Chapter 51: Aftermath
Miro and the fleeing vehicles were approaching the Downs Region. Duffo had been informed of what had happened and was waiting inside the main gate with Head Enforcer and a few dozen other enforcers.
The dozen remaining vehicles from the Empire’s convoy entered the gate. Miro climbed out of his vehicle. Duffo ran over to him.
‘Any further updates on my father, the Emperor?’ asked Duffo.
‘Quick, close the gates,’ called out Miro to Head Enforcer. ‘They might be pursuing us.’
‘Yes, Grand Vizier,’ replied Head Enforcer. Two enforcers rushed over to close the gates.
‘My father, tell me about my father,’ insisted Duffo.
‘As I told you, his flying vehicle went down,’ replied Miro angrily. ‘He’s either dead or worse.’
‘So you just left him there,’ shouted Duffo. ‘You just left him to their mercy.’
‘Nothing could be done,’ replied Miro. ‘I’m calling an emergency executive council meeting now.’
‘No, you’re going back out there and bringing the Emperor back,’ demanded Duffo.
Miro briskly walked towards the hotel, ignoring Duffo.
‘I’ll contact the other executive council members, Grand Vizier,’ replied Head Enforcer.
‘Hey, don’t ignore me!’ shouted Duffo. ‘My father put me in charge.’
Miro continued walking. Both he and Head Enforcer ignored him.
Miro, Head Enforcer, and Duffo marched into the hotel restaurant. Hermon and Benny were already sitting at a table sipping fruit juice. Miro, Head Enforcer and Duffo joined them at the table.
‘Here to celebrate a great victory,’ said Hermon, raising his giant novelty coconut.
‘No, idiot!’ shouted Duffo. ‘The terrorists have got my father.’
Benny gasped in shock, and Hermon raised one eyebrow.
‘We don’t know the exact fate of the Emperor,’ replied Miro.
Henders ran into the restaurant to join them.
‘At least someone around here has been working,’ said Miro to Henders, nodding his head.
‘We’re here to plan the rescue of my father,’ snapped Duffo.
‘We’re not here to do that,’ replied Miro firmly.
‘Your insubordination is unacceptable,’ said Duffo, slamming his hand on the table. ‘Head Enforcer, give this cocky bastard a good roughing up.’
‘Your Imperial Highness,’ replied Head Enforcer. ‘You were placed in charge in the absence of the Emperor and the Grand Vizier. Now that the Grand Vizier has returned, he is now in charge.’
Henders nodded his head, and Hermon smiled at Duffo.
‘This is outrageous,’ said Duffo, folding his arms.
‘If the Emperor is still alive, we may still have a chance to retrieve him,’ said Miro. ‘Captain Cecil has managed to capture Julio, the advisor and mentor to the High Philosopher. He is arguable the leader of the cult. It might be possible for us to swap him for the Emperor.’
‘Making deals with terrorists sounds weak,’ said Duffo aggressively. ‘My father would expect you to rescue him by force.’
‘I was informed by a surviving enforcer that a large number of our forces were attacked and killed by an army of Sentray,’ said Miro. ‘Engaging in battle might not be possible.’
‘What happens if Uncle Hamish has carked it, keeled over, or taken a dirt nap?’ asked Hermon with slight excitement in his voice.
‘You’re disrespectful and despicable,’ said Duffo angrily as he stared at Hermon.
‘We’ll arrange the coronation of a new Emperor and the official transfer of power,’ replied Miro.
‘Haha, Walter,’ chuckled Hermon as he looked from side-to-side.
‘I don’t think so,’ replied Miro in a stern tone.
Duffo began to smile. Miro looked at him and frowned.
Orcilla, Razor, Demadrian, Octavius, Volo, the Hat Lady, the Sentray, and the followers in the few remaining vehicles were leaving the extremely bloody battlefield where the Sentray and the Empire’s army had fought.
They had just left the signal dead zone. Orcilla was trying to contact the Downs Region to inform Miro to collect their dead.
‘I can’t get through to anyone,’ sighed Orcilla.
‘What does it matter?’ said Demadrian. ‘They’d never offer us the same courtesy.’
‘We don’t base our standards on theirs,’ replied Orcilla angrily.
‘They were technicians forced to fight in a tyrant’s army,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘You’ve worked with technicians your whole life. I would expect more from you.’
Octavius angrily growled at Demadrian.
‘I get it,’ said Demadrian, defensively raising his hands. ‘They were victims in this.’
‘Let’s try and contact Shamia,’ said Orcilla. ‘We need to know what’s going on with them.’
Shamia and Frank were inside Shamia’s office. Frank was drinking hot lemon tea, and Shamia was massaging his shoulders.
A message from Orcilla appeared on Shamia’s computer. It read, ‘Shamia, we need to talk now!’
‘Oh no,’ said Shamia. ‘She’ll be furious with us.’
‘With “you” not “us”,’ replied Frank.
The computer began to buzz.
‘Oh gosh!’ said Shamia. ‘She’s calling now. What shall I say?’
‘It’s time for Frank to save the day again,’ said Frank as he stretched his arms out and cracked his knuckles.
‘Oh Frank, I’m so grateful to you,’ replied Shamia as she rubbed her face on the top of his bald head.
Frank put his mug of tea down and stood up. ‘It’s best you wait outside the room,’ he said to Shamia. ‘I need deep concentration to save you this time.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Shamia as Frank pushed her out the door.
Frank walked over to Shamia’s desk and plonked himself down in front of Shamia’s computer. Then he pressed the ‘accept call’ button.
‘Hello, Frank,’ said Orcilla. ‘Is Shamia around?’
‘No, I’m afraid she’s having some type of breakdown,’ replied Frank, moving his head from side-to-side.
‘That’s unfortunate,’ sighed Orcilla. ‘I hope you’ll be able to answer my questions.’
‘Yes,’ said Frank while raising his shoulder and wiggling his fingers.
‘Does Shamia know that her tribe’s vehicles abandoned us at the last minute?’ asked Orcilla.
‘Oh yes,’ replied Frank. ‘She gave the order for them to leave.’
‘That damn fruitcake!’ shouted Demadrian, who was standing behind Orcilla.
‘It wasn’t out of malice,’ said Frank as he looked at Demadrian, whose eyes were bulging in rage. ‘Corporal Cecil threatened her, and she panicked. She’s an incredibly weak leader. She buckles under the slightest pressure.’
‘Was Cecil alone?’ asked Orcilla.
‘He was with dozens of talentless unattractive enforcers,’ replied Frank. ‘He was on his way to your cult underground city.’
‘Oh nuts!’ exclaimed Orcilla.
‘You saw this happen, but you did nothing,’ said Demadrian.
‘It was too late when I arrived here,’ said Frank as he aggressively slapped himself on the forehead.
‘Calm down,’ said Orcilla. ‘Try to recall as best as you can what happened.’
‘I was in my theatre when the enforcers stormed in,’ said Frank as he began to wave his hands frantically. ‘My cast and crew were in grave danger. I grabbed everyone I could. I had to save as many lives as possible.’
Razor, Volo, Octavius, and the Hat Lady had now gathered around the computer. They were listening intently to Frank’s recollection of events.
‘Someway, somehow, I managed to save everyone,’ continued Frank as he held his arms up with his palms facing towards the computer screen. ‘As I ran out of the theatre, with the final cast member tucked under my arm, there was a huge explosion. The force of the explosion sent me flying through the air. I used my body to shield this young actor. I landed with great impact on my back. All I could think about was the young actor. I gently released him. To my delight, he was fine.’
‘Bravo!’ called out Demadrian.
‘With no thought for myself, I rushed to the aid of our leader,’ said Frank as he began to smile slightly. ‘I was too late. Shamia was sobbing uncontrollably on the ground. I wasn’t putting up with that. I rolled up my sleeves in preparation to fight. Cecil and his very unattractive enforcers squealed in fear and bolted for the exit. I wanted to pursue them, but I couldn’t leave Shamia. I ran to her aid. She confessed to me what she had done. I desperately tried to contact the convoy, but it was too late. The enforcers had cut our communications off.’
‘Wow, that is quite an explanation,’ replied Orcilla.
‘It’s clear you did everything in your power to help us,’ said Demadrian. ‘I have full faith in our alliance.’
‘Yeah, so you should,’ said Frank as he leaned close to the screen.
‘Thank you, Frank,’ said Orcilla. ‘We need to check in with our underground city to see if they’re okay.’
‘Shamia is hiding in the other room,’ said Frank. ‘She would feel much better if you could shout out your appreciation for her.’
‘She’s a damn loser,’ said Demadrian angrily. ‘She doesn’t deserve you, Frank.’
‘We’ll shout our appreciation,’ said Orcilla.
Demadrian, Orcilla, Razor, Octavius, and the Hat Lady shouted, ‘Thank you, Shamia.’
Shamia poked her head around the door. She could see all of them waving to her on the screen. She clapped her hands in delight.
‘We’ll catch up with you soon,’ said Orcilla. Then she ended the call.
‘Oh Frank, you did it,’ said Shamia as she threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.
‘Just playing my part as usual,’ sighed Frank as he patted Shamia on the back. ‘Maybe one day you’ll return the favour.’
‘Frank, what a guy,’ chuckled Demadrian. ‘He should be running the show.’
‘I’m deeply concerned,’ said Orcilla. ‘The underground city has next to no defences, and I can’t see how they could have made a deal considering the hatred Cecil has for them.’
Volo groaned as he pointed at his own mouth.
‘Still nothing,’ sighed Orcilla. ‘This is not good.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Demadrian as he rubbed Orcilla’s back. ‘Angelo and Julio can hold off a few enforcers.’
‘Most likely more than a few,’ said Orcilla as she pulled away from Demadrian. ‘Julio is unconscious. Unless he sleep-fights, he won’t be of much use.’
‘Let’s not jump to any conclusion until we know more,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘My first job is to protect the High Philosopher,’ said Razor. ‘I shouldn’t be here. I should have been guarding him.’
Volo rubbed Razor's shoulder.
‘Your help to us has been invaluable,’ said Orcilla. ‘It’s what both Angelo and Julio wanted.’
‘Please, give me permission to go back now?’ requested Razor as he looked at Volo.
Volo looked at Orcilla. Orcilla nodded and said, ‘I want you and the flying teams to return. You might need the numbers if things have gone wrong.’
‘Thank you,’ replied Razor, bowing. ‘I’ll gather the team members for an immediate departure.’
Fifteen minutes later, Razor and flying teams headed back towards the cult underground city. Only Volo remained with Orcilla and the main group.
‘We’ll never be able to move like them,’ chuckled Octavius as he watched the flying teams zoom away. ‘Still, riding a Sentray will save us a lot of time.’
The followers were extremely hesitant. The Hat Lady approached a Sentray. She grabbed his leg and shrunk him to half the size of Hamlet, and then she climbed on him. The others stared at her in surprise. It looked like she was floating above the tiny Sentray.
‘Come on, ride one,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘If the injured can do it, so can you. It’ll be fun.’
Octavius chuckled as he climbed on Ducky. ‘You have nothing to worry about,’ he said as he looked at the followers who had no vehicles. ‘Walking will take us weeks.’
With the help of Demadrian, the followers climbed on the Sentray. The group set off again towards the West Camp.
After an hour of travelling, four enforcers emerged from the trees in front of the convoy. They were waving their sewn-together underpants on a pole.
‘What now?’ moaned Demadrian.
‘I think they might be surrendering,’ replied Octavius.
Orcilla and Razor became visible and landed in front of the enforcers.
‘We surrender!’ shouted an enforcer. ‘We want to be technicians again.’
‘You’re not afraid that we’ll execute you,’ shouted Orcilla.
‘Yes, we are,’ shouted the enforcer. ‘But we know the Emperor will kill us. We’re just hoping you won’t.’
‘We won’t hurt you,’ shouted Orcilla as she approached them. ‘How many of you are there?’
‘A few thousand,’ said the enforcer as he gestured to the enforcers hiding in the trees.
The enforcers came strutting out proudly. ‘We’re technicians!’ they shouted together.
‘Okay,’ chuckled Orcilla. ‘Maybe you can help us. Do you have your vehicles?’
‘Yeah, we have hundreds of them,’ shouted the enforcer.
The enforcer led Orcilla, Razor, Volo, Octavius, Demadrian, and the Hat Lady to their vehicles, which were hidden behind the trees. The technicians were chanting, ‘Do do didid do technicians.’
‘Looks like the followers can travel in comfort now,’ chuckled Octavius as he looked at Demadrian.
The technicians helped the injured followers into their vehicles. Some of these vehicles were equipped with medical equipment and medication to treat them. There was also enough room for the remaining followers to join them.
A short while later they departed for the West Camp. Octavius and the Hat Lady rode ahead of the other Sentray. The convoy of technician vehicles followed them.
In the early hours of the morning, Razor and flying teams arrived back at the hill where they trained. They immediately made their way underground through the secret entrance. When they arrived at the city, the door to the hidden entrance was open.
Razor and the others rushed through the entrance. Within a few seconds, they were met with a terrible stench. They ran into the main city area. The streets were still covered in blood. There were dead bodies everywhere. Some were still tied to the poles, and others were left lying on the ground.
‘Oh no!’ gasped Razor.
The others remained silent.
‘Search for survivors,’ instructed Razor. ‘I must find the High Philosopher.’
Razor rushed down the stairs to the temple. The main door was open and so was the door to Angelo’s main area. He rushed into that room. The floor was still covered with the dead enforcers. Razor was filled with a paralysing terror. He looked up to see Angelo covered in blood standing on his table on the other side of the glass. His eyes were bulging with a powerful intensity that Razor had never seen before.
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.
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