Prisoners of Paradise Read online

  Moke sensed an eerie silence as he starting feeling around his coat pocket again and took out an electronic override card. Fear raced through his nerve endings as he slid the card through the door’s lock. While the door opened, Moke flattened himself against the wall as he thought about how Jacob might decide to spray some laser fire at him.

  A fear of the unknown gripped Moke’s mind as he said, “Jacob, can we please just talk? I have some things I need to say to you.”

  There was silence as time seemed to stand still.

  Moke tried to stay out of sight as he began yelling, “I am unarmed, Jacob! Believe it or not, we are actually working towards the same goal! I can help you if you help me! Please let me in! Let’s talk! I am unarmed!”

  “So am I,” The meek voice called out from inside the apartment. “Please, Captain…come in.”

  Moke exhaled with relief as he felt the fear subside a bit. He slowly backed away from the wall. His lungs ached while he held his breath and cautiously entered the apartment. Moke then felt the blood draining from his face as he saw Jacob standing in front of a window, wearing what appeared to be a small, rectangular box, on a harness around his chest.

  Moke froze instantly, his eyes wide with fright, “Oh my gods! That looks like a bomb!”

  “Don’t come any closer!” Jacob demanded. Moke saw how the young man looked scared and noticed how Jacob was standing next to a desk that had a computer and a very large monitor on it. After his eyes darted nervously around the room, Moke saw that the entire apartment was adorned with computers of various sizes and power capabilities. He exhaled nervously as he saw all the monitors mounted to the wall. He gasped as he realized that two small camera units were mounted to the ceiling. One camera was aimed directly at Jacob. The other camera was aimed straight at him.

  Moke took a deep breath and tried to convince his heart to slow down as he said, “Jacob, calm down, I am only here to talk…”

  “Did ya hear that ladies and gentlemen of Ailana?” Jacob shouted as he stood up straight and addressed the camera, “The jackbooted enforcer of the immoral laws has come to talk to me! Let me introduce tonight’s special guest! If you have a loved one locked away in prison right now, there is a good chance he was instrumental in putting them there! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Captain Moke Kalapana!”

  Moke felt sweat forming in his armpits as he realized that he was being put on the spot and put to the test as he said, “Jacob please…turn off the cameras.”

  “That’s right Captain Moke Kalapana, you should be proud! You’ve finally done what the Moralists and their goon squads have been trying to do for years! Unmask the villain! Tear down the final curtain and show everyone who the great wizard really is! Are you happy? Am I everything you expected…The Evil…to be?”

  Moke felt his fear growing into frustration and anger. He tried as hard as he could to remain calm as he said, “Jacob, I mean you no harm.”

  “Oh, I’ve heard that before,” Jacob said with an insulting tone. “To all of you just tuning in on your personal monitors and computers, tonight…we are doing something special! This is the first time The Evil has been broadcast live! Look over there Captain Kalapana,” Jacob said as he pointed at a monitor on the wall, “My ratings are going way up! Look at all those people tuning in! It will be only a matter of minutes before that old, nasty Chief of the Morality Division, Sprog Kanta, catches on and can trace me!”

  “What is the meaning of this?” Moke asked as he watched a series of numbers on the monitor screen increase in magnitude. His eyes grew wider as he realized the numbers were indicating that well over twenty thousand people could see this scene that was now unfolding in Jacob’s apartment.

  “The meaning of this Captain…is entertainment pure and simple! Entertainment on a grand scale! Some of the views on this program are not necessarily those of the broadcast company. Captain, do you remember what it used to be like when news channels like EBC-DNA1 could say that without a reporter or an editor going to jail? Why is it that all these people are going to jail for their beliefs and opinions? And why are they going to the various Government Bureaus to be retrained as moral citizens? Can you answer that Captain Kalapana? You should know the answer!”

  “Jacob, turn off the monitor,” Moke tried to remain calm while sweat began to form on his forehead. He felt his eyes burning as he focused intently on the device strapped to Jacob’s skinny torso.

  “Don’t feel like answering, eh Captain?” Jacob said in a voice that mocked his uninvited guest. Moke felt his ears ringing and his heart pounding as Jacob began shouting, “How about I just put the right words in your mouth for you? My fellow citizens, listen to me! My Ailanian brothers and sisters of all the human and indigenous Ailanian races! Please hear me out! Our dream of having a sovereign home world, with sovereign citizens, is being stolen from us! Our world is facing a second colonization by the pseudo-capitalists of the planet Aurora! And when the Aurorians come to claim our planet…we will live in chains!”

  “That is not true Jacob!”

  “Oh really? Have any of you ever wondered why so many Ailanian people can no longer call themselves sovereign beings? So many of our friends and family members have gone to jail because the Ailanian government needs to have a loyal population of good, moral people before the Aurorian take-over can happen! And the best way to do that is by collectivist brainwashing! Tell us about the brainwashing Captain! Is it true that Ailanian citizens are being secretly detained and brainwashed by government agents?! Is it true that they are making people into slaves?”

  “Nothing like that is happening!” Moke realized his nervous attempt to sound honest, “Jacob, I’m not here to harm you! I’m here to help you!”

  “Oh, you’re here to help me all right! You are going to help me and all the other people out there with a functioning brain right into The Penitentiary where we can be trained how to do what we are told, when we are told, without any questions! The Ailanian government doesn’t want people to ask questions when the second colonization and rape of Ailana begins do they?! Their solution is to turn us into machines!”

  “Jacob!” Moke said, “Please turn off the monitor and put your hands in the air!”

  Jacob’s words had fire in them. “Not until you explain to me why the Ailanian government has so much power over the peoples’ lives now! We know what the government is doing to this planet! We know what they allowed The Alliance to do to our world in the past! We at The Evil know what is going on and we know all about what our government is trying to keep secret from us! We know about the Moralists in the High Senate and the intolerance they preach! We know why the Moralists create laws and make people into outcasts known as Immorals! They wish to have control over every aspect of our lives! They’re turning people into robots!”

  “Sir!” Jack’s voice screamed from Moke’s ear com, “step away and walk down the hall, I can see him through his window and I have a clear shot. We are in position to take him out!”

  “No,” Moke whispered into the tiny com pinned to his jacket. The com picked up his words and transferred them to Jack’s anxious ears. “Stay where you are…I’ve got this,” Moke then looked intently at the enraged man in front of him and began pleading with him, “Jacob please, please, turn off the monitor! Can we talk? Can we please just talk? I’m here to help you…”

  “Silence jackboot! I’m not done exposing your crimes!” Jacob said as his eyes blazed with anger.

  “Jacob, please turn off the monitor!” Moke closed his eyes for a moment.He silently cursed to himself, and tried to think of what to do next within the confines of this impossible situation he had so foolishly gotten himself into.

  Location: 110th floor of the Hakukai Strabb Housing and Shopper’s Paradise.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1700 hours.

  “People tend to decide on what action to take based on one of four devices…”
Van Dien thought as he rolled his lighter around between his thumb and index finger. “There are those whose actions are guided and come as the result of principles…there are those who act out of simple, good-hearted impulses…there are those whose actions are the result of their desire for honor and reputation…and there are those whose actions are guided completely out of self-interest…and of course, everyone, to some degree, will act out in accordance to a mixture of all four of these elements.”

  Van Dien’s face was stoic as he thought, “There are few people who behave according to principles…and that is exactly my problem here…all people act selfish…and it could be argued that they should act selfish…but not everyone on Ailana should be allowed to act out of selfish principles…not at this moment in time. It could be argued that those who act out of principle might have accidentally embraced the wrong principle…and it could be argued that at least one of these people here tonight has done that. It could be argued that those who act from goodhearted impulse might make the mistake of being too credulous and overly trusting…and it could be argued that at least one of these people here tonight is in that position.”

  Van Dien lit a cigarette. He then put his lighter back in his pocket and frowned as he thought, “My philosophy is quite simple…there are people who are useful to me…and then there are vermin. The first step in my plan is to start cleaning up the house since the rodents and cockroaches have gotten far too comfortable here.”

  Van Dien stepped out of the long, black limousine and began walking briskly. He smoked as he thought to himself, “Kalapana has a reason for wanting to capture this selfish, young man before anyone else gets a chance to…I wonder why? What information could he provide us with?”Van Dien had just tuned into what was happening between Moke and Jacob, via satellite, with his cranial computer system. The image shining onto his retina made his left eye seem to be just a bit brighter shade of blue, than his right.

  “Interesting…he espouses individualism over collectivism…I wonder what is driving those thoughts?” Van Dien thought as he calmly walked down the hallway while Moke was the subject of a rather rude online broadcast. “This is a battle of philosophies, and it is about to cause a real war. This is perfect for my plan…”

  Van Dien smiled as he watched the interplay between Moke and Jacob and thought, “and now you little brat, it is time for a long overdue spanking. You and the people you have been influencing have been making my life difficult for far too long, and now it’s time you learned who is really in charge around here.”

  He blinked his eyes a couple of times to adjust the computer monitor he was watching with pleasure.

  Location: 597th floor of the Hakukai Strabb and Shopper’s Paradise.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1705 hours.

  Audrey Winters felt her pale skin becoming flushed as the adrenaline raced through her veins. As her small hands gripped her sidearm, her pretty face began to look more and more worried.

  “Jack!” She yelled into the com that was positioned on a small boom in front of her mouth. Audrey did not have cranial adaptations; she relied on external headphones and microwave technology to stay in contact with her team. “Jack! Time’s up! I’m going up there! We gotta arrest this guy now!”

  “I’ll watch your back,” Jack replied. “Hey, Audrey…”

  “Yeah?” Audrey said as she adjusted her blonde ponytail.

  Jack’s voice crackled over the com, “I’ll bet ya five bucks that this is just another dead end…this loony toon can’t possibly be the guy we’re really looking for. This dude is going off about wacko stuff like the government brainwashing people and turning them into cyborgs…he’s a nutcase making baseless accusations. There is no way someone this batty could be the leader of a terrorist cell.”

  “No, Jack…I’ll bet you five bucks that this guy is the real deal,” Audrey smiled as she tried to ignore how her stomach was crawling with nervousness.

  For a brief moment she felt hesitant as she thought about the man who possibly had a bomb strapped to his chest, “Ah damn it…this arrest, which we were trying to pull off tonight, just got dangerous, not to mention even more illegal. This guy, Jacob Colombe, is Captain Sprog Kanta’s case, and arresting his suspect without his permission, nonetheless his knowledge, is a potential nightmare waiting to happen. I know how Jack says this is a ridiculous waste of time…but I can’t completely agree with him. I know Moke might be onto something…and even if I don’t completely understand what he is trying to accomplish by doing this…he is in charge, and he’s been right before. I just hope this time…he isn’t wrong…”

  Audrey cringed as she felt a chill race down her spine, “Captain Kalapana has not been telling us everything lately…I know that Moke believes deeply in this mission, and I just feel like Moke might be right…I have a kind of faith in my Captain, that I can’t explain…Jack is beginning to wonder if this is a such a good idea…and I know that this disagreement we are having about who is right is really hurting my relationship with a man I have a great amount of admiration for.”

  Audrey sighed as she thought, “Jack is so dedicated to doing things by the book…I hate this.”

  The thought of having to choose between them sickened her. But right now she didn’t have the time to think about personal matters. She put on her game face as she unholstered her laser pistol and began jogging down the hallway.

  “Oh gods…I hope we are doing the right thing!”

  Location: 597th floor of the Hakukai Strabb Housing and Shopper’s Paradise.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1710 hours.

  Jacob was refusing to shut up, or turn off the monitor as he continued his verbal rampage.

  “That is enough, Jacob!” Moke barked as loud as he could, “Turn off the computers now! The Moralists are coming for you! They’ll be here in a matter of minutes! If you surrender now I can help you! But if they get to you, then I won’t be able to help at all!”

  “I don’t plan to surrender, Captain,” Jacob said defiantly. “The Ailanian people must know the truth about what is really happening to their world!”

  “But you’re wrong, Jacob! There is nothing like what you have described happening on Ailana! You’ve got it all wrong! Please, let’s just talk. We can work something out…I can help you clear up these misconceptions. Jacob, have you ever given some thought to the fact you might be sick and you’re doing this because you’re delusional and none of this is real?” Moke nervously glanced over at the monitor, nearly half a million people were now watching this, and the number was rising quickly.

  “NO!” Jacob shouted, “I am not crazy! And I will never surrender my spirit! It is the only thing they haven’t taken from me. And I sure as hell will not let them have my body to use as a machine for them to make money with! My mind will not be theirs’ to control!”

  “Jacob! Listen to me!” Moke cried out, “This is your last chance, turn off that computer and put your hands above your head!” Moke whipped out a small laser pistol, which was only strong enough to stun, and aimed it at Jacob’s torso.

  The gaunt, blonde man didn’t even wince. “That leaves me no choice does it? It is up to me now, I must do my part to stop the slave drivers in their path…may the gods be with me…I’m doing this to keep hope…and freedom, on Ailana alive. Remember people! It is better to burn your temple than let them desecrate it!”

  Moke was about to shoot Jacob when a sudden rampage of thoughts caused his body to freeze.

  “I can’t shoot him! If I pull this trigger and his people see me arresting him it might cause them to panic and do something rash that I will later regret!” Moke realized that he didn’t want to become the enforcer of a corrupt government’s immoral laws on planetary television as he screamed, “Hands in the air, Jacob! Put your hands in the air! Come with me now, Jacob! I will help you! I will keep the Moralists from harming you, but you have to walk out of here with
me in a peaceful manner right now!”

  Jacob looked at peace as he said, “My fellow Ailanians, this is my final contribution to the final Ailanian arena dedicated to pure, free thought. There are others Captain, many others, and to all of you hear me now! Your time is short on this planet! The Jackboots are coming! Get as much work done as you can! Get it out quickly! Get the word out! And when they come for you as they did for me…do not give them anything that is yours’ alone! Do not give them your body, or your mind, or your spirit! Be selfish people! Do not let anyone use you for anything! And do not go quietly into that sweet night…do not be afraid…do not let them have their victory over you!”

  Moke began to scream with fear as he cried out, “Jacob Colombe! You are under arrest for tampering with a corporate information computer and hijacking government data! You have the right to remain silent! You have the right to an attorney; you have the right to….”

  “I know my rights, Captain,” Jacob said calmly as he slowly brought his hand down towards his keyboard. “I know I have the right to control my own destiny. I can’t do that if I just give what is mine to you. Bye, bye Captain…I hope you enjoy the show we’re gonna put on for you! Like I said, folks…when they come for you, be creative, leave a lasting impression! Why go out with a whimper, when you can go out with a bang? It’s time to awake the Prisoners of Paradise! It’s time to set this world on fire!”

  Moke’s jaw dropped as he saw Jacob press a button with one deft hand motion.

  “NO!” Moke screamed as he leaped behind a small couch.

  A burst of heat filled the room and Jacob’s whole body was soon ablaze. The flare-bomb on his chest had lit him up like a torch. Moke’s ears rang with a shattering sound as he realized the window Jacob was standing in front of had been preset with tiny explosives. Tiny shards of glass rained down on Moke’s back.