by SW Matthews
Andy started to move, but Bash applied more pressure with the knife.
“Ah, ah,” said Bash, wagging a gloved finger. “Time to listen, s’il vous plait.”
Andy stared at his former friend. Bash’s face was horribly scarred. The skin was dimpled and puckered, both tight and loose at the same time, pulling at his features and distorting them. Only his eyes appeared undamaged, and those cold, dark irises looked directly at him. Bash had a beard now, but it was patchy, struggling to grow in his wasteland of a face.
Bash’s lips peeled back in a sinister grin. “That’s better,” he said. “I assure you that my prowess as a warrior has not diminished over the years. In fact, it has grown and matured, as have I. This knife is an unnecessary instrument. I use it only to get your attention. My skills have become so refined I could dispose of you with one hand, one finger even, if required. But I would hate to have to kill you so quickly.”
Andy closed his eyes. “Do it,” he whispered. “Kill me and end this. Just leave Piper alone. Please, Bash. She has nothing to do with this.”
Bash clearly hadn’t expected this reaction. “You love this woman?”
“I do.”
“You care about her more than you care about your own well-being?”
“Yes.”
Bash nodded. “Good. Then you will be able to truly understand my angst.”
Tears began to form in Andy’s eyes. “Why now?” He tried not to move against the blade; he could already feel the edge beginning to penetrate his flesh. “Why didn’t you come after me ten years ago?”
Bash scowled. “Your arrogance and defiance caused much grief. I personally lost many years due to your foolish error. Post-traumatic retrograde amnesia is the diagnosis written on all of my discharge documents.”
“You… lost your memory?”
“I lost everything! You took it all from me!” Bash shouted. He pressed harder on the knife, and Andy felt blood trickle down his neck.
“Bash, wait, I—”
“Silenceux!”
Andy shut his mouth and his eyes. He tried to focus on breathing through his nose, hoping to slow his pounding heart.
“There are still many holes in my memory,” Bash said, calm once more, “but two years ago I started having flashbacks. Gradually the night of your mutiny came back to me. And when it did, I began my own mission. A mission to seek God’s vengeance.”
Andy peeked at Bash. Through his watery vison he could tell the man had become lost in his tattered memories. The knife was still at his throat, but even if it were not, Andy knew he stood no chance against this man. He resigned himself, closed his eyes again, and listened.
“My life was just beginning,” said Bash. “I was young, but my path was clear. The navy had chosen me for a full scholarship. I was the first in my family to even be considered for university, much less to have someone else pay for it. It was beyond what a family like mine could ever hope for—and yet it was happening! I was to become educated! I was to become a man of intellect and accomplishment, instead of a slave of sweat and toil.
“It was such a foreign concept to me, I could not fully grasp what it would be like, but I was anxious to get started. I knew once I had completed my studies, I would be able to provide a better life for my mother, and I could then help my brothers obtain their own education. It was exciting, and I was ready.” His voice was cold. “But you put it beyond my reach.”
Andy opened his eyes, and the two men locked gazes.
“My family was treating me with a newfound respect,” Bash continued. “My brothers were looking to me for guidance, for the first time in my life. I was no longer the unusual solitaire. Now I was the family hero. Little did they all know that soon I would become the family burden. A scarred and broken imbecile.”
A tear rolled down Bash’s damaged face, and he took a deep breath before continuing. “The hope of an entire family was extinguished on that mission. By the time I began to remember my mother and siblings, it was too late. My mother had remarried, my siblings had disappeared into lives of intoxicants and emptiness. None of them wanted anything to do with me. And why would they? I was the endommage son, with no memory of them, and grotesque to behold. Only my father’s father would agree to take me in, and that was only because I could assist him with his fur-trading craft. So I helped my half-blind grandfather kill and skin beaver. It was hard work, and the remuneration was petit, but it was all I had. The promise of my education was gone, along with the respect of my family. The great hope of my life was taken away by your insolence.”
Bash applied more pressure to the blade at Andy’s neck. “But that was not all you stole from me, was it, AJ?”
Andy had known this was coming. He tried to swallow, but the blade was pressed too hard on his neck. So he just sighed and closed his eyes, trying to think of anything else.
“I’m sure you remember that my mother was already planning the wedding. It was to be in Kalispell, on the banks of Flathead Lake. Tuck was to be my best man. My brothers the groomsmen. You, Shep, and even Ray were to be the ushers. Do you recall?”
“Of course I do,” Andy whispered.
Bash nodded. “Of course you do. Then I’m sure you remember what happened to my fiancée, hmmm? Please tell me. You see, by the time I remembered who I was and what had happened, I no longer had access to military information. The only thing I could find out was that she had been captured, along with you. But she didn’t make it home, did she? Tell me what happened, AJ. Tell me what became of my beautiful Melissa, the love of my life.”
Andy was crying now, the tears flowing freely. “Please, Bash. Please don’t do this,” he begged.
Bash pulled the knife away from Andy’s throat. With his other hand, he wiped tears from his face. “You are the only one who can tell me, and you will tell me. I must know.”
“I haven’t told anyone,” Andy sobbed. “I can’t…”
Bash paused. For a moment, he looked almost conflicted. Then: “You must cleanse yourself of this bête noir. Let the truth come forth and expose your sins, so that you may die in peace.”
Andy nodded. All of his recent accomplishments were pushed aside by this memory of his ultimate failure. He was going to die, and he knew it was deserved. Piper and Tuck would be better off without him.
Andy sat up in bed. He wiped his eyes and nose, then looked his old friend in the eyes. “After we crashed, they took us… the Mexicans. Just Mel and I. They were in a hurry, I guess they knew another Bee was coming to help us. I think they thought everyone else was dead…”
“The glory of Heaven would have been a welcome alternative to the Hell I have suffered since,” Bash said somberly.
Andy eyed his old friend questioningly, then continued. “We drove across the desert. I remember seeing Gamma One attacking, and then nothing, only darkness. After a long drive, they stopped and took us underground. We were held in a bunker.”
“Was she hurt?” Bash asked quietly.
“She had a broken arm, and the Mexicans beat her, but she was tough. She fought back.”
Bash smiled sadly. “My little bouledogue.”
Andy choked back tears as the memories flooded him. “She was a fighter, Bash. She fought until…”
“Until what?”
“Until…” He swallowed, and when he spoke again, his voice was barely a whisper. “Until they killed her.”
Bash took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Tell me.”
“They beat her and stripped her,” Andy said, his voice breaking. “They… they raped her in front of me.”
Bash stared at the floor
“I’m so sorry, Bash,” Andy said. “I tried to stop it. I was chained to the wall.”
“How long?” Bash asked quietly, still looking down.
“I don’t know. It seemed like an eternity. Oh, God, Bash, I am so sorry! So sorry!”
Bash looked up at the crying man. “How did it end?” he asked calmly.
Andy caugh
t his breath and wiped his eyes. “One of the soldiers cut her throat when they were finished.”
“And she was awake?”
Andy nodded. “She was awake the whole time. She called for you, over and over. I tried to answer her, but I couldn’t. I was gagged.”
Bash stood and walked to the window. He was out of reach of the lamp’s light, but his silhouette was visible against the night sky.
Andy let his emotions take over. He bawled and wailed like he never had before. It was an unimaginable relief to finally be able to tell someone of his nightmare—and a relief to know that his friend would soon kill him. He buried his face in his hands and muttered, “I’m so sorry, Melissa. I’m so sorry.”
He felt a sharp poke in his shoulder, followed by an intense burning sensation. He wiped his eyes and looked up at Bash, who was now standing over him.
“What was that?” he asked.
“I believe your sincerity is authentic. You are truly remorseful for your mistake. But it was still a mistake, and one that destroyed the lives of many people. Exodus 21:24. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. The suffering you inflict, you must also experience. This is God’s will. I believe that you deserve to die, but I am just a servant and must have faith in the teachings of our Father. You must suffer as you have caused others around you to suffer. Your punishment shall be your life… for now.”
Andy’s vision started to blur and his head began to spin. Had Bash… drugged him?
“You deserve to suffer through the loss of your loved ones, for all of the anguish you have wrought. Your world will crumble before you, and you will be powerless to stop it. It is not time for you to die… yet.”
Chapter 29
When Tuck opened his eyes, he saw only gray darkness. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t say what.
He remained still and waited. His breath felt close, and he heard… traffic? Engines and horns in the distance. Cars moving. A lot of cars.
He tried to move and found his body sluggish. He tried to sit up, but his body shifted, and the sound of paper and plastic rustling caused him to stop. Slowly, he raised a hand to his face. Something was covering his head. He pulled it free and blinked, adjusting his limited vision.
He was lying in a small metal container, dressed only in the pair of shorts he had worn to bed, and he was covered with debris. The top of the container was open, and he could see the tops of tall buildings glinting in the early morning sun.
With an effort, he grabbed the rim of the container and pulled himself up. The container was a dumpster, and he was in a narrow alley, in a city.
“What the hell….”
He tried to recall how he got here. He had helped clean up the supper mess, then he and Chief had walked back to his cabin. Chief had taken his usual position on the front porch, and Tuck had prepared for bed. He remembered he had been a little drunk and very tired. More than anything, he had been relieved to be home. He lay down on the floor and pulled his blanket up, and then…
He remembered nothing after that.
He looked and listened. The alley was full of other dumpsters, and a few homeless people were scattered about, still sleeping. Beyond the alleyway, in both directions, he could see cars moving past.
“Denver? Kansas City? Maybe Minneapolis,” he said quietly to himself. “Too warm to be farther north. How in the hell did I get in a city?”
He thought for a moment. Braxton could do this. It would be nothing for a guy like that to hire someone to kidnap someone and dump them somewhere. But why? Why not just kill him? He killed billions—why not him?
Maybe the person he hired to kill him had a change of heart? Not likely. Braxton would pay very well and would ensure the job was completed. He would also only hire professionals, which meant military, and hired killers would only be navy.
Maybe the assassin was someone Tuck knew, and they backed out when they recognized him? No, that was again unlikely. All of his friends from the navy were dead, except for…
“Bash,” he said.
Would Braxton have hired him? No, Bash would never be a killer for hire. He had been a great soldier, and Tuck’s oldest friend. He wouldn’t become a hit man.
Tuck shook his head. No, there was no hit man involved here. If Braxton had wanted him dead, he would be dead. But Bash… he could still be involved. And Bash was probably the only person capable of sneaking up on him.
But why now, and why dump him here? And where were Andy and Piper?
“I guess Skipper was right after all,” he muttered to himself.
He decided he would work under the assumption that Bash was back, and that Andy and Piper were in danger. Which meant he needed to get back to Lakeland as quickly as possible to protect them. Andy had warned them this day would come. Ever since Tuck rescued him and Piper from the bikers all those years ago, Andy had been telling them both that Bash would come.
Piper didn’t know the story, but Tuck did. And initially he thought there really was a good chance his old friend would return. But with each passing year, it seemed less and less likely. And these last few years he had decided that the risk was gone. Andy, on the other hand, never wavered. He feared Bash as much now as he did that day, all those years ago.
Tuck crawled from the dumpster and walked down the alley. He stood in the shadows at the end and looked up and down the street. Cars and modular pods moved swiftly in both directions. To the right the sun was beginning to peek between the tall buildings, and to the left mountains were visible in the distance.
Okay, so it was Denver. Good. He knew people here. They could help him.
He needed to find Denver University Hospital.
Chapter 30
Outside Kat’s window, the eastern horizon was bright orange and the rest of the sky a deep purple. Kat was sitting up in bed, her three small sons gathered around her. Doc, Rosie, Jaq, and Skorz were also crowded around the bed, discussing the coming mission.
“Make sure to give Vice President Zhen the recording right away,” Doc said for the third time.
“We will, Uncle Doc,” said Pol—again.
“And you each have a copy? Just in case?”
“Yes,” Leef said.
“And be courteous and respectful,” Kat added.
“We will, Mom,” said Gill.
“This is very important, boys,” Doc said. “They will likely want to test your healing ability, to verify our claims. Just… try to comply willingly.”
“It will be nothing compared to what we have already endured,” Pol said. Leef and Gill nodded in agreement.
Doc shook his head. “I’m sorry you boys have to do this, but it could save many, many lives. If we can convince the Chinese of the coming attack, and that the UNA government is not behind it, we may be able to get their help to stop my dad once and for all.”
“We will do our best,” Leef said.
Kat hugged Pol and Leef. “The meeting is scheduled for three hours from now. You’d better get going.”
The two boys hugged her back, then jumped down from the bed.
Gill moved in to hug her too. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, son,” she said. “And you boys too,” she said to Pol and Leef. “Please be careful, and come back to me soon.”
“We will,” said Pol, turning to the door.
“Wait,” said Rosie. “Jaq found some coats for you.”
Jaq picked up a bag from the floor by his feet and extracted an armful of coats. “They’re a little big,” he said, “but it’s the best I could do. They’ll definitely keep you warm.” He handed one to each of the boys.
Pol held his up. It was dark nylon filled with goose down. It was very light and soft.
Leef put his on. The bottom of the coat extended past his knees, and the sleeves stuck out several inches past his hands. When he pulled up the hood, he practically disappeared into the garment.
“It is warm,” he said, laughing.
The group chuckled, then Doc, R
osie, and Jaq escorted the boys to the waiting drone.
Skorz stayed behind and moved to the head of the bed to talk with Kat.
“You know they’ll be fine,” he said.
“I know, Charlie. I wish they didn’t have to do this, but I hope they’re able to convince Zhen.”
“Even if they can, it may not be enough.”
“I know that too. Cole said he would try to stop the initial strikes that Dad talked about, the EMPs and missiles, but he may not be able to. We have to keep working on that.”
“And the soldiers,” Skorz added.
“Yes, the serum soldiers. We don’t really know anything about the serum they’re on. We need to find out the details, then figure out how to counteract it in case the attack is carried out. We need the information from the Edmonton lab…”
“I wish I knew someone up there. I’m sorry I can’t help.”
Kat smiled. “Don’t be sorry. You’ve already done so much to help us. And you’ve put yourself in danger because of that.”
“Oh, hell, Kat. What are they going to do? Fire me? Kill me? I’m an old man. I don’t give a shit.”
They both laughed.
“Now listen,” said Skorz. “That little sweetie Carmen will be here in a minute to help you into the suit, and I don’t care what she says, I don’t want you wearing yourself out. You were in that thing for almost three hours yesterday. You need to slow down a little.”
“I’m tired of sitting still, Charlie. I’ve got work to do.”
“I understand, but you’re going to fucking hurt yourself! Don’t you let her increase the weight from what you used yesterday, and no more than thirty minutes at a time. Got it?”
Kat smiled. “Yes, sir.”
***
The landing pad was still dark, the advancing sunlight hitting only the top of the hospital, as the boys piled back into the drone, bundled in their new coats.
“The route is already programmed,” Rosie said as she helped Pol fasten his safety strap. She looked at the three brothers. “I’m so proud of all of you. What you are doing is so brave and noble.” She stepped aside to make room for her father.