The Chronicles of Alec Blackwater Chapter XII Rain for Tears

After Arial informed Alec of So Fawns plausible location was shortly after they took off from the moon (somewhere in Old North Carolina) Alec had just gotten up from his seat and began to walk towards the front of the cockpit as he thought what he might do to So Fawn. He looked out the Leviathans cockpit window; he looked at the Earth with thoughts of his past flashing through his mind rapidly, causing him to act somewhat strangely. He began to stumble around, shaking his head, mumbling to himself, and acting confused. “Your brain,” Whisk began. “You need to rest it for a short while, at least a minimum of four-six hours. Otherwise you’ll begin to psyche out, and go insane.” Alec looked at the crew; their faces read one of concern for the way he was acting; so he headed back to the bunk room, where Jk-Bx was messing around with the gnomes. Alec laid down on one of the bunks; the bunk making a loud creaking noise as he lay down upon it from his great weight. “Hey, buddy!” Jk-Bx exclaimed. “Taking a rest, odd for a man that’s part machine to be honest, but hey, whatever floats your boat. Do you mind if I ask you a question?” “Shoot.” Alec said, slowly shutting down into a “sleep” mode. “Do you miss your family? Your old life before you are who you are now?” Jk-Bx asked in a calm voice, looking at Alec upside down from the bunk above him. “Yes,” Alec responded. “I miss them, but I’m still me, my life hasn’t ended yet.” “Also,” Jk-Bx continued. “Why still serve your faith? Look at what has happened to you.” “You know,” Alec said. “We are put into circumstances that are beyond our control for a reason. We do not always get a reason why, we are just expected to get the job done as best we can. My faith is my own; I serve not myself, for in my faith I am to be selfless. At the Spartan Academy, they teach you a multitude of things about self-reliance and team work; that pride and body can be broken, the spirit shaken, but for those that have faith, they are unbreakable. At least, that’s what I was taught, not everybody’s will has the same strength in will as others. We are put into circumstances beyond our control so that we might turn back to who is most important.” “Interesting.” Jk-Bx responded. Alecs’ mind slowly slipped into a dream state again, taking him back to his child hood….. Alec walked next to Spencer up the granite stairs to the Spartan Academy, where Alec’s future awaited him. Spencer had told him that he (Alec) had a special purpose in life, and while Spencer didn’t know what that purpose may be, he knew that it was important. As they came to the top of the stairs, they found themselves in front of the academy. The building was at least twenty five stories tall, with large columns in the front of it; a statue of General Phlax (a famous first generation Titan) was in the front of the academy. The statue was bronze and he held the Banner of the City in his left hand while pointing to the East with his right hand, as if leading a charge Guardians into battle. They passed the statue, Spencer saluting as they passed, and headed past the columns into the main lobby. The lobby was empty for the most part, only the guards and the secretary at the desk were in the lobby at the time, all the seats were empty, and the walls were painted with murals of battles from the Dark Times proceeding the Golden Age. Alec watched as Spencer walked up to the counter, the secretary inquired Spencer of his intent of being at the Spartan Academy; Spencer nodded at Alec, who was standing behind him. “You know the law of this academy,” The secretary stated to Spencer. “He will have to be approved by an officer of this academy after he has gone through a physical. Then, he will need a mentor to assist in his training; I assume you will want to get started though?” “Yes.” Spencer responded. The secretary looked at Alec for a moment then motioned for him to step up into a bio scan chamber, just his size. Alec stepped inside and the scan took all but a few seconds to complete; the results were positive, so Alec was permitted to enter. As entered the main hall, Alec was surprised to see that it was empty, there was nothing but hallways that lead off to various places with in the academy. Spencer said that only mentors, trainees and officers were permitted in the academy and that trainees had to find their way around by themselves normally without help; which explains why there was no help desk in the main hall. As Alec looked around the room though, he saw more murals on the walls, but they weren’t painted, but more like carved marble in the shape of Spartans of Ancient Greece fighting the Persians at Thermopylae. Spencer looked around and headed down one of the six hallways; he was looking for the room where new recruits were to be taken. Alec reached out and touched the wall; it was hard and rough, like granite that wasn’t smoothed and polished. Soon, Spencer stopped in front of a door on the right side of the hall; a red medical cross was etched into the wall above it. A nurse looked up at them as they entered the room; she pressed a button at the computer she was at. Alec hadn’t seen an Awoken this close before; she was quite beautiful he thought. The room was small, the nurses’ station was mostly in the wall with a small counter sticking out, and a few chairs were in the room up against the wall opposite the nurses’ station. Soon, a man in Titan armor entered the room; he had no mask on and looked like he had seen too much of war. His eyes were brown, he had a clean shaven face and a shaved head; he had broad shoulders, a broad chin and hollow cheek bones, he had a nasty scar on the left of his neck that went to his left eye. His armor looked like it had been slightly damaged, but had recently been repaired; the nurse addressed him as Lieutenant Lance. Lance looked at Alec and Spencer with nothing but an expression like of anger on his face. “Let’s get this done.” Lance said. “Remove your clothes,” The nurse said to Alec. “All of them.” Alec was annoyed that she didn’t say please, but figured that saying please wasn’t the normal thing superior would say when giving an order and figured he better get used to it. He began to remove his clothes, all of them, one by one; as he did, scars all over his body became clear in an instant. The scars were mostly claw and bite marks from wild dogs (or worse) on his back and arms; scaring on his chest and upper arms (from what looked they looked like they were from a knife of an assailant or something); and some burn scaring around his neck. After removing his clothes, the nurse began the physical; meanwhile, Lance talked to Spencer about Alec. “Is he your son?” Lance asked. “No,” Spencer responded “My wife and I adopted him and his twin sister two weeks ago.” “His age?” “Between six to seven years of age. He said he was seven, but his age hasn’t been easy to determine because of him and his sister lacking records of their past.” “Why the Spartan Academy? Why not let him choose his place?” “Alec chose to become a Guardian himself; the Spartan Academy was the only place I could think of to take him that would train him in a way that will best suit him.” “All recruits require a Mentor to assist in their training. You plan to be his Mentor?” “Yes.” “You were a Guardian once, right?” “Yes, Sargent Spencer Blackwater, 108th Battalion. I served about fifteen years.” “Your name is in the Records and History room among decorated heroes of the 108th; you yourself had quite the record and reputation. Before you found Jesus and all that” “Always knew Him, just started listening a little closer to what He had to say one day.” “Faith makes you weak, sir.” “What about your faith in the Traveler? No faith in your fellow Guardians?” “The Traveler is real….my fellow Guardians are real.” “You are young, you have yet to understand.” [b]Continued below[/b]