No Good Person

Chapter 3: Choices

Agh... my head.

I grabbed onto my head.

Where the hell am I?

I sat up and looked around. Let's see... I'm sitting on a couple of blankets, resting on a floor of old reddish brick. It's a little cold. The only light are lanterns set up around the walls.

Sitting at a table near me is a man.

He stood from the table and looked at me cheerfully.

"Ah, so you're awake! Good. I was hoping Shira wouldn't overdue the sleeping tonic this time..."

The man is wearing a grey fedora, a long black trench coat and tight cargo pants. His eyes are a dark purple and his hair short and jet black.

"Who are you... oh wait... why am I even asking... you're the leader, right?"

The man sighed.

"Well, at least you realized I'm the head of the Free Angels. Though, from what Shira has told me, may I assume you aren't very happy to see me?"

I slightly grinned.

"Well, I can't explain how I really feel right now. But I will try. Agitated, confused and a little worried."

I moved around my shoulders.

The man laughed slightly.

"Well it seems that your fine. You know Shira said you won't explain to the deaf of reason, if I remember correctly. Though, perhaps I am different."

"What? Want me to explain something when I don't even know why I am here?"

The man shook his head.

"Ah, very well. Let me put it this way. A couple of days ago we recruited Jerico, as an explosives expert-however as you know he is now dead-killed by the company."

"He pulled first, and you know it."

The man closed his eyes.

"Yes... I do. And I have to say, it was poor judgment on my part to allow him to continue working. He was rather unstable-but still he will be seen as a martyr for what he wanted to accomplish."
I stood up.

"Don't give me that! You know full well he died a pointless death..."

The man looked at me with a scowl.

"Pointless?! No death is pointless!"

No...

"Then you my friend don't know the world."

"Oh shut it already. Don't think that because you have reasoning skills that you're reasoning is any better than ours. We have goals to help you and the other workers. We are freedom fighters! We fight to-"

I'm getting sick of hearing this already...

"You are no freedom fighters! What you are, are terrorists! Do you even care how many innocent people you kill? Do you even realize? My reasoning may be no better than yours, but what I choose to do with mine is a hell of a lot better!"

The man took a deep breath.

"Well, as I said before no death is pointless. They may have died but in the opposition's side, they will become known as martyrs for their cause. As said in the play The Valiant, the beginning of act one, 'When one rose is plucked from the neighbor's field, is it more beautiful than when picked from one's own? When the suitor chooses which rose to give to his fair maiden, the value of one is not higher than the other. Simply the favor of one side is put upon it, by the one who plucked it.'"

The Valiant... it's been a long time since I have heard about it.

"So, you know about the old play as well? The Valiant, a tale of two brothers who want to marry the same girl, both seeking to rule the kingdom her father owns? So you're comparing your Free Angels to one of the brothers, and the company as the other?"

The man smiled.

"Well, I see that you are quite the person. Very few have ever actually read the plays script-even if the last verse was hidden away before the author's... the authors... untimely death. But that does not change anything. From what I told you of Jerico I'm sure it's easy to assume what I need you for-given your job."
"An explosives expert..."

"That's right. Jerico told me about you yesterday, and I have been meaning to invite you formally to join our cause for some time-though we had to rush to get you today due to... fatal circumstances. If you remember, in the play there was another brother, the youngest one of the three. He didn't wish to help one side over the other, yet he was forced to choose."

"I know the story... so... I am the little brother?"

The man nodded, a small hint of remorse in his eyes.

"Yes. Join me, and together we can make it better for the thousands under the employment of the thousands of workers who have to work on this forsaken planet ruled by that damn company."
The man held out his hand.

"Join us-join me."

I pushed away his hand.

"No... I refuse."

The man shook his head.

"Very well."
"What now, going to kill me? Like the other innocents?"

The man shook his head.

"No. Afraid I planned for this outcome. I won't kill you-but you know what, I'm sure the company would love to have a word with you. After all, I made sure to make it clear you are part of us. If you don't join us, we'll simply hand you over to the company. And trust me-they won't be kind. Besides, what have you got left? Join me and become a hero..."

"You didn't..."

The man smiled.

"You've been beaten before you even started to play. Of course, a cat plays with its prey even when its dead."

I shook my head.

"This isn't fair..."
"Life isn't fair. Friend, you don't know the world."

I tightened my fists.

The man held out his hand once more.

"So, will you join?"

I slowly put out my hand.

He grabbed it cheerfully and shook it.

"Good. Welcome to the heroes side. My name is Ragniel."
I shook my head.

"Are we?"

Ragnial nodded as he recited another verse,

"Thus the two brothers drifted away as the wind invoked by the maiden drove them apart. For one, the other was the villain, and those that followed him an evil to be destroyed. To themselves and those that they led, heroes. Two sides viewed the other in anger and despair, yet only saw goodness in their own. For one goal, the world was separated, and until one succeeded heroes and villains would clash.' The Valiant, end of act 1."
I just signed my soul away to the devil... Or at least... that is how it feels.