Chapter 349: Memories of the Betrayal (1)

The Inhuman Commander-in-Training, Seeker Carlean, under the service of General Lioncourt Diviner, commonly known as the Realm King, was now tasked with another mission. His peers, Commander Lynd Indigo and Commander Meryl Mikado had already taken their leave. Seeker Carlean was the only one who has yet to exit the base and paid one last visit to his team.

Seeker finished his speech and ended the conversation with his cherished team, the Gryphon Squadron.

"Ace, Ivan... Take care of my team for me, will you?" Seeker smiled.

"Of course, Colonel. Lim and Brenton have already crafted a plan for our next raid. By this time tomorrow, we should be able to defeat Myanmar's forces. And with that, our forces can march on to liberate the South East Asian region. That's your hometown, right Colonel?" Ace assured as his fellow soldier, Ivan nodded at the side.

"Colonel. I might be a little insensitive... But you should talk to Lieutenant Zera." Fish approached and finally smiled.

"Still chasing fantasies, Fish? She's already married, you know?"

"Colonel, the world is over. Some weirdo Commander officiated over her marriage. There are no bonds and ties that matter. Just go over there and steal her! That guy doesn't stand a chance against you! He's not even Inhuman! And while you're at it, take me too, Colonel!" A woman approached and gave Seeker several weapons that were granted only for Seeker.

"Easy there, Alphie." Seeker laughed.

"Colonel. It's just wrong. She chose that jerk, but I know she really loves you. We've talked a lot as I've challenged her over my feelings towards you, she denies having any but encourages me to go for it, but I know a woman in love when I see one. That's because I'm also in love with you." Alphie gave a playful wink at Seeker.

"Trust me, Colonel. If you go there and steal her and take her away, she'll say yes and cry in tears. I don't know what her drama is, but I'm sure something is stopping her. But will it be hindered by love? You're the great Seeker Carlean! You'd be a Ranked Hero soon, Colonel!"

"I hate to be a gossipy type, Colonel. But Alphie is right. With us graduating from your platoon and you being handpicked by Commander Lynd to lead his division, we don't know if we're ever going to see each other again. Why not live this last moment with no regrets? Besides, isn't that why you delayed your departure. All the Unlocked have moved, and General Arthur is already on route. But you stayed here! You want to see her one more time, don't you, Colonel?" Will asked.

"Wow. For someone so dumb, you actually get that, Will." Lim arrived and laughed. Next to her was a short man at the same height as Lim.

"What do you think, Lim, Brenton?" Suarez, who was silently watching on the side, asked the two strategists of their squad.

"Personally, I think Colonel should go for Kristine. That way, General Lynd would be mine." Lim smiled.

"But if you were to ask me for the sake of Colonel... Then go for Lieutenant Zera. The miracle that brought us here can't happen again. With our two armies branching off... I'd take the Lieutenant with me." Lim smiled.

"I'm with Lim here, Colonel. You're stalling for her, right? She probably thinks you already left. Go back there, grab her, push her by the wall, and kiss her. That idiot can't do anything to an Unlocked like you." Brenton smiled as he gave Seeker a large thumbs up.

"I'll shoot him at the balls if he moves, sir. With my skill, unless the Realm King investigates, no one will know it was from your squadron." Epic laughed.

Seeker also laughed.

"Guys... I did delay here... But it's only to tell her my final feelings. I do love her. But she made her choice, and I will make mine. But regardless of her choice, I'll give her this ring that I found. Even if she doesn't need it, I can't give it to the next girl I'll love. So I might as well just leave it to her." Seeker smiled as he raised his arms and used his telekinetic Realm to float the ring.

"Woah! Colonel! You found a ring?! Was that why you ransacked that large mall before escaping?"

"Colonel, can I have it?" 

"I should have ransacked that mall! Damn it! I could have stolen those ancient handheld consoles in the museum section!" Ace cursed.

The squadron was stunned at what Seeker had and began to clamor.

"My my... The Colonel is quite bold. Getting her a ring? And just when you said you decided to stop pursuing her, you give her a ring. Talk about sending mixed signals!" Lim frowned.

"Yeah, Colonel! Give that ring to me instead!"

"I'm not giving her mixed signals! It's just... you know... How would the next girl feel if she found out I gave her a ring that I got thinking of someone else?"

"I wouldn't mind, Colonel." 

"Alphie. Behave."

The group continued to tease, and the girls even argued that Seeker was very cruel. But after the guys pointed out how cruel Zeraphine was in marrying that guy, the girls began to urge Seeker to go to that room, show Zeraphine the ring, and then propose to Fish.

Alphie argued that it should have been her, and Fish was blushing to the extreme and couldn't even hide it with her Unlocking.

Soon, Alphie began to fight with Fish and challenge her to a duel, and whoever was left alive would get Colonel Seeker.

"I didn't know you like the Colonel, Fish!" Ivan teased.

"Must have been during that mission in Myanmar. I had to embrace her for a long time to get out of that falling wreckage." Seeker recalled the details of that mission.

Fish's face turned even redder.

"Colonel! That's unfair! I never got that treatment!" Alphie snapped after hearing what Seeker and Fish went through.

"Fish! How dare you?! I called dibs on Seeker!" Alphie turned to Fish.

"Anyways, gang. I better go settle this. The Realm King awaits. You guys... Promise me that you'll take care of her." Seeker gave a melancholic glance at the team.

"We will, Colonel. Make sure you get Kristine from that Lynd. Bastard kid!" Ivan cursed.

"He could hear you, you know?" Suarez warned.

Seeker began to move away and headed towards the underground facility that was used as their base. He rode the many lifts in the base that brought him lower and lower.

"Colonel? You're still here?" Some of the soldiers in Seeker's squadron were stunned as they saw Seeker leave the lift.

"At ease, men. I'm no longer your Colonel. Strict laws of the UN states that I have no authority to command you unless our Generals agree. Treat me as a civilian."

"Alright, Civilian Seeker Carlean. Where are you headed to?" The soldier laughed.

"Just off to some unfinished business." Seeker smiled and continued to move deeper into the base.

"See you around, Civilian!" The soldier waved as Seeker began to move towards the office where Lieutenant Zeraphine was at.

Some of the soldiers noticed him and gave him a salute. Seeker smiled and just shook his head. These were soldiers belonging to the Gorgon Squadron, which was the unit where Zeraphine served.

"Co-Colonel Seeker!" Surprised cries shouted as the guards of Zeraphine saw Seeker headed towards the entrance.

Seeker frowned.

"You guys awfully look ready for battle. Was there a new order?" Seeker noted the Exoskeletons that these soldiers wore.

"Ye-Yes. Lieutenant Zeraphine has made some orders for the next mission. Are you off to meet her, Colonel? We have no reports of you meeting her."

"Just finishing some business with her. Relax, I won't take her away." Seeker smiled as he walked forward.

The soldiers in their exoskeletons nodded as Seeker continued to move forward.

Suddenly, Seeker stopped right in between them.

"You know, you three don't have to be so nervous." Seeker frowned as he glanced at one of them.

"It's-it's that we know your history with her, Colonel."

"Oh? Is it that? Or is it the fact that I can hear your heart beating on your right side of the chest?" Seeker frowned.

SLASH!

Almost instantly, the three were beheaded as Seeker sliced off their head with a crystal sword.

"Zeraphine." Seeker frowned as he ran forward.

"What's the rush, Colonel?" Suddenly, a voice was heard, although no one was around.

"I just married the Lieutenant, and you suddenly killed my men."

"Killed your men or killed your Planteds?" Seeker held his sword and closed his eyes.

"Please. Without the Four Force Booster, you aren't our match, Colonel." The man laughed.

Seeker's Thought Transmitter suddenly emitted a bright light.

"Seeker... Get out of there. Get whoever you can from your squadron and escape. There is a traitor in that base!" The Realm King's commands reached Seeker.

"The Realm King already knows? Only he could breach through our distortion of space here. It seems we have to finish our mission ahead of schedule, Colonel Seeker."

SLASH!

Seeker suddenly jumped and slashed on the empty air above him.

An Exoskeleton suddenly appeared and fell to the ground.

"Kill him! He can do Realm!" The once confident man gave a panicked cry, but Seeker was faster.

Seeker jumped on-air and used a strange telekinetic power to create a foothold, and Seeker sliced another enemy as he jumped in another direction.

"He's grown stronger! Quick! Kill him!"

Gunshots and strange electric bolts began to shoot out, which revealed their positions. Seeker kept moving and jumping, slicing one place after the other. One of the Exoskeletons that were sliced accidentally shot around and killed another.

Finally, Seeker delivered one last stab, which struck an Exoskeleton that was cloaked just like the others.

"Impossible... How do you have Realm and... telekinesis?!" The pained voice of the man cried.

Seeker sliced his sword to the side and stabbed several times. Seeker's expression was angry as he kept stabbing the man.

The attacks weren't meant to kill him immediately, but rather to wound him and leave unbearable pain as well as disabling the Exoskeleton's communication systems. After a few seconds of stabbing this man, Seeker began to run.

"Gryphon Squadron! This is Colonel Seeker Carlean! A traitor is in our midst, and this base is compromised!" Seeker called over the comm device, but there was no response.

As Seeker ran, he could hear it. From a distance, the pained cries of soldiers and civilians in the base as gunshots and explosions occur ed above ground.

Seeker gritted his teeth. He had the option of going up to help his team, or he could search for Zeraphine's area. Seeker knew that logically, Zeraphine would have been killed by traitors.

"Unless they have an extremely elaborate escape plan that occurred before this base was made, Zeraphine must still be being transported if she was captured and not killed!" Seeker concluded as he raced towards the inner chambers of the unit where Zeraphine served.

Seeker ran with all his might as his thoughts brought him everywhere. But his fears remained constant. There were no sounds of any battle in the underground areas where he was headed too. He knew it could only mean that the soldiers inside were all dead, are were all traitors.

Seeker finally reached the large doors and used his access pass to open them.

The eight-meter metal door began to open up, and when Seeker saw everything inside, he only went inside to retrieve the nearest boosters and retreated to where he came.

"No sign of Zeraphine. Did they take her?" Seeker pondered as he wore the Force Boosters while running. But as he kept running, the vision of the sight he saw in that room was causing Seeker immense pain. The blood in the boosters he wore also added to his anger.

Almost all of the soldiers in that large room were either dead, and those that weren't would be in the next minute. There was no time to save them.

Seeker raced towards the top and used the Force Boosters to help him scale the underground facility faster.

The soldiers he met earlier were already dead, and some of the survivors began to shoot at invisible enemies but were being massacred.

Seeker ran towards them and blasted off.

"Seeker Carlean?! Kill him!"

"Stupid Inhuman! We are on the same levels!" Another soldier laughed.

But at the next second, he was beheaded.

"You guys aren't real Unlocked, are you? You just have a body as hard as one and techs to make your move as fast as us." Seeker frowned as he tossed the decapitated head of the soldier he just killed.

Seeker began his massacre, and the soldiers around him also helped as Seeker began to give orders.

Almost immediately, Seeker raced towards the lift and blasted off with his boosters.

BOOM!

An explosion occurred at the top, and the falling upper torso of Alphie caught Seeker's eyes.

Time slowed down the moment Seeker saw her.

He could see Alphie's falling body glance at Seeker and smiled at him.

"I love you, Colonel." Alphie mouthed.

Seeker had no time to stop. But he took time to mouth the words 'I love you too' to Alphie as he continued to fly towards the burning entrance of the underground facility.