The Knightly Estate Chp. 9

We're forced to take side roads, apparently we had drawn a bit too much attention, what with using an 80 year old tank on the highway. The trip is much slower, and requires Kazu to actually drive instead of kicking his feet up on the proverbial dashboard.

This time around we had actually brought supplies such as medical equipment and better food items, along with a mess kit. None of us had seen them load Emi into a car and drive off except Austin, who told Stray a second before he had died. Kazu managed to track the car down based on the description Austin had given in his dying breath and traced it to an underground complex in Canada. That’s where we were heading.

I look around, everything was the same, or, almost everything. There were scratches in the paint where shrapnel had glanced off of the inside walls.

Brett snoozed in the front seat, which was a shame because I had intended to ask some questions, like why she was helping us.

I turn around, the hatch behind me would allow me to talk to Fluffy, who I had a bit of an interest in, considering I was the one who replaced him.

I pull up on the latch allowing the hatch to swing open, instead of the expected breeze and blue sky I’m greeted with a dog’s nose.

“Hey, Spoofy,” I said, lightly touching the dog's head.

I eventually am granted the chance to stick my head out is the loading hatch and I see Fluffy leaning on the turret.

“Hey,” I said, giving a little wave.

“Hello,” he replied back, “need something?”

“Nah, just wanted to talk,” I said.

“Well, what did you want to talk about,” he asked.

I sat for a moment, wondering how to deliver my question with adequate tact and finesse.

“What happened to your leg?” I asked, about as bluntly as possible.

“Lost it,” he said shrugging.

“Well,” I pause, “how did you lose it?”

“Well, remember the Seattle Street bombings a couple years back?” He asked.

“Course I do,” I replied, “how could I not?”

“Well someone had found an IED, on the estate grounds,” he said, his tone growing solemn, “I was tasked with defusing it.”

He reaches down and rubs the stub of his leg.

“I accidentally triggered the timer, and decided to keep working on it, try and undo what I had done,” he said, “I worked on it until there were five seconds left, I tried to get up and run but under the weight of the bomb suit I was wearing I sprained my ankle.”

I nod, slowly understanding.

“Those suits aren't rated for being right next to the source of the explosion,” he said, tears now slowly running down his cheeks, “I tried crawling away, but…”

He trails off, letting the sound of the tank fill the air.

“I couldn't get away in time, one moment I could feel both of my legs, the next I could only feel one, and the other one felt like it was on fire,” he said.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, trying to think of something else to say, but simply drawing a blank.

“Kaz,” said a voice over the internal communications.

“Yeah Owl?” He said.

“Pull over into that grove of trees over there, we’ll set up camp here for tonight,” said Owl.

Sighing I close the loading hatch, in turn opening the hatch that would let me put with general ease.

I stretch, the world seeming bigger now that I was once again free from the confines of the Panther.

I pull the helmet off, rubbing at my ears, and turning to Zephyr.

“Need me to do anything?” I asked.

“Excellent question,” says Zephyr.

He looks around and then turns to me, “hey, can you help Fluffy set up his tent?”

“Sure,” I reply, “no problem.”

I walk over towards Fluffy, who is currently struggling to stay upright while driving a stake into the ground.

“Here,” I say, approaching him, “I got it.”

“No, please, let me, you’re working the tank after all,” he said.

“Hah hardly, I’m literally going to be sitting in a bucket seat until we cross the border,” I said taking the hammer and stake from him.

“So,” he asks, “why are you a member of the Knightly Estate?”

“Well truth be told, I don’t know,” I said, driving the stake into the ground with a solid thump.

“Well, I was at the Estate until just recently, as I realized I was a burden to Zephyr and Kazu,” he said, “the reason why I was invited was because I was part of the armed forces, and had PTSD.”

He hands me another stake.

“Kazu had been invited because he could never fail any type of objective even if it meant sacrificing his life in the process,” he said, “Zephyr, was invited because he lacked the will to be normal, and interact with others.”

“So what about me?” I ask.

“Well depends, anything traumatic happen in your life?” He asked.

“Well, my parents were killed in a car accident when I was 17 because I had…” I trail off, “oh, I see…”

I finish hammering the last stake in, and run back to the Panther, I couldn't accept that the reason why I was here was because I had simply failed to merge into a lane on the highway.

It all came rushing back to me, it was raining, conditions were poor, I had just gotten to my license and as thanks to both my parents I offered to drive them wherever they wanted to go. At the time they wanted to go across the border, to see Vancouver. It was all my fault too… I didn't check my mirrors, a rookie mistake. The driver of the semi described it as, “jumping out right in front of him,” I would be the only survivor in my vehicle, but comatose for a year and a half. When the doctors found me awake they told me everything. I would be condemned to live with my drunk of an uncle for the next 3 and a half years.

“Hey,” called a voice, “are you ok Matt-kun?”

I look up, to see Kazu’s silhouette in the hatch.

It had begun raining again.