by Peter Hoole
But still, he part of him was warmed to the good news.
“Oh John,” Zach replied, “Don’t sound so sad.”
John chuckled, knowing they were both same in mind.
While they both wanted the power, they were also both firm in their belief of the plan. A plan they had been part of for so long, and other grab for power seemed irrelevant.
“I’m not, my friend. Not at all.” John replied “It is good to see you.”
Zach simply nodded in response.
“And what of the Captain and the reporter?” John asked, returning his attention to the problem at hand.
The smile on Zach’s face was enough to give it away, but within moments John saw the full extent of Zach’s success
A young woman appeared on the screen. Despite her obvious distress, John still could not help but admire her beauty.
It seemed almost a shame to waste.
But, he knew what Zach’s intent would be. Indeed, had he had the person that killed his kin, he would likely feel the same.
“Well done,” he said to his friend, “Was it difficult?” John asked, wanting to know details.
“Not really,” Zach lied. He had no desire for John to know that he had been kidnapped, tortured and shot. Weakness was not the trait he wanted to demonstrate at this point.
As it stood, Zach was the number one member of the Colonials. Any perceived cracks could be exploited, and with the world about to be his, it was the last thing he needed.
He knew he had to not only avoid the perception of weakness, he had to show unquestionable strength.
“What do you plan to do with her?” John asked.
Zach took a moment.
“Meet me in London.”
And with that, Zach terminated the conversation.
While and abrasive, John was not perturbed.
He looked to his assistant, who had been listening to the conversation. Being well trained, the young man already had the phone to his ear.
***
She turned her tear stained cheeks away from the monitor. Unable to truly process what she had just seen, the last thing Darcy cared about was her own wellbeing. So much so that she barely registered who the man on the monitor was.
Over and over, all she could see was the image of Caleb falling.
It was as though her heart dropped through the floor, the depth of her immediate sorrow becoming almost too much to bear.
Her hands bound, she was unable to wipe the tears from her eyes. Not that she would even want to. She was frozen by the unnatural bounds of her situation.
She felt a sudden jolt through her arm.
Not electric, but more o physical shove.
Zach had pushed her towards the side of the cockpit.
It was a familiar scene in an unfamiliar context.
The last time she had been in the cockpit of a Colonial plane, she had been surrounded by allies.
Caleb, Dunleavy, Casey and Murphy.
Even Jacob would be more palatable than those she was with now.
In the vast cockpit sat an officer at each station, seemingly lost in their own duties.
Standing proudly in the middle of the area were William and Zach – the two men responsible for what had happened with Caleb.
The two men she hated most.
Zach had his eyes on Darcy, not even flinching.
Darcy made eye contact with Zach - the anger in his eyes still apparent. It was clear that Caleb and Adam’s death had meant nothing to him. He had what he wanted, and he was about to exact his revenge.
Zach moved towards her, standing over her to intimidate.
He leant in close to her, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek.
“You will die. You will join him” he said with a menace she had not heard before.
What happened next surprised her.
She was not scared.
She was not intimidated.
If anything, the fact she was not dead provided her some comfort.
If he wanted to kill quickly, he would have done it already.
But the fact that she was still able to feel his breath meant she still had a fighting chance.
As Zach’s face backed away from hers, Darcy looked up at him and smiled.
“Do what you need.” she said with a smile, “There’s nothing else you can take away from me.”
She was surprised by what she was feeling. Just a few days ago, the scenario she was presented would have seemed impossible. And it would have frightened her.
She was not frightened.
She felt a strength inside her that could only come from the hardship and resilience she had had to earn the past few days.
And she knew she had to muster up all the strength she could.
Zach was visibly taken aback.
He was not used to people talking back to him. For more than two hundred years, there was only one person that could, and James was now gone. Every other person Zach had met had been immediately subordinate to him.
And he had treated them as such.
Now there was this woman. The woman that had taken his daughter away. The woman that was the threat to everything he held dear.
And she was smiling at him.
The rage visibly swelled through the Englishman’s body. He reached back and was about to strike Darcy with all the fury he could assemble.
As he lunged forward, he heard a beeping.
He spun towards the main monitor at the front of the cockpit.
“Damn.” said Zach.
Darcy turned to see what had alarmed her captor.
Around the cockpit, all movement had stopped. The Colonials that were previously working at their monitors had all stopped, now all intently focused on the main screen.
Darcy looked around the room. While all the people had varying facial expressions, they all express some level of concern.
Darcy turned her attention to the screen.
Across the screen, flashing in unison with the loud buzzing noise, large red letters flashed a repeating message.
“INCOMING.”
***
“What happened to the other man?” Deanna asked.
It had a while since they had taken her blood.
She had called out several times since, but to no avail.
And that’s why she felt some relief when the man walked into the room.
There was nothing remarkable about the brunette. Deanna figured he had to be around thirty years old, though he walked with a confidence she often associated with people several years older.
“Don’t you worry about him, now.” Saunders replied, “What you should be thinking about is what we found in your blood.”
Deanna was taken aback. She knew her blood was being tested. There was no other reason to take it from her.
What disturbed Deanna was the smile that was on the mans face.
“What did you find?” Deanna asked, not sure if she wanted an answer.
“You, my dear…” Saunders paused, hoping to elicit a sense of occasion, “You are about to change the world.”
Deanna was confused. It was not an answer she could have anticipated. Every blood test she had had had come back normal.
There was nothing extraordinary about her.
Or at least nothing she was aware of.
“What do you mean?” she asked, the trepidation apparent in her voice.
“Nothing to worry about.” Saunders lied, “And I’ve also got some good news for you.”
Again, the smile from the man put Deanna off. She was worried, and nothing he was saying was changing that.
Without waiting to be asked, Saunders let Deanna in on the good news.
“We’re very sorry to have detained you. But you’ll be happy to know that it is all over now.”
Again, Deanna asked for clarification.
“What do you mean?”
“Well…” Saunders began, revelling in the moment, “We’re sending
you home.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
The sky was a beautiful shade of blue.
And he was glad it was, as it was all he could see. Lying on his back, he tried to remember the past few hours. Even remembering the past few moments would have brought him joy.
He felt exquisite pain in his body, but not that he worried. He was just content to be feeling anything at all.
As more of his senses returned, he felt his body vibrate. Not through anything unusual, but just the gentle vibration of the truck on the road. The open back utility showed him the clouds and blue sky passing above him, as though transporting him to a better world.
But, the fact he could still see the sky and feel the pain in his body meant only one thing, the world he was about to enter was not going to be better.
He was still alive, and the Colonials were still planning to execute their objective.
Now, Caleb just wished he could remember how he got to where he was.
He slowly moved his head. He looked to his right, and through his squinted eyes, aw nothing.
He swivelled his head back to centre, and then to his left.
Caleb saw some feet, covered in high quality combat boots. He scanned the legs that belonged to the feet, up the body of the man sat next to him.
“Wakey, wakey,” said Adam, a slight smile appearing across the aboriginal man’s face.
Caleb was still confused. He could assume Adam had helped him get there, but had no idea how.
All Caleb could remember was falling out of the plane and closing his eyes. He felt the rush of the wind, and the pressure on his body.
At that point, he had resigned himself to his imminent fate. With his eyes closed, he allowed his mind and body to shut down, passing out so as not to feel anything more.
And now, he had wished he hadn’t, for he wouldn’t be relying on Adam for answers.
“What… what happened?” asked Caleb
Adam looked down at the American.
“Mate, we saved you.” he replied, enjoying his advantage.
Caleb didn’t respond, hoping Adam wasn’t playing with him.
Adam explained.
“It’s funny, but the Colonials are their own worst enemy, mate.”
Caleb listened, not wanting to stop any information gathering he could achieve.
“They are the cockiest bastards you’re ever likely to meet. They didn’t even see us.”
Now Caleb had to speak.
“What do you mean?” he asked, straining to focus on Adam’s silhouette.
Adam again smiled, “Well, as soon as I knew we were leaving Mudgee in a plane, I made the call. You see, these fuckers, well… we’ve been and studying them for years. We knew they would get the plane. We just didn’t think it would be that quick.”
Adam paused, looked at his surroundings and took in the view.
“You see, they thought they were alone, and they were the only ones with a plane… we stole one of theirs ages ago. Not one of their Kites… just one of their Hawks. Big enough to carry some folks, but not so big, you know? And our plane can cloak too.”
Caleb understood and knew he had underestimated his rescuers.
“Just flew behind them until something happened. Worst case they would have tracked us to London. But when they saw the doors open, they got ready to catch us.”
Caleb looked at Adam, “You knew? That’s why you were so comfortable in the plane?”
Adam nodded, “When we fell, our mob jumped too, and caught us before we hit the deck. It was all very exciting. Kinda sad you missed it actually.”
At that stage, so was Caleb.
He knew why Adam hadn’t told him, and it didn’t bother him.
Caleb too smiled.
He was alive. And while he was so, he would be able to help Darcy. As soon as he came to terms with this realisation, he turned to Adam.
Before he even said the words, Adam new what he was going to ask.
“Don’t worry, mate,” Adam said, “We’re going to get her.”
Caleb was comforted, but he needed more information.
“You know where she is?” he asked.
Adam smiled again, “Of course mate. Our people know all about their mob.”
“People?” Caleb asked, “I thought they were all taken out?”
Adam laughed and shook he head.
“Oh no, skip.” He chuckled, “You didn’t really believe that did you?”
Caleb felt a little sheepish. Now that Adam spoke the words, he knew he had been foolish. There were only a few people at the cabin, but such was the power he perceived of the Colonials, he just assumed Adam’s people had been decimated.
“We’ve been doing this for two hundred years… we know what we’re doing.”
Adam looked down at the resting Marine, a solemn look in his eyes.
“And now I’ve seen your sacrifice. Now that I’ve seen what you will give up for the people you love…”
Adam paused, a little emotion in his voice, “Now that I know that you can be trusted, it’s time to bring you in.”
“In?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah. We know where they are. We know where Darcy is… but we can’t just knock on the door. We’re gonna need some help.”
Caleb felt some relief.
There was help available all this time, he had only had Darcy and the others. He thought they were the only ones that could help.
“So… what now?” asked Caleb.
“Now…” Adam replied, “Now we go and get them. We’ll get some help, and we’ll go get them.”
“So, where are they?”
“London.”