The Chess Pieces

by Joshua Landeros

  Will laid his sword across his knees.

  “That’s not the kind you take, though. I’m only saying this because I’ve seen those pills ruin good soldiers. One day you’re taking them just to sleep and next thing you know, you can’t go an hour without one. From the glimpses I’ve seen of my past, I had the same problem.”

  “Hey, it’s cheap, right? Or at least it used to be. Besides, we’ve all endured some horrific shit. Seen it and took part in it. Sometimes, we’re the very cause of it.”

  “Yeah, and even in the process of doing what you think is right, still you find people who didn’t need to suffer doing so anyways. I know.”

  “So, what would you suggest?”

  “It’s like you said about Gabby—simple talking. It’s something we forsake so damn much. Looking back, if I’d talked more—” Will felt a lump in his throat. He forced it down. “If I’d talked more to Luis about my doubts, maybe he wouldn’t have had to die.”

  “You don’t know that, Will.”

  “And now I’ll never know, because I didn’t try. As far as I’m concerned, pussying out at something as simple as an exchange of words is unacceptable.”

  “You wanting to talk is a sucker punch, but I’ll bite.”

  The lieutenant put his head back, shutting his eyes for a moment. He felt terribly out of place.

  “Odd thing is, it’s the training days I always look back on.”

  “I’m aware of the things you have to do at The Academies.”

  “No, you don’t get it,” Jacob said as he shook his head. He’d never admitted this to anyone. The humiliation and anger were consuming him. “Those people who we executed, all those prisoners, it never bothered me in the least. It was quick and clean, and each and every last one of them had it coming to ’em.”

  Jacob could finally fully make out Will sitting there. Dawn had already begun. In that light, he could see a twitch in Will’s eyes. He may have been a cyborg, but Neeson felt like the monster. He wasn’t sure how to follow up a confession like that.

  “Gabby told me your father used to show you two images of what our country used to be like. Every weekend, according to her. It wasn’t enough for you?”

  Jacob bit his lip before replying.

  “No.”

  “So, what convinced you, then?”

  “The work camps. You know, where the ‘incompetent and unmotivated’ are sent for vacation,” he scoffed. “I was transferred there not long after my father fell out with the Chancellor. While I was there, I saw people sacrifice what they believed to be allowed life, and those who resisted got broken down and reassembled. Sometimes killed. Joe did the unthinkable; he jumped in there right along with me.”

  “He saw you needed someone to lean on, and he obliged.”

  “He did it because I practically begged him. I wept like a fucking baby. For almost a year he held me up till my sentence was up. When it was over we both came out changed. My father considered leaving, but Joe refused. With people like your wife wanting his help, he chose to fight.”

  Will stood up, leaving the sword on the bed. Jacob was so accustomed to hearing Will’s boots thudding against the floor that without them he thought the man was a phantom. He now stood before Neeson.

  “Jacob,” Will said in a tone he’d never heard before, “try a day at least. Please.”

  Hearing the super soldier speak this way was new to Neeson. This voice was not cold. He’s practically begging me, like Gabby or…Neal would. That ghost crept its way onto Jacob’s shoulders, and he felt the hairs on his arms rise.

  “I’m not one to bitch out, so fine, Will. I’ll do it. All I’m gonna say is, don’t breathe down my damn neck every day about this.”

  “I promise I won’t. Just let me know if you ever need anything.”

  “Will do, Doc.”

  ***

  Donned in his usual uniform, Jacob set out much earlier than usual. However, today he decided to wear his acid-washed blue jean jacket. It felt snug and its inner linings kept him plenty warm. He’d had this jacket for a long time, but hadn’t put it on in a few months. Today, he felt he had to.

  Jacob strode through Fort Hosbon on the same route as he had the past several months. Every day he did he admired Joe’s optimism and pride. Where his dear friend saw towers of progress he saw frail facades. These people want to help, but they don’t really know what it’s like to live there. When the moment of reckoning comes, they’ll… Lieutenant Neeson once more found himself at odds with his own anxiety. Unlike his usual brooding, he realized he felt a literal sickness. Where there was nothing to stumble over, he felt himself lose his footing repeatedly.

  It’s happening. Jacob now leaned against a tree, unable to get hold of himself. A single footstep nearly sent him to the ground. Breathe…as long as he stayed still he began to piece together his surroundings. Now he was able to see he’d been wrong, very wrong. He’d deviated far off from his normal path. Across from him was a building he had never seen this close before. It was a domed building surrounded by graceful pillars, and the man realized he was in its luscious courtyard. It was the ivory color that drew his eyes in and kept them there. Jacob could hear the sound of construction from his safe zone a dozen meters away, but that noise didn’t compare at all to the majesty of that place. SHIT.

  Caught up in his gazing, Jacob had barely spotted someone heading toward him from the dazzling spectacle of a building. He tried his best to shuffle away, but once more a single step sent him into a world of disorientation. It was something he could deal with at this point with enough effort, but the person was clearly heading toward him. Leave now and you come off as a creep. Just power on through. Jacob stood straight up from his hunched posture and wiped the sweat from his forehead. It’s her.

  Nusaybah’s amber eyes met Jacob’s pupils and he saluted on contact. He saw a bit of her jet-black hair was hanging above her eyes. Even in the cold she was dressed with minimal insolation. Nusaybah’s perspiration told him she’d obviously been hard at work before checking on him. He felt a wave of relief watching her salute in return.

  “Lieutenant Neeson, everything okay?”

  “Just a little winded from my run at 0600. I’ll be fine.”

  “Funny,” Nusaybah said with a smile, “I don’t recall seeing you on the track at that time. Around that time you were hobbling to this tree.”

  Fuck, how long have I been sitting here? An hour? Before he could even counter, she was already hitting him again.

  “Too many drinks last night?”

  “Actually, not a drop. Could be the problem.”

  “And so you come to our mosque. If that’s not a cry for help, I don’t know what is.”

  “I’ve never been a religious man. Where I come from, there are very few places like this one, so I was enjoying the view, is all.”

  “I was raised all my life in Mashhad, and yet I’ve probably seen just as many as you. Maybe less. We’re grateful Chief Declan took the time and money to give us a bit of home.”

  Jacob felt like an idiot. He’d never forgotten that the UNR was ruling over a number of countries in the Middle East, but he had also never met someone who lived in the “Hollow Lands.” Treating her temple like a scenic attraction made him sicker than before.

  “It’s a step forward, but we’re the ones who really owe you.”

  “You make it sound like you were there in the 2040s yourself.”

  “No, but you know who my father was.”

  “And I know how much he sacrificed to get us this far. In the end, it isn’t just your father or even the cyborgs who are to blame: it’s on all of us.”

  “My father would have loved to hear those words. Shame he never did.”

  “Then it’s up to us to carry on, Lieutenant. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to head back.”

  “Not like I’m doing anything productive at the moment. Let me help.”

  Nusaybah folded her arms. Jacob’s offer to help had come to him without
any kind of forethought, and he didn’t really care. The sun was a lot higher and brighter now. To his delight, he saw a beaming smile.

  “Looks like you can barely stand.”

  “I’ll work through it,” he assured.

  “You’re more than a tour guide, after all. Glad to have you with us. I’ll go easy on you today, but tomorrow don’t even think about it.”

  “Fine by me.”

  Jacob followed Nusaybah back toward the mosque on stronger legs. Truth be told, he’d still very much struggle with the work he was given. He knew it, and she did, too. Neither cared. He’d spent a little time with tools, thanks to Neal and his father, way back when building a doghouse in the winter had been fun. He felt that he’d returned to his past while also discovering something new. He cherished it.

  Chapter 18 - Honor

  October 16, 2065 - Falls Church City, Virginia

  “Carly was probably one of the hottest I’ve ever known, but she was also an idiot!” McGinley laughed in a riot. The other tables around them gave stares at him but ultimately said nothing. Although much more toned down, Howarth laughed along with him.

  “Conversations with brick walls were more entertaining,” the head director commented.

  “Oh, but she had her talents. Even clean-cut Wes couldn’t resist Carly.”

  “Yeah, not my best showing,” Howarth said in age-old embarrassment.

  “It’s pretty rare your first is ever going to be romantic. Years after school and you still cling to that kind of sentiment.”

  “What you call a longing for romance I call standards,” teased Wesley.

  “A nut shot, thanks, man.”

  “I don’t pull my punches.”

  The waitress arrived with two tall shot glasses. She set them down before leaving the two once more. The two friends raised their glasses.

  “Next time we are not doing tequila,” McGinley said.

  “Time to man up, Dylan.”

  “You asshole.”

  “Cheers,” Wesley said with a grin.

  The two drank, setting the glasses down hard. They now had had five shots each, and on this one McGinley’s face was still pinched in disgust. Wesley snickered. Just don’t puke on me, Dylan. After another few seconds, he appeared to be taking it a little better.

  “That one damn near killed you. Time to call it a night.”

  McGinley gulped down some water before speaking again.

  “Ah, bull, man! We’re the new blood of the Cabinet! No need to live like old men so soon. Tell you what. I’m meeting up with a girl later tonight. With one phone call I can easily make it a double date.”

  “I have a ton of appointments set up for tomorrow, can’t.”

  “Any of those involve a woman?”

  “Just might,” said Wesley as he stood from his chair.

  “Don’t get married too quickly, now. I barely see you as it is,” McGinley said.

  “It’s barely even a date, relax. Thank you for hosting that dinner tonight. I know you and Anna probably slaved all day to make it happen, and we all appreciate it.”

  “As long as everyone enjoyed themselves, that’s all I care about.”

  “I know they did. And I’m paying the bill this time, you bastard.”

  “Say no more, Wes.”

  ***

  McGinley lay in the lawn chair, enjoying his view of the cityscape. Massive skyscrapers and millions of homes represented by tiny dots of light. This lovely two-story on the hillside was far enough away to mute any noise other than the lingering crickets. Cigarette in hand, and accompanied only by the lawn sculptures of the backyard, he was ready to doze off. You got a whole night of fun ahead of you. Not yet. His eyes were already halfway shut. The cup of gin in his right hand was slipping as he began to surrender. Fuck it…I guess…

  “Dylan?”

  “Oh, fucking shit!”

  McGinley sprang up out of the chair, hand clenched to the drink as if it were a weapon. He faced the voice to see two people standing before him. It looked like a pair of civilians in clothes far beneath his own. The more he stared, he began to recognize the strangers.

  “Gabby, it’s been a long time. I really do find the shorter hair tasteful, but blonde? Come on.”

  “Enough bullshitting, Dylan,” Gabriella persisted. “Every time before you had one of your mistresses deliver the information to us. Why come directly to us now?”

  “You’re worried if this is safe. This is the same house as always. My guards at my hotel are waiting for me, and we’ll be left alone. Miriam understood that at least just this once I wanted to be here myself. I thought you’d be glad to pay me a visit.”

  Gabby stood there in civvie clothes, as did Joe. With a thick beard and mustache, dyed but natural, he was hardly recognizable. The beanie hid more of him, and the gray contacts he wore gave him a fierce look. Gabriella was astounded at how quiet he was.

  “I am, I’m sorry,” she said now, trying to salvage things. “It’s just if there’s going to be deviation in the plan, you just have to let us know ahead of time.”

  “I tried that before. Not only does it take too long, it also doesn’t seem to get my messages across.”

  “The rate going up is something the chief of defense is still considering, I told you that. Give it time.”

  McGinley set the cup down.

  “That’s laughable. The risk is increasing every day, and yet I’ve given you guys a homerun on numerous occasions. Do you think any of the grunts you go to can give you what I do? I mean, really?”

  He’s been drinking, but the asshole in him is coming out full-force. Gabby nodded her head.

  “I know, I know. I promise Halsey and I will personally tell them your value in our operations. I will petition for the increase every day until they concede.”

  The moonlight reflected off McGinley’s perfect teeth.

  “That’s what you said last time, and honestly, Gabby, I believe it. I believe it when you say you beg night and day for them to hurry and come to a decision. That said, I was considering changing tactics. Inform them from now on I’ll be withholding all information until they’ve reached a verdict.”

  Neeson felt her mouth drop open. A pang of excruciating pain assaulted her temple.

  “Dylan, please, we came all this way. Just one last time at the very least.”

  “War of attrition is never pretty, Gabby. This is how it has to be, I’m afraid.”

  “Things have certainly changed since I’ve been away.”

  Gabriella was almost too angry to focus on anything around her, but she felt Halsey stepping from behind her. He moved toward McGinley.

  “Your father loved this country. He saw what it was becoming, but he continued to serve because he felt it was his duty.” Halsey paused, looking down at McGinley, “and now he’s succeeded by you. Anton may have been loyal to a fault, but you’re downright pathetic.”

  “Hey, don’t come at me with that! My dad died in a sweaty jungle living up to his ‘duty.’ I’m not going down like that!”

  Halsey sighed. “No, you’re not.”

  In the blink of an eye he grabbed McGinley by his hair. Before the fool could react, he felt the serrated edge of a blade against his neck. Even breathing made it feel as if those edges might come close enough to draw blood.

  “The fact that you grew up to be a little shit stain entices me all the more to neuter you,” Joe said as he stared into the eyes of the man.

  Gabby stood there breathless, not sure what to do. All around them was nothing but the chirping of crickets without a care in the world.

  “Go on, kill me. It’s you who’s gotta go around looking over his shoulder.”

  “Kill you? Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t give you the honor. One thing I learned in that prison was the value of numbers. Even you understand that, obviously. What I’m going to do is tie you down on this chair, and I will carve the account numbers onto your fucking face. I would pay to watch you explain that to y
our Chancellor.”

  Dylan’s eyes trembled now.

  “Just calm down, all right? I’ll tell you what I know. Just put down the fucking knife.”

  Halsey hesitated, and he never broke eye contact. He pushed Dylan to the grass on his ass, but he put away his weapon. Gabby breathed a sigh of relief. Dylan recovered quickly enough, standing up and reaching for his cup. Just when he was within reach, Halsey snatched the gin from right in front of him.

  “Start talking,” he commanded before taking a drink.

  McGinley stood in shock for a moment longer and then decided it wasn’t worth it. He told them about the Light Models and the plan to sell neoartium to allies of the UNR. He even told them about Kane.

  “And he volunteered for this?” Halsey said.

  “That’s what I hear, but who really knows,” McGinley stated.

  “Let’s stick to what matters,” Gabriella interrupted. “Do you think there’s more like him? And can we get specs on both their designs?”

  Halsey wanted to ask more about General Kane and wondered how he would break this to Will. All the same, as bad as it sounded, focusing on the less personal matters was the objective route.

  “I don’t have any myself, but I was given the location of a facility at Rock City State Forest. The base was inactive for years, but it’s being prepped for neoartium harvesting.”

  “You mean it’s a neoartium mine?” Halsey asked. The contorted look on McGinley’s face was startling enough, and his answer was just as bad.

  “No, not a mine. Only senior members of the Cabinet have access to those locations. The Rock City Salvage Station is a place where any cyborg, dead or even just defected, is put to rest and—”

  “You fucks,” Gabby spat. “You fucking animals!”

  McGinley was ready to brace for a punch, but Halsey spoke fairly calmly.

  “You think we can find more info there?”

  “Most likely. I know it’s where Kane was sent for his operation. If you’re going to make a move on the place, then you have to do it soon. I have a friend in the PSID who told me within two weeks two hundred soldiers are being transferred there: cyborg and human.”