The Swan's Song.

Chapter 13

I knew I'd get you all good with that Phantom POV at the end, lol. Just know that while the story is tagged with romance, it's gonna be quite a while before any sort of true romance begins.

Baby steps, guys. This story has to learn how to walk before it can begin to run!

XXX

"Ridiculous ass creatures." Thought Swan. Phantom, Chief, Rickshaw, and Benny had thoroughly annoyed him with the end of their little hang out, trying to apologize to him of all people.

Their supposed grievances, being that they felt somewhat responsible for the past twenty years, were asinine to Swan due to the fact that Swan was aware they specifically didn't commit any crimes.

If they had ever committed some sort of crime against the rules of war, Swan felt that he wouldn't be alive. They'd have simply just killed him with lack of remorse.

But their lame apology showed that there were hearts behind the minds of the people who wanted to help him. Guilt by association wasn't something Swan cared about, because that wouldn't be productive to his situation. He knew that, specifically, Benny, Phantom, and probably the others hadn't done anything egregious. Specifically them.

It was ironic, however, that he was the one who they felt should be apologized to. If they apologized for the past five years and for putting his friends in the dirt, that would be one thing.

But for the rest of humanity, Swan didn't care. He gave up on that when command wanted to nuke the front lines with complete disregard to the other humans in the strike zones.

For the totality of the situation regarding remorse, Swan had already made it abundantly clear to both himself and the others that he did not care in the least bit.

An apology didn't matter, and he really didn't want any.

"The only other person I cared for outside of my friends would be Keller. And he is resting in peace now." Thought Swan.

Sitting in his room, the man laid on his cot, his bare back touching the sheet which he had draped over the canvas mat which held him off the ground. His left arm rested by his side while his right arm was resting across his stomach.

The only sensation he had was the feeling that something was resting on his gut. There wasn't the feeling that his arm used to give him, same for his legs.

"Flip off the right corner." Thought Swan. His right arm extended and his hand folded up, save for his middle finger. It was a weird and absolutely mind-boggling thing for Swan to think about.

He could think and his arm would do what he told it, as well as him simply doing something subconsciously. When he was going about his day to day activities, he wouldn't think of every thing that his arm needed to do.

His right arm performed exactly like the left, except that there was no sensation. No muscle movement or tendons pulling. There was nothing.

He looked down and willed his right leg to bend up, pulling his knee towards his chest. Swan frowned much like he did all the time when he was reminded that he had been mulched by a rocket.

One that he was extremely certain that Ana had fired. Swan reminded himself of how such a thing had impacted his life. He had been wary of being in the church as he couldn't directly see any threats or possible attacks coming his way.

Not that being able to see a rocket screaming towards him would make a difference if it ever happened again, but it made him feel a bit safer.