Fragments Gallery
Lost Journey: Beginnings
You stare out the window, eyes partially glazed over, staring absent mindedly towards the horizon. You are sitting in the passenger’s side of a vehicle, travelling down a narrow country road. Outside trees seem to fly by; the grass is a blur outside of your window. You yawn; the heat and steady motion of the vehicle are making you feel drowsy. A splash of red against the constant greens and yellows catches your eye. It's a wreath of red roses, carefully placed against the base of a simple white cross. There is a message inscribed amidst the flowers at the bottom of the wreath. "Never forget." A light flares up ahead, you close your eyes.
Blink.
You're in a dimly lit barn, that seems odd… you seem to remember being somewhere else only moments ago. A shell hits the ground a ways away and explodes with a concussive blast. Shaking your head to clear it of the sound you realize that you have other things to worry about. Besides, the memory involving the cross is quickly fading. Impulsively you glance at the helmet clutched in your hands. It's a simple rounded helmet, deep green in colour with two vertical silver bars in the middle of the helmet above its brow. Of course. It’s a rank; you're a captain. Voices around you are whispering nervously, the voices of the soldiers under your command.
"Captain, over here, quick!" calls a soldier in a low voice from a small window. Carefully you weave your way across the cluttered barn.
The soldier turns as you reach him and steps back from the window clearing the way for you to step up yourself. The portal gives view of the fringe of a forest and you see that once more it is raining. A flash of movement in the trees catches your eye.
"I saw them coming through the trees," the solider quietly states, "It looks like they're heading for shelter. It looks like they're coming here. They'll find us."
The others in the barn fall silent. A question hangs in the air unasked.
From behind you a voice asks, "What do we do?"
All eyes are on you as you turn around. All of your command is standing stock still, staring at you, waiting for your orders. They all trust your judgement. They are your command. There is a flash outside and the illumination seeps into the small building through the windows, you close your eyes against the blinding light.
Blink.
You feel a sharp pain in your head. You blink and your surroundings change. You are sitting in the center of a dark room. Your ears ring as you're slapped again, not hard enough to really hurt nut hard enough to waken you from whatever trance you had been in. A man walks out of the shadows to your side and stops in front of you. His hand is red, his face flushed. His dark eyes pierce your own.
"Do you understand? Does it make sense?" When you hesitate he speaks again impatiently, "This time it's real, now answer the question!"
A little shocked and dazed you shake your head. Who was this man? Why did he seem so familiar?
"Very well," the man does not seem surprised, "We shall try again."
His tone is firm, his expression says that there is no arguing, but still you shake your head.
"No," you whisper.
The man looks down at you. His expression befits a teacher looking at a stubborn child; a child defiantly refusing to learn.
After a moment his expression softens.
"Please," he says, "We must carry on, this will help you. I need to prepare you as much as I can for the trials ahead."
Confused you open your mouth to ask about what is to come but he has already turned away. What trials? The question burns on the tip of your tongue but you force it back.
"Start it again," calls the man to someone behind you. There is a click and you gasp. You feel… strange. Your head hurts; you close your eyes against the pain. The pain seems to be lessening; now it is almost-
Blink.
You stare out the window, eyes partially glazed over, staring absent mindedly towards the horizon. You are sitting in the passenger’s side of a vehicle, travelling down a narrow country road. Outside trees seem to fly by, the grass…