Story:Kings of Strife/Part 4

Part Four
"East and south patrol side secure." Lieutenant Titon chimed in through his communication link, confirming that his lookout on the east side of the warehouse was clear. "Repeat, patrol side is secure. Report." His command rang through the ears of the entire squad, signifying that they were to give their own sides to the status.

So next in line came Sergeant Fifero. "North side...secure. No IRs detected. Area is clear." Shuffling could be heard from his mic until he settled down, presumably taking his position on the north wall, ready to infiltrate. With him was Private Malenpaa and Commander Hahto, to provide scout information and defend him as he extracted the objective. "Report."

Lieutenant Vikcent Hyusei, third in command, switched on his own mouthpiece. He surveyed his domain one quick time before giving his status. "Vertical sector and west side secure. All areas accounted for." He shifted his rifle in his hands. The navy blue Sorachi S-III assault rifle was somewhat recent and very reliable and incredibly versatile. Although lightweight in his hands, it had a good enough chassis to not not be too damaged with recoil or physical attacks. He reloaded the weapon and clicked back the ready slide just to be sure. "Cover weapon functional. All vertical areas patrolled. Report concluded." A second went by, and then a moment, and another microphone clicked, signaling an entrance into the private chat channel.

"All sectors clear. Operation begin; Private and Commander, take point. Proceed." Vik's microphone clicked off and Sergeant Fifero burst through the warehouse's old back door. From here, Vik lost visual sight of the Sergeant; he stood up from his position on his knees and took his point on the roof of the objective. He made his first standpoint at the west direction of the warehouse. He knelt down at the banister of the roof and removed the tripod legs from his chest strap, clipping it to his rifle and leaning it on the banister's wall. Not glaring down the sights just yet, he held close watch over the darkened city streets.

It was four in the morning in the outskirt slums of Nures City, Nneoh. A large island country in the South Sea, Nneoh sat only 50 miles from the closest shore of Inusia. Down in the semi-tropical continent, the air outside was chilly, but rarely freezing. It was the dead of winter, at the peak of the cold temperature in Nures. Further down in Nneoh, near the mountains, it was mostly cold year-round, but up in the north - in Nures City, for example - the temperature didn't reach down to be very cold, and proximity near the ocean kept the air somewhat humid. Fortunately, the humidity was absent tonight, something Vik usually would take notice of because it meant he wouldn't be sweating as much as usual. But not tonight - he was too focused on his mission. All that mattered was the mission, especially this one. This one could impact all of Nneoh, perhaps the entire world if the threat was too advanced. Lieutenant Hyusei hoped it wouldn't be that bad.

Lieutenant Vikcent Hyusei's mission, and that of the Zettai Herohji squad, was to investigate a security leak discovered out of Ouroboros.

The organization's name was one met with both infamy and ignorance. Nobody knew exactly who they were or what they do, or have done, except for the highest of the high in government and the lowest of the low in the ears of the city streets. Their motif and namesake was a snake eating its own tail - and, keeping up with its theme, it destroyed its own evidence. The few members captured from their organization was always murdered or blundered into "accidentally" dying before they could be interrogated for anything useful. Leads that point towards further information on them were always lost at the last second or botched up by an agent of theirs implanted into various police units or governments spots, who themselves were killed shortly after, or even committed suicide. But not this time.

It was four in the morning in the outskirt slums of Nures City, and the Herohji squad had finally found a lead on Ouroboros.

Herohji squad was initially formulated for the sole purpose of government security - stop those accused of treason, end terrorist threats before they became fully formulated, and investigate/eliminate conspirator suspects. They were one of four similar black ops squads, all of which were hand-selected from the best of Nneonian military and operatives and kept top-secret. Tonight, or rather that morning, they had found a suspicious warehouse that wasn't documented in the city. After further investigation and observation, it was associated with and connected to various shadowy criminals. Then it was decided that they would move into their position, only to find before-hand - from a suspicious leak - that it contained stolen, advanced technology. After Technical Specialist Sergeant Fifero hacked inside a few information networks, it was revealed to have information on what could be Ouroboros. Despite the disputable source of the information and the high chance of a trap, Herohji squad decided to investigate the location.

Vik's ear piece clicked. A deep voice resounded through it; he recognized it as Lieutenant Titon, who was taking patrol on the east and south sectors of the warehouse opposite Vik's. Titon, a man who was shorter than Vik yet more physically built, displayed a calm and serious attitude when it came to his work. Never had Vik seen him lose his composure. "First patrol made, doubling back. Status, Lieutenant?" No names were ever used in Herohji missions, lest their communication channel be intercepted or analyzed and members be identified. They all knew each other's names, of course, but were prohibited to state them in any communication that could be intercepted. Vik scanned the area again before gathering up his gun, removing the tripod, and standing up.

"West overwatch reporting nothing. Moving on to north si- What was that," he gasped. While moving to his new position, he caught a glint of light in his peripheral vision. He studied the area again with renewed interest after looking up to the sky. The moon was new that night, and thus was not in the sky - so where could the light have come from? His ear piece clicked again, bringing him back to reality. "What was what, Lieutenant?" This time Commander Hahto's grave voice chimed through the microphone. The Commander was a very serious man with few sentiments and absolutely no hesitations when he went about his missions. He had been in the Nneonian military since before it was legal for him to do so. Nationalism was basically his middle name. Vik stood in place for a moment before prying his eyes away and returning to his post, shaking his head at himself. His thumb idly hit the switch in the palm of his glove, activating his microphone.

"Nothing, sir. Human error. Continuing mission."

"..." Vik cringed as he physically felt the moment of analyzation from all members of the team. Incompetence was not taken well with Herohji squad, but now was not the time to discuss it. The Commander cleared his throat. "Very well, soldier. Continue mission." Vik did as he was told and continued his vigil. Various status updates and quick commands were told through his microphone to the rest of the squad. As he continued to wander around the roof of the warehouse, looking around the pitch black darkness, he couldn't think very long on anything but the glint of light he saw. Where could it possibly have come from? How did it disappear so fast? What was it? Vik shook his head slightly and mentally reached for his focus. Being distracted on such a mission was more incompetence, and he could not allow such a thing to happen. My country needs me. The voice of Sergeant Fifero resounded through his ears.

"98 percent...99 percent...100 percent completed! Data extraction complete." Fifero was a small man, the thinnest and least intimidating of the entire squad, but more than made up for it with his sarcastic mouth and technical genius. It was he that invented some of the most revolutionary technology in use by the Nneonian military, and such a mind was wasted on the usual scientist corps. He was a natural shoe-in for the prestigious Herohji squad. Now, his objective completed, he gave command to the squad as they all mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "All units, move into retreat formation. Exiting software...return in thr-Gah! Hhhrr..." A sickening noise went through Fifero's microphone for a moment before it was terminated.

A loud silence rang through Vik's ears. He looked up from his post and quickly pressed his communication button, and apparently so did the rest of the squad. After a moment of confusion, Commander Hahto managed to quiet the team down and restore order. "Commander here. Investigating scene...Oh Tiamat the blessed. Damn... damn. Blood outside of extraction sector. Readying weapon. Private! With me. Standby..." Private Malenpaa was the newest member of the squad, and the loudest when off duty. On a mission, however, he was always stone quiet and his aim was shaky. The Commander kept him by his side and would likely continue to do so until he had gotten over his nerves in a few more objectives. Meanwhile, Vik and Lieutenant Titon didn't move in their spots, both transfixed by the scene going through their headsets. "Breaking and entering." A moment afterwards, the sound of a door breaking down could be heard. The Commander continued his whispered reports. "Seems clear...Scouting...Oh. Private... stay at the door."

Vik took his rifle in his hands, checked its ammunition cartridge one more time and making absolutely sure the safety was off, and let out a rope down the wall of the warehouse. From the sounds of it, his team could use him. He started rappelling down the three-story building. As he climbed, the voice of Commander Hahto continued. "Death confirmed. Tech specialist is dead, I repeat, tech specialist is dead. What a day for Nneoh... The body has a large cut on the neck. And there are blunt wounds, as well... Ah! What was th-" Hahto's communications abruptly stopped. Vik landed on the floor at last, and started running towards the entrance his team took during the mission. On his way, he noticed Titon in front of him, already entering the building with his rifle in hand. Vik turned on his comms module. "Commander! Private! What is happening?!"

To Vik's relief, the Commander's voice rang through once again, although it sounded strained and far away. "The... The Private is dead..." He gave a wet sounding cough. Titon cringed. "You two... run... Leave here, he's... he's a demon... Live... For Nneoh... Guagh-" The Commander's microphone turned off for the last time. Titon stopped in his tracks, and Vik ran into his back. The two looked at each other for a moment and nervously fingered their guns. A footstep was heard by the both of them, and their heads shot forward to look at a doorway in front of them. A dim light flickered further inside of it, and a tall black shadow could be seen standing in it, holding what seemed to be a huge ax in one hand and a large hammer in the other. A liquid, certainly blood, dripped onto the floor from the blades of the ax.

The two jumped backwards, narrowly dodging a swipe of the figure's gargantuan hatchet. Vik faltered backwards onto a wall and sank down in fear. He watched, completely helplessly, as Titon shot the tall man. The bullet hit its mark in his chest, but it didn't seem to faze the man at all. He swung his ax at Titon but was blocked by his rifle; the hit visibly shook the Lieutenant, and he went to a knee. Vik continued to watch with open eyes, frozen with fear. He grabbed his rifle with both hands and struggled to raise it towards the figure, but apparently Malenpaa had posthumously given him the shakes.

In the darkness, the other two quickly confronted. From what Vik saw, Titon was able to get the time and position to shoot at the man three more times, but not once did it affect his attacks at all or even cause the tall, black figure to miss a step. Finally, Titon lifted his rifle to block another downward slice with the assailant's hammer, but mistook the power of the attack. His rifle was smashed in two before his eyes with the sheer power of the attack. As he dropped the two useless halves and stepped back, unable to move from awe, the figure wasted no time in finishing off the defeated Lieutenant. His next attack with his ax was swift and efficient, and Titon's bisected torso fell to the ground with a splash.

Although he couldn't will himself to move, Vik managed to keep his mouth shut. He was not disgusted by the death, as he had somewhat used to gory killing, but the sheer fact that his entire squad was now dead was shell-shocking.

After the kill, the black figure stood in his spot, staring at the body's two halves for a second and making no noise. He looked around the dark room twice, almost seeming to stare at the spot Vik was hidden. Vik was almost sure that both of them could hear his heart pounding in the now deathly silent chamber of the warehouse. Yet the man didn't pursue him; he simply put his hammer on the floor and reached his hand into what must have been a pocket. He pulled out a small piece of technology, which Vik later learned to be the information drive that Fifero extracted. The man dropped the drive on the floor and stomped on it, reducing it to mere dust. He then gathered up his hammer and swiftly left without a word.

Vik sat where he was, staring at Titon's body. He noticed that his hands were shaking uncontrollably and that he was starting to cry. Without warning he got on his knees and threw up. He couldn't tell if he was disgusted with his situation or with himself. When he finished vomiting, he moved himself away from the puddle on the floor and leaned back on the wall. He removed his headset and threw it down at his feet before putting his face in his hands. They smelled like vomit and told him that the deaths were was all his fault. That light he saw earlier, he reasoned, was most likely the mystery assailant making his way to the warehouse. Thanks to his own incompetence, Nneoh lost not only four good men, but extremely useful information that could have saved hundreds of lives. His inner self was absolutely furious, yet at the same time intensely depressed. All of it, six feet under the ground. He started thinking about how the entire world would be better off if he died with them when he heard the distinct sound of his comm link turning on.

With morbid curiosity, he looked up from his reverie and put the headset to his ears. Could it be…? “Headquarters to Herohji. Repeat, headquarters to Herohji. At this time, you should be at the designated extraction spot, yet you have failed to arrive. Is there a delay? Have you met problems?” No, it couldn’t have been. He tossed his headset back on the floor and stared directly at the ceiling above him, still too shocked to really move. He was a fool to hope that the focused, familiar chatter of his teammates would greet him from the headset. Reality seemed to warp around his shuddering form, and the last thing he remembered were the distant probes from the extraction squad.

"Herohji squad, report. Repeat… Herohji squad…”

****

“How do you like them?”

Maria paused a bit before replying. “They’re easy to move in, and aesthetically pleasing.”

“That’s not what I meant.” The two, now exiting a clothing store, began to walk towards the travel district of Morshia City. They were to take the long way so as to avoid any possible sightings. Another fight at this point would most surely end in death. “Do you like them? What’s your opinion on your new threads?”

Maria idly pulled at the ends of her skirt and examined her calve-high black boots. No longer did she have to wear Crono’s clothes now that he had bought her this ensemble. The boots were worn over a light gray pair of tights, which, matching with her white and blue skirt, left a slight sliver of her upper leg skin visible. The skirt was met with a shirt that had the same color and pattern, and a dark lavender cloak threatened to cover the entire thing. It wasn’t very meaningful to her, not in the slightest, so in truth she had no opinion on the clothes. They existed and they kept her much warmer than before. That was it.

Crono seemed to sense that she had nothing to say and pressed the issue no further. “Thanks for cooperating back there. Especially when you… y’know.”

She stood just an inch taller and stiffly looked away from him. “I don’t know why I did what I did. I don’t even remember where that bow came from.”

“Mysterious as that is, it saved my life, so… you’ve got my respect.” The conversation fell to another close and they awkwardly continued their trip. Crono rustled in his pocket looking for nothing.

Next, Maria’s husky voice started another skirmish of words. “Who was that man, and why did he attack you?” It was all she could manage to inquire, but it was not the full extent of her curiosity. Why did that man not die despite his grave wounds, she wondered. Why hasn’t Crono died yet?

“He kept saying he wanted something from me. He probably wants the cry-er, the object I stole. It’s the same reason I don’t want to be in this country for very long. A lot of bad people are looking for me, and I assume he’s one of them. I think I’ve heard of him before, but I’ve never seen him in my life and I hope I never see him again,” Crono lectured. They began to near the airship docks; he could tell because the smell of exhaust wrinkled his nose and smoke drifted over the area like fog. “C’mon, we can talk about this stuff on the airship once we get on.”

The answers did not satisfy Maria – nothing did, anymore. She continued to walk behind the mercenary, who clutched at his chest as he walked as if it was a seething burn. “Why are we taking an airship? To where are we going? How are we going to get on if so many people are looking for you?” A crowd had formed as the two grew closer to the sky harbor, so Crono took hold of her hand and guided her behind him as they cut through and jostled the crowd.

“I have some things to learn, and the Great Datalog over in Norzaven is the best place for me to do it. It’s an island that’s north of here. And don’t worry, I’ve smuggled onto airships countless times before.” Releasing his abdomen and flashing Maria a reluctant yet charming smile, Crono held up two small identification cards. “A fake one for me, and this one for you.” The girl in the second passport he showed had straight black hair that was very long, much like hers. Besides that, their physical differences were many yet miniscule.

She had no words to say to that. Not only was his reaction jarring and needlessly bravado considering how aloof he was before and how obvious his pain was, the memory of him giving her the comb from before was now fresh in her mind. “Was that why this man gave me that gift? His generosity was simply an end to a mean.” This disquieted her and filled her with an unknown feeling in her throat, one that confused and frustrated her. A change occurred within her, but one so minute that she could not reach out and recognize it if she tried. No more words were said between the two.

Much like Silverius said, buying two tickets to a Norzaven-bound airship and getting through security for it was laughably easy for them. This proved yet another shock for Maria – how could it be this easy for a national criminal to obtain transportation? Did he not see these constant flaws in society, or did he just gloss over them because they suited his personal needs? She stared into his dark brown eyes and pondered his character for the longest time. “Simultaneously complex and foreign,” she whispered to herself.

Within an hour, the two were in their small cabin as the airship’s engines began to groan and the ground beneath them began to rumble. Silverius had immediately crashed onto the only bed in the room and gingerly removed his jacket. He began to studiously remove his self-applied bandages and stitch up his chest wound which had opened slightly during their travels. Maria stood at the door and watched the small window to the outside as the ship launched. The colors of the sky were marvelous and entrancing to her.

“Have you never flown on an airship before?” Silverius watched Maria stare with wonder at the atmosphere. “We’ll be in the air until tomorrow morning, pretty much. It’ll be much better on your stomach if you get some sleep.” In response to his question, she looked at his eyes once again. The dark bags under them were glaringly obvious.

She ignored his words and began to think. It was now close to sunset, meaning the excursion in Troia village had taken place a day ago, and that was two days after he rescued her from the Morshia sewers. Almost four days since they met, and she hadn’t seen him sleep even once. Meanwhile, the fatigue of the day’s travel weighed heavy upon her eyelids. “Have you not slept since you found me?”

The question was apparently personal, and Silverius turned away and clumsily began to reapply his bandages. “I don’t sleep often. Gives me too much time to think about things I don’t want to think about.” She didn’t know what to say to this, and another silence penetrated the small cabin. It was too much for Silverius, and he abruptly broke the silence with an admonished command. “Why don’t you go outside and sit on the deck? Y’know, check out the stars and stuff. I’ve got to take a shower and clean my wounds.”

Maria hesitated. “Is that allowed? More to the point… Do you want me to leave you?” She looked into his eyes and could see the answer to both of them instantaneously, but he refused to make eye contact with her. His cloudy eyes grew more painful the more she looked at them.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I always have been.”

Again she hesitated. Something told her, quietly and softly, that leaving him now was the wrong decision. His eyes conveyed an emotion to her that was unfamiliar yet infamous, a glimpse of pain in the residual darkness. But he said he didn’t need her, and that was all the assurance she needed. If the girl couldn’t even decipher her own nightmares and problems, there was no chance that she could prove to be any use to the man. She nodded and left the cabin, drawing her cloak around her as the door shut. Silverius sighed.

The first thing she thought of when exposed to the night air was how cold it was and she was instantly grateful for the cloak that Silverius had bought for her. Next she realized that the upper deck was near deserted, although she saw a couple crew members going about their business and performing various tasks about the ship. Finally came the revelation that her timing was uncannily perfect – the sun was setting at this very moment, and the height of the airship in the sky framed the phenomenon to a beautiful degree. It was all she had not to audibly gasp upon seeing the multi-colored clouds and horizons about the air.

For the first time in her scarce memory, Maria had nothing to think about. Some heavenly genius had painted the celestial canvas an awe-inspiring alchemy of reds, purples, blues, and pinks. She fell in love instantly with the peace and silence she found around her. A sad smile squinted her eyes.

Before long, the symphony of hues had disappeared. Night and all of its darkness took over completely, but soon another marvel came to dance upon the stars. No sooner had the moon began to illuminate the sky did a sheening cerulean rocket float through the dusk. It caught Maria’s fleeting attention mere moments before it disappeared, leaving her to wonder if it was an illusion or not. It took seconds for another such phenomenon to streak across the sky, then another and another. They began to smear together in a sort of celestial shower.

Maria was captivated as never before. The light from the brilliant shower began to reflect off the waxed airship deck, drawing her amazed attention back and forth. The sky, as she saw it, was an endless fountain of miracles, one that she could marvel at no matter how incomprehensible and dangerous her life would become. This was the kind of beauty that she knew she loved, the kind that she unconsciously yearned for, and suddenly everything seemed petty in perspective. Tears began to fall from her eyes but not because of any particular sorrow. If anything, it was the exact opposite.

...End of Part Four.

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