STEEL WOLF

Chapter 9: A New Contract

Patrol route, Alvarez County, Korla,

Lyran Alliance,

August 12, 3075

Kyle couldn't help but shiver as he climbed down the ladder of his Shadow Cat, setting foot on the hard bay floor of an Alvarez Union-class dropship. He was already a little sweaty from the heat of his 'mech's cockpit, and now he stood in the cool desert night air with only his shorts, cooling vest and boots on. One by one, the other Arctic Wolves 'mechs ambled reluctantly into the bay and powered down. A dozen armed Alvarez soldiers kept guard, their assault rifles held at the ready.

Next came Samantha's Marauder, the huge 'mech coming to a halt next to Kyle's smaller Shadow Cat. Samantha herself popped open her 'mech's hatch and climbed down, her expression sour as she stood next to Kyle. Like the other Arctic Wolves, she put her hands behind her head to prevent any sudden moves.

"Just be cool," Kyle muttered to his girlfriend. "I doubt they're going to kill us. Maybe cooperative captives get a little special treatment."

Samantha grunted angrily but quietly in response, the petite young woman's jaw tensed. "Bastards came out of nowhere," she responded. "They'll never get away with this."

"I just hope that Alfonso Vargas' spy network picks us up. Then we can get rescued," Kyle added with a hopeful tone. "He wouldn't let his mercenary assets go like that."

"Shut it," snapped a guard, poking Kyle's back with his rifle's muzzle. Kyle grimaced but made no sound.

Last to enter the hangar was Fury's hulking Atlas, the humanoid 'mech's arms lowered. The entire bay shuddered as the 'mech stomped up the ramp and placed its back to a blank spot on the wall. With the lowering whine of its engines shutting down, the Atlas' hatch opened and its ladder lowered. Fury slowly climbed down the ladder, skipping the last few rungs and landing heavily on the bay floor. The towering black-haired man shot the guards nasty looks but still put his hands on the back of his head, standing with the other Arctic Wolves.

"Good, you're all here," came the voice of a newcomer. From the elevator stepped a man with a gray uniform and an officer's hat. "I am Colonel Salma of the Alvarez County's armed forces. You Wolves fell neatly for my trap, and I can assure you, you will never see the luxurious halls of the Vargas family mansion again."

Nikolai's eyebrows raised. "Is that so?"

"Yes, it is," Colonel Salma retorted without flinching. "You twelve are to be taken to the Palais du Soleil in the Laurent Commonwealth, where the Alvarez brothers await you. They'll be most interested to meet the war hounds who helped Alfonso Vargas destroy their home in the 3074 conquest."

"How can you pin that on us?" Kyle objected. "We were just hired guns, doing our job. Blame Alfonso and his officers for your loss!"

Kyle bit back a cry as a guard slammed the butt of his rifle into Kyle's back, forcing Kyle to his knees. Colonel Salma stalked toward Kyle, his polished black boots clicking loudly on the metal floor.

"Then you 'hired guns' should have known better than to return to the world where you fight with monsters," Salma said calmly. "Or have the deep pockets of Alfonso Vargas blinded you to that simple fact? Perhaps it was foolish for me to expect any different. I would – ouch!"

At that moment, Samantha lashed out with her right hand, catching Salma on the jaw and knocking the man's head to the side. As Salma stumbled away in shock, two guards raised their rifles to club Samantha into submission. With her pink-dyed hair whirling in the air, Samantha ducked and let the rifles swing through empty air, leaving the two guards exposed. Samantha leaned back and shot out her booted foot, catching one guard in the belly. The man grunted and fell back, dropping his weapon.

"Stop her already!" Salma shouted impatiently. Samantha whirled around to confront another guard, but another guard kicked her in the back of her knee and landed a blow on her head with his rifle butt, forcing Samantha to her hands and knees. The other guard raised his weapon and heaved the butt of his rifle down at Samantha's head, intending to knock her out.

"No!" Kyle tackled the guard, forcing the man to the bay floor in a confused heap. Kyle's fists smashed into the shocked guard's head, breaking the man's skin above his eye and on his cheek. However, a pair of strong hands seized Kyle's arms and heaved him back, and Kyle relaxed when he realized that two guards had locked his arms tight in their own arms.

Colonel Salma walked over to Samantha and lifted her by the collar of her cooling vest, breathing hard. "You Arctic Wolves have spirit after all," he commented. "Too bad it's misplaced."

"What do you know?" Samantha huffed. "You can't just capture us like this! Animals will fight for their freedom when captured."

Salma's face soured. "You people take your wolf motif a little too seriously." He then jabbed a small needle into Samantha's neck, causing her to go limp, her eyes closing.

"Don't hurt her!" Kyle squirmed in the guards' grip, blood pounding in his ears.

"I only put her out for now," Salma told Kyle, hoisting Samantha's petite, limp form and setting her against a wall. "I also notice that the rest of you didn't take advantage of the chaos. Very smart. There is no escape from here! This dropship is all you have." He gave a short order on his comm device and the bay doors snapped shut.

"Now," Salma added, walking toward the elevator. "You Wolves be nice while you're put into your confinement cells. They'll be a little crowded, but this will be a short flight. You'll arrive at the Palais du Soleil and the brothers will have a chance to speak to you sooner than they expect. Way ahead of schedule."

*o*o*o*o*

Mech Bay 01, Vargas Estate, Korla,

Lyran Alliance,

August 13, 3075

"Jeez, Cassie, you're still working? Talk about burning the midnight oil! God, what an old saying..."

Lyla Lister wandered into the 'mech bay as the morning sun was starting to creep over the dunes, and only the two women were in the hangar this early in the day. Lyla yawned and wandered over to the large 'mech head sitting on a platform, curiosity buzzing in her head.

Cassandra Goyua, still clad in her work overalls, stumbled out of the 'mech's head. Her hair was messy and her eyes looked tired, but she flashed Lyla a smile and gave the thumb's-up. "Worth it, Lyla. I finally have this thing finished."

"I don't recognize what 'mech this head goes to," Lyla commented, giving it a look. Shaped like a medieval helmet, the head reminded Lyla of a Black Knight's head but it looked somewhat different.

Cassandra patted her hand on the head's temple. "It's the head assembly of my Jouster prototype! I've been keeping it a secret. Been working on it... for months." She yawned widely partway through her sentence, swaying slightly on the spot.

Lyle wandered over, checking the back of the Jouster head. The hatch was open, revealing the fully-furbished cockpit within. "Were you in there?"

"Yeah, and the systems all work," Cassandra yawned again. "As well as they can for just a head, that is. Look... if I win that bet, I'll have everyone here helping me build the rest! Then I'll have my prototype ready for the field by Christmas. Maybe even sooner. I'd love to be ahead of schedule..."

Settling into the cockpit's seat, Lyle gave Cassandra a gentle look. "Hey, you've been up all night with this thing. It looks great, and I'll you run some diagnostics to check for bugs, but get to bed. Sheesh."

"Great idea," Cassandra agreed, nodding sleepily. "Just don't bother pulling the eject lever. It won't do anything."

"Ohhhh. I was hoping this thing could take me for a ride," Lyle joked with a laugh. "Sleep tight. Oh man, that's another old one, from when beds had ropes that needed to be tightened every night."

"Well, aren't you a blast of old-fashioned goodness..." Cassandra returned a laugh as she walked toward the bay exit to reach her car. Maybe this is the last all-nighter I should pull.

*o*o*o*o*

Storage rooms, Palais du Soleil, Laurent Commonwealth, Korla,

Lyran Alliance,

August 13, 3075

Nikolai Kerensky decided right away that he had seen much worse interrogation scenes in holovid movies, but sitting bound in a wooden chair by synthetic fiber ropes with nothing in this room to look at but crates on the metal shelves wasn't his idea of a good vacation. A single light bulb shone from the ceiling overhead, making the whole room somewhat dim. Nikolai had already been sitting here for an hour or so and dearly hoped that he wouldn't need a bathroom break – no doubt the Alvarez officers intended to keep him here for a while in boredom to erode his will. Well, that ain't going to work, Nikolai thought defiantly. He had been given a simple pair of jeans and black T-shirt for his captivity, but he already missed his expensive leather jacket from back on the Hunter's Insight dropship.

The door's lock rattled and the door swung open on its hinges. Nikolai snapped his attention to the doorway as two young men marched in, locking the door closed behind them. One of them carried a briefcase. As they approached the light, Nikolai could tell that they were related based on their similar faces. Are they...?

"Nikolai Kerensky," stated the slightly taller one. "My name is Leonardo Alvarez."

"Miguel Alvarez," stated the other.

Nikolai gave the brothers a good look. Leonardo had a mop of black hair and wire-frame glasses, and he wore a simple dark red polo shirt with long sleeves along with black pants. He was the one who carried the briefcase and he set it down on the floor. Miguel, on the other hand, had shorter black hair sported a white business shirt complete with a blue tie, dark pants and shiny black shoes. This isn't a business meeting, guys, Nikolai thought. Or do you love playing dress-up?

"Do you want any water?" Leonardo offered.

Nikolai resisted a grin as he shook his head. "No thank you. I'd rather not find out what kinds of interrogation drugs you guys prefer first-hand."

"We have no intention of poisoning you," Miguel argued, kneeling close to Nikolai to get on eye level with him. His intense eyes bored into Nikolai's. "We want your mind clear and your judgment sound for what we have to say."

"Which is what? That my Arctic Wolves and I are monsters? I went over this with your Colonel Salma, but he wasn't in the mood to listen."

Leonardo shook his head. "Colonel Salma is a good man, but tries a little too hard to impress. Do not worry about him."

"Then should I worry about getting my knees shot or something?"

"This isn't a joke, Kerensky!" Miguel barked, causing Nikolai to recoil. "Has it occurred to you what you are doing? Fighting for the conqueror who wants to claim all of Korla under his bloody banner!"

"Mercenaries fight for who they will," Leonardo added. "But rejoining Korla's state of affairs makes you more than a hired gun, Nikolai. You must understand that by merely signing a contract with Alfonso Vargas, you make yourself dangerous enemies. Enemies like us."

"Are you going to hold me for ransom?" Nikolai asked.

"Probably not," Leonardo shook his head, folding his arms. "But as Samantha Smith's little stunt proved, escape attempts will not work. Cooperate, and a mutually beneficial plan can be worked out."

Nikolai's eyes narrowed. "You're striking a deal? Interesting twist."

Now Leonardo knelt too, his eyes stern behind his glasses. "You and your Arctic Wolves could give us what we need: strength to fight back against Alfonso Vargas' and General Abby's cruel regime. The Screaming Skulls will be offered the same deal. I won't let your talents go to waste by being held captive in some dungeon forever."

"I've received some payments from Alfonso Vargas for my work so far," Nikolai stated. "How can you ask me to turn on my employer? I have unfinished business. I can't work for free."

"My brother and I are quite prepared to fund your assistance to us," Miguel added with a sly grin. "Plus we can give you a wealth of advanced technology unique to the Alvarez County." His face fell. "But you might not even need any payments for motivation to work after you see this."

Nikolai swallowed in a suddenly dry throat, realizing that he did want a drink of water. "See what?"

Leonardo opened the briefcase, taking out a fold-out television device shaped like a laptop computer. "This was the breaking news from earlier tonight," he explained, turning the device on. A news report filled the screen, showing a scene of a burning city with chaos in the streets. In the background, gunfire raged back and forth between armed forces and screaming civilians fled the scene in cars or on foot in panicked droves.

A male reporter on the screen spoke, "We take you live to the war-torn streets of Bhujorba City, where the local freedom movement has amassed enough weaponry to make an assault on the Vargas Estate conquerors. This assault is considered retaliation for increasingly heavy civilian casualties suffered at the hands of Vargas forces due to previous local resistance. Many in the Bhujorba Protectorate and other nations are decrying Alfonso Vargas and his ally, General Abby, demanding Mr. Vargas to step down and end his reign of terror on our world. The Vargas Estate's ally nations stand firmly with the Estate, but an increasing number of other nations are joining the rallying cry to take down Alfonso Vargas and General Abby for good."

Although the device's speakers had only a tinny and hollow sound, Nikolai felt his insides turn to lead as he stared transfixed at the screen. Us Wolves never harm civilians! And I'll die sooner than call myself an ally of someone who would. This goes against what we believe in. Duty, honor, discipline... this slaughter is appalling.

"Didn't see this news report back at the Estate, did you?" Miguel said, folding is arms. "My brother and I have been fiddling with comm networks and found out that the Vargas Estate's information control center is censoring more and more information, and even lying in some cases to prevent the Estate's people from rallying against their leaders."

Leonardo got up, taking a simple cardboard crate from a shelf and bringing it to Nikolai. He opened the lid, taking out a variety of random personal effects from a teddy bear to a few books to a car license plate. All of them were burned, torn by bullets, or both. "These items, and thousands of others in the crates in this room, were damaged when the Vargas Estate conquered the Alvarez County and massacred thousands of civilians to discourage a rebellion," Leonardo explained, holding up a scorched teddy bear and staring into Nikolai's eyes. "You fought for Alfonso then, and you are fighting for him now. You know what kind of person your employer is. Question is, can you live with that?"

Nikolai gave the teddy bear a quick look, taking in its burnt fiber threads and tattered stuffing. He swallowed again, wishing for a nice cold beer. "You guys said you'd pay my men and I for switching sides? As in, a lot?"

"We're not into indulging prisoners, but we can make an exception," Miguel offered, shrugging his shoulders. "Ready to fight for the right team this time?"

Nikolai pursed his lips. "If you guys try to cheat me out in any way or stab me in the back..."

Leonardo forced a laugh. "That would make us almost as bad as Alfonso. Not happening."

Nikolai huffed a sigh. "Then I've got a new contract. Where do I sign?"