by Tex Leiko
He had a serious look in his eyes, one that said don’t lie to me. But he wasn’t angry, purely determined and looking for answers. He knew war was coming, but he never realized it would be so quickly upon him, and now the small fragments of information Crimson had given him weren’t enough.
“You assume correct,” Crimson said, sipping on her dry gin martini. “What would you like to know?”
“First, do we have an army? As far as I can tell, it is you, Luther, and myself.”
“An army? No, but I will be sending out the video feed tomorrow. That is bound to recruit a few. I don’t think we will need a huge force for what I plan to do and how I plan to do it.”
“That leads me to my second question, what is it you plan to do exactly?”
“Take over the government. You and I both know they don’t do anything to help the people anymore. Everything is legal, there is nothing moral or immoral so long as you can afford the license it takes to commit any kind of deed. We also both know that giant corporations that feed the government income can get away with anything they want. We are an open human testing lab and powerless to stop it. The law says that full disclosure is the only law, let the people decide. Right? Wrong! Did Synaptix let anyone know they were drawing them to a product that would make them lose free will via their advertising? No! Does Polyhelix let people choose to further advance their bio-engineering? No! They have the Faraza kidnap lab rats for that cause.
“Does Barometrics care if sunshine here causes a flood in some developing country? No! They don’t care at all. The government? Doesn’t care so long as they’re fed and fat. Nobody has a conscience anymore and nobody gives a damn what happens, so what I plan to do is destroy the companies that practically control this globe and as a finale, take down the fine Alexarien government. After that, Ilyeion will soon follow, and we shall rewrite history. Give people a choice.”
“Well, that is all great and everything, but how do you plan to do this without an army?”
“For one, I’ve got a few aces up my sleeve. For two, when the video feeds start going out, I assume the masses will rise up with us. I know I should have been trickier and developed a small following sooner; there are a lot of things I wish I had done different, but now we are out of time. I hope that people will open their eyes to the deceit and lies that permeate our society. I hope that our cause spreads like an infection, and I hope for it to be immaculately in time.
“You see, right now Polyhelix and Synaptix are both seeking to take the government as their own and expand to global domination. Both have the means to do so, however, neither of them wants to unite. If one goes after the government right now, they get weakened and are vulnerable to an assault from the other. Neither is strong enough to wage war on two fronts. The government will stay neutral so long as it is just a war between companies. They don’t care about war and murder in the streets. If something happens that the company hasn’t paid for yet, they will retroactively produce a license at a high cost to make things right.
“When all is said and done, there will only be one corporation left standing. When that time comes, they will prepare for war with the government. They might strike immediately or it may take a few years for them to build their ranks back up. Both have had oversight enough to try their experimental technologies right at that moment in an all or nothing play. The government won’t stand for that, but their thinking is that it will be too late.
“This is where we come in. If we can gain support and open people’s eyes, then we stand a chance. I hope to drop in at the critical moment that decides who the victor will be, Synaptix or Polyhelix, and strike a deathblow to both. After that, I hope to lead our army on to perform a coup d’état on the government. It’s risky, we might die, we may never build the army I hope for…but we are going to try.”
Max sat there with a bite of food in his mouth as she spoke. He wasn’t chewing and he didn’t swallow it. He was slightly in shock. Nothing should surprise him any longer, but still, this did. He hadn’t blinked once while Crimson spoke.
Finally, he took a deep breath, picked up his water glass, and swallowed his masticated food with a gulp. He set the glass back down on the table abruptly and Crimson still couldn’t tell if he was angry or not. He had a look on his face that was hard to read.
“Well, we all gotta die some time, right? So, I say, let’s give it all we have. First thing tomorrow, I will get to work on your other tasks for me. I know you gave me a month time frame, but after today, I assume the deadlines just got moved up. I think Zarfa has proven himself. For now, I am counting him an ally. I am going to make the anti-bot that will spare him if we use the airborne bots.
“Other than that, I’ve got no idea if I’ll be able to fill all of your orders, but I will try. Don’t think I’ll slack off or do anything… I was going to say stupid, but I already demonstrated that I may do that. By the way, keep serenity boosts out of the building. I’m already craving one. You don’t want me down that path while I am trying to help you, and I figure I would give you fair warning right now.
“And finally, I want you to know…I am pretty sure I am in love with you. I want to follow you to the ends of the earth. Maybe it’s only my obsessive nature, but really… No time for romance in war, but after…” Max trailed off, not finishing his thought or giving any indication he was going to continue.
“Right, Max, so let’s go cause a revolution, right? Let’s go be the trouble we want to see in this world. Let’s go liberate all the slaves.”
“Right.”
* * * *
“This carnage…all him? I know he is in bad condition after this, but still, the very fact he even lived is impressive,” Sarah said out loud to herself. She shook her head as she stood in a puddle of blood. The train station still had corpses lying about in it. The blood of the Ilithids had a particular odor that was quite unpleasant. She wasn’t at all disturbed by the carnage, but she got chills looking at all that her brother had done.
The way he fought was an art. Every move so precise even against such innumerable odds. There was no way any normal human could do what he did. Even the average splicer was no match for his skill and precision. She had seen the security video, but watching it was like watching some campy movie made by an action director who liked to shock his audience with unrealistic images.
Seeing the carnage, the aftermath, right at ground zero, made it real. It put more vivid imagery into her mind than even the videos. She could smell it, see it, feel it, and it brought her a feeling of rapturous ecstasy. She couldn’t help but let her mind linger on the thought of meeting her brother in battle. Even if he was wounded, she would derive great pleasure from breaking him however she could.
She closed her eyes and breathed deep. She took in every subtle note of the fragrances in the air and let them stay in her nose. She devoted them to memory and then in a blink, snapped back to reality.
“We need to move. I think I know where he is,” she commanded, giving her squad of raiders a hand signal that meant for them to move out.
* * * *
“What do you mean you doomed us all?”
“Synaptix, they sent a guard with me from their Psyker Scream division. He helped me fight those monsters and the other Faraza. When the fighting was over…well…I killed him. There has got to be security cameras at the station, ones that Synaptix has access to.
“I came back to discuss with you guys if we would join them and their cause or go to war with them. I’m sorry, but my actions decided for us. We are going to war on two fronts, Synaptix and Faraza. I think I may have doomed us all.”
“I think we should call the other eight. I didn’t include them with the others.”
That was all that Zajifa said back to Zarfa. He was concerned, but not the slightest bit upset. He understood that Zarfa had to do what he had to do. He knew his leader wasn’t reckless, looking to cause as much destruction as possible. Zarfa had created Legion Nine by accident, by means of his
purpose to destroy the Faraza.
Zajifa went into a room adjacent from the one he had gone to sleep in with Zarfa and made a call on a communicator. He was gone for about five minutes before he came back. Zarfa was breathing a bit heavier than usual. The medifoam was helping him to regenerate quickly, but the analgesic had worn off and some of his injuries had gone deep and were still aching.
“How’d he sound?” Zarfa questioned.
“Who?”
“You know who; don’t be all coy.”
“How does he usually sound?”
“Angry, mad at the world, completely perturbed, like he is going to kick your teeth in even though the rest of you call me boss… Should I continue?”
“Yeah, he sounded like that…but worse.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Sofronio to me,” Zarfa said with a chuckle.
“Well, I promise he will arrive first, the rest to follow. You are injured, and I don’t stand a chance in a fight with him, so let’s just hope he is barking like a mad dog the way he always does and never acts on any of his threats, okay?”
“Let’s hope, but if he ever does try to take my spot as commander and chief, then tonight will be it.”
They both chuckled and sat with each other. The Legion was something that myths were made of; many had seen them in action. There were always casualties, but there were always more on the side of Faraza. It was rare that all ten of the commanders would meet together to discuss organizational direction.
The way it typically worked was there was a raid by the Faraza. A rally call would then be sent out. Everyone would meet in one location, and a defense would be formed. Zarfa and the other nine would always take the lead and knew most of the regulars that showed up by name.
Even though Zarfa formed Legion Nine when he’d brought up the idea of staging an attack of their own on the Faraza, it had been met with skepticism. Some were in favor; others felt that the Legion should only serve to protect Ilyeion from raids, nothing further.
Sofronio was the most opposed to the idea. He had even once made the threat of killing Zarfa and taking the lead, claiming he was a bad leader. The others all felt he did a great job at organizing a group of hoodlums who didn’t know when to roll over and accept that the Faraza were going to pillage them no matter how hard they fought back.
Sofronio, however, felt it should be more organized. That there should be a roster, qualifications to join, ranks, rewards. He wanted to make a true military, not only a simple minutemen militia. Zarfa always raised the points that if there were a roster, the Faraza could get a hold of it and hunt everyone down.
In battle, there was no rank, not if your superior was killed and the others were out of sight. That was always Zarfa’s take on it anyhow. He felt that each of his soldiers had to be leaders in their own rights. He also didn’t want anyone fighting for him out of the fear of embarrassment of how humiliating it would be to have to resign in front of others.
Zarfa had started this organization alone. Alone, he would go into the streets and fight. It inspired others to stand up and fight alongside of him. But Zarfa was so determined that if he lost every single supporter, he would still go out and fight. He wanted any and all who joined him to have the same attitude, so he was never in favor of ranks, rewards, or any other system to discern anyone from one another.
The only form of organized leadership he gave was that of the nine. He gave his original nine supporters a chance to vote to decide what actions they should rally for. However, as those other eight died in battle, they were replaced. Zajifa was the only one to remain from the very beginning. Eight never questioned him; they venerated him in such high regard. Sofronio, one of the newest to be invited into the fold, on the other hand, couldn’t agree with him on anything, and went so far as to not agree with him even if it was obvious he was right.
Once in the middle of a sand storm, he had argued with Zarfa over whether it was windy or not. Anyone could see the sand was being blown in as thick as fog, but he stood his ground in front of the other eight and argued that Zarfa was a fool and that it wasn’t windy outside. He finally conceded when he said, “Well, perhaps a little, but we’ve seen worse. That’s what I meant when I said it wasn’t.”
As Zajifa had predicted, Sofronio was the first to arrive. As surly as ever and steaming mad.
“What the hell is going on? Why are we rallying so late? There isn’t a raid in progress!” he blurted, red-faced, stampeding like a bull.
He was tall and bulky. He stood at least a head over Zarfa. His skin was the color of the sand that surrounded Ilyeion and his eyes were a dark brown. He kept his hair shaved at all times and always wore tattered olive green clothing, the look of a true solider.
“We are at war is why,” Zarfa spoke sternly.
“Oh, really? Thanks for letting us give input on this, captain! Anything else you care to inform the dogs about?”
“Take it easy on him, he was going to—”
“Well, he didn’t, did he?” Sofronio snapped back, cutting Zajifa off.
“That is why I am calling this meeting, to inform the nine of what happened, tell them to tell the others. Tell all who want no part of this to get out now if it’s what they want. Maybe even leave Ilyeion for a little while…while they still can.”
“Aww, how nice of you. Why didn’t you just not get us all involved in something we couldn’t handle in the first place?”
“Are you a total moron? We’ve been fighting against Faraza this whole time. We were already in over our head; it has escalated as we all knew it would. Look, I’ll explain when everyone arrives. If you want out, fine, leave. But I won’t tolerate you being disruptive or talking down to me any longer. It’s war time. I’ve never asked anything of any of you men. Now I am, but you will all still have a choice.”
Sofronio stared down at Zarfa, who was still lying down. His injuries were healing quickly from the medical attention he had received, but he was still clearly not in top condition. Both Zarfa and Zajifa were shocked that Sofronio wasn’t pushing the conversation further. It was the first time he ever ceased arguing with Zarfa.
Within minutes, the others had trickled in. All in one room in the back of The Sheik’s Tavern. Zarfa, out of respect, stood from the bed he was resting on and addressed the nine.
“I went to Alexarien to get the Psyker Scream nanobot alterations. The plan was I would lead us to battle with Faraza because I could hear where the wasps were coming from. I wasn’t aware that Synaptix was using these bots to control people’s minds and to create a psychic army. I’ve already had one treatment and have decided to stop. I am going to lose my hearing altogether, the bots will be sure of it. Synaptix tried to recruit me to their cause. They would have left the nine of you alone and allowed you to keep your free will. As for the others, they wouldn’t have…so I rejected their offer. They sent one of their commanders and two body guards to follow me back here. When I arrived at the train station, we were ambushed by Faraza. After the battle, Surge, one of Synaptix’s best, turned on me. I took his life.
“There are security cameras at the train station. If Synaptix doesn’t know of my actions yet, they soon will. This act, I can only assume, will mean war to them. I still plan to find where Faraza is hiding and crush them under my heel. However, we have an added threat.
“My message to you, as well as all other members, is that this is the final hour. It is now kill or be killed. Within the next few weeks, I will be deaf and I am not sure how yet, but we will find a way to locate Faraza. It is then we shall attack their base. In the meantime, expect retaliation from Synaptix, as well as whatever raids may come about.
“If you want to leave, leave now. If you want to stay, then trust me, stand by me, and fight to your death. I shall do the same. That is all I can say, other than I’m sorry for bringing this vengeance upon us all.”
The nine stood silent, glancing back and forth at each other. Zajifa made eye contact with Sofronio, and Zarfa stared at the fl
oor like a scared little boy asking permission from a parent. Finally, Sofronio broke the silence by clapping.
“Well done, sir, no bull. I’ll follow you. Let’s destroy those evil spawn,” Sofronio said calmly and sternly.
Everyone’s mouths dropped open and Zarfa looked up. The shock on their faces was almost comical. It was the first time Sofronio had ever called him sir, complimented him, or agreed with him in any way. There was some laughter and clapping from the others, most of which were still too shocked to verbally respond. Finally, the rejoicing settled down and as if in one voice, the other eight all said, “We are at your command, sir.”
* * * *
“So, what are you working on over there?” Crimson asked.
“Well, I am trying to reverse engineer these little bots to do what you wanted them to do. You know, make them fly, make them kill all the Psykers, you know, whatever that simple little task is you asked of me,” he responded with a tone of sarcasm.
“Well excuse me for asking.”
“Excused. Sorry, I’m just stressing. I heard your feed earlier while I was out getting some groceries. I’ve known we were in danger from the start, but it donned on me, Synaptix is going to want us dead as well as Polyhelix and even if we do manage to take them down…the government will want us eliminated. Have we even recruited anyone yet?”
“It’s hard to tell… We are raising supporters of an idea to strike without warning. We didn’t exactly provide a barracks for them to report to or anything. It is in the hands of the people now. As well as us. All we can really do is hope when we strike that our message was heard and appreciated. I’ve got another one I plan to send out. We might start seeing a visible presence of the Crimson army after that, but until then…only phantoms loyal to an idea.”
“Crimson army? Right, only you could be that narcissistic.”
