Morgan had been roused from her sleep by a sharp jerk of the barge. Up until now, the rolling arsenal had made a smooth journey with little bumps here and there. At the moment, it appeared it had made an official stop. Morgan stretched her aching limbs and yawned loudly. Concentrating on the hold’s walls, she tried to make out their surroundings. Gone were the dense forests and pitch dark skies. She was treated to a loading dock busy with activity; soldiers unloading and disembarking left and right; mechanics making fast work of necessary repairs and refueling the vehicles.
Something caught Morgan’s eye. Her heart immediately escalated as she watched armored guards unloaded her troops from the barge. They were encased in long, gel-filled cylinders atop of three large flatbeds, three to four soldiers at a time. Wires and electrodes crisscrossed their bodies and each appeared to be unconscious yet conscious. Morgan noted Delta’s absence. She tried to get a read through the hold walls, but immediately felt the tiny tingles of the jolt remitting back to her. She eased off quickly and watched where they were being lead to instead. Soon, the flatbeds disappeared out of the loading dock.
Morgan turned from the hold wall and began to focus on the plan ahead. She had very little time and needed to make the most of it. First order of business was establishing communications with her internal contact. She had been given very little intel on who they were. The second order of business was conferring with Ginz all the security details she discovered from Kevlar. However, her thoughts were interrupted when the hold door slid open.
A stout gentleman walked into the hold carrying a pail of tools. Behind him were the guards to her cell. Soon, Aries Forte walked in with even more soldiers who proceeded to surround Morgan. She merely glanced their way before focusing her attention on Forte.
“What’s with the early morning rise?” she demanded.
“You’ll be transferred out of the barge and presented before the royal council,” he replied looking over his orders on the screen of his Spry-1 communicator. It was a device that resembled an old PDA of the 21st century, but depending on a person’s rank and file it could contain important security protocol. Not all Spryten soldiers carried them, but those who did guarded them with their lives. Morgan smirked at how she warranted such precautionary measures.
“I guess they just couldn’t wait to see me,” she replied. “What of my officers?”
“For the time being, you will not need that information,” was all he said before issuing orders to the men. “I want a level 8 Transfer initiated. I want guards alerted on all levels of the barge as well as the loading dock. I need a level 5 Containment within the Royal Council Chambers, with snipers covering all essential Royals and escape routes. Be sure to alert the Secretary of Defense that the prisoner will land on the doorstep in 20 minutes.”
Morgan watched one soldier leave the hold then turned her attention to the stout man behind Aries. He stood by as if awaiting an order.
“What’s with the shorty?” she asked, her stare making the little man uncomfortable.
Aries, as if just remembering the man, replied, “Oh, him? He’s here to check those bonds that ‘broke’ on you last night and ensure the ones we place on you now don’t break.”
Morgan smirked again. “Was this a gift from your general?”
Aries smirked back and indicated to the man to begin working. The stout man immediately went to work on the ceiling, pulling over a ladder to reach it. Morgan ignored him and proceeded to assess options. She could simply break from the hold and check how far she’d get on the loading dock; but after hearing the security levels doled out, she was quite sure the barge exits were all covered.
One of the soldiers leaned closer to Aries and whispered something in his ear. Aries nodded immediately and added, “There is a SOS order on the security protocols. Let them all know that. No one is to approach the prisoners.”
The soldier quickly radioed ahead the order. Morgan was intrigued. “What’s a SOS order?”
“Shoot On Sight,” he said, not looking her way. “You attempt to break loose. We have orders to eliminate. I wouldn’t try anything if I were you.”
Morgan was slightly taken aback by that order. “I take it his royal highness isn’t taking any chances.”
“No, his son isn’t. The order was issued from him,” Aries said relishing the dig.
Morgan was really surprised, but kept it to herself, along with any other questions. The mechanic jumped down from the ladder with the chain and whispered to Aries. He glanced at her briefly, then the cuffs. Aries shook his head disgustedly before growling, “How’d you do it?”
“What?” Morgan asked.
“How did you short the neurocuffs?” he demanded. “Cenzo said something looked odd on the surveillance, but damn…”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Morgan returned, knowing full well what he was referencing. “Like I said, one minute I was hanging like a side beef the next I was on the floor. What did shorty surmise?”
“He ran a diagnostic check and it turned up a foreign jolt, meaning something outside the regular circuitry broke your cuffs,” he explained.
“Well now,” Morgan shrugged. “How could I have done anything if I was bound and asleep?”
Aries sneered then turned to the man to say, “We can’t trust a neurocuff to hold her. I need something that can’t be disrupted.”
“Sir, I recommend the prisoner be sedated,” the mechanic suggested. “The leather can be cut, the neurocuffs can be breached and she’s too much of a risk to leave unbound.”
Morgan looked from the mechanic to Aries, who seemed annoyed by this turn of events. He checked his Spry-1 and realized he needed a decision now. Clicking his ear piece, he said, “We have a hold up in Transfer. Prisoner is not secure. Need resolution from General.”
He listened intently and his face registered news that did not sit well. “Cenz, are you insane? How many men are you putting in danger with a move like that?”
He listened again then his eyes fell on Morgan. “This is too risky. You’ve seen what she’s capable of.” Another exchange followed then Aries sighed and pressed the speaker module on the Spry-1.
“I want your assurance that you will behave on this transfer, Morgan,” Vicenzo’s deep voice echoed from the device. “I’ve given orders to have you escorted into the council chambers sans bonds, but I need your guaranteed assurance this will go smoothly.”
Morgan stared at Aries coldly. “What will guarantee my cooperation?”
“The assurance that your soldier, Delta, will get the needed medical care,” Cenz threw out.
Morgan sneered coldly. “Soldiers die all the time.”
Aries looked horrified by her answer.
“You would risk your squad member?” Cenz challenged.
“I do when they’re already dead,” Morgan replied.
A brief silence greeted her. Had she guessed right? She gazed at all the men in the room hoping to catch a give away. “You have others in your squad,” he reminded her. “We can make it uncomfortable for them.”
“We torture our own soldiers enough to prepare them for days like this,” she sneered. “Death is not new to us, nor is it a useful deterrent.”
Silence.
“If you want me to behave, just ask me,” she said. “I’ll play nice – for now. This is my word as a General and Soldier.”
Everyone awaited Cenzo’s reply. Aries stared down at the device also waiting.
“Alright,” he finally answered. “I have your word, and the SOS order will stay. Initiate the transfer.”
Morgan watched as the guards proceeded to surround her at safe distances. Aries checked the group and assured the perimeter had been set. He clicked his communicator again to say, “Mongoose is moving.”
Soon they were winding their way out of the barge. Each check point increased the number of soldiers. As they neared the entrance of the barge Morgan could hear a low rumble, a sound akin to a chorus of rubber slamming the pavement. It grew with each step she took toward the hatch. Aries was busy checking in with each interval. She could hear things like, “Mongoose is still in place”, “Mongoose is reaching daylight”. Finally, they reached the last set of exit doors. The sound was now engulfing them. It sizzled and steamed from beneath the doors and as they opened a hot, unyielding air swooshed over her.
As her eyes adjusted to the light, Morgan was treated to the harshest welcome of her life. Spread across the entire loading dock was a sea of Spryten soldiers, hundreds upon hundreds deep, with all forms of armament aimed her way. She gazed from face to face and could see they were taking the SOS order seriously. Morgan actually felt honored that she instilled that much fear in men who themselves were feared by the universe. Aries nudged her forward, causing a uniformed parting of guards.
Alas, she had made her descent into the nest of vipers.
No comments:
Post a Comment