Shackles of the Past

[lawna]

Roman saw the flaming arm come up, and had no defense as the eco came and lighted itself on his right shoulder, burning the sleeve of his shirt off. He screamed as his skin was boiling for a second time that day.

This was not the ideal space to be fighting with yellow eco. The room was a rough estimate of maybe 10 feet wide by 15 feet long, and eighty percent either brick or concrete. Besides the people in the room, the only flammable substances were the couch and desk, both on Roman's side of the room. That was pretty unlucky.

So, frontal assault was his best option, against a porcelain encrusted super solider. This was going to go well.

He thought all this in perhaps seconds, and was feeling ready for his next attack. The element of surprise gone, he decided to go with a fast and furious rebound. The left side of his body powered up, and he let out smaller, faster fireballs than before, praying that they reached their target.

[Darkjak87]

Zrion grimaced as he spotted the incoming spheres of Yellow Eco. That was a tactic that Zephan had told him about, but one that he'd never quite managed to grasp. Roman was trying to overwhelm his defenses through mass, rather than weight. Ceramic might have been extraordinarily heat resistant, but his armor was already on its last legs from the constant combat over the past day, and Roman had already inflicted some pretty serious damage to the chest plate.

Quickly, Zrion's yellow aura vanished, and was replaced by a red one. He crossed his arms in front of him and a thin, clumsy shield flickered into existence. As the orbs of Yellow Eco struck, the room heated up to a nearly unbearable level as Zrion was completely obstructed by the bursts of flame.

Everyone in the room seemed to freeze for a moment, trying to pierce the yellow veil to see if Zrion had survived. A moment later, and he charged through the dissipating flames, ugly red blisters covering his face and his armor cracked and ashen. With a loud roar, Zrion raised his right arm, flaring with Yellow Eco, and drew a vertical line in front of him, a wave of Yellow Eco blooming out in a mostly straight line and sent toward Roman.

[lawna]

If it wasn't anything Zrion did to him, Roman was going to die of heat exhaustion. Even with the door open, the room was like a malicious sauna.

His only real hope for the second was if his barrage had done any damage. Then, he'd have to figure out how to get out of the warehouse.

As the eco cleared, he swore as it seemed that Zrion had not been effected at all by Roman's attack that had consumed more energy than he was willing to admit. He swore again as Zrion was prepared with an immediate counterattack.

Roman never had a teacher to teach him the importance of developing all the aspects eco had to offer, as Monica had. In fact, Roman had probably made less than a dozen eco shields in his life, none of them even as strong as some of Monica's mediocre ones.

Perhaps his desperation was what caused the yellow screen to come up, and it held pretty well even after Zrion's tower of yellow eco hit it. However, it didn't stay that way, as his shield fell in on itself.

Roman screamed, the flame burning him from the base of his throat to practically his belly button, causing his shirt to fall away in burnt cinders.

He was scorched, and he screamed. There was only the smell of his own ruined flesh, and the pain that was causing his eyes to roll back into his head for a moment. There wasn't much he felt he could do. This fight was lost before it even began.

The whole time, Monica had been behind the emerald screen Zephan had put up, but she desperately wanted out of it.

The room was uncomfortably hot, and it reeked of burned flesh and whatever burnt smell Monica might have been imagining that the yellow eco had. Like taking a strong whiff of a lit gas stove top.

Roman was screaming, and even through the green filter the outside world had, Monica still gagged at the mess of flesh that was trying to cling to Roman's chest. He was burnt so bad that his chest reminded her of a melted candle.

He was about to die right in front of her eyes, and she was standing there, doing nothing. She had to try to do something for him.

"James," Monica started, sobs in her throat, begging with her whole being. "Please stop. Don't do this." She didn't even know if he heard her.

[Darkjak87]

Zrion wasn't paying her any attention. In fact, he didn't even notice that she spoke, all of his focus directed at the battered, burned man that lay before him. His fists were clenched tightly, still glowing ominously with Yellow Eco as Zrion slowly marched forward, purpose in every step. He was giving Roman a look of pure hatred, the memories of his taunts and what he had done to Monica racing through his thoughts. Zrion told himself that he was justified, that his anger was righteous, but some dark corner of his mind noted that much of Zrion's anger was at himself.

But Zrion didn't care about that. Killing Roman was easier than listening to him. He raised one of his fists, aiming it at Roman as he prepared an attack that would turn him into a pile of ashes.

Zephan, meanwhile, was looking back and forth between Monica and Zrion, an expression of near-desperation on his face. His fists were clenched, and the conflicting emotions he was experiencing were causing his shield to flicker. He had no more love for Roman than Zrion did, but Monica didn't deserve to see him burned alive by a person that she had, until now, trusted and respected implicitly.

"Damn it all," Zephan muttered. With a quick motion of his hand, his shield disappeared, then sprang back into existence a few feet in front of Zrion, cutting him off from the other three people in the room. Fueled by his desire to protect Monica, the shield was stronger than any he had ever made before, something that surprised even him.

It was just in time to intercept the powerful torrent of Yellow Eco that Zrion unleashed. Zephan grimaced from the strain of halting the attack, but he skillfully manipulated the barrier to spread the Eco along the surface, diluting its power allowing it to fade away.

Zrion spun to face Monica, a glare on his face. "Monica, drop the shield!" he snarled, only for his expression to turn to shock when he saw that Zephan was the one holding it.

"Zrion, think about what you are doing," Zephan said, a hard edge to his voice. "You were just about to burn a man alive in front of Monica because you were angry."

"You don't think he deserves it?" Zrion asked incredulously.

Zephan held Zrion's gaze for a few moments, before he slowly shook his head. "You're asking the wrong question. You should be asking yourself if Monica deserves it."

That gave Zrion pause, enough to return his focus to Monica. He took in her desperate expression, the fear in her eyes as tears streamed down her face, staring at him as if he were a monster, one of the Metal Heads from the very nightmare that had kept them both awake some nights. It was enough to make the Yellow Eco coursing through Zrion's body fade away, leaving behind nothing more than a broken man clad in scorched, ashen armor.

"Goddammit," Zrion whispered, pressing one of his hands to his forehead. It felt hot against his skin. "You're right," he said. Zrion shook his head, as if in disbelief. "Both of you."

Zephan's expression softened, but he didn't drop the shield. "He doesn't have to die," he said, almost gently. "You can just arrest him, right? Send him to jail for kidnapping, or being part of the Underground?"

Zrion snorted, but there was no humor in it. "It'd be pretty much the same thing as killing him," he said bitterly. "If they don't execute him outright, he'll end up wishing they had."

Marcus' words from earlier came back to haunt Zephan. Are you sure we're the good guys?

Zephan had just shrugged it off, but by then, he truly didn't know anymore.

[lawna]

As soon as Monica understood that Zephan had moved his shield to stop Zrion, she dove back over to Roman, trusting that Zephan wouldn't let the emerald dome break. 'What an odd thing, trusting Zephan, of all people, in a situation like this.'

Despite that, Monica went back to healing Roman, knowing he had to be in excruciating pain. She knew that even in an ideal world, the skin on his torso was probably totally ruined. It was just too damaged. However, she fully intended to take the pain he was in away.

Layer by layer of skin healed as Zephan and Zrion talked. Even Zephan was trying to talk Zrion down, and Monica was relieved to see that it seemed to be working. The soldier was more relaxed, and she desperately wanted to ask him what they should do, how they could make this better. That was how it had always been between them. She needed help, and he would help her. He was rarely, and in fact Monica couldn't think of a specific time when he been wrong. That was, until right now. This was all wrong.

There was an exhausted silence between them all, until a radio crackled. It made Monica jump, and then her stomach sank. She had almost forgotten that it wasn't just them, that there was a whole parade of things going on outside.

"Mendoza, clear," the little box proclaimed. Then followed the rest of Angel team, proclaiming that there were no more active assailants in the building.

"Zrion, wait," Monica rushed, still kneeling on the concrete. "Please don't let them take him. This isn't about him, not really. It's not really about any of us."

"Commander, what is your location?" Mendoza asked.

"Wait!" Monica exclaimed, standing up. "Don't tell them Zrion, please."

"Zrion, come in," the tinny voice demanded.

Marcus had been put in a fox hole and told to wait. He would have fought that decision until he had gotten his way, but the argument was abruptly ended when Zrion turned his back on Marcus while he was in mid-sentence, and walked away.

'Get a guy with some post-traumatic stress, and he thinks he owns the place,' Marcus thought as he listened with all his might to the radio that someone had thrust at him, probably around the hundredth time he had asked some poor Krimzon Guard what was happening.

Finally, Angel Team was sounding off, and he waited, waited to hear from Zrion that he had their girl. The whole roaster had checked in, but Zrion hadn't. Then Mendoza asked for Zrion specifically. No answer.

That was it, there was no more waiting. He stood up, and with his blue eco, he zoomed through the No Man's Land between the Krimzon Guard line and the safe house, and through the front door that had been blown off its hinges, much like Zrion's had. He darted from room to room, trying to ignore everything that wasn't Zrion of Monica.

Finally, he came to the back of the building, found the blown off door, and that's where he found Monica.

He actually looked over this room before officially entering it, and he was confused to see what he did. Zephan had a shield up, segregating Zrion from the rest of the room. There were two strangers on the floor, along with Roman, who Monica was standing over. Marcus was most concerned about whatever was happening with Zephan and Zrion, but he needed his daughter first.

"Monica," he said, quietly, as he slowly entered the room. "Monica, come on, let's get out of here."

"No" Monica said, not even seemingly happy to see her father. She was too single-minded at the moment. "I won't go until I know that Roman will be ok."

[Darkjak87]

Zrion sighed and went slack as he leaned back against the wall. The paper had been scorched by the heat of his brief battle, but his armor--what was left of it--protected him from the residual heat.

It took him a good few seconds to respond, but he slowly, mechanically raised his arm to his ear and pressed the earpiece deeper in. "Mendoza," he said, his voice oddly hollow and detached. "I've located Monica."

There was an audible inhale on the other end. "Is she alright?"

Zrion paused, again, another uncomfortably long one. "More or less," he said finally.

"And Roman?" Mendoza sounded impatient now, frustrated with Zrion's vague replies.

"Not here," Zrion said, staring in his direction with an uncertain look. "Must have rabbited earlier."

"Damn it. Alright, how you wanna play this?"

"Just hold position out front," Zrion said, sounding a little more confident now. "I'll be out in a bit."

"Roger that." There was something hesitant in his tone, but if he was concerned, he said nothing just yet.

Zrion sighed and looked over at Monica and Roman. Zephan seemed to realize that Zrion had no further intention to harm Roman, so he let the shield fade away and leaving the pair unprotected. Marcus wasted no time in closing in on Monica, trying to draw her into a hug.

"You," Zrion said to Roman. His voice still sounded... Off. Disconnected, uncertain. "Just... Just go. Get out. While you still can."

[lawna]

From where he held Monica, Marcus eyed Zrion, not understanding what he was doing. Letting Roman leave had not been part of any plan that had been considered. Roman not being able to be found, or even escaping the scene had been considered, but never letting him go. What had happened in here?

Marcus turned to Zephan for an answer, as it was obvious no one else in the room could provide one, but the ottsel just gave him a look. 'You'll hear about it later,' the look seemed to say.

Even after Zrion's demand, Roman was struggling to stand up on his own. It was like watching a wounded animal, a person didn't know whether to watch it fumble on, or just put it out of it's misery. Monica weakly tried to lurch out of Marcus' grasp, but even she seemed uncertain.

He finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Come on kid," he said, leaving his daughter and holding a hand out to her captor. He pulled the kid up, and got him steady on his feet.

He started to limp toward the door, and Marcus gave one less floundering look around the room. "This is what we're really doing?"

When there was no positive or negative response given, the only thing he could think to do was follow Roman. He didn't seem to realize it, because when Marcus said his name to get his attention, he jumped and swung around.

"Hey, take it easy," Marcus said. "You have somewhere to go? I don't know what he's doing, everyone is looking for you."

He shrugged. "Guess Charlie won't be needing his place anymore."

Figuring Charlie was newly deceased, Marcus gave his own shrug. "If you can even make it that far."

"You want me to have a plan? Up until a few minutes ago, my plan was not to die. That's still pretty high on my list to be honest."

"And it will be until they forget about you," Marcus returned. They had started walking again, Marcus following Roman. He thought that he should be more concerned for his safety, but he figured if the pistol on his hip or his eco couldn't help him, he was just screwed anyway.

He had an idea, but he didn't even know why he was thinking about offering it to this kid. He could have gotten his daughter killed today, but Marcus couldn't just leave it up to chance. Roman had been somebody's kid once too. "I could get you out of Haven."

That made Roman stop and turn around to look at Marcus again. "You're trying to make me Metalhead kibble now too?"

"It would take a couple of days," Marcus said, ignoring his rhetorical question. "But I've got some people in an established settlement in the Wastelands. Are you attached to anything here?"

'Your daughter,' Roman thought to say, but he decided against it. He didn't feel like pushing anything else today. "No, not anymore."

"Then take my offer. You'll have a chance for something normal."

Roman didn't say anything for a moment. "Let me think about it," he finally decided.

"Dad, wait!"

That made them both turn. Monica came jogging up to them. "Wait, where are you going?"

"He's going Monica," Marcus saying, intervening. "He's got to go."

She paused, but seemed accepting of the fact. "Alright, be careful," she said. "Will you stay with him Dad?"

"As far as I can," Marcus promised. "But you go back out front, and you stay with Zephan or a member of Angel Team, do you understand me?

"I hear you," Monica said.

She turned around, looking like she was going to make good on her father's demand, but instead, she watched as the men turned around the corner, heading to the back door.

Instead of making her way all the way to the front, she ducked into a room with a window. She had some trouble prying the preventative barriers out of the way, but the last sheet of plywood finally went. She peeked her head around, but everyone was in the front of the building now. She slid the window open, climbed out of it, and then started running.

A few minutes later, after watching Roman leave until he got too far away to see, Marcus headed back to the front of the building, where Zrion's unit was bunched up all together. He scanned the area for his daughter, but wasn't alarmed when he didn't see her. Zrion could have put her in a vehicle or something.

Approaching the man in question, he asked, "Where's Monica?"