FELIS glanced at the woman in front of her and smiled, dropping the gas mask in his hand. "Hey," he said offhandedly. It's been a long time since he'd seen her and he was glad that he could lay his eyes on her once more. She just stood there, her mouth agape, and her face was a turbulent of emotions, swirling from disbelief to relief and anger.
"You are awake?" She spoke at last, her voice almost breaking. When she was looking at the feed and seeing how the God Engine was moving quite efficiently, she knew it was someone experienced piloting it. She expected it to be a sabotage from one of the pirate kings or something as this wasn't the first time they'd actually tried to steal a god engine for themselves but she was now standing in front of someone she'd once called mentor and father.
"Not really," he replied.
"Since when have you been awake?" She demanded, not letting him say another word.
"About five years give or take…" he nodded.
Serenity choked on the next words she wanted to say when she heard his answer, her expression contorted swiftly, her brows furrowing and her eyes became wider. "You have been awake for five years? And you've never once thought to even contact me or any of the others?" She demanded.
"I was trying to keep that a secret, and like I said, I am not really awake," he answered.
"What?" she demanded. "A secret? I thought you were dead… I thought you were never coming back, her voice rising by the second. You… you remember the last thing you told me right?" She demanded.
Felis nodded, when they'd parted in the past he wasn't necessarily in his right mind. "Yeah… look, I didn't mean any of those, I sincerely wanted to see you, but I didn't want to butt into your life and then just butt out, trust me."
"Oh no, you are going to fulfill that promise right now," her eyes reddened as her hair began to twirl around her head, floating.
"Stop, Serenity," Rowan came in between them but before he could really say anything, the woman appeared in front of him swatting him off like a fly. He landed against the metal walls with a muffled groan.
"I am not going to fight you," Felis said.
"Well, then I am just going to kill you!" She dashed forward, her skin around her hand transforming into flames. Felis began to step backward slowly, his hands held out.
"Will you please just listen to what I want to say?" he said. "I don't have much time left."
She wasn't listening to anything the man was saying, her rage was blinding . She couldn't believe that she'd spent years thinking he was probably dead and worried for nothing. He'd never really thought anything of her as it would seem, and she was just another subordinate he abandoned on his thirst for power. The fire in her hand intensified as her eyes lit up too.
She was about to smash his face in when she stopped. She glanced sideways and saw a couple of kids gathered at an intersection in the metallic room. "What are those?" She demanded.
"That's what I wanted to tell you… I need your help with them," he said with a sigh.
"What do you mean you need my help with them, wait you have four children?" She demanded. "In five years?"
"Yes," Felis chuckled, but soon he realized what she meant and his eyes bulged. "What? No. They are not mine… I mean they are mine but not biologically mine." He said.
"I don't get," Serenity looked at him.
"Okay, they are the reason why I didn't come to see you… well not really, they are not the reason but they are the reason a part of me is awake," he said.
"A part of you?" Serenity asked.
"Look, I will explain that later, I just need to know if you will help me out. You are the only one that can actually do this…" he began.
"No… you don't." She shook her head.
"I don't know what?" Felis demanded.
"You don't get to come here, after all these years and just ask for my help. I am not helping you out with anything. You told me you were disappointed in my choices and that the next time we meet you would kill me, just reminding you what you said, in case you goddamn forgot. Now you can get out of my weapon before I alert the entire military to your location."
Felis sogyed. "You don't understand, I don't have time and…" he began.
"Captain, I told you she won't do it. Seems Ages was wrong this time around," Rowan sighed.
Serenity glanced back at Rowan. "You have the mind to judge me?" She demanded. "It's fuckin' wasy for you to say. I want nothing to do with all of you, not anymore. In the end it's always all about you guys, you don't give a damn about the world nor…"
"Well, he is doing all this because of you," Rowan sighed. "He came back because of you, he is trying to fix what Leviathan destroyed because of you. Felis never cared about these things. For the love of God he is trying to be a vegetarian because of you," Rowan sighed.
"What are you talking about?" Serenity's tone softened.
"You remember Ages, right?" Felis demanded.
"Yes I do," Serenity said.
"Well, he claimed those kids can fix everything. I have been taking care of them for more than three years, he told me to bring them down to Alkatraz, that I would meet the right person for them here," he sighed. "I heard your voice from here," Felis smiled. "I am sorry for what I did in the past, but this…this us bigger than any of us."
"What do you need my help with," she asked, still trying to understand her situation in her head. There were too many emotions drowning her thoughts.
"They need to join the Marines but you also need to prepare them, so basically, you need to take care of them and also help them join the army."
Serenity glanced at him. "And you can't do that yourself, because?"
Felis smiled and he raised his right hand, and before their very eyes it was crumbling like concrete. The kids rushed forward before Serenity could move. "What's going on?"
"This isn't my real body," Felis sighed. "The more I use my abilities the more damage it does on this clone forn. I made it for five years, but fighting the wendigo it pulled out too much for this body, it can only handle about five percent of what I can do…" he laid against the metal door and smiled.
"You did a Soul Split?" Serenity demanded.
They turned back, to see the same thing happening to the One Eyed pirate too. "Rowan?" the girl among the kids rushed to him with tears in her eyes.
"Kid," he chuckled. "oh, I am not dying. We will meet again, I promise, but for now, you all need to be badasses and she can help you do that. " Rowan chuckled as he crumbled into nothing.
Felis sighed. "Thank you, Serenity. For everything!" He laid back and his entire body disappeared.