by Greg Curtis
“I’m going to -”
“You’re going to do what freak? Kill me? You can’t even reach me. In case you’ve missed the blindingly obvious I’m on a war ship, a Leinian war ship, and you’re on a Mentan science vessel. Your weapons are limited, only the ship’s stealth technology grants it an edge, and the moment you fire, we have you and you die.” Whether that was true or not David didn’t know. But he didn’t care. The only thing that did matter was that Dimock believed it, and that it would hold up the mad man’s plans for unleashing a worldwide holocaust.
“You’re bluffing.” Yet it wasn’t only David who was worried. For the first time ever he could sense nervousness in the psychopath, and he knew Dimock was unsure of himself. This was a new environment for him, a whole new level of learning, and he was physically weak, something he hadn’t been in decades.
“You surely can’t be that stupid as well as that ugly. That would just be too cruel. Didn’t you even think to ask your captive before you stole his ship?” Out of the corner of his eye David saw Lar and the other Leinians staring at him as if he’d gone mad. They didn’t understand. To fight the insane sometimes you have to drive them even further round the bend. He ignored them.
“I asked him most carefully.”
“Well obviously he lied and you were too stupid to realize it. Your ship is a lightly armed science vessel, which I might add, is piloted by a Mentan criminal. Even now his people are hunting for him, and when they find him, - well let’s just say it won’t be pretty. For either of you. But then neither are you.” The screams of insane fury from the other end would have put a jungle cat to shame, and it was many long seconds before Dimock could say anything intelligible.
“He’s a scientist of high standing.” And David watched with little surprise as Dimock pulled his captive to him on a chain. He didn’t look good. There were greenish fluids leaking from the tops of at least a dozen of his tentacles, and burn marks over his entire body. Evidence of Dimock’s persuasion techniques, as he doubtless tried to get the Mentan to teach him how to pilot the ship. David was actually surprised he was still alive. Obviously Dimock still had a lot more to learn about space travel. Or, and he knew he had to check with Lar, the ship wouldn’t respond to another pilot. Another edge they just might have.
“No. He was a top scientist. But that was before he betrayed his entire race, shaming them into giving up their position at the head of the Interstellar Council. All the wrong doing he’s done, he’s done in their name, and in the process he’s shamed his people worse than anything else he could have done. Or didn’t he tell you that? I wonder why?” David smiled at the mad man knowing he would truly hate that more than anything else. The idea that someone else could have the upper hand over him, that ran against everything he lived for.
“You’re lying.”
“No I’m not. You see Trellin there found out that his ancestors had created or manipulated the entire human race, and the Leinian race thirty or forty thousand years ago, and he did everything he could to try and stop anyone else ever finding out. Including piracy, kidnapping and possibly even murder. That’s why he rescued you, so you could kill off our people when he couldn’t. It would have been a major disgrace to his people if the truth was ever learned, and he was desperate to stop it getting out. But a greater disgrace was if anyone ever found out about what he’d done to hide it. Unfortunately for him, we got a message away a couple of months ago. The word’s been sent out including a record of his own crimes, and his people have been hunting for him ever since.”
“Now you’ve delivered him to his own people, and in the same act of idiocy, delivered yourself to me. It was stupid. The Leinians would never have been able to execute you, they’re far too pacifistic. Now though, thanks to your reckless stupidity, they’re under my command, and you’re a dead man.”
“Your prisoner has nowhere left to go except trial, and that is his only choice. His people’s Council have ordered it, and by not already turning up for judgement he has already failed them again. If he aids you in your usual lunacy he will disgrace his people even further. Therefore he won’t. He wants to die. And if you kill him your ship has no pilot. Of course if you do nothing you still die. In two days his own people’s warships will be here, and then you will be handed over to me, and I’ll personally flush your remains out an airlock if they leave that much of you behind. If you attack we’ll blow you out of the sky a few seconds later. And if you run, you will run into our warships.”
“How could you make so many stupid mistakes, Dimock? You were supposed to be intelligent. When they removed your implants did they remove your brain as well?”
“You lie!” It was all the lunatic could come out with after a lot more incoherent screaming.
“No, you hideous lump of plastic surgery. I’m telling you the truth. Your hostage is Mentan public enemy number one. On his life he cannot help you, and dead he leaves you a sitting duck. Ask him.” Somehow he even found the strength to laugh at him, the terror being buried deep inside.
The screen immediately went dark and David guessed that Dimock was doing just that. Asking his captive in his most unpleasant way about what he’d done. And he knew that Trellin would start denying everything as hard and fast as he could. But what Trellin didn’t know was that Dimock would quickly spot a lie even in an alien, and from there the truth would flow along with his green blood. Once Dimock had the partial truth out of him, and David was guessing that Trellin himself didn’t know about the position of his people in the community so wouldn’t be able to deny it, he would have no choice but to accept the rest. Then he would believe his hostage was worthless as such. But it would all take time. Time he had to make use of.
“What are you doing?” He turned to face Lar and tell him what he would never want to hear. He looked if anything, even more worried than before.
“Exactly what I have to do.” He could have explained his actions to him then, but David’s mind was racing as he thought through what would likely follow. What Dimock would do, and how he would have to fight him. The arguments would flow from Lar like water the moment David told him his plan. The Leinians would never accept it, but it had to be done.
Instead of answering he ordered the captain to contact the Earth, specifically the United Nations, and open a dialogue with his world. After that he had to identify himself formally to the Secretary General. Not something he had ever even thought about doing but essential. He needed their support for what was to follow. And more importantly, they needed to know there was a plan in place. They needed to keep their people from killing themselves in their panic.
Five minutes later a herd of world leaders’ faces appeared on the bridge's front screen, as the Leinians accepted incoming broadcasts from them. Naturally David understood, the rest of the world was also watching. A thousand TV stations tuning into those same broadcasts. He just hoped Dimock hadn’t thought to tune in. But in all probability he was busy with his hostage. Torturing and maiming him in a desperate attempt to reclaim his sense of power as well as gain information. In any case the Leinians claimed that they were blocking those signals if he tried to listen in, just as he’d asked them to.
First David made the Leinians broadcast to them everything that had just occurred between him and Dimock, and then David gave them a brief potted history of who Dimock was and why he was on an alien space ship threatening global annihilation. And all the while he was trying to put flesh on the bones of his plan.
Finally it was time as the Leinians had finished doing everything he’d asked, and David knew he had to explain his plan. Mainly because Lar asked him once more what he was doing.
“I’m attacking his mind. Breaking him. Making him run around in fear and panic until he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s weak now, physically limited and in an environment he doesn’t understand no matter how much he pretends to. That’s bad enough for him, and I’m going to play on it until he doesn’t know up from down. Then, when everything’
s in the most chaos, I’m going to give him the thing he wants more than anything else in the entire universe; me. Then I’m going to kill him. It will be our last and probably our only chance before he starts destroying whole worlds with his new weapons.”
“But we -” Already David could see the decency of the Leinian nature coming back to the fore. Even now, with the potential loss of an entire world laid at his feet, he couldn’t envision the idea of trying to kill someone. Murder was beyond him.
“NO!” David gave in and grabbed Lar by the collar, yelling in his ear, letting his rage take hold. He controlled it but only just. He could imagine the entire world cringing as he did it but there was no choice. Passion would have to overpower logic. Finally they would have to do what was right.
“We kill him! No ifs, no buts, no maybes. We kill him. I kill him. There is no other option and this is the only opportunity we’re ever going to get. The last chance. He has to die. If even an atom of Dimock survives he will return. As he always does. And he won’t be so weak any more. He’ll know what he’s doing, he’ll control his ship and its weapons effectively, and countless people will die, and you will live with that same guilt till the day you die. The understanding that if only you’d done your job properly, they’d still be alive.” David wasn’t even sure if he was talking to Lar or himself.
“It will be the same nightmare that I’ve lived with all these years. I will not let him escape again!” He took a few deep calming breaths before carrying on. He even released Lar’s collar, and patted him down a bit.
“In any case it's not your decision. Be grateful because if it was, you would let him escape again. You can’t help it. You don’t understand the man, and you probably never will. Be very grateful for that. But understand this much. I will not let him live! If Dimock escapes now with that ship he will gather his resources and try again. If he destroys a city or ten he won’t stop there. He will keep going. Even if and when he destroys the entire Earth, he won’t stop.”
“If by some miracle you capture him, imprison him, exile him, the same thing will happen again. Someone else will rescue him, and they will suffer and die for their sins, as will thousands or millions of innocents as Dimock is unleashed on an unprepared universe. Every single time.”
“He is a psycho and unfortunately the universe seems to like him. His only joy is in killing, rape and torture. He loves it. He lives for it. He can’t help himself and he wouldn’t want to if he could. He has to kill. He has to hurt people, terrify and break them. He has to crush them. Make them worship him. Destroy them, eat them. That is his life. And now, you’ve let him live and the Mentan has given him weapons even more powerful than before. He will use them. Again and again and again. He will not stop. And once he’s finished with the Earth, once it’s a radioactive ball of dust, he’ll find other worlds to attack. Any other world. They may even be your worlds. Your families, your children; all will pay the cost of your principles.”
“But –“
“No buts. He’s insane. But he’s brilliant with it, and utterly determined, and somehow with Satan in his hip pocket the universe does exactly what he wants. He will not give in, he will not stop, and you cannot hold him prisoner. Get used to it. If Dimock lives, sooner or later all of our people will die, and a lot of others with them.”
“We cannot -” Finally the truth and David was actually relieved to hear it.
“No. You cannot And I understand that. But I can and I will. This is not your decision, it's mine. I am Major Hill, late of the US military. I’m temporarily reactivating myself as an agent of both the CIA and the DOD. And I am taking command of the situation. This is our crisis first. Our mess. We created it, you and the Mentan made it a thousand times worse, and now I am going to clean it up. Permanently.”
“Your job, since we’re in Earth space, is to support me as I clean up the mess you’ve helped us make. I will tell you what I need and you will provide it.” He might be a technologically illiterate human barbarian on a Leinian spaceship, but David knew one thing better than any of them. That was how to take control. Untold years in the army had taught him when and how to do just that.
“But -”
David didn’t allow him any more than the first syllable of his objection. He already knew what it was going to be and what had to be done.
“No!” He practically bellowed it at him. “We have done it your way once. It was an unmitigated disaster as it has been every other time. Exactly as I told you it would be. Now we do it right. I do this. You do as I say. There will be no discussion in this matter. I will not allow this screaming madman to destroy my world, aided by your own foolish inaction. We have tried it your way. It failed. Exactly as I repeatedly warned you it would, and as you repeatedly told me was impossible. Now my world is at terrible risk, in part because you failed to allow me to do my job. And if I fail now, my world will die and yours will follow, and then many others. No longer will I allow you to make the decisions in this matter.”
“This is Earth space, and I am the highest ranking officer in the world at present aboard this ship. This is my job, my responsibility, and you will answer to me.” Despite the fact that he was almost shouting at him, in fact he wasn’t really angry at Lar or any of the others. He was just desperate, determined to do what had to be done, and to take the decision out of their hands. And the guilt. If they couldn’t make the decision, they couldn’t be responsible for it.
It must have been enough as he saw Lar nod ever so slightly to him. Accepting his argument, or more correctly, his own lack of a plan that might save the world.
“Now, I will need these things, and fast.”
Chapter Thirty Five
David followed the lights down the corridor to the main room of the science vessel and then stepped through the doorway after the door slid silently open. Inside it was more or less what he'd imagined. One spaceship it seemed was pretty much like another. Steel walls, steel corridors and occasional view screens. His destination was the same.
A single large round room, filled with displays on the walls, and a few steel work benches underneath. There were a couple more benches ringing the room, perhaps the equivalent of a kitchen bench and maybe science stations. And there was even what might have been a pair of easy chairs for a coffee table shaped alien. It was a small science vessel, and the main room had to be everything for the scientist calling it home. But his eyes didn't spend long on the room. Not when his enemy was finally right in front of him. Dressed for war as well.
“So, a little overdressed for the occasion aren’t we? After all you are just being arrested.”
Actually David couldn’t believe what he was looking at when he first set eyes on Dimock. The man had gone over the top in his choice of armour, which not only covered every millimetre of his body in shiny metal but also sprouted weapons like porcupine quills if the gun barrels were anything to go by. In fact it looked like he was wearing a small titanium battleship with only his face showing through the transparent visor, and he had to weigh in at the best part of four hundred pounds, maybe more. Goodness only knew how powerful the servos in the suit were to let him move. Of course he slowly realised, over the top was always Dimock’s aesthetic, and now that he no longer had his genetically boosted strength, he was probably feeling vulnerable and so even more desperate for power.
Where had he even dug up such a suit? Though of course he quickly realised he hadn’t; his prisoner had built it for him, no doubt under terrible duress. But none of that mattered as he knew his enemy’s metal mountain of a suit was soon to become a trap and after that if he was truly blessed, a coffin.
“Oh I feel quite comfortable actually.” Dimock laughed, not as confident perhaps as he pretended, but still sure he was in control, sure he was going to be able to kill David in a few seconds. It was why he hadn't shot him already. That David silently promised himself, was going to be his last mistake as he toggled the first switch and waited.
“So, I take it you’ve d
ecided against surrendering.” Of course he had. David knew that Dimock had never intended to surrender from the very start. It just wasn’t in his nature. What he’d wanted, all he’d wanted, was to get David across to him so he could kill him again. It was a trap, or actually a trap within a trap.