Tour de Allegheny

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

“Do you need to ask that question commander?” Brandon’s grin slipped across his face again as he leaned back on the ground, looking up at Cassandra who was now standing. “So…does that mean I win? I technically took out your shot you know…” Brandon laughed, knowing that he just failed so badly that the Colonel would be telling stories about how terrible the Mahanionian ambassador’s aim is. He would become the joke at Alleghenian military gatherings and part of him looked forward to hearing about how they should avoid putting guns into his hand. Tucking his hands behind his head, he straddled the gun. “Hey, want to see my gun? I hear the ladies say it knocks them off their feet without proper handling. Want to give it a try?”

When Cassandra just shook her head, Brandon laughed and sat back up, reaching out and touching the gun a final time, his black gloved hands traveling along the smooth metal. “Good weapon if I may say so from a Mahanionian standpoint. Effective. Something we would endorse. I might not be the best, but I know a few men who would probably blow a load in their pants just to get an opportunity to pull the trigger of one of these babies. I am going to make some Mahanionians incredibly jealous Commander. You might want to watch, I think I just made myself the most eligible bachelor in Mahanoy now.”

Pushing himself up, he stood beside Cassandra and looked around him. He had grown fond of this place in their short time there. Tucking his hands behind his back, he straightened his back and stood like a true Mahanionian general, “Supreme Commander Phillips. Lead the way,” he spoke, mockingly depicting Novac as he stood there.

[Allegheny]

Cassandra and Brandon were transported back to the Airport after Cassandra tied up a few loose ends and gave Shepherd temporary command once again. The plane took off quickly due to it’s priority status and soon they were back to cruise altitude. The sun was setting and the sky looked as if it was on fire. She had taken the opportunity remove a few pieces of her uniform as she began to wind down for her time off. A wave of sleep came over her and eventually she nodded off into a light sleep. Fog obscured the ground and the gleaming western cities looked as if they floated on top of clouds. As they approached the small mid sized town of Elyse the large cities that had dotted the landscape gave way to settlement filled with stunted structures. Allegheny was a nation of two cultures, the west a idealized style took hold while the mid-east and eastern portions was a land of the worker. Gleaming cities would turn into small towns and off in the distance massive plumes of smoke and a glow of red could be seen farther east.

The City of Elyse, more a town than anything, was on the precipice of Allegheny’s own man made hell. It housed both worlds, it was far from the hedonists of the west and from the laborers of the east but close enough to harbor both. Far enough to be spared the harsh environments of the east, but close enough to give someone a taste of what would come should they travel further. The town itself was surrounded by a mix of fields, farms and forests, a small airport was the only place they could land. Cassandra woke as they came in for landing giving Brandon a warm smile as his face was the first thing her eyes opened to. She looked out the window and saw the familiar buildings and forests, she was glad to be home and glad to spend the time with someone she cared for.

Despite the bad moments in her life that happened her she always felt safe in this town, always felt like she could open up herself to someone here should they wish to know about here. As they traversed the town the different style of the town could be easily noticed from the sleek exteriors of the big cities and even though it was bordering bed time for most of the residents here, the few people who walked the streets gave off a different aura of simplicity. Cassandra’s house was at the edge of town, semi secluded from others just like her personality. The area around the house was dark, she had been away for sometime now, the house itself was old but it wasn’t decrepit and rotten. It exuded the feeling of a generational home, a home that was meant to be filled with a normal sized family not one person. The inside also showed that it was meant for a family, many pieces of older furniture filled the rooms of the house.

Cassandra turned on the lights and set down her small amount of baggage. “The living room is just around the corner, make yourself comfortable.” Cassandra disappeared and after a few minutes reappeared a few minutes later, she had changed out of her uniform into dark colored pants and into a warm sweater, she carried two wine glasses in her hands. “Thanks for coming.” She said as she sat down close to Brandon and handed him the glass. “I don’t think I could have spent any more time here alone, the quiet can get depressing sometimes, but it’s nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of military life and be a normal person for once. There aren’t any big life changing decisions that I have to make here.” She chuckled at her own statement, softly staring at Brandon as she sipped wine from her glass.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

As Cassandra changed out of her uniform, Brandon lingered into the living room, a languid sense of ease in his demeanor. He casually looked about the room, a few pictures deliberately placed and maintained in the room, reminders of Cassandra’s life.

He walked to the one, looking at a young version of Cassandra, her blonde hair pulled up into pigtails as she was locked in the embrace of another small girl, both with beaming smiles as they giggled with glee to whomever snapped the picture. Catching himself he tried to suppress the smile spreading across his face. She was just another child, beautiful, energetic, enjoying every moment life had to offer. Perusing the pictures, he noticed that every one depicted this image of a happy family, the two girls, a mother, a father, all smiling in the pictures. And it dawned on him slowly, there were no pictures of her beyond her youthful years. No pictures of a happy family as Cassandra aged. No father and mother with her in her prom dress. No wedding pictures. No pictures of her own happy family. Nothing but these broken remnants of her own childhood.

Sliding onto the couch, he found his mind wondering about the possibilities. But he decided that this was a question he would have to find out for himself, when Cassandra was ready to talk. He had no sooner come to the conclusion than Cassandra reappeared with wine at hand. He smiled, the soft colors of sweater setting the relaxed atmosphere of their evening.

Holding out the glass for a toast, he grinned back at Cassandra, “to the bloodlusting killer…way to kick my ass out there.”

[Allegheny]

Cassandra connected the glass with his, the glass rang and the sound slowly dissipated till it was quiet once again. “I know you could have done better.” She said, a sarcastic smirk on her face. “You were playing with me.” She was beginning to enjoy his little games, his sarcastic and playful demeanor was a sharp contrast to her own serious personality and she was growing more attached to him at every moment. For the time she had been with him she had shown a range of emotion that for many years before she had ignored, he had gotten more out of her then anyone else before it was an almost liberating feeling.

Cassandra turned her gaze away from Brandon for a moment and noticed that a few of her pictures had been moved from their original positions, she glanced back at Brandon, her smile gone now and then she stood up and repositioned them to were she had them before. Cassandra picked one up and looked at it for a half a minute or so, all of the pictures were reminders of what she had lost in her life. Her injured leg began to ache as old memories came back one by one, she returned to the sofa, set her glass on the table nearby and pressed herself closer to Brandon. She continued to stare at the picture her hands took on a noticeable slight shake. “This was… these… ummm, never mind.” She said, her voice low and quiet, she set the picture face down on the table wanting to forget. “Why was this happening to her?” She didn’t want to be seen like this by Brandon. “You know I think I will bring the bottle from the kitchen.” She said as she quickly got up and made her way towards the hallway, trying to hide her weakness.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

“You know,” Brandon began as leaned against the wall behind Cassandra who was standing before the bottle of wine trying to collect her emotions like the soldier she was trained to be, “it’s only me here…and it’s not like I am going to tell anyone if you have a soul for a moment.” He laughed softly, realizing the timing was inappropriate but unable to restrain himself.

“Brandon-” she began annoyed, her saddened voice vexed, as if she were trying to say ‘not now.’

“You are hurt,” he cut her off, trying to put together her thoughts, “I understand that part of you locked yourself away. There are certain ways we come to deal with problems. Too often we try to lock away our pain, forcing ourselves to move on and try to forget what happened. Other times we are too afraid of those feelings, too unsure of what might happen if we share that pain with another, so we lock it away in fear of being hurt more. Even though we try to forget, try to keep it away, it never leaves us.”

She looked towards him and he used this motion as a cue to move closer, placing his hand on hers and guiding her to pour more wine for them both, “Don’t lock me out because of fear. If you cannot talk about the pain because it hurts too much, I understand. But don’t keep me away from what happened because you are afraid.”

[Allegheny]

Cassandra embraced Brandon, she let him hold her for a few quiet moments before she stepped back from him. Her subconscious screamed at her to tell her story. She had spent a good amount of her life keeping it down to maintain her cold composure, but now with Brandon here everything that came back momentarily was two fold and she had no idea why. Cassandra took a large gulp of wine before sitting down out the kitchen table. “Will you hear me?” She asked. Brandon nodded in affirmation and sat down across from her. “If you know anything about this horrid country you will know that it’s has had a dark past, a past that only ended recently. This was my father’s home, my mother died early when I was young. It was common for that to happen in those years of suffering. I lived here with my Father and my sister, Autumn, despite the death of our mother we were happy here. Reconstruction had finally begun after all those years of ruin, for a war that many of us had never been alive for. My father fought in the civil war, but unlike many of the people who came back from it he was unscathed. He provided for us with all his power.” Cassandra shifted in her seat as if she was uncomfortable.

I remember those days quite vividly, our fates looked good when the Union was formed, but then the remnants from the war began to wage a terror campaign against the newly formed government. They wanted it to go back to the old ways, they actually wanted to go back to that horrible time for what reason I have no idea. I was sixteen at the time, my sister was fourteen. The day I was taken away, Autumn and I had been playing in the garden like we usually did, ignorant to the troubles that engulfed the nation. Our father came out into the garden yelling and screaming as two soldiers from the army followed him out. They told him that I was to be conscripted, he argued I was just a child and tried to fight them, he was just an old man who cared for his kids. They knocked him over and grabbed me told me I was going to live an honorable life fighting evil." Cassandra closed her eyes, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“Autumn grabbed my hand, we inseparable at the time, I was crying out for help and they pulled us apart and forced me to come with them. I didn’t see them for almost ten years after that. In that time the military turned me into a monster, there was nothing honorable about it. I served with many my own age who had also been forcibly taken away from their homes, many of them became my friends, many of them died. I left the special ops unit a trained assassin and was forced into the army with the grunts, they made me an officer real quick, at the time the insurgents were winning, picking off officers like flies. They promoted anyone who was crazy enough to take the job. I survived lost my leg below the knee in a surprise attack. When that happened they sent me to rehabilitation, they said I was too useful as a tactician to be discharged promoted me to Colonel and put me to work planning battles. We finally beat them, and I was allowed to come home. My father hid away my sister when they took me, he didn’t want her to suffer my fate, I was angry they let me be taken away, jealous of my sister who was allowed to live out her childhood. She was happy to see me but I only turned her away. A few months later she moved away to the north west with her boyfriend, I haven’t seen her since only a few letters here and there. I stayed here with my father who died later that year… I drove my sister away and my father died unhappy. I blamed myself, devoted my life to the very institution that destroyed it and they rewarded me with power. I literally was a cold soulless shell, until now.”

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

Like clockwork, the gears silently turned in Brandon’s mind while he wordlessly extended his black gloved hand across the table and took Cassandra’s hand in his own. Despite the simplicity of the gesture, it carried with a deeper understanding…a shared pain passing from one to the other. Where words failed, it was Brandon’s promise to be there for her.

When moments of silence became too long, Brandon smiled softy at her. “You know…it’s late. Perhaps we should get some rest. We had an eventful day. Want to be rested for tomorrow, don’t you think?”

Cassandra looked up, the clock depicted that it was only 2100, still early. She cautiously looked back to him seeing that he did indeed look tired, drained. Smiling back she nodded, assuming perhaps it was the time zone changes that were still holding their control over his circadian rhythm. “I have a spare bedroom. You are welcome to sleep there,” she offered.

Brandon shook his head, “I am fine with the couch for tonight. Goodnight soulless killer,” he winked as he stood up with a slight swagger. Kissing her on the cheek, she watched as he made his way back into the living room.

It seemed so sudden and for a moment, she stood there uncertain. Unsure of what to make of his sudden need for sleep whether it was tiredness, dismissal, or a need to remove himself from some own personal memory creeping to the surface, she peaked in to the living room only to find Brandon resting soundly on the couch, sprawled across it as if he had just collapsed with exhaustion.

Part of her smiled, he was helpless at times, much too similar to a trusting puppy. Quietly retreating to her own room, she found herself in bed alone, wanting his company but fearing it at that moment…not wanting anything to move too fast too suddenly. And as she prepared herself for bed and laid there sleepless thinking of her past, the pain of lost years tearing her to pieces, she found herself wondering what it was he dreamed of at night. What kept the Mahanionian awake at night?

And while she laid in bed, Brandon slipped from the sofa, retreating back to the kitchen his military trained mind analyzed earlier. It was where he would have expected it, the crumpled piece of paper tucked away…the reminder of what she could have but was too afraid of what she lost. Dialing the number, he spoke quietly, his words barely above a whisper.

“Yes ma’am…My name is Brandon, a Mahanionian. I am her friend. Please…my money may be useless here now, but trust me…this is on me. Yes…please…trust me. Tell them the Mahanionian ordered it. Yes, Shepherd. Just tell him Dinardeau, the kid, yes, the kid, gave his reassurances. I know…yes…trust me. Thank you ma’am. Tomorrow, bright and early. You enjoy you flight.”

And with that he hung up the phone, running his hand through his hair with that same nervous anticipation he showed during earlier moments. He paced the kitchen for a moment, drained the remainder of his glass of wine, and cleaned up before slipping himself back onto the couch. He laid there for a moment, closing his eyes and seeing before them her subtle curves and soft skin. The smell of her hair lingered in his mind. He felt he could just reach out and touch her but when he opened his eyes, the room was dark but for a faint light filtering in from somewhere undetermined. Wanting to go to her but refusing to answer the questions, he curled himself onto the couch, falling slowly to sleep thinking about the possibilities of tomorrow.

The hands of Brandon’s intricate clock ticked. It was 9 am and Brandon lay on the floor, his face pressed into the cool wooden floor. Still in the same uniform the Mahanionian looked more like an assassinated corpse lying sprawled on the floor, rather than the man who was still in a heavy wine induced slumber.

Cassandra chuckled to herself, already showered and dressed for the day. She was just about to awake him when an uncertain knock sounded on the door. She waited a moment, not expecting a visitor and part of her fearing that some national tragedy was calling her back to duty, a dressed official demanding her minivacation end early. Reluctant she answered the door, opening it to find Autumn standing there, almost shocked to see Cassandra…almost as if was anticipating someone else…someone she was not even sure she knew what to look for. But the shock played behind her eyes as if she did not quite understand what was happening.

[Allegheny]

Cassandra stood at the doorway shocked, stunned and breathless. Autumn stood on the porch the same look on her own face. It had taken a few moments for Cassandra to recognize her sister, she looked so different from what she remembered, her own darker blond hair much longer than Cassandra’s and her skin a lighter color from living in the mountains but her eyes were the same shade of green just like she remembered. They both stood there staring at each other speechless, Brandon stood behind them watching with a smile on his face, hoping he had done the right thing.

“Cassie, I thought this was some kind of joke.” Autumn said her voice shook as she spoke. “Your friend called me to come here and see you.” Cassandra looked back at Brandon the look of shock still on her face. “You are still living here in our parent’s home?” Cassandra only nodded, the words she was looking for had yet to come. “That day you came back, you were so angry at everything.”

Cassandra looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry I pushed you away. I was jealous of what you had.” Autumn entered the house and embraced her sister, a few sobs erupted from Cassandra as she returned the embrace. Autumn mouthed a thank you to Brandon as he stood there. “It’s OK Cassie, it’s alright.” The two siblings continued their embrace for a minute or so before letting go of each other. Autumn helped Cassandra walk into the living room and sat her down on the couch. Autumn walked back toward Brandon. “You must be Mr. Dinardeau, thank you so much for bringing her back to me, after I left home I thought I’d never see her again, I didn’t even know she stayed here! All I have heard about her came from the media.” Autumn took Brandon’s hand and shook it. “I’m Autumn Trent, I’m sure you already know.” Cassandra was instantly standing next to Autumn. “You married then!” Cassandra said surprised. Autumn shook her head. “Yea, to George.”

Cassandra hugged her sister again. “Oh jeez, I didn’t know you married that loser.” She said jokingly, they both laughed together. Cassandra turned her gaze to Brandon. “You’ve done so much for me, listened to my life and provided me with something I was robbed of. I don’t know what you saw in me, but I think I… I.” Cassandra stopped speaking and kissed Brandon trying to physically convey her feelings for him as best she could. She pulled away and whispered to him: “I love you.” Autumn laughed as she saw them together. “I guess you two are more than just friends, that would explain Cassie’s odd behavior.” A broad smile crept across Cassandra’s face as she let Brandon hold her, a feeling of great comfort and happiness filling her.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

Soft chirping nearby woke Brandon from his heavy sleep. Through his haze filled mind he could smell the fresh crisp air of the autumn afternoon. Cool brisk air blew across his exposed skin and he suddenly grew quite aware that he was undressed. He opened his eyes once again to find himself sprawled on a blanket beneath the yellow and red leaves of the maple tree. Looking up, he watched the sun break through the leaves. And while he was sitting there with his hands tucked behind his head watching the breeze send another leave dancing to earth, he began to accept the hope and possibility of this new life. It made the most sense, he felt the most comfortable, felt the most accomplished. He could be content laying here under this tree with Cassandra aside of him. Rolling onto his side despite the chill he felt from the cold air on his exposed skin, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Good afternoon soulless killer.”

He smiled as she began to stir awake. While they shared wine between them on this picnic, neither had gotten drunk. The consensual manner of their relationship brought with it a new wave of feelings. No longer did Brandon feel embarrassed and ashamed of his actions, but at peace with himself. And if it were not for the cold air, he would have laid there all afternoon with her. But alas, the cold chill made him steal the extra blanket off Cassandra, awaking her abruptly from the sleep.

“BRANDON!” she sharply bit at him as she tried to wretch it from him. Grinning, Brandon wrapped it around him tightly and held onto it.

“Keep it down. The kids might hear,” he spoke with laughter in his voice as he taunted her with the warmth of the blanket and reminding her that there were in a forest very much exposed at this moment.

[Allegheny]

Cassandra positioned herself closer, curling her body around his, the warmth of his skin comforting her. She rest her head upon his shoulder and stared up at the tree, the changing color of the leaves reminding her of the worlds simple beauty. “Fall is my favorite season, the cold air and the scent of the falling leaves is one of my favorite smells.” Cassandra didn’t want to leave, she wanted to spend the rest of eternity lying there with Brandon, feeling his skin touch hers and sharing the heat to keep each other warm, she didn’t want to leave his company. ‘Soulless Killer’ She smiled at the two words as they ran through her head. A joke to him, a reminder of a past life for her. She didn’t become angry though, she allowed him to continue. “One should never forget who they are, I tried and failed.” She said allowed. Brandon looked at her slightly confused. “Soulless killer.” She simply repeated smiling as her gaze locked with his, he looked for the pain associated with those memories in her eyes but they did not show. “There are parts of you that are still a mystery to me, I think I rather like it.” She spoke again turning to look back at the tree branches hanging above them.

Her eyelids began to grow heavy again as she lay there listening to his breathing synchronize with hers. All sounds were drowned out as she listened to the breathing, all pains lifted away for her, she felt like a new woman, undamaged and with a calm soul. They laid there that way for another few minutes before she snapped back into the world. Brandon helped her stand up from the ground and she began to dress into her clothes, she was aware he could see the damaged, scarred flesh upon her legs but she did not shy away from him as she dressed no longer embarrassed by the wounds she had earned in battle. She chuckled as she was reminded that he was still wearing his uniform. “We’ll need to get you something else to wear when you aren’t on business.” She said, playfully picking at his uniform.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

“All business…all the time. The Mahanionian way,” Brandon laughed as he picked up the basket and blankets, laughing that it was indeed time to replace the uniform.

Intertwined with one another, they walked back to the house, trekking over fallen trees and roots as a singular unit anticipating each other’s next move. Although they remained silent, the soft smiles on their faces said everything as they enjoyed the other’s company.

Autumn was there when they returned smiling at them with that secret play of knowing where they had come from and what they had just done. The playful encounters of new love were difficult not to enjoy as she watched this couple finally find in each other what they both had been missing their whole lives. Seeing Cassandra smile as Brandon held her warmed her own heart…for too long she had hoped that Cassandra would find this happiness in life, even if it did come from the most unexpected source.

Stopping on the porch, Cassandra smiled to Autumn, trying to pass off her lunch with Brandon as nothing but a casual occurrence, but the look in Brandon’s own eyes and the way he struggled to keep his hands off her only confirmed that their lunch was far from sharing just a meal. Silently she thanked him, certain that he was oblivious to just how grateful she was for bringing back her sister.

“You know Cassie,” Autumn began as she moved away from the spot she was standing, “dad waited every day for you right here. Right before dinner, every night, he stood here and waited as the sun set, hoping to catch a glimpse of you before it fell dark. He loved you Cassie…I just wanted you to know that.”

The emotions played themselves across her face, but she restrained them and looked to her sister. It was Brandon who squeezed her hand, hefted the basket up, and broke the need for her response. “Well, seeing as we still have a semicold bottle of wine here, I am going to refrigerate it and start dinner.” Leaning in, he stole a kiss from Cassandra and subtly picked a leaf out of her hair before heading inside to busy himself and allow these two a moment of catching up.

Slinging herself onto the swing, Cassandra waited for Autumn to join her before looking to her sister. “What do you think he would have said about Brandon?”

Autumn laughed, “dating a foreigner? Brandon might have lasted two seconds before dad scared him off with a loaded gun.”

Cassandra sighed and half laughed, “I would have never heard the end of it. He is probably rolling in his grave right now.”

“Cassie…” Autumn pulled her sister into a hug, “dad would have loved him. Brandon…he might not be an Alleghenian, but he brought you home. If I know anything, dad would have accepted the man who could make you smile like that girl we remember before she was whisked out of our lives. If there is some place we go when we die, if there is some other life outside of this one, I know dad is there taking his hat off to Brandon. He would have dad’s blessing, I know that. And if it means anything Cassie…he has mine. He’s a good man for you. If you could see what I see in you when you are around him…he brings something special out in you. It’s obvious you love him and even more obvious he loves you. I hope you see that. He is so madly in love with you Cassie. You should have heard him on the phone when he called me. He was so nervous and urgent that I fly out here immediately it was almost adorable. And I am sure you have not missed the way he watches you and how nervous he gets around you at times. You need him Cassie and he needs you…I can tell. But you must tell me more! He’s from Mahanoy? Now what is THAT like? Since we aligned with their nation I heard more about them. You obviously know more, but I heard the rumors that they are some steel-faced military buff nation. I was surprised to meet my first Mahanionian and see him laughing. When he called me, I half expected to see a man who was a wall of muscle and scars holding a rifle to beat me into submission if I said the wrong thing. I mean that has to be interesting…does Gordon know about you two? I know we are working on establishing relations with their nation, but I think establishing relations did not include getting into bed with them,” Autumn nudged her sister as she chuckled, acknowledging the fact that she knew those two were more intimately connected then either would openly admit.

[Allegheny]

Cassandra laughed at her sister’s brazen comment. “No Gordon doesn’t know. You know when I first introduced myself to him his eyes were wide as if I had surprised him or something. While I was speaking with the other leaders I would catch him staring at me and after he would hide his eyes behind a newspaper or focus on something else trying so hard not to stare. It was cute, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. You would think someone from Mahanoy would be a cold and calculating person given their reputation and Brandon can have those qualities when it’s needed. But, there is so much more to him than just that, when he is nervous he is like a little boy, when he does something wrong he awaits punishment, he is forward but not rude, sarcastic in a playful kind of way, he is kind, gentle, strong when he needs to be. His origins give me something in common with him, he is a soldier and he can relate to the pain I have felt. Most importantly he makes me feel normal and good about myself. To be honest, he isn’t what I expected either.”

“He sounds great.” Autumn said looking out into the yard.

Cassandra was reminded of her childhood sitting there with her sister on the swing. “I miss Dad.”

“So do I.” Autumn said quietly.

Cassandra grabbed and squeezed Autumn’s hand. “I am sorry. I pushed you away and it wasn’t fair for me to be jealous. I can’t help but feel that it’s my fault that Dad’s gone, my injuries and anger caused him nothing but stress. He tried to take care of me but I wouldn’t have it. I was selfish.”

Autumn quickly hugged her sister to stop her from talking. “No. You can’t say that or think that. It wasn’t fair to you what happened. We tried to stop them from taking you but we were weak. Dad was changed after that, he was always stressed out since then. It’s their fault what happened to him, not yours. It doesn’t matter now, we are together now.”

“Thank you.” Cassandra said breaking the embrace. She looked at her sister, she was relatively unchanged from what she had remembered of when she was younger. “You haven’t changed much Autumn, you are the same little sister I remember.”

They both laughed. “Remember when I used to keep my hair the same as yours Cassie?”

Cassandra nodded. “We wanted to be like twins.” She said laughing. Silence took over as they continued to sit there, the swing rocking back and forth.

“So Misses Trent, tell me about your husband.” Cassandra asked.

“George? Oh he is great we married a few years ago. He’s a Metrocop!” Autumn exclaimed.

Cassandra playfully punched Autumn in the arm. “No way! Did he beat you until you said yes to his proposal?” She said grinning.

“Noo! He isn’t like the other Metrocops. He is to much of a softy to beat someone. He’s always home for dinner, he promised me he’d stay out of danger. Not that there are many law breakers in Laurel, it’s a small town and he is a small town cop, not like the big cities.” Autumn explained.

“What about you? What do you do for a living?” Cassandra asked.

“I teach math at Laurel High School, mundane I know.” She said in response.

Cassandra stood up from the swing. “Sounds like you have a good life, I am proud of you sis. Shall we go inside?” Autumn nodded and followed her back into the kitchen were Brandon was cooking.

“Look Cassie, a man who cooks, Mahanoy must be bizarro world after all.” Autumn joked, Cassandra cracked up laughing at him as he prepared the food. The two women sat at the table watching him, intentionally avoiding helping him.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

“Now don’t you both jump at once to help while I slave away here,” Brandon winked as he maneuvered a pan from the stove top and placed in on a holder on the table between them, the smell of butter, onions, mushrooms, and marsala wafting up to tempt them all. Draining the noodles, he too placed them in a bowl and set the bowl on the table alongside of a mix of various vegetables he threw together from Cassandra’s refrigerator.

“It was something quick and I do not know what you like, so bare with me,” Brandon offered with a half smiled, unsure if they would be much impressed with his dinner choice. Pouring them all a glass of wine, he sat down with them and extended the glass.

“To Mister Phillips who is unable to be here in person. You raised two wonderful women. Thank you,” he offered with a grin as he sipped his glass and turned to serving the two women. When both were served, he took a bite of his own dinner, showing them it was indeed edible…even if cooked by a Mahanonian.

“I was thinking Commander…” Brandon trailed off, trying to engage conversation, “Mahanoy has been looking to expand its military training facilities. Rochester might be just the perfect place to open an East Pacific branch of Kuro Institute. You already have most of the commodities we will need to facilitate this transition. Financially it should be no problem to implement and the compound is large enough and secure enough to host that sort of institution. It might do well to quickly facilitate a strong bond between our nations and bring your nation to The East Pacific’s front as a new age military powerhouse. You already have what it takes and with our backing, we could set a new standard of military training the world has never known.”

Taking another bite Brandon shrugged slightly and shallowed before finishing. “No need to make an immediate decision, but think about it. I am sure Shepherd might have some heated disagreements about this decision, but hey, I’m just a kid,” he laughed while stealing a sip from his wine, the hint again that perhaps Brandon was deliberately allowing people to underestimate his abilities sliding into conversation.

“So Brandon,” Autumn interjected with a smile, “when did you learn how to cook? I am guessing this is not something you learn to do during target practice in Mahanoy.”

Stealing a vegetable off Cassandra’s plate, Brandon quickly bit it and grinned, diverting the question for a moment. “I was an orphan. We learned to fend for ourselves fairly young,” Brandon quickly explained casually as if this news were no news at all, unsurprising to anyone.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Autumn blushed, quickly catching Cassandra’s eye with the look of ‘why didn’t you tell me’ passing between them. But she too shook her head indicating that even she did not know.

“Most of us are,” Brandon explained trying to diffuse the uncomfortable atmosphere that arouse. “We are a military nation. The average lifespan of a Mahanionian is only 40-50. Our parents are often killed young, if we knew them to begin with. You get used to it when it is the norm of your nation. We tend not to find it something to be ashamed of but rather see it as an honor and it taught me how to care for myself. You got a damn good dinner out of it too, so be grateful,” he grinned again, letting a laugh out as he finished another bite of his chicken.

[Allegheny]

Autumn continued to blush even though Brandon had shrugged it off like it was nothing. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little embarrassed.” Cassandra down at the table, both women were thinking what it would be like to have never know their parents. “I am sure they were strong, honorable people.” Cassandra added before changing the subject. “As for this Kuro institute. We would have to pitch it, optionally, to my joint chiefs and then the President, it’s well within the realm of possiblilty.”

Autumn perked up at mention of the President. “What’s he like, Cassandra, personally?”

Cassandra laughed. “He’s a narcissistic drunk asshole but he gets the job done.”

Autumn blushed again. “I always thought he was kind of cute for an older man. George always hated it when he came on the television because I would tease him I would say: ‘I hope you look that good when you are fifty five’ and he would get all huffy and change the channel. He’d love to meet you two.”

Cassandra slightly blushed as Autumn paired Brandon and her into a couple. “I’d love to meet the man who actually won my sister’s picky heart.” They both laughed at the comment."

Autumn turned back to Brandon. “Speaking of leaders, who is in charge of your military nation. Do you have a president? I’ll be honest you Mahanionians are a big mystery to me. We don’t get the opportunity to learn much about countries who aren’t our immediate neighbors but if what you say is true, then I am glad we are allies and not enemies. I always thought Mahanionians to be big hulky soldiers who only follow orders and have no time for social interaction.” She stated, chuckling at the new stereotype she thrust upon Brandon’s country.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

Brandon laughed nervously with Autumn’s comment while taking a sip of wine with his dinner. The woman was much closer to the truth than she realized, “We are a mystery. Our nation works very hard to maintain that image. Part of our defensive system involves our opponents never knowing where to hit. In many aspects,” Brandon spoke as he swirled the wine in his glass, his mind clearly slipping away from the current conversation and fixating itself on something dark, “the only way to take us down is from within. Unfortunately Mahanoy is currently leaderless on the public front. Our Figureheads were killed in action and we have not replaced them. However, Mahanoy is not a nation of soldiers, but a nation of leaders and any one of us can easily step into the role of leading our nation. We tend to do that. Think for ourselves and use Mahanoy’s resources to back our decisions. It only ever becomes a problem when our goals stop benefiting Mahanoy’s collective interests and someone contradicts our decisions.”

Draining his glass, he fell into a sombre silence before standing up. “Dinner was excellent. You ladies sure know how to make a fine meal,” Brandon winked as he took their plates and walked to the sink and did the dishes.

But it was there lingering, something uncovered in that innocent question. Not wanting to press Brandon into an uncomfortable corner, Autumn and Cassandra shared the mutual look of perhaps later as he retreated to his thoughts. Even when he was completed, they watched as he almost seemed to try to slip away from their vision. And while they discussed past events and current new comings in their lives, they found him once again asleep on the couch.

“Did I say something wrong Cassie?” Autumn asked concerned as she peeking in with Cassandra on the sleeping man.

Contemplating her response, she slipped back to her own room with Autumn, “he is running from something. Something happened in his nation…something the public records are not showing. I know he wants to tell me but it tears him apart. Leadership and military. Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions,” Cassandra responded, reflecting on the regretful decisions in her own command…necessary decisions to protect the greater whole. “I believe his troubles lay there.”

[Allegheny]

The light from the sun peaking into the living room windows woke Brandon from his satisfying slumber, the house was quiet as usual except for some acoustic music playing from somewhere in the house. He stretched out only to find he was stripped down to his underwear and a blanket had been placed over him while he had been sleeping. Brandon sat up looking around the room while rubbing the sand out of his eyes and found a pair of shorts and a white tee shirt had been set out for him to wear.

“Where the hell are my clothes.” He thought to himself as he stood up and dressed into the temporary replacement clothes. The music sounded like it was coming from below from a basement as Brandon walked out into the main hallway. The front door behind him opened letting a chilly breeze flow into the room. Autumn was surprised to see him awake, startled by him when she looked up to see him standing there. “Oh! Hey, there Brandon.” She said taking off her leather jacket and hanging it on the stand. “We had your uniformed dry cleaned and pressed down at the tailor’s shop. I hope you don’t mind.” She explained as she handed him his uniform to him neatly pressed on a hangar and covered in plastic. “It was getting a little dirty.”

Brandon thanked her, took the uniform and laid it out on the table. “How long have you been up?”

Autumn smiled. “Well you know Cassie, she is an early riser so naturally if she gets up early I am not allowed to sleep in.” She said sarcastically. “She’s down stairs in her little den if you want to talk to her, the stairs to the basement are in the kitchen. I’ll get breakfast ready while you are down there, I figured I’d return the favor for cooking us dinner last night.” Brandon followed Autumn into the kitchen and then went on his own into the basement.

The basement had been turned into an improvised gym with different exercising equipment scattered around the room. The radio was playing some rock music, it’s volume turned down to a low level but high enough to hear. Cassandra was doing pull ups on a bar suspended from the rafters, wearing an old shirt that said ARMY on it and some tattered shorts. She was surprised to see Brandon come down and stopped immediately taking the opportunity to dry off some of the sweat on her face with a towel. “Hey! I hope you don’t mind, we had your uniform cleaned.” She said as she reattached her prosthetic. Cassandra reached out her hand and Brandon instinctively grabbed and pulled her up into a standing position. “Thanks.” She said before stealing a quick kiss from him. “So today I am due back to duty, so I thought we would take the opportunity to speak with the joint chiefs and talk out your proposition with them and myself of course. I am interested in hearing more about it.”

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

Brandon nodded and looked about the room with a look of preemptive longing. In his short stay, he had grown quite accustomed to being here. He even dared to think that this could become home. And as they stood there, Cassandra breathing heavily after her workout and he stripped of his uniform, he began to feel like he could become part of this family…an Alleghenian family. Pulling Cassandra in, he held her for a moment, not wanting to forget this feeling, knowing that it would be too short lived when he returned back to the field.

“I love you,” his mind held onto the image of her as he felt the heat radiate off her in his arms, warming him through the shirt.

And as quickly as the moment came, it passed when Brandon looked up at the chinning bar and grinned. “Want to see a Mahanionian train?”

Cassandra eyed him suspiciously and gazed towards the bar he was staring at. “Brandon, you cannot think you are going to beat me in my own game? Show me what you got.” She challenged, her eyes flashing with that same excitement they shared earlier.

“I was hoping you would say that,” Brandon grinned before he changed direction and ran up the stairs.

“BRANDON!” Cassandra yelled after him, shocked that he had suddenly bolted out of the room. Charging after him, they burst through the kitchen, nearly knocking Autumn over as Brandon negotiated himself around the house and out the front door, leaping clear over the railing of the porch.

And it became ingrained him after that, his heart began to increase its work load, his respirations deepening, his speed steady. Like a wild stag, Brandon reached his optimal speed and utilizing the environment nearby propelled himself forward. Sprinting through underbrush, leaping over fallen trees, Brandon took each new obstacle with a precision as if he were training this exact route for years on end and trying to break his record speed. He even manipulated his body enough to utilize tree branches to pass over a creek that ran through the forest. And it was not until he came full circle back to the house that he realized Cassandra never followed him.

Stopping before the porch where Cassandra and Autumn stood both caught between a look of confusion and mortification, Brandon took a few deep breaths to steady his breathing as he felt the invigorating rush surge through him. For a while he had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed being a soldier, but he quickly stifled that memory when a confused look spread on their faces.

Brandon shrugged as he laughed “I got carried away.”

“So this is what a Mahanionian does in his free time?” the voice sent a chilled response down Brandon’s spine as he turned around to see Shepherd standing there in full uniform. How he had missed the man took him by surprise and it took everything to suppress a startled response in front of the man. And as the man stood there fully clothed, Brandon suddenly began to feel more exposed in the tee shirt and shorts.

“General,” Brandon nodded in the customary sign of respect among Mahanionians.

“Gordon sent me to see that you too made it back in one piece,” his voice was cold, the tone dark as his eyes seemed to level Brandon, questioning him with a suspicious glance…a response that did not elude Brandon who seemed to straighten under the pressure, stepping up to meet the challenge presented at him.

“I am not going to give you a hard time Dinardeau,” his voice softened, seeing Brandon mistake his approach as hostility, “we heard news about your nation’s tragedy. Frankly, I am surprised to see you here. You are a man committed to his mission. I can respect that.”

Cassandra questioned Shepherd with her glance, wondering if he had the same apprehensions as she did when she first heard about the Mahanionian general’s accident. But if he did, he did not let his suspicions show as he seemed to empathize with Brandon in that silent way a soldier understands another soldier.

Turning to Cassandra to answer her unspoken questions, Shepherd began informatively, “Gordon did some research about Mahanoy while you were away. Turns out this General Novac was quite the commanding figure in their nation,” Shepherd spoke to Cassandra as if Brandon were never there, taking the tone and ease in which he would talk to her about other occasions. “Impressive man based on his profile and it puts Gordon on edge. These Mahanionians are not what we thought they were.”

“Shepherd,” Cassandra began before he seemed to shake his head and continue.

“I am not going to say that. On the contrary, I think we need them. Their nation is clearly a formidable opponent. I would rather ally with them than make them our enemies. They have certain…” the General struggled with the words, an uncommon response to his normal precalculated responses, “skills that we might benefit from utilizing. Only a few days ago we learned that one of Mahanoy’s prominent generals was possibly killed. I am certain this news did not elude Mahanoy.”

Stopping for a moment as he watched Cassandra nod to confirm that she was following, “Any other nation would be in arms right now, sending in troops to secure the situation, flying in their best diplomats to investigate, mobilizing their military in anticipation for a war. Yet, Dinardeau is here with you. Mahanoy is sleeping as far as we know. And no one has uttered a word about the incident. If I did not know better I would begin to think it had never happened. Their nation goes on functioning and one of their top leaders may have been killed in a possible terrorist attack. It makes me wonder what any one of them is capable of,” Shepherd finished, bringing his gaze back to Brandon and looking at the man with a new light.

“Bullshit,” Cassandra spoke coldly, her demeanor analyzing Shepherd, as if she were looking for all the cracks in his facade. Almost shocked, Shepherd stood there confused. The closest he could get to apologizing for misjudging this diplomat and Cassandra threw it back on him.

But a thin grin smile of laughter crept across her face. “Gordon did not research their nation,” she finished, knowing that Shepherd had spent their entire vacation researching what he could about Mahanoy. Letting a slight laugh play between them at the idea that Gordon would do more than hit the bottle all week, Cassandra accepted Shepherd’s attempt to apologize for the moment.

It was Autumn who sheepishly stepped in to break the conversation, “well if you are not busy, you might as well have breakfast before it gets cold,” she offered, beckoning them all back into the warmth of the house, inviting Shepherd in as well.

Allowing the general to pass, Brandon felt the sweat chill on his body, sending a shiver down his entire body. And as Shepherd passed, he looked to Brandon, “you are bleeding,” he spoke evenly, informing the man of his injury as he continued to walk past Brandon into the house.

He looked over him and sure enough his arm was bleeding, most likely from a stray stick that took his bicep which he had not bothered until David had brought attention to it. Feeling the cooling blood drip down his arm and the stinging of the cold air on the open wound, he looked up to Shepherd’s back no longer sure what the man thought about him. It was not until Autumn and the General were inside preparing the table that Cassandra came to Brandon who returned back to staring at the bleeding wound. He was slipping, his time away from the field had made him sloppy.

[Allegheny]

Cassandra had been surprised to see Shepherd in her yard when she followed Brandon outside. She stopped on her porch stunned as Brandon completely missed and ran off. Now he was in her house standing there staring as Autumn prepared the table for breakfast. Why wasn’t she mad? At any other time she would have been furious, but now in these times of tumultuous emotions she didn’t know what to feel. “Fear.” Some unknown entity spoke to her subconscious mind. She could tell, Shepherd knew alot more than she thought he did.

Autumn approached the Commander General. “Will you not join us Sir?”

Shepherd shook his. “No Miss Trent I will not.” He said as he finished typing a text on his cellphone. The sound of the front door opening could be heard followed by two sets of footsteps. Two fully uniformed soldiers entered the kitchen, their soulless glowing eyes stared at the group. Shepherd looked up from his phone. “Ah, please take Miss Trent here outside, we have classified matters to discuss.” He ordered. The two burly soldiers approached Autumn but did not grab her, she knew what she was supposed to do.

The infuriation Cassandra had failed to find earlier boiled up out of her like an unattended pot on the stove. “What is the meaning of this?!” She yelled as Autumn walked out with the soldiers. “How fucking dare you! I order you to explain yourself David!”

“Quiet whore.” Shepherd spat back.

Cassandra was incredulous, completely stunned by the sudden insult. Brandon stood from the chair he was sitting at his face turning red with anger. Yet he was confused on how he should react, only a trained soldier like him could restrain himself from leaping upon the older man and destroying him. Cassandra moved to stand only inches from Shepherd’s face. “I will have your balls for this Shepherd, I swear it.” He did not respond to her allowing words to flow out of her mouth in a surprisingly coherent manner. “How dare you come here and invade my privacy. How dare you try and lie your way into my business, you have no reason to be here.”

Shepherd did not back away as he laughed in her face. “Face it Phillips you have compromised yourself with this man. You are weak, the old Commander I knew would never lay with a man who has everything to gain from you.” He stepped back and looked at Brandon. “But then again, just as I said before, they are capable of anything.” He said louder.

Cassandra’s fist struck Shepherd across the face. “YOU FOOL!” She yelled. “ALL OF YOUR RESEARCH AND YET YOUR FEEBLE OLD MIND HAS STILL YET TO SEE!” Her voice became a whisper. “Mahanoy doesn’t need us. They have the knowledge and technology to destroy us without even firing a shot. You see, I’ve done my own research and I know what they are capable of. WE need them, it’s not the other way around, so tell me David. What could you possibly hope to accomplish by exposing this? Is it power? You obviously don’t have the mental fortitude to do my job. I will be kind to you Shepherd because I respect what you can do I won’t bust you back to a private, we built our way to what he have now and just as we reach our plateau they present a golden opportunity to us. Do you want to be the man who ruined it for everyone? I think you will be the one on channel four hanging from the fucking gallows, not me.” She finished adrenaline pumping through her veins after striking him.

Cassandra stood tall as Shepherd backed away. He straightened his uniform and left looking like he had been killed and brought back to life. Autumn came back in as the car Shepherd arrived in sped away.

[Der_Fuhrer_Dyszel]

As Shepherd retreated for the moment, Brandon felt himself slide into a chair, suddenly devoid of the energy needed to stand. The thought was there, implanting itself within him like a black hole. He had not know what to expect, but he did not expect this. Running his hand through his hair, he fell into deep thought, momentarily lost in his own racing thoughts. Had they really compromised it all? He brought his gaze slowly up to the fuming Cassandra.

Despite the racing thoughts in his head, he could still hear the pounding of his own heart. His blood pressure steadily rose as he restrained the outward emotional response but the headache was coming on with a full force. He rubbed his temple before he stood up and looked back to the empty drive way.

Whore?

He could almost feel his blood boil with rage as he opened the door and stood on the porch, waiting for the confrontation with Shepherd that would not come. He waited several minutes before he realized that Shepherd was not coming at that moment before sauntering back inside. If he had not obliged his own selfish desires she would have her dignity in tact.

It was Autumn who once again broke the silence as she now found it safe to sneak back in, “breakfast anyone?”

With the oppressive silence broken, Brandon saw Cassandra standing there with the same rage in her eyes. And it was at that moment that he walked up to her and stood before her. He reached out and touched her softly, his eyes now sad, “you are a beautiful woman, strong, and intelligent. If I did anything to compromise that…I’m sorry. You are important to me, but I am not your nation. I don’t…” Brandon seemed to shudder despite the warmth of the house, “I don’t…” he failed to get it out before she suddenly realized what he was trying to say. He could not bare to lose her…and this event had been too close of a scare. He saw in that moment Shepherd finding it justifiable to put a bullet into her head and if he was lucky enough to survive Shepherd’s retaliation on his own, he knew the man would use him to validate killing her.

Before he finished the sentence though, he turned away, unable to allow the thought to continue. Instead he looked at his bleeding arm and the subsequent droplets of blood that splashed on the floor. For now it would busy him to tend to that and he did so without another response, quickly retreating to the kitchen find an old rag.

[Allegheny]

Cassandra sat in the living room and stared into nothingness. Brandon’s words as genuine as they were did nothing to alleviate her anger at the situation.

Autumn was confused and had no idea what she could do. She tried to speak to Cassandra, but she would say nothing. She walked back to the kitchen to see Brandon repairing a minor wound on his arm. The breakfast she had made was cold by now, drained of heat just like the whole house had been instantly drained of happiness. Autumn walked up to Brandon whose back was facing her. Brandon turned half expecting Cassandra to be behind him wanting to talk, he tried to hide his disappointment when he saw Autumn instead, but failed.

“Brandon… please tell me whats going on… Cass… She won’t speak. What did he do to drain you all of the happiness I saw only a few minutes ago?” Autumn pleaded.

Brandon looked her directly in the eye’s, despite the differences from her sister she had the same eyes as Cassandra’s. Her look of sadness echoed Cassandra’s.

Autumn’s hand was now on his forearm, squeezing it to get his attention. She pleaded again. “What happened?”