Love Struck Eternal

by mT Shadow

Change is not always for the better. Eighteen years have passed since the events of the second most major war for the middle east had come to a close. Leaders have come and gone, society itself has changed, and those who seek a different outcome have gone dark. The focus is now on one person. Yet her story will change the world forever. Following down her father's dark past.

36. Chapter 36

Love Struck Eternal

Chapter 36 - Come Direct.

Royce's POV, One month later.

"So how are you settling in?" I asked Sam over the phone as this was officially the first time we had contact since she left the states.

I wasn't busy thanks to this assignment. I got time to myself and that included some time at home. Currently I was alone in my house. My wife and son were out shopping for dinner and in less than an hour I'd be watching a movie with them. It felt different but it felt good. It felt good just to remember my life wasn't all military.

With a pen in my right hand and a blank notebook in front of me, I prepared myself to take notes as Sam finally replied to my question.

"I'm settled. The city is beautiful. So many landmarks and so many people. It's amazing. A lot to take in, but I'm managing."

"You got yourself an apartment?"

"Yeah. I'm comfy. In a good part of town and just spending a lot of my free time researching the areas block by block. Lots of details to learn and even more places to remember."

"What do you mean exactly?" I asked her back as I was curious just how deep she was taking this.

"I'd send you a picture but this phone isn't exactly a luxury item. I have one of the walls covered up in a full size map of the whole city. I have every building marked and the ones I find interesting or noteworthy; I have pinned with notes describing the situation going on over there. Most places are legit, but some aren't and I have that noted."

"Anything on Dusk or his people yet?" I wondered as I took a sip of coffee I had in a mug next to my notepad.

"Nothing solid. I have plenty of theories on where he could be hiding, but I'm not convinced yet of anything. Most of my focus is on intel at the moment. I still have some places I need to check out before I decide on my first real move."

"Meet anyone? Any friends?" I then asked as her voice began to seem strained.

"No. I'm keeping my head down."

"What are you doing?" I had to ask as I was convinced she was either on the toilet or lifting a heavy box.

"I'm at the gym. Doing some pull ups." Her response brought me around to start laughing. I was convinced I was right with my assumption, but clearly I was wrong and that made me happy to know. She chuckled a tad too as I went on to ask.

"How are you mentally holding up? You seem happy."

"Like I said…..I'm good…..just keeping myself…...busy and taking it a step…..a step at a time. I'm…..making progress." She was doing reps in between her sentences. I wasn't shocked she could do both at once, but I had to wonder how she was holding the phone?

"It's Bluetooth." She suddenly stated.

In confusion I questioned.

"What?"

"It's Bluetooth. You're wondering how I'm doing pull ups and talking to you, right?"

This time I laughed just out of sheer confusion for how she knew what I was thinking from out of nowhere. It had to be a lucky deduction on her end. So with that as my reason for not questioning her further, I replied.

"I mean it crossed my mind. Hahah!"

She laughed a little as well, but seemed more focused on her workout and with my notes jotted down I figured now was a good time to end our small conversation.

"Well I'm glad you're still in good spirits. Listen, I'm gonna talk to you at the same time next month. You just keep yourself together and focused on the mission. If you need anything though you give me a buzz, okay?"

"Yes sir." She replied as I then smiled to myself to say happily.

"Take care of yourself Sam."

"You too Dom."

Sam's POV.

Hanging up the line, I hopped off the bar for a moment just to put away the phone which was in my pocket. Stuffing it in my backpack, I proceeded to take a small drink of water before getting back to work. I was surprisingly happy with my life at this point. This city was amazing and the people in it have been really nice to work with. I haven't had any issues since getting into town and with my last month consisting of nothing other than research and careful organization of all my many talents, I spent a lot of my free time working out. It burned all the energy I had been saving up from seeing no action since leaving the US and it helped bolster my self confidence.

I was proud of myself and not just my body for once. Of course I loved going out like this just to show off. Roslin has been training me ever since he got back from his short nap and physically he thinks I'm ahead of my father. I didn't want to take any chances and take his word for it. My dad was still a killer and if we ever had to fight again I wouldn't want to be in a position where I would be looking down on him. I'm cocky when put up against anyone, but not with him. Now that I knew what he was I had no reason to underestimate him.

Jumping back on the bar I continued my set and managed to get my mind off of my father and that started when I began to take notice of the rest of the gym. The place I went to was a smaller gym, but it had its fair share of regular members and trainers and I've been coming once a week since getting settled in. This had to be my fourth visit and each time I came here I got more than a few eyes on me. It was all good though. A lot of the men were my age or just a few years over and all of them were drooling. Humans, foxes, wolves, echidnas, hedgehogs, cats, and even a few snakes. I'm sure seeing a girl like me in my shape had to be driving them over the edge. I killed every workout and that blew all of them away. The only thing I hadn't done yet was lifting since that's where they all were. I'm sure if I stepped a foot over there I'd have to see or hear something leave their mouths.

Counting the reps in my head alongside my thoughts, I decided to extend my power outward and towards a few of the guys who were looking at me from time to time. Roslin had extended the gift he gave me a tad more since we've been working together and what came with that was the ability to read their thoughts. A power I just used on my friend a minute ago. The power had no limitations as to how far I could expand the distance. So long as I knew who I wanted to listen to, I could do it.

Now on the other hand when I started to read the men around me I got informed of their dreams and that every one of them was wet. Really made me understand some women who claim all men are pigs. Regardless it again bolstered my self confidence.

Taking my mind off of others, I continued with my session and went over the rest of my plan for the day. I did what exploring I had to do. The city was almost all mapped out in my mind and with that out of the way I'd be able to focus on my next move; which I knew would be violent.

There are plenty of things going on with this city that I could pick just about any target I wanted; knowing I'd draw attention and despite all the criminals Minky believes that the government here is turning a blind eye to most of the smaller conflicts and is aiming to attack the more major operations. Mainly when it came to the drug and illegal weapon trades this city made on a daily basis. And if rumor had it I'd like to think Dusk and his friends are working to keep most of that intact. They had to be getting money and gear from somewhere and it's safe to assume the gear they get is high end military hardware that someone on the inside is getting a handle on. If that string got cut it's safe to assume it would affect Dusk greatly. Enough so that maybe they'd think about doing something about it. Yet was that smart of them right now? If they made a move it would only give away their real location in due time if they fucked up. A group of people can do that, but one? One person alone could make all the difference. The government wouldn't expect that and neither would Dusk or his friends. I thought to myself as I did a few more reps.

Minky did the research for me once I had a general idea of what I was looking for. Azerbaijan is currently ruled by a man named Esteban Cozetic. Friendly enough guy according to the people who know him, but he's really involved in ending such operations. He wanted his city to be clean from scum and with the way things were going for him, he'd have the city in good shape in a matter of a few weeks. Most of that assumption was dependent on him breathing. If he had an accident it would ruin any plans he had in motion for this. However I'm sure if he was simply killed it would draw a lot of questions, especially if no one ever saw the killer. It was a task I was more than capable of undertaking. Even with the security he had around him. I just needed to do some more research. I'm sure I could get to him. It's just a matter of when and how.

Getting down from the bar, I approached my bag again and decided to take a small walk over to a bench. I wanted to get in some lifting before I called it quits for today. However there were more than a few guys already over here. Thankfully they had their own bench. It wouldn't be awkward waiting and I'd be willing to bet they had no idea I was here to out lift them. Especially the guy using it right now. He was an echidna of some breed. He had a weird body though. He was much larger when I compared him to some of the men I knew back in boot camp. Had to be crossed with something from one of his parents. He was lifting about three fifty it seemed and when I stopped to take a seat at my own bench; him and his friends glanced over for a moment to look at me as I put my bag back down. They kept quiet though as I began to add some weight to the bar by adding more plates. I added just enough to match what the big guy was doing and once I had sat back down he asked me from two benches down in a concerned voice.

"You want some help there? You could do with a spotter if you're gonna lift like that."

I didn't want to outright be a dick to this guy. I understood his concerns, but he had no clue what I was thanks to Roslin and he quickly learned when I laid back to take the bar down for the first time. Him and his friends just watched with wide eyes as I began to lift the bar like it was nothing. I even kept a solid pace which was something even he struggled to do. In fact I was barely breaking a sweat and that alone amazed them it seemed. If they weren't looking at me for my body before; this would push it now. By the time I had done a set of twenty I stopped to take a moment to collect my breath. It was about then when I was asked by one of the echidna's smaller buddies.

"I ain't never seen a chick lift like that. Jesus."

I shot them a small smile and an even thinner chuckle as I laid back for my second set. The echidna who had been lifting alongside me now sat up to just watch as I again displayed my strength. However I was caught a little off guard when he and his friends began to cheer me on. I only wanted to do this last set, but thanks to that I doubled my count then finished up. At that moment when I got the bar back up for the second time, I was approached by the small group of guys who all had questions. Most of them silly and not needing a serious answer. With the echidna right next to me, he asked me with a heavy smile.

"How long have you been lifting?"

"A few years." I lied back to him as I reached down for my bag.

"You're a beast." He informed me as I decided to get up from the bench. I saw all their eyes change as I now stood in front of them. I was taller than most of his friends. I just matched his height in fact and with my bag going over my shoulder I said to them all as nicely as I could.

"Yeah, but that's about all I'm good for right now. I gotta get heading back home. Thanks for the cheering though."

"Anytime." One of them replied as I turned to get walking towards the exit.

Thankfully I was left alone after that. I was expecting the echidna to make more small talk in hopes of getting my name and number and that was the last thing on my mind. Like I told Royce, I'm not looking for friends.

Walking outside the gym, I went to find my car. I bought a fairly nice truck from one of the used car dealers they had close to my apartment about a day or so when I got into town. I just needed to be able to travel around this place. If I had any intentions on doing anything big enough to draw Dusk's attention I'd need it at my side sooner or later.

Fixing my hair and putting back on my hat, I drove back home. It was only a ten minute trip thanks to it not being anywhere close to the main roads. I made sure however that it was in a nice part of town where I wouldn't have to worry about thugs or other criminals running into me. The place I got was nothing more than a two bedroom condo. I used one of the bedrooms to store all my equipment and research. The other was for me to sleep in. The living room was tiny in comparison considering it shared space with the kitchen, but I liked that. Call me lazy. I don't really like the idea of walking around from room to room in my own home. If I could make it so the bedrooms shared the space; I would.

Unlocking the front door, I walked into my own home already knowing what to expect. Roslin was laying on the couch I had just waiting for me. The second I looked at him was when he decided to ask me in a soft voice.

"How was your day? Or should I say week? It's been about a week since I last stopped by right?"

Smiling back as I came on over to sit next to him, I replied to him while also letting my bag rest on his lap.

"Six days. Today would have been seven."

Giving me a smile back, Roslin sat up while also putting my bag properly down on the floor next to his feet. Giving me those two judgeful eyes, he wondered.

"You want to get a shower before we do this?"

"No. Just do it." I urged him as he nodded and closed his eyes for a moment before asking me calmly.

"How many are there this time?"

I knew the answer the moment I stepped into the condo, but I thought I'd toy with him a little by replying.

"Four."

His eyes reopened and for a moment he seemed disappointed that I had guessed wrong. However I quickly snatched that emotion away when I added.

"But that doesn't include the one in your hand."

Roslin quickly began to chuckle to himself as he brought his right hand up to expose a knife. My knife. He had it tucked under his sleeve.

"I was about to question you. Typically you get that right. So where are the others?"

Scratching at my chin as he handed me my knife, I took it and replied.

"One is behind the tv. The second is under my pillow in the other room. The third you have behind the toilet and the fourth is in the kitchen under the sink."

"Good." He smiled back as I took a moment to go over my knife. Roslin enjoyed watching me play with it. I was very talented when it came to my handling of it. The weight was perfect and that meant I could easily perform some small tricks with it. One of which he and I both enjoyed was when I would use my balance and spin the knife around and manage to level it onto the back of my hand. Then I could easily push it up a tad and grab it back by the handle in midair. I did it once before asking him curiously.

"What's next?"

Giving me a curious look back he replied.

"I was thinking about testing your distance. I wanna see how far you can reach out with your senses now that you've had ample time to adjust and practice. I'll start us off. I'm gonna look in one direction and I'll think about one thing about my target. You tell me what and how far it is from here. Sounds easy enough for you?"

"Mhm." I replied as I took a moment to take off my hat and run my claws through my hair. Roslin looked at my tattoo as I brought up my sleeveless arms for a moment. I knew he liked the ink. I kinda wanted to get more work done, but that would have to wait a little. I knew my mission was more important right now.

With the echidna then refocusing and looking directly behind me, I focused my senses and instantly read his mind. All I heard him say was the color blue. Then I saw only one thing in that direction that was that color and so a second after I said aloud.

"A kid playing in his room about three hundred meters away in the Saturn ballroom studios development."

Nodding his head, he replied happily.

"Good. Now I'm gonna go a bit further, so be ready."

I nodded back and watched as his eyes darted to my left. Again focusing on his mind I heard him say the words "loud" and "cluttered". Then I tried to understand that riddle. It took me a couple of seconds, but I soon understood what he meant and said to him confidently.

"Construction site. Five hundred and twenty two meters. I think they're building a rec center there."

Roslin was now impressed. I saw it in his eyes as he then asked me.

"Is this too easy for you?"

I just laughed as he then urged me.

"Well I'll make this hard for you then. I know you like that so here we go. Get ready pup."

I nodded and readied myself for it. His eyes went in a few directions, but eventually they stopped once more behind me. Staring into his eyes, I listened as he whispered in his mind.

"Broken."

I threw my effort into figuring that one clue out and at first I figured he would have maybe pushed me another hundred or so meters out and if that was to be true I would already be straining myself to see anything, but no matter what I tried to focus on it seemed wrong. He couldn't be talking about a person. Unless it was someone like my dad, but he's not the type to make jokes that good out of the blue. And as far as I could tell there wasn't anything jumping out of me that was outright broken within that distance; so I had to try and go further. Further than I ever tried before.

Roslin watched me closely as it became clear to him that the distance he set was outside my normal bounds, but I wasn't about to let him win. I had to give it my all and after pushing about nine hundred meters out, I began to get lightheaded. Roslin widened his eyes as I struggled now.

"You give up?" He asked me which made me instantly shake my head back.

Going nearly a thousand meters out I finally found something. Something so fucking small and stupid I could accuse him of cheating even if I was capable of reaching this distance without issues. But with a small line of blood leaving my left nostril, I opened my eyes and at the same time put a hand under my nose and exhaled violently.

"A streetlight. Nine hundred and eighty four meters. The yellow one is broken. Right?"

I won. I knew I did the moment I saw his reaction. The big guy actually let out a shocked laugh and proceeded to exclaim to me.

"Well I'll be fucking damned!"

Even with my blood leaving my nose, I laughed a little with him before leaning back into the couch to relax. He on the other hand went on to state.

"Here I was about to shut you down. Clearly that was a bit too far right? What have you reached on your own?"

"Eight." I replied as I shut my eyes and focused on recovering my energy.

"Well at least we know you can push it when you need to. Are you okay?"

Nodding after a moment I replied.

"Just a little tired now. I'm not gonna lie."

Patting my leg, Roslin then urged me.

"Go get cleaned up. Then go meditate. Recover your mind Samantha. Take a rest. You earned it."

"Sam please." I begged him as he then questioned.

"What?"

Taking his hand and giving him a smile back as I stood up off the couch, I replied to his concerns.

"Call me Sam. You sound like my fucking parents."

Giving me a sharp snicker back, Roslin then stated as a joke.

"Well I'm old enough to be your father actually."

Letting his hand go, I then decided to correct that statement for him by saying.

"No. You're old enough to be my grandfather. Actually if we're being historically accurate, you're probably old enough to be at the very bottom of my family tree; which is a long one according to my mother."

"Fuck you." He laughed as I made my way to the bathroom.

"I'm game." I then decided to bluntly state back. Roslin for a moment widened his eyes, but he quickly knew I was messing around so again smiled and questioned.

"Since when are you the jester?"

"Jokester. Not a jester. See? You really are old."

The echidna was about ready to blow a fuse when he heard that response. So with that reaction making me happy enough, I didn't give him time to say anything smart back. I just shut the door and added to my previous statement before taking off my shirt.

"Old and easy to make fun of!"

I heard him let out another laugh before shouting back through the walls.

"Again! Fuck you!"

Tossing my hat into the sink along with my shirt, I proceeded to get off the rest of my clothes and turn on the water. Once I stepped into the heat I let out a pleasured sigh and started working early on my mediation like my master suggested. Of course I finished shampooing and applied my conditioner before I started. I'd have to let it sit in my hair for a few minutes anyway, so why not start here and now? I asked myself as I sat down in the shower.

This part was trivial at this point to me. I did this every night to make sure I'd always be mentally focused. Ever since that echidna out there did this to me for the first time, it's become an addiction. Being laser focused and emotionally unbreakable for a few hours was always a good way to start off my day or end my night. In this case I planned to use it to plan my course of action for tomorrow, but when I started to think about the first step I heard from outside the bathroom.

"Don't drown!"

I fucking couldn't help but smile. It was hard to believe this was the same guy I met in that alley all that time ago. Our relationship had grown to the point where I could really consider him a friend. A lot of the time it was more than that though. My heart couldn't dream of parting ways with this guy at this point. He saved my life, turned my entire course around, and he has gifted me with all this power. He's my only real friend and after that one night of embracing our bodies, I felt like our relationship as a master and student had been permanently cemented. I was his to wield. I had my own goals of course. I wasn't just being a blind pawn, but if he needed me to do anything for him; I'd drop everything to do it. He's earned that much and I made sure he knew it. That and in the end I was happy being his demi. In fact I was in love with it.

With my time nearing its place, I felt the exact moment my head began to level out. All my pain went away from the previous venture I took. My mind was clear and with Roslin still in my thoughts, I wondered what I could do for him in return besides make fun of him every chance I could. I wonder if he has anything that needs doing? I doubt it, but I figured I'd ask him since I knew he was always listening to my thoughts once he was physically with me like this.

"Roslin?" I said in my mind. A moment later I heard back in a calm voice.

"Yes?"

"Do you?" I proceeded to ask. I knew he had heard me before so there wasn't any point in wasting time reiterating myself.

Opening my eyes to see some soap running down my hair, I put my head into the water and began to wash it out. Halfway through the process my master replied.

"I have no enemies. No one that needs that treatment anyhow."

"What about Marcus?" I questioned seeing as it was clear to me by now in our relationship that he and his old demi didn't see eye to eye on some subjects. Unexpected to me Roslin soon said back.

"Marcus and I may not get along all the time, but that doesn't sanction his death. Also Sam I want you to understand that even if I wanted him gone it couldn't be done by you. Not right now anyhow. If Marcus knew about our relationship he would surely cause a big commotion about it. That's something we can't afford right now."

"But you do plan on killing him right?" I questioned as he then urged me.

"How about you finish what you're doing there? We can talk once your…..dry."

"Okay." I replied as I proceeded to stand back up and finish my shower. During the process I decided to ask off subject.

"Are you hungry?"

This time I heard his physical voice call back from the main room.

"I could eat! You want to go out?!"

Shaking my head as I got done drying my hair, I replied.

"I was actually gonna try cooking something for a change. Spice things up a little."

Roslin now waited to say anything back. He just waited for me to get dressed. I figured he wanted to see me so once I had most of my body dry, I proceeded to step out of the bathroom and stare him down as he was laid out on the couch. I felt comfortable enough to be exposed around him. In fact I kinda enjoyed it. He enjoyed my body regardless of him being a god or not. Walking to my room completely naked, I threw on some new clothes and soon came back out to hear him ask.

"So what are you gonna try and make?"

Tying my hair into a single ponytail, I threw back on my hat and replied while entering the kitchen.

"Just some steak I think. I got some nice cuts from the store I've been saving for your next visit."

"You planned to make me dinner?" He then questioned in disbelief. Nodding my head I gave him a silly look and replied.

"Yeah? You think I don't keep you in the back of my mind while you're not here?"

"I just think I don't deserve such treatment is all." Giving the man another small smile before making my way into the fridge to grab the meat, I proceeded to ask him.

"So when you were technically still alive back then; did you not have anyone in your family who liked to cook?"

Roslin kept himself laid back as he calmly replied to my question.

"My mother wasn't much of a cook believe it or not. She was more concerned with working than anything. Money was always the driving force in that woman."

"What about your sister?" I then asked as I used my claws to tear through the packaging.

"She did when the mood struck her. I did most of my own cooking. The schedules we had as a family never really lined out right."

"Oh so you can cook?" I then wondered happily as he nodded and replied a moment later.

"I know a thing or two. Don't worry. Making steak shouldn't be hard for a woman of your intelligence."

"Well if I fuck up something I'd like it if you told me, is that cool?"

"Cool with me." He replied as I turned on the stove.

Applying the first steak to a pan I buttered up, I switched our conversation back to where it used to be by asking him bluntly.

"So Marcus? Would you kill him if you could?" The moment I asked that I decided to look back at the echidna. He was staring up at the ceiling with the blankest look on his face. I knew he was thinking hard about what I just asked him. I didn't dare eavesdrop on his thoughts this time. I respected his privacy as he did mine from time to time. I just went back to focusing on our dinner now as he figured out an answer.

About halfway through the cooking time, he replied.

"If it was simple? Yeah. I'd kill him."

"What about my father then?" Now I wasn't feeling any type of way towards the subject. If he wanted my dad dead I wouldn't deny him it. I didn't hate my father, but I wasn't planning on raising his flag anytime soon. I was glad we got through a few sentences without yelling at each other, but ultimately I had no real feelings to care about. If my dad died somehow I can say with some confidence that I wouldn't shed a tear. Roslin knew that, but still asked me back.

"What about your father? He's Marcus's demi. He's the next in line if he wants the position. The only thing that stopped him from doing that was you. It probably still is; knowing your father anyway."

I wasn't looking at him, but I knew that I didn't really have to answer that for him to know how I felt. Giving me a somewhat surprised look he questioned.

"Could you kill him?"

"Right now?" I asked back which earned me no response. Giving it some thought I had to ask myself if I knew the difference between being able to and being able to pull it off. The first one just being the mental battle it would probably bring about. I wanted to kill him before, but right now I didn't feel one way or the other about it. I think that came with time.

In the beginning I wanted to hurt him so badly, but now I just felt like it wasn't all that important to me now that I had so much going on with my life. If I had no choice or if I was asked to do it by someone like Ajex, I think I could mentally tackle that. I'm sure he couldn't though and that made the answer to the second part of this easy for me. If I had to do it, I could. My dad couldn't kill me. Even if I aimed to take his life and he knew that, I bet he still couldn't bring himself to end his only child. Looking back at Roslin, I replied to his question at last.

"Yeah. I could."

He nodded but in reality he didn't seem upset or even proud of it. He didn't seem in one direction or the other when it came to his feelings. I think he was just taking notes. He knew I was a bad person. Even now I sensed that he knew all about my urges. I wanted to kill so badly right now. Not because anyone deserved to die, I just really enjoyed the feeling I got when I took a life. Part of me was even thinking back on when I killed that little kid back in the US. At first I didn't know how to feel, but right now after giving my life some thought, I knew I carved it.

"So why don't you do something about it?" Roslin bluntly jumped in to ask me as I finished the first steak after a few silent minutes going on between us. Putting his chunk of meat onto a plate and covering it so it could cool down, I questioned.

"Do something about what?"

"That urge you got. I know you're here to do a job, but surely there is someone in this city that needs to be put down that won't interfere with your business. Why not talk to that cat of yours and find something small to work on before you tackle Esteban? You haven't killed in how long now? I think you need a warm up before you go after this guy."

I hesitated to think about that. Roslin sensed my concern so he just bluntly asked me next after not getting a response.

"It doesn't even have to be some stupid contract. You could just go kill someone for the fun of it. Why not do that if you don't want to go through all the hassle?"

"I'm not that cold yet Roslin. I can't just kill anyone."

"Why not? You seem awfully capable. You're fighting yourself internally Sam. I can tell. You can't deny that. You dream about killing now. Being a killer is just part of who you are as a person. Your father is the same way. Even you know that to be true. The only reason he never drifted down the darker path was because of who he had at his side keeping him together. Shadow for example. I can tell you truthfully that if he never had Shadow at his side back then, your dad would have just embraced it. He loves killing. He'll admit that. Yet he's come a long way in containing that urge. It's genetic Sam. It may sound dumb, but it's true."

I struggled to focus now as I made my half of the dinner I had planned. Roslin was in my head and I knew that every word he said was true just now. Giving me a somewhat disappointed sigh, the echidna sat up finally from the couch and stood back up to begin walking my way. I kept my back to him and in moments he came right up alongside me and leaned against the stove by putting his back towards it. Looking right at my face, he whispered.

"The differences between you and your father are far from many, but when it comes to this subject we're discussing; you're both the same person. He killed for his country while you are killing for yourself. You can tell me that you're doing this for the world or even G.U.N, but Sam?"

His voice called to me and when it did I looked up into his eyes to listen as he stated calmly.

"You're not."

I began to nibble on the inside of my cheek. Despite my self control and the few morals I had preventing me from just embracing this feeling; Roslin was speaking the truth. Maybe part of me wanted to believe that I was doing this for the greater good, but inside the truth was selfish and I didn't care. I loved what I did. I love what I do and I know I'll love what's to come. That made this situation easier to solve. I wasn't gonna hang myself up on uncertainty. He was right. I had to do something to quell my feelings; at least until I got the chance to kill Esteban.

Putting down the pan I was using, I took a step away from the stove and just let out a long sigh while closing my eyes. Roslin was watching closely as I nodded my head and reopened my eyes to look right at him. He smiled and so did I. We knew what was gonna happen next.

Maggie's POV.

"Faster!" Raptor ordered me as I swung at him with all I had to be blocked once again easily by his left forearm.

Getting tired of his defense, I spun while sending all my motion into my right leg. Raptor widened his eyes as I nearly kicked him square in the temple. Thankfully he got both his hands up to take the damage and once I landed back on my feet I swung again at him with my right hook.

Raptor was getting worked. He was sweating and so was I. We have been doing this for the past two hours just sparing inside the capital's private gym that was recently developed for some of the officers who didn't want to work outside in the heat with the other younger kids.

"One more time!" He urged me as I took that immediately into my brain and decided to again spin and try to kick him in the head. This time he caught my leg midair and used his left foot to kick out my other leg from under me.

A moment later I widened my eyes and began to fall. He proceeded to lunge inward and with his strength he grabbed me by the neck of my Kevlar vest and slammed me back first into the mat. I let out a heavy gasp of air as it was clear we were done with this session. For a moment we just stared at one another breathing heavily. A moment later we both began to smile and start laughing. He then eased up on my vest and sat down on the mat. He pulled me up on his way down and a moment later stated to me.

"You've gotten better. Since when did you learn how to properly perform a spinning roundhouse like that? When I used to fight some of my men back when I was enlisted; most of them would only perform a stationary roundhouse like the last one you just did. But that first one you threw? I haven't seen someone do that successfully for a long time. I think Pepper is the only person I know that can do it that clean in her gear. Just throwing your whole body off the ground like that takes skill. I nearly got my head taken off kiddo."

I was so happy that he complimented me. Giving him another small laugh while parting some of the hair that got in front of my eyes during our spar, I replied to his question.

"I've been able to do that for a while now. I've always been good at kicking. Zandro was also impressed when I did that during my final exam back in basic to beat one of his operators."

"You don't do it a lot though." He informed me as I nodded and replied.

"That's because if I did it every five seconds during all my spars; everyone would be looking for it. I have to keep a few things up my sleeve if I want to have a chance against someone as good as you in real hand to hand combat."

"Smart thinking, but god damn you could have warned me. You're so tall and you're moving like that?"

"Shut up." I begged him with another chuckle.

Reaching in to scratch at my head with his claws, I shut my eyes and listened as he soon stood back up to ask me.

"What time is it?"

With his claws exiting my hair, I looked at my watch and replied.

"Ten fifteenth."

Now offering me the same hand, I took his help and got back on my own two legs to listen as he then asked.

"You ready to go home? I'm beat."

"You said we would keep going till midnight. Remember?"

"Did I?" He asked in confusion as I nodded and replied.

"You did."

Raptor let out another sigh, but soon smiled again. With his mind coming back together, he had to ask me to be sure.

"Are you sure you can keep this up?"

Giving him another laugh, I proceeded to question.

"Me? Aren't we talking about you? You seem more worn out than me."

"God I wish I was your age. Having all that energy must be nice." I gave him a snicker before he went on to grumble.

"Fine then. Let's continue."

I was ready for more and I still hadn't taken him off his feet yet. I got close, but now that I knew he was running on empty I felt like I had a much better chance. Getting into position, I readied myself and watched as he adjusted his own vest and collar. Once he was good to go, he urged me with a kind voice.

"Ready when you are. Come at me."

Yoga's POV.

I kept watch outside the gym for the last hour and god was I getting bored of sitting out here on my ass as those two got to have fun. With no threats in sight, I decided to check in on them. The moment I went to move for the door I heard someone call out to me from down the hallway.

"Yoga!"

I stopped in place and turned to find Dom slowly making his way towards me. He was dressed in a standard guard uniform and bearing his own rifle. I was surprised to see him in fact and questioned as he came within reach.

"Dom? What the hell are you doing here man? Good to see you."

We shook hands and the first thing I noticed was his control over his new arm. Zandro and his people really came up with something amazing when it came to prosthetic limbs.

"I came to see how the commander was doing. How about you? How are you since…..well since Char?"

"I'm doing about as good as I can be man." I replied as he was quick to inform me.

"You did all you could brother. How are you holding up otherwise? Raptor treated you right?"

I had no real clue who knew what when it came to this subject, but I wasn't all that surprised when it came to Dom. The fucking guy has been here since the beginning and I'm sure during the war he saw Raptor's work first hand. So I just nodded my head and replied to his concerns.

"He….he did, yeah. I'm still trying to process the whole thing, but what else can I really say about it? He's who he is right?"

"You got that right. I'm just waiting for someone to catch on at some point. Someone has to soon enough, but that's not why I'm here. You think I can see him?"

"Of course." I replied as I took a step aside to let the man through.

When the door opened we both looked inside to find him sparring with Maggie and it got us both to stop in our tracks and watch as she was going all out. The speed she had was almost like nothing I've seen before. Most kids her age in the military we're uncoordinated or just simply not talented enough to maintain such a high level of acrobatics. Her kicks for example resembled those you'd expect to see from a shaolin monk. Raptor was one of the best hand to hand fighters in the game, but I'm sure this was driving him to his limits.

"Wow." Dom laughed as she was focused solely on breaking his guard with her speed and power.

Now I'll be honest. I wasn't all that good when it came to my hand to hand. I was fast but that was because of my race. I'm a fucking ferret. I can bob and weave like no one's business, but when it came to actually lining up a combination, I wasn't on her level. Nor did I have her body to support me. Maggie was a fucking tall order and she was a good fifty or so pounds above Raptor's weight. In fact she resembled Samantha a lot in both shape and form. Only real difference between those two is muscle. Maggie was a trained soldier. Sam isn't. She was always the bookworm type. She was still in great shape from what I remember, but the military life adds on mass once you get involved. Maggie learned that lesson early on and fuck was she good at making it look easy.

Raptor was on the defensive this whole time. Maggie was just lighting him up and anytime he went to counter or move, she was already throwing another head kick at him. I was getting lost in all her combinations so it threw me when she switched it up to begin throwing punches and hooks. Raptor was then able to counter a lot more easily, but it opened him back up for another round of kicks and the next set she threw at him were so heavy that she physically threw her whole body up into the air to get the most motion possible. Dom and I were amazed by her display and we both widened our eyes when Raptor somehow managed to absorb the blow by using both of his arms.

Her body for a moment remained in the air when she connected, but the second she went back down to the ground she spun the opposite way with nearly the same amount of force and speed. Raptor was then fully unprepared and panicked when her leg came in contact directly with his neck.

"Oh!" I shouted as he went down to one knee from the impact. Maggie however widened her eyes and turned to see both Dom and I just standing there like idiots. A moment later she questioned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I replied as I looked at Raptor who smiled slightly from getting rocked. He slowly got back on his feet to wonder out loud.

"If it isn't Dom. How are you?"

Dom was happy as all hell and came forward to greet his old friend right by taking him into a hug. Maggie just smiled happily and took a second to wipe her forehead off of sweat as I remained by the door to watch and listen as the two men began their conversation. Dom was the first to state back.

"I'm getting back on my feet thanks to you and Zandro. It might not be my arm, but it sure does feel like it. I owe you guys."

"Dom, it's nothing. You knew I was gonna do everything I could to help you man. I'm just grateful you're still around. What do they got you doing now?" Raptor asked him as he took a second to run his hands through his quills which were covered in sweat. A second later Dom replied.

"Nothing crazy. Hoffer suggested that I start helping some of the newer guys learn the ropes of team based entry and denial operations. Just a fancy way of saying that I teach kids twice my size how to kick open a door. But it's good to be helping out again around here. How's everything going with you though? You and Zeta tied the knot right? Congratulations man."

Giving Dom another sharp smile the hedgehog replied with some exhaustion to his voice.

"We're starting to. The wedding isn't for another two months, but it's a big thing for her. I'm just trying to keep myself together till then."

"And Sam?" Dom wondered as his friend took a second to sigh and then reply.

"She's still overseas. She's gonna try and fly back for the wedding, but we're not sure yet when that will be. It could be the day of. She hasn't said anything yet."

"How is she though?" Dom asked more seriously as Raptor took a small glance at Maggie then back to him to reply.

"I don't know for sure. She's okay from what she's said to us and she's doing something for work, but we don't know the details. She's been vague and she's avoided a lot of our questions. I think she's struggling to figure out what she wants to do. She's been all by herself Dom. I'm just assuming the worst, but trying my best to keep positive about the whole thing."

"She won't come back though? How bad was the fight you guys had?"

"Bad enough." Raptor sighed as he then went on to state.

"I'm in no position to make any decisions for her. If she wants to spend her life on the other side of the world doing something she loves, then I'm gonna try my best to be happy for her. I wish she would come back every night, but I know that won't happen. She's an adult now and she's her own person. I'm sure she's okay."

"No interest in the military?" Dom then wondered as Maggie chuckled while stating.

"Sam? Military? She's too sweet for that. She'd get eaten alive."

Raptor nodded since he agreed with her. Dom gave them both a somewhat confused look so Raptor went into a bit more detail for him.

"She has more brains than brawn. She got that from Zeta. I'm not smart and I'm sure she could do it if she put her mind to it, but it's like how Maggie just said it. She's too sweet. She's always been."

"That would be pretty fucking wild though if she did apply herself. Would you and Zeta be cool with that? I mean what if she wanted to join G.U.N?"

"I don't think she can right now to be honest. She isn't a US citizen and I think you have to be permanently living there to do that. I don't think she'd do that though. She's young. She isn't gonna just settle down." Raptor stated as I then asked him while Dom was taking a moment to process his thoughts.

"Couldn't you pull some strings though?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Raptor replied.

"I probably could, but I won't do that unless she comes to me about it and I doubt she will regardless."

"You'd support that life though if she did?" Dom then asked as we all watched as Raptor nodded his head to reply.

"I'd support anything she came to me with. She wants to join the army? So be it. She wants to work? Let her work. If she wants to go to school again? I'd sign all her papers. She can do whatever she wants. She has that luxury."

Everyone seemed to agree with that and with the subject almost closing itself off, Dom proceeded to offer Raptor his hand again. Taking it Dom said with another big smile.

"It's her life. Let her walk her own path right? I should be going. I just wanted to see how you were holding together through all this shit."

"It was nice seeing you Dom. Call me sometime and we can have a drink. Ron has been begging for me to visit him since retaking the high chair." Raptor informed him as they let each other go.

"I'll keep it in mind. Take good care of yourself. All of you."

"Yes sir." I replied as Maggie nodded. We then watched as Dom left the gym just like he entered. Happy and relatable. Raptor then took a moment to look back at me. His eyes however were different. I knew he was gonna ask me something just by looking at them.

"You mind taking the next round Yoga? I want to catch my breath for a few."

Maggie instantly drew a wide smile as I lost mine to question.

"You fucking with me? You want me to stand in front of this wrecking ball and take those kicks?"

"You can handle it. She'll go easy and I'm sure you could use some practice. Get yourself ready to fight."

I almost couldn't believe him, but it was clearly the truth because he started to walk off the mat. He took his care to sit down and watch as Maggie asked me while getting into position.

"Scared I might hurt you?"

"Hurt me? Nah. I'm scared you'll take my head off. Fuck me man." I then groaned as I took off the sling that held my rifle up. Tossing it over to Raptor who was enjoying himself a water break, I looked back at Maggie and got into position a few feet away. Once she took her first step I shouted.

"Wait!"

She didn't though. She just came at me with the same kick that nearly broke Raptor's neck. I felt my heart stop when her boot came around at mach five.

mT Shadow.