- II -
Squad 87-A had already been massacred by the rebels when we arrived. Their twisted bodies and broken frames showed that Verotoxin had been present in the battle. "Check for survivors quickly and survey the area, we don't want to have the same fate," I told my squad. Scy looked at me.
"You think they'd hang around for us to show up?"
"No, but I don't think we should take unnecessary risks. I've dealt with the users before..." Scy shivered and surveyed the corpses.
"Could somebody really be capable of that?"
"We've got one alive," a police officer yelled. We ran over to them. The downed officer's collar bones had been shattered inward like someone had grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed them together.
"Wiav... a," he mumbled as he spit up blood.
"What did you say?" Did he say Wiava?
"Heading... to...," he hacked up blood again. Where were those damn ambulances? I turned to Scy.
"Get headquarters on the phone, tell them to block the highway to Wiava," I yelled.
"No... sub -" he convulsed suddenly and went limp.
"Damn it, bring him back," I ordered. One of the officers felt the downed one's neck and grazed his hand over the chest area.
"His ribcage has been shattered too. Resuscitation is impossible, its remarkable he was still alive, sir." Sub what? Subway? Were the rebels taking the subway instead of the highway? Is that what he had meant. I looked up at the old subway entrance across the street. Scy walked back and patted me on the shoulder.
"They're on it, Ryu, it's out of our hands right now."
"No, I don't think so. Get the squad together we're going to the old subway."
It didn't take long to get the men together and get our gear ready. The ambulances never came. I turned the safety off on my semi-automatic. It had been years since the subway had been opened, it was the perfect way for them to go. I waved to my men, it was time.
I pulled apart the old automatic door to the subway and took my first steps inside. Everyone turned their lights on and about twenty circles of light danced along the inside walls. Something flickered. Everyone's light jerked over to it. An old electrical wire swung gently. I ran my light along the wall, most of the wires had been cut. There was no power. I signaled for part of the group to stay behind and guard the entrance and for the rest to follow me into the subway. I looked up and down the old tunnels and Scy tapped me on the back. He pointed to an old sign
***
Wiava
N. Track -
Kagen Downtown
------Central--------
Suveria
- S. Track
***
We started up the North Track on the raised platform against the wall, our footsteps echoing loudly along the old curving concrete and steel cylinder. I ran my light down along the track catching the glints of tiny eyes. Probably rats, I thought. We continued on for about a mile. I had been ordering the men to a halt every few minutes to listen for movement. Nothing every time. I stopped them again. A shuffling noise, that's all I could really relate the sound to. I waved for them to follow me quickly and to cut off their lights. We ran as silently as possible running our hands along the wall to stay with the path. I stopped them as we came around a curve. A light a little further down showed us what I was hoping to see.
It looked like the entire band of rebels had set up a sort of resting point. They were gathered around an illuminated Lightcanister: in the army we had something very similar. I counted about twenty rebels in all. Only six were noticeably users. Then, I noticed something strange. A hooded white robed person sat a little from the center with their back facing us. The robe hung a little loosely off of the person like there wasn't much inside to hold it up. I tapped Scy and motioned for the night-vision binoculars. I zoomed in on the person. The way they sat emphasized something feminine so I assumed it was a woman, but wasn't too sure. She didn't have the markings of a faction leader but the way the men kept looking at her she seemed to be in control of this group. She stood suddenly and the others followed her lead. I zoomed in on her head hoping to get a good look. Maybe she was -
She turned suddenly and looked right at me. I cut the binoculars off quickly and ducked behind the curve. Damn it! I gave the signal for the men get ready. Blackness filled my vision again. The Lightcanister had either given out or been cut off. I turned the binoculars on again and glanced back around. They were gone... No, wait... Something was moving -
"Users!" In unison the spots of lights flickered on and frantically searched along the corridor. Short bursts of *rat-tat-tat* echoed as the users were located. Two - no three users! I lost track of the third one. I ran my light across the floor again as the other men kept firing. Where did he go? A jumper - I jerked my light to the ceiling. The third was hanging from the old electrical pipes. "Ceiling! There is another one on the ceiling!" A few bullets joined mine, but most were concentrated on the two climbing up to the platform. One of the old pipes broke sending the user to the ground with a hard thud. He didn't move. I kept my light on him. One of the users had made it to the platform. "Back away! Don't let them get a hold of you! Fall back!" Everyone took a few steps back. This user was huge. Nothing like I had ever seen before. I guessed about eight feet high, he towered over us. With one swing of his arm he slammed three officers into the wall; they fell limply to the ground. Another swing more officers were down. We fired at his head but it was like the massive size just absorbed everything. Something hit me from behind... I remembered the jumper just as consciousness failed me...
***
I awoke slowly on the hard dirt ground, opening my eyes to darkness. My arms and legs were chained together and a gag placed in my mouth. My chest hurt pretty bad, but I couldn't feel to see if a rib was broken. It was useless to struggle. Did they take me hostage? The rebels have never done that before to my knowledge. Desperate times, desperate measures.
Someone was walking closer to me in the darkness, their footsteps crunched loudly on the dirt. A searing pain shot through my side as they picked me up and carried me away. Where were they taking me? Suddenly, I was thrown the ground hard. After wincing I looked around. A Lightcanister was lit and light poured over my surroundings. It was the rebels and from the looks of things I was still in the subway. The robed woman sat in front of me. I tried to roll over onto my side to get a better look, but someone's foot came down and clamped me down on my stomach. The robed woman pushed back her hood. Her face was feminine and thin like she hadn't had much to eat in a long time. Her blonde hair was cropped short not even reaching midway down her neck. "Name and rank, soldier," she said. A hand pulled the gag out of my mouth.
"Hito, Ryu," I rasped quietly.
"Rank."
"Hito, Ryu."
"Rank."
"Hito, Ryu."
"Rank."
"Hito - " someone slapped me on my wound and I convulsed violently.
"Rank."
"...Hito, Ryu." More searing pain, then black...
Squad 87-A had already been massacred by the rebels when we arrived. Their twisted bodies and broken frames showed that Verotoxin had been present in the battle. "Check for survivors quickly and survey the area, we don't want to have the same fate," I told my squad. Scy looked at me.
"You think they'd hang around for us to show up?"
"No, but I don't think we should take unnecessary risks. I've dealt with the users before..." Scy shivered and surveyed the corpses.
"Could somebody really be capable of that?"
"We've got one alive," a police officer yelled. We ran over to them. The downed officer's collar bones had been shattered inward like someone had grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed them together.
"Wiav... a," he mumbled as he spit up blood.
"What did you say?" Did he say Wiava?
"Heading... to...," he hacked up blood again. Where were those damn ambulances? I turned to Scy.
"Get headquarters on the phone, tell them to block the highway to Wiava," I yelled.
"No... sub -" he convulsed suddenly and went limp.
"Damn it, bring him back," I ordered. One of the officers felt the downed one's neck and grazed his hand over the chest area.
"His ribcage has been shattered too. Resuscitation is impossible, its remarkable he was still alive, sir." Sub what? Subway? Were the rebels taking the subway instead of the highway? Is that what he had meant. I looked up at the old subway entrance across the street. Scy walked back and patted me on the shoulder.
"They're on it, Ryu, it's out of our hands right now."
"No, I don't think so. Get the squad together we're going to the old subway."
It didn't take long to get the men together and get our gear ready. The ambulances never came. I turned the safety off on my semi-automatic. It had been years since the subway had been opened, it was the perfect way for them to go. I waved to my men, it was time.
I pulled apart the old automatic door to the subway and took my first steps inside. Everyone turned their lights on and about twenty circles of light danced along the inside walls. Something flickered. Everyone's light jerked over to it. An old electrical wire swung gently. I ran my light along the wall, most of the wires had been cut. There was no power. I signaled for part of the group to stay behind and guard the entrance and for the rest to follow me into the subway. I looked up and down the old tunnels and Scy tapped me on the back. He pointed to an old sign
***
Wiava
N. Track -
Kagen Downtown
------Central--------
Suveria
- S. Track
***
We started up the North Track on the raised platform against the wall, our footsteps echoing loudly along the old curving concrete and steel cylinder. I ran my light down along the track catching the glints of tiny eyes. Probably rats, I thought. We continued on for about a mile. I had been ordering the men to a halt every few minutes to listen for movement. Nothing every time. I stopped them again. A shuffling noise, that's all I could really relate the sound to. I waved for them to follow me quickly and to cut off their lights. We ran as silently as possible running our hands along the wall to stay with the path. I stopped them as we came around a curve. A light a little further down showed us what I was hoping to see.
It looked like the entire band of rebels had set up a sort of resting point. They were gathered around an illuminated Lightcanister: in the army we had something very similar. I counted about twenty rebels in all. Only six were noticeably users. Then, I noticed something strange. A hooded white robed person sat a little from the center with their back facing us. The robe hung a little loosely off of the person like there wasn't much inside to hold it up. I tapped Scy and motioned for the night-vision binoculars. I zoomed in on the person. The way they sat emphasized something feminine so I assumed it was a woman, but wasn't too sure. She didn't have the markings of a faction leader but the way the men kept looking at her she seemed to be in control of this group. She stood suddenly and the others followed her lead. I zoomed in on her head hoping to get a good look. Maybe she was -
She turned suddenly and looked right at me. I cut the binoculars off quickly and ducked behind the curve. Damn it! I gave the signal for the men get ready. Blackness filled my vision again. The Lightcanister had either given out or been cut off. I turned the binoculars on again and glanced back around. They were gone... No, wait... Something was moving -
"Users!" In unison the spots of lights flickered on and frantically searched along the corridor. Short bursts of *rat-tat-tat* echoed as the users were located. Two - no three users! I lost track of the third one. I ran my light across the floor again as the other men kept firing. Where did he go? A jumper - I jerked my light to the ceiling. The third was hanging from the old electrical pipes. "Ceiling! There is another one on the ceiling!" A few bullets joined mine, but most were concentrated on the two climbing up to the platform. One of the old pipes broke sending the user to the ground with a hard thud. He didn't move. I kept my light on him. One of the users had made it to the platform. "Back away! Don't let them get a hold of you! Fall back!" Everyone took a few steps back. This user was huge. Nothing like I had ever seen before. I guessed about eight feet high, he towered over us. With one swing of his arm he slammed three officers into the wall; they fell limply to the ground. Another swing more officers were down. We fired at his head but it was like the massive size just absorbed everything. Something hit me from behind... I remembered the jumper just as consciousness failed me...
***
I awoke slowly on the hard dirt ground, opening my eyes to darkness. My arms and legs were chained together and a gag placed in my mouth. My chest hurt pretty bad, but I couldn't feel to see if a rib was broken. It was useless to struggle. Did they take me hostage? The rebels have never done that before to my knowledge. Desperate times, desperate measures.
Someone was walking closer to me in the darkness, their footsteps crunched loudly on the dirt. A searing pain shot through my side as they picked me up and carried me away. Where were they taking me? Suddenly, I was thrown the ground hard. After wincing I looked around. A Lightcanister was lit and light poured over my surroundings. It was the rebels and from the looks of things I was still in the subway. The robed woman sat in front of me. I tried to roll over onto my side to get a better look, but someone's foot came down and clamped me down on my stomach. The robed woman pushed back her hood. Her face was feminine and thin like she hadn't had much to eat in a long time. Her blonde hair was cropped short not even reaching midway down her neck. "Name and rank, soldier," she said. A hand pulled the gag out of my mouth.
"Hito, Ryu," I rasped quietly.
"Rank."
"Hito, Ryu."
"Rank."
"Hito, Ryu."
"Rank."
"Hito - " someone slapped me on my wound and I convulsed violently.
"Rank."
"...Hito, Ryu." More searing pain, then black...