Crimson Rain

by Tex Leiko

  “Yeah, it’s Badger. What the hell do you want?” he grumbled, sounding as grumpy as ever.

  “You. I know you are the only remaining commander of the Psyker Scream army. I also know that Zax and Surge were both your friends. I also know you want free will but the powers that be at Synaptix said to forget revenge and focus on destroying Polyhelix, resume the plan as if nothing had changed. Am I right?”

  “Yeah, you’re right, but why are you talking to me? You know the powers that be are listening to you as we speak, right?”

  “That I do. It is part of the reason I contacted you. You see, getting this channel was easy for a man in my position. Your cohorts, however, are a bit more…private, shall I say? Anyhow, I didn’t feel like going to great lengths to uncover who is at the top of Synaptix. I figured I would offer them a proposition through you.”

  “What if they don’t like that you chose to use me as a mediator?”

  “Well, then this conversation hardly matters. Seeing as you haven’t been given a directive to hang up on me, I assume they’re interested in what I have to say.”

  “They’re telling me to let you say what you have to say.”

  “Good. Well, what I have to say is this. Both of us have the same goal. Overthrow the government and establish our own. We both seek total control over the globe, starting with the two largest world powers, Alexarien and Ilyeion, correct?”

  “Correct,” Badger responded, much more awake now but sounding even more annoyed.

  “We have both suffered great losses in leadership of our armies, however, have we not?”

  “Agreed.”

  “So why not put aside this petty squabbling over power, control, dominance? Let’s cut a deal, perhaps? We help each other out in dealing with this rebel faction. For me, my main enemy is my own son Zarfa, leader of Legion Nine. For you, it is this anonymous Crimson Army. We can strike now on our own and probably be victorious, but at a great expense to our own power. Individually, we will both be so weakened that neither of us could recover fast enough to challenge the government’s military. Together, however? It should be no trouble destroying both rebel factions then marching on in our coup d’état. So I say we do this. Let us help each other out, no more backbiting, and we set solid boundaries now so there is no arguing when the bloodshed is over.”

  “What are your conditions? They want to know, not me. I could give a crap.”

  “Oh, you will care, my friend. The first target is Zarfa, your chance at exacting revenge. Anyhow, I am gracious and reasonable. The terms are this—I take Ilyeion, you take Alexarien. I am giving you the more advanced civilization of the two. As for all of the third world nations that are struggling to get by? It’s a fifty-fifty split once the war is over. Simple as that, no more fighting. Let’s be civil, please?”

  “They concur. It’s a deal, but if you show so much as a sign of double-crossing them, they are not afraid to crush you like an ant. As for me, how are you going to feel about me taking your son’s life myself?” Badger questioned, aroused by the prospect of shedding Zarfa’s blood.

  “I care not. I was going to try to convert him to my way, but he learned of me before I had intended. He took his stand and so did his rebellious sister. I shall slay them both, just as I did their incompetent mother. She thought she could convince me to stop my plan, but I had to teach her a lesson about that. Anyhow, do what you will. They are already dead in my eyes.”

  Thomas’s voice was cold and emotionless. Badger felt as if he was talking to the devil himself the way he was so ready to execute his own children.

  “I see. Well, we are glad that you have come to your senses and decided to side with us. Seeing what a vicious person you are, we are glad to not be fighting against your cause. May we both succeed, Thomas.”

  “Oh yes, one last thing. I expect some support to the battle that my son announced to take place in three days from now. It is outside the city of Ilyeion in the desert wasteland. He discovered where the entrance for the Faraza’s underground facility is. Send me ten thousand support troops and we should be able to kill those peasants.

  “Also I have some intelligence that tells me Crimson and her little accomplice will be distracted that day. It may be a good time to send another assassination attempt? It’s your call. I know you guys are smart and could possibly figure something out. Anyhow, if we crush Legion Nine, I will immediately mobilize the rest of my army to strike in Alexarien. I look forward to seeing your competence in the battlefield. Until then, ciao.”

  The communicator went dead and Badger lay there in his bed motionless. He had a gut feeling this was a bad omen, but he wanted his revenge. He was shocked that the leaders of Synaptix were so quick to make a judgment on this alliance proposition. He didn’t think or worry about it for too long, though. He just got comfortable again and closed his eyes to sleep.

  “Get up. You will be leading the entire Psyker Army to Ilyeion. A helicopter is coming to get you now. Be on the roof in twenty minutes.”

  “The entire Psyker Army? He only asked for ten thousand support troops. Isn’t the whole army nearly fifty thousand?” Badger questioned back telepathically to the mysterious messenger.

  “We know what he asked for. But we still don’t trust him. If this is a trap to weaken us after the battle, we want to be prepared. We will be ready to crush him at a moment’s notice,” came the voice in his mind.

  “I see… I had thought you took his word at face value awfully quickly. So what are my orders exactly?”

  “Take the army. Assist Polyhelix, but do not let your guard down. If they give the slightest sign of double-crossing, put them down. Also, get out of bed and stop wasting time. The helicopter is arriving in fifteen minutes now.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sixty

  Sixty hours until the battle of Ilyeion

  “This…this is fantastic. Yeah, this will work for sure. A tad dusty in here, but other than that… Six SCARA type robotic arms, fully functional console with all of the programs I need. I’m moving some stuff here,” Max said as he walked around Crimson’s safe house.

  “Yeah… You going to tell me what this is all about or what?”

  “No,” he said as he handed her a piece of paper with a list on it. “Also, I will need everything on this list within twelve hours. If it isn’t fulfilled then I don’t know of how much assistance I can be to you.”

  Crimson glanced over the list and her eyes widened. She scowled at Max as he paced around the room investigating all of the equipment.

  “Money isn’t an issue, but you do realize what you are asking for? This alloy you named is nearly impossible to get, especially on such short notice. It is the strongest alloy known to man. People consider it nearly indestructible, and the amount you want… It is going to cause some red flags with the military.”

  “Like there isn’t already? You and I both know they are only waiting for the fighting to end between us and the corporations before they sweep in and surgically excise us from humanity. We grabbed their attention when we set out to recruit people for the crusade. They’re watching. They’ve always been watching. They just let us believe they are too weak and powerless to stop us.”

  “Oh, why do you say that, Max? What happened to you being so positive and trusting me?”

  “I am positive; I do trust you. I am saying trust me. We need a contingency. I don’t care if I die for a good cause, but I sure as hell am not going to die a pointless death. I am going to make it count. I know you have a plan B if anything goes awry. What’s wrong with a plan C if that fails to work out how you planned?” he blurted in exasperation.

  “There’s nothing wrong, Max, but I think you forget who organized this revolution in the first place. I call the shots, not you. I want to know what you need all of this for. And this memory system you put down, what, are you building a supercomputer of some sort? What do you need all of that digital storage for?”

  “I am not saying. It is time you let
me do my job and trust me. I am here to design things for you. I’ve completed all but one of your assignments and then some. I’ll have the bots you need designed for you in the next day. I had a major breakthrough. I just ask you provide me with what I need. Get me what is on that list. Trust me. Step back. You not doing that will be interference and I won’t be able to get done what I need to get done. Unless you have a good reason not to do this and you won’t? Well, then I guess I’ll have to call it quits. Like I said, I’m not laying down my life to accomplish nothing.”

  “Who says you’re going to die? Who says you’re laying down your life? Why can’t we all live through this?”

  “We aren’t going to all live through this. It isn’t a fairytale. There will be losses. Do we stand a chance to succeed in overthrowing the governments and destroying these corporations that have been raping the masses? Yes! But there will be a price to pay and nobody is exempt. I’m not an assassin like you. You stand a better chance to live, but even that isn’t a guarantee. You might die as well, but we aren’t all going to come out of this unscathed. Let me do what I need to do and everything will work out. Besides, what I’m building…I hope I won’t need to use, but if the need arises and you’re still alive, you will be grateful. Mark my words.”

  “I will… Fine, I’ll see what I can do. Stop planning on dying, Max. I need you still even if we win.”

  “I don’t plan on it, but it is a reality… In my case, it’s even likelihood. It’s also a sacrifice I am willing to make if it’s needed. So just deal with that. Did you get the antibots to Zarfa, by the way?”

  “I sent a rocket drone to deliver it. He should have them in a matter of hours… I’ll see what I can do about the three hundred pounds of Kelmantrium you requested…as well as the rest of this crap.”

  “Supplies. Not crap. Supplies. One last thing… How is Luther? You said you were going to repair him.”

  “He’s fine. He is back to being operational.”

  “Send him over immediately.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Do it,” he said harshly. “Please,” he added, realizing Crimson had never seen him like this before.

  “Fine, but you better not be planning to betray me.”

  “Funny you say that. The same stands for you. Trust me, I’ve got a surprise that I hope never needs revealing.”

  Crimson looked at him as he stared into her eyes as seriously as she had ever seen him. She wished she understood him and what the gears in his head were churning out. A spark had ignited inside of him that was driving him to either brilliance or madness and she was curious as to what it was.

  “Okay, Max, expect a shipment soon. I think I have a few strings I can pull,” she said with a sigh as she turned and left.

  * * * *

  “Having gotten Sarah back is a huge boon to our cause. With her back, my hearing enhancements are a moot point. She has shown us exactly where the entrances and exits to the Faraza underground are located,” Zarfa said, addressing a large group of Legion Nine members.

  The Legion had grown so rapidly there was now need to implement a form of organization. Zarfa decided to allow the first two thousand people to arrive to hear a lecture that would discuss the plan of attack against Faraza. He had arranged for these lectures to take place every day for the next fifty hours. It was up to everyone in attendance to get the others up to speed.

  Pulling up a map of the area on a huge monitor, Zarfa continued his lecture. “Here are the areas that they will swarm from with the wasp riders. We are going to fight them in the wide open of the wasteland,” he stated authoritatively.

  The crowd realized they would be disadvantaged if they were to fight out in the open so they began to murmur amongst themselves. There was discord growing in the crowd and Zarfa stopped speaking. He knew they wouldn’t hear it until it died down.

  “It’s crazy, right? Us fighting exposed in the open when we could take it to them by ramming it down their throats? Wrong. We have the advantage. I can’t explain it so I am going to need your faith.

  “I am sure you have heard of the woman Crimson. The one who is leading the invisible rebellion of the Crimson Crusade? Well, she is our ally and has promised to help. She has a plan that I am sure will succeed. After the war is over here, we are going to march on Alexarien and help her perform a coup d’état. I felt it was a fair trade.

  “Anyhow, we can’t let them swarm us out there and hold our ground. Crimson will take care of a lot of it for us. Besides, she pointed out that the Faraza is crippled and this is war. Their base and whatever they have down there is practically useless to Polyhelix at this time. If we blindly march into the catacombs below, what is to prevent them from blowing it up and burying us alive? Nothing!”

  The crowd quieted down and was now hanging on what Zarfa had to say. He was right. Most of them had never considered the probability of being buried alive. It would do them no good if they all rushed underground only to be slaughtered by a few well-placed explosives.

  They also knew that Thomas Cudrow, the one running Polyhelix and the mastermind at the root of Faraza, was in Alexarien. Them marching there to end this after the battle would serve a dual purpose, pay back Crimson for her help, and put an end to this once and for all.

  “So what I need from each of you is to come to the battle fully prepared to die, but don’t plan on it. I would love to see this end with nobody lying bleeding on the ground except for those ugly mutant bastards.

  “Organize, pick a buddy, make a squad, and watch each other’s backs. This is no time for cowardice. When the skies fill with the black of the wasps and the deep low drone of them flying overhead, do not try to retreat. Show no fear and show no mercy.

  The more guns we can bring to this, the better. Shoot with a frenzy into the sky and wait for your deliverance. Because in the flash of an eye, you will see it. It is going to take a lot of faith in me, faith in Crimson, but know this. I will be on the front lines risking all with you. I am not some coward who hides behind his army. I do not want to sit in any ivory tower. I do not want worship or praise, I just want you to trust me and follow my orders. In this way, we will succeed.

  “Some of you doubt me, some of you fear. Some of you disagree, but remember this. We are only here because of my actions. It wouldn’t have been possible without the loyal support of those in the beginning, but they all trusted in me and followed my lead so I am asking the very same of each of you. Follow my lead! If we live, we shall live as one! If we die, we shall die as one. We are an unstoppable legion. We are Legion Nine. That was our roots, but we have grown too vast to count. We shall roll over our enemies like the waves of the ocean. We shall wipe the slate clean and start anew. Now I ask you all here, are you with me? Will you follow me? Will you do as I ask?”

  The crowd roared with cheering and clapping. The feel of harmony in the air was contagious. Even Sofronio, who was backstage, was clapping. He was in full support of Zarfa. The members of the audience that came to listen had gleaming looks on their faces of vigor, joy, zeal, unity, and fury. Each one felt unstoppable and Zarfa hoped that truly, they would be.

  “There are sixty hours left to our deliverance. To our glory, and to a lot of bloodshed. We hope for this to be the last of the heartbreak that any of you have to endure for the rest of your life. We hope that this war will change the way humans treat one another. We hope for a period of peace to rule across the globe. Legion! You are dismissed. Go, rest, prepare, and come to the battle at your best.”

  * * * *

  Badger and the Psyker Scream army has been picked up and transported to twenty miles north of Ilyeion and dropped in the desert. Synaptix had arranged for a camp to be prepared using the most advanced technology in cloaking and thermal reflection to prevent themselves from being spotted by the naked eye or by satellite.

  Badger was bored out of his mind. He had no one to talk to. He was surrounded by fifty thousand troops, men, women, children, yet none of them could talk. No
ne of them had thoughts or free will anymore. All of them were linked to Badger’s brain.

  Each one was a pinprick inside of his mind and he knew everything about them subconsciously. He knew exactly where Sally Montross stood in the crowd. He, without ever having seen her, knew that she was twenty-six. He knew that she was six foot and one eighth of an inch tall. She weighed one hundred-sixty-seven pounds, four and three-quarters ounces.

  He knew her average heart rate was eighty-two beats per minute resting; she respired on average twenty-two breaths per minute. He knew before her mind was taken over she had been turned on by muscular black men. Badger knew every detail of everyone in the army, and he knew their exact placement and status, always.

  He also knew that his every thought was their command and that it would travel to them quicker than the speed of light. He knew they were a large army with only one thought, his thoughts. He was so completely bored.

  He missed Zax and Surge. They had been his friends before Synaptix recruited them to be part of this experimental army. Badger had always belonged to the corporation so when this opportunity arose, he jumped on it. He convinced his friends that it would be a great idea and that they may die if they didn’t side with Synaptix while they still could.

  He had also realized what a valuable asset he was to Synaptix and that he did have some bargaining power with the leaders at the top of the corporation. He had convinced those men to allow them to keep their free will. They had, and now Badger hated himself for involving them.

  He realized that even if Synaptix won and got everything they ever wanted, he was doomed and he had doomed himself. Doomed to a life of boredom, a life of solitude. His only friends were dead. There would be very few with free will after Synaptix had their way.

  Badger didn’t desire to have a mindless sex slave that obeyed his every thought. He didn’t want a posse to stroll with at night. He wanted conversation, and there in the middle of the desert amongst fifty-thousand living, breathing, warm bodies, he could only speak with himself. Or the faceless voice that invaded his mind every so often, and that wouldn’t respond to him unless it had business with him.