The Knightly Estate Chp. 8

I sit in my room, sipping on whiskey. My tab pings, and I don't even bother to look, for the last hour I’ve been like this, drowning my sorrows in alcohol and once and awhile picking up the gun that sits on my nightstand, and holding it to my head, contemplating on whether I should end it or not.

Finally I look over to the tab, and as if waiting for me to acknowledge it's existence the screen lights up, with a message from Kazu.

-We’ve got a visitor-

A visitor?

-Come on down, it might be the key to our mission-

-It?- I reply.

-Just come down, alright?-

I stand up, or to put it better, stumble up.

I grab my gun, sliding it into my holster.

I clumsily swipe at the whiskey bottle, luckily getting a grip on it on the first try, and exit the room. In my inebriated state the trip to the dining hall takes me longer than expected, and when I finally reach the doors I struggle for a good 2 or 3 minutes before realizing that I need to push the doors, not pull them.

Upon reaching my destination I get the best thing I’ve heard all day.

“You look like shit,” says Kazu.

“Love you too,” I retort, “so why did you called down here?”

“We have a new,” Zephyr pauses, “business partner.”

I drunkenly look around, trying to find the unfamiliar face in the crowd.

The new face that greets me is accompanied by an amputee.

“Hello?” I said.

“So… You're the guy that replaced me,” said the amputated man, “you imbecile, how could you possibly let this happen?”

I’m shocked, who the fuck was this guy? To tell me that I was the sole reason for Emi’s kidnapping and the failure at the complex?

“Alright asshole,” I growled, “you wanna go?”

“Spoofy, pass auf,” said the amputated man.

I charge at the mans in a blind and inebriated rage. And quick as a flash a brown and black dog materializes in front of me, biting down in my arm.

“Fluffy, that’s enough,” said Zephyr.

The amputated man says something and the dog releases me, allowing me to get up.

“Who are you?” I ask while I get up off the floor.

“My name’s Fluffy,” said the amputated man.

I turn to Zephyr, “you said new business partner, if I recall correctly Fluffy was the guy who had the hub prior to me,” I said.

“Well, there's also Brett, who you're not acquainted with yet,” he said pointing to a woman sitting far away from us all.

I analyze her, as best I can as I’m still seeing double. Dyed hair, average height, she didn't look like anything special.

“This?” I said, “this was the best person you could find?”

“Don’t worry,” said Kazu, “Brett knows what's up, she’s replacing Au-”

He pauses, and the room goes silent. Zephyr pats Kazu’s shoulder and continues for him.

“She's replacing Austin’s position,” he said, “in any case we’re going to try again, after we patch the hole up and uh…” He drifts off for a moment.

“After we clean up the mess,” he finally completed.

“Hey,” said someone at the back of the room.

We all turn around to see Stray sitting in a darkened corner.

“If you guys are going out there again I'm coming with,” said Stray.

“Yeah but the tank on-” I try to say.

“Yeah yeah only seats 5,” he interrupts, “that doesn't stop me from riding on top of the thing, now does it?”

“You have a gun?” asks Zephyr.

“No but I suspect I can get one off of Kazu,” he says shrugging.

“Sure thing,” says Kazu, “come with me I’ll get you one.”

They both leave the room.

“Well we better start on repairs,” says Spencer, hopping up and out of his seat.

We follow Zephyr back to the garage, but this time when we enter, we’re not struck by shock and awe at the fact that it exists, instead an eerie silence fills the room.

“Spencer, Matt, you guys reload the tank, it's a two man job,” he says pointing towards a walk in closet.

“Brett, you know how to weld?” asks Zephyr.

She simply nods and starts searching for a welding torch.

“I guess I’m cleaning up,” says Zephyr, as he grabs a bucket and a sponge.

Spencer and I walk towards the closet in silence, we both knew why Zephyr had chosen that job, and we were both grateful that we wouldn't have to pick up the bits of our friend that still remained inside.

An hour later the repairs are complete and everyone is assembled at the side of the tank.

Zephyr clambers on top and clears his throat.

“Lady, and gentlemen,” we are here today, to save one we care about, and to avenge our fallen comrade, let us, strike with all the strength that we can muster.”

He pauses, and then continues, “you know your positions, we leave in 5 minutes.”

I clamber onboard, allowing Spencer to first get into position in the bowels of the tank, and then climbing inside myself. The inside of the tank smelled of a mixture of lemon scented antibacterial soap, and steel. The aroma is potent, to potent and I am forced to open the hatch again, sticking my head outside. I look around, Stray is holding onto a boarding handle on the side of the turret, while Fluffy and his dog sit on the engine hatch.

I wave at him, trying to get his attention.

“Why are you here?” I ask, having to abruptly raise my voice at the start of the engine.

“Sniper overwatch,” he yells over the now purring Panther.

“Oh,” I yell back, giving him the ‘ok’ sign before turning back to face the front.

Zephyr taps on my shoulder, and hands me a helmet.

“What's the helmet for?” I cry over the engine.

He simply indicates to put the helmet on, which I do.

Suddenly the blaring cranking of pistons and a drive shaft dim, and Zephyr says something.

“This is a tanker’s helmet, it has a headset and microphone built in, this means no more incessant yelling,” he says calmly.

I nod, as he hands me another one.

“For Spencer,” he says as he climbs out and knocks on the tops of Brett’s and Kazu’s hatches.

I duck back down inside and hand him the helmet, when he puts it on I ask him, “can you hear me?”

He says yes.

“Is the gun loaded?” I ask, while pointing towards the breech of the gun.

He simply nods and gives me the thumbs up.

I sigh and lean back, it was time to do it all over again.