by Jim Roberts
Chapter 23
Bad Blood
Capitol Building, Sadoma, Zimbala, November 25th
"Please tell me, because I need to understand−" Titus said, his face quivering with rage, "−you're telling me he had a fault? Explain to me what the hell that's supposed to mean?"
Octavia stood in front of the enraged Tribune, her placid face trying to remain calm. "I told you, the Code overran his neural interface. It caused some sort of glitch in the cerebral cortex, that began to inhibit our commands in his brain."
The two Olympus Commanders had been arguing for the past ten minutes as they walked through the artificially lit staging area surrounding the Sadoma Capitol Building. Since the strike force had returned, the Tribune had been inundated by calls from the ANDU forces requesting explanations about why an Olympus soldier had suddenly turned on their own men, killing dozens of Zimbalan military soldiers in the process.
"I thought I had your full support! You told me Prometheus would perform as expected. Even without the full Code to power him. This should not have happened!"
Octavia fumed, "You rushed it to completion! We should never have put him into a full active combat situation without the entire Code being implemented. Without it, he is nothing more than an uncontrollable child!"
Titus could feel Falco's eyes on him as they walked towards the Capitol building from the Hyperion landing zone. His bodyguard had met them when they arrived, saying nothing about the failure of Titus's attack. But the Tribune could tell, just from looking in Falco's good eye, that the Olympus veteran believed he had been foolish in ordering the attack to begin with.
Hatfield had been all but burned off the map. But the sudden insurrection of their supposedly secret and ultra powerful super soldier had given the people of the district precious time to either escape to the south or into the protectorate districts to the east and west. Little of note had been accomplished in the strike against the city, besides some useless civilian deaths.
It had been an unmitigated failure, all around.
"Where is Prometheus now?" Titus said, trying to maintain his calm.
Octavia shook her head, "We don't know. His tracking signal stopped functioning an hour ago. The drone I sent out to survey him lost contact around that time as well."
"Sons of death!" Titus had to stop in his tracks. Everything was evaporating around him. He had lost the one best chance to wipe out the insurgency and now, he had lost Olympus's ultimate weapon of war.
All told, things couldn't get worse.
"Mister Triboon Titus!"
So much for that. Titus closed his eyes, shaking his head as the President of Zimbala, David Musabe, approached with his retinue of six bodyguards.
This was a headache the Olympus Tribune did not need. He put on a fake smile and met the President weakly.
"Now is not a good time, Mister President."
"I have had reports that you failed in your attack of Hatfield! Not only did you not capture the traitor Donald Muzenda, or his son, but you in fact destroyed several of my own military vehicles and killed my personnel! Is this true?" The President was practically foaming at the mouth.
"I assure you, Mister President, that the situation is well in hand. Patrols in the downtown regions continue as before. This small setback is only temporary."
"You were only supposed to find Muzenda and his pet reporter! Instead you destroyed an entire civilian district! Against my explicit instructions not to!"
"Mister President..."
"No! I will hear no more. I have contacted your Commander Tiberius. He is very displeased and will be speaking to you directly..."
The man continued to talk, but Titus couldn't hear. He stared out across the bright lights of the staging area, watching the troop movements of the Centurions on patrol. Beyond, the dark skies to the south were still lit by the orange flames of the burning district of Hatfield.
The place where he had lost his first true engagement.
No.
I will not be defeated by these people.
Not me, Titus, heir of the Olympia Brotherhood.
With blinding speed, Titus lifted his Colt .45 from its holster and in with near blinding speed, shot each ANDU bodyguard in the head. The last man was almost able to bring his AK to the ready before the hollowpoint burrowed into his skull.
The President screamed in terror, holding his hands up as if to ward off a bullet that might come his way. Beside Titus, Octavia drew back in horror at what her Commander had done. Falco rushed to stand by the heir, his Glock pistol at the ready. Around the yard, several ANDU soldiers who were working as guards were completely taken aback at what they'd just witnessed. Suddenly the yard exploded in random gunfire as Centurions, having been pre-ordered to act by Titus himself if such an event occurred, began to systematically kill the remaining ANDU security forces.
"What are you doing, Mister Titus?" Musabe screamed. His face was spattered with blood from the dead bodyguards.
"You are not safe out here, Mister President." Titus said. The gunfire in the yard slowed, then ceased completely. Olympus was now fully in command of the Capitol Staging ground. A team would soon enter the building and cleanse any remaining forces from the interior. "Once I have...cleared your men from the building, I want you to go back inside and wait for my further orders."
Octavia's face was in a state of shock. She had never guessed her lover would be capable of something like this. Falco leaned over to speak to his charge.
"My Lord, what are you doing?"
"I am taking control of this mess of a situation, Falco." Titus turned to stare directly in his bodyguard's eye. "Is there a problem?"
Falco's face was filled with confusion. "No...no, of course not my Lord."
"Good. See that the President finds his way back to his office. Lock him in."
"Titus, what are you−" Octavia's concerned voice was halted with a gesture from the young Tribune.
"Quiet. Do as I say, Falco."
"You can't do this!" Musabe shouted as Falco reached forward to clasp the President with his armored hands. "I am President of Zimbala! I will have you executed! I swear you will..."
"You may want to think about the lives of your children, Mister President. I swear that if you do not do as I ask, their heads will adorn the walls of this base by night's end. Are we clear?"
The President's eyes lit up with fear. "You would not dare..."
"I dare anything, Mister President. Now are we clear?"
Musabe nodded, his face wane and weak. Titus gestured to Falco to take him away. Falco shot Octavia a worried glance before moving the President back towards the Capitol building.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Octavia said, her voice shaking with fear. "Tiberius will kill you for this."
"For what? Locking down a foolish President incapable of leading his own army?" He reached out and clasped Octavia's shoulders with both hands, gripping her tightly. "This is a test, don't you see? I'm being tested now. These rebels, those...Peacemakers. They only bought themselves time. I will see this to its end, one way or another."
He pulled the Olympus scientist against him tightly, kissing her. Octavia fought him, but his grip was too strong. Finally she pulled away. She hauled out and slapped him hard across the face. Shocked at the display, Titus slapped her back, much harder. Octavia fell to the ground, clutching her wounded cheek.
The moment of rage cleared and Titus realized what he'd done.
"Octavia, I..."
The scientist looked up at him, her face flush with anger. "You're a fool if you think what you have done won't go unanswered! We weren't supposed to attack civilians, but you did. And now, you've made everything impossible."
She stood up and was about to walk away when Falco came running back from the capitol building.
"I thought I told you to watch the President..."
The old war horse was nearly out of breath, "The President is secure my lord...it's Prometheus."
Octavia halted her exit. "What about him?"
"He's...inside the Capitol building!"
Titus's eyes went wide, "What? When did...how did he get back without anyone noticing?"
"It looks like he came through the skylights of the President's office. He's just standing in there...and..."
"What?"
"He has a prisoner." Falco said.
Without another word, the three Olympus commanders turned and rushed towards the capitol building, their minds screaming for answers.
THE SIGHT that awaited them as they arrived in the President's large office was puzzling in the extreme. There, standing like a statue, was Prometheus. Under his arm was the unconscious body of a young red-haired woman. The sight was completely baffling to all involved. Octavia approached her creation first, followed by Falco. The Olympus scientist pulled her small scanning tablet from her coat and ran a quick diagnostic.
"He's still operational, but he has completely shut down the reasoning center of his mind."
Falco approached the giant soldier slowly. Not knowing how Prometheus would react, he kept his eyes on the beast as he carefully pulled the body from his arms. The cyborg let her go without any resistance.
Titus walked over to examine the woman. "Is she alive?"
Falco nodded, "Yes. Just unconscious."
Titus regarded the scene for a moment. "Octavia, I don't understand any of this. Explain it to me."
Octavia shot her commander an angry glance. "Whatever happened to him out there must have triggered some sort of fight or flight mechanism in the neural pathways of his brain. It caused him to return to a point of origin."
"Why didn't he return to the Blacksite?" Titus asked.
Octavia shook her head as she checked the results on her tablet. "I don't know. We were planning to utilize him to guard the HQ eventually once his use in urban conflicts was complete."
Falco laid the red-haired woman down on the ground. Titus knelt and lightly slapped her face. She was covered in dirt and grime. Titus had a strong feeling he recognized her from somewhere. The woman stirred, her eyes opening slowly.
"Good, you're awake."
The woman looked around at her unfamiliar trappings, her eyes growing alarmed. "Where am I?"
"I'll ask the questions," Titus said. "What's your name?"
The lady seemed to hesitate, obviously realizing she was not among friends.
"Sarah."
Titus blinked. "Sarah Anders? The reporter?" He almost laughed. Falco shot Titus an inquisitive look. He explained, "She's the one the President wanted hunted down. Some sort of journalist for CNN or something."
Sarah yanked her hand away from Titus's grasp. "That's right. What do you want with me?"
Titus did laugh this time. "I don't want you at all. I just want answers. Why did he bring you here?"
Sarah wrapped her arms around her, as if suddenly cold. "I don't know. We...I was trying to get away from the fighting and he just...landed in front of me. He picked me up and took me back here. All the jumping and everything...I guess I fainted. I don't remember anything else."
Titus regarded the woman with a dubious expression. "I don't understand, Miss Anders. It seems to me like he knows you. How could that be?"
Sarah didn't answer. She lowered her gaze, not meeting Titus's eyes. He shook his head and stood up.
"That's fine, I have more important things to deal with now anyway." He looked at Falco, "Put her somewhere closed off in the building with a guard posted."
The old war dog nodded, pulling Sarah to her feet. Before he could lead her away, Sarah met Titus's eyes.
"I know what you did to him. Olympus won't get away with this."
Titus frowned. She held his eyes for several long seconds, testing him. He said nothing and gestured for Falco to take her away.
"What was that about?" Octavia asked as she examined the seven-foot cyborg.
"No idea. What should we do with him?"
"We need to get him back to the Blacksite. He needs access to his stasis container."
Titus shook his head. "No. Rebel activity is too strong out there. Move him to one of the sublevels and do what you can with him until the morning."
"But..." Octavia was about to object before she met the hard eyes of her commander. She nodded.
"Good." As Titus turned towards the elevator on the far side of the room, the communications holoterminal on his wrist squawked.
Octavia risked a smile in his direction. "That's probably Tiberius. Let me know how it goes."
"Keep to your work, woman." Titus sneered as he turned his back on the beautiful scientist and her inane science project. He was sick of both of them.
He ignored the terminal on his arm during the entire trip down to the foyer of the Capitol building.
He'd had enough drama for one day.
Chapter 24
The Whisper and the Darkness
The Spirit Walker, Saudi Airspace, November 26th
Clarity had come in what felt like a wave of cold water. For Danny Callbeck, it was the first time in as long as he could remember that he felt focused and assured. He sat in the co-pilot seat of the Spirit Walker, watching the clouds above the night-time Saudi Arabian sky zoom by like wisps of memory.
He'd won, in every way he knew he could. He'd made peace with the spirits within him, forcing them back down into the chaos of his soul. Danny had defeated Olympus's greatest assassin, who now sat−sedated and heavily chained−in the far rear of the aircraft. They would soon be reaching Zimbalan airspace and he could join his teammates in completing their mission. From what he'd heard the last time they'd made contact with the Colonel, things weren't going well. Despite his clear mind, Danny was worried about his friends. He only hoped they would reach Sadoma in time for him to be of some help.
To his left, Packrat operated the controls of the stealth VTOL with steadfast assurance. The man had tried to carry a conversation with the taciturn cyber warrior beside him, but quickly gave up. Whisper was too inside his own thoughts to be much good at small talk. He hadn't removed the Whisper suit at all after their escape from Pripyat. Instead, he'd powered down for the time being; removing the Accretion device for Yune to recharge with the fusion battery he'd rigged into his setup. The suit was running only on the backup battery. It would take another two hours for the Accretion device to reach full charge−just in time for their entrance into Zimbalan airspace.
In the cargo hold, Orchid kept an eye on their prisoner. Agrippina hadn't so much as moved since they left Russia three hours ago. After they had chained the assassin to the bulkhead, Yune analysed her suit and removed what resembled a glowing blue cylinder from the torso segment. Immediately, the suit powered down.
Now, the Olympus executioner just sat, staring vaguely off into space.
Whisper wondered what would happen to her. The CIA would most definitely wish to interrogate her about her involvement with Olympus. Then, who knew? She could very well be vanished from the face of the earth as a war criminal, too dangerous to survive.
Whisper pushed the thought aside. He had some time now and he was going to use it to try to understand this woman. Unstrapping the harness, he moved into the aft section of the aircraft. Yune was busy typing away at his equipment. The monitors showed he was running an analysis on the battery he'd pulled from Agrippina's suit. Engrossed in his work, as usual, the Doc looked up suddenly as Whisper approached.
"Oh, Danny. You startled me."
"Sorry Doc. I'm going to talk to our guest."
"Uh...are you sure that's wise?" Yune turned to look at the chained prisoner.
"Trust me, I'll be fine."
Whisper made his way through the cramped interior towards his teammate. Orchid sat opposite to Agrippina, her ASP .45 in her hand. Her right arm was heavily bandaged with tensor wraps. The JSDF soldier looked up as Danny approached.
"You should grab some sleep, soldier." Whisper said, "You look like you need it."
Orchid
smiled briefly. "I'll be fine, Corporal."
He nodded. "I'll take over for a while, then."
Orchid looked at the assassin, then back to the stealth soldier. She nodded, getting to her feet. As she walked past him, Orchid whispered quietly to Danny.
"Don't take your eyes off her. She can't be trusted."
Whisper nodded. Orchid went to join the Doctor at the front of the aircraft. Danny noted she kept a periodic eye on them.
Always vigilant.
Danny stood over Agrippina's slumped form. The assassin stirred, lifting her head to look into the beetle-shell helmet of her captor.
"Gloating?"
"No."
"Well...congratulations Callbeck. You've defeated your enemy."
"You aren't my enemy." Whisper said, sitting down on a cargo case opposite the Olympus assassin.
Agrippina managed a weak smile. "Of course you're my enemy. Everyone is my enemy."
"Why?"
Her mismatched eyes seemed to dim. She was lost somewhere in her past now, Danny could tell. He needed answers and he was so very close now.
"It's the only way I know. The way of living to end the lives of others. It is my path."
"Why do you choose that kind of path?" Whisper asked.
"I didn't chose it. It's who I am."
Whisper searched her face. Her alabaster skin was paler than January snow. Even now, covered with dried blood and grime, she was still achingly beautiful.
"Someone chose this for you, didn't they?"
Agrippina's eyes flared with anger, the first emotion he'd seen from her since taking her prisoner.
"It's an easy thing to judge someone after the fact, isn't it Callbeck?"
"I'm not judging anyone."
"You haven't seen real despair. You and your kind, you live a life away from casual brutality. I've seen hate and pain since I was a girl. I watched as they...came to my village. I don't remember where it was, I was so young..."
Danny listened, barely breathing.