by Mikael Aizen
The extra decapitated heads were used as makeshift gloves for female prisoners to fight each other, detached heads bludgeoning still attached heads until someone died of skull trauma. If the women refused to fight or failed to kill each other, both were beheaded for the next round of head boppers.
Jay just watched. A part of himself wanted to do something, but he knew well what had come from the last time he'd tried to be a hero.
The prisoners kept coming, and dying. Each death sunk another hole into Jay's heart. These and the growingly creative ideas were as cruel as anything the Gamers had come up with. In fact, it made the Gamers look amateur. Jay watched the days and days and weeks and weeks past without a dull moment. He even laughed hysterically a few times. Helplessly. He felt like a bastard without an ounce of heart left in his heart.
Over the month came more Asian meanies. And they were running out of people to play with, the steady flow of prisoners trickled and slowed and the torture stretched out and grew even more cruel. Days would pass on one single person.
It wasn't the torturing that was horrible, Jay had seen worse, it was the spirit behind the torture. It was the absolute contempt of anything precious in human life that was horrible. At the very least the Gamers had valued their own as tools. To the DPRK, value went only as far as bouncy-ball eyeballs and man-on-end-of-pokey-stick jousting. The best case scenario was when the women were raped just to be raped. It rarely happened and those lucky few weren't spared long. All this for--fun?
The whole time, Jay was hiding above them, right over their noses where nobody looked. Though it disgusted him, he kept watching. Every person and every torture. When a few of the Gamers appeared in the hands of the DPRK, an icy part inside of him cheered. The other part of him realized what it meant that the Gamers had been captured. It meant the war was over and Morir now belonged to the DPRK.
The honest truth was that he kept his eye out because he hoped, no--DIDN'T hope he'd spot Xiaos or Bitch. Every day that passed meant that there was something going on beyond what he could see in Esperanza.
A week passed, and then two weeks without any prisoners arriving. The games finally stopped and Jay saw commander types walking amongst soldiers, enforcing discipline, bringing order to the camp, drilling exercises. Like they were old hat veterans. Everything fell into order with surreal orderliness.
The Koreans were becoming an army. No, Jay realized, they were already an army.
There were no conflicts of authority, no periods of learning, not a single stumble or stand-by observer. Everyone knew what to do without being told. This was the DPRK army. They'd never been DPRK civilians.
The day came that Immortal Leader himself showed up. The clue? "Kim Cho-sung" chanted enough times even with American ears became easily recognizable. Not to mention the bowing and scraping and death sentences actuated by a flick of the man's finger.
Jay immediately knew what this meant.
Immortal Leader hadn't been assassinated. He was here, alive and well. It meant that the DPRK had "lost" to the UN, but it also meant that the DPRK military had survived. Not only with Immortal Leader, but it looked like his top generals were with him, too--those were the commanders who had set to order the soldiers in such short time before Immortal Leader had arrived. If anyone had known it was Kim Cho-sung, no would have ever let Immortal Leader enter Morir alive. He was here because he wanted to be here and because he had a plan.
A plan that looked a lot like rebuilding the DPRK in Morir. In the middle of motherfucking Arizona.
"I must be fuckshit crazy," Jay muttered to himself. The realization began to push the fog out of Jay's mind. It was insane if he was right. Did the DPRK plan on taking on the U.S. from the inside? They hated the US and Jay wouldn't put it past Immortal Leader, no one sane could after the damn man had taken over South Korea before the US President could as much as say, "wait a second." Kim Cho-sung had taken South Korea right after the UN stripped him of his nuclear weapons, too, succeeding where his father and grandfather had failed. And they had been mean bastards.
Amazing.
The same day that Immortal Leader arrived, a new batch of prisoners were escorted in. A group of Enforcers, about a hundred total. More Enforcers than there should have been. They came in like beat dogs, heads down, mangled and wrangled. And in their middle was Hunter.
And Karah, Xiaos, and Bitch.
Fuck.
The sight of them shook Jay down to his core and it didn't take long to decide what to do. He was already as good as dead, anyway.
Of course it was night when he left. Who'd be stupid enough to leave in broad daylight? But even better than that was that Immortal Leader thought tonight would be a great day to revive the games, what with a hundred new bodies to play with and the guns he'd brought in. Where the hell he'd gotten them, Jay could only guess. But this confirmed Jay's theory pretty damn well. Kim Cho-sung had a plan, and it was one that was moving along just nicely.
These guns weren't the primitive guns that the Enforcers carried, either. They were the full on automatic, Carbon-Nanotube piercing, explode-like-a-bomb guns. Jay got to see them tested too. It took about four Enforcers wearing all their gear lined up to stop the blast from a single bullet. And the fifth Enforcer still died because half his body came off in the blast. Kim Cho-sung clapped when he saw it, so did his generals.
Jay had three advantages to his plan tonight. One, he knew Esperanza better than any of the Korean bastards. Two, he'd been watching their every move for the last month and days. Three, Jay didn't care about his own life or even really succeeding. He was doing this for himself because...it made more sense going out with a boom than sitting holed up for the rest of his life, didn't it? Sure, he had a few disadvantages. Jay knew well enough he was aa one armed lunatic against the immortal leader of a country with an endless army of zealots. Crazy, armed, and trained zealots. He knew that.
That's where his plan came from.
He needed chaos. Lots and lots of chaos. Best way to create chaos with the DPKR? Kill their fucking leader.
...he needed more bells.
Jay made his way to Xiaos' once-headquarters, the only brick building in Esperanza. It was currently being used as a store house because the building was the only covered building here. DPRK didn't realize that it never rained in this part of Arizona. The storehouse wasn't protected with more than a two men, far in the back as it was, and in the night, Jay's suit made him nearly invisible.
Giving the guards brain damage via big rock wasn't hard.
Jay picked up one of those fancy guns and entered the storehouse. He didn't hesitate in making his way to the control room where Xiaos had installed the general alarm. Yep. He pushed the red button.
A huge alarm screeched like one of those old alarm clocks that sounded like it was dying of a hoarse throat. It cut across the whole of Esperanza, reflecting and humming off the Crystal Onyx buildings. He heard commotion and yelling, and when he emerged from the building he figured out exactly where Immortal Leader was. Like ants protecting their queen, hundreds of soldiers hurricained around a single point as they ushered the guy toward some random place they must've thought secure. It was like a human bull's-eye. Made sense, Jay'd heard they liked picture walls made from humans. Mass Games, anyone?
Jay screamed at the top of his lungs and held the trigger down as he aimed at the center of the target. He was a horrible aim, not even close. The bullets sprayed upward as the recoil threw the muzzle high in the air. He nearly shot himself in the face. Jay cursed and threw away the gun and ran for his life.
Right behind him, the whole damn building disintegrated in seconds from the return fire. Heat and force slammed into Jay and he was blown to pieces. Or at least it felt like that. Fire and flame whipped around him and threw him a figurative mile and a half distant.
Jay realized his ass was on fire.
It stuck to him like napalm and he felt the charring burning feeling spreading up his back. He jumped and slid down a hi
ll, rolling back and forth to put out the flames amid gunfire and explosions that seemed to be coming and going to and from everywhere.
He put out the burning, but the damage was done. At the hill's bottom he found himself facing maybe a few hundred angry Koreans with guns locked on Jay's face. And his suit was covered in dirt. Jay held his arm up. "I surrender!" he yelled.
And just like that, the DPRK blew up. Kinda like fireworks, but more mushy and red and with better streamers.
Hunter came rampaging through the bodies with a gun in either hand. He looked like the happiest mother-fucker Jay had ever seen. He was practically giggling. He threw Jay a gun. "C'mon!" he bellowed.
Jay caught the gun--and ran the other fucking way, spraying bullets behind himself just in case he could hit the bastard as he ran.
No way he was gonna be anywhere near that suicidal motherfucker, not without trying to kill Hunter, at least. This, coming from the guy who just took on the whole DPRK army on his own.
Enforcers, prisoners, and Koreans ran about like crazies, shooting everything in sight to high heaven. That was the problem with these big-exploding bullet guns, they were siege weapons and not for close or even medium ranged combat. Collateral damage made aiming hard in a situation where you couldn't shoot without fragging one of your own men. But compared to swinging a shovel or stick, Jay didn't blame them for holding tight to their triggers.
He sneak sprinted toward where he'd last seen prisoners hanging out, even as the bodies continued to explode all around him. He peered about and caught sight of a massive line of Koreans forming on one side of Esperanza. Jay recognized counts being yelled out. Counting sounded the same no matter which language you yelled in. Then again it could just as possibly be "Ready, Aim, Fire."
Shit.
He was a really bad Rambo.
Jay dove into Issak's crater and the world exploded. Fuckers don't even care that they'll kill their own m...
*Piiiiiiiiinnnnggg*
Goddammit, I'm dead.
Chapter 22
Eugenics is the study and practice of selective breeding applied to humans, with the aim of improving the species...Advocates of eugenics sought to counter what they regarded as dysgenic dynamics within the human gene pool, specifically in regard to congenital disorders and factors relating to the heritability of IQ.
Widely popular in the early decades of the 20th century, it has largely fallen into disrepute after having become associated with Nazi Germany.
-Eugenics. (2009, December 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. From http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eugenics&oldid=334683394
Kyle walked hand in hand with Del. She was happier and she bounced as she walked. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was mad with the smiles and waves she gave strangers as she passed them. It was Saturday morning and Del had come home after running a few "errands." She'd insisted they go for a walk in the neighborhood modern playground.
They never walked to the modern playground. They never walked.
But Kyle agreed and when she began making sandwiches, he got really suspicious. Now, they were at the park, sandwiches and all. Them and a bunch of other kids and mothers. Del hummed as she unwrapped a sandwich and pointed at the picnic table. "Sit," she said.
Kyle sat.
On one side of the playground, kids wore controllers around their head that let them play games on clearscreens just by moving their bodies a certain way and thinking certain thoughts. The other side of the park were '3D courses', obstacle courses in which children tried to reach targets and do certain movements within obstacles within a certain time limit. Pa had taken him to these modern playgrounds frequently. Kyle realized that he missed them.
Del handed him a sandwich, one of her rings flashed in the sunlight. "Eat," she said.
Kyle looked at it suspiciously. He glanced around habitually for the man in sunglasses. It'd been a long time since he'd last seen the man, and it made Kyle worried.
"Who are you looking for?" Del asked.
"A man in sunglasses," Kyle responded, watching Del carefully.
She gave him a weird look, squeezing her eyebrows together. "There are a lot of men in sunglasses. See? Right there?" She pointed to one of the parents. "Or is there someone in particular you were expecting during our spontaneous walk to the playground?"
"No. It's bright so I was counting how many men in sunglasses there were."
Del was all too ready to accept the lie. "We can count together if you'd like," she offered.
If she'd wanted to poison him, she could've done it anytime anywhere. Kyle took a bite from the sandwich. "Why are we here, Mom?" he used the title carefully.
She seemed pleased. "I just thought that we could have a nice walk together. It's one of those mother-son outings that I wish we did more of."
"We should be more honest with each other," Kyle said.
She paused. And nodded. "I agree. Do you have something to tell me?"
"You first. Tell me, what are you letting those bullies do to you? Does it have something to do with what you promised for my freedom? Do you actually know what happened when I was kidnapped? Do you have anything to do with the experiment? And what really is making you so happy today?"
She gawked at him.
He smiled at her in the cynical way he smiled these days. "I'm young and small, but I'm not dumb."
"Kyle..."
He stomped his foot. "Answer if you want to be honest. If not, shut up and keep pretending we're happy and some kind of family." He stared at her eyes and past the tearing that started. He stared deep into them. Deep into her heart. Into her soul.
Del blinked away the tears. "All right Kyle. Let's talk. But if I'm honest I expect you to be honest with me."
Kyle nodded.
"You're right, I promised to help these people do an experiment so that they would let you go. I don't know who they are, but they are really powerful and they have a lot of money."
"Do an experiment or be an experiment?" Kyle challenged.
"Both. What happened to Jess is happening to me. They are doing studies that the government would never allow, and they need test subjects. Lots of them."
"Tell me what kind of tests they are doing on you."
Del looked away. "You don't need to know that Kyle."
"You promised."
Her lips got white and she finally nodded. "They are altering my DNA expression, increasing my libido and changing my physique so that they can later accurately simulate me in holographic recreational...luxury experiences. Clients like to know things they are looking at are real." She said it matter of fact and quickly and with a look that said that she hoped Kyle didn't understand.
It bothered him that she was right. He didn't know half the words she'd said. "What does that mean?" he asked.
Del sighed. He saw her relief. "Um. I'm a model for a program they are making."
"That's it." Kyle said doubtfully.
"It's an illegal program that they can make a lot of money for."
"Can you get in trouble?"
She dropped her head. "It's almost certain I will once the program comes out."
"And you did it to free me?"
Del nodded. "I'd do anything for you, Kyle." She grinned like she was happy again even though she wasn't. "You won my heart the first day I saw you, kiddo. As your mother, it's my job. As for your other questions," she paused, thinking. "I don't know what they did to you, I really wish I did and that's going to be my first question once I'm done answering your questions. As for what's making me so happy today..." she gave him a guilty look. "You remember how one of the kids died at school a few weeks ago?"
"El."
"Yes. They did a test to see who did it, it's an old test they used to do to find criminals. They take skin cells from under the victim's nails and compare it to DNA records. We got the results in today." She had that guilty look on her face.
The sandwich didn't seem that secure anymore. She knew it was him if
the tests had come back. She knew. He didn't say anything though, he just put the sandwich down and waited for her to keep talking.
"I..." she began.
"Mom?" he prompted.
"I thought it was you Kyle. I'm sorry. I should have trusted in you. They don't know who, but it's not from any documented DNA match on file."
What? How? Even Kyle knew that everyone born had their blood taken and their DNA charted right after birth. The only way that his DNA didn't match was that his DNA had changed which was impossible as far as he knew or...someone had changed the results. "So no one matches the DNA from that skin? How?"
"I don't know, Kyle. All I know is that it isn't you. I'm sor...Kyle? Kyle?..."
Del's voice faded to the background. He didn't understand it. He couldn't understand it. He'd killed El, with his own hands. He'd felt the crunch of El's windpipe as he squeezed, and heard the crack of El's head against the stone wall. The skin sample was his skin, he had the scratches on his forearm to prove it. Scratches that he'd hidden under long sleeves until they'd scabbed and healed.
"...yle?" Del's voice faded in again. "Why do you have that look on your face? What's wrong?"
Kyle stared at her. "It doesn't make any sense."
"What doesn't? Do you know something about what happened?"
It doesn't make any sense. But. ...Callie had SAID it was all an experiment.
Del gasped. "You know, don't you? You know who did it. You saw!" She ran around the table and gathered him in her arms.
Kyle pushed her away. "I didn't see anything."
He wanted to tell her, he really did.
She gave him a hurt look, her arms moved like they didn't know where to go. "Kyle, you can talk to me. Honesty, remember?"
Kyle stared deep in her eyes again, considering, watching and wondering. She stunk of sincerity. Something inside Kyle clicked. He trusted her. Right now, he trusted her as much as he could because he knew she really cared. She loved him. He felt something choke up in his throat and he threw himself at her. "Mom," he whispered.
