Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Resurrection ❯ Purgatory Part 1 ( Chapter 14 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Wing Zero Alpha
According to religion, Purgatory is the boundary between Heaven and Hell that those who have not yet been judged must enter. But for Raven Vostrikov, it is a place where he must reflect upon his past...

Non Anime: Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Mecha / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.27.2005 | Updated On: 10.31.2005 | Pages: 8 | Words: 19.0K | Visits: 254 | Status: Completed

“Over immense periods of time the intellect produced nothing but errors. A few of these proved to be useful and helped to preserve the species: those who hit upon or inherited these had better luck in their struggle for themselves and their progeny. Such erroneous articles of faith... include the following: that there are things, substances, bodies; that a thing is what it appears to be; that our will is free; that what is good for me is also good in itself.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche's “The Gay Science”, s.110
Chapter 14: Purgatory Part 1
Raven finally awoke from what felt like to be days, but as he found out, he in a mystical plain of some sort. The area around him was that of an evening sky, a swirling mass of purple, pink, yellow and other colors that wrapped into clouds. Egyptian sculptures and structures hung freely in the air, and as he looked down, it seemed like he was standing on a transparent, colorless pool of water, revealing an endless purple sky below Raven as well. To all eyes, it was a pure, untainted plain, either a paradise or at least a purgatory for whoever found this place. To Raven himself, he found it peaceful, despite the depressing aura that had surrounded it. As he contemplated how he got this place, he noticed something at the corner of his eye. At the apparent center of the plain, there was a bright light, a light similar to that a pure white sun. He slowly got up off the ground, and started walking toward it with strong curiosity.
As he walked, he noticed he was once again in the black outfit and robe-like overcoat, and he could feel the sway of his black wings brushing against an invisible wind. He could even feel feathers fall from his wings, slowly floating to the transparent surface. And as always, his katana was in his left hand, in its proper seethe. Raven sighed, “Black wings? Hmmm...” He looked upward, or what was `upward' for him. He flapped his wings lightly, wanting to see if he could actually fly. The light flap caused him to lift off the transparent floor, and hover in the air with his wings spread out. After this, he flapped his wings again and gained a higher altitude, to which he started to fly around the purple sky, performing aerial maneuvers and techniques that he had always wanted to do since he was a kid. Being the son of a scientist and a BAHRAM pilot, he had always had an admiration for flying and anything that could perform the task. In fact, he would've become a transported between Mars' counties or even between the planets and colonies. That is, before Raven got beaten out of business by the Rozen Trading Corporation and other large companies.
After testing his black wings, he started to fly toward the light, drawn to its bright presence like a moth. He could feel the power coming from the light, which took the form of waves upon the transparent floor and the wind that blew against his wings. To some, it would have instilled fear, fear of the unknown power it possessed, but to Raven, it only made him curious. He wasn't afraid of the light, or the unknown for that matter. He could feel some doubt come into him as he floated closer and closer toward it, but it didn't stop him. “Quite the curious one, aren't we, Mr. Domineus of Anubis?” a dominant, and yet slightly light toned sounding voice spoke up. Raven halted in midair, and then landed on one of the tall, broken columns that were in front of the light, taking a look below.
At the foot of the column was a man, dressed in a black trench coat with shoulder guards on each side, as well as black gloves, boots and angled sunglasses, preventing Raven any view of his body. Seeing this, Raven dropped from his apparent `perch' to the ground to get a better view of this stranger. The man stood a good foot or so above Raven, and judging by his facial structure, he looked to be in his mid 30's. He had shoulder length blonde hair, brown eyes if one could see past the shaded lenses of his glasses, and as Raven felt, this man had a shrouded aura about him. Strangely, he had red energy lines laced over his trench coat, as if the coat were made of Metatron. The lines even pulsated energy like Metatron lines did, to a rhythm that Raven assumed matched the man's heart beat. The man gave Raven a knowing grin, the kind the devil gave off when he wanted to make a deal. “I must say, Raven, I didn't expect you to come to this place so soon.”
”Who are you, the Ghost of Christmas Future?” Raven demanded, feeling as though this man was encroaching in his peaceful territory.
”My real name is not important at this time, but I guess you can call me Virgil.” The man said. It was noted that this `Virgil' spoke in a peculiar accent, which Raven likened to British in origin, but he doubted the guy was really from England.
”Dante's guide through the levels of Hell?” Raven exclaimed.
”I thought of it as fitting, for I am your guide, Raven. Your guide to this realm and perhaps beyond.” Virgil said, continuing to grin, “You have questions I imagine, so lets start with the important ones.”
”What is this place?” was Raven's first question.
”This, Raven, is Amenthes, a place of fantasy and where amazing things can happen, as opposed to the land of the living. That's the Egyptian explanation for it. Norse call this Asgard, the Greeks called it Hades, but I prefer to think this area as Purgatory, the great dividend between Heaven and Hell.” Virgil explained, “That white light before you is the Portal, the gateway that will lead you to your destiny.”
”So, am I dead? Took you guys a while if I am.” Raven rolled his eyes.
Virgil laughed, “No, Raven, you are not dead. If you were, it'd be untimely, so I suggest you don't walk through the Portal. But let's concentrate on the subject at hand, shall we?” At that moment, Virgil lifted up off the ground and started to float around Raven, studying him, “I must say, you're a unique character; especially for a renegade who's only real talent is fighting. I can sense a lot of bitterness in you toward the inhabitance of Midgard, bitterness that has become the root of your rage and will to fight. No wonder Anubis has accepted you as its Domineus…”
Raven arched an eyebrow, “Domineus, I've heard that term before… What does it mean exactly?”
At the mention of that question, Virgil halted in midair, just in front of Raven, “Heh heh, how ironic. You've been running Anubis for some time now, and yet you still can't think of beyond three-dimensions. Pure irony indeed. I suppose you will expand past that in due time.” Before Raven could respond, he continued, “A Domineus is a human that the orbital frame has chosen to be its true pilot. You're very lucky Raven, Anubis is a rather picky entity, it won't let just any human pilot it, and yet, from the first time you stepped into that man made cockpit, it chose you.”
”I'm not sure it's obvious to a mysterious trench coat like you, but I'm a bit new here.” He put his hands on his chest in defense, then feeling the rigid surface against his finger tips, “There are only three things I wish to know now: Why am I wearing this jumpsuit, how I got into Amenthes and why I'm in Amenthes, if there is a reason behind that.”
”It's simple, the `jumpsuit', which is actually supposed to be body armor, is your spiritual form in the view of Metatron.” He took a look at Raven from head to toe, and back again, checking him over, “I'm not sure why you're form is like this, and you're the first person I've seen to have black, feathered wings, but it does mean something. Now, how you got here and why you are here are both one and the same, Raven. You are here because I sent you to this place, for I have much to show you Raven.” Even behind his shaded glasses, Raven could see Virgil's eyes narrow and his grin increased, forming an eccentric grin. “Yes, much…”
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The next thing Raven saw was people. A huge wall of people in some city street. At first, Raven thought he some how got teleported to Tokyo or some random city, but he looked down and he saw he was still dressed in his Amenthes attire. As well, people didn't seem to notice his presence. He was standing in the middle of a street, and even though the crowd wasn't running into him, none of the men or woman showed motions that would clue Raven off to his detection. Deciding to go along with the flow for a moment and see where he was, he walked with the crowd to the street curb and stood as the crowd dispersed. “This is the first level of Hell?” Raven asked to no one in particular.
”Not really, but you'd probably think of it like that anyway.” Appearing next to him just as the last man walked off was Virgil, leaning against the traffic light post. “Remember, the first level of Hell is for virtuous pagans: good people that simply did not accept God as their own, and was thus a place of peace, but was ruled by sorrow. This, I'm sure you'll find follows that description.”
Naturally, Raven looked up into the sky to see if there were any familiar buildings or landmarks that would show which city he was in. It didn't take him long to figure it out, as his eyes moved past the buildings and saw that there was a dome fitted over a blue sky. On Mars, the sky was usually red or whitish-red, and there were no spheres on Earth because the planet's natural atmosphere was livable for humans. That only left one other place, and it made Raven's heart drop like a rock in water. “Antilia.” He said, “Why did you bring me back here?”
”I didn't do anything.” Virgil stated snidely, “I'm merely following orders…”
Raven spun and grabbed Virgil's throat with his right hand, “I don't believe you. You're not the type of person that follows orders.”
Despite Raven's strengthened grip, Virgil didn't even choke. He merely reached up, and with surprising strength, threw Raven's hand off of him and dusted himself off. “Temper, temper. With your background, I thought you would know not to pick fights like that, because your opponent may just be superior to you in every way.” Virgil sneered. It was obvious to Raven that this Virgil guy was enjoying his dismay.
Before Raven could say anything more, he felt a sudden sensation shoot through his body, the kind of pain he felt when he sensed another Elemental near him. Except he didn't just sense one, the sensation was too great. “The Hell-?” he let out, as he twisted around to face across the street. On other the end of the crosswalk, he saw something that made his eyes widen and his body go limp a little. It looked like a regular elementary school class crossing the street, headed by a single female teacher of late-20s and followed by a stream of students all dressed in school uniforms like those of a Japanese school. The boys were in black shirts, pants and shoes that only left their hands and heads uncovered and the girls were in sailor outfits. The teacher was telling her class to keep up, and a few of the boys complained about her being a slave driver.
Now, there were a few key details that would come as a shock to one paying attention. First, the students were all subdued and in a perfect line, even though they were 10-12 years old each and were probably in the fifth or sixth grade. This was strange because humans around that age and grade tended to be more active, due to their coming close to puberty. Second, the group was silent, aside from the teacher and boys that complained no one said a word, they simply walked forward as they were told. And finally, there was the sensation Raven was feeling that separated this group from the average bunch.
Raven's heart nearly halt when he saw one of the kids stop in the middle of the walk, and turn to look at his direction, sensing something out of place. This one seemed to be a bit different from the others, having black hair with purple streaks here and there, and he seemed even more mechanical than the others if it were possible. The young boy stared down the street, his void like eyes absorbing information about his surroundings. From Raven's angle, it looked as though he and this boy were looking into each other's eyes, and it was quite obvious both were similar despite the age difference. At long last, a man that was at the back of the group, dressed in a black suit, tie and glasses, told the boy to keep up with his class or lest be left behind. The boy nodded at the man, who noticeably had long blue-ish hair, and went to keep up with his classmates.
”You recognize this, don't you?” Virgil grinned as he strolled to the other side of Raven,
“BAHRAM Project Nephilim, 2172 AD. This was where the final stage of the Project would take place before dispersion to the battlefield on Mars.” Raven said, as he watched the class enter a school building just across the street.
”Let's pretend I don't know anything about this `Nephilim'. Care to explain it to me?” Virgil said, his eyes narrowing behind his shaded glasses.
Raven didn't reply, instead opening his wings and `flying' across the street toward the school building. When he got there, he reached for the door to open it, but when he did, he saw Metatron lines flow from where he touched. This surprised him and caused him to land on the ground, which he saw more Metatron lines flow from where his feet touched. “What were you expecting? We're still in Amenthes, so that means everything around you is a projection from Metatron.” Virgil's voice spoke into his mind. “Now are you going to tell me what Nephilim is or not?” Raven just frowned back to where Virgil was standing, and the strange man just shrugged, grinning.
Raven's frown turned into a sneer and he moved through the doorway without opening it, figuring that if this was all a projection, then there was no need to abide to laws of physics. He moved through the various corridors of the school like that, from the hallways to the cafeteria to the offices until finally he came into his destination: the gymnasium. At the end of the day, the gymnasium was usually closed off, even to the PE department and school staff in general. The doors were locked, windows covered over and signs of do not enter were posted all over. Even though one would have expected someone to get curious, nobody seemed to mind, believe that it was just the basketball team practicing.
However, Raven saw an entirely different scheme. It was his class in the gym, all doing various activities with different teachers and instructors much like a school field day. Difference was, these weren't PE activities, but martial arts. They were practicing types of martial arts like Karate, Tae Kwan Do, Jeet Kune Do and the like all in synchronized efforts. One group was with Legato, all dressed in dojo uniforms practicing martial arts. However, it should be noted that many of them were generating auras much similar to Raven's, all different colors and all showing different abilities.
”BAHRAM's Project Nephilim, a special soldier program that called on training children at an early age.” Raven explained as he watched one the kids argue back against Esteraund, only to get himself zapped by a lightning bolt. The kid yelped at the energy burst, and Esteraund casually told him to get back in line or the next bolt would be worse. “That was only a half-truth though really. Nephilim wasn't just some child soldier group, it was really a program that gathered known Elemental children and trained them so they could utilize their power for BAHRAM. And because the UNSF knew about the Orbital Frame and its power, we were going to be BAHRAM's real trump card in case the Space Force ever mass produced their own model.
“It's true that we've all seen the battlefield…” Raven's mind flashed for a moment, and he remembered having fought on Mars as a child against UNSF troops in a sphere in Vascilia, along with other children. They were all dressed in BAHRAM field uniforms, which were green jackets and gray cargo pants with boots, but due to the environment, they also wore scarfs and cloaks over them, much like Arab soldiers did in the 20th and 21st centuries. There were different memories, from Raven leading a charge of troops to overtake some UNSF garrison base to his actually hijacking a Space Force Phantoma and turning it on its former comrades. The another of the children moving through a ruined city, in formation with assault rifles armed and the children themselves on full alert. “Even if we weren't all Elementals, BAHRAM seemed to love the idea of using children as soldiers, because it would throw some of some of the Earth troops. After training and some fighting on Mars, we were transferred to Esteraund Legato's 173rd Squadron and placed under his command on Antilia.”
He kept watching Esteraund while he demonstrated a kung-fu stance to his group and the pros and cons of that stance, “Esteraund was our instructor and our commanding officer, while me and several others led individual units. While others taught us how to use weapons and move on a projected battlefield, Legato was the one that taught us how to control our Elemental powers and utilize them as weapons. Because he himself wasn't an Elemental, he had electric organs surgically implanted into his body, all so he could train us and if the need be, discipline us.”
As Raven was watching this, Virgil stepped out from another corner, appearing as though he had been there the entire time. “You look up to him, don't you?”
Raven sighed, “Let's just say he's been more of a father to me than my real dad has. My Dad is a scientist, my Mom was a LEV pilot and I just happened to be born a Dark Elemental so I ended up in Nephilim. That all meant we weren't home much. Esteraund was in the same LEV unit my Mom was, and he was there at Deimos when Radium Lavans killed her. I don't know why, but he took it on himself to look out for me since then.”
Virgil looked over the area after Raven explained. “How interesting.” He said. It appears that simply recalling this environment isn't good enough.”
”What do you mean?” Raven didn't like the sound of this.
”It means, child, that I need more. I need to see what you saw, hear what you heard, feel what you felt, not just listen to you.” Virgil explained.
Before Raven could object, he thrust his arm into his chest and grabbed hold with strong fingers. Raven opened his mouth, but no words came out. It felt as though his life were being sucked away and being pumped back in at the same time. He looked down and saw that `Virgil' had folded back his middle fingers so only his index and pinky fingers were stuck into Raven's chest. And much to Raven's own internal horror, red energy lines were flowing through the hand and into himself. “You… It can't be…” Raven started, but never finished as he started to fade out.
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One of the most notable buildings in Antilia wasn't its factories or industrial areas, but rather a simple church in the middle of the suburbs. This church was special because it was one of the few buildings to be built and maintained by ancient carpentry and architecture instead of modern standards. The main part of the church was a large area, simply a set of pews lined in rows down to the altar. There was a stained glass image of Jesus Christ that overlooked the chapel, which glowed in various colors from the evening sunset, while under it was a stage with a single podium and the altar just in front of the stage. Just by looking at the setup, one could almost here the sound of pipe organ music playing the background, despite the instrument itself sitting quietly just below the glass icon. However, the area that was focused on wasn't this part of the church but below it.
The basement of the old church wasn't quite what one would have expected. It had been converted over time into a classroom for Sunday school children, with lines of computer automated desks, an electronic computer board at the end of the room, a larger teacher's desks in the back corner and at the head of the class was a podium much like the one in the sanctuary. Different children were sitting at the desks, all doing school homework or some other activity. In the middle of these memories, Raven felt his heart stop for a brief moment when he saw Celvice Klein moving between the different desks, helping the children out with whatever they were doing. “Celvice…” he muttered softly, as gazed over the kind-hearted blue haired girl. Behind his glasses, Virgil's eyes looked Raven over, then the image of Celvice.
That's when a loud thundering came down the staircase leading to the basement. “MISS KLEIN!” called a loud, booming voice.
Celvice turned around to see a large, fat, bald man dressed in a cheap suit and adorning a white towel around the back of his neck like a Catholic minister storm down into the basement. “What can I do for you Pastor Marco?” Celvice asked, visibly showing no dismay, but Raven knew down inside the man annoyed her.
”Miss Klein, I try to be very patient with you because I know how important you are to the children...” Marco explained. That was only a half-truth; Celvice just got a lot of praise from the congregation, and if Marco barred her from the church, that meant he'd lose a good portion of his `flock'. “But would you like to explain this…?” the disgruntled Pastor held up a wig that was a bright apple red in color. That is, all but the tip of one of the bangs, which was grayish. “This used to be my best gray toupee…” he griped.
”How do you know one of my kids did this Pastor?” Celvice asked softly, only slightly annoyed. At least she made it look like it.
”Who else comes here after hours, Miss Klein?” Marco said, “I want to know who in your class made this horrible sin…” he snarled, making some of the kids quiver, especially at the word `sin'. Being a former televangelist from Earth, Dr. Marco Londes was the type of Pastor that held a large amount of self-esteem, enough that anything done to him he disagreed with was considered a sin in his eyes. Rumor had it that Marco also reserved himself the right to damn people to Hell, which was right that was used by the Vatican in the Catholic religion. Either way, he was an old fashioned pastor that was `pure in the eyes of God'; to the point where he wore toupees instead of going in for surgery because a lot of 20th century pastors wore them.
Celvice shook her head, “Please Pastor, do not use the word `sin'. Even if one of my children did it, this wasn't a violation of the Ten Commandments.”
Marco was about to counter Celvice with some pre-memorized Bible verse that probably had nothing to do with the wig or the dye, when he heard sounds from the corner of the room: the sound of a datapad dropping on the floor. The Pastor turned around to see a boy, one with familiar black-purple haired and similar colored eyes sitting at one of the desks, glaring at him. It was the kind of glare one would expect a tiger to give when another predator of similar size violates its territory, only on a human scale.
”What's this…?” Marco gaped, his eyes narrowing back. He wasn't the type that liked to be challenged, much less by a child. “Miss Klein, this child…”
The blue-haired girl saw the boy glaring long before Marco did, so she tried to step in for him. “Pastor, he hasn't done anything wrong, he just doesn't like it when people yell…”
The Pastor ignored her and stormed over to the child, looming over his small form with his bulk. And yet, this didn't intimidate the boy in the very least, he just looked into the Pastor's eyes with his never changing glare. “You have quite a pair of eyes for someone your age.” the Pastor said, “Does my being here bother you, boy?”
”Pastor-!”
”Hush, Miss Klein!” Marco raised his hand and knelt down, staring into the boy's eyes like a hawk over a snake. “Where did this boy come from…?”
”He came here from Mars four years ago.” Celvice replied, getting annoyed with Marco more and more. It was one thing to yell at her, but to bully one of her kids was worse, even if it was one of her tougher ones. “Please Pastor, he's been through a lot as of late, just leave him alone…”
Marco still ignored her and smiled, seeing the boy's mouth curl into a sneer. Truth was he knew all about this boy and how he was Klein's little doberman, being a tough and smug when anyone crossed him but softening like a puppy whenever the girl came to him. In fact, he wondered whether he was glaring at him because of Celvice's claim or if it was because he was going after her. And all I have to do is get the little whelp to hit me, and I'll have a fine enough excuse to throw him out… “You really don't like me, do you?” he said to the boy. “You'd want to hit me, right…?” he moved closer, “Go ahead, and take your best shot.”
”That's enough, Pastor!” Celvice marched over and tried to get the Pastor away from the kid.
However, Marco turned to her and waved his arm, making her get thrown back across the room. “I'll do what I…” was all he got out before the kid he was intimidating went for the attack. The kid got up from his chair and punched the Pastor in the gut with surprising strength, so much that the man of the cloth actually felt like keeling over and coughing blood. Marco's eyes widened in surprise obviously as he grasped his stomach. “You…” he said as he fell on his knees hacking.
”You should have listened to Miss Klein, preacher.” said one of the children. Marco looked up, and despite his vision blurring, he managed to see a kid with tan skin and silver-white hair standing next to the black haired one, wearing the same school uniform and a golden scarab chain around his neck. The kid looked at the Pastor with gold eyes. “Really, there's nothing wrong with this one, he's just been through a lot like Miss Klein said. That's why he's here to learn from God…”
Marco opened his mouth to say something through his hacking, but the silver-haired boy's eyes narrowed and seemed to glow brighter for a moment. Upon that, Marco's mouth closed and he wiped the blood that he had coughed up off of his lip. “Yes, I see…” he said, a little calmer now. He got up off the floor and dusted himself off, then turned to Celvice and reached out to her. “I'm sorry, Miss Clein, I believe I've made a terrible mistake…”
Despite the confusion in Celvice's mind at Pastor Marco's new found humility, she accepted his hand and let her face soften. “I'm alright Pastor, and I understand you're just mad about your toupee…”
The Pastor laughed, “Heh, don't worry, gray is more my color anyway. Just keep your children away from the hair dye and we'll call it even…” he looked over at the kids, “Are you all being a good class for Miss Klein?”
”Yes Pastor Marco.” The children spoke in synchronized sentences, ignoring the event that just occurred in the church basement.
”Very good. Please continue Miss Klein.” Marco said as he stepped back upstairs.
After a moment, Raven got up from his chair and walked over to the stairs, making sure the Pastor was out of the way. “Jerk…” he growled with contempt.
Celvice came behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, tightening it the way she did when she was serious. ”Raven, do not call Pastor Marco such a thing, and do not hurt him like that again. He has done more for us than he us.”
Raven turned around and softened his expression, magenta eyes looking up at Celvice's pure blue ones. “I'm sorry Celvice, I just thought it was mean for him to…”
”I know. Thank you for standing up for me.” Celvice smiled, knowing that he was just trying to stand up for her. “Please continue your work.” she pointed back to his desk.
Raven nodded and ran back. Celvice then looked over to the silver haired boy. “And thank you Isaac for standing up for Raven…”
The boy smiled, “What could I do? If Marco threw our dear Huckebein out, it wouldn't be as much fun here without him…”
It might've been the rise temperature, but Celvice felt a sweat drop form on the back of her head. For whatever reason, Isaac insisted on referring to Raven as Huckebein, after some German children story. However, since Raven didn't seem to mind this, Celvice had no problems with it either. “Still, such an act deserves a compliment Isaac.”
”As you wish Miss Clein.” Isaac replied, smile still across his face, then turning back and going back to his own work.
As Celvice watched the boy go back to work, she couldn't help but wonder how he could be humble. Most children his age, and most adults for that matter, would have basked in the praise, but Isaac shrugged as if it was nothing. “Celvice?” another voice drew her attention away from Isaac. “Can you help me with this Drama problem?” Raven asked from his desk.
Celvice blinked once then turned to Raven, “Certainly. What's the problem?” she responded, kneeling next to Raven. She looked over the text on Raven's computer monitor, and recognized the subject. “Fiddler on the Roof, hm?”
”Yeah.” Raven said.
”When did you start on this?” Celvice asked, interested.
”Today. I rather like it, but I'm a little confused.” Raven said, “What does the Fiddler's balance have to do with `tradition'?”
”What do you mean?”
”It looks like the theme for the story. How would tradition mean anything to a man standing over a roof top?” Raven said.
”Oh, that.” Celvice remembered, giggling at Raven's explanation, “It's symbolism Raven. The Fiddler is the symbol for the village, and all the people that live in it, including Teyve and his family. The traditions that the villagers practice, like delivering milk, going to church, marrying to whoever the Matchmaker brings together…” she stopped on that one for a moment, since it left a sense of disgust in her. “They all keep the villagers happy and living life.”
”But why are they happy if nothing changes?” Raven asked.
”That's the subject of the story Raven.” Celvice explained.
Raven listened to her, and thought for a moment, “Is that what the world today is like?”
”It depends Raven. As time goes by, some traditions are forgotten, especially now that humans are no longer just living on Earth. Perhaps this war all started because we forgot a tradition…” Celvice wondered.
”I doubt that.”
That answer puzzled Celvice, “Why Raven?”
Raven's eyes turned serious, but he wasn't nearly as hardened as he usually was, “Just thinking, humans have been fighting for centuries over different things. All the wars humans have gone through with each other, all the revolutions and conflicts because of different things... Is war itself a tradition?”
Celvice couldn't help be taken off guard by Raven's response, even though she did her best not to show it. She hadn't expected Raven to think like that: to many kids, war was just a video game or cartoon, but Raven obviously knew the darkness behind it. “…I don't like to think of it as tradition, more like a bad habit. Something you don't want to do but you do it anyway.”
”Hmmm…” Raven contemplated this for a second, but left it at that. He didn't like to talk about the war for obvious reasons, “One other thing bothers me…” he asked shyly.
”Yes?”
”How did the village with traditions for so long?” Raven asked.
”What do you mean?”
Raven leaned a little toward her and gestured with his hands, “Let's say that the Fiddler is balanced on the roof, but how can he stay on the roof for that length of time without getting bored? Wouldn't his knees eventually give out or would he get curious about the other roofs around the neighborhood instead of just one?”
”You mean why the town didn't develop with the rest of the world.” Celvice concluded.
”Yes.” Raven said.
Celvice took a moment before explaining, “It's another bad habit humans do I'm afraid. Once they get comfortable in one spot, they're too afraid to leave it. This colony is a good example of it. People live her because they don't want to get caught in the war between Earth and Mars.”
”Would there be humans on Mars if everyone was comfortable on Earth?” Raven asked.
Celvice giggled a little, “No, I suppose not. Fortunately, there are a few humans that aren't afraid to go out into the world. Those are the ones that make new traditions, while the people that stay behind are the ones that follow the old traditions.”
Raven was about to reply, but he kept it back and thought of something. “What do you think I should be? One that obeys the old, or one that makes the new?”
The blue-haired girl didn't know how to respond to that one. “Why are you asking me that? You choose what you want to be.”
”I don't know what I want.” Raven admitted shyly, looking away while trying to keep from stuttering, “So I thought if I followed your choice, at least I could stay with you Celvice.”
Celvice blushed as well, but not as much as Raven was, “You don't want to be with me, Raven. I'd be too boring for you…”
”No you're not!” Raven said, taken back by Celvice's accusation at herself. “You're not boring at all! In fact, I'd rather stay with you on Antilia than go back to Mars!”
”Is that so?” Celvice's blush deepened, and she herself looked away. She had known of Raven's crush on her for a while, but she figured it was just a child's thing. Besides, even if he were old enough, she already had it in for someone else.
Raven's face had long since softened, but now he was actually turning red, something that rarily happened. He never had anyone look at him like that before, and it felt… different.
However, his thoughts ended when he heard snickering, and he turned to see several of the other children, including Isaac, were watching him amusingly. His face turned back into a glare, “What are you looking at? You're supposed to be working!” he yelled. He raised his fist and clenched it, complete with an anime styled cross vein just under his knuckles.
Knowing of how vicious Raven was, everyone got back to work. Save for one. That person, who was sitting next to Raven for the entire time, leaned over to get closer to him and Celvice. “So, Huckebein, you'd leave me all alone on Mars?” Isaac inquired.
This caught Raven off guard, because he didn't think about Isaac in that decision, “I didn't mean it like that Isaac! Really, just…”
Isaac, however, busted up into laughter, “Hah hah, I got you!” he laughed, much to Raven's dismay. He straightened himself out, “But really Huckebein, why don't you admit you like her?”
”WHAT?” Raven jumped, face crimson, surprising even Celvice. This caused everyone in the basement to laugh. “What are you talking about?”
”Oh come on, it's that obvious! `I'd rather stay with you on Antilia than go back to Mars'? `You're not so boring'? `Will you marry me Celvice?” Isaac kept going on.
”If you don't stop it Isaac, I'll…” Raven would've reached out and grabbed Isaac's throat if Celvice weren't sitting there. In fact…
”What? Aren't you going strangle me for that?” Isaac looked past Raven and over to Celvice, who was still debating whether to grab hold of Raven or not before he actually did do something to the silver haired boy. “Oh, I get it! You don't want to show Miss Klein you can be a real brute to all of us. Fear not, she wouldn't care either way…”
”That's not it!” Raven said, regaining some composure, “I just don't want to beat on my best friend, that's all…” he said.
”Really? So why are the veins on your forehead popping?” Isaac said.
”I said stop it!” Raven yelled, and moved to punch Isaac.
The silver haired boy, however, dodged the punch fairly easily, laughing. “Temper, temper. I was just making an observation.”
”I'll give you an observation…” Raven snarled, jumping on top of his chair. He was about to jump onto Isaac, but Celvice grabbed his left arm before he could.
”That's enough Raven.” Celvice said with an edge to her voice. Raven looked back at her, and she shook her head `no'. Reluctantly, he sat back down.
”And just when it was getting interesting too…” Isaac sighed comically.
”Isaac, you've been doing well up until now. Don't make me have to punish you.” Celvice said sternly.
”Don't worry Miss Klein, I was just teasing Huckebein. I will make sure not to do it again.” Isaac said wistfully.
Celvice sighed, rubbing her head at how close that was. He's more mature than he should be, but sometimes he's a little too…
”Celvice? Are you alright?” came a new voice down the stairs. Everyone looked up to see Leo Stenbuck walk down it and into the basement.
”Leo? What are you doing here?” Celvice asked, puzzled. Usually, Leo would come to take her home when Raven wasn't available, so he hadn't been expecting him.
”I thought you needed some help, from all the noise coming from here.” Leo said, looking over at Raven, “Is he giving you a hard time again?” Raven sneered in response.
”Of course not! None of these children give me trouble, especially Huc… I mean, Raven.” Celvice snapped, as if Leo had been challenging her on something.
”Really?” Leo walked over to Raven, who was still looking at him like his namesake would: picking choice cuts. “He seems more ticked at the moment. Looking at something friend?” Leo analyzed.
”I ain't your friend, palooka.” Raven growled.
”Excuse me?” Leo replied.
”You heard me chumly. You aren't a comrade of mine, comrade.” Raven said.
”Raven, please not now.” Celvice stated, “And Leo, stop treating Raven like a troublemaker.”
”Sorry Celvice.” Both said simultaneously. When Raven turned around to start working again, Leo started up,
“Celvice, my dad's going to be late getting home tonight, so I was wondering…” he started to trail off.
”Yes Leo?” Celvice asked, wondering what he was inquiring.
”You think you could get off early so…” he tried to keep a straight face, but as many knew, the '72 version of Leo Stenbuck wasn't known for his backbone, “…so we could…go out to dinner?”
The room went silent for a moment as all the children looked up again. Raven however, didn't turn around, and it took a lot of willpower on his part not to. Curious lines of energy were running up and down his body, if one looked closely, his fingers were gripped firmly onto his desk leg.
”Oh?” Celvice asked, giggling to herself at Leo's attempt to ask her out. Must have taken a lot of thought over this. “And where would we go?”
”I know a good Greek restaurant at Harrison Mall, my Dad showed it to me.” Leo explained nervously, “It'd be my treat.”
Yeah, I got a treat for you to, you son of a… Raven's teeth gritted and more energy channeled up and down his body.
”Hmmm…” Celvice pretended to think about it, pacing up and down the room while tapping her index finger against the side of her head. Those two actions were enough to make all the color drain from Leo's face, and his legs almost give out. “I don't know, what do you think kids?”
”Go for it!” “You have it made Miss Klein!” “It's a date!” the children all chanted wildly.
Isaac looked over to Raven and saw that his grip was making indentions on the desk and the energy was going faster. In one of the few times in his life, he actually showed concern. You okay Huckebein? he said telepathically in a casual motion, if that were possible.
Get me out of here Isaac. I don't know if I can hold it. Raven said.
Isaac Mattheris may have fancied himself as a trickster and a manipulator, despite his young age, but he knew better than to let Raven be aggravated more. He couldn't afford to let anyone see his powers. “I guess we could take off early as well, Huckebein.” Isaac said, turning off his computer monitor and slipping up from his desk.
”Yeah… Right…” Raven said, also getting up.
The chanting died down as everyone saw Raven Vostrikov get up, apparently waiting for him to attack Leo the way he attacked Marco and almost Isaac. Celvice and Leo's heads turned as well. “Raven? Isaac?”
”I'm sorry, Miss Klein, but I'm afraid Mr. Legato is waiting for us at our school. Class project and all.” Isaac explained, moving past Celvice with Raven following carefully. “Have a good time at Malta's!” he called off.
”Wha? How did he-?” Leo wondered, seeing as he never gave the name of the restaurant he wanted to take Celvice to. He didn't finish his sentence though. Raven walked between him and Celvice and cast the most hateful glare at Leo that he could muster without creating more energy. It was the kind of glare that said `This isn't over'. Leo didn't know why the kid was being this way, but he glared back, and after what felt like hours, Raven finally said goodbye to Celvice and walked out of the basement.
”What was that about?” Leo asked, confused.
”Oh, don't mind him.” Celvice said, “He's just become a little man recently, so he's very protective.” She said. Deep down, she really felt bad for Raven, but she wasn't going to tell Leo that. “Does this place serve good lamb?”
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The next place Raven and Isaac went to was a park not to far away. It was mostly deserted at this time thankfully, so that gave Raven enough room to relax and contain his power. They were in the middle of the park, with Isaac standing on the fountain that marked the center and Raven was walking around it, doing random tai chi maneuvers to calm himself. Isaac watched his friend intently, a little concerned. “You know Huckebein, you should be a bit less protective. Woman don't like stiff men.”
”How would you know?” Raven shot back, while stretching his right arm into a palm thrust.
”Experience, Huckebein. Lots of experience.” Isaac explained while walking on the fountain's edge, perfectly balanced.
”Right.” Raven shrugged that off, continuing his tai chi, “And why do you call me Huckebein anyway? Esteraund just made that up for an `ace' title, it's not my name.”
”Die Bosheit ist ihr Hauptpläsier; therefore, you are Hans Huckebein.” Isaac chimed sinisterly.
”It's Raven, Isaac. R-A-V-E-N.” Raven stated, annoyed. “I'm not some stupid bird that got itself hung.”
”I like Huckebein better. It just sounds so… like you.” Isaac said, trying to keep himself from sounding too sarcastic.
Raven just grumbled, trying to keep himself calm. “Fine, whatever.” He said, giving up. His name wasn't that big of a deal anyway. Truth was, from what Legato had told him, his mother had given him the name Alexei, but after he was born, his father changed it to `Raven', probably due to his void black hair.
Eventually, Raven got bored with tai chi and slipped his hand into his pants pocket, drawing out his familiar knife. With one pulse of energy down his arm into the knife, it transformed into its staff form.
“I wouldn't show that here if I were you. The Staff of Maat isn't a toy like you make it to be.” Isaac warned.
”Yeah, yeah, I know, one of the few Metatron-type weapons to be found on Earth in Cairo…” Raven rolled his eyes, remembering the history behind the staff like it were some annoying school subject.
”Memphis actually. Just because you were entrusted with the staff doesn't mean it's your play thing Huckebein.” Isaac said.
”Doy.” Raven crossed his eyes and tapped his head with the staff, which was his imitation of some nutcase, “For your information, Maat saved my life more than once, so don't think I don't respect its power. Besides, it's my choice weapon, so what good would it be if I can't use it?”
”That staff has survived wars, empires and ages Huckebein. It isn't just some toy spear you can play King Arthur with, it's a relic from an age far more advanced than you think.” Isaac stated, quite serious this time.
Raven looked at his staff up and down, seeing his own purple energy flow up and down the veins along the black handle, “Well, it does prove Metatron existed on Earth, I'll give you that much.” He twirled it between his fingers, “But I've had Maat since I was born, so I'm well aware of it's power…” he made a few `shadow strikes' into the air with the staff.
You're aware of nothing. Isaac thought, but didn't say aloud or telepathically. “Just keep one thing in mind Huckebein. Maat was the Goddess of Truth and Justice in Egypt, and it was her feather that the great god Anubis weighed against the souls of the dead. That staff, being made by Metatron, is the same way, it will judge its user and either reward or punish it.”
The black haired boy stopped his shadow fight and placed the staff so it was `slung' over his right shoulder. Despite his somewhat small size, the staff seemed to rest easily. “I've been meaning to ask you this for a while…” he said, a little uneasy, “But why do you hang out with me?”
Isaac pretended to be offended, “Am I not worthy to be in your presence Huckebein?”
”No, no!” Raven answered, “But a kid like me would come across as some punk to you.”
”And why would that be?” Isaac asked.
”You're smart, Isaac, too smart. You know things that the teachers at that school wouldn't have dream of, that most adults probably don't even know…” Raven said, “Compared to a guy like me, you'd be up there with old man Hardimaan.”
Isaac smiled, “And what should I do about this, Huckebein? Should I spend my time with those so-called theologians and geniuses rather than with you?”
”No, you're like a brother to me Isaac.” Raven admitted, “Just, why do you bother with me?”
”Hmmm… How should I phrase this…?” Isaac thought, pacing around on the fountain similar to what Celvice did in the church to intimidate Leo. At midpace, he actually did a flip and landed on the fountain edge with perfect balance. “To tell the truth Huckebein, I find this world… rather boring.”
”Eh?” Raven was confused.
”Let me put it to you this way Vostrikov, there is a constant waltz between chaos and destruction that nothing human advancement can stop. There is always war, followed by a period of peace, only for war to come again and vice versa. And you know why this is caused?” Isaac asked.
Raven thought for a moment, “Because of disagreements?”
”Exactly. These disagreements are over many things, but it all leads to the simple action of not thinking the same way. Individualism, our greatest gift and our greatest curse all in one.” He continued to pace, “Sure, sure, if we all thought the same way, our advancement would end and we would be no more than mere drones, but for the fact we do think differently for each other, we've caused so much pain…”
”That doesn't answer why you hang out with me.” Raven said.
”Let's just say I've seen a lot of things in my life, and really, the world has gotten boring to me. The only sure thing besides the cycle of chaos and order is that humans will utilize whatever newfound things they discover into weapons. Take us for example.” Isaac continued, “We are 40 removed from metatron itself. Our bodies are not made of metatron, they are metatron. And yet, here we are, in a war between two bitter some siblings…”
”Earth had it coming.” Raven said bitterly.
”Heh heh.” Isaac laughed, “I didn't have to read your mind to know you'd say that. You're right, what Earth did to Mars is terrible, just like what the spider does to the butterfly. However, let's say we give the butterfly fangs and venom to defend itself with. Will the conflict with the spider end because it can stand up for itself now?”
”You're still not answering my question…” Raven said, a little annoyed, “But no it wouldn't. The butterfly would attack the spider because of its own hatred.”
”That's right! Perfect!” Isaac exclaimed, “Now, BAHRAM has the orbital frame, and they have us, both weapons far more powerful than whatever the Earth has. Can you possibly believe that this war is going to be the final one? That there would be no conflict left in the human race because Mars beat Earth?”
”…No.” Raven said.
”Most humans would say yes.” Isaac said, walking around the fountain. Raven saw that there was great majesty in his steps, a kind of grace and pride human beings didn't usually possess. “The reason why I stay by your side, Huckebein, is I think of you as my equal.” He spun on his heel to face Raven, “The rest of Nephilim are merely little children that managed to be given the grace of Metatron, but not you…”
”How am I any different?” Raven asked. He knew what Isaac was saying was true, but he wanted to hear Isaac's explanation.
Isaac's telepathy picked on that, and he smiled, “So you want to hear it from my own tongue? Very well. For one, you already know the great power you control in yourself, and despite your hesitance, you respect it like a man would respect a sword or a gun. Another is you're intelligent, creative and decisive, traits that, with minor exceptions, no other person we know or in BAHRAM has.”
Raven arched an eyebrow, “It's nice to know I'm not the big bad bully everyone makes me to be…”
”Well, the one thing that makes you stand out, Huckebein, is you're not a boring at all. I've had more fun working with you than I have in a very long time.” Isaac said. “People like you keep this world interesting and have the capability of changing it like Miss Klein alluded to.” Isaac said. “Change the flowing destiny… Heh, now I'm getting poetic.”
Raven thought about it. This was the first time Isaac had opened himself up like this or said anything like that about another human. Granted, he was a lot more mature than many of the other Nephilim troops, but here, Raven saw him in a different light. It felt like Isaac wasn't just some kid soldier, it felt like he was a prince out of an old tale or an ancient philosopher, someone of a higher class and mentality that saw the world much more than any other person could. The majesty in his movements, his words, and his knowledge all pointed to this, and Raven had known for a while that he was more than he appeared.
Course, Raven had know that long before this. Ever since he had joined BAHRAM and the unit, Isaac had been there for him, either standing up for him against the ones that hated him for whatever reason or watching his back on the field. Raven had also known he was the only one that Isaac ever spoke of personal interests, history and philosophy like now to, but Raven had figured it was because nobody else in the unit could understand the white haired boy. Really, every point Raven remembered that he could (or should) have died, there was Isaac saving him in some way or vice versa.
Most humans would have thought of this as a same sex romance, but it wasn't love that brought the two together. Thank God… Raven thought when he considered that a possibility …that neither of us are that twisted. Simply, it was comradeery. It was the fact they could depend on each other for survival and support. The only other person that Raven felt that towards was their CO Colonel Esteraund Legato; not even his own father, the scientist Dr. Pavel Vostrikov, was like that toward Raven. But for now, he contemplated what Isaac just said. “Change destiny. That has a nice ring to it.”
”The question is, Huckebein, are you up for it?” Isaac asked.
”What?”
”In order to change the world, one must be willing to accept the consequences. Are you willing to do this, or will you remain a mere pawn to the lesser beings?” Isaac said, looking as serious as Raven had seen him.
Raven took one look at him like that, and for a moment there was silence. Then, Raven broke into laughter, “You're acting like the old master in some karate flick. Geez Isaac.”
Isaac laughed too, “Yes, I guess I am. I really did do more than make a point, did I?”
”I think you made it, blew it up, remade it, buried it, built a house on it and so forth.” Raven exclaimed, “But… If I did have the opportunity, I know I would take it.” He walked over to the fountain and sat down on the edge, “My mother died because of humans abusing metatron and the war, and who knows how many others are ending that way too. Such a world needs to change, Isaac, or we'll do this forever…”
”Is that your true answer?” Isaac asked, “I could read your mind, but I want to hear it from you.”
Raven looked back at him like he had grown two heads, “Well, yeah, but what difference would it make?”
Isaac sat down next to Raven and looked up at the barrier over Antilia, into the stars beyond, “More than you know. You are a Dark Elemental, and I am a Light Elemental, thus either of us control the light and dark powers of metatron, as well as the other elements. Both of us have been given the power to change the flowing destiny, but the question is not can we, it is will we do it?”
Raven looked up to, “I'd like to think we will when it comes down to it.”
”Remember those words, Huckebein.” Isaac said, “That time will come soon I believe.”
”You mean Colonel Nohman's attack?” Raven asked. Recently, the higher command in BAHRAM had given Nephilim the assignment of surveying and `safeguarding' the colony and the two orbital frames being constructed until Colonel Nohman's taskforce attacked. Usually, assignments like this were given to special forces, but since Nephilim was pretty much a special force in its own right, and the fact they were the only BAHRAM group operating on the currently UNSF occupied colony, Raven, Isaac and the rest of them were put up to the charge.
”No, something greater.” Isaac said, a smile growing over his face.
-------------------------------
For the next few days, Raven had felt somewhat uneasy. He went to school like he usually did, gave a report on any movements on the local UNSF garrison to his superiors, as all the Nephilims were required to do, and then went about his usual business. However, ever since he woke up, he felt like he was being watched. Having fought against the UNSF for so long, he had developed something like an internal radar system that told him when he was in danger, and throughout the entire day it had been going off. But he did not notice or sense any presence around him, so he just figured it was post battlefield fatigue that caught up to him. And now, it was the end of the day.
He made his way to the teacher's lounge, which really wasn't a teacher's lounge right then. Officially, it was closed after Von Braun Academy school hours, since the teachers liked to vacate to a bar no more than two blocks away from the private school. It also wasn't monitored by security cameras and was actually soundproof, probably had to due with whatever the Principle and Mr. Kraft, the High School football coach liked to do after hours. Raven didn't want to think that far, partly because they were both men. Either way, it made a great command center for this little operation.
After knocking in to a code sequence, a security guard on the inside opened the door and let Raven in. Raven noted that the guard was holding a sub-machinegun with a silencer attached, and naturally, Raven's battlefield instincts took over and his mind calculated a dozen ways to disarm the guard of his weapon and either disable or kill him without alerting the outside. Fortunately, Raven knew the security guard was a BAHRAM Staff Sergeant, so he kept such instincts back.
”Okay, I raise with my lucky tie. Yes, it's the same one I ripped off from that screw ball Majetsu. Anyone else going to meet that limit?”
Raven almost slumped his head forward. Don't tell me…
Sure enough, there was Esteraund Legato and three other of the BAHRAM officers that had infiltrated Antilia. They ranged from a tall, black haired man who was Captain Evans, who posed as an Elementary PE coach, a petite blonde haired woman that was a music teacher, Major Crowe and a somewhat taller dark red haired woman who worked in drama, Major Windel. It was easy to tell them apart: Evans was pretty much the action-star soldier that loved fighting and competition (basically in charge of his little army of security guards that all but ran Von Braun), Crowe was a strict intelligence officer that Parliament had sent to Antilia to keep tabs on Legato and his bunch (also the woman that Legato had been trying to hook up with since), and Windel was the field agent that had been on Antilia even before Nephilim showed up. Then there was Colonel Esteraund Legato, who sat at the head of the small lounge table.
As Raven half-expected, Esteraund and the three teachers-really-soldiers were playing strip poker. Esteraund, being experienced with the game, had his working shirt and pants on, but his shoes and socks had been removed and he had just placed his tie for betting. Evans had his shirt off and lost the belt to his pants, and fortunately, it appeared Crowe and Windel weren't as bad off either. Not that Raven wouldn't have minded getting a peek, but he wasn't a pervert.
”Ahem…” he coughed, “Lieutenant Raven Vostrikov reporting as ordered.”
All four teachers looked down at Raven as if they had just noticed him. “What are you doing here?” Crowe asked very annoyed.
”I told you ma'am, I was summoned here.” Raven said.
”This is a private meeting kid. Go outside and do two hundred pushups.” Evans said without missing a beat. He probably took his cover more seriously than the others.
Raven was little irritated, “With all due respect, Captain Evans, somebody called me here and I had to take time out of my schedule to follow my orders.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper that said `Teacher Lounge at 15:45, priority level two'.
The three looked up at the note and looked at each other. They noticed Esteraund didn't look up, and they all narrowed their eyes at him. Under a collective glare, Esteraund finally looked up from his hand. “What?” he asked.
”Did you summon Lieutenant Vostrikov here?” Crowe demanded.
”Huh?” he looked up as if now seeing Raven past his compatriots, “Oh yeah, I did. At ease Lieutenant and have a seat.”
Raven gulped, “I prefer to stand Colonel.”
”Oh come on, don't you want to see what your sexy music and drama teachers look like after school?” he said with a smile. Crowe and Windel's eyes all fixed daggers on Raven's superior officer, “What's wrong with that? He should be through puberty by now.”
”Why did you summon him here Colonel?” Crowe asked, getting annoyed. She had been on the receiving end of Esteraund's pick ups and flirt attempts, which despite his superior rank, went against military rules. That and she already had her eyes on a BAHRAM scientist named Napth Pleminger.
”It's simple. I wanted to see which side of the sky our little bird flies in.” Esteraund said coyly. Oh how he loved so-called strict woman, so challenging…
”Come again?” Windel asked, confused, as were Crowe and Evans.
”Well, it's that time where he started to notice the opposite sex, but so far, all I've seen him hang out with is that Isaac kid. I won't make any judgments, but…” Esteraund explained, trying not to snicker.
The heat in the room seemed to suddenly rise into the nineties and everyone, including the guard at the door, had massive sweatdrops grow on either sides of their heads. “Colonel, you have got to be kidding me…” Raven snarled. “If you need to know, I already have it in for a girl named…!” he barked, but then stopped himself short, realizing what he was about to say.
Raven's head went crimson and he felt like liquefying onto the floor, under the gaze of curiousity from all four superior officers/teachers. “Eh?” Esteraund asked, grinning, “Oh yeah, that girl at the church. That's who you've been seeing after school hours, right? You lucky son of a gun! She's quite a looker…”
World please end now. Raven begged in his mind. He prayed for somebody to dismiss him, but only Esteraund had that authority.
”Really Esteraund, do you need to be so troublesome?” Windel said, in a type of seductive way. Unlike Crowe, she didn't care about military doctrine, and loved to throw herself out to anyone who looked hunky. “This is a whole new galaxy for the boy; you should really learn to take these things step… by step.” Despite her words, she seemed to hint at something else entirely.
”Whatever. Anybody going to move up on the line or what?” Esteraund asked, looking around the table.
”Nah, don't feel like it.” Evans said. He didn't want to show anything more with Raven around.
”Hmmm… Maybe another time.” Windel said, out of sympathy for Raven's case.
On other side of the table, Crowe just grinned knowingly, “How about I raise another bet.” She said.
Esteraund's smile grew bigger. ”Babe, I've waited for those words so long…” Esteraund exclaimed happily, as he reached below the table.
”No Colonel.” Crowe hissed with her trademark short temperament. “I mean on why Lieutenant Vostrikov is here.”
”What about him?”
”I say he's part of your strategy to throw Captain Evans out of the game and to make me and Major Windel to get turned on by how cute and innocent he is. That way, we'll willingly lose just to… enlighten the Lieutenant.” Crowe said.
Raven gawked at what Crowe was saying. It did sound like Esteraund…
”How much are you willing to bet on that?” Esteraund said.
Without saying another word, Crowe dipped herself a little bit under the table and started to move her arms around herself. A moment later, she came up again and placed a bra on the table top. “That for your shirt and tie.”
”I'm in, but just my shirt and tie?” Esteraund asked innocently.
”Just your shirt and tie big boy.” Crowe challenged.
”Alright.” Esteraund said happily. He reached down, as if to do the same thing Crowe did, except instead of coming back up with his shirt, he pulled out a piece of paper. He started to read over the top of the page, “From High Command in Vascilia City to Colonel Esteraund Legato of the 173rd Autonomous Assault Squadron, Priority One. This report states Colonel Nohman's raiding party is currently en route to Antilia, transet by Phobos' Urenbeck Catapult. They will approximately seven hours from now to capture or destroy Targets Alpha and Bravo. Our orders are to prepare transport for evacuation and use Ganymede's catapult to return to the fatherland.”
”And this has to do with Raven, how…?” Crowe asked, a little intimidated now.
”I'm getting to that.” Esteraund said, looking toward Raven with a serious look, “Lieutenant, the rest of Nephilim will be informed at 1700 hours tonight in the cafeteria. Between then and now, you are to make a last minute recon run on Target Bravo. I want its location, if it's ready for transport or not and all Terran defenses around it.”
”What of Target Alpha?” Raven asked. “And will I get there from here?”
”For transportation, one of Evans' little security ninjas has `captured' a school bus and will transport you about 2 klicks south of the factory. And as for Alpha, it has been confirmed ready for liberation. You just have to worry about Bravo.” Esteraund said. “Do I make myself clear Lieutenant Vostrikov?”
”As the stars, sir.” Raven replied.
”Good. In that case…” Esteraund reached across the table and grabbed Crowe's bra before she could react and tossed it at Raven. His shot was so good it landed over Raven's head, much to his dismay, “Not a man alive should go into battle without those by his side.” He winked, which earned him a scowl on Raven's part. “You are dismissed Lieutenant.”
Raven took the bra off his head, ignoring the small zaps from static electricity and glared at Esteraund, trying to keep the urge to vaporize him down. “Colonel.” He growled and snapped a quick salute, then stormed away. He moved through the door, thankful nobody was around to see him. He could hear the game go back into full swing.
”Smooth move, Colonel.” Evans commented.
”Esteraund...!” Crowe wanted to protest.
”Alright, alright! I'm feelin' lucky tonight ladies and gentlemen. Who's up for five card stud?” Esteraund challenged around the table, followed the loud sound that only card shuffling can make.
Raven looked at the leopard printed bra in his hand, and then back at the door, smirking.
-------------------------------
It didn't take much to set up for the `mission', just a duffle bag that held a scope that could be used in infared, night vision and daytime operation, smoke and stun grenades, a combat knife and a small civilian-made radio set that had been modified to tune into Esteraund's frequency. Raven had found all of this in the school's janitor closet, which was maintained by one of Evans' security guards, packed it in the bag and set out for the bus that would take him to Bravo. After he exited the school and saw the bus, Raven couldn't help but feel himself sigh a little.
“I wonder if Solid Snake ever had to do something as ridiculous at this.” He muttered to himself, walking along, “You're a soldier of BAHRAM… A young soldier, but a soldier still, with a rank that people ten years older then you usually have, and power and skills that people see in video games, not real life.” He peeked back at the school for a second, “After you're done kicking Terran ass, you go home and do your homework. Yeah, this is going to be something to tell your grandkids Vostrikov…”
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the metatron in his body pulsate. Someone, or something, was using metatron out in the open, but it was to small a signature to be an orbital frame. Keeping his thoughts trained on finding the signature, which he felt over in the playground area. Better check this out. He ran from the school's front pick up zone across to a chainlink fence, climbed that and dropped into the playground area. Raven then sneaked behind an elephant shaped slide and tried to keep his own power levels down so whoever was transmitting such energy wouldn't detect him.
He peeked over his hiding spot and saw three people over in the football field just across from the playground. One was Isaac, and the other two were Ethan and Alex Havoc, twin air and earth elementals. They looked almost exactly alike, except small differences. Ethan had long gray hair that was kept in an `Yzak Juule' style, pale skin and equally gray eyes, while Ethan had tan skin, dark blonde hair that was kept swept back and brown eyes. Then there were the differences in personality…
”…So, you said you didn't do it, you little shit?” Ethan pointed at Isaac.
”Brother, please…” Alex tried to reason.
“I don't care if you do have an officer's rank, I can speak however I want.” Ethan barked at Alex.
”I still don't understand what you're accusing me of.” Isaac said, showing a little bit of mischievousness in his voice. It pretty obvious he was playing the two, but that wasn't an indication that he did whatever they accused him of.
”Look, Lieutenant Mattheris, you were the last one that saw Kazuma before he died.” Alex stated, “We're not pointing any fingers, but we could use all the info we can get to find the one that killed him.”
”How do you know he was killed?” Isaac asked, “Last I remember he went into a coma and died.”
”Is your head for decoration?” Ethan growled, “Nobody goes into a coma like that, unless it's caused by shock! Somebody freaked Kazuma out and killed him…”
”Well, I can't argue with that logic.” Isaac said with the utmost sarcasm, “But I don't have anything useful to tell you.”
Alex nodded a little, “Alright, we have no reason to not trust you Lieutenant.” He said.
”Right…” Ethan rolled his eyes, and the two started on their way.
Kazuma Murato… Yeah, he died two days ago, shock-induced coma in an alleyway. Raven thought about that for a moment. He tried to think objectionably, keeping all of his personal feelings about Isaac out of his thoughts. Nah, Isaac wouldn't have made it that obvious. And he wouldn't left the body to be found anyway… Still, he watched Isaac and then looked over at the twins walking away; making sure it stayed the way it is.
It didn't and the twins turned around again, but not because of their own will, they responded to the annoying snickering of Isaac Mattheris. “What the hell is so funny?” Ethan demanded.
”Oh, I just find you lesser beings so predictable.”
”What was that?” Ethan roared. Both his eyes and Alex's eyes lit up brightly, and their respective gray and yellow auras engulf their bodies. Isaac's eyes also lit up to their golden color, and his aura came around too.
Isaac Mattheris, grin etched across his face, circled the twins like a predator inspecting its latest prey. “I don't have to read your low-bred minds, I can just see it in your actions…”
”You son of a bitch…” Ethan snarled, “Just because you have rank doesn't mean you're any different from us!”
”Oh, I beg to differ, Mr. Havoc.” Isaac said, “I have seen metatron's true power for myself, I have done its bidding and have been greatly rewarded for it. You two whelps, on the other hand, born from a low-class Martian family that didn't even survive persecution from the Earth, were only lucky enough to be blessed with its smaller powers. Yes, you flaunt your powers to make yourselves look superior to others, but in the end, you two are garbage, only fit for consuming resources.”
“What are you saying, Mattheris?” Alex glared.
”I'm saying you two are so afraid of my power, you suspect me of anything. I don't know who killed Kazuma, but I certainly didn't.” Isaac's smile gleamed, “I'd sooner kill you two just for being liabilities to myself, Legato, Vostrikov and anyone else that has worth.”
”If you think you're better than us, then prove it!” Ethan roared with fury. Both twins had switchblades drop down from their arm sleeves and ran at Isaac, ready to beat him to a bloody pulp for being obnoxious. Isaac merely smiled and let his hands drop to side, letting a pair of fire balls form in his palms. But, before he could use them…
”THAT'S ENOUGH!”
Out of nowhere, a torrent of violet energy stormed into the twins and knocked them away from Isaac. Raven Vostrikov, own aura formed and Maat staff in hand, stood in front of the silver haired light elemental, trying to keep his own power in check. Isaac felt his smirk drop off his face. Even he wasn't expecting that to come about.
”Whatever Isaac said to you, does not give you the right to attack a comrade.” Raven stated.
”You again, Vostrikov? I should've known this nut job would have back up…” Ethan said. This of course, earned Ethan Havoc another blast of energy to the face, so much that it almost knocked him unconscious.
”Stand aside Lieutenant.” Alex said.
”Alex, don't be stupid like your brother. You know you can't take Lieutenant Mattheris in a frontal assault.” Raven reminded.
”Maybe, but I can at least give him a few scars myself.” Alex said, “If you don't get out of my way, Raven…”
”Wait!” Isaac called out, gaining everyone's attention. They all looked at him, and the twins stood in amazement as they saw Isaac bow to them, “I apologize for my rudeness, but I'm afraid I don't know anything of Kazuma Murato's murder besides what you already know. If you'll just leave me be, I won't report this.”
Raven looked at the twins, “You hear that boys? He's going to let this one slide. I suggest you do what he says and leave.”
Ethan was about to respond with some cocky comeback, but he looked at his brother first, who just shrugged. Both of their senses had kicked back in, and they saw even if they continued their attack, they'd have to face both Raven and Isaac head on instead of just Isaac. “Very well.” Ethan said bitterly, storming away. Before Alex followed though, he took a moment to reply. “I apologize for our actions as well.” He then turned and followed after Ethan.
Isaac watched them go off, “You didn't have to step in Huckebein, I could have taken them myself.”
”I didn't step in to defend you Isaac, I stepped into stop them.” Raven said, “What the hell were you thinking? You know those two are very temperamental on their background.”
”It was only the truth. They have been getting in the way recently.” Isaac said.
Raven would have replied to that, but he knew Isaac was right. Ethan's unstable nature tended to almost blow cover, and Alex, despite being much more stable minded than his twin brother, always followed him wherever he went. “I suppose you're right.”
”I am.” Isaac smirked, “I don't suppose you came to talk about them, did you?”
”Actually, I do have something to do, and I could use your help…” Raven implied.
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SO BEGINS ARC 2: PROVIDENCE