Do remember, these excerpts are from my first draft, so expect lots of typos and a shaky style and way too much introspection. I'll fix that stuff the second time around. xD
Warning: Some of the content is rather graphic. And there's some strong language. You have been warned!
From The Bombardiers, Chapter 4--
His eyes fell back
on the woman in front of him. She definitely wasn’t the one who’d saved him, so
that meant this operation was run by more than person? An organization of some
sort? And if this was some kind of group effort, then what were its goals? A
coup? Simply getting the truth out? Was that what Xi was? Some kind of revolutionary group that new the truth? He
could have speculated about it all day.
“You know, you could just stare at me forever, or you could actually ask me whatever
you’re thinking about.”
Or, there was
that.
“Oh, um, sorry. I
just…I don’t play well with others usually. It’s not about you, really. I
just…”
“Can’t trust
anyone?” The woman reseated herself. “I know the feeling, though I don’t guess
I’m as familiar with it as you.”
Ganth stiffened.
“And what do you know about me?”
The woman frowned,
her eyes filling with pity. “Only what Xi told me. Your parents were erased
when you were eleven, right? But you didn’t have you memories of them changed like
you were supposed to. Xi said your health chip…well, it’s not actually a health
chip, obviously, is defective, but no one ever caught on to it, so you stayed
under the radar this whole time.” She smiled sardonically. “Until last night, I
guess. But it just happens that way, doesn’t it? One second you’re going about
your daily routine, and the next moment the black van pulls up to take you away.”
“You too, huh?” So
that did happen to everyone.
“Yep. Xi says
that’s how they do it. That that’s how they’ve always done it. The AJA is split
into two divisions. A virtual army of men who go around and kidnap designated
targets and another that works tirelessly to erase or alter the memories of
everyone involved with that person.” She wrung her hands.
Ganth eyed the
woman carefully. She didn’t exactly look like a big time crime boss, and he
wasn’t sure he wanted to test her feelings. She looked like she was about to
fall apart right in front of him.
“You want to know what
I did, right?”
And yet, she was
incredibly perceptive, all the same.
“I’m guessing it
wasn’t something that would normally be considered a crime?”
The woman snorted.
“Actually, it’s kind of funny. It was
a crime, but it wasn’t intentional. Sat down at a desk I was told to sit down
at, put on a flash visor I was supposed to put on…ended up overhearing two of
the Prime Executives talking about Xi.”
Ganth cringed.
“I…” He coughed. “I’m sorry.”
The woman smiled
bitterly. “Yeah, me too.” A second later she was up and about, her movements
fast and jerky. She picked up a tray of food and brought it over to the bed.
“So, um, I fixed you some soup and stuff. Xi said you should probably keep the
food light until she wanes you off the meds. Got you on some pretty strong
ones, I guess. It took about twelve hours for her to put you back together
again. You were in pretty bad shape.”
Ganth nodded
absently. “So, who is this Xi exactly?”
The woman raised
an eyebrow, as if it was stupidest question in the world. “Didn’t you see her?
I mean, she said you were awake when she picked you up.”
“So, the other
woman is Xi? The one with the twisted sense of humor?”
The woman bit back
a laugh. “That’s all you got out of
your first encounter with Xi?”
“Well, I was in pieces and paralyzed at the time.”
“So was I.”
Ganth couldn’t
think of a reply to that.
“Anyway,” the
woman swiftly changed the subject, “I haven’t told you my name yet, right?”
He shook his head.
“Well, I’m Sara.
Sara Miller. Not very interesting, I’m afraid. And Xi said you go by Ganth?”
Ganth frowned
thoughtfully. “Well, yes, I do, but I why you keep saying that?”
“Saying what?” She
wrung her hands again.
“Xi said?”
“Oh…that…” A light
blush came over her cheeks. “Well, that’s just because I’m never sure if Xi is
actually telling the me the truth or just trying to screw with me.”
Ganth stared into
his soup. “Oh.”
“Yeah…”
“Honeys, I’m
home!” The words echoed through the house, and Ganth jumped, grimacing as
another wave of pain rolled down his torso.
“Oh, joy, the
happy parade is back.” Sara mumbled.
A fridge door
slammed shut somewhere. “I heard that, Miss Sara Miller! And I will have you
know I hate parades!”
Ganth looked on in
disbelief. “Don’t tell me that’s…”
She appeared in
the doorway. “Mr. Richard Ganth! How nice of you to joy us in the living world
again! I was almost afraid we were
going to lose you. Almost afraid because I’m never certainly afraid of anything at
all, of course. Anyway, how’re your toes feelings? I had to reattach quite a
few.”
Correction: Xi appeared in the doorway.
_________
From The Bombardiers, Chapter 6--
Xi didn’t move.
She let Sara’s absolute horror sink in for a few more seconds, and even when
Sara lunged at her, throwing the hardest (yet so weak) punch she could at
Xi’s face, Xi didn’t even twitch. A few seconds later, Sara cracked, and she
sank to her knees, sobbing. “Why are you doing this? That woman is getting raped! People are getting killed! Why
won’t you do anything?”
“This isn’t my
fault, Sara Miller. In fact, if you had things your way, this would be reality
for Altea every day.”
“W...what?” She
gazed up at Xi. “This isn’t…this isn’t what I…” Her words died on her lips. And
she understood.
Xi hadn’t just
disrupted the erasure program. She’d also utilized it. To implant the knowledge
of it into the minds of every single
Altean citizen.
And this was the
result.
Absolute and utter
chaos. The complete breakdown of society in the span of minutes. In a second,
all of Altea had learned of the Executive’s lie, all of Altea had learned it
had been living false lives, all of Altea had seen the nation for what it was.
And all of Altea was enraged. The crime that happened normally and was covered
up had been far overshadowed by the senseless rage of millions of people.
Without the experience of crime in their memories, they didn’t know how to
handle the information. Alteans did not lobby for change. There were no social issues. Alteans did not
look to policemen for safety and guidance. There was no crime. Alteans did not lock their doors and hide nor did
they ban together for a common cause. Those were reactions to revolution, and
there was no revolution in Altea.
Until now.
It had probably
started with one or two or three, Ganth imagined. A few people witnessing a few
crimes and realizing that the doubts they suddenly found themselves having
about the Executives and AJA were, in fact, truth. Then came the horror of that
one or those two or those three. And from them, it multiplied. It increased
exponentially, a wave of irrationality and paranoia and horror and angry that
had quickly morphed into complete social collapse.
And where was the
isolation to slow it down?
Altea was an
artificial island. The furthest town from the capital was a half an hour away
by train. This wave of unadulterated chaos had spread across the nation like a
wildfire, devouring all hopes and securities in its path in the span of
minutes. And then, there was no Altea. There was just this.
And if the erasure
program had become public knowledge this way, suddenly and abruptly and to everyone at once, this is exactly what
would happen.
And every death,
every rape, every theft, every horror…
This was to teach
Sara a lesson.
Because Sara had
dared to ask “Why not tell them?”
And this was Xi’s
example of a hard, cold lesson that taught that answer in the most direct way
possible.
Ganth closed his
eyes and bit his bottom lip. Today, he had learned something as well. He had
known that something like this would
happen if the erasure program became public, but he had not dared to imagine
the sheer horror of it all. No, that wasn’t what he’d learned. Today, Richard
Ganth had learned what kind of person Xi was.
Merciless. Cold.
Unforgiving. And genius.
And that, quite
possibly, made her the most dangerous person alive.
And it was through
this thought that Ganth finally came to understand what Xi was actually doing.
“Xi, you…”
This was not a
game being played.
“Sweetie
pie, they cost themselves this fight the day they made me what I am. And rest assured, I will not rest until I make sure they know it.”
This
was a game that had already been played.
“Sara Miller!” Xi
towered over her. “This is not what I want. I do not want absolute
destruction of the people, merely their restructuring into something akin to a real society, with all its natural
flaws. Altea is an artificial place, built upon lofty ideals that have been
implemented. And that is the worst possible thing you can to with an ideal. An
ideal should always be a unreachable goal. To institute one into practice is
abhorrent. To utilize one in the way Altea has is the greatest sin any group of
human beings has ever committed. And I intend to wipe clean this sin off the
hands of those innocent people down there. And I will use the blood of its very
perpetrators to do so. This, Sara
Miller, is what would happen if everyone suddenly discovered the erasure. And
do not mistake me. I am not claiming a similar event will not take place once
the Executives fall. But it will not be this.
It will not be this sudden release of all human fallacy and error. It will be
hampered by pain and disappointment, fueled by sadness in place of undivided
rage. And thus, it will retreat upon itself and lick its own wounds and heal
with a nasty scar and move on, assimilating into the kind of society that it
should have always existed in.”
This was a game
that had already been won.
Sara, looking
scarily close to passing out, muttered weakly, “But how do you know that?”
Xi’s only response
was her too-wide wicked grin, the widening of her too-bright green eyes, and:
“Because I’m Xi.”
And Xi was the
victor.
_________
From The Bombardiers, Chapter 9--
A low snicker
sounded through his speaker. “Oh my, Norton Sater. You’ve either become much a
braver or a much angrier person than
you were since I last saw you. But, regardless of which, you are quite right.
I’ve been watching your progress quite closely, and I must say, I’m impressed.
Most of the AJA’s new hires end up erased themselves within a week, cracking
under the stress, letting the big secret slip out to their families or friends.
But you, with no friends and no
family you want to talk to, you’ve
managed to stay at least partially
sane, eh?”
“Partially,” he
repeated hollowly.
“Mhmm, but now
you’re reaching your wit’s end, and you’ve finally realized that you have no
one else to turn to but me. Isn't that right?” She chuckled again.
“Can you just get
to the point? What is it you want me to do?” His voice started to strain.
“Actually, I want
you to do exactly what you’ve been doing, at least for the time being. I
suspect something is going to come up
soon that requires my attention at the AJA, and I’d like to have someone on the
inside to monitor the situation.”
He growled. “You
mean you want me to keep going back to that place and killing people? Is that
it?”
“Honey,” she
drawled, “don’t be like that. You know yourself that blowing your cover at this
point will gain you nothing. You’ve learned some stuff about the AJA, sure, but
it’s nothing I don’t already know. Instead of complaining about it, just stay
attentive.” She sighed. “Look, I didn’t contact you because I explicitly need you. I contacted you because you’re
smart and because I knew you could
make my job easier. I want to take the AJA down more than you do, honey, believe me. But this has to be done
carefully and in steps. In order to dismantle them piece by piece and destroy
any chance of their regime’s ideals ever relapsing in Altea again, they must be
eradicated completely. And doing this messily,
just going in guns blazing, is not
the way to ensure that happens. Understand?”
Norton rested his
head on the sofa cushion. “Yes,” he answered coldly, “I understand. But you do
realize that I myself am one of them,
and that everyday I go back there is another day I wrack up a higher body
count?”
“Of course I know
that, sweetie. But I also know that you can handle it where others can’t. Because
your sense of justice trumps your sense of self-respect, doesn’t it, Norton
Sater?” He could hear the arrogance
seeping through the speaker, but he couldn’t deny her claims. She knew him. She’d studied him. Well.
“You could say
that, sure. But let me make something clear to you. You are going to explain
your plan in full to me. You are going to tell me everything I need to know.
You will leave nothing out, do you understand me? If you deceive me in any way,
so help me I will—”
“Yes, yes! Norton
Sater. I would never lie to a comrade
of mine. Ever. And as soon as this… situation
develops that I expect to develop soon, I will fill you in on everything. Until then, just sit tight and keep
yourself out of the spotlight. Clear?” The last word rolled silkily off her
tongue. “Oh, and in case you were wondering, the AJA has yet to discover I
removed your cameras. Quite lazy, they are. I’ve got their feeds jacked to show
randomized videos of you doing incredibly mundane things. It’s quite amusing,
actually. By the way, how’s your arm?”
He frowned. “Oh,
you’ll follow me around at the AJA but not the hospital? That’s comforting.”
She giggled.
“Well, gee, Norton Sater. If you’d like, I can follow your every move. But I
was kind of impression that people enjoyed some sense of privacy.”
He snorted.
“Right, because you know all about
respecting privacy.”
“Ah, it appears I
have met my match of wits. Very well, then, Norton Sater. The game is on. We will continue this enthralling discussion later. Until then, you know
what to do, yes?”
“Keep calm. Lie
low. Gather all the intel I can.”
“Exactly! See, now
why can’t Miss Sara Miller be as cooperative as you?”
“Uh, who?”
“Bye, bye, Norton!
I’ll call you later, okay, sweetie pie?”
She hung up.
_________
From The Bombardiers, Chapter 11--
“Three.”
Just like tossing
a flash grenade.
“Two.”
Except flash
grenades didn’t kill people.
“One.”
He jammed his
thumb down on the button, and the needle—all twelve centimeters of it—whisked up with a sickening squelch. He
threw the thing as hard as he could, and it landed on the opposite side of the
garage, shattering on impact. He searched desperately for any change in Sara’s
state, but he saw none. Her usually expressive brown eyes were staring blankly
at the ceiling, and her body made no movements except besides the automatic rise
and fall of her chest.
“Damn it all. Just
damn it all!”
The time came back
to him then.
It had to have been more than ten minutes,
right? So where was Xi? Was her big finale just the lockdown, or…?
A rumbling filled
his ears as if on cue, and he shifted himself around the support beam, holding
Sara close to his chest, and realigned his vision the with AJA Building just in
time.
Just in time to
watch a massive wall of flame blow out of the center floor.
And then the
building exploded.
Floor after floor
after floor, it went up in a magnificent plume of red and orange that
illuminated the night with a glow so much more devious than the lockdown lights
that he wondered idly how he could have ever thought they were dangerous. This
was danger. This was death.
This was Xi.
There wasn’t a
single person inside that building left alive. There was no way. There was
nothing left of the building. There
couldn’t have been. A frame of twisted metal was all that remained, and was
quickly collapsing in the heat of the flames. Debris rained down from every
angle, pieces of desks and chairs and shards of window glass and carpet and people’s body parts, charred beyond
recognition. All those thousand dari flash screens, gone. All those erasure
servers, gone. All their work stations, gone. All their arrogance and
haughtiness and superiority…
Gone.
The debris field
burst into the tower, and Ganth flinched away from the heat and smoke and
thick, choking particles. He pulled Sara closer against him. He needed to get
out of here. Pulling himself to his haggard feet, he made his way toward the
opposite end of the garage, trying to breathe in as little of the air as
possible.
He could hear the
sirens already, the beating of the blades of a legion of helicopters. There
would be people soon, too, and he didn’t want to get caught up in that mess. He
made his way quickly out the back and took off toward the residential street. Once
he’d secured himself away in an alley, away from prying eyes, he waited.
For Xi.
Hopefully, for Xi.
Xi had gotten out of that building before
it exploded, right? He hadn’t seen her, but she wouldn’t have just let herself
get blown up. Would she? This wasn’t her end game. She was smarter than that.
Unless… unless this hadn’t been her
plan at all. What if Sara’s kidnapping had just been a ploy to off Xi? What if
the AJA had actually been ahead of
them? What if…? He closed his eyes and groaned in frustration.
“Damn it, Xi!”
“What did I do?”
_________
Well, that's all for now, folks! Enjoyable, I hope? If you have any comments or concerns, please feel free to comment! ^_^
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