The Cairo Saga, book 4: Operation Chindit
Part 12: Heart of Darkness

Cairo stood in the middle of a seemingly endless void: there was nothing but total darkness in every direction.

What confused him the most was that he was still able to see his body, apparently dressed in the same cooling vest, shorts and boots he wore when piloting his BattleMech. The complete lack of any apparent illumination scared him slightly.

"Well, will you just look what the cat dragged in?" A sneering voice came from behind Cairo, making him turn with no apparent effort.

"YOU!" Cairo went for his side arm, but his holster was empty, as was the scarab for his kukri.

"Yeah, me." Cain smiled, "It's good to see you again Steven. Just like old times."

"You bastard!" Cairo tried to leap forward, but found himself suddenly paralysed.

"Now that won't do: you need to work on controlling that temper of yours if we're going to be friends."

"I'll kill you! I swear to god, I will kill you!"

"And why would you want to do that? Without me, what do you have to live for?"

"MURDERING BASTARD!"

"Temper, temper. Is that anyway to talk to your brother? You did marry my oh so lovely little sister…"

"You leave Sinade out of this you monster!"

"She was such a sweet little girl, so innocent. Oh, thing things I could tell you about Sinade O'Brien! There is still so much about her you don't know…"

"What do you want with me, Cain?"

"Can't I just pass the time of day with a good friend? Is that truly too much to ask for?"

"I know you too well: you only talk when you want something."

"Well, that would be true: I want to meet the Angel of Death, face to face."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come now Steven, I know the really you, that little bit of darkness you keep hidden away in the back of your mind, just waiting to be unleashed. That's the real you: the man who changed your name from Clark to Cairo in the first place, the man who chased me right across the Inner Sphere. That's the Steven Cairo I want to talk to: the one who's just like me."

"I am nothing like you."

"Oh, but you can be! And ever time you let that little bit of darkness you keep locked up out, you become more and more like me."

"Nice try: you almost had me there for a minuet" Cairo smiled as everything fell into place, "We've been through this before, years ago, after Sinade tried to kill herself: this is all in my head, it's not real."

"It's as real as you want it to be, and you know you need the part of you that brought me here to see this war thought to the end…"

"Maybe, but I don't need you." Cairo held out his hand, and the universe seemed to convulse suddenly, and Cain was standing in the middle of his outstretched palm, "Yes, you are part of my mind, but you do not control me. I am Steven Patrick Clark, son of David and Miranda Clark. I was born in the city of Cairo on Los Alamos, April 25th, 3042. I am a solider, a MechWarrior, entrusted with the duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

"A grand speech indeed, but you are also a killer. I've been with you all this time, and every now and then, you let me out to play. You need me Steven, and you know it."

"No, I don't. I use you: there is a difference." Cairo closed his hand, crushing Cain.

CNC Spirit Sight
Pirate Point
VB 8

The first thing Cairo heard when he woke was the constant beeping of the EKG machine next to the bed. The absence of anything keeping him down told him he was in the ships small infirmary, located on the rotating gravity-deck. He opened his eyes slowly, the rusty light from the Red Dwarf shone in through the porthole, making the room look almost homely.

"I was getting worried about you." Sinade smiled as she leaned forward in her chair, "You fell over and banged your head when we jumped in-system. The doc says you managed to give yourself a nasty concussion."

"How long was I out?" Cairo asked as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"A little over three days: the doctor wanted you to come round naturally rather than wake you. He's getting a little worried about all the time you've spent in a hospital bed over the last few years: your scars are begging to get scars."

"Scars let you know you're still alive."

"You scare me when you talk like that. You've been acting differently ever since you came back from the Bordeaux. What happened over there? What aren't you telling me?"

"I acted in a way I would rather forget about. A way I have not acted in a long time."

"Like the way you acted on Solaris during your last match?"

"Yes…"

"Steven, you need to keep yourself together. You can't go off like that again. The crew needs you to stay focused: they'd follow you through the gates of hell, no questions asked. They have all willingly given up the lives they had back home to join this mission, knowing that it could mean death for everyone of them. They believe in YOU, not the mission, not the generals, YOU."

"Then they are all fools."

"Why?"

"Because all I can do is kill people: some I kill on purpose, some I kill by association. All those people who died at Costa Mesa because I couldn't tell Grissum was the traitor, not Spendlove? All those people who died on Callisto V when Word of Blake nuked those cities because I wouldn't surrender…"

"We've talked about that: they would have detonated the bombs anyway. They know they can't hope to defeat the entire Inner Sphere using conventional arms, so they use weapons of mass destruction at every opportunity."

"With that in mind, there is something I must do." Cairo reached to his neck and removed the firing key, "You're not going on the next part of the mission, but I am. If anything happens to me, I need you and Leroux to see the others somewhere safe." He handed the key over, "I personally recommend either the Draconis Combine or the Federated Suns. What ever you do, keep away from Lyran space: they will still be looking for us."

"You really think things might go that badly?"

"We are about to walk right into the lions den. If we are lucky, and Clearwater's intelligence is correct, we should be able to slip in and out without being detected. If the intelligence is wrong, then the Spirit Sight may have to jump back out again at a moments notice."

"I would never abandon you…"

"You will, if the need arises: the person is expendable, the mission isn't. How much longer before the hyperdrive is recharged?"

"Just under 100-hours: Leroux wants to make sure the batteries are charged before we jump again."

"Considering where we are going, I can't say I blame him..."

CNC Spirit Sight
Pirate Point
Outside the Kuiper Belt
Sol

Space rippled as the Corvette jumped the last 5.8 light years to its target. The energy wave the ships arrive generated was soon lot against the endless interplanetary night. This didn't stop all those onboard from acting like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs once news of just where they where spread.

A pair of doors opened in the Spirit Sights side, allowing a pair of shuttles to move freely into their natural environment. Changing direction slightly, they headed off for distant Pluto.

TBC…