The Perfect World (The Perfect World Series Book 1) (43 page)

The warm months of spring changed into the hot days of summer as Cyrus and his friends continued their raiding team practices. Cyrus noticed that his once lanky, almost scrawny form had filled out with muscle from their training. Scott and his friends noticed similar differences in their own forms, especially as physical labor became easier for all of them.

As the days passed, Cyrus spent much of his time, inside and out of training with his friends. There was no awkwardness between him and Priscilla, which was a relief. Sahane had started dropping by his house more recently since she and Scott had become an official couple. Julian still gave him any inside information he could provide within his security position. Cyrus also spent a good deal of time at the library speaking with Victor. Along with planning strategies, Victor asked him questions about his former life in the perfect world. He thought it might make for some good articles some day.

Xavier had ended up being extremely helpful to Cyrus in terms of their secret raiding party. Xavier’s popularity made it easy for him to recruit several new, trustworthy members of his secret raiding team. Once Xavier was reassured that Cyrus could trust them, Cyrus would let them in on the true purpose behind their training. So far, that had meant that their small team of six had grown to fifteen.

When summer turned into fall, their long-term efforts seemed to be getting them some recognition around the dome. Cyrus, whenever he went out to walk around, often found himself being stared at. This wasn’t unusual when he first came to the perfect world, but it had worn off after he had been there a while. Now, he often saw people whispering behind their hands when they saw him. Some eyed him suspiciously, but most waved and smiled at him. Some people even stopped to talk to him while he was walking down the street to offer praise or encouragement to him and his friends. It was a good feeling for all of them.

When the year was coming to a close, General Gray began training Cyrus to take command of his team. He let Cyrus share in his duties, making sure he had a thorough understanding of his responsibilities before allowing him to start issuing commands on his own. Even when he was finally allowed to start running the drills, the General remained by his side to correct him and give advice as the months of the new year flew by. Finally, one hot summer day, General Gray informed him he would be doing the rest of the drills and training on his own.

“I want you to remember something, Cyrus,” the General had said to him on his last full day with them. He would still be dropping by periodically to check on their progress, but much of the work would now be left to Cyrus. “Being commander is about more than just being at the top and giving orders. These people’s lives are in your hands. You are responsible for them, and your mistakes could cost them their lives. You must make sure you have done everything you can to prepare for the mission. You owe your men at least that much.”

And with that, General Gray had bid him farewell. Before leaving, he entrusted Cyrus with two new responsibilities. One was the use and maintenance of a small military training field by the western entrance of the Pittsburgh Dome. The second was a small key to said military training field’s storage facilities, where many weapons and vehicles were held. 

From then on, Cyrus had taken charge and his team’s training continued as summer quickly turned into fall. It was a cool Friday in September, and Cyrus was waiting for his team at their designated military training field. When they arrived, he greeted them all warmly as they set up and began stretching.

When their warm-ups were finished, Cyrus started them on evasive maneuvers and made mental notes of what could be improved upon. Still, he was very impressed and proud of them all. His team of raiders were making incredible progress. They were learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses and working as a team to fill the gaps. Soon enough, they would be ready for the real thing. Or at least, Cyrus hoped so.

The young man was still watching his team go through their drills when he felt a pair of eyes upon him. Turning towards the fence, he saw a tall, wiry figure with long black hair watching him. He grimaced as he realized who it was. Huo Shen, leader of the Hong Kong and China domes, was watching the drills.

Feeling angry at the perceived scrutiny, Cyrus turned his full body towards Shen, and he stared back. His green eyes met the dark black ones with unwavering purpose and determination. He would not be intimidated this time. He would not allow the efforts of his friends to be belittled. Cyrus Wright stood there and stared back, not moving an inch.

Huo Shen met his eyes and for a moment neither moved, caught in a battle of wills. Then, Huo Shen just gave a small nod, one that seemed to be of approval or respect. Then, his fingers unwound from the chain link fence and he turned away, walking down the street. Cyrus stared at the place where he stood as if he had left some kind of presence rooted in that spot. Then, he pushed it from his mind and turned back to the training.

Soon enough, the drills had ended and all of them were free to go. Cyrus gave his compliments and criticisms to his team, before heading out. Instead of going home, Cyrus grabbed his bag and made for the hill across from their training facility and sought shelter from a nearby tree. The tall young man placed his back against the tree, then slid down until he was sitting in the dark green grass. Pulling at a few strands, he enjoyed the light breeze that brushed across his face.

After a brief moment of respite, Cyrus pulled out his electronic notebook. It slid easily out of his backpack. He pressed the power button and waited patiently for everything to load. 

When it was done loading, Cyrus opened up his web browser and checked the latest petition they had started in the Cleveland Dome.  They were still a few signatures short on the latest one, but it should be finished soon. Thanks to the networking skills of his friends, they had petitions going in almost forty different domes across America.

Well, maybe if we create enough of these things we can irritate the local politicians into listening to our concerns.

Smiling, Cyrus turned his notebook off and slid it into his pocket. He was about to relax and enjoy the fleeting rays of the sun when a familiar, unwelcome voice said, “Trying to get another petition signed?”

Cyrus turned around and his stomach tightened as he saw Huo Shen standing close beside him. He hadn’t seen him since their last unpleasant conversation back at government building, and he couldn’t say he had any desire to do so afterwards.             

“No,” Cyrus turned away from him, “just thinking about something that’s all.”

“Something?” Huo Shen asked with light mockery. “The kind of important something or the more likely something that really means nothing?”

“Perhaps it’s the kind of something that’s none of your business,” Cyrus responded as politely as he could, his patience already drawing thin.

To his surprise, Huo Shen gave him a rare smile. “I see that your mother is beginning to rub off on you.” He paused, an amused smile still on his face. “How is she?”

“You mean since she called you horse’s ass?” Cyrus jabbed, no longer caring if he would be offended or not.

The other man’s mouth worked. “Yes, since then.”

“She’s been her normal self. Working hard, making money, telling off anybody that ticks her off. The usual.”

The answer seemed to please Huo, though Cyrus had no idea why. Maybe he was just imagining it. It wasn’t like a man like Shen ever showed much expression beyond stoicism or mockery. To his surprise, the leader of the Hong Kong Domes walked until he was level with him and sat down in the grass beside him. Cyrus was disappointed as he had been hoping the man would leave him alone.

Cyrus’s eyes glanced dully in Huo’s direction, not bothering to hide his unhappiness at the prospect of holding a conversation with the unpleasant man. “What do you want?” he asked flatly.

“I wanted to ask after your mother,” he said in a tone that said he knew he wasn’t being helpful.

“Well, you already did that. Don’t you have other things to do than hang around with me?”

“I certainly do. A million and one things, in fact. But right now, I thought I’d take a break and talk to you.”

Cyrus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Why?”

“Three reasons.” He held up three fingers and folded them as he listed them off. “One was that Eldrick got a little angry with me for what I said to you that day at your government building. The second was because of that mother of yours. It’s rare that somebody stands up to me that way, and I figure you must be worth something if she is willing to do that for you. The third reason was that you showed some initiative, which I didn’t expect.”

“You mean you just expected me to give up after the petition failed,” Cyrus filled in for himself.

“Well, yes,” Huo admitted. “It isn’t an unreasonable expectation. Most do, after all.”

“I’m not most people,” Cyrus replied.

“I can believe that a little better now,” Huo credited, “though I still think it’s quite an arrogant statement given that you haven’t proven anything yet.”

“Give me time. I’ll make you eat your words.”

Huo’s expression was dubious at first, but then his mouth quirked. He seemed like he was amused again. “Maybe you will. You have proven me wrong once before.”

“Is this why you’re here? To taunt me again and provide me with slight notes of your approval?”

“No, it’s not.” Huo brushed a hand through his hair and sighed. “Actually, I came to tell you something. A story, if you will.”

Cyrus raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing. The response hadn’t been anything he’d expected. He had no idea what kind of story a sullen, grumpy man like this could tell, but he figured it would be filled with doom and gloom.

“There was once a young child who loved his father very much. To him, he was the wisest and kindest person in the world. No one compared to this man, not in this child’s eyes. Then, one evening, the child’s father left in the night, saying that he had something important to do. He never came back. The child, in his grief, was left alone.

“After that, the child lived in an orphanage, wondering why his father had done what he did. The child knew his father had been very passionate about his work. He had also known that his father had disagreed with all the others against how his job was being done. The child’s father thought more needed to be done to solve their current problems and when he received nothing but contempt for the notion, he decided to take his work into his own hands.”

Thinking this sounded familiar, Cyrus asked, “Was the father a raider?”

“Something like that,” Huo Shen hedged before continuing. “The young boy gathered others at the orphanage and those from the nearby houses. Together they planned a way to complete his father’s work. The child wanted to prove that his father hadn’t been wrong and that his death hadn’t been for nothing.

“The children grew into young adults and they continued to plan their mission to save those still in captivity. When the young man became thirteen he set his plan into motion. He and his comrades went to prove that tyranny could be ended if only one put forth the proper effort. Together they went forth to face the challenge, but in the end, only one of them came back.”

Cyrus was quiet as he watched the expression on Shen’s face. His eyes were distant as if he were watching something replay in his mind’s eye. His face was impassive, yet there was a slight emotion in his voice that couldn’t be hidden.

“The young man, who had lost his father, who had led a group of young men into great peril, saw them die for his cause. By their efforts, he escaped, left with nothing to remember any of them by except his own memories. When the authorities found out what the young man had done, they wanted to see him punished. Worse than that, he had damaged the very cause he had been so desperate to help.”

Shen’s eyes focused on the ground. “In the end, the young boy, who only wanted to make things better, disgraced his father’s memory, led his companions to their deaths and had to flee his home with the help of a man who was almost a stranger.”

Silence followed the end of this story. Cyrus was now staring at this hardened man, seeing him not as the angry, smart-mouthed adult who had berated him, but as a young man who had once held a dream. A dream that had shattered.

Does he know what my true intentions are?
Cyrus wondered as he fought to keep his face impassive. His heart was hammering in his chest.

“Why are you telling me this?” he had to ask, though he honestly feared the answer.

Huo’s dark eyes met his green ones. The deep, black eyes burned with a fiery strength that intimidated Cyrus, yet he did not look away. “Life is not a fairy tale, Cyrus Wright. If you learn nothing else from this story, then I will be satisfied.”

Cyrus was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “I don’t blame that young man for trying to fix things. I think what he and his companions tried to do was brave.”

Huo Shen emitted a hollow laugh, one that was filled with sorrow. “Bravery is often confused with stupidity. Trying hard isn’t enough to solve anything. Not in this world we live in.” Huo looked at him again, and his eyes were a bit softer. “I want to make one thing clear. I have not given up, Cyrus Wright. I will continue to fight back against those who would maintain a totalitarian system like the perfect world. That being said, I also know that many good people will die trying to make things right. Being on the side of good doesn’t automatically mean victory. In fact, good people seem to die off much quicker than the bad.”