Location: West Central Apartments…Downtown Polynea.
Ailanian Standard Time: 0700 Hours.
Wallace gasped for breath as he leaned against the door, hoping that someone would soon open it. His brain was buzzing with fear. Out on the street, he could have sworn that he had seen men in dark suits and sunglasses following him. Each time he had looked over his shoulder the men appeared to be getting closer and closer.
He slapped his hand against the door, gasping for air as his mind panicked, “Is the danger real…or is it all in my mind at this point?”
His head pounded with rushing adrenaline-fueled fear. He gasped as he remembered how he had ducked into a subway tunnel and got on a hovertrain just as the men in black had started running down the station’s stairs, making their way toward him. He recalled how his heart throbbed as he tried to hide among the people, who were tightly packed into the subway car. He couldn’t shake the frightening feeling of being detained by those strange men in black after getting off the train in the Downtown District, and running all the way here.
He knocked on the door again, his lungs aching for air, as he tried to keep the anxiety from overwhelming his senses. His heart felt as if it would explode and his breathing became shallow. Panic filled thoughts flooded his brain.
“Why are we doing this? What you’re saying sounds crazy…have all these people and their conspiracy theories caused you to go insane as well?”
His eyes burned as he remembered Rex Broadstein saying, “Do you know how you can tell when someone is crazy? When they refer to all the unknown forces that are oppressing them, as ‘they’. Remember, my friend, just because they say they are not out to get ya, doesn’t mean that they are not out to get ya! For example, all those warehouses that could be used by new Ailanian enterprises…they need them, it’s one of the reasons why they killed the economy on purpose. They won’t allow The Hydroplantations to be dismantled and given to locally operated organic farms because they need them! Why do they need them? Ya gotta ask yourself a lot of questions that are simply crazy! Are the agricultural commodities from The Hydroplantations being turned into emergency rations? Why? There’s no alien war going on, there aren’t any soldiers to feed. Why are those buildings that the government lost so much money on being outfitted with such expensive security devices? Why do we believe all these things while the rest of the Ailanian public believes we’re crazy? Are we crazy? Do we have a reason to be paranoid? How can you be sure that they are not out to get you? ARE THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD MAKING ANY SENSE?”
The sudden silence was deafening.
“Oh my gods…have I truly gone insane?” Wallace tried to calm down as he remembered how the woman’s face had looked so warm all those years ago. He remembered how her arms felt so inviting. His heart ached as he recalled how they made love after an evening of dancing and joyous laughter.
His mind raced with what she had said to him on the night she had disappeared from his life.
“Our people are in danger…our world is caught up in a terrible struggle…”
He remembered saying, “what can I do to help?”
“What would you be willing to do?”
“Anything…I would do anything for you…just tell me what you need…”
“I need a good-looking guy, like you… to keep a secret for me…”
Wallace lifted his head as the door opened. When he saw the Hokupi woman standing in the doorway, his eyes began to hurt and he coughed in an exhausted manner.
“Wallace!” She said as she quickly wrapped her arms around him and led him into her apartment. She looked around the hallway for a few moments and quickly shut her door. She hugged him and said, “Oh my gods, Wallace! I’ve been so worried!”
She released her hug and grabbed his face with her hands, her eyes were full of sorrow as she said, “I was so worried… they’ve had your picture on the news! They say you’re a wanted fugitive! What did you do, Wallace? Why are they after you?”
“Landra,” Wallace gasped as he tried to stand up straight. “Everything is going terribly wrong…Jacob is dead…our friends, who went out into the desert, are probably dead as well…Rex is dead…our efforts to expose what our government is doing has us running for our lives…”
“Oh baby!” Landra cried out as she embraced him again, “I am so glad you found me! I can help you. I can get you in touch with my people…they can hide you.”
“Oh thank you so much!” Wallace closed his eyes and tried to keep the tears from falling as he said, would be great…but that’s not the reason why I came to talk to you,”
“I love you so much, Wallace…I’ll do anything to help.”
Wallace sighed and finally felt as if he had caught his breath. He took one more gulp of air and tried to calm himself down as he said, “Landra…we really need to talk.”
“Oh darling,” Landra said as she unwrapped her arms from his neck and gave him a loving glance. She began walking towards her kitchen as she said, “You must be parched, let me get you something to drink. I know…I know about this mess you’ve gotten yourself into…and I appreciate what you’ve done for me. You don’t know what this means.”
Wallace felt his heart racing with a different emotion as he remembered all the good times they had together. He felt a sense of calm and trust returning to his over-stimulated brain. He smiled as he saw her walk back into the room. She looked beautiful. She was a full-figured, Hokupi woman with long, purple hair and radiant eyes. He thanked her as he took the glass from her elegant hand and began drinking the red liquid as if it were the last bit of nourishment he would receive before crossing another desert.
She gave him a soft look as she said, “I should say I’m sorry for getting you into this. If you hadn’t met me…your life would probably be a lot different now. You’d probably be a well-respected scientist working on important research instead of a fugitive. With your good looks and charm, you could have gone a long ways.”
“Bullshit,” Wallace said as he finished off the last of the drink she had given him. “I’d be working for those who are allowing our government to suppress our people and drain our planet’s natural resources in order to get themselves rich. I would have had a future as a mindless slave, not knowing what was really happening around me, not knowing of what the government was really doing to our world.”
“I love a man with principles…when I met you…I knew you were someone I could trust.”
Wallace suddenly felt his head becoming woozy as he said, “Can you trust me?”
She looked at him and said, “What do you mean?”
He gave her a worried look as he said, “I just came from my friend Megan’s place…she refused to hide me for the night. She said that she didn’t want to see me, or any of us, ever again.”
“Why?”
“She blames us for the voices in her head. She says that we only believe what we believe because there is something wrong with us. She said it all started with a pubescent need to rebel against authority…which had no basis in reality. She told me our desires to eat organic food and recycle our soda cans only stem from some subconscious need to give those in authority the proverbial finger. She told me that it was the drugs we took when we at the University that made us think this way. And for a few moments…I started thinking…I’m running around the city thinking that men in black suits and ties are chasing me. But when I look over my shoulder, they’re not there.”
Her eyes were soft as she placed her hand on his arm in a comforting manner.
His eyes were about to tear up as he said, “Why is it that none of my fellow Ailanians in the shopping malls see these men in black? Why is it that they don’t know the things I know…and why do I know these things? Did I just start blindly believing all those things Jacob said because of my subconscious need to despise those in charge? Is it my jealousy, of those who have more than I do, that makes me believe what I believe? Megan told me that I’ve created coping mechanisms because deep in my heart, I know those who have more than I do, worked harder than I did, and it’s the constant disappointment in my own self that causes me to think those people exist only to oppress me.”
She patted his arm. Her eyes were soft and comforting as she said, “It will be alright, trust me…”
He gasped with fear and said, “I’m not crazy! I know what I saw, Landra. I know what I saw when I worked at the lab. I know others who have seen the data and made the exact same correlations and conclusions from the data…but does it make sense? Is it real? Are we right to think this way? Is this, quest, we are on to discover who The Prisoners of Paradise really are a noble cause, or are we not in our right minds… because we’ve never been thinking straight?”
He felt short of breath as his vision began to blur. “What? What’s happening to me?”
Landra smiled and said, “I knew what you did at that lab was important…I knew you could provide me with the information I needed to help our people decode and discover what was really happening on Ailana. But Wallace…you need to remember…The Penitentiary is real…and the things they do in there are real…your friend, Megan…she had been sent there…they got to her, Wallace…and now…we need to be extra careful.”
Wallace gasped as he felt like his brain was being disconnected from his spinal cord, “What is happening to me?”
Her voice sounded deeper, and if it was being slowed down, “You understand, don’t you?”
Wallace felt as if the room was spinning. He fell to his knees as his vision began to go dark.
She looked sincere as she said, “I’m sorry it had to come to this, Wallace…but what we are doing is important…it could be our only hope…we designed a world that we desire to live in…and we engineered a plan in order to turn this planet into the world we want. There must be no compromises.”
“NO!” Wallace tried to shout as he found himself unable to breathe, “There is another way!”
Wallace heard footsteps and realized that three young men had just entered the room. He gulped for air like a fish out of water as he thought, “Oh shit! They’re the engineers! Landra is one of the engineers the note warned me about! Oh shit…I feel sleepy…I feel like I’m…going to…black…out…”
Landra bent down to check if Wallace was still breathing. She then stood up and said, “We have to hurry, gentlemen…if he can figure out how to find us…it might not be too much longer before the authorities can as well.”
“Does he know about what we were doing in that warehouse the other night?” The shortest of the three men said with an angry voice.
“Warehouse? Shit! Jacob must have told them about the warehouse!” Wallace thought as he felt his vision went completely black. He then heard Landra saying, “How am I supposed to know that?”
One of the men said, “Well, I guess that means we can’t take any more chances. Take care of him, boys, we need to get the hell out of here!”
Right before Wallace went unconscious he felt his hands and feet being tied. The last thing he heard before the silence fell about him was the sound of a zipper being closed.
“Oh my gods! Landra is one of the engineers!” He fearfully thought as he felt his mind fading to black. “And they’ve put me in a body bag!”
Location: Zoppy’s Restaurant…Downtown Polynea.
Ailanian Standard Time: 1200 Hours.
“I shouldn’t be doing this,” Audrey thought as she nervously fiddled with her water glass. “But there is so much I want to know about Ronald Harris…it’s almost as if I learn about his life…I learn the answers to some of these questions I have about my own. That medical file I read about him is frightening me…there are some things that I just have to know…”
Audrey sat in a secluded booth near the back of the restaurant, away from the kitchen and the bathrooms. The menu looked rather bland, and the prices were more expensive than she wished. Feeling a bit discouraged, she glanced down at the Ready File she had received from one of her field agents, and instantly recognized the people in the list of names that sprang out at her.
She felt her breath being taken away, and her heart hurting with fear as she read the words;
We…the members of THE Evil…through mutual agreement and a purely democratic process…have decided that we must kill the following Ailanian HIGH Senators to ensure that the hope of Ailanian freedom does not die…
She had no idea how this information could have been possibly obtained.
“Oh my gods…and if things could not be any worse right now…we have some potential assassins to track down and stop before they do something very deadly…and I should really be spending this time to help Jack track down some of these people before it’s too late…”
She felt her blood turning to ice. She glanced up when she heard the sound of high heels on a tile floor. The young, Kupano woman was beautiful, and was dressed like a lawyer. Her make-up was perfect, and she wore her hair up in braids.
“Audrey, it’s nice to see you again,” Kara Kalapana said as she said down.
Audrey tried to pretend that everything was all right as she said, “Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me for lunch.”
“It’s always a pleasure…now that I’m not playing that stupid spy game for my brother anymore.”
“Yeah…I can imagine.” Audrey took a sip of water. Her pulse was still racing. “So, Kara…are you still doing pro-bono work at the district courthouse?”
“Yes…but lately I’ve picked up another job.”
Audrey seemed pleasantly surprised as she asked, “with another law firm?”
“No…I’ve become a legal advisor for Chief Tipsy’s organization. He’s giving a concert tomorrow, so I have to keep this lunch short…I apologize for the rush, but I have to meet his manager this afternoon about some of the legal protocols they need to know about before the performance. We need to discuss some issues about the show that includes free speech, and the right to assembly, the sort of things that are protected by our constitution, even though the Moralists, like my bitch-ass Aunt Ulu, seem to think otherwise.”
“Wow.” The feelings of potential regret where almost gone as Audrey realized how much she respected this woman.
Kara said, “I tell ya…I’m getting sick and tired of fighting with my family in this political arena we somehow got thrown into. How is the salad here?” Kara asked as she glanced at the menu. “Oh my gods, this place doesn’t have any native cuisine at all. Did you know that there is a group of farmers in New Hamakua that have been trying to convince the Nolo’pula Hydroplantations to allow them to grow worms and some other native crops so they can tap into those growing organic markets but they can’t get the permits they need?”
Audrey felt lost in thought, “really?”
“Yes, I’m representing them in court next month, typical bureaucratic red tape, I tell ya, if someone could just rip open the doors of some of these Government Bureaus, and get something done on this planet without having to go talk to a judge and a committee first we’d be so much better off.”
With the ice broken, Audrey decided it was time to get to the business she so desperately wanted to discuss. “So…have you spoken with your brother lately?”
Kara put down her menu and frowned as she said, “if he sent you down here to try to convince me to quit this commitment I’ve made to Chief Tipsy, don’t bother. He needs to talk to me. I wanna put down the war clubs as much as anyone, but he just keeps pissing me off with his attitude…”
“No, no…” Audrey stammered as she raised her hand up, “I actually wanted to talk to you, about something different.”
Kara shrugged her shoulders and said, “What?”
Audrey suddenly forgot about what she had read earlier, and concentrated on her next anxiety filled question, “What do you remember about Ronald James Harris?”
Kara paused, “Iki? The human kid my mom used to take care of?”
Audrey shoved back feelings of desire, she wanted the truth badly, but she knew that she could not frighten Moke’s sister, or hurt her feelings as she tried to dig for the information she wanted. She looked into her friend’s eyes, and spoke in a comfortable voice as she said, “Yes. That’s the one.”
“Well, my was bedroom right across the hall from the room he shared with my brother while we were in grade school. I don’t remember how old I was when he came to live with us, but I remember Moke stopped picking on me so much after Iki moved in.”
“Really?”
“My brother was such as spoiled brat…my gods, he still is…the big jerk.”
Audrey suddenly became quite interested, but realized that she was moving into touchy and maybe even forbidden subjects as she spoke with a soft, kind voice, “what was Ronald Harris like, as a kid?”
“He was pretty young when I knew him, and I was even younger. He was real quiet…seemed kinda shy, but he was really nice to me. I remember, when we were little, how Moke would throw a fit to get my mom’s attention, and Iki would just sit there…just, staring off into space. I guess his real mom and dad abused him or something, and that’s why he was so meek. At first, it seemed that all my brother would do was order the poor kid around. I caught him making Iki do all his chores for him, a lot…sometimes when Moke would break something that belonged to my mother, he would blame it on Iki…and the kid wouldn’t say anything. He just took the blame.”
“Really?” Audrey was keenly interested as her mind made all sorts of mental connections and formed more questions.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong…my brother liked Ronald Harris. I think it was Moke that nicknamed him Iki. Moke loved having an adopted brother. And Iki really liked my brother…well, he seemed to like Moke no matter how he spoiled and rotten he acted. They played together a lot. They got along well enough, I guess…but my bother took advantage of that poor kid, in my opinion.”
“Why would he put up with such treatment?”
Kara sighed and said, “I guess Ronald Harris was…ah, how’s a nice way to put it? He was slow. It was like he had a learning disability or something like that. My friends thought he was cute…but dumb. They used to dare him to do stuff, and he’d get in trouble because of it…I guess he just wanted to fit in, so he did whatever people told him to do.”
“What else do you remember?”
“Not all that much,” Kara said as she folded her hands. “I liked him, he was a nice kid. We enjoyed each other’s company for a while, but after my dad died, and my mom had her nervous breakdown…things just were never the same after that. Things changed. They changed. Moke and Iki started acting up as young teenagers, they started getting into trouble.”
“Your brother was a bad boy?”
“I don’t know. I sort of looked up to them to be honest. Moke was defiant and disobedient, but not really in a malicious way. They were both rebellious and unruly, but not evil. They did stupid stuff like…well, they got caught skipping school, because they wanted to go to the beach and go surfing. They liked acting tough and got into fights because of it. I don’t know who instigated the mischief, but I would hear about what was happening from my Aunt Ulu every time we spoke. Like for instance, it was Aunt Ulu who told me that Moke got caught smoking Makani, with Ronald Harris.”
Audrey truly felt shocked as she said, “Captain Kalapana got caught smoking Makani as a kid…ya mean the plant they make Cutz from?”
Kara rolled her eyes as she said, “Oh yeah, those two acted like idiots. Once, Moke got caught shoplifting, with Ronald Harris.”
“Moke stole things?” Audrey said with surprise and then corrected herself, “Uh…sorry, they did stupid things?”
Kara took a drink and said, “Yeah, they did all kinds of stupid things like that.” She set her glass down with relief and said, “I guess that my Aunt Ulu was worried that my brother’s behavior would influence me in the wrong way. So she sent me to a prestigious private school on Earth. I hated her for doing that…she wanted me to become a Moralist…a good, righteous citizen of The Alliance…and I guess she thought that breaking up our family would do it.”
Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Audrey realized that this was painful for her friend as she felt her own heart becoming heavy.
Kara opened her eyes again and said, “I would e-mail my Aunt Ulu from Earth every once in a while, and we’d meet at space stations, while we were traveling. I would talk to her when our paths did cross just to keep up with what the family was doing, but then as I got older, I realized that I couldn’t stand the woman, and I quit talking to her, and because of that…I missed out on a lot of my brother’s life. All I can say is…the last thing I heard before I just quit speaking to my Aunt Ulu all together…I remember, specifically, that she told me how Ronald Harris started getting into a lot of fights. My guess is that he probably got into fights with guys who wanted to beat up my smart ass brother. Aunt Ulu did tell me once, how she had Iki sent to some private school for boys at risk…and not long after that, she sent Moke there too.”
Audrey seemed a bit taken back, “really?”
“Yeah, my brother was a punk kid with a bad attitude, but I always thought the reason for that stemmed from the fact that he was just so angry about the way our father was killed. Moke took it pretty hard that our parents were no longer around, and after Aunt Ulu took us in, my brother really fell apart emotionally. She was just so uncompassionate, telling him how he had to act like a good soldier, and think about how he was going to serve his people and The Alliance, he hated her for it. She was always reminding us of our sacred, royal duty…and I don’t think Moke wanted anything to do with it back in those days.”
Audrey drifted in her own thoughts for a few moments. She wondered how a young boy would react to such traumatic events, and the ensuing treatment, both of which were unfair and undeserved. She thought of Moke lying in his bed, crying to himself to sleep at night, “what was so important that father had to die? Why did they make him go there?”
Her sympathies made her feel so lonely inside.
Audrey saw how Kara, one of the strongest Ailanian women she had ever known, looked so incredibly sad as she said, “But ya know, Audrey…it wasn’t easy for me either. I mean, trying to get my brother to talk about his feelings is impossible. I tried to talk to him…but I know he changed for the worse after that. He started resenting authority. He hated living with our Aunt Ulu…she ridiculed him a lot and made him feel bad about himself. Sometimes, I think my brother was just crying out for attention…he was so angry for such a long time.”
Audrey was sympathetic as she said, “Kara, do you remember Moke doing anything that might have hurt Ronald Harris emotionally, and caused their friendship to end?”
Kara squinted and flared her nostrils as she said, “What do you mean by that?”
Audrey sensed her tense feelings as she said, “I’m so sorry if I offended you…or if you find this hard to talk about, but do you think that they might have done something that he regrets? Or do you believe that Moke did something that would have caused Ronald Harris to turn against him?”
“Well, I don’t really know how to answer something like that,” Kara wet her lips and said, “All I really know is, that my brother…is a complex person. I have always loved him, and looked up to him, even though he was mean and bratty to me sometimes. But when he was nice to me, he was really good to have as a brother. He looked out for me, and at times, in the past at least…he has been supportive of me. But Moke has always been his own worst enemy. He has always wanted to have things done his way, and he was, and still is, stubborn and rude about it at times. He did things that made people angry, and he got Iki to back him up. I don’t know why they started getting into the trouble they did…but I think that Iki sometimes showed a lack of good judgment by assisting my brother with his stupid ideas, and he might have gotten caught in the middle a few times when my bother just wanted to piss someone off. I don’t know which one of them pressured the other into stealing that beer, or doing all those other stupid rebellious stunts they pulled, but it seem to me, that Iki willingly took the blame for most of it, and if there is an instance in their relationship where my brother betrayed him…well, let’s just say my brother has deceived me, a few times. That incident I had with him, when I last worked for the CIA, is just one example.”
Audrey felt a chill in the air as she said, “And is that why you are so mad at him now?”
Kara’s face became flush and she leaned forward as she said, “Audrey…I did what he told me to do. I thought I was doing him a favor, and in the end…he figured out a way to make it look as if it was my fault when my reports, which I did for the CIA, were found unfit by the High Senate. They basically accused me of making up my data, and he acted like such a backstabbing worm…he sided with the Moralists, and had my research dumped into the garbage as far as I’m concerned.”
Audrey swallowed and pressed her lips together in a nervous fashion.
Kara hid her eyes with her hands as she said in a mournful tone, “That really hurt my feelings, Audrey…I felt as if he sold me out…I’m sorry if sound so narrow-minded and self-centered here, but…if my brother did something like that to Iki…”
Kara closed her eyes and shook her head for a moment as Audrey held her breath.
Kara inhaled deeply and said, “Sorry…if he did something like that, to his best friend, Ronald Harris…well, I guess it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Audrey felt her hear dropping in her chest as she swallowing her fear.
Kara put her hands in her lap, blinked rapidly for a moment and said, “But then again, I can’t say I know that for sure. After I got sent to that prestigious finishing school on Earth, I basically lost contact with Iki. Every once in a great while, my brother would send me am e-mail, saying how much fun he was having at his new school and how he and Iki went surfing a lot, and that he had learned to drive of all these different kinds of hovercars. He described how fast they could go, and what sort of stereo systems they had. I never understood his obsession with hovercars…I just thought he was doing it to be a show off. He never really told me much in those few e-mails he sent me. I guess that’s why the silence between us now doesn’t really bother me anymore…he and I haven’t really spoken to each other lately…why should we start talking now after our last argument…we’re just used to not talking to each other, that’s all.”
Audrey felt a bit saddened as she asked, “What else do you remember?”
“When I came back home, after I graduated from University on Earth…my brother was a highly respected government official, just like our Aunty Ulu and my parents wanted him to be. So I guess if he was a troubled boy…it didn’t affect him that much.”
Kara held her eyes closed for a while. Audrey began to see the sadness she knew on her face. Audrey tried to lighten the mood and began looking at the menu again before saying, “Wow…I would love to have some deep fat fried worms, it’s really too bad they don’t have any at Zoppy’s.”
Kara laughed as she said, “I always think it is so funny when a human says that, it seems that most people on this planet don’t care that their choice of food is keeping us slaves to the ration wagon of The Alliance. So many people just want Meals Ready To Digest because they are cheap and easy to make, they don’t understand the value of real food grown by real people.”
“Yeah, I guess the fast food, which The Hydroplantations grow right now, is a hard habit to kick.”
“Tell me about it,” Kara scoffed, “It’s like any kind of change…at one time in Earth’s history, people used to drive cars fueled by gasoline, which was produced by what were once known as oil companies. And I guess, according to the ancient history I studied, someone built an electric car, which could be charged up by plugging it into outlets where electricity was made by wind-turbines. It was a revolution in transportation technology.”
“Really? Wind power? That makes so much sense…there is so much wind on Earth.”
“Yeah, well, there was more wind than there was gasoline…but someone, with some kind of authority, made it impossible for the people of Earth to make the switch from gasoline powered cars to wind powered cars all because the oil companies were a monopoly owned by greedy people…and then, because greed squashed the innovation that could have brought positive change, the global warming started to get out of control and the Apocalyptic Wars happened because everyone was fighting over gasoline and water when they became scarce.”
Audrey drummed her fingers nervously on the table.
Kara smiled and said, “But I’m rambling, and I suppose you still want to talk about Ronald Harris…how cute he was and stuff like that. Damn, I wish I had brought my other com with me, I have a picture of them as teenagers…Iki looked real good back then…especially when he had his shirt off.”
Audrey started to blush.
Kara cocked her head to the side and said, “By the way, Audrey, didn’t Ronald Harris join The Military after he and Moke graduated high school?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Really?” She smiled and nodded. “I remember playing cops and robbers with the boys after school when we were little. I guess I always thought Iki would make a good cop, or a soldier. I bet he looks good in a uniform, he was always a handsome guy.”
“Yeah, some women love a man in uniform,” Audrey held her breath for a few seconds, and bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn’t stop thinking about what she had read in the medical file. The information it contained perplexed her, and sometimes made her shudder.
Kara looked at Audrey for a few seconds, and realized that her human friend was lost in thought.
“So, just out of curiosity, Audrey, why are you asking me about Ronald Harris anyway?”
“Oh…he’s coming back Ailana, early next week in fact.”
“No kidding? He’s coming home? That’s great,” She said and glanced down at the menu again.
“Well,” Audrey stammered, “I have noticed that Harris and I do have a lot in common…I mean…both our parents died mysteriously. I’m pretty sure my parents were in The Military…I bet he might have at least heard of them. Maybe he would know what happened to my father…and my mother…and he is really good looking…we’re about the same age…he actually does look really good in a uniform…”
Audrey stopped as she realized that Kara was smiling at her in a teasing manner.
Audrey placed her hands over her mouth. She felt slightly embarrassed as Kara said, “Well, I hope I’ll be able to see him while he’s here. I bet we could have a pretty neat little stroll down memory lane together.”
“Yeah, we’ll have to see about that…” Audrey said as she bit her bottom lip. She felt too nervous to say anything more.
Location: Manu Kula Storage Facility…Downtown Polynea.
Ailanian Standard Time: 1130 Hours.
Van Dien exhaled a long, billowing cloud of smoke as he looked down on the workers, who were on the floor below the catwalk he was standing on. He admired their determination and prudence as they loaded large boxes and crates onto trucks while moving them with precision along the storage facility’s main floor.
Brawnsworth stood next to him and sounded worried, yet unafraid as he said, “well, there is all the proof you need to know that we’ve always done exactly as we have been told.”
“I guess I can understand why you were so afraid and so unsure…don’t worry, High Senator Brawnsworth, you’re loyalty will be rewarded…just as long as you, or your people, never pull a stunt like that behind my back again.”
Brawnsworth sighed with impatience and a bit of disgust as he said, “the products in those boxes not only represent loyalty…they represents us taking an enormous risk for reasons that were never made very apparent to us. You can’t blame my people for taking the, precautions, that that did when they helped Loko to no avail.”
“The events I oversee on Ailana, usually go as they are planned…they have for nearly fifty years now. Tell me, why the change in heart all of the sudden?”
Brawnsworth’s eyes narrowed with a bit of anger that he did not want to let show, as he said, “Do you realize how many citizens of this planet had to lose their jobs and go onto a welfare system, that they despise, because of what is in those boxes? Do you realize how many trillions of dollars this economy lost because our party allowed those businessmen to make risky investments with money we acquired for them by raising taxes on the common people? We created a bubble, and when it burst, the recession that resulted caused millions upon millions of our citizens to lose their jobs, lose their businesses, their homes…and lose what we require from them the most right now….respect for us.”
Van Dien sighed as he said, “I feel your pain, but you must have faith.”
“Faith? Because of the ideology you made us force down the throats of millions of Ailanians, both human and native, we have a lot of people losing faith. I get hundreds of angry e-mails on a daily basis…some of them describing how there are people who want our heads delivered to their doorstep on a silver platter. You demanded we help you with your plan. You ordered us to create a suitable situation so no one would be able to find out what your plan really entailed…and we gave you one. Some of us just want assurance that what we did back then…and what we are doing now …is the right thing.”
Van Dien scowled as he said, “that is not your place to ask…but I must admit…things are not taking the turn I thought they would…so your faith will be tested once again.”
“I’ll be honest with you,” Brawnsworth said through shallow breaths. “Because of the election that you failed to stop from happening, I don’t know how much longer we will be able to keep this up. The natives…are getting restless, as you might imagine.”
“It might be a while before I can guarantee you the results you want,” Van Dien said as he took a long drag. “You see, I had Marco in my sights as well…I had been spying on him for months now, taking stock of his every move. He was quite useful to me, but then, he started talking to people…and some of these people, I have captured, and some of them I have killed. But the other day, in the morgue, I saw the burned body of a man named Tim Gallagher, who I thought we had been keeping close tabs on. I remember that he was a handsome man…he was a bald man, who was rather good-looking and charming before the explosion, at any rate…but his exact role in this plot eludes me now. However, Jacob did mention him in those files I had a chance to look over after we retrieved them from his apartment that night.”
“Your lack of omnipotence is beginning to worry me. Are telling me that this bald guy, named Tim, or whatever, was simply a diversion to keep you from finding out who is really behind this mysterious person’s plan, who you are competing with now,” Brawnsworth said in a disparaging tone.
“I was hoping this person, who wants to become rich and famous beyond their wildest dreams, would just join forces with me…but, I have no idea who they are since so many people have passed through that morgue…but, this fellow named Tim, at one time, he must have spoken with the ring-leader of this plan I have stumbled across. It’s a shame. He must have had intimate knowledge of their plan, which ultimately cost both Loko and Marco their lives since they were wrapped up in it as well. Another ironic aspect to all of this…is the fact that Kalapana came so close to arresting both Loko and Marco…but then again, if he had, my plan would have been in jeopardy. Oh how this has become so confounded and complicated.”
“And so after all of this violence and turmoil, the only thing that we have found out, is that we have yet to discover the true identity of this person with the plan to make themselves rich and famous beyond their wildest dreams…but what about your plan? How does their plan assist your plan? Isn’t your plan for our world the real reason why we are here and doing what we are doing? Isn’t our role in all of this to assist you?”
Van Dien was stoic as he said, “My plan is still on track, but is still in danger of failing, because of this unforeseen set of circumstances we must now deal with. My plan is in danger as long as those who are carrying out this other plan continue with their own ambitions. I have to find them…I have to stop them…or at least convince them that their plan will only succeed if they join forces with me.”
Brawnsworth slouched his shoulders and said, “By the gods…I don’t know what to make of this anymore.”
“Fear not, my loyal friend, I was getting so close to finding out who is doing all of these things behind my back…and this bald fellow, who I spoke with on the com after I found those archeologists…he’s dead…and I have no idea who had him killed…even though I know, all too well, what killed him. Someone’s desire to make money is what killed him. Which is something else we might have to worry about, it seems…that there is very little loyalty left because money is the object of everyone’s desire…it seems that we are living in a time, when the almighty dollar truly is something to worship.”
Brawnsworth was nearly furious as he said, “Again, all this cryptic, cloak and dagger crap that is happening behind the curtain is becoming hard to take. Remember, I am the one who must stand in front of the curtain and keep a straight face while I lie to my people. I am trying very hard to keep what is really happening on Ailana, a secret, so that the truth behind the lie we are selling will not panic the masses. The bottom line is this job of mine is becoming quite difficult…because so many people on this planet are just so frightened and angry now. I did my part, I gave you my conspirators…those men, who you found speaking to each other at Hana Paloi, they have might have known this bald fellow…Gallagher, or whatever his name was. But my guess is that those men in my inner circle were just like this Gallagher fellow, they were victims being played by someone else, who has decided to take their involvement in this game to the next level…and that is why finding this unknown person is so very crucial for me right now.”
“And your people…do you have them under your complete control?”
“They have been given the one and only warning that you give people before you start killing them. My people are all too afraid for their lives to stand up against you, and thus, you can cross them off your list of suspects. But all these other actions, from these other players, I cannot control. You need to find out who is this new opponent of ours is? That way, their slippery actions will not get my people killed in this complicated feud that appears to be developing on Ailana. This could not be happening at a worse time.”
Van Dien’s nicotine fueled brain thought up the perfect lie to bait Brawnsworth with as he said, “I don’t plan on killing any of your people in the High Senate…just these unknown players who they had been unknowingly conspiring with. You’re people are simply being used by someone they don’t completely know about and who’s plan they don’t completely understand…finding out who these unknown players are and what their plan details…will be a lot more difficult than I previously thought.”
“And what if this, chaos, that killed Loko and all those other people in that morgue, is not the work of a group of people, but the work of only one person?”
“Like I said, any assistance you can give me would be appreciated.”
“I’ll see what I can do from my end…but the only thing I can do, is put some more pressure on some law enforcement officials.”
“You will put some more pressure on Kalapana.”
Brawnsworth sighed as he said, “I wish it were that easy. I don’t think you appreciate just how complicated our overbearing government is, my friend. It took nearly a decade to implement and pull the needed strings to get you all of those commodities down there. We passed legislation that took years to draft and pass in the High Senate…not to mention the tax cuts, the high risk loans we allowed to happen because of the deregulation of corporations we were able to cause…what we did for you was not easy.”
Van Dien’s smile was menacing as he said, “not to mention immoral…governments are supposed to protect their citizens…and the laws you passed…and didn’t pass…caused your citizens great harm by greedy bankers and investors, who wanted to make a very large profit very quickly.”
Brawnsworth banged his fist against the catwalk’s railing and said, “It also allowed the market to be flooded with agricultural products…just so that you could use them to make those emergency rations down there without the public knowing about it. What are you planning on doing with all those boxes of food rations down there? I’m afraid that there are certain people, who you don’t want having such knowledge, running around Ailana right now, telling everyone they meet that the sky is falling…”
Van Dien’s smile became angry as he hissed, “then let’s hope that Loko Kalaheva’s news programs did a good job of making sure that no one believes them just yet…”
“Loko said it best…you can only believe your own lies for so long before the truth sends your mind into a tailspin that can only lead to madness.”
“And that’s why you must remain strong, Brawnsworth. Thanks to you, and the efforts of your people…I am sure we will be fine. The plan will proceed as I have ordered. Now, find me whoever it is that has their own plan to write the future history books of Ailana…and get Kalapana to play ball!”
Location: The Madalahara Iron Works…an abandoned metal factory…Downtown Polynea.
Ailanian Standard Time: 2300 Hours.
While he was in the hazy, drug induced state, Wallace remembered what had gotten him to this moment. In the back of his mind he saw the AilanianUniversity that he attended, and he remembered the people he had met there.
“We’ve decided to start a revolution…the people of this planet deserve freedom from the Moralists and the pseudo-capitalists who enslave us. What is your University specialty Wallace?”
“I’m a semester away from getting a Doctorate in biochemical engineering,” Wallace remembered how young and naïve he had been, and how he thought these three young men were such important figures in his life.
“What do you plan on doing with your degree, Wallace?”
“Check this out, this is radical! Some friends of mine and I have been hired by the Cedar Hills Institute of Technology. We’ve all heard that some strange, top secret stuff is going on in there. We’re helping a professor expose what the government is really doing. We believe we have found out the truth about The Hydroplantations. We know the government is involved…we know they want Dr. Miller silenced.”
“We know of Dr. DeWolf Miller…we know of his work.”
“Can you help us?”
“We can, Wallace…and we will. My name is Landra Bernhart. I just received my Doctorate in chemical geology, which means I know quite a bit about rocks and minerals.”
“That’s an interesting field. Tell me, Landra, why would a geologist want to join this anti-government movement? Why risk your life and your career to help these people with their conspiracy theories?”
“Wallace…there comes a time in everyone’s life, when they realize that what they know about the world around them needs to be put towards a higher good. In my case…the things I know about a certain type of Ailanian rocks cannot be ignored any longer. There comes a point in your life when you have to stop believing the lies they are telling you…and start telling the truth…”
In his woozy state of mind, which had been caused by the Cutz and truth serum they had injected him with, Wallace could hear those very friends speaking now.
His first friend spoke in a worried, feminine voice, “Don’t tell me you’re going to kill him.”
“In war…spies get killed, Landra,” said his friend Mike.
Another man’s voice said, “I’m sorry, Mike, but I have to agree with Landra on this one…we can’t kill him…he is one of us…”
“He was one of us, he switched sides, remember?” The low and dark voice said softly, “I know we all used to be one big happy family once…but some of his friends had a big problem with our ultimate solution to this huge problem Ailana is going to have soon.”
“But…I just can’t see killing him as being a solution…”
The dark voice shouted, “Do I have to remind everyone what exactly it is that we are trying to stop from happening on Ailana?! We can’t afford to take the time to argue about this!”
“I agree, Landra. Wallace chose the wrong side. He’s Andrea’s little spy now, which makes him a serious threat to what we are trying to accomplish here.”
“Look…we need to take this into some serious consideration,” Landra said flatly. “There is a good chance he knows everything about our plan. So what? There is nothing he, or any of his friends, can do at this point. We’ve already delivered the merchandise we stole from the warehouse to our contact.”
“We’ve only delivered one…”
“Hopefully, one…is all we’ll need to send the message we want our enemies to receive.”
Wallace looked at the floor, just beyond his friend’s feet and saw two silver objects. His heart began to race as he tossed his head up and started shouting, “You can’t do this! This is madness! You people are not villains! You can’t get away with this! Please…just stop what you are doing and listen to me! Jacob was wrong! And if you continue with his plan something terrible will happen!”
Location: The S-19 Laser Highway…heading south from Polynea.
Ailanian Standard Time: 0600 Hours.
Van Dien felt like his head was about to explode as his com rang. He fumbled around in his jacket for it and brought it up to his ear with a shaking hand.
“Yes…what is it?”
The familiar voice on the other end of the com brought him little relief. “I’ve been thinking’ about what you said.”
Van Dien felt his eyes burning with rage as he said, “you’ve been thinking about what?”
“Loyalty…honor…none of it means shit to me anymore…but money means a lot, so how about I show you I’m on your side after all, buy selling you some information that you would really like to have right about now.”
Van Dien’s free hand balled itself into a shaking fist as he said, “I should have you gutted for this.”
“Do you want something, that might be of consequence to a certain, someone…who has been a thorn in your side for quite some time now?”
“How much?”
“One million.”
“Done,” Van Dien said as he took a deep breath and pressed a few buttons on his com and gritted his teeth as he returned the com to his ear and said, “what do you have for me?”
“A nice, pretty picture of something that was once in a certain warehouse,” The familiar voice said as the com went silent. Van Dien felt his pulse racing as he took the com from his ear and looked at its monitor screen.
The picture was pretty, indeed.
He felt himself becoming quite calm all of the sudden as the adrenaline rush of knowing he was in control again began to course through his veins. He reached into his jacket and grabbed a cigarette. After he lit it and enjoyed a quick drag, he dialed a few numbers on the com, and began speaking softly to someone who was very surprised to hear his voice.
“I bet that you figured that you wouldn’t be hearing from me anytime soon,” Van Dien said as a wicked smile crossed his lips. “I suggest we arrange for a meeting…you’ll want to be sitting down when I tell you this…”
Location: The level 32 parking garage of the Hana Paloi Federal Building.
Ailanian Standard Time: 1300 Hours.
Moke’s head ached as he remembered what he had said to both Audrey and Jack, “there is no white haired CIA agent from Earth on Ailana! None of you have any reason to talk to anyone in the Earth CIA…no one is to know about what we are doing. No one will know about what we are doing because no one tells us how to fight crime and terrorists on Ailana! And as long as I am in charge, no one but ME will be telling YOU what to do! Whoever is calling you with all these tips and information, you better tell them to stop calling, because we are not listening to anything that they have to say!”
His head ached as the reoccurring thought kept cycling through his mind, “Someday… everyone is going to find out about who you really are…and what you really did, Moke Kalapana…you cannot serve two masters…your day of reckoning is coming soon enough…”
Moke breathed deeply and nervously as he remembered how the dark voice had said to him, “it appears as if the shit is beginning to hit the fan…you and I had better have a long talk real soon…”
Moke strode with a quick pace towards the long, black limousine. The back door slowly slid open for him. He increased his pace when he noticed the light coming from inside. Moments later, with a deep sense of fear, he slid into the seat that was situated at the back. The door closed behind him, and Moke sat face to face with Special Agent Van Dien. The cigarette smoke slowly floated away from his stoic face, as it was sucked up into an air purifier.
“Captain,” Van Dien said with a smile. “I am so glad you finally came to see me.”
Moke gave him an icy stare and said, “Go to hell.”
Van Dien was unphased and stoic as he said, “Captain, that sort of attitude will not be tolerated here, especially after everything I have done for you. You should show some gratitude, because surely you remember this.”
Moke tried not to flinch as he thought, “Damn it…I knew this shit storm was coming…what the hell am I gonna do now?”
Van Dien exhaled smoke as the monitor that was floating by his feet, suddenly came to life.
Moke felt his lungs aching for breath, as he saw himself on the monitor screen and thought, “Damn it…what have I done?”
In the video, Moke saw himself sitting at a table, addressing a large group of well-dressed people. He heard a recording of his voice saying, “and that is the reason why Ronald James Harris must not be allowed on this planet. Is this clear? You need to convince that advisory board that they must deny Harris that pass he needs to come here. Tell him that there is no action on Ailana and thus there is no need for him to be here. Tell him he’s better off on Earth. Do whatever it takes…just make sure he stays…on Earth.”
In the video, the voice of an unseen man could be heard saying, “We won’t need to go that far. Now that the Terraxakor missions in the Nexus system are over, Harris will be stationed in the North Africa Sector or the Middle Eastern Sector if it erupts again. He’s a terrorist fighter now…and terrorists don’t take holidays…thus for the time being, neither can he. But it is possible that Harris might be promoted, and thus allowed to travel if there is a good enough reason for him to do so. As the newly appointed leader of the Ailanian CIA, you just need to make sure that terrorists don’t start doing things on Ailana. Just make sure that there is no need for his services here, and he won’t ever come back…trust me.”
Moke realized that the man, whose voice had been reassuring him in the video, was now sitting across from him, looking very confident, and very threatening. Moke swallowed, and took a deep breath as he realized that the devil had now come to collect his soul, which he had sold to him so many years ago.
“Remember that meeting, Captain?” Van Dien exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Are you familiar with a fringe group known as…The Evil? It seems that they never truly went away after Jacob Colombe died. So, it appears that you might have a problem with terrorists now. If that’s true, Harris might be here a long time after Operation Shade is over with…and I can tell that bothers you. But there is a way to make sure that doesn’t happen…”
“What do you want?” Moke asked, realizing that he had been backed into a corner.
“First, I want you to realize, that I am in complete and total control here,” Van Dien said calmly, coldly. “Second of all, I want you to seek out the best interests of your people when you assign your agents to their missions…tell your to find targets for Harris to destroy, not corrupt politicians for you to expose.”
“Did you say that you want me to do this…for you?” Moke asked coldly, trying to bluff his way through this rough spot in the game he had decided to keep playing.
“Captain,” Van Dien said calmly, “let’s face it, your quest to end this so called, ring of government corruption, has become futile. I am here for one reason, to tell you to get back on track. Captain Harris and his team are coming to Ailana whether you like it or not. I suggest you find a few targets for them to destroy. I promise you will not have to worry about Harris remembering anything about you…or what you did to him. I can assure you that the doctors are filling his body full of good medications and the psychologists have been filling his head full of all sorts of grand illusions. The bottom line is…he’s a dog on a real short leash.”
“Don’t say that,” Moke said sharply.
“Have I hit a sore spot?” Van Dien said devilishly, “however, the sins you committed against Ronald James Harris no longer amuse me. The real reason why I am here is to give you information I have discovered about a former obsession of yours. Do you remember a man named Jacob Colombe? Apparently, he was responsible for a lot more than editing a foul mouthed, Internet magazine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I am talking about The Evil, Captain, and how it was you who thought their little parties were cute. And now, because you tolerated them…they are going to take advantage of your kindness and leniency. Now correct me if I am wrong sir, but if some group of people calls themselves The Evil, shouldn’t one just assume that they should be taken seriously?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Van Dien was dead serious as he said, “Captain, I need to inform you of what I found on Jacob’s computer files that I confiscated…”
Moke quickly interrupted, “and that is where you broke the law! That was supposed to be my arrest that night! Not yours!”
“Captain, please…the guy committed malicious acts against Ailanian security systems. They were systems thatthe government of Earth supplied your government with. And that’s when it became my territory…”
“No High Court is going to let you…”
“Let me do what, Captain?” Van Dien said sharply, “I’ve got a few judges on a few High Courts who owe me more than a couple of favors.”
Moke felt his guts turning with anxiety while the white haired man sneered at him, “Captain, I can outmaneuver you legally, and you know it…but you’re missing the point. Apparently, these people were good enough to hack into a computer at the Mele Entertainment Corporate Headquarters, and steal some money, by transferring it to a false bank account. The annoying words that scrolled across the T.V. screens of millions of Ailanians the other night, that was just a cover to confuse the lackey media technicians and during all the computer hacking chaos…Jacob’s friends were able insert a virus into the system, and steal a great deal of money. My sources have confirmed, that they used this money to purchase a bomb from someone…my guess is that gun runner, named Marco, was somehow involved. Did you get that file I sent you?”
Moke felt his heart stop momentarily, “Oh my gods!”
Van Dien smirked. “So did you think I was kidding when I told you that am in charge here? Did you think I would not come back to check up on your progress? You have to do as I say, Captain…this is what happens when you sell your soul to the devil.”
“Goddamn you…”
Putrid smoke filled the air as he said, “Captain Kalapana, at some point, you’re going to have to give the devil his due. It is time for you to become worried…it is time to start doing things by the book again. As of right now, there is a bomb on this planet, just waiting to explode…and you better make sure that you find it before it is too late.”
The door of the hovercar, slide open, and Moke gave Van Dien one last hateful look as he exited. He walked about ten meters and stopped. He looked over his shoulder and saw the hovercar floating away. It was soon out of sight once it entered the tunnel that led it to the outside traffic, which ran along the laser beacons.
Moke’s com rang once, but he ignored it as he stared off into space, feeling mesmerized. The com rang again, and Moke tried to forget about what he had just heard.
“Hello?” Moke said when he finally answered it.
“Captain Kalapana,” Jack’s voice quivered. “We have a problem.”
“I know,” Moke said, and began walking.