Kenneth Zink | Composer

For anybody interested, here’s a sampling of my work from my Creative Writing class this semester, two poems and a short story.

I’ve had many missions, but this one was different. This one was mine. I was a soldier without orders. A man without a god.
———–
I stared out the window of the shuttle as it zoomed toward the stars. Earth was burning. It wasn’t covered in our mistakes, not entirely, but soon it would be. Most of what was deemed important was ablaze — D.C., Shanghai, London, Jerusalem. It all burned in a multitude of reds and oranges.
The view wasn’t as horrifying as it should’ve been. In fact, from above it was serene, almost beautiful. It was a palette deserving of an artist, the fires juxtaposed against the dark waters that encompassed most of the planet.
I didn’t really know why I was here. Maybe it was for Anna. Or maybe I was just tired. Maybe I just didn’t give a shit anymore. The why and what didn’t matter, though. I chose this, not some bureaucratic warmonger with his head up his ass.
I couldn’t tell if my mental posturing was confidence or doubt.
I’d seen and done too much to be shocked anymore. Humanity had been a melting pot of fear and excitement since the Ark first drifted toward Earth. Even now, as we left behind a raging inferno ready to explode, any others on board likely felt a buzz of anticipation with their dread. And I understood it. Very few people had seen the Ark in person, mostly just scientists. The rest of us viewed the marvel through our televisions, wondering if it was actually real. Even I had never seen it in person.
“Is this your first time?”
I looked across the aisle at the girl with the English accent. She couldn’t have been older than twenty-five, young to be afforded a trip to the Ark.
“Yup. You?”
“Same here.”
I shot her a look of camaraderie. We sat in silence, staring at the fire.
“It’s scary, you know. Being out here, above something like that,” she said with a nod toward the planet. “Knowing we were just there.”
I should’ve said something. Don’t worry about it. It’s not as bad as you think. Anything to take her mind off the bleak and desperate future we faced. To let her know that everything would be all right. She had all the fear and none of the excitement. She was just a kid.
“Are you scared?” I finally said.
“Yes.” she whispered.
“Don’t be. These things have a way of working themselves out.” I couldn’t tell her what I knew. That soon, there’d be nothing to destroy the world over. I felt like a little boy again, a boy with a secret just begging to be told.
“I don’t see how we can come back from this, though.” she murmured. “You’d think we’d all be able to take a step back and be disgusted by what we’ve done, at the very least exhausted, but it all just keeps burning.”
“This isn’t anything new. There’s been war as long as we’ve been here. World wars, cold wars, arms wars, space wars… that’s all we know how to do. But we also knowhow to stop a fire almost as well as we know how to start one. We’ll come out the other side, one way or another.”
Our eyes hovered on one another before being drawn back into the dance of fire.
———–
The shuttle docked at the ISS shortly thereafter. It had gotten colder the farther we got from Earth, and it was a relief when the temperature finally stopped dropping. I undid my harness and stood up, stretching my legs and admiring the now vast view of space outside the shuttle’s windows.
We couldn’t see the Ark. Not yet.
She and I walked out together, stopping at the security checkpoint on the narrow bridge between the shuttle and the station. I hadn’t realized the shuttle only carried the pilot and the two of us.
I lined up behind her at the checkpoint as she stepped forward nervously. She’d never told me what she did, but the ISS only required guards and scientists these days. She didn’t look like the former, so I’d assumed she was a scientist, and probably profoundly gifted considering her age.. It occurred to me then how silly it was to guard something so few could reach and that none could destroy. I smirked, catching a stern look from one of the guards.
“Something funny?” he said. His thick Russian accent made it hard to understand his words. For a moment, all eyes were on me.
“No sir.” The less I made myself known, the better.
The woman handed another guard her identification.
“You’re hear to see Mr. Ignis?” he asked, the German vaguely more understandable than his buddy’s Russian.
“Yes, I’m a consultant for MI6 looking to discuss the vessel’s architectural and systemic structure.”
“Ah, so we’ll see it opened soon?” he flirted excitedly.
“That’s the plan,” she said, her smile slight.
He scanned her identification again before handing it back to her with a smile. “You’re all set!”
“Thank you.”
I reached into my jacket pocket and caught her before she entered the next room. “Hey!”
She barely managed to catch the crudely carved wood totem.
“Take it. It’s been with me to hell and back.” What I’d said back on the shuttle was true, but I hadn’t chosen the best words to tell her there’ll be a tomorrow for us.
“Oh, no, that’s very nice of you, but I can’t possibly take this.” But she hadn’t tossed it back.
“How about you give it back when we leave?” I asked, knowing she wouldn’t have the opportunity.
She looked down at the totem in contemplation. “Deal.” she said, grinning. “What are these letters? AD?”, pointing to the etching on the totem.
“A reminder.”
She pocketed the totem, puzzled.
I smiled, watching her through the glass doors of the next room as they sealed behind her.
“Sir? Sir?” the German asked.
For a moment I was dreaming, forgetting our paths would never cross again.
———–
I stepped forward and handed the German my credentials, remembering why I was here. He eyed me suspiciously, clearly made nervous by my identification.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“I’m on orders from the President of the United States to speak with the head of research and development on the Ark.” I tried to hide my exasperation.
“And you have no documentation for your visit? Nothing from the President?”
“Buddy, have you seen the news? The President was attacked less than 24 hours ago. Last I heard, he was being airlifted to an undisclosed location in critical condition. You see this?” I insisted, pointing to my sooty jacket. “We barely got out of D.C. alive. Half the world is burning, and you’re asking me if he had time to fill out the necessary paperwork?” It was better to be brash than wooden when you were selling a story as false as mine.
We had been attacked, that much was true. But I had no idea what had happened to the President or any of the others. Whoever it was this time had gotten ballsy and bombed a large area of the Capitol building. It collapsed, but I was lucky enough to walk away with just a few scratches. I started searching through the smoke and rubble for the POTUS when I realized what would come next; the United States would strike at the country that seemed responsible. They simply couldn’t let an attack of that magnitude slide. Then we’d be the aggressors and they the victims. A vicious circle.
Or rather, continue. It was what had been going on since we found the Ark years ago. It was hard to blame humanity for retaliating against itself, but then again, it was also hard to forgive them. I’d never thought I’d abandon my duty, but I think my patience just run out. When the world is ending, loyalty burns as easily as money and gunpowder.
“What is the purpose of your visit?” he said, obviously irritated by my lack of cooperation.
“That’s between me and the man I need to speak to.”
Several seconds passed as the guard deliberated. I leaned in and whispered. “Listen, you and I both know that someone in my position doesn’t need to state their business, let alone give you what you’re asking for. Let’s make this easy on the both of us.”
He looked at me briefly, unsure of what to do. “Ok, let him through.”
They knew I had a gun. They just didn’t think I’d use it.
———–
The Russian who’d scolded me earlier led me through the station. I didn’t know whether it was out of courtesy or suspicion. I didn’t know the Russian’s name. I don’t know why expected anybody, least of all the guards, paragons of stoic service, to proudly display their names on tags like cashiers at a grocery store. We walked past a number of massive windows, but I still hadn’t seen the Ark.
We came to a hallway with a series of doors and stopped. The Russian turned and knocked on a door, blank save for the number 122.
“Doctor? Someone is hear to speak to you.” His Russian hadn’t become easier to understand.
A man, 45 maybe, opened the door, tall and slender with greyish-black hair. He wore a suit, white shirt, black jacket and tie underneath his lab coat. It was an effortful getup. We could’ve been mistaken for brothers.
“Yes?” he asked, clearly distracted. He scanned the guard expectantly before looking me over.
“This man has business with you,” the Russian said. I thought I heard distaste in his voice.
“Uh, could we speak in private?” I asked the doctor.
“Yeah, yeah, sure.” he answered.
I walked into his office, noting the displeasure on the Russian’s face as I shut the door.
“Yes, well, my name is Doctor Ignes. What can I do for you?” the man asked as we sat, him behind his desk and me in front of it.
Ignes. The same man the girl on the shuttle was here to see.
I didn’t answer him. I’d unnerve him first. We sat in silence and stared at each other. This was it. There’s no going back now. I remembered everything that had happened, everything that had led me to this point. I remembered why I had to do what I was about to. It was time to be the bad guy.
“Excuse me sir, but I–”
“Shut up.” I said, pulling out my 9mm and balancing it on the arm of the chair. For me, it was over. I wouldn’t leave this station alive.
He put up his hands without the slightest show of emotion. If he was scared, he hid it well. We sat. Silence bothered most people. When others opted for more…extreme methods, I’d always gone with more subtle intimidation.
“We both know that I’m a dead man. The question is; how much time do I have left?” I paused. He had to think I was crazy. Maybe I was. “Here’s the deal. You’re going to take me to the station’s central command center. When we leave this office, there won’t be a gun pointed at you. But trust me when I say that if you say anything, DO anything that I deem irregular, I’ll pull my piece so fast you won’t finish your sentence. And in case you doubt me, remember: I’m a man with precious few minutes left ahead of him. I won’t hesitate to take you down with me, but play your cards right, and you’ll walk away from this alive.”
“Are you done?” Ignis said impassively before breaking into riotous laughter.
I wasn’t thrown by his maniacal cackling. At least not enough for it to change anything. I cleared my throat, motioning towards Ignis with the gun.
“Alright, alright, you are the man!” he said devilishly, a smile still spread across his face as he laughed erratically between words. He stood up, making his way around the desk. I sprang up from my chair, my gun not six inches from his temple.
“I didn’t tell you to move.”
“Ah, but you said we would be heading to the command center. You do have precious little time, yes?”
He’d thrown me off my game. He may be a scientist, but he didn’t act like one.
“Let’s go,” I said, pushing him in front of me and out the door as I concealed my weapon. I leaned in, whispering. “Remember what I said.”
“Oh, I have a wonderful memory. I’m a scientist after all.”
———–
“What did you say your name was?” Ignis asked as we walked.
“I didn’t.”
The man would not shut up. He was different from the preoccupied version of himself that had opened the door. It was as if the head of research and development on the Ark was no more than a child with multiple personality disorder. At this point I wished I’d knocked him out back in his office. There was a chance I could’ve found my way on my own.
“You know, up here, in the stars,” he looked out the station’s windows, motioning with his hands, “I’m very powerful. People trust the man that keeps them alive.”
He turned to me as we walked.
“I can send you back to Earth and away from your death as if this never happened.”
“Keep walking, pal.” I said, putting a strong hand on his shoulder to remind him who was in charge.
“As you wish, Mr. Secret Service.”
He hadn’t seen my identification, and the guard hadn’t mentioned who I worked for.
We had reached what looked like the command center. We must’ve come during everybody’s off-hours. It was deserted except for a guard sleeping in one of the chairs. I noted the exits and emergency buttons, planning my move.
And then I saw it. the Ark.
It didn’t look like an extraterrestrial artifact. It was smaller, much smaller, than it appeared on television. Set against the massive backdrop of a burning planet Earth, it seemed even more a crime to fight so savagely for something so small and unknown.
It was then that the girl from the shuttle walked in through one of the room’s other entrances. She had earbuds in, her head buried in the table of information she carried.
“Ah, pretty young thing, isn’t she? Girls from across the pond are always the naughtiest,” Ignis remarked casually.
I put a firm hand on his shoulder again. “What’s the sequence to release the Ark?” I asked through clenched teeth. I had to get rid of him soon.
“See, I knew you were smarter than the average Joe. Despite our best efforts to destroy it, it’s proven itself indestructible. In fact, I’m beginning to think we’ll never get in. Not at the rate you guys burn. It’s a shame, really. Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.”
I wished the girl hadn’t walked in, but I didn’t have much time. Ignis was a time bomb waiting to go off.
“Yeah, whatever, so what’s the sequence?”
“Well if you really want to know…” he said like a performer on stage. He whispered it to me like a child whispers the name of their crush. Ignis. That was the code. Egotistical bastard.
I sat Ignis down next to the sleeping guard.
“DON’T do this,” he said threateningly. I saw now a flash of something different in his eyes.
“Fuck you,” I murmured under my breath.
I slammed the butt of my gun into Ignis and the guard’s skulls one after the other. They hit the floor, unconscious. I ran over to the nearest emergency button, my suspicions confirmed when the doors of the room slammed shut. The color and sound of the alarm startled the girl, who hadn’t noticed us and screamed when she saw the bodies lying still on the floor.
“Everything’s alright,” I said to her. “Everything’s fine. It’s not what you think.”
I ran over to the console, hoping to figure out how to enter the code into the machine. All of the station’s doors had likely sealed. Guards would’ve been here otherwise. The doors probably required the deceivingly simple Ignis code to reopen. I knew I had all the time in the world, but I still felt rushed. Maybe it was the planet on fire near the border of the window.
It took several minutes, but I’d finally reached the system’s command prompt.
“Stop right there, Mr. Secret Service.”
I turned around, pulling out my gun and taking in the worst situation imaginable.
“Step away from the console,” Ignis ordered, his gun to the head of the girl from the shuttle. Fear shaded her eyes, and I inched away, slowly lowering my gun.
Ignis’ laughter was the only thing I heard before he shot me.
A quick flurry of pops rang through the room. One, two, three. I’d raised my gun instinctively when he fired, letting off two shots before my arm faltered.
I was on my back, coughing up blood but still able to move. The bullet hit me in the stomach, which only gave me a few minutes to live. It was then that I realized it was deathly quiet. No talking, screaming, or shooting. Even the alarm had stopped. I looked up, scanning the room.
Her body was on top of his. Two bullets for two people. She was supposed to go home. I was supposed to save her.
I pulled myself onto the console, entering the letters I-G-N-I-S into the computer. A deep groan came from the station.
I looked through the massive window. The clamp holding the Ark slowly began to open as the station went silent again. By the time anybody realized what had happened, it will have drifted back into space. Back where it came from. The clamp retracted back into the station, releasing the Ark. It was done.
I sank slowly down, leaning my back against the console. I felt the warm blood on the floor. It could’ve been mine, hers, or Ignis’. I didn’t know. I looked down and found the totem, spattered with blood. A reminder. I squeezed it in the palm of my hand in comfort.
Some will curse me and some will hail me. Too many are already dead. I watched out the window as the Ark slowly drifted into the darkness. There was no fire or explosion, no destruction. We couldn’t throw any at it. It had to be let go.
Now there was nothing left to fight over. Now we would see if we could find out way back. If we could forgive ourselves yet again.