Chapter 2 Chapter One
Paul Grayson never used to dream.As a young man, he slept soundly every night.But those carefree days are long gone.
They had been flying for two hours and were still four hours away from their destination.Grayson checked the status of the ship's engines and main drive engines, then confirmed the course on the navigation display, which he had checked four times in the past hour.There are not many things the pilot can do during the cruise, and everything on the spacecraft is automatically completed when flying faster than the speed of light.
He didn't dream every night, just almost every other day.Perhaps it was a sign of advancing age, or a side effect of his occasional vaping.Or maybe it's just a guilty conscience.The Salarians have a saying: If you have too many secrets in your heart, sleep well.
He stopped, checked and checked the instruments and readings, trying to suppress himself.He recognized his own fear and reluctance, which made him—or rather forced him—to face the situation.Responding calmly, he took a deep breath and pulled himself together, his heart pounding in his chest when he stood up.There's no point in procrastinating anymore, it's time.
On some level, he always knew when he was dreaming.It seemed that everything was covered with a mist, like a hazy movie, and he could feel this strange reality, faded and silent.Yet through the filter of obscurity, he could see certain elements with exacting precision, even minute details etched into his subconscious mind.This parallel position heightened the surreality of the dreams and made them more vivid and intense than his waking world.
His footsteps landed lightly on the carpeted walkway, from the pilot's cockpit to the aft passenger compartment.There, Pell and Keo sat in two of four chairs, diagonally across the room.Pell was a big man, with broad shoulders and olive skin.His hair was pushed into a tight afro and he had a thin black beard around his chin.He sat facing Grayson when Grayson walked into the passenger compartment.Per rocked his body back and forth to the music in his earphones, patting his thighs with his fingers, and scratching the top of his wool suit with his well-manicured nails.Pell's tie was still tightly tied around his neck, but his jacket was unbuttoned, and mirrored sunglasses were clipped to the edge of his upper right pocket.His eyes are nearly closed; he seems lost in the rhythm of the music—a calm and at ease that doesn't quite match his reputation as the top bodyguard of the Dirt Party.
Keo wears the same outfit as her companion, except without the tie, but she lacks the bulky frame of a typical bodyguard.She was almost a foot shorter than Pell, and probably half his weight, though her taut, muscular muscles suggested she was deadly with her hands too.
Although Grayson knew she was at least forty years old, Keo's age was still hard to guess.With improved nutrition and advances in gene therapy, the effects of age can be minimized, and many people look as young and healthy at fifty as they do at thirty, and with a more unusual appearance.It also seemed more difficult to guess how young or how old she was.Her white skin was the color of chalk, which made her look like a ghost, and her silver hair was cropped so close to the pale scalp underneath.
Intermarriage between the various populations of Earth over the past two centuries has made alabaster skin a rarity, and Grayson speculates that Kayo's sheer complexion is the result of a slight biopigmentation defect that Kaeo never intended to cover up... ...although it's entirely possible that she also underwent electro-skin lightening for cosmetic purposes.After all, looking conspicuous is a key part of her job: letting people know you're on duty and that they'll think twice before doing something stupid.Even with her average build, Kaio's striking appearance makes her stand out from the crowd.
Her face was turned toward Grayson, but she was still curled up in the seat watching him as he entered the passenger compartment.She looks tense, hunched over, ready for anything - a stark contrast to Pell's cool and at ease.Unlike her co-star, she doesn't seem to be able to relax, even under the most mundane of circumstances.
"What's wrong?" she asked as soon as he turned in, eyeing the pilot suspiciously.
Grayson stopped, raising his hands to shoulder level. "Just came to get some drinks," he said, keeping her from thinking.
His body was a little unnatural with a few jitters, and his fingertips were actually tingling, but he was careful to hide the tone of his voice so that it wouldn't betray what was going on inside him, showing signs of it.
This particular dream was all too familiar.For the past ten years, he had been repeating what it was like to kill a first time, hundreds if not thousands of times, and of course there were other missions, other deaths.For a greater goal, he must kill many, many people.If humanity is to prevail—to gain an advantage over other races—sacrifices must be made.But of all the sacrifices, of all the people he's killed, of all the tasks he's done, this is the one he's dreamed of doing more than anything else.
The pilot didn't look threatening, and Keo was satisfied.Keo looked away from him and sat back in her seat, although she would spring up at the slightest hint of provocation.Grayson walked behind her toward the refrigerator in the corner of the passenger compartment.He swallowed a few times with great difficulty, his throat was so dry, tight, and sore.He seemed to feel her ears twitch at the sound.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Per take off the earphones, put them beside him, stood up and stretched. "How long until we land?" he asked, his voice swallowed by a yawn.
"Four hours," Grayson replied, opening the refrigerator, bending over to see what was there, trying to breathe evenly and calmly.
"No complications?" Pell asked as Grayson searched the freezer for something.
"Everything is fine," Grayson replied.
With his left hand he picked up a can of drink, and with his right he grasped the handle of the thin serrated knife he had stashed in the refrigerator long before the journey began.
Although he knew it was a dream, there was nothing Grayson could do to change what was going to happen.This scene will continue without any changes or divergences.He has fallen into the role of passive observer; an observer who is forced to see with his own eyes the scene that develops along a predetermined line, whose subconscious mind does not allow him to change his own history.
"Maybe I'm going to see Sleeping Beauty," Pell said coldly, a final signal to Grayson.There is no turning back now.
There is only one other passenger on board now: Claude Menneau, one of the most senior officials of the Maturist party.He's a wealthy, powerful, and charismatic public figure, although many people don't like him; he's a rich guy who can afford a private starship, hire his own pilot, and have two full-time bodyguards, all with the company With his frequent journeys between the stars.
As usual, Menneo locked himself in the VIP room at the stern of the ship after takeoff.There, he will rest and prepare for his upcoming public appearance.In a few hours, he will be docked at the "Shaanxi" civilian space station, where he will give a speech to the ardent supporters of the Earth Party.
Enez Simmons had to step down as party leader following the Nathan Starkinetics kickback scandal.Apparently, either Menneo, or a man named Charles Saracino would replace her as the leader of the Land Party, and both of them frequently visited the human colonies to encourage people to support them.
Menneo now leads by a full three points in the polls.But the situation is always changing.The Phantom Man wanted Saracino to win, and the Phantom Man always got there.
Grayson got up from the refrigerator and hid the dagger behind the water bottle in case Keowan glanced at him.Keo still didn't look in his direction though, which made him heave a sigh of relief.Keo's attention was still on Pell's back, and Pell strode with easy strides to the VIP room in the stern of the boat.
There was a chill from the bottom of the water bottle, and his left palm was cold and damp.The right hand was damp too—but it was hot and sweaty from gripping the knife handle so tightly.His footsteps made no sound, and he stood a foot behind Keo, his neck exposed and defenseless.
Pell had never been this close to Caio; at least not without arousing Caio's suspicion and alertness.Although Pell had been with her as Menneo's bodyguard for six months, Keo still didn't fully trust his partner.Pell was a mercenary in the past, and he was an insidious professional killer. Kaio kept half an eye on him all the time.That's why it had to be Grayson.Kayo probably didn't trust Grayson either -- Kayo didn't trust anyone -- but she couldn't be paying attention to Grayson's every move the way she was paying attention to Pell.
He raised the knife, fell silent for a moment, took a deep breath, prepared to strike, and then stabbed the blade straight at her, drawing an upward arc, pointing directly at the most vulnerable point on the back of Kaio's head, just below the ear .It should have been a clean stab, but he hesitated a little, and it cost him dearly; it gave Keo the chance to sense it before the blade touched her.The survival instinct honed in countless missions made her respond, and Kaio jumped up from her seat and spun around, facing the killer who attacked her, and the blade had not even fully stabbed at this time.Her uncanny reflexes saved herself from a hasty death, the dagger not stabbing her in the brain, but deep in her neck, where it stuck.
Grayson felt the blade slip from his wet palm, and he staggered back, avoiding the pursuit of what should have been his victim.His back was pressed against the wall next to the refrigerator and he had to stop because there was nowhere to hide.Keo stood firm now, staring at him over the chair.He saw in her eyes that his own death was coming, leaving no room for it.He has already lost the advantage of being the first mover, and he is no match for Kaio, who has many years of training and fighting experience.He doesn't even have a weapon in his hands now.His knife was still embarrassingly stuck in Kaio's neck, the hilt trembling slightly.
She didn't care about the pistol hanging from her hip—she wasn't going to risk being shot in a civilian ship in a fight—she drew a short, violent-looking dagger from her belt, and threw herself and Gray Sen jumped away from the seat separated.
It was a fatal mistake - Grayson showed his inexperience by screwing up his chances of a one-shot kill.It also made Keo underestimate him; she was coming too fast, wanting to settle the fight in one go, instead of going steady, or carefully rounding the chair.Her tactical error gave the opponent a chance to launch a second attack.
When she rushed over, Grayson jumped forward, and Kaio was flying in the air, unable to stop the momentum and change direction.The two of them collided, and Grayson could feel her knife cut across her left bicep, but they were too close for the little woman to use, and the wound was only a shallow one.
Keo gave him a kick, wanting to roll away sideways, to get away and use his speed and agility.Grayson didn't stop her.Instead, he reached out and grabbed the handle of the knife still stuck in her neck.He pulled hard, cutting a long cut, and Keo staggered and fell.
As the knife was drawn, a fountain of red rushed from the wound, throbbing one after another.The jagged edge tore open her carotid artery.Before Kaio fell down, there was still a little time to look at him with incredible eyes, and then due to the sharp drop in blood pressure in the brain, Kaio's eyes went dark, he passed out, and fell limply on the floor beside Grayson.
A cloud of warm, stagnant liquid splattered his face and hands, and he felt nauseous, jumped to the side, and took two quick steps back until he was leaning his back against the wall next to the refrigerator again.The blood was still flowing out of the hole in Kaio's throat, and the blood flow became bigger and smaller with each beat of the heart.Gradually her muscles relaxed, and the pulsating blood shrank into a slow but steady trickle.
Pell came back from the back cabin after a while.He raised his eyes to see the bloody Grayson, but said nothing.He calmly walked over to Kaio's dead body on the floor, checked for a pulse, and carefully avoided the pool of blood so that it wouldn't stick to his shoes.Satisfied, he stood up and sat back on the chair where he had been resting.
"Nice job, killer," he said with a smile.
Grayson was still standing, leaning against the wall next to the refrigerator.He saw Kaio's life leaving her body quickly along with the blood, motionless, and he was petrified by this horrific scene.
"Menneo is dead?" he asked.It was a stupid question, but the adrenaline from his first kill made him unable to think calmly and acted dull.
Per nodded. "But it's not as messy as it is here, I want to clean up my body." He reached for the earphones that were still next to his seat.
"Should we clean up the blood?"
"No need," Pell told him, snapping the earphones to his ears. "We'll meet up with our pick-ups in a moment, and they'll throw this whole ship on the nearest star."
"Don't forget to ask for your prize," said the big man again, closing his eyes and moving his body again and again to the rhythm of the music.
Grayson swallowed hard, then forced himself to move.He forced himself off the wall and walked over to Keo's body.She was half-lying on her side, the pistol on her buttocks was within reach, and he stretched out a trembling hand towards the pistol...
The dreams always ended in exactly the same place.At the end of each dream, Grayson would wake up with a pounding heart, tense muscles, and sweaty palms, as if his body had just subconsciously experienced it all over again.
He never knew—and still doesn't know—why Menneo had to die.All he knew was that it was for a somewhat greater purpose.But that's enough.He has dedicated himself to the cause and is completely loyal to Cerberus and its leaders.The Phantom Man gave him an order, and he carried it out without question.
Aside from a small initial mistake that gave Kayo a chance to live briefly after his first shot, Grayson's first mission was a flawless success.The recovery team met them at the designated rendezvous point, and the ship, along with the bodies of Menneo and Keo, were cleaned up.The mysterious disappearance of Meneo and his crew aroused suspicion and speculation, but they had no evidence and could only imagine.Charles Saracino's arch-rival is already out of the race, declaring himself the leader of the Land Party...although it's anyone's guess what role this step plays in the Phantom Man's grand scheme of things.
Grayson's performance impressed his superiors in the Cerberus organization, and he received many more assignments over the next decade.But it all ended when the "Sublimation" project accepted Gillian into it.
He didn't want to think of Gillian, didn't want to think of her in this way, alone in his apartment, surrounded by darkness.He pushed her face out of his mind and turned over, hoping to sleep on.He heard a voice behind the bedroom door and froze.He listened carefully to confirm that the sound was coming from the living room of his small apartment.Maybe he didn't turn off the TV when he climbed into bed because he sucked too much red sand.Possibly, but not necessarily.
He got up quietly, leaving the quilt in a ball behind him.He only wore a pair of boxers, and his thin body shivered slightly in the cool air of the room. He carefully opened the drawer on the bedside table and pulled out his pistol.It was Keo's pistol, and his consciousness was corrected, and the memory of her was aroused again.
Gun in hand, he strode barefoot across the bedroom, through the half-open door and out into the hallway.The apartment was dark, but he could see the soft glow of the TV in the living room.He lowered his body and advanced slowly, so that if the intruder wanted to shoot, he would have a smaller target.
"Put the gun down, killer," he heard Pell's voice as he thought about the past. "it's me."
Cursing to himself, Grayson stood up and walked toward the living room to meet the unexpected guest.
Pell was lazily lying on the big soft sofa in front of the TV, watching a news channel.He's still the same big, muscular guy, but he's put on a lot of weight over the past ten years.He looked softer now, like a man who lived a life of luxury and indulged in enjoyment.
"God, you look terrible," Pell said when he saw Grayson. "Don't spend all your money sucking red sand, and go out to eat some good food when you have time."
As he spoke, he stretched out his foot and kicked the small coffee table in the middle of the room.For some reason, Grayson hadn't cleaned up before going to bed after his orgasm - a mirror, a razor blade, and a small bag of red sand were blatantly placed on the table.
"Do me a favor, I'm going to sleep," Grayson said sleepily.
"Still having nightmares?" Pell asked, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"Just a dream," Grayson replied, "about Keo."
"I used to dream about her too," Pell admitted, twitching the corners of his mouth. "Always wondering what she looked like in a sack."
Grayson dropped the pistol on a table strewn with drug paraphernalia, slumped listlessly, and sat down in a chair facing the sofa.He wondered if Pell was joking with him.He never knew what would happen to Pell.
He glanced at the TV.What is playing now is the Citadel space station which is being reconstructed.Two months ago, the attack took over all the media, and everyone in the council world woke up.Now that the shock and fear have dissipated, life is getting back on track, with a slow but steady return of all aspects, aliens and humans alike returning to everyday life: work, school, friends, family.Ordinary people carry on.
This matter is still alive in the media, but it has been analyzed and dissected by scholars and politicians.A group of political experts—an Asari ambassador, a Waller diplomat, and a retired Salari intelligence agent—appeared on television screens to debate humanity's position on the Council's various political candidates.
"Do you think the man we've chosen will have the support of the Phantom Man?" Grayson asked, nodding to the television screen.
"Maybe," Pell replied, without any definite attitude. "It's not the first time he's messed with politics."
"Have you ever wondered why he wants Menneo to die?" Grayson blurted out before he realized what he had said.
Pell shrugged nonchalantly, though his eyes were wary. "There could be a hundred reasons. I don't ask questions like this, and neither should you."
"You think we should obey him blindly?"
"I just think it's over and you can't change it. People like us shouldn't be living in the past. It's so sad."
"I'll keep everything under control," Grayson reassured him.
"Obviously." Pell snorted contemptuously, and nodded towards the red sand on the table.
"Tell me why you're here?" Grayson said wearily.
"The Phantom Man wants to put the girl on another course of treatment."
"She has a name," Grayson muttered. "Her name is Gillian."
Pell stood up, leaned forward, put his hands on his thighs, and shook his head annoyed. "I don't want to know her name. Names make things personal. If it's personal, it's bad. She's not alone, she's an asset inside us. It makes it easier for the Phantom Man to decide to sacrifice her." point."
"He doesn't want that," Grayson shot back. "She's too valuable."
"Right now," snorted Pell, "but in the end, some people might think they could open up her skull, see what's inside, and learn more. Then what happens, killer?" "
Grayson had an image of Gillian lying on the operating table, dismembered.But he couldn't bite Pell's hook.
Moreover, this scene will never happen.They need Gillian.
"I'm very committed to the cause," he exclaims, not wishing to argue with Pell on that point. "I'll do whatever is necessary."
"I'm very glad to hear that," Pell replied. "I don't like seeing your position weak."
"Is that why you're here?" Grayson wanted to know. "He asked you to come back from the terminal star system just to let you see how I stand?"
"You don't need to answer my questions, Killer," Pell reassured him. "I'm just passing by. Taking care of some business on Earth. So I volunteered to stop here to drop some supplies before heading back."
The big man took a vial of clear liquid from his coat pocket and threw it to Grayson, who grabbed it.There was no label on the vial to say what it was or what it was for; nor where the liquid came from.
His work done, Per stood up, turned and walked out.
"You want to report on the red sand?" Grayson called after him, and Pell reached out to open the door.
"What does that have to do with me?" he said, without looking back. "You can rot every night, I don't care."
"I'm leaving immediately, to Omega. I'm dealing with aliens by this time tomorrow."
"It's one of my ways of pretending," Grayson defended himself. "That fits my character. A father in trouble."
Pell put his hand on the doorknob, turned it, and opened the door.
"You can do what you want, buddy. That's your job."
He stepped out onto the porch of the apartment, then turned around, warning him of his farewell.
"Don't take it lightly, killer. I don't like picking up other people's messes all the time."
Pell slams the door, throwing his words in perfectly without giving Grayson a chance to answer.
"The son of a bitch always has the last word," he muttered.
He stood up from the chair resentfully, put the vial next to the red sand on the table, and then reluctantly walked back to the bed.God is merciful, the only dream he has left tonight is his daughter.
Notes:
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