The Wall, page 15
“You are a warrior-poet Amos, a true prince of Zion. Now come, let’s eat with your beautiful wife as for tomorrow we catch marlin.”
I’m excited at the prospect of fighting such a fish.
“And I have something for you, a reward for your obedience to Zion,” Renatus smiles and leads us to a back storage garage away from the beach. He opens the doors and flicks on the lights. Inside is a harem of Ford Mustangs.
“Your wife told me you were a car guy, that you like the ponies?”
“Yes, yes I do,” I respond with my jaw to the floor. I spot a 2099 Jet Black Cobra with white racing stripes. The electric engine has twelve-hundred horsepower. I open the door and gently get behind the driver’s seat, as if I’m unworthy to sit behind such a machine.
“Zero to sixty in two seconds,” Renatus brags. “Go ahead son, take it for a spin.”
I fire up the engine and grip the thick steering wheel. My hands have never harnessed so much raw power. Amos’s Lazurite blood has begun to seep into my marrow. I think I’m becoming one of them. I’m sinking in Zion’s quicksand, and I can’t feel the noose around my neck. I’m not even trying to escape.
I’m finding the breath of a demon warm and the bosom of a dragon quite snug.
Before our fishing trip, I head to the main pool for a morning swim. I considered taking one of the Mustangs for a morning drive, but I really need my exercise. Instead of coffee, I grab a Newer Coke from the mini fridge, stocked full at my request. The pool is indoors and reminds me of the Roman pool at Hearst Castle. I have never been there, but I have seen pictures. The pool’s bottom is an iron blue with red stripes. The water is crystal clean. I down my soda and dive in. The water is just the right temperature. Not too cold, but cold enough to still be refreshing. Lights twinkle above me. Six different waterfalls cascade into the pool. The length is a stunning fifty yards. Four different diving boards of various heights grace the deep end. This is my first time swimming in anything other than a lake. Later will be my second time on the ocean.
I turn for another lap and I hear, “Asher.”
I lift my head and it is Darius. He peeks around to be sure no one else is here.
“What are you doing here Darius?” I try to hide my annoyance. Every time he shows up it reminds me of why I am here. It reminds me of my uncle.
He whispers, “You were supposed to meet me last night, remember?”
“I got held up. You need to leave.”
“I need to report back to Cephas. You promised me troop movements, The Wall openings, planned EMP drops, and drone counts.”
“I don’t have that yet,” I lie.
He is on to me. “But you have access. You should at least know some of these things by now.”
Truth is, I do know. Telling him will escalate this war, and selfishly, I am not ready for that. As I know that means time away from Sarai. It means time we can no longer spend together in relative harmony and peace.
I can tell he doesn’t believe me. “I’ll find you tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.”
I throw him a bone. “Tell Cephas I have captured Dagger, and that I’m still gaining Renatus’s trust.”
As he slips out, I return to my laps. I feel guilty about lying to my uncle, but truth is, I am not ready for this. I never wanted it. I can’t live up to his expectation, or my father’s legacy. I mean, every time I close my eyes I see the bombing at the bazaar. I hear the wails of the mothers who lost their children, I can feel their anguish. How can I lead like this? How can I empty myself for Cephas’s cause when this is what I’m full of? On my twentieth-something lap I hear a splash. I open my eyes and see the slender frame of Renatus streaking through the water.
“You like to swim?” Renatus asks, popping his head out of the water.
“First time in a pool, but yes,” I reply.
“It’s the best exercise you can get. I’m in here every morning. Doesn’t take long to get one knackered.”
“I have noticed.”
We swim our laps, side by side, and I can barely keep up with him. After thirty minutes my arms burn, my legs like rubber. I wonder if Renatus has gone bald, or if he shaves his head to be faster in the water.
“So tell me Amos, how did you do it? How did you beat the mighty Legion?” Renatus asks, his breathing steady, not a hint of exhaustion.
“I studied him, found a weakness,” I respond trying to catch my breath.
“I didn’t realize he had one.”
“Doesn’t every man?” I say, trying to sound wise.
He smiles. “Yes, yes they do. A good warrior knows his own weaknesses. A great one knows his opponents. What is yours Amos?”
I think long and hard and wonder if it is a trick question. If I say none, he knows I’m lying; if I tell him the truth he may deem me unworthy to lead his army.
“I’m too trusting,” I lie.
I don’t dare ask him his, and I doubt he will reveal it, even though I know that pride and over confidence are among them. But then he surprises me.
“Mine is that I’m dauntless. An intrepid man makes mistakes.”
He has nothing to fear, for he has made himself immortal. For now.
“So, what was Legion’s weakness?” he asks again.
“He is blind in his left eye.”
“And how did you know?”
“I went to the archives. I watched all his previous matches.”
He nods as if telling me well done.
“What is it you hope to accomplish here Amos?”
“To take down The Defiance. To win the war. To bring peace to Zion.”
“Maybe your weakness is that you are naive?” Renatus responds after a pause.
“I don’t understand.”
“There will never be peace young Amos. It isn’t possible. It doesn’t exist in the hearts of men. As long as there are people like us and people like those in The Middle, there will always be war. Once we defeat The Defiance, someone else will rise in its place. Maybe even our own people. You see, they want what we have. It’s pure and simple avarice.”
Renatus sounds as if war is a good thing, something he relishes. But he is correct, war has always existed and always will. My uncle tells me there is only one that can bring true peace. Just thoughts of being in The Middle, living in my tiny hostile among the Drecks, digging through trash seems like a lifetime ago. I peer down at the clear water and see my reflection. For a moment I’m startled. I have forgotten that I don Amos’s face. But it is more than my appearance that has changed.
Renatus puts his arm on my shoulder. “We have to cover each other’s blind spots mate. I’ll try not to be so fearless, and you don’t be so damn trusting.”
Why do I feel at home? Why do I feel as if I have my father back? I know it’s wrong, but my flesh wants to stay in Zion where I can foster my relationship with Sarai unfettered. A burden has been lifted when I can be with her with Renatus’s approval as opposed to his constant interference. Is this how evil is birthed and morality dies? Slowly, while dining on lobster and sipping fine wine?
“And what happens when we win? When The Defiance has been defeated. Does The Wall come down?”
“There has always been a wall Amos, just not a physical one.” Again, he studies me, then smiles. “Let’s go catch a big fish shall we?”
The sea doesn’t want us out there today. Renatus’s forty-five-foot fishing boat surfs the fifteen foot waves as we make our way to the fishing grounds. The cold saltwater splashes over the bow instantly soaking us.
Renatus, with his shirt off, soaks in another wave of icy water. It rolls off his smooth head and onto his shaved chest. He is loving it.
“People don’t spend enough time outdoors!” he whoops.
A wave hits our left side, sending me sliding towards the railing. Renatus reaches out and snatches me before I go overboard.
“I got you, I got you.” His tone is that of a worried parent. He holds my arms tight. “You okay son? You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
But I’m not fine. I’m taken back by his sudden concern, his worry for me. He covers his mouth.
“Sorry, I just. Eleazar drowned in these waters, and I . . . seeing you almost go overboard, I just. Never mind. Remember, wide stance, loose knees, will help get your sea legs.” He puts his arm on me. “You almost had a trip to The Mountain, son.”
I see some humanity in him, perhaps things aren’t so black and white? After our boat slices through another wave I finally find my balance and inhale a large breath of fresh sea air. Something about being on a boat that makes me feel instantly free. An hour later we have reached the fishing grounds. The seas have calmed a bit. We both cast our lines as I look out at the vast ocean and wonder how I got here? Not too long ago I was just a refuse rat, digging through the trash and living in a cold, damp cement hostel.
Renatus stares out at the vast ocean, the sun reflecting brilliantly off the water. “I love being out in creation.”
I am surprised by his term. “Creation? You believe in God?”
“Surprised?”
“A little,” I reply.
“Yes, there is a God Amos. But I believe he rules by absenteeism. That is where we step in. Both my parents and sister died when I was young, then my son. Where was God then?”
I don’t have an answer for him; Cephas would.
Renatus stares at the horizon, then at me, “Perhaps that is why we are here, to pick up where He left off? Maybe that’s what protocol is for?”
What Renatus says next makes it even worse.
“Now that we have Dagger, we need to work on getting Cephas.”
I simply nod.
Renatus shakes his head. “Cephas, the great leader of The Defiance, if people only knew him as I did.”
Now I’m curious. “What do you mean?”
“The meeting with Asher’s parents. Silas the peacemaker and his wife. Silas and I were both ready to broker a peace deal, end this bloody war between Zion and The Defiance. Things were going well and agreements were being made. Then out of nowhere, Cephas and his band ambushed us and broke the temporary ceasefire. I looked into Silas’s eyes and he was genuinely surprised. He had not back stabbed me. It was Cephas who went behind his back and attacked without his knowledge. But the way Cephas tells it, you would think it was the other way around. If only people knew the real Cephas, he wouldn’t be loved as he is.”
It can’t be, can it? He has to be lying. But why would he? I can see if he knew I was Asher, but why would he lie about this to Amos? Did Cephas really betray my father? Is that why my parents were killed? My head is spinning.
I am so lost in this thought my fishing pole is almost ripped from my hands.
Renatus yells, “Fish on!”
The banquet is impressive, the dance hall and ball is grandiose. Sarai wraps her hands around Asher’s neck, trying to get him to dance, lips a nickels width apart.
“How was fishing?” Sarai asks, never taking her eyes off of his.
“Incredible. Two-hundred-pound beast fought for a good forty minutes before I hauled her in,” Asher replies, still on a high from the morning’s festivities.
“I would have reeled her in in thirty,” Sarai replies, tongue in cheek.
“I have no doubt you would have.”
Sarai sees something in his eyes that just isn’t quite right, “You sure you’re okay?”
“Great.” Asher lies.
Renatus dances with Joanna with such poise and grace that Asher takes notice. His feet slide elegantly across the floor as he twirls her before slowly leading her into a dip.
“Your dad has some chops.”
Sarai smiles, “Perhaps you should take lessons from him.”
“Not a chance.”
The grand hall is replete with senators, generals, and other members of the elite. All dressed to the nines, with their wives laminated in diamonds. Crystal chandeliers and gold flaked trim on the crown molding. Opulence drips from the ceilings and vanity oozes from the walls.
Sarai’s white, gold, and red dress is something out of a fairy tale. She, like Asher, is getting used to such attire. She, like Asher, is getting sucked into Zion’s extravagance, Zion’s lies. It is not so much the riches as it is the only way she and Asher can finally safely be together, that is what she treasures. Conversations with her father are even pleasant now. She no longer loathes her mother’s company. Her ripped Van Halen shirt is tucked away in the back of her dresser.
For the first time in her life, Sarai feels like she has a father. Sure, it’s perhaps proxy love through Asher, but it is still love, love that she had never had from him before. Renatus didn’t come out and say it, but he spoke to her in kindness, actually paid attention to her. Things are almost normal.
“When is your next patrol?” she asks, not wanting him to leave again so soon.
“Five days.”
She thinks about what Asher might do if he and his army come face to face with The Defiance soldiers. His people. Drecks. She wants to ask what his plan is for her father’s third army. Is he training them to fight against Zion? Is he trying to gain their loyalty per Cephas’s plan to be used to overtake her father and the Lazurites? Or has he switched allegiances? Her father can be pretty persuasive. But she doesn’t ask. She is afraid if the words are spoken it might pull them back into reality, from the clutches of Zion’s paradise. She has Asher now and doesn’t want that to change. The fact that Asher hasn’t offered her any of this information tells her he feels the same. The bliss of ignorance. But this isn’t ignorance, it’s willful obtuseness. Does she think that perhaps a peace deal can be brokered? Maybe she can convince her father to end the war, open The Wall, and then she and Asher can remain this way, on an island, just the two of them. No Defiance. No war. No Wall. Including the abolition of second-life protocol. She has no plans of outliving the many children or grandchildren spawned from the man she now holds. Zion’s wool is thick. Its web sticky.
As the music stops, Renatus approaches them.
“What? You two don’t like to dance? Is the music not to your liking?”
“Ash . . . uh . . . Amos refuses.” she almost said Asher.
“Dodgy footwork?” Renatus asks with a smile.
“I value your daughter’s toes,” Asher responds taking a sip of his wine.
“Perhaps we’ll remedy that one day,” Renatus says in a tone that sounds more like a demand.
“Perhaps we will,” Sarai agrees, elbowing her husband in the ribs.
“Now if you two beautiful ladies will excuse us for a moment.” Renatus grabs Asher by the arm and whispers into his ear.
“Be up early. I have something to show you in the morning.” His words have more gravitas than normal, almost as if they are life changing.
Sarai overhears and fears that they might be.
After a quick workout and a light breakfast consisting of cream cheese and smoked salmon, I take a shower. Until I reached Zion, I had never experienced a hot shower or bath. It’s divine. I have trouble getting out, but I don’t want to be late. I meet Renatus out front. He is in the driver’s seat of a freshly waxed Jeep. He checks his watch.
“Right on time.”
“What kind of soldier isn’t?”
He smiles and rams it into gear as we take off with a lurch. Our armed entourage consists of four other Jeeps, and two helidrones tracking our every move.
“Where we headed?” I ask.
“The Mountain,” he replies bluntly. From his look I can tell he wants the rest to be a surprise, so I don’t press him on what exactly is The Mountain.
Twenty minutes into the trip we encounter a torrential downpour. I peer into the back and spot the Jeep’s vinyl top.
“Should we stop? Put the top on?”
Renatus looks to the sky and raises one hand while driving with the other. “Don’t shelter yourself from the storms of life son. Absorb it, relish it. It’s okay to get soaked in it, the sun always returns.”
Once again Renatus impresses. He guns it on the muddy road, the tires spin and the backend hooks to the left, a smile on his face. An hour later we reach the base of The Mountain. We pass through the first fenced checkpoint and make our way up a windy, bouncy road until we are almost halfway up. We stop when we reach the five-foot-thick steel door. It reminds me of NORAD, or at least how it was portrayed in the movie WarGames, another 80’s classic. More helidrones and armed elite patrol the door. The men stand to rigid attention when they recognize who is driving the Jeep.
“Good morning sultan,” one of them says while saluting.
Renatus ignores him. The door rolls open and we drive through. I wonder what is inside, New weapons perhaps? We hop out of the Jeep, still dripping wet from the rain. He hands his coat to a guard, grabs a towel, and wipes the rain and mud off his face. He throws me a towel and leads me to an elevator that takes us twelve stories underground. He is silent, with an eager smile of anticipation about what he is about to show me. The elevator door opens, and then it occurs to me where we are going.
“This is where it all happens mate,” Renatus whispers proudly as if anything above a murmur would awaken his harvest. “The second-life protocol.”
Thousands of bodies lie in cryogenic chambers waiting to be used for Zion’s elite. They float inside the pink translucent fluid like they are unborn babies in amniotic fluid. My body shakes. I’m not sure if I’m cold from the rain or just have the chills from what lies before me.
“How does it work?” I ask, already partially knowing the answer.
“To spare you all the technical rubbish, basically we harvest what is called their LifeCell. It immediately kills them, and it is the basis for regeneration. Resurrection if you will.” Renatus scrutinizes my expression. “Why so shocked? They’re only Drecks, mate.”
“Just amazed at the technology, at what you have created,” I lie.
He rests his hand on my shoulder. “You are part of the elite now Amos. Because of this, and your loyalty to Zion, I offer you eternal life.”
