by GoozX, thedoctor, DRAX and Grimm
Puerta Mibela:
Fireworks blazed across the night sky, filling the air with a fiery hue of red and orange. The once-great city of Puerta Mibela had fallen, and its rebuilding had only began. Workers had taken a break to celebrate the New Year and give thanks to all they had left. In the shadowy night, one man continued to work.
He wore faded military pants and boots. Light glistened from the sky and reflected off his dark skin. His ribs were held tightly together by bandages. Some wounds took longer to heal than others. The buzzing in his head was gone, as were his cloudy thoughts.
His hammer came down again and again.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he stepped back. The final wall of a small home was secured. The owner had been killed in the storm, leaving his wife and twin daughters homeless. Soon, they would be able to leave the shelter.
The man sat down for a moment. Closing his eyes, he saw flashes of a time past. Things had already changed. His life was over. And as with any endings, there was only one thing to left to do: rebuild.
The man, now known only by the name Priest, went back to work. By morning, he hoped to be finished. If not, he would continue to work until he was.
The evening sky above the island of La Perdita erupted with flames. "Javier, it is so beautiful," said one man witnessing the display.
"Tonto, keep quiet," the other responded.
"How can you ignore such beauty, Javier? It is beyond beauty. It is symbolic. Here we are in a new year. We have a chance like no other. Disaster may have struck, but we have a chance to rebuild in this new year. A chance to build Puerta Mibela and all of La Perdita from the ground up. Not just the buildings, but the people as well. The old caste system can be eliminated. Our own people can take back the rights in government that have long been denied us." Tears began to well in his eyes. "And in that moment, Javier, when our people are put once again in power and take charge of our own destiny again, the American and European men who have historically seized control away from our people will know what it feels like.
"Then, we shall hold their fates in our hands. Shall we crush them with our newfound power, Javier? No. No, we shall show them the compassion that they have long denied us. We shall reach out our hands and help pull them out of the mud that they have held us in for lifetimes. And then, Javier... then, La Perdita shall be a shining beacon for peace throughout the world. Yes, my friend, it is truly a new year."
"I told you to shut up," Javier broke in. "Do you want everyone to know we're out here?"
The two men walked across the ruins of the once-popular town of Puerta Mibela carrying a trunk, the multicolored flames of the fireworks occasionally illuminating their path.
"I was just contemplating the meaning of this year we have just started. It's so filled with promise."
"You're a man who is carrying a trunk load of stolen weapons in the middle of the night with plans to sell them on the black market, and you're talking about peace." He chuckled. "Who do you think you are? Napoleon?"
The two continued off into the rubble of the busy town.
"Why you ask if I was Napoleon?"
"You know, that French political dude. Napoleon."
"I know who Napoleon is. But that guy did a buncha wars and stuff."
"So you sayin' cuz we got guns that you ARE Napoleon."
"No, no! That's not what I'm..."
Tayden and Drake Marshall headed back to the party. "Is he saying anything?"
"You mean Drax? No, he's resting. He had a long flight."
"Makes sense. Why do you need the cane, if you don't mind me asking?"
"It's no big deal. I act as sort of a living gateway between the dimension Drax was trapped in and our own, so I constantly have that interdimensional energy flowing through me. This is hard on my nervous system. I actually do have a meta power, accelerated healing. But it can't keep up with all the damage the radiation does. It slows it down a lot, though. All it's done is make it a little hard to walk so far. Kinda tough to get used to. I was always pretty athletic before."
"You said 'so far.' Will it...?"
"We all have to go some time, angel boy. You should know that better than anyone."
"Yeah, I guess I should."
"At least what's killing me is making a difference for the better. I haven't regretted it for a moment. I guess I'm going to miss out on a few tomorrows, so I'll make the best I can of today." Just then, they reached the partygoers. "There is one other good reason for the cane."
"What's that?"
Drake grinned roguishly. "Chicks dig it." Tayden laughed a little as they joined the others.
Grimm's room:
"I heard fireworks," the woman said softly.
"That good, huh?" he replied, only to get hit in the face with a pillow.
"No, dorkass, I mean real fireworks. Outside. It's midnight or later. Aren't we gonna go to the party? I want to meet the rest of your friends."
"I wasn't really planning on it... but I wasn't planning on this, either," he said with a sheepish grin. "That Wulf sent me line..."
"He did. Saw him at the meta bar, and he practically carried me over here. Why haven't you been coming out? I've been there all week, wondering if I'd see you. I like the face, by the way."
"Thanks. I've just been busy helping with the rebuilding. Plus, with Priest around..."
"You still don't trust him? I think I've seen him around town some, helping rebuild people's houses. He seems nice."
"He didn't try to kill one of your friends the first time you met him."
"Okay, that's a given, but he's been around for months now, from what you've told me. Ugh, that fish smell again. We could go somewhere else, you know. My place is almost finished. I've been staying there."
"Can't. Got a job in the morning. I still haven't figured out how two dead men, a fugitive, and a boy who doesn't exist yet are going to get inside another country."
"Are you gonna be gone long?"
"I hope not. We have to find some old book. Not sure how long it'll take us."
"I have to tell you something."
"What?"
"I got a job. With a theater company in Europe. I'll be leaving in a few weeks. I'll be living in Europe, moving around with the company."
"Oh."
"We'll be doing Faust. You'd like it. The lead actor is really good. You could visit... or maybe..."
"Alie, there's a problem."
"What is it, sweetie?"
"I... I can't share my life with anyone right now. There's something... someone out there who intends me harm. Until that person is dealt with and out of the way, anyone around me could be in danger, even you."
"Okay, well, this person wouldn't necessarily have to know where you're at, would they? I mean, you could just leave, right? It's not like they can just magically find you."
"Actually, it is like that. The only reason I've stayed here so long is that I'm pretty sure I'm safe here."
"So it's hopeless, then? You're just gonna spend the rest of your life, however long that may be, hiding here on this island?"
"No, not at all. Soon, very soon, I'm going to eliminate this threat to me, to us, and then... if you want to stay in Europe, we'll do that. We'll go there, you and me."
"You mean it?"
"Yeah, I mean it."
"Oh, baby... je t'aime."
"Je t'aime."