Liv said nothing, she merely nodded with approval.
Xiao"s gaze shifted toward Lauren. "This time, you cannot come with me. I may not make it back so..."
He trailed off, his meaning clear.
Lauren"s lips curved into a difficult grin. "No matter the task, I am still your research a.s.sistant. Don"t look down on me. I can do more than you realize."
Winn smiled back at Lauren. "What can you do? Get in the way?"
Lauren narrowed his eyes at Winn and shot back. "At least I am smarter than you!"
Because of Ritz and Loch"s dedication, none of the other research directors opted out. Despite their trepidation, they did not want to be labeled a coward.
Xiao"s placed his hands on the desk in front of him and leaning forward with an oppressive and authoritative air. "From now on, everything I have to say is completely confidential. Even if the president were to ask you question, you must keep everything a secret. Say nothing."
This was vitally important, Valentin could easily intercept any communication.
Shen Bing stepped forward and closed the terminal, shielding the signals. Xiao continued on. "In a week Jane Wallace will release a coordinate. This information will be transmitted through multiple channels. In other words, Valentin will receive this piece of information. He will know where Jane Wallace is and go to this disclosed location. Form here, there are two possibilities. Valentin may arrive personally or send people ahead. If he goes in person, then we pounce on him. If he sends people in his stead, they will still deliver Jane to Valentin. From there we just need to pursue to Surge to locate him. Either way this gives us an opportunity to take him out. To do this, I will need two very important resources."
Ritz smiled at Xiao knowingly. "You will need a wireless terminal that matches your interface speed and a craft the taxes and exceeds the known limits of the technology."
"Yes. I will need these things by next week. Work hard!"
Xiao returned to his room, his head lowered as he tiredly made his way through the hall. He opened the door with prints and dumbly walked inside the room. Heine suddenly pushed Xiao behind him, his body tensed and vigilant.
Xiao looked up as Heine"s urgency flew through him and his heart pounded erratically, his brain scattered and flowed anxiously.
A man sat on the bed in the darkness. He leaned casually against the wall. Heine looked at him with narrowed eyes.
The lights flicked on and Xiao looked over at the slender man with a stunned expression.
"Jane Wallace! How did you get here?!"
Xiao stood in front of him, still wearing his research attire, he couldn"t believe that Jane managed to easily sneak inside such a heavily guarded base.
"Colonel Burton. You don"t want to fight me here." Jane stood up leisurely and picked the pillow off of the bed. He brought it toward his nose, deeply and dramatically inhaling Xiao"s scent.
Heine watched him with a weighted gaze that could crush mountains, Jane looked over at him and continued nonplussed.
"Not only did Gordon get you Xiao"s contact, he gave you the code to enter the base?"
"You are so suspicious of me that you think that I planned an invasion of this base?" Jane laughed, "You should know that Gordon is intent on killing Valentin."
"I believe you came here to help us deal with Valentin."
Xiao walked around Heine to look over at Jane.
Jane chucked a sample bottle toward Xiao. "This is Casey"s research. You will understand its purpose once you a.n.a.lyze it. I need you to stabilize this virus."
"Being that it is Casey"s research, I am sure he is more than capable of accomplishing that task." Xiao couldn"t help but be wary of the task Jane handed him.
"Casey refuses to complete it. You were the only other person I could think of that is able to do it." Jane"s typically cynical and lazy tone is replaced by a strict solemnity and persistence.
"What then?" Xiao frowned.
"And then you ask?" Jane leaned forward and put his hands in his pockets. His uniform dressing was fastidious, from his collar to the individual folds of the fabric. This serious side to Jane reminds him of a researcher"s temperament as opposed to a Special Forces soldier. "Then my body can be used as a weapon to kill Valentin."
Xiao eyes widened at Janes words.
"Always have a backup plan. Don"t tell me Heine Burton failed to teach you that."
With these words Jane threw Heine a meaningful look, pushed open the door and exited the room.
Xiao"s hand tightened around the vial. He was surprised that Jane was preparing for such an eventuality. If their plan fails and Jane falls into the hands of Valentin, then he will use this virus to attack Valentin"s body after he implants his brain into Jane. Once in Jane"s body, Valentin will be met with certain death.
The reason why Casey couldn"t complete the research is very clear to Xiao Yan. Jane is family to Casey, he couldn"t kill him with his own research. Casey can"t do that.
"But I can?" Xiao smiled bitterly.
"Jane knows in his heart that you are not so callous as to sacrifice your companions to win, but he is also sure that you can complete the task."
Xiao lowered his head, his hand reflexively tightening further around the bottle.
Heine leaned forward and kissed Xiao"s forehead. The soft gesture momentarily relaxed Xiao and he closed his eyes, feeling the security offered by Heine"s touch.
"Xiao Yan. In battle there is a law of war among the Special Forces. I hope that you will keep it in mind."
"what?"
"Never look back. The more important the task, the more you must complete it. When the weight of responsibility is on your shoulders, it is crucial that you do not look back." Heine"s palm moved toward his chin and Xiao cannot fight against the strength of his hand. Heine tilts Xiao"s head upward, forcing him to look him in the eye. He carefully gazed at Xiao, as though determining if he truly understood his words.
Xiao thought of Maya, who had been injured by the Surge to get him into the control room. He thought of Sharon, who died due to the virus accelerator. Even though he was the weakest among them, they had spared no effort to protect him. Easily sacrificing themselves so Xiao could achieve his goal. It sounds like a blessing in theory but to the hero, left standing alone at the end of the mission, it is an unbelievably cruel and painful reality.
"If you look back then all their sacrifices will be in vain. You can"t undo what is happened. The only thing that can exist is the mission. All grief must wait until the task is completed."
"I can"t do that." Xiao was suddenly terrified. He knew Heine too well. Once he made a decision, he would do whatever it takes to see it through.
"What Jane needs, you can do it. Complete Casey"s research and we will have made this task foolproof." Heine gaze was solid and steady. "You don"t need to be scared or worried about anything. I am confident that when this is finished, I will still be by your side."
Xiao eyes slowly grew steady and determined. "Jane was worried that we would fail. I will finish the virus as he requested, but I will not allow there to be a need for it."
Ritz and Lock were wholly devoted to their research when, less than three days later, a message came into the base that altered the pre-established plan. Valentin had discovered Jane"s whereabouts. He sent a large number of a.s.sa.s.sins to attack a small island where Jane was located. Jerry was captured during the raid helping Jane and Casey escape. Valentin invaded all communication frequencies and demanded Jane give himself up... he had removed Jerry"s brain. He tilted the dish holding his brain and smiled. His refined features were twisted in evil, his immense cruelty warping his aristocratic visage.
"The longer you wait to return to me, the longer poor Jerry"s brain works."
"My dearest child. Jane, although your rebellious phase is giving me quite the headache, I look forward to seeing you return to me." Valentin"s image filled the displays. He s.a.d.i.s.tically pushed at the probes inserted into Jerry"s brain. He mouth stretched slyly into an elegant grin. It was hard to digest the magnitude of Valentin"s ruthlessness.
"If you were hesitating to come back know what that time costs poor Jerry."
Xiao Yan and Shen Bing received the transmission from the control room. They noticed that the terminal indicated that Jerry"s brain was being taxed to near collapse. Xiao couldn"t imagine the amount of torment Jerry was enduring, his agonized mind pleading for relief.
He closed his eyes and imagined the pain as he had countless time. The mere idea filled him with tremendous fear.
"Valentin is a madman." Xiao clenched his fists in frustration. Although he had no fond feelings for Jerry, seeing as how he had abetted his kidnapping, Xiao knew what Jerry meant to Jane. Since Claire"s death, every familial loss for Jane was a painful puncture, an ever widening and festering wound.
"Once again he has to us." Shen Bing rattled off his coordinates and discovered that he was in the South Pole close to the former Antarctic base. "Now I only hope that Jane can hold out until we are ready>"
Suddenly the door pushed open.
"I am sorry Colonel Shen Bing. I have to go. As soon as possible."
Xiao Yan and Shen Bing looked up to see Jane smiling helplessly. He approached the desk and looked down at Xiao. "In truth, there is no such thing as a perfect plan in this world. The situation always changes you know that better that anyone."
Xiao looked over at Shen Bing, whose expression did not even register surprise. He seemed to have known that Jane was able to freely move about the base.
"I can"t possibly let Jerry go through this. He cannot bear to live anymore and the only thing that I can do for him now is end this torture."
Shen Bing closed his eyes but spoke simply. "You are too impulsive. You will ruin the entire plan."
Jane looks over at Xiao Yan. "Even if it wasn"t Heine...let"s say it was LIv or Mark, could you wait around until their brains short out from the torture?"
Xiao said nothing, he knew that he couldn"t stop Jane.
"I know Valentin too well. If I had published those coordinates on my own, he would know that it was a trap; he would not have come in person. This time he has given me the location. He has laid his trap, which means he is likely to be there. Even if he is not, so long as I am restrained, his people must send me to him to complete the transfer. It is an opportunity to track him. Any way you look at it, this is good for the plan."
"When are you leaving?" Xiao asked flatly.
"Xiao Yan." Shen Bing shot him a warning look.
"This kind of opportunity is fleeting. This is not research Colonel, it is war. We cannot be a.s.sure100% of victory in War. All of our so called preparations...it is just for the sake of our own self confidence." Xiao looked sternly at Shen Bing.
Shen Bing, who is a man known for his calm demeanor couldn"t help his heart from shaking under the commanding weight of Xiao"s eyes.
"When are you leaving?"
"Now." Jane looked at Xiao Yan with admiration. His lips twitched and he smiled. "I look forward to working with you again, Major Xiao Yan."
The base held an emergency meeting and Shen Bing announced that they had 2 hours to prepare.
The second base once again held an emergency meeting. When Shen Bing announced that two hours of preparation, Xiao Yan was about to go to the South Pole with the troops of Hai Yin, causing an uproar.
"But we are not ready at all. This is suicide!"
"Valentin will wipe us out with his army. This isn"t just about Jane Wallace. This is the final stand for the Shire!"
"You are right. So this time, everyone won"t go. I will go personally. Colonel Burton, do you agree with this action?" Xiao Yan adopted an official tone and looked over at Heine.
"Winn Mark and Liv, the three of you will enter the base with me. Our mission is not to a.s.sa.s.sinate Valentin, it is to ensure Xiao Yan"s safety at all costs. Once we enter the base we must cover Xiao from the advancing Surge a.s.sa.s.sins. Once we gain control of the situation then we can open the base and release a signal. After it is received only then will the remaining troops advance."
"Xiao Yan is going alone? We are aware of how fast Xiao"s interface rate is but if he is invaded by Valentin...." Ritz slammed his hands on the table, his tone growing anxious. "Loch and I will go with you!"
Loch widened his eyes in surprise. "Hey! Don"t decide on your own! You haven"t asked me yet!"
"Do I need to? You plan on staying and cowering here?"
"Of course I will go! But I don"t need you to volunteer for me!"
Seeing tese two still quarreling as usual, Xiao Yan knocked against the desk and spoke in a very oppressive tone. "You two can"t go!"
"what!"
"what--"
At this point, the two people are crestfallen. Their protests overlap with the other.
"Besides me, Casey will go. You must stay here as outside aid. If something goes wrong then you must continue the hunt for Valentin. We can"t put all of our eggs in one basket." Xiao looked over at Shen Bing.
Shen Bing"s voice was nearly a whisper as he spoke to Ritz and Loch: "This is an order."
Ritz and Loch were clearly annoyed but remained silent.
"We can"t afford any meaningless sacrifices! We leave in two hours, !"
Heine"s troops are ready to go, the atmosphere is depressed and cold.
Xiao put on his combat uniform and gathered his weapons. He was outfitted as a special soldier. Suddenly the doors slid open and Heine stood in the entryway.
"Remember what you said to me, Colonel?" Xiao thought that he would be embarra.s.singly nervous, but he found that he was unexpectedly calm .
"I will always be at your side."
"I won"t regret this...even if I fail. Someone had to make this choice."
Even if I break while climbing this mountain, I will at least have experienced the world.
Suddenly Xiao reached up and grabbed Heine"s neck, forcefully bringing his face near him. He slammed his mouth against Heine"s and kissed him as hard as he could. He felt like a rocket propelled by too much fuel. His direction seemed to be falling off in layers, leaving him rushing toward a boundless universe.
For the first time, he felt true loneliness.
The tip of his tongue frantically pushed past Heine"s lips. He grabbed onto his shoulders with all his strength. He knew it wasn"t because he was afraid of falling but because he was afraid of losing this man, who supported him so thoroughly. Xiao"s kiss was too hard, and Heine almost crashed into the shelf on the wall.
Heine"s palms moved under Xiao"s thighs. He lifted him up and pressed him against his body. He met Xiao"s force with his own and Xiao greedily raised his chin to accept all the pa.s.sion Heine had to offer.
Suddenly Mark"s thoughtless voice stilled their intimacy. "Hey! Why are you guys still here?"
Xiao reluctantly broke off the kiss. His hands remained on Heine"s shoulder and he looked up at him. Xiao watched as an icy fire blazed through his blue eyes, it burned through all Xiao"s restlessness and doubts. All obstacles turned to ash in the face of Heine"s aura, opening up a boundless s.p.a.ce filled with hope.
Heine set Xiao down and barked an order at his subordinates as they fell in line. "Let"s move out."
Jane and Casey arrived in their craft just as Xiao and Heine reached the platform and they took to the air. The craft cut through the sky and rushed upward. The backup troops, ordered by Shen Bing, followed closely behind.
Xiao opened the c.o.c.kpit door and spoke sharply to Jane. "If you want make sure that we don"t crash if Valentin invades, I suggest you relinquish the pilot"s chair."
Jane smiled at him and obediently removed his terminal. Xiao promptly took his place.
Jane entered the cabin and Mark and Winn"s eyes swept over him like a sharpened blade. He simply smiled amid their daggered glares and sat down next to Heine.
"It appears that in a blink of an eye he has transformed from a fragile researcher, in need of constant protection from the special forces, to a decisive commander. It seems that I have missed this important growth period." Jane spoke with half joking tone. Mark looked over at him with undisguised contempt.
"I sincerely hope that your actions are not another despicable attempt at winning his heart." Heine coldly looked ahead. He spoke with complete indifference, even his posture remain unchanged.
"Haha!" Jane tilted his head down and laughed. "He used me and hurt me greatly. I should actually consider taking my revenge."
"Is that why you asked him to finish developing that virus?"
"I asked because I know that he can do it." Jane closed his eyes, a great weight seemed to settle and groove the lines of his face. "This one time, we can agree on one thing."
"Xiao Yan must come back alive."
"That is the objective of this mission."
Xiao Yan connected to the craft"s piloting system and easily secured a perfect communication connection with Casey. There had no need to speak to each other with the aid of the terminals.
From the moment that Xiao replaced Jane as pilot, Casey did not so much a raise a brow. He was wholly committed to his task of piloting the craft.
I won"t apologize to you because I know that you won"t accept it. From beginning to end, we have been on different playing fields.
Xiao was not the least bit startled as Casey"s voice flowed through his mind. It was time to let go of the past; it wasn"t as if the past even make sense to him any longer.
You used to always say that if we worked together that nothing could stop us. This time...I"ll let it go.
The craft barreled through the sky as they pa.s.sed over a large expanse of deep ocean. The blue hues of the water melded with the stretching sky. Gradually icebergs gave way to large sheets of ice as they pushed forward. Then pure white spread out in front of them. It coated everything and scattered the light from the sun in all directions...they had arrived at the Antarctic circle.
Xiao Yan and Casey both clearly understand that the closer they are to Valentin the more susceptible they are to his reach and the threat of mental invasion.
As expected, Xiao felt an immense power push against the outer edge of his thoughts. The most concerning thing is that the blocker is not just one person.
Several Surge craft become visible. Occasionally they fire off laser missiles, targeting Xiao"s flight engines. They are trying to force them to land before they reach the base. Even while battling the blockers Xiao and Casey are able to slip through the gaps in their attack. They fly at a lower alt.i.tude and the ice sheets break apart behind them. They are no match for their combined skill. The laser missiles are no more a threat than a child"s toy.
Casey sharply cut through the sky with a tight upward trajectory. Xiao fired a missile off and hit three of the crafts trailing them. They exploded upon impact. Then Xiao invaded the craft, giving them chase and forced them to lose control. In mere seconds, they crashed into the large groaning sheets of snow and ice behind them.
Mark nervously steadied himself by pressing his hand against the top of the cabin. Winn was irritated by the ever changing and jarring movements of the plane. He incorrectly a.s.sumed they were about to crash. Jane was the opposite- he clapped his hands at their strategic weaving.
Heine"s expression remained unchanged through it all.