The Collective (23 page)

Suddenly his head jerked forward as his helmet exploded
from the gunshot. Keera’s aim was true. The bodies of the remaining two guards
went limp as the barrels of Abel and Rheem’s guns spat fire. Shashak rushed
past them pushing one of the gunmen out the tower. The Captain was stunned by
the efficiency of the attack. All his men were dead before he had time to
unsheathe his blade. He lunged at Shashak and the blade cut deep contacting the
armor plate beneath his vest with a spark. Shashak fell back and regained his
balance for the next attack. The Captain slashed downward violently hoping to
end the fray quickly and turn his attention to the approaching foes. To the
Captain’s surprise Shashak sidestepped the blow as the sword scratched a deep
groove into the face of the control panel. Shashak caught the wrist of the
Captain’s sword hand as he head-butted him in the face. The Captain’s nose
broke with a crunching sound. Shashak used his right arm to hook the Captain
under the shoulder, and then drove the man’s own blade into his chest.

The Captain met the mercenary’s eyes with cold defiance.
“You’ll die like a dog under Xonox’s boot.”

“Not today.” Shashak pushed the sword in deeper as the life
slipped from the man. He pulled the sword out and his soulless body fell to the
floor.

Abel reached Shashak as he dropped the blade on the ground.
“Anyone alive?”

Shashak eyes scrolled around the room. “Not anymore.”

“We should have kept one of them alive. Now how are we going
to get this gate open?” Abel wondered, clearly perturbed by Shashak’s tone.

“Warden said no prisoners.” Shashak reminded Abel. “We’re
already outnumbered three to one. We can’t take a chance leaving anyone
breathing.”

“Then I’ll leave you the task of opening the gate.” Abel
said as he touched one of the dead guards searching for a pulse.

Before Shashak could retort, Keera stepped between the
pair. “I scanned the controls and I think I know how it works.”

“How?” Abel was surprised she had figured out the multitude
of levers in such a short time.

Keera pointed to a lever protruding from the control panel.
It was wide as her palm. Above the handle, etched into the panel was the word
‘close’. She ran her finger downward to the point where the grooves stopped and
could see the word ‘open’.

“Well. It’s a bit complex, but I think if we move this
lever down the gate will open.”

They all shared a chuckle at the simplicity of operating
equipment in a technologically advanced building. Keera grabbed the lever and pulled
down. The lever did not move. Maybe it was stuck, she thought. She pulled down
harder, and then used both hands with all her might. Nothing. Shashak moved
forward and gripped the handle with his large hand. He fared no better than
Keera. 

Abel grimaced. “So much for simplicity.”

“Try this.” Rheem was knelt over the fallen Captain. He
held a small cylindrical, metal piece in his hand. It was notched and grooved.

“What is it?” Abel asked.

Keera turned to see the small, metal shape in Rheem’s hand.
“It looks like some kind of key.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Rheem walked over to Abel and
handed him the key.

“Where does it go?” Abel questioned. The group looked at
the control panel and around the room, looking for an opening that would
receive the key. They had looked for a few minutes with no luck. “It’s four of
us in here. We need to spread out and figure this out.”

They each took a wall working their eyes and fingers around
the surface looking for a hidden door.

“I found it.” Keera exclaimed.

She was standing over the lever again and reaching back for
the key. Abel handed it to her. She bent down to get a closer look as she slid
the key into the right side of the lever arm. The key locked in. She could feel
the energy pulsing from the handle. She gripped the handle with her left hand
using her thumb to push the key in further. The lever began to move down
towards the ‘open’ sign.  As soon as the lever stopped, the gate groaned and
began to slide open.

Shashak took out a small comm device from his pants. “I’ll
contact Warden and let him know.” He spoke gruffly into the microphone.
“Warden, this is Shashak. We’re in.”

The words were scarcely from Shashak’s lips before Warden’s
caravan of trucks were spotted speeding towards the entry to the Water Facility.
The vehicles turned sideways to form a barricade in front of the gate. Warden’s
rig was off to the left side facing the steel complex.  Goll’s forces began to
make their way from the brush no longer in danger of being fired upon by the
snipers. Warden smiled to himself. Everything was going as planned.

In the courtyard, Tommie Gun had pushed the majority of
Distor’s forces back to the main building where the water was converted and
packaged. The guards in the barracks were pinned down and now Goll’s squad was
starting to enter the courtyard to help secure the area. Without warning the
water truck Tommie’s team used for cover roared to life. All around the vehicle
were surprised. Apparently there were guards in the truck and they had decided
the odds were not in their favor. The engine revved and the truck rocked as it
was thrown into reverse. Tommie only had seconds to jump from the Hummer before
the water truck slammed into the vehicle sending it flipping over and sliding
into the wall. The water truck continued, not concerned with the makeshift
barricade Warden had created outside the gate. The rebels scrambled out of the
way at the approach of the trailer. The driver angled the rig to split the two
trucks blocking the escape route. The jerking of the wheel combined with speed
of the impact lifted the right wheels of the trailer and cab off the ground.
Turning the wheel to the right, the driver tried to compensate for the
imbalance, but it was too late. The truck smashed into the dirt creating a deep
impression as it careened to a stop at the edge of the woods almost killing
some of Goll’s army. A crackling flame emitted from the cab. The guards in the
cab did not scramble from the internal fire; they were already dead from the
impact. Warden’s people cheered at the sight.  They poured into the compound
linking their forces. Distor’s guards were being depleted at a rapid rate. They
fell back to the main building attempting to regroup, protect the water
generation and their leader.

Abel was in the tower looking at the wreckage of the truck
and chaos that ensued in the courtyard. He reached out his hand for Shashak’s
comm device to contact Warden. “This is Abel.”

“Great job Abel.” Warden intoned. “We’ve got the outside
secure and we still need to secure the interior. From what I understand there
is still a good portion of their forces in the barracks and Distor is in the
main building. I’m sending in Goll with half our army to help Tommie Gun hold
their position. I need you to get to Distor before he can notify Xonox, if he
hasn’t already. I’ll keep the remaining forces out here in case we have
company.”

“I’m on it Warden.” Abel handed the comm back to Shashak as
he spoke to the group. “We need to gather a small, formidable group and make
our way to the main Facility. We need to find Distor. I know we can’t go
through the front door so we need to find another way in.”

“From what I remember from the plans, there is another way
in.” Keera pointed across the courtyard to the main building. “We can make our
way through one of the towers into a side entry. It should bring us to the
floor where Distor has his office.

“Good.” Abel said. “Let’s move. We’ve got to get to him
before Xonox gets to us.”

CHAPTER 18

DISTOR

Distor cut the formalities with the Captain of Xonox’s
convoy and retreated to the main building as soon as he heard the first
explosion. He always followed the Collective Water Distribution Protocol to the
letter. This attention to detail had allowed for his rapid ascension.  He
recited Article 11 section 5 in his head; in the event of imminent threat
against water generation, fall back to the place of distribution, fortify your
position and immediately notify your superior to provide reinforcement. The
next chain in the command led him to Xonox. He sent four to five snipers to
each tower so they would have a good view of their attackers; he rounded up his
personal guard and fell back to the main building with a small army. The
soldiers in the barracks would start to push from their position, assess the
situation and swarm the courtyard soon. His primary concern was water
generation and getting word to Xonox.

From his office he had just ended communication with Xonox.
The First of the House of Vancrew did not seem surprised the Facility was under
siege. The casual nature of how Xonox responded to the full-scale attack had
caught Distor off guard. Xonox told Distor to hold the area, keep the gate
closed and assured him reinforcements were forthcoming. The fact that
reinforcements were already on the way told Distor that Xonox had anticipated a
rebel attack. Somehow he was always a step ahead of everyone else, Distor
thought. But why was he not notified of the impending offensive? He would have
been at the ready instead of getting ready. As another explosion shook the
building, Distor turned to his monitor and he could see the courtyard being
overrun with ruffians from the surrounding villages. One of the gates was
already open. The water truck lay smashed and burning on the outside of the
building. The situation was dire, but Distor was confident he could hold the
Facility until Xonox’s forces arrived. He had every entry and exit covered. His
guards in the courtyard did not stand a chance against the rebel marauders, but
he could not trouble himself with their lost lives.  There were more important
things to consider. The water production had to be sustained for the Xonox
family, for the House of Vancrew, if he had any hopes of advancing into the
Xonox home. He had to hold, he thought.

Distor leaned over from his desk requesting a status report
from his second in command, Lucrid Hergof, even though it was evident on the
monitors around the room the rebels had taken a large part of the Facility.
“Status, Hergof.”

“Sir, we have currently lost approximately one-hundred and
thirty two of our people in the courtyard and towers. The rebels are continuing
to press their attack on the barracks. We have one hundred and seventy-three
guards in the barracks, but they are pinned down and struggling to fight their
way out. There are another one-hundred and twenty people in the administrative
area. Some are armed, many are not.” Hergof reported, pausing slightly for
questions from the Facility commander. “We’re communicating with officers in
the wing and telling them to brace themselves for the impending battle. There
are well over a hundred armed fighters in this Facility, including your
personal guard, not counting the technicians keeping the water process
flowing.”

“And how is the water generation?” Distor asked, bored with
his second’s assessment of the guards.

“It’s unfazed.” Hergof stated. “We’re still at one-hundred
percent capacity. As long as we keep this building free of those vermin, the
generation will continue. Unfortunately, as you see on the monitors, the water
truck has been…incapacitated.”

“Yes, I can see that.” Distor said, the distaste dripping
from his voice.

“Yes sir.” Hergof responded as he awaited further orders.

“Alright, keep me informed on any changes. I want an update
ever five minutes. We have to stay on top of this situation or it can easily
spiral out of my control.” 

“I’ll station twenty of your personal guards outside this
entry and down the adjacent corridors.” Hergof promised.

Distor waved his hand dismissively. “Thank you. That will
be all.”

Hergof nodded his head and exited the room. No sooner did
the door slide behind him, Distor heard the echo of gunfire in the halls. The
rebels had breached the complex and were undoubtedly heading towards his
office. He thought about what Xonox said on their call, suspecting that the
well organized and coordinated attack was due to the rebels having a precise
layout.

Distor pressed his comm link. “Hergof, status report.
Hergof, status!”

The comm link crackled with silence. Distor closed
communications and stood from his desk. He brushed the lint from the bill of
his visor before placing it on his head. Sometimes you have to handle matters
personally, he thought. He pressed a button on his desk and the side door slide
open revealing the small pistol, still shining from the fresh morning polish.
Snapping out the barrel, he placed the six armor piercing bullets into the
revolver. He holstered the weapon on his right hip. He lifted the top of the
drawer and pulled a semi-automatic handgun from a case and notched the holster
onto his belt. Walking towards the wall, he ran his eyes over the handle of the
cutlass sheathed in a scabbard hanging from a hook. He grabbed the metal handle
padded with leather and protected by the soup ladle style shell guard.  The
polished brass basket hand protector was shined to mirror perfection. He
admired the gold threads stitched through the leather handle as he fixed the
sword to his hip. The reflective surface on the wall shot back a dashing
figure. He squared his shoulders and passed through the door into the hall. As
he turned the corner he could see the bodies of his guards and the rebels
strewn about the area. Further down the corridor, he could see the factions of
each force diving in and out of the door depression for cover as they advanced
on his position. He raised the semi-automatic weapon in his left hand and fired
two shots downing the two rebels he targeted. He started to move towards the
enemy’s position, firing shots and attempting to turn back the small band.  As
he walked past one of the doorways, the door suddenly burst open and two of the
rebels lunged at him. Distor pulled the cutlass from his side and slashed
across the man’s chest and face. The aggressor looked shocked as the crimson
streak burned across his body. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he
fell to the ground. Distor had his weapon trained on the second rebel, but he
hesitated to pull the trigger. He replaced the sword in his sheath. Keera dropped
her weapon as she stared back at the Facility commander.