by Lee Stephen
Hesitating for a moment, Max finally nodded once.
“Okay. Good.” At least he was cognitive. Now came the hard part. “This is going to be hard to believe, but you’re not in Novosibirsk. You’re in a base called Northern Forge, in the mountains next to Norilsk.” Squinting, Max cocked his head back in what looked like disbelief. At the same time, Gavriil placed the tablet and pencil close to his hand. Max looked at him briefly before turning his gaze back to Scott. “Novosibirsk was attacked. EDEN assaulted the base while my team was still in Cairo. It was a surprise attack meant to catch Thoor off guard.”
Fumbling around for the pencil and tablet, Max’s gaze broke from Scott as he awkwardly tried to scribble. The whole while Max wrote, frustration grew on his face. When the tip of his pencil snapped, he slammed it onto the floor.
“Calm down, man,” said Scott, moving to Max’s side to retrieve the notepad. When he looked at the words the technician was trying to scribble, his eyes narrowed with befuddlement. “Were…R…Geg?” What the? “Were R Geg?” Scott shook his head as he tried to decipher it. “Weave R…Glig?”
Rolling his eyes, Max wheezed in a way that seemed to want to say, “For the love of God.”
Perhaps I might be of service.
As the voice emerged in Scott’s mind, he blinked and stepped back with surprise. It took him a moment, but he realized where it was coming from. Ju`bajai. Looking behind him at the Ithini in the quarantine chamber, Scott saw that the being was staring directly at him. He hadn’t even heard her connection click. Nodding enthusiastically, Scott said, “Yes! Absolutely.” That would sure beat the left-handed chicken-scratch of a confused man. Scott looked back at Max. “Ju`bajai—umm, the Ithini here—is going to connect us. Let her do so.”
Max leered at the Ithini for a moment before hesitantly nodding his head. Drawing in a breath, he closed his eyes, only to open them suddenly a moment later. The connection was in place. There was no hesitation—Max’s disembodied voice came to Scott’s mind instantly. Where is Oleg?
Blinking, Scott cocked his head. That was the last thing he’d expected Max to ask. “Wait, what?”
Where is Oleg? Does he have Sveta?
“Hang on a second. How do you…? How did you know that Oleg had Svetlana?” Hadn’t Max been shot before Oleg ever came into the picture?
The technician’s eyes narrowed. Because he’s the dregg that shot me.
Scott’s mouth fell open. Oleg shot Max? As in…Oleg Strakhov? Was that why Svetlana had been in his custody? Because she’d been taken by force?
Upon seeing Scott make the face, Becan cleared his throat tactfully. “Wha’s goin’ on?”
“He says Oleg shot him,” Scott answered without looking back. Becan’s eyes widened.
Gavriil shook his head. “He may be speaking of some dream he had while under sedation.”
Glaring at the doctor, Max said, Tell this sack of scat I ain’t dreaming. I remember every vecking thing.
Ju`bajai’s voice resurfaced. The fault may be mine. Scott looked at her. I spent time in his mind, searching his memory banks for the event that caused his injury. I may have inadvertently returned it to his awareness. What he says happened is what happened.
“If you knew that’s what happened, why didn’t you tell us?” Scott asked Ju`bajai angrily.
She simply stared back. I did not know this was information you sought.
“Wha’s goin’ on, now?” asked Becan.
Again, Scott answered him. “Ju`bajai’s been jogging his memories. Snooping in them, basically.” He didn’t have time to recap every single thing that was said. “Can you just include everyone in on this?” Scott asked the Ithini, pointing back to Becan. “Becan and the doctor?”
Certainly.
“Get ready, guys,” Scott said. A moment later, the connection expanded.
Gavriil’s eyes widened as he took a step back, his face paling. “What is…?”
“It’s an Ithini connection,” said Scott. “You ever had one before?” Still gaping, the doctor shook his head. “Grab a bucket to puke in.”
A brief lull ensued, after which Max eyed his comrades. Sveta and I were in the infirmary—I was just keeping watch over her, like we were supposed to do after we found out Thoor was using her as leverage. EDEN attacked, and we fled. We were halfway to the Fourteenth when Oleg showed up.
Darting to a garbage can at the medical bay’s entrance, Gavriil bent forward and heaved. Though the others glanced back at him, they did so briefly, returning to the mental conversation with Max. Still connected, Gavriil doubled over onto his knees and covered his eyes, blindly reaching up for a towel with which to wipe his mouth.
Max continued. The first thing Oleg did was attack me. He hit me, then made a beeline for Sveta. That’s the last thing I remember. He turned his head toward Ju`bajai. It must have been the last thing I was conscious for. A sensation of sudden confusion emanated from Max as he looked around. Wait a second, where the hell are we, again?
“Norilsk,” Scott answered, though his mind was on Max’s revelation. The way Antipov had made it sound, Svetlana and Oleg had come together, at the very least, cordially. But to kidnap her that way? Did Antipov know this? He continued with his recap. “This place is called Northern Forge. It’s a secret Nightman facility built into the mountains here. It’s where they get their armor.”
Huh. Angling his neck again, Max winced, then nearly gagged. Eyes narrowing in disgust, he asked, Can they pull this piece of junk out of my throat?
Scott looked at Gavriil, who was still buckled down on the floor by the garbage can. Connected to the conversation or not, the doctor was going to be of no meaningful contribution now. Scott considered ordering Ju`bajai to sever him, despite the benefits the prolonged connection would provide. Ultimately, the thought was ignored. “I don’t know.” Max still didn’t understand his full condition. “Look…I need to tell you what you’ve been going through. What I need you to do, though, is stay calm.” Here came the news. “You have a tracheostomy tube in your neck because, for lack of a better way to put it, your throat got messed up bad.”
Blinking, Max canted his head. Can you elaborate on ‘messed up bad?’
“‘Messed up bad’ as in, you could have died.”
Again, there was a pause. Max’s eyes stayed on Scott in a manner that looked partially disbelieving and partially accusatory. So you’re saying…
“I’m saying there’s a lot you’ll have to relearn. How to talk, eat, drink. Right now, you’re physically incapable of all of those things.” He bit his lip. “You have the tube in your neck, a collapsed lung, and probably other issues that I don’t even know about. The road to recovery is going to be rough, but you can do it if you pace yourself and listen to what the doctor and his staff tell you. We need you back, man. But you’ve got to do it right, or you won’t be back at all.”
There was nothing Max could say to rebut. He was in a medical bed with a tube in his throat and another in his chest. With reluctance and a long exhale through his nostrils, he said, I’ll do what they say.
“Good,” Scott said. “That’s what we need to hear, man.”
So, said Max after a slight pause, what’s the word with Sveta?
Scott shook his head. “We’re trying to find her right now, but we haven’t had any leads. We knew she was with Oleg, we just didn’t know the circumstances until you just told us. We suspected that Oleg got captured by EDEN. If that’s what happened, then there’s no telling where Svetlana could be—if she wasn’t captured, too, that is. We don’t feel like she was or else Archer would be using her as leverage.”
The confused look remained on Max’s face. Leverage? Archer? What the hell is going on, man?
Frowning, Scott motioned to Max’s left. “Turn your head a bit and take a look over there.” The technician did as asked. When he caught sight of Centurion lying on the medical table, his eyes grew wide. “That’s the Ceratopian we were sent to extract. We got him, but it was
a hell-ride. We had to fight our way out of Cairo.” How in the world had they pulled that off? It was still hard to grasp. “The whole world is after us. As in, after us. We’re the world’s most wanted unit.”
What happened to Thoor?
“Thoor is dead.”
Max’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. So…Novosibirsk is gone?
“EDEN smashed it. The base is still there, and from what I understand EDEN is reoccupying it, but half of the base was destroyed.” He wondered how Room-14 turned out. “The Nightmen fled in every direction. Some came here, some went to Chernobyl—that’s where Yuri and Varya went, as did Antipov. Antipov is in charge. By the way, you can thank him for getting you here. Somehow, he had you extracted from a hospital in Novosibirsk. If not for him, you’d be in EDEN custody. Antipov’s daughter is here, by the way. Her name’s Marina. She’s a staff nurse. You’ll see her soon enough.”
Once again, confusion emanated from the technician. How did I get out of Novosibirsk in the first place?
Oh, boy.
Nostrils flaring, Max’s body tensed slightly up. Oh, boy, what?
Casting a harsh look at Ju`bajai, Scott said, “Okay, how does this work? Some things people hear, some things people don’t? What’s the rule?”
What do you mean, oh, boy, Scott? Max asked again.
Averting his attention from the Ithini, Scott looked at Max and sighed. This part wasn’t going to be good. Scott sought for some way to say it without saying it, but nothing came to him. The truth was simply the truth. Raising his hand in a gesture, Scott said, “Before I say anything, remember what I told you. Calm is how you need to stay.”
The technician’s glare deepened. What do you need to tell me, Scott?
Here we go. “You survived because of Ann. She went after you, she found you. She was the one who got you the medical attention that got you to the hospital.” The moment Tanneken’s name was mentioned, Max’s expression changed. He looked eager, tense. He was waiting to hear what else there was to it. There was no way to avoid it. “EDEN has her. They took her into custody while she was with you at the hospital.”
Just as Scott feared, Max immediately started to sit up. Pushing back on the technician’s shoulder, Scott pinned him back down as nurses rushed to assist.
“Calm down, man! You can’t help her like this!”
Where the hell is my Annie?
Shaking his head emphatically, Scott said, “I don’t know! I mean, she’s with EDEN, somewhere, but she’s a card they haven’t played.” In the midst of that statement, Scott made a realization: that Svetlana hadn’t shown up on the news didn’t necessarily mean EDEN didn’t have her. Tanneken had barely shown up on the news either, other than the brief mention of her arrest. After that, there was nothing. Could EDEN have Svetlana? His focus returned to Max. “Wherever she is, she’s safe—that much, we have to believe. She survived Novosibirsk, which is of no small significance. It’s not like EDEN’s going to kill her—she was never a part of our unit, and we’re the unit they’re after.” That she wasn’t a part of the Fourteenth really didn’t matter. EDEN would use whoever they wished to capture Scott and his comrades. Max just didn’t need to hear that. “I just thought about this,” he said, looking back at Becan, “but EDEN very well could have Sveta. They haven’t revealed Tanneken. Would they necessarily reveal Svetlana before they were ready?”
Becan frowned. “I don’t mean to bust tha’ bubble, Remmy, but I don’t think they’re in the same category. No offense to Ann, but she’s not goin’ to help them catch you.”
It was a valid point. Just the same, Scott was open to any possibilities that existed. Turning back to Max, who lay still but was far from calm, he said, “We’re trying to get everyone back. Ann, Sveta, Yuri, Varya. We’re a fragmented unit. But we’re gonna do it.”
I want out of this bed as soon as possible, whatever it takes. I want on the front lines.
“Whoa,” said Gavriil, still connected and looking Max’s way from the garbage can. “Do not get ahead of yourself—”
Cutting him off, Max said, I am not getting ahead of myself.
“You are a very long time from being combat ready, if you are ever combat ready again at all. We are not talking days, or even weeks. Months could be a quick recovery.”
Max blinked. Wait, wait, wait. Months?
Rubbing his face with his hand, Scott waited for the inevitable.
You expect me to be here for vecking months?
The doctor frowned. “You have a serious, serious injury. Can you be up and about soon? Sure. Possibly. But front lines, as you put it?” He shook his head. “We are very far from even discussing the possibility of that.”
Max looked at Scott in disgust and disbelief. Dude…
“He’s the doc,” Scott said, holding his hands up.
Closing his eyes, Max laid his head back. Of all the vecking miserable lives. Somebody tell me something good.
“Jay an’ Esty got married!” said Becan.
Max’s eyes shot open. What? He looked alarmingly at Scott. How the hell long was I out?
Even Scott could find the faintest humor in that. Placing his hand on Max’s leg, he answered, “A week. Just a week. Jay and Ess did something that was very…unorthodox.”
You’re kidding me. Max was serious, as he looked from Scott to Becan. You guys are kidding me. Jay and Esther aren’t married. They’re not even dating!
Sliding his hands into his pockets and smiling, Becan said, “There’s a lot ’o things we could joke abou’. Tha’s not one ’o them. They’re really married.”
Of all the things Max had heard, this seemed to stun him the most. What the hell, guys? Have they been secret lovers or something? Did they find some mountain church? Were there freakin’ flowers, and bells, and—
“Bells?” Scott raised an eyebrow.
I don’t know. Church bells. Don’t people do that kind of thing?
Scott laughed. It felt good. “No bells were involved. The keeper of this base, Valentin Lukin, did a little private ceremony. I don’t think the marriage is like, legal, or lawful, or whatever, but yeah. They’re married in the eyes of God, or their friends, or whatever makes them sleep at night.”
Come on, said Max with finality. Really?
“Least of your problems, buddy. You need to get well.” Very faintly, Scott’s smile grew wider. “It’s good to have you back.”
Shaking his head, Max said, I don’t feel back. But I’m gonna get there. The determination in his eyes vouched for it. And I’m gonna get Ann, and you’re gonna get Sveta, and we’re gonna have this wonderful freakin’ married community after we blow Archer and his EDEN cronies to the other side of the moon.
“Now we’re talking,” said Scott. Reaching out for Max’s left hand, Max met the gesture with a bro shake. “Or, we’re thinking. Or whatever you can do now.”
Smirking, Max said nothing.
It was right then, as Scott was clutching Max’s hand in the silence of the medical bay, that the inclination struck him. The smile faded from his face as his countenance took on something far more solemn. Behind Scott, and unbeknownst to him, Ju`bajai canted her head, the Ithini seeming to pick up on the sudden shift in Scott’s focus.
“Can I, umm,” said Scott, hesitating for a moment before semi-awkwardly continuing on. “Can I pray for you?”
Becan’s eyes trailed soberly to the floor, remaining open as both men seemed to stare into the nether. Neither moved or spoke.
For several seconds, Max stared up at his counterpart—his one-time rival. Drawing in a slow, almost surrendering breath, the technician replied. Can I tell you something?
Scott nodded.
When I was young, I was an altar boy.
An altar boy? Max, who’d taken every opportunity to lash out at Scott for his faith? Acutely aware of the surprised look he was offering Max, Scott canted his head and half smiled. “Really?”
The technician nodded a single time. Yeah. My family was
big into that stuff. I just did it because. Again, a moment of stillness came. It was never about God with me, Scott. I just didn’t like you.
Deep in Scott’s heart, something stirred. A simple question—could he pray for Max—was all he’d asked. He never intended to prompt the technician for this.
I know we’re cool, and I know we’ve been cool for a while. And I think I might have apologized once, or…whatever, for the rough time I gave you.
Scott couldn’t remember it.
But I love ya. Brother to brother. Man to man. Though his mouth wasn’t moving, Max’s words resonated with intensity. If you want to pray for me, that’s all right with me.
To say that wasn’t what Scott expected was an understatement. But it was vastly appreciated. Nodding his head a single time and clutching Max’s left hand a little tighter, Scott closed his eyes and bowed his head.
It wasn’t the fanciest of prayers Scott had ever prayed. It wasn’t even the smoothest. There were moments of awkwardly-spaced silence throughout his petitions for Max’s healing and the well-being of Tanneken—among others. There were moments where Scott was completely winging it, complete with all the discomfort that sometimes came with it. But no one said a word about those moments. They just listened as Scott prayed.
It was almost hard to remember now how it felt to leave Michigan for Philadelphia—to feel such a strong sense of calling that it warranted leaving everything else behind. That passion had long since been buried by choices and circumstances. It felt as if those days of fervent internal fire were lost forever. But in moments like these, clutching his former rival’s hand and praying for his recovery, Scott felt something rekindle. It might not have been a flame—or even a spark. But it was most certainly a reminder. Whether he felt right with God or not, God had put him there, in Northern Forge, for a reason. God had put him in the place he needed to be. As hard as it was to feel that, he knew damn well that it was true. It was time to start living like it.
As the prayer concluded and Scott opened his eyes, he noted that Max’s remained closed. No thoughts were being relayed through the connection. Perhaps whatever Max was thinking wasn’t meant for them. Only God—and quite possibly, Ju`bajai—knew. When Max finally did open his eyes, a good thirty seconds later, he looked if not at peace, at least somewhat quelled. For someone who was receiving scheduled medication to keep him calm, that was as good as anyone could have asked for. Releasing Max’s hand, Scott took a step back and gave Becan a look. Max needed some rest, now, as did they. It was best for all of them if they retired for the night.
