chapter 21 New Eyes

it's been a month now since that night I try to think about it everyday so it fills my rage. After being tortured Isla came to pick both me and Karma up taking us to a facility that can help Karma with her injuries, she also helped train me through rehab, after Cory died Goliath went into a hug economic deficit with that America annexed Goliath taking by force, Mikianea made it out with Megan before the Americans arrived, they went to go work for Jasmine as contract killers. After that night, I spent everyday looking for that man with a scar, but the only place that I can look is Goliath due to the American presence. Karma recovery was slow, the doctors at the facility treated her wounds and also like Cidny they used a type of cybernetics to replace her eyes, they told me she'd actually be able to see again, her family came to the facility to see how she was doing one day, that was also the day her father beat me until he broke his hand he then told me to promise him that when she wakes up I will push her away, never to see her again or he also posted his investigation on me on to the net, now I'm wanted in every country in the world, Isla didn't interrupt him due pushed fact that I need to be punished for failing those dear to me. Isla taught me that the animal inside needs to come out, because the person that has caused me so much pain is actually my instructor from when I was a child, she doesn't know his name but knows that he's a lion amongst the criminal underworld, her investigation on him brought her to assume that he helped create Pandora, Athena, and he also told the Americans where to find not only Candyce but me. After Isla told me that I went to Karma, she still can't see yet but she could speak to me. Asking her what should be done because they took her eyes, unexpectedly she said "I don't want you to do anything, I want you to run away with me, and never look back" after she said that to me I'm reminded of the promise her father told me to uphold, though no matter how hard I try to she just sarcastically segways away from it. Today Isla left me and Karma saying she is going back to Goliath, though she left something for me it was my father's most prized possession, a necklace with two feathers on it, Isla wore the same exact one.  After training I went to see Karma because today is the day they take off her bandages. When entering her room it looks as if they already took of her bandages as she looks out the window to the garden, she turns my way to say "Who are you? " walking towards her she seems to move further back on her bed (it's..) her eyes widen as she gets a better view, she looks at me from top to bottom before starting to cry "oh my god...H (that's me) don't be smart with me please just…. Just stand there for a second… alright do a turn… now lift up your shirt (why) just do it… wow you have uhhh lot of scars are those gunshots (yes) Jesus Christ how are you still alive, mean I knew you had but…. Wow also your face is (how are you feeling) well the doctors said I won't be able to see color for the first couple of days then after that they should work fine (that's not what I'm asking) oh well I try not to think about it, but sometimes when I'm sleeping, I can feel the pain even though happened a month ago, hey how did my recovery happen so fast (its this facility and the staff they have the most advanced medical technology in the world, also if they didn't help you I'd probably kill their families) was that a joke (no) h what's wrong with you (many things) so what are you going to do now, have you considered what I said (yes) so what's your answer (Karma… ) no oh please no (just listen) no you listen, we only just met eight months ago, but I've known about you longer than that, this much you already know, but now that I have you here I don't want you to leave, you understand what I'm saying here (I… just I need) no you don't need to do anything anymore (Karma please just listen) no I don't want to listen to you say the phrase I need to do this first, I was okay in the past but that doctor told me that you have only a couple years left in you, H look at me! I know that right now it sounds like I'm telling you what to do, now that my sight (you didn't really need it) H shh quiet you going to listen to me (I have to do this) stop please (if I don't they'll keep trying trying to find me nowhere is safe) who is they… I'm trying to help you (why) what do you mean why it because I… I… I uhhh I care about you (well talk about this later) ...ugh fine, just know if you leave before we finish talking about this I swear I'm going to kill you (I'll leave you to rest up)  show me it (show you what) Isla told me they branded you (oh… This) oh that looks painful… Wait wait wait wait… Nevermind leave already" fuck, her eyes are blue if you look at them closer you can see the cybernetics within them move around. 

Though Karma believes we should just run away, which she wouldn't be the first to suggest that. I have to deal with the people that have brought me so much pain, though she won't be able to see that, it night time as I begin to gather some new equipment given to me by the staff in the R&D department of the facility we are in they told me that "sense you are incarnation of the greater evil, so take this, so you might look the part" afterwards I go to see Karma before heading to Goliath to confront my old instructor and the man with one eye. Though Isla stops me halfway she tells me "In this line of work we must embrace the small happiness given to us, because for us it can never last forever, also I'll meet you on the plane" when she leaves I continue to head into Karmas room,  she seems to be sleeping, while sitting next to her bed my hand caresses hers, she feels so warm. Karma then turns towards, to then get out of her bed to strike me out of my chair, while lying on the ground she then jumps on to me, she digs her face into my collar bone while wrapping her arms around me, we stayed in that position for a couple moments, but it felt like a lifetime, what always happens when she touches is something I kept telling myself that's it my imagination, but everytime she touches me I can see a bridge between me and her, though everytime that bridge catches on fire, in the end, it's always me setting it ablaze. The smell of fire clouds my nostrils as my ears hear the distant sounds of gunshots, carrying Karma back to her bed she asked me "what's going on" she looked at my face realizing what is about to happen, when reaching for my bag I give her an assault rifle with three magazines, then put on my gear, my new equipment is tight, compacts, and protective, it feels lighter than my usual set up even though this has more with include ballistic as well as Kevlar, six magazine pouches, and a magnet on my back for either a large blade or a rifle, a feature in the helmet that wasn't detailed by the scientist that gave me this was the feature to scan heartbeats, through the headset in my new helmet, Isla start to tell me that the facility is being attacked the US military on her side, but she did see a group led by a one eyed man coming my way, Karma readies herself as we hear screaming I start to head out to help Isla  taking out the soldiers on my side so we can leave, but before that Karma stop me to give me a blade fashioned from Chris's sword that was always on me it's says Lykos which means wolf in Greek, she then kisses my helmet giving me the go ahead to leave, as soon as I get out the door there are shots between the US military and the men in black they fight in close quarter as well as in distances the bodies of the doctors lay before them, taking a syringe called primal to increase my agility it was given to me with my new equipment, my body start to breath as I grind my teeth, then run at all of them on all fours, slicing and cutting through both groups like paper my fingers on my left hand turn into claws to rip my enemies in half as my right carries the blade that karma gave me, sooner or later the facility goes silents as the only thing there is to hear is my breathing in between each slice. When there is no one left I check to see if any of the doctors or nurses are still alive, to no avail they're all writtled with rounds from both side one of the women soldiers screams at me as she tries to squirm away from me right before my hand snaps her neck, there are explosions in the distance as the facility is being burned. Then the one eyed man comes into my sight, he start to head into karmas room, my legs an my arms move faster than they ever had before as I sprint on all fours, bashing through the door my arms tackle him then Karma shoot me not realizing it was me, he pushes me off as we fight in close quarters, he repeatedly tries to keep up with me before he gets both his arms dislocated for failed counters, then as my knife delivers the final blow the small whisper "behind you" comes from a distance as a bullet hit my helmet knocking me out. Moments later the feeling of a rope around my neck wake me up as I'm tied up and being dragged, to then stop in front of a large man says "svarit' yego" which is Russian for weld it on immense heats comes from my neck as I smell gas emissions from a torch,  Karma is being pulled by her hair in a distance by Mikianea, breaking the zip ties on my hand and legs, I lunge at her choking her with both hands before being pulled by a rope tied to my neck, skywards I'm hosted in the air as the tall man watches and smiles, my body struggles to breath as I see Karma cry as the one eyed man forces his lips on her my hand tries to grab the rope, but my left arm goes numb from when Karma shot it, my right arm tries pulling me up, but it's to much weight, my life faces as I see all the things I've done up till know all the pain caused by my actions as well as the lives saved by my actions, the only thing that stops for a second as my life flashes before my eyes is the connections I made with all the people that stood by me as I faced the entire world. One memory that my mind seems to be stuck on is the people who died because of my failures, but as my eyes gaze upon Karma as she watches me hang, I'm reminded by what her father told me which was that she needs to hate me not love me because it'll destroy her in the end, suddenly my body is dropped to the ground, Karma runs towards me as she holds me to her breast while saying its okay over and over before being pulled back Mikianea then comes towards me to stab me in the legs, afterwards she then pulled the rope for a few moments before stopping to show me a crucifix. The tall man say "the Messiah should die like the Messiah life no listen here boy we could've done great things together but you won't stop fighting me no matter what you softly always seem to spite me and I won't have it anymore" they then place me on the crucifix as they host me in the air, a fire begins below me, but the only thing I can see is that dream of the beach.

Suddenly my eyes are locked on Karma as she fight the one eyed man from defiling her, my body tries to unhinge itself from the crucifix, Mikianea and the man who I believe  now was my old instructor leave, my body is then acts on the syringe that I injected earlier to allow me to be rid myself for the crucifix as my hands now free rip off my helmet to throw it at the one eyed my (come at me you cycloptic cowards) he then shoot me with his pistol forcing me to collapse on the floor, as he walks towards he then place the gun in my mouth whispering "I will always be better than you" into my ear before firing he is then impaled with a blade from behind,  then as his body hits the floor its revealed to be my old instructor who stabbed him (why "because I'll need you when the end comes") he then leaves again as Karma rushes to me with my only one good arm I embrace her (let's not do that again) she then laughs at me while wrapping her arms around me tighter moments after Isla shows up with with about a dozen men, its becomes hard to as blood drips down my eye, her man secure the areas as she walks towards me, as she stands before me her left hand goes across  my face as she yells at me. telling me that I wasn't focused, quick enough, and this all could've been avoided if I killed the man with a scar in front of the church, she hits me again and again forcing me to stand then she begins to get even angrier when she said "if you weren't so reckless your father would still be alive!" afterwards she backs of moving her squad further into the facility, before that she told Karma to carry me to the hanger bay, while slowly moving my mind sways back and forth (you like dogs "what" we should get a dog "your hallucinating" I once had a dog his name was kal "Isla never mentioned  that to me when she would talk about you" I had to raise him for a couple of months before having to kill him to prove my worth I killed it like it was nothing to me "I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're trying to say" that dog was actually a wolf pup, they didn't give me a gun, so I had to use my hands "oh my god" I want to get a dog to make amends "okay well get a dog" we'll get a boy his name will be… Chris "alright first let's sit you down" you know that you mean a lot to me, you know what I want to say, but if say it, it'll only be empty words "it's fine, I know" when we get back to Goliath, go to your family "no" please listen...I'll come back for you after the dust settles "if you really care about me you wouldn't lie to me" I promise you I will "no we are going to do this together" Karma!  I'm dying and I don't know how long I have left, and I don't want the last thing you see is me dying in front of you. "stop! I know… I know… I.. I just don't want you to leave" I'll come back "liar, you're probably just talking out of you and at this point first a story about how ruthless you are, then the wanting of a dog, now you going to go off and be that hero in the darkness who dies in the end.. I want to say fuck you for making me fall in love with you, I want to say fuck you for giving me back the ability to love myself, I want to say fuck you for being such a… such a… asshole" but you just did… "I know what I said, fuck you James Huntley Adams for bringing a smile to my face, for giving me the happiness I've longed for, and for always putting others before yourself, you selfless prick" you… You already said that… also…  your punching my gunshot wound "I don't care, you're an asshole, but your my asshole no one else's you got it" are you getting angry at me so you don't have to cry "no…" it's okay "no it's not… I know you won't say it but I will, I love you and nothing will ever change that, I want to be able to fight by your side until the end…" I know your angry at me for leaving you behind again, I'm… going to still do this alone, you… Can handle yourself, but I made a promise to your father and now I'm going keep it…) the plane explodes from around us, I'm then knocked out by rubble, when regaining conciousnes my left eyes seems to be not opened as there is shrapnel stick out of me, this is it for me, when looking towards karma's direction all I see is half of her body missing she's looking at me, she tries to say something, but I cannot hear her, a group or black figure then surround her my body tries to move, my left arm is missing, there is a gun holster to my left hip, my arm is lodged between two large pieces of rubble suddenly when looking back towards karma the room turn black as everything and everyone just fades away, in the darkness there is an effigy of a white sold with red glowing eyes "I will give you the strength to live and to love, but to do you so, you must die and be reborn again as the thing you hate most, as the ones you swore to sever from this earth, nothing will be able to kill you, except for the lion that created you, do you accept my gift child" this doesn't seem real, this place feel familiar (what is this place ? what are you ?) "this place... it is what drives you, what created you, and I am the strength that you fear" then with a quick smile made by the effigy, the darkness then fade away, as a mirage of my memories flow around me, a picture then floats into my hand, it's an image of me with Cidny she's with karma and I'm the background reading "that image was taken when you were asleep (what's this supposed to mean?) if you look closely, you know that their taking a photo of you and you are smiling (so what) you know that those two are at odds but this image was taken out of random, you have know idea why this event occurred ? (no) you created it, this never really happened (why are you showing me this?) I want you to see that you have the drive to become stronger (but you want me to use your power) just like you, I'm very self contradictive, I want you to obtain my power, I want to lose control, though I want you to know that you can create this strength (will you have complete control?) from now and until you die (I accept) why if I may ask (why question me, you already know why) I know that you want to die, inside you feel that your life is unnecessary, but you also feel that you must be the one to protect those that cannot protect themselves (the self conflictive moral values huh!) exactly, but when you kill you do not hesitate (hahaha) it is funny we are in your mind having.... a very exilirating conversation, while in reality your missing an arm and most of your organs (I'm insane) now that's something we can both agree on (I'll die after this won't i) no you will let me have control (so I will die) in a way yes you will (will I be in pain) always... your pain it what made me and sometimes you need pain to exist (I'm ready)"