He had to stop himself from swearing, knowing that he would have no time to do so. His hands took hold of his other pistol and went right behind Lilac, immediately shooting at one of the masked rebels. The rebel shouted as he clutched his shot leg.

Every one of the rebels looked at the two. One of the masked ones shot his gun at Lilac, but she was running too crazily at him to get caught on by the bullet.

That distraction gave his ‘friend’s’ group some time to shuffle away from the fight. One of them, a black haired woman, even had time to slash her sword at the legs of two other masked rebels before trotting off, an odd movement in her run.

Lilac engaged with the masked rebels on her own, though three out of four were badly wounded anyway. “Isaac!” she called. “I can handle this! Go after them instead!”

He grimaced. “Who? I saw no one.”

She grinned, continuing to swing her swords at the armed rebels, not even giving them time to retaliate.

Isaac ran to her aid though he was not able to use his guns as he fought close combat. It was on days like this that he regrets not bringing his sword, but all was well since Lilac got his back.

As he fought, his mind swarmed with thoughts. He did not know if he did the right thing letting his friend and his companions go, but he knew that he only had one mission anyway. He was not breaking any rule given to him, which was only to escort General Alan.

This would be the last pardon, though. Next time he’d sees Zachary, he’ll know that he cannot spare him his life anymore. He was a rebel, and rebels get killed.

*

*

*

General Alan called for reinforcements when Isaac returned to the wreckage of the first class car. It seemed like the casualties were high as most who died and were wounded were soldiers. The dead rebels were also investigated on their identities, while the remaining ones who are still alive managed to locate the prototype guns stored within the train.

Isaac and Lilac kept their mouth shuts about the incident they ran into from a while ago. The rebels fled and Lilac’s ankle was in a worse situation than they thought, so they had to let them go.

“Let’s hope reinforcements get here fast,” said General Alan. He took a swig from his flask as the three of them viewed the train evacuation. No civilians were harmed, fortunately, although there were a few who died from the initial bombing.

“Are those guns that important?” asked Isaac. “The rebels won’t be able to figure out how it was made anyway.”

He grunted. “I don’t care much about the guns. The Committee is what I fear. They will be up my arse again if I don’t get those guns back. They cost the Military quite a lot, it seems.”

“I see.”

Lilac rolled her eyes. “As if they don’t need to get rid of their money anyway. The vault’s full of golden dinoles. It’s gonna burst!”

General Alan raised an eyebrow at her, amused. “In no time at all, gold will be replaced with promissory notes. The vault’s going to lighten up.”

She huffed.

Isaac’s posture sagged. “Well, let’s move on. We should be on our way to the Capital now, General. Chief Curio must be awaiting us.”

“Awaiting to kill us, that is.” He chuckled on his own. “The automobile’s right at the back. Let’s leave this city before another attack happens. I want to go home with all my body parts with me.”

“As do I,” said Isaac. They proceeded for the automobile, passing by soldiers who saluted at them and civilians who glowered at them. Isaac never felt safer in his whole life when he locked the automobile’s door once inside.

The trip back to the Capital was uneventful, to say the least. Lilac was unresponsive and General Alan would rather stare at a pocket book than engage in a conversation. Isaac himself felt drained and tired. He didn’t get any decent sleep since burning Mossmore village down, and it was not because of the tight schedule.

He didn’t hold too much feelings when he killed people since it was part of his job, but mass murder was something else for him. Though it was Curio who ordered the killing, it was by his hands that hundreds of people died in a grotesque manner. At first, he tried not to think of it so much, but then, it came to the point that the voices of dead reached his dreams.

They screamed in his mind, and clawed at his face. The trees that formed the dome trapped him inside along with the villagers that melted around his feet, and he could actually feel the heat searing through his skin. The worst part was that he knew it was a dream, and yet he could not make himself run away.

He chose not to sleep anymore after that.

“You married?”

Isaac looked up. General Alan had closed his book and was lounging back, his deep set eyes on Isaac. “Excuse me?” he asked.

“I asked if you have a wife. Kids, maybe?”

He narrowed his eyes. As much as he wanted to see General Alan as merely a boss, he was greatly disappointed in the question. Asking these kind of stuff only lead to hostility or friendship, and Isaac wanted neither. “No.”

The General tapped his fingers. “Really? You ought to have one. How old are you?”

“Twenty four.” He sighed. “General, do you really have to be asking these—”

He raised a finger and fixed himself on the couch. “What?” he said a bit too loudly. “That’s the prime age to get married! Why aren’t you? You having trouble? If you want I could—”

“General Alan, please.” Isaac did not like where this conversation going in any way. This topic was well brought out in the past many times already, and he felt washed out. No one really needed that type of information from him, and yet they continue to ask.

General Alan tried not to smile. So did Lilac.

“Then, let’s talk about something else then,” said the General. “You looked like you were getting bored so I took it up to entertain you.”

“Very entertained,” said Lilac.

Isaac frowned. “You don’t have to entertain me, General. I’m not bored, just tired.”

The General went back to his book after that, although not without a minute of subtle laughing. Lilac would have laughed along too, maybe for even longer, but she was just as tired as Isaac. She fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

The sun was setting by the time they entered the walled city of the Capital.

If there was anything that Isaac hated less than all others, it was definitely the look of the Capital once the lanterns turn on and the sun dies down. Houses were most towering in the city and every structure was mostly a blue or a white, and there was the unusual red as well. Roads were asphalt, walkways were cobblestone, and gardens were kept neat and clean in all parts of the city.

The automobile passed through the guarded iron gates of the wall and revealed all that to Isaac. He was doused in sulphur yellow under the electric lights and signs, and he was met with the smell of gas, perfume, and fanciful food when he rolled his window down. The streets were still busy with people donned in their silk and velvet clothes, some more casual than the others yet still managing to portray their wealth.

Then the biggest sight of all, the Military Headquarters.

Isaac had seen the building—no, mass of buildings—many times already in his lifetime, and yet he gets stuck in awe every time.

The Headquarters covered a magnitude of space with the main building being in the middle surrounded by other smaller facilities. The main building had a white façade with red and gold accents and hundreds of grated windows as well as ten stories. It had a fairly fresh and newer design than most of the Capital, since it was only built a few years ago. There were swirled engravings on pillars, and blockish sculptures on walls. There were also the rare hint of creativity with the usage of colored bricks, but in General, the main building was plain yet grand.

Automobiles were not allowed inside the Headquarters, so Isaac, General Alan, and Lilac had to get off in front of the entrance gate.

“Gosh,” said Lilac, shielding her eyes. The sun was about to go down, but Isaac understood what Lilac was being blinded by. The wide open courtyard in front of them was a mixture of cobblestone and red, gold, and white tiles. Whenever the sun sank to the west, the tiles caught its light and brings about a light show to the Headquarters, though most of everyone rather not see it lest they burn their corneas.

Isaac covered his eyes. “Let’s go to the Committee room,” he said.

“I’m going later,” said General Alan. “I have some other matters to attend to.”

“Oh?” Isaac tilted his head. He had hoped to face Curio with the General as a companion, and possibly to increase the chances that he would not get chewed out. Unfortunately, he understood how busy a general could be, though that does not mean he did not get a little disappointed.

Without another word, General Alan took off to the opposite direction.

Isaac and Lilac themselves continued into the main building and up into the next floors until they reached the familiar giant wooden door of the Committee.

Curio and the other old men of the Committee unravelled themselves to him when he opened the door. Curio was anything but smiling this time.

“Where is the General?” he asked at once, and Isaac didn’t even close the door behind him yet.

He bowed. “He had some other prior commitment.”

“Call for him! Nothing should be more important than this matter!” His monocles were almost falling off.

Isaac turned around at Lilac. “I’ll go get the General,” she said then ran off.

He turned back at Curio and the other men. “If it provides information,” he said, “General Alan called for reinforcements to catch the rebels that attacked the train.”

“I know, and that’s why this is a serious matter!” Curio huffed up then calmed down, relaxing his face, though his hands were still clenched. “Those weapons are top secret. We can’t have some random strangers handling the situation, things could get out of hand!”

Isaac doubted that. Soldiers were trained enough to be responsible in handling and using weapons, and he knew that they’d know best than to use what General Alan explained as extremely important.

Unless those weapons were, in some way, too much to handle.

“Chief Curio, if I may ask…” said Isaac. “What exactly are those weapons?”

Curio waved one hand in dismissal as he rubbed his temple with the other. “No, no. Isaac, you know better than to ask a question that I cannot answer. Learn your manners, or better yet, your place.”

He clenched his fists. Curio was definitely dodging the question, and he did it in such a way that piqued Isaac’s frustration. He forced himself to be calm about it—he should use his energy on other things, like investigating why Curio was so secretive about the weapons. Asking the devil would get him nowhere.

“I will be taking my leave, then,” he said, “Since it is the General that you are waiting for.”

He fixed his monocles. “Yes, whatever. Go on. Take a rest, take a bath. You look ghastly.”

Isaac knew by now that he really should not take Curio’s words to heart, although he had to agree. He bowed his head in a manner of thanks to the chief and left the room open.

He badly wanted to sleep but the mention of the weapon disturbed him so. He was a man of natural curiosity, and though knowing what the weapon really was would not help him in any way, there was a craving inside him that would not subside until he discovers.

Weapons… he thought, running down the many stairs of the main building. If he wanted to know anything about it, the best place to start would be at the inventors themselves.

He would need to go to the laboratories, where most inventions and research happens.

The sun had sank yet the moon was nowhere to be seen when Isaac stepped out into the courtyard. If he wasn’t mistaken, the research building was somewhere to the east, in the direction of the dormitories. He ran for it, passing by soldiers who for sure were familiar with Isaac, until he skidded to stop in front of said building. A woman stood at the entrance counter. Isaac stayed where he was, having no idea what to do.

The woman eyed Isaac up and down as she dipped her pen into an ink bottle. “Do you have any business here?” she asked.

“Colonel Isaac Archard,” he said, to which the woman reacted to with shock and stiffness. “Uhm, I’m looking for the people who are in charge of weaponry inventions?”

“Oh,” she said, putting her pen down. She pointed to one of the big doors behind her. “The right one, and third door on the left after.”

He thanked her and waltzed into the right door. A smirk managed to plaster itself on his face as he was surprised he managed to pass through. He guessed being known in the Military had its pros to it.

There were several doors on both sides of the plain white and red hallway, and Isaac had no trouble locating for the door he was looking for. A deep engraving that said Room 103 on the metal door signified dread to him for some reason, as if the ambiguity of the name showed much more than just being unimportant.

--to be continued in 7-3