The Lost Sentinel

16 The enemies we face

Tan

We make a stop at my place. It is a flat on a high rise right in the middle of Johannesburg. It’s one of the many things I am proud of, because as a child living in the streets I wanted nothing more than to own my own place. I wanted a home, I would know no one will ever take away from me. 

A home of my own.

And this was it. It is beautiful, and it is where the rich men found places to stay, especially when they didn’t want to own anything major.

I walk through the security gate, opening the screen that separated the foyer with the main reception with my thumb. I walk into the lifts that leads up to my suit.

Hanika follows behind me like a glorified bodyguard.

If I didn’t need her, I would have told her to stay in the van with Laz, but I know there is no way I can defeat the aliens by myself, if they did chose to attack.

So far I haven’t seen any sign of them, not that I will without my coin.

I should never have left it behind.

Now, I feel vulnerable without it.

In and out, that's all this is, I tell myself a we get into the elevator. It whooshes up at top speed, and we come at the top within a few minutes. I run to my front door, placing my thumb on the panel that opens the door. A beeping sound sounds from inside.

I open the door, and turn off the alarm.

“I’ll only be a minute," I tell Hanika and then run to my bedroom. I flip all the light on and then go to the closet. I pull out a few of my long leather jackets, and a few of my gloves.

Even though for years, I wore the gloves to hide my birthmark, now they have become my look. I am more Tan, when I have my glove and my long coat on.

I go for my kick a*s boots, and the long pants that allowed for a range of movement. I love jeans but in the thieving world flexibility is everything.

I pull out a large suitcase, and then throw everything inside without folding. I'll get them sorted out on the ship.

I finish packing and then drag my suitcase to the main room, where Hanika was busy staring at my collection of artefacts in a display glass case that was floor to ceiling. Small lights are strategically placed to illuminate the pieces to perfection. I didn’t have much as Laz, because whatever I stole wasn’t for keeps. But a few were too intriguing to part with them.

“Open it,” Hanika says pointing at the case.

“Why?” I ask her coming to a stop next to the case. She stares at one of the statues there. It was a totem I got from the flea market hosted by the city every Sunday. 

It isn't much. I bought it for a few bucks…R50 I think from one of the foster parents that hadn’t been bad to me. She is a good woman, and she liked me a bit. She and I just didn’t click. She found me at a time in my life I wasn't looking for a mother anymore.

She tried to love me, and I rebelled.

And when I saw her at the market after so many years, I couldn't help but support her business.

It is one of those decorative things people have around in their homes.

“Just open it. There is something about it. I don’t know. Could be nothing,” Hanika says looking serious.

I open a few drawers as I search for the keys to the case. I find it, and then open the glass case. Hanika reaches for the totem. She inspects it, and then throws it hard onto the floor.

“Hey,” I say, kneeling down to inspect the shattered pieces. “You didn’t have to…” I trail off I see a shiny metal right in the middle of the broken pieces.

“Didn’t you feel the pull of the power?” she asks me shaking her head as if she things I am lacking in some way.

I wonder if she'll ever change her mind about me. 

“I wasn’t aware that there are things that held power out there. And I didn’t even know that you existed. So don’t blame me if I didn’t feel anything,” I say picking up the metal thing. It looks like some sought of pin that someone can place on their lapel – nothing special. But I can feel the power thrumming inside it l*****g at my fingers as if it couldn’t wait to seep into my very skin. “Why would someone hide something like this in a useless thing like that?” I ask already feeling stupid for asking such a question.

“For a thief…” Hanika trails off waiting for me to finish her words.

“Yeah, Yeah…” I say letting the pin melt on my skin as power runs up and down my skin. I get two more lines above the one on my wrist.

I stare at it. I guess we are making some progress. But we still have a long way to go before I can reach my ultimate power level.

I don’t even think that’s is possible since the original Master Gin never managed to reach it.

He died trying though, I say to myself feeling sad.

I shake my head, this is not the time to be feeling sad. I have to do what I can.

“Let’s go,” I say dragging the suitcase to the door. Hanika follows. I lock up my flat, since I still want to come back to my home after all this is said and done.

We ride the elevator down and then dash to the van. Hanika looks around us.

“There are not coming for us this time,” she observes. But I think this is the silence before the storm. Whatever is coming is going to be epic.

We get to the van, and find three other people there. I look at them and almost climb out when I see Blake. His blue Mohawk and his shiny belts, that he likes to wrap around his waist and over his shoulder were not hard to miss.

I’ve seen that head, and that blink of silver many times to know him anywhere.

Blake gives me a smug smile, I want to wipe off his face with a fist.

He and I are sworn enemies. He’s known for badmouthing me, and going for my marks. We’ve come to blows a few times, when we showed up for the same jobs.

“f**k,” I say out loud, not even hiding the fact that I didn’t like it that he was there. “You couldn’t call someone else?” I ask Laz, leaning into the space that separated the back from the front.

“You said you wanted your competition. And the last time I checked he’s your competition,” Laz says smoothly irritating me.

I shake my head, and greet the other two guys in the van.

Cory, Dane…they were not bad. Cory has two full sleeves of tattoos of his arms. His head is shaven clean. Dane is a big guy who I’ve sometimes wondered how he completes his jobs with that weight on.

“Where to?” Laz asks, and Hanika gives him directions to where Rhine said he’ll wait for us. I settle down, and then stare at Blake.

“It’s going to be nice working together,” he says with a laugh.

I roll my eyes, staring ahead.

I f*****g hate him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Somewhere in Outer Space:

A fleet of ships drift getting closer to earth. Small ones drift closer, hovering as if waiting for a signal to land. Inside one of the ships, long bony fingers move atop a colour coded keyboard that looks like keys of a piano. Other unidentified machines blink on and off in different colours. Hissing sounds fill the background.  

“Status on last attack,” the same raspy voice asks.

A beeping sound fills the cavernous space as an incoming message fills the screen.

Message: ¦ ¤ × ₀⁰ ⁄‼‗⁞ ₀⁰ ₸ ↨∂

“Translate,” the raspy voice says again.

Translation: The mission Failed. The lost sentinel alive. Clean up requested, avoid human exposure.

A displeased sound fills the cavernous space.  

The bony fingers punches keys again:

Task: Clean up.

Location: Wat Chaiwatthanaram.

The screen shows the outer expense of outer space, and more ships are seen disengaging from the larger ones circling towards earth.

“Status report on Ababddon.”

Another beeping sound fills the space as a message comes through.

Message: ∆∆ ∏ ⃝₲

Translate: Ababddon has arrived on Mount Gi

The fingers punch the keys again. And a big screen appears showing faces of aliens sitting at a large table. They are of different species, and they seem to be sitting at a meeting awaiting feedback.

The face of the one with bony fingers is finally shown. He is a human man – thin and unhealthy looking. He looks like he’s attached to a lot of machines that are keeping him alive, and the hissing sound is him breathing in and out through tubes. Behind him are posters of alien movies, and invasion of earth.   

“The mission is to kill the other half of the sentinel before he cultivates his power. Once he’s out of the way. You will be able to attack earth and finally take over since there wont be anyone strong enough to stop you,” he says into the screen. His voice sounds robotic as if it’s going through some static.

“Will Ababddon be able to complete the mission?” the ones sitting at the table asks, speaking in a strange language that is immediately translated to English.

“Yes,” he says without hesitation. “The mission is complete as we speak. I will hack into the matching system on Mount G, and match Ababddon with the sentinel. No one will suspect that he is not level 1. And he will be able to kill him during the fight. Wait for my report.” 

The screen goes black.

And he wheels himself out of the room that looks more like an alien ship. He goes deeper into the house. And there are family pictures on the walls -  of children playing, him looking healthy and his hand wrapped around a woman, who looks to be his wife. But the house is empty.

“Mr Matthews. You woke up early today,” a small woman wearing a maid outfit asks as she moves around cleaning.

“Yes. I couldn’t wait to get up and destroy the world,” he says rolling on.

The maid laughs as if it’s a joke.

The door closes to his laughter.

“Soon it will all end,” he says coming to a stop in front of a large window overlooking a great city below. “They will all know who I am soon.”