T.U.F.F. Mission X: Sinthia's Tale - Chapter 5

T.U.F.F. Mission X: Sinthia’s Tale - Chapter 5

Immaturity x2


At the T.O.O.R. fortress, Wreckage was walking around in a room with Schism and Ruckus. They were packing bags, filling up large containers with items, and getting supplies ready. Wreckage closed over a large chest and then turned to his subordinates.

“Everything all set?” he asked.

Ruckus saluted happily. “Yes, Wreckage- I mean, sir!

“Pretty sure,” said Schism.

“Good!” said Wreckage. “And make sure you keep working on that power core, Schism! I need it to be ready once we’re close to Petropolis.”

“Well, it’s not like I’ll forget…!” he grumbled.

“You better not! Now remember: On our way to Petropolis, we’ll be stopping at Petsilvania for Malmsteen’s silly little villain meeting she likes to have.* Once there, we have to make ourselves look extra tough around the other villains! I want them to be jealous of our superiority! I’ll even tell them about how I’m going to have Sinthia take over four cities while I’m gone!”

[*The meeting can be seen in Chapter 11 of T.U.F.F. Mission X: The T.O.O.R. Saga (Saga 2).]

“Sounds like a plan, boss!” replied Ruckus. “We’re already totally awesome, so this will be a piece of cake!”

“Ha! That won’t be hard,” said Schism with a grin.

“It won’t at all!” replied Wreckage. “Especially when we and the rest of the soldiers take up most of the room in the castle! OHHH HO HA HA HO HO HAAA!!!” He, Schism, and Ruckus laughed together in almost the exact same way Wreckage did. While laughing, Wreckage approached a door and opened it. “They’ll be so jealous of how cool we are- AHHHH!!!” he screamed as he quickly backed up. “Maple?! What are you doing here?!”

Maple, Sinthia, and Leer were standing behind the opening of the door. Maple looked at Wreckage sternly. “Hello, Samuel. I’d like to have a talk with you…about our daughter.”

“Nope!” he exclaimed without looking at her as he turned around. “Not dealing with this right now! I’m far too busy!” He looked at Schism and Ruckus. “Don’t just stand there! Escort Maple out of here, you fools!”

Both Schism and Ruckus quickly ran over to Maple and grabbed her by her arms. “Sorry, ma'am!” said Ruckus with a frown as he and Schism began to carry her away.

“Whaa!! Don’t you take me out of here!” she said angrily. “I need to speak with him!” She looked at Sinthia. “Don’t worry, Sinthia! I’m not leaving here until I have a word with him!” She was then taken away as Wreckage closed the door.

“Well, so much for that,” said Leer as he rubbed his arm.

“Shut-up,” replied Sinthia in a moody tone.

Wreckage looked at Sinthia with a panicky expression. “Sinthia! How could you do this?! You know that I have a hard time talking to Maple! Especially when she’s still so good looking…!” he added quietly at the end.

“…Sorry, Father…” she said hesitantly, “but it needed to be done.”

“What?!”

“You won’t listen to me whenever I tell you what I want. Since that’s the case, I brought Maple here so that you could hear her opinion on the matter.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not this again…!”

“I’m serious!”

“Sin, I need to head out for Petropolis to destroy T.U.F.F. Puppy. I don’t have time to deal with your ‘earlylife crisis.’”

“It’s not like I’m the only one who agrees with me. Maple feels that this is wrong, as well.”

He folded his arms. “Now why would her opinion matter for what I do with you? She’s not with me anymore; she’s not a member of T.O.O.R.; she’s not-”

“She’s still my mother, though. She should still have a say in what goes on in my life—as should I. I’m not going to keep doing something I don’t want to do…just because you want me to.”

Wreckage’s eye twitched. “Oh jeez… I can’t deal with this right now… Sinthia, did you forget who it was that made you stronger? Who raised you to defend yourself? Who taught you how to use your abilities?”

Sinthia tried to stay calm, but she found it hard to when he talked to her like that. “Yeah, I know. It was you. That doesn’t mean I have to follow your every footstep.”

Wreckage was feeling more and more frustrated. “Gerr… Why can’t you realize how important all of this is? If it wasn’t for me, you would have been dead a long time ago!”

“Father, please…” she said as she gritted her teeth. “I’m not trying to get you angry. I just want you to listen to me.”

He sighed. “I’m afraid most of my patience has run out. Prepare for my temper.” He coughed into the side of his fist. “That’s the problem, Sinthia!” he snapped. “I can’t listen to you because your view is clouded! I’ve been trying so hard to keep you on task, but you won’t listen. You keep trying to help these people out, but there will be a day when they will walk all over you… They will depend on you, but not because you’re a hero to them… They will see you as nothing more than a weapon, and your conscience will keep calling you back to help them, even after all of the hardships you’ll go through. You’ll feel bad for them, even though they will always fear you. I don’t want you to have a life like that! You need to earn their respect; even if it’s by force! For all you know, they might try to keep you captive; just like what happened to me when I was part of N.E.E.D.! I won’t allow my daughter to become their personal slave!”

Sinthia looked down as she tightened her fists. “You… You don’t know that…”

“I do, Sinthia! I do because this world is rotten to the core! My brother’s death; the use of spirits; my mentor abandoning me; and N.E.E.D.’s betrayal showed me just how chaotic this planet has become.* It needs to be controlled, and the only way to do that is not by gaining the trust of a pile of leeches… but to rule through tyranny! You have to show them who’s the strongest! You have to show them that you can’t be used for their benefit! And the only way to do that…is to do as I say!” He then tried to smile as he folded his fingers together in his hands. “Sound good, hon?”

[*As seen in a flashback from Chapter 28 of T.U.F.F. Mission X: The T.O.O.R. Saga (Saga 2). Wreckage didn’t exactly have the brightest past…]

Sinthia couldn’t take it any longer. She had heard too much nonsense spewing out of his armored mouth. “No… No!” she yelled as she pointed at him. “You don’t know any of that for sure! The people I’m helping really need it, and for all of the power we have… we’re not doing a damn thing about it! I’ve helped out some people who really have it rough! They can hardly pay for the roofs over their heads, and yet what little money they have is taken from them by criminals! It feels good to help these people out, and if I see an opportunity to do so, then I’ll do it! How can you not feel sorry for them…?”

Wreckage scratched his ears and shook his head to the point where he had to readjust his helmet. “I must be hearing things… because there’s no way you’ll be doing anything of the sort! You will do what I tell you to do, and that is my last-last warning!”

She too shook her head. “No! I won’t! You have been in control of my life for far too long! It’s time I put my foot down!”

He gasped. “Sin…?! Why would you…?” He growled under his mask as his eyes glowed brightly. “After all of the bedtime stories I've told you at night… the games we’ve played together… and the toys I stole for you when you were a pup… After everything I’ve done for you… this is how you repay me?”

She formed a frown. “Father… I appreciate what you’ve done to keep me strong, and I will always be thankful for the home and care you’ve provided… but I simply can’t keep living like this if you’re going to stop me from doing what I want to do. Either I can keep helping those in need, or I won’t stay here.”

Wreckage’s body shook out of anger. He couldn’t believe that his own daughter was being this defiant. “Alright, now you’ve really pissed me off! You think you can negotiate with me?! I’ll tell you how this is going to go down: You will to stay here, Sinthia, and do you know why? Because if you step one foot outside of this fortress… I’m going to send my troops to destroy Meowton!”

Sinthia stared at him in shock. “Destroy it?!” She took a step back. “Just for that?! You wouldn’t…!”

“I would! I will not stand for this anymore! Either you commit to your duties as my heir, or that city you so dearly care for will be nothing more than ruin!”

Sinthia felt very lightheaded. She was extremely surprised to hear him say such a thing. “You do that and I’ll…I’ll…!” She bit her lip out of frustration as she took a step towards him. “I’ll stop you myself!”

“…What?” asked Wreckage as he raised his eyebrows.

“That’s right! It doesn’t matter that you’re my father! It doesn’t matter that I don’t want to harm you… If you dare do that to Meowton, then I will have to fight you! I will not let you ruin the lives of the people who live there…!”

“Have you gone insane?!” he yelled. “This has got to be a dream! It has to, because you do not talk to me like that, little lady, and you should never even consider what you’re suggesting!”

“I don’t want to, but if you’re going to pull crap like that, then I’m not going to put up with it! Not anymore! I’ve been dealing with this for far too long! Just…Just let me do what I want and this can all be put aside…!”

He glared at her intensely. “Not a chance, Sinthia! If you want to challenge me, then go ahead!”

She blinked at him out of confusion. “You don’t care about hurting your own daughter?” she asked with winded eyes.

“I’ve trained you myself. You can handle me toying with you. After all… nobody can beat me in battle—not even my own daughter—WHO HASN’T BEEN ACTHING LIKE MY DAUGHTER LATELY!!!”

“WHAT?! I can too beat you!” she hollered. “You wouldn’t need to toy with me at all!”

“No you can’t!”

“Yes I can!”

“Can’t!”

“Can!”

“Can’t!”

“Can!”

“Caaaan’t!”

“Caaaan!”

“YOU CAN’T!!!”

“I CAN!!!”

Sinthia and Wreckage got closer to each other each time they said one of their “can’t’s” and “cans.” Leer was looking back and forth as Sinthia and Wreckage argued. They have had their disagreements before, and even a few arguments, but it had never gotten this intense. Not only were they basically threatening each other, but they were even starting to get rather immature. Leer scratched his head, as he was confused by the way they were handling the situation.

“Is this what puberty is like for women?!” asked Wreckage. “Be honest, Sinthia! Is that why you’ve been acting this way?!”

Sinthia blushed heavily from him saying that. “N-No! It has nothing to do with that! What’s your excuse? Is that helmet of yours cutting the circulation from your brain or something?!”

“So much awkwardness today…!” muttered Leer.

“Alright, cut it out, you two!” yelled Maple’s voice. Sinthia, Wreckage, and Leer turned their heads to see Maple kick open the door. Her hair was messy, as it was spiked out, and she was breathing heavily. Apparently Schism and Ruckus couldn’t keep a hold on her. “We don’t have to get crazy over all of this!”

“Maple!” said Sinthia, feeling embarrassed.

“Oh…! You…You heard all of that…?” asked Wreckage in surprise.

“Of course I did,” replied Maple, “and that’s not because of my keen hearing,” she said as she pointed at her pointy ears.

“Damn!” both Wreckage and Sinthia said at the same time.

Maple quickly fixed up her hair and marched towards them. “Now… let’s try to keep things calm.”

Sinthia felt bad. She was indeed angry with her father, but she never wanted to have her mother see or hear her act this way. “Maple, I…” she said in a low tone. “I didn’t mean for you to see- I mean hear me in such a state. I don’t usually act like that…!”

Maple looked at her with a sad smile. “It’s alright, dear… I can imagine how frustrating he can be at times, what with his obsession for conquest.” She placed her hand on the side of Sinthia’s face. “Maybe your father and I should talk about this now… Does that sound okay?”

Hesitantly, Sinthia looked away from her. “Fine…” she muttered.

“Alright then… Perhaps it would be a good idea for you go do something else while we talk. Clear your head a little, y'know?”

Sinthia agreed with her. She was not in the best state of mind to keep talking to her father. “Okay. I’ll leave it to you for now.” Sinthia then walked out of the room with her head held low. As she left, Ruckus and Schism entered the room.

“Sorry about that, boss!” said Ruckus. “We tried to keep her away…”

“But she ended up kicking us in our faces…!” added Schism. “Very roughly…!”

Wreckage merely outreached his open palm to them with a frown. “It’s alright, you two…” he said calmly. “I just need you out of here for now.”

“Oh… Okay,” replied Ruckus. He appeared to be aware of the fact that Wreckage was in a more serious mood than usual.

Wreckage glanced at Leer. “You go as well, Leer. I need to talk to Maple alone.”

Leer paused for a moment, but he then nodded. “Yes, sir…” he said quietly. He then exited the room with Schsim and Ruckus as he closed the door behind him.

Maple then looked up at Wreckage sternly as she placed her hands on her hips. “Now, you see what you’ve caused?”

“What I’ve caused?” he asked. “If Sinthia would only listen to her father like any other child-”

“And she would listen to you like any other child…if you weren’t being such a jerk.” Maple had absolutely no problem with saying that to him, and his lack of a reaction to what she called him didn’t surprise her. “The only reason Sinthia became so defiant is because you don’t care about what she really wants…”

Wreckage paused, for he knew that she was right. “…But she needs to learn, Maple. She needs to know that she could literally have control of her destiny if she thought like a true T.O.O.R. soldier. We have so much power… There’s no way we’re going to serve and protect those beneath us when we can rule them instead. Helping others would simply slow down the process of controlling the various areas we take over.” He placed his hand on his chest. “Trying to have Sinthia realize such a concept was no reason for her to…explode on me like that!”

“Well, no wonder!” growled Maple. “Telling her to keep doing what she doesn’t want to do… Stating that what she’s trying to do is pointless… Threatening to destroy Meowton if she doesn’t do what you say…? No, I think she has plenty of reasons to be upset with you.”

He looked at her with a frown. “Maple, I… I wasn’t really going to destroy Meowton… I know how much you value it. I just wanted to get Sinthia to agree with me.”

She slowly shook her head. “Doesn’t matter if you meant it or not… You were still blackmailing her. I mean, after saying something cruel like that, what did you expect her reaction to be? She’s a feisty gal with a short temper… You keep going on about how different she is than you, but you both don’t seem to realize how similar you two really are. You simply have different goals…” She paused for a moment. “…I suggested for Sinthia to stay with me.”

Wreckage threw his head back a little from hearing this. “You did?! But…But she lives with me! We agreed to that years ago!”

She folded her arms and took a small breath. “But now look what’s happening. Besides… our child should really have a say in what happens. Remember, Samuel, that I was going to take care of Sinthia all those years ago… but I left her to you, due to the fact that she—being your daughter—was basically a target for your enemies. She was in danger.”

“Exactly! So-”

“She’s not a little girl anymore… She can take care of herself now. Besides, most of the enemies you make these days are good people…” She leaned back on a wall. “I personally think it would be great for Sinthia to come live with me. I can tell she really wants to. We’d have so much fun together… Not to mention a lot of catching up!”

Wreckage looked down as he held the back of his head. “She’s supposed to be my heir…”

“Oh, heir-pair!” she said in a huff. “Get someone else to take over for you! It’s not like you're royalty or anything, and I highly doubt you'll be retiring anytime soon. That Ruckus fellow seems awfully loyal… Why not someone like him?”

He growled. “He and so many others don't have the power or potential that Sinthia has-”

“She doesn’t want to do what you do, Samuel. You need to stop forcing her to be something she isn’t. I mean… did you like it when Bradley kept telling you that you shouldn’t be a N.E.E.D. soldier back when you were a kid, even though you wanted to help others so badly?”

Wreckage stared at her, wide-eyed. “That…That was different, Maple. He thought that I didn’t have the strength to fight. I know that Sinthia does.”

Maple shrugged. “Oh, she still wants to fight, alright… but not for the reasons you want her to. I don’t know if you notice it or not… but she’s a lot like you when you were young. When you were a child, you always tried to help others and show that you were strong enough to do so. Even back when I met you for the first time, you wanted to help me and the people of Howling village… That’s what I’m seeing in Sinthia right now.” She stepped away from the wall and approached him. As she did, she stood closer to him. This—along with what she said to him— made him feel slightly uncomfortable. “Samuel, think about it… If Sinthia lives with me, she’ll be able to have the life she wants—or at least the next best thing. If she can’t use T.O.O.R. for good, then she can at least help others.”

Wreckage hesitated for a moment. “…She shouldn’t have to help anyone.”

“Anyone but you and T.O.O.R., right?”

He grumbled to himself. “I’ve raised her for far too long for her to waste her potential, and I…” He then formed a frown as his eyes looked away from her. “…I don’t want to lose her…”

She then smiled at him. “Sinthia loves you, Samuel… She always has, and she always will… Don’t let arguments and fights between you two make you think otherwise. I bet if you were in serious trouble, she wouldn’t hesitate to help you out. As for her staying with me… That might not even happen. She could still stay with you, but I will, however, tell you this right now: The right thing to do is allow her to do what she wants with her life… If you don’t… she’ll never forgive you. She’ll always love you deep down… but if you push her any further, you may lose her for a very long time.”

He turned to her with a grim expression as he sat in his throne. “…You honestly believe that there’s a chance she would remain here…if I allowed her to help others…?” he asked.

She sat down on the arm rest of his chair to face him, as it was a rather large throne, considering the sheer size of Wreckage. “I’m not sure… She might stay with you, or she might stay with me… She might even go to a whole other place for all we know… What I do know is that she won’t be gone forever. There’ll be times where you can see her again, just like how it is with other peoples’ kids. They may leave… but they’ll always come back.”

He paused once more as he thought about what she said. After some time, he spoke up. “I have to go to Petsilvania and Petropolis… I have too much on my plate to make a decision right now, but…I’ll think about it.” He nodded. “Yes… I should be able to have an answer by the time I get back.”

Maple sighed. “Alright… That may very well be the best we can work with for now…”

“…Maple,” he said quietly. She looked at him with bright eyes. “…I honestly wish we remained together. I still care greatly for you, and things like this situation with our daughter would be a lot easier with you here.”

Taken back at first, she then giggled quietly. “I’m pretty sure that that would make things even more complicated, considering our own conflicting opinions on different things… but I know what you mean. Even after everything that has happened over the years, I…” She blushed slightly. “…I still feel the same way about you.”

He smiled at her under his helmet. “I’m happy to know that…”

She laughed. “Now don’t get any ideas! I still doubt that things will work out, given everything that has happened over the years.”

He let out a huff as he turned away from her, placing his hand on the side of his face while resting his elbow on his unused armrest. “Tsk! Of course… Like mother; like daughter…”

She grinned at him. “Doesn’t mean we can’t be friendly with each other, right?”

“Yeah, yeah…” He then looked at her with a smile. “When it comes to anyone talking to me about family problems… Well, I’m glad it’s you.”

She patted him on the back. “Same goes for me.”