How was the war?, was a question I asked my grandfather when I was 6 years old.
His response was: "The times are different, and although when the war started I was younger than you I'll tell you this so you remember it the rest of your life Ethan; there is no worse damage to the soul than seeing those you once loved most die"
For some reason his words weren't the ones he transmitted to me when he played with me, they were eyes full of solitude and sadness. I would only come to understand this at the age of 9.
When I suffered from that same solitude and sadness, two years later I understood something I hadn't seen in my grandfather's gaze; that sadness and solitude were wrapped in helplessness.
Rage that started not because of others, not because of the situation I reached, rage because of the same feelings my grandfather came to have; first desperation, followed by sadness, then rage and finally helplessness.
The memories of that moment would intertwine to create a loop in my head, as if it were a Déjà vu. The very feelings my grandfather felt are now the ones I feel; the helplessness of not having the strength to defend myself, the strength I lacked to defend those who didn't have it.
Strength to defend those I loved.
Everything until she saved me.
I owe her my life and my unwavering loyalty. I will do whatever it takes to help her achieve her objective, because just like I did in that moment when she used herself to help me, now Miss Kalika needs us.
***
"We've already cleaned half the path captain, if you want you can go ahead to search for the target, Cloe and I will stay and take care of the rest"
The circumstances were priorities and Caleb knew it.
"It's fine girls, but as soon as you finish hurry to meet us. Emily, you'll be in charge of covering our retreat and alerting us if more enemy reinforcements arrive"
"Yes captain"
"Let's go Ethan, let's hurry"
The size of the base was bigger than they would have foreseen, in different areas next to the constructions there were semi-hidden sections with passageways toward what appeared to be basements.
"There's a reason they called it frontier camp"
In their search they heard rumors from locals about a drug dealers' base between the border of the Amazonas and Putumayo; the name frontier camp wasn't made just for the location, if you look at it from another geographical side it's like a grave where death enters or leaves. If someone wanted to escape they wouldn't have the slightest chances. Only 2 roads allow entry and exit connected by bridges, if you try to leave from another side only swamps and the dense dark jungle of the Amazonas await you.
Better to die by a pistol than by a disease or bite from whatever is found outside, and even if you managed to get out of the swamp only cordilleras of mountains with dense undergrowth and muddy and treacherous paths to possible falls would await you. The boats were already being watched by drug traffickers so it was suicide to try to steal one.
Besides, for bad habit and something Ethan and Caleb didn't see coming was the abysmal difference of other criminal organizations they had faced before against this one; Colombian drug traffickers had created underground supply routes to safeguard the cargo from the outside environment, keeping it underground. Which implied entering enemy territory with no guarantee of not being ambushed and trapped.
Although it was very likely that government agents knew of the large laboratories hidden in the Amazon, it was very likely that to minimize risks of exposure they would create these underground constructions to lower suspicions.
"This is bigger than we had foreseen, how are we going to find him?, if these tunnels extend outside the base, it's likely they're already outside with the boy"
It's an island with kilometers of road before the two exits, there could be tunnels toward anywhere.
"There's a possibility, but…"
As Caleb inspected the tunnel, he realized that the farther they went in, the roads led to a wide area with large pillars that supported the weight of the entire complex.
Like a common area.
Inside there were large cargo shipments of drugs, what on appearance could seem like cargo shipments of weapons, wooden containers with different shipping labels to different parts of the country, some even abroad; this was bigger than they could believe, they looked at each other and both confirmed what their minds came to think.
"The drugs, it's more of a secondary business, here there's weaponry enough to supply everyone in a capital, enough to start a civil war"
The problems in Colombia in the last decade reached alarming levels, after the complete fragmentation in the union of parties between the government of 2032 to 2036, a left-wing president couldn't tame the parts of his own team and conservative opponents, causing the next elected president to be a mere puppet of already consolidated groups, which destabilized opinions in the country and recreated the emergence of illegal groups, very well known by the world, and being a shame for the memory of Colombians, the so-called guerrillas.
FARC, M19 and ELN; the inactive state or maintenance of them until the time of re-elections in 2036 caused an uprising of these on a large scale. The population was unhappy and when the state doesn't pay its debts to the people, it's moments when they unite.
In 2042 with the tragedy that occurred in France, these groups decided to unite into one, with the fresh idea of new revolutionaries, the eras of new technologies and thoughts, helped create a new guerrilla force called MRCU (Unified Colombian Revolutionary Movement.)
The people called them the Demons at the forefront.
"I don't know what's happening in this country captain, but this is something that will definitely cause a scandal, what should we do?"
It may not be obvious at first glance, but international political implications can be seen as opportunities, as they can also bring disasters.
If you're someone creating a power base based on an economy, you can be sure that the state will be at your mercy, a country without power to protect the raw materials its people needs will be a link to those who took over those sources.
However, what happens when a state is close to war.
"The most prudent thing would be to get Miss Kalika out of the country; as soon as the war starts there will probably be international pressure for the people to receive aid, that of course if it had happened a few years ago, but with international pressure as it is currently…"
It's understood that certain countries allied with the United States and nearby Latin countries would help in the progress of stabilization. But once radical changes in presidencies arrive and economic destabilization occurs, those trying to help may fall into a mine of corruption and become entangled in controversy.
It may seem simple to send humanitarian aid, but depending on who it reaches it can be seen as collaboration with the current corrupt government, or with the resurgent Demons at the Forefront.
"..We could lose a great ally in terms of raw materials"
The future war that will be generated in the Tanaka family will need food reserves for the units and large quantities of fuel, a possible siege of the primary bases in the Philippines was something that came to Caleb's mind.
"If a civil war starts we'll lose much of the aid to support us in the war, and with the start of talks for the incentive to disarm nuclear weapons and treaties for free armed circulation, it's likely the war with the main branch will be a matter of attrition"
People understood that the conflict was not fleeting and it was undeniable that there would always be more massacres and destruction; the world had fallen into a false irreversible step after what happened in Paris, "Le Vide Rouge".
Citizens from all over the world entered chaos and the networks overflowed with conspiracy theories and cases of half-revealed truths. When the world asks for protection and can't be given, the best thing that can be done without the danger of citizens taking up arms, is to enact state reforms, laws, ones that all countries would think to implement to give free rein to conflict as a solution.
Although of course, this would bring certain requirements and admonitions. The solution called the world to leave their allied countries and became purely matters of their own governments, the reasons for including new members to a conflict were described and warned in the cold fire pact, which has been in process for over a year.
"No country will be able to intervene in the actions of this republic after entering into conflict, if Miss Kalika reaches an agreement for the benefits of exports and a civil war breaks out because of a coup d'état, it would cause one of the greatest falls of our strategy"
"We can't leave just like that, after getting the boy, we come back and burn everything". This was the best development for future actions.
"Yes captain"
The passageways were extensive, and what surprised them most was the infrastructure of the place, it could withstand being bombed and wouldn't fall.
As they went deeper, a suspicion came to both of them that someone was watching them.
"I know you're watching, honestly I wouldn't have bothered leaving you alive, but since we're in a bit of a hurry we propose a deal to you!"
Ethan took the initiative and decided that wasting more time would be counterproductive. Caleb on the other hand just closed his eyes and took a breath as a symbol of patience, one that no one would want to see disturbed.
"You have someone we're looking for, if you give them to us we'll let you go without any more fuss; although what happens to your weapons cargo is no longer your concern, so you'll have to leave without objection"
Not a word or sound passed for 1 minute, quite a long time, that is until someone spoke from the back.
"There's only two of you, why should we give it to you?, besides how do we know you won't kill us when you give it to us?!"
The strong voice of a man was heard.
"Well if you don't bring them, I think maybe I should murder you!"
Ethan's impatience showed in an irritated face, pupils showing anger and disgust. Caleb on the other hand raised his hand for him to calm down and then took a posture as if wanting to speak calmly.
"We two have already realized you have two people pointing at us, and that faith is probably not blind enough for that, so just give it to us, you come out with your men and then you can retreat while pointing if you think it's necessary"
Reason prevailed and it seemed Caleb could get the boy faster than expected.
"....Agree", there was no reason for them to listen when they had the handle of the pan in hand, but Caleb knew they knew that a battle in that space would be suicide.
A poorly directed bullet or one that bounced could cause any explosive to have a chain reaction and send the place to hell.
The voice seemed to belong to someone quite experienced or at least patient, it was rare for someone directing a bunch of thugs, to appearances of Ethan and Caleb they could be signs of a trap, or of someone well-trained.
Two people came out, each with black masks holding a person between their arms, or rather you could say they were carrying him while he dragged his feet.
A third person appeared in the shadows and stayed behind with the gun adjusted in case something went wrong.
Thin, pale, with black clothing, just like described by Miss Kalika, black hair and….
The 2 clenched their fists when they looked at the 2 people who brought the body.
"What is this, he's dead!" Impatience showed in Caleb's eyes and Ethan furious decided to ask them while staying in control not to murder them.
"....he died this morning" a voice with low pleasure and enthusiasm came from one of the subjects.
"He tried to make an escape in the early morning hours and we decided to stop him, once we recaptured him he was taken to a separate room where the superiors punished him until leaving him in this state"
The man's face was completely destroyed, he had slight swelling in certain parts of his body, probably died in less than 10 minutes before those marks grew.
But, on the other hand, the blows seemed focused on certain parts of the face and abdomen since the blows destroyed the skin of his face, and on his chest there appeared to be some pulmonary contusions.
The state was disastrous, it would only give conclusions that they killed him in an outburst of rage, he must have died trying to breathe and in great pain.
"What are you talking about, the coloration and state shows he was alive just a few minutes ago, you murdered him!"
"If we murdered him or not, is our concern, you agreed to take him, you didn't say in what state; just like you we're looking for this subject for what he had to say, and he was simply discarded by the superiors, we're not responsible for what they did to him"
Ethan approached the subject who was approaching and from whom the explanation came and who like the others wore a mask.
"Silence!!, I don't want to hear any more excuses from trash like you"
Ethan showed a height of 1.75m compared to the 1.80m of the new stranger, who also maintained a mask.
He came close enough to show hostility.
"We're leaving Ethan, an unnecessary conflict serves no purpose, we need to get the report as soon as possible, we don't know how soon those who attacked the base will return, it's better to retreat"
"If you don't mind, can I ask you a question?"
Caleb's subordinate pulled out one of the pistols he carried and pointed it at the forehead of the man who was waiting for the answer. The other masked men waiting at the extremes pointed their light machine guns in reaction.
"Stop" - "Lower those weapons"
The 2 in command gave orders to their men to stop immediately, soft but forceful voices. Voices similar in tone, but for different reasons, different leaders.
"How we mentioned we don't have much time, so be brief with your question"
The aura emitted by the leaders and their ways of speaking showed obvious differences in experience and maturity.
"Thank you"
"A moment ago you said some men would come, what exactly do you mean by "those men"?"
"Before we entered this complex, some men in dark suits attacked first, then we came to look for the boy"
"…." A doubt appeared on the face that even pierced through his mask.
"You were coming to take him alive, so if you weren't going to murder him…"
Expressions of irritation, tension and concern showed on the masked man's face
"You're not from the districts!" is what Rudolf said with surprise after thinking about it. But he returned to calm as if he had already heard it before.
The gaze of both fell upon his face, where contact was made with the tired eyes of the supposed leader of these drug dealers.
A bloodlust spread upon hearing those words, Ethan and Caleb remained stunned at the mention of the districts.
The trigger was obvious, and the statements of who or what they wanted to see dead were simple; revenge was something seen by many in the field where he worked, but this bloodlust was new for Rudolf.
He knew they weren't close to Heiss's level, but they easily surpassed the rest of them in skill, their postures, muscles, gait showed how strong they were, what Rudolf intuited became reality, something big was happening and they could only see themselves as cannon fodder.
For him it was easy to determine the level of who he saw, that of course with certain exceptions of monsters like Heiss; those who can handle their muscle tension in such a grotesque way were anything but human, which is why Rudolf only determined the strength that could be observed before him.
In his perspective he believed he was stronger than Peter, because of his body conservation and his good vision to see people as they are, but he knew that in terms of versatility he fell behind.
And the people in front of him were in those aspects and more.
"How do you know the districts are coming for this boy!" a strong voice came from Ethan, showing palpable irritation.
"Captain I hear you here...!!!!"
"!!rumble!!"
A deafening blast echoed on what seemed to be the surface, the noise only made it possible to hear part of what was said on the walkie-talkie before the place sounded like it was being bombarded by several cannons at the same time.
"We're retreating"
"…This isn't over, you'll tell us everything when this ends", between broken phrase the black-reddish haired boy turned around.
"If we see each other again I'll let you try. Crack!!, leave before this place falls, we still have matters here"
The fall of cargo on the place increased making it shake, but not before seeing each of them retreat quickly as if expecting an imminent conflict on the surface.
Personality #4: "They haven't thought about being actors haha, I formally hire you for my acts haha.."
The ironic laughter and his facial and physical displays that resembled a circus performer, completely and thoroughly gave Rudolf the impression of 'This lunatic..'
Approaching the masked man who was watching his rear Rudolf asked.
"Hey Heiss.. you heard them, they weren't coming to kill you, who were they?"
Personality #4: "If you ask me about them the truth is I have no idea, I didn't receive business cards how rude, but I must say they didn't bring known equipment nor were they from any faction I knew, otherwise, we would have continued with what was agreed"
Moving away from Rudolf and leaving him with number 3 he approached numbers 1 and 2.
Personality #4: "Hey 1 and 2"
The two boys under the masks who were about to make a scandal prepared for a rush because of the error of almost shooting plus raising weapons.
Previous experiences with drug dealer leadership gave them bad manners of apologizing for everything when they made mistakes, believing they almost ruined the escape plan.
"I'm sorry…"x2
They bowed seeking mercy from their new master.
Personality #4: "Good job guys"
An unexpected embrace came alongside warm but firm words.
Personality #4: "I'm not your master, nor your new superior, didn't we talk about this?"
"!....!" Silence from the two, astonishment at the behavior, but with a slight pleasant warmth, like that of an older brother protecting his dear younger siblings.
Personality #4: "I'll tell you again. My eyes don't deceive, if you're here just to leave, call me like any of the leaders you served before. But if you're going to accompany me like Rudolf, to experience true reality then think of me as someone who cares more about your lives than the mission"
Personality #4: "Dead and without their own sense don't serve me"
Words like that could feel very strong to anyone, but for boys who were always despised, beaten, humiliated and made to lower their heads until they touched the mud itself, looked at with disdain and trampled by others; this act was…
"Hey guys how are you, I got bored waiting with Rudolf and came to see wh…., eh!, guys why are you crying?, did they punish you?"
3 had just arrived and seeing a somewhat peculiar or dramatic scene, since they wouldn't cry unless it was to save their skin.
"If that's the case forgive them, my lord, they're just young, they don't know anything about this world so…"
"Shut up!"x2
Both 1 and 2 shouted at him with displays of wanting to skin him like a chicken.
"We're older than you and …."
The argument parked the 3, where some expected to save their pride while another tilted his head in bewilderment.
While Rudolf approached Heiss with a rigid expression on his face, a bit of unease reflected.
"What are you doing?"
Personality #4: "Hmm, what are you talking about?"
"If it doesn't matter to you it's fine, but why lie to them like that?"
Personality #4: "In my case it's hard for me to feel emotions like that, which is why the lack of truth in my expressions, but that doesn't mean I don't remember how it felt once and that I don't mean it"
"…"
Rudolf's gaze fixed on Heiss's eyes trying to detect the slightest hesitation to see if he was lying.
None of them were.
Personality #4: "The person in this body has nothing left, I hope that if they manage to survive this, at least they have each other"
"Even if it's true what you said, do we really deserve to be saved and not eliminated?"
The change required for Rudolf to "evolve" was presenting itself slowly in his actions, speech, insight and vision. If it really served him anything wasn't something that bothered him to think about. Despite everything, that applies to him because he was the one who tortured him the most, mistreated him and saw him change in the span of just this one week with him.
But, he didn't understand why he also saved them, not that it displeased them; in all the time he was with the drug dealers, he never crossed the limits of any, and didn't approach and rather would be said that he was the only one who didn't treat them like trash.
But they didn't have what you'd call something special, although his vision was good, he still didn't understand if it was because Heiss saw something in them that he didn't see or if it was because he truly felt empathy for them.
The fact of thinking about empathy made Rudolf reflect on whether this person could truly have feelings or was just faking. It could be said that he was perceptive enough to know when someone was telling the truth even just by hearing their voice; and although he could determine if they were lying or not, he didn't know how they felt, what they thought or if it was possible to know something more about them just by looking at them.
Their change of facets was a mystery, their silver-gray eyes that in one moment changed from one color to another, and their expressions varied so much that it was hard to determine if you were talking to one, two or several people.
He wouldn't even know if he was really reading them through his excellent vision or it was something they let him see.
Personality #4: "....."
A cold gaze swept across Rudolf's body, leaving him with a bitter sensation, as if being evaluated.
Personality #4: "I believe so"
Certain unease remained in his gaze.
Personality #4: "If you're in doubt about the boys, about your treatment toward me; I should say I also find it disagreeable, I'm not a masochist, but I know how to see people by their value… and….maybe more"
The last part was said in a low voice, like a comment that's more for himself.
Personality #4: "I won't deny that there are many things I dislike about you, but those are minor defects compared to the aptitudes you can have, if you were worried about your treatment toward me because of how you mistreated me then…mmmm, ah, I know!"
Personality #4: "It could serve!"
Now he seemed the same maniac, but in a scene of a child wanting to play something new.
Personality #4: "What do you think if I pull your nails out now, I must say I'm quite good at pulling them, years of practice made me excellent ha ha ha!"
Rudolf's face went pale at the statement, not knowing if it was a joke or truth, he couldn't identify the truth behind the mask of sarcasm and irony, again it made him uncomfortable about his strange existence.
"Now that we know it's not just the district coming for you, how do we proceed my lord"
3 approaches with a high gaze, but showing nervousness, apparently they noticed the same thing.
'Thank goodness I told them to wait' a thought had come from #4.
Personality #4: "First, nothing of my lord, fun at first, but it can be a problem. Just call me Heiss, and regarding the plan, it will continue exactly the same"
"But won't we be in more danger of being discovered this way?"
Personality #4: "If the district doesn't find my body it won't leave me alone, the first thing I want is for them to think I'm dead or that be the last thing they see. And the first is to remove the tracker I have on"
"Second, I'll ask you all, how do you enter an impenetrable fortress?, if you had to enter a place with little chances, what would you do?"
A sudden change appeared.
"It's very general and abstract the question"
"…it would be at the weakest point of the place"
2 gave the first idea that came to mind
Personality #4: "Close and possible, but also impossible"
The others were left with faces of being more confused.
Personality #4: "For a place with a vault where there are chances to enter, you can use that or other tricks, however, the thing is different for an impenetrable place"
Personality #4: "The best way is…..to enter with whoever has the authority to let them enter"
He gave a pause to see if they could give an answer, seeing their denial he decided to answer"
"But that doesn't make sense, because they would let us in"
Personality #4: "In a plausible place to enter you can use low deceptions and strategies that adapt, in the impenetrable the only possibility is to be able to enter by someone who will allow you to. Prisons are made to hold people, but not to better prevent strange people from entering."
Personality #4: "Plus, what is impenetrable, when something is described that way, we all evaluate that it was or because some evaluated it that way; nothing is impenetrable until proven otherwise. So, with the same logic, how would you all get out?"
"…ah!, the reverse Trojan horse"
Personality #4: "Exactly!"
"Do you want to ask to let us leave?, and how do you think you'll trick them so that works, I thought we'd trick them in a way when you summarized the plan before we came, and in that plan part was leaving everything in pieces"
Personality #4: "Hahaha, who said anything about asking, they'll let us leave, the important thing is that they let us in, because they'll have to, because they'll think it's normal and necessary, and in the end they won't have another choice, besides they already entered this place"
Personality #4: "…it would be foolish not to think that I was sold at first and then stabbed in the back by whoever sold me. If my reasoning doesn't fail Jouska would be the traitor who sold the drug dealers to the district pretending an agreement with them to capture me"
The expressions of everyone went rigid in front of the Machiavellian smile.
But then changed with the following words.
Personality #4: "We'll find out later, it's time to free ourselves from these chains, if you want to live it's now, put your soul into this fight, and maybe… maybe I can stay with you all"
He changed his gaze from the weapon in his hands to the faces of those watching him, putting a smile on his words, trying to drown out its meaning.
Sensations of affliction remained in the minds of the 4, part of their sadness remained in their hearts. The same question returned to the 4, 'how many?'.
It would be a reference to the number of friends he had lost, that was the gaze and smile that transmitted the moment he turned to look at them.
and another question they were asking at the same time was if any of them would be next in that chain.