by Nathan Ward
He was suddenly propelled back along the floor by a powerful blast of hydraulic air as the panel flashed a confirmation green and released the incubator lids. The heavy frontage on both of the units slowly opened, swinging outwards on their chunky hinges as an emergency shut down procedure, and as they did the two weakened bodies of Steph and Thomas slumped out from within the container and on to the tiled floor with tubing still impaled through their dirty white leathers and penetrating their flesh.
They looked like puppets dangling from the threads of the UNA equipment and after all this time that was what they had become, manipulated from the very beginning and now left with no further use as the tubing ripped itself out and away from their bodies and retracted back within the machinery. Steph and Thomas fell to their knees both looking as pale as death while Josh carefully turned himself over, catching a breath as he did and casting his sights down towards his wife and friend.
“We’re going to be okay...” Josh muttered over the sound of the alarm that was still sounding prominently, while red alert lighting circulated the room, passing over the three of them and illuminating their already blood stained bodies laying along the floor.
Steph was too scared to move, her body felt extremely painful and sore from all of the incisions, she couldn’t bear to lift as much as a finger in fear of further damage that could be sustained, but Thomas was more than willing to try – he wasn’t wasting time as he reached out and held on to Steph, holding tight enough to exert reassuring pressure to one of her many wounds.
“Trust him, he’s right” Thomas said hesitantly, “We’re going to get through this,” he added, looking into Stephanie’s weary eyes as they climbed to meet his gaze. “And if we do, what do we have waiting for us?” she asked abruptly, noticing the uneasy trembling motion in Thomas’s eyes, “What happens next…huh? Maybe…”
But before she could finish what she was going to say the sudden sound of the blast doors retracting from down the far end of the corridor threw her off her stride and into a state of greater fear as the heavy thud of footsteps begun to echo around the facility, becoming louder and louder as it neared the oval room. Someone or something was coming, marching towards them and there was nothing they could do to defend themselves, there were no tricks left hidden up Joshes crimson stained sleeves, so he threw himself on to his feet once again and moved himself in to the line of sight of the advancing figure, stumbling over the shards of glass and clutching the wounds around his stomach which were causing him considerable pain, he now stood at the end of the corridor glaring into the eyes of his enemy.
Steph and Thomas remained on the ground staring up at Josh, almost paralyzed with the droning of the alarm vibrating against their ear drums, all they could do was watch on helplessly as a UNA guard launched itself at Josh, wielding a laser rifle and reaching for his throat.
It clamped its hand into place and pulled Josh back into the room, throwing him against the thick cylindrical glass tank in its centre. Josh collided hard and the collision seemed to suck the air from his weakened lungs as he fought to breathe. He knew after all he had been through he had hardly enough energy left to stand, let alone put up a fight - but he also knew he had to pull up that final reserve of strength - his last gasp of life in his exhausted state - to fight back, or he would stand no chance at all. He clamped his hands around the androids arms in an attempt to break loose, but its grasp was vice -like and stronger than the might of any mere human assailant. These machines had been designed to withstand human rebellions and there was no way he was going to win in hand to hand combat. He felt like he had already lost as the droids eyes illuminated Joshes face with a harsh blue tint as it leaned in towards him, tightening its grip in the process.
“You’re…not…following…your orders!” Josh gasped as he fought for air. But the guard remained silent, tightening its grasp and pressing Joshes body harder against the blood filled tank.
“This… isn’t the…UNA way, this is…what you’ve always…wanted!” he added, “It’s the cruel side of humanity infecting your… consciousness. So do it, kill me!” He yelled, showering the droids face plate with saliva in the process.
A small doorway in the furthest corner of the room suddenly burst open and an additional two guards swiftly entered, emerging from behind the flurry of hydraulic vapor and taking up positions in front of the large window area that overlooked the city. The heavy aggressive storm clouds could now be seen expanding far and wide overhead with the occasional fork of lightning striking against the top of the tower, for what heavens were left had now closed up as hell once again ascended to collect its demons.
The lightning lit the oval room and cast long dark silhouettes of the two guardsmen watching over Josh, Steph and Thomas who were also casting their sights towards them. Josh had no choice but to remain in a locked gaze with the android holding him by the throat and as he focused on to its face plate he could just about make out the reflection of the guardsmen behind him, on the other side of the crimson filled tank.
With every bolt of lightning he could see their shadows being cast along the ground, then suddenly a mighty fork of electricity struck the side of the tower, illuminating the room with a white blaze of light and to Joshes surprise as the android clenched its hand around his throat once more, he caught the defined shape of four figures in the reflection of its face plate – but only for a moment.
Without a second thought, Josh released his hands and launched a flurry of powerful blows to the androids head, ever so slightly knocking it from its stationary position.
Thomas also leapt to his feet without hesitation and jumped at the androids arm, pulling at its weapon while Josh continued to batter his fist against its skull. The droid tried to shake Thomas off by waving its arm, hoping to knock him off his stride but he managed to yank the trigger on the rifle before being flung across the room, which suddenly emitted an energy projectile that shattered its way through the glass of the blood tank, causing it to explode violently, propelling Josh and the android in the opposite direction as the thick wave of crimson erupted, then as their bodies crashed and collided with the broken tiled floor the flood also impacted against them like a rough and driven tide battering against a sea wall, it was brutal and non forgiving as it rapidly rose beyond their necks and submerged their heads before Josh or anyone else could manage to drag in a breath.
The projectile had not yet finished its course, it continued its path through the large glass window, exploding it into thousands of shards which swept away in to the stormy skies, following the direction of the blast in the winds.
The two extra figures that had risen into view suddenly swung their bodies back towards the tower and launched themselves on to the rear of the two UNA guardsmen, forcing them to topple to the ground, face first into the river of blood that had now begun to pour out of the broken facility window and down the side of the tower like a crimson waterfall, glistening red under the brightness of the lightning storm that had crackled into life.
Thomas quickly begun to wipe away the crimson from his eyes and as he did so, he caught a glimpse of the darkened figures wrestling with the two powerful androids across the room as they were framed by the lightning shot from the skies behind them. Josh also decided to rise to the occasion and make a move for the weapon that had wedged itself between the two incubators on the wall, but as he reached for it the androids body beneath him snapped in to life, launching Josh with a powerful blow to the stomach which sent him crashing to the ground beside Steph and Thomas who immediately scrambled to his aid with their faces stained red and their overalls matching from the crimson tide.
“Josh!” Steph cried as she held on to his head forcing him to focus, “Something’s happening..." she added, glancing over towards the conflict as one of the masked figures drew a sword from his back and swung it against the neck of the first guard, slicing it cleanly from its mechanical limbs. The other warrior grasped on to the second guards head, ripped it away from its bo
dy and propelled it out of the window and down the bloody stream. As the two android bodies crashed into a pile of leather coated scrap metal, their corpses caught alight, flames rising orange and hellish as smoke trailed upwards and the blaze then rose, illuminating the grey military uniforms of Enrique and Murdock.
The two of them deactivated their helmets revealing their faces to Josh, Steph and Thomas who had retreated in to the corner, just as thunder rumbled over head and more lightning forked the troubled skies – there stood Captain Murdock, and it almost seemed as if the man with thunder and lightning in his soul had brought the storm with him, and it raged all around as he stood there and they looked at him in absolute relief.
Murdock lunged his sharp pointed sword across the facility and into the side of the last androids head, pinning it against the wall as its body slowly deactivated with a flurry of golden sparks and rich orange flames that burst bright and wide like a flower blooming as the colour glowed and the heat rose and the flames flickered on.
“Area clear,” Murdock confirmed, walking over to the resting place of his sword, removing it from the wall and reinserting it into its holster on his back.
The room finally fell in to a state of silence as the alarm had stopped whirring and the river of crimson had almost completely drained down the side of the tower. All that remained was the vibrant red lighting circulating around the facility, a faint trickle of dripping blood and the crunch of glass as Josh, Steph and Thomas made their way over to Murdock and Enrique who were now both sporting massive grins.
“I never thought it would feel so great to see you!” Josh claimed as he limped his way to the center of the room, “It feels like it’s been forever!” he added.
Then he wrapped his heavy arms around Murdock with not a slightest remnant of their past mattering now. Murdock proceeded to return the man's hug, taking the opportunity to cast his sights over Steph and Thomas who stood patiently behind them.
“Is that a tear, Thomas?” Murdock asked as he slowly let go of Josh.
“Of course it is, you don’t realise how pleased, how delighted I am to see you!” said Thomas.
Then he also grasped on to Murdock and wrapped his arms firmly around him. “What the fuck has happened, Murdock? What is this shit?” he asked in a muffled tone as his face pressed against Murdock’s uniform.
“This is where we fight back and take back what’s rightfully ours but I will tell you this,” Murdock stepped back from his embrace and placed his hand on Thomas’s shoulder to make sure he was listening, “The world will never be the same again, even if we win today. People have changed; they’ve become cruel and aggressive…”
“No change there, same people new canvas…we just have to make sure we build something better. Is there only the two of you?” Steph asked, cowering behind Josh..
“No, Sasha is back with the people, with Jennifer…She’s safe, and misses you incredibly!”
Josh and Steph turned and pulled themselves together in to a tight embrace where they could sink their heads in to each others shoulders.
“Thank you, thank you so much, Murdock… you were right, all along. We should have gone with you,” confirmed Josh, meeting Murdock's gaze.
“I don’t know about that, we’ve had a rough ride ourselves. Met a monster that left its mark,” Murdock raised his finger and pointed towards the six scars resting upon his face, “I like to believe we were meant to end up full circle, we’re here to take you home.”
“But we’re not going home, are we?” Thomas asked, stepping closer to Murdock. “No… no we’re not, we’re going to take this city back, you and I. Starting now…” Murdock confirmed, turning towards the window and casting his sights over the battle down below.
“Steph, Can you try get those incubators open? We’re going to need every willing body we can get our hands on, explain what’s happening, if they’re even alive…”
Josh said, pointing towards the incubators in the corridor.
“I’ll try my best,” She replied, carefully making her way over to them, avoiding the sharp chunks of glass stood upright on the floor.
Inside the corridor, the lighting was far brighter and clearer allowing Steph to observe all of the occupants inside the incubators before releasing them.
The first one she came to seemed familiar as she cast her eyes over the males face.
“You…” she murmured to herself as she realised he was the man they saw as they had arrived - the grey haired skinny man with UNA tattooed into his chest.
The glass had steamed up ever so slightly, but Steph gave it a quick rub and continued to peer inside just to make sure it was safe, he was wearing a grubby pair of underpants which seemed to be supporting a rather sizable package, Steph noted, before finally inserting the deactivation code into the control pad - which had been a random guess - but it seemed to have worked as the incubator unleashed a burst of vapor that covered Steph before the front of the incubator slowly eased itself open, pivoting on its hinges until finally the man was able to fall on to his knees.
The tubing quickly retracted from his body, leaving quite prominent wounds but he didn’t seem to pay them too much attention.
“I’m Stephanie, I’ve released you, and we’re here to help...” Steph stuttered nervously, as the man begun to raise his head and cast his sights over her.
“You were a prisoner,” She added, uncertain how he was going to react. Then there came a strong Scottish accent from under his breath, “I know what I was…” He paused for a moment then continued, raising his head “General Felix Lynch, and I think you’ve made a mistake releasing me...” The man claimed, rising from the ground and taking an intimidating stance over Steph.
Chapter 35: The End Game pt.3
The slender man ascended multiple feet; he must have been at least six foot tall but his height was the last thing on Stephanie’s mind as she reluctantly watched on, her eyeballs climbing in time with Lynch’s head and faced off by his pair of aggressive wiry eyebrows, foreshadowed by the upper lighting, leaving not a single wrinkle unturned, harshly defining the middle aged mans facial features – he really had seen better days but that just made his presence even more frightening. Steph had begun to feel unnerved as she remained frozen to the spot, but just as she wondered if he was going to make a sudden move in an attempt to harm her in some way, he begun to speak…
“For all I know, you could be one of them,” he faintly muttered. Then he spoke louder sounding stronger, “Prove to me I can trust you!” he commanded in a stern tone.
Stephanie had immediately forgotten what he had asked, and then she found herself trembling and unsure how to respond.
“I…I…” She stuttered, preparing herself for the worst, but the General immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“You pass, I’d tell you apart a mile away…or two, maybe three!” he concluded. Then he smirked and turned towards the oval room where Murdock, Thomas, Josh and Enrique had begun to stage their next plan of action, they were huddled together near the far window and unaware of the curious Lynch slowly edging towards them, observing the aftermath he had woken up to as his battle weary toes impaled themselves upon a series of sharp glass fragments. But the pain didn’t even register to the General, his pain threshold wasn’t even worth paying attention to, he’d been through far worse to even consider battering an eyelid and so he simply continued to make his way over to the group, wearing nothing but a dirty sheet of fabric around his groin and not a flicker of discomfort showing on his face.
“My boy…I almost didn’t recognise you - and you look like shit!” Lynch said, as he traipsed around the last of the android corpses, while the flames cast a soft light upon his face, revealing his identity to Murdock and the group around him.
Murdock conveyed a look of disbelief as he cast his gaze over the Generals’ body. “Lynch?” he questioned, as the familiar, slender figure approached.
“Who were you expecting? Santa Claus?” Lynch joked, as he took o
ne final step towards Murdock bringing him to a halt, nose to nose.
“I just wasn’t expecting you…” he trembled “You were one fucking loyal soldier, General,” Murdock added, holding Lynch within his gaze.
“Mans got to do, what a man has got to do. We all got fucked up the ass in the end, son. I just prolonged the ass fucking, you get me?”
“And who the fuck is this?” Josh asked, feeling the need to take a step closer to Lynch. An awkward silence suddenly fell and Murdock continued to glare into Lynches eyes, as if he was ready to go to town on him, with his fists clenched and his teeth locked together - but if he had learned anything during these days of crazy, bloody violence, he now knew for sure the past wasn’t worth fighting over....
Murdock took a subtle step back, removing himself from Lynch’s personal space which must have given him a sense of superiority, Murdock guessed, feeling unable to shake off the images of their past as they slowly connected piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle inside his head.
“Felix Lynch, his name is Felix Lynch,” Murdock reluctantly explained, “We served together outside of London, before the viral pandemic begun. I suppose you could call us friends…” he added, eager not to break eye contact as Thomas also edged a little closer to get a better look at Lynch. The last thing Murdock wanted was for his team to take a liking to the ghost of his past as he made it clear there was history, and not all of it good.
“There are troops headed to this level, I have a friend a few floors down buying us some time so all I’m going to ask of you is that you cooperate, unless you want to jump out of the window…” Murdock concluded, stripping away any further chance of conversation, knowing Josh and Thomas were dying to find out more from the sideline.
