Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Finding Sanctuary ❯ Cleanup by Fire ( Chapter 2 )

The abandoned warehouse used to be a meat-packing plant. It stood alone in the block like a ward for the living and was located three miles from the Bronze Compound. Cloying scent emanating from within indicated to everybody outside the unsanitary condition of the building. It should have been demolished long ago, but the city engineer never got around to it. The paperwork had been lost in the heap of the forgotten. It was a monumental lure for rodents and other small animals that plagued the public.

The building, apparently, invited more than plague carriers. According to Vector Intelligence, the building was being utilized by the rebels as their primary base of operations within Vector. The Vector Local Peacekeepers surrounded the building and made sure that no one left, entered, or exited it. The streets have been evacuated. In the middle of the day, the sun bore down on the peacekeepers as they waited for the higher authorities.

Jennina Stromsburg was the Chief of Police. Twenty years in the job and she was still as strong as ever. Her local force kept the peace in the immediate area around the Bronze Compound unfailingly. Gang lords and petty crooks alike loathed and feared her. She was married to her job and wasted no time during missions and crackdowns. She would've fared well in the military, but her devotion was to the law-abiding civilians. Being a peacekeeper was the closest to the civilians as she could get. The local militia looked up to her with respect and reverence. She was their mentor and leader--warm and sympathetic to the innocent, cold and harsh to the guilty.

Stromsburg checked the time again.

"Blast it! What's taking them so long? The criminals have probably barricaded everything by now. So much for the element of surprise," she complained.

"Last word was that they were 'moving out,' ma'am," Tomyn, the peacekeeper in training, said.

"We could've taken care of this situation ourselves just fine considering--"

The ground trembled slightly at the coming of a Magitek Armor. All looked to the direction of the metal mammoth. It lumbered down the street towards the congregated local force outside the meat-packing plant, escorted by military ground troops armed to the teeth. The military force consisted of a Magitek Unit and a squad of well-trained military soldiers.

"What in Terrae are these army blockheads doing?" she exclaimed in growing anger. Stromsburg ran up to the marching military force and stood in the way of the Magitek Unit waving her arms in the air, trying to call the attention of the rider. "Stop! Stop, I say!"

The Unit halted ten feet in front of her and went in standby. The rider stood up from his comfortable seat and lifted up his visor.

"What is the meaning of this? Identify your self!" demanded Colonel Bramon Ranger.

"I am Jennina Stromsburg," she started, "Chief of Police! And I demand to know what you're doing with this monstrosity in a highly-populated residential area!"

"Demand?" Colonel Ranger chuckled, amused. "I owe you no explanation, woman! Now, stand aside, and let us take over--"

"Take over the situation if you like, mister. But you are in grievous violation of the local safety laws of Vector. You are not to operate that thing in this area!"

"My name is Colonel Bramon Ranger, servant of his Great Lord, the Emperor--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! I know who you are, and I know who you serve, too. It just so happens that I serve the same emperor as you do. What a coincidence!"

"You mock me, woman?" Colonel Ranger asked, infuriated. "Get out of my way, and give your report, as you were ordered to by the Intelligence Office!"

"As soon as you power that thing down!" shouted Stromsburg, holding her ground.

"I don't need your report. Remove her!" Colonel Llurd commanded his ground units. Two soldiers at the front of the formation, stepped forward and grabbed her by the arms. Stromsburg struggled from their grasp, but it was futile. They forced her to the side street where she was shoved to the ground. The local peacekeepers rushed to her and coldly eyed the military personnel. "You're lucky that I have no time to see to your arrest for obstructing my mission, Mrs. Stromsburg. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a rebel base of operations to demolish."

Colonel Ranger signaled for his men to continue the march. Stromsburg picked herself up and dusted her peacekeeper uniform.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" Tomyn asked.

"Just fine, Tomyn," she said through gritted teeth. She watched the hulking war machine approach the building.

"Ma'am, if they really plan to demolish that building, the immediate buildings will be in danger. We have not evacuated them," reported Tomyn.

Stromsburg grinned. "Don't worry. I doubt that the fool will ever get to use his direct approach on that building."

"Oh?" Tomyn raised his brows in curiosity. "Why not?"

"Watch," she said simply.

The Magitek Unit crossed the corrugated chain-link fence that marked the outer boundaries of the meat-packing plant. The military force now marched across the spacious lot of pavement in front of the building itself. As soon as the Magitek Armor reached the center of the paved lot, the ground shook underneath them. The ground rumbled and caved in from under them sending the heavy Magitek Armor and the foot escorts down into the sewers of the meat-packing plant.

Shouts emanated from the hole. The loudest belonged to Colonel Ranger. The peacekeepers cheered and laughed at the bungling display. Jennina Stromsburg received the greatest satisfaction one could ever acquire from the sight alone.

She approached the hole carefully. Her peacekeepers followed her. They surrounded the hole and looked down below. They spotted the soldiers trying to get a huge piece of the broken pavement off the top of the Magitek Armor. Colonel Ranger seemed to be stuck underneath it. The sight was more hilarious than watching the Armor sink down to the bottom. Colonel Ranger's head stuck out through a tight space like a turtle. His face was red with anger and embarrassment. His men tried in vain to get the block off carefully to no avail.

Stromsburg's mocking voice cut through his angry exhaust. "I'm ready to give my report now, sir. The people inside seemed to have barricaded themselves real well. The windows and doors had been shut. We could not gather intelligence from where we stood. So we acquired the blueprints from the city engineer and found out that the building used to have these massive sewer ducts. If only we could locate the entrance to these ducts we could--oh! It looks like you've found it already! Good job, sir!" Stromsburg finished with a bright sardonic smile. Her peacekeepers sneered and laughed loudly. "I'll be pulling my boys out of the area now, Colonel. It looks like you've got everything under control."

"Stromsburg, I order you to assist in--"

"I do not take orders from you, Colonel. Vector Intelligence ordered a transfer of jurisdiction--not compliance," she answered smugly.

"I will have your--"

"I can, however, radio Vector Intelligence Office and tell them what happened. I'm sure they'll send… backup. I'll be sure to give them the details of what happened, sir," she added. The peacekeepers doubled over, laughing.

The colonel's eyes went wide in fright. The thought of the entire Army hearing about what happened horrified him. He would not have it. "Stop! Wait!" he shouted. "There is no need for that. We can take care of things just fine," Ranger lied, sounding desperate.

"Well, then in that case, we'll all just head home now. Good luck on your mission, colonel."

"Wait!"

"Yeeees?" Stromsburg replied with a contemptuous musical voice of mockery.

"We… um… require assistance," said the colonel. His voice seemed to have trailed off at the end of the sentence.

Stromsburg leaned closer and inclined her head. "What was that, Colonel? I didn't seem to catch that."

"We need help!" he yelled out loudly. His voice echoed through the massive ducts.

"Oh," she exclaimed, "So you do want me to call for backup then?" she asked, still carrying with her tone of ridicule.

"You damn well know what I meant to say by that! Now are you going to--"

Stromsburg finally dropped the pretense and cut right to the point.

"Beg."

"What?!"

"Beg, Colonel. We are the only ones out here who know what's going on… and I'm sure you'd like us to keep it that way. Now beg!"

Colonel Ranger's face was redder than ever. The soldiers trying to get him out all thought that his head seemed to radiate heat but soon discovered that it was the warm air wafting through the ducts, bringing with it the awful smell of decay. It became more unbearable for them all every second.

Colonel Ranger sputtered in anger but soon gave up. His dignity has already been compromised. What was left to do could be filed under 'Damage Control.' Colonel Ranger summoned up his courage by taking a deep breath that almost made him gag (which would've made things worse as he pictured himself, stuck under a rock with the smell of his own vomit on his uniform).

"Mrs. Stromsburg--"

"Chief of Police, Stromsburg," she corrected, "and it wouldn't hurt to add a couple of nice adjectives in that sentence, sir."

Colonel Ranger sighed and continued, "Chief of Police, Stromsburg. I beg you and your most capable and disciplined men for assistance."

Stromsburg smiled.

"Well that wasn't so hard now, was it, hon?" she said, flashing a bright smile. "Now let's talk conditions."

"What?! You are so pushing your luck--"

"You will not use that Magitek Unit during this mission. It's too dangerous. Innocent Vectorian civilians could get hurt. It's my duty to protect them. It's your duty to remove the threat. It's all I ask!" she interrupted.

"You got it!" Colonel Ranger yelled back. It was pretty much useless in its current situation, anyway.

"Oh, and I want one thousand kirians deposited to my bank account after the mission, sir," she added as an afterthought.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Now you've really gone mad! How is money a part of our duty to serve the Empire?!"

"It's not, hon. But I'm sure it's your personal obligation to keep us silent about this… embarrassing display," she said with a grin. "What's a thousand kirians to a rich man like you, hon?"

Colonel Ranger knew that it was nothing to him.

Another wave of hot air blew from the ducts carrying with it the most sickening smell yet. The soldiers coughed and gagged. Colonel Ranger, in his fit of rage coughed and vomited all over himself. He was helplessly stuck. He spat and cursed a chain of expletives concocted from Ifrit's favorite abyss.

"Better make that two thousand kirians."

**********

Colonel Ranger's troops traveled the maze-like ducts to a barricaded opening. According to the old blueprint that Stromsburg had provided them, the barricade was the last obstacle that they had to get through. The Colonel and his men were at the peak of their revulsion. The masks that the Chief of Police had provided worked to supply them with fresher air, but the ankle-deep muck that they had to wade through was terrible. At the opening of the ducts outside of the building, it was pretty dry. But as they got close to the building's underground entrance, the puddle of muck turned into a stream of cloying substance that penetrated their uniforms and seeped into their boots. They made a squishing sound with every step they took and a shudder of nausea.

The barricade was made of wood. It was old and rotten. It was an important indication that the rebels inside weren't counting on anyone infiltrating their base from under. Colonel Ranger drew his sword and started slashing the rotted wood apart until the opening was big enough for his men to get through.

He was the first to step into it, flashing his electric lamp ahead of him. They reached dry land, much to their relief. The colonel ordered his men to remove their boots and drain the muck out. When this was done they proceeded.

Beyond the duct was a cold corridor. Cooler air drifted through it, still carrying the smell of disease. The ground was dry. Roaches skittered aimlessly. Rodents scurried away, disappearing into holes on the walls. The soldiers had no doubt that a bite from the rodents would inflict upon them serious illnesses. Again, they were glad that the lowly residents left them alone.

After a few more yards, the soldiers came upon the first vertical access to the upper floor. It was a simple metal ladder with rusted rungs indicating that nobody had used it for years. The ladder led up to a covered manhole. He examined the manhole cover and frowned. It was fused and rusted shut. Though, it would not be a problem opening it through countless means, he was hesitant to do so because of the noise that they would be making in the attempts. Ranger looked ahead to the rest of the horizontal access and signaled for his men to keep on moving. Hopefully, there were more ladders leading up.

Ranger passed by three other ladders with the same rusted obstacles. He was beginning to think that taking the underground path was a big mistake when the corridor ended with a narrow, metal, spiral staircase leading up. They took the stairs slowly as it groaned with every step they took. The last thing they needed during the mission was another unfortunate fall. The stairs took them two floors up, bypassing the ground floor. The landing on top was solid enough for them to stand on without worrying. A lone door, unlocked and ajar, stood before them, inviting. Ranger made another deliberate signal with his fingers. From then on, they were to move extra carefully.

The door took them straight to the second floor planks, along the four walls of the building, overlooking the non-functional meat-packing machinery below. There were conveyor belts and boxes that no longer moved. The machines that were supposed to be constantly oiled were all rusted and useless. Spiders made comfortable nests in them. A layer of dust clung to almost everything they saw in the little light that was allowed through the cracks on the roof and slight allowances of the barricaded windows. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the inside of the plant other than the fact that it was already defunct. There were no signs of life besides the critters. There were no signs of recent human activities.

Ranger spotted a ladder close by. He slid down the ladder quietly, and the others followed. They drew their swords as soon as they hit the landing though they were now skeptical about the mission.

Perhaps the rebels had already escaped, he thought. If so, then there should still be--

Traces of booted footprints were clearly imprinted on the filthy floor of the plant, against dust and the crusted blood of the slaughtered animals. There seemed to have been a considerable number of people from the looks of it. Perhaps as many as their number. Perhaps a bit more.

The soldiers noticed the footprints, too. Their alertness grew sharper as their eyes became accustomed to the dim light. Ranger noticed that the footprints seemed to converge to a particular room beyond a huge metal door of what used to be a walk-in freezer. Ranger and his men opened the thick metal door with much difficulty. Prevailing over rust and corrosion, the door gaped open. Fresher air drifted from the inside. Ranger held the lamp up, but it did not help him much. The inside of the freezer was bigger than they had expected.

Ranger walked to the closest wall and found a fuse box. The box had been recently restored. On the floor, closest to the fuse box was a small package of light bulbs--all new. Ranger, without thinking, pulled down a lever sticking out of the fuse box. Light flooded not only the inside of the old freezer but the entire building. It was bright as day inside. The startled soldiers looked around them in alarm with their swords in front of them. The ventilation fans came alive from everywhere. The sudden droning noise was sure to have alerted any rebel who might've been sleeping, but after a few seconds without hostile contact, Ranger was fully convinced that the rebels have long deserted the place. They were too late. The only thing they could do now was collect information from the scene.

"Remove the barricades on the doors, and contact Vector Intelligence," he ordered. "Tell them we came too late. Somehow we'll put the blame on Vector police for not successfully securing the place," he muttered vengefully.

Two men started work on the barricaded doors by tossing aside the stacked crates.

"Search the place for papers, plans, weapons, names… anything of the sort!" Ranger barked.

The soldiers spread around and started their work. Ranger looked back to the first object that didn't belong--the box of light bulbs--and noticed for the first time an Imperial insignia on the top.

Factory-grade military supply! What in the world is going on here?

Ranger checked the fuse box again. On the cover, it had the military insignia, too. The parts were made from within Vector Compound. He opened the fuse box and saw another lever inside. He pulled it up to see what it did. The response was automatic. A conveyor belt activated from nearby. It seemed to be coming from a hole in the wall, possibly from the docking area outside.

At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Seconds later, a black, zipped up, body bag emerged from the hole.

"Alert!" Ranger yelled, calling the attention of his soldiers. They all converged to where he was with their swords drawn. The two men who were trying to remove the barricade off the front entrance joined them without completing their task. The exits remained blocked.

The bag was moving. Somebody was inside, alive and struggling to get out. The voice was muffled.

"Secure it!" Ranger yelled. Four soldiers lifted the bag from the conveyor belt and carefully laid it on the floor. Ranger drew his knife, and cut the bag open. The soldiers had their swords ready to impale whoever was inside, just in case. The bagged man kicked and struggled. He was masked and bound by strong cords of rope. The soldiers held the man down.

"Don't move! You are under arrest. Damn it! Stop your futile struggling so I can get that mask off your head!"

Ranger finally managed to do so. What followed next were gasps from everybody. The man was Colonel Blaey. His mouth was gagged. He was terror-stricken--panicking.

"Blaey! What in blazes are you doing here? What happened to you?"

"Sir! There's more coming from the chute!" reported a soldier.

"Get them all!"

Ranger removed the gag from Blaey's mouth first. Blaey started yelling, "Cut the ropes! Quickly!"

"I will! Calm down, and stop struggling!"

The other soldiers were busy with the other bags. Cutting them open revealed Imperial soldiers whom they all assumed to be Colonel Blaey's own men.

"What are you doing here, Saric? Where are the rebels?!" Ranger asked.

"Cut me loose!" Blaey screamed. "Free my men, and get out of the building!"

"What on Terrae is going on, Blaey?"

"It's a trap! Get out of the building!"

The lights went out suddenly. With their eyes accustomed to the bright light, they were now as blind as bats. The dim light that previously helped them before they turned on the lights did nothing for them any longer. It would take time for their eyes to regain focus in the dark. Finding their way out of the building without stumbling onto anything was impossible. Impossible or not, everybody tried, especially Blaey himself.

A huge explosion swallowed everything within with its rapidly-consuming flames. All life within died at the same instant, including the rodents and the roaches. The diseases that thrived on every surface were eradicated, as well, in the intense heat.

************

Colonel Harold Llurd stood atop a residential building, overlooking the burning meat-packing plant from a safe distance. A tear escaped the lower lid of his right eye. He felt no urge to wipe it off. He was alone… or so he thought.

"It gets easier the more you do it," said a familiar voice from behind him.

Llurd was not expecting Tayan, but his arrival did not startle him. Llurd kept his eyes on the burning building. "I have no need of consolations, Tayan. Tell your master that the deed is done." Llurd dropped a rectangular device on the ground. It had a red button on it.

"My master already knows," Tayan said. "But whom should I say pressed the red button first?"

Llurd puzzled over what he meant by that. Turning around he saw the Fanatic waving a similar device that he had just dropped. He knew that it served the same purpose as his.

"Two triggers? You didn't think that I'd do it, did you?" Llurd asked, resentfully.

Tayan laughed. "Relax, Harold. It's nothing personal. My master does not completely trust anybody outside our Cult." He walked beside Llurd and stared into the ravaged building. "Reports will say that it was a trap planned by the rebels. That is how the citizens of Vector will come to know of this incident. Now that the two colonels are out of the way, the burden of rooting out the rebels now falls onto General Chere."

"And what of me?"

"You will assist her," Tayan said slyly. "That is your next mission."