Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8

Chapter 41: The Eighth Sin

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

Reuben was in his office as he was busy looking into the files that were on his desk. He was not too happy with what happened yesterday as he was mainly dealing with Merrick's fruitless request to get me back onto the battlefield. The files that he had were mainly about what I was going through after I destroyed Project Amaterasu two years ago, for I was both a hot-button issue and a high-risk target all rolled into one bizarre package. When he put away the files, he heard the door opening up as he saw Merrick entering in which he was still adamant into taking me towards Kolinahr to see what went on in that deadly attack. This would end on a sour note as the plan to return me to the field would end up hitting one huge snag, for I was still not in fine fettle due to what was happening to me in the past two years.

"So, you still won't let Sam go to Kolinahr, will you?" said Merrick.

"Sam's still off limits," said Reuben.

"Just because your half-brother is off limits, doesn't mean that he can't come back on the battlefield. He needs to return or else there will be more terrorist attacks coming from the Executive Division. I saw the damage over there in Kolinahr and it won't stop until Liesel and her pals steal Sam to be their weapon to power up Project Helios."

"Say what you want, but the answer is still no. Sam went through the ringer not only busting up Sawney Masbath and destroying Project Amaterasu two years ago, but he was also pregnant as well in which it ended up accelerating to the point of performing an emergency caesarian section. Yes, he gave birth to twins, which keeps him occupied so that he wouldn't go back on the battlefield. And yes, I've monitored his condition in which I've had samples collected from him after he gave birth. And to top it off, he even had milk in his pectorals in which they're similar to a male bodybuilder's while having too many protein shakes to build muscles. And another thing, he even helps breastfeeding the twins in which it helps lighten the feeding load that Reiko often has."

"Are you saying that he breastfed his babies?" Merrick briefly had a look of disgust as he couldn't believe his eyes about what he heard. "That's…, that's just sick!"

"He's been helping out with it in which I had samples of breastmilk that had high levels of colostrum, which is beneficial to—"

"That's way too much for me!"

Merrick hastily left Reuben's office as he couldn't handle too much of what I was going through. Even though it was a brief victory, that didn't stop him from trying to convince me to to to Kolinahr to be on the field, but not without Reuben intervening. The effort to pluck me from my furlough was fruitless again, but I was still a high-risk target after all, for I wasn't safe outside my island sanctuary right now…

I was up and alert after what happened to me yesterday. After caring for Gyatso and tending to the newest set of twins, I was mainly in the sitting room as I was busy knitting something. In a much heated twist of fate, I noticed the report of the Thunderstruck being grounded at the harbor as there was a snowstorm that came without warning. I saw the fresh snow from outside billowing in the wind as it wasn't stopping after it came forward. When I heard the door open, I saw Cletus entering as he was eager to talk more about what happened in Kolinahr yesterday, for he had to give me the heads-up in this time of war so far.

"I take it that you slept better after all that stress that you had," he said to me as he sat down in one of the chairs. "I just Merrick would just get his head out of his ass and listen to reason instead of worrying too much about what just happened in Kolinahr for once."

"It never ends, does it?" I said.

"The Second Galvanic Uprising may have started with General Wetzel throwing a tantrum, but it'll end in the downfall of Liesel directly. As for the Sol Project, all four space stations that housed a different branch of it had a side effect to those who would use it to destroy everything in which they would be turned into the worst monster in the shell of their desires."

"And the three who were on the bulk of them had the Seven Deadly Sins placed on display just to be turned into what they manifested."

"There are eight sins, not seven. In the Ancient Days, the Bible often depicted the usual sins to be seven in which consisted of gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, lust, wrath, and pride. As for the eighth? It is none other than vanity in which it falls in line between pride and envy. Remember General Wetzel, Julilla Paxton, and Sawney Masbath? They manifest the sins that they had in which they were turned into what manifested into them. Tobias Wetzel had gluttony and sloth. Julilla Paxton had lust and envy. Sawney Masbath had greed and wrath. Liesel has both pride and vanity in which she'll stop at nothing to win this war."

"And they won't stop until I submit to them…"

I felt my hands shaking as I was starting to feel guilty for not being there for everyone who suffered in the Kolinahr attack. The price for not doing enough took a toll on me as I was also backed into a corner. I was ready to throw in the towel until I saw Minara entering into my room. He wasn't about to let me sulk in shame as he also didn't want me to fall under despair, for my overall health was important than what I thought.

"I never expected Merrick to come here to force you back on the field," he said to me.

"I should've helped him earlier," I said.

"You should thank Cletus and his troops for staving off the further attacks or else Kolinahr would've been toast. As for the death toll, there were a few casualties on the allied forces and the rest in the form of soulless dolls and Ketch machines. What everyone also saw was that a silver-haired man with a glowing arm came to the rescue while riding on a warg. And his fitting word of choice had to be none other than 'ass-butt.'"

"Leave it to Castiel to come in riding on Barca's back to bust up those bucketheads in the Executive Division's arsenal," he said. "It was a godsend that he drove them off, but this wasn't his first rodeo dealing with ambushes in the past."

"His right arm and left leg are prosthetics that were infused with my raw power," I said. "He got them after his tussle with Clegenny Marquand in the Zetian ambush on Drakonus. It's a miracle that he lived to tell the tale, but he's no stranger to other battles in the past."

"You can talk about your war stories later, Sam," said Minara. "Right now, we have to deal with Merrick's complaints in which he's taken a page out of the failed playbook that Seto tried to follow. I won't let you go through the ringer for the sake of warmongers nor let you forsake your health, either. As soon as you recover up to full, you can't go back on the battlefield. Even Reuben knows of that in which he told everyone in the Order to back off. It's best that you let everyone do the heavy lifting for you and not carry it alone. It's what we're here for, isn't it?"

I saw Cletus and Minara leave the hospital room as I was alone. Still, there was no telling what could happen next as I laid there in my bed. All I did was stare out the window as I noticed the billowing snow falling all over Skald Island. With the storm not letting up, there was no way that any of the spaceships or seaships could traverse it in which there was snow coming forward in droves. Just as I was about to lay back down, I heard the door open again as I saw Merrick approaching in which he was backing off for now. After getting an earful from Reuben earlier, he couldn't fathom what to say next as he never expected me to end up with child and delivering them quickly, for this was a whole new ball game in the Order. I was used to both criticism and praise as I also had to be aware of what got thrown at me. I didn't mind it due to the fact that I had gotten used to it over the years, for being sheltered in a frozen wasteland only made me resilient after what I went through.

"So, it's true that you had a bun under the oven, didn't you?" said Merrick.

"I wasn't the first man in the Order to do so in which Minara was also with child after the Spillway mission," I said. "We may have given birth, but it's best to leave that notion to the women. They have the proper tools while the men have the spare parts to craft them with."

"And it seems that Reuben was right about you. Even though my efforts to rope you to Kolinahr were in vain, but I know now about you had a rapid pregnancy to keep you grounded instead of being on the battlefield. As for my own folly, I still can't forget about what happened there in that city."

"Cletus told me about how Liesel's forces stormed Kolinahr in which you saw the damage."

"There was also the presence of Clegenny Marquand who showed up in which he mowed down some of the innocent civilians, most of them were women." Merrick's hands shake as he couldn't forget about what happened. "That vile bastard! He showed no mercy while he cleaved bystanders with his massive sword!"

"He'll get his comeuppance, but he won't be killed by a man. From what I heard, he hated women in he ended up serving time in Angmar Prison on Maugrim. One slight talk about killing women from him ended up having to be forced to have acid down his throat. He lived to tell the tale, but he has to have a breathing mask for the rest of his life."

"And I'll be happy to see that fucker fry for what he did!"

Merrick was wanting justice for what happened in Kolinahr as he couldn't let Clegenny get away with what he did. He had his fair share of war as he also had to come to terms with what he saw on the day he went there. He could never shake off what happened in Kolinahr as he also vowed to end the lives of both Liesel and Clegenny on the spot, for he also believed in justice instead of vengeance...

A few days ago…

Cletus and his crew made their way to Kolinahr as they were mainly on patrol. By the time the seaship touched at the harbor, everyone noticed explosions as they also noticed Liesel encroaching on the city in which several of the Ketch machines were shooting at everything in sight. Cletus never saw anything like it as he was clutching at the familiar knife that he had with him. Even though most monsters have taken a backseat in this war, the price of it all was eternal, for the Executive Division was a force to be reckoned with on all cylinders.

"So, the fun starts in the form of a deranged lingerie model," he said.

KA-BOOM!

An explosion was heard in the distance as Cletus and his crew saw some of the civilians fleeing the violence in which the soulless dolls pounced in on the attack. It was a nightmare all over the city as everyone in Cletus' arsenal were not prepared to handle what was going on until they spotted the Thunderstruck landing in the harbor. By the time Merrick and his team emerged out of the ship, they spotted several Ketch machines coming towards them as they were armed with gatling guns. He never saw anything like it before as he had a gut feeling that Liesel was out for blood, for she would do anything to hold onto power.

"This isn't good," he said as he drew out his weapon.

"It's what Liesel does," said Cletus. "After hearing about the death of Emperor Todd, she was wanting to subjugate this planet's capital, but the new leader turned her down in which he read in those less than stellar Chronicles of the Order books. There was also the incident in New Capua where she tried to kill Minara when he was with child at the time last year, only to have Dean intervene at the last minute with that old Chevy of his."

"The captain of the Hunter Corps' seventh squad runs his unit like a tight ship just like his father, gods and the Matriarch rest his soul. The only thing that makes him stand out like is none other than that car in which it was a vehicle of great proportions in the time of the Elder Days. I've known John Winchester and James Farragut in which I served alongside them in the First Galvanic Uprising. What I also knew was that Sam's birth triggered a chain reaction into ending the war, but the Executive Division still bide their time even after the death of General Tobias Wetzel."

"Cletus! We've got company!"

Merrick spotted Liesel's troops as she was leading them while dressed in her usual attire in the form of black lingerie, leather boots, and cape. She was hiding behind her myriad of soulless dolls in gold armor as she was wanting the Valinorian Government to surrender in which she would cause more havoc on the horizon. The time to activate Project Helios was just the beginning of everyone's worries as she would do anything to get her prize, for it was waiting in the wings to be activated on the spot.

"You think you can just spurn me because of the fact that your new Emperor is a weakling and not having bigger balls in this war?!" she yelled. "I'm just giving him a taste of what's yet to come if he doesn't surrender."

"And you have the gall to invade a city to mercilessly slaughter innocent people?!" yelled Merrick as he was appalled at what was going on. "I've fought in the First Galvanic Uprising alongside John Winchester and James Farragut in which I've seen this mess before!"

"As I recall, a certain six-foot-four Elder turned cripple paid a visit in Rivendell to salute the new Emperor, I also know that his mother, the Dowager Empress Sayaka, was once banished here by her family for not adhering to natural remedies that made her deathly ill! Therefore, you can't keep the ultimate prize in his island sanctuary forever, for I will claim him and have him activate Project Helios soon enough!"

"And you're a fucking coward!" yelled a girl as she was dressed in a Garrison Corps uniform with a helmet on her head. "I bet that you have some of your Ken dolls wanting you to give them a blow job for their troubles as well!"

"You will pay for this insult!"

It wasn't long until Liesel's forces entered the fray as they were armed with their weapons the moment they were firing at everyone who arrived in Kolinahr. What they didn't expect was that a group of Elves arrived as they were mainly from the LaPointe and Thibodeau clans. With a rain of arrows firing at the soulless dolls, most of them felt them pierce their armors in which they were falling onto the battlefield like flies. It was a victory for everyone, but no one expected Clegenny to enter the fray with his hulking claymore in his hand. Merrick never saw anyone like that before as Clegenny was standing there holding a woman's severed head. He wasn't about to be bested by anyone, especially a woman as he was staring at Merrick's group due to the fact that one of his crewmembers was not part as one seems.

"Merrick Wickham, son of Mortimer Wickham, who lived in the Kingdom by the River on Alecrast," he said as he pointed his sword at him. "You fought alongside the son of a deposed Alecrian Emperor and a member of the Farragut Clan just to end my father's life. When the war ended, I had no purpose in life after my mother abandoned me just to fend for myself in which I hated all women."

"And that was what put your ass in Angmar Prison in the first place," said Cletus.

"Don't try to mock me, Cletus MacVicker! You will be the first to die in Kolinahr…, by my hand!"

It wasn't long until a rain of arrows fell onto Clegenny as he spotted the reinforcements on top of the buildings with their bows in their hands. He was itching to go at them as he rushed inward into the city in which he later noticed Cletus and his unit rushing towards the civilians in order to get them to safety. Merrick, on the other hand, directed his troops into aiding the effort as they noticed the influx of dead bodies on the ground. He was horrified at what he saw as he later noticed Clegenny rushing towards him in which he was ready to mow him down, for he also didn't want to put his unit at risk when it came to a one-on-one battle.

"You're nothing but a monster like the ones who lurk in the dark!" he yelled.

"My duty is to be on guard for the Executive Division, including her!" yelled Clegenny.

"Are you talking about Liesel?"

"I may have an affinity for hating and killing women, but my superior is surrounded by her soulless dolls!"

"If you want to fight me, then let's dance and get it over with!"

Merrick was standing near the edge of a canal as Clegenny was ready to cleave him until Cletus stepped in to get him out of the way. The impact of Clegenny's sword tearing at his belt caused him to not only fall into the water, but to lose the Demon Killer in which Merrick was left with the hulking monster who was armed with only his claymore. He was afraid to die as he was no stranger into dealing with what was put in front of him until the sound of a warg howling in the distance cut through the fear at the last minute.

"Hey, ass-butt!"

Merrick spotted Castiel as he was riding on Barca's back in which he was using both his sword and angelic abilities to cut down some of the Ketch machines that invaded Kolinahr in the first place. When Clegenny saw him riding atop Barca, he was ready to cut him down again until he felt an arrow puncture at the hose that connected to his gas mask. He was gasping for air as he couldn't live without the very thing he had on his face in which he fled towards the canal where he landed into the water. Merrick was relieved that Castiel stepped in and aided in the effort as he was also saddened by Cletus' sacrifice in which he spotted the Demon Killer on the ground, for he wanted to honor the sacrifice that was made earlier.

"Godspeed, Cletus MacVicker," he said to himself as he picked up the Demon Killer.

Cletus made his way into one of the waterways of the canal in which he was still not too happy with losing the Demon Killer. Even though he saved Merrick's life, he wasn't about to let the Executive Division get their way as he later spotted Clegenny falling into the canal the moment he hid in one of the closets. Without the Demon Killer, he was not about to go down without a fight as he was the best when it came to using combat knives. What he didn't expect from his hiding place was that there was a treasure trove full of weapons that were crafted by the Elkins Clan in which he spotted a knife that was similar to the Demon Killer due to its Draaza inscription, but had the hilt that was crafted from the antler of an Emishi elk. Cletus was astonished to get this as the knife was an exact copy of what he carted around him, for this was its twin after all.

"I may have lost the original, but this will do if I wanna peg off that hulking asshat," he said as he found a holster to put the knife in. "Well, Clegenny…" He fastens the holster on his arm as he was ready to go into battle. "Let's dance, bitch!"

Cletus heard footsteps coming as he came out into the open to face off against Clegenny. He knew of him very well as the hulking enforcer was ready to cut him down to size. What he didn't expect was that the knife he found was glowing as it sensed enemies unlike the first one. He also knew that Clegenny was not doing too well as he saw the arrow that punctured the hose to his gas mask in which he was moving slower than normal. It was his moment to take down the Executive Division's enforcer as he lunged at him until he noticed his target get up and pushed him down to the cold concrete. With a strong hand, Clegenny seized Cletus by the throat as he was ready to kill him on the spot in which he was still breathing raggedly after the attack that punctured the hose to his gas mask, for he wasn't about to go down that easily.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," he said as he was breathing raspily. "You won't live another day after you cheated death…" He begins to choke Cletus as he was ready to kill him. "Die now and let your suffering end…"

Without warning, Clegenny felt another arrow pierce his shoulder as he released Cletus from his strong grip the moment he fell onto the ground. What he didn't expect was that the soldier from earlier was tailing Clegenny as he noticed several more arrows pierce his throat the moment he felt blood gushing out of him. Cletus spotted the soldier from Merrick's unit as his savior fired another shot into Clegenny's head the moment he crumpled to the ground. When the soldier approached closer, Cletus saw the helmet falling off as it revealed the girl who stood up to Liesel earlier, for she was a Half-Elf that was born on Amarna who joined the Order in the first place.

"This is for what your people did to my family!" she yelled as she was standing in front of Clegenny's corpse. "The gods will give me justice, for it is finally served! You may believe yourself to be untouchable when it came to being no man will kill you, Clegenny Marquand, but you never expected yourself to be killed by a woman!"

"Are you finished delivering your grandiose speech yet?" said Cletus as he put away his knife.

"The cap thinks that you're dead, but you don't die that easily, do you?"

"Perhaps we'll surprise him when we get back to the Thunderstruck."

"You should save the surprise later 'cause some guy riding on a warg told me to bring you back without the cap knowing."

"My name's—"

"—Cletus MacVicker? I know your name because of your close ties to the Mitani Clan against the wishes of your own. If you wanna know my name, it's Aaqlet Naphtari. My family run a trading business on Amarna, but they only sell food and spices."

"Everyone and their mother will be searching for Clegenny's corpse, but I'll make myself scarce just to surprise your captain."

Cletus spotted a black cloak as he wrapped it around him. Still, he wanted to lay low as he followed Aaqlet out of the waterway and out towards the harbor where the Thunderstruck was. He was eager to hide in the cargo bay as he also had a gut feeling that Merrick would pay me a visit to the Skalvarg Archipelago soon enough, for the war wasn't just to cause chaos, but a means to jumpstart Project Helios in the first place…

Meanwhile, back in the present…

I was outside on the beach as I was staring at the Thunderstruck that was sitting near the harbor. With the storm still going, there was no way that some of the townsfolk who worked by the ocean would go out there to do their fishing in which I saw the snow continuing to fall. Still, I had to come back inside as I slowly turned around and went to the castle until I spotted Aaqlet standing in front of me, for she wanted me to hear what happened in Kolinahr.

"Sam Winchester," she said to me. "It seems that you haven't fully recovered after you gave Sawney Masbath the ass-kicking he deserved two years ago."

"You know me very well, don't you?" I said.

"Even though Merrick thought that Cletus bit it until he showed up here yesterday. Do you know what actually happened to Clegenny Marquand? He's dead and in the bowels of Hell to be part of Abaddon's interior decorations."

"I never expected to hear that until now, but he had it coming in the end."

"I was the one who killed him to get justice for what he did to my family. He killed my mother, my sisters, and he killed my grandmother. My father was so distraught that he forced me to train in the Order of Letters to be a part of the Garrison Corps. He couldn't bear losing another child after what Clegenny did. So, I joined in which I also wanted Clegenny to pay for what he did to my family. The Naphtari Clan live in the Amarnan city of Karloff in which they also endured the wrath of the minions of Set in which they were destroyed by a child born with raw power. My family was grateful that they weren't killed, but they weren't lucky the second time when Clegenny showed up with General Wetzel in which the latter allowed the former to break in and kill the female members. I was lucky because my father forced me to join the Order to give our family justice and I got it in the end."

I never expected someone like Aaqlet to do away with Clegenny so readily as she had her reasons to get justice for the death of her family members. As for what I would tell Merrick, I had to do so as I spotted him going towards the Thunderstruck in which he had his own place on his ship. I would do my best to confront him as I followed him inside without falling over. Even though I wasn't using my wheelchair, I was happy to have my cane with me as it gave me more comfort to move more freely than just sitting in my wheelchair all the time. By the time I got into the Thunderstruck, I saw Merrick going towards his quarters as he was tired for the day. I didn't want to bother him as I decided to leave the Thunderstruck and go back to the castle until I was stopped by Agni, who was busy going back towards the sickbay to check up on everyone, for she was concerned about what happened in the past few days.

"You look chipper, Sam," she said to me.

"I've been better," I said.

"I also heard about you enduring the shortest pregnancy due to it rapidly growing in your body in which you also endured a caesarian section."

"I know…, but I'm also glad that my little ones are alive and almost a month old."

"I also know that you ditched the wheelchair for the cane that Bruce gave you. Still, you have your furlough and we have our other work in this ongoing war. Don't try to stress yourself out too much, okay?"

I left the Thunderstruck as I was more than likely to be going back to the castle. Even though I was bundled up, I was feeling the chill of the northern wind freezing me as I walked back to the castle entrance in which I took off my boots, coat, and scarf while I put on my slippers. By the time I walked towards the fire to get warm, I saw Cletus coming towards me as he was mainly there to offer support and comfort in those dark times. Therefore, I didn't mind the company of others as it didn't bother me as long as it wasn't stressful on me, for it was better that way.

"It seems that you're improving on your overall health, Sam," he said.

"I've been better, but I can't escape this long furlough," I said.

"You overexerted your raw power just to mop the floor with Sawney Masbath two years ago. You even put the kibosh on Project Amaterasu in which you saved Westeros from destruction. If Ippei were here, he would offer you a fruit basket right now."

It wasn't long until I got up and went towards the bathhouse. With my slippers and cane placed outside of it, I stripped off my clothes as I began to clean myself off at the wash basin. By the time I finished up, I went towards one of the bathtubs as I began to soak in it. The hot water calmed me as I would also go back to my room after this. What I also didn't expect was that Minara was in the bathhouse as he also got himself rinsed off while cleaning himself as he also got into one of the bathtubs to soak, for he was also on duty while keeping in touch with his loved ones as well.

"Aren't we a matching pair of Incubators?" I heard him say as he was relaxing in the bathtub.

"It seems that you haven't gotten used to your post-baby body after giving birth last year," I said.

"I may have gotten back my swimmer's build, but there are times that I miss being pregnant all for the sake of keeping Mizuwa happy. It's also to collect the afterbirth just to research and to find a cure for Tabata Syndrome."

"Mine is still dealing with the bodybuilder mass, but I'm pulling through just fine."

"You're much braver than I am when it comes to dealing with what is normally carried by women up to term. Me? I've had a loathing for my body ever since I was a teenager in which I didn't want to do anything until I met Penelope. She got me out of my comfort zone in which I was also diagnosed with body dysmorphia. I was also studying in all medicines in which it got me into the Medical Corps to begin with, but I also had to worry about my mental health when it came to dealing with the swimmer's appearance I had. Even though I was taught to swim, I didn't want to go shirtless until I got out of my comfort zone. That was when I had to accept the flaws that I had, even after I bore Sayoko to the world."

"In my case, I had a horrible sense of self-loathing in which I was most likely to be sheltered due to the jeweled sigil on my forehead. There were also times when I had to wear a bandana over my head in which I was mainly a freak among my family. When I left for Gehenna, I stayed there for many years in which I was the odd one out among the crowd. My appearance appalled me to no end in which I loathed every fiber of my being because I wasn't normal around everyone. One time, I wanted to cut the jeweled sigil off of my forehead so I could look normal, but Dean caught me in the act in which if I did that, he would never forgive me for it. He even said that the qualities that make me what I am are the best ones of all."

"And he's right about that one…"

Minara and I continued to soak in the bathtubs until it was time to get out of them. We were all born flawed, but that didn't stop us from returning from the brink in which we had our work to do. When we dressed in our nightclothes, we left the bathhouse as we later spotted Merrick standing in our way in which he was more than likely to be concerned about what I was going through, for he heard plenty of information about what was going on.

"From what I gathered, you're more than meets the eye, Sam," he said.

"You now know about my condition, don't you?" I said.

"Reuben told me every juicy detail in which you've been catalogued with every ailment but the kitchen sink. I'm putting off my request after what I heard earlier. As for your babies you delivered, they sure love to siphon off of you."

"Sam's not the only man in the Order who endured pregnancy," said Minara. "I also had to endure it when I first found out about it after the Spillway mission. Call us freaks of nature all you want, but we've endured it just fine."

"I wasn't trying to criticize you, but I also have to put up with Neville Schacter and his collection of rent boys in his homestead on Atreides. Also, for the record, I got word from Emperor Florian in which Clegenny Marquand was found dead in one of Kolinahr's waterways. It also seemed that Aaqlet up and took him out after the bastard went to Amarna and killed the female relatives in her family. I also thought that Cletus ended up dead until he showed up yesterday at the right moment."

"Cletus MacVicker is no stranger into dealing with danger, especially when he's one of the freelanced hunters in the Order," I said. "As for the situation involving the Sol Project, our worst foes have been overwhelmed by the major seven sins and one more, the eighth sin known as vanity. Tobias Wetzel, Julilla Paxton, and Sawney Masbath have all of them in spades and all three died from enduring such temptation for the ultimate prize. All that is left is Project Helios on the Sol-4 floating above Valinor."

It wasn't long until all three of us left the bathhouse as we were more than likely to be going to have dinner soon. Still, we had to worry about Project Helios, but not now as there was so much to do when it came to keeping me in my furlough after all…

Later on in the evening, Merrick was in his quarters in the Thunderstruck as he was looking at the snow that was billowing outside the window. He was waiting for the storm to pass as he was looking at some private files that he had. Opening up one of them, he saw an old picture of himself and his twin brother, Garland, as they were with their family in happier times before the loss of their parents. He remembered what happened to them as a demon claimed their lives in which he and Garland were all they got right now. He remembered living on the streets in the Kingdom by the River as he was mainly looking for scraps to feed himself and his brother until he met Seto the moment she saved him from being killed by a Jefferson Starship. His calling was put in front of him as he vowed to be in the Order of Letters and do his duty to be the best officer at his own pace.

"Well, Garland, I've messed with Clegenny, only for Aaqlet to finish off his sorry ass," he said as he put away the file. "For the record, I've seen weird shit that's beyond the pale, but I won't force Sam to go with me to Kolinahr right now due to the weather. I also can't get past Reuben after he told me about Sam's condition. For the record, it's better that way because he's not up to full yet."

Merrick was ready to leave his quarters as he went to the corridor of his ship. When he got there, he was making his way to the cargo bay as he went outside to see the fresh snow covering the dock of the harbor. What he also didn't see was that a white crow was perched onto one of the buoys as it was cawing loudly. He heard of white crows before as they were more of a bad omen than a symbol of good luck due to the fact that it was there to signify looming danger.

"When it rains, it pours," he said to himself.

It wasn't long until he found himself in a wasteland as it was surrounded by water. He saw blasts of light coming down towards Valinor as he couldn't shake it. When he saw another light coming from above, it obliterated his surroundings until he was returned to reality where the harbor was intact. He never expected himself to have a vision before as it was an omen that he couldn't ignore, for he had to be vigilant into preventing the catastrophe that he witnessed earlier…

I was in the sitting room as I was finding it harder to get to sleep due to the babies running me ragged. Even though I was knitting to keep my mind off of further things, I was starting to yawn as I was even dozing off. When I closed my eyes, I was sleeping briefly with the yarn and knitting needles in my hands until I woke up to see Castiel sitting in one of the chairs as he was eating another round of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to tide him over, for he was exhausted from his battle until another day.

"I heard about what happened in Kolinahr," I said.

"Liesel and her forces attacked without warning," said Castiel.

"I also knew about how you showed up riding on Barca. Thankfully, the Executive Division ran away with their tails between their legs, but not without losing their right-hand man in the process."

"Clegenny Marquand had it coming when Aaqlet arrived on the scene when she tracked him down in one of Kolinahr's waterways. Justice was served the second time against a hulking beast of a man like him…"

"I never forgot how he chopped off your right arm and left leg in the Zetian ambush. Thankfully, I had to infuse my raw power into the prosthetics that you wear now or else you wouldn't last another day."

"You saved me not only it was your duty to help me, but to also retain your humanity. I remembered when I stayed behind with your past self in the Elder Days to help him heal after Gadreel possessed him in which he also had some of his leftover grace in him. I also was human for a brief time until I took some grace and lived on borrowed time for a while. I even worked as a gas station attendant at the time, which made me feel more human than I could ever imagined."

"We're all flawed, but that doesn't mean we're perfect. I also know that there are eight sins instead of seven in which we're dealing with the Executive Division's top dogs. Two of them and an old nemesis met their demises in the first three Sol satellites. Project Helios is the last one, but I haven't recovered up to full after my tussle with Sawney Masbath two years ago."

"Even though I could never heal you up to full, your body is starting to recover slowly even after you gave birth to your twins."

"Jack had a point to keep me grounded and it worked so I wouldn't have to be stuck on the battlefield in my condition."

"Mr. Sam! Kazuko's hungry again!"

I saw Carly rushing into the sitting room as she had Kazuko in her arms. The sight of the little Half-Elf crying made me put away my knitting equipment in which I had a gut feeling that she would get her late night snack unlike her brother. When I saw Carly handing Kazuko over to me, I opened up my robe in which I allowed her to nurse without delay. The feel of my little one latching onto me was keeping me calm as I got used to her demanding the colostrum she wanted. By the time I finished and Kazuko unlatched, I burped her as she let out a very content belch, for she was mainly setting the standard of being "daddy's little girl."

"She eats too much and not gives Giles anything!" yelled Carly.

"Reiko has the bulk of the milk, fusspot," I said. "Therefore, I can only produce enough for one, but I don't mind it."

"Well, you did carry her and Giles, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did…" I started blushing as I was still Kazuko in my arms. "Still, I have to pay attention to both her and her brother, but I don't mind it. It's being more human than what I've anticipated."

It wasn't long until Merrick burst into the sitting room as he was worried about my safety. He couldn't shake off what was going on as he would stop at nothing to prevent the upcoming catastrophe that was about to occur, for this was beyond the pale indeed.

"We need to talk, Sam," he said to me.

"Carly, take Kazuko back into the nursery," I said as I placed the baby in her arms the moment she left the sitting room. "I take it that you're still here, Captain." I notice Merrick's knees buckling from exhaustion as he fell onto the floor. "Take a breath. We'll talk another day if need be."

"I had a vision of what was about to happen… It felt so real in which blasts of light laid waste on this planet."

"Project Helios," said Castiel as he was concerned about what was going on. "Liesel is playing with fire and she will get burned if not careful. Eight sins instead of seven was the catalyst in bringing the Sol Project to life, but we can't let her destroy Valinor."

"And I will see to it. I know that Sam's still not in fine fettle, but I can do my damnedest to stave it off if need be."

"And you have my support, Captain," I said.

I was glad that Merrick didn't take me from my sanctuary this time as he was also adamant into protecting me from the Executive Division. Still, I had so much to do as I was also dreading the presence of Project Helios, for it could wait for another day…

To be continued...