The explosions were too coincidental to be an accident. Was it an attack? During the African Wars, scenes like this were so common, I got inured to them as I spliced and edited them to resemble action films. I’d never actually seen burnt people without the digital barrier. In front of me, a man was screaming in pain, rubbing his charred arms that looked like they would crumble. Another woman’s hair was cinders, her mouth starkly vermilion against the blackened skin. I hated the smell of burning. It was consuming my nostrils and Larry was nowhere in sight. A dozen people rushed out the door and were immediately taken to safety by the ambulances that had arrived. A pair of automated hovercopters (a hybrid form of a helicopter and airplane that didn’t have rotors but used engines for more stability) descended with huge buckets of water as they hosed the factory.
“Where’s Larry?” I asked them. “Have you seen Larry?”
“He’s back there trying to save Mr. Foster.”
“Where’s Mr.—?”
There was a boom, a tempestuous swirl of fire that was formless, burning in irregular spasms. The building was collapsing. Through the door, I could see one of the conveyor belts melt. The smoke intensified and I was coughing to try to exhume the ashes. Someone tried to drag me away but I pushed them off, wanting—needing to stay. “Larry!” I shouted again. I wondered if I should go in but there was another blast and it looked like the building was going to implode. That’s when I saw a white figure through the smoke, forming like someone was molding the shadows into a sculpture. Something was galloping forward with a scintillating bell—a cow, mooing and running. Behind, it was Larry. He was carrying an old man. Several hospital workers were ready with a gurney to take the man to safety. Larry’s face was charred and his white suit was covered in streaks of black. He placed the man on the gurney, looked around and spotted me.
“Are you all right?” I asked and put my arm on his shoulder only to flinch as it was still hot.
Larry petted the cow. “Thanks to this fellow, I am.”
“And the car?”
He waved it off. “I put it to good use.”
“You’re crazy, man. Aren’t you scared of anything?”
“Are you kidding me? I was scared off my ass,” Larry declared. Behind, we heard the fire sirens of a fleet of hover-copters. The full rescue team arrived and carted Larry to safety.
III.
Russ was apoplectic. Five of the factory buildings had been targeted and four of those were beyond repair. The first few hours had been spent putting the fire out. Once that had been done, it was damage assessment in the conference room. While the police continued their investigation outside, Russ targeted his rage at the heads of security. “How could something like this happen?”
“We warned you about the Colonel.”
“Do we even know it’s the Colonel who did this?!”
The guy who couldn’t look me in the eye was ripping into these security chiefs that were twice as big as him. Larry had asked me to sit in while the doctors checked him for burns. What I gathered from all the yelling was that no one had any idea what had happened.
A nurse came in and told me, “Larry asked for you.”
Russ said, “If Larry’s okay, tell him I need to see him immediately.”
I followed her out and was expecting to go to the infirmary, but she led me through the lobby and outside where we crossed the field. It still smelled of ash and the speakers were still playing the soppy classical music of violins and pianos. “Where are we going?” I asked.
“To see Larry.”
Larry was waiting at the southern gate with a new car.
“Are you going somewhere?” I asked, surprised.
He leaned in close. “There’s a traitor and I don’t know who it is.”
“Working for the Colonel?”
He shook his head. “I got the report back. There were no casualties, even though there were a lot of injuries. Whoever did this waited until most of the people cleared out. That’s not the Colonel’s style. She’d want to maximize violence.”
“Who do you think it is?”
Larry stared at me somberly. “We have too many enemies. It could be anyone. I’ve been away too long and neglected my duties. I wanted to be a filmmaker. But when it comes down to it, I’m a wigmaker.”
“There’s nothing stopping you from being both.”
“Except these huge explosions.”
“You’re not hurt?”
“The suit worked perfectly. Thank George for me if you see him. He has a bunch of crazy suits he’s been working on,” Larry said. “All cancelled military projects.”
“I’ve heard. Skeleton projects.”
He seemed amused by what I’d said. “Most wealthy people have skeletons.”
“That’s not just the wealthy.”
Larry took out the capsule from Dr. Asahi. “If it’s someone against us, then we can fight back. But if it’s related to this, then we deserve it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“A part of me wishes I could have lived up to my dad’s expectations. And a part of me repels from that idea. It looks like I got to either go my own way and give it all up, or fight for his dream and rebuild the factories. I feel I should apologize to you.”
“Why?”
“I’ve dragged you along in my dream. Don’t be too disappointed.”
“Why would I be disappointed?”
“There’s things about my family, about my past that—well, just don’t be disappointed.”
“Are you kidding, man? No matter what happens, it doesn’t change the fact that the last decade has been the best time of my life,” I said, and I meant it.
To my surprise, Larry appeared to tear up. “Kind of you to say that, man. I-I should get going.”
“Going where?”
“I gotta take care of some business.”
“Is it safe for you to go alone?”
“If whoever planned this wanted me, I’d already be dead.”
“But—”
“I have some stuff I got to take care of and honestly, I don’t know who to trust in there.”
“Let me come with you.”
“Not this time. I’ll explain everything later, but right now, I have some stuff I have to take care of on my own.”
“Lar—”
He stopped me. “Can you stop by my place later tonight? I’ll explain everything then.”
I saw the cold obstinacy in his eyes. “Yeah, of course. What should I tell Russ?”
He shrugged. “Nothing. Don’t go back in there. Don’t take any calls from anyone until we talk later. I have to go now.” He was about to get into his new vehicle when he stopped. “Did you ever talk to Rebecca again?”
“She called me about the gift,” I replied. “I might see her when she’s visiting Shanghai.”
“Don’t argue with her, please.”
He got in and drove away.
IV.
I headed home and turned my phone off to all calls except from Larry. I kept on hearing the explosion in my head and my ears were still ringing. The water in my bath was set to a comfortable heat and I scrubbed the soot off my body. The soap wasn’t very effective and I made the water hotter to try to alleviate the soreness. Some of the black spots on my knees turned out to be bruises from the initial blast when it had flung us to the floor. Every time I took a sniff, my nostrils smelled of ash. What had Larry been talking about? What skeletons was he hiding?
There had always been some high-ranking officer to tell me what to do with the footage in the past. Even on our shoots, Larry told me what he was aiming for. Now, the film was rudderless and I didn’t know where to point the camera.
The news stations were covering the factory explosions from a bird’s-eye view. Investigators still hadn’t uncovered anything (at least they hadn’t announced anything publicly). The memory of the explosion suddenly provoked the smell of burnt gumbo and Cajun sauce. It was disgusting. I turned off the news after
the focus turned to the garbage epidemic in the Western nations and the images of the mountains of radioactive trash no one knew what to do with.
I tried taking a look at the digital photos from the photo shoot but felt an unexpected dread. The prospect of touching up all the pictures and adding post effects to make the models more beautiful seemed burdensome. Why was I always working so hard to make people more beautiful than they really were? When images of Magus popped up, pretentiously happy with two other women, I shut off the computer.
Linda always knew the right thing to say in moments like this. She didn’t even need to say anything. Just having her by my side could calm my nerves. Now, I didn’t have anyone I could talk to. I never thought I’d long for the hospital lobby and their holographic advertisements. Moments of weakness like this stirred the flesh in me. I flipped to a channel I knew I shouldn’t, turning on the holographic cameras.
“Need a friend?” an attractive Asian woman asked. A second for the memory to upload. “Oh it’s you, Nick. Are you ready to do more than a preview? We have everything here for reasonable rates and we even have specials, direct interfacing at—”
I shut it off. These virtual girl addictions were a disease and I knew I shouldn’t be drawn in. I had friends who had given up their marriages for computerized companions. No matter how bad the isolation felt, I couldn’t replace it with artificial affection. Who could have guessed advances in technology would make prostitution obsolete and endanger so many relationships?
I went back into the shower for an extra scrubbing. I turned the water super hot. It pounded my head like burning rain. But it still couldn’t wipe away the memory of fire.
V.
It was late when I got to Larry’s penthouse. His place was on the top floor of a high-rise located within the second ring of Beijing. I knocked but the door was open. “Larry?” I called. “Larry.” I entered as he often left the door unlocked. Took my shoes off knowing how much he hated shoes inside. There were posters from all of his movies, various props including model spaceships and alien costumes lining the living room. A gallery of mannequins that looked human were on display, adorned in erotic outfits. Larry was sitting naked on his sofa, watching one of our old films. “Can you explain what you were talking about earlier?” I asked, but he didn’t answer me.
There was the tattoo of a big frog right above his belly which he’d gotten after his mother said that was her birth dream. It was colored sapphire and there was a Mandarin character for frog, though one of the lines was misspelled. There were beer cans to either side of him and I was about to grab one when I saw his face, mouth agape, bloody holes perforating his neck and legs. They were tiny and looked too small to be knife wounds or bullet holes. It was as though he’d been needled to death. But by what? He was pallid and resembled an FX mask we’d made of him. Only, I saw the veins within and there was a level of muscle detail there we’d never put in a fake. My legs wobbled and my arms shook. Larry, you idiot. Why did I let you go alone? Random memories sprang to mind; chasing a pair of religious girls and running away from their religious co-believers when they found out what we were after; playing strip poker with strangers in the snow; the nights he took me out drinking after my divorce because I was so depressed.
I remembered him explaining, “I make movies so I can try to change fate. Doesn’t work very well though. Anyone who isn’t a fatalist doesn’t get the joke.”
“What joke?”
“That God created death as a joke on humanity for feeling so self-important.”
“Isn’t a joke supposed to be funny?” I asked.
He mused on it. “One day, I’ll tell you the answer. Promise me you’ll laugh?”
I shook his hand playfully then.
And now, here was the joke. Only, it wasn’t funny and I couldn’t laugh.
It appeared his body had been dragged here because there was very little blood on the sofa. But from where? That was when I heard a scuffling sound. Looking over to the side, I saw Shinjee with four big North Korean goons.
“You-you did this!” I shouted, then charged straight at her.
Two of the thugs tried to impede me, but I punched one in the face and kicked the other in the groin. I grabbed Shinjee by the hair, but another thug bear-hugged me from behind and choked me. “I’ll kill you all!” I threatened. “I can’t believe he trusted you!”
“You think I did this?” Shinjee asked, outraged. She reeked of perfume and false indignation. “I found him like this!”
“Sure you did!” I yelled, trying to get the big guy off me.
Another thug approached and slugged me in the face. I tried to fight but the pain was getting too much for me. One of them threw me to the floor and kicked me in the belly. More feet swarmed my way and I suddenly had a flashback to my childhood. It enraged me and I laughed defiantly. “You guys should do feet massages.” I felt an explosion inside my gut and four pairs of legs assailed me until I saw a huge fist coming my way and—
VI.
I tried opening my eyes but it was dark. I was blindfolded and felt a cold chill. There was nothing covering my body. I was naked and my arms and legs were tied behind me.
“Are you up?” I heard, immediately smelling strong perfume. Shinjee.
“What do you want?”
“I’m trying to help you.”
“I don’t want your help!”
“Keep your voice down,” she whispered furiously. “If you don’t listen to me right now, you will live a life of misery and die without anyone knowing you’ve disappeared.”
“What?”
“They’re taking you to a labor camp, either in Russia or near the Manchurian border.”
“Why?”
“It’s too complicated to explain. Take this,” she said, and put a key in my palm that stuck by an adhesive. She stuffed a pill in my mouth. “Eat this.”
“What is it?”
“They’re going to inject you with something that’ll make you pass out for the whole trip. This’ll wake you a few hours after you get knocked out. Swallow quickly.”
I was tempted to bite her fingers, but realized I didn’t have any other choice than to trust her. “When you wake up, free yourself and get out of the truck within thirty seconds or they’ll release sleeping gas. It’ll be an automated driver so you’ll be all right as long as you get out quickly. If you do get out, disappear so no one finds you. Think of it as a second chance to be whoever you want to be.”
“If I get out, I’ll find you,” I warned her.
“I don’t blame you for being angry. I didn’t want this to happen to him either. He was too naive to survive in a world like ours.”
I was already plotting my revenge when I heard her abruptly make her exit. I heard grunts, then heavy steps. Something sharp pierced my elbow. Nap time.
It felt like I’d blinked and I was already up. I was groggy. My body was encased in something cold and metallic. I was standing upright. From the bouncing and heavy engine noises, I knew I was in a vehicle. The key was adherent to my palm. I used it to unlock my manacles, then removed my blind. I was in a truck with about seventy others, all of whom were restrained naked against the slabs. They were unconscious prisoners and a part of me wished I could help them. But as soon as I stepped forward, an alarm blared. I had thirty seconds before they released the sleeping gas. I felt for the poor slobs who were being shipped off to a life of slavery. I sprinted for the door and opened it, jumping out, then tumbled off the road, scraping my elbows and the side of my back. The harsh reek of asphalt wracked me. It was freezing and I was buck naked. I wondered if I should follow the road back but then saw a car coming from behind, an escort in case of any mishaps. This constituted a mishap. Someone ordered from a speakerphone on the car, “Stay where you are!”
There was a forest a few meters from the road and I ran into it. My feet hurt as they had no protection against the stones, branches, and dirt. Still, the pain was no match for my desperation. I ran without thi
nking, ran without any specific destination. I was running to run. There were too many trees, tall, goliath bark, shadowy skyscrapers that formed this wooden city. A panoply of leaves above provided an umbrella, though the moonlight cast an eerie luminescence. Parts of my body were feeling itchy and I realized mosquitoes were swarming me even though I couldn’t see them. I swatted away my invisible foes and as I did, I remembered that Larry was dead. My skin, already numb from the cold, became even more frigid. My eyes were blind to the geography. Poor Larry. Shinjee called you naive. I thought you were too brave. I never should have let you go alone. Even if I couldn’t have done anything to help, at least we could have died together, brothers in life and death. You were the closest thing to family I had. If there is a God in Heaven, please help me escape so I can avenge Larry. I hadn’t been expecting anything like a literal salvation. But I saw a bright light in the distance that made lined contours of the forest, vertical strips of black backlit by a shining halo. Was a miracle awaiting me? Had some higher power come down to give me aid, perhaps a mission, some super powers to allow me to overcome my foes? After I avenge Larry, I will undertake any mission you send me on. Have some heretics you want me to deal with? Send me and I will be your avenging angel! I will make the punishments of the Old Testament seem merciful in comparison. Just save me please. I am useless to you as an angry forest spirit wandering pointlessly about.
When I arrived at the light, I was shocked to see a huge glowing cross. It was a building of some sorts. Perhaps a church? I launched myself through the front door, ready to receive my mission from God. This was as close to a burning fire as I was going to get and unlike Moses, I was willing to take my divine commission. Desperation demanded total humility. To my surprise, the pews were filled with mid-aged women who looked at me and gasped. I looked down and remembered I was naked. Screaming ensued.
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