My head was pounding and almost my entire body was numb. I could feel my veins and tiny capillaries pulsing through my body, while my neck and back ached terribly, making them stiff.
I had a concussion, because everything around me seemed blurry and my vision kept darkening. Lifting my head and shaking off the stupor, I tried to stand up from the chair, but couldn't. My hands were bound with electric locks. After wriggling a bit, trying to break free, I gave up and decided to look around.
The room I was in was small and dusty, the walls were torn up, and there were no doors at all. On the floor in the corner lay my belongings: my pistol and wrist terminal. If only I could reach them and contact Fen or the soldiers, we'd be saved.
It was quiet all around, only the distant hum of ventilation could be heard. The room was soundproofed—that wasn't a good sign.
Soon I must have passed out or fallen asleep from exhaustion. When I woke up, I saw Durs sitting in front of me in the same position as me. The only difference was his broken eyebrow, from which blood had been flowing—already dried.
I tried to wake him, kicking with my legs and whispering:
"Durs, hey. Durs, wake up," I began quietly, hoping that whoever had left us here had gone.
Durs didn't respond. He kept his head hanging as if he hadn't slept for years. After a few more attempts, I realized he had likely been drugged and beaten, and the poor guy needed rest—temporary, as it turned out.
After several hours of trying to wake Durs again, I heard footsteps behind me. They came gradually from the distant rooms, the sound of shoes on the floor echoing off the walls straight into my head.
The ringing filled the room until three men in black uniforms entered, with tall postures and faces hidden beneath helmets. This couldn't be.
Agents. Our agents.
Behind them came two people in shabby clothes but armed—these were the ones who had kidnapped us and brought us here. They spread out around the room, while the three agents stood unwavering, staring at us. My heart filled with horror at the slightest realization of who we had been delivered to. Was Reni somewhere here? Had they taken him too?
Countless questions began to torment me, but before I could say anything, Durs woke up. He looked tired and battered, but quickly figured out what was happening and what situation we were in. He gave me a sad look, then turned his attention to the Legion agents in the room.
He stared at them for several minutes without looking away, then asked them a question:
"So what do you want here?" he said angrily, with pain, squirming his hands in an attempt to break free from his restraints.
"Calm down, officer. Pull yourself together and show some respect to the marshals," one of the agents said in a cold voice.
Durs just clenched his jaw and remained silent.
"We apologize for meeting under such circumstances, but we had no other choice," another began explaining. "Also, please forgive our colleagues from the Children of War. They miscalculated their strength."
"No kidding. What do you want from us?" Durs asked again.
"The mission you were sent here on has been altered due to internal circumstances. One of your mentors has defected to the enemy."
Silence fell over the room after these words. Durs and I exchanged glances.
One of those we had been entrusted to had betrayed us. One of those hidden even from our Emperor's eyes had betrayed everyone, even himself. This feeling of distrust began to gnaw at me from the inside, as if I were a log being infested by more and more new inhabitants, more and more new sins.
"Do you know who betrayed us?" I asked, looking at all three agents at once.
"Yes. It's Captain Fen from the Second Sabotage and Reconnaissance Corps of the War Wardens," one of the agents said.
"Fen?" Durs asked in disbelief and turned to look at me.
"Can you free us? We won't cause any harm," I asked hopefully. To my surprise, they released the restraints and let us stand and approach them.
"Why is Agent Renod Shal not present here?" Durs asked, rubbing his wrists.
"We suspect that Captain Fen is recruiting him to defect to the enemy. Therefore, we cannot trust him."
Reni.
Could he really betray us? We had known each other since childhood, we had similar fates and histories. No, he couldn't do that.
"Renod? Do you realize what you're saying? Agent Renod is one of the most qualified Legion operatives I've ever seen!" Durs began to intervene. It pained him even to think that his best friend could betray him.
"Calm down, officer. We don't have exact information, but we can't rule out the possibility either. Therefore, for your safety and ours, he is absent," the third agent said calmly.
"Do you want to assign us a mission? We only answer to Grand Admiral Verus and no one else," I continued asking questions.
But the answer that followed shattered my soul.
"Grand Admiral Verus is dead."
"How… dead?" I stammered. Goosebumps ran down my body, and my legs wobbled.
"He was killed by the Nakhids on the Emperor's direct orders. The Grand Admiral's convoy was attacked. We didn't have time to fight off the attack. An energy shell hit his vehicle. His death was instantaneous," the agent in the center reported in a cold voice, which I thought sounded sad, and removed his helmet.
Beneath the helmet was a middle-aged man with a scar on his face. He looked familiar to me, but my memory was intact.
A curator.
My curator.
"Wait," I began, stepping back. "Are you one of the curators?"
"Yes. Captain Maron Duval, Northern Corps of Intergalactic Intelligence. Nice to meet you, Kyle," the man said, extending his hand to me.
I looked into his eyes—they were empty and cold, so I couldn't understand his emotions or thoughts. I shook his hand. His grip was firm and strong.
"Since Captain Fen knows about the possible counterintelligence against him, he won't let me or Agent Durs's curator get close to him. Only you he trusts—for now," he said, straightening his uniform.
"Do you want us to detain him?" Durs asked, stepping closer after making sure the agents weren't a threat.
"No. You will kill him. Arrange an accident or blow up his shuttle. Come up with anything, just don't draw attention to yourselves," Maron said.
Killing one of the curators—this was an outrageous atrocity and an incredibly difficult task. Killing an agent isn't easy, especially an agent with Fen's level of experience.
"And what about Agent Renod?" I asked, looking at my palm after the handshake. Red marks remained on it.
"You will keep an eye on him," said the first agent, stepping forward and removing his helmet.
It was a young woman, unfamiliar to me.
"Meet Captain Jenra Lutas. She will be consulting you on Operation 'Wrath of God,'" Maron said, looking at her.
She was blonde with blue eyes and dark circles beneath them. She was slender and beautiful, holding a tablet in her hands.
"'Wrath of God'?" Durs asked.
"The code name for the operation to eliminate Commander Fen and all associated with him," she explained, looking at Durs.
"What's our timeline?" I asked, looking at the two of them.
"You don't have much time. Two weeks, before you meet with the Galt Emperor, where Fen could hand you over to him as spies. Thereby…" my curator began, but Durs interrupted him.
"Earn his trust," he said and fell silent.
"Exactly. So we can't allow that. You'll have to eliminate him," Maron said, looking at me.
Then, turning away from us and walking to the third agent, he took two white flash drives with a triangle and an eagle above it. Approaching us, he handed them over and said:
"From this moment on, you answer to the provisional government of the Liberian Empire. All the necessary information is on the flash drives."
He stepped back. He was limping.
The flash drive was light and small—the kind that fit wrist terminals.
"What about our original mission?" Durs asked, lifting his gaze to Maron.
"It remains unchanged," he said, putting on his helmet. "Our rebel friends will take you to the residential complex."
With that, he commanded the two agents and left the room, followed by them. We were left alone with the two rebels. They returned our terminals and weapons, then led us outside to put us in a vehicle.
Outside, the wind was strong and it was stuffy. Dust and dirt flew everywhere, forcing us to squint. We were led to a flying vehicle around the corner of the building. Two Galt soldiers were waiting for us beside it. I stopped and, squinting, looked at Durs. He also stopped and looked at me.
I nodded to him. He nodded back. Then, getting into the vehicle, the Galts drove us to the complex. We passed through rich and poor districts alike. The elite had all hidden from the bad weather in their homes and hotels, while the poor sat in tents, embracing each other. I heard pebbles and branches hitting the frame of our vehicle.
The driver turned on the wipers, but it didn't help. A moment later, a woman with a child in her arms jumped out in front of us and tried to stop the vehicle with her hand. She needed help.
"What the hell is she doing? Get her off the road!" the driver commanded the second Galt.
The Galt got out of the vehicle, approached her, and began saying something. Because of the storm that had quickly risen, I couldn't hear what they were saying. But soon the woman lunged at the soldier like a wild animal. He, startled, raised his rifle and fired several shots. She fell. Durs and I flinched, and the driver swore.
"Damn it, what the hell is that son of a bitch doing," he said angrily.
A few seconds later, the frightened soldier jumped back into the vehicle and began to explain:
"What the hell happened there?"
"She first asked to shelter her child from the storm, then started screaming and attacked me with a knife. I opened fire," he began explaining quickly.
"Right. Those damn overdosed psychos again," he said angrily and stepped on the gas. We continued driving through the poor district.
Many of the corpses were covered in dust and dirt, so they were almost hidden and hard to see. The drones had hidden in small hangars in the walls of buildings, waiting for the weather to clear so they could continue scanning the streets for violations.
Soon we passed through this hellish place and arrived at our block. To my surprise, the fountain was gone, which made me think at first that we had been taken to the wrong place. Durs was silent the entire ride, staring out the window without making a single sound. His soul was being torn apart by the worst feeling that had ever existed in life—the feeling of being betrayed. Though he denied it and didn't want to believe it, just like me, from this moment on, we could no longer trust Reni.
Soon the vehicle parked, and we ran to the entrance. Entering and brushing off the dust, I walked to the window and looked at where the fountain had been. Its mechanisms had sunk into the ground along with it, so all that remained was bare, dust-covered tile.
In the lobby stood the same two soldiers who had saluted us when we left. They saluted us again.
"Officers! Colonel Fen is expecting you on the third floor. He said it's urgent," said one of the officers on duty.
Durs and I stopped upon hearing these words. My limbs were paralyzed, as if I were in chains. Turning to him, I asked:
"Colonel Fen?" I asked, not letting it show. "Fen got a promotion?"
"Yes. A meeting regarding your departure into the city."
These words finally shattered my confidence, and my soul tightened. Had Fen found out where we'd been and what we'd been tasked with? Did Fen know about the preparations to assassinate him? Did he know that we were now his death? Maybe he was waiting for us upstairs right now, to hand us over to the Galts?
Countless questions came and went, one after another gnawing at the edge of my morality and restraint—the very qualities they had drilled into us at the Academy.
"Thank you, soldier," I said and saluted him again in farewell.
Turning around, we headed to the elevator. Entering it, it began to take us to the third floor. The windows that had once shown the beautiful sights of Apollo, its green gardens and golden soul, now appeared before us as black protective panels, blocking any view.
I looked at Durs. His eyebrow still had dried, almost black blood on it.
"Wipe the blood off your forehead, Durs," I said quietly to him. Hearing me, he quickly wiped it off.
"Do you think he knows?" he asked warily, looking at his feet.
"I don't know. But we need to be ready," I answered him, taking out my pistol, reloading it, and putting it in my pocket instead of the holster. Noticing Durs see this and look at me, I added: "Just in case."
To my surprise, he did the same.
The second floor passed. The elevator kept carrying us. Waiting, I began shifting from one foot to the other and checking the pistol in my pocket. A certain tension pressed down on us during those minutes as the elevator carried us to meet the devil.
A few moments later, the elevator stopped, and before the doors opened, I looked at Durs.
"Ready?" I asked him.
In response, he just nodded silently. A moment later, the elevator doors slid open on both sides, and a scene unfolded before us.
Fen sat in a chair in the middle, his back to us, watching the storm through the uncovered panoramic windows. The main lights were off, so only small red lamps burned in the corners. Because of this, I didn't immediately notice the six soldiers of the Galt counterintelligence standing in the dark corners, holding pistols and blades.
My hand reached for the pistol in my pocket, but there wasn't much we could do against such force. Especially if we'd been exposed—there was nowhere to run.
They were dressed in white armor with red circles on their shoulders, and on their chests was an emblem: a black blade tearing a planet in half.
Walking slowly forward, Fen turned in his chair and faced us. He was wearing his formal uniform, the same one he'd worn when we set out for Apollo.
"Oh, greetings, officers. I didn't notice you come in. I hope the storm didn't catch you too badly," he said, twirling something in his hands at the table. "Well, what are you standing there for? Come in and sit down," he said with a smile.
Without looking at Durs, I stepped forward and began slowly approaching him, scanning the deadly killers standing around.
"Why are they all here, Fen?" Durs asked, pointing with his free hand at one of the rows of Edge soldiers.
"They're here at my whim. You see, I've made many enemies lately. Who knows who might be next," he said and placed the object on the table. Getting closer, I saw that it was the disc I had left in my quarters. My heart began to beat faster, and my hands started itching.
"Sit down," he commanded, pointing to two chairs.
We did.
When I sat down, I put my hands under the table and one of them into my pocket where the pistol was. I positioned it so it was aimed at Fen. At the slightest threat, I could riddle him in a couple of seconds.
Suddenly, he stood up from the table and walked to the windows. Turning his back to us, he began to speak:
"What do you think, officers—does a soldier who betrayed his house have the right to redemption?" Silence fell after his words, but he soon continued: "Or should he be killed with disgrace?"
"Depends on what he did," Durs said, narrowing his eyes.
"Where were you, officers?" he said, turning around with a rough and firm voice. "Our drones and soldiers noticed you went missing near the Palace of Arts. Where did you disappear to?"
"We took shelter from the storm in a restaurant," I said calmly.
The tension grew. It seemed to me that the warriors of the Edge had shifted positions and moved closer.
"You got a promotion, Fen?" Durs asked with a thin smile. "For what merits?"
Fen spun around sharply and looked at him. He was trying to intimidate him, but Durs was not a coward.
"For outstanding service, officer," he emphasized, trying to place himself above and stronger.
"We hope that won't interfere with your work," I said.
This time Fen looked at me.
"And what about you, Officer Kyle? I have some more interesting questions," he began with a smile. "We found a rebel organization disc in your quarters. Do you have any explanation for how it got there?"
He stepped into a dark area, so the upper part of him was hidden in the shadow of the wall.
"I have no idea, Colonel," I said calmly, though inside chaos reigned.
"Don't you dare lie to me!" he shouted, stepping sharply out of the dark area, revealing all the rage and spectrum of emotions on his face. Fury. Anger. Hatred. Fear.
"I'm not lying to you. I honestly don't know how it got there," I answered him again.
Staggering, he moved back to the window.
"We'll have more time to discuss this."
Durs didn't take his eyes off him. He was ready to pounce on him like a snake on a bird. But, sadly, realization came—we were the bird here.
"Well, officers, I'd love to talk with you more, but I have a meeting with colleagues from the high command. So I won't detain you."
The storm roared through the windows, creating a hum.
I loosened my grip on the pistol in my pocket. Standing up, we headed to the elevator, which was to take us to our quarters.
Before entering the elevator, I glanced back at Fen. He had managed to sit back in his chair and set up holograms for the meeting. All the Edge soldiers stood behind him in a neat formation.
"Any questions, officers?" he called from a distance.
"No, sir."
Entering the elevator and pressing the button, I watched as the doors began to close slowly. I could follow Fen's face. He kept smiling at us until the doors finally closed.
After we started moving, Durs swore:
"Shit."
We went up.