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Arthur

Though I couldn't agree with what Zoey did, I understood that she was only trying to protect me from the enemy soldiers.

Hopefully she didn't think that I was mad at her or something, because I wasn't, not in the least. I was just disappointed with myself actually. I was thinking like a brash fool, much like one of those Task Masters who could only see life down a single path, and I hated it. What would've happened if I had gotten myself killed because I wanted to get revenge on the men who took my family and I from our home then burned it down to the ground and killed all of our livestock? I would've disappointed not only myself but my mother and father. I had promised them that I would fight no matter what and win this battle, and there wouldn't be much use to me if I had gotten myself killed, huh?

Right now, I just needed some time to reflect on the things. At least the mission was a success in the eyes of General Ghost...I mean Damien Ghost. He wanted us to get the numbers and get back without getting killed, and I say that we over-compensated just a little. We had nearly gotten killed, and I could only hope that he wasn't going to eat us out later for that happening. He was a good guy though, so I don't think he was disappointed with us.

I looked around the chopper cabin. A soldier had swapped seats to allow Zoey to sleep, and Falk had been out for the past hour or so while we flew back to our fleet. Our other soldiers were also out like lights, telling me that I should probably join them in the serenity of sleep. I couldn't though. They were out cold, kinda like when Falk had knocked out Chambers, but I was still awake as ever but still very exhausted.

The wound in my shoulder stung but at least the bleeding had stopped. I was going to make sure the first thing that I was going to do when I returned to the fleet was see a doctor and get this checked out. No reason to go back into battle with a wound like this and potentially risk everything because I was too lazy to visit a doctor. No doubt Falk and Zoey were going to try and receive proper shut-eye by sleeping in their beds, in which I wished them sweet dreams, but I still had to think about a couple of things before I let the clutches of sleep take me over.

"You okay, Arthur?" General...Damien asked from behind.

I jumped and turned his way, shaking my head. "N-No, sir. I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow and sighed. "You know, Zoey's right. You're such a terrible liar."

Dammit Zoey...why do you always have to tell everyone that I'm such a horrible liar all the time? Seriously? Even though she was out cold, I knew it for a fact that she was snickering inside whatever dream she was having right now. I looked back to the general and sighed, nodding to him. He got the picture and beckoned me to follow him to the cockpit which I did.

Two seats remained available to us while the pilot stayed static and kept his eyes on the sky. Damien sat down before me and looked into my weary eyes. He always had a way to get the truth out of someone whether it be understandable methods or very extreme methods. I'd rather not test his patience right now, so I began to talk.

After I had gotten through explaining my situation to him, he said in reply "Well, it's been a while since you've met someone from your past, Arthur. Maybe it just brought up some painful memories from the past that you've kept bottled up for so long."

I couldn't agree more with him actually. It had been so long since I had thought about the things that had happened six years ago. But what I never forgot to remember were my parents, who were still buried on the same land that they were murdered on. I remembered Jupiter as well, even though I hated to, and his smug look when he stood right next to them and did nothing. Then I remembered how he had threatened to kill me the next morning for giving him a couple new scars under his eye.

Just thinking about what he could possibly do to me brought back so much fear that I kept buried deep within my body that I never realized existed. The night that my parents were killed was the same night that Washa helped me flee the property to save my life. I owed my life to her, if she was even alive right now.

Wait, what was I thinking? Of course she was alive! There was no way she could be dead, but what if Jupiter had found out that she helped me escape? There was no doubt in my mind that he would kill her for that and it would be my fault entirely, and there was nothing I could do to help her now.

It had been so long since I thought about the consequences of my fleeing of the property, but I could only hope that things were still somewhat okay back there. Not only had I left my dead parents to rot a few feet under the property, but I had also left dozens of slaves behind who were probably either shattered or dead now. No doubt Jupiter had already replaced many slaves right now and it only pissed me off more and more just thinking about it.

I looked into the general's eyes. He always knew exactly what to say to someone who was hurting like me. I remembered when I first met him years ago. He didn't look like he had aged a day since then. Personally, he didn't look like he had grown a millimeter since then as well.

Heh, that thought made me snicker.

Damien raised an eyebrow in confusion at me. "What? Is it something I said?" He began to frantically look around. "Is my suit stained or what?"

I smiled and shook my head, waving my hand to the side. "Nah, you still look as spiffy and sharp as ever, sir. Just...thinking about a joke Falk told me a while ago."

The fox let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, good. I'm meeting with the leaders of the French Revolution and the English Revolution today and I need to look my best." He placed a hand on his chest and smiled. "So...what was the joke?"

I froze. "Uh...what?"

He smiled and playfully punched me on the shoulder. "You said Falk told you a funny joke. Come on, tell me. I bet it's pretty funny."

Oh, just my luck. If it's not one thing then it's another. Not only did I have to think about the things that had happened a few years ago, but now I had to think about a lame joke of Falk's that could make the general laugh. If I couldn't then he was going to know I was lying to him and he was going to want the truth from me.

"Oh...um...well..." I thought for a moment before the pilot interrupted me.

"Excuse me, if I may?" he asked the general.

Damien looked at him. "Go ahead, pilot."

"We'll be landing in T-minus two minutes so I recommend that you all buckle down and get your things together. That includes you as well, General Ghost."

It looked like God was smiling down on me this night! Thank the Lord that the pilot stood up when he did otherwise I was never going to hear the end from it from Damien. If I was the guy in charge instead of Damien, in which I didn't want to be, I would totally promote this man to a new rank just for that stunt.

"Thank you, sir," Damien replied turning back to me. "We'll talk later. Go ahead and get your things together. I don't think I have another mission ready for you or the others just yet so just get some well-deserved rest if you can, alright?" He patted my arm.

I nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll try." I said, standing up and heading for the cabin before Damien stopped me again.

"Oh, and I would still like to hear that fake joke you heard about from Falk soon. But I'll see you when you're ready."

Aw, hell.

The pilot was right about the landing being very soon.

I quickly woke up Falk and Zoey who were still lost in a deep sleep and helped them prep their things for our arrival. They looked as though they were still half asleep, which I could understand, but they were fighting through their exhaustion just to get their things ready to sleep in a normal bed. Our other soldiers had been awake before them and had already gotten their own things ready, making Falk, Zoey, and I look like noobs to this entire military op.

We all felt our decent grow quicker for the next few moments until we stopped entirely, hearing the propeller on the top of the chopper begin to die down. The doors along the side slid out then to the side, allowing us to jump out and take a look at the fleet. It was dangerous to stay on land, so our fleet was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, massing at around fifty battle ships, another thirty aircraft carriers, and nearly one hundred air fighters. Our people were also able to develop floating houses that stayed close to the inside of the fleet, housing up to three dozen soldiers if we needed to just in case things got crowded on our ships.

If there was one thing the Task Masters and the Overlord feared most, it was the deep waters of the ocean. Get stranded out here without a boat and you were more than likely a dead man. Not us Revolutioners however. We embraced the open seas and used them to our advantage against the enemy. Cargo planes that didn't carry people were easily taken down and stripped for supplies, crippling the enemy in the long run as well.

No one really knew what it was about the sea that the Overlord and his cronies feared. It was a mystery to not only us but to their soldiers as well, and we just left it at that and used it to our advantage. The first generals of the Revolution across the world were the ones who came up with the idea to use a navy and air force against the Overlord which I gave massive respect to. We had an advantage against them, and we were still using it to this day.

It was still dark though, being about three in the morning of course. The waters around each one of the ships was calm and serene, and completely dark. Maybe that was what the enemy feared--the darkness of the underwater area.

We stepped out and began to make out way to the command center near the middle of the ship. Our fleet was constantly moving just to avoid detection by the enemy, and it helped keep us on our toes as well. Soldiers constantly patrolled the deck with sharp eyes just in case something was to happen. The ship's radar could detect any enemy ships, which is if they had any, and any aircraft from over fifty miles away, giving us plenty of time to prep our guns and get ready for an attack, which was rare.

Falk and Zoey were ways ahead of me even though they were half asleep. That sure surprised me since I was easily more focused than them, but I had to remember that they wanted to hit their beds soon. Even though I wasn't as tired as they were, I was a little hungry since the only thing I had eaten for the past two days were energy bars. Blegh, those things got nasty after a while, I'll say that much.

I had failed to notice the general walking right beside me. "Hey, Arthur, are you sure you're okay? Are you not feeling well or something? I can get a doctor ready for you if you want."

I shook my head. "No thanks, sir. I think I'll just get my gear checked out at the armory and hit the hay soon. My...uh...head's pounding right now."

He didn't look so convinced which told me how much of a bad liar I was. I couldn't help it though! I was raised on a farm for crying out loud! My parents never taught me to lie or disrespect others!

We parted ways once we made it to the hangar doors. My friends were already long gone, heading for the rooms that they shared with a few others. Four to a room, max, and I wasn't in Falk's. Though I was a lieutenant, I didn't like the fact that they also split up the ranks of the soldiers into their own rooms, in which I knew Falk was a lieutenant but we weren't placed in the same room. I wanted to talk to him about a couple of things but I never could sadly, and it made me mad.

I digressed and headed the opposite way from the general, heading straight for the armory. What still amazed me was the fact that soldiers still patrolled through the ship through the night without looking even a bit tired. I know I spent the past two days waiting for our target to show up, but I had at least taken periodical breaks in between just to state my exhaustion. They still looked as stiff and awake as ever, making me want to drink or be trained exactly how they were.

Each one I passed knew exactly who I was and didn't question my motive for being up this late/early. They allowed me to carry on through the brightly lit hallways until I finally reached the armory room, only to find it closed and locked. Sadly, the only ones with clearance inside was the general, the man in charge of the armory, and lieutenant-commanders. Anyone else who wanted in had to go to one of them and ask them for clearance before going inside. Luckily we had plenty of LC's, so finding and having one was easy.

I knocked on the door a few times, hoping for a response. Nothing. I grunted and knocked a little harder, this time getting a call from the other side. I waited a few seconds until I heard the faint click on the other side and saw the door slide to the side. Inside was Shock the ship's armorer. He was a horse who just had a knack for tools and repairing damaged things on a day to day basis. He wore a set of jeans, a black T-shirt, and a set of leather gloves. Shock and I were good friends and whenever I needed something looked at, he was the first guy I'd come to for help.

"Eh, Arthur!" he chuckled, wrapping his arms around me, squeezing me like I was in some sort of death lock before letting me go. "I haven't see ya in a few days! Everythin' alright, eh?"

I nodded as he allowed me inside. "Yeah, I just had to take care of a mission which took a little while to complete."

Shock nodded. "Ahh, I see. Anythin' you need repaired? Guns? Communicator? Nano-suit? C'mon, talk to me, my boy!"

Despite the fact that he was only seven years older than me, he had more energy than the Energizer Bunny on crack. I wished I had his same enthusiasm but sometimes it scared me just how upbeat he was ninety-nine percent of the time. Never in these past six years have I seen him down in the dumps or just out of it. He was always up to the par and usually optimistic.

I handed him my communicator, pistol, and nano-gloves. "Uh, don't clear out my communicator though, there are some files in there that I need to take to the general in a few hours. The rest...I just need made sure that it works without any sort of flaws on my next mission."

The equine nodded. "Ha, I expected a challenge, eh? No matter! I'll have these up to code in just a few minutes. You're more than welcome to sit. Go on, go on! This won't take long at all!"

It was best not to decline such a generous offer from a good friend like him. He knew exactly what he was doing, so I didn't doubt his skill. I had seen him put together a fully dismantled gun in under five minutes. How he moved his hands like they were miniature tornados was a mystery to me, but I didn't question it, only loved it being an asset to us instead of a hindrance.

He took my pistol and began to take it apart piece by piece, mumbling a few things to himself while he cleaned out the barrel and chamber. He used a sort of digital magnifying glass that was only used on his good eye, only having to tap the side to zoom in more or less to check out everything he needed to. Shock had told me his father used to be a gun tester and crafter, so I understood where his love for guns came from, as well we his great skill with them.

While he tinkered away at my equipment, still mumbling softly to himself, I looked around the armory, sitting myself in one of his chairs. The room was large enough to house dozens of guns ranging from assault rifles, to sniper rifles, to pistols, or to RPG's. He also had an array of explosives lying around which also made this room a ticking time bomb in the event a fire was to break out and the sprinklers from above didn't work. Racks lining the walls and middle of the room were filled with guns and grenades, along with a few heat-knives--combat knives that had a built in heat attachment that not only mortally wounded the enemy but also burned them while it was lodged inside. Falk found those pretty special, carrying one around not only for show but also for use, which he did used three missions ago.

In the corners of the room I saw large metal crates filled with ammunition and more explosives like C4 and motion-triggered claymores. So yeah, this room was definitely a ticking time bomb but Shock loved it that way. If something were to happen, it at least kept him on the tips of his hooves.

Behind him I could see dozens of pictures from his earlier days when he wasn't a part of the Revolution and when he was. One seemed to be him with his father, both of them wearing sunglasses while holding old-school-style AK's. He also looked pretty young as well, but I knew that I was younger un this picture, if I was even in the picture if you caught my drift. I couldn't deny that he looked completely happy during his youth. A crazy happy smile was streaked across his face as he held a handgun in his hands, his father patting the young horse's head while rustling his hair.

That brought back memories of my father and I. Whenever we would go fishing and I could catch something big like a catfish or a bass, he would always pat me on the head and tell me that I was going to be the best fisherman in the world. Even though I didn't believe him when he over exaggerated like that, it always helped me feel better whenever I thought about it. He always knew how to make me feel better, even if he had to play around with me in order to do so.

I looked over the rest of the pictures as well, finding that most of them were of him and his father or with friends from his past. In each one he had his signature smile and looked just as hyper as a little kid who had just had three chocolate bars. The ones on the far right looked to be a little more recent by the looks of them. He stood on the ship, overlooking the sunset on the horizon with a set of sunglasses to cover his eyes. Another one contained him and a few others I recognized on the ship, all with their arms slung over each other's shoulders while making silly faces at the camera. There was another one that showed him and another horse I didn't know wrestling with one another from what I could tell, and they seemed to be evenly matched.

Never had I really thought to look at his pictures and try to figure out what they meant, but now I guess I was just either bored or fascinated. Not one showed him with a frown. Nope. He always had a smile and someone there, besides the sunset one. I usually just came here to fix anything that felt broken or was going haywire, but I never really went in depth into his pictures.

However, one in particular caught my eye.

It was another group picture by the looks of it with eight people inside the whole thing. They were on the landing area of the ship and showed that four of them were kids, including Shock, and the other four being adults--soldiers who worked for the Revolution. The kids going from left to right: a cheetah, a dragon, Shock, and a lioness. The soldiers who shadowed them from behind however: a husky that looked exactly like a younger version of Carlos, a dingo, a fox, and an otter. The soldiers looked as though they had just gotten out of a gunfight, showing off all of their cuts and wounds proudly while the kids looked scared and fearful.

See, it wasn't because Shock looked scared that got me. I stood up and walked over to the picture, allowing Shock to do his work. As I got closer, my eyes slowly moved towards the fox. He looked young but not as young as Shock, who actually looked a little older in this picture than in the first one I saw. The fox looked strict and tough but also very calm and collected as if he didn't have anything to worry about despite looking as though he got his butt handed to him. There was something about him that felt very familiar to me, almost as if I knew him.

I coughed and looked at Shock. "Hey, um...Shock? Can I ask you something?"

He tapped his small welding tool against my gun then looked at me, turning off his scope. "Sure thing, man. What'cha need? A gun? A sharper knife? Oh, maybe perhaps a--"

I cut him off "Um, no, it's something about this picture right here actually."

The horse stood up and walked over, eyeing the picture I was pointing at. "Oh, that old thing. What'cha wanna know about it, little buddy?"

It took me a few moments to find the right words, so I rubbed my arms and tried to form them. "Well...who are these people in the picture? One of them looks like you but...I don't know any of the others."

He leaned forward and squinted his eyes, eyeing the picture until he nodded. "That is indeed me, little man. Those right there..." he pointed to each of the younger looking people he stood next to. "...are my friends."

I raised my eyebrow. "Are?"

He nodded. "Mmm-hmm. They're still alive, workin' with the Revolution too, though they split off to th' French or th' English. I don't exactly remember, but we still keep contact."

"What about the soldiers behind you?" I asked, pointing at the husky, then the dingo, then the fox, and then finally the otter.

"Well..." He let out a stressed out sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't exactly remember who they were--oh, wait! I remember one of them though!" He pointed at the husky. "That right there is your pal Carlos! Man, I can't believe I nearly forgot about him! You see, this group of soldiers helped save my friend's an' I from an entire army of soldiers back in Kentucky. If they hadn't come to save us, I'll bet my hide that we would've all been dead."

I then pointed at the fox. "Well, do you remember the fox's name by any chance? Or did he even tell you his name?"

Shock folded his arms across his chest and let out another stressed sigh, thinking long and hard about my question. "He might've told me, man. Problem is, I can't remember it off th' top of my head."

I looked down and pressed my ears against my head in defeat. "Oh, I understand."

Shock looked at me and patted my back. "I'm sorry I can't be of that much help, man. I wish I would tell you more." He saw the downed look on my face then seemed to think for a moment, gasping suddenly. "Hey, ya know what? I'll talk to your pal Carlos when I see him, eh? I may not remember who they were but he's bound to know who he is."

"You think so?" I asked very optimistic, showing a slight smile curve on my lips.

Shock nodded and patted my back. "Of course, little man! I heard he's on a mission at th' moment, so when I find him I'll ask him about the picture and when I see you again I'll tell you what he told me, alright?"

Trying to doubt Shock and his ideas was impossible. He was a person I trusted without a doubt, so I knew that if he had an idea like this then he was going to get it done then report back to me. I knew that he didn't have to do this, but I also knew that he was doing this out of the massive amount of kindness inside his heart, and who was I to question it?

He continued to work on my gear for the next couple of minutes while I still examined the picture carefully. The husky was Carlos, that much I knew, but I had no idea if that fox was who I was thinking it was. Was it who I was thinking? No...not it couldn't be, right? He would've told me if he was doing something like this, wouldn't he have?

I tried to get those thoughts out of my mind, knowing that I was jumping from conclusion to conclusion nonstop. That fox could've been anyone in this entire fleet, or he could be dead for all I knew and wasn't the person I was thinking about at the moment. The only one who could possibly know for sure was Carlos himself, the man that I remembered saved me that same night where Washa had helped me escape from Jupiter's property. Had he not found me, I would've been dead or I would've been found by Jupiter.

Shock called me over and handed me my things. "Alright, little man, your gear is in tip-top shape now. I didn't touch the files or anythin' just like you asked, so you can give these to the general whenever you please."

Graciously taking my gear, I did a small bow to him in response. "Thank you, Shock. I really owe you for this."

The horse shook his head. "Ah, my friend, it was a mere pleasure to get to tinker with something else besides explosives for a while. It was nice to see you again by the way, Arthur. I'll be sure to talk to Carlos soon, just be sure to talk to me in th' next couple of days, eh?"

I nodded, smiling. "Sure thing, Shock. I'm going to get some shut eye before the general needs me, so thanks once again."

"See you soon, man," he waved goodbye as I walked out of the door, letting it slide shut behind me as I walked down the hall.

Placing my gun back in its holster, I walked past a few soldiers. It felt a little lighter than it felt before. Shock knew exactly what he was doing and his gear was top-notch within our fleet, sometimes even getting praised by the other captains of the other ships. My only gripe was that I hoped it wasn't too light that it was going to be a problem, but with a little testing I was sure it would soon feel as though it was just perfect within my grip.

The ship continued to bob up and down then side to side, which every soldier grew accustomed to after spending weeks on the sea, which then turned into months and quite possibly years if they were determined. Cameras that were placed on the ceiling followed each and every soldier's moves, using a specified ID scanner that ran a facial identification of every soldier that we had in our fold, whether it be English, French, Russian, Japanese, or Chinese. Though we couldn't match the Overlord and his massive army with our numbers, we were still a forced to be reckoned with globally.

I don't know what the generals are thinking, not even Damien. Some of the soldiers speculate that their trying to think of a plan to go all out and fight against the Overlord and his goons. Not one of the past generals have done something that risky and ballsy, but we could do it and we could put a massive dent in the Overlord's forces, yet we would risk skyrocket-like casualties, nearly putting us completely out of the war entirely. Waiting was the best opportunity because more people join our cause by the day and we just wait for the right moment to strike.

General Ghost and the other generals had decided it was time to start pushing back the enemy a few months ago. It started with smaller ops that crippled the Task Masters from different countries or states, which then crippled the Overlord and his forces little by little. Of course he eventually rectified the problem by sending in his army to restore order, but there were still ops, like the one I did, that couldn't be fixed. Chambers was the only one who kept the numbers in their entire order, and now that we had them they would have to re-vote and give us another opportunity to cripple them even more.

The war had been a stalemate for the past two years, but now with the combined knowledge of our generals we began to push back as much as we could without taking heavy losses. My work had been cut out for me these past few months, and Ghost didn't seem to let up on me in the least. He knew why I was fighting and I think the reason he pushed me was because he wanted me to succeed above everyone's expectations. I don't know.

I placed my hand against the wall of my room and let out a stressed sigh. These past few days had stressed me out more than anything, and the fact that I saw both Scar Face and that picture only seemed to make my life just more of a living hell. Truly, I wasn't exactly lying to Ghost earlier about my head killing me because now it was.

Without another moment to waste, I slid my ID card into it slot and walked into my room, only to find my roommates MIA.

"I guess they're on a mission," I sighed, running my stubby claws through my head fur a few times before setting my things down.

My shoulder throbbed with the movement that I gave it, but I forced myself to fight through it. I was just too tired to go to the doctor right now, if the doctor was even up at this time. I might've been risking an infection, but I was just exhausted and I needed to rest.

Well, a little peace and quiet from the usual snoring from them would make the next few hours more relaxing. This was exactly what I needed after the past forty-eight hours. I still liked my roommates, but I really needed some regular peace and quiet for the moment, as far as peace and quiet went when you live on a battle-ship. I could only hope that the alarm didn't go off while I slept otherwise I would not be a happy camper when I woke up.

I placed my bags under my bottom bunk and began to change into my night clothes, black sweats and a white T-shirt. It felt good to be wearing some loose clothes for a change as opposed to a skin tight suit. I could finally breathe and relax fully.

Before going completely to bed, I looked over to the nightstand that I shared with my ship-mates. On the far left side I looked at the plane my parents had made for me for my birthday years ago. When Carlos had saved me, it thought that it had been completely destroyed, but I was lucky that the worst things that had happened was that it had only been chipped on the wing.

It was inside a small glass box, protecting it just in case it was to fall because we were on a ship that continued to rock from the waves of the ocean. I placed my hand on the box and sighed, thinking about my parents instantly. It was almost like I could see them in the reflection of the glass, smiling at me showing how proud of me they were. That image seemed to fade as the seconds went on, soon just returning to just me and myself alone in this room once more.

"I'll make things up to you guys, one day," I promised, taking my hand away from the box before lying down in my bed, closing my eyes and letting the wonderful clutches of sleep take me away from the world.