That was the Hidden Serpents’ motto and his as well.
In his trek, Neil had passed several sand-covered bodies. This street was littered with burnt bodies. How curious.
As if driven by an unknown force, Neil stepped forward and entered the street. Almost every body that he passed was that of a dead American.
A cough sounded, the sound faint and weak. Neil bristled and halted, listening hard. Then it came again.
Someone in this street lived yet.
Neil surveyed the street critically. None were standing, but one could easily hide among the bodies to pose a counter-strike. The aftermath of the battle had been fierce. Battle might be too generous. Massacre certainly fit the bill. So many dead Americans compared to maybe three Hidden Serpents. But even three was unforgivable.
A third cough. Now, he knew where the perpetrator was.
Slowly, idly, as if uninterested, Neil shifted to the right of the coughing man. The man in question lifted his head.
“Wa…” he started.
“Water?” Neil asked.
“Pl…”
“I don’t have any.” Neil felt the urge to kick the man but refrained. His clothes gave him away as an American. He was to bring him in alive, but the man’s body was covered in burns. The one by his shoulder was oozing pus. The stench of infection and decay emanated from him. He would not live long enough to reach the Hidden Serpents’ base.
“Any…”
“I have nothing to offer you.”
The man lowered his head. Then, he lifted it. Shadow from bricks from a nearby building cast half his face in shadows, but now Neil could see it was nearly blown away.
“Please,” the man said slowly, taking his time to enunciate his word. “Kill me.”
“You wish to die?” Neil asked.
“Grant me… mercy…”
“Do you deserve mercy when you refuse to accept that peace is possible?”
The man blinked his one eye at Neil. “Nathaniel? Is that you?”
“I am not Nathaniel.” Neil stood to his full height. “I am no man. I am Venom’s Vengeance and only because you will not live to see my superiors will I even consider killing you.”
A slight movement so small that Neil almost dismissed it caught his attention. Someone was watching him. A woman. She was not alone. A man was with her, and Neil couldn’t see either of the two others enough to recognize their genders.
Americans? He couldn’t quite tell their nationality.
Neil stared down at the man. He should ignore him and move on. Or he should bring him back to the base even if he died along the way. What purpose would that serve though? The man was suffering needlessly.
So? Let him suffer. He doesn’t want peace.
But in the man’s eyes, Neil did see that he wished for peace and only peace. How could Neil deny him that?
Peace is our objective.
Neil nodded to the man and glanced around. “I did not bring a gun or blade, and I do not see one that is not burned nearly to ashes.”
“I don’t care how you do it,” the man rasped. “Please… Nathaniel…”
Neil grimaced. The man was delusional, clearly confused, but that name was familiar. “Nathaniel. What surname?”
“Strong… arm…”
Yes, that had been the name on the dog tags that Neil had found in the doctor’s office. Doctor Despair had said Nathaniel Strongarm was dead, though.
Instead of sharing this information with the dead man’s friend and increase his suffering, Neil would grant him the requested mercy. The skin by the man’s neck was burned nearly raw. If he twisted his neck, he would feel severe pain. Breaking his back would kill him, wouldn’t it? If given enough force? It should be instantaneous, or so Neil hoped.
He carefully picked up the man and brought up his knee. The sound of his bones snapping rent the air, shocking Neil. He laid the man on the ground. Was he dead? Neil tried to find a pulse on the man’s wrist and then his neck. When he wasn’t sure if he felt it or not, to be certain, Neil snapped his neck. After all of this, he wanted to be certain the man was dead.
Now, Neil hesitated. Yes, he would take the head. He hadn’t brought the American to his superior while alive, but he would bring the head at least.
Swiftly, he accomplished his goal. When he glanced over at the witnesses, the male grabbed the woman and pushed her back out of sight. Should he go after them? No. He would follow them and see where they were going. Surely they weren’t staying far from here. There wasn’t a lot of sunlight left in the day.
Neil pretended that he had left and hid in an alley far enough away that the trio would not be able to locate him. If they did happen to cross this way, he would hear them. That would give him enough warning to determine if he should act right then or whatever his next course of action should be. He had to wait an entire hour before they descended down the street. They examined the body. Although he could see them from his vantage point, he could not hear them. The wind was picking up, whistling through the half-destroyed buildings.
Destroyed. Killing.
Peace is our objective.
If that was truly the case, why did he have to kill?
Because they won’t stop.
But couldn’t they be reasoned with? Look at the architect. He was on their side now. Perhaps the government had fed their military lies. If every branch of a military rose up against its government, wouldn’t that country then be forced to listen?
Peace is our objective.
Neil had committed a mercy killing. For some perplexing and almost repulsive reason, he felt ashamed over that. Was he worried his action would disappoint the Colonel?
Yes, but that was ridiculous. The man would never have survived the trek. He would have hindered me from my mission.
To make up for his failing, Neil stalked the trio. Green berets he was certain now that he could see their hats. They were sent on missions all over the world. They knew the dangers, the pain, the suffering. They knew war like no other. If any would wish for all wars to cease, surely the green berets would be on board with that.
He was surprised by two points. One, the quartet had been walking for a fair while now. Their station was farther away than he’d anticipated. Two, the man was carrying the decapitated soldier, and two of the women were carrying another.
Soon enough, they halted. Neil hid behind a boulder and listened. It seemed they were taking a short rest. It was nearly night by now. Neil was growing anxious. The Colonel would be greatly displeased if he returned late, but he was nearly empty-handed. One head was not what the Colonel wished for. A living American or, better still, Americans.
Just a little while longer yet.
Neil risked a peek and staggered back as if shot through the heart.
One of the women was none other than the one from his dream, the one who he wished to marry, the one who gave him peace. Staring at her now, he felt more shocked than anything, but that same level of peace lingered.
How? How could the woman from his dream be real? How could it be that she wasn’t merely a figment of his imagination?
Was she a part of his past? But who was she?
And who was he?
Venom’s Vengeance.
But who had he been? This Nathaniel Strongarm? Who was he?
Did it matter?
What about peace?
Maybe she had been Nathaniel Strongarm’s peace, but did his peace mean more than worldwide peace?
No. Of course not.
Chapter 20
Shauna was weary, tired, and ready to drop. The weight of the dead soldier was enough to crush her even with Lela’s help, but she would never leave him behind. He had given his all. He deserved to be returned to his family.
Those other men should go home too. How many more have to die before the end is realized?
Fear was a powerful thing. Fear of nukes in the hands of insane men was the strongest kind of fear of all. It was paralyzing.
“Are you ready to keep going?” she asked Lela.
“Another moment. I finally have a signal. I’m going to try calling my mom.”
Shauna nodded, but when Lela moved to step away, Shauna grabbed her arm and shook her head. “Stick together.”
Lela nodded.
Alejandro eyed the corpses. "What do you think their stories are?"
"They're heroes," Shauna said simply.
"Because they died here?"
"Because they died fighting for their beliefs."
"But the Hidden Serpents have their beliefs too, and they're willing to die for them."
Shauna hesitated. "What happened to you believing that the good guys always win?"
"I don't know. The killer, that Venom's Vengeance, he isn't ordinary, is he?"
"So he picked up a man and broke his back. He's strong, but that doesn't make him invincible."
"If you could have one wish in the world granted, what would it be?" Alejandro asked. Before she could answer, he continued, "Me? I want to continue fighting. I do want to be a hero. And then I want to come home, find myself a nice woman, and pretend none of the horrors ever happened."
"Alejandro." She gaped at him. He was never this serious.
"Heroes are overrated. Life isn't a movie. It's a tragedy. People live, and for what? To be burned to ashes. To be decapitated. Why? Because certain people want to inflict their will upon the entire world. They claim they want peace, but it's a lie. All they want is power. They want to dominate, and in order to do so, they will decimate, devastate, and annihilate that same world. They lord themselves over the ashes. They don't care. Not about the world or its people. Just themselves."
"Did something happen?" she asked quietly.
"Did something happen?" he repeated angrily, but then sorrow burst through. He ran a hand over his buzz cut. "My brother found out that his wife has been cheating on him. The other guy is married too, and he knocked her up. The test results just came back. She initially asked for a divorce, but the other guy won't leave his wife. Samuel doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to leave a pregnant woman, but she'd been cheating on him for three years."
Shauna shook her head sadly. "Didn't they get married two years ago?"
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be two years married. They've been together for five. She's been unfaithful longer than she's been loyal. It's disgusting."
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
"Samuel called a few days ago, but I couldn't answer. His voicemail messages… He's a wreck. It doesn't help matters that he desperately wants to be a father."
"He doesn't need her for that. He can leave her and adopt a child," Shauna pointed out.
"He works crazy hours without a schedule. Plumbers aren't exactly what a caseworker wants when looking to place a child in a home."
"That shouldn't matter. A child needs a home. He or she should be placed in one."
"Damn it, Shauna. You're one of the good ones. Why do you have to be mixed up with Nathaniel?"
She slapped him.
"I deserved that. I spoke without thinking. I'm sorry."
Shauna was trembling with anger so much that she couldn't speak. She turned away, closed her eyes, and tried to count to ten. Her angry fists only tightened that much more.
Her heart literally ached. So much raw pain and suffering. The battlefield, the fights, the war. The threat of nukes and worldwide chaos. And then closer to home. Lela's mother fighting for her life. Alejandro's brother fighting for either his marriage or his pride. Alejandro trying to find his place.
And Shauna herself, trying to find her love or at least hope.
"Nathaniel, if you're out there, don't worry. I will find you. I will always love you."
A twig snapped. Shauna stilled. Was someone there?
For a long, painstaking minute, Shauna hesitated, watching, waiting. Nothing moved. No person or animal emerged from the nearby sandy underbrush. Maybe she'd imagined things. Maybe it had only been an animal.
Or maybe it was Venom's Vengeance.
"Guys, we need to roll out," she demanded. "Now."
Lela was just tucking her phone into her pocket. She grabbed the deceased soldier's boots. "Ready."
Shauna grabbed under his armpits, and with a grunt, they lifted the body. Alejandro struggled for a moment before securing the decapitated man onto his back. He nodded for the ladies to go first.
Shauna risked a glance behind. No one was there, yet she was certain someone was watching them.
"Head to the cave," she murmured to Lela.
"Wait. Why?"
Shauna ignored her and slowly stepped closer toward Alejandro. "The cave."
"You think someone's…"
"I'd just feel better."
He nodded and muttered, "I know better than to second-guess a woman."
She grinned. "And that goes double for me?"
"Of course, as long as you keep on pulling aside chocolate cake slices for me!"
She grinned, happy that he could joke again even if he was clearly not back to his normal self yet.
Then again, what is normal? I almost don't know if I'll ever feel normal again. Just being here is changing me. Even if we can find and save Nathaniel, will he like the new me? I'm panicky. I'm without hope. I'm fearful. I'm… Losing Nathaniel has been devastating, but I think it's the lack of hope that bothers me the most. That Venom's Vengeance, just how strong is he? Is he some kind of freak super soldier? If so, did they create him? Can they create more?
"Why create a super soldier unless you want war? I don't care how much they proclaim to want world peace. They don't. Just power." Shauna lowered her head, resigned.
"You act like I haven't thought of all of this before. They're terrorists. They care for no one who isn't a part of their ideology. Peace and freedom shouldn't be mutually exclusive, but what they want is a dictator for the entire world."
Trinity had been leading the way. Shauna hadn't realized she'd forgotten to tell the Warrant Officer that they were not returning to the base. Not until she went to look for her.
And couldn't find her.
Worse, Trinity had the map.
Even worse than that, it was so dark they could hardly see.
Chapter 21
Neil had watched, waited, and listened. The listening had been the hardest part. The Americans did not understand their way. They believed lies and half-truths. They accepted their ignorance gleefully. That's why they come here with guns to attack us before we can realize our true power.
But he could not help wondering if the woman, the one from his dreams, had the right of it. He shouldn't care about her, but somehow, he did. He not only cared, he loved.
Can Venom's Vengeance love? Do I deserve it?
He was a killer. A super soldier, yes. He knew that his strength, agility, and healing was not natural. The doctor had enhanced him, molded him. Fixed his mind.
Fixed? Or altered it?
When the woman had called out to Nathaniel, his heart had broken. A part of him shattered.
Nathaniel, if you're out there, don't worry. I will find you. I will always love you.
The thing was, Neil was worried. He was confused. Not frightened, though. He was too brave and powerful to ever be reduced to such a base emotion as fear.
If I was her Nathaniel, I am not any longer.
The thought made him hesitate, and that hesitation caused him to lose track of them. When he surveyed the area, the quarter had already walked away.
The sun was nearly set by now, but he could make out footprints. The man, deep and heavy. The dragging steps of the two women carrying the body. And the other woman? Off in another direction. Alone.
Although he knew better than to waste time feeling hope, he wished the woman with the map had switched with his dream woman. His pace increased, and he quickly caught up to the woman. Her short, black hair enraged him, but he kept his emotions in check as she glanced over. Her startled reaction and hesitation was just long enough for
him to grip her arm by the elbow.
"Who are you?" he asked.
Her eyes widened with anger, not fear. Interesting.
She tried to jerk away, but he squeezed harder until she flinched. Her spit landed on his cheek.
"Who was the woman with the brown hair? Shauna? Tell me about her."
"I will tell you nothing." She slammed her nose into his face and tried to kick him, but he maintained his balance.
"You want to headbutt? This is how you do it."
Neil demonstrated, and the woman promptly fell unconscious. With great ease, he picked her up and started to walk away. From his peripheral vision, he spied her map fall. He carefully laid her down, seized the map, and tucked it beneath his shirt. Then, he gathered her into his arms again. With long, measures strides, he walked all the way back to the Hidden Serpents.
For the first time, Colonel Kronston Taer was frustrated and anger with him. He cursed and berated him. That Neil had brought him a head did no favors this time. Not even the woman he did bring the Colonel could appease him.
"All that time and for one measly American? I could have gone out myself and gotten more than one! What were you doing that entire time?"
Neil's shirt was covered in spit, but he did not wipe it away. Fleetingly, he thought of the map but decided to keep that a secret for now. It might have nothing important marked off, and he did not wish to give Taer another reason to be disgusted with him. And if the map did prove useful, he could use it to return to the Colonel's good graces.
Did he want that though? Of course! Why wouldn't he?
But the Colonel was acting just like a dictator, just like the Americans feared of the Hidden Serpents. Then again, how else was a military command officer supposed to act?
Neil was so confused that he almost did not realize Taer was waiting for a response.
"Sir, the Americans are hiding, and they are not the only ones. I saw very few civilians during my trek."
"Bah. They are frightened of you."
"They shouldn't be," Neil said.
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