The Speech to Unite

"What the hell are we doing in here?! Nobody is explaining anything to me, but I can guarantee that this isn't the solution! Why are we against each other, when we all have one true enemy?!" I shouted out. I got a rise from the audience, screaming at me, claiming that I didn't understand what was happening.

I held in what I was feeling, knowing they would never understand...

No... they should understand, now, of all times.

"Look... I don't know what happened to Zealous, why we're all here... but I do know that Quake is involved," I said, looking around at everybody.

That name struck fear into their hearts, and there were crying children making the only noises left in the crowd.

"I was just in enemy territory, with my friends, over there... maybe this isn't my place to say this, but even in our worst times, when things were terrible when death was imminent, do you know what we weren't doing?! We weren't screaming at each other! Throwing punches, I mean, what are you people, are you still evolving from monkeys?! How can you be that stupid!" I shouted out.

My bias was leaking out...

"I am a member of Sky's Group... on the beach, when things got bad, when we turned on each other, Sky handled that problem real damn quick. He beat that person half to death because he interrupted our progression," I started, but was quickly interrupted.

"Why is this child yelling at us like he's free of guilt?! He doesn't even understand that we have nothing left! Our homes, our families, they're all gone! And this kid is telling us to not be sad because of that damned Asterio?!" A man yelled out from the crowd. That rose something deep from within.

"Where is he?" I mumbled into the microphone.

"Who? That Asterio? He's still fighting Quake," That same man said.

"And what are you doing? MY LEADER IS DYING FOR YOU PEOPLE, AND YOU STILL ONLY CALL HIM BY THAT GODDAMN LAST NAME?! HE'S NOT JUST AN ASTERIO, HE IS SKY ASTERIO!" I screamed out.

I blew out the speaker lining the back of the room and caused everybody to cover their ears. Even the children were upset with my volume.

"I don't see any of you out there fighting Quake! I don't see you out there, I don't see you out there... and I'm not even out there! I know, from my perspective, that I'm thankful for this life I've been given because of Sky Asterio! I was in a war just a month ago, lost people I grew up with in my short life, lost friends... but without Sky Asterio, I wouldn't have had any of that! No home, no family, nothing! I'm only here because he was brave enough, kind enough, and strong enough to preserve my life for me! I'll be damned if I let any of you old shitheads in this room talk anymore shit on his name!" I screamed out.

The crowd stood silent, looking at me.

I knew I had them captivated... I just needed to bring this home.

No sense of anxiety was in my body... I just felt the duty to bring them together.

"We can't be here... sitting and worrying about each other. We need to start preparing. When Sky beats Quake, and I know he will... we need to make sure everything is set up, okay, and ready for us to use. I'm not sure how this all works in here... but I heard that a bunker full of food was blown out of a mountain. We can start there... does anybody else volunteer to lead? After all, I'm just a kid, and I don't know what I'm doing. Why aren't you coming up here?" I pointed to the man who tried to cause more conflict.

"That's what I thought... can we reach out to neighboring places for food?" I asked the crowd, setting my hand on the radio I was given by Khalil. He said he didn't want any affairs in this country... but we could trade with him, couldn't we?

"Karia... we can go to Karia!" The girl on stage, standing next to her brother, finally spoke up.

That small voice started a bigger wave in the crowd of people willing to start proposing ideas.

That's all it took... somebody to unite them... somebody that could pull this crowd together, just like this.

"We should start moving right now! We can seek refuge!" More voices came up.

"Is it safe to go out? Let's not move right now... we'll stay here for the time being, and we'll wait for Sky to finish out there... what can we do in here, right now?" I asked around.

"Tons of people need help, they're bleeding, and need transfusions... but Doctor Hiyochi is barely even responsive, something's wrong with her..." The girl told me again.

"We'll help who we can in here, come on!" I shouted out.

I got off of the stage and started to walk in the opposite direction, walking past David and Aegis, and then over to Lily and Hiyochi.

"Hiyochi, hey, are you with us?" I grabbed onto her shoulder and started to lightly shake her after crouching down to her level.

"I can't save them..." Hiyochi trembled in her ruined lab coat while Lily held pressure onto somebody's chest.

"Charlie... this isn't the only one... they were hit with an attack, something that burned them... not even the medicine we have is working..." Lily muttered.

Shike moved to the front and placed his hands on the man's chest, pushing golden strands into his body.

Shike started to bleed out from his nose, coughing up blood, and even fell to his knees right beside the bed.

"I can't do much... but I'll go for as long as I can. I'm an Asterio, I have Golden Strands, and I'll be damned if I let anybody die just because it hurts," Shike told me.