Resurgence

by Peter Hoole

  Caleb could tell it didn’t work, but he knew he had to ask.

  “And what happened? Did you get any help?”

  “We thought so… we even had a bloke come out from Sydney to have a chat.”

  “And what happened? Who was he?” asked Jace

  Adam looked at Jace, “His name was Damon.”

  Jace shook his head.

  Caleb remembered the name from his conversation with Jace in the car.

  “Nah… Damon wouldn’t…”

  “Mate… I’m telling you. After we had a chat with him, we thought we were finally gonna move forward with reclaiming what was ours. Then, a couple of days later…”

  Adams voice trailed off. It took several moments before he could speak.

  Jace stood up, as though to prepare himself for what he knew was coming.

  “I won’t go into too much detail, but we took some casualties. The Colonials… they found us and wiped us out. Or at least nearly. I still remember the day like it was yesterday…”

  Adam lowered his head into his hands.

  “It’s ok,” said Darcy, “You don’t have to continue.

  “Nah…” said Adam, “Its important you know. You guys. You think you know what they are capable of? Yeah… they kill people. But those they don’t kill. Well…”

  Darcy and Caleb waited. After time, they prompted him to continue.

  “All I know is they took them into their facility, and we never saw them again.”

  Darcy stood, and moved her chair next to Adam. As she approached, Adam looked at her, and seemed to brace himself.

  She slid her chair next to his, sat down, and placed her arm around him.

  “It’s ok…” she said softly, “It’s ok to hurt.”

  As she spoke, tears slowly trickled down Adams face. The once confident, strong Aboriginal man broke down, and his emotions spilled over as he recounted the rest.

  “We have a few more in our old compound. I thought, with enough people and the element of surprise, that we may be able to make a difference. That we may be able to stop them.”

  It was then that a thought struck Caleb.

  “Sorry, Adam,” he began, not wanting to press too hard, “I don’t want to be rude, but do you know just how big this thing is?”

  Adam looked up; his tears tempered by the question.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “The Colonials. You know they aren’t just in Haven.”

  “Yeah… of course. We know they’re in the City too. And must be around the country.”

  “Adam…” Caleb said, “I’m afraid it’s much bigger than that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Realising that Adam had had plenty of experience with the Colonials themselves, but also had had less ability to extract international intelligence, it was apparent to Caleb as to why Adam knew so much, but so little at the same time.

  “These Colonials. They’ve spread through the world. Why do you think that two Americans are here, in Australia?”

  Adam didn’t respond, so Darcy entered the conversation.

  “From what we know, Haven, or even Australia, is just what they call Zone One. And they’ve spread. From what we know, there’re many Zones and colonies around the world. And there are many Colonials…”

  “How many?” Adam asked.

  “From what we’ve been told, possibly more than a million of them.”

  Adam sunk back in his chair. It was clear he had no real idea of the scope of the Colonials operation.

  “But… we watched them…” he said.

  Only a short time ago Caleb had, thought Adam and his people could really help. Now, with so few numbers and a real lack of knowledge as to what was happening, Caleb was doubting his previous impression.

  As such, he decided to let Darcy handle the situation.

  Almost instinctively, he knew she would ask the right questions and provide the right responses.

  And he was soon proved right.

  “But I don’t know how we can help you.” said Adam, “All we really know is here. Our place… our purpose is to get it back for our people. It is not our job to sort out the rest of the world’s problems.”

  “Surely you see it, though.” Said Darcy, “Helping us to get stop the Colonials is mutually beneficial. You help us, and we can stop them. Once they have been stopped, you can have your Source back.”

  Adam scoffed, as he looked at Jace, “I’m sure that, now he and his people know about it. I’m pretty sure the Source is lost forever.”

  Jace seemed to sense the opportunity that was being made available.

  “Of course, mate. This site, now we can prove it has heritage – your people’s history – of course we can make sure it goes back to you.”

  Adam shook his head.

  “I wish I could believe you mate... but we’ve been betrayed too many times before.”

  Caleb was not fully aware of the Australian government’s relationship with its indigenous people, save for the skerrick’s he had heard on the news from time to time. Suffice to say though, he knew that indigenous people were often not treated as well as was possible in the best of times.

  But this was not a conversation for that time.

  Caleb, though he felt some empathy for Adam, his people and their plight, there was a much more pressing issue to attend to.

  He turned to Darcy.

  “Darc… you need to tell them about the virus. And they need to know about Phase Three.”

  Adam looked confused. Apparently, it was the first time he had heard either of these mentioned.

  Before Adam asked, Darcy told him of the next part of the Colonials plan.

  “Now they’ve established themselves across the world, they seem to have reached the next point of the plan.”

  “Next part… you mean immortality wasn’t their end game?”

  “I wish that were the case. It looks like they want to shape the world as they see fit. They want to ensure they and their future generations grow up in a world of their own creation. Apparently, some of them, particularly their leaders, call this Ascension.”

  Adam looked curious.

  “And how do they intend to do this?” he asked.

  “That’s where it gets a bit scary,” said Darcy, trying to ensure the right emotions were being felt by her audience, “It’s a virus.”

  “A virus?” asked one of Adam’s people, who had been silent up until that point.

  Darcy turned to face him, “Yes. We’re not exactly sure what it does, but at the very least it will cause global pandemic – one that could wipe us out.”

  Darcy waited a few moments to let the initial message sink in. Not that she would have been interrupted… Adam and his team seemed lost for words.

  “The Colonials,” Darcy continued, “They’ve modified the Source, into what they call the Serum, and they are immune to the virus.”

  Adam took some time to process the information.

  “So?” he asked, “what’s your plan?”

  Now the answers were of a more practical nature, Caleb decided to assume the lead in the conversation.

  “So far… there’s probably only about a dozen of us… or at least that I know of. Only about a dozen that know what these people are up to, and what they want to do. Unfortunately, that dozen includes you guys. That’s a dozen people trying to stop a million.” Caleb said.

  Adam looked forlorn.

  “But we do have a plan, and we need your help.”

  “Like I said, mate, what is the plan?”

  “We need to get the information out. We need to get as many people fighting for us as we can. Once we get the word out, we can fight back. And that’s where we need your help.”

  “OK… but, apart from providing a few extra fighters, I’m not sure what help we can be.”

  “You know this place better than anyone. We need some more intel. We need as much information as we can get. The more we have, the better we can ge
t others to help us. I guess what I’m saying is… we’ve got fuck-all tangible proof. No one will believe us. But with some intel – the Colonials database for example – with that information, we can make a difference.”

  Adam stood up. He looked around the room at his colleagues. As he looked, he smiled. His smile was almost the exact opposite of his emotional display up to that point.

  “I think we can do better than that.” He said.

  Caleb and Darcy looked at each other.

  “Remember back in Haven? Remember how I said I had someone you should meet?”

  Caleb and Darcy nodded.

  “Well… I think it’s time you became acquainted.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The door creaked as it swung open.

  Zach had heard voices, but not the content of the discussion. The sounds were muffled through the walls, but he could detect enough that he knew that his captors had been joined by two men and a woman. One of the men and the woman were American, but that was all he could gather from the noises.

  At first, he was happy for the noise. After all, his only company for the past hour or so had been the man in the room.

  Not that it was great company – they had not said a word to each other for the entire time. It was probably for the best, as Zach knew the man did not like him very much.

  Still, Zach appreciated the silence. As there was literally nothing else for him to do, he rested.

  This allowed his body to recuperate from Adams blows.

  Without the Serum, Zach knew it would normally have taken weeks for his jaw to heal. Such was the power of the Source and the Serum; the time Adam and the rest of his people were away from the cabin was ample for time to heal.

  Zach felt like his new self again.

  As the people stopped speaking, he heard footsteps approach the door of the room he was in. The door opened, and in stepped Adam. As he walked in, Zach saw him motion to whoever else was there to wait.

  “How is he?” Adam asked Zach’s escort.

  The man kept up the silence, and only shrugged in response.

  Adam looked towards the tied-up man. He seemed to evaluate Zach, as though checking to see if the injuries were severe.

  Zach smiled at Adam. He wanted him to know he was healed and remind him that it was he and the Colonials that controlled the Source.

  Zach wanted Adam to know he controlled what he most coveted.

  Adam looked back, seeming to get the message. After the assessment was over, Adam turned back towards the door, and motioned for whoever-it-was to enter the room.

  Zach heard the footsteps as they approached. Just by the sound, he knew they wore boots, and were of a large stature. Not overly so, but enough that Zach figured they would be able to handle themselves in a brawl.

  There was another sound of steps, lighter and more frequent than those he had heard before.

  Zach surmised they belonged to the woman he had heard earlier.

  The man entered first. As Zach had expected, the man was tall, over six feet. He was also large, and muscular. He was almost certainly a soldier, a person bred for fighting. His brunette hair and unremarkable features reminded Zach of the many soldiers he had worked with, not only recently, but in the further past as well.

  Zach sized up the man and knew he would be formidable.

  He then turned his attention to the woman as she emerged from the door’s precipice.

  When he saw her, his anger boiled. Every fibre of his normally pragmatic persona wrestled and writhed with pure hatred. He recognised her immediately and focused all his rage towards her.

  “YOU!!!” he shouted, as he fought against his bonds."

  Caleb was taken aback. How did the man know him? He thought.

  Caleb wracked his brain, trying to remember if he had seen the man before.

  The man was young and, judging by his physique, in relatively good shape.

  It was after a few seconds that Caleb realised. The man in the chair was not focused on him.

  The man’s hatred was directed at Darcy.

  Caleb, out of instinct, moved to stand between the man and Darcy. Not that it made a difference. Adam and his people had done enough to restrain the man.

  As he struggled, Caleb could see the rage in his eyes. It was an anger that Caleb had only seen on a few occasions. The man in front of him was not just angry, he was furious. It was the kind of fury that could only occur from something deeply personal, something that had affected him at his very core.

  But Caleb could not understand why such rage was focused on Darcy.

  Caleb turned to his paramour, who was directly behind him, looking for a sense of recognition.

  “Do you know him?” Caleb asked Darcy.

  Without taking her eyes off the man, Darcy shook her head.

  Caleb then turned to Adam, who also seemed surprised at the man’s disposition.

  “Who is he?” asked Caleb, needing an answer that would help garner a conclusion.

  “His name is Zachary,” replied Adam, still looking towards the chair, “he’s one of Cooks lieutenants – pretty much his right-hand man.”

  Caleb smiled at the revelation. Adam and his people had captured a leading member of the Colonials.

  Finally, something was going their way, Caleb thought.

  “Really?” Caleb asked, “Well, what was he doing here?”

  “Not a hundred percent,” Adam replied, “but pretty sure he was doing some salvaging.”

  “For what?”

  Adam turned to Caleb, “Haven was their home mate. It’s an important place to them. He came back to retrieve whatever he could I reckon.”

  “And did he get anything?”

  “Not sure. All we found was this.”

  Adam motioned for one of his men to pick up the device. When the man handed it to Adam, Adam passed it to Caleb.

  It was a tablet, not unlike the one Darcy held; the kind that seemed ubiquitous to the Colonials.

  Caleb knew what kind of opportunity the tablet provided. He knew that should they be able to gain access; it may well tell them everything they need to know.

  Caleb pressed the button that normally activated it.

  The screen remained blank.

  Again, he tried the button, but with the same result.

  Adam shook he head, “We’ve already tried. Things either dead or it’s got some-sort-of lock on it.”

  Caleb looked up at Zach. His rage was still apparent across his face. For the entire time Caleb and Darcy had been in the room, not once had Zach shifted his gaze from her.

  “What did I do to you?” Darcy asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

  Zach’s anger seemed to intensify.

  He wrenched his body one more time – yet another attempt to breach his shackles. As before, there was no escape from the chair.

  As he moved, Darcy stepped backwards.

  And then she realised who he was. There was something in his eyes. Something she had seen recently. She stepped towards Zach, hoping her actions would make him believe she was not afraid of him.

  But she was afraid.

  Caleb tried to stop her, but when she felt his hand on her arm, she turned to him and looked upon him reassuringly. He let her go, but not without saying, “Just not too close.”

  She was happy to follow his instruction and stepped so she was around five feet from Zach. She stood in front of him, and bent forward, bringing her eye line level with his.

  Not to form any kind of closer bond, but to get a better look into his eyes.

  Maintaining a piercing eye contact, Darcy spoke to Zach.

  “She was your daughter, wasn’t she?”

  Zach’s eyes relaxed, surprised by her recognition.

  Caleb had been watching, and when Darcy spoke, he too saw a change in Zach’s posture.

  Darcy maintained eye contact with Zach, despite hearing Caleb’s question.

  It was the one memory of their previous visit to Have
n that brought her guilt. She knew that she had to kill the blonde doctor. Had she not, she would have been killed herself.

  But nonetheless, guilt still held her.

  The other emotion she was compelled by was sorrow – sorrow that she had taken another life, regardless of her victim’s intent.

  It was this sorrow that Darcy was trying to convey to the man in the chair.

  But it became apparent Zach was not willing to participate.

  “Don’t you dare.” Zach said with venom. “You killed her, and I will kill you!”

  His confidence was surprising, and Caleb paid it little thought.

  Caleb walked over to Darcy.

  It was his turn to do the comforting. In their relationship, Darcy had always been the emotional rock that Caleb could rely on.

  He knew that Darcy would be feeling pain for the actions she had taken.

  But Caleb was sure they had been necessary.

  As he approached, he stood next to her. As he turned to face her, Caleb could see a small tear running down her face. Placing his hand on her shoulder, Caleb could feel not all was well with her.

  He moved his hand and began rubbing the middle of her back. It was mainly to soothe her, but also to remind her that he was there.

  “It’s ok babe. You did what you had to.” Caleb said.

  This seemed to anger Zach further.

  “You don’t get to decide if my daughter should die!!!”

  Again, he struggled against his bonds.

  Caleb had had enough. The anger he felt towards the man in the chair was reminiscent of how he had felt when listening to James.

  Such arrogance.

  Such conceit.

  It took much of Caleb’s control to not hit the man in the chair.

  “What did you say?” Caleb asked Zach.

  As he spoke, he moved a step closer, now only a foot or so from the man. He motioned for Darcy to move back.

  Caleb stood over Zach, trying to impose as much of his large frame as he could.

  Zach became quiet, obviously affected momentarily by the change in Caleb’s persona.

  But it did not take long for him to react, and it was a reaction Caleb was not really expecting.

  “Don’t you try to intimidate me, son.” Zach began, “I’m not one to be belittled by you. That bitch killed…”