30th of March 2072, 3 years after the start of the war.
The cloud formations reflected off Mike's dark visor as he looked into the horizon. He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed the past to play inside his head. All the destruction, deaths, and fire has already burned the peace inside his mind to ashes. Mike pulled a cigar out of his pocket and used his finger to set the tip ablaze.
Suddenly, a jet flew over his head and knocked the cigarette off his hand. Unfazed, Mike moved away from the hangar entrance before a full squadron rushed in to land their damaged aircrafts.
Maybe Mike needed a respite from this war. Cyberknight or not, everyone has a limit. All his duties pestered him without leaving him with a single moment to rest for three whole years. Mike walked past the fire crew rushing in to put out the burning aircraft before stopping in front of another opening to the open sky. Just as he was about to try to relax his mind once again, a hand suddenly padded him on the shoulder.
[Karson] - "Oi, lost in your thoughts again, bruv? "
Said Karson with a taunting voice.
[Mike] - "Aren't you supposed to be down there helping the troops? "
[Karson] - "Job's done, bruv, there ain't any crap left to clean down there. Unfortunately though, I can't find their commander-in-chief. I think that bloody bloke escaped. "
[Mike] - "Sigh... let me guess, you want me to help you find him. "
Said Mike with an unimpressed expression on his face.
[Karson] - "Come on, help a fellow bruv out, would ye? "
Mike sighed and turned to look at Karson with a disappointed face.
[Mike] - "It's been 3 years, Karson, I'm not your dad or your caretaker. You should be doing your own shit by this point instead of relying on me. I'm busy enough with all the fucking bullshit that somehow always falls on my shoulders. "
Said Mike in a frustrated voice before smashing his fist against a support beam.
[Karson] - "Hey, look, bruv, I'm a bit of a slow learner. Can't blame me for this. "
[Mike] - "Karson, you are my friend and I will always help you when I can. But one of these days, you will have to take responsibility. Maybe even one day, you will have to mentor and lead a team of cyberknights when you get a promotion. You have to learn to use what you have to solve your problems and not always rely on others. "
[Karson] - "Look at yah, speaking like a geezer while being only wha', 23 years old? "
Mike shook his head before stepping on the edge of the hangar where a 20,000-metre drop awaited him.
[Mike] - "Wanna do this or you are gonna let the enemy escape? "
[Karson] - "Now that's the Mike I know. Hold on, let me get in my jet. "
[Mike] - "We don't got the whole bloody day, let's do it the fast way. "
Said Mike before suddenly pushing Karson down the ship and jumping after him.
The two fell for a while before passing through the clouds where a whole battlefield was concealed behind. Karson screamed all the way during his fall in panic while Mike observed the situation on the ground. They soon landed amidst Beijing's central square where the majestic city was reduced to nothing but a ruin due to the ongoing battles.
[Karson] - "Oh shit, oh fuck, am I dead? "
Whispered Karson in fright while curled up in a ball.
[Mike] - "Now, who's the one trembling like a geezer? "
Said Mike as he crouched over Karson.
[Karson] - "Screw you, bruv, this shit ain't fun at all. "
[Mike] - "Search the Northern sector, I'll check the South. "
Mike walked toward the crossroad while Karson slowly crawled up behind him. As he made his way down the street, he immediately noticed a small group of Chinese soldiers moving across the ruins. Mike discreetly followed them before one of them suddenly noticed his presence.
[soldier] - "Who goes there? Raise your hands so I can see them! "
Screamed the soldier while pointing his gun in Mike's direction.
[Mike] - "Where is your command post? "
Said Mike while the guns inside the soldiers' hands turned into metal dust.
Mike slowly walked to the unarmed men and stared at them with his cold and emotionless eyes.
[Mike] - "Your commander, where is he? "
The men quickly recognized Mike as a cyberknight and knowing from first-hand experience what they were capable of, one of the soldiers quickly complied with Mike's demands.
[Soldier] - "Bro, our command post across the streets over was raised to the ground by one of you cyberknights earlier despite how we called for a surrender. We don't know where the commander went. Probably buried in the rubble or somewhere. "
Said the soldier in a defeated tone.
Mike looked at the decrepit state in which the soldiers were in with an apathetic expression in his eyes. One of the soldiers' hands were trembling uncontrollably while the other murmured a prayer with his hands around his mouth.
[Mike] - "Go home. There is no point in fighting anymore. "
Said Mike as he abruptly walked away.
After a short stroll across the war-torn road, Mike made it to a giant collapsed building that appeared to have Chinese military insignias all around its walls. After approaching the building, Mike immediately realized the extent of the damage as multiple buildings were levelled as a byproduct of Karson's attack.
With a snap of his finger, Mike slowly removed the rubbles and to his shock, civilians ranging from children to the elderly were found either severely injured, dead or stuck, unconscious between collapsed structures. The sight of this carnage caused Mike to drop the cigar in his mouth before activating both of his crystals. The more debris Mike removed, the more his anger started to boil over his head. Upon finally realizing the full extent of the damages, Mike abruptly lifted everything in the air with caution while people and body parts floated alongside multi-tonne pieces of concrete.
After calling in the Red Cross, Mike walked around the streets and rounded up all the military personnel still alive from the civilian population. Amongst them, Mike spotted the general supported by one of his men due to a missing leg. After signalling to the general and his aid to follow him, Mike started to march through the street littered with victims from the collapsed buildings.
The more Mike observed the scene around him which was festering cries and broken bodies, the more his mind became unstable. Memories of all the deaths and destruction left by the war flashed inside Mike's head as he could feel the claws of insanity scratching his mind. The ugly face of war has been the only thing in Mike's face for 3 whole years and just when things are already bad as they are, they got even worse. Suddenly, Mike saw Karson rushing toward him.
[Karson] - "I can't believe you found him; I've been looking for that rat everywhere. Yah know, once I complete this mission, I will be promoted for sure. Quick, hand him over, I can't wait! "
[Mike] - "Karson, did you do this? Were those collapsed buildings the work of your attack? "
Said Mike with a calm voice.
[Karson] - "Well, let's say earlier I allowed myself to accidentally punch a little harder than usual but- "
Something inside Mike's mind snapped. Before Karson could finish, Mike savagely punched him in the face with such force that Karson landed on the ground with multiple broken teeth, a broken nose and a broken jaw. Luckily for Karson, Mike didn't activate his ability.
[Mike] - "You think this war is a motherfucking game? You act like a child given ultimate power with your ability, you treat real people as if they were cattle and you leech off me as if my patience is infinite. You are not a cyberknight, Karson, with this behaviour of yours, you might as well be the British Government that you helped to take down. "
Screamed Mike in a frenzy of rage.
On the other hand, Karson stared at Mike with anger and discontent in his eyes.
[Mike] - "I thought I could bring out the better side of the man you are but I was wrong. You are nothing but an arrogant bully with that power of yours. I wished I used my ability when I slapped you. I wish I was a different man today, someone without remorse or mercy. If I can't bring myself to kill you, the military court will. Don't ever call me again, we are done. "
Said Mike in a cold voice before walking past Karson without looking back.
Meanwhile, Karson stared at Mike with anger boiling inside his mind. He knew he couldn't win in a fight against Mike, so he would have to come up with something else.
Later that day, after completing the maintenance of Mike's forearm, doctor Ethan looked behind the curtain to see Mike still staring blankly at the same wall for the past 3 hours.
[Ethan] - "Ahem! "
[Mike] - "Put my arm back and don't say a single word, doctor Ethan. I want to go to sleep early today. "
Said Mike in a monotone voice.
[Ethan] - "Come then, let's get this forearm reattached. "
While working on the screws, doctor Ethan analyzed Mike's stoic expression. At the end of the process, Ethan abruptly stopped working.
[Ethan] - "You are mentally tired, kid, you need to go request a break from your uncle. This war isn't doing you any good. "
Annoyed by Ethan's insistence on having a conversation, Mike abruptly got up to leave.
[Ethan] - "Don't even try to leave, kid, I purposely left your power ring open, so one wrong move could cause a fusion meltdown. "
Mike reluctantly sat back down and placed his arm back on the operating table.
[Ethan] - "You need a break and a long one. No matter how much power you wield, you are still human at the core. Don't be stubborn and listen for once. "
[Mike] - "I'm not tired, Ethan. I have my duties to accomplish. I can't be tired when faced with such heavy responsibilities. "
Ethan could tell that Mike was clearly lying.
[Ethan] - "Duty or not, one requires at least some distractions. You can't spend your life sleeping, eating, and working, then repeating the same process the next day. "
Said Ethan as he finished the work on Mike's arm.
[Mike] - "Then what should I add to my routine? "
Said Mike in a monotone voice.
[Ethan] - "It's not what you should add, it's about what you are missing. Why not make her a part of your life while also fulfilling your duty to the empire and your emperor uncle? I know ya miss her, boy. "
Life quickly filled Mike's eyes as soon as the thought of Kadyn flashed inside his mind.
[Mike] - "But she's bound by her work. "
[Ethan] - "She's under the command of special operation Admiral-General McCain. You could maybe negotiate for her freedom with him. "
[Mike] - "No, it will make our affair public. Sniper would never tolerate such action on my part. "
Ethan leaned forward and stared Mike in the eyes.
[Ethan] - "You are Sniper's nephew and one of the most powerful cyberknights in the empire. It'll certainly get you into trouble but I'm sure you'll receive nothing more than a slap on the wrist. "
At first, Mike wanted to protest against the idea but his desire to see Kadyn again overwhelmed his sense of integrity. It almost felt as if he would go insane if he waited any longer to get her back to his side. Suddenly, Mike's hands gripped into fists as he got up from the workbench.
[Mike] - "Fuck her mission, I promised her freedom years ago as well. "
After putting on his helmet and coat, Mike kicked the laboratory doors open with a renewed passion burning inside his heart. Unbeknownst to the two of them, earlier while they were talking, Karson overhead their conversation through the unlocked door of the laboratory. After seeing Mike disappear into the hallways, Karson slowly moved out of cover and started to walk with a devious smile on his face.
[Karson] - "Ma was right, only I can stand for myself and move forward. I wonder how much would Sniper appreciate his nephew being with a demi-human. "
Said Karson to himself with a smug smirk.
To be continued...