Dragon's War

by Ehsani, Vered

  “Dragon? What’re we going to do?” he asks.

  I’m nodding my head like it’s going to be alright. But I know it’s not. The only life support pillars I know about are locked away in Grogan Ltd headquarters. Kraken is plugged into them and Griffin is on guard. Assuming I can get inside without getting caught, and that’s a huge assumption, they wouldn’t leave me in peace long enough to recharge.

  I stare at the tank. Inside it, my brain floats, completely dependent on the reserve support system. If that’s finished, so am I. I’m not ready for that. I guess no one really is. Even though we know intellectually we’re physically mortal, we go around pretending we’re not, living like we have unlimited time on Earth instead of treasuring every precious second. And then we’re shocked when confronted by the facts of our impending demise.

  “How much time do I have?”

  Darren gulps audibly and cracks knuckles on both hands. He glances at the control panel and taps it. He doesn’t look up at me when he answers, “Just over two days.”

  Chapter 12: Griffin

  Griffin clearly remembered dying. Every one of those agonising minutes lodged in her memory like a doorjamb keeping open yet another chamber of horror and pain. At the time, she didn’t know she was dying. Not at first. The agony should’ve told her, but she was too young and hopeful and trusting to understand.

  “It’s going to be okay,” her dad kept telling her and she believed him.

  At the hospital, she kept arching her back to escape the fire burning her up and the jagged teeth ripping her from the inside out. She dimly heard her mother sobbing that she’d break her spine and her father shouting for the doctor, but the words lost their meaning inside the vortex of agony. Eventually she couldn’t hear anything apart from a roaring in her ears.

  She flapped her arms, seeking the rungs of a ladder with which she could climb out of this dark hole and back to her family. But her fingernails scraped against a concrete wall.

  She twisted and turned, but pain was everywhere. It clung to her, clawed and chewed at her and dragged her down deeper into its grasp.

  A new doctor entered the room. She couldn’t see him; her eyelids wouldn’t open. But she heard his voice, distorted by the intense heat burning her up. She didn’t recognise him. His tone was soft and determined. He said something that didn’t make sense, that she was already brain-dead. And some other child needed a heart transplant. She tried to speak, to tell her parents she was still alive and she needed her heart too. But her mouth wouldn’t move. Nothing would move.

  Right then, at the end, right before she died in that other life, there was a moment of absolute calm and clarity, a brief respite filled with light and promise. It beckoned to her and she yearned for it. The pleas of her parents, her own silent whimpers of pain and terror, the voice of the new doctor, all faded before the splendour calling to her. She reached out to it, started to answer the call.

  Before the promise could be fulfilled, a liquid entered her veins and her mind was forced into darkness.

  Chapter 13: Myth

  I was running again. This past month, it seemed I was either running or being locked up in some secret location. Ever since Dragon had realised the truth about himself, the day we’d turned on the hologram. I’d been a fugitive or a prisoner.

  Sana City’s streets were dark and quiet, apart from the hushed conversations of small clusters of people. A few candles flickered in the salty night breeze. The occasional emergency light cast a solitary beam into the shadows. Vehicles littered the streets. A solitary shuttle rumbled by us, packed with worried faces.

  My hair clung to my damp face. Humid air? Sweat? Tears? I couldn’t tell. It was all liquid and salt and all for Dragon.

  Please be there, please be there, please be there. The words clogged up my mind.

  What if he’s not?

  I ignored the question. If I dwelt on it, I’d collapse into the misery of it all. I kept running, Blade by my side, a large shadow keeping pace. Ahead was the restaurant. A solitary fat candle at the window flicked off a butter-toned light, a beacon in the dark. I didn’t pause to breathe properly or cool down before slamming into the door. I stumbled into the darkened dining area, smacked against a chair. As I fell, a hand clamped around my arm and yanked me back before I could plant my face into the floor.

  Three shadows rose up from one of the tables. Blade pulled me behind him and stepped forward. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see the thin frame of Mr. Cho, the fluffy grey hair of Granny Cho and a small girl.

  “Blade, it’s okay,” I said as I yanked at his arm. Last thing I needed was for him to beat up Darren’s family. Not saying he was going to. But I bet he could.

  Mr. Cho squinted at me. “Weren’t you the girl who ran through our kitchen a while back? Took a couple bags of takeout?”

  Good memory. Kind of not relevant at the moment, all things considered, but still impressive. Then again, I guess not too many brown girls ran through the restaurant’s kitchen. Blade chuckled. I blushed. The way he’d said it, sounded like I was a thief. Darren had taken the bags. I’d only stolen a van. “Uh… yeah, sorry about that. Is Darren here?”

  “Darren and good friend go,” shouted Granny Cho.

  No. No no no…

  I stared at the Cho’s like they’d just told me he’d died.

  “Where?” Blade demanded.

  Mr. Cho took a step back, but Granny Cho grinned, her face vanishing behind her plump cheeks. “Away.”

  “Darren’s not in trouble again, is he?” Mr. Cho asked, eyeing Blade.

  I guess Blade could pass for one of the goons the Games Boss used to use to, you know, to keep the peace and make sure the gamblers paid their debts. Except I’m sure he could knock any of those goons flat just by looking at them. With Darren’s dubious history with the Boss, it wasn’t surprising Mr. Cho was worried.

  “No,” he responded, his voice low and mellow. “But our good friend is.”

  “They went to the market,” Mr. Cho said.

  I visualised where we were. The market, a sprawling complex of mainly fruit and vegetable stands, was just a couple blocks away. I spun around and started running again. I heard Blade politely thanking the Chos. I was beyond feeling sorry for my rudeness.

  What was he thinking, going to the market at a time like this?

  As we approached one of the entrances, Blade hissed “Guards” and we both instinctively ducked down behind a stalled delivery van.

  “Follow me,” I whispered and dashed towards the shadows of a nearby building.

  “There’s only one guard there,” Blade observed. “You distract him, I’ll deal with him.”

  I scoffed, trying not to imagine how Blade would deal with him. “Yeah, that won’t attract any attention.”

  “There’s hardly anyone around.”

  “Just the sensors,” I snapped, pointing out one above the entrance. “And you can bet Griffin’s on the other end, watching.”

  He shrugged. “We can always climb the fence. It’s not very tall.”

  I glanced down at my battered fingernails. How much time did we have before Griffin realised we were on the island? Maybe she already knew. We couldn’t have avoided all the sensors. So why wasn’t she coming after us? Too busy kidnapping the tourists?

  “Fine,” I said. “Either way, we’ll be seen, so might as well be fast about it.”

  Blade’s white teeth flashed brightly in the shadows. “I love the optimism.”

  We walked away from the entrance, keeping against the wall of the building, until we were half a block down the road.

  “Ready?” Blade asked. “One, two…” He dashed across the road and vaulted over the fence.

  “What happened to three?” I grumbled as I chased after him. I can’t say I hauled my body over the fence with quite the same grace and dexterity as he did. Good thing I wasn’t thinking about my dignity at that point. Because it got left behind on the other side of the fence.

&nb
sp; I led the way through stalls overflowing with fruit and vegetables. Most of the vendors were still there, milling about, their faces ghostly in the flickering candlelight. There was only one face I was interested in seeing. I kept running.

  It took me a few seconds to realise my giant shadow wasn’t beside me. I spun around, mouth opening to shout at him to hurry up. The words never let me.

  “Blade?” I said as I jogged back to him. “You okay?”

  He was staring down one of the aisles, his face slack, his mouth agape. When I gripped his arm, he shook his head, but kept staring. “How is that possible? His body… I pulled it out myself.”

  My head shifted slightly, my gaze drifting along the aisle, past the stalls, the few remaining customers, the bobbles of light held aloft by the vendors. Darren was at the end of the aisle, tugging at the arm of an older Chinese lady. Standing beside him, solid looking, so real…

  “Dragon,” I whispered, and then louder, “Dragon!” I stumbled away from Blade.

  Dragon slowly turned toward me, watched as my legs almost gave way beneath me. I felt a hand grip my upper arm tightly, holding me upright, but my focus was on the vision of my friend floating toward me.

  “Myth,” he said in that voice that always reminded me of a cool, mellow creek trickling over smooth stones, with the warmth of a summer sun sparkling on the surface.

  I clenched my hands, fighting the human impulse to reach out and make sure my eyes weren’t lying. But there was nothing to touch, so I balled my hands into fists. I swallowed hard and smiled. I will not cry. “You’re okay.”

  A smile tugged at his mouth, although his golden hued eyes squinted, confused. “It’s so good to see you, but what are…?”

  He froze and glanced at the hand holding me back. His eyes shifted upward. “Blade.” The summer sun warmth vanished.

  The hand tightened on my arm. “It looks so real,” he breathed out.

  “I am real,” Dragon growled. “Even if this body isn’t.” He glanced at me briefly. Like he was talking to me as much as to Blade.

  “Good to see you too, buddy,” Blade grumbled, shifting backwards. “It was a long time ago.”

  “Not for me,” Dragon said, his voice flat.

  “So much for a happy reunion.” I interrupted the interaction which I clearly did not understand. “Can we go now?”

  “Hey, Myth,” Darren chirped as he joined us. He glanced at Blade, cracked a knuckle and turned back to me. “I thought you were in prison or something like that. Is that where you met your new friend?”

  I shook my head. “Not exactly. Blade. Darren.” I made the introductions brief.

  Darren pushed his hair off his face. “Cool you’re back. You see what’s happening?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, peeling off Blade’s finger vice from my arm. “Time to haul out of here.”

  “Talking about time,” Darren continued, not picking up on the silent battle between Blade and Dragon. “Dragon’s brain support system only has two days left.”

  I twirled towards Darren, shook my head. “Not possible. He must have at least two months.”

  “Nope,” Darren replied. “Two days. I checked it myself.” He glanced at Blade again, probably wondering if this was a debt collector. He cracked his knuckles

  I’d forgotten how much that grated on my nerves. I remembered now.

  “Where’s the brain?” I knew it had to be within three blocks for Dragon’s portable sensor to work. “The restaurant?” I guessed.

  Darren nodded and Blade said, “Then let’s pick it up and get off this rock before things really go south.”

  I turned to Dragon and stared at him. He was looking off into the depths of the market. Maybe into his memories or into plans for the future. I couldn’t read him. My shoulders slumped slightly. I guess I’d been expecting a little more enthusiastic response when we’d found him. Some kind of Hollywood reunion scene, the two of us running towards each other from opposite ends of a moonlit street and…

  Maybe I’d just been hoping for too much. If we’d been running towards each other, I’d have run right through the hologram.

  “Dragon, ready?” I asked, forcing a smile, hoping he was too distracted to pick up on my fake expression. I was the world’s worst poker player. And he was the best.

  His body jerked, his golden brown eyes widened. Finally, he focused his eyes on me and whispered, “They’ve located me.”

  “What do you mean?” I demanded even as my monkey brain started jumping up and down, screeching disaster.

  Darren cracked his knuckles. “Maybe they won’t find it.”

  “Blade, take Myth and get her off the island,” Dragon ordered, his gaze still on me. His hologram shivered and went blurry. “Find a safe place for her. If you were ever my brother, do this for me.”

  Blade nodded his head once.

  “Dragon, what’re you babbling about?” I raised my voice. Ignored the comprehension on Darren’s horrified face. “Focus your image. We’re getting your brain and we’re leaving. Right now. Together. I’m not going to leave without you this time.”

  “You were right, Myth,” he said softly. “I should’ve stayed offline. But I had to help Darren find his mother and warn her. I’m sorry. I…”

  I watched as he shuddered, began to fade.

  “No!” I screamed. Over and over. I couldn’t hear the echo, only the cawing of my screams.

  He smiled, grimaced and disappeared.

  Chapter 14: Dragon

  Why is she forcing a smile?

  I can tell she’s hiding something. Disappointment, I think. Why? I focus my sensors and my training on her. Something about that smile bothers me and I need to understand what it is.

  Before I can probe deeper, I feel movement. The market is still, quiet and poorly lit, but there is movement. I peer ahead. The movement happens again, and I realise what the source is.

  It’s my brain.

  There are no visual or audio sensors on my brain’s tank, but there is a motion detector. I pick up the alarm it’s sending me. Someone is moving my brain without authorisation. I don’t think it’s Darren’s dog playing with my tank.

  I don’t have much time. I tell them what’s happening. I ask Blade for one last favour. From his grim expression, I know he’ll do it, whatever it takes. He owes me. This will repay the debt. If he saves her, all is forgiven.

  I watch Myth as she protests. I can tell she’s about to cry or shout at me. I want to reassure her it’s going to be okay, even though I know it’s not. Dr. Johansson always told me lying was a nasty habit, but this time, I want to lie. I want her to believe in the lie, to have hope that we can fix this, that she’ll see me again and it’ll all be okay.

  I want to tell her so many things.

  Something’s wrong with my speaker. My limbs are fading. I smile at her, hoping it will make her feel better. Something sharp stabs at me. I see…

  …darkness.

  Why was she forcing a smile?

  Chapter 15: Myth

  I’m not the hysterical type. But I made an exception this time. As I watched the hologram of Dragon disappear, as the portable sensor unit sank to the ground, I screamed. Howled. Raged against the unfairness of everything. I kicked at Darren when he stooped to retrieve the sensor. I punched Blade when he grabbed me in a hug from behind. I kept screaming and kicking as he swung me over his shoulders. There was no other sound outside of my scream, even though I could see Darren’s mouth moving and Mrs. Cho answering.

  A security guard came jogging into view. His mouth moved in the silence. Mrs. Cho pushed a cart of vegetables into the path and Blade began running noiselessly, Darren right behind him, still talking without sound. I couldn’t hear anything through the ringing in my ears. My head and arms bounced against Blade’s broad back; tears streamed across my forehead. I closed my eyes, immersed into a silent, dark misery.

  Just like Dragon.

  I pounded my fists against Blade. I don’t think he felt a
thing, but I did. My hands ached. One last howl. Sound burst through the ringing.

  “…home,” Darren was saying. “Maybe the old warehouse district. That’s where we hid out…”

  “Shut it,” Blade growled.

  “Let me down,” I shouted, but it came out as a wheeze.

  “As you wish.” Blade grunted and dropped me on my feet. Hard. At least it wasn’t on my head. Before I could complain, he grabbed my hand and towed me towards the fence where we’d jumped over.

  Voices called out through the market. I glanced at Darren. Security guards, he mouthed. He was too busy running and holding onto the sensor unit to crack his knuckles, but I knew he wanted to.

  “Your mom,” I gasped, thinking about mine. How worried was she right now? Or how mad? I wished I could call her, hear her voice, even if she shouted at me. I’d do anything right then to hear her lecture me.

  He shrugged, doing a lousy job at faking confidence. “She’ll be okay. The guards won’t bother her.”

  At the fence, Blade grabbed me by the waist and pushed me up. I was on the other side before I could tell him to get his hands off me. Darren squealed and flopped down beside me. Blade vaulted over the fence and us.

  “Let’s move it, kids,” he barked and loped in the opposite direction of the main entrance where a few security guards were huddled.

  “You do know you’re going in the wrong direction?” I asked, sprinting to catch up.

  “A direction away from guards is the right direction,” he retorted.

  Good point.

  Dragon.

  I slammed into Blade, forcing him into an alley. He spun on me, his dark face scary in its anger, scars rippling across tense muscle. “Dragon,” I blurted out. “We have to go get Dragon.”

  Darren leaned against the alley wall, huffing, while Blade stared down at me. I glared back. He sighed.

  “Dragon told me to get you to safety.”

  “And you will,” I interrupted him firmly. “Right after we rescue his brain.”