Second Sight: Chapter Nine: Seperate Ways
#14 of Second Sight
Location: Arpeggio Militia Compound, Medical Ward.
Time: 12:30pm.
Year: 2092, March 2nd.
I had another dream again; the one where I'm constantly falling upwards through a white mist. I didn't scream or panic; I just let things happen. There was nothing I could grab onto to stop myself, and when I decide to turn or flip the other way, I still end up falling the same way; always upwards. My body always felt like it was being jabbed with needles. I could have made sense of all of it if I just woke up. I kept hearing voices; not talking to me, but to each other.
"Maybe he's long gone." One of the voices growled. "You saw what happened, no one could survive that."
"He only arrived after we destroyed the facility." Another voice retorted. "Besides, he's an Arch-Angel. They're not the kind of people to just go without a fight. Even if he's just a rookie."
I suddenly knew who they were talking about, and the falling had stopped. Now I was floating on thin air, and I started to move towards the sound. They were talking about me. Did they think I was dead? Was I actually gone and lost? I kept moving faster and faster through all the mist as it began to clear; and just when I was almost clear, I had woken up.
I opened my eyes quickly, but didn't move at all. I raised both my arms to my head just to make sure that I was still able to move. I groaned and stretched, hearing a small click in both my arms. I looked around the room. To my right was my squad; all except for Cam who stood in the corner, giving me a sad smile.
"I told you he was tough." Lance muttered to the Commander, who was looking at the female Avian doctor to my left.
"Can it. You're a soldier, act like one." The Commander barked back, and turned to me. "Good to see you up. I don't really have the time to fill out the papers for another replacement."
With that, everyone stepped out besides the doctor and Cam.
"You've suffered a minor concussion." The doctor said; "And you have a few small fractures in your right arm, so you're relieved of your duty until further notice. Excuse me."
The doctor walked out of the white tiled room, leaving only Cam and myself to talk. I remembered that I still had to talk to him about Epitaph, and what happened.
"Sorry about the early demolition." Cam muttered, sitting down beside me. "Now, lets talk about Epitaph, and what you found out in there."
So I told him the whole story. I told him all about Epitaph, what it was, what had happened, and how I was able to get out. By the end, I was wondering why I did it all. I had betrayed the whole Militia by keeping this information secret. I just stayed silent and didn't think about it.
"Is that all you found?" Cam asked. "Nothing else that could be useful?"
"The system was probably corrupted." I confessed. "As I said, the information isn't very reliable."
Cam cursed under his breath and leaned back. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he finally got up and left, telling me to forget the whole thing. I was now left alone with my thoughts. I lied back down and tried to get some sleep; but just when I was beginning to nod off, Vincent had walked in, causing me to force myself up and salute slightly.
"At ease, Kobalt." Vincent said, looking down at me. "It seems your first mission was a success; in a way."
"A success?" I asked. "This mission ended up with me fracturing my right arm; we demolished an area that we could have left alone and still constructed a city over it. I hardly call it a success."
"I know you're angry." He tried to reason; "But I'm not the person you want to complain to. If you're that angry, you should complain to the GUNs in person."
"Should I?" I asked rhetorically, getting out of my bed. I was still dressed in my Arch-Angel outfit. "It was your choice to give us the mission; it was your choice to not run through the risks."
"That's entirely true." Vincent sighed, getting up. "But I didn't have the time to run through the risks. I didn't choose; the GUNs threw me the ball, and expected me to follow things through instantly."
"Then you should have asked for more time." I retorted, exiting the room into a long corridor. "Always put the squad before the objective."
"That's a funny way to put it." Vincent called back, following me. "I always thought Arch-Angels were always taught the exact opposite of that."
"Then you weren't a very good teacher." I muttered, stopping to turn to him. "I don't even see why I should have to work with a squad."
"Then don't." Vincent retorted; stopping and facing me. "Become just like any other lonely, cruel and ruthless Arch-Angels you've seen in your life."
I stayed silent and thought about that option. Maybe I could do just that...
I turned and began to walk away, calling back to Vincent.
"That would be great." I called, walking away. "Thank you, sir."
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Location: Arpeggio, Second Life Orphanage.
Time: 18:30pm.
Year: 2092, April 5th.
Over the next month, I had to train all over again. Instead of working with teams and squads, I would almost always be by myself. I had to adapt myself to hundreds of situations, from one on one fights, to fighting a dozens of people at once. By the end of the month, I was aching so much that I almost lost feeling of my whole body.
By next week, I would end up being transferred to Nulline Metropolis; one of the most dangerous cities out of the few. With enough crime syndicates and riots that made a person wonder why the city wasn't demolished long ago. But before I left, I had to visit Joseph one more time.
I wasn't even sure if Joseph was still there, but I went into the Orphanage anyway. All the corridors were empty as usual, and I saw that the windows and walls were covered in dust. The whole place looked as old as the city. Even the courtyard's grass was dying or overgrown. I ignored the scenery and walked on to our old dormitory.
The door was half open when I arrived. I pushed it further open and slipped in. I saw Joseph leaning down by his bed. He was packing a couple of suitcases. He lifted his head and faced me.
"Packing up?" I asked. It seemed odd that we were both abandoning the place we grew up in.
"The place is going to be demolished." Joseph said, emotionless. "So, why are you back?"
"I'm leaving next week." I muttered. "I wanted to see you one last time. I... needed to make sure you'd still be here if I get back."
"Doesn't look likely." He replied, sadly. "I'm leaving for the Arpeggio space program."
I was surprised. The space program was basically a test to see if space colonies could be made a reality. Hardly anyone thought it would work.
"I guess you'll be working most of the time then." I said. "I should probably get out of your fur, then."
I was about to walk out the door; but I could tell that Joseph still had more to say, so I decided to stay and talk a little while longer.
"Looks like it's over between us; right?" He asked. "We had a good run though, didn't we?"
"Yeah." I whispered back. I was beginning to get a lump in my throat; "We did; it's not fair, is it? We've been looking out for each other since we were kids, now we have to part ways."
"It seems really lonely now." Joseph replied grimly. "This all started since you decided to take on the role of an Arch-Angel. I'm not blaming you personally, just the people who mentioned the whole idea."
"They said that I could reach my potential." I muttered. "Instead, I've had everything torn away from me. They still think I've reached my potential."
"Then they don't understand you." Joseph interrupted harshly. "That's why you yourself are far more capable than any soldier or Arch-Angel will ever be. You are unique because you understand how everyone thinks. Soldiers think that all their targets think alike. You belong in the Militia because you are the best future the Militia has."
I just stood there, taking everything in. So that was it? I was going to be the new form of warfare. My personality would be the personality of every new generation of soldiers until they find a better mind to use. I would only ever be suited for warfare, and that was the truth. The Militia had made me into this, and now I was realising it. I dropped down onto Joseph's bed and stayed silent; just thinking.
"I'd best go my separate way, then." I muttered, walking out the door. Joseph just stood there and nodded, looking down at the floor.
Once I was out, I broke into a sprint, and kept running, not looking back. At that time, I thought it would be the last time I saw him. Maybe I would see him again, but we wouldn't be friends. We would just be two strangers, who didn't know each other.