EXO Legacy

File 17: Final Request

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File 16: Final Request

Location: Sierra Army Depot, California, USA

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Eric brought us to where my dad's pod was. We crossed several security checkpoints to a bunker area and then to an underground-... seriously? What is with military site building contractors and underground bases?

Okay, this place was more of a warehouse for the munitions of special importance, all kept separated by reinforced walls and shockproofing. This was an army depot after all, haha.

We navigated through a few large rooms then went to the left to a set of rooms that could have been offices but instead are kinda like stalls for inspecting and maintaining equipment. One we passed had black soot all over the walls and was currently being hosed down by a group of maintenance guys in fire fighter outfits. I guess whatever exploded happened earlier.

The there was a nice clean room with something large and metallic in the centre. It looked like an egg. Well if an egg were purple and were about 3.5 metres high, haha. We headed for that one.

There was someone in there leaning onto the large metallic "egg" but facing away from the door. We stopped at the door jamb and knocked as a courtesy.

"Eric," a familiar voice called out, " I want to see the inside of that marionette later, okay?"

"Dad?!" "Nathan?!" SIERRA and I were beside ourselves in relief and gladness. He was here, alive and well. But it wasn't him.

The man who was still facing away from us stopped leaning, straightened up and looked down at his arm, "Somehow I always knew."

The man wore the same clothes that dad wore before he... shot himself. He had the same shirt and shoes... but no synthetic blood splattered on his collar and ear. No massive hole in his head.

He turned to us and smiled,

"Honestly, I'm more shocked about this than you are, probably. I only just figured this out, after some flashbacks of my death."

Something was wrong...

His face was clean. No more scars or wrinkles. No wear and tear.

It was like he was born yesterday!

SIERRA spun around to face Eric.

"How long..." SIERRA almost bit her tongue because of the rising anger within her at seeing my dad, "How long have you kept this a secret?!"

Eric answered, "5 years."

"Dammit!!" She punched the wall nearby hard. The pain that ran through her arm was dulled by her other concerns.

"It's not like I wasn't around, Kelly," Fresh-faced Nathan added in. His relaxed expression was somewhat good to see but unnerving at the same time.

"Shut up! Just shut up! I don't want to talk to a damn proxy. I want to talk to you, the real you!" I had never seen a woman so distraught and even on such a things as this. This was definitely confusing for me, but I wanted my real dad too, but she wanted consolation after this revelation.

"You know that I can only offer what I have, not like I can-" Dad, paused and looked at me through his puppet's eyes, "Son, I can't live like this any longer. Please, help me wake up from this nightmare where I am not with you... and please bring me home. Let me sleep next to my wife..."

I was shocked by his simple request and SIERRA (whose real name was Kelly) was also. She nodded and placed a hand on the giant egg in a gesture of understanding. She loves him, but she also respected his request.

She then asked Eric, "If we took him out of here... how long would he last?"

Eric bowed his head, "The machine had been supporting him for years. His body has been attuned and is now fully dependant on it for life. With more time we could rehabilitate his body but... he has been in it too long. If we take him out now... he will have minutes... or even seconds."

"Dad? Are you sure?" I held dad's puppet hand and looked into his eyes.

Even a puppet's eyes do tell what the puppeteer wants to say.

Dad simply nodded him head to all of us.

"Eric, it has been an honor serving you." Dad shook hands with him and turned to Kelly.

He kissed her on the cheek and whispered something that sounded like, 'kiss me before I go'.

Dad called me over and said, "Would you do this for your old man?"

I really didn't want to, but I had thought over what would be best for dad. He deserved good rest after all that he had done... not to mention the freedom of being out of the egg after so long after seeing through the eyes of the marionette. It would be better for him to rest as a man, than to be forever stuck in that egg, all alone and sealed away.

I put an arm around my dad's marionette's shoulder and said to him, "I am your son, and I will bring you home."

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There was a good service for my dad in his funeral. The whole squad were there and Eric too. We got a 21 gun salute and a bugle call.

The American flag was draped over his casket.

Eric informed me that I still had obligations with the military as they needed me more then ever, but he understood if I didn't want to be around for a while.

I accepted this condolence period...

I did not put on the exo for several weeks. Kelly came to visit me in dad's house from time to time.

Eventually she stopped. She knew I needed time alone.

One day The Caretaker's 'maintenance crew' came to retrieve their lost egg because they had seen it's synchronous brain readings end and wanted to know why.

That day Kelly knocked on my door.

I did not hesitate.

I grabbed my suit, fought the Caretaker 'maintenance crew', and made sure there was no one on their ship left to call The Caretakers.

Eric told me that we should have just fried the ship on sight with the high powered laser arrays that he had at his disposal, because he found transmissions coming from their ship itself as it was synchronized with the crew's life signs, and it sent an SOS back to home.

So here I am.

Doing what my father has done.

Preparing to fight for the lives of all I care about.

I will follow my dad. I can fight with this suit. I can save lives.

Dad's two words echo in my head.

Inutilus Sedendo...
Don't stand still and be useless...

Work hard at your new assignment.

To Protect and Serve Earth...

From threats foreign and domestic.

This is what my dad did.

This is what I wear now as I head off into battle.

This... is our legacy.