Chapter 27: LEAVING

Sitting quietly in the office, the Leader or the village cried. He had seen it all .The chaos, killing and now, he watched as the invaders put pipes and began siphoning out water from the aqueducts. He had just stood there unable to do anything to help his people. Why? He had been locked in his office by an ancient mechanism that everyone had, over the years, forgotten to remove and even modify. It had only come into effect the moment the village was attacked.

 The office had plummeted ten feet underground and was enclosed in steel. Essentially trapping him. It also had wide screens that allowed him to see what was happening above him, rather helplessly. He stood the helplessly. No matter what he did, he couldn't get out so he resigned himself to watch the village be destroyed. 'They will never forgive me' he thought sadly as he watched how the Njamba were killed, how half of them were now being taken as captives. He sat there helpless, this was truly the end of the village and of his rule. He bowed his head in shame as a tear fell from his eye.

* * * 

Water slowly switched places in containment from the tanks to the trucks. Alvin smiled greedily. This was his, all of it. He looked at his brother and said," Now then this is mine", he echoed his thoughts. Albert looked at him and sighed 'How naïve you are brother' he thought but smiled and nodded at him in agreement. He was happy about the water and all but he kept eyeing the boy he had just brought. Kim. There was something about him that he just couldn't figure out. Just what was he and how was he able to fight back with him with the strength of an adult? 'He could be my new toy' he thought. That had come to him suddenly and for a moment, was taken aback, but stopped and smiled, that wasn't a bad idea.

Kim lay there on the third seat row of the hovercraft. He was furious with himself. He was unable to stop any of them. Moreover, what had he been doing when Thia was being attacked. Ah, he was playing house with the girl he liked and her parents. For the first time, he regretted his relationship with her. If it hadn't been for that maybe he could have been with Thia and maybe, he wouldn't have been deeply wounded like this. He mulled over his helplessness as the same metallic voice, now monotonous, kept repeating the same word," Initializing.." over and over again like a broken record. This time it had grown louder and louder.

To distract himself he watched the pipes drain away a tank till empty and head to another. This was bad. He wanted to stop them and save his home but found himself unable to. He cried in frustration, how can he, the best warrior in the village, not move? ' Never again' he shouted in his head 'I will never lose ever again and I will be the strongest in the world'! He swore. "Initialization half complete, beginning realignment", the metallic voice in his head said, then went silent. This surprised him, but still, he couldn't control his body.

Alex found Shiru and stared at her. ' She's beautiful even when she's injured' he thought. He went close to her and touched her hair. "What are you doing"? she asked slowly as it took a lot of effort to talk. He tilted his head and looked at the wound. "That looks painful, why don't I make it better for you", he said sweetly, too sweetly. Shiru was about to answer him when she felt an unfamiliar taste in her mouth. Her eyes widened in fear. The front end of a gun was in her mouth. Alex smiled. She looked even prettier now to him as she looked at him in shock and fear. "Lllleeavvvvvvvheeeeerrrrrrr" Kim shouted. He had watched the whole thing and as much as he hated her, she didn't deserve this. 

The two brothers turned simultaneously. " What do you think you're doing"? Alvin shouted at Alex. Alex looked at him from the corner of his eye. 'Putting her out of her misery' he thought loudly he said, "Nothing", as he pulled the gun back and walked away from her. Alvin wanted to continue but a phone rang. It was Albert's. He answered.

The call was short and precise. He hung up, turned around and said, " Get everything out, we're leaving right now." Everyone was stunned