“The point is,” Elizabeth broke in, “Blue is eliminating his enemies, both physical and political. And yes, he is my brother. A fact for which I could kill my own mother.”
The coldness of the statement and the knowledge her mother was at North Command, raised eyebrows in the crowd.
Caught somewhat by surprise by Elizabeth’s statement, Musa paused to collect himself. How odd, he thought.
“Please continue, Musa,” Elizabeth said.
“Of course,” he said. “Please refer to your displays. As you can see over the last months, and accelerating during the last five weeks, Hunter - that is, Regent Blue - has expanded his territory. He now controls not only the Americas, but almost half of Asia and Afurope.”
“What does this have to do with us?” Nikolai interrupted from the audience.
Musa was unfazed. “A great deal, and I thank you for the segue. As our colleague has pointed out, the movement itself has not been directed at us. However what he fails to appreciate is the movement affects us. We have lost the ability for our planes to run the central corridor and the blind spots we once enjoyed in the Atlantic and Pacific are gone. What is clear from our missions within the last month - missions, which I might add, were more than successful - our communications have been compromised. Additionally, we see an increase in harvesting. None of these are defensive actions for the company. Although we might possibly dismiss them for other reasons, we also know Blue was actively seeking the brothers. Searching for Joniver and Jacob is an offensive, not a defensive action.”
“Finally from all our data, it is clear Hunter has placed at least one mole among us.”
The statement created rumbling and murmurs in the crowd.
Elizabeth stood, “Order! Order!”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow senators,” Musa continued, again pulling his hair back, “we can choose to bury our collective heads in the snow. But if we do so, it is unlikely that by this time next year, we will have heads to bury.
“We know of these actions by Hunter with certainty. We know he is working with his scientists to make the implants functional in the North. We are not safe here! And we have what we need to bring the company down.
”I propose we do so!”
There were raucous cheers and chants from the crowd. Most stood applauding, but Nikolai was undeterred. “Do we know who the mole is?” he asked.
“Yes, we believe so,” Elizabeth said.
“Will you tell us?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Is it not obvious?” someone in the crowd shouted at Nikolai. “The more people who know, the greater the chance we tip off the mole!”
“Yes, exactly, thank you,” said Elizabeth. “Not everyone agrees with our way of life.” She glared at Nikolai.
All eyes turned, and the room itself seemed to stare at him.
“But I am arguing for our way of life!” he said.
“You are arguing for us not to take action!” Yet another voice shouted back.
A shouting match ensued and Elizabeth watched, stoic on the outside, but giggling like a school girl on the inside. “This group is just putty in my hands, and I will get my way, no matter what I have to do.”
***
The gunshot sounded like an explosion in the confined space of the examination room.
“Get this mess out of here,” Hunter said with disgust in his voice.
“Anyone who isn’t loyal to the company, needs to die.” He delivered this line with the coldness of Auschwitz. He looked at each of the room’s occupants, but no one there needed further motivation. They removed the body.
“What do we know?” he asked his advisory council, now one member short.
“What do we know?” he shouted and he hurled a paperweight across the room, burying it in the plaster wall.
“We don’t know much,” the security chief said, “and we have not heard from Beacon.”
Beacon was the code name for the informant operating in North Command. Hunter knew if he was to take the pole regions he would have to secure their loyalty. Beacon’s job was to learn all he could and keep Hunter informed of what the North Command was doing.
“Once I have North Command,” Hunter would say to himself, “the South will be easy. The South command is just a bunch of terrorists, and we have dealt with their type for years. The dumbasses!”
The plan had not gone as he expected. He knew they planned to get the half-brother, but the timing surprised him. “I will deal with Beacon when I see him, and the use of the drug was unexpected as well. Beacon has a lot of explaining to do.”
Hunter thought having both of the brothers would have drawn his sister out, but that part of the plan failed.
“I do not tolerate failure.”
***
Dunston awoke in the early morning hours. His eyes popped open and his eyelids fluttered for a few seconds before he pulled back the covers and sat up on the edge of his bunk. His thoughts unsettled him. The same thoughts that had bothered him now for days, for weeks, he corrected himself.
Time escaped him.
“I need to sleep,” he said. “If we’re going to get that assault plan together, I can’t lead the men hyped up on coffee!”
Sleep didn’t come, however. Why?
The last mission bothered him. They were back three, no wait, four weeks now, he thought.
The mission was another great success, but it almost went south - no pun intended. Two things bothered him; the first was the guards, who came back before their scheduled arrival. Why didn’t we know, or at least anticipate the shift change? Secondly, why did we lose so much time on the exfil? Why did Jones’ machines boot faster than planned?
Finally - oh, this is the third thing - the code on the plane controller; how did it get there?
Oh man, if Blueberry had not been able to find it, what would we have done? We’d probably all be dead, or worse than death, we might be in some donor tank by now.
Three really bad things and we still made it. How did we make it? And how did those things happen in the first place?
Dunston did not believe in luck or fate. He did believe in planning, training and hard work. This triad had failed him on the last mission.
Why? The question was like a bee flying up the leg of his pants, stinging his thigh.
Dunston stood and strode with purpose to his desk. He clicked a button, and his heads-up display appeared. He called up all the After Action Reports, including his own.
With two hand motions on his heads-up display, he collected them, then swiped them all to his pad. He picked up the pad and walked back to his bed.
“Rereading these darn things should put me back to sleep,” he said, and so they did, four hours and thirty-two minutes later.
This gave Dunston a full two-and-a-half hours sleep before he had to hit the deck and begin meetings for the assault plan.
“Bring me more coffee,” was his mantra for the day.
***
Joniver threw a punch at the air that Jacob easily dodged. He spun and hit Joniver hard in the back of the head, knocking him to the mat.
“Get up, dumbass!” Jacob taunted.
Joniver rose, looking back over his left shoulder at his brother and competitor. Joniver was getting better. He was much stronger than before and much better in weapons and weights.
He still struggled with his hand to hand combat, though.
“Get up, dumbass!” Jacob said again, with a bit of a laugh.
Joniver grabbed his ribs, and spit. “I can’t - I think you’ve broken one of my ribs!”
“I didn’t break your ribs! Get up!”
“You did! I can’t!”
Jacob was furious. He stormed over to Joniver and put his right hand on Joniver’s right shoulder. “Where does it hu-”
He didn’t get the final word out. Joniver spun and threw his right hand into Jacob’s mid-section as he backpedaled, trying to get his hands up for defense.
/> Joniver spun up on his feet. “Whatta ya say now, soldier boy? Who were you calling a dumbass?”
“That wasn’t fair!” Jacob said.
Joniver paused, putting his hands on his knees to rest and catch a breath. “You told me when I am in the field in a fight, it’s all fair.”
Besting Jacob felt good. The guy was so arrogant. He acted as though Joniver would never win, but it was obvious he was improving. He loved to see his brother’s arrogant smart mouth bleeding every now and then, and on one occasion, at least, he put him on the mat. He loved seeing Jacob hit the mat.
Joniver was growing to hate this Jacob, even if he was his brother.
“Why did you choose me to be your Watcher, anyway?” Joniver asked. He hung his head again.
“Because you’re a dumbass!” Jacob said. He walked toward his brother.
Joniver lifted his head once again to say something, but was met with a hard right upper cut from Jacob. The punch hurled him back and he staggered, then his knees buckled. He fell to the mat, unconscious.
Jacob walked to the side wall to get the smelling salts. “He is doing better,” Jacob said. “This is only the second time this week.”
“But it is only Thursday, you dumbass.”
***
She reached a hand out and beckoned for her grandsons to come to the bedside. Each of them took a hand. Joniver was on her right and Jacob on her left.
“Boys,” she said. She felt much stronger today. “You know I don’t have much more time in here, but I wanted to talk to you both, and it can’t wait.”
She paused and took a labored, but deep breath.
“I know you two have been fighting.” Joniver and Jacob glanced up at each other and then their eyes fell to the floor.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
There was no response from either brother.
“Aren’t I?” she said.
They both nodded. Joniver thought, how does she know this stuff?
“Tell me what’s going on.”
They both looked at Nana.
“What do you mean, Nana?” Joniver asked.
She looked at them both. “Tell me what’s happening between you two.”
“Nothing, really,” Joniver said. “He’s helping me get ready, so I can go with the team to get Olinar.”
She looked at Jacob. “What? It’s just like he said,” Jacob blurted out.
“Really? Listen, boys, I mean, men - guys, whatever. You two have an awesome opportunity and you’re blowing it! I won’t pretend it’s easy, or convenient, or without its messiness; it’s not. But it is worth it.”
Neither brother understood.
“Boys, you two are doing things to get stronger, but are you doing anything to get tougher?”
Both the brothers raised their eyebrows, almost in unison, and Nana thought it humorous.
“You two are acting as though the mission was a one-man endeavor, but you both know better. You need each other. For years, forces have pulled you apart, and now you are together. Now you are the force pulling you apart.”
“Why do you think Hunter wanted you both, and why do you think we tried to keep you apart all these years?”
She paused.
“Because when the time was right, you can make things right. The time may not be right, but the time is now.”
“What happens after you get Olinar back, then what? You two have a chance to make a difference, but you will need one another to do it.”
“Joniver, I know Jacob is helping you learn to fight as a soldier. You can’t laugh your way or steal your way from everything. Some things, and some people, are worth fighting for. Remember the fight is not always out there.” She pointed toward the door with a shaky hand gesture. “Sometimes, it’s in here.” She pointed at his heart.
Joniver did not like where he thought this was going. He was already being unfavorably compared to Jacob, and he didn’t want it coming from Nana, too. She was supposed to be on his side.
“Jacob, you’ve had a lot hit you in just a few days. You both have; you’ve found a mother and a brother you’d never known. That’s a lot to take in.”
“But it won’t get straightened out by simply fighting. Not everything can be solved with a fight, Jacob.”
Both brothers stood looking at Nana, expressionless. Joniver had never heard her talk this way, and Jacob had no idea how anyone could have such insight in such a short time. Neither of them liked it very much.
“And for both of you, stop being afraid of being afraid. Don’t run from your emotions right now. Go with what your heart tells you." She took another labored breath.
“Thank you Nana,” Joniver said and bent over, kissing her forehead.
“Yeah, thanks,” Jacob said, but he looked uncomfortable.
Nana smiled, understanding his struggle. “I love you, too!” she said. “I love you both. There are two final things. One, be careful whom you trust. Not everyone is who they seem.”
Both brothers thought this was an obvious thing to say.
“Two is for you Joniver. Remember, more than anything, take care of your pearl!" She smiled.
Joniver nodded and smiled at Nana. He loved her very much. She had been his lifeline, but it was something he couldn’t explain. There was a place in him only she could touch, and things only she could say. He had something special with Emily, but there was connection to Nana which seemed to make the future possible and the past real. She was like an anchor or a touchstone. He could always go back to her and know something solid. She was his connection to truth and love and commitment. She showed him the right path forward and the way to correct what he’d done wrong.
They walked out into the hallway, and Jacob looked at Joniver. “You’ve gotta pearl, Dude?”
“No, I - I mean yes, but well, I - never mind. I’ll explain it one day.” Then under his breath, “If I ever understand it.”
Chapter 19
Jacob and Joniver walked into the lab where Emily was working on some language translation. Jacob’s hair had grown to the point it was about the same length as Joniver’s, who had been working out so much his build had become similar to Jacob’s. Having missed the opportunity in elementary school, the brothers found it humorous to fool people in the North by switching places. They had become so similar in appearance they were seldom discovered, except by Emily.
She always knew.
Emily had proven to be a real talent with languages, and as a result, she was assigned to Signals. Joniver did not approve, since it meant she spent time with Jones.
As the brothers walked by the Signals room, they saw Emily at work, and today they were determined to trick her. Jacob held up at the door and motioned to Joniver. Jacob would go in and talk with Emily as if he were Joniver. He entered, trying to dial in the look and air of his brother.
“Hey!”
Emily glanced up, “Hey Jacob, how are you?”
Joniver walked over, and in chorus, they said, “How do you always know?”
“You two don’t look that much alike,” she said. “There are obvious differences.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know - it’s just easy to tell,” Emily said
Elizabeth walked in, “Hey men, hey Emily! How’s everyone?”
“Good.”
“Good.”
“Great.”
“Hey, mom,” Jacob said, “did you ever have any trouble telling us apart?”
“No, of course not.”
“Really?” Joniver said, “Why? How can you always tell?”
“A mother knows, son. It’s love, and love can tell you apart!” She smiled as she said this and at the same time happened to glance at Emily. Emily turned her head away at Elizabeth’s explanation, and Elizabeth could see why; Emily was blushing. “Hey Joniver, I’m going to start calling you Jon.”
Joniver tensed. “Let’s stick with Joniver. Joniver’s worked well for a long time.”
“Well, you know I
’m the one who decided on the name in the first place. Doesn’t that give me some leeway as your mom?”
“Joniver works for me, and so let’s stick with it, OK?”
“Well, OK, whatever you say.”
Joniver and Jacob bantered with one another and Emily for the next few minutes. When they left the room to head out for a run, Elizabeth sat down next to Emily. “Emily, I don’t want to embarrass you, but I couldn’t help noticing your reaction.”
Emily shot her head up and stared at Elizabeth.
“Joniver?” Elizabeth asked.
Emily nodded.
“Does he know?"
Emily nodded hesitantly. “We’ve talked. I probably need to be more clear, I guess - about how I feel, I mean. I thought I’d been clear though…”
“What do you mean?”
“Joniver,” she paused; this was awkward. Elizabeth is Joniver’s mother. Although she could not explain it, Elizabeth bothered her and she did not trust Elizabeth. In this moment however, Emily needed someone to talk with, and Elizabeth’s here. Ruth, that is, Nana - Emily now called her Nana too, and Ruth did not mind one bit - had served as a de facto mother, and she needed to have this conversation with Nana. Emily felt an urgency, however and despite her distrust of Elizabeth, there was a part of her that hoped the woman would knock some sense into her son. Emily could feel the anger rise in her. Her heart beat faster and her temples pounded their batta-bump-batta-bump.
“Joniver runs hot and cold,” Emily said, attempting to control her emotions. “He’s all mine and all about us one minute, and the next he has something else more important. I can’t read him, and he won’t talk to me. I mean, I know connecting with a brother you’ve never seen or heard about is important. I get it, I do, and getting Olinar has got to be a priority, but am I not in there somewhere? I don’t know. I feel like he plans to see me when he gets around to it. I don’t feel good about it and it’s not right, but I feel selfish at the same time.”
“Would you like me to talk with him?” Elizabeth asked.
Emily thought it would be humorous to be a fly on the wall when Elizabeth talked with Joniver. But it was like asking the wolf to go talk to the three little pigs. Emily shook her head. “No, he’s got to work it out. I don’t want to force him, but I can’t wait forever either.”
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