《INFINITE SKY》 Session #001: Seconds Prior to Death ¡°I thank you for meeting with me, Mrs. Yamato.¡± A strange gentlemanbowed beforea Japanse woman. ¡°It is urgent that I speak to you about the growing tension here in the east.¡± Yamato found herself having sat down at her desk and gestured for the gentleman to do the same. Of course, he did so. The Japanese woman, having learned English in school, had a heavy Japanese accent when she said, ¡°You insisted we arrange this meeting Lieutenant General Tillerson. So, what is it you have to share with our intelligence that it seems you could not share over the phone?¡± ¡°I''m acting on orders sent by the Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation and, the Central Intelligence Agency ,¡± Tillerson pulled out a vanilla colored folder and slid it across the desk, ¡°The contents of this folder details the FBI¡¯s close surveillance of several members of the Public Security Intelligence Agency,¡± Tillerson paused, reading the woman¡¯s face as she skimmed through the dossier, ¡°Each one of the individuals documented in the folder are high-level suspects involved in the disappearance of Hina Hayate. As well as the reason for backdoor trade agreements that exist between certain officials and the Chinese government.¡± ¡°And you mean to tell us that people within our government are conspiring against us?¡± Yamato looked up from the folder with a darken expression on her face, as if insulted by these accusations. ¡°Yes,¡± there was a small pause in the conversation as Tillerson sensed hostilities growing, ¡°We have reason to believe that individuals within the Japanese government have not only been making deals with the Chinese, but are also involved in the disappearance of Hina Hayate, your chief officer within the Second Intelligence Department.¡± Yamato greweven more furious at this, ¡°So this it was what you wanted to tell me that couldn¡¯t be said over the phone..¡± Tillerson nodded at this, ¡°I believed it was imperative that we spoke in person, for you never know who could be listening to phone calls nowadays.¡± Yamato gritted her teeth as she settled the envelope down on her desk, stood up, and turned her back to the manbefore she looked out at the Japanese cityscape. She took a minute to gather her bearings before coming to a decision. ¡°When do you believe your government means to act upon these accusations?¡± ¡°Well my government has not specifically said they would get involved in the matter, and to openly criticize and call for arrests would put a heavy damper on the public relations between the Japanese and Americans. This looks to be an internal affair that your government must deal with alone,¡± Tillerson got to his feet, put on his peaked cap. ¡°The U.S government wants nothing to do with this, which is why they¡¯ve sent me to tell you this, ¡®There¡¯s nothing in this world that can keep Japan from expressing the views of the past.. And the past, which you¡¯ve so dearly kept to, shall be set ablaze by the nonsensical hermit¡¯.¡± Yamato suddenly turned to Tillerson who already had his back to her. There¡¯s a long silence before Yamato spoke first, ¡°Korea plans to nuke us!?¡± ¡°It is the most likely solution in the current politics in the east,¡± said Tillerson who seemed cold and deadpan, ¡°It is either you, South Korea, or Hawaii as the possible targets, and in all likelihood you¡¯ll probably be the first to be picked off.¡± Tillerson looked over his right shoulder at Yamato, ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t want that, would you?¡± Tillerson¡¯s right eye gleamed with a dark and sinister look that Yamato felt with terrifying clarity. She knew why the U.S government sent someone like Tillerson. Tillerson, to her, was so devoid of sympathy that he could make a call that would get an entire platoon killed, if it meant that the mission get completed. This was a man who has seen pain up close and personal, and even more, has the scars to show it. Yamato could spy a bit of a limp to him. She assumed that this man either had great damage done to his leg or had completely lost that leg. She assumed the former over the latter, seeing that the advancements in prosthetics made one¡¯s motor functions less discernible when compared to the motor functions of an average human. However that didn¡¯t give way to the fact that he also had an eyepatch on the left eye and several facial scars. This was obviously someone the U.S government trusted greatly, seeing as it seemed that he sacrificed so much for his country. She almost praised him for his patriotism, but then realized that she had come to see him as more of an adversary in the world of espionage. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. She never seemed to understand herself, but that glare in his eye made it all the more clear to not cross paths with someone like him ever again. however she had a feeling that this would be the last time she would be seeing this dangerous man. As such, she made one final motion to him, and that was to bow . ¡°I thank you for giving me this information. The agency is looking forward to further cooperation with the U.S intelligence community.¡± Tillerson looked forward, carrying a sense of villainy with him, ¡°I do hope so.¡± Tillerson later left the office and found himself in the hallway. In this hallway there were wide windows that revealed the outside world that he wasn¡¯t entirely accustomed to. Tillerson took his first few steps further intosaid hallway, and before long he was walking with a brisk stride out of the building. Eventually, he found himself out on the front steps of the building; looking forward toa car thatwaited for him outside the gates. Tillerson pulled out his phone and called up Rex keeping his eyes on the car as he walks towards it. A couple of seconds past and there was no answer. ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± Tillerson looks down at his phone, ¡°I¡¯m sure Rex would have picked up by now. What¡¯s keeping him?¡± Tillerson called Rex a second, then a third, and then a fourth. And yet, no answer. Tillerson immediately figured something was up as Rex wasn¡¯t one to ignore his phone after the third call. Usually if he didn¡¯t pick up the first or second time, then (as third time''s the charm here) he would have picked up the third. Details like this were things Tillerson never missed. This, to him, was alarming. So Tillerson rushed to the carthat waited for him as the usher opened the door for him, and he entered with one swift, fluid, motion. There was a few seconds of wait time before the Usher slipped into the driver seat. Tillerson, pondering his next course of action, looked through his list of given contacts and found a particular name that didn¡¯t suit the situation but was necessary for what he was about to do. Tillerson called up a man named Vincent Clementine, who answered within the first few seconds of the call being made. ¡°Vincent,¡± Tillerson sounded distressed, ¡°We have a problem.. A big problem..¡± The car started rolling moments later, getting on its way to the airport. ¡°What is it Tex? Did something happen to you? Did you get into another one of your sexual bouts with a past boyfriend of a girl you flirted with?¡± Tillerson shook his head, ¡°No but it seems my mission¡¯s been compromised and I need a message going to the Executive Assistant Director of Intelligence in the F.B.I.¡± There¡¯s a momentary pause, as the sound of moving sheets can be heard, ¡°Alright Tex you¡¯ve got my attention. What do you need sent?¡± ¡°Objective Wajin is compromised. Moving to exfil location Blue Forest. Requesting immediate cancellation of Operation Twinkle Star. Got it?¡± ¡°Got it,¡± there are sounds of more rustling, ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Tillerson looked out the window as the car slowly pulled up to a stop light, ¡°Thanks Vincent.. That message should hopefully save the U.S and Japan from any heartbreak.¡± ¡°Heh, I hope you don''t rely on me too much Tex.. I¡¯m not that good when it comes to espionage tactics ahah.. Anyway, I¡¯ll get this message to them as soon as possible. Got to go, see ya Tex.¡± ¡°Later Vincent,¡± Tillerson hung up his phone as the car started to roll again, but then, suddenly.. Before the car even left the intersection, a second, much larger,vehicle came crashing into the smaller one. Sending it tumbling several meters down the street. Tillerson, who was in the smaller vehicle, suddenly found himself thrown from the car¡¯s back-passenger window and onto the Japanese pavement. While in flight, he felt a sense of weightlessness, as if the very essence of hatred that had been boiling in his being had been lifted off his shoulders. Like he could truly smile for the first time in over forty years of his existence. The world spun ever-so-slowly as eyes of passersby fell to him. He thought that if the world were to see him now, they would look on in horror. The sort of horror of man that was brutally murdered at the hands of a government that kept its secrets. That sort of horror. And as the world spun ever-so-slowly for him, his head connected with the pavement with a violent crack before the rest of his body went twirling into a pedestrian guardrail; twirling even further through the window of a sidewalk store. His final resting position was sprawled about over some mannequins that happened to be in the way of his final trajectory. The pain, had he not died with the initial crack to the skull and snap of the neck, would¡¯ve been excruciating. But fortunately, he had died before his body came to rest in this store. As such, the fire of his life dwindled and then...ceased¡­ Nothing more. Nothing less. Therewas only darkness now. Session #002: Seconds After Birth At first there was nothing but darkness. Darkness to his left, darkness to his right, darkness up, and darkness down. Everywhere he looked there would be the same empty blackness that was ever-so-present in his vision. In fact, when he looked to himself, he¡¯d see nothing. It was as though he was in pitch darkness, unable to even see himself. At first he thought that this might be purgatory, a sort of limbo betwixt Heaven and Hell. However, as his thoughts wandered he came to other conclusions. These conclusions being that this could be the fabled Hell that awaited him. He, at least, knew what he had done before he died. So, he took comfort in that madness. But something grew in him, something that he wasn¡¯t able to admit himself. This tumor in his thoughts grew to the point where he was forced to admit it. ¡°I failed.. The sins of my past.. The blood I had shed.. The lies I had spread.. Dammit all! Why does it have to be this way!! WHY DID IT END WITH ME!? WHY DID IT END WITH SUCH A PITIFUL EXCUSE OF A DEATH!? TO BE SNUFFED OUT LIKE A CANDLE IN THE EYES OF GOD!?¡± They say God works in mysterious ways, but did He really intend for Tillerson to die in such a gruesome manner? Was there a reason? A reason that was too enigmatic for him to comprehend?These questions, as well as other postmortem existential questions, permeated his mind as he stood, or at least what he assumed to be standing, in this darkness. For what seemed like minutes, if not hours (if not days, months,or years), he thought about these things; slowly being edged towards the throes of madness. But before the throes of madness took hold of his deathly consciousness, a brilliant light shown itself to him; having brightened up him and the area around him. He finally noticed that he was stark naked, andstoodon, what seemed like, smooth grey marble. Though as he saw this, the feeling of standing of marble came to him in which case caused his body to shiver as the feeling of cold marble registered in his body. ¡°W¨CWhat is this light? I¨CI can barely see anything!¡± He began to move, as if by instinct, towards the light. The light looked comforting, even inviting to an inhuman degree. The light beckoned him, but said or did nothing of the sort. It beckoned, and so he went; going forth into the mass of intangible light. Before he knew where this light led, he found himself engulfed by said light. He screamed as there was a burning sensation all over his body. But the next thing he knew he was brought into further light, but this light was different; tangible even. He could see, through squinted eyes, that the tangible light was that of a hospital light of an operating room. ¡°What¡¯s this...an operating room¡­?¡± With his thoughts dejected from his consciousness, he could only piece together that he was in an operating room, but when he was turned to a woman he immediately knew what this was. He had been the one to be birthed by a woman, and not just any woman, a Japanese woman; his mother. His mother, a new mother, looked down at him with eyes that he had not appreciated, until now. These eyes, eyes he had only seen in a previous life thathad now become a vague memory, were something to behold. So much so that his only ability to express his praise for these eyes were to cry out. And so he did. The mother respondedwith gentle shushing. And thisseemed to suffice the situation as he could do no more. He was a newborn after all. He could not perceivenothear what was going on around him. He assumed that they were thinking of what to name him, but his newborn ears cared not to listen to the conversation. So, all he did was just lay there in his mother¡¯s arms and sleep peacefully. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! What he would have come tohearis the mother speaking to the father with a tired, but healthy, voice. ¡°What are we to name our son?¡± The father, taking a moment to process the question, came to her bedside and settled a hand on her shoulder, ¡°Kuma. Fukumoto Kuma.¡± The mother, a bit surprised by the name choice, spoke softly as she nestled the newborn, ¡°A bear of blessed origins.¡± The father laughed softly as he slowly swayed his eyes from his wife to his son. ??? Time would pass, approximately three months, and little Kuma (Tillerson) found himself having wandered the room with his eyes. What he noticed was that the room he was in was specifically made for him. Although it was heavily representative of late Showa architecture there were also instances of technological prowess that he had never seen before. For example, there was a strange food dispensing apparatus that would give his parents or caretaker an infant-specific food item that was not only nutritious but strangely delectable. Another example would be a clear kinetic-based weapon that, based on Kuma¡¯sown assumptions, accelerated the incoming swing to create greater momentum in a fatal strike. Such futuristic items such asthese made Kuma come to the conclusion that he was reborn, but he wasn¡¯t just reborn Japanese, he was reborn Japanese in the future. How far into the future? That was uncertain. However such thinking caused great strain on the little boy, and thus Kuma resorted to having taken a nap in a crib that seemed to look like a miniaturized cryopod. ? ? ? A little while, perhaps a few hours, later, little Kumaawoketo instinctual sound of himself. He noticed that he still could not speak a single word, and instead found himself crying out in displeasure. This crying, from what he saw, brought forth a caretaker, perhaps a maid, who came stepping into the room seconds after. The maid took the little boy from the pod and into her arms where she consoled him with a nutritious bottle of formula. It was here that Kuma gained a little more prospect of his surroundings. His eyes strayed from the bottle, to the maid, and then to a window to his left. Out the window he noticed that there were leaves upon a tree. ¡°Looks like i¡¯m somewhere rural.. Or perhaps it''s a suburbia? Where else could I possibly be?¡± ? ? ? Further time would past with little else happening. But what seemed important to Kuma, at the time, was the fact that he had barely seen his father or his mother in the three months that he¡¯s been brought to this world. This, to him, was strange considering how he, faintly, remembered them being there for his birth. ¡°I wonder if they do something that keeps them out of the house for long periods of time..¡± Little Kuma, who had finally been allowed to see the rest of the household, could see that he was right in his assumptions about the architecture ofsaid household. He saw that thebuilding was made to be that of a boxy ¡°U¡±. Althoughhe couldn¡¯t see much of the property, what he did see was that the garden towards the middle of the house was, easily, the most well kept garden he had ever laid eyes on. Something about the vast array of unnatural colors kept his eyes trained. A maid, who had been watching him this entire time, took notice to the child¡¯s fascination with the colors. As such, she did exude effort to point out some of the more beautifully surreal flowers that populated the garden. She lifted hera index finger and points to a flower that displayed the following characteristics: a rainbow-esque display of purples and greens along its petals, red leaves, a rather long stem that has (what could only be perceived as blue) veins running through, and various places around the flower where its roots penetrated the surface of the soil. She explained, in a rather simplified manner, that the flowers Kuma took privy to were known as Purple Dragons (¥Ñ©`¥×¥ë¥É¥é¥´¥ó¥º). "And the reason behind such a long and mouthy name," she says, "Is because when settlers came to this world around two hundred to three hundred years ago, the first thing they noticed were these flowers which resembled the colors of their flag, but not only did they have a dragon on it but also had the colors of purple and green. Thus, the flowers became somewhat of a planetary symbol for the people here." However what Kum absorbed from that was that he seemed to have been placed in the future, far future it seems. And, to add, hewas no longer on Earth but some world far from it. So,having pieceda few more things together, he reasonably assumed that the culture here on this world is only a few hundred years old. However that still doesn¡¯t explain the Japanese flare to everything. Even considering how he was able to pick up on the language despite speaking very little Japanese on his time on Earth in the past. But the maid, who had kept the little boy on her lap as she sat outside in the little ¡°hallway¡± that was overshadowed by elongated eaves, continued to go on about the near-alien flora that, again, populated the garden, despite Kuma having never really paid much attention to it. ? ? ? Three more months would pass with little fanfarein the way of development for Kuma. One might call it a blur. However, what was present in these three monthswas his parents. It seems, according to Kuma¡¯s own assumptions, that the father was involved, in some capacity, ina planetary military while his mother was a doctor to some medical facility. Although this was to be the case, Kuma paid close attention to his father who had clothing that was conservative in form. The outerwear was adorned with various medals while his shoulder-patches were made to resemble a stylized version of his rank, which Kuma could barely make out as some level of General. His entire wear werean intense black with white. Session #003 - A spark to Feed a Fire Six months turned into three years after the gleam in his eye turned into plausible wonder. He was free to move about his home with wild abandon,and spoke with a sense of exploration and adventure. But, to keep his adventure to a minimum, his favorite maid was always at his heels. She was thrilled to have these little toddler moments with him. She was even more enthralled with the idea of having taught basic knowhow. He even looked to be enjoying the basic chores she sent him on and soaked up all the practical knowledge needed to take care of one¡¯s self. However, something stewed on the inside. The spirit of Tillerson, the dark, dejected, being that was him, burnsed with a blue fire. And this fire enlarged a few times in his first few months as a three-year-old. These instances of dark tendencies started when he noticed a strange insect land on his thigh, and instead of capturing it, he simply smashed it with his right hand. What solidified this tendency was the fact that he showed the squashed insect to his maid, who then looked visibly annoyed by this and told him to clean up his hand. Another, more notable, instance was when he went on his first play-date with a child who was the son of a colleague of his mother. The two, at first, were having a great time, but the son, named Kiyoshi, took a toy away from Kuma. Kuma, in a fit of temper, struck Kiyoshi with swift pain to the skull with a connecting block. Kiyoshi collapsed to the floor moments later, but instead of giving the child mercy, Kuma proceeds to continue his onslaught; forcing the child further into submission. The only reason the child did not die on that day was because a maid from the Ryuu Household walked in on the situation and immediately had put a stop to it. Kuma, after that, was ¡°grounded.¡± A concept that was further exemplified by having one of the maids spank him which, clearly, Kuma did not take kindly to. However, these acts of corporal punishment were signs that Kuma was understanding that he should not indiscriminately lash out at those that did him wrong. He now knows better than to stoop to such a degree of violence. Violence would, equally, be met with violence. . . . Aside from the clear disposition in the matter of his violent tendencies, Kuma was given basic education. This kind of education, according to the Itsumori Code of Ethics, is to be demanded of all children at the age of 3 to suffice the growing demand for a competent workforce. By this education alone, Kuma, finally, gained a sense of where and when he was. According to his lessons, the current year is 2567 C.E, and Earth (otherwise known as Terra to the humans on this world) is a relic of a far forgotten past. Kuma¡¯s world, Akeda-3B, is part of the Egi Cluster, approximately 7.53 light years from the nearest jump station. While not exactly an independent world, the Akeda-3 System lies just on the border between the Hideyoshi Family and the Kouki Family. Although technically, the Akeda-3 System belongs to the Hideyoshi Family. Thus, while under Hideyoshi Family occupation, the Planetary Shogunate, heralded by Shou Hideyoshi (15th Son to the Hideyoshi Throne), speaks directly to them and vice versa. Another breath of his lessons talks about how the citizens of Akeda-3B take a fancy to the shogun and have been in proud service of that very shogun for fourteen years. It appears that, to Kuma, the citizens of Akeda-3B have a strict code of ethics and have very strict way of doing things. They appear to have a means for respecting superiors, colleagues, friends, and family. Just about everything about the citizenry bleeds respect, honor, and duty. Of course one could not forgot the breadth of knowledge when dealing with math, science, arts, social studies, and the occasional study of the Universal Common (which was English). He was also given physical education as well, and this came in the form of weight training (for toddlers), cardio, combat training, and various dives into sports. The reason behind this, according to the Code, is that all children, as they grow, must be physically fit to handle the G-forces while in transit in space, as space-travel is particularly taxing on the body. So, Kuma, in his physical education, seemed to respond rather positively to these exercises, especially so when involved in combat exercises. Compared to his instructor, whom he has one-on-one training sessions with, he seemed to be relatively in step with him. Even his instructor was a bit surprised by this, it was like the young boy had this kind of muscle memory stored in his body from birth. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Time and again, Kuma fell to his instructor who reminded him that ¡°winning against your opponent isn¡¯t about who can inflict the most damage, but who can inflict the least damage.¡± This saying resonated with Kuma, because the spirit of Tillerson remembers that inflicting the most damage on your opponent was the best way to ensure they either stay dead or talk. This line of thinking was being systematically destroyed, and replaced with a line of thinking that it doesn¡¯t take much to win over your opponent. In this case, striking at the right parts of the body can yield the most results. Having this line of thinking be built into him over a period of several lessons kept his mind from wandering into a territory he labels as, ¡°Berserker Territory.¡± He wanted to train himself to be cool and collected, and so that¡¯s what he planned to do for himself. But there was a bit of a problem with that...he wasn¡¯t able to keep himself cool and collected¡­ Everytime he gotten into a sparring match with his instructor, he¡¯d experience tunnel vision and lose himself to his deepened bloodlust. His instructor, named Juurou Hiroto, kept reiterating that he shouldn¡¯t rely on his own bloodlust in that he should rely on his skills to keep his head out of the blood of his enemies. These sayings echoed in young Kuma¡¯s mind, and continue to resonate with him. Even after these sessions, Kuma sat down with his instructor and spoke for a few hours behind the meaning of his sayings, and Juurou would always repeat the same thing: ¡°The meaning isn¡¯t what I say, but what you understand.¡± This same point also echoed in the mind of Kuma who then thought of the meaning behind that point. ¡°If the meaning isn¡¯t what he says, but what I understand then how in the hell do I make sense of any of it?!¡± These sayings, and the point, continue to plague him. . . . Three years of homeschooling past with more knowledge, sayings, and whatever else jammed down Kuma¡¯s throat. And by this time, he was admitted into the Takatsu School for Advanced Learning at the age of six (2570 C.E) much like other children at his age. Starting with departure from the Fukumoto Household, he was being escorted out of the home by his maid who was distressed to see that the Fukumotos¡¯ baby bird was finally ready to leave the nest. She had coddled him several times as he walked through the halls, each time reminding her that he¡¯ll come by every now and again to visit her. ¡°But Young Master,¡± she said with a soft tone, ¡°You must know that you¡¯ll be desperately lonely without my knowledge!¡± Kuma thought about her constant nagging about studying, keeping up with chores, and what-have-you. ¡°I think I can handle it, heh.¡± ¡°But Young Master~!!¡± ¡°Haruka-san please..¡± The maid puffed her cheeks and settled her hands on her hips, ¡°Well at least you¡¯re going to teach those kids what I¡¯ve taught you so at least I have that in mind.¡± Another maid, one who seemed too refined for her own good, came from the shadows of the small foyer and bowed to Kuma. ¡°Young Master, the cab is waiting for you outside.¡± Kuma nodded in response, ¡°Then I should be going. Bye!¡± Kuma, without a second thought, turned his back to the two maids and ran out the front door where he was met with a hovering black car. Although a bit surprised by this, he stepped into the cab, and moments later it was off towards the school. . . . While in transit, Kuma noticed that he was not alone in the cab. Just across from him was Hideyoshi. He looked to be a more timid now than he did three years ago. ¡°Maybe, perhaps, it was the incident three years ago that did him in? I guess? And another thing, why is he even here? I didn¡¯t know he was coming to the same advance learning school as I was..? Was this my parents doing? Or something more?¡± ¡°Kuma-kun,¡± spoke Hideyoshi with a soft tone. Kuma raised a brow to the honorific. ¡°Look,¡± Hideyoshi paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, ¡°I know we weren¡¯t the on the best of terms these last three years--¡± ¡°--seeing as I nearly killed you with a jumbo brick,¡± Kuma interjected. ¡°Y-Yes,¡± Hideyoshi seemed to be ball his fists that were in his lap, ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°Then why did you decide to ride with me, especially seeing as we¡¯re going to the same school?¡± ¡°Because,¡± Hideyoshi looked down for a moment before looking back with determined eyes, ¡°I want to make amends!¡± ¡°Eh...?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I caused any discomfort for you in the last three years, and I want to make sure that there was no hard feelings between us..¡± ¡°Is this kid¡¯s mind warped beyond measure!?¡± There was silence as the vehicle experienced a bit of turbulence. However Kuma broke this silence. His very expression deepened with a sinister look that was equals parts cold and lethal.