CHAPTER 22: Going for the Throat

The image of hands reaching into and below his jaw was Alex's first sight upon waking. A sudden fear grasped his being, making him retract instantly. He never wanted anything to so much as touch his neck again. He despised it. He was revolted by it. Pain was now his mortal enemy. He had seen an anguish beyond death, an agony beyond the despair of being forgotten by those he had once loved. He wondered if there was a greater torment in this world, and prayed that he would never experience such a dehumanizing pain ever again. The hands stood motionless before falling back beside its owner's arm. A stranger stood beside him, leaning over him. Some sort of medical professional, Alex assumed.

"Sorry, I had to do something with your throat. Throughout the time you were unconscious, your airways were tensing so much it was cutting off your breathing. Jeez, you guys, why did you do that to him? Poor kid could've gone insane!" The man said, looking at the two wide-eyed faces in the corner of the room. Holts walked up first.

"My apologies, Alex. When testing the simulator out before, Frilo hadn't yet programmed in my venom. He didn't tell me that when we went in with you..." Holts mumbled, embarrassed while showing the remnants of shock by his body movement.

"I didn't tell you because I was busy! I didn't expect you to eat the damn boy! I told you not to go all-out on him yet! Or is that skull of yours too damn thick to comprehend simple instructions!"

"Oh, you bet I know how to! I was a sniper in the Navy SEALS, for Christ's sake! Unlike your blind piano ass-"

"Shut up! I've made more money in a year than you ever could in a lifetime! How does it feel to be one-upped by a blind man! You've got pretty low standards, you poor-man's marine!"

"Well, you ain't blind no more! And it's no fair you have all that talent!"

"Ha! You ain't so talentless either! Put a hundred of 'em marines in a ring against you back in those days, and you would've come out with barely a scratch on you. Talent comes in many forms." They both gave a hearty laugh. Alex was confused. Weren't they supposed to be offending each other? Regardless, the conversation kept his mind off of things. He felt a little better now than the moments prior, the phantom pains subsiding as his body worked to help him. He couldn't believe it, but he felt himself picking up the urge to talk again.

"So, when is training going to resume-" Alex asked in a strained, hoarse voice. Upon speaking, his voice cracked and floundered. He said those words, but he didn't really mean them. He was much too scared to go through anything like that again.

"Don't push yourself, Alex. Though the poison was virtual, it was so mentally straining that it made your body react by tensing up abnormally. You've pulled a couple muscles, which should all heal up within the day. We were going to do more… but it's better for you physically and mentally to take the day off. Why don't I show you some cool things, in the meantime?" Frilo said.

Alex smiled earnestly and gave a thumbs up. Sounded much better to him than anything else he would have to do here. The two caught the contagious joy and brought to life their own smiles.

"Ok, rest up for a bit, we'll come get you when you're done." Frilo said as both the gentle giant and the business-man-turned-artist left into the hallway. Their conversation was not yet over, though.

"You never answered my question, though," Frilo said in a relaxed manner.

"Frilo, when he went up that building, I saw something in the way he faced me. His movements were unpolished, inefficient, and seemingly talentless, compared to the regular GMH progression that we normally see in the freshly converted of our ranks. However, I saw something very good…" Holts remarked.

"And what would that be?" Frilo followed up.

"A seed. And a spark of effort. Many people have the potential to do great things, but fall halfway when it comes to consistent, hardworking, and opportunity-crafting effort. I saw the seed of hope for this war come into my sight, and I did not want this effort to smolder out. After all, a spark of ingenuity and effort doesn't last when there is no equal and opposite challenge to face it? I will admit, I went too far, and I may have trampled on that seed instead, but his ember still glows, standing against all that has been thrown at it. The kid may be weak and green, but the fact he kept his sanity through those mind-devouring stings shows that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. He is more resilient than we could have hoped for. However, there is one issue we must fix. His effort is brash and foolish where it needs to be calm and decisive. Thankfully, it was a seed, and just that. Like any crop, it must be molded into its desired shape to yield the most beautiful fruit."

"I suppose..."

"I bet, by the end of this war, Alex will at least have made a name for himself. The Brotherhood has been dealt a decent hand, consisting of you, Vespa, Black Mamba, Moneyman, myself, as well as others residing elsewhere. The TA itself has a much more playable hand, harboring legends such as KingSlayer, StormRaiser, OMA, RedSnare, and, of course, Midnight with the possibility of Tyrant Phoenix himself."

"That being said, about the seed and all, I personally can't wait for my chance to go all out with Alex. It's hard to hold back, it really is. I want to see that 'seed'. It will be very exciting!" As Frilo said that, their phones vibrated, and Frilo checked the message first.

"Oh, more plans were leaked! Only Kingslayer and the plagues will be here attacking this base and the supplies running through it. We have fair enough chances, though the TA's side has slight favor."

"And that's only if the TA doesn't call in their foreign elites and technology on us."

"We still need to figure out a way to prevent that... but we'll leave that to the higher-ups!" Frilo yawned. "Enough of this, we should be slacking! The boss gave us some time off while Alex is recovering, so we shouldn't be exhausting ourselves before a big fight. They said they should be starting at the supply lines from the south in less than a week. They're also planning a split-bodied raid against remaining bases before meeting up somewhere and heading to where I can only assume is the capital itself. We have barricaded the government officials in various safe-houses with our fourth corps spread out defending it, all of them stuck in Addis Ababa. Take them anywhere else and the TA will either take the city hostage and kill as many citizens as they need to make us split our forces trying to help them, or just nuke any rural or suburban location that we attempt to move them through. The Brotherhood came in way too late to set this up correctly. They should've contacted us earlier than they did. The only thing running to our advantage ultimately is that we won't have to worry about WMD's from their side in any of the cities, as per Midnight's orders to prohibit them in densely-populated urban areas… what a nice guy." Frilo rolled his eyes before his stomach rumbled and a hunger pang took him by surprise. The two switched to a more normal topic and went down the base to eat while they had time on their hands. They ate and laughed, enjoying each other's company. Everything was mellow. Everything swept into a peaceful quietness that enveloped the atmosphere. It was a moment of grace that all would soon learn to savor.