Jeurridam Ch. 12: The Hoover Dam

"Bruh, what the fuck? What the fuck... How am I? Are you serious?" I rambled, at a loss for words.

"They cleared out my upstairs office this morning for your ass! They know your history, your track record... your everything! They know you're a slippery snake! They don't want others to get hurt so they sent everyone down stairs! God... I can't let this happen! Come with me!" He said, ducking down low as we headed through the cubicle space.

There were definitely insurgents in house! Distant footsteps and seeing the unmistakable desert jumpsuits and cloaks of the Revivalists passing by cubicles was all the evidence. The maestro led me into an office, closing and locking the door behind himself. He logged onto his computer, tapping into the security feeds.

"They got us tapped..." He sighed, staring at static, "They're probably on to us!" He wasted no time in running behind his desk, reaching for his safe. He put in the code, pulling out gun after gun after gun, "I'm going to get you back down stairs! We're going to use these employees for leverage! They're going to be our ticket out of here!"

"Then what? You seriously want to do that? I mean they're innocent people!" I responded. He looked at me, dumbfounded.

"Look! Some of thoseemployeesare Logatti goons as well! What I say, they'll do! The rest... expendables! I'm much more afraid of your father than I am these Revivalists clowns! Now you're gonna help me get these guns down here to my boys, and we're going to fight our way out of here just long enough to get to a relay! That's all we need! If you're taken by these fools, we at least should need to inform your father!" He said.

"Oh God..." I said thinking back to what Zanir said, "He was right... I should've stayed... God, he was right! Fuck, he's always right! I should have damn known!" Frustration began to sat in as I realized just how stupid I was!

"No time for self pity! There's a dumbwaiter in the section across the hall that leads us right back down to the rear offices! We need to get these guns to my boys in a hurry! How good are you with a gun?" He asked.

"Good..." I responded.

"And can you fight?" He kept on, not buying this one bit, making sure each gun had amo as he packed them one by one in the bags.

"Yes! Yeah, I can fight..." I said back.

"Whatever," He said, peeping out of the blinds, "We'll do what we can to look after you! Just do what we say! You're a headstrong little somershit I see..."

"Don't be a fool and underestimate me! My whole life is a sticky situation... This is no different! Hand me a gun..." I said. He slowly turned around to me, handing me one of his long barrel silenced auto-pistols. It was a twelve millimeter gun with a lot of power and range, not too far from the stolen guns in the bed of my truck, "Cute..."

"You better know how to fucking work that thing..." The maestro advised, taking one last look out the window. The halls were clear... "We need to move, now!"

We did so, creeping silently through the tight cubicle halls, reaching the dumbwaiter. We both rode it down to the rear offices where the occupants were steadily trying to carry on as normal as possible. The maestro looked at me as we stood behind everyone.

"You stay here and hold my bag!" He said, giving me the sack full of firearms, "I'm about to rally my boys..."

"Okay." I responded. He returned minutes later with about seven or eight young men, all seeming literate and very well educated. As they came back towards the dumbwaiter, where I was standing, every single eye in the office scanned them from head to toe.

"Boys, this is the boss's son! I know the Revivalists seem big and scary and shit but ain't no one bigger and scarier than Dale when he's lost one of his own and he ain't finta lose one today!" The maestro said, reaching for the bag, "Now we're going to make a break for the depot so we can alert assets of what's impending. Whatever happens, one of you boys get to the radio and call for the boss!"

All the boys looked at me, viewing me as some type of precious desert commodity worth more than their lives! It was such a strange feeling to have someone view you like this! After all, I was my dad's least wanted kid yet somehow I managed to be the one his worst possible enemies could have wanted. What kind of shitty luck was that? But still though, we were going to have to make a break for it and all these people would have to be involved.

The boys were roughly around my age and probably just as unlucky as I was with quite a few miles on their odometers. I could relate... In this born to die world, shit like this made you feel purposeful! They seemed ready to jump at the chance of action, like I was so many years ago. Hell, it probably beat sitting here in this office for hours everyday.

"Okay, it's now or never boys..." The maestro said, looking out the window, "Shit..."
"What?" I asked.

"They're surrounding your truck! They got one of those fucking tanks out back with those smaller speeders! This is going to be tough!" He responded. I looked out the window as well, looking at the grim site. It seemed as though this attempt to flee would be futile but I knew with all my heart we could do it!

"What do you want us to do boss?" A kid asked.

"Fuck, just let me think..." The maestro responded, going back to close all doors.

Everyone in the office looked terrified. The boys jostled back and forth, nervous but ready for action.

"All my guns are in the truck," I said as I watched them take everything away, "They're confiscating all my shit!"

"Man, why the fuck do they want you?" The maestro asked.

"They think I know a guy who they need to progress with their technological advancements! As far as I care, I don't know shit..." I responded.

"You obviously do," Some ugly ass chola bitch near the rear said. Her eyes were clenched tight, as the stress began to get to her, "Or they wouldn't be here. Just turn yourself in so no one will get hurt. This is fruitless..."

"I'm not letting this fools take me so they can torture me for the little bits of information they think I know!" I snarled.

"Well it's better you than all of us getting hurt! People here work hard and your little hoodlum ass antics will get us all killed! I'm sorry but I can't go down for you..." She said, walking towards the door.

"You can't?" I asked her, aiming my gun at her.

She looked at me horrified! It was the last look she ever made as a bullet pierced through her skull. She fell on the floor, a twitching dead mess.

"Any more people want to leave, want try and get the fuck out? Let me assure you folks this! My dad runs this shit! He's the reason you all have lights at your home, food on your table and clean water to drink! This right here, isn't my fault and I hate that you all are involved but shit is serious right now and you all will have to listen to me..." I said, sitting on the table, "If no more of you want to die, you're going to all rush out of the office in every direction in about twenty seconds! That's when I think the Revivalists are going to come in and try to locate me. They won't try to attack civilians who won't attack them so you're safe. Just run and find you somewhere to hide. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes... Crystal... Yes..." The seventy plus employees responded.

"Okay..." I said, rushing over to the maestro and his goons, "When all the people rush out, we're going to blend in and flee too! Henderson is a big ass maze and most of the big ass tanks and racers can't fit through the structures! Use them to your advantage to get to a radio station! Or better yet, go to the refueling depot about two hundred meters south of here and find Martha! Knowing the Revivalists, they have the radios tapped! She'll have the means to inform my father of what's happening! They will not be expecting you guys to be in allegiance with me or your allegiance to my father! Use that to your advantage and cover... ground!!"

"Alright, you heard the man..." the Maestro said, "Sounding just like your damn father... Well I'll be..."
"Eh, shut the fuck up," I said standing on the table, "Attention," I fired several shots into the ceiling, "Everyone file out... NOW!!!!!"

The employees wasted no time in fleeing, stepping over that dumb chola bitch dead on the floor! As they did, me and the guys blended into the crowd as everyone scattered. With my truck being no means of escape and it surely not being fast enough to outpace those racers, I surely had a predicament on my hands...

As everyone scattered, the Revivalists forces looked around in disarray! They figured I had sent all the employees packing, that I must still was inside. Foot troops swarmed the hall trying desperately to locate me. The plan had worked! Maestro, his most trusted two goons and I disappeared between the ruins and buildings trying to make it to the populated areas. There, more panic could be started up and make it harder for the Revivalists to identify us. With all that chaos, maybe we could escape! If I could just make it back to Area 51 under the cloud of ruckus intended to be produce, the Revivalist would have no trail! They'd still be searching Jeurridam for me while I'd be hidden seventy safe miles away!

"Your plan seems to be holding up." The Maestro said, "So what's next?"

"We go to the crowded areas, start some shit up to provide cover for my escape! For now though, we stick to the cover of buildings and hope and pray those motherfuckers don't have a trail to follow." I responded.

"You're going back to A99?" He asked.

"No, then that'd put my family in danger! I'm going..." I responded, hopping over ruins, "To the badlands... I got a camp out there no one knows about! It's super remote and impossible to find!"

"Boy that's quite a long shot!" The maestro said.

"I know but, shit! I have no choice! I don't want the rest of my family involved in this! If they're willing to do this to me, what the hell do you think they'd do to my family?" I asked.

"You're right..." Maestro responded as we took a turn down an alley between the densely connected buildings, "How are you gonna get away though?"

"I'm going to steal a buggy, hopefully an old school analog setup! They can't be shut down by an EMP and can outrun those racers. The newer lighter leaner buggies will get chewed up and spat out." I responded. Maestro looked at me intently as we entered an old vegas ruin, probably a church of some kind.

"You surely seem to know a lot about that shit!" He noted.

"Yeah... I'm quite familiar with the guy they want to question me about and I can not let them get this information! After seeing it for myself, it's grim fate if they find him..." I responded.

"Shit," Maestro started, surprised, "So you did have something to do with the take down of Da Lagon? No one even saw you there!!!! The survivors said some curly haired girl in white robes did it with these flying blades or some shit!"
"Um... that's not a girl," I said, watching a patrol of racers walk by, "It's a boy, albeit a kind of effeminate one but don't let it fool you! He's the toughest bastard I know with a lot of precious shit to hold onto and I'll protect him with my all! He's gotten me out of some pretty steep shit..."

"Damn, well it seems he can't get you out of this one." The Maestro sighed.

"I know," I said back, "But he doesn't need to be involved with any of this! He's good where he's at!"

"How the hell did you manage to find someone like that? The entire Revivalist regime wants him!" Maestro asked.

"It's a long story but just know I owe him more than you or this entire city owe my father!" I responded thinking back on it, "God I'm so stupid... He said this shit would happen."

"Wait you knew this was gonna happen?"

"Not exactly! It's just shit never happens the way people warn me! But this, nah it unfolded just like I was warned. I thought I had a little time, but no. This shit happened rather... instantly." I said, shaking my head.

"It sounds like those warnings were fair in advance. Too late to scold you for it now though... Let's just figure out out how the hell we're going to cross all this open ground to get to the camping flats..." Maestro sighed.

"There's a refueling depot right beside the chapel. If we can get onto the roof, we can get to it and make a bit of noise..." One of Maestro's most trusted kid said.

"I'm old, Dex! I can't get up to the roof." Maestro respond with a chuckle.

"Maybe you and him," I said pointing to the fourth guy, "can go and make some noise with your guns and get people to start scattering? Dex and I will make our way across the rooftop and try to get at a buggy. You fine with that?" I asked.

"I'm fifty years old! It's better now than never!" He smiled.

"Alright!" I said, "Come on Dex... Let's get to this roof top."

We did so, the boy being as equally agile and acrobatic as I was. From the steep chapel roof, we made a leap across the alley we ran through to the roof of the refueling station. Maestro and his boy were making their way down to the camp, looking as mundane as ever. They blended in to the surrounding cityscape, moving slow and methodically not to draw attention to themselves. It was tense waiting for him to arrive at the camp, a wait that got me to thinking.

"Maybe we should try and wait it out! This place is fairly inconspicuous to hide, don't you think?" I thought.

"This desert heat will kill you before ten o'clock. Don't kid yourself." Someone from behind us said. Dex and I turned to see several black suited, brown cloaked Revivalists with guns aimed directly at us. Our run was up! More and more reinforcements made it onto the roof! Even the nimble racers crawled onto it with their greyhound-like bodies.

Not wanting to get captured, I looked over the edge of the roof, ready to jump. However, tanks and racers had any escape route blocked off from below. But still, not this easily! I rushed towards the edge, ready to hang from it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" The commander said. Dex, not wanting to risk it with so many guns pointed at him, crouched on his knees, placing his hands behind his head. He was right to surrender but not me!

"I'm not getting captured!" I responded, hanging from the high roof of the refueling station. My eyes darted around, trying to find something to climb onto. Just as I saw the easy to climb metal understructure of the roof, a tank shot a containment plaster round at me. I was encased in a plush, shock absorbing foam as I fell thirty feet to the ground. The shock from the round itself had knocked me unconscious.

I woke up handcuffed to a chair in some type of interrogation room. The room was black with nothing but panels everywhere. Everything was silent...dead silent! Not even the odd background noise we often mistook for silence could be heard. It was the most insane feeling ever! Just sitting here alone for a few minutes made me feel...sick, delirious! Silence would be the form of torture I endured.

When someone entered the room, the sound of the latch opening startled me! The figure's foot steps seemed to reverberate across everything. My eyes wandered up the narrow frame revealing a quite dashing man! He didn't wear the typical jumpers the Revivalsits wore but a camouflage printed uniform with the Revivalists emblems. He stood in front of me with this cocky douchebag smile that signified I was stuck here...

"Daring escape attempt but we were more than prepared for it!" He said, speaking softly, but still feeling rather deafening, "So tell us about that little friend of yours!" I had no response, only just an intense stare.

"You know," He sighed, walking around me with those annoying clacking shoes, "We heard what happened to you! It's sad really, you have our condolences! Da Lagon captured you and brutally killed your boyfriend in cold blood!"

"He wasn't my boyfriend..." I growled.

"Oh so you can speak!" The man smiled.

"What the fuck do you want?" I demanded.

"We came to Jeurridam because of our mechs being deactivated at mass! Upon investigation, we found someone responsible, a tiny Illisian boy with assets we want. He hacked into one of our mechs and a picture was taken! He matched our records of a long lost child we knew had great, great power! At the same time, we hear that a powerful gang was taken down by a dark skinned man or woman with these levitating blades described to be as faster than bullets. We asked around, trying to find leads on locating this murderer but got nowhere! All we were told was that Da Lagon attacked you and your boyfriend! How ironic is it that you managed to return the weekend later unscathed and Da Lagon goes down in a blood bath? What we want is for you to tell us your relationship with this Illisian and where we can find him..." The man smiled. All I could do was laugh. His smile went away as concern spread across his face.

"Oh so that's why you came after me? You're wasting your time!!!! I don't know shit!" I responded.

"You do..." The man said, coming back over.

"This is funny! You think you have something, a lead? You just started a FUCKING war!" I smiled.

"A war? You think your family will stand a chance against us? We can pummel them or anyone else you have in this desert! We only came for one thing, the boy! Zanir or Tanzinir if you call him that! You give him to us and we'll leave!" The man said. I continued to laugh.

"I don't know shit!" I chuckled, shrugging.

"We Revivalsits have means of getting our information! You seem like quite the masculine man! It'd be a shame to have your masculinity robbed of you in the most humiliating way!" The man grinned.

"Oh please! You're so left of field right now, it's not even funny!" I said sarcastically, "Torture me all you want! I don't know shit!!!!"
"Very well..." The man said, "You like killing our mers don't you?" Now this fucking caught me off guard.

"What?"

"We have eyes and ears in Dredge Valley, my friend!" He said, pressing a button on some strange remote, "We watched you as you sniped one of them and took his body to where only God knows. I bet it has something to do with your little friend, Tanzanir! And since you don't want to be a good kid and admit to us his location, we're going to let one of the creatures you killed get the information out of you..."

The man rode a lift up to a platform, high above to room. As he did, the floor opened up, another lift coming from deep below. What it was carrying was nine feet of mer! My heart sank to my stomach as the massive creature stared me down with harmful intent far more than something ravenous! It wanted something else entirely, I could just feel it in my gut. This mer had a computerized collar around his neck. That meant it was under some type of mind control!

"What the fuck..." I said to myself as the creature just stood there. It's nostrils flared out with every exhale, guttural breaths escaping the creature.

"You got a handful of seconds to come to your senses and explain what you know before this thing rips you a new one..." The man said, standing on the platform with that wicked smile. He wore some type of narrow crown on his head. Was he somehow linked to this creature? Was this creature about to do this man's will upon me? Then my eyes slowly fell upon the thick, fleshy midnight blue trunk swinging between the creature's legs. As it breathed, I could see it stiffening! This thing was as long and thick as my forearm!

"Oh no..." I sighed as I knew what was about to happen.

Suddenly the braces on the chair that restrained me released. I stood, only to learn the silence had me very disoriented! My vision spinned wildly as the mer rushed forth! Powerful arms threw me to the floor! My clothes were ripped off and my face pinned beneath the massive creature's hand. It spared no restraint, pinning my head down under those massive arms! It tooted my ass into the air, perfectly puckered for penetration. There was no use in fighting it such a powerful creature!