Other Fan Fiction ❯ All Is Calm ❯ One ( Chapter 1 )

Hey, folks. Unless people are dying to get me writing I Don't Drink, Thanks, I am not going to continue it. I lost interest and inspiration. Sorry! Anyways, I'm now introducing Farce's newest piece of crap…. ALL IS CALM *yay? *

Summary: What if the truth behind the Grand Head of the Psychonauts was revealed, due to the mastermind plan of a psychic terrorist, Bombay Ellison? This man, the culprit of numerous psychic tortures in the past, had only been caught for his deeds once; in a psychic duel with Ford Cruller himself. Only through the return of a long, lost agent will the Psychonauts learn the truth. Rated M for disturbing images, language, the whole works, etc. NO CHILDREN!

 

-One-

Razputin crept steadily around the cell holding Truman Zanotto, the Grand Head of the Psychonauts, captive. He was stowed away cleverly within a sturdy, cement edifice in a desolate locale. It was the perfect spot to hide someone or something of great importance, but, as Razputin was able to find the Grand Head within minutes, hiding was obviously futile when it involved the Psychonauts.

“Agent Nein, I have located Zanotto and I am returning to our designated meeting area,” Razputin sent his message to Sasha telepathically. Though only a boy of ten at the time, Raz acted and spoke grown up, or at least as if he felt grown up, to his mentors, Morceau Oleander, Sasha Nein, Ford Cruller, and Milla Vodello. Without realizing his own absurdity, he was quite surprised when he received a blow to the arm from none other than his girlfriend, Lili.

“Raz, Sasha is right behind you. There is no need to use telepathy, idiot.” As Sasha, Oleander, Milla, and Ford levitated down to them, Raz smiled sheepishly.

“Uh, I knew that.” Meanwhile, Milla was growing impatient.

“Enough of this small talk, Darling. Let's get Truman already and get out of here. This place gives me the creeps!” As she shuddered nervously to prove her point, Oleander nodded and looked around. The barren, concrete warehouse was completely calm on the exterior, but it was the makeshift abode of the Psychonauts' most witty and dangerous enemy, Bombay Ellison. Not only was he culpable for the kidnapping of Truman Zanotto, he also was the reason for Ford Cruller's internal destruction. Years ago, Cruller had traced the felon's movement and left to place him under arrest, refusing any other agent's help in the matter. Feeling excessively proud of his responsibility of locking the reviled man up for good, Ford was ignorant to the dangers of working alone. Within minutes of detainment, Ellison evaded arrest, challenged his captor to a duel and annihilated Ford, leaving permanent damage to his psyche. Sasha and Milla stayed with him in the HQ infirmary for days, but it was within months that Ford finally recovered enough to resume active duty with the Psychonauts. Unluckily, Zanotto was not too pleased about this, afraid he would eventually encounter his young daughter, and the two agents had no choice but to sneak Cruller into Whispering Rock, where increased levels of Psitanium would return the elder to some normalcy.

“Nein! Vodello! I'm down here!” The gruff yet frightened voice of Truman Zanotto grumbled in frustration. The Psychonauts looked at their sides confusedly, but it was Razputin who found the Grand Head. “Careful, boy. Try not to…ouch! That was my rib!”

After a few minutes of cautious maneuvering, Razputin had managed to telekinetically pry open the metal bars and free Zanotto, who, instead of showing gratitude, mumbled grouchily about the kidnapping. “You'd think they'd give you a pillow, a chair, or something besides concrete. My ass is killing me!” Sasha, Ford, and Milla smiled at each other, all of them glad to see the Grand Head of the Psychonauts alive and well. Morceau folded his arms triumphantly and remarked,

“You see? I told you it wasn't me!” Razputin gave Lili a hug, who appeared relieved yet remained her same, cynical self.

“You'd think the man could take care of himself for once in his life.” The Grand Head's daughter rolled her eyes while she referred to her father, who, for a split second, did not appear to recognize her.

“Now listen here, kid…oh…Lili…I mean, cute, isn't she?” Truman roughhoused with Lili as she pushed him away, muttering a curse or two under her breath as she left. Her father shrugged his shoulders as Raz chased after his girlfriend like the lovesick puppy he was, but not before he introduced himself, of course.

“Sir, it is an honor to finally meet you,” Razputin said, his back straightening while addressing his better, “My name is Razputin Aquato, Mr. Zanotto, and I am proud to be the newest member of the Psychonauts.” He paused, looking back at his former teachers, Sasha and Milla, feeling slightly nervous for the first time. Sasha gave him a reassuring smile, which was a bit odd for Sasha, but he felt obligated to help Raz succeed, as he had taught the boy not only about the psi-blast, but about himself, as well. He had shown Raz how to look into his own mind and conquer his fears, an ability crucial for a Psychonaut. If one could not control deep seated feelings, his or her enemies would use those very emotions to create mental cacophony, at the least. Milla beamed at Raz, proud of his determination and style, but she also grew protective of him in a motherly sense. Ever since she witnessed the death of the children she cared for at the orphanage in a brutal fire, her paternal instinct intensified, especially when she taught at Whispering Rock, where she was surrounded by young people the same age of many of the deceased orphans. It was hard sometimes, but Milla forced herself to hide the pain when others were around. Even when she thought those memories died, she would wake up in a cold sweat, her children calling for her in the distance. She remembered a poem that she learned in a Literature Interpretation class at the Academy, which made her feel better about her situation: We wish our brothers best of luck, yet true we wish him ill. For when we live in suffering, it all has come from will. We were always taught to feed off of others' pain. While joy can count as common ground, we'd rather talk of pain. The poetry was a bit preachy for her taste, but Milla agreed that people would rather bond through their problems than the happy experiences they have had. She knew a certain someone who had that exact issue, yet Milla kept such things to herself. With all respect to Sasha, she never wanted to dwell on suffering how her partner did. It was too much for her soul to carry around, and besides, she wouldn't be any fun at parties if she made her baggage that evident. She often wondered why the German was so different in that manner, but she terminated her daydream and her attention went to her pupil. Raz smiled back at them both, and a grateful Zanotto shook his hand.

“You may be young, Razputin, but you have ability far beyond your years. Congratulations for your achievements, and may you continue to develop as a Psychonaut. Your teachers must be very proud of you.” Zanotto spoke to the boy in a pleased tone, making Raz grin from ear to ear, unable to curb his enthusiasm. Ford turned to Oleander, who was busy fiddling with his badges to avoid the growing awkward silence, and patted his back.

“See, Morry? You going off like that and stealing everyone's brains wasn't that bad of an idea.” The short Psychonaut raised an eyebrow, confused by Ford's logic.

“What are you smoking, Cruller? Of course it was a bad idea. Never regretted anything more.” The elder shook his head and pointed to Razputin, who beamed while the Grand Head straightened his badge.

“There's your reason, Morry.”

Oleander watched intently, realizing what an asset that kid was to the Psychonauts. Without the incident, Milla never would have let him join at such a tender age. She always was so protective of children, Morceau thought to himself with some puzzlement, not knowing any of the agents well enough to know their deep, dark secrets. Since he did not work on the field as often as Nein or Vodello, especially with Whispering Rock to look after, he felt like a stranger to the Psychonauts. Although Cruller certainly gave him friendly advice, called him by a nickname, which made him feel more at home, and defended him against Sasha and Milla when they still didn't trust him, it was only because Morceau looked after him as well as the camp site year round. I'm of no use to anyone here. This soldier's been stripped of his honor; he deserves no respect, and so he receives none. Oleander parted from Ford, his thoughts depressing him.

“Let me know when we're finished. I'll be in the jet.” Sasha scratched his head as he watched his partner sulk away, and Milla asked Cruller if something was wrong. The silver-haired Psychonaut shrugged his shoulders.

“How would I know? Maybe he had to go to the bathroom.” Milla gave him a nervous smile and decided not to chase after Morceau. The man was probably a bit upset after having experienced a breakdown and concocting a bizarre plan to take over the world. It was expected, even though Oleander had behaved quite well in front of the children despite the circumstances. After all, he had a tough-guy image to keep up, and Milla assumed he left to compose himself. Sasha, on the other hand, didn't care what was bothering the short Psychonaut; Oleander was quite capable of taking care of himself, and Sasha did not want to insult him by showing concern.

“Are we all ready? Sir, I believe Agent Oleander is preparing the jet. Come this way.” Zanotto was escorted by the Psychonauts as they all headed back to the aircraft. Truman was in high spirits, but the rest felt a building tension after the rescue mission. Sasha sent Raz a mental note, asking the boy to see him later that day. The Grand Head was a psychic, of course, but with the defenses of Razputin's mind, not even he could infiltrate his youngest agent's thoughts. Strangely enough, Milla was not invited. Although she was respected by the German agent, Sasha felt that her influence would be a hindrance, with her deep emotional attachment to the boy. He knew Milla would find out about it anyways, but he hoped it would not seem like an insult to her professionalism. Unfortunately for Nein, his partner would be offended, and although he expected it to some extent, this only intensified the awkward tone of the return home. The two Psychonauts tried to hide the truth from Raz; they had a falling-out a long time ago, and ever since, they tried to steer clear of each other to avoid conflict. Razputin had not shown awareness of their problems, but Sasha was certain that the boy was smart enough to catch on. During camp, the two agents had not exchanged more than necessary conversation, such as a “hello” or “nice weather out”. That was partially due to their schedules, but also because Milla and Sasha did not want Raz to see his two teachers fight. The dissonance was caused by something long past, and Sasha did not understand why and how someone as cheerful as Milla would hold such a grudge. He knew that lurking about in his lab all day did not help, but the German would rather work around Milla's issues with him than confront her. After all, she would merely deny the situation and there would be even more unease between the two. All of a sudden, Sasha's contemplations were cut off by Ford Cruller.

“Dear God. Sasha, Milla, get over here now!”

 

Well, that's it for now! Hope you liked my angsty-pangsty moralist fic. I'll update soon, if you all like it. Please give me feedback. I don't want to continue something that everyone dislikes. Thanks.