We trudged across the ever mounting heaps of snow and rock, the slope becoming steadily higher as we continued to follow Rick on the barren lands. All those who accompanied me, were a group of beginners like myself, who had just made it to the base, and their proper recruitment was still to be decided. Hamza and some of the other boys were also part of the group, however, we deliberately kept our distance to avoid any suspicion.
We sat down on the snow, our thick, insulated clothing providing us the necessary protection from the cold, but the chill still seeped through the bones making me shiver every once in a while. Perhaps, it was not the cold that made me shiver, but the fear of what we were going to face at the end of the hike, or perhaps both.
I took a few sips of water from my can and nibbled on the piece of chocolate that we brought to munch on here, and kept it back in my backpack saving it for later. That's when I got to know Joseph; a new recruit to the Mother's base, nineteen years of age, a year older than me and was originally from the Northern village. Wasn't this the village Dawood chacha was once a commander in and the same village he found Ali, before he brought him to Zulfiqar Khan? How many villagers had been recruited into the Mother's base, since then, and how long will it take until she takes hold of the village completely? I wondered.
We wandered once more in the snowy wilderness, this time the slope tilting downwards, making our journey easier and a bit quicker than it was initially, as our boots marred the soft, smooth surface of the ground we walked on. The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly, reflecting off the white surface of the snow as our boots marred the plain features of the land. Occasional rocks popped out of the ground which would sometimes hinder my pace, as they made the path more undulating and difficult to travel. Drew helped me down from a particularly big boulder that strewed my way holding my hand as I stepped down from its tricky surface. The ground soon became level after that, the rocks disappeared and were replaced with snow once more. We walked a few meters on the relatively steady slope before Rick held up his hand in a fist, as a sign for us to halt. He knelt on the ground and took out his dagger, and for a second I thought he was about to perform some crazy ritual, before he started digging the ground with the blade. Most of us had moved closer out of curiosity, of what he was doing and hoping to find in this wasteland, and encircled him while staying careful not to get too close which might result in his anger and spite. A clanging sound began to echo in the air, although it wasn't that loud since we were standing in open air, like a metal hitting metal. After a few minutes of digging, we had a clear view of what Rick was seeking out in the snow.
It was a large metal lever that Rick pulled at with some effort, after which the ground began to plummet in front of us, revealing a black slope in its fall. The in some effort in pulling it down. that looked heavy judging by the effort Rick had to put in pulling it open after standing up, revealing a pit too dark to make out the ground, and had a ladder trailing down one of its sides.
"All of you, line up and climb down the ladder one by one once you " Rick said, turning towards us.
We did as we were told, where me, Drew and Jean fell in the middle of the line, dreading our turn. My heart thrummed wildly in my chest as Drew made his way towards the hole and held the rope before swinging his legs inside, adjusting himself to a secure position. He gave me a reassuring nod before descending into the hole.
My heart broke at the thought of fighting against him and Jean, who had been nothing but kind to me since I met them. They were still young and were trying to find their way in a world which had become so gray that it became impossible to distinguish the right from the wrong, because how could anything be right, when so much was going wrong? What made our purpose better than theirs, when we were both still trying to make sense of the truth?
Shaking these doubts aside, I gathered up my courage, took a deep breath and placed my feet on the circular wall of the pit, while managing a strong grip on the rope. The wall had spaces in between the bricks so that the climber could easily climb in and out of the hole, and helped them in regaining their balance, provided they knew where to keep their feet. Rick held a flashlight above my head so that I could see better within the hole that got darker with each step that I took down the hole. I felt grateful for wearing my gloves, because my hands were getting sweaty and I knew I would not have been able to maintain my grip if I weren't wearing them; they would have also been too numb from the cold to be working without rigidity, till now. The temperature was getting more bearable as I continued my descent down the hole, taking steady steps and watching my feet, with an occasional look at the bottom of the pit, to make an estimate of the height of the leap I would have to make once the rope ended. I kept counting my steps while trying to keep up my pace, as my limbs got adjusted to the pattern they were making with my right foot taking the lead on the circular brick wall, and my right hand following suit on the rope, as my left foot and hand followed the same order after them. However, it became harder towards the end of the rope where my breathing got labored, my shoulders started aching terribly and my legs burned, as I got dizzy and my eyes struggled to keep sight of my step. The series of twenty-five steps finally ended and the time to let go had come. I had to continue the rest of my descent solely by the rope.
I held onto the warped material, its coarse fibers digging into my hand, as I let go of the grip my legs had on the wall and clung onto the rope instead. The climb on the rope was harder than the climb down the wall, but thankfully the ground was only a few meters away so I decided to slide down the rope, loosening my grip slightly and tightening after intervals to ensure a safe landing. I landed on the ground and took a deep breath before allowing my gaze to wander around the surroundings. The space looked similar to the bunker, the army had near Gul Badin's base, loaded with artillery and weapons for storage; only, it was much larger and well-furnished and organized. Shelves upon shelves were lined with guns and daggers; there were also swords that were placed on a stand, encased in leather sheaths. Both classic and modern weapons adorned the walls of the underground chamber, with bows and arrows hanging on greater heights on the wall, and with more conventional weapons that hung low to be picked and fought with ease. It looked more like a showroom for artillery with it's high maintenance, where everything in the room seemed to be in tip top shape, too clean to be in actual use. Most of the weapons looked like they had been newly imported and had not seen daylight yet, which might be true considering they were kept at least fifty feet under the ground.
After the rest of the group members had made it to the chamber, of which Rick was the last, he proceeded towards the right side of the wall and pulled down a lever which lit up the lights, and we could now properly witness the room in all its glory. It was a paradise for any weapon enthusiast, a treasure hold for a warrior and nothing short of a marvelous sight for the ordinary man.
"All of you, take a look around and choose a weapon that suits you most," Rick tells us. "You can also try your hand on them by using them on the target, but don't damage any other property, unless you want to get your ass whooped."
I discarded my bag, jacket and cap at the corner of the room, and wandered around taking in the sight and going through the shelf one by one. I let my gaze rake through the collection of weapons on the shelves as well as those that hung on the wall, sometimes capturing their touch under my fingers and strolling past others simply because they did not call out to me. What I was looking for was something portable, yet sturdy, something that I could count on at all times.
The weapons were organized from heavy to light artillery, with large-caliber guns transitioning to smaller revolvers, pistols and derringers. The new recruits were not allowed to carry weapons inside the base until they were deemed worthy of trust and apprenticeship. Once we were done with our basic training and passed the skill set, we had to choose our weapons to be moved to the next ranks and recruited according to our strengths. Rick brought us here for the same reason before we could be presented in front of the Mother.
We had the choice of bringing a maximum of two weapons with us, so after trying a few small guns in my hand, I went for the third revolver, which was matte gray in color and the build was strong yet light, fitting perfectly in the folds of my hand. I did not think I needed another weapon until I caught sight of a row of sheathed daggers, which were showcased right beside the collection of waistbands of varying capacity and size.
The knives were an interesting input to the collection of modern weapons, and were discreet but alluring to whoever caught sight of them. Perhaps, it was the natural aversion to complexity in my personality that made me walk over to the section and have a look at the blades that were arranged in different sizes although none of them were bigger than a foot, yet all of them had special features that made them distinct from one another. Some had a shiny metal hilt, with sleek hexagonal edges, while some were tough leather resembling the sheaths they were encased in. There were also variations in their blades, some which had a thicker edge and were meant to cut from only one side; there were also those with jagged teeth and mounted blades that were best for stabbing and inflicting deep cuts. However, I caught hold of one of the few wooden ones, which was a little longer than the vertical span of my hand, falling below my wrist. It had a lotus shaped engraving at the end of the hilt, and had a short pointed blade that was thicker in the middle and sleek enough to cut from the sides and pierce from the top. It was light in the hand, and easy to maneuver in swift precise movements. Although there was nothing apparently special about the dagger, it had an aesthetic appeal to it, probably due to its simplicity, that made the weapon true to its purpose. I knew Dawood chacha would approve of the blade, if we ever made it out of here. Smiling at the thought of my mentor, I put the blade back in its brown leather sheath, and wound the bond, that it was previously wrapped in to secure it before placing it in my waistband.
Most of the group members had picked their weapon of choice and were wandering around the place, while chatting with their group mates or the people who they had become acquainted with, in the base or during the trip. I approached Drew and Jean who were pointing towards the arrows at the top, and were immersed in an enthusiastic conversation when I approached them.
"You two look like kids who have just spotted their favorite animal at the zoo," I told them.
"Says the girl, who chose a dagger like someone choosing a pet at the animal shelter," Drew replied with equal sarcasm, talking with Jean more than me, before giving me a devious smile.
"Well, at least I have no regrets," I admitted, shrugging a shoulder. "By the way what did you guys pick up?"
Both of their guns were larger than my revolver where Jean had picked an AK-47, while Drew had a high-tech gun which was sleek and had several ridges and cartidges to input their bullets. They did not ask me about my dagger, probably because they weren't interested in rustic weapons, which suited me well, since I had a desire to keep it a secret.
Once Rick saw that all the participants had picked their weapons and were biding time that was given to them, he addressed us once more.
"If y'all are done with sightseeing, it's time to meet the Mother. She has been waiting to meet you, and she doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Finally, a face to the nameless entity.