A's senses were hyper alert as he noiselessly moved in the dark shadows of night. He had never put his skills to the test like he was now, following closely behind Axton and Renick. There was a crushing guilt that weighed his shoulder's down and made each step away from Coffeyville that much harder. He felt incredibly sorry for disobeying the soldier so blatantly, but he just couldn't stay cooped up in their room, waiting anxiously for the man to return.
So, despite his better judgement, he had followed the two out of town and into the dangerous swamps of Spurcus.
The thick air around him hung like a moist blanket to his skin, mud sloshed under his heel, working it's way between his taloned toes. He kept enough distance between himself and the two ahead, making sure they couldn't hear him navigating his way through the swamp. He was positive he could be right on their tale without them ever knowing, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. He was so paranoid, in fact, that he continued to remain invisible, despite the pitch darkness that settled on the planet.
It felt like hours had passed and 'A' held back a frustrated sigh as he crawled over a fallen log. Perhaps he should have stayed behind, their trek through moist swampy woods was anything but eventful. Although it felt like an eternity had passed, the experiment knew in reality, it had only been thirty two minutes since they had left the small town. Still, things were getting boring really fast.
“How much further?” Axton voiced the very thing 'A' had been thinking. Renick squatted bellow a branch, his back side nearly dipping into a murky puddle. He held a finger over his lips, indicating for the soldier to be quiet. Axton stopped, hand resting over the trigger of his gun, holding his breath to listen. 'A' hung to a tree, his brows furrowed together, scanning for any sounds.
“Best to stay quiet, we're getting near Clanton territory.” Renick whispered, his voice barely audible over the constant croaking and chirping of the swamp life. 'A' couldn't help but feel on edge, unable to hear if there were others in the woods with them. The wild life was very vocal, and very loud.
The group pressed on through the tangled grove of trees, moss and mud until the ground beneath them grew solid and the plants thinned out. Renick and Axton cautiously hid behind a large rock positioned just outside the edge of the woods, watching the stillness of the night around them. 'A' lingered in the shadows provided by the woods, waiting for the two men to make another move.
“Just over that hill,” Renick's gruff voice broke the silence, a whisper lost on the wind barely audible to the experiment. “You'll see Cochise Canyon. They're base is nestled at the bottom not even a mile that way.” Renick pointed off towards the moon that lingered in the sky to the East.
“Sure you don't want to stick around?” Axton muttered, double checking his snipe.
“As noble as your suicide mission is...I'm not looking for a lonely death in Cochise Canyon. It's mighty brave of you to risk it all to save W. Bill, and I wish you all the luck.” Renick then reached into his belt pouch, producing a thin red vile. “Here...just in case.” He nodded before turning and heading back into the woods. 'A' pressed himself against a tree trunk, still invisible as Renick hurried past him. He then let his eye train on the Dahl soldier who cocked his snipe in satisfaction. Axton carefully scanned the open hill ahead of him before darting out of cover and running towards the peak. 'A' was quick to follow behind, careful not to get too close. He knew Axton was about to do something dangerous and it would be best to keep his distance.
'A' was especially aware of how skilled the soldier was, he had seen the corpses of the Hyperion soldiers littering the hall of his home base. He had seen how he leapt from the roof of that building back in Coffeyville to take out the wild carriage. Axton was strong, skilled, he could handle this, but 'A' wanted to be there...just in case.
As Axton neared the top of the hill, he crouched down, crawling military style until he could see over to the other side. At the base of the other side of the hill the land was flat. An open dusty plain stretched out for miles, divided by a gaping crack in the earth. This was Cochise Canyon.
Although darkness wrapped around the planet like a blanket, the moon shown brilliantly over the smooth sand, lighting the soldier's way. Axton had no trouble sneaking closer to the canyon. He was surprised at how easy it was, there wasn't a Clanton member in sight. Sadly, his hoped of having an easy mission were crushed when he neared the edge of the canyon.
Down bellow, tangled with the rocky floor, were hundreds of lanterns and lights, illuminating what appeared to be a permanent camp ground. Instead of buildings and houses, the Clanton's took refuge in large tarp and hide tents. They congregated around campfires and leaned against their fuel powered wagons.
Axton poised his snipe over the canyon's edge, using the sights to scope out the gang base bellow. He counted a hundred some odd Clanton members, seventy of them were armed and patrolling, fifteen were asleep, ten were cooking by the fires, one was off taking a leak, and four of them were standing guard by a large structure.
Axton eyed the building guarded by the four men. He noticed boxes of what tools resting by the entrance and figured this had to be where they were keeping W. Bill. He was a mechanic after all, and if they wanted him to build their vehicles, he would need a workshop. A half baked plan began to form in his mind, it was risky, but it was all he had. Carefully the Dahl-soldier swung himself over the edge, doing his best to scale down the canyon wall. Stealth was his best friend, for now anyways. It would do him no good to go in guns a blazing when he was so heavily outnumbered and without an escape plan. So he humbled himself, just this once, and did his best to sneak into the camp undetected.
Axton had been on many a stealth mission, but none had felt as urgent as this one. As he reached the bottom of the canyon and pressed himself against a rock, he wondered how he could have ever under estimated his team like he had. Sure, running off and totally acing the missions and getting all the fame was absolutely amazing, but what he wouldn't give for some back up right now.
“You'd never believe me Sarah, but I'd love to have even one other soldier here with me right now.” He muttered to himself. Without the assurance that someone else had his back, he found himself more wary than usual. It took him nearly twenty minutes before he got the nerve to sneak close enough to take out the first guard.
Axton pressed himself against the back side of the make shift garage, crouching over the limp body of the first guard. He tried to quiet his pounding heart as he listened for the footsteps of the second guard. However, there wasn't a sound and he cautiously peaked his head around the corner. He was more than shocked to find the second man unconscious on the ground, crimson scratch marks gouged into his neck and pulling blood on the dusty ground. Axton gulped, maybe the Clanton gang wasn't the only thing he needed to worry about in the canyon. From the looks of it, some sort of dangerous creature lurked in the shadows, ready to strike. He figured that explained the heavy amount of armed men marching around the camp.
As Axton continued to creep around the building, 'A' crouched silently on the roof of the workshop, wiping the blood from his claws. He peered down at the man dead on the ground, admiring his work. This was the first time he had actually taken his training into the real world, this was his first mark. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and his muscles twitched in anticipation. He felt the sudden urge to jump off the roof and tear into another unsuspecting guard. He couldn't shake the warm satisfying feeling of the man's blood tainting his claws, or the way it became cold in the night air. However, at the same time he felt a shadow of horror looming over him, it had been so easy, it had come so naturally. And for a moment, the words Braden had said to him time and time again came creeping back...maybe he was a monster.
'A' shook the sinking feeling that killing brought on and tried his best to watch for anymore danger. Still using his powers to keep his body invisible, he crawled closer to the roof's edge, peering down as Axton took out the last guard and slipped unnoticed inside the building.
'A' hadn't planned on getting involved, he had just wanted to watch, to make sure Axton returned. When Axton put the first guard in a sleepers hold, the man around the building had heard the shuffle and was making his way to investigate, but 'A' had gotten him before he could even reach the corner. It happened in a flash and he acted on instinct, on his training. It was silent, like the beat of a butterflies wings, and just as quick. Before the man's lifeless body could even hit the ground 'A' had leapt onto the roof, watching the rest of the camp for anymore potential threats. And now, he stood guard, occasionally listening to the hum of whispers seeping from the building beneath him.
Inside, Axton found himself in the strangest workshop he had ever stepped foot in. If anything, it was more like a prison. Cages were packed into the building, and each cage was filled with a handful of kids and alien children. A hush fell over the room when the soldier first stepped foot into the building, all eyes trained on him. The kids had scooted themselves away from the bars, trembling in the corners as they watched the man's every move.
The Dahl-soldier found himself at a loss for words, carefully picking his way through the maze of cells and towards the back of the building. Surely W. Bill was in here somewhere. As he rounded a corner, the building opened up, free of cages. There he spied a scrawny excuse of a man, a long chain was attached to his ankle, the other end to a pole in the middle of his workspace. He was surrounded by desks and machinery piled high with bits and pieces of some kind of automobile. A pair of cracked glasses rested over his pointed nose, quivering slightly as he chattered to himself, fingers trembling despite his work.
Axton cocked his gun, holding it up against his shoulder while asking,
“Are you W. Bill?” The man in question yelped loudly, dropping a tool to the sandy floor. His glasses flew from his nose and he exclaimed loudly.
“Jiminy!” Immediately he threw his hands in the air, trembling and squinting towards the soldier.
“Well...are you W. Bill or not?” Axton repeated himself.
“Yes yes. Who wants to know?” He spat boldly, clearly irritated he had been so rudely startled.
“My name is Axton. I came from Coffeyville to rescue you.” The soldier explained. W. Bill blinked a few times before stooping to pick up his lost glasses. Once they were placed crookedly back on his nose a smile spread over him.
“Finally. Do you have any idea how insufferable this Clanton gang is?” He huffed, beginning to grab some prized tools and cram them in his pockets. “I've been waiting for the right moment to leave, but there are just too many guards. Wait...are you here alone?” He glared suspiciously at his rescuer.
“Yeah.” Axton nodded, turning his head to stare back at the many cages of children.
“How did you take out everyone!? I didn't even hear a gun shot.” W. Bill gaped in awe.
“Oh uh...I only killed the guards. The other Clanton's are all still out there.” Axton shrugged.
“You...what...how. That's so stupid! How are you planning to get out of here? What about the guards? Won't their bodies be found eventually?” W. Bill began to panic, pacing in a circle around the pole he was chained to. Axton shrugged, ignoring the man's antics. His concern was elsewhere, specifically on the frightened kids kept in crates and the suspicious claw marks found on the other dead guard.
“Uh, what's with all the kids back there?” Axton asked. W. Bill stopped his pacing long enough to glance towards the cages at the front of the building. A sad frown settled on his face and his shoulder's drooped.
“Sad isn't it? You know what's really awful? I couldn't tell you any of their names or where they came from or how old they even are. They're all new, got here a few hours ago. The Clanton's round em up and ship them all out to Gevora. They'll be going to Gevora in about an hour or so, maybe less. The Clanton's are eager for money this month so it wouldn't surprise me if they left early.” He shrugged, sighing to himself.
“What do you mean by “round them up”?” Axton asked suspiciously.
“The kids, duh,” W. Bill gestured towards the cages. “The Clanton's traffic kids to Gevora, the city of lights across the planet. How else do you think scum like them make money?”
“I thought they were all miners or something.” Axton scoffed.
“Used to be. When Hyperion came down to Spurcus they were after the purple gold mines. However, the mines were owned by the Clanton's and the Dalton's. Neither gang was willing so sell their mines, because without purple gold to trade to Gevora, they wouldn't be able to receive rations and supplies from the city. But, Hyperion doesn't take no for an answer. They forced the Clanton's out of their mines and took over. Without anymore purple gold, the Clanton gang had nothing to trade with Gevora and therefore couldn't receive any food, clothes, weapons or supplies in return. So they found the next best thing to trade...people. Specifically young people. Gevora thrives on a wealthy pocket and is a city of posh and polished millionaires who can afford tiny artificial suns in their houses. They aren't above buying slaves to keep their lifestyle afloat.” W. Bill explained.
“What so...all these kids are destined for a life as slaves to a bunch of yuppies?” Axton immediately spun around to eye the cages again. Before W. Bill could add anything else to the conversation, Axton had grabbed a pair of bolt cutters from one of the desks. He marched off to the cages and began snapping locks.
“W-what are you doing!?” W. Bill shrieked then quickly covered his own mouth for fear of alerting any Clantons.
“You can't expect me to leave these poor children to be carted off and sold.” Axton hissed as he snapped open another cell. He couldn't help the small smile that spread as one of the freed children hugged him swiftly. “Guess I'm a real child's hero now..” He thought to himself, remembering how just the other day he had freed 'A'.
“It's great that you want to help all these kids, but you said you were here alone. Why don't you think I've escaped yet?” W. Bill grabbed another pair of bolt cutters and snapped his own chain. “Chained or caged...it doesn't matter. There are just too many Clantons for me to sneak past, and here you are trying to smuggle a whole group of stow aways. This will never work. We'll all be killed!” W. Bill exclaimed, tossing his arms in the air with exasperation.
“Well...the Clantons aren't the only thing we need to worry about. Some...creature is out there and it tore out the throat of one of the guards.” Axton added.
“Oh well that's just swell isn't it!?” W. Bill pinched his brows.
“Can you be anymore negative? I was just curious, because you might be about to break some sort of world record or something.” Axton scoffed, breaking open the last containment. The children huddled themselves in a corner, all eyes on the Dahl-soldier as he counted his guns and weapons.
“Please...please tell me you have some sort of killer plan.” W. Bill lifted his bag of tools onto his shoulders and stepped closer to Axton. Despite his complaining, he was clearly willing to do whatever to leave Cochise Canyon.
“Yeah I think so, but I'll need yo to cooperate.” Axton's nerves were shot. He was new to the whole plan thing, Sarah was the one who always came up with the missions and shouted demands. Sadly, he was never a good listener and he was beginning to wish that he had payed more attention during her briefings.
“Bill...I'm going to need you to lead the kids. I'm going to stay here. You'll take them around the left side of the canyon, stay in the shadows. Near the third building I saw one of those mechanical wagons you built for them. Load the kids in it, I'll meet you there and we'll use that to get away. Do you know how to drive those things?” Axton explained.
“Of course...but that's their weapons building, there are always several Clantons just hanging around there. How do you expect to us to get to the wagon unseen?” W. Bill asked. Quickly Axton pulled a red Dahl Pistol from his belt and shoved it in the mechanic's hand.
“Don't go right to the vehicle. Not until the Clantons have all come over here. I'm going to stay behind and detonate my last grenade at the back of this building. The explosion should blow out the back wall and draw the Clanton's over here. I'll set my turret just behind the front doors and as soon as they open them, BLAM! They'll get a face full of bullets. Now we've got to be quick after that because my Turret doesn't last forever. I'll make my way over there as fast as I can. Hopefully they'll be so distracted they wont even see me.”
W. Bill shook his head, eyes going between the dozen some odd kids and the crazy Dahl-soldier standing before him.
“This is absolutely insane...but I guess it'll have to work.” He shrugged, accepting his fate.
Outside on the roof, 'A' was crouching quietly in the moon light. He had mapped out the whole camp by now, and knew exactly where every Clanton member was. He was watching as one of the mechanical wagons came rolling down the slope on the far side of the canyon, parking by a camp fire vehicle off to the right side of the canyon. Three men hopped out, two joined a group by the fire, but the other one began to work on the car. 'A' recalled how a similar wagon had caused havoc on Coffeyville, tearing up the streets and smashing into buildings.
Just then he heard the doors of the workshop open and he carefully peered over the edge. Confusion befell him when a strange scrawny man sporting a pair of broken glasses began to lead a long line of children out of the building. He watched as they snuck off quietly to the dark shadows by the left side of the canyon. The kids nervously clung to each other, constantly peering off wide eyed for any signs of danger. 'A' snorted, figuring he must have looked similar not but a few days ago. However, he was different now, he was no longer a scared and confused child being rescued, he was now part of the mission. He had helped, he had killed, and although his appearance hadn't changed...he felt different.
Soon the strange man and children were far on the other side of the canyon, hiding and crouching. It occurred to 'A' that he hadn't seen Axton with them and he began to wonder if perhaps something had happened and he was in some sort of trouble. Before 'A' could decide to leap from the roof and hurry to the soldier's aid, a massive explosion rocked the building and the poor experiment found himself hurtling to the dusty ground. His ears rung as he laid gasping on the canyon floor. The force of the grenade had rattled him and caused his invisibility to stop momentarily. He held his hands over his ears, this wasn't the first time he had heard that horrible ringing, but he didn't want to make a habit of it.
Just in time the sound of confused shouting and boots pounding against the earth reached him and he quickly crawled for cover behind a small rock. After a few deep breathes he was able to calm his shaking limbs and use his invisibility again. Within seconds practically the whole Clanton camp had raced to the building, guns pointed at the doors.
One man in particular scooted closer to the closed doors, shotgun poised and ready.
“W. Bill...you better explain yourself right now before we bust in there and shoot your sorry ass. For your sake, better not none of them brats be harmed.” The man shouted. 'A' watched as Axton squeezed out of a hole in the back wall caused by the blast. He raced for the far side of the canyon just as one of the Clantons opened the workshop doors.
Instantly Cochise Canyon echoed with the sound of guns shots and screams of utter agony. Bullets sprayed through the air and tore through the Clanton gang like a hot knife through butter. 'A' watched wide eyed as men collapsed onto the ground by the dozens, blood spurting from the bullet wounds that littered their corpses. A massive puddle of red oozed over the sand in front of the firing Turret while the Clantons scattered and ran like chickens without heads.
'A' took the opportunity to follow after Axton while the gang members darted around in confusion. The survivors had hunkered down behind boxes and rocks and shot their guns at the wild Turret.
Up ahead 'A' could see the group of children huddled around one of the Clanton's vehicles. The scrawny mechanic was hoisting them onto the car as fast as he could. Axton wasn't far behind and 'A' knew he could catch up.
The Dahl-soldier reached the car as the last kid was lifted atop. He leapt onto the vehicle just above the drivers seat where W. Bill had positioned himself. 'A' had about thirty yards to run in order to catch up, but he was quick, his taloned toes digging into the soft dirt as he charged forward. He would have made it too, he was just a few feet away when a shout of alarm echoed through the canyon and reached his ears. Across the camp, away from the danger of the Turret, the Clanton member who had been tending his own vehicle had spotted the group of escapes. He waved his arms and shouted loudly to the rest of his gang, hollering for back up.
The sound of the shrieking man went unheard by Axton as their getaway vehicle started up, the engine revving loudly. 'A' had a second to decide and he immediately acted on his instinct. He spun around, changing his direction and charging for the man across the camp. He had to take him out, he had to immobilize the other car, if he didn't, no doubt the Clantons would catch up and there would be trouble. 'A' ignored the sound of Axton and the children driving off through the canyon towards the slope, he blocked out the sound of the Turret exploding from the barrage of gun fire it was under, his senses were honed in on that single man.
Calculations began to zip through the sight of his robot eye, measuring the stance and stature of his prey. He would slide between the mans open legs, tearing open his thighs with his claws. The man would collapse to his knees and 'A' would take the opportunity to rip out his throat. If it had not been for the adrenaline coursing through him, he might have stopped and reconsidered his own gruesome plans. Was this what he wanted? To use the skills Hardie and Braden had drilled into him? Did he want to become...a monster?
He would have thought that under calmer circumstances, but his mind was flooded with instinct and the need to stalk this man. He darted closer, unseen, and put his plan into action. He fell to his knees, sliding under the man's wide stance, digging his claws through the thin fabric of the mans pants. What he expected was to feel the satisfying ooze of blood warming his claws, this was not the case. Instead he heard a sharp pang and felt the cold surface of metal beneath his fingertips. He spun around in confusion, eyeing the tears in the man's pants. He had prosthetic legs. The miscalculation cost him and the frightened Clanton member spun around in confusion, arms flailing in defense. His right fist smacked right into A's jaw sending the experiment tumbling backwards.
'A' reached out to catch himself, claws digging into the vehicles wheel. They sunk through the thick rubber, puncturing it. A loud pop burst in his face, alarming him enough to throw off his invisibility. 'A' rolled over onto the ground, that familiar shriek ringing through his ears again. The car beside him jolted down after losing it's tire and 'A' was somewhat relieved that he had at least enabled them from following Axton and the others.
However, that was where his luck ran out. Before he could even jump back to his feet, the man with the metallic legs was looming over him, an angry scowl contorting his face. 'A' could hear the shouts of other Clanton members as they raced over to see what the commotion was. 'A' knew he needed to get out of there immediately, but the man planted his prosthetic foot roughly onto A's chest, pinning him down. A's body tensed when he saw him pull a bulky revolver form his belt. Images of Braden zipped through his mind and he knew...he was going to be shot. He, however, was not given time to properly freak out as the butt of the gun was brought down hard on his head and he was out like a light.
Axton: Did you see that Sarah? I successfully created a plan and saved a group of children!
Sarah: It's about time you did a mission right.
Author: Well...I wouldn't say it was completely successful.
Axton: What do you mean?
Author: Oh...nothing.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
