Surface: Doomed Planet

Excerpt 12- Resource Management

Ryu was understandably upset when I relayed the news that we were fucked from all sides to him. Without a transport off Ania, it was us against a poisoned world teeming with the undead. Ryu asked me to leave him alone for an hour or so while he assessed the situation. I spent the time doing push ups, sit ups and getting my ruck organized and cleaning my FAL, which had been neglected the past couple of months and damn was it showing. The barrel had become a smooth bore with how much gunk was built up inside the rifling and the bolt and bolt carrier were visibly degrading from the rust and the trigger...where the hell do I start there? In the condition it was in, every time I pulled it could have well been my last. If it had failed, the gun would have run away on full auto or send something flying through my skull. So taking note of the problems, I stripped my gun completely down and gave it a much needed restoration. I cleaned the barrel out completely and refreshed the chrome lining with a special formula I always carried with me, cleaned and polished the bolt, derusted and cleaned the trigger as well as cleaning out the gas block. Once all that was done, I washed my Fal with hot soap and water before putting it all back together and lubing it up. Once everything was said and done, the gun cycled much, much better than it had and almost seemed to have a new life in it.

I had just finished up with that when Chy came and got me.

"Hey Skyline", she said, "Ryu's waiting on the hotel roof, he wants to talk to us, all of us."

"Okay", I said standing up, slinging the FAL over my shoulder, "any idea where anyone else is?"

"I already rounded them up", she said, "only lose end left is you."

She grinned.

"I'll always be a lose end", I grinned back, "as long as I'm Hunting someone will want my head on a plate."

"You don't say?", Chy asked as we walked from the parking garage to the hotel. We stepped inside the lobby where Mike, Allen and the others were waiting. Everyone looked tired, maybe not physically tired, but mentally it was starting to get to us. Unlike in the lab where we had the luxury of sort of taking things easy, here on Ania we did not. Alcatraz looked like he'd been hit the hardest, maybe not mentally, but definitely physically. He was standing a lot taller now, even though he was using Matt as a support and his skin had the same red tint it had the first time he'd lost his exo.

"You look like hell Alcatraz", I noted.

"It's the lack of an Exo", he said, "I'm not used to going around without it."

"At least this time your systems aren't going haywire", Matt said.

"Let's see if we can get to the roof without trouble", I said as we split off into the two elevators, taking them both up to the roof, where we found a small command post like set up. There was camouflage netting, crates of ammunition, a few guns and a ham radio as well as maps of the area. Ryu was standing near the edge, looking out over the parking lot, his hands crossed behind his back, the extra length of his head band and his long white hair were flowing in the wind. We approached him and stopped maybe two or three yards from him. He took a deep breath.

"My friends", he began, "in my years in charge of the Order Of The Shadow and in my years as a Martial Arts master, I have seen much war, much suffering. I have seen famine, pestilence, displacement and corruption at their worst. And, though it dishonors and pains me to admit, I too, was guilty of the actions that caused some of these events to transpire. But never in my 86 years upon this planet have I seen a disaster of this magnitude. This parasite....this....evil, known as Agent 41, must be expelled from this planet and it's people, however, I fear I cannot do this alone."

He turned around and began to pace, his eyes still closed.

"Without the resources of a functioning governmental body and military force, we lack the capability to go on the offensive against Agent 41, however, given the nature of our location and the attractions and public services available here, I see a well of resources for us to exploit, as long as we can use the one thing that the undead have no need, use or care for...."