Post by Ash on Mar 8, 2008 5:30:12 GMT -5
(( Okay... I finished the introduction of this RP. I think its pretty long. And I planned to write even more. I plan to finish this RP relative quick. The reason is simple. At the end of April, I´ll be away for a few weeks. Work related. I am so excited. And yes, that was sarcasm. I don´t know if there will be an internet-connection in the hotel I´ll stay in. But I really hope it. After all, I need my dose of Roleplay. Anyone tried to play Pen&Paper RPG´s over phone? Could be funny. And difficult. Oh yes. Almost forgot. I´m pretty sure that there are a LOT of spelling and grammar mistakes. But you can keep them. Also, I like to use the word "he". ;D))
After a long walk Ash reached his destination. A residential district. He continued to walk down the road until he stopped at a terrible looking house.
He entered the front garden, but stopped at the Mailbox. "Nyder" was written on it. He let his hand slide over the Name and sighs. In all the years, nearly everyone just called him Ash. And he got used to it. He turned over to the front door, just to see that it was open. The door lock was broken out.
Ash waited in front of the door for a minute before he finally entered the house. He stood in the old living room. It was pretty simple arranged. Two book shelves, a few photos on the walls, a TV which most likely wouldn't work anymore after all the years and a small table with a couch and armchair around it.Everything was covered by a thick layer of dust. Books on the ground, as well broken picture frames and shards made it look like as if someone looked for anything valuable.
"Bang! You are dead. It seems that you are getting reckless.", a voice came from somewhere near the door.
Ash swirled around and pointed his beam cannon into the direction the voice came from.
"You...?", he asked confused as he had seen the person who said this.
It was a person he known to well. A middle aged woman with long, blond hair. Doctor Helena. Constructor of the Metal Armors 01, 02 and 03.
She was sitting on a simple wooden chair behind the door. A backpack, with a small "EDF" printed on it was lying next to her.
Ash deactivated the beam cannon and sighed.
"How many?", he asked, looking around as if he was expecting something to happen.
"What do you mean?"
"Snipers. Assassins. Whatever. You don't want to tell me that you came here alone, do you?"
"What do you even think who I am?!?", she shouted aghast.
She stood up, walked over to Ash and slapped him so hard that it could be heard trough the entire house.
"They were already here. But they couldn't find you anywhere here. So they left. Besides that, no one thought that you would be stupid enough to show up here, out of all places.", Helena explained.
"Except you, of course.", Ash muttered slowly, rubbing his cheek. He walked through the room and let himself fall into an old,dirty armchair.
"I know you too good by now. It was just a matter of time until you would come here. Even though I waited for a few hours." ,Helena replied slowly. She sat down on the couch next to the armchair.
"But what are you doing here? If the EDF knows that you are here... and on top of that, found me without contacting them..."
"I know! I know! But I couldn't care less."
Ash raised an eyebrow, while giving her an asking look.
"I... No. WE know what happened after you found Amy.The fight and the conversation you had with someone from the EDF. Conscience is you weakness and everything else he said."
"What? You know? And who is "WE"?"
"Yes. I just couldn't believe that you would betray the EDF. So I investigated a little bit... And I am not alone. I shown what I have found to some people I trust. I also shown this all to Amy.", she began while waving with an big folder. "She already agreed to accompany us. And thats the main reason for me to be here. I want you to come with us too. Apparently there is a group fighting the EDF somewhere in Europe. And if the rumors are true, this resistance group has already taken out two Metal Armors. Even though its hard to believe. "
"Whoa whoa whoa. Wait a second. Mind to tell me what you have found out? And whats inside the backpack?", Ash asked quietly.
Helena thrown the backpack at him, but Ash catched it easily. He openend it and found some normal street-wear in it.
"If you wear this, you wont attract attention like a walking tank.I don't know it they fit you, but I couldn't find anything better. And since you don't have anything beside your uniform... And what have you done to my precious Armor? It looks horrible. Am I seeing right? Wheres the sword!?!"
"Had a conflict with an alien mercenary, traveled into space, to Russia, fought an gigantic robot and got shot a few times. Oh yeah. The sword is still in Russia. Well, both parts of it. To sum it up... my day was hell. And yours?", he said sarcastically.
Helena clenched her teeth and suppressed the anger.
She handed Ash an pretty big folder, as well as an book, which was easily the size of an dictionary. If not even bigger.
Without even looking at the book, Ash throws it onto the table. He opened the folder and was surprised to see that it contained not only his EDF data sheet, but also a print of an old newspaper article about his parents.
The only thing on the data sheet which confused him was a single line.
-Possibility of mitochondria awakening high. Subject should be observed further.-
Without thinking more about it, he started to read the newspaper article..
"What the hell? What is this?" , he asked Helena, confused about the article. But what confused him even more was the photo.
"Read it.", was all she replied.Her expression changed. She looked a little nervous, but also somehow ashamed.
-RESIDENT SCIENTISTS DEVELOP EXOSKELETON FOR PHYSICAL HANDICAPPED PEOPLE-
-Possible end for DNA research and cloning?-
On the photo, Ash's parents were clearly visible. He recognized them in an instant, even though they looked a little different from what he remembered. No big surprise.The article was published shortly after Ash was born. He examined the photo closer.
A young man and a young woman. The woman was holding a baby on her arm.
Most likely Ash. Beside them was something odd. Something that Ash had seen more than only once. In the EDF base. When his Metal Armor got damaged during a mission and needed repairs. He was shocked and nearly let the folder fall out of his hands.
"Is this...?", he asked without finishing the sentence.
Helena said nothing. She just nodded.
He read a few of the lines and quickly flipped the page. Another newspaper article. This one was released a few days later.
-EXOSKELETON STOLEN!-
-Newly developed exoskeleton stolen! Hope for countless handicapped people disappeared over night!-
Again he only read a few lines from the article. Ash closed his eyes and shook his head.
"You told me that you designed the Metal Armors.Why did you lie?", Ash asked, as he looked up and gave Helena an angry look.
"I didn't lie. I designed them. But the EDF provided the base mechanics. In other words, they gave me this exoskeleton...-"
"And you made a weapon out of it!", he shouted, as he jumped up from the armchair.
"I DIDN'T KNOW!"
"SHUT UP!"
An uneasy silence filled the room. A few minutes passed by before Ash began to speak again.
"My parents wanted just wanted to help. And this is how mankind thanks them..."
Ash looked into Helena's eyes. He tried to find something that proved that she was lying. But he could only see shame and sadness.
"You really didnt...?"
"...No..."
"But why do you show me this?"
"Because it is you right to know. It was...No.It IS you parents work."
Again and again his eyes wandered over the headline. Then, he flipped through the folders pages again until he stopped at a personal data sheet.
It wasn't his. And he never saw the person before. At least he thought that. The photo in the right upper corner showed a blond man with no special
characteristics. He looked like an ordinary guy. Someone who could live next door and you would never think anything bad about. Ash continued to read
the sheet. A small whistle escaped his mouth as he reached his combat data. From what Ash read, this guy was an ace. Highly skilled in ranged and close combat.
Several medals. Wounded countless times. Led numerous mission. Always successful.
"Marcus Revil. General...Marcus Revil. Nice information. Except the fact that I don't know him. Enlighten me. Whats so special about this guy?"
"Are you sure that you don't know him?"
Suddenly something came up in Ash´s mind. He seen him once.
"Kill them all.Anyone who isn't on our side is an enemy.", he muttered while stroking his chin.
He seen him. This was the person who gave Ash and the other soldiers the briefing right before their mission.
"The mission briefing. He ordered us to kill anyone in the area. If they would cooperate or not...I killed a human for the first time. How could I forget that..."
Helena expected him to show some remorse. Nothing. Not the smallest change of his expression. She couldn't believe it. But she said nothing.
"So. Yeah. He is an not a very nice person. Big deal. But who am I to speak."
"He, Ash...", Helena began slowly, " is the person who talked to you after your battle with Amy.He is the one who marked you as a traitor."
Ash looked at the photo in disbelief. He needed a few seconds to realize what Helena just said.
"No. The person who talked to me must be dead. I mean...we blown up...-"
"Must be dead...or SHOULD?", Helena interrupted him.
"nuts! nuts! nuts!", Ash shouted as he slammed his fist on the table. Thanks to the power of his armor, the table broke in the middle, sending pieces of wood flying through the air.
"I cant believe it."
"He is still here. In the EDF base.", Helena mumbled. Obviously she didn't wanted Ash to hear it. Unfortunately without success.
"Good to know.", is all he said.
"Thats suicide! You cant win this battle! Mass produced armors, countless well trained soldiers and...", Helena suddenly stopped.
"And...what?", Ash asked as he leaned forward, curious what she wanted to say. Or not to say.
"A new Metal Armor. I haven't seen it and I couldn't get any information on it. Someone else built it. I'm not even sure if they constructed it here.
They store the data of this thing somewhere else. But it must be a real monster.
I heard Revil say that it is "superior" to any other armor. I also heard that the person who uses this armor is "something special". Whatever that means."
"I can handle it. Something else?", Ash replied carelessly, as if he already won a fight against that armor.
"Indeed... I had to customize an armor for Revil. I had no choice. If I..."
"No problem.", Ash interrupted her. Again he said it without giving it another thought.
"You idiot! If you fight one of them, you're as good as dead!", she shouted at Ash, angry because of his lack of interest for those armors.
Ash grinned at what Helena said. He almost never seen her upset.
"Heh. Worried about me?", he asked her to provoke her a little more. It was interesting for him to see how she reacted.
"Listen. And listen carefully. I tell you this only once. Over the years I have always helped you as good as possible. Whatever it was. As I first met you, I thought of you as a total Idiot. And I was right.
But over the time I really started to like you. Ash for me you are...-"
"...the most important person in the world? Please don't say that you love me."
Helena slapped her forehead. For the few seconds Ash waited for an answer, it seemed as if the time would stay still. Then Helena sighed and began to speak
again, looking annoyed at Ash.
"God, I was right. You really are an Idiot. What I wanted to say is, that I see you as my family. For me, you are like a brother. One of the stupid little ones."
"Whoa. I was really scared for a second.", Ash replied with a big grin.
Helena sighed again, but this time she was smiling afterward.
"And now? What are you going to do? Do you really want to fight the entire EDF alone?"
"If I must... yes. But only if they leave me no other choice. I only want that one..."
Ash kneeled down and picked up the folder he got from Helena. He held it into her direction and shown her the photo of Marcus Revil.
"Whatever you do, just be careful... okay?", Helena said in a worried tone. She known that she couldn't discourage him from this.
"You know me."
"Thats why is told you to be careful."
Both had to laugh. But it was a forced laugh.
"Come here.", Helena muttered, spreading out her arms.
"Ah. Whatever. I just hope nobody sees us."
He walked up to Helena. But before he could do anything, she grabbed and hugged him. At least as good as she could. After all, Ash was still wearing the armor and therefore, he was much taller than her. She had even problems to get her arms around him.
It was a funny scene.
"Now promise me that you will be careful.", she said. She couldn't refrain fom crying anymore. The tears started to run down her cheeks.
"Promised. And hey. How can you call me your little brother? I am obviously bigger than you.", Ash said as he started patting her back.
"And now stop crying. I like you more when you are angry."
"A stupid little one... seriously.", she mumbled.
She released him and wiped away her tears. She was still smiling.
"You... should go now.", Ash whispered. Even though he was worried about her, he would never admit it. And he would definitely not tell her.
She looked up to him and gave him a broad smile.
"You know that I will miss you, right?"
Ash just nodded and continued to grin.
"So.It´s a farewell then?", he asked her.
"No. More like a goodbye."
Without saying anything anymore, she left the house. Ash picked up the file and fell into the armchair. He started to read everything from the very beginning, as he noticed the book on the couch. It was titled "Human Evolution Theorie". He decided to read a little in it later. Maybe.
"Little brother, huh?", he whispered. Then he smiled. For a very long time.
Several hours passed before he decided to get some sleep. He stood up and noticed that the book Helena gave him along with the folder was still on the couch.
He picked it up and took a closer look at the description on the back. But even if he wanted to read it, he couldn't. He was just to tired. On top of that he was still hungry, thirsty and he smelled like a dead animal. But that was to expect, after wearing the armor for such a long period of time. Much to his annoyance, there wasn't any water. Or electricity. He cursed innerly. But he couldn't change it. He walked upstairs and entered his old room, which nearly looked exactly like the last time he was in it.
Of course, someone was in here too. But it still looked better than the rest of the house. At least better than the rooms Ash had seen. He got out of the armor and fell on his bed, only wearing the black suit he usually wears under the armor. Unfortunately he didn't paid any attention the the length of the bed.
BAM! The headboard. He jumped up and rubbed the back of his head in pain.
As the pain stopped, he wondered if the EDF would come here again to search for him. But he couldn't wear his armor the whole time.Not only that it was heavy.
But the battery needed to be recharged as well. And that would not happen as long as the CPU would detect him inside. To be not completely without protection, Ash opened a pocket on the armors waist and pulled something out. It was the blade Xacio gave him after their first battle. Sure, it was broken in, but he would know how to make use of it if he had to. Once again he let himself fall onto the bed, this time more carefully. He played around with the knife and examined it more closely, while thinking about what the others might do right now. He thought about everything that had happened the last time. And that was much. It took him some time to finally fall asleep.
Ash woke up the rough way. Not because of the nightmares he had. He was used to them by now. It was a large crate which crashed through the roof that woke him up.
The crate missed the bed he was sleeping in only barely and crashed through the floor before it stopped to pierce through the house as it reached the living room. As the shock was gone, Ash hurried downstairs to take a look at whatever nearly crunched him. The crate was made out of an ordinary metal. He known where the crate came from as he opened it. Inside were two rocket launchers who looked unlike anything he had seen or used before. In the middle every of them had a box with a lens inside. Something that resembled the camera like the one installed in a Metal Armors helmet. The fact that they were completely painted in white supported Ash´s suspicion that these weapons were made for use with an Metal Armor. On the back side they had some sort of clip. Aside from that, two other things were in the crate. A beam saber and a hand written letter.
"Make the best of it, you idiot." was all that was written in the Letter.
"You can be sure about that.", Ash said out loud, without even noticing it.
He carried the weapons down to the basement, as well as the armor, before he changed his clothes. Now he was wearing the clothes Helena gave him, instead of the black suit he usually wears under the armor.Denim jacket, white shirt, denim pants and sneakers. Not that what Ash would have chosen, but like Helena said, better than nothing.
It was a cloudy, rainy day. The sun came out now and then, but only for a short time. As Ash was out in the street, he looked to the left and right. Most of the houses were in a pretty bad shape and apparently empty. No big surprise, after all that has happened here. But now that he was rested, they looked even worse than before.
He shakes his head after seeing what this once beautiful street had become. It looked even worse in daylight.Walking down the street, he caught himself peeking into some of the windows.
He wondered if the people who live here even know about the battles which are fought behind their backs. Battles which he fought. Battles which his friends fought. And battles which his former comrades fought.
But he reached his destination before he was able to come to a conclusion.
A Graveyard. The Graveyard was surrounded by a large hedge.
Ash nearly had to walk around the entire Graveyard to find the entrance. He opened the large gate, which made a squeaky sound. The inside of the graveyard looked, against all of Ash´s expectations, very clean and decent. Still, it took him some time to finally walk through the gate.He began to walk along the tracks between the gravestones, reading every name on every gravestone he could see. Suddenly he stopped and turned around. There it was. The one Gravestone he was looking for. The Gravestone itself was fairly simple. Nothing special, but not the worst either.He kneeled down in front of this gravestone and read the inscription again and again.
Frank Nyder
Alice Nyder
~~~ ^ ~~~
You continue to live on in our memories.
How true. Ash could never forget them. He tried. He wanted the pain to end. Even if this meant that he needed to forget his parents. He was disgusted as he noticed that he wasn't able to cry. Not a single tear ran down his cheek. Before he left the house he imagined the moment he would see his parents grave. He thought that he would cry like he did so many years ago, as they were ripped apart from him. But nothing happened. Even though it wasn't funny, he had to smile.
"I'm pathetic. Its the first time I come to see you...And now I cant shed a single tear."
The fact that his parents were in some way responsible for the construction of the Metal Armors came to his mind. He quickly eliminated this thought.
They just wanted to help. They wanted to make this world a better place.
He shook his head.
"You know... Over all the years I always asked myself what would have happened if both you would be still alive. "
Just now he stopped to shake his head. His smile also disappeared.
"You would probably be ashamed of what I have become."
"They could be ashamed. But they would still love you.", came a voice from behind Ash.
"What the..."
Ash turned around. Behind him stood a smiling woman with shoulder long, brown hair.Most likely a little older than Ash, but not much.
"And who the hell are you?", Ash asked in a monotone way.
"Oh, excuse me. How rude. My name is Lucy Allister. Nice to meet you", she said as she bowed down to Ash, now smiling even more than before.
"Good for you, Lucy Allister. And now go and mind you own business.", Ash replied.
"Hey. I just want to cheer you up a little."
"Do I look sad? Do I look like I need to be cheered up?"
"To be honest, you look like the saddest person I have ever met."
"What I wanted to say with this is, that you should leave me alone! Go home and do something productive."
"Nothing happens without a reason. The people you mourn about died because it was their destiny."
"How dare you say that...!"
Ash wanted to grab her and make her regret what she just said. But as he looked into her eyes he was like paralyzed. Her expression was deadly serious all of a sudden.
"Nothing happens without a reason, Mr. Ash...", she said as she turned around and began to walk away.
"Mr. Ash? Wha...you...! You are the voice I heard...But...", Ash stammered.
"Think about it.", was the last thing Ash could her before the women was out of sight. But the voice was in his head. Like it happened before.
As Ash was able to move gain, he ran after her, out on the street. But he couldn't see her anywhere. It was as if the earth had swallowed her up.
What the hell was that? Whats going on here?
Ash stood there for a few more minutes.
He turned around and looked at the graveyards gate.
"Destiny. Something like that does not exist..."
He sighed and looked up into the sky.
"Tonight this will all end."
After a long walk Ash reached his destination. A residential district. He continued to walk down the road until he stopped at a terrible looking house.
He entered the front garden, but stopped at the Mailbox. "Nyder" was written on it. He let his hand slide over the Name and sighs. In all the years, nearly everyone just called him Ash. And he got used to it. He turned over to the front door, just to see that it was open. The door lock was broken out.
Ash waited in front of the door for a minute before he finally entered the house. He stood in the old living room. It was pretty simple arranged. Two book shelves, a few photos on the walls, a TV which most likely wouldn't work anymore after all the years and a small table with a couch and armchair around it.Everything was covered by a thick layer of dust. Books on the ground, as well broken picture frames and shards made it look like as if someone looked for anything valuable.
"Bang! You are dead. It seems that you are getting reckless.", a voice came from somewhere near the door.
Ash swirled around and pointed his beam cannon into the direction the voice came from.
"You...?", he asked confused as he had seen the person who said this.
It was a person he known to well. A middle aged woman with long, blond hair. Doctor Helena. Constructor of the Metal Armors 01, 02 and 03.
She was sitting on a simple wooden chair behind the door. A backpack, with a small "EDF" printed on it was lying next to her.
Ash deactivated the beam cannon and sighed.
"How many?", he asked, looking around as if he was expecting something to happen.
"What do you mean?"
"Snipers. Assassins. Whatever. You don't want to tell me that you came here alone, do you?"
"What do you even think who I am?!?", she shouted aghast.
She stood up, walked over to Ash and slapped him so hard that it could be heard trough the entire house.
"They were already here. But they couldn't find you anywhere here. So they left. Besides that, no one thought that you would be stupid enough to show up here, out of all places.", Helena explained.
"Except you, of course.", Ash muttered slowly, rubbing his cheek. He walked through the room and let himself fall into an old,dirty armchair.
"I know you too good by now. It was just a matter of time until you would come here. Even though I waited for a few hours." ,Helena replied slowly. She sat down on the couch next to the armchair.
"But what are you doing here? If the EDF knows that you are here... and on top of that, found me without contacting them..."
"I know! I know! But I couldn't care less."
Ash raised an eyebrow, while giving her an asking look.
"I... No. WE know what happened after you found Amy.The fight and the conversation you had with someone from the EDF. Conscience is you weakness and everything else he said."
"What? You know? And who is "WE"?"
"Yes. I just couldn't believe that you would betray the EDF. So I investigated a little bit... And I am not alone. I shown what I have found to some people I trust. I also shown this all to Amy.", she began while waving with an big folder. "She already agreed to accompany us. And thats the main reason for me to be here. I want you to come with us too. Apparently there is a group fighting the EDF somewhere in Europe. And if the rumors are true, this resistance group has already taken out two Metal Armors. Even though its hard to believe. "
"Whoa whoa whoa. Wait a second. Mind to tell me what you have found out? And whats inside the backpack?", Ash asked quietly.
Helena thrown the backpack at him, but Ash catched it easily. He openend it and found some normal street-wear in it.
"If you wear this, you wont attract attention like a walking tank.I don't know it they fit you, but I couldn't find anything better. And since you don't have anything beside your uniform... And what have you done to my precious Armor? It looks horrible. Am I seeing right? Wheres the sword!?!"
"Had a conflict with an alien mercenary, traveled into space, to Russia, fought an gigantic robot and got shot a few times. Oh yeah. The sword is still in Russia. Well, both parts of it. To sum it up... my day was hell. And yours?", he said sarcastically.
Helena clenched her teeth and suppressed the anger.
She handed Ash an pretty big folder, as well as an book, which was easily the size of an dictionary. If not even bigger.
Without even looking at the book, Ash throws it onto the table. He opened the folder and was surprised to see that it contained not only his EDF data sheet, but also a print of an old newspaper article about his parents.
The only thing on the data sheet which confused him was a single line.
-Possibility of mitochondria awakening high. Subject should be observed further.-
Without thinking more about it, he started to read the newspaper article..
"What the hell? What is this?" , he asked Helena, confused about the article. But what confused him even more was the photo.
"Read it.", was all she replied.Her expression changed. She looked a little nervous, but also somehow ashamed.
-RESIDENT SCIENTISTS DEVELOP EXOSKELETON FOR PHYSICAL HANDICAPPED PEOPLE-
-Possible end for DNA research and cloning?-
On the photo, Ash's parents were clearly visible. He recognized them in an instant, even though they looked a little different from what he remembered. No big surprise.The article was published shortly after Ash was born. He examined the photo closer.
A young man and a young woman. The woman was holding a baby on her arm.
Most likely Ash. Beside them was something odd. Something that Ash had seen more than only once. In the EDF base. When his Metal Armor got damaged during a mission and needed repairs. He was shocked and nearly let the folder fall out of his hands.
"Is this...?", he asked without finishing the sentence.
Helena said nothing. She just nodded.
He read a few of the lines and quickly flipped the page. Another newspaper article. This one was released a few days later.
-EXOSKELETON STOLEN!-
-Newly developed exoskeleton stolen! Hope for countless handicapped people disappeared over night!-
Again he only read a few lines from the article. Ash closed his eyes and shook his head.
"You told me that you designed the Metal Armors.Why did you lie?", Ash asked, as he looked up and gave Helena an angry look.
"I didn't lie. I designed them. But the EDF provided the base mechanics. In other words, they gave me this exoskeleton...-"
"And you made a weapon out of it!", he shouted, as he jumped up from the armchair.
"I DIDN'T KNOW!"
"SHUT UP!"
An uneasy silence filled the room. A few minutes passed by before Ash began to speak again.
"My parents wanted just wanted to help. And this is how mankind thanks them..."
Ash looked into Helena's eyes. He tried to find something that proved that she was lying. But he could only see shame and sadness.
"You really didnt...?"
"...No..."
"But why do you show me this?"
"Because it is you right to know. It was...No.It IS you parents work."
Again and again his eyes wandered over the headline. Then, he flipped through the folders pages again until he stopped at a personal data sheet.
It wasn't his. And he never saw the person before. At least he thought that. The photo in the right upper corner showed a blond man with no special
characteristics. He looked like an ordinary guy. Someone who could live next door and you would never think anything bad about. Ash continued to read
the sheet. A small whistle escaped his mouth as he reached his combat data. From what Ash read, this guy was an ace. Highly skilled in ranged and close combat.
Several medals. Wounded countless times. Led numerous mission. Always successful.
"Marcus Revil. General...Marcus Revil. Nice information. Except the fact that I don't know him. Enlighten me. Whats so special about this guy?"
"Are you sure that you don't know him?"
Suddenly something came up in Ash´s mind. He seen him once.
"Kill them all.Anyone who isn't on our side is an enemy.", he muttered while stroking his chin.
He seen him. This was the person who gave Ash and the other soldiers the briefing right before their mission.
"The mission briefing. He ordered us to kill anyone in the area. If they would cooperate or not...I killed a human for the first time. How could I forget that..."
Helena expected him to show some remorse. Nothing. Not the smallest change of his expression. She couldn't believe it. But she said nothing.
"So. Yeah. He is an not a very nice person. Big deal. But who am I to speak."
"He, Ash...", Helena began slowly, " is the person who talked to you after your battle with Amy.He is the one who marked you as a traitor."
Ash looked at the photo in disbelief. He needed a few seconds to realize what Helena just said.
"No. The person who talked to me must be dead. I mean...we blown up...-"
"Must be dead...or SHOULD?", Helena interrupted him.
"nuts! nuts! nuts!", Ash shouted as he slammed his fist on the table. Thanks to the power of his armor, the table broke in the middle, sending pieces of wood flying through the air.
"I cant believe it."
"He is still here. In the EDF base.", Helena mumbled. Obviously she didn't wanted Ash to hear it. Unfortunately without success.
"Good to know.", is all he said.
"Thats suicide! You cant win this battle! Mass produced armors, countless well trained soldiers and...", Helena suddenly stopped.
"And...what?", Ash asked as he leaned forward, curious what she wanted to say. Or not to say.
"A new Metal Armor. I haven't seen it and I couldn't get any information on it. Someone else built it. I'm not even sure if they constructed it here.
They store the data of this thing somewhere else. But it must be a real monster.
I heard Revil say that it is "superior" to any other armor. I also heard that the person who uses this armor is "something special". Whatever that means."
"I can handle it. Something else?", Ash replied carelessly, as if he already won a fight against that armor.
"Indeed... I had to customize an armor for Revil. I had no choice. If I..."
"No problem.", Ash interrupted her. Again he said it without giving it another thought.
"You idiot! If you fight one of them, you're as good as dead!", she shouted at Ash, angry because of his lack of interest for those armors.
Ash grinned at what Helena said. He almost never seen her upset.
"Heh. Worried about me?", he asked her to provoke her a little more. It was interesting for him to see how she reacted.
"Listen. And listen carefully. I tell you this only once. Over the years I have always helped you as good as possible. Whatever it was. As I first met you, I thought of you as a total Idiot. And I was right.
But over the time I really started to like you. Ash for me you are...-"
"...the most important person in the world? Please don't say that you love me."
Helena slapped her forehead. For the few seconds Ash waited for an answer, it seemed as if the time would stay still. Then Helena sighed and began to speak
again, looking annoyed at Ash.
"God, I was right. You really are an Idiot. What I wanted to say is, that I see you as my family. For me, you are like a brother. One of the stupid little ones."
"Whoa. I was really scared for a second.", Ash replied with a big grin.
Helena sighed again, but this time she was smiling afterward.
"And now? What are you going to do? Do you really want to fight the entire EDF alone?"
"If I must... yes. But only if they leave me no other choice. I only want that one..."
Ash kneeled down and picked up the folder he got from Helena. He held it into her direction and shown her the photo of Marcus Revil.
"Whatever you do, just be careful... okay?", Helena said in a worried tone. She known that she couldn't discourage him from this.
"You know me."
"Thats why is told you to be careful."
Both had to laugh. But it was a forced laugh.
"Come here.", Helena muttered, spreading out her arms.
"Ah. Whatever. I just hope nobody sees us."
He walked up to Helena. But before he could do anything, she grabbed and hugged him. At least as good as she could. After all, Ash was still wearing the armor and therefore, he was much taller than her. She had even problems to get her arms around him.
It was a funny scene.
"Now promise me that you will be careful.", she said. She couldn't refrain fom crying anymore. The tears started to run down her cheeks.
"Promised. And hey. How can you call me your little brother? I am obviously bigger than you.", Ash said as he started patting her back.
"And now stop crying. I like you more when you are angry."
"A stupid little one... seriously.", she mumbled.
She released him and wiped away her tears. She was still smiling.
"You... should go now.", Ash whispered. Even though he was worried about her, he would never admit it. And he would definitely not tell her.
She looked up to him and gave him a broad smile.
"You know that I will miss you, right?"
Ash just nodded and continued to grin.
"So.It´s a farewell then?", he asked her.
"No. More like a goodbye."
Without saying anything anymore, she left the house. Ash picked up the file and fell into the armchair. He started to read everything from the very beginning, as he noticed the book on the couch. It was titled "Human Evolution Theorie". He decided to read a little in it later. Maybe.
"Little brother, huh?", he whispered. Then he smiled. For a very long time.
Several hours passed before he decided to get some sleep. He stood up and noticed that the book Helena gave him along with the folder was still on the couch.
He picked it up and took a closer look at the description on the back. But even if he wanted to read it, he couldn't. He was just to tired. On top of that he was still hungry, thirsty and he smelled like a dead animal. But that was to expect, after wearing the armor for such a long period of time. Much to his annoyance, there wasn't any water. Or electricity. He cursed innerly. But he couldn't change it. He walked upstairs and entered his old room, which nearly looked exactly like the last time he was in it.
Of course, someone was in here too. But it still looked better than the rest of the house. At least better than the rooms Ash had seen. He got out of the armor and fell on his bed, only wearing the black suit he usually wears under the armor. Unfortunately he didn't paid any attention the the length of the bed.
BAM! The headboard. He jumped up and rubbed the back of his head in pain.
As the pain stopped, he wondered if the EDF would come here again to search for him. But he couldn't wear his armor the whole time.Not only that it was heavy.
But the battery needed to be recharged as well. And that would not happen as long as the CPU would detect him inside. To be not completely without protection, Ash opened a pocket on the armors waist and pulled something out. It was the blade Xacio gave him after their first battle. Sure, it was broken in, but he would know how to make use of it if he had to. Once again he let himself fall onto the bed, this time more carefully. He played around with the knife and examined it more closely, while thinking about what the others might do right now. He thought about everything that had happened the last time. And that was much. It took him some time to finally fall asleep.
***
Ash woke up the rough way. Not because of the nightmares he had. He was used to them by now. It was a large crate which crashed through the roof that woke him up.
The crate missed the bed he was sleeping in only barely and crashed through the floor before it stopped to pierce through the house as it reached the living room. As the shock was gone, Ash hurried downstairs to take a look at whatever nearly crunched him. The crate was made out of an ordinary metal. He known where the crate came from as he opened it. Inside were two rocket launchers who looked unlike anything he had seen or used before. In the middle every of them had a box with a lens inside. Something that resembled the camera like the one installed in a Metal Armors helmet. The fact that they were completely painted in white supported Ash´s suspicion that these weapons were made for use with an Metal Armor. On the back side they had some sort of clip. Aside from that, two other things were in the crate. A beam saber and a hand written letter.
"Make the best of it, you idiot." was all that was written in the Letter.
"You can be sure about that.", Ash said out loud, without even noticing it.
He carried the weapons down to the basement, as well as the armor, before he changed his clothes. Now he was wearing the clothes Helena gave him, instead of the black suit he usually wears under the armor.Denim jacket, white shirt, denim pants and sneakers. Not that what Ash would have chosen, but like Helena said, better than nothing.
It was a cloudy, rainy day. The sun came out now and then, but only for a short time. As Ash was out in the street, he looked to the left and right. Most of the houses were in a pretty bad shape and apparently empty. No big surprise, after all that has happened here. But now that he was rested, they looked even worse than before.
He shakes his head after seeing what this once beautiful street had become. It looked even worse in daylight.Walking down the street, he caught himself peeking into some of the windows.
He wondered if the people who live here even know about the battles which are fought behind their backs. Battles which he fought. Battles which his friends fought. And battles which his former comrades fought.
But he reached his destination before he was able to come to a conclusion.
A Graveyard. The Graveyard was surrounded by a large hedge.
Ash nearly had to walk around the entire Graveyard to find the entrance. He opened the large gate, which made a squeaky sound. The inside of the graveyard looked, against all of Ash´s expectations, very clean and decent. Still, it took him some time to finally walk through the gate.He began to walk along the tracks between the gravestones, reading every name on every gravestone he could see. Suddenly he stopped and turned around. There it was. The one Gravestone he was looking for. The Gravestone itself was fairly simple. Nothing special, but not the worst either.He kneeled down in front of this gravestone and read the inscription again and again.
Frank Nyder
Alice Nyder
~~~ ^ ~~~
You continue to live on in our memories.
How true. Ash could never forget them. He tried. He wanted the pain to end. Even if this meant that he needed to forget his parents. He was disgusted as he noticed that he wasn't able to cry. Not a single tear ran down his cheek. Before he left the house he imagined the moment he would see his parents grave. He thought that he would cry like he did so many years ago, as they were ripped apart from him. But nothing happened. Even though it wasn't funny, he had to smile.
"I'm pathetic. Its the first time I come to see you...And now I cant shed a single tear."
The fact that his parents were in some way responsible for the construction of the Metal Armors came to his mind. He quickly eliminated this thought.
They just wanted to help. They wanted to make this world a better place.
He shook his head.
"You know... Over all the years I always asked myself what would have happened if both you would be still alive. "
Just now he stopped to shake his head. His smile also disappeared.
"You would probably be ashamed of what I have become."
"They could be ashamed. But they would still love you.", came a voice from behind Ash.
"What the..."
Ash turned around. Behind him stood a smiling woman with shoulder long, brown hair.Most likely a little older than Ash, but not much.
"And who the hell are you?", Ash asked in a monotone way.
"Oh, excuse me. How rude. My name is Lucy Allister. Nice to meet you", she said as she bowed down to Ash, now smiling even more than before.
"Good for you, Lucy Allister. And now go and mind you own business.", Ash replied.
"Hey. I just want to cheer you up a little."
"Do I look sad? Do I look like I need to be cheered up?"
"To be honest, you look like the saddest person I have ever met."
"What I wanted to say with this is, that you should leave me alone! Go home and do something productive."
"Nothing happens without a reason. The people you mourn about died because it was their destiny."
"How dare you say that...!"
Ash wanted to grab her and make her regret what she just said. But as he looked into her eyes he was like paralyzed. Her expression was deadly serious all of a sudden.
"Nothing happens without a reason, Mr. Ash...", she said as she turned around and began to walk away.
"Mr. Ash? Wha...you...! You are the voice I heard...But...", Ash stammered.
"Think about it.", was the last thing Ash could her before the women was out of sight. But the voice was in his head. Like it happened before.
As Ash was able to move gain, he ran after her, out on the street. But he couldn't see her anywhere. It was as if the earth had swallowed her up.
What the hell was that? Whats going on here?
Ash stood there for a few more minutes.
He turned around and looked at the graveyards gate.
"Destiny. Something like that does not exist..."
He sighed and looked up into the sky.
"Tonight this will all end."
