The Last Revolution (29 page)

“Your desire for revenge blinds your reason. Alden wants exactly what you want. He wants to find the device. You’re the only two in a position to get that reactor back before it’s too late. Think of the number of people who will die if they’re allowed to carry out their mission. You must stop them, and you’ll need Alden’s help.”

“Darar Khasim is on his way back to the lunar surface, if he isn’t there already. Alden has done a good job of gaining favor within the resistance. The leaders trust him now. He’s in a position to kill Khasim when the time is right. I need you to intercept Alden, get him away from the group, and let him know that you’re there to help him. Make him believe you!”

Clenching his fists, Arakiel nodded. He’d have his revenge. Suddenly he remembered the locket and the shot that had pierced his chest. Had it been damaged? He sat back, and felt the weight of the metal against his skin. A wave of relief passed over him. “Why do we need to get close to Darar Khasim?”

“Khasim orchestrated the attack on you in order to get control of the reactor. He’s the one leading the terrorist cells, and pushing the world towards war. If you want to keep the peace and uphold your solemn duty, you will find him.”

“And then kill him?”

“No. You’ll travel to Hyperion where you’ll find one of my Jindomas. They’ll escort you to a secret location where you’ll be provided with a zero-gravity combat suit. You’re going to need it to accomplish your mission. You’ll also be provided with a squad of Council soldiers. You are to locate Khasim and bring him to me alive. Do you understand?”

Arakiel nodded. Why was he sending a Jindomas? It seemed an odd mission for a member of his personal security team.

“When I spoke with my source in the resistance, he delivered the worst news I’ve ever received. Khasim has been developing a weapon over the last decade capable of unspeakable destruction. It has the capability to redraw the balance of power on Earth. If we are to protect millions of innocent lives and the Three Nations Treaty, then we must stop him from activating this weapon. You’ll need Alden’s help to bring him to justice and find the location of this weapon.”

“Are you sure we can trust him?” Arakiel cleared his throat. “I mean, after the incident on New Tranquility, that is.”

“He will help you reach Khasim. We must have that weapon! That is all I need to know. Once you’ve secured Khasim and brought him back to me, you can do whatever you like with Alden.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Guardian looked down at him once more. “I don’t need to tell you how important this is. You must secure the reactor first, but if you fail to recover it, then you must find Khasim. Otherwise he will instigate the last war of mankind. If you fail at both tasks, I just don’t know if I’ll be able to help protect you. The others are not as kind.”

“Thank you for this last chance. I promise I will not let you down. You will have Khasim.”

“Good. Once you’ve secured him return to Hyperion, I’ll be there myself. This will be the last time we talk until then; do not fail me… again.”

Arakiel nodded and then the Guardian’s hologram disappeared. He was alone in the H-3 facility once more. His arduous trek to the exterior barrier felt like a bad memory. He lifted himself from the ground, dusted off his clothes, and stretched his back. He glanced at his chest once more. He could see the hole left by the bullet. The locket dangled under his shirt, the gold reflecting the surrounding lights.

He walked towards the back of the facility and the way he’d originally arrived. A sense of purpose washed over his body. He’d been beaten, but that wouldn’t happen again. Capturing Khasim was his ticket to Alden. He’d do anything to complete this mission. The Guardian had once said he couldn’t focus on the larger picture. That wouldn’t be a problem anymore. He would protect the millions of innocents, and no one would get in his way. And once his mission was done he’d have his revenge, for himself and for her. The end was near, but not for him.

Chapter 9

It was hard for Alden to see. Despite his size, he was lost in a sea of clothes, guns, and boots. Distant screams came from every direction. It felt like a dam had burst and they were a wild river that crashed through everything in its path. General Stone was somewhere in front of him.

They finally emerged into the resistance stronghold under Apollo City. People were celebrating as far as the eye could see. The room was filled with music, drinks, and embraces. Their arrival was greeted by thunderous applause. Colonists on every level cheered and cried. Small amounts of confetti streamed down from above. Alden had never seen anything like it before.

General Stone led the victorious group forward. A path appeared through the revelers. The colonists crammed in on both sides as they tried to glimpse the legendary man. Others reached out to touch his jacket. They needed to know he was real. The residents on either side of the lane took it upon themselves to try and hold the crowd back. Stone shook their hands as he moved further into the room. They believed he was going to lead them all to freedom.

Alden had to admit, the man’s presence was magnetic, but the colonists were placing inhuman expectations on him. He remembered the stories he’d been told as a boy—General Stone had won the battle of Helsinki on his own, with just a rifle and handgun. If the stories were that outlandish on Earth, he could only imagine what they’d told kids up here.

Alden realized he hadn’t seen anyone from the other team. The last thing he remembered was the explosion along the outer wall of Traterous. Hundreds of people flowed around him, but there was only one he cared about.

One of the soldiers that had stayed behind in case they failed walked past. Alden grabbed his arm. “Has the second team arrived yet?”

The man just stared at him in disbelief. “Haven’t you heard?”

“Heard what?” There was the faintest tremble in his voice.

The man sighed. “After the attack, the Council soldiers at Traterous bombed every tunnel they could find. No one’s heard from them in over an hour.”

Time slowed, it wasn’t possible. Alden pushed through the crowd towards the tunnels that went out under the surface. There had already been so much loss in his life, he wouldn’t accept any more.

A sound cut through the darkness and pushed back at the suffocating pain. He looked up and saw Kira moving towards him through the crowd. The room came back to life, filled with color, noise, and smells. It was as if all the joy in the world flooded back in. She jumped into his arms. He grabbed her, and pressed their bodies together. She leaned down and kissed him with a passion he’d never felt before.

Warmth, energy and vigor coursed through his veins. His heart beat a million times a second. He wanted to stand in that moment forever, feeling the passion that surged through them and the sweet taste of her lips. She pulled back and looked in his eyes. “We did it.”

Alden nodded. “We got him.”

He set Kira down. Nearby, thousands of people pushed forward, trying to glimpse the legend. The word of their success must have been spreading quickly.

Alden looked back at Kira, “They said the tunnels had been bombed.”

“When our blast didn’t knock them out, they threw everything they had at us. Heavy artillery, tanks, mechs—we retreated as fast as we could. We lost a lot of people in the initial fire fight. There was no way we were going to win. We gave your team as much time as possible before dropping back. Once they started bombing the tunnels it turned into pure chaos. Everyone was split up. Some of us made it back, but dozens more are still missing…”

He held her close. She must’ve needed the touch too because she pressed tight to his chest, sighed and rested against his shoulder.

Several hours later, Alden found himself buried amongst the crowd. Kira, Liam and the rest of the group had sent him off to get another round of drinks. He pushed through a cluster of people up to the makeshift bar. As he set their glasses down, his wrist deck blinked to life. The anonymous friend must have responded to his request. He’d wanted to know the implications of Stone’s rescue.

Stone’s freedom moves the world closer to war. It also speeds up Alexander’s return.

Alden responded,
What about the reactor?

It was his turn in line. Alden stepped forward, pressed the handle down and filled each of the glasses. Another message:
hasn’t appeared on black market. still looking. use extreme caution. reactor involved in crisis.

Alden lifted the glasses from the bar. Beer and foam splashed about with every near miss as he weaved through the crowd.

The message repeated over and over in his mind as he moved.
use extreme caution, reactor involved in crisis.
Great
.

Moments later, he found Kira, Liam, Callisto, and Solana sitting together and laughing so hard that Liam nearly fell out of his chair.

“Sounds like you had a bit of trouble getting up here,” Callisto quipped.

Alden shrugged. “It was nothing. I will say that she’s pretty handy in a tight spot.”

“So are you,” Solana joined in. “I don’t think we ever would have made it out of Traterous without you and that suit.”

“Well then…” Callisto held up his glass. “To Kira and Alden—helping us accomplish the impossible.”

Everyone raised their glasses in celebration before taking a big sip.

“You know who should be here celebrating with us?” Liam spoke up. “General Stone. What happened to him?”

“He disappeared shortly after we returned,” Solana responded.

“After being gone for so long, he at least deserves a beer!” Callisto said.

Liam smiled. “If it was me, I’d need to take the longest piss of my life.”

“Or soak in the shower for days on end,” added Solana. “That cryo-freeze has to wreck your skin!”

“Considering the way he went out, the only thing I’d be thinking of is revenge.”

Kira nodded. “There’s going to be hell to pay. If the stories are true, a man like that won’t take betrayal well.”

Alden felt the heavy undertones of the comments weighing him down. They were changing the trajectory of history.

“Attention!” A booming voice slowed everything to a stop.

Stone stood on the second level looking down at the crowd. He was surrounded by Thereon and several other rebel fighters.

“It is good to see all of you again.”

The crowd broke into a rapturous applause.

“I’ve been brought up to speed on the events of the last few decades and we will not let the Council’s transgressions go unpunished!” More applause. “I’ve also been informed that we lost a number of brave soldiers in the rescue. Let us drink to their memory. And to the families of those men and women, you have my eternal gratitude.

“This is not the end, merely the end of the beginning. We won a great victory today and shook the Council to their core. We’ve proved our strength and reminded them of their vulnerability. Sadly their malicious intent will drive them to even greater heights. Whatever illusion of peace and stability that existed is gone. They will not hesitate, they will show no mercy, and their retribution will be absolute. Our worlds, ideals, and values are on a collision course from which there is no escape.

“We ventured into the stars to build a better life. One that was free of the misguided ideologies of the Three Nations and the Council. Our virtues are grounded in the pursuit of enlightenment, self-determination, and freedom. They think we are weak, and will bow down at the first sign of conflict. I swear to you now, we will never surrender to them. You are the hardest, most determined group of people I’ve ever known. We will not let them oppress us any longer! We will not let them take our families, kill our friends, and destroy everything we hold to be just in this world!”

Rapturous applause cascaded across the room. People wiped tears from their eyes, and hugged loved ones. For once in their lives, the stories had been true. His new friends handled the moment more stoically than those around them, but he knew what this meant to them. From the outside, Stone appeared to be everything they’d hoped for. This was no longer the divided group Alden had heard about on the Island.

“We started with the best of intentions, giving the Three Nations and the Council everything they asked for. But it wasn’t enough. It was never enough! How dare they tell us what we can and can’t do? We produce the helium that keeps their civilizations alive. We should be the ones giving orders, not the other way around! When the helium stops flowing, we’ll watch as their empires fall apart around them. Tonight, I ask you to decide what you believe in, for a great and terrible struggle is upon us.

“If you are not up to the fight, then I advise you to leave. Seek shelter and protection wherever you can, because they will show us no mercy. To those who decide to remain, we will stand and fight! They don’t know the colonies like we do. This is our home, not some foreign land to be conquered and controlled. We’ll show them the strength of our convictions, that we won’t be bullied, threatened, or forced into servitude any longer! We will take back what is ours!”

Kira whistled and applauded along with the rest of the audience. The pit Alden felt in his stomach before the Traterous mission returned. His original intention had been to find Alexander, kill him, and return to the Council.Instead he found himself in a frenzy of revolutionary euphoria. He had to find a way to avoid the armed conflict Stone described. It would be a protracted war that would claim many lives, especially those currently in the room.

“I’ve been in communication with the leaders of every resistance movement on Luna. They share your concerns, fears and aspirations. They wanted me to convey a message. You do not stand alone! They will help us carry this burden, shoulder to shoulder. For the first time, New Tranquility, Prebeo, New Beijing and Apollo City are united in a shared defense of our world. We will take back what was ours, and remake the world as we want it!”