The Last Revolution (8 page)

There were several loud thuds and his fighter shook violently before taking a steep drop. His heart leaped into his throat, he’d made the wrong choice. The rear camera showed hydraulic fluid gushing out of the wing. Alden squeezed the controls and then banked left towards the eye of the hurricane. He had to chance moving in closer; one more hit and he’d be done.

The wind was strong and the controls shook mercilessly in his hands. It took every ounce of his energy to keep from being sucked in. The Island flashed through his mind. If he ejected out here and somehow survived the hurricane, there was no way he’d live long enough to be found. If they even knew—or cared—where to look for him. As far they knew, he was the murderer; possibly the one that took the reactor. The wall was coming closer, the end was near. The winds were slowly sucking him in despite his attempts to pull away.

Alden jammed the controls back into his gut and put every ounce of muscle he had into holding them there. Nothing happened for several moments. His arms started to shake, and he screamed out in anger. The craft was slowing turning over until he was completely inverted. The faintest hints of the ocean were visible above him. At that moment the nose edged to the right and began to break free. He leveled out. The jets that had been pursuing him were now directly in front.

He brought the craft in behind the lead wingman. There wasn’t enough time to secure a lock so, adjusting for the winds, Alden pressed the trigger. The rocket fired off-course and was immediately sucked into the vortex, disappearing from sight. A quick flash deep inside the storm followed.

The second rocket flew as straight as possible and slammed into the fighter’s wing. The jet spiraled out of control. The entire thing plummeted towards Earth as it left a thick smoke trail in its wake.

“Eject! Eject!” Alden yelled.

He tried to follow the trail of descent, but the smoldering craft disappeared into the clouds. Fidgeting in his seat, Alden searched for the other fighter. That wouldn’t happen to him. Unfortunately his moment of distraction had cost him the upper hand and now he was flying blind.

The alarms went off once more. The other jet had used the confusion to pull in behind him and lock in his weapons. A tiny dot sped out from enemy indicator on the radar screen, incoming missile! Alden pushed the controls forward and to the left, evasive maneuvers. It streaked under his fighter and exploded a moment later. He blew through the fiery cloud. Moisture accumulated on his brow. That had been close, too close.

They had finally moved beyond the inner hurricane and the horizon was suddenly taking shape. In the distance he could see land! He was almost there. Tracer bullets whizzed past in all directions. This guy just wouldn’t give up!

He pulled into aloop but the enemy jet followed course. The other pilot wouldn’t be shaken so easily. Alden could feel the rhythm of the craft, blood and adrenaline surged through his veins. This was what he lived for. The fear and paralysis from earlier melted away and the joy of the moment took over. He gunned the controls and was pressed back into the seat as it accelerated.

Now for the slip. He pressed to the right and flipped on the air brakes. It took all his strength to keep his face from slamming into the dash. To his disappointment, the other fighter followed suit and remained just behind him. Alden was jarred forward once more as a second round made contact. It sent bone-crushing vibrations through the cockpit. Come on, hold together just a little longer. Distant peaks came into view. The only way he’d be able to shake this guy would be through the cavernous valleys ahead.

The fuel gauge made Alden’s stomach plummet. He was almost out. Several small islands appeared beneath him before he finally reached land. Safety, Alden thought, even as bullets continued to fly past. He was halfway over the pass when the proximity alarm went off for the last time, incoming missile. His jet was struggling, there was no way he could shake itagain. This was it. Alden pushed the controls forward and then slammed the ejection button. A fierce explosion sent him spiraling up into the air.

The frozen wind lashed at his face. Sky, mountains and snow flew through his vision in rapid succession. He was tumbling without control or direction. It was impossible to tell which way he was supposed to be going or how far he’d already fallen. Had to give the other fighter time to fly by and think he’d been killed, but he didn’t want to run out of room to safely deploy. Trying to calm his heart, Alden counted to three and then pressed the button.

The chute deployed but the mountainous landscape grew at an alarming rate. He couldn’t tell if it was slowing his descent, but if it didn’t do something soon, it would all be over. The trees that had once appeared as small specks rapidly expanded to full size. Aiming for the tallest one, he crashed down through the top and tumbled through the branches. The parachute ripped free and he fell through the last bit of foliage before plummeting fifteen meters to the ground. He threw his hands out to protect his face and then darkness.

“You are not special. You are not unique. You will follow any order that is given to you by a superior.” Alden was a small child again, lying awake on a small cot. It was a large room and every centimeter of floor space was covered with sleeping children. The loudspeaker quietly played the same message over and over again. It wasn’t loud enough to distract from sleep but it was always there.

Quiet sniffling came from the bed next to his. It wasn’t uncommon for some of the smaller kids to cry themselves to sleep. No one ever came to console them, but if they raised enough of a ruckus they were punished. Alden could still feel the bruises on his arms from where they’d been slapped during the day.

Peeking from under his covers he looked to see if any of the guards were around. They’d do regular checks during the night to make sure that no one had gotten out. There it was again, the muffled sniffling. Alden pushed the covers aside, slipped out from underneath his bunk. The concrete floor froze his toes, but he still tiptoed over to the other cot.

He poked the soft lump in the bed. It quivered but didn’t turn over to look at him.

“You okay?” Alden whispered.

It just shook its head but didn’t move otherwise.

“What’s the problem? If you keep doing that they’ll punish you.”

The boy rolled over to look at him. He had blond hair and was about the same age as Alden. “I miss my mom,” he mumbled.

Alden nodded. He’d never known his parents. Some of the other kids had been handed over by their family, or come here from orphanages, but Alden had just always been here. He didn’t even know if he had parents.

“You’ll be okay. I’m sure they’ll let your mom visit.”

The boy shook his head. “No. I asked if I could go home today and one of the guards said I’d never leave this place and I’d never see my parents again.”

“Oh. Well are you hungry?” The boy nodded. “Well, come sit here with me then,” Alden said.

The boy climbed out of his cot and the two of them sat up against their beds. Alden pulled a small piece of jerky out from underneath his pillow. “I took this from the cafeteria today. I’m not hungry. You have it.” Alden handed it over. “My name is Alden.”

The boy took the jerky and began nibbling on it. He looked up and smiled. “I’m Gabriel.”

“Maybe we have to do what they say now, but eventually we’ll be grown-ups and they won’t be able to stop us from leaving.”

“Where are your parents at?”

Alden shrugged. “I don’t think I have parents. Do you want to be friends?”

The boy nodded and whispered, “Yes.”

They were quiet for several moments before Gabriel spoke again. “I-I don’t have any family now and you’re the nicest anyone has been to me. If you look out for me, I’ll look out for you.”

Alden shook his head in acceptance. “I’d like that.”

Opening his eyes Alden realized he was facedown in the frozen dirt. His whole body ached. His dried blood was mixed in amidst the gravel around him. Alden crawled away from the impact site and towards the base of the nearest tree. He pushed himself into a sitting position. His leg was horribly bent out of shape. It didn’t take a surgeon to figure out it was broken.

Reaching out, he grabbed a stick and put it in his mouth. He took hold of his leg, gave it a quick twist and snapped the broken bone back into place. He screamed through gritted teeth, the pain was nauseating. He put a hand out to stabilize himself. Alden spit the stick out and leaned back to catch his breath. The carbon fiber wrapped around his tibia would have activated during the fracture, and now that it was back in place it would seal up tight as concrete.

He remembered how smooth the sheets had felt in his hospital bed. How he sank into the pillows and listened to Father McKinley assure him the surgery had been for the best—something called Transcendence. It was all so confusing. He knew that science was sinful, everyone on the Island did. Yet the Council had used it to modify his body, to make him something more than he was. He wouldn’t learn about the nano-carbon until much later, but the improvements to his senses—sight and sound—had been overwhelming at first. It had been compounded by the fact that he was now immoral, unclean.

Ultimately Father McKinley was right, as usual. The enhancements had allowed him to become the best possible soldier. The modification to his eyes had permanently changed the pigment, turning them a vibrant blue color. At times it almost appeared as if they glowed. When he’d returned to the Island the students had mocked him mercilessly for the disaster of the Siberian mission and the wicked technology within his body. Ultimately they were all subjected to the same process; after that they just harassed him about Siberia.

Suddenly a tree branch cracked in the distance. Alden froze and held his breath. Stop. Look. Listen. Years of training returned like a reflex. Where are you? Where do you need to be? How can you get there? The sun was out and streaks of light cut through the tree branches and illuminated the ground. Patches of snow dotted the forest floor.

His leg looked fine visually but it would need to sit for a few hours before it would be ready to hold his weight. The more time he could give the nano-carbon molecules to fuse the broken ends of the bone together, the better. But when it was ready to hold his weight where would he go? The Island was no longer an option. Council headquarters were a possibility but if Vasentus was dead then it would be just as dangerous as the Island. Punishment would be swift and absolute if things didn’t go well.

Alden’s wrist deck blinked. He looked down at the device with a quizzical look and remembered General Sokolov’s words, “It’ll be linked up with headquarters…” If they were reaching out to him, did that mean they knew he was innocent? With some difficulty Alden lifted his supporting hand off the ground and pressed the button. It simply read,
are you alive?

Well, no worse for the wear. Alden thought for a moment but decided it was impossible to make an informed decision without more information. Pressing on the holographic keys he responded,
please identify.

After a few moments the deck lit up again,
no. dangerous. council compromised.

Alden let out a sigh and settled back against the frozen tree trunk. They were compromised. How high up had the treachery gone? Too many questions, not enough answers. Before Alden had the chance to formulate a response another message arrived,
I am a friend. 27
Island
casualties. Fusion reactor stolen.

Alden could feel the pit in his stomach returning. The yield wasn’t large enough to destroy a major city, but it could still put a sizeable crater in the earth. If done at the wrong place and time it could be the final straw between the Three Nations. He’d spent his entire life getting lectured about the dangers of all-out war. It would be the last war of mankind.

After tapping at the holographic keys, Alden hit the send button:
extremely dangerous. Must be returned.
Twenty-seven dead, betrayed, murdered. It was more than he could handle, he was so tired, needed to rest his eyes for a moment.

It was springtime on the Island; he was a teenager. His feet barely touched the ground as he sprinted across the campus lawn between buildings. The excitement was building up so fast he thought he might explode. His team was being put on active status; they were going mission operational. Just the sounds in his mind felt like medals of valor. His team was the best and they had just been given the opportunity to prove it. Alden made his way to the church, jumped the small flight of steps and bounded in through the giant wooden doors.

It was solitary and quiet. The orange glow from the candles sent shadows dancing across the rows of pews. In the front was the statue of a man nailed to a cross. Born before his time and killed for his convictions, he was a sign of strength and fealty every student strived for. Alden reached the door in the back and knocked on it several times.

“Coming,” came the familiar voice. It swung open and Alden was greeted by the familiar sight of Father McKinley. “Alden, wonderful to see you, my boy, I thought you had forgotten about me.”

“Not at all, we just had our game tonight and then I got to meet ViceCouncilman Vasentus,” Alden exclaimed, barely able to hide his joy.

“Really? That’s wonderful. I actually had the opportunity to meet him myself many years ago. Please come in. Would you like a cup of hot tea?”

“I actually can’t stay, we have to start preparing in the morning.”

“Oh really, for what?”

“Well, the reason that we got to meet ViceCouncilman Vasentus is because our team won the championship tonight. We’re getting activated, finally able to go out into the field! Can you believe that? I mean how exciting, right?”

“Yes, very exciting. Are you sure that your team is ready for this…honor? It is a huge responsibility.”

Alden beamed. “Oh we’ll be ready. I just hope they’re ready for us!”

“Well, that’s great news. Will you be leading the team then?”

“Yes! General Sokolov wants me to lead. Gabriel, Mary and Daniel supported his decision.”