5th Column Comics: The Indigo Codex #7 (of 8)
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San Vincenzo, The Island of Stromboli
Williams and one of the two remaining SS soldiers pushed the heavy desk against the door, the screams and moans of the Kranke-Mench outside sounding from the corridor. Sitting in the corner Karl held his head in his hands, the slightest noise causing a ripple of pain to run through him.
"Be careful you oafs!" Mullholland snapped, as Williams stacked a chair loaded with artefacts against the desk. "That tablet alone is worth a small fortune after what it did to Herr Ruston!"
"It turned him into a monster Frauline Doctor." One of the SS officers spat, as he eyed the obsidian tablet marked with the white hand-print. "We should destroy it." He added, as he picked up a short bamboo cane from beside where the desk had been, and knocked it off the chair.
"Can you please be quiet!!" Karl snapped, his words causing the room to shake violently. Seconds later the hand-print on the tablet glowed blue, before fragmenting into a maelstrom of alien symbols.
"Enhanced Aboriginal Species detected in presence of Carrier Wave generator. Awaiting proper response from Aboriginal Commander." A mechanical female voice announced from the tablet.
"Delphi?" Victoria asked in surprise.
"Aboriginal Commander, I require instruction on how to proceed with the current situation." The tablet stated. "Environment scans show that multiple reservoirs of Molecule 27-07-17 is present in the facility as well as an alpha control node for a terraforming network as well as the aforementioned enhanced aboriginal."
"Anyone have a clue what's going on?" Williams asked.
"It's some kind of 'thinking machine'." Mullholland stated, as the second German officer bent down next to Karl, a field first-aid kit in his hands.
"I need more information?" Victoria asked. "And speak plainly Delphi, I am unfamiliar with the terms you are using."
"Very well Aboriginal Creator," Delphi stated. "The Aboriginal designated Ruston attempted to access my network, unfortunately he activated the programme I had been assigned to guard and it took the opportunity to upload itself into his system."
"You mentioned being a guard." The medic stated, "Was your charge considered dangerous?"
"It was, and is. It's instructed to prepare worlds for restructuring to support my creators ecological needs, or at least the xenophobic minority who openly defile the Imperial Family." Delphi explained. "On our arrival I was able to block its uplink to the existing network by altering this island's geothermal output. It is imperative that the unit designated Ruston not leave this island or your entire race risks extinction. In addition all infected reservoir and enhanced aboriginals must be contained as well."
"You mentioned enhanced specimens." Mullholland stated. "What do you mean by that?"
"A strange question coming from an enhanced specimen, surely you have noticed the changes in your genetics." Delphi announced. "You and the injured aboriginal are both enhanced due to exposure to molecule 27-07-17."
"It must mean that blue fog,'' Williams stated, "but the rest of us were exposed as well. How come we aren't all enhanced?"
"Besides your Commander you are all potential reservoirs for molecule 27-07-17, just like the units you designated Kranke-Mench." Delphi explained, as the pair of German officers looked at one another, worried looks on their faces. "Metamorphosis is delayed but is irreversible in your species biology. You will have to remain here I'm afraid."
"I'm not staying here!" Mullholland screamed, as she ran for the door. "Herr Ruston's helicopter is arriving within the hour, I don't care if I'm enhanced or not, I'll be on that aircraft back to the mainland." She added, as she reached for the chair, only for Williams to pull her back, kicking and screaming, her body falling apart into a torrent of small red spiders.
"Bloody Hell!" Williams swore, as the arachnids ran down his arm and under the door into the facility.
"Aboriginal Commander you must stop your enhanced comrade from escaping!" Delphi ordered. "I can seal this facility using an increase in geothermal power, but I need your confirmation."
"Your asking me to trap people inside this mountain as it fills with lava! I can't do that!" Victoria hissed.
"You must, if this thinking machine is right, then it's our duty to stop Ruston and Mullholland from escaping the island." Karl stated. "Give Delphi the order and then get on the boat. We'll handle the rest."
"You will, we won't." One of the Germans announced. "We will not work against you, but we won't risk becoming like the Kranke-Mench. Leave us a pistol with two bullets." He added, as the medic helped Lykos to his feet.
"Should Ruston get to his helicopter there is an experimental Lauftfaust in the main lab." The medic added, as Victoria picked up Delphi, as her allies moved the desk away from the doors.
Placing the Lugar he had stolen from Ruston on the table, Karl watched as the Germans offered a quick but respectful salute to the allied commandos, something they returned. Opening the door and bareling through the Kranke-Mench outside, their MP38s buzzing, the commandos heard two very different gunshots sound over the roar of the battle. Sprinting through the halls, stopping only to grab the Lauftfaust, its four barrels already loaded, the commandos came out into a fortified ammo store on the side of the volcano, the dead bodies of the German defenders and their Kranke-Mench attackers littering the floor.
"When this is over do me a favour and put a bullet in my head." Williams mumbled, as Karl picked up a scoped bolt action rifle from a dead soldier, his blood staining the barrel.
"I will." Karl said sadly as Williams went over to a metal locker and opened it. "Victoria promise me when you leave you'll find Ingrid and tell her that I love her. I have her letter, she's in a city called Fort Indigo with my son. I told them to change their name to something more American. She took it literally and chose Wolffe."
"I'llpass on your message Karl, I promise." Victoria sighed, just as Karl doubled over in pain, sweat dripping off his brow, the rifle dropping to the floor. "Karl what's wrong?!" Victoria asked, as she placed a hand on his shoulder, only for him to scream even louder.
"I can hear her in my head, it's like a thousand voices calling out at once with the same voice!" Karl grunted, as he shook himself, before standing up, his teeth gritted. "Mullholland is ahead of us, but not by much." He moaned, pain evident in his voice, as a loud dull repetitive thud sounded and the twin-blade helicopter from the airport flew overhead, as it headed for a hardened concrete pad a few miles away from the volcano.
"We have other problems." Williams mumbled as he removed a mortar shell from the storage locker. "Anyone see the launch tube for this?" He asked, as he looked around the ammo dump, his eyes catching on a bent tube embedded in the skull of a dead soldier. "Bugger, look's like we'll have to do this the hard way." He sighed as he picked up a stick grenade from one of the corpses. "Stop Ruston," he ordered, "I'll deal with Mullholland." He added as he left the storage depot.
"God speed Williams." Victoria whispered, as she shouldered the Lauftfaust, before taking Karl's hand and heading for the helicopter pad.
**
Williams ran down the slope, the stick grenade twisting in his hand as he spotted the swarm of spiders scuttling down the hill towards the coastline. Releasing the grenade, he leapt onto Mullholland, the exploding grenade rattling his body and igniting the mortar shell, the chain detonation consuming Mullholland and himself.
"Herr Ruston we need to leave." The pilot of his personal helicopter announced, just as the mortar shell detonated. "We are under fire." He added as the team of engineers hurriedly refuelled the aircraft, their eyes darting over to Ruston, his inhuman black breath the only sign he was even alive.
"Leave it!" Ruston ordered, as he spotted Victoria and Karl head down the hill towards him. "We will take our chances with what we have." He hissed coldly, as he stepped into the helicopter, the engineers struggling to remove the fuel hose.
Taking off the helicopter flew slowly over the allied commandos, just as Victoria swung the Lauftfaust to track it and fired, the four warheads streaking towards the helicopter. The first round went wide, but the second struck the rear fuselage whilst the third smashed through the twinblade's right rotor. With a whine the helicopter spun out of control and crashed into the volcano, the remaining fuel igniting and swallowing the aircraft in an orange fireball. For a second the wreckage remained still, but then a humanoid shape emerged from the destroyed helicopter, long black cables trailing from his arms and back.
"Get off the island Victoria." Karl ordered as a burst of molten ash exploded out the top of the volcano. "I'll deal with Ruston, and this time I'll make sure he stays dead!"
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