by Byrd, Daniel
“Using the diversion of the helicopters,” he replied, raising a finger and swaying it left to right. Jackson noticed the two choppers that were far away, but still well within sight of even the blockade before them. In fact, the gunners had their sights on those instead of them.
“This is suicide,” Max began as the car accelerated, “this is fucking suicide!”
“Keep your heads down! Mikhail shouted. “This is going to be interesting!” The car reached the blockade. The chaos of everything happening at once was too much for Max, and he ducked down as low as he could with his hands over his head, eyes squeezed closed. Gunshots erupted from outside of the car, and bullets struck the body of the vehicle as it continued to speed along the road.
“Don't let us die, don't let us die, don't let us die!”
“Kid, shut up,” Roman’s voice growled. Max opened his eyes and slowly sat up. The view ahead of them was clear of any danger. They'd made it.
“How…”
“You just kept muttering even after we'd driven past them!” Jackson said from the front. “You going to be okay?!”
“I…I think so.” Max uttered to himself. He looked back to see the blockade in the distance.
“What is to stop them from coming after us?!” Roman asked.
“Speed, and a lot of it!” Mikhail answered with a laugh.
“Didn't you hit two people earlier because you couldn't see them?!” Jackson asked him. Mikhail shrugged.
“I saw them well enough! I also saw the two of you and decided that they looked more like bad guys!”
Max shook his head in disbelief. “So, you hit them because you thought we didn't look as bad?!”
“Sure!” Mikhail assured him. “Did that sound believable?!”
Jackson tightened his seatbelt even more.
Chapter Seventeen - From the Depths of Hell
It was about midday as the car rolled into Oranienburg, Germany. Aaron yawned as he observed the passing scenery, glad to see nice sights after driving through chaos for the past twelve hours. Unfortunately, he was the one stuck driving near Berlin earlier, and it was as if an outbreak of those zombie freaks happened there. He was of course basing that assumption off of the military presence he'd passed by on A10 on the way up here. He was too busy praying to God that they wouldn't be stopped by anyone to really consider what it all meant, but now that he was here in a seemingly peaceful place he had time to wonder. If anything it seemed like they were ready to storm a location. He literally thought that all of Germany's military might was present near the capital. By no means an expert on German armament, he was still able to identify a great deal of their heavy firepower. Leopard tanks were present every now and then, as well as their artillery vehicles like the PzH 2000. He wanted to take the time to admire them, but with the presence all around him that seemed like a bad idea with all of the weapons they had in the trunk. Patrol vehicles were scattered about along the highways, and infantry units were visible near buildings, setting up equipment and tents. Whatever was going on, he was blind to the occasion. They'd already avoided any checkpoints he figured existed, all the while dealing with the mixed Christmas and panic traffic throughout the country. He wanted to risk the satellite radio, but Lydia had forbade him from using any electronics other than the disposable phone to contact the others. That thought led to the one thing that was really bugging him; neither Makoto nor Alexis had bothered to get in contact with them. Makoto was a guy who stuck to the book when it came to plans, so Aaron expected to hear from him before they'd even gotten to Germany. There was no telling what kind of trouble they'd gotten into if any.
Lydia slept away in the passenger seat next to him, snoring faintly. He'd have to remember that one as ammunition for their next argument. Thinking like that was pessimistic, sure, but the two of them bickering was as much a guarantee as sunrise…and lately zombies walking the Earth.
The rehabilitation center wasn't too far now, but he wasn't entirely sure where to look, and waking his navigator up wasn't an option, lest he wanted to wake up outside of the vehicle this time. For a moment he actually considered asking for directions, but then realized two problems. One was that he barely spoke German. The other was that Lydia would never let him hear the end of it. Fears of living up to stereotypes aside, he decided to keep driving. It had to be around here somewhere.
Driving lost for twenty more minutes finally pushed him to the limits of his own patience, and he was forced to resort to desperate measures.
“Wake up, sleepy head,” he said as he gently nudged Lydia. There was a grumble of a response before her eyes finally opened, squinting outside at the unfamiliar place.
“I need a navigator.”
“You're hopeless,” she mumbled under her breath, straightening up in her seat and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Yeah, well I'm also lost.”
“Did you try following road signs?” Lydia argued while messing with her tablet.
“Yeah, but not understanding German too well really makes that hard. You missed a sight, though.”
She was busy zooming in on their location. “Okay.”
“Really? You're not going to ask?”
“I'm not sure if I care enough, Aaron,” she dully replied.
“Not even if it's something we should be worried about?”
“Does it have to do with the others?”
“No, it's about Berlin.”
She still didn't look away from the screen. “What about it?”
“There's a huge military presence around it. It looked like something bad was going down.”
“Well it's not here, so I'm not worried.” She finally looked to him. “So you haven't heard from them?” Aaron shook his head in the negative. Lydia groaned and went back to finding directions. “Take the next left.”
“What if we don't hear from them before we’re gone?” Aaron said as he complied. “What if…”
“We assume the worst then," Lydia said plainly. Aaron was growing frustrated with her grim outlook. This wasn't some stupid mission like the ones they took upon themselves last year. This was a serious matter of not knowing what happened to the other half of their search party for the manhunt. His mind was racing with possibilities. What if they'd been caught? That would jeopardize everything.
"Aaron, stop that."
Aaron shook his head and tried to focus on the road. The large building before them definitely looked newer than the rest, and didn't really fit in with the architecture of the others around it.
“That's the place,” Lydia said as she tucked the tablet away, her eyes on the structure. It was huge, with glass windows all over the front. Three stories, and roughly the size of a football field. The parking lot itself was packed full of vehicles. None were military.
“Are we sure about this?” Aaron asked. His suspicions were beginning to die down. This didn't look like an evil front of any kind. Then again, most places didn't in movies or on the news either.
“All that matters is finding Lewis. Just find a spot to park and be quiet. I'll do the talking once we’re inside.”
“Seriously?” he asked incredulously. “I was an arms dealer.”
“I know,” she said with a wink, “and I was your reckoning.”
“Just let me talk,” he whined. “I’m not going to offer them guns. I’m just looking for our old friend. It doesn’t take good looks and a smile.”
Lydia opened her mouth, but paused. “Was that a compliment?”
“It was a sexist remark, now shut up.”
“Asshole,” she spat as the car turned into the parking lot. She was glad Alexis wasn’t here to see the place, and wondered if Makoto had other reservations against taking her here other than the two of them being more familiar with the headquarters in Italy. Those thoughts danced around in her head as she watched the passing sign that read “Shields Rehabilitation.”
***
Makoto’s head was pounding, and his joints ached as he came t
o. He was moving, but not under his own accord. His eyes slowly peeled open and revealed the situation. Three men were dragging him by the arms along a massive corridor, with rounded walls on either side that lead to a ceiling he could only make out thanks to the lights placed along their sides. The corridor seemed to go on and on to his hazy eyes, but he was dragged off to the side and into a smaller hallway.
“Put him in there.” Makoto recognized the voice. Seconds later he was tossed onto his face. He moved to place his hands in front of him to push himself up, but they were bound tightly behind his back. It took a lot of effort to force himself up to his knees, and by that time the figures were leaving the room. Their uniforms haunted him as they departed, and then another person entered. There was one light bulb overhead that made a poor attempt at illuminating the room, but it gave Makoto a few ideas of what was going on. Gazing around this new environment, he realized he was kneeling in dirt. The back wall was earth, and the single bulb was recently wired up there. The ceiling itself was nothing but rock, and the entrance to the chamber was the only semblance of actual human architecture. Steel and earth served as this holding cell.
“So,” the voice said to him, “any more fight left in you?”
“Where am I?”
“Right now? That’s not important.” The face leaned in so the light could highlight the features. Makoto hated Lewis’ smug demeanor. “What’s important is that you’re not our problem anymore while you’re here.”
“Where is Hawkins?”
“She’s safe,” Lewis said with a laugh. “I promise. She’s a friend, so I won’t let anything happen to her. Now, you on the other hand. We’ve never really been close, have we?”
Makoto wasn’t one to play mind games, or let a conversation go on longer than he deemed relevant. “What is the meaning of this, Lewis? The trap at the headquarters, and the quick interception? You were waiting for someone to stumble upon that basement, and you knew that only people with knowledge of the headquarters would find it.”
“All in due time, Makoto.” Lewis walked towards the door and knocked lightly on it. The sound of his knuckles rapping on the metal was enough of a let down for Makoto. There would be no easy escape. With that, Lewis closed the door, leaving the two of them alone together.
Lewis was quite proud of his accomplishment. In just a year since the fall of Tiamat Unbound he'd pushed his swordsmanship beyond even the great Makoto Nagase. All of his hard work paid off to see the once-mighty man kneeling before him, weak and vulnerable. He couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. In the end, he was the superior soldier. Terry Shields was wrong all along. Shields may have served as a martyr during the downfall of the PMC, but his lessons didn't matter anymore. Lewis would be the last man standing at the end of the day.
“Are you satisfied yet?” Makoto asked him. “You've beaten me. Is that what you wanted?”
“This goes far beyond our little squabble, Makoto.” Lewis began pacing the room, his eyes never leaving the man in the center. “Though besting you is the best bonus I could have asked for.”
“Then inform me as to why you've done this. We were led to believe you had taken the money you'd stolen from Tiamat Unbound and created a rehabilitation center for the former mercenaries.”
“I did,” Lewis declared proudly, “and it's been a nice business. Unfortunately, taking someone who is meant for one purpose and trying to reshape them into something they're not is sometimes pointless.”
Makoto watched him closely as he finished a lap around the chamber, his hands behind his back and his posture upright. He was gloating. “You mean that some are destined to battle?”
“See!” Lewis stopped and pointed to him. “You do understand me sometimes! Yeah, some just can't be helped. Sure, they might want to leave that kind of life behind, but it's kind of hard to come back once you've gotten so used to the atmosphere. No one goes home the same person. They're strangers in their old life. Replicas of what they were.”
“That's why some don't want to return,” Makoto uttered.
“Right.” Lewis began pacing again. “No one else can understand what's behind the anxiety-ridden faces. Not even loved ones can truly grasp the metamorphosis of man to warrior.”
“Some manage,” Makoto argued.
“Most don't. That's where my facility comes in. I give them a chance. Now, that chance isn't quite what most other organizations with the same outline offer. I offer them a chance to try and go back, but I also offer a chance to stay the same, and not feel like it's a betrayal of their character.”
Makoto shook his head. “I do not understand.”
“Most wouldn't. Not all can simply go back, Makoto. Hell, I admit that I can't. I wonder if you could…”
Makoto’s eyes fell to the ground. He knew the answer to that all too well. His father and grandfather before him had instilled the Bushido code into him from a young age.
“In any case,” Lewis continued, “there is always the option of returning to the battlefield, but even that doesn't guarantee a secure lifestyle. That's what I offer the poor souls who are lost in this world of conflict.”
“You mean to tell me that you have revived Tiamat Unbound?”
Lewis laughed behind him before walking around and kneeling down face to face with his adversary. “No. Not quite. The dragon is dead. Former soldiers and mercenaries need a new place to look to. A new world envisioned for them.”
“What does this new world offer them that Tiamat Unbound didn't?” Makoto inquired. “It sounds to me like you've just taken the place of Elizabeth Belmont.”
“Well, for one, I offer them endless war. They'll always be needed. They'll always be wanted by those that need their protection.”
“What?” Lewis sounded more like a mad man with each word that left his mouth.
“Endless war in the form of the undead menace, Makoto.” Makoto was silent for a moment. Lewis assumed he was letting it all sink in. “Do you understand me now?”
“I understand that you are a part of this. I understand that you're abusing those you offer aid to. You're not helping anyone. You're planning something.”
Lewis stood up and laughed once more. “You're not wrong. I'm planning to create this world for those who need it. It will coexist with what we already have, and serve as a means to allow all a purpose.”
“What kind of world is that to you?! One of manipulative conflict! One of lies!”
Lewis turned his back and walked towards the door, but stopped and shot Makoto another smirk over his shoulder.
“It's the world to come.”
***
“What do you mean there's no one by that name?!”
Aaron cringed as Lydia shrieked at the receptionist. A few people wandering by turned their attention to the developing scene as Lydia slammed her fist onto the desk. Aaron quickly got up from his chair and sprinted across the lobby.
“Hey, um…” Aaron had to catch himself as he almost said her name. It was hard to get used to the public again after being in hiding for a while. “Wrench? You need to control yourself.”
Lydia spun around, a menacing glare written into her eyes that burned through him. Aaron actually took a step back.
“He should be here!”
“Look,” Aaron spoke as politely as he could manage, “we knew there was a chance. Let me try.”
Lydia crossed her arms and turned heel, pouting as Aaron straightened his clothing and tried to wear a genuine smile. The receptionist was frowning as he approached. He smiled harder like the hypocrite he was.
“Excuse me, but my friend here is very impatient. She just doesn't know how to deal with people and is used to getting what she wants.” Lydia began to growl behind him. “Please don't hold it against her.”
“Well I'm sorry,” the young woman said in as nice a tone as was possible, “but there is no man under the name Jackson Lewis here.”
Aaron was more annoyed at how direct Lydia had been. Going around and asking abou
t people on the most wanted list was bound to draw attention. Still he had a few tricks to try himself. “Then what about Mr. Shields?”
The receptionist raised a brow. “The CEO? I'm sorry, but he's out on business. He won't be back for another few days.”
Aaron’s fake smile became all too real. Bingo. “Is there any chance I could leave a message for him?”
Lydia was too shocked to hear anything else. The bastard had taken on Terry Shields’ name to conduct this business. Was it in honor of him, or was he going to tarnish the name?
“Thank you,” Aaron finished, “I appreciate the help more than you know.”
The receptionist flashed a smile and went back to her computer screen. Aaron turned and began to walk out of the building with Lydia in tow. The receptionist continued to play her game of Solitaire until the two were out of sight, and then reached for the phone and pressed the first number on speed dial.
***
“It's all a front to recruit soldiers?!” Makoto yelled. “You're just constructing a new force to have your own rule over?!”
“Makoto, you couldn't even begin to truly understand my vision.” Lewis stated, shaking his head at the man he knew would never share his mindset. Still, he loved gloating to the self-righteous man at his mercy. “Belmont never would've either. She was just a broken woman who threw everything she had away; her empire, her own beliefs, and-”
“Sir!” A voice called out from the doorway. Lewis motioned for the figure to enter. Hesitantly, the man obeyed. Makoto noted that he too was outfitted with the same black and red uniform, but he lacked the helmet. He was young, but still in his twenties by appearance. Russian, his dark hair was cut short, his jaw straight, and his dark eyes reflected the light well. Even from that, he could tell that the young man had seen a lot. It was in his walk, and in his personality. Hesitant to approach his superior, and dreading to say whatever news he had brought. Definitely a former Soviet who swore loyalty to nothing but his elders, and with nowhere else to turn to. He must've been a part of Tiamat Unbound, to have a meaning again. A prime example of the people Lewis had doomed to his idea of life.