February 23, 2007. 9:37 PM. Safe house.
I’m lying on a bed staring at a ceiling that hasn’t been repainted in half a century. I wasn’t able to sleep at all, but it feels like I’ve been asleep for a very, very long time. Thoughts won’t stop racing through my head, but none of them are complete. Just as I’m about to have a coherent thought, another one rushes to the forefront of my mind. What is going on? What have I gotten myself into? Is Lily real? Is this real? Did John get on the helicopter and leave me with David? The only thing I know is that I need to get to the bottom of this. I need to find the guy responsible for the Incident… Then I can rest.
Lily’s voice crackles in my ear. “William. How are you?”
“...” I close my eyes and try to block out her voice too. I’ve already blocked out the birds outside, the ceiling fan, the pipes, and even my own heartbeat.
“William, respond.”
Yet no matter how hard I try, I cannot block Lily’s voice out. It demands to be heard. “I’m alive.”
“Good. Are you functional though?”
I sharpen up my arm and cut a fly that’s buzzing over me in half. “Functional enough.”
“Mind if I ask you something?” Lily asks.
I’m much too tired and occupied to talk, but something about Lily compels me to speak. It’s not demanding or forcing me- more like a gentle suggestion. Maybe I’m too tired to resist. Maybe this is just the first new person who’s spoken to me in a while… “No. Go ahead.”
“Why did you infiltrate the Nation of Jacob compound?”
“Thought you had eyes everywhere.” My eyelids are too heavy to stay open.
“I don’t have eyes inside your mind.” Lily replies.
“Why do you want to know?” I ask.
“I like to know my coworkers. What they like, what they dislike, what drives them.”
“It’s just a contract job. I need money. Simple as that.”
“Really now? A man of your caliber could be making much more with less risk.”
“I disagree.” I shrug. “Besides, it’s always nice to work with an old-”
“I know about the Incident.” Lily’s voice slices through my thoughts. “John promised you info on the details, didn’t he?”
“...” She does have eyes in my head. I don’t know how or why or when, but she has to. I can feel them peering around inside me with every word she says. I need to cut them out.
“William, answer me.”
No matter how hard I close my eyes, I still see Luke’s and John’s eyes staring back at me. “I just need to find that bastard who killed my buddies… John said he found the man responsible for the Incident.”
“William… you cannot be serious.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come now. You and your buddies checked the explosives several times over. Did anyone find anything wrong?”
“...” My fingers clench the bedsheets. “No… No, Luke never made a single mistake with his explosives, not even back at the academy.”
“And everything was secure, no?”
“Y-yeah… All the threats were dealt with, all the hostages and targets were secure. We did everything we were supposed to.”
“Right, right. So there was no reason for that bomb to go off, correct?”
“... Something could have gone wrong. Maybe I missed a threat. Maybe there was someone with an invisibility Tech.”
“William, who do you know that has an explosion Tech?”
“...” Now the ceiling fan feels like it's staring down at me. “No. No, no. That’s impossible.”
“Is it?” Explain.”
“He would never.”
“Why not?”
“Because he cares…”
“William, he’s part of the government. You’re either a tax pig or a weapon for them. They don’t care about you.”
My body tenses and I slowly curl into a pathetic ball. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I hate to see wasted potential. You could be a hero.”
“I’m not a hero. Never was. Never will be.”
“Not with that attitude.”
“Heroes save people.” I open my eyes and look at my bladed arm. “I can’t even save one friend…”
“Get your head out of your ass an-”
crreeeeeak
The bedroom door opens and John walks in with a lit cigarette in his lips, a beige folder, and a pink cardboard box.
“We’ll continue this later.” Lily whispers. “Keep your eyes open, Hero Boy.”
“Hey, Champ.” John rests the pink box on my bed. “Got ya some breakfast.”
My body relaxes upon seeing John. “Isn’t it night time?”
“Eh, details.” John shrugs and sits down on the bed adjacent to mine. “How’re you feeling?”
I peek inside the box and see a variety of donuts, but my eyes fixate on the chocolate glazed donut littered with sprinkles. “Better.” I grab the donut and take a bite out of it. “Thank you by the way.”
“Don’t worry about it. Boys need to eat.” John smiles at me.
I smile back at him.
Our eyes meet for a little bit before John raises his folder. “I’m sure you have a few questions.”
“Yes, sir.” I take another bite of my donut.
“Well I got a few questions for you first.” John leans in closer to me. “Who is Lily?”
ring ring
ring ring
ring ring
The landline on the night stand between our beds begins to ring before I can respond.
John and I look at the phone, then at each other.
John presses the speaker option on the phone. “Hello?”
“You rang?” Lily’s voice emits from the phone.
“Who are you and what do you want?” John focuses on the phone.
“I’m just a funny little flower.” Lily giggles. “And I want to make sure everyone behaves themselves.”
“Why’d you have to get Will involved in this?” John leans in towards the phone.
“Same reason you did. He’s simply the best one for the job, correct?”
John says nothing. He just narrows his eyes and leans back away from the phone. “I cannot deny that… but how the hell did you get this number?”
“I can keep answering your questions or we could discuss what to do with your brother. I believe one of those options is much more pressing than the other.” Lily responds.
John nods slightly and opens his folder. “Fair enough.” He sighs as he lays out various documents on the bed beside him. “I was able to plant a tracker on David during our little scuffle on the roof. He appears to be en route to Siberia right now.”
“Siberia…” I ponder. “What could he be doing there? Some kind of arm dealing? Espionage? Funding separatists movements?”
“I wish.” John shakes his head and shows me a picture of the weapons I found back at the Nation of Jacob base. “The intel I gathered from some CIA and FBI buddies suggest that David is currently moving these weapons to Southern Russia.”
“Is he planning to sell them?”
“That would make sense.” John nods. “He did mention he needed funding.”
“But for what specifically?” I ask.
“I’m not sure at the moment, but it can’t be good.” John keeps looking at his documents.
“Then what are we waiting for?” I rise from my bed. “We need to go after him now!”
“Easy there, Will.” John raises his hand. “We can’t just get on a plane with you. You’re wanted right now, remember?”
“Can’t you just vouch for me?!”
“I could, but that would require you and I to stay in police custody and dedicate a few dozen- if not hundred- hours explaining how and why you attacked a government facility.”
“...” I sit back down. “I assume your brother is buddy buddy with some federal judges too?”
“Of course.” John nods. “So we can’t exactly waltz into any airport we like.”
“Should we at least try and alert the Russian government?”
“Yes, Will.” Lily interjects. “Let’s alert the Russian government that there is an experimental EMP weapon in their borders that is ripe for the taking. Certainly that won’t backfire in the slightest.”
In retrospect, that was a stupid question, but in my defense, I am hungry and very very tired.
“Then how the hell are we getting there?” John rubs his temples. “I don’t know anyone with any good transport Techs and all our routes out are allied with David.”
Lily’s voice crackles through the phone. “Have either of you gentlemen been to Ontario International Airport?”
February 24, 2007. 12:08 AM. Ontario International Airport.
Outside a small, quiet, but perfectly functional airport. It’s far cleaner, cheaper, and overall more pleasant than LAX… though that’s not saying much. John and I park in the parking lot and head inside the terminal without any incident. Despite all the security cameras and TSA agents around, nobody gives us a second look. No matter how easy or pleasant everything is, I cannot shake the feeling that something horrible is going to go down at any moment.
John and I walk right up to a security checkpoint. He doesn’t flash his badge or announce who he is either. In fact, he appears completely different than how he usually is. He’s dressed in plain jeans, a t-shirt he probably hasn’t worn since college, and a dusty old jacket. He’s walking with a slight hunch and without all the professional confidence he usually does. It’s like he’s a completely different person. “Excuse me, sir.” John raises his hand.
“Mmhm?” The portly TSA agent yawns. “How may I assist you?”
“Lily sent us.” John replies.
Something about the agent’s face tenses up. “What did Rose put forth?” He asks.
“A thorn.” John replies.
“And the sheep?”
“A threatening horn.” John nods.
“Does Lily need to worry about you?” The agent rests his hand on his firearm.
John shakes his head. “Nor a thorn nor threat stain her beauty bright.”
The agent nods before leaning into his radio. “Love delight, I repeat, love delight.” He steps aside and motions us past the metal detectors. “Terminal 2.”
We head right towards Terminal 2, get led outside by another agent, and pointed towards a white private jet on the tarmac with an airstair already hooked up to the jet’s door. We hurry inside and take off without any problems. The inside of the jet is not ornate in the slightest. No fancy bars, no extravagant decorations. The walls are lined with illegal-looking weapons and various devices that I cannot make heads or tails of. The only other particular thing about this jet is the smell. It reeks of coffee.
John sits in a seat on the other side of the aisle and continues to study his documents and cellphone.
“You two get onboard safe?” Lily’s voice graces my ear.
“No problems at all.” I hold my finger to the back of my ear. “Your boys were very nice to us.”
“Good to hear. Keep me updated on David’s location. I’ll see if I can make anything easier for you.”
“Thank you, Lily.” I lower my finger and turn to John. “Any updates?”
“Mmhm.” John nods and pulls out a world map from his breast pocket and points. “David’s signal has stopped here about 50 miles Southwest of the Azas Nature Reserve by the Russia-Mongolia border.”
February 24, 2007. 9:32 AM. Russian airspace.
I don’t know how, but I managed to get some sleep. It doesn’t matter how bewildered, hungry, or anxious you are, eventually your body will simply become too tired to care. I’m eventually awoken by John tossing a backpack into my lap. “Good morning, sunshine.” He pats my right shoulder. “Ready to kick some ass and do your country proud?”
I did not hear John, but I nod and put on the parachute instinctively. “When do I jump?” I yawn and stretch my arms over my head.
“Now.”
“Now?” I blink, still trying to process what he said.
“Yup. Now.” John picks me up as the back of the jet opens up.
“Five more minutes…” I start to doze off again.
“No can do.” John puts a small pair of binoculars and a chunky usb stick in my pockets, my bamboo sword in my hands, then carries me over to the back of the jet. “I’ll keep you updated on where we’ll extract you. Godspeed, son.” He throws me out of the back of the jet.
The frigid Russian air combined with me falling at terminal velocity is enough to wake me up instantly. This is not my first jump from an aircraft and I doubt it will be the last. Despite the horrid winds blocking out every other sound, it's so quiet. I can’t even hear my own thoughts. It’s nice. You don’t need to think about anything until you hit the ground. When you do hit the ground, just think of the mission. John and Lily will take care of the rest. I open my parachute and my descent slows. I can see some soldiers in the distance, but I can’t make out their affiliation. They don’t look Spetsnaz. In fact, I don’t recognize their uniforms or gear from anywhere. There’s also a sizable military installation a few miles East. Given the distance and my current height, it's completely possible I’ve already been detected.
boom
bzzzz
Some kind of laser beam shoots past my ear.
It is now 100% possible I’ve already been detected. I look down and see a bunch of lush treetops covered in fluffy looking snow. I know no landing is ever as soft as it looks, but I don’t know if I can deflect lasers and I really don’t want to test that right now. I hook left and descend for a few more seconds before cutting my parachute strings and plummet to the forest down below. I plow through some of the canopy and hit two tree branches on the way down, but the snow and the parachute backpack absorb some of the impact. I land in a pile of snow already freezing and sore… but functional.
My inner ear begins to vibrate and I press my finger to it. “This is Will.”
“Did you manage to land safely?” John asks.
“Indeed.” I groan, breathe in through my teeth, but manage to get up on my own. Feels like someone pounded a spike into my spine, but I’ve had worse.
“Are you sure? You don’t sound good.”
“Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.” I rub my lower back.
“Attaboy.” John chuckles. “Just remember, Will. Try not to get caught. We’re technically non-state actors at this point, but Russia doesn’t care about that. You look and sound as American as apple pie. You get caught, and there’s an international incident on our hands.”
“I know, I know.” I lean my back against a tree and take in the surroundings. Shin high snow and trees as far as the eye can see. Probably won’t be long until those soldiers show up though. Until then, just gotta watch out for bears. Doesn’t appear to be any traps though and my plain white t-shirt makes for excellent camo in this environment… May have to ditch the jeans though if things get dicey. “I saw a military installation on the way down. I assume I should head there?”
“Indeed. David's signal is still there. See what info you can dig up on the base before apprehending him.”
“And if I can’t apprehend him?”
“Then kill him.” John replies without hesitation.
“Are you sure, sir?”
“He’s a threat to international security first and my brother second. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
beeeeep chirp chirp
I hear what can only be described as mechanical chirping in the distance, but it's getting closer by the second.
“What is that?” John asks.
“Someone may have spotted me during my descent.”
“Damnit, Will.”
“Relax. Nobody will notice if there’s nobody left to notice. Over and out.” I pull my finger away from my ear and start heading East towards the installation. Everything is quiet, save for the wind and the snow crunching with every step I take. Nothing has made contact with me yet, but it's only a matter of time- like the calm before a storm. As I continue heading East, I begin to hear a frequency in my ear. It's like when you turn on a CRT TV, but far more high pitched. I find a vantage point overlooking a valley leading to the base. It’s got a nice snow dune and is surrounded by trees and rocks. Perfect. I crawl atop it, pull out the binoculars, and do some recon. I see a squad of soldiers clad head to toe in heavy armor, rifles that look straight out of a space movie, and two foot tall bunny ears sprouting from the helmets. The ears don’t look fluffy in the slightest. Some have piercings, some have sutures, all have scar tissue. While the armor looks menacing as heck, the bouncing ears make the soldiers look… somewhat cute. Half a dozen of them are approaching the forest like a well-oiled machine. They’re all already alert and have their rifles ready to blow a hole in anything.
I pull away from the vantage point and start to head North to avoid them with my finger pressed to my ear. “John, come in. I’ve spotted enemy soldiers approaching, but they haven’t spotted me yet.”
“Spetsnaz?” John asks.
“No. Tsukijin.”
John sighs. “I’m not sure if that’s better or worse than the Russian military.”
“Hold on. We don’t know who they’re employed by yet.”
“True. They could be employed by David.” John takes a hit of his cigarette. “Regardless, they’re Tsukijin. Killing them won’t cause an international incident.”
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“Good luck killing them with your Tech though.” Lily’s voice cuts into the call.
“... Pardon?” I ask.
“They’re probably running high-frequency armor. The outside vibrates so fast it can deflect any strike, slash, or pierce attack.” Lily continues.
“How and why did you intercept this call?!” John raises his voice. His breath grows uneasy… Is he scared? Unnerved? It doesn’t sound like him.
“Don’t worry about it.” I can hear Lily grin through her speech. “I just wanted to help.”
“Just like those swords back at the camp…” I ponder as I hop over a boulder. “Whose technology is that though? American or Tsukijin?”
“Probably a little bit of both.” Lily continues. “It’s more likely both sides had spies copying a bit of each other’s homework.”
“That makes sense.” I approach a tree and peek out from behind it only to see another half dozen Tsukijin approach the forest from the North… and they’re a lot closer than the other team. I hide behind the tree and collect myself. They’re so close that they will see me if I poke my head out again.
“That being said, if you could bring back some of their gear or anything else cool you find at the base for me, I’d really appreciate it.” Lily requests.
“Will, don’t listen to her!” John warns. “This tech is classified. We don’t know who this Lily is or who she’s working for. She can’t be trusted with government secrets!”
“I’ll make it worth your while.” Lily’s tone remains calm and consistent. “Unlike the feds, I pay my employees well.”
John lets out a tired sigh. “Don’t disappoint me, Will. Just go after my brother.”
“What’s wrong?” Lily asks. “Don’t like it when citizens have better weapons than you?”
I sharpen my arms and my swords and start digging. Maybe I can infiltrate into the base from underground.
“CP, this is Volk 6. Obtained visual on hostile. Engaging!” A voice from behind me yells.
I turn around and see a Tsukijin aiming her rifle at me.
I start to raise my blade and put it between myself and the rifle barrel.
bzzt
A fraction of a fraction of a second later, I see a light burst from her gun, flash to me, then return to her. The one who fired at me now has a sizable dent in her breast plate and has electricity arcing off her.
I got really, really lucky with that and I’m in no mood to test my luck further. My eyes dart around the area looking for something, anything that can help me. All I see is a snow-covered hill to the left of me. As the rest of the Tsukijin hurry to my location, I sharpen the rest of my body and sprint off towards the hill. Lasers shoot towards me and shoot through tree stumps and make boulders around me combust. The trees fall around me, but they make some excellent visual cover. One falls right on top of me, but my body cleaves it in two. Still hurts like heck though. Before long I find myself covered in rock, snow, and soil. I get some in my eye, making me fall forward and plummet through the Earth’s crust. After falling for about five seconds, I rotate myself to fall feet first and stop falling. I’m disoriented, dizzy, my legs are on fire, there’s still dirt in my eye, and its pitch dark… but I’m still alive. If I turn around and keep running, I should be under the base in no time… so that’s what I do.
“Will!” John’s voice erupts in my ear. It’s a bit staticy, but still mostly coherent. “What are you doing?! Kill those vermin! Destroy their tech before the rest of Russia gets their hands on it.”
For once, my body doesn’t listen to John. My legs just run as fast as they can. My heart won’t stop racing. My body won’t stop twitching. What is this? Why is this? I can’t… I can’t think.
“It’s okay, Will.” Lily reassures me. Her voice sounds so… smooth, so alluring. “Just focus on David for now. I can have an employee pick the gear up for me later. Your safety matters first.”
“Will! Will!” John keeps barking at me. “Listen to me!”
“John… Say those words to me.” I beg.
“What do you mean?” John asks.
“You know… Those words you say at the start of every mission.”
“...” John pauses. “I can’t.”
“JOHN!” Lily roars. “Stop worrying about state secrets and help Will!”
“...” John pauses. “Will, where do you stand?”
“Between the Earth and the Heavens…” My body reacts on its own. I feel something release and fill my bloodstream. It’s a familiar feeling, but much weaker than what I’m used to. Normally those words put me at 100%. This time they just bring me back to 0. My breathing slows, my muscles relax, and my heart no longer feels ready to burst from my chest.
“Interesting…” Lily muses. “His parasympathetic nervous system activity surged and there appears to be some benzodiazepines in his blood now.”
“How the hell do you know that?” John asks. “The hell did you inject my boy with?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Lily responds. “How did you do this? Hypnotic suggestions? Drug injections? Nanomachines?”
Best to hurry. Never know when those Tsukijin might drop a bomb down here. I take a deep breath and continue rushing East with a newly cleared mind.
“Ask one more question and I’ll have you found and tried for espionage the second David’s dealt with.” John threatens.
“Tell me, John.” Lily replies without missing a beat. “What were you doing in Iran between 1981 and 1986?”
John takes another deep hit of his cigarette. “Please leave this call.”
“You really want the person in charge of exfiltration to leave you alone?” Lily asks.
I eventually hear two Tsukijin fall down the hole and begin following me so I decide to walk in random directions for a little bit to make an impromptu labyrinth. While I do hear them draw closer, I never see any lights from them or hear any indication that they spotted me again.
“Come in, Will.” John warns.
“Mmhm?”
“Stop where you are and start ascending. David should be right above you.”
“Thank you.” I collapse the tunnel behind me with a single slice then start carving an impromptu staircase. I climb and climb until I reach the underside of a floor. Seems sturdy, if a bit damp. I can just barely hear something creaking and squeaking. Sounds heavy and almost organic, but not quite. Still, sounds like there’s only one of them. I sharpen my body then jump through the floor. I find myself in a normal looking office complete with a watercooler, a table, a sofa, some chairs, some lockers, and a vending machine that’s only stocked with the snacks nobody wants. Between me and the door is a Tsukijin with her back turned.
The Tsukijin begins to turn around. “What was that no-”
I slice the Tsukijin’s head clean off.
The head and body begin to fall to the ground.
I catch the body before it can make too much noise. The head bounces twice before rolling against a locker. No blood, no guts, just some wiring and bizarre fluid leaking out. Even then, it's more of a drip instead of a gush. Feels completely different from killing a human. Felt more like removing a faulty car door than ending a life.
“Hmmm…” I remove the Tsukijin’s body armor and look at its body- rather what's left of it. It looks robotic for sure, but there’s still some flesh and organs left. I see a spine, a heart, and even a brain, but most of each of those organs have been mostly subsumed by metal and wiring. Instead of being stored in the head, the brain is adjacent to the chest. There’s even a serial number and a barcode on each organ and metal plate. The innards look too sterile to be biological, but just fleshy enough to not look mechanical. Worst of both worlds. I don’t know if this is what they all look like or just the military models, but I’m in no mood to find out. I finish putting on the power armor, sever the brain from the endoskeleton, and shove the endoskeleton into a nearby locker. Imagine a hybrid between a human skeleton and a rabbit skeleton, but enhanced with various cybernetics. Looks more horrifying than any human corpse… but that could just be due to my familiarity with the interior of a human body. Lastly, I pry the helmet open and find a fleshy-looking face staring up at me. The eyeballs twitch and flail about wildly as if they were searching for something. The cheeks almost feel like flesh. The face almost looks human. There’s just something a bit off about the hue and texture of the flesh, but nothing I could accurately describe. Regardless, the ears seem attached to the helmet. I don’t know if the helmet would be considered part of the skull, flesh, or exoskeleton but- no. I’m going to stop thinking about this. I pry the helmet off the head’s endoskeleton, put it in the locker with the rest of the body, and put the helmet on. I slide the sofa over the hole I made in the floor, grab the Tsukijin’s rifle, then exit the room. I find myself in an encampment. Some armored vehicles are parked out front and Tsukijin are patrolling the perimeter looking for any other intruders. I hear some incoherent chirping over a radio intercom system. Fortunately no troops are moving in a direction after the announcement.
“I’ve infiltrated the encampment and managed to find a disguise.” I whisper.
“Excellent work, Will.” John replies. “David’s signal hasn’t moved for a while. See what information you can find on the weapon system before he gets moving.”
“And what if I find the weapon system?” I ask.
“Destroy it.” Lily replies.
“Retrieve it.” John demands.
I leave the codec call before Lily and John start to bicker again and start scouring the base for information. Can’t seem to find any info. No computer terminals, no devices, I can’t even find the weapon systems. I did find a door leading to a basement, but that was guarded by four guards and several security cameras. There’s no way I’m getting through that without alerting the entire base and David with it. I call John while returning to the building I was originally in. “Couldn’t locate any documents or equipment. I did find a door leading to the basement, but I can’t get in without alerting the whole base.”
“Understood. David is still right above you. Looks like he should be on the third floor of the structure you’re currently in.”
“Understood.” I enter the facility once more and find that it’s empty. All the Tsukijin have since vanished. All I hear is my own footsteps and the sound of the heater. Desolate doesn’t begin to describe it. I make my way up two flights of stairs without issue until I reach some exquisite mahogany doors. I shoot them wide open with the rifle and rush inside to find a simple executive office. No decorations, no glamor. No pristine paint jobs. No extravagant desk or carpeting. Looks more like a prison than anything else. Gray floor. Gray walls. The only source of light in the room is the sunlight pouring in from the massive window that lines the wall across from me.
A Tsukijin sits in a rusty folding chair right in front of the window. He has decided to wear a simple suit and tie instead of armor, is lithe as a ghost, and is a full head taller than me. He’s got these uncanny crimson eyes, neon blue flowing hair, and is currently smoking what looks like an electronic cigarette. Upon seeing me, he blows out a cloud of blue smoke and motions for me to come in. “Ah, you must be John’s pet. Come in, come in.”
“Where is David?!” I aim my rifle at him.
The Tsukijin just raises his hand and shows off a tracking device. “You really thought the director of the C.I.A. wouldn’t check for bugs?”
“... Damnit…” John mutters in my ear.
“Tell me where he is.” I fire off a warning shot right next to the Tsukijin’s head that shatters the window and lets a gust of frigid winter air in.
“I wouldn’t know. That’s unfortunately above my paygrade.” The Tsukijin doesn’t flinch from the warning shot.
“He’s lying!” John barks. “He has to be!”
“William.” The Tsukijin motions for me to enter the room again. “Turn that radio off. We don’t need our masters barking here.”
“We don’t have time for this.” John insists. “Exfiltrate the base now. Lily is working on an extraction point as we speak.”
“Now hold on.” The Tsukijin raises his hand. “Wouldn’t you like to know where the missiles are?”
“Missiles…?” I enter the room. “EMP?”
“Perhaps.” The Tsukijin looks and sounds like he hasn’t slept in weeks. “I’m #R5M3 by the way.” He extends her hand. “Pleasure.”
“Pleasure.” I keep my distance and my finger on the trigger.
“He’s just trying to waste your time, Will!” John raises his voice. “Get out of there!”
“Now hold on.” #R5M3 shakes his head. “I’m a mercenary. David’s paying me $5,000,000 for my services. Outbid him, and I’ll cooperate.”
“The United States does not negotiate with terrorists.” John and I respond in unison.
“I’m not a terrorist.” #R5M3 rolls his eyes. “I don’t seek to instill terror. This is merely a paycheck.”
John seethes through his teeth. “Tell him to name his price.”
“What’s your price?” I ask.
“$10,000,000.” #R5M3 responds.
“Bit much for one person, isn’t it?” I ask.
“It’s not for me. It’s for my people.”
“Come in, John?” I ask.
“I… I don’t have that kind of money. Even if I did, I can’t just ask the government for funds right now.”
“Uh huh.” Lily sounds unimpressed. “Suuuure you don’t have $10,000,000 lying around somewhere.”
“What are you implying?” John asks.
“I’ve seen your department’s audits. There’s millions of dollars unaccounted for.”
“Those are bureaucratic mishaps. Shenanigans caused by bureaucrats and red tape.” John insists.
“I don’t believe you.” Lily remains calm.
“Then why don’t you foot the bill?” John asks. “You certainly seem well connected to pull this off.”
“I would have $10,000,000 in liquid assets if you dumbasses didn’t keep taxing everything.” Lily retorts.
#R5M3 sighs and scratches the back of his ear.
The earth begins to rumble underneath us as a silo opens up in the center of the base. “Launch begins in T minus 360 seconds. All staff retreat. I repeat, all staff retreat.” A robotic voice chimes through the base.
“Will!” John barks.
“I’m on it!” I run down the stairs and approach the silo.
By the time I get there, I see #R5M3 leap out the window, land between me and the silo, and materialize a neon-blue greatsword from nowhere. The sword glows with an otherworldly light and is just as tall as he is. “I’m sorry, Will. My people need this paycheck.” #R5M3 dashes towards me and swings his sword at me.
My blade collides with his, causing ethereal sparks and mysterious energy to constantly erupt from our swords. It looks as if the space around our blades is being disrupted somehow. I’m not sure if this is just how Tsukijin technology works or if we’re cutting something we’re not supposed to be, but my sword can’t cut his and his sword can’t cut mine. I’m able to get a better look at his face. Neither cold nor warm. It lacks enthusiasm and dread. No hate no hope. Just sheer professionalism. His strikes and movement possess all the swiftness and precision of a machine. Yet just like a machine, he lacks one key thing: passion.
The two of us fight and fight. I-
My inner ear begins to vibrate.
“I’m busy at the moment.” I declare. “I’ll call you back when I’ve neutralized the target.” I try to shut my codec off, but it doesn’t work. “What?!”
“Hello, boy.” David Eagleburger’s voice violates my ear. He sounds like he’s perpetually in a campaign ad. “Why don’tcha stop fighting there for a sec?”
I duck under a horizontal slice and try to stab the Tsukjin’s neck.
The Tsukijin pivots sideways, kicks my stomach, and goes for an overhead slice, but I manage to parry it and throw him off balance. “And be killed by this bunny?”
“He don’t wanna hurt nobody. He just needs to waste your time. You lower your weapon and he’ll lower his. Scout’s honor.”
“DAVID!” John speaks up. “What the hell are you doing on this line?!”
“What do you mean, Johnnyboy?” David asks. “I have as much clearance to be in his ear as you do.”
I make some space between me and the Tsukijin and resume heading for the silo.
The Tsukijin slides between me and the silo and kicks me backwards once again.
I slide back on one knee holding my stomach. “What… do you mean by that?” I lean on my sword for support.
“You’re an asset of the DOH, boy.” I can hear David grin through my ear. “Did you think all your missions came from John?”
“...” I’m very tired.
“Lily!” John barks. “Try to get David off the line!”
“Wow what a great idea. If only I thought of doing that sooner.” I can taste Lily’s sarcasm.
“You’re a soldier, right?” David asks.
“... That’s what it says on my resume.” I steel myself and rush back towards the Tsukijin with a flurry of slices.
“Good soldiers follow orders. I outrank John. Stand down.” David’s voice relaxes.
John speaks up again. “Will! Ignore him! Just destroy the silo!”
“Tell me something, Will.” David asks. “What do you want? Money? A house?”
“I want justice…” I keep stabbing and stabbing at the Tsukijin, but he evades each and every strike. There’s gotta be something, anything I can do.
“Then do as I say. I’m about to make this continent a whole lot more just.” David replies matter of factly.
“Is that why you’re working with lunar terrorists?” I ask.
“Hey now. #R5M3 ain’t no terrorist- to us. He’s our greatest ally. Him and his boys are trying to overthrow the tyrannical monarchy on the moon and make outer space safe for democracy!”
“...” I just keep swinging and swinging. I just want the silo gone. I want all this noise, all this bs gone. I just want-
“Or do you want the truth?” David interrupts my thoughts. “Johnnyboy promised you information, didn’t he?”
“BROTHER! LEAVE WILL ALONE! NOW!” John raises his voice louder than I’ve ever heard him before. Nearly blew my eardrum out.
“Because I got higher clearance than him.” David continues. “Care to know what really happened in Fallujah?”
“Will.” John quiets down a bit. “Listen to me. David’s a traitor and a danger to world security. You have no reason to believe him.”
“Tell me, boy.” David interrupts. “Do you have any reason to believe John?”
“He’s never lied to me before… Taken good care of me too.”
“Will…” I can hear John smile through his voice.
“Rescued me from a dark place… Let me help others in ways I couldn’t do on my own… Helped me meet some real good people.” I continue trying to eviscerate the Tsukijin.
“He also turned Luke into a bomb.” David continues. “Poor boy got intel that John didn’t like so he took it upon himself- without permission- to-”
“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” John interrupts. “YOU GAVE THE ORDER TO-”
“Then why haven’t you told poor William?” David asks.
“Probably covering his own ass…” Lily grumbles.
“Thank you!” David sounds exasperated. “Ever since we were kids I was always cleaning up after your messes. Took the chicken out of the fridge when you forgot to, let you copy off my notes, even-”
“YOU SAID HE WAS A MOLE! YOU TOLD ME HE WAS A NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERN!” John keeps yelling.
“Alright you’ve been damaging poor Will’s ears enough.” David says.
“DON’T YOU DA-”
All other voices drown out of my head. All I hear is David. “William. John can make anything a remote controlled bomb just by touching them. I’m certain he’s made you a bomb too. If you throw down your sword, we can get his bomb removed from you too. We can bring him to justice.”
“...” Never before has silence been so deafening.
“Listen to me, William. Evil has taken root in this country and all over the world. Help me make the world safe for true democracy again.”
“Heroboy.” Lily’s voice breaks through the silence. “David and John are Feds. Don’t trust them.”
“What in tarnation?” David asks. “How did you get back in this chat?”
“Just focus on what’s in front of you.” Lily continues. “There’s a silo about to launch an experimental EMP missile- and it sure as hell doesn’t look like a test launch.”
“Aw, come now.” David insists. “Are you really going to trust someone who you’ve never seen?”
“You know what?” Lily responds. “Heroboy. You do what you think is right. Nobody can tell you what justice is except you.”
“Forget that moral relativism malarky.” David cheers. “What’s good for Democracy is just!”
“It’s up to you, Heroboy.” Lily insists. “I’ll prepare an extraction point regardless of your decision.”
“Oooh that’s a neat manipulation tactic.” David replies. “Who taught you that? Spetsnaz? The Ayatollah?”
“Let’s leave Heroboy alone for a while. He needs to think for himself.” Lily’s voice cuts out.
“What are yo-” David’s voice also cuts out.
The voices have stopped.
“John! Come in!”
Nothing.
“Lily! LILY?!”
Nothing.
“Someone… Anyone… Tell me what to do…”
“I’m amazed you have lasted this long.” The Tsukijn walks towards me with his blade lowered. “Your blade lacks purpose.”
“...” I look at the Tsukijin, then the silo behind him. “I don’t know what exactly David’s after, what kind of weapon you got there, or what I’m even doing here at this point. The only thing I know for real is that I really don’t like missiles.” I widen my stance and raise my blade.
“Good, good.” The Tsukijin’s lips curl into a wry grin. “Let us begin.” He raises her blade.
I rush towards the Tsukijin with an overhead swing.
He pivots to my right and swings his blade diagonally three times.
I raise my blade to deflect the strikes, but he hits me with enough force to send me sliding back a few feet.
The Tsukijin slides towards me then lowers himself and tries to sweep at my feet.
I jump over his head and try to bisect him down the middle.
He tilts her body to the left, barely evades it, and follows up with a horizontal slash.
I turn around and leap backwards. There’s a fresh tear in my shirt, but I’m fine otherwise.
The Tsukijin sheaths his sword and assumes a wide, sturdy stance as electricity begins to arc around him.
Calm down. His sword is on his left side. Dodge to your left. Cover your right.
The Tsukijin draws his blade and shoots a crescent made of lightning right towards me.
I dodge to my left and see the Tsukijin rush at me with his blade sheathed once more. Now he’s on my left. There’s no way I can make my blade reach his in time. I run my hand down my thigh and try to kick his blade.
The Tsukijin’s blade meets my leg and sparks fly in every direction. “Ingenious…” The Tsukijin steps forward and pushes his blade against me. “But not ingenious enough.” He smiles and moves to press a button on his sword handle.
I rotate my blade backhand and slam it into her sword hilt.
The sword goes flying out of her hand, spiraling and arcing electricity off the blade in every direction until it plunges into the ground a few feet behind her.
The Tsukijin stepped backwards and glanced behind her before looking back at me. “Show me a good time, Will!” He raises her bare mechanical hands.
I rush after him and slice in every direction possible.
He ducks and weaves like a boxer and gets three hits on me. One on my chest, one on my kidney, one on my arm. “Amateur!”
Each strike knocks me off balance. I leap backwards to get some space, but the Tsukijin aims his arms at me and fires his fists like rockets.
I deflect one of the rockets and send it flying back at him. I dodge the other, but it just course-corrects and slams square into my back. Everything should be hurting more than it is… Maybe those words John told me did more than calm my mind. The rocket fist keeps pummeling my back until I spin around and deflect it off me with a resounding TING!
The rocket fists return to the Tsukijin as he flies at me via jet boosters on his back.
I swing my blade at him, but he catches it between his palms. He pushes against me, I push back. Sparks and heat fill the air around us as I’m pushed further and further back. I sink my foot into the snow and spin us around using the Tsukijin’s own force.
SHNK!
It works. The blade goes through and slices the Tsukijin through his chest… I’m on my knees and out of breath, but the Tsukijin just looks exasperated with gaping wound in his chestplate. “Now THIS is a fight!” As I collect my breath, the Tsukijin casually walks backwards and retrieves his blade.
I stand up, take a deep breath, and raise my sword. “Couldn’t agree more…” And what a fight it is… He launches various missiles and mortars at me from her back, but I cut them to ribbons. We both lunge and slash nearly perfectly in sync with each other. We don’t utter a single word, but I feel like I understand him better than my own father in this moment. Each strike, each kick, each parry communicates an entire history, and entire story that can only be communicated through swordplay. He may be an adversary, he may have almost killed me several times, but I can’t bring myself to hate him… and I can tell the feeling is mutual. I’ve fought and slain more people than I can count. Some were more difficult than this, some were easier than this, many were more heart wrenching… but none were ever as fun as this. If circumstances were different, he and I could have been good friends.
After a particularly brutal clash, the Tsukijin and I are both pushed backwards. I’m bleeding from a bunch of cuts and have some electric burns. He’s got various parts malfunctioning and sparking.
The Tsukijin smiles at me.
I smile back at him.
“Say good night.” The Tsukijin sprints towards me and swings his sword.
“Playtime's over!” I swing my sword as well, but my eyes close on their own.
I keep waiting for something to happen. A shriek of pain, blood to spurt out from every part of me… anything, but nothing happens. I open my eyes and see the Tsukijin with his sword lowered with a satisfied smile and hollow eyes. The top half of his torso slowly slides off, revealing an incomprehensible mass of organic and computer matter. Fleshy hard drives, wires that look like blood vessels, and a massive battery that looks like a cross between a hard drive and a heart that’s been sliced in two. The Tsukijin falls apart and lies lifeless on the ground clutching his chest. “Wait for me.” I nod at him as I rush towards the silo.
He nods back and closes her eyes.
I leap into the silo, plunge my blade into the missile - and
“LIFTOFF.”
Heat and noise erupt from the bottom of the silo and the missile starts flying out of it as I start sliding down the missile’s side. “NonononoNO!” I cut and damage as much of the missile’s exterior as I can. Maybe I can knock it off course. Maybe I can ruin something about it. Maybe, just maybe I can mitigate some of the damage… Unfortunately, I fall off the missile and plummet towards the cold, uncaring snow below me. Even more unfortunately, I see the missile divide in two. The second one speeds off towards the East. I close my eyes and brace for impact, but feel my descent slow to a crawl. I open my eyes and look around to see the Tsukijn’s arms carrying me to him. After a few seconds, they gently lay me beside him. I look up at the sky and watch the missile slowly shrink into the stratosphere until…
BABOOM!
An unearthly green explosion fills the sky for three seconds… but I feel no different. No heat, no sickness. Sure, there’s a shockwave, but I’m still here… Environment looks the same too… Just what the hell was that weapon?
“It’s…” The Tsukijin’s voice starts to glitch and sound horribly compressed. “an EMP…”
“Then why are you still functioning?” I turn to her.
“It’s not for conventional electronics… Only nukes.”
“WHAT?!” I feel my heart sink into my stomach.
“Mm…” The Tsukijin nods. “You just deactivated all the nukes in the Old World. Now, your empire is the only one with a nuclear deterrent.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I fulfilled my contract… and my comrades will be paid handsomely. My dream will live on…” The Tsukijin holds his fist out towards me and opens it to reveal a flash drive. “As will yours.”
“No no.” I pocket the USB. “Don’t talk like that.” I hold his hand. “All Tsukijin have their data backed up on the moon, don’t they?”
“Not traitors to the crown.” The Tsukijin’s voice is almost unintelligible at this point.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure Lily and John can patch you-”
“Human technology is not sufficient to heal my body… Besides, I’d probably just end up as a test subject… or one of their weapons.”
I hate that I can’t refute that.
“I’m sorry…” I press my palm against his chest.
“Don’t be… We did what men have always done and always will do.” The Tsukijin rests his hand on mine. “We fought for our dreams.” He looks up at me. “Will… Don’t be a pawn. Don’t just be another soldier to anyone. Make your own justice…” He taps the back of my finger. “No matter who gets in the way.”
My eyes get moist and my lip starts to tremble. “Understood, sir.” I nod. “Is there anything you want me to do? Warriors like you deserve a final wish.”
“Just one. If you ever see a Tsukijin model named #R5M4, tell her her father loves her. Tell her to focus on living, not revenge. She has long purple hair… stunning red eyes… and is quite tall… You’ll know her when you see her.”
“#R5M4.” I nod. “You got it, R.”
“Thank you, Will.” He lets go of my hand and looks up at the moon. “Now go. I’m going to self-destruct to keep my remains from falling into human hands. You have 60 seconds.”
I rub my eyes with my forearm, stand up, and salute him. “Sir. It’s been an honor. Thank you for everything. I’ll keep your memory in my blade.” I run off and can hear R’s timer slowly get more quiet in the distance. The last thing I hear him say is “The sky looks so beautiful from down here… I hope my daughter can enjoy it with people like you one day…”
…
…
…
BABOOM!!!
Another explosion erupts where we were, but I’m far enough away to not worry about any heat or shrapnel. Tears won’t stop rolling down my cheeks. Good. I didn’t think I had any more tears to shed.
Eventually my codec rings to break the silence. “Heroboy, you there?” Lily asks.
“Yeah…” I clear my throat and hold my finger to my ear. “I’m here.”
“Looks like the base is clear. I’ll park nearby. You’ll know me when you see me.”
“Good… I didn’t manage to stop the weapon, but I managed to get a lot of good info from the mercenary.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Lily reassures me. “You’re safe. That’s what matters most.”