“Sadly, I might have to agree with you.” I try shifting to the side to find some sort of semblance of comfort. Not even one muscle in my body is content with my current position. All I want to do is open the trunk and throw myself onto the cracked, bumpy highway that we are driving on.
With every bump and turn in the highway, Jake and I are thrown into the metal lining the cramped trunk in the car. I have bruises lining various places of my body and lactic acid building up in each one of my joints as I strain to keep myself in the horrible position I have been wedged into.
Every time I move, the aches only grow worse.
“You could just use that cube and make a random SUV appear in a rest stop that actually has room in the back.” Jake sighs, bringing this argument up for at least the fifth time in the last few hours.
“Dude, c’mon, you know better than that.” I tug on the strap on the backpack still attached to my back, hoping that I can knock the Chimera Cube to the side and stop it from digging into my side. “If we do that, the patrolling officers or security cameras on the side of the highway could possibly scan our faces, and it would still be hard to hide something so obvious from all of them even if the Chimera Cube can make it. Plus, I don’t think there are even any rest stops in China.”
“Do you not want to sleep? Because there’s no way in hell I can sleep with your balls tickling my knee.”
I laugh. “Wait, for real?”
“No, I just said that, but seriously this is hellish, man. You and I are both dripping in sweat from the heat of each other’s bodies. Meanwhile, air that is near freezing in temperature is seeping through the cracks in the door and pelting our skin.”
“I did not need that vivid of a description.” I shift my body to the side, hoping that I can inch my private parts off him, but the more I move, the weirder our bodies intertwine together.
“It will all be okay soon. Hopefully we can get to the monastery with no problems, and once we are there, learn how to master this secret technology and kill Li Wang.”
“And what happens after that?”
“If we succeed,” I pause, all the wild thoughts about the future encroaching on the pressing thoughts of the present that have been dominating my mind of late. I try to imagine what I would do with the Chinese government gone. The possibilities are endless.
We could brutally murder every single person in the Syndicate. We could wipe out the United States government, and somehow try to bring the technology that we have to the surface of the world.
I could cement my father’s legacy. I could bring his name up from the ashes as one of the worst men in history. I could resurrect my own name as someone who is nothing more than the son of a greedy, genocidal man, and let the world finally know the truth behind everything.
I could be the greatest man to ever live.
But those thoughts are all too much to say to him.
The side of me that wants power, that wants influence and control, is a side I will forever have to keep quiet.
So, I tell him all he needs to know. “I’m not sure. I don’t know yet. Let’s just focus on the now before we even let ourselves think that way. We are renegades for now, soon we will establish our own order.”
Jake nods.
Something tells me he innately understands my unspoken desires. Being this close to him, I can feel his heartbeat reverberating throughout me and sense his energy.
He feels the same way I do.
He wants power too.
“I agree with you,” he finally says. His curly hair brushes up against my neck, irritating my already dry skin. “We have enemies right now. Lots of them. We can’t focus on the future. We can only focus on revenge.”
“Revenge.” I repeat his word. He says it in the same cold, ominous tone that Li did when talking about perpetually oppressing all of China.
“Yes, revenge.”
“I know what you said. It’s just a new word from you.”
“Sometimes, when you’re feeling so much pain, that’s the only way that even makes sense to feel better.” He says the words, and normally one should be concerned with a statement like that. But I feel happy because I feel the same way.
It’s why I understand Li. I even understand Drew attempting to exact revenge on my dad. Sometimes it’s the only thing that makes sense.
And revenge is all I want right now. I want to win.
“Oh, I understand. When your reputation is destroyed and almost everyone you love is dead from things out of your control, you start to look for someone to pay that price.”
“Good thing we both know who we have to make pay.” Jake’s energy shifts. The tension in the air increases as he chuckles a bit. He must have some sort of inside joke that I am not a part of.
“Yeah, we know what needs to happen.” I smile, a surge of adrenaline courses through me as I imagine killing every version of Li Wang with my bare hands and collapsing an entire skyscraper on everyone in the Syndicate. “And that’s what we do next. That is all we have to focus on. We just have to get through this freaking ride first.”
Jake sighs, the tension in the air dissipating a bit. We hit a large bump in the road and my head crashes into the top of the trunk for what must be the dozenth time.
After the hit, I feel the energy drain from my body. The adrenaline is simply giving up at pushing me forward. I have been running on empty for too long. Even my thoughts are turning dark, my most primal, hidden fantasies coming to my mind.
What scares me the most is that when my eyes drift into that peaceful state between sleep and being awake, my mind is thinking in a way it never has before.
All I can think about is killing people.
The fantasies that come into my mind unannounced and unwelcomed are even more vivid than the fantasies that would cross my mind about women. They are visceral, even painful for me to experience as my mind drifts back into the land of all the trauma.
A battle ensues within me.
Part of me enjoys the killing. Part of me knows it is the greatest pleasure that I hate to admit I have. There is something so raw about it that when the power flows through your veins after taking the life out of someone, it feels good.
It feels amazing.
Immediately after, I regret it.
And the guilt and the pain wash over me.
It’s enough to make me jerk awake in moments, sweaty and out of breath. Jake doesn’t question what is happening. He doesn’t even ask if I’m okay. Something tells me he is thinking about the exact same things.
There are times when I want to burst into tears, and other times when I want to scream with joy.
But every second that I spend in the dark land of my memories and the horrid world of everything I try to forget, I realize that with every passing day, the world breaks me a bit more.
And I have no clue how I’m going to put myself back together.
I have no clue how I’m going to put this world back together without hurting everyone and myself even more.
It’s easier to let the vengeance drive me.
Chapter 21
The front seats of the car are much more comfortable than being stuck in the trunk.
My legs have room to shuffle aimlessly on the floor and my chest finally has room to expand and breathe without pushing against Jake. Jake and I finally ripped off our bullet-proof suits, allowing the skin and layer of clothes underneath to enjoy some fresh air.
I have never appreciated a dirty leather seat in an old sedan more. Chef Chen stopped the car after twelve hours of Jake and I sitting in that trunk. We both managed to sleep off and on for a few hours, but woke up hungry and dehydrated. Jake then contorted his body so that I could open my bag up and summon the Chimera Cube to produce us water bottles and a burger, which Jake and I both desperately craved.
Then, I commanded the Chimera Cube to produce another large diamond in excess of one hundred carats. I have no idea how I will explain how I have two of the world’s most valuable
diamonds in my possession, but I don’t need to worry about that right now.
I just need him to get us to the Gyurtog monastery in the middle of the Tibetan forest without having us all killed in the process.
“Once we arrive at Gyurtog, I have another present to give you. Consider it a payment for our journey.” I speak into the translating device so that my words reverberate throughout the car in Mandarin.
For the last half hour, things have been deadly silent in this car. Loi is sitting in the front seat of the vehicle, with Ai wedged between Jake and I in the backseat. The car has zero autonomous capabilities, which has led to Chef Chen being forced to drive it for an entire day by now.
Jake is asleep, Ai’s head is bobbing up and down, and from the glazed expression of Chef Chen’s eyes, he is about ready to conk out too.
But I am wired.
“What present?” Chef Chen glances back at me. From his narrowed eyes, it is obvious he has zero trust in me. Ai rustles awake next to me and yawns in a cute, subdued manner. Even with the Chinese government after us and the U.S. government and the Syndicate definitely keeping us in the back of their minds as we drive down an empty highway at sundown, I can’t help but let my mind go there.
If only life were different. If only I could have the chance to love a beautiful woman like her again—but the one beautiful girl in my life is gone.
“A present just as nice as that first diamond,” I say. “Enough to ensure you and everyone you know can live comfortably for the rest of their lives.”
“I don’t believe you,” he responds, this time keeping his eyes focused on the road. In this section of the interior, it gets freezing cold in the winter, causing dozens of cracks and potholes to line every section of the street.
“I have it in my pocket right now,” I say. “If I’m lying, you can turn me into the police immediately. I’m a man of my word.”
“I don’t give a shit if you have it in your pocket.” The monotone English translator is in stark contrast to the animated, frustrated expression on his face. “You are a criminal. You were part of a rebellion against the Party. Just for being here I may have to spend the rest of my life in jail or one of the prison camps.”
“We witnessed the rebellion,” I correct him, and Jake sits upright, his face covered in marks from the side of the window scraping into his cheek. “And you won’t go to jail. No one will ever find out about this. I promise.”
“You expect me to believe that? You can’t make any guarantees. You can’t take out an insurance policy that will make sure we stay safe no matter what. It’s out of your control.”
“You don’t have to believe me.” I’ve never been a patient guy, but with everything buzzing through my mind, my patience level is at zero. I won’t hold back from telling this guy exactly what I think. “But you chose to let me into your hideaway hole and down there so none of the dogs or cops could find us. You chose to let us in this car and contact your brother at Gyurtog. You didn’t have to do any of this, but you can’t go back now.”
“Would you like me to leave you on the side of the road?” Silence follows his words. I don’t have a response to that. He very well could decide to leave us on the side of the road.
Then that would only leave us with one option. We would have to kill him and everyone in his family.
“I asked you a question. Can you hear me?” Spit flies out of his mouth and lands on my lap as he talks. “I know you can understand me.”
“Dad, leave him alone,” Ai interjects before I can respond. The translator has trouble yet again with keeping up with the pace at which the words fire out of her mouth.
“No, Ai, I don’t know what has gotten into your head lately since you have become an active member of the rén, but you need to get some sense back to you.” The flab on his arms vibrates as he speaks. The gas light blinks as he finishes speaking, and there are no people, never mind gas stations, in sight.
Great, we might all not even have a choice but to be stranded on the side of the road.
“I’m only listening to what you have always told me,” Ai says. At this Loi turns around, as if to say bitch please to Ai.
“Are you mad? You are doing the exact opposite of what I ever wanted for you.” His anger morphs to sadness. He keeps one hand on the wheel and places a hand on Ai’s knee. The interaction seems unnatural for the pair, and all I can do is eye Jake, me and him both thinking the same thing: what the fuck is wrong with our lives?
“I wanted you to live a safe, comfortable life, and here you are the last few months participating in illegal online activities and protests that could get everyone in this family killed.”
“What you don’t understand is I want the same thing for myself that you do. And you might be coming from a good place, but allowing President Li to tear apart the world around us will only leave us with nothing in the end. The only way to be secure in the future is to make sure Li is gone now. It’s why I’m a member of the rén. It’s why I love what they did in America with helping to launch a product that allows people to escape the oppressive realities of this world.”
“You know that’s all bullshit, right?” Chef Chen guffaws. “The rén is nothing more than a group of ignorant young people who have no respect for authority.”
“That is factually untrue.” Li shakes her head. “The rén is a group of over three hundred million that abhor Li’s policies. And Sam and Jake may very well be the people to lead us. They may be the people we have all been waiting for.”
“Okay, I am tired of this.” Loi turns around, her facial muscles tightened and facial expression very serious. “I agreed to come along on this trip because I figured Dad needed some company and didn’t need to be alone with two strangers who could quite possibly be murderers. But now I have to listen to you fan girl over Sam constantly. For someone who isn’t attracted to boys, you sure do seem to like this one a lot. What is so special about him? He’s just a the son of some rich American tech guy.”
Loi doesn’t even slyly glance at me to say sorry for the comments. Her comments would have crushed me a year ago. They would have played into everything that the world outside of esports was making me doubt. They would have made me believe that my dad was right about me—that I will never be enough.
But they don’t affect me now.
The Chimera Cube makes me feel indestructible.
“What are you even trying to say? He has achieved more than you ever will in your sorry life.”
“Ai!” Chef Chen yells. Ai’s face turns a shade whiter.
“You bitch.” Loi stares out the window at the hilly landscape full of tall, thick pine trees. The setting sun is reflecting off the highway, causing the pine trees to cast a dark shadow over the faded dark-gray pavement of the road. “What even was your goal on coming on this trip? Just to get a few extra hours with your idol before he leaves to live in a monastery, or was it to rip me to shreds? I can’t imagine you are actually stupid enough to believe these two guys can head up a rebellion from within a Buddhist monastery in Tibet.”
Jake catches my eyes that are intently watching their argument and mouths a few words to me. They have no idea we will be taking over everything.
I smile. The high that my brain can enter only from its own thoughts about what the Chimera Cube will allow us to achieve should be illegal.
We will be the rebellion, I mouth back to him.
During this short exchange, Ai remains quiet. The energy in the car shifts. Ai is no longer on the offensive, now she is suddenly upset.
“I wasn’t going to tell you both. I was just going to do it. But now I have to.” Ai stares down at the rough carpet lining the floors of the car. “I was planning on working full time to support the cause of the rén. I wanted to move to Hong Kong, the epicenter of the resistance, and try and lead it from there. But now I know exactly what I have to do. I’m staying with them at this monastery and I’m helping them to complete this rebellion.”
“What?
” Chef Chen gasps in disbelief. He is somewhere between the emotions of rage and confusion. I am only surprised.
“You heard me. I’m tired of talking about my passions and thinking about everything that I want to do. It’s time I really get serious, and this is exactly how I will do that. It’s time to take Li down.”
“I will turn this car around right now.” Chef Chen pumps on the brakes, the veins in his fingers tensing as he stares ahead at the turning lane in the road a few hundred yards ahead.
“You can’t stop me from doing this. I’m an adult.” She speaks hastily, a hint more nervousness creeping into her tone than confidence. “And I have the right to do what I want. You couldn’t stop me from going to university, and I won’t let you stop me from this.”
“After everything, you do this!” he screams louder than I thought was possible. Every bit of strength in his large, powerful body is exuded from his throat in one yell that has enough force to break the glasses of the window.
“This is done! We are done! I don’t care about your diamond. I won’t let you rip my family away.” He points a discolored finger with a long, cracked nail at me. I put my finger on the scanner of the backpack in my lap, instinctually preparing for the worst.
The car swerves to the side of the road as he slams on the brakes. I am thrown forward into the seat in front of me, Ai even lets out a shriek, afraid that we are going to crash into the ditch at the side of the road.
“Get out!” Chef Chen screams, his bellow directed at me and Jake. Ai sits next to us in shock. She didn’t expect a good response, but even she didn’t expect a response like this.
“Both of you, now!” He exhales, and following his words is nothing but silence and the rumble of the engine. The trail of smoke pumping out from the exhaust pipe floats by the side of the window as the harsh, cold wind outside pushes it forward.
I don’t move. Jake and I are both unsure about what to do, but one thing is for sure: if we are thrown out into the cold in the middle of rural China, we won’t make it for long. The entire Chinese military will be on us in no time.
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