–Moslih Eddin Saadi

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Elizabeth

     I woke up to a bright light, and strapped in a chair. Only one man sat in front of the light. Great, a classic interrogation. After a chillingly long moment of silence he spoke,

     "Do you know who I am Ms. Wayne?"

     "I," I blurted, "am not Ms. Wayne."

     "I," he said, annoyed at my stupid interruption, "am the Third Dragon."

     I grew cold, staring, I began to go pale, losing the ability to think clearly. The third highest criminal in the Dragoons. This guy has a body count about as long as my phone number. He spoke again before I could rally my thoughts.

     "It appears," he added with disdain and then continued, "'Ms. Wayne', that the Black Baron owed us a new amount of protection money."

     I could feel his smile, "YOU would have ruined any such negotiations. I can't argue that the contempt in his face was sincere and I noticed the grief in his eyes as he brought you to me like a sacrifice before angry gods."

      I looked left and right frantically trying to think.

      "Ms. Wayne?"

      He said softly and it brought my gaze back to his.

      "When you answer all of my questions, remember this: power is respect."

      I tried to think in this confusing chain of events but then I was electrocuted. The pain shot through my body like it was dipped into acid and pulled out with the speed of lightning.

     "What were you doing in the slum district of Austin last night!?"

     I recovered from the shocks and said,

     "Last night?! There's no way I could have been transported to Europe in one day!"

     I was shocked in the chair and I heard a voice whisper: "Teleportation." When the shocking ended I tried to think of what that voice was as the man continued,

     "We got our best shipper," he pronounced his name in such a way that I knew it was fake, "'Teleportadox' to bring you here. If I wanted him to kidnap the president all I have to do is speak. You forget that the world has evolved. Now answer my question!"

      I tried to think but the only thing that would come to my mind is the words: power is respect. Then it hit me and I laughed. I could tell that the man scowled,

     "Do you mock me?!"

     "Why do you honor me with your presence? I bet it's awfully odd for the Third Dragon to interrogate normal prisoners."

     Much of my hope vanished from me when his smile reflected back at me.

     "The Dragoons respect power," he stood up and got close behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders, hissing in my ears, "but I respect beauty."

     "I," through grit teeth, "respect reality."

     He hesitated a moment and that whisper returned with a hint of worry: "Clever."

     "I guarantee you that I am real, but I admire your cleverness of figuring out about this evolved world."

      I thought, "cleverness"?

      "Okay," I faked, "okay!"

      He gripped me by the hair and pulled my head back, "Tell me!"

      "I was there to join the Black Baron because the Dragoons killed my father!"

      "Tell me what you know about him!"

      "I-I don't know much! But I know about some of his friends!"

      "Well, spit it out!"

      "Alien! He's their weapon engineer, and likes to put his victims under hypnosis!" I steeled and said loudly, "Obviously it only works on idiots, now get me out of this FAKE illusion!"

      The man who was above me grit his teeth and as his grip faded away, so did his image. As my head lowered the light was transformed into orange and the darkness slowly disappeared. The sight was more overwhelming than the interrogation.

     I sat at a dinner table and a dozen or so eyes peered back at me. Ghost-like skull helmets sat next to them where dinner goblets would be, the design of each varying. They had all sat there as I twisted and shook in panic.

     They still boasted their armors, black shining orange in the lighting. Only a woman with bandages under her shirt and windbreaker jacket had a "normal" outfit on. I forgot Alien, but I hear he always wears suits. AoDD was still looking like a smoking hot Assassin's Creed hobo.

      "I hate your guts Alien," the blonde named MasterLock said, "but I love how you do that!"

      She spoke with unhidden pleasure in seeing me squirm but Alien replied with a desirous tint in his voice, 

     "If you like that, maybe you should spend a few hours under my spell?"

     Her now flattened gaze slowly drifted to his smug one,

     She said with sarcasm, "Do you love torture? The cutting out of the tongue is the best part..."

     The man named Él Doug hit his fist on the table,

     "I say kill her! This is probably a setup by the enemy!"

     Waya interjected, "We can't afford it. Even if she isn't a Dragoon, they'll pay her off later on."

      They continued at an argumentative pace one after another.

      Sarah spoke, even the cute little girl was in armor,

      "I think we can keep her, she saved Teddy!"

      "Thanks Sarah," AoDD said, "but what if she's not a Dragoon but an Angel?"

      (I guess Teddy is AoDD?)

      My heart skipped a beat and AoDD twisted his head to me and glared like he heard it. The Black Baron snapped his fingers and an ominous silence enveloped the room. He stood, placing his hands heavily on the table,

     "What will you have us call you, Ms.Wayne?"

     My heart thumped in my chest, but not from fear. This man was the most beautiful human being I have seen in my life. AoDD chuckled like he could sense me about to faint.

      The man arched his brow and I finally tried to speak, but I almost said my real name. It flew from my mouth,

     "My name will be AllFall."

     "Well met AllFall."- He gestured a hand to some guards- "Take her to my chamber and don't so much as touch her or insult her."

     "Yes sire-"

     He quickly corrected as they began taking me away,

     "'Sir', don't try to kiss my boots."

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The Black Baron

     Alien arched a brow and everyone's contempt wasn't well hidden. Sometimes I wonder just how dense they are. But I know that I have made many mistakes in the past as well.

     "Would you all chill out? Did you really expect to talk about this when she was sitting right there? Besides," I added in reason, "good guy bad guy tactic?"

     A lot, but not all the tension left their expressions.

     Alien shrugged and said,

     "I don't mind and the reasoning seems good to me," he arched a brow, he loves doing that, "but your chamber?"

     He turned to MasterLock to demonstrate what he was saying, with a desire mocking Romeo, "MasterLock! Come into my chamber!"

     She replied by picking up the steak knife and pointing it at him.

     Obsidian Owl said, "Don't mock the Godfather."

     He shifted his gaze to her; a viciously mischievous grin upon his face. Her fortitude for defending me faded and she shriveled up back into her chair. Obviously; he knows something about Obsidian that I do not.

     "Down to business," I said to cut off any more useless blabber, "live or die?"

     Waya said, "A show of hands?"

     Él Doug, Waya, and MasterLock were against. Thread Walker, Obsidian, and Sarah were for. Only I, AoDD, and Alien didn't vote.

     "Alien?"

     He said smugly, "I'm technically not a part of this group."

     I repeated with a tad more grit, "Alien?"

     "I'm not going to vote, and if I don't like it I'll simply leave."

     Waya crossed his arms and said, "You can't do that with the Dragoo-"

     He met his gaze smiling with evilness, "Try me!"

     From his actions and expressions everyone could tell that Alien had another motive, and that motive involved giving me a bad day.

     "Enough games," they silenced and after a assuring moment of attention, I sighed and rubbed my face, "well,-"

     AoDD interjected, "Death."

     Then Alien followed, obviously trying to make things hard for me, "Life."

     I dug my face into my hands. They traded wisecracks smugly:

     "Remind me to never save your hide Angel."

     "Shut up Alien, or I'll fold you up and put you in my pocket."

     "There's a reason for the brain being in the top of the body, and the arms below it."

     I spoke from within my hands, "Shut up, all of you."

     I rubbed my face vigorously and gave Alien a look. He smiled somehow bigger, what is he trying to get at? I met my eyes to everyone else and said,

     "I think she deserves a chance at life. It takes skill and talent to do what she did but it's more of my loyalty to AoDD that I think she should live.-"

     Before I could continue, AoDD said, "That's not the only reason Godfather."

     It was a hint that pretty much everyone got. He needs to work on the subtlety of his hints. He, being a beast (like literally), can sense the changes in people's hormones and can hear a heartbeat. This way he can be a lie detector and the go-to guy on who is crushing on you. Now though, everyone knows I thought that woman was the most beautiful thing on the planet.

      I shifted my gaze to him and wisecracked, 

"Remind me not to save your butt."

      Waya spoke before AoDD could wisecrack something, Waya said, "Is it really worth the risk Father?"

      Everyone thought in silence, all except Alien. He rested his chin in his hand, he smirked at me and said, "Nothing ventured; nothing gained, saith the ancients."

      MasterLock slapped her palm into her face and groaned, "You and all the stupid things you say."

      He countered with his jokes, "I apologize, for not apologizing, about being so intoxicating."

       The hand she slapped herself with returned to her face. Then I realized that she was also slamming a metal hand into her face. How does she do that?

       Listening to that I met everyone's eyes and said,

      "I guess we will have to find out."

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Part II - The War

"Let the world tremble as it senses all you are about to accomplish."

–Luís de Camões, The Lusíads, canto 1:15