by Marc Mulero
"He will still need the key to enter. That will never change. He will understand this message. No further clarity is needed." Aslock took a step back. "I apologize for what happens next, but you cannot know the way to the entrance to our Citadel."
Before Biljin could respond, he saw a flash of blue that caused his vision to fade into nothingness. A pressure so dense, it was as if his head were a boulder of coal being crushed into a diamond. It was too soon to be taken back… he had so many questions. It didn’t matter. Here it came again, the sensation of his body being lifted as he slipped from consciousness.
Chapter 8
Lito rubbed bloodshot eyes and massaged throbbing temples. He was hunched, exhausted, but somehow kept moving towards the door. Endless begging replayed in his mind on loop. The screams, the bombs, all of those people he’d betrayed. All of those people he’d sentenced to death just days ago. Pounding of desperate fists on the other side of the fortress door panged against his head like thunder. “Save the young!”… “They’re only children!”… “My baby girl!”… it was all muffled, but he could make it out. Then came the bombs. The Hiezers causing everything to go quiet as they always did in this endless loop.
There he remained to wallow in darkness, until the shloop of two suctions and the pop of his ears sucked him back to reality. As he walked, he kept his eyes to the floor to see sets of feet scurrying back from his path, and then felt the pinch of Uldan’s fingers on his neck to jolt him upright.
The builder was beside him, smoking scented tobacco from a long pipe emerging from the mop of his stringy gray hair. If that didn’t do it, his frayed cardigan surely dated him, but there was something different about him. A heroic spirit… a spark, that kept him bright.
“A good deal of time has passed with no sign of Hiezer retaliation. All they’ve done so far is cut the electricity, but we expected that.” A few puffs of smoke rose over his face.
“It’s time then, isn’t it? I have to face what I’ve done.” A part of Lito’s solemn tone was hopeful, as if Uldan would tell him no, to go back to bed and sleep away his days until this all disappeared, until they were all dust.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Uldan comforted. "If not for your decision, we would have all been incinerated."
"Doesn't make this any easier…"
The scorching main floor was filled with glistening Sins who were homeless just days ago. Cramped caves were replaced with high ceilings. Rival tribes put aside their differences in light of a greater purpose: to band together against a common enemy. Many were excitedly exchanging stories, speaking of triumph for the first time. And among them, a mess of dark hair and a staggered step caught Lito's eye. Drunken Oscin stumbled through the crowd in an awkward stupor, seemingly embracing the unfamiliar environment.
Lito sighed at the sight of the others mourning lost loved ones, many of whom remained patiently at the front door, crowding around wistfully, awaiting closure for those missing.
He lifted his head. "I'll bet you never imagined to be this deep in the dirt as a builder, Uldan."
"In a more civilized time, I would’ve been referred to as an architect. But as a builder, I imagined dirt in my future for a good while now."
"Fancy names don't belong in the exiled lands. We have more important things to worry about.”
"Usually I would respond by saying it's all just a matter of perspective, but I've seen enough in my few short years in exile to know that I’d be wrong. I truly do believe that we’re on the side of purpose, of good. When I was a Terra, I didn't even think of factions or classes. I just blindly did my work and cared only for my family and friends, thinking I was lucky to survive the Quake in the first place. That I should keep my head down because I was on borrowed time. Oh, how irresponsible and selfish I was.”
Lito smiled. "Primo, I didn't know you could be so-"
"Stupid?" Uldan smiled back.
“I was going to say proper, but…” Lito earned a hearty laugh from Uldan.
They then turned to Oscin making his way over, expressions dropping from the sorry sight, even a tsk from Uldan’s mouth was heard when the drunk acknowledged them with a sarcastic salute.
“Pathetic,” the builder muttered.
“Are you joining us? It’s not going to be pretty,” Lito warned.
“Finally grew a pair, huh? A turtle peeking from his shell. What a mess, huh?” Oscin elbowed Uldan, oblivious to his disgust.
Lito slapped him upside the head and pulled his hair so they were both hunched. “Have some respect, eh? These people are broken… lost many loved ones on my account. Because of what I’ve done. Now we face the music.”
Oscin hiccupped and eyed the group surrounding the door.
“We clean it up quick, okay?” Lito looked to Uldan. “Let these people find closure, then we get the graves moving. I’ll have a perimeter of guards on rotation while you and your crew coordinate our defenses.”
A curt nod was all that was needed.
Oscin was still catching up with his mouth half-open, peering over to the citizens, before backing up to his commander. “I-I’m sorry, boss,” he admitted regretfully. “It just dawned on me what they’re waiting for.”
“Mm,” was all Lito could say as he shifted to the door. “Alright everyone, step aside. Step aside. Excuse me, lo siento.” He maneuvered through the dormant crowd. “I’ll be the first to exit. Wait for my signal, eh? We don’t know if the Hiezers have snipers standing by in the distance.”
Lito hesitated. Seeing the massive doors up close again reignited trauma of the highest degree. Pounding… thumping… children’s cries. But he had to move past it. A hundred sets of sunken eyes begged for it. And so he tightened his jaw and pushed forward with the help of Oscin and Uldan, his friends.
A deep bellow sounded as if the doors themselves were mourning the dead.
His heart dropped. Usually in life, a wild imagination is exponentially worse than the reality faced. But this was not one of those times. Human remains littered the ground like stomped out overgrown flowers… flies were the bees, thousands of them pollinating. Everything was perverted, leaving his wires short-circuiting. Somewhere in the back of his mind he’d been holding on to some naïve thought, that maybe he’d gotten everyone in on time, that everything was okay.
It wasn’t.
Uldan and Oscin walked past the bodies covering their noses, flanking their commander, waiting for his order, but all he did was bow his head to each fallen Sin, apologizing, praying, the lump in his throat swelling to the point where he felt he soon wouldn’t be able to breathe.
I let this happen….
Lito pounded his chest twice and his eyes glossed over with tears.
“Muerte. Endless muerte.”
He took a few slow steps in between the corpses, not at all registering the stench, and instead remembering the jet ride he took to get there. The promise of Bulchevin fists punching the air at his arrival. Now this. He dropped to his knees next to a dead elderly woman cradling a fallen child.
"This is what I called in. I caused this," Lito said aloud in an unusually deep voice, holding back a sob.
Oscin turned his head in his foggy haze, hearing his commander's despair.
Lito was still lost on the sculpture in front of him, locked into the final moments of fear etched onto their faces. A scrap of metal had impaled the woman’s head, propping her like a figurine, skin pale as a ghost. Her mouth gaped open with a soundless scream of terror forever frozen on her lips. He could almost feel the air of her voice as he touched a finger against rotting skin. Then his watery eyes glared at the child. Innocence in the purist form - a two-year-old with no signs of mortal wounds except for the lack of a pulse.
He squeezed his eyes shut, allowing tears to finally roll. “I could’ve done more.” Head bowed, voice low. “Lo siento, little one.” He grabbed onto her bloated hand and hit his chest with a clenched fist, trying to stop the rising anxiety stemming from his heart.
The rest of the Sins began to pile out from behind the massive front door.
"You can't let them see you like this, Lito," Oscin said, stopping right next to him. "C'mon, get up." He grabbed his commander’s arm. "Do what you do best and secure our new home."
Lito heard an echo of Oscin's words, but felt no energy within his body while being hoisted upward.
I remember this feeling… crawling, climbing out of those mines to see sallow faces, all of them afraid to tell me the news of mi hermano y mama. Slaughtered. Well… here we are again, Hiezers. Here we are again…
Volaina swung down a helicopter’s rope ladder like a twirling lasso, watching unkempt pastures turn to landscaped masterpieces beneath her feet. Huddled treetops became sparse and trim, and mud roads transformed into cobblestone pathways. The beginning of the elite. Dactuar territory. The grounds grew nearer as the chopper lowered, coordinates almost reached.
Lower.
Lower.
Crunch.
She hit the earth hard, touching her hand to the floor to rebalance, before rising anew. Sleek Hiezer combat-wear coated her body, a black skintight mask stretched down her face, and four white claw marks reached across her torso like she’d been mauled by a tiger – a general’s mark. General Caova to be exact.
"Godspeed, Commander," the pilot radioed before he was off.
Caova Melinstros, battle general from the Suno-tel Squad. Is there a worse person to impersonate? I think not…
One wrong move, one waver from this bitch’s poise, and I’m dead. Think Volaina, think. Showing up unannounced will be the biggest hurdle. Better start off right… exactly how she would.
Silently she darted through a creek lined with boulders, her figure but a shadow between the cracks. She searched for signs of life, movement, anything to reassure her that she hadn’t been dropped into a barren garden.
Nothing. Just the sound of trickling water splashing against her boots.
So she crept onward, up molded steps leading to enormous houses, both of which displayed so much evidence of life, but still nothing. Everything was barren.
Each of these Estates could have fit ten of my homes back in Old Russia. They’re enormous. It’s stupid to think that one family would need so much space. Luxury? Pfft. Needless.
But where is everyone? A show with no one here to perform? Where are the families… the actors? The Hiezers are pulling an ambush with no bait… leaving every opportunity for the Rogues to get wise to the attack before it happens.
She crouched and sped forward with her rifle drawn, making herself paranoid, feeling eyes on her at every turn, Templos or Hiezer. Suddenly she felt like the bait. The intercepted mission log led her here… coordinates less than two hundred feet away. The rendezvous point - a mission led by Hiezer General Trillus - a conditioned madman, if there ever was one. Was she in the middle of the trap about to be sprung? Did they already see her?
I’m not sure what to expect of the infamous Trillus, but I know that I have to think like him if I’m to survive this.
She took a quick survey of her surroundings and instead of remaining out in the open for another second, sprinted off toward an area of thick greenery to stay hidden.
Of course… where else would they hide? The Estate would be too obvious. Too many casualties. Get ‘em from the rear.
One hundred feet to the coordinates.
That open pathway might be a good point of introduction. I have to make a show, be arrogant, like a general of this caliber would. That’s the only way to have them overlook my strange uninvited presence.
Volaina entered into grounds with large trees and began to shuffle between them. A trail of bent grass and dirt footsteps led her on. She was close.
They’re going to be pissed. I’m a slap in the face to those who organized all of this. But I have to hope they’ll excuse it as Hiezer overconfidence… something that there’s no shortage of. I’m their ally. I’m the same as them.
Thirty feet.
Her heart fluttered and her pulse quickened upon spotting the Hiezer elites readying themselves.
Gather yourself, Volaina. The audio recordings of Caova prove that she was a fierce woman, much harsher than I’ve ever tried to emulate. I need to focus… and pray that Trillus doesn't know her too well.
The Sin commander took a deep breath and slipped around the back of a tall chestnut oak, disappearing from the view of a nearby Hiezer guard alerted to her presence. He’d reacted to the sound of a footstep a second too late, for a pistol was already pressed to his head.
"Get up," she masked her Russian accent. "Take me to Trillus. Quietly."
The guard cursed in defeat. "Who… who are you?"
Volaina turned swiftly at the sound of bushes rustling behind her and then flipped the soldier around to face the approaching general.
“What the hell is going on here?” General Trillus grilled.
"You should train your soldiers to be more vigilant, general. What if I were one of the Templos Rogues?"
"Caova, what in the high heavens brings you to my sting? Weren't you stationed in Senation?"
His tension eased upon seeing his equal. A golden ring framed one of the eye patches on his Hiezer mask, distinguishing him from the crowd of soldiers spread out behind him.
"I completed my mission timely and prefer not to dwindle unassigned. The Quartermaster informed me that this was a pivotal operation, so I made my way to assist you." Volaina lowered her gun and folded her arms instead of turning the weapon on the famed general, like she wanted to.
Trillus looked down in thought, mask creasing from a furrowed brow. He was skeptical, feeling as though something was off, and comfortable that all other eyes of the Hiezer elite standing behind him stayed on Volaina as if Trillus’ own weapons were pointed. “You could have simply radioed.”
“Hmph, when have you known me to ask for anything politely?” she gambled.
Palms became clammy within her gloves. She could see it – he still didn’t believe her. This must not be how Caova handles business. Out of character. Dead. A tear of sweat crawled down from her forehead, itching every pore as it trickled to her cheek.
A rabbit in a cage. That’s all I am now. No means to defend myself… my life hinges on Trillus’ next move.
"I’ve heard no news of this from Quartermaster Moln," Trillus affirmed.
"I don't take orders from a temporary quartermaster. Howard gave me this assignment," she replied harshly.
"Wes? He's in captivity with the Sins. What are you talking about?"
"Hah!" Volaina took a step closer to Trillus. "Unprepared and ill-informed. Perhaps I should take over this squad?"
Trillus turned his head to nod at one of his guards.
"Careful, general,” she warned. “Do you think a quartermaster who's been locked up would want to hear from an elite with backlogged intel?"
Trillus kept his focus on the beckoned guard, who was waiting for a response from headquarters.
"That's enough, Caova. Let me verify this information. Our focus has been this mission. You just bust in here and disrupt my sting, there better be good reason for it!"
He’s facing away from me and his finger isn't on the trigger… he trusts that I'm one of them. But, if he contacts Wes directly, I’ll just be another Sin trophy hanging on their wall.
The elite guard held a small device up to his ear. "It's true, Mulderan and Wes have escaped."
Trillus nodded and looked back to Volaina. "That's good enough for me." He stepped in close to Volaina and spoke quietly, "I'm glad to have someone of your caliber aiding us. But remember, this is my command. I've already taken more lip than I'm willing to tolerate. So fall in and help us capture this lot, and make an example of them."
"Fair enough," Volaina lightly pushed him back with one hand. "Let's kill some Rogues."
Trillus turned and raised his voice, "Get General Caova scanned and briefed. We expect the Rogues to storm at O-six hundred."
Trillus f
ramed his eye to salute Volaina and walked back to his position.
"Over here, general," a guard beckoned with a scanner in hand.
Volaina confidently walked over to the guard while nearly hyperventilating in her combat-wear from the previous exchange.
"I worked with you in the Rescobar Retreat," the guard said, holding out a firm hand to greet.
"What's your name, soldier?" Volaina asked.
"Alice Dirna," she replied.
"I don't recall," Volaina said harshly, trying hard to maintain Caova's voice.
"I understand, I was just a rookie then. It was a long time ago and halfway around the world. I'm only a step away from being administered into the Hiezer Elite Guard," the guard said proudly.
"Keep it up. What skill set are you focusing on?”
Alice scanned Volaina's boots while being spoken to. "Espionage and ambush," she responded.
Just fucking great.
"You look thinner than the last time we carried out a mission," Alice commented somewhat curiously.
"That may be so. I've been on back to back assignments for a while now, with little time to bulk."
"What were your last missions? It would be an honor to hear what an elite like yourself is heeded for," Alice probed.
Either she's suspicious of me or overly curious….
"Don't you have details to brief me on?" Volaina raised her voice.
"O- of course, general, right this way." Alice lowered her eyes in disappointment.
Two Hiezer elites were mid-conversation when Alice and Volaina made their way over to them.
“The Dactuars have great real estate, don’t you think?” one elite noted. “Furthest away from any bodies of water in spread out, open land… the dream!”
“Yep,” the other elite agreed. “Prime location to be in case of another quake. No potential for tsunamis or construct fallout. These guys sit pretty.”
"What do you think? Is this place second to the City of Nepsys?" the first guard asked.
“Hmm, up for debate, but these coordinates are close to a landmark – the Centric Crater – so there’s definitely more value in this territory for me. I’ve been wondering for over a decade why it was ever closed off. It could be a goddamn theme park for my kids…”
