LoRD IV: Absolution Chapter 23

The Past of Lucas Deming

Up by Lake Verity, Lucas was leaning against one of the trees about twenty feet from the lake. He watched the sun slowly begin to rise over him, as the water reflected the rays, as the water itself turned orange from the rising sun. Lucas just watched it all happen, as he sat silently against the tree.

He didn't last long when it came to staying awake. After being up for the entire night, he was becoming drowsy. He took the radio from his back pocket, and laid it to the side. He was too tried to even switch the radio off, as he just laid it along his on the grassy latch next to him. He then comfortably put his head against the tree, and got into a comfy position. He closed his eyes, and his dreams took over him right away.

~~~

"Do you, Lucas Deming, take Allison Redmond to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"And do you, Allison Redmond, take Lucas Deming to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Then I now declare you both married! You may kiss the bride!"

The two then clenched together and kissed. Everyone who was watching cheered on as the newly wedded couple became officially engaged. The cheers went on for what seemed like hours, as the air around them became light and gleeful...

---

"Can you take a break from your SUI work?" Allison asked, as she searched the computer, using the internet for something she thought was important. "I'm trying to figure out a name for the baby!"

Lucas dropped his pen, as he smiled to Allison. He wrapped his arm around her, and kissed her on the cheek. "Alright, I guess I could do it later..." he said, as he put his other arm around Allison's belly. "After all, this will be the name that lasts for her entire life."

Allison laughed. "Well, I did have thoughts on naming her after a gem."

"A gem? You want to go that exotic?" He asked shaking his head. "I don't know... what did you have in mind?" Lucas asked.

"Well..." Allison started, turning to Lucas, "I was thinking Crystal."

Lucas thought for a moment, as he looked up to the ceiling of the house. "Crystal Deming, huh?" He asked, as he made a few 'hmms' as he thought about the name. "I'm not quite sure that's the best idea. Not to criticize you or anything, but-"

"No- I get it, that's fine." She said, looking back to the computer screen. "That's why I had back-ups."

"Back-up gem names? Geez, you really are into this category, aren't you?" He replied. "Alright, what else?" He asked.

"Amber." Allison spoke out right away. "Amber Deming."

Lucas shook his head. "I'm still not hearing that ding I should be hearing in my head."

Allison just nodded. "You're a tough one with these names." She said shaking her head. "What about... Pearl?"

Lucas bit his bottom lip. "Still not feeling it." He said, as he chuckled afterwards.

Allison then turned her chair. "I have one that you can't refuse." She said, smiling up to him.

"Test me."

Allison then spoke up. "Ruby." She said, looking down to her belly. "Ruby Deming."

Lucas nodded his head. "You know," he started, "I do think I hear a faint ringing. That might work."

"Yes!" Allison said.

"Might." Lucas said. "Might doesn't always mean a yes, Allison. It just means that there's a chance."

"Alright, then riddle me this." Allison said, leaning in closer. "Do you think I might be able to get a kiss?" She asked, leaning in even closer.

Lucas came in closer as well, as his arm wrapped around her more tightly. "You just might."

The two then kissed, as they didn't give another care in the world.

---

"I'm sorry this happened to you... I mean- what did I do wrong? I- I-" Lucas stuttered, as he held his hands to his eyes, as he started to cry into them.

Allison, now with a normal abdomen, grabbed Lucas's left arm from her hospital bed. Lucas took his hands off of his eyes, and saw Allison looking at him. Allison lifted up her arm, and used her fingers to wipe Lucas's tears away.

"It was nothing you did wrong, Lucas." She said from her hospital bed, as Lucas focused all of her attention toward her. "The driver of the other car was out of control. He was just going too- too fast." She said, as she started to fade out, as Lucas grabbed her arm.

"They say there's a chance," he said, shaking his head, as tears continued to flow out of his eyes, "there's a chance that you might be able to make it out."

Allison just smiled, and giggled from inside her mouth. "Might doesn't mean always." She said, as Lucas looked down to the ground.

Lucas kept on shaking his head, which eventually led his to covering his eyes again. He just couldn't take all of the pain from watching his wife suffer. "You have to pull through, Allison!" He said, still grasping onto her arm. "Think about Ruby. You're going to pull through for Ruby!"

"Of course I'll do it for her." She said. "I'll do anything- for my little girl. What I'm saying is that I might not make it through this injury."

"Don't say might!" Lucas told her, as he kept a hold of her arm. "You will pull through! You have to. You have to..."

Allison kept wiping the tears off of Lucas's face, as Lucas tried to look at her. "Even if I don't make it through," she said with a smile, "it doesn't always mean goodbye."

Lucas looked at his wife, as he nodded. "I just can't live without you!" He said. "I don't know how I could live with myself."

"Then make yourself into something else!" She said, as tears also came out of her eyes as well. "Turn yourself into someone that you want to be, not something you have to be! You're much, much stronger than this! And one day, whenever that day will be, you're going to show yourself that."

Lucas understood, as he nodded along, the tears falling from the gravity of each shake. "I will." He said, as he continued to nod. "I promise you that. I will."

---

There are several pictures on the wall inside the office of the Deming household. There were pictures of Lucas and Allison, the pictures of Lucas and Ruby, and the very few pictures of all three of them. In the center of it all, Lucas was reading something for a mission at the SUI. While he was doing so, he was rocking Ruby, aged no more than 18 months, in his arms.

"Three men have been showing strange signs of activity with a strange variety of crimes. They originally began with robberies three years ago, but have now been resulted to murder. Mr. Cole Fredricks was found dead in his home two nights ago by a neighbor. After swift analysis, clear evidence of the murder points to Conner Greene, leader of a small organization composed of three men: himself, his younger brother, Milo Greene, and a gold friend friend of his, David Murdock-"

"Master!" A voice came into the office. A small dratini wobbled itself into the room, as it looked up to Lucas. "When will I get to train again? Those exercises yesterday really helped!"

"Um..." Lucas started, looking down to Ruby. "I don't know- I really don't." He said, flapping his hand back and forth. "I'm sorry, Riley. I'm just... a little busy."

Riley the dratini looked at his master with worry. "I'm sorry, and I hope you do not mind me asking," he started, "but are you feeling okay? I do care for your health, master."

Lucas just nodded, as he continued to rock Ruby. "Yeah," he said, "I'm fine. And you can call me Lucas of you want... I won't mind." He said, flipping a page very carefully with one hand.

The dratini shook it's head. "Thank you master- erm- Lucas." He said. "I was just wondering. I want you to be really impressed with me when I become a dragonite, that's all." He said, as he wobbled out of the room.

As Lucas was about to reply, he saw that Riley was already gone. He just went back to reading his report.

His nerves were quickly unsettled, as his heart started to pound at first hearing of it. He started to hear an excessive weezing sound from underneath him. He looked down at Ruby, and saw that something was wrong with her breathing.

Lucas pushed his work off of the desk, and carefully laid Ruby along the desk. "Sweetie?" Lucas asked, as Ruby continued to struggle. "No- no no no! Ruby... daddy will help you... daddy will help you..."

---

Lucas starred down at two gravestones at his feet. The one of the left read Allison Deming, the one on the right reading Ruby Deming. Lucas must've starred at them for hours on end with each visit that he took.

"Lucas?" A voice asked from behind. Lucas turned around, and saw a man in a black suit standing behind him. "Why haven't you been in contact with us lately? You do realize how important this Conner Greene case is, right?" He asked, holding out a file.

Lucas slapped the file right out of his hand, as papers flew everywhere, with some disappearing in the wind.

The SUI agent watched all of the papers fly all around, the wind taking it wherever it pleases. "What the hell is wrong with you, Lucas!?" The agent then grabbed his collar. That was a mistake.

Lucas punched the agent in the face, as the man falls to the ground. Lucas gets on top of the man, and grabs his collar, as a small dose of blood leaks from his nose.

"How dare you! How dare you come to me where my wife and kid are trying to rest, telling me what I should or shouldn't be doing! Screw you!" He said, punching the agent in the face a second time. "My wife is dead, my daughter is dead, and you dare to rub work in my face? Who in the name of all the damned do you think the hell of me!?" He shouted.

The agent said nothing. He was actually shaking in fear that Lucas was going to really break down on him.

"That's what I thought."

Lucas stood up, and pushed his collar. Lucas went back to looking at the tombstones, as the agent rushed out of the graveyard. He picked up the empty case file, and left.

Lucas fell to his knees, as he laid his hand on Allison's grave. "I shouldn't have done that in front of you and the kid... I'm sorry."

---

Glass shatters everywhere, picture frames become nothing but broken, and the office is left in shambles.

"My life is gone!" Lucas shouts, as he tosses a picture right at the wall, as it shatters in two, with the picture falling to the ground. "Everyone I loved is gone! Everyone!" He tosses another frame, as a crashing sound is heard.

Riley wobbles in, and is stunned to see the mess. "Lucas?" He asks.

Lucas fall to the ground, landing on top of broken glass and frames. "I'm a dead man on the inside. No one cares for me, no one cares for my family... I'm broken... I'm so broken!" He says, smashing his fists against the glass, cutting into his fists.

Riley the dratini moves carefully toward Lucas, and lays his head against his. "That's where your wrong, Lucas." Riley says, as Lucas looks up to see Riley right beside him.

"What're you-"

"I'm sorry that all of this happened." Riley said, as his tail wrapped around a picture frame that fell, but was not broken and left uncracked. "But sometimes in times of great sorrow, we still look for the pieces that aren't broken."

Riley used his tail to hand the picture over to Lucas, who teary-eyed, grasped the unbroken frame. He looked at the picture on the inside, and saw the photo of him, Allison, and Ruby on Ruby's first birthday. There was a 1 balloon over Ruby, as Allison and Lucas smiled to the camera.

Lucas held the picture close, as he grabbed Riley with the other hand. Riley was startled at first, but felt good after what Lucas said. "Thank you..." He said, as he wrapped one arm around Riley, like he was giving him a half-hug. "Thank you, Riley." He said, as the broken man tried to rebuild himself. "Thank you..."

~~~

Lucas woke up. He looked around, as he took in a deep breath. He was wondering if he was still in the past, but he wasn't.

Right away, he dug into the pocket of his coat. After some pulling, he managed to pull our that same photo that Riley showed him years ago. The picture was a little darkened around the edges, but it pretty much stayed the same after years of facing the elements.

He the reached into the pocket of his pants, and pulled out another photo. This time, it was one of the ranch inhabitants. In the front, they were all there. Vincent, Veruka, Rupert, Matthew... all of them! He looked at both of the pictures side by side, and smiled.

"You won't be forgotten," he said to the photo of Ruby and Allison, them turning to the photo of Elisa's pokemon, "but my family now needs me." He said, looking at the photo of Elisa's pokemon.

He put the photos back in Their respective spots, and stood up. When he did, he heard the sound of static coming from a patch of grass. He forgot that he left the radio to him side.

He picked it up, and answered it. "Who's there? This is a private network!" Lucas answered.

"Lucas? Oh, thank Arceus!"

Lucas's eyebrows fell. "Mallory?" He asked. "Why are you not his radio network?"

"Lucas... something very bad is about to happen!" She said, breathing more heavily. "We wanted to get in contact earlier, but it took forever to lose them-"

"Them? Who's them?" Lucas asked, now becoming worried.

"Some members of the SUI... they betrayed us, Lucas! They sided with David and his army. They were also in the skyscraper during David's meeting!" She said.

Lucas rubbed his eyes. "So, what you're telling me is that the SUI is involved in David's personal army?" He asked, hoping it wasn't true.

"Not all of them!" She exclaimed. "Some were gunned down right in front of us. Our men attacked each other, Lucas!"

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

"Because, Lucas, they are coming!" She said, as Lucas's heart dropped. "That floatzel- he almost killed himself letting us escape! He wanted us to send a message that they are coming for you! They will come to wherever you are, and David will try to kill everyone there!"

Lucas started to run back down the path from Lake Verity to the ranch. "How long do we have?" He asked.

"I'm not sure," Mallory replied, "no more than thirty minutes to an hour."

"No-" Lucas said, running as fast as he could. "Thanks Mallory! I- I have to go!"

"Be careful, Lucas!" She spoke as Lucas turned off the radio.

He sprinted at full speed, as he drew his sword from out of his holster. Time was up, and they were coming.