2.5
Irina saw the
later threat, as more dirigibles appeared on the skies. These are low flying
ones; designed for patrols and rapid deployment with the personnel load of
twelve. These are trained personnel who would act as scouts or saboteurs. She
saw them rappelling down from the dirigibles while machine guns provided the
needed firing cover. They landed on the ground and ran to the deep cracks made
by the laser. The personnel wore gas masks and then dropped down the contents
from their bag packs while they ran along the crack.
“Oh no!” Irina
mumbled to herself. She knew what those thing that were thrown down. It was
mustard gas; the yellow appearance substance with the mustard like smell
comprises of carbon, sulfur, chlorine, and hydrogen. The gas when inhaled would
kill the tissue inside the nose and throat. They were dropping it in between
the gaps in the cracks to inside the basement. She then saw the bigger threat.
It was the
war-machine; the rhomboid tank design with the double single tracks that run
along the side of the hull. The steam engine exhaust to the rear driven by the
5.0 h/p 6 cylinder valve rolled the machinery at 4 miles per hour. The eight
man crews were located in between the tracks; one driver and commander with
four gunners and the loaders. The last two crews were mechanics to keep the
steam engine running. There were the single barrel cannon on the upper hull;
the six pounder cannon with the breech block. Its barrel was shortened compared
to the dirigibles model to accommodate the war-machine length. The six pounders
had a shell which gives it names, and had an effective range of four thousand
yards. On each of the sponson on the hull side were the machine guns which can
be moved for the forty five degree coverage. There were four of these giants
towering at over nine feet with a length of thirty feet roaring with the steam
pipes huffing behind it hull. They nicknamed the war-machine the “Dozer” for
its crushing force over the rubbles.
One of the
war-machine stopped at the open crack, while it gunned up the engine. It was
forcing the front part of the machine to create a burrow towards the
basement. The ground gave way, and the
machine went forth while it dived into the basement. While more of the ground
gave way, it created a pile of rubble which was formed to be a ramp for the
other machines. When the machine reached the basement, its cannon roared out
with the projectiles to bring down more of the upper ground, and exposing the
basement for the others to access it.
Irina then saw
the columns of troops which force marched down the streets, and into the
basement through the improvised ramps made from rubbles. It wasn’t an invasion
on the area, but an all attack on the Devil’s Own.
There was one
contingency build into the basement which only a selected few knew. Irina ran
to the location at the far end of the block. The entrance was through the
basements. She stepped into the barber shop located at the corner. She ignored
the barber seated there on the chair and watching her by the mirror in the
front of him. She ran to the rear and reached the stairs that would take her to
the basement. The stairs was still intact despite the bombing with its
reinforced support. She descended and ran to the metal doorway in the end of
the corridor. It was still locked with an intricate locking combination like
the vaults. The corridor she was in was empty of any of the recruits or the
staff of Devil’s Own. She crouched down to unlock the eight digits combination
and had the door opened. She went in and was confronted by a long table console
with multiple switches. She cringed when she stood there.
The room was
named the Death Wing. There were four of these rooms in the basement areas. The
console controlled the series of explosive canisters that could be deployed by
the pneumatic driven pipes across the whole basements. The canister had a
detonating point on its front which would explode the gun powder in the
canister body. It was a trap of last resort in the even the place was to be
overrun. She had eight canisters to release and prayed hard that the areas that
were to be exploded would collapse the supporting structures and bring down the
buildings onto the invading forces. It was designed by a structural engineer
who overlooked the entire original basement plan and devised this hideous trap.
Irina could not
hesitate then, and reached for the main valve. Once that it opened, it would
send the air pressures throughout piping to the eight muzzles where the canisters
of explosives are stored. It would trigger off the canister to speed along a
designated straight pathway and on impact would release a series of explosions
in the basement. The force of the explosion would be like a minor quake in the
ground, but it will be effective on the specific structure. It will do the
impact in twenty seconds, unless the pathway had been blocked.
“No, Irina.”
Irina turned her focus on the man who had stepped in. It was Master Halen.
“Don’t do it. You will destroy the blocks.”
Irina looked to
the one named Master Halen. She was confused by that request. She was to ask
when the blow landed on her face. Master Halen had punched her in the face. She
fell down and looked up.
“You cannot do
it, Irina.” Master Halen told her. “You would kill of them all. I cannot allow
it.”
It was then the
ex-Master Mitchell. He had stepped in with his dagger bloodied from the
killings.
“What the~”
Master Mitchell voiced out. “We were supposed to be alone.”
“Shut up! Kill
her now.” Master Halen spoke to the other. “She had seen too much.”
Master Mitchell
moved in on the kill, thrusting his dagger at Irina’ chest, but the later had
seen it coming. She kicked out with her left foot and then sprang into action.
She half turned her body to lash out with the right leg, but it was blocked by
Master Halen who had come in to assist. The older Master pushed Irina’ leg
away, and then stepped aside.
“You fool!”
Master Halen cursed at the ex-Master. “You have been away for too long. Take
care of her. I got to stop the others at the other room.”
With that Master
Halen rushed out, leaving Mitchell to face the young assassin. Mitchell pulled
from within his jacket of his uniform. It was a las-tol; a modified hand
shooter which emit a laser. The hand shooter was modified from the bigger
cannon, but its power pack was in the rear of the barrel, behind the hand in
the form of two mini barrels that had a series of interlocking connections. It
fired a laser beam at over a deadly range of twenty feet through the barrel.
Each power pack had a capacity of ten shots.
“Goodbye,
Irina.” Mitchell pressed the trigger to release the laser, but Irina had rolled
aside. The laser hit the wall and created a hole in the wall. Irina had grabbed
the dagger in her roll and threw it at the other. The dagger hit the ex-Master
in the right lower forearm, and made him dropped the las-tol. She followed
through with a drop kick into the ex-Master on the chest. She dropped down and
chopped with her right hand at the injured arm. Mitchell screamed out and tried
to hit back, but Irina had moved in with a direct knuckle punch into the
throat. The blow shattered the lingual bone there and cut into the thyroid
muscles. She then contracted her knuckles in to form a fist and rammed it
upwards, shattering the jaw. Mitchell went down clutching his throat while
Irina retrieved the las-tol.
“See you in
Hell, traitor.” Irina aimed the las-gun between the eyes of the other and
pulled the trigger. She then turned to the console and pressed the main valve.
She could hear the steam air being released into the pipes propelling the
explosive cartridges. She got like twenty seconds to get out.
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