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Post by Robespierre - P.R. of Debro on Jun 11, 2007 2:27:13 GMT -5
This is the official thread for our pulp fiction, the Penguin Ninjas! PLEASE DO NOT POST ANY COMMENTS IN THIS THREAD, USE THE 'COMMENT' THREAD INSTEAD! ONLY THE CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK ALLOWED! Authors: Archaix, Kardas, Debro, Automaticz
Editor: Debro |
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Post by Robespierre - P.R. of Debro on Jun 11, 2007 2:28:32 GMT -5
1.AutomaticzThe line from each walkie-talkie was static. The job was done. Automaticz muttered appreciably before slipping his device back onto the hook. The beginnings of a smile tinged his otherwise expressionless, scarred face as he imagined the bodies of Debro and Archaix adorning their respective floors, a widening pool of blood emanating from their skulls.
He strode over to his gray-black limousine that was waiting patiently for him by the telephone box, and his penguin-chauffeur opened the door for him before he slid inside. His face was, by now, a picture of alacrity, industry and concentration that seemed to radiate a sense of slickness and ease.
As the limousine crawled to a halt before his mansion, he bit into a haggis. The night's work had been done...2. The DragonArchaix was dying. While he tried to call the Minister, a strange creature blasted the main door.
"I knew marijuana is a bad thing...penguins, dragons" - thought Archaix whilst he looked at his own blood.
"Sorry, but I had no key. Now where's that penguin??!! "
This man with his dragon was the last chance for Archaix. He couldn't stop Automaticz ... he must trust him.
"It hit the freeway at 60mph in a customized Lamborghini heading south towards Manchester, where it will rendezvous with Automaticz -probably in an old dilapidated barn on the outskirts of town - before taking the night train to London and, ultimately, Whitehall. " - he knew Automaticz's plan. But it's too late now. Too late.
"Thank you. " - large gust of wind blows down nearby bushes as the stranger and the Dragon he rides take off.
"God help us. God help us all." - Archaix closed his eyes. Strange calmness went through his body. He did everything that he could.3. The BarnThe car slowed down near an old, abandoned house. Cold wind sweept the countryside while the driver carefully parked the Lamborghini and turned off it's headlights. The winter was especially hard this year, and Automaticz had to wait for more than 2 hours - no doubt, he was in bad mood.
"Finally.This must be my best ninja" - thought the Master while walked into the shadow.The penguin ninja padded into the room cautiously. There was nothing to be heard except the soft rattling of the sparse rain on the iron roof. In the distance the cars of the motorway, oblivious to the drama that was yet to unfold, traversed across the landscape.
The barn was empty, the penguin ninja knew this already. Shortly before entering he had patrolled the circumference of the building, peered inside -nothing. He couldn't even see any tire-tracks on the driveway. Automaticz must be late, he reasoned.
"How good of you to drop by, Sam." Said Automaticz. He was standing in the corner of the room, cocktail glass in hand, large cumbersome bagpipe in the other. The tone of voice was all wrong: it was too calm, too patient...
"How did you get there?" Asked Sam the penguin ninja, genuinely surprised.
"That is of no relevance, friend," He replied. "But what is relevant, is this -" He took out a small, brown package from the top pocket of his even jacket.
"What's that?"
"An explosive. Powerful enough to destroy the whole of Westminster in a single detonation."
"But...that's insane!" Sam cried. "You can't destroy Parliament! That's not what we agreed!"
"Wrong on two points, I'm afraid. I'm not insane, and believe me when I say that Parliament...Parliament is over for this quarter."
"But I thought we were only going to take out the Prime Minister! Hundreds of innocents will be killed!"
"Correction: hundreds of politicians will be killed. And then nothing will stand in the way of me and the Emerald!"
Sam, horrified, took a step back.
"No, I have to stop this. I have done enough damage as it is!"
"I see. Then you have become...dispensable."
Sam didn't have time to dodge the bullet; the gun was drawn before he could even shout. And as his body slammed against the dirty, unwashed floor, a silent curse was raised from his beak. Sam was dead.
Automaticz walked up to the body of his once loyal agent.
"What had to be done had to be done." - The otherwise immoral Master had senses too. He took Sam's body outside with a tear in his eye, he burried Sam's body in his favourite spot in the forest. Automaticz would never usually shoot one of his loyal penguins but this time it was different. One penguin cannot endanger the Plan. He knew that Sam was a traitor, but he kept his best ninja because he believed that Sam might change his mind....but he didn't .
The burial took an hour, but Sam has deserved it. Even when the burial's cost was his best suit.
Automaticz went into his limousine and drove off into the night once again. The road was wet, easy blues diffused from the radio's speakers. ***
Although high above the ground, Kardas saw the lightflash, and instantly recoginized what it was. The accompanying sound even more so. "Gunshots", he thought.
He whistled quietly, and his Dragon understood he wanted to go lower. As the car, which he recognized as Automaticz's car went into the forest, Kardas was close behind, but always out of sight. Then the car stopped, and Automaticz came out with something in his hands. Kardas jumped behind a nearby tree - a sound which Automaticz dismissed as squirrels- and saw Automaticz digging a hole. Quite soon, he also recognized the object as a corpse, but that was not what shocked him the most- it was a penguin! "There's something not right about this", thought Kardas, "Automaticz loves penguins, so why kill them?" Kardas watched the burial take place, his head was filled with questions. "Why Automaticz killed a penguin that killed Archaix, but give that penguin such a burial- at the cost of that good suit?" As Automaticz returned to his car, Kardas decided he needed more time to sort this out. And so he whistled his Dragon, and the pair took off into the sky, following the lone car down the road...
***
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Post by Robespierre - P.R. of Debro on Jun 12, 2007 15:53:58 GMT -5
4. An old enemyAutomaticz arrived at Sam's house. It was very late, the Master was tired. He used Sam's ID Card that he took of his body earlier,and entered the darkened hall. Automaticz searched for the documents that Sam was about to send to his master in parliament.
"Yes, parliament.Thats why he didn't want to blown up it." Thought Automaticz while he was preparing a coffee.
Finally, after hours of searching and 4 cups of coffee Automaticz found the safe that had the documents. He got out some explosives and planted them on the safe. After the explosion the safe door opened and Automaticz put the documents marked TOP SECRET into his dark brown cloak.
Automaticz and his chauffeur hit the road once again, but this time the driver saw something in his car mirror.
"Sir, there's...something behind us!" - reported the driver. His voice was calm, but his eyes mirrored mortal fear. Automaticz didn't turned.
"The time has come. Kardas found me."
***
Kardas' Dragon landed with a heavy thud behind what, according to Automaticz, appeared to be the penguin assasin's house. Kardas knew that if he were to enter, he would blow his cover (aka stealth), so he was forced to watch from the windows. Although the safe was upstairs, that was no problem for him as his 4-meter tall beast doubled as a staircase.
"Automaticz is searching something, and he doesn't know where it is," he thought.
By the time Automaticz blasted open Sam's safe, Kardas was fast asleep...
5. The Dream
The dream overwhelmed Kardas and transferred him to the past when Automaticz and he were friends...
He was a Dutch history student at the University of Munich, studying the later periods of the renaissance.
It was during his research into a particular figure of this era, Pierre Marseille -a 16th century humanist theorist and author- that he and a fellow-alumni, Automaticz, discovered discrepancies in certain contemporary accounts. It transpired that certain historians of the period confused the details of Marseille's youth, where he left Paris in order to travel the continent.
There was only one thing to do -check Marsaille's own accounts of the period. However, as Kardas and Automaticz soon discovered, there was little to no information to be found anywhere in the country -not at Munich, Danzig or even Berlin.
Automaticz, in particular, was keen to unravel the secret. After flying to the three premier historical universities in the United Kingdom, only Edinburgh University Library held any accounts. Kardas, in the meantime, had not been informed of the visit, and decided to travel himself.
When Kardas arrived at the university library, he found nothing of the missing book, nor Automaticz. A helpful librarian thought she had seen someone matching Automaticz's description pondering the shelves a few days previously, but that was the extent of her knowledge.
A few months later, there was a message left on Kardas' answer phone. It was a librarian of Paris University, who had recently been in contact with the student when he had searched far an wide for the book. According to the librarian, a vault under the ancient university had been discovered by archaeologists, who had managed to recover dozens of lost manuscripts. Among them was the book Kardas had been searching for. If he would like to come over, he said, he could see the book for himself.
A week later, pouring over the book with great care, the chapter dedicated to those fateful months of Marsaille's life unfolded:
Kardas reasoned that Automaticz must be in search of the Emerald, but that he could not find it. Marsaille was clearly adamant that Emerald must never be found, so why was Automaticz so sure it could be?
At his hotel, the student recounted the facts. The Emerald must be in London, somewhere, underground. Thus, Automaticz would be searching below the earth. How long would that take? Quite a while, unless...
Kardas stood up, suddenly it was all so clear! Automaticz wouldn't be searching for it -his animals would! From birth Automaticz had a kinship with animals that had served him well all through his life. He would be using underground creatures: moles, worms, et cetera, to search for him! It wouldn't take long to find it this way. Not with hundreds of animals.
There was only one thing to do: find Automaticz, and stop him. It wouldn't be easy, but hell, who ever thought it would?
6. Unexpected difficulties
Loud blast disturbed the night's quietness. Harassed by his dream, Kardas stepped to the window again. All he could see was Automaticz putting something labeled "Top Secret" in his pocket.
Again, Kardas' mind was filled with questions. "It's already been a strange night, so that can't be good. He must be stopped!" thought Kardas. He whistled and the pair flew up again as Automaticz rode off. "This time however, this would not be a peaceful."
It being so late at night, it should have been a peaceful night, as there was only one car on the road. But it was not. Blast marks trailed the road as Automaticz's penguin chauffeur for now succeeded to evade Kardas and his Dragon's wrath. Automaticz however, knew that soon the Dragon and the rider would catch up. "Hand me the weapon," he said. He opened the window, aimed with his bazooka, and fired.
Kardas saw it coming, and his Dragon too. "Bazooka!" he yelled, and the Dragon quickly flew to the left. However, the the explosion still sent them crashing to the ground. Before he closed his eyes, Kardas remembered the night sky, the cool grass and a sudden pain in his right leg and arm...
Automaticz stepped out of the car, and surveyed the two motionless bodies. When he was convinced they were dead, he stepped into his car and lit his cigar -it was turning out to be a glorious day, and it wasn't even nine o'clock.
"Carry on, there is still work to be done!" he said to his penguin driver, who nodded grimly.
They were driving along when the driver stopped suddenly in the middle of the road. His face was expressionless despite the cars rushing around them, beeping, urged themselves towards the Northern Circular that curtained London from the Midlands.
"What is wrong with you? Carry on now, or I will personally see to it that you are fired!"
When the penguin driver eventually spoke, it was in a voice of cold, indescribable malice. "Sorry Sir, that I can not do." He reached into his pocket, and brought out a cold .45. "Sorry Sir. You have to be stopped."
Automaticz face changed from shock to hatred. He tried to open the door, but the butler just laughed.
"Do you think I'm that stupid? I locked the door when you came in! Now, there's two ways out of this: you come quietly, or I'm going to have to kill you. Which is it...sir?"
Automaticz raised his hands slowly, and the treacherous penguin nodded in satisfaction. "That's it, right up."
Then Automaticz grabbed the penguin's gun by the barrel, and jerked it swiftly out of his flipper. A round fired up into the roof, going clean straight through. In a matter of seconds, the tables had turned.
"Now, let's settle this my way!" Automaticz pulled out his mobile phone, and phoned his HQ. All this time, his eyes never left the butler. "Hello, HQ? Yes, it's the boss here. It appears that my butler is a traitor. No, no, it's all right. Send a helicopter round here immediately, and tell Dalton to kill the agent in Malaga. Oh, and execute Operation Spartacus, why don't you? It's time we showed the Agency that we mean business!"
And with that, he rang off.
7. The Agency
The beams of the sun illuminated the smokey air in the room. Dalton slowly approached the window and opened it, without having woken the sleeping man. Bleak smile sleeked through his face - he was a professional.
As fresh air wept into the room, the man in the bed opened his eyes.
"Dalton, you're still a child." - said he whilst grabbed a Marlboro. - "You know my number." - he put the lighter away and turned to his visitor - "However, using a phone with those flippers can be difficult"
The man wasn't surprised that a penguin was speaking to him. He was one of the leaders of a secret agency formed years earlier. The Agency was the only organization strong enough to stop Automaticz's New World Order. Dalton was one of the undercover penguins.
"There is no time for this, Debro! Archaix is dead." - Debro slowly breathed out the smoke. Archaix was the british connection. Sam - another undercover penguin. Automaticz had known that Archaix and he were agents. But we knew that he had known...
"This....is....not what we expected. So the agency failed again."
"No. This cannot happen...Automaticz doesn't know where the Emerald is. One thing is sure, however. The Master found the dossier, but he probably doesn't know anything about the bug between the documents" - While he was listening to Dalton, Debro stood up, garbed himself and grabbed his .357 - "We have to locate him, the brits said he'll come here..."
"We'll need Juan with his special equipment...thank you, Dalton. And be careful." - Dalton disappeared within seconds. Again, Debro wasn't surprised. He walked to the street and jumped in his car. Juan lived in Madrid, and the weather was hot in Malaga...
"This'll be a long trip" - thought Debro and started the engine.
8. The Emerald
"Sir, a new report's just come in from London! Apparently The Times are going to run with the story!"
Chief Inspector Nibu looked up from his reports. "What in God's name? I thought the PM told them to censor the press!" The messenger, breathing heavily from walking up all the 108 steps (the lift wasn't working), nodded in panic-ridden fashion.
"Yes, sir. But they're going ahead anyway. I don't even think No.10 knows about this yet!"
"Sh-it! Ok, get me a line to the Whitehouse, and drop a line to London: give them the low-down. Go!"
Ah man, this is exactly what they didn't need. Mass-panic (the terrorist's favourite tool) was almost inevitable now. And there was no need to think that it couldn't travel state-side. Automaticz was adept at travelling -and who's to say that he needed to travel? A phone call here, a phone call there...soon enough every penguin in every zoo from Oregon to Maine would be up in arms.
He looked back at his reports, and tried to figure out a correlation. Sightings in Dundee, Manchester, Bristol -one even as far away as Belfast, for Christ's sakes! That boy had the run of the island. He might already be in London. Still, at least they knew where he was headed: the Emerald. If only they could find it first...
"Sir!"
"What is it now, Whitsun?"
"The president's on the line, and your chopper's ready."
"Excellent. Go down there, now -I'll meet you in five. Have you given the prime Minister the heads-up?"
"I thought I was supposed to give them the low-down."
"Do it! Tell them I'm on my way to Standstead."
Whitsun handed him the phone.
"Nibu!" Shouted the President.
"Yes, sir?" Was Nibu's tentative reply.
"What in God's name is going on, here? Last I heard even Associated Press are running with this story! Where the hell is Automaticz?"
"We don't know sir. We're working with Scotland Yard..."
"Yeah, well, you better find him quick! The story's leaked and who knows when he'll find the Emerald..."
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Post by Robespierre - P.R. of Debro on Jun 17, 2007 7:24:39 GMT -5
9. On the road
"La AutovĂa del Mediterráneo" - read Debro the white roadsign. "Onlyten miles" - thought he while he observed himself in the mirror.
A young, tanned man glanced back with determined sight. He was only 27 years old ... five years of service in the Foreign Legion, five years in the Agency. Despite his experience and his careful nature, he couldn't return the favour that Archaix had given him. Touching the scar on his forehead, he heared the explosions again. Legs on the road, raped women, slaughtered children ... and the wind! Always brought the smell of the death...the civil war of Ivory Coast. He was a sniper, and Archaix was his spotter. Two men, but one organism.
After the unsuccessful attempt to assassinate General Guei, he was taken as prisoner, but his comrade rescued him just before the firing squad were ready.
"A true friendship is always forged in hell" - thought Debro whilst stepped on the gas pedal. - "Five more miles."
After Debro received his medal and retired, he took Spain to begin his calm years...
"Watch out, man!" - Screamed Dalton from the back. Debro suddenly trod on the break.
"Calm down, it's only a truck." - he was a bit booby this time.
***
The rain affected visibility, Nibu was told. They had switched the chopper for a jet before crossing the Atlantic, and were currently blasting through unknown international aerospace at the rate of almost three hundred miles per hour. That knowledge didn't sit well with the Chief, and he downed his third glass of brandy solemnly.
"Stay off the liquor, chief," Said Deputy Deutschgarten, who was sitting beside him, avoiding looking through the port window.
"We'll need all the strength we can muster once we reach the UK."
"I know, I know."
Nibu was irritated nonetheless. He couldn't sit still like this, knowing that the radio was down and that the only thing separating him from two thousand foot fall to unknown waters was cheap Alabama steel. He wouldn't feel safe until he was back on land, even if England was unstable by now.He took the risk of glancing out of the window, and wondered if, through the darkness, rain and fog, the ancient island was out there. If it was, was it the same Britain they'd contacted earlier?
In this two hour's journey, anything might have happened. The world might already by a much changed place. He suddenly felt very weak, very isolated. He tried again not to look out of the port window.
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Post by Robespierre - P.R. of Debro on Jun 17, 2007 8:50:51 GMT -5
10. Juan
"Juan! Wake up, damn you!"
Don Juan de Huesca opened his eyes, and let the bleary, swaying vision of his room hang in his sight for a while.
"Juan! For God's sakes' it's almost noon!"
Juan lifted himself up, and padded over the window, which was currently resisting the barrage of small stones Debro was hurling. He dodged one as he opened the window, and peered out.
"Debro?" He said, faintly.
"Let me in, damn you!"
"Why? Que pasa?"
"I'll tell you in a minute. Open up!"
Juan plodded downstairs, and opened the door to his visitor. Wasn't Debro supposed to be in Malaga...?
"Juan, me and Dalton have come straight from Malaga," Ah, so they had. "Turns out that Automaticz is almost in possession of the Emerald."
After he'd properly dressed, eaten and poured the first coffee of the day, he and Debro discussed the situation at length.
"So you're saying Automaticz has mobilized?"
"That's right. Dalton received orders to kill me, Sam killed Archaix and Automaticz is on the move. the Americans have even sent agents early this morning!"
"An ingles has died?"
"Yes. It's all getting serious, now. Nobody's quite sure when the zoos will spill over, but when they do, that's when you know Automaticz is about to get the Emerald."
"So what are you doing here?"
"We need all the agents and equipment we can muster, and then we need to fly to Calais and guard the crossing. Currently there's just the three of us, but Orios should meet us in Calais -he's another American agent."
"Right. Let's lock and load."
11. Nearly dead
"Where the hell are we?"
"I don't know, chief. I think we kinda missed London. For all we know we're in France!"
"I sure hope not."
Nibu, Deutsch and the crew climbed out of the jet, which had landed rather roughly in a sodden field, and headed towards the freeway just ahead of them.
"If we can look for some traffic signs we might see where we are." Explained Nibu.
The landscape was inescapably bleak. Dawn was just breaking, but this only seemed to highlight the low visibility there actually was because of the mist. The mist hung low and seemed to shroud the ground like a pale heather, giving the place an air of dampness.
There, in the middle of the road, was a crumpled heap of unidentifiable debris. Deutschgarten was the first to notice it, and beckoned the others to follow as he ran towards it.
Nibu grasped the HK53 that had been slug over his shoulder, and moved more cautiously. Unlike Deutsch he'd seen active service in the National Guard, and he hadn't climbed his way to the top of law enforcement like a mountaineer and learnt nothing during all that time.
Kardas was just able to move, and his eyes, crazed with pain, lifted towards the approaching men. An arm raised in desperation, and Deutsch grasped it, and pulled that man to his feet. The dragon behind him moaned quietly in muted rage.
"What the hell happened to you?" Asked Nibu, his eyes drifting from
Kardas to the dragon, from the dragon to the scorched hole fifty yards behind.
"He...he had a bazooka! He had a bazooka!" Moaned Kardas, folding up and dropping to his knees.
There was a pause.
"Are you talking about Automaticz?" Said Deutsch.
"Yes."
"Where is he? Do you know? Answer me!"
"He's gone. He's probably south of Birmingham, now. He's going to London!"
Then it was only a matter of time, Nibu realized. They had to somehow get to London before Automaticz, who had the lead on them by well over two hours. They couldn't use the plane; it was entrenched in mud and low on fuel. The dragon, then? No, it barely looked as though it last the night. What to do?
"Ok, men," Announced Nibu. The crew gathered around.
"Johnson, you take care of this guy and his dragon. Deutsch, Santiago and me will commandeer the next ride that comes along, and try and get there before Automaticz executes his plan."
Johnson, the pilot, nodded.
"Just make sure you take care yourselves, guys."
"We will. Just get this guy sorted out. Ok, move!"
Johnson was left in the dark countryside alone.
"Boss? I need a medical team....Yes....Very quickly, the special team. the coordinates are GTD-1,5,7"
Johnson put the cell phone in his pocket and started to observe Kardas.
He was in very bad shape, became unconcious, and had high fever.
"Hold on, my friend, they're coming!" - said Johnson.
***
Kardas was dreaming once again....He walked briskly out of the university library, shuddering in the cold air of late autumn. He made his way along to his apartment to dump all the papers in his hands, piled up high from an intensive night study on Erasmus. He had a plane to catch this afternoon, and he wanted to leave all his work behind.
It was as he turned a corner, however, that he bumped straight into a man, and the papers flew out everywhere all over the street. The man saw Kardas' notes and of all the words, one stood out- Automaticz.
"I'm sorry about that, sir," said the man, in English. He ranged about six foot, dressed in a dark, expensive suit. A fedora, turned down low, masked the particulars of his face. "Let me help you with those." He grasped around for the papers, piling them into Kardas' arms. The final paper, however, remained in the hands of the stranger. As he read the page, he said the word 'Automaticz' under his breath.
It took a while before Kardas, unsure, answered "Yes, he's buddy of mine in university. Why?"
"Let's just say I'm looking for him. He's in a lot of trouble, I can tell you. My name's Archaix." He tried to shake hands with Kardas, but the weight of all the papers made the task impossible.
"I'm Kardas. Thank you for that, but I have a plane to catch."
"All right. But if you hear anything from Automaticz, let me know. here's my number." Archaix left a small rectangular piece of paper on the top of the enormous pile of papers, and walked away.
A few moments later, Kardas collapsed under the weight.
A week after Kardas met Archaix, another odd thing happened while Kardas walking along the beach. He saw a dot in the coming from the south (he had his compass with him), but dismissed it as an airplane.
That is, until the dot grew larger and just barely landed on the beach! Kardas loved Lego when he was younger, and because of that, he recognized it immediately. It was a 4-meter tall and 5 meter-long Dragon! Kardas was alone on the beach as winter had passed, and realized a potential friend in what he had been planning the whole time- stopping Automaticz. Kardas stayed with the beast for the rest of the afternoon, only returning with some fresh meat and a steak with barbeque sauce, which was his and the Dragon's dinner. Oddly, the Dragon didn't eat the raw meat first, but Kardas' BBQ sauced-steak first, and scrunched down the raw meat when he spilled barbeque sauce on it (I put this in for later comic relief) . When morning came around, the Dragon was well again and Kardas, who had spent the night
sleeping on the beach, very hungry. But Kardas had found a friend, and after stopping at his own house to get what he needed, he and his Dragon flew off to the adress Archaix had provided them.
11. London
London was surprisingly calm when Nibu, Deutsch and Santiago arrived. It was approaching lunchtime, and the traffic was as full and fluent as ever.
"Ok, what now?" said Deutsch.
"How about telling me why you're called 'Deutsch Garten' when you don't have any ostensible German connection?"
"I meant about Automaticz!"
"Oh. Well, we have to get to Parliament. C'mon!"
Several people in Birmingham, Essex and London all saw a strange object high up in the sky that day. It soared through the air like a bird but appeared to be too large, and was not the shape of a plane of any kind. When asked later they would all say that it could have been a UFO, but none seriously considered it. But whatever the thing was, it was headed straight for London.
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Post by Robespierre - P.R. of Debro on Jul 12, 2007 14:11:01 GMT -5
12. The sun goes downThere they were -the famous white cliffs of Dover. They were slightly paler than he'd imagined, perhaps it was the mist...
Orios, the American agent, looked at his companions. The Spaniard, Juan, was slumped in a chair, fast asleep. The rocking of the ferry and the dull, dead sound of the engine had made him tired, no doubt. Then Dalton -the double agent, apparently- was stood looking out of the large panel window opposite the table. There was at least another twenty minutes worth of water between them and the port, and it heaved hypnotically in the penguin's beady eyes. Orios didn't know why, but he just didn't trust him. It was stupid, it was unreasonable, it was detrimental to the cause...but there was some kind of innate hatred in Orios of all penguins.
He brushed the sweat from his forehead. Come on, get a grip! It's just all this work. You've been battling these guys for so long you can't tell what's right anymore. I'll just be glad when all this is over.
He looked then towards the Hungarian, Debro, who was demonstrating how he could balance a spoon from his nose.
"Have I met you before?" He asked.
"I think so. There was a conference in Santander a few months ago -I was a guest speaker."
"Of course, I do remember. It was a lecture on the Emerald."
"Indeed."
"During which you lectured us about how a llama would win a fight with a camel."
"Yeah, I got bored. But the point was that while a camel has superior morale and cognitive abilities, the llama would beat it in either a cold climate or in an area with low oxygen levels, since it lives at a higher altitude."
"Yes."
"Also, it's true that when..."
"If we could get the the matter at hand- " Interrupted Orios, tactfully.
"Oh yeah, the job."
"What are we up against?"
Debro's face lost the youthful amicability it had up till now displayed.
"You won't know until it happens."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that this is like nothing you'll have faced before. This will require all your strength, wit and knowledge. This is humanity's last chance."
---
As the object moved over London, more and more people took notice of the figure in the sky, now illuminated in the rising sun. It resembled...a dragon.
---
He heard the dial ring twice, and then a beaky voice answered, "Hello?"
"Dalton, are you in London yet?"
"Not yet, master. Just leaving Dover."
"Well do hurry up. I can't keep my cohorts waiting for much longer."
"Don't worry, sir. I will be in London for Operation Spartacus."
"Excellent. I am at 7 Parade Road, near Whitechapel. Run along."
He rung off. Nearly time, now.
---
The Prime Minister prepared himself in front of the mirror. Prime Minister's Questions, as on any other Wednesday, would run smoothly. He had the Opposition in the palm of his hand, now. His policy on Housing, which he'd been preparing since Tuesday, would turn the tables his way in the May elections.
He heard the chauffeur knock on the door, and enter.
"Ready to go to Westminster, sir?" he inquired.
"Indeed, let's go. I have a feeling that it's going to be a good day."
---
"So what happens when we reach London?" Orios asked.
"We find Automaticz, and we arrest him." Replied Debro, keeping his eyes on the road. The traffic was quite clear, and this was all wrong...
"Seven Parade Road" Added Dalton, eager not to forget the address.
"It sounds all to simple, to me."
"The problem is," Said Debro, pushing his foot to the floor of the car, "There isn't enough time!"
---
There was a noise, that was certain.
"No there isn't, Nibu. Stop trying to scare us."
"No, you guys. I heard a rumbling, or something."
"It's not funny."
"Shut up! I heard it again!"
Deutsch nodded his head.
"I felt something that time. And are the streets supposed to be this quiet?"
All three of them heard the noise before they saw the cause of it. Galloping down Oxford street, with the inevitability of death, there arose the most terrifying scene any of them had ever witnessed.
Giraffes, zebras, lions and tigers, all being ridden by a troop of penguins, burst forth over the road. Cars were flung into shop windows, lampposts were flattened by scores of beasts, and fires inexplicably fluttered here and there with explosions. And they were headed straight for Parliament.
---
The motorcade saw it too, and armed police opened fire while the Prime Minister and the MPs were escorted into the building. Animals, gripped with the seizure of death, were scooped to the sides of the torrent as the methodical thrust forward was maintained by the penguins. Almost as soon as the battle had begun the police were inundated with Automaticz's felons, which tore them alive and feasted upon their remains. The automatic rifles, now scattered on the floor, were taken up by the penguins, which now tried to discipline the over-zealous soldiers. They were hungry for blood, but they must not get it yet. The Master would dictate the time.
---
Nibu reached for his carbine, and prepared to fire into the mob. Deutsch grabbed him just in time.
"What are you doing, you fool? You'll kill us all! Wait a moment, we can't give ourselves away."
Nibu took a deep sigh, and nodded.
"You're right. Let's wait for Automaticz to show up."
They watched for almost ten minutes before he arrived. During that time the penguins had been busy preparing to enter the building, and had set sentries on street corners. However, they had failed to notice the three Americans hidden behind the burnt-out wreckage of the car some four hundred yards away.
"I can't get a clear shot," Cried Santiago. "There's too many penguins in the way."
"Alright, let's close in once they've gone inside."
---
The MPs sat in silence as events unfolded. It all happened rather too fast, and was too organized to resist. Almost as Automaticz entered the Commons penguin soldiers, all armed with Heckler & Koch MP5's, went round the sides of the room, disarming police and standing guard all around the perimeter. It was as though a black border had been placed around the edges. On the second floor balconies, too, a squad had gathered, and began to peer into the chamber.
Automaticz came to a halt just before the table in the centre.
"My friends," He began. He flashed an insolent smile, returned by nobody. "The Emerald is almost in my possession. Resistance is futile." He waited for any objections. There were, predictably enough, none whatsoever. "Mr Prime Minister? A few words to mark this most auspicious occasion?"
The Prime Minister was urged forward by a small soldier, and stood awkwardly in the middle of the green carpet. "You'll never get away with this." He muttered.
Automaticz grinned deeply. "Oh yeah? And who is going to stop me?"
---
The agents gathered around. All of them were there at last: Nibu, Deutsch, Santiago, Dalton, Debro, Juan and Orios.
"Shall we proceed?" Asked Deutsch. They all agreed, and prepared to storm the sentries.
Orios took Debro aside for a moment.
"Is this going to be bad?" he asked. It was a stupid question, he knew, but he really needed help right now.
"Don't worry, kid. I've been in active service for years."
"What's it like?"
...
Back in those heady days, they'd all seemed so youthful, so invincible. Debro had first fought alongside Archaix there, when they were members of the FPI and desperate to cling onto democratic success. Why, Archaix must have been at least ten at that time, and what the hell was he doing in the Ivory Coast? No matter, they'd fought well throughout that hectic time, and gone onto great things. The agency had recruited them soon thereafter, and therein hangs a tale. What was it he'd said before leaving for Britain that last time he'd seen him? 'A true friendship is always formed in hell' Never a truer word spoken. And hell is where it ends.
...
"Debro?"
"Oh, er, nothing. Just remember, boy, aim well. And don't worry -I've got your six. C'mon!"
The seven of them walked towards the sentries sullenly, staggered out across the wide road so as to avoid being close if a grenade went off. The penguins raised their heads, and issued a bark of anger. The army of animals behind them were alerted immediately.
"Back the way you came, boyos!" Shouted Nibu, in a superbly imitated Welsh accent. He sprayed the front-line with lead, and they fell back like plaster from a wall. The enemy raised their guns, and prepared to shoot.
They met a wall of noise as the salvo erupted from the muzzles of the eight guns (Dalton had a couple of Desert Eagles). Blood, spewing endlessly from the lungs, limbs and torsos of hundreds of animals drained onto the street like tinted rain, collecting in puddles in slight depressions in the road. Some tried to retaliate by firing back, but the power was against them. Some fell back to the street behind; most ran away to the safety of many miles. In a mere five minutes the last remaining resistance had been quietened, and Westminster rang with an awful silence. The agents, now scattered far and wide after having taken cover, now gathered again. None seemed to have been harmed.
None, that is, except Debro. He was leaning against a twisted lampost, a wound in his chest oozing blood. His face was blanched, and paling by the moment. They rushed towards him.
"Debro, are you alright? Speak!"
"I'm...I'm fine." He replied, indistinctly.
Deutsch looked towards Westminster. "Guys, I don't want to be too harsh or anything, but we have to go."
"Well, what are we gonna do about Debro?"
There was a pause.
"Debro, can you still handle a gun...?"
---
It was -although others would argue otherwise afterwards- by pure coincidence that the Dragon burst through the ceiling of Westminister at the same time the agents rushed in. Pieces of masonry fell upon the gathering, some large pieces even flattening some people. A thick smog of dust and smoke drenched the chamber, and chaos erupted. Penguins and MPs, confused by the crashes, the smell of burning rubber and the taste of cement began to run -or waddle- towards exists while the Dragon to eat people. Kardas dismounted, and headed towards the six agents.
"Are you the agents?" He shouted.
The agents nodded.
"We have to find Automaticz! We can't let him escape!"
They eventually caught sight of him heading for the fire escape. He ducked as the MP for Huddersfield was consumed by an array of sharp white teeth, and jumped through the opening.
"Seize him!"
---
They collected at the main entrance, and watched in despair as Automaticz ran. He was running towards a mole at the other end of the street -it was a mole, bearing an Emerald. So this was it: this was the end...
"Forged...in...hell..." Breathed Debro, his finger at last finding the trigger of the rifle. "Socialism...be...my...guide..."
The shot rang clear and true -right into the back of the head. In a moment the danger had passed, and even the animals now littering the scene had lost all coordination, all purpose. There seemed to be a blurring of time that lasted for at least a minute before everything settled down. Automaticz was dead. One-quarter of the elected chamber of Parliament had been eaten, and would almost certainly trigger a by-election.
Debro was dead. His last movement had been to hold down the trigger, and in doing so had ended everything. The crisis was over.
---
Somewhere to the west of Sheffield, before the floodplain reaches the broken heights of the Penines lies a tiny dell, nearly forgotten by humanity. It is marked by a single Rowan tree surrounded by the all-pervasive furze. There lies a lonely stretch of thin, isolated grass that grows only rarely in these parts. And underneath this grass, perhaps six feet or more, lays the Emerald, and the man who would have had it.=The End=
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