Written By: Armina Qi Saxton

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Chapter 4: Remembrance

No one seemed to want to wait for three o'clock to come around, even if it was the same news report that had been given before. Many Gaians stopped their April Fools jokes early in order to watch the news program, much to those who received the jokes joy. It would be a small break from the festivities of the day and the ones that had come before, one that would most likely last a lifetime or more. If anyone would survive this, that is.

Those that did would take this day as the end of all things that had been fought over and everything that was supposed to be. Everything would change on this day, a day when they thought it was a joke rather then actual events that had played out. When the dust would eventually clear, and the damage seen, no one would have been found laughing; instead, they would be wondering what had happened and why it had come to be. Nothing would ever be the same, not in all the years that would follow. It was just something they had to eventually accept, no matter how hard it would be to.

Watching the top of the tower from the helicopter above it, Cindy stared down at the man who seemed so oblivious to the world around him. For a few fleeting moments, she actually pitied him, in a way she couldn’t explain to herself or any of her viewers. Did she actually feel sorry for him, or for the boy that was trapped inside the rooftop mansion? Why would she even remotely feel sorry for the man standing below, the same one that had gone insane with power? It was confusing to say the least, even more so because she normally never felt torn between reporting the story and the ones that she was reporting on.

She couldn't tell her emotions from each other, as the shuffling of the cameraman and the uneasiness of the pilot, as the helicopter jerked slightly, gave her a reason to come out of her questioning thoughts. The cameraman tapped his watch as he hosted the camera onto his shoulder, Cindy looking down at her own to see what time it was. It was almost three, with only a few moments to spare. It wouldn't hurt to go live a few moments early, not when almost everyone in Gaia was already sitting in front of their televisions, eagerly waiting for the news to start. She smiled several times to get her lips ready to look happy for the camera, pulling her microphone from her lap and waiting patiently for the signal to start speaking.

"This is Cindy Donovinh for Gaia 9 Action News, reporting to you from the top of Gambino's tower," Cindy started as soon as she was signaled to start reporting. She paused for a moment to try to find the exact words to repeat what she had said in past reports, her lips pressed into a thin line for a brief moment. She did not like repeating herself, even if it was for those that did not know the story; it was surprising that there weren’t. Yet, she continued anyway, smiling as forcefully as she could without making it seem too fake. "For those of you just tuning in, Johnny K. Gambino, formerly Gaia's most powerful man, has regained his riches and built a massive skyscraper on Gambino Island. It is believed that Gambino supporters donated a massive amount of gold to his gold to his caused, which he then used to completed this gargantuan feat of architecture.

"For over a week, Gambino has locked himself in his mansion, only to reappear to combat the Von Helson sister's Easter Extravaganza. He is currently atop his tower and appears to have gone insane! We now go live to the scene with the following report!" As soon as she was finished, the cameraman turned from Cindy to where Johnny K. Gambino was standing, laughing at the heavens above with his arms stretched out in front of him.

She shuddered at the thought of what his man must be thinking at the moment, what he was planning on doing, and the reason behind the madness. It only takes a little bit of power to start to feel the tug of it, She thought to herself as the cameraman continued to film Gambino's insanity. It was horrible to think about what had caused this to happen, even if it had started out as an innocent way to regain memories that had been lost to tragedy many months ago. If it would bring any more tragedy into the normal Gaian life, then she didn’t know what would happen or how anyone would react.

They just hoped it was a momentary lapse into what used to be.

****

On the other side of Gaia, far away from the insanity of Johnny Gambino yet still in the shadows of the tower, something was beginning to take shape. Something that made the day become more cold, as dark clouds rolled from the south and the wind started to blow from the north. Anyone that was outside at the time, looked up at the sky with questioning looks and points to the apparent darkness that was falling upon their beloved land. Since they had been promised a warm day with no chance of rain, they were surprised to see rain clouds and the sound of thunder in the distance. Was this something that indicated a bigger happening elsewhere in the land? Or was the weather station wrong in predicting the weather for this day?

It was unusual for a day like this, when the weather had finally become clear and warm enough for everyone to be wandering the streets of the townships, going through the stores and looking. Kites were supposed to be flown, the centers of the towns filled with people, and everyone enjoying a day that no one thought could have broken out of the dullness of winter. No one was enjoying a day like this, not when there were so much more that held their interest. The day would become even darker then it was, without the help of the mysterious weather that engulfed Gaia and her Territories.

The minutes were slowly going towards the hour of three o'clock; one by one, they made their move towards the hour as they always had. No one was really watching the clock tower at the moment, not when there was so much more interesting things going on other then checking the time every few seconds. Even if there were several wayward glances towards the tower, they would not have seen a figure walking along the top railing, carrying what looked like a rifle case to get as close to the island as possible without leaving Durem or the clock tower. The business of the cloaked figure was no one else's concern, not when they did not notice this stranger enter the tower at the base from a hidden entrance.

The clock tower rang out the hour of three o'clock noisily, as those on the ground below it jumped from their looking’s at the clouds above. They merely glanced at it, not even taking notice that someone had set down the black case and started to open it with ease. Whoever this stranger was, had darker intentions then what others had even bothered to think of or even wanted to know, as the stranger lifted the contents out slowly. There was no need to hastily do this, not when there was so much error at a distance such as this to complete the task at hand. So much could go wrong with even a slight miscalculation.

The cloak figure rested the riffle in it's hands, loading it with such easy and quietness that, if there had been anyone standing with the figure at the moment on the tower, they would have not heard it. It gave this person a satisfaction of knowing that it's deed was only a few seconds away from actually happening, a smile creeping onto it's lips. It didn't have the insane look upon it's hidden face, so unlike that of Gambino's, but the smile was still the same. Wide and uncaring of what the outside world thought or if there was anyone that could actually stop it. At least this one person could keep their identity a secret for the time being, until it's employers gave up this secret or it was found out by any groups of snooping Gaians.

Then, the cloaked figure took aim.

****

He had done what his father had told him several days ago and stayed inside, even when he had heard the all too familiar of the helicopter that had been there when the two had first come to the top of the tower. He had pressed his ear to the door every day since his father had went to the edge of the tower and stayed there, listening to the whirling blades and the faint but distinguished laughter from his father. There were a few times that he had to hold back the tears so that, if the man ever came back inside, he wouldn't have seen his son cry. That was the last thing that the boy wanted, now that everything had changed.

Gino felt scared, more scared for the man then scared for his own safety. He remembered the man as caring in the last few months, despite them not having any place to go and barely enough food for the both of them. Those memories were the only ones he had at the moment and the only ones that would soon fade into the haze that his past memories were in. It would all soon come flooding back to him, he just didn't know it at the moment nor did the man that stood outside, separated from his son once again.

At the moment, he didn't care what the man thought about his actions or why he was doing them to begin with. Gino had long stopped feeling as though he needed to listen to the man's words and start doing what he had to do besides what someone else told him to do. He didn't even remember the man as his father or any other living relative, no matter what the few similarities they had between themselves were and what others had said. There was nothing, no feelings, no memories. Nothing to relate to the man in question that was on the verge of becoming even more insane.

It was at this point that he defied the man's previous orders and pushed one of the doors open towards the outside world. Much to his surprise and delight, it was open as he stepped outside as soon as there was enough room for him to get through. Despite what bleakness was overhead, the light from above blinded him for a moment. It took him only seconds for him to get used to the unusual bright light, then he saw the man at the edge of the tower, laughing as though there was no one else in Gaia that existed.

The boy stared at the man, his mouth hanging open slightly at the man that was in his own little world. This same man who had barely let him out of his sight since Christmas, now had his back completely turned to him and was ignoring him as though he did not even exist. He had failed to recognized him then and had continued to do so in the last few months, even with all the attempts at his memory coming back by the very same man. However, he now sensed something that was familiar to him, something that was dark and sinister. Perhaps it was true evil that he sense, rather then a familiar tingling feeling.

It was at this very moment that the haze that was around his mind, lifted and everything became more clear then it had been in the months before. Memories came flooding back, memories that had been surprised before but now were remembered by this simple feeling. His eyes went wide at the memories that came back to him in droves, of the good and the bad, of the sorrowful and the lighthearted, of everything leading up to this moment. That evil he senses was what made all the puzzle pieces come together, the evil that he could feel coming from the insane person in front of him. And it's name was--

"--Father?" Gino whispered. It was soft to those that had never heard him speak before, but it was loud enough for one person to hear and that was all that mattered.

****

What had brought him from the realm of insanity was as simple as a child's voice, as Johnny's head snapped around. The boy that stood there, despite his orders to stay inside, stared up at him, not with confusion that had once been upon his face but by a recognition that he had longed to see on his face. The boy looked almost as though he had just woken from a dream rather then having his memories restored to him, a few steps taken towards him with a hope that his father was more then glad to have his memories back.

"Gino!" He shouted as he turned around, opening his arms wide to let the boy in. Tears came to his eyes, tears that showed more then his face did. There was no madness on his features, no maniacal laughter coming form his lips, no insanity in his eyes. Every gold coin he had gained only a few weeks ago to the tower they were standing on meant nothing to him now, not when there was something more important then it. All that really mattered was the boy that was staring to come towards him, happy as ever before.

"Father!" Gino sobbed, his own tears forming at his eyes. He opened his arms as well, ready to embrace the father he could not remember until now. It was like Christmas for him and his memories were a present that he had longed to open.

"You're back!" Johnny screamed, all of his emotions coming at him at once. There were no words that could remotely pin-point what he was feeling now, other then he was overjoyed and happy at the same time. So many times he had dreamed of this moment when they were truly together again instead of being just a shell of what once had been. Now it was more then a dream, it was a reality.

But this reunion would be short lived, taking away a father from his son once again. This moment of joy and happiness had been stopped by a single bullet that had pierced what was supposed to be an occasion that had been long-awaited, even by those that were not even anywhere near the tower itself. For a few brief seconds, neither person on the rooftop moved, as though time itself had stopped, before everything quickly came rushing back to the present moment.

Johnny's hands moved towards where he had been hit, his movements becoming automatic and his mind trying to process what had happened. He didn't know what had actually happened to him; all he knew was that he had fallen into a world of pain and there was nothing he, or anyone else, could do about it. His smile had faded just as suddenly as he had been pulled from the realm of insanity, his eyes rolling back into his eyes and his body slowly starting to move backwards. There was no more control over his body as his hands moved from his body as he fell from the rooftop he had been standing on only a few moments before. He had no more strength to do anything but fall towards the loaming ground.

His pocket watch, the same one that he had for countless years, had been shattered by the impact of a speeding bullet. Whether it had been the force of the impact or it was something else entirely, there would be no one that would even remotely care. The contents of it were also moving towards the ground at the same rate that it's owner was, glass and the inner workings splitting into different pieces. It was not working no longer, not even when the man seemed to be no longer alive.

At 3 PM, April 1st, 2005, Johnny K. Gambino had been shot.

****

It had been a shot that was heard around the world, something that no one had ever heard before. Everything seemed to be slowing down to a halt, every person looking at each other in hopes that someone else knew what that sound had been. It had only sounded once, from the direction of Durem, as eyes moved towards where Isle de Gambino lay. How they knew it had landed there, no one knew nor did they seem to care. They knew something had happened and were trying to make sense of it all.

No one knew exactly what had happened until they had listened to the report that Cindy had made while the cameraman had caught everything on film, whether they were listening to it on the radio or had watched the events that had folded out in front of them through the TV. The world had stopped spinning during this time, everything becoming still as it never had been before. No one seemed to be speaking or even moving, as some dropped to their knees and sobbed into their hands. Others just stared out into the open in shock, regardless of which side they were on or who they supported. Only a small handful actually paid no heed to anything that was around them, only that they were more then glad that the events had played out. They went on with their lives as though nothing had happened, smiling to themselves that the Gambino reign was finally over.

It was hard to determine why it had happened, but it had. It had without anyone being able to stop it. Gino was the only one that seemed to have just stood there and done nothing, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at the place where his father once had stood. He couldn't comprehend what had happened, even with the events that had played right in front of him. His mind was reeling from his memories finally being remembered to the shot that had sounded so loudly in his ears. He just stood there, in shock, as everything just came full-circle.

He bowed his head, clutching his hands together, and stood where he was, trying so desperately not to cry but the tears came anyways. There had been nothing he could do to stop his father from being shot or to fall backwards from the tower. He had frozen where he was standing, not even trying, not even forcing his body to attempt to keep his father's body from falling out of his reach. Had this been someone else that had been shot, and his father still on the rooftop with him, the words that would come in his direction would not be nice but cold and without anything to indicate that his father actually cared. Not like the man that had been at his side in the last few months, trying so hard to patch up old wounds.

Then, Gino raised his head, several tears going down his cheek before they dried up. There was no sadness in his eyes, no happiness that had once been in them but had been shattered by a tragedy that had torn him from his father once again. No, there was anger in his eyes, anger that had never surfaced until now. It was anger that he felt towards his father, anger that his mind had been forced into the haze that it had been in, anger that his father knowingly put his only child into danger. So many people had lost their lives on that fateful Halloween day and Gino hated his father for that.

He did not know why he felt angry, perhaps because he remembered the things that had been said to him and the things that had been done to him in the past. Regardless of that anger he felt, there was still sadness there, but not like it had been only a few moments before. There would be no explanations at this moment if he couldn’t explain them himself, as he turned towards the mansion and strode towards it, unaware that the tower itself was about to fall down just like his father was.

Perhaps, despite everything, there still was a chance that his father was alive and they could begin again.