Post by Lord Bromosalino on Jul 31, 2015 20:53:56 GMT -5
This log picks up after the last post of this thread. This thread will also serve to help introduce Isaac Saifer’s aura: Destiny Bond.
“Captain? Captain Saifer? Isaac!"
Where was he? What was this place? It seemed so…familiar. Almost comfortable, as if the darkness that engulfed him was a place of habitat rather than one of alien nature. Isaac Saifer, a Captain within the Marines of the World Government, suddenly felt…well, small. He had been here before, he knew he had. Everything within him told him that this was not a place to be feared; and yet, Isaac the fearless Marine Captain felt scared. Well, maybe scared wasn’t correct. Apprehensive? Nervous? While he wanted to move forward and find just what this place was, everything inside him told him to run away.
The only problem was that there was nowhere to run to. Try as he might, Isaac could not see anything; to the left, the right, up, down, forwards, behind, nothing. There was only darkness. And yet, he was keenly aware that his eyes were in fact open and his senses had not betrayed him. With each step, he knew that he was moving, yet he could not feel his body move. With each breath he took in, he listened for the sound of air being inhaled into his body, yet there was no sound. “Hello?” Silence. This was a strange place. He could not see, could not hear, he could not even feel the floor beneath him. Yet, he did not sense that he was falling nor did he believe that his other senses had failed him or had been taken away. And yet, there was familiarity in this place. Very strange indeed.
But, why? Why was this place a place of comfort? It wasn’t a dream, right? If it was (and Isaac was certainly aware of what was going on), then wouldn’t he be able to control his surroundings? He had heard that it was possible; and yet, he was certainly unable to take charge of his situation. So the possibility of this being a dram was out of question (or at least if the theories about dreams were correct). Was this a trance? Maybe. The man had never experienced a trance, so he was unsure if this was one or not.
Think Isaac, what can you remember last? Just what the hell is going on? His eyelids pressing down over sky blue eyes, his mind racing trying to recant previous activities, only one thing was for certain. Eyes open or eyes closed made no difference in this place. He tried to sigh, but again, there was no sound. What was going on? He didn’t seem in danger here, but why was he here? After all, he was talking to a rather large stowaway on his ship and then he…That was it!
Isaac Saifer was aboard his Marine vessel, the Blackguard (the mess hall specifically), when he remembered feeling nauseated. He must have passed out there because he could not remember anything past that moment. So then, there was one question out of the way. But that didn’t explain what this place was. "Ok, I passed out. So…can I wake up now? Hey, body. Dammit, come on. I don’t have time for this!” Everything leading up to this moment had rushed back in, almost as if he was completing a puzzle in his mind and could now see the image. As more of the image came together, the clearer Isaac’s head became. “Oh!"
And with that, the Marine Captain’s mind took him back to a place when he was still just an Ensign all those years ago. It had been close to four years, or was it five? Four, no definitely five…four and a half? The time that had elapsed wasn’t important. What was important, though, was the fact that Isaac now remembered what place this was. He had, in fact, been here before! The terrible war raging against the former Marine Captain Udyr was taking place on the open seas. The ironic thing was that that battle had taken place right here, in the North Blue. That simple revelation sent a chill through Isaac, bringing back a pain into the heavy scarred that marred his left shoulder and had even brought a pain back into his right leg. He had taken a cutlass from his shoulder down his chest and his right leg had been completely smashed, but this had happened well over four years ago. He had not had a problem in many years with either of these old war wounds, but the thought of the treacherous man’s actions and the consequences that came of it were enough to draw out the pain in Isaac’s body. It was truly an ugly memory that was best kept buried. Even after all this time, he had yet to truly get over the grief that that man had caused S.H.I.E.L.D. and all those who had called that crew ‘family’. Because the deceitful, murderous Udyr had existed, Commodore Thor, Cerberus, and so many others had perished.
Because Udyr had drawn S.H.I.E.L.D. into his mess, Isaac Saifer had been pushed to the brink of his physical limits and had found himself in a coma. While there, Isaac found himself in a place very similar to this place. No, maybe that wasn’t quite right. He could not be sure, but maybe he was in the exact same place. So maybe he was in a trance after all? Or he was inside his own mind, or some kind of manifestation of his heart or spirit? This was, again, very strange.
The last time he was, well whatever this place was called, Isaac had seen some apparition. If he remembered correctly, it was a canine, a domestic dog of some kind. In fact, now that he thought of it, it was the last time he had ‘seen’ Cerberus, his former partner and friend. When Isaac came to from his coma and had escaped this ‘place’, Cerberus too had passed away from the actions caused by Udyr. While the now hardened Marine had learned to suppress most, if not all, of his feelings and pain, he could not help but let a bit of emotion out. With a silent thud, Isaac fell in a heap onto the…floor (even though there really was none)? How long had it been since he had felt…well, feelings? How long had it been since he had let these hurts surface? How long has it been since he’d allow himself to be human and acknowledge his pain? Had is body forced him here to allow him an opportunity to reconcile with his past?
Either seconds or hours had passed, but Isaac would not have been able to tell the difference. But, what Isaac could tell was how much better he now felt. For whatever amount of time had passed, he was able to just sit and think. Not about his crew, his duties as a captain, not the mission, his superiors, provisions, procedures, none of that. Just his past and everything that had been done to him. From the time that he had decided to join the Marines at the tender age of sixteen to now ten years later. He could reflect on his five years in S.H.I.E.L.D. , his year away from the Marine organization, and the last four years since returning to the World Government. He had grown so much, learned what it meant to fight for something bigger than him, and what it meant to have loss in one’s life. And you know what? He was thankful for it all. Yes, his mentor and friend Commodore Thor had been taken from this world, but he learned what it meant to be a man of morals and strong value. Yes, his best friend Cerberus too had passed from this life, but now Isaac knew what it meant to trust and cherish those in his life. Hanabi, Mian, so many had passed and had left, but Isaac understood family in a way that he never would have had it not been for S.H.I.E.L.D. And with all that had taken place over the last five years, Isaac knew what it meant to get back up and find one’s resolve and chase the sunrise once more.
“Isaac.”
What was that? A sound? Yes, it certainly did sound like…well a sound. But, wasn’t that impossible in whatever place this was?
“Isaac.”
There it was again. Where was it coming from? Though he could not feel his own body, the newly thankful Marine stood. Straining his eyes into the darkness didn’t seem to help at all. “Isaac.” This voice, he knew it. It may have been many years, but the booming words carried all of the authority and power that Isaac had associated with the person who spoke them. It was, no it couldn’t be. “Isaac.” It just couldn’t be, and yet it was so painfully clear that it in fact was; Commodore Thor! “Commodore? Is that you? Where are you?” Try as he might, there was no one. “Isaac.” There it was again, this time much closer, or so it seemed. “Isaac. Can you not see me even now? I’m right here. Just open your eyes.”
And, to Isaac’s surprise, he was. Or rather, he was only now coming into view. From where Isaac’s shadow should have been, a red wisp seemed to flow, forming more and more into a humanoid shape. Though there were no distinctive facial features, there was no mistaking the phantasm as anyone but Commodore Thor. Everything about this ‘thing’ screamed Commodore Thor; from the sheer size, the Marine coat, the booming voice, and even the Commodore’s renown hammer strapped to his back. Even in this darkness there was no mistaking it, this was the Commodore. “Wait, what’s going on? Where are we? And you! You…I mean you were…after all you…with all due respect sir, you..you died.”
“I did, didn’t I?” During his eventful clash with ex-Captain Udyr, the Commodore and that treacherous Marine both gave their lives up. Whatever rebellion that he had been planning, the Commodore had put to a stop, even going so far as to give up his life. And for that, he had been celebrated as a man of honor and highest respect. But the fact remains, Commodore Thor had perished. So why, why was here in what Isaac had come to now accept as some form of his own ‘inner being’. But then again, Isaac had also come to grips with this all being very strange. Was this, then, really so strange?
“You know, Commodore, you never said goodbye.” “Heh, you were in a coma. What was I supposed to do, wait for you?” “It would have been nice, Sir. You know, that was my fight too.” “You were just an Ensign, that wasn’t your fight. But that’s not why I’m here.” A quizzical look (or so he assumed) crossed Isaac’s face. “You’re not yourself Isaac. You haven’t been yourself for a very long time. Not since what happened five years ago.” Isaac wanted to leap in, to protest and to defend himself. But he knew he couldn’t. Commodore Thor had always understood Isaac. That was why the Marine had taken in a sixteen year old boy into the thick of a war, made him second command, and had invested so much into the boy. He had seen something in Isaac that was eerily similar to the Commodore when he was just a young Marine himself. “You used to be so passionate Isaac. I had such high hopes for you. Did my death change you so much that you forgot everything I taught you to be? Did Cerberus’ death make you forget what it was like to love?”
Had down, filled with shame, Isaac said nothing. How could he? “Or are you so scared to let that happen again that you simply forgot about S.H.I.E.L.D. So much that you forgot about me? You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Isaac. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in this world. If you do not find who you are and what you can become, you will lose everything again.”
“Captain? Captain Saifer? Isaac!”
Whoosh
A cold wave of air suddenly hit Isaac square in the face, launching the man from his laid out position on the medical bed. Sitting up, a concoction of smells, colors, and noise came rushing back in. After experiencing what he just did, Isaac was left a bit stunned by this new sensory overload. “ISAAC! I’m so glad; you scared me you insensitive jerk. Don’t you dare do that again, don’t you dare!”Though she had always jokingly fawned over the Captain, Head-Medic Michelle of the Blackwatch really did care for Isaac; and having him here as a patient due to his sudden collapse had been quite hard on her.
“Captain. Oh God, I’m glad you’re ok. We were all worried. You are ok, aren’t you Captain?” “You really scared the hell out of us there in the mess hall, Cap.” Second-in-Command Amyot and Head-Engineer Rogers heard the commotion and now popped into the back room, both of them letting out a sigh of relief; though Amyot’s disposition immediately turned sour seeing Amy Mitchell the distinguished Head-Medic sprawled over the still somewhat dazed Captain. Though they both saw each other as sisters (though the younger Amyot would never, ever say acknowledge this fact), it bothered her to no end how unprofessionally Mitchell acted when around Isaac…or if she was talking about Isaac, or even thinking about Isaac for that matter. “Eh hm, Miss Mitchell. Don’t you think the Captain should be taking it easy? You squeezing him might not be best for the Captain at the moment.” To be fair though, he did just put the entire staff into an alarmed state.
Finally coming to, Isaac was now aware of what was happening and what had transpired. He went unconscious, saw a weird apparition of the Commodore who spoke to him about finding out who he really was, and now three of his staff members were standing over him. “Who else knows what just happened?.” As second in command, Caroline Amyot stepped in, “Almost everyone, sir. You were in the mess hall when you fainted. People saw and people are talking. I tried to squash any rumors Captain, but they’ll keep talking till they get a definitive answer. We can have Miss Mitchell give a medical…” “No, I’ll take care of that myself.” “Captain?” Amyot had reason to question this decision by her captain. The two had known each other for many years now, he was in fact the one who discovered her while she was still in the academy and brought her to be his right hand woman in this new Marine division. And in that time, she learned one thing was certain about Isaac; he did not open to his crew. At least not in the way that he had opened up with her. So the fact that he wanted to address the crew himself was a shock, he had never done this before.
“Sweetie, you should stay here tonight. No need to push yourself.” “I appreciate the concern Amy, but I’ll be ok. I’ll come back in tomorrow if you like and you can do a checkup until you’re satisfied. Lieutenant Amyot, let’s go.” And with that, the Captain and his Lieutenant left the medical ward, making their way above decks. Pushing the metal door that provided a sealed barrier from the exposed elements above, snow, ice, and all matter of cold rushed directly towards their bodies. Isaac instinctively clutched his left shoulder, expecting the scar to ache. Curiously, it did not. That trance like state he had been in made him forget that his wound had long healed, even if it left the mark behind. Carefully treading the icing that was beginning to form across the layer of metal that coated the flooring of the ‘Blackguard”, working Marines stopped whatever task they were doing (whether it was lowering the anchors, furling the sails, or scraping the building ice away) to simply stop and whisper to each other.
Hey, it’s the Captain.
Yea, I can see that. I thought he was in the medical ward?
The rumors must have been wrong then?
No, I know what I saw. It was the Captain alright back there.
Maybe it was the food. But ya know, the cooks always do an outstanding job.
He must have already recovered. Shoot, get back to work guys.
A quick glance from the ever watchful eye of Lieutenant Amyot was all that was needed to stop the whispers of the Marines and get them back on track. After all, when your commanding officer is known to have a temper and known to throw slackers overboard, the thought of falling into the sea while being docked at Ice Nine was enough to stop all chatter.
Slam. The heavy oak door was forcibly shut with some help from the wind outside. Walking past the desk and its many files, Isaac Saifer did not reach halfway past his office before a giant Doberman came bounding out of the room in the back. Thor, the Hellhound, too was worried. “Hey big guy, miss me?” Though the two had been together since Isaac’s return to the Marines and since Thor had just been a puppy, the two have always had a very professional relationship. But now, with the scare that Isaac had had, Thor’s loyalty and canine instincts kicked in. This was no time for professional, no time at all. Raised on hindquarters, and paws on Isaac’s chest, the two engaged in a moment of healthy ear ruffling. “Isaac…I’ve never seen you do that. What’s going on?” Sighing and allowing himself to plop into the mahogany chair, Isaac wondered how he could explain. Out of everyone, only his parents and Caroline knew what it had been like losing the Commodore and Cerberus. “I saw...I saw him Caroline. The Commodore.” “Commodore...Thor? Isaac, he’s dead.” “I know. Don’t ask questions, I don’t get it either. I just…well, I just saw him. He spoke to me, said I wasn’t being myself and that I’ve forgotten everything we had accomplished in S.H.I.E.L.D. And because I forgot him, I forgot who I was supposed to be.” “I’d usually be sarcastic here, but are you sure? That just seems, odd. So, who are you supposed to be?” “He said I have no passion anymore, that I’m not the same person he once believed I could be. I think we both know that he (or whatever it was) is right. And don’t you dare say I told you so.”
Heh, I told you so, though she’d never say it out loud (at least in this situation), she was certainly thinking it. And she was, in fact, quite right. Since the ‘Blackwatch’ had been created, Caroline had long encouraged, or rather insisted, that Isaac connect with his crew in the same way that he had once connected with S.H.I.E.L.D. If he didn’t, she so often told him, he would lose this crew as well. And it seems as if that fact had finally been accepted by Isaac. “So, what are you going to do about it then?” “Gather the entire crew. Before we depart the ship, I think it’s time for this crew to see their captain lead for once.”
Heading into the back of his room to change into a fresh pair of clothing, Isaac smiled for the first time in a long time. Even Caroline was beaming from ear to ear. This was going to be a welcomed change for the large crew. It seemed like ‘Blackwatch’ was finally coming together as a real crew.
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