Chapter 5: The Enemy Of My Enemy

He was tied to a chair in a room with a single globe. He could taste the iron from the blood pooled in his mouth where D’Nak had just struck him. He spat it onto the floor and only smiled at his tormentor.

“Where do you come from? What is your name?” D’Nak asked Remus while wiping the blood off his hand with a white towel. Remus just smiled.

“I do not understand you.” He replied in Latin, displaying a bloody grin.

“I know you can understand me. You can play the fool all you like. I can see into your mind. Your thoughts are in English.” D’Nak said.

“Then I guess we can dispense with all the pretense then.” Remus replied in English. D’Nak observed him more keenly now.

“A copy that lies and speaks more than one language? What do you remember from your life before?" D’Nak demanded.

“Your mistake sir is that you compare me to mere human stock. I am no mere human. I am Remus, from the house of Roma. Born on Mars. Now I demand you release me!” Remus roared, hoping his act would fool him.

D’Nak was not so easily convinced that this clone had remembered his entire life before. He will get to the truth of this. One way or the other. D’Nak’s irises turned from black and lit up a bright magenta. Remus found he could not move and a slight burning sensation was noticeable on his skin. D’Nak gave him a grin.

“Demand you say? I can only see the surface of your mind, but now it is time to delve a bit deeper. I will have the truth.” He sneered and touched Remus’s arm. Almost immediately a bright pink spark arced across his arm and terminated on his forehead, releasing an audible crack. Remus cried out.

“If you are alive as you claim, did you have any siblings? Family?” He asked before striking him again with another spark.

“I had a brother…his name was Romulus.” Remus replied, trying to steel himself against the pain as another spark wracked his newly formed body.

“You lie!” D’Nak hissed.

“Release me!” Remus shot back.

“You were born from a vat! You have no family or friends!” D’Nak pressed, striking him repeatedly now, hoping the pain would crack him open.

The room started to vibrate and with surprise, he sensed that Remus was the source.

“I am Remus a child of Mars!” He roared, snapping the cuffs off his hands.

He stood up.

“Brother to Romulus, Brother to Lucinda and friend to Diane, to Bracus. Hanson. To Allegra!” Remus started to spit out all the names floating around in his head. On some level, he knew they were his friends, even though he could not remember their faces, or even how he knew them. They just were.

“He is channeling Overseer.” One of the Athenai troopers cautioned him. He waved him off. He did not seem worried at all. He was fascinated in fact. A clone that could do all this? What if he is a true reincarnation? These were rare occurrences. In his entire lifespan, he only knew of one being who successfully returned, his soul intact. Of course, he heard of a few others, but they were so far and few in between that it made these stories seem like…well… stories. He couldn’t prove it one way or the other that this Remus claimed exactly who he said he was. He stopped. As he did Bracus entered the room. Bracus looked at Remus. He watched this interrogation from another room and decided this was enough.

“We need to talk D’Nak.” He laconically stated and moved to release Remus.

The three Athenai soldiers immediately trained their guns on Bracus.

“I am a clone who remembers all my previous lives. Are you going to put me in a chair and torture me too now? Bracus said as he inspected Remus’s injuries.

“You and your double’s situation are different. You were created before we arrived, thus not subject to penalties after the fact. He was created, although unique, but still he was not born.” D’Nak ended.

“I am taking him.” Bracus said. It was not a request.

“Unfortunately you cannot. Unless you are willing to take responsibility for him until as such a time as we can decide what to do with…it.” D’Nak smoothly replied.

“Fine. And Diane? What happens to her?” Bracus asked, helping Remus to the door.

“You know the law Bracus. She broke it.” D’Nak replied.

“You mean she is to be executed. I will take this to President Hoshi. See what he has to say about this.” Bracus growled at D’Nak. A smile slowly formed on his face.

“Your President already signed off on the execution order Bracus. It is done. No chance for appeal. Clones pollute the gene pool of any species, weakens it. A copy of a copy of a copy…etcetera, etcetera. We have obeyed all laws that govern our people on this planet. It’s time for you to do the same.” D'Nak coldly informed him.

---

Once again the team met on the roof, but this time no breakfast. No laughter. Only the need for a plan to get Diane a stay of execution, which the Athenai assured Bracus, would not happen.

“D’Nak has a point guys. They have obeyed all our laws thus far. Even draconian by our standards, they have few laws, but one of us did break it.” Jason said.

“Come on man! This is Diane we’re talking about here! Law or not are we just going to let her get vapored just because they say so?” Hanson asked, half jumping from his seat.

“Our President signed it off.” Bracus said morosely, flicking a spent shell casing against a brick lying on the ground.

“Since they got here all they do is push us around. I say we do a little shoving ourselves.” Death added, rubbing his hands together.

“What do you suggest?” Bracus asked him.

“I say we go to the source. The ones who created them and us.” Death said looking at Bracus.

“Pericles.” He murmured.

---

“We wish to see the prisoner.” Bracus demanded and the guard gave way.

Bracus, Death, Jason and Hanson stood before Pericles.

“Ah my captors! So good of you to visit. I would offer refreshments, but as you can see, my lodging is less than adequate and provisions are...well.” Pericles said waving his arm at the tiny space letting his voice trail off.

“Shut your hole. We’re here to ask you some questions.” Hanson said gruffly. Pericles smiled.

“How is your little alliance working out?” Pericles directed the question at Bracus.

“Swimmingly. The Tor created all strains of humanity correct?” Bracus asked him trying to ignore his sarcasm.

“That is correct. We created the Roma, the Athenai and the Hadnese and by extension, you.” He answered slowly.

“Our allies have been up to some questionable things of late.” Jason told him. He got answered with a worried look.

“Some of your citizens have gone missing.” He told them in hushed tones.

Everyone looked at each other confused.

“No why?” Hanson asked.

“Search deeper, delve into the lower castes of your society. You will find missing people. Follow the trail. I will say no more until you have done this.” Pericles said, eyeing an Athenai patrol walking past his cell.

“What’s going on Pericles? What are you not telling us?” Jason urged.

“Look. You are asking me dangerous questions. Questions that will get me killed. I need you to see with your own eyes. Until then I will watch over Diane.” Pericles whispered.

“Wait, you know Diane was arrested?” Hanson asked surprised.

“I have seen more than you realize. As long as I breathe, so will she. Go now.” Pericles urged them to leave.

They all left the cell more confused than ever.

“Why do I trust that guy more than our allies right now?” Hanson asked Death.

“You are not alone in that thought my man.” Death replied scratching his head.

“So where to now?” Jason asked. Bracus mulled it over for a moment.

“Oldtown.” He replied.

---

She sat up on her bed, straining to hear every sound around her cell. Sometimes the occasional patter of combat boots could be heard and the occasional voice, but that was it. Utter solitude. Other than feeding her, she had contact with no one else. Sometimes she would close her eyes and try to remember the meadow she and Remus used to frequent in her mind. And then for a brief moment, she would forget how trapped she really was. She stood up from her bed and stretched out her taut muscles, her hands high above her head.

“My, my Little One, you are very limber.” Pericles’ voice rumbled behind her. She whipped around. She found him there standing in her cell. She looked behind her, still finding the cell doors closed as always.

“How did you…?” She started to ask, but he held a finger to his lips.

“Quiet Little One, I must not be seen or both our lives are forfeit. I come with a message. Your companions are trying to secure your release and if they are as resourceful as I hope they are they will open your eyes to the truth.” He finished, slowly walking towards her.

“The truth to what?” She asked, trembling. She could not avoid him now. Trapped in a room with a man like this?

“That you allowed the wolf into the sheep’s pen. I have to go now. I will come again at nightfall.” Was all he said before disappearing into thin air. She blinked twice. This had to be real. His scent still hung in the air. Maybe isolation has driven her to madness? Well, she will find out tonight.

---

As they left the outskirts of Aegis Prime, they started to see less and less of the super-modernized city and rolled more and more into what people now called Oldtown. Since D’Nak left Remus in Bracus’ care, he thought it will be good for him to be out and out of the way of his captors. Most of the buildings here were dilapidated and not subject to regular maintenance, so a lot of the people here that chose not to co-exist with the Athenai viewed their vehicle with suspicion, but none made any threatening advances towards them. Sometimes they would stop and ask a question. But it seems everyone was too afraid to say anything. Until they stopped at a gas station. A burly, yet overweight man came out to greet them, the friendliest person they have seen so far.

“Afternoon gentlemen. A wee bit far off the beaten track are we? He asked them.

“Not really, why do you say that?” Jason asked.

“It’s just we don’t see a lot of fancy folk from the big city anymore.” The proprietor replied, trying to clean his greasy hands with an already dirty cloth.

“We are here on government business. Investigating missing folk from these parts.” Bracus replied.

“Ah so the big wigs upstairs finally heard of our problems?” He asked them.

“Yes.” Death lied smoothly, hoping to keep the man talking.

“What do you know of them?” Death asked him.

“Probably just as much as you do chum. But it has gotten worse. People dressed in black armour come at night, walking through the streets and sometimes they would grab someone, knock them out and stuff ’em into a ground car.” He said almost whispering.

“How many people have gone missing?” Remus asked.

“Well, the kidnappings started a month or so after the aliens landed. So the last two years we would lose one, maybe three people in a week.” He finished.

They all looked at each other.

“And you have reported this before?” Bracus asked although he knew the answer.

“I went to the Justices five times in the last year, yet they refuse to do anything about it. They keep sending us away, even threatening to arrest us if we keep complaining.” He said.

“One last question. In what direction do these vehicles go?” Bracus asked him.

“They go towards the shore. The only thing there though is an old abandoned factory. Use to make sneakers there if you can believe it.” He directed them.

“Thank you sir.” Bracus said, motioning for his companions to follow him back to the car.

“What do you think Bracus?” Remus asked as he opened the door. Bracus laid his massive forearms on the roof and rested his chin upon them, thinking.

“Are you guys packing?” Bracus asked.

“Yeah we have our side arms and Jason.” Death said, pointing at him. Jason just rolled his eyes.

“Then I say we go and have a closer look at this sneaker factory. You guys in?” Bracus posed the question.

They all nodded in agreement.

“What about teddy bear over here?” Hanson referred to Remus.

“He is a psyon. I say we bring him with us.” Jason offered.

“Yeah a nuke with no trigger? Great idea.” Death derisively remarked.

“Arm me and I can assist.” Remus cut through the argument.

Hanson looked around and spotted an old food tin can on a bench. He pulled out one of his pistols, cocked it and handed it to Remus.

“You can assist, if you can hit that can over there.” His words were barely cold when Remus spied the can and with a single shot, knocked it off the bench. He looked at Bracus. He started to laugh.

“Any more arguments?” Bracus addressed them all. He got no response.

“Good, then let’s go.” He gruffly ordered. They all piled into the car.

“What is a teddy bear?” Remus asked as they pulled away.