Chapter Nineteen
Jackson did not have to wait long before his door was thrust open with no knock and no warning. The walls of this building were made of thick concrete and brick, and insulated sound almost perfectly. The roar of the storm was nothing but a distant memory, though he knew academically it would still be raging outside.
Someone flicked a switch and a light hummed on from above. Shifting his head down so the sudden illumination didn’t irritate his eyes, Jackson squinted at the door.
In walked the Major. He was no longer in the neat uniform of the Guards – he was wearing standard camouflage fatigues. He still wore the same expression though, a controlled and refined anger.
“I want to see her,” Jackson stood up, the chair shifting into the wall behind him.
He hadn’t once asked about Ki since he’d been loaded onto the Pasquada, though thoughts of her had all but consumed him. He’d known none of the Guards would tell him a thing.
The Major, however, was in charge.
“I take it the Zeneethians think she’s dead. They haven’t come for her? You haven’t mentioned anything about her in any dispatches?” Jackson stepped forward, wiping his suddenly sweaty hands on his pants with a nervous twitch.
“For a man who claims to be loyal to his country, you are overly concerned with a Tarkan,” the Major answered coldly.
“Just tell me, did everything go according to plan? Is she okay?” Jackson shifted forward again, his moves jerky and anxious.
A single thought threatened to cripple him. What if the Major really had shot Ki back at that port?
When the Major had come to see Jackson the night before his supposed execution, he’d talked him into acting against Max. The Major had wanted proof that the so-called Archer Reed was a double agent, and Jackson had devised a way to furnish him with that evidence. By pretending to kill Ki, Jackson had wagered that Max would drop his act.
His wager had paid off. Yet there was always the chance that the Major had actually killed her.
It was torture waiting to find out.
“Is she... is she,” Jackson gulped. He knew he should not be showing so much emotion for her. The Major was right; for a man trying to prove his loyalty, Jackson should have no concern for the enemy.
It could not be helped though. His feelings were too strong to control.
“She was kept in an induced coma for the trip. My medical personnel are trying to rouse her. She will then face a thorough physical examination. I want to know why they want her.”
Jackson almost grabbed a hand to the back of his chair to steady himself, relief coursing through him.
At least she was alive.
“You followed the plan,” Jackson’s voice wavered as he gave a heavy sigh. “I was never really sure if you trusted me.”
“I don’t trust you,” the Major countered quickly. “But I trust Archer Reed less.”
“Trust? He’s still alive?”
“Archer Reed has disappeared. So has the unit that was guarding him. Approximately eight hours after he was taken to a holding cell, we assume he was broken out. Though there are no signs of battle, there are no signs of my men either. Everyone in that building disappeared. Despite how heavily guarded it was, and despite the counter measures we had in place, he’s gone.”
Jackson let his hand slip off the back of the chair, not caring as his fingers snagged at the wood, splinters breaking off into the skin. He did not pluck them out – he simply stood and stared. “How did they find him?”
“I did as you instructed me not to. I contacted the High Command, instructing them of our prisoner and informing them of the death of the Tarkan spy. Approximately 45 minutes later Archer Reed and everyone else in that Guard Station disappeared.”
Rocking back on his feet, a cold wave of dread shifted through Jackson. “They’ll come after you. The Zeneethians won’t rest until everyone involved in the situation is wiped out. We’re all loose ends now.”
The Major looked unmoved. “They already have wiped everyone out. I ensured I made a colleague contact the High Command. He was found dead of a heart attack six days ago. The autopsy revealed previously undetected myocardial disease. Before I left, I ensured that every document relating to this case was redacted to hide my identity.”
Jackson was chilled to the bone. The Major’s casual description of events was horrifying. It seemed he didn’t care that he’d condemned others. “Max – I mean Archer Reed – will be able to tell his people you were involved. They’ll know you aren’t dead.”
“On the contrary, I am. I have a body double. He was also found dead of a heart attack almost six days ago. Curious, as the man was fit as a fiddle.”
Jackson wanted to shift back, but there was nothing behind him but that cold brick wall.
He’d always trusted his superior officers. He’d always followed orders. Though he recognized that war was a hard, brutal, uncompromising mess, he tried to afford his commanders with the respect they deserved.
He hated people who equated the military with monsters. In battles you made hard decisions so others lived, but that did not mean you automatically lost your humanity.
As Jackson stood there, he realized the Major showed no concern or compassion. Recounting his story with a calm and straight face, it obviously did not affect him.
“All of this goes a ways to confirming your story,” the Major finally showed a scrap of emotion, but it was intense anger, and not well-overdue sorrow. “The Zeneethians....”
“Listen to me, they’ll try to track us down. If they think—” Jackson began.
“They believe we are all dead. As you advised, I had a section of that gun removed and destroyed. I have brought the rest of it with us. It is... most interesting,” a deep passion rang through the Major’s words. His gaze blazed with interest as a smile curled his moustache.
Now he was showing emotion. It did not evidence his humanity though; simply his lack thereof. The Major’s demeanor was one of undisputed dominance and a lust for power.
Jackson did not want to believe what he was seeing or hearing; though his loyalty had been questioned in the past several weeks, it was still buried deep in his bones. He’d always served his country. He’d always known how to protect those he cared for.
With Ki safely tucked up in the hands of his military, he should have been thrilled. With the Zeneethians assuming she was dead, there was no threat she would be kidnapped again. She was right where Jackson had been trying to get her. In this facility they could find out her secrets in peace.
So why did his gut feel like it had been tied to an anchor and pushed into the deepest ocean? As he stood there and composed himself in the face of the Major’s actions, he felt nothing but contempt for the man and the whole operation.
“We will find out her secrets. We will also find out how that gun works,” the Major gave a crooked smile, “we have brought it to this facility, and my best scientists are currently working on it. If you are cleared of your charges, you will be able to help them.”
Jackson nodded numbly.
“First, you will need to tell me everything once again. From the beginning, I want to know exactly what happened to you. You no longer need to fear that I won’t believe your story. The events of the past week have proven to me that we are dealing with an unusual enemy. So tell me everything.”
Jackson ran a hand down his face distractedly, his fingers snagging against his nascent beard. “Of course,” he agreed, voice dull.
He was out of the frying pan and into the fire. While his journey through the mineshafts of Paladin Mountain had been treacherous, as he talked with the Major he began to understand that whatever was happening here was worse. Far worse.