Zurkerx- The Empire Shall Grow

by Eric William Haluska

  “I understand now,” whispers Scarlet. “It was my carelessness that allowed Indra to escape. I thought if I came at him faster that I would have the edge.”

  “No, Scarlet,” says Joseph remorsefully. “Indra escaped because I thought I could overpower him. We were both reckless, ignorant of the vigor we possessed to defeat him.”

  “And we thought Einzgu taught us balance-”

  “When in fact it taught us stability.”

  A moment of silence falls as the wind picks up, carrying their long-drawn-out words.

  “So,” Marcus says with a smile. “Do you all understand the teachings of Einzgu now?”

  Joseph and Scarlet simply nod.

  “Then we are done here.”

  With a twirl of his hand, he dismisses them. He is proud that he has saved his two friends from falling into the abyss, a darkness they wouldn’t have returned from. Yet, there’s one more battle he must wage, and that’s with himself.

  He looks up at the sky, trying to peer into himself, falling into a trance. Despite his accomplishment, he must now overcome his shortfalls, his failings as a leader. He must find a solution, one that he hasn’t been able to fathom.

  “Marcus,” says an urgent feminine voice.

  Marcus jerks a bit, breaking his daydreaming state. He lowers his head and turns towards the voice. He sees Scarlet is looking at him. She has a worried look on her face, a look that concerns him.

  “Is there something bothering you?” he says with inquisitiveness.

  “Yes, it’s about Captain Barns…”

  “What about him?”

  “Well,” she says hesitantly. “Before our meeting, I saw him walking up the hillside, heading into the forest. He seemed determined to climb it; not even the wind could stop him. It baffles and concerns me.”

  “That is weird,” he says, troubled. “It is rather strange for him to do something like that.”

  “I know, right? It’s as if he saw someone he-”

  “Knew.”

  The wind picks up, pushing the leaves into the direction of the hill. Marcus’ eyes follow the leaves as they come to a rest at the bottom of the hill. He lifts his head up slowly, staring into the forest, knowing what person Aceso has gone to see.

  ~

  “Why did you come, Argus? Why are you here?”

  Argus cringes.

  “I- I am on reconnaissance for any high-value targets the Gewerksma can assassinate.”

  “Right… you really are a terrible liar, always were. No leader ever goes on reconnaissance. Albric meant something to you, didn’t he?”

  Argus shakes his head, disagreeing with a conclusion that holds some truth.

  “He means nothing to me. Like I said, I came to see if there are any high-value targets here and indeed, there are.”

  Argus looks down and to his left. Despite Albric’s attempts to disrupt the Gewerksma, he had a personality that made everyone laugh, to bring joy even if you were his enemy. It is difficult for Argus to deny that, and he felt he should pay his respects. Albric will be missed, especially when the Gewerksma brings true liberation, freedom that Albric would admire.

  “Still lying I see. Argus, I don’t know why you are doing this. I don’t know why you would join a cause that’s misguided and morally wrong. You must come back to us-”

  “Bullshit. Do you honestly think they’d bring me back with open arms, especially after the treason I committed?”

  “I know you want to.”

  “Pff. You are ignorantly blissful, always were. You could see someone be murdered, right in front of you, and yet, you would try to coax the murderer, trying to convince them that there’s a chance to come from the darkness they crawled into and into the light. How pathetic.”

  “But the government needs us to protect the liberty and prosperity of our people…”

  Aceso takes a step forward, his demeanor relaxed, hoping to pacify him. Argus takes a step back, rejecting the friendly gesture.

  “They need us? For what?” he says angrily. “To serve as their puppets to enforce their ideals onto society while suppressing others? You’re delusional to think I would aid them in that endeavor.”

  “And they tell me I am delusional,” Aceso says with a chuckle. “Do you know how ridiculous you sound? Do you understand how our government operates?”

  “Oh, I know how our government functions: they cover up their crimes against the workers, hiding behind a false banner of freedom. They even hide the crimes of silencing others, just like what they did to my father.”

  Aceso stares at Argus, realizing what Argus’ true motives are.

  “Now I understand you. You couldn’t care less about Demokrism or Neo-Demokrism. No, you just want revenge, answers to fit your misleading narrative that has been disproven. You want the truth, don’t you, a fact that is already publicly known?”

  “I can never forgive them for what they did to my father. They silenced him to hide the scandalous deeds he uncovered, deeds that have silenced our people. But it’s also to bring the paradise he preached silently as he worked to undermine the government, and that’s Neo-Demokrism-”

  “Again,” interjects Aceso. “You have been told that is a lie. Your father died as a hero fighting the Gewerksma, protecting the Empire from its dangers.”

  “That is a lie and you know it!”

  Argus is getting tense. He gets uptight when a conversation about his father comes up. He gets frustrated, angry when people reject his theory on why his father died, a theory Dennis told him when Argus was a kid. He rejects the story his father died as a hero, and he chooses to believe that his father uncovered the truth about the government’s intentions to undermine its people, and was silenced before he could expose it.

  Yet, his father did, in fact, die as a hero, which can be backed up by Argus’ family and Marcus. It’s the honest truth, one it seems can’t pierce the man’s hardheadedness, but it’s also a topic that holds animosity, which is destabilizing Aceso’s chances of turning Argus to their side. Aceso takes another step forward, wanting to talk about something else.

  “I have a wife now and a five-year-old son. His name is Garius[74].”

  “I don’t care,” Argus says nastily.

  “I have mentioned you to him now and then,” he says, brushing off the searing comment. “I told him of our times as kids. Man, they were great. I told him stories about our adventures-”

  “Told him stories? So, you lied to him then? Typical Einnerist.”

  “You know very well those memories are true and you cannot deny the great times we had. You can’t erase the past.”

  “But I can erase those that I know,” he says cruelly as he pulls out his pistol. “I can kill you right here, right now.”

  “So why don’t you shoot me then?”

  Argus freezes. Aceso did have a point: why not kill him here and now? Yet, something is holding him back from pulling the trigger. Right now, a memory of his playing from his childhood, one in which he and Aceso are running around, shooting each other with water guns, celebrating his twelfth birthday. He then realizes it’s his feelings towards him, feelings that still linger, emotions he thought he had suppressed.

  “God damn you,” he whispers as he puts the gun away.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere. There is still some hope yet to save you.”

  “There was never any hope. I will end this bond that holds us together when I get the chance.”

  The wind picks up. The leaves on the forest floor brush across the ground, hitting the feet of the two men. They bounce off their feet, being deflected by the tense aura they project as they stare at each other.

  “In time, old wounds heal. Let us heal together and move on from the past that has held us back, away from each other.”

  “What an offer there, buddy,” Argus says while laughing. “But I think I will pass. Someone has to uncover the treasure trove my father failed to reveal. I will dismantle this bond created by government, forg
ing a new one that brings light to our ignorant and misguided people.”

  Aceso looks away. He refuses to hear the words that Argus speaks. The old Argus is still in there, that he is sure of.

  “I know you are still in there, buddy. I will set you free.”

  Argus opens his mouth, but then stops. It seems pointless to argue against someone who’s hellbent on his goals, targets that don’t make sense. There’s a reason he left his old life: to avenge his father’s death and collapse the government, bringing the truth of misdeeds out. He backs up, seeing that there is nothing else to discuss.

  “You think you can run away from who you are,” Aceso shouts in dissatisfaction.

  Argus continues to back up, ignoring his comments as the wind picks up again. The leaves on the ground spin around, concealing Argus. He is trying to break their bond, one he feels no emotion for. Aceso is trying to keep that bond alive.

  Believing there’s more to discuss, Aceso pursues Argus, desperately trying to get his attention. Yet, the wind’s intensity kicks up the leaves, forming a colorful wall he can’t see through. He swats them away, trying not to lose track of Argus.

  Then the wind dies down, and the leaves glide gently to the ground. Aceso looks around, trying to find Argus. But the man has disappeared, having faded away into the forest. In a heart-wrenching moment, he falls to the ground on his knees.

  “Argus! Come back here. I am not done yet,” he says, pleading. “There is always hope, Argus. Always! You’ll see, you’ll see!”

  Aceso stares into the darkness. He refuses to recognize the new Argus, a man he believes is just putting on a show. He can’t believe Argus would leave him or anyone for that matter. He believes he can still reason with him as he drifts into his mind, expressing unrealistic thoughts of him saving Argus.

  But his daydreaming is jolted when something touches his shoulder. He looks behind and up, surprised to see who it is.

  “Captain?”

  “Su-Supreme Commander,” Aceso says, stuttering.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Umm, yeah. Everything is fine…”

  Aceso huffs and puffs. Marcus lifts his hand off the man’s shoulder. He walks past Aceso, heading to where Argus originally stood. He kneels and examines the ground.

  “Would you mind telling me why you are up here?”

  Aceso pauses, hesitant to tell him of his encounter.

  “I- I needed some time alone. It’s not easy losing a friend these days-”

  “Like the one you were just talking to? Whom were you talking to?”

  The blood drains from Aceso’s face.

  “Myself, of course. There’s no one here to talk to.”

  “Hmph! I know a liar when I hear one. You’re just as bad as Argus, whom I assume you were talking to?”

  Aceso looks at the ground. He has no words to say.

  “No words eh? So, Argus was here. It’s the only reason you even came up here. I must say that the man must have some respect left in him to even consider Albric. He must have meant something to him.”

  He pauses. Aceso looks at Marcus, expressing sorrow.

  “Look, Captain, I know he means a lot to you. It was a shocking revelation to find out he is still alive. Unfortunately, he has changed into something that no one recognizes anymore.”

  “No! He can be saved. I believe he can be,” says Aceso, shaking his head as he stands up, refusing to acknowledge the comments.

  “Believe what you want, Captain, but there’s probably only one way to save him now.”

  Marcus walks up to Aceso, placing his hand on his shoulder again.

  “Sometimes we must recognize the reality we face. Losing someone that matters to us is heartbreaking, but we must muster the strength to prevail over this depression and sadness. Come along, let’s head back down, he’s long gone now.”

  Aceso looks past Marcus, staring once again into the forest. He has a feeling Argus is still close by and he won’t get another opportunity to confront him again. But with Marcus here, his plans to pursue him are worthless at this point.

  Reluctantly, he turns around, moping along. As the two men walk away, a paranoid Argus leans behind a tree. His gun is by his side, ready for a fight.

  “Albric meant something to me? Bullshit.”

  He pokes his head around the corner and sees the two men walking away. Relieved they are leaving, he walks in the opposite direction. The Final Draft is in the final stages, ready to bring change to the Empire, ready to uncover the truth about his father. The wind picks up, blowing the leaves around him, concealing him as he heads back. When the wind settles, and the leaves fall to the ground, Argus has disappeared.

  ~

  At Fort Moskova, Gadget is battling the CBW that tried to plague their databases. The fort he resides in is located twenty miles away from Moskova, and is considered one of the largest and oldest in the nation. He decided it was best to work from this fort on his project because he would be in close proximity to the Presidential Palace and Tower. He believes that one of these government structures will be the target of the final CBW used by the Gewerksma, and from this location he will be able to respond rapidly when he has the remedy for defeating this CBW.

  Aiding him in his fight is the security program called Novellus Defense, the same security program used by the government to protect its databases, the same one that failed to initially quarantine the CBW. Earlier, he installed the security program on a new laptop, then disconnected from the internet. He’s hoping that by trapping the virus, he can bombard it, breaching its firewalls.

  However, he has been only successful at quarantining it. He has been unable to pierce its firewalls, a task he finds to be more daunting than he previously thought. Given the aggressive nature and speed of the CBW, he knows the final product will ravage their systems at lightning speed, making it impossible to contain as it spreads like cancer. This means that quarantine won’t be a viable option, their only safety measure if this attack occurs.

  He is one of the smartest men in the Red Skulls and yet, he can’t defeat a CBW made by a bunch of amateurs. He knows how to defeat the CBW, but his strategy of attack has yielded little result. And yet, he continues with the same plan, expecting a different result every time. The reason for his insanity is the lack of sleep he’s been enduring, too busy focusing on how to defeat the CBW, causing him to think inconsistently.

  Then something hits him. It’s an idea that he had not thought of earlier, one that may tip the balance in their favor. He tries to stand up, cheering in joy, but he falls into his chair, his body too exhausted to celebrate. He needs to get some rest, a nap that could help him recollect his thoughts and reorganize his strategy. His head then falls onto the laptop, and he falls asleep.

  DECLARATION OF WAR

  NOVEMBER 17th, 2060

  11:15 P.M.

  MOSKOVA

  Outside the city of Moskova are fifty suburbs. In these suburbs live an estimated 40 million people, who make an average of Ƶ90,200 a year, slightly higher than the national average of Ƶ86,700. A majority of these people head to work in Moskova, which has 40 million people as well. This causes major traffic problems despite the closest suburbs being only 10 miles away, forcing people to leave as early as four in the morning.

  However, for the last several months, there has been a large influx of people coming to this area. This influx, which is around a million people, has drawn the attention of the Secret Commando Service (SCS)[75], who believe that a majority of the influx is orchestrated by the Gewerksma. They fear that the Gewerksma are planning a major attack, a hypothesis not given much credibility until the raid in Zok revealed the stockpile of weapons. It was only after that raid that the government granted the SCS a select few warrants to survey people they suspect are Neo-Demokrists working for the Gewerksma.

  Since being granted the warrants, they have spied on these select individuals, watching them closely. However, they have yet to find any evidence they are collabor
ating with the Gewerksma, a premise they still believe in and fear. Not even the Regiment, the Empire’s largest militia, has reported anything that would have alerted the government of the Gewerksma’s activity. Many within the Intelligence Community have asked for greater surveillance power, only to be turned down due to the Golden Civic Government refusing to grant them such power. This fear is real as the Gewerksma have in fact been moving personnel, vehicles, and weapons into the Moskova area, preparing for the Final Draft.

  To leadership, the Final Draft is a last-ditch effort to take down the Empire, given their dwindling financial position due to the Accounting Accountability Act (AAA). Before the passing of the AAA, a group known as the Mittarbe[76] helped finance them from 2040 to 2055. This group consisted of thirty multi-billionaires, who funneled money and supplies through miscellaneous accounts disguised as donations to non-profit organizations, reviving the Gewerksma. This financial aid significantly helped them as they re-armed themselves and created new propaganda to recruit new members.

  However, the accountants would eventually learn of the crimes their bosses were committing. Weary and fearful they would be tried for aiding a terrorist organization, they came forward to the government and revealed the irregular accounting practices. This prompted the government to arrest these individuals and seize their assets, even going as far as launching additional military operations against the Gewerksma.

  Immediately, the Gewerksma lost its biggest source of revenue, prompting them to turn to the black market for help. However, most of those routes of revenue would be closed when the government passed the AAA, which led to further government involvement in accounting, leading to more assets being seized and Vorhs being captured. The only route that survived was from The Speaker, although this individual’s aid has barely helped them as high overhead costs and constant government assaults undermine their organization. So, while the Gewerksma have been preparing for a major attack for the last three years, it was only in recent months they have put that plan into motion, realizing the setbacks they have suffered have permanently damaged the organization.