CHAPTER 18: MARK
Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada, Earth
Mark stared at the house, his heart racing as he weighed his options—should he walk through the door, or retreat back to Colorado? It had been so long since he last saw his friends that the exact time frame eluded him. Back in those early days of covert missions and intelligence gathering for the Federation Intelligence, Jack and Danielle Marshland had been his steadfast allies, sharing the burdens and triumphs of their dangerous work. They were the only ones who truly understood him, having known every facet of his life. The mere thought of being away for nearly a decade sent a chill through him. How much had they changed? And more importantly, how much had he?
As he turned away from the door, still scanning for possible escape routes, the doorbell suddenly rang, slicing through the tension like a knife. He counted down the seconds in his mind, mentally preparing to make a run for it. A dog barked furiously, forcing its way past the curtains of the large bay window that overlooked the front porch, its excited yips throwing a wrench in his calculations. He now had mere seconds to decide. The instinct to flee surged within him, but as he glanced back one last time, he caught sight of a small camera perched just above the doorbell. 'Shit! How did I miss that?' Mark cursed himself silently for overlooking such an obvious detail. After all, why would a family entrenched in the world of intelligence and counter-intelligence lack proper security measures? They must have cameras all around, capturing him from multiple angles by this point.
"Mark!" Danielle opened the door, her face lighting up with a warm smile, arms wide open, inviting him into an embrace that felt like a lifeline.
"Assistant Secretary. I didn't think you would be here during times like this. Shouldn't you be at the Compound?" His voice bore a mix of surprise and concern.
"I actually just got back. There's not much we can do that requires us to be there, so I’m working from home right now, trying to squeeze in as much time with my family as I can." Danielle Marshland, the Assistant Secretary of Defense, briefly cast her gaze downward, a shadow of sadness crossing her features as she contemplated the invasion, yet held onto a thread of hope for a resolution.
"Well, regardless, I'm glad to see you!" he replied, relief washing over him.
"As am I! It's been too long, come in!" her voice bubbled with genuine enthusiasm.
"Thank you, but first." Mark hesitated, a sense of urgency creeping back in. "Jack!" he shouted, his tone playful yet defiant. "You're not going to get me this time!" As he stepped into the house, he quickly shut the door, effectively halting Jack's mock assault, which had been lurking just behind the door.
"How the hell did you know I was there? How do you always know?" Jack asked, surprise evident in his eyes.
"I am a trained operative. Besides, your dog gave it away. She was right next to you, tail wagging, and not barking at me!" Mark chuckled, his tension easing.
Jack laughed, the camaraderie flowing easily between them. "Always something with you! Come in, you still drinking Scotch? Or do you want your famous Godfather?" He picked up their friendship as if no time had passed at all.
"I'll take that Godfather, thank you! I can't believe you remembered!" Mark felt a warmth in his chest, grateful for the familiarity.
"It may have been fifteen years, Mark, but I still remember what you like!" Jack handed his friend a glass filled with golden liquid that seemed to shimmer like sunlight on water, made straight from the heavens. "So, what the hell have you been doing, and why did you drop off the face of the earth?"
Mark sighed, taking a moment to swirl the mixture of Disaronno and Scotch in his glass, weighing how much to share with his old companions.
"Well, spit it out, I’m damn curious too!" Danielle urged, sitting down beside her husband with a full glass of wine, her eyes eager for answers.
Mark stared at her, feeling complex emotions swirl within him. "I thought you of all people would know. Weren't you briefed?"
"Actually, I was not. I have clearance, and I was informed of your operation, but I left the details up to the intelligence wing. I’ve had way too much on my plate lately to dive into the minutiae."
"What about you, Jack? Do you still have clearance?" Mark asked, turning his attention to his old friend.
"Uhh..." Jack hesitated, his brow furrowing as he attempted to recall any possible briefings he may have had regarding Mark's operation. "I don't think so, honestly?"
"Oh fuck it, Jack, you have clearance now. I’m authorizing you to be read in." Danielle smiled at Mark, her expression a blend of authority and camaraderie. "One of the benefits of being Assistant Secretary of Defense—and being married to an intelligence operative. We actually can talk about our work!"
Jack smiled broadly while taking a hearty gulp of his beer. "Ahh, yup! That’s right, we got it made!!" He threw his arm around his wife, his grin widening, radiating warmth and friendship.
But Mark still sighed, his gaze drifting down to the glass that remained stubbornly full, refusing to indulge in his favorite drink. "I messed up. I actually messed it all up."
"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, his lightheartedness evaporating as concern took its place.
"Twenty years ago, I was approached by what appeared to be a Republic operative. They made an attempt to turn me."
Jack removed his arm from Danielle's shoulder, leaning in closer, his demeanor turning serious. Danielle's feet planted firmly on the ground, her eyes widening in disbelief. "What the actual fuck, Mark? Don't tell me, don’t you goddamn tell me!" Jack spat, his voice laced with panic.
"Relax!" Mark waved his hands in an attempt to calm the room. "I'm not a traitor. At least not in that aspect."
"The fuck!" Danielle exclaimed, her tone sharp with disapproval.
"Will you two let me talk already! Trust me, if it was as dire as you think from that opening line, I would already be in prison. The CNO approved everything, okay?"
The two sat back, their eyes locked onto Mark, refusing to blink, unwilling to miss any detail of the unfolding story. "Okay, so. I went to Bill, told him everything."
"Why Bill? He's not in your chain of command," Jack questioned, confusion evident in his voice.
"He was the only one who would listen to me. Goddamn Stacie wouldn’t believe me. She threatened to sideline me for no apparent reason."
"Fun fact, Mark." Danielle interrupted, her expression serious. "About ten years ago, Stacie was found selling assets to third-party buyers, and some intel to the Republic. She's in Gitmo now!"
"That explains a lot," Mark replied, nodding in understanding. "Anyways, Bill pulled me into his chain of command and had me run a few small ops to test the waters. Then, the method of contact changed. I had to initiate contact with the Republic only inside a VR room. When that started, the oddest thing happened. They started feeding me intel about the Republic. So, Bill went to the SecDef and had a meeting with the Joint Chiefs." Mark paused, finally taking a sip of his liquid gold. "Operation Double Standards was born." They all chuckled a bit at the rather lame name. "As long as they continued to feed us intel, we would give them something of little value to us, but that appeared to be of great importance to them. For nearly fourteen years, it was just harmless intel passing back and forth. Until one day, recently, they gave me specs for a device that they demanded be built and placed on the WarpStar."
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"Demanded?" Danielle asked, her brow furrowing in concern.
"Yeah, they said if I didn't comply, they would send the command codes to all five of our Juggernauts to the Kremlin."
"My god!" Jack interrupted, horror dawning on his face. "If those behemoths were disabled, the Republic could launch an all-out assault on Earth, and perhaps even Mars. Hell, the whole system if they wanted to."
"Exactly, which is why Bill sent the plans to the guys at Ceres. They built the device, I placed it where it needed to be, and that’s when I learned who the ship's CO was."
"Oh my god, Mark, that had to have been terrible! I can't imagine what you went through." Danielle reached out, grasping Mark's hand, her empathy shining through.
"Kill my son to save billions, perhaps trillions of lives. As a father, it was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do."
"But the WarpStar didn't get destroyed? What happened?" Jack asked, confusion lacing his words.
"Apparently, it wasn't a bomb. Well, it was, but it wasn't powerful enough to destroy the ship. It was only intended to disable them at a specific point in space, as they approached Wolf 359. They were meant to discover that planet."
"This just got interesting," Jack said, leaning forward with interest.
"Yeah, well get this shit. We knew it wasn't the Russians when they threatened to send the codes to the Kremlin, but we didn’t know who they were. When the Invasion hit, all the evidence pointed towards the Alliance."
"You were feeding intel to the goddamn Alliance, Mark? What the hell!" Danielle pulled her hand back, shock evident on her face.
"Worse. I just found out a few weeks ago, it’s the damn Legion."
"Well, that makes no sense," Jack replied, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"Yeah, they aren’t making any moves, just sitting there. Watching what happens." Danielle added, her voice laced with concern.
"I don't know; it's the weirdest thing. I can't figure out why they did this, what they want or wanted, or what they are doing." Mark finished, the weight of his confession hanging heavy in the air. "But I messed up. I should have seen this coming a long time ago."
"You didn't mess up, Mark," Jack replied firmly, his tone reassuring. "No one could have guessed you were talking to those mechanical things. Hell, I would have assumed it was the Republic as well, or a faction within the Republic. Maybe the Chinese? Iran? There have been talks of a rebellion; I wouldn’t be too surprised if it was one of them."
"Jack!" Danielle shot a glare at her husband. "That hasn't been released to the intel community yet."
"Oops!" Jack replied sheepishly, glancing off towards the stairs, suddenly noticing an odd presence. "Junior, what's up? How long have you been standing there?"
Danielle turned her head to where Jack had been staring, her heart sinking as she noticed their son standing in the hallway, clad in his pajamas and staring blankly at them. "Honey, what's wrong?"
Jack Junior, just barely ten years old, stood frozen, his gaze locked on Mark, his eyes refusing to blink. Danielle shot up, worry flooding her features as she ran to kneel in front of her son, desperate to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. Mark felt a chill run down his spine as he suspected what was unfolding.
"Hey, bud, what the hell are you doing?" Jack stood up, trying to get his son’s attention, but the boy remained transfixed.
Junior opened his mouth as if to speak but only managed to gargle instead.
"Junior!" Jack yelled, panic creeping into his voice.
His son suddenly started to scream, his eyes still locked on Mark, wide and terrified.
"What the fuck is this shit!" Mark stood up, fear coursing through him.
"I don't know, Honey, please! Mommy is worried!" Danielle pleaded with her son, tears streaming down her cheeks as she reached for him.
"He's never done this before," Jack said, his voice strained as he helplessly watched his son continue to scream.
"Jack, please stop! You're hurting yourself!" Danielle cried, her voice trembling with urgency.
Mark backed away instinctively, trying to distance himself from the child, but Junior's stare followed him, unyielding.
"What the fuck? Mark, what the fuck!" Jack exclaimed, realizing their son was tracking Mark's movements.
"No, no, no. NO!" Mark shouted, panic rising in his throat. "This is not VR; this is reality. You cannot communicate in the real world. Stop this! Just stop this now!" He continued to shout, desperation seeping into his voice as both Jack and Danielle looked at him in horror.
"Mark. Talk. Now!!" Danielle ordered, her tone a commanding one, not as a friend, nor even as a mother, but as Assistant Secretary of Defense, wielding her authority to elicit a response.
"No, this can't be. This is impossible," Mark muttered just as the boy stopped screaming. Everyone's attention snapped back to the child, who remained ensnared in his gaze towards Mark.
"IIIII" the kid began to draw out his words, his voice oddly smooth and articulate. "I... I... I apologize." His speech flowed in flawless English. "Human brains are far more complex than we had anticipated."
"What are you talking about, honey?" Danielle asked, her voice trembling, her heart racing as she held her son tightly, unsure of how to respond.
"No, this isn't VR, damnit! What the fuck do you want?" Mark demanded, his voice steadying despite the chaos surrounding him.
"No, this isn't VR. You're right. But time is beginning to run out. We could not wait any longer for you to enter a simulation; we needed to act now," the boy replied, his voice eerily calm, as if he were simply discussing the weather.
Jack felt an urge to speak, but he could only stare in awe as his son communicated in such perfect English—more so than any ten-year-old should be capable of.
"What do you want?" Mark pressed, his voice firm.
"You need to deliver a message to your son."
"How? We can't communicate outside the system."
"The Independence can," Danielle interjected, her mind racing.
"No, Alliance intelligence is monitoring those communications. They know everything Briggs has said." The boy finally turned his gaze toward his mother, his expression softening.
Still completely shocked that her son was discussing classified information and names of people and objects he had no business knowing, she turned to Mark, her eyes ablaze with anger. "What the fuck is this, Mark!"
"Don't worry, Danielle, your son is not harmed. He's dreaming of Candyland." The boy turned back to Mark, his expression serious. "We have the ability to bring you to your son. You must get to him before he leaves Alpha Centauri."
"This is them, isn't it? You are the Legion, aren't you?" Jack finally spoke, his voice tinged with a mix of fear and accusation.
"Yes, we are."
"Why are you invading us?" Jack demanded, his voice rising with disbelief.
"I know you have questions, Captain Jack Marshland; unfortunately, we do not have time. We can only hold this connection for so long; the hold is getting weak. If we do not release soon, we will start to harm your son. We have no intentions of bringing harm to his brain."
"Then explain yourself!" Mark shouted, his frustration spilling over.
"You must secure travel from Earth to our fleet. You must board a Legion cruiser; there we will take you to Alpha Centauri, where you will deliver a message to your son."
"Why?" Mark's voice was low, filled with a mix of dread and determination.
"There is no time. It is important. The fate of your species depends on it. They will not stop until every last human has been destroyed. Your son is the only one capable of unlocking Epsilon. He must..." his words faltered as the boy began to blink, then rub his eyes. "Mommy, why are you crying?"
"Junior! Oh my boy." Danielle enveloped her son in a tight embrace, relief flooding her as she held him.
"That was the creepiest thing I had ever seen," Jack said, his voice shaky.
"Get out of my house," Danielle said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, but the underlying tension was palpable.
"Uh, I'm sorry?" Mark replied, confusion etched on his face.
"Get the fuck out of my house, goddamnit! Stay away from my son," she replied, her words laced with venom, her protective instincts ignited.
"Okay, I'm sorry, Dani, I really am." Mark began to leave, his heart heavy with guilt and confusion.
"Madam Assistant SecDef!" she nearly shouted, her tone burning away any semblance of friendship that had been present moments before.
"Hey." Jack grabbed Mark's arm as he stepped out onto the street, concern etched into his features. "What are you going to do?"
"Well, the only hopper I can think of that I have access to that can get me up there is John's toy. I'm going to see them."
"You think that's wise?" Jack asked, his brows furrowing in worry.
"They're either going to kill me, or they're telling the truth. Either way, I don't lose," Mark replied, steeling himself for what lay ahead.
"Mark..." Jack said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm sorry, bud. Give her time. She'll come around. But in the meantime, good luck." Jack took Mark's hand, shaking it firmly, worry washing over his face as he contemplated the uncertain future that awaited them all.