Ice Tea Atonach

Its been awhile since I lasted posted but I 've been busy with school and tennis. It would be nice to get some feedback to know if people are still reading.






Jake watched as two Razor mechanics attempted to tear out the car identification devices. He sat on a step inside the large metal garage on the third floor, behind him an old manually opened door led into the rest of the four story apartment. The building was in fact the base of the Razor’s and was otherwise abandoned.

“Got it!” said one of the mechanics and he removed a device in the bonnet of the car. He threw it in a potato sack and slung the sack over his shoulder.

They walked past Jake and through the door. Jake rested his head on his knee and started thinking how he would get out of the fight. He knew any chance of the Razors wining were slim.

The Pirates were a larger and better funded group than the Razors. However a Pirate attack would still be a daring move; the Razors would be defending in a well constructed fortress giving them a chance to sniper. Bombardment among the Gangs consisted of grenades, rocket launchers and grenade launchers, none of which could take out the building quickly or efficiently. However they were larger and the base had numerous entry points spreading Razor forces thin.

Jake sighed. His options were limited and none of them were very appealing. Staying and fighting would result in death from the Pirates while leaving would surely get him marked by the Razors or even the Pirates. The question was simple; fight or flight. However, the answer wasn’t; for Jake the decision could mean life or death.

Jake looked around the Hanger to see people running around desperately trying to prepare for the immanent attack. Leaving meant one less man to fight off the attack; the Razors had helped him so much, however he would feel little guilt for leaving. Most of the Gang’s members had no family beyond the gang’s circle.

The door swung open behind him, he turned to see a middle aged man with a grey beard, a moustache and little hair: the Ring Leader. He stood with a dignified posture; chest out and back straight.

“Jake,” he addressed.

I stood, “Yes?”

“We know you’re not a good fighter, but you are good with weapon and hacking technology.” I nodded in agreement. My heart leapt; I could’ve just earned my ticket out of the siege. “We want you in a small crack team of four others to bomb the Pirates headquarters.” My heart sank; even if attacking; the Pirate’s base was bound to be well defended not to mention the building’s good geography with only two entrances.

“We can’t do that!” he protested, “There are only two entrances they’ll-”

“-there are three entrances, Jake.” Jake stood his eyebrows raised and mouth slightly open; maybe it was possible he thought. “We recently learned of this weakness when our spy was told of the entrance by another Pirate. It goes through the ancient sewer system; the ruin beneath the city sewer system. We have a navigator who can access this ancient system.” Jake shook his head in disbelief; his heart was racing, now there was a way, the pirates could finally be stopped!

“But how…” Jake started.

“No one found it because it only appeared a few years ago when the land subsided. The spy told us that they had two watch guards on it at all times but they never expected anything to happen. Our spy was sent down as one of the watch but never reported back; we think he was set up and ambushed by Pirates. So… are you in?”

“Do I have any choice?” I replied. He curled his lip.

“No not really, good luck then, the team is waiting on the ground floor.” Jake nodded and watched as the Ring leader left. The door closed behind him leaving Jake by himself, the siege seemed less of a threat now. His eyes now spoke of new found hope and determination; his face set and with a slight smile he strode through the door and down towards the team.

Outside people shouted and the occasional shot could be heard; the Pirates were here.






Bring! Bring! Daniel’s eyes opened suddenly; he blinked twice and rolled over under his covers startled by the day time light coming through his window. He groaned. He could now see his alarm clock: 12:00 pm. He groaned again, it was Saturday; his day off.

Bring! Bring! He brushed the sheets off himself and climbed awkwardly out of bed. He stumbled into the kitchen meters away from his bedroom and picked up the phone putting it to his ear.

“Hullo?” he said.

“Good day, sir.” a young recruit replied on the other end.

“Yeah what is it soldier?” he groaned.

“Gang disturbances in the slums, sir. Might be somethin’ big sir.” At this Daniel’s eyebrows raised.

“There are always gang disturbances in that arm pit of the city. Nothing we need care about.”

“A police spy in the Razors has reported of a confrontation between them and the Pirates, sir.”

“Really? Good then, they’ll blow each other up so the cops can mop ‘em up afterwards.”

“The Army General ordered it, sir. All men on deck by twelve hundred and thirty hours.”

“Alright then, tell my superiors I’ll be there.” Daniel hung up and put the phone down harder than what he needed and began to prepare for duty.

Almost half an hour later he arrived at the Southern Garrison on the wall protecting the slums from whatever threat would come from beyond the alien yellow and purple marsh that covered all of the Mediterranean Basin and parts of Africa and Europe.

He parked his vehicle in a two story hanger used mostly for military storage. He walked through the garrison noting that it was packed and whispers of sightings of giant blue beasts in the marshes and of the fall of Alexandria and Cairo in separate moves from the Imperials and the Republic of Africa.

Daniel knew the Imperials and the Republic of Africa were enemies against each other as much as they hated the Federation and Cairo was then surely to be fought over viscously between the two super powers.

Daniel then reached the upper level of the Hangar that bustled with military personnel running around and leaving on missions into the slums. He made his way over to a black vehicle with wings that unfolded to show a lower deck where up to ten soldiers could travel. Nine soldiers stood around it talking amongst themselves. When Daniel reached them a pilot spoke to him.

“The commander is busy so he passed the briefing to me.”

Daniel’s lip curled however he held back any comments on the Commander. “Yeah, go on then.”

“Well, I’m gonna drop you down in a high risk area. You’ve gotta dig in and block any incoming gang members. The Commander said that the movement will come from the north from a scattered mob that’s moving in about thirty different packs retreating back to some kinda rendezvous point.

“The Commander had also told me that many more groups would be using sewer systems, back alleys and safe houses in attempts to avoid the Military. Got all that?”

“Yeah, got it. Let’s go.” Daniel remembered seeing smoke billowing from buildings speckled all across the slums. Today was going to be hell. He jumped aboard along with the nine other soldiers as the ship rose up off the metal floor. He sighed as the ship accelerated out of the hangar.

He turned to his team and began briefing them as the wings folded around the lower deck of the ship.

__________________


Latest Works: The Different Ones