by M. V. Kallai
“Dana, I…” Bearden looked helpless, but Dana cut him off.
“Don’t even answer that. I wouldn’t believe you no matter what you say.”
“Please, let’s just talk about this,” Bearden said and reached out to try and take her hand. Dana tensed up and crossed her arms. She turned away from him.
”I have nothing more to say to you. As far as you’re concerned, I am dead. Now get out of here, I can’t look at your backstabbing face anymore.”
“No, I need you to at least hear me out.”
“GO!” Dana yelled and lunged toward him, pushing him again with all her strength.
Bearden put his hands up in defeat. Dana looked as though she would catch on fire from rage if he tried to push her any further. Bearden turned away from her, took two steps toward the door and stopped. Without looking back at her he said,
“I love you.”
Then he walked away. As soon as Dana heard the door close behind him she burst into tears.
Without a job, Bearden knew that he couldn’t keep hiding from Major Magner in a hotel. He couldn’t afford it. And now, his hope of maybe staying in Tripple Laboratories, like Dana, had just been crushed. He decided to go to Ganesh for help. He was Bearden’s last potential ally.
It wasn’t difficult for Bearden to track down a home address for Colonel Ganesh. He arrived around six in the evening and knocked on the door, well rehearsed as to what he would say. But when the door opened it wasn’t Colonel Ganesh standing there, it was his wife.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Hello, ma’am. My name is Sergeant Bearden Leitner. I’ve come to see the colonel. Is he home?”
“Sergeant Leitner?” she asked with a bit of surprise. “For goodness sake, come in, come in.” She grabbed Bearden by his arm and pulled him inside, then poked her head out the door and looked up and down the road. Bearden was taken aback. Was he being followed and hadn’t noticed?
“I’m Natty Ganesh. Samuel isn’t home yet, but I expect him anytime,” she said and walked through the front part of her house to her kitchen. Bearden followed her.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but were you expecting me?”
“Well, yes, kind of. At least we hoped you’d come here. Now come in here and sit down. You’ve had my husband quite worried, you know.” She stood beside her kitchen table and put her hands on her hips.
“Really? I can’t tell you what a relief that is because to be honest with you, I am out of options. I have nowhere else to go,” Bearden said.
“No parents?” she asked.
“No, ma’am. My mom died when I was twelve and I lost my dad just two years ago. They weren’t young when they had me.”
“I see. Well, I’m sure you and my husband will have a lot to discuss when he gets home. In the mean time, let me make you something to eat,” Natty replied with a sympathetic smile.
“Thank you. That would be great,” Bearden said.
Bearden started to relax in the comfort of Ganesh’s home. The kitchen was clean and comfortable. There were colorful vegetable baskets sitting on the shelves, and fresh cut flowers filled three large vases, decorating the room, one on the table and two on the countertop. Large windows along the far wall gave a clear view to a lush flower garden outside. It seemed like a happy and peaceful place to come home to everyday. Sitting there, listening to Natty chitchat about nothing in particular while she fixed him something to eat, Bearden felt the admiration he’d once had for Ganesh return. He certainly did not expect this warm reception. Bearden thought that maybe he’d been wrong to have ever been angry with Colonel Ganesh. It wasn’t his fault that he’d made a deal with Major Magner, and if he’d never read that first letter, he might be going about his normal business right now.
Ganesh wasn’t on his way home yet. He was still at the unit, watching Camden, again, attempt to have a conversation with Rhys Krell; a futile task in his opinion, but Cam had not yet given up. Rhys had been calm enough, since his attack on Quinn so that he was once again allowed out of his restraints a few times a day. It was apparent, however, that he was feeling more and more confined in his small room. Sometimes he pulled at the door handle or stared out the window, and at least once a day he would pace the room pushing against the walls. Since Camden insisted on keeping him here longer, Rita decided to appeal to Ganesh’s sensibility.
“He needs a chance to move around a bit. We don’t have to let him outside, although that would be the best, but he needs to look at some new walls,” Rita said.
“I understand your concern, Rita, but look what happened the last time we took him out.” Ganesh nodded his head in the direction of Quinn, who was still wearing a small bandage on his neck.
“Terri and I can handle him together, and we’d keep him restrained. There’s got to be somewhere we can go, even if it’s just for an hour a day.”
Ganesh thought a moment.
“Actually, I think there is a place. There is an entire wing of this building that is completely empty. It’s where interrogations were held before this floor was built. I think it’s just a bunch of empty rooms, and maybe some old files stored there,” Ganesh said.
“Sounds perfect. We can let him walk around and he won’t come in contact with anyone.”
“Let me draw you a map of how to get there. The building can be tricky. Also, I’d advise going in the evenings, just to lessen your chances of an incident,” Ganesh said.
While Ganesh worked on his map of the building, Rhys was mumbling under his breath. He seemed to acknowledge Camden’s presence today, but he was trying to ignore his questions. They had been in the room for over an hour, and so far, had gotten nothing out of him. Camden finally sat back in his chair, ran his fingers through his hair, and sighed.
“Let’s go,” he said, “This is useless today.” Rhys watched Camden stand up and walk to the door. He locked his eyes on him and pointed.
“You’re the killer,” he whispered.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Camden said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Rhys.”
“Actually, Camden,” Rita offered. “Thanks to Ganesh, we are going to take a walk around an empty part of the building in a few hours. You are welcome to join us. I think getting him out of this room for a while will be good for him. You might get something more out of him.”
“Great, I’ll be here,” Camden said. Behind Rita, Terri was staring at his book, smiling to himself and shaking his head, amused at the wasted optimism that Rita and Camden shared.
Ganesh said goodnight to the group, but instead of leaving the unit to go home, he took an elevator down to the atrium, a place he hadn’t been in weeks. He hoped to find someone down there that might know of Bearden’s whereabouts since his dismissal. He must surely have some scientist friends here who spent time with him after work. When the doors opened to the atrium, Ganesh walked into an unusually dark lab. The place looked empty, and not just void of scientists, but of everything. The active biomer was gone from the workbenches and the place had been wiped clean. Ganesh walked slowly around the room; his shoes echoed in the vast open space. It was very late in the day so Ganesh didn’t expect to find a bustling lab, but he certainly didn’t expect to find this. He scanned the atrium from top to bottom with his eyes. He saw something large and square sitting one floor up, outside of one of the biomer storage rooms; close to the room where he had acquired the sample that was now in Tripple Laboratories.
Ganesh stepped onto the moving walkway, rode it up to the next floor, and walked over to the object. It was a shuttle storage container from the Myris mining missions, and it was packed full. The storage room it was sitting next to was wide open and all of the shelves had been emptied. He continued walking the perimeter of the atrium and saw several more storage containers, some full, some empty. After he’d made his way all the way around and back, he got back on the moving walkway to return to the lab floor when he heard the elevator doors open. The voices of Colonel Talper and Colonel Cline filled the open s
pace. One of them turned the lights on in the atrium and they saw Ganesh walking toward them.
“Ahh, Colonel Ganesh. Good evening,” Talper said. “I guess you heard. It’s a damn shame isn’t it?”
“Hello Gentlemen. It is a shame. I had to come see for myself,” Ganesh said, pretending he knew what Talper was talking about.
“Ganesh, I was meaning to speak with you today, but I just ran out of time,” Cline said. “I guess it’s good I ran into you. So, it seems you have already heard, the whole biomer program is being shut down and I’ve been assigned to oversee the process.”
“It’s such a shame,” Talper said again. “The medical team was starting to make such promising discoveries.”
This was all news to Ganesh, though it seemed to be no secret. Not wanting to reveal his true reason for being down here, he continued to play along.
“Is there something I can do to help, Colonel Cline?”
“All of this biomer must go back to Myris. Orders came straight from Director Fitzhugh,” Cline said. Talper shook his head. “It would be great to have you help oversee the process.”
“I see,” said Ganesh, “And since I’m heading the unit’s space travel division, can I assume that you want me to arrange for a shuttle.”
“Yes. I know that some of the older and larger shuttles have been allocated for your project. We would only need one.”
“One? That’s all? What about the weaponry?” Ganesh asked.
“The weapons have to stay here, obviously. It’s way too dangerous to put them on a shuttle. It would never get off the ground before they attacked. No, they are staying and being cemented in. The whole weaponry unit will be one solid block in a few weeks,” Cline replied.
“Then, I will arrange for a systems check on our largest shuttle first thing in the morning. You are welcome to it, Colonel Cline,” Ganesh said.
“Thank you. The flight team is being assembled and as soon as the list is finalized, I will give it to you.”
“Have the scientists and medical team been reassigned already?” Ganesh asked. “I’m surprised to find the place so empty.”
“They haven’t, they are just gone for the day. But I have a feeling that General Pike will have them training to fight with the ground forces within a week,” Talper said.
“They aren’t gonna like that,” Ganesh replied.
“No, they won’t, but there is still a war coming and we need more fighters if we expect Tyrine to submit to our way of life without the biomachines,” Cline said.
“Well, gentlemen, I’m heading home. You two have a good night,” Ganesh said.
“We’ll talk soon,” Cline said. “Good night, Colonel.”
On his way home, Ganesh made a quick call to Maeve.
“Yes?” she answered.
“Are you in town?” Ganesh asked.
“Got back this afternoon.”
“Can you meet me at my place in an hour?”
“Make it an hour and a half. I’ve got something to finish up.”
“See you soon.”
Ganesh walked into his house to discover one more surprise, Sergeant Bearden Leitner sitting at his kitchen table with his wife. A wave of relief washed over him and he smiled warmly at Bearden.
“Well, I think I’ll leave you two to talk,” Natty said. She went to Ganesh, kissed him on the cheek and smiled. “See, you worried for nothing. He’s just fine.”
Then, she went upstairs so they could have some privacy.
“I thought you would be at Tripple Laboratories,” Ganesh said. “At least I hoped, for your own safety.”
“I’m a little surprised at your concern, sir. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am so relieved to be welcome here. I just thought that…” Bearden took a breath, already having made up his mind to come clean, then continued, “Sir, I know you used me. I read the ‘letter of recommendation’ you wrote for me to get into Tripple Laboratories.”
“Hmph. That’s unfortunate.” Ganesh said with his voice dropping. “And Major Magner? When did you start working for him?”
“How did you know that, sir?”
“You’re not as good a spy as you think you are, Sergeant.”
“I was angry with you, Colonel. I thought he could help me, but it turns out he has made my life a living nightmare. Now he plans to kill me…that is, if he finds me.”
“Again, unfortunate. And why aren’t you with Lee? His lab is probably the safest place you could be right now, not here.”
Bearden looked deeply ashamed when Ganesh suggested this.
“Tripple Laboratories isn’t safe anymore,” he replied. “The major had an access card and the place was broken into. He won’t be able to use it again, Lee will make sure of that, but he wants what is in that lab and he won’t stop until he either has it, or is dead.”
“So, he knows of the virus code,” Ganesh said. “And the access card? That was you, too?”
“Yes, sir, and it’s all my fault. But, there’s more. I stole my work from the government lab and gave it to Lee. Without it, he wouldn’t have found the genetic alteration to make the virus, at least not as quickly as he did. I’ve started a second war.” Bearden put his head in his hands.
“No, Sergeant, the fault is mine. You did what you thought you had to do and you wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for me. And this second war, the one inside the government, it started way before you, son.”
“I should have never read that letter, sir.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, but if you hadn’t that code might not exist. And it is so very important that it does.”
“I didn’t think of it like that. I’m sorry I ever doubted your intentions, Colonel.”
“No need to apologize. But now we have to decide what to do with you. Obviously you can’t go home, and you can’t stay here, it’s one of the first places Mace will look. I know someone who might be able to help, but you have to decide right here and now which side you are on. If you have any loyalty left for the government that tossed you out and ordered you dead, then I can’t help you.”
“Colonel, I’ve seen first hand what the biomachines are programmed to do. As long as they exist, they are a threat and I am on the side to stop them.”
“It’s about more than the biomachines, Bearden. It’s about not allowing our Daxian government to take over Tyrine and force labor on its people,” Ganesh said.
Bearden looked thoughtful as the larger scope of the situation became clear to him.
“I have nothing left here. I’d be a fool not to join your fight,” Bearden said. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“Good. Then, welcome to the resistance. There is someone I’d like you to meet.”
About an hour later, after Ganesh had filled Bearden in on some of the details of his mission with Maeve Daire, she appeared in the doorway. She was wearing a fitted yellow shirt, tight black pants, and a black beret. Her hands and arms were dirty, like she had been digging in the ground. Both men stood when they saw her.
“Your house has been bugged,” she started and walked to the sink to wash. “But don’t worry, I found where the transmitter was buried, and I placed signal scramblers around the perimeter weeks ago. I just thought you would like to know.”
“Maeve, this is Bearden Leitner,” Ganesh said, not at all shocked by her revelation.
“Yes, I know who he is. The one working for both you and Mace Magner,” she said, then looked at Bearden. “It seems you have gotten yourself into quite the predicament. Your apartment has been trashed and it won’t be long before they come here looking for you.”
Bearden sat back down and stared out the window in disbelief. Maeve was using one of Natty’s kitchen towels to dry her hands and arms.
“Can you help him? He needs to be in a safe place. He’s on our side,” Ganesh pleaded.
“I don’t know that I believe that. I think he’s just scared,” she replied and scrutinized Bearden with her eyes.
; “Have you been watching me?” Bearden asked.
“I’ve been watching Mace Magner, and I keep an eye out for Ganesh. You meet with them both on a regular basis, so naturally you’ve been a person of interest. Ganesh also told me what you do for him in Tripple Laboratories. But look, there is not much time. Right now we just have to figure out what to do with you.”
“You mean decide if you will help me or not,” Bearden concluded. “I can be of help to you. I’m a scientist, but I’m also a soldier.”
“There is a meeting place, sort of a safe house for the resistance,” Ganesh offered.
“No.” Maeve cut him off. “He can’t go there.”
“You can trust me,” Bearden said.
“Yes, when you’ve earned it. Not today,” she replied. “I’m sorry Ganesh, I know you have some faith in him, but so far, he’s betrayed everyone but himself.”
“She’s right, Colonel. I’ve made a huge mess of things. It was stupid of me to come here.” Bearden started to leave.
“Now just wait a minute, both of you,” Ganesh said. “Bearden, sit back down! Maeve, give him a chance. Let him earn your trust. His situation is partly my fault, he’s made a few mistakes but out of confusion, not because his intentions are bad.”
Maeve folded her arms and sighed.
“Fine, but only for you, Ganesh. I’ll take him with me to a training camp in Tyrine. He can earn his trust among the people he’ll be fighting with.”
“And I’m sure they would welcome a scientist of his caliber, and one who has worked in the weaponry unit as well,” Ganesh added. “Not that the biomachines will be a threat much longer.”
“What?” Maeve asked. “How? The virus code?”
“She knows about the virus code?” Bearden asked Ganesh.
“Yes, of course she knows. And no, Maeve, the entire biomer unit has been shut down. The weapons will be cemented in.”
“Until someone decides to dig them up, or the ground quakes. They need to be disabled,” she said.
“You’re right about that. We don’t have much time, but if we can get the virus code from Lee, the biomachines can be infected before they are cemented in,” Ganesh said.
