Forgive and Forget: A Rule for the Dead

*Third Person POV*

Aspen leaned back, the soft glow of neon signs flickering through the windows, casting erratic shadows across the room. Outside, the towering skyscrapers of Kloln stretched endlessly into the night sky, their holographic advertisements flashing over the crowded streets below. The hum of distant engines and the occasional crackle of some gunshots echoed faintly from the bustling city.

"You know, Michael," Aspen began, swirling the whiskey in his glass, the faint scent of the liquor mixing with the faint electric hum of the apartment, "I've been meaning to say this for a while. You've helped me more than you realize."

Michael, who sat with his arms resting on the table, gave a dismissive wave. "You don't owe me anything, Aspen. I just did what I had to for any man would do when seeing someone in danger. You didn't make things hard for us. If anything, I should be thanking you for giving us this place."

Aspen shook his head, setting his glass down firmly. "No, it's more than that and you know it. Most people would've left me to die in that mech, yet you saved me while putting yourself in danger. Then you went out of your way to offer them a place to stay and lay low, a way to stay off the radar. That's not something I forget."

Ghost, leaning against the wall with his own drink in hand, stayed silent but nodded slightly in agreement, his eyes tracking the conversation.

Aspen leaned forward, his tone more serious now. "I don't want you and Charlie in danger, Michael. What we're doing—what Ghost and I are involved in—it's risky. And I can't drag you into it. But I also don't want to leave you with nothing, after all you've done."

Michael raised an eyebrow, already sensing where the conversation was heading. "You don't have to give me anything, Aspen. If anything you've already paid me back when you saved Charlie from… you know—"

"Listen," Aspen interrupted, his voice firm but kind. "What I'm offering isn't dangerous. In fact, it's the opposite. I want you to manage the properties I own. You've got experience running a hangar, and keeping things in order. It's a safe job. Nothing criminal or related to our line of work. Just straightforward management. You'll be paid 2,000 credits weekly—8,000 monthly. More than enough to keep you and Charlie comfortable."

Michael's eyes widened at the offer, the sum clearly catching him off guard. "That's… a lot. More than I expected," he said cautiously. "But I don't know, Aspen. Your world, this city—things can get messy fast. Even if it's just properties, who's to say I won't be targeted?"

Ghost spoke up now, his voice calm but carrying the weight of experience. "We're not linking you to any of our operations. The properties will be legitimate, clean, and well-managed. You'll have nothing to do with the side of things he and I handle. You'll just be running the show when it comes to tenants and maintenance."

Aspen nodded, locking eyes with Michael. "It's safe, I promise. And more than that, it's stable. No one's going to come after you because you're managing a building. I wouldn't offer this if I thought it would put you or Charlie in harm's way."

Michael sat in silence for a few moments, his gaze drifting to the flickering lights outside. The city was a jungle, unpredictable and dangerous, but Aspen's offer was more than just tempting—it was a lifeline. He had worked hard his entire life, but never for something this stable, this legitimate. And with Charlie depending on him, the chance to provide a safer, more consistent life was too good to ignore.

"Alright," Michael finally said, his voice steady. "I'll take it. I trust you, Aspen. And if this is going to give Charlie and me a better life than we currently have, then I'm in."

A relieved smile spread across Aspen's face as he raised his glass. "Here's to that, then. To new beginnings."

Ghost smirked, lifting his glass in response. "To new beginnings."

They clinked their glasses together, the sound soft but significant, drowned out by the distant buzz of the city that never slept. Tonight, at least for a moment, things felt like they were moving in the right direction.

After chugging his drink Aspen looked out the window, a slight frown appearing on his face that was not missed by Ghost who put his glass down.

"Well, why don't you head to your apartment, and have a calm night with Charlie for once? Aspen and I are going to go over our future plans and it wouldn't be good for you to hear them if we want to keep you unassociated with them."

Michael nodded at this as he stood up. "Mind if I take the rest?" he asked as he grabbed the bottle of scotch they had been drinking from.

Aspen smiled at him as he motioned him to leave, "Enjoy it for us, won't ya?"

With that, Michael smiled and walked out of their apartment and down the hallway to his new apartment.

*Third Person POV: Kai and Elara*

Kai and Elara had finally returned to Kloln after going on their scavenger hunt for information on these two new players. They had reported back to Ajax and Valina about their search for Aspen, a search that was growing colder by the day. They were ordered to get information and maybe even recruit the two men they believed to have been pilots due to their short track record. 

Returning to the city, they found out that a gang known as the Black Vultures had been raided and humiliated— rumor had it that it was done by two men who matched the descriptions of Reaper and Ghost. They took credits and properties from them, seizing control of two apartment buildings.

The pair had also heard whispers that the Tiger Claws, were now little more than scattered remnants. Unknown assailants had decimated them, leaving a power vacuum in the city's criminal underbelly. As the pieces came together, it was becoming clear to Kai and Elara that new players had entered Kloln and taken the underworld by the balls.

Sitting in their MRAP, parked discreetly across the street from one of the properties rumored to have been seized, they observed the 8-floor building that had been transformed into a sleek, luxurious apartment complex. In stark contrast, the larger 14-floor building across the street from it stood in disrepair, untouched by the renovations.

Kai sat in the driver's seat, eyes fixed on the renovated structure. "They've got money, that's for sure. How do you even turn a place like this into something livable so fast?" he muttered, his tone grim. "If this is their HQ, they aren't trying to lay low. Probably just 2 ballsy fuckers who are trying to make it. Guessing they probably got expelled from their previous military branch, if they truly are mech pilots."

Elara, sitting beside him, leaned forward, scanning the street. "They've made a lot of noise in a short amount of time. Robbing the Black Vultures, taking out the Tiger Claws... They're either gunrunners or they've got some serious backing. But it's reckless. Drawing a lot of attention to themselves without noticing."

Kai drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his gaze narrowing. "Well, Ajax wants them, so let's see how we can convince them."

Elara shook her head. "I think it's a bad decision, they're dangerous, they're loose cannons. I get a bad feeling about these two."

Their conversation was interrupted by a sharp, unexpected knock on the driver-side window. Instinctively, Kai's hand shot to his gun, which he pulled out as he rolled down the window and started to raise his pistol. But before he could react, a powerful hand shot through the lowered window, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him out of the vehicle with alarming ease.

"Shit!" Elara shouted, scrambling for her weapon as Kai was dragged out through the window by a man with an Oni mask covering his face, Ghost. He moved with terrifying speed and precision, his combat-honed reflexes overwhelming Kai in an instant. Before Kai could even raise his gun, it was knocked out of his hand and clattered to the ground. Ghost twisted his arm behind his back and forced him to his knees, the man utterly powerless in his grip.

Elara jumped out of the MRAP to help, her gun drawn, but before she could take aim, she felt a cold barrel press against her bare lower back. A raspy voice, low and unnerving, whispered close to her ear, "So you two are the rats that have been snooping around on us."

Aspen stood behind her, his voice altered and unnatural, concealing his true identity. The grip he had on her was unyielding, and the pistol digging into her spine left no doubt in her mind that one wrong move would be her last. She tried to fight back, but Aspen had her in a chokehold, his strength overpowering her enhanced pilot's physique.

Kai struggled against Ghost's hold, trying to break free, but the man had him completely overpowered. "Who the hell are you?" Kai spat, gritting his teeth, furious at how easily they had been taken down.

"Doesn't matter," Ghost said coldly, tightening his grip. "What matters is why you're here."

"Just let us go," Elara hissed, though her voice betrayed the tension in her body. "We're here for someone else."

Aspen let out a chuckle. "And yet, here you are, parked outside our building, scouting it, and acting like you don't know who you're dealing with."

Kai cursed under his breath, frustration mounting as he tried to break free from Ghost's grip. They had come here to scout, to get a sense of who these two were before approaching them and offering a job. But they had vastly underestimated their capabilities. The fact that they were able to subdue them so easily regardless of them being pilots proves that these two were more than just pilots. Not to mention, they couldn't spot anything that could explain how they were this strong.

"You've got it all wrong," Kai said through clenched teeth. "We're not part of any local gang. We're just—"

Aspen's grip on Elara tightened as he cut him off. "Doesn't matter what you are. You're a problem now."

Elara's heart raced, panic threatening to take hold. This was a first for her, being at the mercy of an unknown enemy. "Yes, you're right. We know who you are," she paused as she thought of what to say. "You two go by Ghost and Reaper, we just had orders to make contact with you, and offer you a job, Seeing how easily you're able to handle us, and the fact that we're both pilots, shows that you two are as well, and you're even more enhanced than us." 

Aspen softened his grip on her as he asked, "Offer us a job? The fact that you can tell we're pilots shows you're probably not bullshitting." He let go of Elara and took her pistol as he moved in front of her, his own pistol trained on her head. "Ghost, let him go."

"You sure about that, boss?" Ghost replied, intentionally including the boss to show them who was in charge of the whole thing and implying who was the stronger of the two.

Aspen nodded, "Yeah let them go. And you, tell your bosses we're not interested in whatever it is you want us for. Now get the fuck out of here while I still have half a mind to not put a bullet in both your skulls." Aspen lowered his pistol as he spoke. "I don't want to see your faces again, I just want to keep doing what I'm doing and living comfortably without fuckers like you snooping into my shit."

Kai slowly stood up from the ground and went to grab his pistol which was next to Ghost. "Uh-uh, you're leaving with your lives, that's more than enough from us, I'm keeping this."

Kai glared at Ghost before nodding and getting inside the MRAP. "Let's go, Elara." He called out from inside the MRAP. 

After Elara got into the MRAP as Kai requested, they looked at both Aspen and Ghost as they turned it on. But they just sat there, not driving off.

"You may go now," Aspen said as he motioned them to leave, his Oni mask hiding his smile but his eyes giving a hint of it. 

Kai heeded his words and started driving forward, making a turn in the direction of the entrance to the city. They had come here to find information, to track down leads on Aspen, but now they had to leave with their tails tucked between their legs.

Elara took out her Nexus as they exited the city and chose Ajax's contact.

After a few seconds, Ajax's voice came through the other end. "What have you got for us?"

"We got our asses kicked, well, Kai did," Elara spoke.

"Hmm, guessing they didn't take kindly to our offer?"

"They asked us to never bother them again, or it wouldn't end with us leaving. And judging by the way they manhandled us with ease, they could've killed us without us knowing. It wasn't a request, it was an order and a promise," Elara responded.

Ajax stayed silent for a few seconds. "Alright, did you find anything on Aspen?" he asked.

"Nada, even after we reported to you a few days ago. The man has either died on his way to a hospital or has gone underground with whatever help he could get." 

"Alright, get back to base," Ajax ordered as he ended the communications from his side.

"Roger that, asshole," Elara said as she put her Nexus away which caused Kai to chuckle.

They drove in silence for the next 5 hours with Kai often looking at the rearview mirror but spotting nothing out of the ordinary. When they were on a less traveled road their MRAP suddenly lost power and fully shut off.

"What the fuck? This fucking piece of shit, bastard Ajax probably cheaped out and gave us some salvaged title." Kai said, his frustration exploding as he slammed his hands on the steering wheel.

Both he and Elara got out of their MRAP and started looking under the hood at the engine. They noticed that it was perfectly fine, almost brand new with a shine of metal except for some of it that was slightly dirty. "Huh, it's not the engine. Elara, get Ajax on the line and let him know that we'll be a while."

Kai started to get under the MRAP as Elara took out her Nexus to call Ajax, but her Nexus was completely off. Elara couldn't help but get a bad premonition from this. "Hey, Kai, I thi-"

*Shew-tuck"

*Squelch*

*Tack*

Elara's words were cut off by the sound of a bullet piercing right through her chest and her lungs. She put her hands up to her chest and the sound of gurgling escaped her lips. She took a step forward and grabbed onto the MRAP, struggling to stay standing.

"ELARA! FUCK!" Kai shouted as he registered that they were under attack.

He got out from under the MRAP and reached for her only to miss her as she fell backwards away from the MRAP. As she was falling a second shot rang out and hit her in the throat, sealing her fate as the front half of her neck disappeared and blood started pouring out.

"ELAAAARRAAAAA! NOOOOOOO!" Kai screamed as he got back in front of the MRAP, struggling to stay behind cover. With no weapons on hand and the bigger guns in the back of the MRAP, Kai was effectively naked on the field.

Kai looked over at Elara who stared back at him as she fought to keep her eyes open, but they closed within seconds. Kai's eyes started to water as he just lost someone who was like a little sister to him. He pumped himself up to make it inside the MRAP and grab a weapon but another shot rang out and hit his knee as he made a move to get inside, causing his step to falter.

He pushed through the pain and pulled himself up using the door only to have his arm shot. Every single shot sounded closer than the previous. He used his other arm to try to pull himself into the MRAP only to be shot in the shoulder, this time the shot sounded like it was just a dozen meters away.

He gave up on trying to get into the MRAP and just leaned against it. He heard the soft hum of an engine, too quiet to identify what it was, followed by footsteps behind him but he ignored them. He knew he would die here, but there was nothing he could do about it. His knee was destroyed so he couldn't walk and both of his arms had been mangled by the shots, so he couldn't fight or resist.

"You know, you really shouldn't have gone snooping around on us," a voice called out from behind him. A voice he recognized. Kai slowly managed to turn around only to come face to face with Aspen whose face was being illuminated by the ambient light of the sunrise.

"You, Aspen?…. You've grown a beard… you also should've been dead…" Kai mustered out. He then looked at Ghost standing next to Aspen, no still wearing a mask, and recognized him. "If… if you're here, then that means that you are…"

Aspen nodded at Kai's unfinished sentence. 

"So you knew… from the beginning?" Kai asked to which Aspen just gave him a pitying look. "Yeah… you did… How?"

"You know that's something I won't explain," Aspen responded.

"Why? Why did you wait so long to kill us?" Kai asked.

"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." Aspen said his tone one that bore pity. 

"I won't talk no matter what you do to me," Kai said, his eyes defiant.

"Oh, I don't need you for information. 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," Aspen said, his tone shifting from pity to anger in an instant.

"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 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. 

He stopped as he looked at Elara's corpse. "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."

Aspen looked at Kai, his anger flaring as he raised his 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…" Aspen's hands shook as he kept his gun trained on Kai's forehead and appeared to look past him. He remained quiet for a second before saying, "But the Lord, my God has ordered me to forgive you, as much as it pains me."

Kai looked up with confusion at Aspen. "What?"

Aspen lowered his gun as he turned his back to Kai. "I, Aspen Del Santo, forgive you for your involv-"

"Burn in hell motherfucker."

*Bang*

"NO!" Aspen screamed as he yanked on Ghost's arm but there was nothing he could do as Kai's skull was destroyed by a point-blank shot from Ghost's sniper rifle. "Wha-what have you done?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

Ghost, with a tear rolling down his cheek, looked at Aspen's glossy 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 take Aspen's hand off his arm, but Aspen's grip was just too strong. Aspen then pulled Ghost into a hug as more tears started to run down Ghost's face. "Thank you, thank you for killing him and reminding me of one thing. Thank you."

The two men remained in an embrace as the golden sunrise started filling up the horizon.

2 men

2 dead bodies

Forgiveness and the refusal to forgive.

A goal and a responsibility.

Revenge and duty.

"I am the Reaper of God."

Word Count: 3565 Word 🙂