Prisoners of Paradise

by Brandon Lars Erikson

  TRANSMISSION ENDED: NEW LOG ON:

  There are other ways to get these people out of government than just writing about it and hoping people will vote the way we want them to…there are much better ways of being convincing

  …and oh yes…blood will be shed…hopefully more of theirs than ours…. THE EVIL will continue…

  Van Dien felt a bit more happiness than he normally felt, for just a few seconds before he became logical, and cunning as he thought, “What have do we have here? Proof of revolution? How very interesting…this might be the very thing I can use to cause Kalapana’s downfall. Someone is going to die on this planet very soon…those terrorists that Kalapana can’t find are still out there…and I can’t wait for the shit to hit the fan when they do something disastrous. Whatever it is that they have planned, I will make sure that he cannot stop it from happening…”

  Van Dien watched the smoke dancing around him as he thought, “So far my plan is going smoothly, but I am growing tired of Kalapana’s attempts to stop the progress I have been protecting. It is now time for the next phase of my plan…it’s time to start the domino effect that will knock him down, and start tearing him apart piece by piece…I am going to enjoy watching him suffer as I take back what he stole from me. Soon, I shall have my revenge…and he will be one less obstacle in my way.”

  Van Dien slid down in his seat as he was just about to get comfortable when his com rang again. He rolled his eyes as he answered it.

  “Yes?”

  “Sir,” one of his agents said in a confident, yet shaky tone. “We just captured a transmission that you might be interested in…it’s incomplete, but we think…”

  “Just let me see it you fool,” Van Dien said impatiently. The monitor on floor lit up and began floating towards him. The words across its screen were implicating.

  TRANSMISSION ENDED: NEWLOGON:

  Screw this guy and his plan! We don’t need him! We have our own resources and the ability to advance our agenda without him!

  What do you mean?

  We already have people we are using as pawns in this game,,,,let’s use them. We have people we need taken out of the picture! Let’s just do it already! We can’t count on this guy helping us! He’s using us and we need to start using him or else we are gonna lose out on this deal!

  END::

  “What?” Van Dien felt a bit of shock, but no surprise as the monitor started to power down. “Someone else is going behind my back now?”

  Van Dien felt angry for a few seconds before the nicotine kicked in. Moments later, he was feeling a bit more relaxed, and clever. “What is their plan? Who does it involve? And more importantly how can I get their misguided actions to coincide with my own needs?”

  He bit into his lower lip, nervously. “The plot is about to thicken, and it appears as if even more blood is about to be shed. Why are all these people being killed? That is now what I need to find out…but for now, I have something even more interesting to look at…”

  Van Dien smiled as he took out the computer disc that his men were able to retrieve from Andrea and her friends a few nights ago, when they were captured outside of that downtown club.

  “What did your little prying eyes get a chance to look at my young friends? For the things that you now know, can surely be used against you in this deadly game of chess you have decided to play with me.”

  Location: The Halalamakau Apartments next to the Polynean Industrial District

  Ailanian Standard Time: 0500 Hours.

  “Thanks for letting me crash here, Kenny,” Wallace said. “But I’ve got to get moving…I’ve got a lot of people to see today.”

  Kenny rubbed his face as he said, “You can stay longer if you need to…I’m the only one living here…since they took away my wife and kid.”

  “I’m so sorry, Kenny…but I don’t see what you expected to happen,” Wallace said as he tried to comfort his friend, who had been up all night with a Makani joint in one hand and malt liquor in the other. “After all, Moralists are usually not kind to people in your situation.”

  Kenny took a drag from his narcotic cigarette and said, “I guess you’re right…there just isn’t any justice in the world.”

  Wallace put his hand on Kenny’s shoulder and said, “But there can be…you can help us. You are one of the best computer hackers on Ailana…you are so incredibly smart, that is…if you’d just put down the booze and drugs long enough to let your brain work in a different way…ya know, use it for a true cause instead of simply scheming up ways to make a quick buck.”

  “What?” Kenny gave Wallace a stern look as he said, “You want me to help your people with their pipe dream? Four of your friends ended up getting caught by the government already.”

  “Yes…and I’m quite certain that the data I gave them has been confiscated. That’s why I need your help…something is happening within our organization…and I need your help to find out what it is.”

  Kenny threw his bottle to the floor as he said, “Wallace, my wife and kid…are in some GovernmentDetentionCenter disguised as a day care…”

  “I know, man, and you of all people should know how the Moralist government wants to take away our liberties and intrude upon our lives…and that’s why we gotta keep fighting…”

  “Oh, we gotta keep fighting?” Kenny’s anger grew as he said, “And you want me to help you? I already tried the free speech angle with my T-shirt venture…look where it got me.”

  “Kenny…some of the things you did for us were invaluable…you helped us hack into those government computer systems and helped us steal that evidence we needed for Dr. Miller to interpret…you helped us uncover the Prisoners of Paradise. We need your help again or else our plan is going to come to grinding halt.”

  “And are you gonna pay me for my help this time?” Kenny scoffed as he tried not to sob, “Last time I helped your people they were at least able to give me some cash to pay for some rent and diapers…but now the Ailanian CIA has frozen your accounts and is tracking you down like dogs. Forget it! I need a lot of money real soon or else I will never see my wife and kid again!”

  “Kenny, please…we are in some big trouble here. I’ve been talking with other members of The Evil…and from what little information they have been able to provide me with, Jacob and his people have broken their end of the bargain. Jacob may be gone, but I just found out that he’s assigned a few of his devote followers to finish the plan he started…it’s a plan that many of us didn’t want to happen.”

  “And so what?” Kenny said reluctantly, “I could have told you that guy was a wackjob.”

  “Kenny, we are in a lot of trouble here. I’ve found out that they have acquired some other merchandise from that man from Earth, ya know, the guy named Marco…and to make matters worse, the merchandise he gave us is missing…they took it somewhere and we need your help to find it.”

  Kenny scoffed, “I don’t know anyone from Earth named Marco…and if he ain’t gonna pay me I don’t want to know him either.”

  “Kenny, we already asked some other gang members to help us find Marco’s merchandise and we have not heard from them. We assume they took our money and ran. We need some legit help here. Look, Kenny, if you help us, we can help you get Rhia and Giza back, we can beat this system that took them from you.”

  “NoWallace!” Kenny shouted, “The only thing that is going to get my wife and kid out of that place is cold, hard cash…and if you ain’t got any…then I need to go with a client who does!”

  “And who is that gonna be, Kenny…no corporation on this planet will hire you, not after they find out about your criminal convictions.”

  “Well, that is why I am going back to work for criminals, Wallace. The Pilikoa family loves my services and they are willing to pay me to help them hack into security systems and plan robberies and heists for them. I can also help the
m launder money…and gods know how people need clean money now.”

  Wallace blinked rapidly as he said, “Kenny…you can’t go back to doing that. You know what happens to people who work for the gangs.”

  Kenny said, “Well…you know what happens to people who work for the pseudo-capitalists? How’s your job treating you? Oh yeah, I forgot! You ain’t got a legit job anymore since your boss, the great Dr. DeWolf Miller, mysteriously died in some freak accident or whatever…”

  “You know he was murdered, Kenny…and you know that the same Government Officials that took your wife and daughter from you murdered Dr. Miller because they knew he was about to expose them. Don’t you see what is happening, Kenny? Our friends are being detained and killed because of what our government is doing…and now we have to find out what Jacob’s people are doing and find someone who can help us stop them…”

  “Yeah right…like anyone is gonna believe your conspiracy theories,” Kenny scoffed as he took another drag. “I can’t believe you threw away a promising career and started working for that underground group of wackjobs and wannabe revolutionaries. What the hell is some kind of online magazine gonna do to save the world? Huh? You people ain’t got no money…and you ain’t got no power, so I am gonna go and start working for some people who do. By the way, Wallace, I hear the Pilikoa’s need chemists. Don’t you have a chemistry degree? Ya know how to apply chemicals to Makani leaves and make Cutz? I’m sure they would appreciate the help from an expert like you.”

  “Kenny…you are not listening to me…”

  “Yeah, and you are not listening to me either! Face it Wallace, your stupid friends got themselves mixed up with the wrong crowd, and that’s all that happened. Do yourself a favor and help me out, I’ve got the right people on my side for once.”

  “I am not turning to crime to further my agenda, Kenny…I need you to help me find someone…”

  “What?” Kenny scoffed, “are you telling me that those assholes in The Evil aren’t criminals? The damn government sure thinks they are! I’ve heard they deal with gangs so they can make money to further their stupid cause. They probably got killed because they turned to the wrong people for help.”

  “And you are turning to the right people for help?”

  “Yeah! And at least I am not turning to some wackjob who sets himself on fire and jumps out windows when the heat comes down!”

  “Yes, I know that, Kenny! And if you have any shred of decency left you will help me find who I need to speak with! I believe they are desperate, Kenny, and that’s precisely why we need to find out exactly what it is that they are about to do!”

  “Who cares, Wallace? Who cares what they are going to do? You can’t stop this shit from happening! And if this world is about to come to an end, like your wackjob friends say it is, then all I wanna do is make a whole bunch of money real fast so I can save Giza and Rhia before it does!”

  Location: The Go-Go District, Downtown Polynea…Ailana

  Ailanian Standard Time: 0230 Hours.

  “Sir,” his agent’s voice was nearly robotic. “We’ve got that spy camera footage that you wanted to see.”

  “Good, bring it up,” Van Dien said as he stared at the monitor intently as he adjusted the audio so it was louder. The spy camera footage on the monitor showed the slim, Ailanian CIA agents trying as hard as they could to remain stoic and inconspicuous in their plain-clothes and dark blue hovercar, while their wandering eyes peered out from behind their windshield.

  Van Dien grinned as he saw how Agent Renolds sipped on a cup of coffee as his partner, Agent Hulumalu, frantically typed commands into a laptop computer hoping to align their own spy cameras, which they had mounted on buildings and power poles just to the right of the street they were parked on.

  “Come on, come on, come on, come on!” Renolds said in caffeine induced stage of fright and frenzied thoughts. “Get your shit together already Hulumalu!”

  “I got it, just about there…”

  “Come on you slow ass Ailanian, work that shit, we’re gonna lose this guy thanks to those crippled fingers of yours!”

  “Your mama didn’t think my fingers were slow last night, Renolds…”

  “Oh shit!” Renolds said as he sank down behind the hovercar’s steering wheel and peered through his camera, “There he is!That’s the piece of Kupano trash we’ve been looking for all week.”

  Hulumalu smiled as he said with a thick accent, “Bobby the Blade…nice name, asshole…probably got it from cutting himself shaving…”

  “Shaving his pussy alright. Yeah, look at this asshole. Nice muscle shirt, punk! Did the salesman forget to mention that the muscles don’t come included with it you weak, little prick?”

  The spy camera’s resolution was so good that Van Dien could see how the shaky monitor on the Agents’ laptop transmitted a fuzzy black and white image of a young, Ailanian man walking down the street with a slight limp.

  Van Dien smoked as he saw how Agent Hulumalu smiled and giggled a bit as he said, “look at this poor guy. He can barely walk…think that’s from a basketball injury?”

  “More like a faggot injury from taking it in the ass,” Renolds said as he tried to take as many pictures as he could while hovercars flew by. “Look at this guy, smile for the camera you gangster asshole.” Renolds clicked away as what seemed to be hundreds of people walked and stumbled in and out of the frame.

  “Holy shit…did ya see that?” Renolds rapidly blinked his eyes as he realized that he had just snapped a really good shot that could be used as evidence in court of law. “Holy shit, Hulumalu…I got something! Did ya see that? Did ya get my backup shot?”

  “Clear as day, my brother! Little homie over there just sold that dude in the green shirt a big sack of the red weed…and I believe that selling Makani is a felony on Ailana.”

  “And now we finally got something on his skinny ass, don’t we?”

  “We sure do, my brother, we got ourselves someone we could potentially flip into an informant…”

  Renolds said, “I’m sure little Bobby will talk, he don’t like going to jail…let’s go, let’s dragnet this little punk-ass-bitch! Jack is gonna be so happy with us!”

  Renolds made a cocky face as he started the car and swerved out into the thick traffic.

  “Stay on him!” Hulumalu said as he felt his heart racing with the anticipation of the hunt and the kill. His mind was thinking about handcuffs and promotions as the neon lights of the Go-Go District seemed to get brighter.

  “What’s this? What’s this?” Renolds voice was nearly in a spasm as the action ahead of him became a bit more interesting. “Do we have a new contact here?”

  “Bobby appears to be stopping; he’s talking with some dudes up ahead in that truck. Holy shit! Are you seeing what I’m seeing Renolds? Who the hell are these guys?”

  “Can you get pictures? We need pictures!”

  The inside of their car was flooded with light as the sound of metal breaking glass filled their ears.

  “What the hell?!” Hulumalu shouted as the camera flew out of his hands. Both agents felt their bodies being flung forward from the impact of a large vehicle hitting them from behind.

  “Shit! Shit! Shit!” Agent Renolds shouted as he grabbed his forehead and noticed the blood on his hand and steering wheel. “What the hell was that?”

  Hulumalu opened his dazed eyes just in time to see how the large vehicle that had just rear-ended them was driving away on big tires down the street, “Some asshole in a big, goddamned truck just took us out of the action! Where’s Bobby the Blade?”

  Renolds banged his palms against the steering wheel with frustration and anger as he said, “Looks like the punk just got into that vehicle ahead…looks like he’s getting away.”

  “Goddamn it! Jack is gonna have our hides for this shit!”

  Van Dien gently inh
aled smoke from his brightly lit cigarette and smiled as he picked up his com. The action he had witnessed had not been spectacular, but it had been enough. Van Dien felt like he had just gained a tremendous advantage over someone he was trying to beat in a deadly duel of chance.

  Van Dien dialed the numbers on his com as he watched how the large, black truck was driving away at full speed after it had crashed into the hovercar with the two CIA agents in it.

  The com didn’t ring very long before a familiar voice answered with a dark tone, “what is it?”

  Van Dien became stoic and serious as he said, “I’ve just seen some footage of something that took place in the downtown area recently…something that is going to definitely throw a wrench in your plans to make yourself famous…or in your words…win this war you’ve declared against me and my plan.”

  The eerie silence was broken by a tone of voice that sounded scared, yet defiant, “what the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about how I once warned you that nothing happens on this planet without me knowing about it and approving it…you, my friend, have been warned about what I can do to people in the position you have put yourself into…your actions and personal choices decided your fate…you broke the law…and now you have to deal with me.”