Keeper Hunter

I walked down the tunnel leaving the captives behind. I wasn’t about to go rushing on I couldn’t see much in the semi darkness my goggles still weren’t working. I wondered if I should go back and free the prisoners. Nothing here was making sense. They’d been killing everyone on the surface yet down here there were captives? There was no logical explanation for what was happening here. This was total chaos unless that was the objective? I shook my head wool gathering would get me killed. The man Gustav had one heck of a head start on me he’d be long gone by now but dutifully I followed. I might as well see where this tunnel led. Wherever it was going it was going there in a straight line without any deviation I could perceive. I wasn’t going to rush, Gustav could have set any number of traps.

Suddenly movement up ahead had me on alert. A flash of red light had me dropping to the floor. It whizzed high above my head it was so badly off target that I wasn’t sure I was the target. I moved forward my gun drawn and ready to fire. A figure half-crouched, half-staggered away from me. Gustav, but he seemed to be in some sort of trouble.

“Halt!” I called out. I couldn’t tell him to drop his weapons since his hands were his weapons.

“No!” Gustav croaked.

I didn’t think he was talking to me.

“Surrender!” I shouted at him.

“It’s not possible they promised that I’d live forever.” I heard him gurgle almost choking on his words. “I can’t die. They promised?”

I had no idea what he was talking about. “Halt!” I demanded and fired the bullet hitting the floor close to him.

Gustav stopped moving and turned to me. “You’ll never win Human!” He said something else in a language I didn’t understand.

“It’s over,” I said closing in on him. I know I was risking things but I had to end this and I wanted to without a death.

He stared at me then placed his finger to his head.

“No!” I yelled as I realised what he was about to do.”

There was a flash of red and Gustav toppled over. I stared in horror, as the body deflated like it was a balloon leaking air. Then it dissolved into ash. All that was left was an ash shaped figure in the suit it was wearing. There was nothing I could do here there were the prisoners to free.

I returned to the area with the cages. I had more time to examine the construction of the cage and the people inside. There were men and women of varying ages. They were all in an emaciated state and dirty. The cage bars were solid and the locks on them although old fashioned were too hefty to shoot off

“Did you find him?” one of the men asked. He’d been the one to speak with me before.

“He decided to kill himself rather than face me,” I said honestly.

The man closed his eyes for a moment. “Gustav wouldn’t do that. He may have turned into an uncaring bastard with no thought for others. He wanted to live forever he kept telling me that.”

I took a closer look at the man I wouldn’t hesitate say if he was cleaned up and had a bit more weight on his body he was the splitting image of Gustav.

“Who are you?”

“Carl, Gustav was my brother we are twins.” He hesitated. “Were twins.” Sadness filled is eyes.

I cut through his reminisces. “We can talk later. I need to get you out of here?”

“Gustav has the key. He always carries it with him in his vest pocket.”

“Ok I’ll find it and free you.” I was really reluctant to do so but I had no other choice.

The body or the ashen outline of one was where it lay. The key was easy to find and I was glad of that. I did want to disturb the ash too much there was something definitely off about this? My priority was to free the people in the cages. I quickly returned and unlocked the cages. Some of the former prisoners openly wept as I released them. Some even wanted to hug me I kept my distance for practical reasons. I turned my attention to Carl who was standing on his own.

“Why were you here?” I had to ask,

“Gustav would have killed them all had I not stopped him.”

I was hoping things would make sense but this made even less. “Why not have you killed? He’s been killing people above ground for no reason I can make out.”

I saw Carl shiver his eyes wide. He waved his hands to the others. “I tried to save those I could.”

“Yet he didn’t?” I know I was sounding harsh but couldn’t figure a motive here.

“Only I could access the accounts it’s on a fingerprint and retina scan. We had an accountant…”

“I don’t want to know the details.” The sound of heavy tramping had me turning my hand ready to draw.

Out of the tunnel from the direction I had first entered came a squad of combat armoured soldiers. I recognised the patched green and grey of the Confederacy. The tortoise symbol of their pauldron indicated they were 43rd GF. I noticed the soldiers were helmetless they must be have the same problems I had with my goggles. Whatever was killing the electronics down here was affecting the soldiers they were moving slower as if their servos weren’t working.

“No one move!” a soldier shouted he had a sergeant’s chevrons on his armour.

His soldiers pointed their coil assault guns at the ex-prisoners.

“Are you sure those will work down here?” I said sarcastically.

The sergeant rounded on me. “Who are you?”

“Gwen Hunter I’m with Leo’s Spec Ops team.” I should kick myself not getting Leo’s surname. I had another ace up my sleeve. “Barring that speak to Major Osward he knows who I am?” The only thing I wasn’t sure of was that they knew the captain.

“What are you doing here?” the sergeant asked. At least he wasn’t barking orders at me.

“I’m freeing these prisoners. I’ll need some medtechs and could you send a runner to your CO. I guess you can’t get a comms signal down here nor can I?”

The sergeant looked to the ex-prisoners. “Who are you to give me orders?” The pleasantness had gone replaced with suspicion.

I suppose I would be if it came from an unknown. “I said, I’m Gwen Hunter and I’m with a Lieutenant from Admiral Katares Special Operations. I am also a Lieutenant with the TCA and a member of the Valkyrie Silver Guard!” I held up my arm to show him my bracelet. I wasn’t sure if I still was a Lieutenant with the Alliance. What I did know was that the Valkyrie weren’t going to let me go.

“You can’t be all that.” The sergeant stated adamantly.

“Sarge,” one of the T’Arni a male interrupted him. “I recognise the bangle it is Enari.

I’ve seen one before.” The T’Arni turned to me. “Could I ask what has got the Enari interested with this raid?”

“To stop the poisonings,” I replied.

Carl gasped behind me. “Poisonings?”

“Neurotoxin in the export brand of the beer.”

“Shit!” the sergeant barked. “I drink the stuff?”

“And as a Human you could have died. It effects Human’s only.”

The sergeant snapped his fingers pointing to the talkative T’Arni. “Head back up at the double and bring down the medtechs and let the CO know the situation down here!”

The T’Arni saluted and ran off at the double back the way he’d come. We waited for the medtechs. The sergeant’s team gave the ex-prisoners what food and water they could spare. From the expressions on the faces of the rescued it was like giving them a full banquet. I couldn’t start to imagine what they had to endure. Carl had stomped off into a corner and was muttering to himself. I was left to my own devices spending the time cataloguing what I could. This evidence would make for a compelling case for the prosecutors. The T’Arni returned with the medtechs and two officers in tow. One of them walked over to me and saluted. He was a Human in a grey Confed dress uniform several commendations on his chest. He was short for a Human with dark hair, lieutenant’s bars on his high necked collar.

“Ma’am the general would like to speak with you, could you come with me?”

“Carl,” I said. “You’ll be safe with these people?”

“Safe,” Carl snorted. “The brewery’s reputation is in pieces. I don’t know how I’ll fix this.”

I left him to his ramblings and followed the officer. We took a different route to the surface. I passed the ladder I came in on still in the semi darkness. They hadn’t found what was dampening electronics down here. We exited the tunnel into a vast underground storage area containing shelves and shelves of bottles of the export brand of the beer. Two Confed soldiers in full armour guarded a goods elevator large enough to fit a small army inside and ascended to the surface. I breathed an sigh of relief on finding myself on the surface. I halted the relief washing over me.

“This way ma’am,” the lieutenant said.

“I’ve got to make a comms.” I commed Leo updating him on the situation. “Leo?”

“Good to hear you Gwen we’re at the south entrance mopping up the last of the resistance here. You certain left a mess for us to clean up.”

“Things happen. What I’m calling about is that I need to detain and disarm any of the Valkyrie with you.” I quickly explained what had happened with Regitha.

“On it Leo out.”

I continued my journey.