Chapter 42 The Fort
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The rest freeze like statues; too bewildered to do or say anything.
Jack slowly shakes his head from side to side and frowns: "I hope this will be your final lesson not to mess with me when I have this thing in my hand, Nico. Sorry, but you have given me no choice and as you see: I do it! Just a bit higher and I would shoot through the bones of your hands. I only shot through the underside of your palms so that the pain caused you losing your grips."
Amazed Francois and Nico are now looking at the cuts at the underside of their hands where the bullets cut through the flesh. Francois speaks for the first time in his heavy French accent: "Where did you learn to shoot like this? I have never experienced something like this before."
Nico adds: "32 Battalion?"
Without emotion, Jack looks at them: "Best sniper in the whole battalion. So, be careful, and listen when I speak in the future."
Nico explains: "One of the legendary war units in the South African army during the bush war. This unit was feared to the extreme by the enemy. They were called The Terrible Ones; les terribles; and stories abound about their merciless cruelty. The most foot soldiers were Ovambo natives or SWAPO members that defected and Bushmen who were extremely talented trackers. White members, like our friend Jack here, were the commanders. Many of their ex-soldiers are, like you, mercenaries all over the world. Members of the SADF respected them and avoided them."
Francois nods his head slowly. He understands. He looks at his wound and shakes his head as if he doesn't want to believe it.
Jack gives instructions: "Michael, give me one of their pistols."
Michael hands one over. Jack takes it in his left hand. "Do you know how to handle a pistol, Michael?"
"I have been in the army, Jack."
"Okay, I just haven't got the time to check where and when. I'll take the chance. We are first going down the steps to make sure everything is safe. We take turns to cover each other around corners and then the other one will move past downwards, understood?"
Michael smiles. He wants to say something but keeps back. "I understand."
"And you guys follow, okay?"
Rene puts her hand up: " Jack, wait!"
Jack frowns. "What now?"
Rene turns to Nico and Francois. "Nico, do you have handkerchiefs or something? Those wounds are bleeding profusely. Look at the blood dripping on the floor."
Nico takes out a handkerchief from his left pocket.
Jack warns her: "No, my dear, it is not safe. They can grab you and put a knife to your throat to manipulate me."
Rene gives him a dirty look. "Leave it, Jack, I'll be quick. That is the least I can do to correct your dirty work."
She takes Nico's handkerchief and he holds out his hand and she bandages it quickly and effectively. "I hope it will stem the bleeding for now."
Rene looks Nico in his eyes. "Forgive him, please. I'm so sorry. He is losing it totally when it comes to his family."
Nico smiles at her. "It's okay. It looks as if you know what you are doing. Nursing?"
"A little bit, yes."
"Thanks."
She looks at Francois who is standing ready with his handkerchief. She quickly bandages his hand also and when she's finished she takes his wrist: "Sorry, but do as he says. He is extremely dangerous when his family is threatened."
Francois nods and winks at her in acknowledgement.
Morrison has been silent all the time but suddenly speaks in their earphones. "What a lovely lady! Let him take the lead for now. You still have your knives at hand. We are following everything."
Jack and Michael slowly descend the steps while they cover each other and keep their pistols ready and focus on every turn and the rest follows at a distance. They hear the wall sliding shut above them.
Morrison's broken sounds come over their devices: "Nico, Francois ... lost vision … hear?"
Nico whispers in his device: "Morrison, come in!" But it is quiet. "Morrison?"
It seems as if both of them lost signal after the wall closed up. He wonders whether they will know how to open the door in the wall again. He is thankful that the task team saw how Michael opened it.
Jack reaches the last turn of the steps and can't believe his eyes. Barefooted Kadin and Billy are playing pool in a big room and they don't see him. He steps back out of sight and puts his pistol in the holster, secure one in his left hand and gestures to Michael to come nearer and then show him to stop.
He takes Michael's pistol and secures it as well and then he walks around the corner, in each hand a pistol. "Kadin, what are you doing here! How could you do such a thing? What is going on?"
Billy, aiming at the black ball, freezes and looks up. Kadin smiles at Jack and the rest that follows. "Here you are now, just as in our dreams! Father, can't you see we are playing pool? Oh, this must be Aunty Emilie? Hello, Aunty, sorry we had to surprise you in this way on the same day you've arrived, but we will soon explain everything."
Jack cautiously comes nearer. "What is this place, Kadin? You surely know we were out of our minds from worry. Of what dream are you talking about? Are you alone or are there other people around?"
He looks around and studies the room. It is a reasonable big hall that looks like a leisure room. A table tennis set stands in one corner and there is a space that looks like a dance floor with disco lights and enormous loudspeakers with even a small stage for a disc jockey's and his controls. There are machines against the walls probably for games and he even recognizes a pinball machine and a jukebox. There is a dartboard against one wall and further on a table with a fingerboard. In one corner are sofas and coffee tables and next to it upon each other with games like monopoly, carriers, and so on. A giant TV screen is mounted on one wall. Three chess boards on tables with chairs and also a table with large puzzles. Also, there are three computers switched on and ready with Windows. There are even single tables with models ready to be built and everything thinkable available for leisure.
"Please put away the pistols, Dad. We are alone."
"Kadin, I don't know what to expect. You are doing the weirdest things."
"Dad, it was the only way to get all of you here to explain everything to you because you wouldn't have understood us otherwise and we would have landed in a dead-end. Just as we had dreamt of the psychiatrist, we dreamt of everything that is happening now. This is all déjà vu."
She looks from Jack to Michael: "Michael, you had the same dream and could open the door for them, not so?"
Michael smiles: "Yes, Kadin, I had."
"Dad, hand over the pistols to Michael to return it to them. They will not try anything, I promise."
Nico looks at Jack. "You are hopelessly too paranoid, my mate. We are on the same side."
Emilie was silent the whole time and afraid to say anything, but the moment the pistols are holstered gone, she runs to Billy and they embrace each other.
"Ouch, be careful, Mom. My back, it is still tender!"
"So sorry, my son, but it is so nice to hug you. I was worried sick. You have so much to tell me. Is it only your back that hurts?"
"Yes, Mom, only my back."
"Then hug me tightly and squeeze me."
Billy smiles and embraces her more tightly.
"I wish I could always be in my son's strong arms."
Rene in the meantime reaches Kadin and hugs her. "What are we going to do with that bug in your little head, my girl? You are doing the strangest things."
Rene smells Kadin and amazed looks into her eyes.
"Kadin, you smell of soap as if you have showered. I would have thought you would smell of sweat! Haven't you walked quite a distance to this place? Even your clothes smell of Stay Soft?"
"We showered in the meantime, Mom."
"And your clothes?"
"We washed it and dried it in a tumble drier."
Dumbfounded Rene looks at her: "I don't understand."
Kadin laughs. "You are in for a lot of surprises, Mom, and shortly we are going to show it to you."
Nico asks: "What place is this, Kadin?"
"This hall is the leisure area where we are going to relax with games like darts, pool, fingerboard, table tennis and so on."
She turns around and points at a door at the end of the hall. "Behind that door is the rest of the place. This is a special equipped underground fort where we very soon will survive when the disaster strikes the earth. I am sorry, but the task team is wasting its time because no one can stop the total annihilation of mankind. Uncle, this is the only place where we are going to be safe. No one will survive on the outside without becoming ill and change into man-eating monsters. Some people might survive the initial onslaught in the rural areas but they are going to be surprised by very contagious, sick people that flee from the cities. This place is a secret because when we see the signs, we must leave everything and hurry here before it is too late. By the way, Uncle's signal is cut, not so, and no one can listen in."
Nico looks at her amazed. "How do you know?"
"Only our little group is allowed to know of this place and its purpose and that is why we had to surprise you and got you here. You two are the only members of the task team who share the secret. The rest of your team will have to survive outside and you will have to go and warn them and tell them how to survive the onslaught."
Nico is flabbergasted. "Well, the task team saw with their devices how Michael opened the sliding door, Kadin, and of what onslaught are you talking?"
Kadin smiles. "It won't work even if they tried. The door was programmed to open twice only and has now a new code. Uncle, and that door isn't an ordinary door. Behind the wall is hidden a solid, very thick, fortified iron door that will be inhumanly difficult to open."
Nico's eyes widen in amazement: "I hope you know a way to get out of here."
Kadin smiles. "Come with me, people. It is time to show you the goodies. You won't understand what I say. I am only confusing you with my jabbering. Let's go through to the lecture hall where Professor Johan is going to initiate you. What he is going to tell you, is too unbelievable to recount and you will never believe me or Billy."
Nico gets a fright. "What? Is the professor here?"
