Revenge

“Okay, everyone! I have something else I would like to do! If we can all squeeze into the room over there. I think we can all fit. I have a map of the area. I wanted to go through the Half Moon course with you all and show you where the targeting events will take place and where you will be practicing.”

Everyone started to file into the map room. Some of the soldiers hung back, still wanting to do their throws, but knowing that doing so would be impolite. The squad leader told them to try to listen to Moey’s talk, as they should also be aware of the details.

One person did lag behind the rest—Hector. He grabbed a spear and, without so much as a moment’s contemplation, hurled it with incredible power. The spear landed a near perfect shot. No one saw it, but they heard the loud report of the spear tip splitting the wood.

Some soldiers turned while walking away, but they continued on toward the map room. When no one was looking, Utah pocketed Moey’s heavy knife, which had still been lying out on the table. No one had been allowed into Eden with weapons. They had all forfeited their possession at the border checkpoint, leaving the weapons there for safekeeping. But Utah was now a deadly force; he was as competent with knives as he was with spears or any other form of armament. With the knife concealed, Utah made for the gate. As the Victorian guards were distracted, he wasted no time.

Moey would notice the knife, Gabon would notice his absence, and Utah wasn’t sure what would happen. But he was sure about what he now had planned, and no one would stand in his way. He felt a sense of exhilaration as he ran toward the center of town, drinking in the sights and smells. It was similar to yet different from Victory, and in his mind, it was better. And how he had missed it! Twenty years of exile, a life as he knew it stripped away, his father compromised, and his family ruined.

He was only able to imagine the consequences that had befallen those he loved and those who had helped him. It was all because Eden had needed someone to blame. How stupid he’d felt—so played and so used. He fantasized about what he would do to these people, given the chance. As he steamed toward the town center, his feet felt as light as if he were flying, and his adrenaline was pumping.

The knife gave him a great deal of comfort. With such a weapon, optimized to be thrown, he imagined new ways to kill, as well as the looks on their faces as the blade flew and pierced their hearts. Utah pondered, I will never live through this, and my friends from Victory will also suffer for bringing an assassin with them. Maybe they will all be suspected. More blood on my hands. But I don’t care anymore. He was in a trance, capable of any deed and incapable of hesitation. I bet that little prick is already drunk. Well, all the better. Maybe they’re all together right now—naked, drunk, and about to die.

He imagined Christopher, Perry, and Jacob as they were, and the brief but exciting moment when evil captivated and guided them toward a goal. I will send you to Saul, you motherless bastards, Utah muttered in his mind while feeling the warmth of his own body heat.

It was completely dark when he arrived at the bazaar, and all the merchants had gone home for the night. He went through the rows of shops silently, knowing that guards were constantly patrolling for thieves. There were clothing merchant shops—the same as before. He went around to the alley and worked his way through one of the back doors that looked weak and in need of repair. He discarded his Victorian clothes, which were obvious and out of place, and gave himself a new, fashionable Edenite wardrobe.

Then, he found a mirror and drew his knife. His long Victorian hair would also stand out undesirably. The style in Eden had gone to shorter, neatly cut hair since he had left.

No going back. This is my fate. Revenge is my salvation. I’m coming to you, Father. Together, we will look down and laugh at these petty fools. But, first, I will drag these betrayers to you, and we will make them pay again and again. Utah had adopted a belief in the afterlife, which he had learned from Gomez. It gave him comfort. I will miss you, Gogo, he thought as he left the bazaar, now transformed into a distinguished resident of Eden who was headed to somewhere important.

The elite social clubs where he suspected Perry and his kind would spend their nights drinking, dancing, and playing games were still there lining the shore. Oh, but there were more now, and some were larger and even more elite-looking. Where to start … Utah stood near the water, scanning the establishments. Let’s try that one, he thought, eyeing the most ostentatious of the lot.

He could hear music playing and the sound of a crowd chatting and laughing out on the patio facing the beach. It was the perfect summer night. It was still relatively early, so he wasn’t sure whether he would spot Perry or Jacob at this hour, but he was compelled to try. If he went missing for too long, Gabon might become concerned and report it to the Eden soldiers, who were always keeping an eye on the visitors.

Utah entered the establishment a patron of Eden, and it was as if he had never left. He felt sufficiently at home to know that he would fit in. After all, he was an Edenite through and through. There was a bouncer inside this private club.

“I’m looking for my friends Perry and Jacob. They told me to meet them here.”

“They’re not here.” The bouncer projected an attitude.

Utah looked at him, unsatisfied. Annoyed, the bouncer looked up and shrugged. “They usually come in a little later. You can wait for them, if you want. Their private room is upstairs.”

How nice. “Thanks.” Utah walked in confidently, feeling well dressed and not at all out of place. There was no hint of uncertainty nor nervousness in his behavior nor in his mind. He had already come to grips with the probable outcome: he was unlikely to survive. He had mentally said his goodbyes to Gomez and was now out to right the past. He was a man of principle above all else.

The upstairs room was on its own. It was a private, expansive affair with a sprawling salon opening up to an outdoor patio with a shallow pool overlooking the beach. The salon had a kitchen area that was adorned with bowls of fruit, breads, and a platter of delicacies. It all looked very fresh. The men were coming soon. Next to the kitchen area was a bar with jugs of wine, beer, applejack, and expensive spirits.

Utah walked over and poured a small cup of spirits. He pulled on it, pursing his lips as he swallowed and then exhaling with satisfaction. The salon had a large dining table and a sitting area. This was probably the area that was used most often during their evening romps. Utah sat on one of the plush sofas and enjoyed the view of the moonlight reflecting out on the Great Lake. What a life. So, this is what I am missing.

Just then, he heard people talking and laughing as they were coming up the stairs. He stood immediately, becoming rigid and alert. They were almost here. Utah relaxed and sat back down. As they drew nearer, he could make out Perry’s cackle—a monotone staccato sound that was every bit as annoying as he remembered.

Perry walked in, flamboyant, now more effeminate in his speech and movements than he once was. A much younger man was just behind him. What a dog.

“Why don’t you get yourself a swim, young man? I’ll watch just to make sure you don’t drown.”

“Perry, I’m thirsty. Let’s have a drink.”

“Later. Just do as I ask,” commanded Perry. Now this was the Perry that Utah remembered.

The young man veered toward some open doors at the end of the salon; apparently, he was going to go change. Utah was amused to see all of this playing out while he sat in plain sight. Perry had still not noticed him.

Suddenly, Perry jumped. His entire body seemed to expand then contract from the eruption of electrochemical signals.

“Who … ?” he began to ask, and then he stopped as the answer to his question rapidly formed in his mind. A look of sheer terror was frozen on his face; it was as if he had briefly turned to stone. Then, as only someone like Perry could do, he came back to life, even managing a smile. “Well, look at you.” His answer was a bit labored, but he forged ahead with his attempt at some alternate reality. “And where have you been keeping yourself, Utah?”

“I’m just visiting. I’m coaching the Victorian men. The Half Moon.”

“Ahhh! So, you are now a Victorian. Nice! Quaint. So, you coaches … you’re free to just wander about in Eden?”

“No. I had to disappear for a while. I really shouldn’t be here.”

“No. I wouldn’t think so.”

“But, after all, I am an Edenite. A total patriot, in fact.

You could even say a hero to some. I mean, I did change the course of history.”

“Yes, you certainly did,” agreed Perry. “Utah, so much time has passed. Is there a way that we could put it all behind us? I’m sure Christopher would have a way to make it right—to reward the unsung hero. Can you let me try and make that happen?” Utah stood up, and Perry wobbled visibly. Utah looked so much bigger than he recalled. He was a giant of a man, at whose mercy he now stood.

“My only reason for coming here is to end your life.”

Utah pulled out the knife and its mirror finish shone brightly under the lantern light. “I will take you to Saul. You and I will go together. Maybe Christopher will join us. But you first.”

“Noooo!” cried Perry as he backed away. But it was much too late. As a result of what looked like no more than a flick of the wrist, the deadly instrument vanished from Utah’s hand and then instantly reappeared, buried in Perry’s chest.

“Arrrrgggghhhhhhh!” Perry sank to his knees, staring at Utah, confused, his mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to speak. Then, he fell forward on the salon floor—dead.

Utah ran forward, rolled him over, pulled the knife from his chest, and quickly walked to the door. As he exited, the younger man emerged naked from the changing room. “Perry?

Perry, where did you go?”

“Now, once you exit the water here, you need to eat something. There will be a station here. It will provide you with food and water. Don’t eat too much, but eat something sweet and then have a little bread. This is the best combination. You will be cold and weak exiting the water, and you will feel hungry. When you start running, don’t go off too fast. Ease into it. The distance is long. Don’t focus on running fast at the very beginning. Your legs need to warm up.” Moey had the Victory team hanging on his every word, as this was their lifeline.

“You got all this, Hector?” asked Gabon as Moey paused briefly. “Hector?” Gabon called out. “Where is he?” Everyone looked around. “Commander, I need him here.” The commander of the Victorian escorts and the other soldiers exited the room and started searching.

“Boys, help them look,” instructed Moey, looking at Jojo, Buddy, and Ajay. Moey didn’t feel comfortable having Victorian soldiers searching his premises unattended. The boys quickly followed. Marina intercepted them and asked what was going on. Moey continued the briefing. Several minutes later, Jojo and the soldiers returned.

“Pa, he’s not here. We looked everywhere.” Jojo was panting.

“Okay. I suggest we finish this briefing tomorrow. Let’s call it a night.” Gabon was relieved. He wanted to resolve the Hector situation, which was his main concern, which Moey shared. Then, suddenly, it struck Moey. He made encouraging but hasty closing remarks and then ushered the Victorian team back to the street, where together, the Eden and Victorian soldiers escorted the team back to their accommodations.

No sooner had the gate closed than Moey was running in search of Marina. She was just emerging from the main house as he ran toward her.

“They’re gone? I wanted to say goodbye.”

“Marina, Hector has gone missing.”

“Well, that explains why the boys were tearing through the house looking for him.”

“Do you remember the guy who killed Rex? The one who they were trying to hunt down, but they never found him?”

“He supposedly killed Rex is what I heard. Nobody saw what happened. I always thought they were just blaming some poor guard. I mean Rex could have just dropped dead or …”

“No! He did kill him. He poisoned him and then choked him. It was a guard named Utah.”

“How do you know?”

“The whole thing is … it’s … you can see it again and again down in the shelter. They call it recording. It allows you to use something called a camera, which is like our eye. Whatever that camera sees is remembered, like our memories, except that it is really the exact memory. You can watch it over and over. I can show you. But my point is that I watched those memories of Rex’s murder. I thought Hector looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Then, he was missing when your father was here, and now he has gone off somewhere. And it hit me. I think he is the guy. Can you come with me and watch the recording? I mean, did you look at him? At Hector?”

“He was very good-looking. Yes. I did look at him,”

Marina replied with an expression of guilt mixed with obstinacy.

“Okay. Come with me now.”

Moey and Marina both wore headsets at they looked at the big screen in the command center. Moey issued requests to Dream, who complied instantly.

“Dream, I don’t want to watch the scenes of violence. I only want to see still images of Utah from this event.” Instantly, there was an array of images—about twelve in all. They showed a man from various angles, including some reasonable frontal images of his face.

Marina gasped and held her hand to her mouth in horror. It was a younger man, but the man at the party— Hector—was still youthful and in perfect condition, just as he had been twenty years earlier. Still, there was no doubt: Hector was Utah.

“Maybe he is trying to kill Daddy!” Filled with fear, Marina looked at Moey.

“Let’s go and get him secured right now.”

Normally, there were two to four guards standing at the side entrance. But when Moey and Marina had entered a short while before, there had been only two. Now, there were none.

The two well-trained soldiers were now concealed in the thick bushes surrounding the house. Their throats had been slit, and one of them was missing his uniform. There were other clothes discarded near their bodies. These clothes were befitting of an Edenite aristocrat, and in the morning, they would be reported stolen by a shopkeeper at the bazaar.

Utah crept through the house carefully, preferring to be involved in no more altercations than were necessary to achieve his aim. The army uniform fit him well, and being dressed and in the place with which he was still so familiar, he felt some emotion. Nothing had changed, really. It was quiet as he moved up the stairs toward the main rooms. In the Chair’s main chambers, which he used for business and where he spent most of his days, there was no one present.

The residential suites for the Chair and his wife were one floor above the main chambers. Utah now moved more carefully, knowing that any encounter would inevitably lead to a deadly outcome. He knew each room. First, he went straight to the Chair’s suite. The door could lock, but when he tried door handle, it turned. He opened the door slowly. He could hear a voice and faint splashes of water. He is in the bath, Utah thought.

He slipped in carefully and moved toward the bathroom, the sounds rising with his increasing proximity. He peered around the doorway and saw Christopher soaking in the bath. Utah moved very close to Christopher, who was reclined in the pool with his back to the door. He was humming and babbling some song, and his utterances were indecipherable.

“You always were a terrible singer,” said Utah in a soft voice. This caused Christopher to turn and move away from the pool wall as he tried to focus on the source of the comment. He didn’t seem startled—just curious. He looked at Utah, not reacting—just staring … processing.

“What in Saul’s name …?

“Hello, Chris. Have you missed me?”

Christopher paused. “Yes, in fact. I have,” he said, sounding genuine. “Though I thought you were dead. Have you come to kill me?”

“Yes. Yes. I have.”

“Utah, listen to me. They told me you were dead. You can ask Perry. That’s what I was told. If I had known you were alive, still out there and alone, I would have made things right. I swear it!”

“Well, I can’t ask Perry anymore, I’m afraid.”

“What? What in Saul’s name have you done? Don’t tell me …”

Suddenly, there was a sound at the main door to the suite.

“Chris?” Jacob called.

“Jacob! No! Don’t come in! Please go! Now!”

Christopher shouted. But Jacob was already crossing the room.

He could see into the bathroom clearly before he arrived, and noticed Christopher’s pained look as he sat in the bath bolt upright. And he could see Utah.

“No! You!” Jacob reached for his knife, but Utah wheeled, and his knifed sailed toward Jacob. Jacob was already a moving target as he took a step while pulling his knife from its sheath. As he turned slightly, Utah’s knife found its mark in Jacob’s shoulder. Jacob cried out and went down in pain.

Rather than finish the job, Utah calculated that Jacob was immobile and that he would deal with him shortly. But first things first. He leaped into the bath and grabbed Christopher’s outstretched arm, which he had raised in a futile attempt to fend off his deadly attacker. Utah’s other hand clamped onto Christopher’s throat and pushed his head below the water.

Christopher thrashed and struggled, splashing and kicking with all of his energy.

But the power that held him captive was far beyond any effort he could exert to break free. He was panicked and blew out his last breath of air. Reflexes that had been developed for breathing air now worked against this purpose, accelerating his journey toward death. Christopher was in the throes of death now, convulsing, unable to mount any more resistance, panicking, and then fading. But suddenly, he felt the lock on his throat ease and then he felt it release altogether.

Is this death? was Christopher’s dim thought as he felt himself simply floating free. But he was trapped in his own body, unable to move. Yes, this must be death. I feel it. He looked up from the bottom of the shallow pool and could see the ceiling above. Then, suddenly, he saw a hand reach in. He felt himself being wrenched from the water and up toward the lantern light.

He heard the faint shouting of voices—sounds so soft and dim. Is it real? Who is talking to me? Suddenly, the sounds became louder and more vivid. There was a bright flash of light in his eyes, and he felt his body move and then convulse. He was coughing. Air! I am breathing air! he thought as he continued coughing. The voices in his head became louder still, and he started to regain focus.

“Father!” It was Marina’s voice, and he could see her face. It was blurry, but, yes, it was definitely Marina. He heard the voices of other men. Then, suddenly he was back—back from the dead. “Father!” Marina was crying. He looked around and also saw Bobby, his head of security, and Moey looking down at him.

“Leader!” shouted Bobby. “You are okay! Can you hear me?”

Christopher turned his head to one side and saw Utah only yards away, looking at him. He was suddenly frightened.

But then he recognized the look on Utah’s face—the look of a dead man. Utah lay sprawled out, two knives protruding from his back, the work of Bobby and one of his guards.

The other guard was attending to Jacob, who was injured and bleeding badly, but he looked as though he would survive. As Christopher looked up again, he felt relief. He called for Jacob and Perry just before he lost consciousness.

Gabon, Diana, and the Victorian squad leader sat in a room at the military headquarters not far from the Big House.

Across the table from them were Bobby, Moey, and several other military leaders and advisors from Eden.

“We only knew him as Hector,” answered Gabon.

“Did you know that he was from Eden?”

“Yes. I did know about that, but I thought he came to Victory when he was a child. That’s what he told me.”

Bobby was the primary interrogator. Moey would not normally be involved in such matters, but given the connection between the upcoming competitions and the arrival of Vlad, all of which he had arranged, he felt that he had a responsibility to understand. He would need to determine and recommend to the Chair what should happen with respect to the competitions.

He feared that the meeting that would be held to discuss this matter with the Chair would be even more unpleasant than any that had occurred before.

“How about you? What do you know about him?”

Bobby demanded of Diana.

“I knew Hector from the army … maybe for ten years.

He was very private. I never got to know much about him. One thing that a lot of people said about him was that he liked men, not women. I don’t know that for sure.”

Moey and Bobby looked at each other, knowingly. By this time, they had already found Utah’s trail of death and destruction, beginning with Perry’s murder in the club. It was no surprise that Perry, Jacob, and Christopher had a shared interest in men and that under Christopher’s reign, the society had become liberalized in this regard. What no one knew was that Utah, the man who had killed Rex, was also homosexual.

Furthermore, the fact that Utah’s killing spree was targeted at Christopher and his cohort suggested what a lot of people had already suspected all along—that Christopher was responsible for Rex’s murder whether directly or indirectly. This notion had faded over the years, as Christopher had silenced people and ranted that these ideas were unfounded conspiracy theories.

Current events, were they to become public, would certainly rekindle the theories, this time with strong circumstantial evidence.

Diana continued, “Another thing about Hector is that he was an important military advisor to Vlad’s father. But when Vlad became leader, that’s when Hector left the army and started coaching. I wouldn’t say he was my friend, but when it was time for me to leave the army, I got into coaching because of Hector. Before I knew about his, well, preferences, I had actually hoped that something might happen between us. But I could never get anywhere close to him, personally.” “Gabon, you knew he was from Eden. Didn’t you ask yourself whether bringing him back here might cause a problem?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t consider it. Hector was such an extraordinary coach and an incredible athlete himself. He was the obvious person from my perspective. He didn’t come to me when we heard about this competition and suddenly want to go as the coach. He had already been the head coach for the elite men for the last few years.” Gabon continued, “I am so surprised. I would never have thought that he was like this.”

“Like what?” asked Bobby.

“A killer.”

“Listen, both of you,” Moey pressed Gabon and Diana, “I want you to lie to your teams. Someday, they might learn the truth. But, for right now, if word gets out, this whole thing will stop, and you will all be sent home. Two innocent guards are dead. If this is tied to Victory in any way, it won’t be safe here for any of you. I want this to continue, but you need to keep everything quiet. No one is to know. We will get together when Vlad arrives and talk about it again. For now, all you know is that Hector has gone missing. Thanks for your honesty.”

After continuous questioning for half a day, the coaches and the commander were taken back to their quarters, where they, the team, and the Victory soldiers were ordered to stay put until they received word about the next steps. Under the circumstances, none of the Victorians argued, as they wished for Vlad’s speedy arrival.

“I’ve seen enough, Bobby. We should go get this over with. He’s probably in good enough shape by now,” Moey speculated.

“What are you planning to say?”

“He won’t like it, but I plan to say that this is an internal Eden problem that has nothing to do with Victory. Utah was obviously seeking some kind of vengeance. Regrettably, he succeeded, to some extent.” Moey continued, “But now, Utah is dead, and we can move on. I will also recommend that we keep the entire affair private. Every one of ours who knows anything about it needs to keep quiet. Otherwise, the Victorians will be treated badly by the public.”

Bobby and Moey sat by Christopher’s bedside. In addition to being invalid, he was emotionally and physically weak. “Leader, we have four days. You will be well by tomorrow, I’m sure. Let us continue the games. To not do so will imply that the tragedies are somehow related to the Victorians,” argued Moey.

“Well? Aren’t they? They smuggled in that scoundrel.

An assassin trying to take down our entire government,” complained Christopher, laboring as he spoke. “Vlad could be behind it.”

“It looks like revenge. Utah was acting alone. That’s how it looks to me. Now, he’s dead. So, the matter is closed. Why make it into something else? Something more complicated …”

Christopher looked away from Moey, unable to present a counterargument because he was too weak and confused to mount a viable false account.

“How do you presume to know so much?” asked Christopher.

“We questioned the others. Utah was a chief military advisor to Vlad Senior. He became a head coach after leaving the army but long before this joint competition was ever dreamed of. He was a homosexual.” Christopher turned his head toward Moey but did not look at him directly. “Before he left Eden, he was the Chair’s guard. He murdered Rex and then fled. Then he came back here, killed Perry, and nearly succeeding in killing both you and Jacob. The overall set of facts will become public knowledge if you try to blame Vlad and it becomes public discourse,” Moey continued. “Do you want that? Or do you want to minimize the entire affair? Utah was never here. You were never attacked. Jacob had an accident.

Perry … it was a robbery, a lover scorned, or whatever.”

Christopher looked at Bobby. “What do you have to say? You agree with all of this?”

“I think it’s the best choice for you at the moment. I still think we need to have a firm discussion with Vlad … to understand if there is anything there.”

Christopher sighed loudly. “How could this have happened? It is all Perry’s fault. Utah ran for his life, but maybe he was wrongly accused. Perry was convinced.” Christopher was already offloading blame on his recently departed friend, whose body was not yet cold.

Moey was disgusted, as he now had enough of a picture to see the conspiracy clearly. What was I thinking? Why didn’t I just let Utah finish the job? It would have been so much easier, he thought. But he knew himself. How could I ever look Marina in the eye?

“Okay, then! I’m tired! Get out of here, and let me rest.

I just died, you know. I was dead. Really! Now, you want to stop my heart again with all this nonsense?”

“No, Leader!” responded Bobby crisply.

“Bobby, go see Jacob. See how he is. Let me know as soon as you can,” pleaded Christopher.

“Yes, Leader. Right away!” snapped Bobby before wheeling and heading for the door. Moey started heading out behind him.

“Stay here,” instructed Christopher, causing Moey to close his eyes tightly. He came to a halt, turned, and went back.

“Moey, Bobby told me that you were the one. You arranged my rescue. But how did you know?”

“I realized that Utah—or Hector, as he was known—was mysteriously absent when you came to my house. Then, he disappeared after you left. I don’t know from when or where, but somehow, he looked familiar to me. Then, it occurred to me that he was Utah. I must have met him before. So, I immediately thought of the worst possibility, and we hurried over to alert Bobby.”

“You know … sometimes, you anger me, but it’s because you’re so brilliant.” In a rare moment, Christopher was being human. “Marina is lucky to have you. So is Eden. So am I.”

He paused. “I trust you. We will proceed with the games.”