Kyto lay on the cold stone slab of a bed in the cell. He had tried calling for a guard, but the thick metal door and tiny viewing window gave him no way to draw attention. Considering the number of people hollering and banging inside the other cells, he was just another complainant, being ignored by the guard.
There was nothing he could do but wait. He could see Tiddles's red dot on his display on top of where he now lay, but he knew he was on the floor above. The cell smelt of dampness and urine, and in one corner was a metal bucket, for obvious reasons, stained with the remnants of its earlier content. It made his nose curl and stomach turn.
He contemplated the next wave and last night’s fight with the Geblex. He had stayed stationary most of the time while feeding Tiddles mana and healing, and he knew that was why the Geblex had attacked him. If he fought them again, he would need to be more mobile. He knew once he focused on Tiddles, the link would establish and remain if there was a direct line of sight, and he stayed in range.
It gave him more freedom to move than he had considered, and he could even fight himself if needed. Tiddles's prowess, though, was an incredible sight to behold. Even after witnessing him hunting, it did not compare to the terrifying vision that appeared on the battlefield. He was like a whirling dervish of death, his violence alongside his agility making him a sight once seen and never forgotten.
He needed to work out a plan to defend the town somehow. He was no strategist, but he was a free thinker. He mulled over plans and ideas related to controlling any attackers' flow. After seeing them last night, they had thrown their bodies towards death with no fear and absolute aggression. They had intelligence, but what he had seen was more primal in relation to pack animals hunting rather than an organised tactic.
They were nocturnal with large eyes, meaning that their eyes must be sensitive to light. He considered lights, but generators were not mobile enough, and lanterns were not strong enough. Fire perhaps, fuel maybe. If only there were a way to create portable lights bright enough. He remembered reading about ultraviolet light and that it was present in the sun but did not know of a way to utilise or produce it. He had also read about an amazing device known as a laser, a high-powered light beam of energy that had many uses in the past, including weapon systems and defence, but he had nothing to use or produce such a beam.
Both were a form of energy, though, and he started considering mana. It was energy, after all. He was focusing on his mana pool, observing it to its molecular level, when he was disturbed by the latch on the cell door opening.
A guard opened the door, looking at him lying on the stone slab. "Get up, you lazy shit. The captain wants to see you."
"About time," Kyto replied as he stood leaving the cell. The guard pushed him down the corridor until he entered the rest area. A table had been set up, and Reece sat behind the desk with another guard at his side, and a third stood watching warily.
Kyto walked up to the table, and as Reece looked up, he smiled at him.
"Hey Kyto. Sorry, I am currently busy dealing with the trash from outside." He spoke.
"Greg. I told you to get the next one." He said, turning to the guard who had got him from his cell.
"This is the next one. Sir." Greg replied, confused.
"What do you mean? Why the fuck was Kyto in a cell?" He shouted at the man.
The guard visibly flinched at the barrage. "No idea, sir. I just got the next one." He stammered flustered.
Reece turned to look at Kyto and frowned. "How did you end up in a cell?"
"Well, that is an interesting story," Kyto replied.
"Everything seems to be interesting with you, and nothing straightforward," Reece replied, shaking his head.
"I came back from the tower and had a quick peek at the front. The side door was locked, so I went to the front to come back inside, and one of the guards did not like me asking to see TJ. So, he hit me in the stomach, and then I was bundled into a cell." He said.
"You have been in a cell since you came back here?" Reece looked aghast.
"Yes, and if I could offer some advice, the beds really are not very comfortable, and with no blankets, they are a bit cold and damp." He replied, smiling again.
"For fucks sake." Reece snapped. Not directed at Kyto but at whichever guards were present. "You bunch of morons do know that this man here is the one all the shit outside is about, don't you."
The three present guards all looked at each other nervously.
"I am Kyto." He said, turning and offering his hand to the guard who had just brought him from the cell. The guard took his hand in both shock, surprise and dismay, knowing he had fucked up.
"I don't suppose you know which idiots put you in the cell?" Reece asked.
"I do, but that would do no good. He was dealing with the incident, and I didn't want to get anyone in trouble. He did not know who I was."
Reece growled, looking around at the guard. He looked exhausted. He had not slept, and it was visible in his face. Dark lines under his bloodshot eyes, and his skin looked pale.
"Give me your hand," Kyto said, offering his to Reece.
"Why?" He asked.
"Trust me."
Reece placed his hand in Kyto’s. Kyto began to push his broken mana into him.
"What the hell is that?" Reece said, opening his eyes wide.
"Mana. Give it a minute." Kyto replied as he continued pushing mana. He watched as the tiredness seemed to evaporate from Reece's face. The darkness lessened, and his eyes cleared. His skin began to return to its natural glow.
"That should do you," Kyto said.
Reece sat with a look of amazement. "I just gave you an endurance boost. Hopefully, you are not as tired now."
"My hand is numb." He replied.
"Yeah. It seems to be a side effect. Only learned how to do it this morning."
"Erm. Thanks, I think." He replied, rubbing his hand.
"You mind if I go now? I think Tiddles is probably wondering why I have been downstairs for so long," Kyto said and headed back down the cell corridor to the stairs at the back. Reece's gaze followed him with a loss for words. As Kyto reached the end of the corridor and turned up the stairs, he heard Reece's temper explode. He chuckled, not feeling sorry for the guards he could hear being dressed down.
Tiddles was sprawled out at the end of the kitchen counter when Kyto entered the dining area. Matilda was talking to him.
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"You took your time," Tiddles said as he walked over.
"Yeah. I visited one of the cells." He replied. "Hi Matilda, I don't suppose you have any more of that lovely coffee, do you? And I hope the beast has not been a nuisance."
" Hey." Tiddles protested.
"No, he has been accommodating. He eats anything and has saved me from doing rubbish trips." She said.
"Anything?"
"Yeah. I can digest pretty much anything." Tiddles replied.
"He has had all the food waste and even ate all the bones."
"I do need to go and deal with nature, though," Tiddles said, standing.
"I think I should take him outside," Kyto said.
"I will have a coffee for when you get back." She said.
Kyto walked Tiddles to the back area and let him into the yard. Tiddles wasted no time revealing himself against the fence and doing his other beastly business.
"That's better." He said, walking back to Kyto.
"You have no shame," Kyto said, looking at the horrendous pile of stench he had deposited. "That smells worse than Geblex."
"Well, I did swallow a few bits last night, so I am not surprised, " he said as he walked past.
They went back upstairs, and Matilda, true to her word, had a fresh steaming pot of coffee ready for him. They sat at their original table and again waited. At the same time, Kyto informed Tiddles of his trip to the control tower. A while later, a guard came into the room.
"Hey, Ben," Kyto said, recognising him.
"Hi. TJ asked me to grab you. He wants to see you out by the perimeter." Ben replied.
"Sure."
"And the beast."
"At last," Tiddles said.
They left the block by the side entrance. Kyto climbed straight into a truck that had been parked there, and Tiddles hopped into its covered back. The truck creaked with Tiddles's weight on its rear axle. The streets were busy with people rushing about.
Kyto could feel the anxiety as they drove through and out towards the perimeter where TJ was. Everyone in the township was on tenterhooks, and it felt like it could tip over to chaos at any moment.
As they arrived at where TJ was organising a group of people, Kyto watched as they erected a wall of hastily made spikes, planting them into the ground facing towards the inner fence. They had been busy with lines of spikes filling various areas along the perimeter, set back by a hundred metres or so, the design being to try and draw any attackers into the left openings.
In theory, it looked like a sound plan, but whether it would stop the Geblex in practice was yet to be seen.
"Hey TJ," Kyto called as he climbed from the truck, and Tiddles jumped from the rear, making the vehicle sigh in relief as its back lifted again.
"I need your expertise," TJ said.
"With what?" Kyto asked.
He replied, "Felisa, one of the engineers, mentioned an idea, and I want you to see if it will work."
"Oh, why can't they do it?" He enquired.
"Because she lost an arm in last night’s attack."
"Shit!" Kyto replied.
"She mentioned something about electrifying the fence."
Kyto stood for a moment, considering the comment. "I suppose it is viable. There may be a problem, though."
"What problem?"
"Electricity would flow through a fence, but as soon as it is grounded, it will be lost."
"What do you mean?"
"Electricity grounds to earth. If the fence is metal and attached to metal poles in the earth, it will take the shortest route and go directly to the ground rather than along the fence. Also, fencing touching the ground will create an earth and stop it from working."
"Shit and most of the inner fence posts are metal."
"Yeah. So, it will just ground."
"Fuck. I hoped it may work."
"Well, we could run an electrified wire on the inside, held by wooden stakes. If it doesn't touch the ground, it will hold a current as long as the generator is grounded well."
"That means we would need a shit load of wire to run the lengths we need."
"Also, multiple generators."
"Damn it. I was hoping this would work."
"I am sure it can, but it would take time."
"We only have a couple of hours until sunset now. It's not long enough to build anything like you suggest. I hoped we could connect to the existing fencing."
"I have been trying to think of some way to help defend, and the one thing I keep returning to is fuel."
"Fuel?"
"My idea is pretty dangerous, knowing how explosive it is."
"Go on."
"I read a book a few years ago about some of the old wars that occurred. One thing I remember was a comment from the book about the peasants who made something called a Molotov cocktail. It was used to light and throw at enemy vehicles and personnel."
"That sounds interesting."
"You fill bottles with fuel and stop them with a rag, which can be lit before throwing them at a target. When the glass breaks, the burning rag ignites the fuel."
"Could you make some?"
"I can try. The girls have loads of tonic bottles with stoppers, and I don't think they will need to be very big with the fuel. I would just need some fuel and rags and the bottles."
TJ called Ben back and gave him orders to go and find Crystal and Tabs about their bottle supply and go via the bars for empties. He then instructed him to bring a fuel container and rags.
Kyto stood with Tiddles as they waited for him to return. A while later, the truck returned with the requested supplies, bringing Crystal and Tabs.
"I thought you were helping the injured?" Kyto asked as they arrived.
"Nothing else to do currently, although we could do with you imbuing," Crystal replied.
"What is this? I hear about you creating a fire bottle." Tabs said.
"Not sure if it will work yet." He replied.
Kyto walked to the crate holding the tonic bottles, removing the stopper before filling it with fuel. He then tore a thin strip from the rag, pushing it into the top before replacing the stopper.
"Ok. Now for the dangerous part. It would be best to have a fire to light them, but I will use flint for now if anyone has one?"
TJ dug in his jacket, removing one with a striker.
"I would stand back just in case," Kyto said as he placed the bottle on the ground and began to strike the flint. It took several attempts before the rag caught. He held it briefly, allowing the flame to grow, before aiming at an open ground area and throwing it.
The small projectile flew before striking the ground, the glass bottle breaking on impact as the fuel vapour released. There was an almighty bang and a flash as a fireball erupted into the sky. The ground the fuel landed on burned violently for a couple of minutes before dying out.
Everyone in the work party had watched the show, and cheers erupted from those around.
"Well, that worked," Kyto said, smiling.
"Amazing. We can get more made and distributed to the guard." TJ said.
"I would not advise carrying them. You know how dangerous fuel can be," Tabs said.
"Now that we know how to make them, I'll organize a team to produce them," TJ said.
They stood talking to TJ for a few minutes, Crystal pointing out some weaker areas where the stockade was not as high or the watch towers too spaced out. TJ noted her comments and redirected some workers to realign the spike walls.
"Let’s go get some tonic imbued. We can hand that out as well," Tabs said.
"Sure, but I will need a mana supply," Kyto replied.
"What about Keefirs?" Tabs asked.
"They have cores, so it should work."
"Better than draining people. Everyone in town seems exhausted from last night. We left Sniffer back at the stall with Elizabeth. He had crashed out on the floor there." Tabs said.
"I had not even thought, but where are you staying tonight?" He asked.
"We will be down at the docks with Brandon. Sniffer already sorted out some camp cots down there. It is a little cramped and cold, but at least it is a roof over our heads, and the town is heaving, and the hangar is now being used for the injured." Tabs replied.
"I should have been helping heal today. Being kept inside has not helped anyone." He replied.
"Well, let's go and get the tonic imbued. At least, that is a start." Tabs replied.
Crystal borrowed the truck and went into town to collect their tonic supply. On returning, they headed over to the Keefir paddock. Tiddles kept his distance to avoid spooking them as Kyto began imbuing bottles. They stayed there as the light began to fade slowly.
"We need to get these distributed before it gets too dark." Tabs said as Kyto finished imbuing another bottle. Although he had become slightly more proficient, it was not a quick process. In total, he had imbued forty bottles. His temples throbbed from the constant mana manipulation but managed to offset exhaustion through his newfound ability to break it down. The Keefir had been an excellent idea, and they had large pools from which he had easily been able to keep a supply.
"You also need to get to the docks," Kyto said.
"We won't be at the docks. We will be at the hangar with the injured." Crystal said.
"Oh. I thought you said you had camp cots set up there."
"We do, but if you think we are staying hidden away, then you are dafter than you look," Crystal replied.
"We have already set up an area in the hangar. Elizabeth has been producing salve and tonics while we have been here. Sniffer will also be out triaging patients. A crew has been assigned to oversee the injured when they attack."
"It appears I have missed a lot today, being kept indoors. I could have been at the hangar healing instead." Kyto replied, frustration in his voice.
"I know, but those who could be saved have been, and those seriously injured will still be there to heal." Tabs said.
"I know, but they could have been out helping today rather than being at the hangar. How many are even there?" Kyto asked.
"About forty people, not many with serious injuries, thankfully. There were only twelve critically injured out of that number, and Elizabeth has been helping the town doctors all day." Tabs replied.
"I should go and see if I can help before it gets too late," Kyto said.
"You are needed out here with Tiddles," Crystal said.
Kyto knew she was right but did not like being trapped by fate. The girls headed back to town with the tonics as Kyto and Tiddles walked towards the main gate where TJ had set up his base of operations for the night ahead.