The first thing I remember was a hissing noise next to me. It is loud enough to pierce my eardrums and vibrate into my head. I open my eyes and observe the room. A mirror sat at my feet at the end of the bed. I could see all the scratches and cuts on me. A sharp pain pierces my arm, and I find that it has dislocated again and put back into place. It was extremely weak and I could barely move it. I look around the rest of the room. I was clearly in a medical room, evidenced by the monitors and machines filled with fluids next to me. A large window sat on my left, looking out into a large city. At first, I didn't recognize it, until I took a look into the sky. The buildings were taller than the clouds and the one in the center sat so tall, a mini spaceport can be located at the top. Freedom Tower it was called. I am on Nekomon.
"Welcome home." A voice says to me. It came from my right and sat in the chair in the corner. He was in the shadows so I couldn't see his face. His voice was deep and stern. Every word that exited his mouth was cold and calculated, like any military man.
"Who's there?" I ask.
"Wow. The rumors are true. There really is a beautiful woman in the infirmary."
"You didn't answer my question."
"Isn't that the answer?" He uses the weight from his body and pushes himself and the chair into the light, "Who are you?"
I can finally see his face. He was young. Probably the same age as me with dark skin and a midsize build. His hair was large, curly, and colored white.
"You know you always find ways to surprise me." He continues. "Even after all these accomplishments, you still entertain me."
"You don't even know who I am. What makes you think you know me?"
"Easy." He leans forward in his chair. "You and I, we have a special bond. See I have been watching you for a while. From the shadows mostly, but I was always there. Whispering in your ear."
"What? You've been stalking me?"
"Stalking? Ha!" He lets out a hardy laugh before settling back down. "You misunderstand."
"You speak in code like I am supposed to understand, and you won't even answer my question. Who…are…you?"
He takes a deep breath and leans into the chair. This time he is really close to me and I could see into his eyes.
At that moment, a feeling of panic falls over me. My heart races as I get a closer look at him.
"Demi Nassa, the star of the Nassa clan, though we haven't been speaking with them for the last several years. Normally I would chalk it up to a family fallout but that's not it, isn't it? You think of us as a failure. You can't even face up to your own family, can you?"
His eyes start to glow. Something happens at that moment. A memory erupts in the back end of my brain. I know him. I don't know how, but I can feel it, deep in my soul. Like a long-lost cousin, I look him in the eyes. It clicks right then and there. His eyes were a deep purple. A result of rare genetics, just like me.
"You asked me before 'who am I'," He continued, "But I think you already know part of the answer."
I fall back into my bed, holding my breath as if to not scream.
"You're me."
"Hmm. Very good. "
"How is this possible?"
"No idea. Could have came from the accident or a result of some deep fucking insecurity that you stuffed deep inside us, I don't know."
"You don't even look like me. How are you…?"
"Honestly, I don't know that either."
"So what? You are here to torment me instead?"
"No. I thought about this for a long time. I am here to remind us who we fucking are."
He suddenly grabs me by the neck. I panic, trying my hardest to push him off me, however my arm was locked in place leaving me only my other to fight him off. He wasn't squeezing, but he smiled knowing just how much fear I was in.
"You know what we are? We are pathetic!"
"Leave me alone!" I yelled.
"Oh no Demi. I am here to stay, and we are going have so much to fucking talk about."
I fought him as hard as I could. He just laughed louder and louder as my heart began to race. I close my eyes. My entire body jolts back and forth with such might that the bed begins to shake and a voice calls out to me.
"Demi." It says, "Demi, I'm here."
What? What is going on? I take a deep breath and open my eyes. In an instant, the man I saw before no longer exists. Instead, it was Marcus. He had so much fear and panic behind his eyes. He had never seen me like this before. His hands were trembling. He had grabbed mine as I fought the other guy and held on as long as he could. The sheer horror of the situation settles in and all I could do was stare at him, terrified.
"Marcus…I."
Before I get another word in, the entire room is swarmed by nurses. They crowd around the bed and grab onto Marcus' arms and ask what happened. He just shakes his head and they release his hands from me. He looks at me and smiles before turning around and leaving the room.
"Marcus." I yell, "Wait."
"Commander Demi." A nurse says, holding me down. "Stand still, we need to check your vitals.
Marcus heads through the door and I give up, allowing the nurses and doctors to check on me.
Six hours later, I was finally allowed to roam a little around the wing. I head to the end of the hall and enter another room where a man sat asleep. He too was in a coma. One of the most important men in my life, lying motionless in bed, because of me.
"Hey, Phoenix." I said. "It's me. It's been so long I just…dammit. I can't do this."
I gently press my head into his hand. No amount of pain could explain what I was feeling at that moment. I just laid there. My eyes were closed and all the memories we had together flashed through my head at once. When I first met him, when he took me under his wing. He was like a father to me and I just…I…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
A nurse eventually entered the room, asking for me to leave so he could rest. I wipe away my tears and thank him. The angry man appears in the corner as I leave the room and he begins to follow.
"Tsk, tsk. What a shame." He says.
"Shut up."
"Aww, did I hit a nerve?"
"I am not talking to you."
"Your captain is in a coma because of actions you took and... you know what, good. Don't face the problem, just walk away from it. You've been so good at it so far."
I immediately stop. Something he said in the moment finally did hits that nerve. I turn back around and walk toward him.
"You know nothing about me."
"Do we need to go through the whole exercise again? It's like you have short term-."
"-Shut up. I don't care, and I am not talking to you anymore."
I turn back and walk back down the hall. The man doesn't follow this time, he just smiles.
"Bye for now, but you'll have to confront me at some point. I guarantee you that."
I continue down the hall, trying my best to keep thoughts of him out of my head. It was too difficult though. Every time I think about him, I would just get so angry. The pimped-up rage boils over and I hit the wall as I turn the corner. There at the end of the hall was a familiar sight. It was Marcus. He was chatting it up with one of the female nurses but he wasn't his usual cheery self. Though he did smile when he saw me.
"Commander. Where's that beautiful smile?" He asked.
"Marcus, please."
"I bet I can weed it out."
He reaches out his arms and pulls me into them. He held on as gently as he could as my head buried deep into his left arm. I had never seen this side of him. He was always so upbeat and hitting on every third woman he meets, but today, he was different. He separates us and looks over my shoulder toward the door.
"How is he?" He asks.
"Still out of it. I don't even know what to do right now..."
"How long have you been here?"
"Too long. What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on leave?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I know. I know."
"You need to get out, move around a little. I know a great spot around the corner. I think it will really put a smile on your face."
"Really? You really think this is an appropriate question to ask right now?"
Marcus smiles.
"No." He paused for a moment. "But I think you could use some goodness in your life, and I did say I'll weed out that smile of yours. I'd say that's a mission accomplished for me."
Little did I know, but he was right. I felt in a better mood when I spoke with him and he was smiling like an idiot as I was looking up at him. I guess I was truly subconsciously laughing at him. I also see why Phoenix keeps him around. Marcus nods and makes his way toward the exit back in the other direction. In a quick motion, I grab onto his shirt from the back. He feels the motion and jumps forward before turning around staring at me. For a second I hesitated. My heart was beating at a rapid pace for some reason.
"I…you might be right. I need to move around a little."
Marcus lights up in excitement.
"Oh that's great!"
"What's this spot you were talking about?
"The spot? I have no idea, but let's find out together."
For about a second, I got really angry at him. I am not sure what was expecting from this, but I punch him in the shoulder for it.
"You're an idiot, you know that."
Marcus laughs.
"Haha. There's that fuse Phoenix warned me about."
"Fuse, what?"
Marcus takes his arm and wraps it around my shoulder, steering me with him towards the exit. I couldn't fight him. I didn't want to fight him for that matter. I was mad, but happy at the same time. I was so confused. Marcus, however, was just straight happy, smiling with glee as we wrapped the corner toward the food court. Of course we were going there. As we arrived another gentleman was exiting the room. He was dark skinned and wore a captain's hat.
"Marcus Jones. Beautiful Commander Demi. How are you?" He said in a light hearted tone.
"Uhh, who are you?" Marcus asks.
"Captain Lewis, of the RNS Luther." I interjected. "What do you want?"
"Whoa, Demi. Why the hostilities? I just came to see if you are alright."
"Really? Is that right?" Marcus asks.
"What is your problem?"
"You!"
Lewis pulls his head back, like he's surprised by his response.
"I've seen your record." he whispered.
"What is there to find? You have nothing."
"Yeah. Nothing. Almost too clean. No arrests, no warrants, no major accomplishments, no rewards. Nothing. You're almost invisible, as if your life just…exists."
"You little-."
"Ok, that's enough." I said.
"Very well." He says raising his hands in the air as if he were surrendering. "I'm just looking out for you."
"You have a funny way of showing it."
"I am not your enemy and I need to make sure we are all holding it together. These are dark times we are in."
"You don't care about anyone here and you know it."
Lewis' confident look turns angry and he looks me straight in the eyes without even blinking.
"You don't know me and I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
Something in him changed as he spoke. Like another side of pure anger. I could tell from his demeanor that he tries really hard to hide it. I guess it makes sense though. The Luther is a siege ship. Designed to intimidate and destroy with extreme prejudice. Only a sadistic man would want to take on a ship like that.
"What the heck do you even want?" Marcus asks.
"I was actually looking for Demi. There is a request for you from the ambassador's office."
"The ambassador?" I ask, "Why?"
"No idea. Could be related to you saving everyone's ass, you are a hero now after all."
He continues down the hall before turning around one final time to make one final remark.
"Some words of advice, Marcus and Demi. Be careful who you make friends with your no found fame. Our enemies everywhere. You'll never know who might stab you in the back."
I didn't get a chance to respond. He turns the corner and disappears.
"I don't like him." Marcus says.
"Me neither."
"Come on, let's get out of here."
"Can you give me a lift?"
"It should be in the Cormel district. It's on the way to my destination anyway."
"Really?"
"Probably not."
I shake my head in disappointment as Marcus escorts me out of the building and heads toward the hanger. He hops into his shuttle and invites me onboard. A large mechanical arm grabs onto the ship from both sides and pulls it to the center before raising it to the top for us to take off. Marcus calls to the tower through the radio.
"Nekomon tower 2-8-2, this is SS42-Marcus requesting permission for take off."
"Stand by 42. Alright you are clear for takeoff. Good luck."
"Thank you tower."
The ship takes off and we fly through the city. I personally had never seen something so congested. Thousands of ships flying around and seemingly organized chaos. The skyscrapers soared high into the sky. I have been told that the ones with the massive base on the ground went as high as outer space and the one we were heading to was one of them. Marcus was exceptionally quiet. It was actually very disturbing as he's normally a chatterbox.
"So." I said. "You're pretty quiet-"
"-I am sorry Demi."
"W-what? For what?"
"He's right, I shouldn't have asked you."
"What? Why? I wasn't…never mind."
"What?"
"Never mind."
We start to climb up one of the large towers until we arrive at a docking port about halfway up. Marcus pushes the ship back down and lands on the landing pad. As the doors open and I exit the ship, he calls out to me.
"Demi."
"Yeah?"
"I still owe you that lunch."
"Oh, you're not calling it a date?"
"What are you talking about? Of course it is."
I chuckle a little. He flips a switch in the cockpit and the door closes as he takes off.
"Right. Fly safe Marcus."
"As to you, Demi."
The boosters face down and a huge gust of wind hits me as he flies away into the sun, leaving me with the tower.
A strange feeling crosses me as I ride up the elevator toward the upper floors. I watch as all the ships pass by through the window. It was disturbingly quiet, though it was very short lived. The doors open and the screams and sounds of everyone overwhelm me all at once. There is random chatter, a kid screaming halfway down the hall, and the faint hum of ships passing by the windows. I cross down the hall until I make it to my destination. A door with a panel on the side that read "Ambassador C.Harrison."
I knock on the door and a man responds on the other side, saying "it's open." I open and enter the room. There sat a man who looked to be in his mid 40s. His skin was pale white and sported a very expensive suit. The suit was unlike any of the others I have seen. There was no holographic design and the seams were lightless. His hair was long, down to his shoulders, like mine, and he had a large scruffy beard. It was that kind where you had to fight the intense urge to touch it. He waves to me to come in as he is sitting at his screen, typing.
"Close the door behind you." He said.
I shut the door and sit in the open chair in front of him. He finishes typing and turns his chair to face me.
"How are you?"
"Good sir."
"No, I asked, how are you?"
"Um…?"
"I am asking, how are you feeling? There is no avoiding this question."
I take a deep sigh, thinking back to everything that has transpired.
"I feel sad. Angry. Disappointed."
"Disappointed?"
"In what?"
"That I failed. That what I did wasn't enough."
"How so?"
"I did all I could, and Phoenix is down there because of it. Hundreds of thousands of people died because of me."
"And millions were saved because of you too."
"Why are you asking me all this?"
Harrison stands up and faces out the window. As I take a closer look, I notice just how high we were in the building. We were way past cloud level, high enough that a large ship would pass by and dock nearby. The artificial planetary ring crosses the horizon. We were close enough to see the buildings on the planet's surface. Harrison eventually blocks the view.
"Our enemies are gathering, Demi. I need to know I can trust you when the sparks start to fly."
"Sparks, sir? What is this about?"
He turns around, staring me in the eyes.
"We are in a real political shit show right now. The pack leaders still haven't made a statement on our next move."
"What move?"
"There was an investigation. It started in Sulis but it ended up here and it's been going on for years. We had been hitting a dead end up until recently."
"Recently?"
"We didn't know when they were going to hit their target. Now we know."
"I don't get why I am involved."
"We have a request for you."
"Sir?"
"Princess Cadence. We are aware she is working on a project. You were referred as a candidate for recruitment."
"She never told me what it was."
"I know."
"So what? You want me to join her cause?"
"Not really. But right now we need to stay on her good side. At least until she is named the next ruler of the Sulis Empire."
"Ok."
"She seems to like you. Keep it that way."
"Why are you even giving me orders? This is not something that you would normally do."
"These orders come straight from the top. I am in charge of Sultarian relations. You'll be reporting to me for this."
"Fine."
He grabs his paperwork off his desk and organizes it as he clears his throat.
"Now then, on to the important subject."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your father…"
"Why do you care?"
"Because I want to help. You want to know what happened to him right?"
"He died years ago in a firefight."
"Is that what they tell you?"
"What do you mean?"
In that moment, everything changed. My head starts to spin as the question starts to feed into my mind, am I being lied to?
"The people we are looking for, they are very dangerous."
"Who are they?"
"We don't know. We knew they were planning something. The king. The bomb. Cloud 9 is just the beginning."
"They aren't done."
"If our suspicions are correct, the princess is going to be next."
"So, you want me to protect her then."
"Just keep an eye on her is all."
"Why? Why should I even trust you, right now?"
"You don't. All I am doing is looking out. The rabbit hole that presents itself before you is...immense. The things you're going to discover are extremely dangerous."
"Why is that?"
"Because they've killed before."
"Who is they?" I ask again.
A ping goes off on Harrison's computer. He opens and reads what's inside before returning his attention back to me. He reaches into his drawer and pulls out a massive folder with stacks and stacks of papers jammed inside and places it on the table. I observe the papers.
Alarm bells immediately sounded off in my head. It felt as if I was in defensive mode. The hell was this guy's play?
"What is this?" I sternly ask.
"Insurance. Everyone needs a friend upstairs. I am simply offering my services."
I reach for the folder and place it under my arm. Harrison stands to his feet and heads for the door. I follow behind as he opens it for me.
"Now, I have another meeting to attend to, I'll trust you'll read everything."
"What's in here?"
"Everything. Everything you need to know. Everything your father and his team were up to. Read it carefully."
"Why?"
Harrison ducks down. Leaning into my ear.
"Because Demi…there are eyes everywhere, even here."
A chill runs down my spine. This feeling of being watched starts to spread throughout my body. Suddenly, it was as if everyone around me were staring at me at once. Like when I look at them, they turn away in an instant, in hopes I don't notice them. Whispers start to gather in my ears almost as if my hearing were enhanced in some way and I could hear everyone talking about me. Harrison pulls away. His green eyes were locked into mine with a deep gaze before he turned away.
He nods and walks away in the other direction, leaving me with a stacked folder in my hands.