The Story of Yeling Mah Pt. II

Chapter 16 - Stormwatch Brigade vs. The Mirage Rematch

"Red alert."

I jolted out of bed, and ran to the conference room, grabbing the suit and placing it on my chest. I double tapped it as the leather expanded, covering my body until I was suited up in Vision's uniform.

I ran to the door, and nearly bonked Haka on the head.

"Haka?! What are you doing here? Go back to bed!"

Haka grabbed my waist and wouldn't let go, giving me her signature pleading puppy eyes.

"Come on, Haka, please. Not now."

But Haka was stuck to me like glue as she nudged my waist with her head.

"Fine, come with me."

We reached the conference room, as more and more members of Stormwatch piled in.

"Yo, why do all the alerts have to happen in like, 4 in the morning." Lucas grumbled.

Rui noticed Haka by my side and knelt down.

"Haka! Fancy seeing you here!"

Haka let go and skipped to Rui as she began to play with her, making weird faces and stuff. My eyebrow twitched in confusion.

Joseph smiled. "Your sister is so adorable."

"Thanks."

Joseph cleared his throat and turned to us. "Okay. So we have everybody here, except... well. Tony and Lucas. As usual."

"What? Lucas is right here-"

I was suddenly interrupted by a loud snore. Lucas had fallen asleep at his seat as Joseph sighed.

"We got a breach in the outer defences. I don't know how it happened, but one thing is clear. Someone is on their way here. And according to the scouts, it's Squad Four."

My heart began to beat faster.

Squad Four. I hadn't heard that name in over two years.

Oh yeah, I guess I should probably bring this up. But it has been two years since I was in the Stormwatch Brigade. My reputation with them slowly began to improve, although many people still didn't like an ex-convict in their ranks. But despite that, people respected me, and not once was I ever criticized for wearing Vision's suit.

Each mission that I went on with the people in Stormwatch was another opportunity to learn more about my powers, and to help my squad mates.

But I never truly moved on with my past life. And today's breach was an indicator of that. Because upon hearing that name... my mind began to flash with the memories I had with Whitney, Lewis, Maika, and Matt. Especially Matt.

Every time he threatened me, I didn't know if it was just as a joke, or if he was serious. But I knew that he knew I was no longer part of the Contingency Initiative. And by that accord, it didn't take a genius to know that Matt was out for my head.

"They're probably after me, right?" I asked.

Joseph closed his eyes. "No."

"What?" I asked, confused. That didn't make sense. I had the most bad blood with them, being essentially a traitor.

"They're after me." Rui said, causing me to stare at her in surprise.

We were all taken aback from that, that Lucas woke up.

"What? Why are they, who? What's going on?"

Rui clenched her fists. "I don't know what they have against me, but I'm who they're after, from what the Scouts are saying."

"We'll protect you no matter what!" Lucas shouted, as he slammed his fists on the table, causing Haka to jump in surprise and run to my side.

"Lucas is right." I said.

"They want you? They gotta go through us."

Rui looked at us gratefully.

"We'll have to be cautious. I've already set up traps and diversions and enlisted the help of other Brigades as well. They've been stationed on the trail to our HQ. Maybe if it was other Squads that wouldn't be necessary. But this is Squad Four we're talking about. I just don't trust our normal defences to deal with Squad Four. Especially with The Mirage."

I shuddered. Matt was always scary. Now with him being pissed off and having a chip on his shoulder, I couldn't imagine the resentment he had.

I remembered how Matt fought off the combined forces of Joseph, Logan, and Rui. At the same time. And that was just him screwing around to get me out of there.

This time, he was serious.

Logan, Lucas, Tony, and Joseph were stationed at the front lines, to take down whoever came our way. I was stationed at the front gate to shield Rui if anything happened. A helicopter was coming to take her somewhere safe for the time being. Likely RWC headquarters.

This was a race against time. Protect Rui, until the chopper arrives.

A small screen appeared in my HUD as Rui and I went to the roof. I had ordered Lily, the new recruit to Stormwatch to take Haka to her room since it was unsafe.

My HUD was connected to the numerous cameras across the base, as we waited.

Waiting and waiting.

For Squad Four to come out.

"Cobalt, you good on your end?" Joseph's voice buzzed in.

"Yeah. Rui's fine." I said.

"Good, we're gonna beat these Squad Four suckers up!" Tony's voice lit up in my coms.

"Shut the hell up! I can't listen if they're coming or not." Lucas buzzed back.

The two began to argue on the coms until Logan shut them both up.

"Hey! You two! Pipe it down. You're no longer the juniors in this team. Act more like the seniors you're supposed to be in front of Lily."

We continued waiting. Knowing Squad Four, they would be disorganized. Matt would be off on his own. Considering it was a raid against Stormwatch, Matt would likely be the first one ther-

"Movement!" Joseph exclaimed.

My HUD lit up with a black streak that zipped across four cameras in the span of an eighth of a second.

"What the hell..." Lucas muttered.

"So fast!" Rui gasped.

"This speed. He just bypassed all the traps!" Logan muttered.

"I'm going after it. The rest of you stay here." Joseph said, as I watched him leave the post, and activate his Vala supersonic speed. Joseph shot to the location of the black streak, leaving behind a sonic boom.

I watched as the black streak zipped across a camera, from one field of view to the other. Whoever this was, was ridiculously fast. Joseph was going at top speed, Mach 3, and he wasn't able to keep up.

But at the same time, I knew how he was able to pull something like this off.

Because only one person could give off the illusion of moving so fast.

"It's Mirage's Switch Teleport." I said.

"Mirage?" Rui asked.

"Yeah. He's able to switch the position of himself and whatever he looks at. He's been honing down that ability for years, and I guess now he's somehow improved it to the point where he can surpass Joseph's speed."

"This guy!" Joseph exclaimed. "I'm losing him!"

I clenched my fists. At this rate, I would have to take on Matt. And there was no way I could beat him one on one.

Suddenly, the streak stopped, as Joseph caught up to it.

"Why are you doing this?" Joseph shouted at Matt, who simply chuckled.

"I came for Patcher, but considering you're so eager to get your punishment, I think I'll kill you all."

Logan and the others managed to join the fight through the boom tube, emerging on the other side.

"Game over, Mirage!" Lucas pointed his finger at Mirage, who smiled.

"Do you think outnumbering me is any indication as to how a fight is going to end?"

Tony and Logan powered up, as the four circled Mirage.

"Where's the rest of the Squad?" Logan asked.

"Probably dead. Not that I care." Mirage replied.

"You're supposed to be their leader, why did you abandon your squad mates like that?" Joseph asked, angrily.

"I didn't abandon Tidalflame, if that's what you're on about." Mirage responded, as he caught Logan's kick effortlessly, and pushed him back.

Joseph shot forward with his supersonic speed, but Mirage redirected his punch, and at the same time, deflected Lucas' kick.

He pushed them both back.

"Tidalflame chose to leave us. If anything, he was begging to be abandoned. I'm considering him an addition to my kill list. But the first is Patcher. I see she's not with you. That bitch couldn't even face me, after what she has done."

"Hey, I dare you to call her that again!" Tony shouted, as he aimed his explosion at Mirage, who smiled.

"The four of you have gotten quite overconfident in yourselves, after being neglected by me for so long. Maybe I should teach you all a lesson."

My eyes widened.

"Tony! Don't fire that!"

"Too late, sucker! He's getting lit up!" Tony launched a massive red explosion at Mirage's position.

It was too late indeed, because the moment he did that, Mirage's red eye glowed, and the two switched places. The explosion engulfed Tony as he went unconscious.

"GZ!" Lucas shouted, but Joseph held him back.

"Mirage, you truly are a monster. To hurt a kid like that."

Mirage lowered his head, as he cracked his fingers.

"I am a monster? Is that so, Joseph Greziak. I wonder how it came to that."

Joseph brought his fists up as Logan stepped forward beside him.

"Curse-mark, Ground Zero. Fall back to Cobalt and Patcher. This is too dangerous for you two to be here."

"No way." Tony said, regaining consciousness. "We take this guy together."

Rui clenched her fists.

"Rui?" I asked.

"I think... I think I know why Mirage wants me dead." Rui said, her voice shaky, as tears began to pour out from her eyes.

"Hey, Rui. What's going on? What do you mean?" I went up to her and put my arm around her shoulders. Rui's eyes were full of shock as she began to shudder.

My HUD showed Joseph, Logan, Lucas, and Tony closing in to Mirage, as the four fought him in a four on one exchange. But despite Logan and Joseph's skill, Tony's firepower, and Lucas' strength, they were outmatched.

Lucas sent a punch that Mirage dodged, leaping into a handstand, then twirling around acrobatically, and landing a kick to his face. Logan went low and launched a leg sweep, to catch Mirage off balance, but the Squad Four Leader landed with his other hand, and grabbed Logan by the face with his two feet, sending him into the air.

"You're wide open!" Joseph shouted, as he zipped in and launched a powerful punch that caught Mirage clean in the face, but Mirage dissipated into black smoke.

"A clone!" Tony exclaimed, as he turned around, Mirage appearing from within the ground through a shadow portal.

Tony panicked as he fired a massive explosion, but Mirage predicted this, and switched places with Lucas, eliminating him instantly.

"His grudge against Stormwatch..." Rui muttered.

I watched as Joseph glowed with the power of Vala, summoning a massive spectral construct which slammed on the ground repeatedly, but Mirage acrobatically dodged the slams, creating multiple clones to jettison himself in the air, and to move himself around, avoiding Joseph's swings.

"Still relying on your brute power? Guardian?" Mirage sneered, as he created two clones, which each pushed his feet. Mirage slammed into Guardian as the two tumbled in the air.

Level 3 Senkaku: Reverse Slingshot Backbreaker

Mirage hurled Guardian to the ground, as he switched places with a stone, the three of them preparing to break Joseph's back. Joseph's eyes went wide.

Logan instantly closed the distance, as he slashed with his swords, dissipating two of the clones, narrowly missing the real Mirage. Joseph landed on the ground next to Logan.

The two got back up.

"Metron, this isn't looking too good. Even with all four of us together, we're not doing anything against Mirage."

"Chin up high, Guardian. We keep fighting, no matter how great the cause."

Mirage sneered. "I hate that saying, by the way." As he closed in, and pressured Logan in hand to hand combat.

"That same style..." Rui sobbed.

"Hey Rui, calm down. I'm sure whatever it is is just in your mind. He's after you, that's enough to make anyone scared. I'll protect you with my life. I promise."

Joseph tried to close in, but Mirage turned to him, and replicated his body, creating multiple illusions, causing Guardian to miss his punch.

Joseph tried to land as many punches as he could, but Mirage was able to evade them all with his illusions, and land a solid jab to his face, sending him back.

"We ain't done yet!" Lucas and Tony shouted, as they closed in.

"All together!" Logan shouted as well, as Joseph regained his composure.

"At the same time." Joseph grinned, as he joined the four in a simultaneous attack. Mirage may have had amazing reflexes and combat skill, but there was only so much one could do to avoid attacks. The human brain could only process so much.

"I'm so sorry." Rui gasped, as she began heaving.

"Rui..." I muttered.

Level 3 Senkaku: Legion of Mirrors

"No... no way..." Lucas muttered, as hundreds upon hundreds of Mirage clones appeared.

"Which one is which?!" Tony shouted, as he began firing explosions left and right.

One of the illusions landed a jab that knocked Lucas to the ground, and another managed one on Logan. But none of Stormwatch was able to land a hit on Mirage.

"Better hurry up." Mirage taunted. "There's no knowing what I will do once I've had my fun with you lot."

"Screw this. I'm blowing this whole place up. Guardian!"

"On it." Joseph held out his hands and shielded everybody as Tony put his arms together, unleashing a massive explosion that dissipated all of Mirage's clones.

Mirage coughed out blood as he fell on his back.

"He's open!" Lucas shouted.

"No, Curse! Don't!" Logan shouted after Lucas, but it was too late.

Level 1 Amplification: Grand Slam

Mirage smiled as he switched with Lucas, then slammed him straight in the face with his own attack, knocking him out unconscious.

Tony stepped forward, and the remaining three tried again. Mirage split off into hundreds of duplicates once more.

"Wow, the same technique twice, eh? Then let's have it!" Tony exclaimed.

No. This wasn't right. Mirage wasn't the type to make such a rookie mistake. Something was wrong.

The explosion incinerated everything, as Tony felt to the ground, depleted and unconscious.

But once the smoke cleared, all I could see was the numerous duplicates still standing. They all evaded the explosion, jumping back with ridiculous strength.

Amplification and Senkaku: Ultimate Legion

Mirage zipped in and smashed both Logan and Joseph in the midsection as they crumpled to the ground.

"Two whole years for you both to improve, Stormwatch. But here you are, defeated at my feet."

Matt's mirages returned to their respective bodies, as Matt and his clones knelt down and grabbed Tony and Lucas. Then Matt himself grabbed Logan and Joseph, then peered at a contraption.

"What?" I asked, incredulous.

"There's no way he could have noticed that!"

Mirage found the boom tube secret entrance!

Within seconds, Matt entered the boom tube along with his clones, and the group teleported in front of us.

I watched in horror, as Matt and his clones threw our defeated squad members to our feet.

"Hey." Mirage said, causing Rui to gasp.

Joseph and Logan managed to get to their feet, shielding Rui.

"You're not gonna lay a hand on her, you bastard." Joseph growled.

Mirage tilted his head. "I'm not going to lay a hand on her? That's so rude. All I wanted was a little reunion."

"Reunion?" I asked.

Mirage narrowed his eyes at me, and I felt my heart crawl into my throat.

"Say, Yeling." He said, his voice dangerously low.

"Where did you get that outfit?"

I breathed heavily. Things started to make sense. When I first heard of Vision. I thought maybe... but more and more evidence began to align. Even if I didn't want to believe it.

Joseph glanced at Rui, who was shaking so hard, her face pale, like she was seeing a ghost.

"Patcher? Hey. It's going to be okay. The chopper is coming soon. Don't worry about it."

"Aw, forget all the formalities guys." Mirage said, his clones dissipating into black smoke.

Mirage took a step forward, but Logan drew his swords and aimed them at Mirage.

"Is that anyway to treat your student?"

Logan's eyes widened, as he slowly dropped his swords.

"What... what did you just say?"

My heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to come out of my chest. Joseph was probably the same.

"No... this has to be some kind of sick joke..." He muttered, his eyes flooding with tears.

"Come on, guys. I may have changed a bit..." Mirage slowly took off his mask, revealing his empty eye socket, the numerous scars on his face, and a broken, maniacal smile. The smile of someone who lost everything, who let the darkness in, and enjoyed it.

"But I'm still the same old Matty Lam from back then..."

The mask fell to the ground, as we all stared at Mirage in horror.

"I'm still Vision.... ya get me?"

Chapter 17 - Mirage's Speech

"You three seriously couldn't recognize me? That hurts, you know." Matt said, as he walked around.

Everybody was frozen in shock.

"You're lying!" Joseph shouted. "I watched you die. I watched the explosion tear you apart! You weren't supposed to..."

"And you kept living on with your lives, like my death was just another thing, right?" Matt glared at Joseph.

"So many things you misunderstand about me, Greziak. I take it you probably read my stupid diary too, right? The good old Matty Lam. You even had the indecency to give away my suit to this trash heap of a traitor."

Matt took his robe and threw it to the ground, revealing his combat gear. A black tank top and cargo pants.

"But hey, I became Squad Leader in the end though, right? That's all that matters to get Rui to notice me."

Rui continued to tremble as I took her wrist.

Matt lowered his head, casting shadows all across his menacing face.

"For a squad of killers. But I guess you can't have it all."

Joseph's face was beaded with sweat, as Matt began laughing maniacally.

"My god. Look at your face. You look like you're about to throw up. That's so funny, honestly. What happened to being my rival? This isn't fun anymore. Maybe I should just keep messing around with your squad mates. Reignite that rage inside you."

"Matt..." Rui muttered, her hair covering her eyes, as she stepped forward.

"Please stop this."

Matt suddenly stopped prancing around. "Rui... you've definitely aged with grace. You know back then, I was too scared to compliment you, because I was such a wimp and I was scared of what you thought about me. But since you and Joseph are a thing, what I say doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

Rui said nothing, as her fists clenched.

"Matt.... how could you... how could you deceive us like that."

Matt's grin turned into a sneer. "I beg your pardon?"

Rui glared at him. "Do you not understand, how much hurt and pain you put us through? How much hurt and pain you put ME through?!" Rui's face was covered in tears, her eyes bloodshot.

"You were a beacon of light to us. You were hope reincarnate. We all saw you as that. When you died, we were so devastated. Why couldn't you have seen that?! Why?! Why did you join Taras?!" Rui screamed, as Matt lowered his hands.

"Rui. You now know of my love for you, but you still treat me like this. I think it's time I tell you the truth."

Matt held out his hand, and took off the glove, revealing demonic claws.

"No... Matt, you didn't... you didn't make another Dogma Bargain!" I gasped.

Level 5 Gravity: Singularity Pulse

We all froze in place, as the gravity in the area became too much for us to handle. I crumpled to the ground, as Rui fell to her knees.

"The mission was never to take you. There was no mission like that. We simply were passing by, to get Mariah. But I decided to branch off and give you guys a little going away present. And to face my old demons. It's been too long."

I tried to get up, but the gravity was too much. It felt like a million pounds were suddenly dropped on my back. I couldn't get up or even move.

"Rui Iwatani, during my years in the Contingency Initiative, I watched you and Joseph. As I fought you two as the Mirage. Every time you hugged. Every time you kissed. I saw it all. And it broke my heart."

Matt paced around.

"And then I came to the conclusion. It was really simple, really. Why this was happening. Why I could never have you, I knew the answer all along. My first Dogma, of prophecy. My first sacrifice, was to never find a woman to love me. Every time I made an advance on you, every time I even thought about being with you, the Dogma punished me with misfortune. I knew that, but I couldn't help myself. I was in love with you. And you were so kind to me."

Rui clenched her teeth, as tears fell from her face.

"I spent years training with Taras so I could surpass Joseph. Brutal training. My second Dogma Bargain, took my eye." Matt showed Rui his empty eye socket, as Rui said nothing.

"But it was not enough. Amplification. What was the point of punching a hole through a wall, if Joseph could punch a hole through a building? So then after more brutal and harsh training, I made my third Dogma Bargain. In exchange for my arm."

Matt's dark arm construct dissipated, revealing behind emptiness and an empty sleeve.

"Matt..." Rui muttered, fighting back her tears.

"I worked very hard with Senkaku. As you can see. Almost all my moves have been with Senkaku. But then I learned of Joseph's ability to create constructs. And that... came my fourth Dogma Bargain. You see, that was where I truly realized... that I still loved you."

Rui gasped.

"The sacrifice, was half of my soul. To access half of the Great Akuma. But this power was so great, that I had to watch myself kill you. Over and over again. To prove my loyalty. I finally did it, but it broke me even more. Even when I was away from you, Rui."

Matt released the gravity on Rui, as she screamed and tried to rush Matt with a bunch of punches. One caught him dead in the face, causing Matt's nose to bleed. But the next punch was dodged, as Matt went low, and swept Rui off her feet. Rui landed on her back, as Matt reactivated the gravity on her.

"It was once I got that Dogma Bargain, did I realize... that to truly move on. To truly begin healing, I would have to rid of you in my life. My dearest Rui Iwatani. I didn't come here today to capture you as your scouts had thought."

Level 4 Half Akuma: Anarchy Blade

Matt began to glow purple, as the skeleton of a spectral warrior manifested, holding a giant sword with one of his arms. Half of his face became merged with the flesh of the warrior's ribcage. The skull of the Great Akuma, glowing a sinister purple.

"I came here to destroy you, so once we awaken the Great Akuma, I will have no regrets."

Come on, Yeling. Get up! Overcome this! You have to!

Suddenly, a wall of spikes appeared from behind Matt, as Matt leapt into the air, dodging them with his transformation. That took ridiculous stamina and agility, with the Half Akuma transformation. That was one of Matt's Level 4 weaknesses. It may have been a powerful ability, but it was incomplete. Matt was barely able to move with the form, but in exchange he possessed immense destructive power.

I looked behind and got to my feet. Haka!

Haka hid behind Lily, who manifested a yellow force field.

"Sorry Yeling! She just wanted to help. There was nothing I could do!"

Haka peeked from behind Lily, the tattoos on her arms momentarily glowing green.

"Haka, you silly goose." I said.

I turned to the rest of the squad, who were still frozen in shock.

"Hey. Yeling." Matt muttered, as the Half Akuma transformation dissipated.

I held my ground.

"Matt." I said. "I'm not going to let you harm them."

"That's a damn shame." Matt said, dangerously, as he held out his hands, numerous copies of himself emerged, as eight clones appeared at his side.

"Eight?!" I gasped. Those two years were definitely not wasted. How many tricks did Matt develop?!

"You seemed to have found a new way to piss me off. I thought to myself, damn. He did the unthinkable, joining the Stormwatch Brigade. I wonder what he would do? He couldn't rat out my name to those bastards. But... here you are. Wearing that."

I readied myself, concentrating. Matt. You weren't the only one training during those many years. So have I.

"Matt, this was your suit. It still is."

"Shut up." Matt muttered.

"You can still come back to them. At the end of the day, you're still Vision."

"DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" Matt roared, as he activated switch teleport. I found myself in the middle of the legion of clones and mirages Matt had created, as they all jumped me. I closed my eyes.

Level 1 Hinokami, Stage Two: Flaming Lotus

My body became engulfed in blue and purple flames as I activated my Stage Two transformation, blowing everybody away.

Matt leapt back. His face downright murderous.

"Yeling Mah. You've officially signed a death contract. I'm going to destroy you. Then I'm going to use your flames to burn up that damn suit."

I brought my hand up, assuming the form that Logan had taught me. Matt's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"Then come get it. Squad Leader Matt."

Chapter 18 - Cobalt vs. Mirage

"Why did you join this squad if you have no desire to kill?" Matt once asked me.

"I do!" I pleaded.

Matt glanced at me. "No. You don't. Want my advice? Turn back now. Leave this place. Just because Taras thinks you're qualified for CI doesn't mean I think so. Frankly, you shouldn't even be in this company, much less my squad."

"Please, Squad Leader, let me prove myself."

"Okay." Matt said, as he got up and pointed at the girl who was behind the counter. I looked at her as she smiled at me.

"Kill her."

I stared at Matt. "Wha... what?"

Matt glared at me. "You want to show your cold bloodedness? Kill her here. I saw you fancying her. Despite my many scoldings about how we have no place with the people in this world. A cold blooded killer will kill even his closest bonds."

That day, I had torched the entire coffee shop out of a frenzy. Many innocent people were injured, but the girl had managed to escape. That was a huge relief. And Matt didn't seem to care, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew she escaped.

"You're no killer. But you have power. Consider this a half point. A pity pass."

Matt suddenly closed in, jolting me back into reality.

"You're getting careless, brat."

I propelled myself out of the way as I watched my surroundings elongate. Another Switch Teleport. I instantly went intangible as numerous spikes were teleported to my location, nearly impaling me.

I blasted out of the way as I continued throwing fireballs at Matt, who dodged them with incredible agility.

Matt closed in again. He knew my weakness. I couldn't do close quarters combat, and he wasn't giving me much of a choice.

We began a quick exchange of blows, but that was enough for him to instantly pin me down. It didn't matter that Logan had taught me so many of his moves. They were useless in the eyes of Matt. The dude was a master of masters.

I went intangible again, as I blasted into the air.

Level 1 Hinokami, Stage Two: World on Fire - Super Galactica

I fired numerous fireballs at Matt, who instantly created mirages, switch teleporting with them to avoid the blasts as he closed in on me and wrapped me with a black chain, pulling me in before I could activate intangibility.

Fighting Matt was also like fighting back nausea. Because Matt loved to fling his opponents around and make you second guess his next move. The thing with Matt was, he used switch teleport and mirages so often, it was like your brain was working overtime to figure out what he would do.

Matt could fight with all of his limbs. It wasn't a matter of a normal kick. The dude could stand on his hands and land a blow. He could be mid air and land a blow. He could be in any position and somehow manage to hurt you.

This was the skill Matt had developed during his first few years under the tutelage of Taras Pax, the greatest meta human in history.

Matt caught me in the face and flung me into a mountain as I fell to the ground, exhausted.

I struggled to my feet, as Matt approached me.

"You're not gonna say anything?" I asked.

Matt glared at me, without saying a word. Somehow that was even more intimidating than his usual threats.

"Fine, then I'll say it." I snapped.

"Stop holding grudges. Move the hell on. Rui loves you as a friend. That was all you were. You can't force her to love you, that's not how it works."

Matt's eyes narrowed in anger.

I pissed him off even more.

"Yeling..." A voice appeared behind me. I turned around in shock as Matt materialized from within the shadows of the landform, kicking me in the face as I felt myself being caught in one of his moves. Before I knew it, I was flying straight to the ground.

Level 3 Senkaku: Sixfold Slingshot Backbreaker

He was going to break my back! I unleashed my flames outwards frantically, as Matt darted out of the way. I smashed into the ground.

I groaned as I got to my feet. I couldn't beat Matt. How long was the damn chopper going to take?! At this rate I was gonna die. I had to do the move. There was no choice now.

I brought my hands up, and pivoted on my left foot, my right foot drawing a circle on the ground. Remember the motion. Remember the fluid patterns. My body began to well up with energy as my flames became more jagged.

Level 1 Hinokami, Stage Two: Dance of the Final Sun

I instantly blasted forward, landing on a wall, then blasting again, ricocheting off of any surface I could find and building momentum.

This was it. This move was so fast that it didn't matter if Matt had his new Dogma, there would be no time to use it. It was just a matter of knowing where the real Matt was. If he was behind me, he would have been the one who moved back the furthest from the flames during his backbreaker.

"You're... right HERE!" I shouted.

Suddenly, I stopped moving. It was like my body had gotten weak. I hit the ground, hard. My flames dissipating before my fist could reach Matt's face.

Matt was paralyzed in a combination of shock, frustration, and anger.

"Captain!" A familiar voice sung. A flirty voice that I knew all too well.

"Ack... Whit...ney..." I muttered, as I felt my life force being sucked from me.

A curvaceous figure appeared in my vision as a young woman knelt down.

"Tsk tsk. Yeling. I expected more from you. Leaving us like that." Whitney's face turned into a maniacal grin.

"That means you're no longer my ally. I'm going to enjoy torturing you for betraying us."

"Eek!" I yelped.

I had been so focused on Matt being pissed, I didn't for once imagine how scary Whitney would be once I got on her bad side. Now I was definitely going to get it.

"Well, well. If it isn't the damn traitor." Lewis appeared, along with Maika. They both peered at me with disdain.

Whitney put her knee on my back, grabbing my neck so tightly that I thought I was going to pass out. Her nails were so sharp, that they dug into the leather parts of my suit that were protecting my neck.

"You betrayed my beloved Squad Leader. I'm not gonna forgive you for this, little boy." Whitney said, as she ran her tongue along my ear.

"Why... are you still supporting Matt? Multiple times he's said he doesn't care about you guys. He couldn't care about you guys dying."

"You really don't get it, do you, Yeling." Lewis said.

I looked at him in surprise, as Lewis continued.

"That's just how Matt is. He always says that. But if he really hated us, he wouldn't be berating us all the time. Being a leader isn't just about forcing your team to do something, or giving them orders. It's about inspiring them to do shit for the leader's sake."

Maika glared at me.

"Every one of us here follows Matt because we want to do it for him. Because Matt gave us a place to stay when none of us had anywhere to go."

"Yes." Whitney said. "Matt gives a place where us toxic, unforgivable heathens, can stay. He saved me from my shitty relationship. I will forever be in his favour."

Lewis grabbed me by the collar and punched me in the face.

"You bastard. How could you have been with Matt for that long and not realize it. I guess you really do deserve to be with those Stormwatch scum. If you can't see Matt for who he is. This is HIS way of being Squad Leader. Of course he's strict. Of course he's an ass. But he ain't nothing like the Guardian. Because he gained our trust and love his OWN WAY. And you betrayed that."

Lewis threw me to the ground.

"YOU're the one who hurt Matt the most. Because he saw you as the little brother he wanted to make tough. You always complained about being not good enough. About not being a cold blooded killer. So he HELPED you with that. Yet you turned your back on him. And joined the very squad he hated."

Whitney joined Lewis and Maika, as Matt watched us from a distance. His one eye, was still full of hate. But something in there. Was something I never could have imagined Matt feeling.

Pain. And hurt.

"Yeling. You're not just a traitor to the Contingency Initiative. You're a traitor to our bonds." Whitney, said, and for once, she wasn't being playful.

"We're going to have your head, after we take Mariah. After the Second Great War is over and everything is destroyed. You will be among its corpses."

"Cobalt!" Tony's voice appeared, as the entire Stormwatch Brigade jumped in front of me, shielding me.

Joseph and Rui stood in front of Matt, who glared at them, but said nothing, as his own squad backed him up.

"Matt." Joseph said, as he stepped in front of the Stormwatch Brigade.

Matt stepped forward as well, in front of Squad Four.

Joseph sighed. "I wish I could have done things different. I wish I could have, but the past is set in stone. The future isn't."

Whitney went up to Matt and handed him his mask, as my former Squad Leader strapped it to his face.

Matt's eyes went back to being cold.

"Even if we could go back in time and do things different, nothing will change." Matt turned to Rui.

"My love for her would never have changed. And things would always turn out the same way."

Lewis went up to Matt.

"Cap. They need us at the front."

"Go." Matt commanded, as Squad Four regarded us one last time, before departing.

Matt crossed his arms, glaring at me.

"That suit is yours now. I don't give a shit about what you do with it."

Matt turned back to Rui and Joseph.

"I will spare your life, Rui. But in exchange, don't come for me. Ever. Don't tell me to come back. Don't call me that name, because the Matthew Lam you knew in Stormwatch died the same day his dreams to become the Squad Leader died. I have my own Squad to look after, now."

Matt turned his back on his former Squad, as he walked away. The sounds of a chopper getting closer, a person on the speaker calling Rui's name.

"Matt..." Rui whispered, as she brought her hand to try to scoop him back into her embrace.

Chapter 19 - New Rookie

"Your mission is going to be to watch over a target." Joseph said, pointing to the four of us.

Tony, Lucas, Lily, and I.

"What?! Why can't we just beat something up? Why are we getting these missions?!" Tony grumbled.

"Tony, this is the perfect opportunity to show Lily the ropes." I said.

"Nooooo, Joseph, please anything but this. Please. I'll do anything man. I'll wash all the dishes. Pleaseeeeee" Lucas pleaded, grovelling in front of Joseph.

"Dammit, Lucas! You're no longer a junior! Please act your role as Lily's senior!"

I left the conference room as I went to see Haka.

I took a deep breath, as I slowly opened the door.

"Ahh!" I yelped, as Haka leapt at me like a beast, tackling me to the ground and latching onto my neck.

"Hey. I'm going to be out on mission for today. Just wanted to check up on you."

I brushed her hair as I sat on the ground. The room was dimly lit, as I helped clean behind her pointy ears.

"I'll find a way to turn you back, don't worry." I reassured her, as she began to scratch.

"Stop scratching that! It'll only make it worse." I pulled her hand away from the rash that had developed on her neck. It was kind of cragged, like devil skin. Probably another Dogma Bargain.

Haka began to pout as I put my hand on her head.

"We'll find a way. It's going to be okay." I brought her into my embrace as I stared out the window. I was willing to do whatever it took to have her body and voice restored. I was so relieved when I finally got her back. But I knew she was still broken in many ways.

I ran my hand around the four horns that were protruding from the back of her head.

"Mmmmf." Haka began to complain.

"Sorry." I let go, as Haka sat on the ground.

I took out something from my uniform pocket.

"I bought you something, by the way. It's a scarf. I kind of figured you needed it since your neck is still sensitive to cold."

Haka took it and wrapped herself with the garment as I smiled. Seeing her happy made me happy.

I left the room as Haka began to play with the scarf as if it were the most fascinating thing she had discovered all week.

"So... what's the plan?" Lily asked.

Tony had his hands behind the back of his head. "Find the proxy, then protect him. Duh."

"This is gonna be so boring." Lucas grumbled. "I bet Joe tasked us to watch over some feeble old man. We're gonna have to carry him all around the place. What if he needs to take a piss?!"

"Holy crap Lucas. Stop jinxing shit. I'm not looking after no geezer." Tony said.

Lily walked next to me.

"Um... are these guys... always like this?"

"Yes." I replied.

"These are my seniors..." Lily muttered, her face lowered as if it finally dawned on her that these two hooligans would be who she was reporting to every mission.

We got the to the rendezvous. Some moustached man holding a cane.

"Hello!" The man said, as he greeted us. "It is such an honour to see members of the Realmwatch Collective here in my premises."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Are you who we are supposed to be protect?"

"Nope." The man said, as he clapped his hands.

Two men came out from within the other room, as they dragged someone... something out from the shadows.

My eyes widened as I watched a little girl walk dejectedly to the moustache guy's side, the metal on her collar and chains rattling. Lily gasped.

"You're going to be watching over Ceres." One of the men pushed the girl to the ground as she yelped. She couldn't have been any older than Haka. Maybe 10?

"Hey!" Lily stepped forward, but I pulled her back.

"No." I said. "He's still our client. We gotta work with him for now."

Lily continued struggling as Tony held out his hand, accepting the payment.

"Pleasure doing business with you, sir." Tony said, keeping a professional face.

After we had left, Tony clenched his fists.

"That heartless bastard!" He grumbled.

Lucas knelt down and held out his hand. "Yo! I'm Lucas. What's your name?"

The girl stared at him and shuddered, backing away.

"You're scaring her!" Lily said, as she gently led Ceres to her side.

"It's okay, we won't hurt you!" Lily reassured her, as Ceres slowly began to warm up.

Tony sighed. "So I guess this is our protection target then? Who are we protecting her from?"

"Probably bandits." Lucas said. The moment he said that, Ceres began to freak out, struggling with her chains as she ran off, but the chains pinning her down, causing her to choke.

"Hey! Relax!" Lily said, as she ran up to her side. "These chains must hurt, don't they."

Ceres' eyes began to water as Lily picked her up.

"We're going to need to find a place to eat. She's malnourished and way too light."

Lily glared at Lucas. "And don't say that when she's around! She's gone through enough!"

Lucas wasn't technically wrong. Because I looked closer at Ceres and noticed tufts of fur coming from her messy unkempt hair. They were almost like...

"Fox ears?" I asked.

Tony's eyes went wide. "Oh my god. We're protecting a loli."

"What's a loli?" I frowned.

Lucas stared at me. "You don't know what a loli is?"

Lily clenched her fists as a vein appeared on her forehead. "Would you three idiots stop saying that word?!"

"Sorry." Lucas, Tony, and I said in unison.

I knew exactly why we needed to protect Ceres. And Lucas gave it away with that statement. Ceres was a special kind of meta human. A Recombinant. When the Pax incident happened, a massive wave of energy struck the whole city of New Ulysses.

People were transformed either into meta humans with powers, meta monsters with even greater powers but loss of humanity, and then there were special victims.

A Recombinant was the third category. Humans who, when struck by the energy, merged their DNA partially with that of an animal. Most of these Recombinants usually die off due to genetic instability. But the few that survive, would develop animalistic traits.

I was guessing that Ceres was one of those who developed these traits without losing her humanity.

Making her an extremely valuable item in the black market.

"Eat up!" Lily said, as she slid a tiny kids sized plate to Ceres, who stared at it.

Tony rested his chin on the palm of his hand.

"Umm, this is the part where you eat."

Ceres pointed to herself, her face confused.

"Yeah. It's for you."

Ceres reluctantly picked up the fork from the wrong side and began biting it, causing all of us to freak out.

It took a few minutes, but Tony and Lily finally managed to show Ceres how to eat properly. Judging from how she wasn't able to figure out how to do something that basic, it was clear that she was starved beyond human standards during her time with the Moustache Man. Worse yet, if she didn't even know what a fork or utensils was, she was probably forced to eat with her hands.

I watched as Ceres began plowing her face into the food, hungrily, as Lily tried to restrain her before she choked herself. Her hands were covered in dirt.

I clenched my fists. This bastard. Ceres reminded me so much of my little sister, that the thought of seeing her abused like that filled me with rage.

I finished my portion, as I watched Lily feed Ceres. Ceres sat in her chair obediently as she slowly began to warm up to us. Seeing that put a smile on my face.

Of course, that didn't last long.

"What's this?" A big husky voice appeared behind me.

"A full Recombinant?" Another said.

I turned around, to see a bunch of massive goons with axes and knives. On their sides were a bunch of weapons. Probably stolen, because the markings on them said

New Ulysses Police Department (NUPD)

I stood up and put distance between them.

"Sorry. She's not for sale."

Ceres began to cower behind Lily, as Lily brought her hands, up, glowing yellow. Tony and Lucas also stood up.

One of the goons glared at me.

"I wasn't asking for your permission, Stormwatch brat."

I looked down, and realized that the guy had already pulled out one of his guns, and it began glowing blue.

"Oh. Well shi-"

A massive blast propelled me out of the building as I smashed into a food cart.

"YOU AGAIN." A familiar voice yelled at me.

"Huh?!" I brushed pieces of fish guts out of my face. My eyes widened.

"Are you kidding me."

The man, was the same man who tried to scam me with that dried snake or whatever the hell it was those many years ago. When I was with Mariah and Jacob on their date.

"Old geezer?!"

I got to my feet.

"HEY. YOU PAY. DIRTY MOUTH BOY. COME BACK HERE."

I ran back to the scene, as I saw Lily put her hands up, shielding Ceres as Ceres grasped onto her waist desperately. Tony and Lucas were trying to engage the bandits, but in the closed space, it was hard for Tony to use his powers to his fullest extent. The bandits were doing all kinds of dirty tricks, like using the bystanders as cover.

Level 1 Hinokami

My left hand burst into flame. But there wasn't anything I could do with all the people around.

"Hey!" I shouted.

"Get out of this restaurant, NOW. Unless you want to be incinerated!"

Everybody began to scream as they piled out.

A massive explosion appeared from within the restaurant as Lily and Ceres fell backwards. Lily managed to create a yellow cushion construct to shield Ceres, but she herself slid on the concrete. If it wasn't for her uniform, she would have been covered in scratches and cuts.

Lucas and Tony also jumped back.

"They're using stolen tech." Lucas noted.

"No shit." Tony replied.

"What did you just say?!" Lucas growled, as the two began to argue. I sighed.

I stepped forward.

"I'm taking you all into custody. For illegal possession of stolen firearms and-"

"Blah blah blah. Look. We're here for the Recombinant. We don't want no trouble. Against the vast array of gadgets and tech we have, your little meta human powers are no match for us."

From the corner of my eye, two figures appeared. They were cloaked.

"So hand her over, Stormwatch." A crazed man began to close in on Ceres as she screamed.

Level 1 Amplification: Bull Rush

Lucas shot forward, cracking the concrete as he tackled the man with immense force, slamming him into a nearby building. The others began firing as Tony fired explosions to offset the projectiles. Lily created multiple shields and fired energy blasts of her own.

I held out my hands as I threw fireballs left and right, holding back to avoid damaging the surroundings.

"PROTECT THE FOX LOLI WITH YOUR LIVES!!!" Lucas shouted, as he jumped on top of one of the gunmen, landing heavy blows and knocking them out unconscious.

More and more bandits began to close in. We had to get out of here, fast.

"We have to get out of here!" I said.

Tony turned to Lily. "Fly us out! Hurry!"

Lily brought her hands together. "Spectral Eagle - Half Body"

A large bird construct formed, picking us all up, as we flew out of there. Gunshots ringing and flying by us as we did our best to shield Ceres.

Lily dropped us off in a nearby cave formation on a cliff. Under normal circumstances, we should have went to the base, but the base was on high alert, and was considered probably unsafe, since its position was compromised by Squad Four. If we went there, we would risk a potential ambush, and with a protection target in our midsts, we would fail the mission instantly.

"So... why are we camped here?" Lucas asked.

Lily panted as she sat down.

"The bandits stopped chasing us the moment we reached this. They wouldn't stop coming after us."

"But a cave of all places..." Tony muttered.

Ceres' eyes went droopy as she leaned against me and fell asleep. I smiled as I took off my Stormwatch jacket and wrapped her into it like a sleeping bag.

"You're good with kids." Lily noted.

"I've had experience, with Haka."

"I heard Haka wasn't always like that. She was... partway recovered?"

I paused, as Lily began to freak out. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to step over the line. Please, Yeling. Forgive me!"

"No. It's okay." I reassured her, as I stroked Ceres' hair.

"You're right. Haka Mah was only partway recovered. The Haka that had survived, wasn't the real one. She was under the influence and corruption of the Dogma. They broke her beyond anything imaginable and forced her to kill me. She lived under that belief for all that time, and I didn't even know she was even alive."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks." I said, gratefully. "When I got Haka back, the Dogma wanted an exchange. So the deal was, I could have Haka back, but he would steal her memories and her voice. The memories the Dogma stole, it wasn't just her memories, but he stole several years off her life. Right now, she would be 16. But because of what the Dogma did, she's basically 10."

Lily smiled. "Well, Haka must be very lucky to have a caring older brother like you."

I was anything but that. If it hadn't been for my selfish decision to make the Dogma Bargain those many years ago, Haka never would have been forced to make her own Bargains and sacrifice her sanity. Even if Haka was here by my side, I knew that the Haka I had known for all those years was gone.

All because I wanted something worth living for, and all because I was too blind to see my family's care for me.

"Something's rumbling."

I jolted awake, as the entire cavern began to shake.

"Wha- what's going on?" I asked.

Ceres clutched onto Lily's waist, as she was still shrouded by my coat.

"What the hell is that?!" Lucas yelped, pointing at a nearby mountain. A massive... thing had started to move. Numerous trees began falling off its back as two blue lights emerged from within the bottom chunk.

"It's an Earth Giant" Lily gasped.

"A what?!" Tony exclaimed. Lily glanced at him. "You don't know what an Earth Giant is? Aren't you my senior?"

Tony looked embarrassed. "I... yeah. Totally. Knew what that was. Just needed a refresher."

I ran to the edge, and nearly fell off from the tremors.

The monster glared at us and roared at us, its voice shaking the environment so much that I couldn't tell if the rumbling was from its roar of its movements.

"So... I'm guessing this is why the bandits didn't pursue us." I said, pointing to the massive giant that had gotten to its feet.

"Hop on!" Lily shouted, as we boarded the big construct.

We flew off, but suddenly, Lily began to buckle.

"Lily?" Lucas asked, as the bird construct began to sink lower and lower.

"My body... it's getting weaker..."

Lily fell flat on her face as we ended up on the ground. The monster dragging its gargantuan mountain sized body to us from afar.

"Lily probably overused her powers." I noted. She did use her astral construct twice in one day.

"What's the plan then? We fight that thing?" Tony asked.

Lily propped herself on Lucas's shoulder.

"Our priority is to get Ceres out of here. I messed up by bring us here. I'm going to fix it." Lily tried to summon her astral construct again.

"Don't!" I shouted, but it was too late, as Lily cried out in pain and collapsed.

Lucas propped Lily on his back and lifted Ceres with his superhuman strength. "I'll get Ceres and Lily out of here. I'm not gonna do much against that Giant. I'll leave that to you two, Cobalt and Ground Zero."

Tony and I nodded.

Level 1 Hinokami...

I summoned the flames as I began to levitate off of the ground.

Tony grinned. "Haven't let loose in a while. Let's see if the Great Beast wants to come out after being cooped up for this long." Tony's hands twitched as a massive orange explosion propelled him into the air. I flew next to him as we flanked the giant monster.

Level 1 Hinokami: Inverse Tsunami Release

I fired a massive blast of flame at the Giant, as I set its body ablaze. The numerous trees working to my advantage. Tony did the same thing, igniting explosion after explosion as chunks of the giant's body began piecing away.