ZEON and The Solmax Destiny Part 1

Chapter 19: "Father...?"

"Well, do you like it?" I ask.

<<< It has half the flavor of a similar fruit I used to eat from my homeworld, but otherwise... it's alright. >>>

"Well, you should try pears..."

Then we hear a weak voice call out to us from the darkness,

"Help me... Please... I... I think I'm dying..."

"Zeon, did you hear that...!?! Hello, Dad is that you!?!"

I hear the moaning and groaning of someone in pain coming from the darkness of the living room floor.

There's just enough light to see a silhouette of a body lying on the hardwood floor. I ran over to the man.

"Dad...? Dad are you OK? Hey ZeoLight, how about some actual light over here?"

Zeon creates a light and shines it on the man as I turn him over.

"Dad?"

"Uugh... Sorry kid..."

"It's not him, it's not my father... Then who the hells this guy?"

<<< This was the TarLing's original host... It left this man's body. There is nothing we can do for him now Solmax >>>

I look at the man, his face was covered with black lesions and sores. His skin was pale, cold and clammy. He tries to speak,

"My name's Curt. I tried... to fight it... Fight its control over me... But it was to...to... strong... Huuuug...*"

"Umm... Hey mister...? Hello? Oh my god... He's... He's dead."

<<< TarLings don't normally relinquish a host until they've already died. Or found someone stronger... I'm sorry Solmax, but I'm afraid the parasite has... >>>

"Zeon, where's the TarLing now? Where is it!?!"

Zeon turns and looks to my father's study.

<<< It is in that room... >>>

I know what's happened... I'm not going to admit it to myself until I see it with my own two eyes... This is going to suck.

"That's his study... Ummm, is it getting really smokey in here all of a sudden...?"

"It's cigarette smoke... Cough! Cough...! It's getting thicker... Cough! Cough! It's coming from the study... Cough! Dad!?!"

I run to the doors, sliding them apart to gain access to where Zeon said Dad was supposed to be. With the doors open, smoke comes pouring out of the study.

"Dad? You in here...? Cough...! We need to get you out of here... Cough...! Dad!?!"

"I can't see anything, the smoke's too damn thick!"

<<< Solmax, we need to leave, now! >>>

"No... Not without my Father...!"

Suddenly all the smoke in the room falls to the ground, crawling, and swirling around on the hardwood floor like dry ice.

"Ooooh... That can't be good..."

<<< Solmax, RUN!!! >>>

We turn to run back out of the room just as the study doors slam shut on their own. I nearly lost my hand as I pulled it back just in time, neroly avoiding the two heavy doors slamming together with a loud bang.

A voice comes from my Dad's chair sitting behind his desk as it was facing away from us turned towards the bay window.

"Where are you going son?"

The large chair swivels around to face us as a figure stands up from it. It's still very dark in the room so I can't see the man's face clearly.

He menacingly walks around to the side of the desk and says,

"I asked you a question my boy. Where are you going? You came in here for a reason. And aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?"

He lights up a cigarette that was already in his mouth. The light from the flame illuminates his face, proving once and for all that it was indeed my father standing there.

"Dad...? You OK...?"

"I'm OK son, got a bit of a headache. Had to teach some punk a lesson in trespassing onto another man's property."

"Yeah... it looks like you put up a hell of a fight out there, didn't ya pops?"

"That's right son, when you fight, you fight to win... even if you can't. You fight no matter the cost... Always... Always remember that and know that I... I love you S... Son... Aaah...! Nnaaahh...!!!"

"Daddy...?"

He's been fighting the TarLing's control over him from the moment he was infected, but it looks like he's losing that battle. Dad falls to his knees grabbing his head with his right hand, while still holding the cigarette in his left. He manages to get out one last message,

"ZeoLigh...! Keep my boy... Safe... From... MEERRAHHHHH!!!"

<<< I will, father of the Solmax. >>>

"Dad, I love you, but you need to keep fighting! Do you hear me, FIGHT IT!!!"

Dad stops screaming, stops struggling for control of his mind and body... Because... he just lost.

The man who looks like my father starts laughing as he uses the desk to help himself back up to his feet.

His laugh... It's the kind of laugh you do after you accidentally hurt yourself, like after you ran your elbow into a wall bruising your funny bone or stubbing your toe on the leg of a coffee table.

I hear wood cracking. Oh god, it's the legs of the solid oak desk giving out from the force dad's uses to push himself back up. His strength has increased. Then once to his feet he rips the corner of the desk off.

"...Dad?"

<<< No Solmax, your father's gone... >>>

{{ "That's right boy, daddy can't hear you anymore. But I gotta tell ya, he put up one hell of a fight, just like you said... Huh...? I can still feel him trying to get out. But he's only human. He can't fight against the Dark Lord's will forever... Now let's get down to business shall we? First up on the agenda... you both need to die." }}

My father's eyes begin to glow red and the smoke that was crawling around on the floor begins to rise back up, filling the air. It once again becomes hard to see and breathe.

"Zeon, we need... Cough! To get out of here!"

<<< Agreed. >>>

Zeon, who was still in full basic battle form except for his face which was visible to be able to eat the apple, reformes the front faceplate of his helmet. Then an energy blaster forms around his right hand and he fires it at the doors, blowing them apart. The smoke rushes out of the room as we make a break for it.