Back to top Chapter 10

As Holster took off in his own direction down the subway tunnel he wondered how the hell he had gotten into this situation. He also wondered if he and Kipper would ever get back to their original task of investigating whatever the caller had been calling about. Unless this was some how related. Perhaps it was.

He jogged at a brisk pace for several minutes and finally came to a corner. He stopped to catch his breath and look around the corner carefully. There appeared to be another tunnel going back into the bwels of the maintenance tunnels of the subway line. If he remembered the blue prints corectly that may take him to where he wanted to go. Or at least in the right direct. He went over to the door and tried to open it only to find it securly locked. He was about to try again when the door suddenly started to unlock and swing open. He immediately took a step back and hid immediately behind the door. Two cult members in trench coats stepped out from the tunnel. The last one out started to close the door back again behind him. It was now or never. Holster jumped out from behind the door did a sweeping kick along the floor and punched both of the men as hard and quickly as he could to knowck them out, all in one fluid motion.

Both cult emembers fell to the ground in a lump.

Kipper then dragged both of them, one by one, over to an alcove out of site of the door. He then stripped the one that most matched his size and dressed up in their clothing as best he could. He didn’t know how well the disguise would work but it was worth a shot. Besides, he still had his hand gun, if it came to that.

He re-entered the tunnel the cult members had come out of wondering if what he was doing was really such a great idea. After all, as soon as they woke up they would probably report him to their leader. They could even sneak up behind him later.

On this thought he went back out and use the belt of the toher trench coat to tie them and to each other as best he could. It was unfortunate he didn’t have any rope to use in this situation.

The belt wouldn’t hold for every long but it would at least slow them down for a little while. He didn’t think it would really be necessary to kill them.

Satisfied with his tie-up job he set off down the tunnel to try and find the cult member lair. He knew from the two members coming out he was probably on the tright track. He again jogged at a pretty good clip not really knowing where he was going but finding clues as to which way to go when he came to a split in the tunnel. Maybe they did that on purpose to make it easier if one of them got lost.

Eventually he found what looked like a crewdly widened tunnel leading to the abandoned portion of the tunnel he remembered. Once inside the opening it was a little easier to find his way because the path looked so worn from use and constant walking.

He followed along for another while when he ran into, almost literally, two more cult members. At first the three of them just staired at each other not sure what to do. Then, in flash, Holster took the heel of his palm to both their noses followed by several punches, knocking them out.

These two he didn’t really have any place to store them so he just positioned in the tunnel like they had fallen asleep on the job.

Holster continued jogging along for another quarter mile and finally came to a break in the path. Just ahead of him was what looked like a large meeting room. He looked out into it and saw all the people as well as what looked like another room with several people standing in front of it.

That must be where the hostages are being held, he thought. He looked across from him, still hidden, and saw Kipper sneaking up behind Mavaria. Holster didn’t think this was possible but he some how did it. The two of them looked at each other and then left, unnoticed.

Everyone in the room had turned at one point as if something was heard in the distance. Holster had not heard anything, which he thought was strange.

Once Kipper and Mavaria had left the room Kipper stayed and studied the environment for a while trying to decide what to do next. With all the confusion he had forgotten he could have simply communicated with the both of them through the newly found epidermal implants.

The room used for the meeting was now empty except for a few. The eazle was still in the same place with the same notes on it conveniently dsiplayed out for everone to see.

Holster was looking down over an embankment onto the meeting room floor. The two entrances that Holster, Kipper and Mavaria had used thus far were several feet above the rest of the floor and there was a walk way down to the meeting floor. There was then the crudely made stage a bit lefted up from the floor.

On several sides of the this room on the lower elvel were some other doors leading off to side passages. Diagonally from where holster was and below him was the room he thrhought all the hostages had been taken.

He was trying to think of a way to create a distraction when a sudden over whelming feeling of nasgia came over him. He felt dizzy for a moent and then felt better and thought nothing of it.

Then a plan started to come to him suddenly and most assuredly. As a bonus it would most certainly attract the attention of Kipper and Mavaria and allow them to finally get out of this place.

The plan came from a glimpse of another side room. It seemed to contain a bunch of ammunition and other supplis. All he would have to do is figure out a way to get down to the room and cuase an explosion and use the resulting anarchy to find the hostages or at least disrupt whatever plan they cultists apparently had long enough for them to learn more informaiton.

Looking at the cult members haircuts and the way they all seemed to have no facial expressions at all he knew he would have trouble blending in. But he would try anyway. Maybe they wouldn't notice if they were too focused on their own tasks.

He waited around a corner for some group of cultists to walk by. After several minutes a whole group did. Walking almost in lockstep and none of thm saying a word. At the appropriate time came out from behind his corner spot and fell into line behind the rest of the group.

He tried to walk in lockstep behind them as best he could and the rest didn't seem to notice. After a few feet he slipped away from them into a doorway and out of site. Holster then carefully slipped into the room with what looked like ammunition. And he was right, it was amunition. Now all he had to do was figure out some way to igniteeit or turn it into some kind of trap.

The ammunition was stored in large barrels and on a series of selving units not unlike that they found in the old storage closet. He looked around a bit and found what looked like an old paper bag. He then looked rond some more and found a lot cache of shotgun shells. If the works of fiction he had in his life were any indicator he could the gun powerder used int he shotgun shells to make either an explosion or at least some fireworks that would cause some kind of chaos.

The only other question was what to do with that chaos once it was caused. The only thing he could think to do was go back up to the entrance where he started and wait for Kipper and Mavaria to come back in. That seemed like a really bad plan but he was passed trying to think of something better for now. He was sure that Kipper and Mavaria would come up with a much better plan.

Then more details of the plan started to occurt to him. He would empty some gun powerder into the paper bag then also put some live ammunition in the paper bag. He would then light the paper bag on fire and put it in a crate or barrel and run back up the pathy way to where he had come in. After what he hope would be seeral seconds the ammunition would start to explod and go off which cause a lot fhte cults to start running in every direction. He would have to around the corner in some instances but he was fairly certain he would be away from any kind of chance of being hit with a stray projectile.

He began by dumping some of the shells into the bag. Then he started to put other ammunition into the bag. Some more shells and some much heavier looking shells that he never seen before. Then he found what looked like a hand grenade though it was unlike anything he had ever seen. It wouldn't hurt anything to try it in any case. He left the munitions room and went about finding a barrel or crate to put the bag in.

He placed the bag in a barrel very carefully and then took out the grenade. He pulled the pin, dropped it in the barrel and then started moving away from the barrel as quickly as he possibly could. As soon as he got back to the spot he decided he would be taking cover he bent down a little.

Not soon after there was a series of explosions and what could only described as gun fire coming from the barrel. With all the ricochets it was actually quite diffuclt to tell where the explosions and gun fire like noises were actually coming from.

As soon as the explosions started the cult members seemed to suddently jump to life. Formally expressionless faces suddenly came to life as some individuals shouted orders while others started to set up barricades and prepare for anything that might be about to happen. It was almost comical that all of them would be responding to something like Holster's little prank involving a little gun powder.

About this time Kipper and Mavaria came back in and saw him standing on the oppisite side just smiling.

Just then another explosion went off as the heat of the fire started in the barrel started to spread to the ammunition room. Holster only communicated to Kipper and Mavaria that they should get out there rather than risk the hostages getting injured with his mind. He also told them to come over to him and that this would be the best way to get out. Not having much choice Kipper and Mavaria ran over to him and followed him out the way Holster had come in.

As they ran down the tunnel explosions continued to off in the distance. None of them knew what was really going on at that cult meeting but some how all three of them knew they would find out one way or the other.

The three of them started to communicate through their minds as they ran along through the tunnels. They were trying to run as quickly as they could in the dim lighting so the conversation wasn't the most robust as the running took some concentration.

Kipper and Mavaria obviously wanted to know what the hell had happened and why he had done what he did. He did his best to try and explain his reasoning for making the diversion. Mavaria and Kipper were still not very happ about it but agreed anyway to discuss it once they were clear.

At last they reached the end of the tunnels and came out into the subway tunnel. They could hear yet another subway coming down the line. Holster, who was in the lead, stopped just short of the subway tunnel, hold up his hand in a gesture of suggesting they stop where they were.

He took of the trenchcoat he had borrwed, taking mental note that he didn't remember seeing the two cult members on his way back out of the tunnels, and flinged it as best he could in the shape of a person out the opening. The coat was immediately shot up by waiting gunman.

Kipper tapped his should and grabbed Mavaria's attention which was already on him. He used several hand gestures to indicate he wanted the two them to just wait a minute or two and closed his. He clasped his hands in front of himself, dropped his head, and seemed to go into a deep trance like state. Several seconds passed and there was the loud sounds as the subway passed. Just beyond the sound of the subway passing by was another sound. It almost sounded to Holster like a group of men gurgling and chocking. One of them screamed. Then silence as the subway drew away into the distance.

When Kipper opened his eyes again his pupils were completely white all over. Holster stared at him, dumb founded and started to say something. He stopped with a hand gesture from Kipper.

Kipper seemed to still be trying to sense something. Several minutes went by but Holster and Mavaria just stood in front of Kipper silently waiting. Finally, Kipper closed his eyes again and shook his head back and forth a couple times. When he opened his eyes again there were back to the more familiar pupiled state.

"Lets go," he said, "I have knocked out any persuers temporarirly. We will be safe for about an hour. Lets get back to the street." He said.

Mavaria and Holster just looked at each other as if expecting to get an explanation from the other but said nothing. Kipper turned around and left out the tunnel and started walking in the direction of what he knew was a subway station. Holster and Mavaria just followed behind.  ¶ 9:28 AM