The End Of The World

by Lamees Alhassar

  She looked across at one of her soldiers. “We are almost at the outer perimeter borders to the fort. Establish contact with them so I can seek their clearance for us to come in and land,” the colonel instructed.

  “Yes, Colonel,” the soldier replied, and then started to type on some keyboards. In a short time, she looked up at the colonel. “Connection has been established, Colonel. You can go ahead,” she stated.

  The colonel picked up her microphone. “Axis Fort. Axis Fort. Come in, Axis Fort,” she announced. Over the radio there was a slight static which was followed by a crackle, like metal foils being wrinkled together, and then a hissing noise. And then silence.

  “Axis Fort. Axis Fort. Please come in, Axis Fort,” the colonel repeated.

  “This is Axis Fort. Please identify yourself,” a voice replied over the radio.

  “My name is Colonel Havlun,” she replied. “I am from the Gualdion Protectorate.”

  “State your mission and purpose on the Axis Fort,” the voice asked.

  “I am here to see a contact of mine by the name of Estramos,” Colonel Havlun stated. “Estramos?” the voice repeated. “Estramos is a high-risk detainee in this fort. What manner of business could you want with such an individual?”

  “It is just business. I want to make some enquiries from him and that will be all.”

  There was a pause.

  “How many ships are in your convoy?” the voice asked.

  “There are two ships in my convoy,” the colonel replied.

  “Okay, you may proceed to Bay Area 127. It is located to your left by the edge of the Axis.” “Thank you,” Colonel Havlun stated and switched off the radio. She turned to her crew. “All right. You heard them. Let’s head for Bay Area 127.”

  Their ship veered towards the left and headed for Bay Area 127. As they approached, they saw huge, steel-like panels opening outwards. The wasp ship flew in, accompanied by the Atlantis. Inside, there was a hexagonally shaped compound which was very large. It was surrounded by very high walls. At regular intervals there was a tower in which guards could be seen with heavy-duty ammunition and guns pointed at any traffic approaching. On top of the walls were huge light sources which were pointed both inside the compound and outside the walls. These were providing sufficient illumination to the extent that the tiniest object could be easily seen. Within the walls were several circular domes. On top of each of the domes was painted a different number.

  As they flew into the compound, Kristen stopped counting the number of domes after a while. There must be over a hundred domes down there, she was thinking to herself.

  The Atlantis came down on the ground close to where the wasp ship had landed.

  “Here we go again on another excursion,” Kristen said as she stood up. “You should be enjoying yourself,” Lynda stated. “After all, you are the only one who gets to sightsee while we remain on board as guards.”

  “Believe me, you would not want to mingle with these guys while they go on tour,” Kristen replied. “At least not with what happened at our last port of call. Anyway, this place seems to be well fortified. Let us hope it will be less eventful.”

  Kristen stepped out of the Atlantis and joined the colonel and two of her soldiers. At about the same moment, a hovercraft in the shape of a truck flew up to them. It came down and rested on the ground close to where Kristen, the colonel, and her soldiers were standing. There were three beings inside it. They were all wearing helmets with visors and ear mufflers. They held rifles which resembled those the Gualdions were carrying.

  “Colonel Havlun from the Gualdion Protectorate?” one of them asked.

  Colonel Havlun nodded. “Yes?”

  “You are welcome to the Axis Fort,” the person replied. “Please come with me.” They all boarded the hovercraft and it took off. Kristen looked closely at the beings inside the hovercraft. They looked human to her, at least from what she could see. They seemed to have five fingers, which were all holding onto their rifles. In height they appeared to be as tall as Kristen, which made them shorter than the Gualdions. They each had two legs. Kristen could not make out the features of the face or head because they were covered by a dark tinted visor and a black helmet. However, she was sure they were watching them closely through the visors. The rest of their dressing was a uniform with long-sleeve shirts and trousers which were all grey in colour.

  The hovercraft headed towards the group of domes, navigated through them and landed outside one of them. A door opened, and two guards dressed in similar fatigues like the ones in the hovercraft came out.

  “You can go with them, Colonel Havlun,” one of those in the hovercraft stated. “They will escort you to where the prisoner is being held.”

  Kristen and the colonel, along with the two other soldiers, came down from the hovercraft and followed them to the dome. As they walked the short distance to the door, Kristen observed that the guards were almost the same height as humans. It was only the colonel and her soldiers that were towering over them in height.

  Inside the dome, they met a metal door. There were two other guards, manning the door. They were armed with rifles which were similar to the ones the Gualdions were carrying.

  “Colonel, weapons are not allowed beyond this point,” one of the guards said. “You have to submit them here before we go in.”

  “That will not be a problem,” the colonel stated. She unclipped her holster which contained her pistol and handed it over. Her soldiers also followed suit and submitted their rifles to the guards.

  The door was then opened and they walked through it into a narrow corridor. They were in a single file following the guard. They soon came to another door and the guard placed his hand on a panel by the right side. A scan was made of his palm. The door then slid open into the wall. The all walked into the room and the door slid shut.

  Inside the room there was a barricade made out of thick metal bars. The barricade separated the room into two sections. In one section was a set of chairs, while across the barricade in the other section was one single chair. The chair was placed with its back facing a door.

  The guard pointed at the chairs on their side. “You may all sit while my colleagues bring in the prisoner.” They all sat down on the seats. Kristen noticed that the chairs were soft and made of leather, or what appeared to be leather. She looked around and observed that the colonel was watching her.

  “I take it you have never been to a detention facility before, Captain,” the colonel said.

  “A detention facility?” Kristen repeated. “This looks like a prison.” “Prison. Detention facility. Whatever you want to call it. It is still the same thing,” the colonel remarked. “I just don’t know why Estramos should be here.”

  “Estramos?” Kristen repeated.

  “Yes. He’s my contact,” the colonel replied. “I wonder what he is doing in this place.” Just then, the light on top of the door on the other side of the barricade came on. The door slid into the wall and three people came in. Kristen could easily identify two of them as guards from the uniform and the guns they held, which were similar to those of the guards they had seen and met. The third person was not a guard.

  He stood about a foot taller than the guards and was hairy all over. Apart from a pair of black military boots, the only piece of clothing on him was a pair of shorts. His muscular, hairy arms were chained together in a pair of metal clamps with a thick rod. The rod was not longer than a foot, which made the person’s hands close to each other. The head was big and it resembled that of a bear. A muzzle was placed over its mouth and held in place by straps which went around its head.

  As it stepped into the room, it peered through the barricade and grinned, revealing a set of long teeth through the muzzle.

  “Sit down, Estramos. And behave nicely,” one of the guards at the other side of the barricade instructed. Estramos sat down on the only chair which was in that section of the room. He stretched his back, as if trying to adjust his big frame in the
metal seat that was smaller than his bulky frame. He looked through the barricade and grinned once again.

  “Well, well, well, who do we have here?” Estramos asked.

  “Long time, no see, Estramos,” Colonel Havlun said. “I am not talking about you, Colonel Havlun,” Estramos remarked. “I was referring to the one in the space suit.”

  “That is a friend of mine,” the colonel replied. “She is with me.”

  Estramos laughed. His laughter was loud and sounded like that of the bear he resembled. “What seems to amuse you, Estramos?” the colonel asked. “You are the funny one, Colonel,” Estramos replied. “Since when did you, an outlaw, a criminal, and a bandit, well-known and feared all over the place, begin to keep friends?”

  “Are you calling me an outlaw, a criminal, and a bandit?” the colonel asked. “It seems you have forgotten who is behind bars here.”

  “That does not matter. The fact is still that you are not being truthful about the situation. No, I don’t think that is a friend. I am very sure it is a pawn or hostage of yours. And once you are through with it, you will dump it just like you are well known for doing.”

  “Times change, Estramos,” the colonel stated. “But not nature. At least, not for someone like you.” Estramos looked directly at Kristen. “I hope you know she is only using you. You’d better realize she is vicious and evil, and will soon be rid of you once she has had enough of your presence.”

  Kristen cringed. She was not sure what made her more scared. Was it Estramos’ hideous looks or his revelation of the colonel?

  “Please, enough of all this,” the colonel stated. “I have been trying to reach you for quite a while. I now see why your line was not going through. I never knew you were here.”

  Estramos shrugged. “I’m sorry you couldn’t reach me. They wouldn’t allow me to keep my phones ever since I was brought here.”

  “Why are you in here? I never knew the Axis Fort needed to entertain guests like you.” “Me neither,” Estramos replied. “I guess they wanted to entertain guests with higher profiles than the lame and cheap ones they already had.”

  “I see you have still not lost your sense of humour, even in such a situation.” “Sometimes, Colonel, that is what can keep a man going—his ability to find something to joke about and laugh at in any bad situation he stumbles into,” Estramos replied.

  “Is it that bad?” the colonel asked. “I am afraid it is,” Estramos nodded. “About two months ago, I was contacted by a client. He wanted me to go on a mission. A really deadly mission. Of course I knew the risks involved. Being a mercenary like I am, I had to charge for the risks I was going to face. And the money was good. I was also offered a lot of incentives as well. The only condition though was that I was to work with some of his own men. You know how it is in this trade, Colonel. The best way to succeed is to work solo, and never with any other parties or teams. But the client insisted, and the money was too damn good to let go of. What is a man to do? I took the job and left. Unfortunately, things did not go down as I had expected. Things went from bad to worse so fast. Eventually, I had to get out. I had to abandon the entire mission and run for my dear life. It was while I was on the run that I realized my client had put up a search for me. I was a wanted man for not completing a mission. I tried to hide and resolve the issues but I was not successful. It was not long before I was caught and brought here.”

  “So a mission gone bad was what brought you into this place?” the colonel asked. Estramos shook his head. “No. It was not a mission gone bad. It was a client not clean. The client was not upfront with me with all I needed to know. That was what got me into this place.”

  “Who was the client?” Estramos gazed at Colonel Havlun. “You must be joking, right? You don’t expect me to talk about that in the open. Remember, client confidentiality.”

  “Client confidentiality my foot,” the colonel remarked. “See where it has gotten you? You are a prisoner, Estramos. Open your eyes and realize that fact. You’d better talk to me. Maybe I can help you.”

  Estramos gazed around him at the two guards. “You know what they say about walls having ears. But do you really think you can help me?”

  “Of course I can help you. Why else do you think I came?” “But you said you have been looking for me. Why is that so? I am sure you did not know I was incarcerated in this place.”

  “That is true,” Colonel Havlun replied. “But now that I know, I am sure I can still be of some help to you. Except if you are not in need of any assistance.”

  “Of course I will appreciate any help I can get. But why do you need me in the first place? I do not think you came out here to Axis Fort to see me just for old times’ sake.”

  “I cannot explain all that right here. Maybe when it is more convenient,” the colonel said, glancing at the guards around them.

  Estramos saw the glance and grinned. “You said when it is more convenient?”

  The colonel nodded. “Yes. When it is more convenient I could tell you more.”

  “And when could that moment be?” The Colonel shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it is up to you. When do you think it will be more convenient for you?”

  “I think now could be good enough,” Estramos replied.

  The colonel frowned. “Now? You mean right here and right now?”

  “Of course. Is there anything to lose?” The colonel glanced around. “Well, I guess there is nothing to lose. But a moment please.” She turned and looked at Kristen. “Captain?”

  “Yes, Colonel,” Kristen replied. She had been following their discussion but at a point it was no longer making any sense. And now the colonel was calling her attention. What is the matter? Kristen was asking herself.

  “You have to brace yourself,” the colonel replied. “Brace myself?” Kristen repeated. “Why?”

  In response, the colonel stood up and with one swift movement she punched the guard on her left with her fist. The blow hit the guard in the abdomen, causing him to stagger. As he lost his balance, the rifle he was holding fell out of his hand. The colonel was fast enough to snatch it up before it hit the ground.

  The other guard on the visitor’s side of the room was surprised at the colonel’s abrupt movement. But before he could understand what was going on, he doubled over as a blow hit him squarely in the chest. One of the colonel’s soldiers who was closest to him had elbowed him forcefully. In the process, the guard’s rifle had fallen out of his hand. The soldier dove after the falling rifle and just before it hit the ground, she caught it. Holding the rifle upwards to avoid it touching the floor, she rolled and hit the ground with her shoulder. The soldier was now lying on the ground with her back on the ground.

  The other guards on the other side saw what had happened. But before they could react, Estramos bent over quickly and fell off the chair. He then forcefully kicked the chair with his left leg. It hit one of the guards, who tumbled over backwards.

  The other guard dodged the laser discharge from the falling comrade. He then took aim at Estramos. But before he could pull his trigger, the laser blasts from the rifle in the colonel’s hands got him in the head. The guard’s body jerked twice and he fell to the floor face first. The other guard was still struggling to push away the chair Estramos had kicked at him when another laser blast hit him in his chest. It had been fired by the colonel’s soldier. The last thing the guard could remember as he fell down was staring in surprise and shock at the floor through the hole the rifle’s laser had drilled in his chest.

  Estramos stood up to his feet with his hands still clasped in the restraints. He walked to the barricade and held his hands in front of him. The colonel came close and took aim. She fired a shot, and the laser beam severed the bar that held the handcuffs together.

  “That was fast,” Estramos grinned. “I see you have still got the moves and the skills.” “Save your commendations for later, Estramos,” the colonel replied. “Quickly, grab those laser rifles from the fallen guards and let’s get
out of here.”

  The colonel turned and saw the guard on her side stir. She took one aim for his head, and the laser beam tore a hole through it.

  Kristen felt like throwing up when she saw the guard fall backwards with a red liquid dripping out of the mangled head. But she had to hold herself because if she vomited, she would be vomiting into her space helmet and there would be an obstruction to her breathing mechanism. This would make her have to remove it. There was no telling what would happen to Kristen if she did. But she knew she was going to suffocate because of lack of good air to breathe on Axis Fort. So she had to control herself.

  She watched in shock as the colonel fired another laser shot and the second guard was killed. She walked up to him and aimed a laser shot at his arm and it was severed from the elbow. The colonel bent over and picked it up.

  In the meantime, Estramos had collected the two rifles from the fallen guards on his own side. He slung one of the rifles over his shoulder and pointed the second one at the controls on the door at his side. The laser shot got the control and effectively disabled it.

  Estramos then turned around and came to the barricade. He aimed his rifle and the laser beams sliced through the metal bars which made up the barricade like a hot knife cutting through butter. With a kick, Estramos was able to knock down five of the bars. This created a space wide enough for him to pass through to the side where Kristen and the colonel were.

  “That was quickly and nicely done,” Estramos stated when he came through.

  “Yes,” the colonel stated. “But we still need to get out of this section.” The colonel raised the palm of the severed arm and pressed it against the panel. The door slid open into the wall and they all hurried out. Inside the corridor, they did not meet any signs of activity. And neither were any alarms ringing. It was obvious the other guards had no idea of what had just happened in the visiting room.