A/N: Well, I've decided to finally post the next chapter to this, as for continuing, I will do my best but I will make no promises. I have the rest of the story, or at least where I want it to go, in my head. I'll write when I can, but don't expect too many fast updates. I did started chapter 22, though. And if I get some reviews It'll hopefully come faster. I do want to finally finish this story, just give me my motivation. I only hope some people who originally started reading this, still are.
Deren's POV
We flew back up into the afternoon sky, the sun was blazing just above our heads. We were all sweating a bit from picking up those heavy containers. The air was chilled slightly, and the trees had started getting hints of brown. Autumn was approaching and would be upon us fast.
We talked about the coming base some more. It would be heavily armed and a frontal assault would be absolute suicide. The only way we could go for a successful attack would be to either get a huge attack force, which would be impossible as of now. Or perform a stealth attack.
We discussed the possible attack routes, but it was very difficult to do so without a map of the place or something. We decided to wait until we landed and approached the base. It was very well hidden, but John C. new where it was and how to look for it's entrances. They were all unguarded and would be easy to just walk in, but once you do there are guards inside waiting.
It would be possible for me to sneak in and do a reconnaissance mission. Star could come along too, but in the state she's in, she would be more of a hindrance.
We talked about lighter matters, such as what John C. was doing working for Team Rocket. He had joined the army a few years ago and was then recruited into private services. Private services were things such as guards and lookouts for V.I.P. such as a president or governor. In this case he was chosen to assist the V.I.P. Giovanni. He was being flown into the base when we attacked.
After a good while, we sat in silence and enjoyed the view below.
Nightfall…
We touched down on a hill and shut off the engines quickly. We spotted some Rocket helicopters, and even though we were one of them, we could not be seen. It could easily cause trouble. So for the time being we lay low, the darkness and trees would be good cover for now. If things went bad we may have to run for it or fight back.
The trio of helicopters was thankfully not headed our way and we had to wait for a good 30 minutes until they were completely out of sight. The minutes ticked by slowly as we waited. After a good sense of eternity passed, we decided to chance it and get back into the sky.
We landed again about an hour later and with that the engine was cut. We headed out and looked for a place to rest for our investigation the next day.
A simple clearing would serve the purpose and we rested until daybreak.
The morning came sooner then expected, the sun burned down on us as I arose. They day had come for us to attempt to destroy Rocket's Military base. I stretched and grabbed my self something to eat in preparation. John woke soon after me and I discussed with him the plan.
The plan so far was this: John will lead me to one of the entrances to the facility, and I will use Faint Attack to stay invisible. I'll search the base and discover everything that lies inside. I'll find a map of the place if possible. From the information I gather, we will formulate an attack and execute it. Dawn woke up soon after and we filled her in.
We marched, weapons in hands towards the hidden entrance. Star was left to rest at the helicopter, though she did want to come. John walked up to a tree and placed his hand on it. The trunk slid open to reveal a monitor with buttons labeled 0-9. He punched in a few numbers and it slid shut once again.
The ground right below the tree slid to the side revealing a set of stairs leading below. "Here is the entrance," John put his hand on my shoulder. "Good luck. Be back here in three hours. We'll be waiting." I nodded at John.
I felt Dawn hug me from behind, she whispered in my ear. "You better come back!" I turned around and kissed her lips.
"I promise you, I will return." She smiled at me and I turned to face my mission. I stepped down into the darkness to discover what I can.
–
The path above me slid closed and I was plunged in total darkness. My eyes soon started to kick in and the darkness seemed like nothing to me. Suddenly the lights went on around me and my eyes became disoriented. I shut them and put my arms in front of my face to stop the light from getting in.
I looked back when my eyes re-adjusted to see a long flight of stairs. I closed my eyes and felt the familiar dark energy within me rise. I used faint attack to become invisible. I walked down the flight of stairs and finally hit the bottom. I looked up and spotted a camera looking directly at me, had I waited until I got down here to use faint attack, I would surely be caught.
I advanced through the hallway and entered through a door. Ahead of me was a long row of beds. It seems this was the sleeping quarters. There was no privacy, as everyone shared the same large blue room. Thankfully there was no one here at the moment, though there were clear signs people have been here. There are some backpacks and notebooks on some of the beds.
Moving through the room, I find some signs to other locations within the base. One door on the opposite side says, 'hanger'. That's where they would keep their helicopters. On another door, it read 'Armory'. I decided to check that place first, I could possibly scavenge useful weapons from there.
As I entered, I found myself in a long hallway. On my right side was an array of guns, grenades, and pistols that extended all the way to very end of the hallway. I took a pistol and a holster off the rack. I placed it on myself and it became invisible with the rest of me. I moved towards the end of the hallway and noticed there were several doors all on the left that led to the hanger.
I opened the door and quickly slipped through, shutting it silently. The hanger was absolutely enormous. It seemed to stretch half a mile back, all lined with attack helicopters and drop ships, every single one of them brazened with a red 'R'.
There were few people around. They were working on repairing some of the helicopters as they held tools in their hands. They tinkered with the inner parts of the machines. I snuck past them to explore anything else I could.
Looking up I spotted what looked to be the control station, a few people lazily sat in their chairs through the windows. The building itself was three floors high and went from the bottom of the hanger to the top. It lay in the very middle of the hanger.
Silently, I approached the building and to its door. A person was walking by, so I had to wait before opening the door. They opened it wide and walked through, I quickly took the opportunity and slid through with them. He took a sharp right into one of the rooms.
Inside the building, the walls were lined with computers and empty seats. Most of the screens simply stated 'standby' and there was a single person in the room looking bored at a monitor. I looked carefully at his screen and realized he was playing solitaire. I walked to the end of the room and ascended the stairs two floors.
I slowly cracked the door open and looked inside. The door creaked loudly and I froze. I peered inside quickly to see if anyone heard the door. One man was looking questioningly at the door, he had a thick beard and was balding on his head. He was quite a fat man.
He stood up and pushed the door open. I nearly fell back trying to evade the door hitting me. I turned his head to the side and looked around. Someone from inside spoke. "What you looking at, Bob?"
"Uh, just thought I heard something, phil." He turned around and sat back in his chair. He put on a set of headphones with a mic on it. "So when is the boss going to call?"
"He should be calling soon. He'll let us know our next orders on what to do about the southern base." The other man had a blue cap on with short brown hair. He had headphones on with a mic as well and was typing on a computer.
"What the hell happened to that place anyway?" Bob turned to Phil on his spinning chair.
"I'm not really sure. No one is saying anything about it. That's why this next call is so important. From what we know the base was heavily damaged about a month ago for who knows what reason. On top of that we've had no signal or contact from that base in the past few days. I'm thinking they have a power outage but then who wouldn't then just call from a cellphone." Phil had his hands folded at this point and was staring at his monitor.
"This whole situation is weird, I think." Bob folded his arms and looked out the window into the well lit hanger. "This started happening month ago when the convicts escaped, thats about the time our base was hit. I wonder if they're connected."
"Wait, bob! I think I got something." Phil stood up suddenly.
"What you talking 'bout Phil?" Bob spun his head towards Phil.
"Bob, gimme a check on our flight log from one month ago." He walked over to him and Bob's computer.
"Umm sure thing. Gimme a moment." Bob clicked a few links and typed away. "Here it is, from one month ago." Phil walked over to his desk and pulled a newspaper out of the drawer.
"Let's compare these dates." Phil looked at the newspaper and back at the monitor several times. "I knew it!"
"What is it?" Bob looked up at Phil.
Phil tossed the newspaper to Bob. He looked it over and turned his head from the monitor to the paper he held. "These dates are the same!"
"Exactly! And if you look closely these guys left, and never came back. How many was it? Fifteen. The exact number the newspaper said the convicts killed." Phil sat down and stared his monitor with Bob still staring at the newspaper.
"But, it says right here that those fifteen were moved to the other base." Bob pointed at his own screen, still in disbelief.
"Thats exactly what they want us to think. We are always moving around soldiers, it'd be easy to move fifteen soldiers and have no one ask questions." The screen of Phil's computer started flashing. "Its the boss! Get on the line Bob."
Both of them put their microphones on and Phil clicked the screen with his mouse. "Hello?" I moved closer to Phil and tried to listen to his headphones, I could barely make out what 'The Boss' said.
"I need to have exactly 300 soldiers moved to the winter dome base, immediately. Can this be done?"
A winter dome base?
"Sir, 300? Thats like 60% of the troops currently stationed here. Are you sure?" Phil asked.
"Of course I am sure! I need specific men as well. I am sending over a list with the names of every soldier to be sent over."
"Yes, sir. I'll inform the base of these actions and begin mobilizing the helicopters at eighteen hundred hours."
"Excellent." The headphones made a clicking noise and the call ended. Their was silence for a time, before Phil spoke up.
"Well, we'd better get the message out. I don't know why he needs that many troops." Phil looked up at the ceiling.
"Alright, I'll get the patrols sent out to clear the area and make sure the hanger doors are working properly up top." Bob picked up a mic from close by and held the button down. "Squad fourteen, report for field scouting at 1400 hours. Hector Uran, you're squad leader." The loudspeaker blared its message to the entire facility. "Prepare all available helicopters for lift off at 1200 hours. Maintenance crew clear the hanger, code orange."
I decided that I had enough information. I left the building and retraced my steps back into the sleeping quarters. Thankfully they were still empty and all I need to do was cross through and make my way up the stairs. It had not been three hours since I came, but I may as well leave. This base was not what I expected. I dropped faint attack near the top of the stairs and the lights automatically went on. I found a button near the wall and pressed it.
The ceiling slid away and I was met with the afternoon sun. I stepped free of the abyss.
–
I made it back to our stationed helicopter and Dawn greeted me with a tight hug. John walked over as well. "So, Deren. You're back early, did something happen?"
"No, it went without incident. But, I've come to realize this isn't the right place to be attacking."
"Why do you say that? They are Rocket owned aren't they?" Dawn asked.
"Yes, but just because they work for Team Rocket doesn't mean they are evil. John is proof." Their faces were a mix of confusion and guilt.
"These soldiers are all innocent and are only following orders given to them. I found the main control room and overheard the flight control crew. They don't know anything about whats going on either." I then explained to them the conversation they had and finally, the one they had with the boss.
"The boss called?" John asked, putting a finger on his chin. "To have the boss call, it must've been very important. Though, what I'm really wondering is, what is the winter dome?" I turned to him.
"They didn't tell you anything about it?"
"I've heard it once, but thats about it. I over heard some other soldiers talking about it."
"Well, it seems thats where we should be heading. Where would a winter dome be?" I thought for a moment, but I couldn't come up with anything.
"Well, wouldn't something like that be far up north?" Dawn suggested.
"Yes of course!" John agreed.
"Wait! I just remembered, the helicopters are leaving tonight at 1800 hours. We can just follow them right?" I ask excitedly.
"Yes, it would be very dangerous though. We'd have to sneak into the skies with them, I would better say we wait until they all leave and then we tail them as best we can from a distance." John thought about it for a moment. "That may not be the best idea though. They have radar they'll spot us from miles away."
"How about we see what direction they go in and when they are far enough away we go in that direction. They are helicopters, they have no obstacles in their way, they'll fly us in a straight line there." Dawn suggested.
"I think thats our best bet." I say.
"You said there were field patrols coming as well?" John asked.
"Yeah they should come in a few hours." I respond.
"Let's camouflage the helicopter then. Flying is to risky now, we just have to hope they cant see us., or we may have a fight on our hands."
We spent the next hour trying to cover up our helicopter as a huge pile of logs. While searching, we found a couple large piles, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to see, the problem though, was the blades. They stuck out high and wide above any pile of logs we'd try to place on it. After a while of trying to tinker with ways to cover it, John decided to remove the blades using tools and hide them inside the helicopter. It would cost us a lot of time when the time came to take off, but at least we stay undetected.
After all was said and done, the helicopter was completely undetectable. It was just a huge pile of logs with a hole near the top so we can go in and out of the body of the helicopter.
We stayed inside for the time, the patrols would be coming any minute now, as it was 2:13. To pass the time John read his book using the light creeping in from the exit of the helicopter, while Dawn and I sat next to each other. Star was still resting, but she was looking a lot better than before.
Dawn rested her head against my shoulder. Our hands were wrapped in each other's and I could feel a smile creeping onto my face from the contact. Thats when I heard the rustling outside. John looked up from his book at the noise as well.
"Is that them?" Dawn whispered, holding me tighter.
"Must be," I whispered back.
I heard voices outside, but I just couldn't make out anything they were saying. It continued like that for a few minutes before they all died away. I let out a sigh of relief as the silence returned once again.
Oh and I almost forgot. I made an account on FF's sister site FictionPress. I've uploaded two poems so far and plan on uploading a lot more. Head on over there, my name there is also The Chosen Pessimist.
Reviews are always accepted! 'Till next time. -TCP