Phthalo Blues: Fragments

by Will Wallner

  "Are you sure?" Surprised by Larvos' request, Jet stood by the steel column where the chains which bound Hunter were attached. She still held onto Moja, trying to keep her calm.

  "I've seen the truth in this man. I saw the fire in his eyes. He's not our enemy." Larvos clicked his fingers. "Jet, release the chains." She obeyed his orders and released the lock. Larvos then proceeded to unwrap the thick industrial chains from around Hunter's stretcher. When there was nothing left to hold him down, Larvos reached out and offered his hand, which Hunter accepted, and allowed Larvos to help pull him up. "Don’t make me regret this." Larvos looked into his eyes. Hunter remained silent, as he sat on the edge of the stretcher, now able to see where Moja and Jet stood. He wanted to make sure Moja hadn't been harmed in any way.

  "Thank you for trusting me. Larvos, I told you everything about my past. Can you do the same? I don’t understand anything that's happening. I need to know everything about the War of Tiberia, about MAW Corp, about Ryuu. After you tell me your story, I'll show you my powers. I'll show you the power of Phthalo Blue." Hunter stood up from the stretcher, his body was still weak, but it had healed considerably. "One of the side effects of Phthalo Blue, apparently my body heals itself extremely quickly." Hunter looked down at his fist, he clenched it slightly, releasing a minute burst of Phthalo Blue. It was nothing more than a spark, but both Larvos and Jet saw it.

  "I'll tell you everything you want to know about the War of Tiberia. It's a very long story, maybe we should eat something first? You must be hungry. I don’t know about you, Jet, but I could eat a horse." Jet smiled at Larvos, who read her mind. They hadn’t eaten for almost 12 hours. "Bring the dog, what was her name? Moja?" Hunter nodded. "Strange name. Follow me, I'll give you a quick tour of our base, then we'll eat."

  Larvos lifted the opening of the tent, a gesture to signify Hunter was no longer their captive, he was free. As Jet walked by, she gave a small discretionary nod to Larvos, they were both in agreement. When Hunter left the darkness of the tent, he saw the sun was setting over the desert landscape. Tiberia was a vast desert, baron on the surface, but it was what lied underneath, that gave this land immense value. The energy refineries in Tiberia had an abundance of fuel. Even though Capitol City was, as it's name suggested, the true capitol of the planet of Eros, it was Tiberia which powered the planet. If someone were to take control of Tiberia, then they could hold the entire planet of Eros hostage.

  Hunter walked slightly behind Larvos, and slightly in front of Jet. Covered on either side, he was being escorted through the base. He was no longer their prisoner, but he was still under guard.

  "We've been at this location for 6 weeks. Soon it will be time to move on, so those MAW vultures won't be able to track us." Larvos acted as Hunters tour guide, another role he played to perfection. "There's only about a hundred of us left. The remains of Crimson Blade. Actually, I always hated that name. We are, and have always been, the Gutter Rats." Larvos sighed, remembering his troubled past.

  "Do you want to change your clothes? You're covered in dirt." From behind, Jet spoke to Hunter, noticing how worn and filthy his clothes were. He still wore the black leather jacket he found in the trunk of Michael Paris' sports car. He had been wearing it when Clyde ran him over in the truck. Then he had crawled across the rough terrain of the sandy desert, in desperate search of shelter, to escape the desert dun. He was covered in so much dirt and dust, the black jacket was unrecognizable.

  Hunter looked down at his clothes, only now realizing how dirty they were. He ran his finger across the surface of his leather jacket, leaving a clean streak in the layer of dust. It made him laugh how much dirt there was on his fingertip.

  "Yeah, maybe some new clothes would be a good idea." He smiled at Jet in agreement.

  "We'll take care of it after we eat." Jet was starving and didn’t want to delay eating any longer.

  Larvos, Jet, Hunter, and Moja, entered a tent which was used to feed the soldiers. There was a single cook and a large metal pot, filled with some sort of stew. There were just a few other of Larvos' comrades eating at this time. It was already late, and most of the soldiers had gone to sleep. Of course, there was a rumor going around the base, about a possible MAW spy being held captive.

  "Hey Stitch, give me four bowls!" Larvos clicked his fingers at the large overweight cook.

  "Coming right up, wait, who's the fourth bowl for?" The cook looked around and couldn’t see the fourth person.

  "For our furry friend, of course! She might actually like your cooking!" Larvos joked with the cook, indicating they were old friends.

  "If you keep pushing me, I'll clock you over the head with my wooden spoon! Now go sit down, I'll bring it over!" The tone in which the cook spoke, could have been mistaken as being very angry or aggressive, but this was just how Stitch spoke. Larvos and his group sat at an empty table, waiting for their food.

  "Stitch is a funny character, pay no attention to his cranky attitude. He always speaks like he's pissed off. I'm sure you'll get used to him." Larvos spoke with affection while Hunter stared at the cook. Stitch looked a bit too old to be a soldier and was also badly out of shape. Clearly, he was past his prime, which was probably why he now served as the cook. He had a large noticeable scar down his face, which must have been crudely stitched together in the past.

  "Years ago, we fought side by side, but now, Stitch's fighting days are far behind him. He got too close to an exploding grenade, hence the large scar on his face. You wouldn't know it, but he's virtually blind as a result. He wasn't as fortunate as I was. The same grenade took my right eye, but I'm still able to see with this cybernetic eye socket." Larvos lifted his eye patch, revealing a metallic implant. "The patch is just for show, to cover the fact that I'm now part machine. My sight in this eye is actually better than it's ever been. When the medics found us, they only had one eye implant in the med kit. Stitch never got over it, he's still pissed to his day."

  "I didn't know you could do that." Hunter looked at Larvos' eye, in disbelief that technology like that existed.

  "This is stuff which only the military can enjoy. Cybernetics are illegal to regular citizens, but the military is free to use whatever implants they deem appropriate. Of course, there's a major black market trading this junk to civilians. I don't like to admit it, but that's how we've been able to stay afloat, financially, since the war ended." Larvos covered his eye again.

  "So you can see, even though its covered with a patch?" Hunter tried to understand how it could possible work.

  "Yep, that’s right!" Larvos tapped his robotic eye.

  "Why wouldn't they allow civilians to use these implants." Hunter innocently asked.

  "They say the risk is that people would abuse them, but they really just want to control the technology. The military has the strongest influence over the politicians in Capitol City. They want to keep all the good stuff for themselves, even though it's tax payer money which pays to develop the technology. Under the law, the punishment for having an illegal cybernetic implant, is worse that the punishment for murder. How messed up is that? It's all about who has the influence and power. So now poor people like Stitch have to suffer."

  "Couldn’t he just get an implant now to fix his eyes?" Hunter asked.

  "And end up a cyborg freak, like Larvos? No thanks, I'd rather keep my humanity!" Stitch approached the table and nudged Larvos along the way. "Don’t you know it's rude to talk behind someone's back?!" Stitch slammed two bowls of stew down onto the table. "I'll be back with two more." He left, as Larvos apologetically laughed. Stitch returned, slamming a third bowl onto the table, then gently placing the fourth bowl on the floor next to Moja. "Here you go, enjoy. I might be blind, but I know I've never seen you before." He looked at Hunter. "You must be the MAW spy we captured. Strange way to treat a prisoner?" Stitch slapped Larvos on the back. Before Hunter could speak, Larvos clarified the situation.

  "Don’t listen to rumors. This is Hunter, he's thinking about joining us.
Stitch, we're going to be here a while, bring us some bottles of liquor. I have a long story to tell."

  ~

  "That's pretty much it. We've been on the run ever since." It was now well into the middle of the night. At this point, Larvos had his boots up on the table, while he leaned back in his chair. They had worked their way through several bottles of Larvos' favorite liquor. Jet was used to long nights drinking with Larvos, but Hunter wasn't an experienced drinker. He was trying his best to remain coherent and understand what Larvos had told him. It had been a long tale, starting in Sector 13, all the way through the War of Tiberia. Moja had long since fallen asleep under the table.

  "So, you're saying that Ryuu planned this from the start, to take control of Tiberia. What's he gonna do next?" Hunter slurred his words slightly. He was worn out and inebriated from the alcohol.

  "That piece of shit wants to rule Eros. We never should have trusted him." Jet spat on the floor in disgust.

  "That is my sin. I'll take whatever punishment is dealt to me on judgement day. All I want now is to take that demon to hell with me." Larvos took a final shot.

  "I never could have imagined the truth behind the war. On the news, they made Ryuu sound like a war hero that brought everything to an end." Hunter only knew what he had learned from the media. It was a very different story from Larvos' version of events.

  "That's because they own the news! Since the beginning, Ryuu was working with someone in Capitol City. That's how he managed to get away with what he's done." Larvos spoke with bitter anger, but it was mostly anger at himself.

  "Who?!?!" Hunter burst out in shock.

  "We never found out. Ryuu was so careful, never to reveal his identity. But it's someone with a lot of money and power. They were definitely part of the corporate complex in Capitol City. I don’t even care anymore. All I want is to kill that fucker." Larvos stood up from the table, full of rage. "For the people of Sector 13, for the people of Tiberia, for the children abducted in Tech City." He paused for a moment, shackled with emotion. "For Dylan."

  "You'll get your chance, I'll make sure of it! We'll avenge him together." Jet took her final shot. Her words were slurred, but were also sincere. Jet's long red hair was frazzled after the long night of drinking. She leaned over the table, barely sitting on her chair.

  "I can’t go on much longer, Jet. I'm tired. Ryuu has more power now than ever before. It's only a matter of time before he wipes us all out." Larvos kicked the dirt with his snakeskin boot. Then, out of nowhere, Hunter rose to his feet.

  "I'll take down his entire army. No one can stand in my way." Hunter was full of emotion. He pictured Malcom and Taz, wrestling in Valley village. "Larvos, will you let me fight alongside you?" Larvos and Jet both looked at him in silence. "Let me show you what I can do with my power!"

  "Alright mystery man, let's see it!" A wicked grin came over Larvos' face.

  Out in the open night sky, Moja sniffed the cool desert air. Although they were in a military base, she sensed no danger. She now freely roamed without a leash. At some point during the night's drinking session, they removed her collar, giving her the freedom she deserved. Larvos had taken a liking to her and didn’t like to keep her tied up. Even though she had been given the freedom to explore anywhere she desired, all she wanted was to stay close to Hunter. She loyally stood by his side, while Larvos and Jet stood several feet behind him.

  "Stand back." Hunter clenched his fist. His aura pulsated and a slight blue mist permeated from his body. "This is the power of Phthalo Blue." He held out his hand towards an empty area of desert and clenched his fist tightly. A slight tremor in his wrist, was followed by an explosive lightning strike in the sand. BOOM! A cloud of dust scattered from the impact zone, leaving Larvos and Jet completely speechless.

  "I don't believe it." Jet said, with her mouth wide open.

  "Perhaps it was fate, that we found you out in the desert." Larvos' grandiose persona had returned. He approached Hunter and forcefully clamped his hand onto his shoulder. "Welcome to the Gutter Rats! From this day fourth, we are brothers, bound by fate."

  Before Hunter could say anything, his mind started spinning and he fell to the ground. He shakily tried to get back on his feet, but the alcohol in his body was too much for him. He lost his balance and fell back down again.

  "Hahaha! You might have super powers, but when it comes to drinking, you don't have the stamina to keep with us!" Larvos stood over Hunter, laughing like a drunk maniac.

  "I could tell he was a light weight!" Jet found the sight of Hunter, too drunk to stand, very amusing. She rushed to their position and put Hunter's arm over her shoulder, helping him to his feet.

  "I'm sorry, I think it's the alcohol. I've never really drunk that much before." Hunter slouched onto Jet, completely out of his mind.

  "I can tell. Try using your legs. I'm just a small girl and we'll both topple over if you don't start holding some of your own weight. Larvos give us a hand." Even though she was strong, Jet struggled to carry the weight of Hunter.

  "Sorry, but you both look so cute together, I wouldn’t want to get in the way." Larvos left an embarrassed Jet to tend to Hunter.

  "Hey!" Jet called after Larvos in vain.

  "What does that mean?" Hunter had no clue.

  "He's just trying to be funny. Come on, you need some rest. I'll carry you to your bed, but first, we gotta get you a change of clothes." Jet shakily guided Hunter towards another part of the base. Moja followed behind them, keeping a careful eye on Hunter. Inside another tent, were several lockers and storage containers.

  "There should be a spare uniform in here somewhere. Sit on this bench and wait." She dropped his body onto an unforgiving steel bench, without finesse. "These are some leftover Crimson Blade uniforms. Most of them came from fallen comrades. I hope you don’t mind wearing a dead man's clothes?" Jet was able to joke freely about death. She'd led a life full of hardship and loss, just like everyone else from Sector 13. Death no longer had any sort of taboo or aura about it. It was something she'd experienced far too often. She handed Hunter some new boots, and a relatively clean uniform. Hunter looked at her in confusion, like he was waiting for something. "You're not shy, are you? It's nothing I haven't seen a thousand times before." Hunter still froze in silence. "Alright fine, I'll wait outside while you get naked."

  She left the tent, while Hunter clumsily changed his clothes, with Moja sitting by his side. When he was finished, her ears perked straight up, as she sensed someone else was approaching. It wasn't Jet who re-entered the tent, but Larvos.

  "Looks good on ya! Just need one more thing. Here, put this on." Larvos handed Hunter a worn military jacket. It was covered in patches and had a unique eagle design on the back. Jet watched, silently.

  "Cool Jacket. Thanks for the change of clothes." Hunter held his head, as a combination of alcohol and fatigue wore heavy on his body. He was still recovering from his injuries. "I think I need to get some sleep."

  "You got it, brother. There's a bed for you in the barracks, follow me." Larvos lead Hunter and Moja to another large tented area. Jet followed in the rear. She waited outside, while Larvos, Hunter and Moja entered the tent. The barracks were divided into small, separate sections. Each with two double bunkbeds. There was no one else in Hunter's section. He'd have his own private quarters. After showing their new guests where they would sleep, Larvos left Hunter alone. "I'll get you an extra blanket for Moja, good night." As he left the tent, Larvos turned to one of the soldiers, who was discretely waiting in the shadows. "Keep an eye on our new guest." The soldier nodded and stood in front of Hunter's section, acting as a lookout and guard. There was still a small amount of mistrust in Larvos.

  As Larvos left the barracks, he was surprised to see Jet, who stood, waiting to confront him.

  "That was Dylan's jacket." She looked at Larvos with an intense gaze. He didn’t respond. Larvos just sighed and put his hand, gently on her shoulder, hanging his head in shame. Without saying a word, he walk
ed away. Jet watched him disappear into the dead of night, unsure of her feelings.

  12. FINAL FRAGMENT