***
It happened sometimes, who knows why, horrible nightmares surfacing causing fear and despair. And now, like at other times, the blessed, peaceful sleep disappeared and Leegan's consciousness was bound by an indescribable horror. A feeling of an unavoidable tragedy tortured him and pressed in on him like a hot fog. He tried to get out of the burning circle, but without effect – it was everywhere around him and mercilessly melting away all of his hope.
Leegan woke with a tortured scream covered in sweat. He was breathing quickly painfully trying to take in as much of the stifling air that filled his suit as possible. The sharp burned smell filled his lungs and he coughed continuously and terribly. The suffocating feeling continued even after he was able to escape from the damned nightmare. His visor was covered in running streams of moisture but he succeeded in looking around and understood that it had been light for a while.
“Get up, you bastards! We've overslept!” yelled the Alpha Defender and started banging rapidly on the Shells of the boys.
“I'm already awake. There's no need to hit me.” Zimmer said raising his hands to warn him off.
Meanwhile the rest of the boys were woken up rather unpleasantly. Leegan observed that three of them were missing.
“That's why I woke up so late. Where the hell has Yazo gone?!” observed Leegan and feverishly looked around. “Bars and Thirteen are also missing!”
No one had understood when they had gone missing. The evening winds had scattered the dry soil everywhere erasing every track that could have helped them understand the direction the missing boys had taken. Leegan stunned, circled the thinning group and didn't know what to do. Losing three Shells in one night was terribly discouraging.
“I should have been on watch!” he said finally and stopped his useless circling of the perimeter, upon realizing that there was no way of understanding what had happened.
“Did they run away?” asked Rogar, as he frowned with a red face. Apparently, the heat was also torturing him.
Leegan wasn't able to answer. He only breathed heavily, while he made fists with the metal hands of his suit. The strong grip caused the metal to pop frighteningly. Around him gathered the rest of the boys, they were all in a dark mood agonizing over the events.
“Well, I'll head out alone to search for food then...I need to get moving,” said Vestule sadly.
“No!” Leegan stopped him. “We'll head out to look for them!”
“They might be close by,” agreed Opatar.
“Are you crazy! We don't need to worry about them anymore,” said Rogar expressing a different opinion. “After last night's stunt, I think they're fools. It'll only be a waste of time if we go looking for them in this heat. And I'm so hungry....”
“What heat?” asked Lem stunned. “I'm freezing!”
“What's going on with you?” Rogar glared at him. “I'm frying in this Shell...”
“It's not hot today. It's the opposite. It's clearly quite chilly,” said Vestule, who raised his visor and everyone saw his trembling blue lips.
“What in the world is happening here?!” Leegan looked suspiciously at Zimmer. “Is it possible that all the climate systems have failed at the same time? ...from the storm?”
Shaking from the cold and burning up from the heat, they all turned to look at the Chief Mechanic, who stood watching them without any compassion.
“No, they weren't damaged by the storm,” answered Zimmer. “The climate systems are working just as they should – just the way I want!”
The boys looked at him aghast not understanding yet what was happening.
“Wait a minute...what are you talking about?” Leegan choked trying to take a breath. The temperature in his suit was getting hotter and he was unable to control it.
“While we were constructing the Shells I made a few improvements and changes to your climate installations in exchange for some metal that you allowed me to have. Thanks to that, now I can control your temperature remotely, while you are unable to control it anymore.”
“What have you done?!!” said the Alpha Defender trying to yell, but his voice choked. After that, he stepped helplessly toward the Chief Mechanic, but he quickly stepped back.
“Don't even try it!” warned Zimmer. “Only I can regulate the temperature in your suits and no one else. So, it's in your best interest to keep me safe. Is that clear?”
In the next few seconds, the boys' condition became much worse. Lem and Vestule were already turning pale and they couldn't move their limbs freely, because they were trembling from the cold, while the rest were trying to get a breath of air in the indescribable heat of their suits.
“I'm freezing! I can't feel my feet anymore, Zimmer!” announced Vestule.
“Stop it...immediately!” Leegan succeeded in finding strength from his growing anger but every word came with an incredible effort.
“I don't think so. Actually I'll do the opposite – I'll continue until all of you agree without any exceptions that I am the group's new leader,” said Zimmer announcing his ultimatum.
“Filthy traitor!” yelled Rogar and turned on the Chief Mechanic, but before he could reach him he lost conscious and his suit froze in place.
Lem's Shell swayed unstably, while Vestule's wasn't moving at all.
“Stop it, Zimmer, that's enough!” Opatar said trying to reason with him. “I can't handle it anymore! We've understood what you're capable of, you little pest!”
“Let's hear Leegan admit that he's no longer chieftain of the group! From now on, I'm in command!” Zimmer yelled in reply and turned his eyes to the huge Shell of the Alpha Defender.
Inside the Shell, caught in the hellish trap of the Mechanic, Leegan was burning with anger. In spite of the high temperatures, he did everything he could to reach the traitor, and slowly, panting with every step, he was making progress toward him.
“Once again you are a surprise to me , but everyone's endurance has its limits,” noted Zimmer and took several steps back, so he could continue to enjoy the view calmly.
The boys' Shells stood still frozen in place, but Leegan's Shell continued to move forward with an outstretched arm, reaching for the one guilty for their current condition. Sharp pain tore at his throat with every breath, while his vision became blurry, losing sight of the goal of his revenge. After a few more steps forward, Leegan's Shell collapsed to the ground and stayed there for a long time.
Leegan had been defeated.
“So far so good!” said Zimmer nodding his head and restarted the climate systems of their suits. While he waited for the group to recover, he knelt down and began to map out his future plans in the sand.
Chapter 14