Chapter Quote:
"Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget."
~G. Randolf
________________________________

Chapter 29: Converging

Cipher

The next morning...

"You two got everything?" I asked, glancing at the suitcases in my living room. Elizabeth and Genette brought out their backpacks, setting them down on the couch.

"Looks like it," my niece responded. She started walking around them but tripped over her feet and fell into the suitcases, knocking them all down.

I rushed over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." Elizabeth stood up hastily. "All good."

I watched her turn around and walk straight into Genette, nearly knocking him over. He glowered at his sister and snapped, "First, you nearly broke my laptop this morning, then you had to have me kill a spider in your room, then you knocked over the suitcases, and now, you nearly knocked me over. Is there anything you're actually capable of doing today?"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah, putting up with you."

"What's going on?" Chopper inquired, entering the living room with his own luggage.

"Genette's being an ass."

My nephew rolled his eyes. "Because Elizabeth's being a klutz."

"So nothing new then?" Chopper laughed, earning a hard slap on the arm by my niece. "Ow!"

"You deserved that," Melissa said, coming into the room.

"You don't know that!"

"Yes, I do. You always deserve it."

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"That's enough," Mrs. Davenport interrupted, glaring at her two kids. They stuck their tongues out at each other but said nothing more. "Jason, thank you so much for letting us stay here last night. You really saved us."

"It was no absolutely no problem. I'm always happy to help friends of Genette and Elizabeth. You sure you don't need a ride to the rental car station?"

"No, we're good. They're paying for a cab to pick us up." She turned to my niece and nephew. "It was so good to see you both!"

"You too!" Elizabeth replied cheerfully. "Chopper, I'll see you back at school?"

"Yeah. When do you fly back?"

"January first. Morning flight. I think it's at nine."

"Oh, sweet! You and I have the same flight then."

"Awesome! I'll see you then."

More goodbyes were exchanged, and then we all sat on the couch, waiting for my sister and her husband to arrive. Genette and Elizabeth didn't look happy to be leaving, but I knew once they were back home and back at school, they'd be fine.

For the next hour, the three of us chatted about the documentary; they asked me more questions about it, about my time at Valais Air Base, and more about Pixy and PJ as people. We deviated from that into college life for Elizabeth and Genette. My nephew dominated the conversation, but Elizabeth jumped in a few times. Her mind seemed preoccupied with other things, however.

At two, their parents arrived. As I hugged Elizabeth goodbye, I said, "Trust that gut of yours. It won't lead you astray. If you feel something's wrong, then something is."

"Thanks, Uncle Jason. And thank you for letting us spend the week with you."

"You two are always welcome here. I love you."

"Love you too." She picked up her suitcase. "If you ever meet Pixy again, would you let me know?"

"I doubt I will, but yes."

"You never know. Stranger things have happened."

"That they have. Keep in touch, okay?"

"I will! Bye!" Elizabeth waved as she followed her parents to the car. I watched them drive away until I couldn't see the car anymore. Despite the birds chirping and the rustling tree leaves, a deafening silence overcame my home. It'd been so alive with Genette and Elizabeth here. Their intrigue about my past, their excitement of the documentary, it all disappeared the moment they left, and I hadn't felt this alone in a long time.

Sighing, I headed back inside my house and to my bedroom. I moved my nightstand and lifted up the plank of wood, revealing everything from my time as a pilot. It had my documents from being a mercenary, the ones that had been wiped from the system. It had my records during my time at the Belkan Air Force Academy, too. But most importantly, it held all the pictures of my time there.

I sank against my bed and flipped through them, smiling at the memories. The first was of Janie and me sitting in front of a fire outside. It'd been soon after we'd gotten back together. We were listening to one of PJ's many stories, and Iris snapped the moment before we even realized she had her camera out.

The second was of PJ in a sharp suit, laughing at something I'd said during his rehearsal dinner. That'd been a fun night, despite the obvious hole in our group created by Janie's death. We made the most of it, and Iris even honored Janie in her wedding by having my late fiancée's favorite flowers- dahlias- in her bouquet and in every flower arrangement there.

The third photo was of Iris herself, drinking straight from a bottle of wine with her dog in her lap. It was near the end of the wedding, and I'd found her hiding away from the hubbub. When I asked her what she was doing, she responded with, "I'm drinking so I won't get frustrated when I have to get out of this contraption of a wedding dress later."

The fourth photo was of Janie and Pixy sitting on the couch, listening to me recount a childhood memory. It was one of the rare times Pixy laughed, and one of the even rarer times we caught it on camera. That'd been in our early days on base, before Janie and I became super serious, before the Belkans nuked themselves, before Pixy joined the terrorist organization...

The last photo I pulled out was of Pixy himself, watching the news. It was only a few days before our final battle as wingmen, and staring at the photo, I realized the shift in his eyes, the stoniness in them. It'd been so gradual, I never noticed it in person. I'd regret my obliviousness for the rest of my life. Maybe if I'd said something, he wouldn't have joined. Maybe Janie would still be here. Maybe Pixy would too.

I don't know what I'd do if I met him again. It'd either be a hug or a punch. Most likely, both. I knew firsthand what it was like to have your mind twisted to believe something you shouldn't. The only difference was my mind did it to myself, whereas someone else did it to Pixy.

Regardless, as furious as I was at him, I couldn't hate him. He was still my brother, just like PJ, and he was my Buddy. That would never change.
 ________________________________

December 21, 2010...

I sat watching the news, dumbfounded. Elizabeth and her squadron were being accused of treason to Osea, and reports claimed they'd been shot down over the Ceres Ocean. Genette, along with a man called Pops, was with them. I'd tried calling both my niece and my nephew but to no avail. Neither would pick up. It always went straight to voicemail. To say I was panicked was an understatement.

My phone ringing broke me out of focus, and I dived towards it, trying to sound calm when I answered. "Hello?"

The person hesitated before saying, "Hello. This is Larry Foulke. An acquaintance of mine gave me your number. I'm not entirely sure why to be completely honest."

The phone slipped from my hand and clattered to the ground. For a split-second, the world froze. Too many thoughts ran through my head, but the loudest ones were the fact that it was Pixy on the other end of that phone, and that it had to be Blaze or Genette who gave him my number. They were the only ones who knew about my past as the Demon Lord other than PJ and Iris, and I knew they'd never give my number to Pixy. Furthermore, it meant Blaze and/or Genette was alive, giving me some comfort during this shitstorm.

"Hello?" Pixy's distant voice said. I made another wild grab for the phone, racking my brain for what to say.

Say something cool, Cipher. Don't sound like the panicked idiot you currently are.

I took a deep breath. "Yo, Buddy. I see you're still alive."

I heard a small crash like the phone had been dropped, followed by scrambling, much like mine. "Cipher?!"

"Who gave you this number?"

"I just know her callsign as Blaze. Her first name is-'"

"Elizabeth," I finished.

"Yeah, how'd you-"

"She's my niece."

"That explains her freakishly good flying skills. Flies just like you, actually."

"I'm not sure whether that's a good or a bad thing. What about Genette? Is he alive too?"

"Yeah, yeah, they're both alive."

"Are they okay?"

"I think so. They lost one of their own a couple missions back. A guy named Chopper?" I grimaced, shutting my eyes. I'd talked to Genette about it a little while after it happened. Elizabeth still couldn't speak about it without breaking down. Having been in her position before, I completely understood. I explained the situation to Pixy, who remained silent for a few moments before saying quietly, "I didn't know that... No wonder she's so passionate about taking down the Gray Men. It's turned personal."

"What do you mean, the Gray Men? What's going on? Why are Elizabeth and Genette being accused of treason?"

"They Gray Men are behind everything. Your niece and her squadron and Genette figured it out. They were turning the tide of the war in favor of Osea, and the Gray Men couldn't have that, so they turned the Base Commander against them. They're operating under a different name now. The reason I'm with them is that she and her squadron saved my life. Twice, actually."

"That's my girl," I said proudly. "Also, what is it with you always ending up in shitty situations?"

"I don't know. I was trying to do the right thing, if you can believe that, got too close to the truth, and I ended up in a Belkan prison with the Osean President. He's trying to take back his government and put an end to this war."

"Tell Harling I say."

"You know him?"

"How do you think I've stayed hidden so long?" I countered. "He and the Ustian government have helped keep me hidden."

"That makes sense." Pixy paused, and I heard muffled voices on the other end. "Hey, Cipher, I have a question for you?"

"What is it?"

"Would you mind coming to Oured? Harling needs your help with something. It involves your niece and nephew."

I clenched my jaw. Nothing would or could stop me from helping Elizabeth and Genette, even if it meant facing Pixy. I always said I wanted to see him again, but now, being faced with the prospect of actually doing so? Reluctance set in.

But so did determination. I faced Pixy before, and I could do it again. He was on my side this time. With that in mind, I declared, "Count me in."
 ________________________________

Want to see their meeting in person? Catch it in 'The Razgriz Aces'! Just a heads up, that story is currently being rewritten, so if you're reading anything past chapter seven, there are going to be a lot of inconsistencies!

Otherwise, thank you for reading this story! To all of you who voted and reviewed, you're the ones who kept me going writing this! I look forward to seeing y'all in the other books for this saga :)

Love,

Wisegirl502