by Troy Dukart
Local: Why are you helping us? Who are you?
Unknown IP: You are like us Strafe. You are freedom fighters. We see potential in you and your brother. That is all I can say at the moment.
Local: We appreciate your support very much. Can I ask if you've found our mother?
Unknown IP: Her whereabouts have gone dark. There are assumptions she is in an underground Federation prison. They are gaining political favor from controlling and capturing citizens. Labeled as terrorists by multiple governments, we must be extremely careful how we act or they will find us.
Local: Can I meet you?
Unknown IP: Soon. When Zixin is ready to join our fight, we will come to find you. Keep a low profile and be wary of any other foreigners you encounter. Do not tell anyone your name or where you're from. We will be in touch.
The chat-room closed.
I leaned back in my chair as I tilted my head up to admire the moon. This isn't such a clear-cut mission this time.
The Whiteclouds and I joined the therapy sessions for the final year. What had astonished me was the fact my brother had somehow regrown his arm. It was pearl white in color and the same size as his other one. The only thing different about it was there were light brown markings all over. Some were simply straight lines, others swirled akin to whirlpools.
“How did you get your arm back?” I asked while entering one morning.
Zixin seemed much calmer and happy. While petting Pup and Esper, he replied, “I've learned how to channel my depression and my old gift into creating animate objects. This arm is real and it isn't. I still sense my old power within me. What about you?”
I shook my head as I held up the God Blade, “Ever since we defeated Bethlehem, the Blade is a shell of itself. It shattered in our battle with him. I don't feel any aura left in me.”
Sonam stepped forward, “Zixin is special Strafe, he has The Hand of God. That is why the demon was drawn to him, and why other demons may try to return.”
“Hand of God? What does that mean?”
“His gift is unlike anything ever seen. He has been blessed, like you.”
I turned to Zixin, “How have you been feeling lately?”
“I feel... much better. I am in control of my emotions and my mental health. It's nice to wake up without pain,” Zixin articulated.
“Glad to hear bro.”
“We still need to work on controlling this gift and finish up our sessions. Zixin will be ready to go soon. I will be sad to see him go, he's become quite close to me,” Sonam said.
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you,” I said.
“My pleasure. I have dedicated my life to teach the lessons of the Buddha and to heal those who need it. Bright futures are ahead of you both, with so much life to live.”
The following day, strange visitors came into town, and it wasn't to sightsee.
CHAPTER 11
Yessa
Calculations complete. We stepped toward the pad and input our coordinates. After a five second countdown, we launched into our sub-orbital flight. No matter how many times I did this, Earth always looked so incredibly beautiful. It took less than half an hour to reach our destination, the western reaches of China.
Our mission had serious consequences if the Chinese discovered us. They weren't keen on US military operations.
“Touch down in three minutes,” Parker announced.
“Roger that,” Dill said.
“First time to Tibet!” Iovine cheered.
“We're not here to sight-see, remember?” Ellerbee heckled.
“Can't you let me be excited for once in your life?”
“Quit the bullshittin' and prep your landing.”
“Yes Sergeant,” they responded in unison.
We touched down at the LZ. The thrusters in our suits were so quiet we could barely hear them. I noticed Parker communicating to our leadership back in Europe on a secure line. Probably giving a status report.
It was night time here, and we were surrounded by lakes. The Lhasa region of China bodied many of them.
“Prepare for stealth mode,” Parker ordered.
“Yes sir,” I said in a half-hearted tone.
Our stealth ability was operational in flight and combat. Briefly, we could completely blend in with our surroundings. Another option let us imitate regular clothing. Street clothes required the least amount of energy but going invisible would drain our battery fast. Recharging didn't take long but left us with limited abilities. Recon training taught us to use this in dire situations only.
Everyone shifted into their civilian disguise. Dill wore cowboy gear, Iovine donned a conservative Miami Dolphins bomber sports coat, t-shirt, and sweatpants. Ellerbee had on a navy sweater, a red cap, and blue yoga pants. Parker sported a polo shirt, khakis, and a leather jacket. Me? I rocked a white coat with a fur hood, dark jeans, and boots.
“Let's move out,” he commanded.
We activated our enhancements and began to move towards our target location. The suit allowed us to run at a speed of around 100 mph. We would arrive shortly.
Radar in the helmets searched for human heat signatures within half a mile and camouflaged us if it detected any. Nobody could tell we were here. Our suit's kept us from getting fatigued by constantly filling our bloodstream with supplemented adrenaline boosters to counter any high lactate levels in our blood. Even someone out-of-shape could resemble a cheetah running in one of these.
Ten miles out, Parker stopped us near a lake to camp. We dug beds in the ground to keep us warm for the night.
“In the morning, we head in,” he instructed.
“Copy that, I was just getting sleepy,” Iovine said through a yawn.
Laying in the dirt, I caught Parker typing another message in his telecrom. He wouldn't tell me anything about his communications. I didn't like it.
Daylight broke. I wiped my eyes and gave myself a long morning stretch. Because of our armor, no critters irritated us while sleeping. Parker stood near the water, smiling.
What are you up to?
He turned toward us and clapped his hands to wake the others up, “Morning Spacemen! Good job last night everyone!”
“Thank you, sir,” Dill replied.
“Today, we are going to make it to Tsetang. Our intelligence team back in Germany received reports that there is a high-value Salvator operative close to Yungbulakang Palace. We are to observe the town and gather more intel. Use your best judgment and do not engage anyone unless ordered to, is that understood?”
“Yes sir,” everyone said.
“Let's move.”
I played along with Parker because I didn't want him to get my team killed. He never worked with them before; I had a year of experience with them. They didn't know this guy, only that he was in charge.
When we got near, we turned on our invisibility to infiltrate. There was a public bathroom we located. Once inside, we found a stall to “come out of” and regrouped outside. Easy as pie.
After we got about a block or two in, Parker huddled us together, “Okay, here's what I want to do. We will split up into two teams. Dill, you're with me. Urena, you take Iovine and Ellerbee. We will investigate the eastern side of the city. You will go to the palace and search there. Report to me if you find anything.”
“Copy. Let's go you two,” I nodded.
Separating the group made us vulnerable. Isolating my second-in-command made me a little uneasy, knowing Parker might try to brainwash him.
The beauty of this place left us in awe. The people were so peaceful and the market smelled of Asian herbs and spices. Many Buddhist statues and carvings lined the streets.
The palace was simple to spot, as it resided on top of the highest hill. Every once and a while we got a few curious looks, but nothing to be worried about. Simple tourist glances from the residents.
We took a bus to the base of a hill near Yungbulakang Palace. While I examined it fr
om a distance, I felt a familiar presence. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary though, so with a shake of my head, I let the thought go and led the two Astronauts up the road.
“Wow, look at all these cool flags!” Iovine beamed with glee.
“They're pretty,” Ellerbee said.
“Hey, I think this is the first time you've agreed with me!”
“Well, it's the first time you've been right!” She gently pushed him.
“This is one of the coolest locations we've been to huh?” I smiled.
“Ma'am, er, Yessa, we've got to go on more missions to Asia. I could get used to this,” Iovine approved.
He remembered to act like a civilian.
There was a flash in the corner of my eye. Occasional tourists and locals passed us by on the way up, but this was different. My suit didn't even pick it up.
Hmmm?
“You see something Yessa?” Ellerbee asked.
“Someone or something knows we're here.”
“Should we let the boss know?” she added with some apprehension.
“No,” I said, “It will scare them off. We will be fine. Just let me know if something strange happens.”
We walked all the way up this “small mountain” as Iovine called it, to where Yungbulakang Palace stood. A sign stood at the entrance. Translated from Tibetan, it read they closed early due to daily prayer and wouldn't be reopened for the rest of the day.
A shadowed figure stared down at me from the tower. I couldn't make out the face, but that same feeling of familiarity was floating in my chest. Excitement and shyness at the same time. After a few seconds, they turned away and disappeared.
“Well damn, I was gonna take some sweet pics up there,” Iovine fretted.
“Interesting they shut it down like that,” Ellerbee observed.
“Sure is. Well, guess we will have to try again tomorrow,” I sighed.
A gust of wind blew down my neck as I walked away. After two steps I heard a whine from an animal. Turning to the noise, a Whitecloud stood in front of me. I couldn't believe who either.
“Esper? Is that you?” I said in surprise.
She ran forward into my arms and kissed my face. I was shocked to find her here! She greeted me by falling into my lap as she did as a puppy.
“Woah! What the HELL is that thing?” Iovine yelped.
“You gonna let a doggie frighten you? What if we're jumped by a terrorist?” Ellerbee joked.
“She's my Whitecloud,” I answered.
“Whitecloud?” they said.
“Yes,” I explained between Esper's kisses, “She is a big wolf with special abilities. Last time I saw her was four years ago.”
“What the f is she doing here?” Iovine asked.
“That's a great question.”
We began to walk off but Esper would not leave the palace.
“C'mon girl, let's go find Goliath and the rest of your pack.”
As bad as she wanted to, she would not go any further. A whistle sounded in the distance and Esper ran away.
“Follow her!”
We chased her into a back-alley. She bolted into a house and the door slammed shut. I knocked a few times but got no answer.
“Yessa, what's going on here?” Ellerbee asked anxiously.
To my right, the shadowy figure from before stood near a second story balcony window. They moved closer and closer until the sunlight hit their face. It was Strafe.
CHAPTER 12
Yessa
What was he doing here? He acted calm and collected and wore Tibetan clothing. A dark coat, colorful pants and a black tank top with green calligraphy in the center.
While starring at each other, trying to feel the other person out, he broke the silence, “Long time.”
“Yeah,” I marveled, “Long time.”
“You know this guy?” Ellerbee guessed.
“Oh,” I shook my head to concentrate, “He's an... old friend from back home.”
Strafe began eating an apple as Esper peered her head out at me from the window sill. “Who are your friends Yessa?”
“Oh, this is...,” I paused, “Adam and Montana. We're on vacation together.” I knew he'd see right through me.
“Hmm, vacation?” Strafe said as he ate the apple and shrugged his shoulders.
Goliath and the other Whitecloud poked their heads out another window. I was glad they were safe; they'd gotten so big.
“Can we talk, in private?”
“Have you been tracking us?”
“Is Zixin alright?” I inquired, looking to take back control of the conversation.
“Zixin's fine,” Strafe told me, “What do you want Yessa?”
I decided to come clean. With a deep sigh, I said, “Strafe, we are here on orders to find a group called the Salvators. Have you heard or seen anyone here by that name?”
“Nope,” he said while finishing the last bite and licking his fingers, “I'm just here on vacation too.”
“Strafe, I'm sorry I left you, Zixin, and our Whiteclouds,” I apologized, “It has eaten at me, every single day but my family is suffering too. I still have no clue where they are. We think the Salvators are connected to the Federation, who probably have them as prisoners.”
“I'm not mad at you for leaving,” Strafe pointed out while shaking his head, “We both needed to do right for ourselves. I got over that a long time ago.”
Esper had a sad look on her face. I didn't expect them here.
“I never wanted to hurt you, any of you,” I said curling my lip, “I tried looking for you but your trail went cold. That's why you brought Zixin here didn't you? Something's here that could save him from himself.”
“It was nice to see you Yessa,” Strafe nodded as he began to close the window.
“Strafe, we have orders to kill all Salvators present in this location....,” I informed him.
He froze before slowly opening the window and gazed at me with suspicion and anger. This time he hopped down from it and stood in front of us. The Whiteclouds joined by his side.
“Yessa, this is not a place for bloodshed. Whatever your Space Force has you doing, forget about it. You need to leave. There are no Salvators here.”
“Ma'am, should I dial Captain Parker?” Ellerbee whispered to me.
“No, standby,” I commanded, “That would make him run away and we need information.”
“Are there more of you on 'vacation' here?”
“Listen Strafe, for the sake of Zixin and our wolves, please tell me the truth,” I pressed.
Pointing his fingers to his chest he said, “Our wolves? And Zixin? Don't give me that.” He waved his hand in the air.
On cue, we heard the sound of another Spaceman landing behind us. I turned around to find Parker and Sergeant Dill.
“Good job Urena. You've found what we've been looking for,” Parker said with a smile.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“That one in the black tank top there is a Salvator informant. I've requested an extraction team from our CIA cell nearby to help us get him out of the country. His brother too. They know where your parents are.”
I turned to Strafe in shock, “You're working with the Salvators?”
My blood was boiling.
Strafe remained guarded but calm. He scanned us all before answering,
“The only reason we're here is to heal Zixin. We mean no harm and don't want any conflicts. Your mom and dad aren't here Yessa.”
“You are suspected of collaborating with terrorist. You can cooperate and surrender or we will be forced to take you down,” Parker said.
Jumping all the way down from the third-story window, a man in a white Tibetan robe and pants stood next to Strafe. It was Zixin.
“Go home,” he warned us calmly.
“So be it. Angels! Capture them!”
Our disguises transformed back to our Space Suit armor. Each
one of us had different weapons at our disposal. Dill had a giant Gatling gun and soundwave knuckles that could knock down an elephant with one punch. Ellerbee carried a special sniper rifle. Iovine used traps such as nets and spikes and deployed drones that had combat capabilities. For me? A mounted shoulder cannon and an electric sword to use in close-quarters situations. Both could stun or kill a target. Not sure what Parker had.
Dill pulled down his Gatling gun and began to shoot stun rounds at Strafe and Zixin. Strafe stepped in front of the Whiteclouds and held up the God Blade. It was in the same condition as the last time I saw it, shattered. Strafe braced himself as the fire from Dill rained on them. Dust kicked up all around and clouded our vision. When the wind cleared it away, we saw them still standing and untouched. The God Blade still carried the power to deflect projectiles.
“What the hell?” Dill huffed.
Strafe lowered the God Blade and stared at us. Dill absorbed the gun back into his suit and charged at them. Iovine and Ellerbee followed. She fired her rifle to try to immobilize them but was deflected. Iovine deployed his drones and they fired down a barrage of rubber bullets but to no avail. Parker paced left and right, typing in commands on his wrist. It's like he was waiting for something.
With a flick of my hand, the suit formed my weapon, the Espion. Electricity sparked up and down the dark blade and I joined Dill and the others.
“Ma'am, what do we do?” Dill asked.
“The only way to apprehend them is in close-quarters combat. Let me handle this,” I admitted.