Uprising
Page 60
Chapter 30: Insomnia
Gottfried found himself once again staring with his intense, piercing features at the same radio technician he saw before, still on duty. An audio recording played as the man sat with a grim seriousness.
"…all Citizenship presence in Old Haven has been compromised. I repeat. All Citizenship presence in Old Haven has been compromised," any composure the operator tried to maintain dissolved, and the sounds of gunfire chattered in the background of the recording, "we were taken prisoner yesterday, forced to relay false information. Captain Redgick is dead. They knew we were coming, and they killed everyone. They're well-trained, organized. Th-there's nothing we could have done. I'm… oh God." A loud bang resounded on the recording followed by heavy clatter. The operator across from Gottfried winced.
"Alpha, Alpha base, respond!" could be heard, the other-end operator begging for a response. There was a click as the other end of the radio was switched off, then nothing.
"That's it," the operator said, looking pale and unsettled, "that came in an hour ago. I sent someone up right away and waited in case any more signals came through, but…" he shook his head, "nothing else since."
Gottfried furrowed his brow, but remained silent. He rubbed his chin, hunched over the table. The operator shifted uncomfortably in his chair, not sure what else to do or say. "Good work," the Inquisitor finally said. "Continue your monitoring here for any further signals." He held out his hand. "Give me a copy of the recording." The operator punched a few buttons, set a small round disc into a device. After a moment, he handed the recording to the Inquisitor.
Gottfried whirled around and walked out of the room, already on his personal communicator. He keyed in to High Inquisitor Wresh's quarters and heard a soft ringing.
"What?" the harsh, gravelly voice came through the earpiece.
"There's a problem. A council meeting needs to be called immediately." Gottfried said as he walked out of the bunker area.
"It can wait until morning," Wresh said in irritated tones.
Gottfried clenched his teeth. "It cannot. All of the soldiers sent to Old Haven are dead."
Wresh didn't speak for several moments, but Gottfried could hear his hissing breath on the other end. "Sir?"
"Call the meeting." The High Inquistor hung up without another word.
Gottfried tucked his comm. back into his pocket and walked across the lawn. Ornate street lamps were intermittent, spreading soft, golden light throughout the small park area. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of movement. His head snapped in the direction, but there was nothing: a few young trees and the servant barracks off in the distance.
Preoccupation took hold, and he walked off towards the side entrance of the Institute. Once inside, through the lobby and down the hallway, he headed into the Inquisition building and to the elevator. At the desk, he directed the night-staff receptionist to rouse the advisory council and send them immediately to the council chamber.
The woman nodded and picked up her phone. Gottfried stepped into the elevator.