‘You know how important this is to the Emperor Odoursin?’
‘Oh yes,’ said the man hurriedly. ‘We’re close to a
breakthrough. We’re doing everything we can to make this work.’
‘Well,’ said Hekken, turning his gaze away from the now
lifeless, floating organisms to look at him, ‘you’re just going to have to
do a bit more.’
He paused. ‘How is that lovely wife of yours by the
way?’
‘She’s very well, thank you. I –’
‘And the children?’
There was fear in the man’s eyes now. He nodded and
looked away. ‘They’re – they’re fine.’
‘Good. That’s very good.’
Hekken put his cap back on. ‘Well, you make sure you look
after them. After all, it would be terrible if something happened to them. I’d
never forgive myself.’
The man tried to speak, but his voice was shaking and he
could only stutter something unintelligible.
‘I know, I know,’ said Hekken. ‘You’re quite right.
As long as we all try our hardest, then everything will be just fine. Hmm?’
The man’s face was as white as his coat now. ‘Yes,
General Hekken. We’ll have this fixed in no time. I promise.’
Hekken patted his cheek indulgently with a black leather
glove. ‘That’s the spirit,’ he said. ‘Keep up the good work.’
Surrounded by the shiny green interior of the express lift,
Hekken watched the red light flicker up through the floors and wondered what he
was going to say to Odoursin.
Things were not looking good. Only yesterday the western
state of Vahlzi had accused Vermia of planning to infect humans with a deadly
virus. They were right, of course, but the accusation had been strenuously
denied by Vermian officials. They were well aware that if the truth came out,
Vahlzi would have an excuse to launch an attack against them. And although
Vermia’s military had been strengthened considerably since the last war, they
weren’t ready for another one just yet.
There was some good news, however. The Dream-walker from
the prophecy had been sighted again last night and for the first time they had
succeeded in tracking her back to Earth. If they moved quickly, they might just
be able to turn things to their advantage.
But Hekken knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
The lift whined softly to a halt and the doors slid open to
reveal a huge, circular room with a large, round table in the centre. A clinical
white light shone from a steel disc overhead, but otherwise the room was in
shadow. Outside, dark storm clouds rumbled and a howling wind threw torrents of
rain against the windows of the tower.
Eleven members of the Council sat around the table, each
staring intently at the tall, hooded figure in the centre. They turned at the
sound of Hekken’s boots clacking across the hard stone floor and, as he
approached, the figure slowly lifted its head. Cruel, red eyes stared out from a
face that was hideously twisted, blanched and distorted like a piece of melted
wax.
Hekken stood to attention and forced himself to hold
Odoursin’s steely gaze.
‘General Hekken,’ said Odoursin in a low, menacing
voice, ‘do you bring us good news?’
‘Yes, Your Excellency,’ Hekken replied, clicking his
heels together and bowing slightly. ‘I am pleased to report that, generally
speaking, the programme is progressing well. We have finally succeeded in
isolating a deadly virus from a rare pitcher plant that grows on Earth, in the
heart of the Amazon rainforest. It is a virus of such potency that, once
released, it cannot be stopped. The problem of its delivery, however, still
remains.’
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