Episode 178

                “I smell a battle.”
                                Mad Martigan, Willow

                The three stood in the command center, watching as the sixteen-man team worked diligently, keeping an eye on all aspects of the fortress. The arrant sound of typing echoed through the dark room, while the giant screen was shattered into a multitude of different ideas, each one a different concern for the sixteen.

                Mint stood at the point of the three, with Jericho and Eli flanking her. The knight and leader of the Hand looked around the dark room, at the hard rubber walls and the sound-dampening fabric ceiling. In his eyes, he took in everything, considering the darkness of the room as if it was a foe.

                “What’s wrong?” Eli asked quietly.

                “This is wrong.” Jericho whispered. He looked around the room, then back at the door behind him. Mint looked over her shoulder at him, one eyebrow going up. “Mint,” He said to the woman. “I want you to . . . no, don’t worry.” He turned to Eli. “Take a detachment of men, ten or so, and I want you to make a sweep through the fortress, at all the weak points. Until the repair crew reports in, and they should have, I’ve got a bad feeling about this?”

                “Should we go to full alert?” Eli asked.

                “Not yet.” Jericho said. “Just go.”

                “Yes sir.” The sniper turned and headed out.

                Mint turned from Jericho, to look back at the screens. “You trained him well.”

                “He had too much potential to be left in jail.” Jericho answered, coming up next to Mint. “And besides, I’m having a hard time coming to only trust one person.” He said, glancing down at the shorter woman.

                Five shadows darted across the empty field, moving with the silent winds. As the hot air came down off the rocky mountainside, five darknesses bolted step by step in course with the wind. The sound of desert animals echoed off the shadows of the hot nighttime, leaving no trace as the sporadic winds swayed the tall grass and determined plant life.

                Morgan flattened himself against the mountain wall, just as Vincent came up next to him. Jason came up behind him, with Sydney and Ledger finishing the line of knights. With their assorted jackets pulled closed, the red underneath was barely exposed, leaving them as perfect black shapes against the mountainside.

                “I can’t believe this.” Vincent whispered to himself. “No guards that we can see, no patrols, no spotlights.”

                “They don’t want to draw attention to themselves.” Ledger whispered.

                As the two spoke in hushed tones, Morgan took out a pair of binoculars, sending his vision across the stone surface and searching the darkness. “See anything?” Came Jason’s voice.

                Morgan didn’t say anything. Lowering the binoculars, he reached out and pointed ahead of them, to a small indention of smooth rock in the mountain. Without a sound, he darted off with a breeze, heading towards the area in question.

                Eli slipped the key into the lock, turning it one hundred and eighty degrees. “Gentlemen, Jericho has put his utmost faith in us.” He said, turning back to the team of fifteen men. “We will not disappoint him. Now, you all are carrying your issued weapons, correct?” He asked rhetorically. Still, the gathered men, all large, thick, and dressed in black, glanced at their waists, at the nondescript black swords they wore.

                “Good.” Eli nodded, turning back to the heavy metal black box. “We all know Jericho’s feelings on guns. And it’s understandable. But, I have no such reservation, however.” He reached into the steel locker, pulling out two pistols and holsters. “Because this is my duty, we will be patrolling with pistols. Understood?”

                They all nodded.

                Morgan, Vincent, Jason, Sydney, and Ledger all pressed themselves up against the stone face. Underneath star-filled sky, the five knights waited quietly, as Morgan considered the location. “Okay, guys.” Ledger whispered, mainly to Jason. “Where’s your ‘insider’s’ help?”

                “Right here.” Vincent said, pointing ahead of Morgan. The five all followed his attention, seeing the small crack in the mountainside.

No more than an inch wide, the crack initially seemed to be no more than a depression in the rock. But as Morgan moved over to the crack, peering into the mountain itself, he could see a paved road extending up from the very interior of the mountain itself.

                Morgan stepped back from the mountain, considering the size of the opening. He glanced over at Sydney, shrugging. The dame shook her head, at a loss as well. “If we open this door, there’s a good chance that they’ll know we’re here.” Ledger pointed out.

                “Well, since our insider did this, then it’s pretty safe to assume that she tried to disable the security systems.” Jason said.

                “And besides, Morgan here thinks we already are expected.” Vincent added. He walked up to the opening, grabbing a hold of it. “On three.” He said. Jason and Ledger moved to help him. Morgan looked at Sydney, shaking his head. She just nodded as well.

                At first, there was no movement. The three knights fought in silence to move the immovable doorway, but it was to no avail. But slowly, the darkness parted. With a great groaning echoing up from the deepest places of the world, the doorway slowly slid open.

                With a gap just barely wide enough to slide through, the three knights stepped back from the mountainside, painting and gasping for breath. They looked to their two cohorts, but said nothing. Morgan looked at Sydney again, at a loss, but the dame just shrugged with a nighttime-lit smile.

                Drawing out his sword, Morgan led the way into the fortress.

                Eli led the men in an arrow formation down the halls. With the sword on their left sides, their guns on their rights, the fifteen men marched with chemical unity, their eyes ahead as they followed their leader. The sound of their hard-toed boots echoed with each purposeful step, while their dark presences were only dampened by the nimble lights of the hallway.

At the forefront, Eli led the way, carrying his sawed-off rifle in his right hand. He glanced down hallways that they passed; searching for any would be invader. Finally, the marching brigade came to the elevators. Eli stopped the march and turned to his men. “Alright men. We’ve come far enough. Let’s check the parking deck.”

                “Sir.” Called a tech. In the nearest of the sixteen turned around in the security room, only to see Mint standing behind him. “We’ve got an anomalous reading in the parking deck.”

                “What is it?” Mint asked, suddenly looking worried.

                “We’re not getting a reading from the main blast door.” The man said.

                “Explain.” Mint said, trying to be confused.

                “When Phillip took over the construction of the base, he insisted that we also include a feedback loop in the security systems. We get a signal from every system at regular intervals and we’re not getting one from the main doors before the parking garage.”

                “That door’s been giving us trouble.” Mint sighed. “And I bet those idiots who went out to check the station did something to it.”

                “Sir.” Called another tech. “We’ve just received word from the repair crew.”

                Mint waited with held breath.

                “They said that they’ve arrived at the location and are commencing repairs.” Another tech reported professionally.

                “Excellent.” Mint said, turning her back on all sixteen techs. “Now, if they can just take a little bit longer figuring out what’s going on, we’ll be all set.” She whispered to no one.

                Two red beams exploded out onto the bottom level of the parking deck. The dark light of the hand-held flashlights splintered over the pitch-blackness, shining on all the vehicles as the team of knights made their way through the darkness.

                “This bay shouldn’t be that large, since it’s the bottom floor.” Ledger whispered, staying with Morgan and Vincent.

                “Yeah.” Jason said. “The elevator’s are supposed to be directly ahead of the entranceway.” He said, next to Sydney.

                “There.” Vincent said, pointing ahead, his finger aimed across the concrete deck, at a small, metal door.

                “Great. A door.” Ledger said sarcastically, moving on ahead. Morgan and the others moved to follow him, but as they neared the doors, a sound was heard.

                Exploding over the parking deck, blinding white light filled the world. The heavy rumbling of machines echoed through the hard domain of the concrete and cement, while the lights of the elevator’s chimed.

                The doors parted, admitting Eli and his men onto the deck.