Dogfights

Dogfights - Winter (Chapter 19)

Samuel and his five brothers stood shoulder to shoulder in a bunker deep within the crust of the earth. Their dead eyes stared into the darkness and they said not a word as the world around them crumbled underneath explosion and tremor. Suddenly the steel doors which protected the CEOs opened. A red soldier appeared, his red-plate skin scarred and bruised.

"We are not sure who did it," the red soldier said. "It could have been anyone."

Samuel sighed as he dusted off his black and white suit.

The red soldier stared with unblinking eyes "What are your orders, sir?"

"We stay here," Samuel replied. "We have walked into a trap."

Samuel and his five brothers emerged from their tomb and began to march with sure strides. Samuel cursed himself for not seeing the trap beforehand. Now they would die in Kenneth territory, a pitiful fate.

Samuel stopped and turned to his brothers.

"I see no other choice than to wait here," he said. "Gather the army, create a perimeter. Malum cannot be saved. We must insert the suicide chip and rid ourselves of the nuisance. His people will think he died by his own hand, leaving us blameless. I see no reason in keeping him intact after we leave here. If the Kenneth Corporation is foolish enough to come for us here then we win."
One of the brothers sneered. "You also thought they would not follow us here. The soldiers are not stupid, Samuel. We must flee."

"I will not turn tail and run. It will lead to our downfall. Do not be so short sighted. They cannot keep up this barrage for long."

"What of the explosion?"

Samuel turned to continue on. "Some trick by Kenneth dogs. We will stay here."

The brothers looked to one another, their glass eyes betraying doubt. Eventually they ran forward to keep pace with their leader. They passed through dim halls with no lights and the brothers found themselves praying with each cataclysmic explosion.

"Where are we going?" one of the brothers asked.

Samuel chuckled. "We are going to Malum. We are going to insert the suicide chip ourselves."

The brothers stared at their CEO in shock.

"Why?" one of them asked.

"Because the only way you can get something done right in this disgusting world is to do it yourself."

A nearby door screeched open. Samuel dipped inside, the brothers following.

The prison was a well-fortified chamber with metal doors and metal walls and a metal ceiling. Two red soldiers stood guard. On the other side of the room was a prisoner, fenced off by a wall of light that shimmered blue. There Malum sat, staring at the floor. He was barely recognizable. His bloody, dark colored clothing did little to hide the metal, the face and arms shining a brilliant metallic color. The augmentation was astonishing, the level of detail and craftsmanship unprecedented. Pockets of humanity were seen here and there, but the rest was steel, pure technology.

A sharp clink sounded as Malum pressed his metal arms against the cold floor of the prison and lifted himself to a standing position. His body moved as if it were flesh, twisting and turning just so, a perfect mirage.

Samuel shook his head as he looked upon Malum with pity.

"You are sick," the CEO said in english.