Chapter 6: Regret-Filled Recklessness

Awakened from his blackout was Proxer who was covered in bandages, and a wrist brace to monitor his cardiac and neural functions. He who was lying in a hospital bed, with an environment that closely resembled the ward Jogrin woke up in, didn't even take a second to recount what happened. His memory of that wasn't nebulous at all. He swiftly sat up and speculated his surroundings, or rather, he was looking for a specific person. It was appalling that all it took were some bandages and a bed to not only stabilize his condition, but also allow him to recover, albeit not even nearly as quickly as that person Proxer was looking for.

Anyway, being on tenterhooks, Proxer got off the bed, ignoring the sharp pains that were piercing into his skin. The pain around his abdomen was especially sharp. Even though he didn't see what exactly caused such pain now, and at the moment, he could more or less surmise what happened right before he completely blacked out, especially with the words that kept echoing in his mind even currently.

Unable to fully balance, he held or leaned against anything beside him as he slowly trudged towards the exit.

'... If he actually did that to incite my comrades... That's just too extreme no matter how anyone looks at it, or rather... the way he went through with it is just... messed up.'

"*Sigh*... What's even happening anymore... Some kind of Demon? Just descended from outer space, and Commander Maladin is in tatters. I just hope that the execution went smoothly..."

A voice close by caught Proxer's attention, and he immediately realized that it belonged to one of the soldiers in his unit. He took a peek through the gap of the door of the ward, and it appeared that 3 soldiers were standing guard outside while discussing with sullen looks.

"But is it really alright to execute him like that... I mean, he didn't even resist when we were seizing him... And we just interpreted him to be perilous when we don't even know if he actually did anything to Commander Maladin..."

"Hey yo, you serious? Didn't you see how he just kicked Commander Maladin when he was down?! Any guilt toward the execution has to be unwarranted I tell you..."

"EXECUTION?! OF WHO?! DON'T TELL ME IT'S JOGRIN... IS IT REALLY HIM?!" At the door that was slammed open was Proxer who abruptly interrupted the soldiers' grim conversation.

Disgruntled, Proxer demanded the soldiers to come clean. The soldiers shifted the gazes between each other. They were speechless as they were completely startled by the sudden screaming that came from Proxer who was usually level-headed and composed.

After having just regained consciousness, Proxer was struck by this striking news, but it looked like he would relentlessly try and stop that event were it true.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?! Who's being executed?! Where is it taking place?" Proxer who was frazzled was getting so frantic to the point where others may think he'd completely lost it. It was like he threw his professionalism as a commander out of the window. It wasn't exactly understandable why he genuinely cared so much for Jogrin, but the reason might reveal itself as time passed, who knows.

Anyway, seeing Proxer being like that was a first for them. Faced with such dilemma, the three soldiers were in a trance and at a loss for words. 'Do we tell him or not' was what they were thinking. Though unfathomable, they knew that Proxer sympathizes with Jogrin, that was why they were reluctant to speak the truth. Even so, seeing the debilitated commander standing with a crooked body while breathing heavily, they couldn't help but have guilt well up within them.

'His look right now, it's the same as back then...'

Thinking back, when they came back to their senses, a massive crater was presented right before them, and within the crater were two figures, the one at the back lying down and one at the front having his arms open and his body fatally wounded. Undoubtedly, though reason unbeknownst to them, that was a situation where the figure at the front was shielding the one at the back. Why didn't they notice that? The reason couldn't be more simple: fear and convenient interpretation. When faced with something novel, one would always be under the assumption that the never-before-seen object was a potential threat. Normally, this can be regarded as being vigilant, but in this case, as they had no memory of being the actual perpetrators of the destruction, finding the crater and injured Proxer would led them to believe an untrue "truth": Jogrin was guilty. Their belief became all the more entrenched after witnessing the kick from Jogrin, according to them. Ignoring Jogrin's condition and real intention would be more convenient for their interpretation. With that mindset, they would feel less guilty about eliminating this "object of fear", so they could rightfully execute Jogrin.

After looking at it more objectively, they started to truly question whether they were doing the right thing.

'Is history repeating itself? Just in a different manner?'

The three of them were staring blankly at Proxer who was pestering them for their replies.

Even though they started to feel a little guilty, their fear hasn't subsided at all, which made them all the reserved as to whether they should spill the beans flippantly... until Proxer abruptly lifted one of them up by the collar, albeit having his body taken over by somewhat intense pain, and yelled with erupting rage, "I SAID TELL ME!", which left them completely flabbergasted, one reason being seeing their commander losing it even more than they could ever imagine, the other being how much he cared about Jogrin, who was the instigator of the disastrous event that took place not long ago.

Proxer's eyes were filled not only with rage, but also with solemnity. Most wouldn't be able to decline his imploring, as it was coming right from his heart.

The three soldiers were left with no choice, as they could sense that he wouldn't back down until he attained what he demanded.

"B... back at B-027 military base... at where military criminals are decapitated..." the one being lifted up muttered timidly as he winced.

Upon hearing such statement, Proxer widened his eyes, then scowled and gritted his teeth. He dropped the soldier who could barely stand out of fear, held his fists, so tightly that his nails were cutting his skin on his palms and it started oozing out a little blood.

"You all have the audacity of making your own decisions without my permission..." with an aloof voice, Proxer griped before scampering on. Though he was still in pain, he couldn't care less about that.

"... But isn't he an unruly creature? Wasn't he going to take us all out?! He is why it all happened! COMMANDER!" The very same soldier stated his point of view, or rather, it was that of those who were present in that catastrophic scene.

'Commander Maladin, that guy isn't another Darotr... is he...?'

"I have no one else but myself to blame for that," Proxer halted his steps, made such claim, and continued striding steadfastly without turning his head. The soldiers wanted to pull Proxer back, but somehow, for some reason, their conscience is preventing them from doing so. All they could do, was stare at the back of their revered commander quietly.

'What's the right thing to do... Is that guy guilty, or not guilty? That kick... there's no way it wasn't done out of malice, right?'

...

As his steps were becoming more frequent, Proxer's pain diminished more and more, probably due to him ignoring all else and yearning to reach Jogrin, or rather, stop the execution at all costs. Upon scurrying through a holographic wall, Proxer entered an "emergency escape room" which was unique to this hospital as it was military-based. What made this room "emergency escape room" was the various portal devices inside. They were placed there to allow for prompt getaway in case of an attack. Of course there also were munitions for obvious reasons.

He frantically searched for a device with symbol "B-027" engraved onto it. He was acting like a maniac in pursuit of the only object in this universe that can stop him from going completely insane. He looked like a person who had been starving for months, desperately flipping over piles of trash in order to find even the smallest piece of anything that looked edible. It took him half a minute to find that certain device though, as the devices were placed in a quite disorderly manner, which might be good news, since that indicated that the security of the facility was well-maintained. However, that impression had been completely shattered, as it'd become a mess due to the actions of Proxer.

After having acquired the specific portal device, Proxer dashed to an open area within the room, and didn't hesitate to activate the device. Before stepping through the portal that just appeared from thin air, a voice cried out from his right.

"COMMANDER MALADIN! WHY WOULD YOU GO SUCH LENGTHS FOR A PER... AN ALIEN THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING OF?!"

It was coming from one of the three soldiers Proxer had left behind a moment ago. The soldier sounded dumbstruck, while wearing a forlorn expression.

To such query, Proxer turned to him, gave him a wry and gentle smile.

"I must mend this mistake myself. It was my bold assumption that he was an object of fear that things turned out like this... when in fact he isn't. I know what that face of his implied back when he walked out of that building hospitalizing him... I just know so well, that he was suffering, in pain. I'm not supposed to be duped by my emotions as a commander, I know that. Still, I'm going. Don't try to stop me."

His smile turned woeful as he spoke on, and the last few words came out a little intimidating. The soldiers spoke no further and looked down with sour faces. They figured out why he "know so well". It seemed Proxer's sentiment shut them up.

"He's not the same as Darotr. You can't act so rashly just because he reminds you of him!" The words hung behind their lips but couldn't get out.

Staunch as they were, they couldn't muster the courage to either stop Proxer, or to follow him through the portal and support his endeavor.

As if having read their minds, Proxer made a final remark.

"Don't trouble yourselves over my own sentiments. Let me deal with this alone... You must be exhausted after all that happened, I'll allow for your paid leave. Of course, the others will get it too."

In an attempt to lighten to mood, Proxer gave them some "good news". However, that was nothing of concern for the three of them. In spite of that, they went along with Proxer's ostensible act of toughness.

"That's what we've been wanting to hear." A happy statement without any signs glee.

"Hoh? Finally spilling your true thoughts huh, you slacking bunch." A joke without any emotions put into it.

Once again, Proxer turned away from the soldiers as he stepped toward the opened portal. What he was about to do would undoubtedly be regarded as reckless and risky. It could even take away the respect his comrades had for him, put him behind bars should he be accused of treason, and in worst case scenario, be executed along with Jogrin.

Even so, his determination was unwavered, as he believed that was what he must do.

"Then, see you."

And through the portal he went.

...

On the other side of the portal was a wide, prosaic corridor made of primarily titanium alloy. It was not only wide, but also long, so long that as if it extended endlessly, the dim, pale blue light tubes on the top corners of the corridor further emphasized how endless it seemed. The reason such lights were applied was to conserve energy, but on the other hand, one may wonder if whoever designed the tunnel was also a horror movie enthusiast. One more thing to take note of, was the cleanliness of the corridor, it was devoid of dust and unnecessary objects. It was either that many janitors were hired, or that the few janitors were exemplary.

The portal opened on a wall on a side of the tunnel. Due to the air pressure difference between areas of above ground and underground, much air rushed through the portal from the tunnel to the hospital room, which resisted Proxer's movements. Normally, this shouldn't be painstaking at all, but not for the somewhat debilitated Proxer whose wounds still hadn't healed. Still, with his teeth gritting, he managed to pass through once the air current slowed down. He took a short break by taking deep breaths, turned left, and teetered onward.

His body leaned against the wall while treading foward, which inadvertently reminded him of Jogrin's teetering back at that facility, and the slight moment when he witnessed and felt how "cold" Jogrin was when he regained consciousness in the midst of the "mind tampering".

For whatever reason, Proxer had intended to save Jogrin from his suffering. He was clueless as to why Jogrin was in agony, but he decided to have Jogrin reveal the answer himself. And no matter what the latter was going through, Proxer would console and soothe him.

Proxer walked on as he made such decision, or rather, confirmed what he would do, as he approached a double door about twice his height.

As he stared at the door sternly, "Request entry." He said so steadfastly.

"Identity: Commander Proxer Maladin. Access granted," an auto-generated voice replied, and the double door slid into the floor, and a new path appeared.

The new path wasn't all the different from the tunnel Proxer treaded through just now, except for the light getting brighter and brighter as he proceeded, as if the light was clandestinely guiding Proxer to his demise by making him follow it. The silence pervading the elongated tunnel started to ring, as if to warn Proxer of the imminent mayhem that was ahead. Though slightly intimidated, Proxer's footsteps didn't slow down, he had no time to falter. He had a priority in mind after all.

'No one can be 100% mentally prepared no matter what. But still... still, whatever comes next, my goal will not change.' Proxer kept such a notion in mind as he heard some yelling from afar.

He couldn't make sense of what the contents were, since it sounded like it came from a market with boisterous people. If only that were the case though, but that would be nothing but wishful thinking.... because the closer Proxer was to the source of the vociferous ruckus, the more it sounded like a group of maniacal men giving out battle cries.

"Something's awry." Noted Proxer as he picked up his pace.

He thought he was prepared for whatever was going to enter his sight, but...

...

"There's gotta be something we can do, right?"

"..."

"We lowly soldiers can't be of any help... but maybe, someone of a higher ranking can resolve this..."

"You mean..."

"Do you really think he will listen to us at all?"

"If it's for Commander Maladin, I'm certain..."

"Then it's decided."

"Yes, this is the only way we can do anything at all to help..."