The Ultimate Organization III

"Good to see you sir... and there is no distance goal. There is no supreme rule," Vecked replied, walking towards the man slowly, "The current goal is to disrupt the system that an evil organization has created..."

 

"Before I reveal myself totally," the figure said, not getting any closer or farther away from Vecked, and still mostly shrouded in darkness. "I would like to show you something."

He gestured, and the darkness parted to reveal a world beyond it.

"Take a walk with me, through the Brotherhood's past, the dark side's past, and perhaps you will understand..." the man said, gesturing for Vecked to enter the portal.

 

"Alright sir..." Vecked muttered, walking through the portal, "This should be... entertaining."

 

"I do not know everything, and from what I know, I'm not sure I'd like to," the figure in darkness said, stepping into the portal and allowing it to swallow them both. "What I do know of the beginning was provided grudgingly to me by Enigma in return for a...that is unimportant. Only know this, that Scourge came into the worlds suddenly many years ago."

"He immediately closed himself off from society; the only reason we know he exists is he sent a single person out from his manor that he bought...rightfully...from the landowner's son who was moving away. This person would collect food and tell a little about Scourge..."

The vision shifted to the town as he spoke, then to a dim hall where Scourge sat in a chair, his chin resting on his fist, his eyes intense.

"Then came the day he began gathering those who would work for him. He didn't force anyone to work for him...Those who did was out of personal choice. He began taking an interest in the government, and began sending out large sums of money to help worlds in need, in fact saving nearly twenty from the depths of poverty. Still, he was an unknown entity, only his good deeds and tales from his servants to enlighten the mysterious man."

"Eventually, he moved from his manor to another world, asking for a home there. They gladly gave it to him, and he lives there still, a silent sentinel on the hill."

"Now what of the infamous Brotherhood?"

The scenes began shifting more rapidly, inbetween worlds.

"They often participated in diplomacy between the worlds, which is why the dark side of the worlds revolves in relative peace compared to the light worlds. Unlike the Sora System, the Brotherhood largely stayed out of politics and never enforced rule over the other systems...until recently, that is, but make note that this was not under Scourge's jurisdiction. From what I can garnish from Enigma, Scourge had no knowledge of the events, through no fault of his own."

"So tell me, Vecked, does this sound like a man who would begin slaughtering hundreds of people on a whim...?" the man finished as the world returned to darkness.

 

"I think you put the wrong reel in there..." Vecked chuckled, "Those little... uh... little sideshows there are for the UO... a man being a decent person may change their minds... but not mine... nah... not mine."

Vecked turned to the shadowed man, close enough to almost see a face in the darkness. "You see... Scourge has become more then a man. He's an icon of an organization. As long as his life stays, the Brotherhood won't die... and that's a problem because they are a public image... other images are Sora... Sora the man. Tui Raijin was an image, the only way he can still live is if he never goes by that name again. Hojan was also image... and you notice the people seeing these images, the public, think they died. That's why they have disappeared."

"You see my friend," Vecked continued, "Images don't fade... image's burn out. The UO is also an image now, thanks to Lexx, and if they make one mistake they will be killed or hunted until the public is satisfied."

Vecked smiled, "Its beyond... Oh, this guy's nice enough... nah... it's about more then that. You see I'm smart... who am I? I'm nobody... no one in the world knows my face... and that's why I'm gonna live on while all you people with your organized politics, with your plans, with your groups, with your public... your all gonna die no matter what most likely. And me... who is arguably more evil then Scourge on someones levels, will not."

Vecked shrugged, "Because I'm smarter then that. And I'm about to see the results of my plans... you'll see... whoever you are."

 

Enigma began clapping from behind Vecked. "What a wonderful monologue, Vecked. But...you're wrong."

 

"Good to see you!" Vecked yelled, turning to Enigma, "We got ourselves a regular little party here... and... I really think my opinion should be a little more... note worthy." Vecked chuckled, "I... am a mind on the same level, or higher, then Scourge... I'm the only person who has, so far, pushed him into a corner. And I'm definitely at the same power level as his pawns... so if No! Your wrong Vecked! means, no... your not untouchable... I think you'll find... I am."

 

"Vecked. Don't push me," Enigma said, and the man disappeared as the only thing in the universe became Enigma and Vecked. "You don't who you're tangling with. And I don't mean Scourge."

He smiled slightly, and began walking around Vecked.

"You're full of holes," Enigma said. "You're ruthless, but you justify your actions with hypocritical and often contradictory statements. Such as, and I quote, 'the current goal is to disrupt the system that an evil organization has created,' yet when faced with evidence to suggest otherwise, you throw it away, by suggesting, and again I quote, 'a man being a decent person may change their minds, but not mine...'"

"Who are you, Vecked?" Enigma asked, leaning forward. "Who are you?"

 

Vecked was going to reply with a smug comment, but then the question actually hit him. Who was he? Who was... Vecked? Who was Vecked Flate? Who was Vecked Princeton? Vecked glanced down, thinking it over for almost a minute.

"I'm... a man with goals..." Vecked said slowly, "And... I think, in all of this... I truly am the human. I'm no god... I'm no politician. I've taken advantage of others, I do things for my own gain. I can get friends... I can make friends, even in tight places... I'm a tactician but not with this... this isn't my plan. I'm tactician of the mind... I... can beat people... in every way... I'm human. And the one time anything... special, anything good... any miracle ever happened for me where I wasn't harassed, where there was no side effect, where I wasn't getting shot, where I wasn't treated like more... that had to be destroyed... So yeah, I have a goal... I'm placing the pieces and I know ultimately I'm getting what I want in the end... but now, I'm the mortal in this. I'm just Vecked..."

Vecked shrugged, "I'm just... plain... Vecked Princeton..."

 

"It never ceases to amaze me," Enigma said after a moment. "How similar I feel the two of us are. I felt as you do, I acted as you did."

"But there is a fundamental difference between me and you," Enigma sighed. "I changed. I found my purpose. Find yours."

And with that, Enigma disappeared, leaving Vecked alone with Atilio Ecklund.

 

Vecked glanced at the spot where Enigma had just been, "That man was never like me..." He muttered slowly, before turning to the shadowed figure, "So whats your problem? You wanna kill me? You wanna try?"

 

Atilio Ecklund let the shadows drop from him. "Remember me now?" he asked dryly.

 

"Oh my god..." Vecked said slowly, "Your dead."

 

Atilio patted himself up and down, then shrugged. "Not at the moment."

 

"Jesus..." Vecked started, his face turning into a smile, "Jesus... Didn't Lt. Wood kill you? I mean, damn... how long? Five years? Maybe six? Jesus... It was... after me and Nulix raided... uh... Fox's office! And that crazy terrorist girl was pissed! And then we black mailed Martin into funding us because we assassinated the guy with Nick and Ben Prince! Oh god... then we hijacked the town and then you, me, and Nul... we were arrested... well, Nul came after, but I remember it was just you and me... then we got out, and then... I remember... you went with Nul... but you were the one who voted me to stay on the ship... and then, at Wood's ship they killed you... you tried saving me..."

Vecked just couldn't get the grin off his face, "Oh my god... its Atilio... you know, I changed my middle cause.... I thought you died. I mean... oh my god... oh my god... How... are you alive? I mean... oh my god man... how?"

 

"A certain amount of luck and talent, and of course, ingenuity," Atilio said, smiling. "Let's just say I left too many thumbtacks on the devil's chair and got kicked back here."

He laughed. "I ended up here...I've been looking into everything around here, and what you saw is merely half of the information on the Brotherhood."

"But, you know, Vecked," he said, sobering. "I hope you know what you're doing; you're blaming someone you know nothing about for hundreds of deaths instigated by you..."

 

"Dude... you think I give a damn?" Vecked asked with a smile, "I'm in the process of saving the worlds. I really don't think the Brotherhood could be reformed... and besides, I'm not the big guy behind this plan at least. In the end I'm getting... everything a lost and more back..." Vecked smiled, "Atilio... come with me! Lets get out of here! It'll be just like old times minus Nulix... I'll show my team! Come on man! It'll be great!"

 

Atilio smiled. "You don't learn a lot when you're dead, Vecked, but I did learn something. Things can never be the same. But I'll come with you. Who knows? Maybe things will turn out for both of us..."

 

"Well... you know... I guess can't be... exactly as they used too... I mean, I've changed a lot... I've even got a little... little beard stubble here," Vecked chuckled, pointing to his face, "God... I've had... so many... adventures, man... I'll tell you later, for now lets just blow this joint. Can you teleport or anything? Or should I blow a hole in the wall?"

 

Atilio shook his head. "Neither."

The darkness collapsed around them. They stood in the middle of a large ilium ship. "So, where do we need to go?"