by J C Ryan
“Forget about it. Let’s talk about what’s important now.”
“Linkola and Korda are L’gundo sympathizers. They saved my life after I was caught,” she started.
“What about the soldier you were… involved with? Is he alive? Is he here, or was he sent to Tunguska with the others?”
“He was here. He was killed, but he has been reanimated - in a manner of speaking. It is a long story…”
Deszik held his hand up to stop her and said, “We can talk about that at another time. For now, the most important thing is to stop Viktor.”
“Mother and Dekka have already set their plan into motion at Tunguska, but apart from the twenty-two others with me, Viktor has sent seven-hundred and fifty Re’an soldiers to twenty-five American cities. They’re just waiting for word from us, that we have taken over this facility, before they will launch their attacks and take over those cities.”
“We know about that as well. We’re working on a way to stop them all.”
“You must have gained access to Viktor’s files at the Tunguska site then. But the three of you won’t be able to stop him.”
Siasha hesitated a moment before she said, “There are others.”
Deszik nodded slowly. “I see. That’s why the control room seems ‘off’. They’ve changed it somehow?”
“Yes. And we’ve found a way to ...,” Her hand flew to her mouth the moment the words had left her mouth.
“What is it?”
“Oh no. Oh no…” Tears welled up in her eyes.
“What is it, Siasha. You have to tell me.”
“They… they… found a way to kill all of you. I… I… must stop them… before they execute their plan. I need to talk to them to find a way to spare you. Deszik we have to act now.”
“Wait. I need to know how they’re going to do it and when.”
Siasha wiped the tears from her eyes and said, “Deszik, I can’t tell you that. It is now your turn to trust me.”
He stared at her for a long while. A battle was raging in his mind.
She trusted me by telling me about their plans.
She cared enough to tell me that my life is in danger.
But why is she not prepared to give me the details?
Deszik shook his head. “Siasha, I’ve trusted you, I told you what’s going to happen here and in the rest of the country, I told you about Viktor’s plans. Why can’t you tell me?”
“It would be a betrayal. I won’t do it. I already told you more than I should have. All I can say is that I need to talk to the others and explain what your role is and ask them to help me save you.”
Deszik saw the look of determination on her face and knew he wouldn’t persuade her to change her mind. He had to accept it and trust that she would manage to keep him alive. “I don’t like it, but I have no choice, I will trust you.”
“Thank you, Deszik. I want you to tell your men that you are putting me into the deep sleep. Tell them that Linkola will help you do it, he is the only one here that knows how.
“I will ask Linkola to play along with everything. Once inside the pod room, I can contact the others when I’m alone. You’ll have to let me cue Linkola in or he might not be willing to help.”
“The three of you will be allowed to eat your next meal together. Tell him then.”
She nodded.
“After I leave here you will have to treat me as if you hate me as long as the others are around. We must keep up the charade I started. Whatever I say, I won’t harm you.”
“And whatever cruel thing I might say, I don’t mean it,” Siasha replied.
“I know. It’s good to see you again, Siasha. I have missed you, sister of my mother.”
“And it’s good to see you too. You’ve become a fine man, Deszik.”
“Thank you. Now, I want you to rip my shirt and attack me.”
“What?”
“We have to make this look real. Rip my shirt like you were trying to fight me off; scratch my face.”
By the time Deszik knocked for the guard to let him out, he looked a little worse for wear but put a big, satisfied grin on his face and pretended to be tucking his torn shirt back in and fastening his belt.
The guard looked in astonishment at Deszik’s torn shirt, bloody cheek and hand, and the grin on his face.
As he stepped through the doorway, a glass shattered against the wall near his head and he heard Siasha screaming, “You filthy pig! I’ll kill you if I get the chance!”
“Whew! She’s a wild one!” Deszik exclaimed with a wink.
“Yes, sir.” The guard replied casually, but Deszik saw the twinkle in his eyes.
“When she has calmed down and cleaned up, please escort her and the other two to get something to eat. Afterward, they are all to be returned to their rooms and kept under guard. I’ll be in the control center.”
“Yes, sir!”
CHAPTER 37
Re'an headquarters, Tunguska, Russia
SIASHA IS ALIVE! Telestra rejoiced.
This is all going to be over soon. Entering the control room, she accessed the fissure monitoring system and activated the program she had written. It would provide false readings, showing a normal pressure status even though they would be building up pressure.
Verifying the program was working properly, she made her way to the fissure access room where she donned the protective gear and entered the first fissure.
Slowly and carefully, she made the adjustments to the control valves and other equipment that would allow the pressure to build up slowly over the next two days. She also sabotaged the valves, so they couldn’t be adjusted again in the event the problem was discovered.
Repeating the process in the remaining three fissures took most of the day. By the time she finished, she knew that the days of the Tunguska site were very limited indeed. Even if the pressure build-up was discovered, the only choice would be to seal the room off and hope the facility survived. The explosion would set them back to square one, just like it did the first time, more than one hundred years ago.
Stopping by the control room again, she checked the monitors to verify that the program was indeed working as expected.
All readings were normal.
Just as they should be.
Dekka?
Here, Telestra.
It is done. The fissure equipment is set. The pressure is building, and the monitoring equipment is altered to ignore it and show normal levels.
Good! I’ve confirmed that several of those in the pods have died and others continue to deteriorate. I will get word to the others that we will leave in two days.
Very good!
I’m glad to hear about Siasha. I hope we are able to complete our work here successfully and meet her.
Me too!
CHAPTER 38
Eighth Cycle Site, Grand Canyon, USA
WHILE DESZIK’S MEN searched the site for The Beast, Linkola, Korda, and Siasha were having dinner under the watchful eyes of their guards.
Siasha noted that neither of the men looked directly at her, and it took her a few minutes to figure out why.
“You can quit feeling ashamed for me,” she whispered. “He didn’t hurt me. He is my sister’s son, and what you think happened didn’t. It was a ruse to talk to me where his men couldn’t hear.”
Linkola looked up in surprise, Korda in relief.
“I don’t have time to explain everything now. He is going to announce that he is putting me into the deep sleep, and you have to help him, Linkola.”
“I will not!” Linkola exploded.
Their three guards looked over and two of them started toward the table.
“Shhh,” Siasha tried to quiet him.
“What’s going on over here?” The tallest guard asked.
“I was telling my friends to cooperate with you because your leader threatened to kill all of us if they don’t,” Siasha lied.
“At least one of you has some brains,” He retorted. “You
two should listen to her; she’s right.”
“Tell your leader I won’t cooperate. He might as well kill me right now.” Linkola exploded.
The guard slapped him with an open hand against the side of the head which sent him sprawling on the floor.
Siasha jumped between the two. “Please! Stop it. Don’t hurt him. Just give me a chance to convince them. They will cooperate, I promise.”
“Very well,” the guard said. “But things better remain calm, or I’ll be back.”
She nodded and reached to help Linkola up without breaking eye contact with the guard.
Linkola sat back down at the table without another word and Siasha spoke to the guard. “See? Calm. Nothing to worry about, just as I promised.”
The guard looked them over harshly and walked away, the other one joining him.
“I won’t…” Linkola began in a furious whisper.
“Listen,” Siasha interrupted with urgency in her voice. “It’s another ruse to allow me to hide in the pod room so I can join the others and let them know the plan.”
“What plan?” Korda asked quietly.
“The Tunguska site is going to be destroyed.”
“When? How?” Linkola asked.
“In a matter of days. I don’t have time to explain. Just don’t argue when you’re asked to put me into the deep sleep. You won’t actually have to do it. You’ll have to make it look as if you’re putting me into the pod. I will hide inside the pod room and when everyone is out, I will contact Tawn… ah… Robert and the others and tell them…”
Before she could explain it all, Deszik appeared. “I hear there was some commotion down here.” Looking at Siasha who lowered her head, he said, “Didn’t you tell them I’ll kill you all if they don’t cooperate? I’m surprised; I thought you and your colleagues wanted to live.”
She cowered. “Please don’t hurt me. I did tell them, and I’ve explained. They’ll cooperate. Won’t you guys?”
Linkola and Korda nodded glumly.
“I don’t trust you,” Deszik said, pointing at Siasha. “I can see you’re a troublemaker, and I don’t have time for distractions right now.” Turning to Linkola he said, “So, I’ve decided to put her into the deep sleep. You will do that.”
“The hell I will!” Linkola responded defiantly.
Deszik and Siasha both looked surprised. It was not the response either of them had expected.
“Excuse me?” Deszik said, “I thought you’d agreed to cooperate?”
Linkola gave him an odd look, as though inviting him to fight. “I won’t help you. There is no reason to put her into the deep sleep.”
Deszik looked him over for a moment before realizing he was playing the game, trying to make the situation look genuine.
“It’s either that or…” he drew his weapon and pointed it at her head. “I kill her, here and now.” He paused a moment. “What’s it going to be?”
Hanging his head as if in defeat, Linkola said, “Fine, I’ll do it. Just don’t hurt her.”
Deszik laughed cruelly. “You see how easily the weak are manipulated?”
The three guards laughed along with him.
“Come on,” he said grabbing Siasha roughly by her arm, hauling her to her feet. “You’ve had plenty of time to eat. It’s time for your nap.”
“You don’t have to be so rough with her,” Korda muttered.
Deszik frowned and said to Korda’s guard, “Take him back to his room and keep him under guard.”
“You,” he said to Linkola’s guard. “Come with us.” And he headed toward the lift.
CHAPTER 39
Eighth Cycle Site, Grand Canyon, USA
“WHAT THE HELL?” Robert exploded as he watched two Re’an soldiers enter the pod chamber with Siasha and Linkola. “Isn’t the one on the left the guy Siasha said was her nephew?”
Roy and JR came over and stood beside him, looking at the screen.
“She said she thought he might be,” Roy corrected. "Maybe he isn’t.”
“Can we hear what they are saying?” Robert asked.
Raj joined them and flipped a switch on the control panel.
“It will take me a few minutes to prepare the pod,” they heard Linkola say.
“Fine,” the leader responded. Turning to the other soldier he said, “We’ll only be a few minutes. Go to the control room and get an updated report on the search for The Beast. I’ll bring him with me.” He jerked his head in Linkola’s direction. "Then you can take him back to his quarters.”
“Yes, sir,” the soldier responded and left.
“This doesn’t look right,” Roy said.
“What?” Robert asked.
“Look at the settings Linkola is entering in the controls for the pod. He’s filling it with liquid already. From the way I understand the process, it’s too early for this step.”
“You’re right. What’s he doing?”
“I don’t know.”
The leader looked around the chamber before looking back at Siasha and holstering his weapon. “All right, it’s time to contact your friends; I want to meet them.”
Siasha looked shocked; this wasn’t part of the agreement. “I thought…”
“We don’t have time to argue about it, Siasha, I need to speak with them directly.”
“She told him we’re here!” JR exclaimed. “Now what?”
“Siasha wouldn’t do that without good reason. She is a trained infiltration specialist,” Robert replied.
“I think we should talk to him,” Roy said.
“What! Why?” JR retorted.
“Because, things aren’t adding up,” Roy explained. “Why would Linkola make it look like he was putting someone in the pod and then not do it?”
“And why did that one send the other guard away and leave himself outnumbered?” Raj added, deep in thought.
Linkola and Siasha stood looking at one another in silence.
“Well?” Deszik inquired. “Where are they?”
“I’m sure they’re confused by what is going on. They will reveal themselves if they choose to do so,” Siasha said. “But this is not what you and I agreed.”
“Don’t you know where they are?” Deszik asked.
“Of course, I do, but I won’t reveal their location.”
“Siasha! I’m not the enemy!”
“I know that - they don’t.”
“I don’t have time - we don’t have time for this.”
“You have all the time you need,” Robert said from behind Deszik, who whirled around to find himself staring at the business end of a 9-millimeter Glock 17 pistol.
Siasha had managed to maneuver Deszik into a position allowing Robert to slip quietly into the pod chamber from the new control room behind him.
Deszik knew the weapon was no match for the weapon he carried, and his body armor would protect him against anything that gun would spit out. The problem was the gun was pointing at his face—an area not protected by his body armor. A bullet from that gun would kill him just as effectively as any of the Re’an weapons.
He assessed his situation. His only option was to try and cover the gap between him and the gunman and disarm him. A quick calculation showed it would take him eight-hundred and fifty-four milliseconds to cover the distance.
Enough time for the man to pull the trigger and kill me.
Slowly he raised his hands. “I’m not going to resist. I think we’re on the same side.”
“I suggest you don’t resist. I know this weapon is archaic compared to yours, but I also know a bullet between the eyes would blow your brains and your chip out—both of which you need to be alive.”
Deszik nodded calmly.
Robert indicated to Siasha to take Deszik’s weapon from him, which she did.
“So, you think we’re on the same side? I highly doubt that,” Robert said. “You are a race bent on the conquest of the world.”
“I didn’t say all of us are on the same side,” replied De
szik. “The Re’an are on a mission to take over the world. I, however, and a few other L’gundo back at the Tunguska site, want to stop them.”
“Of course, you do, and you expect us to take your word for it,” Robert replied sarcastically.
“He’s telling the truth,” Siasha said softly. “He is my sister’s son. He told me about their plan to thwart Viktor’s plans. My sister…”
Robert looked at Siasha. “You don’t know what that maniac, Viktor, has turned him into since he took over the Tunguska site.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Deszik interrupted. “But I can tell you he has turned me into someone that hates everything to do with him and the Re’an.”
Robert kept the gun pointed at Deszik’s face and sat down on a nearby bench, motioning for Siasha and Linkola to join him. Sighing, he said, “What’s your name?”
Siasha took up introductions. “Robert, this is my sister’s son, Deszik. Deszik, this is Robert, he is also Tawndo, my lover from the Eighth Cycle.”
Deszik’s eyebrows shot up, “What?”
“He has been merged. Tawndo’s body was destroyed at the end of the Eighth Cycle. Robert was killed in the Eleventh Cycle during the abduction of the Beast technology. Robert was re-animated as Tawndo, but it became necessary to bring Robert back as well, and the two were merged.”
“But that’s never been done successfully,” exclaimed Deszik.
“He’s the first,” Siasha said. “I’ll tell you about it later, if we all survive this.”
“What do you have to tell us, Deszik?” Robert interrupted.
For the next few minutes, Deszik told them all he knew about Dekka and Telestra’s plans to destroy the Tunguska site, ending with, “She started the pressure build up early this morning, and some of the soldiers in the pods have already died.
“Now it’s your turn. Siasha tells me you plan to kill all the Re’an here and elsewhere in the United States. How?”
Robert paused a moment considering how much information to trust him with.
“We’ll use high-frequency sound waves to destroy the chips you and your men carry inside your brains. We’re not sure yet about the others in the twenty-five cities.”