Margaret’s eyes widened with shock at this revelation, and her jaw dropped.
‘But, but, how the heck did he save you?! It sounds as if he was trying to kill you! Trying to murder a wounded six-year-old child!’
For the first time, unbridled emotion lit up in the boy’s eyes, like a match struck in the dark. It was obvious that he was trying very hard to conceal it, but a warmth nonetheless began to glow beneath his skin, crackling like burning coals in the night behind the shine of his eyes; it was there, and it was undeniable. Admiration? Certainly. Love? Quite likely. Margaret didn’t know how to feel at this observation. She wanted to feel rage, to feel disgust, to conclude that what this child felt for the General was either Stockholm Syndrome or the result of a form of brainwashing or mind control … but she could not deny that, at least in terms of what herintuition was telling her, it was simpler, or, perhaps, a lot more complex than that. Whatever it was, though, it was genuine, and in addition it seemed quite unshakeable. A shudder of unease passed through Margaret’s body at this particular realisation.
The boy soldier, meanwhile, smiled while he talked about the General, and now all the carefully constructed restraint he seemed to have worked so hard to maintain crumbled away, and unbridled emotion shone through.
‘To reach salvation one must pass through the trial of pain. If he had not gored me with his tusk, I would have died in that forest. After he gored me, he picked my body up with his trunk and took me away. I don’t remember the journey. The goring made me very sick, but after a lot of pain and fevers and nightmares, it eventually healed me. It gave me strength, energy, health … it gave me life … new life. And he didn’t only heal my body, he also healed my mind. The General used his power to purge the evil of corrupt human nature from my mind, and instead he replaced it with justness, with empathy, with compassion, with kindness. He turned me into the being I am now. I am beyond human, like him.’
‘You’re … you’re like him?’ Margaret gasped.
‘No, not like him at all, not yet. I am not great and wise and strong like he is. I only have a tiny fraction of his powers … I am just a lowly servant compared to him. But biologically I am like him, yes.’
‘Just a “fraction of his powers” huh?’ she asked, unable to mask her scepticism, which verged on contempt. ‘And what exactly does that mean?’
‘Like the General can change into an elephant, I can transform my body into that of a lion. And even now, in this human form I’m in, I can see, hear and smell far better than any human. If I get injured, I heal far faster than any mortal being. I cannot get sick from viruses or bacteria like mortal humans or animals can. And once my body reaches its state of prime maturity, I will stop ageing. Well, almost … the ageing process will be slowed massively.’
Margaret’s face crumpled into a disbelieving frown.
‘What the heck do you mean “stop ageing”?’
‘I mean just that, Dr Green. When my body reaches its physical peak it will stay that way, and I will only age very, very slowly. I will live for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years – like the General.’
Margaret almost tripped over her feet, and she spluttered with disbelief.
‘What?! What on earth are you talking about?! Thousands of years? I’m sorry kid, but your General is flat out lying to you. He’s talking out of his ass, plain and simple! The oldest recorded lifespan of a human being is one hundred and twenty-two years. Trust me on this, all right, I’m a doctor. I’ve studied biology and physiology in far more depth than your General, and no matter what he tells you—’
‘Please Dr Green, you must not imply that the General is a liar,’ the youth interjected gravely, shooting her a wounded glance. ‘It is a very terrible thing to say.’
‘But it’s preposterous, what he’s telling you!’ Margaret insisted. ‘No human being, no mammal, reptile or bird can live for thousands of years. None! Even reaching one hundred years is beyond the physical capabilities of ninety-nine percent of animal life on this planet. It’s, it’s, it’s insane, is what such statements are! Making such claims, he’s trying to—’
Margaret stopped herself here, realising that she may well be digging a grave for herself. She breathed deeply to calm herself down – which was extremely difficult, for she found ignorance and wild claims based on superstition to be terribly irksome – and restrained herself from making any more comments. The young soldier, meanwhile, flashed her a smile that was as uncanny as it was fleeting.
‘I’m sorry Dr Green,’ he said coolly, ‘I know you are very clever, and I don’t mean to insult you, but … you don’t know about the General. He is a lot older than you think.’
‘If you say so,’ she acquiesced, deliberately assuming an attitude of meek compliance.
The boy turned on his heels, maintaining a rigidity of form and motion, still utterly immersed in his role as soldier.
‘I must take you to the dining hall now. We shouldn’t keep the General waiting.’
‘That’s fine. I’m ready, please lead the way.’
Margaret paused here and flashed the soldier a guiltily apologetic glance before continuing. ‘I’m terribly sorry, but I’ve been very rude. I didn’t even ask you your name.’
‘I’m Sergeant Tesla.’
‘Sergeant … Tesla?’
The boy allowed himself a semblance of a smile before pulling the mask of cool neutrality back over his face.
‘It is not the name I was given by my parents. No, I left that name behind when I became part of the Antidote. The General encourages us to take
