The New Era Chapter 19

IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE NEW ERA
Hans looked around him. "They disappeared?"
Kyoko nodded. "I was hitting them with the laser guns repeatedly, just like Uther instructed. They didn't have a chance to do anything, just lie on the ground and get hit. They weren't destroyed though, I suspect the gods rescued them at the last moment."
"Sounds logical. I see you haven't lost your touch with a gun."
"Thanks. Are you okay?"
"I'm sore enough, but I'll be fine. You?"
"Fine, fine, lets see about getting Gaius' prisoners out of those green boxes."
"Good idea, what were you planning on trying."
Kyoko walked up to the box Pericula was in. She fired her gun at the bottom coroner. The whole box shattered. Pericula collapsed to the ground.
Hans ran up to where Pericula had fallen. Together with Kyoko, he helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Pericula teetered a bit on her feet, but regained her balance. "I think I'll be fine. Being Gaius' prisoner isn't pleasant."
"That doesn't surprise me," Hans said as Kyoko blasted Drusus free. Drusus looked a little unsteady on his feet, but he did not fall. Kyoko offered him her hand for support, but he refused it. "I'll be fine," he said. "Is Kile alright?"
Everyone's attention turned to Kile. He looked far from well. Being forced to remain standing in the box, as well as tortured by Gaius had took its toll. As soon as Kyoko shattered his box, he fell to the ground and did not move.
Drusus knelt beside Kile. "Kile, Kile are you alright?" Drusus tapped Kile lightly on the shoulder.
Pericula knelt down by Drusus. "Don't worry, he'll be fine once we get him to the city." She turned to Hans and Kyoko. "I take it your presence here is evidence that the doors are now opened."
"Not quite," Hans said, "but I have a feeling they're opened now anyway. Do you have your computer pad?"
Pericula shook her head. "It was left on the horse I was riding when Gaius transported me back here. I think you can use Gaius' though, his is probably in his tent there." Pericula pointed at Gaius' tent. Hans looked at Gaius for confirmation of the statement, but Gaius remained silent. Going into the tent, Hans eventually found the computer pad buried under various other things. Punching in a few buttons, Hans saw Mucius' face.
"Hans, how did you get out of the city? What happened?"
"It's a long story Mucius. I'll tell you about it later, right now I've got to get an injured man back to the city ASAP. Are the doors opened yet?"
"No, not yet. Bakes keeps working on them, but I think he has given up all hope by now."
"Tell Bakes to try opening them right now."
Mucius opened his mouth to question Hans' sanity, but decided that if Hans was outside of the city he obviously knew something the rest didn't. "I'll check with him. I'll get back to you in a bit."
As the monitor went blank, Hans stepped outside. "Did you find it?" asked Kyoko.
Hans waved the computer pad in his hand. "They're checking on the doors right now."
"It looks like we've got company," Drusus said. Hans looked to see what he meant, and saw Gaius' army. They had been scared off by the sound of laser fire, but were now cautiously returning. They could see their leader tied up, and were not to happy about it.
"I can handle this," Kyoko said confidently. She took one of the laser guns and fired it into the air. About half of the army turned and fled, the other half charged forward. With expert skill, Kyoko fired her gun, aiming at the ground beneath their feet. The soldiers were knocked off their feet by the resulting explosions. Some got right back on their feet and tried running again, but they received the same treatment. Soon, the whole army was in flight.
"You realize they'll be back before long," Pericula warned.
"Hopefully by that time, we'll be out of here," Hans replied. Just then, the computer pad buzzed. Hans hit a button, and Mucius was on the screen.
"Hans I don't know how you knew, but the doors are opened know. Lauto is on her way over in a ship. She's bringing a medicine ball with her."
"Great. Thanks a lot Mucius, Hans out." Hans turned off his pad. "Well, were in luck, help is on the way."


Bakes stood in the hanger as the ship came in. When Pericula stepped out, he immediately commended her. "Pericula, welcome back. Allow me to congratulate you on a job superbly done."
Pericula smiled. "Thank you sir, but it was Hans and Kyoko who defeated Gaius."
"Yes, yes I know but you handled your situation extremely well." Bakes glanced over to the ship doors to see Drusus disembark. He turned to Pericula. "You brought him here? I thought Lauto took a medicine ball with her."
Following Drusus, Kile exited the ship, in perfect health. "She did sir, but Gaius' men were closing in on us. We thought it best to take these two to safety," Pericula explained.
Bakes glanced up at Kile and Drusus again. The medicine ball had obviously worked perfectly. Kile was already beginning to run about the hanger. "Couldn't you have dropped them off somewhere? Did you have to bring them to the city? I'm not sure I like this." Bakes suddenly broke into a smile. "But, after what you did out there I'll easily forgive you." Pericula thanked Bakes as she escorted Kile and Drusus out of the hanger.
Next, Bakes saw Hans and Kyoko get off the ship. He went up to them. "I've got a lot of questions for you two. I was busy trying to figure how to open the doors well everyone else was watching you on the monitor, but I hear you defeated Gaius, congratulations. Now would you mind telling me how you got out of the city, or how you knew the doors were opened?"
"It's a long story Bakes," Hans said. "A long story, and we need to tell all The Watchers, not just you."
"Of course, I'll arrange for a meeting tonight during which you can share your story. In the meantime, you want to just give me a rough idea of what happened?"
Hans nodded. "Sure, I can understand your curiosity. Do you mind if I take a few minutes to recover first? I never got a chance to use that medicine ball."
"Are you hurt?"
Kyoko laughed as she leaned against Hans' shoulder. "Don't listen to him, he's fine."
Hans smiled back at her as he said, "that's what you think. You didn't get what I got."
"Hans, you only got hit by the laser gun five times."
"Yeah, well it feels like fifty."
Bakes couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You got hit with a laser gun five times?!"
Hans shook his head. "Alright, you guys win, I'm being a wimp. I just wish Gaius had been a little worse with his aim."
"Well, I can't wait to hear your story," Bakes said as he glanced up at the ship one last time. Gaius was leaving now, his hands were tied behind his back and Lauto was aiming a laser gun at his head as he slowly walked off the ship. Bakes' face lit up with glee.
"Hello Gaius, welcome back. It's good to see you again. As you know, you've been big news here in the city. I still remember you threatening me, telling me that you held all the cards. You told me it was a big mistake to make you mad." Bakes grabbed Gaius' collar and shook it. "Well know you're going to learn what a big mistake it is to make me mad." Bakes turned away, and Lauto continued escorting Gaius to prison.
Bakes looked into Hans' stern face. "Oh come on Hans, after all the evil he has done surely you don't disapprove of a little fun at his expense."
"He's insane Bakes. He needs help, not you rubbing his problems in his face."
"Hans, you always did have a bleeding heart. Gaius should get everything he deserves, and I intend to make sure he does. You never appreciate justice, do you? You let Rodens walk away scot free. Right now he should be sitting in prison, or better yet executed."
"You can't be serious. You know The Watchers abolished the death penalty centuries ago."
"Yeah, well maybe it's time we brought it back. People like Gaius deserve it. I'd like to see him dead."
"If you kill him, your just as bad as he is."
"Is that what you think? You just don't understand the way the real world works Hans, but you'll learn soon enough. I'm going to see Gaius executed."
"Oh no your not. Watcher law forbids it, and we are returning to a democracy."
Bakes took a deep breath. "I'm glad you brought that up Hans. I've given this a lot of thought, and I've decided we're in the middle of a crisis here. This is no time to return democracy, and so I'm going to remain in command until the danger is over."
Hans was too shocked to speak, so Kyoko took over for him. "You can't do that. You promised to return democracy after two weeks."
"I know, but that was before this happened."
Hans looked angrily at Bakes. "I should have known you couldn't be trusted. You were just waiting for something like this to happen. Anything that would give you a chance to stay in power. You're worse then Jistap was."
"Now hold on Hans, remember we're supposed to work together. You're still one of us you know, you helped save the Icelers. You and Pericula are going to have just as much power as anybody else. Obviously, Gaius won't be returning to his share of power, so we'll need someone to take his place. Kyoko, that someone can be you, if you want."
"Forget it Bakes," she replied. "We're not after power, we're after justice. We want to see democracy returned to everyone."
"Don't you understand? We can't do that now!" Bakes took a deep breath in frustration. "Hans, Kyoko, we can settle this like adults, we don't need to yell at each other. I hear Pericula left her computer pad in Calet. She'll need to retrieve that, we can't let it fall into the wrong hands. Also, she'll need to drop Drusus and Kile back off in Calet. Why don't you two go with her. It will be a nice easy assignment, and it will give you time to think. I'll do a little thinking of my own, and once you come back we can come to a reasonable agreement."
Hans was skeptical. "I don't see what good it will do. If I wanted to think I could do that in the city."
"Hans, just trust me on this one. It will be a nice diversion for you. Don't be so critical, I'm not out to get you. I want us to work together."
Hans looked at Kyoko. "Sounds harmless enough to me," she said.
"Alright, we'll do it," Hans agreed.


"You asked to see me?"
"Yes, yes come in Livius, you too Lauto. We have a minor problem." Lauto and Livius entered the room. Bakes gestured for them to sit down, and they did so. "Hans and Kyoko have proved quite uncoroperative. I've done everything I could to try and convince them to join us, but I fear they will only be a thorn in our side. I want you two to go on that ship with them when they leave to drop Kile and Drusus off. You must kill them both."
Livius was astounded. "Kill them? But they're Watchers, we can't."
"You must, they will not join us. I can manipulate the computer records as long as you kill them outside of the city. It is the only course of action left to us, they'll never accept anything but democracy."