Drunken Promise

 I found the convoy abandoned, just like they said I would. No smoke. No bodies. Just hundreds of shell casings scattered about on the asphalt and a dozen automatic rifles to complete the scenery. A jeep and several armored vehicles before and after it, all stopped dead on the highway. Some left track marks where they’d slammed on their brakes. I remained squatted down behind the guardrail, and slung my rifle back over my shoulder, replacing it with the walkie-talkie.

“David? David, are you there?” I whispered into the device, peeking over the railing once more while I waited. Nothing to be seen or heard under the grey sky. “Hey, come on, answer.” A moment of silence then the talkie chirped.

“Hey! Hey, sorry. Yeah, I’m here. What’s wrong?”

“The convoy got here before me.” Many voices argued on the other end before David spoke again.

“Okay, okay. What banner are they flying? Sun? Rose? What?” I peered over the railing once more.

“Rose.” The voices spoke to each other again. “David? Hey, listen.”

“What is it? Did they make contact with you yet?”

“Just shut up and listen.” I licked my lips and wiped my brow before continuing. “They’re gone, man. All of ‘em. Just gone.” A silence on the other end. “So? What do we do?” Another stretch of silence before David spoke again, this time in a hushed tone.

“Did you see it?”

“No.” I said. “But, I did see the flowers.”

“What kind?”

“Tulips.” A few voices whispered to each other.

“We, uh, we still need that antenna activated.” Sweat trickled down my spine, despite the frigid temperatures. “The radio is about to be shut off, Kane. I’m sorry but you knew the risks when we sent you out there. The instructions are on the paper.” His breathing became heavy. “Look, if it is there, just stay out of sight.” One final chirp, then static. I twisted the knob atop my walkie-talkie to turn it off, and stood alone amongst the vehicles, highway, and rolling green hills of the countryside.

Ten other Scarfs turned the gig down before they even got to me. When the board sent David directly to the bar to ask me himself, the paleness of his face should have alerted my suspicions. However, halfway down the bottle, not even the words on the paper appeared clearly in my eyes, let alone odd features on the old man’s face. I did understand, however, the mention of high payment.

When I’d woken up two days later, they’d already put me through the system as the Scarf working the job. Backing out now would mean the consequences of a bullet. Only a first timer would have agreed to a job like this. Or maybe a really drunken expert.

They’d sat me down, under the noticeable presence of their armed soldiers, to explain, if we linked up our base to this radiostation’s tower, our range of communications could reach up to half of America, and perhaps even into Europe, though that one would be a long shot.

“Sounds great.” I’d told them, “Bring me a map and I’ll show your boys the best route to take there.” They’d passed a look around the room before David spoke up.

“Kane, we don’t have the manpower to lose.”

“Lose? Hey, as long as you can avoid the Red Robes and stay out of the wrong territories, not much to lose. Just send a couple electricians there. What’s the big deal?” Again, the look passed around the room. David rubbed his puffy eyes.

“It’s not that simple.” He got up and handed me a manila folder. I opened it to see a transcript they’d intercepted between a Scarf of the RoseStem coalition and their home base. My eyes skimmed over the majority of the account, which mostly consisted of ordinary check-ins while their Scarf made his way to the same radio station we talked about. Details mentioned a plan to set up a base there as, unlike our operation, the RoseStems had the manpower to spare.

“Ah,” I said, “I see. So, it’s the competition you’re worried about.” I lowered the papers and looked around the room. “Well, that’s surprising to hear. Simple fix. We get there before their men do, stealth our way around the Scarf, if he gets there before us, and install our own uplink without them knowing. Hell, they can make their little base if they want to. So long as we hide our link well enough, they’d never know.” I laughed. “You’re telling me you had to go through ten of ‘em before you got to me?”

“Keep reading.” David said.

More communications back and forth. The Scarf already made it to the station. The RoseStems made quick work of creating a convoy of volunteers to go after him. Then, at the very end, just before the soldiers left their base, the Scarf sent one last message before losing contact. The flowers are blooming.

I sucked a tooth, reading over the final entry several times. The boardroom remained deathly silent. David’s head remained down.

“Don’t suppose we know what type of flowers bloomed?” I asked. The glance went around the room again, and landed on David who only shook his balding head. I finished sucking my tooth with a loud click, and tossed the folder back onto the table where a board member promptly scooped it up and stowed it away. We all sat studying each other, save for David. I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head.

“I’m not doing that.” I said, leaning back in my chair.

“You don’t get that option anymore. The gig is in your name.” One of the members said. An old woman, with hair pulled so far back into a bun that her skin might rip free at any moment. I waved a dismissive hand at her.

“You all know that’s not true. A man that slobbering drunk can’t give consent to anything, let alone this.”

“Be that as it may,” She said, “You’re now on the registry. You know the rules of how your organization works. You know the consequences if you choose to leave your assignment.” I laughed, and looked around the room for a face who would plead my case. Only furrowed brows and tightly pressed lips gazed back. David lifted his head.

“Kane,” he said, jaw tight. “This isn’t a scouting mission, or a hit. Hell, this isn’t even about collecting samples.” He leaned forward and tapped his finger on the table. “This is what’s going to change everything. Not just for us, but for the world. We can finally have a shot at fixing it all, and it starts here.” He stood up and straightened his jacket. “Understand, if you choose to take the bullet, we will find someone who is willing. But you are the last of our Scarfs we have here. So long as you understand that.” He pulled out a tracker fob from his pocket and slid it across the table to me. With that, he and the board members left the room, leaving me alone to be escorted out by the guards.

Walking down Windgrad Street, fidgeting with the fob in my hand, I almost didn’t see Lynn walk out of his front door and approach me. The younger Scarf looked at the tracker then at me, and shook his head laughing.

“Oh man, Kane!” He shouted, slapping his thighs. “I can’t believe they actually got you to do it.” I kept walking, eyes forward. “What did they promise in return? Ah, the price must be enough to-”

“Get lost dirt neck.” I hissed. Lynn almost looked hurt, but didn’t obey the order.

“I heard there is supposed to be a Door Knocker out there. Flint told me at the bar. Never actually seen one before. Not the small ones, anyway. Almost jealous, it's you and not me.” I whirled on him, seizing his collar in my free hand. His ratty turtle neck ripped as I yanked him close, sweat forming on my upper lip.

“Oh, do you?” I asked, “Do you really?” My voice came out shaky. “Then why don’t you go instead? No one's stopping you.” With that I threw him to the ground where he landed in a murky puddle before marching on. Lynn didn’t follow this time. Instead he sat there, calling insults after me while his jeans soaked up water. I pulled the collar of my jacket closer around my neck, and didn’t look back until I passed through the rickety front door of my home.

Slamming the door shut and clamping its deadbolt tight, I stormed into my kitchenette, where I leaned heavily upon the counter. My heart pounded in my ears. I stared distantly into the pot of stale coffee, until my own sunken reflection looked back at me.

Hollow cheeks and hair that now held more gray than the black I started with. The red rimmed eyes sat deep within their sockets, distant and glassy. And to think, only thirty five. With a curse, I walked away from the terrible view, and into my bedroom where I sat on the edge of my cot.

The dust collected heavily upon furniture, and empty bottles grouped together like cities upon the floor and along the shelves. Noticing the half empty whisky container on the nightstand I grabbed it and went to work. Let them shoot me, I thought, a lot better than what a Door Knocker does to somebody.

Once a quarter of the beverage managed its way down my throat, I reached over to return it to the desk. The locket hanging off the corner of the nightstand caught my eye. My hand left the bottle and slapped down hard on the necklace, pulling it over to me. Opening it up, the picture of the little boy inside gazed back at me. Posed before a white backdrop in a little suit and tie, a toothy grin spread across his face in an attempt to make a winning smile. My fingers ran along the edges of the photograph. The engraving along the bottom read out ‘Always a Way’. I snapped it shut, and put it around my neck before gathering my things.

I carried my small pack and rifle over one shoulder as I marched down the main road towards the gate. Most people remained sleeping within their homes this early, but those who watched me did so with a sorrowful eye. Some even tipped their hats. I kept my eyes forward.

David stood near a barrel fire next to the guard’s shack, talking with the soldiers. When one of them pointed out my approach, he reached down and picked up a satchel before walking to the center of the road to stop me. The two of us eyed each other for a silent minute before he held the satchel up in offering. From one of its side pouches, he pulled a folded up piece of paper.

“Instructions on how to set up the connection, and a map of the station. Well, sort of. Not a lot of information to go on these days, but still the best I could do.” I took the pack and clipped it onto my own, then grabbed the paper and unfolded it. It contained crude drawings of the cables and the boxshaped device I would be working with. A list of steps needed to get everything set up ran down the whole page and, next to it, a penciled floor plan. Rough indeed. I folded the page back up and stuffed it into the breast pocket of my jacket.

“Thank you.” We both gave each other a nod and I faced the gate once more. Two of the guards moved over to it, waiting for me. I hadn’t noticed my hand going to the locket around my neck, but I stopped fidgeting with it once David did. “Are you sure this will change things?” I asked. He looked to the ground and took a deep breath.

“Kane, you know no one can promise anything anymore.” Raising his head, he put a hand on my shoulder. “But if there is any hope, it only exists because of what you do now.” I smirked, looking at his hand and then back to him.

“Good God,” I said, “No wonder the others said no, if that’s the best you got.” He smiled then faltered and frowned. I pushed the hand off and pulled my bag’s strap higher up on my other shoulder. “Well, then tell that old woman to have my payment ready, will ya?” I walked on.

“I will.” He said, then turned after me, sharply. “Oh, Kane, you almost forgot.” From around his shoulders, hidden under his coat, he pulled forth a length of fabric with tasseled ends, and held it out to me. I took one end of it in my hand. “Make sure you bring it back to me. You understand?” Wrapping it snugly around my neck, I appraised myself with a nod.

“I always looked good in these.” I said, then turned and walked on.

“You make it back, alright? You hear me, scarf neck?” I raised two fingers to him, then passed on through the metal gate.