Short Stories

Short Story #4

(Sorry the story's a little late)

The armored truck slowly puttered into the dense forest. Surrounding it was a convoy of jeeps with soldiers armed to the teeth. They swept their rifles in every direction, making sure that nothing was watching or following them. Each jeep had also been modified to carry a small turret in the back, and soldiers monitored the skies for helicopters or drones. Also, unseen snipers were concealed in the trees along the path.

Inside, someone was happily eating a taco.

"This really isn't the time," Lieutenant Brenton said. He had been staring out the small reinforced window, deep in thought, and had just noticed the taco-eating ensign.

"But the general just said we had to transport the suitcase, right?" the ensign complained. "He never said we couldn't eat..."

"Where did you get it, anyway? The mess hall doesn't serve tacos." Brenton eyed him suspiciously.

He shrugged. "A few of my friends and I went out on a snack run earlier. We stopped by a local Taco Bell." He gestured to a paper bag near him. "Want one?"

Before the lieutenant could reply, the jeep lurched to a halt. The side door opened, and a bright-eyed young woman in an army uniform greeted them. "Hello! I'm Amanda. I'm a technician here. Welcome to the Army's Forest Base!" She gestured for them to follow her.

The lieutenant slowly got out, tightly clutching the black briefcase. Immediately, a group of soldiers carrying rather conspicuous handguns formed a loose circle around him. The group slowly picked their way through the dense vegetation, occasionally tripping over a stray tree root. Suddenly, the soldier leading the group nearly ran headfirst into a metal wall.

"AAAH!" he screamed and jumped back when the metal wall suddenly filled his vision. He swept the rifle to it and had nearly fired when another soldier smacked his hand on the muzzle. "Calm down and shut up! It's just the base's wall."

Amanda chuckled. "We thought through it and realized putting the base in a clearing would make it much more visible from the ground and the air, so we just cut down a few trees, built the base, and put some moss on the roof." She pointed off to the left. "The main entrance is that way."

The sentries nodded at the group as they passed by, and one of them pressed a button. The apparently normal wall slid back and then to the side, allowing them to enter. 

Inside, soldiers ran around yelling into walkie-talkies, and the scientists in their midst were dashing around carrying boxes, computers, and papers. It seemed as if every hallway leading off from the atrium was equally lively. However, Amanda guided them to a small hallway off to the side dimly lit with fluorescents. No one seemed to be there except for a few cardboard boxes with some smiley faces on them.

"He's in the fifth door on the right," Amanda said to them before walking off. Lieutenant Brenton nodded. He checked his watch casually, and fiddled with some of the dials before heading to the door. He turned toward his escort.

He spoke to the soldiers. "You may go." 

They looked at each other uneasily. "But, sir..." 

Brenton smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. You guys can relax now. Just wait for me in the van." 

There was a prolonged silence before someone shuffled slightly. It was the Taco Bell ensign- he was the first to shrug and head off. Slowly, one by one, the escort filtered off into the crowd. The last person to leave, Captain Amaro, told him to stay safe before venturing off into the busy atrium.

Brenton walked up to it and knocked on the door. There was the sound of someone racking the slide on a semiautomatic pistol, and a few moments later, an eye appeared in the peephole. "Who's there? What do you want?" The voice was loud and hearty, but a touch wheezy.

"Lieutenant Brenton, sir," he said, holding up his ID card. "I brought the blueprints and data for the kinetic generator, as well as the generator itself." He gestured to the briefcase. The eye looked both ways in the hallway, then disappeared from view. A moment later, the door opened just enough for Brenton to squeeze through.

"Hurry up and come in!" The old man was named Max Prieto. He, along with some of the top brass of physicists and the army, had been covertly developing a kinetic generator that would allow for more sustained and/or high-energy attacks in a battle situation. It would also allow a cleaner and more efficient way of generating energy for the public.

Brenton slipped into the room and shut the door. "How's it been going, Mr. Prieto?" He gingerly set the briefcase on the table as he spoke. Max turned to watch as Brenton slowly undid the latches and began to lift the lid on the case. Suddenly, a sound somewhat similar to two shopping carts bumping into each other came from the door- Like a nail gun, Max thought. Simultaneously, Brenton's eyes widened, and he slumped to the floor. A small trail of blood trickled from the back of his head. In a flash, Max realized what was- a suppressed pistol! 

He didn't know or care whether the bullet that struck Brenton was tranquilizer or lead; he had to get out. He held the semi-auto up to the door and fired off a brief burst of bullets. He heard a cry from the other side, and, satisfied, grabbed a cork board and used it as a shield while he advanced toward the door.

Suddenly, an explosion blew the door in and smacked against the cork board, shattering it to pieces. Thankfully, the board absorbed most of the impact, but Max was still briefly stunned. Then the nail gun sounded again. He felt a small prick against his neck, and blackness quickly spread across his vision.

The woman slowly lowered the silenced pistol. She stepped inside the room, waving away the dust. She picked up the suitcase and spoke into a walkie-talkie.

"This is Amaro," the woman said. "The generator is secured."

A/N: (1004 words) I don't know if Wattpad is broken and is counting my own views as multiple different views, or if someone is actually reading these. If you are actually reading my stories, please, please let me know you exist. I spend a fair amount of time on these, and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read these.