Prisoners of Paradise

by Brandon Lars Erikson

  His first friend spoke in a worried, feminine voice, “Don’t tell me you’re going to kill him.”

  “In war…spies get killed, Landra,” said his friend Mike.

  Another man’s voice said, “I’m sorry, Mike, but I have to agree with Landra on this one…we can’t kill him…he is one of us…”

  “He was one of us, he switched sides, remember?” The low and dark voice said softly, “I know we all used to be one big happy family once…but some of his friends had a big problem with our ultimate solution to this huge problem Ailana is going to have soon.”

  “But…I just can’t see killing him as being a solution…”

  The dark voice shouted, “Do I have to remind everyone what exactly it is that we are trying to stop from happening on Ailana?! We can’t afford to take the time to argue about this!”

  “I agree, Landra. Wallace chose the wrong side. He’s Andrea’s little spy now, which makes him a serious threat to what we are trying to accomplish here.”

  “Look…we need to take this into some serious consideration,” Landra said flatly. “There is a good chance he knows everything about our plan. So what? There is nothing he, or any of his friends, can do at this point. We’ve already delivered the merchandise we stole from the warehouse to our contact.”

  “We’ve only delivered one…”

  “Hopefully, one…is all we’ll need to send the message we want our enemies to receive.”

  Wallace looked at the floor, just beyond his friend’s feet and saw two silver objects. His heart began to race as he tossed his head up and started shouting, “You can’t do this! This is madness! You people are not villains! You can’t get away with this! Please…just stop what you are doing and listen to me! Jacob was wrong! And if you continue with his plan something terrible will happen!”

  Location: The S-19 Laser Highway…heading south from Polynea.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 0600 Hours.

  Van Dien felt like his head was about to explode as his com rang. He fumbled around in his jacket for it and brought it up to his ear with a shaking hand.

  “Yes…what is it?”

  The familiar voice on the other end of the com brought him little relief. “I’ve been thinking’ about what you said.”

  Van Dien felt his eyes burning with rage as he said, “you’ve been thinking about what?”

  “Loyalty…honor…none of it means shit to me anymore…but money means a lot, so how about I show you I’m on your side after all, buy selling you some information that you would really like to have right about now.”

  Van Dien’s free hand balled itself into a shaking fist as he said, “I should have you gutted for this.”

  “Do you want something, that might be of consequence to a certain, someone…who has been a thorn in your side for quite some time now?”

  “How much?”

  “One million.”

  “Done,” Van Dien said as he took a deep breath and pressed a few buttons on his com and gritted his teeth as he returned the com to his ear and said, “what do you have for me?”

  “A nice, pretty picture of something that was once in a certain warehouse,” The familiar voice said as the com went silent. Van Dien felt his pulse racing as he took the com from his ear and looked at its monitor screen.

  The picture was pretty, indeed.

  He felt himself becoming quite calm all of the sudden as the adrenaline rush of knowing he was in control again began to course through his veins. He reached into his jacket and grabbed a cigarette. After he lit it and enjoyed a quick drag, he dialed a few numbers on the com, and began speaking softly to someone who was very surprised to hear his voice.

  “I bet that you figured that you wouldn’t be hearing from me anytime soon,” Van Dien said as a wicked smile crossed his lips. “I suggest we arrange for a meeting…you’ll want to be sitting down when I tell you this…”

  Location: The level 32 parking garage of the Hana Paloi Federal Building.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1300 Hours.

  Moke’s head ached as he remembered what he had said to both Audrey and Jack, “there is no white haired CIA agent from Earth on Ailana! None of you have any reason to talk to anyone in the Earth CIA…no one is to know about what we are doing. No one will know about what we are doing because no one tells us how to fight crime and terrorists on Ailana! And as long as I am in charge, no one but ME will be telling YOU what to do! Whoever is calling you with all these tips and information, you better tell them to stop calling, because we are not listening to anything that they have to say!”

  His head ached as the reoccurring thought kept cycling through his mind, “Someday… everyone is going to find out about who you really are…and what you really did, Moke Kalapana…you cannot serve two masters…your day of reckoning is coming soon enough…”

  Moke breathed deeply and nervously as he remembered how the dark voice had said to him, “it appears as if the shit is beginning to hit the fan…you and I had better have a long talk real soon…”

  Moke strode with a quick pace towards the long, black limousine. The back door slowly slid open for him. He increased his pace when he noticed the light coming from inside. Moments later, with a deep sense of fear, he slid into the seat that was situated at the back. The door closed behind him, and Moke sat face to face with Special Agent Van Dien. The cigarette smoke slowly floated away from his stoic face, as it was sucked up into an air purifier.

  “Captain,” Van Dien said with a smile. “I am so glad you finally came to see me.”

  Moke gave him an icy stare and said, “Go to hell.”

  Van Dien was unphased and stoic as he said, “Captain, that sort of attitude will not be tolerated here, especially after everything I have done for you. You should show some gratitude, because surely you remember this.”

  Moke tried not to flinch as he thought, “Damn it…I knew this shit storm was coming…what the hell am I gonna do now?”

  Van Dien exhaled smoke as the monitor that was floating by his feet, suddenly came to life.

  Moke felt his lungs aching for breath, as he saw himself on the monitor screen and thought, “Damn it…what have I done?”

  In the video, Moke saw himself sitting at a table, addressing a large group of well-dressed people. He heard a recording of his voice saying, “and that is the reason why Ronald James Harris must not be allowed on this planet. Is this clear? You need to convince that advisory board that they must deny Harris that pass he needs to come here. Tell him that there is no action on Ailana and thus there is no need for him to be here. Tell him he’s better off on Earth. Do whatever it takes…just make sure he stays…on Earth.”

  In the video, the voice of an unseen man could be heard saying, “We won’t need to go that far. Now that the Terraxakor missions in the Nexus system are over, Harris will be stationed in the North Africa Sector or the Middle Eastern Sector if it erupts again. He’s a terrorist fighter now…and terrorists don’t take holidays…thus for the time being, neither can he. But it is possible that Harris might be promoted, and thus allowed to travel if there is a good enough reason for him to do so. As the newly appointed leader of the Ailanian CIA, you just need to make sure that terrorists don’t start doing things on Ailana. Just make sure that there is no need for his services here, and he won’t ever come back…trust me.”

  Moke realized that the man, whose voice had been reassuring him in the video, was now sitting across from him, looking very confident, and very threatening. Moke swallowed, and took a deep breath as he realized that the devil had now come to collect his soul, which he had sold to him so many years ago.

  “Remember that meeting, Captain?” Van Dien exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Are you familiar with a fringe group known as…The Evil? It seems that they never truly went away after Jacob Colombe died. So, it appears that you might have a problem with terroris
ts now. If that’s true, Harris might be here a long time after Operation Shade is over with…and I can tell that bothers you. But there is a way to make sure that doesn’t happen…”

  “What do you want?” Moke asked, realizing that he had been backed into a corner.

  “First, I want you to realize, that I am in complete and total control here,” Van Dien said calmly, coldly. “Second of all, I want you to seek out the best interests of your people when you assign your agents to their missions…tell your to find targets for Harris to destroy, not corrupt politicians for you to expose.”

  “Did you say that you want me to do this…for you?” Moke asked coldly, trying to bluff his way through this rough spot in the game he had decided to keep playing.

  “Captain,” Van Dien said calmly, “let’s face it, your quest to end this so called, ring of government corruption, has become futile. I am here for one reason, to tell you to get back on track. Captain Harris and his team are coming to Ailana whether you like it or not. I suggest you find a few targets for them to destroy. I promise you will not have to worry about Harris remembering anything about you…or what you did to him. I can assure you that the doctors are filling his body full of good medications and the psychologists have been filling his head full of all sorts of grand illusions. The bottom line is…he’s a dog on a real short leash.”

  “Don’t say that,” Moke said sharply.

  “Have I hit a sore spot?” Van Dien said devilishly, “however, the sins you committed against Ronald James Harris no longer amuse me. The real reason why I am here is to give you information I have discovered about a former obsession of yours. Do you remember a man named Jacob Colombe? Apparently, he was responsible for a lot more than editing a foul mouthed, Internet magazine.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I am talking about The Evil, Captain, and how it was you who thought their little parties were cute. And now, because you tolerated them…they are going to take advantage of your kindness and leniency. Now correct me if I am wrong sir, but if some group of people calls themselves The Evil, shouldn’t one just assume that they should be taken seriously?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Van Dien was dead serious as he said, “Captain, I need to inform you of what I found on Jacob’s computer files that I confiscated…”

  Moke quickly interrupted, “and that is where you broke the law! That was supposed to be my arrest that night! Not yours!”

  “Captain, please…the guy committed malicious acts against Ailanian security systems. They were systems thatthe government of Earth supplied your government with. And that’s when it became my territory…”

  “No High Court is going to let you…”

  “Let me do what, Captain?” Van Dien said sharply, “I’ve got a few judges on a few High Courts who owe me more than a couple of favors.”

  Moke felt his guts turning with anxiety while the white haired man sneered at him, “Captain, I can outmaneuver you legally, and you know it…but you’re missing the point. Apparently, these people were good enough to hack into a computer at the Mele Entertainment Corporate Headquarters, and steal some money, by transferring it to a false bank account. The annoying words that scrolled across the T.V. screens of millions of Ailanians the other night, that was just a cover to confuse the lackey media technicians and during all the computer hacking chaos…Jacob’s friends were able insert a virus into the system, and steal a great deal of money. My sources have confirmed, that they used this money to purchase a bomb from someone…my guess is that gun runner, named Marco, was somehow involved. Did you get that file I sent you?”

  Moke felt his heart stop momentarily, “Oh my gods!”

  Van Dien smirked. “So did you think I was kidding when I told you that am in charge here? Did you think I would not come back to check up on your progress? You have to do as I say, Captain…this is what happens when you sell your soul to the devil.”

  “Goddamn you…”

  Putrid smoke filled the air as he said, “Captain Kalapana, at some point, you’re going to have to give the devil his due. It is time for you to become worried…it is time to start doing things by the book again. As of right now, there is a bomb on this planet, just waiting to explode…and you better make sure that you find it before it is too late.”

  The door of the hovercar, slide open, and Moke gave Van Dien one last hateful look as he exited. He walked about ten meters and stopped. He looked over his shoulder and saw the hovercar floating away. It was soon out of sight once it entered the tunnel that led it to the outside traffic, which ran along the laser beacons.

  Moke’s com rang once, but he ignored it as he stared off into space, feeling mesmerized. The com rang again, and Moke tried to forget about what he had just heard.

  “Hello?” Moke said when he finally answered it.

  “Captain Kalapana,” Jack’s voice quivered. “We have a problem.”

  “I know,” Moke said, and began walking.

  CHAPTER 25

  Location: Undisclosed.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 0400 Hours.

  Van Dien stretched his neck, by tipping his head far to the right. It was early in the morning. He had not slept in at least twenty four hours and was in a bad mood because of it. His mind was dwelling on a memory from the distant past. He remembered how, over ten years ago, he stood in a dark, sweltering room almost like this one, and angrily stared at a young human male, who had well defined muscles and long, platinum-blonde hair.

  Van Dien remembered saying to the youth, “why don’t you tell me something about your friend, who was with you on the beach that night?”

  He remembered how the young man was defiant as he said, “I told you everything I know about the son-of-a-bitch already.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me something about your other friend who was on the beach with you that night. His name is Moke Kalapana. Why do you feel like defending him? Don’t you know he betrayed you? Why keep doing this for him?”

  The memory made him grind his teeth as he recalled how the youth then spit on his shiny, black shoes and said, “Why don’t you…go to hell?”

  Van Dien remembered how he slapped the young man with the back of his hand. The vivid memory was interrupted by a quirky voice over a crackling intercom system.

  “We’re ready for you, sir.”

  “Thank you, Schultz,” Van Dien said in a deep, serious voice as he put out his cigarette by crushing it into the compound’s gray concrete floor. Suddenly, there was a harsh, snapping noise, and the unmistakable sound of grinding metal. The black doors opened by sliding apart, Van Dien smoothed out his suit and took a deep calming breath. Steam rose from the floor. Van Dien stepped into a darkened room, where he heard two giggling, boisterous voices that seemed to almost have a pain-filled quality to them.

  “Dude! That sucker had bay-leeeen! Huge bay-leeeen!”

  “Screw you, man…that sucker had teeth! Big ass teeth! All the better to eat you with, my dear!”

  Van Dien let the scowl on his face deepen into a frown that stemmed from disappointment and anger. He took three quick strides into the dim room, made a quick turn to his right and stopped.

  “Shut up!” Van Dien shouted in a stern voice.

  Both of their faces went blank. Darren McCalister and Rodd Templeton looked like emaciated skeletons with facial hair. Both men looked extremely sunburned and dehydrated. Saliva flew from Van Dien’s lips as he shouted, “that’s enough! Both of you! Shut up!”

  “Yes sir,” Rodd said, as he drooled onto his chin. His eyes were wide open, yet they looked as if they belonged to a corpse. Both men looked as if they had been drenched with sweat for days. The two men were each strapped to tables that were set on hydraulics that allowed the tables to be tilted mechanically. Right now, the tables were set at a sixty degree angle, with the men’s feet
were pointed down towards the floor. The two men were strapped down by their ankles, torsos and wrists. Their arms were set perpendicular to their bodies and strapped to extensions of the tables. However, the men’s heads were not strapped to the tables, and they swung around on their shoulders as if their necks had no muscles to support them. Both men had large gauged needles penetrating their bare forearms. These were attached to I.V. bags that contained a green liquid.

  “Good morning, sir!” Darren McCalister said with an enthusiastic, drunken voice. “How are you today?! We were just talking about…”

  “Shut up you bloody fool!” Van Dien roared.

  “Sorry,” Darren replied.

  Van Dien growled, “You were talking about the very thing you are not to discuss! You have been here for how long now? And you still speak of this nonsense that I am trying to cure you of?! What was it that you boys thought you found out there in the desert?”

  “It don’t have teeth man, that sucker had baaaay-leeeeen….bay bay baby leen leen leen.”

  “Shut up! Don’t you realize that you are simply crazy?” Van Dien roared as his hand shot out and hit a button on a nearby console causing Darren to shake and grit his teeth as he experienced an electric current passing through his body. After a few seconds, Van Dien released the button, and the man relaxed causing his head to flop over onto his left shoulder.

  Van Dien continued speaking in a calmer, but still irritated sounding voice, “Do you idiots realize that because of the time I had to take out of my busy schedule, to find and capture you, that some of the most crucial players in my plan…were killed?”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Rodd said with an honest voice.

  “Sorry!” Van Dien shouted. “That second rate news and entertainment mogul, Loko Kalaheva went and switched careers on me! He decided to enlist the help of Marco Giraudoux and become a third rate Cutz smuggler by stealing a bunch of Cutz from under Makula Pilikoa’s nose! And apparently, planning that heist took up a lot of his spare time. Kalaheva was supposed to insure that Rammy Klunka got re-elected! He failed because he was a buffoon and I was not around to get him out of the mess he had made for himself! I entrusted that stupid bastard with a crucial part of my plan, I included him, I promised him a reward for his service to me and he turned around and stabbed me in the back. He knew of the plans I had for this planet and it drove him to madness and greed.”