The Children of Zegandaria, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov [first color ebook reader txt] 📗

When you realize internally that life is lapping at you like a stormy sea and it's up to you to survive, you start to get a little more serious.

It kept feeling the door for any hidden holes and locks - nothing like that.

Somewhere in the depths of his soul he groaned - the lives taken were going to come out through his nose. He wanted to be number one and he managed to maintain his reputation as a cold-blooded killer. He'd managed to charm Om Gur Nal, but he'd already done the dirty work - and done it well.

What else was there for him to do? In the depth of his feelings, few people could see the simple reality - namely, that nothing had changed, and that was absolutely nothing. The longer time passed, the more obvious this was.

The killer naturally tried to return to some of the familiar levels of - why not fourth, third, second, or even first?

But he couldn't penetrate there either! It was downright scary!

For the first time he felt helplessness - real, not just feigned. For the first time people's faces seemed different to him and their voices - different.

Wherever he went, everything would repeat itself - he was the ruthless killer! Now he was completely alone!

He had exhausted all the tools in his arsenal and had nothing with which to affect his surroundings - physical force, weapons, or some sort of threat of some sort.

Then suddenly he began to pray - he folded his hands in a good prayer and tried to be good. To be human and it didn't work!

Doors seemed to flutter open, but none did and nothing happened.

He bowed his head and realized he had brought himself this far. He couldn't blame the system, the street life, or any other bad influence. The implications for his psyche were enormous - where were his thoughts as he carried out his orders with brutal precision! Like a real cat! Incapable of an ounce of sympathy!

He tried level two - this level was interesting and not very popular for some reason, but he succeeded and even got full access. He sighed in relief. After entering, he saw a sign that said "This is the suicide level! Welcome to your new amplitude!" He was about to groan! Where the hell had he shoved himself! He started to look around, but nothing was happening - it was the same sign everywhere. It was getting real stupid! Level two could have damaged the scrotum of any man who had gone there without a clear reason why he was there!

The secrets of the military were very interesting, but one had to wander around the level. A little later, he could clearly see some super secret developments such as the niaran theodax, which generated nanowaves that could calmly cause internal implosion of brain tissue.

- "Wow!," the killer would roar.

- "Wow-boo!," the strange echo replied.

- "Who's there?," he repeated.

This time there was no echo. He turned and was cut in two. Blood dripped from his mouth and from his internal organs. He was fucking dead. Just before he died he felt a peculiar languor and groaned. And then his mouth was silent forever-no wheezing, no moaning!

The assassin's body shuffled, and Boss noticed it.

- "Clearly he's seen something," the detective revived.

In a moment the man came to consciousness and saw Boss and his team.

- "There you go!," smiled Boss victoriously.

The others around him shook their heads and tried to catch the villain. He was agile and definitely strong, but nothing could stop the whole gang from dealing with him! The detective was in no hurry to kill him - no, he wanted to get as much information as he could, because then he obviously wouldn't be able to.

He was using strange equipment to try to read his mind - deep reading his virtual thoughts, but he remained impenetrable.

- "Surrender!," roared Boss, and shoved the device into his face. - "Show me what I want to know."

The killer laughed in his face and pissed on the floor. The others went mad and jammed the butts of their guns - he collapsed like an old musket. He had no strength to resist, and there was no point. His deep-rooted fears were already incarnating and materializing around him.

- "I'll talk!," he roared.

- "You're Om Gur Nal's man, Aren’t you?," stammered Boss.

- "That's right," he ground out through his teeth.

- "Why exactly did you have to kill Shame," the detective asked him. "He wasn't very important!"

- "I didn't have to kill him!," the assassin roared.

- "Are you kidding me, you son of a bitch!," roared Rento. "Don't make fun of us!," he kicked him in the face and he straight up stuffed his suit pants. "Talk now or I'll make mincemeat of you!"

- "You're not the first," he snarled through his bloody teeth. The others were silent. Boss was thinking something.

- "You couldn't get into the fifth level, could you?," he snapped in an accusatory tone. "You couldn't get into the others!," his voice boomed menacingly."

The assassin seethed - this detective was beating himself up. How had he found out?

- "I'll be living in someone else's life," the detective continued relentlessly.

- "That's what you tell yourself so often before you fall asleep isn't it, you dirty bastard," he finished his accusatory tirade.

The killer looked at him with admiration - he knew the psyche of criminals so well. Just wonderful!

- "And you, detective!," he turned round insolently. "You've obviously forgotten the last time we met!"

Boss went numb, then froze and simply said nothing in reply. Where had he seen this insolent little creep?

- "Boss, it's time to go!," the others snarled at him, but he was as if in a daze.

- "If you can remember exactly who I am, you'll solve the riddle!," the other one laughed.

Boss came back and started to deliver merciless blows to his body and head. They made him bold. The testosterone was making him pass out! It was going to burst him like a balloon! But he gave up!

He was now downright unrecognizable.

"We're taking him with us," Boss ordered, and the others began to slowly make their way out of the unsightly quarters.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: MARK AND SASIA

After they left Ecclestone's place, they saw so many things. They had to hide and continue on their way forward

- Not so simple were things in reality. Not so simple at all! Wherever they went they knew they had to find information about the cult. But they didn't know about Zorin's death, nor where Durnyam and the others had farted off to. It was all a complete mess. Before they ever went anywhere, Mark stopped her and warned her:

- No telling if we'll make it back alive, if anything happens just shoot and that's it. I won't get mad. We survived the attack on the Diomedes base, but it's different now. I've lived enough already. Let's try to do something for this suffering planet one last time! Come what may!

Sasia had still kept her fighting spirit and realized he was right. He wasn't lying to her, nor was he living in illusions of a bright future. What a strange thing to do! She wanted to remember Mark in that light in which she had known him before!

The two of them slipped away and tried to pass unnoticed through Enzok Ra, but it was here that they were stopped by Shame's gang - it was a real challenge. Mark was very fast and rolled them like ripe watermelons. He just pissed on them. Only Big John gave him more serious resistance. Eventually he tried to show the rookies some other stuff after fumbling for his laser cutter. Sasia also put up a manly fight. The two then passed through a number of other neighborhoods and headed for the Kimur Zon, the cherished place of the Duchess of Learnia.

Perhaps there they would be successful in their investigations - the Duchess would welcome them with open arms. Or so they hoped - they were so intent with all that they had undertaken. And the cult was something new to many on this planet!

They had passed through so many of the old neighborhoods before leaving Imgradon - both Intok Rul and Azak Intul were practically non-existent now, but each of them had a real desire to take one last goodbye to this place. Strange since they had followed the previous two rival towns - this place was their home.

Far ahead dawn was breaking and they had to hurry. Shame's gang though few in number was too dangerous. They gave the best they could, and quickEned their pace-as it should be. Who knew which other marauder would want to put the crosshairs into them!

Deep down Mark felt that he and Sasia were not the same and never would be again - it was so sad, but time changed people - so it had happened to them.

Now they weren’t running with zest or fervor, but with the need to keep doing what they loved - at least for a little while longer.

They say time heals all things, but Sasia would never forget the years she had missed, nor what had happened later.

After so much time, it was apparent that the reasons lay much deeper and they would never share their fears with anyone else. But they both knew exactly what was happening.

The sadness had gotten to them, but deep down they still kept that sense of purpose of primal energy that had brought them here.

- "How did we get here?," asked Mark breathlessly.

- "With faith in the future?," she told him, a little jocularly, "Now, partner, go right ahead!"

They went on without a murmur. They both had their inner worries. Sasia had married not for love but for duty, but she had a stable marriage and healthy children. What more?

- "Are you happy?," asked Mark suddenly.

- "I'm not unhappy either," she replied, a little evasively.

Yes, she was a woman, yes, nothing inherent in women was alien to her, but inwardly she knew perfectly well that coquetry was not in her nature. Nor did she do it now!

- "Forget it," Mark diverted the topic of conversation."Let's leave that for another time, if there ever is one."

- "Let me live in someone else's life," Sasia murmured softly.

Then a tear glistened in Mark's eye - she had understood. That was enough for him.

Mark was clearly aware that he had no right to ask for anything - not that it mattered, just for the record.

He was grateful that the run appreciated his merit - that was what was important. His place among these people had to be paid in the right way.

Far ahead, there were other problems to solve - far more serious and urgent.

Sasia also knew that he was tormented internally not by amorous and saccharine feelings, but by a clear awarEness of objective reality - their lives had never belonged to them in the true sense.

Once out of the city, they decided to think of the shortest and most circuitous route to Kimur Zon.

They knew that whatever they did would be extremely dangerous - they had no excuse not to be careful.

They feared being caught by a patrol or some other band of brigands.

Deep in their