Project SALLI

Chapter Eight - Agendas

In the hour just before sunrise, the city seems an ethereal place. The earth moves with unseen creatures making it seem the very ground is alive. Buildings groan as they strain against the cold air; some giving way as their life is sapped, bodies crumbling to the ground. The hisses of slithering movements surround, broken only by the crash of steel and concrete falling to the ground. The very air is laden with pressure making hairs stand on end and cold moisture that freezes on the skin. 

Major Vif is stalking the shadows, threading his way through the undergrowth as it nips at his ankles. Dew sticks to his face like tiny beads of sweat. His black uniform almost blends seamlessly with the landscape, but he is still being watched. He can feel eyes burrowing into the back of his skull. 

As he ducks and weaves, the sounds of the night fade. He knows someone is close by. Vif checks around nervously. Despite his training he can't find any danger, but he knows it is near, lurking in the shadows. He has no choice but to continue. 

He approaches the corner of a junction where a building is sat. The structure looms over him like a steel Lord, judging over a peasant on the street. The city is not a welcoming place. The major edges closer to the corner, his peripheral vision assessing the surroundings. The smells of smoke and cooked meat reaches his nostrils. He strains his ears and can make out hushed voices. Immediately he withdraws from the edge, careful not to alert them to his presence. He drops down to the ground then slowly crawls to the corner, and peeks round. 

Just a few buildings away is a group of ragged looking men around a camp fire, a pot of broth bubbling above it. He tries to adjust his eyesight, but the light from the fire has tarnished his night vision. He reaches for his binoculars. 

He counts over twenty men around this fire. Although their ragged clothing could give the impression of destitution, these men are all clearly well fed; muscle literally bursts out of their clothing and all are well armed with various hand held weapons. This group is preparing for a fight. 

Suddenly Vif spots a figure that does not fit in with this group of burly men. It is a small, female figure, dressed in the same black uniform that he is wearing. Rusé. 

He stares at her through the binoculars, until without warning she looks up from her food and stares straight at Vif. The shock makes him jump up and dive back out of sight, but he does not even know if she saw him or just felt him staring. 

It looks like Diesé was right, Berach is planning an attack. Rusé must be acting on his orders, getting bandits to attack Tanika. But what can I do about it? 

As Major Vif mulls over what he has seen, he dodges back through the plant life away from the area, returning to a safer spot. He does not want to be too far away from the bandits, but he does not want to be seen either. The best plan is to get higher ground. He decides to enter a building over the street, there he can look over the roads and pathways in relative security. The building in question is just a few stories tall, and all the windows have been blown out from ancient blasts of bombs. The former residence now looks hollow, deprived of not just it's tenants but of all form. It is just a shell of what it once was. 

Vif sneaks through the doorway, and after a quick scout, settles on the second floor near the window frames. Still he can't shake the feeling of a thousand eyes staring. 

Without warning, ten figures appear out of the walls and surround him. He would have believed they actually were ghosts, if it were not for their weaponry. He just sits in disbelief, not sure of what to do next. Fortunately the choice is made for him. 

"Are you Major Vif?" One of the ghosts ask him. 

"Yes..." he weakly replies. Vif can feel his gut contracting. "Are you here to kill me?"