Chapter 47: Chapter 47

“My mom steps out into the bright sunlight, her eyes squinting against the glare. She doesn’t have time to take in the view of the white cliffs or the soldiers hauling supplies down to the ship, like ants on a mission.

“Her hands are tied behind her back, and she’s pushed toward a truck. The Chinese don’t do things on foot. The back door swings open, and she’s lifted up and tossed inside.

“Before they slam the doors shut, she catches sight of a line of a hundred more trucks.”

“The Chinese invasion,” the reporter says softly.

The man nods. “Exactly.”

“She was there for the landing?”

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. It’s a historical event. A failed historical event.

“She was a prisoner in a truck with the Master and two Chinese soldiers,” he says with a hint of scorn. “She didn’t play any other part in their landing or their invasion.”

“When I was researching the invasion, I didn’t come across any mention of Japanese involvement.”

“No, history is always written by the victors.” The man grimaces.

“But the Kagegun did accompany them? They didn’t abandon her?”

“No, Sanoske stayed as close to her as he could, though she didn’t know it. They moved quickly. You’ve probably heard that the invasion took place in just a few weeks.”

“They traveled north, burning the establishments, nurseries, and schools,” the reporter says, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Hmm, that’s where history gets a bit fuzzy. Even for me.

“The schools, nurseries, and establishments, along with the factories, underground farms, and train stations, were already covered in ash. They had been for the last hundred years.

“Albion was a country buried in the ruins of its past. We think the Chinese tried their best to avoid any of Albion’s settlements. They wanted to make a trade. They had negotiated their passage.”

“The Chinese empire had already invaded all of Europe and Asia by that time,” the reporter recalls.

“The alliance—China, Japan, and India—had, along with the ever-resilient Mongols. They knew how to invade.

“The line of trucks traveling north through Albion’s ashy landscape wasn’t exactly subtle, but it was led by a group of scouts at least a couple of days ahead, making sure the territory they were covering wasn’t too hostile.

“Planes circled above in protection and defense. It was a well-oiled machine.”

“Who did they want to exchange for Alexandra?” the journalist asks.

“A general in their army, who also happened to be a member of the royal family. And any other soldiers that might have survived in Albion work camps.”

“And why did they invade at that time?” she presses.

The man cracks a small smile and runs his fingers over his slightly stubbled chin.

“This was a hundred years into the war. Albion was one of the biggest threats to the New World. They fought anyone and anything.

“The Asian allies took decades to stop blowing each other up and join forces and then finally invade Europe. The American forces, led by Brazil, were constantly pushing back against the Asian forces, trying to get a foothold.

“They had been planning the Albion negotiations for years, first sending in the Kagegun to take down the Master houses from the inside, then sending the Chinese forces to negotiate for a surrender.”

He shrugs. “The rest is history.”

“But the invasion failed,” the journalist points out.

“Yes,” he nods. “It did.”

“So what happened with Alexandra?” the journalist asks, her curiosity piqued.

“They headed north to the moors where there was an Albion stronghold and the official meeting place for war negotiations. Not too far from Sector 64, where my mom was born. But they didn’t quite get there.”

“They didn’t?”

“No, they were ambushed. It was in the dead of the night. The trucks had stopped moving, men had pitched their tents for the night, and most were sleeping. The sentries paced the borderline of the encampment.

“My mom and the Master were taken out of the truck, fed, and tied to the center pole of a tent to sleep, like they were every night.

“Kazuya and the other Kagegun who had accompanied the Chinese north were in position, guarding the food storages not far from my mom’s tent, while Sanoske was with the Chinese generals discussing the road still to travel.

“They’d been on the road for about two weeks, and he’d only been able to catch a glimpse of my mom every once in a while.

“He overheard the crude discussions the Chinese soldiers would have about her and had to force himself not to punch them out. He was determined not to let her slip through his fingers, not to ever let her go.

“Every night, he lay in his sleeping bag on the ground outside her tent with his men. On the night of the ambush, he was still in the Chinese general’s tent going over the passageways they’d have to take through the marshes.

“They were cut off when they heard shouts and guns firing. They burst out of the tent to see that they were completely surrounded by the Albion army.

“Identical-looking soldiers in gray advanced through the camp, and massive tanks sat meters apart, completely surrounding the camp.

“They had come up from underground nearby—a technique they had recently learned from Resistance, Sanoske would later be disgusted to know.

“The Chinese generals immediately ordered their men not to resist and allowed the Albion soldiers to filter through the ranks, collecting weapons and herding men into groups.

“They were utterly outnumbered and taken by surprise. They had negotiated a safe passage to the meeting place. The Perfects were breaking that promise.

“Two Masters appeared and were led to where the Chinese generals and Sanoske were being guarded by young Albion soldiers.

“Despite wanting to run for it, grab my mom, and escape the whole country, Sanoske stayed by the side of the Chinese and signaled for Kazuya to guard my mom.”

“The Masters and the Chinese generals engaged in a heated discussion. The Chinese clearly informed the Masters that they had surrounded but a small section of their army.

“Their planes, tanks and soldiers would not hesitate to come thundering down on Albion to destroy them all if he gave the signal, the Chinese generals threatened. The Masters only laughed and launched their attack.”

***

The sounds of shouting, heavy footfalls, guns clattering to the ground, and men cursing in Chinese fill the air outside the tent. Even though I don’t understand the language, I can tell they’re swearing.

The Master, who’s bound to the same pole as me, is muttering under his breath. He hasn’t exactly been a joy to travel with.

His words to me are either accusations of betrayal or promises of a gruesome death, preferably by his hand. Given our impending trade-off, it seems like he might get his wish.

I try not to dwell on it. Every day, I see Sanoske in the distance, and I know deep down that he’d die before letting any Master harm me again.

The commotion outside the tent subsides, and I strain to catch snippets of conversation. All I can hear is the shuffle of feet and the Master’s bitter mutterings.

Oddly enough, I feel calm. Being a captive of the Chinese has been uncomfortable, but not unbearable. They’ve fed me more than I’ve ever eaten in my life and granted me all the bathing time I’ve asked for.

So, despite the chaos outside and the unmistakable sound of angry voices, I’m not worried.

In the distance, the crunch of approaching footsteps grows louder. I start to hear voices: the sharp tones of Chinese, the clear ring of Albion English from a Master, and a hushed Japanese voice issuing swift commands.

Suddenly, the back of the tent is thrown open, and Haruhiko bursts in, his eyes wide and determined. He rushes over, cuts through my binds with a knife, and pulls me up.

I know better than to speak. I just follow him as quickly as I can. The Master is shouting behind us, raising the alarm about my escape. Just as we slip out, Albion soldiers march into the tent.

Haruhiko runs, dragging me along. Behind us, I can hear the Master alerting the others to my escape. An alarm blares, rousing the entire camp.

The Chinese start to fight back against the Albion soldiers. Battles erupt around Haruhiko and me, but he keeps running straight ahead, pulling me through the skirmishes.

Finally, he shoves me into one of the Chinese trucks and slides into the other side. He twists the key, and the engine roars to life. The truck lurches forward, kicking up a cloud of ashy dirt.

Behind us, all I can hear are shouts, screams, and gunfire. Ahead, I see a line of Albion soldiers aiming their bazookas at us.

A bright-red flash lights up the sky, and the ground shakes as their missiles explode just meters away. Haruhiko swerves to avoid them, his fingers white-knuckled on the wheel, his eyes darting around.

As we get closer, I see the soldiers reloading their guns and taking aim again. Then, there’s a blinding flash of light, a deafening explosion, and the ground where the soldiers were standing is catapulted into the air.

My ears are ringing as we drive through the aftermath.

“Remotely detonated mines,” Haruhiko says, breaking his silence. He looks at me. “We set them up last night.”

“You knew there would be an attack?” I can barely hear my own voice.

“We expect an attack every night,” he answers.

Haruhiko presses on, and I turn to look back. The entire camp is in flames; it’s a disaster.

But amidst the chaos, I can make out a figure standing at the edge of the camp, watching as Haruhiko and I disappear into the distance, a sword clutched tightly in his hand.