by Nick Pond
“What the hell is going on?” One of the interrogators shouted.
“That’s why the leader ran off! Everyone’s rioting!” Zipper said, “This is awful... We will never make it through this!”
With that they noticed a few men in the crowd, wearing balaclavas, looking right at them. The men, who looked very mean, started to walk towards Zipper’s small party who looked very perplexed at the once civilized city being brought to its knees by mayhem. Screaming was coming from behind them, as a burst of flames engulfed a crowd of people, with after a few seconds leaving behind the disgusting aroma of burning human flesh. Zipper and his men backed up as much as they could to the wall, but the rioters continued to advance towards them.
“Zipper! Duck!” Chris shouted from next to him, as he lobbed an old fashioned hand grenade.
Within seconds the advancing rioters turned into a fireball from the blast, and a mass of flying body parts.
“Run!”
With that the 3 men ran down the road, trying to avoid round all the obstacles of mayhem. The buildings towered over them, as they were in the sky scraper land of the business district. Zipper could see in the skyline background, the towering Trade Center; one of the most iconic and richest building in the whole of the solar system. It’s pointing top reaching up into the night sky, presented the sharp point of the flag pole, with a flashing beacon. This was to alert drivers to the buildings position, as its height was liable for a space craft crash. But this grid was now on lock-down, as the army and civilians tried to strip away all the corporate elite’ power by trashing their businesses. Although civilians even now were trying to make money, from setting up stalls and selling weapons. Zipper who caught on to this immediately shouted, “Stop! I could do with some weapons!”
The interrogators came to a stop after some fast running, and were panting in a bid to catch their breath.
“Actually now you mention it that was my last hand grenade!”
“Three laser guns, grenades and that Uzi please,” Zipper ordered from the menu.
“Would that be with the complimentary carry holdall, sir?”
Suddenly Chris opened fire on the stall holder.
“What you waiting for? Let’s take the lot!”
Chris looted all the weapons from the table into the red holdall bag.
“Don’t give me that look! The point is there are no rules, survival of the fittest isn’t it?” And with that he carried on his actions, as if taking a life was as normal as forgetting to close the fridge door.
Meanwhile, miles and miles away from the mishaps of civilized life, Keagan was enthralled with traveling through the open space by riding a Space Whale. From a distance of thousands of miles, he managed to see two passing planets – Uranus and Neptune. He realized he must detach from the Whale soon, as she was heading back out the solar system into deep space. He just prayed he was coming up to the centaur rocks which dominated the outer space region, as he would at least be able to seek refuge on a solid surface. The whole experience felt very surreal, even for humans who grew up in the space age; the feelings of experiencing it for real for you, is the most overwhelming. Keagan had gone through all the pleasurable high feelings, that now the sudden drop of adrenaline suddenly made him scared as he now felt outside his comfort zone. The concept of dying had once again sprang in his mind – and now he just feels he’s waiting for the universe to offer him an olive branch to fix his fuck ups, and give him another chance. He felt that if he was on the ground at home again, he would live with more abundance and gratitude. Once again, the Space Whale billowed out gas through her blow-hole. In the distance a cluster of rock shapes were on the horizon, and a pang of hope crossed Keagan’s body. Just what the doctor ordered, he thought.
The army general has rounded up some very scared bankers trying to flee the war zone.
“Kill them pricks!” The general shouted, who looked like the type of man who wouldn’t know what empathy was even if it came and slapped him round his enormous mustache featured face, the dark bristles pluming like a flamingo.
In a dark yellow uniformed trench coat boastfully showing his numerous medals, this guy was very experienced when it came to wars. When Amazbos and Playa De Sontos invaded Zihsk, an asteroid settlement, he cheated death on a number of occasions but would then consequently result in the opponent getting brutally murdered. All the military on the asteroid belonged to the royal family, and funded by the royal treasury – which went from strength to strength, although the last recession even made finances tight for them.
“No! Please! I have a fa-..” A banker pleaded, before he was shot by a soldier.
It wasn’t long before the other hostages were mowed down by bullets. The rioting in their surroundings turned into a heightened frenzy, once they witnessed the scene.
“Sir! Permission to speak! We’ve spotted three men running through the back streets; they came out a government building...”
The pod has switched to being quieter since the screaming of the panicked man, Mr. Willon. Zara was trying to work out how much time they had left before they run out of oxygen. There must be a gauge somewhere. She was still floor bound and couldn’t get up to find out.
“You!”
“Me?” Mr. Willon asked.
“Yes! I want you to go over to that big box on the wall... And look for a gauge or any sign of our oxygen levels,”
With a look of utter disgust, Mr. Willon looked like he was about to hyper-ventilate, “Oh my god! Oh my god! We are going to run out of oxygen! I CAN’T TAKE THIS! PLEASE HELP ME!”
He scrambled the walls screaming for a good few minutes, before slumping back down looking worse for wear.
“Oh god,” Zara said to herself, “finished?”
Mr. Willon nodded looking very defeated and very broken.
“Now... Go… Go look… You can do it,” Said Zara, which had an uncontrolled mask of patronization.
But Mr. Willon didn’t notice, as trembling mightily, he followed Zara’s orders and went over to the box. At first thinking the door to the box was stuck, he eventually manages to yank it open. He looks in, seeing a huge cluster of wires dominating most of the interior space. He sticks his hand in to try and move some of the wires out the way, but then all of a sudden his hair pricks up, and his trembling has increased tenfold – and soon everyone realizes that he’s actually being electrocuted.
“I repeat... Oh god,” Zara mumbles.
The general and his soldiers are outside the parliament house, still being protected by bodyguards – who are already in involved in fighting to defend the building. Dressed in more royal uniforms, and entrenched in the surrounding green lawns, they have set up a line of machine guns and shell launchers to hold back advancing enemies. Grenades were exchanged frequently, and the surrounding roads now looked more like no-mans land in Flanders. The general in charge of this little set up is simply known as Benson. No fancy forenames, no official stamp – he was called “Just call me Benson”. Naturally he charmed his way up the ranks over the years, but lacks in forward planning and experience. Especially wars, as his most troublesome conflict was stopping the secretary from nicking the Chancellor of Finance’s milk from the fridge. It was the only time in his career where he actually raised his voice – other than that he was more for show.
“Right boys... I’ve got the plan!” He announced, to the other soldiers in the trench, who all wore metal helmets.
“Yes sir! What is it?”
“Basically.. You are all going over the top! And if you don’t make it! I’ll...”
“Yes sir?”
“I’ll… I’ll run off down that road, and see if I can find help!”
“You’re an ass!”
Nearby, another bomb went off causing a flicker of flames. All the men jumped.
“I nearly had a heart attack then!”
They heard screaming nearby, and one soldier looking over with his binoculars said, “More machine guns please!”
&n
bsp; Bullets sprayed everywhere over the trench, and rained over the next distance to the road, as most people were cut up into pieces.
“For fuck sake! How do we break down their defense?” The big mustache general shouted to his group.
They were nearby the parliament house, with all the commotion going on in the background. They did not anticipate on the guards having a very efficient defense barrier, and there was only five or six of them. They had formed a full encircled trench around the building, with the fully surrounding lawns providing the soil to dig for it.
“Is that rhetorical?”
“Of course it fucking is! Radio the air unit, they can’t defend from above! Ha!”
The accomplice to the general then strolled off as he went to use his radio.
“Now let’s look for them three vigilantes!” The general ordered.
Zipper and the two interrogators have run through the streets of the suburbs, and can see the empty rocky dry land. A group of crows flew around the empty space, hunting for smaller pray that is lurking between the rocks. As they proceeded to walk onto uncivilized space in the dark, three flashlights from the men soon shone.
“This way!” Zipper said assuring as one can be.
Soon they heard different voices in the distance.
“They won’t be far!” One guy shouted.
“I want them dead!” The familiar voice of the brutal general spat out, with hints of saliva added as a side dish.
“Not noticed,” Zipper hissed, “Get down!”
The three men who were further into the desert all took cover to the ground, and proceeded to advance forward by crawling quietly. The sounds of war could still be heard, blasting away in the background. Then the piercing sounds of space fighter jets followed; which screamed through the dark sky and leaving a visible dark long-lasting cloud trail. Mightier crashing sounds erupt around the parliament house area, as bombs are being dropped on the once influential cathedral-like structure. Huge flames engulfed the sky, which are even visible from out in the desert looking back at the city.
“Never knew it, the Ruler pisses me off at the best of times, but it must be an achievement to create this level of hate,” Zipper said out loud, as he reflected upon the powerful man.
“We never learn... Going back in all the history books, from the dawn of time, humans always have wars,” Jake said, “Like Christmas... And chess,”
“Shut up you wet blanket!” Chris shouted.
“Both of you! Fucking zip it! We are being hunted, remember?” Zipper said who was getting both frustrated and anxious.
“Fuck this! I’m lobbing a hand grenade!” Chris said who then stood upright and shouted, “Oi!”
He then threw the grenade into the darkness, and then threw himself back to the ground. There was silence. Soon they heard the noise of metal rolling gently on the ground coming closer back towards them.
“Pull the pin out you prick!” A voice shouted.
With that, in total panic, Zipper and co fumbled to get up and run, but not making room for complete clearance – were pushed forward by the blast as they all got pushed back to the ground from the force of the explosion.
“That was close – run!”
Gunfire then lit up, showing the positions of the hunting soldiers, the three men then ran as fast as they could into the wide pitch-black rocky desert. Suddenly a ring tone interrupted. It was the general’s phone.
“Hello? What do you want? I’m busy!” He barked, “Uhuh.. Yep... Noo... OK,”
He then hangs up the phone.
“Abort mission! We need to get back!”
Time has passed for the crew inside the escape pod; even so that Mr. Willon had time to reflect on Zara’s attitude, and has finally succumbed him to a bit of aggression. But his hair was standing on end from the electrocution, and he was very pale.
“Think you’re so smart with all your knowledge!” He shouted to Zara.
“Oh go away!” She retorted as she rolled onto her other side, trying to get some sleep.
“I mean... What makes you think you’re so important? Knowledge isn’t the only important thing you know...”
“What... Pissing your pants is important too is it?”
“Argh!” Shouted Mr. Willon, who frustratingly felt a surge of uncontrolled anger, which he didn’t want to share with the room – especially in a room of people he couldn’t get away from.
He decided to back down, and slumps his head into his arms and curled up in the corner. Meanwhile, Zara smiled to herself as she thought people never learn. She knew what was going on, she was also very talented in the field of psychology, and knew by doing little or using mere silence; would neutralize the man just by being at war with theoretically him self.
The general was back at their base with his following soldiers. He meets a new line of uniformed men who are standing opposite, which is apart from one, much too the general’s displeasure. He was dressed incorrectly, and he was facing the wrong way.
“You sir! What is your name?”
“Nelly, captain,”
“And why are you wearing a GORILLA COSTUME?” He spat out, with so much infuriation.
“I thought you said we were using guerrilla ware fare, sir!”
The general had a look of so much disgust, so much anger, and so much hostility towards this stupid man.
“Execute him! Death! Now!”
“Yes sir,” Said two other soldiers, who then grabbed the gorilla costumed man and lead him off the scene.
“Now put me through to the Ruler, he had a message for me!” The general ordered.
Zipper and his new accomplices were coated in mud, but managed to make it to his secret base – the entrance being a big metal hatch on the ground which led to loads of underground tunnel systems, in an otherwise desolate and rocky desert, untouched by civilization. Although most of the scene was met with darkness, a red glow began to form on the horizon, turning lower parts of the sky to a bright purple, along with the twinkling stars still making up the background. But the complete silence in the desert came to an end as Zipper opened the automatic hatch; offering the sounds of heavy machinery and turning metal cogs allowing the doors to slowly open by themselves.
“We haven’t got long, it’s a bit of a maze in there so just follow me, and don’t touch anything,” Zipper said, as he started to enter his humble abode.
“The government gave you this place?” Jake uttered taken aback at the facility, as he saw all the tunnels turn from complete darkness to illuminating corridors. The floor was made up of metal heavy grates, with strips of lighting going down the corridor along the walls, and every now and then small screens would be offered alongside a keypad.
“Impressive, huh? Home sweet home! People give you anything if you know more than them, especially if your wisdom prevents them from dying!” Zipper chuckled, “The ship’s ready, but just need to load on supplies…”
The trio continued following down the corridors, lead by Zipper who now and then made a decision of which direction to turn when faced with multiple doorways. Soon they were outside a big door, almost garage-like, as it was much bigger than all the other door counterparts they crossed.
“This is it...” Zipper said as he keyed in a password to the keypad.
Inside the room, was the space shuttle, moored onto girders; but more in the shape of a fighter plane, with a glass dome on the top (the pilots would drive the craft from inside the glass dome).
“So this is capable of going outside the solar system?”
“Yup...”
The room displayed other less subtle features; with a few row of computer desks, a massive screen which was currently off, loads of shelf racking offering ship parts and numerous tools, and a gigantic set of bookshelves offering volumes of information. After a few minutes of letting the impressive tooled up room soaked them all in a glint of admiration, an alarm sound suddenly interrupted their moment. Zipper, who rolled his eyes, muttered under his breath,
“what now?”
“What’s going on?” Jake asked.
“There are unwanted visitors here? Brilliant! It’s been a while I’ve killed someone!” Chris smiled.
Zipper was over by the big screen on the wall, as he loaded up all the CCTV images of the complex. The real-time images displayed a very empty and eerie building, as he scanned through them trying to work out the location of the disturbance, whilst the alarm still shrieked on. Suddenly he caught a shadow on one of the images.