Major Karnage

by Gord Zajac

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Horns trumpeted loudly as the letters DiN shot across the screen. A lens flare blasted everything out, revealing a newscaster with a striking head of hair sitting at a desk beaming at the screen.

  “Welcome back to the Dabney Information Network,” she said. “I’m Angela Lee, and I’m here with Steve Dabney, Chief Operating Officer of the Dabney Corporation.”

  The shot changed to show Steve Dabney sitting at the other end of the desk with his hands clasped. He smiled warmly and nodded at the camera.

  “Thanks for being with us here today, Steve,” Angela said. “Thanks for having me, Angela.”

  Angela picked up a sheet and read from it dramatically. “‘To the moon, Alex.’”

  Steve laughed.

  Angela put down her sheet and smiled at Steve. “Now that’s a quote from an interview you gave last year to our own Xander Farnsworth.”

  Steve nodded. “Yes, I remember that. I’m not sure how serious I was about that at the time.”

  “But it turns out you were serious, because here you are, months later, getting ready to launch the first manned flight to the moon.”

  “That’s right, Angela. If all goes well with the launch tomorrow, I will be on my way to being the first man to step foot on the moon.”

  “Now there are those who would argue that this isn’t the first time we’ve been to the moon. What would you have to say to them?”

  Steve smiled bemusedly. “Well, you know, I’ve seen the footage they’re referring to and . . .” He shrugged.

  “And you’re not convinced?”

  “Look, I wasn’t there. You weren’t there. Nobody alive today was there. Our experts have looked at this video that supposedly ‘proves’ we landed on the moon, but their findings came back inconclusive.

  So I’m not going to comment one way or another. But what I will say, Angela, is this: a Dabney has yet to step foot on the moon. And there’s nothing a Dabney can’t do if he sets his mind to it, and my mind, as you can tell, is pretty much set.”

  Angela giggled. “Yes it is. Now, I know you have to go soon, but if I could ask just one more question. . . .”

  “Shoot.”

  “What does it feel like to be one of the richest men on the planet?”

  Steve smiled. “I have to say, Angela, that it feels pretty good.”

  Angela giggled again. “Thanks so much for your time, Steve. And good luck with the launch tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Angela.” Steve winked. “It’s been a pleasure.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The screen changed to show a jet with a smaller bulbous white ship attached to its underbelly. The smaller ship had a Dabney-1 logo printed on its side. A voice crackled over a speaker. “We are in the bin and ready to go. Ten seconds.”

  The conjoined ships flew in silence. A sheet of blue clouds drifted by far below.

  “Okay, here we go.”

  A spurt of blue flame shot out the back of the Dabney-1.

  “There it is. You can see the flame. The flicker of flame. Good old Dabney blue.”

  The Dabney-1 separated from the jet and shot forward.

  The shot changed to a camera mounted on the Dabney-1’s tail, looking up past the cockpit toward the nose at the blue sky.

  “Our DiN viewers are enjoying an impressive site here. That’s your downlink camera on the Dabney-1 as it prepares to punch through into geostationary orbit.”

  The world started spinning and the camera shook violently. Bursts of snow that reminded Karnage of squiggles shot across the video feed.

  “Uh oh. Uh oh.”

  The footage evened out, the squiggles dissipated, and the nose of the ship sailed through the black, the curve of the earth glowing just below.

  “Wow. Look at that.”

  The sun appeared from behind the earth, shining bright and hard against the black.

  “He’s made it. He’s made it.”

  A thin line of black sliced across the sun’s aura. It grew thicker and thicker, slowly blocking out the sun’s glow. It kept growing until it blocked out the blue of the earth. A dark shadow slowly enveloped the body of the Dabney-1. Green panels of light flickered across the black. The screen flashed a violent green, then turned to snow.

  “Hold on. This is not a scripted manoeuvre. Oh my god. Communications with Dabneyville have been cut off. We’re waiting for confirmation that Steve is okay. That systems are normal. That—”

  The screen went black.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The screen cut to black and white security footage of a boardroom. Galt Dabney paced at the end of the table, his face pinched and scowling. A line of executives sat on either side. Their eyes stayed fixed on Galt until he stopped in front of a young executive at the end.

  “How long has he been gone for?” Galt asked.

  The executive pulled out a tablet. “About two hours.”

  “What are the chances he’s still alive?”

  The executive shrugged. “They don’t know, Galt.”

  “Dammit.” Galt sat at the head of the table. He sighed. “I knew we should have kept this quiet until he returned. What does the press know so far?”

  An executive with her hair up in a bun slid a tablet over to Galt. “That he went up, and there’s been a communications problem, and that we expect to hear back from him soon.”

  Galt steepled his fingers in front of him. He nodded. “All right. All right. Maybe we can make something positive out of this. Come up with an angle. He gave his life saving the earth.” He looked around at the other executives. “How does that sound? Too over the top?”

  “It might be a little, sir,” one of them said.

  “Maybe if it was just a continent,” another offered, “instead of the whole planet.”

  “Or a city,” someone else said. “He was having trouble on re-entry. Heading for a populated area. Rather than kill innocent people, he sacrificed himself to save their lives.”

  Galt nodded. “That’s good. That’s very good. Consult with astrophysics. Make it plausible. Airtight. He had to ‘tech’ the ‘tech’ in order to ‘tech’ the ‘tech.’ Something like that. But good.”

  “We could have him save Dabneyville,” someone offered.

  Galt shook his head. “No no no. It could look self-serving, like he was saving his own. Make it a small, backwater village somewhere.”

  “What about Carpathia?”

  Galt scowled. “No good. Too much baggage there. We need someplace else. Somewhere on the southern continent.”

  An executive rushed into the room. “They just got word, Galt. He’s all right. They’ve re-established contact.”

  “Oh, thank god. Where is he?”

  “He’s on his way back to Earth.”

  “Back to Earth? Why?”

  “He won’t say. He says he needs to talk to you. Privately.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  The security footage changed to a lush office similar in design to the vault Karnage and Sydney stood in. Oak panelling was slathered over everything. Galt Dabney sat behind the desk, holding his head in his hands. Steve sat opposite him in a plush leather armchair, his feet resting casually on a footstool.

  “I can’t believe it,” Galt said. “I just can’t believe it.”

  “It’s true, Uncle Galt.” Steve leaned forward and slid a tablet across the desk towards the old man. “Astrophysics confirms it.”

  Galt waved it away. “I saw the report.”

  “So you know there’s nothing we can do. They have superior firepower. Superior technology. We simply don’t stand a chance.”

  “There has to be something we can do. There has to be.”

  “There is,” Steve said. “We can cooperate.”

  “Cooperate? We can’t just let them waltz in and take over!”

  “Nobody will be taking over anyone. It’s just a friendly merger. We’ll get full value on our shares, access to all of their latest medical and technological advance
s, and other special perks.”

  “My god.” Galt dropped his head into his hands.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in, Uncle, but it’s going to happen sooner or later. They’re going to take over whether we like it or not. It’s better for everyone this way. No violence. No war. No unnecessary bloodshed. In effect, we get to rule over the entire world.”

  Galt looked up in surprise. “I’m a businessman, Steven. Not a dictator.”

  “Is there really that much difference?”

  “Yes. Yes, goddammit, there is. And until you realize that for yourself, you will never be fit to run this company.”

  “I never said I wanted to—”

  “You don’t have to say it, you little shit. I can see it in your eyes!”

  “Uncle, calm down.”

  “Well, I won’t have any part of it. Do you hear me? I won’t let you do it! I’m a businessman, and that is that.”

  “I’m afraid it’s not your decision to make,” Steve said quietly. “The board has already voted. They’ve fully endorsed the plan.”

  “How dare you. How dare you go behind my back over this. We’re not the government. We’re a private corporation!”

  “We do everything, Uncle. We already are the government.”

  Galt banged his fist. “Don’t say such things! This is a business, not a goddamn bureaucracy!”

  Steve shook his head, as Galt stabbed a finger at him angrily. “I will bury you over this, do you hear me?”

  “You really have no idea how much is stacked up against you, Uncle.”

  “Don’t you dare threaten me. I won’t let you. I won’t let you do any of this. It’s not our place. It’s just not our place.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Uncle. The decision’s been made.”

  Galt shook with rage. “But I don’t want to rule the world!”

  “Now, Uncle—”

  Galt’s face went red. “I don’t want to rule the world!”

  “Uncle, your heart—”

  Galt slammed his fist into the table and shouted. “I don’t want to rule the world! I—”

  Galt’s face went white and he clutched his shoulder.

  Steve watched silently as his uncle slid out of his seat and disappeared behind his desk.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The screen went black. Sydney was staring at the floor, her limbs quivering with nervous energy. “People need to see this. They need to know what’s going on.” She looked up at the screen. “Can you give me a copy of that footage you just showed us?”

  A slim silver disc slid out the front of the cabinet. Sydney picked it up and looked at it curiously. “I hope I can find something that still plays this.” She tucked the disc into her jacket. “Come on, Major. Let’s go.” She headed for the door.

  Karnage didn’t follow. He looked up into Galt’s cataract-laden eyes. “Where can I find Steve Dabney?”

  The screen flashed, showing a helicopter view of Dabneyville. It zoomed in on the needle-like tower and the forest beyond. “Come visit the pristine forests of the Dabney Preserve, accessible exclusively from the canopy bridge, located on the observation decks of the Dabney National Tower, the world’s tallest freestanding—”

  “Where’s the Dabney National Tower?” Karnage said.

  The screen cut to old footage of Galt Dabney wearing a construction hat. His hair and moustache were black. “The DN Tower will be located atop the corporate headquarters of the Dabney Corporation, home to the expansive Dabney Family Archives, and—”

  “What’s the quickest way to get to the Dabney National Tower from here?”

  The screen cut to grainy security footage of an engineer talking to Galt Dabney. “The executive elevator will run clear up the length of the DN Tower right down to the main lobby.”

  “Make it run all the way down into the vaults.” Galt poked the engineer in the ribs. “You never know when I’ll have to make a quick getaway.” The engineer nodded and smiled.

  The screen went black, and a set of bookcases whirred open behind Karnage, revealing a brass elevator car. Karnage looked up at Galt’s head. “Thanks. I’ll try and hit Steve once for you.”

  The screen showed security footage from Galt’s corner office. He was talking to another executive. “That Steven is a smart fellow, but he is also one dangerous sonofabitch.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Karnage headed for the elevator.

  Sydney was standing halfway through the door. “Major, what are you doing?!”

  “You do what you gotta do, Captain,” Karnage said. “I’ve still got some questions for ol’ Steve Dabney.”

  “You can’t face him alone. What about your Sanity Patch? You don’t even have a weapon!”

  The elevator doors shut with a soft bing.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Karnage calmly rode the elevator. He watched the numbers above the door change, slowly making their way upward. He shut his eyes, focused his mind, and concentrated on his long-term goal: Cookie. Velasquez. Heckler. Stumpy. Koch. Cookie. Velasquez. Heckler. Stumpy. Koch. Then he felt his body relaxing, and the Sanity Patch downgraded to Daffodil, as if voicing its approval. Karnage took a deep breath. He was as ready for this as he’d ever be.

  The elevator binged, and the doors slid open, as a cool breeze wafted into the elevator. Karnage stepped out, and found himself on a wide circular deck overlooking the desert, the elevator housed in a cylindrical beam in the centre. An absolutely breathtaking view stretched out on all sides. The glass floor gave him a clear view of the microscopically small buildings below while a guard rail ran around the perimeter of the deck at waist height, punctuated only by thick steel beams with a thin netting draped between them. The netting wafted in the wind as the chilled air blew through it and over Karnage’s skin. Karnage walked slowly along the deck, and the mountain came into view on the other side of the elevator shaft. Soon the mountain loomed high beside him, the lush green of the pine trees intermittently broken by steep shanks of grey rock: lifeless desert on one side, forested mountain on the other.

  “Hello, you.”

  Karnage turned around. Standing on the deck behind him, in front of a metal door marked EMERGENCY EXIT, was Patrick, aiming a pistol at Karnage’s chest. A manila enveloped was tucked under his arm.

  “Don’t move,” he said. Patrick flipped open the envelope with his free hand, and pulled out a slim tablet. He let the envelope fall free. The wind picked it up, and it flew into the netting where it flapped uselessly, like a fly stuck in a spider’s web. Patrick angled the tablet so it was propped against his chest; he held it along the bottom with one hand, while the other kept the gun barrel firmly pointed at Karnage’s chest. He flicked the tablet on.

  Steve Dabney appeared on the screen. He smiled.

  “Hello, Major,” he said. “I’m sorry to deprive you of your big moment, but I’m afraid my priorities lie elsewhere. I think it’s sweet the way you keep trying to save the world. I know you don’t like to think of yourself as a romantic, but the zeal you’ve put into this endeavour belies the truth. You’re like a samurai who has lost his master: rMnin, if you like. Rudderless. Directionless. Looking for answers. Life must be very difficult for you in this new world. I pity you.

  “But I have to give you credit. You have proven to be a very worthy opponent. I’m sorry we had to be adversaries. We really wanted to make you a key player in this organization. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t come to an understanding. You’ll be pleased to know we’ve since found a more qualified candidate to take the position, so your services will no longer be required.

  “I’ve authorized Patrick here to terminate you in whatever way he sees fit. Despite his previous setbacks, he’s assured me that you won’t escape this time. He’s given me his word on that, and if you knew Patrick like I do, you’d understand how significant that promise is.

  “Before you die, I want you to understand: I have saved the human race. Not just the human race, but all life on Earth. Our biosp
here will be preserved forever in the Archive. Our past will never be forgotten. As for the future, I’ve just put the finishing touches on the ultimate merger. I’ve just given the go-ahead to put our plan into action, starting right here in Dabneyville. A Dabney always leads by example, and this will be my finest example yet.

  “Whatever it is you hoped to stop, Major, you’re too late.”

  He winked, and the screen went black.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Sydney came out of the tunnels in the basement of her old precinct. She slipped through the maintenance door and down the darkened hallway. She stopped in front of a door with a peeling piece of masking tape stuck to it. The words “Digital Forensics” had been scrawled across it with black marker. Sydney opened the door and slipped quietly inside.

  The room was lit by a bank of monitors. A hunched figure sat in front of the screens, his fingers working to either side of him on a set of ergonomic keyboards. He was surrounded by shelves stuffed with electronics in various states of destruction. The figure turned his face up to one of the monitors, and Sydney smiled as she recognized the profile. “Hey there, Campbell.”

  The figure jumped. He turned and squinted through the dark at Sydney. His eyes went wide with shock. “Oh. Oh my god. Sydney? Is that really you?”

  “It is.”

  “What are you doing here? You’re a known fugitive now. You know that?”

  “I know.”

  “I mean like top ten most wanted fugitive. Top two, even! Only one they want more than you is that Major Karnage guy. Hey, is it true that he seduced you so you’d help him escape?”

  “What? Where the hell did you hear that?”