2050: A Time of Courage

Chapter 16: Commander Petrovich/Rosalie

Commander Petrovich

It was a matter of hours before the effects of the Superior girl's blood wore off, leaving me to feel the pain from the multiple wounds I suffered during the earlier battle.

The pain does not bother me; being a soldier, I have endured much worse. The loss of my prisoners, though, has proven to be a major inconvenience.

Over the past three days, we have remained on the outskirts of Manchester, essentially doing nothing. During the daylight hours, I supervise my underlings as the soldiers of lower rank train with each other, practicing hand-to-hand combat maneuvers that they should already know by heart.

In my spare time, I have been escaping to the tranquility of my room, slowly making my way through each page of the scientist's journal.

The majority of the book focuses on Kristenson's own test subject, a Superior with the ability to read the minds of those in his vicinity. The accounts of his ability are followed by an extensive list of tests, the outcomes of which are also housed in the pages of the volume. I find myself losing track of time while devouring the contents of the journal, learning how the scientists were successfully able to permanently hide their thoughts from their subject and how this development impacted the tests they ran.

Most people might find it boring, but I found that I could scarcely put the book down. Now, I find myself staring at the last entry, dated the fifteenth of August, 2045. It doesn't take long at all for me to realize that this is the day the group of scientists and their test subject left the laboratory for a more obscure location.

"We fear the fighting will soon find its way to England." Kristenson began this passage. I can't help rolling my eyes at the comment. From the moment the first nuclear bomb of this war met its target, there was no doubt that the fighting would spread. People were taking their sides almost before the conflict began.

World War III was inevitable, and the fact that this scientist was afraid tells me that he was naive. He must have been one of the skeptics, the ones who thought this conflict would end quickly. Everyone who has ever predicted an early end to a war has seemingly been mistaken, and it annoys me that some still hold onto that way of thinking.

War cannot be fast; there must be time to savor each and every battle, to grow triumphant at each victory and enraged at the losses.

"We plan to depart tomorrow." I find myself reading on, still annoyed at the seemingly-gullible nature of the man, "There is another laboratory in the Irish countryside, and we will stay there until we hear news of the war's end. There is a small town nearby, and if the keeper of this book wishes to find me, I will provide brief instructions on how to do so."

Not the smartest of ideas, I decide. How was this man to know who would want to find him, or for what reason? He could be leading a killer to his doorstep, and depending on his level of participation in my plan, he may still be doing so.

I resolve to find him, find his colleagues and their test subject if at all possible. His successes will be mine, and the research he has and will conduct will lead me to gain my own supernatural talent. Kristenson is yet unaware, but he is to become my next stepping stone to world dominance.

Rosalie

We leave the O'Sheas' house after breakfast, around nine-thirty. It's a really nice morning, the sunshine making it seem like nothing could possibly go wrong. Somehow, this makes me expect the worst as we climb back into our car.