Disclaimer: This is a work of original fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Chapter 16 -- Truth or Lie
Chief Raven Officer’s Office, 2nd Floor, 88th Regiment ‘Ravens’ HQ, Fort Drum, New York, USA, 12 December 2020, 0917 hrs
“What do you mean you know my father?!” An agitated Kodey lunges towards the Chief Raven Officer, but the cable ties hold him back as they grip both his hands on the wheelchair’s armrests.
“Stay still, or we will not hesitate to beat you up, human!” Sally roared in a threatening voice as she took out her baton weapon, preparing to strike at Kodey.
“Do not strike him, Sergeant Flannery,” Bettino ordered her to stand down before turning his face to Kodey.
‘That’s right, Kodey Zander. Rage all you want, but you will never get to see your father again.’ Bettino smirks in enjoyment before opening his mouth to speak. “Oh, my. What a naughty human you are. I think both your parents didn’t teach you how to restrain yourself in the eyes of other beings.” .
Immediately, the Chief Raven Officer punches him in the stomach, making Kodey cough up in pain. “Pathetic…” Bettino says in disgust. “I thought they trained you well to be strong from a very young age, but it seems they failed to do that. Anyway, I’m Brigadier General Bettino Rico, the current Chief Raven Officer of all Raven Young Templars for the 88th Regiment. As for you, you must be wondering why we took out the safe zone where you and your sister are staying. We have reasons for doing that, but first, let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?”
‘What the hell is he talking about?’ Kodey looks at the Chief Raven Officer in bewilderment after hearing those words. His parents have never told him and his sister about the Young Templars before in their entire lives. However, Young Templars like the Chief Raven Officer know them well. To Kodey, there’s something hidden from him.
“When you and your sister were young, somebody paid a visit to your home to see your family. This man, who visited your family, you addressed him as Uncle Hong. Is that right, Kodey?” Bettino asks in a slow but cold tone.
‘Wait a minute, I think I know this name before.’ A similar feeling of déjà vu enters Kodey’s mind as he tries to recall his memories from younger days.
Flashback…
Years ago…
“What are their names, Maria?” An unknown man with a fedora hat asks her.
“Well, I named him Kodey, while the girl’s name is Erika,” Maria replied.
“Splendid names you have given to them, Maria.” The unknown man grins with excitement. “By the way, should we introduce ourselves to them?”
“Go ahead, John. However, be discreet while talking to them. They are too early to know what’s going on and the jobs we’re all doing.” Maria cautions him.
“No worries, Maria. I will ensure they know nothing of the work we have done.” The unknown man says this before heading towards her kids with another man, dressed in formal wear, wearing a suit and tie.
“Mom, who are these guys?” A younger Kodey asks as he shields his sister from the two unknown guys looking at them.
“Kodey, this is Uncle Hong, while the other is Uncle Ressler. They are both my colleagues I worked with in the same department at my workplace.” Maria tells him. “Tell your sister not to be shy with them. Also, don’t forget to greet them out of courtesy, you two.” .
“I don’t feel like speaking to them. Can I hide behind your back, brother?” A younger Erika silently tells Kodey as she hides behind him out of shyness.
“No need to be afraid of me, Kodey, and Erika. Uncle Ressler and I don’t hurt children.” John lets out a friendly laugh before patting their head. “We are here to visit and have a chat with your mom.” John then turns his face towards the other man before instructing him with the following words: “Diego, I want you to keep her two kids busy while I go to a room to speak with Maria alone. Please ensure they do not follow us.” .
The German guy nods and then turns his attention towards the Zander kids. As Uncle Ressler picks up a nearby set of toys, attempting to play with them, Kodey sees his mother walk up the stairs with Uncle Hong before disappearing from view. To him, he wonders who Uncle Hong is and why he wants to speak to her mother in private.
Flashback ends…
Back to the present…
“From the movement of your eyes, I can tell you have met him before. Better come clean with me, or there will be consequences, Kodey,” Bettino warns him.
‘How the hell did he know that?’ Kodey wonders before a suspicious thought sweeps through his mind. ‘Hold up, something’s not right. If I give him the answer he wants, he will use it to hold further leverage against me and my sister. Might as well act dumb in front of him.’ .
“Speak up, Kodey. Don’t keep me waiting.” Bettino says.
“I only met him once before in my entire life. Whoever the hell Uncle Hong is, I know very little of him.” Kodey replies while looking down at the ground.
“I knew it,” Bettino smirks in satisfaction upon hearing his answer. Since Kodey knew nothing of Uncle Hong, the Chief Raven Officer spotted an opportunity to win the human prisoner’s trust by telling him the truth about Young Templars. “You might think of us as evil beings, Kodey. But in reality, we are not.” .
“Yeah, right? If you think your own kind are not evil, why did you attack the safe zone, kill all the surviving humans living there, and then hold me, my sister, and my foster mom hostage?!” Kodey roared in a furious tone.
“It’s simple. We are liberating you and your sister from the evil humans.” Bettino calmly replies. “As for your foster mom, she will dump you the moment she knows your identity and that of your sister.” .
‘What kind of identity is he talking about?’ Kodey felt suspicious after hearing his words. “I don’t believe in you. You must be hiding the entire truth from me.” .
“Truth is the first casualty of war. Be it conventional or psychological warfare.” The Chief Raven Officer tells him before continuing further. “However, I have no intention of misleading you, Kodey. It’s time for you to know the truth about your actual mother.” .
The Chief Raven Officer heads to his office desk to take out a restricted file from a drawer before walking back to where Kodey is. Then he takes out a photo from the restricted file, displaying a lady dressed in an unknown military uniform while wearing a facemask, before showing it to Kodey.
“This is your actual mother,” Bettino begins. “She’s a full-fledged Young Templar just like us, and she hailed from a well-respected family of Young Templars. Like us, she hated humans to the core and was a hardline Young Templar who advocated the supremacy of our kind. This means both you and your sister were hybrids and related to our kind.” .
“No, no, no. That’s not true…” Kodey shakes hysterically in denial after hearing the disturbing revelations about him and his family’s identity. He doesn’t recall seeing his actual mother telling him she is a Young Templar. All he knows is seeing her acting like an ordinary human, a doting mother in front of him and his sister. “If I’m a human, so is she.” .
“Stop bluffing yourself, Kodey,” Bettino chuckles upon seeing that the poor human prisoner is mentally coping in denial. “Your actual mother is one of us and is never an actual human to begin with. She sided with the humans, like Uncle Hong, out of guilt. Even her own family of Young Templars wanted to kill her for defecting to the humans. But now she is no longer alive, and we captured both you and your sister. As for your sister, she is on her way to be a true Young Templar just like us, and she will atone for your mother’s sins and destroy the last bastions of humanity left on this planet.” .
“I swear if you make her a hateful Young Templar just like your fellow kind, you will face hellish consequences from me,” Kodey warns Bettino in a soft but cold voice, while giving him the death stare.
“Oh no, I’m so scared of a hybrid human threatening me.” Bettino mocks him with giggles before using his right hand to turn Kodey’s face towards him, before speaking further. “You think I’m so scared of your threats, Kodey? Just because you are a hybrid doesn’t mean you can take us out easily. Hybrids are half Young Templars, but they will never become full-fledged ones since their Young Templars’ powers do not exist. A half-Young Templar is still good as a puny, ordinary human being since they have not undergone the entire transformation process to become a complete Young Templar. Since your actual mother has failed to transform you into one of our kind, you can forget about rescuing your sister again. As for her, she will complete her transformation process and accept her full Young Templar identity before killing you into pieces.” .
“As long as I’m alive, I will rescue my sister from your kind by whatever means necessary. You can’t stop me, General,” Kodey shoots a thinly veiled warning to him.
“Go ahead, stupid one. But you will never accomplish your goal of rescuing your sister.” An amused Bettino jeers at Kodey for his delusional and stubborn thinking. “Your other extended Young Templar family wants to speak to you once you arrive in Nepal. From there, they get to decide whether you are worthy enough to reunite with your sister once again. So, it’s better you work on improving your behavior from now on.” .
With that said, the Chief Raven Officer lets go of Kodey’s face before putting the photo back into the restricted file and then putting it back on top of his office desk. Then, he walks back to where Kodey was before speaking to the two Raven Young Templars watching him. “Sergeant Flannery, tell your fellow Raven to escort the human prisoner out of this room. I need to speak to you in private.” .
Sally then informs Sergeant Darrell to escort Kodey out of the room and wait for her outside. Understanding her words, the Raven Young Templar wheeled the human prisoner out of the room before closing the door, leaving both Sally and the Chief Raven Officer alone.
“Alright, sir. Is there a new mission for me to undertake?” Sally asks.
To be continued...
End of Chapter 16
Note: All the characters, places and storylines are owned by Jeremy Mountbatten. All rights reserved by the author. Feel free to give some feedback and don't forget to vote for this chapter. If you want to support me, you can tip me on Ko-Fi (link provided below).