The Last Spartan 1: Different Paths

by A. E. McCullough

  Iaido held his side with his right hand, doing his best to stem the tide of blood. As reverently as possible, he laid the Blade of the Elements in front of him. “Really? Look around. Go on, take a good look around.”

  Suspecting a trick, Hector took an involuntary step backward and panned his gaze around the room. The General was still alive and hunkering down behind his brother’s energy shield. His bug pet was standing nearby guarding him. The heavily armored Marine was beginning to move again. It seems that HAVOC –V suits were extremely tough and now a whole squadron of SWAT officers in full TacArmor were pouring in through the busted doorway.

  “You are outnumbered and alone. Omega’s true strength was never in our bodies or our weapons, it was in our unit. Together we were unbeatable, separate we were weak. Come…take my hand. Come back to the light. Come, be a part of Omega once again.”

  One very small part of Hector heard and understood what his brother was saying and offering. But it was so small that the darkness that he’d become flexed once and it was gone.

  Giving his brother a sly grin, “You are right in the fact that you have the reinforcements but you forget…I am never alone. And your friends cannot save you now.”

  Taking a strong two-handed grip on the Blade of the Void, Hector raised the ancient katana high and began his death blow.

  Iaido didn’t flinch or cry out but just calmly said, “Now.”

  A crack from the Keres RG50 Sniper Rifle filled the room and a fist size hole appeared in Hector’s chest several inches above his heart. Bone and flesh sprayed the area but very little blood.

  Suddenly, there was a loud screech and it seemed as if the shadows of the room came alive and surrounded Hector. One second there was a bunch of swirling black mists and the next them, and Hector, were gone.

  Iaido tried to stand but found that his legs wouldn’t respond properly and fell face first on the rubble covered floor of the Rotunda.

  * * * * *

  Spike knew that there was something he should do but he was damned if he knew what it was. That was until he wrenched his eyes away from the countdown time to find the emerald orbs of Eve. Without a word, he held out his hand and the half-Sylvan climbed into his lap and buried her face into the side of his neck. With a heavy swallow he said, “Twenty seconds.”

  Muncy had lived up to his nickname by dropping his pliers twice in the last minute but he had broken into the primary case and was just waiting for the lieutenant’s word to cut the last wire. They had decided that it was best that they cut them both at the same time just in case there was a failsafe trigger which set off the other bomb.

  “El-tee? How’s it coming?”

  Kristopher slowly pulled free the timer from the case. According to the files they had downloaded from the CoreNet the timer would be attached to the fuse by a series of wires. If the correct wire was cut, the fuse became inert. If the wrong one was cut, it triggered the bomb. The basic diagram showed two different set ups; one with three wires and one with two wires. Pulling the timer out far enough that he could see Kristopher said, “Its out. I have only two wires, a black/white and a red/blue. Which do I cut?”

  Muncy shrugged but realized that the lieutenant wouldn’t be able to see that so he added, “I have no idea. The basic diagram I’m looking at doesn’t mention those colors.”

  Spike added, “Twelve seconds.”

  Kristopher looked at the wires and thought back. There was something about the black/white wire which tugged at his memories. Something about how the Major had always viewed the world, in black and white. According to him there were no shades of grey. Having nothing else to go on, Kristopher placed his snips around the black/white wire and said, “We cut on three.”

  Muncy nodded. “Roger. Wait…do we cut on three or do we count to three and then cut?”

  “Dammit Butterfingers! Cut the wire when I say three.”

  “Eight seconds...”

  “One…”

  “Seven…”

  “Two…”

  “Six…”

  Kristopher nearly shouted, “Three!”

  Both police officers cut their respective wires and held their breaths. Seconds passed….since they were still alive, they figured it worked and they let out their breaths.

  It was Ernspiker who spoke first, “Well El-tee, it looks like your hunch played out.”

  “Aye, that it did,” Kristopher said as he slowly backed his way out of the barrels. “Now get on the horn and get a HazMat crew and a wagon in here on the double.”

  “Roger that sir.” Handing the young girl to the lieutenant, Ernspiker and Muncy moved off to do their jobs.

  Pushing his R-Gun out of the way, Kristopher smiled. “Hiya Eve, do you remember me?”

  She nodded. “Yes. You’re Uncle Achilles’ friend.”

  Setting her down, Kristopher took her by the hand. “That’s right. Come on….lets go find him.”

  * * * * *

  In the aftermath of the battle it was discovered that News Anchor Jennifer Moody and Holo-recorder Ryan Puente had been broadcasting the whole time which was how the Coalition had known about the assassination attempt by the Galactic Marshals. It had given the three members of the High Council that hadn’t been able to attend the interrogation of Jagger Jax enough evidence to issue the Executive Order dissolving the charter of the Galactic Marshals. All throughout the Coalition, the Galactic Marshals were being detained.

  Of course, none of this was being broadcasted.

  To the general public, the story was that a group of pirates had impersonated the Galactic Marshals in an attempt to rescue their leader, the notorious bandit Jagger Jax. Anything else that might get leaked out was quickly stamped top secret and the only two civilians in the room were informed, in no small manner, of where they would end up if that happened.

  Chapter 37

  When Iaido woke up, he was in a hospital.

  It was an obvious deduction considering the number of tubes running into and out of his body. Seeing two fully armored SWAT guards standing outside his door, he double checked to make sure he wasn’t restrained somehow. Nope, no handcuffs but then, he wasn’t going anywhere fast at least not at the present time.

  Lifting his sheet, he probed his wound. There was a bandage over top it but he just ripped it off and grimaced with the pain. The slice had been deeper than he thought during the battle, of course that could be attributed to the adrenaline and endorphins running through his body. Soldiers have been known to call it a ‘combat high’ the condition where a person is so hyped up on the natural stimulants in the body that they keep going and going, long past where a normal man could. The problem is that once the ‘high’ wears off, the body tends to go into shock and many soldiers die.

  Looking around, he spied his friend Jay in the bed next to him. He had similar tubes running in and out of his body but Iaido could tell from the monitor that he was alive. His smile fled when he noticed the missing left hand. Once again, the Master Chief had literally given a part of him in defense of the country.

  Scanning the room, he noticed that a large bouquet of daisies on the counter next to the bed and a green leather bound book next to it. Even without reading the card, he knew it was from Athena. The daisies referred to a mission they had done together when he was forced to buy her some flowers as part of their cover story. Not knowing anything about flowers, he had grabbed the daisies and it had becoming a running joke between them.

  Reaching out slowly, he picked up the book and read the title, “The Complete Works of Mark Twain” in gold foil. Another gift from Athena.

  Hearing the two SWAT grunts come to attention, Iaido looked towards the door and was shocked to see the General walk into the room. Of course, he didn’t have his blades at hand so maybe he felt safe. Iaido managed a small smile when the old man stopped at the foot of his bed and moved no closer.

  “Well, well, you are still among the living I see.”

  Iaido nodded his head. “General.
”

  “I wonder if you will you ever call me by my right title?”

  “Probably not.”

  The President chuckled. “I would probably die of a heart attack if you ever did anyway.” The politician moved to the foot of the Master Chief’s bed and looked at the chart. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll make it also. He’ll probably be in here a bit longer than you; it’s a miracle that he isn’t dead but then, Omega boys were always hard to kill.”

  “Is that a compliment?”

  The President grinned. “Yes it was but I’m stalling.” Folding his hands in front of himself, his face became serious. “I just came by to say thank you for saving my life. It was unexpected after everything I put you through.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He swallowed hard. “Unfortunately, we have a slight problem.”

  Iaido raised one eyebrow.

  “Due to the circumstances surrounding your amazing duel with Hector, the Myrmidon program and my involvement has come to the attention of the media.”

  “So?”

  “So, the Myrmidon program was against the Constitution and several different treaties.”

  Slowly, Iaido forced himself up to a sitting position. “And? How does this affect me?”

  “Right now? Not at all but there is bound to be some fall out down the line somewhere. I have my spin doctors working on it but I would like you to leave Terra as soon as you are able.”

  “Are you banning me from my homeworld?”

  The President shook his head. “No…but it would be best if you are hard to reach for the near future if you understand what I mean.”

  Iaido did understand.

  This wasn’t the first time the media had gotten wind of the super soldier program and just like every other time; they would meld into the background and were soon forgotten.

  The President smiled and turned to leave when Iaido cleared his throat and the politician stopped. “Yes?”

  Holding up the leather bound book Iaido said, “Our business is not yet through.”

  The smile that was on the President’s face froze and lost any warmth it was supposed to have. “Ah yes…the bounty.” Reaching out, he took a hesitant step forward.

  Iaido contemplated killing him right there and then, it would’ve been so easy. The IV tube in his right arm had plenty of slack, one quick tug and a simple toss and he would have the General at his mercy.

  But that was Achilles, the killing machine.

  Iaido was more than his programming. He walked his own path.

  He made his own decisions and lived with the consequences. That was what his Sensei had been trying to tell him those many weeks ago. Choices made in the past for the best of reasons tend to come back and haunt your future. Iaido just handed him the book.

  “You have my word that this was unopened by me.”

  Judging from the way the President swallowed, Iaido knew that he was right in his suspicions. This book was more than it seemed and probably held enough information to bring the President down. But something told Iaido that to discredit him, he would have to sully the reputation of his friend and mentor the Sensei and that was something he would never do.

  Before he let go of the book Iaido added, “I understand now what Sensei was trying to tell me. I understand the lessons of the forge. Everything has its own time, its own seasons and its own reasons.”

  By the slightest smile, Iaido realized that the General understood what he was trying to say. Changing the subject he said, “Please make sure my payment is lodged within twenty-four hours.”

  Recovering his posture, the President asked, “Why so soon?”

  “I will be gone before sunrise. It would be nice, if you pulled the guards from the room. I would hate to have to hurt anyone in my escape.”

  “That will be unnecessary as they will be leaving with me. With the infiltration of the Praetorians in the Galactic Marshals I have promoted several SWAT officers to act as my personal guard for a short time.” Looking up he called out to the officers, “Spike and Sponge Bob, I want you to meet Iaido Achilles Spartan, my savior and an old friend.”

  The two officers moved forward at the Presidents call, eyes searching the room for unseen threats.

  One had a growling bulldog painted on his helmet with a spike collar; obviously this was the one the General had referred to as Spike. “It’s a pleasure, sir.”

  Shaking hands, Iaido turned his attention to the other officer. Even though he moved well, it seemed to be slightly stiff as if he was just getting over some sort of injuries.

  Sponge Bob leaned down and whispered in the President’s ear. “Sir, we are running behind schedule.”

  He nodded. “Yes, yes, you are quite right. Achilles, I mean Iaido, thank you once again.”

  As he turned and walked away, Iaido didn’t feel the rage or hate that he’d been carrying around all these years. It was rather liberating. Placing his feet on the floor, Iaido began yanking out tubes and wires. Several alarms were going off on the machines but no nurses or doctors rushed inside.

  Standing slowly, Iaido moved to the bouquet of daisies and pulled out a set of tacnet glassed that were attached to the flower stems. Slipping them on, he saw a message play across his vision as they automatically interfaced with his cybernetic implants.

  ‘Cloaked and on overwatch until you are ready.’

  Every step was painful but Iaido knew the secret about pain. Pain is life. It’s pain which keeps the soldier alive.

  It wasn’t long before Iaido found himself naked standing on the roof of the hospital in the rain. Of course, when a great yawning maw of his ship opened up several feet in front of him, he couldn’t do much more than smile and climb onboard.

  Epilogue

  It had been several months since the assassination attempt on the President of the Coalition. The latest rumor was that it was actually a plot by the Confederacy to disrupt the uneasy truce and a precursor of open warfare again.

  Not that anyone in the mines of Mercury cared. That was something that happened in the real world. The only reason they knew anything about it at all was the Coalition News was broadcasted constantly during their mandatory rest period. They only cared about three things, when was it time to eat, time to sleep and how much longer was their shift. Most miners don’t last six months due to the harsh conditions and those that do, tend to move around in a trance. They eat, sleep and work all in the same stupor.

  So it was no surprise that at first no one noticed the three strangers moving through the tunnels. It was obvious that they were strangers and not miners due to the fact one was a huge black Mantis and the other two were wearing powered combat armor and carrying weapons.

  The smaller of the armored men stopped at one of the miners and ran some sort of scanner over him.

  DJ panned his Typhoon S11, the latest version of the venerable railgun, at the influx of miners that had finally noticed them and stopped working. “Athena are you sure that he’s still here?”

  “Yes. I am in their database and it shows him working in your area.”

  Pax voice came over the channel. “We are being hailed by the Miners Guild, what are my orders Captain?”

  “Let them eat static. We are not leaving empty-handed.”

  “Aye, aye sir. They have dispatched two cruisers to investigate. ETA three minutes until firing range.”

  Xerxes began to chirp and gesture at one worker who was still digging. He was bald with broad shoulders and several tattoos down his right arm.

  Iaido knew that he fit the general description of the mark but only a cellular scan could confirm it. Waving the simple device over the miner, he smiled when the lights turned green.

  “This is him. Bag him.”

  The miner never stopped working until the ten thousand watts of electricity flowed through him rendering him unconscious. Calmly and effortlessly, Xerxes picked him up and they followed the path highlighted on their HUDs back to the Nemesis.

 
Once they were on, Iaido hit the switch to close the cargo hatch and spoke to the ceiling. “We’re on. Go!”

  Pax responded with words and deeds. “Affirmative. Firing engines. Maximum burn.”

  Everyone in the cargo hold waited for a moment until they felt the gravity well of Mercury fall behind them and they got the call from Jay over the speakers. “We are clear of all traffic and making preparations for jump to hyperspace. We still a go for the plan?”

  “Roger that Jay. We’ll be in sickbay if you need us.”

  “Aye, aye Captain.”

  Iaido tossed DJ his helmet as he followed Xerxes up the ladder and through the ship. Eve came running up and jumped in his arms. “That was exciting!”

  “It was nothing, just a simple extraction.” Setting the young girl down, he tried to put on a stern face. “Don’t you have lessons that you are supposed to be doing?”

  Eve frowned. “Yes, but they’re so boring.”

  “You once asked me ‘what is the Way?’ Now I answer you with this old saying. Tomorrow’s battles are won on today’s practice field. Study and train. That is the way. Or at least your way for the near future.”

  Sullenly, the young half-sylvan turned back to her room and her studies. Iaido made a mental note to plan something fun with her in the near future. After all, she was his goddaughter.

  Entering sick bay, he saw that Talia had already been working her magic on the massive miner. Already his coloring was closer to normal and he no longer had the blank stare and white eyes of the miners. As he watched, the man blinked twice and shook his head as if waking from a bad dream.

  Talia helped him sit up.

  He looked around and locked his eyes on Iaido. “Who…who are you?”

  Iaido shook his head. “No one of consequence.”

  “I must know.”

  “Get used to disappointment. Let’s just say this, someone I know wronged you and I am here to correct that.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “To Ceres. From there you are free to go as you please but I would suggest staying away from Terra for the future.”

  “Why? Why would you help me?”