Forgive and Forget: Echoes of Faith
Word Count: 3513 Words 🙂
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A Few Hours Earlier
*First Person POV: Aspen*
As Ghost and I watched the MRAP take a turn in the direction of the city's entrance, we turned to each other.
I motioned in the direction the MRAP left as I chuckled. "What?"
Ghost just stared at me quizzically, "That's unusual of you. Why did we approach them if we were only going to let them go?"
I stifle another chuckle threatening to escape me as I just look up into the starless night and sigh. "Ghost, you're smarter than that. Don't tell me a few shots got you losing your sense of battle."
He only nodded at my remark. "I'm guessing you put a tracker on them to take them out later, that way nothing blows over to us."
"Bingo. Now come on, let's get in the MRAP and follow the tracker," I say as I start to make my way toward the underground garage of the apartment complex.
As I'm walking I decide to look over my system. That tracker and miniature EMP i bought from it cost me 30 CSP and 150 CSP relatively. Meaning I only had 119 CSP left.
"Jarvis, show me the new notifications," I think as I walk.
"Sure thing, Host!
Updated Mission: No Rest for the Wicked
Hunt down and Kill Pilot Elara, Callsign: Valkyrie; Reward: 8000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill Pilot Kai, Callsign: Striker; Reward: 9000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill ??? Reward: 14000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill ??? Reward: 20000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill Ajax Reward: 28000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill Valina Reward: 35000 CSP
Quest Updated: Hunt the Hunters
Description: You have discovered the 2 members of Ajax's crew who have been looking for you or anything that can lead them your way. Take care of them but do so in a way that doesn't attract any more attention to you in Kloln. It is advised that the Host kills them in another city without letting any information that may compromise the Host be sent back to Ajax.
Reward: 5,000 CSP"
"Well, at least I know who they are now," I say as Ghost and I reach the MRAP and get in it.
Ghost chuckled at my comment as we he turned the engine on, "Oh you do? What did your magic powers tell you this time around?"
"These two are direct subordinates of either Ajax or his backers. Doesn't really matter to me, they're both in some way, shape, or form involved with the death of Autumn and my girls." I say as I can feel my throat knot up.
I had finally come to terms with what God had said to me. The me of this universe, although an alternate and slightly older version of myself, was still me. His memories are also my memories, his life also my life, his children… they were also my children.
When I said this, I could feel Ghost tense up, his hands gripping the steering wheel harder as we drove out of the garage and made our way to the city entrance.
"You should've said something about that earlier," he said as we approached the city entrance.
"Yeah, I know just how much you and Jess loved the girls," I said as I spotted Kai and Elara's MRAP, which was a dozen or so vehicles in front of us. Pointing it out I say, "There they are, they don't seem to be in a rush at all."
Ghost also spotted them after I pointed them out. "Yeah, you should have said something about it. You know I'm not only still with you just because I'm loyal to you," he said as we slowed down to a halt as other cars ahead of us were being screened and allowed exit. "You all were like a family I never had to me, I just wonder why you didn't say anything about it."
I stayed quiet at his words. The memories of this universe intertwine with the memories of my previous life. I start to get lost in my thoughts as conflicting emotions start a battle in me. Just why am I getting revenge? Why am I keeping things from someone I have come to consider a friend and my previous self considered a brother?
Just what exactly is my purpose, well I know that, more like what exactly is my drive to do all of this? Am I enacting revenge because the system is rewarding me with CSP? Or is it because of the leftover emotions and memories? I could, by all means, completely focus on making money and starting my own military group to go on the mission killing everyone, cleansing this universe of its scum, and earning my ticket back to my own universe.
But, do I even have a universe to return to? Last I remember I was T-Boned by a semi after getting hit by some heavy vehicle from the back, which dragged my SUV to the semi and smashed me between the two vehicles.
Lost in thought, I hadn't noticed that it was already our turn to get screened.
"Reason for exit?" the guard asked Ghost, who kept his eyes trained ahead.
"None of your fucking business," I reply.
I see the guard tense up at my response as the scanners take a full scan of our MRAP. His hand reaches for his gun and as he's about to pull it out, an older guard comes from out of the booth.
"Let them through," the older guard said.
"But sir we don't know why these people are leavi-" the young guard tried to protest but was quickly shot down.
"Leaving? I didn't see anyone leave?" the old guard says as he presses a button, dropping the barriers and allowing us to leave.
As Ghost started driving again, I could hear the old guard tearing the young one out. I'm pretty sure I heard him say "don't exist" as the window finished rolling up and we made our way onto the road.
I pulled my Nexus out and connected it to the MRAP which then started displaying the live tracker information of Kai and Elara. They had made some way from us, but that didn't matter for now. Something told me that they still had a long way to go before reaching their destination.
We drove in silence for about an hour before I finally decided to break it. "You know, there's a lot I haven't told you, a lot I never planned to tell anybody." Ghost looked at me before looking back at the road, not saying anything. "I… uh… would you want me to tell you about it?"
He stared ahead as he responded to my question, "That's your choice. Is it something you want to get off your chest or something you want to be open about?"
I nodded at that, "It's a little bit of both. The question is, how much would you like to hear?"
Ghost stayed quiet for a second, considering just how much he wanted to know and if I would truly tell him the truth. "Let me hear it all, we've got a long drive."
I smile softly as I look out the window, nothing to be seen in the night except for the few figures I could make out every once in a while. "It all started the day I was born, June 3rd, 199-"
Ghost interrupted my monologue with a snarky comment. "Alright you prick, get to the important- wait, did you say Nineteen Ninety? Must think yourself a comedian."
"What? I thought you said you wanted the whole story?" I said a smirk on my face that quickly transformed into a sly yet serious smile. "I'm being completely honest with you, from the beginning, everything, just like you asked."
Ghost could tell that although I was smiling, I was being honest, so he just told me to go on, which I did. Over the next 3 hours, I shared with him everything from my previous life, who I was, how my universe was, and how my memories from this world started merging with my mind through nightmares. I shared with him my death, my rebirth, my conversation with God, everything I could recall up until the moment I summoned him.
Once I was done he was in silence, and it stayed like that for the next 30 minutes.
"So, you're not the Aspen I know, the commander I know." Those were the first words he spoke.
"Yes and no. I am Aspen, this is the body of the Aspen you know, I feel the emotions of the Aspen you know, I have the memories he held most precious and memorable. I am him, but I am also different. We are one and the same," I reply.
Ghost nods as he takes in this information. "And this, God being you talk about. You called him the one true God. How can I believe in that?"
"Well, I'm living proof of that, you are living proof of someone who was dead yet was raised from the dead by His power." I stop as I think for a second, deciding to Take the Holy Bible I had gotten as a reward from the system. As I do, a pristine Bible materializes in my hand. It was white with a bright cherry red cross in its center. Above the cross, bold words the color of dark cherry red that seemed to be written with droplets spelled "Holy Bible" and below the cross in the same color a sentence that read "My Death is Your Life."
"Here, read this book and the answer to your questions will eventually be answered. I recommend you start in the book of John, but you can start from the beginning if you'd like. I'll get you one for yourself sometime in the future."I say as I place the Bible on the center console.
Ghost looks at the Bible, his mouth slightly agape after seeing me summon the book from thin air. He reached out to it but stopped his hand and then placed it back on the steering wheel. "No, your god doesn't seem like someone I'd want to follow. Not someone who would accept what I've done and what I will continue doing. You too, though from what you told me He will ignore your wrongs since you are His chosen, His personal creation. Maybe just His toy, I don't know. Just not someone I'm willing to follow."
"Well, the Bible will always be there for when curiosity eats at your soul, which it will," I say, knowing just how when trying to deny God, when trying to run from Him, when you're drowning in your own sins and guilt, He will be there at that lowest moment. And when you feel Him there, a burning desire to run to His word would eat at you.
"Alright, kill the lights," I say as I turn on the MRAP's thermals. We drive in absolute darkness relying solely on the MRAP's Thermal screen to stay on the road and using the tracker. We're a way behind them so Ghost pushes the pedal to the metal as we accelerate and start approaching them.
"Activating the EMP in 3…2…1… EMP Live," I say as I notice a barely distinguishable dark blue wave ahead of us.
Ghost looks at his speed and the distance to Kai and Elara and says, "20 seconds until we can engage them in close comba-"
I interrupt him as I notice that the MRAP's doors start swinging open and out come both of them. "They're getting out, stop right here."
Ghost stops the MRAP and I open the top hatch immediately dropping my M107s bipod as I stabilize myself and breathe in and slowly breathe out, lining up a shot on Elara who is taking out her Nexus.
*BOOM*
I wait about a second and a half before I see white drops fly out from behind Elara through my thermal scope, confirming I hit her. I realign my shot again aiming slightly higher to make sure I kill her, but she's moving too much for me to risk missing a shot. So I wait, she leans against the MRAP and as I'm about to pull the trigger she starts to fall backward.
*BOOM*
I hadn't noticed when Ghost had taken his M107 out but he quickly lined up a shot using the MRAP's hood as a support. I see the heat trace of his shot as it dips slightly and strikes Elara in the neck, almost decapitating her.
Ghost didn't waste any time as he immediately got into the MRAP and pressed the gas, bringing us to speeds of over 400 kph quickly. I stay peeking out of the hatch, ignoring the wind against my face as I see Kai jump out of the front of the MRAP. I quickly took a shot without aiming much and watched it hit him in the knee, forcing him to drop to the ground. I saw him trying to pull himself up and fired again, destroying one of his arms and forcing him to fall back down.
I feel the MRAP start to slow down fast while Kai reaches up again and I shoot one last time, destroying his other arm and leaving him slumped forward against the sidestep of his MRAP. We come to a halt a few meters away, our engine quiet thanks to some changes I had done to reduce its sound and increase its power, the reason why we were able to exceed 400 kph as fast as we did.
Ghost and I got out of the MRAP, he was holding his M107 while I left mine in the MRAP, settling for only carrying my pistol.
"You know, you really shouldn't have gone snooping around on us," I call out, which prompts Kai to slowly turn around and come face to face with me. The sun was starting to come up, only enough to brighten the surroundings and make my face discernable.
"You, Aspen?…. You've grown a beard… you also should've been dead…" Kai mustered out as he glanced between Ghost and I. "If… if you're here, then that means that you are…"
I nodded at Kai's unfinished sentence.
"So you knew… from the beginning?" Kai asked, causing me to raise my eyebrows slightly and pity him. "Yeah… you did… How?"
"You know that's something I won't explain," I respond, not willing to say anything since it wouldn't change a thing..
"Why? Why did you wait so long to kill us?" Kai asked. I could sense the lack of hop and simple yearning to understand. That is something that threw me off, considering he's one of Ajax's lackeys, he should be smart enough to piece A and B together.
"You should be smart enough to know that. This can't be tracked back to me, well, back to Reaper and Ghost, as I'm sure you already reported back to Ajax saying they were good." I said.
Kai looked at me, some sort of defiance rising up on him. "I won't talk no matter what you do to me."
"Oh, I don't need you for information." I say as I grab Elara's Nexus from her corpse's hand "I'll just be taking your Nexus' and find their previous locations. Now, tell me, what are your last words? I'll be sure to give Ajax your Regards as he did with my wife and both of my princesses." As I spoke I could feel my memories clawing at me and anger threatening to explode.
"I'm…I'm sorry for what… happened to them, I truly am. I never thought Ajax would go that far." Kai started, his face showing some sense of remorse. "He's one sick bastard, so I'm not angry at this. I understand my death for my involvement in it and hunting down your squadron, Commander Del Santo." Kai said, some respect in his voice. I'm a little blindsided by this show of respect from a man I'm about to kill.
I noticed his eyes shift to Elara's corpse which was looking towards the front of the MRAP. "But Elara….FUCK SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! SHE WAS JUST SITTING AT THE BACK OF THE LINE. HER MECH NEVER EVEN FIRED A ROUND! SO FUCK YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH, DIRTY MOTHERFUCKER, I HOPE YOU DIE THE MOST PAINFUL OF DEATHS. I HOPE THAT BASTARD AJAX SKINS YOU ALIVE."
I looked at Kai, my anger flaring as the memories of Autumn's broken body and the skinned corpses of Alicia and Aria came to my mind. The graves I had to personally dig, the sight I had to personally witness. I raised my gun to Kai's forehead. "You know who else had nothing to do with all of this?" Kai's defiant gaze faltered for a second. "That's right. My wife, my precious girls…"
"The Lord your God says you should forgive him. Allow your body to make peace with the events that took place. Forgive him…"
These words sounded as if they were right in front of me and I looked just above Kai's head as I saw the Archangel Michael kneeling right behind him, his body ethereal and protruding through the MRAP.
My eyes watered and my hands shook as I kept my gun trained on Kai's forehead. "But the Lord, my God has ordered me to forgive you, as much as it pains me."
Kai looked up with confusion at me. "What?"
I lowered my gun and turned my back to Kai. "I, Aspen Del Santo, forgive you for your involv-"
I hear some shifting behind me as the corner of my eye catches Ghost raising his M107. "Burn in hell motherfucker."
*BOOM*
"NO!" I screamed as I yanked on Ghost's arm but there was nothing I could do as Kai's skull was destroyed by a point-blank shot from Ghost's M107. I see his brain matter splattered all over the side and the interior of the MRAP as Michael's ethereal form stands up and looks down on Kai's corpse with pity in his eyes. "Wha-what have you done?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
I noticed that Ghost had a tear rolling down his cheek as he looked into my eyes and said, "You know they were like family to me too. That you are like a brother to me. And he was part of the group of bastards that took away the only family I ever had. He and the rest of those bastards took that from me! KILLED THAT FROM ME! So you may have forgiven him, but I, I don't serve any god. I do not forgive them, I never will."
Ghost tried to shrug my arm hand off his arm, but my grip was just too strong. I then pulled Ghost into a hug as more tears started to run down Ghost's face. Behind him I see Michael walk around and look me in the eyes.
"You forgave him, in your heart. You will be at peace from now on for you heeded my words and had faith that I would do something if you forgave him. But this universe has already turned from my Father. My Father sent you here to do one thing, and that was to become His Reaper in this universe. To hand out the punishment this universe deserves, that many people deserve…"
"Thank you, thank you for killing him and reminding me of one thing. Thank you." I say as Ghost and I remain in an embrace and the golden sunshine starts to fill the horizon. Michael gave me a nod of approval before his form disappeared.
I felt peace fill me, the burden of having lost my wife and daughters in brutal ways lifted. I had forgiven Kai, truly forgiven him for his involvement in the death of my family.
"Ding! Congratulations Host for completing the Quest: Hunt the Hunters.
Reward: 5000 CSP.
Ding! Congratulations Host for completing part of Mission: No Rest for the Wicked
Hunt down and Kill Pilot Elara, Callsign: Valkyrie; Reward: 8000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill Pilot Kai, Callsign: Striker; Reward: 9000 CSP
Ding! Congratulations Host for completing Hidden Quest: Forgiveness Comes from the Heart.
Reward: 10000 CSP
Ding! Congratulations Host for completing Hidden Quest: Reaper's Call
Reward: 2000 CSP; Godlink: A neural link granted by GOD that is necessary if one ever wants to reach the Transcendent Pilot Level of Abyssal, a mythical tier never seen before. Allows for a 200% sync rate between the Pilot and his Mech, enhancing mech reflexes, agility, and overall speed.
Mission Updated:
Hunt down and Kill ??? Reward: 14000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill ??? Reward: 20000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill Ajax Reward: 28000 CSP
Hunt down and Kill Valina Reward: 35000 CSP
Total CSP Balance: 29,119 CSP"
I smile as I hear Jarvis' system notifications and realize I will no longer be deeply influenced by my memories.
"I am the Reaper of God."