by Jason Wilcox
“You can call me Smitty, sir,” he raised his hand as he spoke and gave a salute.
“Okay, Smitty it is,” Caden responded and saluted back.
“I guess it would have been okay for you to know about the suit, but the information cannot be shared with one of those evil creatures,” Smitty pointed at Tagen while he spoke. With a hiss, Tagen scuffled back to the corner he had been sitting in. “I trust he serves you, if you say so, but I still can’t allow him to know that information in case he decides to turn on us.”
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I understand,” Caden responded with a smile. “I know how military services work.”
“Can I just say it is a fine honor to meet you, sir? I have been waiting a life time for this.” He held out a hand and then withdrew, as if he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to shake Caden’s hand. “I hope we serve you well and can make you proud as we fight beside you.”
The hovercraft came to a stop as Smitty spoke. Pipes along the ceiling made a strange compression noise and the back, bay door opened. A gust of wind blew in filling the bay with the smell of exhaust. The pilot came back and said something in their language while pointing towards the opened door. Everyone started getting up.
“Let us move out,” Smitty ordered and led the way out the door. Espo and Curt quickly followed. Tagen didn’t waste any time getting out of the vehicle. He jumped out almost side by side with Curt. Caden gave a wave to the pilot who smiled and waved back.
It didn’t take long for the hovercraft to disappear over the horizon once Caden got off. Nor did it take long for soldiers to appear at the gate of the dome to see what was going on. There were at least ten of them with guns raised, standing in the darkness of the early morning.
“We’re under orders not to let any of them in,” one of the guards spoke. All of them had guns ready for action staring at the Knuckle Draggers. The three of them did not appear alarmed with the unpleasant attitudes of the guards, nor did they seem fazed by the guns that were ready to shoot if they didn’t comply.
“Where’s James?” Caden ignored their orders, looking past them at the gate.
“I’m not able to answer that question,” the lead guard had a firm tone as he spoke. “We’re also ordered to take you to General Dan if you ever decided to show your face around here again.” He stopped pointing his gun at the Knuckle Draggers and turned it towards Caden.
All three Knuckle Draggers moved into action, drawing large guns that had been attached to the backs of their suits. Their guns were large and intimidating. The guards were bringing their guns up, ready to fire if the command was given.
Caden held up his arms and shouted, “Stop!” He looked over to Smitty. “They’re not going to hurt me. There’s just been some type of miscommunication. Let me go with them to get it cleared up. You stay here, and I’ll be back soon. Will that work?” he raised his eyebrows as he asked in hopes of prodding Smitty to comply.
“You have an hour to get back here, or we are coming in to get you,” Smitty’s robotic voice was hard to take seriously. “If we see anything wrong, we will come in sooner.”
“Just wait here. I’ll be back.” Caden turned from them and started for the gate, Tagen right behind him. A gun was pointed at him from one of the guards and he stopped.
“That creature doesn’t get to come in here right now.” His gun pointed towards Tagen.
“Stay with the Knuckle Draggers.” Caden turned to face the dark soul. “I won’t be long. I’ll get this mess cleared up, and then you’ll be able to come in, all of you.” He looked at the Knuckle Draggers.
“Mauldrin,” Tagen got closer and whispered, “I smell demons. They’re close, be careful.”
Caden lowered his brow and was about to ask Tagen further questions, but one of the guards grabbed Caden by the arm and began pulling him along. “Let’s go,” the guard ordered.
Not wanting the Knuckle Draggers to be alarmed, Caden looked back, waved, and smiled. “I’ll be fine.” The last thing he wanted was a fight.
They quickly made their way to the same conference room that he had been in before. As they entered, the General, who was sitting across the room stood up.
“Why doesn’t he have restraints on?” the General barked while pointing at Caden. James, who was sitting next to him, gave a surprised look. Many of the soldiers that had gone with them to battle were seated around the table as well. None of them had even changed yet.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll get some right now,” the guard closest to Caden spoke up.
Caden pulled away from them. “No you won’t.” He walked towards James. “You’re not going to treat me like a criminal.” He kept his eyes right on the General. “What’s the charge?”
“Tricking my men and me into letting you take them into a trap.” The General’s face was turning red. “You got over half of them killed. I should’ve stuck to my guns and not let you go. What was I thinking? It was a mistake to let you in my base. And to think I was honored to have you.”
“Sir,” James spoke up, “I think you’ve misunderstood what I’ve told you.”
“Which part isn’t accurate?” the General growled at James. “The part where he talked us into going into a fight we would lose? Or maybe the part that he was the one that suggested you go into those tunnels? Or what about the part where he has some other nation joining in the fight and didn’t allow anyone but him into a meeting with them, so we know nothing of what took place. After that, you take off all night to who knows where. So, tell me James, which part do I have wrong?” His words surprised Caden. “This man is a traitor along with his vile creature that needs to be done away with.”
“No, sir, you took it all wrong.” James pushed his chair back causing it to squeak across the floor. “This wasn’t his fault.”
The General was no longer listening. “Get restraints on him now!” he barked at the guards. “Take him to a cell and lock him up.” His face was beet red with anger. Even some of the veins on his neck were protruding.
“If I may explain?” Caden tried to stay cool. He could understand why the General was upset. Caden had lost men at war before and knew the pain that came with such tragedies.
“You don’t deserve the right to speak.” The General reached down and gripped the gun that hung in a holster on his leg. “You killed my men. You did it. And I’ll see you rot in a jail cell for your crime.”
What happened out there was tragic, no question about it. But it wasn’t Caden’s fault. He could feel anger push outwards, starting at his very core. All of his senses became hyperaware, to the point he could almost sense others next movements. How dare the General blame me for the deaths of the soldiers! Caden tried to do his best to help them, not hurt them. He even tried to warn the General that he wasn’t sending enough men with him.
Looking down at the General’s gun, Caden said. “If you grab that gun, you better know what to do with it.” He was fuming and could feel his heart pounding. His eyes began to burn and his veins felt as if they were going to explode from his blood feeling so thick.
“Caden, your skin. Why is it turning darker?” James spoke up.
Nothing else was said. The General drew his gun. James pushed back in his chair and tried to stop him, but it was too late. The sound of a gun firing filled the room.
In that moment, Caden watched as everything changed around him. The bullet flew at a slow rate. Colors became muted and grayish. Everyone’s movements slowed. He watched as the bullet approached him, and he stepped to the side, since it would’ve struck him in the head. He was surprised to see a regular bullet instead of the guns that everyone else used.
Multiple guards stood behind him and were going to be killed, so Caden reached his hand up and plucked the bullet out of the air. Strangely, it was hot and burned his hand. More guns were slowly being drawn, and he could see the General pulling the trigger to send another bullet his way.
Moving quickly, Caden took the gun from the General before he w
as able to get a shot off. Most of the men in the room didn’t have their glasses on, and Caden wasn’t sure they could see him. He could only assume that he was in shadow form.
Multiple men that had on yellow glasses shot at Caden. Green blasts came out of the guns, slowly moving through the air at him. If he wasn’t wanted, he wasn’t going to overstay his welcome. It was time to regroup with the Knuckle Draggers before a fight broke out at the main gate.
With little effort, Caden once again moved out of the way of the green-lit bullets. He pushed past the guards that had dragged him in. One of the men with glasses tried to hit Caden. His fist slowly moved through the air. Caden grabbed another man and pushed him in the way of the oncoming fist. Even though he believed it would’ve been humorous to watch the scene play out, he kept moving.
The slow zapping of guns could be heard behind Caden as he exited the room and turned to go down the hallway. He had only taken two steps when someone gripped his wrist. Turning around with his fist in the air, Caden moved to strike the person, only to come to a quick stop.
It was James. Caden had moved quickly out of the room, and James must’ve been trying to stay up with him only to have caught up with him in the hallway. His eyes were lowered in what looked like guilt. A normal human beat entered Caden’s heart, and everything became normal again. Two of the guards tripped over each other and rolled into the hallway.
“Caden,” James spoke over all the noise that came from the conference room. “Let me make this right. I can fix it. The General got the wrong idea.”
Another guard came jumping out of the conference room. He quickly aimed his gun at Caden, but James turned around and got in the way.
“You can’t shoot him,” James snapped, “he didn’t do anything wrong. If he had wanted to, he could’ve killed all of us in there.”
The man lowered his gun, but more men came into the hallway. Each of them had their guns pointed at Caden. The General stepped out and looked at Caden, a smile stretched across his face, as if to say, ‘I won’.
“Didn’t make it too far did you?” the General spoke up pushing past one of the guards. “Thanks for catching him James.” With those words Caden began to debate whether he should run for it.
“I didn’t stop him for you, sir,” James spoke calmly. It was smart on his part. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He has been trying to help us.”
The General let out an audible sigh. “Even after what he just did, turning into some strange looking creature, you still think he’s trustworthy? I’m beginning to think you’re either blind to the evidence, or you’re against us.”
Everyone around them stopped moving by this point, and silence filled the hall. The hallways, which usually flowed with people, were completely congested in front and behind them. Caden, knowing James well, knew that he was thinking carefully about what to say next.
“What if he agrees to be locked up for now until we sort this out?” James broke the silence. The comment caused two completely opposite reactions from Caden and the General. The General smiled, the wrinkles in his eyes becoming prevalent, and Caden, on the other hand, moved to run, but James gripped his wrist tighter.
“James!” Caden spoke firmly but not too loudly.
“I doubt he’ll comply,” the General spoke through his smile.
“But if he does?” James pushed the issue.
Bringing a hand up and rubbing the back of his neck, the General bit at his lip while he thought about it. “And what about his creature?”
“He brought some of those strange looking men with him too, sir” one of the guards that brought Caden in spoke up.
“And them?” the General added. “Will they go willingly as well? If not, I’ll just kill the lot of them.”
“If they agree as well?” James didn’t sound as sure of himself that time, but Caden didn’t feel too confident in James’s proposal either. It seemed unrealistic at best. Neither the Knuckle Draggers, nor Tagen would be taken prisoner easily.
“So be it, then they can stay in the cell until we finish discussing the matter.” The General looked past James, making direct eye contact with Caden. “Do you agree to this?”
James quickly turned and looked at Caden with a look Caden knew all too well, it said ‘trust me’.
“Fine. I agree,” Caden struggled to say it, but had to trust his friend. “Take me to the others, and I’ll see if I can talk them into coming along with me.”
The General thumbed at his nose twice and then turned to the men in the conference room. “I want all of you to follow them. Make sure they come willingly and are locked up with no problems. If any of them give the slightest hint that they’ll be a problem. Shoot them.” After he spoke, he walked back into the conference room and the crowd of men that were in there came piling out, guns raised.
“This is your show James, I’m trusting you,” Caden said quietly so only James could hear. James said nothing in return, he only turned and led the way. Caden followed behind him with men on both sides and in the back.
The Knuckle Draggers looked restless as they arrived back at the gate. Tagen was nowhere to be seen and Caden wondered if he had bolted. He had lost his glasses back at the battle. It would’ve been a perfect chance for Tagen to go, and Caden wasn’t sure why the dark soul stuck around.
“Sir,” Smitty spoke up as they approached him. “Nice to see your return, but I am confused as to why there are so many men with you.” He was the only one that kept his gun out; the other Knuckle Draggers had put theirs away.
“This is my old friend James,” Caden spoke, putting a hand on James’s shoulder. “He is to be trusted, and has saved my life more times than I can count.”
“It is an honor to meet you James.” Smitty nodded to him.
“Smitty, I know we’ve only just met, but there are a lot of conflicts on this planet, so trust is hard to come by.” Caden kept his hand on James’s shoulder as he spoke. He had no idea how he was going to talk the Knuckle Draggers into being imprisoned. Sweat began to build under his arms.
“I understand that, sir.”
“Some things have happened, and these men don’t trust me right now.” What Caden feared, came to pass. The other two Knuckle Draggers reached back and pulled their guns. Guns being readied could be heard from the men behind Caden. He quickly threw his hands up. “No, no. Put them away. They’ve offered me a deal.”
Hesitantly, all three put their guns back. “We are here to serve you. If our lives need to be laid on the line, we understood that before we came and are prepared.”
“There will be no need for that Smitty.” Caden let go of James and approached the Knuckled Draggers. At least that way, if the men behind him decided to start shooting, James would be less likely to get shot.
“They’ve asked us to wait in a holding cell while they clear up some matters.” Caden pointed back to James. “James will be my voice in these matters, and I know I can trust him with my life.”
“We will go where you tell us to go.” Smitty looked out over the men that stood behind him. “If you feel this is best, we will comply.”
Caden could feel his heart start beating again. A smile grew on his face. “Yes Smitty, I feel this is best.” Even though he was relieved for the moment, Caden still wasn’t sure how this was going to play out long term and worried about how long these men would sit in a holding cell.
“Tagen,” James spoke up. “That includes you as well.”
With a growl, Tagen appeared. He was six feet to the side of the Knuckle Draggers. “Why don’t you leave me out here?”
“They’ll shoot you if you try to run for it, and you know what our bullets can do to you,” James spoke sternly. Tagen’s eyes grew a darker red, which worried Caden. He was a loose cannon, and Caden knew it.
“I can stay with Mauldrin, correct?” Tagen bore his black sharp teeth.
“Who?” James asked.
“Yes, Tagen, you’ll stay with me,” Caden quickly spoke up, trying t
o end the debate. He wanted the discussions to end before someone, especially Tagen, became irritated.
“As long as I stay with him.” Tagen pointed at Caden with his black oily finger with white marbling.
“Come on then,” the same guard that had been rude to Caden, barked at them while waving his gun. If Caden could, he would have popped the guy in the face. By the look on James’s face, Caden figured James wanted to do the same.
Both the Knuckle Draggers and Tagen followed, with men surrounding them. They headed for the base, and Caden knew they would be going to the sub levels to be locked up.
“Caden,” James whispered to Caden while he walked next to him. “I should have you out before the day’s over. The General has a lot on his mind. Something happened while we were away, and the whole base is on heightened security.”
“Do you know what it is?” he whispered back.
“I haven’t heard everything yet.” James stopped and looked back at the men. “All I know is that some large red horned creature came and spoke to the General. He told the General that there is a bigger war going on and wants our help to destroy the creator of the dark souls. That’s all I know.”
“Was it a demon named Kaz?” Caden asked as they entered the building.
“James.” One of the guards walked up to them. “The General asked that you come to the conference room and let the guards take care of this matter for now.”
Hesitating for a second, James gave half a smile and patted Caden on the back before leaving with the guard. Caden knew there wasn’t a choice, he had to go. He would have to get his answer another time.
CHAPTER 30
Tagen watched James walk away. He scowled at him, tired of those around Mauldrin who didn’t respect his master enough to use his real name. It was time to ask a question that was driving him crazy. He sped up next to Mauldrin. There was an odd darkness with him, more so than the last time he had seen him, which caught Tagen off guard and gave him pause.
Tagen debated whether to ask about the darkness, but decided to stick to his original question. “Why do you let them call you that? Why do you not go by your real name?” he hissed. There was no whispering for him, he didn’t care who heard. As far as he was concerned, they all needed to hear it. Now was the time for Mauldrin to stop taking orders. Now was the time for him to take charge, instead of letting them put him in a prison.