Escape From Redeem, Rise of an Emperor
Chapter 19

Most of the guards on the ice world, counted the days until they could return to wherever they called home, as rich men. The facility housed dangerous individuals who the financiers wanted forgotten, but also punished. A term for a guard here was rewarded greatly, but a condition for that reward, was to live at the prison with very few luxuries. The Warden put on entertainment for them, with several pit fights each month, to distract the guards from tedium. Most of the employees also had holo glasses that would take them to any virtual reality they desired.

Hugo Wellin did not count the days for his return home to anywhere. He did not bother much in holographic realities either. Redeem was like a home to him now. It was a place where he could truly be himself, without being chastised for his addiction to inflicting suffering and misery. On Earth, he would be considered a sick and twisted individual. But here, he was actually paid, and paid well for punishing those sent to him.

The Warden occasionally stayed his hand, from killing some of the inmates. After all, paying clients kept this facility running and in returned they expected the men it sent to them, to suffer as they would, on no other prison in existence.

The inmate chained before him, in one of his many wet rooms squealed from the touch of his cruel instrument of torture. It was music to the ears of Wellin. He activated a stud, which sent an electrical current through the prisoner’s abdomen.

Smiling; Wellin walked over to a tray of scalpels, and selected a short but extremely sharp one.

He made several tiny cuts all over the hanging man’s body. When he was satisfied that he had made enough. He walked over to a bucket of vinegar, which he had prepared earlier, and picked it up calmly. The prisoner knew what would happen next, not from the smell of the acidic liquid. But from the many times this had happened to him before. The multiple scars that latticed his body, told a tale of the horror this prisoner had endured.

‘No... Please ahhh.’

He screamed, an ear splitting cry that Wellin gratified in, as he slowly began to pour the vinegar over the man’s cuts.

The pleasure Wellin took from the torture was great indeed. But it was never enough to fully satisfy him. In truth, there was no reason why this prisoner had to be punished like this. Hugo Wellin did not need a reason to inflict pain on an inmate here. He started thinking about what he would do next. When he realised the night shift on A wing had not checked in for a long while now. Ignoring the screams of anguish for a second, he consulted his data slate on a nearby table, and to his surprise, no one on that wing had checked in for the last three hours. He was concerned and angry by this failure in procedure.

Pay would be docked for this, unless the mistake was due to illness. He activated a communicator bead, and called through to the guard on shift. He was met with only silence.

Something was wrong. Nobody would ignore a communication from him. They knew better than that.

Leaving his victim hanging in agony, Wellin made his way to A wing, and called the night shift central desk that connected the four branches of the main cell blocks.

‘This is Captain Wellin, Report.’

The response was instant

‘Good evening sir. All seems quiet tonight. Just a few screams from A wing but that’s normal when Henrik’s on duty.’ Henrik shared in Wellin’s lust for inflicting pain, and was also the man that had not checked in. A scream heard from his night patrols was not unusual. Not checking in or responding to communications however, was very out of the ordinary.

‘Henrik’s not checked into the system, and his not responding to my communications. I’m on my way up from the wet rooms now. Send someone over to check if his ok, will you.’

‘I’ll send someone right now sir’

Wellin was disappointed with not being able to finish his work, on the man he could still hear weeping behind him. Breaking into a run, he wondered what foolish accident had happened to Henrik. It was probably just something stupid, like a malfunction with his communicator. But until he knew for certain, he would have to assume the worst and investigate what was happening.

***

Caleb stopped dead still, in the centre of the long cell block, when he heard footsteps approaching.

His eyes easily picked out two guards approaching him. His first thought was to hide, and take out the two using stealth. But he was tired of skulking in the darkness, like a frightened animal. When he first came to this place, he had tried not to show his unique abilities, through fear of being locked away in the deepest darkest cell. That fate had happened anyway. So now he would show them exactly what he could do. Even back at the academy he had held back his true skills, in fear of harming others he trained with. That was not necessary now. The two guards approaching him finally realised that Caleb, although dressed as a guard, was actually an inmate of the prison.

There was a moment of confusion on their faces as they tried to comprehend, and digest what they were actually seeing.

Caleb did not wait for them to make a decision either way, and drew his pistol quicker than thought, taking the stunned looking men between the eyes. His pistol shooting, just as all other martial disciplines was outstanding. Killing now, he realised was something else he was extremely good at. Killing any man was regrettable to him. But these men had inflicted unnecessary pain on him, and the over prisoners without any qualms or regret. The only guard, who had shown him an ounce of compassion, had been the one called Baz, who now probably still laid unconscious, deep underground. He would live though, unlike the rest of the vermin that would soon be exterminated.

He checked the dead men for anything of use, and took their access cards, more ammunition, and placed one of their communication beads into his ear. One of them also had a data tablet that Caleb went to work on straight away.

Maps of the prison were brought up onto the crystal clear display. Caleb whizzed through information on the layout of the prison in a matter of seconds, his brain working at a speed a normal man could not even conceive possible. He went on to discover the number of guards at the prison, and the tablet even gave him exact locations of where they all were. Most of them were off duty and in their own quarters, or in the guard’s common room. He would deal with those later and made a mental note of where they all were. He would not forget.

Up ahead was a central control desk, which housed several guards. They would no doubt have a panel that operated the locks on the prisoner’s doors, as well as other interesting rooms such as the prisons armoury. He walked to its location as if he owned the place. Perhaps he would soon.

The men at the desk when he arrived must have heard the shots as they had their own automatic rifles drawn and aimed at Caleb who put a hand up to partially conceal his face from them. The moment of confusion seemed to work, when he heard them question. ‘Hey… What’s happening down there?’

‘There’s an escaped prisoner.’ Caleb shouted at them, and watched their eyes opened wide in the surprise.

‘How the hell they get out? I take it he’s dead now?’

One of them asked him excitedly. They must have enjoyed the mild distraction, from night after night, of sitting at this boring desk. Caleb came in to their full view, and realisation suddenly dawned on the guard, as he recognised the massive young man in a guard’s uniform.

‘What the…’

But it was too late for them now, and Caleb snapped of three successive shots and moved so fast that any return fire just hit the walls were he should have been. Each of his bullets on the other hand, hit each guard in the head and they dropped to the floor behind the control desk.

There was one guard remaining, who breathed so heavily in shock, that he could not even hit the red alarm button, his hand hovered over. Caleb pointed his pistol steadily at his face, and indicated with the weapon that the man should stand. He did as instructed, and Caleb jumped over the desk like a gazelle, landing neatly next to the terrified man. He pressed the pistol barrel against the man’s temple. The guard would no doubt recognise him from his short spell in the pit; so he would know how lethal he was.

‘It doesn’t matter what you do. You can’t escape from Redeem.’ The Guard said to him.

‘What makes you think I want to escape?’ Replied Caleb smoothly.

’I have ended their lives, and I have no problem killing you right now. Do you want to die?

The guard shook his head vigorously. “Remove your weapons.” Caleb added.

The guard quickly unclipped his belt and laid it on the ground. The barrel of the gun never left the side of his head.

‘Punch your code into the computer and put some cuffs on.’

The guard, again did as he was told, and Caleb, having no use for the guard, struck him hard over the head, knocking him out cold.

He sat in front of the display, which showed the prison cell block wings. He navigated to the armoury, and hacked the locking mechanism, to only open for him. The guards would now have no way to get to this arsenal of weapons to pose a lethal threat to him.

Caleb then uploaded all of the locking mechanisms for the entire facility, including the guard’s quarters. The ones, who were off duty, would be locked in their rooms until he released them. Killing them all had been tempting; especially for all the suffering that they inflicted upon him and the other unfortunate souls here. But that was not his way. Yes he could kill; but if it could be avoided he would.

Suddenly he could hear the elevator start to move over the other side of the room. The alarm had not yet been raised, so this was probably just another guard on patrol. Caleb had locked down the doors to the guards block and had slaved the facilities controls to the data tablet.

Hacking computers had always seemed easy to him, that he did not even have to think about it. He entered the complex coding into the system, with nimble fingers that made short work of the transfer of the facilities control to him. He had received the same training as the others had at the academy. Caleb had quickly surpassed even his instructors in the art of coding and hacking security systems. It had all seemed so logical to him, that he could not understand why his close friend Tristan, had found it difficult to understand the technicalities of how computers and machines worked. The thought of his old friend was a distraction he could not afford, as his attention went back to the visitor that was coming.

He looked up and noticed that the indicator above the elevator doors showed that it was nearly at his level. He could have stopped it using his new control pad, but in truth he wanted the guards to come to him. If they came at him in twos and threes, as it had gone so far. Then they did not stand a chance against him.

Caleb holstered his pistol, and picked up one of the assault rifles lying on the floor, checking the ammunition clip. His training was now kicking in, and curiously he was beginning to enjoy himself.

Taking the data tablet; he placed it high on one of the many overhead cable trays that were in easy reach. He then hid in the shadows of a staircase that lead to the upper levels of the cell blocks, and he waited patiently for elevator to stop. The rage he had felt was now simmering, waiting to boil over at his leisure. The doors to the elevator opened.

***

Solar System

The Raptor TS broke out of the warp tear, just outside of the Solar system, and continued in the direction of Earth. Species X1 emerged a short while after them, with the small fleet in close pursuit. Captain Reynolds looked at the velocity of readings of the chasing ships, and concluded they could just about out run them.

‘Helmsmen, get us back to earth as fast as the ship can go.’

The order was obeyed instantly. Reynolds had made it quite clear that any questioning of his instructions would be punished severely. Black Watch reputation for harsh discipline ensured all orders were carried out promptly. The young Helmsmen must have been a fast learner. He did not say a word to counter the strange order to lead the fleet behind them, directly to their home world. What he did not know, was General Defoe had a welcoming committee planned for the alien visitors.

It would not take long to get back to Earth now. When they did, Reynolds was sure they would regret following them through the warp tear. The plan seemed to be running smoothly, and Reynolds opened up a secure channel directly to General Defoe, who would be expecting his communication. The hail was answered on the third ring and he heard the calm voice of the General.

‘Report Captain.’

“All is going as planned Sir; the bombardment had the desired effect, and we are being pursued by a large fleet of the aliens, as we speak. We are out running them, just about.’

‘Good work; I will take over the control of your ship remotely, when you pass Earth’s moon. The trap is ready to be sprung Captain.’

‘Very good General.’

He would have liked to have known what had been planned for the alien invaders, but he was more than confident in the Generals ability to deal with the threat.

***

Planet: Earth, Command Centre, Geneva

The command centre, opposite the Presidential Palace, should have been buzzing in anticipation of what was about to happen. The men and women, had been well drilled for this operation, and the professionalism showed. Orders were calmly relayed to necessary personnel.

General Defoe had looked forward to this day, for a very long time. This day would be a bloody one indeed. All would remember the golden era that President Black had ushered in, as a fond memory. After today; there would be only war for humanity, and he would be the man to lead them.

Opposite him; the holographic form of Guy Kruger knelt. His head was lowered in deference.

‘All is in place my Emperor.’

It was not official yet, but it was right that he used his new title now. If what they planned failed, then they would both be dead anyway.

’As are all my stratagems Guy. I will send you a message at the exact moment I want you to kill our beloved President. Today his power of office has expired.”

‘I do not expect any issues; after taking out Dorn, this will be a breeze.’

Kruger was confident of how the plan would play out. The only variables that he could not accurately predict, was how well the aliens could fight. But the General had a secret weapon, that he would have command over soon. Considering the power they would wield, he doubted if anything could stand in their way.

The image of Kruger was as clear as if he was actually there.

’Rise, Supreme Commander.

Kruger stood, and looked impressively dressed, in his war gear that would soon, not just be for show. As Captain of Blacks body guard, he needed to look the part, and he did just that. His cape was made from a light and intricate chainmail, which shimmered magically. Its golden glow made him look majestic. It complimented his dark armour well. He was the complete opposite of the pureness of Dorn Bruce, whose armour was as white and bright as was his character. The darkness suited Kruger.

‘Remember to get out of there, as soon as the deed is done. You will join me here as we coordinate our response to the threat. That is also what we will tell the nobles and senators, when they ask why you were not at the palace, to die at our leader’s side.’

Kruger knew this already. They had gone over and over the plan so much, that he could picture the formations of the new secret Regiment they had been developing on lunar base, over the past few years. The moon had been the perfect place to hide the new warriors they had been developing with the help of some of the scientists, in the employment of Blacks regime.

They were the fruits of years of labour, and as far as President Black knew, the resources being spent on lunar base, were for research and development into advance warfare. Technically Defoe had not even had to lie to Black, while preparing the new soldiers, destined to fight for the good of the current government. Alas; this new breed of soldier, were bred only to serve Defoe. The brainwashing techniques used to make them obedient was only the tip of the iceberg, when it came to what they had done to the men on lunar.

From stocks of soldiers, recruited across the vast colonies, they had made super specimens that were altered physically and mentally. Their genomes had been helped along before birth. But then, they were further enhanced, with all the techniques that they had at their disposal. The greatest of the modifications to these men was a special data chip implanted into their brains, giving them endless advantages over an enemy. It gave them instant data uploading, and communication capabilities. It also allowed them to be controlled by Defoe and Kruger personally. They would use this new and growing army of unrivalled ultimate warriors. They had not been named yet. Initially they would use them to work alongside the other regiments, and eventually they would all be assimilated into a single force of freakish strength.

‘I will send word when it is done my Emperor. Are the men on lunar base ready for what is coming?’

It was an impertinent question, but Defoe answered anyway.

‘They are ready Guy; as are the billons of drones that orbit the moon, awaiting our command to unleash them. I will not do so however, until our grim work is done, and species X1 is upon us. We must be seen as saviours after all.’

Kruger nodded and smiled at what was about to happen. Power would be his soon; if only as Defoe’s underling. He had earned that right so far. He saluted Defoe, and his chair turned away from the dissolving image of Kruger, and back to the other man who had helped him achieve his dream of domination.

‘Dr Slade; You have served the President for a long time. How do you feel about his coming death?’

It was true that Dr Slade had been with Black for many years, helping him create genetic perfection, and advancing their people. But Black had sat on the throne of power for far too long, and held back his best discoveries, even from the most loyal Dr Slade.

It had not been difficult in the end, to turn one of Earths greatest minds against his mentor.

The promise of power had not been the only thing he had offered the Dr. He would become Defoe’s chief scientist, and would have the freedom to create the horrendous things that he had dreamed of bringing to fruition.

Black had always restrained his ambitions and personal experiments. This had worked to Defoe’s advantage, when the Dr was finally at his breaking point, to betray the man who called him a friend.

‘There is no doubting the greatness of that man. But he has had his time, and kept his secrets for too long.’

What the Dr meant by that, was how Black had sustained his own life for so long. He had asked him on several occasions to share his secrets with him. But he just said every time, that he was not ready to share his gift of immortality, with anyone but his potential successor. Now the boy was safely stored on the ice world of Redeem. Yes he would be tortured there. But they had strict instructions to keep him alive. Once they had Black taken care of, and the aliens whipped. They could bring the boy back to his labs for testing.

’I have observed the prowess of our fighting force on lunar base Dr. You will soon have a front row seat of the destructive power of your creations. After that we can turn thoughts to our own immortality.”

‘That was always his greatest secret you know. I always resented him for not telling me how he did it. How fares the boy on Redeem?’

The Dr looked excited at the mentioning of Dorn’s brat. He looked down his sharp long nose expectantly at Defoe, hoping that his greatest work was still alive. He had protested at first in sending the boy to the brutal planet. But had soon seen sense, when Defoe had insisted that the whole plan would come crashing down, if he was ever discovered while Black lived.

‘He is alive. I had a coded message from the Warden not so long ago. He is being kept in the deepest and darkest dungeon, with no contact with anyone.’

‘That is just as well. Not even I know what he is capable of. No contact is for the best I think.’

Dr Slade run a hand through his thinning grey scruffy hair and added.

‘Maybe we should have instructed him to sedate the boy indefinably, until we begin experimentation.’

‘Could he really be that dangerous; even in that place?’

‘I don’t know.’ The anxious looking Dr said darkly.