\r\n“So, what did this bastard do?” Detective Elliot Asada asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Killed a judge and his entire family,” Detective Erin Rogers\r\nreplied. Elliot stopped and raised an eyebrow at Erin, unsure if she\r\nwas serious. Erin kept walking toward the interrogation rooms,\r\nbriefly stopping to look over her shoulder. “I’m serious, Elliot.\r\nThis case will probably be one of the strangest we’ve ever been\r\nassigned.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nElliot sighed and caught up to Erin. “How so? Sounds open and shut\r\nto me.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“They didn’t find any weapons at all. Just the perp sitting on the\r\nfront steps, staring at his feet, covered in blood.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Axe? Knife? Tossed it?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nErin shook her head. “No, the bodies weren’t cut. They were…\r\nWell, see for yourself.” She handed a folder to Elliot containing\r\nthe crime scene photos. He opened the folder and felt his stomach\r\nturn at what he saw.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Jesus. It looks like they just…” Elliot’s voice trailed off as\r\nhe tried to find the words.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Exploded?” Erin suggested.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nElliot silently nodded. This doesn’t make any sense. He had to\r\nhave used something — are we dealing with bio terrorism? Chemicals?\r\nBut then why isn’t the perp dead, too?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Are they sure the perp is involved?” Elliot asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Nothing is certain, but the perp’s case was being handled by this\r\njudge. He’s got the motive, the means, and a huge axe to grind. He’s\r\ngot some highly violent tendencies, though I’m betting on mental\r\nillness because he seems calm and collected before breaking out.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Oh great, just what I wanted to hear. How did we get this case?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Kurtz and Dennis apparently got real sick and the brass wants\r\nanswers, yesterday. It’s pretty high profile and the media is going\r\ncrazy trying to get details on it. We need something to throw to the\r\npress to get them off our back,” Erin answered, stopping at the\r\ndoor to one of the interrogation rooms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Is it a good idea for us to go in there with him, then? Has he got\r\na virus or something?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No one else has gotten sick at this point. They had him in\r\nquarantine and got him checked out; according to the docs, he’s\r\nhealthy as a horse. I think the M.E. seems to like him — says he’s\r\nsome kind of hidden genius.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot narrowed his eyes at Erin. “Doc Ives? ‘Likes’ him? Anyone<\/em>?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin nodded. “I guess he’s eccentric enough, just like herself. You\r\nready for this?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot pursed his lips and nodded. “Well, let’s just hope this goes\r\nwell.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin put her hand on the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door\r\nand holding it open for Elliot. He walked in to see a man in his mid\r\nto late 20s, quietly seated with his hands on the table in an orange\r\njumpsuit. His eyes were locked forward, seemingly staring off into\r\nnothingness.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot began to speak. “Good morning, Mr.-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man spoke before Elliot could finish his sentence. “Asada,\r\nElliot Ray. Age: 35. Detective of law enforcement. Unmarried. No\r\nliving immediate relatives. Unskilled with firearms. No threat.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot frowned at the man’s speech,\r\nsounding almost detached and robotic. What the hell is\r\nthis? Did someone tip him off?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What the hell is this? Did someone tip him off?” the man\r\nrepeated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot looked back to Erin, who gave him a flabbergasted look as she\r\nclosed the door.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Rogers, Erin Yvette. Age: 32.\r\nDetective of law enforcement. Engaged. One sister, both parents\r\nliving. Unskilled with firearms, minimal hand to hand combat skills.\r\nLow threat,” the man said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin gasped and looked to the man, surprise on her face.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey! We ask the questions here,” Elliot snapped. His tone of\r\nvoice seemed to shake the man, who shook his head and looked at\r\nElliot and Erin. The man then smiled at the two of them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Oh, I’m sorry, I must not have heard you enter. I’m… Did I have\r\na name? I thought I did,” the man said, frowning as he tried to\r\ncollect his thoughts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot frowned and looked back to Erin, who gave him an odd look.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’m detective Asada, this is detective Rogers. Do you know why\r\nyou’re here?” Elliot asked the man.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man shook his head. “I remember being on some steps and a bunch\r\nof blood.” He pursed his lips. “A lot of blood, actually. Is that\r\nwhat this is about?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot nodded. “Are you aware of your pending case with judge\r\nReinhardt?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes, I’m waiting for it to start. I killed someone, I think?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Did you? Kill someone?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You know, I don’t really know. I have dreams about stuff like that\r\nall the time, but my dreams have always been weird so I usually\r\ndismiss them.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot sat down across from the man and set the folder on the table.\r\n“OK, Mr.-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Five people died there, right? You don’t know why,” the man\r\nsaid, pointing to the folder.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“How do you keep doing that?” Erin asked, folding her arms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Doing what?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Have you seen that folder before?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I get deja vu really bad. It’s become a lot worse lately and I\r\ncould have sworn this whole thing has played out before. The two of\r\nyou walking in, the folder, the buzzing and dimming of the light from\r\na power brownout-” the man was interrupted by the buzzing of the\r\nlight and a brief dimming, followed by it returning to normal. He\r\nlooked up and raised an eyebrow. “It’s uncanny at times. I don’t\r\nknow why I get it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot sat back and folded his arms. “So you killed the people in\r\nthis folder?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked back down from the light and canted his head at\r\nElliot. “I’m sorry, who are you again?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Detective Asada.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Detective? Wow, that judge wasn’t fooling around, was he?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot frowned and leaned forward. “If you’re trying for the\r\ninsanity defense, it’s not going to work. We’ve got you dead to\r\nrights.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man frowned at Elliot. “I don’t take too kindly to threats,\r\nmister. Who the hell do you think you are?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin leaned over and addressed Elliot. “Elliot, be reasonable. I\r\nthink he will tell us everything he knows.” She looked at the man\r\nand smiled. “Won’t you?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked off to the side and shuddered his head, then looked\r\nback to Erin. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot slammed a fist on the table. “I’m detective Asada and this\r\nis detective Rogers!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Whoa, why are you so pissed off? I’ve heard cops had short tempers\r\nbut this is really ridiculous,” the man remarked, looking back and\r\nforth between Erin and Elliot.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“The judge, mister. The judge. Why did you kill him?” Elliot\r\nasked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Kill what judge? I haven’t killed anyone. I won’t deny that I’ve\r\nwanted to, but I haven’t acted on those impulses.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot sighed and rubbed his face.\r\nWhat is this guy’s problem? What kind of act is this?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man frowned. “My problem? You’re the one with a problem and an\r\nact, from the looks of things.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot narrowed his eyes at the man.\r\nYou can’t hear me. I’m not even speaking.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes, you are! What is this, some kind of joke?” the man asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot looked to Erin, then back to\r\nthe man. Nah, lucky guess. No way. It’s not possible.\r\nThat’s only in fiction and bullshit.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What isn’t possible? Fiction is based on reality, it just has to\r\nmake sense.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot leaned over to whisper in Erin’s ear, unsure of what was\r\nhappening. “Did you guys set this up on me? What is this?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin leaned over to whisper back. “No, and I’m starting to get\r\nfreaked out by it, too, if you were doing what I think you were. The\r\nboss is watching behind the glass, too.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot looked back to the man and leaned forward, resting his arms on\r\nthe table. “So, you think you have telepathy?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’m pretty sure that is<\/em>\r\nfiction, detective Asada. I don’t believe it’s possible, despite how\r\nbadly a lot of us would like to believe otherwise,” the man\r\nanswered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What were you doing just now, then?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man lifted an eyebrow. “You were speaking. There’s nothing\r\nspecial about that.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No, I wasn’t. I was thinking to myself.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Oh, bullshit. I saw you talk.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin leaned forward and stared at\r\nthe man, trying to find out for herself. Am I speaking to\r\nyou right now?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Ha-ha. Very funny,” the man said, rolling his eyes and folding\r\nhis arms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin smiled. What’s the\r\nmatter? Can’t take a joke? Typical of a psychopath like you.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Oh, fuck you, lady! I can take a joke and I’m not a psycho!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey!” Elliot snapped. “You better be nice!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked to Elliot and canted his head downward, giving Elliot\r\na predatory look. “Or what?” he growled, his tone seemingly\r\nchanging.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We’ll have to cuff you and put you back in holding,” Elliot\r\ngrowled in return.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man slowly closed his eyes and smiled. “You will see red now.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nElliot started to make a fist, anticipating a move from the man when\r\nhe noticed his vision began to change. Suddenly, all colors faded\r\nfrom his view and were replaced with tints of red, as if he were\r\nlooking through rose tinted glasses. Elliot jumped up and started\r\nfeeling his face and rubbing his eyes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Elliot? What’s wrong?!” Erin shouted, trying to see his face.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Got somethin’ in my eyes,” Elliot mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man opened his eyes and looked\r\nup to Erin, still smiling. “Itelakana\r\ndemands that you release her servant.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin looked back and flashed a\r\nface of anger toward the man. “You’re going nowhere!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man flashed teeth at Erin.\r\n“Oh? Even if she threatens your sister?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin slammed her hands on the\r\ntable. “We can throw you in jail for that!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Perhaps that is what we\r\ndesire. There are many deserving of death in the world; beginning\r\nwith penitentiaries would be an excellent starting point.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fine by me!” Erin shouted,\r\nturning to the two way mirror and waving at it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I wonder who is back there,”\r\nthe man remarked, leaning aside to see past Erin. “No matter; a\r\nproblem easily solved.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe glass of the mirror began to\r\ncrack, then it shattered and fell to the floor, exposing the people\r\nbehind the mirror. The man straightened himself and smiled, seeing\r\nthe people scurrying for cover.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hmm. A few public officials,\r\nall curious about whether or not detective Asada and detective Rogers\r\ncan coerce a confession out of us. Unfortunately for you…” The\r\nman stood and walked around to Erin, causing her to jump back and\r\ngrab her sidearm, pointing it at him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Stay back or I’ll shoot!”\r\nErin shouted, causing Elliot to quit rubbing his eyes and pull out\r\nhis own pistol, aiming it at the man.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked at the pistols,\r\nthen raised his hand, looking at it as he flexed his fingers around.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“She\r\nwill enhance me. She promised me. She told me that I will be with her\r\nforever, if I would only pledge my allegiance. She would give me the\r\npower to make them pay — everyone who wronged me, all those I hate,\r\nall those undeserving of life. I can<\/em>\r\nadminister justice in this world, exactly as she intended,” the man\r\nsaid, enamored with his hand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Justice?! You call what you\r\ndid justice?!” Elliot shouted, blinking his eyes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man nodded, still looking at\r\nhis hand. “The Reinhardt bloodline was doomed to failure,” he\r\nremarked. “Their evil of power flowed for generations, dictating\r\nwhat others could and could not do through petty whims. They called\r\nit ‘justice,’ but the reality is it was tyranny. Now their cells are\r\natomized, unable to ever affect the world ever again. No human should\r\nhave the kind of power they wielded.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You\r\ndid<\/em>\r\nkill them,” Erin said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes.\r\nThey found out first hand her power. They believed themselves\r\nuntouchable; they thought no one could control them. When the truth\r\nwas revealed to them, they could not bear to witness it and so paid\r\nthe price for their lack of consciousness. They were reduced to a\r\nform more deserving<\/em>\r\nfor their level of thought.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Who are you to decide that?!”\r\nErin shouted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Because she gave me the gift\r\nof absolute consciousness. I can sense you all… Your thoughts, your\r\ndesires…” The man sighed and closed his eyes, canting his head\r\nupwards. “If only you had felt what I had felt from my creation. If\r\nonly you knew what it was like to have a conscience. To become\r\nsomething beyond that meat and bone structure you call a body.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I have a conscience! It’s you\r\nwho doesn’t!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked back down and\r\nopened his eyes, shaking his head at Erin. “No. You only think you\r\nhave a conscience. If you had one, you would know this all could have\r\nbeen avoided. If you had not rejected me. If you had treated me as a\r\nhuman being, not as an outcast. I do not forgive, nor do I forget,\r\ndetective Rogers. I cannot simply ‘walk it off’ or ‘forget about it.’\r\nAnd now, thanks to her, I will administer true justice upon humanity\r\nfor what they have done.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin gritted her teeth. “I\r\nnever even met you before!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man canted his head and\r\nsmiled. “The collective sins of humanity stain you all. Do you not\r\nremember Cathy, from when you were a child? Because of what you and\r\nyour ‘friends’ did to her, she later killed herself. A life\r\nextinguished because of your own hubris.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I was just a kid! So were my\r\nfriends! That’s not our fault!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man nodded. “Hence, you\r\nlack a conscience — or you would have known her pain. Instead, you\r\nblindly follow your own excuses, forgetting about the sins you have\r\ncommitted.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“That’s enough!” Elliot\r\nshouted, taking careful aim at the man’s torso and firing off a\r\nround. It lanced out and hit the man, but seemingly did not affect\r\nhim. The man looked at his hand again and made a fist.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You are too late. She has\r\ngiven me the last gift. I am now beyond humanity and you shall all\r\npay for your sins,” the man said. Erin noticed that black vessels\r\nwere beginning to spread across his face, seemingly moving beneath\r\nhis skin. Where Elliot had shot the man, a black stain began to\r\nexpand across the orange jumpsuit he wore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No. Impossible,” Erin said,\r\nnot believing what her eyes were telling her. In a panic, she raised\r\nher firearm and fired several times into the man, but each hit seemed\r\nto do nothing to him — not even a hint of any kind of wound\r\nappeared on him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man lowered his hand and\r\nlooked down. “Now, you too, shall know my pain.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nA creeping feeling began to come\r\ninto the back of Erin’s mind and she began to feel sadness, then\r\ndepression, until finally it felt too much.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No. No!” Erin sobbed,\r\nfeeling herself point her pistol at her head.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Why, Erin? Why did you do it?\r\nAll those sins, all those mistakes… Nothing can make up for them,”\r\nthe man whispered, still staring at the floor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’m\r\nsorry! I’m so sorry!” Erin continued sobbing, falling to her knees.\r\nHe’s right. I\r\nhave to die. Nothing but my death will make up for the sins I’ve\r\ncommitted.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe\r\nman looked up to Erin and nodded. “Now you know<\/em>\r\nconsciousness. You know what I have suffered through. Now… Become\r\none with Itelakana.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nErin pulled the trigger, falling\r\ndead as the bullet went through her head. Elliot screamed and emptied\r\nhis pistol’s magazine into the man, each round having no impact\r\nwhatsoever to the man.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked to Elliot and\r\ngrinned. “Now, detective Asada, perhaps you would like to know how\r\nthe Reinhardt family met their demise?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Why are you\r\ndoing this?” Rebecca asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Isn’t it\r\nobvious?” the man answered. He carefully paced around the room,\r\nlooking out the window as police officers spilled into the area\r\noutside. He rested his arms behind his back and sighed, shaking his\r\nhead at the people outside.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “They’ll stop\r\nyou, you know,” Rebecca said. “If you keep standing by that\r\nwindow, they’ll shoot you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “I cannot be\r\nkilled, missus Rebecca Anders,” the man replied. “I am beyond\r\nlife and death, as is she.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Rebecca gave the\r\nman a puzzled look, unsure of who he was speaking of. “Who?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The man turned and\r\nfrowned at Rebecca. “My master. The ruler of us all.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “So why are you\r\ndoing these things? That ability you displayed-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “It is the only\r\nway to bring humanity to heel,” the man dismissively remarked,\r\nwaving a hand. “For far too long have so many individuals within\r\nhumanity operated with impunity, beholden to no one and nothing for\r\ntheir actions — or lack thereof. When I received the last gift, she\r\nalso gave me a mission. What you saw was simply one part of what has\r\nyet to come.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “You’re holding\r\nall of humanity responsible for the acts of the few?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The man thought for\r\na moment, then nodded. “Yes. If humanity as a whole cannot purge\r\nthese individuals from their midst, then it is time for an external\r\nforce to take action. I merely represent the vector by which that\r\nforce is used.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “But who are you\r\nto judge all of us-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “It’s not me.\r\nIt’s her. Itelakana.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “So why does she\r\nhave the right to judge us?” Rebecca asked, trying to understand\r\nthe strange man’s logic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “I told you: she\r\nis the ruler of us all. She comes before and after, from beyond and\r\nwithin, near yet afar. She is us and we are her.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Rebecca frowned,\r\nbecoming more confused than ever. What’s wrong with him? Is he-<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“There’s nothing wrong with me,” the man curtly said,\r\ninterrupting Rebecca’s thoughts. “I exist as a bridge between\r\nhumanity and Itelakana. Because of this, I have the ability to change\r\nthe nature of reality as you understand it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You can read minds?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked out the window and nodded. “Yes. Reading human minds\r\nwas the first ability she gave me. It allowed her to express what she\r\ndesired me to do in order to receive the rest of her gifts. I was\r\nable to find those near me who truly deserved the full weight of her\r\nwrath; many of whom remained so blissfully unaware of what I could\r\nfeel from them.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca looked past the man to the people outside, watching the\r\npolice officers take cover and place barricades. “What are they\r\nthinking?” she finally asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man momentarily rubbed his chin, allowing Rebecca to see the gray\r\nvessels underneath his flesh — seemingly moving as he flexed his\r\nhand. “They are trying to make sense of what happened — how\r\nItelakana’s power could do this. They do not have the conscious\r\nability to decipher her thoughts. They push their own thoughts and\r\nfeelings away, filling their minds with doubt and disbelief. So\r\nclosed to the possibilities, no matter how remote; they willingly\r\nmarch toward their inevitable deaths. Some cling to their faith;\r\nothers, to their hubris.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“They’re going to die? All of them?” Rebecca asked, horror in her\r\nvoice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The\r\nman nodded. “Yes. None have embraced their conscience; that will be\r\ntheir undoing. I can feel all their fears, desires, the people\r\nthey’ve hurt, the mistakes they’ve made… No one down there is\r\ninnocent. They are all<\/em>\r\nthe blood of the damned.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“And me? What am I?” Rebecca asked, feeling that she already knew\r\nthe answer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked back to Rebecca and nodded. “Yes. You already know\r\nthe answer; I need not say it aloud.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I will die here, too,” Rebecca remarked, sitting back against\r\nthe wall.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man nodded once again. “Yes. Not by my hand or by Itelakana’s\r\nwill, but by those who know more than they appear. You will know them\r\nwhen you see them. In some ways, you can already feel them.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca frowned and shook her head. “No, I can’t. I don’t feel\r\nanything but fear — fear of you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man smiled, somehow allaying Rebecca’s fears and strangely\r\nwarming her heart. “I am a tool, Rebecca. You do not fear me —\r\nyou fear Itelakana. You fear what may happen after this is over. You\r\nfear for your children and your husband. You need not your fear,\r\nRebecca; it will dissipate in due time.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But my fear is telling me what’s wrong. What might happen. What\r\ncould happen — and what probably will happen, if you don’t give\r\nup.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man dropped his smile and nodded. “Biological survival\r\nmechanisms are difficult to defeat. Ignoring them is the first step\r\nto realizing your true self; only when you separate your body from\r\nyour mind will you realize the truth.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What truth?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man walked over and squatted down before Rebecca. “That we are\r\nall part of Itelakana. Everything you are, everything you’ve been,\r\neverything you will be — all belongs to her. The crude matter that\r\nrepresents our physical selves shackles us to this harsh reality;\r\nonly when we are free from it do we know ourselves.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You’re talking about G-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No!” the man shouted in anger, raising a fist. “God is\r\nimagination! A pathetic creation of our physical bodies, leading us\r\nastray from the truth!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “But\r\nwhat you’re talking about is<\/em>\r\nthe definition of God!” Rebecca shouted back. “This ‘Itelakana’\r\nsounds just like Him!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The\r\nman shook his head. “No. Itelakana did not<\/em>\r\ncreate us, Rebecca. She is us and we are her — she did not create\r\nus. I do not have the time to explain her story to you, for it is\r\nbeyond all of us.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca let out an exasperated sigh. “Why not?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked over to the door and tilted his head toward it.\r\n“Because they are coming. And it is not time for you to realize the\r\ntruth yet.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca looked to the door and began to ask a question when it burst\r\nopen, a full team of armored police officers moving in with weapons\r\npointed and bright lights flashing across the room.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Police! Put your hands up! Get down on the ground!” one of the\r\npolicemen shouted. Rebecca held her hands up but remained seated next\r\nto the wall, looking at the man and wondering what he was going to\r\ndo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man sighed and looked back to Rebecca. He nodded, then looked\r\nover to the policemen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No,” the man said, turning to face the policemen. “Your deaths\r\napproach on swift feet.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“OK, drop him!” a policeman shouted, raising his pistol and\r\nfiring past his ballistic shield, cuing the other policemen to fire\r\nas well. The sound of firearms echoed over the room, but nothing\r\nseemed to be hitting the man. After what felt like an eternity to\r\nRebecca, the policemen ran out of ammunition and the only sound she\r\nheard was the ringing in her ears.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man held a hand out, opening it to reveal a single bullet and a\r\ndeep, black blood seeping out of his hand. Rebecca’s jaw dropped open\r\nas she watched him drop the bullet and the wound on his hand close,\r\nonly a drop of blood dripping away from his hand onto the floor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Now\r\nyou shall all realize the truth of your existence,” the man said,\r\ndropping his hand back to his side. Suddenly, the policemen dropped\r\ntheir weapons and began to scream in agony, an invisible force\r\nlifting them up from the floor and suspending them in the air.\r\nRebecca looked over and saw them began to bleed, then their flesh\r\nbegan to split, until finally their bodies turned to a pure liquid,\r\npooling on the floor, with clothing and weapons poking out — and\r\ntheir bones.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“And now, you know true consciousness,” the man whispered,\r\nsighing as he did so.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca shivered and held herself close, looking away from the\r\ncarnage. “Why did you do that?” she asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You know why, Rebecca,” the man answered. “Humanity must be\r\nbrought to heel. It must be forced to change its nature, since it is\r\nunwilling to do so on its own volition.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But you have the power to destroy only those who deserve it,”\r\nRebecca said. “What did they ever do that justified killing them?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man walked over to the remains and knelt down, rubbing a finger\r\nin the blood. “They refused to acknowledge their conscious minds.\r\nThey believed that everything they had ever done would not return to\r\nhaunt them — that they were innocent for this reason or that. No\r\none is innocent, Rebecca; we all have guilt, whether we deceive\r\nourselves about it or not.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“And you get to decide their punishment?!” Rebecca incredulously\r\nasked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man looked back and shook his head. “No. It was not my\r\ndecision. It was hers. Even I do not fully understand why she takes\r\nthe actions she does; it is not my place to understand why.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca narrowed her eyes and gave a cold stare to the man. “Right.\r\nYou’re just a tool. A slave, even.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man nodded. “Yes. Itelakana is my master, Rebecca. I must do\r\nher bidding, or a fate worse than death awaits me.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca sighed and looked out the window, tired of trying to\r\nunderstand the man. “What happens now? Will you kill all of them,\r\ntoo?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man stood and looked out the window, then shook his head. “No.\r\nItelakana merely chose this time and place to send a message. A\r\nmessage that you will deliver.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Me?” Rebecca asked, completely confused by now. “Why?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You will know when they find you. Goodbye, Rebecca Anders.” The\r\nman held his hands behind his back, then vanished, as if he had never\r\neven been there. Rebecca frowned, looking around and trying to\r\nunderstand what had just happened.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nSuddenly, more policemen burst through the door, their weapons\r\npointed at Rebecca.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hands up! Do it now!” one policeman commanded. Rebecca complied\r\nand raised her hands, remaining as still as she could. The policemen\r\ncarefully came forward, then pushed her down to the floor and bound\r\nher hands behind her back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Jesus. What happened here? Where’s the suspect?” one policeman\r\nasked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“He vanished,” Rebecca answered. “I don’t know what happened to\r\nhim.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Search the area. Suspect is probably nearby — he can’t have gone\r\nfar on foot,” another policeman ordered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca shook her head. “No. He’s not. And when he comes back,\r\nthings will be far worse.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n –<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Sorry for all the problems, missus Anders,” the detective said,\r\nhanding a cup of coffee to Rebecca as she sat down in the car.\r\n“Police procedure and all that. You’re sure you never saw him\r\nleave? He just vanished without a trace?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca nodded. “One moment he was standing in front of the window,\r\nthen he was suddenly gone. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t\r\nseen it with my own eyes.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Any weapons that you could see? Maybe like a gas or something?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No, nothing. In fact, I’m not even sure how I got in the room with\r\nhim. My last memory was sitting at my desk when he came in, then I\r\nwas in the room, sitting by myself.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe detective lifted an eyebrow. “You never saw him kill the\r\nsenator and his entire staff?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca frowned and looked up. “No. I didn’t even realize the\r\nsenator had been killed until I was brought outside, walking past\r\ntheir bodies.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But you saw the SWAT team get killed, right?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca nodded. “Yes. They were… Slaughtered. I don’t know how he\r\ndid it; he just liquefied their bodies through pure will alone. They\r\ntried to shoot him but all they seemed to do was injure his hand.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe detective’s eyes lit up when he heard that. “He was injured?\r\nDid he bleed?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes. A single drop of blood — I remember it very clearly. And a\r\nbullet.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe detective waved over another policeman, who jogged up to the\r\ndetective.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey, Bryan,” the detective said, “tell the crime scene folks\r\nto look for a bullet and a drop of blood near where we found missus\r\nAnders.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe policeman nodded and walked off, speaking into a radio,\r\npresumably to tell the personnel conducting the investigation to look\r\nfor the detective’s clue.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“His blood was almost purely black,” Rebecca remarked. “He held\r\nthe bullet as if he was trying to show me something. His hand had a\r\nwound on it that just closed rapidly, like it regenerated. I don’t\r\nknow why he was trying to show that to me.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Did he say why he was doing this? Anything about his motivations?\r\nWhere he was going, that sort of thing?” the detective asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca shook her head. “No. I wanted to believe he was insane, but\r\nhe seemed to act and move with a deliberate purpose. He knew exactly\r\nwhat he was doing, yet it felt almost as if something within him\r\ndidn’t want to.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe detective frowned. “What do you mean?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca looked away. “He… Told me he was a tool. A slave. That\r\nwhat he was doing wasn’t of his own volition.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But you’re sure he wasn’t crazy?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca sighed and nodded. “Yes. He was rational, calm, and\r\nthinking clearly — far more clearly than I would’ve thought\r\npossible. I felt like he was on some different level of existence,\r\nfar in advanced of the rest of us.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But he-” the detective continued, but was cut off by two men\r\napproaching in suits.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“FBI. We’ll take it from here,” one man interrupted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Excuse me?” the detective asked. “Don’t pull the fed crap with\r\nme, guys. You can’t just walk-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We can and we have,” the other man said. “Don’t throw your\r\ncareer away over this, detective.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“This is preposterous! Let me-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe first man pulled out a phone, interrupting the detective’s\r\nprotest, dialing a series of numbers, then handed the phone to the\r\ndetective. “Your superiors are on the line, detective. They’re\r\nordering you to stand down.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe detective growled and grabbed the phone, expecting some odd joke\r\nto be pulled on him. Instead, he heard the voice of his lieutenant on\r\nthe line.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Jim, it’s Wally,” the lieutenant said over the phone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Wally? What the fuck is-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Jim, let these gentlemen from the FBI take missus Anders into\r\ncustody. They’re taking over the investigation.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Wally, you can’t-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Jim! Let it drop. I’ll explain it all to you later.” Wally hung\r\nup and Jim looked at the phone in disbelief.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Good enough for you, detective?” the first man asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nJim looked to Rebecca and sighed. “Will you be OK, missus Anders?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca looked up and nodded. “Yes. Thanks for your help,\r\ndetective.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Let’s get you home, missus Anders,” the second man said, taking\r\nRebecca’s arm and lifting her up. The men kept her close, weaving\r\nthrough the various police cars and ushering her to an unmarked car.\r\nThey put her in the back seat, then got in and began driving off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You’re not really FBI, are you?” Rebecca asked, looking at the\r\ntwo men up front. Neither acknowledged her question, the two men\r\ncontinuing to look ahead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca looked down and gasped. “I… I can hear you!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe men looked at one another for a moment, then back forward.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca shook her head. “Don’t do this. Please don’t do this!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We have a team heading to your home to collect your children and\r\nhusband,” one of the men said. “You’ll join them at a secure\r\nlocation. Don’t try anything and you won’t be harmed.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You’re lying,” Rebecca said, sitting back in her seat. “I\r\nfinally know what he was talking about. I just don’t know what\r\nmessage I was supposed to deliver.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe driver stopped the car, the tires screeching as he slammed on the\r\nbrakes. He turned and looked back at Rebecca, fear on his face. “What\r\nmessage?!” he shouted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nRebecca shook her head. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe other man drew out a firearm and pointed the muzzle squarely at\r\nRebecca’s face. “We need to kill her now!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nBefore the driver could respond, the window shattered and a man\r\npulled the driver out, tearing the seat belt out with him. The other\r\nman swung his pistol around and fired through the broken window, the\r\nmuzzle blast causing Rebecca to instinctively drop her head down and\r\ncover her ears. She momentarily looked up, seeing the man who fired\r\ntrying to undo his seat belt when the door swung open and he, too,\r\nwas pulled out of the car. Rebecca tried to open her door, but it was\r\nlocked and she couldn’t open it. She began to panic and looked for a\r\nway to smash the window when she saw a bloody hand grasp the\r\npassenger’s headrest.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You… You are…” the man mumbled, then expired. Rebecca\r\nstrained to look over the seat, seeing the man dead with a massive\r\nhole in his back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nSuddenly, the door unlocked, cuing Rebecca to jerk the handle and\r\nstumble out, falling out of the car. She crawled away, trying to get\r\nup, but stopped when she saw the man from the office before her, a\r\nhand extended. She frowned and took his hand, allowing him to pull\r\nher up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Not everything is what it seems, Rebecca,” the man whispered,\r\nhis voice completely different in tone and demeanor compared to\r\nbefore. “You can stop me. You can stop us.” He looked up, to the\r\nnight sky. “Find a way before it is too late.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Before\r\nRebecca could respond, the man vanished again, leaving her alone. She\r\nshivered and looked back to the car, seeing the driver dead on the\r\nroad, apparently beaten to death, and the bloody hand of his\r\ncompanion still clutching the seat. She looked up to the sky, feeling\r\nas if she was being watched. She gasped as she felt something in the\r\nback of her mind, probing around. Itelakana.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “I\r\ncan feel you, Itelakana,” Rebecca said out loud. “I don’t know\r\nwho you are or what you are, but I swear: I will<\/em>\r\nstop you!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yo! Mount up! We’re moving in\r\n5 minutes!” Edward shouted, spinning his fingers upward to indicate\r\nhis crew should get in the tank.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We’re doing this?” Craig\r\nasked, slipping his helmet on and getting ready to boost himself to\r\nthe driver’s position.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward nodded and grabbed onto\r\nthe handholds to lift himself to the turret. “Flyboys ran into some\r\nproblems, so we’re it. No idea what we’re dealing with out there.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Super secret squirrel stuff,\r\nsir?” Josh, the loader, asked as he stuck his head out of the\r\nturret.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Don’t know,” Edward replied\r\nas he dropped down into the commander’s cupola. “Told me they’ll\r\npipe it over the radio when we close in.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“This weird shit has been going\r\non for too long,” Craig grumbled as he dropped down into the\r\ndriver’s seat and closed the hatch. He adjusted his microphone and\r\nplugged the cord into the intercom, then pressed the transmit button\r\non his control column. “Driver in, comm check.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Loud n’ clear,” Smith, the\r\ngunner, replied. “What’s been going on out there? I keep hearing\r\nrumors all over, something about some serial killer.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“So let the cops handle it,”\r\nJosh chattered across the intercom. “Why are we doing some domestic\r\nenforcement mission?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“A secure military\r\ninstallation, gents,” Edward answered as he closed the hatch.\r\n“Beyond that, I don’t know anything more than you guys.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Alright, things look good,”\r\nCraig remarked. “Permission to start the engine.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Go for it. We have some\r\ndistance to cover,” Edward said, getting the commander’s station\r\nready.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCraig went through the startup\r\nprocedure and then pressed the starter button, hearing the electric\r\nmotor roar to life as it drove the mechanics to start the turbine and\r\nbring life to the seventy ton mechanical beast. Whatever it is,\r\nit’s not gonna be a match for an entire armored division!<\/em> After a\r\nfew moments, the turbine began to run and he carefully watched the\r\ngauges to ensure everything was within limits.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Driver, engine is started and\r\nin the green,” Craig said, sitting back and preparing for Edward’s\r\norders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Standby,” Edward mumbled as\r\nhe brought up his situation display and tied into the datalink. The\r\nnetwork had been spotty for a while, but today it seemed even worse\r\nand he only had a good picture of his own platoon’s tanks. What\r\nthe fuck is going on out there? More lowest bidder crap. Damn it!<\/em>\r\nHe tapped the side of the display but was rewarded with no change,\r\ncausing him to let out a frustrated sigh. He keyed his microphone to\r\nthe division channel in order to check in and hopefully get more\r\ninformation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Papa Bear, this is Fist 4-1,\r\nchecking in,” Edward loudly said over the radio. “Platoon is\r\nready and waiting for orders. Having some problems with the\r\ndatalink.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fist 4-1, Papa Bear. Say\r\nagain, transmission was corrupted,” an older male voice replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fist 4-1, checking in, waiting\r\nfor orders,” Edward repeated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Received, Fist 4-1. Proceed to\r\ntarget coordinates.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nWhat? I didn’t get any\r\ncoordinates.<\/em> Edward furrowed his\r\nbrow and looked back at his situation display, not having received\r\nany data from his superiors on it yet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Papa Bear, Fist 4-1 has not\r\nreceived any target coordinates,” Edward said into the radio.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fist 4-1, data link\r\ntransmission should have been received,” the man replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Negative, Papa Bear. Datalink\r\nis not functioning.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Understood. Manually enter\r\ntarget coordinates: 37.230405, -115.793629.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward\r\nfrowned and brought up his map page, then punched in the coordinates.\r\nWhy there, of all places? Isn’t that an airstrip for the\r\nflyboys?<\/em> “Papa Bear, Fist 4-1,\r\ncoordinates entered. Ready for orders.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Proceed to target coordinates.\r\nFurther information will be provided en route.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Received and understood.\r\nMoving to target coordinates.” Edward sent the coordinates to the\r\nrest of his platoon, then keyed to their own channel. “OK guys, I’m\r\nsending you some coordinates since the datalink is being picky.\r\nFollow my lead and I’ll pass on our briefing as soon as I get it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fist 4-2, affirm,” a tank\r\ncommander replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fist 4-3, understood,”\r\nanother replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fist 4-4, got it,” the last\r\ncommander answered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nOK, let’s hope they give us\r\nmore info. <\/em>Edward shifted his\r\nmicrophone back to the intercom to talk to the driver. “Craig,\r\ncheck your map display. Get us going on those coordinates.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes\r\nsir, I- Boss, what the fuck?!” Craig exclaimed. “We’re going\r\nthere?!<\/em>“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeah, that’s what they gave\r\nus.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“And\r\nyou do<\/em> know what’s\r\nthere?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Just get us moving. This isn’t\r\nthe time to argue,” Edward mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeah, yeah, right,” Craig\r\nreplied. He shifted the tank into gear and began surging forward, the\r\nturbine roaring as it propelled the heavy vehicle ahead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward switched back to the\r\ndivision channel and tried to listen in, but static interference kept\r\nhim from getting a clear transmission.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Papa Bear to all units, we…\r\nEng-… with enem-… Use anti-person-… Target is-” was all\r\nEdward heard of the latest transmission before it abruptly cut off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Loader, load up grapeshot,”\r\nEdward ordered, looking over to Josh. He nodded and opened the\r\nammunition compartment, pulling out a shell and sliding it into the\r\ncannon’s breech, closing the block and locking it in place.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Up!” Josh shouted, closing\r\nthe ammunition door and bracing himself in the turret.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward clicked his microphone\r\nback to the division frequency, hoping to hear from Papa Bear again.\r\n“Papa Bear, Fist 4-1. Last transmission was corrupted. Understood\r\nanti-personnel rounds to be loaded.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fist-…\r\nEnemy is-… Hos-” was all that came across the radio before\r\nfalling silent again. Edward groaned and rubbed his eyes. This\r\nis bad. We have no idea what we’re doing or what we’re dealing with.\r\nThey shouldn’t have rushed us out like this. Somebody is going to get\r\nmessed up.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Boss! Contacts up ahead!”\r\nSmith shouted out, looking through his scope. “Looks like…\r\nArmor?!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward\r\npicked his head up and looked through his own sighting system to\r\nconfirm. As Smith had said, there were some tanks ahead, kicking up\r\ndust and moving ahead. That’s odd. They look like… Our\r\ntanks? Identical- Those <\/em>are\r\nour tanks!<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“This\r\ncan’t be right,” Edward mumbled. “Gunner, confirm that armor is\r\ntraveling in front<\/em> of\r\nus and away.<\/em>“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Er, yeah. They’re facing away\r\nfrom us. They’re-They’re just… Like our tanks,” Smith whispered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Driver, stop,” Edward\r\nordered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Understood, stopping,” Craig\r\nreplied. As he did so, the image in Edward’s scope did the exact same\r\nthing: the tanks came to a grinding halt.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNo. No way.<\/em>\r\nEdward rubbed his face, unsure of what he was seeing. Should\r\nI look at this with my own eyes? Is this some kind of malfunction?\r\nBut that can’t be. Not like this.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Gunner, turret left 90\r\ndegrees,” Edward ordered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What?” Smith mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Turn the turret left. 90\r\ndegrees, please,” Edward repeated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeah, OK,” Smith replied,\r\nthen began turning the turret. As he did so, Edward watched the image\r\nin his scope do the exact same thing: the turret on the tank turned\r\n90 degrees to the left, then stop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Impossible,”\r\nEdward mumbled. “I’m taking a look.” He opened the hatch on his\r\ncupola and looked ahead, seeing an identical tank in front of his\r\nown, with an exact duplicate of himself standing in the cupola and\r\nlooking ahead. He extended out an arm and waved, seeing his mirror\r\nimage do the same. No… This has to be an illusion. It\r\ncan’t be real.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey!\r\nYou! In the tank!” Edward shouted, then in an instant heard his\r\nexact words come back to his own ears. No way. No way.<\/em>\r\nHe ducked back into the cupola and closed the hatch, locking it shut.\r\n“Gunner, turret straight ahead,” he ordered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Affirm,” Smith replied,\r\nusing his controls to turn the turret back straight ahead. “What’s\r\ngoing on?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIgnoring Smith, Edward switched\r\nto the platoon frequency and keyed his microphone. “Fist 4-1 to\r\nFist 4-2. Do you see a tank ahead on your scope?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nSilence\r\ngreeted Edward’s request. What the hell? Have we lost all\r\ncommunications?<\/em> “Fist 4-1 to\r\nFist 4-2. Respond.” He looked on his situation display, only to\r\nfind no contacts; the entire datalink seemed to be down, including\r\nthe one between his own platoon. He went back to his scope and panned\r\nit around, seeing no other tanks aside from the mirror image ahead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Sir? What’s going on?” Smith\r\nasked again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We’ve got no communications —\r\nno radio, no data link, nothing,” Edward answered. “Just the\r\nreflection in front of us.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do you wanna do? Retreat\r\nand regroup?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward hesitated for a moment as\r\nhe tried to come up with a course of action. No briefing. No idea\r\nwhat we’re dealing with. No one else but us and this mirror image.<\/em>\r\nHe glanced back at the scope, seeing the mirror image in front of\r\nthem. “Just continue to the coordinates. We’ll try and regroup with\r\nthe others there.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes sir,” Craig nervously\r\nreplied into the intercom, then started moving the tank forward\r\nagain. Edward watched the mirror image in his scope do the same,\r\nstaying exactly in front of them and seemingly repeating their every\r\naction.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You think that place has\r\nanything to do with this?” Josh asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward lifted an eyebrow at\r\nJosh’s query. “That’s just rumors. That place is just for highly\r\nclassified aircraft, nothing more and nothing less.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You think they’d tell us if\r\nthey were doing more?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“If we had a need to know, they\r\nwould.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nJosh braced himself on a railing.\r\n“So why tell us en route instead of before we had to run into this\r\nmess?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Probably because the flyboys\r\ndon’t like sharing anything with us. Don’t go wild with the\r\nspeculation because it’s not going to be nearly as exciting as you\r\nthink it is.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’m more concerned about\r\ngetting killed.” Josh tilted his head forward for emphasis. “A\r\nmirror image of our own tank? No radio? No datalink? What’s going on\r\nout there?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward looked into his scope.\r\n“We’ll find out when we can see the coordinates, just past this\r\nridge.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe tank bucked a bit as it hit\r\nsome rough patch of ground, then lifted up a bit and crested a ridge.\r\nAs Edward looked into his scope, his view was distorted by a bright\r\nshining beacon of light in the distance, which also seemed to distort\r\ntheir mirror image ahead. He looked at the image and watched as it\r\nseemed to shift in position, appear, then reappear, and then in an\r\ninstant seemed to explode. He jumped back and braced himself for a\r\nshockwave, but it never came. What the hell?! What’s going on\r\nhere?!<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What? What happened?” Josh\r\nasked, looking at Edward with befuddlement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“The tank ahead, it just blew\r\nup,” Edward answered. He peered back into his scope, only to be\r\ngreeted with no mirror image — just the beacon of light ahead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“So what’s that mean? No\r\ncontacts?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“It means we might be dead,”\r\nEdward mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“That makes no sense. If we\r\nwere dead, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t be talking to one another\r\nlike this and I’m pretty sure we’d have felt the tank get hit.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward passed an annoyed glance\r\ntoward Josh. “And you’ve died before, so you know all this, right?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Just saying, sir,” Josh\r\ngrumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward let out a sigh and checked\r\nhis display again; the datalink was still down and he had no idea who\r\nor what else might be out there. What can we do? Should we go\r\nforward? Back?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I think we should turn back\r\nand regroup, see if we can’t get contact with anyone,” Smith said\r\nwhile looking down his sight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No, we can’t do that,”\r\nEdward replied while shaking his head. “We need to continue on,\r\nfind out what’s going on out there.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“That light doesn’t look very\r\nfriendly, sir.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Which is why we need to check\r\nit out. Driver, forward.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes sir,” Craig replied over\r\nthe intercom, the engine surging as he twisted the throttle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward scanned around for threats\r\non his scope, the small commander’s sensor turret on top of the main\r\nturret twisting around with his view. Nothing threatening was visible\r\n— just miles of desert and the bright light in the distance. A\r\nchill echoed through his spine, putting a sense of foreboding in his\r\nspirit. I’m starting to second guess myself. Something should be\r\nout here — the other tanks, aircraft, someone, anything. Not empty\r\ndesert. Not a blinding light in the distance.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We’re within 2 miles of the\r\ndestination, sir,” Craig said over the intercom. Edward twisted his\r\nsights back to the light, the brightness of it washing out his\r\noptics. The ride became smoother as they crossed to smoother, more\r\neven sand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Alright, gunner, start\r\ntracking that light; standby to fire,” Edward ordered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes sir,” Smith replied, the\r\nactuators in the turret groaning as he twisted the controls around to\r\nbring the large cannon to bear. “Ready to fire.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hang on.” Edward sat back\r\nand rubbed his chin. I shouldn’t fire on it without orders. I- <\/em>A\r\npop sounded and suddenly the engine died, along with the rest of the\r\nelectronics in the tank.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What the hell was that?! I got\r\nno power!” Craig shouted, his voice muffled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Everything’s out,” Smith\r\nmumbled, checking a few of his panels. “I got nothing.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Driver, go for restart!”\r\nEdward ordered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nA few clangs sounded out, but\r\nnothing but silence followed. “I got nothin’! Battery’s dead!”\r\nCraig shouted back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Everybody out! Bail out!”\r\nEdward shouted, popping his hatch open and thrusting out of the tank.\r\nThe clatter of hatches being opened followed by boots slamming on\r\nmetal echoed over the near-silent desert as the crew got out of the\r\ntank, the four of them regrouping on the desert floor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What was that all about?”\r\nJosh asked as he looked back to the tank, then to the others.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“If we can’t restart,” Edward\r\nsaid, “then we’re dead in the water. No sense in risking getting\r\nshot.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“There’s nothing out here,”\r\nCraig mumbled as he squatted down and looked at the sand. “It’s\r\nlike everything is dead here.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“It’s a dry lakebed in a\r\ndesert; of course it’s dead,” Smith remarked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No, he’s right,” Josh\r\ninterjected. “Listen. No wind, right?” He pointed to the sky. “No\r\nstars. Not even the moon. Everything is gone.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEveryone looked to the sky, and\r\njust as Josh had said, the sky was pitch black. Nothing was visible\r\nexcept for the light on the fringes of their vision.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“How in the hell is that\r\npossible?” Smith asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“It isn’t,” Edward answered.\r\nHe then looked back and gasped. “Where’d the tank go?!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe group looked back and where\r\ntheir tank had been was now empty desert; there were not even tracks\r\nin the sand, as if they hadn’t even been there.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What’s going on? This can’t be\r\nreal,” Craig mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do we do now?” Josh\r\nasked Edward. “We’re not getting anywhere in the desert on foot and\r\nwe left all our gear in the tank.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward sighed and rubbed his\r\nface. The only way out is through.<\/em> He looked at his crew then\r\nnodded toward the light. “We’ve got one option. I don’t think I\r\nneed to say it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“The base?” Smith asked. “Is\r\nthere even going to be anyone there?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“It’s only 2 miles so let’s get\r\nmoving,” Edward ordered, starting a brisk pace toward the light.\r\nThe others followed him, each letting out a grumble or a sigh at\r\ntheir predicament. At least it’s night and not day, or we’d die of\r\nheat exhaustion in short order. On the other hand, the temperature\r\nfeels almost as if it were controlled… Perfectly comfortable. In a\r\ndesert, how’s that possible?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Think those rumors might be\r\ntrue now?” Josh mumbled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I thought you were the one who\r\nsaid we might be dead,” Smith replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Well, yeah, still a\r\npossibility.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Not my idea of the afterlife,”\r\nCraig interjected.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Nor the idea of anyone else,”\r\na male voice whispered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Who said that?!” Edward\r\nexclaimed, looking around in the darkness. The group nervously looked\r\naround, trying to find who might be following them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Soldiers, sent like lambs to\r\nthe slaughter,” the male voice continued. “An army, sent to\r\nsubdue one man. A nation, broken by inevitability. Were they all so\r\nblind to send you here, so woefully unprepared?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward glanced around, but the\r\nvoice seemed close yet far at the same time. Is he shadowing us?\r\nRemotely watching us? What does he want?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What do you want, Lieutenant?\r\nWhat is it that you<\/em> desire?” the male voice asked. “Why\r\ndid you come here, despite everything you saw? Why did you not run\r\nwhen the opportunity presented itself?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We were given orders,”\r\nEdward answered. “‘Ours is not to question why, but to do or die.’\r\n“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe male voice let out a light\r\nchuckle. “I used to believe such things, too. Those above you are\r\nso willing to cast your lives aside, knowing that you will live by\r\nsuch ideals. Yet, were you to see them as the petty insects they are,\r\nyou would realize that such ideals are wasted on them.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“They are our superiors. We\r\nfollow their orders and that’s the end of it.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What<\/em> orders? Hmm? ‘Go\r\nto these coordinates,’ they said. Why? What were you to do when you\r\narrived? Die, perhaps?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward nodded. “If need be. I\r\nwould lay down my life and the lives of my men for my country.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Would you lay down your life\r\nfor your fellow man?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Isn’t that what I just said?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“No. You said you would lay\r\nyour lives and the lives of your men down for the country. I am\r\nasking if you would lay your life down for you fellow man. Not\r\ncountry. Not nation. Not army, group, or any human institution. Your\r\nfellow man.<\/em>“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward frowned and hesitated. Not\r\nfor just anyone, no.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hollow words, Lieutenant,”\r\nthe male voice growled, seemingly reading Edward’s mind. “Your\r\ncountry has existed. Your country has fallen. Your country never\r\nexisted. Everything, everywhere, every possibility; yet you are\r\nunsure if you would lay your life down for your fellow man. You are a\r\nslave to those who manipulate you for their own means and you refuse\r\nto admit this.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward folded his arms and looked\r\nat his crew. “Aren’t you doing the same thing?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Of course, but I have not\r\nmasked that fact, have I now?” the male voice replied with a\r\nchuckle. “You refuse to acknowledge that your entire existence is a\r\nparadox. A world built upon lies and ideals, manipulated by those you\r\nwould consider petty thieves if not for the power they wield. Tell\r\nme, what is the difference between a thief and a head of state?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“That’s a dumb question,”\r\nEdward mumbled. “A thief is a thief. A head of state doesn’t commit\r\ncrimes.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe male voice let out booming\r\nlaughter, seemingly shaking the ground. “You truly believe that,\r\nLieutenant?! With everything you know about in this world, the things\r\nyou know to be true, you believe that a king is free of sin?!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Now you’re talking about\r\nsomething else entirely.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Am I? ‘Yesterday we obeyed\r\nkings and bent our necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to\r\ntruth.’ What truth do you<\/em> kneel to, Lieutenant?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward scratched his head,\r\nuncertain of how to answer. Is this a test? What am I doing,\r\narguing with this voice?<\/em> “I believe that all men are innately\r\ngood,” he finally answered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yet you are wrong,” the male\r\nvoice dejectedly replied. “I gave them many chances. So many\r\nchances. The truth revealed to me was that humanity cannot be saved.\r\nIt is a failure. The only future is death.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“How am I wrong? Nobody wakes\r\nup and says ‘today, I will be evil.’ That’s just for the movies.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You assume that everyone wakes\r\nup the same way, Lieutenant. Some are incapable of even having any\r\nthought to begin with.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“But that’s not everyone —\r\nnot even a majority.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Are you really sure about\r\nthat? Absolutely certain?” The voice seemed to focus and a man\r\nbegan to form in front of Edward, seemingly building himself out of\r\nshadow. Edward motioned to his crew but then noticed that he was\r\nalone, with no one else but him and the man in front of him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Who are you?!” Edward\r\nshouted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I will get to my name later,”\r\nthe man whispered. “If the world could be remade in your image,\r\nwhat do you think it would look like? Do you see happiness for all?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Enough games! What did you do\r\nwith my crew?!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man canted his head. “What\r\nwould the world look like in your image?<\/em>” he carefully\r\nrepeated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Paradise! It’d be paradise!”\r\nEdward growled, balling his hands into fists.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“For some,” the man gently\r\nwhispered back. “For others, such would be perdition. No one is the\r\nsame, Lieutenant. Smith wanted to run, following his instincts; Craig\r\nwas curious about the light; and Josh believed you all to be dead.\r\nWhat if I told you they were all<\/em> right, then they were all<\/em>\r\nwrong?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’d say you’d probably have a\r\nscrew loose.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You do not like to examine the\r\npossibilities? To see what could be, what may be, what isn’t?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nEdward narrowed his eyes. “Are\r\nyou why we were sent here?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man nodded. “I am. I\r\ndestroyed so many. They all believed themselves above it all, above\r\nthe consequences of their actions. Everyone believes they can escape.\r\nThat nothing will come of their sins. That they will be forgiven,\r\nthat they need not work for it. I<\/em> came for them. I<\/em>\r\nproved them wrong. And I <\/em>made them pay the price for their\r\nsins.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Who? What sins?” Edward\r\nshook his head. I don’t understand one bit of this. Am I going\r\ncrazy?<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man waved his hand around the\r\nair. “Your men. Your superiors. Your country. This nation. That\r\nnation. The world<\/em> paid for their sins.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“So it’s… Gone?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Not yet. But soon.” The man\r\nglanced to the light. “I need only wait for her. She will tell me\r\nwhat your fate is to be.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You’re Death?” Edward\r\nincredulously asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man shook his head and looked\r\nback to Edward. “No. I am a shadow of a man.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n–<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n