Ch17: Flight Across the Waters

Copyright © 2013 by P.A. Lackey

All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. 

Chapter Seventeen: Flight Across the Waters

The others were gone now, and only the sound of the slow whooshing of the water could be heard besides the sound of the chopper circling the warehouse several blocks back. Arius moved onto the beach and onto the docks. He glanced around warily; his senses were up to the highest sensitivity possible. The slightest movement would alert him.

He moved to the boat house with the gas can in hand. He didn't know what he would do, but he had retrieved the gas for a reason. Perhaps he would follow the others and try to convince them of his innocence and Dueson’s treachery, but all he had on his side was his own trustworthiness which was absolutely nothing. Thorim would probably try to keep things under control, but the others had already shown their lack of concern for authority. Thorim wouldn't be able to protect him from the others.

The hair on Arius’ neck stood up as he sensed something moving toward the beach. Headlights glared around a building before a land cruiser peeled around toward the beach. Arius attempted to take cover but the headlights had already exposed him.

Bullets began to fly as he dashed for the boathouse. Swinging the door open he slammed it shut before bracing it with a nearby cabinet. He could feel the hostiles approaching on foot now. Glancing to the boat he spotted the motor, and made haste to fill it with gas.

The door shuttered as they attempted to break through, but the cabinet only gave by a couple inches. It wouldn't take long for them to get in as they continued to wrestle it open. The gas guzzled into the motor slower than Arius could take. The cabinet scraped across the floor before jamming against another shelf, and the door was open enough for a soldier to squeeze through.

Arius tossed the still full gas tank aside where it splashed into the water, and riddled the door with his rifle. The soldiers were pushed back, but they returned fire reducing the door to scraps. Arius nearly tripped into the boat as he back into it, and its rocking nearly sent him over the edge.

He fired another burst toward the door before turning to the controls. The key was already in the ignition which he turned to hear the motor groan. The door to the boat house blew open, and another turn revved the engine to life.      

Pulling the throttle the boat roared forward before slamming into the exit which hung over the water. The doors flew open as the soldiers stepped into the building where they fired toward the fleeing boat. Arius crouched as the bullets hammered against the boat but they missed him as he steered it away from the building.

More guns fired from the soldiers upon the beach, and the boat splintered from the rounds. Arius turned it toward the vast ocean unwilling to let them sink the boat, and soon the gunfire became silent. His hands shook from the adrenaline in his system, and he held his limbs tight as the boat bounced against the waves.

He didn't know where he was going other than away from the island. The moon was gone behind the clouds, and there was no light upon the ocean which left him in utter darkness. His eyes were good at seeing in the dark, but an endless ocean left him with nothing to see.

Arius kept it at full throttle not knowing when it would run out of gas. The cold wind against his face at first eased his nerves but soon chilled him to the bone. Looking back he could no longer see the island. He wasn't sure how long he had been traveling. Turning his eyes forward again he glimpsed the rocky reef ahead of him, but it was too late as the boat smashed into the rock with a grind.

Half the floor ripped away from him as the rest of the boat flew into the air. Arius lost hold of the wheel and became suspended in the air before plummeting into the darkness around him. He heard the boat crash into a million pieces elsewhere before he was consumed by the ocean. 

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Ch7: Ghosted

Copyright © 2013 by P.A. Lackey

All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. 

Chapter Seven: Ghosted 

Arius took a step back. A shelf full of canned goods was to his right, and blocked his view of the staircase. A stone wall was to his left, and the room was no more than twelve square yards. The unknown being made its way down the stairs, and stepped into view. The small basement window cast light upon the being’s face revealing a trail of dust before it. A leather mask covered the face, two holes were cut into it where the eyes were, and leather layered body armor clad the being’s form.

A snarl came from within the mask which had four buckles running down its front side. It turned toward Arius’ position; a fully automated firearm was clutched within its hands, and wavered around his position.

The being clicked on a light mounted upon the rifle to pierce the darkness which loomed at the back of the room. Arius faltered, and the light caught upon his face exposing him to the being. His shadow was cast against the back wall which he used to teleport himself away from the weapon’s fire which left a deafening ring in the room.

Arius hit the back wall and stepped to the side where the shelf covered him. The hostile turned to cut him off on the other side, but he swept around the shelf to catch the being from the back side. The muzzle of Arius’ double barreled gun aimed low, and blew through the hostile’s back. The being slammed into the wall where it fell lifeless to the floor, and Arius dropped his now empty gun for the automated rifle.

He felt something else coming down the steps behind him, and spun around to find another leather clad warrior storming down. Squeezing the trigger, Arius loaded several rounds into the figures chest. The armor held strong, but the shock would do enough damage to keep it down. The figure slid down the steps with several thuds before rolling off the side and hitting the floor. Already, Arius was cloaked within the shadows, and he hurried up the stairs to enter the hall.

“Engage!” Thorim had ordered through stealth speak.

Another leather warrior was coming down the hall toward Arius, but was brought to a halt as an invisible force plunged a dagger into its gut under the armor. The light through the window revealed it to be Dueson as he removed the knife and quickly took a kill strike at the being’s neck.

Gunfire sounded elsewhere in the building though it was probably due to panic as the leather warriors were being taken out by ghosts. Arius followed Dueson down the hall before they made it back to the main lobby where a warrior already lay dead. Something moved at the top of the stairs as a hostile backed away from the upper hall. It waved its rifle back and forth as if to guard itself from the invisible assailants, but Jayvolni moved past its defense, plunging a dagger into its gut. Within seconds the figure was disarmed and Jayvolni continued to assail it with his dagger before tipping it over the rail where it fell to the bottom floor behind the counter.

The building fell silent as only the shadowed ghosts stirred. Arius glanced out the front window where he found a cruiser parked outside. It was the only one around the premise as far as he could tell so that was all they had to deal with for now. The others came into the lobby where they exchanged curious glances.

“What happened?” asked Thorim, looking across all his men.

“One of them caught me with its light, sir,” Arius said. “I had no choice but to take him out.”

“Very well,” Thorim replied with a nod. “But now they’re going to know we’re here. Let’s figure out what we’re dealing with.”

“Do you think they were looking for us?” Grem asked, as Thorim turned the leather clad body before him onto its back.

“Probably,” Thorim replied. “I’m not sure what else would bring them to this island unless they picked up our ship on sensors.”

The group stared down at the body. The mask continued to cover its face and they did not know what lay behind it.

“Let’s take a look shall we,” Thorim said, before undoing the mask.
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Ch6: Loyalty

Copyright © 2013 by P.A. Lackey

All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. 

Chapter Six: Loyalty

The white structure loomed over them. Its glass windows looked undisturbed, but life seemed absent from that place. Two white columns supported the roof overhead, and the group made their way to the oak colored door. The building was white in frame, but a log cabin style defined the rest of it.

Dueson opened the door which gave no hindrance. Inside was dark, and dust layered the furniture in the lobby. It looked like a fancy hotel, as a service desk sat between two large staircases ascending to the next floor. A hall went to either side at the top and the bottom, and a glass chandelier hung over the lobby.

“Certainly hasn’t been anyone here for years,” Grem said.

“Over here,” Jayvolni said, gesturing them past the front desk.

A large map of the island was painted upon the wall perhaps showing tourist attractions to the residents. The hotel was located near the center of the island, though there was much ground between it and the southern shore. However, Jayvolni directed their eyes to the eastern shore where a label read, Gray Tower.

“So Gray Tower is a place, not a description,” Dueson said.

“At least we’re on the right island,” Thorim said. “Check this place out for anything else useful.”

The group spread out to explore the halls and rooms. Arius took to the left and entered the first room. The floors in the hall were wood, but the rooms had carpet. Arius spotted a bathroom to his left before he surveyed the room ahead of him. Two beds were made but neglected, and a desk with a screen upon it sat opposite them.

Arius spotted something on the other side of the bed, and made his way over to find a corpse lifeless against the wall. It caused him pause for but a moment as this was the first sight of an inhabitant, though dead. They shared many similarities to his own kind though they were indistinguishable now because of the surgery they had gone through before setting out upon the mission.

The corpse was that of a man, and the years had consumed the body so there was actually very little identifiable about it. Within the cold grasp of its hands was a double barreled gun. Arius pried it away carefully before checking the firearm. Finding the switch he broke the front stock forward where a single round was found inside. The stock clicked back together and Arius hoped that it worked.

“Already found yourself a gun,” Brockumus said, from the doorway. “What happened?”

“Looks like he was shot,” Arius replied, eyeing the wounds in the chest. “I’m not sure what happened here.”

“Hey,” Brockumus said, to pull his attention back toward him. “Keep on your guard. You can’t be too careful now.”

“I know,” replied Arius, eyeing the gun.

He understood what Brockumus was talking about. He didn’t know who to trust, and suspected foul play from the beginning. Rumors had been started about him ever since the beginning of the mission; rumors that he lacked loyalty to the nation they claimed to serve. The others didn’t just think he was inexperienced, but they questioned his allegiance. Brockumus had seen through the lies though, and understood Arius better than the others. Arius only wondered who was responsible for the rumors, and if his future father-in-law had anything to do with it.

Brockumus left down the hall and Arius exited the room. Soon he made his way down to an old cellar where he found a stash of canned food. Light poured in from the small window on the wall leaving the rest of the room in darkness. Arius moved to a nearby pantry where he surveyed the supplies. He found nothing of use there.

“We have company,” someone’s voice trembled through the air.

Arius could feel its vibrations from the upper floor. Stealth speak they called it. A technique they learned in the academy so that they could speak to each other while in close proximity while not alerting potential hostiles. Only their extra senses could pick up the words spoken.

“Take cover,” Thorim ordered, from somewhere else in the house.

Arius felt something storm through the front door; it felt like multiple men quickly making their way through the building. A ruckus broke out upon the upper floors and he could feel everything going on within the building. Whoever it was, he was clearly searching the premises for something.

“Don’t attack unless attacked,” Thorim ordered.

By now they were all cloaked within the shadows of the house. The unknown persons would be unable to see them, and would pass on once they thought the place was clear. Arius could only wait within the cellar for the commotion to end.

The door flew open from atop the stairs, and he waited to hear the long creak as someone stepped onto the first step. Arius’ hairs stood on end as he felt it move down the stair case. He had no place to run, and only the darkness to conceal him. 
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