by J. M. Preiss
After everything had been installed and verified to be successfully integrated, the doctors said they could remove the scarring. Mason chose to keep the scars as a reminder, an apparent one, of what he had gone through. It couldn’t match the emotional pain he felt.
Sighing, Mason opened the access panel for his left arm. Looking over the indicators, he decided everything was okay and closed it back up. He flexed his hands as he held them in front of his face.
“I’m a walking dichotomy,” Mason said to the air. “Life and death in some kind of perverted harmony.”
He sighed again and let his arms fall to his sides. Shrugging into the shirt he had hanging over the bar for the shower curtain, Mason walked through his small bedroom and into the living space of his unit.
He flipped on the TV in preparation for another day of nothing. Before he could get settled on his couch, his communication panel started beeping.
Mason grumbled and activated it as he sat down.
“Mason,” he said.
“Captain,” General Franks said as his picture snapped to life. “I trust that retirement is working for you.”
“Far from it, sir, but I make do,” he said.
Frowning, the general said, “Well, I think I can understand. You know this is for your own good.”
“Sir, you and I both know the docs are full of it.”
“While I agree as a brother-in-arms, even I must bow to their judgment,” General Franks said with a sigh. “I know it’s been two-“
“Three.”
“That long already? Okay, three years since New York. The doctors aren’t budging on their assessment. The tests they do still say your psyche can’t handle the stress of potential combat again. They want to keep you safe, Captain,” Franks sighed.
“Beg your pardon, sir, but you know as well as I that this is worse than what I could face out there.”
“That’s why I’m contacting you today, Captain.” The general leaned forward. “I don’t have the power to reactivate you, the rest of the brass would have to be onboard, but I can pull some strings elsewhere.”
“You have my attention, sir.”
“I’ve been contacted by some scientists at Einstein. They’ve been working on some new stuff, as they always are, and something has come across my desk that has caught my attention.” The general scratched his chin. “They’re eventually going to be needing personnel for what they plan, so I brokered a deal with the lead researcher. They need two people for what they plan, so the deal is I get to pick one. He picks the other.”
“Let me guess,” Mason said.
“Yeah,” Franks responded. “You’re my choice, Captain. Pack your bags. Transport leaves tomorrow.”
“Sir,” Mason asked. “What about the rest of command?”
“Well, Captain, you’re technically still retired. They can’t do anything about it.”
“Thank you, sir,” Mason said as he smiled for the first time in ages.
“It’s the least I can do, Captain. The other candidate that was chosen is a hard one, as a heads up. I’ll send you the dossier when you’re en route, but there isn’t much to it. There are a lot of black lines.”
“SpecOps?”
“Looks like,” Franks replied. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Captain. Your itinerary will be transmitted shortly. Franks, out.”
The screen switched to stand-by as the connection was terminated.
Mason leaned back and intertwined his fingers behind his head.
“I finally have purpose again,” he said as he smiled.
For the first time in three years, his injuries and loss were the last things on his mind.
Chapter IV
Jacob heard a groaning off to his left. As his consciousness filtered back from where it had been, he heard his own breathing. He could once again feel his pulse, and the cold of whatever he was lying on worked its way through his clothing.
With the sensory deprivation quickly subsiding and his mind ramping back up to speed, Jacob slowly opened his eyes.
He was in a room with the lights set to a low setting. As he looked around, he saw that the room was roughly square, and the walls were smooth. Jacob’s eyes eventually settled on an immobile figure lying nearby.
“Mason,” he asked slowly.
There was a grunt in response.
“Good,” Jacob said with a sigh. “Everything still working?”
“Nothing feels like it’s missing,” Mason replied, a twinge of remorse showing through his voice. “But my mind feels all sorts of jumbled on what’s real, what’s not, and what’s right and wrong.”
“Good enough for now,” Jacob said as he cautiously moved into a kneeling position. “So there is no window, no doorway, and even the lighting is hidden.”
“Charming place,” Mason groaned. “What happened? I’m more confused each passing moment.”
Jacob shook his head and spoke softly. “Well, I don’t know what you went through, but I experienced sensory deprivation not unlike something I went through in training.”
“You went through that in training? Why would they do that?”
“To break you,” Jacob stated.
“Oh, how pleasant,” Mason said as he sat up and checked his arm and leg. “Were they able to control what you see?”
“Essentially. They could also see what you saw. It was very effective.”
“How so?”
“Well,” Jacob began, “our minds and imaginations are much more potent than any reality. You can feel pain that is both physical and emotional, and it will leave you physically unharmed. They can force you to relive your joy and sadness, and all of your secrets are laid bare.”
Jacob kept searching the room with his eyes.
“Is that how they are able to break you? What purpose does that even serve?” Mason rubbed his face and scalp with a hand.
“Once they break you, they can make you whatever they want to. It does have its downsides,” Jacob said with a deadpan voice.
“I think I can see that,” Mason said. “With a little effort, I could probably understand it.”
“Understanding is not required.”
“What,” Mason asked.
“Something they hammer into you. It doesn’t make a lot of sense at first, but you catch on in time.”
“Yeah? Sounds a bit strange for use in training of elite soldiers, but I’m just a grunt,” Mason sighed.
“Well, the stranger it was, the more they chose to use it,” Jacob said. “Maybe it has helped me, but it’s hard to say.”
“So that was sensory whatever?” Mason asked.
“Deprivation,” Jacob replied. “Yeah. All external stimuli are removed. It forces the mind to look inward. With practice, it is possible to direct your mind where you want to go.”
“Lucid dreaming,” Mason said.
“In a way, perhaps, but I’ve never been able to make something new happen. I only ever relive my past.”
“How does it feel?”
“For the first time?”
Mason nodded.
“It’s very disorienting,” Jacob said. “At the slightest thought or emotion, you can be dropped into a memory, but you don’t simply remember it. You live it again.”
“I don’t know how much I liked that experience,” Mason muttered.
“No, neither did I the first time,” Jacob agreed.
“I am unaware of anybody that does, Lieutenant,” a voice that was oddly familiar to both men said. It echoed from the middle of nowhere, yet it was also everywhere.
Mason looked at Jacob. Jacob nodded.
“Be that as it may,” Jacob began, “I’m afraid you have us at a disadvantage.”
“That is precisely where you shall remain,” the voice replied. “Surely, you don’t expect me to give up my superior footing.”
“I’ll show you what to do with that footing of yours,” Mason menaced.
“Ah, Captain. I am certain that you would give it your best, b
ut that would still have you falling short.”
A figure coalesced in the center of the room. It had a faint glow to it, and it wasn’t completely solid. A heavy cloak with the hood effectively masking the face made it impossible to tell who or what was standing before them.
“The two of you are a very unique travelling group,” the figure said, the voice from before now concentrated in it. “Captain, you are quite the walking dichotomy.”
“Yeah?” Mason asked sarcastically.
“Oh, most assuredly,” the figure said. “On the surface, you are both life and death, living tissue having been replaced with cold, hard technology. Deep down, you have rage paired against unyielding love. Fear is all that has kept your rage in check.”
Mason stared at his left hand.
“And then there is the Lieutenant,” the figure said as it faced Jacob. “Cold and calculating, anything you once felt has either been removed, or it has been buried so deep that it will never see the light of day again. That the world needs men like you is a travesty at best.”
“The world will always have need for men like us,” Jacob sighed. “Solace can be found in the fact that we exist and are able to make a difference.”
“Well put,” the figure said. “The question then becomes one of Good and Evil. Which side does your difference serve?”
“We’re obviously the good guys,” Mason snorted.
“Don’t be so certain,” the figure chided. “You may believe that you do good and righteous deeds, but such is the nature that the puppet cannot know the intentions of the puppet master.”
“So we are being used,” Jacob said as he motioned for Mason to stay quiet. “That would be a fair assessment in my mind.”
The figure set its gaze firmly on Jacob. Despite it not having a defined face, Jacob could feel its eyes burrowing into him.
“Who is the puppet master? No need to answer now,” the figure said absent-mindedly. “You will have time enough to answer that in the future.” The figure paused.
“If you survive,” he finished.
“Charming,” Mason muttered under his breath.
“Yes, Captain, perhaps I am laying it on a bit thick,” the figure replied. “Time is in short supply, so forgive me for my lapse in etiquette.”
Jacob sensed more than a hint of sarcasm, and he looked at Mason to keep him quiet.
“You have us in this cell,” Jacob said. “You don’t plan to simply kill us, so you must have some other plan for us.”
Turning to face a wall, the figure seemed to pause for a moment, as if it was collecting its thoughts.
“I know why you are here, and I know who sent you here,” the figured finally said. “I’m able to help you towards that end.”
“Why don’t I believe you,” Mason asked.
“It’s because you run from the truth,” the figured simply stated. “You don’t have a choice either way.”
“What are we to do,” Jacob sighed.
“All you need to do is complete your mission. I am able to assist you in that endeavor as we have the same end goal.”
“And just what is that assistance,” Mason inquired.
“All in due time, Captain. For now,” the figured paused as it turned to face them again, “you have a path before you that you must walk.”
The figure disappeared, and an opening formed in the wall it had been standing at. Beyond the opening, there was a corridor lit in much the same way as the room Mason and Jacob were being held in.
“That guy is a bit too literal for my tastes,” Mason said as he stood up.
Jacob nodded in agreement as he followed suit.
“Plan?” Mason scratched his jaw as he waited for an answer.
“Looks like we only have a limited set of choices to choose from. We play along until we can shift the balance in our favor,” Jacob said.
“That’s a bit too passive for my liking,” mumbled Mason. “How do we even know it will?”
“There’s no way to know without more information, so what say we get that information?” Jacob gestured to the opening.
“You owe me for this trip,” Mason sighed as he passed into the corridor.
“I’m sure that you’ll get a reward at the end of all this,” Jacob said as he fell into step beside Mason. “So what all do we know?”
“You got me,” Mason shrugged.
“Things certainly seem scattered to say the least.”
“Understatement.”
“Granted,” Jacob nodded. “There has to be a connection somewhere.”
“Does there?” Mason asked. “Like you said, everything is scattered.”
“While true, I don’t believe in coincidences,” Jacob stated. “It makes things all too clean.”
“I don’t under-,” Mason stopped mid-sentence. “Ah. I think I just hit on your training a bit.”
“You did,” Jacob confirmed with a nod. “If everything was a coincidence, I can’t think of exactly how to word it, but something doesn’t feel right.”
“And our host mentioned that we are puppets,” Mason added. “I’d certainly prefer to believe otherwise, but maybe you are onto something with your connection theory. The question is confusing me. Is Adam pulling the strings? Was Chicago where this started? Was Hector supposed to die?”
Mason closed his eyes for a moment.
“That is the question. Where did this all started?” Jacob rubbed his forehead and was silent for a few seconds.
“What if this started before Halcyon,” he asked quietly.
Mason snapped his eyes open.
“That would change everything,” he said. “How far before?”
“Before we were involved?” Jacob shrugged. “It would put an interesting spin on things.”
“I don’t know,” Mason said apprehensively as he shook his head. “There’s just so much change. I’d question everything, but that’s no way to live.”
“No, it’s not,” Jacob agreed. “Whatever is going on, I’m sure that this so-called Darkness everyone spoke of has something to do with it.”
“Adam never mentioned that,” Mason replied.
“No, but do you really believe him?”
“Guess not. Hey,” Mason exclaimed as he looked at his wrists. “Where’s the return beacon?”
“I don’t know,” Jacob said as he checked for where his could be. “It would seem our host has knowledge of those devices.”
Mason sighed.
“If we aren’t believing Adam, do you really think those were return beacons?” he asked.
“Odds are, they weren’t, but I don’t have any competing theories to throw out there,” Jacob said. “So we are supposed to take on the beginnings of the eugenics program.”
“It all seems a bit much to me,” Mason said.
“Perhaps,” Jacob responded.
Off in the distance, the never ending corridor had what looked to be a sealed doorway made of heavy steel.
“It’s about time,” Mason said as he became aware of it. “I was thinking we were going to be walking forever in this thing.”
“Yeah,” Jacob said absent-mindedly.
Something seemed weird to him about the corridor. He didn’t think they had actually walked all that far, and he didn’t remember making any turns. When he looked behind them, all he saw was a corridor that faded into the ambient lighting. There had been nothing in it with which to gauge progress, and there still wasn’t behind them.
“Do you want to knock, or should I?”
Jacob snapped his attention back in front of himself just in time to avoid slamming into the door.
“You okay?” Mason asked with a concerned look on his face.
“Something doesn’t seem right,” Jacob said. “I am unable to place my finger on it though.”
“Nothing since we left Einstein has felt right,” Mason offered.
“True, but something is really bothering me.” Jacob shook his head. “Didn’t the voice that talked to us sound f
amiliar?”
“Now that you mention it,” Mason began, “it was familiar. I can’t place it.”
“Maybe there will finally be some answers behind this door,” Jacob said as he reached for an activation switch that was next to it. He felt a jolt run through him, and he was taken by darkness.
Chapter V
“I’m not all that fond of how much they knock us out,” Mason groaned. “Very inconsiderate of them”
“I don’t think our well-being matters to them all that much,” Jacob said as he sat up.
“Well, it should,” Mason grumbled as he reset his arm and leg.
“More questions keep piling up. Even I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it all.”
Mason responded with something unintelligible.
Jacob shook his head and began to focus on his surroundings.
They were in a cramped space with seats to either side of them lining the walls. The seats were minimally cushioned and had a five-point harness nestled against the back. Up above the seats, there were steel restraint systems and crash netting. There was a large amount of netting hanging from the ceiling, and there looked to be numerous boxes within.
Jacob felt a diamond plate pattern and rubberized texturing beneath him.
“We’re on a dropship,” he said.
There was a low rumble, felt more than heard, that began to fill the cabin.
“Time to go,” Mason said as he looked around.
“Apparently,” Jacob responded.
“Well, at least he doesn’t have us walking anymore.”
“Yeah,” Jacob said absent-mindedly.
Something was nagging him.
“I wonder where we are going,” Mason continued talking. “He said that we were going to receive help to reach our goal and complete the mission.”
Jacob wondered. Which mission?
“Keyword identified,” a computerized voice said. “Begin in-flight briefing.”
There was a click, the lights went out, and then Mason and Jacob were lit by a hologram that sprang to life. It was a map of the continental US.
“One secondary facility remains,” the voice said. “Due to increased actions, this node facility has heightened security.”