Annie had been born in a Chinese harbor town twenty-seven years ago, but her parents had immigrated to Australia in 2031. Six months ago, she had been an agricultural student at Sydney University and through an exchange program, she was given an opportunity to come to the mega-complex Flor Fria to study. Flor Fria was especially leading in plant and horticultural research. The name Flor Fria had the first leader, Emanuel Rex, decided. Emanuel was a proud Portuguese man with a large, bushy white mustache. He chose Flor Fria as a name because it meant Cold Flower. It referred to the freezing technology used to preserve and preserve different seeds and plants.
Annie remembered how she had felt that she had been given a once in a lifetime chance and how delighted she had been when she found out that she had gotten a place as a development student and her first time had been magical. Everything was new and fresh to her and she had taken it all in. From the highly advanced hydrology programs to the latest research findings in seed research, she had thought that Flor Fria was heaven on earth.
But just before Christmas, the Chinese military had begun to amass military units outside of the mega-complex. She had been vaguely aware of the political tension that surrounded the situation, but she had never imagined that it would affect her. She cried bitterly when she thought back at that time. It seemed like so long ago as if someone had happened to someone else.
Annie had been smitten with the revolutionary calling that spread like wildfire at the university. She had attended a meeting with a friend and heard speakers from the university talk about freedom from oppression. It was as if every speaker that evening spoke directly to her, as if every word that was said, was meant for her ears. Before the end of the night, she had become a burning believer of freedom. Within a couple of weeks, she had advanced in the unofficial hierarchy that governed the group that had now grown to a regular uprising. Indeed, they were not more than fifty people and they had almost no real weapons. One of them had an old gun that they had unfathomable acquired.
Instead, they had used their resources and manufactured some surprisingly advanced weapons using a technology teacher who sympathized with their struggle. During the last dramatic days when the Chinese had attacked to retake control of Flor Fria, Annie had been promoted to number two in the group. She answered directly to Samantha Jensen, a charismatic student from Denmark who was always dressed in green, including a green cap. Samantha was a person who was born in the wrong century. She had more in common with people like Che Guevara and Pancho Villa.
But Samantha's passion had become her doom. After Flor Fria fell, the group had nearly surrendered but Samantha had refused. The night before, Samantha had snuck away during the night to make another pair of incendiary devices as they had learned from their technology teacher, but something had gone wrong. Annie had woken up when Samantha's screaming tore through the night.
Annie looked away from the charred corpse on the ground and Samantha’s burned green cap that was almost unrecognizable. Now, Annie was their leader. Now that Samantha was gone, Annie needed to decide what the group would do. She sighed, and her gaze was repeatedly drawn to the charred remains.
She looked toward the metal staircase leading up to the floor above. She felt the hair on her arms rise. A strange feeling of powerlessness grabbed hold of her and she looked around. Did someone approach her? She saw no one but the knot in her stomach was still there. She heard a strange, dull grumbling noise. Weak at first but after a few seconds, she could clearly feel how the vibration intensified. Small clouds of dust trickled down from the ceiling and she looked stupendously at them. While standing there, the ground began to move, and she had to hold on to the staircase to avoid falling. The vibrations subsided, she rose, waited a few seconds and then ascended to her new fate.
* * *
They were twins and had that deep connection that many twins share. The Zou-brothers stood quietly talking to each other when Annie approached. Annie was tall and thin with white sprawling hair and a sharp nose.
Wen Zou looked curiously at her as she approached. Wen could see that she was tired. He glanced at his brother Win and the exchanged looks. Wen and Win had been at Flor Fria throughout their lives, but their parents had been killed when the Chinese troops had conducted one of the military actions and had taken control of the mega-complex. Wen and Win had lost everything, and Annie knew that the only reason they had not succumbed was that they had each other. She smiled at them and put her hand on Wens shoulder.
Now she was the new leader of the group. Or maybe it was too much to call them for a group. In addition to the Zou brothers, there was Edward Storm, a young idealist student with roots from Hong Kong, and Lake Ping, who was the son of a higher party member who, unlike his father, burned to even out social injustice. The atmosphere in the group was somber. She looked at each of them. She was lost and needed someone to talk to, but she knew that she could not show weakness. Not now. Not after all that happened. Not after all who died in the fight against the Chinese. Recently she had seen more people die than she thought was possible to endure. She had seen a young woman run with a homemade bomb that contained magnesium but the second before throwing it against a trolley that had been pushed towards Flor Fria's entrance, a bullet had struck her. She had disappeared in a ball of fire when the bomb exploded. Annie shrugged when she heard Edward's voice.
"What happens now?"
Edward was young, skinny and had a jaunt appearance with red flaming hair.
"Now we're going to regroup. We'll take a step back and recover our strength."
Edward did not seem impressed.
"So, basically, we'll give up and hide?"
Annie felt a slight annoyance in response to his seemingly nonchalant way of looking at their situation. She took a deep breath.
"It's not about hiding or fleeing. It's about realizing that now we are vulnerable, and we need to take a step back to recover our strength and find our way. We have suffered violent losses lately and we simply do not have the strength of the moment to go on the offensive. "
Edward glared at Annie for a long time. But Annie remained steadfast, cool and collected and met his gaze. After a few seconds, he averted his stare. Wen cleared his throat.
"Just as Sun Tzu says."
Annie turned to Wen with a wrinkled forehead.
"Who?"
Wen was just over twenty, with bright intelligent eyes who was constantly examining their surroundings.
"Sun Tzu." Repeated Wen, "He lived for more than two thousand five hundred years ago in China and is one of the most famous military strategists ever. He wrote the famous book of warfare where he explained different ways of conducting warfare."
Annie vaguely recalled the name but made a mental note to herself that she would try to get on with this Sun Tzu’s work. She nodded towards Wen.
"Continue."
"He was a general in the Chinese Army. During the time that he lived, life was filled with unrest and war, and he wrote down his observations and thoughts on how to best conduct effective warfare." Wen looked at Win who nodded before continuing.
"If I remember correctly Sun wrote that if for some reason you cannot fight, you should occupy something that the enemy does not have possessed. And you should keep him from attacking by keeping him ignorant and nervous about one's own plans."
Edward looked quizzically at Wen.
"Well, and that sounds like a good idea, don’t you think?"
Annie raised her hand to interrupt while pondering what Wen had said.
"Yes, it sounds like that is exactly what we’re going to do. We will keep the Chinese in limbo regarding our plans. We will go underground and recover our strength until we are ready to fight back. We’ll find some weakness in their armor that we can make use of and when we are ready, we will attack with full force. "
She steeled herself for the future. That's how it would be. The responsibility was now with her. She had been forced to assume leadership when Samantha had been killed the ni
ght before. Thoughts swirled in her head. Samantha always seemed so sure of what she did.
Annie saw in her mind how Samantha must have kept working when everyone lay asleep to prevent anyone from stopping her. In the last day, the remaining group had discussed how to proceed or, for that matter, if they were to continue. As the situation was now, the situation seemed almost hopeless. The Chinese sat at all power positions within Flor Fria and ruled all the aspects of life there. Samantha had had a couple of contacts at the middle level that they might be able to get help of but as it was now, it was hard to see any future.
She shook her head and, for her interior, livid pictures of how Samantha failed when she designed the firebombs and how she was embraced by the flames.
But, Annie sensed that something was wrong. A vague, fleeting feeling that something was off. She could not describe it, but she knew it was there. But, it did not mean anything now. Samantha was dead. Annie was the new leader. She could grow and face adversity, or she could succumb to it. It was the choice where there were the two roads that presented themselves to her. She thought about it and decided she would get to the book by Sun Tzu quickly.
Atacama deep, Chile
March 16, 2049
The raging wind was waiting for him. Jonathan held his breath when he opened the door on the helicopter. The sleek, metal door glided aside, and the wind tore at him. He peered out. They were at twelve hundred feet above the water and Jonathan saw Shooting Star as a tiny dot far below. He adjusted his glasses. They fit perfectly, and he took a few deep breaths. He was not scared but still struggled to control the emotions in the body. It was a highly human reaction to feel a certain resistance to throw oneself out of a helicopter.
He chuckled nervously. The trip from Paris had gone well but had been long and now he felt fatigue set in. He shook his head to clear it. In the cockpit, the pilot pressed a button on the control stick.
"Ten seconds."
Jonathan was struggling to maintain focus. He had left Marie at home at headquarters and pondered their last conversation. They had been lying in bed the night before talking about the future and the baby. Jonathan was seized by a sting of guilt when he thought of Kristina, his daughter who had previously passed away because of leukemia. He tried to push it out of his mind and focus on the moment. He took another few deep breaths and his heartbeat calmed down. He gave thumbs up.
"Three seconds."
A red lamp in the ceiling changed from constant shine to flashing. He swallowed hard and stared out. The dark water looked unwelcoming and Shooting Star seemed to be very far away. The red flashing light ceased and became a solid green shine. The taste of metal penetrated his mouth as he grabbed the door frames and threw himself out.
A hard wall of air met him, and it was as if he was hit by a tilt hammer. After a few seconds it calmed down, and he felt as if he was weightless, but then he perceived how he accelerated downward. Beneath him, the dark ocean spread out in all directions. He had lost sight of Shooting Star and searched for it but did not see it. He glanced at his altimeter. Eighty hundred meters. The wind tore violently at him and he tried to use his body to control his fall. After a few precious seconds, he regained control and he resumed his search for Shooting Star. There! He twisted in the air and saw the ship almost directly under him.
He grabbed the ripcord, pulled it hard and a violent jerk caused him to lose his breath. The parachute quickly unfolded above him, and his speed declined rapidly. Slowly, he steered in a big circle before he saw the ship again. The landing would not be easy. He would try to get as close as possible and land in the water next to it. He kept the ship in his field of vision and made another wide turn, as he approached the water surface. He saw a small rubber boat next to the ship.
One hundred meters. He adjusted his course, so he approached Shooting Star from the side. He pulled hard on the steering lines and hit the water hard. The jolt made him lose his breath and the water engulfed him. Panic rose within when his foot got stuck in the wet parachute, but he forced himself to calm down. He kicked and got loose. He took a couple of powerful strokes and broke the surface. Fortunately, the water was warm, and he felt relief when he took a few breaths. He began to trample water and saw that Shooting Star was at least twenty meters away. He squinted at the two surprised faces on the ship. He waved while he shouted.
"Will you help a man in need?"
His voice seemed to make both persons flinch. The man returned the wave while he yelled.
"I'm coming!"
While Jonathan slowly swam towards Shooting Star, the man jumped down into the rubber dinghy that was tied to the stern. The woman threw a rope to the man when he quickly started the engine and headed for Jonathan. When he approached, the bow wave broke over Jonathan and he coughed a couple of times. A few seconds later, the man switched off the engine. The dinghy slowed down and came up alongside Jonathan. He could see the surprised expression in the man’s face.
"That was quite an entrance."
Jonathan smiled and gave thumbs up.
"I've always been taught to make a memorable entrance."
The man did not answer when he helped Jack up into the dinghy. Jonathan sank down on a small wooden bench and pulled down his goggles.
"Thanks for your help."
The man looked quizzically at him.
"It was my pleasure." The man stretched out his hand to him, "I'm David, Chief of MADC."
Jonathan shook it.
"Jonathan Jarl, the Amber Group."
David took hold in the wet parachute and pulled it up into the dinghy. He gestured to Jonathan to hold on when the engine and took them back to Shooting Star. As they approached, Jonathan saw the woman on the boat prepare their arrival. A small crane on the deck activated and swung over the side. David guided dinghy against the crane. The woman smiled when Jonathan clambered up on the deck.
"Welcome, my name is Melissa Angelo."
Jonathan returned the smile.
"Jonathan Jarl, the Amber Group."
Melissa gave him a towel and showed him the way to a room where he could change clothes. When he got out of there, she was waiting for him and motioned for him to follow suit as she walked down the stairs. He was shown to the wheelhouse which was warm and inviting. Melissa pointed at a chair next to the navigation table.
"Here, please take a seat."
Jonathan rubbed the last moisture out of the hair with the towel, sat down and the tension in his body eased.
"Coffee?"
He nodded.
"Thank you, please."
Melissa took a cup from the cupboard and put it under a small coffee machine and pressed the button. The machine began to make noises almost immediately. After a few seconds, Jonathan noticed the lovely smell of freshly brewed coffee. She gave the coffee cup to him.
"Careful, it's hot."
He nodded gently and sipped the hot drink.
"Thank you, you are very kind."
Before Melissa had time to answer, David came down the stairs. His voice was a bit harder than before.
"We did not understand that you would get here using a parachute. That wasn’t anything that Backmann told us."
Jonathan nodded apologetically.
"I apologize for that. I was under the impression that Backmann had prepared all the details regarding my arrival."
"No, what we were told was that someone would come to help with the dive down to Sandhurst. It requires at least two people to control it and since this assignment was of utmost importance, according to Backmann, we had no time to arrange for any crew that could help. "
Jonathan took another sip of the coffee and looked around. The wheelhouse was both homely and modern. A pair of soft leather armchairs were placed in one corner and a small kitchenette was next to them. The other wall was filled with electronic equipment used to support deep sea diving.
A large navigation table was placed in the middle of the room and two industrial lamps above it gave a warm glow. Jonatha
n noticed that both David and Melissa apparently were not entirely content with the situation.
"I apologize if you did not get any information. When I reviewed the mission with Backmann, I got the impression that you would have got all the information."
None of them said anything. After a while, Melissa shrugged.
"Now you are here so let's not delve more into it. We can take it up with Backmann after we're done with the mission."
David nodded reluctantly.
"Ok, we'll take it with him. Let's go through the mission."
Jonathan nodded and raised his coffee cup.
"Cheers."
When the tension in the room eased, they went through the mission and began to iron out all the details. Jonathan found that he liked both Melissa and David. David pulled up a hologram from the navigation table.
"This is the system we use for deep diving. It's a CX-7 system based on a VR solution, so we experience everything the robot does."
Jonathan nodded, noticeably impressed.
"It’s quite a system you’ve got there. I thought the CX-7 systems were only used by global energy companies when exploring new energy deposits."
Melissa put down her own coffee cup and smiled.
"We’ve had a good year. The assignments we carried out meant significant economic gains. They are the gains we used for both Shooting Star and some extravagant equipment."
Jonathan looked over at David.
"So, when can I see this little miracle?"
David chuckled.
"Follow me."
Jonathan followed David as they went down to the lower sections of Shooting Star. David opened a watertight door and stepped in. Jonathan followed him fascinatedly. The room was like something from a movie. The ceiling was high, maybe three meters. Rectangular with a large square pool in the middle. One of the sidewalls was covered with electronic equipment. David reached a control panel and pressed a button. A gap below the water surface slipped aside, and Jonathan took a few steps forward and peered down.
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