by Hatchett
“Are you sure about this?” Andy murmured, keeping a wan grin on his face for the benefit of the people watching.
“We haven’t got much choice,” Jason replied, as he steered the SUV inside and shut down the engine.
“Guns?” Andy queried.
“I think not,” Jason replied, clicking open his door and getting out, just as the tarpaulin was dragged back across the road to close the gap they had just passed through.
Andy and Matt got out of the vehicle and joined Jason just as the woman who they’d seen taking to Jess on the previous visit stepped forward.
“I’m Rosy,” she greeted them cheerfully as she held out her hand. “Welcome to our humble abode.”
“I’m Jason. And this is Andy and Matt,” he indicated his colleagues. “How did you know we were coming?” he asked, stepping forward to shake her hand.
“Oh, Jess told me,” Rosy replied, grinning as if she was in on some secret joke.
“Did she now?” Jason said, smiling back and thinking ‘thanks for telling me you little bitch’.
“I heard that!” he heard in his mind, followed by Jess giggling.
“Jess also told me that she’s picked up craft in the area, so you need to stay here for a few hours. Very clever girl, that one. Would you like something to drink?”
“That’s very kind, thank you,” Jason accepted the offer.
“Good, come with me and let me introduce you all to the others.”
Rosy led the way past more tarpaulin sheets which seemed to separate the tunnel area into different rooms. Indeed, if they didn’t know where they were, they could easily have believed that they were in someone’s house. Carpets had been laid and there was furniture all around as they were led into what could only be described as a lounge with a curved ceiling.
“Are you sure we’re all safe under here?” Jason asked, looking around with interest.
“Oh, yes,” Rosy replied. “In the early days we stayed in our homes, so we did, but those bloody aliens started knocking the doors down one by one, so we had no choice but to leave a bit quick, like. We bumped into a few other refugees along the way and all decided to hike for the South coast. But when we got here, we saw some of the alien craft heading towards us, so we hid under here and have never left. Anyway, where’s me manners? Come on, let’s get you those drinks.”
Jason looked at Andy and Matt and could see them asking themselves the same question. ‘How the Hell had they managed to hide under here for so long without being detected?’
54
The following morning Kinaejah was looking out of the side of the Mothership and down at his magnificent pyramid below. The Eastern side was glowing in the early morning sunlight and he realised that he would never tire of looking at such an amazing sight.
He shook himself and turned towards Thaejah, who was working on a number of screens at once.
“Status?” he demanded.
“All craft accounted for, except the two destroyed last night.”
“Do we have a fix on the humans who did this?” Kinaejah asked.
“As it happens, we do,” Thaejah answered.
“Tell me more,” Kinaejah ordered, with a grin. This morning seemed to be getting better and better.
“One of our many informants has managed to send a message that he’s with three of the perpetrators right now. One of our shuttles landed nearby a little while ago and a team of Stormtroopers are closing in on the targets’ position.
“Splendid!” Kinaejah said, his grin widening. “If we capture these terrorists, I may even forget about the craft you lost us.”
Thaejah was about to argue, but decided it wasn’t worth it.
“Put it up on the screens,” Kinaejah ordered as he took a seat. He was looking forward to this.
A screen appeared in front of his face with a point of view live stream from the lead Stormtrooper. The leader looked to his left and right to check the eleven other members of his squad had spread out and were keeping up. The last thing he wanted was any surprises. He was the one who was supposed to be making surprises today.
In front of him there was nothing but fields and grass, with a large main road to his left and a steep grassy hillock a hundred yards ahead. These humans were just so primitive.
He indicated that half of the squad should veer to his left while he and the rest of them veered right.
As they approached the hillock, they slowed then stopped and checked their extended rods and ensured their shields were up. The leader gave the signal and the two groups walked around the corner of the hillock and entered the tunnel in a wide line from both ends.
A couple of metres in, they stopped and waited in a line. They had been told what to expect, but even allowing for that, they still had to momentarily allow their helmets to adjust to the gloom before they could pick out any detail in front of them. Once they could see properly, all they could make out was the dark material of the tarpaulin.
There was a shout from behind the tarpaulin, followed by a couple of loud blasts from a double-barrelled shotgun, the shot bouncing off their shields and ricocheting in all directions. There came another couple of muffled blasts from further down the tunnel.
The leader flicked his wrist and a bolt of blue lightning sprang from the end of his rod and shot across the gap to hit and fry the offending shotgun, a man’s screams echoing back towards him as he hastily dropped the weapon.
Smiling, the leader flicked his wrist again and watched as the next bolt hit the tarpaulin and burst into flames.
“Come out with your hands up and you won’t get hurt,” he ordered, his voice amplified by a microphone device in front of his mouth.
After a brief pause, a bunch of ragged looking people started emerging from behind the tarpaulin. The Stormtroopers directed them towards the field by the side of the road and counted them as they walked past.
Checking with the second squad, the leader knew that the correct number of fifteen humans had left the tunnel and were now waiting in a little group in the field. He indicated to his men it was time to leave and headed towards the humans.
With the Stormtroopers spreading out and circling their captives, the leader took a step forward.
“Which one of you is Connor?”
Connor stepped forward, the rest of the group looking stunned and confused that the Stormtrooper knew his name.
“Which are the three?” the leader asked, and Connor quickly pointed to Jason, Andy and Matt.
“Connor Murray! What are ye doing?” Rosy screamed at him.
“How do ye think we’ve been left alone all this time woman?” Connor spat back.
“I shall never forgive ye, so I won’t” Rosy screamed as a bolt from the leader’s rod vaporised her on the spot.
“Wait!” Connor shouted. “We had a deal!”
As Jason, Andy and Matt were roughly pulled to one side by Stormtroopers, the other Stormtroopers’ rods fired more blue bolts of lightning and the remaining people were vaporised, leaving just Jason, Andy and Matt still alive.
“Our boss wants to meet you three in person,” the leader said with a sly smile, as he mentally instructed his shuttle to come and pick them up.
55
Jason, Andy and Matt had been drinking tea and eating some bread and jam for breakfast. They had endured an uncomfortable night trying to sleep in chairs, and they were very much looking forward to getting back to The Manor and having a nice hot shower.
Then they heard the shotguns being fired.
They dropped everything and ran to the SUV, as Rosy started shouting incoherently from some other part of the encampment and someone else shouted ‘fire’.
Then they heard an amplified ‘Come out with your hands up and you won’t get hurt’ order coming from the far end of the tunnel.
Jason opened the driver’s door and quickly grabbed and pocketed his pistol and taser. Andy and Matt collected their own weapons and looked to Jason to see what he wanted to do.
“No. Too big and we’ll probably be killed before we can use it. Just try and hide your pistol and taser and do as we’re told for now and just hope we don’t get searched.”
With that they joined the rest of the group and slowly shuffled their way out of the settlement and along the tunnel towards the Laakuu Stormtroopers.
“Jess, I hope you’re getting all this,” Jason thought.
“I’m here,” Jess confirmed. “Just go along with it for now. Don’t do anything stupid and get yourself killed. I’m on my way.”
“Be careful.”
“Always.”
The group were guided into the nearest field and huddled close together, scared and wondering how they had been found so easily.
It all became clear that they had been betrayed when the spokesman for the Laakuu called out Connor, Rosy’s husband. Connor then pointed out Jason, Andy and Matt and they were swiftly pulled to one side by the nearest Stormtroopers.
When Rosy started shouting and was vaporised, Connor realised that he had made a terrible mistake, and instead of keeping his family safe, he had effectively sentenced them to death. He didn’t have much more time to consider his actions before he and the rest of his group were vaporised.
Jason surreptitiously placed his right hand over the taser in his pocket, ready to get it out and fire it if the opportunity arose. He looked around and counted a dozen Stormtroopers. Not the greatest odds.
The lead Stormtrooper wandered over to his prisoners.
“Our boss wants to meet you three in person,” he said with a sly smile.
As he spoke, Jason saw a shuttle heading in their direction. His heart was filled with joy and relief at the thought that it was Jess on her way to rescue them, but the illusion was soon shattered.
“That’s not me,” Jess spoke. “When the shuttle gets close, the three of you need to drop to the ground.”
Jason was a little confused and, when he turned to look at Andy and Matt, he could see them staring in the shuttle’s direction and looking equally confused. Jason quickly looked back to the fast approaching shuttle, wondering what Jess meant by ‘close’.
The shuttle slowed as it closed in on them, and when it started descending about thirty metres out, Jason decided it was close enough and dropped to the ground.
The Stormtrooper holding Jason was surprised by the sudden movement and lost his grip. He raised his rod in preparation to shoot and looked down, expecting Jason to be trying some sort of attack or trying to escape, but he was just lying there in a foetal position.
Following Jason’s lead, Andy and Matt did the same, causing all the other Stormtroopers to look at their prisoners in total confusion.
Suddenly, the shuttle sped up and hurtled towards the Stormtroopers, just a metre or so above the ground. The Stormtroopers turned, wondering what was happening but it was too late to react. The shuttle hit nine of the twelve Stormtroopers as it swept through them like a bowling ball hitting skittles, breaking bones and throwing the bodies into the air before they landed in a heap some distance away.
The three Stormtroopers still standing, including the leader, didn’t know what was happening or what to do and stood rooted to the spot.
The shuttle had shot past them, missing them by inches, and was now turning, preparing to come back. The three Stormtroopers watched the shuttle carefully, preparing to drop to the ground like their prisoners if it came back in their direction.
With the Stormtroopers distracted, Jason, Andy and Matt pulled out their tasers and pistols. As they aimed and fired the tasers, the shuttle swooped back towards them.
The tasered soldiers were incapacitated and shook uncontrollably where they stood. As Jason, Andy and Matt simultaneously fired their pistols, the returning shuttle smashed into the three remaining Stormtroopers then slowed and lowered itself towards the ground. The landing supports morphed out of the bottom of the craft and once it had settled, a door morphed open on one side and a ramp flowed down to the ground.
“Don’t just stand there,” Jess ordered, “get on it!”
The three men glanced at each other before getting to their feet and running towards the shuttle.
As he was passing one of the dead Stormtroopers, Jason stooped low and picked up a rod.
“You go,” he told Andy and Matt. “I’m getting the SUV and taking it home.”
Andy and Matt looked at Jason, then the shuttle, then back to Jason.
“I’m coming with you,” Matt said, and Andy nodded in agreement.
The three of them turned and headed back towards the tunnel.
The shuttle’s ramp withdrew, and it took off, flying low across the countryside in the direction of The Manor.
56
Kinaejah and Thaejah had watched proceedings with mounting horror.
“What the fuck happened?” Kinaejah screamed as the video from the lead Stormtrooper blinked off after the shuttle had hit him. “Why did that shuttle smash into our troops!”
Thaejah was lost for words. He had absolutely no idea and couldn’t for the life of him think of a plausible or rational explanation.
“I don’t know,” Thaejah eventually replied, “but it might explain what happened to the other shuttle and Battlecruiser.”
Kinaejah looked at him with suspicion.
“What do you mean?” he asked slowly and threateningly.
“Well, maybe we have some rogue craft,” Thaejah suggested, having no idea where that had come from.
“How?”
“I don’t know. Maybe someone has re-programmed them.”
“Who?”
“I have no idea,” Thaejah replied, with a frown. “I’m just thinking aloud. Maybe we’ve got traitors or maybe the humans have somehow found a way to take over the controls.”
“Are you sure you didn’t do it, Thaejah?” Kinaejah asked, his eyes boring into the other man.
“Me? You’ve got to be joking? After all we’ve been through? I’ve had your back every step of the way!” Thaejah argued, although he considered all the times he’d been tempted to work against Kinaejah.
Kinaejah stared at Thaejah some more, before finally relenting.
“You’re right, but someone has done this, and when I find them, I’m going to personally space them.”
“The shuttle has disappeared, and I can’t establish contact with it,” Thaejah advised as he studied his screen, fully expecting Kinaejah to explode once again.
“Someone is controlling it and trying to sabotage my plans.”
“Do you want me to send in some Battlecruisers?” Thaejah asked.
“No. We don’t know if they’ve been tampered with. Order all craft back to their hangars immediately and have all the AI units checked out. Change their authority codes and keep the information to yourself for the time being. We’ll then monitor who we tell what and try and sniff out the mole.”
57
Jason, Andy and Matt returned to the tunnel and saw that the possessions of the group who had lived there were still burning, and smoke was pouring along the roof trying to find a way out at either end.
Thankfully the SUV was sitting to one side of the tunnel, away from the burning materials, but the left-hand side of it was still slightly scorched and blackened.
Jason entered the tunnel carefully, wondering whether the group had any possessions which might explode. He seemed to remember some gas canisters, but they tended to resist smaller fires.
“You two go back and around and I’ll meet you at the other end of the tunnel,” Jason ordered.
“What are you going to do?” Andy asked.
“I’m going to make a run for the SUV and drive out the other end.”
“You sure?” Matt asked, “it doesn’t look too clever in there.”
“I’ll be fine,” Jason replied, tearing some cloth and wrapping it around his head and covering his nose and mouth. “Let’s go.”
Andy and Matt retraced their ste
ps towards the end of the tunnel as Jason summoned up the energy and sprinted towards the SUV.
The heat from the fire was savage and Jason could feel his eyebrows singeing as he closed in on the vehicle. Once he was alongside the vehicle it shielded him from the worst of the heat and he quickly opened the driver’s door and jumped in.
Jason keyed the ignition, put the SUV in gear and floored the accelerator. The metal supports which had held the now burnt tarpaulin were still in place, blocking Jason’s exit, so he had no option but to drive straight into them, smashing them in all directions. The front bumper of the SUV was caved in, but thankfully it was a big, heavy vehicle and the indentation didn’t get anywhere near the engine block.
The SUV screamed out of the tunnel on the far side and Jason slammed on the brakes and pulled to the side of the road.
Within minutes, Andy and Matt arrived and jumped in, huffing and puffing and trying to get their breath back.
“Nothing to it,” Jason said, leaning over to open the glove compartment and pull out a bottle of water.
Jason drank some of the water and tilted his head back and poured a little over his face. He then passed it around.
“You look a little warm,” Andy noted, staring at Jason’s red face, “and a little different.”
Andy frowned trying to work out what the difference was, then he smiled in understanding.
“You’ve lost your eyebrows!” he stated and started laughing.
Matt leant forwards from the back to take a look. He too was grinning.
“Looks like you’re a drag act,” Matt pointed out. “You’ll have to draw on some eyebrows.”
“Fuck off!” Jason replied, putting the vehicle into gear and pulling away.
They were silent for most of the journey back to The Manor, all lost in their own thoughts and scanning the landscape for any movement.
Eventually they turned onto the property and Jason drove up the long driveway.
“That’s weird,” Andy muttered absentmindedly.
“What is?” Jason asked.