- Oh, by the way, what's your name?
- Hinu. My name is Hinu. Don't you remember me at all?
- It's a long story. I'll...
- Come on, Romeo! - Garret yelled at Ronnie.
With that remark by Garret Ronnie stormed off. Hinu almost always had a cold expression on her face and during that conversation Ronnie noticed it. That was part of her behaviour - she avoided showing too much emotions, otherwise that would interfere with her duties, plus there were very few members of New Hope who could make her share stories about her past and herself. Though Tyler saw something else. Along with his taste for women, he also tended to spew jokes about them and Ronnie was a part of one of them:
- So... Ronnie... you must be thirsty.
- Well, a tiny bit. I left the house without even eating anything.
- I'm not talking about food.
- You mean... Aaah, no! I didn't hit on her!
- Oh, I think you did. Asking about someone's name does not happen without a reason, Ronnie.
- Listen, wise guy, I'm taken. Why would I want to ruin my relationship?
- Fair point, though let's face it - you're not planning to marry Ashlynn, are you?
Ronnie bowed his head. Tyler continued:
- The fact that you two are together does not necessarily mean that you'll be tied together for the rest of your lives. It is one of the best parts of youth - to explore while you still can, to meet people, to find out what your purpose is in this life. I'm not encouraging you to hurt her, but when things don't go the way they should, it's time to move on. Remember that when such a moment arrives. Oh, and I could also read your mind.
- Eh?
After the state of pain that Ronnie fell in and after the iffy condition that the brothers were in for a few moments, the trio experienced changes. They felt stronger, more powerful.
- What the fuck do you mean you read my mind?
That fit of nerves caused Ronnie's arms to catch fire.
- Oh God! Aah! I can't put it out!
- What the hell did you do, Ronnie? - said Garret.
- How should I know? Help me out, God damn it!
Sable silently observed the whole situation and whispered to Garret:
- You can control ice, as well as fire. Try it.
With those words Garret concentrated, covered his arms with ice, aimed at Ronnie and sprayed him. Unfortunately he froze Ronnie's torso, along with his arms. As a result Ronnie's torso now resembled an ice cube.
- I expected you to put out the fire, not turn me into an iceberg, Garret!
- Sorry. I have never... iced anyone.
After a few attempts Ronnie broke free of the ice.
- How did I not burn to death? - he said.
- I guess you can control fire. How... obvious. - Tyler thought that he sounded stupid by saying that.
***
The group hurried, because they were wasting time. As soon as they entered the command centre, Stromak lashed out onto them:
- What took you so long? Why didn't you just fly here?
Sable immediately lied in order to defend the boys:
- You see, Ankonian... I mean Ronnie... went through a very torturing state of mind.
- What do you mean?
- He was in severe pain and he had to be immediately transferred to the medical centre. Hexer and Kugen were unsure if they could escort him safely on their own.
- What did you feel? - Stromak turned to Ronnie.
- Pain, lots of it. Also I saw lots of images, visions. They seemed like memories, though I don't remember having such...
- I need to know everything about this.
Stromak could not stand secrets. When something had to do with war and the survival of New Hope, he had to know all of the details. And he wasn't going to let Ronnie go without knowing that information:
- What did you see?
- Burning buildings, dying men and women... or rather Immortals. I saw them...
He pointed at Tyler and Garret:
-..., they were there too. It was... a civil war, by the looks of it. I did not see the Overlord at all. Tyler programmed some... what was it called... oh yeah, black hole machine, it began doing something and produced a shot towards the sky - I have no idea what its purpose was. Then we went to this other room...
- Were you being chased? - Stromak interrupted him.
- Yes, we were chased. They were constantly yelling "Kill the blasphemers! Stop The Unholy Trinity!". I have no idea what that was all about - it's all a blur to me.
- What happened next?
- We entered this room that contained the three gems and the container that crash-landed into the stadium 3 days ago.
- And then?
- Then Garret asked me if this was the right thing to do...
- Which is?
Stromak was very impatient by that point.
- Go on, tell me!
- I'm telling you, God damn it! Be at least a bit patient! This isn't an exam!
Ronnie did not like being pushed around.
- A lot of stuff went through my head today. So we sat in a circle and it felt like I was melting. It was similar to what we felt when the crystals fused into our bodies.
Stromak was not very knowledgeable when it came to dreams, the spiritual world and mysteries. He dismissed almost everything and labelled it as "utter nonsense". Such was the case with Ronnie:
- Something tells me I should not believe you...
- My apologies, Sir, but have you any idea what Ronnie went through today? - Tyler was outrageous. - He was not the same man this morning. We saw the same images he saw. One of your men nearly died, but that's not Ronnie's fault.
If there was anything Stromak disliked more than the Overlord, it was losing crew members, one way or another.
- You... attacked New Hope personnel?
- I don't know exactly what happened. Why would I attack anyone from New Hope for no reason? - said Ronnie.
Then the commander stood up from the table, strode towards Ronnie and grabbed him by the throat:
- Did you hurt or kill anyone? Tell me!
Tyler jumped at Stromak:
- Let him go, Stromak! No one's been injured!
A bolt of electricity shot from Tyler's arms and knocked the commander down.
- Huh? How did... What's happening to us? - Tyler was giggling earlier at Ronnie setting his arms on fire, but now that he found out that he could throw thunderbolts, laughter was the last thing he was going to do. Luckily Sable had a plausible explanation:
- Garret, did Ronnie speak in an unusual voice at any point?
- Actually, yes. Well, it was more growling than speaking, really.
- Fair enough. I believe I have an explanation.
The trio turned their attention to Sable and what he said made some sense:
- Many years ago Ankonian himself told me about a possible option, should the uprising fail and the resistance falls in the grave. He told me: "When all else fails, I will hand myself over to someone who will be able to achieve what I could not, who will resume the cause and make a better future for our brothers and sisters. I do not care where my remains will end, but as long as they are used in the best way possible, my soul will rest in peace, wherever it may go." In my eyes what happened to all of you is that you've seen the last moments of your predecessors.
Garret couldn't quite make sense of what Sable just said:
- How's that possible? I... I hardly understand this spiritual shit, but if a soul disappears, don't the memories disappear with it?
- True, but apparently they've found a way to send their memories as well.
- Why would anyone want to know the memories of a member of a dead race, Sable? - Tyler believed that there was no way anyone in the Universe would be able to separate a portion of their mind, put it in a box and throw it into outer space. Yet again Sable had an explanation:
- You see, the Immortals were interested in their spirits as well as the
technology that they used. Once they found out that their mental attitude can make a difference...
- I don't think you have to be a genius to find that out. - Garret pointed out.
- Let me say what I have to say, Garret.
Sable, too, did not enjoy being interrupted. Ronnie told Garret to keep it quiet and listen:
- So once they found out that their soul can be a weapon, they began exploring it, experimenting with it, to see what makes it tick, how they could improve it and if they could literally turn fear into a weapon. After many trials and errors, their experiment became a success: through alterations in their vocal chords, the frequency of their voices and channelling insanity, the Immortals could strike fear in the minds of their opponents. This method was so effective some of their enemies lost their lives moments after they were exposed to the growls, screeches and screams of the Immortals.
- OK, first of all, is it a language and if it is, is there an alphabet for it? Also, if this method can make someone lose their mind, how come we never crapped our pants when Ronnie growled at us? - Tyler's question made Garret think about the moment when they were carrying Ronnie.
- No, it is not a language. They have repeatedly lied to other races just so that they could throw effort into trying to learn a language that is... complete gibberish in reality. All you have to do is channel the violence, anger and insanity that you've accumulated and use it to weaken and murder your adversaries.
Up until that point in time the boys have never heard of anyone using anger as a weapon that way. There are many cases in which anger and violence have been used as fuel, but not as a weapon the same way a pistol is used, for instance. The list of weapons and abilities kept growing.
- What else do we have at our disposal, Sable? - Ronnie wanted to know more about what he could do, now that he was an Immortal.
- As an Immortal you...
- This will take a millennia. - Stromak interrupted Sable.
Sable wanted to let the boys know how much of an impact they could make, as well as the scale of the difference they could potentially make. Stromak was at times far too impatient. That moment was perfect for Sable to try and convince the commander to take it easy:
- You have to understand, Stromak, that they have almost zero knowledge about themselves and what they can do. Now is the perfect moment to tell them what they are capable of, because if they explore their powers in public, they will attract unwanted attention and also might injure or kill someone by accident.
- So you exclude the possibility of them going berserk and wiping out everyone on this vessel?
- Oh, how paranoid you are...
Sable then told the boys:
- You see, your... I mean OUR commander happens to be a bit paranoid and obsessed with lies...
- I try to do the best for New Hope.
- And yet at times you cross the line, Stromak.
- Safety is our number one priority! - said Stromak.
The situation was similar to the one 3 days ago. Only this time the boys were listening and watching. It didn't take long for Tyler to realise that there have been conflicts in the past. Garret knew that conversations would not be easy during hard times, whilst Ronnie was still puzzled. Regardless of the confusion he knew one thing for sure - it would not be easy to communicate under pressure and in a state of anger, if his social life was any indication for that. He decided it was time to stop the argument:
- Didn't we come here for a different reason?
Stromak and Sable remained silent.
- You asked us to think about whether or not we were willing to help. And I firmly believe that I have an answer to your question. I personally thought about it all and I am willing to do whatever I can to help you, using what I already possess and what I acquired from the container. Destroy the Overlord, find a way to squeeze the technology from us, you leave the Solar System in peace - simple as that. Garret, Tyler, are you with me?
Ronnie once again assumed the role of a leader with that speech. It sounded very simple: New Hope would train them and supply them with every piece of important information regarding Ren'ul Furot and his armies and once the conflict ends, so does the trio's "contract".
- Count me in. - Tyler agreed.
- Same goes for me. - Garret joined in.
The trio was now officially a part of New Hope. Their time and effort would be focused on training, killing Furot's armies and possibly Ren'ul himself. Stromak was pleased - he now had Immortals on his side, or at least soon to be Immortals, and New Hope could turn the tides of this war. Sable, on the other hand, was contemplating on how to begin the boys' training routine. Only Tyler and Garret had some experience in self-defence - Ronnie had not fought against anyone since 4th grade. From that moment on the boys had to use violence in order to defeat Furot's armies.
Chapter VII
The anxiety of a loved one
The Bronco family's afternoon was fairly ordinary. Shopping at the supermarket, taking the kids from school, followed by and afternoon snack. During that afternoon snack Mr. Bronco's mind was at work. What were those men trying to do? Why were they hiding in the bushes? And why were they in such a hurry earlier that day? His wife was concerned about his silence:
- What's the matter, Lawrence?
- Earlier today I saw the same three men who ran through the backyard 3 days ago.
His wife gasped.
- There's nothing to worry about, Debora. They did not harm anyone.
- Well then what were they doing?
- They were obviously in a rush, but I don't know where they were headed. Two of them were carrying the third, who was in pain.
Lawrence's wife was a very emotional woman who hated to see life forms in pain, be it animals or people. As a child she constantly witnessed death of animals and that prompted her to become a vet, so that she can save as many animal lives as possible.
- How badly was he injured? Did they tell you anything?
- No, but they did see me. The injured one was talking like an animal, like he had lost his mind. Truth is, I was very frightened.
Debora held Lawrence's hand.
- So what do you plan to do?
- The usual: see what happens and ask them a few questions, once I see them.
And as soon as those words were said, the boys appeared in the street. Debora saw them through the window:
- It's them! But... none of them is in pain. Are you sure you're not lying? - Debora said.
- Why would I lie? I'm a police officer. Me lying would be like the pastor worshipping Satan.
- Prove it - go and ask them. - she said.
Lawrence was very confident and never missed an opportunity to prove someone wrong. Truth was not just a part of his job. It was a part of his life and he was willing to do all that he could, so that everything was crystal clear and the truth prevails in the end. The officer walked out normally, so that he did not seem intimidating to them. Ronnie quickly recognised officer Bronco and was startled.
- Is that the owner of the house we saw 3 days ago? - Tyler whispered to Garret.
- Yeah, and he probably thinks we tried to rob him. - Garret pulled a hammer out of his forearm, which he quickly retracted, after he read Bronco's mind and realised he was not there to threaten them.
- What the hell, Garret? What's wrong with you? - Ronnie criticised him.
- Um... my apologies... sir... we went through a lot recently. - Garret said.
Mr. Bronco suggested that they go inside the house, so that he could interrogate them. He did promise beforehand that he would not reveal any information to the public or the authorities. Tyler then clarified the situation to Lawrence without going too much into details. What he omitted was the fight at the stadium and Ronnie's visions. Tyler replaced the visions with "an unforeseen and unknown effect on his organism", which was pretty much the same. Officer Bronco was not quite convinced about everything he was told. Once again the boys had to prove that they were not ordinary an
ymore.
- Garret, please show him a pair of P90s. - Tyler asked politely.
That is exactly what Garret did - a pair of P90 submachine guns popped out of the top of Garret's forearm. Garret was grinning at the sight of those firearms and suggested that Tyler shows a pair of M249 machine guns. Bronco had never seen anything like this before. His wife walked into the living room and she wasn't exactly calm.
- What... what are you doing? Is this some kind of bribery? - Debora asked.
- Oh, heavens, no, madam! It's an exhibition. - Tyler clarified, which was followed by the boys chuckling.
- You're carrying those guns and you think it's some sort of a joke?
- You see, Mrs...
- Bronco.
- Right. What we're doing is trying to prove that what we're saying is true. We're not drunk, we're not high, nor are we lunatics. Not certain about the last one. I know that your husband is a police officer and our aim is to keep our... how should I call it... capabilities a secret for as long as possible. By now you probably realise that if the public finds out today that there are walking armouries among them, us three will be swarmed with questions when we should be dealing with more pressing matters.
That speech made him sound a bit like a spokesperson with sarcasm, but unlike most speeches, this one made perfect sense. It would be borderline impossible to keep all of the events up until that point in time a secret. Surely at least a handful of people have seen the container falling from the sky, as well as the two drop ships. Ronnie, Garret and Tyler had yet to hear the people talking.
- Where exactly is my place in this case? Or... I guess story, seeing as you haven't committed any crimes. - Mr. Bronco said.
- Well... first of all, we want nothing but a little support from you. And no, you won't have to do anything like hiding objects or genetically modified organisms in your basement or ceiling. Here's what we want: don't tell any representative of the authority that you know about us and what we're doing, alright?
That meant that officer Bronco had to hide information from the authorities, from his friends and colleagues. He did not like that.
- You basically want me to go against my own rules and principals and possibly betray and endanger my family, friends and colleagues. Is there any guarantee you won't just go on a manslaughter?
The Immortal Trinity: Inheritance Page 8