by Drew Avera
"You two have been gone for a year, and when you come back, it seems you save one planet just to thrust another into chaos," Pontiff White said. He was sitting up more in the bed and his words came out a bit more freely and unstrained. "I'm sorry for your friend, but Gentry is right. You need to take the fight to them, not surrender." He seemed too calm and collected for a man who just suffered a heart attack.
I paced the room, and just thinking about how bad things could be in Midican made my blood boil. They were such hospitable people. They were just victims of circumstance. I couldn't help but feel responsible in some way. It was our need to save Mars that initiated the strike against Faracon. Harris seemed more than capable of fending off the small-scale attacks periodically, but by the sound of things during that brief call, it seemed this attack was anything but small in scale. I wondered if there would be any survivors.
"I think he's right, too. If nothing else, we can take a few of The Syndicate members down with us." I spoke with indignation towards an organization that caused so much hate and discontent in my life. I wanted them to pay for what they had done both here and on Earth. I was tired of how they tugged on the strings of my life, and—like a puppet—I reacted. Not a person in this room knew a life totally free from The Syndicate, but I imagined we all longed for it just the same.
Pontiff White chuckled lightly and held his chest as sharp pain stifled his laugh. "If it's any consolation, I'd like in on this too." He carried a smile, but there was a serious tone to his voice. "I told you, before you left, to kill the bastards. I understand why you returned so quickly, but there are loose ends that need tending to," he said.
I was puzzled by his eagerness to go into battle given his condition. "You don't look much in fighting shape right now," I said. "No offense."
He shook his head while biting his lip. "You think six months isn't enough time for me to recover? I'm telling you I will be on that transport and when we land I'm strapping a gauntlet to my wrist and I'm taking them down. I'll be damned if I will miss an opportunity to strike back after all of these years as their puppet. And don't even think about standing in my way." He eyed me with the grit of a man not willing to bow to the will of anyone.
Despite the tubes attached to his body and all of the machines helping monitor him, I could see a man poised to retaliate. The truth was, if anyone in this room had a reason to fight, it was him. His entire life had been stripped away in the blink of an eye. A future he was excited for had been shattered and I was certain his heart had never recovered from the loss of his wife and unborn child. I swore under my breath as I thought of how selfish it would be to keep him from taking revenge.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked. I already knew the answer, but maybe it was the drugs talking.
"You bet your ass I'm sure, Serus. Now promise me you won't take off without me." I made a silent vow right there that I would ensure he had the satisfaction of watching The Syndicate fall.
I turned to look at him, his wide eyes eager for a response. "All right," I said. "I promise you I will not leave without you, and together we will bring those bastards to their knees." I meant every word I spoke. It was my personal mission in life to bring them crashing down.
He rested his head back and smiled more with his eyes than anything else. Everyone seemed to be on board for taking the fight to The Syndicate. All that was left was waiting for Gentry to rally the troops. How many he could muster was anyone’s guess. Be it ten or ten thousand, we needed to leave soon. The short time frame to return to Earth was a ticking time bomb that left Harris in a hopeless position. Waiting was a necessary evil, though. Gentry would do his part and form an army. Then we would be off.
Chapter 9
The next day, we woke in the same hospital room as Pontiff White. Gentry had not returned, but he had assured us that he would assemble as many former policemen as possible to take back to Earth and take on The Syndicate. It was early morning and the sun was just starting to crest over the eastern horizon with shades of orange and yellow against a pale blue backdrop. I loved sunrise, with all of its colors and vibrancy.
"You're up early," Kara said as she turned over on the cot provided by the hospital staff. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to sleep on, but I'd had worse. I almost laughed at how her hair was plastered against her face before she brushed it out of the way.
"I've been on this schedule so long I guess I have a hard time breaking it," I replied. My sleep habits had been a bit more sporadic on Earth, but the days were a bit shorter and we were somewhat busy during our stay. Life on the transport mimicked life on Mars, though, and I had fallen back into my routine.
"I guess so, but you've always been an early riser." Kara let out a quiet yawn which made me feel the urge to follow. It was funny to me how such an act was contagious.
"I do remember that being something I got from Dad," I said, suddenly remembering the past in echoes of memories. I still struggled when it came to thoughts of our father. Even after all this time, it seemed as if my brain wanted to block thoughts. It’s probably remnants of the programming, I thought.
"He did do that, didn't he?" Kara stood up from the cot and walked towards the private bathroom around the corner. She closed the door lightly behind her without turning the light on first. I assumed it was to keep the room dark while Laurel, Nila, and Pontiff White continued sleeping. Or so I thought.
"It's going to be a big day isn't it?" Pontiff White asked. He had one arm tucked behind his head as he elevated the bed to a sitting position. A decent night’s sleep seemed to have done him a lot of good.
"I think that depends on what Gentry comes up with," I said. "Do you need anything?"
He waved me off. "No, I'm just tired of sleeping." He groaned a little as he tried to situate himself. He then picked up a device with a glowing button and pressed it. It was a dispenser for painkillers.
"How bad are you hurting?" I asked. I could see it on his face even as the drugs pushed through his body with each beat of his heart.
He shook his head, refusing to answer. "Gentry should have been back by now." He avoided my question all together. A beam of light flooded into the room as the door opened and both of us looked to see who was coming in. "Well, speak of the devil," Pontiff White said.
Gentry walked into the room looking as if he had gone through the entire night without a moment of sleep. Before speaking, he removed a bottle of Serum from his pocket and took a swig. "Everything is set up. Our forces will muster at the transports at midday and we will depart. I even talked to Captain Fillon to take the lead on preparing the transports for departure soon after. We are a go." Gentry sat down on an unbearably uncomfortable-looking chair, letting his head lean back against the wall as the Serum set in.
"Thank you," I said to the man who killed my father. I hoped there was no bitterness in my tone, given how I had just given thought to my father's demise.
"It's the least I could do for our cause. Once we take the fight to The Syndicate I will be eager to do more. I have a lifetime of revenge to carry out." His words were etched in sorrow.
"How many policemen did you recruit?" Pontiff White asked. The dull green glow of the machine half-illuminated his face.
Gentry sat up a little and answered, "About six thousand. It's amazing what oppression can steer a man to do."
Six thousand men didn't sound like much against an army, but given our training, I knew we would destroy any lesser trained militants. Now time was our enemy, and I couldn't wait to bridge the gap between Mars and Earth to take on The Syndicate. Live or die, I would see this through to the end. The people of Mars would be freed from their snares, and I hoped we would be able to rescue Harris as well. These were all good thoughts, but action was what I craved. The sun was starting to peak higher in the morning sky and a rumbling in my stomach let me know it was time to eat. I would need to take care of myself for the coming battle. I doubted living off Serum would allow me to take the fight to such an overwhel
ming army. Today was the first day towards really bringing down the entity responsible for destroying so many lives. The Syndicate would fall. That was for damned sure.
Chapter 10
Midday came fast as we prepared to leave the hospital for the transports. Pontiff White was adamant about going with us, no matter what, so arrangements were made to have a medical staff travel with us. It was the one thing I insisted on after trying to renegotiate my original agreement to take him to Earth. The truth was I didn’t know why I had the sudden change in heart. Maybe it was because he reminded me of my father in some peculiar way, or I thought he belonged in power on Mars, but in the end he was coming with us. Together, the six of us left the hospital and traveled via an emergency response vehicle back to the central courtyard outside of the palace.
"Do you want to take the lead on this, Serus?" Gentry asked me from across the aisle. His hands rested on the legs of his old policeman uniform. His rank as a Captain in The Agency was displayed on the collar, and he was one of only three men I knew to wear the rank and live to see retirement. The lines in his face were testament to the hardships of his life.
"I could, Sir, but you set all of this into motion. I think I should follow your lead," I said. Seeing him in uniform as a superior made it difficult to disassociate myself from my prior life. He seemed to let it go much more easily than I'd been able to. Of course, he did so under much different circumstances.
He smirked. "Don't call me sir. I'm not a captain anymore. I just wanted to dress for the occasion," he said.
I looked at the gold-colored gauntlet around his wrist and wondered how many had fallen from its use. Only the top ranking men in The Agency wore them, so I doubted it had seen a very high kill rate. At least, not as high as the one which adorned my own arm. "I still think you should take the lead on this," I said. "Your experience is valuable to making this a successful mission." I really didn't mean to, but I felt like I was kissing his ass, which really left a bitter taste in my mouth.
He nodded his head sharply once. "You're probably right. Besides you have more to focus on, getting Harris out of there alive." He pulled the collar away from his neck slightly to get more comfortable, then assumed his usual rigid posture.
We seem- to be in agreement, I thought, as the vehicle came to a stop. The aft doors opened to reveal the cargo bay door descending from the transport for us. I looked over at Kara. "Are you sure you don't want to stay and see this through? The scientist here might need your help restoring the atmosphere."
Kara scoffed at the idea of staying back. "No. I'm going, so don't ask me again. Everything will be fine. The communications system has been turned on and the nuclear plants are already being bypassed in order to allow the uranium to be enriched and added to the core. Besides, it will take the better part of a year for everything to be done. I'm better used fighting The Syndicate and saving Harris than sitting around here waiting and hoping everything works out."
Her determination was endearing. I was proud of how strong she was as a person now, especially given the circumstances. Things haven't been easy for her, and I did little to ease that burden after my recruitment. I knew I didn't have a choice, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow. Everything she had overcome had made her into a fighter without the use of programming to destroy who she was as a person. "All right, I won't bring it up again," I said playfully.
She smiled. "You're too easy," she replied.
I winked in return.
We climbed out of the vehicle to see Pontiff White being loaded onto the transport in a wheelchair from another vehicle. His medical staff brought all kinds of equipment with them to monitor his health. It would be interesting to see him back on his feet within a few days. At least I hoped it wouldn't be too long. Before we left Mars the first time, I thought I was starting to understand him. As odd as it was to say, I almost looked at him as some kind of father figure. I dared not mention that to anyone else, though.
We followed the crewmen up into the cargo bay of the transport and found a large rank of policemen already on board. A podium was set up for Gentry to speak to the men, and he was already stepping up to it, wasting no time whatsoever at kicking things into motion.
"Gentlemen, we have been ruled for our entire lives by men who did not value us. We were expendable in their eyes, just like the citizens of this world were of no value to them. That is why they fled this dying planet. They wanted us all to die, and for them to take over another world when this one was of no further use to them. They placed a hit against us for no reason other than greed, and I say they should pay for that.
"Today we will begin our travels to Earth to destroy The Syndicate before they are able to take over Earth. It comes as no surprise to you now that they are responsible for the dire circumstances we've endured for the last year. If not for the findings of Dr. Kara Blackwell, we would all have been doomed. That was The Syndicate's will, but we have endured. We now have the hope of saving our home, but let us not leave things as they may. The Syndicate needs to be destroyed and we are the instrument of their destruction. They are working with an army, but we have the need and desire and skill to destroy them. Mark my words. When this war is over The Syndicate will not survive to rule over anyone ever again.
"In order to carry out our mission, we will be splitting you amongst six transports. Each will be landing in a different location outside the city known as Faracon. The transport captains will provide you with everything you need to identify your location, and a method to reach the city. I will be in close contact with the captains throughout our journey, as we build a solid game plan to breach the city and take out The Syndicate and those who they have allied themselves with. That is all; let's move out."
Gentry stepped away from the podium to the sound of applause, which filled the cargo bay with an echoing tide of sound. He stepped over to me, "How was that?"
I didn't know what else I could say. "It was good."
He patted me on the shoulder and walked towards the front of the transport near where the captains were standing. I watched in awe as he took the lead. Never would I have thought I would be on the same team as the man who killed my father, but somehow it felt right.
Chapter 11
Most of the policemen on board departed soon after Gentry's speech. I recognized several of them who exchanged nods as they walked past me and it felt good to know they were no longer trapped in blind servitude to The Agency. Freedom was not something to take lightly and I hoped we could share that with both worlds by time this was over. Though, something told me it was not going to be easy. I walked over to where Gentry was discussing plans with the captains as Kara, Laurel, and Nila followed behind me. He was in the middle of explaining his plan with the transport captains when I stopped to listen in.
"Essentially I want the lines of communication open at all times between the transports. Also, Kara Blackwell will need to keep tabs of what is happening on Mars with the artificial atmosphere. So as long as mission planning is not being conducted at that time, she will have priority over communications. If any transmissions are received from Earth they will be directed to this transport and either Serus or Captain Fillon will handle those communications. I don't want them to know that we are coming in force. Is that understood?"
All six captains agreed and all but Captain Fillon broke away to go to their own transports for launch. "How long before we depart?" I asked. I was getting antsy and needed to do something in the way of getting to Earth. I knew the trip would be long, but until we were airborne then time hadn't started yet in my mind.
Captain Fillon looked over to me with a smile. "We are the lead transport and will be taking off within the hour. I have my crew putting the policemen in staterooms to secure themselves for launch. The other transports will depart soon after." There was a look in his eye that suggested he was enjoying himself quite a bit; like this was the first time something of this magnitude had been staged for something he identified with. The last launch
was nothing more than entitled persons fleeing the planet to avoid certain death. A death they endowed to the people they were supposed to lead.
"You look happy," I said.
Smiling he said, "I was able to see my family and know they are going to be all right. Now all I have to do is survive this mission and I can return to them; no longer a pawn of The Syndicate. Let me tell you, I'm looking forward to a new life." There was nothing left to say after that. Finding a true purpose was a rewarding feeling even if that purpose was dangerous. I imagined we were all thinking the same thing. That we too wanted to survive the mission and live the life we deserved.
"Captain Gentry, let me take you to your stateroom. Will you be having any guests?" Captain Fillon asked.
Gentry reached out his hand to Nila and she took it in her own delicate looking hand. "One guest, my fiancé Nila," he answered. I looked on as Nila smiled. Her face seemed to glow as she held onto Gentry and I could see that she really loved him. I wondered if it was as powerful as the love I had for Laurel.
"Excellent, follow me," Captain Fillon said as he turned towards the ladder well on the starboard side of the transport. They followed him and I watched as the three of them disappeared up the ladder, casting shadows against the stark white bulkhead as they ascended.
I turned to Kara and Laurel. Both had been quiet for most of the day as Gentry and Pontiff White discussed plans and asked me questions about how things were on Earth. It was a whirlwind of information dumps and strategy assessments before Pontiff White was released from the hospital. I knew there would be more of the same over the next few months as we approached Earth for what I looked at as a sacrifice; whether the others looked at it like that was beyond me, but I was willing to accept it.