CHAPTER II: INTERROGATION AND ANALYSIS

I became convinced that Destiny itself guided you, and there is yet more you will do, for your battle will not end here.

"Harlan, Kyle L., Space Marine Corps, Corporal, serial number 629-0K3-97SZ12, blood type – A positive, thirty three years old, single, four medals for exceptional combat performance, one purple heart, numerous commendations for immaculate discipline... and an exile sentence for the assault of a superior officer. Do you confirm this information?"

"Yes, I do" Kyle murmured, carefully examining the Colonel's office. Inside it, he felt even worse and more worried than he did while exploring the darkest depths of Hell itself.

Colonel Simmons sighed and looked through the papers that were spread all over his desk. He had no idea where to start from – he looked at Corporal Harlan once again. Perhaps he wondered how the marine could retain his rank after the incident. That young man was obviously very capable and, as his recent deeds pointed out, quite lucky.

"So let's try to clarify things a little bit" – the Colonel hoped that it would somehow be possible to do that – "On May 26, UAC Mars City 1 received unclear message from Deimos concerning an invasion by an unknown enemy force. About an hour later, the whole moon and everything on it disappeared."

The Colonel looked at the screen beside the desk that showed something filmed from the surface of Mars. Kyle looked at it and saw the familiar tragedy repeat itself – suddenly, a sphere of sparkling energy enveloped Deimos, one bright flash, and then the moon was gone. He frowned and turned to face the Colonel again.

"One hour later, a strike team was assembled under the command of Lieutenant Fred Daniels. When a distress call came from Phobos, you were sent there with a short-distance landing pod; your orders: investigate and report. According to the information we have, the lieutenant decided to leave you to guard the landing pod... apparently, he did not trust you much, considering the circumstances surrounding your arrival on Mars. Anyway, this seems to have saved your life. What happened next – it is not clear. You fought your way through the infested base, for which we are, of course, very grateful. We lost track of you after you passed through the, hmmm... anomaly. You were missing for two or three days – during that time Earth was invaded. You reappeared in an abandoned UAC storage facility, through another gateway. You did an excellent job in infiltrating the star port and removing that force field. Next comes your insanely brave investigation of the possible source of the invasion in your own hometown... convenient, isn't it? Then you disappeared again, and one day later the demonic forces just stopped fighting and retreated en masse – ending the war just as suddenly as it had begun. And finally, that very recent accident at the Plutonia Project research site. Despite your repeated denials, I am sure that you have played quite a big part in the resolution of this latest crisis."

Kyle just nodded – all of this was true, and, apparently, his previous claims that he had fought with the other marines and accidentally killed the demon leader, would not be accepted easily. He told them at least fifty times what had happened – the journey through the gateway, the lost Deimos base and the cursed Tower of Babel. His journeys through Hell, and the last battle that ended it all. He told them what happened, though he would not mention anything about the tale of the Gatekeeper. That was to remain hidden, for the time being.

"Sir, as I already told you, I could rally a bunch of survived marines. Together we managed to find a safe path through the infested facility and eventually discover one enormous creature that seemed to be the demon leader. Killing it put an end to the invasion and all other demons died. That is all," Kyle explained, attempting to maintain an innocent smile on his face.

"They died just like that? Strange, the research team mentioned something about all dead demons being killed by human weapons. The whole place was marked by the traces of long and intense battles. You have done much more than you claim you did. You are a hero... a hero of humanity, can you imagine that?" the Colonel replied.

"Um, sir, I..." the marine stuttered, "You know, I cannot... I have not done that much, I just followed orders and I did what I had to. Well, at least I do not feel like a great hero, I just want to get back to my duties and forget about this whole thing..."

"I know how you feel, Corporal. You are a good man; you do not need all these praises, medals or rank promotions – the thought of all the attention that would be given to you terrifies you, doesn't it? (Kyle nodded) You are lucky journalists did not learn about you and your feat – they would tear you into pieces, and you would not have privacy or even a single quiet moment anymore. As you asked, your part in the invasion's overthrowing was kept secret, though we do not know whether you can be returned to your regular duties."

"Sir, I assure you, I never wanted all this to happen to me, I never wanted the role I played in the whole thing – I did what I thought was right. I do not care if I have saved the world twice – this is my job and I am glad I could do it, nothing more. I just want to move on and..."

"The problem, Corporal Harlan, is that saving humanity from extermination (twice) is not something that you can just forget and go on. Do you have an idea how impressed the military are? There have been rumors that they want to take genetic material from you, and use it to create a new elite generation of marines. Another ridiculous suggestion was that they have decided to use the faster method – clone you. I am sure that all charges about that officer assault will be forgotten and there is a rank promotion awaiting you. But... okay, let us talk about that later. I know that you wanted to ask about something. What is it?"

"It is about the invasion's aftermath, Colonel. How is the restoration of our planet going? Is there some way I can help?" Corporal Harlan inquired.

"Ah, I knew you would ask about this – many people have been make such inquiries to me over the last few months. Our restoration planning team is working tirelessly – these guys have not slept for many nights, it is steroids and tons of caffeine pills that still keep them going at this point. There is so much work to be done – many large cities on the planet have been thoroughly ruined. Reconstruction may take years. Billions of homeless people currently reside within the intact cities and the special temporary encampments that have been built by the UAC. The UAC – their role in the events was successfully covered up, though I am sure they feel guilty enough... We would not blame them for the latest incident at the Plutonia Project facility – our investigations show that this time, as amazing as it sounds, it was not really their fault. The accelerator project has been salvaged and will be completed in the future, ensuring the safety of our planet and colonies."

"Sorry to interrupt you, sir, but I have to admit that I am very skeptical about the UAC's good intentions. I suggest that they be kept under close surveillance. And I would also ask the..."

"Save your questions for later," the Colonel groaned, "I have work to do and the time I have to give you answers is very limited. For now, I will tell you what is essential. A serious problem we face is the lack of security in the intact cities – in their darkest places, there are still demons that lurk and prey upon the careless humans that want to get back to their homes. Mopping squads are already formed all over the globe and they are cleansing the planet slowly, yet efficiently. Cities, sewers, dark caves, and desolate areas within tropical jungles, arctic wastelands, and barren deserts – those are all locales where hiding demon survivors may be found. We are gathering volunteers to join the mop-up squads so that they could finish their job as quickly as possible. Only then will the restoration and returning to normal life be possible. Billions of people are still in deep shock from what happened. Billions have lost their friends and families. The world economies will be rebuilt from scratch, as will society itself. Despite all difficulties, I feel that humanity has the will and strength to restore what was lost. So I, at least, am optimistic about the future. Anyway, this is what I wanted to tell you. Any questions? Any demands – you are the hero so I will see what I can do." The Colonel smiled and stared at the Corporal.

"Sir, first of all I insist that the facts about my..."

"Do not worry, Corporal Harlan – beside me, there are only about fourteen or fifteen other people on this planet who know that you were the one who defeated the invaders single-handedly. No one else, no country leader, or high-ranking officer knows anything about you. None of your fellow marines knows about you and your deeds, let alone a civilian. Your former colleagues on Mars think that you are either dead, or escaped to Earth after your team was slaughtered on Phobos. Your secret is kept well – we respect your will. Still, do not ask for impossible things like..."

"I understand, sir. Beside keeping my secret, I only want to get back to my work and go somewhere else... far away from this hellhole. I cannot stand to look at the ruins of the world I used to call home. I am tired of all that happened to me. For God's sake, I went to Hell itself and back twice and faced unimaginable horrors. I want to go somewhere... far away, not on Earth, not on the Moon, not even on Mars. I just want to get away and find some peace."

"I understand you, Corporal Harlan. This is why we were reluctant to get you back on duty; we were not sure about your mental state. Do not be offended, but psychologists suggest that your experiences might have left your mind shattered, and you are not fit for military service..."

Kyle stood up. He looked straight into the Colonel's eyes. He could not determine whether the Corporal's expression was one of anger or frustration.

"Colonel Simmons, I see that you are a decent person, even if you're a high-ranking officer. You can understand me, and I appreciate that. Believe me, sir, I am no less worried about my condition than you are. I am a soldier – it is my job to always be ready to do what has to be done. I want to get away so that I can calm down and not go insane, as you kindly suggested. Let me go and I will be happy. As far away as possible. Give me a mission if you can – anything that will allow me to forget everything that happened in the last few months and go on with my life."

"Are you completely sure about this?" the Colonel said slowly, "You just want to throw away all the reverence and recognition that you deserve? You refuse a successful career in the military, enormous financial compensations for your ordeals, and everything you may ever wish for? You just want to forget everything and go on with your duties of a Corporal, commanding a squad of irritable marines in some dirty cramped space colony?"

"Yes. I am not that kind of person. I am not a hero. I just want to be left alone and live." – Kyle sighed deeply.

The Colonel stood up and remained still for a whole minute. He approached the Corporal and shook his hand. The tap on the shoulder that followed was known to be Colonel Simmons's greatest sign of approval.

"I am so proud of you, Corporal Harlan. I am proud that you are a space marine, that you have devoted your life to the service and your comrades. I am envious that I have not had the opportunity to be your commander. I am deeply impressed by your honesty, and that is why I will do everything that I can for you. Have faith – I will make sure that you get an assignment as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your understanding. I will always remember what you did for me and I will be grateful."

Kyle saluted and turned around to leave the room. Closing the door, he heard the Colonel's last words:

"I will do what I can. You will have a new assignment soon."

Kyle Harlan returned to his old green tent, set up within the camp of the space marine division. Once inside he sat on the floor, relieved at the thought that he had achieved the first of his goals – he had ensured that his secret would be kept and they would get him back on duty. He had also set the path for the accomplishment of his next task – he had to find a way to get to Io and investigate the potential demonic threat there.

He sat down and looked at his weapons, carefully arranged inside a metal box beside his bed. These deadly tools had saved is life quite few times. Would some mysterious force protect him once again in the battles that were to come? Time would tell.