Chapter Twenty-six: The Warrior Returning Alive

Jason shook Sarah’s lifeless body. It couldn’t end like this, so close and yet so far.

‘I’ll go get a shovel’ Emilia said.

‘What for?’ Claire asked.

‘A grave’ Emilia replied.

‘We are not burying her. Not here’ Jason said.

‘Then what are we doing?’ Razim asked.

‘Our objective hasn’t changed. All that’s changed is Sarah’s dead. We are taking her body back. Celeste would want to see her sister one last time, regardless’ Jason answered. There was silence for a moment.

‘Jason, I told you. We are not willing to carry a corpse all the way there’ Emilia said, breaking the silence.

‘Who said anything about carrying her? We’ll need a car’ Jason replied.

‘He’s right,’ Claire said. ‘It’s what Celeste would want’

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know Jason was Celeste’s bitch’ Razim replied.

‘This has nothing to do with command’ Jason growled, a little offended.

‘Why don’t you two go find a working car? We’ll stay here, gather as many supplies as we can’ Claire said. Emilia nodded and left with Razim.

‘Please tell me you got what you needed from their systems’ Jason said to Claire.

‘I think so. I haven’t had a chance to look yet’ Claire replied, pulling cans of food from the counter. It was only now that Jason realised they had stopped in a café. He pulled himself up and helped Claire with food.

‘You want to tell what you saw?’ she asked.

‘Who says I saw anything?’ Jason replied.

‘I do,’ Claire told him. ‘When you came into the prison, you were throwing a fit or some sort of seizure. When you went down then, you threw the same thing. So what did you see?’

‘Honestly? I don’t know’ Jason said.

‘Well maybe I can help,’ Claire replied. ‘I didn’t just come across why the Tallentiri are here. When you go in, you have nightmares or lucid dreams. Whatever they do to us, causes us to see our worst fears. I saw myself trapped in a series of Earthquakes-‘

‘You’re scared of Earthquakes?’ Jason asked.

‘It’s a phobia. Moving on, what did you see when you first came in?’ Claire asked.

‘First of all, I saw three things. Not many people know it but I’m a little superstitious. The first thing I was trapped in a room of mirrors. I can’t remember how, but they broke and I fell through the floor which was also a mirror’ Jason said.

‘Which is like what? Seven years bad luck?’ Claire responded.

‘Per mirror. So roughly forty-two years, give or take a mirror. Anyway, after I fell through the mirror, I landed in an ocean-‘

‘You’re afraid of water?’

‘I’m hydrophobic’ Jason admitted.

‘But you drink it’ Claire said.

‘Of course I drink it. It’s near impossible to drown in a glass of water,’ Jason snapped. ‘The water was calm originally, but when I moved it became wavy, then violent. The waves picked me up, then dunked me over and over. I lost count how many times I drowned. And I’d rather not talk about the third thing I saw’ Jason relented.

‘That bad huh?’ Claire asked.

‘You have no idea’ Jason told her, stuffing the cans roughly into a bag. They heard two cars pull up out front. Jason calmly walked over and picked the Aug off the floor and took cover behind the coor.

‘It’s ok,’ Claire said, peering through the window. ‘It’s them’

‘Ok. You take the food, I’ll carry Sarah out to the car’ Jason said. Claire nodded as she went and stuffed the last few cans into the bag and carried them out. Jason walked over and carefully picked up Sarah’s body; one arm under her arms and the other under her knees.

‘One driver and one gunner per car. Jason, you’re driving and you have Claire with you-‘ Emilia started.

‘I thought I was in charge?’ Jason said.

‘They spotted us. We have to go now’ Razim told him. Jason nodded.

‘I’ll take the leading car and Sarah’ Jason said, lowering Sarah’s body onto the back seat.

‘Where are we going?’ Emilia asked.

‘I haven’t decided that yet. No matter what you stay on my ass, understand?’ Jason said as he got into the driver’s seat, Claire sat beside him. Jason handed her the Aug.

‘Anything moves that isn’t Emilia or Razim’s car, you shoot it’ Jason told her. Claire nodded as Jason slammed the car into drive and took off. They were under attack almost instantly. Nexus forces came from everywhere. Claire fired and they heard either Razim or Emilia follow suit. Jason made a sharp right turn, nearly flipping the car and saw the Nexus had cars of their own.

‘Shoot their tires Claire!’ Jason ordered as the cars came speeding towards them. As each of Claire’s shots hit the tires, the tires popped and the cars spun out of control as Jason sped through, Emilia and Razim weren’t far.

‘That won’t stop them forever’ Claire told him.

‘I know, but it buys us some time at least’ Jason replied. Emilia sped up and drove along them, winding her window down. Jason rolled down his.

‘Well done. Nearly cut us off’ Emilia called out, watching the road every so often.

‘But didn’t’ Jason called back.

‘Where are we going?’ Emilia asked.

‘Freeway, then Tunnel, I’m still leading’ Jason answered. Jason sped up and then turned sharply onto the freeway.

‘Jason, the freeway is going to be packed with cars’ Claire said.

‘You’d think that, but there weren’t any on the freeway outside of Perth. Also, if the invasion happened in the morning I’d agree with you, but it didn’t’ Jason replied. And what he said held true. The freeway was clear.

‘We lost them’ Claire said.

‘For now at least. I don’t doubt they’re planning something’ Jason said, suddenly remembering something.

‘Do you still have the envelope?’ he asked.

‘Why do you ask that?’

‘You asked what I saw. Well I had a chat with my old man. He said I’m right about the spy, that the envelope would tell me exactly who it is’ Jason said.

‘You have a fear of your dad?’ Claire asked him.

‘More like a fear of becoming him but that’s beside the point. This wasn’t like the first time. This was real’ Jason replied.

‘They’re designed to feel real’

‘You don’t understand. Just, the envelope. Please tell me you still have it’ Jason told her.

‘Yes. I gave it to Celeste shortly before I was captured’ Claire replied. They had entered the tunnel.

‘Good’ Jason replied. So far so good, Jason thought to himself. They were nearly home. Nearly safe. The two cars drove out the outside and onto a bridge where they met a blockade of Nexus soldiers. Jason stopped. There was a Nexus soldier waiting patiently in front of the vehicles. Jason got out of the car, taking his rifle from Claire. Razim and Emilia stayed in their car, pulling up beside them.

‘Stay here’ He muttered. The Solider chuckled.

‘Go on. Try it. You’re outnumbered and outgunned. You’ll be shot be shot to pieces within seconds, Jason Blake’ he said.

‘And you would be?’ Jason asked.

‘Commander Michaels. Also the beginning of your end. I must say, you are quite crafty and a slippery one to catch. Using our forces to break yourself out of a Tallentiri prison? Well played. I’ll admit. That thought didn’t cross our minds. I assume Heath gave you the code?’ Michaels asked. Jason nodded.

‘What do you want?’ Jason asked. He notice a slight flash from one of the windows of the racecourse. Jason had to assume it was from military snipers. Jason had seen this play out in drills when he was at the Barracks with his dad. He hoped it played out right.

‘Well, the High Commander wants your head on a spike. Me? I’ll settle for… your head over there and… the rest of you over there,’ Michaels said pointing in opposite directions. ‘But before all that, you have something we need’

‘The envelope?’ Jason enquired.

‘They told me you were intelligent but I didn’t believe it. Yes, the envelope. We can’t afford that lying around’ Michaels answered.

‘Well you are obviously slow. I don’t have it. It was destroyed when I was captured’ Jason said.

‘Liar. We know it still exists’ Michaels snarled. Jason hung his left arm at his side, his index finger pointing down. And Michaels dropped, a small hole in the back of his head. Ground forces of the military at the Racecourse were advancing behind the Nexus cars but their drivers surrendered themselves without a fight. As did their supporting soldiers. Carlisle walked up to Jason.

‘You’re alive’ Carlisle said.

‘No thanks to your weapon. It was almost out when you gave it to me’ Jason told him.

‘Well I did tell you to get a new one,’ Carlisle said. ‘Anyway, we’ll take you all back. There’s some things you need to know’