by KM Fortune
Now, as they jogged in three groups silently through the night, Blaze saw the gate shack dead ahead. He could see through the windows that the lone guard was inside trying to keep warm. With a grin, Blaze lifted his fist to halt the others. This one is all me, he thought as the others stopped and dropped to a knee. Pulling his handgun from its holster on his hip, Blaze made sure the safety was off and then snuck up on the shack. As he approached the door, he heard the radio squawk on the guard’s hip. A man’s voice came over the airwaves.
“Hey, who’s got eyes on The Duke?” the voice said. “His girl wants to take her friends to Fight Night. I need to know how to proceed.” Blaze paused. The Duke’s girl? he thought. It had to be Raven they were talking about. But who are the friends? As far as he knew, only Kit was with her. Frowning, he waited to see if there was more chatter. Another minute passed and then a new voice came over the radio.
"Talked to him. The Duke says escort everyone there. He will meet them when they arrive," the voice said. Blaze nodded slightly. He liked what he was hearing. Now he knew where both Raven and The Duke were going to be. It all made his mission that much easier. With a smile, Blaze leaned forward and rapped on the guard shack's window. He saw the man inside jump and spin toward him while he reached for his own weapon. Blaze pointed his gun through the window, clearly aimed at the man's face, and shook his head. Understanding the meaning, the guard raised his hands and stepped back while Blaze slid open the shack's door.
"Get out here," Blaze said. The guard complied and Blaze, keeping this own gun pointed at the man's face, slipped the man's revolver from its holster. He stepped back and shoved it into his waistband at the small of his back.
"You're making a big mistake," the guard snarled. "I remember you. The Duke wants you shot on sight." Blaze nodded. He was not surprised. The trip to Area 51 was never meant to be a success, but if the group did survive, no doubt The Duke would find another way to kill Raven's friends.
"Don't you worry about it," Blaze said, just as his teams appeared from the gloom. They were all dressed in combat gear and held rifles at the ready. "I have plans for The Duke too." The guard's eyes widened and he made a grab for his radio. Anticipating him, Blaze brought the butt of his pistol around and clubbed the man on the side of the head. He dropped to the ground unconscious. Hector walked up to join Blaze and looked down at the guard.
"Want me to take care of this one? Nice and quiet?" Hector asked flicking out his claws. Blaze looked up at the big cat mutant.
Blaze nodded. "Get it done," Blaze said.
IT WAS GROWING LATE and Willow was amazed at the number of people out on the streets of Reno. The lights, the sounds, and the slightly organized chaos all threatened to overwhelm her. A life of fighting and surviving on the high desert had not prepared her for anything like this. With all her weapons confiscated by The Duke’s men when they entered the city, Willow felt a little vulnerable. It was not a sensation she was used to feeling and it was starting to make her angry. People milled around her as the entire city made their way to the theater where The Duke held Fight Night and the closeness of so many bodies made her want to abort the whole idea. It felt too risky. Only Raven’s confidence kept Willow from running away. The woman had explained what Fight Night was in general terms. Pondering it now, Willow shook her head. The whole thing sounds idiotic to me, she thought. With all of the other things in the world which were trying to hurt or kill us, why would anyone want to volunteer to risk their life for someone else’s entertainment? At least the plan was for them to slip away while The Duke was occupied in the ring and his minions were distracted by the show. Kit indicated there was a back way out and probably a vehicle, a panel truck, waiting behind the building. Since both Raven and Gabriel could drive, they would take it and go see this pit. Willow still did not understand what they wanted to see and why exactly, but if it got all of them out of the city, she was willing to go along.
As they reached the main door of the fighting venue, Willow followed Raven's lead as she walked through the strange revolving door. She was about to be stuck in a crowded space with strangers, all of whom looked hardened and deadly. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she went through. Gabriel and then Kit were right behind her. The Duke was waiting. "Raven," he called out with an excited and pleased tone. "I'm so glad you made up your mind to come."
"No funny business," Raven said. "We are only here to watch." The Duke laughed and held up his hands, palms out to show his surrender.
"You win. Besides, the fight card is already full. Looks like a good night," The Duke said and turned to Willow and Gabriel. "You're in for a treat." Willow did not bother to reply and she saw Gabriel only nod. She knew the man was even more skeptical of everything than she was at the moment. He had planned to simply take Raven and use her to negotiate for Hannah's release. Now he was caught up in a crazy scheme to sneak out of the building, drive to some pit, and then do who knew what when they arrived. She almost felt sorry for him as their eyes met for a moment. He raised his eyebrows at her look and Willow gave him a half smile. If he wasn’t a part of the Patrols, I could almost like him, she thought and then looked away as the crowd surged out of the foyer and into the main room. A raised octagon cage was at the center and lit up with spotlights. The Duke led them to a row of seats right in the front. Raven shook her head.
“We don’t need to be so close,” she said. “Give these to someone else and we can sit further back.” The Duke tilted his head at her. For a second, Willow thought he might have guessed their plan, but then he grinned.
“Are you kidding? Absolutely not. You’re going to be my wife in two days and you will always sit front and center,” he said with pride. Willow watched Raven frown for a second, but then shrug. She really had no choice without making a scene.
“Of course, you’re right,” she said and walked to the front set of chairs to sit down. Willow and the others followed. The Duke nodded his satisfaction and then turned to walk up the steps and into the ring. He had to duck to get through the gate and then Willow watched as the man seemed to light up as he reached the center of the space. His charisma was electric and the crowd cheered wildly when he took off his hat and waved it in excitement.
“A big treat!” he roared. “Who wants to see our champion fight tonight?” The crowd grew even louder. “That’s what I thought,” he yelled over the noise. “Well then, let me introduce his next victim. Straight from the—" Suddenly the doors at the top of the aisle from the foyer burst open and interrupted him. Willow looked to see Blaze, a combat rifle in his hands, come striding in with a pack of other armed men. And cat mutants? she thought, puzzled at what she as seeing.
"Fan out!" Blaze yelled, and the group with him did, running along the row at the tops of the seats, guns ready and trained on the crowd. "And nobody else move," he said with a snarl. "Or I'll shoot you. I promise." Willow thought his approach was crazy and reckless, but she had never been happier to see her old friend.
“Please tell me these people are with us,” Gabriel whispered into her ear. Willow nodded. “Good. Now get up and let’s move behind them before bullets start flying,” he said and grabbed her arm to help her up. Kit and Raven followed suit. Before they could take two steps, Willow saw The Duke pull his revolver and train it on them.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked. Raven turned to answer when a shot fired and The Duke’s white cowboy hat was plucked from his head. The tall man ducked and just like that, the room turned to bedlam.
CHAPTER 5
Being in the front row, Kit knew there was no way they would be able to get up the aisle and make it out of the room in all the pandemonium. People were screaming and fighting each other in their panic. An occasional gunshot would ring out, but Kit had no way of know who was doing the shooting. She could not even tell if Blaze’s side was winning or if they had been overrun in the panic. As much as she yearned to go help, she knew keeping Raven and Willow safe was critical. Scanning around, K
it saw an opportunity. Some of the vinyl draped along the base of the fighting stage was sagging. It was used to hide the legs of the platform and would provide a perfect place to hide until things settled down. Pulling her knives in case someone was already under there, Kit motioned to her friends who had ducked down among the chairs. Willow saw her first and called out to the others. “Come on!” she yelled. “Follow Kit.” Raven and Gabriel did not hesitate. The four of them scrambled across the floor and, with Kit leading, dove through the opening in the vinyl. It was dark underneath, but Kit could see well enough using the bits of light seeping in around the sheeting. Searching the space to make sure they were alone, Kit heard the other three make it into the space with her. Satisfied there was no one else with them, Kit went to the edge and peeked out through a narrow gap in the vinyl. There was nothing to see but chaos.
MATTHEW DUCKED AND stayed low as another volley of gunfire came from somewhere across the room. He was not sure the person was aiming at him. In fact, he was not sure if whoever was shooting was with his group or not. It still seemed to be better safe than sorry as he moved along the rows, trying to find an opening in the exiting masses and make it to the place he last saw Raven. Keeping the rifle low, he dashed through a lull in the crowd and thought he had a chance of making it down the aisle when a big, burly brute of a man stepped in front of him. Unlike ninety percent of the room’s occupants who were running for their lives, this guy looked to be having a good time. In fact, when he saw Matthew he smiled. It was not a pretty sight. His few remaining teeth were blackened and crooked. Seeing his look, Matthew knew he was in trouble. “How about you give me that rifle, buddy?” the man asked, still smiling, but his eyes were hard and dangerous. Matthew gripped the gun tighter.
“How about I shoot you with it?” Matthew boasted halfheartedly. Now the ugly man laughed outright.
“Oh sure,” he said. “If you had the balls. But ya see, I remember you. You were the guy who The Duke put up against the champ last week. The loser who landed one weak punch before it was called off.” Matthew swallowed. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was shoot an unarmed man, but he raised the end of the rifle just the same.
“Step aside and exit the room like everybody else,” Matthew suggested. The man shook his head disgusted.
“You know, you look like a smart guy, but you are sure acting dumb,” he said and stepped toward Matthew, grabbing the end of the rifle and giving it a twist. Matthew barely kept his grip and tugged back. He knew it was a losing battle though. The man was bigger and more determined.
“Okay, hold it right there,” Matthew heard someone say. He and the man turned to look at the speaker. It was Simon. He held his own rifle and had it pointed at the stranger. “Let go or else.” Matthew watched the man blink in surprise at what he was seeing. After a pause, he tilted back his head and roared with laughter.
“This is righteous,” he said after his chuckles subsided. “You two have got to be the most pathetic looking fighters I have ever seen in my life. I am going to take great pleasure in killing you both.” With that, he gave Matthew’s rifle an extra hard jerk and it came free.
In a blur, the man turned the rifle and Matthew knew he was about to be shot with his own gun.
“Shoot him,” Matthew yelled at Simon while starting to back away with his hands outstretched to ward off the attack.
“I’m trying!” Simon yelled back.
“It won’t do anything. I think—" Suddenly Matthew heard the sound of a rifle firing. Not sure if it was Simon or the man, Matthew looked around. In front of him, the ugly stranger who took his rifle was still grinning, but he did not look like he was the one who fired. As Matthew watched, the man coughed while his smile faded and blood ran over his bottom lip. After a second, his legs gave way and he sank to the ground. Matthew stared for a moment and then looked up to see Hector walking toward them.
“You two are pitiful,” Hector said, shaking his head. “Really. You should have stayed back with Helen.”
Simon stepped forward. “I assure you, Prince Hector, I had every intention of dispatching this disagreeable specimen, however, through no fault of my own and circumstantial—" he started. Hector held up a paw.
“Shut it, the safety’s on, genius. And do me a favor, point that gun somewhere else,” Hector said. Simon obliged. “Good. Now, anybody know where our fair maiden Raven has wandered off to?” Matthew looked around. The room was nearly empty, but there was no sight of Raven.
“May I speak?” Simon quipped. Hector gave him an impatient look.
“Keep it short,” Hector replied.
“Under the stage I believe, assuming I am identifying the person in question. Being I have not yet met the lady we are seeking, and am only able to base my—" Simon said. Again, Hector stopped him.
“Got it,” he said and reached down to grab Matthew’s rifle from the now dead stranger. He held it out to Matthew. “You want his?” Hector asked. Matthew did not, but he took it anyway. There was no sense in making Hector carry both guns. “Good. Okay, let’s go take a peek under the stage, shall we?” Hector said and turned to lead them down the aisle toward the center of the room.
BLAZE PUSHED HIS WAY through the throngs of panicked people in hopes of reaching the back of the theater before The Duke had time to escape. He could not believe he missed The Duke with his shot. The man was standing right there in the center of the ring! Blaze thought feeling more frustrated than ever. When The Duke had pulled his revolver and pointed it at Raven, Blaze could not wait to put a bullet in the man. But I didn’t play the angle. The shot went high and harmlessly knocked off the man's hat. Before Blaze could fire again, the entire room went crazy and people started jumping out of their seats and rushing the doors. At first, Blaze thought they were coming after him and his men, but once they started shoving past him, he realized people just wanted out of the room. They were clawing and pushing each other in their panic. It was madness.
Nearly overwhelmed by the flow of humanity driving him backward, it was all Blaze could do to keep his feet, let alone go after The Duke. Wrestling his way along the edge of the room, he finally caught a glimpse of the man being escorted by a group of his henchmen toward the back. Swearing under his breath, Blaze had tried harder to get around the room, but his progress was slow. Finally, after minutes had passed, Blaze came to the hallway where he was sure The Duke exited. It could be a trap, Blaze thought looking at the now empty corridor. He had no way of knowing what was at the other end. A locked door? A man with a gun waiting for me? Gritting his teeth, Blaze sucked in a deep breath and then leaped into the hallway with his rifle at the ready. No one was there and Blaze exhaled as he followed the corridor along to a door. Again, he was faced with a dilemma. Do I open it not knowing what is waiting behind it? Something told him going through would be a mistake, yet the idea of The Duke getting away made Blaze burn with fury. He reached out for the door handle and tried to turn it. It was locked. Frustrated beyond belief, Blaze let out a yell of rage. The Duke had gotten away.
CHAPTER 6
Samuel stood outside Hannah's quarters. He watched through the one-way glass window as some of the genetically engineered medical team hovered around her. She was pale and her breath was shallow as she lay on her back under a sheet. The team was doing all they could to keep the child alive, but she had yet to wake up after collapsing. A coma, Samuel thought. Not death, as he had hoped, but rather a state similar to sleep. It was the worst possible outcome. Now there would be questions. Rumors would cycle through the colony. “Who would poison The Creator’s favorite?” they would ask and before long, Samuel knew someone would put the pieces together. If only she perished like she was supposed to and not this, Samuel fumed. If she died outright, they would have taken her to the furnace like any other, but now ... His thoughts trailed off. He had been seen in the garden gathering foxglove. He had been seen in the kitchen. Missing supplies, suggesting he had been baking, would be noticed.
Samuel knew
he had two choices. When the time came, he could throw himself at The Creator’s mercy and explain his purpose behind his actions. I only wanted to save The Creator from the devil’s spell. Somehow, Samuel knew The Creator would not believe him, which left the other option. He could go now to the cold weather storage facility and take his parka and snowsuit, plus supplies, and leave. Go on an unplanned expedition until things died down. The idea of going out alone was a little frightening, but Samuel knew he was resourceful and would only have to venture into the forest a short distance before he set up camp and waited things out. It won’t be so bad, he reassured himself. It would give him time to meditate and perhaps settle his soul. "That is what I will do," Samuel said to the glass. "It will be dawn soon and I will leave then. Two days on the outside should suffice." Having made up his mind, Samuel turned away from looking at the girl and walked down the hall towards Supply.
RAVEN STOOD LOOKING at all of her friends gathered around her. Even Hector was there, plus a new man she did not know. They had come and let her and the others with her out from under the stage once the room was clear. Armed cat mutants were guarding the inside perimeter of the room and for the moment, Raven felt safe. I am so happy to see them all, she thought and could not stop smiling. "So you found Area 51?" she asked and Matthew nodded.
"But not without the help of everyone working together," he answered.