Chapter 28: All Good Things…
Rather than his usual passive nature, Gottfried wore a heavy scowl as he passed outside of the Institute compound. He walked across the synthetic breed of grass, very realistic with even a couple inches of dirt beneath it. The evening sun flickered with the sterilization field, bathing the park in a soft orange glow, which he didn't notice. It wasn't something he paid attention to, but then again he didn't often find himself going for an evening walk in the park.
The investigation of the initial insertion of soldiers sent to down below represented something like the fourth trip that Gottfried had made to the Old Haven. He felt, an opinion shared by most of the Inquisitors, a distaste for traveling in that region, so he avoided it whenever possible.
Because of it, he also didn't often pass down the hard ceramic steps cut into the ground on either side of the Institute. Through a double door and past a guard wielding an assault rifle, he walked down hallways with a couple of corners. He arrived in a rectangular room directly beneath the Institute's main lobby.
Straight ahead of him, he saw the hallway that lead to the other bunker entrance in a very symmetrical fashion. On his left, in the room, was two quarter-circle desks in each corner at the far end. One man sat behind each desk. He gave them a nod, which they silently returned.
Between the desks was a fairly large freight elevator, the very one that went directly down into the Citizen's Escape. This, however, was not the subject of his visit. Recent radio communications suggested that the elevator was malfunctioning anyway, so there was little the Inquisitor could do even if he had business with it. Alpha claimed to be working on the problem, but it was taking time, and their techs were having difficulties. Gottfried cursed the gross incompetence of the military force for not having the foresight to bring someone who was familiar with the engineering of their primary exit point. However, at the moment, he was more concerned with the numerous other delays.
Opposite from the elevator, at the other end of the room, lay a set of double doors; he pushed them open and walked inside. A large room, used mostly for storage, had a few tables set up. On the tables lay various radio equipment used for communication with Alpha Base. A few soldiers meandered around the room, drinking coffee from styrofoam cups. The operator on duty sat with his feet propped up next to the equipment and the headset around his neck.
When Gottfried entered the room, all of them quickly composed themselves to appear as though engaged in some kind of work. He ignored their disheveled appearance and cut right to it. "When was the last communication from Alpha Base?"
The man sitting at the table, feet now planted firmly on the ground and headset in place, checked his watch and answered, "That would be about… forty-five minutes ago, Inquisitor."
"Their report?"
The soldier looked at a clipboard with something scrawled on it. "Uh, it looks like they sent a very brief report…" He flipped through a couple of pages. "Ah. They said they ran into other faction soldiers a little under three hours ago. At, uh, four o'clock this afternoon. The latest information is that they tracked them back to their HQ and are in the process of cleaning it out."
Gottfried glared, "Why haven't they transferred the prisoners to Alpha base?"
The man flipped through a few more pages of handwritten notes. "Uh… oh. Here it is. They've been locked down in the club waiting for clear streets. The assault on…" he paged through more sheets, "Heavenly Bodies took longer than expected. They had just barely secured the prisoners when the run-in happened." He started punching buttons, and he held the microphone up to Gottfried. "You can talk to them, if you like; it's just about the scheduled update time."
The Inquisitor grabbed the communicator and spoke, "Alpha base, respond."
"Alpha. Go ahead." Gottfried didn't recognize the voice.
"This is Inquisitor Herman Gottfried. I am looking for a full update on the current situation."
"Yes, Inquisitor. Of course. There has been a recent report from Gamma; they're wrapping up the secondary objective and bringing a few dozen prisoners to a holding area."
"The High Inquisitor is displeased with your lack of progress. What is taking so long down there?" Gottfried's voice betrayed his irritation.
The transmitted voice sounded nervous. "It's a few delays. They dug in at the club, and the fighting took longer than expected; most of the night, really. Then there was the latest skirmish."
"Is there an end in sight?" Gottfried frowned.
"Well, if what they're telling me is right, they should be about wrapped up with the primary mission in several hours." There was a pause with muffled, indistinct speaking on the other end. "Let's see… prisoner transfer, breaking down and transporting equipment from Gamma… Yeah, we probably won't be ready to come out until morning."
Gottfried clenched his teeth. "Morning?" Tension tugged at the edges of his long-departed composure. "We were assured by Captain Redgick that the latest possible extraction time would be this morning at 10:00 o'clock. Where is he?"
The operator sounded nervous, and he stuttered, "W-well, I…" there was a faint crackle and a pause, "it's not my fault, sir. Redgick's wounded, and th-the lieutenant has taken over. He hasn't been in contact as often."
Gottfried closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Report in as often as possible, and tell Redgick that there will be severe consequences for his complacence."
He handed the receiver back to the radio operator who took it without a word. "I want updates every half hour. With something new. Encourage them to move more quickly if you must."
The various operators in the room all nodded and mumbled quick affirmations. Gottfried turned on his heel and walked out of the room. The double doors closed behind him. Before he walked out of the elevator room, he said to the two bored-looking men, "Keep an eye on the operators in that room and inform me if they continue their pattern of sloth."
The men acknowledged, and Gottfried walked out of the room, down the hallway, and back into the sinking daylight.
Uprising Page 54