The stairs were beyond number it seemed. Sweat poured off of me and my breath came in gasping jolts that brought pain all along my rib cage.
The weight of a woman across my shoulder had not helped in my climb up these innumerable stairs. She had said nothing and for all the world seemed to still be in a condition of shock.
Thankfully though an access door to the surface was before me now. Stumbling over to it I reached my hand into my pocket and pulled out the security pass card I’d taken off of the old scientist.
The screen blipped and demanded the next step in the authentication process. Carefully I fingered the contact lens I’d taken from the old man, until it was molded over my thumb and then I held it up to the scanner.
It chirped and with this last step in extra security confirmed the blast door opened and I stumbled out into the warm sunshine of a sunny day located somewhere in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The main entrance to the underground city was off from my position by a good mile or more, but even from here I could see that it was a flush with people and elements of the military, as the entire city was being evacuated of its personnel.
On the surface of the land there was no sign of the storm that was wrecking complete havoc within the mountain. From a back pocket a radio crackled, “Victor?”
Pulling the radio out I said into it, “I’m out Ivan. Can you lock on my position?”
“That is affirmative.”
“One other thing. She needs attention.”
“Understood. The chopper is in route, but it won’t be able to land. You’ll have to make it out on foot after the chopper grabs her.”
Nodding my head I said, “Understood. Thank you Ivan, this means a lot. If it all works out I will owe you a favor for this.”
“A favor from you makes this almost worth it.”
I heard the chopper then and with all the military personnel about I doubted that we would have more than one chance at pulling this off. The chopper came into view dodging just above the brush and evergreens.
It dropped a rope with a grab harness on the end of it. I set her down and leaped up to grab at the harness as it came swinging by.
I caught it and made it stretch down the few feet needed and with one hand stabilizing it I hoisted her up and secured the straps about her. I barely had her secured before the chopper pulled away and I was left with nothing, but to watch her being borne aloft, as the chopper moved quickly on away, from the scene.
I watched the rope hauled upward, until she was pulled into the main body of the chopper. The chopper was making good progress away from the kicked over ant colony down below and that was good. It seemed that the pickup had gone without attracting too much notice given how all the base personnel were so focused with the destruction of the city within the Earth.
The sounds of security forces making their way up the stairs back within the air shaft had me glancing that way. Pulling a grenade from a pocket I tossed it back through the open utility access door before engaging it to close shut.
It had barely closed when the explosion went off. I looked back along the horizon to look for the helicopter and saw that it was still there, but disappearing fast. I needed to do the same thing from the current vicinity.
The radio crackled again, “Victor I want you to know that I’m very sorry that you have to see this.”
“Ivan?” I asked uncertainly into the radio I held.
Just then an explosion ripped across the sky before me as the helicopter self-imploded into a fireball of flame and blasted apart debris. I stared transfixed into the distance as the flaming wreckage of the chopper fell to the ground.
The radio crackled again, “I told you Victor that I have one weakness. I was not lying. They have restored my Natasha to me and you must understand that there is simply nothing I would not do for family. Even if it comes at the cost of my honor and eternal future. That said I will now read you a note that has been given to me in regards to you and your future, ‘The one that you gave everything up for is now dead and lost from you. Know that we will be coming for you likewise. However we give you free reign today though and tomorrow to do as you please as we well know that there’s nothing left for you in life to take pleasure in and so the passage of time, while to you it will be torture, to us it is the essence of pleasure itself. Such are the rewards of all those who place their faith in the dictator of the ages, who has forever been an impediment to human progress and the freedom of self-expression.’ ……….Victor are you still there?”
I left a fool’s plea to assert meaning into how treachery could be justified be answered by my continued silence, as no words seemed fit to express the magnitude of the betrayal that had been done this day. The radio slipped from my hand to clatter upon the rocks of the mountain slope.
Looking about the mountain landscapes around me all I beheld was an emptiness of spirit upon the land, as if nothing of God remained in this section of the world.
I started to walk away, but my newly redeemed consciousness wouldn’t let me. Turning back I picked up the radio and engaged it, “You still there Ivan?”
“Yes.” Came the emotional reply.
“You know the saddest thing about what you have done is that you have traded your soul for nothing and I could leave now and feel justified that you deserve your fate, but then so could my God of said the same of me many times over so I’m going to give you a second chance.”
I paused a moment then before saying, “Do you really think that I would entrust my woman to you to the point of having you fly her away without me, when I know what a weak person you are at heart?”
“No, I don’t see how you could, but you did.”
“Yes, I would have actually, but because of my God’s warning I did not. Your masters have succeeded in nothing and you through your own treachery of spirit have regained nothing. Desirée is safe and already far away from here even as we speak.”
“Then how……. They confirmed that she was on the chopper! I….I don’t understand.”
“Well you should Ivan as it’s not all that hard to understand. Just ask yourself one question and the answer will fill in all the blanks for you.
I paused for a moment before speaking the harsh reality of what had been pulled over on this man, “Natasha. Tell me, when you had her restored to you, did you hug her to you like a good papa would?”
“Where are you going with this Victor?”
“No, the question you need to find an answer to Ivan is to remember when you hugged your beloved daughter to yourself did her skin have any warmth to it?”
Silence greeted my question and then speaking harshly into the radio I asked, “Well did it?”
“No……oh God no!”
“She’s a fake Ivan.” I said gently, as I still found some measure of compassion within me for this man, who could have potentially utterly crushed me by his actions this day.
“I’m sorry Victor! I……”
“I forgive you Ivan. Everything I said before stands. You need to get right with God or……or you know what’s going to happen. It’s still not too late, but don’t waist anymore time or destroy any more friendships than you already have.”
With that said I dropped the radio again and headed northward briskly to where I knew my love would already be waiting for me thanks to Denaleal.