Old friends

I woke past noon the following day as usual. Time flew by and it was night again. Geo and I sneaked out of the base, passing through the back gate.

I followed Geo, walking through thick bushes, different from the clear path that leads to the training hall. If it was a few days ago, I might not have been able to comfortably navigate my way through the dark path but the training I received from Cara has taught me to lighten my steps and make less to no sound while walking.

It was a full moon night so the moon helped illuminate everywhere making it easier for us to regulate our footsteps. After walking for about thirty minutes or so, Geo pointed at a cave a few meters away and said that we stop there.

The moon enabled me to see a little past the entrance of the cave but the farther I look, the darker it gets, so I stopped and asked Geo what the cave is.

"What is this place?"I asked.

"It's just a cave that I discovered by chance" he answered but I could tell there's more to it from the way he sounded.

"How did you know and what's inside,"I asked but as Geo was about to answer the person we came here to meet arrived. Dad showed up from the other side of where we came from. I wonder if there's a path that leads to Old Town from that cave. I will ask either Dad or Geo when it's time but now there's a pressing matter to settle.

"Mason!!"Dad exclaimed as he gave me a big hug.

"Dad" I said as he held me in his embrace. "I've missed you Dad". I wonder if I really missed them during this period, I wonder if I've thought so much about him but since I don't even know what it means to miss someone and it is normal for me to say it since Mom says it when Dad comes back home late from work, I decided to say it as well. I know I said the right thing because Dad pulled me tighter into his embrace and said 'I miss you too Mase' in whispers.

Dad asked how I was doing and a million other questions that you can guess and he inspected my body from left to right and top to bottom, he only stopped when Geo interrupted him.

"Henshaw, I can see you are doing great,"Geo said as he extended his hands to shake Dad.

There is no significant difference between Dad and Geo when you look at their body structures. My Dad's arm is just as big as Geos though he was not in the military nor have I ever seen him use the gym.

"I'm fine Geo,"Dad said as he shook Geo's hands.

Geo insisted that we make fire saying it will make us more relaxed, I asked if someone won't notice through the fire and he said no one can be out there so late in the night. We made the fire and sat around it.

"I never thought you would accept to be the transporter brother,"Geo asked.

"They have the people I care about the most in their hands, you have Mase right here and they keep threatening to capture my wife, so I need to accept to protect them. You know if it was before I had a family I would have fought my way out of there, it came to my mind but whenever I spoke with Jessy, she would beg me not to fight because of Mase" Dad answered.

I was bewildered by the fact that Geo addressed Dad as Henshaw and brother before but Dad now speaking with Geo as if he is speaking with an old acquaintance is more bewildering. I decided to let them continue and ask my question when the time is right but I Dad wouldn't allow me to wait.

"Mason, I can see you are amazed by the way Geo and I speak to each other. There are some things you don't know and I feel it's the right time for you to know" Dad said. He didn't wait for my reply and just continued.

"I met Geo when I was in high school. It was few years before our military school. I was a year above him but we trained together then. We met in military school again and we both continued our friendship. I went on to win the combats competition and Geo also won his during the tournament, he went on to become a soldier but I decided against it a year earlier for some reasons I've not told to anyone.

When I was in my last year of military school, the soldiers interact with me more than they do with other students. This is because I won the all-school combat competition in high school and I was the number one student as well. So I received preferential treatment from the soldiers.

Thanks to this privilege I was able to discover something that will make me decide against joining the military. I was with some soldiers one day, I had become a buddy to them so they spoke without restraint when I'm with them. They were speaking about how they had escorted a man to an event where humans are sold.

When I heard this, I asked them if the military is aware of it and they said it was the commander who had sent them to escort the man. I was bewildered as to why the military is involved in such an unlawful act."

"You know we all have values" Dad continued. "I knew how my parents had been made to work their asses off for some dude just to settle their debts, and how they had died doing so.

If I had become a soldier, perhaps I would be earning a lot of money and might have risen up the ranks very fast due to my skill but then I would have become part of a system that is involved in trading it's own citizens. I looked at these things and I decided not to join the military after military school. I don't do what I will regret in the end" Dad said as he looked at the moon that is not directly above our heads.

"You see the majority of the people thought I joined the courier services in the Defense unit immediately after military school while others believe I left Silverland immediately. The truth is I joined the courier service immediately and it was later on after your birth that I went abroad.

I cut every contact I have with the military school and that was how I didn't hear from Geo again. I didn't even know he was working for Davis when I was kidnapped. So Geo and I are long term friends Mase". Dad concluded and looked at Geo.

"I guess it won't be hard to get you to help us after all" Geo said and explained everything that is going on to him and how we need to him to help us to rescue Jane. Dad seems to hate the idea of auctioning humans as much as Geo did and it only took a few words for him to accept and it was now left for Geo to reveal his plan.