by Drew Avera
"Yeah, well at least it will be. Laurel wants to meet me after dinner," I said.
"That's great, but I was more asking about your encounter with Sorell."
"Well that's another matter entirely. He came with policemen to guard him."
"I can see that," she said. "The problem is that now he knows that we are here," her voice carried the weight of concern.
"It will be alright. You have enough skill at firing your gauntlet that I'm not concerned. Besides I’ll still be here to protect you," I said. "Let's get out of here though."
Kara followed me down the passageway away from the galley and we headed back to our stateroom. We both needed to get some sleep and both of our gauntlets needed to be charged. This was an afterthought though because tonight I would have an opportunity to be with Laurel for the fire time in five years. Just the idea of seeing her reminded me of the emotions that had been returning to me recently, and I could feel my heart race at the thought of seeing her again tonight.
Chapter 31
I followed Kara up the ladder that led to the cargo bay. I was torn between my recent experience of seeing Laurel after five years and then bumping into Sorell. I could feel the tension behind his maniacal smile and unsettling laughter. He was a plotting man, one who was always wanting to be a few steps ahead of his enemy. As strange as it sounds, I could see similarities between us. I have a personal philosophy, always stay six steps ahead of your enemy.
The cargo bay was full of people carrying on about their normal routine. More shops had been set up in the hopes of continuing business as usual for many people. Based on the look of things, we were essentially a city moving through space. I stopped in the middle of a group of people and looked back at Kara.
"Is there anything that you would like to do?" I asked.
"I guess we can walk around the shops to kill a little time," she said. "Do you want to split up and meet back here in an hour?"
"I don't know if that's a good idea," I said.
"Relax, Serus, I'm armed and ready," she lifted her gauntlet to show me.
"Alright, but seriously, I want us to meet back at this spot in one hour."
Kara spit her tongue out at me as she trotted off. I was amazed at how confident she had become in just over a week. I was happy for her though, she seemed to feel like she had a purpose, and the stress of what she had been through had given her the determination to fight instead of falling into submission.
I walked to take a look at what some of the shops had to offer. There was everything from clothing, electronics, and furniture to make the staterooms a little more homey. I was looking at a mobile reader at one of the Booths when I felt two hands wrap around my arms. I hadn't been paying attention and now two policemen had me by surprise.
"Serus, we need you to come with us," one on the men said. I allowed them to lead me away from the cargo bay without saying anything at all. We went down a ladder near the passageway where I had trained Kara earlier. The lights were dimmed, but I could make out the image of a few other people at the other end of the passageway.
The two men stopped about twenty feet away from the other group of people and then Sorell stepped into the light. He wore a smug look on his face, the kind of look that insinuated that he had won some great battle over me.
"It seems that we keep bumping into each other," Sorell said with another chuckle.
"It would appear that way I guess. What do you want?" I asked.
"Oh, that's a simple thing really. You see, I have an issue with someone who is focused on killing members of my Syndicate. It makes me feel uncomfortable, like maybe that person is going to take a stab at me." He looked at me warily when he said those words. "I suppose it could just be my imagination, but I really do get the feeling that you don't like me," he said.
"That's funny. I get the same feeling from you," I said.
Sorell laughed hard and began pacing in a small circle in front of me. "Do you know why insurance is the most powerful business on our society, Sorell?"
"No, I don't."
"It's because those who have insurance feel protected, those who don't have insurance feel helpless, and those who own the insurance companies can control them all. You see if you don't have insurance then we can have our doctors flat out refuse to help you, and it would be completely legal for them to deny you. On the other hand, if you do have insurance, but the cost of treatment is too great, then we can have you denied just the same. It really isn't about the money, but the power. No one wants to die so they buy your insurance feeling confident that they will be taken care of, then all of a sudden we just pull the rug out from under them." He laughed again and it was making me sick.
"What's the point to your story, Sorell?"
"The point is, the electro-magnetic field is dying because we found that it would be profitable."
"Are you kidding me? Millions of people are about to die for some kind of profit?" I was shouting the words at him.
"Yes." He paced in front of me and shrugged his shoulders like the death of millions did not concern him. "You see, our society was about as close to a utopia as you could get, but the profit to be gained from our people was too low. People were living longer and costing us more. Technology that was so great one hundred years ago was becoming a burden to our pockets. We tried population control, but the benefits were not there like they had been historically. We needed another exodus, we needed an out. The last expedition to Earth showed that the Earth humans were savages. They had destroyed each other in the name of religion, or class, or the color of their skin. If we go there and set up a new government then we will be like gods to them. And I, being the leader of the Syndicate, am ready to be there god."
"You are a lunatic," I said.
"Quite so," he laughed at me and snapped his fingers. Two of the policemen stepped out of their ranks and walked through a hatch behind them. "The other thing that I love about the insurance business is how it can be used as a metaphor for any given situation. Say I have a lot of food, then I have an insurance policy to keep from starving to death. Or if I have a blanket then I have an insurance policy to keep from being cold. Are you beginning to catch my drift?"
"Yeah I think I am. So you think by catching me then you have an insurance policy to keep me from killing you?" I said.
Sorell laughed again his wicked laugh. "So close to the truth, yet so far away." He turned to the men as they were walking through the hatch with a third person. "No, Serus, my insurance policy is not that I caught you, it's that I caught your old fiancee," he said as he pointed to Laurel. "And one false move on your part will insure that I kill you both."
Chapter 32
"Laurel?" I couldn't believe that Sorell had found the link between Laurel and I. Two policemen were holding her by the arms and I could tell that she had been crying, it made me think about Kara and when she had been abducted.
"So I believe we have an understanding then?" Sorell said.
"If you let her go then I will not kill you," I said. Sorell laughed at my words and stepped up to me with his smile drawn into a sneer. He back handed me across my face, a move that I didn't see coming.
"That is not what this is about." Sorell screamed the words at me. "I am not afraid of you, Serus. I just don’t appreciate the fact that you feel that you can have power over me." He punched me in the stomach so hard that I was sure that he had fractured one of my ribs. I heard Laurel scream, but it was a muted sound because of the ringing in my ears. I felt like I was underwater and being held down by my arms.
"During your training you are taught that you are nothing. Do you remember your training?"
"Yes," I said between gasps, I was certain of the fractured rib now.
"Yet you think that a person who is nothing, who has nothing, can stand up against the Syndicate?" He hit me again in the face. My vision was blurry, but I could see Laurel break free and run away. I tried to call out to her, but I was having trouble collecting my thoughts, maybe I had
a concussion. My words came out in soft mumbles that even I couldn't understand.
"Sir, what about the woman?" I could hear one of the men ask as the blood rush to my head settled down.
"Let her go," Sorell said. "We can find her later, after we kill Serus and his sister."
He's going after Kara too? I eyed him and realized that this would never be over. He didn't want me to surrender my cause, he wanted me dead and out of the way. If I died then Kara and Laurel will be killed too. By standing here and taking this punishment I was only conceding to his demands and enabling him to kill us all. I had to fight back.
I steadied myself, ensuring that I had good footing for what I was about to do. Once my feet were planted I put everything I had into flinging the men who were holding me together. I only succeeded in throwing the man to my right down onto the ground. I was weaker than I had thought. The man on my left went to grab me but I reflexively threw my fist into his nose, blood splattered in a high arc over his head.
"One of you men take control of this man." Sorell shouted. The policemen in the back started towards me, but my hands were already free and my gauntlet was armed. I fired at one of them and they fell over dead from a shot to the neck that seemed to have disintegrated the bones in his neck. I fired another wild shot narrowly missing the next man who tackled me. I struggled under his weight, but he was strong. He pinned my arms down so that I could not fire at him.
Another of the policemen came up on my right side. I looked over and could see that his leg was in my line of sight so I fired my gauntlet and relieved him of his left leg. The man howled in pain and fell over, going into shock immediately. The larger man who was on top of me struggled to keep me pinned down. I was thrashing against his restraint and trying hard to break free. The first man that I had knocked down came up and pinned my right arm down and secured my gauntlet. I still struggled to fight them off, but it was useless. I had succeeded in killing one of them and knocking two more of them out of the fight. There was still three more policemen and Sorell to go up against, but my hope was quickly fading, as was my strength.
"Very we'll played, Serus," Sorell said with a smirk. He was delighted by my show of force regardless of the outcome. "You are so very passionate aren't you? You obviously can see through the charade and know that I'm going to kill you. Before this moment I was perplexed at how to do it, but now that you have killed one of my policemen it only stands to reason that he will need to be replaced." Sorell smiled a toothy grin again.
"What, do you think I'm going to work for you now?" I spit the question out of my mouth and noticed the taste of blood on my tongue. It must have happened when I was tackled before.
"No I don't expect you to live passed the next minute or so, but your gauntlet will make a nice addition to my already indomitable power. Wouldn't you agree?"
I watched Sorell come up and unlock my gauntlet from around my wrist. I could feel the sensors pull out of my skin, but the discomfort of that moment was nothing compared to the dread that I felt. After he killed me then he will go after the ones that I love, Kara and Laurel. Sorell tossed the gauntlet in the air a few times playing with it.
"Get on with it," I said defiantly.
"Oh, I will. Don't you worry about that," he said. Sorell clasped the gauntlet around his wrist and made an awkward facial expression as the sensors dug into his skin. Once the sensation passed he was back to his normal, maniacal self. He turned the control on and took aim at a point on the wall behind him and fired. "This is an excellent weapon. I can see why the Agency has its people use them. It's so easy to fire."
I looked at Sorell and still tried to fight against the men who were holding me. Sorell smiled at me again and adjusted the control to a lower setting. He fired the gauntlet at my neck and I could feel the burning sensation as the laser impacted my flesh. I grimaced at the pain, but I refused to cry out. His smile was only getting wider as I eyed him the entire time that he fired upon me.
"This is great fun," Sorell said as he brought the gauntlet down and adjusted the control again. "But fun time is over. I think now is time to finish this." He brought the gauntlet back up and I fought to keep my eyes open as a blue laser beam tore through Sorell's chest. I had to blink and refocus on Sorell as his body fell over limply. Did I just imagine this? The large policeman on my left turned around and then fell backwards with a hole in his head.
Realization struck at that moment that I was being rescued. The policeman who had been beside Sorell ran up to stop the intruder, but I put every ounce of my body weight behind my shoulder as I sent it into his stomach, stopping him instantly. I jumped onto him and began striking him in the head with everything that I had. Blood pooled onto the floor from his cracked skull that was caused by my assault. I could see the last policeman fall to the floor dead beside me as I continued wailing into the other mans face. I was in a dark place of hatred and contempt and I could feel myself falling away from reality, away from my humanity.
"Serus!" I could hear her scream my name. Kara had come to save me, but I was beyond saving now. Each punch that I delivered to the mush that was once a persons head reminded me that I was too far gone. "Serus, stop!" It's too late, I can't stop.
"Serus, please?" This voice was different. It wasn't Kara this time. Was I missing something? Laurel! I turned to see the horrified look on her face at what I had done, what I had to do to survive.
"Laurel," I said feeling powerless. She would never understand what had happened. She would just look at me like I was a monster for killing this man with my bare hands.
"Serus," she said as she wrapped her arms around me, unafraid of what I was and what I had done. I put my arms around her and held her close. Kara walked around the passageway and killed the two policemen who were still breathing.
"You can't be too careful," she said as she looked at me. I nodded my agreement with her as I stroked Laurel's hair with my hand. Kara disappeared behind me and I could hear a metallic clicking sound before she returned to my field of sight. She was holding my gauntlet in her hand. "I think it would be a good idea for us to get out of here," she said.
"I agree," I took Laurel's hand and followed Kara back up into the cargo bay, back up to a life that would be less dangerous, at least for a time. For now I had the two women that I loved most by my side, Kara and Laurel. That was more important to me than surviving my run in with Sorell.
Chapter 33
Kara and Laurel led me up to the medical unit which was down the passageway from the galley. My fractured rib was very painful and it made it hard for me to breathe. Each step was more laboring than the last and I could feel my adrenaline dying down. I was on my own power now, no fear or life changing event to fuel me on to the next step and it hurt like hell.
"Are you alright, Serus? You seem to be weakening," Laurel said to me as she gripped my hand in hers.
"I've been better, but I've also been worse," I replied hoping that it would ease her concern.
Kara was leading us and having the pedestrians move out of the way so that we could get to the medical unit without delay. I appreciated her concern, but I felt that it was a little too much given the circumstances. At least that was my thought until I coughed up blood. It was a hard hacking cough and my hand came away with thick blood smeared across it.
"Oh no, Kara!" Laurel yelled out. "He's coughing up blood. We need to hurry."
I looked down at my hand and ran my thumb over my blood stained fingers. I was mesmerized by how it felt sticky and I could create a swirling pattern with it. Kara fell back and helped Laurel carry me because my legs were becoming weak and useless. That was the last thing that I remembered before everything went black.
I was standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the water below. The waves broke against the rocks and created a salty foam that looked like it was inviting me to dive in. There were aromas that I was not used to smelling beyond the salty water. I looked around at flowers that I had never seen before. They reflected the
sunlight and were beautiful. I looked up at the sun and noticed that it looked bigger and brighter than I had ever seen it before. I reached my hand out hoping to touch it because it seemed so close.
It was a silly thought that I could hold the sun in my hand, but I tried again anyway. I was in a kind of utopia, but I could not remember how I had gotten here. The image of everything around me fluttered for a moment. The sun and sky became a dark room with a single bright light shining down on my face, then I was back in my utopia. I shook my head trying to rid myself of the vision, but it happened again. I reached down and fell upon the rocks below trying to anchor myself to my utopia.
I closed my eye, but all I could see was that dark room with the single bright light shining on me again. I opened my eyes but my vision fluttered again, the dark room was pulling me away, stripping me of everything that I so desperately wanted to cling to. I struggled to hold on as I watched the rocks and trees blink out of existence. My feet were lifted as I held onto the large cliff with everything that I had, and then it was all gone. I was in a sea of darkness and I floated there alone. I was amazed by how the silence and the warmth were comforting and within moments I fell asleep.
It started as a little beep that chirped every other second. They were only a slight irritation at first as I nuzzled back into the comforting darkness. Now it seemed that the beeps were trying to annoy me. I fought to maintain my composure, unwilling to move out of the darkness that I loved so much. I honestly tried to ignore it, but the beeping became too much. I lashed out of the darkness and I opened m eyes for the first time in what must have been several days.
I looked around to see a well lit hospital room. The beeping was from the machine that was pumping oxygen into my lungs. I was stiff all over as I looked around the room. There was the bed, a table , a media device mounted to the wall, and a couch in the corner with someone laying on it.
"Kara?" I said without realizing it. She didn't move so I said her name again. "Kara?" She looked up at me and pulled her long dark hair out of her face. She had been sleeping for a while based on the redness on the side of her face from the cushion on the couch.