Hard choice - Part 2
The first set of choke points were only a few steps away from the gate. Apparently, this building was being used as a makeshift bunker. He approached the group of men behind the wall, a couple of sandbags thick. He kept quiet until one of the men spoke. This was standard procedure for him. He would do so, so that he could understand the language and dialect to use and doesn’t spook anyone to mistake him as an enemy soldier or even worse – a spy. Creating a story about why he is there had never been a problem for Za. Before he would cross realms, he could alter physical medium to produce reports or documents that would say, so or so senior official had assigned him to be there. Once he was in the land of the living, it was all about his bodily skills and what he was carrying with him, from that point onwards. He prided himself on being able to do this job without using any of his God-tier abilities. Furthermore, unless absolutely needed, he would generally pick roles that would allow him to be in the background and be forgetful. Like a war correspondent, a reporter, or an observer, etc. This time he had picked an on-field psychologist who would write a paper on the conditions when a war could end any day but for some reason it is dragging on, claiming a few more lives every day.
He felt bad for the group of young men in front of him since he knew they would all die a gruesome death in the next few days trying to make a last stand right here. What made it worse in his mind was that they would mostly be called idiots by many others trying to be superheroes and would be laughed at behind backs. The reality would be that they wouldn’t receive any supplies in their last hour as both governments would deny any ongoing skirmishes and try to finalize a peace deal. He could see this as clearly as water flowing downstream on a certain path. these poor souls… they should at least be given an honorable death – the death of a warrior… if I could convince them to at least go on a reconnaissance mission, they would still die… but then their leaders would take their names in the dialog with their enemy, as honorable soldiers who died to preserve peace. They would be hailed as heroes who brought peace to their countries and remembered forever. The cherry on the pie would be that on the reconnaissance mission these soldiers would decide to split up… and they would all die by sniper bullets… quick and painless. I think that’s an honorable death - worth a soldier’s life… I just hope they listen to me.
His uniform showed he was a couple of ranks senior than most of the soldiers there and they saluted and greeted him as he approached them. Now that he knew what language to use, he felt more comfortable. He sat down with his back to the wall and pretended to be tired of this journey to the frontlines. Playing a soft physician who hasn’t really seen the brutality of war should get me accepted by the group more easily… He asked them if someone could get him some coffee, and everyone laughed at him. He pretended to not understand why they were laughing, and someone let him know that this was the front line, not a hospital or a clinic he might be used to. They gave him some water instead. Seems like it’s working… Over the next few hours Justin just sat there along with the soldiers, shooting a question or two to the group every few minutes and noting down their answers in a small notebook. He then got up and told the group he would be back in a few minutes as he needed to fetch some “good stuff” from his bags. He went inside the bunker house and took a bottle of rum and a few packs of cigarettes from his backpack, waited for a couple of minutes, and then came back to the soldiers. Needless to say, both items became instrumental in establishing a level of trust and openness that he needed to have to try to convince the soldiers to change their plans.
Over the next many hours, he asked them various questions to understand their mindset. These conversations rang like a bell in his head.
“We just have to wait it out” “Why?” “If they don’t fire, we won’t fire. We don’t have many supplies left anyways and I don’t think more are on the way. So, it’s not like we have many options left…” “Yea…”
“If you travel a few kilometers behind where we are you will see life is already returning back to the city. Most shops have opened, and people are acting almost normal. I don’t think the enemy is stupid to start shooting when we are so close to peace.” “I hope so…”
“Two days ago, I went to the city club for a few hours. The prices were crazy, but at least I was able to use my credit card now. Where will I get cash when I am sitting on my bum all day here…” “That’s… good then!” “Right !?” “Yeah”
“I am finally looking forward to seeing my wife and children. I had sent them to my in-laws who live quite far from here. My wife is quite excited to see me as well… if you know what I mean… hehehe” “hehe”
“I won’t have to lie to my old mother anymore. She has no one else in this world and I hate myself for lying to her about the war ending soon so many times. She would be so happy just to see me. I miss my mom…” “We all do… we all do…”
“My father is old and isn’t well either and my sister is too young. We ran a small store in our house but with me here, I am worried about my father would have to manage everything in his condition or even worse my sister. They say everything is ok. But I know they are not telling me everything…” …silence… “it’s only a few days now… and everything will be ok…”
“Three weeks ago, a missile landed in the locality where my house is. My family says it was another house and that they are fine, but I have heard a lot of reports of much more damage than they are telling me about. My mother will not bother me if she knows it will cause me trouble even if she is in great pain. I know I am here for them, but I am so worried about them. I am not sure about what I will find out when I get back home…” “… look at the positive side… if they are talking to you … at least you know they are ok… at least they are there…” “Yea… at least they are here…”
Justin was finding the task to get to sway these people to move out for an unplanned reconnaissance mission harder than he thought. He realized that it was night, and his stomach was making noises. It had been many hours since he ate, and it was developing into a slight headache now. He asked the boys where they eat, and they told him to go to the city and get something fancy for them as well. To that he didn’t say no and asked a junior officer to drive him back to a decent restaurant in the city. A few hours later, he was full and carrying back a couple of boxes of the best the restaurant had to offer. I am sure the boys would be happy… hehe... Hopefully this would also lift their spirits a bit to consider my proposal… He thought about how their families would miss them but would be proud of them if they listened to him. He also considered what would happen if they didn’t. He thought of warriors in ancient cultures he had helped in the same manner and how they were honored by their kinsmen for their sacrifices. Most were considered to have reached some version of the realm of the honored dead by their families. He considered the satisfaction it gave to those souls who saw them being honored like that.
A full stomach and all this thought made him feel sleepy and he tried to find a good position on his seat as the jeep drove on. Almost unknowingly he noticed something wasn’t right. The seat is too cushiony. Why can’t I feel my wallet!??? At once he sat up and checked his person for his wallet and realized he was right. He had left it somewhere. He asked the officer to turn the jeep around at once towards the city. They went back to the restaurant and checked but didn’t find anything. On the way out, however, the officer found it lying open in a dark corner on the pavement. Seeing his wallet like that made him even more concerned about what might be missing. He almost ran, picked up the wallet and then his heart sank. “Is everything alright sir?” He didn’t know how to answer. His credit card was missing. In general, it should not be such a big deal. “Uh…, yea… its mostly ok. Don’t worry about it.”
He had made sure all his cards ended with the same last six digits as well as the same three-digit confirmation number. Which was a mildly impressive feat or so he thought. He had always picked the same date and month for all cards, and even created an address with the same house number and road name on all cards – why: for convenience – how: because he could; as a God. Now that the card was gone it would surely be used by someone trying to get as much as possible and as soon as possible before it is blocked by the bank. It will surely trigger some alarms. What he was concerned about were not these alarms at the bank.
He had worked with spy agencies all over the world to help them integrate advanced forensics algorithms to track enemy movements. Algorithms and software that is hyper-tuned to correlate transactions across the global financial systems to cards and people that might be the same people and of interest. Algorithms and software that are backed by the best hardware military can buy and can do all that work in a matter of seconds. It’s the alarms raised by these systems he was worried about.
He knew, if he is tagged by these systems, all these people he has ever interacted with would be tagged as suspicious in one form or another. All those people who he has pushed to take certain actions and caused their early demise could be tagged as suspicious characters as well. Well, it only goes back seventy or so years… but that’s still a lot of people… thousands… oh my god!!! Suddenly, he found it surprising that he had used a concept of a God to curse about his situation, but I don’t have time for idle thoughts…!!! He couldn’t stop thinking about all these souls. honored till now… those that trusted me… at once dishonored by anyone who ever knew them… how would I ever face them… and what will everyone call me… ugh… artist I called myself… argh… He found himself with his eyes closed tight, his hand on his forehead and sweating profusely. The driver had slowed down the car and was looking back periodically out of concern. Justin knew, he had to do something fast, but he could only do it from his own realm. This would mean leaving these soldiers to their own devices. To die a dishonorable death… how can I do that… that is my purpose… He could feel his heart beating… is it??? Is that your purpose??? Yes, it is… Are you sure???... His ears felt hot… I could revert stuff back from here… Silence… using your limited abilities??? … sweat stung his eyes … You know very well how limited you are in this body… Za imagined his real form the size of a Star and his current form like a speck of dust. He cursed himself under breath of being vainglorious and leaving his realm in such a weak state… it’s an art, eh ??? sigh… what was I thinking… well... even if I use it… In this form, he didn’t really have his full powers. He couldn’t affect physical stuff from distance. He couldn’t teleport. He couldn’t even affect elements any more than keeping himself warm or cold. At most he could only affect the thoughts of a handful of people directly within a few meters of him and that too only for a short time. Once he moved on, the effect would wane, and those people would not only go back to their original thoughts but also wonder what caused them to lose track of their thoughts previously. Probably becoming even more suspicious of me… they are already close to a peace deal… anyone could assume foul play by the other side and the whole thing could fall apart… more will die then… many more… His breath so slow… almost imperceptible… Sometimes sacrifices have to be made… a few for the many… yea, because I fucked up… Silence… yea… Silence…
“Please stop the car” “Here???!!! Sir, are you ok??? It’s the middle of nowhere!!! Sir.” “Yes, I need to make some calls. Don’t worry, it’s about the credit card.” The car started slowing down. “Can you not do it once we reach back?” …Silence … “No, this is urgent. Please stop the car. I will make some calls and then walk back. I will be ok. Don’t worry about me.” The driver slowly stopped the car and looked back. “Are you sure sir!??? It’s quite far from here… more than twenty kilometers!” Justin felt ashamed. He had trouble looking the other officer in the eye. He opened the door and stepped out. “Please take the food back and... umm... don’t wait for me. This might take some time.” “It’s just a credit card. Sir. They can block it.” Sigh… “Yea… Let’s see. Take care.” … Silence… The unwilling and confused officer started the car back and slowly rolled forward. Justin stood there in the darkness until the car vanished behind a small crescent. Good luck… and sorry…. everyone… I have failed you all… I am ashamed and I am sorry…
Next day, people living on the edge of the city reported seeing a shining something in middle of a field last night. It was dismissed as irrelevant given the priorities at that time.
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