Spirit Unbreakable

“Looks like we’re not too late,” Sira said as Shanahan maneuvered their car down to the ground. She was pointing at the ’Busa that signified Riumi was somewhere on the premises.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” Shanahan replied. His hands turned white from clutching the wheel as he tried to refrain from stepping out of the car and beating Yul to a pulp. The deviant Korean had managed to reroute their flight to land back in Britain and it had taken them a great deal of time to get to Clamecy; obviously enough time for Yul to enact his plan. The man was standing next to his own car looking smug.

Shanahan got out of the car, slammed the door, and walked over to where Yul stood.

“What the hell was that? Guess your criminal background makes you unable to play fair,” Shanahan shouted.

Yul just continued to grin smugly. “Hader didn’t say anything about being fair. He said by whatever means necessary. I suggest you take it up with him.”

Shanahan balled his hands into fists. He would have taken it up with Hader, had the man taken any of his calls. The UNG had given Shanahan a great deal of freedom in this position and Hader knew that he was superseding that authority. If Shanahan had had the time to go and see Hader when they had been in Britain he would have, but he figured they would just delay him longer there and he wouldn’t be able to help Riumi at all. It didn’t seem that his gamble had paid off anyway, as he was obviously too late.

“What did you do with the boy?” Shanahan asked.

“Inconvenienced him I’m sure, although really, I did nothing. I’ve been standing here waiting for you. It was the Guardians that so nicely offered to help that did all the work,” Yul replied.

Sira was out of the car now her steely expression boring into Yul. “That wasn’t exactly an answer Yul.”

Shanahan just shook his head and began to walk away. “You aren’t going to get anything out of him, Sira. Inconvenienced means he’s probably still up at the cavern. Come on.”

Sira turned to follow Shanahan, but the two of them were stopped by Yul. “I wouldn’t bother. He’s probably already on his way back here. I was wondering, seeing as you are trying so hard to get on friendly terms with him, if you would show him where the LD is. Maybe get him to sign the paperwork to make our custody of him legal,” Yul replied.

“Why would he sign over his life to the UNG?” Sira asked.

“In exchange for his little partner I presume. The Guardians I hired are on their way to the LD with her as we speak. I actually should be on my way. I’m not entirely sure I want to be here to encounter Riumi, he’s sure to be angry.” Yul got into his car and sped into the sky before Sira or Shanahan could reply.

“What was he talking about Shanahan?” Sira asked.

Shanahan went over to his car and grabbed the Flimsy on the back seat. He scanned through his mail and saw what he was looking for. He skimmed through the documents and looked back at Sira.

“It’s blackmail. I can’t believe that Hader would resort to something like this. And now, because of that bastard Yul, we’re right in the middle of it.”

Sira and Shanahan both froze as they heard the ringing of metal being unsheathed behind them. A cold voice echoed behind them, “Where is she?”

Shanahan turned slowly to face Riumi, trying to find the right words to calm him.

“Riumi, you have to realize that Sira and I had no part in this. We’re both being used by the LD,” Shanahan replied. He tried to make his voice even and unthreatening, but felt it would hardly be enough to placate Riumi.

“Where is she?” Riumi asked again, advancing. Sira made for her stun rod, but Shanahan stopped her. The look he gave her said, don’t provoke him.

“I can take you to her, Riumi, but there are conditions.”

“I don’t think you are in a position right now to be demanding anything from me,” Riumi replied. He reached around and pulled free his wakizashi.

“I understand that,” Shanahan replied, “but if you kill me and Sira it won’t change anything. The LD doesn’t care what happens to me or Sira. You will just make it harder to get Mikomi back.”

Riumi took a deep breath and sheathed his weapons. His anger was ebbing and reason was coming back to him. He felt no killing intent from Shanahan or his partner. He didn’t even feel any deceit, just frustration.

“What do they want me to do,” he finally asked.

“They want you to sign some documents that give them the legal right to hold and question you. With that, the Guardians will not be allowed to interfere. In exchange, they will release Mikomi into the custody of her family.”

Riumi’s face was a mask, but inside his was seething. What was he supposed to say to that? He had nothing to bargain with. The LD held all the pieces and they were going to get exactly what they wanted, him.

“How long will they have control over me?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.

“Indefinitely,” Shanahan whispered.

Riumi looked away from them. He would be a prisoner. A prisoner with an indefinite sentence, given willingly and legally. Not willingly. Coerced. Blackmailed. If I walk away from here I will have my freedom. I would never have to look back. There would be nothing they could do to me. I would be untouchable. He suddenly wished he still had Ichi no Tsubasa in his hands. The desire to cut something was overwhelming.

However, he had already made his decision the moment that he had been trapped on the other side of the solid field. He couldn’t abandon Mikomi. He couldn’t trade his freedom for hers. They had every right to do whatever they deemed necessary to her. There was no doubt in his mind they would hurt her.

“I have no choice,” Riumi replied and in that moment Shanahan saw the terrified little boy that he was. He saw the slight trembling in Riumi’s hands as he thought about signing away his freedom. It was almost a required trait in a Guardian; that need to be free. Some loved to be above the law, but to most it was the sense of guiding their own destiny or never being trapped that drew them to the idea of being a Guardian. It was no less true with Riumi and maybe even deeper seated in him than most.

“You don’t have to do this,” Sira suddenly said, “Shanahan and I – Well we could do something about getting Mikomi free.”

Riumi turned towards Sira warmed by her gesture. “I appreciate what you are trying to do, but as Shanahan said before, you really have no power. I couldn’t take the chance that those above you would hurt her.”

Sira lowered her eyes and looked away from Riumi. She knew he was right and it suddenly pained her to realize that she worked for such people.

“I guess we will deal with the formal blackmail on the way to the LD in Britain,” Shanahan sounded disgusted as he said it. He handed the Flimsy to Sira and gestured for her to sit in the back with Riumi. When they were all inside, Shanahan maneuvered above the tree line.

There was a pervading silence for the first part of the trip. Riumi sat staring out the window trying not to think about the mess he had made of his life, as well as Mikomi’s. He realized now that he should have been more cautious. He should have seen the loop holes that the UNG had made in the system. He should have known that he wasn’t invulnerable. I was arrogant. I flaunted it in their faces and because of that I got Mikomi involved. I’ll never forgive myself for that.

His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle hand on his arm. He turned and looked at Sira. She looked embarrassed to have disturbed him.

“I don’t want to have to do this, but I suppose we should get the paperwork out of the way,” her voice was soft as she spoke, as if Riumi frightened her.

He took the Flimsy from her and perused the documents. The wording was convoluted, as was the government’s policy, but Riumi understood enough.

By signing the document, he virtually signed away his life. The UNG would own him legally. They could do whatever they deemed necessary to him. His rights as a human being were forfeit. As if they already see me as the alien I am. He would disappear and there wasn’t a single thing that could be done about it, short of the Guardians starting a civil war against the UNG. They are as corrupt as always. History has shown that nothing changes. On the surface maybe, but deep underneath, the core is the same; fear, hatred, and power.

The only redeeming factor to the document was that in regards to Mikomi, the UNG couldn’t touch her. They would have to rely on the Guardian’s to police her activities for the duration of her life. She would be all right. They wouldn’t be able to use her in any way ever again. Until they do the same thing to her. By having him, he hoped they never would. It was the best he could do for her under the circumstances.

Riumi finished reading and nodded his consent. Sira leaned over and palmed the Flimsy, gesturing for Riumi to do the same. Afterward, she scanned his Guardian tattoo.

“We are going to need your release code to make it legal,” Sira said. Riumi nodded and keyed in his thirty two digit code. The screen signalled that verification had been confirmed and all of Riumi’s secrets were unlocked for the UNG to see. Sira took the Flimsy back from Riumi and hesitated.

“I suppose you will be getting to know me rather well very soon. Why not get started now,” Riumi said. Sira looked at him and shut off the Flimsy.

“I’d rather find out the old fashioned way. You know, when two people get together and talk, tell each other what they want them to know and keep whatever secrets they like. I don’t like what we are doing to you,” Sira replied.

“You could always quit. Find a different job. No one is forcing you to be here,” Riumi replied.

“If I quit I would have even less power than I do now. I would be in no position to know what was happening to you. You wouldn’t understand what it feels like to be powerless,” Sira said. Riumi looked at her and gestured at the Flimsy. Her face turned red, “Oh, right.” Embarrassed by her comment, the vehicle became silent once again.

Riumi closed his eyes in an attempt to push reality aside. It was not long before his weary body pulled him to sleep. It was a haunting, restless sleep, filled with long forgotten memories suddenly awakened to consciousness. He dreamed of a different sky, a different time, and a different world.

He was staring into a bright blue sky. It was an electric blue, ignited by the force field that shielded the city. A strong breeze was tousling his platinum hair. He turned his eyes from the unnaturally coloured sky and found himself staring at a girl a few years his junior, six years to his nine. She too was staring into the sky above. Her chocolate hair was being pulled wildly by the wind. She suddenly looked at him with frightened eyes.

“If you’re too scared we can go back,” he said to the girl. She looked from him to the cliff edge nine metres from where they stood. A bridge was in view thirty five metres to their left. They both could see the many humans and Levanith that defended it.

When the girl looked back at Riumi, she had fire in her eyes. “I’m not scared, Riumi. I’m just thinking that I don’t want to just stand here and watch. I want to help. This is our home too.” She absently nodded her head and took a deep breath. Riumi suddenly realized what she intended to do and ran to her, grabbing her arm to hold her back. His older age and physique made it almost effortless to hold her back. She looked at him irritated.

“Let go, Riumi!”

“Your mama and papa would murder me if I let anything happen to you, Laya. They told me to protect you. I promised I would protect you. Besides, you’re too little to do any good. You’ll just get in their way. You can’t even fly yet,” Riumi replied. He felt Shylaya slacken in his grasp.

“I wish that papa would teach me Rumeum’antra, like your papa teaches you,” she said and shook off Riumi’s grip, “Anyway, you can’t do much good either. You’re wings haven’t come free yet.” Riumi reflexively moved his hand to graze the skin on his back. He could feel the bumps under the surface of the skin where his wings were growing. He had started to feel the itch of their growth only weeks before.

He had been so excited. When his wings sprouted, he would have his coming of age ceremony and be able to start his formal training in Rumeum’antra. He could see that Shylaya was extremely jealous. The usual age for wings to bud was around twelve, three years older than Riumi’s current age and another six years for Shylaya.

“Maybe we should go back,” Riumi replied. He grabbed Shylaya’s hand and pulled her towards the looming forest where the skiff bike that he had borrowed for his and Shylaya’s trip was hidden.

A sudden shadow crossed the sun overhead and he looked up as he saw a form descend. His mother landed on the ground in front of the two of them followed closely by Shylaya’s, the Wayann Shyla.

“What are you doing out here Riumi Odasell? Are you trying to get yourself and Amwa Shylaya killed?” The Wayann grabbed Riumi’s arm gently and he clutched Shylaya’s hand.

“We wanted to see if we could help,” Shylaya spoke up, “I made Riumi take me. I couldn’t fly the skiff bike.”

Wayann Shyla looked at her daughter and gave her a smile that made her eyes fill with tears. Riumi looked at Shylaya with a puzzled expression, it hadn’t been her idea at all, although it hadn’t taken Riumi long to convince her to come along. He didn’t understand why she was saying that. He was grateful she did, however. He was sure that their mothers would be more lenient on Shylaya than they would have been on Riumi.

“I know you both want to help, so we have a very special job for you. One that only you two can do, remember? If you help us you can save our entire race,” Wayann Shyla replied. Riumi tightened his grip on Shylaya’s hand.

His mother had told him what that special job was. He knew all about the cryogenic chambers under Tordaskar and the mission that they had been tasked with. He knew that he was going to be abandoning Vespen, forced to sleep for as many as a thousand years on a planet he had never even seen, Earth. His father had told him all about that mission. It felt like running to Riumi. He also knew that they hadn’t told Shylaya everything. She only knew that she was going to go to sleep for a while and wake up when it was safe. She didn’t know that most likely everyone they loved would be gone forever. No one had specifically told Riumi not to tell Shylaya, but he didn’t want to break her heart like that. He was old enough to handle the truth, but Shylaya needed to be protected. Although, he wasn’t sure about that anymore, she seemed to be protecting him right now.

His mother looked at him, the same painful look on her face that Wayann Shyla had on her face.

“I just needed a reminder,” Riumi replied. I have to remember what I’m leaving behind, so that I will be ready when I return. His mother nodded.

“I was worried about your wings coming so early, Riumi, but they are only trying to catch up to you who is already far beyond his years,” his mother said.

“Everything is ready for you back at the castle. Are you ready?” Wayann Shyla asked.

Shylaya slipped her hand from Riumi’s grasp and fled to her mother’s arms. Riumi just nodded.

“I’ll take the skiff bike back,” Riumi replied.

“Then we’ll take Shylaya on ahead,” his mother replied.

Shylaya stiffened slightly and ran back to Riumi, grabbing him around his waist. Her tiny hands grasped around his frame. She looked up at him and smiled.

“You’ll be there when I wake up, Riumi?” she asked, pleading with her eyes.

Riumi nodded his head and grinned back, “I wouldn’t be much of a guardian if I wasn’t there. I’ll always be there for you Laya, I promise. I’ll protect you forever.”

Shylaya unclasped her arms and gave Riumi a shove. “I won’t always need you to protect me, Riumi. Someday, I’ll know Rumeum’antra better than you.”

Riumi smirked. “You’re going to be six years behind me Laya. You’ll have a lot of catching up to do.”

Shylaya ran back to her mom and Wayann Shyla grabbed her daughter, lifting Shylaya into her arms. Shylaya looked back at Riumi, “I think it will be okay if I can’t see mama and papa for a while, as long as you’re there, Riumi.”

Wayann Shyla took to the air. Riumi looked at his mother and was suddenly overwhelmed with what he had to do. He rushed into her arms, no longer able to act brave.

“I’m scared,” he whispered.

“I know you are, Riumi, but you have to be brave, for Shylaya,” she replied.

Riumi looked at her with dry eyes and nodded. He headed to the skiff bike and watched his mother fly off overhead.

Tordaskar was in chaos when he arrived. It all happened so quickly. The electric blue light that encompassed the sky suddenly blinked out of existence and fire rained down engulfing most of the city. A nearby explosion knocked Riumi from the skiff bike and he skidded down the lane on his back, stopping when he hit the remains of a nearby building. He wasn’t sure if he was knocked unconscious, but when he finally opened his eyes with a groan, his father stood over him.

“Riumi? What are you doing up here. You are supposed to be in the cryogenics lab. Is Shylaya with you?” His father lifted him to the feet, checking for any damage. Riumi could feel the stings of a few shallow cuts on his back and arms, but they were soon fading to pale scars from his nanomeds.

He shook his head and watched dust cascade to the ground. “Wayann Shyla and mama came and took her to the lab.”

His father nodded and he grabbed Riumi in his arms. “The way to the lab from the castle has been buried in rubble. We’ll have to take you back to the cliff entrance.” Riumi watched his father unfold his glossy grey wings. He always wondered whose wings his would most resemble, his father’s grey wings with the black spots or his mother’s haunting pure black wings. He guessed that he would have to wait until he awoke from his cryogenic sleep before he knew the answer. I wonder if mama and papa will be there to see. If the war continued to be this bad, he had a feeling he and Shylaya would be all alone.

He had never been in his father’s arms when he had flown before and the sensation was dazzling. He heard his father talking to people through his communicator. From what Riumi could hear, it sounded like the Levanith were being overrun. Riumi looked ahead and saw the edge of the cliff where he and Shylaya had been earlier that day. His father’s voice elevated and Riumi listened intently.

“Do you think that Orasell will be able to get the defence array up in time?” his father paused for a response.

“We can’t rely on that. Tell Severis that I think it’s time to blow the bridge. If Orasell gets the defence array up, then with the bridge gone, they will have no way to get to Tordaskar.” He paused once again and suddenly a bright flash lit up the entire expanse of sky before Riumi’s eyes. He closed his eyes to the brilliance and heard his dad give out a small cry. When he opened his eyes again and looked at his father, he realized that his communicator was gone and that he was smiling down at Riumi.

“Guess this is it, Riumi,” his father said soberly.

Riumi heard an explosion off to his left and watched the bridge below begin to collapse. It was then that he realized that all the machines on the ground were no longer moving.

“What was that flash of light?” Riumi suddenly asked.

“Remember when I told you that a friend of your mother’s, Orasell, was trying to build a defence array around the planet and that it would help us win the war?”

“Was that what happened? We won the war?” Riumi suddenly asked.

“No we didn’t win the war. Not yet, Riumi, that flash you saw was called a viral electromagnetic pulse. It destroyed all the technology on the surface of the planet.”

“All of it?” Riumi thought of Shylaya and suddenly squirmed in his father’s arms. They were near enough to the cliff entrance now that when Riumi slipped from his father’s arms he landed safely on the platform below.

“Riumi, what are you doing?”

Riumi looked up at his father who was still hovering overhead. “What about Shylaya. If that disabled the cryogenic chamber, she could be dying.”

“Don’t worry. Orasell made sure that certain facilities were shielded from the effects of the pulse before she set it off. Shylaya is safe.” Riumi relaxed. He noticed two people standing inside the entrance waiting for him. He recognized them as Loe and Emma Ravvon. Emma had her baby Eric cradled in a sling across her chest.

“Hello, Riumi, we’ve come to take you to the lab,” Loe said.

Riumi turned and looked back at his father, “This is the last time I’m going to see you, isn’t it?” He made his face hard. He wasn’t going to cry. He had to show his father that he could do this. He could face his destiny.

His father landed and took Riumi into his arms. “No one can know what the future holds, Riumi. I will fight for you. I will fight to see you again. I can only hope that we will. Do you believe that we will?”

Riumi looked up into his dad’s smiling face and grinned back, “When I get my wings you have to be there to teach me Rumeum’antra.”

“That’s my brave, boy. Goodbye, Riumi,” his father said.

He father took a step off the ledge and Riumi watched as he suddenly soared into the air overhead, back into the thick of the battle raging above. Riumi watched, dry eyed, and turned back to face Loe and Emma.

When they arrived at the cryogenics lab, Riumi saw Wayann Shyla and Shylaya’s grandmother, Shyss, hovering around one of the cryogenic chambers. He left Loe and Emma and wandered closer to where they stood. A chill went through him when he realized that there was a small figure suspended in the chamber. He saw the still form of Shylaya. She was encased in ice, but her gentle face could still be seen beneath, tranquil with sleep. Riumi stepped back startled by the many tubes and wires that were embedded into her soft flesh. Shyss turned and saw him.

“Riumi! We didn’t know if you would make it. With all communications cut from up above we didn’t know what had happened to you. We better get you ready.” Shyss wandered over to another of the chambers and started preparing it. Wayann Shyla looked at Riumi less clinically.

“Where is my mama?” Riumi asked, glancing around the large room.

Wayann Shyla turned her eyes away from Riumi momentarily and regained her composure. It was enough for Riumi to understand.

“She’s dead, isn’t she?” Riumi felt numb, as if he was already encased in ice. He would never see her again. His eyes were cold hard steel when he looked at Wayann Shyla.

“She wanted me to tell you that she loved you very much Riumi. She was so very proud of you,” Wayann Shyla replied hugging the small boy. Riumi’s frame remained rigid in her arms.It suddenly dawned on him that he and Shylaya were going to be completely alone. His people were not going to win this war. They would be all that was left. All the adults around him were preparing for their own deaths. We are their only hope.

“I’m ready,” was all Riumi said. I’m ready to carry your hope. I’m ready to face my destiny. I will not fight. I will do it, for Shylaya, for Wayann Shyla, and I’ll do if for my mama and papa. I’ll do this so that one day I can come back home and avenge them all.

Wayann Shyla stood up and let her hands rest on Riumi’s shoulders. “I couldn’t choose a better person for my Shylaya to be betrothed to.”

Riumi noticed Shyss was crouched next to him holding a syringe. “This might sting a little, Riumi,” she said and Riumi felt a slight pressure on his neck as she released the contents into his body.

“What was that?” he asked.

Shyss stood up and went back to the console in the middle of the room. “On Earth, the inhabitants don’t have wings. If you are to hide among them, you’ll have to look like them. That injection will make it so that your wings stay hidden within you.”

Shyla led Riumi to the chamber and began stripping off his clothes. He gestured for her to stop and took off the remaining clothes himself leaving him standing in his undergarments. He stepped into the chamber still thinking about Shyss’ last comment. As the wires and tubes embedding themselves into his skin, and sleep settled upon him, he whispered in Levanith, “Di’ soba lo i’ta shoma.” My wings will never grow. Only then did one tear slide down his face and froze.

Riumi opened his eyes and gasped. The memories were suddenly so fresh in his mind. How could he forget all of that? More importantly, what had made him suddenly remember?

“Are you okay?” Sira asked. She was reaching a hand towards Riumi and he shifted away from her touch. He began staring out the window of the air car. He could already see the buildings of London below. He didn’t reply. He saw the UNG headquarters looming closer. They encompassed a large area of land on the outskirts north of London. Riumi watched as Shanahan veered towards one of the smaller buildings on the complex and parked in front of it. Two figures stood in front of the building, a smug Korean man and an older Caucasian man wearing a UNG government uniform.

When the car halted, Sira stepped out and gestured for Riumi to follow. He stood face to face with the older man whose expression was stern and critical.

“Let me see Mikomi,” Riumi said. The older man nodded his head and the front doors of the building opened. Riumi breathed out a sigh of relief when two Guardians toted Mikomi towards him. She was screaming vile threats at the two of them, but went silent when she spotted Riumi.

“Can we have a minute alone before you lock me away forever?” Riumi asked.

“I can allow that,” the older man said and walked into the building with the Korean, Sira, and Shanahan. The two guardians stayed nearby watching as Mikomi ran into Riumi’s arms.

“I’m sorry Riumi,” Mikomi said. She was crying when she finally looked at Riumi. “This is all my fault.”

“Mikomi, I don’t have a lot of time to talk to you, so listen to me. I made a deal with the UNG that makes it so they can never touch you again for as long as you live. Find Damian and he’ll take you back to the Ravvon’s home.”

Mikomi looked at Riumi incredulously. “I can’t leave you here.”

“It was the only way, Mikomi. I couldn’t let them hurt you. Do you understand? I need you safe. As long as I know you are safe than I’ll be fine. Go and find Damian,” Riumi said forcefully.

“This is the last time I am going to see you, isn’t it?” Mikomi said. Her eyes were red from crying as she looked at Riumi. Her words echoed in his mind making him relieve his last moments with his father. Was this how he felt when he said goodbye to me?

He carried on the memory, finally understanding the words that his father had said to him. “No one can know what the future holds, Mikomi. I will fight for you. I will fight to see you again. I can only hope that we will. Do you believe that we will?” We all need hope. His words weren’t only to give me courage. They were to give him courage, so that he could fight on.

Mikomi stood up tall and nodded. “We will. I know it Riumi. You still have to teach me tessenjutsu after all,” she was beaming when she walked back towards the Guardians.

“Goodbye, Mikomi,” Riumi said. He turned away from Mikomi and walked towards the LD Division building.

“Not goodbye, Riumi, just ja ne.”

Riumi turned and gave Mikomi a crooked smile. “Ja ne, Mikomi.” See you!