Chapter Eleven: The First Play

They ran to the North Gate. Somehow, Nexus forces were moving through the Bastion shield. The soldiers at the Barracks, were cutting them down, leaving piles of dead soldiers on the ground, but more coming through than could be killed. Jason ran for it. He had a feeling that he knew who was after the envelope now. He banged on the door to his quarters.

‘It’s me, Jason open up!’ he yelled. Celeste opened the door.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked.

‘We’re moving. Now. Grab the envelope and follow me’ Jason said as he waited for them.

‘Where are we going?’ Celeste asked.

‘Third floor of the research lab’ Jason answered.

‘Why?’ Claire asked.

‘Because I know who’s after the envelope. It’s the Nexus. They’re private military attacking the Barracks right now’ Jason replied, rounding a corner. Jason fired as a Nexus soldier appeared at the other end of the corridor. The soldier fell back before he even saw Jason.

‘Celeste, take his weapon’ Jason said. Celeste obeyed, picking up the soldier’s RX-15 Assault Rifle.

‘The military doesn’t even have those yet’ Jason told them. They continued to move along the corridor, and managed to reach the research lab, relatively easily. Once they entered, Claire locked the door behind them. Together they then entered the lift and went up to the third floor. Everyone had left, prior to the attack, so they were alone. They looked out the window. The courtyard that had been empty a minutes ago, was now an all-out battlefield. Nexus and Campbell forces, were engaged in a fierce battle, and people lay dead in almost every un-occupied space.

‘Start firing’ Jason said. As soon as the Nexus forces heard Jason and Celeste’s shots, they moved to the cover of roves, but the Campbell forces now had them pinned.

‘What they even doing here?’ Celeste yelled over the sound of gunfire.

‘It’s a play for the envelope. It’s a failed attempt, they’ll find that out soon enough’ Jason said. Then they heard an explosion from below.

‘They’re inside’ Sarah said. Jason said.

‘Celeste, take Sarah and Claire and hide. They can not get that envelope, understand?’ Jason said.

‘Yes, but what about-‘

‘You let me worry about them’ Jason said. He watched them takes the stairs down and then he crouched down behind a desk, close to the window. As soon as the lift doors opened, six Nexus soldiers stepped out and opened fire. Jason peered around the corner of the desk and spotted a pressurised gas tank near the elevator. Jason moved his head back behind the desk, inhaling deeply. He then aimed carefully and fired one shot at the tank, leaning around the corner of the desk. The explosion forced the soldiers to forget about him as they moved out of the way. In that time, Jason had leapt out of the window and ran across the roof. As he dropped himself off the roof to the ground below, he noticed Nexus forces retreating, towards the North Gate, but some of them were still firing. Jason noticed three soldiers advancing on Celeste, who was out of ammo. They didn’t seem to want to shoot her though. They wanted her to hand over the envelope. Jason fired on them while moving forward. Two of them ran, but one stayed, holding a pistol to Celeste’s head.

‘Stop’ he said, confidently. ‘Stop, or I’ll put a bullet so deep in her head, they’ll never find it’ Jason obeyed.

‘Ok’ Jason said.

‘Drop your weapon, hold your hands above your head’ the soldier said. Jason dropped the weapon and held his hand in the air.

‘Give me the envelope’ the soldier told Celeste.

‘Do it Celeste’ Jason told her, sighing slightly. Begrudgingly, Celeste handed over the envelope. The soldier smiled as he took the envelope, and walked away. As he passed Jason, in one swift movement, broke the bridge of the soldier’s nose and then pushed it up, into the soldier’s brain, killing him instantly. Jason sighed, closing his eyes.

‘If I can avoid killing people I will, but that was necessary’ he said.

‘Thank you’ Celeste said.

‘For what?’ Jason asked.

‘Well that’s the second time you’ve saved my life’

‘I’m sorry, are we not here too?’ Sarah said.

‘Ok. You saved their lives too’ Celeste said. Jason smiled.

‘The Nexus have left. I want you,’ Jason picked up the envelope, which had somehow avoided the blood, and handed it back to them ‘To take the envelope back to our quarters. Celeste and I will meet you there’ Jason added. Claire nodded and headed off with Sarah. Jason turned and Celeste followed. They went to the courtyard, where the other soldiers had gathered.

‘Military personnel only. No exceptions I’m afraid’ Sergeant Williams said walking over to them.

‘Can you tell me how many we lost?’ Jason asked.

‘Twenty-eight people were people, ten of those were civilians. We also have fifty-four people injured’ Williams said.

‘So what are with the bodies?’ Celeste asked.

‘We’re discussing that now, but we can’t tell you. You should return to your quarters. Everyone will be informed shortly’ Lieutenant Spire interjected, walking over. Jason hesitated, but then nodded.

‘Alright’ he said, and they gradually made their way back.

It was near midnight. Claire and Sarah had fallen asleep, but Jason and Celeste were still awake. Celeste was drinking water, Jason was examining the contents of the envelope again and neither of them could sleep. The military had decided to bury the dead Campbell Soldiers and Civilians on the beach. The Nexus soldiers would be taken out ten kilometers from the shore and dumped in the ocean. They both thought it was unceremonious, but by the same token, those people had tried to kill them, as far as Jason and Celeste were concerned, dumping them in ocean was much nicer than leaving them on the land.

‘Kiss me’ Celeste said. Jason said nothing for a moment.

‘What?’

‘Today, I could’ve have died, and I haven’t even been kissed yet. I want to experience it before I die. So kiss me,’ Celeste said. ‘Please’ she added. Jason hesitated but eventually moved himself over to her and two of them embraced each other. Almost involuntarily, the tongues danced around each other, before they pulled away. The two of them smiled at each other, before they kissed again.