Terminal

Chapter 18

I always wondered what death would be like.

I've been the cause of it for many people, seen people die before my eyes. And here I am, experiencing it myself. The main difference was that they had a quick death, mine would be slower. I sit back at my desk, silent. Out of all the things I knew about, poison wasn't my strong suit, but I figured that by the time I could muster out an antidote, I would be long gone. I try my best to finish writing the letter, changing back to my old, scraggly handwriting, as it was taking too long. I scratch out the incomplete sentence.

I am dying. I just ran a few tests, and it turns out I've been poisoned. What a sad way to die. I always wanted my death to be rather honorous, ya know dying in battle or something, looks like that's not going to happen. Kage, I really do hope you can make it back. Then again, I can't stop you from not doing it, but I know your heart belongs here.

I've missed you Kage. We all have.

I wipe some sweat off my forehead, and both of my hands this time go numb. I push on anyways, gripping the pen as tight as I could, and messily signed my name at the bottom, adding the coordinates of the base as well. I fold the paper, and stuck it inside my coat, falling back on the table a bit as I stood up. Heading towards the hangar, no one watched me as I quickly got in a plane, and left. I didn't need the automatic system to pilot the thing, but I directed the plane towards the general direction of the coordinates I memorized. After making sure it was aligned, I set it on autopilot, and leaned back, trying to control my shaking. There was a bit of a burning sensation in my mouth, but I ignored it.

Eventually, the plane reaches the location of the coordinates. I can see why Kage picked the spot: It was isolated, and it had a wonderful view of the sea. I set the plane down not too far away, and somehow miraculously was able to walk down to his cottage. I pull the letter out from my jacket, my old Power jacket, and slid the paper under the door. For a man that's been through a lot of shit, I didn't want him to watch me die. He doesn't deserve that. I start walking back up the hill, stumbling multiple times along the way as I made it back to the plane.

I make it back inside, and the hatch door closes. At the last minute, I see the door to the cottage open and a man walks out, staring at the ground as he picks up the letter. The plane's stealth initiates, and I'm left wondering if he saw the plane or not. I set course back to the base, but it didn't really matter. Setting the thrusters at half power, I lean back in the chair, weak and exhausted. I pull out the picture of me, Omono, and Orion out from my jacket, and glanced up. A beautiful sight was set before me: The sun setting on the sea, reflecting off the water. I smile a bit, remembering something that I had asked a long time ago.

I sat in the laboratory, developing a new rifle. No one else was with me at the time. I sigh, finishing a couple of details, and raised it up to my shoulder. The door opens behind me, and I don't bother turning around. I already knew who it was.

"That's looking nice," Omono said, setting down a cup of coffee on a desk.

"Mhm." I take aim at one of the targets, and fired. I wasn't ready for the recoil, and I stumble backwards a bit.

"Let me see that..." Omono takes the rifle out of my hands, holding it up to the light as he examined it. "I like the design. Now all you have to do is slap the Power symbol on it, make a couple adjustments of course, and it seems good to go."

"Yeah." I start fiddling with it. "What does it mean?"

"Hm?"

"The Power symbol. Gotta represent something. Unless it's really just a red square with eight lines under it." He laughs.

"Nah, it means something alright." He chuckles. "Orion told me a while ago." He draws the symbol on a whiteboard. "The lines are supposed to be our armies, lining up at the red square, the setting sun."

My breathing becomes irregular, and I close my eyes, refusing to open them again and ruin the last thing I would ever see. For some odd reason, I was at peace. There's no better way to put it. I didn't really believe in an afterlife, but I am a bit curious to see if it's true or not. It gets harder for me to breathe with each passing second, and I finally let out one last breath, the sun dipping below the horizon, as the last of Power fades into the past.