Protector of Men Ch 70
Purgatory was about to fall apart. Stotte had come – Trim could see the outline of their ship through the darkness, but it was probably too late now. There were already sentinels on the hull again, and without Kemp – Trim stifled a cry, - they had no way to combat them. He could hear the searing of metal above them, knew that they'd be in within a minute or so. So this was it. All of their work, and they were going to die like this. So close to freedom.
"Trim!" Kesia screamed, bounding into the cockpit, "Trim!"
Tears streamed down his sodden cheeks; he tried to concentrate on the sentinels. There were so many now that it seemed like his ammunition didn't matter. Yet, though he felt that he was useless, he didn't give up.
"Trim!" she shouted again, only inches from his face. She poked his shoulder tentatively, and only then did he respond. He stopped shooting for a moment, perhaps dazed by the human interaction. Kesia saw his soaked face and guessed the worst; she was right.
She couldn't bear to look at her poor trodden body out in the pipeways, and instead quietly trudged back to her seat. Kemp, gone? The bay door was still open. What if she came back in, Kesia pondered, then we'd all be alright…
But no - they weren't alright. A flash of white light disrupted her momentary journey, and a bang soon followed. Kesia could see fire outside the door of the ship.
It was unbearable to sit in her chair, but something had appeared that lightened her spirits. In fact, she was ecstatic. She called for Alias to come.
"They're almost out!"
The room was bright, but dully so. The walls that now surrounded them seemed to absorb much of the luster emitted by the cheap bulbs above them and cast an eerie shadow below the troupe. The air seemed stagnant; each of them hesitated to breathe as if the air around them might be poisonous. They all realized the danger they were still in – though the surroundings were less obviously placid, there was a new danger in its unsettling calm. The small man stood in front of them, his face blank with masked calm. Nerves rocketed silently about the room.
"Can you get us out?" Zandra asked, breaking the tense silence. The small man nodded, but did not move. Zandra felt another ripple of something pass through her, and the urgency was again renewed. She shook her head in frustration.
"There's no time," she said, her brows furrowed. The man did not react.
"Seraph," Neo asked, "Please."
"The Oracle must secure a passage," he informed them, "And you," he nodded towards Neo, "Must have a place to hide."
Zandra was quiet; it was true. Neo would need a place to hide, after all. But no time!
As if reading her mind, the man pulled out a key from his sleeve and unlocked a door that Zandra hadn't noticed before. It opened with a clink, and they all walked through. A single telephone rested on a table in front of them. It was only a matter of time.
Zandra turned to Neo.
"Where will you be?" she asked, staring into his covered eyes. Shade and Cover were silent next to her. Neo looked to Seraph before answering.
"If I'm not with the Oracle," he said slowly, testing the words as they passed his lips, "She'll know where I am."
The lack of haste was disconcerting to Zandra; the lack of fighting, lack of resistance made her feel uncomfortable. Weren't they fighting for something? Wasn't this a mission? A war? Everything was silent again as they all waited for the phone to ring.
"Are they coming?"
A flash, and a following bang.
"They're waiting for us!"
"I'm there,"
A warning signal, the sound of bullets hitting the walls.
"I'm dialing."
The high screech of the phone startled them all when it suddenly came to life. Zandra looked to Cover, who looked to Shade in turn. He nodded, and walked up to the phone. He picked it up after a moment's hesitation, and was soon gone. Zandra breathed a sigh of relief. Almost finished.
"You go," she told Cover after a few seconds. He too nodded, and waited for the phone to ring again. It took a while, and their nerves began to grow again. But soon enough, it started its unearthly screech for another time.
It was only Zandra and Neo that were left; Seraph stood quietly in a darkened corner of the room. Finally, she thought, only a few more seconds.
"Thank you," she told him, almost a whisper. Why was she thanking him? Hadn't she just saved him from the Merovingian? Who knew.
A faint hint of a smile crept across Neo's face and he reached for his sunglasses. Zandra watched silently as he took them off, and looked Zandra over once more.
"Be careful," he told her, another whisper. "I'll be waiting."
The phone rang.
Zuma – good point – usually I do one or two run-throughs of a chapter before I post them – but the last one was rather choppy. But hey – Shakespeare made up loads of words… I'll just claim I'm taking a cue from the best. Heh… but a good point nonetheless – and I have been looking into finding a beta-reader for a while.
Aqua_Phoenix1 – not enough of Smith? I think he'd be the first to tell you that, lol
Alocin – Smith, smith, smith! Well, I guess we all have our favorite characters. I heart Neo. He's so pretty. *alex gets all fluttery*…
