“Whoa! What the …!” His hands instinctively cover his head, goose bumps run down the back of his neck and along his spine, a chill rocks his body.
“See?” Smith says plainly, removing a hand he must’ve placed on Harrison’s shoulder. Harrison has been so lost in the moment he hasn’t felt the touch, but he has felt its effects.
“I ... I …” He’s astonished at what’s just happened. “What the …” He looks at his hands and then at Smith, “Did you … were you inside my head …”
“Ssssh …”
“Your name is not Smith, it’s ...”
“Quiet,” Smith responds calmly, extending his hand, open palmed, for Harrison to take again.
“Did I just … did I read your mind?” He pulls his hand away.
Smith silences him and tries again to grab Harrison by the hand.
“No talk … talk no good … shut mind down ... see as seen. No I … no you … no we … only what is now.”
“Smith, what the hell man? What’s happened to me? What did you just do?” Again, he retrieves his hand, unsure of what’s taking place, especially with the touch.
“Harrison different … must learn see …”
“Learn? Learn how?”
“Learn … learn about Smith … see as seen.”
“What?”
“Harrison see … see and seen … here touch.” He sticks his hand out again.
“Whoa, is that what you just did to me? Is that what I just saw?”
“No … Harrison do … Harrison make happen.”
“You mean when I touch, I see as others have seen?”
“Yes.”
“Holy shit. I thought you were the mind reader here, how can I suddenly do it too?”
“Harrison … Smith … both touch … both see as seen … truth revealed.”
“What?”
Smith sticks his hand out, one more time, for Harrison to take. The power of touch, the power of connection now more important than ever. It’s taken a lot of time to come to this point, the point where Harrison can begin to understand the transformation occurring inside him.
The point where he can learn the truth about what he has become, about what really happened after he died back in the apartment.
After a long silence contemplating what’s just happened, the realisation suddenly dawns upon him.
“Smith?”
“Yes.”
“I’m dead.”
“Harrison dead.” Smith corrects him.
“And Smith …?”
“Yes?”
“I can see as seen.”
Smith leans forward, looking him inquisitively in the eye. “Show me.”
- -
Fahwad
The sun was low, low enough so it had passed under the shadow of the few remaining buildings in Melbourne’s city centre. As the sun disappeared and the air cooled, two men stepped out into the open, taking in the desolate scene in front of them.
They were in a small alleyway nestled between two tall buildings, the Viper had been here once before. Few other buildings remained in the city, the rest having burnt or collapsed into ruin.
“We will set the trap here.”
“Why here?”
“Because, I said so.”
“Ja, but why would anyone come here?”
“That was the apartment you were kept hostage in.” Fahwad pointed to a place up the apartment building.
“So?”
“So this is where people will come looking for trouble.”
“Right then,” Sousa spat, spittle flying to the ground below. “How then?”
“You will create a wire sling, hang it from up high and let gravity do the work for you. I want you to ensnare him.”
“Why? Why don’t you just let me shoot the bastard hey?”
“You cannot kill this person Sousa, he is like me.” Fahwad wiped his sweaty brow.
“Ja, whatever. Seems like it’s easier to just shoot him and be done with it.”
“You would waste your bullets.”
“I can’t kill him?”
“No.” Fahwad dabbed at his forehead again, this time with a handkerchief.
“So what, I make a net out of steel wire?”
“Yes, hang it from here and catch him.”
“And what? He’s just going to walk right into this trap hey?”
“He will come looking for you.”
“Ok, and how do I get him to walk into the trap then?”
“I don’t care how!” Fahwad roared suddenly, his impatience showing through. “Just do it!”
Sousa rolled his eyes, since meeting for the first time the two had fought constantly over Fahwad’s directions. Sousa was getting tired of his new position, he never liked taking orders and his discipline was wavering.
More than anything though, he was becoming disgusted with the smell Fahwad emanated. Sousa noted Fahwad constantly sweated, even though it wasn’t hot. The smell of his body odour becoming more and more pungent, offending Sousa.
“Do you want me to kill him with this wire?”
“No, I mean to capture him, that’s why I said trap you fool!”
“And I already spoke to you about how you speak to me hey? Show some bloody respect, ja.”
Fahwad bit his tongue this time, back at the hospital the two of them had had a very unhealthy discussion about who was in charge.
After Sousa had been given his health and strength back, all he wanted to do was leave. Fahwad challenged this, claiming Sousa was now his liege, his servant. This brought them to blows. But Sousa could cause no harm to Fahwad and soon had to acquiesce, his strength far outmatched.
No matter what Sousa tried, he was no physical match for Fahwad and had capitulated to his demands. But it wasn’t all one way, Fahwad had come to respect the defiance in Sousa.
“Ok man, I capture this guy and then what?” Sousa asked.
“Bring him to the Destiny facility.”
“Where are you going to be and why don’t you help out or something hey?”
“I have other plans.”
“What hey?”
“I need to revive.”
“Ja whatever, you need to take a shower … This man, what does he look like? How will I know who to capture?”
“He is called Yonas, but he is known as the pretty one.”
“Pretty one?”
“You can smell his perfume a mile away and if that’s not enough, you will notice him because of the way he presents himself.”
“You want me to find the first guy who is ‘pretty’ and smells like perfume? This sounds a bit stupid ja.”
“You will know him when you see him, trust me.”
“Then bring him to you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Dead or alive?”
“I told you idiot,” he swung out with his hand, attempting to slap Sousa across the cheek. “You cannot kill him Sousa, you can only capture him.”
“Hah, fat chance,” Sousa swayed, anticipating the strike and avoiding it. “I’ll take his head off, I’d love to see how he survives that.”
Fahwad smiled as his hand sailed past, clearly pleased at Sousa’s accomplishment. “I like you Sousa, you don’t take no shit.”
“And what do I get out of this?”
“You get to keep your life.”
“C’mon man, you gotta give me something, hey?”
“I don’t have to give you anything, small man. And why must you always argue with me, it is most displeasing.”
“Ha, ha … deal with it ja! So this man, he’s a pretty boy huh?”
“Very pretty, he is the most handsome man I have ever known.”
“Ha, are you sure that you don’t want to c
apture him for something else hey?” Sousa jibed, winking at Fahwad.
Fahwad’s arm shot out suddenly, open handed and slapped Sousa hard across the cheek. It caught him completely off guard, “What the shit you dog!” he retorted, not anticipating the blow.
“You do not insult me, puny human of Earth. You are but a shadow next to the likes of me, I can crush you in an instant if I wish.” He slapped Sousa again, this time on the other side of the cheek, it crashed into Sousa so hard it sent a shudder down his spine.
Sousa had been in many scuffles during his lifetime, but never had he been hit so hard before. He wavered on his feet, dazed by the blow.
“Do you understand me Sousa? You are like an ant to me, so cower in the presence of your greater, you little ant!”
Sousa bit his tongue and didn’t say anything, the pain in his head still ringing in his ears. He also couldn’t stand on his feet any longer and collapsed to one knee beside Fahwad.
“Yes, that is where you belong, at my feet.” Fahwad licked his lips and wiped the sweat from his brow again.
“Piss off, you prick,” Sousa replied, defiant despite the stars flashing in his eyes.
Fahwad smiled at his insolence. “I can tell you, Samuel was never this brave.”
“Samuel is a coward, that’s why.”
“The first time I met him, he was so weak, such a pathetic man. I got into his head and freed myself without even trying, he just gave in.”
“Is that why you let him serve you?”
“The cowards serve the best Sousa, for they are full of fear and serve only to please their master. They do not even think to challenge their masters wishes.”
“Aye, true.” Sousa agreed, now recovered from the slap Fahwad gave him. “But I am no coward, so you can piss off, and don’t go hitting me like that man.”
“If it was you that night on the mountain I don’t think I would have gotten inside you, you are too defiant.”
“Inside me, what you talking about?”
“His head, I got inside Samuel’s head and became a part of him. Then after careful planning, finally I came back as you see me now, I didn’t need to be inside him any longer.”
Sousa looked at him strangely, not fully comprehending what Fahwad was talking about. He hadn’t really shared any detailed information with him since they’d begun, and when he did it only seemed to confuse Sousa.
He spent most of the first day recalling to Sousa a time, long ago, when he ruled on Earth. How he was some god to the feeble species known as man and ruled over them for a hundred years.
“I was becoming God of Earth, bending all to my will, but then …” he spoke of a great fire that came from the sky and destroyed everything he’d built, decimating the world he had created.
Sousa didn’t care, he was more worried about the growing stench of Fahwad.
“Why the bloody hell do you sweat all the time man? It stinks!” he blurted out, unable to hold his distaste for the man and his profuse perspiring.
“I do not belong here Sousa, I am from another place,” he sighed, wiping his brow yet again. “A place far from this Earth.”
“And so what?”
“And so as I stand here, my life force perishes under the heat of this planet’s atmosphere, the very life drips out of me. I cannot survive here, for I do not belong. But, there are other ways for me to sustain my life here … therefore I must leave you to capture the pretty one whilst I tend to my survival.”
“That sucks for you hey?”
“Sucks.”
“And so, why waste time ruling on Earth then, if it’s so hard?”
“I have been here on Earth for a long time, changing things the way I see fit,” he reflected. “But I always wanted to return to my homeland, back to the land of my ancestors.”
“Ja, so go hey?”
“It is not so easy. I was banished from there, a long time ago.”
“Too many pretty boys huh?” Sousa joked again.
Fahwad shot him a ferocious look but didn’t lash out this time. “It does not matter why, all that matters is that I intend to return.”
“And why not then? You want to go, then go. You have power no?”
“I have my ship, I can leave when I want.”
“Then go, what you waiting for hey?”
“You do not understand.”
“Yeah, and who’s bloody fault is that hey?”
“You are unhappy that I do not tell you?”
“You’re a genius.” Sousa mocked back in reply.
“Ok Sousa, you are right. I tell you what, I will make you a deal. Bring the pretty one, Yonas. Capture him and bring him to the Destiny facility and I will show you some more.”
“Show me some more what?”
“I will show you real power.”
“That Destiny place, it’s no good.” Sousa dismissed him.
“Samuel will be there, I sent him back to prepare it.”
“Prepare it for what?”
“I told you Sousa, bring me Yonas and I will show you what.”
“Ok, this sounds like a bad deal.”
“Bring me Yonas, I will show you more.”
“I will bring you this bloody guy, sure. But then, hey, I want to know what I’m getting in return?”
“You get to keep your life, where many others will not.”
“Is that it?”
“What else would you want, is your life not worth it?”
“I want to be like you.”
“What?” he replied, shocked.
“You heard me.”
“This is not possible Sousa. Now shut up before I slap you again.”
“Ja, I don’t think so hey.”
Fahwad didn’t react with a slap this time, instead he chose to show Sousa exactly what kind of power he possessed. Quickly his body detached from the ground and began levitating. “You want to do this, you want to soar above the plains of man?” He asked, hovering a few feet above the ground.
“Fine,” Sousa acquiesced. “Give me that and it’s a deal. Now how long do I have to prepare?”
Fahwad returned to the ground. “Samuel has made his speech to the U.N, it will be broadcast on televisions all over the world. Yonas would have seen the broadcast. He will know where to go. He will be in the city soon and will be looking for Samuel.”
“Why, what did Samuel do?”
“He laid the bait of course. He said they knew the whereabouts of Lucinda, in Melbourne, people will converge there searching for her and for Samuel. Those that know of me will also think I am here, the evidence points to this area ...”
“Fine, whatever. He comes, I get his attention and walk him into the trap, then I catch hey.”
“Oh, one more thing before I leave.”
“What?”
“Beware of the one who calls himself Smith.”
“Smith? You talking about that black fella hey?”
“I am told that he is back, so beware,” Fahwad cautioned.
“Beware of what?”
“He is the danger.”
“Are you talking about the one who calls himself Smith, the black fella?”
“People call him many names, the last we met he was known as the Smith.”
“I swear I killed that bloody kaffir.”
“He cannot die.”
“Say what now!”
“I said he cannot die.”
“What, like you?”
“Not like me.”
“Then what am I supposed to do if he comes?”
“If he shows up then you can slow him down.”
“How?”
“He cannot harm others.”
“Huh?”
“He cannot harm others, it is not in his nature. But that does not me
an he will not try other ways to get what he wants, be careful of him.”
“So wait, I can’t kill him and he can’t hurt me?”
“Yes.”
“Shit.”
“But if you do kill him he will lose his memory, then he forgets what he has to do. If you do this he will forget you are an enemy and he shouldn’t be a problem. But don’t let him touch you afterwards. Don’t ever let him touch you now that I think of it. If you see him, capture him also and bring him with the pretty one.”
“Damn man, this some crazy alien stuff.”
“I have to go.”
“Wait. Our deal, it is off.”
Fahwad turned angrily, his hand started to twitch but he restrained himself from swatting at Sousa again and instead asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Our deal was for Yonas, not for Yonas and the Smith.”
“So?”
“So I want something else.”
“Bullshit.”
“Smith, that changes our deal.”
“And I said I do not care about Smith, I just wanted to let you know to be careful.”
“Now you’re full of bullshit.”
“How?”
“I thought I just had one guy to deal with, now I have two.”
“Fine, what do you want then?” Fahwad relented, keen to give Sousa what he wanted and get on with his next task.
“The power you gave me …”
“What about it?”
“I want more.”
- -
Harrison
“Hey!” Truck scolds Harrison. “Pay attention, this stuff’s important you know!”
Harrison, who to Truck was usually very vibrant, is snapped from his trance inside the tent as breakfast is prepared in front of him.
“Sorry what?”
“Pay attention champ, are you awake?” He looks deeply into Harrison’s eyes.
“I don’t even know anymore,” Harrison replies, disinterested.
Truck was referring to a news report being streamed via a laptop that’d been setup in their food tent, it spoke of the recent findings of another U.N Special Council delegation about the Day of Darkness.
The team would meet here in the tent three times a day, for meals and to take refreshment from their efforts digging the tunnel during the daytime.
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