Activation, Part 10

Eight names. All eight names were now highlighted green. Somehow, someway, all of them were coming back. This had turned out better than he expected. At most he thought five of them would respond, and then maybe three or four might agree to come in. His planning from the preceding days had been under the assumption of only having that many of them operational, but now, now there were some real possibilities before him. Now they might not just hold the line - now they could think about going on the offensive. Other news had also been good. The facility would soon be operational again and the suits were being prepared for their wearers. He reclined his chair back slightly, savoring the moment. Victory was in no way guaranteed, but things were off to a good start. Out of the corner of his eye he now noticed a figure standing over his shoulder. Startled, his sat back at attention and turned to see that it was his superior. He gave him a status report and his superior nodded in approval. They exchanged a few brief remarks about the situation before his superior left. Alone again, he turned back to his screen. Eight names. Everything was now riding on these eight names. The first few of the eight would be arriving soon and once all of them were present it would be up to him and the others to get them ready as fast as possible. If they moved quickly there was even a slight chance that they could contain the situation before it got any worse. No, that was wishful thinking. This was going to be long, ugly, and full of death, just like everything else they had ever gotten involved in. A message appeared on his screen stating that the first of the eight was now here. Time to get started.

Activation, Part 9

He and his friends exited the shop and bid each other farewell. It had been a good day. For the first time in a long time he felt like he had found his place in the world. Here, a vast ocean away from his old home, he had started his life over. A new language, a new career, a new social group, a new everything. His friends and family had questioned his decision back when he left, and truth be told he wasn’t entirely sure of it himself at the time, but looking back now it was the best decision he had ever made. And yet, somehow, the past now hung ominously over him. He had gotten the message. How did they know where he was, how had they gotten his phone number, and why now? He had come out here to bury the past. Couldn’t they take a hint? He wasn’t going back. Not now. Not ever. Walking back towards his home, he approached a train crossing when the bells began to sound and the gates lowered. He could hear the train approaching, and it would be a minute before it passed by, so he pulled out his phone to check on social media. Scrolling through the timeline while the train passed took his mind off the message, but only briefly. Wait, what if they sent people out here to get him? No, they wouldn’t do that. They’re too small of an operation. They’d have to talk him into rejoining, and there was only one person who could maybe do it. The train passed, the bells stopped, and the gates lifted. He put his phone back into his pocket, looked up, and there, on the other side of the tracks, was another set of eyes staring back. It was him.

Activation, Part 8

From his viewpoint, halfway up the mountain, the city stretched out before him. Though he did not particularly enjoy hiking or other outdoor activities, he made an exception for climbing up to this one spot. Hardly anyone else came up here, and it was one of the few places he could think without interruption. Today was a particularly quiet day - there weren’t any mountain climbers or nearby hikers to break the silence. Good, he wanted to be alone. He had gotten the message. This would be the last time he came up here for who knows how long. The wheels in his head were spinning furiously with the possibilities of both what had happened to necessitate being recalled after all these years and what the future might hold. It had to be bad. They wouldn’t have sent the message unless they had exhausted other options, so they must be desperate if they were reconstituting the old team. Whatever the threat was, it clearly couldn’t be solved via traditional means. A cacophony of thoughts bounced around his head as he sat there and gazed out into the distance. Total chaos might have erupted inside of him had not an old voice spoken up - a familiar voice that had now awoken after many years slumber. The cruel, unrelenting inner demon that had driven him forward since childhood was once again speaking to him, bringing clarity to his mind. Answers would come soon enough, so for now he needed to focus on ensuring the success of the coming assignment. The first order of business: finding his old partner and talking him into coming back.

Activation, Part 7

He finished his reading and closed his Bible. Though he had read through the scriptures in their entirety several times over during his life, recent events found him rereading them with particular intensity. He had gotten the message. The question before him was whether or not he would respond to it and agree to come back. He hadn’t forgotten what the project was all about and he knew what it would require of him. It was shady, ugly work - the kind he wouldn’t be proud to talk about. Could he do this? His readings were pushing him away from returning, but at the same time he remembered how he had been the only one in the project to voice objections to some of the things they did and had even managed to keep them from going off the deep end into the amoral abyss. He had been salt and light in a rotten, dark place. Perhaps that was his place in the world - the lone upright soul standing against the rising tide of moral decay. If he went back maybe he could do some good and once more be the voice in the wilderness calling the others to a better way. Then again, knowing the people running the project, as well as some of his former teammates, it might be a hopeless cause. Getting involved again would be dangerous, and wading through that much evil was sure to stain him in the process. The hours passed as he weighed both options. Refusing the call would keep him clean but felt like abandoning his associates, while going back could very well destroy him but had the small chance of rescuing others. Wait, maybe there’s a third option. He could go back, and if after awhile he determined it to be a fool’s errand, he could leave again. Ok, yes, that sounded like a good compromise. That’s what he would do.

Activation, Part 6

Rush hour brought the normal surge of human activity to downtown. Standing by the railing, he looked down on the river of employees, executives, and other wastes of space that passed underneath him and was disgusted by what he saw. Hypocrites, weaklings, and fools, all of them. He had been surrounded by incompetence and cowardice his entire life. Those too blind to see the world as it really was. Those too stupid to know anything. Those too weak or unwilling to do what needed to be done. But not him. He would not bound by their limitations - their shortsightedness, their impotence, their slave morality. Their world was devoid of purpose, meaning, value, and sanity, but they lived in willful ignorance of these facts. Fine. They can remain in their stupor if they choose, but he had a higher calling in life, and the time was nigh when he would fulfill that calling. He had gotten the message. There was only one thing that mattered in this universe, and soon he would have it again. This time, however, he wouldn’t relinquish it. The same ruthlessness and cognizance of reality that had consistently pushed him ahead of his peers would once again demonstrate his superiority. He was the best, he always had been. The king would reclaim his crown, and while he was at it he would settle the score with the one who had humiliated him all those years ago.

Activation, Part 5

It was another day with his parents. Another test of endurance. They didn’t think he had a real job, and were disappointed by his singleness. Every time they visited it was the same questions and lectures all over again. Why do you still work at that game company? You should visit more often. When are you going to find yourself a nice girl and start a family? You won’t get a wife until you get a better job. It never stopped. Every time he deflected their words as politely as he could. He knew they loved him, but they had an odd way of showing it. Today they were on a family trip to the zoo. A pair of pandas had just been brought in from China, and his parents had planned a day there along with some of the relatives. Gawking at animals in a cage had never made sense to him. His parents became distracted by activity over at the elephant exhibit and left him temporarily, granting him a moment’s peace. Looking for something to take his mind off the fact that he was stuck with them for the next five or six hours, he pulled out his phone and thought to himself that he could clear another level of his favorite game before they got back. He started the level, but didn’t get far before he was interrupted by the notification of a new message arriving. Switching apps, he opened the message, expecting something from his boss about the next work deadline. But it wasn’t his boss. He looked over to where his parents were. They were annoying at times, but with what was now happening this could be the last day he would see them for the foreseeable future. He got up and walked over to them. Time to be a good son and make the most of what might be their final day together.

Activation, Part 4

A new stack of paperwork dropped onto his desk. His boss was leaving on his normal two-hour lunch break, and needed it finished upon his return. He politely affirmed that the forms would be ready, and smiled as his boss walked out. When the door closed yet another spear pierced his soul. This was not how he imagined his life to be. Working at the law firm paid a decent wage but it was killing him inside. Looking at his screen, he refreshed his inbox, and six new emails showed up, all of them marked high priority. Of course they’re all high priority, because nothing around here is regular or low priority. His shoulders slumped, and he let out a deep sigh. Still, this was where he found himself, so until he could find a way out he would just have to deal with it. That’s when he felt a vibration in his pocket. A new message had arrived on his phone. He decided to quickly read it before getting to the paperwork and emails. Wait, is this it? His eyes grew wide. Yes, this was it. This was his salvation. Struggling to contain his excitement, he put his phone down, grabbed the stack of paperwork and feverishly set about completing it. These were the last forms we would ever be filling out for that man. He wasn’t coming in to work tomorrow, or the day after that, or ever again.

Activation, Part 3

The club’s bass beat turned up another notch, and in turn he took another sip from his drink. In front of him was a mass of people on the dance floor in a state of alcohol and narcotics-induced revelry. The DJ transitioned to the next track, yet another generic remix of a popular 90s song. Everyone in the crowd ate it up, but he was ambivalent. Is it that hard to find a good DJ? He threw back the rest of his drink and walked over to the bar to order a few shots. Seriously, what was even doing here? It’s not like he could get drunk anyway, at least not without consuming an amount of alcohol that would be fatal for most other individuals. Boredom had been the defining mark of the last few years of his life. Nothing excited him anymore, not even what had at one time been his favorite nightclub. Pulling out his phone, he thought to see if there was anything else going on that night that might be even remotely interesting. In doing so, he saw a message that had come in earlier. The booming sounds had kept him from hearing his phone when it first came in, but as he read it he couldn’t hear anything else. A smirk came across his face. The fools had finally made up their mind. No doubt they had tried to do something on their own and predictably failed, and now they needed him to save their sorry asses. It wasn’t exactly his idea of fun, but it sure as hell beat this.

Activation, Part 2

Jets roared overhead as he hurried back to his office. The letter had finally come, the one he had been waiting for. Everything from the preceding years had been building to this point. He had passed every test and proven himself time and again. Closing the door behind him, he sat down at his desk and stared at the envelope for minute. This was it, his moment of vindication. Struggling to contain his excitement, he slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. A single page, standard font, on official letterhead. He read the letter. His heart sank. Despite his outstanding performance, there were currently no openings in any of the squadrons. How? How was this possible? He had read the reports himself earlier in the month. At least five slots were likely to open, and with his scores he ought to have been a shoo-in for one of them. Sinking deeper into his chair, the realization slowly crept over him that all his work might have all been for nothing. This can’t be happening. He slowly reread the letter, hoping that the act might somehow change the words. It read the same as before. He slumped forward, head in his hands. Had his phone not started buzzing he would have stayed there drowning in self-pity and grief. The message on his phone was from an old number, one he hadn’t seen in a long time. It was starting again. The timing was suspiciously convenient. One door had closed only for another one to immediately open up. Coincidence? Not likely. Regardless, he was in no position to change his circumstances, and he set about preparing for his departure. Duty had called, and he would answer.

Activation, Part 1

Eight names were displayed before him on his screen. Eight individuals who hadn’t been in service for years, but were now about to be recalled. They were third-rate, all of them. No, that was being too generous. Third-rate would be an improvement. If he and the others had more time perhaps another option would become available, but an existential threat demands immediate action, so here they were, summoning the prototypes. It was never supposed to be this way. The eight were only intended as a proof of concept prior to the creation of the genuine article. Circumstances, however, had nixed that plan, and now the eight were all they had. He sat there for a minute, staring at the screen. Eight names. He was banking the future on eight names. The message he was sending them had already been prepared and just needed a single click to send. He read each name one last time, and clicked the button. It was now in their hands. He just prayed some of them would agree to come back.