by Rob Buckman
"For what General?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. Let's get the hell out of here before I do something I might regret. With a puzzled look at Kat, she motioned her team to spread out and followed the General.
"Don't look at me, I'm just the bus driver.” She commented with a shrug.
"Point!” Janet called and two troopers took off out front. The remainder of the escort formed a loose parameter around the General. Janet looked over her shoulder at Kat, then at Scott. 'Now what's the General pissed off about?’ She muttered to herself. Kat watched them walk towards a small village in the distance, and shook her head.
"Damn! That man infuriates me."
"Who are you referring to Katharina, I do not detect any male presents at this time?” The soft voice of Lady Jane asked.
"That man over there, General Scott fucking Drake!” She exclaimed.
"I was not aware that one of the General's middle name was also a swear word, could you explain why his parents would give him a name like that?"
"Lady Jane, sometimes you are a bit dumb, but what can I expect from a computer program."
"Yes, Katharina, but could you explain..."
"He doesn’t have that word as a middle name,” She said in exasperation, “I was just swearing at him, and before you say he is out of range to hear me, that's the point! He can't hear me, thank God." She was upset, but couldn't, or wouldn’t put her finger on why.
"You are angry at this person, General Scott Drake?"
"Afraid is more like it." She felt as if a cold wind had just brushed passed her and she shivered.
"I don't understand, please explain?"
"Love and hate Lady Jane, love and hate.” She sighed. It took a moment for the computer to answer that one.
"From what I can find on the subject, those two emotions are mutually exclusive."
"Oh no they aren't, you can either love to hate someone, or hate to love them.”
"I think I begin to understand, you hate this person General Scott Drake, yes?"
"Yes! No,” she exclaimed, “I'd just hate to fall in love with him, that’s all.”
“Could you explain why, my Captain?” A mouse of irritation crossed her flushed face.
“Because the stupid, inconsiderate bastard is probably going to get himself and everyone else killed doing something very brave and noble and completely idiotic.” She said, her voice trembling with emotion. "And if you think love and hate are confusing, try and work that one out.”
She snapped, walking away from the aircraft, afraid Lady Jane would ask her another awkward question she didn’t want to answer. She only had herself to blame; she’d programmed the crystal block to find the answer to awkward questions. She just didn’t like answering them. She escaped by walking over to chat with other pilots and tried to get that man out of her mind and cool down.
* * * * * *
"Can I help you stranger?” A soft female voice asked from some nearby bushes. The Japanese was different, but understandable to Scott.
"Yes, I am looking for the lord, or leader of the village near here, can you help me?" Scott and his escort looked around for the source of the voice, but couldn't see the person who spoke.
"It would be wise young sir, for you and your men to get back on your aircraft and get away from this land, you will not be welcome here."
"I have come to find a man by the name of Hira Yamaguchi, he is supposed to live around here, so would you lead me or direct me to where I might find him, please.” He tried to use all the courtesies as he could, hoping he'd got his Japanese pronunciation right.
"Your words are strange, but understandable, and I thank you for the courtesy you have shown. It is most unusual to find a round eye that can speak our language correctly." An old woman stepped away from a hereby tree and Scott spotted her. Janet didn't look very pleased that she hadn't spotted her earlier, as now she was inside the defense perimeter.
"Can you tell me, or show me where this person is?"
"No.” Came the blunt reply.
"Why not?” He asked, irritated.
"Because you would be killed the moment you stepped into the village." That was a good enough reason for him to go there. It's also surprising to hear her say kill, and understand the meaning. This woman didn’t have any trouble using the word kill, or the thoughts behind such an action. That told Scott a lot.
"Well, thank you for your warning.” He said, bowing to the old woman, trying to think of his next move. The direction said that the person he was looking for lived in a villa near the village. He looked in the opposite direction, seeing a footpath run up the hillside and vanish along the cliffs.
CHAPTER FOUR: New beginnings
The old woman looked at this strange foreigner, gently shaking her head. Was this what had distracted her from her morning meditation? A big ungainly looking round eye who didn't know where he was going, or why he was here?
"It's a wonder he managed to stay alive to reach the young age he has." She murmured to herself. Two hours ago her morning meditation was interrupted by thoughts of anticipation, and it was so distracting that she had to stop.
She examined this unusual feeling, seeking its source. The calendar told her little, nor did the Joss sticks, yet both pointed to an event without specifying what. Sea, morning sky, and seagulls were indicated, as was old clay and spring, but she had no idea what they meant. The only interpretation of these indicators was that something old and renewed was about to arrive from over the sea, but if this was it, she was disappointed. On the other hand, she couldn't ignore the fact that this person was the only unusual occurrence to happen this morning, so this must be what was expected. So what to do with it? If she let him walk up to the village, he would be dead in less than an hour and the responsibility would be hers.
* * * * * *
"Come.” She said at last, and turning led the way up a hidden path towards the crest of the hill. Janet pointed up the hill, and the two on point took off. Scott followed, seeing carefully concealed steps cut in the hillside and without the old woman he doubted the he would have noticed them. They climbed steadily, but no matter how fast he or the point men climbed, they couldn't catch up with her. Each time he drew near, she would vanish around a sharp bend, or behind a bush, and the next time he saw her, she would be a hundred feet further up the hill than before. That was odd, so on two occasions he deliberately speeded up unexpectedly at steep points, trying to reach a rock or tree ahead of the old woman. He couldn't do it, as each time she'd appeared to vanish and reappear up ahead. What pissed him off the most was the old woman insistent they hurry, or faster, faster, climb, climb faster.
"Any idea how she’s doing that Janet?” He asked, puffing slightly.
"No, sir, I haven't a clue how she is managing to stay ahead of us." Even his massive endurance was taxed to the limit and he was puffing for breath when they crested the hill.
By this time, the old woman was already two hundred yards away, motioning them to hurry up and follow. She kept up the pace for half an hour until they climbed another small hill and entered a shallow valley. It wasn't very long, no more than half a mile before the valley floor lifted up steeply behind a group of buildings in the distance, the old woman heading directly for them. As they neared it became apparent they were heading towards some sort of estate, or temple complex. Even before they reached it, the old woman vanished through the gate, and by the time Scott and the other reached it she was nowhere to be seen. A young man met him at the gate and motioned him to follow, leading him through gardens and courtyards to a garden patio inside a large building. He stopped, pointing to the center of the open patio, and Scott saw the old woman sitting on a cushion sipping something from a tall glass. He walked over, dropping his pack near a bench before walking over.
"Why have you come?” Was the first question she asked?
"Because you asked me to, honorable one.” He said, bowing. A mouse of displeasure passed across the old woman’s face.
"Why have you come to this land, stupid one?” She snapped. Scott looked at her for a moment, deciding which way to jump. He could either take the polite approach, as he'd been doing for the past few minutes, or.
"Screw you old woman!” He said, turning and walking back to his pack prepared to leave.
"Rude aren't you?"
"So are you."
"You will stay!” It wasn't a request or an order, just a statement of fact as far as she was concerned.
"Try and stop me leaving… if you can.” Picking up his pack, he started to swing it over his shoulder when a young man charged at him from behind a screen of bushes. Scott kept the pack swinging and it slammed into the man with sufficient force to knock him off his feet.
Even as the pack connected, another one came at him from a different direction. This one came in on a straight-line attack; his clenched fist aimed at the center of Scott’s chest. It connected, and although he felt the force it wasn't a very hard blow, so he simply grabbed the wrist with his left hand, turned and slammed his right elbow into the man's side. Stumbling sideways, he fell to the ground with a moan, holding his broken ribs. The next one came flying through the air at him, and he simply ducked, seeing him fly over his head. A quick look around told him the rest of the team were having their own troubles, so he concentrated on his. On landing the man rolled, absorbing the impact and shot back to his feet. He turned and took up an attack position, his arms in a classic Karate stance. Scott smiled, and without him even having to think about it, his body went into a defense posture, feet spread legs apart and arms held loosely at his side. In his peripheral vision he saw the first man setting himself for an attack as well, and expected a two-prong assault, but it never came. Before either of them could move, the old woman clapped her hands. The two young men relaxed, bowed, and picking up the one he'd hit and vanished with him towards the house. Turning quickly, he saw the other attacker also vanishing.
"What the hell was that all about?” Janet yelled, picking up her rifle. She hadn't even had time to get it into action before they hit her.
"As I said, you're welcome to try and stop me leaving.” Scott commented as he picked up his pack again.
"Where did you learn to defend yourself in the ways of Aikido?” The old woman asked.
"Not defense, attack. That is always the best defense."
"And where did you learn that!"
"Sun Tzu, you might have heard of him."
"I am familiar with his words. What was his observation on the subject of fear?"
"The only thing to fear is fear itself.” He paraphrased, seeing the old woman nod.
"This is true, and I apologize for your treatment.” She said, bowing her head. "I asked that you not leave, and honor me by staying in my house."
"What changed your mind, the fact that I could fight?” He asked.
"Partly, but the attack was only a test to see if you had the ability, as I have found that none who come here from the mainland do."
"You speak the truth old one."
"So how is it that you do?"
"Because I am not of the people who live there.” He didn't want to tell the old woman the truth just yet, but on the other hand he didn't want to lie either.
"It will be meal time soon, you will eat with me?” She asked. Scott suddenly relaxed, not realizing that his body was still keyed to fight.
"I would be honored."
"Thank you, my name is Hira Yamaguchi and you are welcome to my house.” It was a shock, he hadn't thought the person he was looking for was a woman, not with the way they treated them.
"So why have to come to see an old woman?” Hira asked after the dishes had been cleared away. Scott looked at with new eyes, seeing the great beauty she must have been in her youth beneath the wrinkles and age.
"Because you are the leading archeologist in modern history."
"I am also a woman, and discredited, therefore my words have no value." The old lady bowed slightly in a submissive manner. Scott was betting she was as deadly as she was beautiful, imagining what happened to any man of this age who attempted to do anything untoward to her.
"What do you know about the period of the twentieth and twenty first century?"
"What do you know?" She shot back.
"Are you sure you are not Jewish?"
"Jewish!” She laughed, carefully covering her mouth as she did. "Something tells me you know more about that period than I do."
"Would it surprise you, and would you believe me if I told you that this group, including myself are from that time?"
"What year were you born?” She asked, her bright eyes searching his face.
"On January 25, 1961, in London England. My parents were American, and my father was stationed at the US Embassy there.” He said, anticipating her next question.
"You say your name is Drake, what is your full name, and explain where it comes from?” Scott had to chuckle himself.
“My full name is Horatio, Morgan, Scott Drake.” He laughed.
“The first comes from Horatio Nelson, a British Admiral, the second comes from Henry Morgan, a Privateer, the third from and Antarctic explorer, and the last, my family name from an Elizabethan sea Captain by the name Sir Francis Drake.”
“Go on.”
“That was my father's name and his family originally came from Plymouth in the county of Devon, in England."
"Stop!” She said, holding up her hand. "This you could have remembered this from some old record. Where were you on the night of July Eighteen 2012, and tell me what you were doing?” Old clay and spring, now it made sense. He was old, yet he was also young, reborn into this world.
That was a hard one, and for a moment, Scott had to think. 2012 was not a year he would forget in a hurry, but July Eighteenth? Then he remembered, but before he could speak, Janet answered instead.
"On the night of July Eighteenth, 2012 I was kneeling in the rubble of a City called Tehran with my brother in my arms. He was dying, and there was nothing I, or anyone else could do to save him.” Janet looked down at the floor as memories flooded back.
“At the time, we had just finished kicking the shit out of the assholes that ordered the detonation nuclear weapons in four major US Cities.” Janet answered in a soft voice. Scott hadn’t known that about Janet, and he nodded, knowing he had another debt to pay.
"Enough, you are who you say you are.” A tear ran down the old woman’s face. "What is it that I can give you General Drake." He waited a moment, wondering if this was what Pandora felt like just before she opened the box. The fact she’d used his rank told him that she knew one hell of a lot about the twenty and twenty first Century.
"Do you have any records, files from that period?"
"I have them all.” She whispered.
"Pardon?” He said, thinking he hadn't heard her right.
"What you seek is here, all of it."
"You say that as if you know why we are here?"
"I can guess. The aliens come and take the children, and you wish to stop and avenge this act."
"That's about it in a nut shell.” He said, nodding his head.
“And these stupid people have no weapons, and no knowledge of how to use them, even if they did, and you need weapons?”
“Yes and no, we need the old research material as a base to build the weapons we need.
"I understand, and what of manpower?"
"That is another question. At the moment there are only five hundred of us trained to fight, and it’s not enough."
"Would five thousand more be sufficient.” She asked.
"Five thousand! Yes! That would be a God sent, but where..."
"There are five thousand men and woman here who would join you, if!” She paused, holding up her forefinger, “you can promise their safety." Scott blew out his cheeks, trying to understand what she was asking, and what she was offering.
"Ma'am, I can promise that no one on this planet will touch them, but I can't promise th
at I will not get them all killed. In War that is the nature of the beast.” There was no other way to say it. “Of the ten thousand Marines from the fourth battalion I took with me across that border, only three hundred and eighty four returned.” He answered softly. The old woman nodded in understanding.
"I ask not that you protect them in the War, for that is governed by fate. Only from the stupidity of the people of this World. The ones who will go with you are all Samurai, and they understand this."
"That I can promise. The President of the World Council had given us New Zealand as our place to live and we will say how people are treated there."
"And what after this War?"