Chapter 04 - Strength (Part A)

I was floating on my back throughout outer space, completely weightless. I could barely move my arms and legs, if I could even try that is. How did I get here? How much did I have to drink last night? Who was the last person sober? Wait…I don’t have a hangover. It’s all coming to me now. I’m in outer space because…

What a relaxing sound. If you listen closely, you can hear the celestial objects humming. (Brrrrinnnnng!) The humming is caused by the waves traveling through space, which results in the particles around them vibrating. (Brrrrinnnnng!) All along, I thought sound doesn’t exist in space. (Brrrrinnnnng!) But, are the sounds in space supposed to sound like an incoming call? (Brrrrinnnnng!) And who’s singing? It sounds like that theme song from that old smash-hit anime, Sorcery Fight. (Brrrrinnnnng!) Why is it getting louder?!

My body jolted upright. I could move my body now, but all around me was still outer space. And that incoming call is still ringing, and that song is still playing. Oh, that’s right. I’m in space because…

Groggily, I tapped the button to turn off the room display. The scenery of space transformed into a typical single bedroom of a bed, window, plants, and whatever else I owned. The song is still playing though. Must be my alarm clock. I leaned over in my bed towards my cellphone to shut off the alarm. But there’s still that incoming call. Aagghh! Why won’t it stop already?

I lifted the Orange Watch Series 29 on my right wrist up to a considerable distance from my face. With a tap of a button, I answered the call. A medium-sized digital window was projected about a ruler’s length away from me. And within that digital window was the person who had been calling: Pollux.

“Rise and shine! It’s time to start our day!” She sang cheerfully. My eyes subtly glanced to the upper right of the digital window; it was 6:27 AM.

“Do Crux Knights normally start their day this early?” There was still sleep in my voice as I try to pull myself together.

“Nope, just me!” There’s her signature grin again. As much as I love seeing that grin of hers, I was unenthused.

“Oh. Then, can I go back to sleep for a few more minutes?” My voice was deadpan. I was not having it.

“Of course not, silly! Vice Commander Saturn is calling for us to report to the Solstice Tower. He has a surprise for us!” Pollux’s eagerness and excitement increased twofold in that single sentence of hers. But there was a word she said that had completely brought me to my senses.

“A surprise?”

“Yeah, so get dressed and meet me in the waiting area of the boardroom!! We don’t want to keep the Vice Commander waiting~!!” The phone call ended, and I began to prepare to meet the Vice Commander and Pollux.

Chapter 05 – Strength (Part A)

I exited the elevator. Pollux was already in the waiting area, fists clinched, arms tucked toward her sides in excitement.

“Vega! You arrived!”

“So Vice Commander Saturn has a surprise for us. Is it just us, or are the others already inside?”

“I have no idea but we’re about to find out! Let’s not keep this surprise waiting for us!”

Pollux pushed open the large gray door to the boardroom such little ease. The doors flew back with tremendous force. If there were any more force, either the doors would have broken off or there would be a dent in the walls.

“Pollux and Vega, reporting for the surprise, Vice Commander Saturn, sir!”

“What’s the surprise? Is it the surprise party!?” My eyes were sparkling in excitement!...but the sparkle disappeared once I got a grasp of my surroundings.

None of the other knights were in their assigned seats in the boardroom. The only person there was the vice commander. He stopped in mid-action, about to take a bite of his breakfast bagel sandwich with his coffee. The three of us made eye contact with each other, deepening the awkward silence.

Vice Commander Saturn took a long, deep, annoyed sigh, placing his sandwich in its wrapper and turning his chair forward to face us. “One day officially on the job and it seems Pollux is already roping you in on her antics."

“This is just a part of my personality, sir. (･ ε ･｀ )”

I sheepishly interjected. “Umm, pardon me, but, you have a surprise for us, Vice Commander?”

“Ah yes. The surprise.” He corrected his position to be more formal and more forward. “Your surprise is waiting for you at the East Prosperity business district!” He was smiling enthusiastically, as if flowers could start blooming immediately. It seemed a bit creepy. I don’t like where this is going.

“Ooooh ooooh! What is it? What is it?” Pollux could barely contain her excitement as she grinned from ear to ear.

“Why don’t you go there and find out.” The vice commander’s smile became even creepier. Am I the only one picking up on this?

***************

The time it took for Pollux and me to arrive at the site of our previous mission seemed as if it happened in an instant. Suffice to say, neither of us were enthused about our “surprise.” Pollux was the most unenthused.

“What the hell is this?!?!” Pollux shouted from the top of her lungs. “This isn’t a surprise! This is manual labor not in my contract!!!”

That’s right. Our surprise is to help repair the damages in the maze-like alleyway we caused from our previous mission. There were a few construction workers already present, measuring and preparing the materials to fix the damages.

“No, this is fixing your mistakes,” a deep, manly voice spoke from behind us. Pollux and I turned around to identify the speaker.

“It’s the foreman!” I spoke out loud.

The foreman wore a white tank top shirt, blue denim jeans, and a yellow construction hat. His facial hair was rugged, and his expression was kind yet stern. He was caring package of cement mix on his shoulders, holding it with one hand.

“Your boss, Mr. Saturn, contacted my construction company yesterday,” Mr. Foreman began, “said something about couple of his adult kids were playing a friendly game of tag. Apparently, Ms. Oni-Woman got a bit too excited and caused the damages, so he decided to send his kids down to the construction site to help with the damages they caused. Based on his story, seems like it all checks out.”

“Is that the story the vice commander is going with?” Pollux uttered flatly.

I, on the other hand, was moved by the story. “The vice commander sees us as his children?” My eyes were sparkling.

“Huh? Don’t tell me you buy that gunk.”

My eyes stopped sparkling. “Well, why not? The vice commander has to have something going for him other than his physique, stern appearance, and that creepy smile of his from this morning. Also, why am I here to help when I didn’t cause any of the damages?” I was now smiling sheepishly as I pointed to myself.

“Never mind your issues! Where the hell is Procyon? He was in on this ruckus too! I bet that loser is still lazing in bed! Typical of him!” Pollux sounded furious. Wait, are there flames behind her, or am I imagining thing. I rubbed my eyes just to be sure, and sure enough the flames weren’t there.

“Achooo!” Someone sneezed.

“Gesundheit.” All of the construction workers, Pollux, and I said simultaneously.

“Huh, I didn’t see anyone here sneeze,” I mentioned, questioningly.

[This isn’t seen by neither Pollux, Vega, nor the construction workers, but hiding behind a nearby wall was Procyon, who just happened to pass by the alleyway and had seen the ongoing construction. When Vega was no longer looking around, Procyon quietly but hurriedly shuffled off to anywhere else but there.]

“Hey you kids,” Mr. Foreman spoke as he stood behind us, both fists clinched, resting on his sides. His voice was above us, rumbling like thunder. “Are you just going to stand around and chat on my time, because I’ll be sure to let Mr. Saturn know just how much effort you put into repairing the damages.”

In both fear and respect, Pollux and I shouted together, “No, sir! We’re right on it, sir!”

We scrambled on our feet, hurrying to our designated areas to begin our tasks. I was responsible for assisting in mixing the cement and paving the concrete. Pollux was responsible for carrying and placing any heavy materials such as steel beams, window panes, and any technological equipment to be used for construction or to be replaced inside the damaged buildings. I made a pun about ‘paving the way to the future,’ but Pollux threw a hammer at my head to get me to shut up. Of course there wasn’t any intent to cause any actual harm, though I would have shut up for good if it weren’t for my construction hat.

Something that caught my attention about Pollux. She is of the proper physique for a woman her age: 5’3” (160 cm), thin, no visible signs of muscles at all. Yet, she is able to lift heavy objects like it’s nothing. And then there’s her Quasar, a kanabō. It’s a spiked metal club used by samurais in feudal era Japan and can only be wielded by two hands because of its size and weight. It’s larger than her in height and width, and weighs a lot more than her, but she is able to wield it with ease, and with one hand at that! Has she always been this strong?

***************

The foreman announced lunch break. One of the construction workers began to distribute lunch: a sandwich, chips, and bottled water. Pollux and I received our lunch and began to hang out by a corner of a building in the alleyway.

“Ahh, nothing like a good lunch to refuel ourselves after long morning of work!” I commented with a mouthful.

“Yeah yeah.” Pollux took a bite of her sandwich, speaking between bites. She was still none too happy about the ‘surprise,’ at least on the surface. “Turns out it’s not all that bad, this construction thing.”

“Maybe it could be a side job for us.”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, kid. Is this a career you’ve always wanted to pursue in your youth or childhood?”

I’m a kid to her? We’re two years apart from each other in age! I thought about her question in the time it took to swallow my food, and answered her question.

“I never imagined doing anything in construction, actually. I never really gave much thought as to what career I wanted to pursue. Life was thrown at me so fast between middle school and my first year of high school. I wanted to figure things out as I experienced life as a teen and getting a feel of life outside the home and computer. Well, you know how that turned out, that unexpected event. Even now, I’m still figuring things out since my escape from the prison, and throughout my days at the academy. I don’t know what I will be or where I will be in the next few years, or even in a decade. But, I can say that I love our organization. It feels as if it is becoming my home, and you all are becoming my family. I wouldn’t want anything different.”

Pollux smiled warmly as she leaned against the wall, one hand in the pocket of her hoodie, the other holding her sandwich, looking upward towards the blue sky day. “The feeling is mutual. I hope you figure out what it is that you want to do with your life.”

“How about you?” I asked. “If you weren’t a part of this organization, what would you do? What was your childhood or youthful dream?”

Before she could answer, we were approached by a man that appeared to be in his late-30s. He wore a white buttoned dress shirt and a black unbuttoned casual business jacket. His hair was black, a bit disheveled; his beard and mustache were lightly trimmed. He had black eyes, and heavy bags underneath them. Has he been getting enough sleep?

“Hey,” he greeted, waving casually at us with one hand. His voice was both deep and smooth. “Mind if I talk with you kids for a moment?”

There’s that word again: kid. Seems to be thrown around a lot today.

“Sure. What do you want from us, kids?” Pollux was relaxed but I could sense that she her defenses were up, ready for anything that may occur.

“Oh, pardon me. Where are my manners? I’m Joseph Lambert, a solopreneur journalist. I would like to ask you two a few questions.”