Ultimate Sligs oddysee: Chapter 7, Traitorous intent
Sorry this has taken so long, I've been busy. I'm pretty dissapointed with this chapter myself, and I will definately re-write it later.
Chapter 7: Traitorous intent
-Landing bay, Slig Barracks-
Through the entire flight Eba had been silent. Blanking out all around him, not listening to all the boasting tales the Sligs were telling each other. It had all happened so fast. It took less than five minutes for him to go on a bloody rampage through the Mudokon Fortress and kill the ‘counsel’ as the Mudokon had called it. That was another thing Eba’s mind lingered on, the Mudarcher Bea. No doubt he would come face to face with him again; he may even be a target in a later mission. The disgust in the Mudokons eyes scared Eba, in a few seconds he had gone from innocent Slig, to a killer that could cause so much hate in a peace loving native. The casualties on the Slig side had been roughly half, the Mudokons on the other hand; who numbered more overall, had been wiped out completely. Eba’s killing spree had completely changed the morale of both sides, it seemed. The Sligs were elated to perform well, whereas the Mudokons morale was shattered. The fortress was detonated, and the battlefield bombed. Not many could’ve survived the aftermath, fifty or so at the most, probably less. Screams filled his mind. The engines whirred as the ships slowed, and turned as their afterburners cut out. There was a loud thud as the machines touched down in the hanger, and a clang as the back hatch opened. “Everyone off!” yelled the captain, and the Slig got up, weary and battle scarred, and walked down the hatch, which formed a slope. Eba was right not to expect any wounded on the crafts. The dying or badly injured were left for the bomb squads on the field. The weak were of no use. Half of the ships had arrived and landed a long time ago. The crafts could go quicker without twenty Sligs on them, and many were empty because entire crews had been killed. Eba slowly stumbled out, and shielded his eyes from the light. The insides of the crafts were moderately dark. He dragged his feet across the sloped grating, and into the vast hanger. He paused for breath; looking at the hanger he had once considered a marvel. He now viewed it with a twinge of shame, that he was part of this ‘empire’. He milled and shuffled out with the other Sligs, receiving pats of the back, and cheers from his comrades. As they were filling out through the doors, a Slig rushed up, weaving through the crowds, and shouted to Eba. Eba turned and saw this Slig, waving his gun in the air “SIR! STOP SIR!” Eba walked back to meet the Slig with a blank expressionless “What is it?” The Slig panted for breath, and gasped “They want you sir” pointing over to two rather large Sligs, arms folded. Eba nodded in thanks, and made his way over. The Sligs were larger than other Sligs, and wore red masks, with strange mechanical devices on them, obviously not enough to match Eba’s equipment, but not standard issue either. On their left arms they wore large red mechanical red grasping claws, with black insignias on them. Definitely not standard issue. On their chests tattooed in black were the letters ATF. “General Eba?” Said the one of the left with a very stiff blank voice “We require your presence” Eba looked hard into the Sligs eyes suspiciously. “And who is ‘we’ exactly?” He questioned. “ATF sir. Anti Terrorist Force sir.” Barked the one on the right. ATF…that meant something to Eba, but he couldn’t quite remember what… “What is this about?” Eba said, still suspicious. “That is classified until we reach the designated area, sir. We are told to use force if you do not comply sir.” said the Slig raising his claw. Small needles, no doubt full of tranquiliser, slid out from its centre. The Slig gestured towards the armoured ball car’s tunnel. Eba was in no mood for more bloodshed, and agreed to come with these odd soldiers. He was led to the armoured ball car, and then inside it. He sat down, and the soldiers remained standing. “Now information can be divulged if the subject wishes it, sir.” Eba assumed he was ‘the subject’ and decided not to voice his dislike of being called such a name. “Where are you taking me? Why? And what has it got to do with me?” The Slig still stood, emotionless and rigid “It has everything to do with you. If a tributary is polluted, so then are its streams.” Eba was puzzled by this remark, but kept silent so as not to interrupt this explanation. “We are going to the laboratory of Dr Mort. He has been found out.” Eba remained silent “I register no reaction. Perhaps you know nothing of this?” Eba shook his head slowly, eyes fixed on the Slig “Dr Mort has been found to be helping Native terrorists infiltrate minor facilities, and destroy them.” Eba’s stomach lurched “I don’t understand…” The Slig nodded “Denial is the common reaction. Your mentor is to be questioned, and then executed. He is a traitor” Eba’s leant over and put his head in his hands, as he had in the conference room “And you think…he may have turned me traitor as well…?” The Slig nodded. “Your assumption is correct. Your inquisitive skills would serve you well in the ATF” Eba looked up, not knowing what to think of all this, when he heard a light crackling sound, far down the tunnel, getting louder as they neared its source “…Did you hear something…?” The ATF soldier looked as if he was concentrating “I register sound waves…calculating distance from source, and including echo parameters, I assume the sound to be…” Eba’s eyes widened “Gunfire!” The ball car began to slow, and turn at it came closer to the stop point. The ATF member who had been talking began to look around. “Prepare yourself. I predict we will encounter hostility.” The other one, that had remained silent walked over to the ball cars distress lever and pushed it upwards. “Now” said the first “reinforcement ATF will arrive. You best hope the reason for this attack is nothing to do with you, General, or you will be up against my troops and I” Eba smirked “I assure you, this is none of my doing” The ball car finally came to a shuddering halt, the gunfire clear in the air. The door automatically slid open. A hail of gunfire burst through the door and the ATF member who had remained almost completely silent was blown back and hit the wall, leaving a large blood splatter. “We’re under attack. I take it you are experienced in battle?” Eba shuddered “Slightly…” The ATF member’s bionic right eye extended as he pressed himself up against the wall, and it curled outwards and peered through the doorway “This is an abnormality…” he stated blankly “What is it?” The ATF members eye retracted and he turned to face Eba “Our adversaries are, it seems, machines” As he said this the arm of a Snoozer swung around through the doorway and pinned the ATF member to the door. Eba raised his rifle and fired at the joint in the arm. It exploded and fell to pieces. The sound of the snoozer stumbling without one of its legs could be heard from outside the ball car. It was followed by a huge crashing sound. With this the ATF member rose clutching his throat with his normal arm, jumped through the door, and Eba followed to see him punch straight through the body of the Snoozer with his bionic one. Circuits and electric charges flew out as he withdrew his arm. “You okay?” Eba asked, running over “I have sustained less than a flesh wound. We must take the lab.” Eba nodded “This was my home for a time…” The ATF member nodded “As it was mine some years before. It is better not to think of this as anything of sentimental value. It will be easier this way.” Eba nodded back, and the Slig said “I am known to my troops as 024” Eba held out his hand, and 024 shook it. “Let’s go” They both ran down the walkway, into the disinfectant area, the front door of which had been torn off, probably by the snoozer. It was riddled with bullet holes, and a dead ATF member lay against the wall “This is 023, my superior. It seems he has been electrocuted” 024 punched through the next door with his arm, and tore a large hole in it. They both clambered through to the corridor and stood still, weapons raised. The first door on the right was on the ground, and a dead ATF member was under it, surrounded by blood. They slowly advanced towards the first door on the right. The doors were not level on either side, so they could take one room at a time. Eba signalled a charge, and 024 nodded. Eba lowered his fingers one by one. Three…Two…One… They both charged through the door and stopped short of a red electric burst which hit the ground and left a small black mark. Eba saw the chant orb floating in the centre of the room. 024 jumped further into the room, rolled behind an upturned medical desk, and began to reconfigure his arm; it seemed to be changing into a rifle. Eba ran and jumped at the wall next to him. He ran across it and fired off just a single bullet, which flew through the air and hit the orb straight in its single red eye. As Eba landed on all fours, the orb crashed to the ground, and exploded, tearing the dead body of a Vykker underneath it to shreds. Eba rose up and walked over to 024. “I don’t think you should’ve changed your weapon” 024 looked up menacingly “I had it, I would’ve shot it” Eba shook his head “You think I’m going to stand in the door way exposed while you muck around with your toy?” 024 clipped a magazine into his arm and pulled back a switch, clipping it into place “You’re correct…It was not tactically viable. I apologize. We will take each room one by one, that way we can be sure of no surprises.” They made their way back to the entrance, weapons readied for the run. “Shouldn’t we check each area for survivors and information first?” Eba asked “No. Our priority is taking out the machines.” Eba led, and 024 followed close behind, eyes tracked on the ceiling “Be careful…I’m sure Mort has installed security measures…” Eba jumped into the next doorway and was almost instantly swung at by a huge metal arm. He ducked and slid forwards, through the legs of the snoozer, aiming his gun up, and firing. The snoozer began to shake and flail, 024 fired a volley of hot lead into its optical receptors, causing the entire ‘can’ to explode. “Optimum damage is caused by aiming for the machines central core” 024 announced as he reloaded. “I’ll keep that in mind…” said Eba, scanning the room for more robots. His eye caught a speck of yellow within the rubble, and a low grown reached his ears. “A survivor!” Eba shouted, turning to see 024 gone. Louder gunshots were heard over the constant fire of machine guns in other areas of the lab. Eba ran out to see 024 blasting a whole swarm of chant suppressors. Eba took up his rifle and fired a high power shot into the centre, destroying the central group, causing the outer ones to scatter into other rooms. “This is illogical” stated 024 “What is? Helping survivors?” 024 paused “…that as well. I was referring to clearing every room. It is obvious we are gaining ground at no speed” He ducked behind a pile of rubble as a bullet whizzed past his head. “I have a feeling the other Sligs are arriving” he yelled over the increasing sound of gunfire. Up ahead several Sligs ran screaming round the corner, screaming. “Over here!” yelled Eba, gesturing from behind the metal cabinet he had hidden behind. As they ran a snoozer charged round the corner, barging one Sligs into the wall. All the other Sligs including Eba and 024 opened fire as the snoozer pinned the Slig to the wall, screaming for help, and fired its gun into his chest. “Eat this you metal bastard!” yelled one of the Sligs, and hurled a grenade at the snoozer. The Snoozer turned and fired at the grenade, missing, and the stray bullets pelted the Slig in the head, causing him to drop to the ground. Eba’s stomach lurched as he remembered the battle in the mountains. The screams flooded back, the blood, the mud, the gore. His head spun, and he stood up, stumbling. “Eba, stay down” yelled 024, but Eba did not hear. His vision blurred, and he began to slowly walk down the corridor holding his head. “Eba, get down!” 024 called again. The memory of the decapitated Sligs seeped in to his mind, and he shouted out loud. “EBA! GET BACK!” cried 024 as a chant suppressing beam craked past him. “Stop! Stop killing” mumbled Eba, completely out of it. He broke into a run, tearing down the corridors, past fighting Sligs and machines, the shouts of his new found comrades fading into nothingness, the walls warping and bending, screams filling his head, falling, falling, falling…
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