Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 9
Chapter 14: E Sammicus Unum
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I was on the steamboat as I was mainly in my cabin writing in my journal. After dealing with finding Carly and the other stray girls, I was more than likely to be calling it a day as I laid down on my bed by the window. What I didn't expect was that Reiko appeared out of nowhere as she had Kanna in tow. Both of them were here for a reason in which they were there to bring the rest of the girls home after finding the Freleng in the swamp yesterday. Still, I had to have the girls home at the castle on Skald Island as I also had to go towards Mirhuin to meet with Laurent and the rest of the LaPointe Clan, for it was my job as an Elder of the Order after all.
"I take it that you're collecting the other girls," I said.
"We're not ready to go home yet, Sammy," said Reiko. "Besides, Mother wanted to watch the children, but Kanna wanted to come with me as well."
"I've never been on a steamboat before, but I just want to make sure that Sona is alright," she said as she had her little sister's dolls in her satchel. "At least I brought her dolls along."
"What's going on in there?" asked Sadritha as she entered into my cabin. "It's you…" She bows in front of Reiko as she knew of her to be a graceful woman that was mainly a goddess. "My family says that you took down Father Warren on Baratheon last year in which some of the slumdwellers in Etrogarde reveres you as the matron saint who killed a religious tyrant."
"I don't deal with popularity very well, but I went and stopped a man from hurting others," she said.
Kanna noticed Sadritha as she hugged her warmly in which she knew of her to be from the same family she came from. She was also blessed that she found someone who was thought to be lost forever in which she was grateful that she was alive, for this was a mixed blessing in disguise.
"I never expected you to be here," she said.
"I thought that you or Sona never made it until now," said Sadritha.
"Sam found me on Alecrast and Sona was found on Baratheon. We're thriving, Auntie, for we have a family who loves and cares about us."
"It seems that you found what you lost," I said.
"I know…," said Sadritha as she looked at the pendant that was found. "My sister and I were close, but got separated when she went to the Hinchcliffe while I spent my days dawling on the Freleng. It's strange that my sister's children landed on different planets, but in stasis for centuries."
"Well, Sona was found in the potty," said Kanna.
"'In the potty?' Looks like Natrithi had a habit of scattering things everywhere after she went down with the ship, but at least we're here as a family after all."
It wasn't long until the steamboat made its way upstream to Mirhuin as it was a hub of city surrounded by trees and swamps. When I went out of my cabin, I saw many buildings that were stacked on old tree trunks as various other seaships and steamboats came and went from the harbor near the river. I also noticed the presence of technology that loomed as I noticed several of the city's inhabitants cleaning where the sewers were in which it was like the advanced system that I ended up in on Cordell Island. What I also didn't expect was that there were several Mirkwood Elves coming into port with their usual catch of shrimp and crawfish just in time to make what was there. When Moro came out of her own cabin, she saw the boats and trawlers coming with their catch as she noticed the various shellfish that were caught earlier. As being part of the Kirgar Clan in all their Jewish teachings, she was swamped by dealing with the shellfish that was caught due to the fact that her clan by marriage was barred from doing so along with pork. Before she married into the Kirgar Clan, she tolerated eating shellfish, but wasn't a fan of pork in which she still detests it till this day in which she didn't want her children to eat it, for they had to be raised by what they were taught due to the Jewish teachings they had.
"Look at all that shellfish," she said.
"It seems that you're not into it due to the fact that the Kirgar Clan clings to their Jewish traditions," I said. "I also know that you never cared for pork, either."
"Sam, the real reason why I hate pork was that when I was little, some of the kids in my school pulled a prank on me in which I ate something that consisted of either donburi or sashimi. I thought that I was eating donburi at first, but one of the kids pointed it out in which he was a Terran that came from one of the complexes in my clan's homestead. He was my age back then in which when he pointed out that I ate raw pork, he laughed his ass off in which I spat it out the moment I ended up getting sick from it. Luckily, I was treated in time because raw pork contains trichinosis, which is a bacteria that can ruin your whole day, but the kid who pulled that prank ended up getting beat up by his own parents in which it was karma after what they heard. On the day after that prank, I saw him with a scar on his face in which his father advised everyone not to treat or bother coddling him after what happened."
"I never knew about it until now…"
"And that wasn't all… When I laughed at him for getting his ass handed to him, I ended up getting chastised by Gramps in which he told me not to laugh at the plight of others, regardless of being guilty or innocent. He wanted to say that he was sorry, but I shunned him in which I never forgave him for pulling that prank on me."
"We all need forgiveness, even if some of us won't accept the apology of the accused."
It wasn't long until the steamboat finally docked into the harbor near the river as we all got off of it and went into the square of Mirhuin directly. I noticed several other people noticing us as they spotted me in the crowd. Still, I didn't want to be in too much trouble as I also had to deal with the LaPointe Clan, for they ran Mirhuin and kept everyone safe from harm. When my group were making their way to a hotel, we checked in as we all stayed in separate rooms while Sadritha and Etienne returned to their homestead. The room that Reiko and I were in was an elegant one as it had a colorful bed with a matching bathroom. We were here for only tonight until morning as we also had business with the LaPointe Clan, for this would be a long day so far.
"This has gone out of hand real quick," I said.
"I've never been here before, but the LaPointe Clan are known for their hunting prowess," said Reiko. "Miss Sadritha must've been here for a while in which she married into our hosts."
"Sadritha is also the aunt of Kanna and Sona. I know that they hadn't seen her in a while, but she has her own problems like the rest of us."
"It's about that woman who wanted that message, isn't it?"
"Beryl Beauchamp is a woman who craves war while the rest of us loathe it. The Second Galvanic Uprising lasted for four years in which it was a costly one where we had to deal with the leftovers that Darbus Toller left behind along with the Ketch machines and others who sided with the Executive Division. War is a lot of things, but it is never an industry or business. Our friends and loved ones went through too much in which I had to face off against the ones who wanted to use the Sol Project just to instill fear on everyone."
"Project Helios was a group effort, Sammy. Don't forget, you and I weren't the only ones who stopped Liesel, but we had help from Nibori, Drusus, and Kivrana as well. Even though the war ended seven months ago, there are still scars from it. We've been through the thick and thin, but we're still alive and willing to help those in need."
I was moved by Reiko's words as I refused to leave her side right now. She had her reasons to be with me as it also gave her a break from caring for the children for a bit. When we entered into the bathroom, we took off our clothes in which we washed ourselves in the wash basin after being in the steamboat. Still, we had time to ourselves just as much as the children around us as we finished cleaning ourselves and got into the bathtub in which we had it filled with hot water with the scent of Valinorian sea salt and cedar filling the air. We were enjoying the soak as we were most likely to be going towards the LaPointe Clan's homestead after getting our bath, for we had an audience with them after getting into such a mess earlier.
"We really got into deeper waters this time," I said.
"From what I heard from Grandfather, the LaPointe Clan is known for their prowess into hunting monsters in which they also help out with their Terran neighbors as well," said Reiko.
"I only saw Etienne, but his father, Laurent, is known to be a man of great principles due to what he and his clan have."
"It's strange that Miss Sadritha married into the LaPointe Clan, but I would end up missing Kanna and Sona if they decide to stay here and not go back with us to Skald Island."
"Sadritha knows about it in which she would rather have us keep them in which they already have a loving family. It's also a godsend that they get along with the other children in which they're also sad to see Dirk getting ready to leave once he passes the exam to join the Hunter Corps. Once he does so, he'll be ready to join a unit of his choice."
"You can't go in there! Sam and Reiko are doing grown-up things in there!"
I heard Kanna's voice from outside of our room as I later heard the door opening up in which I got out of the bathtub and dried myself with a towel. When I put my dirty clothes into the hamper, I got dressed in a robe as I got out of the bathroom and noticed Kevin in here while he was here on business, for he was also there at Dean's behest as well.
"You were supposed to be with Dean's unit," I said.
"And you went off on your own," said Kevin.
"I'm only here to visit the LaPointe Clan, but after this, we're all leaving for Skald Island."
"I came here because of the fact that the Zenith Vectors are still at large. I also saw the guy who looked like you, but Reuben posted guards to protect him from his handlers. As for the other guy who looked like you, he's mainly doing his job as one of the housekeepers in the Order's main headquarters here on Valinor in which he has to 'earn his keep.'"
"'Earn his keep?' He does know that no harm could be done to him, right?"
"From what I heard, Aleph put himself to work so he could earn some money just to save up and pay rent at his quarters. As for the other one, Epsilon, he was a mess in which he didn't get enough sleep after being tortured and abused by his captors. No wonder Reuben kept him sedated and under watch, but the Zenith Vectors have clothing that repels projectiles and blades. As for your audience with Laurent, he's been wanting to meet with you since you found that Draaza ship buried in Rookpaw, but he was also glad that asshat noble got his comeuppance in the form of a hellhound taking him to Hell last year. Therefore, you and Reiko better get dressed 'cause our hosts are waiting for us."
"You're a lot worse than Dean!"
It wasn't long until Kevin left the room as I noticed Reiko coming out of the bathroom in which she went behind the changing stall and got dressed in an elegant dark blue dress without sleeves. When I got a chance to put on my own clothes, I dressed myself in a black ensemble that consisted of a dinner jacket, trousers, and a white shirt. When I looked into the mirror, I noticed myself to be awkward in which I never looked good in great clothes in which I only stuck with kimonos. Sadly, the heat from outside was making me feel unbearable as I had to wear the radiated ensemble all the way to the LaPointe Clan's homestead, for I had to endure it after all. When we left out of our hotel room, we had Kevin following us as we were on our way to meet our hosts, for they were eager to see us after all…
Aleph was busy cleaning the men's room in one of the floors of his new residence in the Order's main headquarters on Valinor. He had his reasons to put himself to work in the first place as he was mainly a janitor on the ship he was in stasis in. Toilet after toilet, urinal after urinal, sink after sink, he cleaned the men's room from top to bottom as he was done for the evening after he finished up. By the time he left it, he was out in the hallway as he was on his way towards the women's room to get it cleaned in which there were no urinals to clean. All he did was put on a face mask as he gathered up his equipment and went inside to clean it up without arousing suspicion. With the sinks and toilets cleaned, he was hard at work as he later finished up the last one, which was made for the handicapped. Just as he was about to call it a day, he heard footsteps approaching as he hid in the handicapped stall. What he also heard was the sound of a door being opened and closed as he also heard the sound of tinkling in which he had to keep quiet, for he was in a place where he wasn't supposed to be in after all.
BRRRRIIIPPP!
The sound of flatulence was heard in the women's room as Aleph was trapped in the handicapped stall while he also had to hide from unsuspecting people coming and going. The stench of the proverbial bathroom version of Battleship filled the room as he heard another sound of a stall door being opened and closed, only to hear the frequent sound of instant diarrhea being emptied into the toilet. He was good at holding his breath for brief moments as he watched the commotion coming and going in which he saw the sinks empty for once. All he heard was the continuing sound of the toilet version of Battleship in the background as he later heard the toilets flushing in which he heard the stalls opening up and closing in which the two occupants who did the typical "Battleshits" were busy washing their hands before leaving the women's room as they later dried their hands in the air dryer on the wall, for they left just in time for the evening shift.
"Oh, I thought that it would never be over," he said to himself as he got out of the handicapped stall.
When he was about to leave, he heard the sound of a toilet flushing as he had to get back to his hiding place until he saw a stall door opening up in which he noticed an Elf woman dressed in a black tank top and camo pants emerge just to wash her hands. When she did so, she spotted Aleph near the handicapped stall as she was aware of his presence, for he was literally screwed after hiding in the women's room for far too long.
"The men's room is across the hall, you know," she said to Aleph.
"I was cleaning this place up until the Battleship rush came," he said.
"It's the new recruits who passed their exams, muchacho, for some of them will end up in the Hunter Corps just to kick ass and take names."
"My name's Aleph and I happen to look like the guy with the jewel on his forehead."
"Aleph who? Do you even have a surname or are you just some random guy without a goal in life?"
"Okay, I'll adopt the last name of the guy who my brother and I look like so I won't get chewed out by the bigwigs here. Maybe I'll call myself Aleph Winchester just to keep in step of the guy who looks like me."
"As for me, me llamo Juanita Trujillo and my clan is one of the popular ones here on Valinor. Still, I have to report to my superior before I get sidetracked, comprende?"
"Okay, but it's nice to meet you, Juanita…"
Aleph left the women's room as he took his cleaning supplies with him. When he was on his way to the cafeteria to mop the floor, he saw Akio standing in front of him as he didn't want him to do too much in which he also noticed that he wasn't getting enough sleep after working. Still, he had to "earn his keep" as he wanted to get away from Akio in which he also had to clean everything else here in his new lodgings, for he needed to work for a living, even if it meant by prioritizing his work over his health. Aleph was mainly there do his job while staying here in the Order's main headquarters on Valinor as he couldn't stop right now, for he wanted to protect Epsilon more than anything.
"You caused an uproar, didn't you?" said Akio.
"I was just doing my job cleaning up everything and that's all," said Aleph.
"You were hiding in the girls' crapper in which you were noticed by one of the members of the Trujillo Clan and they don't take things lightly when it comes to seeing people in the wrong bathroom."
"I have to earn my keep if I'm gonna be stuck here. I can't just be spending my days here just to be one of those freeloaders who slack off all the time. I bet that the guy who looks like me had a good run living the good life when he was little."
"Sam lived in a lot of places, but he didn't live the good life. At age seven, he and his older brother were taken to the fort on Gehenna and eventually lived out their years there. Still, Sam wanted Dean to excel while he was busy cleaning everything inside and outside from the fort's walls to the chicken house. And to top it off, he had to endure Sylvanus' cruelty while trying to keep himself afloat. He also slept in a cold room with a bathroom and a fireplace, which was feasible for him, but he also had to endure the cold by huddling up in bed after working. All he did was do servitude in which he was hoping for Dean to reach even higher when he was the one who was reaching that goal the whole time. He may have got himself a wife and kids, a position in the Order, and status as the god of the Ashizoka System, but he never accepted himself to the fullest after all that has happened to him."
"At least he's not selfish when it comes to putting others first before his own whims. Family and friends come first so that everyone has the needs to pull themselves by the bootstraps. For the record, we all have to put the needs of others first before ourselves. At least the guy who looks like me gets the message, right?"
It wasn't long until Reuben made his way into the hall as he ran towards Aleph and punched him in the jaw the moment he fell onto the floor. Anger flooded him as he noticed the man who looked like me get up on his feet as he was reeling from the blow he sustained. He was ready to attack him again as he wasn't having it when it came to my problems on a daily basis, for I had so much that I carried over the years. Even Akio was stunned to see Reuben standing there as he had his fists clenched, for he couldn't let anyone else insult me due to what I suffered from over the years.
"How dare you?!" he yelled as he punched Aleph in the face again. "How could you say that about my half-brother when he constantly puts family over his own needs on a daily basis?!"
"At least he isn't an egoist after all," he said as he was reeling from the second blow.
"Sam's a lot of things, but he's certainly not an egoist!"
"At least he's putting himself last instead of being a narcissist and my brother and I had to put the needs of others first."
"You know nothing about my half-brother, do you?! For a long time, he's suffered from clinical depression and you equate that by sticking to the bottom?!"
"Reuben!" yelled Akio. "You can't just lash out on everyone like that."
"And another thing, clinical depression isn't something that can be taken lightly in which you should also look up on it before judging, is that clear to you?!"
Aleph didn't say another word as he left the hallway and went back to his quarters and locked the door behind him. He never knew about my clinical depression until now as he wanted to apologize to me once I had time to report to the Order's main headquarters on Valinor. He was starting to hate it here as he endured Reuben's words in which he also had to change his mind for the sake of his brother, who was recently transferred here after he was rescued earlier.
"Once I get enough money, we can leave this place and take out the scumbags who used you as their own personal punching bag, Epsilon," he said to himself.
It wasn't long until he heard a knock on the door as he refused to answer it. He never wanted any visitor as he also wanted to be left alone in which he ignored the constant knocking. The more he heard it, the longer it went on until he heard the sound of a lockpick opening up the door. When he saw Reuben coming into his quarters, he was eager to shove him out the door as he was ready to defend himself, for he didn't want any visitors after what he heard today.
"What the hell do you want?" he asked as he glared at Reuben.
"It's rude to ignore visitors checking up on you," he said.
"Don't you have a couple of bedpans to clean?"
"I'm not leaving until you start cooperating correctly. As for your brother's condition, he's safe, but he's in an induced coma just to counteract the effects of sleep deprivation that he suffered from by his captors. This isn't the first time or the last in which going without sleep can kill you if not careful and it can also cause a lot of health problems in the long run."
"I don't have time for sleep while I'm busy cleaning toilets for a living."
"Is that so?" Reuben fishes out a flashlight as he shines it in Aleph's eyes. "There's a little bit of bloodshot in your eyes in which you hardly get any sleep after 'trying to earn your keep' by being a janitor. And yet, you get paid by the hour in which you don't spend it on yourself, do you?"
"I don't have to spend it on myself, okay? I'm simply doing it for my brother in which the Medical Corps have tight security over him right now."
"After what Sam found underneath the Jade Bamboo in Raithwall on Westeros, the man who looked like him was being abused by his captors until he was saved at the last minute. Two of his captors fled, but the third one was impaled by a spear with a diamond tip courtesy of our reformed demon, Ruby. You can see him whenever you want, but I must warn you about the security detail around his room."
"At least he's safe from Doran and his goons…"
It wasn't long until Aleph collapsed onto the floor as he was tired from doing work. He was struggling to fight sleep as he noticed Reuben escorting him out of his quarters, for he was in a dire need of being treated for insomnia after all…
Reiko and I made our way to the LaPointe Clan's homestead as we noticed it to be a palace that was filled to the brim with wetlands and food. It was also filled with people who had their own homes and businesses inside of it as they were going about their daily life. When we made it to the main house, we were greeted by Laurent as he was dressed up in more comforting clothes instead of wearing a dinner jacket in hot weather. Luckily, I took off my dinner jacket as I was left with the pants and shirt that I had on. It was also a godsend that I had my hair up so I wouldn't draw too much embarrassment, but I was still forbidden to cut it, as I was happy to greet my host as I was also sweating from the heat.
"You should've put on cooler clothing," said Laurent.
"The dinner jacket ensemble was all I had," I said.
"It's the tail end of summer and August is the worst. As for what you found, it's mainly Draaza tech on my wife's side of the family, but after what has happened, no one is safe from the presence of Zenith Vectors in which their quest for it is extremely insatiable."
"Your family isn't safe from Sister's killers, is it?" said Reiko.
"The Zenith Vectors may know how to attack on open ground, but they're not stupid. They also know how to back off due to not only the presence of our Terran neighbors, the Okeechobee Vikings, but the influx of gators that often target their lunch in the Arwen River. The suits that our enemies wear may be impervious to most attacks and weak against diamond, but you can't underestimate the bite of a gator." Laurent lifts up his trousers as he reveals a bite mark around his leg. "I was lucky that I got out alive after hunting drowners in which a gator can play with its food until you're dead. As for the assailant who gave me that scar, he was an old one that was targeted by the Okeechobee Vikings in which they had first dibs to get it, which was fair."
I saw a picture of an alligator on the wall near the courtyard fountain as I noticed it to be much larger than the average ones that were often seen swimming all over the Arwen River. I knew of it to be a crocodile due to the fact that it was much bigger than its alligator cousins as I noticed an image of me standing there next to the dangerous reptile. It was yet another omen that was put in front of me as I also noticed that it was a prophecy that never came to pass, for it was dashed due to the fact that I spent most of my years living at the fort on Gehenna. Even Reiko noticed that I was part of the picture's prophecy as I was most likely to be going hunting once we leave Mirhuin altogether.
"This is new, but I've never been here before until now," I said.
"You're looking at the picture of MacDuff the Great, aren't you?" said Laurent.
"It has a name?"
"Old MacDuff was the largest and fiercest of all the alligators that swim all over the Arwen River in which no one has ever took him out and lived to tell the tale. Every hunter who was obsessed in taking that thing down ended up dead in which we issued a warning not to go near the west pool in Lake Haldir, which connects to the Arwen River."
"I see what you mean when it comes to an alligator like that."
It wasn't long until I noticed a group of Elves coming into the homestead as they were there to report in. What I didn't expect was that there was some old tech that was taken out of the Freleng as it remained intact. Even Reiko noticed it as she saw it up close in which she found it to be a lockbox that was unopened and unused in centuries, for it had to be unlocked anyway. She never saw anything like it before as she also noticed a locking mechanism in front of it, for this was very new indeed.
"This device is new, but ancient," she said.
"And it's mainly Draaza tech that could help us in the long run," I said as I examined the device.
I took another look at the Draaza device that was found in the Freleng as I looked at the locking mechanism that kept it closed. When the device turned on, it scanned my eye again as it knew of me very well, for I was mainly a key to doing so.
"Retinal print scanned," said a computer voice as it knew of my retinal print clearly. "Retinal scan approved." The device opens up as it was ready to be looked into. "Greetings, Sam Winchester; you now have access to the codex that was kept by the crew of the Freleng."
A codex? That was nothing new to me as I spotted it in the device that the Elves found earlier. Picking it up, I noticed it to have the typical Aquarian Star etched into it as I opened it up to see what was inside. It was a folder that came from the Middle Days as I noticed the date, 05-02-74, etched onto it in which it had a picture of the past selves of Mom and Dad, along with a few more people that I hardly knew while standing in front of a van that looked similar to the Mystery Machine, but it had black and red painted on it. When I looked at the back of it, I saw Draaza writing on it as I deciphered it carefully in which I was aware of what was written on it, for it was a message to both past and future alike.
"'The future is neither etched in stone nor chosen willingly,'" I said as I read the message.
"Wait!" yelled Sadritha as she sprinted towards the device that was opened. "I know the rest of those people through my grandfather!" She yanks the picture out of my hand as she looked at it carefully along with the writing in the back. "1974… It was a very good year when my grandfather took that picture of the Scooby-Doo gang back in the day…"
"Those people in the picture happen to be the past selves of Sammy's father and Princess Mary, but the others are new to me," said Reiko.
"The people alongside the John and Mary of Old were close friends of theirs, but there were no further records of their annals until we found the catalog of The Winchesters that were written by Cortese Padalecki." Sadritha points to the people in the photo as they were also important in this annal of history. "The woman in the vintage clothing is Ada Monroe, who was a close friend of Henry Winchester's. The other woman in the Brady Bunch clothes is name Latika Desai, who was an apprentice hunter. And last…, we have the long-haired hippy musician that served in the Vietnam War like the John of Old who goes by the name of Carlos Cervantez. There hadn't been any other annals of their adventures after the last book of The Winchesters in which most of the files about them have been sealed by the Order of Letters for centuries."
"Your grandfather was someone who kept himself hidden for a while…"
"Grandpa had a way of blending in by dressing up in rubber masks to keep himself hidden from the likes of those weirdos who live at Area 51 back in the day. On that day he visited, he noticed the year being back to square one by the Arbiter, but that didn't mean that everything got twisted. Pendragon made sure that guidance was put in place when the time was right, for he also told his friends those words that were written on the photo."
Sadritha put the photo back in the file as she noticed an Order of Letters ship approaching near the homestead. I spotted it directly as I rushed out to the gates near the harbor by the river in which I noticed it landing near a clearing that was mainly dirt instead of wetlands. I rushed to where the ship was as I knew of it to be different in which I also heard the sound of Led Zeppelin blaring from it. What I also didn't expect was that Dean was out in the open as he was there to collect me and Reiko after our visit with the LaPointe Clan, for he had his reasons to pick me up.
"You're supposed to be with your unit on Skald Island," I said.
"You're needed, Sam," said Dean as he was standing firm.
"Is it about Aleph adjusting to being in the confines of the Order's main headquarters?"
"The guy who looks like you is safe and sound along with his comatose brother. As for the 'other problem' at hand, we got word that the Zenith Vectors tried to enter here in Mirhuin, but haven't stepped further 'cause of the gators."
"That's good to hear… As for what Laurent's clan found in the wreckage of the Freleng, it was unopened for centuries until now. Sadly, the Zenith Vectors have been voraciously looking for Draaza tech in which their insatiable lust for it has gotten out of control, but the guy who looked like me was forced to do their dirty work."
"Funny…, from what I heard, the guy who looked like you went through the ringer from his captors like your past self being locked in the nut farm. The guy suffered from lack of sleep for days in which it was hard for him to take a nap, so Reuben had no choice but to induce him into a coma just to stabilize what he was going through. He's in the Order's main headquarters here, but under strict surveillance in which the asshats who tortured him will end up coming to steal him again."
"And they've been trying to open up old pieces of Draaza technology, but to no avail. As for the one who opened up the lockbox that was found in the Freleng, I was the one who did it in which I found a codex and a picture of the past selves of our parents in the Middle Days. Thankfully, we got to it first before the Zenith Vectors in which they can't come here due to our reptile friends that act as guard dogs. It's best that we have a swamp to manage the danger, for our foes have their reasons to stay away from it."
I made my point clear as I couldn't let the Zenith Vectors get their hands on the Draaza technology that was hidden in plain sight. Still, I had to be careful not to be out in the open too much as I also had to be under strict protection, for our foes were waiting in the wings to strike…
Talulah was in a hideout near the outskirts of Raithwall on Westeros as she was also reeling from a blow that she took earlier. After enduring the wrath of Jacob earlier, she wasn't about to let herself fail again after losing one of her comrades at the hands of Ruby a few days prior. When she went into the bathroom, she looked in the mirror as she saw the black eye she sustained after losing Epsilon to us in the Order. She never expected to see the lab under the Jade Bamboo being opened up as she remembered how she deprived Epsilon of sleep after he refused to obey her, for she was not too thrilled to steal him back from the Order so hastily. She hated Epsilon for being too weak as she was mainly ready to resume the tomb robbing of the old Draaza ships that crashed all over the Ashizoka System. She was glad that Epsilon was gone, but there would be consequences when it came to keeping her so-called "pet" under a short leash, for she hated seeing him all over the place in general.
"Defective or not, you'll never be here," she said to herself as she wasn't about to take Epsilon back.
It wasn't long until she heard the door to her room open as she went and answered it. When she saw Jacob standing there with the scar on his face still rampant, he was still angry with her as he punched her in the face again, for he refused to tolerate failure from his subordinates whatsoever. As the head honcho of the Zenith Vectors, he got first dibs on everything from having his needs met to sifting through the technology that was combed all over the galaxy, for he wanted domination more than anything, even if it meant by sacrificing his loyal comrades to get it.
"I take it that you're back for more," said Talulah as she got up on her feet. "You know that I'm not stealing that piece of shit back, for it's best to see him dead than mock us."
"Just because you lost Epsilon, doesn't mean that you're off the hook, Talulah," said Jacob as he seized her by the throat. "Failure is a lot of things, but it's never an option! The more we find the Draaza and Va'Kihri tech, the better we stamp our seal of approval just to keep humanity as the top dog of the food chain."
"Epsilon was defective! He's nothing but dead weight because of the fact that still cries for his brother! If you want me to look for him, I'll do the pleasure in slitting his throat for you."
"We can't go into the Order's main headquarters without going up against some mongrels who ripped the hearts out of our subordinates! We also can't get the tech from the Freleng because of the alligator influx, which is better than being a late-night snack for those bastards."
Jacob threw Talulah against the wall as he was ready to punch her again until he heard footsteps coming into the room. Turning around, he noticed Gunther entering into the room as he had a tablet in his hands in which he was brimming with optimism. When he saw his subordinate turn on the tablet, he noticed me in front of the Draaza lab below the Jade Bamboo as he saw me use my eye to open the doors up before Talulah's group arrived with Epsilon in tow, for he was ready to pounce when he saw me do what my failed copy didn't accomplish earlier.
"Looks like Epsilon's copy opened up what we've been combing through all over the galaxy," he said. "It's also been said that he has all that raw power in him that caused the computer to recognize him through retinal scan."
"We can just blow up the doors if we wanted to," said Talulah as she was on her feet again.
"And risk those inhuman scum bearing their fangs at us? Not a chance!"
"For the record, the one who did what Epsilon failed to do happens to be the younger brother of the guy who cut your face up," said Gunther as he put away the tablet. "It's also been said that in the Elder Days, his past self led a group of hunters to take out a branch of the British Men of Letters after hearing about how some of their friends ended up getting targeted for extermination."
"Sam Winchester…" Jacob clenched his fist briefly as he was ready to pounce. "It appears that you're our new key to unlock what we take from our enemies, for this is a good opportunity to propel humanity to the top. As soon as his guard is down, then we take what's there, for our way of opening up doors has gotten better."
Jacob smirked at the fact that he would stop at nothing to take what he wanted as he also wanted more of what was in plain sight. He wanted any form of Draaza or Va'Kihri tech imaginable as he was ready to hunt me down, but had to tread carefully as he also remembered what happened when some of his people ended up dead at the hands of werewolves. He couldn't take that with a grain of salt as he was willing to steal me to fulfill his toxic agenda, for he wanted humanity to dominate the galaxy by any means necessary…
I was in the courtyard as I was enjoying the nightly breeze that cooled down the heat. After meeting with Laurent and dealing with the long conference earlier, I was ready to return to my hotel room as I spotted Dean sitting on the bench chowing down on a piece of apple pie. Still, he was reeling from what happened to Magda as he also wanted justice for her death, for he had a vendetta against the Zenith Vectors for raiding the base on Shiganshina in the first place.
"You doing okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, but the ass-clowns who raided our base are still at large," said Dean.
"You're not the only one who lost someone, Dean. Moro is also reeling after Albus' passing in which our new foes caused a terrorist attack in the Alecrian capital of Isildur. I even got the full brunt of her wrath while trying to break up a fight between her and a member of the Rakuen Priesthood after the latter pissed her off."
"There's always the phrase, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' front and center, but Moro really needs to control that temper if she wants to be in the Order."
"I hate to side with her, but the member of the Rakuen Priesthood had it coming when she viewed single mothers to be often frowned on while their children become out of control and tossed into jail just to either become janitors or sex toys. What also caused Moro to snap was when that member of the Rakuen Priesthood called her food on the table in which she beat her with a chair. I tried to intervene just to stop the fight and ended up getting hit instead, which I was mainly used to what got thrown at me. I bear no grudge against her, but I can't stand to see her suffer after losing Albus to those terrorists."
"I forgot to tell you earlier, but you're needed back at the Order's main headquarters here ASAP, Sam." Dean fishes out a letter as he gives it to me. "The Zenith Vectors switched tactics after what happened at that restaurant in the Westerian capital of Raithwall in which you know how to open up old Draaza lockboxes and laboratories now. I know that you're uncomfortable with the helicopter parenting, but I'm not gonna let Scarface or his friends take advantage of you, you got that?"
I looked at the letter carefully as I had a gut feeling that the Zenith Vectors would be zoning onto me in which I was mainly targeted to be an opener of abandoned Draaza technology. Therefore, I was glad to be under the helicopter parenting as the Zenith Vectors were dangerous to everyone, for their agenda had crossed the line all over the Ashizoka System so far…
To be continued...