Disclaimer: I do not own "EQUILIBRIUM©" as it is property of Dimension Studios and the beautiful work of Kurt Wimmer. This story basically takes place right after Cleric Preston defeats Father and signals the Resistance of his victory. I have changed the overall mechanics of the story a little. Since a lot was kept out of the story such as the detailed mechanism of Librian government and its enforcement, I had to fill in for it. Please read and comment. Do take notice that if there is anything negative, I would appreciate it as constructive criticism with suggestions and a bit of humility. I will also be using the name John and Preston or both interchangeably depending on the situation. Thank you and enjoy.
Chapter 1 – The Beginning of the End
With one last shot of his issued piece, Cleric John Preston ended what seemed like an endless nightmare. Father was dead, to simply put it. Now the Council was leaderless. As Preston made his way through the Communication Center, he destroyed the telescreens, setting off an inadvertent signal to the Resistance of Father's demise. Throughout Libria, bombs exploded, putting an end to the opiate known as Prozium. Riots and gun battles ensued throughout the streets. The outer rim of Libria was already liberated by the time that Preston arrived at the Palace of Justice. However, the forces of Libria and Father's Liberation Army had pushed back the Resistance forces and were firmly holding their ground in the center of the city. They also managed to take back a hefty amount of territory of the bustling metropolis.
John knew that the Resistance would suffer a heavy and insurmountable loss if Jurgen and the other leaders were terminated in the City Furnaces. He saw that a group of freedom fighters were having some trouble with the Sweeper teams. He snuck behind a pillar, and made his move. He quickly grabbed the nearest soldier in an armlock and disarmed him promptly. He then used the AK-47 to quickly take out the rest of the Sweeper squad. Preston was already marked as a "friendly" so he led the team to infiltrate and recover the Resistance leaders.
"But how will we get them out of there? There are more than a hundred Sweepers fully armed and mobilized securing the Palace of Justice. We have to regroup and think of an alternative strategy, Preston." James Black, the second in command of the Resistance fighters argued.
"That would seem like a good idea, but we have NO TIME! We need to get Jurgen out of there. We have no idea how long they have left. I need you three to secure the outer perimeter. Let no one through. Use this to contact us if trouble arrives. I have already scrambled the communication code so we shouldn't have any problems with any Sweeper reinforcements. The rest of you will STAY BY MY SIDE! FOLLOW MY LEAD AND DO NOT MAKE ANY RASH MOVES! IS THAT CLEAR!" Preston commanded.
"YES SIR!" the Resistance team affirmed.
"Okay then, let's move out, and be on your guard." Preston commanded as he loaded his weapon and waved his arm for the men to move out.
The Sweeper teams were yelling out "STOP! CLERIC PRESTON, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST, SURRENDER AND DISARM YOURSELF, IMMEDIATELY!"
Before they could get in the first shot, Preston immediately fired at odd angles and took out the Sweepers with relative ease as he was now the Master of Gun Kata in all of Libria. More Sweepers fired as the rest were now alerted to an invasion attempt by the Resistance. The Sweeper Lieutenants knew that if Jurgen escaped that this war would never end. Before they could place the Resistance leaders into the crematorium, the turbines powering the City Furnaces shut down. What was going on?
John smiled; he knew everything was going to plan, at least for now. Before he managed to leave the Capitol Building, he had made sure to set off a default shutdown of the City Turbines by manual override. He was now controlling things with a remote that he "borrowed." Not only did he know the type of strategies that Father's Army would employ but he also had access to key files and documents that would be of great use to the Resistance. John Preston was already a gifted Grammaton Cleric, but now he was a real threat to the Council as he now had a purpose that came from the heart and not from the criticizing and harsh Voice of Father, Dupont.
"PRESTON! Heavy Sweeper Infantry HSI at 3:00!" yelled Black, snapping John back to reality.
The Sweeper team was closing in on Preston's team. Preston quickly pulled out a ying-tao grenade and launched it while shooting the AK-47.
BOOM!
The grenade laid waste to whatever was left of the HSI team and Preston signaled Black and his team to cover the rear as Preston made his way to the City Furnaces. Surprisingly, the inner part of the Palace of Justice was not as heavily guarded. This is not to say that Preston had it easy. Automatic machine gun nests and secondary security systems were activated and on high alert. Preston had some tricks up his sleeves and so he was able to take out most of the obstacles, with his team taking care of the rest and securing the area. After what seemed like forever, John was able to get to the City Furnaces. Several Elite Sweepers were guarding the area, and Grammaton Cleric, Derick Votz was heading the execution of the Resistance Leaders.
"Black, you and your men have to take out the Sweepers. Be careful they are wearing some heavy armor and are heavily armed. This will make them slow targets. I will take care of Cleric Votz. Whatever happens, you have to get Jurgen and the others away from here. I will go in first, and when I signal, you will rush out and face the Sweepers head on. Make your shots count. Good luck." Preston made his last remarks and headed for battle.
"Well now, the Judas finally appears. You are a disgrace to the Tetragrammaton and a complete failure. Tell me, what words of comfort did you tell your Resistance friends before you sent them to their graves? Speaking of which…. CAPTAIN, THROW THEM IN NOW!" Votz spat out as he unlocked his sword.
Before John or Black's team could do anything, the Elites threw the leaders into the Furnace Chamber and sealed the doors. Preston kept his cool and motioned for Black and his team to remain hidden until the time came.
"Well, men, you will get the pleasure of partaking in the death of our very own First Class Tetragrammaton. Any last words, Sense Offender?" Votz grinned, just like Cleric Brandt before his death.
"Just one: NOW!" Preston signaled Black and the men to fire at the Elite Sweepers. Fire shots went off and took out 2 of the Elite Sweepers. This caused the three remaining Sweepers to focus on Black and so an all out shooting spree began.
"First Class, my ass. I will enjoy cutting you down, traitor." Votz made his final reply before going into offensive stance with his katana.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am sorry to interrupt the train of thought in the story but there are a few things that I need to clarify. First, is that there are several classes of Tetragrammaton Clerics. The first of these are Firearms Masters or Gunslingers. They specialize in all firearm combat, taking up Gun Kata as basic training. The second series is Blade Master, handling all blades from long swords to katanas and kadachis. The third series of Clerics are Masters of Projectiles and Explosives. Usually they are taught bomb diffusion and the mechanics and use of explosive projectiles and projectile launching devices such as rocket launchers. This group is known as the Grammaton Bomb Squad. The fourth class is more of a diverse collection known as the Special Weapons Masters. As the name describes, they are taught a variety of weapons such as the kunai (small knife/projectile) or bludgeoning weapons like maces or clubs. Those that go on to learn ALL of the training involved in each of these sections earns the level of First Class Tetragrammaton Cleric, such as our own John Preston. Blade Masters usually serve as bodyguards for important members of Librian government such as the council or Father himself. They also receive additional assignment with securing important prisoners of war. Gunslinger Clerics are involved in raid and interrogation missions. Special Weapons Unit is used for assassination and reconnaissance of enemy forces. The Grammaton Bomb Squad is among the first on open battle lines and are invaluable when it comes to situations where Sweepers are forced into enemy territory armed with remote explosives and motion sensor mines. Both the Gunslingers and the Blade Masters carry two weapons, in case of back up or extra firepower. I just wanted to clear that up. Now back to the story.
Votz quickly made a few stab slashes at Preston, while Preston merely dodged. At the beginning of any real challenging fight, the Cleric is taught to first test the absolute strength and speed of his foe and then to assess the situation by deciding what strategy to use. In this case, Votz had already planned to use the fact that Preston was a Gunslinger and that he would be using the standard issue Beretta. The disadvantage for a Gunslinger was that during a clip exchange there is a moment of about 4-5 seconds where the Cleric is rendered defenseless. The Cleric is taught to discharge and withdraw until the weapon is fully loaded. This particular weakness is what separates the Second Class, a step-down from First Class, from the rest of the Cleric Monastery. As Preston was testing Votz's speed, he edged closer and closer in range. At first, he was shooting to keep Votz on his feet while he edged closer. With his last couple of shots in his piece, he fell back, creating the illusion that he was reloading, and as Votz drew closer he pulled out of his hideaway and shot his last two rounds, one making it to Votz's left shoulder. With this, he dropped his guns and ran towards Votz and tackled him to the ground. The two of them struggled to reach Votz's sword. Preston was, in the end, quicker and snatched the sword and the two quickly went into offensive stance.
Votz pulled out his second sword and smiled, "So, you think you can best me at my own game?"
Preston made the first strike with a swift upper slash that was meant to recover some ground against Votz. Votz was already familiar and well trained with this particular opening and parried the attack with his sword pointed to the left. He quickly swiped the sword right and did a 360. Preston had always seen this move executed by Brandt during training, so he knew exactly how to defend against it. For several minutes the two tested each other, not really fighting seriously or inflicting critical damage. Preston was getting weary and Black and his men looked like they were in trouble. He knew that his next move would have to be the finishing one. Black and Preston both knew that reinforcements were on their way, and with the primary security system out of commission, it wouldn't take the Sweepers long to get there. Preston saw an opening in Votz's defense and so he went in with a killing stroke. Votz parried and the two of them struggled with swords hilt-to-hilt. With that, Preston kicked Votz in the stomach and made a final thrust. Hence, Cleric Votz's career in Father's Army came to and end.
Preston quickly made his way to Black's battle. Only 2 Elites were standing and they had withdrawn from enemy fire. Preston snuck past as Black continues his onslaught. Before the Elites could raise their weapons, Preston quickly ended it.
"Preston, we don't have much time, we already have Jurgen, but they have covered the exit. We will stay behind and cover your retreat. Go, QUICKLY!" Black demanded of Preston.
Preston remembered something that one of the Sweeper Extermination Squad told him when he tried to rescue Mary from the crematorium: "We're sorry, Cleric. If we force the time locks, the City Turbines will explode at street level."
"There is a back way out of here. There will be some resistance so be prepared. Take the corridor to a staircase. It may seem like a dead end, but take this remote and enter the following code: C3SH79 and a door will open. Make your way out as quickly as possible. I will follow along shortly." Preston commanded Black as he handed him the remote he referred to.
"What about you? What are you going to do?" Black asked as he prepared to leave.
"Buy you and your men some time." Preston said as he pulled out a second remote he had used earlier to stall the Turbines before Votz could execute Jurgen. Up until now, the engines had been priming, even as they had retrieved Jurgen. The pressure locks could barely handle the incredible build up in pressure and heat. Preston quickly signaled for Black to leave, and entered in the final code to force the time locks at the supercritical point. He quickly went after Black and once they were outside, Preston led the Resistance fighters far away from the Palace of Justice. Just as they were to be arrested by the Sweeper reinforcements, Preston deactivated the locks.
Suddenly, there was a rumble in the ground and the Palace of Justice exploded with the fire bursting out into all directions. Several of the Mobile Command Center Transports (MCCT) were destroyed and many Sweeper were burned alive. In the chaos that ensued, Preston quickly started to make his way out of the blockade, while Black and the rest of the Resistance covered him. The soon were outside the sector of the city controlled by Father's Army. As they were making their way to the transports back to the Nethers, Black glimpsed back.
"Mission accomplished. Glad it's finally over." Black sighed.
"No, it's not over yet. This is just the beginning. Looks like we're back at war, Jurgen. Something we have tried to prevent for some long." Preston said.
"No, John. We have always been at war, a war with our humanity. At least now people have realized that since they actually have a glimpse of that humanity back with the destruction of the Prozium supplies." Jurgen commented. "We should get going."
John and the rest of them made their way back to the Nethers. However, all was not victorious for the Resistance for the Council was calculating their next move. Meanwhile, things had grown to a standstill between the Resistance sector and the Librian sector.
That was the end of Chapter 1. I hope you liked it. More to come very soon.