Terror Chronicles 1: Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It wasn't that hard to convince the school that Samantha and I were plagued with a highly infectious disease, and it only took a few phone calls for Daniel and Rose to get a few days off of work, even though they could abandon it altogether if they want so.

Money is no problem for the four of us. We were born here, on Earth, so that meant our parents were here before they died of their battle wounds. Or so we were told. We never saw our parents, except for the brief time when we were born. But I don't remember their faces. Neither does Samantha.

As far as anyone knows, we were simply adopted by our 'human' guardians, Daniel and Rose.

But, our parents gave our guardians, our Corors, an account with enough money to make the richest salivate with greed. None of us knew why our parents had the account ready, just that we would be able to live the rest of our long lives as best as we can. That didn't mean we lived like royals, though. Apart from the highly upgraded base underneath our house, we were the same as our next door neighbours, not going overboard with any of our dor or meals.

None of us enjoyed the pricy cuisines anyway.

The only reason Daniel and Rose started working was to stay undercover. It would seem weird if four weird looking people appeared from nowhere, and had a few million dollars to throw around like toys. No, the only way to blend in and not get outed was if we acted like everyone else. Samantha and I went to school to learn human knowledge, Daniel worked as a construction worker, and Rose worked as a chef for a small time restaurant here in Oakwood.

And of course, with the amount of money we have, we bought the best surveillance equipment that a small town near Chicago could offer, just in case something ever happened. We have hidden cameras all over the entire town, ready to be accessed at a moment's notice. This town is quite the hidden fortress for us.

So I found it extremely annoying that we have a small four man car instead of a van. Or at least a minivan.

"Well, better get used to it for the next day." I told Samantha, sliding into the backseat and resting my head on the cool leather. Though, I had to admit this car was in top form. It was equipped with everything I could ever ask for, and some. We can't just have money and not use it to upgrade our vehicle to the bare maximum.

"Thirteen hours." Samantha let out a defeated sigh. "Why do I have to go? It's his Other anyways, Rivin can take care of it."

"Normally, I would let you stay home and keep going to school, but the Other mentioned the Hounds. The Shadow Hounds." Rose climbed into the front passenger seat, and I saw a purple lined handle on her hip. Her pistol. "We did some research on them. They're the biggest crime organization in New Orleans, and the police want them really badly, enough to offer money to whoever can take them down. This basically guarantees that they are criminals of at least some standard."

"So you need me to take them out. Got it." Samantha smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes, taking out my phone at the sound of a beep. A text from Edward.

"No, we don't want you to 'take them out'. It's not like the Human movies you watch every night. They won't just stand there while you go and shoot them. They'll shoot back, and you can be sure every last one of them will kill you given the chance. We want you to 'gently' incapacitate them and leave them for the police." Rose turned back and smiled at her ward. "Think of it as training. You're not killing, you're incapacitating."

"But the Hounds are bad guys."

"Yes."

"So why can't I kill the bad guys? We're good, and they're bad, so we have to beat them down."

"Yes. I'm not saying they have to be brought down gently, but you cannot reap your death onto them. We will leave them for the local police to handle, and that is that." Rose said firmly, pounding the seat as she said so. Samantha and I watched her with surprised eyes, and Daniel walked in with a tablet in hand, grinning widely.

"Nice. I see you have finally become a successful parent." He commented, and the three of us laughed, making Rose grumble in annoyance. "You have watched too many Earth films with Samantha, partner. You have forgotten how the Raixien disciplined their children on Raxar, do you?"

"It is for the best."

Daniel laughed. "True. I never liked their discipline methods much anyways." He revved up the car engine, and we sat there for a minute, waiting for the engine to fully warm up. Silence filled the car, and not even the usually talkative Samantha had anything to say. "What, you guys nervous or something?" Daniel turned back around, draping a hand over the car seat. His playful eyes twinkled in the dark.

"No, not really." Samantha replied, already staring down at her phone, playing that shooting game of hers again. I had watched her on several occasions, and I knew just how fast she was when it came to these types of games. Her ability as an Exiled Raixien, super enhanced reactions or something like that, gave her an edge that no normal human would possess. I've seen her do some truly amazing stuff before, but it still surprises me every time I watch her play.

"And you, Rivin? You good?"

Truth be told, I wasn't so entirely sure about this mission. Sure, I wanted to help my Other from his troubles, but I have a very bad feeling that we might be in over our hands. After all, we're going to be facing off against a large criminal organization stationed in New Orleans, a place I have never been to but don't want to be in, with next to no information, except for what Rose and Daniel might be able to scrounge up.

Besides, I was more worried about my Other instead of whatever we'll be facing. What he gave off when I first met him still troubled me, like he was planning to do something horrible. And for that alone, I know that I must go, whether I was sure we'll come out safely or not.

"Yeah. I'm good." I gave him a thumbs up, and Daniel whirled back around and set his hands on the wheel.

"Then get yourself comfortable, because it's going to be a long night."

The two of us hung out in a shady alleyway, watching out for anybody who might pose a threat to us, or the two hunched over people behind us, staring into the darkness like junkies high on drugs. Rose and Daniel swayed lightly in the wind, not making a single sound as they performed their own Rengars.

They were both Second Archivists back on Raxar, and they had the ability to see into the past, given that they stood in the general vicinity of where they wanted to observe. According to them, the Second Archivists were the librarians and keepers of history on Raxar, and their role had been nothing more than to keep track of everything and absolutely everything that the Raixiens had ever done. Seemed like a boring job to me, and I was sure Rose and Daniel agreed as well, judging by the distasteful glances they sent at me whenever I mentioned their history.

Though, I do wonder why they would have such extensive knowledge of combat if their entire lives had been spent at the desk, but there were things that I didn't know of for me to judge. I don't know who my parents are, how they died, where they are now, and why I lived.

That was a question that I asked myself very often. Why I had lived, when all others with far more experience and strength had died. What I have heard about the Aerilosac made them seem fearsome and downright terrifying, and I have just saw them in combat and know how ruthless they are. And if Daniel and Rose wasn't exaggerating, the Aerilosac had dismantled and eradicated everything the Raixiens had built in thousands of years in five Earth days.

Five days. That was how long it took them to destroy us in all our glory.

Even with all we had, the technology and abilities we possess, theirs had been more proficient at killing.

The Aerilosac have their own branch of powers. The most common one being the ability to control Orbsic crystals, a golden yellow crystal highly abundant on many stars in the universe. They don't seem to have any special property that I know of, but I'm guessing they're much more than just weapons used for killing.

Not all Aerilosac have the power to control the Orbsic, though. Apparently, only a small fraction of the army has that power, and even then, there are still significant power tiers that dictates the hierarchy of the Aerilosac.

"Jaco. There was a Jaco here." Daniel suddenly spoke up.

"He's a criminal. Two people died here not long ago. A couple, shot by him and his people. The bodies were moved away by the Hounds." Rose added, and both turned back with angry scowls on their faces. "These people did terrible things. I can see your point, Samantha. These people are terrible people."

"So does that mean we can kill them now?"

"No. I see your point, but it still doesn't mean we get to kill them. These people must be sent to the local police, and they will handle them. We don't need to handle them ourselves."

"But we're going to go rough them up anyways, so what does it matter if we take them out in the mean time? I mean, we're powerful. Between them and us, they don't stand a chance." Samantha argued. Daniel's face darkened ever more, and he stomped towards Samantha angrily.

"Don't say that." He snapped, making me flinch in surprise. "Just because we're different from them doesn't mean we have to get involved in their business. It especially doesn't mean you can abuse your power against normal humans. Think about what happened to your parents." Daniel clamped his mouth shut immediately. Samantha squinted in question.

"What of my parents?"

Daniel looked at Rose, who finally sighed and gave a resolute nod. "We know what happened to your parents. We know we've said they died, but we never said how. Your parents, Samantha, were Exiles. This meant they did not undergo any combat training from the Raino government, so when they came to Earth, they had absolutely no clue how to defend themselves. Especially if they landed in one of the more chaotic states."

"So, what, you're telling me my parents gave birth to me, then went off and got killed by some random douchebag?"

"I'm saying, that your parents were totally reckless." Daniel said firmly with a faraway look in his eyes. What other stories of the past did he not tell us? "Rose knew them before we came here, and I knew your parents through Rose. It's the only reason we are together now."

Rose took over. "Samantha, your mother died to the wounds she suffered in the invasion. She was already half dead when they came here, and she did not live for long after your birth. A few minutes, not more than that. It's understandable that you don't remember your mother at all."

"And my father? What happened to him?"

"Rhys stood up against people he should not have messed with." Rhys. At least now, we know the name of Samantha's father. "He thought that with his enhanced reaction, just like yours, that made him superior to the humans on Earth. That it made him invincible. He should have just given those thugs the money, and let them go off. Instead, he had to play hero." Daniel gritted his teeth in frustration. "And leave you parentless. Rhys was reckless and an idiot."

Samantha said nothing. Her eyes were flat, blank and emotionless. It was impossible for me to tell what she is possibly thinking of, until the corner of her mouth twirled upwards mischievously.

She laughed loudly, attracting a couple of curious heads to our way. "So my mom died of battle wounds, and my dad died defending his pride. Sounds like a good way to die."

Daniel and Rose blinked at her resolution. Then they began to smile as well. "Yeah. I guess so."

Then I raised a finger, and everyone's head snapped to me. "Wait, wait. Where was the sad and emotional moment? Where was the part where Samantha yelled 'You should've stopped him'? Why did we come to a resolution like that so quickly?" Everyone laughed again, the sound reverberating through the streets of New Orleans.

"You have also been watching too many Earth movies, Rivin. Sometimes, the truth is the truth, and that's that. There's nothing more to be discussed or argued about if everyone reached an agreement." Daniel winked, and I grinned from ear to ear, forgetting about where we stood... and how dangerous it was to be standing here at night, without any tools or weapons on us.

A trio of men turned the corner from the colourful buildings of New Orleans, and stood there, watching us like eagles circling a downed prey.

Daniel didn't missed a single beat, not even to look at the approaching threat. "Yeah, they're with Jaco. They were there with him when he killed the couple. Who wants to get these guys?"

"I will." I scooped up a can of beer left on the sidewalk, smiling as I approached the thugs. I wasn't particularly worried about them doing any lasting harm to me, as they all had their hands hanging free from their sides, with no real weapons in sight. If anything, just my healing Rengar should be enough to take them on, despite me being much smaller in both size and lighter in weight. And if I get into some serious trouble, I have three powerful fighters behind me for backup.

Besides, I didn't plan on fighting them barehanded.

"You people should get out of 'ere, before you go pokin' in the wrong places." The big, burly man in front rumbled, and his two buddies smirked smugly. "The Hounds ain't someone you wanna mess with."

"Yes." I replied curtly, before chucking my can of beer at the first man as hard as I could. The can ricocheted off his forehead as he screamed in pain, his face torn open by a nasty edge on the can I hadn't even noticed existed. His buddies halted mid step, face contorted in surprise and... fear. They looked up at me, then back to the gashed face of their boss, and decided to charge straight at me.

I pivoted my left leg backwards, then launched my entire body at the first charging man, performing the falcon punch right into his face. The attack caught him by even more surprise, and the man felled. The last charging man stopped, scowling and fumbling around his jacket for something. A weapon, maybe? I pulled my fist up, attempting to shake off the pain of my hand striking the man's face.

Unlike what seems to be shown on Earth movies, punching people actually might hurt you more than the person you're punching. I've had my own fair share of experiences when I sparred against Samantha and Daniel. When you punched people, your fists hurt, and your hands will probably bruise the next day.

A lot more were bruised than just my fists. My 'cowardly' fighting style, as told my Samantha, does not always work out for me. Eight out of ten times, I end up sprawled on the cold metal floor, bleeding to death if not for my healing Rengar.

Which is why, it did not hurt as much when the man failed to grasp his weapon, and instead opted for punching me hard in the ribs. The blow came unexpected to me, but I held my ground, gritting my teeth and pushed through the pain.

Another flurry of attacks to his face quickly brought him down to the ground, moaning in distress. I put a hand on my chin, then walked over to the man whose face I cut open, and laid an open palm on his shoulder. The man was on the ground, and I watched his terrified eyes grow even wider as I began to heal him back up. His flesh knit itself together in just a matter of seconds, and the blood stopped flowing,

"What-" I didn't let him finish, and slammed his head to the ground much harder than I should have, knocking him out cold.

Maybe he now has permanent brain damage. Crap.

"Eh, he's going to be fine." Daniel stepped forward from behind, kneeling down to the first to search his pockets. He fished out a cheap flip phone, and quickly browsed through the contacts. "Hey look, he has Jaco's number. We should give him a call, maybe set up a meeting, and then decide what to do with him and his friends."

Rose took the phone from Daniel's hands, and then placed it in her pocket, hidden from view. "We should do that, but we have time to make up a decent enough plan. I doubt the Other is in much danger, since it's... just a projection of the mind." She said that last part with slight disbelief, and I wondered the same. If my Other could not be hurt, then there should be no need for a rush, right?

"Fine. But we'll go by tomorrow."