“Attention all Boats. This is Admiral Ehlinger. I have received my orders and will be plotting a course for 000. Upon reaching your pre instructed marks proceed due north until you receive word from either Commander Teller or myself. All batteries be on high alert.” Alex then placed the mic back onto its holding area and turned to see all eyes were on him. He couldn’t feel the weight of the individual looks he was getting upon him, he knew what was to come, what was being hidden from these men, and he felt it was his duty as their commander to save as many souls as he could, even those of his enemies.
“Excuse me sir.” Teller’s tone was low, quiet and nowhere near as cordial as before instead cynicism took the place of gratitude. “You are forgetting the proper protocol.”
“Damn the protocol Commander.” Alex shot back just as quietly with an intense look in his eyes. “You know as well as I do what is resting along the keel of these boats.” Alex took no time to address the look of shock on Teller’s face. “How long till we get to the island?”
The Commander drew a long pause, before displaying any trump card he still may have, looked at the displays and spoke. “Its thirty minutes away at the current speed. Knowing these waters is why they brought me on board. I figured that was our destination on our original heading.”
Skeptical of his true intentions, Alex leaned in. “Come to a full stop a half mile from the shore line unless we would run aground. From there, have all weapon’s ready. If we come under fire, return it. Elijah and I have our orders and will execute our mission, and hopefully end this conflict.”
Teller nodded and watched as Alex walked off the bridge, upset at the candor of the young man.
Opening the bulkhead, Alex looked into the belly of the beast he commanded. Looking towards the bow, he saw a dozen small landing craft, floating like fish in the live well. He entered and walked down the short metal staircase to the landing at the pier level. During his decent, in the middle of the small dock, he spotted his friend Eli walking towards the landing to meet him.
“You have my pack and AR on that thing?”
“Yea I do, but I have to show you what’s on the other side of the column down here, Al.” Eli motioned and the two went around the side of the central wall that acted as a partition.
On the other side were dozens of different assault vehicles and transports, ready for the ensuing assault of the compound. Lining the walls in addition to the convoy, were hundreds of various types of firearms, sectioned off by their type. Handguns, rifles, shotguns, automatic rifles, rocket propelled weaponry, every form of weaponry that could be fired was in front of him, along with crate upon crate of ammunition waiting to find a permanent home inside the corpse of the enemy.
The look on Alex’s face, though he tried to hide, was read clearly by Elijah. He had no idea, and was not briefed on how such undertakings had been created. The pair was finally coming to terms with the war machine they were inside. Alex stepped up the first groupings of handguns and plucked one out from the group and looked at it for a long moment and reflected upon the private conversation he had with Baldr. A clandestine group of old men sitting in an underground fortress, quietly shaping the policy of the world above as they waited in the darkness, in fear, knowingly plotting to keep a nation unified, all the while they knew the very real dangers and possibilities of a revolution. Alex could only imagine how many years, how many generations, these kind of men had sat in the dark and backed a people into a corner. Prodding, provoking them into fighting, some for their lives and into a reaction that they were prepared for, but didn’t count on. It was an attempt at eradicating an ideological difference that went as far back as the recorded history when both nations were originally one. The unity and peace was only a façade, masking the terror, deceit, and fear.
Alex checked the action on the pistol he had grabbed and realized a terrible truth, the Oath that he had believed in, that he had dedicated countless hours and blood too, was nothing more than a pawn in the devils game of chess.
Finding a hip holster, Alex picked up a few magazines, sheathed the weapon and placed it on his right side. He saw Eli looking at a few of the more powerful weapons including some of the rocket propelled weaponry.
“You see something you like over there?”
Elijah’s attention snapped back towards Alex. “I have my eyes on one or two things you could say. However I thought you should see all of this before we hop on the skiff and you ask where on earth I got them from.”
“Not much at this point can surprise me Eli. If you want something from over there, go ahead and grab it, also if you see anything you think I may want grab that as well. I’ll meet you in the boat in five minutes.”
Smiling, Eli started off towards the larger weaponry while Alex turned the other way and walked down the staging area to the small boat and the driver that would take them up the river. The gun added extra weight to his hip that he was not use to, his normal AR could be slung around his shoulder and always swung back and forth tapping the right leg with every step, like a metronome keeping perfect time, never a weapon on his hip. Coming to the boat the metronome stopped suddenly as he placed his right foot upon the stern. He looked into the boat and the man feverishly preparing for the trip.
“So you must be who Eli picked to help. Tell me your name?”
“The men call me Tadpole sir.”
“And why is that?”
A voice came from behind him. “Because he’s the fastest swimmer alive.”
“Is that so?” Alex hollered back over his shoulder.
The man, not much older than himself, stood before Alex smiling as though the two had been friends for quite some time. “Yes sir. I won the open water swim this last year at the pantheon. The rest of the world knows me by Jonathan Davis.”
“If I remember right, you beat the nearest competitor by fifteen minutes.” Alex exchanged the friendly look. “How did you end up on this boat?”
“The day after this whole thing started, I decided to do my duty and enlist like countless others have. I told them what my skill set was and the put me as the navigator on this ship since I know the depths and tides of all the open waters.”
“Well then, maybe you’ll be of some use to us. Any combat?” Alex asked.
“Nothing other than the tetrathlon.”
“Well, at least he knows how to shoot.” Elijah said as he moved towards them on the dock, his weapons in tow.
“Get those on the boat,” Alex stood laughing at the bags of weaponry Eli had behind him. “We need to get out of here as soon as we can. I’m not entirely convinced the Commander is as ignorant as he appears.”
The words slowed Elijah’s pace as he reached to toss the first bag into the small boat, as though it was an assertion he already believed. Alex looked at the new recruit that had quickly joined their ranks, searching his eyes to see where his loyalties lie. Unfazed by the conversation he moved to catch the bag full of munitions.
“What do you think about the Commander rook?” Elijah asked tossing the first bag.
Stumbling a little while catching the bag, he grunted. “Well, I think, he is up tight and has a stick up his ass about something, if you don’t mind me saying sir.”
“Oh he’s gonna fit in nice with us Al.” Picking up the other bag he tossed it to the waiting arms of Jon.
“Eli, it’s still early to tell if he is up to it.” Alex said laughing.
Jon joined the chorus of laughter around him. “Well, we have plenty of time to figure that out now don’t we? Tell me one thing,” He said looking down at the weaponry. “You two are about to go start some shit aren’t you?”
“I knew he was a smart one, Al. Don’t worry kid, you’re only the driver. It’s our job to make sure we are the only ones that get shot at.” Eli joked as he stepped into the boat. His comment produced a moment of uncertainty on the boatman’s face. Alex smirked as the youth looked for comfort in his eyes.
“Don’t worry kid, you won’t be too cl
ose to the action.”
Jon waited until his commanders were settled in the boat before starting the engine. Looking back for direction, Jon noticed that Alex was pointing to a middle crossbeam along the outer wall. Jon drove the small boat towards the location as instructed and noticed there was a lever in the wall with yellow lettering above stating “Manual Hatch Release”. Elijah moved towards the edge of the rocking boat and forcefully pulled on the pedal. Slowly, a hatch near them rose from the water like a portcullis, and the three men waded out into the lashing waters.
As they made their approach towards the island, Alex checked and loaded his AR, attaching a light source to the bottom of the rail that could change various colors and brightness. While he was fastening the small light he looked out into the open water, as the boats pace had slowed. There was a ghastly haze that reduced visibility to no more than fifty yards at a time. Using the instruments, Jon guided his sheep into the river quietly. Making their way up the river, against the current, visibility continued to deteriorate, the climate had proved to their advantage and went from being an ominous sign, to one of aid, shielding them from the eyes of their enemy. Quietly navigating its way through the blacked glass and invisible curves, Alex watched the bottom of the instrument displays as they gradually made their way to a position he felt was the best point for a LZ. Once they arrived, Eli and himself would walk through the curtain of mist to the compound, infiltrate the main building and extract the target. Since Jon and the skiff wouldn’t be too far from the building, he was to go to be prepared for a quick exit should they come under fire.
“Alright Jon, if you hear gun fire, I’ll radio you and tell you to either head back to the boat with the information in this packet and tell Commander Teller to open up fire on the beach front as soon as possible.” Alex removed the small file from his assault pack. “Otherwise I will radio you and tell you where exactly to pick us up. Either way we’ll probably be in a hurry so be ready to get the hell out of here, copy?”
Jon nodded and pulled the boat towards the shoreline. The two ghosts leapt from the boat and made their way into the mist, disappearing in a matter of moments. Turning off the boat, Jon listed for the sounds of nature around him. The only noise was a gentle lapping of the river against the thick fiberglass casing of the boat as the gentle wake made its way to shore.
Watching the outer wall for quite some time, Alex noticed that no patrol had ever found its way alongside it. Figuring now was their best chance, the two men sprinted from the tree line near the east end of the facility. Keeping their backs against the wall, Eli tossed a grappling hook over his head and pulled it feverishly until it caught onto the top of the wall and was pulled taught. The two men exchanged nods and Eli quickly began to scale the wall while Alex covered him from the ground. A moment later the rope knocked against Alex’s helmet signaling it was his turn to climb.
Reaching the top, Eli helped him onto the catwalk and the two kept low, listening for any noise. A silence echoed in the mist, drawing the two men to slowly peer over the wall. In the limited visibility, they could see a handful of outbuildings, but no movement. Alex checked his watch, 1744 and not one enemy combatant was within view. Not even the sound of laughter, or drill. Where was the battalion of men he was tasked with eradicating from this world?
Exchanging questioning looks again, the two men moved towards the target hastily and scaled the other side of the wall. It wasn’t before long when they found the main entrance to their target and entered.
Ascending a staircase, they found themselves on the top floor of the administration building and similar to the other floors, it was pitch black. The purple hue of light from their weapons helped to guide their way up the stairs and gently illuminate the hallway. They had cleared the lower three stories of the building and found nothing. No maps, no empty cans of soup, it was a tidy little ghost town and the last tenants made sure to leave nothing behind. Turning to the right the pair began the task of clearing the final floor. Alex counted his steps just as he had along the other hallways to gain an understanding as to how large the inside of the building was. The previous floors had been ninety-five paces both ways. He could tell the current hallways was a little different however as the pitch of his boots against the floor had changed fifty-six paces in. A slight echo was being produced earlier than in the other hallways, this one was shorter. He guided the light down the hallway and could see a wall another dozen paces down the way and looked over to see Eli looking just as puzzled.
A whisper came form a few feet away. “That wall is closer isn’t it?”
His reply came as a nod affirmative in nature as they reached the end of the hallway, there had been no doors along the entire length of the corridor and searching the wall in front of him with the purple glow, it could be seen that there was no visible passage way here either. Eli shrugged at Alex both men turned to head back to the stairwell.
With a faint orange glow, light pierced the dark hallway as the wall separated like a dark curtain being drawn in two, as if a play was set to begin. The veil of wonder torn from the top to bottom as both men quickly hid along the wall in the slowly disappearing shadow.
“How far that little candle throws its beams.” A familiar voice echoed in the darkness. “Many times we tried to put that little flame out, and yet, no matter how the wind blew, or the rain or snow fell, that beam continued to shine. It never seemed to dim, the light never wavered from its source.”
Alex approached the narrow opening and peered slowly into the room with his AR at the ready. It was a dimly lit room with the only source of light being the pile of separately dying embers in the fireplace on the far wall. As the flickering and cracking light dissolved the shadows on the wall, Alex could see only one man resting himself on the mantle, his back facing the opening. Motioning Eli to cover him, Alex slowly entered the doorway. He only took a few steps into the room before Eli followed. The filters on their tac-lights adjusted to match the faint glow of the room.
“Darkness stirs and wakes the imagination, now does it Alex?” the voice refound its lecturing tone that had taught him so much in the not distant past.
“It would be difficult to find the man behind the monster, and trust him after he lead those jinn out of the darkness and into the smokeless fires of Aurorae.” Alex stated lowering his AR and reaching for his side arm. He watched the man in front of the fire turn slowly to face him. There he watched as the silhouette of his teacher dissipated making out the tired and aged face he now barely knew.
“I will never forget the horror I felt that day. I was told that they were only going to be engaging The Watchers and any Vanahei soldiers to secure the bridge. Collateral casualties were to be a few, a dozen at the most; I never thought they would blatantly open fire on any civilian.” Tillery’s shaky voice followed his shadowed figure towards a desk along the wall to Alex’s right.
“We were all civilians that day. Forced to defend ourselves against you and the rest of your army. Incase you didn’t know, they bombed the encampment that morning, and then opened fire on the barracks. We barely made it out of the school, let alone the city alive.”
As the phantom took his seat behind the desk resting in the glow, Alex approached it and sat in the chair across the darkening the driftwood plank, and placed his pistol in front of them. They sat quietly looking at one another before Elijah broke the silence.
“I can see why you didn’t tell me everything they briefed you on at Command,” he moved close to the desk until Alex put his hand up telling him to stop where he was. “I guess I’ll just lower my weapon too and wait for you two to finish your chit chat. Would you like some tea?”
Tillery sat further back in his chair and smirked at the question. “Is he always so moody with his conversations?” he asked Alex pointing to his additional guest.
“Don’t mind Eli, it can take some time for him to grow on you.”
The air began to grow denser with each breath Alex took. It wasn’t so much th
e smoke that filled his lungs, as it was the shallow yet calm increase of his breathing. He could feel the adrenaline and the anger mixing themselves inside his body as bartender does a cocktail. He let the concoction within him settle some before addressing his former teacher once again.
“It would seem, Mr. Tillery, that God hath given you one face, and you made yourself another.”
“You were always the most studious one of the bunch Alex. Always knowing what to say when words seem so distant to the normal individual.” Tillery watched as the fire flickered fiercely behind his former student, as if the whispers they were exchanging fanned the flames. “I assume you have many questions for me, all of which I will answer for you when the time is right, but it seems that others in the room may not be privy to all the information that would be told.”
Elijah snickered. “I didn’t realize, at this point, I needed to be inducted into the secret club. The cat is out of the bag on all this.” He pointed about the room as if to mock Tillery and the MLM.
Motioning in a mocking motion, Tillery volleyed back “You’re right Alex, he does grow on you.” It was clear that both Eli and Tillery were disgusted with the others company. However neither of them was going to give ground, and Alex was determined to regain control of the conversation. He reached down for his side arm and slowly brought it up, flush with the height of the desk, pointing the muzzle towards his teacher.
“I can see the time for pleasantries is at an end.” Tillery said nodding towards the gun. “Is that completely necessary to have?”
Partially giving way Alex ejected the magazine and cleared the chamber, tossing the weapon on the desk between the two men, keeping the cartridge in his left hand still in his teachers view. The two men stared at one another in relative silence with the only noise being the crackling of the dry logs as they waited patiently with Eli for the two men to continue the exchange.
Pillars of Glass Page 17