[Issue 42] [Story] Blemishes - Part 2

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

 

Read Part 1 here

 

***

 

Generalissimo Ehrlich's phone buzzed.

 

He started, surprised. There was a strict no-phone limit in the convention hall. He wondered on this for a while, and then smacked himself on the face.

 

'Of course,' he thought. 'I'm having the security satellite phone'.

 

He wondered who could be triggering a notification on the phone at this time, especially when he'd told all his contacts not to contact him during the meeting.

 

He excused himself and walked out of the main hall, amidst whispers from the representatives of the other state, and pulled out his phone to see one message.

 

He sighed. He was really having a bad day. First Connor Lynch doesn't turn up. Dang that man, I'll be reducing his salary anytime now. He was the cause of all this stress, and the Generalissimo knew that if he didn't turn up, any plan to resist the Decateurs would remain a plan - forever.

 

With some annoyance, he opened the message, waiting to report the sender to the cyber cell. Nobody would message him something unless he was pranking Ehrlich.

 

He read through the message and the colour flooded out of his face.

 

Or unless it was really urgent.

 

***

 

Connor Lynch sweated it out as he concentrated on getting his Wasp as far out of the range of those devastating rifles as possible, but it was tough work. The atmosphere within the cabin could have matched a cloud, and every bump on the road seemed to be jarring his otherwise-flawless suspension system.

 

"Damn it," he said. "I should have micro-upgraded the shockers ages ago." But now, it was too late, and his life bordered on how well he could get the Wasp onto the interstate.

 

That's thronged with cars, he thought. Those Decateurs have no chance of getting me there - I'll be too well camouflaged over there.

 

Just as he had begun to relax, he saw two sleek figures behind him - the Decateurs had brought their own Hornets. Oh, the irony. The fight for life was becoming more pronounced than ever. Connor had to get to the peacekeeping conference now - not just because Generalissimo Ehrlich needed him, but also due to the fact that he would die if he was ever caught.

 

Beads of sweat fell onto his lap. He wiped them off, and reached up to switch on the air-conditioning, but was stopped by a beeping light on the dashboard. Dammit, that'll be the low fuel warning.

 

He risked a glance into the rear-view mirror and saw that the Hornets were gaining; his Wasp just didn't have enough torque. He had only one chance to escape.

 

Before the interstate was a forested area with dense foliage. If he could just get his Wasp into those woods, he could dump it, hike to the interstate and hitch a ride to the conference. The only question was, would the Wasp make it?

 

He looked at the fast-approaching Interstate, and saw to his dread that the Decateurs had cordoned off the area with barriers, and were waiting for him. The woods it is, then.

 

Lauding himself, Connor swerved his wasp to the left, forcing it into the powerslide, and drove headlong into the woods, sighting escape at last.

 

And that's when he drove into the trap.

 

His Wasp's engine shuddered on contact with the intricately arranged spike strip, and then gave out completely, flipping him in the process. Connor tried to open the hatch, but the opening was blocked by the ground. His diversion had been expected.

 

As he heard voices surrounding him and felt somebody righting his tank, he heard a voice saying 'Come out there with your hands up! No dirty tricks, otherwise you're dead!'

 

Dang nab these Decateurs.

 

***

 

Generalissimo Ehrlich started the proceedings immediately.

 

After reading Connor's message, Ehrlich understood the weight of the situation. Connor was possibly detained, there was no other reason for him sending a top-secret file over something as insecure as a phone line.

 

Yet, a niggling doubt entered his mind. I ought to check if something is wrong at Connor's end, he thought. However, one look at the plan was enough to make him postpone his actions of goodwill and progress the meeting immediately.

 

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "Today, we are gathered here for exterminating the Decateurs, and I'm pleased to announce that you need wait no more - for I have the plans right here!" He announced, holding up his phone.

 

The Bobruisk representative initiated a polite round of applause, and soon was taken up by the whole hall.

 

The Generalissimo raised his hands for silence, and then uploaded the file to the conference's main cloud server. Switching on the projector, he began to read. "Our first plan is to remove the aura of secrecy around the Decateurs, that's the reason why they've survived for so long. Our foremost IT experts have successfully cracked their top secret network, and we have now blocked every medium of intelligence into their office.

 

"This will force them to move into the open, and once they do, they are powerless. Their main strength is their secrecy, and without their strength, they are strengthless." Nobody cracked a smile at the feeble joke.

 

"Now, our main strategy for dealing with them in the open is........" Ehrlich trailed off into a very uncomfortable silence. Only Connor knew what steps to take once they had direct confrontation with the Decateurs. Ehrlich may not have been a Generalissimo for nothing, but Lynch was their lead tactician - he alone knew the complete plan for finishing the Decateurs off, once and for all.

 

"Actually, I needed Connor for this bit......"

 

"And so you have," said a voice. The Generalissimo whipped around to see a man in shades and a leather jacket enter the room. There was no mistaking the special services insignia. Connor Lynch had arrived.

 

Without a word, Generalissimo Ehrlich moved aside, allowing him to speak.

 

"First of all," said Connor. "Let me tell you that we are not planning to make them move into the open. Instead, we send spys into their office."

 

Ehrlich was dumbfounded. Connor had always been an advocate against spying into the Decateurs. Three times they tried, and all three times, the spies came back dead. Connor was the one who had led that expedition, and he of all people should have known the risk.

 

Then why was he acting so strangely?

 

Connor dug into his jacket, and brought out something. "And, finally, Generalissimo Ehrlich, I'm warning you not to mess with the Decateurs............"

 

Ehrlich stopped dead in his tracks, and immediately reached for his phone to ring for help, because at that moment, Connor looked him into the eye, and he got a dreadful realization.

 

This is not Connor.

 

".......... you'll regret it."

 

And with that, Connor's doppelganger threw the smoke bomb enclosed in his fist.

 

Smoke billowed throughout the hall, blinding Ehrlich and blocking everything from his view. He heard screams, shouts - a stampede was taking place. Running through the hall, Ehrlich collided with the Bobruisk representative.

 

"Stop him, goddammit! This is your grand plan? To get us killed? Let me tell you that Bobruisk is withdrawing all support for this initiative, and I'm sure the others would agree too!"

 

Dumbstruck, Ehrlich could only gape as one by one, all dignitaries filed out of the hall, just as the smoke cleared up. He walked to the pedestal where he had been giving his speech, and found it untouched, except for two things.

 

The modus operandi documents and the phone containing the plan. The impostor had taken flight.

 

And more importantly,Ehrlich was back to square one in dealing with the Decateurs. Without the plan, they would be useless against them as they now threatened to engulf more states in their reign of terror and espionage, growing in population by the hour. It would take more effort than ever if he was to eradicate the State's fastest growing criminal organization.

 

He looked once more at the empty, dilapidated hall.

 

And there is no one to support us.

 

***

 

To be continued

 

Edited October 16, 2015 by Lhamster

[Hex 11,520]

Nice story! First though :3 No downvotes people, no hati'nnnn!!!

[MatjamRicochetShaft 30]

Very good story-however I personally think you should have added a bit more Tanki features. I believe you will be a great author someday if u keep this up :)

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

Very good story-however I personally think you should have added a bit more Tanki features. I believe you will be a great author someday if u keep this up :)

Thanks, although I intended this story to be a kind of hybrid between Tanki Online and real life - hence the story is set in reality, but contains elements in Tanki. I thought it was a pretty refreshing genre :/

[Penguin40 1,714]

Thanks, although I intended this story to be a kind of hybrid between Tanki Online and real life - hence the story is set in reality, but contains elements in Tanki. I thought it was a pretty refreshing genre :/

And that really makes a good story :) And that's pretty much the same case with a story I'm planning of. :)

 

Nice job, TNT.

[jharri19 2]

This is amazing. Will the next part come out in i43 or i44? Sooner than later, suspense is horrible! The story=amazing!

[freestylefrost 422]

Wow, the hardest job is the reporters job :O

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

This is amazing. Will the next part come out in i43 or i44? Sooner than later, suspense is horrible! The story=amazing!

Issue 44 ;) Glad to know you liked it.

[BlueDragon_tamki 3,204]

Love it :)

+1