Revolt 2145 (8 page)

CHAPTER 10 - WELCOME HOME

November 1
st
, 2134

     Once I was given the permission to ditch the cult, I wandered hopelessly through the territory regions daily. It was at that point, I lacked any goals and I had no destination. Must have been how it was so easy for me to get apprehended. They finally found me walking the streets, and I was so easily recognizable. They slammed me savagely on the ground as they cuffed me and threw me in the back of a hover vehicle. The ride was a lengthy one, and at this point; I had no mind of what was in store for me. A sack was thrown over my head before I was able to get a glimpse of where I was. I felt the grip of two men carrying me inside of an air conditioned interior. I heard the radios and numerous conversations that were ongoing within the building. The men carrying me made some turns and I could hear a large door opening and as they pulled me in, the area became colder. The amount of talking had lowered and after I heard another door open, it had quickly slammed shut; and I was set down roughly in a chair. The sack was lifted from my head and to my surprise, sitting in front of me was President Holden.

     “I've heard a lot about you.” he said.

“Shouldn't I be in a jail somewhere, awaiting a life sentence?” I asked with a dumbfounded look.

“Actually, you may be up for the death penalty, based on your resume.”

“Okay. So in that case, why am I here talking to you? Because if I'm up for the Nobel Peace Prize, believe me when I say, I'm flattered.”

President Holden stood up from his seat. “We managed get an eye on you recently and became curious when we started finding you walking the streets alone.”

“It's been a rough few days.”

“Let's cut the shit. Are you currently affiliated with the terrorist group led by Linda Samson?”

“Why should I tell you anything?”

“Your future in this world depends on what you're willing to say.”

“Okay. Alright. I guess I really don't have a reason to hide shit anymore since I'm already out.”

     It was from there, I delivered everything to them. Hideouts, member names. You name it. In exchange for me being a hopeless snitch, The President granted me my freedom, but under his watchful eye as he made me his assistant, and among many titles that went under that job, I was to handle duties within the interior of the President's home. The more I got to know him, the more became evident that this man was ridiculously intelligent and he strategically mapped out a plan that would save my ass in case things were to go terribly wrong while was there.

September 3
rd
, 2145

     “Estimated time to destination, two hours.” the ship A.I. read out loud as I was nursing the wound on the side of Babe's head. She had a massive laceration that bled badly down the side of her face. It looked as if her head was knocked against a wall, similar to my recent brawl.

     “I probably have brain damage.” Babe said.

“You're lucky to be alive.”

“We're lucky Ellie was able to get on here.”

“I started to believe you were going to be able to get on here. I could hear what was to come.” Ellie said in a very eerie voice.

“Well can you hear what is to await us when we get back on Earth?” I asked.

“No.” Ellie said. “Let me know where and when we're landing.” Ellie then walked out of the command center.

     The final hours had come through and we were making passage through the Earth's atmosphere. I could see us approaching the land of the United Territories. The ship was on approach for that land and I had no fucking clue on how to land this thing. It was time for us to brace.

     “Brace for landing!” I shouted, fearing how much rattle we were preparing to endure.

My stomach felt like it was rising to my chest and I began to tremble, while trying to push up against the wall. My intuition prompted me to believe that this landing was going to hurt.

We soared over a city construction and now we were headed for another building. The ship rumbled as we collided and smashed through the building. The impact alarms were blaring madly as the three of us held on for dear life, afraid of being tossed around the command center like a boneless rag doll. As the ship crashed through and out of the building, we slammed into the populated city streets. As we clanked through the main avenue, the wrecked ship finally came to it's halt and we quickly vacated the space craft. A lot of people were going to come to this ship, and a select amount of people were going to recognize this ship and come for me. At that point, I was ready for anything.

     The girls followed me from the central town area and into the distant out skirts of town. The journey brought us to a small house, deep within a heavily brushed forest.

“What the hell is this place?” Babe asked, cooking up a good sweat on her forehead.

I looked back at Ellie and her, who looked to be out of breath as they continued to keep pace.

“This is home.” I said, flipping up the door mat and grabbing an old silver key. I stuck the key in the door and shimmied the door open.

“Come in.” I said, walking into the dimmed down home. The girls followed me into a darkened kitchen. I flicked on the lights to illuminate the kitchen, showing the lavish dining set and fancy kitchen environment.

     “When was the last time you were in this place?” Ellie asked

“Obviously a few months.” I replied

“Who's been funding the power to the place?”

“I have resources.” I said going into the refrigerator. I pulled me a bottle of water and took a seat in one of the chairs at the table.

“So now what?” Ellie asked. “We remain here until we grow old?”

“No. I have some loose ends that need to be tied up.”

“You mean illegal loose ends?”

“You wouldn't understand.” I said.

“We escape a sun stationed prison, I think it's important that we know why you want to put your freedom at risk again.”

I paused for a moment. Maybe it was time to let the two in on my intentions for such a desperate escape.

“I didn't kill the President.” I said.

“I think it's too late for that.” Ellie said.

“I'm serious. I was framed for President's Holden's death and the people that set me up, I have to find them.”

“So this whole escape has been about a plot for revenge?”

“I just threw out the idea. You came along. Now that you're here, you can stay here or you can do this with me.”

Ellie stared out the window, tapping her fingers on the table while Babe rested her hand on her forehead.

     “Well I got nothing better to do.” Babe said.

“And what happens if we get caught?” Ellie asked. “I don't wish to be sent back to the sun.”

“I can promise you that neither of us will be caught.” I assured.

“How?”

“You both are going to have to trust me. In the end, everything will make sense.”

CHAPTER 11 - VANDALS

September 5
th
, 2145

     “All of these resources, and yet we don't have a vehicle.” Babe said as we set up position at an abandoned warehouse.

“In good time.” I said, scanning the front entrance, which was old and worn out. With just a push of a finger, the door creaked open, shining light into the large and uninhabited warehouse. Foul smelling and old, the place still retained it's original look as I remembered.

“Why are we here? There's no one here.” Babe said.

“Something is here. I sense great energy.” Ellie replied.

“I hope you two are seeing what I'm seeing.” Babe said, her voice growing with frustration.

“She's right. This place is not completely empty.” I said looking around. “Linda wouldn't just abandon this place. I know that woman too well.”

I scanned the place. Each detail. Each crack and crevice on the walls. The corners on the floors. She's had enough time to get a few decent upgrades for this place as well as any new places she may have inhabited during my time away.

I looked across the room to see Babe hopelessly moping around the area. I could see Ellie rubbing her hands against the walls.

     “There's great energy behind and beneath these walls.”

“Can someone tell psychic girl to chill out with the paranormal crap.”

“She's right.” I said, realizing that this level was a cover up. I turned around and pressed up against the wall. The wall hissed and steam sprayed from beneath the wall. The wall slid and an elevator was revealed. I quickly approached the door and it opened, revealing a small compartment.

     “Let's go ladies!” I said stepping in. Babe and Ellie entered and the doors closed. The elevator capsule didn't move and a touchscreen command panel appeared on the door, cuing for a four digit access code.

              “Any idea what that could be?” Babe asked.

“Easy.” I said entering “7287” into the command prompt. The capsule rattled and I felt us descending through the capsule tunnel.

“What's that?” Ellie asked.

“Parts of my birthday.” I said with a smile. “Guess she still has a thing for me.”

     “I hope you two don't end up munching on each other carpets in the end.” Babe said as I started chuckling.

The capsule stopped.

     “Armory.” said a computerized voice. The doors opened revealing a large room, jam packed with weapons and equipment.

“Take what you want but make it fast.” I said stepping into an area that contained shelves of demolition equipment. I pulled down the black demolition boxes, that had time clocks installed into them. I placed four on the floor and set a twelve minute timer on each of them. I then stood up and pulled a large black duffel bag from one of the shelves. I loaded an array of weaponry into the bag and zipped it up, hoisting the bag strap around my shoulder.

     “Are you ladies ready?” I said looking at Babe and Ellie who was sporting tactical gear and had full bags of their own.

“I hope we're not walking back.” Babe said.

“I'm smarter than that.” I said starting the timers on the bombs, as the ladies filled the elevator capsule. With the bombs set, I scurried into the elevator and entered the access code again. I then operated the capsule to go to an underground garage. The elevator made it's way and stopped on the pursued level. The doors opened and we stepped out into a massive garage full of specially mechanized hover vehicles, quite possibly all stolen. We made our way scanning the variety of assault hover units that sat organized in the garage and then one caught my eye. Heavily plated in vehicular armor and equipped with heavy machine guns on the tops and sides of the vehicle, this monstrous transport was definitely what we needed to get around.

      “Get in that one.” I said, pointing to the prodigious hover truck. We boarded the truck, and I fired the fucker up, blasting a mechanical bellow through the garage. I hit an activation key to reveal a ramp to the surface. The vehicle lifted higher and soared through the ramp. We moved through a dark tunnel for maybe about five minutes before sunlight kissed our faces through the windows and we were out in the territory traffic. It's been a while since I seen the busy rush hour of this territory. It was beautiful. The majestic mass of machinery gliding through the air fascinated me for the first time in my life. I glanced in the rear view mirror to see the glow in Ellie's gaze. Her eyes gleamed and a smile was lightly forming. Babe sat in the passenger seat, examining one the pistols she had collected from Linda's armory.

There was a loud explosion. I felt the vehicle rattle a bit. Those bombs may have packed a bit more punch than expected. I jerked the throttle and moved this hover truck through a tight line-up of hover vehicles and circled a few towers before reaching the highest point of the area. As my comfort began to sit well within my body, an alert message flashed up on the window.

     “Oh fuck!” Babe shouted.

I looked into the rear view to see a small missile coming up behind us.

“Hang on!” I said, jerking the controls left. The hover truck spun left and the missile sped past us, colliding with another vehicle. We blew through the blaze and as I looked back, I could see a convoy of hover vehicles on our asses.

“They're fucking pissed I'm sure!” Babe shouted, stressed.

“Don't freak out!” I said watching men hang out the windows of their hover vehicles with weapons. They opened fire happily, spraying gunfire our way. I didn't worried too much thanks to the vehicle's protective coat but eventually it was definitely due to wear off.

   “How do we control the guns on this thing?!” Ellie shouted in a panicked state. I guided my fingers past an array of switches and had my eye on the one I believed activated the defense system.

      “Babe, take the wheel.” I said, getting up to switch seats. Telling by the set up of the interior of this vehicle, I calculated what that back seat area was actually intended for. Babe and I switched seats and I sat in what I identified as the turret seat.

“Flip the red switch!” I ordered, feeling like Captain of a ship. I watched Babe's finger flip the switch and an alarm went off and a shield surrounded the turret seat. The turret seat that I occupied lowered and hung beneath the hover truck, exposing me to the outside of the truck and the pursuers behind us. Two machine gun turrets occupied my left and right and I had the gun controls at my fingertips. My fingers tingled and my chest inflated with excitement. I exhaled greatly, and pulled the triggers, lighting up the hover vehicles. Two of the hover vehicles hurdled out of control and smashed into a tall building with a rippling explosion. It was satisfying knowing Babe was able to drive this thing straight, because my sights were straight. I let the turrets cool off and once again I began to spray rounds into the group of motor floaters, flooding bullets into them like water to a sponge. A masked gunman hung out of a vehicle window with half of his body pointing a long rifle. A gunshot went off, clapping against the virtual energy shield that surrounded me. More shots went off, some penetrating the shields. The turrets then exploded and began smoking and each time I tried pulling the trigger, the guns jammed.

     “Fuck!” I said flicking back the switch which pulled the turret back into the hover truck.

“What happened?” Ellie asked, seated in the back seat.

“They shot out the turrets. The van defenses are down!” I said, frustrated. I looked at Babe, who was head start on piloting this hover truck through the rough traffic.

“Let's use what we got!” I said unzipping the duffel bag and pulling out two automatic pistols. I climbed out of the vehicles window, and clung my way to the top of the floater. Atop the moving vehicle, I was afraid of the height, but I couldn't allow that to stop me from taking down the fuckers behind us. I pointed the guns at the vehicles and opened fire, nailing two drivers through their windshields; sending their vehicles spinning out of control and crashing elsewhere.

     “Fuck!” I heard Babe scream. That utterance enabled me to turn my attention to the direction we were headed. I turned to see a massive vehicle crossing in front of us. In that split second, I had to make a conscious decision of getting crushed by this behemoth of a floater or taking a leap of faith and hoping I was to land on something soft. The leap was my next option and I didn't waste another moment in thought. I dived off of the top of the hover truck, slipping beneath the vehicles that were pursuing us. My stomach felt like it was floating into my throat and the rush of the fall bent my body back like the curve of a fucking boomerang. Then my eyes widened with the sight of one of Linda's fuck heads, pursuing me, mid fall. I flipped my body to face the fall, and before I could brace for any type of impact, our hover truck swooped right under me, catching me and  I clapped my face flat against the steel top of the floater.

     “Get in here!” Babe screamed.

I crawled my way back into the vehicle seeing a stunned Ellie.

“What the fuck was that?” Ellie asked, staring at me with wide eyes.

“It's called being a bad ass.” I said.

“It's called almost getting killed.” Babe said. “I didn't think I'd be able to make a catch like that being my first day behind the wheel.”

I peered out the back window to see the vehicles still on our backs. I then moved to the front next to Babe, sighting the area that we were. This was it. At this very moment, I knew that this was the place we needed to be.

“Take us down here.” I commanded.

Babe moved us down ground level and we made our way behind a low level casino.

“Let's go!” I said hopping out of the truck. The ladies followed me inside of the crowded casino, as we attempted to lose Linda's crew inside the mass of gambling swine. I shoved my way through the elderly slot machine fanatics. Through the old men in suits that had a young naive, pair of tits on their arms. I kept looking back expecting to see a face I have not seen in awhile. Expecting to see the woman who was once the love of my life. I expected to see her angry scowl, jostling through the crowd with a gun held tightly in her hand. It didn't matter what fire power she had, because right now she was about to get what was coming to her. This bitch was about to get fucked harder than a broom stick in her snatch.

A blast of gunfire erupted through the casino, sending the mass crowd in a panicked craze. The assemblage of casino customers hit the floor, leaving my trio standing and as I focused on the ones that pursued us, Linda led the large group of armed men and women. She walked towards us, firmly pointing her pistols. Her crew pointed their weapons as well while a few of them formed a circle around the casino floor, surrounding us tightly.

“Three of you. Twenty five of us.” She said.

“I wasn't expecting a welcoming committee.” I smiled. “There's no need to be hostile.”

“I can't believe you're fucking us. Blowing up our warehouse. That takes balls.”

“For the longest I've had the bigger balls.”

“I heard they sent you to be executed.”

“That was the plan.”

“How did you escape?”

“Grabbed a few pals and got out. Ran into some trouble as result from one of your bad decisions but we pulled out of that too and now here we are, listening to you talk about getting fucked over.”

“I gave you the opportunity to leave and what did I find?”

“You found me living my life.”

“No!” Linda shouted and suddenly the mood in the room drastically shifted. “I found you being the bitch of the very person we vowed together to take down. Once I saw that, I felt it was just time to stop stabbing at the body and move to cutting off of the head.”

“And frame me in the process.”

“Why kill you when you could just stand in place for me.”

“Just like old times.” I smiled.

“So what are we going to do now?” Linda asked. “Get the police here. Blame this whole fiasco on you and your fuck buddies.”

“There's no need to get the police.” I said, the smile not leaving my face.

“FREEZE!” A scream echoed from the crowd and a mass of undercover officers stood from the crowd, raising pistols; overpowering Linda's numbers. Linda and her crew dropped their weapons. Linda stood still.

“What the fuck is this?”

“A very long story.” I said. I looked at Babe and Ellie, who slowly raised their arms. “Relax.”

The officers moved in and cuffed Linda as well as her crew.

“It's a lot to explain but take into account that I've been ahead of you from the start Linda.” I said pulling a badge from the inside of my bra. I held it up proudly. “From the very fucking beginning.”