Decima: One Mission - Chapter 2 - A'mara Books

2

(Wirnday)

T.R.A.S.H. Base 7

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“They’ve done it,” Kjane Issyk said sadly as he turned off the HPS unit. He turned to his fellow T.R.A.S.H. members and continued. “The Empress has taken full control of everyone’s lives. Right now, they’re just looking for Ms. Hollin’s daughter. Tomorrow, they’ll be looking for anyone who has come into contact with her… they will be looking for us too. And anyone else who disagrees with the government view of things.”

“You don’t think there should be a quarantine?” Breith asked from a comfortable chair that he shared with his girlfriend, Jukanya. “Surely, a quarantine will save millions of lives if this thing keeps spreading as it is now.”

“We don’t even have proof that it’s a virus! What is this thing that has killed scores of people in the Distant Lands? And is now on Irola? Do we know her daughter is infected? I think it’s just an excuse to control the movements of the people,” Kjane expressed.

Breith nodded.

“What do we do?” Jukanya asked.

“We make sure we are completely prepared for hiding,” Kjane advised.

“For how long?”

“As long as we have to.”

A scuffle was heard outside.

<Move!> Kjane sent to everyone’s heads.

A moment later, the room looked empty. The moment after that, the door opened and a small group of officers came in. Wearing the midnight blue uniforms chosen by the Empress, they scoured the room, looking for someone, it was clear. Kjane held his breath and kept his aura tight around him. He hoped the others would remember the lessons he’d given them.

“This is the T.R.A.S.H. base?” an older man with silvering hair asked.

A younger woman replied, “They could certainly use some help with their décor!”

“Where are their secret hiding places, Thorsa?” the man demanded.

“I don’t know,” the teen replied. Kjane struggled to keep his anger contained as he observed the traitor.

“What good is their base if we can’t catch Issyk and his gang?” the man asked.

“I don’t know...”

“Issyk raped you?” the woman confirmed.

Thorsa nodded.

“Where?” the woman asked.

Thorsa pointed and showed them to the bedroom where Kjane remembered waking up naked next to her a couple of weeks ago. He had no memory of what had happened. Still, he couldn’t help the bad feeling that the woman with Thorsa knew exactly what had happened and was looking for a mental reaction. Kjane wished his comrades were better at telepathy.

“There must be surveillance somewhere,” the man indicated.

Thorsa shrugged. “They’ve hidden the comms station.”

“What use are you if you can’t even give us the surveillance recordings?!” the man scolded. “The videos would give us all the evidence needed to imprison Issyk for life.”

“Sorry,” Thorsa replied timidly.

The man looked at the woman. “What is it, Oleana?” he asked.

“Not sure, Captain,” she replied. “I’m getting impressions… like those of leya-sensitives.”

“Lead the way if Thorsa won’t.”

“Sorry,” Thorsa repeated.

The elders ignored the teenager.

“We should have brought Teng. He’s better with electronics,” the Captain added.

Oleana nodded and kept looking around, sometimes closing her eyes.

Kjane pulled the leya closer around him and willed the intruders to leave again.

Suddenly, Oleana opened her eyes and reached out for what appeared to be a mirror frame. She concentrated a moment, then a door opened before her revealing Breith and Jukanya.

Without hesitation, the Captain pulled out a glowing shazeknife and stabbed it into Breith’s chest. The man slid lifeless to the floor. Jukanya cried out and sobbed at his side.

“You will be in my bed tonight,” the Captain said to the young woman.

“Assuming my mother doesn’t give her to Lant,” Oleana retorted.

Jukanya shook her head and collapsed only for the Captain to affix magna-cuffs to her wrists. He lifted her to her feet. “I will take you right here if you do not walk,” he threatened. He looked around. “This will be the fate of every T.R.A.S.H. member unless you hand Issyk over to us!”

He left the apartment, towing Jukanya, still sobbing, after him. Oleana and Thorsa left after him.

Feeling their imprints leaving the building, Kjane emerged from his hiding spot and went to Breith. Kimmel and Seyth joined him a moment later. There was nothing for it, Breith was dead.

“I’m glad Svínna wasn’t here to see this,” Seyth murmured. “Shift to base 8, I guess.”

Kjane nodded, standing again. “I’m sorry for bringing this on you, Breith.” He wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Rape?” Kimmel asked. “That doesn’t sound like you, mate.”

“Who is this girl?” Seyth asked.

“You remember the one that was our chef and threw that Petal Bed Plus party?”

“Half our girls got pregnant that night, mate!” Kimmel added, grimacing. Kjane knew he was remembering Euli who was expelled shortly thereafter for her affiliation with Thorsa.

“How is your sister, anyway?” Seyth asked.

“I haven’t spoken to Kendra, mate. I think she’s with our mother.”

“Anyway,” Kjane continued, “Thorsa gave me something in my food. All I remember is waking up next to her, both of us naked.”

“She rode you for ages! We let her because we thought you were conscious and you’d had no action for months!” Seyth recalled with a grin.

“So, I didn’t rape her?” Kjane asked, feeling relieved.

“If anything, she raped you!” Seyth said. “You needed it, brother!”

“And now she says I raped her?! They’ll throw me in prison!”

“What, more than they want to do now? They want you dead, mate!”

“So, what next? I’m endangering all of T.R.A.S.H.”

“Leave Irola, mate,” Kimmel replied.

“But I can’t! T.R.A.S.H. needs me.”

“Alive,” Seyth agreed. “Get off Irola. Get to one of the mountain bases. Çtarest is probably the closest. You can still advise us from there.”

Kjane realized they were right. He would be of more use if he remained alive and free. “All right. I’ll take the next boat across tonight. What do we do about Breith?”

“I will inform his family,” Seyth volunteered.

Kjane nodded gratefully. “And his body?”

“We burn it, mate,” Kimmel replied.

“Here?!”

“Why not? That’s what some of the gangs used to do.”

“We’re not a gang.”

“But neither do we have other easy means. What’s better for Breith? We leave him here to stink? We risk imprisonment for having a murder victim on our hands? Or we burn him – and the building, if necessary? In the mean time, they’re too busy to notice a wanted man boarding a ship to Soundside.”

Kjane nodded, then picked up his backpack and gave his comrades hugs. “Take care, guys!”

“You too!” Seyth said, then clapped his back. “Get out of here before the place burns!”

Kjane looked around one last time, noticing Kimmel already getting to work setting up flammable materials in key places in the room. Then he left.