Bitter Vista: Grunium Duology, #2

Part 1

BITTER VISTA

Chapter 1

THE PALM OF MY HAND ran across the uneven dry stone wall while I followed the road beside it. Once, every couple of hours, a pair of headlights would trundle down the dark, narrow lane; then I’d duck behind the ancient farm boundary, grasping for a service pistol that wasn’t there anymore. My body was still stuck in the past. My mind was too far ahead.

This fugue state was my companion along the deserted country path, until I spotted bright spotlights up ahead. Instincts took over and I crept to an alder tree on a hillock overlooking the lights – below lay orange cones, strewn in front of two military jeeps, which were parked so that no one vehicle would be able to go through undetected. Behind this roadblock was a huddle of soldiers, all clutching their stainless steel coffee cups. Faint wisps of steam gathered and dissipated around them as they watched the road with bleary eyes.

I took a few deep breaths to stop myself from throwing up. My thighs shook a little when I pushed myself up against the withered tree. They continued to carry me though. On and on, past the roadblock, down an old farm path that cut a long swathe across a verdant dale.

Would I have to live forever as a fugitive?

The better question would be: Could I live with myself?

As the morning light started to push its fingers through dense clouds, I spotted a barn, one which struggled to keep itself upright, like a rickety galleon that’s hull had been breached by a reef. I wandered into its open mouth. My right foot caught on something and I skidded into the firm ground. I tasted the remnants of hay but I didn’t move. There was nowhere left to go, in any case. My eyes heaved open. An errant beam of light had slithered through one of the cracks in the roof.

You better keep your behind down.

I couldn’t spot the owner of the raspy alto voice, and I didn’t want to risk any sudden movements.

I said, I wasn’t planning on moving anyway. Listen, I was just taking a little nap in this barn, and I’ll be off your property in no time, Ma’am.

A grunt came from my right. We can talk for a while, Blondie. Or would you prefer the name Captain Liana?

Oh shit.   

Chapter 2

A PILE OF HAY RUSTLED to my right and a figure stepped into the oval of light. The swarthy woman’s long curly hair formed a widow’s peak over her slightly ovate forehead and her olive eyes, which seemed to drink in the little light, regarded me with suspicion. The freckles dotted around her snub nose gave her an almost child-like appearance.

Oh fudge, I stepped into the light, didn’t I?

I rested my head on one arm. Yes, but that’s not a bad thing, ya know...

We’ve got a charmer over here. I’m flattered, but we don’t have time for that; the military will be widening their search area and it will just be a matter of time before they get to you. I’m gonna say this once: I’m the only chance that you have of escaping this flippin’ terrible situation you’ve got yourself into.

You know, you can say ‘fuck’.

Her face became blanched and she looked away from me. She might’ve muttered No, but I wasn’t sure.

I said, You know my name but how can I trust you if I don’t know yours?

That’s true. I’m Rhea Praxia, of the Hounds, on a direct mission to retrieve you. We wanted to help you but you managed to escape before we could make contact.

That introduction made me sit up straight in my straw bed and take notice. The way she carried herself was reminiscent of how those agents stood and walked – always on the balls of their feet with their arms positioned at a faint angle.

So you’re a little doggy?

The bridge of her nose scrunched up. Look, it’s your choice. I’m not going to tie you up or subdue you. I’m going. Either you can follow me or you can stay here and be captured. You know what the military will do to you.

With that she turned on her heel and marched out of the barn. All I could do was scramble after her. She had called my bluff and I folded with all my cards on the table. I didn’t know what my country’s intelligence service wanted with me, or why their mission goals contravened that of the military, but the fact was that I didn’t have a strong hand.

A couple of paces from the barn there was a fresh hole in the turf, largely bigger than a manhole cover. Rhea pointed to it with one hand.

You’ve got to be kidding me, I said.

I can assure you, I’m not. Jump in. It’s safer in there than walking on foot.

A glint of metal caught my eye when I stood over the hole, and I wasn’t sure if it was reassuring or menacing. I lowered myself down into the Appian soil and found myself in a small cylinder, which was clear on all sides and had barely enough space for the one seat. I could see the clay press in on the object from all sides but it stayed intact.

Rhea cleared her throat. Stay in your seat for the whole duration. An operator will fetch you when your trip is done. Bon appetit!

But that’s not the right words-

She closed the cover above before I could correct her on her weak grasp of French. Or, more importantly, I hoped she was wrong. The craft gave a slight shudder, then it burrowed deeper into the total darkness. My only companions during the trip were my bongo drum heartbeat and the sound of rocks scraping against the outside.

My little mole craft started to slow and we broke the surface. Light made everything seem bleached out while my eyes adjusted; I seemed to have arrived at what looked like an underground subway tunnel of sorts. The concrete cathedral ceiling was held up by a forest of steel girders, all arrayed around the dirt trenches running the length of the room.

I put my hand against the cold cover above me but remembered Rhea’s warning, so I made myself comfortable again, though I didn’t have to wait long. The metal started to moan as it was moved off. Rhea’s oval face appeared above me.  

I hope you didn’t wait too long, Liana?

As I was hauled out of the capsule I said, Not at all. I’m actually grateful to see your face.

You are my responsibility after all. I can’t just send you off to headquarters and then wipe my hands.

So this is the feared Hounds’ headquarters? I’ve heard the stories but I never thought that I would see it, or rather, I hoped that I would never be forced to see it.

Oh shush, we aren’t some bogey monster coming to eat you up. The fact that you’re standing here and talking to me is proof enough of that. She stuck out her pointed chin while she inspected me.

Yes, I’m a terrible guest, because we all know I should only start to scream when the dog starts to gnaw on me. I got it.

Rhea went silent and turned around, with the only indication that I should follow being a covert nod.

We walked along a tunnel, wide enough for a jeep to drive through, or something more nefarious, whilst dotted every couple of feet was a fluorescent light above, creating a pattern of white ovals, like a pattern on a snake’s back. Steel tracks ran along the wall on either side that likely contained wiring within. The sound of footsteps carried down deeper into the passage and then dissipated. As we moved, Rhea’s bronze-green eyes twinkled as she noticed how rattled I was, but she let me suffer while we made our way down the passage.

The tunnel terminated at an iron bolted door that seemed to be hewn from a primeval hunk of metal. Next to it was an electronic sensor, as ultramodern as the door was ancient. First Rhea put her eye in front of the humming electronic machine, then she pressed her thumb on the pad and finally spit into a tiny receptacle. The machine seemed to take a moment to ponder all of the personal information proffered but at last the door slid open.

In front of us was a hall, with perhaps three or four stories of air above us, and trunk-like pillars down the middle. On either side of the supports there were groups of metal tables and chairs. A great number of people sat and ate at each of these. As we wound our way through the mess hall it became apparent how diverse the occupants of each table was, but they all shared a common feature – alert eyes. And a number of them were trained on me.

Rhea came to a stop at the very epicentre of the hall, in front of the largest pillar, which looked like it could hold up earth itself. I was surprised to see a modest wooden door embedded in the blue structure. My guide fell into a crouch when it opened.

From the opening stepped a trim man, a head or so taller than me, with hair in a bun of dreadlocks that made him seem even lankier. He enveloped me in a tight hug before I could formulate opinions on him.

This must be the famous Liana Haugen! Pleased to meet you, I’m Cal Mosley. I would appreciate if you would walk with me to my office.

He had already turned and walked back towards the opening in the pillar, and I had to quicken my step just to catch up.

He looked over his shoulder and said, Do you like this? I always think I have to be here, where my agents eat, because we are like a family, and a household should always eat together.

I muttered my agreement but it didn’t seem like it mattered because the conversation streamed on as we stepped inside the concrete column. When the door closed, the chatter stopped.

Cal seated himself on a plush recliner chair, and his two long legs became pinioned on the worn wool carpet as he let out a low sigh. The scarred, concrete walls in the living room were bare and only the image of a fire on the television gave the space any semblance of warmth, but even this light only served to cast shadows along the rounded ceiling and walls, which looked like haggard satyrs, unable to find their way back to the green fields above.

Cal, the head of the Hounds, shifted his dark eyes onto me. So you’ve been persuaded to agree with our way of thinking?

May I have permission to be honest, sir?

Of course Liana, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nothing against the Hounds, but I agree with any kind of thinking that keeps me alive at this point of time.

Rhea gasped and hovered over to my right. Just as she wanted to intervene, Cal laughed out his belly with a basso rumble.

Aaah, you are motivated by self-preservation. There is something about honesty like that which is really admirable. Even as you venture into an environment you know nothing about, you want to speak what you feel in your heart. I’m sure that trait must have caused you a lot of trouble in the military.

I clutched at my dog tag. Not really – it was quickly worked out of me. Now I’m done with that though, and I can be my true self.

That’s good, Cal said. "I don’t think you can say you are done though. Far from it, actually.

What?!

You thought I brought you here out of the goodness of my heart? How can you be so desperate or gullible to think that? Don’t answer, that was rhetorical.

I wrung my hands behind my back while I weighed all of my options and bargaining chips.

Don’t look so worried, Liana. It’s true that I won’t give you over to the military, but first you must do something for me, and then we can part as friends, or at least not as enemies.

I’m looking around and it doesn’t seem like I’ve got a lot of choices at the moment. What do you want? 

Cal dangled his one leg over the other and gazed into my eyes. The other leg slid over and became the dominant one while he continued to scrutinize me.

He cleared his throat and said, I need you to return to the capital – Corneto. It’s been a while since you’ve been back there, because of your little adventure out in the boondocks, but it won’t be much of an adjustment. More importantly, you’ve got intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the military and its structures. You’re well-suited for this. You’ll only have to do surveillance and if you need everything you can just contact Rhea, who will be overseeing the operation. Of course we’ll give you a new identity and disguise so that you could blend in with the populace.

I stared into his granite eyes but they remained solid.

Fine, I said. It sounds too simple but it’s a zero-sum game at the moment. I hope I’m not too forward – who am I kidding, right – but why are you investigating the military?

Oh, you’ll know in due course. Just be patient.

Before I could ask any more questions, Rhea appeared from the hall and ushered me out of Mosley’s pillar abode.

Chapter 3

I LAY ON THE SPOTLESS bed. The metal railing glinted in the light of my bedside lamp. I’d already given up hope of any kind of rest hours ago – all I could do was lay there in my small tomb and ping my worries around in my head. One of them was really energetic: why were they so sure that they could trust me? I had already betrayed my previous superiors, so how could they be so sure that I wouldn’t do the same to them? The Hounds always calculated an angle that they could work. I’d just have to find a way to get out of all of this alive.

My head started to pulse with pain and I edged off the small bed and onto the coarse stone floor. It was meant to be night already, and so most of the lights had been switched off, but I held out the glow of my reliable pencil torchlight, which I always carried with me. I exited into the main tunnel but there was a rustle behind me. A glimpse of a lock of dark curly hair flashed in the edge of my vision.

Rhea, why were you sitting in front of my room in the middle of the dark? You know, you only had to ask if you wanted to come inside.

She snorted and walked into the small circle of light. You’re impossible. You’re my responsibility, even though Cal said that I didn’t need to worry about you.

How does he know that?

Rhea put her hand against the small of my back and suggested we take our conversation somewhere else more discreet. She led me to the cafeteria once again, where we made ourselves some tea, and then seated ourselves in a little alcove in the deserted eating area.

You mean to say you don’t know about the technology? Captain Liana, the brave and ruthless soldier, didn’t even know what she was working towards. They really like their compartmentalization in the Appian military, don’t they?

"Stop trying to sidestep it, Rhea. Are you going to tell me or not?

She took the cup between her short, delicate fingers and rubbed it against the warmth. Aaaw frick. I’ll tell you, if it puts you’re mind at ease. Mr. Mosley is able to, well he can, what I’m trying to say is he can read minds.

I had to cough. A mouthful of tea had slid to the back of my throat as I struggled to form a response.

H-how is that even possible?!

Use that brain of yours. The technology you were working on was able to pull people’s minds into a dream. Yes, don’t look so surprised – we see everything. Now just rework it so that you can slip into their thoughts at will.

But it would be horrible for one person to have that power.

Ta-daa! Rhea intoned. You’ve finally got it. That’s why Mr. Mosley has a very limited device, with which one can only see if you are truthful and sincere and that’s-

-how he could see if I could be trusted. I can’t say I like the idea.

She gathered both of our empty cups. Liana, I probably don’t have to tell you, but there are people out there who have no scruples. At least he uses his power for good.

As she walked to put them away she said, It’s best if you go and get some sleep. She looked down at her watch. Like now-ish.

I think I slept that night, though I can’t be sure. The next couple of days in the Hounds’ headquarters were also a blur. There must’ve been times when I ate and slept, but it didn’t leave an imprint on my mind, perhaps because there was no day/night cycle, and so my body couldn’t orientate itself. Or it could be a symptom of everything being so regimented.

Somewhere during the afternoon, Rhea appeared in the doorway of my sleeping quarter.

Want to go and get some tea again? I said.

Her dark curls whipped back and forth. No, that’s not why I’m here. We have to get ready.

The words hung between us, in the middle of that silent stone hutch. Rhea’s eyes almost seemed to dare me to disobey the order. I didn’t, though.

She gave me a terse nod when I pushed past her, into the hallway, where murmurs drifted from the rooms that neighboured my own. Rhea and I moved down, back to the familiar dining hall – the pillar in the middle of the room was our destination. The cracked door was already ajar and we stepped across the threshold.

Cal sat in the same chair in his living room, in that same pensive pose, as if nothing had changed since we had first met. We entered and those dark eyes came into focus.

The moment has arrived, Liana. You’ll be able to redeem yourself if you succeed, maybe atone for all of your past sins, he said.

I bit back the bellicose words that wanted to escape from my mouth. He smiled at me and it felt like we shared a bad joke.

Come closer.

My feet invaded the Persian rug and continued on until I was right beside his chair. His long arm snaked around the back of his chair, and retrieved a small wooden box, which he opened right before my eyes. Inside was something akin to a delicate, ivory hairnet.

Promise me you’ll wear this every time you sleep, Liana. Promise me!

Okay, I’ll do it, although I’m not likely to get an explanation anyway, am I?

He closed the lid and handed it to me. Rhea tugged my arm gently before I could press him even more and I followed her lead, back outside to the cavernous dining hall that started to fill up with agents.

She always remained just in the lead, her black curls a curtain in front of her face while she negotiated the streams of people. We stepped into a passageway that was tucked between two columns, on the left side of the dining area. The usual stone floor gave way to custard tiles that reflected my face back at me. The cave walls in this section were still unblemished and white. Rhea stopped in front of the double push doors, with her hand poised on the handle.

I just have to warn you, things beyond this door might seem a bit odd to you, but it has saved the lives of many agents and I’m sure it will save yours.

The big grey door moaned slightly as she pushed into the room, and I followed close behind. A grey door adorned the opposite wall, but otherwise it was only a large open, rectangular space, which was as bare as could be. A strong antiseptic smell hinted at what the real intended use for it was though.

The door slammed open and a short, hunched over middle-aged man scurried into the space. A pink, star shaped scar/birthmark was nestled on his left eye, right under a pair of thick eyebrows.

Rhea! You don’t come and visit or anything. Oh! I see you’ve brought a visitor, and look at that jawline of hers and that beautifully formed nose.

Agent Rhea and the man greeted each other. I pretended to scratch an itch on my face, so that I could obscure everything he had described.

He clapped his hands together. My name is Dr. Barkoff, or you could just call me Ronald. I’m fine with either of them. I have to say, it will be such a shame to change a face like yours, miss.

I’m Liana Haugen. I stepped forward and shook his small paw, but then what he said hit me. Sorry, but what do you mean you’re going change my face?

"It’s standard procedure to change an operative’s physical appearance before sending them