Chapter Two (Part 4, Edit Three)

     While everyone else on the team had their own ordeals with finding transport, Jack had an easy time getting here. He figured the easiest was to find a truck stop, find out where it was going and climb on top. Chances are, there would be plentiful, or at least a few, truckers heading over to Alexandria. It is the biggest city in Egypt after all. Jack didn't expect the whipping of the wind to be so fierce however, so it was a good thing he at least brought a backpack to shield his face. That and his genetic tampering to help the recovery process.
     Jack wasn't too stealthy about getting off the top of the truck, he was starting to feel sick and wanted to get down as fast as possible. The look on the truckers face was something he had not expected nor wanted. The trucker had an odd mix of fury, worry, and confusion. Most of all, the man was speechless, just making slight sounds with his mouth, completely shocked a thinly built boy just withstood being on top of a semi-truck's cargo for a few hours.
     "Um...Well, I guess it's sa-safer than hitchhiking", the trucker seemed to demand an explanation and that was at least some form of truth. With that, he walked off.
     Jack was hesitant to ask anyone for directions and so just wandered around the town taking in the various sights, engaging himself with the city. With the little pocket cash he had on him, he grabbed a small snack, sweet and salty trail mix, and found a map only to find he was walking in the complete opposite direction of his intended goal. Jack was just glad that he had more than enough time to make it.
     When Jack arrived at the catacombs, the way they lumbered over him was a bit intimidating. He couldn't believe that he'd be partly responsible for demolishing part of this. It caused his pulse to quicken and deepen in guilt. He looked down at his watch; about a half hour till someone else showed up. Jack took his time surveying the surroundings, looking at various exits, but as he did so, it only did more to increase his level of guilt. As Jack traversed the perimeter, he saw parents with smaller kids. Locals most likely trying to get their kids to appreciate this rich piece of history. There were older college kids, people who were just as young as Jack was that had dreams of their own, like Jack once did.
     It was actually quite a coincidence. A year ago, this very day, it was Jack's own birthday. It was one of the few things that he started to remember ever since his memory stopped being so fuzzy. It came in bits and pieces, but whether it was due to the moment, the stress, or just an overwhelming coincidence, it was a very vivid memory today.
  

     "Happy birthday Dear Ja-ack...", his mom barely managed to choke out over her sobs.
     "Happy birthday to you...", his dad tried to finish off strong, but it was still quiet.
     Jack remembered the pungent smell of the matches his dad used to light the nineteen candles on his modestly sized cake. It was more than enough for Jack, he was almost in tears himself, though it wasn't out of sadness. It was an odd feeling. He was happy that he lived another year, a naive hope filled his heart that maybe he could keep on 'just living another year'.
     The dark room was only dimly illuminated by the flickering candles. It caused Jack to smirk the tiniest bit. He just know understood the dark humor with whoever decided to start placing candles on cakes. The tiny wavering flames was something he found he know had plenty in common with.
      "C-c'mon hun...blow out your candles....make a wish."
     Jack was almost positive that she wanted him to wish for a longer life. His only wish was that his mom and dad wouldn't miss him too much and they could move on.
     With a small gust of breath, he extinguished the candles. His mom gave a small clap and his dad started removing the candles and brandishing the knife. Jack turned on the light and wiped the couple of tears sliding down his face. He was just glad his roommate wasn't there to see the ridiculous mess he was. Jack had previously talked his roommate out of the room and to go along for the night and they would 'party it up' the next night. Although Jack knew all it would be is them hanging out at some local club, his roommate trying to get him drunk, Jack refusing, then his roommate 'getting drunk enough for the both of them'.
     Jack had not realized how great he had it.
   

      Now, he stood at the front of the overwhelmingly large catacombs towering over him. His mission was to blow up this historic landmark in one of - if not the most- important cities in Egypt. Kill the lives of civilians, of innocents. He never imagined this is what would become of his 'life'. Jack wasn't even sure if all of this was worth being brought back to life by Revenant anymore. He was grateful for his new existence, but not at the costs it brought. Being robbed of his humanity by becoming a Ghost for Revenant then having to do something so foul as this.
     Of course, this was due to Jack's own naivete. Jack had figured this was a war between ghosts, all he had to do was at the very least lay support for his own comrades as a conscientious objector or at most fight other ghosts. Instead, winding up here at a place where he was going to take part in killing innocent humans. Humans that he was no different from just a short year ago. Humans that had no idea him, the ghosts, or the organization even existed.
      This won't be in vain though....right? Jack thought to himself. He tried to reason to himself, to convince himself that this wasn't as terrible as it was, but no matter how many times he tried to figure it out in his head, everything else just screamed that it was so terribly wrong. Yet, how many humans would end up like Jack? Refused the right to die in peace. Deprived of a peaceful afterlife. Perhaps the human casualties might end up saving many in the future. It could possibly be outweighed by a more peaceful future. That was the end of it.
     At the very least, this is what Jack had to tried to believe for himself. He did not want to go down the road of uncertainty and freak out before the mission started. Looking around, he saw that maybe, just maybe, there wasn't as many as there could be. It wasn't a time of the year many visited Alexandria; not too many tourists lurked around. He knew that among the few in attendance, the Rogues would not stand out very much from the humans. Jack himself was very plain looking. Wearing a very loose fitting shirt that said "Make Believe Not War", which considering all things seemed a bit ironic, tan cargo shorts, and a pair of dull black boots. All that, and of course, his lucky hat, though that was something that he rarely was without.
      Other than the low key aesthetics, Jack had chosen the outfit for good reason. The shirt was loose enough to fit the small, yet very uncomfortable, gun holstered underneath. His pants had large pockets that were large enough that were able to hold the makeshift medical supplies inside. Bandaids, a small amount of rubbing alcohol, Neosporin, Gauze, thread, needle. Everyone knew, even when he was a ghost, that he lacked the physical capabilities of being a soldier. His steady hands and knowledge of medics in general is what caused him to be recruited as a medic. Jack was in charge of making sure everyone got back in one piece, more or less. He may not have looked like the most enthusiastic, but when it came to helping others, Jack tried to be consistent.
      Jack's hands remained almost inseparable from the inside of his pockets, rarely lifting them out unless to change the angle of his hat from the sun glaring down upon his face. Walking around the entire perimeter and observing all of the people who were at the Catacombs, Jack didn't see anyone else part of his group. This came as no surprise, Jack was always one to over prepare out of anxiety, however, this day he preferred it. He was but an acquaintance to everyone. Sure, he had met some of them briefly, but he never really spoke. Now, he was going to be in contact with them all.
      Everyone was very imposing in their own ways; Anya was so overly perky, Skylar always seemed threatening, Xephyr was a bit too obnoxious, and Damian was just a scary person in Jack's eyes. Jack wanted to look tougher to at least seem like he wasn't useless, but it was a bit hard to do so for someone so small. Jack felt more like a pet, ready to lick everyone's wounds rather than any real help.
       Jack waited around fifteen more minutes before he finally saw one more person; Xephyr. Out of all of them, Xephyr was probably the only he didn't mind being alone with, even if a bit over zealous about things. X spoke rather loud, but at least he was a pleasant person otherwise.
       Jack was going to wave to greet him, but he didn't think X had seen him yet. After all, Xephyr's large black jacket made him stick out quite well compared to Jack's commonplace appearance. It was almost unfathomable how Xephyr even made it here without heat stroke. Although his smile had seemed genuine and that is what Jack was grateful for. Xephyr was always nice to be around. That attitude, even from afar, put Jack's mind at ease a bit.
      Xephyr walked towards the Catacombs, looking for at least one familiar face. Walking around provided him with the faces of a diverse group of people. Everyone was of different sizes, ages, hues (although everyone was shaded with a tinge of purple due to his glasses), gender. There were people there possibly alone, taking pictures for their own reasons. Teenagers with backpacks. Parents or grandparents with children. Couples holding hands, None of them realize how lucky their lives must have been up until now... Xephyr thought to himself with a hint of melancholy.
       As Xephyr strolled through, he caught small awkward glances from people, no doubt questioning the out of place attire. Most people might have been a bit self-conscious; possibly insulted. He on the other hand looked back with a small grin. One out of courteousness, pinnacle of humility. Xephyr even got a smile back from a cute girl. Too bad this wasn't another life.
      Finally, Xephyr noticed the cross upon the hat that was the signature of another Rogue, one named Jack, labeled the innocent officially, but labeled a conundrum in his mind. Jack seemed to be innocent, and even after undergoing the training and augmentation of Ghost, considerably weak. It must have been a miracle for him to even get through regardless of his status as a medical support. Such a gentle soul Jack must have been, anxiety was shining from behind a painted smile.
       Jack had already seen Xephyr and already started walking over. Xephyr decided to at least try and meet him halfway, gliding through the small crowd like water through cracks.
      Jack was content with a small wave when they finally met each other. Alternatively, Xephyr threw his arm around Jack's shoulders, "Hey there Jack! It's great to see you! I'm surprised to even see you at all."
       "Yeah...well...I'm here", Jack managed as best as he could. Even though Xephyr's grip was very light, he still seized up, muscles tightening. His tone was forcibly light, and he forced himself to relax. X was an ally after all, he had to start trusting them all. Although, Jack was at least happy to have someone there with him.
       Xephyr saw Jack turn a bit red and give a sheepish smile from underneath the cap and so decided to at least give the kid some space. Jack was the shy one after all. Regardless, Xephyr was not the one to shut his trap.
      "You and me the only ones here so far?", Xephyr poked his head above the crowd, scanning to see if there was any of his other teammates around.
       "So far...yeah, I thin-oh, wait! I think I see Skylar!", Jack attempted to raise his hand to wave, but when Skylar locked eyes with him and didn't even so much as twitch in recognition, he grew discouraged and decided to make it appear as if maybe he was just running his hand through his hair.
      His eyes stopped on the icy beauty Skylar approaching. The face had only been seen a couple of times, but those piercing stares she gave was enough memory to match the name to it. Skylar slowly sauntered through the people, though most people just had that innate sense that she was not one to be so much as touched and gave her adequate space. Even for someone like X, there was something about her that made him uneasy, but a comrade is a comrade. Xephyr then regretted falling asleep during briefing and whispered to Jack with a tone of caution, "What's she doing here?"
       Jack was a bit confused. They were all at the meeting, was Xephyr really that empty headed? Jack wondered if X had any knowledge that they were here for anything aside from the fact that they were here to make some kind of stand against Revenant. He had thought that X's carefree attitude was possibly just an act, but now he had his doubts about that.
      
     

(Okay, the next progression of the story will be a whole new post, I promise. If there are any people still following along, you know the drill: Comments, criticism, overall critique. Just reading in general is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much, I'll hope to have the next post up soon.)