Relias: Uprising Page 32

  “We’re just that smart.” Merino said. “Now everybody into the trailer, and… you,” he pointed at Sable. “Up front with us.”

  Already angered, Hendrick stepped forward as though ready to knock Merino unconscious. “What you think you’re doin’ you randy piece of-“

  “The city limits are crawling with Legionnaires and somebody who looks like she does will make passage a bit easier. I got a Legionnaire ID but if they’re distracted at all by her it might help them forget to run the ID number through the system which, if they did run it, would get us raped where we stood. Now that trailer’s full of miniature Quos stacked from front to back. Five of them are living, the sixth one is just a skin stuffed with leaves and dirt. Underneath the trailer there are compartments just big enough for y’all to squeeze in. We weren’t expecting this many but we can make due. Pull the Quos out, climb into the compartments, you big guys pull that skin over ya and just hold still. I’ll take us into the city and even if they check the trailer we should be able to get through just fine. It’s a brilliant idea, I think. And we gotta hurry. You’re little spat got the attention of the Legionnaire too and they’ll be here before we know it so, uh, pick it up.”

  With the exception of Muldoon and Kristik, everybody lingered there for a moment longer, looking at Luke hoping for some change in heart or some epiphany-like coming to terms. Luke was motionless, and they knew they weren’t going to get it. As they went about preparing the trailer, pulling the Quos out, finding which compartments they’d be stowed in, a voice in Luke’s head kept yelling at him. Apologize, apologize. But Luke couldn’t let himself do that. He wasn’t about to invalidate completely legitimate and justified feelings of vengeance which the others clearly didn’t understand. That was the most depressing part of the whole situation is that this was something he had to do and it was either bring Frenz and the Legionnaires to justice or do what made his friends happy.

  After Rush had hidden themselves inside the trailer the Ditrinity came next. One by one they entered the trailer and one by one they paid him saddened, betrayed glances. The last three out of the trailer were Sable, Morlo, and Hendrick. Being completely out of character, Sable said nothing, but her eyes said more than any of the others’ did. Her eyes showed pain, took one step towards the cab, like she wished to stay with Luke or like she wanted to give Luke one last chance to go with them. Luke and Sable looked into each other’s eyes for what felt like forever. When Luke broke the gaze without moving towards them, Sable’s figure melted into sadness and, with tears on her cheeks, she disappeared behind the trailer.

  “You comin’ with us?” Hendrick asked being neither angry nor offended.

  Again, Luke said nothing.

  Hendrick nodded, and for a brief moment Luke felt as though Hendrick might understand. “Take care of yourself.”

  And then there was Morlo and Muldoon. It wasn’t a surprise when Muldoon didn’t look at Luke, but when Morlo did the same, Luke’s mistake hit him harder than it had before.

  Merino herded the Quos back into the trailer and closed it up, checking the latches and moving around the trailer to check to make sure everything was in place. After everything reached his satisfaction, Merino stopped at the edge of the trailer and looked at Luke casually.

  “I don’t know if you recognized my name, but, my dad made that sword of yours.”

  Luke nodded. He’d never forget that.

  “He talked about you like you were a god.” Merino said with a disappointed undertone. There was a sharp scream of Machbikes that was coming up over the trees and Merino disengaged himself and became swift and rushed with his movements.

  “Good luck out here, Semprys.”

  On the far, out of sight side of the vehicle the door closed. The truck shifted into gear and lurched forward, the engine roaring as it worked to gain momentum against the massive weight it was now towing. Taking several branches from overhanging trees with it, the trailer pulled out of the trees and onto the badlands, kicking up a small amount of dust as it rolled in the direction of Leramato.

  Luke watched it get smaller and smaller against the horizon until it was nothing more than a dot and the engines were no longer audible. And watching it get smaller, the vehicle on which rested the only meaningful connections Luke had to that world, Luke hated himself a little more.

  He stood there until it was gone, while decades of fighting alongside the Ditrinity became trivial and meaningless considerations. They had hoped for him to show them that he cared for them as much as they did for him. But Luke was unable to do that. He had never known how he could show he cared for somebody since Trina had died, and for that, he hated himself. Almost as much as he hated Frenz.

  Maybe more.

  Chapter 22

  The sound of tires against dirt reverberated hollowly through the trailer and was the only sound present as the truck rolled across the Bremmonni Badlands towards Leramato. In the darkness of the small compartments that Rush and the Ditrinity had hidden nobody spoke while all of them shared a common thought.

  What do they do now that Luke was gone?

  It was a sobering thought. After all, the Ditrinity was formed around the existence of the Semprys family, most notably Luke, and without being able to serve that main purpose they found themselves in a loss for what they should actually do. They were torn. Every last one of them wanted to stay with Luke. In fact, they had sworn themselves to it and had promised themselves that they would do everything within their power to make sure that they were of some aid to Luke.

  But Luke didn’t want them, and that’s what made them move on. Crammed into that lower compartment Hendrick stared into the darkness. He had taken charge of the Ditrinity; he wasn’t its leader. The only leader it could ever have is Luke, or a Semprys for that matter.

  That’s when Hendrick remembered Tess. She laid a few people down from him, the two separating them being Vyvyr and Kristik. And though she would deny it, Luke’s departure hurt her just as much if not more than it hurt the Ditrinity. She was just like Luke. She could be as depressed and emotionally distraught as is humanly possible yet she’d store it away like an embarrassing wound, causing it to rot and fester until she eventually reached a melting point. There were only a few times where Luke reached that point and it took the murder of his family, more than half a decade of torture and the genocide of the Durants for Luke to reach that, facts which led Hendrick to believe that it would take more than family problems to drive Tess to her breaking point. But Tess was more like Luke than any of them, save Hendrick, realized.

  The truck came began to decelerate until the brakes were engaged and the axles ground to a halt, causing everybody to lurch where they stood, sat, or laid.

  There were voices outside, demanding voices, and at that point they knew that they had reached the outer walls of Praemon. Listening to the heavily armed Legionnaires gritty footsteps just inches from their heads raised their anxiety level to nearly harmful levels. If the Legionnaires even got a clue that they were in there then there’d be no fighting back. They were crammed in there so tight that they wouldn’t even be able to get their weapons in hand.

  The main gates to Leramato towered above them and it was clear to everybody in the vehicle of just how close they were to achieving their objective. The Commune was close to its end. That was, of course, if they were able to make it past this checkpoint.

  It was an entire squad. Security was tighter than they had anticipated. After they had driven off road for nearly the entire distance to the badlands they had to pull onto the First Communal Interstate, the world’s longest highway, with branching exits that took them straight up to the front gates of Leramato.

  There was already a long line of vehicles being inspected for passage. Four lane traffic merged into a single lane and moved at a pathetic crawl drawing an uproar from frustrated commuters and travelers alike. According to Merino, the Commune’s rational for the increased security was that the Darks had been creating a new wave of
violence all around the world. Terrorist strikes were apparently commonplace now and the Commune was taking ‘no chances that would inevitably cause the potential harm and death of the world’s citizens.’ Rush and the Ditrinity, obviously, were unaware of the new developments. They’d been walking through the woods for the past week, and apparently what Darks remained made what miniscule and relatively harmless attempts they could to get revenge on the Commune for what they did at Praemon.

  Things were worse than any of them had originally anticipated, and Merino explained that. While they were waiting in line he made sure that they were all up to date on the dire current events.

  The Commune was reintroducing concentration camps like they had during the Durant crusades. They were being referred to as prisons, of course, but in the end they amounted to nothing more than death camps. Praemon was being touted as one of the most infamous acts of terrorism in recorded history and the Darks were bearing the brunt of the blame. Styne was under a heavy assault, taking a massive beating from both the International Army and the First Legionnaire. Merino credited Styne’s survival to Alighieri’s brilliance in military tactics, saying that if he hadn’t ordered to refortify Styne with that battle cruiser armada and the majority of the Dark forces then Styne wouldn’t have lasted a day.

  The truck was now one vehicle away from its own inspection.

  The checkpoint was being run by an entire squad of Legionnaires. There were two Berserkers, three Knights, a Monolith, two Skirmishers and a pair of Nightwolves sniffing along the vehicle’s bottom. The Monolith interrogated the driver while the others would pull the car open and make their inspections, looking into wheel wells and inspecting every inch of what might possibly be open space.

  The Nightwolves picked up a scent before the Monolith could finish his questions. In less than a minute a compartment towards the back of the vehicle was discovered. Aggressively, the Monolith hoisted up the back of the vehicle with one bulging arm and ripped the compartment from the car’s frame. It tumbled violently to the ground and two dirty, shabbily dressed people rolled out of it. The Nightwolves were on them before they could get to their feet and run. The Berserkers tore the driver from his vehicle as well as the two children in the back seat. All five were spread out on their bellies in the dirt, hand cuffed and shackled, while the Monolith called in for a prisoner transport. Within minutes the gate opened, a vehicle pulled out, and took the prisoners away. The car was towed into the city and the gates closed once more.

  Merino’s confidence vanished and he immediately became apprehensive. The entire time he’d been convincing Sable that there was nothing to worry about and that they were simply light checkpoints. However, after the recent inspection they witnessed he was no longer positive that they’d make it through as easily as they had thought.

  “We’ll be fine.” Merino repeated over and over, first to Sable and then to himself. “We’ll be fine.”

  Merino’s words weren’t reassuring in the least. Sable wished that Luke was there.

  With the area in front of the gate clear, the Monolith motioned for Merino to pull forward. Shank tapped nervously at the dashboard as they did. His eyes jerked between Merino and the intimidating Legionnaires that were prepared to inspect them.

  “They’re gonna find ‘em.” Shank muttered in a weasley voice.

  “Be quiet.” Sable said, her heart beating fast as she kept herself calm and collected. Shank kept mumbling nervously to himself, his tapping on the dash becoming louder with every strike. Sable’s voice became more frustrated. “Be quiet!”

  “Gotta get out of here… gotta get out of-“

  “Shut up!”

  The truck came to a grinding stop at the head of the gate. The Monolith held a hand up for them to stop. He pointed towards the other squad mates and pointed towards the trailer. They obeyed and walked slowly back towards the end of the trailer, each with their hands on their weapons in one way or the other.

  The Monolith tapped on the window. Merino regarded him, pressing the switch and rolling the window down in a slow hum. The Monolith, who had to crouch down to look in the already high window, tapped his fingers on the window frame until the window had been completely rolled down.

  “License, registration, and purpose for your visit.” He said in a deep, monotonous voice that sounded like he’d said those same three words thousands of times that day.

  Merino looked into his rearview mirrors. The wolves sniffed at the bottom of the truck. The slender, light armored Skirmishers looked the trailer from top to bottom, their razor flails wound up neatly in one hand with their nine-foot halberds clutched loosely in the other. The Knights were packing Obliterators, bouncing the explosive-packed rifles in their hands while they walked in step. All of them, casually and dangerously, made their way towards the rear of the trailer.

  Shank had reached into the glove compartment and withdrew the proper documents. With shaky hands he leaned across Sable and handed them to Merino.

  “Here ya go.” Merino declared, passing the papers through the window to the Monolith. His hands made the paper seem like a small napkin to him. As the Monolith looked them over he nodded.

  “And your license.”

  “Oh yeah.” Merino stated in a forced laugh. He arched his back against the rear of the seat to make his back pocket accessible. He withdrew his wallet and pulled his license from it.

  The Monolith snatched away.

  He was suspicious, and everybody in the cab knew it.

  Seeing that it was Legionnaire Identification, the Monolith became less suspicious. In fact, he became the complete opposite. He grinned and looked back at Merino.

  “The 157th! I got a brother in there, a Berserker!” The Monolith tapped Merino playfully on the shoulder. “A Berserker! Sergeant Warr, you know ‘im?”

  Trying to give off as little information as he could, Merino shook his head.

  The Monolith was confused. He looked down at Merino’s ID and pointed to it. “But it says here you’re in Chaplin Company.”

  In his head, Merino unleashed a veritable downpour of curses. There was only one thing left he could justify his ignorance to that name. He prayed he wouldn’t again fall victim to coincidence.

  “That’s cause I’m in Second Platoon.” Merino said. It was almost natural to wince as he said it.

  The Monolith just looked at him with narrowed eyes, holding the identification up but not looking at it. “Let me hurry and run this through the system.” He stated slowly.

  That was the end of it.

  Before turning away from the truck, the Monolith glanced over at Sable, Shank, then Sable again. He wasn’t looking at her body like most of the other sexually deprived soldiers would, but rather he was focused on her eyes. The Monolith nodded towards her.

  “What’s with your eyes?”

  Merino spoke up but the Monolith quickly hushed him.

  “Easy, Corporal. I’m asking her.” The Monolith looked back to Sable.

  “My company was holding down one of the Furo extractors on the Pyrian perimeter while it was under assault from a large force of Darks.” Sable said quickly, but not so fast as to make it seem like a fabricated response. Her voice was solid, and she made it sound believably deeper and tougher than usual. “We had broken into squads and that jocky bastard Ranjak nailed and ruptured a pipe carrying raw Furo that went right next to my head. Took it right in the eyes.”

  The Monolith was surprised and quite impressed. “You were in Princeton’s 2nd squad?”

  “Corporal Sheyla Lanstack. I’m a Skirmisher.”

  The Monolith whistled. “What’s a gorgeous woman like you doing in the Legionnaire? I mean, if it’s okay that I ask.”

  “It’s just a little ‘I told ya so’ to everybody who said I was nothing but a pansy little girl.”

  “Well…” The Monolith said, handing the license back to Merino, the original purpose for his having it completely forgotten. “Good on ya.” He looked back towards the res
t of the squad as they inspected the outside of the trailer, opening up fuel compartments, checking utility boxes, and giving the trailer a front-to-back inspection. “Sorry 'bout this hold up. I’ll hurry an… Langston! We’re done! Bring ‘em all back!” The Monolith laughed and pointed back to the squad. “Darks’ve been sneakin' into the city and we got the privilege of standin' here all day turnin' cars inside out. Friggin’ Darks.”

  “Douchebags.” Sable shook her head.

  “Get back here, Sarge!” One of the Nightwolves had transformed back into a man and beckoned for the Monolith.

  “What the…” The Monolith stepped away from the window and held up a finger. “Just a minute.” His boots thumping against the ground, the Monolith went back towards the rear of the trailer. Merino and Shank exchanged worried looks. Sable looked into the rearview mirror with her hand on her sword.

  “What the hell’s goin on back here!” The Monolith demanded. “We got a line backed up that’s nearly a mile long and-“

  “Got a scent.” The Nightwolf said, having flipped off his Moonlight Module and transformed back to human. “Inside the trailer.”

  The Monolith was confused. “You mean… you haven’t opened it up yet? WELL WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU ALL BEEN DOING! OPEN IT UP!”

  Two of the Knights immediately came forward, putting their arms through the straps on their Obliterators to allow them to use both hands to work with. They undid the latches on both sides of the door. Everybody stood back to allow the ramp to lower. In the cab they heard the trailer door screech as it opened on old steel hinges while, hiding in the bottom of the trailer, Rush and the Ditrinity held their breath. The door to the trailer clattered against the pavement and the Legionnaires all plugged their noses while some staggered backwards at the wall of rancid air

  The sound of munching Quos and buzzing flies accompanied the powerful, putrid stench of fresh manure. The Monolith looked to the Nightwolf with a disapproving expression.

  “I think I can guess what your scent was.” The Monolith said. The Nightwolf shook his head furiously in complete embarrassment.