by Matt Ward
Testes… she was laying it on thick.
“Look, lady, you seem okay. But we gotta check. Can’t risk our jobs either.”
Damn.
“No worries, gentlemen. Pinch your noses. Bags aren’t sealed,” she added.
“Wait a sec, wait a sec. Jeorg, look. Says here Hearts and Organs. If we open this, we got to report it. That’s a lot of paperwork. Our kids are at their grandparents’. I got things planned for the wife. Show her my organs, if you know what I mean. Let’s leave it.”
“I don’t know,” Jeorg said. “I need this job but...” he hesitated.
I held my breath. Everything was riding on this.
“You know what, fine, but you owe me, Tak. Anyone asks, this was your idea.”
“Yeah, yeah. It was my idea. Let’s get you to a bar somewhere and find you a nice piece too.”
“Sure you don’t want to smell, I mean see the organs?” Paer asked.
I almost laughed. Paer had never eaten organs a day in her chimpish life. But she did have a sense of humor…
“We’re good, lady. Get out of here. Drive safe. And this never happened!” he added.
“What never happened?” she asked.
They laughed, and we heard the crunch of boots. Phew. Paer hopped in, closed the door and started the engine. That was close.
“Stay down until I tell you otherwise,” Paer said, her dominant self again.
“The testicles bit was brilliant, Agtha, no man wants to—”
“Shut up, Lars!” she snapped. “There might be listening devices. We’ll talk later.”
We drove in silence another hour, pulling off the road twice as VTOLs raced by until the car skidded to a stop. “We’re here.”
A thunk as Paer opened the trunk. Ugh. We twisted out as my muscles and joints strained in protest. At last, my jellied feet touched solid ground. Wait. “Where are we?”
“An abandoned area of the industrial park a kilometer from base,” she replied.
Huh? I gave her a funny look.
“I wanted time to talk things over without people breathing down our necks,” she said. “There’s a tunnel that connects the two buildings, used to be owned by the same company. Leave at 22:00 tonight. It takes ten minutes to walk, and I’ll meet you on the other side. I’ll show you.”
She took us into the building’s semi-finished basement. In the far corner was an iron trapdoor, shiny circular handle protruding from the left side.
“It’s unlocked. Follow this, you can’t miss it.” She glanced at her band. “Shoot, I need to go. I’m sparring Ashlo at 15:30. I’ll disable the sensors in the tunnel for tonight. See you, 22:10, sharp. Don’t be late!” She turned and vanished.
We killed time discussing the plan for the thousandth time, it never hurt. Once we felt ready, talk turned to the impending war. Still nothing we could exploit. We needed something soon and were running out of time, but Lars said to, “Relax and put my head to it.”
It came down to the Board, it had to. But how to kill the alphas? I’d tried everything I could think of. “Any ideas?”
“Have you tried TOR4?” he asked.
“You’re right.” How’d I forget that? As I opened a profile on Gregori Schwarz, he swung his leg toward me and I spun him into a triangle choke.
“Schwarz keeps a low profile,” I said. “Studied advanced computer systems and architectures while serving with distinction in the DNS.” Impressive.
Lars tapped my arm, and I released him. “Operated in hot zones early in his career. After that, he disappeared until being elected to the Board twenty-five years ago. Oh, and he went emulate.”
“This is getting too easy for you, isn’t it?” Lars said in mock frustration, dusting himself off. “Turn off the enhancements and let’s practice striking.”
They were, and I said as much, so we stopped sparring.
“Last one’s Priya Patel,” I said. “Minister of Infrastructure, a cynetic. Built her fortune in city planning and transportation. Her old startup accounts for eighty percent of housing and transport in the major fifty cities.”
“Kids?”
Maybe on TOR4. How’d I not think of that?
“Nothing on Lin Zu, the consummate politician. Works a ton, no life. Although there are pictures of her flying a VTOL. Maybe a hobby.”
“And Jean Gileu’s married, has a husband. Don’t see any kids, and can’t find much on the husband. Wait, here’s something on the Security guy though, Calter. Oh, snap. He’s got a son.”
A picture materialized: Thorn. “That’s where I recognized him! It’s the eyes.”
“What eyes?” Lars asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember the DNS guys who arrested us, shipped Fitz and I to Caen? There was one guy, the leader, Thorn. There was something evil about him, inhuman. Hated-filled black eyes that sucked hope and happiness from your soul. When I saw Calter’s picture, it clicked. Calter has a son, Thorn.”
“That means…” Things were going a mile a minute. He must be dying for revenge.
“Think he’s in Kiag?” Lars asked, as if reading my mind.
“Actually, yeah.” Thorn could be our leverage over Calter. “So, we ambush the surprise attack, grab Thorn, and send a spoofed message to his dad for help. If we make it something embarrassing, Calter would come alone. He wouldn’t want others finding out. Then we grab him.” Was that the key to everything?
“And we can torture or simhack the information out of him if we have to,” Lars added. “We’ll have—”
“No!” I snapped, louder than intended. The pain I’d been through still haunted me. “No torture, not even VR. If we do, we’re as bad as them.” No… A calming breath. “I’ll get him to tell us, I’ve got a plan!”
“How the heck you going to do that?” Lars raised an eyebrow. “Without torturing him?”
I explained what I had in mind.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said at last. “We’ve got our plan.”
Time flew by and before we knew it, it was ten minutes to ten.
Lars opened the trapdoor. It was pitch black, and steep but I activated my infrareds. “Looks good from here. I’ll go first.”
Lars grimaced. “Be my guest, kid. I always hated tunnels and small spaces.”
We dropped in, feet clattering on concrete, and I led the way, Lars’ hands on my shoulders to avoid getting separated. Imagine how dark this was for him. I’d forgotten life before cybernetics and had no desire to go back.
Near the end of the tunnel, a muffled voice. “What are you doing, Agtha? It’s a bit late to be out and about, isn’t it?”
“Oh, Lilia, I didn’t see you. I needed a little fresh air, that’s all.”
“You’ve been off lately. Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine,” Paer said, a little too fast. “It’s been crazy the last few days is all.”
“I know what’s up, Agtha. Don’t think you can fool me.”
I froze. No…
How could Lilia know?
37
Gods And Goddesses
“You do?” Paer croaked. A hint of doubt crept into her always confident voice.
“Of course I do.” Shit.
“Look, Lilia—” Paer began.
“No, I get it. If you ever want to talk about it, let me know.”
“What?”
A pause. “You had a thing for Lyam, didn’t you?” Lilia said. “You always wanted him, and he came back. But then he up and left again.”
“You knew?”
Phew, that was close.
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Lilia said in a conspiratorial whisper. “Did you talk before he left? Did he tell you where they were headed?”
“No!” Paer snapped. “Old geezer disappeared without saying anything. Bastard.”
“I’m so sorry, Agtha. If I can ever help, say the word.”
“Thanks, Lilia.”
“That’s what friends are for. I have to go, big
day tomorrow, with the vote and all. See ya.” Lilia’s footsteps echoed in the distance.
A few minutes later, Agtha opened the hidden passage with a furtive glance. “Hurry.”
We snuck through the corridors and were to a room five minutes later. She slid the door open, pushed us through and poked her head in. “Keep this locked, don’t leave. That was a close call earlier. I need to go before anyone sees me. Noon tomorrow, be ten minutes late. Don’t knock.”
She spun, closing the door, and left us standing there, dumbfounded, tired, and amped all at once. Talk about a day.
I meditated for a bit while Lars opted for sleep. How he could sleep at a time like this? My head swirled with thoughts, memories, plans; a sea of adrenaline and danger. Focus, Raek.
After meditating, I still couldn’t sleep. Too much to do, too much to worry about. Procrastinating, I found a history of mythology online. Why not? The whole concept of deities was absurd, but they’d played a critical role in shaping humanity. Why? It made no sense.
Still, I remembered what Lars said about being a charismatic Jesus. Yeah right. It was preposterous, ethically and factually wrong. But what made rational people so susceptible to the supernatural? Why had every culture before the Fall worshipped some strange god or another?
What was it?
I spent thirty minutes trying to figure it out. From the newer Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, to the older, more exciting Norse legends, Greek gods, and Egyptian pharaohs… there were hundreds, the stories fascinating.
As my eyes closed, I sensed a trend. They were all tales, from half-god Hercules’ heroic feats to Jesus turning water to wine; from rain dances to witch hunts and human sacrifice… they were all the same: bedtime stories, passed down and intentionally—or accidentally—altered for effect.
Storytelling 101: hyperbole, propaganda, iteration. Nothing had changed. That’s how the GDR controlled so many with little to no violence.
The story was everything.
That was big. No idea how... but I couldn’t let it go for some reason.
My dreams were dominated by gods and goddesses, war, violence, fire… Heavens and earth ripped apart, restored, and ripped open again.
Strands of DNA circled the planet, and the world became a sea of numbers and letters. Shaking, it morphed, letters becoming words, a story. I could write that story.
Fear surged as I struggled. Something was holding me down.
“Calm down, kid,” Lars said. “Everything’s okay.”
My eyes blinked open. Lars?
“It’s okay, kid. You’re safe.”
“What? Where am I? What happened?”
“We’re at Initiative headquarters, Raek. In Caen. Remember?”
Maybe... Something like a memory floated, waiting to be rediscovered.
“But the world, the planet, the war… what happened?” My voice was jagged.
“It was a dream, kid, just a dream.”
My SmartCore showed a heart rate of 162 bpm. “It was so real.”
“Just a dream,” Lars repeated. “Want to talk about it?”
“I’m good.” I didn’t want to relive it. “So, two hours until the meeting.” Please change the subject...
He nodded. “You ready?”
I was.
We headed out at noon, silent. Along the way, I was anxious, checking corners and over our shoulder. This was no man’s land.
We reached the Council room at 12:07 without incident and paused, looking at each other.
His face was etched in granite resolve. “Know what you’re going to say?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” I opened the door and stepped in.
38
Bloody Marinara
The room was just as I remembered it, dull and outdated, but with an air of power. Around the table sat the six Council members, Lilia still occupying Hrun’s old seat.
“As I was saying—” she began before recognition dawned. Her eyes flared a second. “Raek, you’re back. We were so worried. Is Lyam here?”
“Shut up, Lilia!” I snapped. “Don’t you dare say his name.”
“Raek, is everything okay?” She looked concerned, her voice placating.
“Cut the crap. I know you murdered him, murdered your own friend because he got in the way. I was there!” I yelled. “I heard it. I heard everything!”
“What are you talking about, Raek? You must have gone through—”
“Quiet, Lilia!” Paer cut in. “Let the boy speak.”
“So, you’re in on this too?” Lilia glared at Paer. “Is this a coup?”
“What are you saying, boy?” Mico’s unsure eyes bounced between us.
“I’m saying Lilia and two of her cronies killed your friend Lyam, administered some nanodrug with Potassium Chloride. It gave him a heart attack! I heard the whole thing.” I stared at her, seething. “I think she did the same with Hrun.”
Something felt wrong. I couldn’t place it, but something was off. Lilia’s hand twitched. What could it be? Gun, itch, unconscious tick, call for help... I tensed.
“Raek, why would I do something like that?” Her voice had taken on a honeyed innocence.
“Power!” I growled. “Power and control. That’s been—”
The door behind us burst open.
I reacted, diving. Small spherical projectiles bounced in as I tackled Lars. They exploded and I brought my blaster to bear, shockwaves rippling the room.
My shots missed, blasts of light whizzing past me. The intruders had opened fire.
Most of the Council had been thrown to the floor. Blood dripped from Lars' forehead and my ears rang. Was he okay?
Rolling, I dodged shots streaking toward me. A flash. Lilia sprinted past and the traitors disappeared into the hallway.
Jumping up, I checked Lars. He’d live. The rest were okay too, just dazed.
I darted out the door. She wasn’t getting away, not again. Hurried footsteps ahead.
Rounding the corner, someone sprang. Skirting the knife and their blaster, my claws tore at his throat as two more appeared, lobbing lethal micronades my way.
I shot the first from the air and kicked the second away. Explosions engulfed the hallway, smoke billowing, as alarms rang.
Dashing through the soot, I fired twice. They crumpled before they knew what hit them. Where was Lilia?
At the main entrance, the ground in front of me erupted. Dodging behind the barrier, Lilia screamed, “Don’t make me do it, Raek!”
Do what?
I peered out, ducking as two more blasts hurtled past. Lilia stood across the expanse, arm wrapped around Fenni’s delicate throat. Fenni’s eyes bulged in inhuman fear.
Another glance. Lilia had shifted her gun to a stammering Fenni’s head. “Lilia, I, I don’t understand. What—”
“Shut up, you gossiping, good for nothing skank!” Lilia’s eyes raged. “This is all your fault!”
“Lilia, let’s talk about this!” I stepped from behind the wall.
“You ruined everything!” she spat. “Not a step closer. Don’t! I’ll do it.”
Would she? I put my hands up. “Let her go. You don’t have to do this.” If I could lure her into a false sense of security... How long it would take to shoot her? This wasn’t Fenni’s fault. “We can do this, together, you and me. We can overthrow the government, make things right.” She was nodding.
I took a step forward and she stiffened, hatred shattering her calm. “One more step and I’ll blow her brains out!”
Fenni whimpered, pants darkening as her bowels released. Shit, Lilia wasn’t kidding.
Shifting my body, I took a step back and lined up the shot. I had it. Deep breath. One chance. Fenni couldn’t die too.
Three, two—Lilia fired. Nooo... Fenni collapsed, blood spraying everywhere as I fired twice and Lilia leveled her blaster.
Lilia’s shot went wide, but mine rang true, launching her into the air. She smashed the wall behind her with a crimson thud.
> I sprinted over.
Poor Fenni. She hadn’t stood a chance, head blown off before I could react. Why had I hesitated?
“You bastard!” Lilia’s eyes were unfocused, breath coming in short, sporadic bursts as she grabbed the gaping hole in her chest. “You, you—” A fit of hoarse coughing sent spasms through her body as blood drained out of her, pooling on the floor.
I stepped closer, and she raised a determined hand. Against all odds, she’d held on to her blaster. “You!” she whispered in a quiet scream as her eyes locked onto mine.
Her gun twitched but I fired first, finishing the job.
“That’s for Fitz, bitch!”
Lilia slumped to the floor, unrecognizable, upper part of her face and torso gone.
Feet clattered. Paer, Zedda, and Obowe appeared, gasping. Several more popped out of neighboring hallways yelling and crying. They had no idea what was going on.
“Order!” Paer roared. “Order!” She got things under control before it got out of hand.
Everyone was breathing hard. They walked to Fenni, then to Lilia. No point checking either.
Paer turned to the small crowd that had gathered. “Everything’s okay. Trust me!”
They looked from Lilia to me to Paer, and back again, eyes wide. No one said anything.
“Someone get maintenance to clean this!” Zedda said. “What happened?” she added in a softer tone, curious.
“Lars? Is, is he okay?” I stammered. I couldn’t lose him too.
Zedda nodded.
Phew. “Come on. Let’s go back to the Council room. We should talk about this in private.”
After a quick chat with maintenance, we trudged back. It was a long and somber slog.
Ganla jumped to her feet when we arrived but sat on Paer’s cue, eyes narrowed and blaster on her lap.
Lars had stopped bleeding and gave me a questioning look. “Fast thinking there, kid. You must have had a good teacher.” He laughed, wheezing in pain as he did.
“Raek, Lars,” Obowe said. “What is this?”
“Let the kid explain,” Lars said. “Raek, tell them about Lilia. Tell them what you told me.”