novelraw Chapter 28: Aftermath
Chapter 28: Aftermath
The fight against Hira 125 had finally ended. The incident at Raspberry Island left me with more questions than answers. I was both curious and afraid. Who were these new enemies? What was their goal? I wanted to uncover why Loid Anderson had to die and why Drake was so intent on killing Dr. Necro. But first, I had to fulfill the deal I’d made with Victor.
Arriving at Fort Vanguard, I was shocked to find the entire base in disarray, with people running in every direction. Wondering what was happening, I pressed on and headed straight to our barracks.
I found Alessandra there
“You’re back!” She exclaimed when she saw me, her face anxious and glistening with sweat. “What’s going on? There was an earthquake—are the aliens here already?”
“No! Look, Alessandra, um... Victor is here.”
Her expression shifted as fear washed over her.
“Victor!?” She exclaimed, “What do you mean? What’s he doing here?”
Just mentioning his name sent a wave of dread across her face. I had to find a way to convince her that we needed Victor on our side to win the war ahead.
“Remember what you said after watching our training yesterday?”
“Training? Yes, I asked about the coming threat and begged you to let me join your squad.”
“There’s something I didn’t tell you.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “The serum doesn’t just grant strength—it unlocks special abilities. I’ve only seen a few people awaken them, but those powers come at a cost. For me, I nearly lost my grasp on reality. My thoughts, my emotions—there’s something else in my head now, tampering with my mind. I can’t forget anything. My senses are constantly flooded with overwhelming information. To feel excitement, fear, anger—any emotion—I have to connect it to something logical and process it deliberately. There are exceptions, but I feel unstable all the time, like I’m balancing on a razor’s edge between good and evil. One wrong move, and I could fall to the wrong side.”
She stared at me, confusion clouding her eyes.
“What does that have to do with Victor being here?” she asked
“Like me, he’s awakened his abilities—and he’s far stronger. According to Number One, the Vodocks are merciless planetary conquerors. To defeat them when they arrive, we’ll need Victor fighting with us as a team. But he won’t join our squadron unless you apologize to him.”
“Apologize?” She leaped to her feet, fury blazing in her gaze. “I’m not doing that! That bastard kidnapped me!”
“I know, I know, but—”
“No, you don’t know anything! Because of him, those freaks were planning to kill me. They kept me locked up for days, wondering when they’d... I thought I was going to die!”
“Listen, what he did to you was horrific, but you’re alive now. Think of it as a way to save people—just let him hear what he wants. It’s logical.”
“Logical?” she spat, her voice trembling with rage. “I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out why you’re so strange. Now I get it—you were serious when you said you consciously process your feelings, weren’t you? Well, process this: I’d rather die than apologize to that freak! You and this entire planet can go to hell!”
With that, she stormed into the captain’s room and slammed the door behind her, leaving me wondering what to do next.
Victor was waiting at the training ground. I’d lied to him, saying Alessandra regretted her actions and wanted to talk. That’s how I’d convinced him to return to Fort Vanguard with me. Unfortunately, that plan was now falling apart.
I decided to first investigate the chaos at the base before delivering the bad news to Victor. I headed to General Sydney Flick’s office. Outside the main building, guards blocked my path, but I darted past them and forced my way inside.
Entering his office, I found him alone.
“Cipher! You’re back!” he said, looking up at me.
“General, what’s going on?” I quickly asked him, “Why is everyone running around the base?”
“We’re in a state of emergency,” he revealed. “I just spoke with Steven Hush.”
“Dr. Necro?”
“Yes. He told me about his experiment and the monster that attacked you. What happened out there? No one in your squadron seems to be in their right mind.”
“We took care of the monster.”
“We?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Yes, Victor and I—mostly him. But don’t worry, we made sure it won’t hurt anyone again.”
The general sighed. “We thought it was a nuclear attack! If your team had arrived any later, the world would be at war right now. I’m heading to HQ to sort things out. Keep me updated on Victor and your squad.”
The general left for the planetary defense force headquarters.
Hoping everything would pan out well, I went to the med-bay to check on everyone. When I arrived, the doctor had just finished assessing the captain, Sane, and Yukio. William was there with them.
After asking William how he was holding up, I turned to the doctor.
“How are the captain, Sane, and Yukio doing?”
“One sustained severe head trauma. The other two were exposed to extreme radiation. I couldn’t do much since this is uncharted territory for me. Even drawing blood took twenty minutes to pierce their skin. But somehow, all three are stable. They’re healing quickly. Let them rest tonight; they’ll be fine by morning.” He replied
William thanked the doctor, but as the doctor turned to leave, he paused and turned around.
“About the one with the mask...”
He was referring to Sane. “I think there’s been a mistake—he’s...”
“Doctor!” I interrupted, rushing to his side before he could reveal Sane’s secret. “May I speak with you in private?”
I pulled him aside and warned him that his discretion about Sane’s identity was a matter of life and death. Mine and his!
Shortly after, Dmitry, Zack, and the twins arrived to check on the captain, Yukio, and Sane. They seemed to have regained their composure.
“How’s the captain?” Billy asked, finding us outside the emergence room. “And the assassin and Yukio?”
“They’re fine,” William replied. “All of them are fine—they just need rest. You all should head back and get some sleep too. I’ll stay with them tonight.”
“No, I’ll do it!” I said, stepping forward. “I’ll stay with them tonight.” I couldn’t risk William uncovering Sane’s secret.
And then William approached me, concern evident in his eyes. “You just came back from fighting that monster. You’re bruised all over. Go get some sleep—I’ll stay with them.”
“No,” I insisted, standing firm. “I’m fine. I can’t sleep anyway. I’ll stay.”
“Cipher, I know you’re worried about that crazy assassin attacking Yukio or the captain in their sleep,” William continued, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Trust me, I’ll keep them safe. I won’t take my eyes off him.”
I knew William meant well, but I also believed Sane had a good reason for keeping her secret. I couldn’t let it be exposed. “William, I appreciate your concern, but I have to insist—I’m staying here tonight.”
That’s when William’s patience broke. “Wait! You don’t think I can handle this, do you? You think I’m weak? Is that it? Because I froze up there?”
“That’s not what I mean!”
“Cipher!” Zack cut in. “Just let him do it.”
“No!” I persisted.
They all stared at me, bewildered. Zack added, “You’re not making any sense! You’re in rags, your whole body’s beaten up—let William handle it!”
“I can’t!” I said, desperation rising. “William, this isn’t about you. I... I like the captain, okay? I want to take care of her myself.”
“You like her?” Zack echoed,
“We all like the captain.” Dmitry aired
It was my last resort to convince them to let me stay.
“Not like that,” I said, “I’m in love with her, alright?”
I dropped the bomb as a last resort.
“What?” William exclaimed, his voice sharp with disbelief.
“Over the past few months, watching the captain train us every day, sleeping near her, talking with her—I’ve developed feelings I couldn’t explain. When that laser-man hit her with that concentrated energy beam, my heart ripped apart. That’s when I realized I’m in love with her. I’ve learned the hard way that nothing in this world lasts forever. Our lives are so fragile, and with death always lurking, some moments can never be reclaimed. I don’t want to regret not being with the person I care about.”
“Sleeping with her?” William repeated, his tone rising. “You idiot! That’s not what I meant when I said you should get a girlfriend. She’s our captain! You think the defense force is a joke?”
“What? No! I mean, we’ve been sharing...” Before I could clarify, I caught sight of Alessandra watching me from the corner. “Alessandra!” I called, but she bolted, leaving me with a stab of guilt.
Over the past three weeks since she had arrived, she and I got closer. Perhaps too close to make me feel guilt about confessing my love to another woman. I didn’t want her to think I truly had feelings for the captain.
“William, let’s just go,” Dmitry said, taking his arm. He turned to me, disappointment in his eyes. “Cipher, I didn’t take you for this kind of man.”
“No, you misunderstand!” I tried to explain, but they walked away, disheartened.
After they left, I went to check on Victor, but he wasn’t where I’d left him waiting. I searched the base but couldn’t find him anywhere. He vanished—and so did Alessandra.