The Dream Shifter

Chapter 246

He knew his Captain for years and thought he understood the way he acted. Abeiron had the room to question him freely without concern for position. The leave he gave to the boy confused him. "Why did you give out a leave request to someone so new?"

The question paused Simonides' hand from the writing he had been doing since before Abeiron entered. "Oh, are you referring to the one I ordered to be given to Second Lieutenant Galen?"

"Yes."

"Because he is new." He continued back at his writing, as though the answer explained everything.

It was not enough for Abeiron. He did not even understand the answer. Abeiron tightened his hands. "Sorry, but that makes less sense. There are other soldiers that have been here far longer that have made requests for leave."

The writing stopped again. "Yes, I'm aware of each of the requests. As you know we can only grant so many at a time and I'm going through them based on the needs of the individual."

"Then explain to me how a fresh officer off of graduation, who hasn't even requested leave, made the top of the list?" By the end of his words, Abeiron felt his emotions starting to get the better of him. He forced himself to be composed, however the unreasonable answers from his Captain made it difficult. Abeiron always knew the Captain to care about the men under his command, unusually so for someone in charge. His actions always had them in mind. Apart from his gut responses, he was always rational in each decision. Abeiron wanted to know what Simonides knew about the new officer he did not.

Abeiron's demand brought Simonides to a full stop. He pulled back from his desk to fix him with a stare. Their eyes locked for a couple of moments. Simonides never cracked from a flat expression. He stood up suddenly and walked over to a cabinet. Retrieving a folder from the cabinet, he dropped it on to top of his desk. "There's one thing that I can be thankful for from the Omega Division. Their unsettlingly detailed personal reports."

"Sir?" The mood had not changed from before, but Abeiron felt Simonides no longer playing defensive with him. He felt the truth surfacing.

Simonides flipped open the folder. A photo of Galen was attached at the top. The thickness of the file went past a fresh officer. "This is our young officer's report as you see. Despite their methods, Omega has its uses. It is why I request these every time we are given a new White."

It still took time for Abeiron understand the direction. He knew the Captain took time to know each of his soldiers. "What was it?" Abeiron could only guess that he learned something important.

"Family."

"Huh?"

The folder closed with Simonides' hand pressed against it. "Do you know why I go so far for them, Abeiron?"

He shook his head. It was something he largely just accepted being his Commanding Officer and not questioning odd traits. Abeiron felt as long as he was a good leader the rest did not need explanation. "I know you remember all of the soldiers here by name. While you don't always have time, you make frequent visits to the barracks."

"But that isn't an answer." Simonides raised Galen's file up. "Many of the members of the military within the ranks of the Whites are here against their will. Military service for them is a requirement, not a choice."

"Sir…" It was no secret to Abeiron, but he felt like the words were bordering on treason.

A hand rose to stop Abeiron. "I'm not making a judgment of how the King carries out his rule. All I'm saying is that because many are not here by choice it means they are not motivated and willing. While I may be doing all this so that I get soldiers that work and obey, these are people I want to feel comfortable here. So I learn what makes them tick."

He felt like he was learning an unsettlingly side of his Captain. The concern he felt for them he knew to be genuine. Such interest extended to everyone. However, the focus seemed a little too thorough. It almost felt manipulative. "And your answer for him is his family?" he concluded.

"Correct," agreed Simonides. "The pressure and prejudice these people face on a daily basis is not something I can change. All I can do is make their lives a little more bearable while they're under my command."

"There's reasons why people feel that way, Cap-"

"Yes, I know. And you can say my motives are selfish in wanting to appease dangerous people and keep them under thumb by knowing all of their secrets." Simonides turned away. He walked back to the cabinet and returned the file. As the door closed, he looked back at Abeiron over his shoulder. "Did you know that he managed to evade detection by the Military Scouts for fourteen years? When they found him he resisted capture. In the end, they had to bring in Whites to subdue him. You know that he requested the South Gate assignment."

"I didn't."

Simonides sat down behind his desk. "It took me a while to put the piece together. He always made sure to stay away. I noticed that one thing was always missing from the reports."

"Family?"

"Yes, he was protecting them. There's nothing that he cares about more."

Galen arrived back in his hometown after more than a year away. He noticed nothing much changed about the village. It made him glad to see things were still peaceful. After his capture, he worried what might have happened to it. They told him nothing.

He stood in front of his home never expecting to see it again. The manner he saw the others treated and the attitude of those in command, he had reconciled himself to never returning home. The talents he had made him favorable for assignment to the border guard. He counted himself fortunate, but he was still far away.

The waiting seemed like forever after he knocked. He got so excited thinking about their faces. They were not just memories anymore. He could seem them once more. When the door opened and his mother stood in the threshold shocked to see him back, all he could do was cry. Galen thought he bled them away already through the sleepless nights thinking about them. "I'm home!" he cried, hugging on to her.

'Goodbye…' Galen's face looked melancholic the moment before his life ended. He lied on his back. Blood poured out from the new wound in his chest. Tears built up in his eyes once more. Through the watery lenses, he could see them once more smiling back at him.

The normally colder nights of Atlantis felt unusually hot. It was almost unbearable to deal with, even though most did not notice the change. Sweat and blood hung in the air with chaos the mixing element. Order struggled to hold with unrelenting power of inhuman beings clashing.

None of it concerned Photine. She still wore a simple robe that Heber insisted she wear during her recovery. Photine did not believe she needed to sleep in an infirmary to recover her mental energy. After Heber finished his work, her body had no injuries. Her health was perfect, physically at least.

In the ensuing chaos of the attack, it made it difficult for her do anything. They pulled back all of the patients to safer distances. Blood dripped down to her face to tap her forearm. It forced the muscles in her arm to tense up. Her mind fell back to the images of the infirmary tent only minutes after the attack began.

A large chunk of debris ripped through the tent destroying any peace. It immediately alerted the attention of Heber and others under his command. The sudden attack brought all three of the MP users out of their cots to stare at each other.

Photine glanced over at the debris. Blood pooled out from behind it wetting the dirt. All she saw free was someone's mangled arm separated from their body. It widened her eyes abruptly and jumped her heart rate. "What the hell?!" She jumped out of her cot, but felt a strong force behind her. Her head tilted over her shoulder to see her cot missing.

"Someone help me!"

"It hurts!"

Screams of the injured surrounded Photine. She spun around trying to figure out what happened. Nothing made sense to her, everything happened too fast for her to process it all. Her heart pounded stronger and her palms turned clammy with sweat.

A scalding wind burst through the tattered remains of their tent. Bright red light blinded her right eye. She caught sight from her partial vision the towering flames shooting around nearby them. Photine no longer could mistake the cause of the destruction. "…they're here…"rattled her voice barely kept in control.

Explosions went off throwing around pieces from the ruined tents. Cloth from the infirmary tent tore again. A struggling groan escaped someone's lips near to Photine. She turned around to find who just was injured. "Antipas!" she yelped, as she knelt down to his side. "How bad is it?" All she saw was blood everywhere, but no injury.

Antipas coughed from his position the ground. Blood poured from his mouth splattering the grass. He slowly lifted himself over with the help of Photine. "…oh…" he muttered, his eyes cast down at the large chunk of wood imbedded in his chest. The sight made him cough again, but it felt worse as though something inside him ripped. More blood dripped down his lips. He worked up a brave face for the horror filled Photine. "It's not so bad…"

"What are you saying?!" She looked over at the rest of the area that used to be a tent. Screams and blood filled everything. Heber and all of his assistants scrambled around trying to save everyone. She saw his field already working on stabilizing those in shock. "I'll go get someone for you! You just stay here! Don't move!"

Photine tried to stand up, but Antipas grabbed onto her arm at the wrist. His eyes already looked dark underneath and his face began to turn pale. "…it's fine…"