Getiya left visibly unsatisfied. She then quickly headed for the medical centre to find Hinu.
- We're in dire need of some assistance! Where have you been? - Hinu voiced her discontent.
- I went to ask Sable if he has any information about Ankonian. - said Getiya.
- You mean Ronnie. - Hinu replied. - Hold this vial for me.
Getiya did as she was told. The patient was a soldier, who sustained minor burns after being sprayed by boiling coolant after a hose burst open. The contents of the vial were a new serum, which was in the final stages of testing. Its aim was to accelerate the healing of burns and seeing as other methods took time and volunteers were scarce, he volunteered as a test subject.
- No, his name is Ankonian! He is THE real Ankonian! - Getiya insisted.
- I heard him call himself Ronnie. I have heard Ankonian being called by many names, but Ronnie is certainly not one of them. It's not... majestic, nor enigmatic, nor magnificent enough to capture his greatness entirely. - said Hinu as she applied the serum.
- What else do you need as proof? He's got the black face, the eyes seemingly drenched in blood, the cowl... - said Getiya.
- What YOU failed to notice was that he was eerily polite. Ankonian has always been notorious for being frighteningly arrogant. Rarely has he ever acted humble. - Hinu contradicted.
The patient clearly had no interest in the conversation, which is why most of the time he was looking away, obviously as a display of displeasure.
- When he returns, we will ask him. That should give us the answers we need. - said Getiya as she observed how the serum was taking effect on the burnt area. Fumes began forming as the concoction ate away at the burn. - K'lunip will regret her doubts. - she added.
***
The Trinity encountered a huge problem. While there was no physical obstruction between them and roaming freely whilst scanning the sky, such a strategy would inevitably draw unwanted attention. So instead they waited on one of the most unusual locations doing one of the less incriminating activities - drinking beer on the roof of the university.
- How long do you think we have to wait until they hit us? - Garret was wondering.
- Probably not long, I'd wager. - Tyler answered. - They have advanced technology, advanced weaponry, a development program, fully-fledged armies. Anyone thinking that we'd be waiting for weeks for them to strike us is a lunatic.
Meanwhile, Ronnie was busy scanning the radio frequencies for any unusual transmissions. He was so concerned and stressed that he refused to drink. Tyler tried his best to fix that:
- Why don't you just take a few swigs and let loose some steam?
- Maybe because I don't want to be irreversibly inebriated for the next couple of hours, thus rendering me unable to fight properly? - said Ronnie.
- Oh, come on, it's just beer! You'll piss it within an hour or so! - Tyler protested. - Quit being so stuck up already!
- Sable is already cross with me. So is Stromak. And you believe this will help me somehow? - said Ronnie. - I'm willing to bet that during the battle, if they REALLY "care" about us, they will be saying something like: "As an Immortal you could do a lot better than that" or something else along those lines.
- Makes sense. But still, a beer won't hurt. - said Tyler. - Look, I get it, you're stressed, you have a metric shit ton of problems, issues and personal struggles. If you won't do this for me, do it at least for yourself.
Upon a brief hesitation, Ronnie swiped the can of beer and cracked it open. The several gulps allowed him to let loose some steam, but not calm down entirely. He was still fixated on his initial task. He couldn't understand most of the transmissions he intercepted, because they were in various languages he did not speak, but thankfully, a constituent of the Immortals' abilities was understanding languages at the blink of an eye, which, he reckoned, could easily come in handy on more than one occasion. While they were waiting, Tyler fired another question:
- What can you tell me about that Italian teacher of yours? I'm asking out of sheer curiosity. Plus it'll remain between us three.
One heavy sigh and swig of beer later, Ronnie said:
- Her name is Azzurra Abbatucci. She teaches Practical Italian.
- Practical Italian? - Tyler was puzzled.
- That's the name of the subject in university. Basically we translate texts and nothing else. - said Ronnie.
- Ah, alright, go on. - said Tyler.
- So she began teaching us last semester and it was all fine and dandy. That is, until I... I guess I developed a crush on her. - as he said that, Ronnie's eyes darted back and forth between Tyler and Garret. He then continued: - That got me worried, because if something were to happen and the whole thing escalated and took an undesirable direction, we'd both end up in trouble: me having to deal with a lot of embarrassment and her having to leave her job or even worse, being thrown behind bars. So I went as far as avoiding every chance for contact, just to not mess things up. Plus there's this guy she's dating... or at least was.
- What happened to him? - Tyler asked. What puzzled Ronnie was the fact that Tyler did not launch even a single sarcastic remark.
- From what I can tell, they split up. I found that out when I saw them briefly in front of university. It was much like a divorce - violent and ugly. - said Ronnie.
- Why would she give you a business card, though? - asked Garret.
- When I went to the dean's office, he told me that if I pass my exams, I'm free to leave university. He may have told my teachers about this and I suppose that's how Azzurra found out. Oh, no, wait, I did tell her that I was leaving early due to personal reasons, but she might have found out beforehand. Can't quite remember. I don't think that there should be anything between me and her. I mean, I'm taken, after all. - said Ronnie.
- Probably not for long. - said Garret.
- Like I said, I'm still taken. I'm not going to risk anything. - Ronnie said and gulped some beer. - True, my relationship with Ashlynn is going horrible, but it could turn around and improve. I can read minds, but I can't tell what the future's going to be like.
- Mate, I suggest throwing out the sensibleness right now. Let's say that Ashlynn dumps your arse. You've passed said exams and you're no longer tied to university. One of your teachers... a smoking hot one, I presume? - said Tyler.
- Read my mind and you'll see her. - said Ronnie.
- Oh my, she is scorching! - said Tyler. - I say if you have the chance to bone her, don't miss it. Uh... well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! You DID have the chance! - he saw the events that unfolded in the library.
- I didn't use it for obvious reasons, dude. - Ronnie said.
- When you do get the opportunity...
- IF! If I get the opportunity. - Ronnie interrupted Garret.
- Right. If you get the opportunity, I have an idea about what you can do to impress and further seduce her. - Garret said.
- I didn't seduce her! OK, I didn't know exactly what I was doing. It seemed like fun and then... well, THAT happened. - said Ronnie. - It wasn't intentional. I did it for shits and giggles, alright? We never had sex. She was mortified at the thought of losing her job, but I told her that I wouldn't tell anyone.
- Well... you just did. - said Tyler.
- You two aren't just "anyone". That's the difference. - said Ronnie and resumed his task... until his ears caught a disturbing row of cries for help.
- What kind of language is that? - Tyler asked.
- It's... Hindi. Urdu, to be specific. - Ronnie answered.
- How the fuck do you know? - Tyler asked.
- Just found it out. - answered Ronnie.
- Well, where does that lead us? - asked Tyler once again.
- Pakistan. - said Garret.
- We're not going there saving Muslims from the clutches of radical Islam and fighting for human rights, are we? - said Tyler.
- No, obviously. But if their lives are in danger, we'll help. Not because some non-government
al organisation is obsessed with political correctness and equal rights, but because they don't deserve to die just because some delusional maniac decided to play God with their fate. - said Ronnie.
As they took off and picked up some speed, Garret decided he didn't want to let the opportunity go to waste and took over from Tyler:
- Have you talked to your teacher recently?
- No. I was too preoccupied digging in my wounds. - Ronnie replied bluntly.
- Oh, I see. Well, has SHE called you? - Garret asked.
- No, and I've got no idea why. Well, actually, she can't call me. My phone's fried, remember? - said Ronnie.
- Ah, yeah, I forgot about that, but she could still find you on Skype. Do you have any theories about why she hasn't told you anything? - Garret asked.
- Busy at work, seeing friends, relatives. How the fuck should I know? It's her life, not mine. Besides, I have no business with her, apart from anything related to those exams. - Ronnie answered. - This has nothing to do with our task, so can we leave it for later?
***
- Should we tell them? - Sable said.
- And run the risk of them backing out? Not an option for me. - Stromak replied. - I'm not risking my troops simply because of their inexperience.
- Just to let you know... you're the one to take the blame. - said Sable.
- However, I'm not the one to purposefully hide valuable information from them from the beginning. You're not innocent and don't act as such. - said Stromak.
***
Pakistan was unknown territory for the Trinity. Ronnie's first concern was potential encounters with anti-aircraft weaponry; surface-to-air missiles, to be more precise.
- Why would the military think we're some US military experiment? - asked Garret.
- They could think anything. We're going to be on foreign soil, after all. - said Tyler.
- Fair point. - said Garret. - I say we land and continue on land. Wow... What is that thing?
The thing in question was the platform Sable told them about. It was located in front of the Derawar Fort.
- That's the platform...
- I can see that, Tyler. What's that enormous thing on the other side? - said Ronnie.
- That thing is... wow. It's the size of a skyscraper. Hold the phone. We're fighting that thing? - said Garret.
- Sable, you better be there! - Tyler turned his intercom on.
- Quit shouting! There's many of them around! - Ronnie said. And he was right.
- Why isn't the military here? - Garret was wondering.
- Perhaps because they're rallying their forces. - Sable spoke through the intercom.
- Oh, there you are! Finally decided to show up! - said Tyler. - What on God's green Earth is that large abomination and what do we need to know about it?
- The abomination in question is called Balos The Executioner. It is one of the crown jewels in the Overlord's forces. Truly a force to be reckoned with, in case you happen to be an ordinary soldier. - said Sable.
- So... what does he do - does he execute or what? Why does he carry that name? - Ronnie asked.
- Our information is very limited. We've never had any encounters with him. He must be a relatively new military development, so we can't tell you anything about his capabilities. One of our spying drones, which managed to infiltrate its containment area got destroyed before it could transfer all of the data it obtained. - said Stromak.
- How convenient... - said Tyler. - Any other useless information?
- No. - Stromak said. - Also, you're not receiving any backup.
- Why? - said Ronnie.
- We're not taking any risks by potentially losing troops and larger vehicles. - said Stromak.
- Do we look like scapegoats? - said Garret.
- I'd say yes, for the moment, whatever that word you said means. - said Stromak. - We're still watching you.
After the conversation ended, Garret decided to scan the area and find a suitable path towards the castle. His idea was to approach the army, quickly disarming Balos's support and then shift their focus to The Executioner himself.
- Right. Problem: there's many of them and by the time we're done with the support troops, the big guy will be busy trying his best to squash us. - said Ronnie.
- There's ammunition in those crates, which we can use as makeshift explosives. - said Tyler.
- True, but their use has to be timed and quick. - said Garret. - Otherwise it turns into a fireworks display that doesn't help us at all. One of us could move them into place and then detonate them with gunfire.
- None of us have moved anything THAT large! - Ronnie expressed his doubt.
- We'll use telekinesis. It can't be that hard. - said Garret.
- OK, but what's the heaviest object you've lugged around? - said Ronnie.
- One night I dragged a fire truck out of the fire station. - said Garret. - It took a while to get it rolling, but I did it.
- Why were you, of all places, at a... Let me guess: booze? - Ronnie asked.
Garret rolled his eyes sarcastically and looked away.
- We might have gotten a little carried away that night... - said Tyler.
- Oh, come on, not you too! - said Ronnie.
- What do you expect us to do when we're drunk - eat a fucking salad? - said Tyler. - Plus we didn't call you, because you're not into that sort of thing and you wouldn't have agreed on that sort of thing, seeing as you tend to be oh so careful about violating the rules and upsetting anyone.
Ronnie was aggravated by Tyler's words, but he was not in the mood for an argument.
- Right, who's moving the crates? - said Ronnie.
- I am. - said Garret.
- If that's the case, then turn your cloak on, circle around them, shove the crates into the middle, shoot them and then the bloodbath begins. - said Ronnie. - We're going in with the explosions. I'll go round the other side. Tyler, you stay here. We'll attack them from all sides, so that they don't escape. Hopefully. Now go.
Tyler turned his camouflage on and ran towards the castle wall. In order to avoid leaving footsteps in the sand, he levitated a few feet above the ground. Garret stuck to the grass. But as soon as he moved the crates, he knocked one of the minions and one of them yelled:
- Sound the alarm! Sire, we're being attacked!
- "Oh, come on, really?" - said Ronnie to himself. He then whipped out a Mossberg from each forearm and a Smith & Wesson XVR 460 Magnum from each index finger. The crates blew up, thanks to a well aimed grenade from Garret's grenade launcher. - "Right, just find the momentum and don't stop shooting." - he said to himself. As the lead began to fly, his adversaries began to bleed and fall before him.
- It's Ankonian! Stop him! - someone shouted, but before he could do anything, he was put to sleep permanently. Tyler opted for his maces and began swinging them furiously. Among the explosions and screams of pain he could distinguish the sound of bones being crushed.
- The doctor's in the operating room! - he shouted. Garret wasn't too far back in that regard. By that point he had swapped the grenade launcher for his trusty hammers and was ceaselessly shoving them into the bodies of his enemies. Unfortunately, most likely due to the lack of motivation in recent times and the temporary loss of his spark, Ronnie was not doing so well. He was swarmed. Tyler couldn't take it anymore and helped him out.
- We don't have an army backing us up! Do better than that, mate! - he shouted at Ronnie and resumed his killing. Meanwhile, Gibel was climbing up the side of Balos, so that he could eliminate the threats. He heard one of his soldiers screaming, but did not understand anything. Leaving the troops to handle the problem was out of the question. Now was the time to prove himself as a worthy successor to his father. It wasn't until he got to Balos' control panel when he spotted the Trinity on the screens.
- How did they find us? - Gibel contacted the second in command.
- Does it matter now? They're... uuugh! - the second in command was shot down befor
e he could finish his sentence. Ronnie was the one who pulled the trigger.
- Thank God. He might have been calling for backup... or an air strike. - Garret was glad, but their biggest worry was still present. Balos stomped through the south castle wall and trudged towards the boys. Gibel stood up and began a speech, typical for a villain from any film:
- So you three honestly believe that you can best my army, me and my ultimate weapon Balos The Executioner? Are you delusional? In my mind you are.
- Says the son of a lunatic. - Ronnie replied.
- I can't say that I vividly remember what I've heard, but when you were in a cage, you weren't that mordant. Or maybe I was wrong. - Gibel replied and as he pressed a few buttons on the control panel, after which a large number of ray guns, mortars, rocket-launching pads and shields.
- Well, he's definitely prepared. - said Tyler. - Any ideas, Ronnie?
Ronnie could not move out of fear. The sheer size of Balos was the primary reason; he was as tall as a skyscraper and it would probably take the force of an earthquake and a typhoon combined to take him down.
- You know that I'm no tactician. Murder them all! - said Ronnie and the fight resumed. The remaining minions were no match for them and it wasn't long, before the boys focused their attention on Gibel and The Executioner. Garret had an idea:
- See how many weapons you can use at once. Maybe if we chip away at his skin, he'll bleed to death.
- That's a good idea! - Tyler agreed and began stacking weapons. With some fiddling around, he managed to pile 2 Uzis, a pair of AA-12s and an M240 on each of his forearms, along with turning his fingers into Five-Seven pistols. - It'll be better if we're airborne. We're easy targets on the ground. Better be mobile for this. - he added.
- "Flying and shooting, both at the same time? That won't go well..." - Ronnie said to himself. He had no time to think about it, let alone object that idea, because Balos was moving in for an attack.
The Immortal Trinity: Inheritance Page 29
