Drowning Utopia

Chapter 36: The Trouble with Sky Pirates

Gray pulled the boat forward as Tessa hissed, "Steady. Remember your roles." She prayed that their plan would work.

Tessa caught the rope that one of the pirates along the side of the dam threw them as they lowered a rope ladder over. One by one, each of them made it up to the stone edifice, helped by the gun crew of one of the watch posts. Tessa was the second after Vain, the big beefy man that assisted them was clearly one of the sky pirates. Dressed in a well-worn flight jacket with wool lining, his thick-bearded and withered face was made all the more intimidating by a scar that ran from the top of his shaved head, across his left eye and over his cheek.

He scrunched his face as he looked at them hard. "What have you been doing, rolling through the mud? Why are you all covered in shit?"

Vain shook her head. "Most of us had to jump ship when they attacked. Luckily we managed to steal that boat and hightail it out of there."

"Who attacked you?" another pirate asked with his gun leveled toward the ground. "Where?"

"A bunch of kids from that redneck in the blackwater shanty. They were well armed. It was just outside the northern levy," Vain explained as the others crawled up to the landing. Several more pirates came up from the wall, along with a few Boomers.

Tessa watched as one of the Boomers, a young man wearing an engineering jumpsuit and a skull mask, stepped forward eagerly, "I knew it was a bad idea to ignore them! Should have taken care of that old stooge and his brood sooner."

But even as he said such, Tessa noted with some trepidation another Boomer, a Kigezan cultist, glaring at them suspiciously. She asked, "Why where you by the northern levy?"

"Following orders;" Donny said. "Searching for any sign of Charles Higgins or the inventor. Gathering survivors and killing any that resist."

"Scavengers have new orders," the suspicious Boomer said, crossing her muscular arms, "Regroup at the docks to prep for an all-out assault on Higgins Manor."

"They're in no condition to join the attack. Look at 'em. Most can hardly stand up straight," the scar-faced pirate said, spitting over the side of the dam. "Let's just use 'em to help around here. Were behind as it is."

"What about the swamp brats?" the Boomer in the jumpsuit countered.

"Send those damn war wolves. They always itching to kill something, better out there thin here. hardly trust them as far as I can smell them." the Jotnar said, waving for Tessa and the others to follow. "Come on, you can help us carry the parts they take out." The masked skull cultist started for the remains of the brick and slate building that was Powerhouse One.

Tessa leaned in and whispered to Gray, "We need to check the other turbines. Make sure they're still operational."

"Agreed," he slipped between two crates, grabbing Tessa by the collar when the other Boomers were not looking. Lonny and Donny caching wind of their plan moved in such a way to cover their exits, as they, Vain, Miss Briggs, and Captain Brine continued to follow the Boomer who walked past the throng of pirates and other cultists carrying parts and components out.

"What's your plan to deal with this?" Tessa asked, peeking over the crate to make sure they were not noticed ducking away.

"We will just have to improvise. That's what you're good at, right?" Gray asked.

Tessa gave him a hard look before grabbing an empty box. "Follow me."

Stepping out from cover, she headed for the opposite door leading to the other side of the building. Stopping for a moment in front of a converter, she whipped out a wrench and proceeded to dismantle a portion of it, handing the parts to Gray to put in the box, before moving on to the next. Down the row she went, until they were next to the door. The two nonchalantly stepped out the back, making their way for Powerhouse Two.