[shaman]

8 The N.L.A

Sid was sat in the ruined canteen. It was blissfully silent; all the perpetrators had run for it now that it was obvious that they had been found out. The sprinklers were still pouring water into the gutted building and there was now no telling what the room was before the riot had broken out.
Sid knew that the guards would soon come and find him but he didn’t really care. He would have started this again given the chance, now Mazza calling him a “criminal” so long ago felt like a complement more than an insult.
“If this is what he meant I could get into it”. Sid smirked.
He stood up and surveyed his work one more time and as one last light faded and collapsed to the floor below, the doors swung open and dozens of sligs ran in.
It was pointless to resist, especially now that he was the only one here. Sid knew he would regret this but made a silent promise to himself that it was all worth it, and savouring the fun he had watching the muds trash the place.
Sid heard the clank of metallic legs running up the stairs towards him.
“On your feet” The slig said. Sid was pulled up and led away by the guards. Now the full scale of what he had done hit him, and though it was still exhilarating Sid couldn’t help asking: what was going to happen now?
Sid woke up several hours later, there was a painful spot on the back of his head and he was in a darkened room. Clearly it was necessary to knock him out as he walked out of the canteen. He was fading in and out of consciousness and the blurred image of a slig was stood in front of him, shining a light in his eyes.
“He’s coming to”. The slig said as though from a great distance, and then a vyker walked over, and Sid recognised Isaac’s cruel voice.
Sid blinked and the image of Isaac came into better focus. His scarred face was pressed close to Sid’s; glaring at him. Isaac smirked and walked away into the darkness, a few seconds later Sid heard some shuffling and Sid felt a short stabbing pain in his right arm just below the shoulder.
“This should make him a little more co-operative” Isaac whispered. “Now get on with it”.
Whatever they had injected him with had obviously worked, and Sid felt more awake immediately. He remembered vaguely a lot of screaming and smashing, and the sound of breaking glass and reckless laughter that seemed a lifetime ago. Sid’s head was still aching and he strained to think, then it hit him; the canteen. Why had he been so stupid to stay there?
What had possessed him to punch that slig?
“This him”?
Sid looked round and the bump on his head protested badly at the disturbance. The CEO was stood in the corner, smiling savagely as usual.
“Yes sir” a slig replied from behind the chair Sid was tied to. It was very unsettling to be helpless with five or six sligs around.
“Well, you know the drill”. The CEO laughed, “wilful destruction of company property and rebellion, this is straight forward"
Sid was really worried now; surely they wouldn’t shoot him for something as simple as being in the canteen at the wrong time, yet nothing happened for a few seconds, and Sid allowed himself the hope that it may have been all a dream. Two of Isaac’s hands grabbed Sid’s head and brought him face to face with the CEO, who was busy lighting a cigar.
“This is really gonna hurt”. The CEO mocked breathing a cloud of smoke into Sid’s face.
Sid was very confused. What could the glukkon mean? Maybe it was all a dream; stupid stuff like this happened in your dreams didn’t it? Maybe Sid had fallen asleep in the canteen and had not yet been caught.
Sid was pondering this and trying to wake up when suddenly he screamed, his left arm was burning awfully, as though on fire. Sid now knew that such agony could only happen when you were awake; this was clearly not his imagination. Sid thought him arm would explode from the terrible pain, and the smell of heated iron filled the room, followed by the feeling of cool water trickling gingerly down his arm. The pain faded and the cold laughter of the industrialists rang in Sid’s ears.
Sid had just the strength to look into the face of the CEO before he felt the back of his head burst with agony and his vision faded.
For the second time that day, Sid awoke in a darkened room. Though this one was much more familiar to him as it was clearly a cell, the kind of which Sid had been living in. It wasn’t much, but it was better than where he had been previously. Sid opened his eyes to the dim light of a few lanterns glowing on the walls, and the welcome knowledge that no guards or other industrialists were present. Sid’s traumatised head seared with pain as he sat up, but at least the moment was over, and he could get back to ... whatever he had planned for himself.
“Hey, kid over here”. Sid looked over to see a mudokon sitting in the corner, he was dark green and had the look of a long term inmate; what might be called a roughneck scrub. The mudokon smiled.
“Welcome to the drill –bits”
A few more voices rang out in approval and Sid saw the shadows of several other mudokons walk out of the dark side of the room and sit by him. All of them scarred badly on the back by whips. Sid was very confused
“Drill bits”? Sid asked.
“Yeah, this is where all the bad egg employees go, sort of a solitary confinement thing, although we still have to work, We’re called “the drill bits” because we have the hardest work ... much like a drill bit fittingly”.
“And what do you do”? Sid said drowsily.
The mudokon laughed. “WE are the NLA”. He answered with pride; “that’s native liberation army , actually that’s why most of us are in the drill bits anyway” he added at Sid’s puzzled look . The other mudokons were listening intently.
“We’re a group that works inside and outside the industrialist structures to try and free the natives enslaved there”. He added, “We are bound together by two very important things”.
“What’s that”? Sid chuckled.
“Well, first almost fanatical hatred of slavery and the magog cartel, and secondly”... The other muds started to snigger. “We’ve all done something to piss off the glukkons”. He indicated to Sid’s left arm. Sid looked down at a bandage that had been wrapped around it.
“Go on, take a look” one of the other muds insisted. Sid lifted the bandage. There burned into his skin, was a small mark, a mudokon skull dominated by a large R; obviously the pain in his arm had been a brand.
“See this is a tunnel for workers that have shown they have rebellious traits, everyone has that brand here; and quite a few of them join the NLA, or at least help it in any way they can”.
“What’s the “r” for”?
“It means rebel”. The mudokon replied simply, “Names Theo by the way”.
“Sid”
“What was that”? Came a voice from the back of the group.
Sid would recognise that voice anywhere. Marty shuffled past the group and shouted a very happy welcome in Sid’s face.
“Where did you go”?! Sid gasped.
“Got sorted into a different group man” Sid couldn’t have been happier, he was finally reunited with Marty and seemed to have a little reputation building.
“Don’t forget me”. Archie grunted, he had taken Sid completely by surprise.
There were about thirteen of them in this cell together, all of which had the same brand on their skin. It was a common conversation starter to talk about their past. It was the first interesting thing Sid had experienced here and – even though he was doubtless that this would be absolute hell, Sid was grateful to have friends here.
“So what did you do to wind up here”? Sid asked Marty.
“You know the bonepowder kegs they use to blast out diamonds”?
“Yeah”. Sid asked warily, not sure if he wanted to know what Marty would do with explosives.
Archie cut in. “we threw a couple o’ them into a delivery train, no deaths but a whole lot of financial damage”.
Sid sat open mouthed. He was almost glad He and Marty had been separated as for Archie, Sid always had his suspicions but now he was sure that Archie was mad...
“What about you”? Theo asked, I been feeling like what I did was really tame. I’m only here cuz’ I was recruiting for the NLA”.
Sid had been expecting this. “Well you know that business in the canteen yesterday” (he was sure a day had passed since then)
“You take the piss you liar” Marty retorted in awe.
“Well I just had a fight with a slig i didn’t do it all myself, when I head butted him he fell off the top level and then some other guy attacked a guard and it all kicked off”
“Guilty” Theo replied. “I threw a table at a slig and then ran off, was hoping something would happen”.
Sid immediately recognised Theo as the mud who threw the table.
There was silence for a while. Till one of them decided to speak up. “Those brands hurt like hell mind”.
“Yeah”. Sid agreed, the others nodded and began to mutter.
“So what about this NLA?”. Sid just had to ask.
“Most of the people down in the drill bits tunnel join the NLA” Marty said. “I already have”.
“I was a contact before I got myself’ caught by the glukkons”. Archie replied.
Theo sighed. “Yes but I wasn’t gonna tell them that Archie, You’ll find out more about it next we-“
Theo stopped in his tracks as another Mud gave him a hard stare. “We’re not to talk about that”! She hissed. “Sids not involved and Marty hasn’t been initiated yet”! Theo turned to Sid and Marty.
“Serra’s right guys, I can’t say anymore”.
Another mudokon got up; he was very tall and had white skin. With one of his eyes sewn up, his brand was old and faded on his thigh. He stared at Theo and everyone shut up – clearly this mudokon was an intimidating member in the drill bits tunnel.
“And you shouldn’t say anything else”. He snarled. “Less they know whilst there in here the less they can tell”.
“Oh Steve come on”! Serra sighed.
“No I won’t let the same happen to them”! He bent down to Sid, and indicated to his sewn up eye. “Don’t ask any more questions”! Then he stormed off and got into his sleeping bag in the far corner of the room.
The conversations had to be kept far away from the subject of the NLA from then on. Maybe it was the mines, or the boredom or perhaps the realisation that they would grow old and die here, but Sid was aching to join, He didn’t care about what he would become, he understood now that the mudokon people and way of life was a stone’s throw from being purged and destroyed. Marty had seen it before and neither the whips of the sligs nor the distain of his tribe would stop him.
“What’s up with him”? Sid whispered to Theo.
Theo sighed. “Steve’s been in the NLA since he was young, but a few years ago his squad got captured at rupturefarms”. He sighed again; remembering the painful days. “Anyway, none of them talked, and he was leading them so the glukkons decided to question him more thoroughly, Steve wouldn’t say anything ... brave guy you know?”
Sid wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the rest.
“Anyway” Theo continued. “By the time we got in there”. He shivered “they’d beat him so bad it damn near killed him. Odd He was in a real state! ... His right eye was destroyed, had to be taken out ... and he’s never really had a good temper since then”.
Sid looked over to Steve’s bed and a shiver ran down his spine.
There was no telling what life would be like in the drill – bits section of the mine, and Sid wasn’t hoping for a good time. Still this NLA sounded a good bunch to be hanging around with if he was looking at working in the most dangerous tunnel in the place - with some of the most sadistically vile guards around.
He would not be proved wrong.

The next day in the early hours the door to the cell flew open with such a loud bang that all thirteen mudokons inside woke up. A big – bro slig walked in, wearing crimson armour and with a blitz – packer holstered at his side. Everyone stood up immediately; Sid copied them just to make sure he wouldn’t be targeted by the monster.
The crimson – armoured guard walked towards them on huge mechanical legs, looking for the slightest reason to punish them, his eyes fell on Sid and he strode over to him.
“Our ... new ... resident”, the guard whispered. “Be warned, your hear because to the rest of the place you’re scum, it’s going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before and i for one don’t think you’ve been punished enough”. He indicated to the open brand on Sid’s arm.
“Hey ... guy ... he’s already been branded, I think that’s bad enough”... Theo smirked calmly.
The guard rounded on Theo and pinned him against the wall.
“How dare you talk back to me slave”! The guard shouted before letting Theo drop to the floor and storming out.
“YOU OK”! Sid shouted, but to his astonishment the others were sniggering.
Theo stood up and smiled. “I do that a lot” he smirked. “kinda funny, the guards down here are so touchy and i gota entertain these guys somehow.
Sid silently decided not to get in Theo’s way when the guards were around.

“Welcome to the drill bits”... Marty smiled.