Coup in Arkatahten : A New Corruption

[Squeblish Nef?]

The Tooled-Up Sultanate of Al Mastif officially condemns the secessionist traitors, and has issued a ^600,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of any ringleaders.

[arkatahten]

When Anti-pope Konrad tried to use the elevator to leave the 75th floor, he realized that the floor was locked down. He could not call the elevator without proper access codes. An hour later, still fuming, he heard a ding. As the elevator door opened, he saw Sasha standing there. Then, as it continued opening, he saw the Grand Commander Panahk-Wosreht behind her, the rest of the elevator filled with armed guards. Panahk-Wosreht pulled out a pistol, put it to the back of Sasha's head and blew her brains out, shoving her body out of the elevator.

"You and she spoke of revolt. We know this to be true," the Grand Commander said, "and we will not tolerate revolt." He did not even bother to get off the elevator. The door closed and the Grand Commander and his guards were gone. When the Anti-pope tried the button to call the elevator again, it would not work. For the moment, he and his entourage were trapped.

The first order of business to get out of this mess was to do something about the corpse before him. After that, he would decide his next move.

[arkatahten]

Konrad? You there?

[Uncle Sparky]

The ceremony had taken several days of careful preparation. Konrad knew the risks to himself and the three acolytes involved.

Konrad had assumed correctly that Panahk-Wosreht would be too busy to bother them and to cowardly to kill them outright. The floor they were on was locked down but had food, water, sanitation, a kitchen and several furnished sleeping rooms. There was one phone, linked directly to a guard post on the 17th floor. Additional food and clean linen was twice brought to them by guards, who left it at the door of the elevator...

Sister Framilia had been the logical host for the ceremony; she had even looked forward to the transformation.

By this point, Konrad was too exhausted to try to lessen her crying.

She had regained consciousness almost an hour ago and was trying to come to terms with her new body; it felt wrong, the skin was too tight, the legs too long. But that made no sense to her.

Her mind was not entirely her own; she could feel a benevolent presents hovering around her perception of reality trying to calm her. Trying to guide her thoughts.

'The Grand Commander had shot me. Dead. The paranoid bastard thought I was betraying him. Now I'm alive but not me. Argh ! the pain! The voice in my head is trying to calm me... Wait ! I'm in the voice's head ! No !'

Framilia/Sasha had fainted. Konrad sighed. Only time would tell if the transfer would work.

He needed her knowledge if the plan were to succeed.


out : is this what its come too ? (© JIM C BELL 15/09/04)

[arkatahten]

Framilia/Sasha awakened. She was surprised to feel alright, but that's how she felt.

"Okay," she said, "I have the code to get off this floor. That is, uh, if they haven't changed it."

Just then there was an explosion, a sound so strong that no one could deny hearing it. It came from down below, perhaps on the first floor.

[Uncle Sparky]

The large panoramic windows rattled. Sasha punched the code into the keypad beside the elevator.

[arkatahten]

On the first floor panic ensued. An elite troop of rebel soldiers stormed in after the initial explosion. Panahk-Wosreht holed himself up in his office.

[Uncle Sparky]

Konrad heard the gunfire increase in intensity as the elevator doors opened. It was empty.

"Lock the elevator to this floor. We will wait here."

[arkatahten]

Framilia/Sasha moved to lock down the elevator, but she didn't have to. The elevator was already locked down. Suddenly an aide said, "Hey, ummm, I don't know why we didn't notice earlier, but the door to the stairway is accessible."

-----------------------

Aboard the attack copter, Romaroy's earpiece buzzed and transmitted Tetien's voice. "We have cut power to the elevators so he won't be leaving that way."

"Excellent," Romaroy said, "are the teams on target?"

"Check, all the stairways are cut off and teams are moving systematically upwards. They've already reached the fifteenth floor."

"Excellent," Romaroy said, "we're landing on the roof now and will have teams coming down the stairs."

"Stairs," Tetien said, "they're amazing things. Hehe...I always use them when the elevators aren't working."

"Huh," said Romaroy, "why do you bring that up?"

"Uh," Tetien said, "I don't know, just seemed the thing to say, you know."

"Cut the chatter," their leader, Ka-Babel, said over the channel.