*SIX YEARS LATER*
Standing on a rooftop in the Margate district, Prometheus Echo smoked a cigarette.
Another six years has passed by and the Troika had done more in terms of growing than they ever thought they could do.
In the years that followed Pro's shenanigans with the orphan girl, Viriathus, the Troika has become a strong, yet forgotten, force to be reckoned with.
With the aid of Igrath Winters, after years of recruitment, the Troika has become an organized, military entity. However, due to its inactivity in the public eye over the years, the City Guard has completely disregarded the Troika's existence. The only doubt they would have that the Troika does exist is Pro's constant one-man attacks on the lower levels of the Sabbaton Towers and damaging various structures throughout the city.
The two cities beyond Anduruna's line of sight, Maritropa and Constantine however, have become all too well of the Troika's activities. In an effort to prepare for their attack against the heart of Anduruna, Prometheus and the 'three leaders' of the Troika were able to seek technological aid from the Constantine government. Thanks to this accomplishment, the Troika now had access to weapons that Anduruna had never seen before. One such example is the anti-material rifle, a weapon that could punch through virtually anything, unlike the limited-strength springer rifles.
The neighboring city-state, Maritropa, was not happy about this development. Its poor, but large, military force, the Maritropian Mining Consortium, was put on maximum alert, a sign that Maritropa and Constantine were about to go to war. This would not be the first conflict between the hostile nations.
Because Constantine was convinced decades ago that another conflict with Maritropa would not occur, Constantine had dissolved its own military defense. Therefore, the country pleaded to the Troika for help, knowing that there was no time to resurrect its military to face the MMC's invasion forces.
Despite the risk of losing all that they had worked for, Pro agreed to assemble his troops for the ultimate test. To see just how they can handle their first battle of war.
Not only was it a test, but Pro just COULD NOT say no to a plea for help. The population of Constantine was not immense and Pro was aware of Maritropa's history with mass murder during wartimes. Another war with Maritropa and Constantine will be burned to the ground for good.
Anduruna had no idea of these events to the north of its borders. Since its historical run-in's with the Extollo centuries ago, Anduruna has fought to keep itself isolated from any other civilizations in the Dreamworld. As a result, Maritropa and Constantine were nothing but mythical cities in another land to Anduruna.
As the Troika and MMC engaged in the wastelands separating the two city-states, Igrath and Scinter decided to go freelance and become allies of the Troika from abroad. Since they had become close friends to Pro, he gave them permission to use the established safehouses throughout Anduruna for whatever operations they wanted to perform.
Grunn, the obnoxious dock owner and orphanage caretaker, had eventually become a neutral supporter. Igrath and Scinter accepted him as their friend and he was given his own fair rights to the safehouses, should he find himself in trouble with the law.
As the years dragged on and the conflict between Maritropa and Constantine's courageous heroes raged on, Prometheus pondered on what he had done with his life for the past fourteen years. Flicking the used cigarette away, he looked over the city of Anduruna from his five-story view on the rooftop.
Pro had considered so many times to just disband the Troika. Other times, he thought to turn the leadership over to someone he could really trust. But, he quickly dismissed such thoughts. The rebellion was a part of his plan. The fourteen-year-old plan that he sought to accomplish. To overthrow the ruling government and establish a unified republic. A nation where the people have the say. Where the wealthy will have no influence over the senate. Where the senate would punish the wealthy for any attempts at corruption. A nation where no one would feel the same pain that Prometheus and many others had felt through Anduruna's shadowy history.
The Troika, when Maritropa was dealt with, would be the nail. And, when the time is right, the nail will be put in its place, hammered down by the gavel of justice held in Pro's hands.
'I will not fail. Not now, not ever. I will not fail you... Sabba.'
Summoning his Power, Pro jumped to the street below. Using a psychic blast, he broke his fall. With his Power initiated, no one could see him.
On a brighter note, Pro's migraine's and strings of headaches had stopped years ago. Pro still thought of that night at the clothing store where he heard the voice and saw the eyes.
Thinking about it at that moment, Pro walked on to the Kojiki district.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a long walk to the neighboring Kojiki district. His destination was Igrath's home, which served as a safehouse.
Ironically, it was the same home he left behind twelve years ago after becoming a fugitive and running off with Pro. The house was put up for sale after being investigated by the Guard and Pro greased a few palms to regain the house for Igrath to live in once more.
Pro has tried to keep himself from stooping down to Tinsel's level of corruption. But, long ago, Pro realized that in order to eliminate a problem, you have to become the problem.
'Like fighting fire with fire,' Pro mused.
Pro stopped in front of the two-story home built in the traditional Kojiki design.
Pulling out a spare key from a nearby flower pot, he unlocked the door and entered.
The home was lightly decorated and furnished. Not that much different from Igrath's lifestyle twelve years earlier.
Walking down a hallway, he stopped and opened the door to a closet. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. Swiveling in the cramped closet, he reached down and opened a secret door in the floor. A ladder sat against the wall of a dark passage.
Stepping down the ladder, Pro closed the secret door and proceeded downward. Voices echoed from down below and a faint light could be seen at the bottom.
Forty feet down, Pro stopped and leaned away from the ladder, holding on by one arm. A button connected to a wire was mounted into the dirt wall. The wire led down to the bottom. Pressing it, Pro heard a loud beep resonate from the room below.
"What's the password?" a voice hollered up.
"Peace. People. Power. Prometheus," Pro replied.
"Come on down, sir!"
Pro grabbed both sides of the ladder and slid the rest of the way down.
Landing solidly, Pro turned and stood before a small command center. Half a dozen Troika servicemen stood saluting.
"At ease," Pro ordered. The rebels went back to their duties.
Walking across the underground room, Pro approached a desk with the Troika crest carved into the front. A brown flag with the tan Troika crest was stretched across the wall behind the desk.
Sitting down at the desk, a soldier marched forward with a report. "Sir! We just received word that Lieutenant Viriathus and her squad have reported to Alpha Base on the northeast end of Starfall. We've also received word that Igrath Winters is on his way to report on Jerry Forza's intel activities."
"Good," Pro said plainly. "With Viriathus and her men reinforcing our boys at Alpha, we can guarantee that Maritropa's takeover of the Dune Sea will be a lot harder. Keep me posted."
"Yes, sir!"
As the soldier walked back to his station, Pro thought of Viriathus.
After having her application and funds for beauty college denied for discriminate reasons, Vi drifted across the city, having nowhere else to go after becoming too old to return to the orphanage. Becoming a temporary alcoholic and prostitute, Pro feared the worst for her. Despite knowing her for only a day, he seemed to have a spot for her inside himself. Pro couldn't understand why. He had met plenty of people like her who were in similar situations.
In an effort to save her, Pro attempted to track her down, but one of his undercover agents who was brought up to speed on her situation had found her first. Sitting next to her in a bar, the agent gave her the choice to become a Troika.
According to the agent, Vi broke a glass in her bare hand and asked where to sign up.
Satisfied that she was now in a place where she could make something of herself, Pro had personally trained her in military combat on several occasions. She made mistakes in her training under Igrath's wing, but made much progress with Pro's guidance.
The rebel leader was aware that Vi had more than feelings of friendship and gratitude towards him. He could see a glimmer in her eyes that he had never seen before in anyone else.
Pro could swear that she was in love with him and was waiting for him to acknowledge it. Out of all the females he had helped in the past, he had never seen so much passion in their eyes for his charity until he recruited Vi.
'It's like she fell in love with me because I gave her something to not only live for, but to die for. I saved her from a life of pain to bring her into another life of pain, but pain that was worth it. And, for that, she is grateful. Lovingly grateful.'
Pro mulled over these thoughts, wondering how he should confront her about her feelings towards him.
'I'm a leader! I don't have time to take one of my female soldiers' out on a date! But, I can't just brush her off after all I did for her. She's returning the favor I helped her with by joining my cause. I can't lose her trust. She's a valued soldier. I guess I'll have to meet up with her when she returns here.'
Focusing on some documents on his desk, the buzzer went off.
~~~~~~~~~
"What's the password?" a soldier demanded.
"Ideas. Individuals. Intelligence. Igrath."
"Come on in!"
Igrath Winters appeared seconds later. The avian Dreamkeeper casually approached Pro at his desk.
"Good to see you, Igrath," Pro said. "I hear you have something to tell me regarding one of our agents?"
"I sure do and I don't think you'll like it," Igrath replied worriedly. "Jerry is suffering from amnesia."
"What? How?"
"I have no idea. He has no idea who any of us are. When I found him, he was looking through our profiles and the history books we wrote. He said he wasn't who I thought he was. He thinks he's someone named 'Jerome'. Something happened to him, that's for sure."
"Well, did you look over his head? Maybe he got roughed up in one of the bar's he hangs around at."
"That's not all, Pro. He also said... the Nightmares are about to return."
Pro's heart skipped a beat. The six soldiers at their workstations slowly turned to face Igrath.
Rising from his seat, Pro stared at him. "What did he say?"
"The Nightmares... are returning. Not in a century or a decade or a year. They will return... in a single week. That's what he told me."
Pro sat back down. He stared at his desk and said, "Go get him. Take him to your dining room. I'll question him there. As for everyone else in this room, you WILL NOT speak a word of this to anyone! Understood?"
Pro wasn't expecting an answer, but he knew his soldiers wouldn't speak. They knew this was serious, but it had to be kept secret until they had as much information as they can get on the situation.
The only sound in the command center were the comm officers speaking to other bases and the taps of info-scroll keyboards.
Pro didn't watch Igrath leave to go find Jerry Forza.
He leaned his head on both elbows while caressing his face and muzzle.
'This can't happen now. It can't! I have to know where and how he found out about this. I have to confirm this.'
* * * * *
Up in the dining room, Pro sat at the end of a table, waiting in the silence of the white-walled room.
The front door opened and closed. A young yellow fox walked into the room, followed by Igrath.
He sat down at the other end while Igrath took a seat in between them.
Pro opened Jerry's personnel file.
"All right, Jerry," Pro began. "I'm sure you know who I am and why you were brought here. So, let's just cut to the chase with a few questions. First off, who are you?"
"My name is Jerry Forza," he said sternly. "Though, I used to be called something else, but I guess that's not what's important. I'm 20-years-old, born August 8, 1207. I used to be known as a Hell Hybrid, but now I'm just what I should've been born as. What I'm getting at here is, I used to have another life. A life where I was something else. I fought the last of my kind and witnessed the short-lived return of the Nightmares. After that, I was rewarded... with this. A new life. A new life where I have to actually fight the Nightmares. I don't know how else to explain it. There's too much about me to tell you. That's all I can say."
Pro rubbed his chin. He saw Igrath giving him a disapproving look, like he should be concerned about what they just heard.
'This is disturbing. This is the first mention of the Nightmares from someone who actually foresaw their coming and I don't feel scared. In fact, I feel calm, collected, like I know what I'm doing. Well, I really don't care if I live or die, so....'
Staying focused, Pro stood from his seat. "All right, Jerry. I think it's time I got a better idea of what you're telling us."
Pro walked along the table and stopped next to Jerry.
"What do you-?"
"Just stay quiet and focus. I need you to clear your mind and open your memories to me."
"You're a telepath?"
"Yes."
Pro looked at Jerry and saw him gawking.
"What's the matter with you?"
"You remind me... of someone I used to know...."
Pro stared at him as he shook his head. "N-nevermind! Let's just... get this over with."
Pro nodded as Jerry closed his eyes. He positioned himself behind Jerry and placed a hand on his shoulder. Closing his own eyes, he concentrated.
Slowly, Jerry's life from the moment they locked minds to his most recent actions that day flew through Pro's mind. In seconds, the next day went by and the next. Jerry was doing nothing but wandering the streets, when he should've been gathering intel on the City Guard's recent patrol route changes. Suddenly, on the third day from the present day, Pro saw his memory go white. As it got whiter, he saw Jerry running around through his apartment, as if looking for something. Suddenly, there was nothing but white.
Igrath leaned forward. "What do you see?"
"I don't know. I saw what he was doing the past three days but, now there's nothing. His memory is completely blank before he wakes up that morning. It's like... he's only been alive for three days."
"That's impossible!"
"Yeah, I know. He seems to know more, but I can't find it. It's like he has it locked away and can't find the key to unlock it and give it to me. His memory is sealed tight. Maybe, if I push harder...."
Pro cringed in effort as he tried to push through the blankness in Jerry's memory. There was something behind the blankness. It was only a matter of working to get to it.
Pro's body shook as he strained himself to his limit. He squeezed hard on Jerry's shoulder.
"GAUUOW!"
Pro gasped, stumbling away from Jerry. Jerry rubbed his shoulder gingerly.
"Well, that was unpleasant," Jerry said. "There's something blocking my memory, isn't there?"
Pro glanced around, trying to gather his thoughts.
'This... this must be a sign. Jerry went through some sort of an afterlife experience, living one life and coming back as someone else, but he retained his memories. Even though he remembers, I can't follow his memories to their origins. Something's blocking them. He also knows when the Nightmares will return, which means he came back at an earlier point than when he died. As farfetched as it may be, this has to be the only answer.'
"Pro?"
Pro stood up and walked away. "Assemble the troops. Put all installations on maximum alert. We're attacking Maritropa. We're ending this war NOW!"
Igrath jumped up. "Wait a minute, Pro! You can't be serious! It'll take us weeks to take control of Maritropa. Even with their forces fragmented, how do you expect us to take over their country with the bulk of their forces guarding it?"
"I don't care HOW you do it. We don't have time to play games, anymore, Igrath. The Nightmares are coming back in one week's time. I can FEEL it! We need to get the Maritropan's off our backs! Don't even worry about their remnant forces in the wastelands. Just focus on the city and take it! No retreats, no excuses! Is that clear?"
Igrath paused. Taking in the situation, he nodded. "I'll make sure that they do their best! But, what about the Nightmares? Are you sure they're coming back?"
Pro thought back to six years ago, when he saw the glowing, purple eyes staring back at him. As far as Pro was aware, he is the only person to witness this and has concluded that it has to be a sign of some sort.
"I'm sure of it. I'll monitor the troops. When you give the order to attack, find Scinter and Grunn. Bring them up to speed. Might as well do the same with the Indigo's and Bobby while you're at it. Try to learn as much as you can. I suggest you go pay that old librarian at Sabbaton a visit. I always keep hearing whispers of a secret vault beneath his library containing information on the Nightmares. Let's hope the rumors are true."
"You got it."
Pro faced a wall with his arms crossed as Igrath walked away.
"Glad to finally have a change in plans with this whole Troika business."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Igrath stopped slowly and looked back at Pro. "Well, I'm just saying... we really haven't done anything special except wage war with another country other than our own. Now that the Nightmares are gathering, we just might have some-"
"Nothing has changed, Igrath. NOTHING! Anduruna will be freed! Nightmare invasion or not, it WILL be freed! I don't give a damn if I have to overthrow it myself! Our goal has been and always will be the same. To overthrow the Andurunan regime and put ourselves in its place, providing freedom and justice of the righteous kind. That will always be our mission! Understand?"
Igrath nodded. "All right. What about my nieces?"
Pro's eye twitched at the question. Igrath tilted his gaze at him.
"Don't tell them anything. Not yet. We don't need word of this going out to anyone we can't trust."
"Okay. See you later, Pro."
Pro looked away as Igrath departed.
The front door closing, Jerry's jaw hung limply.
"Would you PLEASE explain to me what all of that was abo-"
Pro reached over and poked Jerry in the forehead.
"OWWW! GAUUH! What was that-? Oh, okay. That helped. Thanks, Prometheus. Now I won't have to reread everyone's profiles."
"Just call me Pro. Now, get out of here."
"O-Okay."
Jerry walked out, rubbing his forehead.
In the loneliness of the room, Pro reflected on what they had just learned.
'I... I can't shake the feeling that... why do I feel like I already knew about this somehow? I feel like I knew about the Nightmares and their superiors long before now. But, why do I feel that way? What does it all mean?'
Then, he again thought back to the eyes that stared at him six years before.
Pro walked out of the room, proceeding to the front door.
'I need to figure this out. I won't give up on the takeover, but the Nightmares are just as much of a threat as the government. Both of them will have to go. But, first, I gotta see where I stand in this.'
Walking out of the house, Pro proceeded towards Sabbaton.
'I need to know about these things, now!'
Not waiting for Igrath to see the librarian, Pro ventured to the Towers himself.
The Third War is drawing near.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
