Capítulo 42: Prisoners at the base
Inside the frozen walls, Colonel Cleaner, once friendly and cheerful, was now a man transformed by the weight of constant attacks. His once warm expression had turned stern, marked by weariness and uncertainty. His goal of defeating the dragons seemed increasingly distant, a shadow of doubt hanging over his once unwavering determination.
From inside his office, he heard murmurs among the soldiers outside:
— Colonel Cleaner, this is Sergeant Dugger. We have a visitor at the main gate. Will you come to greet her or should we proceed with the standard procedure?
— I think I'll let you have some fun today, but don't overdo it like last time, okay Dugger. Maintain discretion, remember we have a reputation to uphold and soldiers to train.
— Thank you, Colonel Cleaner, I'll keep that in mind.
And Sergeant Dugger hurried off. He was hoping Colonel Cleaner really didn't want to meet those visitors. After all, their vehicle would be a good acquisition for the army.
What was incredible was that they had bypassed all the blockades and explosive mines up to the main gate of the base. That meant they were skilled enough to make it there alive. It was a pity they had made such effort for nothing, Dugger thought maliciously as he directed his subordinates.
Meanwhile, Kowalsk was contemplating the various types of blockades and minefields he had to navigate to reach the base gate. Clearly, it was a way to block enemies approaching hastily. But those metallic barriers forced enemies to make turns to avoid other obstacles ahead, pushing them towards underground mines and the army's heavy weaponry.
Yet, it wasn't an effective tactic considering the enemies were simply dragons; they would just fly over. Ground barriers wouldn't make any difference, despite the military might the base possessed. It still wasn't enough or capable of stopping their winged foes.
Whether by air or by ground, as long as it was against the dragons, the army couldn't stop them; at best, they could delay them a bit.
While he pondered, the main gate of the base opened with several heavily armed soldiers circling Kowalsk's vehicle:
— Open the doors of your vehicle, step out, and raise your hands. Be smart and don't make any sudden moves.
— Hold on, soldier, we're here to help.
Kowalsk tried to calm the situation.
— Don't come telling me to hold on, you insolent civilian!
Sergeant Dugger shouted as he hit Kowalsk on the head with his rifle butt, causing him to fall without reacting.
Thilláila immediately reacted, causing a mental electromagnetic pulse that knocked out the nearby soldiers' minds, causing momentary unconsciousness followed by convulsions.
However, before Thilláila could do anything else, a soldier who had remained hidden came from behind and hit her with the rifle butt, knocking her down immediately.
Less than an hour later, Kowalsk was in a cell, tied up with two soldiers beside him shaking and throwing water on his face:
— Can I know what's the occasion? Because I'm also eager to join.
Kowalsk said as he got up, headbutting the two soldiers bothering him. Even with his hands tied behind his back, the old soldier kicked and easily knocked down his opponents.
— Looks like we have a tough one here! Hey, guys, reinforcements!
Sergeant Dugger shouted, bringing in more soldiers who gleefully continued to beat Kowalsk.
— Why are you doing this to me? I thought our priority was to help humans survive in this age of dragons. I also thought one of the main priorities was to find more survivors to strengthen the army until we're a match for a dragon. But from what I see here, your idea of fun is just making your fellow men suffer. Don't you think we already have enough pain facing the dragons?
— Shut your mouth, you old nag! Who do you think you are to preach to us? How many dragons have you defeated? How many people have you rescued or how many battles have you fought to come here and lecture us?
— I don't know who you are, little chicken, but my business is with Colonel Cleaner. So, if you're done beating me up and could kindly pass my message to him, let him know Kowalsk is here and wants a very serious conversation with him.
That bold statement worsened Kowalsk's situation. More soldiers poured into his cell, joining forces to continue beating him:
— Let's see how tough you'll be after my men soften you up.
Kowalsk might have been an excellent fighter, but tied up as he was, it was difficult to block all the blows. Up until now, he could easily escape if he wanted, but his concern was Thilláila, whom he didn't know the whereabouts of.
— So, are you ready to listen now or do you still want to impose your morality on us?
— Please, stop this. I really need to speak with Colonel Cleaner.
— The only one you'll speak to here is me, and I'm not in the mood to listen. Beat him, boys. Show him how we do things at the Last Refuge, our amazing Colonel Cleaner's base.
After 5 minutes, Kowalsk decided to ask:
— Since you're all so busy here, could you at least tell me what you've done with my friend?
— Oh, so you mean that beautiful and fragile young lady is your friend? Don't worry about that. We have plans to have fun with her. First me, then whatever's left will be served to my friends. After all, there's no woman in this base, so you brought us a gift.
— Can I know your name, soldier?
Kowalsk asked seriously.
— I'm Sergeant Dugger to you, but that won't matter much because your fate will be like many others who tried to deceive us.
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