by Dante Doom
"Like what?"
"Saving the galaxy from the Draco," Sang said. "We're looking at the solution right here." She pointed to the pod that Van was sitting on. "Somehow, we can figure out a way to help Jet out."
"You're crazy," Van said. "There's no way we can pull it off."
"Maybe there is," Sang said. She glanced around the room. "We just need two pods and an operator."
"Two pods?" Van repeated. "Are you saying you're going to come with me?"
"Of course," Sang said. "Van, you gave everything up to save humanity and you have saved my life countless times. I don't think I have it in me to go back to the real world and do the boring thing. I don't know how to foment a revolution in a weird new video game, but I sure as hell would follow someone who can."
"You're saying that you'd be willing to follow me across the galaxy into some foreign land to save people you've never met?" Van asked as he folded his arms, looking relatively skeptical of her.
Sang could feel her heart begin to pound as she realized the possibilities in front of her. Did she really want to go back to some boring job working in an office? Did she really want to give up the adventures that she had lived through already? Did she want to lose her best friend? No. She didn't want any of that, so she chose in her heart to push Van to continue the adventure.
"Yes, Van, in a heartbeat. I want to see you live a meaningful life, and I know you've got what it takes to free the Xevov. Hell, you can probably free race after race if we can figure out how the Xevov transmitted themselves. We can go back for those who have been forgotten. We can save countless worlds. And we've already done it once."
Van's lips began to slowly turn up into a smile, but he suppressed it. "Suppose I said yes – what are we going to do?"
"I don't know," Sang said. "But we'll figure it out. We're gonna need some operators to help us out, but… but I think we can do this. All we need to do is get this pod out of the government's hands and we'll be golden."
"Hmmm," Van said as he climbed fully out of the pod. They both looked at it for a moment in pure silence. Sang could see the life slowly returning to Van's face and she knew that his mind was beginning to stir with all of the possibilities. "I don't want to say this," Van said as he slowly shook his head, "but we're going to need Neil and O'Hara's help."
"Leave it to me," Sang said. "I'll go convince them to join."
"And I know someone who might be able to help us out, too – she was the one who broke me out of the pod for a few minutes," Van said. "They've got her handcuffed to a radiator in one of the other rooms."
"Why?" Sang asked.
"Neil said that she was holding back on some information and that she needed some time to think about whether or not she likes being able to, quote, 'eat without the aid of a tube.'"
"Sounds about right," Sang said. "Let me go find the dynamic duo; you go talk to your lead."
Van walked into the back to where the CIA was holding a variety of prisoners. They were all handcuffed and sitting in the back of the mess hall. They had blank expressions on their faces. The more lively ones had been arrested earlier, and Cindy was the only intelligent one that remained. And while Van certainly did need to meet up with Cindy so that he could have a more thorough conversation with her, there was someone else who he needed to see first.
Van spotted Peter sitting on one of the tables, staring blankly ahead. The man had been responsible for saving Van's life, and now it was time for Van to pay the favor back.
"Hey," Van said as he walked up to the red-head.
Peter didn't respond; he merely stared straight ahead.
"You doing okay?" Van asked as he gently placed a hand on Peter's shoulder.
"I'm handcuffed in a strange invisible bunker after having been in the process of being mentally tortured for what felt like a hundred years," Peter replied. "No, I am not okay."
"Well, you seem to have retained your personality," Van said.
"Of course, I retained my personality," Peter growled. "I just wanted to be a professional gamer. All of this talk about the end of the world, aliens, and whatnot – it's a bunch of crazy rubbish. Now the police or whatever are arresting me for being a terrorist? I just wanted to play a stupid video game and earn my ex-wife's respect by turning my hobby into a real job."
"Yeah," Van said as he looked around. Strangely enough, the CIA hadn't bothered to post any guards in the area. They had walked in and secured the place, but after Van had woken up and talked to Neil, most of the CIA goons had gone home. Maybe they didn't have the clearance to be in a place like this.
"Listen," Van said, "I'm really sorry that things haven't worked out as well as you would have liked, but I have something to say to you."
"Oh yeah?" Peter asked as he turned to look at Van. "Say it, then."
"You were in the tournament a while back, right? And the whole thing went lethal."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Peter said. "That was a terrible decision brought on by drinking and lamenting the anniversary of my wife's departure from my house."
"Yeah, and while it was a terrible decision, you were a pretty noble guy."
Peter cocked his head. "How do you know that?'
"Well… I was Fenwar, the guy who you made a deal with," Van said.
"It is a small world," Peter said as he laughed a little. "How is this even possible? Why aren't you in cuffs?"
"Well, I don't know how much I can share with you, so let me be very quick. This whole Draco thing is bad news, and the CIA is involved. You had multiple chances to kill me when I was weak and unarmed, but you chose the moral path – and for that I'm grateful. You probably don't even know how important your decision was, and you probably never will. But I owe you one."
"Oh, uh, think nothing of it, man," Peter said. "I spare people's lives all the time; it's no big deal."
Van walked over to the handcuffs and examined them. O'Hara had showed him a nifty trick for popping them open and, after a few minutes of his fiddling with a paperclip, the cuffs clicked open.
"There," Van said, "now, getting out of here is going to be tricky, but we're going to be stealing one of the pods in a little bit. Your best bet would be to hide in the pod until we get outside, and then you can hoof it."
"Why are you doing this for me?" Peter asked.
"Because, man, I know you're not a bad guy like the rest of them," Van replied as he walked up to the door and looked outside, checking to see if there was anyone around. "So go on and get out of here while you have a chance. Once we get the pod loaded up and outdoors, you'll be free to go wherever you want. It's far better than ending up in jail for a crime you really didn't commit."
"Well, I'm not the kind of guy who looks a gift horse in the mouth, although with my recent track record of accepting free vacations, I might want to revisit that policy," Peter said. "So, thanks, my friend. I'd say I owe you one, but I guess we're even now."
"You bet," Van said. "Go hide in the pod. I've got someone else to talk to."
Van walked out into the hall and made his way to the maintenance area where Cindy was currently sitting on the ground. Her right arm was handcuffed to a radiator and she looked very uncomfortable.
"Back to levy empty threats against me?" Cindy asked, not looking up at Van. She was staring at the floor, and he could tell that she was in quite a lot of pain.
"They roughed you up pretty badly, didn't they?" Van asked as he sat down.
"Yeah, well, can you blame them? My name's all over this place. Hell, I'm the only one in this base who has a profile online that says 'Draco representative.' No wonder they beat the tar out of me."
"I'm sorry," Van said, "but they probably wanted information."
"Oh yeah, and they got a lot of it," Cindy said. "Everything they wanted, I told them. But… this one guy, a real deranged fella by the name of Neil, he tells me that he knows I'm keeping a secret. He handcuffs me here and leaves me to rot."
"Do you know a secret?" Van asked.
&nb
sp; "Go to hell," Cindy said. "You're free, aren't you? You figured out some way to destroy Draco and now your buddies are here to save the day. Why the hell do you want to come and torment me?"
"I'm not here to torment you," Van said. "I'm here to offer you a chance at a better life."
"Ha, and how so?" Cindy asked as she sharply looked up at him. He could see she was very bruised and battered. It made him uncomfortable, to think how effortlessly they had interrogated her with violence, but then he remembered the crimes that she'd perpetrated against the world. Even so… Torture and ethics were definitely far beyond him, but something made him deeply uncomfortable when he saw people in positions of power taking advantage of those who were at a disadvantage.
"Things are changing for the CIA," Van said. "The mission is over and they want to quit while they're ahead. Earth is safe, and so there's no reason for them to keep fighting Draco."
"Makes sense," Cindy said.
"But Sang and I have a different plan. You see, we're not going to stop fighting against these evil lizards. On the contrary, the battle is just getting started."
Cindy snorted. "What's going on in that tiny little mind of yours?" she asked. "Do you have any idea just how big Draco is? Sure, their mothership got tanked, kudos to you, but you do realize that these guys span the entire universe?"
"Oh, I know that," Van said as he leaned in close to Cindy. "And I'm ready to take the fight to them."
"You're nuts," Cindy said as she shook her head. "You are an absolute madman if you think you can kill them all."
"We have the means to do it," Van said. "We've figured out a method, and we have the power to access the game that's used to corral the Xevov. But we need something."
"And what's that?" Cindy asked.
"We need access to more Draco tech. This place is belly-up, as you know. The CIA's gonna dismantle everything and make sure it doesn't ever get reported on by anyone. All of this precious tech is going into the hands of a government that intends on doing nothing with it."
"And you think I know where there's more Draco tech," Cindy said.
"I know you're holding out on us. Neil might be bonkers and a deeply terrifying man, but he's a smart one. If he thinks you're keeping a secret, then I know you have something for me. What is it?"
"Why should I tell you?" Cindy asked. "You're just gonna use it and leave me behind."
"Well, that's where an offer comes into play," Van said. "The government won't forgive you, and you know it. But they don't have to have you in their possession, do they? If you can lead us to more technology, if you can take us to the promised land, which I know you can, we'll let you go."
"Just like that?"
"Hey, as of today, I don't work for the government anymore."
Cindy slowly nodded at that. "Well, I suppose it's a better deal than whatever these CIA guys are going to try and offer me. I know for a fact that none of them will deliver on whatever promises they make. I figure, with you, I've got maybe a 50/50 chance of you keeping your word. Not great odds, but better than my guaranteed hanging. So… okay. Deal. If you help me out of here, I'll help you out."
Sang rushed back into the reception area to find Frederick Yuri walking into the base. Neil and O'Hara were nowhere to be found. Sang felt an iciness run through her veins the moment she saw Yuri, though.
"Agent Sang," Frederick said as he strolled up to her. "I hear you have some good things to report."
"Yes, sir," Sang said as she stepped slightly away from him.
"You seem a little nervous," Frederick said. "I hope Neil hasn't been filling your head with fiction about our plans for you."
"As deranged and cynical as he is, he's not a liar," Sang said. "You're firing us."
Frederick sighed. "I'm sorry, Sang. I fought for you guys tooth and nail, but the higher-ups have decided that the world just isn't ready to deal with the whole alien thing yet. We're going to be cleaning this whole thing up. The good news is that you're going to be retired with full honors, and you're getting what would be your pension up front and in cash, so you won't have to work if you don't want to. That's our thank you for your working so hard."
"And Van?" Sang asked. "What about him?"
Frederick shrugged. "He'll receive some compensation for his efforts, as well. While I am… concerned as to his stability, given the loss of his precious video game, I don't think he'll be a risk. We should have sufficient means to keep him quiet about all of this."
Sang growled a little. "I'm beyond pissed at you all."
"I know you are," he said. For what it was worth, there was a heaviness on his shoulders and he seemed to be somewhat depressed. "But there's not much I can do. You're in the deeper circles of the clandestine world. A lot of things are going on that you don't really understand. Half the time, I don't understand, either. We're grateful for what you've done and you will be rewarded, but your time with the CIA is coming to an end. We will also be writing up a history of mental instability and verifying it with a few people to ensure that, if you do start talking about aliens, you'll be discredited immediately."
"Gee, you know some places give their valuable employees a plaque on the wall that says Employee of the Month," Sang replied.
"I never want to hear your voice on any public forum," Frederick warned. "This is all going away. We're pushing the lid down tight and we're not going to open it back up until the time is right."
"And just like that, the world doesn't get to hear the truth?"
"The truth can be a very dangerous thing when it's applied carelessly," Frederick replied as he moved closer to Sang. She backed up against the wall. For a moment, she really felt a genuine fear. Not of him, but of his words.
"The truth is bandied about as if it were the ultimate thing that mankind must pursue, but let's be real here: if people knew the actual truth about the nature of the world, it would be chaos."
"That's not for you to decide!" Sang shouted back.
"Of course, it's not, which is why I've been ordered to clean this whole affair up!" Frederick replied. "You don't understand, Sang, and maybe you never will, but there are powers that control things far more than you would like to think. They have deemed this kind of information to be too dangerous for the rest of the world. And what am I to say to them? No? Am I to tell them that my opinion matters more than theirs?"
"Who are these people in charge?" Sang asked.
Frederick sighed again. "The highest echelons of the government. The big boss called me into his office and told me exactly what I was to do. I was allowed to ask approximately zero questions, because in this kind of world, you don't really get to ask questions."
"I bet our bastard President was behind this," Sang said. "I knew he was a weasel."
"We can spend all day trying to figure out who to blame here," Frederick said, "but the truth is, there is nothing you can do. There is nothing that I can do. Everything has been organized this way for a reason, and that's that. The best thing that you can do for yourself is to move on and go home."
"I think you're a spineless weasel of a man if you're willing to just bury all of this."
"Weasel of a man!" Frederick thundered. "Who was the man who fought to keep you employed with the CIA when you were facing serious charges for dereliction of duty? Who was the man who tried everything in his power to keep this operation afloat? Who was the man who stood up and made sure that you, Neil, O'Hara, and the nerd didn't end up in prison for your extra-legal activities involving government property? You call me a weasel, but I have done far more for you than you could ever realize."
"I appreciate those things," Sang said, "I really do, but you can't throw this in my face as a rebuttal for choosing to let the truth be buried."
"Who's to say the truth is even a good thing for the world to know? I would trust the opinions of the higher-ups over whatever hippy, libertine opinion you might have rattling around in your head," Frederick said. "Make no mistake, Sang, my conscience is clean. I am doing
the right thing by hiding this, and you… you should get out of here while you still have a chance."
"I don't want to walk away so angry with you," Sang said. "I recognize that you did some real good in my life, but at the same time… you're choosing to get rid of me and Neil for the crime of serving our country. How can that possibly be fair?"
"I don't know what to tell you, Sang," Frederick replied. "I will do whatever they tell me to do. Regardless of the personal cost, the discomfort and the suffering, I can trust them far more than I can trust my own instincts. The world is still spinning, isn't it? Who do you think told me to start this project to begin with?"
Sang frowned. "They told me you were poisoned. Was that true?"
Frederick shook his head. "I don't have to answer that. There's a car outside with enough money to compensate you for what you have done. Take Van and go home. Never speak of any of this again, to anyone, and live the rest of your life as best you can."
"So that's it, then?" Sang asked. "Just like that, you're going to throw me in the trash?"
"You saved the world; what did you think you'd get, a medal?" Frederick asked. "Be out of this place in ten minutes or I'll ask Neil to move you."
He turned and walked off to inspect a few file cabinets that were by the receptionist's desk. Sang felt her blood begin to boil. He'd probably known that things were going to end like this from the very beginning. Frederick has used her.
Sang rushed out from the secret base and into the hot sun. Neil and O'Hara were sitting on the hood of a blue Subaru station wagon.
"Hey," Neil said. "You ready to cash out and get the hell out of here?"
"Change of plans, guys," Sang said as she walked up to them. "There's still an adventure to be had."
