NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Psycho Killer
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===[Chapter 19: Psycho Killer]===
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Another major explosion shook the palace to its core. The yelling from outside intensified and the gunfire had ballooned in intensity. A rising sense of anxiety made Eli’s face burn in anticipation. Would they come here? Did they bring those... things? Dutch had already confirmed that they brought the dragons, but what about the other monstrosities? The gas? The behemoths? If they went outside, there was a chance that Eli would've come face to face with one of those machines again. What if it was there? Was there anything they could do to fight back? Anything?
It was Otaes who gave them their first sense of direction, “I need to take you someplace where you'll be safe,” she muttered the final part of her words out as if she were recalling a terrible memory through them.
“Isn’t there anything we can do to help?” Eli asked.
“Not unless you can somehow stop an invasion by yourselves,” Otaes shot his prospects down, “The River Republic and Avonian Empire are sending an entire army here to do what they couldn't a year ago. They want to flatten Raritan until its rubble and occupy whatever's left! There's nothing that a bunch of human convicts can do about it,” Her glowing eyes narrowed behind the two holes in her mask. She had spat the last part out, almost as an insult. And perhaps it was.
“Well, what are you going to do? If they’re coming here, you need something to take them out right? We can help you defend this place!”
“Alright then, enlighten me. What do you possess that can single-handedly stop an invasion of this scale?” Otaes sarcastically quipped, “They’re throwing the best of their army out at us! There’s nothing that you can do to change that! It's best if you just stand aside and not make the situation worse!”
Eli wasn’t sure exactly how he could help. All he knew was that if it was their fault that they triggered the attack, it should be their job to assist the Elves in repelling it. But Otaes was right, if the River Republic had the same frightening war machines that the Avonians had when they attacked the Nexus, it would be almost impossible for Misfit alone to do anything about it. And judging by how rapidly the Republic’s forces had arrived to attack the Elves, it seemed that nothing could be done by them alone if the rest of the militia had been defeated.
That was, until he remembered his monitor. Eli looked down at his right arm and pulled his sleeve up. The monitor was still there, practically untouched since last night. The elves must've either forgotten or couldn't take it off of his arm as they did the rest of his equipment when they captured him, a good thing as he could use it now.
The monitor wouldn’t be able to help him directly. But as squad leader, he did have access to Overwatch communications and could call for help in an emergency. If this didn't count as an emergency, nothing did. It wasn’t much, and a very stupid idea. If the Coalition found out where Misfit was, they would no doubt capture them and take them to be thrown into solitary. Or worse. And that’s even assuming that they decide to help Misfit at all. Why the hell would a Penal Unit squad randomly pop up onto their radar only to request for assistance all the way out in the middle of the jungle? Perhaps miles away from The Nexus? The Overwatch commanders would most likely be confused beyond anything, and they might send out something just to investigate. But would that even be enough to stop a full-on invasion? And then there's the fact that Overwatch could just abandon them entirely. Wash their hands of Misfit and be done with it. What business would they have doing all the way out here anyway?
Just as he was beginning to doubt his idea to call for help, yet another explosion rocked them. This time, it was much – much – closer. Call for help, and in the best case scenario they would be rescued just to get thrown into solitary confinement - likely to never see Earth again. Don’t call for help, and they’d get bombed into oblivion. A real catch 22.
“I’m calling for assistance,” Eli said with a grunt, making up his mind. He looked to his monitor with unease building up inside of him. As much as it hurt to say, he'd rather be in prison than buried. That line of thinking was what got him this far.
“What? From who?” Rafael asked.
“Overwatch. They’re the only ones who can help us.”
“Overwatch? The same people who probably already have our death warrants signed?” The man threw his hands up as if to show Eli just how stupid his own idea was, a type of realization that Eli had already come to long ago.
“Listen, I know it’s a bad idea. But it’s the least bad idea we have. If I get it through now they may not even realize that it’s a prisoner calling for help given where we are!”
“We’re talking maybe! What if they get your call and figure we’re full of it? You know what, scratch that. What happens after we get rescued, and they find out we’re the guys who attacked the armory?” Dutch jumped in, "They'll kill us quicker than the damn dragons will!"
“They don’t know that. All that they know is that we are a squad that just deserted. They shouldn't know who attacked the armory, we kept our faces hidden and nobody saw our faces. Not even that one guard!" Eli said as he thought it through out loud, "And as for what happens next… we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But what’s the alternative? Sit here and get bombed? I mean we barely held on at the Nexus, here they’ll tear into us like a pack of wolves!”
Silence across Misfit as they pondered it. Just as Eli said, it was a bad idea. But the other ideas were far worse. Damned if they did, even worse if they didn’t. But ultimately it didn’t matter what Misfit thought. Otaes seemed unconvinced about the whole issue.
“My orders are very clear, I’m to keep an eye on you at all times,” She retorted cementing the feeling of hopelessness within them, “I don’t know what kind of help you think you are bringing, but unless you have a direct line to The Belford Alliance itself, there’s nothing you can do.”
“Our base in the Nexus, we’ve defended it from an attack before! We can defend this place too! If we get help,” Eli argued.
“I don’t make the decisions to let you go out there, you have to wait from approval from the chiefs, and they are busy with the war!”
“Then come with us! You can keep an eye on us, just let us help you defend the Palace!”
Her eyes narrowed even further. It was clear that she was skeptical, if not downright suspicious of Misfit. Being introduced as a Penal-Unit probably didn’t help their case, “I just need to talk to my commanders and ask them for help! Let us get our equipment back so that we can help you! If your warriors fail, we die. All of us!” Eli begged, trying to convince her that it was for the best. But she was right to be skeptical. Only an idiot would trust Misfit so readily with the knowledge of their role. She really shouldn't let prisoners get their guns again in a time like this, but if Misfit could help...
Otaes’ blue eyes looked down to her spear and the hands that carried them, “I’m making a mistake, I know it. But, against my better judgement… follow me,” She sighed, as she turned heel towards the door.
For Misfit's part, they looked somewhat confused. Not entirely convinced that this was going to work, but likely seeing it the way Eli was. There wasn't much of an alternative really. What else was there to do? Sit around twiddling their thumbs as the elves' prisoners while there was a war going on?
"Look, I really don't think this is gonna work, but... just don't get us killed. Alright?" Matteo tutted as he walked past to follow Otaes out of the door. The two briefly bumped shoulders, either intentionally or not - Eli wasn't sure. Though his eyes met Matteo's for a brief moment.
"I already told you, I'm getting us back home. Just trust me," Eli told him, though Matteo brushed it off.
"I've yet to see proof of that one. But just do what you need to. Unlike you, I've got a daughter back home."
Eli stood frozen like a statue as he watched Matteo's back turned to him. His eyes glued onto the cyan delta plastered on the dirty dark blue plastic of the man's uniform. It sounded harsh. And maybe it was. But Eli couldn't say anything in response. There was nothing to say. He didn't need to say anything at all.
"Look, I'm just gonna say it. If calling Overwatch to get us thrown into solitary is really our best option - we're fucked no matter what," Rafael said as he took left, "But you've risked your life to come and get us. That's real. And for that, you've got my respect. Get us out of this one."
"I will," Eli said with a knowledge he didn't have, "Somehow. I will."
"That's all I'm looking for..." Rafael grinned, again looking at Eli before he too left the room, "Soldier Boy."
They were terrified of what was going on around them. The Avonians had already wreaked so much havoc in the Nexus, and they only just barely secured a victory against them there. But here they were, isolated in a strange place with unfamiliar people, with nothing to tether them to. Nothing, except Otaes. For she remained steadfast despite the attack. Eli didn’t sense fear coming from her, or nervousness or anxiety. No, through the mask he watched her every action, and they broadcasted an entirely different emotion.
Anger.
Otaes sprinted down the hall with the rest of Misfit struggling to keep up behind. She was quick, and she expertly weaved her way through panicked crowds of elves running about within the Palace. Misfit kept in tow, slower though. While they ran to their gear, Eli fiddled with his Monitor. It was still unfamiliar to him as his old monitor was replaced just prior to them being shipped through the portal, and he struggled to get through to the interface that he desired. But with a little trial and error, he learned how to make a request from Overwatch. With a hit of a button on the monitor, he raised his arm up to his mouth. But he hesitated. What would he say? How would he identify himself over the radio? In order to communicate, he would have to state the name of his squad, or of himself. Either way, Overwatch would immediately know who they were, and that they were not where they were supposed to be.
But he'd already dug his grave this far, no going back now. With all the other options exhausted, there wasn’t enough time to explore anything else. And so, he spoke to the monitor.
[Eli] “Overwatch? Overwatch, this is Eli Freeman of Misfit squad, Delta Company! This is an emergency! Our position is under direct assault by hostile forces, over!”
He let go of the transmitter button. The hope of his squad depended on that one transmission. He didn’t know how far away from the Nexus they were, and he doubted if their receivers could even pick up a signal coming from this deep within the forest. But he had to believe that it would go through.
But there was nothing coming from the monitor, “Is it working?” Omar asked him as they ran through the Palace.
“I don’t know,” Eli muttered to himself. He tried again, his voice shaking with fear as he spoke. In his mind he conjured up the image of a chicken willingly running straight into the jaws of a hungry fox. He lowered his arm for a moment, maybe it would take some time?
Up the stairs, and through another doorway took them into a large storeroom within the Palace. Rows of shelves were stacked next to each other into columns within the dimly lit room. It was clear that it was supposed to hold weapons and equipment, but there was very little of the remaining weapons left – already taken by the defense forces of the Palace who were scrambling during the attack. Even here, in this central part of the Palace, Eli could hear the gunfire from outside. The urgency of the situation only increasing. Otaes pointed to a certain shelf that was tucked next to a large window facing out to the city. His eyes immediately recognized their gear, the very same guns, armor, and helmets that they managed to steal from the Nexus’s Armory.
Without wasting a second, Misfit descended upon the shelf. Eli grabbed a gun, an armored vest, and finally a helmet that he fastened onto his head. While doing so, he saw Otaes looking out of the window to what was going on outside. Her eyes were distant, and her previously on-guard stance had dropped to one that resembled…defeat?
Eli looked where she was, and immediately he knew why.
Raritan had been turned into a warzone. A fire burned somewhere in the jungle on the outskirts of the city. Smoke rose from the ground and filled the blue sky with smoke until it had become hazy. Gunfire popped in the distance, and flares of bright blue light flew up from the city streets. Fireballs bloomed destroying buildings. Civilians flooded the streets, running to shelter in nearby buildings and homes.
Eli was speechless as he watched it all unfurl around them.
In the skies, like jets circling overhead, there were strange machines flying through the air. They were fast and nimble, though it seemed they carried no engine, and instead used their wings to flap into the air. It wasn’t until one flew closer, spitting a plume of fire onto the city below, did he see what it really was. They weren’t aircraft at all. Despite their speed, their metal shells, and their machine-like nature, they were…
“Dragons,” Matteo whispered as he looked up into the air.
“Those damn things are back again,” Shouted Badger.
“Avonian synths,” Otaes placed a hand against the glass, “Temetet…” she whispered.
“What?” Eli asked.
“Temetet, my brother,” She pointed a finger to a part of the city that was being swarmed by the flying dragons, shooting blazing hot fire that looked potent enough to melt concrete on the homes below, “He was sent back home to the Eastern Quarter of the city. That’s right where the frontlines are…” She dropped her spear, “No. Temetet… I-I have to get him! Now!” Her voice wavered on the cusp of breaking into panic. She seemed torn between two decisions, leave to go find her brother – Eli figured that was the smaller elf with the blank mask and curly hair who had accompanied her during their initial meeting. Or stay here as per her orders from Chief Ani and watch the prisoners.
"We can come with, right?" Asked Dutch.
“No!” Otaes snapped, “I can’t bring you. I need to keep an eye on you.” Eventually her eyes landed on Eli.
She took a step towards him, and in fear, Eli took a step back, “You! Eli! You’re coming with me! The rest of you stay here. I can avoid the battles by using the underground canals! But if I go, I can only bring a small team. Just myself and one other person. Too many and I can’t guarantee that we’ll remain hidden
“Underground canals?” Eli asked.
“I know a path towards my home through them!”
Misfit looked amongst each other. Someone had to go with Otaes to rescue Temetet while the rest of them remained behind to look after Cato and defend the Palace. It was clear nobody wanted to go out there, even with the apparent protection that the tunnels afforded – according to Otaes at least. Out there was far too dangerous, even remaining inside of the Palace was a risk as the dragons could surround them at any moment.
“What about us?” Croaked Rafael.
“You stay here with your injured one. Cato. I’m keeping Eli as collateral. Betray our generosity and I kill him.”
“WHAT?” They all unanimously shouted out.
“That's only if you plan on doing something stupid,” Otaes remained cold, grabbing her spear from off of the floor and holding it as a warning, “I’ll remind you of who the prisoner in this situation is. I’m being generous given the circumstances.”
Eli looked to Otaes, “I’ll go with you. Misfit, stay here. Help the elves any way you can. Defend the palace and protect Cato. That’s all.”
“Eli, dude,” Dutch pulled Eli aside, “Are you sure? I mean, you going out into a warzone alone with… her.”
“Yeah, this has terrible idea written all over it,” Said Rafael.
“Well… The elves have been generous to us.”
“They have?”
“We’re not dead. Yet.”
Rafael shrugged, "True."
Otaes sighed, as she inched closer to the door, “Look. The burden of this is on you. But I’m going to get my brother. Nothing else matters. Either you stay, or I take Eli with me. So hurry, make up your minds.”
Misfit nodded among themselves.
“Eli…?” He heard Dutch say his name. He turned over to them all watching him sadly, “Just stay safe out there.”
“From all of us. Please, get back to us in one piece,” Badger added on, “We still need you.”
Eli smiled, “Don’t worry about me. I promise, everything will be fine. Trust me.”
Their words of concern oddly enough put him slightly at ease. And it felt… strange.
But as he followed Otaes, the trust that formed seemed closer towards falling apart. If Eli died, if any of them died, all that he’d done to keep them alive would’ve been for nothing. And then what? He couldn’t let that happen.
Eli would return, no matter what. No matter how difficult. He would be there. Nothing else mattered as much as that simple truth. Nothing.
==[Overwatch Command]==
>>> Communications activity detected
>>> Message received
>>> 17th Penal Battalion, Delta Company, Misfit Squad
>>> [Penal Unit?]
>>> Emergency Combat Assistance Request. Reason, unknown. Commanding Officer, Captain Juma. Last issued order: Defend The Nexus.
>>> Current status: Likely fugitive.
>>> [Dispatch Headhunters. We may have a possible Anti-Cooperative Element. Mission objectives, capture or kill. Autonomous Judgement is in effect. Transmit coordinates.]
>>> Situation Report Updated!
>>> MASS GATHERING OF HOSTILE FORCES SPOTTED SOUTH OF NEXUS. EMERGENCY REQUEST COMING FROM SOURCE. RESPONSE IS NECESSARY.
>>> [What the hell? Did we send a bunch of prisoners out to fight those elves? Alone?]
>>> Negative.
>>> [...Copy... Scramble Airwatch. Close Air Support sortie. Do not fire on unknowns or the Penal Unit. Headhunters Mission update. Find Eli Freeman and Misfit Squad. Alive. We need to get to the bottom of this. Response code: Guardian. Secure. Retrieve.]
>>> Acknowledged. Tasking Airwatch.
>>> Headhunter mission status updated: Find Freeman.