House of Dolls 5

by Harmon Cooper

  Please, have a seat, the man’s voice echoed in Roman and Nadine’s heads.

  “Telepath,” Roman told Coma, who took a position near the door, Celia joining her.

  If you don’t mind, I will speak to you mentally, the man thought to them. You may respond to me verbally, if you’d like.

  “I suppose we should cut right to the chase,” Nadine said, now seated to Roman’s left. “As long as that’s all right with you.”

  Rather than say anything himself, Roman figured he’d let Nadine do the talking.

  I suppose we should, the rebel leader thought to them. My name is Marcus Ruffin, and you may call me Marcus.

  “Great,” Nadine said, pursing her lips for a moment as she took him in. “I am Nadine, and this is Roman. Behind us are Coma and Celia.”

  It’s nice to meet you all. You were seeking our attention, and now you have it. What is the purpose of this visit? While I can simply check, I figured I’d ask first. I don’t mean to make haste of any potential conversation, but the next thirty-six hours are crucial to our cause.

  “That’s partially what this is about,” Nadine told him. “We need to cross the border. If you haven’t already figured it out, I am an Eastern Province operative, and I have worked on the Centralian side for our country with the goal of eroding their border security and expanding their vulnerabilities, among other things.”

  Thank you for your service.

  “Full disclosure, I have also had to battle against rebel groups, most recently in a train attack. So we are not here to join you.”

  Marcus drummed his fingers on the desk for a moment. You are referring to the recent attack on the train coming from Eastern Mane?

  “Yes,” Nadine said.

  That was part of a larger strategy, the rebel leader thought to them. But we don’t need to go into that now. What is it you are seeking from us?

  “We want to move with you when you make your inevitable attack on the border,” Nadine said. “We would fight as much as we need to until we reach the crossing, and then we would leave you and your forces to it.”

  And how do you know we are planning an attack? the man thought, narrowing his eyes on Nadine.

  “I’ve already read the briefings, and you damn well know that because you can see inside my head. So let’s cut the shit. You should be getting a shipment of devices that allow you to animate inanimate objects. You may have already received this shipment.”

  Disregard any prying I’ve already done and continue.

  “Our government used his power to create these devices,” Nadine said, nodding toward Roman. “We are well aware of what they can do, and we also aided you in a way that may reduce casualties in your upcoming attack.”

  How’s that? Marcus thought back to her.

  Roman noted that the man still hadn’t confirmed if they had received any devices or not, the telepath still in the information-gathering stage.

  “We provided a decoy device to his contacts in the Centralian Intelligence Agency. The Centralians have been told that the device will be on the rebel’s heads, a tiara of sorts. It would be best for you to have some of these either delivered manufactured here at the camp before your attack. But that’s just a suggestion.”

  And leave our troops open to immediate headshots?

  “Perhaps. I don’t think it will be long before they figure out it isn’t the headpieces that are allowing your men and women to control the environment. But, it does give you an advantage.”

  I don’t quite see it like that, but I can understand how our government would consider rebel lives disposable.

  “Yet you continue to take aid from our government,” Nadine said, her tone sharpening. “If you truly were rebels, you would be entirely dependent upon your own cunning to feed yourselves, outfit your soldiers, and purchase military-grade weapons. So there’s no need for you to act like you are anything different from me or what I once was. We are both cogs.”

  Marcus took a deep breath in, his tongue pressing against the inside of his lips. Finally, his voice appeared in their heads again. While I don’t agree with how you’ve phrased your last statement, I do understand where you are arguing from, especially with the role you have taken on as an operative.

  “So you will allow us to join you then?” she asked. “It would only be temporary.”

  I believe I have no choice, Marcus thought back. And I appreciate your desire to get away from all this. You have let me take a look into your mind, Nadine, without protest. I understand your passion, and while you’re right that I have a role to play—we all do—I recognize that yours could finally be over. Perhaps there is a part of me that wishes it was my day to relinquish the role handed to me.

  Marcus reached into his desk and brought out a small metal case. He opened it, showing them a necklace similar to the one Nadine wore, the chain thinner than hers.

  We will make our attack a day from now, in the early morning, using the cover of darkness. The devices have already arrived. And since you’re here, Marcus thought, turning to Roman, I would like you to show me more about your powers and capabilities. I will be the one responsible for training the men who receive these devices. Unfortunately, I have a single day to do so. I wish I had a say in the matter, but those around me—and by that, I mean our government officials—are calling for a border attack to respond to what recently happened at Eastern University.

  “So you want me to show you how the power works?” Roman asked.

  Precisely. I want you to show me what you can do with it, and its limitations. I played around with the device some. It is quite intuitive, but it will also be dangerous for my troops if they aren’t trained properly. With five hundred men wielding this power, I will be able to use my telepathic ability to instill in them what I have learned from you, including limitations I have devised on my own. Most of this group will move ahead of the rest, which would be the perfect time for the two of you—I mean four—to make your exit.

  “So you’ll send the majority at the start and then save some for the rear?” Nadine asked.

  Yes, I think the initial attack will benefit from this power, but there will be a point when the fight will move mostly to exemplars and wrist guards. My plan then would be to have a rear unit that can come in and level the playing field, even if it means added casualties on our side. Personally, I would hope for no casualties, but I’m aware that isn’t a possibility.

  “What is your actual goal?” Roman asked, not quite understanding the telepath’s strategy. “Is it to just temporarily open the border? Or…?”

  It is to poke holes in the border, holes that cannot be easily covered. This particular camp has eight thousand rebels, and there are two others near here, each with half that amount. Marcus tapped on the map in front of them. We are the first wave; then the other two forces will swoop in. The Centralians will respond in force, and once they do, Eastern Province troops will attack along the outer rims of the borders.

  “It just seems like…” Roman shook his head.

  You’re right. We are disposable and are being used as such. It is not something I’m in favor of, but there will be changes in the government once this attack takes place, and we will be recognized as heroes. Those like me, if they make it out alive, will be offered new roles in this government. And that’s when we will have the chance to make reforms that benefit the people. While it seems we are kowtowing to the Eastern Province government, we are not. We will use these events as a way to bring our causes to the mainstream, to win over the minds of the people. Then we’ll institute radical change.

  “Yeah,” Roman finally said. “I’m not going to comment on that. You can read my thoughts, though.”

  I understand your hesitation, Marcus thought to him. And perhaps you’re right to be skeptical of our greater plan. But what choice do we have? There have been rebel forces in the Eastern Province for millennia, never able to accomplish anything. This is our chance. And we have to take it.

  �
�I can respect that,” Roman finally said. “I’ve been there before.”

  Roman, Nadine, and the dolls were eventually led to a smaller tent, one generally reserved for three people. The structure was made of canvas, and while it was a little tight inside, there was room to stand and it felt homey enough.

  “I’ll stand out front,” Coma said, stepping out of the space before Roman could stop her.

  “I can just sit over here,” said Celia as she sat near the entrance, her legs crossed beneath her.

  There were two beds, the space lit by a lantern. Roman sat down on one of the beds, noticing how hard it was. He ran a hand through his black hair and shook his head as Nadine sat across from him, a tired look on her face.

  “It’s going to be a disaster,” Roman whispered.

  “I know.”

  Roman had just spent an hour going over some of the things he could do with his power while Marcus tried not to show how overwhelmed he was by Roman’s capabilities or the apprehension he was clearly facing at leading a squad of rebels that could animate inanimate objects.

  He could see it now, the mistakes that were going to be made, the people who would die because of these mistakes. And if other people got hold of the devices, it would make the battle even more unpredictable, which meant one thing and one thing only.

  “We need to get out ahead of it,” Nadine said.

  “We really do. We’ll move there with them, but then I’ll use my power to send us far to the side of the conflict, away from any of the immediate action. We can still always try the tunnel method.”

  “We may have to. The thing I don’t like about that is it will be clearly discoverable by a flying exemplar on patrol, and it’s not like we’re going to be able to meet with a teleporter on the other side, because that will be picked up as well. No, we move through the confusion, then disappear as best we can.”

  “It seems risky, but I suppose that strategy has worked before, running right up the middle rather than trying to flit along the sides.”

  “Is that supposed to be sexual innuendo?”

  Roman smirked. “Not unless you want it to be.”

  “It’s strange, you know.”

  “What is?”

  “All of this. To make it this far, and to be so close to reaching the other side. I can’t help but wonder how things would have turned out if our governments hadn’t attacked us. We would have caught our train back to Centralia, met with Eli and Lisa, and gotten out of this before war broke out. We wouldn’t be here now.”

  “Yeah,” Roman said, “we wouldn’t. Can’t argue there. I’m trying not to think about what we’ll do when we get back to where we’re going. I’m only trying to think about getting there.”

  “We’ll start a farm,” Nadine said as she removed the shawl Marcus had given her.

  “You’re making a lot of jokes tonight,” Roman commented.

  “I’m just exasperated by all this. I’m at the point where I sort of have this feeling we’re going to make it through and accomplish our objective, but it also seems so far away. And weirdly enough, at that point, everything becomes just a little bit humorous. All of this.”

  “The impending war?”

  “That, among other things. Our countries, their boundaries, exemplars, non-exemplars, the way our paths have crossed and continue to cross. You know, it could have ended several times, but either both of us are incredibly stubborn or we’re destined to live, and eventually…”

  “Yeah,” Roman said before she could finish.

  “Eventually die together…” she said softly.

  “Or we could just live forever in one of Abby’s dream worlds.”

  Nadine snorted. “Spare me. All I would be able to think about is that I’m artificially alive and my date of death is tied to whenever Abby eventually passes. As nice as it would be to live like that, I’ll pass. I’d rather go out quickly. A blast to the center of the forehead,” she said, tapping on her skull, “or perhaps another quick way to die. Your power is capable of killing people quickly.”

  “It’s your power too now,” Roman said, nodding at her necklace.

  “But I’ll never be able to wield it like you.”

  “And I’m an amateur,” Roman reminded her. “Margo. If anyone is a master at this power, it’s my half-sister.” He shook his head. “It still feels weird saying that.”

  “It does make sense that you two are related, considering your powers,” said Nadine. “And you think you’ll be able to give up your pursuit of her if we make it through this?”

  “I’ll have to,” Roman admitted. “If we make it out of this alive, trying to bring her back into it will just spark everything up again. I know you’ve been at this for well over a decade now…”

  “Closer to two,” Nadine said.

  “Exactly. But I can tell you I’m done with this kind of lifestyle. As interesting as it is, it’s just too much.”

  “It really is. I know other operatives who get addicted to it, and I myself have been addicted before. But in the end, you just realize you’re spending your life working at the discretion of some unknown bureaucratic entity who cares more about the task than the extremes a person has to go through to accomplish it.”

  “We should get some rest,” Roman said with a yawn. “I don’t know how much resting I’ll be able to get on the stiff bed, but I’m going to try.”

  “It’s not that bad…” Nadine looked to where Celia was standing and saw there was a container of water. “I’m going to wash my face and then join you.”

  “No dreams tonight,” Roman told her.

  “Agreed. If I see Abby, I’ll tell her to bother someone else.”

  Roman laughed. “That’s one way to spawn a nightmare.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Call

  Ava finished her glass of wine, yet again feeling the urge to just disappear, to retire from all of this.

  And maybe if she had done so an hour ago, she really could have gotten away with it.

  Ava had connections around the world.

  She didn’t think it would be that hard for her to disappear, to go off the grid, to never be heard from again.

  What was one famous exemplar disappearing entirely? Her government would cover it up anyway, and while there would be search parties, they wouldn’t find her in the end.

  Not where she was planning to go.

  Like for most people wanting to get away from it all, there was always the Northern Alliance, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, a hot country with tropical jungles and boiling volcanoes, pristine lakes and, most importantly, secluded villages.

  Ava had visited before.

  It was quaint, many of the homes pressed together within the little villages.

  Most of the communities were bike-friendly, the wine was excellent, and the food was doable.

  Perhaps she could have a garden…

  A series of bright lights played out in her living room, startling Bonbon and shattering Ava’s reverie.

  A teleporter took shape, the man wearing a Centralian military uniform.

  “Hello,” he started to say.

  “I’m not finished with my wine yet,” Ava told him, showing him the empty glass.

  He raised an eyebrow; she proceeded to fill the glass from the bottle of wine she had sitting on her glass table.

  “Please, take a seat,” she told the teleporter as she strutted past him and Bonbon excitedly jumped on the couch, her tail beating against the cushion as the man sat.

  Ava took the glass of wine into her bedroom, shutting the door.

  She then proceeded to sit on the single sofa chair in the room, moving into a relaxed position, her legs crossed and hanging over the armrest as she sipped from her glass of wine.

  Ava took her sweet time, enjoying her beverage.

  And once again, she considered leaving, ordering another teleporter to appear in her bedroom and take her away from what she knew was going to be a brutal conflict.


  But her mission didn’t stop there.

  Upon pressing the Eastern Province rebels back, she was to infiltrate the country alongside a few other exemplars and locate Roman and Nadine.

  She had a feeling he would be at the fight, and she didn’t know exactly why aside from the fact that it made sense, that he would be smart enough to use a distraction to take advantage of the opening in the border wall.

  Strangely enough, she was under the impression that Roman had the same plan as her, to get to the North.

  And that was only accessible through either the Western Province or Centralia.

  He could always take an intercountry teleporter, but those had to be government-sanctioned and were heavily monitored, and with the Eastern Province government also trying to locate Nadine, it wasn’t going to be a possibility.

  No, if he was making his move soon, it would be through a border crossing.

  Ava finished her glass of wine, wishing she had brought the rest of the bottle into her bedroom.

  She begrudgingly dressed, placing her dark mask with green highlights over her face, the curvy exemplar observing herself in the full-length mirror.

  She patted her stomach, wondering if she had gained a pound.

  Twisting to the side, Ava arched her back a little to observe her body, the tightness of her ass. Perhaps she would have a different body had she had children.

  But no, the mission was her child.

  The government her spouse.

  After tapping herself twice on the ass, Ava exited her bedroom and made her way to the front door, where she slipped into the boots that matched her uniform, all of it inflammable and able to reform if she morphed into her total inferno mode.

  “Ready?” the teleporter asked, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice and failing.

  “Not quite,” Ava said as she bid farewell to her dog.

  She had a friend that was supposed to come in the morning to take care of Bonbon, Ava giving the cute white pup a hug before setting her down.