"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!" the laughing that echoes through the jungle is so deafening that I must cover my ears to block out the pain. I try to figure out where it's coming from: maybe some secret speaker or drone flying through the air, but it seems to be emanating from the trees themselves.
"Wonderful, Colonel Snow, absolutely wonderful. Your skills have exceeded all my expectations."
"Does this works both ways?" I mutter.
"Yes, we can have a pleasant conversation as long as my cameras are trained on you." It seems my initial assessment was correct.
"So, you can see me as well."
"I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I've been following your progress with great interest from the very beginning." A gamble here is worth the risk. It may reveal what I've planned, but if I'm going to risk my life, I need this information to know if it's worth it. Time to see how smart…or just plain arrogant Ohm really is.
"So, that means I'm always being watched by your cameras?" I say trying to feign that I don't understand.
"As long as I know where to point them, yes."
Bingo. I change the subject to avoid dwelling on the point.
"Did you really expect those hunters to finish me off?"
"You are an officer. I had to see if all that sitting behind a desk had dulled your reflexes. I'm very happy to see that it hasn't. Ares "The Animal" Snow, a killing machine with Neanderthal ingenuity: has a wonderful ring to it, doesn't it?" I feel the rage rising again.
"Stop calling me an animal!"
"Your current appearance begs to differ."
"I'm sorry, I don't exactly have a mirror out here."
"Of course, how silly of me. Here, see if this helps make my point."
Suddenly, the entire sky fills with a holographic image: a live video feed of me standing in the jungle. Ohm zooms down right on my body. Every detail is crystal clear for the entire island to gawk at. Unfortunately, I see his point. My entire body is covered with caked black mud. Only my red bloodshot eyes and crimson stained hands stand out. Covered with weapons from head to toe, I do appear to be some kind of vicious monster: a killing machine without any sign of humanity.
"I get the point, Ohm, but this wasn't my choice. You forced my hand."
"The excuse of tyrants since the beginning of history: as the great artist Michelangelo once said, '…the masterpiece was always there, I just chipped away a few rough edges.'"
"You think I actually intend to continue to my family's legacy of tyranny and murder? Hell, after all the time we've spent together, I'd think you know me better than that"
"Maybe, My Dear Colonel, but I apologize if you think….I'm dragging your name… through the mud. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!"
The maniacal laughing begins echoing through the trees once more. I have never seen this side of Ohm before. He always was so cool and calculating in actions. Now, it seems he has truly revealed his inner self: a psychotic sadist who loves to view the suffering of others in repayment for his own pain.
"Shut up! Shut up, damn you!" I scream shaking my fist at the sky. The hologram mirrors my every move and just makes me seem more helpless than I already am.
"Maybe I should ask for a second opinion? What do you think, Mrs. Snow?" The image in the sky suddenly shifts to my wife. The steady stream of water into the tube has continued. The level is now around her knees.
"Lizzy!" I scream. Her eyes widen as she realizes I can see her. She presses the palms of her hands against the plastic.
"Ares…" she manages to choke out. I know her well enough to realize she is holding back tears. Apparently, I am not as strong as she is. I can feel warm streaks washing away some of the mud from my face. "Ares, whatever happens, just realize that no matter what I always love you. No matter what!" I understand what she means. She would rather her life end today than mine. "Run! Escape, like I know you can!"
"Lizzy, It'll be alright. Nothing will happen to either of us. Just hold on! I'm coming for you!" I scream towards the sky.
"No! No don't, you'll die!"
"We're both gonna make it out of here just fine, I promise." The audio cuts out. I see her lips moving but hear nothing. Ohm's thunderous voice returns.
"How touching. Two fools so in love that neither of them can realize the hopelessness of their respective situations. Shakespeare couldn't have written this better."
"You sick bastard!"
"Careful, Colonel Snow," Ohm says in a condescending voice. Lizzy freezes in terror once more. Even though I can't see him, I know he must be holding his finger over the button again. I immediately cease my tirade, if just for her welfare. "That's better now, I cannot stand a lack of civility, even in combat."
I am so angry I literally growl back at him.
"Oh, there's the animal I love to watch so much. I really did enjoy this conversation, Colonel. I hope you'll live long enough so that we may have another, but I really can't guarantee that, of course."
"Of course."
"Twenty hours left, Colonel Snow." I look back to the silent image of Lizzy as the water slowly rises around her. "Make your choice," he repeats once again. "In the mean time, I'm sending you two little presents. It's funny, had they been ready sooner, I might have even brought them to one of our little meetings I enjoyed so much."
"Uh Oh…"
"May the odds be ever in your favor, My Dear Colonel. Farewell…hopefully, just for now."
As Ohm's voice and the holoimage in the sky fade away, I become aware of a faint buzzing off in the forest that is growing closer and closer. Immediately, I run back into the trees, trying to find some cover from whatever I'm about to face. I see a tangle of exposed roots ahead and dive down into the dark mass. The buzzing continues to grow louder and louder until finally I see them: two white spheres, each about a foot in diameter, skimming ten feet off the ground through the jungle. As they grow closer, I realize that they each have what appears to be a miniature machine gun mounted underneath.
They slow down as they approach, scanning back and forth. As they close within a hundred feet, they simultaneously turn directly at me. I shove myself backwards through the tangle of roots just in time as they open up with their automatic weapons, sending a spray of bullets right where I was sitting.
The hail of fire continues as I bear crawl through the undergrowth and break free to the other side. The buzzing increases in intensity once more as they accelerate around to get a better shot. They move in a rapid, weaving pattern, slicing through the air as if they were being batted by an invisible tennis racquet. I take off into a sprint as they fire again. Bullets slice into the ground behind me, peppering my legs with dirt and debris.
I bob and weave in a zig-zag pattern, hoping to throw them off my trail, but they always stay just a few steps behind me.
"Think, Ares, Think! How are they staying with you?" Could they be human controlled? No, their movements are too fast. Plus, it would not be difficult for an operator to lead me through the sights and calculate a shot. No, they must be automatically tracking me somehow….tracking! Of course, they're being guided by the tracelet signal.
I decide to test my theory. I thrust my wrist out to my left side and then quickly dive to the right. A blast of bullets lands right where my hand was.
"Ok, now I know what they're looking for, how do I get away? How did I get away from being tracked before? The creek bed!"
I tear left and head back towards what I hope will save me for a second time this morning. More bullets fly just past me, barely missing my head. Good thing I decided to leave the body armor…
I continue dodging and ducking through the brush until I see the ravine just ahead. Once again, I dive downward.
"Whoah!" I scream out loud as I make a flying leap. Obviously, I didn't realize just how deep this was last night. I hit the ground and roll, twisting my ankle as I strike the mud below. A wave of pain shoots up my leg.
"Not now! Not now!" I curse through my painful breaths. I lay motionless in the shallow running water as I wait, hoping the pain will subside so I can keep moving, but it doesn't. The buzzing grows louder and louder as the drones approach. If this doesn't work, I'm trapped…and dead. Suddenly, they stop coming closer. I reach into my pocket and pull out the receiver. The screen displays a single sentence:
"Searching for Signal."
I may be saved. Slowly, I am able to climb to feet and put some weight on my ankle. It is still painful, but I know I must soldier up and deal with it. Careful to keep my wrist as low in the ravine as possible, I climb up an exposed root and peer over the edge of the creek bed. The two drones hover motionlessly, side by side, as if they are confused. Their guns sweep from side to side, but do not fire.
After a few quiet seconds, they separate into a search pattern, obviously trying to re-acquire me. I slowly crawl back down the root and into the ravine. With methodical precision, I raise up my rifle, click the safety off, and wait. One of the drones makes a lethal mistake and sweeps over the ravine. Instantly, it appears to detect the tracelet and its gun moves in my direction. Too late. It's already in my crosshairs and I fire. A quick burst of rounds rips through its thin, metal shell and the white sphere bursts into flames and falls into the creek, smoking. It's partner detects that it has been destroyed and quickly flies over. Another mistake: a second burst of rounds takes it down as well.
"Probably, should have kept those in the development phase a little longer…" I whisper hoping that Ohm is still listening.
I scan the wreckage to see if there is anything useful. Unfortunately, the machine guns use a different type of bullet than my other weapons. It's probably for the best though, since I don't want to weigh myself down too much.
I try putting weight on my ankle again. It's still painful, but at least I can move on it. The cool water of the creek helps as well. It seems impossible that I am unharmed in any other way, but I guess Fate is on my side…at least for now. I begin to limp back down the creek bed. After a few dozen yards, my ankle loosens up a bit and I break into a slow run.
The drones were the last straw. This thing on my wrist is eventually going to get me killed as has to go. Thanks to Ohm's unintentional gaff, I now know that without it, his cameras won't be able to find me either. The odds will be even; well almost even. I reach down and make sure the rubber strips from the hunter's boots are still there. Thankfully, they are. Without them, my plan has no chance of success and I will end up like a piece of well-done steak.
Just in case, I click the radio to transmit once more.
"Elizabeth," I say while still on the run. "I know they must be monitoring these transmissions, so I pray that you can hear this. Please understand, the risk I'm going to take is absolutely necessary. Without it, I don't stand a chance.
I just realized that I never told you back there that I love you, too. You are my whole world and my whole existence. If I fall here, always remember that I'll be looking down at you…forever."