There was still no emotion or expression at all from the man, and that’s when he noticed the joints of his body were entirely mechanical, and he began to wonder if much of him was truly living at all.
“Do you know how many Humans die at our hands, bodies that would be wasted? But not anymore, now they live on. Repurposed for a greater purpose. Part machine, but still capable of operating and thinking as a living creature. Far better than any Human or drone. The next generation of Human, I call them Gueros, and I will use them to crush your people.”
“Why do I care?”
“Because you are Human, and most of all, you are the friend of Colonel Mitch Taylor.”
CJ smiled as he shook his head from side to side.
“You couldn’t be any more wrong about that.”
As he finished speaking, the Gueros’ fist struck him on the jaw. It hit far harder than any Human could, maybe even as hard as one in an exo-suit. His head snapped around from the impact, and he felt the jolt through his whole body.
“Pathetic lies,” said Ganbaatar.
“Believe what you want, but Taylor is my enemy, and I want him dead just as much as you do.”
He felt the fist against his jaw again. His head sagged from the blow as he almost lost consciousness, but just managed to hold on. He spat out blood on the floor before looking up and into the alien’s eyes.
“I swear to you. Taylor is no friend of mine.”
A third blow struck him, and this time he was knocked unconscious. He soon fell into a dream. A dream of all the terrible things he would to do Taylor when he finally got his hands on him. But just as before, he was soon rudely awakened. He opened his eyes. Now he was strapped into a steel chair, and both feet and arms were contained within strong metal bands. He tried to fight against them, but it would do no good.
“What the fuck is wrong with you people?”
The Gueros lifted a needle and plunged it into his neck.
“What the hell?” he asked.
A switch on the syringe shot whatever its contents were straight into his body. He felt a cold spot as though someone had just walked over his grave. Ganbaatar was still there lording it over him. He had a wicked grin on his scarred face as though he were thoroughly enjoying himself.
“A little help to ensure you speak the truth,” said Ganbaatar.
“What do you want from me?”
“I would like for you to die, but not until you have fulfilled your use.”
“Yeah, and what is that?”
“I am going to make Taylor suffer, and you are going to help me do it.”
“I’d sure like to make him suffer, too, but when the time comes, it will be me dealing out the pain. I work for no one but myself.”
“The sight of your suffering and death will not bother Colonel Taylor?”
“Hell, no. He hates me as much as I hate him.”
The alien looked confused, as if he thought CJ was trying to trick him.
“I am not Charlie Jones. Check the history books. I am sure you can get access to them. I might look like him, but that is where the similarity stops. I am a clone. Created and trained to infiltrate and cause chaos. I killed many who Taylor held dear, and I wear the face of his dead best friend. How much do you think he cares for me?”
Ganbaatar groaned as if contemplating whether to believe him.
“I do not much appreciate lies.”
“You gave me that fucking needle. Does it get the truth or not?”
“Often, yes. But there have been some creatures known to be able to resist it, because of their strength or ability to deceive. Are you a deceiver?”
“I was born to be,” he replied with a smile.
The Gueros struck him once again upon the command of its master, but CJ still smiled back as blood trickled down his teeth.
“I am going to check your facts, Captain, and if I find you are lying, you will discover that I can be quite unkind.”
“Yeah, I hadn’t noticed that.”
The alien strode out of the room, and the door sealed shut behind him, leaving the two of them behind. CJ stared at the Gueros as if trying to understand him. He was looking for some sign that it was actually alive. He still wasn’t sure whether it was actually partly Human or just made to look that way. He could just about hear the faint sound of its breathing, and even that sounded clinical and machine like.
“Sucks to be you, doesn’t it?”
There was no answer.
“It’s like talking to a brick wall.”
* * *
“Where the hell did they come from, and why didn’t our sentries alert us?” Rivera shouted.
She was on a table getting an arm wound sewn up and trying to not squirm in pain.
“They didn’t alert us because they were dead,” replied Kaner.
“Whatever just hit us knew exactly where we were and our weaknesses. We are lucky to be alive.”
“There is no luck, Mirov. They hit hard, and we hit back,” replied Kaner.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t good enough,” King joined in, “We have eight dead, and eleven wounded. Two missing, including CJ.”
They stopped and looked at the Lieutenant with suspicion. They were in the main hangar of the Tempest, and the wounded lay all around being given treatment.
“What?” she asked.
“A few hours ago you were the enemy.”
“I was never your enemy, Mirov. I came out here to support you. I just didn’t think you’d all be stupid enough to turn against the Alliance.”
"Alliance? The Alliance turned its back on us and then tried to use us like cannon fodder to fight battles that aren't ours."
"Really?" And what is it that you are doing now?"
Mirov sighed, clearly giving it some thought.
"So what do we do now?" Rivera asked.
The room fell silent, and they looked to Mirov for answers, but he didn't have any. King got up and paced back and forth. Somebody needed to do something.
"CJ was willing to fight and die for you, for all of you. Will you do the same for him?"
"What do you care?"
"Mirov, a few days ago I wouldn't, but I have seen something in CJ I don't think he has even seen in himself. He could have let me die, and I would have. But he didn't, and he couldn't. He was there for me when he had no good reason to be. I was put here to watch over him by a regime that he hates, and still he saved me. What kind of man is that?"
Many were nodding in agreement.
"He saved me, too," said another.
"And me."
"For all we know he could be dead," said Mirov.
Kaner groaned as he fought through the pain of his injuries and stood up to address them.
"We don't know that the Captain is dead, but we do know that we all owe him our lives and our freedom, and I for one will not leave him to the enemy."
"And if he is dead?" Mirov asked.
"If he is, then I will let this go, but not until I have seen a body."
King nodded in agreement.
"I know you don't see it, but the Morohtans are the enemy of us all, whether you like it or not. They are not fussy. CJ and all of you, the Alliance needs you, and you need the Alliance."
"If we do this, it is to get CJ back, not to rejoin the Alliance," Mirov snapped.
"Fair enough, but someday you are going to realise that you just don't have a choice."
"Of course we have a choice. That is how we ended up here in the first place. Your Alliance cannot keep us caged."
"No, but Bolormaa can soon end you all."
"Even if we do want to go after CJ, how could we? He was taken by a Prince, a Prince! What can we do about that? How can we even begin to know where to look?"
Once more the room fell silent, and Mirov looked to be in despair.
"There may be a way, but you're not going to like it."
Chapter 17
The doors to CJ's cell opened once more. He felt helpless. He was stronge
r than he had ever been in life, and yet his restraints were beyond his ability to resist. He could feel the anger brewing inside him. He didn't know who this Ganbaatar was, and he didn't much care, he just wanted him dead. It was all he could think about now. Any bitterness and hatred towards Taylor had begun to fade, replaced by this new threat, a villain who he could see and was within his reach.
"An interesting story yours is," said the alien as he strode arrogantly into the room.
"Spare me," he replied wearily.
"So Taylor really does hate you? Curious."
"I have no care for him or his Alliance. I am not your enemy," he insisted.
"In this life, you are either the ally of Bolormaa, or her enemy. Will you serve her?"
"I serve no one. I am a free man."
"You would rather die than submit to her greatness?"
"I don't even know who this Bolor...whatever she is called, is. I'd never heard of her until a few weeks back, and quite honestly, I don't care. If you want to wage war on Humanity and the Krys, be my guest. I don't care for either of them."
"But you are one of them."
"No, I am not," he snarled.
"Then join us. Join me and fight against the Alliance, and against all those that you hate."
"Your offer may have been more inviting if you had asked before now. Instead, you kill my friends and imprison me, and then expect me to rally to your cause. To hell with your cause! To hell with you and your damn Queen!"
"You would be wise to consider. Bolormaa is not forgiving of those who oppose and disappoint her."
"Then maybe you should have asked me more politely."
Ganbaatar growled and struck with the back of his hand. His knuckles were like steel and cut deeply into CJ's face from his jaw to his right eyebrow. His head was knocked aside, and blood quickly streamed down his face, but he made no sounds. He would not give the creature the satisfaction of getting any pleasure out of the situation.
"Pretty easy to beat a man when he can't fight back, isn't it?"
Ganbaatar only growled in frustration once more before storming out of the cell.
"What's the matter? You not got the balls to finish the job?" CJ yelled after him.
He smiled as though he had gotten the upper hand, even though he knew he couldn’t be in a worse state.
Damn Taylor!
But the more he thought about it, the more he could see Taylor had nothing to do with it. It didn’t make him hate Taylor any less, but it certainly gave him a new target at which to vent his anger.
* * *
"You really think this is going to work? And not get us killed?"
Mirov didn’t look confident and was glad to have relinquished command to Kaner, even if he had never openly said it.
“It is the only chance we have of getting the Captain back,” replied the Krys Lieutenant.
“And she could just as easily be leading us into a trap,” said Rivera. She pointed at King and refused to take her eyes off of her.
“I want the Captain back as much as you do,” she insisted.
“You would say anything to be free of us,” snapped Rivera.
“Stop it, this is not helping,” roared Kaner.
“I can’t stay silent while I think we are being fed to the lions. You heard Lysenko before we left. She is going to put us into the deepest, darkest hole, and never let us out again.”
“No, she won’t,” replied King confidently.
“Yeah, and how would you know?”
“Because more than anything, the General needs this little experiment to be a success, and she would do anything for it to be seen as one. She can’t very well do that after she has buried you, can she?”
Rivera huffed. She wasn’t convinced, but neither did she have the debating skills that the Lieutenant exhibited.
“And if they don’t go along with all this?” Mirov asked quietly.
“We have to believe that they will. It is our only hope. Without CJ, we are nothing. It was him who made us strong and kept us together. Without him we will get nowhere,” replied Kaner.
King had listened to them all.
“I don’t know what it really is that drives him, but he is some kind of special, isn’t he?”
“He has the will and drive to go his own way, and anyone who gets in that way is a fool,” replied Kaner.
“In an ideal world that would be wonderful, but we don’t live in an ideal world, and we can’t always do what we want, can we?”
“With CJ, yes we can. He has shown us the way. He has shown us that we can cut our own path in life.”
“And what are you doing now?”
“Making a deal with the Devil,” whispered Mirov.
“Hopefully,” replied Kaner with a smile.
“We’ve got a jump gate opening!”
They all watched the screens with anticipation and worry; nobody truly knew what was coming.
“I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” said Rivera.
“So do I,” Kaner said, revealing his own concerns.
A single ship came through the gateway. It was a Human vessel, and a small one at that.
"They are hailing us."
"Put them on," Kaner gave the order.
A screen projected and to their amazement they found General Lysenko before them. She looked surprised to see Lieutenant King standing amongst them, but said nothing as she waited for them to make their first move. Kaner looked over to King to do it for them. She hadn't expected it and coughed and stuttered before getting her words out.
"Sir, I know what you must be thinking. That this crew was mutinous and that they are criminals."
"Get to the point, Lieutenant. If my feelings were as simple as that, I would have brought a fleet here and had you all arrested."
"Well, Sir, CJ is gone. Taken during a battle with the Morohtans."
Lysenko nodded in recognition and looked to be a little relieved.
"Perhaps now he will understand that they are his enemy just as much as they are ours."
"He didn't seem too keen to listen before, but I think he could be persuaded."
"That is not exactly a great endorsement of our cause, Lieutenant. You think you might be able to get him on board, if you can find him, and if he is alive."
"Sir, you wouldn't have come out here if you didn't think there was a chance of saving this situation, and saving your career."
She looked angry for a moment, but everyone knew it was true, and she wasn't going to try and deny it.
"Are you with us, or them, Lieutenant?"
"I am with the Alliance, and I believe these men and women can be, too. Just not if you use the lash to make them do what you want, threatening them with prison or worse is not a good motivator."
"So you want me to help, and take it on good faith that I will get something back from it?"
"I am asking you to trust me, and give CJ a chance."
"He had a chance."
"No, he didn't. You gave a man a chance for freedom; all the while you stood over him like the sword of Damocles. That is no life at all."
She thought about it for a moment, looking at the faces of the others standing around the Lieutenant.
"Would you fight for the Alliance? Would you fight if it were your decision?"
"Yes," replied Kaner, "If you help us get CJ back, we will fight in this war. The Morohtans have already made us their enemy, and we will fight them together, but not the way you want us to."
She sighed. It was about the best deal she was going to get.
"You boys and girls raised hell amongst the Alliance, and I am betting that if you were set loose against our enemies, you could be every bit as irksome."
"Then you will help us?" Mirov asked.
"I can't. I have been expressly prohibited from having anything to do with you. My orders were directly from the President himself."
"Then what are you doing here?" Kaner asked. He sounded angry.
"I said I
can't help you, but I know some who might."
She gestured towards one of her crewmembers, and the tension aboard the bridge of the Phoenix was clear.
"It's a trap," whispered Rivera.
But Mirov shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Why? She doesn't care for us. You know that."
"Because if she takes us in now, she has to admit failure, and the one thing she is more than anything is driven for success. She would risk anything for a chance to pluck victory from this disaster."
"That could include killing us all and leaving no evidence to find."
"CJ is more important than that. The General knew it then, and she knows it now. I don't know what she'll do, but I am sure it won't be to destroy us. She wouldn't have come here to talk if that were the case."
"I sure hope you're right."
"So do I," he replied as it became clear he wasn't one hundred percent confident about his own assessment of their situation.
Another gateway opened up, and a Krys warship burst through.
"They have come for us. We are finished," said Rivera as she began to panic.
"Take it easy. They are not here to harm you," Lysenko insisted.
Another screen projected before them, and to their astonishment a massive figure appeared, adorned in ornate armour. His helmet was retracted, and not one among them did not recognise him.
"Jafar," whispered Kaner.
But before they could say anything, Lysenko addressed him.
"Lord Jafar. I am glad you are here to handle this personally. I can have no further part in this, and I do not want to hear any plans that you might have. I wish you every luck, all of you. Lysenko out."
Her transmission ended, and her ship jumped out a few seconds later, leaving Jafar looming over them. Nobody said a word as they waited for him to make the first move.
"Listen to me very carefully. The man CJ, he was an animal, an animal that should have been put down long ago. But he also might just be the weapon we need in this war. Something dark, and dirty, and willing to do what the rest of us are not. Do you believe in him?"
Phoenix Odyssey Book 1 (Battle Beyond Earth) Page 13
