The White Feather- A story of infinite worlds

Out Of The Shadows Comes Your Greatest Nightmare

 “So, what do you think we should do?” Thomas asked.

It was six in the morning and Thomas was in a surprisingly good mood. He was playing with a knife and humming a nursery rhyme, the only thing he still remembered from his past. The scene was somewhat sinister, and Veda was alarmed. Amanda was making eggs in the kitchen. You know, the typical morning after a couple’s first night together.

“The Chakra is expecting you to be angry and retaliate. I think we should lay low for a few days and let things cool down a little bit. That way, we will have time to plan things out and we can take them by surprise.” Veda said.

Thomas stopped spinning the knife and let out a long breath. After a few seconds of staring at the ceiling, he finally spoke.

“You know what? They’re thinking the exact same thing. They expect us to be frightened and incapable of attacking. We won’t have the element of surprise after a few days. They would have quadrupled their security by then and the barbarian will probably flee the city.” Thomas exclaimed.

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Amanda asked.

She came out with bacon and cheese. The smell of fresh breakfast quickly filled the room and Thomas almost forgot what he was about to say. After taking his plate, Thomas spoke.

“I think the best element of surprise we will ever have is NOW. I suggest that you make a strike team of not more than ten people. They should be fast, agile, stealthy and most of all, trustable. The last thing we want is another breach.” Thomas said and paused to eat.

He felt like he had tasted this bacon somewhere before this. It was tasty as hell. Thomas looked at Amanda in praise and she simply smiled back.

“What happens then?” Veda asked, not sure if Thomas was a genius or a maniac.

“We have to show the people that the Chakra can be broken and the youth must know that there’s a better alternative to joining the Chakra. My responsibility is only to kill the leader. What happens to the city after that is your problem. You need to set an example if you want the rightful order to take over.” Thomas said.

“How do you propose we do that?” Veda asked.

“Figure it out. People listen to power, so first show them that you are actually capable of bringing change. You know every weakness of the Chakra Empire, so exploit them. Start with bringing down warehouses and weed shops. When your men are motivated enough, take down a stronghold. Then and only then will the people start believing that you are strong enough and not another bullshitter.

Then you have to start recruiting. Take young men who are wronged and whose families you know well enough. Be careful of the ones that come from poor families because they could be hired by the Chakra to infiltrate you.

Lastly, do not be the face of revolution. That way, if you’re murdered, your revolution will die with you and the Chakra will be more powerful than they were ever before. Let their biggest nightmare creep out of the shadows and get in their head.” Thomas said, his eyes gleaming.

Veda’s eyes lit up. The energy in the room was skyrocketing.

“It’s a long shot. But what other choice do we have?” Thomas said casually.

“Right. So I’ll start working on a team right away. Meanwhile, Amanda will pinpoint a target for us to hit. Right, Amanda?” Veda said.

“No problem. You be careful out there.” Amanda said to Veda in a concerned tone.

Veda’s limbs quickly came into motion and he went for his pistol on the table. Thomas was startled and almost jumped.

“Easy, genius.” Veda said.

He then went to the window and after five minutes of careful observation, he went to the gate. He turned his head and looked at Amanda for a second, and went out of the door.

“Let me get a map.” Amanda said.

“Yeah, sure. How about some wine too?” Thomas said and smiled.

Amanda turned around in amazement.

“Wine? You? Are you alright, Mr. Thomas White?” Amanda said and smiled back.

After a lot of brainstorming and some s*x, they finally figured out their first target. As delight filled the air, Amanda looked at Thomas’ face, who was lying peacefully in her lap.

“Will you really go?” she said softly.

Thomas opened his eyes and looked peacefully in Amanda’s eyes.

“I have to. If I stay, both of us will die. I would surely feel bad when I return, but at least I’ll know that you’re safe.” Thomas said, laying his hand on her cheek.

“Your eyes are beautiful. Did you know?” Amanda said, reassured.

“I’m a hundred and f*****g seventy five years old, you don’t think I know that by now?” Thomas said and smiled. Amanda started laughing.

A knock on the door alarmed them. Thomas took out his pistol and kneeled before the door.

“Zeus, scan it.” Thomas whispered.

“We shoul….” Amanda squealed.

“Shut the f**k up.” Thomas whispered rudely.

“Seven males. Heart rate is slightly escalated.” Zeus said.

“Scan for a hat, scarf and revolver.” Thomas said.

“Positive.”

Thomas was still alarmed. For all he knew, they could be imposters. He wasn’t taking any chances. He signaled Amanda to open the door and went to the window. When he was sure that he had a favorable angle at the door, he nodded and Amanda opened it.

“What took you so long?” Veda said, irritated. He then looked at Thomas, who was still pointing the pistol at his head.

“Woah, easy there cowboy. It’s me.” Veda said and put his hands in the air.

“It’s a little hard to identify you with that ghost rider face of yours, you know.” Thomas said, putting his gun down.

“You’re making fun of a person whose face was burnt to break a fuckin glass. What kind of person does that make you?” Veda said, disgusted by Thomas’ unusual sense of humor.

“The funny kind?” Thomas instantly threw the counter-attack.

“He’s as good with the mouth as he is with guns, so watch out.” Veda told his companions after ten minutes. They were drinking coffee in the kitchen as Thomas and Amanda laid out the map on the table.

“Point noted.” One of them said and finished his coffee.

“Oi, the next time I find you throwing cups around the house, I’ll blow your f*****g brains out. Keep it where it belongs.” Veda fired, startling a man who kept his coffee mug on the glass panel.

“Whe…where does it belong?” he asked hesitantly.

“In the sink, you f*****g barbarian.” Veda said. All of them started laughing.

“What do we have here? I see a bunch of laughing baboons. Get your asses over here. We don’t have much time.” Thomas called.

When all of them had settled, Thomas nodded to Amanda.

“Tell them.” He said.

“Okay, so we were discussing places to target. And in the middle of the discussion, I used the phrase ‘secure as the Alara’. And…..” Amanda said.

“And I think we should burn it to the ground. I mean what better place to start then the tightest prison whose security has become a myth.” Thomas said.

“Are you f*****g stupid? I risked my life coming here and this is what you give me? this is not a f*****g video game. I’m out.” Dave said.

“You’ll hear him out.” Veda said.

Dave took a long look at Veda’s face and sat down.

“We know you think it’s impossible. That’s why only Veda and I will go. Do you at least have the balls to be our backup?” Thomas said.

Silence overtook the room. Most surprised of all was Veda. Amanda was second. They all looked at Thomas’ face in awe as he continued smiling like a maniac. He saw the look on Veda’s face.

“May I have a word with you?” Thomas asked Veda.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Veda hissed, not speaking too loud as his followers in the other room might hear him.

“Honestly, I can do this alone. But right now, you need people to believe that you’re capable of absolutely anything and they’re safe as long as you are around. So I figured I’ll let you tag along.” Thomas said, relaxed as always.

Veda looked at him, then at the people sitting in the hall. His hands shook as he took out a pack of cigarettes from his overcoat.

“It’s okay to be afraid. Just get over it. I don’t want you pissing your pants and whining like a baby when I storm the most secure facility in this city. You understand?” Thomas asked Veda, who was busy shooting puffs of smoke out of his mouth.

“I said, do you f*****g understand?” Thomas asked again.

Veda nodded.

“Good. Now get your s**t together and help me plan the infiltration. I hear you’ve been there.” Thomas said and patted Veda’s shoulder.

“So, tell me everything about this place and why there’s so much hype going around it.” Thomas said.

“Okay, so this prison has five foot thick concrete wall and laser fence over it. There are cameras and motions sensors on every ten feet, making it impossible to sneak in without getting noticed. But that’s the least of it. The most elite fighting force of the Chakra i.e. First Class, are used to guard the prison. The front door is like a military outpost. Seven guards armed to the teeth stand ready for any sudden attack. There are three levels in the building, each of them guarded by at least ten soldiers. Right next to the main building is the guard quarters, where a hundred guards are kept ready, in case backup is needed.” Veda said.

“And who exactly are the prisoners.” Thomas asked.

“Leaders of organizations like The Iron Hand, who pose a threat to The Chakra. Legend says that the basement has only one cell, in which the greatest threat to The Chakra is held captive.” Veda said.

“Weaknesses?” Thomas asked.

“To be precise, none. But if we could put a jammer in the tower on the roof of the building, radios will be blocked and backup will be delayed. They would still have a huge advantage, but we have a chance.” Veda said.

“Okay. The mess hall has the weakest wall and comparatively less guards. You’ll wait outside the mess wall while I go to the roof and jam the tower. As soon as we’re clear, I’ll gas the front gate guards from the roof and shoot anyone who’s not already knocked out. After that, I will use the computer to hack into the security mainframe and lock all exits. As soon as I’m finished, we’ll blow the mess wall with a small charge. With no communications and exits blocked, the guards will panic and scared people are easy to defeat. But we don’t have time to fight them, so we’ll free the prisoners and set up C-4 charges all across the building. The whole process should not take more than thirty minutes. Any questions?” Thomas said.

“What about the cameras? I mean they will clearly see us breaching the outer walls of the prison.” Veda said.

“Let me take care of that. Anymore questions?” Thomas smiled.

Veda nodded.

“Good. Then let’s go blow some fuckers up.” Thomas said and got up.