The Search for the Eoz Potion

5. Headquarters

The carriage continued to race through the forest down below. Not long after Josef had escaped, a group of four motorcycles directed by operators back in the control center rolled up behind it, their engines humming quietly. When they got close they split up, two on either side, and rode up front to where the horses were connected to the large car. The horses quickly veered to the left forcing one of the motorcycles into the other and they both crashed into a tree. The two on the other side stayed in pursuit. When they were able to move in close enough, one of them shot a small but precise laser blast out of its side at the harness. The horses kept running forward, the motorcycles turned sharply away, and the carriage came free and crashed to a halt into a tree trunk.

After a minute or two, a group of about twenty soldiers wearing green uniforms with purple stripes on the arms walked carefully up to the vehicle - the Human Robot Army. They each had a protective helmet that lowered over their eyes and allowed the operators back at the control center a view of what they saw. Each soldier was holding a small pole, about a foot long of thick green metal with a purple tip. The soldiers formed a perimeter around the car and held their weapons across their chests as they waited for three more motorcycles to finish their approach. Two of them were unmanned just as the others had been and were riding ahead of the third in case of a situation. That one was also being driven remotely, but it was carrying a passenger.

The motorcycles came to a stop in front of the carriage and General Drawde got off slowly. Over his uniform, he was now wearing a long green trench coat with a purple star on each arm. He stood silently, staring at the carriage with intensity. The cool night air rested on his shoulders. The success of having made it into the forest was a feat second only to the acquisition of this carriage, so the General stopped to breathe in the moment. The feeling of triumph didn't show on his face, however. He remained serious as the soldiers welcomed him to the scene.

"General," one of them announced, "the area is secure."

The General nodded toward the carriage and three soldiers approached it. One of them took his baton and placed it against the door of the carriage. The tip began to glow with a bright purple light, and after a minute the door melted away into nothing. The three soldiers boarded the carriage while the General stood outside, his arms folded, calmly awaiting their report. After a minute or two, the soldiers appeared in the doorway and declared, "It's all clear, General."

Drawde boarded the carriage and began looking around. The soldiers had ransacked the entire place in the short time they had been on board, but he didn't see anything noteworthy. It seemed commandeering the carriage would be a more symbolic victory than a strategic one. After a few more minutes of searching, the General exited the carriage disappointedly and addressed the soldiers outside.

"Have this car brought back to Capital City for more inspection. I want it paraded through downtown so people can see we captured it."

"Yes, sir."

General Drawde turned to address the rest of the soldiers.

"You," he said pointing at half of the group, "press on toward the portal and make sure it is secured. The rest of you, set up camp here."

"Is that a good idea, General?"

Drawde snapped his head around. There was silence.

"Shouldn't we eliminate SG leadership before moving on the portal?"

The soldier spoke in a monotone, without feeling. This aberration went seemingly unnoticed by the other members of the HRA who stood motionlessly as though they had not registered the gravity of the soldier's dissension. It was as if the human behind the robot momentarily came onto equal footing with the mind controlled being. There was no self awareness on the soldier's part, he was simply thinking for himself without realizing it.