by Marc Mulero
The woman looked up with tears, turning the dirt into mud as they dripped down her face. Desperation was evident in her expression. “Blague,” she cried, “he was all I had in this world.”
“I know,” Blague said as he reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. He leaned back, thinking of the fallen soldier, “Peke fought for you, so you could have a better life. We're all fighting for a better life for the Sins. His death is not in vain,” he said in a deep, pained voice.
The woman cried harder and looked down, grasping for the lifeless hand of her fallen husband. “I lived waiting for him and waiting for all of you to do something for us. I think I'm done waiting now. Peke's death just proves that it does no good,” she said in between sobs.
“Chella,” Blague said “don't give up on us.”
She shook her head, “I'm thinking just the opposite. No longer will I stand here as a civilian, waiting for someone to save me. I'm joining the Sin fighters.”
Blague looked surprised. “I won't stop you, I hope that's what you want. We would be honored to have you.” Blague stood up and solemnly said, “I'm truly sorry for your loss. Peke was a zealous man.” He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and continued on his way.
Making his way through the crowd, he looked up and noticed that all of the camera's lights were dead, some of which gave off a sporadic spark.
Briggs must have successfully carried out his job in detonating the EMP. Considering how fast information travels, my hunch that the Ayelan chemical is within this facility is probably correct. Otherwise, this place would have been wiped clean already. Chances are we aren't being overrun because the Hiezers are confident that we wouldn't know what to do with the chemical even if we found it.
As Blague continued walking, a kid ran straight into his leg. He felt the pressure of something knocking into him and bouncing off. A mix of confusion and surprise washed across his face for a moment before looking down.
The kid rubbed his head and looked up, winking one eye painfully. “That hurt, mister,” the kid said.
Blague smirked “Sorry bud.”
“Hey,” the kid said with a flash of recognition in his eyes, “my mom says you’re the leader of our group.”
Blague looked at him and nodded.
“Ok, Mr. Leader, is this our new home?”
Blague nodded again.
“Is it going to be safe for my mom?”
Blague paused for a moment, “I'm going to do my best to make it safe. What's your name?”
“Sigan,” the boy said.
“I'm Blague, nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand outward.
The boy slapped him five and scratched the back of his head, causing Blague to chuckle. “Ok, bye Mr. Blague,” the boy said as he ran away.
“Farewell for now, Sigan.”
As Blague continued on, he admired the architecture of the mansion. Elegantly designed pillars shot up from the ground level to the fourth floor. The structure was semi-open, similar to the inside of a prison. Only instead of cells, the living quarters resembled up-scale hotel rooms that stretched as far as Blague could see. It was at that moment he realized that a public debate between him and Jeck was going to be a crucial experience for all.
The Hiezers are not black and white tyrants. There are many shades of grey from all perspectives.
Blague heard his name being called and a bark followed. A man appeared with a half cape draped over his shoulder. He had a trim black beard with white streaks that mirrored his wolf's coat. He strutted confidently with his golden eyes and his short black hair that connected to his beard. A path cleared as he walked and all eyes were on his pet wolf. Sins were not allowed to have pets, so original Sins had never seen a tamed animal. Mars was the only exception. Stray animals on the exiled continents resembled vicious beasts rather than approachable companions.
“Sabin and Mars, my favorite duo,” Blague said.
Sabin winked, “The third floor is clear my friend.”
“Excellent,” Blague said.
When they approached each other, instead of a handshake, they slapped each other's forearms and gripped firmly. The commanders knew why Sabin wore a half ripped cape that completely covered one arm; it was to hide the fact that he had no Cryos tattoo marking him as a Sin. This would make the Sins skeptical of him.
Blague spoke to his commanders eight months ago about Sabin, letting them know that he was to be trusted. He explained that Sabin is technically a Templos, which is four social ranks above the Sins. In order to make his way to Senation, Sabin posed as an anthropologist, which is a qualified profession for the Templos; that’s how he boarded a cleared aircraft en route to Senation. “His cause is our cause,” Blague enforced. “He heeded my call that I dispersed through aging network connections. So if you trust me,” Blague said to his commanders, “trust Sabin.” At that meeting, Eugene had his arms folded and was abnormally quiet. What's worse is that he didn’t make any suggestions or make a peep for that matter. Blague was keen to Eu's skepticism, which was one of the main reasons he chose him as his first in command.
Blague walked alongside Sabin and Mars as he searched for Cherris.
“Can we hold this fort, Blague?” Sabin questioned.
“There are two exits on the main floor, a landing pad on the roof, and at least three hundred feet between us and the breach. I believe Lito can plant enough explosives to guard the walkway from invasion, but we have to be careful not to use trip mines. Remote detonators should be planted to prevent from killing our own. There needs to be patrol guarding the three entrances at all times. I believe it’s manageable,” Blague responded.
Sabin nodded and thought for a second, “Hah, we're not already dead because there's the Ayelan chemical within this mansion, probably in the underground shoot.”
“Undoubtedly so, old friend,” Blague replied with a half smirk.
“Do the other commanders know?” Sabin asked.
“In due time,” Blague said.
“This was a bold takeover. Everyone in Senation must be buzzing about the explosion and the dust cloud that lingered in the sky,” Sabin said excitedly. “Do you believe Briggs' scattered scouts are spreading our story to the citizens?”
“Hopefully,” Blague said, recalling his protocols. “I expect intel on their feedback within a day.”
“Ah,” Sabin said loudly, as he pulled a piece of meat out of Mars' mouth. A little girl with long blonde hair sat there on the floor with an empty plate and tears in her eyes. Sabin looked at her with a nervous smile, “Sorry, sweetheart.” He dropped the half chewed meat back on her plate. The girl looked confused. Sabin waved awkwardly and continued on. Blague held in his laughter. Sabin turned back to look at Blague and laughed. “It looks like there’s no shortage of food,” Sabin said as he took a look around the enormous room.
“That's one area that we are very fortunate,” Blague responded. “We have very little room for technological or economic advancement in Senation, but we do still have excellent irrigation and a wealth of food supply. Our fighters remain strong and healthy as a result,” Blague explained.
Sabin nodded, “The exiled continents are peculiar that way. The powers that be do what they can to keep the Sins from progressing intellectually. In some sense, it's a more brutal form of punishment than being sent to jail.”
“Agreed,” Blague replied with a nod, “Our movement will continue to strive to alleviate this class system from the horror it creates.” As soon as he finished his sentence, he saw Cherris seated at a table, speaking to a teenage boy and girl. Blague and Sabin walked up to her while she finished answering the teens’ question.
“Maran, there are three ways you can become a Sin. Either through accumulated misdemeanor crimes, which now includes every crime except rape and murder, refusal to carry out an assigned job of which the choices are limited amongst the lower social classes, or you’re born into this world from Sin parents. The latter is the case for you two. You we
re both born into Senation and received your Cryos marks when you were kids. That's why your marks are smaller than the adult marks." The teenagers looked at each other and then thanked Cherris for the information. All three of them looked up at the unique looking gentlemen that were glancing over at them and smiling. Blague's green eyes were piercing even when he meant to be at ease. Cherris smiled at the teenagers, "Okay Maran and Kleina, I'll be glad to tell you more later on," she said as she politely waved them away. The kids got up and walked off, discussing their thoughts about what was just revealed to them. Blague and Sabin took a seat near Cherris.
"Cherris, I'm relieved to see that you're alright," Blague said sincerely.
Cherris faintly smiled. "I am, but my heart continues to break. We lost good men, most of whom were husbands and fathers. Right in front of my eyes I witnessed a boy become an orphan. This life sounds full of meaning when you speak to us, Blague, but the painful day to day journey is numbing," she said, unable to mask the staggering pain in her voice. Blague and Sabin shared her pained expression, offering comfort. "I knew this would be the case going in. I was fully aware of the dangers surrounding us, but you can never prepare yourself for the death of friends and family," Cherris continued, letting tears trickle down her face.
Blague reached over and put his hand over hers, "I share your pain. We all knew the hardships that we signed up for. This is a pain that we will continue to endure. You've both known me for a long time,” Blague broke eye contact with Cherris to give Sabin a brief look, “And I'm confident that you trust my judgement. I'm not a man that fights blindly, nor am I a man who will fight for a petty cause. All three of us have seen the deteriorating treatment of the Sins. The punishment no longer fits the crime. As future generations continue to grow without hope or a chance at a decent life, the idea of this rigid social class system becomes prominently more horrifying. An obvious example of this is the Hiezer guards you witnessed attacking the civilians. Cherris, I need you to suffer with me while we make our strides." Blague waved his hand, displaying the hundreds of sheltered Sins settling into the mansion. "Our suffering is not in vain. We made a leap today. Look around you. We have taken a base and now we will hold that base and learn to exist as a community before we expand our goals further."
Cherris nodded periodically as Blague spoke. Her eyes were slightly sunken due to the horror she saw earlier that day. Her hair was long with a blonde and grey mixture. She had some wrinkles, but had a glow about her that seemed to drown out her age. "I trust you, Blague, as I always have. My struggle comes from my lack of strength I suppose. Just pour your spirit in my direction to pull me back up from time to time," she said, feeling a bit of relief.
Blague smirked, "Of course, anytime."
Sabin leaned back in his chair with his arms folded, looking impressed. "Ok, darling," Sabin said to Cherris. "Now that we're pumped up again, shall we begin strategizing?"
Cherris nodded and smiled at Sabin. Blague motioned for Sabin to take the lead.
Sabin leaned forward and began to lay out the facts. "So, we have a Hiezer, but I don't believe he's a highlord."
"He's not," a somber voice interrupted. Sabin was startled for a moment since the voice came from behind him.
"Eugene," Blague said, "have a seat." Blague motioned to the chair next to Sabin.
Sabin turned around and looked at Eugene with squinted eyes, somewhat playfully, mocking Eugene's mistrust. Eugene looked at Sabin with a serious face and one eyebrow raised as he took his seat.
Sabin turned back and continued. “As I was saying, we have a lower ranking Hiezer, a group of Sin fighters, civilians committed to the cause, and a newly found base that we're confident we can hold. From here, what steps should be carried out and in what order?”
Cherris spoke up, “First, we should inform and comfort our people by establishing protective guard duty.”
The others agreed with Cherris.
Eugene interrupted, “Do we have intel on whether the Hiezers will seek to rescue Jeck and reclaim the mansion?”
Blague shook his head, “In one hour, I'm going to meet with Briggs to discuss the rallying of Senation as well as any impending attacks. For now, I have fifty percent of the fighters actively guarding the entrances on two hour rotations.”
Eugene nodded and put his head down to think. Sabin put an arm on Eugene's shoulder.
“Cheer up bud, that's a good thing,” Sabin said with a smile.
Eugene sighed and shrugged Sabin's arm off his shoulder. Mars barked, as if offended.
“Hah,” Sabin scoffed, “you'll warm up to me eventually. Wonder how many times I have to save your ass in battle before you do though.” Sabin's smile grew ear to ear awaiting Eugene's reaction.
Eugene just looked at him and rolled his eyes, “You're a delusional jackass.”
“C’mon gentlemen,” Blague said as Cherris laughed in the background, “Let's focus for just a few minutes.”
“Alright,” Sabin said, “what do you intend to do with Jeck?”
“I intend to let him speak his views to the new residents of the mansion,” Blague said. His audience reacted with a bit of shock.
“That could cause civil conflict,” Cherris said.
“It could,” Blague replied with his head held high, “but I'm confident it won't. These people deserve to be educated with all sides of the story. How else will we topple the class structure if not with informed followers?”
“But some of the followers are very intelligent,” Eugene said, “We have civilians that were doctors and scientists in their former lives.”
“Yes, but many of them haven't been able to make a free decision for years now. We have to hand that ability back to these people if we're to prosper. Besides, I will speak as Jeck's opponent. I intend to address the grey areas of this world. We won't drag out the arguments either. We will both present our views in one speech each. The Sins are already devoted to the cause, but now we need them to fully understand our enemy,” Blague said.
Eugene sighed, “More risks Blague, I swear, you like to stir shit up.”
“No, Eu, but I appreciate your consistent oppositional viewpoints. It keeps me in check.”
Sabin glanced at them both, “You two are like an old married couple.” Blague laughed and Eugene nearly smiled. “Ok,” Sabin said, while smacking the table, “so we hold the mini debate after primary intel is gathered and we can declare the base protected and stable?”
“Yes,” Blague confirmed.
“Alright,” Sabin said, “now are we to discuss the reason that we’re all still alive?”
Blague nodded and leaned forward. “Do either of you know the full story about the chemical Ayelan?” Blague engaged both Cherris and Eugene.
Eugene looked up, “Only that it’s an extremely rare chemical. Sins that are crazy enough to believe that it exists spend their lives searching for it in hopes to be automatically bumped three social classes if they submit it to the proper Hiezer channels.”
Cherris shifted eyes from Eugene to the middle of the table, “Rumor has it that this chemical is used for very unnatural experiments with the goal of preserving human life.”
“Both of you have the right idea,” Blague explained, “but they aren’t rumors.” Sabin sat back with his hands behind his head, as if he knew what Blague was going to say. “As all of you know, the first generation of Hiezers represented the top one percent of wealth after the Global Quake in 2022. Once the chaos ensued after the continents cracked in half or split from its edges, countries were in disarray economically, politically, socially, and morally. The damage on November 1st, 2022 was seemingly irreparable. That was until a group of people banded together to create a powerful network, which served to preserve civilized life. The wealthiest people in the world at that time communicated with each other to create order out of the chaos. One of the Hiezers, Orin Grenich, was smart enough to act while the currencies of the world prior to the Global Quake were still acceptable. The Hieze
rs began building fortresses around the world and reestablishing global communication.” Blague paused for a moment, recognizing that he needed to make his point, “I’ll curtail the history lesson of the Hiezers here, but know that this group brought about the social class system we all know. However, what’s more notable is they dedicated most of their time and effort to research, hence why they wear long black robes that somewhat resemble the old world’s lab coats. The Hiezers discovered two new chemicals that were revealed to the world upon the devastation of the quake. Scientists were not able to pick up traces of these chemicals sooner because their attributes are very similar to chemicals that had already existed. These chemicals can bind themselves to any object and once you see these elements, it is apparent that they are unique. Cryos, as we all know it, gives off a blue hue that tends to glow periodically. That is the more common of the two chemicals. On the other hand, Ayelan is an extremely rare chemical that can be identified by looking at it; if an object is two completely different colors when viewing it from one angle to the next, similar to a hologram, then you know it may contain Ayelan. After a year of research, the Hiezers discovered that human life can be preserved by administering a shot that includes the right combination of chemicals, one of which is Ayelan. I believe that a small amount of Ayelan is located in this mansion, which was to be used for testing by the Hiezers. That is the reason this mansion hasn’t been bombed yet. The Hiezers may pull the plug on utilities once we’ve extracted the chemical. They’re probably only keeping the building live to maintain their experiments. I’ll have to make arrangements to stockpile generators and develop a long-term solution.”
Cherris nodded. Eugene lit a cigarette and sighed.
Blague pointed to Eugene and Sabin and said, “I want the both of you to work with the scientists we currently have in our group to locate and secure the Ayelan.” Eugene massaged his temples with one hand, as he felt the stress of the situation.
