NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Guard Down
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===[Chapter 12: Guard Down]===
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Falling rain, like mist blanketing the air.
Late evening. The sky above was a strawberry red while hues of purple warned of the encroaching night. The world around them was dark already, only illuminated by the scarce few lights that hung throughout the Nexus, and of course the searchlights of the watchtowers that dotted the perimeter of the prisoner complex.
It was truly a one-time opportunity. The prisoner's complex remained in a rudimentary state at the moment, a moment that would soon fade. The security for The Nexus proved flimsier than it appeared upon closer inspection, and it was clear that Overwatch was either rushing to get the fundamental foundations in place - or they simply did not care. As such, there were still quite obvious gaps in the security. The lights failed to illuminate every shadow. The patrols were too short and understaffed. The eyes too blind to keep watch of those who lurked in the night.
Eli had never felt more alive. Crawling through the shadows of the Nexus, slipping past the dark blind spots that the lights couldn’t penetrate. The misty showers from the skies above, the cool damp air. He felt, for the first time, awake in a world that he swore must’ve been a terrible dream. They were finally doing something real. For themselves. It was a rebellion against Overwatch Command as Rafael wanted, a nihilistic bid to achieve their Freedom as Cato had, and a signal of pent-up anger against the Coalition and POA for destroying their homes as Badger believed. It was all of those at the same time.
And yet none at all.
They were doing this to save Misfit. They could make it. How they’d survive out here on this alien planet, who knew? The repercussions of it would come later though. For now, they were all lost in the heat of the moment.
Eli led the way crawling through the dense overgrowth that the construction teams hadn’t managed to trim. Snaking his way through dirt and mud, clearing a path for the one behind him. All of their eyes were on the lookout, keeping watch of what the one in front and behind was doing. They were truly doing this together, for themselves, free.
Matteo’s advice on the best routes through the base turned out to be spot on. His observations of guard patrols and camera installations had been spot on. Everything he reported had come true down to the smallest detail. From the number of guards running on patrol, to which direction the security cameras faced. The Central Administrative Building was somewhere along the way to the infirmary, and Matteo being the eagle-eyed medic that he was, took careful notes. Especially on his second trip when the possibility of fleeing the Nexus grew ever larger.
“You know for an old man, you’ve got a damn good memory,” Eli whispered, forcing his way through thick brambles in the way, “The details were perfect.”
“It’s the beard that makes me look old, you know? I was only born in 2004. Ah, the 2010s. Those were good times,” Matteo sighed as he crawled right behind.
“What’s the security gonna look like when we get there?” Dutch asked
“Two foot patrols. They’ll be armed, of course. Here, let me take the lead.”
Eli moved aside while Matteo crawled up ahead. He led them through the brambles, only occasionally peeking his head up over the ferns and palms of the still uncut jungle within the Nexus’ perimeter.
For the night, the base was quiet. The machinery used to build the walls had fallen silent without the prisoners around to operate them. The engines of the Nexus’ progress, slumbering during the dark. The only thing they needed to worry about was the few guards patrolling the night and the searing lights from above. But Matteo guided them through without trouble. At least, until they approached it.
The Central Administration. It was a complex of prefabricated buildings scattered loosely around the center of the base. Some of which were still in the process of being expanded. The infirmary and the actual command center had scaffolding built around their metallic walls. A tower was being built from the command center, resembling something akin to air traffic control. An eye on the base around where Kovic and the rest of his administration could keep watch of everyone, everywhere. Soon, the hidden paths that Misfit had used to get even this far would be razed, and the opportunity sealed the morning coming. But there were other buildings here too. The motor pool, containing stockpiles of unused tanks, armored cars, and construction equipment. And most importantly, the armory.
It was a metal cube which sat off to the wayside of the Central Administration’s complex. Almost isolated. Two guards patrolled the outside perimeter, with a solid iron door revealing the only means of entrance within the building.
“I’ve got eyes on the two guards,” Dutch whispered, pointing them out.
“Is there any way around them?” Asked Eli.
“No. We have to go straight through,” Dutch said, “We need a distraction. Someone should make some noise. Get them away from the door, and then hide! The rest of us will slip inside, grab what we can, and make like trees.”
“I can do it!” Omar answered Dutch’s call. But he was still unsure.
“Yeah, absolutely not,” Eli brushed the suggestion from Omar off, “Dutch? Matteo?”
“You haven’t seen what I can do, Eli! I’m not just some scared kid,” He held out his hand, waiting for Eli’s confirmation.
“You could get hurt.”
“We can all get hurt! If we let that stop us we wouldn’t be out here in the first place! I can run fast!”
“You’re just a kid,” Eli insisted, “I don’t care how fast you can run; you’re not cut out for this! Just stay where I can keep an eye on you.”
“I’m not going to fight! I just need to be a distraction, right? I’m the smallest one here, if I can make some noise I’ll be able to find a spot to hide!” Omar said, “I’ve spent most of my life hiding from the Coalition and the POA’s soldiers. I’m not helpless!”
“I think we should hear him out, Eli. We’ve got no other shot,” Dutch told him, “I can run like hell but those guards will see me coming a mile away. Omar’s tiny. We need guys here to take on the guards at the armory, if we send him out to make a distraction then we’ve got a good chance of this working. It’ll split their attention, at least for a bit,” Dutch pointed out.
“Trust me like I trust you,” Omar begged.
“Fine,” Omar clutched his fist in celebration, but before he could stand to go work, Eli grabbed his arm holding him down, “Listen Omar… be careful. If you get killed out there, it’s gonna be on me. Don’t get hurt. Please.”
Omar nodded, “I will. Trust me. They won’t even know what hit them!”
“You’re gonna make some noise and then hide. Immediately. When you are in the clear, find a way across the perimeter and meet us on the other side. Got it?”
Omar nodded, “I won’t let you guys down.”
With that, Eli let go of Omar. The kid took off, running into the bush and disappearing behind a line of trees that led back to the path through which they came, “Christ, he’s fast,” Dutch remarked after watching Omar disappear behind the tree line.
“He has spirit in him,” said Matteo, “Hope.”
“Omar will need more than hope to keep him alive,” Eli watched Omar’s silhouette shrink until it vanished behind shadowy patch of bushes, “We all will,” he said again, but it was doubtful anyone could hear.
The trio waited a while with nothing happening. After a few minutes passed, Eli began to get suspicious that maybe something wrong had happened. He had no way at all to talk to Omar after all. The radio channels could be monitored by Overwatch for all they knew, and they weren’t going to risk it. He just had to trust that Omar knew what he was doing…
Suddenly, after about five minutes of waiting, a metallic clang echoed through the air. It was a warbly, almost electric-sounding noise. Another clang zapped by. And another, “That must be the distraction,” Dutch whispered, “I wonder what that kid is using to make that sound.”
“Visual on the guards?” Eli asked.
“Oh yeah, baby! They’re taking the bait. Hook, line, and fucking sinker,” Dutch pointed out. The two guards who were patrolling the Armory split up. One went to investigate, while the other remained standing behind, “But of course, one of them is still there.”
Eli thought out the plan. He didn’t want to attack the Regular, but in reality there was no other choice. They were already going to get charged for two things, escaping and stealing from the armory. If they were caught right now the penalty would be grave to say the least. Spending another decade in solitary confinement might’ve been a possible outcome. Execution, a likely substitute. Adding on assault on a Security Unit on top of that was unlikely to change much. At least, so long as they didn’t kill him. Right?
“We have to take him out,” Eli said, “Quietly. Non-lethal.”
“Non-lethal?” Dutch raised an eyebrow.
“Beat his ass, but don’t kill him. If we murder a guard they will kill us on sight. This way we’ve still got a chance at life.”
Dutch looked to Matteo, and Matteo nodded along, “Prisoners who murder regulars are dead men walking. We’ll never make it back here if we do. Put him to sleep,” Matteo said turning to Eli, “After you.”
Eli knew that every step here could be fatal. And yet, he inched closer. His heart raced and his legs suddenly felt light. The gun in the hands of the Regular was ominous. Like the bright colors on a poisonous frog warning any would-be predator to stay away. There were a million-and-one ways that this could go wrong. Very wrong. But the only reason he pressed forward was because Matteo and Dutch were right behind him. He had to trust that if things went south, they would be able to bail him out.
But despite the encouragement of his squad behind him, the Regular in front seemed like an insurmountable force. Somehow even more threatening to Eli than the Behemoths. The potential consequences of this engagement would’ve been far greater. The worst that the Behemoth could do was kill them. But when Overwatch inevitably finds out what happened, even if they’d managed to knock the guard unconscious, they’d launch a manhunt for whoever did it. Unless they all agreed to run like Cato, the only thing Misfit would have to look forward to would be constant evasion from suspicion. And if they were ever caught, it would be all for nothing.
But they had to. It was this, or watch the others die. And Eli was tired of abandoning his team. He’d done enough of that in Seoul…
Eli sucked a breath in, and then lunged.
“ARGH!” When Eli tackled the regular, the man had cried out in shock. Eli viciously grabbed at his uniform, strangling the soldier. Eli’s arms wrapped around his neck, constraining. In his mind, Eli thought of a Boa snake. Tightening coils of itself around the would-be prey until the lungs couldn’t take in any more air and the prey stopped resisting. It was a deeply animalistic thought, and an unpleasant one at that. But the Regular did not stop resisting, and in fact, he gave a strong fight. A sharp elbow slammed right into his lower ribcage proved that point.
The blow sucked almost all the air out of his own lungs, but Eli ensured that his hold on the regular’s neck did not falter. The two men struggled in that manner, with Eli choking the regular out and the regular fighting back with several good hits!
It was Dutch who sprang into action next, punching the guard in the stomach and forcing him onto his knees while Eli kept a hold on the guard himself. Three against one now with Matteo kicking the guard onto his side and sending him sprawling onto the floor. The guard reached for his gun in the brief moment that he slipped away, his face battered and bruised, but a quick reaction from Dutch kept his arms grounded while Eli crawled on top of him. With one arm he kept the guard pinned to the floor, while he balled the other into a fist and slammed it into the guard’s face. Repeatedly. Again and again. Each time his fist connected with a painfully loud thud that knocked the guard’s head against the half-paved ground. In the darkness, it was unlikely that the security unit could see his assailants, for Eli could not see the guard’s face. Yet, in a brief moment of clarity when the light shined just right, he could make out something in the guard.
Terror.
Another blow and the bloodied face of the guard went limp. The lights in his eyes became dull and barely-conscious from the beating. It took all of Eli’s effort to not continue any further. He hated The Coalition, Overwatch, all of it. He hated this guard more than he thought he would. His anger unleashed into a trembling fist that he fought hard to keep restrained. Everything, all of the deception and the torture, all of it had been channeled into a rage he never knew he had.
But he wasn’t going to let it control him. He was not like them. He wasn’t cruel. The tension in his body released with a exhale, and he fell off of the guard’s unconscious body feeling eighty pounds lighter and with the world spinning around him. That was a first in a very long while.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Dutch shakily whispered, “That’s what you call ‘non-lethal’?”
“He’ll live,” Eli coughed out, “Which means we don’t have much time.”
Matteo chortled to himself, “Seems you’ve kept some of your Army training, huh?”
“Yeah, thirteen months in a warzone will do that to you, I guess,” He handed the guard’s gun to Matteo, “Keep watch while me and Dutch go inside.”
Matteo nodded when his hands grabbed ahold of the rifle.
Around the guard’s neck was a keycard which provided access to the lock on the door. Dutch grabbed the card, and with a swipe near the lock, it popped open. Shadows within were scattered by the light pouring in from the outside, revealing an absolute goldmine.
Guns, ammo, and grenades galore! Mounted on the walls, in boxes. Sniper rifles, DMRs, LMGs, Assault Rifles, SMGs. If Eli could name it, the Armory had it. It must've been the entire arsenal of everything that Overwatch had kept stored since they arrived. No wonder they kept the Armory hidden beyond a select few. If it hadn't been for Matteo, this place would've never been found!
But even aside from the guns, there was tons of equipment there too. Body armor, helmets, drones, electronic equipment that befuddled Eli's understanding. All of it was some of the latest that The Coalition had access to. The best of the best anywhere on Planet Earth - hopefully on Planet Narva too. Dutch whistled as he and Eli walked in, “Impressive. Mine was bigger though.”
“You have a gun collection?”
“Had a gun collection. Back in my rebel days.”
“Rebel days?” Eli asked as he went to grab the nearest familiar gun from off the rails, it was a rifle - on of the guns issued as the default standard to every grunt in the army a decade ago. It was the very same one he used as a soldier in Korea.
Meanwhile Dutch talked as he went to grab his equipment, “Oh yeah. That’s the reason why I’m here. We were a group who lived out in the forests of Western Canada. BC, Alberta, some of the outskirts around Vancouver. We were freedom fighters. When the famines hit, we were the ones who fed the poor. Y’know.”
“Canadian Free Army?” Eli remembered the name of that group from back before the space wars – when television was still a thing, “Aren’t they terrorists?”
“That’s what the government called us. We were criminals sure, I'll give them that. We raided trucks carrying food supplies, corporate factory farms, and those armored bank trucks to get the cash inside. We fed the entirety of Alberta when the food shortages hit North America. I think that was…”
“The Famine of ’37,” Eli responded, “I was Twelve years old when it hit the US.”
“So was I…”
“You were a child soldier?” Eli asked him, now intrigued by Dutch’s story.
“It was the only way to eat. What choice did you have back then? When every single grocery store shuts down in a province, people start to go hungry. My family were CFA, my Dad would take me and my sister out to raid factory farms for their animals. We’d bring ‘em back home, and we’d have enough food to feed the whole town. We did just that,” if nothing else, Dutch was unbending in his beliefs that what he did was the right thing. Though, Eli had always grown up thinking that the CFA were little more than a fringe bandit group sprouting some loosely humanitarian ideologies. All the footage and news Eli had seen of them were as modern highwaymen. Bandits robbing banks and stores for their valuables, terrorizing Canada up until the Space War induced blackout.
Perhaps, Eli had been wrong in his judgement then? Or lied to. He could accept being lied to.
“We were only called terrorists because we offered the people an alternative to the failing system. While Parliament was in shambles, while the corporations kept milking our home and people dry, we were out there fighting for food and water. We didn’t rule by fear or hurting innocent people, nothing like that. We just did what we needed to do to survive…” Dutch sighed, “I miss those days.”
“You and Rafael…” Eli said as he kept going through the armory’s collection, “Two revolutionaries.”
“Oh no, they beat the revolution out of me a long time ago. Now… what’s the point?” Dutch said to him, “I haven’t seen Canada in over a decade at this point. Everybody back home is either dead or... penal unit,” His words carried with them the feeling of hopelessness. While it may have been true that Dutch was once a warrior like Rafael, all of that fighting had proven fruitless. He was a prisoner here, a slave like Eli. His fight was over. His revolution, defeated. While Rafael hadn’t come to accept that, Dutch had. And Eli knew it.
“Hey,” Eli whispered to him, “One day, we’ll be free. The Coalition will be nothing but a memory then. I don’t know when but sooner or later Overwatch will get what’s coming. They can’t keep treating us like this.”
Dutch smiled, though Eli knew it was not genuine, “Thanks, but if the world worked like that – none of us would be here.”
“Eli! Dutch! The other security unit is coming back!” Matteo’s voice distracted the two men as they were gathering weapons and equipment. Matteo dashed inside of the armory, “He’ll be here soon.”
“Crap, hit the lights, shut the door, and hide!” Eli ordered. Immediately, Matteo shut the door behind him. Shortly after the lights flipped off. Eli grabbed a pistol he’d picked up from the arsenal, and quickly ducked behind a crate. He was able to hear the scuffling of Dutch and Matteo finding a hiding spot nearby. He looked around, and he was able to make eye contact with Matteo’s hiding spot underneath a table and with Dutch who also hid behind a crate. They all silently confirmed that they could see each other, just as they heard the sounds of footsteps crunching outside.
“Overwatch, This is ST 4-2. We might have a situation developing in Armory 3. ST 4-1 is nowhere to be seen and the locks have been cut. Over.”
[Overwatch] “Overwatch, understood. Investigate the premises. Report status live.”
“Copy, Overwatch.”
The darkness of the interior was interrupted by rays of light that widened as the door opened. The footsteps of the Regular were heavy, thudding on the floor one after another. Eli slowly adjusted himself to get a view of the Regular. He was holding his rifle up to his shoulder. A flashlight attached the gun illuminated the dark room, forcing Eli back into cover before a ray of light exposed him. He looked over to Matteo and then to Dutch. A silent plan was formed between the three.
The Regular walked further inside as he continued to investigate. Matteo sprang into motion, walking slowly over towards the door. But just as he was going to make it towards the door, his foot kicked over a metal object in the way. It made a frighteningly loud clanging sound. Immediately, the Regular snapped onto Matteo – who already had his hands up by the time the blinding light of the flashlight shined into his eyes.
“HEY! ON YOUR KNEES! GET DOWN!” The Regular screamed as he pointed his rifle at Matteo’s temple. The man cooperated, slowly putting his hands behind his head as he put a knee onto the ground. But his face was turned to the wall, ensuring that the Regular would have no idea who it was. Eli looked over to Dutch, nodding.
“Overwatch, this is ST 4-2! Confirm infiltration in the-GAH!” Before he could finish his sentence, The Regular had been tackled by Dutch. Dutch had charged into the side of the Regular with all of his might and speed, but it was enough to completely throw the fully-grown man to the floor. Both Dutch and the Regular fell to the ground, but Dutch scrambled back onto his feet. Meanwhile, Eli had descended down upon the Regular, unleashing a barrage of punches, kicks, and anything else to get him down. Dutch joined in, and when the two had been satisfied, the Regular had been reduced to a bleeding, groaning, and slow moving mess.
[Overwatch] “4-2? 4-2 report status! What is your situation?”
The Regular groaned, but was too out-of-it to respond to his radio call.
“Come on, Let’s go!” Eli shouted, “Regulars are gonna swarm this place any second!”
“I’ve got everything we need!” Dutch shouted. Eli tossed Matteo body armor, a helmet, and extra magazines for his weapon.
And with that settled, the three of them took off. Running out to the perimeter. The image of Omar formed inside of Eli’s mind as they charged out of the Armory outside, dashing for the exterior fence. Was he alright? Did he make it? Those questions occupied the space inside of his mind. He just had to believe that Omar could handle himself. Like Matteo said, he had to trust his own team.
There was a small clearing between the armory and the nearest part of the perimeter, just barely in view behind a cluster of palms that stood in the darkness like soldiers guarding the path. They bolted towards the perimeter, with every step that Eli took being weighed down by the stolen equipment. But he powered through. Eventually they reached the fence. Behind it, a small clearing, and then the depths of the jungle.
Up close, the jungle seemed more threatening than ever before. He could smell the semi-sweet scent of the wild vegetation just behind it. The chirp of insects and creatures of the night filled his ears. And most vividly - the pitch blackness. Just looking at the wall of darkness was enough to force Eli to stop running and gaze in horror.
The cloudy night skies were illuminated by moonlight. Faint and far away, sure. But it was light nonetheless. The jungle meanwhile was like peering into a room without windows and furniture. One whose walls were all painted in charcoal black, left to simmer in its own shadow. He could only make out the silhouettes of trees standing over the canopy. Their fern-like crowns swaying in the mist were akin to warning signs. 'DO NOT ENTER' warned the palm trees. Regrettably, Eli knew that there was no other choice.
Dutch was the first one up. Hastily he jumped onto the chain linked fence and began climbing up and over. His boots landed on the opposing side, and just like that, Dutch had escaped.
Eli looked to Matteo, gesturing at him, "You go first" Eli said. Though slower, Matteo managed to get up and over without incident. Leaving only Eli. And when he finally did, feeling the metal against his fingertips and bracing himself for impact on the soil - he felt amazing.
It was a surreal experience. They were standing on free soil for the first time in a long - long - time. Just beyond of the perimeter of the prison. Sure, he’d been off base before, hell during the defense of the Nexus he was standing on technically free ground. But it wasn’t of his own choice. This right here, this was his choice. He wanted to be here.
No.
He needed to be here. For his squad.
He readied himself, pulling back the bolt on his gun and holding the rifle up. Just like he was taught from his days in the Army. But then, Dutch spotted something lurking within the shadows of the forest. Quickly he pointed his gun at it, prepared to shoot if it revealed itself to be hostile. That was until the figure called out in a familiar voice, “Blue!”
“Omar?” Eli asked. From the depths of the jungle, Omar emerged. He was out of breath, panting. But uninjured. Quickly, Eli rushed over to him, inspecting the kid to ensure that he hadn’t been hurt. But as fate held it, Omar was fine.
“Told you I could handle myself out there,” Omar said breathlessly.
“Color me surprised,” Eli chuckled. He handed Omar a pistol, a helmet, and of course spare body armor that he managed to bring, “You know how to shoot?”
Omar shook his head, “No.”
Eli glanced at the base just behind him, “Well, today’s a good day to learn.”
Just as they were all together, for once united on the other side of the fence that kept them prisoners inside of the Nexus – an alarm sounded. Lights flashed from within the perimeter, and sirens wailed through the base. The sirens blared, low and echoing. It was as if the entire base had suddenly become alive, an angered giant with it's rage fixated on them. The hornets nest had been kicked, there was no going back now.
“Let’s go!” Eli ushered them on, as he pushed himself deeper into the dark embrace of the forest…
Another step into the unknown.
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