Awakening

by Hayden Pearton

  *

  Once more, they travelled down the winding, disorienting corridors, following Maloch's directions at every crossroads. For two hours they walked, with Barsch's legs protesting every step. For Maloch and Kingston, such a walk was a trifle, and Alza would probably not have stopped walking until her legs gave out beneath her. However, Barsch was, for all intents and purposes, a normal teenager, albeit a teenager who had already seen and experienced a lifetime of danger and peril. And, as a normal teenager, he grew tired from having to walk all day through an endless monotony of corridors.

  Finally, when it felt like the bones in his legs were about to snap, he called out, “Kingston! Can we please stop? I'm about to fall over!”

  Kingston, whose brisk pace had kept him several feet ahead, stopped on the spot. Turning back, he exclaimed, “Ah! Sorry m'boy, sometimes I forget that you're not as fit as the rest of us. We'll stop at the next room.”

  Ignoring the fitness comment, Barsch agreed and resumed walking. Less than five minutes later, they found a suitable room, which appeared to be an empty store room. After a quick preliminary search which revealed no immediate threats or traps, they laid out their bedrolls and built a fire. With Barsch in charge of cooking the supplies they had gathered earlier that day, Kingston; Alza and Maloch were free to do as they pleased. In Alza's case, this involved sitting quietly in the corner farthest from Barsch, an act which did not escape his notice. As for Kingston, he found solace outside, guarding the room in the unlikely case of an attack. After waiting a moment, Maloch went outside to joint him.

  With the door closed behind them, the two old soldiers could finally talk. For Maloch, he wanted an answer to the question that had bugged him ever since his talk with Guardian. Had Kingston really been the one to create the virus that had infected the World-wide Release Code? Was he the madman that the Avatar's had sent Barsch and Alza to find?

  In all their time together, the old man had time and time again displayed knowledge that a mere soldier should never have known. The hermit knew about the inner-workings of Cryogenesis Stations, and he appeared to have a wealth of information on the various computer systems found in the Stations. In addition, the virus had been created during the Great Sleep, which instantly ruled out any of the frozen humans.

  “Kingston-

  “Maloch, what do you think about Barsch?” The question caught Maloch by complete surprise, and he had to let his mind work overtime to process it fast enough.

  “He is... a good kid. Strong, brave, but haunted by... something. To speak truthfully, he reminds me of you, Kingston.”

  “Ha ha, thank you for that, but he has one thing that I do not: a future. I am old, Maloch, old enough to know that my time has come and gone. I can feel it, every day when I rise... it gets a little bit harder to get up... to keep on going... but, I made a promise, on that terrible day, that I would protect him, with every breath in my body...”

  “I do not understand. Why are you telling me this?”

  With a soft sigh, Kingston leaned back, placing his weight against the cold wall. He was tired, exhausted to the point of collapse, but he refused to show it when he was with Barsch. He would not be the cause of the boy's worries, even if it meant putting up a healthy façade.

  “Why indeed? A year ago, no, even a few months ago, I would never had dreamed that it would turn out like this. On that day, the day my life was torn apart, I made that foolish promise. With nothing but the crescent moon to act as witness, I pledged my unending guardianship. I was naïve back then, thinking that I could simply watch from afar, stay out of his life... and then? Fate delivered him right to my doorstep! I mean, what was I supposed to do, just leave him there to die? No, I promised I would protect him, and that's exactly what I did. And now? Am I still bound by that promise? Am I still driven by memories of that moonlit night? Once I was sure, but things have changed... he has changed, and now, I do not know what to do...”

  “Barsch is important. More important that you, or I. I can tell, he has the potential to be a great man, but, right now, he is still a helpless boy. He is vulnerable, Maloch, and he needs to be protected! From anything... or anyone that would bring him harm, he must be kept safe. Do you understand what I am saying, Maloch? One day, one day soon, I will be gone, leaving Barsch alone and undefended... Maloch, friend, will you take up my mantle? Will you protect him in my stead, after I'm gone? I know that I'm asking a great deal, but you must understand how important this is to me!”

  Maloch stepped away from the old hermit, trying to process his words. Mere minutes earlier, he had been about to accuse him of trying to bring harm to the entire human race, and now he was standing here, listening to an old man's selfless request. It was too much to comprehend, and there were still too many variables to consider. If Kingston had known that Maloch suspected him of tampering with the Master Release Code, perhaps he had created this story to divert suspicion. Or, perhaps the old hermit's request was genuine, and he truly felt that Barsch needed protecting, and that Maloch was the only one he could trust . Either way, he could not stall forever. Kingston needed a reply.

  “If it is truly as you say... and Barsch needs a protector, then why not Alza? Although she does not seem to possess many social skills, her strength and abilities are unmatched. If you could convince her to serve as Barsch's guardian, then he would be safe against almost all threats.”

  Kingston stood straighter, as if the mere mention of her name had sent a frozen gale down his spine. His eyes darted towards the door, searching for movement. “No. Not her. Never her. That thing... that woman, thinks of us as nothing but obstacles, or tools, in her quest to reclaim her identity. I can see it when she looks at us, as if she was analysing whether or not we were worth keeping around. Though I do agree upon her strength, I fear that, if she were to become Barsch's protector, she would only watch over him for as long as it was beneficial to her. So, Maloch, you are the only one I can entrust him to. I will understand it if you choose to decline, and will think no lesser of you, but I must once again stress how important this is to me.”

  Maloch, still standing on the judgement of Kingston's character, decided to agree to the proposal, his logical brain telling him that even if Kingston's motives were less than wholesome, Barsch was a friend of his. Yes, he would protect Barsch, against any that tried to harm him, even Kingston.

  “Thank you, friend Maloch. I can rest easy knowing that he will be safe, even after I'm gone.” Their deal done, and Maloch's thoughts of confrontation scattered to the winds, they resumed their silent vigil.