Here's another chapter. I hope you like it.
After taking care of the guards that were patrolling the external parameter of the prison, Rommie and Rick, accompanied by the massive War Bot, neared the main entrance.
The door was two feet of armor plated steel and it was locked.
"Stand back." A voice from the War Bot said, sounding very much like Eternity.
Rick and Rommie took cover as Eternity used the Robots main guns to take out the obstacle that laid before them.
No longer hindered by the main door, they proceeded to enter the prison. Mere seconds later a siren began to wail.
"Eternity." Rommie said. "Move on ahead and sweep the area with your anti-personnel guns. Rick and I will follow.
"By your command." Eternity said, and quickly the huge robot stomped ahead of the two androids.
Soon Rick and Rommie heard the sound of the robot's guns firing and the screams of dying Nietzchean guards.
"Do you hear that?" Rick asked.
"The shooting?" Rommie asked.
"No. It's something else." Rick said.
They were interrupted by several Ubers entering the hallway from a side room.
"People generally try to break out of prison." One of the Ubers said. "It seems these two want to…."
His words were cut off as a blast from Rick's gauss rifle hit the Uber directly in the chest.
The others tried their best to defeat the two intruders but their first mistake was underestimating Rommie and Rick. That was also their last mistake.
"Rick," Rommie said. "According to my scans of this facility, nearly all the Nietzchean guards have been terminated."
"Let's catch up with Eternity and try to find John Styvers and free the rest of the prisoners here."
As they made their way toward the War Bot's current location, they met minimal resistance.
Rommie looked around at the carnage that littered the hallway. There was dead bodies all over the place.
With the firing of the robot's guns becoming less frequent, Rommie began to hear something.
"There it is again." Rick said. "It's the same thing I heard earlier. Do you hear it?"
"Yes." Rommie said. "But I can't quite make out what it is yet."
"Same here, but it sounds sort of musical."
Rommie strained her sensors to their limit and continued walking to where they knew the robot was.
They turned a corner and saw it as it killed three more Nietzchean guards. At the same time they discovered what the sound was they had been hearing.
"You were correct Rick." Rommie said. "It is music. At least, that's what Harper calls it."
The moment the War Bot had began fighting, Eternity had accessed a song from one of Harper's music libraries and played it full blast.
"Do you recognize the song?" Rick asked, as the song ended and the last guard fell.
"I believe it was a song from Ancient Earth, by a group called CCR. I don't know what the letters stood for. The song was called, Bad Moon Rising."
"Eternity." Rommie said. "Let's find Mr. Styvers."
"By your,…" Eternity started to say but stopped herself. "Rommie, Brendan's been injured. Gloria has just brought her back to….me?" This was the first time Eternity had existed outside the confines of her ship self, other than sending her hologram over to Andromeda. She was
still unsure sometimes how to word things that needed said.
"I understand." Rommie said. "How bad is he?"
"Trance is currently working on him." Eternity said. "She seems troubled by his injuries."
"I don't mean to sound heartless, but did they complete their mission?" Rick asked.
"Yes." Eternity replied. "The Nietzchean barracks are destroyed, along with many Nietzchean soldiers. The rest of their squad is currently on their way to help Becka and Harper. I also received word from Rhade and Shauna. that they too have completed their mission. They sadly did not locate John Styvers, so they are hoping that you will locate him at the prison facility."
"Thanks Eternity." Rommie said. "We'll find him."
When the conversation ended, they began to hear a new sound. It was the sound of hundreds of prisoners shouting for freedom.
Rick ran to the nearest prison block and accessed a control panel. A few seconds later the doors on that level to every cell clanked open.
The prisoners began to run, but Rommie and the large War Bot controlled by Eternity stopped them.
"We are here to not only free you from prison, but to free Boston and eventually the entire planet." Rommie said. "Those of you that need medical attention can follow Eternity here back to the ship. Those that are able, can stay and fight…. That is if you want to."
"I'll fight." A young man said, followed by shouts of many others stating the same.
"Very well." Rommie said. "We'll need a few of you that are familiar with these facilities to help us free the rest on the other levels."
"Does anyone know of a man named John Styvers?" Rick asked.
"You mean the Doc?" A young boy asked. "He's being held in the cellar. A nasty place that is."
"Can you show us where it is?" Rommie asked.
The boy looked scared.
"Don't worry." Rick said. He could tell by the kid's reaction that he was terrified of whatever was in "the cellar".
"We're here to free you. We won't leave you there. You don't even have to enter the room. Just show us where it is."
"I… I'm not a scared." the boy said. "The Doc was nice to me. He was nice to a lot of us. If I can help him by helping you, I'll do it."
Rommie and Rick followed the boy down several levels till they reached the bottom most level of the prison, also called the Cellar.
Inside was all manner of torture devices. Rommie had to wonder how sick someone had to be, to create such devises for the sole purpose of causing someone extreme pain and torment.
"Wait out here." Rick said to the boy, as he and Rommie entered the room.
"John!" Rick shouted. "John Styvers!"
They heard something crash to the floor and they quickly ran to investigate.
On the floor was… a leg. They looked up and saw a man fastened to a strange device. It seemed to be slowly and painfully pulling him to pieces. As it made a loud high pitched whining sound his body was pulled again.
Rick searched the device for some way to shut it off. A few seconds later the machine began to shut down and the whining ceased.
Rommie broke the restraints that were holding the man in place.
"Is he,…?" Rick asked.
Rommie scanned the body and discovered that he was indeed an android, and he was still functional.
"I believe it's him." Rommie said. "And he's not gone. He's just in a shut down state. He probably did it to ease his torment."
Rommie lifted him up and carried him to the door with Rick following her carrying the cybernetic leg that had fallen to the floor. When they got to the door, the boy looked at the man that Rommie was carrying.
"He'll be ok." Rick said. "Can you tell me if this is the man you know as Doc?"
"Yeah." He said. "That's him. Are you sure he'll be ok?"
"We hope so kid." Rick said. "Now come on. Let's get out of here."