by A. J. Ross
He cried out at the top of his lungs inviting the other guards to meet him in combat. He felt the power emanating from himself, and was ready for them. They came running from different directions toward him, and all he saw were silhouettes. Each one a perfect match. No one bigger, stronger, or more skilled. It was all the same, and he went round after round just as he had in the Lawreiis. It happened within a matter of two minutes. Three guards became four, then five, then six, then seven. Lunge and slice attacks met fatality points, and he moved aggressively through the steady stream of guards closing in on him. He met each opponent wholeheartedly, with no regard for his past, present, or future.
When Lincoln finally took a breath there were twelve dead Kayorian guards around him. He stood stunned as his senses gradually returned to him. His arms were sore from the effort he used to cut through the bodies of the Kayorians. He had fought like never before, and with skill he did not remember developing. He looked at the face of the other soldier standing nearby, teary-eyed, with his mouth hanging wide open. They had successfully taken over the facility.
Pyotr dispatched several soldiers to the facilities that had successfully been taken over. They were to relieve the elite squads, take inventory, and stand guard until morning. They now had control of four of the six weapons facilities. Erwin, Braii, Lincoln, and all of the other soldiers were relieved from their positions and returned to the underground. Upon entering, they were greeted with celebratory cheers and outcry. Many people had prepared food for them, and the city was full of joy.
Braii looked at Erwin. His eyes were full of relief. In that moment he seemed so satisfied, as if he were living the most significant moment of his life. He noticed her watching him and smiled affectionately. She quickly looked away, remembering her promise to Lincoln to return to Graiis with him after they took the facility. A promise that now seemed dull and self-serving. There was so much more that needed to be done. Could she really return to Graiis and live a normal life as if Erwin and the people of Kayora had never existed?
From behind she felt strong arms wrap around her waist. She turned to face Lincoln and the two embraced each other.
“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear, “for helping us today.”
Lincoln pressed his lips against hers. “Let’s get out of here. Do you want to say goodbye to anyone?”
She shot an involuntary glance Erwin’s way. She wanted to say goodbye to him, but she couldn’t bear it. “I don’t need to say goodbye to anyone,” she said. “But I have to go to the house and get Riian. He’s the child who helped me to escape Rahilius’s house. I promised him I would take him with me. Perhaps when this war is finished, I can return him to live with his people.”
She went back to the old man’s house who had given them shelter. He had agreed to look after Riian during the operation. She covered the boy with a hooded cloak, thanked the man, and rushed out of the door to meet Lincoln. When she came from the house, Lincoln was coming toward it. Together they walked toward the gate.
They passed by the celebratory mob at the training ground, and Braii couldn’t help but drag her feet. Erwin had just taken center stage.
He addressed the people in a clear steady tone, “Trying to start a war. Trying to destroy civilization on this planet. Trying to take what belongs to others, because he lacks the intuition and initiative to work hard for himself.”
He paused to let the tension build, then said softly, “That’s what they say about me. That I’m lazy because I won’t work in the Kayorian fields. I find that to be an interesting contradiction,” he said pensively, his eyes looking up into the high distance, carefully searching for the exact words to lay bare his thoughts. “They consider the work they do as Government heads, from the comfort of large homes - right after they’ve finished their three course meals, gifted their insecure wives, and came for our women - to be hard work. Intuition,” he said pointedly, “the ability to understand something immediately, without conscious reasoning. Do you know what I understood when I was fourteen years old, the moment I stepped foot on this planet?”
The audience shouted in agreement as their minds floated back to the day they arrived on Kayora. Erwin forged ahead, filled with the zeal he absorbed from the crowd. “I knew immediately, some people would be given to, and others would be taken from. Robbed. They used my parents like cattle; property. While I was chosen to stand over you people, and rule as a puppet of the Northern class; Rahilius’s puppet. What many people in the North refuse to realize is, we have a choice. They have a choice.
Now, as far as initiative, the power or opportunity to act or take charge before others do.” He chuckled scornfully, brushing the prickly hair of his chin with his fingertips. “And I thought they accused me of trying to start a war. That sounds like initiative to me.” He roared thunderously, raising his fist in the air, “Does that sound like initiative to you?”
The audience erupted in thunderous shouting, fists raised high in the air. The day was theirs. Granted, not every operation was successful and over eight people had lost their lives, but it could still be considered a victory.
They now had the weapons needed to make a stand against Kayorian rule. The rebels had managed to unite a divided underground and inspire them to throw their support behind Erwin, which meant they actually had a chance of successfully overtaking Kayora. They had a chance to educate the Kayorians and learn to co-exist. For once they had a bit of power to choose what they wanted to do with their lives. The crowd chanted over and over again, louder and louder in celebration of their very first victory.
Lincoln opened the gate, and he, Braii, and Riian emerged from the underground. They ran towards the forest. The sun was setting in a clear blue sky. There was an eerie stillness that had fallen over Kayora, and Lincoln was eager to leave it behind. He had accomplished his mission. He had retrieved his bride, and helped to give the people of Kayora a means to break free from their oppression. Now it was time to go back home, back to Graiis.
Simone! he thought. He was so excited he had forgotten his promise to her and her mother. He stopped running and took the bracelet from his wrist and gave it to Braii. “Listen, take this,” he said. “Someone helped me to find you, and I promised them I would get them off this planet. Take this, and go to the carrier and wait for me. It’s just up ahead.” He pulled her into him and kissed her a quick but deep kiss before turning back and heading towards the forest's edge.
Braii held Riian’s hand as they walked towards the carrier. She kept her eyes on the tracking device, not bothering to pay attention to her surroundings. In her peripherals she caught movement to her left. She turned and looked as a man approached her. Then several other men came from among the trees and surrounded her. These were not men from the underground. They were fatter and better dressed, brandishing an air of superiority.
“Well, well, well,” one of the men said. “We have been looking all over for you.”
Her eyes scanned the face of every man surrounding her. There was in fact one man from the underground. She could tell by his attire and remorseful participation in whatever these men were planning to do to her.
“And look,” one of the other men said, “she’s got a pet.”
Riian moved behind her holding on to her legs.
“We’re okay,” she whispered softly, though she actually wasn’t sure if they were. “What is it you want?” she asked calmly.
“We want you,” the first man replied. “You’re gonna bring us a lot of money you traitor, and Milton over here, gets his ticket above ground.”
She nodded, understanding why she had been betrayed. She let her hand reach into her pouch.
“Don’t try anything,” he said, pulling a gun from his jacket pocket.
She froze. This was the weapon Jake wanted to create for their army. She didn’t know people here already had them.
“Do you like this?” the man asked, waving his nine-millimeter in the air. “Trust me, you’re better off if I don’t
have to use it. You and your rebel friends are not gonna’ start a war on our planet. We have to arrest you, and take you to trial. Unless . . .” He paused and glanced around at a few of the other men. “Unless you want to give me the commander of this rebel army. What do you say princess? We know you trained his army. We know about the two innocent kids you murdered in this forest. You’re guilty, and will probably be executed for your crimes. We can make a deal if you give us the commander.”
Braii despised the mocking tones of voice thrown back and forth between the men. They spoke as though they were as powerful as Rahilius, though clearly lacking in size, strength and intellect.
“I didn’t kill anyone in this forest,” she said, slowly wrapping her hand around the Fiie in her pouch, “. . . but I will today,” she shouted, drawing her weapon. Before she could take three steps, she heard a loud sound. She stopped and turned in the direction of the noise. The gun in the man’s hand was faintly smoking. She looked toward Riian and felt a stinging sensation on the right side of her stomach. When she saw the blood oozing, she was in shock and fell to the ground in a heavy heap.
She heard the mob of angry men converging on her. She looked around for Riian, but he was gone. Between the onset of mind-numbing pain and blood-loss, she began to slip out of consciousness. Her eyes drifted up to the sky, and she saw planet Graiis. The beautiful black ball cried out to her from the distance, suspended in a sea of white and fickle blue. She reached out toward her home. From where she lay in the grass it seemed to fit perfectly into her half-curled palm. The trees around her were merging with the ever-darkening sky above into one big grey ball that spun around and around, until there was nothing but darkness.
Lincoln went back to the underground first, figuring it would be better to escape from above ground than below. He ran carelessly through the underground practically crashing into whatever was in his way, and it still took him almost an hour to reach the house. When he got there he flung the front door open. He stood perplexed, panting in the doorway. The mat in the corner where Simone’s mother usually slept was empty. She was gone. He looked around. She couldn’t have died that soon, and if so, where had they taken her. Did Simone know?
“Lincoln.”
He heard his name being called in the near distance. Whirling around, he saw Simone’s mother approaching him. She was up and walking. The color had returned to her cheeks and she took full strong breaths. He barely recognized her.
She threw her arms around him practically knocking him over. “The medicine you gave me,” she exclaimed, “it worked.”
That’s right. He had given her medicine just before he found the army. Medicine and . . . something else. He had cut his finger and gave her drops of his blood. Turns out he was right. He smiled. This was great news because now he wouldn’t need to carry her into the forest.
“Ma'am,” he addressed her, “Is there any way you can go above and get your daughter?”
“Sure,” she replied. “Is everything okay?”
He nodded. “Everything’s fine, but we need to get out of here, and I promised her when I returned to Graiis, I would take both of you with me. So if you can please get her, and meet me near the forest's edge as soon as possible. Things are about to get really crazy over here, and I don’t want to be on this planet when they do.”
“Okay,” she replied with uncertainty. “I’ll head up there now then.”
“And meet me in the forest,” he started.
She nodded quickly and went on her way.
He ran back as fast as he could. He checked his surroundings before making a dash for the forest. Hidden in the density he waited just a few yards from the edge. He paced back and forth. ‘Come on, come on.’ He hadn’t seen Braii in over two hours, and he assumed she would have started to lose patience by now, and if so he completely understood. He couldn’t have been more ready to leave Kayora.
He still didn’t know what he was going to do about the mess he had made at home, but that was nothing compared to the mess he was in on Kayora. There were no rules here. The Kayorian government had perfectly weaved a web of hatred and lies so deep its sycophantic followers would sooner die than be enlightened as to its true nature. Trying to fight that level of ignorance was like trying to fight the waters entering your lungs as you drown. An involuntary action with no chance of success. He was eager to return to normal.
Suddenly there was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and chill ran down his spine. He looked around. He was still very much alone, but something wasn’t right. Deafening silence emerged from deep within the forest like a thief hiding his activity under the cloak of darkness; unseen but felt. The sky had grown so dark he could only see the shape of the houses under the street lamps in the town across the road.
He let out an exasperated sigh. He knew how to get to the carrier, but he wondered if it would be more difficult to find his way at night. It doesn’t matter, he told himself. As long as Braii is safe in the carrier, I can manage.
He saw two shadows across the road coming from the town. He knew from the shape, it was Simone and her mother. He felt the tension in his body melt away almost instantly. Finally. He watched them dash across the road and into the forest and he ran to meet them.
Simone threw her arms around his neck when she saw him, “Lincoln, I thought you forgot. You saved my mother.” She kissed him several times on his cheek and clung to him tightly.
He smiled as he gently pried her arms from around him. “You’re safe for now,” he said reassuringly, “but you won’t be for much longer unless we get out of here.”
He shuffled through the forest with the two ladies following closely behind. Concentrating on which direction he was going, he let the sounds of twigs and dried leaves being crushed behind him serve as assurance that Simone and her mother were still close. He could barely see a thing through the thick darkness and needed to rely on his instincts to lead him back to the carrier.
He approached what was definitely a clearing in the forest. They had made it. Placing his hands on the side of the vessel, he started to feel around. Braii had his comm device, but he knew there was also a print reader somewhere near the entrance, and he had no doubt Shang would have programmed it to read his prints.
He was right. Before even realizing his hand had grazed the reader, the door unlocked and the short ramp came down. He ushered the ladies into the carrier and followed, closing the door behind them.
“Braii,” he called out. He went hurriedly to the front to check the pilot bay area. She wasn’t there. He went back and checked all of the bedrooms. She wasn’t in any of them either. The carrier wasn’t large enough to hide or get lost in. The sinking feeling that had come into his stomach earlier returned, and just as he had done earlier, he tried to ignore it. He wouldn’t waste time validating his feelings, because there was absolutely no way she was not on the carrier. Calm down, he told himself. She may have just stepped out for a bit.
Returning to the pilot bay, he turned the computer on. “Data,” he said, “Locate authorized comm device of citizen 57821.”
The computer responded, “Locating Communication device, Lincoln Wolfe.”
He raked his hair from his face as he anxiously waited for the computer to scan the area for his device. It took only a second to render the image on the screen. The device showed that she was nearby. Fifteen to twenty meters.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” he said to Simone. “I’m going to step out for just a second.”
Taking a flashlight, he went back out into the darkness, heading in Braii’s direction. Uncertainties poured into his mind, but he fought them back. Everything was okay. He needed everything to be okay. He counted five meters, ten meters, fifteen meters, twenty . . .
He knew he hadn’t passed by her. Holding up the bright white light in his hand, he slowly went around in a full circle looking carefully at everything the light touched. Nothing. “Braii,” he whispered. His soft voice dissipated into the living dark
ness that hovered around him. “Where are you?”
Something caught his eye. He saw the faint glow of a tiny light hidden in the grass. At first glance he thought it was an insect if not for its bluish cast. He moved closer through the darkness and reached for the blinking light. Picking it up, his worst fears were confirmed. It was his navigation and comm bracelet.
SIXTEEN
One man gets Everything
Braii opened her eyes to a loud clanging. She was lying on a hard dirty floor in a cell. She used her hands to push herself up. A sharp pain shot through her side and she winced remembering she had been shot. She knew from her constricted breathing; she had been bandaged tightly.
There was a man on the other side of the bars looking squarely at her. He banged on the bars again to get her attention. He took a ring of jingling keys from his belt and began to unlock the door. Instinctively she scurried backward into the corner of her cell.
The guard walked in. “Looks like you’re free,” he said. “You held up your end, now we’ll hold up ours.”
She stood up and followed the guard, though not sure what to make of his statement. What had she done? She thought back to the forest when the men surrounded her. For the Nephilim, she was an opportunity for them to finally earn their keep, and to the traitor from the underground, she was a golden ticket to Northern society. She knew what her value was in the game, but she hadn’t played it. They offered her a way out, but she had refused. Unless . . . She thought back to when she was losing consciousness. Her eyes darted here and there searching for her adopted child, but he was gone. Riian. Riian must have escaped, and if he had, there was only one place he would have gone. Erwin.