Chapter 8
Ambushed
"WARRRGH!"
"What…"
"Who the fuck thought it'd be a good idea to open a bottle of Tequila last night?"
"You did."
"Did I?"
"Maybe I did… Ugh, my head hurts."
"Yours hurt? Mine hurts a lot more."
BANG
"I'm fine, don't worry."
"What was that for?"
"I dunno!"
Maybe chugging alcohol in celebration of their newfound relationship wasn't such a good idea after all. Last night both Lena and Dornaus got themselves wasted after unleashing a bottle of tequila acquired from the fridge and both of them woke up with a bad case of hangover; it was more severe for Dornaus since he drank a lot more. As for the discharge of a firearm within the dome well it was done intentionally. Like Sherlock Holmes, the chief of security for the Pridelands would fire his gun at a wall if he was frustrated.
And was he frustrated. There was this grogginess in his head which would not go away and it was tough for him to even open his eyes. Fortunately for the male human, he was off duty today and that meant he could sleep off the hangover. He dive-bombs onto the bed and quickly dozes back to sleep within a matter of seconds. Lena on the other hand, thought she would try to clear her head using a method Rafiki once mentioned.
It required a mixture of passion fruit, blue powder, and water; all of which was available inside the dome since Dornaus too studied medicine with the mandrill from time to time. According to Rafiki, the mixture was supposed to "clear the head" and "help ease one's burden while awake". She takes the required ingredients from the small medical table within the dome and mixes them.
Much to her surprise, it was actually quite delicious to drink unlike other medicine. And the effects were immediate. Barely seconds after she consumed the mixture, Lena's head begins to clear and the heavy, groggy feeling begin to lift. No longer did she feel the urge to sleep and she was as energetic as ever. While she wanted to give her male counterpart the mixture, she figured it would be best to let him sleep.
He was off duty after all and a little sleep wouldn't hurt, right? She decides to take the time to hone her shooting skills and heads over to the shooting range with her boyfriend's M1 Carbine, which was a small, handy little intermediate caliber semi-automatic short rifle. It had softer recoil but still had more than enough stopping power coming out of the muzzle; equivalent to that of a .357 Magnum.
In the meantime, Kovu emerges from the royal den after a good night's sleep. Nala's words have succeeded in changing Simba's mind a little and the king allowed his daughter's lover to sleep inside for the first time since his arrival. Zazu flies out of the den after the lion but he doesn't stop. The hornbill was headed in the direction of the dome.
Looks like the king might have something important coming up today. Kovu stands near the edge of Pride Rock, his heard filled with worry. He knew why he was here in the first place but the affection between him and Kiara had softened him to the point where he simply did not want to go through with his mother's plan. And right now the lion was certain that if he did not go through with the plan, Zira would have a backup plan already in motion.
He had to warn the king's daughter about the danger but how could he do so? Going straight to the point would almost certainly cause her to freak out and lose him the support and trust he has gained over the royal family. The other option of using a middleman, more precisely Dornaus, was unavailable since well, the human wasn't anywhere near Pride Rock.
Some might be wondering why he wouldn't just go knock on the door as the compound was close by. Truth is, last night's romantic session got the human couple wasted and he could see it in their eyes that they were not in a position to think properly. And one thing he knew about wasted people was that they usually got a hangover the next morning. Waking someone from a hangover, especially someone with a bull like attitude like Dornaus was a bad idea since he had a tendency to fire his gun wildly in moments of frustration.
"Kiara." Kovu walks back into the den to meet with his love. "I want to talk to you."
"Kiara! I don't want you talking with him." Simba suddenly appears. "I want to talk with him."
Simba playfully winks at his daughter before leaving the den with Kovu. Much to the king's surprise, Zazu returns not with Dornaus but with Lena.
"Zazu, where is Dornaus?" he asks.
"Well sire, I had a bit of a jiffy when I woke him up." The majordomo answers.
"I told him it was a bad idea to wake Dornaus up." Lena explains. "He just didn't listen."
"What happened?"
"Dornaus shot at him."
"Dornaus fired his gun at Zazu?"
"Only once."
"He needs serious anger management counseling if I do say so myself." Zazu remarks.
"Agreed." The female human answers.
"Let's get moving." Simba turns Lena and Kovu. "Both of you."
Without further ado, the trio leaves Pride Rock and begin heading in the direction of the hunting grounds, which earlier had been ravaged by the fire. Upon arrival, they could see the damage done by the fire. Trees which were once populated with leaves were now dry and barren, and ground was bare. Ashes from the fire covered the ground, giving it a thick black appearance.
Simba takes the time to explain to Kovu and Lena about Scar's story. They had heard about it before but it was Zira's version, which was full of propaganda and lies. The king wanted them to understand the true side of Scar, the one which led to his ultimate downfall as king/dictator. There was an unspeakable amount of darkness within him, one which he could not get away from.
It poisoned his soul and drove him to do unimaginable things. Hatred fueled the fire and that led to his assassination of the former king Mufasa and seizure of power after exiling Simba. During his reign of terror, the monarchy was transformed into a dictatorship, then into full blown tyranny. Freedom was shoved out the door and replaced with laws which ensured security.
Total obedience was expected and those found not in line were summarily executed by a Hyena feeding frenzy. Official documents written by Rafiki during his days as a forced writer detailed how the execution would be carried out. A pack of no less than 50 Hyenas would be locked away and given minimal food and water. When execution time came, they would be released into an area guarded by Shenzi and her allies, who would form a ring like circle.
The accused would be thrown inside and mercilessly eaten alive by the starving Hyenas, who would be escorted back when they finished. Eyewitness reports told of stories where the accused could be heard screaming in agony as he/she was torn to pieces. It was a dark time indeed but thanks to the help of Rafiki and Nala, who managed to escape, Simba was able to gain the urge and morale boost he needed to regain control of the throne.
His father's bodyguard, the late whistleblower Krieghoff, Timon, and Pumbaa helped a great deal as well, serving as his combatants during the short but brutal battle of Pride Rock. Simba suddenly stops, causing Kovu and Lena to do the same.
"Fire is a killer. Sometimes what's left behind can grow back better than the generation before." The king swipes his paw over the dust and reveals a shoot growing out from the ashes. "If given the chance."
Suddenly an evil laugh sounds through the mist. Several lionesses and a lion appear, and they quickly surround the trio. Lena quickly unslings her M1 Carbine and shoulders the weapon defensively. She racks the charging handle in the hopes of dissuading the intruders from attacking. Zira soon appears, much to the surprise of Kovu and Lena.
"Lena… Kovu." She grins delightfully. "Well done. You especially Lena, I never thought I could count on you."
"You." Simba shoots a glare at the two, now seeing them as traitors.
"We are not involved in this!" Kovu replies. "Just let us explain."
"Get them!"
On Zira's command, the pride attack Simba. Lena manages to get two shots off with her Carbine and downs one of the attackers but the close distance forces her to go CQC. Using the Jiu-Jitsu moves she learnt while taking martial arts courses, the female human was able to even the odds and beat back several of the lionesses. Kovu attempts to help as well but Vitani swipes him away and knocks him cold by smashing him against a boulder.
Out of nowhere a leg flies into Vitani's face, knocking her away. Zira, angered that the human would suddenly turn against her, surprises Lena from behind and knocks her out as well. With the two neutralized, Zira and her Pride focus on Simba, who was trying to get away from the fight, having realized that he was outnumbered and outclassed by the outlanders.
These exiled lions had years of survival experience under their bellies and they had more combat knowledge than the king, whose fights were limited to the challenge ring. If only Dornaus was here, he could've easily sent a few down to hell and pulled him out within a matter of minutes. Several lionesses swarm in with shock tactics and attempt to crush and butcher the king but he sends them tumbling down a canyon along with himself.
Simba quickly gets back onto his feet and turns to find the lionesses still following him. Knowing that he wouldn't be winning a battle against so many, the king flees, closely pursued by the minions of Zira. Up in the sky, a patrol drone piloted by a member of the 9th tactical UCAV wing receives a distress beacon from the supposedly fire ravaged hunting grounds.
His instincts told him someone badly needed help and he activates the scramble button. Unfortunately for the pilot, the other drones were still under repairs and his commanding officer came over to the control room to personally inform him about the shortage in manpower. It was as if fate wanted the stranded individual to die out there without support.
As a substitute, the commanding officer activates the alert beacon of the dome from his central command unit. Dornaus, who was still sleeping the hangover off was suddenly jolted awake. While he would've loved to ignore the alarm, the male human knew he had a duty to perform. He takes a shot of the leftover anti hangover mix and heads over to the helicopter pad within the compound.
On the pad was a fully armed and flight ready MK V Super Mamba single pilot chopper, another product of Dallas Aerospace And Defense usually used for reconnaissance, today the bird was armed with Hellfire Missiles and twin .50 caliber Gatling guns. It had been fueled and flight ready in the event of a situation like this and Dornaus does a hasty systems check before taking off. For those wondering, he was a certified helicopter pilot with twelve years of experience under his belt.
Back near the canyon, Lena takes aim with her M1 Carbine and was about to shoot one of Zira's minions when Kovu stops her.
"What are you doing?!" she asks.
"It's pointless!" the lion explains. "Dornaus once told me it was good out to about 300 yards but even then, it lacks stopping power to drop something as big as a lion unless you shot the head."
"So what am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch the king die?"
"No. We wait."
"For what?"
"For that."
A MK V Super Mamba shrieks by above their heads. Behind the controls, Dornaus arms every single weapon on his vehicle and activates the helmet mounted display, giving him the ability to lock on and fire his missiles simply by pointing his head at a designated target. And the first target he spots, happened to be a very sneaky Rafael. He intentionally concealed himself when the Outlanders surrounded the king, secretly hoping that Dornaus would be among the king's company.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case. And now the tables have turned. As he takes aim at Simba, who was cornered near a tall mount of debris which blocked a river, a chopper suddenly blocks his view. In the cockpit, Dornaus smiles and moves his finger towards the trigger of his control stick.
"Surprise motherfucker." He remarks.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT
Bullet upon bullet penetrates Rafael's body just as he stood up in shock. He was still holding his sniper rifle in his right hand when he went down, wearing a Ghillie suit and military camouflage outfit. Zira could only scream the young man's name in horror as she watched the chopper unleash its awesome firepower. Of course, the shock was momentary as the leader of the Outlanders has her attention drawn back to Simba.
She notices Kovu standing on top of a ledge and shouts for him to attack the king. He however defies his mother's order and moves away, enraging Zira. Nuka takes matters into his own hands and, in an attempt to impress his mother, charges up the debris mount after the king. He manages to grab onto Simba's leg but the log underneath him gives way and he tumbles down.
Nuka crashes through the debris and is pinned underneath a log but still alive. Up above, Simba scrambles for safety and unintentionally shakes another log loose, a very heavy one at that. Unable to escape, the lion was crushed underneath the log as more debris was shook loose by the impact. A cloud of dust suddenly fills the air, causing the Outlanders to turn around.
To their horror, Dornaus' chopper was flying extremely low and the human was showing his signature cold grin. He must be here to finish off the already wounded member of the pride. One of the lionesses, feeling a sense of duty overcome her, charges towards the chopper and manages to grab ahold of the left pylon, causing the chopper to bank sideways. Despite the weight, the pylon did not give way and the lioness somehow manages to open the cockpit.
Without even a moment of hesitation, Dornaus draws his Colt Delta Elite and fires two shots into the lioness' head at point blank range. She falls from the chopper as it gains altitude, the life drained from her body. The human closes the cockpit and holsters his pistol before leaving the canyon, headed back towards the Dome. Zira was at a loss for words.
An attack on Simba had not only cost the life of her adoptive son but that of a loyal follower as well. And the loss was about to mount. Kovu rushes down the canyon and attempts to free his brother but Zira snarls at him and instead does the digging herself. She finds Nuka underneath the rubble, badly wounded and coughing.
"Nuka…" she said in a concerned voice.
"I'm sorry… Mother." The lion spoke weakly. "I tried…"
"Shhhh."
"Nuka…" Vitani remarks in shock.