Moving quickly, Sergeant Briggs and Specialist Boyd dragged the dead Draconians to the storm drain and dumped their corpses inside. With that done, they assisted their injured comrade down the shaft, closing the manhole cover behind them.
Walter stowed the Medikit, looked down at his wounded companion and sighed.
“I guess you’re right Nate. If I hadn’t let that sucker get away from me, you wouldn’t be in this spot.” A shadow seemed to pass over his face as he spoke. “Sorry I fucked up.”
Nathan Hull flushed suddenly, embarrassed by his partner’s words, and feeling a bit guilty for his earlier outburst. Hell, it really wasn’t Walt’s fault at all. That Drac just got lucky, that’s all. Turning his head to the right, Hull saw that the Sarge was several yards away, talking to Captain Asamodai on the comm-link. Good.
“Look, Walt, I was being unfair. I’m the one who should be sorry. It wasn’t your fault. Shit happens.”
The big man lowered his head while squeezing his hands into fists at the same time.
“Still, I shoulda got there sooner, or…”
Hull winced slightly from the pain, as he placed a shaky palm on his friend’s hand.
“You got the bastard that did this to me right? So just forget it okay?”
“Fine,” Boyd grunted. “But if you need anything, just say the word okay?”
“Will do,” Hull smiled.
Briggs finished his transmission and walked over to his men. “How’s the cut Nathan?”
“I’m good to travel Sarge. Well, thanks to Walt’s playing nursemaid, that is.”
The big Specialist smiled at his friend’s compliment but said nothing.
“Good job Walter,” Briggs nodded. “Alright, boys. We’ve just been ordered back to the warehouse ASAP, so we need to move. We’ll go slow and steady Nathan, and once we get back, Sergeant Chun will have a look at you, and get you back to rights. Let’s move out.”
A bit stiff but determined, the tall man rose from the piece of conduit he was sitting on and slowly made his way along the drain tunnel, assisted by Boyd. The Sergeant Major checked his watch as he followed them. With any luck, they would make it back to the warehouse in about 40 minutes. Hopefully, they wouldn’t run into any more Dracs along the way.
Hopefully.
Chapter 14
At the foot of a small rise on the edge of Gorski Park, patches of brown and grey could be seen amidst the foliage. Birds flitted their way through tree branches like aerial aces while squirrels and chipmunks played hide and seek within the heavy undergrowth. A light breeze caused goldenrod and thistle bushes to wave lazily, while the buzzing of insects could be heard singing their songs of industry as they hopped from plant to plant or flew through the air. The only thing out of the ordinary in this idyllic scene was the presence of four Aeternus soldiers hidden strategically within the growth, forming a perimeter around a partially hidden structure.
The old warehouse situated on the outskirts of Gorski Park, west of the city, had been abandoned for some time. The building was tucked away behind a massive overgrowth of weed trees and bushes which all but concealed it from view. Inside, Captain Asamodai, Lieutenant Gavrael, Sergeant Hanzoh Chun and sixteen SpecOps soldiers were currently occupying the building. Also present were the four women they had saved from the Arena, who were currently receiving medical attention and sustenance. Thankfully, the plumbing still worked, which allowed access to fresh water for drinking and washing, of which Laurina their primary charge was in desperate need of. After the Recall, the squad had quickly and cautiously whisked them through a less traveled route to their current location. Once secured, most of the soldiers seized the opportunity to rest while awaiting word from the scouting patrols, and for their turn at guard duty.
Time passed slowly since the group received the news of Draconis troop movement from Sergeant Major Briggs and his men. The mood of the soldiers was somber after hearing about the loss of six of their own. A few of them checked and re-cleaned their equipment as a distraction, while Lieutenant Gavrael saw to the needs of the women, and Hanzoh Chun tended to his own.
The exhausted but resourceful Initiator located a long unused recharge station in the rear of the warehouse, which was perfect for his needs. After fifty minutes of tinkering and cursing, he managed to get it operational at low power and hack into it. After expending so much Core Conversion Energy and concentration to keep the group undetected for so long, Hanzoh spent well over an hour resting quietly while taking in small doses of power intermittently, so as to avoid any notice on the Grid. The last thing he wanted to do was to arouse any suspicions from the Station monitors, by revealing that an abandoned CCE station in a remote location had suddenly become active.
Fortunately, their location was well hidden. Several patrols of Draconian soldiers had actually passed close by, but they ignored the structure. It was almost as if the Obscure that Hanzoh had placed on it was hardly needed. Lieutenant Gavrael had to hand it to Asamodai. He sure had a knack for finding the perfect hiding place. His mood quickly sobered as the Captain pulled him aside for a private conversation.
“Gav,” he began, taking an informal tone with his friend and subordinate.
“With everything that has happened at the Arena, the worst fear of the Brass has come true. The Draconians will brand this a terrorist attack for sure, and with their captive now missing, and the news of two skirmishes with Aeternus troops, it won't take a genius to figure out that Aeternus SpecOps was involved. Not only will they hunt us in earnest, but they'll do everything in their power to discredit our Cluster. And I'm not talking just sanctions here. This will mean an official declaration of war!”
The Lieutenant's eyes narrowed. “All the more reason to do everything in our power to make sure this mission succeeds. If we can expose the truth of the matter, there is no way that the Dracs would...”
“What truth Gav?” Asamodai asked grimly. “Draconis didn't kidnap her. Draconis didn't gain unauthorized access to Aeternus territory and break into the Arena. Draconis didn't sneak thirty troops into the heart of our city and start gunning their way out. We did this! The truth is that we were told in effect to break the truce ‘for the good of our Cluster,’ and we got caught.”
“But we have the woman. Once we complete the mission…”
“Gavrael,” his superior interrupted. “Our current situation leaves this mission poised on the edge of failure. With Draconian troops on alert for us at both exit coordinates, and with no usable path to freedom to the north, at this point, we are up shit creek with a very short paddle.”
“Agreed.”
“After careful thought, I've determined that we can do one of two things- both of them perilous. We can risk it all by attempting to proceed south to the hidden Recall station. If by some miracle we manage to break through the opposition, the survivors would then be able to reach western Aeternus with the woman in tow easier than risking multiple chances of being spotted while traveling on the Mainline.”
Gavrael grunted assent. He was never thrilled by the prospect of traveling the Mainline anyway. It was too easy to have their progress tracked moving that way, disguised as maintenance or not. Besides, if there were any suspicions that their group was anything other than a maintenance crew, all the Dracs had to do was cut the power, and converge on their location. Better to fight in the open with a chance to escape, than to be boxed in with little recourse.
“Of course,” Asamodai continued, “Traveling south with such a large force leaves us open to discovery, no matter how good Hanzoh is with his Obscure. One skirmish with a group of Draconian soldiers already has them alerted, and no doubt reinforcements will have arrived by now. If we clash with them again, it will be against a far larger force, and they'll have their own Initiators to employ in the battle. They would either call for an immediate shutdown of the entire southern grid or employ a dampening field of some kind which would prevent any Recall attempts from being initiated. By then, even if we did reach
the hidden station, we would be stranded, and at the mercy of the Dracs. I don't have to tell you the probable outcome of that scenario.”
“Alpha Lima,” Gavrael replied gravely. All Lost.
“However, there is another way. We could proceed west...”
The Lieutenant’s eyes widened. He scanned the area for eavesdroppers before drawing closer to his superior.
“You mean across the bay to... SubLupina?”
“Correct. Sergeant Briggs reported that there was little to no opposition in that direction...”
“With good reason!” Gavrael whispered urgently.
“I know it's risky, and if we make it, and that's a big IF, we will be arriving unannounced.”
“You do realize Asa that they are extremely protective of their territory, and hate any intrusion into their island unless it is those of their own choosing. If we violate their sanctity or offend their sensibilities in any way, they could kill us all with no remorse. Once again, Alpha Lima.”
“True enough,” the Captain replied. “However, we did have a treaty with them long ago during the Tamnir War, when we allied with them against the Draconians. I'm hoping that under the circumstances that perhaps we can… renew old acquaintances.”
“Hmmm,” the Lieutenant mused. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"
“Exactly!”
“You really know how to live on the edge, Asa,” Gavrael smiled in spite of himself.
“You plan on living forever?” the tattooed Captain asked with a smile of his own. The two men shared a laugh before Asamodai noticed that their charges were beginning to stir.
“Go see to the women Gav. When the time comes, I'll make the announcement to the men.”
Nearby, Laurina Hawks was pacing the floor, stretching the stiffness from her legs. Shortly after the rescue, dizziness and disorientation had claimed both her and Lil’ Doro, who had initially seemed no worse for wear. Eventually, all four women had lapsed into a semi-conscious state. However, once the group arrived at their safe haven, a bit of rest corrected the situation, allowing the Brit to shake off the nauseating after-effects of Recall. Finding a bar of soap and a cloth in the restroom, Laurina attacked her skin, scrubbing the remnants of Praetor’s blood from her body and hair, which made her feel much more comfortable.
Now that she was refreshed, the redhead jogged in place for a minute, then performed a number of deep-knee bends to get the kinks out of her body. Satisfied and invigorated, she walked over to a nearby window and peeked outside. The peaceful surroundings and the waving of the long grasses seemed to aid in refreshing her spirit somewhat. However, the turmoil in her heart and mind seemed to cast a pall over everything. Leaning against the window frame, she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to relax.
The young Brit allowed her mind to wander a bit as she listened to the sounds of crickets and birds outside. It was unfortunate that the tranquil sounds of the exterior of the building were in sharp contrast to her mood, not to mention their current dilemma. Try as she might, Laurina could do nothing to ease the cause of her troubled thoughts.
I’ve killed people.
During their flight from the Arena, Laurina had used the purloined rifle she had scooped up during the melee as if she had been born to it. Even though she hadn’t had much experience with firearms, she had mindlessly pointed the weapon and gunned down their pursuers like an expert. How could that be?
Does that make me a murderer?
Images of men dressed in black, falling down dead in slow motion as she fired on them, played over and over in her mind, haunting her. The sight of oozing crimson, pooling on the floor where they fell, seemed to burn itself indelibly into her brain. Granted, she had been faced with a life or death situation when she shot Athena’s guards, but the guilt over what she had done still clung to her like a musty wet blanket.
They were trying to kill me and left me no choice. What else was I supposed to do?
As she pondered the question, she thought back to her battle in the Arena against Praetor. It had been a very physical fight, and under any other circumstances, she would have been powerless to save herself. The danger had been immediate, and potentially lethal. She tried to rationalize what she did to him because he was an artificial being; a Construct. The inhuman silver fluid that escaped his body proved that. Somehow, the strange energy that came to her aid by allowing her to defeat him had caused a bizarre bloodlust to take over her senses, if only for a little while. When she attacked Athena, she was still in the throes of it, and the force was still flowing through her, even though her match with Praetor was over. Was it that same bloodlust that caused her to gun down Athena’s men without thinking?
No…the bloodlust that came over me in the Arena had to be a by-product of the situation. And it left right after I threw the katana at that stuck up tart.
By the time Sinza appeared, her murderous intent had disappeared, along with her augmented energy. What was strange about that occurrence was that neither had returned, even when she and her companions faced dire consequences in the corridor or near the elevator shaft from Athena’s guards.
What happened to my power? I didn’t feel a thing the whole time we were fleeing from the Arena. There was no jolt of electricity, no metallic taste, nothing. We were running for our lives and I should have been able to feel something, but for whatever reason, the power was nowhere to be found. Maybe I lost it somehow.
But somehow, Laurina knew that wasn’t the case. Deep within, she could still feel…something. It was very faint, but it was definitely there. It was lying dormant deep inside of her, like the germ of a seed, watching and waiting…
Waiting for what? She tried to analyze the situation.
Does the power respond to strong emotions or the threat of immediate danger? Not necessarily… It didn’t respond when Athena’s goons shot at me. Does that mean I can only make use of it in close quarters fighting? No…That isn’t the case either. I was able to jump on the warehouse roof when Gavrael was chasing me, although that was the threat of capture rather than life and death danger.
It just didn’t make sense. Laurina was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn’t notice that the white-haired soldier was standing right beside her, offering a flask of water. After gaining her attention, he handed it to her and she drank deeply. Satisfied, she capped the container and handed it back to him.
“Thank you. Your timing was spot on.”
Frowning slightly, she thought a moment before speaking again. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, is the man with the tattoo your brother?”
Gavrael smiled and shook his head.
“Captain Asamodai? No, not by blood, but in everything else, he might as well be. However, that remains a tale for another time. Your condition is of a more pressing concern. How do you feel? Do you require anything?”
“No, I’m fine now,” she answered. “Although earlier I still felt like I was being dragged through a keyhole.”
Gavrael winced at the reference.
“Ouch. No one has ever described the sensation of Relocation quite so vividly to me before. All in all, however, you handled your first Recall quite well. So did the small woman in your group. In fact, for the most part, she seemed to think it was rather entertaining.”
The redhead smile knowingly.
“That’s Doro for you. She could make a root canal fun.”
When he looked at her quizzically at the reference, she chuckled and shook her head. “Never mind.”
After a beat, Gavrael continued.
“Hanzoh reported to me that the Recall was not as kind to your other two companions. The one known as Galicia Hawks ended up with a bloody nose, while Sinza Flanagan suffered a sustained bout of gastric distress.”
“She threw up?” Laurina asked.
“Just so,” he answered. “Rest assured, however, both are now fine. The three of them began to stir as you were doing your calisthenics.”
At the news, the redhead left him stand
ing there as she abruptly made her way to the other side of the storeroom where her companions were seated on the floor. Galicia and Doro were quietly munching the “DuMor” energy bars that were offered to them by the soldiers who had them under guard. Sinza meanwhile had declined the offer for the moment, choosing to sip water from a canteen instead. All three looked up as Laurina approached.
“There ‘ou are,” Galicia said, speaking around a bite of energy bar.
Laurina smiled.
“Here I am. And by the way, it’s not polite to talk with your mouth full.”
Her younger sister made a face but said nothing, continuing to chew.
“Looks like we’ve made it through without suffering too badly,” Laurina offered.
Sinza nodded. “Not an experience that I’m anxious to repeat.”
“Yeah, that bloody Recall as they call it was pretty rough,” Galicia added, throwing her older sister one of the DuMor’s.
Laurina caught it out of the air, tore it open and took a bite. It had a solid feel in her mouth as she chewed. Quite substantial in fact, as she imagined military rations would be. It was also surprisingly soft and fresh, replete with the taste and smell of fresh chocolate and caramel. Not bad at all.
Doro regarded at the others with a curious expression.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” she said. “All the pretty colors, and the way everything seemed to swirl around and around and fold inside out…”
“Never mind,” Sinza interrupted, holding her belly. “Please, somebody change the subject!”
The others laughed lightly as the commando feigned an attack of vertigo. The Aeternus soldiers sitting nearby chuckled knowingly as each one remembered their own first Recall experience.
“I’m just grateful to be out of that awful Arena,” Galicia said.
Lil’ Doro perked up at the thought. Seeing that she was about to speak, Sinza placed a finger in front of her lips.
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