Citadel Part 16 Leo, Jack, and Maya Part 2

"You have worked on kids before, you have even killed them, what about enslave them like these bastards are doing?" Jack looked him dead in the eyes.

"Have never enslaved anyone. Taken advantage for my own means .. absolutely. I am no Saint and I do not lead with my Heart as my "brother" does." Leo moved them both along following Maya as she tracked down the operative. "My most insincere apologies in that regard I suppose."

"Your an ass!" Jack retorted back. She was quiet as they came to the point were Maya and Ms.Brooks talked about her going with to leave the mines. "That desperation..."

"For her safety, Ms.Brooks refused to take Maya off the station. She was a liability despite showing she was intelligent enough in ways that were helpful." Leo stated calmly unbothered by Jack's outburst from earlier. "Despite seeing her kill some after interrogation, Maya still wanted to go with her. Proof that the mines were definitely not a good place to be."

"No.. just take her with you dammit!" Jack shouted despite the fact it was a memory. She watched the woman leave Maya behind. But a surprise occurred as Maya pulled out a gun shooting her delivering a fatal wound. "Damn..."

Maya then revealed that she was actually a girl. Staring at the first person she shot and who she believed would die from the wound.

"Like you.. I have learned to not trust other people, but I had hoped that I could trust you." Maya boarded the ship taking off. the memory was supplemented by Leo's to continue it.

"What is that security mech doing?" Jack pointed out. "It's saving that woman." She noticed the mech had a screen to project better on it. "The image on the screen... its you!"

"Yeah, how about that." Leo grinned. A young Leo was operating the mech. The image was digitally composed and was operated by the A.I. of course. The actually Leonardo Shepard was far away from this place during this time frame. "A preliminary contract. Definitely helped with her recovery for one."

The Operative Ms.Brooks signed and her gunshot wound closed up. She was then forced to go into hiding due to events revealed about her assignment at the place. The time she was shot alerted a few unsavory types to the area.

"That is it for that." Leo moved the two away as they moved back.

"Goddamn Leo! I really wanted her to not have a shitty childhood!" Jack grumbled. "Who knew she was such a tough bitch!" She threw her hands up frustrated. Pacing around in the area. Eyeing Leo critically. "I won't to know when you met her next! I don't need to see any more of this!"

"Not a problem Jennifer." Leo grabbed Jack's hand pulling her out of Maya's memories further. They moved over to his soul/mind with ease. Moving to the door he felt Jack push back against him. "What is it?"

"I just want to go by myself, I am sure since it is you, I will be shielded from seeing any odd changes or anything." Jack grabbed the door looking down. "Be my guess is correct, something really odd happens a time with you and Maya when you first met."

"Alright, doesn't bother me." Leo floated back and looked at all the doors. Jack closed the door quickly as she went in. "I wonder how Maya is doing actually?" Looking over to that door, he would not go in and bother her.

*Ripple!* The different passages in his mind caused his Mental Cultivation to increase just a little. Enough that a few more doors appeared powered by the fresh mental energy.

"Well, to see it happen in real-time is pretty nice. Maybe if I cultivate a little while I wait something else will happen?" As Leo pondered that idea, the door Maya was in opened up. She came out shaking a little. "You ok?"

"Yes.. I will be fine." Maya kept looking down as she floated over to him. "Just.. we don't need to go to Jennifer's memory right now. Another time for that, ok?"

"Sure." Leo wouldn't pry since Maya was to emotional right now for some reason. The smallest thought that the outburst from Jack could have affected her. "We can wait here quietly if you want." She kept floating over to him grabbing him by the neck. "Eh.. your crying? What the hell?"

"Leo, promise me something," Maya said seriously as she could. "no matter what, you don't leave me. Can you do that for me?"

"Umm, what is this about?" Leo was really starting to think something had happened but the time difference between that memory and now was to far off.

"Just promise me, Leo!"

"I can't make that kind of promise." Leo shook his head at her. "I can only try not to do so. But I know you are not ok with some of my methods. That will naturally drive a wedge between us. The same as it did before."

"That shouldn't count! That was not your full soul here!" Maya shouted. Ripples of her spirit energy actually causing a rattle in some of the memory doors. Ones that specifically tied to her. "You are fully here with us now! Just... make the promise to me!" Her emotions were so bare he could feel them. "I don't want to be alone anymore! I know you can make sure it doesn't happen!"

"It already has Maya, how many friends you have actually made on the ship? More than a handful at least I am sure." Leo pointed out. She actually had people she could count on already. Just couldn't really strengthen as much considering she was undercover.

"I hate you so much right now." Maya buried her head in his chest. Her arms moving to his backside. "I.. would like nothing more than to kill you right now." She joked a little. "How dare you turn me into a regular person."

"Haha, you are far from regular. I am very sure of it." Leo kissed the top of her head. "I promise to take care of the Milky Way and make sure we get to the Andromeda Galaxy. A chance for you to start over completely is there waiting. Not to mention...."

"Not to mention scientific discoveries galore." Maya smiled a little. "With power beyond what they have ever seen yet." Her demeanor getting happier by the second. "I have what I need from you already. All but one thing left."

"What's that?" Leo cocked his head to the side in wonder. Before he could get that answer Jack came out of the door she was in. She looked at the two and grinned. Maya buttoned up real quick and pulled away. "Hey.."

"It can wait till later." Maya grinned.

"Alright, I am ready to go."Jack announced. "So decided not to check into my noggin there Maya?" Her admittance at least confirmed something would trigger when someone did so.

"For now.. yes. I trust you enough Jennifer, besides, I am not gonna be in Cerebrus much longer at the rate things are going." Maya didn't go into details and freed herself from the Meld easily enough. "Later, you two."

Her ability to pull away was quite the thing. Even though Leo was not trying to keep her there forcefully, it should have been harder considering.

"Now that she is gone, I think you should know something about Maya." Jack said seriously. "I think you should really check your memory with her. The one of you two meeting then parting ways last."

"No need, just tell me your concerns." Leo rubbed his chin not seeing the need to. "I felt you moving about my memories which were odd. Glad you didn't try anything weird."

"Then suit yourself. But one question, you don't plan on getting married again because what happened on your Earth right?" Leo just nodded at her. For some reason, Jack smiled at that. "That is good. I think those Ardat Yakshi might have actually killed if you did."

"I think they have found mates are life partners at this rate already." Leo would find out later how wrong he was on the next checkup for them. Jack was then removed completely from the Meld. "Alright... what happened during all of this that I may have missed?"

*Fwoosh!* A ball of light arrived as the A.I. moved in front of him.

"An increase in your various Aspects with several contracts increasing." The A.I. relayed. "Jack had the most significant growth and do believe she will handle the Grissom Academy matters completely herself. I will coordinate a plan with some adjustments to make it easier for her."

"That is good. Then we may have to accelerate the cloning plan for project Prajia." Leo felt his Cultivation Method stir a little. "The deceased there may still linger and the combination of a few spells mixed into the Reaping Manual may allow me to pull them into bodies."

A.I.-Your thoughts on the deceased and using them are quite troubling. In this matter, you differ greatly from your brother.

"That is fine. Not studying it would be waste." Leo' felt the Aspect of Curiosity stirring greatly. Reserves of suppressed energy inside of him getting free. "To pull a trapped soul into a body is something I look forward to seeing done. It will help if one of my people bodies gets completely destroyed and I need to preserve them somehow. Or transport them from a crappy body."

A.I.- A valid enough reason I suppose.

"I am a scientist, after all, don't really have bounds really. Just learned ones for society's sake anyway." Leo felt his min racing as the Mental Gears couldn't keep up with his thoughts. "I need to make more improvements but after a few things are done. Really need to just go and take a ship from someone at this rate."

The A.I. ran countless algorithms to check the different laws Leo might break from the Pantheon agreement by doing this. It would only be a problem if she forcefully pulls someone from the Afterlife to do so. Which a lot of trapped spirits were caught up in.

Halfway at least between Dimensions.

*Woosh!* Current of various energies arrived as Leo's mind pushed against the proverbial barrier. His soul resonating with his body in a way that pushed his cultivation.

There was no tribulation to go against at first. Then, he felt the various contracts appear around him. The energies from those rushing into him triggering a change in his soul. The Doors of Memory disappearing as a tricolor door appeared fusing togethor.

A.I.- Good luck Leo.

The A.I. moved far away to not be caught up in this. On the outside, Leo's Omni-tool produced a Concealing Barrier shielding him from others. A single message was sent to each of them not to disturb him.

Dr.Chakwas just sealed the room and watched. Jack and Maya already working on digesting what they both experienced.

"Well... aren't you something to behold." Leo looked at the creature that formed into a humanoid copy of himself by the looks of it. "Mixing various Cultivation Methods from where my brother went and traded with definitely was intriguing, to say the least."

"Such an unusual CHampion." The creature said. Its eyes Black emitting a strange Blacklight as well. "I will prevent you from becoming an Evil Champion like your Ancestor."

"Pfft, sure." Leo scoffed. His hands clenched as he got ready to duke it out with a creature composed of the three methods that made a person. With a higher Cultivation Realm then himself, it should be a tough fight. "I am going to beat you become stronger nd continue what I am doing. If I die.. then so be it."

*Tap!* Leo punched his fist together charging forward. He had know idea what the effects would be fighting in this place to his overall Body, Mind, and Soul but the thought of new experimentation excited him.

A.I.- He has gotten stronger before the fight has even started. Why is this family composed of such monsters?

The A.I. was not the only one thinking this. As Gaia watched through the connection she shared with her champion. With a figure dressed in Gold watching as well. The entity known as Destiny was interested in Leonardo the same as when it was interested in his brother Maxmillion and their Ancestor Rexford.

The battle that took place putting Leo against the Tribulation lasted longer than Leo would have thought. But it allowed him to understand one thing.

He needed to kill more to get stronger. To push the Reaping Manual further than he had so far. The new Realm he stepped into was the Gate of Immortality.