Eternity's War

Book 1: Chapter 15

"I don't like it. She insists on killing Archie and that's all she seems to care about," Tango complained into the hidden microphone. While many wealthy civilians had elected to have their headsets embedded into their skin, the accepted norm was still to place the device in one's ear.

"I know," the voice on the other side responded, "but keep in mind how much stress she's under. Archie did a lot of damage, and she's only acting in the best interest of the nation."

"But what about us, Charlie?" Tango protested. "We're sitting here doing nothing while the Tianzu are out there. I don't want Foxtrot to have died for nothing!"

"Neither do we. That's why we're doing everything we can to try and find them." Charlie was one of the more polite and mature members of White Shadow, always trying to look out for the best interests of everyone in the team and keep the peace.

"Have you found anything yet? It's been three months!"

Charlie laughed in agreement. "Believe me, we know. We're trying to stay positive, but they're incredibly hard to find."

"So you've found nothing?" Tango prompted.

There was an audible pause before Charlie answered. "No. Nothing."

"Well maybe you two should consider coming back to Athenia and helping Echo and myself."

"No, we can't," he dismissed, his voice solemn, "not until we've avenged Foxtrot's death."

"Then you might be interested in what I have to tell you—Nikolai found another elite. He was in a restaurant. Black Dawn attacked, but we saved him just in time."

Charlie was surprised by the news. It had been a very quiet three months, and now Black Dawn had suddenly shown up and attacked. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No, but the young man we saved is in quite a state of shock. Skye is taking care of him."

Charlie sniggered quietly, knowing how difficult the process is for a newcomer to grasp. "Well, take care of him, okay? We'll meet him once we're finished here."

Tango took a dramatic pause. "Charlie ... there's more. There was someone else in the city today. We think he might be another Tianzu." He heard Charlie gasp on the other end.

"Are you certain?" Charlie finally asked.

"Absolutely. We think it might be the man Delta sensed before you two left."

There was a period of muttering as Charlie relayed the information to Delta, who was most likely by his side.

"What's he saying?" Echo asked, who was sitting patiently on the grass. They were out the back, away from Ren and the others' prying ears. Tango held his hand up to indicate that he'd explain in a moment.

"What did he do?" Charlie asked, returning to the conversation. "Did he attack you?"

"No, he just stood on one of the buildings in the city and watched us. He didn't attempt anything."

"Okay. Well, you all need to be careful. We can't trust any of them after what happened to Foxtrot."

"Agreed," Tango said. "We're not sure if he's working with Black Dawn or not."

"Anything is possible. Nikolai has recruited three of them so far, and he can be quite persuasive. If you see anything else, call us immediately."

Tango sighed. "Charlie, I really think you should both come back. Things are getting a little heated here. It just seems very coincidental that more of the Tianzu are arriving so close to the inauguration. And clearly you're not having any success there. We could use the help."

"I can't," he admitted, gritting his teeth on the other line. "The boy is here somewhere. Delta can feel it. We think he keeps travelling back and forth between Nishihama and Azuma-jo, but he's somewhere nearby at the moment. We can't risk losing him again."

Tango let out an exasperated moan. He was torn between wanting his friends to assist them and having them exact revenge for their fallen comrade. "Fine," he relented. "But please come back as soon as you can. The morale here is getting low." He waved his hand in front of his wrist comm, terminating the call.

"They're not coming back?" Echo asked, assuming the obvious.

Tango shook his head as he sat opposite his companion. "They're wasting their time. He said Delta can sense that the boy is nearby, but she's not a skilled tracker. They should be here, helping us." He lay back and rested his head on the soft grass. The shade of the tree did little to ward off the summer heat.

"If Charlie thinks that it's best for them to stay, then I'm fine with that."

Tango groaned with disagreement. "Echo, I trust Charlie with my life, but he's acting a little foolishly. They've been there for three months and found nothing. How much longer are they going to stay there? We don't even know how many Tianzu there are."

Echo stared down at the grass and sat thoughtfully. He now began to question Charlie's decision himself. "Whatever happens, I just want them both to stay safe. Foxtrot's death was one too many."

"As do I. And I want that boy to suffer tremendously for what he did. But there are now four Tianzu in Athenia. I can't help but wonder if it's best to focus our efforts here." He stared up at the beautiful sky above, his thoughts and feelings contradicting one another. "But then again, I do want that boy to die."

A soft breeze brushed past his hair as Sierra appeared out of nowhere, looming over him. "You want that boy to die, and I want Tahlia to die."

Tango grunted and rolled over. He was not in the mood to justify how he felt to the cold woman. "Please leave."

"We all want someone dead: I want Tahlia dead, you want that Tianzu boy dead, Ren wants the president dead, and Nikolai wants you all dead."

Echo rolled his eyes. "What's your point, Sierra?"

"My point is that you should stop complaining and start training. Help me find Tahlia. If we find her, we'll find the other three Tianzu."

Tango let out a sarcastic laugh. "First you say that you don't want anyone to kill Tahlia but yourself, and now you're asking us to help you kill her?"

"No," she dismissed. "Help me find her. I'll be the one to kill her."

Tango exchanged glances with Echo, before holding up his hand to reject the ludicrous proposal.

She stood impatiently, waiting for the conversation to continue. When no more words were exchanged, she turned around and made her way back into the woods.

"I do wish she wasn't here," Tango remarked, not taking any precautions to hide his aversion toward Sierra. "She's only complicating matters further."

"Maybe we should consider helping her," Echo suggested. "Charlie and Delta haven't found the boy after three months of searching. Sierra might be a useful ally."

Tango shot him a dark glance for even considering the offer. "Do you really believe she'll help us if we help her? The moment she kills Tahlia, she'll flee the country and never be seen again." He rolled onto his back, basking in the shade of the tree once again. "Either that or she'll kill us all in our sleep."

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