The Omni-Duo

The Argo

March 18, 2000

Metal objects clack along a floor, echoing through a corridor. The sounds grew louder and louder with each passing second, drawing closer to something that could not be seen from behind a black screen. In the center of the screen, a door groaned as it swung open, letting in a bright light that pierced through the darkness, revealing the area that it had been concealing.

A young boy cowered in fear as the metal groaned, sinking into a fetal position. His black and green eyes quivered fearfully as they rolled up to meet the person standing in the doorway. A gray hospital gown covered his body, one that had a familiar coat of arms emblazoned on its chest. He backed up into his bed, unbothered by the cold metal of the frame. 

Two men, clad in chainmail stepped into the padded room, their chest plates possessing the same coat of arms as the one on the boy's gown. Said child shrieked as one of them grabbed him and started dragging him out of the room. The child gripped onto the bed frame for dear life, kicking and screaming as he resisted his captor. The bed slid across the floor, bouncing and shaking every time one of its supports dipped into the ravine between each pad.

Screams echoed through the room and diffracted out into the adjacent corridor.  At this point, the second guard, who had been leaning against the wall, stood up and walked over towards the child. He removed a stick from his hip and activated it, causing an orange ball of energy to extend from the tip. 

Tears streaked down the boy's face, pooling beneath him. He maintained his death grip on the bedframe while he pulled as hard as his little arms would let him. Screams continue to pour out of his mouth, rippling through the room, ripples which would become less and frequent before finally dying out. His head slammed into the pads of the floor, his grip on the bed loosening to the point where the men could remove him from the room. On their way out, the men closed the door, returning the room to darkness.   

Kaelin's eyes shot open as he sat up in his bed. The hybrid boy pinched his snout and felt the sweat that had accumulated on it. His eyes shot over to the clock at his side and saw that it read "4:00 AM". Groaning at the sight, he closed his eyes and laid back down in his bed, drifting back off to the land of dreams.

August 15, 2010

Kaelin spilled out of his room, a hand covering his face as he roamed through the halls of the Plumber Base. His groans echoed through the corridor until he finally found his way to the Command Center. A soft look of surprise formed on his face as he entered the room, one that faded as quickly as it had appeared. 

Hope lounged in one of the chairs, staring at a Mana projection that she had formed in her palms. She grasped the Talisman Tracker in her other hand as it loosely hung from her arm. Approaching her, Kaelin decided to follow her lead and sit down.  

Hope: How about you pick up that jaw before you catch flies? 

Kaelin stayed silent and stared down at the floor. 

Hope: What? 

Kaelin: Didn't think you'd be up this early. 

Hope: Couldn't sleep. 

Kaelin: Me neither.

Clenching her hand, Hope dispelled the projection that had been dancing along her palm. The sorceress looked up and turned over to Kaelin, giving him the decency of looking at him while she talked. 

Hope: So, what's on your mind? 

Another silence passed between them before Hope decided to continue the conversation for him.