by Ayman Ghalit
“Oh! Trust me on this, we will,” said Mort.
“No, you won’t… I wanted you to know that we are not Heroes. So, pardon, you may grant us, if we happen to decide your fate.”
“Fate! And what will it be?” Jack worryingly said
“We don’t know yet,” Ulz replied, “We are not going to waste bullets on subjects under our control. Am thinking lethal injection? or to the incinerator?”
“What the hell, man,” Bob nervously responded. “Dude, I thought that we were friends. I mean, all that cool story and everything.”
Arthur responded, “It is to clear your mind, fatty. Besides, am still the bad guy, no? ...hmm? Am thinking of another way to discard you. Am thinking of putting every one of you inside astronaut suits, and part you in deferent directions in space. Leaving you to loneliness, remorse, hunger, and hopes that will never come.”
“Geniuses as always,” Hunfried replied, “But I do believe that we lack the proper suit for the fat one.”
Arthur chuckled, “There is nothing better than floating nude in space. Good feeling, trust me.”
Bob wanted to speak, but got interrupted by rapid and urgent door knocking that irritated Arthur who loudly roared “Alright!” A soldier then came, saluted him, and shockingly said, “Sir, you gotta see what’s in the ship.”
“What is it?” Hunfried asked.
“Your eyes will surly describe what my mouth can’t.”
“Hmm? sound promising,” said Arthur. “Alright, we will go, but before that, check their cuffs, bolt the door up, and follow us.”
Arthur, Ulz and Hunfried went curious. Arthur said to them before exiting the room, “Don’t do anything stupid.” Then, the soldier did what he has been told and left them largely alone.
Preordained Choices
Jack, who were in chaining fear, was the first to break the silence that was crippling the office, saying, “They will not let go of us. They will not let go of us.... When will these constant woes end? am really sick of this.”
With concerning voice, Kais replied, “I don’t think it will end anytime soon. They are heading for the gold, therefore, what we must be thinking of right now is a believable concrete story to tell, for they will certainly ask us where and how.”
Mort was silently grim, staring at his hand cuffs in a deep disappointed concern. Carl, who suggested that they mustn’t tell anything about the Phugwak Planet; for he may command them to heed him back there, told them to say that they’ve found a wrecked cargo ship that collided with an asteroid. It happened to be transferring gold. They searched it, not for the sake of philanthropy or promising greed, rather it was the sake of finding any lead that might put them back on track. They all inconveniently agreed to that story. And after a while, Gael glanced Mort who clearly wasn’t paying any attention, paused in thoughts for a moment, then he loudly chuckle. Mort looked him with a loathed face, and asked, “What’s so funny, you stupid kid?”
Gael wanted to answer, but couldn’t help but to burst out laughing loud.
“What’s the matter with you?” asked Jack, “We are in deep shit and you are laughing?”
Gael hardly curbed down his laughter, cleared his thought, and answered, “Worry not, am not laughing at you. I was laughing at this sarcastic fate. I mean, all the hard work, the dreams, and all the delightful expectation will be blown with the wind. And by the wind, I mean Arthur, who will take it all.”
“And you find this funny!?” Mort grimly asked.
“No, what I do find fun is that your ‘handsome generosity’ went in vain.”
“Aha! you are talking about my fair portion? Whether you liked it or not, it is my right that I will never let go of.”
“We will see how this mouth will function when Arthur bend you to his liking.”
Mort shock his cuffs before him, and said, “If it was strength that I have.”
Bob, who was worried and bothered by their topic, roared saying, “KNOCK IT OFF! Let’s focus… What the hell are we going to do about this? This guy will never let go of us so easy. He is going to kill us. He will throw me naked in space. This is an end I didn’t even think of! Do you know what happen to the human body in space!? I heard that due to the pressure, your brain will be squeezed out through your nose and ears, and your blood vessels will explode and will gush out blood through your skin pores. Leaving you to face a horrible death!”
Carl responded, “It’s not true, except for the horrible death part. Just stick to my plan for now. And don’t forget the story. We will try to reason and beg them if we have to.”
“Are you stupid?” Jack replied, “the guy is clearly nuts. He thinks that he can form a friendship with a planet! Besides, with that much amount of bounty on his head, it is beyond doubt that he will not let go of us. So, what are we going to do if your plan doesn’t work?”
“The gold, which he will devour whole, will prove to him that we weren’t seeking him. That might loosen his grip on us. I doubt that he will kill us, but if he happens to be willing to do that, then we will have to use our last surviving card.”
“And which one is that?” they all asked.
“The Phugwak Planet.” Carl answered. “We will tell him about the true origin of the gold. That will spare us some time by heeding him back there.”
A burdening and concerning atmosphere clouded the room. Kaiser, who felt irritated from overthinking this situation, despairingly sighed, and said, “Let us hope... let us hope that he will leave us be.”
Gael thought for moments, and broke the silence that followed after, by asking “So, Carl. Do you believe my nonsensical superstition now?”
“I can’t be sure, which one do you mean?”
“The preordained choices! The Previously Written Plan for the Phugwaks. Plans written on sacred and secured tablets by the superior and the supreme. The one who created all of this. The gold is not meant to be our, thus, we will never benefit from it. That what shall happen no matter what.”
“Sacred tablets!” Carl sarcastically mumbled. “What about Arthur who is clearly not a Phugwak? He will take it, and he will benefit from it. Your argument is invalid no matter how much you sculpt it.”
Gael wanted to respond, but the door unlocked and opened by Arthur who was carrying two big golden ores, looking at them with a big smile that didn’t bring comfort nor easement to them.
Noosing Debt
Morton felt completely done when Arthur placed the golds upon his shining brown desk. He smilingly sat, and said, “Wasn’t it an eye-curing sight, Hunfried?”
“Indeed. It’s been quite a while since we enjoyed such view. Wondering I am right now, how come these fellas managed to treasure all of this without been noticed!?”
“Hmm! True. It seems that they are different, and much more fun than we expected, and surly with a fascinating story that am dying to hear… We analyzed the gold and couldn’t find any trace of radiation that might lead us to the usage of an atom converter. The gold was 100% pure. You *pointing at Carl* speak the truth, how and where did you get the gold?”
Carl chose to keep silent for a moment till he got threatened by Hunfried. Then he told them about his made-up story. Arthur, who hummed in disbelieve, questionably replied, “A gold cargo ship got wrecked and no one heard about it? Seems odd. Are you making fool of us?”
“No!” Carl confoundingly responded. “How else are we supposed to lay our hand on such amount of gold? We are not bandits, nor are we fit for piracy.”
“Founding a gold planet might be a reasonable story to tell, no?” Ulz replied.
Carl felt a little bit nervous, but he managed to keep calm as he sarcastically chuckled, saying, “Gold planet! That’s magical, and am pretty sure Luck wouldn’t grant us such thing.”
Arthur paused in thoughts for moments as he slowly started to believe their claim, saying, “Nonetheless… Am certain that you are wondering what am I going to do. I shall tell you... First, the gold is ours now, not because we are some kin
d of thieves or bandits! No. It is because it’s not yours either. In cases like this, the human will likely return to the first stages of his nature. And by that, I mean, only the strong shall prevail. I do believe it is clear who is strong and who have the upper hand in this case. Hate me not, hence this is how things goes... Agreed?”
Kaiser, who felt no fear anymore, faintly cackled, and replied, “I do believe that we are not in a position that allows us to disagree. You started with ‘first,’ and I am eager to know what is second.”
“Alright... Unfortunately for you, your existent became a threat to my freedom and survivor, for that, I am awfully sorry to tell that I have to… eradicate you.”
Fear branched in Jack’s chest, who nervously said, “What the hell, man. You-You don’t have to do this. We swear that weren’t looking for you.
“Take all the gold, and leave us be,” Bob added.
Arthur’s face turned disgusted, saying, “What is this!? This is how you respond to one who took all the gold from you! Are you really going to live a better carefree life if I let you go empty handed? Fight or die in situation like this, you worthless brats. I took it all from you. I slew the throats of your dreams and hopes, and this how you respond!?”
“Do you see us in a situation that allows us to fight?” Gael answered. “Besides, life is what’s matter for us now. we care not about the gold.”
“How foolish.” Ulz roared. “You have to at least shout and cry out load “This is My right.” Ugh, how disgusted I feel seeing oblivious, spoiled, and good for nothing young men. Discard them, Arthur, the humanity doesn’t need them.”
“Fuck you!” Mort surprisingly roared. “It is my gold and you have no right to lay a hand on it.”
“Yours!” Hunfried questioned. “How narcissist. It is not yours any more. And don’t curse again, for it will be your last words.”
“Fuck you all! …And for god sake, where the hell do you think you are going to run? The whole galaxy is searching for your head. Pity indeed, for you will only be able to take picture with that gold.”
Arthur smiled in admiration, and said, “Are you a fool? The gold will grant me absolution and will provide me with security. Not in Earth, of course, but in another solar system where Leonard’s order doesn’t apply.”
Jack tried to tickle his empathy, saying, “Please, as we all implore your mercy, take the gold and leave us be. What are we going to say? ‘We’ve found you in the middle of nowhere?’ please spare us, not for our sake, but for the sake of our families. Their eyes will sore weeping us, hoping for our return that will never happen.”
“If this is the case, then worry not. For we will inform them that you are deceased. They will weep, but for a short period of time that will depend on the amount of love that they held for you. After that, they will accept the reality and move on. They will dance, laugh, and sing after that I assure you. It is sad and depressing, indeed, but this is life, son.”
Carl hoped he will listen to reason by trying to prove his admiration toward him, saying “I swear that you were my Hero, and still. You are not an evil person. Praiseworthy, we beg of you that you have mercy on us.”
Arthur looked him hard in the eyes, and said, “Don’t say that name again! I killed lots of people who were much younger and more beautiful than you. You are not special or better than them … Ulz! make haste and take their names. let’s get this over with as soon as possible,”
Though, they felt a little bit of comfort when Arthur told them his story, but now they’ve been quaked by fear after realizing that they are still under the mercy of an outlaw who cares not about authority or feelings. Ulz took their IDs and began righting their names while reading them loud enough for everyone to hear. He started with the full name of Kaiser, Jack, Bob, Morton, and when he reached Gael, he confusingly paused for a moment, then he spelled his full name while looking at Arthur in disbelieve.
“Halt!” Arthur commanded. “Who is the Crimsonton amongst you?”
“It is I,” Gael answered.
“Your father is Richard Henry? Richard, the infamous Crimsonton! The one who amassed it all?”
“Yes, I am his elder son.”
Arthur and his companions looked at each other in disbelieve. Carl puzzlingly looked at Gael, and asked, “You are a Crimsonton!?”
Hunfried hummed, and said, “Shocking surprise, indeed. We can double our money by ransoming the Crimsonton. Your dad will handsomely pay for you. But, I find it difficult to believe that you are one. What made a Crimsonton hang with vermin like these? And why does he seem to be all by himself?”
Arthur asked, “What is your name again?”
“Gael,” he answered.
“That indeed rang a bell. You have four elder sisters, right? ...Your father clearly wasn’t entirely content with that, for he was waiting for a son that carries the name… Curses! this surly brought warming nostalgic feelings. Holy heavens, what a pleasant coincident is this! I do recall the day your father called for a fancy celebration, saying, “The long a waited hire has finally arrived. The son who will carry the name a bit further, is secured at last.” It was long time ago, and I was one of the invitees, it was…”
With bothered face Hunfried interrupted him saying, “Enough with this endless nonsense of yours, I see you leaning for them! Let us remorse him. He will be more lucrative than the whole gold.”
“That won’t happen, Hunfried.”
“What!” said Ulz. “Zero-Risk-Security is what made us free and alive till this day. Feelings are weakness, you know.”
“Am sure you know that it is not feelings. It is a debt the I must repay. No matter how much blood I’ve shed, honor didn’t fade from my heart. I will never backstab Richard.”
“Think twice, Arthur. They will seek vengeance if not the bounty. We will never let them escape with the gold, you know.”
“Of course, we will not. I will think of a better way. hmm? surprising turn of event, indeed. Finally, I can die happy without being owed by anyone, at last.”
Fear slightly thaws from their chests, revealing shards of glowing hope. Hope of an end to these constant ordeals. But Arthur’s thoughts froze it again by saying, “Alright, kill them all, except for the Crimsonton.”
“No, no. No please. They are my friends. And doing so will stain your image in my father’s eyes... please, let us be.”
Arthur, after letting out a burdensome sigh, said, “You know what! Am really sickened by this masqueraded manliness that I always ware. The tough unbreakable act is too much for me… am not like this.”
“Arthur! get a grip for God’s sake,” Hunfried urged.
“Enough!” Arthur gruntingly replied. “We were on the run for too god damn long time. I had enough of this. I think the core problem which brought us to this dreary outcome is that we are too afraid to show our good sympathetic side to the others, thinking it is weakness… for what is that!?”
A moment of doubtful silence broke into the room. Arthur’s words divulged how sickened and fragile he was. Ulz exhaled as he agreed on what Arthur said, saying, “You are right about the running part, yet we must be cautious.”
“It is done, Ulz... let them go, but before they do, take every piece of gold from the ship. Vacuum it twice, don’t let any piece slip from us. Dismantle the ship’s UPS, computer memory, and the tracking system. The ship is Amoon, it has a light bending system, destroy it, and decrease it speed to half lightspeed.”
Mort, whom was not happy, said, “C’mon! leave me at least something.”
“Alright, leave him the radio.”
“What the fuck is this? And why bother? Just get rid of it whole already”
Hunfried aggressively roared at Mort, “You damn ingrate! We generously spared you the radio and your life, yet we don’t find you thankful enough! It is your previous behavior that led to this fair judgment of ours. Be happy with what you got, for it will never sweeten.”
Moments of liberating and soothing feelings hugge
d their hearts, except for angered Mort who was murmuring in dissatisfaction. Gael thanked Arthur, and curiously asked. “How much do you know about my Father?”
“Not very much, we shook hands three or four times. He congratulated me while I was being honored by Leonard amidst the celebrating that followed our victory in the Fading-Stars Battle. Frankly, he was the only one who wasn’t joyful or even happy about the war. He met me with straight face, and shockingly, he warned, “It is not going to end. Think twice for the days to come.” And the favor your father did to me is that he was the one who personally informed me about Leonard’s foul intention for my golden planet. Some says that he did it for the sake of his own interest, for he was in concern that Leonard might find an alternative rich-man, or becoming rich himself, therefore, your father will lose being the one with the upper hand. Wherever the reason was, he still did me a favor, for I would never stand seeing another benefit from my planet. I couldn’t allow worthless parasites to infest and grow upon my rights.”
“Am sorry to hear that.”
“Nah. Trust me on this, I am more than happy knowing that I surly did make Leonard angrily bites his finger. Otherwise, you would find me stuck in remorse while being gloated by many.”
“What is your order now?” Ulz asked.
“Uncuff, and place them in a room till you finish the work in ship. Provide them with food and drinks. And when the ship is empty and ready, let someone escort them to the it, and after they are in, shoot it to Cotharam’s Wormhole by one of the Push-by-Light cannons. It should teleport them near Earth’s Solar System. By half lightspeed, the ship will deliver you there, don’t worry.”
“Are you sure about this? It is risky!” Hunfried said.
“Yes, am sure.” He assured, looked at Gael, and said, “Send my regards to your Father.” He answered him “I will, and thank you for your concern.”
Ulz called one of the soldiers and ordered him to do what he has been told. He did, and before Carl exit the room, Arthur, who cracked an admiring smile, asked, “Is it true when you said that the people sees us as heroes?”
