From Soldier's Rifle, To Dragon's Wings: Revelations (Book 3)

Innocence

My mind shifted from anger, to fear, and then to hopelessness., mostly fear. Fear of death, fear of the truth that lay before me. That I was the last original remaining member of Talon, and my time was soon coming to an end. If not me, then Nina, Shadow, Cloud, or Hunter. Maybe all of us. My mind went wild, full of old memories that were reappearing. Tyson, Blitz, Aaron, Scott, Carson, Sam, Chad, my parents, and now Faline. A smile managed to appear on my face as I watched 4 children, all around 9 years old play with a soccer ball below us. From my current position, on the roof of the building, they couldn’t see me clearly. They were chanting and playing happily, unaware of those who have died for there freedom, unaware of those suffering.

The light patter of a dragon sneaking up the stairs to the roof caught my attention, I knew who it was and why he came. “How did she go?” Hunter asked from the doorway. I didn’t reply. My mind was reeling to fast to do so. Hunter took notice of where I was looking and sat down beside me. “Look at them.” I began, implying to the children. “They’re so innocent. None have any idea that the next step they take could be there last, none have any fear.” I whispered, the pictures of Faline and I together beginning to flood my thoughts.

Hunter stayed silent. I knew he wanted to say something, what exactly I was unsure of. “Why did they have to do it?” I asked Hunter. “Why did who have to do what?” Hunter replied. “Why did they take us and turn us into……… into monsters? Why did they have to take us away from our friends, family, our lives and throw us into death, depression……..war!” I silently shouted, making sure not to raise my voice to much and scare the kids. Hunter sighed before replying. “For the good of the people back home.” I began to laugh at this. “The people back home? If that’s so, then the people back home killed everyone I knew, everyone I loved and cared about! I……….I still don’t understand why we must protect those who are to scared to defend themselves.” I replied, my laughter ceasing.

“Look, look at the children.. Look at them play with each other. Taro, if it weren’t for the warriors like us, they wouldn’t be able to do that. They wouldn’t be able to go to school, to have friends………or maybe not even have there family. Like us, they would be ripped away from there normal lives by the Taliban, made to do there biddings, made to fight against there friends and family, made to fight against themselves.” Hunter said, pointing to them, then letting his hand fall to his side. There was a very long silence, none knowing what to say, none knowing what to do.

“You know what I did before I was recruited?” I asked. “I was a Military Brat, constantly getting thrown in jail for running away from home. After his missions, my father would come home and get completely shit faced. He would beat my mom afterwards, hearing her cries for pain, and begging him to stop broke me in half. Finally my father began to seek weaker figures to beat…..my brother and I. I can remember him bursting into our room, and beginning to beat me. My mom and brother screaming to stop, but it did nothing against him. My brother then grabbed a baseball bat and almost killed my father he beat him so badly. I………I can remember running for 5 days away from the cops, fighting just to stay alive every day. If we were gone longer, I cant remember. My memories were torn away from me when I became this monster. Oh how I long to have them back..” I said, my gaze dropping to the ground.

“I cant remember anything aside from waking up in A-51, but when the American government killed my friends, it tore me apart.” Hunter whispered. “There tags lay in the fire that began all of this.” a memory of us standing at the crashed V-22 that held the children began to play in my mind. All of us threw our tags into the fire, and Hunter held his for a moment before following, tossing his into the horrid flame as well. “An IED hit her vehicle, after that they were ambushed. They said no one survived.” I stated moving my gaze to the sun which had began to set below the horizon. I then removed her dog tags from my neck and laced them in my palm. Looking over them intensely.