The Wandering Mercenary Part 2

Chapter 2
The Information Broker

         Caraken proved more hospitable than any city I had passed through. Fortunately, news had not reached this city of my bounty. Caraken is in the northernmost part of Melkian, the only city north of it being the city of Aramen on the Melkian-Araz border, as opposed to Makein City on the easternmost part of Melkian. It was a city for trade between Araz and Melkian, yet somehow smaller and more quiet than Makein or Kdianor. The people here knew me from my reputation in Ayrix, so they treated me as if nothing had ever happened in Makein City. Some even cheered as they thought I was here on official business because of my attire. Near the center of town was Connor’s office. There were no cars and all the lights were off. “Not a good sign.” I thought. The door had been left unlocked so I walked in. There was a familiar chill in the air, the kind of chill that tells you that you’re about to get ambushed. As I walked into his bedroom, I found a silenced pistol lying by a locked ammunitions case. The lock, upon further inspection, had been broken and the contents of the case were removed. There was a note on the dresser that said, “Hope is the key.” I turned around in time to see the flashbang grenade go off, blinding me. Two figures entered the room and dropped me to the floor.
         I awoke in a room with two guards standing by the door. One soldier was at an intercom. “He’s awake, sir.” he said.
         The voice replied, “Good. Send him in.” The guard walked over to me and pulled me to my feet. They led me through a long, narrow hallway and into a small office. The guard removed my cuffs and left. A door on the other side of the room opened and a man dressed in casual business attire walked in. “Connor?” I asked.
         “At your service, old friend.” he replied. He sat down in a chair behind a large desk sitting at the middle of the room. “Now I’m sure you have some questions.” he said.
         “Yeah. Where are we? What the hell happened?” I asked. “Some safety precautions.” he replied.
         “Being attacked by your goon squad is a safety precaution?” I asked.
         “Unfortunately, yes. We’re in a secret underground bunker 200 feet underground. As you know, I supply information to people. I recently supplied information about an Ayrix weapon depot that only Ayrix knows about. It turns out, as I thought, that he was a Matrinne spy. Now Dane has a bounty on my head, so now I have to work in secrecy in this bunker. Anyone seen entering my house will be knocked out cold by my bodyguards and brought here using a secret elevator in my basement.” he explained.
         “So, I need to know-“ I started.
         “Where Matrinne is? I figured as much. He is planning to go all the way to Tykrann to escape Ayrix. Right now, he resides in Alken City. Good luck, old friend. “ Connor interrupted.
         “I need a transport.” I said.
         “I cannot supply you with transportation. You’ll have to find your own way there.” he replied.
         A guard walked in. “Sir, Ayrix convoy approaching.” he said.
         “Deal with it. Come with me, Ryan. Use my “back door” to get out.” Connor replied. He led me down a hallway to a white double door. He handed me a tape and opened the door. I shut the door behind me and he walked back to his office.
         Ben was walking down the hallway when the guard stopped him. “You’re not allowed down here. Leave or be shot.” the guard commanded.
         “Okay, I’ll play it your way.” Ben replied. He shot the guard in the head with his revolver.
         As he walked into Connor’s officer, Connor mentioned, “Hired help is hard to come by these days, but you would know Ben. Take a seat.”
         “Ryan was here, wasn’t he? Where is he heading, Connor?” Ben asked.
         “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t seen our good friend Ryan in a long time.” Connor explained.
         Ben grinned. “That’s the story you’re going to stick to?” he asked.
         “I have nothing more to say. Let’s go.” Connor replied.

Chapter 3
Luck and Fate

         The hallway led to an elevator. As I called the elevator, I heard faint footsteps off in the distance. I looked to the left and saw a small storage closet that I could hide in. Their footsteps got louder as I opened the door and closed it quietly behind me. It was a munitions closest that contained a silenced assault rifle.
         “This will come in handy. I won’t draw as much attention.” I thought. The two soldiers passed by and stopped. Trying to hear what they were saying, I leaned into the door.
         “I thought he went this way.” one soldier said.
         “I don’t know. He could already be upstairs.” the other soldier replied.
         “Then why has been the elevator already been called?” he asked.
         “I don’t know. Just get in the damn elevator.” the other soldier replied as the elevator door opened. At that moment, I kicked open the door and shot both guards with the silenced rifle then got in the elevator. The rest of the building was quiet, but it seemed like a war zone outside. Guards were swarming in packs outside. Two LMAVs passed by with a tank following nearby. A group of hunters came by my position. As I went to fire at them, a tank shell whizzed by me and exploded. Soldiers rushed towards me as my ears rung. They surrounded me, guns pointed with their hands on the trigger. Ben emerged from the LMAV and strolled towards me.
         “Ryan, Ryan. You can’t fight this alone, yet you throw all of your allies away the first chance you get. I do not understand you, old friend. Arrest him.” Ben said. As the soldiers approached, a HMAV drove by and opened fire on the crowd of soldiers. A soldier with an RPG got out of the HMAV and fired at the tank.
         “What the hell?! Fall back and call in reinforcements!” Ben commanded.
         The HMAV stopped by me and one of the soldiers extended his hand and yelled, “Get in the jeep! Now!” I hesitantly grabbed his hand and got in the HMAV. As we drove off, I saw a huge wave of soldiers march towards Ben.
         “Roadblock ahead!” the driver yelled. The gunner started to shoot at the tanks. but was shot by a passing LMAV. “Ryan! Use the turret! Clear that roadblock!” he commanded. I grabbed the turret and fired at the tanks. Two LMAVs approached from behind. The guy with the RPG fired before I could turn the turret around. The missile hit the first LMAV, causing it to crash into the second LMAV behind it. A third LMAV approached, dodging the wreck. I saw that Ben was in the passenger’s seat. He fired a shot from a grenade launcher which barely missed and destroyed a HMAV in front of us. I turned the turret around and fired at the LMAV. There was another roadblock in front of us. Ben shot another round that landed on the back of our jeep and stuck there.
         “Get out!” a soldier yelled. I jumped out of the car right before it exploded. I was the only one who made it out safely. The LMAV stopped in front of me, and Ben got out of the jeep and walked towards me.
         “Fate is not smiling on you today, is it?” Ben asked jokingly.
         “Maybe not, but I think that luck has been on my side so far.” I replied. Soldiers came up behind him and the vehicles that formed the roadblock drove up behind me. Ben pulled out a pistol and put it up to my head.
         “We’re past arrest. I now have orders to kill you. Rest peacefully, old friend. Right before he pulled the trigger, an explosion behind me threw both of us forward. A bomber had flown in and destroyed the HMAVs behind me. I blacked out as I hit the ground.
         I awoke in a military facility, laying in an infirmary. Two military doctors were talking nearby.
         “He’s awake! Call the general!” one doctor yelled.
         As I tried to get up, the other doctor came over and said, “Hold up. You’ve been injured.” He was amazed to see me stand up without any effort. Two soldiers escorted me to a small office where a soldier with multiple medals on his uniform sitting at a desk. As I sat down, he offered me a cup of coffee.
         “Ryan, my name is Cole Andrews, general of the Melkian 3rd Battalion. I’m sure you have many questions.” he started.
         “First of all, why is the Melkian army protecting an ex-mercenary?” I asked.
         “You have valuable information. The Ayrix Mercenary Company has become suspiciously shaky in its operations recently. Then your main weapons dealer, MatrinneTech, pulls its funding suddenly. You guys have torn Makein apart with your damn war, and President Fallins wants to know why. The Melkian Army has been called in to intervene and end this war.” Cole explained.
“I’m sorry but I can’t help. Dane has become very private. Even Antonio was told very little.” I replied.
         “That’s what we thought.” Cole said. He pulled out a file and laid it on hid desk. There was a picture on the front cover. “There is, however, one person who might know what is going on. Devon Matrinne.” he continued.
         “So you want to help me so you can get to Matrinne.” I stated.
         “Yes, you know where he is and we have the firepower to go in and take him down.” Cole replied.
         “What about Ayrix?” I asked.
         “We can’t clear up what happened, but we can protect you from his army of mercenaries. As you saw earlier, you can’t survive alone forever.” Cole replied.
         A soldier ran in. “General! We’re being assaulted by Ayrix mercenaries!” he yelled.
         Cole stood up, grabbed a rifle, and asked, “Well, Ryan, are you ready for a little reparations?”
         Outside, soldiers were getting torn up by waves of oncoming soldiers. All of the artillery had been destroyed, and the vehicle armory had been destroyed by bombers after the anti-air cannons had been destroyed. Gunfire scattered the fort as me and Cole ran towards the gate. He was the average badass military commander. As he walked towards the gate, he pushed aside any soldier that even tried to get close to him, even grabbing a soldier and using him as a human shield to kill two more enemy soldiers. When we got to the front gate, I saw Ben leading a squadron of troops forward. When Ben saw us, he froze in his tracks.
         “Benjamin Daran, you are in violation of Melkian law prohibiting any act of violence against its military. Cease fire or you and your entire damn company will be sentenced with committing an act of war!” Cole announced. Ben walked up to Cole with a disappointed look on his face.
         “Well, General Andrews, you are hiding an Ayrix fugitive who has committed treason against our company, and I have my orders, which are shoot to kill. If you do not comply, we will use aggressive force.” Ben replied.
         Cole sighed. “Have it your way. Open fire!” he commanded. The soldiers fired as Ben walked off. What started as an advantage of having the army on my side quickly turned into a disadvantage as we were pushed back by the Avrix soldiers. I threw out a flash grenade then ran back to Cole was hiding. He shot three soldiers then crouched behind cover to reload.
         “We’re fucking outnumbered!” I yelled as I fired at another wave of soldiers, only killing two of them. I reloaded, killing three more of them.
         “I’m working on it!” he replied. Into his comm. radio, he said, “X-Ray 2-4B, this is Echo 7, requesting immediate air support. We are pinned down. Do you copy, over?”
         “I copy Echo 7. We’re on the way. X-Ray, out.” the pilot replied. Cole reloaded and fired at another squadron. After killing two more soldier, he crouched and handed me a grenade launcher.
         “Two HMAVs coming up the hill. Take them out.” he said. I fired a round as the first one came up, destroying it. The second jeep sped up the hill, flying over the first one and landing near us. Cole shot the driver and got on the turret after I killed the other soldiers. After shootind down another twenty some solders on the turret, a HAR tank drove up the hill.
         “Get behind cover, now!” I commanded. I grabbed Cole and ran for cover as the tank fired and destroyed the HMAV.
         “Come in, X-Ray 2-4B, where the hell are you, over?!” cole yelled into his comm. radio.
         “Acknowledged Echo 7, ETA 2 minutes. X-Ray, out.” the pilot.replied.
         “Watch your six!” a soldier yelled. Ayrix soldiers were closing in behind us and the tank in front of us was getting closer
         “Ryan, watch my back!” Cole commanded. I turned around, shooting the soldiers that were right on our backs. I looked up to see a sniper on the rooftops.
         “Shit, get down!” I yelled. I took a shot at the sniper then shot four soldiers approaching from the west.
         “We’re surrounded on all sides!” Cole yelled. He killed the sniper then pulled back to avoid incoming fire. It was down to me, Cole, and two other soldiers surrounded on all sides by waves of incoming hostiles.
         Lady luck would smile on us again as I heard through the comm. radio, “Echo 7, come in. This is X-Ray 2-4B. What’s your situation, over?”
         “Thank god, I thought we were dead men. We are surrounded on all sides by enemy fire requesting immediate air support. Enemy armor directly to the north of us.” the pilot replied.
         “Acknowledged. X-Ray, out.” he replied. The heli fired a missile at the HAR and sent debris and bodies in all directions. Turning around, it opened fire on the soldiers with a 9mm turret. Firing at danger close and just barely missing us, the heli pushed back the hostiles that were surrounding us. As they began to retreat, the pilot said, “They’re retreating, Echo 7. Returning to base. X-Ray, out.”
         “Hell yeah!” a nearby soldier yelled. The Melkian 3rd Battalion was famous for its heavy firepower, using it to maintain dominance over the other nations.
         I was sitting in Cole’s office after the attack. This was one of the few building not destroyed in the attack .He walked in and sat down at his desk. He let out a sigh and began to talk.
         “So, Ryan, as I was getting to earlier, we need to know where Matrinne is at this moment.” he began.
         “From what Connor told me, Matrinne is in Alken City awaiting transport overseas to Tykrann.” I explained.
         “Connor Really, the information broker in Caraken?” he asked. I nodded and he continued. “From what we saw when we tried to get you two out, your friend, Ben Daran, was seen taking him to a helicopter in handcuffs. They arrested him for helping you.” He saw the surprised look on my face and went on. “So Araz, huh? Shit. It’s going to take a lot of convincing to get Jason to let our military across the border even with the recent improvement in relations between us and them. I’ll see what I can do, Ryan.” Cole finished.