Sorry for lateness, I was away over the weekend and then didn't really get around to posting since then.
I did write a nice long message here but then my internet deleted it.
Thank you very much BT Broadband.
Chapter 6
The following day Stivik told Tilic, “Alright. We’ve decided we’ll be joining.” He smiled at his boss.
Tilic returned the smile, looking both relived and excited, “Great, all of you?” Stivik nodded. “That’ll mean you’ll all have to take more of a roll in what’s going on here.”
“Good, that’ll probably be more interesting than guarding a place that no one would ever think to attack.”
Tilic returned the smile, “I’ll have to tell the vykkers you’re joining. They’ll probably be suspicious of you for a few days but things will calm down.”
Stivik cursed mentally. If they were going to be restricted for a few days then he would have to sort this out quickly, “There’s something else Burn thought of. All that money we’ve got in the bank would probably be lost if the Magog Cartel came crashing down,” He gave a wry grin, “So we thought we should get down there as soon as we can and get it back.”
Tilic looked doubtful, “There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”
“I know,” Stivik replied quickly, “But you know how Burn can get sometimes. And I think it’d be better to do this now rather than later, in case it draws attention to us. It would be more awkward to have that happening when things are almost finished than now.”
“Well if you think it’ll draw attention to us maybe it’d be better just to leave it there. When this is over I’m sure we’ll be able to get our hands on plenty of moolah.”
Stivik looked incredulous, “All that cash and you just want to throw it away? Look, you don’t even have to get involved; me and Nen will go down by train tomorrow and get the cash, make some story about not trusting things with this terrorism scare and be back here before you realise we’ve gone.” He grinned cheerfully. Tilic couldn’t refuse.
* * *
The following day was rather miserable for Dekas, Burn and Braz. Dekas was particularly surly and Braz was worried that Tilic would see through their lies straight away. But somehow they managed to get away with it. All of them were unhappy about what they were having to do for the vykkers and more unhappy about what they were doing to Tilic. Treachery like this could easily end up with Tilic facing trial against the slig queen, Skillya, and they all knew what would happen to him then. Their mother made no secret of how she enjoyed cooking her children alive. But all of them agreed, they couldn’t let them launch their attack, and Tilic would never understand if they told him what they were doing. They hid their bad tempers by claiming to be nervous about betraying the Cartel. Tilic had said that he hoped Stivik or Nen didn’t accidentally let anything slip and left to talk with the vykkers.
When Stivik returned that evening Braz got a few private moments with him and asked him how it had gone.
“Took us ages to convince them what they’re doing here. Apparently some of these vykkers are respected.”
“But you got through to them?”
“Yeah. They’re coming midday, the day after tomorrow.”
Braz swore, “You couldn’t get them any sooner?”
“This is an army, Braz; it’s not like ordering a meal from McGlukkies! Anyway, it’ll give us time to make our own plans.” Braz looked nervous so Stivik added, “Don’t worry: it’s only a day and a half.”
Braz muttered in reply, “But you have
no idea how bad today has been.”
* * *
The next day did indeed prove a struggle for the sligs. Knowing now that they had now for definite betrayed their leader, and there was no turning back from what would follow, made everything ten times worse. They barely thought of the fight that would come tomorrow.
However, they gathered that evening in secret, once again in one of the security towers, to make their plans. They had all found out the jobs they would be doing just before midday tomorrow and they simply had to work out how they could all meet outside the gates of the compound and meet the Cartel army. Burn and Nen would be guarding the outside walls and it would be easy for them to slip away. Stivik and Dekas would be working in the compound away from the lab, looking after the animals, and it would be easy for both of them to sneak to the gate. Braz, however, was signed to helping the vykkers in he building with some project, and it would be much harder for him to get out.
“See if you can finish whatever they have you doing quickly, and then make up some story about meeting Dekas outside or something,” Nen suggested to him.
“If it comes to it you might just have to smack the vykkers with your gun,” Stivik added, “Or… Well smack ‘em with whatever’s handy if they won’t let you take your gun in.”
The vykkers had made a point of not letting the five sligs have their guns when they were in the lab. Nen and Burn would both be armed, as they would be on guard duty. Dekas and Stivik would have guns loaded with tranquilisers for guarding the animals. While they expected they would be able to exchange their weapons for something better when they found the army, Dekas had mentioned something to Stivik earlier that day. Both of them planned to take tranquilisers into the fight; both of them would be aiming to take down Tilic alive.
With their plans set, they split up to head back to the labs for a sleepless night.
* * *
Braz worked just about as hard as he could for the vykkers the following day. They wanted his help carrying things about and holding on to things while they did some experiment on an embryo of one of the creatures. It was intern’s work, but there were no interns here so it was left up to Braz.
Despite his efforts to hurry things along, the vykkers seemed to be taking their time with the job. He was nervously watching the clock, wondering if he could knock out four vykkers with a metal tray before any of them managed to raise the alarm, when he was sent to get some medical supplies from a cupboard halfway across the building. He nodded, left the lab and hurried away towards the exit out into the compound.
Just when things seemed to be going well, he rounded a corner and came face to face with Tilic. He practically skidded to a halt. “Oh! Tilic, I was, uh…” He paused, seeing the look of betrayal on Tilic’s face, “The compound! I just finished what the vykkers wanted me for and I was just going to see if Stivik needed any help with whatever he’s doing on there!” The words came out in a rush and probably seemed as convincing as one of Rumor Kontrol’s conspiracy theories.
Tilic gave him a hollow look and asked, “Is Dekas going with you Braz?”
“Dekas? Isn’t he out there already?”
Tilic stared at him for a few seconds and then hissed acidly, “I never thought any member of my pack would be such a coward as this, Braz! If you’re leaving you could at least have the courage to tell me!”
Braz suddenly felt like he was going to be sick. “Tilic…”
Tilic swore at him in sliggish, “Get out of my sight.” He pushed past the younger slig and headed into the lab. Braz stood, frozen in place, watching Tilic retreat. He was half tempted to warn him…
Quickly he turned and ran for the exit.
* * *
Braz met up with Dekas, who had been following the crossbreeds around to make sure they didn’t get into any trouble. Braz quickly told him about his meeting with Tilic. “It was horrible, Dekas! He’s our leader, our boss. I can’t believe we’re betraying him!”
“He’s betraying us,” Dekas hissed vehemently, “He’s betraying the whole Magog Cartel! It’s his own fault this is happening to him; don’t let him make you feel guilty about it, Braz.” He looked at the younger slig and his face softened, “It’s too late to back down now; the Cartel army are probably right outside the gates waiting for us.”
Braz nodded helplessly. “Let’s just get out of here, ok?”
Dekas paused, “They’ll want us to help in the fight. But if I can get you out I will, ok?”
Braz nodded again. Together they headed for the gate.
* * *
“You! What are you doing helping them?” Tilic cried, staring right at Dekas.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Tilic?” Dekas called back, bitterly, “We turned you in!”
“You… You traitors!”
"Us?” Stivik hissed viciously, “You help this scum breed an army to send against the Cartel and you call
us traitors?”
The laboratory was in flames, and the vykkers were gathered just outside the gates from the compound, along with the twelve crossbreeds, their sligs and Tilic. The army from the Magog Cartel, including the five ex-members of Tilic’s pack, surrounded them, guns raised, demanding surrender. The vykkers were not to be outdone. One of them slammed a button in one of the posts at the side of the gates. Though he was shot to pieces a second later, his work was done and a massive creature with two enormous boulder-like appendages and a huge claw at the ends of its three arms, armour plating like a meech’s and a gaping teeth-filled mouth where its neck and head should be was released from a cage hidden among the trees. It burst into the clearing where the army stood, smashing and whacking and grabbing and crushing Cartel sligs.
Dekas threw himself under cover. He glanced out but couldn’t see Tilic, or any of his pack mates. Cursing under his breath he began crawling through the bushes towards where he had last spotted Braz. Sligs burst through the trees around him, running for their lives. He was torn between disgust for their cowardice and the thought of his promise to Braz,
if I can get you out I will…
He knew the slig wouldn’t move without permission. Finally he found him, hiding in the bushes with Burn, the two of them breaking cover every few seconds to take a shot at the monstrosity the vykkers had engineered. He felt pride swell in him and crouched down beside them. “Guys!”
“This isn’t working, Dekas,” Burn gasped, “Bullets just aren’t hurting it.”
“You know where Nen is?” With Tilic gone Dekas was in charge of the sligs, and he was going to make sure they all got out of this alive.
“Over there,” Braz answered, pointing across the clearing. “We caught sight of him a few times, hiding with some Cartel sligs.”
Dekas grunted. “At least that army hasn’t been totally useless. Listen Braz, Burn, I want you two to get over there, grab Nen and get out of there. Look after the little guy-”
“It’s alright Dekas,” Braz said grimly. Dekas met his gaze for a second and nodded.
“Alright, Burn, get Nen. I want the two of you to get out of here.” Burn opened his mouth to object, “Someone’s gotta get Nen out of here, Burn, and you’re the one with the least training. Don’t make me force you.”
Burn nodded and disappeared through the trees.
“You seen Stivik?” Nen asked.
“No, but I recon he’ll be after Tilic. Don’t worry about him. Just think about keeping this thing confused and staying alive.”
The fight against the creature went on. Dekas was uncomfortably aware that this would have provided the perfect cover for the vykkers to escape with their creatures, and he hoped a decent number had been captured or gunned down by the Cartel sligs.
Minutes dragged past and still nothing they tried had an effect on it. More and more sligs were being picked off. Dekas saw the creature move towards the trees where Nen had been hiding and he suddenly had a horrible thought that maybe Burn hadn’t reached them, and Nen was still there. He scrambled out through the bushes, out into the open, and opened fire onto the thing. It spun around suddenly, much more quickly than Dekas had been expecting. It occurred to him suddenly that while it was a long way from his hiding place to Nen’s was a long way if you kept under cover, it wasn’t really that far if you crossed the clearing. It could be no more than three strides for a creature that large.
He had no time to react as the thing moved in on him. How had it known that he had broken cover so soon? It raised one of its massive boulder-like fists above its head. His gun dropped from his hands and tried to scramble back. Two steps, and his back was against the bushes. No where to go. It swung down at him, a minecar’s weight of muscle and bone and no way of dodging.
* * *
Tilic was captured, Dekas was killed in the fight and Stivik was injured and wouldn’t be able to use pants for Odd-knew how long. Braz, Burn and Nen tried to find out where Stivik was being kept while he recovered but no one seemed to know, or at least no one would tell them. Eventually they were approached by some Cartel big-bro sligs who advised them (and by ‘advised’ they meant ‘threatened’) to stop searching for him.
After much discussion they decided to recruit a pair of new sligs and once again return to scouting. However, they didn’t stop searching Stivik. When they had free time, Nen would check out various Magog Cartel hospitals to look for him, but turned up nothing. With terrorism increasing and the growing fear that sligs possessed by Abe might be able to access important information, new security restrictions were placed and it became much harder for them to find out anything.
Eventually they learned that Stivik was employed as a factory guard, though they couldn’t find out where. Perhaps his injuries had left him unfit for scouting, they guessed.
But then he had always complained about how he hated scouting. Maybe he’d decided to give up on it altogether. The three of them decided eventually that there was nothing they could do, and even if they did find him, how would it help if he had given up on scouting?
Now leaders of their own pack, they put away the past and carried on with life, remembering only ghosts of their lost brothers.
-------------------------
This end's part 1. Next chapter features a different character, in a different place, in a different time (ooh, very dramatic) though it's part of the same story.
Think posting this will improve my chances of winning OWF's best writer '07?
