Worlds Of War

Chapter 3: To Know Friend From Foe Isn’t As Easy As Black And White

 

                 ‘What the hell?’ thought Johnny and walked cautiously over to the scattered bullets. Friend and foe alike watched him as he approached the ammunition. Crouching down he picked up one of the closest bullets and studied it as if it would reveal what strange phenomena had just occurred. He threw the bullet away and it clanged softly to the side of him. Johnny reached for one of the bullets further away from him and smacked into something.

 

                He frowned and reached out again slowly. Sure enough there was some kind of invisible wall blocking his way. He felt his way up as he stood and felt as though he was a mime. Feeling gamer he hit the invisible wall. He kicked it. There was definitely something there and as much as it wasn’t letting anything thing in, it wasn’t letting anything out either.

 

                A male from a force group edged his way forwards and stood directly in front of Johnny and held up the butt of his gun. Johnny tensed and hoped the wall thing stayed in place. The end of the gun came fast and hard towards Johnny and he flinched even as the gun hit the wall causing its owner to stagger back. The spell of surprise broke and people from both sides approached the wall. It was strange that one could stand so close to the enemy and yet not harm them in any way.

 

                Johnny sucked thoughtfully on his split lip, his tongue sliding over the metallic tasting blood and stemming the slight flow. Was this some new technology of the Superiors? The freedom fighters were well and truly trapped inside the wall - even from above he realised as he watched Mac throw bits of brick up in the air only to have then bounce off the invisible ceiling. But the force groups seem to be just as confused as the freedom fighters. In the back of his mind Johnny realised that the helicopters no longer sounded in the air. In fact, if he didn’t know better he would say that beyond the street there was no life whatsoever, the lack of gunfire was strangely eerie.

 

                 “I do believe that’s enough playtime for one day children” came a cultured voice loud and clear over the curious mutterings.

 

                Everyone turned to face the man who leaned calmly against a wall watching them with amusement written all over his face and gleaming in his eyes. Clothed purely in black he seemed to be a part of the night or rather perhaps the night was a part of him for he raised an air of power that pulsated around him. Blond hair cascaded around his face and mismatched eyes glimmered back at them, like the moon and animal eyes reflecting at night

 

                Freedom fighters and force groups raised weapons at the man who merely chuckled and smirked as if trying to hold in great bouts of laughter he was dying to let out. “Now, now” he mocked, “play nice.”

 

                Johnny quickly let go of his weapon as it squirmed and wriggled in his hands. It dropped to the ground and he jumped away as the gun-turned-snake slithered away from him, black and red scales shimmering in the moonlight. Johnny backed away towards the middle of the bullet ring and found other freedom fighters doing the same as their guns also turned into snakes and crawled away. The force groups weren’t so lucky.

 

                The snakes, both from the freedom fighter’s gun and from their own, crawled towards them, hissed and struck out with lightning speed. The invisible wall hadn’t stopped them in the least. The force groups fell back, scrambling over one another to get away from the poisonous reptiles. Johnny watched in horror as one woman spasmed uncontrollable while a snake ate her. As the snake ate it seemed to grow bigger as did the ones around it. By the time they slithered off in pursuit of the ones that got away the snakes were half as high as Johnny himself and he guessed at over 20 meters long. He shuddered and hoped they didn’t come back. He heard screaming in the streets beyond. When they got back to base they would have to put a warning out to everyone to watch for monstrous snakes which were formally guns. Yeah. There was something wrong with that there.

 

                The freedom fighters watched in fascinated terror before turning to face the man - no! Johnny was sure that whatever this person was he wasn’t human - this being, wondering what he had in store for them. There was no doubt in their minds that he was responsible for what was happening - ‘how?’ was an entirely different matter. The snakes were deadly but this guy had made them…

 

                The being pushed himself away from the wall and cast an eye over them as if searching. Johnny figured he either found what he was looking for or gave up because he approached the group and tersely demanded who was in charge. Josie, one of Mac and Melinda’s team, stepped forward - this was a ploy they often used, someone posing as their leader so that if they were killed the real leaders would still be there to direct things.

 

                The being sneered at Josie and the girl took an instinctive step back but was unable to move quick enough to avoid him grabbing her wrist and shoving her violently to the ground. “Don’t test my patience, either show me your true leader or I can bring back your enemies just as quickly as I chased them away.”

 

                Johnny reached discretely behind for the knife in his waistline and felt the empty spot before realised that he probably used them all in the fight. He’d have to go back for them later. He reached for one of his spare hip knives and frowned at the missing weapon. He felt for the other one. It was gone too. He shared a look with Mac and knew that he had no weapons either. They were basically defenseless - not a good thing. Johnny also had the suspicion that even if they were to try to take out the guy with their bare hands, and despite the fact that they outnumbered him twenty odd to one, they blond guy would come out on top. Call it an instinct.

 

                Melinda stepped forward, placing herself inbetween Josie and the strange male. “I’m the leader.”

 

                Johnny watched the being looked at Melinda then flickered his eyes to Mac and then to Johnny himself. Somehow…somehow this guy knew there was more than one leader and exactly who they were, yet he seemed content enough with one of them for the time as he smiled chillingly and said, “yes, I suppose you’ll do.”

 

                 “What’s that meant to mean?” bit off Melinda.

 

                The man ignored her outburst but continued on. “It seems you have a slight problem. Not only will it prove difficult for you to return to your home base but also before long this entire city and those in it will be under the control of those whom you call the Superiors.” He hissed the last word with as much contempt as any of the freedom fighters would have. “I am willing to help, within reason, to get you back to your base and to help drive your enemies away and possibly defeat them.”

 

                 “What makes you think we could use your help” Melinda demanded defensively, born of the kind of pride developed by one who lived on the streets. We’ve survived this long on your own, who says you need anyone’s help now.

 

                The man raised an eyebrow mockingly, which clearly spoke volumes about what he had already done for them. His manner replied that he was humouring them as he raised one hand and twisted his wrist slightly. A perfect bubble spun out of thin air, luminous and captivating. Strangely enough there seemed to be a soft tune on the wind, barely discernable but the bubble spun in dance to it.

 

Long for the sailor beneath the skies

Long for the white dove no matter where she flies

Long for the stranger you know so well, so well

 

                The spherical wonder floated up and over the heads of the freedom fighters and the words of the tune could now just be heard, a whisper of song which all strained to hear.

 

Pray for the solider that’s wounded bad

Pray for the dreamer, he’s still so sad

Pray for the stranger you know so well

 

                The singing was like a dream. There, but so soft, so musical, so gentle that they seemed to be in that space just beyond waking, that moment when you can be convinced that the marvels of the dreamworld are still real in the conscious world. The bubble drifted down on the notes and towards Jamie who was leaning heavily against a friend to keep the weight off his injured leg. With held breath the freedom fighters watched it hover above his head, silence but for the haunting tune on the breeze.

 

Long for the eagle on wings so strong

Long for the hunter he won’t be long

Long for the stranger you know so well*

 

                The bubble shattered with the song, and the silence that followed was almost nauseous. Jamie gasped as the sparkling ashes fell around him and sent a tingle through his body. He clutched at his leg for a moment, as it burned unbearably then cooled. He ran his hands over his legs, and then to double check he rolled the pants up and looked disbelieving at the smooth uninjured flesh. He stared at Jareth who smirked and opened his fist to let the bullet slip from his grasp to bounce and clatter to the ground.

 

                Melinda stared hard at the being trying to sort out all types of questions cluttering her mind but one blurted from her mouth, “what’s the price?”

 

                He turned the full force of his mismatched eyes on her and gave a truly malicious smile that sent shivers running up and down her spine. “For now, there is only one thing that I want…”  

 

                ***  

 

                The freedom fighter screamed as a woman sent another bout of electricity through his body, his feet in the water acting as the conductor. Two force group men stood to the side. “Sturdy bastards, I think he’s been going for four days now” one commented to the other.

 

                 “He was bloody difficult to capture too.”

 

                 “Really?”

 

                 “Yeah, he took down four of our guys before six of us piled on top of him.”

 

                 “Why didn’t you just kill him?”

 

                 “The new Boss wanted one of them captured for questioning. Seems they’re as hard to get answers out of as they are to capture alive.”

 

                They both fell silent as the freedom fight screamed again. Bill turned to Bob once more. “Why exactly do we need to question one of the them? Isn’t it there in that damn handbook ‘kill all opposition to the Superiors’ or something like that?”

 

                Bob shrugged noncommittally. “The new Boss said the old Boss was taken off the job because he wasn’t getting rid of the resistance groups. The new Boss also said that we needed new tactics to deal with the resistance groups and this” the man screamed again, “is one of them.”

 

                 “The new Boss says a lot” muttered Bill.

 

                Bob looked at Bill “Have you meet the new Boss?”

 

                Bill shook his head.

 

                 “The guy is positively scary. If you had met him you would be taking note of what he’s saying as well.”

 

                The female interrogator put the electrodes to the side and checked on her subject. Felt the strength of the pulse and listened to his breathing to make sure he wasn’t too damaged. She smoothed back the sweat-soaked hair in a motherly way and reached for a cup of water. “Would you like to have something to drink Daniel?” she asked softly, gently.

 

                The freedom fighter gave a barely discernable move of his head, indistingable as to whether it was a nod or a shake.

 

                 “Daniel, if you want a drink you have to answer me. Would you like to have something to drink Daniel?”

 

                 “Yes” the answer was a bare whisper with no sound to it beyond the rasping of this throat.

 

                 “Good boy” the woman praised and then helped him to sip from the cup, slowly and in small doses so that he wouldn’t choke or have any ill effects after his days of dehydration. “Daniel, are you going to tell me where the others are, the others like you? The freedom fighters?”

 

                Bill gave a snort of laughter and received a sharp glare from the woman

 

                Daniel shook his had in a very definite no, violently moving his head despite the fatigue and dizziness beating at him.

 

                The woman sighed. “Daniel… why won’t you tell me. I, who have stopped the pain. I, who have given you water. I, who even now protects you from your enemies. What have your so-called friends done for you? They have left you to your enemies; they have not even tried to rescue you. They leave you in pain and agony. I can stop that; I can stop all the hurting if only you will tell me. Trust me.

 

                Daniel tried to speak, used a tongue like sandpaper to wet his cracked lips. The woman let him sip from the cup again, and when he tried again a thread of a sound come out.

 

                The door to the room pushed open and a man walked into the room… more than walked. He seemed to glide along the ground; his footsteps making no noise, his movements sleek and smooth. He wore a plain mask over his face and head so that only his eyes could be seen and they were dark emotionless orbs that were reminiscent of a black hole - destructive and inescapable. The only weapon noticeable on his body was the whip largely looped hanging from his belt.

 

                The door swung softly shut behind him and when the two force group men went to salute him he waved them off before standing impassively by the wall, arms folded loosely. He would have seemed insolently casual if not for the aura of readiness, like a snake about to strike.

 

                He nodded to the woman to continue.

 

                 “Daniel” she spoke gently to the broken man who had been unable to notice his grown audience, “tell me where they are.”

 

                Confused, drained and longing for a soft hand after an eternity of agony the freedom fighter rasped out the tunnels beneath the city. Outlined the sewer system and the labyrinth of passageways layered with traps and guards. Described how they survived, the crumbling freedom and the hierarchy of leadership.

 

                As he whispered the names of the leaders there was something about the newcomer that listened more intently then before. He gave no body movement to indicate his sudden interest but it was there in the air just the same. In a low voice, a vibrating baritone, he asked for more information on Sarah Williams and Johnny Kell. Bill and Bob couldn’t see the significance of determining the relationship between two freedom fighter leaders when they would just be killed anyway once the force groups used this information to raid the sewers. But they weren’t about to say anything in front of the new Boss.

 

                While Daniel neared the end of his information a loud banging on the door startled all but the Boss who simply turned and opened the door. A woman stumbled into the room, visibly shaking, and knelt in front of the Boss. “Forgive me my lord but something incredible has happened.”

 

                The Boss said nothing but indicated his head for her to continue.

 

                 “We had some of the resistance groups cornered and we were about to dispose of them, but when we shot at them they had some kind of forcefield shielding them from us. Some man was helping them, somehow controlling the forcefield. He had blond hair and there was something about him that was… different. I don’t know how he did it but he made all our weapons turn into snakes. I’m not lying my lord, I swear that it’s true. Many of us died trying to get away from them. They just kept getting larger and faster and only a few of us made it back to base. I don’t know what happened to the resistance group.” The woman fell silent, exhausted from escaping the snakes, and waited for her death at bringing bad news. The Boss would not be happy.

 

                But the Boss simply excused her, not showing shock, anger or disbelief. The force group female blinked stunned for a second before scrambling to her feet and racing out of the room, not about to question why she wasn’t dead.

 

                The Boss ordered Bill and Bob to take care of the freedom fighter and then glided out of the room.

 

                 Bill said to Bob, “that guy gives me the creeps

 

                 “He gives everyone the creeps. They say the Superiors trained him themselves. Some even say that he used to be one of these guys” Bob nodded to the chained freedom fighter. “Kinda makes you think that things aren’t as black and white as what they should be.”

 

                Bill shrugged. “Betcha he’s grateful that he didn’t end up like this guy.”

 

                Together they unchained the man, unconscious once again, and moved him out to be incinerated.

 

                ***

 

                The Boss glided along the long corridors contemplating all the information he had just received. He saw no use in killing the force group female for bringing him the bad news. There was no point in his people fearing to bring him information, all information was useful and needed to make an educated decision. If people feared to bring bad news then it was likely at some stage he would miss the information he needed most.

 

                This coming night though he had all the information he needed to make the attack on the resistance group. This strange blond figure was a new and unexpected change but not so much that he still could not go ahead with his plans. The freedom fighters would die. All except the only one who managed to disrupt his logical thoughts. Sarah Williams. He had special plans for her.

 

                ***

 

                With Rick at the helm Toby stared out over the horizon and wondered if he should take down the corpse of the one who raped and stabbed his mother. When the midday and afternoon sun rose it would rise the stench to unbearable levels. After gutting and dismembering the man Toby had his headless body roped to the front of the boat so that they smell of fresh blood would smother back across the deck.

 

                What he really should be thinking about was the trip to Seattle. From the east coast of Australia they would have to travel down beneath New Zealand to catch the fast and dangerous waves to the bottom tip of South America and then follow the coastline right up to the top of the US to find Seattle. Crossing the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near Antarctica would be cold but not unbearable, it was the waves and the currents that were the worst worry. Both were strong and destructive. Another worry would be travelling the coast of America. They couldn’t get too close to land for fear of being detected by force groups and attacked. The last safe stop would be Talara in Peru where they would have to pick up supplies, providing that it was still safe when they got there. The whole trip would take two months at best. At least by the time they landed near Seattle he would have the loyalty of all those with him. Two months should be plenty of time to weed out and kill those who would stand against him and for him to cement his leadership.

 

                On second thoughts, Toby mused, he would leave the corpse hanging. The smell would serve as a memorable reminder to those who sought to betray him.

 

 

                *Extracts from Time has Come. Copywrite J. Tempest (1986). From the CD Europe Super Hits.