Destiny Sorrow

by Rod S. Galves

  “This is not possible! You're kidding me!” She said not conceiving the ideas that took her mind.

  “Not at all.” Replied the leader by lowering his arm.

  “You have no destiny...”

  He nodded without much emotion.

  “But how?” Asked Evelin impressed. “It should be impossible!”

  “It is a very stupid reason actually.” Began Sorom. “It's nothing epic or special.”

  “What do you mean? There's no way it's a stupid motive, I've never heard of anyone without a destiny... Are you a robot?”

  Evelin's question made Sorom laugh.

  “Here it goes. When I was going to turn ten, my father organized a big party to celebrate that I would receive a destiny, he was fanatical about these things. At the time, Golbert was working at my house. My father hated the chaotic but ended up "adopting" him. Deep down, he just kidnapped a child and made her work as a slave, thinking it was a good deed.”

  Evelin couldn't take the eyes of Sorom's during the story and paid as much attention as she could.

  “Gol and I had already become friends as children, although my father didn't like it very much. Anyway, on the day of the party, I was playing, and I ended up falling into the pool and drowned.”

  Evelin's expression turned to one of confusion.

  “Did you drown? But you're here.”

  “I was rescued, but my lungs were full of water and my heart had stopped for a time; That was the day I died. Of course, my father rushed and, with the contacts and technologies he had, they managed to resurrect me. My heart beat again, and my brain had not suffered any permanent damage, despite what others might claim.”

  Sorom shut up, leaving Evelin curious about the story.

  “But what about your fate?”

  “Well, I died just as I would be ten and receive my fate. When I woke up, there was nothing. The day passed and nothing. After a month my father got mad, thinking I was some kind of anomaly. I stole a gun from him and ran off with Gol before my dad had any crazy ideas.”

  “Wait a minute, you died and, in that time, ended up not receiving your fate? Is that possible?”

  “Apparently yes,” Sorom replied with a smile. “Ten more years passed and then I was sure I wasn't going to have a destiny ever. The interesting thing is, I've found that I can influence people's fate. I saved someone who was doomed to die at a specific moment. At that time, I was already creating the Agents with Gol and Norna, but then came the idea of killing the God-Computer and ending destinies.”

  Sorom could see from the girl's reaction that she was impressed by the story and he smiled victoriously.

  “The leader of the Chaos Agents has no destiny...” Repeated Evelin to herself. “That doesn't make any sense and at the same time explains so much... Do all the agents know about this?”

  “Oh, no. Just the big ones and a few more, like Dice.”

  “I think I'm going to need some time to absorb all this, but I have one more question. Your father is General Sorom, isn't he?”

  Immediately Sorom got serious and closed.

  “I have genetic material from that guy, but he's not a father. Apparently, he erased me from his story, I don't know if he told those who knew me that I died so I wouldn't have to explain my disappearance.”

  “General Sorom has always frightened me.” Evelin reflected. “I would never have imagined you were his son. Besides you two have the same last name, of course.”

  “I hope that I have overcome the fear of my father.” said Sorom still bothered by the subject.

  “Why is that?”

  “Because on our next mission we're going after him.”

  Part III:

  Fight for Harmony

  New day

  “Ringnug is the weapon that will ensure our victory against the God-Computer, but we still need one thing to complete it.” Norna spoke to the group.

  “Dice is still finishing it,” added Golbert “but there is something that is not in her hands but in ours.

  “The great General Janos Sorom protects the borders of Gardenia from neighboring countries.” Sorom spoke with a sarcastic tone. “With the help of a huge anti-aircraft laser cannon, the most powerful weapon the country has.”

  “Do you want to use this cannon to pierce the temple's defenses?” Asked Dijo.

  “Exactly,” Norna replied, “we will steal the cannon and dock in the Ringnug, making way for our troops inside the temple. Willys, do you have explosives to uncouple the cannon?”

  Willys just smiled, thinking about the possibilities of explosions.

  “So, we're going to break into General Sorom's base?” asked Evelin. “I will no longer doubt their capabilities, but I hope you have a good plan.”

  The six were in the meeting room, where Sorom showed an image of the cannon on the tablet. Evelin deduced that the whole cannon should be the size of Rinlojm and was on top of a five-story building.

  “Of course, we have, skeptical Evelin.” Said Golbert smiling.

  She waited for the man to tell the plan, which turned to Sorom with a yellow smile. The leader sighed and began to report the plan.

  “Most of our troops will attack their hangar. Since we're famous for stealing ships, maybe they're ready and they're going to send their forces to stop us.”

  “By the way, how's the issue of ships?” Asked Evelin “Do we have enough strength to attack the Temple?”

  Norna replied, without being too optimistic.

  “In the matter of armaments and ships, we are fine, but we could use more troops.”

  “We only have twenty days,” reported Sorom. “We do not have time to invade another CCC, besides that they will be inexperienced and unprepared.”

  “I'm going to create an algorithm to fly most ships,” Dijo warned. “So, we can focus our strength to invade the interior of the Temple.”

  Sorom coughed to the group's attention.

  “Continuing: while the ground troops fight in the hangar, we will advance into the base. Willys goes on a stealth mission with Golbert covering him, while the others draw the soldiers' attention. If we're lucky, I can still take my dad down.”

  “Are you going to kill your own father?” asked Dijo.

  “He is not a real father,” Sorom said. “He's the scum. Besides, he’s the kind of person that's worse for this world. A destiny fanatic who believes in an unfair system.

  “I don't know about killing your father, but what about the soldiers?” Asked Evelin. “They're just doing their job.”

  “How is this different from the ziggurat guards?” Asked Golbert. “Just because you grew up on a base like this?”

  Evelin thought about it and eventually agreed.

  “If we are going to do this, we have to do it to the end, but promise that they will not cause more violence than necessary.” The young woman asked.

  The group agreed and Sorom continued the explanations.

  “Willys will use his explosives to disengage the cannon, and as soon as done Norna will arrive with the Rinlojm and more air support and remove the cannon and our agents.

  “I don't see how anything can go wrong,” said Evelin sarcastically.

  “That is the spirit!” Celebrated Golbert.

  “This meeting is over.” Sorom announced. “Report the mission to others and get ready: we will go in two days.”

  “It is not over yet,” Norna said before Dijo and Willys could get up, “we have to talk about a very important issue.”

  Sorom stared at the woman waiting.

  “We cannot go without morals,” she said. “I'm still not at peace with what happened to Garreth.”

  “I am not at peace either. Don't you think I keep thinking about how he's doing all the time? I know if he's suffering, it's because of me, but what would you expect me to do?”

  “What has passed has passed,” Norna continued, “But we can change from now on. We are all willing to die for the cause, but we have to agree and not put anyone
out in danger for our actions and that we will not abandon ours in complicated situations.”

  “What if that means the end of the mission?” Asked Sorom.

  “If the success of the mission depends on war crimes, it is not a mission that is really worthwhile.”

  Sorom reflected on the woman's speech and agreed with the head.

  “Let's not put anyone in danger anymore. Well, no one who's not already our target and we're only going to act if it's according to everyone's morale, what do you think?”

  The group seemed happy with that decision and then Evelin remembered agreements she had made.

  “So many things have happened that I forgot to comment. In case we could get Kurtrick's weapons, I kind of promised, in your name, that he would have weapons and temple technologies after our mission was successful.”

  For a moment, Evelin saw Sorom troubled, but he tried to disguise it.

  “It is dangerous to give this kind of technology to an arms dealer,” Sorom said. “I think that goes against our morale.”

  “It may be,” Norna continued, “but he will not forget the deal.”

  “Let's leave this discussion for later,” Sorom suggested. “If all goes well, I'm going to have died killing God, and that won't be my problem anymore.”

  He finished the meeting, the group split up to get organized.

  …

  While Evelin was cleaning her weapons, Golbert approached.

  “I heard that you went around trying to increase the morale of the group,” said the giant.

  “I just thought that you guys...”

  He gave her a hug that interrupted her.

  “I knew from the beginning that you would be good for the team.” Said the man.

  “Since I shot you on the subway?” Asked Evelin when she returned to breath after the hug.

  “Sometimes things got heavy around here,” Golbert said, ignoring the girl's speech. “I try to cheer people up, but it doesn't always work out. It's nice to know I can count on someone else for that!”

  The two smiled together and Golbert began to help her in her task.

  “Sorom told me about your story.” Evelin began in fear of touching on a delicate subject. “Did you work for Sorom's father?”

  Evelin saw his smile disappear for a second.

  “I was a chaotic child, and Sorom's father ended up meeting me on one of his missions. He always said that he saved me out of compassion and that I should be grateful, but he sent me to work either at the house or at his base.”

  “That’s rough.”

  “But if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have met Sorom and none of us would be here right now.”

  “It's a beautiful way of looking at things,” Evelin said.

  “And now Sorom wants to kill Janos,” continued Golbert smiling less. “Don't get me wrong, the general is the worst of people, but I don't know if it's good for someone to kill their own father.”

  “Are you going to do something to stop it?”

  “Ah, when Sorom puts an idea in his head it is difficult to go back. If Sorom finds the general, he'll definitely try something.”

  Evelin then thought of something obvious, but one she hadn't noticed until now.

  “What is Sorom's first name? Our Sorom?”

  For some reason Evelin's question generated a laugh in Golbert.

  “What's so funny?” Asked Evelin not seeing how his question could generate this reaction.

  “I am forbidden to talk about it.” Said the man still letting out laughs. “Maybe he'll tell you; that's something only he can talk about.”

  Evelin did not understand the reaction but continued her work for the rest of the day.

  The next morning, Evelin saw Dijo and Willys running down the aisle excited. Readily Dijo took Evelin's hand and pulled it with them.

  “You need to see this!” Said the excited young man.

  They went to the glass dome that showed the mountains and Willys pressed buttons in a briefcase.

  “Are you ready to see the biggest explosion of your life?” Asked Willys with sparks in his eyes.

  Dijo put on his goggles with semi-transparent red lenses and stared at the horizon.

  “Wait, said Evelin, what is going on?”

  “The bald finished the Dyna42.” Said Dijo almost as excited as Willys. “This is going to be the first demonstration.”

  “Unfortunately, we lost a WOOL-3.” Commented Willys finishing typing. “But your little sister will honor your legacy. The weapon to overcome God!”

  Willys pressed one last button and the three saw one of the smaller, farthest mountains being obliterated in a white explosion. The two men celebrated the success of the explosion as the entire base shook and a cloud of smoke covered the glass dome.

  “That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!” Said Willys with a tear in his eyes.

  “Was that a good idea?” Asked Evelin impressed by the power of the explosive. “You could see that explosion from space!”

  “Amazing, isn't it?” Asked Willys.

  “No! If someone came investigate the explosion our base would be found!”

  “Relax,” Dijo said. “No one observes the Hoan Mountains; It's a dead place. Besides what we have nineteen days to go. Even if someone did come, and I know they didn't, no one would find our base that fast.

  “I admit that with all this power even the Air Temple would suffer damage.”

  Willys looked proudly at the two in front of him and pulled out a tear with a rusty finger.

  “To be able to leave a better world for you, young people will be fantastic.”

  “What are you talking about, old man?” Asked Dijo embarrassed.

  Although he was speaking to both of them, the man focused his vision on Dijo.

  “I know the past wasn't easy for my family and for the two of you, but if I can improve the future for you, I don't mind losing the death jackpot.”

  “You will not die!” Said Dijo. “You said we could live together after and you'd find that old love of yours again.”

  “I feel I shouldn't be part of this conversation,” Evelin commented slightly uncomfortable.

  “She probably doesn't even remember me anymore,” Willys said. “Besides, I know you'd do very well without me.”

  Evelin began to slowly take steps back.

  “No!” Said Dijo angry. “Promise me that after all you will still go after her! Also, there's a lot of video games you said I could have. You're the one who's going to pay for them!”

  Evelin saw a familiar smile on Willys' face. The same smile your father gave when he said he was proud of her.

  “Well,” Willys said interrupting the moment, “I have two more of these to create in less than twenty days.”

  He left the room before Evelin and the two younger people stayed together.

  Dijo approached her embarrassed.

  “You weren't supposed to see any of that.”

  “It was very cute indeed.” Admitted the woman.

  “But I'm not cute! I'm a chaos agent hacker, Willys can't keep humiliating me like that in front of the others.”

  “I promise I don't think less of you than I thought before I saw a mountain explode.”

  He was relieved and soon after he looked embarrassed again.

  “Relax,” Evelin said, “everything is fine.”

  “It is not that,” said the boy gathering strength to speak, “when all this is over what he thinks of us ... Well, do we go out together?”

  “What?” Asked Evelin completely off guard.

  “Oh, isn't that what people normally do?” Asked Dijo getting nervous. “I'm sorry, I thought this was... Well...”

  “Calm down!” Said Evelin. “I just... wasn’t prepared for it.”

  Evelin had never looked at Dijo in a different way than a co-worker. She was too focused on the mission to think about these things. Stopping to think, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. She did not find Dijo as beautiful as
Dommerick; however, he had his own charm and now she began to find his green hair strangely attractive.

  “It's just... you know...” continued Nervous Dijo, “I've always lived with older people and never... I've never had anyone like that...”

  “I can see,” said Evelin teasing the boy, “I don't think I have the head to think about these things at the moment.”

  “Oh, yes, of course, it makes sense.”

  “But...” Dijo's heart began to accelerate when he heard the word, “after we overthrew God, I think we can go out.”

  The young man tried unsuccessfully to hide the smile from his face.

  “Oh, of course, great! Well, you're the one who's going to have to decide the place because I don't know much about the city.”

  The girl smiled at him and agreed; then Dijo said goodbye and ran down the hall, calling for Willys.

  ...

  The night before the blow, Sorom couldn't sleep, kept struggling in his bed until he heard a knock on his door. He stood up and opened the door revealing a smiling Golbert with a bottle of wine in his hand.

  “What do you want?” Asked Sorom, without patience.

  Golbert was coming in and with his huge body Sorom had no chance of stopping him.

  “I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep, so I brought this to help.”

  He opened the bottle and offered it to Sorom.

  “Do you think drinking before a mission is wise?” asked Sorom.

  “I think it's better than not drinking. Now let's do it.”

  Sorom took the bottle and took a sip straight into the neck. The two sat on Sorom's bed, which leaned a little with Golbert's weight.

  “Are you nervous?” asked Golbert.

  “What do you think? How are you so calm?”

  “Oh, I'm not calm.” said Golbert taking a big sip on the wine, “I think I just disguise better than you.”

  “We are going after the man who destroyed our childhoods,” Sorom said. “It was horrible for me and I imagine it was much worse for you.”

  “You who had to live with him since you were born.”

  “Because of him you turned your whole body into a weapon... so you can help me...”

  Sorom lifted Golbert's sleeve revealing the scars of the various muscle grafts he made to become the giant he was.