Ah, such a spectacle. An old fashion demon-burning updated with impressive special-effects. These people haven’t begun early, they’re just doing this their own way. The bonfires are being started at the back while the victims are located near the front. By the time the fire gets to them it won’t be some cool, wimpy, smoky affair. It’ll be full inferno and will swallow them up within seconds. Gunther and Johann are well aware of their fate and struggling at their bonds quite vigorously—real crowd pleasers.
Now Al and Chin add to the spectacle. Each falls directly into the center of the flames and towers of sparks reach skywards. The crowd screams its approval.
My stop looms up underneath the chopper: The tall building. I jump.
I squirt the jumpjets a couple times and land on the roof without going through it, but not without attracting the attention of the platoon stationed up here. Well, so much for taking my time to watch and plan. As they get ready to shoot me I run behind a little shed on the rooftop, turn on my ECM, and jump to the next building. By the time they figure out I’m not behind the shed anymore, I’ll be to my destination for this evening.
My landing on the next building is noisy, but on the far edge from the soldiers watching the show. I turn the ECM off. It’s great stuff but it’s power-hungry and overheats my suit. This building has a shack, too, and from its top I can see most of the plaza. I jump up and survey.
Al and Chin are having a great old time tearing up the bonfire. The crowd far away from the fire is enjoying it to no end and pressing forward to see more. The crowd near the fire is nervous and ready to bolt. The crowd-control people see that things are about to dissolve into ugly chaos and that’s holding their attention. At the other end of the plaza is the podium—a hefty affair that stretches about 30 meters across and has maybe a hundred people on it. Near the center are the cluster of dignitaries I’m looking for. I pick out two that look like top dogs for my primary and alternate hostages at this spectacle. It’s time for my entrance:
ECM on again, I make a running leap from the building and jumpjet onto the edge of the podium. I land heavy. The planks groan and break, but not all the way through. I jump high to span another five meters and land heavy again. It’s great—giant invisible monster tromps for the center of the podium! The final five meters I run quickly and lightly. I collar my two dignitaries, turn off the ECM, and parade them to the microphone cluster at the lectern. I put the translator in creepy alien mode again.
“You people! You scum of the galaxy! I am Kull the Conqueror!” I bellow deep-throated into the mikes. “I have your leaders here. You hurt my men and they die.”
I have the crowd’s attention. So much for Phase Two of my plan.