Inside the shelter, Heidis was awake. However, she did not go
out to join Max and Esonia, but laid still and listened.
Esonia stood up suddenly, ¡§Why am I talking to you about
this?¡¨
¡§Don¡¦t try to run away again.¡¨ Max only replied,
¡§Tell me how I can help you.¡¨
¡§And you haven¡¦t answered my question yet.¡¨ She
reminded him, ¡§Why do you want to find out something about me?¡¨
He answered, ¡§I want to help you. That¡¦s all.¡¨
She didn¡¦t speak for a moment. There was something subtle,
which made her feel uncomfortable. ¡§Okay.¡¨ She finally made up her mind,
¡§I¡¦ll tell you, but then you¡¦ll look at me as if I am the biggest
nuisance.¡¨
¡§I won¡¦t, I promise.¡¨ He meant what he said.
She sighed and paused for a moment before saying, ¡§If you
knew what the PN Centre is really about, then I bet you¡¦d also want to
tear everything down.¡¨
¡§Why?¡¨ He couldn¡¦t get the idea right away.
¡§Did you know that in every mission Heidis and Yisa
participated, at least ten lives of innocent people were ruined?¡¨
¡§How?¡¨ Max was shocked, ¡§Well Cat told me something
about her father¡K¡¨ He realized that he had let slip the wrong thing.
¡§Yes.¡¨ Esonia eyed him suspiciously, ¡§Her father was
one of the victims. The PN has lots of different ways they can trick people
to hand over all their money and properties. In the end, the victims will
lose everything. But the PN is not doing it for commercial or financial
purposes.¡¨
¡§What is it for then?¡¨ He asked.
¡§Part of the money they snatched is used to attract the
talented people like Heidis and Yisa to work for the Boss.¡¨ She told him,
¡§The other part goes to normal investments and development of commerce.
That¡¦s how the illusion of PN Centre being a great financial centre is
created. What does Heidis do? She¡¦s the one who plans everything¡Xto get
the target into the trap, to snatch all possessions, and to talk the
businessmen into suicide so that no one else would know about it. Yisa is
one of the special agents to assist her on carrying out the plan. Then,
after the mission, all the special agents had to be exterminated. They are
not killed immediately, as far as I know. Perhaps they are refrigerated for
later use. Maybe they are disposed elsewhere. No one knows.¡¨
Max shuddered,
¡§That¡¦s¡K¡¨
Esonia began again, ¡§There were a few businessmen with
strong wills. They were swayed to kill themselves, and that¡¦s when Heidis,
Zephaniah, Felin, and Mohia get to work. They will kill the businessmen and
make it look like suicide. They must be very careful that no one will ever
know in order to keep themselves in business.¡¨
Max was shocked, but he quickly overcame the surprise. He
heard Heidis mentioned to him about her job before, and he had some idea. He
shook his head to clear his mind, ¡§You went to the PN Centre to find out
all these?¡¨
Esonia shook her head, ¡§Not really. These are just the
by-products of my work. I went there because of Zephaniah.¡¨
Zephaniah? Heidis was really stunned. What has he got to do
with her? She remembered the scenes of the combats between Zephaniah and the
three of them. Zephaniah was penalizing Esonia all the while. They knew each
other. That was why¡K
¡§Zephaniah?¡¨ Max repeated as if he had heard wrongly,
¡§Why?¡¨
Esonia breathed a sigh, ¡§Ask me some other time.¡¨
He insisted, ¡§Tell me now. Tell me what you¡¦re afraid to
face.¡¨
She avoided his glance and dropped back onto the hood of the
abandoned car beside him. She didn¡¦t speak for a long time, and he waited
patiently. ¡§Linda and Witt might have told you about the attack on my
family twelve years ago.¡¨ She said finally after a prolonged silence,
¡§Felin was sent to tell my father that the Boss of PN Centre wanted my
brother and I to work for him and asked my father to sell us. My father
refused the offer and drove Felin away, but he returned the next day, busted
right in, and killed my father. He attempted to snatch us away from home,
but my mother protected us and gave up her life. In the end, my brother was
taken away, and I would have been too if it wasn¡¦t for Witt and several
other citizens who stood up and fought for me.¡¨
¡§So Zephaniah was your brother?¡¨ Max was quick to
realize.
Esonia nodded, ¡§Years had been wasted in regret that I
wasn¡¦t able to keep him safe. I didn¡¦t want to talk about it with
anyone, for it would make me feel angry with myself. I tried to close myself
up and run away from the past, but I couldn¡¦t. But then suddenly, I wanted
to do something to make up for my weakness. I wanted to have some control of
my life. I decided to leave Vega City to find him. I first saw him after the
attack five years ago. He was completely different. He still remembers that
I¡¦m his sister and how our parents were killed, but he was made to believe
that our parents were killed because they were wrong and he never doubted
whether what the Boss had done was right or not. The concept is so strong in
him, that there¡¦s nothing I can do to change his point of view.¡¨
Max listened with sympathy.
¡§I guess the Boss sent
him after me to test his loyalty.¡¨ Esonia went on, ¡§He had to do damage
to me to prove that he would not leave the Boss¡¦s side. If he disobeyed
the Boss, his life would be, like Heidis¡¦s, in danger.¡¨ She lowered her
head, ¡§I just hope that he can regain his freedom. I don¡¦t want him to
be used as a merciless killer anymore. I want to help him, even if he still
considers me as his enemy. I just don¡¦t want the deaths of our parents to
turn out meaningless. But it¡¦s just that my power is very limited.¡¨
¡§Why didn¡¦t you tell us earlier about it?¡¨ Max demanded, ¡§We
could have helped you. Well, I can¡¦t say there¡¦s much we can do, but
it¡¦ll be less risky than for you to go alone.¡¨
¡§This is only something
between Zephaniah and me. I don¡¦t want to put you in danger.¡¨ She
answered, ¡§I haven¡¦t said anything to Linda and Witt or the DARK for
they will definitely try to do something to help me. And I¡¦ve told someone
else before, and he only called me a fool and said that I should give up. I
know, what I¡¦m doing is just like performing a miracle. I don¡¦t want
anyone to sacrifice his time and life for something impossible. But still I
will do my part¡Xit is the only way to make me feel better.¡¨
Heidis in the shelter
listened in shock and despair. A sense of guilt rushed up her mind. She felt
ashamed of what she had done in the past. Esonia was not a bad person, as
the Boss, Felin and Mohia had said her to be. She was trying so hard to help
her brother who would not even listen to her. Heidis felt guilty that she
had misjudged Esonia¡Xwithout even judging. She agreed with the Boss that
Esonia was a pest without finding out what she was trying to do.
¡§But what does it matter,
even if I beat all of those people in the PN centre?¡¨ Esonia asked,
¡§What difference would it make? Zephaniah may not enjoy freedom, as he has
never known it. He was re-educated. He was fed the concepts of the Boss. He
can¡¦t think independently.¡¨
She got up and attempted to
walk away, ¡§And Heidis was with you. Even if I told her, I wasn¡¦t sure
if she¡¦s willing to help. I believe she had been re-educated too¡Xall who
work as killers for the Boss shared something in common. They were all
captured in their early childhood and re-educated so that they would be
obedient. However, now I see that he doesn¡¦t have full control over
Heidis. Maybe she was a bit older when she was re-educated that she had
already developed independent thinking. She knows what is right and what is
wrong.¡¨
Heidis was shaken. How come
she didn¡¦t know she had been¡Xre-educated? What was it all about? When
was it? She could not recall. And why was she working in the PN Centre? Was
she kid-napped? Where did she live before she came to the PN Centre?
Esonia, though once was her
enemy, knew more about her than herself. She had learned a great deal about
the dark side of the PN Centre. If she hadn¡¦t mentioned it, Heidis would
never have known. Heidis felt a sharp pain in her heart. As she closed her
eyes, the memories of her childhood nightmare rushed in.
Little Heidis
(seven years old) was locked up in a room with nothing inside but a bed,
just like a prison cell. She sat on the bed.
She was lonely and frightened and she started to cry. Suddenly, a
man, with a blurred face came inside and when he saw her crying, he was
furious. He slapped her on the face and said coldly, ¡§Don¡¦t cry! How can
you survive in this unforgiving world if you are so weak? You must overcome
the fear, the delicate humanity in you!¡¨
Was that the re-education?
