Authors: Michael Bray
Genaro's lip trembled, and when he spoke, he almost choked on his words. "You would do that for me?"
"Of course. In many respects, you are more my father than the man who gave birth to me. You are to me what I am to them. You have my word, you will stand by my side as the ruler of this new world."
"And how will you announce yourself to them?" Genaro asked.
"As I said to you before, fear is the key. Fear will break the spirit, and so fear is what we shall be."
"We are all with you, Joshua. We all believe you are the one who will finally bring change."
Joshua nodded. "In that case, let us delay no further. Go join the rest of the men Dr. Genaro. Tell them their wait is over. I'll be out to address them shortly."
II
The immense missile launch bay was the only area of the underground compound that had not yet been renovated within the underground silo. The twelve thousand square foot cylindrical space was surrounded by walkways which were originally designed to allow staff to access the perimeter of missiles within the bay awaiting launch. Now, every level was seven deep with men, all chanting Joshua's name. The noise was deafening as the sound rolled from the walls like a natural amphitheatre. Joshua took a deep breath and prepared to walk out in front of his kin. His people. Many of them would perish long before they saw the fruits of their labour, and for that, he was both sad and proud. Taking a second to gather his thoughts, he strode out of the darkness and into the centre of the cavernous space. Upon sighting him, the noise level intensified to the point where it was almost a living thing. Joshua gasped a half breath as the hairs on his arms prickled to attention. The men were in a frenzy as their slender leader walked to the centre of the space and waited, soaking in the adoration of his men, his brothers. He knew he would never experience a feeling like this again no matter what happened. All eyes were on him, and the devotion of his men was illustrated when just by raising a hand, he brought the cavernous void into complete silence. Joshua waited, eyes closed, face turned up towards the silo doors far above him, basking in the calm.
"My brothers," he said, his voice echoing around the chamber. "Today sees the start of a grand vision. A vision which together, we will realise."
He paused for effect, looking out at the hundreds of eyes which watched him intently.
"The world as we know it is broken. Ruled by secretive, greedy men who claim they know what's best. I, like the rest of you fell for their lies. I, like you, slipped into the daily routine of life. Of being told what I should like, told what I should eat or drink. Told the value of my life was judged by a pay grade. All of you know this. You know about the lies the governments of the world tell us, all to keep their secrets safe and their bank accounts filled with money which they don't need. Yes, my brothers. The world is broken. In fact, it is broken so badly by lies so convincing that many of us don't question them that it will take drastic action to rectify."
He paused again, letting his words roll around the chamber until the echoes faded.
"The truth is, I never expected there would ever be a time when these false leaders would be removed. I never expected any future to be possible where they didn't dominate and control the world and systematically destroy it at the same time. For me, all hope was lost....until something happened, and I was given a great gift. A gift bigger than their lies, bigger than their secrets. A gift which we share. A gift that takes the flawed, broken blueprint of man and changes it for the better. All of you here share this gift. A precious thing no money can buy. That no lies can hide."
He turned in a slow circle, a half smile on his lips as he looked at the army of men above him.
"We are the answer. A gift was bestowed upon me, and I have bestowed it upon each and every one of you. You are my brothers, my sons. You are the flicker of light in a world long shrouded in the dark. It is a world which demands change, not from me, but from us. I'm just one man. I cannot do it alone. Only with your help, with each and every one of you can we make a difference. As you know, the so-called leaders of the free world attack our own kind overseas and try to stop us. Why? Because they don't understand us. And because they don't understand us, they fear us. And because they fear us, they choose to try and destroy us. I ask you, do we accept this? Do we lie down on our sides and let these liars and cheats and fraudsters kick us into submission?"
The room rocked as the men chanted a deafening 'no' in unison. Joshua went on without breaking his stride.
"Do we let them eliminate us and harvest our unique gift for themselves?"
"No," they chanted as one.
"Or do we do what we were destined to do. Do we take our place as the next evolutionary step for humanity and ensure the survival of a species which is superior in every way to the men we used to be?"
"Yes"
Joshua paused and let the smile melt from his face. "Let me tell you about a vision I had, something shown to me as I was interred in the earth and waiting for my brothers to bring me back to the light. I saw a world of culture. I saw a world of understanding. I saw a world under one rule where everybody had a place. Where things such as money didn't matter. I saw a world of superior humans like us. People like us. Generations built on the foundations of what we are about to do. I saw a world that was better for being free of the self-destructing, mindless people who currently inhabit it. I ask you to answer me now. Do you want change?
"Yes," The men roared.
"Do you want change?"
"Yes"
"Do you want change?"
"Yes"
Joshua waited, again letting the blanket of silence envelop the chamber. "You should know it won't be easy. In order to fix the problems, we have to eradicate the disease. Much like a cancer patient will need to endure surgery to remove a diseased tumour, so we must remove the plague of mindless creatures who inhabit the future home of our children."
"Yes."
"Make no mistake. You will be asked to do things, things which seem despicable in order to make this happen. Blood will be spilled, it is unavoidable. There must be orphans, there must be widows. Some of you will die for our cause. But I say this. Do not fear death, for you will be honoured by us for all of time. You will be tomorrow's heroes, victors on the battlefield who sacrificed all so that we could enjoy the life we deserve. We must cull the plague of lesser humans who currently thrive on our lands and use up all of our resources. We must destroy them much like they destroy our home and each other. Your conscience may see them as women or children. I remind you that they are not. They are an inferior species, a plague which will destroy us if we don't strike first. Some will be turned and join us as masters of the new world. Most won't. "
Again, he waited, letting his words sink in.
"Don't think of them as humans. Think of them as vermin. Think of them as the last relics of a dead race. Destroy them without mercy. Grow our society. Let me lead you to a paradise which you and future generations can enjoy. All who oppose us are our enemies; all who stand against us or look upon us with fear are against us. Believe in me, and I promise you I will give you the world you always dreamed of. The blood of those who oppose us will soak the earth, and from it, our new society will grow. We will strike without mercy, destroy without conscience. Mark today as the final day of the old world. Tomorrow, we give birth to the new!"
He threw his arms into the air as he said it, and all around him the chamber exploded with wild cheers which were even more deafening than before. Adrenaline surged through Joshua's veins, causing him to tremble.
"Now go," he roared. "Go and make our statement. Go and show these people that opposing us is useless. Go now and let us take the world that as the superior species is ours by rights!" he screamed above the din. More cheers erupted as Joshua stood with his arms in the air, watching as the men started to file out of the silo and make their way above ground to the surface. When it was empty, and silence again enveloped the immense chamber, Genaro walked out of the shadows. "Do you think it's possible? Can we change the world?" he whispered.
Joshua half turned towards Genaro. "It's already started. Tonight the world will sleep easy. Tomorrow, they will know their end is near."
"And how do we maintain it? How do we keep control?"
Joshua took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Genaro. The scientist unfolded it and read the list of names written on it.
"You know these people," Joshua said, a statement, not a question.
"Yes, or, at least, I've heard of them."
"Good."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Bring them to me."
"For what purpose?" Genaro asked, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
"Because when the time comes, we will need them."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
BAGHDAD SEWERS
IRAQ
TREMBLING AND AFRAID, AKHTAR was just waiting to die. Whoever had grabbed him and his brother whilst they slept had been carrying them for what felt like an age, although he had no real concept of how much time had passed. It could have just as easily been hours or minutes. The stagnant wet stench gave way to a more dry, musty smell which gave him the impression he was somewhere off the main tunnel. He was lowered into a chair, and only then started to fear for his life. The hood was removed from his head, and he squinted at the light which although dull was much brighter than the tunnels.
"Who are you?"
Akhtar blinked, waiting for the man who spoke to him to come into focus.
"I asked you a question, who are you?"
"I’m nobody," Akhtar mumbled, finally getting a closer look at the soldier who stood in front of him.
He was young, Akhtar guessed no more than early twenties. He had piercing blue eyes and a short buzz cut, and despite looking much too young for active service had an air of authority about him.
"Let me speak to him," another man said in Arabic from behind Akhtar's chair. "It's plain enough he's just a boy."
The owner of the Arabic voice came into view. He was tall and slim, with deep brown eyes and a thin hooked nose. His eyes were brown, his skin the colour of coffee and framed by a long black and grey beard. "What's your name?" The man snapped.
"Please, where is my brother?" Akhtar said.
"He's fine. First answer my questions."
"Hey, easy," the soldier cut in. "We don’t do things the same way as you people."
"Us people?" The Arabic man said, glaring at the soldier. "Remember, this is our country and you are in it. Perhaps our way is better."
The soldier looked like he wanted to respond, then saw Akhtar watching the exchange and decided against it. "My name's Branning, I’m in charge here," He said.
The Arabic man snorted but said nothing.
"What are you doing down here?" Branning asked.
"We had to flee the streets," Akhtar replied, recalling the way those men had killed without mercy.
"Nobody sent you?" The Arabic man snapped.
"Hey, go easy on the kid. Can't you see he's scared?"
"Yes, of course." The Arabic man said irritably and then turned his attention back to Akhtar. "Forgive me. My name is Ali Hamada. You can relax. You and your brother are safe here. Now please, tell us your name."
"Akhtar, Akhtar Mahmood. I was with my brother Youness on the street when those men attacked."
"You were lucky to survive," Hamada said. "Many of our people have been lost."
"Don’t tell me you're suddenly growing a conscience." Branning hissed.
Akhtar shuffled in his seat. The tension between the two men was palpable, a very specific and obvious dislike was simmering between them and Akhtar hoped he wasn’t around when it finally exploded.
"Where is my brother," he asked again, knowing how Youness would be stressed if he was left by himself with people he didn’t know.
"Come on kid, I’ll take you to him," Branning said, shoving past Hamada and helping Akhtar to his feet. Branning led him out of the bare-walled room he had been taken to, which to Akhtar's surprise opened up into a large open underground space. Beds were strewn across the floor as well as a small supply of food and weapons. Akhtar counted around a dozen people. A couple were military like Branning, the rest were locals, a mixture of women, children and market traders.
"What is this place?" Akhtar asked.
"For now, it's home," Branning replied as he led Akhtar across the room to another door. "This building was supposed to be an underground pumping station for the new sewage system. It's been empty for a couple of years, so, for now, it's where we are staying."
"Were you on the surface too?"
"He was interrogating me," Hamada said, jogging to catch up with them. "It seems any Muslim man is a terrorist in the eyes of the Americans."
Branning kept his mouth closed, although Akhtar could see him grinding his teeth as the trio crossed the room.