The Edge of Oblivion

Prologue

May 13, A.C. 198

It was dark and hazy as he tried to open his eyes, struggling against heavy lids. He didn't know where he was, what time it was, or how he'd gotten there. All he knew was that he'd been taken.

His head pounded. He quickly assessed the rest of his body. His hands were bound behind him. A cowl or pillowcase had been placed over his head, but that was being ripped off.

"Wakey, wakey…" came a singsong voice, followed by a chorus of low chuckles.

"Wh…" he sputtered, not quite able to speak. Whatever he'd been given was powerful. Powerful enough to get him there, wherever he was, and for him not to remember a bloody thing that happened before.

A sliver of light shot through the room as a door creaked open. He heard heavy footfalls approaching.

"He's awake?"

"Hai, hai."

Japanese. The conversation continued in Japanese, mixed with what sounded like Mandarin, with the occasional English word thrown in. Whoever the group was seemed to be leaving the room, as he heard rustling and footsteps and a door being opened and closed.

As he lifted his head and took in his surroundings through bleary eyes, a middle-aged Asian suit bent toward him, addressing him in English.

"Welcome, young man. Sorry for the rough treatment. We hope you are not too uncomfortable."

"What… do you want?" The captive answered slowly.

"Well, that's quite complicated." The man backed up, strolling to a nearby chair and taking a seat. "But in short, we want you."

His head felt as though it were splintering into pieces. "What for?" He winced.

"To help us solve a problem."

The captive was still waking up slowly, but already growing tired of the vague responses. "Just spit it out," he urged. "Who are you, and what the hell do you want with me?"

The older Asian man laughed. "Relax. I am not your enemy. At least, not yet. And I will tell you who I am, in time. For now, know that I am part of a global alliance that wants to effect change in the world, for a better future."

That could be taken any number of ways. And not necessarily in a good way. The captive grimaced. "What kind of change?"

The man stood and began to pace, hands clasped behind his back. The captive looked around the room, his vision gradually restoring itself. He was in what appeared to be a five-star hotel suite. The older man was accompanied by a tall, burly man who appeared to be a mixture of Asian and Hispanic descent, guarding the door.

The older man flashed a smile. "I know you already have a thorough understanding of the geopolitical scene; you surround yourself with its cast and characters. So I won't bore you with unnecessary details. But since it's not often you and your colleagues appear in the east, I'll fill you in on what we've been working on."

The young man frowned. "We?"

"Our alliance, if you will." The older man spread his hands. "We are a global network of political leaders, businessmen, current and former military members, spies, assassins." He paused. A smile. "Ninjas. And, of course, the occasional yakusa."

"An alliance, huh?"

"Yes."

The captive glowered. "And who are you allied against?"

"Ah." The older gentleman smiled further. "You understand perfectly. We have crafted a manifesto to disassemble the new world order, one-world government currently in power."

There was, of course, only one of those he could mean. "ESUN?"

"Yes. It is comprised of current and former Romefeller, OZ and White Fang members and is not to be trusted. It's time to shift the balance of power. The western world has held it far too long."

More of the same old… The captive thought. Another mysterious group clamoring for control. Despite his youth, he'd already seen it all.

"So you're out to start another war, then?" he scoffed.

The older man shook his head slowly. "No. To stop the war. Before it starts. That's where you come in. Are you not a Preventer?"

"Yeah, but… the world is in peace." The young man frowned. "It's been in peace. We've managed to stop several quasi-upbringings." His deep baritone rose as he spoke. "The members of ESUN are holding a broken world together, building new relationships with the colonies… There's no need to further disrupt that effort."

The older man leaned forward, resting his elbows against his thighs, clad in obviously expensive trousers. "That's where you've been blinded. You don't see what's happening right in front of your eyes… Hidden in plain sight."

"What, exactly?"

"The organization you trust has built a global empire. They control everything; the flow of money. The distribution of wealth. Food. Medicine. Weapons. The abandonment of arms two years ago didn't end all wars. All it did was lead to the rise of new weapons. Biochemical ones."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying fighting on the frontlines isn't the only way to stage a battle. Do you remember the flu outbreak last year?"

"Yeah…"

"A new strain of the flu broke out in southeast Asia, killing thousands. Only Asians were affected. You saw the news, yes?"

"Of course."

"And where do you think it came from?"

Was this man blaming ESUN? Or Romefeller? Or… both?

"You're saying this is being used to launch a new war," the captive concluded.

"It was an attempt. But the alliance tries to settle these matters without bloodshed. At least on a global scale. Which is where you come in. We want you to get to the bottom of this, find out how they harvested the virus, and what else they have planned. And help us to take down those responsible. This was likely just a test-run; the next strain should prove far more deadly. It's about population control, and they very badly want to control the dwindling population."

"And what if I say no?"

"We thought there might be a chance."

The man stood and opened a nearby dresser drawer, removing a ceremonial sepukku blade. He slid it over to the captive, then instructed the bodyguard to unbind the boy's hands.

"You have the night to think about it," the man said. "If we find you alive in the morning, we'll know what you have chosen. And if it means that you were too cowardly to do it yourself, we'll do it for you."

The man smiled before turning his heel and heading for the door, which his bodyguard opened. "Choose wisely, my friend."

The young man stared at the sword for a moment before rising, slowly, to his feet. His balance was still off from the medication, and he swayed slightly. He still couldn't remember how he'd been taken, but that hardly mattered now. What mattered was finding a way out.

If there was any.

He walked over to the room's window, and saw that he was several stories up from the ground. Not that he hadn't jumped from drastic heights before; but this time, he didn't have any parachutes, grappling hooks, or any other similar equipment. He ran his hands over his person. Of course, his gun and knives had been confiscated. Also missing were his wallet and phone.

There was no phone in the room, either. They'd seen to that. A look through the peephole revealed the burly bodyguard would be keeping an eye out all night.

So. His options were few.

He sat down on the bed, large and ornately covered, placing his chin in his hands. Did he even have to think about it? Maybe cooperating wouldn't be so bad. If there was some global scheme at work and Romefeller was responsible, shouldn't he act?

Shouldn't he at least try?

All he could think about was getting a message to his comrades. Not to alarm them, but to at least let them know he was all right. He hoped they would be able to tell her.

He was all alone, so he allowed himself to sigh.

One face, one name echoed around him in the darkness. He would stay. He would live. He would secure the situation and find his way back to her.

Relena...

-Relena's Glam Squad