Destiny Heroes Chpt1:Broken Promises

[Roxas]

I awoke from my nightmare. Mybreathing was irregular and out of control, my heart was beating rapidly and uncontrollably. It was like I had just run a marathon at full sprint. It took her a few minutes to regain my composure. I placed my hands to my head, it was so real, the nightmare. I had been having the same nightmare for the last 2 months now. It was so vivid. It was like a pre-cursor to an actual event, a prophecy.

I soon realized that my entire body was racked with sweat, as was the bottom sheet on my bed. ?Shit? I muttered to herself. I slowly threw back the big, thick and now drenched with sweat

quilt off my body, and started to trudge, slowly towards the bathroom. My movement was labored; somewhat restricted, it was like someone had tied a rope around my body but just kept it loose enough so I could barely walk.

I took a long shower, letting the water hit my body full force, and snake its way down the concaves and perfectly formed features of my body, like a magnificent and natural waterfall. I forgot everything; my was completely taken in by my surroundings, by the situation. It was what I had been trained to do, to blend in with any environment. It was the same with my leisure time; what I got of it. I closed my eyes and let the environment completely consume me.I would worry later.

Once I got out of the shower, I decided to check the time, 4:38am. It was exactly the same time I'd waken up for the last 2 months, Just like it was the exact same routine I had been performing for the last 2 months.

I went to the kitchen and immediately took some painkillers. She had been getting some severe headaches lately. I poured myself a glass of Haigs Malt Whisky, and headed for the table in the middle of her room. It was a vintage brand of Whisky, Nikki had given me as a birthday present It was very old, circa 1930?s and was very strong. Exactly what I needed at this moment in time.

I sat down; her mind was blank for a minute. I just studied her apartment room. I hadn?t realized it before, but it was quite plain. i had only moved onto the apartment one month ago. It wasn?t the biggest of apartments she could find, nor was it the best. It was run-down and old and the tenants that did occupy the building were who?s who of weirdo?s and eccentrics. It was however; well within my budget of what I could spend, and more importantly, it allowed me to stay near home, where I'd would be able to feel some nostalgia during my long and lonely journey. Feeling this was the only thing that had stopped me going insane. Incidentally,my arrival at the apartment coincided with the exact time she had started to have the recurring nightmares. I couldn?t understand it myself, but the doctor I had been visiting had told me that dreams were rooted firmly from the life experiences of the person having the dream and a nightmare was a distortion of this reality. I had hoped therefore, that being in this apartment and triggering off this nightmare, was possibly key to helping my complete my promise.

I looked around the room and noticed how sparse its contents were. There was a standard utilitarian kitchen that was fitted in the corner of the room, by the entrance. There was the main room with a wall mounted TV and a sofa and dining table, and my bed was in the opposite corner of the room. It was very bare. I sighed to myself.

There was one corner of the room that was completely enveloped by shadows. I never went anywhere near that corner at night.I hated the shadows, and had done since I was a kid; even keeping a low-level light on around my bed at night. My mind would always play tricks on her, and the shadows would always take on a form or hideous shape of some kind.

I was awoken from my stupor by the sound of horns blazing outside. It was like it was right outside my window, on the third floor. Since the new sky rail had been built, and hover cars had come into existence, it had been a non-stop journey of noise and pestilence. Still, since the population boom during the war, there was hardly any space on the ground anymore, so something had had to be done, and space was found in the air.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet and Ipod. I started to place all the items in it onto the table. ihad done this for as long as she could remember; it was a nervous habit she did to keep her mind occupied and pass away the time. I placed a photo on the table, and then she froze. I picked up the photo and stared at it. On the photo was a picture of a handsome young girl, with piercing blue eyes and brown hair. Her smile was one of confidence and belief. A tear started to form at the corner of my eye, and then with the sudden outburst of a tropical storm, they exploded down her soft, pale face. My body began to shake, as the emotions welled up inside me.

The lady in the picture was one of my closest if not best friend. I had always been there for her and looked after her. I had loved her very much. During the start of the war, against the Mechanoids, she had enlisted in the space marines and was sent to the frontlines immediately. Earth had started to find its feet in the universe, and gradually, as technology improved at a rate of knots, they started to expand and colonize different planets around the universe and in different systems. It was during this conflict, that they first ran into the alien race that they designated Mechanoids. Although, had never seen one herself personally, they were apparently cybernetic in nature, and all they did was consume and destroy life and planets. The two races soon collided, and a devastating war had taken place. For the last two years, the Mechanoids had pushed all Earth forces back with brutal ease, and destroyed and taken over any planets with human life. It was against this back drop which her friend had been sent. The elite marines were to be a vanguard of a huge strike force that was to stop the Mechanoids advancement. Instead, it had been ambushed and annihilated. friends body was never found, and she was designated MIA.

They had searched for a long time for his body, his family and the army, putting in a lot of effort and time into searching, but to no avail. had been broken when she heard the news. She had made a vow, a promise that she would find him. She would continue searching where everyone else had given up, and she would search forever if need be. It was her new mission in life. Her goal. i would not give up. Pretty soon after the news, Adeline had continued to search. She had gone into space via tours; she had hired private detectives and even enlisted the help of military friends and former pirates. There was no luck. It wasn?t long before a perfect opportunity would fall into her lap. The space core were hiring war photographers to link up with their squadrons as they fulfilled their military duties, and even during battle. It was a big hype, to heighten the prestige of the military, but it was her only opportunity. She had managed to get a position with a small city firm. They were freelance photographers, but there personnel were frequently used by the military since the initiative began. Her life had been one of constant movement since then. She would never give up hope though.



I snapped out of my thoughts as I recognized the familiar yet annoying tone of the apartment phone. I pressed the Talk button on the intercom

?Yes, Roxas here.?



?Roxas, I have an urgent assignment for you sweetheart, to attend a military meeting in the Cheyenne Mountains. Military bigwigs of all kinds are going to be there.? The voice on the other end of the phone was that of her boss Larry Simpkins. He was a small, balding man, and was a womanizer, but he knew his business, and was excellent at his job. She loved it when he called her sweetheart.



?I?m tired ,Nikki find someone else.


?Oh sweetheart, you just pierced my heart with an arrow, how cold of you. However, I just thought I would let you know situation, as it may give you an opportunity to search for your friend, it sounds like a deep-space mission of some kind, but its ok sweetheart, I?ll assign Jason to??



?Wait!! Nikki, I?ll take the case. What are the details and when is the meeting??



?Well sweetheart, the meeting is at 09:00 hours at the Cheyenne Mountains. Details, documents and other information on the meeting and its agenda will be handed out to you tomorrow, upon arrival. Be careful sweetheart, nighty night!?



The line went dead before I could say anything else. I started to shiver, with apprehension, but she was also very excited for this new opportunity to have been given I hated these ambivalent feelings, but i had no time to worry. I wouldn?t be able to sleep again. It was time to get packed

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