NOVEL WEB Chapter 13: True Evil
Returning to my dull human senses made me feel nose blind and half deaf. But the shock of seeing Gershwin was what made me sick.
I squeezed my hands into fists. “You knew fucking Gershwin and you never told me about it?"
"Why would I?" Simon asked, "What purpose would it serve to tell you about my time in the camps? If GG hadn't forced the issue I would have happily spared you the pain.”
"But you held onto this secret for decades and never told me! Now I'm finding out you were a prisoner in the concentration camps and you knew Gershwin! Fucking Gershwin!" I screamed, my voice echoing off the stone walls around us.
"I am your father." Simon said sternly, showing a hint of the old warhund he used to be. "When I took you in you insisted that I call you my daughter. So I became your father. I put aside all my bullshit and dedicated myself to making a life for us."
He clenched his fist and squeezed, the muscles on his arms bunching up like steel cables under his short black and brown fur. "I built an empire so that you would be safe and want for nothing. I dragged Homeworld kicking and screaming into the space age. And now you're mad because I didn't tell you about things that happened long before you were born?”
“But… I never knew.” My head was spinning. It was all too much. “You know what happened to my people. You know why I'm upset.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I get it. Believe me, I understand how you’re feeling. But if anyone learned about my history we would both be in danger. I had to wait until you were old enough to keep it a secret.”
I understood where he was coming from. But it still hurt. I started to speak, to offer sympathy for what happened to him. But Simon held up a finger to stop me.
"I want you to understand something about Gershwin that the history books get wrong. They say he was evil, which is true. But they don't go deep enough into just how much of a monster he really was."
"Gershwin played the Döbian government and everyone around him like a fiddle. He encouraged them to commit genocide because it meant he would have more test subjects for his research."
"After his initial project was completed Gershwin could have upgraded the entire Döbian military. He could have stopped his horrific research. But instead he only enhanced a few dozen soldiers. He gave Döbi a little taste of what was possible, but not enough to win the war."
"Meanwhile he made sure that the Allies got a sample of his technology as well so they could make their own warhunds using his designs. He played both sides to keep the war going. When the Allies made a breakthrough he would give the army just enough enhanced soldiers to bring it back to a bloody stalemate."
"Then when the war was finally ending he set us loose along with the katzen test subjects. Not because of guilt for what he had done, but so nobody would be able to use us to continue the project once he was gone."
"Do you remember how I told you that Gershwin got the last laugh? Well we didn't know it at the time but his plans extended far beyond his death. He left hidden code in a few of his creations that would drive them to seek out and kill everyone that took part in the project.”
“Not because of guilt or a need to make amends. He wanted to silence them. He wanted to make sure that nobody knew what he was working on when he was supposed to be making super soldiers for Döbi."
"That is one of the reasons why Gershwin is so terrifying. He was playing a game with the world as his chessboard and he was so many moves ahead that nobody realized what he was doing until it was too late."
"He wasn't a Döbian nationalist or a hund supremacist like he pretended to be so that the Howlers would fund his research. He didn't hate the katzen, on the contrary, he was quite enamored with them and their technology. But that didn't stop him from nearly driving them to extinction."
"Gershwin did what he did for his own selfish reasons and now, decades later, we are still dealing with the fallout. The word monster doesn't begin to cover what he was or how much damage he caused. So yes, I knew him. And I hate him for what he did to me and my country."
I didn't know what to say. My whole idea of Simon and who he was had been shattered. I had to leave, had to go clear my head. I was overwhelmed and needed to be alone so I could process all that I had just heard and seen.
I reached up, ejected the memory chip from my scarab and handed it back to Simon.
"I think I need some time alone to go figure out how I feel about all of this." I said. "Will you be home later so we can talk?"
"I'll be back by eight." He promised. "But there's no rush. Don't think that you need to figure everything out right now. This is a lot and it may take longer than you think to fully digest. But I am happy I finally told you."
I wanted to say something cutting or pithy but my father had raised me better than that. So instead I said nothing and began taking off my shooting gear. My hand hesitated as I reached for the device at the back of my neck.
"Keep the scarab." He said. "It's bad security practice to reuse them. I would feel better knowing you’re protected."
"Thank you." I said stiffly, realizing that a response was required. "And thank you for the new uniforms."
"You are welcome, Hase." He replied. "Let me know if you want anything particular for dinner."
It was all too much. I wanted to keep a brave face on and pretend that I was fine but my first instinct was to run to my dad and tell him about what had just happened. I didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to be alone but the rest of me was crying out for comfort and safety. I gave in. I ran over and wrapped my arms around him. Clutching him tightly.
"It will all be alright." He said, holding me close as I cried. The hard armor of his front plate dug into my chest but I didn't care. "Don't worry little Hase. We will get through this and it will all be alright."