A Darker Purpose

Caen noticed that Shrike was picking up his rifle, no doubt about to aim it at him. Caen drew his sword, hitting the rifle as hard as he could, which would probably knock the weapon out of his grasp, if not, at least out of the way "you see? This is what I mean. Youre constantly on edge, waiting for someone or something to attack. It scares me. I don't want to end up fighting you, because I think you are a good person, but what you are doing to yourself isn't good. It will eat away at you, until there is nothing left, not a single shred of sanity. Who will fight the dark ones, then?"
Caen was getting angrier, again, and he practically screamed every word "Your freaking bloodlust will just destroy you, leaving countless innocents to die!"

Caen was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling in the same rhythmic pattern. He spoke in a quiet tone "and then what? You'll join them? You'll turn on the people you swore to protect? I don't like the odds of that happening."

He turned away. If Shrike wished to shoot Caen now, this would be the perfect chance, and Caen knew it. "If you want to keep tearing away at your own mind, I'm not gonna stop you, but think- is it truly worth that? Isn't it better to formulate some sort of plan other than shoot, kill, rinse, repeat? Because, to me, that sounds like a crap tactic that'll only get yourself killed, or worse, brainwashed into joining your foe.

Lillith took out her whip and hit it on the floor with force. She wasn't playing any games anymore with Shrike. " You shoot him and I'll restructure your face" Her voice sounded very demonic this time around. She looked like she was about to kill him.

-Shrike felt the weapon fly out from his hand and hit the ground with a thud as it struck, more surprised then any thing, Shrike got up off the from where he was sitting and headed over to where the weapon had landed, he slowly scooped it up off the ground, checking for any signs of damage to the weapon, he pulls the bolt back which would load a round in the firing chamber.

Shrike them looked back at them both, he once more returned to staring at them, He knew Lilith would kill him, he knew any thing she said was a lie so just to stay on his good side...he was not falling for it...the Dark ones tried to do the same thing to him many times...he learned his lession..however he did not fire a shot nor aim the weapon at Caen..instead he turned around and began to head back to where Liela and Voltraire was..not a single word ws spoke by him, as if he lost the power to speak..or something else was wrong...It was pretty clear...during that time way something affected him. 

What was going to do next ? Only he knew that answer. He should of flipped out by now and shot with out reason but he didn't, but it was also clear, it didn't matter what Shrike did he was always going to be looked down upon by others, no amount of words or actions could ever solve that, perhaps he realized it and just shut his mouth.-

Caen watched Shrike walk away without a word, which only made him grow angrier "not even a single word. My words mean nothing to you. I'm just some kid. I haven't been through what you've been through. Were those your thoughts? You say you want to help people, yet you cant even help yourself! You don't even try to defend yourself, you just sit there, not taking a single word on board!"

Caen breathed in, calming himself down. For once, that emotional training he got from that one actor paid off "if you refuse to help yourself, then..." Caen hesitated, the words he was about to say pained him as they swirled around in his mind "then I... I don't want any part in your endeavours. As soon as we've saved Liela, I-I'm through with you..."

Those were difficult words to say, and they hurt Caen, because it felt that he had failed someone, yet again. However, he had said his piece, and he was not taking it back.

Lillith looked at Caen surprised. "Are you sure about that?" She didn't put her weapon away. She stayed for a moment. "Are you going to leave me when this is done as well?" She was giving a curious face. Waiting for a response.

-Shrike made it all the way back to where the two were sleeping, he got closer and closer before stopping, he looked at them out cold, sleeping away, he looked over at voltraire, then over at Liela. Under his helmet, Shrikes face was sadden and lost, He looked at Liela, he saw a lot of her in himself, was it on that reason he swore to set her free or what was the deal. But Shrike was feeling a sense of hurt. Loss was a common thing for him, more so then making allies..it felt like the world was against him. He finally spoke in a soft tone as not to wake them. Speaking to her as if she was awake.-

" I'm...sorry...I wish things could of been different...this..fighting has changed a lot...Caen...he is right..one day....I will be nothing more then a forgotten memory...gone and never to be seen again...there is only so much one can take..before it is all gone...only so much one can endure before you break....but when something breaks...you don't keep beating it..till it is beyond the line of repair....Lilith and Caen...They want me gone after this....I am keeping my promise...then I have to leave.... I don't want to make things worse...This is not your war..nor is it theirs....I must find a way to end it once and for all...maybe then you will all see why I am fighting so hard..or perhaps no one will ever see it. Maybe find some redemption...or finally turn myself in..so the world can get what it wants....the day they killed the lone marine..." 

-After that Shrike looked back up to the night sky, watching a shooting star race over. His wish he made, was not for himself..it was for her.-

Caen was calmer, but still pissed off "it's not that I want him gone. I want to help him, I really do, but I want no part in watching someone fall deeper and deeper into an abyss from which they can never escape. I-it hurts me more than words can say. I know, it's selfish but... I fear it would send me over the edge, as well."

He looked up and saw a shooting star "would you look at that... Heh, I doubt you'd believe me if I said I've never seen a shooting star..."
Caen had a wish in mind. He wished that Shrike could finally open up, and accept the help that Caen was desperate to give to him. When Liela asked if Caen would be leaving her, he smiled "you seem kind-hearted, and you clearly care deeply for your master. So, I'm afraid that question falls to you- would you still want me around?"

Lillith looked up to see the shooting star. ( I wish,when this is all over, everyone will be happy, especially master) She turned back at Caen.  "Would I still want you around?" She laughed" OF COURSE! You seem like an entertaining and open-minded mobian who has an ear when needed." She stopped and looked at Caen up and down". You're also are a pyromancer... THAT WIELDS SWORDS! How queer, what a unique sight it is.  I'd love to see you more on a daily basis and I'm pretty sure master would too." She gave him a smile.

-As Shrike sat there Vega popped up out of no where, the AI that resided inside his helmet. Shrike believed the AI was destroyed after the fight but it seemed Vega was still active and functional.-

" Hello combat user Shrike, I am back...if you were thinking I was destroyed I apologize, I was doing a full system reboot, I had some corrupt data."


" That is alright Vega, good to have you back operational, your some one who I can talk to in times of need or just when I need a boost."


" Have I missed much during my reboot phase ?"


" Well not really, apart from me loosing my mind a little, tally up on a few more dark one kills and now apparently hated yet again.... soooooooo not much..not much at all. Hey Vega...give me a status reading on all confirmed kills I have made...I want to know how many dark ones I have taken out."


" At once....compiling number...total confirmed kills is sitting at a total 29 751 confirmed Dark one kills."


" Are you serious...that....many...just alone ? I did all of that....I killed far more then even I realized...erm...how much ammo Have I spent ?"


" Calculating....number of rounds fired estimated to be over 200000 rounds of ammunition spent over the course of the 4 years, I have saved all the data"


" Well then....that is a lot of bullets...probably could make a mountain out of all of it and use it as a look out post.....give me a reading of the HAVEC suit status."


" HAVEC suit seems to be functional at 100% all previous class " Severe" attacks were noted, Suit has adjusted to deal with attacks in future assurances"


" You know Vega..for a AI....your one of the best beings I know....Thanks for being there when no one else was..."


" You are welcome sir." 

Caen was shocked, yet he still chuckled "you, an immortal demon, is impressed by me, a mere mortal? I almost don't believe you. Then again, several people have been fascinated by my... Eclectic style of doing things."

Caen picked up the skull of a dark one, looking at Lillith "I can act, too," he held the skull upwards, speaking in a more posh accent "alas, my poor Yorick, I knew him well." He looked at the skull, and he felt like it was looking at him back. He dropped it as a chill ran down his spine "that would've looked better if I wasn't using the skull of a monster, but you get the idea." He looked back at the sky "then again, I'm not very well known. Id like to keep it that way, for now. I fear I may be targeted if I get too famous."

"Well do believe. I like things that are not average and you go in that category." She watched as Caen picked up the skull reciting something from a play or something. She giggled when he dropped the skull. He continued to talk in his normal voice. " That's a smart way of thinking. Doing what you love without the pressures of fame. Most actors want the fame and seem to look over the dangers of said fame. It only takes one person who dislikes you to end your life."

-Shrike sunk into a deepen state of thought, after the words of Caen shifted back and forth across his battered mind, he knew of what he spoke, he knew that time was against him, For the dark ones would not stop..they would never stop..they could continue to carry on..til the world was theirs. Shrike was but one man..standing against impossible odds, yet some how..found the strength to beat them back, time and time again. Upon meeting a few beings in his life, such as this crowed it only motivated him more to keep going, For if the Dark ones came and consumed the world, their lives would be swept aside and crushed

...Shrike had been having Vega use most of his power to do a scan of a particular energy a energy that only one device could emit...Shrike spent 4 years waiting to find a single of this energy, this energy was none other then the power of the device that caused all of this to happen in the first place...if Vega to find this device..Shrike would have his last chance to destroy it..by doing so would put a end to all of this..all of it, sealing the rift for good...yet nothing...he began to speak with himself.-

" Kinda strange feeling...sitting here.....slowly degrading like a piece of metal left on a pile of scrap..slowly weathering away. This should phase me..but it doesn't..I guess when you feel like your life means nothing..when all you had was taken away...you loose any sense of self worth...began to do things not for yourself..but others...despite how ungrateful they were..how they hated me..how they shunted me, insulted me..it didn't stop me from protecting them...I'm not a bad person....I just got caught up in something no being should of ever had to experience....I long for the day it could all be over..all of it....and maybe...just maybe...She is still out there..alive. But I will say this..when the day comes..when that hour is upon me. I will stand strong..stand tall...and if need be...die standing. Because what I am fighting for is worth it....even if I am still hated after it...I know what I did saved countless lives..I can live with that."  

"indeed. I mean, I think I'm more than capable of dealing with a few flunkies, but I worry about those around me- if I'm too busy fending for myself, I cant protect those that need it most. that is the thing about fame that scares me the most."

Caen began to think about his actions against Shrike. Were his words too harsh? Did he act brashly? He slumped over "I think it's best we check on greeny. I need to apologise, I was... I pissed him off for no good reason. You comin' with?" Caen said, before walking in the direction towards the house.

"I don't think you were being harsh at all. I think you were being real. He probably left so he could have some alone time to think about things or maybe just went and crawled into a corner and cry. At least it didn't end in a fight. Maybe in another timeline... it probably got ugly. Hmm, I wonder..." She started to ponder on who would have won. Caen started to walk back to the house. Lillith didn't answer him back but she did silently follow behind him. She seemed to be focused on thoughts of her made-up timeline.

-Low and behind there was he was, Watching Voltraire and Liela from a short distance, slummed, down against the first trunk of a tree, with his hands in his laps, was he sleeping ? Maybe he was, if he was this was usual for Shrike to be sleeping, he would of been on full alert, Indeed he was sleeping, In his hands was a picture of some kind, It was un clear before his hand dropped to his side which contained the image. The image was of his mother in the back ground, talking to some one, Shrike was in the image in his combat gear, not the HAVEC suitm standing besides him appeared to be a Mobian wolf girl, the image was well worn and old by this stage, For a guy who seemed to just destroy, seeing him sleep or at least resting was probably a odd sight.-

As he came back to the house where Voltraire and Liela were located, he looked around the clearing, stopping when he saw Shrike slumped against a tree trunk "would you look at that? So he does sleep."
Caen noticed something in his hand, and thought to himself 'what is that? Maybe if I have a look... No! Have some respect, Caen.'

Lillith had followed Caen the whole way. She noticed Shrike sleeping and him holding something." He has things other than guns??" quickly ran over and looked at the object. It was an old photo of some people but Shrike was in it. " Hmmm," She thought that she would leave it alone. She didn't want to be close to it when Shrike wakes up. she didn't want him waking up seeing her.

-Shrike seemed to have held onto small things that he still had, the image would be one of them, The image probably was taken some time before the disaster, On the back of the Photo was a writing sentence in red ink.-

" I'm sorry, but I will fix this...I promise" 

-The message spoke as it Shrike was guilty that he couldn't save them, that he tried but failed, and set his mind to righting this, fixing it referred to the fact that he wanted to find a way to stop all of this, The wind blew through and took the image from his hand drifting it into the night sky. This would be the only time they could get this close to him with out a threat or him doing something harsh. However the AI was not asleep he was very much aware of the two there.-

" Hello there you two, It is me Vega the AI, combat user Shrike is asleep at the moment, he did tell me me wake him if Dark one's were spotted but you not. I see you have found the image of his past, to clarify you, The figure in the background was his mother, the figure to his left was Syleen a mobian wolf who was  medic attached to his former unit prior to the incident." 

Caen sat on the ground, leaning against another tree "his mother?" Caen presumed that his mother was dead, after seeing the faint red writing on the back of the picture as it took off. "I guess him and I are not so different... We both handle our own sorrow horrifically. Our own guilt for something that was out of our control takes us over. Now I feel even worse..."

Caen pulled his legs in, burying his face in them "I'm such a terrible person..."

Lillith looked around the area. " A Spirit! Where?" She did not really know what an A. I.. was. She noticed the voice came from the suit. " Are you possessing this armor?" She was a little shocked as an idea came to her head. "Did he Trap you in the armor? Has he have you imprisoned?" she just keep asking questions. Getting even more worried.

" No my name is Vega, I am the Artificial intelligence, that was programmed into the HAVEC suit, I have been with Shrike since the day he put on the armor to fight the Dark one's, I have monitored him, watched him, helped him and kept him up to speed over the 4 years. I have data logs on his entire back ground, his current status, where he has been , what he has done, including audio log files. Some files are in lock down, however most others are not, If you wish to access them you may do so."

-Shrike in all sense, despite his horrid ways of fighting was trying to do the right thing, in a way he saw was the way of doing it, his inability to express certain things often conflicted with others, resulting in miss interpretation, no matter what words he tried to use, he simply could not get others to understand, only the two in the image ever had a good understanding of who he was before all this. 

His mother was killed at the hands of the Dark one's first wave, they attacked the home town of where he grew up, there were no survivors, he lost the only family member he knew and vowed to not let another suffer a similar fate.-

"just imagine... The only one you can truly talk to is a computer... For four years... Lord, that would turn a guy insane. It would turn me insane, that much I know..." He leaned his chin on his arms "you gotta applaud him, there, being able to maintain a shred of sanity. Sure, he needs help, and a lot of it, but, yeah, he's done well for four years."

Lillith didn't really understand what the A. I.. Meant but it didn't mind helping Shrike so she let the worry go. "so umm he's only had you to talk to for 4 years. Wow, that's like bad." she turned to Caen "Yeah I'd give him a good pat on the back. Truly anyone would have gone insane be now." She walked back and forth.

"I'd... Rather not. I feel like I'm intruding in his personal business." Caen said, holding his hand up towards Shrike, even though it was not him speaking "I don't know, it just doesn't feel right."