Thick as Thieves 2: Under Your Command

Chapter 12

The rain began around midday. Light at first but it soon got heavier. Michael couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much rain as he peered out his window with a cup of coffee, watching people run for cover and splash through the puddles. He could hear the wind thrashing against the walls of his house, and then the loud rumbling of thunder reverberating through the colony.

He noticed people being ushered indoors as the storm worsened, leaves and twigs and bits of debris flying through the air. He had never seen a storm like it. After a while watching the chaos outside, he thought he heard shouts coming from outside his front door. Curious, he left his cosy spot by the window to investigate. Opening the door, he was met with the sharp assault of the wind and rain hitting his skin, almost causing him to fall backwards. Curran was still standing outside his door, drenched.

"You should get back inside," he warned, shouting over the noise of the storm.

"I heard voices," explained Michael. "Everything okay?"

Curran pointed behind him, beyond the wind turbines, at the lake which resided outside the colony, just beneath the mountains. It had overflowed and was spilling water into the colony at an alarming rate. Officers were rushing towards it, trucks driving past full of sandbags and other items which could be used as a barricade.

"We can't allow the lake to flood the colony," answered Curran anxiously. "It'll destroy the crops."

Michael saw the crops' entrance was extremely close to the water. With the rate the water was spilling through, it wouldn't take long for it to spread across the whole of the crops and destroy one of the colony's few remaining food sources.

"I can help," Michael volunteered, hair and shirt already soaked from the rainfall.

"No, you're still under house arrest," Curran yelled, his voice barely audible over the ferocious winds. "Shannon wouldn't allow it."

"Where's Jim now?" Michael asked.

Curran looked back over at the flooding lake. "Dealing with that."

"Then he's not here to argue. Come on, we'd be much more use up there than we are here!"

Curran didn't take much convincing, obviously feeling just as useless on babysitting duty.

They ran through the downpour, jumping into a nearby Rhino. Curran drove at top speed towards the flood, skidding through mud and debris, Michael holding on for dear life as the torrent of water drenched his t-shirt and hair. He was starting to regret not bringing a jacket, but it was too late now.

The rumbles of thunder seemed to be getting louder as they raced onwards. The dim sky flashed suddenly every couple of minutes, illuminating the ensuing chaos at the edge of the colony.

There were several officers, uniforms dripping wet, running back and forth and throwing down sandbags. Some appeared to be digging a makeshift drainage system opposite the crops.

But as they approached, Michael noticed Curran looking in his rearview mirror.

"What is it?"

"Another rover, behind us. It's coming in pretty fast."

Michael looked behind him. There was indeed another rover speeding up behind them, dangerously skidding through the muddy terrain.

"What the hell is he doing?" muttered Curran. He gave the vehicle a wider berth for it to overtake.

Michael watched as the vehicle came alongside them. It was Reynolds. He was waving his arms around at them like a lunatic. "I think he wants us to pull ov-"