Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ambrosia
Tension was rife in my body. I kept looking towards the depths of the forest, wishing that Kull and Typhon would rush back towards me and tell me that they had been foolish for leaving, that returning to the pack was futile and they would have been able to stand a better chance of surviving by remaining with me. I feared for their lives. They promised me that they would be safe but I knew they were lying to me. I had been in their pack. I saw the way they were treated and I knew that the wolves weren’t going to give them any patience. They might have had their traditions but would they apply to Typhon and Kull? I wasn’t sure. I hated the thought that they were going to give up their lives like this. There was still so much I could learn from them, and so much they could teach me. They were my wolves…
But despite all of this I knew that I would be unable to help them. It wasn’t as though I could fight and their pack was not going to listen to reason. They had a better chance of survival than I did, so this was where I needed to be. It didn’t mean I had to like it, however.
I barely spoke to Vali. I think he knew that I wasn’t in the mood. He tried to offer his sympathy but I needed peace. He sent out his attack parties to various outposts, ready to strike. We returned to the outpost we had visited before. I remained hidden. I didn’t carry a weapon because it wouldn’t have done me much good. My breaths were shallow and my heart was racing. This might well have been the final day of my life and if I was to die then at least I could console myself with the fact that I had experienced something incredible with Typhon and Kull. I had finally put my inhibitions aside and explored the darker nature of my psyche, while pushing the limits to my sensuality. I adored both my wolves for different reasons. They had so much in common and yet they were so different as well. I was determined to see them again and if Vance did rob us of the chance to be reunited then I would find a way to make him pay. I wasn’t sure how but I would make sure of it.
Vali was accompanied by the same two warriors that had come with us before. Vali sent one of them down to the outpost gates. He pummeled the door, and then ran back into the tall grass. They had covered themselves in mud to obscure their scent. The gates opened and a wolf emerged, stepping out and looking from side to side. He seemed puzzled and shrugged. He examined the area and there was a tense moment where he might have caught the scent of the hidden warrior but then he turned back to the outpost and lumbered towards the gate. However, just as he did this, the hidden warrior emerged and fired an arrow in his back. It was shot with such force that it pierced the wolf right through his body, the tip of the arrow protruding from his chest. He looked down in shock before he fell to his knees, and then slumped to the ground. His body was dragged away, and the gates were open.
Vali and the other warrior ran down to join their assassin. They crept into the outpost and moved through the shadows. I watched from afar, given strict orders not to move. I think Vali was concerned about what Typhon and Kull might to do him if anything happened to me. They moved through the buildings, making noise to catch the wolves’ attention, and then striking swiftly and without mercy. They stabbed at necks with arrows, sliced tendons from ankles and made sure that every blow was efficient. There was no glory in this combat. Everything they did was designed to kill as quickly as possible, preventing the wolves from fighting back. This method was going to be repeated throughout the forest in the various outposts that Vance controlled. It was yet to be seen how successful Vali’s other warriors would be but we could only do as much as we could.
Vali and his men scoured the outpost for other wolves before he declared that we were safe. The dead wolves were piled up. I tried not to look, for it made me shudder. We followed the path inside the cave. The light was dark and it took a while for my eyes to adjust. Vali and his men did not seem to suffer the same delay. The tunnel opened towards a chamber, which was empty. I walked up to the computer terminal and began to press buttons. There was a whirr as the machinery became activated. Lights flickered to life and I gasped as I saw what Typhon and Kull had seen, so many wolves linked to tubes, their faces blank, frozen in stasis, waiting to live.
“This is monstrous,” I said. Vance had bred a generation of slaves. It made me feel sick inside. “We have to get them to wake.”
Vali nodded to his men, who raised their bows.
“It’s just a precaution. Can we start by waking just one? I’m not sure I feel comfortable with bringing all of them to life at once. They might not be as reasonable as Typhon and Kull seem to think,” Vali said. It was a valid concern. Perhaps it was for the best that my wolves were not with us as they were not unbiased. We had no idea what was going to happen with these wolves. Since Vance had influenced them they might have been devoid of any individuality at all and if that was the case then we were going to have some hard decisions to make.
The layout of the computer terminal was simple, thankfully. I managed to work out the symbols for the different soldiers, as well as how to activate them. I chose one at random. There was a grid that symbolized the soldiers. At first they were all dark. I pressed one button and they all became illuminated. When I pressed this button again, it led to an option where I could select individual soldiers. At least the wolves had made this thing simple. I chose at random, taking a deep breath as my finger hovered over the big red activation button. I pressed it and closed my eyes, hoping that I had gotten things right and that this wasn’t going to bring all of the soldiers to life.
At first nothing happened. Then, there was a hiss. A tube detached from a soldier and a plume of steam was revealed. The mask that had been attached to his face dropped away, and I was shocked to see that they bore a shocking resemblance to Typhon and Kull. This really had been an extension of the original experiment. They hadn’t mentioned anything about this to me, so I assumed they hadn’t realized. The soldier staggered forward. It took him a few moments to get used to his limbs. He walked towards the glass and stared at me. He tilted his head to the side.
“What are my orders?” he asked. His voice was flat and neutral, devoid of emotion. His eyes were hollow as well. My heart went out to him.
“Do you know who you are?” I asked.
“My designation is soldier 247. What are my orders?”
“That’s the thing 247, you don’t have any orders. There isn’t going to be a war. You don’t have to fight.”
“That makes no sense. We are bred to fight. I know this.”
“You might think you know it but… it’s hard to explain… you and your brothers can be and do whatever you want. You’re free to explore the world and… oh… this isn’t going to make any sense to you right now,” I said. It seemed hopeless. He stared at me with that vacant expression. His mind was filled with nothing but his programming and I wasn’t sure how to break it.
“What are my orders?” he asked again.
I took a breath to compose myself as an idea flashed in my mind. “Your orders are to listen. This war has been compromised and you are no longer needed for your initial purpose. Instead, you can develop a new purpose. Your orders are to become aware of the world and develop a sense of purpose. Your mission is one that can be created by yourself. There are others like you, two men who can help you accomplish this. They are fighting on your behalf as we speak.”
“We should be fighting. Where is the enemy?”
“That is… hard to explain. Just… just trust me. My name is Ambrosia Hart and I’m here to help you. I know this is confusing and overwhelming, but you need to listen to my voice and trust me. You’re safe, and you’re protected. What’s most important is that you don’t need to fight.”
“But I was born to fight.”
“No, no you’re not. You don’t understand yet, but you don’t have to let others define your purpose for you. I’m going to help you see that this life is yours for the taking and that you don’t have to follow the programming in your mind. It’s going to take some time but eventually you’ll see that I’m right. I promise.”
He considered the matter for a moment and then he began moving from behind the glass. As he did so, he sniffed the air, and suddenly his demeanor changed. “You are not wolves. You are the enemy,” his nostrils flared and the air shimmered around him as he began to shift. Vali and his men immediately fired their arrows. One of them hit him in the shoulder. The other caught him in the thigh. He staggered to his knees and blood stained his body. I cried out. It wasn’t his fault that he came towards us. He was a slave to his programming and there had to be a way to break it. Vali was ready to kill him, but I held him back. I told him to bind this soldier and take him back to his position. Once there, we fastened the mask to his face and I put him to sleep again.
It wasn’t such an easy thing to break through his programming.
“What if we can never reason with them?” Vali asked, concerned.
“I don’t believe it’s impossible. It just takes time. What they need is someone they can trust. When Typhon and Kull return it will be easier to talk to them.”
“Then let us pray that they come back soon,” Vali said. There was a grim tone to his voice and I shared his misgivings. My heart trembled with fear at the thought that they might already be dead. I supposed we would know soon enough. Either they would come to find us, or Vance would send other wolves to check on his outposts. At least we had done what we came here to do though. We had control of Vance’s weapon and while that was the case, his chances of spreading destruction across the world were less.