"Dr. Ollivander," Lee interrupted coolly, "I believe you were instructed to go with Lt Com. Montoya. Lt Abreu and her squad are with me. Abreu, mount up."
Once everyone was correctly sorted the three convoys departed the airstrip, on their way to the Atrium via three different routes. Lee's contingent took the longest route, in order to demonstrate the full extent of the progress made to the garrison at RACDI-Alpha, before entering The Pit itself. The two trucks that accommodated Viper and Husky squads, as well as the five Executives with them, were open-topped as to give their guests a good view of the activity going on above ground. Brand new Venture Horizon LAV's took point and brought up the rear, with a Main Battle Tank in between the two trucks.
A few months ago, RACDI-Alpha had been, more often than not, almost oppressively inactive on the surface, with little more than some barbed wire, a few scant patrols and the occasional cargo delivery to give anyone a clue as to the operation here. Now though, Lee had transformed the surface into what could easily be mistaken for a staging ground precluding a full-scale war. Most of the perimeter was now covered by walls of reinforced concrete stretching twenty feet high, with forty foot watchtowers, manned by Wardens armed with a mixture sniper rifles, mounted machine guns and rockets launchers at two hundred meter intervals, their searchlights now being activated in the fading light. Their convoy passed regular armored patrols going in the opposite direction, with transport and attack helicopters passing overhead almost as frequently. Warden's were drilling on almost every flat surface, running assault courses, target practice, and hand-to-hand sparring while the Sergeants made sure they were up to scratch. Mounted on a rise, they passed one of Lee's proudest new additions, one of the batteries of RACDI-Alpha's now state of the art anti-air missile network, protected on the ground by pillar boxes and entrenched heavy armor.
"As I'm sure you are aware, during the security breach three months ago RACDI-Alpha lost nearly a quarter of its garrison of Wardens as casualties." Lee announced to the visitors "Almost that number again were dismissed two days afterwards in the first step of command restructuring, with the rest submitted for retraining. Needless to say, this left the facility in an extremely vulnerable situation that we could not afford to leave standing. It has been an exhaustive priority of ours to ensure that RACDI-Alpha is properly equipped to repel any and all outside threats. After all, none of the reforms here will mean anything for anyone concerned were this facility to be taken over in a hostile action.
As of this moment, there are currently one thousand five hundred Warden personnel actively serving in this garrison. That is only a little off twice the number we had three months ago, along with another two thousand in training. Most importantly, these Wardens are better equipped, better supported, and more professional than they have ever been. I would not quite call us a 'well-oiled machine' just yet, but that distinction is mere weeks away. Once the garrison is at full capacity, I plan to divide the Wardens into two distinct sub-groups. The first will manage affairs inside The Pit, maintaining order, the efficient transfer of resources, and even pastoral care of Inmates, but will have only a minimal role in the defense of RACDI-Alpha at large. The second group will be a contingent of dedicated soldiers, to whom safeguarding the future of this facility will be the only priority. Until then though, All Wardens who pass training here must do so mindful of these two distinct roles, and must know how to act accordingly for each.
You can see much of the defenses the Warden's are supplemented with around you, and you were escorted here by one of the four squadrons of fighters not permanently posted here. As for what you can't see, the facility and the surrounding area are under constant surveillance by a small fleet of unmanned reconnaissance drones, giving us an effective warning network against any approaching threats, and I am currently petitioning the board of directors to move a spy satellite into permanent residence above the facility to give us an even further field of view. Our cyber-security network is also under review and will be updated, to keep out the few who may have the technology to blind us if they so choose. Any questions on this subject?"
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When the Colonel Man had first sent his shadows to whisper to Nikolai, he had been unusual in the respect that he had never asked for any price. Others he was sure had bargained for their freedom, or at the very least a greater position of power underground. Nikolai's allegiance came without price, just as it had done for Azrael. Nikolai could never remember wanting anything in particular. He was a Dog, he served a Master, was fed, and lived another day. That was all he knew, and all he ever planned to know. The Colonel Man had understood where Azrael hadn't. The Man who had been his Master ever since they first crossed paths decades before had never stopped trying to buy Nikolai's loyalty with promises of power, respect and pleasure. Nikolai had taken these gifts when they served him, but felt nothing of them. The Colonel Man made no such offers, not up front. By extending his hand under the nose of Azrael he had proved all he had to to Nikolai. He had proved he was the smarter of the two, with more influence. He had proved he would be the more worthy Master. Even then, Nikolai had thought no more of it than that.
It was only when he had started to gather his own allies, both within and without the already existing structure of the Arctic Wolves, that his mind began to wake up to a world outside his prison. For the first time, he was hearing people he had brought together himself, people who were not above him, talk of their experiences. When Dmitri and Vladimir had spoken of South America, others had fell in love with their promises of heat, plentiful food and exotic women. Nikolai had chosen their destination for one reason. Off all the places his Free Men knew to run to, South America was the furthest away.
Now, as they trudged their way through the thick forest at the bottom of the valley, soon to start their ascent up the other side, Nikolai couldn't even be certain they were still going South. He had come full circle. Kill, eat, live another day, this mantra repeating over and over in his fevered mind. Only now there was no Master to guide him. Instead, a trail of the tired and the hungry, all looking to him to know the way. Would it have been better to remain a Dog? The Pit had, in its own perverse way, been his safe haven. He had always been provided for, never wanted for anything, and had walked those cramped tunnels a giant. Now though, he felt the lowliest of Rats amid these giant Pines, with a head full of doubts and a belly full of nothing. Nikolai coughed, and the palm of his hand was red when he drew it away. This he hid quickly. Kill, eat, live another day. That much at least he could do.
