Relias: Uprising (6 page)

 “I don’t want to deal with those retarded questions you ask,” Hendrick said pointing at Trey with his keys jangling in hand.

 “What, and you think I do!” Morlo replied loudly.

Hendrick wasn’t finished. “And we’ve only got Sable’s SUV to drive, not a friggin’ moving van.”

 Luke emerged from the hallway, limping in a quick stride. Now in a pair of jeans and a black tank top, Luke threw on a white, sleeveless trench coat formed from the rough hide of an albino Razorback as he walked. But most intimidating of all, the thing that neutralized every last ounce of visible frailty that Luke suffered, was the long, black-edged broadsword he carried in one arm. Even in his weakened state, Luke still managed to heft the eighty pound sword to the leather straps on his back with relative ease. “Alright let’s go.”

 Vyvyr and Pontious were first out the door. When Luke took step behind them, Hendrick and Sable closed the door behind him, Hendrick smiling and waving to Trey and Morlo as he pulled the door shut.  As they entered the hallway, turned past the stairs and headed towards the elevator, Hendrick looked down at Sable’s thigh. “Your gun?”

 “My pea shooter’s shoved in my boot with my knife.” She said as they reached the elevator. “My forty’s out in the glove box and my sword’s in the back.” Sable looked Hendrick over and her expression became inquisitive as well. “Yours?”

 “Took a lot of flexibility training to hide it where I did.” He said with a laugh, earning a disgusted look from Sable. The elevator chimed and the doors slid open, Pontious and Vyvyr in the back of the elevator, Luke in the middle and Hendrick and Sable in the front. Still smiling, Hendrick reached back and patted the back of his shorts, signaling the actual hiding place for his gun. Sable managed a slight shake of the head as the doors closed behind them.

 It was the afternoon, and with most of the city’s population working, the streets were pretty well clear. The complex that Luke resided in perched on the very edge of the river that ran straight through the city, originating in an underground spring, running down the hill that much of the city was built upon and moving through the city’s outer walls as it reached the base of the valley. The creamy, stucco exteriors of the houses and apartments that hugged the streets glowed beneath the warm afternoon light, accented by the dark wood frames, windowsills and the deep red roses that peppered them. Wrought iron was the only visible metallic structuring, forming fences, railings, signposts, and anything else imaginable that they might be used for. And as the car coasted through the cobblestone streets, Luke examined the city in great detail as it was one of the few major cities in the world that he had never seen in person.

 The car turned the corner and began heading downhill, the straight street giving them a sprawling view of the city ahead of them. Bell towers and beautiful spires rose above the brown tile roofs and flat-topped buildings, giving the city depth and variety. And, far off in the distance, the city’s outer wall could be seen, appearing to be nothing more than a thin, earthy line drawn across the horizon. Small turrets were spaced evenly along the wall while, at each one of the outer gates, massive anti-air cannons sat silently, standing guard. And, though they were mostly concealed by surrounding structures, Praemon was outfitted with one of the most impressive and destructive anti-air networks in the hemisphere.

 In the back seat, Vyvyr, Pontious and Hendrick checked their weapons; Vyvyr and Pontious checking the chambers on their pistols while Hendrick strapped his Blazers to his wrists, turning his hands over and inspecting the weapons’ fastening. As he did, he paid a discreet glance to the front seat and caught a glimpse of the looks Sable gave to Luke. With only his stomach being slightly affected, Hendrick maintained a neutral expression and returned his attention to his Blazers.

 “It’s just up ahead.” Sable said, shifting the car into a lower gear as they descended the hill. She looked over at Luke who was riding shotgun. He watched out the windows at the passing city, not speaking, completely oblivious to anything that happened around him.

 The world had changed since Luke had first been imprisoned. He didn’t know how he knew it. It was probably because everything seemed fine when, in reality, Luke knew what was going on beyond people’s knowledge. As Luke watched the people strolling down the walks, stopping through the street side markets, he knew they were honestly oblivious to the truths of the world. They were completely content living in an ignorance they were unaware of. But seeing these people for the first time since his escape, seeing them interact with each other and the world around him, Luke realized that they were fighting a losing battle. With the Commune in control of the media they’d never be anything more than a rag-tag group of pirates, terrorists, bent the destruction of the citizenry’s cherished way of life. As though the Legionnaire didn’t make the Commune an impossible enemy, it was their control of the media that offered them ultimate power. Luke knew how to kill, yet when it came to radically altering the opinions of others, he was helpless.

 Sable took the next corner, coming onto a long, narrow street as they quickly approached a large set of iron gates. The walls were ten meters high with a guard tower every hundred feet stocked with four Dark soldiers, each toting a hefty rifle in such a way as it made it clear that they were itching to use them.

 “Dark high command.” Sable said, slowing down and coming to a stop at the gate as their car was identified. Soldiers circled the car and got a good look at the passengers, giving each one of them a hard eye. Then, after seeing Luke, the man who appeared to be the commanding officer got on his radio. After a moment and what appeared to be an involved conversation, the soldier looked up to the guard tower and waved his hand. The man up top returned the wave and disappeared beyond the edge of the tower. No sooner had he done that did the front gate crack open with a shrill tremble. It slid open, disappearing into the surrounding walls like a sword into its scabbard, permitting Luke and the Ditrinity’s entrance.

 There were several different gates that had to open to allow passage, each one being guarded by four Darks. At each gate the car was inspected front to back, some of the soldiers getting slightly aggressive at seeing Luke riding in the passenger seat. Nonetheless, with every inspection the gate would open until, after passing through four gates they entered the main compound.

It was a torrent of activity. The main structure was only a few stories tall. It’s outer walls were a dull, flat auburn. The building was plain and industrial in appearance, with a massive hangar opening up at its front with smaller, pipe-lined tunnels that branched off of it and wove squared, geometric patterns throughout the complex. Outside, assault vehicles from turret mounted ATVs to Machbikes, the subsonic motorcycles of the sky, shot in every direction, threading the gaps between soldiers. Men piloting Raze armor, Monolith-sized metal battle suits, carried weapons, ammo and assorted supplies to one of the many warehouses scattered across the base. Forge tanks, mammoth, frightening machines, sat silently on one side of the yard lined perfectly into rows. There were large cement pads where Darks stood in formation while, just behind the large central building, an enormous green plain sprawled out beneath the Praemon sky dock where military frigates landed and took off. A Helio class battlecruiser had docked at one of the stations four docking bays, the space it took up comprising a significant portion of the base itself and casting an enormous shadow over the open yard. On the side of the building there were large doors that led into subterranean garages where all manner of assault vehicles were being housed, repaired, and modified. It was a hive of military activity and the Dark soldiers that buzzed around it were strangely reminiscent of hyperactive insects.

“Just park us quick.” Luke said, getting visibly anxious as Sable pulled into the basement parking garage on the left side of the complex.

There was a parking spot next to the elevators that Sable pulled into. Without wasting a second, Luke threw the door open and hopped out of the car, stumbling on weak legs as he landed. Seeing Luke’s aggressiveness, Sable became slightly alarmed. “Easy Luke…”

With a grin on his face Hendrick stepped out and checked the rest of the garage. “Vyvyr, Pontious, keep sharp, will ya?” Seeing Sable concerned over Luke’s aggression, Hendrick put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “He’s just here to talk.” He muttered to her as they formed up around him. “He’s just got a few questions. Nothing to worry about.”

Dark soldiers sprinted through the hallways, armed to the teeth and prepared for a fight. All soldiers in the vicinity had been ordered to Central Command, the area of the complex where the highest ranking officers worked.

The alarm didn’t bother Luke in the least, nor did it make the Ditrinity uncomfortable either. But everybody inside the complex knew exactly who they were and made it a point to get out of their way. And as Luke powered through the complex and his companions hurried to keep up, people would part to the sides of the hall, immediately recognize Luke and they’d instantly begin whispering amongst themselves. And though they spoke quietly, Luke could still hear what they were saying. He could hear their spiteful words, and it was clear they every last one of them harbored a good deal of animosity towards him. But his fight wasn’t with them. He was going after Samuel Alighieri.

“You!” One soldier shouted from up ahead. “Don’t move!”

There were two of them, both armed with Infiltrator assault rifles. Hendrick and Pontious moved up ahead of Luke and went defensive. Their pace intensified and they made straight for the soldiers. The soldiers’ boldness faltered and they lowered their rifles and parted. As they passed, Hendrick glared at the one on his right and sneered. “Shut up.”

They said nothing as the group passed through them, while all they found themselves capable of doing was watching the five move menacingly towards the administrative offices.

The door to the offices flew open, nearly tearing the door off its hinges and burying the doorknob in the drywall. Dark soldiers who guarded the door shouted passively at the intruding group as they strode into the empty quiet room.

“Where is he.” Luke growled to the secretary, who shot up from her chair at the sudden burst.

“W-who are you loo-“

“Alighieri. I’m…” Luke trailed off as he saw a door at the end of the office. He didn’t require any further explanation. The secretary, shaking violently, beckoned to the soldiers outside the door.

“H… h-help…” She tried to finish the sentence but could only manage a quivering point towards the office that Luke appeared ready to assault. And when Luke reached it, there was no knock, no notification of any kind that he was entering. The only way he could have made a more alarming entrance was if he had kicked the door down with a machine gun blazing.

There was a group of people who sat all around the office, a giant, a stocky bearded man, a couple younger guys and two young women, each facing a well-dressed, bald black man, who shot to his feet as the door slammed open. His eyes were wide in a strange mixture of joy and fearful surprise. “Luke… what’re you-“

“Everybody out now!” Luke shouted as he continued his path towards Alighieri. This group was different though. None of them backed down from Luke. Instead, the men of the group moved to intervene. Hendrick, Pontious and Vyvyr moved into position. Luke grabbed the front of Alighieri’s suit coat and held him in place. “Where is she.”

“Who you think you are.” Said a twelve-foot giant who had emerged from the corner. He was an ex-Monolith by the looks of him, towering over Luke with his arms flexed and his shoulders squared. Luke turned up towards the man without a blink.

“I’ve strangled bigger than you.” Luke growled, giving no more attention to the giant than he deserved.

The first person after the Monolith was an obvious hothead. His spiked hair and patchy stubble gave him and adolescent and intentionally unkempt appearance. He stormed up from behind the Monolith and shoved Hendrick out of the way. With a harsh chuckle, Hendrick allowed himself to stumble clear.

“After you, Lord and Master.”

The man looked back at him with narrowed eyes and gave a short, low reply. “What a gentleman.”

“Hey,” Hendrick replied with a suave grin. “I know how to treat a lady.”

The man raised both eyebrows at Hendrick in complete, offended shock. “Come again…”

“Easy, Ranjak.” Said another man who stepped up next to him, though his face was the same emotion as Ranjak’s though slightly more subdued. He looked out through his shaggy black hair with pale eyes, glaring at Hendrick who smiled back at the both of them.

“And look how
cute
they are together.” Hendrick said, looking back and forth at the both of them with an exaggerated, mockingly adoring smile. “Thompson and Ranjak… you just make me wanna… just…” Hendrick clenched his fists and grunted as though he wanted to squeeze them both to death.

 “And you’re the Ditrinity…” Ranjak said in reply, his voice sarcastic as he mimicked Hendrick. He turned back to Luke with a degrading smile. “Went to all that trouble to pull this sack of garbage out of prison after what he-“

 “You hadn’t even hit puberty when that happened, kid.” Luke rebutted, his attention now drawn away from Alighieri. “Don’t pretend like you know anything about it.”

Ranjak ground his teeth and looked around him, seeing that every person in the room would see him back down if he did. He sneered and stepped towards Luke, putting his face close to Luke’s and speaking quietly.

“You’re lucky these stabilizers are here.” He said with a half-smile.

Luke cocked a brow and set his jaw. “I’d refinish the walls with your insides.”

Ranjak’s smile wavered. He took a step back and laughed shakily, looking back to Thompson, who tried to remain indifferent, and pointing at Luke. “You hear this guy? He has no idea who we are!”

“I know exactly who you are.” Luke cut in, letting his hand stray back onto the hilt of his blade. “But until you have more than profane language to hit me with, here’s a word of advice. Don’t piss off a guy with a really big sword.”