*Tick*
*Tick*
*Tick*
We were playing in the sand
Then you found a little band
You told me you fell in love with it, hadn't gone as I'd planned.
"Wake up boys. You don't want to miss breakfast, do you?"
When you had to bid adieu
Said you'd never love anew
I wondered if I could hold it and fall in love with it too.
It could've all have been so simple. A safe environment. A family. But it wasn't safe. And they weren't a family. They were weapons, bound by blood.
"Did you hear me, you hounds? Get up! The General wishes to speak with you!" were the words of a raspy male voice that woke both boys from their sleep. "If it blew up within the last twenty-four hours, it wasn't us…for obvious reasons. Right So-So?" one of the boys responded, rolling over on his side. 'So-So', or Sokkuri as he was more formally known, simply grunted as he continued to lay motionless on the floor of his cell.
"Quite horsing around. It's an urgent matter. He'll be waiting for the two of you by the South East elevator," a feminine voice chimed in. Both boys shot up, wearing menacing grins on their faces.
"Shapiroe? Is that you?" Sokkuri asked with intrigue.
"Yes, Sokkuri, it's me. How about you and Zero get going, huh?" Shapiro replied.
"YES MA'AM!" Zero, the first boy, yelled enthusiastically.
The pair rushed, quickly switching into plain jumpsuits, Zero donning black while Sokkuri donned white. They stood in front of their cell doors, waiting earnestly for them to open. "So-So, how long have we been down here?" Zero inquired. Before Sokkuri could reply, a chime came over the intercom.
"Three hundred and sixty-three days, five hours, twenty-two minutes and counting."
"Hmph. Seems about right," Sokkuri confirmed after counting with his fingers. At that very moment, both sets of doors unlatched, spreading open to reveal a brightly lit white hallway.
"Last one to the end is a live target!" Zero yelled before sprinting down the hall.
"You forgot who's at the end of the hallway, idiot. Hold your horses!" Sokkuri yelled back.
Zero came to a halt, not moving an inch until Sokkuri caught up. The pair walked in perfect silence as they approached the elevator. Just as Sokkuri reached out for the 'call' button, the elevator door slid open, revealing a large bulky figure, clad in an even larger coat.
"Hello boys. It's…been a while," the figure uttered in a low pitched voice in between puffs from a large cigar.
"'Sup geezer," the two boys replied in unison as they entered the elevator, standing on either side of their General.
"You know those are bad for you, right?" Zero pointed out, triggering the General to take a deep inhale as he pressed the button to the first floor. "Hey So-So, between you and me, who do you think will end up looking like him in future?" He asked as the doors shut.
"I personally like to think I'll age with grace. You though? You already have white hair. Could be Marie Antoinette syndrome though…but since birth? That's a ta-," Zero managed to jabber off before getting slapped on the back of his head.
"You talk too much Zee," Sokkuri pointed out before resuming his silence.
"Hmph, Xen will be happy to see neither of you have changed," the General commented as he took his last inhale before placing the cigar in a small tin box and tucking it away.
"You sure about that? If I remember correctly, the last thing she said to me was that she'd break every vessel in my body if I did anything stupid," Zero replied.
"That shouldn't take too long," Sokkuri said jokingly, being awarded only a grunt of acknowledgment from the General.
"Screw you guys," Zero responded dismissively as the lift came to a halt. The General stepped out into another empty corridor and uttered two words before turning the corner, "Medicals. Hangar".
"So much for chitchat," Sokkuri commented as he and his brother came off the lift. They walked in perfect silence, following the dimly glowing overhead lights as they made way to the medical bay.
"You think we're gonna find Xen there?" Zero asked.
"She's an apothecary. What do you think?" Sokkuri replied sarcastically, getting only silence. It was shocking. "Hold on, you're worried about Izzy, aren't you?" he asked after understanding the basis of his brother's question.
"I know I don't have the best grasp on time like you or Nero but I know that she turned ten yesterday and that means-"
"The Yeti Run."
"Exactly. And I know what you're gonna say: 'She's a pyrokinetic. She's better suited for it than any of us ever were…except maybe Cyn of course.' But at the end of the day, she's still a kid and my little sister while we're at it."
Sokkuri decided it best not to respond as they finally reached the medical bay. Before either of them could knock, the door opened, revealing a stout, hairy man with the sleeves of his coat rolled up. "Why's it always my shift that you two trouble makers get stuck on?" he muttered in disdain, giving both boys his back as he walked over to his desk.
"Well hello to you too, Doctor Boot. How's the-" Zero spoke before the doctor raised his hand to silence him.
"Let's skip the formalities. The old lady's great and she still hates you for that little stunt you pulled in France. No, I haven't gotten taller and yes, Pink Eye is still a thing. Now sit your *rses down so I can get this over with."
The boys complied and sat in the prearranged chairs in front of the doctor.
"Doctor Martin, if you don't mind us asking, has Izzy already been taken for her Yeti Run?" Sokkuri asked as the doctor placed his hands on their heads.
"Yep. Broke your record by some margin might I add. At the rate she's progressing, she'll exceed your risks before she turns fourteen," Doctor Martin responded.
"See? Nothing to worry about," Sokkuri told his brother proudly.
"Neuggghh," Zero replied.
"Eyes front!" Doctor Martin commanded before turning both of their heads. "Yeah, that should just about do it. I'll send clearance ahead of you."
"Great! See ya, Boot!" Zero said excitedly as he rose and turned towards the door.
"Hold your damned horses, you oil-brained headache! Forgetting something?" Doctor Martin said, stopping Zero in his tracks.
Zero turned back, seeing the doctor holding two identical black boxes. "I thought contacts are combat-issued only."
"They are. But these are custom orders. Supposed to help with the strain during more mellowed times.The other dingbats got their pairs already. Yours are the last two I have before I can tick that box on my chore list," Doctor Martin explained as the boys fitted their contacts on their eyes.
"They're a little itchy, Boot," Zero commented as he kept rubbing his eyes.
"Just blink twice and get out of here," Doctor Martin instructed before walking ahead of the pair and opening the door for them to leave.
"Thanks doc."
"They're still itchy."
"Quit whining!"
"No need to shout."
"I wasn't, doofus."
"Yeah, yeah. Now hurry along now, lads," Doctor Martin said politely before slamming the door behind them. They continued their stroll down the corridors of their base, bickering as they went along. After three tackles, a punch a piece and extensive name calling, they finally reached the blast door leading to the hangar.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" Sokkuri asked.
"Nah, I got it," Zero replied, pushing the door open. "Was it always this heavy?"
"Hide the nukes! The war criminals got in!" a voice yelled from above them.
"My middle finger salutes you, Nero," Zero said, casually displaying a crude gesture as Sokkuri closed the door behind them.
"Awww, appreciate it, Little Zee," Nero replied before dropping in behind them and wrapping either of his arms around their necks. "But that's no way to greet your big brother, now is it?"
"Quit it, Nero. You'll only be more useless with two broken arms. And Xen's not trying to overwork herself," a woman in a red ranger uniform spoke up while rummaging through drawers on a nearby workbench.
"Come on Cynthia. Nothing wrong with a little roughhousing, right, idiots?" Nero responded as he tightened his hold.
"Concurrably," the boys said in unison before flipping Nero onto the ground.
"No way you two are the welcome committee. Where are the others?" Zero asked.
"At The Platform. The initial plan was actually to let you two come find us but Ms. Clumsy over here misplaced her binky so I suggested we might as well welcome you while she looked," Nero explained as he rose and patted himself down.
"Found it!" Cynthia suddenly yelled joyfully, holding up a small vial of mercury.
"Congrats. Now let's get going, children. You know how the old fart feels about waiting," Nero said before shoving the other three ahead of him. The four of them made their way to The Platform where the General stood with his back turned, looming over a glowing obelisk. "Brought the kiddos, pops."
"Took you long enough," a feminine voice commented from a table surrounded by four figures huddled together.
"Xen! Hey there old buddy, old pal. How've you been?" Zero said, as he reached for a hug. Xen held her hand out, keeping Zero at arms length while still facing the table.
"Cut the crap or I give you an aneurysm," she stated bluntly.
"I haven't even done anything yet. Can't a guy greet his sister who he hasn't seen in-"
"Here's an extra stim. Use it wisely."
"That's why I love ya. Always looking out for-"
"I win, mothersuckas!!" a younger female yelled in excitement. "Oh, hey Zero. Wait. Zero!!" She yelled before jumping over the table, into the boy's arms.
"'Hey Izzy. Heard about your run," Zero said, hugging his little sister back.
"Yeah. Pops said I was even faster than you and Kuri's old record," she said with a smile.
"Couldn't have been that quick," Zero said, playing down the achievement.
"Oh no, it was. 6 hours and thirty-eight minutes," Xen replied as she walked past the pair, shuffling cards. "That's like what? Two whole hours faster than yours, right?"
Zero took a step forward only for his sister to raise her hand again. "Nuh uh uh. Aneurysm remember?"
"Settle down you two!" The General ordered, still facing the obelisk.
"Double salute to you," Zero whispered.
"Likewise," Xen replied as everyone took a seat from a handful of chairs in the middle of The Platform.
The General placed his cigar back in its tin before laying a hand on the obelisk, sprouting a large hologram. "First things first, welcome back boys."
"Happy to be back," they said in unison.
"I really wish you'd stop doing that," The General muttered, pinching the corners of his eyes as he did it. "Moving on. Twenty hours ago, the Quadrumvirate issued an alert for the seizure, dead or alive of this man," he explained as a picture of a pale, platinum blonde man with a shaggy beard appeared. "This is Scott Bartholemew Blizzard. And as his name suggests, he is a cryokinetic who is currently ranked as a Monsoon level R.O.R…I say currently because somehow, he's managed to evade our tracking systems so we have no formal information on him aside from what the Quadrumvirate has issued us. He is likely higher than his current level implies seeing as this is what he's managed to do to Echo Point Delta."
The image shifted to a harbor area overcome with massive glacier-like structures pointing outwards, similar to the design of a fort. "There are currently no reported casualties on site, so we can only assume that he's non-lethal…for now. That being said, we will also need to rescue and secure whoever we find that doesn't present a feasible risk," The General said, staring directly at Zero after his last sentence.
"He had a gun."
"He was a Ranger!" The General yelled, before removing his hat to slick back his black head of hair. "As I was saying, secure any civilians you find, sweep any threat that might come your way and as always, cooperate. I'm sure you're all clear on that. Now then, let's move on to assignments," he said as he flipped pages on a clipboard in front of him.
"Xenia, Zero and Dimaric, you three will lead a frontal charge on the main tower. Nero and Cynthia, you two are going to lead the main search and rescue. And Sokkuri, take Lucas and cover reconnaissance. All three squads will meet at the foot of the tower for the final siege. Everyone clear?"
Zero raised his hand. "Question. Izzy doesn't have a unit yet, so what happens there?"
The General sighed while eyeing each of his children. "Sokkuri, she'll be assigned to your platoon for the time being."
"What the hell?!"
"But I want to go with Zee," Izzy protested.
"Look kid. They're basically the same person except for their hair color differences. Besides, it'll be safer with Kuri. Zero's going where all the violence is gonna be," Cynthia tried explaining.
"But I want to go where the violence is!! Recon is boring!"
"Yeah, well think of it like violent hide and seek. Or capture the flag. And you know how much you love capture the flag."
"Fine. Only because you said it's like capture the flag."
"Do I get a say in this?" Sokkuri chimed in.
"No. Deployment is in three hours. Make the needed preparations in that period. Zero and Sokkuri. Take Isabella and head to RnD to pick up your equipment. Nothing further. Dismissed!" The General barked before walking off and out of sight.
"Guess we prepare. See you all later, non-favorite children," Zero said as he jumped out of his chair and waltzed in the direction of the Research and Development department.
"See ya!" Izzy yelled as she ran off to catch her brother while Sokkuri rose in silence and walked away whilst holding up a peace sign.
After following another route of winding corridors, the trio found themselves at a large area sprawling with a number of people rushing around in white lab coats, a signifier that they had reached their destination. Upon taking note of their presence, a tall slim man equally clad in a coat yelled out, "Wait! Stand Ready!" Every scientist stopped dead in their tracks and held up a salute.
"Hey Cortez. New cane?" Zero remarked as he took the lead in approaching the man.
"Lord Commanders…and Lady Isabella. What brings you to the department?" The man asked as he hobbled closer to the three children.
"The old man told us to pass through here before organizing the troops for a little expedition."
"I see, I see. An early birthday present no doubt. This way then," the man, Cortez, replied before hobbling away. "All of you! Back to work!"
The sprawling resumed as the three children tried to keep up with the apparent Head of the Department. He led them to an open plan room with three differently sized cases aligned on a steel table.
"Biggest one's obviously mine. Smallest one has to be Izzy's. So that means this one is yours, So-so," Zero yapped as he rearranged the cases.
"Go on then. Take a look," Cortez told them as he leaned against a wall.
Zero's face lit up as he saw his cases contents, namely a pair of custom twin Desert Eagle pistols, a sleek black customized Designated Marksman Rifle and a pair of Karambit daggers, all neatly arranged. As he inspected his pieces without lifting them, he ran his hand across the words engraved on the barrel of his rifle.
"Pulvis et umbra sumus."
"We are dust and shadow," Sokkuri translated bluntly, as he checked the bolt response on his Sniper rifle. His case contained a similar pair of pistols to his brother's, a case of throwing knives and the rifle he currently held, which bore it's own inscription.
"Inveniam viam aut faciam."
"I will find a way or make one," Zero translated back, now handing a pistol to his brother. Sokkuri picked one of his own and exchanged it for the one he was offered.
"Lord Commanders, I must insist that you maintain the synergy of your equipment. It has all been trial tested and prepared for either one of you specifically," Cortez told the two as they continued examining their hardware.
"Nah. Its better this way. Half of my life in his hands. And half of his in mine. One helping the other even while separate," Sokkuri explained as they both fitted their exchanged guns in their slots.
"What about you, scrappy? What'd you get?" Zero asked Izzy, who had been quietly staring at her case. The look in her eyes made it clear to everyone else that she was somewhere between awestruck and afraid.
"You want me to open it for you?"
Izzy shook her head as she placed her hands on either lock of the case. The locks clicked under the little pressure she applied, opening up to reveal two neatly wrapped rods.
"All I get are sticks? That's not cool at all!" She said in frustration.
"Lady Isabella, the Stinger Mk. I's are no ordinary sticks. They're tangible conductors. If you feed your fire through them, they'll be whatever you want them to be," Cortez tried explaining.
"So they're candle sticks? That's worse!" Izzy responded before slamming the case shut.
"She's quite similar to you at this age, Lord Commander," Cortez remarked as he glanced at Zero.
"And that's not a good thing. Let's just, uh," Zero replied as he cautiously pulled the case aside to inspect the rods. "Hmm, this is a long one. Flec-, flectere si nekoo-…I really can't read with these damn contacts. Flectere sinequeo superos, Acheronta movebo."
"If I cannot move heaven, I will raise hell. Fitting for her ability, I'd say," Sokkuri spoke up as he closed his case. "That's everything you had for us?"
"No, no, no. Lord Zero…you made a request for a revised respirator design prior to your last deployment because you said you hated the modelling and disengagement process. And you, Lord Sokkuri, your coat…you asked for an improved quality of camouflage, correct?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. They're both ready?" Zero inquired.
"Yes, my Lordships. This way please," Cortez instructed as he walked over to a vault. "I took the liberty of making a copy of each of your requests for the other… In your desired colours of course."
He entered a code on the vault lock, which activated it's security mechanism before it dematerialized, revealing two identical hooded coats partnered with a neck brace. "The respirators construct over your faces via a neural activation and are made of a specially crafted carbon fiber and titanium alloy. Durable yet light weight. Happy early birthdays my Lordships."
"And the coats?" Sokkuri asked as he inspected the fabric.
"Yes, those are made of a light sensitive polymer fabric, fitted with micro thermal regulators. The insides are also lined with small locked reinforced metal plates for pierce resistance. You'll be virtually invisible and bulletproof with them on," Cortez explained, clearly proud his work.
"Thanks a bunch, Cortez," the boys said in unison.
"The thing is, Lord Commanders, while I would like to take all the credit, the rest of the department were the ones who made all of this possible. Shall I inform them of your gratitude?" Cortez spoke back.
"Go ahead. You all are vital to our operations after all. Let's go Izzy," Zero remarked as he and his brother walked back to the department entrance. Izzy picked up her case and rushed to her siblings, pushing herself ahead of either one of them.
"Oh and Lord Commanders!!" Cortez called out as he hobbled to remain in earshot.
"Sup?"
"Please request the Lord Twin Snakes to take note of any issues in their armours that may need correction."
"Noted Cortez!" They yelled back before walking out of view.
The three siblings walked back down the corridors they initially came through, in perfect silence, save for Izzy's rhythmic whistling. "Yeah, you're right," Zero blurted out, halting the whistling.
"Hm?" Izzy replied, looking back.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. This way my fellow delinquents," Zero spoke back before walking ahead and making a left at an intersecting junction.
"The hangar's straight ahead though," Izzy told her brother.
"Pit stop," Sokkuri replied bluntly before hoisting her up and making the same turn. They followed Zero down the corridor, coming to a dead end with two doors labeled with gender symbols.
"The old man probably has a suit waiting for you in there. We'll meet back right here in ten," Zero instructed his sister before dragging Sokkuri into the male side.
The pair's field gear was laid out in slots which had both of their names beaming over them in white light. They were sleeveless Kevlar vests partnered with bagged camouflage patterned pants in white and black. Both outfits had field boots and gloves rested neatly at their bases.
"Wanna pull a sweet sixteen again?" Zero asked, looking over at his brother with the widest smile.
"Considering that we're going to a predominantly snow filled area and I'm working recon, that's easily the dumbest thing you've suggested this past year," Sokkuri reprimanded.
"Even ahead of the electr-"
"ESPECIALLY AHEAD OF THE ELECTRIC SLIDE!!"
"You used to be fun. Now you really are turning into him," Zero said in disdain as he walked over to his set. The brothers got suited up casually as the over head speakers announced *TIME TILL DEPLOYMENT: ONE HOUR*. As they wrapped up, the pair passed eachother a length of string as they used their free hands to finish tying their boots.
"You need it more than I do, Mr Recon," Zero said blandly, picking the string out of his brother's hand and placing another in it.
"Yeah but remember what Shaps taught us," Sokkuri replied.
"'If it has a weapon, it's not excessive force, its just self defense?'"
"No, dipsh*t. A soldier is only as good as his appearance."
"Uuuhhh, I don't know. I don't remember her saying all that."
Sokkuri ignored his brother's comment and proceeded to inspect his weaponry one last time before packing it up and loading it onto his back. "Let's get a move on."
The two finally emerged from the changing room, only to find Izzy gently knocking her rods together as she sat on the floor. "You two took forever to get ready. Now we're gonna be late!" she wailed. Without uttering a single word, the boys glanced at each other, then glanced back at Izzy before Zero picked her up and sprinted away with Sokkuri not far behind.
"Perks of having us as brothers, kid…we can go anywhere!"
They sprinted down the halls, jetting past researchers and blue collars before re-emerging back at the hangar. Zero dropped Izzy off before kneeling at her side and fixing her pigtails. "Now remember, rule number one: always make an entrance count. Just follow our lead."
"No time for any of that. Your units are waiting. Chop chop," Nero chimed in, somehow managing to stand on the spinning propeller of a chopper.
*TIME TILL DEPLOYMENT: THIRTY MINUTES*
The boys found their troops quarrelling near a Transport Vessel but chose not to chip in. "Lord Commander Sokkuri would kick your whole squad's *sses without breaking a sweat," one soldier said.
"Yeah? Well Lord Commander Zero would make sure that never happens. He'd easily beat Commander Sokkuri!" another argued back.
"That just speaks volumes about your competence…or lack thereof," a third soldier commented dismissively.
"I'll show you competence!" The second soldier yelled furiously as he loaded a pistol before aiming it.
"That's enough! You dare speak so recklessly in their very presence?" a fourth soldier, dressed different from the rest, said as he pushed the weapon back down before saluting the boys, compelling all the other soldiers to follow suit. "Apologies, Lord Commanders. It was nothing more than a heated debate."
"Don't be so uptight, Walter. They're not complaining," a similarly dressed soldier said, while diverting his attention to try balance his rifle on its muzzle.
Zero and Sokkuri walked in separate ways silently, with Sokkuri shoving Izzy ahead of him to remind her whose troop she was currently assigned under. Their respective squads organized themselves and followed their commanders.
^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^
"Listen up, scoundrels!" Zero began, shortly after finding a war buggy to stand on top of. "Hell finally froze over and we're the guys they're sending to start the fire again! I know all of you are probably as exci-," he paused, noticing a look of fear on an unfamiliar face. He hopped down and walked up to the soldier before he began circling, inspecting him from head to toe. "Walt…who's the new guy?"
"Emiliano Del Cinco, Lord Commander. Checked in three days ago. Came in with a rather exceptional recruitment report, my Lord," Walter replied.
"You look scared, Fives. Are you?" Zero asked in a calm voice, covered in curiousity.
"Sir! No Sir!" Del Cinco replied, instigating a light chuckle from his war brothers.
"This isn't standard military, Fives. You're an Alkemist now. You know what that means?"
"No Sir!"
"You will address me as Lord Zero. Do you understand, Fives?"
"Yes, Lord Zero!"
"Good. And to fill you in on what it means to be an Alkemist…Alkemist Unit! Who are we?!"
"WE ARE THE DUST! WE USE OUR LIVES TO FULFILL OUR PURPOSE! WE ARE THE SHADOWS! WE SERVE TO COMPLETE OUR TASK!"
"And do we yield?!"
"WE YIELD ONLY IN DEATH!"
"And do we die?!"
"NO LORD COMMANDER!"
"Welcome to the family, Fives. Time to make ready," Zero said gleefully.
§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§…§
Sokkuri stood in front of his squad, eying them all in a sharp silence. He took a deep breath before balling his hands into fists, cracking his knuckles in the process.
"Speed," he muttered in a low tone.
"The force of the perfect kill," his squad uttered back, all with bowed heads as if entranced.
"To fail."
"Is to be seen as lesser."
"Our mission?"
"To hunt."
"Our Goal?"
"To win."
Izzy looked at her brother in wary confusion, unclear of what was going on.
"It's a mantra, Izzy. You'll need one when you're the head of your own unit," Sokkuri said bluntly, as if sensing his sister's unease. "Pike, how've the boys been?"
"Not too bad, Lord Commander. Few internal squabbles here and there, but you probably figured that out already. Nonetheless, we're all happy to see you. It's been far too long since we went hunting, my Lord," Pike, Sokkuri's quartermaster answered, walking over to his Commander's side.
*TIME TILL DEPLOYMENT: FIVE MINUTES. PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL PREPARATIONS ARE WELL HANDLED*
"Guess we make ready."
"Gladly, my Lord. Alright! Roll out Pulse Unit!!"
And so it begins once again. A step back from the facade of safety, the disillusionment of a family.
*TIME TILL DEPLOYMENT: IMMINENT. MAKE READY*