Sorry for the ong wait there, I've been dealing with moving and finding a new place to live for now. I'll keep writing this when I can, but there will be long breaks from time to time. Anyways, I'm glad people are liking it so far. It will keep going for as long as it needs to, and I'll keep writing until its finished!
Chapter Four: The Pain of the Past
Suddenly, Risetto swung at Hagan, aiming for the temple. Hagan stepped back, avoiding the blow. She followed up by trying to sweep Hagan with her feet, but he jumped them and flipped away. He looked at her, at the rage she felt, and he knew she was raging because she was in pain.
"I know that you've suffered at the hands of assassins, but you must believe me when I say that I am one no longer! I've changed my ways and rejected that way of life forever! Stop this!" Hagan shouted at her.
She gave him a strange look, then her rage returned. "I can't stop now! I've trained since that day to take my revenge! If I can't get that one assassin, I'll settle for another! No assassin ever leaves the Syndicate, isn't that right?" she responded, moving closer in.
Hagan took a few steps back, and narrowly avoided her fist again. He was growing frustrated with this, and he was growing afraid that Devil might decide to rear his head at any moment and make things worse. He wanted to just end this before something bad happened.
She swung again, but this time Hagan caught her fist with his hand, holding it in place. She struggled to break his hold, but his skill was much greater. "Look Risetto, I can't change who I was or what happened to you, but killing me isn't going to do that either!" he said and looked her right in the eyes. "I'm... I'm a murderer, just like you said. I've killed people in cold blood before, and it stains my soul. Don't do that to yourself. Don't kill in cold blood and make yourself a murderer too." he asked of her. His tone was almost begging her.
She hesitated, her rage wavering. She looked to Rina, who said simply "He's telling the truth. I can tell he's a killer no longer." Hagan gave her a puzzled look, wondering how she was so perceptive, to notice these things. She looked no longer afraid of or angry at him. She just gave him a cool look, devoid of expression.
Risetto looked back to Hagan, who released her fist. She slowly lowered it to her side. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she suddenly looked defeated and demoralized. She looked around at all of the people looking at her. They were giving her fearful and angry looks. She saw Alyssa run over to Hagan and embrace him. She shot Risetto a hateful look. Risetto took an unsure step back.
Hagan could see her falling back from the glares and and her own defeated expression. Hagan still held Alyssa, who was now cuddling on him. "Look, Risetto... I know some of the pain you feel. I lost my parents to Gears when I was about ten. They attacked my home, killing so many. I let that event tear me apart and drive me mad. It ruined the next ten years of my life... until I found my path to redemption. Don't let your pain destroy your life... its really painful when you go to fix it after that terrible of a beak." he said and chuckled darkly while running a hand over his scarred chest without thinking about it.
Risetto just looked at him, saying nothing. Rina walked up to her and rested her hand on Risetto's back. "Look, Alice, he speaks truly. I told you I'd help you find the one who killed your parents, but this man isn't the one. And with my parents now..." she said, and stopped, momentarily overcome with emotion. "I want to stay with the Jellyfish Pirates here, at least for a time. Lets try to get along with them. He's obviously well liked here... lets trust their judgment until something changes. Alright, Alice?" she said, her voice never going far above a whisper.
Risetto looked at Hagan again, now her face expressing regret and shame. "Oh... I'm so, so sorry! When I heard you were an assassin, those memories came rushing back to me... It was hard to think straight. That's no excuse, but its the truth. I'm really sorry..." she said with a deep bow.
Rina gave Hagan a strange look, and he heard a faint voice in his head. It was Rina's voice! "Please accept her apology, and mine as well. I felt your assassin tattoo's design and intent, and I reacted without thinking. We need this escape, aboard this ship, and I don't want any trouble. I'm very sorry about all of this." her voice said to him.
He blinked at her, surprise on his face. He shook his head ans ordered his thoughts. "Apology accepted. Lets just put all of this behind us. I was having a pretty good day before all of this, and I see no reason not to keep on having one. Why don't you two go to your rooms and cool off for a while. Rest up a bit and sort your thoughts out. I'm not going to hold this against you, so don't worry." he told them. He really was thinking more about how she had done that. Speaking into his mind...
Risetto nodded and bowed, and hurried off to escape the scene. Rina followed a few seconds after, giving Hagan an accepting look. He'd made allies, if not friends of them, or so he hoped. He hugged Alyssa tightly for a moment.
"You handled that well. I guess I wasn't needed after all." Johnny's voice said to him. Hagan turned to see him standing not twenty feet away, and he'd not noticed. He wondered just how long he'd been there, watching.
"I'm just glad that I didn't have to do anything drastic to stop her. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't been able to talk to her." he said, looking back to the hall they had disappeared down. He had a feeling things were going to be bumpy with them for a while.
Johnny began to walk away. "Remember what I said. Enjoy yourself and stop picking fights with little girls!" he said jokingly as he left the mess hall.
He looked down at Alyssa, who kissed him. Several of the crew saw this, and the whispering began. He looked at the gossiping girls and smiled. It wouldn't have been a secret for very long anyway, and he didn't mind it. "Did you want to do something, Alyssa? It seems I'm under orders to enjoy myself, so lets do something." he told her.
She thought for a moment before responding. "I know, I can show you my paintings! You haven't seen them yet, have you?" she asked him and began to pull him along.
He allowed himself to be led by her, following her out of the mess hall, with several eyes watching them leave. They walked down the corridors of the ship, going deeper than Hagan had been before. They came to a door with Alyssa's name on it.
"This is my room and studio. I don't let too many people in here, so you should feel honored." she told him as she opened the door.
The room was larger than his, he noticed. On each of the walls hung many picture of different things. Even the window had a curtain with a picture painted on it. In one corner of the room was a small bed, and there was a large chest next to it. In the center of the room was a table with four sitting mats around it. There was also a easel and chair near the table. Hagan wandered in after Alyssa, looking at each of the paintings.
Many were sky pictures, seeming to be images seen from her window. Different cloud formations and colorations were captured. One was of a vividly colored rainbow, stretching across the canvas. A few were landscapes, mostly mountainous, that Hagan didn't recognize, but all were well painted. He then came to a picture of the Jellyfish Pirates all assembled together. A sense of friendship radiated from the portrait, and Hagan looked at it for a little bit. One thing was constant with the paintings: they were all amazingly well done.
"These are amazing, Alyssa! You have real talent with this painting. I'm... well, I'm a bit envious, to be honest. I liked painting when I was little, but I was never any good at it. These paintings... they are all masterpieces! Each one is unique and they all capture the... the essence of the scene. You keep impressing me, Alyssa." he told her, admiration in his expression.
She gave him a huge grin. "You really like them? Each one of these is like a friend to me. They remind me to relax and keep things in perspective. The group portrait reminds me that I have friends that care for me... but now I'm missing something." she said, looking at him.
Hagan looked around, puzzled. "What might that be?" he asked her.
"Well... someone wonderful and very important has come into my life recently, and I seem to not have a portrait of him yet. Shouldn't that oversight be corrected?" she asked him and gave him a loving look.
"You planned this the whole time, didn't you? Well... I wanted to spend time with you, so I can't complain. Where should I sit?" he asked her. He'd not planed this kind of thing, but the thought actually didn't seem that bad.
Alyssa directed him to a chair and he sat. She moved her easel and chair to face him. She rummaged through a large chest next to her bed and retrieved an assortment of small jars of paint. She unrolled a canvas and set them all up. She looked at him, taking in his every detail. Hagan felt a little odd, letting someone examine him this way, but it was Alyssa, and the discomfort quickly faded. She began to mix paints and look at him. He watched her, a frenzy of movement, her face in compete focus upon her task, he was thinking...
Devil was rather quiet today. Even when attacked, he'd felt nothing of his rage. "Are you still alive?" he sent the question into his mind. He then felt the stir of him, and he wondered if he's made a mistake.
"I'm alive as long as you are... Do you miss me already? Do you miss my power?" Devil taunted him.
"No. Strangely enough, I was worried about you. What are you doing in there, anyway?" Hagan asked him, rather curious now.
"I'm watching. You asked me to watch you and your new path, remember? I've been watching it all. It seems I may have been... mistaken on a few things, and I've been forced to give you your chance for now. They saved us after all... I'll be watching, remember that." Devil told him, and the feeling faded. He felt more... at peace after hearing that.
"Are you OK, Hagan? You had a spaced out look." Alyssa asked him, snapping him out of it.
"Oh, yeah... I was just thinking, thats all. I'm fine." he assured her.
She kept painting, her brush strokes precise and clean. She would look up at him, study something for a moment, smile at him, and go back to her work. He watched her work, and felt himself loving her. He sighed, and she kept painting. Almost an hour passed this way, before Hagan had to stand. He felt like he was about to cramp everywhere.
"Alyssa... I have to get up for a few minutes. My legs are killing me!" he told her slowly rising, grunting as his knees popped loudly. He moved his arms around slowly.
Alyssa also got up, and went to massaging her painting arm. "Yeah... my arm's starting to hurt. I was on a roll, though! I was getting so much done!" she said happily.
"Can I see it?" he asked her.
"No! Not till its done. Its not any good yet. Until a piece is finished, only the artist should see it, I think. No looking!" she said and walked to her bed and flopped down on it.
Hagan paced around the room, stretching his muscles. He reflexively slipped into performing his training regimen. He began to perform basic katas slowly, accentuating the movements. When his training was done like this, it became an effective way to stretch the muscles and relax the body. His movements flowed from one form to another, like waves in an ocean. Alyssa sat up and was watching him intently.
He went into more advanced forms, flipping back or tumbling around from time to time as the moves called for it. He wasn't really trying to show off, but having an audience was somehow making him try harder than normal. After executing several complex moves, Hagan went back into the more basic forms, slowly bringing the impromptu training to a close. After his final strike, he bowed to Alyssa. She began to clap afterwards.
"Hagan, that was... beautiful! You were so graceful and smooth with each move you did. That made me jealous of you a little bit. I wish I could move so gracefully..." she said with a sigh as she got off of the bed. Hagan then had an idea. He walked up to her and took her hand.
He began to dance with her. The only dance he knew was a waltz. He had learned it as part of his assassin training. He was to enter an elegant party and assassinate an older woman, and he'd learned the dance as a way to get closer to her. He'd ended up not needing it, having ample opportunity to poison her food beforehand, but he still knew the dance well.
Alyssa stumbled at first, rather confused, but Hagan led her well. He slowed his movement so she could begin to follow them. "What are you...?" Alyssa began, but Hagan kissed her to interrupt her. When he pulled away, she was breathless.
"Alyssa, you can be as graceful as you want to be, I'll just show you the way. Follow my steps, my patterns..." he told her and slowly picked up the pace of the dance.
Alyssa picked up the pace as well. She began to dance with him, rather than follow his lead. It was slow at first, but they matched their speed quickly, and they were dancing across her room, no music needed. He looked into her eyes as they danced and was entranced by their emerald beauty. Alyssa smiled at him and leaned her head on his chest, and their dance slowed. They danced without thought of time or place, nor of all the problems that currently afflicted the world. They danced and only knew each other.
Finally, their dance concluded. They were both breathing heavily from the passion they had both felt in that dance. They just stared at one anther for a few minutes, trying to sort out their thoughts. Finally, Alyssa went back to her chair and easel. She motioned for him to sit.
"Hagan... I'd like to finish the portrait, if you don't mind... but... thank you so much for that. Oh, that was... thank you..." she said, giving him a starry-eyed look.
"I'll dance with you anytime you want. All you have to do is ask." he told her.
She went back to painting him. Her brush strokes were a bit slower, more meaningful, this time around. Hagan watched her work, impressed by the precise and exact motions of her brush, combined with her impressive speed, even slowing it down. After another half an hour, she made one final mark and stood. She stretched and sighed. Hagan looked up at her, suddenly woken from his half-sleep by her standing.
"Its... finished." was all she said.
Hagan slowly got up walked over to see what she'd created. It was breathtaking! It was a perfectly accurate picture of him, but what was more impressive was that she had managed to paint herself into it at the same time. She was standing next to him in the picture, one arm around him and her head resting on his shoulder. There was a warmth to the picture that made Hagan smile.
"Perfect." was all he had to say.
Together, they hung the picture next to the one of the crew. It seemed to fit there best. Hagan looked out her window to see that night had fallen and that it was late. It was no wonder that he was so tired. He wanted to stay with her, but he knew that they both needed the sleep.
"Alyssa, I think its my bed time about now. Yours too. This has been a great night, thanks to you." he told her.
"Yeah, we should get some sleep, but Hagan, the night wasn't so great because of me... it was you. I was just painting... you were the one who showed me that I could dance and be graceful. You gave me something good tonight, and I won't ever forget it. Thank you Hagan. You may have once been an assassin, but you are nothing like one now... never forget that." she told him, and he hugged her fiercely, and kissed her.
He left her room after that, heading to his room. He began to hum without thinking about it. He was in very high spirits at this point.
He made it to his room and walked in, still humming all the while. He walked over to his window and looked out of it. Off in the distance, he could see the city of Paris standing defiantly against the night. The Gears, Justice, had tried to tear it down, but they had failed. The city still stood, and despite the death and destruction, the people were rebuilding. He'd seen the world as dying, but he could see the truth in this city. The people were struggling their hardest to survive what the world threw at them. He remembered seeing the people helping one another while he had been in the city, smiling and laughing as they worked. He remembered his night with Alyssa and sighed. He had been so wrong about the world! He'd been ignoring the things around him and repressing the emotions that made life what it was. He understood that from all that had happened.
He walked over to his bed and flopped onto it. He was very tired, but very relaxed and at peace at the same time. He quickly fell into a deep sleep. For a while, his sleep was peaceful and content, but then he began to toss and turn in his sleep. He was having another nightmare.
Hagan was running after something. He didn't know what it was or why he chased it, but he couldn't stop chasing it. His body was strange... bestial and twisted. He had black skin and long black hair. His teeth were all sharpened, and his body was muscular and streamlined. His senses were sharper and more focused. He could hear the sounds of his prey. He could... feel it running from him. He could feel its fear. He ran faster and faster... faster that he could possibly run naturally. As he was nearly on the prey, he snapped out of the dream.
He was breathing heavily, and he felt like had actually just ran for an hour straight. His muscles ached and he was sweaty. He sat up and tried to calm himself down. He breathed deeply and focused himself It was just a strange dream, he told himself, and with that comforting thought, he fell back into a dreamless sleep.
He awoke feeling refreshed well. His strange dream form earlier was all but forgotten. He retrieved his other gi from his small collection of gear and wore it. He performed his morning training, and equipped himself. That's when he realized that his combat chopsticks had been lost in the fight with Justice. He cursed loudly and finished gathering his sharpened chopsticks together. He armed himself as best as he could, but his best weapon was gone. He left his room and went to talk to Johnny about getting a replacement set made if possible. He could fight without them well enough, but they were designed to be his edge in battle, full of surprises. He'd rather not be without them if he could help it. Too many things had happened without warning now.
He walked down the corridors and quickly found his way to Johnny's room. He knocked and was told to come in. He walked in to see Johnny talking with a man he recognized instantly. This was Ky Kiske, the leader of the Sacred Order of the Holy Knights, in person. Hagan took a step back from this man. He'd learned of this man's power in the Syndicate. Zato had told him stories of their past battles. If Zato respected the man's fighting prowess, then he was good.
Johnny seemed to sense his discomfort and motioned for him to sit down. "You came at the perfect time, Hagan. We were just discussing the Gear situation. I think we should both hear from you on a few things that recently happened. Would you mind?" Johnny asked him.
Hagan sat down. This wasn't what he came for, but he knew it had to happen at some point. He had fought Justice, the leader of the Gears. People were going to want to know about that. Also, his all too recent assassin affiliation was probably going to come up.
Ky looked at him. He was wearing the Holy Knight's uniform that he'd seen him wearing in pictures from the Syndicate. Blue and white were the colors of the uniform, and he had a large but thin sword set to his side. He'd heard of that blade as well. It held the power of lightening within it, amplifying Ky's own natural affinity, or so he'd been told. Despite his youthful appearance, Hagan could sense the power this man had, and was wary.
"I'd introduce myself, but from what I've been told, you should know me, right?' Ky asked him, his tone businesslike.
"I know of you. You're Ky Kiske, leader of the Holy Knights. You're natural affinity is for lightening. You're sword over there magically amplifies your electrical power. You like to collect tea cups as a hobby. You were personally trained by Kliff to take your current role, and are almost to his level of swordsmanship. You came from humble origins to the Knights about fifteen years ago, having a rapid climb to power. I could go on, but I don't think I need to. The Syndicate knows a lot about you, thus I do as well." Hagan said, wanting to throw the man off-balance.
While it was his practice as an assassin to not know the personal details of his target beyond what was relevant to the assassination, certain targets were different. Possible targets like Ky Kiske or Johnny were carefully studied, just in case the opportunity ever presented its self.
Ky blinked in mild surprise, but he seemed to not be bothered overmuch by it. "At this point, I'd be surprised if they didn't know where I was going to eat before I did. You, however, are supposed to be a former assassin. Johnny vouches for you. Descartes vouches for you, albeit somewhat grudgingly. I'm not here to challenge you or to mince words with you. I'm here to figure out what is going on and why people are dying." Ky told him, his tone dead serious.
"Alright, I can respect that. As a belated introduction... I am Hagan Ko Lu, former assassin trained by Zato-1 himself. I've abandoned the Syndicate after I had an encounter that changed how I saw... everything. I've come to the Jellyfish Pirates for shelter and to help them protect people... though I imagine you want to hear about Justice, not me." he said and chuckled.
"Yes, but if we are to work with one another at some point, we will need to know one another, at least a little bit. For now though, tell me of... Justice." he said, his voice had a dangerous edge to it when he said her name.
"I was on the rear deck with Alyssa, another crew mate of mine, when I felt dread. I sent her for aid and I challenged. She appeared and told he she had come for Dizzy. I told her... no. Only by going through me could she do that. She attacked me and I defended, but it was a losing battle. She wounded me badly, and I fell. Then Johnny and the rest came out there. They confronted Justice and she attacked me as she fled. I almost died, but I managed to stay alive due to the aid of the crew... Dizzy especially." Hagan told him. He omitted a lot of things that he really didn't feel like going into just yet, especially the power he had harnessed at that time.
Ky gave him an impressed look, as did Johnny. "You openly challenged Justice and tried to fight her... That's impressive, I'll say. You said that she had come for Dizzy, right?" Ky asked him, getting back to business.
"That's what she told me anyway. It would make sense, as Dizzy is a Gear." Hagan said.
"She's probably trying to collect more powerful Gears... but why? She already has enough power to attack us brazenly and hurt us good. What is she trying to do this time?" Ky mused as he talked. Hagan had to wonder as well.
"She seeks to eliminate all of humanity, right? She could be trying to get so much power at her command that we have no chance to fight her," Johnny said, also thinking as he spoke.
"No... if this was as simple as genocide, the attacks would be much more focused. Her units would move as an army, and they would make sure to kill everyone. Its how she did it before." Ky said simply, and they all reflected for a moment on the past.
"Perhaps she lacks the numbers she used to have. Many Gears have been destroyed over the course of this long conflict. Hit and run might be all she can do for now." Johnny said.
Hagan was being quiet, simply listening to them talk, and and was deep in thought. There was something else going on here. Something didn't add up. He had no idea what it was, but there was something deeper at work here. Perhaps there was a pattern or a clue, but he didn't know where to begin to look.
"Perhaps... but this feels different, somehow. This isn't like it was before." Ky said.
"I agree with Ky. There is something else, something deeper at work here. I have this feeling that there is a plan or two already in motion, and that we are very much in the dark about it. Its not a good feeling." Hagan said.
"There's not much we can do about that now. Have you found... him, yet? If the Gears are on the move, you can be he will be as well." Johnny asked Ky. Hagan had no idea who they could mean. It was a little annoying.
"Not a thing yet. I did run into Slayer two nights ago. He was in Paris when the attack happened. He helped me out in that terrible battle. I was still exhausted from the London ordeal, and it was a very long fight. He said that something dark was coming, and that the Gears were very related to it. He left shortly after we had control of the city again, and he didn't tell me much else. Make of that what you will. It didn't help me at all..." Ky said to them.
"Slayer isn't very helpful when it comes to information, now is he? You can't rely on him for anything accept to show up when there's trouble." Johnny said.
"Same could be said of you and your crew." Ky countered, and Johnny laughed.
"Yeah, yeah... But at least I have the manners to have these little chats with you and let you know what we're up to." Johnny said, and Ky sighed.
"Yes, but only when it suits you. You certainly don't tell me when your group pirates something valuable and rare from someone... They end up complaining to me, you know?" Ky told him, giving the man an exasperated look.
Johnny at least had the good sense to look somewhat abashed by his words. "That's not important right now, is it? Lets get back to the topic at hand." Johnny said, and Ky muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'common rogue'. Johnny paid it no mind.
Before Ky could begin, there was a knock on the door. "Must be the other person we've been expecting... Come in!" Johnny said and the door opened.
Dizzy walked in slowly, looking rather nervous. She gave Ky a look, which was a mix of embarrassment and... something else. Perhaps he was mistaken, but it seemed to his trained eyes that her look had held... affection and warmth along with the embarrassment. Ky gave her a reassuring look, and she sat down between Ky and himself. As Dizzy took a seat at the table, Hagan could almost feel the attraction between them, though they probably weren't aware of it themselves. Hagan chuckled lightly to himself. That was rather interesting.
"Well, now that we've got everyone that we've waited for, lets get onto business." Johnny said and got up from the table. He want to his cabinet, but rather than drawing his booze, he went lower and withdrew a rolled up parchment from a drawer. He sat back down and unrolled it on the table. It was a map of Europe, with three 'X's drawn on it... each marked over a city. Hagan figured out what they notated quickly. Each 'X' notated a city that had been attacked.
"You told me before that you've got an idea... what does this map have to do with it?" asked Ky, looking at the map with curiosity.
"Yeah, I've got something figured out, but I want you all to try to figure out what it means. Each of us had a personal involvement in this, and between us, we should be able to piece this together. Assuming, of course, that this whole situation isn't something else entirely." Johnny said.
Dizzy finally spoke. "Could someone tell me what this is all about? All you told me before was that you wanted me for a meeting later." she asked, giving Ky a quick and meaningful look.
He seemed to pick up on the look, but not what it really meant. "Well... we're here to try to figure out just what is going on here. We'd like you to share whatever insight you may have on any of this discussion. You can just listen at first, if you want." Ky said, his tone gentle with her.
Hagan looked at the map. London, then Paris, and then Berlin... one after the other, all attacked with lightning speed and force. He drew a line mentally from one sight to the next, seeing if there was anything to see... but he could see no pattern or clue. Nothing about those cities seemed to be special, or at least any more special than any other city... except they each was the capital city of their respective nations.
"Only capital cities have been attacked so far, progressively moving east across Europe. Based purely on this, their next target should be the capital of Russia or some country in that area... but this is only simple speculation." Hagan said, unsure if he was actually onto anything.
"Good, good... we need any ideas we can get... What about you, Ky?" Johnny asked.
"Well... Hagan's right. Each attacked city is a capital city, and they are going east... but it can't be that simple. There's no point to simply raiding each capital like that. Sure, it stirs up fear, but it doesn't win her any actual victories." Ky said.
"Don't be so sure about that. I'm sure that Hagan will agree when I say that fear is a powerful tool, and she is winning important victories doing this." Johnny said.
"I'll agree to a point, but not entirely. Fear is an effective tool, but it wins nothing by its self. To use fear most effectively, you have to back it up eventually... give them a reason to keep being afraid, or the fear fades. You can only threaten a man with a knife but so many times before you have to cut him to keep him feeling afraid." Hagan said grimly.
"Are you saying that we should expect some kind of massive attack somewhere?" Ky asked him, his face suddenly alert.
"Perhaps... but that doesn't explain enough to make me comfortable with it. There's still far too much that's unexplained. We don't know enough..." Hagan said, looking at the map, more than a bit frustrated. He'd been trying to figure all of this out for a while now.
"What if..." Dizzy began, but then stopped. "Its nothing..." she said finally.
"What did you want to say? Nothing should be ruled out, and we want your input. Please go ahead with what you were going to say." Ky assured her gently.
"Well... I was just thinking that these attacks are... I don't know... diversionary, somehow. They don't seem to have any real intent behind them at all beyond drawing attention. It all seems like its just... meaningless if you wanted to make fear or begin to conquer. It just doesn't fit." she said, looking intently at the map.
Hagan found that the idea made sense. "It has merit. These attacks were aimed at places where they couldn't be missed by anyone... yet there hasn't been one follow-up on the attacks. Nothing was done to take advantage of the chaos, nor was anything done to enforce the fear caused by them. I think Dizzy may be on to something here." he said, nodding in thought as he did so.
All of them looked at the map in silence, each contemplating what that idea could mean. Just what was going on that would need such a drastic and costly distraction. Hagan knew that if this was the case, whatever was going on behind the scenes was very bad indeed.
"What about a diversion for an even larger offensive? This could all be in preparation for a massive attack somewhere else." Johnny said, looking at the map intently.
"No, I don't think so. If she wanted to attack a place with the intent to burn it, she could have done that instead of attacking these other cities. She lost the element of surprise when she attacked the first city. If this is a cover, its not for something so simple." Ky responded.
"If it is a diversion, its nearly impossible for us to guess at what's hidden behind it without some new information. There's too much we don't know about all of this." Hagan said, sharing his frustration at their lack of knowledge.
They all were silent for a moment, thinking about how little they really knew about these attacks and what was really behind them.
"Ahh... this is making my head hurt. Why can't Justice just stay down for once? She should know when she's not wanted." Johnny said and got up to pace around the room.
Ky just sighed and kept looking at the map as though it held some secret. Dizzy looked from Johnny to Ky, seeming unsure of what to do now. Hagan knew that nothing more would get done for now.
"Why don't we take a break and get some air or something. This is only going to frustrate us more at this time." Hagan said and got up. They all nodded in agreement and filed out of the room, each wearing a thoughtful expression.
Hagan walked the corridors of the ship, lost in thought. He knew, somehow, that there was something that they were all missing. Something that would give them the edge they needed to crack this wide open. He just had no idea what that thing could be. He kept walking and thinking, oblivious to his surroundings. What was it that he couldn't see? He swore under his breath. This was getting him nowhere, and he'd forgotten to ask about getting new weapons with all that had happened. He swore again, this time louder, and kicked the wall. He was getting more and more frustrated with all of this. What good was it to be fighting to do the right thing when he had no idea how to counter the evils that threatened those he sought to protect? What good were his actions, his good intent, if they did nothing to stop whatever was coming?
He thought of Alyssa, and knew that she would get caught up in whatever was coming if he couldn't protect her more than this. He sighed angrily and kept walking, no care as to his destination at this point. He had to do more than this if he wanted to protect those he cared about, he had to become more than this... or else all that had happened to him would have been for nothing at all.
He then had a memory intrude upon his thoughts. He was walking out of his ruined home, hours after the Gears had come and gone, repelled by that mysterious figure. He looked around and saw the devastation abound. Bodies strewn across the ground carelessly, as if some child had tired of playing with his toys and had just dropped them in mid action. Buildings were ruined, as if some unseen hand had toppled them angrily. He walked among the destruction, feeling the sorrow and pain from everywhere and everyone. He tripped and fell to the ground, and couldn't find a reason to get back up, not after what he'd seen happen to his family...
He shook his head and swore yet again. It was happening all over again, it seemed. The nightmare of Justice was returning to the world. It finally sunk in just how severe this really was. His fight with Justice, the cities attacked, and their helplessness... it all came together for him in that moment. He stopped in his tracks, feeling rather demoralized at the moment.
Why wouldn't the past just stay in the past? Why did it have to haunt everyone as if it were a vengeful ghost? It wasn't just his past haunting him, but all of the world's terrible past was coming back to ruin it again. Hagan slammed his fist into the wall, the pain focusing his helpless anger. Damn that Justice for refusing to stay in the past! Damn the terrors of the past that wouldn't stay dead! Damn the ghosts of his own past! Damn them all! Why did they all have to suffer because of what happened in the past?
Hagan took several deep breaths, and calmed himself down. He knew that it would do him no good to let his anger get the best of him. He sighed and began to walk again. He saw Rina sitting up against the wall, breathing heavily. She looked pale.
"Are you OK? What happened to you?" he asked her as he came over to her.
"I see... that loud outburst was you after all..." she said, catching her breath.
Hagan was puzzled by that comment, and then he remembered that this girl could somehow read his thoughts. "You read my mind?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "No. I don't generally do that without permission or a desperate need, but your thoughts were so... intense that I felt them anyway. Those thoughts were quite powerful, and I was unprepared for them." she said.
"Um... I guess an apology is in order... I'm sorry." he said and scratched his head.
"No apology needed. You had no way of knowing that would happen. Don't worry about it." she told him and got up.
"Just how do you do... what it is you do?" Hagan asked her. He really wanted to know how this girl could pierce the veil of the mind like she did.
"I don't know. Since I can remember, I've been able to feel other people's feelings and hear their thoughts if I wanted to or when I didn't want to sometimes. It caused me a lot of grief when I was younger, but it wasn't all that bad really. Nothing like Risetto... or you, for that matter. Between what I've heard and what I saw just then, I can tell you had a terrible time of it."she said, a hint of sympathy in her voice.
"Don't worry about me. Didn't your parents recently... oh, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that..." Hagan said, again finding himself apologizing to this girl.
For a moment, sorrow flickered across her face, but then she blinked and it was gone. "Don't worry about it. We both have felt this pain, and in knowing others share this pain with you, terrible as it is, there is solace." she said and gave him a slight smile.
Hagan looked at this girl again, in a new light. She was wise for her age, probably due, in part, to her... gift. "Yeah... you're right. Thanks." he told her simply.
"I need to ask you something personal. Are you dating that girl, Alyssa?" she asked him.
"Well... yes. Why do you ask?" he asked her in return.
"It seems that Risetto is doing what she usually does in a new place: she's let herself develop feelings for a man who shows her spirit. In this case, that's you." she told him, and Hagan shook his head rather assertively.
"I'm sorry, but I can't... you must understand. My feelings for Alyssa are too great to leave her for anyone. Not that there's anything wrong with Risetto..." he was blabbing, but he stopped when he saw her expression. She was trying to suppress a giggle.
"You're a nice guy, you know that? You don't have to apologize for or explain anything to me. This is something she does to herself from time to time, and it will pass. She may not like it, but she'll get over it eventually. She'll be fine." she told him, and he visibly relaxed.
"Thanks for telling me this, and for being a friend when I really needed it, Rina. If you ever need anything, feel free to ask me. I'll do what I can. We're friends now, right?" he asked her.
She smiled at him. "I guess we are now, huh. The same goes for you as well. Feel free to ask for my help anytime." she told him and waved. She then walked the opposite direction from where he was going.
He smiled, feeling much better, and he made his way to the mess hall. He needed to take his mind off of things, and he wanted to cook.
He opened the doors to the mess hall and strode in. This was where he could just be a cook and nothing else, even if just for a little while. He needed that once and a while, even when he was an assassin, he'd done this very thing. He walked into the kitchen and dove into the work. The cooking crew was happy to see him, and he felt like he was accomplishing something here. Though the work was hard, as they were preparing a special feast to welcome their two new members, but he loved every second of it. It was exactly what he needed.
Once everything was complete, he grabbed a small plate of food and went into the hall to eat, having worked up an immense hunger from all of the work. He began to eat his food, ribs cooked in a custom sauce he'd learned long ago, from his father, when he was interrupted by someone sitting at his table. It was Risetto.
"Hey! I was just looking for you!" she said, giving him an energetic smile.
"What did you need?" he asked her, though he was afraid of the answer. He thought back to his conversation with Rina and sighed.
"Well... I was just wondering... if you're not doing anything, that is... if we could, maybe, go out and see the city together? I know its a bit trashed right now, bit its still a great place! I know all of the best places to eat and shop, and I could show you around! Sounds like fun, right?" she asked him, seemingly bouncing with excitement.
It was as he feared. "Well... to be honest... it sounds like fun, but I was going to see Alyssa after I ate here. I'm sorry." he said, and then knew he'd made a mistake. He saw her expression change to one of jealousy.
"Alyssa, huh? Don't tell me you already have... a girlfriend?" she said. Her voice dropping to a near-whisper.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that do. Don't get me wrong. I'd love to go out on the town with you sometime, but I would like to go as friends." he told her, trying to make peace.
She gave him a determined look, and Hagan knew trouble was coming. "I have a rival now! This Alyssa has the man I've set my sights on, and I don't lose to anyone!" she said and grabbed his arm. Hagan struggled to free himself.
He then heard a familiar gasp from behind him. Not this, not now, he found himself thinking desperately. He turned to see Alyssa standing behind him, giving Risetto a dangerous look.
Risetto also turned, and upon seeing Alyssa, she glared at her. "You're Alyssa, I would guess. You are now my rival! I've fallen in love with Hagan here, and you're just gonna lose to me!" she taunted her, still clinging to his arm. Hagan just wanted to make a break for it now. He sighed again and watched the fireworks.
Alyssa's face was turning red, something Hagan had never seen before. "You... get your hands off of my Hagan!" she shouted at her, her expression livid.
Risetto looked just as worked up as Alyssa. "You've got a lot of nerve, you know!? He doesn't belong to you, he's free to do whatever he wants." she said to Alyssa, who was looking even angrier somehow.
Alyssa and Risetto stared one another down, the atmosphere suddenly dangerous. Risetto let go of Hagan's arm, and she stood to face this other woman. A small crowed had gathered at this point, all watching the heated argument.
Hagan walked between the two of them, intent on stopping this before it got ugly... well, uglier than it had already gotten. "Look, both of you, listen to me. Fighting here won't solve anything... it'll just make a huge mess and delay the feast. I even helped cook it. So please..." he said, nearly begging by the end of it.
The two girls looked at one another, and they both turned in the opposite direction of one another, each grumbling about the other. Risetto then gave Hagan another look, and and began to walk away, her eyes misty.
"Don't think you've won yet, Alyssa! I'll win him over before you know it!" she said and fled the hall. Hagan caught the hurt expression she wore as she left through the doors, and he felt bad. He'd tried to do the right, thing... but perhaps there was no 'right' solution, free of complications, for this kind of problem. This was new to him, being fought over like this, and he had no idea what to do about it. He sighed, knowing that this wasn't over.
Alyssa turned to Hagan after she'd left. "The rudeness of that girl...! I can't believe she's in the same crew as me! Its terrible!" Alyssa raged.
"I tried to tell her that I'd like to be her friend, but she didn't listen..." he said.
Alyssa then gave him an... insecure look. "You weren't... attracted to her... were you? I don't want to lose you to her, Hagan!" she said suddenly and clung to him.
"Don't worry about it. I'm happy with you by my side. While I'd like to be her friend, you alone hold my heart, Alyssa. Never forget that. But please try not to antagonize her if you can. I don't want any trouble on my account." Hagan told her and hugged her gently.
"Thanks, Hagan... I needed to hear that from you after seeing that. Please don't think of me as petty for all of this, OK?" she asked him and then she kissed him deeply, urgently.
Hagan was surprised, but then he went with it, returning the passion of that kiss. When their lips parted, Alyssa was blushing. "You look cute like that." Hagan teased her, and she blushed even more, causing Hagan to smile.
After lingering for a moment longer in his arms, she got up and pulled away from him. "I've made a fool of myself, haven't I?" she said sheepishly.
Hagan laughed softly. "Perhaps you over-reacted a little, but it was kinda nice to hear you challenge her for me. Perhaps even I get a little insecure at times. Don't worry about it too much." he told her.
She beamed at him. "Hey Hagan, we should go on a real date sometime. Just you and me enjoying a romantic time together. How about it?" she asked him and he couldn't refuse her.
"Sure. That sounds great, actually. We haven't really gone out for a date yet, have we?" Hagan said and took a big bite of his food. It was growing cold now, but he refused to waste food.
Hagan caught a familiar person out of the corner of his eye. Ky walked into the mess hall, followed by Dizzy. They were chatting about something, and Dizzy looked... well, happy and warm. Hagan found himself smiling at the sight. Dizzy deserved some happiness in her life, and he was glad that she was finding it.
Alyssa was also looking at the two, a melancholy expression on her face. "Dizzy liked him from the first time she saw him. She told me that once, you know? I'm glad to see them together. Hopefully, Dizzy will get the happiness she deserves." she said, smiling at them sitting and talking together.
Hagan noticed that more of the crew were arriving, and that the time of the feast was drawing nearer. He saw Rina walk in, her expression neutral. She saw him and walked over.
Alyssa looked at her with some concern. Rina took a seat at their table.
"Risetto was crying when I passed by her room. What happened" she asked them, sure it ad something to do with them.
Hagan summarized what had happened for her, and Alyssa looked a bit embarrassed by it all. When he finished, Rina sighed deeply.
"Its not your fault, Alyssa. Alice... Risetto has a way of being too brash when she should listen.
She's hopeless sometimes. I hope you two can forgive her. She means well, but she really doesn't know how to keep her feelings in check like she should. Especially you, Alyssa. Please forgive her, she just wants to be accepted." Rina said, and her voice had a trace of pleading to it.
Alyssa looked rather abashed now. "I did over-react to her antics. I shouldn't have been so mean to her, I guess. I just saw her clinging to Hagan, and I couldn't help myself. Please understand that." Alyssa said.
"Like I said, its not your fault. She can be a trying person, but she really does mean well. Just try to give her a change. She'll let go of this eventually." Rina said, and Hagan hoped she was right. He really didn't want a repeat of what had happened.
"Will... will she come for the feast? It is for both of you, after all." Alyssa asked, kindness in her voice. Hagan was glad of that.
At that, Rina smiled. "I've never known Risetto to miss free food, especially a whole feast. That woman will be here, stuffing her face. She'll come back in after she's calmed herself a bit." she said.
Hagan looked at Rina with sudden understanding. "You've been her friend for a long time, haven't you?" he asked her.
Rina's expression took on a distant look, as if she were remembering many things. She then smiled sadly. "Ever since her parents were killed, I've been looking out for her. At first, it was probably because I felt sorry for her, but we were true friends in short order. I... look up to her. She has courage and emotion in abundance, and she isn't afraid to speak her mind. I... guess I envy that in her, even if it keeps getting her into more trouble." Rina sad and laughed softly.
Alyssa sighed. "I'm glad she has such a friend. I don't know if we can ever become friends, but I'm glad that she has such a good friend in you." she said.
Johnny then walked into the hall, followed by the rest of the crew, minus Risetto. They all filed in and took seats. Just as Hagan was beginning to worry, Risetto slowly walked in as well. She looked tired and a bit drained, but the hurt expression was gone. Hagan sighed in relief. Rina got up from their table with a goodbye, and walked over to be with Risetto. They took a seat and began chatting.
Johnny got up from his seat, seeing that everyone was now there. The chatter echoing through the room quieted. He cleared his throat loudly.
"This little feast is to welcome our new crew members in. Risetto, Rina, and Hagan... our newest crew. I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I welcome you all to our family and express my hope that each of you can find what you need here with us. Now, lets eat!" he said, and she crew cheered.
Hagan hadn't expected to be mentioned in all of this, but he nodded to the crew looking his way. At that moment, it felt like family to him. The feast went well, with plenty of food to be had by all, and as Rina had said, Risetto pigged out, drawing looks from some of the crew. Alyssa went from table to table, talking with all of her friends. All in all, everyone had fun. Hagan mostly watched it all, grinning, but he did talk with some of the crew, and had a good time.
Afterwards, Hagan walked Alyssa to her room, kissed her goodnight, and walked to his room. He went in and fell onto the bed, exhausted by all of the events of the day. He sighed as he lay in bed, rather content with it all.
Hagan dreamed... a dream the he'd had before. He was trapped in that bestial body again, and he was chasing some prey again. No matter how fast hr ran, his prey was always ahead of him. In the dream, he didn't question what or why he hunted, he just did. He felt pangs of hunger as he ran, and he desired to taste his prey's flesh and sup on their meat. He ran and ran, unfettered by anything at all, just running and hunting forever, or so it seemed.
He awoke, feeling the hunger even awake. He was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. This time, he remembered the strange dream all too well. The pangs of hunger had faded, but he had felt them while awake, he was sure of it. They weren't just from that dream, it seemed to him. The hunger was too real to be just part of the dream. He looked at himself, seeing nothing different. He shook his head clear of the thoughts and washed himself. He went through his morning training as usual, taking comfort in the routine.
Hagan finished and readied himself for the new day. He walked out of his room and began making his way through the ship. He had no destination as of yet, but he walked the corridors of his home, rather content to have nothing to do. That meant that there were no problems, and that's how he liked it.
He was walking the corridors when he bumped into Johnny. "We've just gotten a lead, Hagan. We've found someone who's been watching the Gears' movements. He just got here not ten minutes ago. I was coming to get you, but you've saved me the walk. Shall we?" Johnny asked.
"Lead on." was his response. Now, perhaps they could finally figure out what was going on.