Julia Dream Read online

  The sharp eyes of the Commander returned to Julia, lit by a new respect.

  “You have my thanks for this crucial information, Captain. And my compliments for your awareness. Please accept my apologies, I had indicated that area as safe. I will send out Sum-Commander Arl to search the perimeter with a patrol squad.”

  “I can go with them to show them the way.”

  Nah shook her head, clearly wounded in her pride by what had happened.

  “That won’t be necessary. You have given us precise coordinates, and I don’t want to distract you from your mission any longer. I will keep you updated on our discoveries.”

  Julia addressed them with a tight bow, and left. She still had blood on her breastplate and dust in her hair.

  

  The unlikely and sudden sound of the videophone alert buzzed in the half-light of the room, arriving to the adjacent bathroom. Julia forced herself out of the shower, sketchily draping a towel around her figure and walking into the room to pick up the call.

  “Julia?”

  Marcus’ voice and face, in direct access.

  The girl appeared on screen, looking tired, with her hair wet. The Secretary smiled when she appeared.

  “Hello there. Are you ok?”

  “Not exactly. I almost got myself killed.”

  Marcus’ smile faded in a second.

  “What happened?”

  “Terrorist scouts, in broad daylight, in full base territory. There were three of them and I was alone. I wanted to familiarize with the Forest when I bumped into their patrol.”

  Julia paused for a moment.

  “I think the Terrorists are planning to enter the territory following the river. Commander Nah has been warned and has sent a squad there, where I had to engage and at the border, to make sure the barriers are holding.”

  Marcus nodded slowly, surprised but apparently not too upset by these news.

  “Offer your help - you will be able to gather material even while fighting with them.”

  “That’s what I thought, but I paused in front of her hurt pride. By the way, for the moment she has no proof of what happened if not my word.”

  “It’s not up to you to worry about her feelings, just like she should not doubt your word.”

  Julia lowered her head.

  “If I have done something wrong, I beg for your forgiveness.”

  “Don’t worry. In any case once you meet again she’ll know the truth of your story, and I believe she will appreciate the skills you can offer.”

  The Secretary looked at her in the eye.

  “I think she will feel very lucky that you are there. She’s probably considering that you can help her cut her losses by 50%.”

  Julia frowned, worried, but a new light glinted in her eyes.

  “Can I really?”

  “Of course you can. Choose a good team and collaborate with Nah.”

  The girl tightened her lips and nodded.

  “I will.”

  

  Once the videophone returned to nothing but a silver screen and Marcus’ voice no longer filled the room, Captain Mayne quickly donned her armor, while angrily rubbing a towel against her now simply damp hair. She was sitting at the edge of the bed to pull on her boots, when she stopped for a moment, thoughtful, her hands on her knees and her gaze between her feet.

  She stood up at last, stretching her knees first, then her torso, relaxing her back to place the palms of her hands on the floor, bent in two with her legs straight. She breathed out slowly, standing up only once she had completely emptied her lungs, then massaging the back of her neck and stretching her arms, elbows behind her head and the open palm of her hand on the opposite shoulder blade. She was ready.

  A soldier, a grim looking girl, was waiting for her outside the door.

  “Captain, the Commander has asked to see you.”

  Julia nodded, unsurprised.

  “Very well, let’s go.”

  The girl escorted her to Nah’s tent, and at the entrance instead of taking the stairs up, they went through a metallic door dividing the rest of the ground floor from the entrance, and found themselves in a rectangular room. Nah was sitting at a table with other officers. Arl was not present.

  “Commander, Captain Mayne has arrived.”

  With these words the girl saluted and left. Julia addressed a sign of salute to the room.

  Nah pointed to a chair on her right.

  “Captain, I hope you won’t mind taking part in our meeting. We are grateful for the precious information on our enemy’s movements you were able to provide.”

  Julia sat down, crossed her legs.

  “Of course. You have all my support, if needed.”

  The Commander’s beautiful face relaxed, suggesting an emotion very similar to relief.

  “Good. Here we have the directors of the Departments of Engineering, Fighters and Landmines, in order to organize a coordinated counterattack. From the border Arl has communicated that our outposts were never attacked – just a few skirmishes, probably diversions.”

  “Tell me about the Landmines Department.”

  A thin, dark haired man with lively eyes seated in front of Julia introduced himself.

  “I’m Diego Leon, director of the Landmines Department. Our role is to draw a detailed map of this quadrant.”

  Nah nodded, stretching her legs forward and propping herself more comfortably on the chair.

  “Some years before the Cataclysm, this area was filled with landmines by its inhabitants. Perhaps Secretary Marcus knows why. Anyway, even now that the radiation is gone, many still pose a threat of explosion.”

  “You want to push the Terrorists in the mined area?”

  Leon’s deep baritone answered her question.

  “We had considered it, but it’s not possible. Our knowledge of the area with landmines is still too scarce, and their disposition too irregular.”

  “I understand. Sorry if you have to repeat yourselves for me. What is your plan of action?”

  “We have to counterattack. Penetrate deep in their territories and very carefully defend our borders.”

  Julia turned to look at the bulky man in his fifties that had spoken without introducing himself. She rapidly studied his confident posture, bordering overconfidence, taking in the sideways looks and raised eyebrows of his colleagues.

  Nah rapidly intervened.

  “Yes, this is the idea. Director Vann’s units are extremely well prepared, but we still have to understand how to deploy them most efficiently.”

  “I know several groups of Terrorists are converging in this area.”

  The Commander nodded, distractedly passing a hand through her hair.

  “Yes, they are. The Forest is very thick and aerovehicle patrols reveal little of the Terrorists’ movements. I’ll have to send ahead an expert and quick group capable of penetrating deeply into their territory, while two larger groups will have to follow closely and constantly protect the rearguard to avoid an encirclement.”

  Julia nodded, her lips tight, eyebrows drawn in a concentrated expression.

  “If the first group can remain unpredictable in its movements, it would probably have a constant initiative. I could merge my research group to this squad, if you wish.”

  Nah’s green eyes met Julia’s gray gaze, and the Commander nodded.

  “Choose your men from any department between today and tomorrow. We’ll have to leave in two days.”

  

  “Captain Mayne.”

  Julia turned around, while crossing the entrance to the Commander’s tent. Behind her, Diego Leon of the Landmines Department was hurrying to meet her.

  “Captain, I’m going to the Operations Center of my Department to address our research to the areas which will soon interest us. Would you like to come with me? I will be able to explain our work better from there.”

  The man addressed a building on their right with a welcoming gesture of his hand.

  �
�My technicians are clearly at your disposal, should you want any in your team.”

  Julia looked up at the sun, enormous and glaring, dragging itself in its slow descent. Her head felt light because of the heat, of fatigue and the after-effect of adrenaline, but she forced herself to pay attention to the words of the officer facing her. Few hours remained before the sunset - it would appear unseemly to rest in such a time.

  “Gladly. I take it your activity is fundamental.”

  The girl had spoken with sincere interest, and Leon’s eyes flashed with satisfaction. Julia wondered whether the Landmines Department’s work received the acknowledgement it deserved.

  The man walked past her, walking in the shadow of the tent.

  “Please, follow me. We’ll be able to have something to drink once we are there.”

  Julia hurried after him. The Operational Center was no more than a hundred steps away from Commander Nah’s tent, but the scorching air of the afternoon cut her breath. They hurried towards the cool and half-lit entrance of the warehouse with clear relief.

  Just at the door there was a refrigerator, with a small closet with some glasses; Leon took a pitcher full of pink liquid from the fridge and poured some for both.

  “It’s grapefruit juice. Very refreshing.”

  Julia took the glass to her lips, trying to grasp a smell, then took a small sip, surprised by the color of the liquid. The taste was sweet, sugary of concentrated sun, but with a sour aftertaste that rapidly quenched her thirst. Rapidly overcoming her hesitation she emptied the glass in a couple of gulps.

  Leon had also finished his juice and was looking at her approvingly.

  “The heat is intense in these hours. I wrote a procedure for my department, ordering to always have fluids at hand. With the humidity we have, it’s easy to extract much of the water we need directly from the air.”

  Julia nodded, exploring the warehouse with her eyes. Several figures were sitting around about 20 interactive tables. A faint blue, green or brown luminescence came from the work stations.

  “Fascinating. You seem extremely efficient. How do you work, exactly?”

  Leon shrugged.

  “Actually, a great part of our work is theory. We seek experimental confirmation when we can.”

  Julia continued to look at him with interest, and after a moment the Director went on with his explanation.

  “We start from air photography and try to understand where buildings stood, before the Cataclysm. At that point we simulate which adjacent areas could have been mined - when we can, we send probes in the suspicious area to confirm our interpretation.”

  The girl raised her eyebrows, impressed.

  “That’s an enormous task.”

  He smiled.

  “Daunting, but not impossible. Several mines exploded during the Cataclysm, leaving traces that can simplify our task, when seen from up close.”

  “I understand.”

  “For our future mission, I plan to concentrate our search on the riverside. Please feel free to look around.”

  Julia nodded thoughtfully.

  “Thank you, I will.”

  

  She silently walked around the perimeter of the warehouse. From the windows on the long sides of the rectangle she found weapon racks with guns and light rifles. It was quite obvious that units of the Landmine Department were on the field so rarely that there was no point in assigning them a personal weapon.

  Julia picked up one of the rifles and some ammo from the shelf below. She loaded it, handled it with a few nervous gestures, then disassembled it and placed it back where it was - it almost looked like a toy when compared to her Kalashnikov Beta, but it was quick, easy to load and probably without recoil.

  Looking up from the rack she realized she was being watched. A girl which looked Cleo’s age or younger had left her workstation to come closer, and was looking at her.

  Julia opened her eyes to study the unlikely subject in front of her. The figure stood against the light, but her profile was unique: her light hair was tied in two pigtails at the side of her head – by two pink bands, as appeared when she moved closer, crossing the space lit by the window in front of Julia. Her nails were long, enameled, pearly and perfect, while her feet were tucked in a pair of clogs open on the toes.

  Quite obviously the Landmines Department didn’t care much about uniform.

  The girl spoke with a voice ringing with curiosity and shyness combined.

  “Hello! How are you? The Landmines Department is amazing, don’t you think? It’s always like working on a treasure hunt.”

  The sound of a weight falling with a thud on the carpet of ferns. The smell of the shot, red stains on a body that is projected away, blood stains on the grass, on the flowers. The blaming silence of the entire Forest, of the tall silent trees.

  “I had to shoot three Terrorists today. And I’m planning operations that probably will lead me to shoot at many others. How do you think I feel?”

  The blonde girl changed color at these words, going pale before blushing, even though Julia’s tone had been tired rather than hostile. Understanding the effect of her words the Captain sweetened her tone.

  “What is your name?”

  “Ary Lee, Ma’am.”

  “Can I call you Ary?”

  “As you wish, Ma’am.”

  “What has led you to join the Army, Ary?”

  “My brother, or better, my brother’s example. He is 5 years older than me and has been at the front since I was a kid. I never wanted to be a shame for my family, so I followed his footsteps as soon as I could.”

  Julia looked at her in silence, curious, waiting for her to keep on talking.

  “From the Ministry’s tests I discovered my inclination towards the Landmines Department’s work, so here I am in BO07.”

  “Do you know the riverside area well?”

  Ary’s pigtails jumped up and down when she nodded vigorously.

  “Oh yes. I carried out the studies of Geographical History on the riverbed, to understand where it used to run at the time of the Cataclysm.”

  Julia narrowed her eyes, careful, speaking slowly.

  “In two days I’m going to be leaving for a mission in that area. I’m going to take with me specialists from the different departments. Do you want to come with me?”

  The eyes of the young researcher shone.

  “Yes! If the Director has nothing against it.”

  “I’ll speak with him, I don’t think there will be any issue. Find me someone that can act as your backup.”

  Ary’s pigtails seemed almost to droop down at the sudden terror that flashed in her eyes, as if the risks had finally dawned on her in hearing talks about a backup.

  Captain Mayne stared at her unflinching, in silence - after a few seconds the blonde girl bowed her head, whispering and trying to hide her shame.

  “I’m not very good at shooting.”

  Finally Julia smiled at her.

  “That is not a problem. The Fighters’ team will take care of that.”

  

  Sprawled on the bed with arms and legs pointing at the four corners of the room, Julia was debating with her insomnia. Her muscles, heavy with fatigue and adrenaline, demanded an unconditional and undisturbed sleep - but her mind was working, following the tasks ahead of her.

  Find a full team; she was still missing two engineers and at least five fighters. Agree with the Commander on how many units to employ as a vanguard, along with the team of technicians. Carry out Marcus’ mission and concurrently safeguard Nah’s needs. And then talk to Cleo. This was what made Captain Mayne toss and turn in her bed. Her body demanded rest, but her mind needed a vent.

  At last, in the safety of the base and in the darkness of the night hours, the unexpected risk of the encounter with the three Terrorists appeared as it had been - enormous. And now that Julia had carried out with due diligence the ordinary and extraordinary tasks of the day, she felt the need to share without shame a
ll her posthumous fear.

  For Nah or Arl or for anyone in the base her death would mean nothing more than a bunch of annoying papers to fill, but pouring her fear on Cleo was not a viable option. She curled up and hugged her knees, anticipating the version of the story she would tell her sister; slowly she let her consciousness slip.

  

  When she opened her eyes, the sun was already filtering in the room through the steel shielding at the window. Dusty and fierce rays were drawing shining stains of molten gold in the silent half-light of the room.

  Julia sighed. She turned on her right side and closed her eyes, mentally counting the ten seconds she had conceded herself before getting up. She relaxed all her muscles before sitting up and raising mechanically. She looked at her image in the bathroom mirror, straightened her shoulders, splashed water in her semi-closed eyes - another day was starting for Captain Mayne.

  

  Vann, Director of the Fighters, was observing the morning drill of his men, shielding his eyes with one of his hands. The sun, enormous and menacing, made the fighter’s faces and arms shiny with sweat while they engaged in combat exercises.

  Next to the man’s massive figure Julia appeared incredibly small and lithe, yet her pose was attentive and martial - the way she held her hands behind her back, and her tight and concentrated eyes contrasted with the relaxed demeanor of the Director. The girl’s attention darted from one work group to the other, trying to grasp the entire scene, while clearly Vann only had eyes for his favorite pupil.

  After all, he was hard to miss – tall and muscular, he was in the front row, with his straight nose and the well-defined jaw of someone used to being satisfied. He was resisting without effort to his sparring partner’s attacks, and Vann was looking him with a half smile of scarcely hidden smugness. For a moment Julia wondered about the familiarity in his looks, before realizing it was his attitude which reminded her of Kob.