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[JRPomazon]

It was a mid sized ship, made in a humble shipyard of Hatena. During it's maiden voyage it was attacked and it's crew abandoned her. The attackers of the ship took it back to their home, the Forsaken Fortress and gave her life once again. It was renamed "The Deserted", because of how it was left so callously by its former crew. Now, after all this time the ship was returning to it's home, the port of Hatena.

Among it's new crew were:

Steel, a commander of the Forsaken Fortress

Shadow, an Uradiel solider given a grave mission

Ken, a lieutenant of the Fortress

Jordan, a warrior on green armor

There were many men on that mid sized ship, heading toward the Alliance. It had been so long since these men had been to this country where the man known as Khuffie ruled, but each of them had a reason for being here. The ship docked after it's voyage across the sea and the city shined in the early afternoon sun. Docking procedures were handled normally and most of the crew's identities were kept secret. Jordan placed his armor back on and took up his long glaives. He left the ship without a word, only a nod to Steel and the others as he leaped off the deck. Jordan had business in this city of Hatena with a man who took away his freedoms. This man was Alliance Law Enforcement Supervisor Weizel Grande, a man with great control over the Alliance military police force. As Jordan left the ship, he looked back to his companions thinking to himself:

"I wonder what they are going to do?"

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow knew why he was here, and what he had to do. But nonetheless, setting foot on the soil of his homeland after a such a long absence was definately refreshing. He tried to keep calm and collected, well aware that there was a lot of work to be done, but hiding his excitement was difficult; his broad grin was evidence of that. He was finally going to cut loose from the Uradiel Alliance faction that he had been blackmailed into working for and give them a swift and brutal kick out of his hometown. Oh, how he couldn't wait for the slaughter to begin.

Just the thought of it made him giddy. After effectively being sent on a suicide mission, he couldn't wait to see the look on old Grande's face when he saw him alive and well, not to mention back so soon. The old fool -- along with other people in the Alliance by now -- probably thought he was dead, a used up "expendable resource" as Jordan had put it. This mistake gave them the element of surprise.

Speaking of Jordan, his eyes caught him leaving the scene. Shadow briefly wondered where he was going, but paid it little mind; as long as he didn't do anything to rat them out -- he trusted that Jordan wouldn't screw up that royally -- it was no problem of his. All there was to do now was to wait for a plan of attack from the ringleader. "I take it you've came up with a plan by now?" Shadow asked of the pirate commander.

[Goose]

As Jordan walked, an echo of laughter followed him around. It seemed to get louder the closer to Grande Jordan got.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan looked on straight ahead, focusing on meeting with Grande with the log book at hand. The insidious laughter would have to be driven to the back of his mind for now, there was no room for uneasiness. But it was growing louder . . . and louder . . . and louder. Was he going mad? No, nothing as logical as losing one's own mind. He was waiting for him all this time, the revenant that was simply known as Goose. Was he after Grande or perhaps Jordan? Knowing Goose, he would have both heads if he wanted. Jordan placed his hand on the skull mark he placed on his shoulder guard as the laughing continued, he would be prepared to fight if needed. But Jordan had something that might work even better.

He proceeded through the docks and into the city, heading toward the large white building that usually held government affairs and occasionally the torture and imprisonment of criminals. He proceeded to the front doors, only to be greeted by two very unfriendly soldiers who crossed their spears in front of the entrance.

"State your business." One of them said to Jordan.

"I am here to meet with Weizel Grande for debriefing." Jordan replied.

The two of them looked at each other and turned back to Jordan.

"The supervisor has been expecting you. Please leave your weapons by the front and wait for an escort."

Jordan did everything he was told, relinquishing all of his weapons, including his dull carving knife. He entered the building, an interior with plenty of natural sunlight for the workers of this establishment and marble floors. Now all that was left to do was wait for an escort.

[Steel Samurai]

Unfortunately for some of the party currently trying to speak to him, Steel had been gone from the ship for several hours now. They had docked around 12 AM, and, while the rest of the crew slept, Steel slipped silently through the back alleys and side streets of the town. Hatena was a decent sized city, shaped somewhat like a coffin. The buildings were chiefly of mudbrick or adobe, no more than two or three stories, and the low, squat walls of the city were covered in dusty plaster. Not much grew around the city, and when the wind came from the east, large dust storms often blanketed Hatena for days on end.

It was 4 AM. Steel had refreshed his memory of the city's layout. There were so many memories here . . . it was in this city that the Demon-possessed Kitsune had slain Katara . . . the best friend he had ever had. He often wondered . . . if he could go back as he was now . . . would he be able to save her? He had almost defeated Kitsune once before, and his skill and power had grown immeasurably since then . . . But there was no use in living and obsessing over the past, though it sometimes reached out and grabbed a hold of the present. As it was now. Grande. It had been nearly 5 years. Much had happened in that time. Many things had changed. Many things. But not everything. There were still old scores to settle, and new grievances to have answered.

Steel leapt from to the rooftop of a nearby building to the top of the local Alliance Military Police Headquarters. It was made of stone, unlike most of the rest of the buildings in the town, and had two stories. The guards were sleeping. Lucky for them, no one had to die. Steel slipped in through a window and found his way to Grande's office, there to wait for the arrival of an old acquaintance. The reckoning would be today.

[SL the Pyro]

"Uhh, about that..."

Shadow turned around immediately, noticing that the person behind him wasn't Steel, but a pirate who had manned the ship.

"He's not here. He left before we even docked."

Shadow's jaw dropped. "GRAH! I hate it when he does that!" he shouted, stomping the ground with both feet in protest. "Now he's probably getting the party started without me!" The pirate chuckled nervously. Before another word was uttered, Shadow activated his magic boots and made a beeline for Hatena. He had some serious ground to make up.

--------------------

However, the priate commander wasn't the only one who could pull such tricks. There was one person who had made it to Grande's office even sooner than he, lying in wait for the Alliance official. None other than the Dreadlord. He knew of his plan to infiltrate Hatena and wipe out the Uradiel advisor and his lieutenants. But the plan he had in mind would get his job done faster, and for this reason Steel's interference could not be permitted.

An unearthly chill filled Grande's office, and the room darkened slightly. "You arrived sooner than I had hoped," his voice came out in an echo from the walls; he did not reveal his form to the pirate commander, one did not need to see the other to simply talk.

[JRPomazon]

Grande was about to walk into his office when he heard a voice.

"You arrived sooner than I had hoped."

It seemed the he was popular enough to have two uninvited guests. He placed his free hand on his case, the unit he used to carry various documents ranging from classified to mundane. He slowly walked away, not interested in what either of these men wanted with him. He went straight to a group of 3 soldiers who were serving as guards for the building.

"Sound the alarm, we have intruders in the building. There are some in my office."

The guards quickly mobilized and began ringing bells located in various parts of the building. As the sound echoed throughout the halls, all 33 guards in the building were now on full alert and 5 of them heading for Grande's office. Grande smiled to himself, it had been a long time since he had seen his underlings operate this efficiently.

Edited by JRPomazon, 12 January 2009 - 03:28 AM.

[Steel Samurai]

Bloody Hell. Bloody Freaking Hell. Trust a giant with a big sword (obviously compensating for something, Steel had never seen a codpiece on all that armor) to completely destroy any notions of stealth. And now the guards were alerted, and, from what he could hear, Grande headed off somewhere perhaps a bit safer. And more difficult to get into. Bloody Hell. Steel was pissed off. Judging by the sound of their footsteps, the guards were 2 minutes away. Time enough. Apparently the "Dread Lord" was in his shadow form. Steel didn't even have to close his eyes to sense the bloated purple aura of arrogance. Fricking Bloody Hell.

"You know what, bitch? You have got to be the worst bloody villain I've ever seen. You couldn't even tell that Grande was right outside the bloody door? What the bloody hell? Are you mentally retarded or did Laz just never teach you how to bloody think? Apparently it was a different society than the one that trained me, because you wouldn't have made it one mission as an assassin. Look, I appreciate your "world conquering ambitions" or whatever, but you really, really need to stop getting in my bloody way. The only reason that you still have possession of that bloody Isle out in the middle of the Lalvican is because you haven't made yourself enough of a nuisance for Lord Juno to send a couple ships and bloody annihilate you and your organization. Yet. You're getting dangerously close. So stay the bloody hell out of my affairs, or I'll kill you like bloody Shadow did that fugly little flame bitch of yours."

A guard turned the door handle. In a flash, Steel charged towards Z, Dualist blade in hand. The blade shone with the hot whiteness of medium strength light energy. The necessary righteous anger had not been difficult to summon. He turned as he reached the wall and slashed towards Z, spinning and facing the door.

"Something to remember this conversation by." Steel said, without turning. He leapt quickly through the window, leaving Z to inevitably do something pointlessly showoffish, like killing all the guards, or leaving without anyone having seen him and feeling he was amazing because of it. Really. Villains these days. No idea of what was actually an amazing feat.


-----


It had been 10 minutes. Things should be quieter. Steel closed his eyes and reached out with his mind, seeking Grande's aura. He slowly filtered out all extraneous noise and concentrated. There. Just on the limits of his inner sight. Steel jumped down from the rooftop of a nearby inn where he had been hiding. Things were just beginning to bustle, stalls opening and the fish vendors beginning their time honored yelling matches. Steel walked past a small clothing stall, the owner busy folding garments, and appropriated a red cloak and the straw hat common in the area. The black leather, while excellent for blending into the shadows, drew attention to oneself during the day. He threw the long red cloak around him and lowered the straw hat to cover his black eyes. He mixed with the crowd, eventually making his way to a small tavern, not horribly far from the Police Headquarters. Two guards at the door. Two on the roof. Grande was on the roof, as far as Steel could tell, by himself save for the guards. Steel walked casually into the tavern, sat down and ordered an ale. He took a few sips, then, when the barman's back was turned, strolled nonchalantly up the stairs. The guards on the roof, being guards and therefore stupid, were facing Grande, not the stairwell behind them. Steel opened the door to the roof, ensuring it's silent operation by applying a small bit of oil to the hinges. It was the work of a second to touch a pressure point on their necks and continue. Steel shut the door behind him. He walked silently up behind Grande and looked at the papers he was working on. The roof luckily had a wall around it, tall enough that no one from the street could see the happenings up top. Steel bent down, and whispered in the man's ear.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it. The years haven't been kind to you, have they, Weizel."

[SL the Pyro]

Z reacted immediately upon sensing light energy, twisting his shadow form out of the way of the incoming slash. A sixth magic sense and the Dualist Blade? The pirate commander was a greater threat than he's previously thought. And to go into such a long-winded speech, in spite of a sounding alarm... how arrogant he was. He then jumped out the window.

Oh, the Dreadlord knew that Grande was outside the door. It wasn't any consequence to him; he could simply possess him at any moment in time and deposit his little "gift." The ability to literally pop out of shadows, something that assassins could only pretend to do, was an advantage that Steel didn't have. Normally Z would applaud any attempt to wipe out Alliance officials, but this time Steel's personal vendettas conflicted directly with his own plans. He needed Grande alive and well.

As if cued, the guard who had made the Steel retreat was looking around the room in confusion. "Unlike the pirate commander, your timing is impeccable." his voice resonated before the darkness in the room closed in on the guard. Before the fool had any idea what was going on, he was under the Dreadlord's control. "Shame that I also have personal reasons for wanting a little talk with the advisor, Steel. So I'll have to make your mission a living hell until I'm done."

He then used the guard's body to run out of the room, get Grande's location and gather up a legion of soldiers to send to the tavern post-haste.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 12 January 2009 - 04:50 PM.

[JRPomazon]

Grande turned around after hearing a familiar voice. He pushed up his glasses and softly grunted when he realized who was calling him.

"Do they still call you Steel or have you taken a less nonsensical name?" He asked scoffingly.

He took an empty seat, it was going to be a long discussion.

"Tell me Steel, why were you and that other vandal in my office?"

Edited by JRPomazon, 12 January 2009 - 10:37 PM.

[Steel Samurai]

Steel laughed humorlessly. "Ha. You're one to talk, 'Weasel'." He walked past the table, brushing against the briefcase, and leaned against the low wall surrounding the roof.

"I have no idea what that imbecilic X or Y or whatever his name is was doing there." He looked at Grande, his cold black eyes boring into the other man's.

"It's been nearly 5 years Grande. Do you sleep well at night? Was it worth your soul? She would be 15 by now. Awkward, sensitive, and pretty, just like her mother.

"I didn't know! I tried to warn her!" Grande burst out.

"Of course you did. Save your own sister and niece, but send everyone else to hell. I read the orders, Weasel. I bloody delivered them to the captain. 'Exterminate every rebel traitor. Man, woman, and child' That was what they said. You killed your sister and niece just as surely as if you'd strangled them yourself . . . They raped them both, you know. I heard a soldier bragging about it as they returned . . . I should kill you for that alone. Unfortunately, I need you alive. At least for the moment. Tell me about Devinson."

[JRPomazon]

"You. . . you haven't changed. You think you know this world, this terrible hell of a world! More people would have died if those rebels were not killed!"

Grande's glasses were sliding off his nose. He took a deep breath and calmly pushed them back as he brushed his graying blond hair with his other hand. He looked back at Steel with cold eyes, the kind of eyes that would see right through any falsehood and ludicrous action.

"At least, that is what I wish I could believe. Because of that successful raid, I was promoted to Supervisor shortly after Verde resigned. What kind of justice is that I wonder, where a man who condemns his family is rewarded for such acts. I was . . . so brash, so impossibly blinded. I didn't think clearly enough and I paid with the blood of my family."

He sunk deeper into his chair, but his eyes didn't lose their ferocity.

"I'm not the same man I was back then, I couldn't be if I was going to become who I am today. Find your information somewhere else and let me be rid of you."

Edited by JRPomazon, 13 January 2009 - 01:33 AM.

[Steel Samurai]

Steel laughed again. "You aren't the only one who has changed, Grande." He walked purposefully up to the man and grabbed his callused hand. Steel smiled and looked into Grande's eyes, grasped his forefinger, and snapped it with a sickening crunch. Grande screamed, but Steel had dropped a small amulet, a magical device intended to neutralize sound, at the door, so the sound could not be heard.

"Now, do I need to break your thumbs, or are you going to cooperate?"

[JRPomazon]

"Per-Persistant little bastard. But a clever one. Was that day truly so horrifying that you decided to leave the Alliance and play with your little pirate horde?" He asked.

A small card dropped from Grande's pocket, a card of the tarot deck he picked up a couple of weeks ago. It landed face up, revealing the illustration of The Fool. Grande looked over at the card for a moment and turned his attention to Steel.

"Let go of me you pathetic pirate. I can't very well tell a child a bedtime story when he is too busy trying to inflict pain on me."

Steel took that as "Alright, I will cooperate" and released him, but not before snapping his finger again in the opposite direction. Grande yelled out in pain and quickly took his damaged hand and began to clench it. It hurt like hell, but he kept his poker face on.

"You have nothing to worry about when it comes to Devinson's survivors. I took the precaution of placing his daughter in safe hands before I sent my agent to attend to the matter of the Sultan."

Grande picked up the fallen card.

"What else do you want to know?"

"Ha. I trust your safe hands even less than I trust you. Where is she? And who tempted the late captain to desert in the first place?" Steel asked

"I'll get to the girl later, we will talk about her father for the time being. We approached Devinson sometime last year to be a informant about the Fortress' activities and a clean up man whenever we needed things to dissapear withing Fortress territory. It is simple to use pirates instead of getting your on hands dirty. We offered him a generous sum and a guarantee to take care of his family and he decided to take our deal. From what I have been told, someone in the Fortress was on his tail about his association with us and decided to flee. The Sultan had done us a favor and took back an important item that could have easily hurt the credibility of the Alliance, but we had no way of taking it back when he deserted you people. So, I sent a freelancer to come in and take care of that issue for us. The man who gave Devinson his orders was a member of internal affairs, Alec Frost. To be honest with you, I believe there were orders Frost gave Devinson that weren't on the record. Perhaps he was using Devinson for his own personal agenda, what that might be I can't say.

As for Devinson's daughter, she was placed in a special home Devinson purchased in Sornaiid before the war in case something happened. I don't know the exact location of his second home, but it was a couple miles in from the port towns near the Crescent Mountain Range. But let me ask you, what so special about this girl?"

Edited by JRPomazon, 13 January 2009 - 02:59 AM.

[Steel Samurai]

"A special home my ass. You mean a prison cell. My interest is none of your business. The information, however, is appreciated." Steel grabbed the man's hand again. "I would kill you if I didn't still need you. But I will leave you with a parting gift." Crunch. Grande's left pinky was twisted at an impossibly grotesque angle. The man screamed again. Steel grabbed the little noise canceling amulet and leapt off of the roof into the nearby alley. He threw off the red cloak and hat he had been wearing and lost himself in the crowd. He had the information he needed. The only thing lacking was for Jordan to complete his task, and they could leave.

[JRPomazon]

Grande clenched his hand, his fingers broken and aching. Each second came with a deep throbbing pain that shot all the way up his arm which made his breathing heavier. As he took out the Fool card he dropped earlier, he began to remember the past. Five years went by just like that and the man who called himself Steel killed his heart and became a demon of sorts. Looking back, he always considered Steel to be naive person. His despaired at the thought that he was partly responsible for creating the man Steel was now. Grande forgot about the pain in his hand as best as he could and sunk deeper into his seat.

"Guard!" He called out.

-----------------------------

The following day, Jordan waited in the main hall of the government building, waiting for his escort. A soldier approached him carrying a small piece of paper in his hand.

"The supervisor instructed me to give you this when you arrived." The soldier said quietly.

As the soldier left, Jordan took the small piece of paper and read it. It had an address to a building somewhere in the city. Jordan quietly put the paper away in his carrying pouch and left the building. The laughing in his head however, was only getting worse.

[Goose]

The Fool.

Laughter, Joy, happiness.

Crulety, Spite, Maliciousness.

All these traits were embodied by a simple card in a deck.

The Fool would laugh again. And pain would be felt by all. Beautiful Agonsing pain. The Laughter was growing stronger.

[JRPomazon]

It was a voice, a vile shrieking laughter ringing in his head. Jordan began to sweat heavily, almost as though he were coming down with some sort of fever. He began to stagger a little, his control over his bodily functions was beginning to wane from all the laughter. He knew that it was all in his head, there wasn't a soul around him, but maybe he was mistaken. He looked down at the piece of paper he received at the government building and read the address. It was close, this location Grande had prepared for Jordan. But did this mean Grande had something in mind for him once he arrived? Thinking about what could happen only made Jordan feel more anxious, it wasn't like he could not go. Gwen's life was in the balance and all he needed to do was deliver a stupid book.

Passing several different establishments and receiving some awkward looks, Jordan found a small home. He reached for the knocker and slammed it against the door. An older man answered the door, his clothes stained with food and his body unclean and crusty. His beard and balding hair were decorated with patches of gray. He smiled when he got a good look at Jordan's armor. All of the sudden, the laughing in his head stopped.

"The green armor of those who carry the title 'Whirlwind Spear'. haven't seen a good looking piece like this in a long time. Come in Jordan, Weizel is waiting for you."

"How do you know me? And who are you?" Jordan asked.

"My name is Verde. Welcome to my home."

Jordan followed Verde inside and was guided to the kitchen. There, Weizel Grande had already taken a seat. Once Jordan saw Grande, the laugh began again even louder than before. Jordan dropped to his knees, his hands grabbing his head in reaction to the pain. He screamed, the pain was too much. Grande walked up to Jordan and kicked him square in the face. Jordan fell over, his hands over his face.

"What the hell!" Jordan shouted.

"Why did you-"

"Feel better?" Grande asked.

The laughter was gone, at least for now. Jordan, wide eyed and sweating bullets slowly got to his feet. He moved to an open seat and sat down. Grande gave him a moment to regain what composure he could collect.

"Pain will keep what plagues you at bay."

"How do you-"

"The log book Jordan. I assume you either destroyed it and brought back a piece."

Jordan slammed the log book on the table.

"Blundering dolt! Your mission was to destroy the book! Why didn't-"

The log book exploded in a flurry of paper, as though it was sliced a hundred times over with a sword in all directions. It was nothing more that shreds and dust. This was the work of Jordan abilities, the power known as Wind Manipulation.

"I needed you to believe me when I said I destroyed the book. Bringing back a piece or just saying I did won't prove a damn thing." Jordan said, his face stern and his eyes piercing. He looked very much like the pirate commander Steel, perhaps some of the commander's personal traits rubbed off on Jordan. Grande looked at him and shook his head, chuckling to himself softly.

"I see. But how do I know no one-"

"You don't, that's why you're going to have to believe me when I say that I had the book with me at all times and never let it out of my sight. " Jordan interrupted.

"Well said, you pretentious little whelp." Grande said, readjusting his glasses.

"Now, are you going to leave me and Gwen alone? I'm not doing any more missions for you Grande and so help me I will break you if you think you can use me as your agent again!"

"GENTLEMEN!" Verde shouted.

"I understand that tensions are high now, but this is not a debate hall! I demand that you show some respect to my home has been offered to the both of you for this debriefing!"

There was silence, Verde's voice commanded the room. Jordan and Grande took a moment to compose themselves for the remaining time.

Edited by JRPomazon, 13 January 2009 - 11:21 PM.

[SL the Pyro]

Z kept his presence hidden in the room, hiding in its shadows. It seemed that Grande was a very popular person tonight. But the Dreadlord was patient. He would wait until his business was done...

--------------------

Shadow found himself at Hatena's entrace, with two wide-eyed guards in his path. "C... Commander Shadow! You're alive!"

His eyebrow raised. "And why wouldn't I be?"

"Advisor Grande told us that he heard from agents in the Fortess... that you'd been caught and executed."

Now that was a lie if he'd ever heard one. "Caught... yes. But not executed. I got lucky, they just want me to work it off. The old man is lying." And that was a half-lie. "Speaking of Grande, I have to talk with him. If you'll excuse me..."

With that, Shadow dashed passed the gate guards, leaving them dumbfounded. Grande really had sent him on a suicide mission and fibbed that he was dead. He wasn't going to get away with that.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 14 January 2009 - 12:07 AM.

[Steel Samurai]

Steel leaned back in the big wooden chair of the Captain's cabin in the Deserted, thumbing through a small notebook with an alliance seal on the cover. It was identical to the one Jordan had just destroyed. Steel wondered how long it would take Grande to notice it was missing.

Flashback

Steel walked past the table, brushing against the briefcase. His right hand lingered slightly, his body between Grande and the briefcase. He palmed the small notebook he had seen there, identical to the one now carried by Jordan. So. Grande had had a copy all along. It saved him the trouble of scouring his office and the other Alliance military buildings in the area. Convenient how it had worked out.

End Flashback

The information in the notebook would be incredibly useful to the Fortress. Plans of Alliance military installations, codes, drop points . . . anything an Alliance spy would need. The notebook itself must have some slight enchantment, for there were far more pages in it than one could tell by looking at it. Steel kept reading, memorizing key facts as he went. Every so often, he could hear a faint echo of laughter, but he shrugged it off . . .

Edited by Steel Samurai, 14 January 2009 - 12:13 AM.

[JRPomazon]

OoC: Grande is in his late 50's. Verde is in his mid 60's

"Mr. Verde, just who are you?" Jordan asked?

"Well, I am Weizel's predecessor but now I'm just a humble civilian with a couple of hints every now and again. It's interesting what you'll hear from the grapevine."

"You can ask Verde more questions later Jordan, let's finish this debriefing and be rid of each other." Grande said as he reached for a folder in his briefcase. He paused for a moment and noticed that something wasn't right. He shuffled through his things and discovered that something was missing after all.

"Damn it all." he muttered quietly. Jordan noticed the bandages on his hand.

"What happened to your hand?" Jordan asked. Grande ignored his question and took out a file. He placed it on the table and passed it to Jordan.

"These are your release papers. As I said, here is your pardon. All I need is your signature here and you are free."

"And Gwen?" Jordan added.

"Untouched, unpunished and unknowingly saved. Then again, I owe her father far too much to convict his daughter of a crime she didn't commit."

Jordan's interest was piqued.

"You knew Argus of the Whirlwind Spear?" He asked. Grande passed Jordan a pen and ink.

"Yes, both Verde and I had dealings with Argus in the past."

"He always saved us from the most bothersome of troubles." Verde added.

"Everything from his expertise as a soldier to simple tasks to keep the peace, that man helped shape the Alliance in a positive way. It's a shame that his deeds are usually swept under the rug and ignored while lesser men take greater glory."

Jordan signed his name on the pardon document and handed the pen and ink to Grande.

"So all this time you were just using the threat to make me jump through all these hoops?" Jordan asked Grande, who was notarizing the document.

"Who can say? I might have been pulling your leg or I might have gone ahead with it. I've been known to be cold hearted. You have to be to live in this hell of a world."

The stamp was pressed on the document, the pardon was official.

"There, you are now a free man." Grande said.

Jordan nodded and punched Grande square in the face, the force knocking him out of his chair. Jordan wiped his hands on the side of his pants and headed towards the door.

"It was very nice to meet you Mr. Verde." He said, smiling politely as he shook the man's hand.

As Jordan left, Grande slowly got to his feet.

"Are you alright Weizel?" Verde asked.

"That man, he acts so brashly. I bet his doesn't even think ahead about anything."

Verde sighed as he shook his head.

"Weizel, I know if you could turn back time you would set things right. Your sister made her choice, how long are you going to blame yourself for what happened?"

"For the rest of my natural life. If I allow another incident like that even with my authority . . ."

"There aren't many thing we can control in life. Even though you plan things so carefully, life will always come around to surprise you."

Edited by JRPomazon, 14 January 2009 - 10:06 PM.

[Goose]

Sleep comes sparely to those with shameful pasts, and Nightmares last a long time for those with things they wish to forget. Memories of both good and bad come back to haunt you, to remind you of better times, and to remind you that you cant get them back. In the wakeful world you may run and hide, but nobody can hide from their past in the midnight hours. The day holds many secrets, while the night lets them out of the bag for all to see, And to relive, constantly.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan left Verde's house in the late afternoon. The market places were closing, the familiar hustle and bustle of rushing customers no where to be seen. It was better that there were less people on the street, the quiet often gave Jordan time to think. He was free, no longer bound to the needs and wants of the Alliance, especially those of Weizel Grande. But what was this uneasiness that overcame him? Was it the laughing that rang in his head? He could hear it more and more as time went on, the anxiety growing in his heart that had such a subtle yet forceful grip on his mind. But that was only part of it. There was something deeper in his heart that troubled him. Grande seemed troubled too.

Jordan stopped in the street, something came to him. How did Grande know about the laughter and how to overcome it? Did it have something to do with the injury on his hand? Jordan's earlier notion that Goose might have been the one responsible for this might have been dead on. Jordan heard a crowd coming his way, a party of pirates. They seemed like they were searching for a pub, after all, they were on shore.

"Hey Jordan! We're off on shore leave and we are gonna hit every pub in this city! Come join us!"

The invitation caught Jordan off guard, he didn't think the Fortress' pirates even liked him all that much and here they are asking him to join them. Jordan smiled, ignoring the laughter for a little bit.

"I appreciate it fellas but I got something to do. Could you do me a favor though?"

Jordan handed a note to one of the pirates and told them to give it to Steel when they decided to head to the port. They said their goodbyes and went on their own ways, leaving Jordan alone on the street. He didn't really like being alone but he always seemed to find himself without the comfort of others. Jordan, still wearing his smile, decided to stay at a local inn for the night. It would be more spacious than his cabin. So, he located a nice inn nearby and gave the good people there his business. Even though it was the beginning of the evening, Jordan fell right to sleep.

Grande passed Jordan, neither of the two men realizing that the other was nearby. He was heading towards his office, hoping that the prospect of work would drive the demons of the past back into whatever dark hole in his mind they inhabit. He was alone as well, but he had gotten used to his solitude over the past five years. He had nothing but time and his title left to him now. He pushed his glasses back, the damn things always seemed to fall off his face.

Elsewhere, a pirate delivered a particular message to his commander:

"My mission is over, but I'm going to stay here for a while. Go ahead without me for a bit, I'll follow soon enough."

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow was starting to get pissed. Grande's office was empty, he wasn't at the tavern... where the hell was he!? "Damnit, Grande, show your bloody face!" he groaned in frustation, fighting the urge to yell out and make a scene.

His body tensed up as his ears picked up on something... laughter. A very cold and dark laughter. It sounded vaguely familiar... had he heard that voice before? He couldn't place it, though...

His train of thought was broken when the object of his rage made himself visible in the uncrowded streets, heading back to HQ. Shadow ran up behind Grande and roughly tapped him on the shoulder, saying, "You, Sir, owe me some explanations!"

[JRPomazon]

Grande turned around to find Shadow Link standing before him. He didn't expect to see him here in Hatena or ever to be completely honest. The two of them had never met, but Grande had reviewed Shadow's file once or twice before, so he knew a safe amount about him. The Supervisor wasn't in the mood to be dealing with every single agent with a fussy attitude, so a brief and blunt approach was to be expected.

"Shadow Link I assume." He said, brushing off the shoulder Shadow touched.

"What possible explanations could you want from me? I'm not in charge of your missions or your management, that's Lieutenant Nightly's department. I have absolutely no time to hear your banter."

Grande proceeded on his way, ignoring Shadow's questions. He stopped for a moment, a thought came to his head.

"If you want me to answer your nonsensical babble, then follow me to my office. I get verbally assaulted by my aides if I'm not accompanied by a guard."

Grande kept on walking ahead, knowing full well what parts of what he said were lies and truths.

Meanwhile, Jordan tossed and turned in his sleep, his head haunted by Goose's laughter.

Edited by JRPomazon, 16 January 2009 - 02:32 AM.

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow blinked. "O-oh, my bad, I was always told it was you." Damnit, he had his knuckles all lined up for nothing. The only reason he knew Grande's face was because he knew the faces of his peers from sneaking a look at their files. "I guess Nightly or whoever he is wanted the heat off of him. And where do people keep getting the 'Link' from?"

"If you want me to answer your nonsensical babble, then follow me to my office. I get verbally assaulted by my aides if I'm not accompanied by a guard."

Shadow tried to wind down a little. "Fair enough..." he agreed, following the Supervisor.

[Goose]

Jordan! Hey Jordan!

I"m going to make you wish you were dead. You'll regret ever meeting me.

Every night. Every time you close your eyes.

I"l be there. Laughting at you.

Till the day you die.

A traitor. An Agent of the Alliance. You may have well slept in bed with the Khuff.

So now you pay.

Forever.

[JRPomazon]

Everything was black, a deep void that deprived Jordan of his physical senses. There was only the mind. A world of dreams is forged by the will of the dreamer, but there are times were even a dreamer is powerless among his own dreams. Goose was here, in this void. Perhaps he was the void itself. The specific details behind this phenomenon were not clear but at this moment it didn't matter.

Traitor? Traitor!? There are no friends or enemies in anarchy!

The soft echoing of laughter echoed in the dark, Goose's revenge had official begun. There was no where to run from this attack on his psyche.

Do you remember what it was I said to you before I buried you in the rubble to make your escape?

Only one of us were going to escape that army they sent after us and I knew it had to be you!

You were the only one who could come back after an attack like that.

The laughing continued.

But I wasn't as fornunate as to escape that day! They took my freedom Goose! They took it away and made it into a prize for helping them! Everything I value in this life would have been gone if I didn't do something to reclaim it! Tell me Goose, you have died already but did you ever lose your freedom!

[Goose]

Several Times. They've locked me up. They've killed my family. They've tortured me. They Left me for dead. Then they killed me again. And every time. I fought them. I refused to give in.


But not you.

You switched sides.

Why should I trust you?

[JRPomazon]

So much loss. So much pain. Jordan was fortunate enough to reclaim that which was taken from him. His freedom from Grande and Gwen from the wraith Crowe. But not everyone had such a luck, he knew that all too well. The laughter continued and thinking of what to say got harder. If only the words could. . . .

It was at this moment that the laughter stopped and the dreamer took hold of the dream.

It was the Forsaken Fortress in the mid afternoon, at a pub that faced the open sea. Jordan and Goose, now taking physical appearances, were sitting by the window at a small wooden table. Jordan pulled out a small bottle of Red Crow, one of the finest drinks in the Fortress. He poured a glass for Goose.

"I was told that the destiny I carry is that of a simple man who just wants to spend his days in peace." He said as he passed the drink to Goose.

"I finally understand what that means. Goose, I'm afraid that there isn't much I can do to help you when it comes to this task you've taken. I just can't take lives so recklessly. But I believe that the two of us want the same change. I'm not going to stop you, I have no right to interfere with revenge. However, I'm going to help create a world that can finally give you the peace you deserve but I'm going to do it my way."

Jordan looked out the window to catch a glimpse of the sunset.

"I think it's time we both woke up."

The dream was over, Jordan found himself lying on the bed in his room. He got his armor and his weapons back on his body and looked out the window. The sun was beginning to rise. He made his way out of the inn and into the empty streets. There was a place he needed to go.

Earlier that evening at the government building, Grande made himself comfortable in his office as he entertained Shadow. He took the seat by his desk and neatly placed his bag on the desk.

"Alright Shadow, I am willing to tell you everything you want to know, but there is something of you. A terrorist who calls himself Steel has been making various troubles for the Alliance for quite some time. I would like you to make contact with the target, or someone close to the target and offer me reports on what he is doing. This would be considered an official order from the Law Enforcement division and your superiors would have to deal with it. I have more authority than they do anyway. So, do we have a deal? And if we do, what would you like to know?"