Destiny Sorrow Page 4

  The holographic image showed a security recording of an underpass with a large man running through it. Next to the recording appeared a clearer image of the man, more than two meters tall and black hair partially covered his eyes. He was an intimidating figure.

  “This man is Golbert Sotark. Our mission is to capture him and get information about the Agents, finding out who the leader is and what their plans are. Golbert is currently on the old underground subway tracks, where the nearest exit is in the lower part of the city. Me and my men will capture him, with the air battalion providing cover in case he escapes, or reinforcements arrive. Remembering we want him alive.

  Aiden and Evelin looked at each other and then faced Pardalis without saying a word.

  “You two go just to observe. In no way engage in combat with Sotark or any of the Chaos Agents; Just use your weapons to protection. And one more thing about this man: he has several muscle grafts that have turned him into a monster in strength. In addition, he has metals spikes implanted between his fingers. Believe me, a punch from him is capable of killing even wearing armor.

  Aiden shrinks and everyone in the room got up coming out towards his goals. He followed Pardalis at the end of the line with Evelin and Dommerick.

  “This General Sorom...” Whispered Aiden with his colleagues. “I saw the marshal talking to him... Who is this guy?”

  “He is another general of Gardenia.” It was Evelin who answered. “Theoretically, Pardalis takes care of internal affairs while Sorom protects our borders in case anyone wants to take God out of our territory, but since we are not at war, I think he gets too bored and goes out to hunt down the Chaos Agents.

  “I heard that the guy is tense.” Commented Dom. “Rumors that Pardalis is a flower near him.”

  They arrived at the end of the floor, where there was a special elevator, much larger, in which the soldiers went to the missions. Inside the transport the three were quiet until they reached the ground floor, when the general gave a new order.

  “Everyone will pick up their equipment and then direct to transport ship three. MacCoy, you're coming with me.”

  Aiden followed him to one of those transport ships that had arrived at the base, with Evelin a few steps away.

  The general took a laser machine gun just like Evelin's and handed it to the boy.

  “Use carefully and only shoot for self-defense.” Suggested Pardalis.

  “It took me two years to be the best recruit here to win one and you're giving one to a kid who never left the base?” Said Evelin revolted.

  Again, Aiden was upset by her feelings, but he struggled to understand what the girl was going through. Who doesn’t seem to understand was the general who looked at her more seriously than ever?

  “Sorry, Simeht, what's your patent again? Okay, so when you become general on this base, you can give your opinion. But if I hear one more complaint from you, believe me, there will be consequences.”

  The girl shut up; however, his blue eyes still sparkle with anger. Aiden felt he should apologize, even though he knew he wasn't guilty of anything. Yet he didn't feel comfortable. They kept quiet while they waited for the troops to arm themselves.

  Dom, more radiant than ever and the air battalion donned their blue armor. He could barely hold his excitement for the mission and was shaking his leg.

  Everyone got on the ship and sat on the side seats. No conversation happened during the trip. Aiden was right next to Evelin, who also carried her laser machine gun and looked so angry that she would rip Aiden's arm off if he wasn't careful. In front of him was Dom, which calmed him down. Even though he couldn't talk, he knew that your colleague was there and always with a beaming smile.

  They flew for several minutes at high speed. When they were near the scene, Pardalis' communicator rang and he had a brief inaudible conversation.

  “Listen here!” He started when the call ended, showing a holographic image of the neighborhood. The buildings were low and old, with less than ten floors, something very discrepant of the skyscrapers of the center. “Rayzer, separate your men on the roofs of these buildings. If Sotark called for help, some ship should show up to pick him up. Your job is to sink them!

  Rayzer agreed, and it was then that Aiden saw that the captain was carrying a huge missile launcher.

  “The rest of you will enter the old subway tunnel and capture Sotark for questioning.”

  No one questioned him. When the side doors of the ship opened, they all went down. Rayzer took his battalion to strategic areas with their built-in rockets while the rest followed Pardalis.

  It was late, Aiden could see the crescent moon in the sky and even a rare pair of stars. The neighborhood was also very quiet, which only served to make the boy more nervous.

  Two soldiers had difficulty opening a manhole and they all entered through it down the stairs. There was no lighting, so they turned on their flashlights. The place reminded Aiden off where he took the trains to school, however well-deteriorated and archaic. They went down further until they saw the train tunnel. Pardalis led the Aiden and Evelin to a pilar not far away and said:

  “You observe from here. It must be a simple mission, so rest assured.”

  The general joined with his men and stood in strategic positions looking at one of the tunnel paths, hidden and with the lanterns turned off so as not to draw attention.

  As he got used to the darkness, the boy could see the silhouette of the troops lightly. He was very close to Evelin and all he could think was that he wished she was okay and didn't hate him.

  “Evelin, they only gave me the weapon because I am the chosen one.” Whispered him.

  “I know.” She said coldly.

  Aiden didn't know how to communicate with her. He has never been good at talking to girls and Evelin seemed like an extraordinary challenge.

  “I meant that this does not take away your merit. You got yours with hard work. You deserve it; I'll barely know how to use mine.”

  “I know what you want Aiden, but you better stop before you say something you won't be able to go back on.”

  “Look, I didn't ask for these things: being on this mission, having that gun. You think I wanted to be the chosen to save the world? I'd much rather not have that responsibility.”

  The girl turned to him angrily and Aiden didn't know why.

  “And you think I wanted to be the protector of the chosen? I'll never be anything but a shield to you. I may die today protecting you and I will have completed my destiny. And grow up, no one has asked for their fates, the difference is that some are the saviors of the world, and others are chaotic living on the margins of society.”

  Her speech hit Aiden like a punch, leaving him not knowing what to answer. Lucky for him a screen was heard and suddenly one of the silhouettes was no longer there.

  Soon he heard another scream and it seemed that one military man had been thrown at another and the two fell on the ground. It was then that Aiden saw the shape of the monster, more than two meters high. He couldn't see details, but he could hear every heavy step of his movement.

  Pardalis' silhouette shot at the man. Lasers came out of the general's revolver; however, Sotark's barrier held up the shots until he was hiding behind another pilar.

  “He can see us!” Cried Pardalis. “Turn on your flashlights!”

  The troops surrounded the hidden man when Aiden saw the impossible. With brute force, Sotark tore a piece of the pilar the size of a child and throw it against Pardalis who fell to the ground.

  The other two soldiers began to shoot, but his barrier was enough for him to punch the first in the face, sinking his monstrous hand into the man's skull. Then he took his body and threw him at the only soldier standing. Sotark had defeated the six armed soldiers.

  Sotark ran in the direction of Aiden and Evelin, leading the boy to despair. He ended up dropping his gun and fell to the ground on his back. The man advanced like an animal and Aiden imagined that he had the strength to pluck his limbs
with ease.

  Evelin, in turn, aimed the machine gun and fired at Sotark. The first shots were absorbed by the barrier, which did not take long to burn, and the man was soon having his skin burning with the lasers.

  Somehow, he kept running until he took the gun from the girl's hand and threw it away. Aiden saw that he was bleeding under his clothes, but the monster didn't seem to bother. Up close, he could see a demonic expression and what appeared to be metal spikes coming from between his fingers.

  Upon seeing Evelin, he faltered. Aiden thought she would be crushed, but he just grabbed her by the head and threw her more delicately than the others.

  For a moment, their eyes crossed. However, Sotark noticed the despair in the boy's face and abandoned him up the stairs.

  When he thought it was over, he heard Pardalis' weakened voice on the communicator.

  “Rayzer! He escaped; Get him out there!”

  “Sir!” He could hear the captain's answer. “A suspicious ship is arriving””

  Aiden saw the general coming up the stairs. His metal hand was carrying the revolver, while the left held his stomach, where he had been hit, yet he moved on with an enviable determination.

  “Intercept the ship and capture the man!” The general spoke with difficulty.

  Pardalis passed Aiden without even noticing how the boy was doing. The young man continued on the ground imagining how a failure he was. He looked at his necklace; but this time he didn't feel strength coming from him; just weakness.

  After twenty seconds that Pardalis had gone, he saw Evelin rising. The girl was also a little dizzy, however she took her machine gun and climbed the stairs. Aiden's focus shifted to her, and he admired her even more, feeling that she deserved to be chosen much more than he did.

  Evelin

  Outside, Evelin saw a large red ship flying in circles. Their two wings with armaments and an oval body, possessing a symbol of one circle within the other, the largest was painted black on the right and red on the left while the inside was the opposite. The air battalion was trying to confront it, yet their shields were very resilient.

  The ship stopped maneuvering flying over the nearest building, which Evelin assumed was where Sotark would flee. A missile hit the ship, appeared to have caused no significant damage, but she saw Rayzer flying with his missile launcher ready for another shot. At his side, Dom also flew close unloading his bullets at the target.

  The girl headed to the building, watching the ship open a wide door and the outline of a man with a pistol in his hand and a sword sheath on his back approaching.

  The man looked at Rayzer with another missile aimed at the ship and fired a reddish laser, which hit the captain's projectile, generating a huge explosion, throwing the captain and Dommerick's body away.

  The girl screamed in despair, took a step in the direction where her colleague fell, but stopped. She stared at the ship and headed for the building where her enemies would be.

  She didn't wait for the elevator and climbed the six-story stairs. When she was almost halfway there, she heard laser shots being exchanged, which made her accelerate the pace even more.

  When she opened the roof door, she saw the ship closing its door. Sotark was already inside and she could see the man that shot Rayzer.

  He should be 25 years old. His skin was black and his dark hair in dreadlocks was tied back like a ponytail. His red jacket was long, passing the height of his knees. He was moving the handle on the sword on his back when the two exchanged glances. It was only a few seconds while the ship's door closed, however she felt an intensity in his brown eyes.

  It was then that she noticed Pardalis' body lying on the ground. The ship took off away and the girl ran to her general.

  She saw three holes in his chest, and realized he was already dead, with his eyes open in an expression of surprise.

  The girl started crying with a confusion of feelings. Until everything turned black.

  Funeral

  Her next memory was waking up in the base infirmary.

  The medical ward was more crowded than usual. Sitting next to her was Aiden, who looked very tired. He opened a faint smile when he saw her waking up.

  She, on the other hand, wasn't happy to see Aiden at all.

  Evelin tried to get out of bed in a hurry, yet her colleague stopped her.

  “You need to rest more.”

  “Listen here, kid!” Evelin spoke by putting her hand on his chest aggressively. “You were pathetic on the mission! And nothing matters because Pardalis died and I don't have time to talk to you.”

  She left the infirmary, following the windows that led to the hallway, where she could curious people trying to find out what happened.

  “Yes, he died.” Aiden continued, accompanying her. “It is a tragedy, but you still need to rest.”

  The girl didn't hold back her anger and yelled at Aiden.

  “Are you stupid? He died without having fulfilled his destiny! This should be impossible, even done by a chaotic! Now leave me alone!”

  Aiden stopped and saw her walking in the direction of the elevator. She was furious and needed to understand what was going on. Even when her friends showed up in the hallway asking how she was, she was evasive and got in the elevator alone, going to the top floor.

  The control bridge was without any guards at the door and she entered unceremoniously. There she saw Marshal Laserfield sitting in his chair with no spirit as the other people worked on their computers with much excitement.

  “What was that, Laserfield?”

  The marshal had not seen her coming in and tried to regain his posture, but his tired eyes showed that he was shaken.

  “Miss Simeht, I'm busy with the funeral at the moment. Can we talk later?”

  “We're going to talk now!” She replied regardless of the consequences. “Pardalis died without becoming marshal! His fate hasn't been completed; how do you explain it to me?”

  The marshal looked at everyone in the room, who were too busy with their work to hear them. Still, he pulled her aside.

  “Officially he will have a funeral as marshal. The world will know that he died having reached his destiny.”

  “That's a lie! Fates must be fulfilled during a person's life, you know this! How did a chaotic stop it? It was supposed to be impossible! Or are destinies themselves nonsense? If I go down now and shoot Aiden, will the chosen one die before he saves the world?”

  “Of course not, Evelin. There's no way to stop someone's fate, no matter what they do, nor the chaotic should be able to do it.”

  “But he did! I saw that man. He clearly killed Pardalis.”

  “Listen to me, Evelin.” Said the marshal, not knowing how to get out of this situation. “I'm having to explain myself to General Sorom, to Pharaoh Tess, and even to the politician Garreth. Journalists don't get off my back, with Rinna being especially complicated and I have no answer for any of them. Now, please, Evelin, go take care of your problems because I already have too much here.”

  The girl wasn't satisfied but realized she couldn't get more information from him and then remembered one more thing to worry about.

  She ran back to the infirmary floor. Aiden was still there; however, the girl passed straight and went to the head nurse.

  “What about Dom?” She asked worried. “Is he alive?”

  The woman looked with a heavy expression. She took her to a remote room, where emergency surgeries took place and then began to speak.

  “He survived, but he is in critical condition. Captain Rayzer passed away on the spot, Dom still has a chance, let's hope for the best.”

  The girl lost her strength and fell to the ground. Her mind was exploding, and she felt inside a hurricane. She walked staggering to her room, lay down on her bed and began to cry.

  She didn't know how long it's been, she wasn't sure if she ended up sleeping, or just cried all the time, until she heard Laserfield's voice on the base communicators.

  “Tomorrow, as soon as the
sun rises it will be the funeral of Marshal Pardalis and the others who lost their lives during yesterday's mission. Presence is mandatory.”

  ...

  The funeral was full of military personnel. The marshal made some speech that Evelin couldn't pay attention to. In front of everyone was a transparent sign on the ground written "Marshal Roy Pardalis". Other new tombstones surrounded the sign: that of Captain Omara Rayzer, a pair of men killed by Golbert and another member of the air battalion that was shot down by the red ship.

  Next to the marshal was General Sorom, with his stern expression. The general gave a great speech praising the fate of people and stating that everyone should respect the God-Computer.

  Next to Evelin was Aiden. They haven't talked since the event and he seemed upset, however she had her own crisis to deal with.

  After shots were fired into the sky, the soldiers returned to their to-do. Evelin and Aiden saw suitcases at the base entrance and a wheelchair. Controlling the chair was Dommerick with a tired look. They both ran to him.

  “Dom!” Said Aiden flustered. “What happened to you?”

  The voice that came out of him had no cheer, a total discrepancy from the energetic man he was. Dommerick also had some scars on his face and a large burn mark on his neck.

  “I was thrown by the explosion. I blacked out right away and it looks like I hurt my spine... Apparently there's a cure, but it's too expensive. The army won't pay for a mere soldier and my family doesn't have enough money... Obviously I was disbanded. I don't think I'm ever going to fly again.

  Evelin and Aiden looked at each other, and none knew what to say to their colleague. Dom took two orange dice and gave one for each.

  “Aiden, Eve, save the world for me... I'll be cheering in the sideline.”

  He opened a fake smile and soon a ship came to pick him up, leaving Aiden and Evelin alone in the great hall.