Anxiousness, fear...
He felt it...
He saw it...
As the skull and the golden colour was the main fixation in sight.
A tunnel of black, sprinkled with white dots circled around the Skull Head in his vision.
Midas...
His breath began to become rapid, shorter...
thinner...
His heart it beated against his chest, just a bit harder it would hurt...more than it already did.
Not as badly as the pain to breath, his lungs feeling like his ribcage was crushing them tight.
*Null! Hey are you doing well back there!?*
What was that? well he sure didn't know being barely able to focus on anything else, his ears ringing expecting to feel warm blood flow but it didn't.
Then something began happening in his mouth.
He shut his mouth as he felt it build up.
*Click*
He felt wind throw his hair around, as he turned and threw up the built up blood and teeth which fell across the roadside
He felt the car slow down after a while, a eye still on Midas, as the car stopped a large distance away from the road.
Immediately when he heard the car lock click he opened the door and ran, his steps steady from fear.
In the car Midas looked at the driver,"He seems scared of me." Midas said.
"Yep he is, I don't think he heard my voice even once, i was shouting my lungs out." Ron said venting as he got out the car, Midas following. They stood next to each other as they looked at the dot in the distance.
"His fast for a regular child." Midas said his tone slightly impressed.
"I wouldn't consider him a normal kid, at all." Ron said, chuckling. "Hey wanna hunt him down, like ahh them type of races for who gets something first, or to it first...i think." Ron suggested.
Midas pointed in the distance "That something being Null?"
Ron nodded with a full grin, which turned upside down as Midas sped past him, the cybernetic enhancements evidently showing, dust clouds piling up behind him, in the rocky desert scape.
Ron blinked as he looked at the new dot in the distance. He grinned, as he stretched, planting a foot forward and–!!!!
Bam!
Rather than a cloud of dust, a shot up of broken piece's of the cracked ground and dust burst up.
His large body moved fast...now that's wrong.
As his feet touched the ground more than once, in a second, Midas wasn't a dot anymore, still far ahead, already covered half a mile in less than 40 seconds.
Yet at the fifteenth second, he had to look back at the golden skull, that gave off surprise...
At least he assumed he was surprised, since it's all he could do with the, not at all actually having a face situation.
In 30 seconds he caught the boy by the pits, as he stopped, skidding to disperse the momentum.
A small gathering of dust blowing past him as he stood tall and still.
Null was limp in his hands, tired, chest burning as he stopped moving entirely.
"Woooh Wooh Wooh! Kid you good!?" Ron said about to shack him, but restrained from doing so. He turned the boy by his shoulders bringing him closer, but his closed eyes popped open.
Held up mid-air, he looked around and then behind Ron, his eyes narrowing, he closed his eyes as he began to breathe in and out.
As his breath steadily got better, less thinner...
"Uncle, i almost died, he pushed me off a building." Null said, voice steady, yet a quiver in his pupils evident.
Midas just looked straight at him, faceless as skull... obviously.
"Don't worry about that i dealt with him easily." Ron said.
"That isn't my problem! He just kicked me off a two story building for no reason, and you brought him with us!" Null said, clearly on edge.
"But you did kick over the only food he had for that week." He said, letting Null go, who landed quietly as always, as Ron pointed a thumb at Midas behind him.
Null looked at the man he called his Uncle say it was okay, that he fell into unconsciousness by falling due to being pushed off!! Might i add!!
I looked at the night sky, barely a sign of light polluting it, signifying there to be no civilization in miles...
Appropriate concerning the rocky desert landscape. This was how most, in betweens of cities were.
Null kept looking at the sky.
And laughed falling on his knees.
As he kneeled, the laugh turning into a overreacting tone of betrayal and anguish on the floor.
And he cried out, "HOW COULD I HAVE TRUSTED This,this,this GORILLA!!!!"
Ron looked at Null with a incredulous expression.
Then a chuckle with a metallic ring sounded behind him.
Ron snapped his neck to the side, to side eye the golden skulled boy behind him.
"Wonder if you'll still be chuckling when i send you to the military with my boy." Ron said with a grin.
Midas froze.
Null looked at Ron.
His Uncle...no
This GORILLA!!
"NOOOO!!!!!"
--
A flame flickered in the dry rocky land...
It was red and dry due to the sand having a large content of iron.
The light from the flame hit the car 4 feet away. That Ron sat up right against.
But now he dressed in blue wizard pajamas, yellow stars decorating it with a blue in colour wizard hat.
Null and Midas was sitting on bean bags, on opposite sides of the fire, and Null made sure to keep a eye on him.
"Now, i guess I got to explain a few things don't i." Ron spoke as he added on, "Null, Midas is 16 the standard age your supposed to be sent, but it's more like a suggestion."
"So then why, am i being sent?" Null asked, calmer than before, but just by his fidgeting and tense posture he wasn't over his first meeting with Midas.
"First when I came up with this idea I wanted you to be done with it, done with the military and live the life you said you wanted, but." Ron paused, "But recently i came to the understanding that...
"It's because you deserve it..." Ron said plainly.
Null fully focused on to his Uncle's shadowed emotionless stare. Null narrowed his eyes and he asked carefully.
"My money laundering couldn't really make you think i deserve to be left to the sly foxes and brutish bear's, as you normally describe them." He continued in a lower tone, "Right? Uncle Ron?"
Ron inhaled, slowly closing his eyes, and breathing out a steam of mist, it reached Null and Midas, Null swatted it away, but Midas did nothing and...
It was really warm, in this cold night he was surprised.
'Humans can't have a temperature higher than 46 Celsius and be well.' Midas than continued to ponder, 'Makes sense his body is probably eating through more calories than a normal human, in better terms his burning through it like wood. His probably burning up by normal standards.'
Midas had these thoughts as he saw schematics and, a digital folder for Ron being made in his vision.
Ron looked at his relative, the youngest to his information. "You worked for a gang for months kid, hunting their debtors those that were miss lead, lied to."
"So I'm going to be sent there and actually join it for longer..." Null said calmly, his eyes focused on his uncle. "I'm supposed to spend 8 years, in the military, then be able to do what i lawfully please, so are just gonna add a few more?" Null spoke calmly, making himself small and coldly looked at his uncle, right in his boiling eyes that concealed his anger.
"That is the least of your problem's kid." He said pausing to look at Midas, who in turn, tilted his head curiously back, then turning back to Null, and lastly the fire.
"After those 8 years you're both joining
"The Imperium..."
...
...
...
Silence ruled the group, both boys just looking at the man.
Midas stopped thinking about the strength the man in front of him possibly had, or about similarities or differences, he just...
Stared...
Very fearfully...
Who was this man?
How could he get the two of them into the imperium, it sounded like he has done so before.
"...But am not going to play a hand in how you get into The Imperium." Ron said, breaking the silence.
"And if i don't want to...what then?" Null answered, face pale, and his eyes focused on his uncle.
"Imprisonment of 30 years for your money laundering, plus at the possible least 50 added on, for the hacking, stealing and the amount of people you have harassed for that gang, and 20 if you those two guys in the alleyway we're the first people you have ever killed." Ron said looking straight at the boy.
"...They were the first..." Null affirmed turning to stare into the fire.
"And they won't be the last." Midas added.
Null looked at him from the corner of his eye, the fire shifting in his eyes.
"... Maybe you might be the third." Null spoke his pupils dilated wider, as it absorbed the light leaving
His eyes dead with not a spark in them...
But not milky this time.
They were focused on Midas.
And Midas looked back.
He let out a chuckle, under Ron's gaze and Null's glare. "You know~" he drawled,"I felt bad, really I did, for kicking some harmless kid of a building, but you murdered some guys, not even giving any context."
Midas's jaw opened up a bit as, a chuckle escaped him. "How bad was the context that you're keeping you're details, hush hush to a solider, a family member, may i add." He said a amused tone evident.
"But mostly, the guilt i felt is off my shoulder." He said laying down, turning away from the fire.
Ron looked at the laying body and back to Null.
Who's stare deepened, absorbing the light.
Null has been wondering what made this golden skulled man no, boy, scary. Obviously he was enhanced and he couldn't break gold with his bare fists, he was faster, and probably stronger.
But no... That wasn't it.
It's because he was a street dog.
When he found an opportunity he could take advantage of he ran way at first sight of danger, of something unfamiliar, but... He always returned.
After watching this danger from a far as his eyes received the light in the dark, as he watched this unfamiliar danger become... familiar.
He was not surprised.
When he found himself, having already dashed through the flames, having pounced at where Midas layed. Mid-air His fist knocked back.
Null would understand, that he could of never guessed, this was the moment, the action, choice, that ended his why of acting.
Acting like a Dog.
As his fist fell down, and slammed on Midas's head.
*Clang*
Null stood up as he staggered back.
He looked at his fist, his knuckles skin raptured. He held the wrist of the wounded hand trying to shack the effect of the spike of pain.
Ron looked at this and dragged his palm down his face, "At least we're getting some where."
Midas turned slightly and looked back, for a long while. He grabbed sand and threw it at Null.
Null shielded his eyes, the pebbles were fast and stung on his forearm, sand creating a small dust cloud.
He looked back, feeling the campfire behind him.
The second he felt no pain, he lowered his arms as he stepped forward, his eyes still malicious.
But confused...
That a bean bag flew at him, he stepped to the side, as gold revealed itself.
His jaw snapped to the side with pain, Midas having landed his strike on his jaw.
Null fell to the flame, as his legs went weak. He felt himself denied his falling daze the next second.
Till allowed once more as he fell from his short flight, having been thrown by Midas.
He slammed onto the ground rolling.
He stopped and barely began to stand, as his collar was grabbed, and a fist lounged it self pin point on his nose.
His head snapped back violently, blood flying in a arch above him, gritting his teeth he rammed his head forward in a desperate attempt to attack back.
Yet it is futile as his forehead was palmed and thrown back along with his body.
He slammed onto the floor, as he attempted to breath through his nose, but only achieved to smell rusted metal.
He then resorted to breathing through his mouth.
He shuffled on to his knees and palms, as his mind began to clear.
'Something isn't right if that lipless trash isn't pummeling me.' Null thought as he decided to fall on to the ground flat, breathing heavily.
Using his position to look up and he met unnatural blue eyes, in a golden socket.
"Good, you can think clear enough to scheme." Midas, said his arm knocked back, letting it snap out.
PAH!
A large callous hand, gripped the fist.
"That's enough." Ron stated, staring straight into Midas's eyes, and so did he.
Midas looked away with, a scoff. The moment he felt Ron's grip loosen, he aggressively pulled back his hand. His gaze shifted toward the bloodied boy,
sprawled out on the ground.
"You started it." Midas said turning around to go back to his burning bean bag.
He stood there looking down at it for a bit before taking Null's and getting comfortable with it.
Null slowly stood up, torn bits of skin on his shoulder and forearm, covered in dust.
Null pinched one side of his nose and snorted of some blood, doing the same on the other side.
Ron looked at the boy, for a small while as he thought of something, but he didn't have long.
He felt a weight slump against his side.
"Uncle, why don't you help pummel him to the ground." Null said sarcastically, having a hunch he wouldn't help.
"That's your job." Ron said flatly.
"Obviously it is, but it seemed I'm quite unqualified for the job." Null retorted. "So is this some other punishment?"
"No" Ron spoke firmly, as his uncle he obviously loved the boy, but there was a reason for this.
"Lil Olive, i saw some of the encounters with the debtors." Ron said looking at the boy, that seemed to go stiff, "Your an awful fighter, but as a strategist, quite the opposite. That confused me you know, but do you want to know why?" Ron ended actually posing it as a question.
Null looked at his uncle, after his nose stopped bleeding. 'Am i bad at fighting?' Null pondered for a second, 'Yah i probably am, only reason I normally win, is due to me being in an advantageous standing, since I'm in my environment the Outer City, somewhere i know well.' he then looked around.
A dessert terrain with rocky hills, was all he could see as far as he could.
He looked back at Ron and nodded slightly.
Ron stared a bit at his nephew's nose having noticed the stop of blood flowing, shacking his daze off he answered. "You always snuck on to your target, making the two men in suits that watch you, purposefully scare him in a specific direction, or using the crowd as cover, and whats around you as a weapon or tool. That is impressive yes, but you would of never took down any of those debtors." Ron said.
This caused Null to frown, "I could of easily beaten one of those debtors."
"Here, where there is nothing you could use, to shield you, attack with or even distract with and don't say a rock, that would be useless against low end cybernetic enhancements." Ron said, debunking his statement right there.
Then grabbing the kid by the shoulders, he steadied him as he kneeled in front of him.
He held on hand up, "Here, throw a punch."
Null looked at the man, baffled. Even though he retreated a bit back and swung his arm, his first tight.
PAH
He hit fast, it was light, and measured, as if expecting the worst.
These were the thoughts he had.
Null took his fist from Ron's palm.
"That was... not bad." Ron said with a deadpan.
"I don't believe you, you literally have the most sour face you have ever had, since that lady rejected you!"
"Wooh, low blow there little buddy calm down." Ron said feeling wronged. He then sighed, "Lil Olive, imagine your cornered and there is no where you can run, one person right in front of you, his fists raised and on guard, what will you do?"
Null raised a brow, "i would let him hit me–"
"What, why?" Ron questioned immediately interrupting, Null.
"Wait let me finish." Null said annoyed by the interruption. "I would let him attack, as i slowly position myself, that it results in the attacker being cornered, as I plan my escape–"
"No" Ron said firmly, as he held the side of his head looking down, "I knew it, something was off with your hit." He raised his head, looking straight into the eyes of his nephew with stern ones, that had a motive that seeked to achieve something.
The same ones he had the day he saw the boy for the first time, but the ones he had right now missed the same lacing of sorrow, the boy wouldn't have remembered his gaze at such a young age.
But he will remember the one that stared at him now, same as the words Ron give to him.
"Olive, stop fighting like you got a plan, you don't." Ron swung his arm to the surroundings, "There is nothing here that will do the finishing blow except this." He said raising the most torn and cut hand his seen. "You didn't commit to your hit, like you got something to run too." Ron paused as he looked Null straight in the eyes.
"Running away from your problem only increases the distance from the solution, worse and worse till it kills you."
Null's eyes stayed the same till they glinted, a slight narrowing of his pupils.
Then Ron continued, "Apply this to everything, even when you're not in a violent situation, a tricky one, confusing one, a moral one, don't run, just breathe and approach." Ron said getting up from his kneeling position, as he walked towards the campfire.
"What if I meet an obstacle i cannot defeat, even though I give it my all?" Null asked, his gazed solely focused on his Uncle's back.
He paused, then turned his head slightly.
"That's a stupid question, your all, is just your schemes and advantages, if that doesn't work
"What is the point in running."
====