The BZ-Metru Story Chapter 20

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of US (1882 - 1945)

Ninjo was sitting at his desk in the BBC forum, busily reviewing a report of the battle in Software. Officially, BZ-Metru had won, being that they had lost fewer troops and gained the Software forum. But as far as Ninjo was concerned, it was a clear victory for the BZR. Takuta-Nui dead, several other important BZ-Metru captains dead, and Toaraga captured.

Ninjo sat back. Ah yes, Toaraga. What should I do with him? I can’t just leave him here, he’s losing value to BZ-Metru by the day. I can’t try and convert him into a double agent; there’s no chance he would take an offer. The only options I have are to kill him or send him back to Six… or perhaps combine the two…

There was a knock at his office door.

“Come in,” said Ninjo. Gukko Force Captain, one of the office assistants, poked his head through the door.

“Message from Dimensioneer, sir.”

“Excellent, set it on my desk.”

GFC did as he was told and left. As soon as he was gone Ninjo picked up the envelope and started to read the letter. In short, it was good news. Dimensioneer had signed Ninjo’s demands into BZ-Metru law. Ninjo was given permission to do with Toaraga whatever he wanted, as long as it met with approval from Dimensioneer. The only of piece of importance were instructions to carry out the next phase of the plan.

Ninjo happily sat the letter into a drawer of his desk. The next part of the plan was his favorite, and one he had been waiting to carry out.

He picked up a post-it note that had been stuck to his desk and dialed the phone number that was written on it.

“This is Ninjo. Carry out the next phase of the plan.” After that short sentence he hung up. The person on the other end had said nothing.

Ninjo’s thoughts turned to Toaraga. He pressed a button on his intercom to speak to his secretary, Turakii.

“Turakii, please take a message for Nikira…”

Toaraga woke groggily. He tried to sit up, only to realize the bed (if it could be called that) was hanging from the wall was right up against from the ceiling. He rolled himself off, falling with a crash to a stone cold floor.

The fall jolted Toaraga fully awake. He was stilling wearing his glasses, though one of the lenses was cracked straight across. His head was aching. He looked around to figure out where he was.

He found he was in a small jail cell, built entirely of stone. There were no windows, but there was a tall iron door in one of the walls. Opposite the door was the bed from which Toaraga had just fallen, which was a plank suspended high above the ground by two metal chains. Under it was a medium sized wooden box. Toaraga guessed it might be used to get into the bed.

Toaraga sat down on the dirt floor, holding his head in his hands. He only remembered being surrounded by BZR soldiers, and after that nothing.

I must have been knocked out, and taken here... wherever here is. They must have hit me hard, my head is killing me.

Toaraga’s thoughts were interrupted by three raps on the metal door. A loud click was heard, and the door swung open.

Standing in the doorway was a stout man, who Toaraga guessed was in his mid thirties. He was flanked by two burly, intimidating guards with G3 Rifles slung across their shoulders.

“Ah, you’re awake,” said the man.

“Who are you? Where am I?” asked Toaraga.

“You are in a jail, of course. Where exactly, I cannot tell you. As for me, I am the jailer here. My name is Arch Angel. You may refer to me as ‘sir.’ Now get off the floor, you have to come with me.”

“Why?”

Arch Angel smiled. “You’ll see. Xander, Xae, please escort him to the interrogation room.”

The two guards came into the cell and grabbed Toaraga by the arms. He didn’t show any resistance, knowing that he could never stop them. They marched him out of the cell into a low, stone hallway lit by old flickering light bulbs.

They walked down the hall. Eventually they reached a door, which opened into a stairwell, still stone and dimly lit. The stairs only went upward, so without hesitating Toaraga and his captors went up the stairs.

As they were walking Toaraga noticed a window located on one of the landings. As they walked past it, Toaraga quickly turned his head, and his eyes widened.

Water! I thought I was on in BBC, but it isn’t bordered by an ocean, it’s bordered by a desert! The only region bordered by a sea is Ssets… so I must be somewhere there!

The group had gone up five flights when they went through another metal door. The difference between the hallway into which the entered and the one connected to Toaraga’s cell was striking. This hall was obviously much more modern, the walls being made of plaster and concrete. It was also very brightly illuminated.

They stopped at the first door on the right. Only Toaraga and Arch Angel entered, the two guards staying outside.

The room was very bland: Painted entirely white. In the center of it was a desk, in front of which were two chairs. Arch Angel motioned for Toaraga to sit down.

Toaraga didn’t notice him. His gaze was fixed on the young woman sitting behind the desk.

“Nikira!” he exclaimed.

“Hello Toaraga. It’s nice to see you to.”

“What are you doing here? We thought you were dead!”

“You thought wrong. I was persuaded by Ninjo to join the BZR. He said that he was impressed by my record as a Forum Assistant, and offered my a job with him. But all that’s not important. Please, have a seat.”

Toaraga cautiously stepped over to the empty chair and sat in it.

“You look thirsty, Toaraga. Please have a glass of water,” she said, taking a pitcher of water she had on her desk and pouring it into a glass.

“No,” said Toaraga defiantly.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s not drugged,” replied Nikira, smiling. She took a sip from the glass she had poured. “See?”

“Well… I suppose I could have some.”

Nikira poured another glass and handed it to Toaraga. He took one swallow, but then dropped the glass. It smashed on the floor. Toaraga’s eyes began to twitch and close, as his body began to lurch. Only seconds later, he was slouched back in his chair, fast asleep.

“Ingenious trick, Ma’am,” said Arch Angel, pouring himself water. “Put the drug on the glass, not in the water. But what will it do to him?”

“Yes, it is great, isn’t it? And we really should thank Rama for cooking up that drug. Here is what it will do: In just a few hours, Toaraga will be awake, but drunk. Extremely drunk. We’ll be able to extract any information we want from him while he is in that state.”

Arch Angel shook his head in disbelief. “Amazing… simply amazing. With the info we get from him we’ll be able to learn all of BZ-Metru’s secrets.”

He and Nikira clinked their glasses together triumphantly.

Review Topic