An Interesting Afternoon
District 10, South Africa
June 11th, 2013
1425 Hours

It didn't take much to tear through the plastic of the tent. Vincent found an already made tear to start from and poked the claws of one hand through, ripping from this tear and creating a makeshift opening in the back of the tent. Behind it was a narrow alley that went through this particular block of tents and at this point in time it was pretty much empty. Above the sun shone harshly and a gentle but warm breeze billowed through the alley. It was a warm day today, perhaps a little too warm for Vincent's liking.

Grasping the bulky Popleekwan weapon Vincent climbed through the newly torn hole in the back of the tent. He kept watch on the alley once he was through, looking down both ways as Linda climbed through after him. She was followed by Michael and then Carl, the group emerging into the alley just seconds before the mercenaries out the front kicked down the tent's flimsy plastic door.

There was shouting from within the tent and Carl swivelled around to look back through the hole. The Popleekwan weapon he gripped fired, a lance of shimmering electric-like energy shooting forth from the end of the barrel. One of the mercenaries who had stormed inside the tent exploded into a bloody mess, splattering himself all over the inside of the tent. The other mercenary with him started shooting, bullets tearing through the plastic in the tent and zipping through the air near the fleeing group.

Vincent started running down the length of the alley, pushing aside a wandering prawn as he went. Linda, Michael and Carl followed shortly behind while the mercenaries started flowing into the alley in pursuit of the group.

Rifles fired and bullets clipped the ground near the group's feet, some ricocheting off while others stuck themselves in the dirt. By now the prawns hanging around in the alley way had started fleeing while ne rather brave prawn started charging towards the mercenaries. He was cut down in a hail of rifle fire, convulsing with each bullet that impacted him as he fell.

Vincent's heart was racing as he lead the group through the alley, doing his best to dodge the bullets that came his way. He hobbled slightly on his still aching leg, the wound there gradually starting to hurt again. It was frustrating to be slowed down by it to say the least and soon enough he found himself tailing behind the others, trying to run on the leg but finding that this was far too difficult.

"I know the way," Michael announced, taking the lead. Vincent could only nod, too preoccupied with his aching leg and the fact that there were several MNU mercenaries trailing behind them.

The group emerged out onto one of the larger dirt "streets" of the district where many prawns were hanging around, sifting through rubbish heaps or simply lying around in the sun. The sounds of weapons fire got the attention of most of the prawns out here, some of them racing for cover while others simply stood and watched.

Vincent stopped and turned around, counting about four mercenaries some distance behind them. He brought up his Popleekwan rifle and fired a few shots, splattering two of the mercenaries and leaving the other two of race for cover. Rifle fire zipped through the air around him as the remaining two mercenaries fired from cover. Vincent remained unfazed and blasted in the directions of the two mercenaries, one shot hitting a mercenary in the arm as he blind-fired from around the corner of a shack. His arm exploded into a bloody mess and the mercenary tumbled backwards, screaming loudly as blood erupted in geysers from the severed arteries in his arm.

The sound of a vehicle's engine caught the attention of the group as an MNU Jeep sped into view from around a corner up ahead. On the back a mercenary was cheerfully manning the mounted gun and he pulled the trigger as the Jeep rolled into view. The mounted gun barked and explosions of dirt erupted from the ground near Vincent, sending him diving to the ground as the Jeep came to a halt at the other side of the street.

Linda remained crouched behind some old wooden crates, mumbling to herself while she gripped her rifle to her chest. She seemed scared out of her wits, something that was understandable since she had obviously never been in this sort of situation before. A few high-powered rounds slammed into the top of the crates, sending splinters of wood flying over her head. She ducked instinctively, still mumbling to herself.

The other mercenary back in the alleyway behind them came out of cover and resumed firing, spraying rifle rounds in Vincent's direction. Vincent, still on the ground, brought up his Popleekwan rifle and blasted the mercenary, blowing him all over the width of the alleyway.

The mercenary manning the mounted gun on the Jeep seemed to be enjoying himself, shouting numerous profanities as he swept the heavy gun's fire across where the group was taking cover. Michael leaned from behind the overturned table where he had taken cover, spraying rifle fire in the Jeep's direction. Bullets pinged off of the metal and the windscreen shattered inwards, the driver's brains being blown from the back of his head. The mercenary on the mounted gun kept firing but Michael managed to adjust his aim appropriately, his rifle fire blowing a chunk out of the mercenary's leg. The mercenary went down screaming and fell off of the rear of the Jeep, the mounted gun falling silent. Michael stood up and shot a few more rounds at the wounded mercenary, silencing him for good.

What followed was a brief silence as the group gathered their bearings, trying to work out what to do next. Michael seemed to be the most confident in the subject as he started down the street, gesturing to the others in the group to follow him. Linda was the last to get up, still muttering to herself while her hands shook involuntarily.

There would be mercenaries flowing into the district from all sides now, especially since it seemed logical to assume that at least one of them had called for help. Vincent decided that the sooner they got over this rescue the better. He still had difficulty on his wounded leg and so hobbled a little way behind the rest of the group as they made their way down the street, sticking to cover out the front of the shacks and tents on this side.

"The whole area around Iris' shack is cordoned off," Michael said as they walked, breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen among the group.

"Did they arrest Iris as well?" Carl asked, sounding distant. He was probably thinking about his grandson, Lawrence, who had been arrested by MNU along with Wikus.

"I think so," Michael replied, solemn.

If Vincent's memory served correctly, Iris was the human name for one of the females who worked in the resistance. It was generally regarded that she had a thing for Wikus, even if the ex-human didn't really share these feelings.

Vincent gripped his Popleekwan rifle close when he heard the sound of a helicopter overhead. He looked up, watching as an MNU helicopter buzzed overhead but otherwise didn't react to the presence of the four armed fugitives down below. Either it didn't notice them or it was now reporting their position to MNU's ground force. Vincent was quite confident that it was the latter and so picked up his pace a little, still unable to put too much weight on his wounded leg.

Carl stopped and raised his Popleekwan rifle, taking aim at the helicopter as it passed overhead. Vincent was about to protest but Carl fired the weapon before the younger prawn had a chance to say anything. The lance of energy collided with the underbelly of the helicopter, shooting clean through it and severing one of the rotor blades. The helicopter, now emitting a thick trail of smoke, began spiralling towards the ground, disappearing behind a row of tents. A massive fireball erupted from behind the tents, sending pieces of helicopter flying out all over the street.

"That was unnecessary," Vincent said bluntly.

Carl shot him a cruel gaze, lowering his Popleekwan rifle as he did so.

"No, it wasn't," he replied, his tone cold. Vincent could tell that Carl was angry, more so than he had ever seen the old prawn get before.

The group continued down the street, following Michael's lead as they stuck to the cover out the front of the tents and shacks on this side.

Michael took them into another alley, this one passing through a sizeable block. There were several prawns hanging around her, sifting through garbage or squabbling over trivial findings. They managed some looks at the group of armed fugitives but otherwise did little else but mind their own business.

The alley opened onto another street, except this one was populated by a few MNU armoured personnel carriers and several mercenaries. A roadblock had been set up further down the street, obviously part of the cordon that Michael had mentioned. The group stopped at the end of the alley where it opened onto the street, crouching into the shadows as they surveyed what was up ahead.

Linda had fallen silent, the look on her face betraying her thoughts: What am I even doing here? Vincent was beginning to think the same thing but it didn't take much to remind him of why he was here: he was here to help save the resistance and that meant rescuing Wikus and Lawrence, even if Carl might have been against rescuing the former. And no rescue mission was without its risks, such as the numerous MNU forces who stood between them and the captives that had to be rescued.

Looking at the MNU positions, Vincent counted a dozen mercenaries at the first roadblock. There were plenty more patrolling the area and some were even in the process of forcing the prawns in residence in the area out of their homes. Iris' shack was at the centre of it all and was the location where Wikus, Lawrence and Iris had been taken prisoner. Vincent knew that to rescue them he, Carl, Michael and Linda would have to act fast. MNU personnel were probably in the process of loading the trio into an APC now in order to have them transported out of the district. If MNU did this then it would be impossible to rescue them and it would be too late to anyway. The fate of the resistance seemed to have fallen on Vincent and the rest of the little group, all four of which were now wanted fugitives. Today, it seemed, had started off ordinarily enough. Now things had gotten quite…interesting. If possible, Vincent would have preferred to have stayed at home with Linda for company but obviously fate had been against him and disallowed him to carry out this particular day-plan.

"Iris' shack isn't far," Michael said, shifting his gaze from the MNU mercenaries up ahead and back towards the rest of the group. He didn't look too confident, a feeling that Vincent and Linda shared. Carl, on the other hand, kept himself silently determined.

"That's a lot of mercenaries," Linda said, "How are we going to get through all of them?"

"We shoot our way through," Carl replied, his tone blunt. Vincent could see that the old prawn was quite serious in this plan, even if it was close to a suicide. Linda seemed to be sharing this thought.

"If I wanted to kill myself I would have done it already," she said, frowning, "besides, we can't just shoot our way through. Before you know it we'll have every mercenary in the district on our arses…And how many is that? Two hundred? Two hundred and fifty?"

There was an uneasy silence as neither of the four could actually come up with a suitable response and suitable plan. Up ahead the mercenaries milled about, rifles slung around their shoulders while. Some had grouped and were talking happily, obviously bored with the guard duties that they had been given.

"If none of you are going to go I'll go by myself," Carl said. He was serious about this as well and was about to step out into the street when Vincent grabbed him by the shoulder.

"You can't be serious," Vincent said, "You'll get killed."

Carl was angry, Vincent could see that. The old prawn shot a mean gaze at the younger one, wriggling out of the grip he had on his shoulder.

"My grandson's been arrested," Carl said, "I'm not going to stand by and let them take him off to some facility to be experimented on. If I go there's a chance I'll be able to get him. If that means none of you are going to help me, so be it."

"You're stubborn," Michael commented.

"Better than being a coward," Carl replied. Michael had no response to this.

"Nobody said we weren't going to go," Vincent said. They didn't have much of a choice: it was imperative they get Wikus at the very least; he was the main resistance organizer and without him they didn't have much of a chance in their fight for freedom. Without him the resistance would go back to the mess it was before Wikus came along, with disjointed hit-and-run raids and typical other trouble-making activities such as derailing trains.

"Well, as much as I would like to charge in with all guns blazing," Linda said wryly, a look of doubt etched on her face, "but I think we need a plan. A really good one if we're to have any chance of rescuing these friends of yours." She looked at Vincent and the prawn gave the equivalent of a smile. She obviously couldn't tell what it was and so continued to look at him carefully.

"Any suggestions then, human?" Carl asked, his tone sharp.

Linda was silent. After a few seconds of thought she just shrugged and Carl just shook his head.

"Typical human," he commented, "She wants to help but doesn't know how."

"I can understand you, you know," Linda snapped, shooting a rather angered look towards the old prawn, "So if you're going to be an arsehole near me, don't speak…I mean, click…" She trailed off, before adding, "Don't click so loudly."

Carl shifted his gaze to Linda, the dislike he felt for the human noticeable on his wizened old features. Vincent had a feeling that some sort of argument was about to erupt. He was about to intervene before it even started but he wasn't fast enough.

"I don't need to take orders from a human," Carl said, taking a step towards Linda. The woman remained unfazed, even if the old prawn was somewhat taller than her.

"And I don't need to take orders from a grumpy, smelly and old prawn like you," Linda replied, her voice laced with annoyance.

"You humans are all the same," Carl said, ignoring the insults that Linda directed his way, "You're all self-centred, arrogant and have complete disregard to the consequences of your actions. You treat me and the rest of my race like we're animals…"

"Hang on," Linda interrupted, "I'm one of the few humans who actually gives a damn about your people. I've actually taken the time to learn about your race and I know that you're not animals. You're obviously capable of displaying much intelligence and deserve better. That's why I've been taking the time to help those of your kind who live in District 9. Just ask Vincent, he knows what I do. He's even helped me out a few times." She looked at Vincent. "Tell him, Vincent."

Carl was annoyed, this much could be determined from the pheromones that he was emitting. The old prawn didn't seem too interested in hearing Vincent's testimony but the younger prawn delivered it anyway.

"She's telling the truth," Vincent said, "Not all humans are the same, Carl. There are some who actually care about us. It is MNU that is primarily to blame for the way we are now…"

"You don't get it, do you?" Carl sounded angry but it was his own sort of controlled, level rage. His tone was incisive and was enough to make Vincent feel uneasy. "The humans are influencing us, Vincent. They're controlling us. They're making us more like them. They give us human names, place us in human dwellings…I'm old enough to see what harm they've been causing to our culture. You, Vincent, are far too young. In fact, you're young enough to have been influenced heavily." Carl paused for a moment before continuing. What he was saying struck Vincent as making a lot of sense and it only furthered the younger prawn's uncertainty.

"You're mannerisms are all wrong, Vincent," Carl said, "You barely communicate with pheromones, you nod and shake your head like a human, you try and make human expressions…You're too human, Vincent. Far too human."

Michael had been listening to all of this from the sidelines and stepped in at this point, sounding a little unsure of himself.

"That's harsh, Carl," he said simply, "And you know that."

"The truth is sometimes harsh," Carl replied, glancing at Michael, "And the same sort of truths apply to you, Michael. You're much like Vincent, you're just not a disgrace to your own species…"

"I am not a disgrace to our people," Vincent heard himself saying. He was still trying to digest the implications of what Carl was saying, noticing that the old prawn was dead serious in all the points he was making. It stuck Vincent that yes, maybe he was too human. The way Carl was making it sound, it was as if this was something to be ashamed of. Was it something to be ashamed of?

"You may as well be a human," Carl said. His tone wasn't one of anger or hatred…it was one of mere statement of fact. And this made what he was saying to Vincent all the more angering.

"Hey, you two should just quit getting at each other's throats," Linda interjected. Vincent's heart was pounding and he had taken a step towards Carl, unsure of what he would do to the old prawn but fairly certain that it would shut him up. Linda's voice calmed him down though and it was enough to drive some sense into his mind. Vincent relaxed, realizing that Carl's words meant nothing. Vincent was doing whatever he could to help the Popleekwan race and just because one old prawn thought of him as a "disgrace" it didn't mean that everyone else thought the same thing.

"I have to agree with the human," Michael said, looking at Vincent, "You shouldn't let what Carl says get to you. I think the old man's just guilt-ridden since he hasn't stopped blaming himself for what happened on the ship all those years ago…"

"You wouldn't know anything about what happened," Carl snapped, angered pheromones wafting off of him as he spoke, "You hadn't even been born then!"

"That may be the case, but you're always saying how you could have repaired the engines, how maybe you could have saved the last of the leader caste, maybe you…"

"Shut up!" Carl was angry now and this sudden command silenced Michael mid-sentence. What followed was an uneasy silence, backgrounded by the sounds of the gentle breeze billowing through the alley they were standing in. The mercenaries at the roadblock out on the street were talking casually, unaware of the presence of the four fugitives. Somewhere nearby a helicopter flew, hovering over the smoking wreck of the last one that Carl had shot down earlier.

"I thought we came here to rescue some friends of yours," Linda said, "Not argue about some trivial matters. Besides Vincent, this old prawn…He doesn't know what he's talking about." She nodded towards Carl much to the old prawn's chagrin.

"I like you for who you are," Linda said, shifting her gaze back to Vincent, "and there isn't anything you need to do to change yourself. You're fine just the way you are now…"

"She's just another human influence on you, Vincent," Carl said, "By the way you two look at each other, I would be inclined to think you slept together…"

Vincent collected his thoughts. Sure, Carl had a point about the whole "too human" thing but what was wrong with that? Vincent wasn't the same as Carl and obviously the old prawn couldn't accept this. Carl was too deep in his own self-hatred, blaming himself for the original incident that got the ship stranded on this planet in the first place. And so he took out this inner anger and everyone around him. The only one he didn't seem to not like was Lawrence, primarily because Lawrence was his grandson. He probably felt some sort of responsibility over the young prawn, seeing as Lawrence's parents had been killed by MNU mercenaries some years ago.

Whatever other thoughts Vincent could have added to this were lost when the sound of weapons fire erupted from nearby. Something punctured a hole in the tent that was on the prawn's left, resounding with a shallow putt!

The group scattered just as the mercenaries up ahead shifted their attention in their direction. One of the mercenaries had somehow spotted them, probably having been alerted to their presence by the constant bickering that had been taking place between the group's members. Now there were about a dozen mercenaries all scattering and all firing in the directions of the scattering members of the group, Vincent included.

Vincent tried running but his wounded leg erupted in pain once again, thus he found himself limping for the nearest piece of cover. He dived behind a set of old wooden boxes, ones that had once carried rations for the inhabitants of this part of District 10. Now they lay discarded outside a tent, subjected to the elements. Nearby Linda had ducked back into the alleyway while Carl and Michael had taken cover behind a parked MNU Jeep.

Up ahead the mercenaries had started spraying rifle fire across the positions of the fugitives, rounds tearing up the wooden crates Vincent was crouched behind. The prawn leaned around one side of the stack and opened fire with his Popleekwan arc cannon, the lance of energy shimmering through the air as it flash-liquefied the nearest mercenary. This mercenary ended up splattered across the ground, scorched articles of clothing sent flying outwards.

The other mercenaries started racing for cover, some still firing their rifles as they went. Vincent ignored the few rounds that clipped the crates he was crouched behind, taking aim at a mercenary who had started running to the right, headed for cover behind a tent. Vincent didn't have qualms in killing MNU mercenaries, it came with being involved in the resistance. Thus he was quite calm and level-headed, even as numerous bullets pelted the crates he was crouched behind.

The arc cannon bucked slightly in his grip and the mercenary exploded into a rather bloody mess, splattering the front of the tent he had been headed for. The red blood contrasted sharply with the white of the tent, giving the impression of an abstract work of art.

Vincent stood up as the mercenaries scattered, watching as some had started to fall back. He couldn't help but feel good about himself as he stepped from cover, blasting another mercenary as he ran into view. The others had started retreating, some heading for cover behind the parked MNU APCs. One of them was barking into his radio, ordering backup. Vincent took aim and silenced this particular mercenary, the arc of energy hitting the mercenary square in the face. The top half of him exploded and left nothing but a mutilated pair of legs lying on the ground, something wet and slimy trailing from where the waist had once met the torso.

Both Carl and Michael had started to follow in Vincent's wake. Some mercenaries still managed to fire a few shots in the trio's direction but any that did expose themselves were hastily silenced by the Popleekwan-built weapons that both Vincent and Carl wielded. Further back, Linda had emerged from hiding and was treading slowly in the wake of the trio of armed prawns.

"Iris' shack should be just down this road," Michael announced. Vincent nodded in acknowledgement, spotting movement just off to the left. It was a mercenary and he squeezed off a shot seconds before Vincent blasted him away, splattering the mercenary all over the side of one of the parked APCs.

Somewhere up ahead a stern looking grey-haired human barked orders into his radio. He went for cover as the group approached, the name on his vest reading as 'KELLER'.

The group edged their way past the APCs that blocked the road. Vincent almost jumped back in surprise when he found a young looking brown-haired human mercenary standing behind one of the APCs and who was now only about a metre away. The mercenary overcame his immediate surprise and went to raise his rifle, only for part of his head to explode as a rifle shot sounded from nearby. Vincent looked over at the shot's source and found Michael standing nearby, his human-built Vektor R4 rifle clutched in his hands and smoking from the barrel.

"Thanks," Vincent said. Michael nodded in acknowledgement and the group continued on.

Several mercenaries were further down the street, taking cover behind temporary barricades that had been set up to help in cordoning off the area. Vincent went for cover behind a parked MNU Jeep that was located near the entrance to Iris' shack, surprised to find that there was a portable cage resting on the back seat.

Ignoring the rifle bullets that pelted into the chassis of the Jeep, Vincent peered curiously into the cage and was surprised to see a young prawn, perhaps only a couple of years old, cowering within. What the hell was that doing inside a cage in the back of a Jeep that was now in the middle of a firefight? Vincent shook off his immediate incredulity and picked up the cage, setting it down on the ground near him as several rifle rounds slammed into the metal of the Jeep that was closest to his head.

The prawn, or "prawnling" as the nickname went, looked to be a female. It was scared out of its wits judging by the pheromones it emitted and the fact it was curled into a foetal position in the middle of the cage, burying its head under its claws. Vincent found the latch to open the front of the cage and released it, helping the young prawn out. It clutched at him tightly, wrapping an arm around the back of his neck for support. It was whimpering, if only faintly.

Vincent crouched behind the Jeep, trying to catch sight of the others. Linda came running over, crouching down near him behind the Jeep as well. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the prawnling that Vincent was holding to his chest with his left hand. Across the street both Michael and Carl were in cover, firing away at the mercenaries up ahead. Vincent watched as another mercenary was cut down by Michael's precise rifle fire.

"Where did you find that?" Linda asked, nodding to the prawnling that Vincent clutched in his left hand. She had to raise her voice in order to be heard above the racket that was the weapons fire and shouting.

"I just found her," Vincent replied. He didn't have much of a chance to elaborate on this since a mercenary came charging around the side of the Jeep, a SPAS-12 shotgun clutched in his grip.

Vincent gripped his arc cannon in his right claw and shifted his aim as the mercenary came charging, pulling the trigger seconds before the mercenary went for his own weapon's trigger. Blood sprayed all over Vincent, Linda and Vincent's newfound prawnling, the mercenary's helmet landing nearby with a trail of blood streaming from it. Linda screamed in utter surprise and disgust, wiping away the blood that sprayed into her eyes while spitting out what of it had gone in her mouth.

Outside of Iris' shack was a single APC, one that had its rear doors open. Vincent caught sight of a mercenary escorting a familiar looking prawn into the rear passenger section, the mercenary forcing the prawn along at gunpoint. The prawn was Lawrence and there was no doubt in Vincent's mind that Wikus and Iris were inside the APC as well. As well as the APC there was a rather large cargo truck parked further past the shack. This truck had started to depart now, its tires kicking up dirt as the driver floored the accelerator. As it departed the stern grey-haired human jumped on the back, grabbing hold while he shot one hell of a mean gaze at Vincent. There was something about that human, something he didn't like…

Vincent went to fire his arc cannon but before he could the truck and the human had gone. Instead, Vincent's attention was diverted to the main firefight as several rifle rounds pounded into the Jeep and shattered its windscreen.

Standing up with the prawnling held with his left claw while it held onto his neck for support, Vincent swept his gaze across the area ahead. There were a number of mercenaries scattered across the street, most behind some form of cover as they exchanged fire with Carl and Michael. Vincent took aim with the arc cannon which he still gripped in his right claw, blowing away one of the mercenaries as the human came up to fire.

Vincent looked down at Linda who was still crouched behind the Jeep, looking reluctant to stand up. This was understandable since she looked terrified.

"Come on, I know where we have to go," he said, nodding towards the APC which he had seen Lawrence get forced into, "They're in that APC..." From the look of things it would be leaving within moments so without waiting for Linda to follow, Vincent took off on his wounded leg and done his best to ignore the pain that erupted from it.

At the same time, backup for the mercenaries here arrived in the form of another pair of APCs and a pair of Jeeps. Carl and Michael remained out on the street, trying to best to hold off the overwhelming amount of MNU hired soldiers who came at them. Vincent knew that he didn't have much time before they were overrun, so he would have to act quickly once he reached the APC. There was no point in getting himself or anyone else killed, especially Wikus.

The female prawnling he clutched held onto him tightly, unsure of just what was happening but terrified anyway. Vincent patted it on the back in a reassuring manner, even as he ran into another potentially dangerous situation.