1980, A strange time in human history. Technology had advanced far beyond what anyone could’ve expected, wars which encapsulated the world and made their way into the history books seemed so distant, yet all the veterans from said wars were still alive and engaged with society. Weapons of mass destruction were restricted under new Geneva laws, yet only eighteen years ago world leaders used them as a threat to destroy the greater part of humanity. Nowadays the most feared of problems were created from human desire, chemical compounds that can alter perception and make most act on raw instinct when introduced to certain environments. Due to a publicly agreed upon so called time of ‘peace’ the things that could harm one had shifted from weapons, to diseases caught from too much partying or experimenting with one's sexuality. Less focus was placed on weapons that can kill but rather more on substances that can affect one in various ways, some were ingested while others were fed directly to the brain from mass amounts of information that can be spread due to communications improving far beyond expectation.
Alas, the public perceived this as a time of peace for the world, however those in power thought of it as a stalemate which was created due to the threat of extinction on all sides. Rather than a war fought with weapons this war was fought through espionage, subterfuge, information, and lastly random challenges that motivated either side. It was indeed a cold war which took no prisoners, yet sent chills to all involved.
During this time of smoke and mirrors, in Anhui province of China trouble was brewing. The US military personnel stationed there had more than enough on their hands, the primary mission was to act as ambassadors to further push American influence and plant seeds of doubt in the enemy's territory. However even simple jobs can turn quite complex when the enemy you are infiltrating starts making out of the box movements. The Chinese government didn’t specifically try to counteract the US military, their focus was on something else entirely.
The base was disguised as a newspaper printing factory, with minimal security on the ground floors, all the staff that worked there were chinese-american, fluent in cantonese and mandarin as well as the regional dialect. However after a few closed doors at the back of the factory stood an elevator, which took you about twenty metres underground, there was the true base equipped with all sorts of computers monitoring all major cities and the homes of people of interest across the southeastern coast of China. The base housed a large number of military personnel, ranging from computer technicians to communication decoders as well as troops and agents for more direct involvement matters. At the time I was called in for a mission, oh sorry you don’t even know who I am. We met before, remember? Although in this life I was quite different from what you have seen. My name at the time was Rennard Keito, strange I know. My father was Japanese and my mother was American. They met during WW2 when she helped him survive injuries while working as a field medic. The war was already on its closing act so they kept their love a secret until they deemed the time was right. Sadly they both passed away during the seventies.
A tragic accident, but drink driving laws weren’t really in place. At the time I was in my early thirties, above average in height not too memorable of a face although that never hindered my romantic escapades. Dark medium length hair with coffee brown eyes. Of course due to my profession I was required to be quite physically fit. In my earlier years of life I was quite the rebel, angry with society for not being able to fit in with my peers, and angry at my parents for trying to make me fit in. Once I turned eighteen I ran away to join the military, something neither of them wanted for me. Disillusioned by promises of camaraderie and a purpose as well as an outlet for my previous years of anger I charged ahead. Years later I had found out about my parents’ deaths and all I could feel was regret for not giving them the time or chance, this didn’t last long. I had progressed quite far into my career and found out that I had talents for spy work, years of hiding as well as trying to blend in had taught me quite a great set of skills which were perfect for the job. Combine said knacks with intense military training, and you have yourself quite the textbook definition of a secret agent, given that and my track record of successful operations I once again moved up the ladder getting put into a position of importance. The higher echelon of secret agents was quite impressive with only a total force of about 100 agents, however all of us were highly trained, taking part and leading missions throughout the eastern front as well as keeping an eye on our ‘allies’. I was known as agent 12, this was a ranking number with the added effect of being a code name.
“Welcome to Anhui province agent 12, you’re early but that only means that we can get to the matter quicker.” Colonel Reed was the man in charge of the base in Anhui, he was in his late 40’s and was given the rank after his efforts in the controversial vietnam war. His eyes, even though they were a grey-ish blue in colour. I could see stories of tragedy rooted deeply inside, the ageing marks on his face as well as the greying hair only emphasised the stress and long lived life of the man. He was the mission lead and the man with the information of the chinese-russian collaborative effort.
“I’m assuming you have already read through the mission brief.”
“Well you know me, Colonel, ever the studious one.” I looked at him with a dull grin in an effort to lighten the mood.
“Your attitude doesn’t match your words, making me think that you mispronounced the term stupid.” He sheepishly retorted back. I wasn’t offended, I have known Reed for as long as I’ve been in the military, after all I also participated in the same war, and the two of us have a long history on the battlefield.
“Wasn’t it my stupid idea that got the whole squad out of that forest back in ‘73? You know the idea that got us both a medal?”
“And here I thought with my age I would be the one reminiscing on past glories.” He chuckled.
“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed Charlie.”
“You too Ren.” A solemn look, in this line of work it’s quite easy to lose friends so it has always been nice to reunite with them.
“I won’t babble on for too long since we’d like you to get started ASAP. Our radars have picked up weird electromagnetic fluctuations in the Huangshan mountain range. Now this could be explained scientifically as a natural occurrence, however we are led to believe that something is afoot.” The projector switched on and imagery showing the terrain as well as convoys of cars filled with military personnel from China and Russia were shown to me.
“The Chinese and Russians have been working together for a while, this is no surprise. What is peculiar however is the fact that after we discovered the strange readings and decided to follow up, we spotted a large convoy filled with mining gear and an extended amount of personnel. We don’t know what they’re looking for or why it has caused electromagnetic disturbance in the mountain range, however we do know that this can shift the tide of the cold war. You know as well as I do that another weapon of mass destruction will tip the scales into an unfavourable situation for western society as a whole. And neither of us want another war to break out. We’ve lost so much already.” A stern look, at first glance it just seemed like a man worried about the balance. Yet the true meaning was hidden there. Reed never wanted to have anyone go through what we’ve been through. A cold war was much more preferable than a war which sacrificed the lives of the innocent.
“I see, well it’s a good thing they sent me.”
“Truly, the mission is simple. Infiltrate their ranks, collect as much data as possible without getting detected and report back on your findings. Least I mention… No witnesses Ren, I don’t care nor want to know how you’ll achieve it, but please. Get it done.”
“I think your vocabulary is also diminishing, old man.” I stood up slowly and looked at Reed as he raised an eyebrow. “The word you were looking for is tedious.”
After the brief I decided to gather some things for the mission, nothing fancy just weapons that were made for quiet assassinations. Simple things such as mono-filament fibre wire for strangulation, a switch blade as well as a swiss army knife, and a couple of cyanide pills just in case. Not once have I had to use them on myself, obviously. However they are quite good for sneaking into the target's drink or food, but they’re even better for silencing an agent which deems their own life more important than the grand scheme. I don’t blame them, rather I pity them. Most agents were thrown into this type of life rather than out of choice, we are a necessary evil that brings forth the information to stay ahead of the enemy, however emotions are an enemy of all humans. Not all, but in specific scenarios emotions can often than not dictate the outcome, and at the end of the day the human instinct for survival can triumph any incentive of the greater good.
“We’ll drop you off about 3 miles from the enemy location, afterwards you are to meet our contact at the rendezvous point and gather intel which couldn’t be passed on or has since been updated. Godspeed agent 12.” Reed gave me a salute which I obviously reciprocated.
“You’re not coming to personally send me off?”
“Me and you both know the implications of that… Just get yourself back in one piece. I’d hate to be the one to bury you.” Reed shook his head as he looked at the floor before moving his gaze towards me.
“Very true… Well then Colonel. See you on the other side.” A forced smile from both of us, everyone in the military knows that any mission can be your last, we try and try to prepare for it, but it only seems to make it worse every time.
I climbed into the civilian jeep and gave one last look to the undercover base as we left the underground hangar, the ramp took us up to a separate warehouse on the ground floor property. We were on our way to the belly of the beast. It took about 2 hours to get to the drop off point after which the driver informed me of how to contact him once the mission was completed. It was a rather simple method.
“Okay, here is the communications device. Please place it somewhere within 100 metres of the area. Also if you could inform the other person of where it is so I can come collect him after your exchange, that would be wonderful. Good luck on your mission agent 12.” He handed me what looked like a small computer, it only had 2 functions, the first was to turn the device on and the second was to send a signal to the receiver. I ended up placing the device in between some pine trees and covered it with moss. It wasn’t too far from where the soldier dropped me off, common enough to not garner suspicion, but also obvious to one who would be looking for it. The map and compass I had allowed me to avoid the routes which were under surveillance. A couple of hours of grievous trekking later I had found myself at the rendezvous point, man made grottoes were a big attraction of the mountain range, and quite a few of them connected to one another. Luckily there was one that, although did connect to the excavation site, was still far enough out of the way, and annoying enough for either military to access. This was where I met the informant.
“Wow it’s like staring into the mirror, are you sure your daddy wasn’t chinese?” The gentleman asked me upon my arrival.
“As far as I’m aware no. Also you and I both know how insulting that is to either of us.”
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“You’re right, words like that can get one killed back in the cities… Well I did as your people asked, I made no impression and kept my head down as I collected as much information as possible.” He looked fidgety, his eyes were darting around the place and he couldn’t keep still. I have no idea what deal Reed cut with this guy but from first impressions it wasn’t a pleasant one. “The situation has changed, it seems like whatever they were looking for they’ve found it. I wasn’t a part of the shift that managed to get the cave entrance open, this happened maybe 8 hours ago and since then the whole place has been in an uproar. Scientists and military officials have pretty much forbade any of the regular miners from entering and are keeping tight security around the area. I managed to sneak away since they weren’t paying much attention to us since the discovery. It’s quieted down a little bit since but the security isn’t budging. I have no clue what your plan is… all I can say is good luck getting anything out of here.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, after all they sent me here for a reason.” I gave the man a wink as we exchanged clothes, mine were that of an ordinary cityfolk while his were dirty garbs most likely due to the work he had to perform. After making him aware of the location of the communications device and handing him a copy of the map as well as a spare compass, I hid my own in the cave. “Make sure to avoid the marked routes, if they find you they won’t ask questions before shooting, you have already done your part so make sure to get back safe, even if it takes you longer than it should.” The man nodded at me before taking his exit, and with that I was left to my own devices. I navigated the cave tunnels and narrow pathways, squeezing through tight entrances. It was a good thing I only took the bare necessities for assassination, otherwise I would’ve ripped the bag and left a trail of murder tools for the cave to swallow. Upon exiting the last tunnel I found myself in an open area on the inside of one of the mountains. The ceiling wasn’t absurdly high, but it did have enough room to be classified as a hangar of sorts, artificial lighting had been implemented to help all dwellers see, and they managed to convert the entire area into a makeshift pop-up base. It was a familiar sight, truth be told. Green tents with military men were stationed along the walls of the cave with guns, vehicles and computers plastered all over the place, with mining equipment having its one separate section.
Before making any moves I had to get my bearings, find out where the entrance to the cave is as well as figure out the security shift patterns. Maybe even nab a scientist that looks similar to me and take on his persona to infiltrate? No that won’t do, there are bound to be more military than scientists here, and besides. All of them would know each other well enough to recognise an intruder. After walking around for a few minutes I managed to spot the hot zone. 8 guards with fully automatic rifles stood as alert as an animal in danger. I had to quickly turn around before I got a scolding or was brought over to someone more important. It doesn’t matter if I can’t get in there today. I could not jeopardise the mission, so instead I decided to lurk nearby, find a small gathering of miners and blend in, far enough to not cause trouble but close enough to see what they are doing around the area. It didn’t take long before I found a small group of 4 men. All of their faces were marked with dirt and mud while their clothes were caked in it. I took a metal cup and poured myself some tea from the pot they left on the smouldering remnants of a fire before taking a seat next to an older gentleman.
“Look who’s finally decided to join us, and here we thought you didn’t like company.” He spoke whilst looking me up and down.
“With so little to do I thought I may as well.”
“Well no time like the present, besides it doesn’t seem that us lot will be here for much longer anyway. The General in command has started talks about signing the release forms.”
“About time, we’ve had no work today. They’ve had us sitting around for hours like dogs waiting for their master to return.” Another chimed in.
“Quit your yapping. We’re still getting paid even if we’re doing nothing so I don’t see the problem!” The group seemed rather lively, maybe no work and all rest had finally energised them to interact, or maybe it was the tense situation going on around them. None of that mattered though, my mission was still the same and this was merely a pit stop.
“He’s right I can’t wait to get out of here, but I do wonder what they found. Seems like whatever it may be it sure as hell has their panties twisted.” I jested, in turn their faces seem to have dropped a little.
“Hey young’n, you know that old sayin’? Curiosity killed the cat. By all means you’re more than welcome to go and try to find out, just don’t say we didn’t warn ya.”
“I know that much, but still none of you are interested?”
“It don’t matter if we are or ain’t. It’s not worth the trouble. However I understand where yer coming from, I too got a lil’ curious. Ended up speaking to the loud mouth from the team that got the place open, Hang Zhou is his name.” He looked over to his right at another group of miners about 15 metres away from us. “That fella never shuts up so I thought I may as well, according to him it ain’t much different from the other caves at first glance, but the stone altar in the middle with the black sword embedded in it was a sight to see. According to him, that sword is the work of a demon. Energy seemed to seep out of it and a couple of the lads that are more religious found it hard to breathe just being near it, mind you the sword is about 10 metres inwards of the cave entrance. Poor old Hang had to carry out 2 of his team and he himself wasn’t doing too hot either.”
“What? You’re telling me a sword just existing can make people short of breath and experience something akin to getting light headed? That doesn’t make any sense at all!”
“Lower yer voice.” He hushed me while putting his index finger to his lips.” I’m telling you what he told me. I wasn’t there myself to confirm, but even if Hang likes to talk, he won’t lie.” He seemed certain about the last part, the strong gaze in his eyes confirmed it.
“I see, well if that’s true I can see why the military are behaving like they are.” I finished my tea and stood up.
“Yer not thinking of going there are ya lad?” He looked up at me with a concerned look.
“Nah, need a piss. I’ll see you guys later.” With that white lie I took my leave, it seemed truly odd. The only thing that could possibly make sense is that the sword is made out of fissile material, but that can’t be. He clearly stated that it was all black in colour, not only that it was embedded into a stone altar. I have to get in that cave.
It was already evening when I spoke to the group of miners, so it only took a couple of hours for the sun to set and night to come. During that time I moved from group to group gathering little bits of information that may help, until eventually I saw the team of scientists come out of the covered entrance. After opening up the cave they closed it back up with plastic compound sheets almost quarantining the area so that whatever ended up hurting the mining team couldn’t spread. The scientists were all wearing hazmat suits and with them came out a couple of soldiers carrying 2 men on stretchers. It seemed like they were trying to calculate the effects of exposure during long periods. The men on the stretchers didn’t have any noticeable injuries or wounds, yet the sweat running down their faces and the pale complexions told a different story. It seems like what the old man told me was true, whatever that sword is made from has the power to send most people to bedrest even if it is temporary.
I had to take initiative, I found out a lot and this was probably enough to return to base and pass on, but I can’t let them have the sword. Its effects are too unknown and too strong, they will probably try to replicate it or even try to maximise its output in order to help boost military strength. Nukes can wipe out people and cities, but the fact is that major powers have them now, whereas this… No one but the people here knew about this. I gave it an hour after the people inside the cave left before making a move. It seems like the vast majority of security had gone either on break or were moved away from the cave, only three men stood around the entrance guarding it.
I had to act fast, most of the people around the cave had gone back to the tents provided, and those that stayed out were far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to see what was happening. I moved along the walls behind the tents before reaching the final point of safe travel without conflict. The soldiers guarding the entrance were stationed in a way that they were looking at different areas, this gave me a clear path. I disassembled the blade from the swiss army knife earlier and had enough time to sharpen it using some rocks so that it could pierce easily. I twisted my neck peeking around the corner of the cave wall that was next to the guarded entrance. After noticing that neither guard was looking in each other's direction, I made my move.
I threw the disassembled blade straight at the furthest one’s neck piercing deep into it. “One” As the blade left my hand, I swiftly moved and grabbed the one closest to me by the back of the collar using my off hand to cover his mouth whilst I slit his throat with the switchblade I held in the other. “Two” Of course the noise had alerted the one in the middle, but by then it was too late. I was already behind him when he turned to his right to check on the guard who had a blade sticking out of his neck, wrapping the mono-filament wire around his neck I pulled tight after crossing over my arms to not let him escape, this made it hard for him to breathe let alone let out any noise other than muffled grunts. I dragged him backwards into the cave entrance where I took his life by kicking the back of his knees causing him to fall while at the same time pushing forwards with my body weight in order to guide his head onto a sharp rock sticking out of the side of the entrance.
“And that makes three…” I moved the wire away from the lifeless body and took a step back. “Now to just drag the other two in-”
“He…”
“Huh?” I wasn’t allowed to finish my thought before I heard something. Low in tone but above regular in pitch, a sweet, soothing voice beckoned. I was certain that no one else would be in the cave. I counted the number of people who left and it matched up with what the others told me about who was a part of the expedition, so just who was-
“Hex… Hexi…” The voice continued, I turned around to check where it was coming from only to see what was described to me before. A black sword embedded into a stone altar, but I didn’t feel anything that the others did. Instead it felt… it felt like… it was calling to me?
“Hexiel…” The voice continued, I couldn’t understand what it was saying, but I was drawn to it nonetheless. I slowly walked forward, and unbeknownst to me the energy in the room started to vibrate, with each step it seemed to amp up little by little before the vibrations travelled from within the cave to the excavation site's main area. It was like my body was on autopilot with the only goal being to get to the sword. It didn’t take long before I stood in front of it. Without thinking for a second I grabbed the handle, like it was the most natural thing to do, and as if my arm was being guided I pulled upwards and the sword came out of the altar with little to no resistance. Almost as if the fact that it was wedged in stone didn’t affect it.
“Beautiful..” I was mesmerised, the sword was a katana. The blade was solid black in colour, with a hue of purple, while the guard was ornamented with imagery of a western depiction of a dragon carved out of the solid piece of metal, clearly showing the shape of said dragon as it was twisting its body so that all of its might could be seen, with the head and tail ends of its body separated by the blade itself. It felt like I was holding something that belonged to me, but was lost for all this time.
“What the hell are you doing!!!” A voice boomed from behind me, rudely interrupting my thoughts. I turned around quickly and saw the head general of the camp standing there with a squad of his men all pointing their rifles at me. I didn’t realise it at the time but the vibrations from the sword had spiralled, and the whole cave was shaking. Debris was falling from the ceiling ,and it felt like the entire place would collapse in on itself any moment, but to me I could feel none of that. It felt like the world around me had stopped. Almost as if I was an outsider looking into the situation.
“Drop the sword now!!” He shouted once more, but alas it was for naught. A split second later, the cave began to collapse and before I knew it everything had faded to black.
“Am I dead? No that can’t be, my life didn’t flash before my eyes, and I’m still able to converse with myself. Although no one knows what really happens when you die…” Pondering to myself I tried turning my head to see, see… well anything really, it felt like the darkness spanned forever, until.
“No, you’re not dead, if it wasn’t for the sword you might be, but you found it so you survived.” Another strange voice, different from the last, this one belonged to a woman. A contrast to the last, similar in a way but the previous one felt like someone who I would be familiar with calling out to me, yet this one was a stranger. Yet still it felt comforting, even if it did sound quite void of emotion.
“Who-”
“Don’t worry about that for now. Your test has only just begun.” She interrupted and spoke about matters I couldn’t understand. Test? What test?
“Don’t you think it’s about time. Hmm?” She asked with a little hint of mischief weaved into her tone.
“Wake up… Hexiel.”