Hardline

Chapter 9

Hardline

“Sir, we found the bodies of the suspects behind the robbery.”

“And the missing passports, I imagine they couldn’t be recovered.”

“Unfortunately, no sir and judging by the manner in which they were disposed of leads me to believe that this was not the work of the organizations.”

“Thank you for your report soldier you are excused.” Saluting his superior the grunt left the administrator’s office closing the door behind him. Another man casually sitting at a coffee table in a corner of the room watched as the soldier left him and the apparent man in charge alone.

“You know that it is them right, the infamous Deathwatch strikes again. You should have seen it bro. Whoever he is, he is damn good with a blade.”

The man in charge looked at his little brother as he sat smugly in the corner of the room spouting nonsense. Disappointed, the younger sibling was so narrow minded and didn’t see the bigger picture.

“They just provided us with the perfect opportunity to finally raid the organizations and clear out all the tech in the colony. Deathwatch is a temporary problem while the problems with the Organizations has been ongoing for the fifty years New Aurora has been around.”

“Organization, Revolutionaries, extremists all the same to me.”

“But if you take out the Organizations you take away an irreplaceable asset to not only the revolutionaries but the criminal underground as a whole.”

“Now what? We both know the passports are long gone and with Deathwatch’s reputation it can’t go understated the threat they pose to the Aurorean way of life.”

“You’re right about that, but I believe I know the angle that Roland and the rest of Deathwatch are playing, and we just need to be patient and our chance to crush them will present itself. For now, it is important that we use our time wisely and waste no opportunity to deal a blow to the real enemy. So, it would serve you best to use that energy in finding all that tech you can and help cripple the Organizations. Which brings me to the reason I asked you to come here. I need someone I can trust to take the lead on an investigation, something off the books.”

***

“So, what is your angle kid? What is the plan once you get to Busaya?”

Roland questioned Lorenzo, looking for clarity or justification for his elaborate planning and cunning execution. Lorenzo smirked, his ego resting on the borderline of confidence and arrogance. Taking a drag of his cigarette, he gave Roland his answer.

“I am going for the fireworks of course. Nothing more, nothing less and you? I know there has been a lot of chatter, lots of talk about something big going down in Busaya. But what is the endgame for you?”

“To elevation of our status and place in the fight against New Aurora and finally gain the respect of the other rebel cells.”

Keyon and Shima gave each other a quick glance, watching Roland enjoy the late morning sun as it touched his old weathered facial features. Off the beaten path the group, after traversing through a thicket of bamboo trees, entered a vast opening in the forest. What once was a budding business and entertainment district of old Aurora now lay in ruin before the group. Clothing stores that had been stripped clean of all its products, bars and eateries raided for their resources. Leaving only the non-essentials to rot and decay with the passing of time.

“Old Aurora, imagine what life was like for them back then. Even my old ass has known nothing but the strife that followed the great impact.”

“The great impact?”

Shima played ignorant, acting oblivious to the many truths of the world.

“They say ninety-eight years ago a giant meteor made collision with the planet. Causing a devastating chain of events.”

Lorenzo interrupted, inserting his own two cents into the conversation.

“that’s putting it mildly, It’s the very reason for the shift in the planet’s ecosystem, weather patterns and the rapid evolution of the flora and fauna. A multitude of components that brought the fall and near extinction of humanity.”

Seth spoke going into detail, the significance of the great impact and its effect on the world at large.

“Follow me.”

He waved them over toward a shop front along the side of the barricade. Pushing back an entanglement of vines and overgrowth He revealed a beaten down and battered door that showed signs of being repaired several times over the years. One by one everyone filed in through the doorway into the storefront. Old trinkets of the past littered the floor and tabletops of the establishment, and the smell of mold and rotting wood was ever present in the air.

“So, you really think that you guys can bring down New Aurora?”

Lorenzo led the group through the storefront, Seth and Roland taking up the middle with Shima and Keyon making up the rear of the group.

“Take them down completely, who is to say, but something has to be done no matter how extreme.”

A long pause followed, leaving the atmosphere filled with the sound of footsteps on old wood. Rays from the sun splintered through openings in the walls and the openings of the boarded windows. Revealing a multitude of dust particles and mold spores dancing freely within the confinement of the storefront’s walls. The group with Lorenzo at the head reached the bottom landing of a set of stairs.

“I guess everyone has their own crusade.”

Lorenzo commented as he ascended the staircase and waved to the others to follow. Lorenzo had his opinion about the whole situation but kept it to himself. It was easy to tell Roland was just using the idea of a just cause or just purpose to cover for his constant hunger for chaos, no doubt an impression from the dark days. How the others fit into the picture was still up for discussion, but he was patient, and he had nothing but time to figure out how all the pieces fit together.

Reaching the topflight of stairs revealed a destroyed second floor with a substantial portion of the exterior walls having been broken down due to aging and environmental factors. With everyone reaching the top of the staircase Lorenzo ushered the group through what looked like a living quarter of some sort. No doubt belonging to whoever owned and operated the shop on the ground floor.

“There is a storm coming.”

Shima stalled at the top of the staircase and looked off into the distance to the east. Seth too looked off in the same direction before dropping to one knee and taking his bag off his back. Digging in the largest compartment he took out a piece of tech. Turning on the device. Lorenzo came to a stop and looked back at the group as they gave Seth the time to do whatever it was, he was doing. He had a basic understanding of tech, enough to get by, but anything heavier he normally outsourced to more capable people.

In moments dozens of tiny sphere shape nano drones started hovering out of the machine and started flying off toward the east.

“Nice little gadget you got there.”

He took advantage of the time, lighting another cigarette.

“You just keep pulling all types of things out of that bag of yours, what does this one do?”

Shima questioned, as Keyon gently pushed her aside, clearing a path at the top of the staircase. Joining the others to witness Seth’s mysterious tech for himself.

“It will allow me to collect atmospheric data and determine what kind of storm is approaching, if it is approaching at all.”

He explained, not breaking his focus on the screen, pushing his glasses back on the bridge of his nose as he looked over the data and waited for more to come in.

“How much longer till we reach this village of yours anyways?”

Roland looked off in Lorenzo’s direction and watching as the young mafioso stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and the group.

“We need to make plans just in case the data that comes back is not in our favor.”

“At least two hours at our current pace, depending on what we are looking at with this new development I have a stash house along the way that could provide shelter.”

He answered, joining the circle, and observing Seth work his technical wizardry.

“But once we clear the remains of this district the landscape has a very extensive cave network, we can hold up in for anything considered too heavy.”

Roland nodded, turning away from Lorenzo and fixing his gaze over toward Seth crossing his arms and waiting for the results of the data. Finally looking away from his screen, Seth looked around at his audience. A bewildered look of disbelief and the snickering of his teeth was all the group needed. A tell-tale sign that the news they were about to receive was not going to be good.

“We got ourselves an extreme cold front on our hands and it is indeed making its way in this direction. So, do you want the good news or the bad news first?

“Enough with the theatrics already Seth and spit it out.”

Roland commanded his subordinate while the others looked on. Seth shook his head and broke the bad news.

“We got a hailstorm on the way so the temperature drop could be intense, and I do not know if we are going to be equipped for that type of cold. That is if the hail does not kill us first. The good news is that it is only a small system and should pass quickly and thankfully there is no snow. But we must move fast if we want to stay ahead of it and reach shelter in time. So, what is the call, Roland?”

The tech wizard questioned, all the while watching his nano drones return to the device.

“We will pick up the pace and take shelter in one of the caves our guide was talking about and ride it out there. We should gather firewood and tinder along the way so we can keep warm just in case the cold is a little too unbearable.”

The group nodded in agreement with Roland; Seth was quick to stash his weather device back in its compartment and close it. Returning to his feet and strapping the bag on his back once again.

“How much time do we have Seth?”

“Thirty-five minutes.”

He answered looking over in Roland’s direction who looked at Lorenzo in return.

“Then we better haul ass because it is still going to be some time before we can clear this district.”

Wasting no more time, everyone started to follow Lorenzo as he tossed his cigarette to the ground and took off sprinting. Not going too fast to lose the group he was leading, still playing his role as a guide. Reaching the second-floor balcony of the apartment one after another the members of deathwatch leaped over the rusted banister after Lorenzo, landing on a nearby rooftop regaining their footing, everyone collectively breaking out into a sprint. Jumping and maneuvering over and around the various obstacles that presented themselves to the group. Crossing the rooftop within seconds Lorenzo led Deathwatch over a makeshift bridge traversing the giant main street. Once across he wouldn’t waste any time turning the knob of the door to the roof’s staircase but instead picked up his speed and lowered his shoulder. Driving full force into the door busting it open. Only stopping for a moment to regain his footing. As to not tumble down the stairs. The guide darted down the stairs toward ground level with Deathwatch close behind. The group found themselves’ back out on the streets and racing through the district.

Shima, being toward the middle of the pack began to feel the air around her, beginning to grow cold. But this was nothing new to her or anyone else for that matter. If you were alive and breathing in this world you knew the weather was unpredictable. Moved in fast and without tech like Seths it was hard to stay ahead of.

Cutting around deserted cars and vaulting over the hoods of others, the group in tandem cut into an alleyway. Breaking out now into a full sprint toward the mouth of the alley at the other end, A rusted chain-link fence between them and the other street. The street that took them out of the district and back into the wilderness. Jumping and using one leg to push off a wall, Lorenzo quickly vaulted to the top of the fence clearing it with ease. Behind him Shima with her light frame used a dumpster as a launching pad landing gracefully on the top of the fence. Then with a quick hop landed on the ground below. Roland with his heavy frame and strong upper body grabbed hold of the top of the fence and pulled himself up. Placing his boot firmly on the fence and lifting himself over. Seth and Keyon mimicked Lorenzo using the wall as support to propel their bodies upward. Keyon easily planted his feet on top of the fence even standing on it for a moment before dropping to the ground below, Seth close behind.

Keyon and Seth quickly returned to their previous strides to regroup with the others who were not too far ahead. But before the group could become whole a pair of makeshift bombs made of glass were smashed between the group of five. Instantly creating a dense cloud of smoke that quickly engulfed everyone in it.

“What the hell is going on?”

Lorenzo shouted, caught off guard by the sudden attack on the group. As he started to become overwhelmed by the thick smoke that was restricting his breathing and burning his eyes. The only response he could make out before he started to hear clashing steel and bodies thrashing about were the words being shouted out of Roland’s mouth.

“AMBUSH”