The Crew (part2)

Everyone is looking through the portholes of the aircraft and sees the island. It's huge. They can't see all the edges of it. But what they can see clearly is the many planes, jets, jets and airplanes heading to land at a large airport. As well as Queen Drakena. Megas contacts the airport and ask to land but will have to wait his turn. There are many planes that want to land.

Hours later. Αt sunset the Queen Drakena finally landed at the southern airport of Airfire Island. And there were still a few planes wanting to land. Airfire is not a small fishing village like Falenos. It is a great crossroads of travellers from all over the skies.

At the southern airport of Airfire Island, the process Megas follows to welcome him and his companions to the island is the same as the one at Falenos. Only here, the airport officials were creeped out by the presence of Scarlet Airslayer. They had to contact the Federation to allow her free entry.

Then they had to walk a long way to reach the nearby town.

Except for Inl who flew before everyone else.

It was a very nice walk through the forest crossed by the big electrically lit dirt road. At dusk it caused a dark beauty in the forest. It was a quiet ride. Until they reached the bustling town.

[Welcome to Airvania]

That's what the sign at the entrance to the city says.

"Air. Vania. Strange name." Karcharion says.

"Indeed." Jotun says, "I wonder what it means."

"It's a compound of the word air and the name Vania." Megas says "Vania was the firstborn daughter of Benjamin. The first king of this country. Out of his joy at becoming a father as a gift to his daughter he renamed the four villages on the island Airfire. And to the new names he added his daughter's name. The village in the south he called Airvonia, from the strong winds of the area. The village to the north he called Northvonia, because it was in the north. The village to the east he called Goldvoniafrom for the beautiful golden sunrise. And the village to the west he called Redvonia from the magnificent red sunset. "

"What a nice story." Scarlet says "You've been a bookworm since you were little, but I didn't know you memorized reading so well. What you said is almost the same as what's in a book I read in the airplane library."

"Really? Ha. Good." Simple says this to Megas "I didn't know I had such a good memory. Thanks for the observation, Hawk."

After a short history of this country by the captain of Queen Drakenas the crew enters Airvania.

This town is beautiful. Its lights. Its great stone buildings. Its shops and its hawker shops. And its people. It's filled with all kinds of people from all over the world. From the cold north, the far east, the great south and the whole west. People from snowy lands, from the desert, from Atlantis, Flyers and Lycans.

It is very nice to see so many races coexisting in one city.

Inl jumps through the flood to his friends. He asks them to follow him. After a short wander through the city, Inle leads the group to an alley. In this alley is a barbecue shop.

"Seriously Inl?" he asks him with a frustrated look "We came here to find two people for our crew. Not to eat with... Wait is that a gyro?"

"Gyros?" Everyone else asks and they all have hungry looks on their faces.

"There's here some of the best food in the Desert country? / Atlantis specialties?" Scarlet and Karcharion say at the same time. "Huh? / What?"

"Oh no." The others say.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Scarlet, but the gyro was created by the Atlantean cooks to provide a quick and filling meal for the workers at the time they built the city of Atlantis in ancient times."

"Strange. I'm sure for the same reason they made him in the desert country, Sahara, before Atlantis."

"Please enough!" Megas asks them politely "There's no need to argue about where gyros came from. What matters now is who wants gyro?"

"Everyone." They all say at the same time.

And so they all ended up with a gyro in hand. Except for Jotun, who has three.

Megas while buying the gyros asked the cooks if they knew where the Mechaman Erik Metal lived. He was lucky because everyone in Airvania knew where he lived. He lived in a house at the top of a hill a hundred meters south of town. But they told him they hadn't seen him leave his house in two years. They've only seen his stepdaughter. It's unknown whether the Iron Beast, as they call him, is alive or not. Megas and his crew proceed to cross the city and head for his home, hopefully alive, a candidate for recruitment.

Crossing the city they saw many beauties they have not seen in their homeland. But they did not sit down to see them. They have an important meeting they want to have.

After a long walk and leaving the city they finally see the small hill. A two-storey house is up there. And the lights are on. Someone is living there for sure.

They go up the hill and find themselves in front of the door.

"And here we are." Scarlet says encouragingly "Are you ready to meet our sixth and seventh crew members? I hope there are seven of us. Captain. How did you know the Metal Pirate lived here?"

"A few months ago I received the information that Erik lives here. A few weeks after your surrender."

"The moment of truth, Captain." Inl says "Are we going to have Erik Metal on board or not?"

Megas swallows his saliva and knocks on the door.

No answer.

He knocks on the door again.

"Who?" A metallic voice is heard.

"Hello! You're Mr. Erik, right? My name is Megas 'Lycaon' and I'd like to talk to you."

"Go away!" You hear the metallic voice "I'm not. Interested."

"Please. Let me talk to you."

"Go. Away."

Megas asks his crew for advice. He is a very distant man The War Machine.

"Wait." It is heard through the house "You are. The new legend. They are talking about. In the papers?"

"Yes, that's me, sir."

"What do you want? From me?"

"I want to make you a proposition that may be of interest to you."

"Um... Go ahead. But only. You. Not your friends."

Megas looks over at his crew. They all look at him with a look that tells him good luck. He opens the door and walks into the house. He leans the door and sees the room he is in. It is the combination of living room and kitchen. Although it's hard to figure out with all the tools and machinery and gears. In the center of the table in front of him he sees the only lighting in the room. A torch. And on the other side of the table he sees a man sitting in a chair. Or rather a former man. It's definitely a Mechaman. Technical hands, an iron chest, an iron mask instead of a face, and gears showing in various places. It's definitely him. It's Erik Metal the first Mechaman. The first half man half machine. Voltronia's strongest soldier in World War II. The first pirate in Stormy Age. An old living legend.

"Well. What. You want. From me? Terror. Of dragons." Eric says to Mega.

Megas sits in a chair and is expensive opposite Erik.

"First of all. It' nice to meet you, Mr. Erik."

"Fuck, the nice to meet. And. I'm not. Erik. Whatever was left. From my old self. That's what's been destroyed. I am Metal only. Now. Tell me. What do you want?"

Megas thinks "So his guilt over the past still haunts him. And is he trying to renounce his humanity now? Let's not say something that will make him angry."

"Okay, Mr. Metal." Megas says to him "I don't know how to tell you this. So I'll just tell you that I want you to join my crew."

"Exfukingcuse me?"

"I fly to the skies to make my Dreams come true. No, for fame, glory, revenge and everything else one can think of. And my dreams are the common dreams of a little child. That makes me a real dreamer. Or a fool. But since I was a little boy I've seen the truth of this cruel world. So I want your help. And I think if you join my crew you'll help me a lot. And it will also help you."

"Tell me. My child. How will you help me? And in what? By entering. In your stupid crew. Of adventurers." Metal asks, his cold metallic voice becoming slightly more human.

"Atonement." Megas says simply.

"In what?" asks Metal.

"From your past!" Metal confidently replies to Metal and he mouths off in a sectarian way and in a way to

"Ha. Ha. Ha." wanting to laugh." Listen here. Little shit." He says angrily with a voice colder and more metallic than before. "You think. That you can offer me. Atonement? You're a fool. Like all the others. I fought for Votronia. And for a world with a better future. You and the world. You think us monsters. And. You can't understand. That we were pretending. Only. All of you. Do not become monsters. By the greed of your leaders. And the hatred. They have fostered. In all of you."

He stops talking and starts moving. He didn't get up from his chair to walk. He moved with his chair. Megas then realized that Mr. Metal had been sitting in a wheelchair all this time.

He came right in front of him. Megas could clearly see what Mechaman looked like. He was not as he had imagined him. A humanoid war machine. He was definitely taller than him. Metal must be six feet tall. And he's pretty thin. Same goes for his metal skin. His belly shows the gears that drive it and the electronic internal operating systems. It's somewhat weak and crudely reinforced. And rust. Lots of rust all over his body. His ruined big pilot coat and torn jeans just hide the rust a bit. And Metal's eyes are visible on Mega now. They are green and weakened. And as it is, his metal face is expressionless. It's an iron wall with eyes and a mouth.

"What Votronia did. It wasn't right at all. We made a war. To avoid a huge one. One that would have destroyed the world. Just like in the Dark Age. But what we did. In the war. What I did. It's unforgivable! I am. Unforgivable. There is no redemption for me. And. You think you can offer it to me? All you want. Is to use me. You fucking bastard. False dreamer. You want to give me hope. Just so I can be your little soldier. Yours. Your monster. I'm disappointing you. Over. Two. Years. I can't walk. With my two legs. I am unable to fight. The only one who knows how to fix me. Without killing me in the process. He's dead. That's why. Take your shit and go!" Metal's final words ring out in an eerie wild sound, sending shivers down Mega's spine. Megas wipes the sweat from his face and takes a deep breath.

"Mr. Eric Metal." He tells him firmly and with courage and confidence shining in his eyes "I know the history of our ancestors and what really happened in World War II. You were nobody's monster. You became the monster of your past. From guilt. You committed crimes but not acts worthy of the title of monster."

"AND YOU. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?" Metal angrily asks Mega.

"I KNOW BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE IN THE IMAGINARY TALES OF THE UNKNOWING COWARDS AND THE PROPANGAS OF THE TYRANTS." Megas says aloud to Metal to hear him "I read the history books not because they are great stories. But because they are the legacy of our ancestors. And it is the legacy that helps build the future. False legacy does not create a future. That's why I'm chasing knowledge. Knowledge that is true, not false. And with the one I've acquired, I know the truth about you very well. For the sins of Voltronia. You cannot be forgiven for what you did. But you can release from your guilt. And you did not create a legacy. I'm giving you the chance to create one. A legacy that will create a better era. "

Metal is impressed with Mega's speech. He's almost convinced him. Almost.

"I have to fucking admit it." Metal says with a quiet metallic tone "You have the rare ability. To inspire people. Indeed. If. You want to make. A better world, as you say. Then perhaps I can be forgiven. But." Metal says in a distant way. "Why should I trust you? What are you planning to do? How? Are you going to do it? The things you say? And me. How will I do it? I'm a wreck. I don't get fixed."

Megas smiles. He puts his right hand inside his coat and pulls out a book.

"Not only can I fix you, Mr. Metal, but I can upgrade you."

Metal is shocked. He looks at the book with excitement and horror.

"Does anyone. Know you have. This?" he asks anxiously.

"You're the third person to find out. Even my crew doesn't know. And the second who found out is now dead on the gallows. It's a big secret. And you know it all too well."

"Where? Did you find this? Or? Did you steal it?" He asks Mega with haste and anxiety. And Megas answers him.

"I inherited it."

Metal is left open-mouthed. He rushes to the door and open it to look outside. He sees Inl and Scarlet trying to eavesdrop on the conversation and at his appearance they are startled and hide behind Jotun and Karcharion.

"Were you two? Ιdiots have eavesdropping? Οn something?"

Metal asks him angrily and Inl replies.

"How can we hear with such a thick door? No matter how hard we tried we couldn't hear anything. Except when you shouted loudly."

Metal forcefully closes the door and locks it.

The four outside look at each other curiously.

"Mega you are alive?" Scarlet shouts.

"YES" comes from Mega inside.

"Shall we come in?" asks Inl "We're cold"

"NO" Metal yells.

"Rude." Scarlet reports "Is it a good idea to recruit him? I don't see us getting along very well."

In the house.

"The secret. With the other guy who knows. Is it safe?" Metal asks anxiously.

"Yes, it is. He's my second father." Megas says simply.

"Second? Oh my. Sorry for your loss."

"It was a long time ago I'm over it."

" So. I'm going to ask you. Οne last question. Your answer. It will make me decide. Whether or not to follow you." Metal says seriously.

"Feel free to ask." Megas says casually.

"I don't want to be. Again, the War Machine. For this. What's your dream? That you so badly. Want to fulfill. And you need. My. Help." He asks him with absolute seriousness.

And Megas replies with incredible flippancy "Oh that. I want to go to Everest. The infallible highest island. To invade the Closed Country, which is forbidden to enter and leave. Travel to Dragontia. The land of dragons. And find the Emerald City."

Metal blinks several times.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He asks.

"No, I'm dead serious." Megas replies.

"If you're kidding me. I'll kill you."

"I don't do you, Mr. Metal."

Metal blinks once more and looks at the ceiling and starts laughing. He can't stop laughing.

"Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..."

"Huh Mr. Metal?" Megas worried "Sir? Are you okay?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha..."

"Damn. He shorted out."

"I'm coming Dad!" A girlish voice could be heard from upstairs and footsteps could be heard.

Megas looks at the staircase and sees a light coming from it. He hides the book in his coat. This light is coming from the candles held by a young girl coming down the stairs. In her left hand she holds the candles and in her right hand she holds a screwdriver.

"What in heaven's name did you say to him that made him laugh so much that he short-circuited?" The girl asks Mega.

"I just..." Megas stopped his reply as soon as he got a clear view of the girl.

"Easy daddy." The girl says to Metal and puts her screwdriver into the gears on Metal's neck. "Just a moment." There's a knock from the gears "There!"

Metal stops laughing and abruptly comes to his senses,

"Damn it! I short-circuit a lot. Thanks, my girl."

"You're welcome, Dad."

"I didn't want. My daughter. To be part of the conversation. And she. Was upstairs. Let me introduce you to..."

Megas jumps out of his chair with a vengeance. He is standing up and his reaction surprises Metal and his daughter. He looks at the girl in surprise and awe.

"Eftihia?" Megas says with emotion.

"What?" The other two wonder.

"I apologize. You are looking like my sister. I almost thought you were her. Only your eyes are different."

"Excuse me?" The girl asks, "Sir, are you sure I look like your sister?"

"My parents adopted her when she was a baby and she lost her parents in a fire." Megas tells her "We are not related by blood. But we do have the bond of brother and sister. So, yeah you are!"

"Oh my. You're human and you have a Lycan for a sister?" Says the wolf girl "That's awesome! That means you're not like all the other people, right?"

"What? This peaceful place has people who discriminate against Lycans?"

"Not many." She says sadly, "But there are enough to make your life miserable."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What a shame that my kind are a bunch of stupid fools."

Lycena tries to hold on but bursts out laughing.

"You stypid fool. Ha! You insulted your own kind! Ha ha..."

Metal doesn't know how to react. Megas sees Lycan and sees his sister in her. The long white hair. The fluffy ears. The tiny claws. The fact that she is shorter than him. Her slender body. Her united white eyebrows. The white fur on her jaw except for her chin. The large white hairs all over her body except for the belly and the chest. The white fluffy wolf tail. Even the laughter is the same. And her eyes are almost the same as his sister's. The difference is that this wolf has blue eyes. His sister's right eye is blue and her left eye is yellow. And there is a difference in the clothes too. Eftihia always wore a skirt and clothes that a girl would wear. She wears the clothes of a male engineer. And there's oil on her clothes.

'I miss you so much Eftihia', Megas thinks.

"Tell me about it, visitor." Lycan speaks to him "Is your sister Eftihia here with you? I would love to meet her. We the White Lycans must get along well. We are few in number after all."

Megas is sad.

"Nine years ago pirates attacked my village. They killed our parents and kidnapped my sister. I've been looking for her for nine years and I still haven't found her. Just thinking about it, she is someone's slave. It gives me goose bumps."

Lycan puts her tail down sadly and has an expression of sadness and despair.

"I'm very sorry sir, I didn't mean to..."

"White!" Metal stops his daughter named White and says "This is the world. Dangerous. You must learn. To overcome hardship. Mr. Megas here has done it. Be ready. For when something happens to me."

"Fool. As if I'd let something happen to you... Wait! Are you Megan 'Lycaon'? The legendary adventurer who made dragons fear him?!"

"Oh no." Metal says in a whisper.

"Uh. Yeah."

" Oh my gods! You're here! In our house!"

The White turned out to be a fan of Mega. Erik put the others who are outside in his house so that they wouldn't freeze from the cold. While after White made hot tea, by request of Metal, for their guests, the rest of the conversation continued with White asking questions to the crew of the Queen Drakenas. About their adventures, about their skills, about their aircraft and a bunch of other things. It was a nice conversation. And that conversation made Metal like the crew. He'd love to travel with them, but he can't. He's got White to look after.

"Your life is so awesome!" Says White "I wish I was part of your crew."

"You can join the crew if you want." Megas says to White and she and Metal reply in kind.

"Wait. What?"

"I didn't come here just for you Mr. Metal. I came here for White as well. The Airfire's pilot race champion twice in a row. I need a second pilot on my aircraft you know."

White's excitement shone on her face.

" Oh my gods! I don't believe it. Are you asking us to join your crew? I'm in!"

"No!" It comes loudly from Metal.

"What? Why?" His daughter asks him in frustration.

"This is not Life. For. You. White."

"You're kidding me now!" His daughter angrily responds to him.

"Wait a minute Mr.Metal" Megas says to Metal "Can you tell me why you're refusing my offer?" And Metal responds.

"Because. Your proposition. It's crazy. I was going to say no. Even if I didn't. Know you wanted. To recruit White. The skies. It's a dangerous place. For children. Especially for them. Their caretakers. Are far away. And they can't. Protect them. I can't accept it. Your offer. Mr. Mega. Because I'm a parent. And I have a responsibility. To protect this Lycan. My. Child! "

White is upset about the whole parent and child thing. While Megas understands the situation. But he's not going to leave Airfire without those two.

"I understand your words Mr. Metal completely. And I respect your decision. But are you sure?"

"Why? Shouldn't I be?"

"You said to take care of your child, but your child is taking care of you. You haven't walked two years now. How are you going to protect her like that? If you don't understand it. You are dying right now. I don't know how much time left to you. But I'm sure at some point your little girl will have to face the Skies alone. Which is why you now have two options open to you. One is to stay in the wheelchair and slowly rust away and eventually die and leave White alone. Or. Come with me. Be upgraded. Become stronger than ever and have the ability to protect your daughter. And live a dangerous but awesome life with her. Big or small."

Everyone was impressed with Mega's speech. Metal thinks what to do because what Megas says is true. He can't protect his daughter anymore. He is weak and ruined. But...

"You are absolutely right. My friend." Says mechaman to Mega "But there is. And a third option." It gets everyone's attention with this quote from Metal. "Why. You're not fixing me. Simple. And Ι stay here. With White. And owe you a favor."

"Quite clever Mr. Metal" Megas answers Metal's question without a second thought "But unfortunate, even though I want to, I can't do it."

"Why not?" White asks with great curiosity.

"No one can go and put two of the most dangerous ex-criminals in the world on their crew just like that." Megas tells her, meaning his cousin and the mechaman "In order to get my cousin out of jail and make sure she didn't get the death penalty, I had to do a few jobs for the Federation. As for you, Mr. Metal, they only gave me permission to fix you if you were under my watch. That is, to join my crew. Otherwise we'll all end up in the crosshairs of their cannons together."

"Oh," White says simply.

"Now what are the answers Mr. Metal? Do you accept or not?" Megas asks him and waits for the answer.

Metal tilts his eyes and thinks. His answer to the question of the man before him will be his choice of fate. He has two paths; two destinies. To stay in Airvonia, to rust to death and leave his daughter unprotected and without knowing if her fate will be bright or dark. Or to travel with this adventurer to the heavens, to become strong enough again to protect his daughter from danger. But the journey they take will be so dangerous that their fate will be more uncertain than ever. Both are terrifying choices. He must choose which is the least worst. Death and an unknown fate for White or a completely unknown fate for both?

Then in his search for his answer his life flashed before his eyes. His childhood in Votronia, his school years, Votronia's advanced technology that was constantly evolving and impressing him, his parents supporting him in his choices, his joining the Votronia military, his patriotic spirit, the people he saved, the people he killed, the blood of innocents on his hands during the war, the explosion of a bomb that nearly killed him and his transformation into a Mechaman. He remembered the act he did and does not forgive himself. His pirate career. His imprisonment and the experiments the federal scientists did on him. His release from prison and his wanderings in the skies. The hatred shown to him by all the people. And the wreckage of the plane he found White in. He remembered all too well his struggle to find someone else to take care of her. And the violence of rejection from all of them. His decision to raise White and the grow up of her. And he remembered something else.

He opens his eyes and looks at White.

"I remembered. A question I asked you. When you were little. Tell me, daughter. What is your dream?"

"Really, Dad? In front of people?"

"Don't worry. And them. They're dreamers."

White tries to understand the reason for her father's question but can't.

"I want to go to Everest. The infallible highest island. To go to the Closed Country, which is forbidden to enter and leave. Travel to Dragontia. The land of dragons. And find the lengendary Emerald City. I know these are silly dreams of a small child, but please. Don't laugh." She says shyly.

Everyone is surprised. Jotun speaks first.

"You just found one more reason to join our crew."

"Huh?"

"Our captain has the same expensive dream." Inle continues and Karcharion takes his turn.

"Not just his. But also Scarlet's and his lost sister's. If that's the case, then we're on a ship of fools."

"What a coincidence." Megas says.

White is stunned. "Wait a minute." She says, "Dad. Is that what you were laughing about before? That Mr. Mega's dream was identical to mine?"

"Yes, daughter. And I'm surprised. Which is still your dream. Even though you've grown up." She looks Mega straight in the eye and says "Once. My father. Told me: 'When you grow up. One day. You'll leave this world behind. So live. A life. You'll remember.'"

"Another coincidence! My late father used to tell me the same exact thing." Megas says again, making Metal laugh.

"Mega 'Lycaon'!" Metal shouts loudly with his metallic voice leaving echo and scaring everyone "Right now! Swear to me. That. You will protect. My daughter. With your life. On our journey. And that you will make. Her dreams come true. Then. Me. And. Her. We'll join your crew."

Everyone is surprised. White is happy and excited about her father's decision. Megas is happy that he was able to get Metal to make this decision and is ready to make the oath but is stopped by Scarlet's question.

"Wait a minute. Did you just ask Mega to propose to your daughter?"

Inl falls to the ground from laughter.

Jotun and Karcharion can barely contain their laughter. It's obvious they want to laugh themselves to death.

Megas is quite serious and is angry at his cousin's question. (On the outside. On the inside he's laughing like crazy " Nice one, Hawk!")

White has blushed all over, her tail wagging shyly right to left and is processing the words of her father and the killer.

Metal because of his expressionless face can't make his feelings obvious. But it is certain what his feelings are. The ones any dad would have.

"Listen here. Total fucking sack. Of shit!" He says to her. "You and I. Are not going to get along. At all."

"That's no a way to talk to a girl!" Everybody in the room is telling him.

"I don't care. Mega! Take your oath!"

Megas smiles. He pulls out his sword.

"The blade of his sword is red. It can't. A dragon slaying sword?" White says with her mind as she notices the sword.

He bows before Metal, both hands gripping the hilt of his sword, the tip of the blade touching the ground.

"I, Megas 'Lycaon', captain of Queen Drakena, and as another dreamer of the skies. I swear that I will protect your dreamer daughter, White Metal, with my life and make our shared dreams come true!"

"Good." Says Metal cheerfully "Glad to hear that. Captain Mega."

Everyone is happy and excited is everyone in this house. For White, this is probably the best moment of her life so far.

"Well!" Says the dreamy captain as he stands up and sheathes his sword. "Now that I have the mighty crew I've been wanting, it's time to finally make my move on the world chessboard." He looks at Metal and says "But first we need to make you Mr. Metal. New member of Queen Drakenas."