Imperiam – Civil Research building

The two apes darted down the corridor as quickly as their paws would take them. The lead gorilla had the body of a dead human slung over his shoulder. They hadn't meant to kill her, but these creatures were so weak and fragile it simply happened. She struggled, ran, and then…

The brute carrying the dead female felt no remorse. There was little nobility in attacking a helpless woman, but since the gorilla didn't see her as one, the point was moot. To him she was a just a vicious beast who if left to her own devices would have eventually killed him. He'd been programmed to believe it all his life. This city, with its violent, sadistic, talking mutants only reinforced the ape's perceptions. To him, his cultural views had been correct all along. Humans were nothing but locust, devouring everything in their path and leaving nothing in their wake.

After the two men fell from the clouds, several Special Groups were dispatched into the Banned Territories. The Group Sergeant's unit deployed to the southwest. "Find their nest and report back", he'd been ordered. And find it they had. Everyone in the unit was long dead except for him and his colleague. They'd played the simple brainless soldier just as they'd been taught; even through the starvation and torture. But these over confident Monarch fools had cut them loose and built them back up. And now the two gorillas had only one thing on their minds, completing the mission.

"…property of the Empire…" he huffed, recalling the words of his former jailors. "We'll see who's pulling the strings soon enough".

They'd rested, blended in, cooperated, gathered intel, and waited for the means and opportunity of escape. The dead female provided both. There was no stopping now, he considered, looking down at her dead carcass. They had no choice but get what they were after and head for Argos. Neither of them was willing to risk capture a second time. They would complete the mission or die in the process. And if they were to die, they were taking as many of these Imperiam bastards with them, as they could.

They reached their objective and placed the woman's palm on a flat pad imbedded panel in the wall. A rapid three second beep-beep-beep sounded and the nearby door unlatched. The simians slipped inside. One stashed the body while the other opened a sliding plate on the wall and pulled a small square object out of a circuit panel. Next, he turned his head, hunting for something particular. He snapped a finger once he recognized it.

"Over there Jor" the ape said pointing at an electronic interface. "That's the one she used. Do you think you can remember how to work it?"

"Yeah, I've seen her do it a dozen … hey; I hear footsteps, get down." The simian declared.

Group Sergeants Aaron and Joriah paused and took cover as a security officer opened the door. He moved his handheld bio-sensor back and forth. The light waves on its face remained green. The man took in a deep breath, let out a yawn, closed the door, and went on with his humdrum routine.

Aaron smiled at Joriah as he held up the computer chip to the room's internal bio-heat detector. Without it the handheld scanning device had nothing to communicate with.

"…Candy from a baby, my friend!" he said with a smug grin. "This place is one giant nest of magic and they still can't touch us"

"Well, we're not out of it yet, so try and keep that in mind." Joriah replied.

The ape mumbled a few of the sequences to himself as he pushed several buttons on the display. He'd observed the female doing the same for weeks. Aaron and Joriah were assigned to the lab; mostly as slaves but it had given them plenty of time to learn the basic operations and become familiar with the layout. He handed Aaron a digital pad and added, "When I tell you to, I want you to read off those numbers."

Aaron nodded his head as he gazed down at the device. "How do you think they learned to create such sophistication? I used to think those human stories my grandmother told me were just fairytales. The Prefect and Magistrate have been telling us for years that humans went extinct long ago. And we were even told that any humans that might be out there now were incapable of speech or reason"

"Yeah," Joriah answered "I've thought the same thing myself. What's even stranger is the equality these men share with their simian counterparts. Obviously some of what we've been told was watered down or lost over the years. I saw these animals in the Kawaka zoo. They're stupid, brainless creatures. All they did was sit there with a blank look on those ugly furless faces of theirs. I find it difficult to believe that they could construct machines like these".

"His cunning is like the wolf, his wisdom like a fox and he strikes like cobra" Aaron rattled off.

"The second scroll? I didn't know you were a religious ape, my friend" Joriah replied.

"Seven years of divine guidance schooling in my youth, thank you very much" the ape answered adding a jovial bow.

Seconds later Joriah asked for the information. He plugged it in, but stopped right before execution.

"Alright, let's get changed." He said, pulling two sets of clothing out of a sack and tossing one to Aaron.

"How come you out rank me?" Aaron joked as he latched the buttons on his vest.

As they donned the garments, Joriah explained their last directives. "Ok, just like we rehearsed; once I initiate the code into this machine, the iron door over there will open." The door wasn't iron but it was the closest thing that his mind was able to comprehend. "We'll only have about 45 seconds before every alarm in the city goes off. Then all hell will break loose. We take only the weapons and survival equipment we discussed, nothing more. Then we move north. It's the most direct route out of the city but it's also the most populated. In these clothes, we should mix right in with their defense forces. We keep our interactions minimal. Just follow me and with any luck we'll be in the Banned Territories in no time and headed back for Argos."

Aaron acknowledged with a grunt and turned towards the large vault door. Josiah took a deep breath and said "Ok, here we go." He pushed the button and the door slid open.

"Let's do this." Josiah said. "Grab the armaments and that bag there; and the other one over there. I'll get the rest. Let's …ut-oh, we've been compromised, look"

The sentry patrolling the halls garbed at his com-mic "To any and all units, 55 Bravo. I say again, 55 Bravo."

BAM BAM BAM – The high-powered tactical rifle shattered the glass and blew a hole the size of bowling ball in the security officer's chest. "So much for blending in" Aaron shouted.

OOO

Captain Hayes read through the database files. He was supposed to be working on methodologies that would neutralize or link into the ODN, but he spent most of his time in their historical database. There were references to America but they were scattered and there were large gaps. Most of the remarks were two hundred years beyond his existence and simply facts mixed together with other chronological global particulars. Nearly every mention of his so-called future made little sense.

On the flip side, there was plenty of propaganda on the Imperiam. One thing that intrigued him was the spelling. Imperium was a Latin word, spelled with a 'u', not an 'a'. Evidently their beloved founder was an anarchist. He'd purposely changed the spelling once his power had been fully established. Hayes huffed with cynicism over the hypocrisy. Anarchy was the complete abolishment of government and law. This thin-horn leader had achieved his ideals by setting himself up as the law. Anarchy had arrived, but for him only. Everyone else lived under a different set of rules; his rules.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," he mumbled. The man had a hard time seeing a difference between this dictatorship and any other.

Hayes wasn't particularly interested in history as he was in obtaining facts. Somehow his future had blended with this one. Where it ended and the other began eluded the man. His real point to this historical nature walk was determining if this Empire was the sole authority in North America or if there were other nations on the continent. His inquires into just how much of their reality had transposed into his only met with static and unabated resistance. All they wanted from him was information on the ODN. Anything else was irrelevant and unimportant. The historian who'd debriefed them mentioned a war with a democracy. If that democracy, or part of it, was here they might have a glimmer hope.

Hayes had also managed to hack into some of the recent logs. His security clearance was a double edged sword. He had to have enough authority and freedom to get to the necessary data but it also allowed admittance to all files within the clearance guidelines. He'd been warned to stay out but the man was intelligent and bucking their tracking safeguards was childs-play.

The entries mentioned no other inhabitants, nations, or kingdoms. They did shed a lot of light on the events surrounding the Empire's appearance though. As he'd been told they arrived approximately twenty years ago. Their capital, along with several cities had been pulled in when the event took place. They'd spent the first few years quelling a civil rebellion and trying to determine just what had happened. Once the revolt was squashed and they'd determined the extent of damage, they began to rebuild. Survival became their main objective.

Their entire regime; including the Emperor, cabinet and a majority of the military leadership survived the occurrence. It was the one thing that ultimately held the nation together. They also had factories, military equipment, power-cells, and moderate supplies. But these resources were dwindling. To compensate, the 'non-essential' citizenry were either exterminated or sent out on suicide excavations.

The present military forces were limited to mechanized infantry and combat service support. There were no aircraft or seafaring vessels. The few that slipped through were destroyed during the civil war. The Emperor wasn't about to let the rebels obtain air superiority. And they were miles from the coast, so all of the remaining battle cruisers were stripped down.

They'd assumed they were alone on the planet until automated transmissions coming from the east were intercepted. The Human Coalition was broadcasting a nonstop 'friendship' message on multiple frequencies. That seemed to give the nation a renewed purpose. The Monarch had one philosophy; kill and conquer. They'd found an enemy and with it they'd discovered others. That had unified them in both goal and purpose.

The man was pulled back from his nostalgia by a loud voice. "Hey, are you going to acknowledge me at all?" March said with a smile. "I've been sitting here for over two minutes"

"Huh? Oh sorry, Tom, hi. I was so enthralled in this I guess I blocked everything else out. Know your enemy like yourself, Sir. Isn't that what they drilled into our heads for three years?" Hayes replied half jokingly.

"It is, but keep your voice down" March added, tilting his head in the direction of the security forces in the room. "We don't need to set off the radar of the local KGB. That clown, there, has been looking at us ever since I arrived"

Hayes lowered his head and began to whisper. "Look at these log files, Tom. These people are organized and brutal. Killing is just as routine to them as breathing. And not only that; they're obviously highly advanced; their technology, knowledge of medicine, science, physics …it's astonishing. Do you know they can clone organs? It's incredible. The apes and humans back in DC are no match for this Empire. They've sent spies to the north and to the east. According to this entry they've also deployed mech units. They obviously know of the ODN and they stripped that pod we crashed in down to the wires. They pulled more data off that thing in a week, than I did messing with it for two months. I'm telling you, Tom, with or without my help they'll gain access to the ODN. And when they do it's just a matter of time before they deploy."

"Well, we're still thousands of miles from Washington. Even if they do attack, it will take months before they can…"

"No Sir, I know where you're headed and you're not hearing me. If …no, when … they access that ODN, they'll launch it. Distance won't matter." Hayes exclaimed.

"There's more too." He added "These lunatics have already sacrificed a company sized unit. They hit one of the old Canadian border installations General Grazot smuggled us through. I saw the statistics on the ODN response. Karen White must have successfully initialized the mainframe. Somehow the ODN repelled their assault, but that was the whole intent. They wanted St James to use it …on their own people… and they knew just where and when to hit them. These zealots are just like the Japanese were during World War II. They don't surrender, they don't compromise and every one of them is happy to die for the glory of the Empire"

"Let me see that thing for a minute." March said reaching for the piece of equipment. He browsed a few of the log files and then casually handed the pad back to Hayes.

"It's true that they're a bunch fanatics Tom; highly advanced fanatics. But they're also arrogant and narrow visioned" Hayes explained further.

"Meaning?" March asked.

"Meaning they can be sloppy and lax at times. Who here can come close to messing with them? But I used that to my advantage. I created a virus. It's dormant but once active it will randomly scramble and encrypt all of the security and access codes. It's also designed to arbitrarily enable and disable their unsecured systems. Lights, security cameras, automatic doors, pluming; It will all erratically switch on and off. It will shut them down for at least a month. I haven't initiated it because …well… you're still in command …Sir. The question is; what's our plan if I do flip it on?"

March gave a half smirk. "In command huh? Our own two man militia. Jonny if we do this we're signing our own death certificates …or worse, they'll keep us alive and we'll wish we were dead."

Hayes began to respond but never finished his thought; "We're dead regardless Tom. Once I give them what they need or once they get without my help, they'll take us both out…"

All activity in the room suddenly came to a halt. Alarms sounded capturing everyone's attention. The Security men herded the people in the room to one side. Steel sheets slid together, sealing off the windows and doors.

"To any and all units, 55 Bravo" crackled through the man's com-link. "I say again, 55 Bravo."

"55 Bravo?" another security official repeated with confusion. "… That's hostiles in the building?" He instantly sobered up and acknowledged the transmission. There was no reply, only static. They both quickly un-holstered their weapons. The man pressed the button and the small lights on the hand-guard lit up green.

"Everyone stay put." The man ordered. He motioned for his partner. They punched in a code and exited the room. Once they were out, the room's doors sealed for a second time.

Faint shouts mixed with the thud of boots striking the floor echoed dimly through the area. Minutes later the reverberation of gunfire filled the air. Explosions and screams followed. They were increasing in sound and growing closer.

"I don't like this. Not one bit. …that table, Jonny… Give me a hand" March said, looking down at the steel bench.

No one else in the room displayed the slightest bit of initiative.

March grunted as he picked up his end of the large table. His thigh ached where he'd been shot back in New Washington. The object suddenly became lighter as an orangutan jumped in to help. He mentioned something about wanting to see is family again, rather than dying in this coffin. "The name's Arupe" he said with a nod.

They we're just about to ram the door when the ape stopped. It was as if he recognized something familiar.

"That hum …" Arupe exclaimed. The ape didn't finish the sentence instead he shouted "Get down". The explosion that followed threw the three of them across the room and instantaneously killed everyone else in the area. Smoke and fragments were everywhere. Fortunately for occupants the flat of the table had protected them from harm.

However, the explosion was the least of their worries. Group Sergeants Aaron and Joriah spilled into the room followed by a scattered array of small arms fire.

"That wall there." Joriah said pointing at the far end of the room. "There's a maintenance closet after that and an open area beyond it. We follow that and it will empty outside. Get us through that wall. I'll try and buy us some time."

"I'll do what I can" Aaron replied. "But we're making enough racket to wake everyone, from here, to Argos."

"What's going on, Lieutenant" Arupe asked in an alarmed voice.

"Shut up and stay out the way" Aaron shot back. He reached in his bag and tossed a small circular device at the wall. The gadget attached itself and began to glow bright red.

"Ten more seconds …five… four …three … two… ok brace yourself." Aaron shouted.

Joriah was crouched at the entrance, or what was left of it. He was fully occupied trying to keep the aggressors at bay. March and Hayes had taken cover. Up until now, neither had a clue as to what was going on. Staying alive was the only objective on their minds. But now, one thing was obvious; these security officers were not Imperiam. Both men picked up on the reference to Argos. The apes were armed, carrying supplies, and on a specific route. It only added up to one thing. They were attempting an escape and had somehow tipped their hand.

The far wall exploded and crumbled into dust. The two gorillas grabbed their gear and headed through it.

There was a slight pause in activity. It seemed peculiar. Something in March's seasoned mind sensed danger. That instinct saved his life. "Quick, Jonny…Down!" He shouted.

The man grabbed his friend and took refuge once again behind the large table. Seconds later the pursuing forces flooded into the room and fired in every direction. They cut the startled orangutan into pieces so small, little was left of him.

March threw up both hands and pointed towards the far wall as one of the defense personnel nervously swung his weapon in the man's direction. The man paused for a second and then followed the rest of the soldiers through the opening. March sighed in relief.

A series of gunfire and explosions followed. The lights and automated systems in the building went offline. Dull red emergency lights flickered, in their place, offering a slight illumination. They could now see directly to the building's exterior. Outside the flickering of muzzle flashes and small fires were visible. Portions of what was left of the area crumbled and gave way. People everywhere within the complex swarmed out. They darted off in all directions, shouting back and forth about what to salvage and what to abandon. Some of the wounded were crying for help and others were frazzled and wandering about. It was so chaotic that the two men were forced out of the room. They were left with no choice except to move forward with the crowd. Within seconds they were outside and completely exposed.

Rescue crews and military forces were attempting to organize the chaos, but the populace in the region out numbered them over seventy to one. It was strange; other areas of the city appeared to be in chaos, as well. March wondered if a mass riot or escape had taken place.

They impulsively moved north, away from the chaos. Half terrified apes and humans were running, crying, wandering, and looking for any option of assistance available. The security forces frantically shoved people aside in an attempt to follow the two simians, but it was too late. The apes were well ahead of the disarray.

Off in the distance the soldier coordinating the riot patrols mulled over his options. "I ought to just fire into that crowd and squelch this thing once and for all"

"Sir," the sergeant at his side said. "That's Research and Development. They're scientists and engineers. They're the brains of the Kingdom. You kill them and you'll be cutting your own throat."

The young officer paused and took in a deep breath. "Noted", he replied in appreciation. "What about tranquilizing them then? What type of suppressants are we carrying?"

"Fifteen canisters of Boczoline and eighteen of Midluzol" a corporal assigned to the unit shouted.

The officer cleared his throat and said "Ok, we'll use the Boc. It stinks to high heavens but it's more effective on larger crowds. Fire six tins; two there, one there and there, and the last two there"

The Boczoline was fired and sent the already panicked mass into a greater hysteria. Security officials, donned in gasmasks, worked their way through the crowd and began grabbing bodies. Some fell to effects immediately and others scattered; coughing and clawing at the air.

The stench was appalling. March covered his mouth and nose with part of his shirt. Both men were on the outskirts of the crowd. On impulse, the Major began to rub his watering eyes. His lungs burned and he felt overwhelmingly fatigued. Then…

** Later **

Jon Hayes bent a knee and slung the limp body of his commanding officer gently to one side. He propped the man against the crates and said. "Tom, Tom, wake up." He briskly slapped the face of his friend attempting to revive him.

The sharp sensation sparked a reaction. March blinked, then coughed, and began mumbling nonsense. As he took in fresh oxygen, his senses slowly returned. "What happened?" he asked.

Hayes explained that they'd been seized by the riot control and moved forward for safety. A chimp grabbed both men and a few massive leaps later planted them about fifteen feet back. Hayes was pulled from the crowd before the gas took complete effect. He was fully conscious when the chimp stacked his body with the rest.

He'd also witnessed the small firefight. Aaron and Joriah were ambushed by flanking forces. Their escape ended abruptly. However, the situation provided a unique opportunity.

"Wha - What kind of …opportunity?" March asked, rubbing his head.

"There aren't enough people to quell the disturbance. Once they killed the two gorillas, everyone headed back towards the mob. They left them laying there; Equipment, weapons, and all." Hayes answered. "We're in one of those restricted buffer areas they mentioned …alone."

"Jonny…" March huffed. "I'm too … Uhh too… Just get to the point."

Hayes wished he had some water or anything that would provide comfort, but he didn't. Instead he simply helped the man up. "Come on Sir, I know a way out of here."

He led the Major to a torn down fence line beyond that was freedom.

"Cripes" March exclaimed looking at what was left of the two apes and the scattered, dead security officials. "They left them sitting here in their own mess."

"They left more than that, Tom." Hayes added. "All of their weapons and supplies are here too; as well as that mechanized dune buggy looking thing, there. You're call, Sir. We can leave or go back and sit things out"

Old North-Eastern United States – Old Detroit, Michigan / Canadian border

The mechanized vehicles moved slowly towards the ruins and stopped unexpectedly. General Grazot awkwardly called for Polk over the radio. He was certainly out of his element. The vehicles and equipment were undoubtedly efficient but they also carried a degree of frustration. He'd taken his simple existence for granted. Maneuvering units on horseback using horns, mirrors, colored flags, and couriers was much different than directing elements, blind, from within a tin box. On one hand he resisted the changes but on the other he welcomed power these trinkets from the gods brought. To master it meant ultimate power.

The region was overrun with vegetation and rubble. Grazot peered through his binoculars surveying the territory before him. He then looked at his map. "Useless" he concluded. From what the ape could see this had probably been a small community at one time. The half buried structures supported his presumptions. He brought the goggles down and looked at the large body of water before him. He took in a deep breath as his mind searched for options. "Water" he mumbled. "It figures".

"You, what's your name again?" Grazot asked the human soldier next to him.

"Corporal Price, Sir" the man answered, hiding his frustration. Grazot had asked for his name a dozen times since they'd departed Sigma-Twelve. The leadership of the three allying nations had decided to integrate the sections. Grazot's driver was a soldier from the Human Coalition. He didn't particularly care for apes or fully understand the sudden armistice, but he was young, ambitious, and mechanically gifted. The man could repair and assemble just about anything he got his hands on.

"Yes, Price, right. See if you can raise Major Polk on this contraption. He doesn't seem to be answering." Grazot ordered.

"Sir, if I may. You need to push that button there to establish a link. You have it set to radio-silence. We can't send or receive in that mode. Once the switch is flipped, you press this button here to speak and release it to listen". Price explained.

Normally, the gorilla might have felt a little embarrassment but he was too agitated at the moment to feel much of anything else.

"That's fine Corporal. Your knowledge of this equipment is impressive. Just get the ape on the radio, like I asked, please." The General stated firmly.

The man did what he was ordered and seconds later the radio was cackling with traffic and the occasional bit of cross talk. "Why have we stopped? Is something wrong" seemed to be the common theme. Corporal Price cleared the air waves, with unique authority and militaristic tact. Grazot didn't show it but he was mildly impressed. The man had talked his ear off for over a week but when it came to soldiering he was, without a doubt, a natural. Within seconds Polk was on the other end of the mic.

"What's the problem General?" Polk asked.

"Can you get up here? And grab Berger. I want him in on this too" Grazot said.

Polk acknowledged and moments later the two apes and the human Captain were standing before the large ruins. "Do you see the problem now?" Grazot asked.

Polk nodded. The large bridge, connecting the two ancient countries, was only half standing. Under it, the Detroit River stretched for miles.

"Amazing" Polk thought. There was enough water in that one river to irrigate and quench his nation for several lifetimes. "We're going to have to forge south" Polk stated as his thoughts returned to problem at hand.

"Normally, I'd agree." Grazot replied. "But there are no roads. I inspected the route before I called of you on the communications machine. It's all forest, rock and rubble."

"Maybe we could shimmy across in groups and …" Berger started to say.

Polk trumped the suggestion immediately. And Grazot was in complete agreement. "We're not frail, thinly furred creatures like you humans, Captain. We don't swim. We don't float. We don't shimmy, as you put it. We sink. Besides, how do you expect to movevehicles and equipment that weigh several tons across a body of water that vast?"

"Then this mission ends here" Berger shot back. "Listen Gentlemen ...umm, sorry, you know what I mean… We're soldiers damn it. We FIND a way to make it work. We build a bridge; find an alternate point to cross. We come up with some idea so that you CAN shimmy, Major! Or we move south and blaze our own trail; make our own road. We double up if necessary. Abandon unnecessary equipment. I don't know, like I said, we discover a way make this work…Or we tuck our tails between our legs and limp back home like wounded animals and wait for this Empire to sweep us aside."

"Point noted, Captain. By the way, we're you an NCO before you became an officer?" Grazot jokingly asked.

"Actually, I was Sir" Berger replied. "I was field commissioned after my Lieutenant was killed in a firefight."

"Ok, first," Grazot stated. "No one said we were throwing in the towel. Second, I don't even want to think of getting wet but Berger you look into a way for us cross …safely and sensible …and with every piece of equipment we have! Major organize two patrols. One is to follow the river north. The other will go south. They're to go five miles and no further"

Both officers replied with; "Yes Sir" and went on their way. But Polk had a difficult time choking out the words. Grazot was a General and it had been decided that the small coalition would function using the current ranks of apes or humans involved. Grazot was the senior officer and thus in command. Polk was essentially acting as his executive officer.

The Major thought of Grazot as more of a cave dwelling savage than a senior officer. His earlier reference to 'the communications machine' was a prime example. So far the Generals orders and tactics had been sound, but if he had to Polk was ready to take full command.

Imperiam – Buffer Zone Charlie, North of the Civil Research building – Hours later

"Get these bodies out of here and clean up this mess" General Cade ordered. "Colonel Brewster do you mind telling me what happened here? I gave strict orders that these apes were to intentionally escape, unharmed. If I'd wanted them dead I could have shot them myself. We chipped these two a month ago."

"The riot spilled past the compound, Sir. One of the boarder patrols flanked north when they intercepted the V.V.L. transmissions. They knew nothing of the mission. They saw the two take down the fence and engaged the primates. I arrived long after they'd left. Hell Sir, this was a need to know mission. Even the riot squads were kept in the dark." Brewster replied.

"I intentionally pulled our units out of this area. I left a skeleton force here. I withdrew Scientists, developers, engineers off of very important research and had to round up replacements. Only key scientists working on imperative projects were left. This was planed for months. We destroyed half of the complex, killed countless citizens. …and most importantly we failed. Everyone on that patrol dies tonight, Colonel, or you will by morning." Cade barked out in anger. "You know how failure is rewarded. I ought to just kill you now"

Cade drew a pistol and pointed it at Brewster. The man calmly pleaded raising his hands on impulse. "Sir … Sir, just hear me out. It doesn't have to be reported as a failure."

"You have thirty seconds, Brewster" Cade replied.

"Those tracks … someone took one of the parole vehicles. They headed out into the desert. It was the two displaced humans who crashed in the aircraft. They were both chipped and the vehicle they have is tagged. We'll be able to track it for a good thousand miles before the signal degrades." He paused and took a few breaths of air. "We can simply say that the mission parameters were changed at the last minute."

"I'm supposed to go to Senator Lorus and tell her that I allowed a key analyst to escape; One with first hand knowledge of the enemy's only super weapon, their leadership, and tactics?" The Gorilla stated.

"General I'm a scientist and a doctor. I apologize for the set back but between the two of us, we can…" Brewster stated.

The powerful slug exited the barrel and slammed into the Colonel's body. The sound of the blast echoed through the air. Brewster was thrown back and toppled into a supply wrack of machine parts. Boxes filled with various utensils collapsed and covered the man.

"Apology accepted, Colonel." Cade said in a mocking tone. "I'll clean up this myself".