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Everything Jake #382 Jake's Final, Continued. M didn't take kindly to threats, but the news of him being six thousand miles of where he last remembers rattled him. How did he get here? Why doesn't he remember? What was going on? "Well?", the older man asked, impatiently. "I tell you the truth, sir, I was separated from my squad when I went down. I was able to eject in time but all my equipment was lost. I don't know any more than you do how I got here." The men broke away and spoke to each other softly, M couldn't hear. The girl, Kiani, approached M. "I believe you, stranger. I saw you, float down from the heavens…" "Enough, Kiani. We've made up our mind. We will supply you with our valuable water and some food, and you must be on your way. We will give you some time to rest and regain your strength, but then you must go. Understood?" "Yes", M said, "Thank you for you kindness. I'll be sure to let the-" "You must not talk of our village, stranger. Ever. We pride ourselves in not participating in the silly war, we are self sufficient and have no need of any help from the outside." "You're secret dies with me, sir, I'll not speak a word." "We'll see, we'll see." M regained his strength the next morning and did a bit of exploring. The village lay hidden in a next of trees and mountains. It was land M was unfamiliar with, it was beautiful. A stream of fresh, clear water ran through the middle of the town, and M guessed this is how they managed on their own. Fresh water, clean water, was a rarity where M had come from. The oceans were poisoned and the rivers ran dry. The scourges of war. M saw fish swimming around. He took his boots off and sat down next to the stream, and gazed into it. He felt a sense of peace within him. Was this what's life about, he thought? Here there is no war, no sense of every moment being your last. Providing for yourself and your own, it seemed to good to be true. But this was not him. He had to get back to his squad. The memory of how he went down bothering him. It was for no reason, the ship just… stopped. Why? Kelion and Megroth were flying his wing, they has encountered some enemy fighters and had dispatched them without a hitch. Braughn and Pawal called in for some backup, and when they went to help out, total systems failure. But, there was more… what was it? "Penny for your thoughts?" M looked up and saw the figure of a girl, but couldn't make her out because of the sun shining behind her. "It's an expression from the old world, what's your name, stranger?" She sat down next to him and he realized who she was, it was that girl from the hut. Kiana, he thought. No, Kiani. "I've heard it before, it doesn't make any sense." "Oh, but it does", she smiled. It was a beautiful smile. She could be no older than fourteen, he thought, the most sixteen. "But not in the context we would think. There are so many left overs from the old world, stranger. I find them fascinating." "I'm M." "Kiani. M, eh? That's a silly name." "My father was… into simple things." "Apparently. Have you ever seen a Eldin?" "An Eldin? You mean like a fairy?" "Shhh, they'll hear you! No, an Eldin, a creature that lived on the earth since the beginning, and since the Turn, have has a resurgence." "Eldin's are mythical creatures." "So are those who can fly without help of any machine. Come, the fathers will be asking you to leave at night break, I'll show you my Eldin…" The flyer practice went very well for M, he managed to score very high and did not get tagged once. Braughn and Pawal, while being bested, were still proud of M, and they all decided to have some of the ale they were stashing. M didn't speak with Shamya, but their eyes met once, and a flash of heat (anger?) came over M. If this is the way she wants it, then fine. Fay and Tamora joined Braughn, M, and Pawal in their room. Kelion had some business to discuss with the Administrators (and, plus, they couldn't drink in his presence) and Megroth, as usual, stayed in his room. They quickly got drunk, and Fay was sitting dangerously close to M. "What do you think about the war, M?", she asked. "How do you mean?", he asked, and they all were listening. "She likes you, dipshit", Braughn laughed. Everyone laughed at this, and then realized they were being too loud, and they all "shhh'd" each other, which resulted in more laughing. M put his arm around Fay. More laughing. The worse thing that could happen during war when actually enjoying yourself is getting caught doing something bad or suddenly being thrown into battle unready. Both happened. Kelion Vance, with Megroth behind him, busted into the door. He was in full gear. "Listen up, laddies. We just received word of a Zankot advance on Resistance soil. The 83d is out numbered and we're the closest post. We suit up and leave immediately. Is… is that ale, then?" Pawal shuddered. "Yessir." "I thought. Give it here, then," Kelion took the ale, took a swig, gave M a look of disapproval, and left the room. Megroth followed. They all looked at each other in horror. "Well, we better get to it then, nice knowing ya's…" M looked at Fay in his arms, and kissed her. "Stay alive," she whispered, "and I'll give you the best night of your life…"    
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EVERYTHING JAKE is TM & (C) 2000-2011 by Mike Rosenzweig. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
