by Madlen Namro
“I’m sure this is what I want. I want my memory back. I want to know the truth. Maybe I didn’t think it would matter so much to me, but now I just want to be myself again. I want my identity.”
Magdalena looked at the disc in her hand. She knew Jo did not have the access codes; otherwise, she wouldn’t have travelled all this way just to get to her.
“All right.” She soothingly stroked Jo’s hair. “But remember…” She looked her straight in the eyes. “…You asked for it.”
* * * *
The commandos made it to the hotel where Jo was staying and retraced her steps to find out she’d rented a car from the base.
David logged into the satellite system and soon they knew exactly where she’d parked. It was even worse than they’d feared. She was in the very centre of Old Cairo. There was no time to lose.
While the others were getting ready to go, David decided to quickly connect Atlantis and find out about the state of the Old Cairo assault. As soon as he logged into his server, he noticed a message addressed to all three of them from the senator, who apologised and told them all to leave the city immediately. It was about to be destroyed in only a few hours.
Disconsolate, they got into an old rented car, the last one remaining at the base, and sped off towards Jo’s location. Meanwhile, Atlantis was filled with insistent buzz. Most of its residents had gathered in the computer hall to watch the UN bombardment, or rather a terrorist missile which was to be reprogrammed and guided from the base to change its target. Instead of Freestation it would hit the attackers themselves, destroying Old Cairo.
Diana was nervously rocking her child in her arms. Eric, Leon and Margaret were standing beside her, others come to join them. The news of the commandos’ unauthorised flight to Earth had spread quickly. The programmers began taking their seats at the consoles, with the central one taken by the chief computer specialist. Members of the Defence Council lined up behind him. Tense and edgy, they were all anxiously awaiting zero hour, uncertain if their plan would come off, concerned for the commandos caught up down there and pondering what the world would look like in a few hours.
All the software and data had been checked, as was the uplink which was to allow connection with the missile to redirect it to level Old Cairo and smoke the enemy out. They needed to wait for the terrorists to initiate the attack sequence on the United Nations base before data could be redirected.
As soon as it was time, the programmer broke into the missile’s chip and entered the new target coordinates, all seemingly easy, thanks to the microscopic transmitter, a microprocessor planted in the terrorists’ computer. It was almost undetectable, but should the worst happen it was programmed to self-destruct.
Diana found it difficult to breathe. Her mental state was a complete mess.
“My husband chased after her. He left his family without a word and chased after her!”
“Diana,” Margaret calmed her down, “please be quiet for a moment.”
Suddenly, the senator entered the room. He walked briskly past the gathered crowd and almost ran up to the chief programmer, grabbing him by the throat violently. With surprising dexterity he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the men’s head. The room froze, holding their breath in shock.
“Nobody move!” The senator’s calm voice soared across the room. “I will not allow you to kill them. Not only the commandos, but all the innocent people living in that city!”
“You’re a traitor!” One of the councilmen gathered his courage to speak up. “You’re interfering with the council’s decision.”
“Silence!” The senator was not looking for a debate. “The attack on Old Cairo is to be cancelled.”
* * * *
Levi and his companions were nearing Old Cairo when they got caught up in a sand storm, a weather nuisance typical for the turn of April and May. The sand whirling in the air blocked their view completely.
“We have to pull over,” the commodore bellowed at
Alec, trying to shout over the roar.
“We can’t!” The wind was worrying the car more
violently with every passing minute. “We’ve got to save
Jo!”
“Pull over, damn you!” David jumped at the driver and the car begun to slowly turn towards the rust coloured
madness.
The roar of the wind would get even louder only to let
go a moment later, as if preparing for another assault.
Minutes passed. Trapped in their car, they waited for the air
to clear. They were covered in dirty sand from head to toe.
Some of the windows must have been leaking.
“Jo wasn’t happy with me,” Alec unexpectedly stated in
a calm voice.
David wiped at his face. Levi was doing his best to spit
out the sand that got inside his mouth.
“Hardly surprising since you fucked someone else!”
David’s dislike for Alec could not have been more
apparent. The fact that they were on the same side now had
not been enough to change it. Without even thinking, Alec
twitched and grabbed David.
“Let go.” David pulled out of the man’s grasp and
stepped out of the car to dust himself off. “You’re a piece
of shit, man.”
Sensing another fight in the air, the commodore quickly
got behind the wheel. They had no time for this, but David
did not even look in Levi’s direction. Instead, he walked up
to Alec.
“Listen, I’m sorry, okay?” He reached his hand out to
him.
Alec did not return the gesture. Luckily the old engine
finally started and they could get on their way.
* * * *
“You will not strike at Old Cairo.” The senator’s confidence was now his only strength. “I will not allow it.” Members of the Defence Council calmly observed the old man who had stood up for the absentees, but they all agreed that destroying the terrorists was much more important than the lives of four commandos. They tried to anticipate his next move, curious if and how he had planned to ensure Cairo was not attacked. He would not be mad enough to let Freestation be destroyed, would he? But the senator must have forgotten that all the great people of the world always had a back up plan, for any situation. As he stood there, paralysed, with his gun still aimed at the technician’s temple, there was a silent swishing sound and a bullet, miraculously making its way past all the people, cutting through the air and softly bit straight into the senator’s heart. The old man slumped to the floor. Quickly, in a perfectly coordinated way, the body was removed and in a matter of minutes all traces of the incident had disappeared as if it had never happened.
The terrifying scene took place in nearly complete silence, with only a crying baby and a woman laughing hysterically somewhere from the back.
He, one of the universe’s most skilled assassins, silently walked up to the president and accepted his silent nod of gratitude before walking away, unnoticed. He is just another man in the crowd. Victor’s actions were always discrete. He was a tracker and the president’s right-hand man. A loner as he was, he did have one true friend – Levi, a fact he was often forced to hide due to his profession. He was greatly worried about his friend, but there was a strong feeling of hope driving him on. The commandos would make it out alive. They had to.
Meanwhile, the programmer typed in the password, thus taking the struggle against terrorism to another level. LOAD4975 enter 5, a message popped up on the screen signalling that they had accessed the enemy’s mainframe. The missile’s trajectory needed to be altered. The data transfer was fast and successful. Several minutes later it fell on the northern part of Old Cairo, near the pyramids, destroying the enemy’s hideout and everything around it. As Atlantis erupted with countless cheers, three startled commandos looked out of the car’s windows at the thick cloud of sm
oke rising above the city. The wailing sirens could not deaden the screams racing through their minds. Were Jo and Magdalena still alive?
They entered the city as the initial smoke was beginning to settle. The streets now filled with debris were barely passable. They watched survivors crawling out of the ruins, shocked and slowly giving in to hysteria. They felt helpless. After a while, they reached the address where Jo was supposed to be. They saw a ruin which must have once been a beautiful hotel, now missing most of its walls. For the first time they had to seriously consider the fact that they may have been too late. Finding Jo alive was suddenly becoming highly unlikely. They began searching through the debris, step by step.
David was the first to break the silence. “Magdalena used to spend a lot of time here.” His face was pale, more so than justified by the dust. “Let’s hope they made it.”
They made their way inside. Debris was everywhere, mostly from the partially collapsed roof and one of the walls. They hurriedly checked the nearest rooms and moved towards the far side of the building.
“Oh God!” David’s voice was suddenly heard.
They all raced towards his voice and saw Jo strapped down to a mattress with memorial detector leads still attached. Magdalena was lying next to her. Levi checked her pulse.
“I’m sorry, David.” He reached out to close her eyes. “Your sister is dead. I’m really sorry.”
Meanwhile, Alec was nervously trying to rouse Jo. He could feel her heartbeat, weak but stable. He quickly unplugged all the leads and performed mouth-to-mouth. After a moment, Jo begun to cough and choke, slowly coming to. She looked around, seeing Alec, Levi and David.
“What’s happened, Commodore?”
“Old Cairo has been destroyed and Magdalena is dead. We have to go back.”
The commodore hoped this condensed answer would be enough for now. Alec helped her up, but she moved to David and embraced him closely, sharing his pain and loss. They left the ruined building, but none of them asked the question which was on all of their minds. Had Magdalena managed to upload Jo’s memory before she’d died? Neither man had the courage to be the first to ask.
* * * *
“Ready?” The commodore glanced at Alec, David and Jo before walking through the door behind which the Military Council awaited them.
After returning to the base, they were granted twentyfour hours to recuperate and recover from their ordeal and afterwards they were ordered to suit up and stand before the committee. After a courtesy welcome, the council’s speaker went straight to the point.
“Commodore, Captain, gentlemen.”
The members of the council stood. Among them was the commander of space forces who had arrived from another base, apparently to communicate the council’s decision, as if the members themselves were unable to do so.
“In the face of your evident disregard for the code of conduct of the space territories, the unauthorised departure off the base grounds and refusing to obey a direct order, you have all been reassigned to ground forces and from there will be transferred to civilian services and shall remain there until further notice. Each of you will be sent to a different part of the planet. Any communication between one another or with any space base is henceforth prohibited.”
Alec felt blood rushing to his face, Jo’s legs trembled and David seemed completely overwhelmed. Even Levi could not believe they would punish them so harshly. He was in no position to speak up, but he had no doubt that the punishment was unjust and disproportionate to their alleged crime. Something was amiss. He could sense it.
“Is everything clear?”
“But…” Alec tried to speak.
“Commando Ross, you are well aware of the
seriousness of your crime. You have broken an order and the punishment reflects that. Furthermore, we are still unaware of the reasons that drove you to leave the base and I understand you insist on keeping this fact a secret. Therefore, you are to pack your belongings and…” Now he also looked at David. “…You will both have to decide whether your families are to follow you or stay here.”
He stepped closer and now stood only a few feet away.
“This is at the request of your commodore. The boy, your wife and the baby may stay.”
Levi was surprised that he had at least managed to push this decision. He discretely sighed in relief. The children would be much safer here than on Earth, but naturally the final decision belonged to the fathers.
“That will be all,” the commander saluted. “Goodbye.”
Levi glanced at Jo, standing motionless, overwhelmed by guilt. The Military Council left the room, as did Alec and David. The commodore stayed a while longer to talk to Jo and convince her he did not blame her for what she had done. There was something she needed and she had chosen the only possible way to retrieve it. Eventually, he kissed her on the forehead in a fatherly gesture and walked out as well. They still had one last night with each other, one that would be filled with hours of conversation. After that, they were to be separated.
It had not been easy to be an exemplary soldier. If there was anything that the twenty-four years of service had taught Levi, it was the realisation that theory and real life were two separate things, governed by completely different rules. One should never interfere with other people’s lives, no matter how insistently they asked. No one could be fully trusted. He realised that it was necessary to keep a distance even from the closest friends, to leave a margin, even when in love.
For there could always come a time when they would have to be left behind.
The following day, the commodore and his friends were shipped off to Earth. Yet again, they were all forced to rebuild their lives from scratch, on their own, their closest friends and family no longer at their sides.
On Earth
Do no evil
Remain righteous Control your mind
This is the lesson of Buddha
In elimination of wrongful deeds and negative attitude lies the path to harmlessness, to others and ourselves. The evil within us stems from anger, more often than not a greatly destructive power. Righteousness and constructive action are fertile soil for love, compassion and happiness.
Despite the passing centuries, certain truths and rules were far from lost even in 2144, and to some extent they could even be said to have flourished as the teachings of ancient wisdom were once more beginning to take root. The struggle to regain humanity’s lost dignity demanded it.
Japan, one of the countries most fiercely defending its unique identity and who had joined the United Nations only recently, was fast becoming the refuge of choice for ecologists, commandos and senators.
Zen schools’ popularity was peaking. Hosts of military men attended classes on a daily basis. The war on terrorism required clarity of mind, intuition and the sense of unity with fellow soldiers. In time, these qualities would allow the mind to excel and its user to become a formidable warrior. This was the path to mastery.
The Zen schools extended the idea of meditation to
115 encompass the deep concentration required when confronting an enemy. Commandos, with their military training behind them, were not oblivious to the art of yoga which has always been strongly and directly tied with Zen philosophy.
Some say it was on the strength of those very moral disciplines and meditation techniques that Kyoto, a city in the western part of the island of Honshu, had managed to survive when most other parts of the country had not.
Exiled to the city for a year now, Alec had been charged by the prefecture to eliminate the damage caused by sulphur hexafluoride and perfluorocarbon, gases once used industrially as heat conductors.
He was the head of a special group charged with establishing why the agreement on the reduction of greenhouse gases emission, ratified in 1997 and again in 2070, had been breached right here in Kyoto.
In his hands, he held two reports he’d been reading for several hours now. These and similar documents had been his only read for many mo
nths. Now and again, he would look back over a photo album compiled by ecologists.
Human mutations, peaking numbers of tumour cases, accelerated aging processes, constant reduction of the number of plant-life species, photochemical smog and the growing areas of barren landmass – he was genuinely shaken with each consecutive page he’d read. He did expect the situation to be grim, but this grim! He took a sip of tea. It was bitter, enough to make his tongue go numb. How can they drink this shit? Alec got up and walked to the cabinet which served as his alcohol stash. He grabbed a bottle, drew a swig and quenched the intolerable tea aftertaste. The sake filled his chest with warmth, forcing his nostrils open and brightening up his eyes. He caught himself staring into the distance, thinking of Jo again. He was curious about where she was, how she was doing. He could not help wondering where she’d ended up. His thoughts were fast becoming obsessive. What had she been up to while he’d been buried here in documents on gas emissions, climate shifts and temperature anomalies? And the others, where had they been sent? The questions were like an itch beyond the scratching reach of his arm. Unable to answer them, as always, he returned to his reading.
In some parts of the world, Japan included, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were so high that entire cities and their surrounding areas had been deserted. Extreme weather phenomena were an annoyance to the local populations and the armies struggling against the enemy.
It had almost been a full year since he’d last thought of Levi and David, so why now? A hunch? That night, as he was trying to fight off the exhaustion and fall asleep, his thoughts drifted back to the past once more, he was tormented by the overwhelming realisation that he’d never managed to reach that deep level of inner equilibrium he kept hearing about and no amount of time spent in Zen schools studying the teachings of Buddha could ever change that.
He stopped reading for a moment and closed his eyes, trying once more to abate, looking for the path to inner metamorphosis. The heart of the Buddhist way was the desire for liberated wisdom, one that would give meaning to reality. To achieve that, one needed to cast off the burden of everyday problems and whatever had brought them about.
