by Joel Stewart
The Shattered Lands were a black hole as far as society was concerned. The people there were very violent and participated in cannibalism and self-mutilation. A spy had not been infiltrated there for over a century and very few adventurers returned to tell any tales since they killed any outsiders on sight—Ardians, they were called. Since they had kept to themselves, more or less, for several centuries they had been mostly relegated to the villains in books and movies or evil men that punish misbehaving children. “The height cuts down on the atmospheric interference and the light pollution from the city below.” Davis added.
“OK Jesse.” Alex chided looking over at Davis. “You don’t need to go into a detailed explanation. I was just agreeing with you.”
Davis looked insulted. “Whatever.”
“Wow Davis, I have never heard anyone give you such an amazing compliment!” Jesse joked.
Davis glared at Jesse, looking down at him literally and figuratively. “Trust me, I have had better compliments.”
Jesse turned away and walked toward the edge of the tower. He was not going to give Davis the satisfaction of getting under his skin. That big oaf, he thought. He may think he’s all that, but it is people like me that find ways to change the world.
“So Alex, is that deed thing all you figured out through Alden?” Cliff said trying to change the subject.
“Yeah, they have no records of the woman named Lena that lives there now, as far as they are concerned, any use of the property is Sanctum business.” Alex replied.
“Sounds like you must have had a pretty short meeting with Alden.” Cliff said hopefully.
“Actually, we talked about it over dinner last night and met again for lunch today to go over what he had found. I’m just lucky he was able to cut a few hours out of his schedule for me two days in a row!” Alex responded obliviously.
A couple hours . . . two days in a row . . . for two meals . . . Cliff’s heart sank. He thought he might puke. “Oh wow . . . uh . . . that was nice of him.” Cliff responded awkwardly.
“You need to tell her how you feel tonight.” Davis whispered to him. “You might not get another chance.”
“Don’t go trying to get your stories straight.” Alex yelled over the backs of the two men. “You owe me an explanation for last night.”
Davis turned around grinning. “Do you want the long or the short version?”
“How about the short version, and then if I have questions you can give me the long version.” Alex responded.
“OK, short version. Lena has a secret paramilitary-guarded compound in an artificial cave system inside her hill. I tried to sneak in, but they were all over me. I managed to escape without a scratch and Cliff, the great wheelman that he is, drove me off without a hitch.”
“And . . .” Alex prodded while rolling her finger in a circle. “You know . . . the part where your truck gets destroyed and you both end up looking like bandaged Mendorian cheese?” Mendorian cheese was known for being full of holes.
“Ah . . . well . . . A strange woman with silver hair jumped on my truck, flipping it on its back, then hit it again, flipping it back on its wheels, then she dodged tranq darts I fired at her . . . after I fired them, and she kicked my truck through a house wall. I think it might be some kind of high-tech android, but it was a beautiful android. Anyway, Cliff went unconscious on the first flip so I wouldn’t expect him to remember any details. All our bandages are from when the windows smashed in. The glass cut us up pretty good.”
Alex looked over at Cliff with an incredulous look on her face while Jesse ran over to hear more of the story. “You expect me to believe that?”
“I said that you wouldn’t believe it when I got out of the truck.” Davis retorted. “And there really isn’t a long version of the story. That is what happened. The police showed up and took me in for questioning. They sent Cliff to the hospital since he was unconscious.”
Jesse and Alex just stared at them, disbelief clearly written on their faces. The awkward silence was soon interrupted by the sound of General Reminir’s voice bellowing “Ah, there you are.” General Reminir’s face looked like a rock. He was a hard man, his face all sharp lines and, except for a bushy mustache, shaven. He looked even more serious than usual today, which was not a good sign. He walked over to the group in his full-dress formal uniform including shoulder bar rank indicators and dozens of medals in neat rows on his chest that clanked as he walked.
“Daddy, I thought you were going to be in meetings all day, is everything OK?” Alex looked concerned. She had rarely seen him look this cold and determined.
General Reminir walked up to his daughter and gave her a tight hug. “I am going to be leaving tomorrow for Jorgen.” He said coldly. He looked around at the assembled group, taking in the bandages on Cliff and Davis. He had watched Jesse and Cliff grow up, and he knew Davis from when he oversaw the Special Operations Division. “I say this in the utmost confidence, I trust that not a word of what I say will leave this tower?” Nods of agreements and “Yes sir” could be heard from the group that was intently focused on him.
Reminir took a step back and lowered his head, shaking it from side to side pondering. “The negotiations with Chengar were cut short.” Reminir said at last. “They are apparently under new management over there, a coup if you will, and the new ruler seems to be even crazier than the last. They did not make any demands, they just told us what they were going to do. They annexed the Farasi Island chain as well as the other three neighbors they share their continent with—Brendora, Scera, and Toran. They have done everything but declare war while doing everything we have told them will cause a declaration of war from our side. I do not see any way to go but declare war before Chengar can consolidate its newfound power. The council agrees.”
“Is there anything we can do to help, sir?” Cliff blurted out. She has to see me in a different light, he thought. After he said it he felt foolish. There are two nations going to war and you, a civilian, are asking him how to help. Just join the Army, stupid!
To Cliff’s surprise Reminir smiled and said “Yes, there is.” To Cliff’s dismay Reminir shifted his attention to Davis and not him. “Would it be too much of an imposition to have you complete one last mission for me Davis?”
Davis looked perplexed. “To be honest sir, it depends on the mission.”
Reminir smirked. “The mission is to protect Alex. You can enlist these two to help you as well if you wish.” Cliff perked up at the chance to act as Alex’s protector. Davis just stood there waiting for more details. “I am going to Jorgen to oversee the defenses there. Given the ports and the proximity to the Farasi islands it is the most logical place for Chengar to attack if they were planning to do something pre-emptive against us. As the Commander-in-Chief of our military, Alex is my greatest weakness. If the enemy were to try and compromise me I need to know that she is safe. I could hire out a private firm to oversee her safety, but I could not hire anyone better than you. I think Alex would also feel more comfortable being shadowed by her friends than strangers.”
“We accept sir,” Cliff said excitedly. Once again he immediately felt foolish. He was not the one being directly asked to undertake this mission. Davis glared briefly at Cliff but then smiled.
“We do accept sir. I’ve trained Cliff some on the use of weaponry and since he just volunteered to join me I will take him as well.” Davis looked over at Jesse. “Do you want to join our new private security firm? Every security firm needs a tech guru!”
Jesse looked nervous, but Cliff’s pleading eyes won him over. “I will.” He finally muttered unenthusiastically.
Reminir’s smile looked strange on his face, it was obvious he did not smile often. “Excellent, I’ll sleep better knowing this. I’ll set you up under the Special Security Division, you will get paid standard rates for military contractors. Thank you all.”
“I will make sure nothing happens to her.” Cliff said with a voice that seemed slightly deeper than usual.
>
Reminir smiled. He could see Cliff’s feelings, even if Alex could not. “I’m sure you will.” He stepped toward Alex and gave her another hug. Once he stepped back his face returned to looking like stone. “Time to go meet with the war council and make preparations.” He looked at Alex, his face looked even graver, if that was possible. “I love you,” he said.
Cliff could have sworn he saw a tear on his cheek, but it must have been a strange illusion of the setting sun. He never imagined a man like General Reminir could shed tears. Then again, he had just confessed that they were in the calm before the storm. A war was coming that would leave countless families missing sons and fathers, daughters and mothers, on both sides. Reminir turned and walked back toward the stairs. Alex called back to her father as he walked away. “I love you too daddy! Be safe!”
It looked like Alex might cry. Cliff put his arm around her and pulled her head to his chest. “It’s going to be OK Alex. It’s going to be OK.” She did start to cry. Having her cradled in his arms almost overrode the grief and dread they were all feeling, but not quite. The last full-out war with Chengar was over fifty years ago, he could not imagine the casualties that would be seen with the newer technologies that had been developed.
The sun was setting, and the small party somberly walked over to the edge of the tower to watch it go down. It was so beautiful up here, and it was made all the more beautiful by the profound sadness that had fallen over them. The shadows that spread out across the valley, the pink sky from the light reflecting off particles of dust or pollution in the air, the busy nature of people going about their lives, looking like ants scavenging for food on a lawn of steel square grass. The three hills they could see from their side of the castle still looked far below them. They seemed like great fingers poking out of the ground. In that moment it all seemed so poetic, and so sad. A perfect match for what they were feeling. Would war be declared tomorrow? The next day? How long before the lives of almost every person below them was either upended or just ended by the war.
Cliff broke the grim silence. “So. What are the chances that Lena, and possibly the Sanctum, are allied with Chengar?” Everyone looked at him quizzically. Why am I always the one to put two and two together? “Lena knew this was going to happen when we went to her house yesterday. She asked if Denoria would finally fall this time, remember? That statement only makes sense if she knew a war was coming, and we know from the highest authority that no one in Denoria knew a war was coming till the diplomatic talks this afternoon. The only way she could know would be from a Chengarian contact.” Everyone looked away from him and back at the valley contemplating. “It would also make sense that if she was loyal to Denoria she would have told the council right away and warned them before the diplomatic talks.”
They watched until the sun fell completely below the horizon. The lights below replaced the hustle and bustle, making the city look like a gem covered geode. Eventually they walked over to the campsite and Cliff started making a fire. Their solemn atmosphere was broken when they heard the sound of giggling from the other campsite near the stairs. They hadn’t even noticed the two girls climb onto the tower roof. Their campfire was rekindled, and they seemed to be roasting meat over the fire using long sticks.
Jesse kept glancing over toward them as Cliff finished setting up the tents and turning his small modest fire into something that wouldn’t be legal in a forest. He had bought some starter logs that were Bonfire brand, and the name definitely fit the inferno. “You guys seem to know what you are doing over here, so I am going to go say hi to the girls.” Jesse walked off before anyone could respond.
When he was out of earshot and apparently introducing himself to the girls Davis let out a slight laugh. “You got to give it to the kid, he is tenacious.”
“Five bucks he lands a date over there.” Cliff joked trying to keep the mood light.
“You’re on!” Davis replied.
Several minutes later Jesse returned to the group that was now roasting marshmallows. “Guess who’s got a date tomorrow?” Jesse looked around quickly but before anyone could answer he pointed his thumbs to himself and gloated. “This guy!” His face was beaming from cheek to cheek. “I really like this girl, too, it was only a few minutes, but she was pretty, funny, and really excitable.”
Cliff glanced over when another burst of giggles erupted from the other camp. The girls looked over at Jesse when they had finished laughing and Cliff finally got a glimpse of their faces. There was no doubt about it: one of the girls was Arelia Kes. What were the chances. “Jesse, is the girl you are going out to lunch with tomorrow named Arelia Kes?”
Jesse looked dumbfounded. “Yeah . . . well, Arelia is her name, I don’t know her last name. How did you know?”
“She works for the Sanctum and reports to Lena.” Cliff said resigned. “But even if she is a plant, you still owe me five bucks, Davis.”
“Hey now, enemy infiltration dates don’t count.” Davis protested. Jesse just looked confused. Alex laughed.
“We never set any ground rules.” Cliff retorted. “The bet was if he got a date, and I won the bet!”
Davis let out a sigh and reluctantly gave Cliff his reward. Jesse looked legitimately angry. “Are you guys seriously making bets on my dating life?” Alex, Cliff, and Davis all started laughing but no one responded. Jesse sat down and looked defeated. “My luck, I get a date with a beautiful girl and she is an enemy plant.”
“We don’t technically know she is a plant; it is just a suspicion at this point.” Cliff corrected. “But one thing is becoming increasingly clearer to me: we figure into their plans somehow.” A thought hit Cliff like a lightning bolt, and he turned to Davis with a grim expression on his face. “Do you think this could be about Alex? If the Sanctum got their hands on her they could try to manipulate General Reminir somehow!”
Davis frowned. “I don’t know, but I don’t think I will be getting any sleep tonight. I’ll stand watch.”
“Shouldn’t we take shifts?” Cliff offered. “You have a team, you don’t need to tackle everything yourself.”
“I haven’t trained you for something like this yet, I won’t have a problem with just one night.” Davis responded.
“Why don’t we just go down and crash in my room? I can get some cots delivered and we can all sleep stress free.” Suggested Alex. “Beats you staying up all night and none of us getting a good night sleep.”
“I have a better idea.” Cliff cut in, he sounded in command for some reason. “Alex and Davis go down to the room since it is safer, and Davis should not leave her side if we can help it. Jesse and I go over to the girls and ask to join their campout since you two were called away for the night. We might be able to flip the tables on them and learn valuable information.” Cliff looked over at Jesse who he thought would jump at the chance to get to know this girl better, but his chair was empty. He hadn’t even noticed Jesse sliding out of his chair to lay down on his sleeping bag. They set up tents in case it got too windy, cold, or rainy, but they preferred to sleep under the stars. “What do you think Jesse? Up for some spy games?”
Jesse did not respond right away, he seemed to be glaring intently up at the stars. “Sure.” He said absentmindedly. It was obvious he had not heard the question. “Guys, look there, a bit left of the moon. Do you see something moving?” The group stared for a few minutes and one by one they could see the moving shape.
“Is it an airship?” Cliff pondered out loud.
“This is a no-fly zone.” Davis responded. “General Reminir himself could not fly up there, it is a safety regulation to protect the castle and the city from Chengarian high-altitude surveillance.”
“I have been watching it for a while now.” Jesse responded. “It makes movements too sharp to be an airship.” It briefly flew in front of the moon, causing everyone in the camp to gasp. “Is that a giant bird?”
“If it is I need to go back to class. That thing must be, what . . . 30 or 40 feet long?” Cliff
responded.
Davis looked over at the girl’s camp—they had noticed it too. They were pointing up at the sky and engaging in some pretty intense conversation. He could swear he heard Lena’s name mentioned at some point. “Chengar was known to have bio-engineering programs a few years back.” He muttered. “It’s a possible explanation.” Davis tapped Cliff on the shoulder and pointed over toward the girls and the exit. “Those girls know something. I am going to take Alex back to her room, this just doesn’t feel right. Head over there with Jesse and try to chat them up, see what you can find out.”
Chapter 8
General Reminir looked tired as he sat in his chair presiding over the council. He did not sleep a wink the night before and it showed. His uniform was not pressed, face sagged, and his eyes had dark circles beneath them. He took a sip of what must have been his eigth cup of coffee. The civilians had finished filing in, the military members all looked about as ragged as him. “Ready to get started?” He asked in a commanding voice. He wanted to get this over with, take a short nap, and then get on an airship for Jorgen.
Nods from most of the people around the table led him to click a button on the remote in his right hand. A picture appeared on a ninety-inch television that was built into the wall at the end of the U-shaped table. It was a dark shape in front of the moon. “This is the best picture we have. We monitored this phenomenon all night long from when it appeared in the sky on the outskirts of the city to when it disappeared just as quickly after it finished its run. We know that it was roughly 40 feet long and had a wingspan of around 35 feet. Want to take it from here General Stovak?”
“Certainly,” Stovak said while getting to his feet. Stovak was a mean-looking man, his uniform was not as wrinkled as Reminir’s, but his face looked twice as tired. In place of the sagging face shown by Reminir however, there was just plain hostility. “The structure of this phenomenon is not like anything we have on record. The way it moved was obviously organic and it maintained a steady heat signature consistent with a living creature. It also showcased incredible speed and direction diversification with its movements. At one point it was traveling almost 120 leagues per hour, slowed down to a near standstill, and regained speed again in mere moments. It also darted back and forth at speeds that could out-maneuver anything we can currently put in the air with ease. We do not know where it came from before it was picked up by radar or where it went after it disappeared. We dispatched airships to track it down but there was no sign of it. In light of the negotiation positions Chengar took yesterday, it is our conclusion that this strange creature was part of a recon mission undertaken by Chengar.”
