Black Dawn: Chapter 12

schattenjaeger (71)in #fiction • 7 years ago (edited)

Black Dawn

Chapter 12

As Adam and Maria are crawling their way through the air duct, unknowingly into an ambush, the bloodied and battered Kevin is limping his way through the halls of the facility, trying to make it in time to the main hall, to which the air duct leads. Kevin has the facility mapped out in his head, and knows exactly where and how Adam and Maria will be ambushed. Kevin received kicks to his right knee during the torture, and it's really giving him trouble moving. Every step he takes with his right foot is like a sharp stab through his kneecap. Kevin's been through worse, though. Spending your life in combat, you get used to physical pain.

On one hand, he could just use the fact that everybody's on the hunt for Adam and Maria to hunt Derek down and take him out himself, but his top priority is to make sure Adam survives. Yes, Adam's been Kevin's best friend for years, and he finally has him back, but there seems to more to it. Kevin seems to have another reason to make sure Adam stays alive. Nevertheless, Kevin wants to save his best friend's skin; it's a habit. For all the years they've known each other, Kevin has saved Adam's backside more times than he count, which is funny considering Adam was the mentor when he first took Kevin under his wing in the military.

Everything Kevin knows about being a soldier, he first learned from Adam.

Kevin stops for a while to go through his pocket to check if the mysterious serum vial he took from Derek is still intact, which it is. That vial seems to be of great importance to both Kevin and Derek. Kevin makes sure the lid is tight, and places it back in his pocket. The glass of the vial is strong enough to take bumps, and is not at all easy to break, which makes Kevin a bit more relaxed.

The hallways of the facility are empty, but Kevin knows that an entire army is waiting for Adam and Maria to make their way to the main hall through the air ducts. He needs to figure out a way to get them out of the main hall safely, but there's no way he can take out an entire battalion on his own, not even with his combat ability.

En enraged Derek flips over the table in the torture room where Kevin was held, as he notices that the vial is gone. The guard watching Kevin had one job, and Derek doesn't deal with failure well. The guard is on the floor, expecting his inevitable fate.

"You let him escape! And he took the serum with him!"

Derek pulls out his gun without hesitation and fires a bullet between the guard's eyes. Blood splatters across the walls as the remains of he guard's lifeless head falls to the floor. Derek's blind rage allows him to miss being watched by another guard through the doorway, who is starting to feel like his employer is too unstable, and quietly makes his way out to the hallways.

For the first time, Derek is starting to feel like he isn't keeping things together. Everything was supposed to be simple, but Kevin's unexpected appearance has messed everything up. He nervously runs his fingers through his hair and to back of his head, while trying to maintain enough composure to fix the situation.

The attempt to maintain his composure is an unsuccessful one, as he grabs a chair and smashes it to the wall in a fit of frustration.

"I've come too far. Too far! To let Kevin Reese come here and ruin everything!"

A second attempt to assess the situation is made, this one being more successful than the first, as Derek contacts Logan on his communicator.

"Logan. Derek. Change of plans. Kevin escaped, and he took the serum with him. Without it, all of this for nothing, and I will not accept that, you understand? He's your top priority right now. As he's not here killing me, I'm sure he's on his way to the main conference hall to save Adam from the ambush. Make sure he doesn't get there!"

"Copy that."

Derek shuts down the communicator, and remains nervous.

"Damn you, Kevin Reese. Damn you!"

Derek even looks at his gun, contemplating on going after Derek himself, but there's too much for him to care of. Logan is Derek's right hand man, and Derek chooses to place his trust upon him. Besides, he needs to continue digging up information on the Simon Silverman character the late Lloyd Heenan talked about, and was scared of. Whatever information Heenan had, Derek is eager to find out.

But there's one more thing on Derek's mind, the thing at the very top.

"And don't think I've forgotten about you, brother dearest. You'll get everything that's coming to you. I promise."

Adam and Maria manage to crawl their way to the end of the air duct, as Adam proceeds to unlock the grate in front of him. He knows to expect an ambush, but doesn't see anyone in the room ahead, which is a big conference hall with a stage equipped with a lectern, in front of multiple sets of seats. No doubt for politicians and other VIPs, which, according to Kevin, is the intended use for the facility, as a bomb shelter.

"I'll unlock the hatch, but stay behind me, Maria. I have no doubt there's a cavalry waiting for us."

"But what about you?"

"Just stay behind me, okay? I'll handle myself. Whatever you do, do not come out until I say so."

"Okay, but I hope you know what you're doing."

Adam doesn't, but he also won't let Maria know.

"I'll be careful."

As he slowly removes the grate, Adam pulls himself out of the duct and lands on the floor, with his rifle ready. Everything seems quiet thus far, but he won't give Maria the word just yet. He circles around the area, using his all of his senses as a soldier, but the room seems empty.

There are two doors that lead to the conference hall, and behind both doors are groups of guards ready to ambush him, while watching him on a handheld monitor that's connected to the surveillance camera in the room.

Adam is about to lower his rifle and tell Maria that it's safe, just as he notices the camera, puts two and two together and gets down as the guards ambush through the two doors and start firing.

Maria is watching this in horror.

"Adam, look out!"

The guards were not the only ones surveying the situation, as Simon Silverman is also keeping en eye on everything that is happening.

Kevin has almost made his way to the conference hall, as his ears pick up the sound of foot steps behind, and he instinctively jumps to take cover, just in time to avoid an incoming projectile that hits the doorway in front of Kevin, blowing it up and blocking the way.

"Going somewhere, Reese?"

The voice belongs to Logan, the almost seven foot, tattooed giant, built like an ox, strong enough to carry and handle a rocket launcher with one arm, and a rifle with the other.

Kevin knows he's screwed, and so is Adam; the doorway is blocked, and there's no way he's making it to Adam in time to save him. That is, if he can even save himself. He readies his two handguns and knows he's in for a fight.

"You should have stayed home, Reese. This is where it ends."

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