Chapter 10: Securing Home Base

DATE: 5/07/45876

"Force-damn it, shoot them in the head!"

"Defensive positions, now!"

"Use the blasters, they're safer."

And the rest of the mutts poured through.

Anakin couldn't tell which was more horrifying: the fact that there were probably hundreds of mutts pouring through the doorway and trapping them in Central, or the way they looked. Burnt black all over, rotten flesh turned into charcoal, eyes mostly just hollow, bloody holes.

"Those kriffing things ran right through the ray shields!" Josh shouted from somewhere to the right. "Right through!"

"Keep it together!" Derek hollered above the noise. "Short bursts of ammo, don't let panic run our supplies to the ground!"

"Look at them all!" Nathan exclaimed, as if he hadn't heard the man. "How we gonna stop those things? Look at 'em!"

Panic was beginning to take over as the mutts kept coming, wave after wave of the vile creatures pouring through the door. The air was becoming polluted with the ringing of the firearms and the screams of the animals. Derek, Obi-Wan and Jason were in the front, while the others took cover behind beds and other objects.

Still, the monsters kept coming. People began coughing and hacking, smoke and smog building up. The ray shields had been knocked out, so Central was now wide open.

"We have to seal that door!" Derek hollered. "Any ideas?"

Obi-Wan found himself slipping into the Force and contacting Anakin. "You have anything?"

He had been a strategic mastermind during the Clone War. Anakin fought off his growing fear and studied their situation, surroundings, and what they'd have to do to hold off the mutants.

Something in his mind clicked. He yelled through the Force, "Master, see the loose ceiling tiles above the door?"

"Yes"

"Bring it down!"

Movements synchronized perfectly, both Jedi outstretched their hands and accessed the Force, shooting the powerful energy not at the mutts but at the roof above them. The heavy steel tiles fell easily, crushing the mutts beneath and securing the doorway. Dust blew into the air, temporarily blinding everyone, and sending them tumbling backwards.

For a few long, dragged out moments, nobody moved or spoke.

Then…

"What the hell?!"

Ax's voice rang out furiously. The soldier stormed over to Anakin's position and roughly shoved the other man backwards. "You were supposed to secure this room! You said they couldn't get through!"

"How was I supposed to know they'd crawl through the shields?" Anakin immediately protested once his shock melted away. "I didn't think…"

"We all almost died 'cause you 'didn't think'!"

"Don't blame me!"

"I am blaming you, damn it!" Ax had everyone else riled now. "Who put you in charge of defenses anyway?!"

"Enough, everyone!" Derek snapped; but no one seemed to hear him.

"No one knew those things could get through the ray shields," Jason argued at Ax, jumping to Anakin's defense. "Not even you."

"But why was a kid put in charge of security anyway?"

"Shut up, Ax," Karis groaned.

"No, I think he's got a point," Lynn spoke up.

Soon, shouts and bickering were echoing through the room. Arguments drowned out Derek and Obi-Wan's attempts to calm to group down.

This was what I had been afraid of, Obi-Wan thought grimly. The stress is making us turn on each other. "Everyone has to calm down!"

No one listened – at least, not until Derek was forced to jump on top of one of the cots and shout out, "ENOUGH!" at the top of his lungs.

The harshness of his voice and the firm tone shocked everyone into stunned silence and submission.

Derek wore a deep scowl and frowned down at them. "We're not here to play the blame game," he said hotly. "So all of you stop snapping at each other. Right now. What just happened is nobody's fault but the mutts'; but if you really must blame someone, blame me. I ordered those shields to be put up."

"But he's the technology expert," Ax retorted, still glaring at Anakin. "He should've known…"

"How was I supposed to know?" Anakin cut in, frowning just as angrily. "I don't know any more about these creatures than you do."

"Stop it!" Jason's voice exclaimed. "We can't be fighting with each other! We're all a team here – we need to act like it. All of us."

Slowly, eventually, heads began to nod, including a still steaming Ax.

Derek looked over each face, crossing his arms. "Tomorrow we're taking the rest of this building and making this our official home. We're all the Colony, and we're all in this together now. If we don't start acting like it, none of us will leave here alive."

More nods, coming more easily this time. Derek jumped down, pleased, and Obi-Wan pointed to the barricade. "Tonight we'll have two guards, and tomorrow we'll restore power and fix those doors. Rest of you get back to your cots…"

"…we've got work to do tomorrow."

xXx (The Next Morning) xXx

Jason Dean, log entry #3. Last night brought our situation into full light. We're not just at war with the mutts – we're fighting off growing tension amongst ourselves. I have to admit my main concern is with Ax. Something just doesn't feel right about him. He's a hothead, and that makes me nervous. The way he snapped at Anakin last night, and then started the full blown fight amongst us all… It makes me uneasy. We need to be a team. All of us. An eye kept on him from now on will be necessary; the last thing we need to deal with is a trouble maker.

I can see the morning sun begin to rise. Hot and dry, like Tatooine. So much has changed, and we've only been here less than 24 hours. I can only imagine the horrors the morning will bring.

One can't help but wonder who will survive the day. All of us? None of us? I had mentioned before that not everyone has a happy ending.

And unfortunately, that includes even the strongest of us…

5:30 in the morning, and starch yellow rays of light burned down on the ruins of a world once known as Coruscant.

Jason Dean and Josh sat propped up against the front wall, guns in hand. Everyone else lay exhausted on their cots, sound asleep. Josh looked around the room. "Should we wake them?" he asked.

Jason put his log comm down and thought a bit. "Give 'em a few more minutes. Anakin and Derek took a long shift for us anyway."

Fifteen minutes later ticked by before Jason finally began shaking people awake. Groaning, the Colony stirred and awakened to their first day at 'home'.

"Morning, sunshines," Derek yawned as he slapped on his camo jacket and traditional black baseball cap, worn backwards.

"I already hate this place," Lynn mumbled.

Anakin and Obi-Wan were some of the first to dress, and took seats near Jason and Derek.

"Anything happen during watch?" Derek inquired as he began pulling out a few cans of hash.

"Nothing," Josh replied. "Couldn't even hear those things. Must've been sleeping like babies."

"Or trying to find another way in here," Inya spoke up.

"They're stupid animals," Ax countered.

"Inya thinks these things are fairly intelligent," Josh explained to the Jedi and Derek. "Maybe even smarter than they had been before the virus took over their bodies."

"I find that hard to believe," Nathan voiced.

"I saw these things close up," Inya stated. "When Dr. Fuzio was transformed. They're not just brainless zombies like in a horror film. They're mutants."

"I don't care if they can recite Pi forwards and backwards," Rex said, who had remained silent most of their time on Coruscant. "I'm blasting 'em as if they were droids."

"Just remember that when a droid bites you, you don't get turned into one," Derek warned.

Lynn made a face. "Droids don't bite."

Anakin glanced at Obi-Wan. "Do we have a plan for today?" he whispered.

The Master frowned. "You'd have to ask Derek. Seems he's taken over this operation."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Of course," he answered quickly. "This is more of a military mission, and he's certainly better for this role."

"What role? Who?" Derek inquired, tuning into their conversation.

"Obi-Wan's telling me how you're now den mommy," Anakin said, managing a light turn and slight smile – the first in a while, Obi-Wan noted.

That brought a laugh. "I think, General Kenobi, you are mixing me up with yourself."

"No Derek, you're doing a fine job keeping this mission together. Keep at it."

Derek grinned as Nathan spoke up. "Well then, mommy, you gonna serve out that hash or what? Your babies are starving."

The quick, rationed meal was served, and everyone spread out or sat in small groups to eat.

Anakin moved over to a rather solitary corner, quickly followed by Obi-Wan. After shoveling a few spoonful's of food in, the Master spoke up. "So, are you going to talk to me?"

Anakin knew what he wanted: an explanation for yesterday's incident, with the gas and his collapse. He shifted uncomfortably and sighed. "I don't really have anything to say." Lies, lies, lies…

"Tell me what happened yesterday."

"I don't know."

"You know something. Anakin, I want to help you…"

"Master, please…"

"Is it about Ahsoka?" the older Jedi asked suddenly.

Anakin's eyes widened. "No. No, this isn't about her."

"Then what?" Obi-Wan furrowed his brow, gray eyes pleading. "Anakin, we're going to be here for a fair while; and you can't hide away the truth forever." He shook his head slowly. "Anakin, please, let me try to help you."

He'd used those same words the day Anakin had admitted to be suffering after effects from Ahsoka's death. That had been when Obi-Wan took him to the Soul Healers, and slowly, the trauma ebbed away. Anakin looked at his Master and all he saw was sincere concern. He sighed. "You remember those nightmares I'd been having, before MAV hit?"

"Yes." It seemed so long ago, but yes, he remembered.

Another sigh. "They were about all this – the virus, the apocalypse, and some kind of demon that calls herself Death. And yesterday, I thought I saw her, in that hallway."

Obi-Wan's frown deepened even more, if possible. "You had a vision?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"Did you have any more last night?"

"No." Anakin leaned forward, elbows on knees, and bowed his heads. "I don't know what to do."

Obi-Wan placed a hand on the young man's shoulder, grateful that the others had moved away to give them space. He thought hard for several moments before speaking. "I think the Force is trying to use you, Anakin. Warn us all by giving you these visions."

Anakin's voice was bitter. "Like a psychic?"

"What?"

He shook his head, straightening. "Nothing. Just something someone said."

Just then, Derek came over and gave a nod of his head. "We've got a plan for today."

The plan was similar to their last night strategy: Team A leads while B watches the rear. Gas masks would be worn the entire time, and pairs would be buddied up. Obi-Wan hesitantly agreed to Derek's suggestion that Anakin lead with him, while he go with Inya. Jason with Lynn, Rex with Karis, Kix with Josh…

"Remember to conserve ammo," Derek stated as they finished strapping on the rest of their armor. "We go slow and steady, no sense in wasting bullets. Everyone stays together or at least with their partner. Our objective is to clear each floor here and then the basement so Anakin can give us some power by fixing up those generators."

Masks snapped in place, gloves slipped on, and slowly, the barrier was taken down, freeing the doorway.

No one in sight, not a single mutt in the hall.

That just makes it all the more creepy. They proceeded through, and then crept to the open stairwell, an eerie atmosphere already settled on the ghost hospital.

Wisps of the toxic gas lingered in the air of the stairwell. "Remember… slowly," Derek whispered.

Slow did they go. Not a mutt to be seen, which just made everyone more worried. As they trekked through the gas-fogged eighteenth floor, the white smoke obscured most vision, the UV rays doing little assist.

They were six rooms in when they came. Pouring out of each door, screeching and snarling. All of them in ragged clothing, practically bald, eyes dripping blood and rank yellow foam leaking from the crooked mouths. They came running, jaws hanging open by torn shreds of flesh, stumbling and howling.

Bullets plowed down the first wave, the noise bouncing off all the walls. The gas kept everything dark except for the flashes of light from the guns and the musty rays of sun that managed to come through the closed blinds that covered the old windows.

It didn't take long for most of the group to start separating unintentionally. Anakin remained on Derek's heels, but he couldn't see anyone else. "We lost them!" he called out.

Derek paused and looked around quickly. They had been running hard for several minutes; not a mutt or Colony member was within earshot.

"Damn." Now in the seventeenth floor, Derek swiped off his mask and rubbed the sweat off his face. "That ain't good." He looked around some more. "We should head for the stairwell. This floor is clear now anyway."

Anakin was more than happy letting Derek give the orders. He followed the soldier through the halls, using red markings that had been applied to the walls with spray paint as guides.

The black grated stairs clanged as they stepped onto them. "We'll wait here for them; hopefully, they're sticking with their partners."

Suddenly, there was a furious howl from above. Anakin looked up just in time to see Ax wrestling with a mutt on the grated platform above.

Then, the support rails snapped, Ax and the mutt crashed down on Anakin, and all three fell off the stairs and crashed onto another platform eight floors below.