mention a few
weaknesses, he thought with satisfaction. “We will survive, of
course, there is no other possible outcome.”
Boko shifted in his seat. The intensity of
his employer always put him on edge. He’d already begun to think
that his time in service had reached its end. A flight to Peru,
paid for in cash, reminded him that safety was only an hour away.
That reassuring thought did nothing to keep doubt from rising up in
Boko’s mind. Like bile, it would eat away at his confidence until
whatever was left peeked through.
۞
At the same time, on the other side of
the planet, two other people were readying to begin a journey for
which they had been preparing over the course of two years. They,
like the recently awakened men and women back on the Nimitz, had started off shakily,
unsure of their future. They had grown into their roles as well as
their mentor had known they would. He surveyed them now with no
little amount of pride, thinking of the risk he had taken to locate
them, to retrieve them, and now, to send them out alone. For their
part, the two looked forward to the mission that lay
ahead.
Watching them from a distance, observing
their interactions, Kun stayed well clear of an argument that was
brewing between them. Though these two young people worked fairly
well together, their personalities and sensibilities were quite
opposite. After several minutes of listening to them squabble, he
rapped his long walking stick on the stones underfoot. He motioned
for them to follow him from the cave outside into the compound that
they all lived in. Embarrassed, they quietly moved to their
feet.
In the depths of a valley, set in the midst
of Peruvian peaks, was their temporary home. It was quiet and
remote, peaceful; an illusion of beautiful life. It had been
tempting to forget the outside world on many occasions. Fergus
Wallace looked out over the expanse of their adopted home. Their
grass-covered huts were dug down into the soil, hidden in plain
sight. They could move freely before sunrise, and after sunset. The
rest of the time, they had to keep under the camouflage netting
that obscured them from aerial view. They grew most of their food,
but had to keep it scattered and removed from the camp. In spite of
this, Wallace had come to love the place. He had been able to start
over, leave the past behind. That would all come to an end now.
This was the crux of the argument
between him and Julieta Ramirez, his companion. Well, not like that , good grief. She was like
a brother to him. A mean older brother. He was trying to construct
as many objections and obstacles to their departure as possible.
Jules just wanted to get going. Creeping around in the dark was
beginning to get to her. Wallace felt compelled to remind her that
outer space was just as dark. That was the point when Master Kun
had interrupted.
“ You both know that the day has
finally come, as we knew it would, when your comrades would be
revived. Your mission is therefore initiated, and the end of our
enemies is at hand.” Julieta looked over at Wallace, eyebrow
raised. This was an unspoken dare for him to continue his
opposition to the idea with Kun. He rolled his eyes over to the
horizon high above them. Sunset was only a few minutes off. He said
nothing.
The next morning came early, unmoved by
Wallace’s prayerful pleas to keep it at bay. The two travelers
looked up onto the path by which they would travel out of the
valley. Their escort was comprised of a few goats and another of
their companions. These waited patiently, in spite of the goats’
desire to get to the sweet grasses along the trailside.
They were as ready as they could be for what
lay ahead, and yet they both felt a nagging apprehension floating
nearby. It was nothing readily identifiable. Julieta had felt this
vague thing for some time. It was like an aching joint before a
storm. She set aside any worry, however, with the anticipation of
finally getting to be up amongst the
Kit Tunstall, R.E. Saxton