The Pathfinder Project (2 page)

Gyilto could no longer contain
his curiosity. “Everything begins soon, then?” he prompted, turning toward his
assigned seat. For the first time his eyes caught a few faces from the audience
and what he saw there froze him completely in his tracks. There were some
occasional variations in hair style and eye color,
and yet virtually
every
face in the audience bore a striking resemblance to one of the three people currently
standing on the stage. Almost all of them, in fact, were a perfect match with
one of the three Triumvirate leaders
.

“
How?
” he gasped with
astonishment, trailing off in shock as he studied the audience members’
startling similarities. “How did you…?” He tried again to ask the question and
failed.

“Part of the operation your
government has been funding is a
cloning
operation,” smirked Hobak,
revealing that he could indeed show at least traces of positive emotion. “We
three are perfect, so we procreate by cloning.”

“To answer your question, the
end begins
soon
.” The attractive female’s sudden smile was just as
shark-like as her colleague’s. “I am Valiana, and seated next to me is Durgon,
the third member of our Triumvirate.”

Swallowing hard, Gyilto turned
to look at the female seated directly to his left. Her hair was a dusty
brownish-red and cropped short, but other than that she appeared to be an
identical copy of Valiana. The man seated to his right looked exactly like
Durgon wearing a black uniform instead of robes. Everyone surrounding him
indeed appeared to be a clone created from one of the three people seated in
front of him. The entire matter was extremely unsettling, to say the least.
“Where did all of these…
clones
come from?” he asked with a growing
inquisitiveness. “I only saw
one
corridor leading out of the waiting
area, near the elevator shaft.”

“You passed by many other
corridors on your way here, my King,” stated Durgon firmly. “Those who serve
this far below the surface were simply hidden from you. We use holographic
projectors to cover entrances to the other key areas of this level with the
image of solid rock. Any enemy who manages to gain access to this complex is
thereby guided directly into a deadly trap, although we have yet to make use of
it.”

“We were understandably puzzled
when you asked to meet with us, your Majesty,” continued Hobak. “You have never
asked to do so before, and we have always worked hard to insure that our
reputation is a formidable one. Most who ask too many questions about our
Brotherhood and this Triumvirate in particular, eventually end up… missing.”

“You have done much for my
small, beleaguered country,” countered Gyilto immediately, fighting back both
his fear of the Brotherhood and a sudden, instinctual urge to panic. “If the
world is to end today, I would know specifically who brought about its
destruction. I must insure for the sake of
my
people that you will
adhere to our agreement and protect them from harm.”

“You should know that your
request to meet with us was initially turned down,” Valiana observed with a
smirk. Her long, dark hair, unrestrained, fell in dark, curvy waves behind her
head and across her shoulders. “We are curious as to why you would risk so much
by persisting.”

Shrugging his shoulders
indifferently, Gyilto eyed them a bit more confidently. “You have admittedly
done much for my small country over the years,” he admitted to them. “You have
contributed significantly more than the meager assistance sparingly provided to
us by any other governing body on this wretched planet. Even so, before I turn
over my final payment – five thousand kilos of gold – it seemed logical to meet
the leaders of the Brotherhood and find out more about the people who were
about to orchestrate the destruction of Earth as we know it.”

The light within the massive
cavern was noticeably dimmed, and only a faint glow from somewhere below lit
the faces of the Triumvirate in a hellish glow. Chuckling with mild amusement,
Hobak studied the lined face of Drik Gyilto carefully. “During all of your
efforts to raise your nation into a respected class, what has been your
greatest obstacle?” he asked curiously, observing Gyilto intently in order to
better gauge his reaction.

“The West,” growled Gyilto
after pondering the matter for a moment. “The United States, in particular.
They are so well established and so economically powerful that a small country
like mine, with limited resources and a small population, has no chance for
anything other than long-term mediocrity. I am sick of sending delegates to the
U.N. for endless negotiations about trivial matters that lead nowhere.”

“Indeed, the power of the West
is the single most important factor that
must
change,” agreed Durgon
with a sharp nod of his head. He was tall, broad-shouldered and blonde. Even
from a seated position he towered over the smaller form of the female seated
next to him. “After Earth’s two World Wars, the West took advantage of its victories
and gained too much strength and influence. Together with their allies in
Europe, they have been pinning everyone else down politically and dictating the
direction of global markets for far too long.”

“
You
look Russian,”
noted Gyilto, pointing a tentative finger in Durgon’s direction. “And your
words have a notably Eastern European dialect to them.”

“Excellent!” Hobak responded
with clear approval. “You are a skilled diplomat
and
familiar with the
linguistic arts. Durgon’s clone line does indeed originate in Russia.” He
briefly gestured toward his own darker skin and hair, along with the slight
tilt at the corners of his eyes. “My line clearly began in this region, south
of China but east of India. Fortunately our cloned Brothers who work above
ground don’t all bear such recognizable traits, or our efforts to upset the
balance of power would have been that much more difficult.”

Gyilto had been listening
patiently, but uncertainty briefly touched his thoughts. “Your
line
…” he
began, struggling with the term and then trailing off while he studied them
even more closely. His gaze drifted to those seated next to him, and he took a
few minutes to turn completely around in his chair so that he could conduct a
brief survey of the other people seated behind him.

“Why yes, all three of us have
a genetic origin and subsequent clone line,” noted Valiana. At first glance,
she appeared to be an American, judging primarily by her soft white skin,
subtle curves and the flawless English she spoke. There wasn’t a trace of Europe
or Asia to be found in her accent, but the same could certainly
not
be
said of the two men. “We three were the first in the Brotherhood’s cloning
process… a highly successful attempt to create an entire hidden warrior class
capable of bringing Earth’s population back down to a more… manageable… level.”
Her smile bordered on provocative. “Not all of us, however, look exactly
alike.”

Durgon’s sharp-edged smile
could have frozen even the most confident soul. “Members of my line were used
to infiltrate Russia,” he informed Gyilto proudly. “Some of my brothers are in
other European and Asian nations as well, but my mission has been to place top
level operatives in Moscow and other key Soviet cities. Although my personal
skills are primarily of a medical nature, the training of all subsequent clones
from my line has involved technology, particularly the covert infiltration of
computer hardware and software.”

A warm feeling of confidence
surged through Gyilto and he pointed at Hobak. “Then your… line… must have been
used to infiltrate China,” he guessed with perceived understanding. “The
Himalayas lie just north of here.”

“Not simply China, my good
King,” chuckled an amused Hobak in response. “India and Pakistan as well.”

“Clones, you see, can be
anything
we want them to be,” continued Valiana informatively. “We had no need to speed
along the maturation process in the way others have tried.
Our
soldiers
of the Brotherhood were grown, enhanced and educated in our methodologies
beginning from the day they were born.” She turned her head sharply and sent
her dark hair flying. “My own line has been placed undercover primarily in the
Western nations, particularly since the men there are much more susceptible to
my… charms.” She smiled provocatively at him and Gyilto felt a chill of fear
run down his spine as he thought suddenly of all the enemy undercover
operatives who had entered his country over the years, only to promptly vanish
without a trace.

“How can I be certain that my
nation will be spared?” wondered the King suddenly. “A nuclear annihilation of
the type you are planning has the potential to destroy
every
nation on
Earth, not just the ones in which you stir up a hornet’s nest.”

“Most of your plutocrats and
soldiers will be underground, in this complex, with us. The remainder of your
people, those who chose not to join the Brotherhood, will act as guinea pigs.
They will assist us in measuring the fallout from the coming war.” Hobak spoke
with clear, unbridled confidence on the subject. “We have learned a lot from
our long-term, intensive studies and genetic manipulation of clones. In this
particular field of medicine, we have enough skills, along with a large supply
of anti-radiation medication, to take care of your nation. After all, your
cooperation has purchased your country a front row ticket in the new world
order.”

“Our intelligence is very
accurate and detailed,” continued Durgon almost dismissively. “It clearly shows
that you are no concern to the larger nations. Those with nuclear weapons will
target other nations with nuclear weapons… Ghuitan has very little to worry
about. Your country is still mostly impoverished and weak in the eyes of the
Western world. Of course, they will help you, but only if you support their
world view and have the patience to wait years for their political process to
play out.”

Gyilto was still not completely
convinced. “I have doubts in particular about your ability to take on America,”
he admitted. “Your Brotherhood has proven itself to be very strong indeed, but
no one ever seems able to break through their defenses. How can you guarantee
that
they
too will be implicated and caught up in this sudden war?” For
the first time, he detected a distinct expression of distaste and growing anger
in Hobak’s expression. The King immediately regretted asking the question. He
had gotten away with a lot, thus far, but clearly the audience they had granted
him was limited.
How long does it take for YOUR political process to play
out?
He wondered silently to himself.

“You need to
relax
, your
Majesty, and return to running your plucky Constitutional Monarchy,” suggested
Valiana with an alluring smile. “It is true that the United States has the best
of the best, in terms of technology. But we have acquired key codes to some of
their missile sites. These admittedly cannot normally be used to activate
missiles without the direct approval of their President. However, once bombs
begin to detonate within their borders, the U.S. military alert system will
automatically escalate their defensive status and our codes will become active.
America will also participate in the destruction of the nations that fire on
them. In the wake of such a global annihilation, no one will be able to
remember, or prove, specifically who fired the first shot. All of the major
nations currently running this planet will be reduced to rubble, and then
we
will control the rebuilding process using the people, wealth and technological
resources that we have… acquired.”

The King studied her
disinterested manner for a moment before rising to his feet. “So what you’re
basically telling me,” he concluded. “Is not to worry about the things I can’t
control.”

Valiana nodded in response.
“Rest assured, your Majesty, the Brotherhood controls the outcome. It will take
years for the larger nations to reorganize and rebuild. By the time they do,
those loyal to us will have the upper hand. It is regrettable that they wield
so much power in such an irresponsible manner, because the only way to stop
them is to knock everyone down equally. Once the larger nations are no longer
the biggest bullies on the block, the way will be paved for leaders like you to
step forward.”

The entire room fell silent for
a moment, and Gyilto used the time to silently analyze her statements
carefully. “How soon will this... leveling of the playing field… take place?”
he asked curiously.

Durgon flashed a razor edged
smile. “If I were you, I would return to the upper levels but remain within
this complex,” he suggested, laughing darkly at his own words. “The end is
finally upon us all.”

Sensing instinctively that
their patience with him was wearing thin, the King rose to his feet, nodded
with respect in the general direction of the Triumvirate before returning
quietly to the large metal door at the rear of the cavern. Silently, the two
guards waiting outside escorted him back down the corridor in the direction of
the elevator that would return him to the top levels of the compound.

They’re not kidding
,
Drik Gyilto thought silently.
They’re going to initiate a nuclear war!

*     * * *     *

After the King of Ghuitan was
gone, Hobak took a few minutes to dismiss the dozens of clones that had been
seated in front of the stage. “Return to your posts,” he urged them. “Keep
alert and watchful over the next few hours. If
any
of our many enemies
suspects that anything is out of the ordinary, our undercover operatives will
detect any planned counter offensive and report in. Be ready for this…
be
ready and be strong!
” He clenched the fingers of his right hand into a
tight fist and then held out the entire arm in the traditional salute.