SHIELD Agent Rhapsodos: A Part That Remains

:: Experience ::

If there was one thing Genesis admired about the old man, was that he had rich experiences as an agent and was willing to share some of his life stories. To someone like him who had come from a different planet entirely, it was an insight of how people from Earth coped with war.

No thanks to the sheer amount of nations that spanned the globe, Earth had too many of them to count. Robert who had worked with the CIA for a long time had went on so many missions that he'd forgotten his own birth date.

"So you completely have forgotten when you were even born?" Genesis inquired, finding it hard to believe.

In reply, the old man only smugly smiled, "No, it's more like I remembered too many birthdays that I used as a spy."

The teen snorted, "Which means you're a lot older than you look or you're younger than you're supposed to be."

Robert who was smiling like a Cheshire cat gave no indication to Genesis he'll ever know his age. Genesis gambled on the old man being older, though, considering that the Lifestream in him whispered to him Robert had an old soul. It was pointing out to the teen that it was amazing he was even alive at all. Weird.

"You're forgetting in the days of the war birth certificates can be rare; also that some people don't even record the day you were born." the war veteran reminded him.

"Fine." Genesis dismissed their last topic and thought of a new one. "Hmm, where was the worst mission you think you have ever gone on?"

There was a solemn look in Robert's eyes, but he was willing to share. "In Cambodia. When people think that the Holocaust in Europe during World War II had stopped, in the Cold War it continued in the purges."

With rapt attention, Genesis leaned in and listened to Robert's story. He wasn't given a detailed account of what date he was there, but during the Cold War, that was when the world experienced a worldwide conflict of ideals. There were people who sided with liberalism, communism, and even those who didn't want to be a part of it. But things from the previous war hadn't really died out, which left most nations distrusting each other or even their fellow countrymen.

Hearing Robert's story about the rescue mission he did during Khmer Rouge Regime, left Genesis feeling ill.

His mission was to rescue a trapped US delegate that had somehow made it to one of the Killing Fields. It was basically the last place where people were tortured and then killed in mass graves, for going against the ruling regime or for being the wrong person at the wrong time. While the mission was successful, Robert had regretted not doing anything to stop the killings.

"Infants weren't even spared too, you know," the old man winced remembering what he had, "they rationalized that the kids could grow up and take revenge, and so they'd kill them by bashing their heads on trees and throw them into mass burial graves. Even now records say during that regime alone they killed off about 21% of the population."

Genesis was speechless.

"It's frightening what distrust brings about, but the Holocaust had rules according to race. In Cambodia's case, they did not, and that meant if you were framed, you won't get a chance to prove you're innocent."

"The price of freedom is always high," the teen mumbled.

Genesis avoided looking at Robert when he said that. The Wutai war may have been much tamer, but it didn't save the people who were inside ShinRa either from Hojo's clutches. It now made him wonder what happened to the remains of those Wutai people who were unfortunate enough to be taken by the mad scientist. If Hojo treated Zack and Cloud as live specimens, the former commander couldn't imagine what was left of the Prisoners of War that never would have seen the light again.

Robert, on the other hand, seemed to be worried he may have hit a sore spot. "Genesis? Did I offend you or anything?"

The teen's attention was back on the old man, "It's nothing. At least, it's nothing to be concerned about."

The old man didn't seem to believe him, but Genesis kept that matter quiet and went to another topic about how far his mission took him in Asia. As much as Robert wanted answers, the former commander still felt he didn't trust Robert with secrets from his past life yet. At least, until he knew Robert better than at the present.