Team Seven of Heroes Chapter 20

20.

They found the outlet but it was not what they planned to climb in. The pipe was traced to the nearby stream and its dimension allowed them to climb in. Everyone went in except for Mycroft who volunteered to stay back with the guards. The crawl was long and tedious with the pungent smell to fill their nostrils. Finally they reached the Filter Trap Room which was build underground and it was huge to hold the filtering machine. The trap was a huge churning container where the waste was separated from the water and it will stored extracted waste to be solid cake shapes. It was fully automated with the installation of mechanical gears and pulleys with the metal compartments. There were the iron ladders mounted on the sides for the maintenance staff to visit the room. Sherlock did not hesitate and took the steps to climb up. He soon found the grille opening which was into the garbage room. He pushed but could not move the cover. It was then Lord Greystoke took to the task and they were soon breathing in good air once more.

“Reminded me of Valjean in the …” Sherlock then having trouble remembering and was saved by Watson.

“Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Holmes, I think you need a reprieve.” Watson pulled his companion aside and reached for the familiar bottle but there was none. He had no cocaine for the man. He was alarmed then but Holmes reached out to Watson.

“I will be fine. Let me up and I will be fine.” Sherlock struggled to stand but he was held by Watson. The others have since climbed out and cringed at the new pungent smell. Lady Harkness was the first to comment.

“We may be in the basement and this one is refuge room. I wondered why they had it here.” Lady Harkness then looked at the piles of bags and was revolted by it. “My God, it’s flesh and bones. They have discarded it here.”

Sherlock rushed forth and rummaged at the contents. He then nodded his head.

“We found the facility. Now we need to find the people behind it.” Lord Greystoke had reacted with that when he searched the room and then found the doorway. It was locked from outside but the Lord then was enraged. He grabbed at the door frame and pulled with all his strength. It gave way and then they made their way into a bigger chamber. It was a huge area with numerous doorways and there was the stairs that led to the upper levels. Lord Greystoke crouched and then used his nose to pick the scent.

“They are nearby.” Lord Greystoke called out. He was then handed his staff by Lady Jane. He looked back at her with the concerned expression. “The Chitas’ are here.”

Without a word, he was up the stairs with the others following but Watson grabbed Sherlock by the right arm.

“You should rest…” Sherlock ignored the doctor and went on unarmed.

The first battle was brief but bloody with Lord Greystoke showing no mercy to the two surprised guards. He ran on after the kill and soon found the friends of his. They were all imprisoned in the cells with the barred iron bars. There were three levels of these chambers at twenty per level with the narrow walkway. He ran to the cells and was greeted by the imprisoned chimps.

“Watson, we have to release them.” Sherlock turned to his companion.  He then looked at Lady Harkness. “I need you to find me the armoury. There must be one here on the ground level. Probably near the main entrance. Take Jane with you.”

“Hauptmeister , you are needed on the roof.” Sherlock told the officer who rushed off. Sherlock himself then took off on his own directions. Lord Greystoke had no patience for the key had then grappled with the iron bars like an enraged ape. He shook it so hard that the bars came off its hinges. He released the first batch of five chimps before he went for the other cells.

Lady Harkness had then left that chamber and proceeded along the corridor. She was surprised that they did not encounter any more guards until they reached the main door. She peeked out and saw that the newly arrived convoy of soldiers were on the walls fortifying with more guns as if they were expecting a siege. It was Lady Jane who signal her when the found the armoury. She saw the long guard there but Lady Harkness had moved first. Like the dark shadow, Lady Harkness moved fast with her drawn out claws on the hands and took care of the guard. The armoury was filled with rifles and cartridges with barrels of gunpowder. There was an assembled water cooled .303 British Machine Gun or better known as the Vickers. The gun fired four to five hundred rounds per minute and held an effective range of over two thousand yards. The gun was fed by the two hundred fifty rounds canvas belt.

“Vickie, my love. I was with Roosevelt in the Spanish War. She was on my carriage then.” Lady Harkness touched the gun as if it was alive. “Look! They put out wheels on her too.”

With that the two ladies grabbed some more rifles and ammo before they wheeled the machine gun out. They rolled it to the main door and Lady Harkness waited there. Lady Jane had then joined Watson and Lord Greystoke who had freed three more cells of primates. Jane then spoke to her lover and nodded her consent.

“I doubt you agree to marry him once more.” Watson saw humour then but the lady was watching her lover took off with the dozen more chimps. Lady Jane turned towards the doctor and dropped three rifles carried by her at his feet before storming off.

“Holmes? I wondered where he is?” Watson was pondering on it when he heard the shouting from the courtyard. “I guess that means we are to fight now.”

It was the flare gun that triggered off the alarm among the soldiers and soon they were rushing towards the building but they were greeted by the doors opened from inside.

“Come and share, boys.” It was Lady Harkness behind the wheeled machine gun and it was levelled at the soldiers. She calmly pulled the trigger and swept it from right and left. The bullets tore into the soldiers there when they rushed at her. She cut down a dozen of them before she grabbed the new belt to reload. She was so fast that the gun was firing soon. She then pushed the gun out to the doorway and increased her range. She was shot at the left shoulder and right arm but she kept on shooting and reloading before resuming again. The wounds appeared but there was no blood spurting out. It just remained there and she was unaffected by it.

Lady Jane had climbed onto the wall opening and trained her fire with precision. She had two rifles with her then and when one was emptied of the bullets she switched rifle with Watson reloading for her then. He was reloading as fast she fired but he had two more extra rifles loaded by then.

Unknown to them, Lord Greystoke had reached the other cells where more creatures were kept from the lions to the dark panthers. They greeted the King of Apes with their growls but the King of the Apes grunted back in reply in the sounds that they were familiar with. He soon had the lions and panthers to accept him. He saw the fear and anger in those creatures and soon had all of them released much to the screeching complaints by the chimps. There was six lions and four panthers then and upon released they rushed down the corridor. They were headed towards the ladies at the main door.

Lord Greystoke then saw the prized creature he was looking for.

It was the great ape but that creature had part of its head shaved and there were wires protruding there.

It snarled at the King of Apes before it stormed forward but the huge chains that held it captive stopped its charge.

“Mangani Abalu.” (Great Ape Brother) Lord Greystoke spoke to it in the words that were whispered to him since young. The great ape continued his distrust and then heard the shooting. It shook the ape and it growled out in anger. Lord Greystoke then crouched in front of the ape and glared at it. It was a gesture of challenge.

Back at the ladies covering the doorway were then surprised by the appearance of the great cats which vaulted over them towards the soldiers outside.

“Lowen!” The cries went out and some were unlucky to be pawed by it.