Crystalline Universe: Team Fortress 2 Overwatch - Volume 3: Crystalline Universe: Bloodline's Curse Chapter 58 La Squadra Del Divino Servitore
*NOTE: One month has passed between the last chapter and the current chapter.
The silence reigned upon the funeral center while the snow smooth fell upon the graves. Men in dark clothing littered the church’s benches, some remaining in a state of grief while others stayed in an ignorant quietness.
Lapidazione’s picture stood up in front of his coffin decorated with the executioner cross.
On the front bench sat IDD (Impiccato, disegnato, diviso in Quattro), an android with a crystal snub dodecahedron as his head, mourning about his friend’s death.
On the second bench sat Mazatello whose face hid in the obscurity of his hooded face and hat, thus hiding his emotion if he had any.
On the fourth bench were two brothers, one of them, Sepoltura Prematura, a young Indian man dressed in his formal executioner ceremonial clothing and the other one, Bull di Bronzo, a Native American man dressed in a traditional funeral dress of his people.
On the 6th bench sat Scuoiamento, a brown woman, who still has her scientist gears on her hand while she secretly pretended that she was grieving. Instead, she was tipping her computer hidden from the rest.
Finally, on the furthest bench sat Scaphism, a young Italian man who smoked a cigar while laughing at a comic he’s reading through his holoprojector.
Hours have passed. Scuoiamento, bored from her work, turned her head toward Scaphism behind her and snapped her finger.
[Scuoiamento] – “Hey, Scaphism, still no information from Rectangular bullet yet… Do you have any clue about what happened to him? ”
[Scaphism] (in an annoyed tone) – “Are mentally retarded? Rectangular bullet was killed a month ago by traitors inside the association. ”
[Scuoimanto] – Jeez! Not my fault if I’m forced to work inside a laboratory sealed from the rest of the world for weeks on end, sassy little jerk! ”
[Scaphism] – “You know what, lab rat, I’m leaving this rotten place. This funeral should just be like the ones in the movies: two words, one goodbye and to the grave, he goes. ”
The young man stood up from the bench and started walking toward the exit but before he could open the doors, his body was suddenly frozen. Before he could do anything, his body moved against his will and back walked toward the bench and sat.
[IDD] (in a voice filled with anger) – “You sit and pay your respect to our fallen brother, you insolent punk! ”
[Scaphism] (in a rage-filled voice) – “Mother f.u.c.ker! How dare you make me f.u.c.k.i.n.g walk against my will! I will massacre your stupid shining testicle head. ”
The crystals on Scaphism’s arms glowed in a fiery red colour and the church’s ground started shaking. In the meantime, Mazatello, after seeing the conflict, stood up in an attempt to calm both sides down. However, the young man fell to the floor with sweat all over his head while IDD’s hands were burned so badly that even the metal started to turn red.
[Bull di Bronzo] – “Enough of this nonsense! You, IDD, you shall withdraw your ability on this instant and let anyone who wants to go leave this place. On the other hand, you, Scaphism, if you activate your ability again like that against your own team, I won’t hesitate to burn you to a crisp. ”
Both Scaphism and IDD obeyed the order and resumed back to their intended business.
Without another word, Scaphism pushed the doors open and exited the church with an irritated face.
Soon after, the rest left the place and only IDD and Mazatello stayed behind to stay a bit longer.
[IDD] – “No manner, don’t they, Mazatello? For all those years I worked with them, I never saw their true colour until now. ”
Mazatello remained in dead silence without a word or expression but instead, stared at the coffin with a look hidden behind the darkness.
[IDD] – “You know, I think I know what I have to do now. Sniper didn’t give us any order about Mike, right? ”
Mazatello didn’t answer but slowly shook his head as a response.
[IDD] – “No, huh? I just don’t understand why Sniper wants to keep Mike alive. We could’ve just all jumped on him and kill him but no, Sniper has to send a single or group or a single member to take him on. ”
[Mazatello] (in a cold voice) – “Sniper’s business is none of your concern, friend. We have the order to stay and wait for his majesty’s command. ”
[IDD] (in a depressing voice) – “I know but… he’s dead. We can no longer see or hear him anymore… Orders… they won’t bring him back from the dead. ”
[Mazatello] (in a cold voice) – “Your voice sounds highly suggestive of something, friend, care to open your mind before something unwanted happens? ”
IDD looked straight into Mazatello’s cold lifeless gray coloured eyes which stared him back with an uneasy expression of curiosity that was piercing his soul.
[IDD] (in a punctual voice) – “Yes! I have a secret thought I want to share with you… I want to avenge our fallen brother. ”
Mazatello let out a cold sigh that was never heard from him before, a sign of life after years of his cold dead expression.
[Bull di Bronzo] – “Leave the past die, face the future that will give life. Never pursue an act of revenge, it will blind you, deceive you and ultimately, lead you toward your self-destruction. ”
IDD turned toward Bull in rage and frustration but retained his anger inside his heart.
[IDD] (in a furious voice) – “Our brother is dead, HE IS DEAD! Don’t you understand? You would just let him be? HE WAS REDUCED TO MERE MOLECULE BY THAT DEVILISH MIKE! There wasn’t even remains to bury and that’s how you guys react? By acting as nothing happened? ”
[Bull di Bronzo] – “He never was a man that deserved to be respected. His notorious ways, his sickening mind and his dishonourable manners… A true executioner, a true brother wouldn’t bring shame to his team’s name. ”
[IDD] (enraged) – “You are wrong! A brother is a member of the family, there is tolerance, there is care. You guys didn’t respect him because he was problematic? This team never was a team to start with because you betrayed it. ”
[Bull di Bronzo] – “He didn’t deserve my respect because he taunted with the man’s heart. Mike may be our enemy but never you shall use the centrepiece of someone’s heart as a weapon. He used Mike’s wife as a mental attack, at that time, he lost my respect. As for the others, I couldn’t care less about their mindset. ”
[IDD] (in pure rage) – “You know what? Screw you and your small talk, Bull di Bronzo! I’m going to hunt him down, I will avenge Lapidazione’s death. You can’t stop me! My mind is made. ”
[Bull di Bronzo] – “Do whatever comes in your mind… after all, you are the one to carry the consequences. The only thing you will ever achieve is trying to satisfy a hunger that can never be fulfilled.
[IDD] – “That’s how it is then! You and the rest never were men, you are just a bunch of mindless slaves. I, being the only droid in the team, has more humanity than all of you. ”
[Mazatello] – “Enough of this nonsense, IDD! This is an order! ”
IDD ignored Mazatello’s warning and stepped toward the church’s exit door without hesitation. All of sudden, every object inside the church slid toward the right as if the earth’s surface was altered.
Soon, IDD fell on the ground while gravity shifted toward the church’s right side and finally, the church’s wall became the ground.
[Mazatello] – “Last warning, IDD, stay down! ”
[IDD] – ” *Grumbles* ”
IDD once again started to walk on the floor which is now the wall despite the surface inversion.
[Bull di Bronzo] – “Aren’t you going to stop him? ”
[Mazatello] – “Let him be then. You know him, inflexible, unchangeable, straight-headed, he would never change direction. With him, it’s kill or be killed. ”
The surface gradually returned toward the floor and the gravity reset to its normal state.
*Somewhere else
[Dane] – “Yeah, that’s about it, boy! I want you to send your team of recruited executioners to me for them to test the formula. ”
Mike sat back on his seat in front of the computer and covered his face with his hands.
[Mike] – ” *bawl* What did you found? ”
[Dane] – “Amongst the files your friend sent me, I found out the project [golden ratio]. The formula for dimension travel, the golden rotation of a perfect energy rectangle. I need people to try out my calculation and see if they’re correct. ”
[Mike] – “I can be your test subject if you want. ”
[Dane] (in a confused voice) – “Huh? How can you have the time? You are searching for Kadyn, right? ”
[Mike] (in a tired voice) – “I don’t know, Dane, I think I should stop searching for her… I’m much more of a harm to her than good. ”
[Dane] (surprised) – “Are suggesting that you gave up on her? ”
[Mike] – “I guess, kinda… I don’t know… ”
The two remained quiet for a moment but in reality, Dane was filled with a fit of anger and hatred so strong that if he wasn’t calming himself down, he would have turned into a violent madman.
[Dane] (in a compressed state of anger) – “I wish that I could punch you through the screen, young man. Your behaviour disgusts me or shall I just say you aren’t even the real Mike! The real Mike would never give up on her. After all the things she has done for you, that’s how you pay her back? ”
[Mike] (in a sorry voice) – “I… I don’t know what to do, Dane! ”
[Dane, with a red face] – “I don’t want to talk or see you again unless you change your mind! Or else, I don’t know who you are! Get off my sight, stranger! ”
The computer screen turned black and left Mike alone inside the obscurity of his room.
Later that night, Mike went out for a small walk beside the half-frozen river running through the city. His mind never was this much clouded by thoughts and regrets. In fact, to him, his head was about to explode.
A world without mercy, a heart without hope and a lost man without faith.
After a long walk, the young man stopped in his track, bend over the fence and stared at the still running river with ice floating through its crystalline clean water.
[Mike, in his mind] – (“Out of all the people littering this planet, my life is the less worth living, right? If I jump now, I can still end it all… “)
He bent closer toward the fence and pressed his torso against the metal bar but felt something inside his higher left pocket.
Mike pulled the bulge out of his jacket and realized that it was the box containing the marriage ring that he was supposed to give to Kadyn.
[Mike, in tears] – “Oh no… Why won’t you just let me go? Every time, you have something hold me back. Why? Why are you doing this to me? ”
The young man raised his hand and prepared to throw the box into the river’s freezing waters but before he could commit, he hit himself in a metal pole headfirst.
[Mike] (in pain-filled voice) – “What I’m I thinking? I’m indeed a fool… A fool who doesn’t understand… A fool who has no brain. ”
Mike kneeled to the ground and closed his eyes while holding the little box tight against his chest.
*In his memory
Mike and Kadyn both laid in bed while watching the bright stars on the sky. They both had a smile on her face and they were both filled with hope and joy. A memory that Mike struggled to keep on thinking.
[Kadyn] – “What do you think? The stars aren’t they just beautiful, peaceful and… astonishing? ”
[Mike] – “The stars… I always wanted to be like them… They have no pain, no feeling and no memory. They don’t need to care about anything, the true definition of freedom. ”
[Kadyn] – “Every time I see the stars, I think about you. I remember how amazing you were back when, for the first time, I saw you fly using your ability. You looked like a shooting star and you brought me my dream. ”
[Mike] – “I will stay by your side until the very end and keep on being your shooting star. ”
[Kadyn] – “I have no more dream, I’m already complete. ”
Kadyn approached Mike and in response, the young man hugged her against his chest.
[Mike] – “Strange isn’t it? How fate organized all the events for it to eventually come to this. ”
[Kadyn] – “Yeah but without you or me to realize those impossible feats, nothing would be the same. It’s us who built our present, not fate nor destiny. I believe that we are the master of our reality but not fate. ”
[Mike] – “True, I never thought of this. I guess I’m a bit too much of a fatalist. ”
[Kadyn] – ” *Giggle* ”
Kadyn raised her hand and gently played Mike’s golden hair with her fingers. The young man stared at her glowing green eyes in dark and hesitated for a second before opening his mouth.
[Mike] – “Kadyn! ”
[Kadyn] – “What is it, Gio? ”
[Mike] (in an embarrassed voice) – “If I propose to you right now, will you accept it? ”
[Kadyn, with a warm smile] – “Haven’t you already asked me to be your wife that day at the restaurant? ”
[Mike] (in an embarrassed voice) – “Yeah but I mean officially with a wedding ring. ”
[Kadyn] (in a joyful voice) – “Why do you need to ask when we are already sleeping in the same bed? Do you want to propose to me in bed? ”
Mike glanced at his coat in the closet with the ring in its pocket but decided that he needed to marry her in a place better than in a bed.
[Mike] – “I don’t have a ring yet, how about later? ”
[Kadyn, with a grin] – “Then I’ll wait for that day, ask me when you are ready, anytime. ”
*Back to the present
[Mike, in tears] – “I’m sorry, Kadyn, I’m sorry! I failed you, I abandoned you, I don’t deserve you. What I said in the past few days about not caring about you, I take it back! I will give you the ring if I ever find you, I promise that I will, I’m tired of being a coward! ”
Mike slowly put the box back inside his pocket and wiped the tears off his eyes.
[Mike] – “Please, forgive me. I won’t run anymore, I won’t be afraid anymore. ”
Mike’s communication device suddenly rang with a loud beeping noise while the screen indicated that the call was from an unknown person in Australia.
To be continued… Next Chapter: [Origine in Australia]
