Chapter 14
I woke up, not because of my alarm, I just did. I looked for 11-7, but the lack of her presence and the familiar walls of my room reminded me I slept alone last night. My eyelids felt heavy, I hadn't slept well last night. Not because I was scared, or because of my recurring bad dreams. I couldn't sleep because I was worried about 11-7. I thought about barging into her room multiple times while I was tossing and turning in bed last night, but I didn't. It was strange, the last time I was concerned about someone this much was - Randy... Nevermind that. There's no way she is still hiding in her room now. I should try to get her to open up about what happened and figure out why she's so scared. Maybe even find out how she is after killing one of her - sisters. If she'll open up to me that is, she wasn't very talkative last night. The scent of - pancakes interrupted my thoughts. She's cooking something, that's a good sign.
I got dressed and wandered out of the hallway to find 11-7 on the couch. There were two plates on the coffee table, one was empty and the other had four large pancakes on it. She had burned the pancakes in some spots, and looked to be of poor quality.
The tv wasn't on and her eyes were focused on the bare wall next to it. It was like she was in a trance. She didn't even acknowledge me as I went to the kitchen to grab the "maple" syrup. It wasn't really maple syrup, it was the standard maple flavored corn syrup that was cheaper to produce than the real thing.
When I sat down on the couch she snapped her head in my direction. Her eyes lost the focus they held moments ago. "Mmm. Good Morning."
"Uh, morning." There was an awkwardness to this conversation, so I tried to make small talk. "Pancakes, huh? I didn't know we had ingredients for that." I poured some syrup on them.
"Groceries were delivered this morning while you slept." She spoke fast and didn't look at me. Instead, choosing to occupy her eyes with the kitchen.
I took a bite; they were cold, but the taste was passable. I'd never complain about free breakfast, but how long had these been sitting out? How long has she been out here staring at the wall? I kept making small talk. "They're not bad, a little cold though."
"Sorry, I cooked them as soon as the groceries arrived."
I set my fork on my plate. "How are you holding up?"
She focused on me and sighed. "As well as you assume. - What is the condition of your arm?"
I had completely forgotten that viper from last night bit me. Course, that was my fault. I pulled up my sleeve and looked at my bicep. There were two red scabs the size of bottle caps on my arm. There was no blue on it, so the medical sealant must have rubbed off while I slept.
She observed it while I did. "It appears to be healing well. Is there any pain?" She asked.
I pulled my sleeve down and shook my head. "No, I kinda forgot about it actually."
The corners of her mouth raised a half centimeter. "I am delighted to hear that."
I decided to force the question she brushed off before. "- Did you want to talk about what happened last night?"
She snorted. "You'll have to be more specific than that."
"The uh, shooting one of your sisters - thing."
She looked at the floor and laced her fingers together, resting her hands on her lap. "It was a difficult decision at the time, - but I understand it was required. She was acting feral." She let the word feral hang in the air for a moment before she continued. "No chance she would have gone back to Advent willingly. I exhausted that option." She looked back at me. "I'm relieved you are uninjured, and I would do it again if I had to." Her tone was decisive and she was unshaken as she spoke. After how she was last night, I wasn't sure if she was trying to convince me or herself, maybe both of us.
That wasn't the response I was expecting. I couldn't be sure if she was lying for my sake. It was almost off-putting how quick she seems to have thrown off any guilt. Not that I harbored any sympathy for that snake bitch that tried to rape me. "Oh, ok. Uh, if you ever want to talk about it I can lend an ear."
"You'll - listen?"
"Em, yeah. That's what that means."
"Hmmm." She itched her neck and avoided looking at me. "I realize I should explain why we can no longer sleep in the same bed, and I want to share although it is unwise."
Wait, this is forever? "You mean permanently, from now on. Why, - did you get in trouble?" This is bad, and would reflect on me if Advent found out.
"No, no one has found out. It is not a problem like that. I'm..." As she spoke she got quieter and her voice got caught in her throat.
"You're what?"
Her eyes met mine and I saw a grave seriousness in them. "Lucas, I'm - I'm already compromised."
"What the hell does that mean?"
She looked down at her lap and played with her hands. I noticed her tail was flicking around too. "A considerable amount of the media I have ingested during my time here is Class 1 and Class 2 Lascivious materials." She blurted.
I tried to calm her down. "That's less than class 3, so maybe it's not that big of a deal."
She gestured wildly. "Anything greater than class 0 is not permitted by Advent and severely punishable."
"What even is class 1 and 2?"
"Imagery of romantic and friendly gestures, dates, gift giving, - hugs."
"Well, I look at stuff like that all the time and they've never arrested me."
"It is not rules civilians have to follow. It is rules for my kind, and all who serve under Advent."
"Have you ever looked at class 3?"
Her brow furrowed. "No, I haven't."
I remembered what class 3 meant from last night. "So you've never looked at porn before?"
"No! You know both mean the same thing. Why specify the colloquial term?" Her eyes darted away from me. "And why would I? There are no male vipers, and nothing I should want to see."
"So what did that viper from last night look at?"
She looked up in thought for a moment. "There are only images of humans in circulation that would fit the parameters of class 3."
She wasn't calming down, so I tried to ease some of the tension. "So you wouldn't want to see any naked humans at all? Even me?" I joked.
She snorted and pointed a finger at my face, touching the tip of my nose with her claw. "You are not helping. This is the cause of my concern."
I put my hands up. "I'm sorry, just trying to..."
"This is a serious matter." She crossed her arms and leaned back on the couch. I could tell she was agitated by her aggressive tongue flicks. "I have had thoughts about - you." Her eyes slunk in my direction as she said you.
I couldn't help but smirk and raise an eyebrow. "What kind of thoughts?"
She squinted her eyes, still unamused. "Due to the topic of this conversation I find it pointless to elaborate." She uncrossed her arms and laid them on the couch next to her hips. "These thoughts have flared up randomly and during some of our interactions. I'm beginning to suspect my exposure to you may be worse than exposure to Class 3 Lascivious materials."
She talking about me like I'm a source of radiation. "So, you don't want to be around me anymore?"
"I don't meaning that. I want to be around you, I appreciate you Lucas, in an unprofessional fashion. - But, our activities will have to be limited from now on. I can't end up like my sister, I can't. I won't let these compulsions rule me. To do something so vile, bring myself so low as to assault someone for the thrill-"
She sounded so confused, but how the hell could I begin to explain this to her? I didn't know how her species functioned, maybe she does have a hyper sex drive. Nonetheless, I felt like she was getting the wrong idea, so I had to say something. I put my hand on hers until she quieted down. "It doesn't have to be like that." She looked at me, giving me her full attention as I jerked my hand away. "Sorry. - This was the thing I was talking about before. About us being more than friends. Haven't you seen this happen in the shows you've watched?"
She nodded. "I remember our discussion. I - had seen that happen in the shows, but I didn't connect it even when you asked me and I agreed to it. You suggest these are connected? Explain."
My face felt warm. I never thought I'd have to give anyone "the talk" much less someone who I was romantically involved with and isn't even human. I didn't feel qualified to, but it's not like one of the Ethereals were ever gonna do it. "Yeah, so - uhh. A guy and a girl become friends, and if they like each other enough they may decide to become more than friends..."
"I understand this much. Continue."
"Um, sometimes they get married, but I won't get into that now. - Provided they like each other enough, they might decide to have sex. Sex is the highest level of intimacy two people can have. A way to deepen a connection between them, an expression of their shared love." I felt so corny saying shit like this, even though I believed it. "It is also how two people can bring new life into the world."
She raised an eyebrow and snorted. "You mean copulation?"
And there goes all my hope of trying to make it sound magical. "Yes? You know what it is?"
She snickered. "I know how humans and animals are produced, without detail. Are you suggesting copulation has some indirect significance ascribed to it?"
"It should. - I mean, people do it for the wrong reasons sometimes, like what happened yesterday, but it doesn't have to be like that. It can have a good reason if you want it to."
"You speak as though you have experience with this."
I did not want to talk about Claire right now, and I knew she referenced that. "I do, but that's not important right now. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"I understand your perspective, - but your definitions do not solve the problem." She sighed. "Either of our views on the subject don't change factors, you must consider the dangers. If we get caught doing anything resembling more than friends, we'll be separated from each other forever and punished - severely." She turned to face me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Do you want that to happen?"
I looked at her hand and into her eyes. There was a slight sadness to them. "No."
She patted my shoulder. "Then we'll have to limit some of the ways we interact. I wish circumstances were different, but I don't want to be taken away from you. These changes will be for the best."
"Are... are you friendzoning me?" I couldn't help but start laughing.
She took her hand off my shoulder and pulled her head back. "We are back to being in the familiar zone of friend, yes. Why are you laughing? I assumed you would be upset at this realization."
"Oh, it's nothing. Seems even the alien women from planets millions of light years away from Earth with only a slight grasp on human culture want to throw me in the zone of friend."
She squinted her eyes. "So you are upset. You should make that more apparent."
With pleasure. "Well, you've sent me all these signals and hints, most of which were not subtle at all - by - the - way. And now this, just when I was warming up to you..."
She moved forward and hugged me. I felt the tip of her tail coil around my calf. "I didn't realize what was happening until it did. I'm sorry, but we shouldn't take that chance." Her voice was full of emotion.
That action dissipated all of my anger. Despite my frustration, I still cared for her. I returned the hug. "It's not as though I don't understand why... I didn't know where we were going, but this just isn't what I was hoping for."
Her claws dug into my back as she held tighter to me. "I - know."
We held each other in this close embrace. I tried to speak again, but I choked up. The realization that we couldn't be together hit hard. I wanted to try, I would do anything to make this work, but she is scared. Forcing this on her was not something I'd do. Neither of us wanted to be the first to let go, but we couldn't stay like this forever. Once I calmed down, I let go of her and she did the same.
Her tail returned to its normal position, and we looked awkwardly around the room for a few moments before I cleared my throat. "So, when are we going to that other city?"
"Soon. I spoke with your manager before you awoke. Your driver will be picking us up, and transport us to Gate A3 of the city's border wall where a convoy will be wait to transport us to city 4-47."
"I suppose I should go get ready then." I didn't wait to hear her response. I got up and went to my room.
I had to pack a bag; we were going to be staying in that city for a few days. I pulled my suitcase out of my closet and filled it with clothes and the essentials. As I filled my bag a thought nagged me. My eyes drifted over to my nightstand and settled on the drawer. I hadn't opened it since I threw the gun in it weeks ago. My thoughts shifted to the conversation I had with 11-7 last night about her being a low-ranking soldier. She isn't what I thought she was. I walked over and opened the drawer. Inside sat my mag pistol and its holster, untouched. I didn't know what to think of her anymore, so much had changed over just one night. - Maybe I couldn't count on her anymore.
I hesitated for a moment and reached down to grab the gun. It was cool to the touch and as light as I remembered. No memories of what I had done with it came to mind as I held it in my hands. It was just a gun. I pushed the button above the trigger and it vibrated for a few seconds before activating. It was still functional. I turned it off and set it down as I put the belt holster on, sticking the gun in it when I was finished. Maybe the only person I could count on was myself.
0-
11-7 said nothing about the gun now around my waist. I'm sure she already knew I had it. Ron was especially chatty on the drive to the gate. He gave me a history lesson on the city and talked at length about how the wall around the city wasn't always here, and that it was built a short time after Advent took control. He talked about how cities used to be. It was strange, I couldn't imagine what a city without walls would look like, I'd never seen one. Even the town I lived near, when I was young, built walls. Doesn't matter to me though, they seemed like a good way to keep wildlife out. As we passed through checkpoint after checkpoint after checkpoint, I saw the black steel of the outer wall looming ahead. We finally reached gate A3, marked by Gate A3 painted on the wall in large white letters next to the gate.
The gate itself was not all that impressive, only being about 10 ft high, just enough to let larger vehicles through. I had been outside of the city before, and some of the gates I'd been through were almost two stories high, and the wall was still taller than that. Like all Advent Military structures, the wall was solidly constructed of concrete and some kind of black metal alloy. I haven't spent much time examining it, but like the wall around my neighborhood, there were guard towers spaced along it, and I'm sure there were sensors and shit along the outside.
There were these barriers everywhere by the gate. The barriers were made of the same black alloy metals and were about waist high, with frames on top of them that projected a red holographic wall parallel to the bottom half. Mixed groupings of troopers, vipers, sectoids, and mecs filled the area. They moved according to their patrol schedule, I assumed.
A large square building was next to the gate, as solidly constructed as the wall. I had been through one before, so I could guess what it looked like on the inside. These buildings were used for processing everything that went in and out of the city. Imports from outside the city and exports were checked for contraband and catalogued here. Because of that the facilities around the gates were huge and heavily guarded. Ron drove up to a booth that a trooper was standing in and rolled down the windows.
He leaned forward on a desk inside the booth. "State - your - business." I thank god every day that 11-7's voice is much more pleasant to hear than the trooper's voices.
"Transporting a Lucas Hickey, scheduled to leave the city today."
He turned his head to look at me, or I assumed he was looking at me. You couldn't tell what they were looking at because those helmets covered their eyes. He looked back at Ron. "E - ID."
Ron stuck his left arm out the window and I did the same. Two positive sounding dings later and the bar blocking us from pulling up to the facility was lifted. He pulled us up right by the door. As 11-7 and I got out he asked me a question. "When do ya think you'll be back."
I shrugged. "It's anyone's guess, but I think it'll only be a few days."
He adjusted his glasses. "That ain't too bad. Have some fun if ya can, safe travels."
"I'll try. Have a safe drive home." He rolled up his window and drove back out of the facility past the barriers.
11-7 had been quiet the whole ride here, and she wasn't about to start talking now that we were surrounded by Advent personnel. I was fine with that though; I wasn't eager to talk to her after finding out she had basically led me on for this long. We walked up to the automatic silver metal doors of the processing facility and went inside once they slid open.
I already knew how this was gonna go, so I blanked out for the entire process. We went up to the desk and gave our names, well 11-7 gave her designation. After that we entered the area that housed the vehicles. All of the gates had an internal section that was built to extend outside of the wall. Like an airlock, there were two doors for the gate, and they could open only one at a time, so there wasn't just one door to enter the city through. I spent this time staring at the laminated floor, it was grey with a pattern on it similar to granite. We were led to a truck and climbed in.
I remembered the first time I had left the city. It had been so long and I spent most of my time staring at everything. These days I didn't like leaving the city anymore than I liked leaving my neighborhood. Exiting yet another barrier that kept me separated from those terrorists, or anything else after my hide.
The inside of the truck looked like a troop transport. It was black metal, and dimly lit by red lights in the ceiling. There weren't any windows in the troop area, so the only natural light came in from the window up front in the driver's area. There were two benches in the truck, with enough seats for 10 people. Four troopers occupied the seats in here with me and 11-7, so It wasn't too crowded. 11-7 didn't look at me much, she stared at the floor presumably thinking about what happened this morning, or something else.
There was no one to talk to, nothing I wanted to think about, and nothing to look at. Yup, it was gonna be a long drive. I activated my phone and started up a newer game I got recently called Advent: Enemy Known. It was a turn based strategy game with base building mechanics, and you also had to manage research and production. The goal of it was to fight against terroristic threats using Advent's military forces and limited resources. It is an addicting game and an easy way to kill some time...
0-
"90% chance to hit, surely this piece of shit muton couldn't miss for a third time in a row?" I thought to myself. Upon clicking the fire button, it proved me wrong. He missed and was shot by a guy many tiles away, who also happened to get a critical hit. With that my squad was wiped. I sighed in frustration and I paused my game to check the time. We had been on the road for a couple hours now, and we'd be traveling for a couple more.
Wondering what 11-7 was up to, I looked up at her. She was still minding her business, sitting on the bench across from me, body coiled up in front of her. The troopers sharing this transport with us were doing the same thing. Holding their weapons with the barrels pointed at the floor. One trooper in the corner by the back doors was leaning on his knees for comfort. I can't imagine sitting up straight for the whole ride.
Nothing interesting was happening in the passenger area, so I looked to my left and tried to peer through the truck's windshield. It gave everything a red hue and I had a narrow view, but I could see the environment we were driving through. This road appeared to run along the edge of a forest. Large conifer trees were packed together to the left side of the road. The environment to the right of the road was more like a grassland. There was sparse tree cover and shrubs. Oh, we're coming up on a bridge. It wasn't a feat of engineering or anything, it was a simple metal truss bridge. It looked a bit rusty too, might be pre-war. As we were coming up on it I noticed there was a small building by the bridge. Advent liked to keep outposts by infrastructure like this, especially if it was remote.
I got bored of looking out the front of the truck and went back to my game. Loading it only took a few seconds. Advanced tech had it's advantages. - "I swear it's outrageous how many explosives the enemy units get to carry. Every guy gets like two grenades and then some of them carry rocket launchers. That is a free hit every time. It's unrealistic, no one in real life would use explosives that much." I thought to myself as I restarted the mission.
As I played, one enemy threw a grenade at my trooper and I heard a deafened explosion. "What the hell, I hope I didn't turn the sound on. That would be embarrassing." I thought. The truck stopped moving. Looking up from my game I noticed everyone in the truck was stiff and gripping their weapons. I felt a rumble through my seat that felt like a minor earthquake. A knot formed in my stomach and cold dread seeped into my body through my skin. The bridge! I hesitated, being able to guess what had happened, but turned my head anyway to look through the truck's windshield. The bridge was a smoldering pile of jutting metal and broken concrete. As I looked on in fear, the truck ahead of the truck in front of us got hit by a rocket. The light from the explosion was bright, forcing me to close my eyes and look away.
While I rubbed my eyes the truck pulled forward and turned left. "Great, let's get the fuck out of here." I thought to myself. But then the truck stopped. I could see the back of another truck in front of us, and the truck that had been hit by a rocket still parked at the edge of where the bridge once was. That rocket didn't destroy the truck, but it sustained damage in the form of a large dent in its armor. "Why did we stop, why aren't we leaving?" I blurted, unable to hold back my concern anymore.
The officer to my right leaned over. "We are surrounded, potential mines in area, with no easy exit. Perimeter must be established for defence."
All I got from that was no exit. "So what, you're just gonna get out and fight them. My manager said that this wouldn't happen."
The officer grunted and ignored my complaint. All of the troopers stood up simultaneously and faced the door. The officer talked into his helmet, holding his hand on a button by his mouth as he spoke.
11-7 had a serious expression and clutched her rifle close to her chest. She flashed me a concerned look, but focused her attention on the officer. I looked out the front of the truck, and the back doors of the damaged truck swung open. Troopers poured out, and the area erupted in gunfire. Some of those troopers made it only a few steps before collapsing in a pile of orange blood, but most of them managed to sprint in between the front of our truck and the back of the truck in front of us.
The officer barked a command at the troopers and gestured to the back doors. They pushed the doors open, unleashing the full volume of gunfire and explosions. The truck must have been designed to dampen outside noise. They closed the doors behind them as they left. Even the two troopers in the cab ran out with them. Now it was just me and 11-7 in the truck.
She was tense, ready to fight, I could guess what she was thinking. Despite that, she looked away from the door at me. "This is the third one for you. Are you alright?" She spoke softly and her voice soothed my nerves somewhat.
I punched the bench cushion I was sitting on. "No, I'm not ok. How many times am I going to go through this? Once a week until I die?"
She nodded. "Likely, until we destroy their base of operations." She stared at the doors the troopers exited through moments ago.
The anxiety returned. "Don't you dare leave me."
She sighed and her head slumped. "Lucas, you know I have to go out there and help. Staying in here does not help the battle, or protect you. If the battle outside is lost, I cannot fend off a dozen armed terrorists by myself."
She was right, I couldn't argue with her, like usual. My lack of objection spurred her on. "You will be safe in here. The glass is bulletproof and the armor plating of this truck can withstand explosives. There is even a panic button you can press by the door." She stood up and pointed at a small panel by the double doors. "It will force lock all the doors, requiring heavy equipment to force them open."
Her words were reassuring, but a new fear had surfaced, one that dwarfed any other I had before. I hesitated to say anything, but as she turned to head out the door I couldn't keep it down. I stood up and grabbed her arm. She looked at me with confusion in her eyes. "There's a lot of them out there... They planned this ambush. What if you don't come back from this... What if this time it's different?"
Her eyes drifted away from me for a moment, and her hood contracted. Then she refocused on me with renewed vigor. "Then I would be performing my duty." Her scaly lips curved into a warm smile and there was a twinkle in her crimson eyes. "Not that I intend on expiring today, or any day after today." She lifted her gun high in the air with her free hand. "The terrorists have not yet gotten the upper hand on Advent, and I'd like to see them succeed in that while I'm out there."
She was so confident, ready for any challenge that came at her, despite her low military rank. I wondered if that's how she really felt or if she said that to make me feel better. The only thing that seemed to scare her was us. My grip on her arm weakened and she slipped out of it. "I will come back, Lucas. - What was it I saw in the movies... I - praw-mizs"
I raised an eyebrow. "You - promise?"
"Yes, that's it." With that, she threw open one of the doors and slithered out into combat. The door slammed shut with a bang, but it was the silence that was deafening. It was strange, this time I wasn't frozen in fear. Guess you really can get used to anything, even if it's being in a warzone. Not that I wasn't scared; my fear was just at a manageable level. I was more scared for 11-7 than myself at this point. Sitting on my hands wasn't gonna work this time, I couldn't while 11-7 is out there risking her life for my sake. I had to do - something.
My eyes drifted down to the gun at my hip. - Nope, bad idea. I don't even know the range of this gun, and if I got shot out there I'd feel like an idiot assuming it didn't kill me. There had to be something else. I decided to go to the cab of the truck so I could see what was happening.
Climbing over the center console and onto the black pleather chair, I now had a view of most of what was going on. The 4 remaining trucks had been pulled together tight in a rough diamond shape to create cover on all sides. The troopers were inside the safe zone they made and were using the edges of the trucks as cover to shoot from. It was a diverse grouping among them: there were a few sectoids, advent officers, and some of the troopers had what looked like swords on their backs. They had even deployed what looked like some kind of temporary barriers a few feet outside the trucks that they were using for cover. A turret was activated on the truck across from me and it began firing volleys of red gauss rounds in the direction of the conifer forest. Each one scorching everything it hit, lighting up the dark parts of the forest as they burst.
11-7 was across from me using the truck as cover so she could fire in the forest's direction. I watched her rear her head back, and spit something in the same direction of the forest. It exploded into this black cloud. As soon as it did, she slithered off into the forest. A few troopers that didn't have cover to shoot from followed her in.
I didn't know she was going right at them. I really had to do something now. As I sat and thought, a burst of static and advent words sounded right behind me. I nearly jumped out of my fucking skin. After I had calmed down, I looked to see what made that noise. There was a radio in the console, and it had a sleek trucker mic attached to it. I hadn't seen one of those things in ages, it even had a button on the side of it. More Advent talk came through the speakers in the truck. That must be hooked up to their - chat frequency?
I grabbed the microphone and held the button. "Hello, can anyone hear me? Is this the right frequency?"
I let go of the button. And listened for a response. " - Lucas? What are you doing on this channel?"
I held the button again once she finished. "There was a radio in the truck, and I want to help."
There was a full 10 seconds of static before I got a response. "Very well." She sounded annoyed. "Call out enemy troop positions and warn of flanking. Say nothing else, this channel needs to say clear."
"Eh, roger dodger." I didn't get a response after that. Now was my chance to help out. For once, I wasn't going to by hiding in a corner. I guess I am nice and safe in this bulletproof truck, but I'll be able to do more with this radio than I could with my gun. I have no combat training, I'd just be a liability out there, even if I actually wanted to rush out guns ablazing. Nope, I think I'll leave the dying for the Advent hybrid cannon fodder today.
I focused my attention on locating the enemy soldiers, and tuned out the chatter that came through the radio. I hadn't spotted any yet. All I had seen so far was gunfire to and from certain areas. I wanted to help 11-7 more than anyone else, so I scanned the treeline for enemies. A large portion of my view was blocked by the truck across from me, but I could still see into the trees.
That area was shaded, but I got my first glimpse of the enemy. They were wearing better quality armor than I had seen the last two times, and they were all wearing similar tactical helmets that covered their faces. Instead of being grey, their armor had camo patterns on it. The patterns weren't exactly the same, but they all had some mixture of tans, browns, and greens on them.
They were sticking to the trees, popping out from behind them only to shoot or run to a different tree, and they were positioned at the bottom of a steep hill that turned into a sheer cliff at the river's edge. As I watched, I noticed some of them had different weapons, one had an LMG and was laying down heavy fire on a trooper using one of the temporary barriers they threw out. That trooper couldn't get a shot in. Two others, both with assault rifles, were shooting at the troopers that fired back at the LMG. The trooper being suppressed stood up and fired back at the LMG and scored a hit, but not before getting riddled with bullets. That wasn't a smart move in his part.
The sectoids, up to this point, had been hanging back observing the fight, but the moment that the trooper died one of them walked out from behind cover. It waved its arm at the trooper, as this purple energy started emanating from its head. The purple energy forced itself into the dead trooper's body. I shit you not that corpse started to move. At first I thought the sectoid was healing it, but when it stood up the trooper was hunched over and started shambling at the two terrorists with assault rifles. I had never seen anything like it in my life; it was like it was raised from the dead. It was a zombie. The sectoid went back behind cover and started taking shots with its plasma wrist gun, like this was a normal Sunday afternoon.
I didn't have time to freak out about the weird magic shit Advent special troops could do, I had to help. Most of the terrorists I could see were already exchanging fire with Advent forces, so I focused on finding ones that weren't. Seeing everything in red made it difficult. As I searched I wasn't seeing anything, then I saw a glint for a split-second, it was in a tree, not below it. I focused on that spot for a few seconds to confirm. All I could see was branches and green, no outline of a person. Nothing... nothing... there, I saw the muzzle flash.
I held down the button to the mic. "There's a sniper in the trees across from the turret truck."
As soon as I said that, the turret turned in the general direction of the sniper I saw, and lit up the treetops. Branches and tree debris fell down on top of the positions of some of the rebels, kicking up the pollen they held onto as they fell. In the chaos, I didn't see a sniper fall out of those trees. The turret continued to fire, with no success at hitting its intended target. The LMG guy stepped out from behind a tree, and he had a grenade launcher in hand.
I pushed the mic button. "The LMG guy has a grenade launcher."
The turret turned in his direction, but it was too late. He fired a grenade at the turret. It exploded into a fireball. I looked back after shielding my eyes, the turret had been disabled, he hit it right on the barrel and the explosion had bent it. Lucky shot. His luck ran out when one of the troopers threw a grenade at him. He dived back into the trees, I didn't see what happened to him as it detonated, releasing green energy into the area.
The tree tops had been successfully pruned, and there weren't many places for a sniper to hide in there. I just hope the turret hit him. A new trooper ran up and took up the temporary cover of the one that died and turned into a zombie. This side looked like it was under control, so I climbed over the center console to look at the other side. A truck wasn't blocking most of my view on this side, so I could see much better. There was less tree cover so there were less places for the terrorists to shoot from. Troopers were all over this side, using temporary cover. Some had even moved up to use trees as cover. Volleys of red bullets flew out at terrorist positions, catching my attention. I looked in the side mirror of the truck and saw that there was a turret active on the truck behind me.
As I looked for something important to point out, I saw this small drone fly out from behind a tree. It zoomed up at the truck behind me, out of my view. I looked in the mirror and it hovered by the turret for a few moments before flying back to where it came from.
The turret stopped firing at the trees and pointed its barrel down at the troopers.
I pushed the mic button. "They hacked the turret. Deactivate it!"
There was a group of 5 troopers and an officer using the temporary cover on this side. That turret shot them all in the back and reduced them into a pile of orange chunks. Each bullet pierced their armor like it was made of paper, spraying a thin orange mist in the air.
I wasn't sure how long that turret had been firing, but as sudden as it started, it stopped. A check through the truck mirror, and I confirmed it was deactivated. This side wasn't holding. Two troopers pulled out swords that buzzed with red electricity and charged out in the open towards the terrorists.
Before I had time to process the carnage I witnessed, I heard 11-7 call my name. "Lucas, open the truck's door when I bang on it." Her speech was forced.
I pressed the mic's button. "Ok."
I dropped the mic and ran over to the door. I didn't have to wait long before I heard her bang on it. I pulled the lever down and swung open the door in the direction of the rebels to provide cover.
She shot through the door like a missile and was on the other side of the truck before I closed the door. The first thing I noticed was the trail of yellow blood droplets leading to where she stood. Her gun was on the floor next to her. She was leaning against the wall in a pile of her coils shuddering, and fumbled with her little medkit sprayer she carried. The wound was severe, her unarmored midsection looked like a pincushion with the pins removed.
I tried to remain calm but failed. "Oh shit... Oh shit! Do you need help?" I rushed to her side.
She shoved the medkit in my hands. I took the hint and sprayed it all over her wound, which created a thick blue callus on her. She groaned as I sprayed. "That - numbing agent isn't enough, need - pain killers."
"Are there any in the truck?" I asked as I stopped spraying.
She pointed at the center console in the cab. I opened it up and sure enough there was a box with a red cross on it. I cracked it open and showed it to her. She reached in and pulled out some kind of syringe gun, and screwed a yellow tube into it that was labeled Concentrated Synthetic Opiate: Large Dose. She stabbed the needle into her neck. A look of immediate relief spread across her face as the syringe whistled, emptying its contents.
She hissed and threw the syringe across the truck. I heard it ting against the floor, but didn't see where it went. "I needed that more than anything." Sighing in relief, she leaned back in her coils and had this glazed over look in her eyes.
She looked comfortable, but wasn't responding. I walked up and waved my hand in front of her face. Her eyes regained their focus and looked at me. "Are you ok? What happened?"
She chuckled. "If you thinking this is bad, go see what I did to her." Now that my initial shock died down I noticed that her hands and armor were stained red. She started laughing, but abruptly stopped and clutched the blue scab adorning her midsection. "Her aim was good, I'm incapacitated for this battle." She looked at me. "Could you tell me how the battle is looking?"
I shook my head. "How could you still be worried about the fight while you are laying on the ground badly wounded?"
She flicked her tongue at me. "The bleeding has been stopped and the pain managed. I need to know."
She looked serious, and I didn't want to aggravate her in her condition. "Yeah, ok. I'll go look."
I climbed into the cab, and what I saw was disheartening. Before when I was calling positions on the radio, I thought there were only about 6 terrorists out there total. Now I could see 10 of them on the forested side alone, and the grassy side wasn't any better. The remaining Advent forces were outnumbered. I couldn't believe my eyes. We were losing, and it would take a miracle to save us. Once they're done cleaning house out there, they'll come for me next. I thought about running away, but where would I go? They had us surrounded, there was no way I was getting away, no way we were gonna win...
"Lucas!" I heard 11-7 call.
"Yeah?"
"What do you see?"
I walked back into the transport area of the truck. I couldn't wipe the grave look from my face, and she picked up on that. "Is it not going in our favor?"
Even in her condition, I decided to not lie to her. "No, it isn't."
She tried to stand up, and grunted in pain as she fell down on her coils. "Open the door, I'll finish them off. I'll protect you." She was suffering from major blood loss and probably wasn't thinking straight. I remembered what she said before about not being able to take on a dozen terrorists herself.
I looked down at her and felt a pang of guilt. All this for me. She was suffering - for me, willing to die - for me. Was I even worth that? A long time ago I might've said yes, but now I didn't know, and I was leaning towards no. I knelt by her side and helped her sit up against the wall. "You're in no shape to fight. You should focus on trying to stay awake."
There was desperation in her eyes. "I have - to. If they win you'll be captured. I can't fail my duty. I will - die before I fail my duty."
She kept talking, but I tuned out her words. We had lost at this point, no hope of victory, and I faced certain death. There was no way I was escaping, much less with 11-7. I couldn't drag her, and - leaving her behind wasn't an option I'd consider. It was shocking how expendable she saw herself as. But it didn't matter what she thought, she wasn't expendable, not to me. I felt warmth as I thought about our time together. The terrorists were almost certainly here for me, and if they had wanted to kill me they would have approached the situation with less care. They would have detonated the explosives while we drove over the bridge. Maybe there's a way we'd both live, but it's not a guarantee. They could just shoot me the moment I'm spotted.
She was still babbling about why I should help her grab her rifle and drag her out to the battlefield. Despite the topic, she was cute with her mannerisms. Her tongue flicks, her eyes always laser focused on something, her tail tip which seemed to have a mind of its own when she got emotional, and her hands moving about gesturing to the air. Her smile, the way she spoke to me, the things we had done together and the things we had yet to do. For once in the last five years I had something to lose - someone to lose. I didn't want to lose her, I couldn't imagine my life without her at this point. What she said this morning didn't matter now. I would not make the same mistake with her that I made with my brother. I wasn't gonna let her go.
An idea came to mind, and as soon as it did I blurted it out. "I am going to give myself up." I interrupted.
She looked stunned. I caught her off guard so much she was silent, It took her a few moments to respond. "What are you talking about?" She sounded like she didn't believe me.
"I'm going to walk out there and confront the rebels. If they want me they can have me. And you are going to tell Advent what happened."
She furrowed her brow and poked my chest with a claw. "You are stupid. Doing that would render our efforts pointless. You can't, it is our duty - my duty to protect you. They will torture you and likely kill you. Why would you ever willingly give yourself to them?"
I smiled. "Because - if I give myself to them they'll leave you alone."
Her hood contracted. "Me? - No, Advent deemed you the one to protect..."
I cut her off. "Your life is valuable too, you know. Whether you think it is or not, it's valuable to me."
Her pupils widened. "Why?" Her voice was so quiet, barely a whisper.
I leaned close to her. I didn't know what was about to happen, or whether I'd even be alive tomorrow. I looked deep into her crimson eyes, as I thought of what to say. "Because - I love you, ya dumb snake." She was stunned into silence. I was certain she already knew something like this was coming, but it still surprised her. What the hell, why not go a little further. I leaned forward and planted my lips firmly against hers. They were different than I imagined: the scales were smooth, but they didn't have much give. It felt like there was bone in them. Solid and smooth, like kissing someone's chin. Her eyes widened and she tried to jerk her head away, but there was a wall behind her, so she turned sideways to get away. I was leaning on her body for support, so when she turned I fell on top of her and broke off our kiss.
11-7 looked down at me like I had just tried to kill her, as I lay on top of her coils. She was silent, and touched her lips with her finger pads, smacking them once or twice.
This was getting a little awkward, so I made a joke. "Was the kiss that bad?"
She stopped gazing at her fingers and looked at me. Her head leaned down to my level. Her crimson eyes stared into mine for a few moments. "You're dumb too." She smiled and pressed her lips into mine. I could tell by the uncertainty in her eyes that she didn't know how to do this. Her tongue slipped out and brushed against my cheek for a moment, but we didn't take it any further. She pulled away from the kiss and pet my head with her long fingers. "Is this a dream? - It feels like a dream." At this point I wasn't sure if the painkillers were making her delusional or if she said that to be romantic.
I felt somber as I pulled away from her. "I wish it was 11-7, I wish it was."
She reached for me, but I was too far away for her to grab. "I can't let you leave."
I sighed. "As much as I would like to die in your arms, I'm not really cut out for that Romeo and Juliette shit."
I walked over to the doors. It felt right as I neared that door. Not like it was my destiny to go out there and die. No, this felt inevitable. That I should go out and face the consequences for what I did to my brother. I managed to delay it this long, but they would have caught me sooner or later, if not today. I grabbed the handle to the door. At least this way I could guarantee one of us would live, right? As I pulled the handle down she looked concerned. "What are you doing?"
I shook my head. "Something really stupid. I'll be back, I promise." I pushed that panic button and jumped out the door as it shut behind me.
I regretted stepping out the moment I did. The entire area around the cars was a bloodbath. Orange blood from the troopers was mixed with the green blood of the sectoids, soaking into the ground and sprayed on the trucks and temporary cover. I wasn't squeamish to gore, but this was something else. I had come out right where those troopers had been shredded from a few feet away by a fully automatic turret. Organs I didn't recognize and limbs were strewn about. At least their helmets were still on, so I didn't have to look them in the eyes. There was a metallic smell heavy in the air that filled my nose and mouth. I instinctively covered my mouth with my arm and gagged. Nausea set in.
While I was trying to stop myself from throwing up, I heard someone yell from the direction of the forest. "I know some of you are rookies, so listen up! Do - not - touch the trigger of their guns. If you do, you will be taken home in a body bag. If there is an attachment on their weapons, take it, but do not touch the trigger!" His accent was strange, not one I had heard in a long time, I could describe it as urban. "Our target is considered armed, so if he shoots at you do not hesitate to shoot him back. Fan out!"
Shit, they were coming for me and I couldn't focus on anything besides holding in my stomach contents. As I leaned on the truck for support, I saw a few of them round the truck. I wanted to say something cool, like come get me cocksuckers, but all I managed to say was. "I'm - over - here."
They all pointed their weapons at me and closed in. The one who I assumed was their leader walked up to me. He had on a helmet that covered his whole face. Now that I could see their helmets up close, they were all the same. Shaped sorta like dirt bike helmets, but more compact and streamlined. "So, you came out. I wasn't expecting that." He pointed at my gun with the shotgun he was carrying. "Drop it, but not too fast."
I went to grab it with care, and as soon as my arm left my face I puked.
The terrorist leader backed off from me. "Did you have to vomit in front of me? Get ahold of yourself."
I spit what was left of it out, and coughed. "The smell is terrible."
"Yeah, they sure smell a lot worse dead. Now drop your gun."
I pulled it out and dropped it on the ground. The leader didn't budge. "Kick it over to me." I complied.
He just started firing off questions one after the other. "How's the perimeter look?" - "Any reinforcements coming?" - "Any supplies in the trucks?"
I heard a loud bang behind my back, which spooked me. "I uh - I don't know."
"Shut up." I didn't realize he was talking through comms, until now. "One of the trucks is locked? We'll worry about it later." He clipped his shotgun to his belt. "Keep your guns trained on him." He said to the three rebels behind him, as he pulled out some kind of tablet. He tapped on it a few times and I heard a ding. His helmet moved up and down slightly, suggesting he was looking at the tablet and back at me a few times. "You do look like him, and your E-ID is correct. That's good enough for me."
He put the tablet away and started talking. "Assault team to base - come in." - "This is Crabman, all hostiles are down and the enemy VIP is secure. Requesting Evac." - "One of the trucks is locked, we will move forward with cracking it open."
They were gonna open up the truck 11-7 was in, I had to do something. Maybe my acting skills would come in handy for once. I cleared my throat. "You don't want to open up that truck."
The rebel leader stopped talking on comms. "Why?"
One of the rebels piped up behind him. "Don't listen to him Crabman, he's screwing with you."
He turned around and looked at the one that talked. "I'll hear him out." He turned back around to face me. "Why shouldn't we open that truck?"
He took the bait. "I'll give you two reasons. One, there are at least three angry mutons in that truck that Advent couldn't control. And two, Advent is already sending people to extract me, so if you take too long you won't get anything."
He chuckled. "I didn't know why you just walked up to us, but I think I know now. You VIP's are always so unsubtle." He pulled out his tablet again and tapped on it a few times before it made a buzzing sound. "Yeah, he's got a tracker in him. - Rico, you're pulling it out when we extract."
I had no clue what he was talking about. "A tracker, what do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb traitor. Every Advent VIP gets a gps tracker put in them so Advent can track their location."
He gestured towards the truck with his hand. "Ay - French, go crack open that truck."
A terrorist wielding an LMG. Stepped out from the crowd. "Aye sir." He had an accent too, Irish maybe Scottish. I didn't know the difference, I'd never met either before.
As he walked towards the truck I tried to think of something else to say to stop this, but a terrorist with a drone spoke up. "Sir, if he has a tracker, then Advent might be closing in on our position." That terrorist's voice was feminine sounding. I couldn't tell which were women and which were men because their armor was padded.
He was quiet for a moment. "Hmm. French, how long do you think it would take to open that truck."
The rebel with an LMG who was standing close to me cracked his neck. "Oh, I don-no boss. The Armor plating on these things can be a bit finicky. Ginger may hav' a point."
"Okay, we're not taking a chance today." - "We're extracting the VIP now everyone."
The rebel called French walked back to the group.
The terrorist leader put his tablet away. "The Captain will be pleased when we bring you back."
I didn't know how to respond to that; I was still struggling with the realization that I might have a tracking device in my body. Then the rebel leader pulled out something that looked like a handgun, but it was bulky. I put my hands up. "Woah, I thought you were capturing me."
He chuckled. "We are."
A burst of electricity fired out of that thing and hit me in the chest. All of my muscles tensed up and it felt like every nerve in my body was on fire. I fell on the ground and as quick as the pain came it was gone. It was dark.
0-
I heard people talking. It took a few moments but I was able to focus on the voices and my vision returned.
"...I've taken out hundreds of these trackers - it is trivial. The neural implants are the ones you can't take out, but Advent only installs those in important VIPs."
The voice was close. I couldn't see outlines, only colors and rough shapes. The voice was coming from right next to me.
"Found it - right bicep. Scalpel please."
I saw the shape reach at me and felt a dull pain. "Clamp that. - Forceps." The shape moved away and came back. I felt a more intense pain and grunted. "Got it. Chuck this in the river, it may mimic the human body enough to throw off Advent."
"Rico, he made a noise."
"Did he?" A bright light flashed in my eyes. Once it was turned off, I could see a little better. I couldn't see outlines, but the shapes were more clear. "Shit, he's awake. Are the sedatives expired?"
"No, I just checked them."
They were both silent for a few moments. "Did we use the type distilled from viper venom?"
"-Yes."
"We don't have time to run a blood test to check for antibodies. But, he's got the telltale signs of a viper bite: black veiny flesh in a circle of about an inch in diameter. One on his hand, and two on his... bicep - that are scabbed over, recently acquired. Jeez, are we sure this guy is a non-combatant? He's either really unlucky or... Either way he's got good reason to be immunized against viper venom, I've seen it before in other VIPs."
I heard a third voice speak. I recognized it as the terrorist squad leader. "Use the other sedatives Rico."
"Those are hard to come by Darnell, you sure you want to waste them on a guy who's gonna die soon?"
"Use it, I don't want him conscious until we need him to be; we can salvage more."
"Okay."
The shape I had identified as Rico left my field of view, and came back. I felt something poke into my arm. After a few moments, I fell back into the darkness.
0-
When I woke up again, I was in a room with dim lighting. The only light came from a single weak yellowed bulb on the ceiling. I was sitting in a chair and tried to stand up, but my arms and legs were tied to it with bungee cord. I struggled against it, but I wasn't going to tear through them. I looked at my arm, but my phone wasn't there. I also wasn't wearing a shirt and became aware of a draft in the room. Remembering what had happened when I woke up the first time I looked over at my right bicep and saw some clear glue material above an incision. Advent really did put a tracker in me and didn't tell me, those bastards. I'll have to talk to Manny about that if I ever get out of here. Though I almost wish it was still in me, now that I woke up on the set of SAW.
From what I could tell I was in some old abandoned building. A thick layer of dust coating everything, including the lightbulb. There was sheet metal and varying shapes of scrap metal all over the room.
I did not want to be in here, so I called for help. "Hello, is anyone there! - I'm in here! - Can somebody help me!" I stopped yelling for a moment so I could listen. I heard nothing. Great, they might have left me in an abandoned building to starve to death. If that's the case I've got a week to escape.
I noticed earlier when I was struggling against my bindings that my chair wasn't bolted to the floor. I could barely make out a choice piece of sharp scrap metal that was at the right height to cut my leg bindings. Every time I scooted closer to it, the chair made a loud grinding noise against the concrete floor. 5 feet, 3 feet, 2 feet. The door behind me flung open. I turned to look, but my neck wouldn't allow me to turn around enough to see.
The voice I heard behind me was feminine and annoyed. "What do you think you're doing?"
Thank god someone heard me. "Help, I'm strapped to this chair."
She clicked her tongue and made a tsk sound. "I know sweety, - I'm the one who tied you to it."
I was drug back to where the chair was originally sat. A woman wearing light padded armor, with a camo pattern on it, walked out in front of me. She had medium length red hair and sharp features. A drone hovered by her head and didn't make much noise. I wasn't sure how it was flying, there were four plates attached to it, two on the top and bottom. I think that's what kept it in the air, but what those plates were doing I couldn't tell.
I looked away from her. "So, you're with the terrorists. I'm not talking to you."
She chuckled. "The sedatives must still be wearing off. You can call us whatever you want traitor, but you will tell me what I want to know, or I will extract what I want to know." She sounded serious.
I couldn't help but start laughing. I looked back at her and she didn't react to me. "Do you know who I am? I'm not some kind of scientist, or engineer, or politician. I am a fucking - actor. You know the people in movies. I don't know shit. - Do you understand? I don't know anything that would be useful for you."
She furrowed her brow. "We know who you are, Lucas Hickey. I don't want your sass, I want to know everything you know about Advent. I'll decide if it is useful, not you."
"If you know who I am, why did you capture me? I am not that..."
She walked up to me and interrupted. "I'll ask the questions, and you will answer them! Now tell me what you know."
I started laughing again. "Where should I start? I could tell you what movies are coming out in the next few years. Did you know that the Advent troopers aren't really human. - If you didn't know that you'd be a shitty organization."
Out of nowhere she decked me in the face. It hurt, and I felt the soft issue on my cheek swell. "Hey! Fuck!" I moved my jaw around. "You know, you're real strong for beating on a guy strapped to a chair. Maybe you should untie me and try that again."
She shook the hand she used to punch me in the air. "All you Advent types are the same. So high and mighty, think you can say whatever you want even though you're strapped to a chair with nowhere to go." She got a sinister look in her eyes. "I will enjoy breaking you."
I did not like the sound of that.
0-
Over what I assumed was hours I became well acquainted with this ginger bitch. She pulled out tools and used them on me. She asked me questions, specific ones I didn't have an answer for: locations of bases, troop rotations, passwords and codes, names of other VIPs, technology. With every question she would torture me, not removing fingers or teeth. She used less permanent methods. Whatever she asked, if I knew I told her everything, and I got zapped with a car battery as my reward. One question stood out to me. Over and over she kept asking me about something called the Avatar Project. I had never once heard about that, but I'm guessing it was important to them.
By the end of this I was a mess. I was soaked from the waterboarding, bruised, beaten, and spent. All I could do was sit hunched over in the chair, staring at the dried blood on my chest. I heard the door open and someone else walked in.
"Did you get anything out of him, Ginger?" I recognised it as the terrorist squad leader from before.
"Not much, he either was telling the truth about knowing nothing, or Advent gave him torture training." She paused for a few moments. "Do you think the Captain will be satisfied after this?"
"I sure hope so, we need to focus on more important stuff. This actor is worthless, and we lost some good men capturing him."
She sighed. "I hope so."
"I'd better go get him."
I heard the door open and close and sat there in silence. I closed my eyes and it was a long time before I heard anything else.
The door swung open and hit the wall. The woman sounded startled. "Captain Scar!"
A gruff voice responded. "At ease, Sergeant."
"He's ready for you, sir."
He let out a hearty chuckle. "Is he? He looks dead. You didn't overdo the torture did ya, I've waited a long time for this day."
"No, he should be able to talk."
"Good - now leave."
"Yes, sir." I heard the door open and slam shut again.
It was now just me and this man in the room. He paced around me and every footstep he took echoed. I didn't know who he was, but from what I could tell he was the leader of these terrorists, and he knew me. He probably wanted revenge for me ratting out the terrorist meeting all those years ago.
He continued to pace around the room, and after a few minutes he stopped in front of my chair. "Rise and shine prisoner, I need to have a word with you." I didn't respond. "Come on I know you're awake, I can see your eyes."
I didn't look at him. "What do you want, a show? I've got nothing to say to you."
"Hm, do you know why we captured you?"
"Revenge - for me telling where one of your terrorist recruitments was being held. What difference does it make at this point?"
"Oh, it makes all the difference in the world. Look up at me Luke, I want to see what Advent has done to you."
That was a weird thing to say. I looked up at him, not because I was listening to him, but because I wanted to see what he looked like. I wanted to see what kind of monster led these terrorists. What I saw, I almost couldn't believe my eyes. His body was huge, not much taller than me, but built like a bear. He wore this cape that looked like it was made of a patchwork of discolored leather stitched together, and his armor was built from what looked like pieces of salvaged advent armors. That outfit made him look like some kind of bandit king. The face of the man standing in front of me looked - horrible. Half of his face had a burn scar on it where no hair would grow, and he was wearing a black eyepatch strapped around the bald side of his head. The burn scar didn't reach his chin, where he had a short beard, probably to make up for his half bald head. There were lacerations on his face and arms, like he had fallen in a barrel of razor blades. Some scars were larger than others. As hideous as he was, the more I looked, the more I saw familiar things. His nose, his non-burned ear, his... eye. God, it was like looking into a mirror with a fucked up version of myself staring back at me... Then it hit me.
"No way." I blinked my eyes twice. "R - rand-y, is that you? Is - is it really you?"
His lips curled into a grin. "In the flesh."
Many emotions overcame me. I couldn't believe it. "No, you can't be alive. Advent told me you were dead. - They said there was nothing left of you."
"Advent lies about things that are inconvenient for them, Luke. Not that you would know that. I haven't found out from our intel if they know I'm alive, but I'm sure they do."
"How?"
"He pointed at his face. "I didn't get out of there easy, Advent left me with this as a nice reminder of that day; too bad for them they didn't melt my shooting eye. And, I wasn't the only one that made it out. Advent knew our names and our faces - thanks to you." He crossed his arms and paced around in front of me. "So, we couldn't return to our normal lives. We regrouped and rebuilt. It was a long time before we were strong enough to do anything, but now we have reached the strength we once held."
"So you're like their general now?"
"I am not their general, I am their leader."
I chuckled. "And you told your lackeys to call you Scar. Yup, that's something Randy would do. Did you think it sounded cool?"
He stopped and furrowed his brow. "While you were busy living a cushy life in your gated community with all those other traitors. I have risen through the ranks and become something. Look at yourself, what have you done in the last 5 years besides sell me out."
Guilt stabbed me in the chest like a knife. That reminder hurt worse than the torture inflicted on me. "It - it wasn't like that. I was doing it for us. You weren't supposed to be there. That was our chance for a better life, so we didn't have to work in that factory anymore. We saved every penny we could from working there, and what did all that hard work get us - nothing."
He grunted. "You're spineless Luke. It's not always about us, we had a chance to make a difference, fight against that shit that we hated. Fix things, and you sided with them. I know how you are Lucas, you'd sell anyone out for a few more minutes of life. That's why I called Ginger off, I know you spilled your guts to her, no loyalty whatsoever. You always pulled that shit when we were kids, but I thought you had my back."
"It wasn't for me, it was what was best for us. We left the farm to define our own fates. We didn't have to do what would make mom and dad happy. But, oh no, you couldn't wait to go to that meeting. You never think things through!"
He gestured to himself. "You said nothing to me. You could have waited and talked to me about it."
"I knew too much Randy, they would have killed both of us if we didn't sign up. I was making the smart decision for us. That's how it worked; I did the planning."
He sighed. "You can lie to yourself Luke, but you can't lie to me. You don't care about me, you cared only about yourself. If you cared about me, you would have taken a chance. You might've even spoken to me and tried to convince me. But no, you were only concerned about yourself, you couldn't even risk speaking with me. This discussion is pointless, we both already know you never take chances. I would take a bullet for any of my men. Five years ago, I would have done the same for you Luke, but you clearly didn't feel the same way."
I shook my head. "You're right, I couldn't speak to you. I saw how their words had gotten to you. You ate up everything that guy said and you were ready to go to war. I couldn't enlist - I - I didn't want to die Randy, I still don't. Does that make me a bad person? You could have talked to me about it too."
"Maybe I was making the right decision, you'd never consider that. I could have found a place for you there, no one said you had to be on the frontlines. We could have worked together for the betterment of humanity."
That irked me. "As if some terrorist organization could build a better government than Advent. Don't play the hero."
He snorted and went back to pacing around. "I never said I was a hero Luke. I don't always do what is good, I do what is right. If memory serves, and it usually does, you're the one that declared himself a hero after throwing me under the bus. I didn't see you at that raid, so you didn't do jack shit. You did the least heroic thing possible: You gave your brother to the government and sat with your thumb in your ass at our apartment. Family is everything Luke, if we don't have that there is nothing to build on."
I tried to defend myself. "Advent declared me a hero, it wasn't my idea. I didn't want things to turn out like this."
He wrinkled his nose. "How disgusting, that you shy away from acknowledging what you did."
"I'm not pretending like I didn't do it, I know I did. I've owned that for a long time. You have to believe me, I'm just trying to explain what happened to you. But, what I see you doing now makes me sick, I've seen civilians get killed in the crossfire. That's not a good thing Randy, you can't just brush that off.
He scratched his short beard and looked off in a direction. "You have such a simple understanding of how the world works, labeling organizations with terms like good, and evil. Like this is some fairytale. The truth is good people have to do bad things sometimes if they want to hold to their convictions. And evil people must do good things sometimes to keep up appearances. That's not an excuse for the mistakes I have made, it's an observation."
"What is this, your big villain speech you give right before you launch a fucking nuke at the city?"
He sighed and stopped pacing. "You're not making anyone laugh." He made a show of looking around the room, "There are no cameras in here, it's just you and me - actor. So, talk to me like a normal fucking person." He cleared his throat. "I am explaining myself to you. I've waited a long time for this day, a lot of planning went into this. Including what I want to say to you."
"Well, you're making this big effort to act like good and evil don't exist, but you are such a hypocrite. I bet you'd call Advent evil without a second thought."
He chuckled. "Advent is not evil, but they are as close as you could get. They have created a society that Is hostile to human life, and they are laughing at us. They see us as cattle. To them we are nothing but a resource to be spent. Either in labor, or by melting us down to use in their sick experiments. We are numbers on a spreadsheet, tax dollars in their pockets. If you had seen what I've seen you'd understand that. They don't care about us and they never did."
"So, this isn't any worse than what the old world was like, we should have taken their offer - together and lived comfortable lives. We could have had everything we wanted."
He pointed at me. "We could've had everything you wanted!" He cleared his throat and backed off. "Aye, the old world may have been not much different, I will admit that. But, should we own that, and live our mediocre lives, being taken advantage of every day." He gestured to me as he spoke. "Those things that rule are not like us. They don't think like us, look like us, or act like us. And people are not happy. We have a real opportunity to rally enough people against them and maybe if we win we can change things for the better. Avoid the mistakes of the past."
I was getting frustrated. "What makes you think you can do any better? What even makes you think you stand a chance of winning. Advent is global, you can't go toe to toe against them. You destroyed one convoy in combat against some of Advent's worst troops. You and your little guerrilla outfit playing soldiers once a week isn't going to save the world, it's just going to make things worse for the people just trying to get by."
He frowned and sighed. "I can't seem to get through to you. We aren't trying to go toe to toe with Advent. We have done more than that, and you know it. You've always been the cynic, and I've always been the optimist. That's why you're tied to a chair right now and I'm still standing on my own two legs."
"Yeah, because you fucking brought me here, did this to me. What did you hope to accomplish here, convince me to join your group? I'm not going to."
He grunted and kicked a piece of scrap metal. After being silent for a few moments, he turned to face me. "Maybe I brought you here to kill you for all the suffering you inflicted on me, did that ever cross your mind Lukey? Every scar on my body is one I got because you forced me down this path."
I saw nothing but fury in his single eye. Hatred for me built up over the years from my betrayal. His threat felt real, and again I felt that deep fear. The threat of death looming over me again. I buckled. "Come on man you don't have to do that. What do you want from me? I - I can help. What do you want: intel, names? I'll do whatever you want."
He let out a hearty chuckle laced with malice. "There's that backbone of yours showing again." He flicked up a clip on a holster in his belt and pulled out a dull six-shooter revolver. That thing had a large barrel and looked like it could take down a bear. My brother held it in his hands and stared at it. That action made him look unsure and he seemed to analyze every detail on it. He took a deep breath and pointed the barrel at my face. "Any last words Lucas?"
I was staring down the barrel of my demise. I saw the hatred in his eye, the tenseness of his trigger finger. He wasn't bluffing, and I knew it. Tears welled up in my eyes, I always thought I'd have an untimely demise, but not at the hands of my brother. "Come on dude this is really fucked up." I felt tears streaming down my face. "Can't you just drug me up again and let me go, leave me somewhere in the woods I don't care. I won't tell Advent anything. I won't tell anyone anything. I haven't even seen anything. I don't know anyone here, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I did what I did, I was sorry before I woke up here. I've been sorry since the day I did it. Just - please for the love of god don't kill me..."
He stood there silent, watching me cry. He waited until I was finished, to respond. "Do you really want begging to be the last thing you say?"
I saw a hint of pity for me, probably because I was so pathetic. I couldn't even die with some dignity. This was it, the ending to my story. I thought about all the fun I had, the good times and the bad. A lot of it was concentrated in the time after I met 11-7. Our kiss today, I held onto that. What would she think looking at me like this? That thought gave me some strength to draw on. I told her how I felt; I knew how she felt. My only regret was that It took this for both of us to finally kiss, and that I wouldn't keep my promise. I had no loose ends to tie up, just one last piece of advice to say to my brother before I could die with a clear conscience.
I leaned over defeated and croaked out my last words. "I don't know what you expected to find when you kidnapped me, but I'm not whatever that is. If you shoot me, you're not killing a mindless Advent drone, you're killing your brother. And you'll have to live with that the rest of your life, like I thought I was going to have to." That was it. The suffering I had to endure all this time lifted from my shoulders because I knew Randy was alive. But, if he killed me he would have to bear the same burden. Whatever satisfaction gained from his revenge quest would be outweighed by that.
He said nothing and continued to stare at me. The seconds that passed felt like hours. My awareness of his movements increase. His face twitched, sweat dripped down it. No emotion in his eye. His finger twitched, but didn't pull the trigger. He used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. I thought for a moment maybe he wouldn't go through with it.
A yell escaped his mouth and he stuck the gun against my temple. He pressed it hard against me. I felt the cold metal of the barrel burn my skin. The intensity in his eye increased until he pushed himself off of me. He shoved his gun in its holster and stared at the door, facing his back to me. He mumbled to himself. "They were right, I've obsessed over this for too long. He wasn't worth it." He turned to face me. "I'm not like you Lucas. I couldn't live with that, but don't think you won't suffer for what you did."
My nerves were fried. I hunched over in my chair and my voice was weak. "Randy I..."
He interrupted me. "I'm going to speak to my people, and will return momentarily."
He left the room and closed the door. I couldn't believe it, I was still alive somehow after all this. Maybe I could see 11-7 again, maybe he'll let me go. I sat there for a long time before he returned. I could hear his footsteps down the hall before the door opened. He walked in and looked - satisfied. I didn't say anything and let him talk. He cleared his throat. "I think I will take you up on that offer. You will help us with an operation against Advent. Maybe some good will come out of this."
I couldn't stop myself from butting in. "You keep talking shit about Advent, but they never kidnapped me, pointed a gun at me, or drugged me."
He pursed his lips. "This'll be a hard lesson for you to learn. They're gonna rip you apart once we let you go. Honestly, it would be better for you if I just shot you here, but you've already made your choice."
"You're letting me go?"
"Yes, I am. I don't have to do anything to you. Advent will do that for me, and then you'll see how they view you."
I decided to not antagonize him further. He nodded and yelled. "Rico, put him to sleep."
I finally got a good look at the man who I could assume was a doctor at this point. He had short blond hair and a head shaped like a rectangle. Rico walked up with a syringe and injected it into my arm. He avoided looking at my face.
Randy kept talking. "If you're still alive in the next few days, we'll contact you."
I felt the sedative start to kick in. "What are you gonna do with me?"
He smiled. "We're gonna throw you out of a van on the most populated, least patrolled street in the city. To show the people how bad Advent is at protecting their puppets."
Shit. That was my last thought before I blacked out. The next thing I remember was lying on hard ground staring up at the sky. My view was blocked by people circled around me, staring down with concerned looks. I was so happy to be out of that room; I wondered if I was ever gonna see the sun again. Fatigue hit me like a freight train, so I closed my eyes and tried to rest.