by M. J Kreyzer
Luke saw Pontious staring at him without blinking, his orange eyes wide and stirring. Luke thought. Pontious had just confirmed what he had begun to question about the Ditrinity. They were still loyal to him and they’d leave the Darks if it meant maintaining that loyalty.
But they had a better chance of defeating the Commune as a part of the Darks than they did serving with just him. They’d have themselves along with entire squads to back them and do their will. But they’d be separated, and Luke had never known a group as dangerous and closely bound as the Ditrinity. Each member had devoted their lives to the Semprys family. They had only each other.
But here Luke sat with Pontious in front of him, offering him exactly what he wanted. Luke wanted revenge. And the Ditrinity could help him with it; better than anybody else could.
“Luke?” Pontious asked again. Luke came back from thought and shook his head.
“Listen to Sam.” Luke said in an exhale. “They need you. A lot more than I do.”
Pontious nodded and stood up, tapping the table in a goodbye and turning to walk away. He stopped and turned around.
“And one more thing. The rest of the group has been waiting for you at your penthouse for quite some time. We’ve been surprised that you haven’t been coming home.”
Luke got to his feet. “There’ve been things to do.” He said casually.
“Yeah.” Pontious replied. “There always is.”
Pontious walked past Luke and gave him a light punch in the shoulder. His path took him to the sidewalk as Pontious walked on, popping the collar on his trench coat and putting his hands in his pockets. Luke sat back down and watched as the moon rose higher in the sky. He’d go back soon. He had some business to attend to.
Chapter 6
The breeze caused the curtains in Tess’s room to flutter. Beyond the curtains was a balcony overlooking the river. The city was dark. Barely a street light remained luminous and the entire world seemed to exist in shades of black and blue. On the opposite roofs, Dark soldiers could be seen patrolling back and forth with one hand always on the handle of their gun. They were almost a part of the scenery: black moving cutouts crawling along the skyline against the night sky. Tess lay in bed sleeping peacefully, curled up on her side and hugging herself and sinking into the bulbous mattress that drew her in.
There was quiet movement around the room. A shadowed figure shot between Tess’s closets and drawers, throwing her clothes and belongings into large bags and suitcases that had been laid out. A large pile of clothes had already built up on the edge of one suitcase while others had missed their designated target entirely, scattering across the bedroom floor as though they were filled with flat invisible corpses.
The dresser drawer closed particularly loud, slamming against the main body of the dresser with a dull wooden thunk. Tess jerked awake, her eyes opening in a drowsy daze as she looked around the room.
“Wha… who’s…” She trailed off in a yawn, rubbing her eyes with one hand and continuing in a voice that sounded half-asleep. “I’m gonna beat you senseless if you don’t get out now.”
The shadow continued to move around the room grabbing whatever object it came to and throwing it in one of the pieces of luggage. She sat up, twisted her legs towards the edge of the bed and pulled the sheets back. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but get your dirty, stinking, rotten…”
The man’s face passed through a moonbeam and reflected off of his circular black glasses. Tess took a deep breath and smirked. “Dad… you about gave me a… what are you doing here?”
Her recognizing him didn’t slow him down. He kept throwing things in the bags as he replied. “We’re getting out of here. It’s not safe here anymore.”
Tess waved a hand in the air and put a knee onto the edge of the bed and pulled herself back onto the mattress. “It’s way too late to be pulling this kind of stuff, Dad. We’ll talk about it-“
“We’re leaving, Tess.” Luke said firmly.
“No we’re not.” Tess said as she pulled the sheets up to her chin and yawned. “You can go now. And don’t worry about the clothes. You can clean them up in the morning.”
Luke stopped what he was doing and looked to Tess. He went over to the edge of the bed and sat on it, his right hand unsure as to whether or not he should place it on her shoulder. He had never had much experience with teenagers, must less teenagers of the female variety. Tess hummed quietly to herself.
“We aren’t in any danger.” Tess assured him. “I promise.”
“What about your mission with Ranjak and Thompson?” Luke asked. Tess sat up in bed and looked at Luke with a fearful expression.
“Who told you about that?”
“It doesn’t matter. But you aren’t ready for these kinds of things yet.”
“Says who?” Tess said, her voice getting indignant.
“You just aren’t, baby. You’ve never gone hand to hand with a real Legionnaire, have you?”
“Of course I have.”
“No you haven’t, Tess. If you had then you wouldn’t be lying in bed right now talking to me.”
Tess broke eye contact with Luke and lowered her head. “It’s just that… it’s just that I…” She trailed off and shook her head. What came across her face then was a smile that looked like she was amused at something. Her own disillusion, perhaps. Luke could only hope that that’s what it was and she would soon come to the realization that she wasn’t cut out for combat against the Legionnaire. After all, she was still only a girl.
“It’s not fair that you treat me like this.” Tess said.
Luke was confused. What had he said?
“How am I treating you?” Luke asked.
“Like… this!” Tess said. “This! I… I don’t know how to say it but… you’ve always known that you can do things, right? You’ve always known what you can do and that you’ll always come out on top. I’ve seen the video tapes. Everybody has. I watched the mindlogs of the battle out over the Damidian highlands where you set up a grav-field and boarded that Legionnaire battlecruiser and killed everybody inside yourself. I saw another mindlog, the one during the invasion of Elysium, where you reclaimed an entire district by yourself. I saw you break a Monolith’s back like a cheap habit. You’ve done so many amazing things and you’ve done them by yourself. You never would’ve done those things if you didn’t know that you could do them.”
She looked at him, her eyes begging him to understand. But Luke didn’t. He couldn’t. When the things that she had mentioned actually happened, Luke was sure that he was going to die and every time he told himself that he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. It wasn’t self-confidence nor was it an ability to read the future. When those things happened the primary objective Luke had was to inflict as much damage as he could before getting smashed to a pulp by some raging Berserkers or getting his throat torn out by some Nightwolf battalion. He never thought he’d live. Now here he sat with his daughter in front of him, begging him to understand her position and where it was she was coming from, pleading with him to let her put herself into the same situations that he could barely survive himself.
He was sure that he understood the things going through her head. She wanted to prove to herself and everybody who knew her that she was strong and brave and everything that a real warrior should be. It was a pride issue, and Luke wasn’t going to let his daughter get herself killed over pride.
“I’ll tell Nate to tell Sam tomorrow why you didn’t go. I’ll make sure that-“
“No!” Tess yelled, jumping out of bed. “I’m not going to go with you! My place is here, fighting the Commune, fighting the Legionnaire!”
Luke stood up and faced her with an unmoving expression. “Can you promise me that you won’t go with Thompson and Ranjak then?”
Tess looked offended, almost disgusted. “No! I can’t do that!”
Luke was quick to approach her. He grabbed her arm and held her where she was. She struggled at first but Luke reappl
ied his grip and she knew she wasn’t going anywhere. “I can do what I want.” He said. “The Darks aren’t the good guys anymore. There are no good guys in this war. I am not going to let you get yourself killed trying to prove something.”
Tess wrestled against Luke’s iron grip as he dragged her towards the door. “I can come back and get your things.” Luke said. “We’re leaving, one way or the other.”
Tess wrestled as hard as she could and started yelling. “Somebody! Get in here! Let me go, Luke! You can’t do this!”
They stopped at the door and Luke forced her to look in his eyes. “I’m your father, and the only family you’ve got. Now if you want to have clothes where we’re going then it’d be smart to-“
There was a strong knock at the door, followed by a deep demanding voice. “Is everything all right in there?”
Tess was only slightly comforted. She gave a loud reply. “Get more men! You’re going to-“
Luke put a hand over Tess’s mouth. Her head moved around, dodging around it and making it difficult for Luke to silence her.
“Luke Semprys is in here! He’s trying to take me to-“
Luke slammed her against the wall with a sharp crack, sending a split through the drywall that stretched to the ceiling. He pressed his hand over her mouth and she was quiet, her body ceasing to struggle. All she did now was look at Luke, her eyes becoming moist and watery. It shouldn’t have taken as long as it did for Luke to realize what he was doing. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror hanging on the door and saw his expression.
He was enraged. His face was dangerous, the same face he’d seen on himself as he minced through Legionnaire soldiers, the same face he wore as he’d hold an enemy warrior by the throat before shoving his sword through their hearts. The face he wanted them to see as the life drained from their bodies and dripped to the floor. The unwelcome, damning glare that he wanted every Legionnaire to see before they finally closed their eyes.
And here he was, violently restraining his own daughter and giving her the same cold expression he gave to his worst enemies.
The anger, the frustration, drained from Luke’s body. His expression melted into one of fear. He looked back to Tess and found his hand still covering her mouth. He immediately ripped his hand back to himself and saw a white, hand shaped mark around her mouth where the blood had been forced out. Luke staggered backward and began to breathlessly apologize.
“Tess… baby… I…”
With one hand Tess gingerly rubbed her face while the other massaged the dark bruise that was emerging on her arm. It couldn’t be right. There’s no way that Luke had done that. He loved Tess. She was his only child left living. She was the only person he loved. How could he have even thought of doing what he had?
The door slammed open and eight Dark soldiers, all fully armed and dressed in full armor, stood in the hallway outside the room. The leading two stepped in and flanked Luke.
“Get out of here, traitor.” The first one said. Luke didn’t so much as twitch his eyes towards the men. It was as if they weren’t even there. His eyes were on Tess, begging her for her forgiveness.
“Did you hear what I said?” The soldier said stepping closer to Luke. “I told you to move your rotten, Legion loving-“
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to…“ Luke said. Tess’s expression remained scared and sad. It was a very real sensation, the feelings that she was experiencing. And all Luke could do was watch helplessly as, once again, he messed up his chances with one of the few things he’d ever be able to care about again. She had grown and matured on the idea that Luke Semprys was a strong, brave, selfless man. She had gone through school, through her social circles, bragging to everybody she met that, though any uninformed moron might think he’s a traitor, she was the daughter of the legendary Luke Semprys. Luke had let her down; he had been unable to give her the unbreakable father she had idolized all her life. He knew it, and it made him sick. And once again there Luke stood, alone and abandoned at his own doing. The emptiness he felt stole his breath.
It was the soldier who cut him off though, grabbing Luke’s arm and making an attempt to force him to the door.
“Now I can see why everybody thinks you’re such an arrogant tool. Move your a-“
“BACK OFF!” Luke yelled, shaking the soldier off so hard that he stumbled. The other soldiers became more alert and defensive. They aimed their weapons at Luke and didn’t move. With a defensive look on his face the soldier looked over the rest of his group and turned back to Luke with renewed aggression. He shoved his weapon into Luke’s side and growled.
“Get out. Now.”
Luke was ignoring them again. He was looking to Tess. “Tess… baby… please don’t go. I’m so sorry. I… I didn’t know what-“
“Take him.” The soldier said. “Take him hard.”
The Dark soldiers flooded into the room to surround Luke. Luke’s right arm began to glow with a bluish steam. He saw the expression on Tess’s face. He knew he had already lost her. His heart sank, and his face became dangerous once more. The soldier put his hand on Luke’s arm and pushed him towards the door. Tess didn’t even look at him as he passed.
The air became heavy. Seeing Tess reject him, knowing well that he might never see her again, the hate and anger that filled Luke’s chest boiled over and he snapped.
With a loud yell he sent a vicious punch into the chest of the soldier who had tried to force him out in the first place. He dented the chest plate like foil and the man flew back and crashed through the wall. The next soldier saw it happen and tried to back out of Luke’s reach. Luke grabbed him by the collar of his armor, lifted him over his head and slammed him into the floor. As the man went unconscious, Luke was tackled around his midsection and forced backwards. He tripped across one of the suitcases and fell to his back. The Dark soldier brought his gun around but Luke grabbed the barrel. The blue steam still rising off his arm Luke squeezed the gun, the metal gushing between his fingers like putty. The soldier ditched the gun and went to slug Luke across the face. Luke caught his fist halfway through the swing and clasped it. The man tried to wrestle his hand away as Luke got to a kneeling position. Looking the soldier in the eye, Luke constricted his grip. The man yelled in agony as his hand was slowly reduced to bloody, shapeless mush, making wet squishing sounds and crunches as Luke’s hand closed entirely. The grip loosened and the man slumped to the ground screaming. Luke got to his feet and saw another man running at him. Luke put his fists up.
The soldier was clothes-lined. He did half a back flip before landing on his head, cracking his neck hard and going unconscious. Luke looked over and found Tess standing wide legged with an outstretched arm.
She jumped to his side and raised her fists as well, the two’s stances being mirror images of one another. The soldiers stopped and Luke, his mouth slightly open in astonishment, turned to Tess.
“Tess, why did you-“
“Please, just go.”
Luke said nothing nor emoted anything. He had begun to think that her defending him was her way of forgiving him. But he was wrong, and there were few things, if anything that she could have said that could have hurt him more. The one thing he has truly afraid of, her not wanting him, was coming to pass. His eyes implored her for her to recant her demands.
“Go now.” She said. “You’re right. I don’t want you here.”
Luke’s arms fell slowly to his side and he stared at her with an expression he was unfamiliar with. He reached a hand out to touch her elbow. “Tess, please don’t-“
Tess jerked her arm away. She was careful to avoid eye contact. “No. I want you gone.”
One of the soldiers helped the fallen Darks to their feet while one lead the man with the crunched hand from the room, his entire arm shaking as he went into shock. They were surrounding Luke. He gave no resistance.
“So… You want me gone from the city?” Luke asked quietly. “Because I can do that. Just please let me-“
“I want you gone from my life.” Tess said firmly. “Leave.”
She left the room in a quick walk while Luke sorrowfully watched her every step. As she disappeared around the corner her footsteps could be heard breaking into an erratic run. Luke listened to her footsteps disappear down the hall, taking in the last physical evidence he’d get of his daughter. Several gun barrels were planted firmly in Luke’s back. The command that came was breathless and ragged.
“Move.”
Luke obliged. They forced him out of the door and down the hallway. They had no stabilizer, but Luke didn’t resist. He wanted to leave. There was no reason to stay anymore. All he could do now was dream of how he had survived prison, torture, and escape, and made it back to the last of his family only to throw them out of his life forever because it was true what everybody said about him: there was something wrong with him. He couldn’t be happy. He wanted to leave. There was an entire army of white-armored monsters waiting for him. His hatred for them was all he had left, and it was about time he got around to doing something about it.
Chapter 7
To: C.Valkner, C.Emery, C.Ryder, C.Proctor, General Alred, Cmdr. Vladmir Frenz…- via Communal Subnet.
From: Doctor T. Malcolm Rowlings C.I.P, C.M.D, S.P.A
It is at the request of President Lynch that I issue this letter concerning the Durants and, of course Luke Semprys. Like the President, I was quite surprised to find the Durants and Darks capable of orchestrating and successfully executing such an elaborate attack. Though I will most likely be rebuked by this forthcoming comment, I applaud them for their continued ingenuity and bravery. I will first discuss in as much detail as possible, the Durant race and what a skilled Durant is capable of. It’s my hope and the hope of President Lynch that this knowledge may be used for the purpose of formulating and conducting effective counterstrikes against such a formidable opponent. First, how the Durants work as they do.
