but it was obviously not him at the same time. Rage marred this other self's features, and scars adorned his flesh. He walked with a purpose to his gait, and he embodied death in human form. Hagan somehow knew whom this other self was. This was his dark side, Devil, incarnate.
"We're inside my mind, aren't we?" he asked of his other self, already sure of the answer.
"You know that already. We need to talk." his other self said, speaking with his voice, but it was strained with impatience and anger foreign to him normally.
"Who... are you?" asked Hagan.
"Hmm... The best way to say this is that I am you. More accurately, I am the rage you felt all those years ago at the death of your parents, at your imprisonment. I am what you could not face. In a sense, you and the assassins created me so you could be free of the madness that took you after your abuse. You made me out of your worst parts, so what else could I be?" he said, an edge of accusation in his voice.
Hagan took a step back. It was true that his other self had been present since his recovery from his madness.
"You are my madness." Hagan whispered before even thinking about it.
"That is one way to say it. You are not wrong. The thing is though, I'm actually a separate identity from you now. I am not your madness anymore, but I am the other you, full of the rage you no longer feel... and a need for revenge on everyone!" the other Hagan shouted and charged at Hagan.
The other him attacked furiously, swiping at his head with his hands. Hagan defended himself, but could find no opening in the fury-driven attacks. He fell back before the rapid strikes, slowly losing ground.
"Why must we fight!? Are we not the same?" Hagan shouted at his other self.
He then struck hard at a small opening his other self had left by over-extending a swing. He struck his other half hard, sending him flying back.
"We don't need to do this! We should figure something out! We both suffered!" Hagan shouted, and his voice echoed through the emptiness of their surroundings.
"You made me to hold that suffering away from you! I suffered long after you! I had to endure what you could not! You know nothing of suffering!" his other self shouted and jumped up. Hagan knew an attack was coming, and he readied himself for it.
Devil threw bolts of flame down on Hagan, whom called water to his palms and deflected the fiery shots. Then, his other self dove down, driving his foot into Hagan's shoulder. At that moment though, Hagan tilted his shoulder and adjusted his weight so that his strike slid past his shoulder and left the other Hagan open. Hagan drove his fist into his other side's ribs, and he went flying back again, but he didn't get up. After a few moments, Hagan felt himself rise, and a feeling of wakefulness overcame him.
He sat up suddenly, and winced at the pain. He was again in the medical bay of the Mayship. He saw Johnny there, sitting next to his bed. As he gathered his thoughts, vague images ran through his head of is fight with Mors, and a few fleeting images of what his other side had done.
"So, what do I do with you?" Johnny asked simply, looking right at him.
"I... I don't know. I could just leave, if you want." Hagan said.
He was numb inside at the moment, and he expected nothing good.
"You could, but wouldn't you be in a lot of trouble on your own out there? The assassins are after you, and you got that... that other problem as well. I don't think you'd make it." he said.
"What's your point?" asked Hagan, a bit annoyed at this review of the obvious.
"Well, you did save Alyssa twice, you came clean to May, and you fought an assassin to protect my crew... I would say that you've earned a place on this ship for a time. Even with your... personality issue, we can help you out, if you want." Johnny said and stood up.
"Well, I'll be around. Find me when you've decided." he said and left, leaving Hagan alone with his thoughts.
"Personality issue, indeed." he commented dryly to no one in particular.
He was still trying to come to terms with what had happened in his own head, What his other self had said made sense, but at the same time, not all of it fit. This other half had only just gained this ferocious anger and fire element. When it had taken him before, it wasn't like that last time. There was not near-mindless rage and power, but simply a refocusing of his will. It seemed that something had changed, that something had awoken it fully. As he milled about the room, thinking, it hit him.
"This is all because of that girl!" he breathed.
It all made sense. His new moral awakening and desire for peace went against his other side. Before, they hadn't been that different, and they could cooperate, but now... He sighed loudly and sat down again. His morals were destroying the fragile integrity of his mind. His other side couldn't accept the letting go of the anger and killing urge and had 'retained' it, even has he had discarded it.
His thoughts were interrupted by his door opening. Standing there was Alyssa, with a very unsure look on her face. She entered, but he could see just a bit of fear in her eyes. That fear in her face tore at him, because he knew she feared him and she had seen his other side. She had seen the worst in him. He didn't know what to say. She started for him.
"Who are you?" she asked simply.
"I am who I said I was before. I never lied to you, I just couldn't tell you my affiliations. I am Hagan Ko Lu, a wandering cook, without a home and living by my skill alone." he said. She gave a small grin, but uncertainty came back quickly.
"What... what was that? What I saw..." she said, her fear visible.
"That was... You see, a long time ago, I was in a simple city, the son of a cook. I was a mischievous kid, and I liked to get into trouble. I had a younger sister, whom was dear to me. I always protected her... Well, one day I was at home with my family when Gears attacked. Everyone was killed in my area. My parents were ripped to shreds and my sister was slain while she looked at me. I was hiding in the dish cabinet under our table, and she was running to hide with me when they came in and grabbed her. Had she cried out to me or said anything, she would have given me away. She stayed quiet, even as they killed her. We were saved by a mysterious figure wrapped in a brown cloak... but it was too late." he said ans sighed, stopping for a moment to collect his thoughts.
"For a time after that, I lived with my aunt and uncle, but something was wrong with me. I would see flashbacks of that time. One day, the gears were back, and I killed them with a knife... only to realize that I had just killed my guardians. I was arrested and thrown in prison as a vicious murderer. I was mad and enraged, consumed by the gears. I remember parts of what happened in there, but It need not be said. It was then that the assassins found me and fixed me, so to speak. My mind fractured when they fixed it. Until recently, the fracture wasn't so bad, but since I've become... moral... the fracture has grown. It is the me you 're talking to, the one whom wishes to change his ways; and the other me, consumed by rage and hate in my head now. It is a bit strange, but it is the whole truth." he said and sighed deeply.
He'd never said the whole thing out loud before, to anyone, It felt good. Alyssa was looking at him with tears in her eyes.
"I... I don't know what to say. That wasn't what I was expecting. I was thinking you had an anger issue or that you were just acting, but this... this is almost too strange to be real." she said and sat down next to him.
The closeness was reassuring, as it was a clear sign that he was not rejected. A silence lingered around them, and it gnawed at Hagan, so he began to talk.
"I was an assassin for five years, before all of this happened. I never enjoyed my work, but I never felt real guilt about it either. At that time, it seemed that even my murderous work wasn't all that bad, with the world being in a terrible state. To me, it seemed to make no difference at all." he stopped and cleared his throat.
Alyssa was looking at him intently, listening to his every word. It occurred to him that this was his confession; that he was being allowed to unburden himself after all this time.
"I was trained by Zato-1, the 'God of Assassins' himself, and was a top rookie assassin, even after Zato's fall. Then... then I was changed by a girl, little older than you are. She was being attacked by a man... such a simple, terrible thing. Despite everything, I saved her. I don't know what motivated me at that moment, but I saved her. The man's friends came looking for the two of them, hoping to use the girl themselves, but I was there to meet them. During the fight, one of the men took the girl hostage and tried to escape. I... I lost control of my killing personality and slew her to kill the man... I never even learned her name... yet I killed her... It was after that event that I found myself beset by guilt over all that I had done. She, as her parting curse to me, gave me guilt." he said and covered his face with his hands.
Even now, the guilt burned through him, belittling all he had done to make amends for his actions.
Alyssa's hand suddenly came to rest on his shoulder, surprising him.
"You call it a curse, this guilt, but I think that's wrong! Its a gift! If not for your guilt and compassion, would you be changing as you are now? Where would I be, for that matter, if not for you and your morality? You can't think of it as a curse, if you really want to change for the better. Don't you see?" Alyssa implored him with her words not to turn away from it.
Hagan looked at her, first with surprise, then with growing admiration.
"You may be young, but you are wise. You are right; to call this a curse from her is disrespecting her and this all too important change within me." Hagan said and chuckled to himself, letting all of his cares evaporate in that laugh.
"I'm not that young, you know! I'm sixteen and a half! I may as well be an adult!" Alyssa complained at him loudly, the hand resting on his shoulder suddenly clenching his gi.
"I'm twenty one, and if you're an adult, I'm an old man." Hagan said, teasing her suddenly.
Alyssa laughed at him and said "Twenty one! You may as well retire now, you're so old!"
They both laughed, and Hagan wondered at the feeling of freedom that had come to him in that moment. He felt so free, so... full of life that he wanted to run and shout about it. The thought was strange to him, but it was there.
"Hey Alyssa, why don't you show me around the ship some? I haven't seen too much of it yet." he asked her, wanting to go about and wander.
"I would love to, but I have work to do around the ship. I was allowed to see you and got off of my cleaning shift, but I should get back to it soon. Dizzy could show you about, and she was meaning to talk to you anyway, or so she told me." Alyssa said.
Hagan flashed back to when he had first met Dizzy. She hadn't wanted to talk then, so what had changed?
"Where is she?" was all he said.
"She should be on the aft deck, mid-level. If not, just ask around." Alyssa said and got up slowly.
She turned to leave, but then she stopped and turned to face him again. She looked at Hagan uncertainly, then she smiled and hugged him softly, and then left.
Hagan was left in wonderment. She had hugged him and he couldn't figure out what that meant. Sure, they were becoming fast friends, and they had just shared a lot, but he was thrown off by it. He slowly got up, shook it off, and left the room. He was bit nervous about meeting her again, so he wandered a little first. He wandered the halls of the ship for a few minutes, listening to chatter of the girls in the crew and taking in the sights of the ship, before heading to his destination. He again was reminded just why he had decided to change, wandering the lively halls. He reached the corridor to the deck smiling.
He walked through the corridor to the deck, and paused by the door. He collected his thoughts, and opened the door. He wanted to do this right this time. He wanted to win Dizzy over and make a friend of her. He swallowed a momentary rush of fear when he thought of her being a Gear, but he pushed that away. He again remembered her being afraid of him, and walked out into the sunlight.
He saw Dizzy leaning against the rails of the deck. I was a semicircle about twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide, exposed to the outside, but somehow shielded from the fierce winds that Hagan knew should have been whipping at him by now. He walked towards her, his feet clanking on the metal decking. He was nervous. Dizzy turned then, perhaps hearing his footfalls,and faced him. He could see nervousness clearly written on her face, and he relaxed, knowing that she was as nervous as he in this.
"Alyssa told me that wanted to talk to me?" Hagan asked of her.
She frowned, and then said "Well... yeah, I did. Its... its about your personality problem... I would like to help you. I... I have a similar problem. I have another... personality that desires only to protect me. It emerges when I'm in danger, and it uses all of my power to 'protect' me, but... it ends up only hurting people I would never want to harm."
Hagan was unsure what to say. This was not how he'd expected this to turn out at all.
He blurted out "How do you deal with it?"
Dizzy looked at him, then looked out to the bright blue sky. She seemed to be in deep thought, and Hagan didn't wish to disturb her, so he too looked out into the bright blue. The clouds drifted by their ship slowly, as if they strolled by, worry free and direction-less.
"I think hard about the people I care about. I use the knowledge that if I lose control, I might hurt them to fight it off. It doesn't always work... but its my bastion." she said, still looking out at the sky.
Hagan thought carefully about her words. He rolled them around in his head. They made sense to him. The thought of this 'Devil' hurting Alyssa angered him and steeled his resolve more than anything else could have ever done. His mind raced, and he went back to the slain girl, slain by his hands. He pictured Alyssa there, a chopstick in her throat, himself standing over her, and his fist shook. Dizzy was right. The desire to protect Alyssa from himself was very strong.
"Dizzy, thanks." was all Hagan needed to say.
Dizzy looked at him and smiled. The smile was genuine, and her face showed none of the fear that he had seen on it earlier.
"You scared me at first. I didn't know what to think of you. Then you said you were an assassin, and I was even more scared. Then, I saw you struggle to break free of that other you, and I wasn't scared of you anymore. I saw that you were a kind person fighting not to hurt someone you cared about. I knew what you were going through, and I wanted to help." Dizzy said and looked into his eyes.
"I can also see that you care about Alyssa, and she cares about you. Please be careful with her. She may not look it, but she's fragile. She's gone through a lot in her life, and her bonding with you is a good sign for her. I... I would just ask that you take good care of her." she said and turned back to the sky.
"How could I not? She is...she's a balm on my soul. She is my guiding light, I guess I should say. When I look for a reason to care about my actions, to fight against my murderous side, I see her face. When I think I'm going insane... her presence brings me to my senses again. I... she's the first one in a very long time to see me as something worthwhile as something more than a tool or a weapon. She... I don't know what I'm saying. I'm sorry." he said to Dizzy, and it was true.
His mind was running in circles trying to talk about her and how he felt. Dizzy smiled at him and gave a soft laugh.
"You're doing just fine... I understand." she said.
Hagan wondered at that comment, as he didn't really understand what it meant himself.
He looked to the sky, and for some reason, his mind went back to the terrible events in London. Dizzy was a Gear, after all. He thought about the Gears being active again. The Gears responded to Justice... Then, things began to click in his head.
"Dizzy... if the Gears are active again... then, is Justice also...?" he asked her.
Dizzy gave him an unreadable expression for a moment before responding. "I would guess so... but I always thought that if she escaped, she would come for me first... I don't know." she said, looking fearfully at the sky.
"I wouldn't worry about that too much. I'm here." said a familiar masculine voice.
Hagan turned to see Johnny walking up to them.
"I was coming to ask you if you wanted to remain for a while yet. We'll hide you and shelter you, and perhaps even fight for you. You must help us in exchange, of course. Helping around the ship, fighting for us, that kind of thing. Perhaps some cooking as well... I hear you're a cook. How about it?" he said, offering his hand.
Hagan didn't have to think about it. He clasped hands with Johnny and shook it.
"Yeah, I want to stay. I'll help you all as much as I possibly can in return. You're giving me a chance at another life here. I can't thank you enough." Hagan said, bowing deeply to Johnny.
"Well then! Its settled! For the time being, we have a new crew member! At some point, you and I will have to share a few drinks and stories. I should get to know my new crewman, I would say! For now, feel free to roam the ship and get acquainted with your new home." he said and walked back into the ship.
Hagan followed shortly after, saying goodbye to Dizzy on the way back in.
He wandered the halls for a while longer, taking in the sights and places. He introduced himself to several of the crew. While a few were nervous around him, most were cheerful and accepting, some going as far as to thank him for saving Alyssa. This was what he wanted, he thought as he walked down the corridor towards his room.. The feeling of acceptance and peace he had at that moment; it was what he had wanted all this time, but just hadn't known it until now. He found himself wondering how he could have missed it all, this simple happiness.
He reached the door to his room and entered. He sat on his bed and sighed. So much had happened over the last two weeks. His life had changed dramatically, and for the better. Things were coming together, falling into place or him. And there was Alyssa... He sighed again at that thought. He was somewhat hungry, but tiredness swept over him and he fell onto the bed. He fell quickly into a deep sleep.
Again, Hagan awoke in that featureless void that was somewhere in his mind. He was momentarily confused, but he quickly remembered what this was all about. He wandered for a few minutes, and grew annoyed.
"Where are you, my other self?" he shouted out into the blackness.
His voice echoed through the void, seeming to go on forever. Then, footsteps echoed through the darkness, and Hagan saw his other self walking forward, anger on his face. After a moment, Hagan realized that there was also a wariness on his face that hadn't been there before.
"You're a lot stronger than I thought you would be, you know. I thought that once you had begun this foolish path, you'd quickly crumble, but... you've found strength instead." Devil said, his voice rather calm for once.
"You're right. I've found great strength in this new way of life. I can oppose you, if need be... but I'd rather not. We can share in this warmth of human contact. We can both have good memories. I would share them with you." Hagan said, wanting to make peace in hi mind.
For a brief moment, Hagan could see his other self's features waver, the rage in his demeanor fading. Then, Devil shook his head and growled.
"You can keep that all to yourself. You may have found strength, but it is fleeting! When they turn against you, you will be all the weaker from your reliance on others! It will fall to me to save us from your trusting weaknesses!" his other side raged at him.
Hagan only sighed at his other side. If only he could make him see! The rage his other side kept close wasn't needed anymore. Hagan knew that they could trust these new friends.
"No, you're wrong. We suffered horribly at one time, and our life after wasn't all that much better, really. This is our chance to make a newer, better life for us! Can't you see that!?" Hagan shouted at him.
"The only time we will be safe is when we are powerful enough to slay anyone whom would get in our way! We don't need these friendships and love, we need power!" Devil yelled back and charged at him.
Hagan inhaled deeply and calmed himself. He stood still as his other self charged him, so full of rage he could barely control himself. Hagan felt pity for his other side, made in the crucible of suffering, but he wasn't going to let him win. Right as Devil was going to strike, Hagan pulled back and turned to the side, causing Devil to shoot past him. He turned to face Hagan again, but didn't attack.
"Look, this is pointless. Right now, I hold the advantage and control of our body. You should sit back and watch how I do with my new path. You should watch and see for yourself what trust can bring you. Please, let me do this!" Hagan almost begged of his other side.
"Ha! You would beg from me a favor! This is rich! I'll give it you, this favor you ask of me, but listen well! When I have to come out to fix what you've gotten us into... I won't relinquish my control... not ever! Just remember that..." Devil said ominously, and he faded away.
"Wait!" Hagan shouted after him, but Hagan could already feel the tug of wakefulness.
Hagan awoke in his room, breathing heavily. His encounter with his other half was still fresh in his mind, and he was a little troubled. He had talked bravely to Devil, but the truth was, he was still a bit afraid of all of this, and he knew it. He was placing himself in a very vulnerable position with the pirates. If they wanted, they could turn him over to the assassins easily enough. He stifled those thoughts with a shake of his head. Hagan knew he had to trust in others for his path to be valid at all.
He dressed and prepared for the day. He got his weapons ready and hidden, and he went through his morning training regimen, keeping his mind clear of thought, focusing on the now, feeling each moment as he was trained to do. This was one thing he didn't regret from all that he had done. The rigorous training that had made him fit and dangerous. He liked being strong and in touch with the potential within himself. He went through some basic Katas, feeling the moves he did and his muscles flow.
The words of Devil echoed in his head. 'We don't need friendships or love... we need power!' That's what he had said, and Hagan found himself partly agreeing. Power was needed to protect yourself and others, but having friendships and love didn't detract from that at all. In fact, he thought, power could come from these things. Having allies at your back in a fight, or friends to help you train... these things gave power as well. He performed a complex Kata involving a series of rapid strikes followed by a spin-kick, and ending by tumbling on the ground and throwing a chopstick. When he finished, he heard clapping from near his door. He looked to see a tall man in what appeared to be a modified Holy Knight's outfit. It had armor plates over the shoulders and chest, and a white cape draped from the shoulders. The man had brown hair cut very short, and was wearing glasses. He had a rather long blade strapped to his back. It was basically a five and half foot longsword.
"Who are you?" asked Hagan, his stiletto blades still out.
"I'm not an enemy! I'm a Sanctified Knight with the church. My name is Descartes, and I'm actually here to talk to Johnny, but he was busy. He recommended that I talk to you. He said some interesting things about you, you know." this man said, his voice was rather deep for is thin frame.
Hagan lowered his weapons, but didn't recap them. His mind raced. This was a high ranking Holy Knight in his room. There was the possibility that the pirates were turning him in. He sighed and shook his head. It was hard, getting used to trusting others. He wanted to, but old habits die hard. He put his weapons away and sat down at his small table. The other man sat across from him.
"So, you wanted to talk to me. I would imagine its about my previous affiliations?" Hagan said mildly.
"Well... yes, actually. I'll be honest with you... assassins are one of our most dangerous threats. Facing them is something we all dread, and letting one of them roam free makes me a bit uneasy; however, Johnny has vouched for you personally. That man is almost impossible to trick or fool, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." he said, giving him a hard look.
"Why thank you. That's just what I've always wanted." Hagan said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I see I'm going about this the wrong way. I apologize for being hostile towards you. Its hard for me to accept the thought of a former assassin. I don't think I've ever heard of it happening before. Well... there is one other... but that's a different case altogether, The point is, I would like to get any information you can give me to fight the Syndicate. There, its out in the open." Descartes said and held his arms out for emphasis.
Hagan smirked at this man. He wanted to fight the Syndicate, did he? Anything he told him would be invalid at the first hint that the Knights had learned anything, the whole operation could move anywhere, at anytime, for any reason. H e could picture the Knights charging into a recently abandoned Syndicate house, only to lose half of their number to traps, and get nothing out of it. If the Knights tried to really go to war with the Syndicate, Hagan knew it would end terribly. The Syndicate would assassinate, poison, and deceive their way to victory over the law-bound Knights.
"Mr. Descartes, I can respect what you want to do, but I can't help you. It has nothing to do with loyalty, but more to do with what your people would end up doing with that information." Hagan said, staring intently at the man.
"What would we do with that information that would be so bad?" Descartes asked, meeting his stare.
"Simply put, you all would die. Your men can't fight the Syndicate. They haven't been trained in any of the arts that the Syndicate has mastered. Trickery, deceit, and traps; that's how they fight. They will not stand up and fight you blade to blade... they will send men to poison your family while they distract you. They will kill of your men, one by one, until none are left,and you'll have not seen even one of them the whole time. That is why I will not tell you." Hagan said, refusing to mince words with this man. He needed to know what he was getting into.
"I think you underestimate the Knights, my good man. We've been fighting the Syndicate for a long time now, you know. We've learned some of their tricks in that time." he said.
"The first time you counter one of their tricks, they abandon it and make a new one. Learning their tricks is meaningless. The first thing we were taught was to be unpredictable at all times." Hagan said, wishing he could make this man see the folly he was trying to bring.
The man looked at Hagan for a long moment. The silence stretched out between them. He cleared his throat and looked away.
"One would almost think that you were... protecting them, you know." Descartes said, letting a bit of steel into his voice.
Hagan almost growled at this infuriating man, but he swallowed his anger. In his place, Hagan knew he would be doing the same thing. This man wanted to do right, but he couldn't see past his Knight mindset.
"I left the Syndicate because I have come to find that murder is a terrible thing. The Syndicate has tried to kill me once already for leaving. Believe me when I say that I have no love for the Syndicate at all. If I could help you win this fight, by all that is, I would... but I know that they would be ready for this. In fact, they've probably already changed anything that I was involved in, just in case. Please, trust me on this." Hagan said, trying diplomacy and reason with the man.
Descartes gave him a strange look, and then laughed loudly. Hagan frowned, not getting the 'joke' that was so funny.
"You really are sincere in your change of heart! I never would have thought it. I think you are right, and I'm sorry to have said what I did about you protecting the Syndicate, but I had to know. Trust can be a difficult thing, you know." Descartes said.
"That much I am well aware of. As an assassin, trust only gets you killed faster. Relying on others, even your fellow assassins, was a fatal error. Paranoia was your only real friend, as it kept you alive. Trust is hard, but its worth it, I've found." Hagan said, looking at the tall man.
He nodded at his assessment and smiled. Something occurred to Hagan then. There was bigger concerns than the Syndicate for the Knights at the moment, with the Gears coming back to kill again. What were they doing bothering him, when an even greater foe was making its self known? They needed to get their priorities straight.
"Mr. Descartes, while the Syndicate is a threat, isn't there something even bigger looming over all of us? Why are you coming to me for Syndicate info when the Gears are killing again? Isn't your job to protect the people from what's killing them now?" Hagan asked, his earlier clam again going into cool anger.
"That is... that issue is what I needed to talk to Johnny about. Once I talk to him, I'll tell you all you want to know about that nightmare, you know. Speaking of that, I'll also want to speak to you about something else Johnny told me. He said you were in London when the attack happened. I'll want to hear about that as well, if you don't mind, that is." Descartes said as he turned to Hagan's door.
"Knock next time, please." was all Hagan said as Descartes turned to leave.
Descartes chuckled and then left, leaving Hagan somewhat confused.
Hagan left his room somewhat troubled. He didn't like where all of this was going. Something big was happening all around him, and he couldn't see what it was. First, there was the Gears reawakening, then the Holy Knights were talking to Johnny bout it. A rather high-ranking one at that. The Sanctified Knights were the top warriors of the Knights, created to fight the Gears in the war, and to deal with great dangers after it. He could feel it, that something big was coming, and coming fast.
He walked aimlessly down the corridors of the ship, turning his thoughts in his head, trying to make sense of it all. He just couldn't figure it out, no matter how he looked at it He didn't have enough information, he decided. He was going to have a long talk with this Descartes when he came back to see him. Hagan had to know just what exactly was going on in the world. It started to make his head hurt, thinking about it all. He looked up to find himself in front of the mess hall. The smell of food made his stomach growl in demand.
He walked into the hall, only to find it nearly empty, and the sounds of cooking echoing through the large room. He walked into the kitchen, letting the familiar sights and sounds calm him down. Pots boiling water with the steam rising. The smell of bread and pies baking, and the smells of meat cooking... these things took him back to long ago, when he was still with his parents. He smiled at the memory, the first time he had done so in a long time. He approached the cook, a rather robust woman, and watched her at work. He saw that she was rolling dough, and that there was a large pile of dough yet to be rolled, and that other things needed doing almost immediately.
"Do you need help in here?" he asked her.
She looked at him for a moment, confused, and then she smiled.
"You must be Hagan. Yeah, we could use the help." she said and went back to rolling. Hagan jumped into his favorite work of all, cooking. He cooked, rolled, and backed for over an hour, lost in the simple pleasure of cooking. His thoughts were no longer on the recent events, but focused on making yet another pie for the meal. He then went to preparing the beef for the main course. He worked with the cooks on what they were doing. They were good, but he had cooked under some of the best chefs in the world as part of his training. After another hour of work, they were done. The head cook approached him.
"You're really good at this! Johnny said I should get you to work in our kitchen, and now I see why. You want to work in our kitchen while you're on board?" she asked him.
Hagan knew the answer to that one immediately.
"Yes, I do. Cooking is one of my favorite things, and you all look like you could use some extra hands around here." He said, smiling at the thought.
"Well then, welcome to the team! Girls, this is Hagan. He'll be joining our cooking team here," she said.
Hagan introduced himself to their cooking girls and chatted, but he was starving at this point, so he grabbed some food and went into the mess hall. Now that it was near mealtime, there were a lot more people in the hall, but he found a seat at a lone table. He preferred to be alone while he ate normally, but he found himself wishing for company this time. He sighed and shrugged, and began to eat. On his third bite, two people sat at his table. One was Alyssa, and he smiled at seeing her. The other was May, and Hagan's smile faded slightly at seeing her.
"Hagan, you don't mind if we sit here, do you?" Alyssa asked him.
"Of course not. Please go ahead." he said, not minding May so much if Alyssa was here.
"Umm... this food is better than usual. I wonder why?" May said somewhat uncomfortably.
Hagan realized that May was now uncomfortable around him. He was pretty sure that it was because of how she had acted when he'd first talked to her, but he wasn't going to press it. To him, how she had acted had been troublesome, but he fully understood why she had acted that way. The desire to protect those you cared about was a strong thing, as he knew now.
"I helped in the kitchen for a couple of hours, and I showed them some of my best tricks for cooking this sort of thing. I'm glad that it helped." he said, hoping to get her to warm up.
He knew he didn't need enemies on this ship, especially not May . May looked at him, surprised. Alyssa took a bit of the meat and slowly chewed it, seeming to savor it.
"You're right, this is really good. You've got talent, Hagan" Alyssa said, chewing on another bite all the while.
"I've decided that while I'm on this ship, I'll be cooking for you all. I can repay you all for taking me in a little bit with this, I hope." Hagan said.
"Hagan... Umm... I'm sorry for how I acted when you first talked to me. I was a jerk and it was unnecessary. Also, thanks for protecting Alyssa here so many times now. She's told me some things about you... not too much, but enough. I wanna welcome you to the Mayship." she said, looking down at her food by the end of it.
Hagan smiled at Alyssa whom winked at him. He was now in a rather good mood. First, he got to cook, his passion. Now, Alyssa was here and May was welcoming him. It seemed like the kinks were working themselves out over time.
"Apology accepted, and put it from your mind. It was all rather sudden and not well thought out. I'm just glad I was there to stop Mors... What happened to him anyway. I had forgotten about that." Hagan asked, suddenly rather curious.
"We stopped by a Holy Knight base last night and dropped him off there. They can deal with him better than us. We also picked up one of their people." May said, and Hagan sighed.
"I know. His name is Descartes, right? We've met." was all he said abut that.
"I... don't like that guy, to be honest. He was sent by the church to meet with Johnny, but I don't like him at all." May said, a frown on her face.
"I haven't met the guy, but people don't seem to like him very much. He sounds creepy." Alyssa said, looking around fretfully, as if expecting him to be right behind her.
"So... what is this all about, anyways? Why is the church talking with Johnny? I thought he was thought of as a criminal." Hagan asked, puzzled by the seeming inconsistency.
"Well, Johnny has done a lot for people in need, and the church too, so even though his methods don't quite meet their approval, they would be hard pressed to justify actually taking him down. He's quite the hero, you see. He also has an... understanding with the Knights' leader, and that helps a lot." May said.
Alyssa turned to look at May and said "But what do they want to talk to Johnny about? I haven't heard a thing! This is so unfair! Why won't he tell us what's going on?" She had taken on a pouting face and voice.
"He'll tell us when he's done, I'm sure of it. He doesn't keep secrets very well. ...If I had to guess though, I would say that they are asking Johnny for help of some kind. Probably something to do with the Gears and all..." May said, looking a bit depressed after remembering the events of the recent past.
The three ate in silence after that. The thought of the Gears returning cast a grim aura around them, and each was lost in thought about the future. They finished their food quickly, but lingered in their seats, still in thought. Hagan could make no more sense of it all, but he knew one thing: he had a very bad feeling about what was to come.
After saying goodbye to May, Hagan and Alyssa walked from the mess hall into the ship's corridors. The ship was noisy from all of the people in the mess hall, so they departed, not knowing where they went from there. They walked for a couple of minutes in silence, each thinking about different things. Hagan's thoughts had changed rather abruptly from the Gears and coming doom to this girl with him. She had some kind of power, that allowed her to calm him, to make him happy... and he wanted to let her know that.
He knew he cared for her and wanted to protect her, but this was more than that in some important way. He had protected people before, and this was... well, a lot more than that. He was doing this of his own free will, without pay or reason beyond the desire to see her safe at all times. He needed, he realized, to talk to her about this, to let her know about this. It did, after all, involve her greatly... and she deserved a choice in this.
"Alyssa, would you accompany me to the rear deck? I want to talk to you about something that's been on my mind for a long while now. Would you mind?" he asked her, his heart rate picking up slightly for some reason.
"Sure. What's this about? Nothing bad, I hope." she said and smiled at him.
They walked towards the rear deck, Hagan deep in thought over what to say, and Alyssa walking happily with him. They reached the door, and Hagan paused. He found himself... nervous about this. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat, unsure how to deal with this sudden feeling. He shrugged then, and pushed the door open. Whatever happens, happens, he decided with that shrug.
They walked out onto the deck, the very same one he'd talked to Dizzy on. He seemed to have good luck out here, and the view made him think more clearly, or so he thought. He started to put his thoughts together, but he was interrupted by Alyssa.
"So, what'd you want to talk about? Is it serious?" she asked him, leaning against the railing and giving him a curious look.
With her silvery-white hair whipping in the strong, yet gentle wind that flowed around them, Hagan couldn't help but stare at her for a long moment before he could put his thoughts back into place. He was nervous and he was distracted, and he jumbled his thoughts.
"I... um... well... Let me start again... I wanted to tell you something important. I... wanted to thank you for everything that you've done for me." he said and sighed at himself right after. He had meant to say more, but stopped himself.
Alyssa blinked in surprise, and looked at him for a moment before replying. Several emotions played across her face, too quick for Hagan to read. She sighed.
"You really don't need to thank me. You saved my life, and that means a lot. You saved me with no reason to, other than to save someone in need... but... its more than that now. You told me your story, your secrets, and you trusted me with them... that must have been hard to do." She looked right at him. "After all thats happened, I want to help you. I've come to know you, and I've come to know that I can help you, or so I hope. I want to keep on helping you, if I can." she said, blushing by the end of it.
Hagan slowly digested her words, taking in their meaning. A smile crossed his face, and he approached her. She looked at him, with a mix of emotions on her face. He stopped just inches in front of her, looking down at her. She looked up at him, suddenly smiling.
"I would still thank you. Even in saving you, you helped me. You affirmed my decision with your kindness, and you helped me when I was injured. You did, in fact, save my life as well. Since then, you've helped me more then you've needed to. I'm not complaining, but you've done more for me than anyone else since I came out of the prison. I... would like to keep protecting you, for as long as I can. You've given me purpose in my new life, and saved me from my old one. Is that alright with you? That's what I wanted to ask you before..." he said, and rested his right hand on her shoulder.
She looked at his hand, and then placed her left on top of his, softly holding it.
"I want to help you get better, so I'll need you near me, right? You've saved me before, and... I trust you. Thats a hard thing for me to do. Not so hard with you, though." Alyssa said, holding his hand a little bit tighter.
"I know what you mean by that. Trusting people hasn't been a part of my life in a very long time... before I met you. That other side of me, Devil, fears that you will betray me... but I don't believe that at all. I trust you too. Yes... it is hard, but not so hard with you." he said, inching closer to her.
She then leaned in and pressed herself against him. Hagan's arm draped around her shoulders, and she leaned her head in his chest. Hagan's nervousness has all but vanished in those last few moments. Her nearness and her words made him drop his defenses and open himself to his true thoughts. He held her a little tighter, and she responded by wrapping her arms around him tightly.
"Hagan..." she said, her breath heavy and her expression passionate..
She looked up at him, their eyes met for a moment, and she tilted her face up to his, and his lips came down to hers. Their eyes closed and their lips met. Hagan's mind was blank, lost in the moment entirely. He shivered slightly from the kiss, soft as it was. He could feel her breathing heavily though her nose. She clasped him even tighter, and her kiss took a bit more urgency. Hagan held her close as they kissed. They then heard the door to the deck open, and a quiet feminine gasp. Hagan broke the kiss and turned to see Dizzy standing there, looking at them with an unreadable expression. Alyssa slowly pulled herself from Hagan's arms, and turned to look at Dizzy. Alyssa was blushing, but she looked happy.
No said anything for almost a full minute, each looking at the other, all trying to figure out just what the meaning of what had just happened was. Dizzy was the one to break the silence.
"I'm... I'm sorry to have interrupted... but Johnny just finished talking to Descartes, and he needed to talk to you. Hagan, about something that they had discussed." Dizzy said, embarrassment clearly in her voice and face.
"Oh... uh... yeah... I'll go there in a minute." he said to Dizzy, then he looked back at Alyssa, whom was still blushing, but looking less bashful, and said "I... really like you... Alyssa. That has little to do with you helping me, and a lot more to do with who you are... remember that. I'll see you later."
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and turned to leave with Dizzy. He heard her sigh, start to say something, then stop. He had walked up to Dizzy before she said what she was trying to say.
"Hagan... I like you too... a lot. Please come see me soon." she said, emotion in her voice.
Hagan suddenly wanted to go back to her, but he knew he should go with Dizzy and give her some time to sort out what she wanted in her head. He was sure that, like him, she hadn't planed on it going that way... that far... both of them probably needed a little time first. He walked into the ship with Dizzy, waving behind him.
He walked with Dizzy for a couple of minutes, and they walked in silence. Hagan was a little nervous of what she might say to him once given the chance. They walked before finally stopping in a stairwell, Dizzy meaning to talk to him about what she had seen.
"Hagan, what is your intentions with her?" she asked him directly. She wore an unreadable expression.
"I want to protect her and be there for her." he said immediately, looking right into her eyes. Her expression was guarded, and Hagan couldn't tell what she was thinking;
"That was more than just protecting her. That was a kiss of feeling, one that had a lot of intent and desire behind it. I could see that. Did you mean that? What you told her about liking her?" she asked him, meeting his gaze and staring him down.
She wasn't actually being hostile, but there was a protectiveness about her, a sort of motherly protectiveness of Alyssa. Hagan could tell from her voice that she was actually worried for Alyssa and her feelings.
"Dizzy. I would never lie to her or deceive her in any way. I meant every word of it. Those are my honest feelings for her. I decided to lay it out to her, and took her to the deck to talk to her about it. She accepted and even reciprocated my feelings. That kiss... wasn't planned, but it was... wonderful." he said, wondering at the dreamy tone of his own voice.
Dizzy blushed slightly and smiled at him. "I'm glad... She's been through so much. I just want to protect her from any more sadness. Shes had enough in her life. I don't want her heart to be broken as well..." she said, and Hagan was touched by her concern.
"I would never break her heart, Dizzy. Even if I lose control of myself and loose my evil side, I would never hurt her. I wouldn't allow it to happen. This, I swear to you. After all, it was you whom told me of the power of the desire to protect those you care about." Hagan said fiercely, his emotion in his voice.
"I'm so glad to hear that I helped you. We should get you to Johnny before he comes looking for you. We'd never find him then." she said and began walking up the stairs.
"Will you tell him about what you saw?" asked Hagan suddenly.
"I'll leave that to the two of you. As long as no one gets hurt and it doesn't becomes harmful to her, I'll keep what I saw to myself." she said to him, and he nodded.
They walked to Johnny's room, and Hagan couldn't help but feel a little tense walking these corridors again. The fight with Mors was still fresh in his memory. They walked up to his door and Dizzy knocked. They heard Johnny grunt, so Dizzy opened the door and waved Hagan in, wishing he knew what this was all about.
Hagan entered the room to see Johnny sitting at the center table in his room, leaning back in his chair and his bare feet kicked up onto the table. He had a shot glass in hand, and was swirling a translucent, light brown drink that Hagan was sure was brandy. Johnny looked up at him motioned for him to sit, which he did, unsure of what to do in this informal atmosphere.
"I hear you've joined up with the kitchen crew. Thanks for that, they need all the help they can get feeding us. The job suits you, I think." he said simply, though Hagan knew that this wasn't what he had wanted to discuss with him.
"Yeah, it does. Cooking is one of the few things I carry from my past that brings me pleasure. I thank you again for giving me this chance." he said to the man, thinking more of his growing relationship with Alyssa than about cooking at that moment.
"Its worked out for the best so far... just keep it up and you'll be just fine. I didn't ask you here to chat about cooking though, as you probably have guessed. I wanted to talk to you about our next mission and your role in it. Descartes has given me an urgent request from the Knights highest ranks. They ask us to go to Paris, which has just recently suffered a Gear attack, in what is proving to be an offensive from a network of well-organized Gears, seemingly led by Justice herself. Paris is in a bad state, and they need help evacuating children left homeless by the violence." Johnny said, and he gave a deep and sad sigh.
"Of course I'll help! I'll do whatever I can to help you all." Hagan said, appalled by the news he'd just been told.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that, but you should hear what I have in mind for you before you agree to anything rashly. I want you to protect our people as they find and evacuate children. The attack on Paris was worse than on London, and for a time, the defenses of the city broke, and the Gears infested it. Most have been cleared away, but there is a strong risk of encountering some there. I want you to help fight them if they show themselves. You still in?" Johnny asked him, looking right at him while swirling his liquor in one hand.
"I agreed to help your people fight if need be, didn't I? Well, I meant it when I agreed to join your crew. I will help you do this. Not because I agreed to to it though, but because someone needs to. I've often thought of the world as unjust, and it is, but I've learned something already by being here: Justice comes from strong people protecting the weak. We must make justice come to the world... it won't come on its own." Hagan said, looking at Johnny.
Johnny gave Hagan a grin and sat his glass down. He got up and pured Hagan a shot of what appeared to be very, very old brandy in a thick, clear decanter. He slid it across the table to Hagan, who caught it and raised the glass.
"Well said, Hagan, well said. A toast, then, my new crew mate! A toast to true justice, not that Gear, but the ideal that the word represents. And to the people who fight for it." Johnny said to him and clinked his glass with Hagan's own.
They downed their shots, both giving a slight sigh as the warm liquid slid down their throats. Hagan looked into his empty glass, and watched the trace amounts of brandy run down the sides of it. Johnny took their glasses and poured them another shot. He slid the glass to Hagan, who again took it. He copied Johnny and swirled the liquid in his glass, watching it flow.
"There's something else I've wanted to talk to you about, Hagan. Its about Alyssa, and what you intentions are with her. I'm not accusing you of anything or warning you off, I just want to know as your captain. Feel free to talk to me openly, as one man to another. As much as I am your captain, I would also like to be your friend here." Johnny said and then took his shot, closing his eyes and savoring the sensation.
Hagan took his shot quickly, trying to prepare for what he should tell him. The gentle burn of the brandy felt good in his throat, and he relaxed as it coursed through him. He leaned back in his chair and breathed deeply.
"I really care for her. She's close to my heart, and I think of her fondly. I talked with her about this shortly before Dizzy came to get me. We... we agreed that we, well... that we both felt this way about one another. We talked about it, and we ended up... well, kissing." Hagan said, subconsciously closing his eyes for a moment and running a single finger over his lips, remembering the kiss well.
Johnny gave him a somewhat surprised look, and then grinned. "So, you two have already begun to date, without even asking your captain first. That's alright. I understand the rush a woman can give a man, where he acts with his heart first." Johnny said, teasing him. Hagan went to say something, but Johnny raised his hand to stop him. "Let me say what I want first. I care about each of the girls on this ship, each and every one. I've saved them all from some trouble or another, and worked hard to give each of them a good and meaningful life. Alyssa is no exception to this. She had a hard time in her past, as an orphan and a gang member before I saved her from the streets. I'm glad that she's finally bonded with someone strongly, but I ask you, as a man to a man, to be careful with her. She may be full of life, but she's very vulnerable, and she could break if enough sorrow happens to her again. Are you going to care for her?" he asked of him, giving him a serious look.
"I'd never do anything less for her. I said that I cared for her, and that was no lie. I think that if her heart broke, I would crumble with her. That's saying a lot, but I mean every word of it. I don't have much of anything left in my life beyond what I've gained here, with you all, and with her. All of this, and her most of all, mean too much for me to ever throw it away for anything. I... will protect her, no matter what it does to me." he said, looking right at Johnny, hoping to let him feel just how serious he was about this.
Johnny gave him an approving look and got up. He refilled their glasses again, and slid one to Hagan. Johnny sat down again and kicked his legs up on the table. He raised his glass to the light on the ceiling of the room and looked through it. Hagan sniffed the glass, the smell making his nose tingle. They both took their shots, and this one seemed to race right to Hagan's brain, and he felt light-headed. He found himself thinking about Alyssa again. He suddenly wanted to see her and be with her. He smiled at the thought. Then, Johnny snapped him out of his thoughts.
"We're gonna be in Paris late tomorrow night. We'll do our work under the cover of darkness, as we hope to not be seen by hostile forces. It probably won't work, but we have to try, don't we? Whatever you do down there, don't let your guard down for an instant. This is very dangerous, and I don't want anyone to get injured. You got that?" he said and sighed, holding a hand to his forehead. "Well... I need to get some rest before all of this, or I'll regret it in the morning. You should get some rest too." Johnny said and got up. Hagan dis so as well, and left the room, his head light.