StarGaze

The Wild Card

Thomas got up early, as usual, unable to sleep from the cold. He had this condition that whenever he was in a cold climate, his legs would pain severely during the night. It was dark outside, so Thomas decided to stroll around the temple gates where there was light from the lanterns.

As he paced up and down the gates to divert his attention from the loneliness and the pain in his thighs, he saw a bright blue stream of light right over the other side of the mountain. This was not the first time he had seen this flash, and he knew that this was not going to be the last time either.

He snatched a lantern from the temple door and ran towards the place where he had seen the light. The wooden slippers sunk knee-deep in the snow, but the man would just not give up.

"Brother, maybe it was just your mind playing tricks on you," Raghav said, walking alongside him.

"Come on man, don't tell me you didn't see it too. And you don't have to make yourself visible to me every time. We both know you only exist inside my mind. And I would appreciate it if you would stay there." Thomas said and slowed down his pace. He was weary from all the trouble he had to go through just because the skies couldn't hold the snow in their bellies for one more night.

"Oh yes, look. The tree burnt down there, it was lightning." Raghav said and giggled.

"It was no lightning, the weather is clear now. It was something from my past, and I pray to God that I am wrong." Thomas said as he lifted the lantern to look around.

As he walked up to the tree, his right hand went to his hips as a force of habit. But this time, there was no gun to be found and all he had were his cold fists and the lantern in his hand. He touched the tree, it was hot, meaning that the jump was fresh.

"Hello, Mr. White. Remember me?" An old man's voice came from behind him.

It was a familiar voice, but Thomas was still on guard as he turned around and confronted the director. The old man was delighted to see the ever-young assassin and extended his hand towards Thomas.

"I remember you, but I don't remember the figure hiding behind the rock there," Thomas said, pointing his lantern at the darkness of the mountain.

"Wow, still sharp!" The director said, sounding impressed.

"What do you want?" Thomas asked the director while stealing a look at Raghav, who had put on a worried face.

"I'll tell you about my objective, but first we must help my companion. He was wounded during the jump, and I don't know how to help him." The director said, pointing at the rock behind which the middle-aged man was laying.

"Show me," Thomas said and paced towards the man.

He saw Humstein on the snow, keeping pressure on his stomach, which was bleeding out at a slow pace. He also noticed small shrapnel of wood lying nearby.

"Help me!" Thomas said as he lifted the man gently and carried him on his shoulders. The director followed the monk to the monastery.

Thomas placed the scorching man on the ground while he fetched the other monks and told the director to keep Humstein awake in all cases.

"Oh no, what happened to him?" The old monk asked.

"He...he somehow collided against a tree and one pointy branch pierced through his skin." The director said in Chinese and moved away from the sweating man.

"Thankfully, the wood did not cut his liver or kidneys. He might survive, but only if he makes it through the treatment and the night." The healer said as he applied a paste on the captain's entry wound.

"Well, he is in the hands of God now," Thomas said and went into his room.

The director looked at him in disbelief as he heard the name of a god from him. He followed Thomas into his room, where he found Thomas sitting on a mat and meditating.

"I am happy to see that retiring you into ancient China was a good decision." The director said and sat on the ground beside Thomas.

"Yes, I think so too. Coming here gave me a purpose again. Now I seek the light at the end of the tunnel." Thomas said without opening his eyes.

"Well well well, look at you Tommy boy. What would your past self say if he saw you in this peaceful state of mind?" The old man said and laughed.

"People change, I always knew that. I can also sense when people are making small talk before dropping a huge bomb. So, what exactly do you want with me?" Thomas asked, opening his eyes.

There was a gleam in his eyes, and the director was taken by surprise. Thomas was now a man of God, and it is not easy to convince men of god to leave their faith behind and fight for a dying planet. Especially the ones who have already seen the horrors that humans inflict on each other.

"Something big has come up, and you have a critical role to play in it." The man said, placing his hand on Thomas's shoulder.

"You could never leave anyone in peace. As long as you see some unique benefit in somebody, you will squeeze them until they either die or give in to the shadows surrounding them. I have been saved, and I refuse to go back into the darkness.

You use fancy f*****g words like heroes, patriotism, duty, and honor to make innocent and brainwashed people like me run into battle with their eyes blindfolded from your true intents. And while we bleed out and die in the war for you, you just sit there, sipping tea and eating a cookie.

Truth is, my life doesn't mean s**t to you, you are just threatened with losing your position. I know it by the look in your eyes. You don't give a rat's ass if a million children get murdered or a woman gets r***d in front of you. You only recognize something when it goes against the system. And fools like us believe that we are fighting for the greater good. I say, no more!" Thomas said with a calm face, but the rage burning inside was clearly visible in the eyes. He had learned to channel rage, and that was the reason because of which the director still had his head on his shoulders.

And after all, why should he not be angry? For almost two centuries, his life was scarred with bitterness, rage, violence, and betrayal. That was all he had ever known, and so when he was finally free, he didn't know life beyond these things. All the agency had ever given him were ghosts following him in the nights and breathing down his shoulders as he closed his eyes.

And now that he had finally found a higher purpose and some fragile peace, they tracked him down to drag him right back inside the blood and conflict.

Thomas got up and walked out of his room, as if in a hurry. The director was no rookie in this game, so he let out a sigh and followed Thomas out. With a swift motion, Thomas turned around and grabbed the old man by his throat. He lifted the man and the latter struggled to breathe.

"I already gave you my answer, go away before I reply with my fists," Thomas warned the man, whose eyes started to roll with suffocation.

He threw the man on the ground, who groaned as his back hit the stones behind him. Thomas didn't turn around to see the damage he had caused and continued walking away.

"See Thomas? Peace is not for people like us. We belong on the battlefield. Killing gives us joy and sense of purpose, more than any monastery in the world could give you. Embrace yourself for who you are, not what you want to be." The man said and got up with a hand on his hips.

"Noted," Thomas said and paid no heed to the man's words.

"Come fast, he could be gone anytime soon." The healer shouted from his room.

"f**k!" Thomas said coldly and looked back at the man behind him.