by Chris Wright
The craft spun slightly to the side, then lost all momentum, falling violently to the floor before crashing into a building. Mateo let out a huge sigh and held his head in his hands. That had been close. Everyone else in the van was just looking at him. None had any idea he had just saved Monique and Olivia's lives, but he hadn't saved Sofia, he had been distracted with Niel at the time. He knew he could have saved her if he had continued checking up on them, and it caused an ache in his gut that he couldn't shake off.
“Sofia didn't make it” He said turning to the others, his eyes glistening as he tried to hold back the tears, “But Monique and Olivia are okay”.
He glanced back down at his laptop, the craft wasn't completely destroyed and he was still getting a video feed. The feed was of the pilot hauling himself out the wreckage, grabbing his gun and walking towards Monique who he could see had pulled herself free from the car.
Mateo swore again.
Monique
Monique began pulling herself to her feet, the soldier stepping ever closer to her. She could turn and run but he'd have a clear shot at her regardless, so there was nothing to do but face the inevitable pleading for her life. As he took a few more steps and began raising his weapon towards her head, she noticed that she recognised him.
“Sebastian?” She said, surprised to find her nephew suddenly a few metres away.
She hadn't seen him for over five years. He had enlisted in the army, a choice his parents accepted but weren't overly thrilled about. Since he enrolled, she hadn't seen him, he had been stationed in different countries, leading an almost nomadic life. Sebastian looked at Monique, squinting, lowering his gun a little. He recognised the lady in front of him, and it dawned on him that she was his aunt. He lowered his gun further, suddenly confused about why he was doing what he was doing.
“Sebastian” Monique said again, “I haven't seen you for ages, are you okay?”
“Erm, yeah” He replied slightly blank.
He was trying to remember where he had been and looked down at his clothes. Of course, he had been in the army, but for some reason could not remember anything specific, no matter how hard he tried. Behind him Olivia had managed to scrape herself off the road and had darted over to the crashed vehicle. Her heroic side had told her it was a great idea as she could use the guns to save Monique. She had never encountered this heroic side of her before, so was in a situation she was completely unprepared for. When she reached the craft, she just looked at all the controls bewildered. A confused muddle of buttons and dials and too many computer screens all clambered for her attention. Now then, what button did what? She had to try and figure it out, although she knew she probably had more chance figuring out the meaning of life than make some sense out of this jumbled dashboard. As she reached for what she hoped was the gun control a familiar voice crackled in and she suddenly saw Mateo appear on one of the screens.
“Mateo?” She cried jumping back in surprise.
“Olivia, we don't have time to talk, just press these two buttons when I say so” He said as two started to flash, “I will aim the guns remotely”
Olivia didn't know how Mateo had suddenly sprung up, but was sure as hell glad he did.
Sebastian began to lift his weapon back up.
“Sebastian, no, please don't!” Monique cried out, shielding her face. It clearly wasn't going to stop any bullet from hitting her, but she didn't want to stare into a speeding bullet.
“I'm sorry Auntie, I can't stop it” He said, tears welling up in his eyes.
He was trying his best to pull the gun away, all the will power he could muster, but there was something in his mind dragging his thoughts back kicking and screaming to press the trigger. His whole body was throbbing with angst and confusion, why was he doing this? What was controlling him? His finger began to pull the trigger, when all of a sudden, a force caused him to shake and drop the weapon. An unresisting swell of sheer pain stunned him, before the agony engulfed him completely. There was nothing left but complete and utter pain flowing through all of his body, before he dropped to the floor, the hurt subsiding, numbing, fading to nothing, as was he.
“Sebastian!” Monique screamed watching two projectiles hit him from behind, tearing through his torso like his body was made of butter.
She looked away as quick as she could, instinctively knowing it as something she could never un-see, as he crumpled to the ground, parts of him painting a disturbing pattern onto her clothes. She jumped back, still daring not to look, deliberately keeping her gaze anywhere other than at the site of her poor nephew, disfigured and un-whole. As hard as it was to accept, she knew that if that hadn't happened, the situation would have been reversed. It didn't stop her crying hysterically though. The mixed feelings inside her pulled her from one set of thoughts to another, it was a trauma she would have to bear for the rest of her life. It took Olivia around ten seconds before she had any strength return to her body, her stomach contents coating the floor in front of her. She had never fired a gun, never mind kill anyone before. The whole thing repulsed her, her body quivering, trying to purge her of the horror. She eventually made it to her feet.
“Are you okay?” Mateo asked.
Olivia nodded. She wasn't, she didn't think she would ever be okay again, but that's not what Mateo needed to here.
“I've unlocked the car to the left of Monique, can you see it?” He said.
Olivia looked up and could see a red station wagon.
“How do we drive it? We don't have the keys” She replied.
“It's okay, it's a brand new one, and they’re actually easier than older models to get into if you know what you're doing. I can remotely fire the engine up for you, unless you're desperate for the keys, in which case you'll have to find it underneath one of them” he said pointing towards the damaged and crushed bodies that littered the road.
Olivia didn't like that idea any more than the horrific moment she had just lived, so agreed to let him start it. Mateo pressed a few more buttons and the cannons on the vehicle became detached and rolled on to the floor.
“You'd better take those with you, just in case” He said.
Olivia didn't want to even touch them, but Mateo insisted she did out of precaution. She could only manage one of the death-dealers, so picked the closest one up and hobbled over to Monique. Monique was still stood there in shock, crying, looking in the distance.
“I won't ask if you're okay” Olivia said, “Come on, we've got to go”.
After a small struggle Olivia dragged Monique with her towards the red station wagon.
“How are we going to drive this?” Monique asked.
“I'll explain in a minute, let's just get out of here, and let me drive for a bit” Olivia replied jumping into the driver's seat after one last retch.
Chapter Eleven - Rendezvous
The Rendezvous Point
Gina pulled up to the rendezvous point with Evrim in the passenger seat and Lukas sat behind her. Sheryl's quick plan to get them to safety had worked. They had arrived at the east side of the city and the truck was there with the new car in the back. It had been a breeze, and she was thankful that something had gone right for a change. They all got out, checking their surroundings. There was nothing special about this meeting point, nothing at all to give it away as being a place for anyone to gather. It was just a flat scrub land with a couple of trees and bushes, the forest and mountains opening out beyond into a vast area of wilderness. Somewhere out there Sheryl had her base, and they would soon be there.
For now, their instructions were clear, just sit tight and wait for the others. When they had all arrived, they would be picked up for the last leg of their journey and be swept off to relative safety.
“Man, I'm hungry” Evrim said to Lukas.
Gina had no idea how he could think of food at the moment. They had just been through life and death situations and that gave him hunger pangs? Soldiers must have been wired up differently to the rest of us, she thought. T
hey weren't there long before they heard another vehicle approach. Evrim and Lukas took their defensive positions, they couldn't be sure if anyone else had been following them or not. As they got closer, they recognised their colleagues and lowered their weapons. It was Antony and Gabriel, with James sat behind them. They pulled up and all got out, all the guards smiling at each other and giving each other manly handshakes. James appeared behind them smiling towards Gina.
“Why are you wearing a dress?” She asked. It was so unusual a sight that it was the first thing that came out her mouth, this was quickly followed by the more socially acceptable hello.
“Nano-bots” He said shrugging his shoulders, “I'm so pleased you're here”.
They gave each other a quick hug and James stood back. He realised he had to tell her about Tom.
“The reason I'm in a dress is I was tracked. That jumper that Tom gave me, we think it had Nano-bots deliberately planted in it, so they could trace all my movements” He said waiting for her to slap him across the face, unable to believe that Tom would be involved in anything.
She hesitated, thinking hard, not wanting to shout at James, she couldn't quite accept that Tom could be the culprit.
“It couldn't have been Tom, he, no, he would have been manipulated into giving you that without his knowledge, you know Tom” She replied, “No...no, he just wouldn't do anything like that”.
James shrugged his shoulders again.
“It's the only explanation I have, but you're probably right, he wouldn't know he was doing it. I wrestled with that myself, I didn't think he could do a thing like that. But the Elite are clever you know, if there's a way to do something, I'm sure they'll find it” he said.
They were both silent for a minute, both of them deciding to leave things as they are. They couldn't say for certain what had happened and whether Tom knew or not, or even whether Tom was actually involved. Gina had been compromised herself, so it pointed to something, but she wasn't going to jump to any conclusions yet.
“Well the dress suits you” She said grinning playfully.
“You think? It's a bit big” James replied chuckling back, “I don't think it's showing my figure off to its true potential”.
They gave each other another quick hug and sat down, as the waiting game continued. The guards all laughed together, not nervous laughter like Gina and James had, but proper boisterous laughter. They were so used to these situations that they were able to just wash the emotions off themselves and have a good old laugh about it all. It was another ten minutes before a van pulled up. The guards instantly recognised it as one of their own, but still took the precaution of taking a defensive position. It was always a good idea to be careful and make absolute sure. The van slowly pulled up to them and the guards could clearly make out Christian and Joaquin in the front, which came as a huge relief. They jumped out the van with a series of exuberant victory chants, giving their colleagues a mighty thumbs up. Danny and the others appeared from the back, all looking a little tired and drained. They looked like they had been awake for thirty-six hours.
“Are you guys okay?” James shouted to them as they approached.
They all saw James' dress, and asked the obvious question.
“Nano-bots” He replied, which caused more confusion, but none of them had the energy to follow that up.
They all gave each other hugs and handshakes, happy to see each other again. This was a strange reunion of friends, not really the best of circumstances, but seeing each other raised their spirits a little.
“Well we had zombie-people and some other disgusting stuff” Mariam said matter of factly.
“Ben didn't make it” Danny interjected, “We were followed and they got him”.
Danny was past sadness and mourning for his friend, it was now anger, pure hatred towards the Elite and everything they had done. He was determined to make them pay, however he could. Gina and James felt the sadness of Ben's passing, it was that shock at the suddenness of knowing, that huge twist in their stomachs, as if someone had reached in with their hand and squeezed it as hard as they could. This is how all the others had felt, and now it was their turn.
“Sofia didn't make it either” Mateo said, holding back a tear, “I helped Monique and Olivia get out though, they should hopefully be here soon”.
Gina and James' twisted stomachs twisted another rotation, more grief to contend with. They both had to sit down and take deep breaths. They all knew that the whole plan was risky, but it had to be done. There was never any guarantee that they would all make it, but that didn't make it any easier.
“So, Monique and Olivia are on their way” Mateo repeated, “Jarrah and Emma are already at the compound”
“The compound. Is that what it's called?” Gina asked. She knew they were going somewhere but hadn't really thought about what it was called.
“We're also waiting for Niel, Mike and David” Mateo said, ignoring her as if it was just a rhetorical question, “I'm not sure if you've seen the smoke back over the city or not, but some rebel factions have been bombing the downtown area”
“Yes, and why is that Mateo?” Brandon said sarcastically.
“Okay, yes, that's sort of my fault, it was so we could all get out of the city while the Elite were distracted” He replied.
“Hey don't go stealing all the glory for my plan” Joaquin shouted over, half-jokingly, but also half menacingly.
They all sat down, continuing the waiting game. The guards passed round some bottles of water, thirst now starting to take hold of them all. The adrenalin was subsiding, allowing them all to think about other basic things, of which water was the most prominent. The guards all complained about being hungry though and a box of chocolate bars was pulled out of the van.
“How can they eat at a time like this?” Samir said.
“Beats me” Mariam replied, sipping water so messily that it rolled down her chin.
They relayed more of the journey to get to where they were, each one of them joining in with the almost unbelievable tales. Their story-telling was interrupted by the sounds of another approaching vehicle. Mateo sprung to his feet to see who it was, the guards all jumping up too, their weapons appearing from nowhere.
“It’s okay guys” Mateo said, “It's two of ours”.
The guards all stood down and Mateo approached the car as it slowed to a stop. Monique and Olivia stepped out, both of them looking ten years older. They weren't prepared for what they had just seen, Monique's blouse dyed with blood and Olivia's with speckles of vomit. Despite the blood, vomit and tears, Mateo ran over to them and gave them both a big hug.
“I'm so glad you guys are okay” He said, more tears welling in his eyes. It was one tearful day for him today.
Olivia pulled him closer to them, hugging him harder, thanking him over and over again for helping save them. He told her it was nothing, but to Olivia it was everything and she owed him so much that she knew she could never fully repay.
“I never want to touch a gun again” She said to him.
Monique never said anything, she just continued the hug, feeling numb. Eventually they walked over to the others and they all greeted each other closely, happy again to have more friends join them safely. Mateo noticed a flash emanate from his laptop and he picked it up to investigate. There seemed to be some tracking device around them somewhere, which gave him a sudden chill down his spine. It only appeared when Monique and Olivia arrived. He zoomed in closer to try and find where the signal was. He found it strange as it hadn't appeared on their journey, as if it was deliberately turned off.
The chills down his spine were getting colder as he suddenly realised that the Elite had turned whatever was tracking them off so that Mateo never knew it was there, and now it was back on again. He typed away on the laptop crazily, hacking into the signal, trying to locate its exact position, trying to get a feed from it. The screen flickered to life and he could see it was tiny Nano-bot, sitting somewhere on Olivia. His heart sank,
his pulse quickened, this was a worst-case scenario for him. He intercepted the signal, hacked into the tiny machine and caused a momentary power surge to blow its circuits and destroy the signal.
Olivia let out a quick scream as something in her hair sparked, singeing some strands.
“What the hell was that?” she cried rubbing her hair confused.
Mateo ran over, riffled through her long auburn hair and retrieved the tiny robot.
“We got a huge problem guys” He shouted in a panic.
The Compound
Rashid knocked at the door and Sheryl told him to enter.
“You don't need to knock”
“Sorry, just a habit I guess” Rashid replied, “I've been checking the feeds and there's been issues back in the city with some factions, they've started an indiscriminate bombing campaign”.
Sheryl sighed, she expected this to happen, but not quite as soon as this. She poured herself a small glass of gin, pulled out another glass and poured some into that too, handing it over to Rashid.
“I had a quick message from Mateo, most of them have arrived, we are waiting for three more to turn up” She said taking a long slow sip, letting the flavour linger on her tongue, “Two of my team didn't make it”.
“Sorry to hear that Ma'am” Rashid said bowing his head a little in respect, before taking a sip himself.
“Sheryl, please” she replied, “As soon as the last three have arrived I'll give you the signal and we'll get the helicopter over to them”.
The two guards who escorted Jarrah and Emma to the compound were the pilots, and the state-of-the-art helicopter Sheryl had commissioned was going to be handed to them on completion of the mission, as an extra thank you. They had been waiting patiently in case they were needed to help at the metro station, but Danny's guards had managed to get everything under control, so they had just been sat there at a secure location waiting for any orders. Rashid and the two guards were the only other people who knew of the compound's location, once all her team had been assembled and they were safely in with Sheryl, Rashid and the two pilots were to be paid a healthy sum of money for safe passage out of the way of the Elite. She had told them that they would soon return to their loved ones, as soon as their plan had been put into action, so they were to stay hidden until then. She didn't know whether the plan would work or not, but she had to give them some incentive, something to keep them quiet. Sometimes money alone isn't enough, you had to make it emotional for them. She wasn't deceiving them, she was hopeful the plan would work, one of her plans at least.
