⁕ Whispers Within A Silent Nightmare

Hope had vanished. Those who believed in justice and virtue could do nothing but hide as a veil of darkness fell over the world. There is no room to resist but only corners to hide. There is no road for choice but only alleyways for escape. 

Oltevin arrived back at his hometown in Transnistria where he saw nothing but the flags of CR-455's Continued National Empire draped all over his beloved town. As he arrived home, he looked up to see a dirty, torn flag of the C.N.E. barely holding onto its pole, symptomatic of CR-455's leadership. Luckily for him, CR-455 was too weak of an emperor to enforce his will across his empire, thus granting that his nation was left in a limbo of administration devoid of calamity. 

As he drove through many impoverished towns, he held his breath in fear that his hometown was also stricken by poverty. However, as his vehicle arrived through the gate of his hometown, he was relieved to see that his previous efforts were not in vain as he sent most of his salary back home to help. 

"Home at last. Let's hope I won't need to leave anymore. "

Thought Oltevin as he ripped the Wagner symbol off his coat.

Before he could knock on the door, he was abruptly welcomed in by his family. There was cheer and hugs before Oltevin's old mother ran into the village to let the other know he was back. Soon, Oltevin was hailed as a hero inside the village while being surrounded by friends, relatives and old colleagues. 

[Katya] - "The hero is back! Come, children, come greet Uncle Oltevin! "

Said the woman as she urged her children to shake hands with Oltevin. 

[Romanovich] - "Thank God, Oltevin! My family was so worried about you! We owe you our lives for all the funds you have sent back to us! "

[Omanovsky] - "Comrade, I salute you! "

Said the old man as he saluted Oltevin. 

Though Oltevin was happy to see his home untouched by the horrors of war, he couldn't help but turn his head around and look at the horizon. At that moment, he could not describe it but he felt that his duty was incomplete. There was still a fight to finish out there... Or is there? Before Oltevin could think, he was led by the crowd to the town center where the families immediately fired up their stoves to prepare for a banquet in celebration of his return. 

At the same time, Senju returned to Japan which was under the New National Empire's rule under the council of loyalists. With a more robust economy and more regulated administration, the N.N.E. ruled its lands with an iron fist but often lacked the initiative to act upon any expansionist desires despite having a decently sized remnant of the ex-National Empire army. N.N.E. flags were flowing everywhere with pride but the militaristic setting did little to deter the common people from living their regular lives. 

[Soldier] - "I.D. please, sir! "

Said a soldier as he stopped Senju in his tracks. 

[Master Inumaki] - "Oy, Moshito-kun, let that man through. He is under my guarantee! "

The soldier looked as the old master rushed through the street with his cane. Before Inumaki could reach him, the soldier decided to step back and let Senju through without further question. 

[Master Inumaki] - "Senju-kun! You came back! "

[Senju] - "Yes, Inumaki-sensei. I had unfortunately nowhere left to go if you don't mind my intrusion. "

Said Senju in an ashamed tone.

[Master Inumaki] - "Nonesense! Come, let's go to my dojo. "

Later, as Inumaki served Senju some tea, Senju slowly removed his katana and deposited the weapon before him.

[Senju] - "Thank you for receiving me, sensei. "

[Inumaki] - "Haiya! Why are you speaking as if we are strangers? "

[Senju] - "Because I have failed. I was not strong enough to protect my friends and I was in a hospital bed while they gave their lives in their resistance against tyranny. "

[Inumaki] - "Oh? So what? "

Said Inumaki, unimpressed, as he drank some tea. 

[Senju] - "What do you mean, sensei? I have dishonoured myself! "

[Inumaki] - "If you were here to complain about your failure, then you wouldn't be here. Senju-kun, spare me the self-loathing part of your story and tell me, is failure more important to you or is it perseverance? "

Senju was speechless as his master saw right through his mind without him even showing his inner thoughts. 

[Senju] - "How... How do you know why I came to see you? "

[Inumaki] - "Haha... Because a broken man would become a prisoner of his inner darkness while a wounded man would seek the light of guidance. You came to me because you are not ready to give up. So, Senju-kun, how about you tell me your story over some tea and we'll figure something out for your predicament? "

With an understanding nod, Senju took off his helmet and exposed his scarred but decent face. His black long hair fell to his neck at the same time as he deposited his helmet beside his knees. It was the exact setting as the day he left the dojo but instead of a goodbye, he was there to become a student once again.

Across the ocean, in Texas, McCree worked hard to drive around in a harvest tractor around a massive field of wheat. After a whole day's work, McCree watched in disgust as Allied Labour agents evaluated the weight of wheat grain being poured into his truck. 

[agent] - "You've barely reached the quota for this season. However, remember there will be an increase of 500 metric tons next season for the total weight. "

[McCree] - "Ya bastard barely left us with anything to sell this darn season. We gotta make a livin' with our crops, damn it! "

Yelled McCree in frustration.

[agent] - "It's for the war effort, so every citizen must contribute. Your family own a farm, thus you must offer 95% of your crops to help. This is a none negotiable matter, so ya better back the fuck down, cowboy! "

Said the agent with a grim look in his eyes. 

[Popey] - "Woah, now, let's settle this peacefully, gentlemen. "

Said the old man as he pushed the two apart. 

The old man quickly signalled for his wife to come and take McCree away while he urged the agent away to talk. Meanwhile, Popey breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the gunman in the corner of his eye lower his rifle. 

[Popey] - "Look, partner, we ain't lookin' for trouble. Just take our crops and go. No fuss, no must. My son, he ain't a very patient person, so I beg yer pardon for the trouble. "

Said Popey as he gave a few gentle taps on the agent's shoulder. 

[agent] - "Yeah, just make sure he doesn't embarrass himself publically again in the future, old man. "

Said the agent with a smug look on his face. 

The agent swiftly climbed onto his truck before signalling for the rest of the convoy to depart through his radio. Soon, one after another, the trucks filled to the brim with wheat rolled off the Westwood farm. Later that night, the house remained dead quiet during dinner as McCree and his family ate soup. 

[Popey] - "Ya gotta be careful now. You are a damn fugitive. The last thing we need is drawing attention to our farm. "

[McCree] - "Have them bastards been treating y'all like this ever since Jagger took the throne? "

Yelled McCree with anger in his voice.

[Popey] - "Yeah but what can we do? If I didn't speak on your behalf today, that sharpshooter behind ya would've blown ya brains out. The gun is what makes the rules around these places. We might be the gun-free state but ain't no buster dumb enough to fire a shot when a thousand guns are pointed back at ya. "

[McCree] - "So what? We are just gonna be Jagger's bitches? "

[Popey] - "You can either be a living bitch or a dead bitch. This is our reality, son. "

Said Popey in a bitter tone.

[McCree] - "We need to organize some type of resistance against them. This can't go on like this yearly! "

Yelled McCree as he angrily dropped his spoon back into his bowl.

[Popey] - "If that's such a good idea, why did ya think no one did this before you came? Remember the Johnson brothers? They fucking armed themselves and shot at the agents coming to collect their harvest last season. Them boys barricaded their farmhouse and resisted for 5 hours before a goddamn F-52 Steelclaw dropped a 2000 pounds bomb on their position. "

Said Popey with a grim look on his face as he stood up.

[Popey] - "Now, McCree, you ain't got no child or wife, so I would appreciate it if you don't reduce the Westwood family tree into a pile of burnt shit on the ground with your stupidity. "

Said Popey in a menacing voice as he leaned toward McCree. 

[Margot] - "Enough! Let's eat and forget about this. "

Said Margot as she served McCree with another bowl of soup. 

As McCree sat silently while watching his reflection in the soup, he closed his eyes and decided to stir his spoon to distort his reflection. His failure to stop Kadyn from leaving haunted him as he feared that something bad might happen to her. 

"Please, just take care of yourself out there. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask for my help. "

Thought McCree as he looked through the window at the starry night sky. 

However, moving away from the countryside, the stars slowly disappeared from the sky due to the light pollution from the massive leon-lit cities. Not far from New York City, a second city glowed like a neon light in the night with a large wall surrounding its perimeters. Trump City was established in 2039, as a wave of nationalist sentiment resurged following the collapse of the United States in 2037 following a series of bad economic decisions and civil unrest. At first, the city was meant to be a beacon of hope in the darkest hours of the wounded nation but it soon devolved into a safe haven for crimes and criminals due to corruption and poor management.

On the surface, the city seemed like one of the best cities in the reformed USA but the truth was hidden behind a well-crafted facade. In Trump City, there was no law or police. Each sector is ruled by its own mob boss or crime family. Though the federal government tried on multiple occasions to act on the city, they were inept in shutting it down thanks to a combination of economic and logistic factors. Economically, because the city generates taxes and revenue equivalent to the combined effort of multiple states. Logistically, because the city was armed to the teeth with smuggled military-grade weapons and vehicles which made it an impenetrable bastion. 

In the cold underworld of Trump City, Kadyn moved amongst the crowd with a torn hood over her head. With Jagger looking for her, this place became the only place which could offer her a sanctuary. However, in the crowd of nameless people, Kadyn was but another stranger walking without a clear purpose or destination in mind. As Kadyn walked, she couldn't be bothered to look as heavily armed mercenaries pushed their way through the crowd in pursuit of their prey. 

Soon, the mercenaries rushed into an alley with their guns raised before they noticed a pair of glowing red eyes before them. As they unloaded their weapons, time came to a standstill as a wounded KD-series assassin leaped out before planting her blade into the chest of the leading man. As she violently splashed the men's guts and blood over her face, another figure appeared behind her. With discreet motion, the dark figure extended her wrist blade before approaching the KD-series assassin. 

Before the KD-series assassin could react, a series of slashes passed through her limbs as she was dismembered by her assailant. Then, with a gentle motion, the dark figure stabbed her blade into the KD-series assassin's vocal cord, silencing her screams. 

[KD-554] - "Shhhhh! Enough with the screams. You'll be in ecstasy once I take you back home, dear. "

As the other mercenaries and guards reached the area, their light illuminated the dark alleyway and revealed KD-554's face. With a face and hair very similar to Kadyn's, the woman licked the blood off her blade before retracting it back into her arm. 

[henchman] - "Ma'am, are you hurt? "

Paying no mind to the henchman, KD-554 bent down and examined her prey by checking her shoulder. 

[KD-554] - "Ah, KD-554. How disappointing, it's my exact cheap copy. "

[Astroboy] - "That is the last one. "

Said Astroboy as he stepped forward with a cold stare in his eyes.

As Astroboy stepped forward, the strong blue glow from his crystals illuminated the area and the cardinal cyberknight symbols on his armour. 

[KD-554] - "Indeed. Unfortunately, someone I used to know took down KD-556 and KD-552 a few months ago. Such a waste. "

[Astroboy] - "What should we do with her? "

[KD-554] - "Hmm... my eyes, they getting a bit painful. Extract her eyes and give them to me by midnight. As for the rest of her body, discard the organic matter and keep the cybernetic parts in storage for my future use. "

Said KD-554 without an ounce of empathy in her eyes.

While her men began to remove the assassin from the ground, KD-554 and Astroboy walked away. 

[KD-554] - "CR-455 must be desperate. His Empire is crumbling to the point where he needs to use the KD-series assassins to inflict mass casualties against the Allies. Now, he can't even extract his assassins back once their mission is done because logistics is no longer a reality he can maintain. "

[Astroboy] - "There is also the death of Marshal Athena at the hands of Jagger. She was the last semblance of military integrity left in his Empire. "

Said Astroboy without an ounce of emotion on his face.

The two arrived at a massive public balcony which overlooked the levels of the city below. With a look of pity and disgust, KD-554 looked at the crowd of people below her which to her, felt like watching the migration of an army of slugs. 

[KD-554] - "Ah, yes, it could only mean more corruption and more weapons for me to sell. These people crawling the filth of this city would pay me a premium just so they could more efficiently turn their fellow humans into the same filth they are swimming in. "

Said KD-554 with a psychotic smile on her face. 

Unlike Kadyn who sports a pair of beautiful green eyes, KD-554 kept her eyes on kill mode constantly, thus ensuring she had a pair of glowing red eyes. However, the purpose of her eyes wasn't for intimidation or caution but for the simple joy of seeing the ways she could be murdering every single person in her sight. Every single moment, like a pleasant hallucination for KD-554, she viewed the world alongside the simulated directives for its destruction. 

As one of KD-554's assistants came and whispered something in her ear, she began to grin excitedly. 

[KD-554] - "Astroboy, dear, would mind leaving me for a second? "

Without a word, Astroboy walked away before a delegation of henchmen and criminal leaders approached KD-554. 

[Bald Eagle] - "It's good to see you again, your excellence, Mayor KD-554. "

Said Bald Eagle as he knelt before KD-554. 

Without paying explicit attention to the delegation, KD-554 admired the horizon of her city as every structure was reflected inside her crimson eyes. 

To be continued...