The Last Spartan: Different Paths

by A. E. McCullough

  “Jeez, Iaido! Are you okay? I heard about what happened at the dojo. It’s all over the net.”

  “I’m fine…for the moment, but I am sure I am being tracked or at least hunted. I need a chameleon program for a motorcycle.” Iaido waited as Diana worked her magic.

  “Ok boss, I’m inside the Central Control Grid and have your code fixed and locked. I need you to pull up next to a parked car, shut down the bike and scan the car’s tag. Do it quickly, even I can’t stay in here long without setting off some sort of alarm.”

  Pulling up next to a red speeder, Iaido had Talia shut down the bike while he used his tac-goggles to scan its tag, “Alright. It should be coming through now.”

  “Just a few more seconds…got it! Okay, according to Central your bike is that speeder. If you drive accordingly, it will never know the difference unless you hop onto the Freeway, of course.”

  “Thanks doll, you’re a life saver.”

  “No problem boss. See you at the Safehouse.”

  Iaido turned back to Talia and said, “Okay we are hidden from Central, for now but it would be easier if I drive.”

  Without hesitation, Talia hopped off and slid on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist for support. “I have never ridden on the back of one of these.”

  “That’s okay, just hold on tight and let me lean into the turns. Try to keep your weight centered. I’ll do all the work.”

  “Sounds easy enough.”

  “It does, now. But we have to travel the whole of New Atlanta. Our destination is on the south-west side and we cannot use the freeway or take a direct route that will take us through the heavily populated zones. It will be a long day before we are done.”

  Several hours later they pulled into a dilapidated warehouse district not far from the spaceport. Local transports and intergalactic shuttles could be heard at regular intervals. The parking lot they pulled into was full of other ground transports and even a few speeders. It sat across from a bar that took up one corner of a boarded up warehouse. ‘The Safehouse’ in blue neon glared brightly in the dark, while flashing red neon proclaimed ‘Topless’ and ‘Coldest Beer in Town.’ Several drunks were passed out on the corner in front of the bar while piles of trash and discarded boxes lined the streets.

  Talia looked at the place with revulsion. “We’re going in there?”

  Iaido nodded while scanning the area for possible threats with an experienced eye.

  “This isn’t your typical bar. Most of the cliental are warehouse workers, sailors and pilots with the occasional executive stopping by for a few brews. This should be the last place the Feds look for us.”

  “Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like that.”

  “I don’t believe this falls under the category of normal circumstances. Do you?” Iaido asked, “You don’t have bars like this on Sylvanis?”

  With a shrug of her shoulders, Talia studied the bar. “I’m not sure. I have never seen one but then my homeworld is rather large and my experience with bars very limited.”

  Silently Iaido led the way across the street. As they got closer to the gutters, the smell of feces and urine assaulted their noses. The bounty hunter seemed unaffected while the odor caused Talia to cover her nose in disgust.

  A legless bum on a crude cart rolled out a cardboard box next to them. He was covered in filth and wearing ragged clothing. Cupping his hands out in front of him while looking up at the beautiful young maiden he asked, “Credits? Credits for a crippled vet?”

  Taking an involuntary step back, Talia glanced at Iaido who had paused at the bar’s entrance to watch. Turning her attention back to the bum, she absentmindedly chewed on her lip as she considered his request. With a shrug, she reached into her pocket and drew forth a credit stix. Dropping it into his outstretched hands, she moved past the bum and joined Iaido at the entrance.

  “Thank you mistress elf, thank you!” the bum called from his cardboard box as he rolled himself out of sight.

  “That was very compassionate of you.”

  Talia paused as she reached his side and glanced back at the box. “He needed those credits more than I do. Besides the Sisterhood teaches us that the Living Stars favor the empathetic.” Pausing for a second, Talia cocked her head slightly to one side. “I’m curious. Why do you Terrans insist on calling us elves? That wasn’t the first time I have heard that term applied to my people.”

  “I would guess your pointed ears, mystical nature and planetary name conjure images from ancient literature of elves and magic. I wouldn’t let it bother you. I have been called worse during my tenure in the service.”

  Before Talia could ask what he meant by that remark, Iaido opened the door and disappeared inside. He moved to the bar without a second glance at the occupants while Talia stood in the doorway and took in the scene. It was controlled chaos. There were drunk workers all over the place. Several tables had topless girls dancing to the music while servers moved through the crowd carrying drinks to the already drunk workers. Realizing she was standing at the doorway alone, Talia moved to the bar in time to watch the huge bartender bring Iaido a beer.

  Talia leaned in and had to yell to be heard over the loud music, “Why are we here?”

  “We needed someplace safe. What could be better than the Safehouse?”

  Looking around the place, Talia wrinkled her nose. “Someplace cleaner and quieter.”

  Draining his beer, Iaido set his mug down on the bar and nodded his head towards the back of the bar. “You want quiet? Come with me.”

  Weaving his way through the crowd, Iaido led Talia down a dark hallway until they reached a storage closet with ‘Staff Only’ printed on the door.

  Opening the door, Talia saw that it was filled with brooms, mops and buckets full of dirty water. Iaido gestured her inside, yet she hesitated. With a grin, he stepped inside and moved right through the image of the cleaning utensils. Once Talia realized that they were nothing more than a hologram, she followed.

  As soon as the door closed, the floor began to drop slowly till it opened onto a polished hallway that lead off into the darkness. Without waiting to see if she was following, Iaido stepped off the elevator and proceeded down the passageway; lights came on at his approach. Talia hurried after him and reached his side just as they stepped into a large opening. Lights came on throughout the warehouse, revealing it to be a factory of sorts. The low hum of machinery filled the air. While it wasn’t exactly quiet, it was heaven compared to the ruckus up top.

  Talia asked, “Where are we?”

  “The true safe house. The bar is just a cover and a great place to gather information.”

  “Whose is this?”

  “Mine,” came a voice from the far side of the room.

  Talia watched as a clean cut, young man with short blonde hair and a winning smile came rolling up in a motorized wheel chair. He was wearing a white lab coat but Talia was sure it was the same crippled bum that had accosted her outside.

  “Talia,” Iaido said, “let me introduce an old friend of mine, Jason Xavier Kirk.”

  “My friends call me Jay.” Holding out his hand, Talia noted its cleanliness. “Forgive the deception out front but from all the reports flying around the net, we had to be sure of your identity.” Turning back to his friend Jay added, “I’m sorry Iaido, I heard about the Sensei. He was a good man.”

  Iaido nodded and wiped away a stray tear. “He was a great man. I am just confused by his actions. It just doesn’t make sense. Why would he challenge me? He, of all people, knows my skills.”

  Not having an answer, Jay could only place a reassuring hand on his friend’s back and faced back to the beautiful Sylvan. “Once again, I must apologize for the ruse of the crippled bum but it allowed me a chance to scan your identity and verify your visa.”

  “I am at a loss. I really don’t understand any of this.” Talia looked back at Iaido. “I just wanted to find my sister.”

  “Come on. Expl
anations are way overdue.” Iaido nodded his head toward the center of the warehouse. “Is everyone here?”

  Jay nodded. “Yes, Diana and Eve arrived earlier this afternoon and KC got here about fifteen minutes ago.”

  The trio moved into what looked like a control center for the factory; computer consoles and monitors lined the walls. Diana was jacked into the net and barely nodded when Iaido introduced Talia.

  Eve was curled up in a nearby chair reading when they arrived. Seeing Iaido, she dropped her book and leapt into his arms.

  “Achilles! I knew you would come back! My dad told me that you always win, no matter what!”

  Returning the hug, Iaido set the young girl down. “Eve, I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Talia. She’s a mystic from Sylvanis.”

  Eve placed her right hand over her heart while holding her left hand palm out, then lowered her head several inches and said, “The Living Stars have blessed us with this meeting. May it be beneficial to us both.”

  Talia raised an eyebrow at Eve’s manners but returned the formal greeting. Copying the hand positions she said, “May the Living Stars shine on all our endeavors.” After a moment she asked, “Where did you learn the greeting of Sylvanis?”

  “My dad taught me. He never could grasp your language but knew how the phrase translated, so he taught me that.” Eve cocked her head to one side. “Did I get it right?”

  “Yes, you did fine.”

  Eve beamed at the compliment. Talia felt herself drawn into the emerald green orbs of this young lady. It was like looking in a mirror that showed the past and she immediately knew that this young girl was her lost sister’s daughter.

  Talia turned toward Iaido. “Is she…?”

  Iaido nodded. “Yes. I believe so.”

  “But why would Medea hide her from me?”

  Without an answer for her, Iaido just shrugged and walked over to a metal cabinet at the far side of the control room. Stripping off his bloody clothes without regard to who was around, he threw them in a pile and quickly dressed out in some black BDUs (battle dress uniforms) and black combat boots. Next, he slipped on a flak jacket and pulled on a black t-shirt with a grinning white skull. He completed the outfit with a black synth-leather jacket.

  Talia had turned her back on Iaido in embarrassment. The young girl tugged on her jacket to get her attention. “Yes Eve?”

  “Did you come through the bar? Wasn’t it wonderful?”

  Taken aback at the subject change, Talia looked to Iaido for guidance but he was occupied at a computer screen with Jay. “What do you mean? I don’t think a bar is anything special, especially that bar.”

  Eve placed her small hands on her hips. “I mean the androids.”

  “What androids?”

  “The staff upstairs,” Diana said as she disconnected her jack. “They’re androids.”

  “All of them?” Talia asked.

  Diana nodded. “Yep. Fred the bartender is an old prototype but the rest are my brothers and sisters.”

  “But that would mean you’re an…an…”

  “An android?” Diana raised one eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

  Talia shook her head. “No. I mean, they seemed so real.”

  Her eyes seemed to flash with anger but before she could say anything else, Jay interrupted.

  “Now Diana, mind your manners. Take that confusion as a compliment. I know I do. No one is supposed to be able to tell you apart from a real born.”

  Taking her creator’s advice, Diana turned back to her monitor but not before she flashed Talia a disapproving look.

  “I see that an explanation is needed.” Jay gestured to the surrounding factory. “After we were rescued from Gilese, I was sent to Walter-Reed Hospital for rehab and was amazed at the lack of cybernetic limbs available for veterans. So, I began to tinker with the existing cybernetic technologies, tweaking and modifying them in an effort to improve my standard of living and those of my fellow vets. Eventually I began to experiment with androids, improving and refining each generation until after ten years of tinkering, Diana is the quintessential example of my craft.”

  Diana gave a slight nod to her creator before she turned to Iaido and said, “I think I found who hacked our system.”

  Iaido moved to her side. “Who?”

  “There wasn’t much to go on,” Diana said. “They were good, real good. The best I have ever seen. They bounced their signal through a hundred different stations, on planet and off but I think I have them backtracked to a company known as the Praetorians.” She pointed at her monitor where it showed a glyph of a helmet and sword. “They have holdings in several locations but I haven’t been able to hack into their system and I have tried every code-crack I know.”

  Iaido glanced at Eve and asked, “Have you seen this symbol before?”

  The young half-sylvan shook her head. “No. Is it important?”

  “I’m not sure.” Iaido placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and asked, “Eve would you be so kind as to get everyone a drink from the kitchen?”

  Eve perked up at having a task to do. “Sure. What do you want?”

  “Bottled water from the fridge will be fine for everyone.”

  Eve clapped her hands together before she headed off. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

  Once Eve was out of sight Iaido said, “I have seen this glyph recently.”

  “Where?” asked Diana.

  “On the base of the necks of the two Galactic Marshals who arrested me earlier.”

  Kristopher asked, “Which marshals?”

  “The ones that tried to kill me on Stone Mountain.”

  “Stone Mountain? A federal agent was found dead on the mountain bluff an hour ago. Was that your handiwork?”

  “No,” Iaido said. “But it was intended to look like I killed him. One of the marshals did it but that isn’t the worst part.”

  “What could be worse than a dead federal agent?” Kristopher shouted.

  “The marshals are Myrmidons,” replied Iaido in a quiet voice.

  The silence from the three veterans filled the room.

  Talia looked back and forth between the three military men, waiting for someone to break the deepening silence. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Who or what is a myrmidon?”

  It was Iaido who answered. “A myrmidon is the latest version of the Super-Soldier Program.”

  Talia asked, “A what?”

  “The history of trying to manipulate genes to genetically improve soldiers date back to the Nazis of pre-coalition Germany, back in the mid 1900s; they weren’t very successful but the idea remained.”

  Jay picked up the story. “It seems that sometime around 2022, the United States and Great Britain revived the Super Solider Program with the intention of replenishing their armies after the Jihad with the Unified Islamic Nations ended. The earliest versions were basically clones; heavily augmented but clones still.”

  “But isn’t cloning illegal?” asked Talia. “The Empire experimented with cloning over six millennia ago and although it was viable, it was decided that it was amoral and was never used anywhere in the empire.”

  “It seemed that the general public believed the same way,” Kristopher added. “After the UNCF was formed in 2035 cloning became illegal within its jurisdiction with one exception; all military and law enforcement personnel are allowed a clone in case of a death in the line of duty. However, I believe less than five percent have chosen that option. I know I haven’t. When it’s my time to go, it’s my time.”

  Jay turned to his old friend. “What’s the matter KC? Afraid to cheat death again?”

  “No. It wouldn’t be natural. It wouldn’t feel right.”

  “You wouldn’t know the difference.” Iaido said, “If you’re dead, you can’t feel anything. If you’re a clone, you believe you’re the original, so you wouldn’t feel anything either.”

  Kristopher shook his head. “That’s too philosophical for me but let’s ge
t back to the questions at hand, who are the Praetorians? And why would they have Myrmidons?”

  “According to the UNCF data files,” Diana said, “the Praetorians are a registered security consultant corporation with contracts from the Galactic Commission to police Sol. They have three bases: Ceres in the asteroid belt, New Leavenworth on Eris and a small outpost on Mars.”

  Talia raised an eyebrow and asked, “Ceres? Eris? What are those?”

  Iaido said, “Ceres and Eris are dwarf-planets named after mythical gods and goddess.”

  Seeing that she didn’t really understand the concept, Jay interjected. “We Terrans like more colorful names for planets. The Sylvan Empire would simply refer to Ceres as Sol-Three point five and Eris as Sol-Twelve.”

  Iaido said, “Ceres is a buzz of activity. It is the largest working stardock between Earth and Titan. I’ve been there several times to drop off bounties. Eris is nothing more than a ball of ice. The only habitat is New Leavenworth. Officially it is a prison for military and political prisoners. In reality it is a place for the Coalition to stash people they would rather forget.”

  “It sounds as if you have been there,” stated Talia.

  “I have. I spent three years in New Leavenworth on the military side of the prison.”

  “What for?” asked Talia.

  “Among other things, I was charged with an Article 104, aiding and abetting the enemy,” Iaido said. “While stranded on Gilese I rescued and patched up several of the confederate soldiers and even a few of the bugs.”

  “Why would you do that? Why would you spend your time helping your enemy?”

  “I gave aid to any that needed it, friend and foe alike. I had no hatred for them. They were warriors doing their duty just like us and just like us; they were left for dead by their commanders.”

  “Okay. I can see you helping the Confederates but not the Mantodea...they are merely beasts?”

  “That’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it but I disagree. Any race that has mastered spaceflight cannot be animals. If what I have read about the earliest days of the Terran – Sylvan relationship is correct, many of your own people believed that about us.”