Relias: Uprising (25 page)

 All through the night Hendrick scanned every radio frequency on the dial, looking for whatever intelligence he might be able to gather concerning Luke’s whereabouts.  After hacking into the Communal Subnets, something that was surprisingly easy, he searched for hours, finding nothing of interest save for the countless reports from Legionnaire commanders concerning the successful campaign against Praemon. One report gave a death toll of eleven hundred and thirty eight Legionnaires and more than two hundred thousand Praemon citizens and counting. Two thirds of them dead. Thousands more would be dead within the hour. It was unbelievable, even to Hendrick. And from what other reports he heard, the remaining citizens were under lockdown. As for the prison, life for them would undoubtedly continue on as usual as the Commune retook control of the city.

 Nobody woke up during his search; they were all out cold and it had been a good eight hours already. His eyes making active attempts to pull themselves shut, Hendrick finally found a transmission that interested him. It was a small Legionnaire outpost to the northeast. A company of soldiers that were taking part in the Praemon invasion hadn’t reported while the base where they were stationed went dark; all communications had been lost. There were no Darks in that area. And, considering that the base had over six hundred soldiers stationed there, no other group of rebels would dare attack it. There was only one explanation for it.

 It was good that everybody was asleep too. Hendrick had changed direction and headed straight for that base. Maybe they had purposefully gone dark, but Hendrick doubted it. The others wouldn’t like it, but it was the only way he could think of that they might be able to find Luke.

 The night before, Praemon had been wiped out. But while they were busy trying to escape the city Luke was hard at work laying waste to the biggest group of Legionnaires he’d conquered yet. Radio reports that Hendrick had been picking up from Legionnaire chatter were saying that half a legion, some five to six hundred men, had been mercilessly slaughtered. The details of the reports were vague but from what Hendrick could tell Luke had taken the swords and spears of the Legionnaires and pinned them all up on trees with their heads resting at their feet.

 It was brutal, grizzly details, but hearing about how much the Legionnaires feared Luke was something Hendrick would never get enough of. Frenz had tried scare tactics of his own, but he would never compare to what Luke had accomplished. Not even close.

 There was a day when people would get all stoked over a guy with twenty or more confirmed kills. And to most people that was still a good number. But then here you have a guy like Luke Semprys, one guy, who struts into a Legionnaire base- not a small group of poorly pitched tents, but a base- and kills several
hundred
of the best trained men in the world. Better yet, he makes their worst nightmares seem like playtime compared to what they’d face up against him. Hendrick still had no idea how he managed to do it, but Luke Semprys was the man he considered to be the ultimate badass.

 There was smoke in the distance that rose up through a clearing in the trees. Hendrick put two and two together and brought the Battlecraft to a slow hover. He tapped Price on her shoulder and woke her up. She stirred, rolled in the seat and she opened her eyes.

 “We’re landing.” Hendrick said quietly. “And I honestly have no idea what I’m doing.”

 Price smiled groggily and got up, Hendrick and her squeezing past one another as they switched places. Price balled up a fist and rubbed her eyes while searching for an adequate landing zone. After a few seconds she pointed to the right of the craft and spun it in that direction.

 “Small clearing. Nothing big but it’ll keep us hidden.” She said.

 With the trees brushing the Battlecraft’s belly Price took it over to the clearing and put it into a slow, even descent. She switched off the rear thrusters, adjusted the trim for a soft landing and unlocked the blast doors.

 “So what’re we doing, Hendrick?” She asked amidst a yawn.

 Hendrick pulled off his flamethrowers and set them on the floor, looking in back towards the rack of Infiltrator rifles and the equipment locker next to them.

 “Last night while we were getting a good old-fashioned family friendly raping from the Legionnaire, a nearby Legionnaire base went dark. Wiped off the map.”

 Price seemed to be getting the picture. “So you think Luke is involved. So how did you…”

 He tapped the radio headset he had over his ears. He took it off and stepped into the back. He bent over and shook Sable’s shoulder, rustling her armor. She inhaled sharply and curled up tighter and stretched her arms. On his way over to wake Vyvyr, Hendrick jumped up and landed on Morlo’s stomach, causing the breath to rush from his mouth. Morlo grunted and curled upwards.

 “Wake up, fat ass.” He said. “Hey Vyvyr, you got… oh yeah, you don’t have your sun block.”

 Vyvyr took a deep breath and was awake. His eyes came slowly open, his face slowly raised and he looked upwards to Hendrick. Hendrick’s eye brow raised, he looked at Vyvyr in disturbed shock.

 “I don’t know if anybody’s ever told you this but you’re creepy as hell when you wake up. Don’t… don’t do that.”

 Vyvyr reached back and pulled his deep hood over his head, his face disappearing beneath it. He moved to the gun rack and found a sniper rifle. After reaching satisfaction, Vyvyr slung it over his shoulder. Hendrick plucked an Infiltrator from the same spot Vyvyr took his rifle, grabbed a few magazines and shoved them in his pocket. The rest of the Ditrinity got to their feet and raided the weapons stash as well, taking the weapon, checking its ammo and collecting extra bullets. When Pontious woke he woke with a loud bark, coming back to reality amongst his friends and immediately transforming, his black leather trench coat billowing out as he did. He pulled it snuggly about his shoulders and stretched his neck.

 “So here’s what’s going on.” Hendrick said as everybody woke up and found a weapon. “Last night somebody wiped out a Legionnaire base, some six hundred soldiers stationed there. Only one thing I know who’d pull a stunt like that.” He looked around at the battle-weary faces. After a night of retreating, of watching their allies get butchered all around them, of wondering whether or not they’d live to see the next sunrise, optimism, though faint, emerged amidst the hopelessness.

 The Battlecraft landed softly, the long green grass and large-leafed shrubs bending away from it in the thrust of its engines. It came to rest on the ground with a slight lurch and powered down. The doors pulled themselves open, sliding along the metal track and opening them to the world outside. Golden sunlight poured in and, more importantly, cold, fresh mountain air.

 “Alright, keep low, keep fast.” Hendrick said. He unsheathed his fourteen inch combat knife, looked it over and nodded in approval. “The massacre in the next valley over happened only a few hours back and I doubt Luke could’ve gone far.” Hendrick sheathed the knife to the upper part of his armored vest  before stepping towards the outside of the Battlecraft.

 “You gonna be able to make it like that?” Pontious asked, motioning towards Hendrick’s left leg which was crusted with blood.

 Pushing the burning pain in his thigh out of mind, Hendrick didn’t answer. He hopped off the craft and landed in the long grass. He stood up straight and stretched his legs. It was a spectacular feeling to be back on solid ground. It was that same feeling you get after sitting in a car for ten hours and stopping off for a snack break at a gas station. It felt good to walk.

 “Hendrick,” Price said, leaning back towards the rear portion of the craft as to be seen. “The area’s swimming with Legionnaires. I can’t stick around if they find me.”

 Hendrick shrugged. “We’re finding Luke. We’ll be fine. I’ve got a radio so keep us posted.”

 Price saluted him and rested in her seat, sighing and pulling her helmet over her eyes. “I am so sick of sitting around and waiting this is crap.”

 The Ditrinity got into the shade immediately. The noise they made was minimal, blending seamlessly with the leaves and grass that rustled in the wind. They ran with their guns in both hands, keeping fast but, more importantly, keeping alert.

 The forest was clean, green, and vivid. The sun shone on the tops of the leafy canopy and caused the leaves to glow green beneath its rays. On the forest floor it glowed gold where the sun found its way through the tree tops, casting a surreal glow across the dry foliage.

 They were quick. They closed the difference between the LZ and the site of the massacre in a mere ten minutes. It was good because they got there fast, but it was bad because the Legionnaire could cover that kind of distance just as fast as they had. But there weren’t any Legionnaires at the moment. In fact, not a single soul besides Price knew that they were here. They were, at the moment, invisible.

 The top of the next hill came into view. Between the shadowy trees the bright blue sky could be seen along with the golden hilltops of the opposite side of the valley. The smoke was just over the hill’s crest. Hendrick held his hand up and the Ditrinity slowed down. They crouched and slowed to a mere crawl. Hendrick signaled for them to stop. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and he crawled over the top of the hill.

 It was a Legionnaire base, alright. Reinforced walls surrounded it with guard towers and razor wire spiraling across its tops. Inside were squared, brick buildings, blackened and charred and still smoking. A few guard towers still burned while fire crews worked hard to put out the rest of the flames. Hendrick scanned for a place lower on the hill for them to take a closer look.

 “There’s a washout just fifty yards downhill.” Hendrick said. “One at a time. Pontious.”

 Pontious set his gun to the side and transformed. He crawled down the hill on his stomach, his furry head kept low and watching the base downhill. Sable was next to follow, army crawling through the foliage, the dead leaves and twigs scraping against her armor. She reached the edge of the washout and rolled inside. Vyvyr followed in suit, as did Morlo who was a bit clumsier in his approach. Hendrick watched with frustration as Morlo grunted, groaned, and made as much noise as a tumbling boulder. The Ditrinity watched, holding their breath as he moved so clumsily. Down the hill soldiers were everywhere, and even a slightly abnormal noise would put them on guard. But without being detected, Morlo reached the edge of the washout. It crumbled beneath his enormous weight and he fell in on his back.

 Hendrick was last. He was the quickest and swiftest of them all. He dodged through the rocks and debris with his head down and he hopped into the natural ditch.

 They moved down through the washout around exposed roots and through the puddles of mud unreached by sunlight. The leaves curled over the ditch and formed a thick roof of greenery that concealed them entirely. Through the gaps in the leaves they could see the base coming into a better and closer view. The walls concealed a better portion of the base, though they weren’t concerned about seeing the inside of the base.

 Corpses of the First Legionnaire were pinned up like hanging slabs of meat against the walls of the base with their own swords and spears. Hundreds of them, shoulder to shoulder, hung limp while squads of other Legionnaires worked to clean them off the sides of the walls; their bodies formed a white belt around the entire compound while a halo of blood rested at their feet.

 They came to a fork in the washout, the left path heading down towards the base and the other heading deeper into the woods. They took the right path towards the woods. At all times they kept one eye on the path and another curious eye on the scene below them.

 The washout bent away from the action and Hendrick whisper for them to stop. They pressed themselves against the edge of the washout and peered over towards the recovering army. Hendrick chuckled in a sadistic sort of way.

 “This never gets old.” He said. The group looked over at him, Sable with disgust, the others with neutrality. They looked back towards the action. Just as they did there were six swirls of glowing steam. At their ends red cloaked figures blinked into sight, patrolling along the outer wall and examining the corpses.

 “I miss the days when we had those things.” Came Morlo’s bass lament. “ ‘n it pisses me off that they toyed with ‘em. We use to be able to teleport to the other side of the world with those things.”

 “The Dimenisor could teleport only once per charge.” Vyvyr said without looking away from the Legionnaires. “What they did made the Dimenisor more effective and more lethal. Instead of transporting long distances on one charge they can chain up a nearly limitless chain of teleports on an infinite charge.”

 “They’re a pain to kill now.” Pontious added.

 Morlo grunted and shook his head, pointing a large finger in the Reapers’ direction. “I don’ give a crap if they’re better. Those were ours first.”

 “Shut up!” Sable whispered as she raised her Infiltrator and rested it on the side of the washout. Vyvyr had already done the same and was peering through the scope of his sniper rifle, adjusting the sights for the distance. The others did the same while Hendrick fired up a cigarette, getting it started and tossing the match away.

 “I thought you hated those.” Sable said.

 “I do.” Hendrick replied while bringing his rifle to his shoulder. “But I’m trying to cut back on my cigars and cigarettes are the step between cigars and the gum.”

 Their hands tightened around their guns as several Legionnaire squads started up the hill, marching in a line in their direction. Hendrick immediately analyzed the group and assessed the situation.

 “Get ready to move further down the trench.” Hendrick whispered while looking the group over further. “If they pass by us  and head towards Price then we curve around, tear like hell back to the Battlecraft and hopefully take off before they get there.”

 It was a large group; they had an entire platoon moving towards them with standard formation. They were close enough that the Ditrinity could hear the sticks and leaves snapping and crunching beneath their feet. The Ditrinity slowly began to inch towards the woods as the Legionnaire got closer and closer to their position.