search and rescue. Tracked down lost hikers and mountain climbers. That kinda stuff.”
“A lot of need for that?”
“Some. Not really. We spent most of our time backing up other teams, like those crazy ass smokejumpers.”
Kai let out an awkward chuckle, then got a weird look on his face.
Jack said, “What? Why are you giving me that look?”
“I don’t know. I thought you were a soldier for some reason.”
“Nope. Not until the shit hit the fan, at least. Used to be against war of any kind. Hurting people, pain and suffering. That stuff was the enemy. I was a true believer, but the invasion changed my outlook I guess.”
“True believer?”
“In the mission, man. I helped people, and it’s all I wanted to do. I didn’t care who. Just help ‘em, ya know? It was a different time.”
“Yeah. Ever changing world, right?”
“How about you, Kai? What’d you used to do?”
“A lot of things. Construction mostly. I was building an offshore drilling platform when it happened.”
“Musta been nice. Out on the oceans and all that. The bastards probably didn’t pay much attention to you guys.”
“Not at first. Took them months to come out for us. Where were you when it happened?”
“In the sky.”
“What?”
“Sorry. The Corps… they flew us into China after the first strike, while the invasion was still happening. We didn’t know what the hell was going on, and next thing I know, I’m in a busted ass helicopter falling out of low orbit.”
“Intense.”
“Yeah, I guess so. We crashed in the dust cloud, and hit the ground running. Just kept moving and gathering survivors, hoping to find some place that wasn’t toast. We saw so many dead, though.” Corpses piled up in Jack’s head. “So damn many dead.”
“I’m sorry,” Kai said.
“No. No, it’s alright. They… they didn’t have to survive this crap. They were the lucky ones.”
Kai nodded, and then neither spoke for a long time. It had taken them a while to get to this point, and Jack suspected Kai had suffered more torture than he had. The man was just short of catatonic when he arrived, but after the first week, he came back to life. He was a fast healer, too. Bruises had already faded to hints of their former glory, and he didn’t look half as gaunt. His eyes were still discolored, but Jack chalked that up to allergies or malnutrition.
“Listen,” Kai said quietly and moved closer, “did they ever ask you about the… the Nefrem?”
Jack couldn’t figure out why Kai was acting so cloak and dagger. Maybe he knew something about the prison cells that Jack didn’t. “Constantly,” he said, and shuddered at the memory of the torture sessions. “Wish I had any damn idea what a Nefrem was. It’d make stonewalling them that much more satisfying.”
“Yeah.”
“And all that talk about a battle fleet. Did he mean in space?”
“I guess.”
“I just don’t get it,” Jack said. “I mean, if we had a secret fleet, wouldn’t we have used it to protect ourselves? These sons of bitches roll over us in five minutes and then have the gall to ask where our battle fleet is. It’s like kicking a three year old and then demanding his car keys. I figured he was just messing with my head.”
“Trying to keep us off guard? Makes sense.”
“I don’t know what the hell else it coulda been.”
Kai had a particularly dead look in his eyes. “Who knows. Maybe it’s a case of mistaken identity.”
Jack froze for a second, then laughed so hard it hurt. “Oh God, that’s rich. You, my friend, officially have the bleakest outlook in the whole damned universe.”
Kai asked, “How do you figure?”
“How do I figure? So, big bad space invaders drops trou on our planet and shit all over us. It’s one thing if they’re looking for a new home, or they’re on some kind of religious crusade, out slaughtering infidels, or get this… maybe they’re just mean bastards who can’t stand the sight of us. I can believe any of that. But blotting out ten billion lives by mistake? Like a filing error or something? That would be the most depressing thing in the history of damn depressing things.”
Kai smiled. “I guess you’re right.”
“Truth is, I’ve got my own theory about why they’re here.”
“Really? Do tell.”
Jack looked at Kai with a steely gaze, his eyes burning with a cold fire, and he beckoned the other man forward. When Kai was close, Jack whispered, “They were evicted.”
“I don’t follow.”
“From their last planet. They missed rent a couple months in a row, and the landlord was finally like, dude, get the hell out.”
The look in Kai’s eyes said he wasn’t sure if Jack was serious or not. A breath later, they both erupted in laughter.
“Think he turned the heat off first? Like a subtle hint?”
“Naw,” Jack said. “They just woke up one morning with all their clothes floating in orbit. And I’ll tell you this, they sure as shit didn’t get their security deposit back.”
And they both laughed some more. Jack laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. Then that silence returned.
“Anyway, I’m gonna try to get some sleep. I’ll catch you in the morning, alright?”
Kai nodded, and Jack headed back over to his side of the cell.
“Hey Jack, can I ask you one last thing?”
“Shoot.”
“What… What’s the biggest mistake you ever made?”
“I dunno. I’ve made some whoppers in my time.”
“Just pick one.”
“Fine. When I was a little punk-ass back in high school, I used to street race with friends. It was dumb, but ya know, we were kids. This one night, the rain is falling just a little bit, and suddenly I’m out of control. Wheels are spinning, making a God awful racket, and the back end gets loose. I pound on the breaks and the whole car starts to slide. I’m screwed. I’m screaming, my buddy Kyle is yellin’ in the passenger seat, and then I don’t really remember what happened. I wake up and the car’s in a ditch. Kyle’s bleeding all over the place.”
“Did he die?”
“No. Someone in the other car was smart enough to call an ambulance, and they got to him in time. It was close, though.”
“So everything worked out alright?”
“I guess. I mean, I almost lost a good friend and for what? For nothing. For being a stupid kid.”
“What came of it?”
“Kyle stayed in the hospital for a few weeks, and I got community service. We both ended up stronger for it. Really changed my life, come to think of it.”
“How?”
“They put me on a suicide hotline, of all things. I was sullen and bitchy about it at first, but then something changed. I started listening to people, and it was the first time I felt like I had a purpose. Like I was doing good in the world. That led me to the Corps.”
“Your whole career is just making up for a guilty conscience, then?”
“That’s one way to look at it. See if I waste a perfectly good inspirational story on you again.”
“Alright. Tell me another way to look at it?”
“There’s a couple different angles. Maybe I found my true calling, or maybe I learned there was value in
