Episode Thirty Six - Taking Sides

Chapter Song Suggestion "Hush by Eagle Eyed Tiger"

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THE PAST | Eira

"You promise that you'll come see me?" Jade asked in a timid voice.

"Don't worry," Eira assured, palming both of Jade's smaller hands. "These people will take care of you, and I promise I'll come to visit when I can."

"Do I really have to go?"

Eira exchanged a troubled look with Lars before plastering another smile. "I'm afraid so, Jade. Where Lars and I come from, it's not safe for you or any children." She swept aside the mop of blonde hair. "Grow up strong and healthy, Jade. That is my wish for you."

"It's time to go." Anaelle interrupted.

"I'll see you soon, Jade." Eira escorted the little girl into the copter that will transfer her to an orphanage in Belugia. "Goodbye for now."

Tears sparkled in Jade's green eyes. "Goodbye, Eira. Promise you'll come visit."

"I promise."

As they watched the copter take off, Lars's disapproval was glaring. "You should have lied to her instead of giving her false hope. We'll never see her again."

"Hope is important to help her survive," Eira shot back. "It was the one thing that kept me alive and she's better off without us. It's safer for her to be far away from Ataxia."

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PRESENT DAY

Ever since the dawn of Predation, mankind was forced to hide and dwell underground where it was safe from land and sky predators. Where once great megacities have thrived – New York, Tokyo, Lagos – and fallen, humans have started rebuilding beneath the surface – subterranean urbanisation – and there was one such place below Ataxia.

"Volaris." Eira tested the name on her tongue.

Lars was taking them into Ataxia's core, riding those convenient tube pods she learnt were called 'capsule transits'. Unlike the R&D division's, this one only had a set destination — Volaris. Their capsule moved as if they were descending from the heavens, allowing her a glimpse of the city's 'skyline' or was it groundline since they were no longer on the surface.

Fluorescent lights of Volaris danced and flickered over her skin, casting her in hues of pink, purple and blue. "It's beautiful," she breathed, planting her hand against the cold glass, tracing the tallest tower. Her eyes followed the hover cabs gliding in the air. "It's so different from Kalda. There was no technology like this below Skocia. This is too much for my mind to process. Everything seems so out of this world and advanced."

Lars's lips twitched. "Volaris is based on old era's sin city, known as Las Vegas. The latest and most sophisticated technology can be found in every corner of Volaris, no expenses spared. Nearly everything in the service industry is automated, mainly in transportation and health care. It may be convenient but it's impersonal, lacking human touch. Personally, I prefer Kalda's traditional atmosphere that is still cultured and old-fashioned. Like an old era bazaar. Kalda's architecture has…character in its buildings that are carved from the earth."

"Why, Captain, I believe you are an old soul," Eira teased, smiling up at him. "I'm curious. You were born in Belugia. Does it have a subterranean city too?"

A sliver of sorrow entered his eyes at the mention of his homeland. "Moonholde. I've only been there once with my father. Compared to Volaris, it's much smaller."

Her heart went out to him. She gently squeezed his hand. "You know, I only remember what you told me about your family when we were children. Don't you think it's fair to finish your story now that I've told you mine?"

Lars brushed his mouth across her knuckles. "Tonight, there's a place I want to take you. I'll tell you everything." Heat arced as their eyes connected and held.

The pod eased to a stop and the city lights hit her eyes, reflecting emerald mischief. "Then I'll hold you to it, Captain."

Grinning, Lars hailed a hover cab and said to the driver, "To the Medallion, please."

It wasn't long before they arrived outside a posh, aesthetic building with the busiest crowd on the street. Helping Eira out, Lars led her to a restaurant entrance flanked by two burly guards. They waited while security scanned their identity chips embedded in their necks.

"Clear," the guard murmured once the tracker flashed green. He stepped aside for Lars and Eira to enter the darkened vestibule.

"What's with the tight security?" Eira whispered.

"There's a reason why I seldom visit Volaris." Lars raised his hand to sweep aside the velvet curtains, the blasting music from inside drowning out his voice. "It's where the rich come to play and satiate their vices."

Eira wasn't paying attention anymore, her gaze drifting to the fancy strobe lights bouncing off the walls and the music was so loud, her ears threatened to bleed. What kind of place was this? It was so…energetic and overwhelming. Everywhere she looked, people were enjoying themselves. Immensely. Kill hunters in uniforms loitered with cigars and drinks in their hands while costumed dancers slid up and down endless, sparkling poles. There was a sectioned loft above them which they were headed to.

Her heels kissed the solid metal steps as Lars escorted her upstairs and down a carpeted hallway of private rooms. He knocked twice on one of the doors before opening it to reveal the heavyset backside of a very tall gentleman with a hint of grey along his temples as his head twisted sideways, acknowledging them. Clamped between his lips, was a glowing cigar. He removed it and fully turned; his smile was a slash of white in the dark. "Welcome, Captain. Ms. Ulva. Thank you for joining me."

Upon shutting the door, the outside noise vanished as if sucked into an empty vacuum. Palms sweating, Eira wondered if they could all hear her pounding heart.

"Please, have a seat," the older man invited. "Another guest will be joining us soon." Stark, blue eyes zeroed in on her hand in Lars, causing her nerves to prickle and her heart to race faster. He must have seen something on her face because he chuckled, "Relax, I don't bite. I am Lars's mentor, the one who tamed this angry boy since the day you were both forced into the kill hunter program."

Her eyes rounded, mildly accusing. Eira was surprised by how casual she sounded. "You're one of them."

"Yes and no." Mickael took another drag of his cigar. "Outside this room, you will know me as First Lieutenant Mickael Strauss."

Her breath stuttered. He was one of Lars's superiors.

"But inside this room" — he continued nonchalantly — "I am just Mickael to you. I joined the government and climbed my way to the top for one reason alone. To consume Ataxia from within."

Eira went blank as astonishment swept through her. Had he just confessed to treason?

"Mickael is the leader of the Ataxian rebellion," Lars explained, his gaze subtly apologizing for sprinting this news on her. "They have been infiltrating the government for years and unearthing their secrets. There's more going on in Ataxia than you know, Eira. We are part of that conspiracy, and I won't allow them to get away with abducting us, changing our lives, and turning us into killers. Had we been weak, we would have been disposed of without a second thought."

"What are you saying?" Her tone shy of despair. "Are you saying there's more like us out there? That it's still happening?"

His expression darkened. "It never stopped, Eira. Why would you think that it had?"

Her gaze lowered in shame. "Someone once told me – after I confided in him about how I came to be – that it had been a coincidence...that the government was giving wayward children a home." How stupid she had been to believe Petr's words and ignored her conscience.

Jaw clenched; Lars had an inkling who she was referring to. "And you believed him?"

A miserable nod.

"Then it's clear that your acquaintance has long chosen his side," Mickael remarked, not the least bit surprised about the corruption. "You're here because I want to know where you stand, Eira Ulva."

Her gut hollowed out, the invisible pressure from both men crushing her. She shot Lars a half-uneasy glance. "Are you part of the rebellion?"

"Not entirely. The government killed my family, Eira." Old pain echoed in his words. "And they turned me into a killer without my consent. It's either kill or be killed. Have you forgotten their inhumane treatment? We were helpless children, forced to grow up overnight. These people have no compassion. They feel absolutely no remorse for what they have done – are doing. Every–single–one of them."

The truth of his words cut through her consciousness. Lars wasn't wrong. The fear of that very first day still lived in her mind – her body remembering the pain of its first broken bone, its first hunger pangs and its first humiliation of stripping nude before the lewd guards. Her stomach churned and her fists balled tightly. "I remember. I'll never forget for as long as I live."

"That's right, that's the spirit," Mickael remarked approvingly. "You were young. They tricked your minds and bodies to believe that you are fighting for a good cause. The government is only using you for their own purpose. Kill hunters are collateral damages – insurance if you will – and disposable. Haven't you ever wondered how you could easily accept everything that has happened and never so much as questioned it until now?"

Mickael poured himself a finger of whiskey. "This patriotic propaganda and sense of belonging that the government is advocating in their trainees' minds is more frightening than what predators can do. Predators are animals who operate on a one-track mind – they live, hunt, breed and die. They are transparent while men are complicated. My point is, sides are important and as long as you know where you stand, that's all that matters."

Eira knew if she were the enemy, she wouldn't be leaving this room alive. But she also wasn't a pushover. She had her own beliefs and sense of justice. "I don't wish to pick a side. All I know is that I cannot forgive anyone who destroys innocent lives and terrorizes the weak. Evil manipulation, robbing a person's free will and mindless killing…these are not the reasons why I chose to protect lives and fight for humanity." Despite her threshing heart, she forged on. "At the end of the day, I want to contribute to a safe environment and future where the young can grow without having to fear for their lives – be it from predators or mankind."

Mickael stared at her a mixture of curiosity, surprise, and respect. Most people he met were easily cowed in his presence, and he admitted, he revelled in the intimidation. A person was most honest when motivated by fear. "Well said, Eira Ulva. I've heard a lot about you but, meeting you in person do your stories justice. We share the same sentiments and that's enough for me. I don't need a dying declaration of faithfulness and I won't force you take a side. The fact that you are unwavering on where you stand earns my respect." He smirked at Lars. "Now I'm beginning to see why you are wrapped around her finger."

It was a casual comment but whatever double meaning he intended was lost upon her, though Lars's gaze narrowed. The silent tension was interrupted when two knocks sounded on the door and a woman's voice greeted them. "Sorry I'm late, darling." The naturally sultry undertone had Eira straightening to attention. She recognized that voice. "I was held back in a meeting with the other instructors."

Eira swirled in her chair. "Freya?"

"Eira, sweeting!" The dark-haired woman wasn't the least bit surprised to see her. Freya Aridottir had been her emotional crutch and mentor during her training days in Skocia. She was like a foster mother to Eira. "It's good to see you." Freya embraced her after shedding her coat, planting a kiss on her cheek. "How are you adapting to Ataxia? Is the Captain treating you well?"

Freya also had the artless behaviour of throwing out words in bright clusters as if she were scattering confetti. Anyone who couldn't catch up with her would often get swept away by her current.

"I'm fine," Eira assured, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her. "I don't understand. What are you doing here?"

Her mentor crossed the room to kiss Mickael on the lips, causing Eira's eyes to bulge unforgivingly. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from asking but, Freya always could read her like an open book.

A throaty laugh escaped her mentor who delighted in surprising her. Placing a hand on Mickael's shoulder, Freya introduced the two important people in her lives. "Eira, this is my partner, Mickael. We've been together for fifteen years. Mickael, this is Eira Ulva, the young woman I have been telling you about."

Okay, that was one mystery solved. Freya was responsible for telling Mickael stories about her. The next question was – "I don't mean to sound rude, but I get the feeling that this isn't a…cosy reunion?"

Mickael chuckled, blowing out a ring of smoke. "Then I'll cut to the chase. The reason why you were both invited is because we have a mission for you – a rescue and retrieval." His uncommonly blue eyes jumped to Lars. "It's up to you as Captain to decide how you want to play it out."

"Why now?" Although the question was asked in a light vein, Lars was alert. "It's been years since you've agreed to take on rescue missions. It's futile if we don't cut off the head of this operation. You were the one who stopped me time and time again."

Eira listened with avid interest. What did he mean? Had Lars been secretly rescuing children like them?

"This time it's different. I told you before that the government has been conducting experiments with Cell II and a reliable source has warned me of a new prototype using spliced DNA."

"What's this prototype?"

Never taking his eyes off them, Mickael answered through a cloud of smoke. "Not what – a who. Do you recall a little girl you rescued from the treefolks village?"

Alarms bells started ringing in Eira's head. She didn't like the sound of this. "Jade? Has something happened to her?"

"She's the prototype you will be retrieving."

Denial assailed her, and Eira reeled back in disbelief, fighting back the urge to insist his informant was wrong. Previously they had left Jade in safe hands. How could this have happened? "Why are you referring to her as a prototype?" The bad feeling in her gut soured.

"According to my source, Jade was born with traces of Cell II in her DNA. Like mutated predators who give birth to a new kind of species, she is a perfect example of a mutated homo sapien. This girl is special and I'm afraid they have done some…modifications and altered her DNA. She is no longer human. Jade is now the monster of Ataxia."