Chapter Twelve: The Unrelenting Dream


“I’ve lost count how many days I’ve been on this supposed space station. Hayate said it was for the benefit of our nation, but from what I’ve witnessed so far; Prometheus is nothing more than another meager attempt for a solution to the hypothetical problem of supremacy and power. What was I thinking when I agreed to come here? This Crimson Dawn project, it’s not something that God would have wanted. Playing God with the stupid soldiers; typical soldiers, they’d do anything if they believed they’d be recognized and be rewarded with some medal for heroism and bravery. This world is filled with morons; peace will never be attained at this rate.”

The days continued to drift aimlessly by while the same thoughts flowed through Nathan’s mind in circular form with no end in clear sight. He began to wonder if there was any hope left for humanity, the dark times that had slain his innocence had been nothing more than a plague to his life. Living wasn’t fun anymore, not like it had used to be. There was no time to frolic carelessly in the world, for some people it was hard to accept the fact that evil did indeed exist. But for Nathan it was just a confirmation of his fears. Evil was an entity that fed off the lives of others like a parasite, no matter how pure or good one claims to be, there is
always a small residence of evil lurking within the darkest shadows of their hearts.

His fingers rustled quietly underneath his blonde hair and ivory pillow, his pupils blinked every so often as he stared at the crevices above his small rigid cot that the military provided. He wondered why he even came to Prometheus, in his mind it was the manipulating of Hayate that did it. For as long as they knew each other Hayate was always a major influence on his decisions.

The radio alarm clock on his side began to flicker brightly while humming an instrumental pleasantry
otherwise known as Mozart’s Serenade for the Winds. Sighing he realized he had little choice but to get up from his comatose state from the world. With exact timing like every other day at 6:45 AM his metallic screen door slid open with military officers in their dull green uniforms assault rifles leaning against their muscular shoulders.

“Lieutenant Commander it is time.” One officer barked; his voice so engrained into Nathan’s head that he just reacted instinctively. There was no need to process the words spewing out from the officer’s lips.

“Yes…it is time isn’t it?” Nathan forced himself out from his cot quickly slipping on his pants and jacket.

The journey to the hanger wasn’t long, after all the officers in charge of Prometheus arranged it so that Nathan’s quarters were located only a few meters away from the hanger. They wanted it to be convenient for their number one engineer. Nathan yawned as he entered the main hanger for Prometheus, dozens of Night-Wings were lined in a military fashion along the outer walls of the hanger, cables and all other sorts of wires dangled from the ceiling, Nathan ignored the sights as he continued to head for assigned station.

“We need you Nathan, your country needs you. You see we can view the end of this war; it’s just a miniscule distance out of our grasp. With you’re help we can finally grasp it. Just help us, the Crimson Dawn
project is the key. “

“Hayate, you know how I feel about these type of things. This is just our equivalent to the TA’s Revelations. History repeats itself; we’ll just end up using the Crimson Dawn to destroy thousands, if not millions of lives just like the TA did to Berlin. I don’t want to be a part of a cycle that never ceases.”

“Nathan stop making everything so damned dramatic. You know the only way to achieve the end of this war is to help with the Crimson Dawn!”

“And will that bring peace Hayate?”

“One nation ruling over all of humaniy, that is what this will achieve. And if peace is attained through one nation’s rule then we have done more than we could have ever dreamed of. Don’t you want to be a part of that dream Nathan? Don’t you want to be a part of a solution that could bring about peace?”

“I don’t know about this Hayate…”

“It’s your fate to do this. Don’t you ever wonder why you were deemed mentally unstable to pilot an MF? By closing that door another opened, this is the path you are supposed to follow. Just trust me.”

“(Hayate….you better be right about this.)” Nathan shut his eyes just as the lights began to illuminate revealing the project he was assigned to. The project that the EAP was relying on to end the war. There it stood, over 20 meters in height, its silver armor glistening in the light of the dismal hanger. Over a hundred cables connected to its joints and armor, supplying its generator with energy and inserting over a 200 hours of simulated training sessions with the pilots of the Crimson Dawn project. The beast known only to the EAP as Diabolos, a transformable MF that in a transformed jet-like state was capable of piercing the sound barrier with little effort, when it was transformed it stood a few meters taller than a standard MF which was around 17.5 meters. A single glowing eye stared back at Nathan as if everything else didn’t matter. No one was in the room aside from Nathan Leviticus and the MF known as Diabolos, that was the feeling that chilled the hairs on his body.

“Lieutenant Commander Leviticus…” A voice howled in the distance but Nathan remained in a state of awe. He never paid attention to time when he was working, when he arrived on Prometheus Diabolos was already 50% complete, the frame was finished but the inner workings, the generator, radiator, FCS and gears were far from completion.

The hollow metal walkway echoed with each step that approached Nathan. “Mr. Leviticus...”

Finally something snapped inside Nathan’s head allowing him to register the feminine voice that called out his name. At first he smiled, he liked hearing his name roll off the tongue of a female. It had been so long since a woman had beckoned him, not since Berlin.

“Yes? I apologize; I’m still not fully awake.”

“No apology necessary. I have to admit this is a lot to take in.”

“What is?”

“The Diabolos, it’s so intimidating. And it’s not even in combat. God only knows how scary this thing will be once it’s out in the battlefield.”

“I guess…umm, I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh! Where are my manors, I am the military correspondent to the EAP government, Gwen Rose.”

“Gwen Rose, that’s an unusual name isn’t?”

“Rose was my middle name; I never liked my last name, so I just took Rose as a last name. But this is neither here nor there. About Diabolos and the Crimson Dawn, just how much longer until they are battle ready?”

“Straight to the point, I like that. Well the Diabolos is about 89% ready. We still have an outer armor shell to apply and then reconfigure the OS, so that should take about another week. As far as the Crimson Dawn, well I’m not a geneticist so I couldn’t tell you. I can tell you that we have 9 pilots enrolled in the project and all 9 are supposedly responding well to the program. So off the top of my head, maybe another month, 2 months at the latest.”

“2 months…is there any way to speed up the process?”

“Speed up the process? Are you kidding? This isn’t something we can rush; we are manipulating people’s lives here, there is no room for error. I’m sorry if this isn’t something you want to hear but its reality.”

“Have you ever heard of the 181st division of the TA?”

“I’ve heard rumors.”

“They’re an extremely violent and ruthless sect of the TA military under the direct command of Vice Admiral Von Schuler. The Crimson Dawn is our method of countering this animalistic group of soldiers. If we don’t act soon Von Schuler will send his personal lapdogs straight to us. And as sad as it is to say, I don’t think we can handle them. You see Von Schuler is well aware of Prometheus, it is only a matter of time before he strikes.”

“I see…well I’m just a mechanic here. Take this up with the military officers. There’s nothing I can do. Make them double up on the MF battalions or something.”

“Lieutenant Commander!”

“I’m sorry Ms. Rose, but I have to get back to work. No one else knows the schematics of the Diabolos as well as I do. I’ll see what I can do about quickening the production time for you.”

“…Lieutenant Commander Leviticus….(I only wish there were other people in the military like you…)”




*********


Smoke smoldered from the barrel of Amanda’s nine millimeter. Her vibrant red hair flapping through the air conditioning of the shooting range inside the Unlimited; a new battle cruiser put out by the TA a few weeks prior. It was a typical battle cruiser well armored and armed with hard hitting weaponry. Two elongated plasma cannons rotated from gears just underneath the hull and above it. A dozen missile launchers outlined the sides of the silver transport ship; the Unlimited was capable of carrying a maximum of
12 Shades making it a force to be reckoned with.

The shooting range was relatively empty with the exception of Amanda and Deacon two highly skilled MF pilots. Both of their elbows jerked inwards with each shot that fired from their pistols. The ear shattering eruptions that occurred every few seconds bounced off the hollow walls while pieces of singed paper flutter through the air after each pullet tore through the target sheet. Even though she was focused on the target on hand her ears twitched at the slight sound of the entrance door sliding open. With a natural reaction of curiosity Amanda fully turned her head towards the door surprised to see the person standing in the door.

“Major Novus.” Amanda replied just as her jumped to attention. Her wrist angled 45 degrees from her forehead. Deacon shrugged his shoulders and continued to fire his pistol.

“Heh, at ease. To be honest I didn’t expect anyone to be in here. I mean we’re on leisure time now.” Stephen mumbled as he packed his ammo into his pistol.

“Yeah we know, but we’re on our way to Mars, not much to do on this ship aside from training.”
Amanda replied.

“I see.”

“To be honest I didn’t even know you were stationed on this ship.”

“It’s temporary. After we reach Mars I’m heading to Evo. There’s someone I’m meeting once I arrive.” Stephen replied.

Raising his pistol into the air he began to fire. Deacon glanced over his shoulder as he watched his superior officer. Amanda stared wide eyed as Stephen continued to hit the center target shot after shot. His elbows slightly bending from the recoil unlike her rough sluggish motions from handling her weapon.

“Wow Major…you’re unbelievable.” Amanda couldn’t help screaming while Deacon sighed trying not to allow his laughter take the better of him infront of a commanding officer.

“I just have experience. You keep practicing and you’ll get better.” Stephen replied.

“Is it true that you helped protect Washington and the rest of the world from Rebel358 a year ago?” Amanda muttered.

Stephen paused for a moment, his fingers moving away from the trigger of the nine millimeter. It had been a year since that day, the day that the world had almost ended. It wasn’t something that he liked to be reminded of. Mildly Stephen turned his head towards the eager young pilot and just shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re making it sound a lot more dramatic then it really was.”

“You participated in the Azure Cup too didn’t you?” Deacon interjected.

“Yeah I did.”

“Didn’t you lose to your brother in the semi-finals?” Deacon question, his arrogance and envy was beginning to get the better of his demeanor. Amanda appeared to be appalled by her partner’s blatant disrespect for what she thought to be a hero.

“Heh, yeah I lost to my brother. At the time he was a better pilot than me.”

“At the time? You lost to a traitor.” Deacon replied.

“….” It was hard for Stephen to argue that point. It was true that his brother had left the military a little
after the Rebel incident.

“I apologize Major Novus, Deacon’s a bit envious of the skill that you and your brother possess.” Amanda replied.

“Its fine, keep practicing you two.” Stephen replied with a half cocked smile. He placed his pistol on the stool waving to the two Ensigns as he left the shooting range. Just as he left Amanda turned around grabbing Deacon by his military collar. His blue hair waving in the air from the abrupt movement.

“And what the hell was that about? Don’t you know who he and his brother are?”

“Yeah, his brother is a traitor and he’s nothing more than a glorified wannabe hero. Why you idolize them is beyond my understanding.”

“If it wasn’t for that glorified wannabe hero you’d be dead if you recall.”

“*Err*….” It wasn’t something that he liked to remember. No one likes to remember their moments of weakness. The mysterious MF that appeared in the Manus Diabolus, the blue and yellow demon that pierced through the shadows.

“Damnit Mands!” Deacon tossed his pistol to the ground as he ran out from the shooting range leaving Amanda dazed and confused.

“Deacon….”



*******

The lights began to fade as the mechanics continued to disperse. Nathan gazed back at Diabolos, it was a diabolical machine, a machine that he had helped to create. Even motionless it was able to paralyze Nathan.

“What have I helped to create?”

“A beautiful painting. That’s what you have created.” An eerie voice echoed from all corners of the hanger just as the lights finally shut off. At first Nathan felt like he was hallucinating, he had from time to time. The psychologist said it was the severe emotional strain that he suffered during Berlin. It was why the EAP wouldn’t let him pilot anything, especially an MF.

A slight breeze swept through his blonde hair, it was then that he realized he wasn’t hallucinating. Someone had managed to sneak into the hanger that was blocked off due to the construction of the Diabolos. No one, not even an EAP soldier couldn’t get into the area without proper access. His fingers began to graze the side of his thigh pocket slowly reaching for his gun. He hadn’t used one in years, but he knew he could if it came down to it. The MF’s security was in danger, and if this intruder of sorts was sent by Vice Admiral Von Schuler then it would mean that that girl, Gwen Rose wasn’t lying. Wasn’t trying to scare him into finishing the project ahead of schedule. Diabolos was in danger of being revealed, even worse being stolen.

“I SEE YOU!” Nathan screamed. His body jerked around flailing the pistol into the air. But just as he turned around to find his enemy he found nothing, nothing but the surreal shadows that loomed off of the Diabolos. Sweat rolled down his pores, his chest palpating heavily, maybe he was overeacting, maybe he imagined the voice, and the slight breeze that he felt. Was he truly going insane, the thoughts of these possibilities caused his hands to shake, his knees to buckle. Just as he collapsed to the cold hard metal floor his eyes widened. A figure now stood a few feet before him. He wasn’t imagining things, and this was the proof he needed. The pistol rose and fired only for the figure to dash to the right narrowly avoiding the bullet.

It was impossible for a human to dodge a bullet, especially at such a close range. Then he realized it, this wasn’t a spy from the 181st, the dangling cloth sleeves proved it along with this person’s inhuman agility.

“You….you’re a…” Nathan muttered just before the figure’s right hand smacked the gun right out of Nathan’s clutches.

A serene widened grin glistened in the darkness along with a sadistic laugh.

“Hehehe…this machine is the definition of beauty and perfection.” The person kicked Nathan in the gut causing him to roll over in agony. It was a slight kick, and yet it still hurt as much as it did. Nathan clutched onto his rib cage as he coughed loudly. Thick streams of blood spurt out causing him to choke on his own life-stream.

“I’ll be taking this.”

“What? *cough*….you can’t *cough*….its not ready yet!” Nathan yelled.

“It’s calling me. Its fine just the way it is!” The figure screamed back as he grabbed onto a cable that began to reel him closer to the torso of the Diabolos.

Nathan could do nothing but watch as the person entered the cockpit of the terror known as Diabolos. His vision became distorted, blurred, he was losing consciousness.

The alarms flared as the single eye unit glowed signifying its awakening. The left arm began to move clutching onto its plasma rifle. Cables ripped from the torso and joints as the MF began to move. The pilot began to laugh uncontrollably as he ignited the back boosters, the MF slowly began to lift from the ground and into the air. Dozens of soldiers immediately ran into the room aiming their assault rifles in the air, even though they knew their bullets wouldn’t cause any significant damage they fired anyway. It was an instinct to fire at an enemy, there was no need to think before firing, they weren’t taught to think. No soldier was ever taught to think.

The boosters ignited causing a violent streak of wind to sweep through the hanger knocking every soldier to the ground. Pieces of metal fell from the ceiling as the Diabolos took off breaking through the wall. As the MF launched into space the void began to suck every loose crate, cable and even soldier, ripping them from the hanger. As soldiers screamed in agony the emergency gate began to slide over the massive hole in the way. By the time the gate closed off the hole half of the soldiers that ran into the hanger were lost, forever floating lifelessly in the abyss of space.

His vision slowly began to restore, the chaotic mess that was left in the hanger was all the evidence that he needed. The Diabolos was stolen and it was all his fault.


Dozens of Night-Wings flew towards the escaping Diabolos firing at their own whim praying for a hit. The gears on the Diabolos began to turn as the legs moved inwards, the torso shifting into a completely different form. Each EAP pilot froze in terror as the MF transformed into a highly armored looking jet. It didn’t take long for the Diabolos to tear through the MF battalion like scissors through paper. It flew in, out and around every beam of energy that was sent its way. Night-Wings were sliced in half or exploded from the high energy rounds that were fired from the Diabolos.

“Hahahahahahaha, you can’t compare! No one can compare! Hahahahahaha!” The pilot screamed as the Diabolos took off into the distance heading towards Mars which was about 5-6 days away from his location.


********


“So you’re Michael Lyhte.” Carlos Rendetore mumbled as he greeted the person he kept in contact with for the past few weeks.

“Yes, and you’re Carlos Rendetore, the leader of this Red Fury.”

“Yes and you have no idea how much I appreciate you coming to us. I am happy to see that you made it here safely. I do apologize for your losses, we will pray for you and their families.” Carlos replied as he wrapped his arm around Michael’s shoulders. “Now if you’d come with me. I have arranged some rooms for your crew and their families. I will have one of our soldiers escort your children to their room.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary. I can take them myself.”

“I understand, but we really need to talk, there’s a situation.” Carlos replied.

“Michael, go with him. I’ll make sure the kids get to their room.” Cassandra interjected.

“Cassandra…thank you.”

“Now Michael, I know you didn’t ask us to do this. But we felt it was the least we could do for you since you went through all your trouble.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“You’ve met Freya already I take it.” Carlos mentioned as he motioned towards the young green haired pilot in front of him. Freya smiled gently as she turned around nodding.

“Yeah somewhat, we haven’t gotten to know one another on a personal level but yes I’ve met her.”

“I also understand that you ran into some unexpected people on your way here after you dealt with the 181st.”

“You mean Jessica and her stand offish partner? Yeah, we ran into them on our way to Mars, which I have to say is quite a sight. I wasn’t expecting the colonization to be going this smoothly so far.”

“Surprisingly it hasn’t been affected by our minor conflicts with the TA and the EAP. Evo, which is where we are now, is prospering quite well, but this does not matter. About those two you met, I understand they followed you here.”

“Yes, it took some coaxing but they agreed to follow us here. I hope you don’t mind but I said that you guys could do some repairs on their ship, and MF.” Michael replied.

“I guess it can’t be helped. We do offer assistance to anyone…” Carlos mumbled.


“Appolus, you can show a little gratitude towards them you know. You know we couldn’t repair Stricken, at least not as fast as they can. And if you want to get back in the air you better behave.” Jessica replied scolding her partner.

Appolus just grunted turning the other cheek as he sat on a crimson boulder, his arms folded neatly across his chest. “I don’t care what anyone says, these guys are a bunch of worthless weaklings.”


“So what is so important that it couldn’t wait til tomorrow for?”

“You see Michael we have located your wife….Gina correct?” Carlos mumbled.

The shear mention of her name caused Michael to loose his composure. Normally he is calm and collected the perfect vision of a soldier. It was hard for him to admit, but even he didn’t think there was that big a chance of his wife still being among the living.

“Where….where is she?”

“Well, it appears she was at Mosin Grad, but now our sources say that she was moved to a new EAP space station known as Prometheus.”

“But she’s alive?”

“Yes, it would seem that way. But things aren’t looking good. Prometheus is a highly secured station of the EAP where they are currently developing far more advanced weaponry then we have ever seen before.”

“I don’t care, if she’s there I’m going.”

“Heh, I figured that you’d say that. So I’ve taken the liberty of assembling a team of MF pilots for you. Until we can configure your own personal machine we are supplying you with a Shade. I’m sure you’re familiar with them since you’re from the TA. Freya, myself and 5 other pilots will accompany you to Prometheus. We leave in the morning.” Carlos mentioned.

“…You’re really going out of your way….for me?” Michael asked confused.

“You’re one of us now Michael, we do anything for family.” Carlos replied as he walked away patting Michael on the back.

Freya smiled as she left Michael alone to ponder the upcoming event.

“I can’t believe she’s alive.” He mumbled to himself.

The sun slowly began to set in the distance as he began to walk through the crimson ground. He suddenly came to a halt as he approached a small ridge overlooking a lake. The water sparkled as the sun reflected in its voluptuous waves. Standing next to the lake was another person, a man staring into the sky.

“Oh, I’m sorry; I didn’t know anyone else was here.” Michael replied, he didn’t like to be around other people when in deep thought.

The man slowly glanced over his shoulder, his dark brown hair flapping through the gentle breeze that over came the area suddenly.

“Its fine, I was just leaving…..although I’d be careful. There’s a storm coming…” The man replied.