[Pre-paid] 3000-word milestone for MEHR Interlude 4 (Patreon)

770 words written so far, more on the way:

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  The journey continued.    

In spite of the burden he bore, Adam's new legs did not tire, nor wear out. Every mile walked through the grass brought a new perspective, a new point of view to admire these quiet Michigan hills.    

The group encountered a pack of Grey foxes. Adam admired them from afar, neither expecting nor hoping that they would approach him... but they did. Ramsus knelt before the pack leader, and petted him like a dog. Conrad joined in, awed, as if he had never seen an animal up close before. Teg eyed the pups curiously, as they barked all around Hannibal. A couple tried to nibble at his toes.  

They moved on: Hannibal chased after a rabbit into a small forest, and came back with the game caught in his teeth. Not that he needed the food, it had all been about the chase. While waiting for Hannibal, Garrus spent the time admiring the mushrooms, wondering if they would taste good in butter. Not that he had butter, but it was nice to dream. Night fell, and the clouds parted to reveal the stars. Adam looked up,  and in spite of having traveled among them for the past few weeks, he  was glad that they hadn't quite lost their magic or beauty, and found  himself staring. He wasn't sure why: out there in space he had found  more of the same he had suffered through on earth: more wars, more  fighting, more crime, more intrigue. The kinds of things that erode  luster.

And Adam could remember the time where outer space had been this grand  frontier, waiting to be conquered by mankind. The mysterious stars! The  setting for countless movies, tv series, comic books, novels, the muses  of hundreds of dreamers... and while Adam had slept, they had built  shopping malls and factories throughout these alien worlds. The  brilliant stars were just more real estate, in the end, to be fought  over in courtroom bullshit or proxy wars. 

And yet... they're still beautiful from here, he thought. 

Adam wondered if that was Manah's influence. That girl's oddly cheerful, considering the crap she went through. 

Conrad sighed, getting Adam's attention. "Skies are getting a little too clear. There's a cliffside cave where we can hide." 

"Don't you mean camp?" asked Garrus. 

"That too," said Conrad. "The robots are going to patrol this area.  Can't let them see us, at least until I get the Chameleon system  recalibrated." 

The campfire was small, just enough to get some light. Neither Adam nor  Garrus were particularly close, nevermind Teg or Hannibal, but Ramsus  seemed to find some comfort – even joy – at the  presence of the flames,  but his face soon became marred with sorrow again. 

"Are you alright?" asked Adam. 

"No," the younger man replied. "I haven't a hit of Red Sand in an entire day." 

Adam was about to roll his eyes when he wirelessly received a text message from Hannibal: he medicates with Red Sand whenever he feels sad. That put things in perspective. 

"What did you see?" asked Adam after a moment. His trip through time and  space had been confusing, so it followed logically that Ramsus' would  be, as well. Garrus too. "Through the corridors of time, I mean." 

Corridors of time? thought Adam. That's Aleph talking, right? 

"...Lots of things," admitted Ramsus. "Wars, mostly, between angels and  demons, stretching into infinity. Looked fun, would have stayed if I  could." 

He chuckled, and it looked like he would have left it at that, but then: 

"I saw my mother die." Ramsus shuddered, holding back tears. "She was  blood and meat on a table, after my so-called aunt and uncle cut my  sister and I out her belly. "He takes a deep breath.  "Moments before  that, I saw her with a man... looked a lot like you, but more french...  they fought side by side in zero-g against an army of Templars. Corpses,  hundreds of them, floating over the shattered ice cube that was once  pluto. It was beautiful... but in the end, my parents lost." 

"I saw my mother die," said Garrus. "I tried to stop it, but it was no  use. All I could do was... all I could do was save myself." He lets out a  single tear. "Before that, I saw some Jester presenting my parent's  heads to a crowd. Thousands of crooks, all around me, cheering at the  sight, as if they were at a damned concert." 

Adam told them about his mother, and how she died in his arms. "...This  can't be a coincidence," he said. "Something... someone wanted us to see  this. Wanted us to be here." 

The three of them stared at Conrad. "Well, don't look at me! I'm just trying to get you home!" 

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