by H. T. Kofruk
“No…no” he said unconvincingly.
“Why did you hesitate?” said Agent Shin.
The most dangerous assassin in the Yinhexi pursed his lips like a discontented child.
“Did you know that your daughters are also dead? Your wife as well?” said Terry. Qin remained silent. “You’re probably already aware that your late Emperor ordered nuclear attacks on Boston where your family waited for you to call them after an absence of more than two years. Nikruk death squads were then sent to clean it up. Less than five per cent of the entire population survived.”
Terry could see Qin’s lips quiver ever so slightly. He needed to crack his twisted personality and decided to put even more pressure on him. “You came to judge Han Fann for slaying his father, most probably a false accusation, when you left your two daughters to die? Never mind your wife who, poor woman, was just an instrument to infiltrate our forces, but Lisa and Sandra Wurth were your own blood. Do you have a right to judge anyone?”
The Shadow smiled slyly. “You’ll have to do better than that to break me.”
“How about this?” said Agent Shin as she conjured a Web-Com holograph. It showed the charred cadavers of two people, young children judging by their size. They were laid out on an ash-ridden street. “This is footage from Boston two months after its fall. Atlantic Alliance coroners found the bodies strange, especially the skull structure of one the girls which had strongly Asian features.” The holograph displayed the names of Qin’s two daughters as the result of DNA analyses.
“They most probably died instantly since they were only two miles away from the epicentre of one of the explosions” said Terry.
Qin tried to get up with such force that Terry thought that he had impossibly ripped apart the carbon strands. Blood started to seep through the strands on his wrist and ankles. He toppled to one side with a look of pure insanity in his eyes. “Get out before I kill you!” he yelled. “Get out before I kill you!”
Terry knew that whatever he said would no longer register. He felt somewhat ashamed at having exploited the assassin’s cruel past; how would he react if someone did the same to him? Heera never purposely brought up his murderous past because she knew what a fragile part of him it was. He had poked his finger in Qin’s weakest, most painful spot to exploit him.
He and Agent Shin turned to get out while Qin continued to shout like a mad man. Right before the door closed, he imagined that the shouting had turned to a sob. The most dangerous man in the galaxy turned out to be also one of the most fragile.
“Abandonment issues, guilt, misanthropy. He’s messed up” said the Phantom next to him.
“Aren’t we all, agent Shin?” he said as he walked down the same dimly lit corridor. “Why wasn’t that footage shown to me beforehand?”
“Because it isn’t real. I had it made just as a last resort. No father, even a Shadow, should have to set eyes on his dead children’s bodies” she replied.
It hit Terry that Agent Shin could have a well of emotions and empathy even deeper than his own, despite her humourless, robotic manner of speech.
A person came running from the other way but the dim light made it difficult to make out who it was. “Colonel Southend!” yelled the person.
“Who’s asking?”
As the figure approached, Terry could see that it was a young marine. “Sergeant Yang, sir” he said when he finally arrived in front of him. “I was to give you a message as soon as you got out of interrogation. General Yin requests your presence in the command room, sir.”
“Why didn’t she send a Web-Com message?”
“She didn’t want to disturb your interrogation and told me to wait outside until you were finished. I don’t think she thought you’d be done so early, sir.”
Terry opened a Web-Com link to General Yin Jia. The DNA encoded holograph of the elderly officer only appeared to him. “Colonel Southend calling as ordered, ma’am” he said.
“Colonel, this is something that can’t be discussed over the Web-Com. Please come to the bridge as soon as you can” she said before her image disappeared. He didn’t even have time to say ‘yes, ma’am.’
He was surprised to find Bongani and a few other high-ranking officers at the command room. The petite figure of General Yin barely filled the inflatable fibre-plastic chair yet she commanded the attention of everybody in the room.
“We have received a strange message, Colonel Southend” she said, omitting any greeting or pleasantry.
“What kind, may I ask?” said Terry.
“It simply said; ‘You need our help.’ In fourteen different Renden languages.”
“Do we know the source?”
“That is what’s most intriguing. It’s a planet not far from Sunxing where the Chinese Empire had many mineral interests. It lay at a distance of barely one light year away but no one ever found this planet. What’s more, we’ve studied the wave signature of the message and it’s something that we’ve never seen before. It was sent at exactly the same time it was received as if the sender was standing closer than we are.”
“How is that possible?” he asked.
“With our understanding of technology, it isn’t”
Bongani stood up and conjured up a holograph. “If I may, General” he said.
The sound of a high-pitched male voice became audible in the room while the holograph showed the frequency. The first language was Imperial Chinese, followed by Hindi, Russian, Swahili and then the One Tongue.
“The pronunciation suggests that the speaker is not a native in any of the fourteen languages” said Bongani. “Analysis on the voice structure tells us that he is probably human.”
“Probably?”
“We think it may be the voice of someone from an isolated human population that has undergone some evolutions. The computer puts the probability of the sender being human at eight-three per cent.”
“And this population somehow has the technology to hide a planet for the last few centuries and communicate instantaneously over tens of thousands of light years?” Terry suddenly realised he was the only colonel in the room; everybody else was either a general or an admiral. If a room full of generals summoned a colonel, that could only mean they wanted to send him on a mission. “You want me to explore this, don’t you?”
Bongani nodded his head.
“We think you’re the best man for the job, Colonel” said General Yin.
“We’re deploying in two weeks” he protested. A part of him also wanted just a glimpse of his home planet. “I have to join you in the fight.”
“No you don’t, brother” said Bongani. “You know as well as I do that the Marine Corps won’t deploy until the orbital battle is finished. Besides, you could be back by then.”
Terry couldn’t believe it. He had grudgingly agreed to head the Marine Corps and for the past few months had done everything he could to train his men and women to the highest levels. He felt deflated at having his Corps taken away from him right before the decisive battle.
“When do you want me to go?” he finally said.
“Tomorrow” said General Yin.
Terry nodded his head reluctantly. Bongani looked at him with a remorseful expression. “When you get back, you’ll be reinstated. Meanwhile, Colonel Chegal will take your place.”
“I want Anton with me.”
“Anyone you want” said his old friend.
“I’m going with you” said Heera as soon as he told her of the mission.
“No, Heera. You’re place is with the Corps. You’ll have plenty of work once the action starts.”
Her ears started to flush red. “I’m going with you.”
“Damn it, Heera. Don’t make this hard. I don’t want to go either but I have to. We don’t know anything about this planet or who sent the message.”
“They want to help. Doesn’t sound too dangerous. So I’m going with you.”
Her stubbornness was exasperating. “It could mean anything. It could be dange
rous; it might not be. At least if you stay behind, I’ll know what you can expect.”
“No” she said simply before sitting on a chair with her back to him.
He sighed heavily. He certainly didn’t want to be apart from her but his first duty was as a marine. “Heera…”
“No, I don’t want to hear. I’m going with you and that’s final.”
“Listen…”
“No, you listen!” she yelled as she shot up from the chair. Tears were falling from her eyes. “I spent four years looking for you. Four years of my life! I’ve finally found you so you can go to hell before telling me to lose you once more.”
“Heera…”
“I don’t want to lose you again” she said, this time with the energy seemingly draining out of her voice. She repeated the same sentence. By the third repetition, she was sobbing and looked as if she was about to collapse.
Terry caught her in his arms before she fell forward. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and realised what a cruel thing he had asked. He imagined her going on a mysterious mission while leaving him to wait for her and the thought almost disgusted him. He pressed his cheek against her head.
“Okay” he said. “We’ll go together.”
Chapter 24: The Code
‘The political traditions, however perverse, cannot be ignored even after a regime change. If we start to hold elections in places where people have never voted for leaders, what will that entail? Voting is a symptom of democracy, not a factor. Fostering political parties, defining political issues along a spectrum, and instilling democratic values takes years, even decades. History shows that nurturing a free, independent press and ensuring freedom of expression that curtails hate is a far more critical foundation to democracy.’ - Terry Southend,
Paul climbed up the ladder awkwardly and opened the hatch with much difficulty. He had to hook one foot under a ladder rung to keep him steady as he used his only arm to lift the heavy metal. The effort brought beads of sweat on his forehead but it was well worth it. When sunlight touched his face, he imagined he had just taken his first breath after almost drowning. Wisps of clouds floated in the deep blue sky, the dawn sun greeting them in the east. He inhaled the salty sea air.
His eyes needed adjusting to the natural colours of the sun after weeks spent basking in the ghostly white light in the ancient submersible. Everywhere around him he saw the dark blue Atlantic Ocean reflecting diamonds of lights as it moved like a giant silk carpet. He climbed completely out of the hatch and sat down to drink in the divine light.
Sir Elena sat next to him. She was wearing a grey tee shirt over black combat fatigues and couldn’t have been more alluring. The contours of her generous breasts were clearly visible under the shirt. Paul didn’t even bother to tear his eyes away in shame but stared at them with a smile.
“What an indecent, ungallant expression you have on your face, Sir Paul” she said with the sunlight bouncing off her large, square teeth.
He edged closer and kissed her thick brown lips. “You dark enchantress.”
They lay down to bask in the light. Paul’s mind slipped back to the memory of the three nights he had spent with Elena. Or was it four? The initial guilt of having broken his vows soon gave way to a feeling of fulfilment that he had never imagined. Elena reached and stroked his curly blond hair. He had almost forgotten what kind of hair he had had since he had shaved his head every week ever since he was nine years old. Elena’s frizzy dark brown hair behaved differently from his; it kept its form like a sponge. Her touch excited him and he soon realized with some embarrassment that he had an erection.
It frustrated him that despite his comparatively advanced years, he was still as clumsy and as nervous as a young adolescent when it came to the act that should be so natural to every man. On their first night, he had discovered with some shock that Elena was not, in fact, a virgin like him. Lying in the dark, their bodies covered in sweat, she had told him of being raped by a group of drunken monks at just thirteen years old. That experience had almost destroyed her and if it hadn’t been for her mentor, Sir Justin Chan, she would probably have died or become a beggar. He had taught her how to transform her rage into a conduit for faith and excellence. The very idea of sex had disgusted her ever since. But at the age of thirty-five, the tainted experience of twenty or so years ago had melted away into blissful pleasure.
The complications that would arise sometimes made Paul pensive. They had broken a sacred vow and could no longer be sure whether the troops would still follow them to the death. If he thought with a dose of cynicism, they had selfishly followed their own desires rather than God’s will. Would the Church structure be reconstructed here on Earth, and would they be held accountable for their oath-breaking? Would they become outcasts from a society that they had tried so hard to save?
“It will be alright” said Elena, knowing what thoughts were going through his head. Was he that transparent?
He kissed her once more. “I know.”
“Tell me about the old man again.”
Paul smiled. He had told the story a hundred times, it seemed. Catholics and One God followers said it was divine intervention, a reflection of their common theological roots.
“He was small and incredibly old. I don’t think he was in very good health; he had warts on his face and hands and you could clearly see blood vessels on his nose and cheeks. He had benevolent eyes though they were hardened after decades of hardship.”
“And what did he say”?
“‘Don’t fear.’ And I didn’t anymore.”
“Do you think it was actually him?”
“Who? Saint Herbert? We’ll never be sure.”
Sergeant Major Grimly had told him of the hermit called Saint Herbert who had lived on an island in the middle of the lake thousands of years ago. Paul had prayed for hours that night, thanking God for guiding him.
“I’ve been wondering” continued Elena. “It wasn’t an accident that we found six submersibles, all operational, was it?”
“No, I’m certain it wasn’t. It was the One God Pope.”
“That’s what I thought as well. But why?”
“For penance, I suppose. He abandoned his flock to save his own life. He must have thought that he would be forgiven by helping his enemies.” Paul felt a little better about his own oath-breaking when he thought about the One God Pope. In fact, loving someone and hoping for a better future seemed less like a sin and more like a virtue.
The caravan of pulse gliders had been able to escape the hundreds of Nikruk soldiers who had burst out of the deployment pods, but not without the sacrifice of dozens. One of the civilian-carrying gliders had been jumped by several of the alien monsters and the rest of the convoy could only watch as the vehicle armour was ripped apart like paper.
They had gone a hundred miles north to where they had encountered the One God Pope and his entourage. Paul had been so certain that he would find some sort of salvation there; the ghost of Saint Herbert, if that indeed was what he had seen, had given him the idea of using submersibles by wading into the cold lake.
He had been the least surprised on the discovery of a few perfectly serviceable submersibles, some almost centuries-old antiques. It could only be explained as the action of the One God Pope; he had known that the sea was the only refuge from the invading aliens. For all he knew, the six submersibles housed the last human survivors on Earth. The ‘icing on the cake’, as Sergeant Major Grimly had expressed, was that three of them had nuclear arsenal. The technology employed in the missiles, however, was relatively arcane and Paul knew that they had to be used with care.
The two knights lay on the deck holding each other’s hands firmly. Paul had never felt so warm in his heart. He turned his head towards Elena who had her eyes closed. He loved her so much that it almost brought tears to his eyes. How could such an emotion be anything but good? As a one-armed cripple, could he be any luckier to have a woman such as her love him? It p
ained him that he couldn’t be a better man for her. It pained him that they were in such a dire situation and their future together could be so easily snatched from their grasp.
“Stop staring at me” she said.
He laughed. “I’ll try harder in the future.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him with her striking brown eyes. “We should get back down.”
He felt somewhat deflated by her practical suggestion but had to agree.
The pair almost jumped at the sudden appearance of the head of a young girl from the hatch. “Sir Elena” she said. “Sergeant Major Grimly is asking for you.”
“Farah, you scared me almost to death” said Elena.
The young girl giggled as if the thought of a mighty knight jumping from fear of a ten year old orphan was hilarious. Elena had befriended the girl after hearing the story of her family’s escape from India and the long journey through Afrika and Europe to the British Isles, only to have her parents taken from her during the Death Beam assault. Paul knew that Farah now considered Elena as a mother figure. The girl absolutely idolised her and was now her unofficial squire.
“They’ve received some sort of message and he says it’s urgent” said the child.
Paul watched with a degree of jealousy as Sir Elena, a mighty knight of the Grey Order, playfully held hands with Farah as they walked down the corridors of the submersible. He wished he could be as naturally playful and comfortable around children as her. He now wanted to start a family with Elena despite their short relationship and the eventual frowns of the clergy but had no idea how to be a father. Having been an orphan himself, he appreciated the kindness she showed towards the girl who could sometimes be clingy.
Sergeant Major Grimly stood waiting for them in the bridge. Paul noticed a twinkle in his eye which didn’t go well with his anxious expression. Whatever message had been received had to have both good and bad news. A holograph of a voice message floated in the air, ready to be played.
“Ma’am” he said as he saluted Elena. “You need to listen to this.”
