Ayden Blake, "Life for some's a little out of reach." (Part 2)

[Deliera Jay]

((Two days later))

::Seeing Kekorna this busy reminded him of just how populated Brekka had once been before the numerous disasters splintered it's people. It was a sunny day, citizens passing by on walkways without a care in the world. An Ornaran woman sat cross-legged on the street with her poor sign up as snobbish Brekkians "failed to notice".

::It was a typical day in Seritona.

::Though Ayden Blake knew quite well that it was about to become far from typical.::

::He'd spent the night in a hotel room he'd conned a desk clerk into giving him. Ayden wasn't proud of the action, but he'd told Sabor that he was not looking for the charity of his father in this time. The clerk was used to the treatment.::

::Ayden looked down at his CRI brace again. 1152 hours, 239105.01.::

::The day his father was to die.::

::There was nothing Ayden could do about this. He intended not to save him, to avoid conflict and not be involved. But his mother's recollection of the event was hazy at best--in too much of a catatonic state to really remember exactly what had happened. It wasn't as if he were about to push the subject on her, anyway. And it was in poor taste of him, really, to come to this place, this day, just to satisfy an idle curiosity. It was like he was actively looking to break his heart open again.

::But he had to know.::

::Everything happened very quickly. At 1208 hours, as his mother and father passed by the Ornaran woman on the corner, the local member of senate's building exploded in a flash of light. Ayden was knocked off his feet, is only saving grace being that he *expected* this.

::His parents, however, were not so lucky. Sabor and Sky were slow to get back to their feet, slowly comprehending what had just happened. Shouts from a "rebel group" (which was what they were calling them these days, apparently), protests of poor governmental action, echoed through the streets of Kekorna. What had once been a sunny day quickly darkened thanks to the smoke eminating from the destroyed buildings.

::Muzzle-fire began. Sabor shielded Sky with his own body against the stairs they had been blown down onto, clutching her closely until the noise ceased. It was replaced by the wailing of two children nearby, or the screams from victims buried under rubble. A group of bystanders were now caught in a blocked alleyway, and would be caught in the sights of the home-bred terrorists.::

Sabor: Stay down.

::It was obvious that Sky was barely with him, in a state of shock. Her eyes were glazed over, her hands already shaking. She managed a nod.::

Sky: Okay.

::Sabor launched into action. The two children to their right, whom had been abandoned by their parents as they fled the area, were dragged over to Sky. She regained some cohesion and was able to keep them both within arms reach.::

Sabor: Stay here.

Sky: No- wait! You can't be serious!?

Sabor: I can't allow civilians to be placed in danger. I have to help.

Sky: Please don't.

Sabor: I'll return. I promise.

::Ayden's head knocked against the pillar he was leaned against. His father had told a lie, leaving her with a promise he couldn't keep. He pulled away from her without so much as an attempt at a comforting gesture, his focus solely on the people closest to the danger zone.

::Ayden crouched low.

::He couldn't watch this part.::

::This was a story he knew well. His mother had recanted it dozens of times, to warn he and Ilakai away from Brekka. More flashes of lights went off as rudimentary energy weapons were used against any standing structure. Sabor would be able to avoid most, if not all of them. The terrorists' focus were not people, thank Noree, but structures surrounding government buildings. Too bad if there were people in them.

::His heart beat out of his chest as his brown eyes glanced back to his mother, cradling two kids--who were not her own--and giving them small comfort. This was part of the story he wasn't aware of, and he doubted she'd stuck around long enough to get their names. Idly, he wondered whether he should look into it.

::Finally, more yelling came from the south, where Sabor had run off to. And Ayden made his biggest mistake, tearing his attention away from his mother, and over to his father.

::He regretted this choice immensely.::

::The Brekkian military were a group of young people with weapons they knew very little about. They were rifles from other species, carried by inexperienced hands. They didn't know who they were looking for, who was causing the damage and danger. Their orders were probably just "aim and fire".

::And fire they did. Twelve people were lost to a pseudo-firing squad.

::Sabor included.::

::Another bomb detonated, the active "war-zone" knocking him to his knees - the pillar on which he was leaned against safe-guarding him from much of the blow. His mother and the two children were nearly buried by falling debris. The military group fell back.::

::He had a difficult choice to make.::

::His mother survived past this day. He knew that much. He did not need to go and assist her--doing so could cause significant problems in the future, especially if she somehow miraculously recognized him.

::His father, however, was free from debris, but was shot. He would not survive.

::Ayden's feet carried him, one step after the other, to the people laid dead or dying, his heart beating out of his chest. This was an active war-zone, he told himself. Moving around is dangerous, it could bring unwanted attention his way. But he continued to move.::

::Sabor had crumpled onto his back, a tell-tale green soaking his shirt and bottom lip. His breathing was haggard. Upon seeing Ayden's face, his eyes widened somewhat in recognition.::

Sabor: Ayden . . . ?

::The son slumped to the ground beside him, but made no move to assist him. He couldn't.::

Sabor: You shouldn't be here.

::Ayden sniffed, tears welling in his eyes.::

Blake: I couldn't let you be alone.

::His father didn't live past the third word. And bearing witness to the silence and stillness of his father's body made a string inside him suddenly give way, like his heart had been holding onto his father's existence for dear life.

::Ayden's throat tightened.::

::His chest heaved in a breath.::

::He wept.::

::When someone is lost forever to you, it's felt like an open wound. Pressure can come in the form of many things--a sudden memory, a prompt, even innocent questions. Weeks had to be spent re-working your psyche to learn from the experience, to re-train how it perceives the lost person, changing present tense to past. The body has to learn not to respond to certain stimuli with an immediate sense of grief--an acceptance must be made.

::What Ayden felt, seeing the life-less eyes of his father, was acceptance of loss he'd expected to have felt when he was much younger, having never met Sabor properly. But now, looking back on his life and his capabilities, he realized that this was a necessary thing, for himself. He had been lucky he even got the chance to speak with his father.::

::And from it, he'd found a sense of purpose when he'd given up on himself before he came to this year.::

::Ayden stood, and walked away.::


END.