The Betrayal of Ka (The Transprophetics Book 1)
Page 19
Over the next couple of hours, the assembled military command, the Chairman, and other officials debated how best to proceed. It was agreed that it was fortunate that none of the civilian experts were lost, and while tragic, it was neither the commander nor the vice-commander that was killed in the blast. The decision was made that security would be massively boosted at the launch facility and that the mission would proceed as planned. The weather forecast was perfect, and with some experts predicting solar winds and significant solar flares within a week, it seemed the best solution.
As acting commander of the Donovackia Military, the job of finding a replacement for the dead crewman fell on Colonel Agastya.
“Colonel Agastya, the launch is in less than 48 hours,” Chairman Donovackia reminded him, as all eyes turned to look at the Colonel. “Are you absolutely certain that you can find a replacement crew member?”
The Colonel, looking at the screen, answered, “Yes, I am sure we can.”
Chapter 28
An Honorable Farewell
Kadamba watched as the shuttle approached and landed at the Elite Forces training center. It was the same shuttle that he had been on before, but this would be his last time. The door opened and Lieutenant Padda stepped out and beckoned Kadamba aboard. The shuttle was airborne in moments.
The seats were as plush and as comfortable as Kadamba remembered them, and an attendant served him a drink. It was a stark change from the last year of training. He’d endured countless hours of physical and psychological drills. While it had been extremely tough and there were so many times that he wanted to give up, he continued to remember the terror of being in the containment facility. No matter how miserable he seemed, he was better off suffering with a weapon in his hand than being abused by Jackos the Giant.
The Lieutenant sat across from him, studying him intently. He’d watched this boy become a soldier and, in many ways, become a man in the last year and a half. Society’s norms would likely condemn Kadamba forever. It wouldn’t matter what he did or what contribution he might make to the two worlds. He was branded and forever would be seen as less than human.
Somewhere there was a family that had lost a child to the actions of the man sitting across from him. Lieutenant Padda pondered that thought for a while. Did they still hate Kadamba, did they even hate him to begin with, or did they even know him? It was difficult to ponder what it must be like to lose a child. It had to be an experience like none other. Padda was torn in many ways as he looked at Kadamba. Yes, he’d done something terrible, but what the Lieutenant had seen was not the monster that the world wanted Kadamba to be, but a tenacious, honorable soldier.
“Son, are you sure you want to do this?” asked Lieutenant Padda. “You haven’t had much time to think about this.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Kadamba. “I am sure that I want to do this.”
“Alright,” replied Padda. “You know that this is the third time that we’ve been on this shuttle together. And this is the third time that I’ve watched the strings of your fate be twisted in a direction that I would have never guessed would happen.”
“Sir?” asked Kadamba.
“I am your commanding officer, but I am at a loss at what to say now. This world would condemn you and damn you forever. I don’t know you that well personally, but I know what I have seen. You’ve never given up, even in some extremely tough circumstances, with many things and people weighing against you. I think it will serve you well, whatever the future holds for you”
“Thank you, sir,” Kadamba responded, honored by what the Lieutenant had just said.
“Get some sleep, son, we’ll be at the launch facility in the morning.”
Kadamba looked out the window of the shuttle. They were high in the sky, so he couldn’t see the ground. Late the night before, he had a holographic conference with Colonel Jecamiah Agastya. As he walked to the conference room, it had seemed very odd to him. He had only just finished training. He wasn’t really that important, but the acting head of the Donovackia Military wanted to talk to him.
Kadamba had accepted the Colonel’s offer without a second thought, but that was last night. Today, he was still confident that he wanted to go, but he thought about his family. Over two years had passed. Had they forgotten him? Did they still love him? Should he try to contact them before he left? It was all too much to think about right now. He could stay awake for hours and hours thinking about it, but it was time for sleep.
Ka took a deep breath. The air was clean, almost sterile. As always, everything was perfect on Schmarlo’s Landing. The grass and shrubs and trees were all green. Not a speck of litter was anywhere to be seen.
Ka, looking down, realized he was still in his uniform. It felt odd to be dressed like this, rather than in the clothes he was wearing the day Alorus died. He walked around the Landing, looking for the boy but couldn’t find him. The playground was perfect as always, without a speck of sand out of place.
Ka walked to a bench at the edge of the Landing and looked out at the landscape. The sky was black and grey in the distance, with clouds looming large on the horizon. The sun, close to setting, cast an eerie glow across Stujorkian City.
“A storm is coming,” the boy announced.
Ka spun around, almost grabbing for the weapon that should be at his side. He knew it was Alorus, but he had been startled by the boy.
“Ka, do you see the storm in the distance?”
“Yes, I see it,” replied Ka.
“Will it be a bad storm?” asked the boy.
“I don’t know, but I think we’re safe here in the Landing.”
Ka walked over to a bench and sat down. He looked out at the storm, watching the lightning between the clouds, and felt the tears welling up in his eyes. Why did he have to say that? The Landing would be unaffected by the storm, but that didn’t mean it was a safe place.
He gestured to Alorus to join him on the bench, knowing that he wouldn’t. He’d been here on the Landing so many times in the last couple years, so he knew Alorus wouldn’t get too close. He wasn’t sure why he always ended up in the Landing with Alorus, but he did. Over and over and over again.
“We’re in that shuttle again, aren’t we, Ka? Where are you going?” asked Alorus.
“Someplace called Earth.”
“Ka, I don’t want to leave Koranth again. Do I have to go with you?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have a choice.”
As dawn broke, the shuttle touched down gently, and Kadamba continued to sleep as two men walked into the room. They both looked at him, but one of them was shaking his head. “Are you sure this is the best you could do, Lieutenant?” asked Commander Conall Bornani. “We launch this afternoon.”
“I think this kid will surprise you,” replied Lieutenant Padda.
“A drug-dealing, child-killing, untrained thug?” asked Commander Bornani.
“He’s trained. He passed Elite Forces military training under circumstances that most men would crumble under.”
“Maybe you’re right, Lieutenant,” Bornani stated. “The training is excellent, but I wish he had some real experience.”
“Commander, we found a replacement crew member for you in a matter of hours. He’s here, and the launch will remain on schedule,” the Lieutenant ordered.
Bornani began to chuckle under his breath. “You know, you are right. I’ve got a trained Elite Forces soldier who already has a taste for blood. He’ll be pared with Dr. Nahash Tarea. He’s one of the Transprophetic Experts. They’ll probably love hunting their prey.”
Chapter 29
A Nightmare Begins
The day following the incident at the El Pescado Dorado restaurant, Dylan, Joanna, and Tim were sitting at the table, lazily enjoying a late breakfast. They could hear Bjorn in the bedroom, occasionally giggling, but since they were on vacation, they just let him relax. Eventually, he came into the living area with a monstrous grin on his face. For a boy who seemed so scared and shaken up the night bef
ore, he sure was in a jovial mood this morning. Bjorn was like that. He could switch from one emotion to another on a dime. Sometimes it made sense; sometimes it was just best to accept it for what it was.
Everyone looked at him, just waiting for the announcement that they all knew was coming. Unsurprisingly, Bjorn played it up, dragging out the obvious anticipation that was building. He set his tablet computer on the table.
“Dylan, I’m sorry that I didn’t have my phone out to take a video of Adelita mashing your junk with a soccer ball. You’d be famous on YouTube too.”
Everyone looked at Bjorn quizzically. He tapped a few places on his tablet, spun the screen towards them, and announced, “I’m a supernatural rock star!”
The title of the video Bjorn opened was “Supernatural Rock Star Kid Smashes Vase on Drunk A**hole’s Head.”
Everyone watched as the scene from the previous evening played out on the small screen. None of them had noticed the night before that someone was recording the events on a phone. The drunken man had tried to stop Joanna as she was heading towards the bathroom. She brushed him off, but he became extremely belligerent, very quickly. The scene showed Bjorn taking a step towards the man, his face burning with anger. Whoever posted the video had added some visual effects that made it look like Bjorn was sending out waves to the vase. The vase tumbled, smashed the man on the head, and then the video cut to a stadium view of a crowd exploding in cheers.
Everyone was quite for a moment, not exactly sure what to say.
“Don’t mess with me! I’ll kick your butt!” Bjorn exclaimed as he struck a pose like a bodybuilder and growled. “Brainwaves baby! I gotz dem brainwaves!”
The night before, Joanna and Tim had convinced Bjorn that it wasn’t a poltergeist or demon. More than likely, it was a tiny earthquake tremor, or even more probable, it was one of those trucks that loudly rumbled through the streets. Perhaps it had bumped into the building. Bjorn had agreed with them last night and let his fear go. Today, he was in quite a happy mood, especially since he was the star of a trending, popular video on the Internet. Even better, but slightly annoying as the day wore on, was that he could say, “Brainwaves baby! I gotz dem brainwaves!”
Adelita joined them at the condo in the afternoon to swim and play in the ocean. To anyone watching the scene, the growing infatuation between Dylan and Adelita was very obvious. Adults on the beach and at the pool smiled when they saw the young, awkward couple. To make it even more adorable, they had a little wingman, whose goofy antics never seemed to completely stop.
The next day, the boys walked to the park again to watch Adelita play soccer. There were even more kids playing soccer and playing in the park than the day that they had met Adelita. It was pretty crowded.
“I think I will wander around and see if I can get myself a girlfriend too,” Bjorn announced in a smartass tone, “but I won’t have to get my nuts crushed to do it!”
Dylan cracked up and told him to stay in the park, where he could see him. Bjorn zipped off, and Dylan found where Adelita and her friends were playing soccer. As he came towards the group, she looked in his direction and then came bolting towards him. He was surprised, but happy that she was so eager to see him. Suddenly, he realized she was yelling and pointing at something behind him. He turned in time to see two men dragging Bjorn into a van and speeding away.
Chapter 30
Once a Coward
The video feed of the Donovackia Launch Center Mission Control Room was still abuzz with activity three days after the successful launch of the mission to Earth. Colonel Agastya watched the large screen as he sat alone in the Executive Command Briefing Room. He had just finished running another briefing for the Donovackia Military Command. He was exhausted, but satisfied. The launch had gone off without a hitch, and as equally important, those responsible for the bus explosion had been captured. They were nothing but some fringe, radical, political group that wanted attention.
He tapped a few places on the table in front of him, and a screen appeared over the table. He began scrolling through his messages, working to sort the important from the less important. It always seemed a nearly impossible task, but a necessary one. The image of his secretary appeared in the corner of the screen, and he swiped it to cover the entire screen.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, sir,” began the man, “but the housing authority needs your authorization to provide an apartment for General Chaldea. He is back, but his wife won’t let him back in the house.”
The Colonel chuckled. If he didn’t authorize this, the General would be homeless. Of course, that wasn’t true. He would find someplace while his administrative review was held. This whole process was going to be so painful. The illusion that the General had created was believed by so many. His character, Captain Luciano’s character, and even Lieutenant Padda’s were being quietly attacked. This whole damn thing would probably turn into an intolerable circus.
“Authorize the housing request,” replied the Colonel as he closed the session, and the screen disappeared. He watched the large screen on the wall of the briefing room again for a while. Tomar Donovackia had returned to the Mission Control Room. He didn’t provide any real value, but he was the Chairman, and this was his game.
The Colonel pulled out the picture of Aridatha Dolce. He must have looked at it a thousand times since Earmon made him take it. Her smile was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He could almost feel her arms around him as he looked into her eyes. Earmon’s words keep playing over and over in his head.
“In this life, my friend, there are some regrets you may be forced to take to your grave. But others, we can choose to die with those or not.”
He pulled the screen back up from the table and did something that he had vowed to himself that he never would. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but he just never thought he could handle knowing what happened to her. In his position, it would be so easy to find where she went, what she did, who her friends were, and so much more about her life. It was just too painful for him to know. He always hoped she had found love again, but then again, he hoped that she was missing him as much as he missed her.
The picture that appeared on the screen was as beautiful as ever. Age had touched her, just like it does to all of us, but for her, it made her even more beautiful. Agastya struggled to hold back the tears as they tried to push themselves from his eyes. Why had he left her? Why had he never tried to find her and tell her what a stupid fool he had been? He flipped through the pictures, landing on one of her sitting on a beach, looking out to sea. He read the words that had been superimposed towards the bottom of the photo and then touched a few places on the screen. A physical copy of the photo appeared on the table. He folded it, put it into his pocket, and headed to Boatman’s.
*****
Earmon was waiting at the bar as Colonel Agastya walked into Boatman’s Grub and Pub. The Colonel smiled to his friend, but the bartender didn’t smile back. Agastya walked up to the bar and sat down. Earmon simply looked at him with a nearly expressionless face.
“Good evening, Colonel,” began Earmon as he pulled a glass that was already filled from under the bar. “Your usual sir, a double Grenadines Special.” The Colonel looked at the glass. He wanted this to be a joke, but he knew the bartender too well. It wasn’t a joke. There was someone, or more likely, more than one person, in this bar that wanted to kill the Colonel. He took the drink, and downed the entire thing in one gulp. It was sweet, but had no sting to it at all.
Earmon pulled another already filled glass from under the counter and set it in front of the Colonel. “Rough day running the whole military?”
“Probably not as rough as my night might become,” replied Colonel Agastya.
“I think it will be an easier evening than you thought. It’s always good to have friends,” assured the bartender as Captain Luciano sat down next to the Colonel.
“Give me a double Grenadines Special,” Luciano stated, without missing a beat.
Earmon shook his head affirmatively and pulled a bottle from under the bar. “I think the two of you will probably finish this, and it looks like everything is under control.”
“How did you know to be here?” ask the Colonel.
“Earmon messaged me about twenty minutes ago,” began the Captain. “I have no idea how he got my contact details, but he did, and he told me that you would need me here this evening.”
As the Colonel affirmatively shook his head, the Captain laid what looked like a pen on the bar. The Colonel picked it up and studied it. It wasn’t a pen. It was smooth and blunt on both ends. There were no markings, and nothing happened to it as the Colonel tapped it on the bar.
The Captain took it back and began to twirl it though his fingers. “It’s my new toy. Looks like I will get to show it off later tonight.” The two men continued to drink the sweet juice, pretending to become intoxicated. They laughed and joked while the four men at the booth occasionally stole glances in their direction. After a couple of hours had passed, the officers’ plan was set.
Colonel Agastya stood up from the bar stool and slapped the Captain on the back. He took a few steps, then staggered back, and said his goodbyes. Appearing to be unsteady on is feet, he headed for the door. Once he was outside, the four men in the booth stood up and followed. Captain Luciano was a few steps behind them.
Outside, Colonel Agastya leaned his hand on the wall of the building and began to cuss in a slurred voice. “Crap, I shoulda hit the damn head before I walked out. Oh well, fuck it, the alley works too,” he muttered, as he pushed himself up and headed into the darkened alley.