Emperor of a Dead World (25 page)

“So?”

Tyrone got up and walked to the bar. “Take a look at this,” he said as he came back and handed Brad a driver’s license. “We found this here. Two of those fools came from Santa Barbara but only one of them was among the dead. Is this one of the men that took you?”

Brad shook his head.

“He must have snuck off without us seeing him.”

Lisa looked at the license and gasped. “He looks like one of the guys that attacked us in Costco.”

“Maybe we need to take a road trip and make sure these guys don’t come back,” Tyrone said.

“I’ll go,” Brad replied.

“You are not driving back up there by yourself,” Tyrone insisted.

“Who said anything about driving?”

“Then how are you going to get there?”

“The drone,” Brad smiled. “I’ll take a test flight today and tomorrow I will fly it to Santa Barbara.”

After they ate, Rudy would not let Brad touch a thing. He had his men carry the drone out to the track and Brad instructed them on how to assemble it. Once it was ready, he booted up the laptop and took the drone for spin.

As soon as it was airborne, everyone cheered. Brad now knew how Danny felt. He circled the track then did a loop. His was not as tight as Danny’s was but at least he did not crash. He only regretted that he did not have a second camera so everyone could watch him kill a creature. After about ten minutes, he brought it in for a clean landing.

“Very nice,” Rudy said.

“Thanks. You don’t have a spare generator do you?”

“Sure do, I have a few.”

“Could you have one of your guys bring one over? I need to plug in my charger so the UAV will be ready for its maiden flight tomorrow.”

“UAV,” Rudy asked.

“Unmanned aerial vehicle,” Lisa smiled.

Brad winked at her.

“Smart girl you have there,” Tyrone said to Brad. He then turned to Lisa. “Would you like to see the place?”

“Yes but first could you direct me to the ladies room?”

Tyrone looked over at one of the girls that was standing nearby and motioned for her to help Lisa. She readily accepted the task. Lisa was with Brad and that made her important. Almost like the First Lady.

“Right this way,” she said. When they got to the restroom, the girl could not keep quiet. “You are so lucky to be with the Founder. What is he really like? Is he as nice as he seems?”

Lisa was beginning to realize that Brad was a celebrity and this made her a celebrity by default. “He is every bit as nice as he seems. Please excuse me.” She stepped into the stall and the girl exited the room and did not let anyone enter.

When Lisa came out the girl was like a little puppy dog. “If there is anything you need please ask me. I will be happy to get it for you.” She knew helping Lisa gave her status and she wanted to put in her bid to be Lisa’s personal assistant.

“Do you know where I will be staying?” Lisa asked.

“Yes, you will be in the Augustus suite.”

“The Augustus suite, what is that?”

“Tyrone named the suites based on ancient Rome. He is in the Caesar suite and Rudy is with the Praetorian Guard. I do not know what any of it really means. I just know what they call the rooms.”

“It doesn’t mean anything to me either. Where will Brad be staying?”

The girl gave her a puzzled look. “What do you mean? Is he not staying here?”

“As far as I know he is.”

“Tyrone made the Augustus suite for Brad. He said it belongs to Brad whether he ever comes back or not. Of course, we all knew he would come back one day.”

This statement caused Lisa to blush. Obviously, this girl thought she would be staying in Brad’s suite.

“Would you like to see your suite? I have never been inside but I have heard it is beautiful and I have always wanted to see it.”

Lisa did not know what to say. This girl worshiped her and that would change if she admitted she was not Brad’s girlfriend. She looked around and everyone was gazing at her as if she was someone important. All of a sudden, she realized there were many pretty girls and she got jealous. If she admitted she was not Brad’s girlfriend, more than a dozen girls would be vying for the opportunity. She glanced over at Brad and he was speaking with Tyrone. She thought it would be impolite to disturb them and she saw no harm in playing along. “Yes, I would love to see the suite,” she smiled. After all, she had not called it her suite so she was not making up stories.

The girl flushed with excitement. She felt like she was escorting the princess to her chamber. When they arrived at the suite, two of Rudy’s men were standing nearby. She braced herself and looked at the men as sternly as she could. She prayed she would be able to pull this off because she really wanted to be Lisa’s personal assistant.

“Lisa would like to see her suite,” she said with feigned authority.

One of the men looked at her and shrugged. He was not protecting the room; he was just passing by making his rounds.

The girl opened the door and let Lisa pass. When they walked in neither could believe the opulence. Tyrone had really outdone himself. He had made a showroom, actually a shrine, for Brad. After finding the truck and the dead bodies at the fort, he was certain Brad was dead and he wanted to honor him with a magnificent room. He felt his friend would have come back long ago had he survived. He had no idea where Brad’s body was but he did not believe he would ever find it. He shuddered when he thought his friend might now be a creature walking the streets. In an effort to pay him honor he built the shrine so people could remember Brad for the hero he was.

The first room they entered was a large living area furnished with the finest furniture from the best places in town. Whenever the runners went out for supplies, they always brought something back for Brad’s suite. After admiring this room, the girls entered the adjoining bedroom and it was as grand as any they had ever seen. Lisa sat on the bed and bounced up and down then followed her assistant into the bath. It looked like it was straight out of the pages of a magazine. Upon entering, the girl turned on the ceiling fan and ran the hot water. Men of all trades lived at the racetrack and they had outfitted the place with solar power and solar water heaters. They had also installed water purification systems so everyone would have clean running water.

Lisa could not believe her eyes and her new assistant was doubly thrilled. Surely, she would work for Lisa for a long time and they might even make a room for her.

“Are you pleased ma’am,” she asked as they walked back to the living room.

At first, Lisa did not realize the girl was speaking to her. After all, she was only sixteen and no one had ever called her ma’am. She looked at the girl and thought she looked about the same age as herself. Oh well, if this girl wanted to call her ma’am she could get used to it.

“Yes, I am very pleased,” replied Lisa.

When they finished inspecting the place, they sat on the couch. It seemed as though their butts had just touched the cushions when two women entered. Both girls jumped up looking like they had been caught committing a crime.

“I’m sorry,” said one of the women when she recognized Lisa. “Rudy sent us to clean the room. Should we come back later?”

“No, now is fine,” replied Lisa. “I was just leaving.” She headed out and almost bumped into Rudy.

“Hi,” he said with surprise.

Lisa swallowed and could not respond.

“Do you like the room?”

“Yes, it is wonderful.”

“You ladies can come back later,” he said.

“No, I was just leaving. They can clean it now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, absolutely,” she said as she headed out.

“I’ll tell Brad you like the room.”

She stopped in her tracks. “No, I want to surprise him. Please do not tell him I was here.”

Rudy shrugged and looked at the assistant. “Do you have her size?”

She nodded.

“Make sure you give it to one of the runners so they can pick her up some nice clothes today.”

“Yes sir.”

The two walked out and the girl asked Lisa all her appropriate sizes. Lisa was a little embarrassed to disclose her intimate details but the girl assured her the men were discreet and they would never reveal anything that would embarrass her or upset Brad.

During the time these two were looking over the room and fretting over clothing details, Brad and Tyrone were having a serious discussion. Brad had already told Tyrone everything he knew about the creatures and informed him of how they were changing.

“I have noticed them getting more aggressive but I have seen nothing like the one you mentioned,” Tyrone said.

“As far as I know they have not made it to Palo Alto yet. The one I saw was probably an aberration.”

“How much time do you think we have?”

“It is hard to say.”

“We should focus our efforts on the wall around us. The things you are talking about will probably go right over this one.”

“I agree but perhaps we should also dig down. Do we have men here that know how to use heavy equipment?”

“Yes, the man from DWP that Tom found and two others.”

“Good, they can dig us a shelter. We need a place to go if these things attack. We can also store food down there so it will be ready if we need it.”

“There is already a lot of equipment here so he men can start tomorrow. In the meantime, you can use the drone to keep an eye on things. We need to know if the advanced creatures move in this direction.”

“After I verify this area I will send it further north. What should we tell everyone?”

“That we are building a shelter. Of course, we shouldn’t offer the same details you have shared with me.”

“That is probably a good idea.”

To change the subject Tyrone asked, “Would you like to see your suite?”

“My suite,” Brad laughed.

“You have the Augustus suite.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Brad smirked. “Sure, let me see it.”

On the way, they met Lisa and her assistant coming back.

“Did you show her the suite,” Tyrone asked.

“Yes sir.”

Lisa glanced at her then looked sheepishly at Brad.

He caught on right away. “What did you think?” he asked.

She blushed redder than the dawn. “It was very nice.”

“Come with us,” he said as he took her tightly by the hand and pulled her along. When they walked in, he looked around then checked the other rooms. “I like it,” he smiled, “One large and fancy bedroom. Looks very comfortable don’t you think, honey?”

She glared at him then walked out.

“Give me a minute,” he said to the other two. He caught her just down the hall. “If you want, I will sleep on the couch. That way you can keep up appearances.”

“Are you having fun teasing me?”

“You are the one that let them think this was your room.”

“So what now,” she asked.

“I see how everyone looks at you and I understand. They do the same thing to me for some silly reason. I blame it on Tyrone. He is really the one that has done everything. He just finds it easier to let people think it was me.”

She did not respond.

“Look, I have told Tyrone about the advanced creatures. We three are the only ones here that know. He and I are trying to form a plan to protect everyone.”

“I’m sorry,” she said with a sigh. “I was so taken up with all the attention that I forgot for a while what was going on out there.”

“Sometimes it is good to forget. Don’t worry about the room. The couch will suit me fine. This place is big enough for both of us.”

“You are a good man.”

“Thanks, I like you too.”

They walked back into the room.

“We need some alone time,” Brad told Tyrone. “When is dinner?”

“Whenever you want,” he replied.

“We will be down in about three hours.”

“Three hours,” Tyrone smirked. He looked at Lisa then winked at Brad and whispered, “You are the man.” He then told the housekeepers to leave and he walked out behind them with Lisa’s assistant.

“What did he say?” Lisa asked after they were alone.

“He told me to enjoy the room.”

She gave him a suspicious look then went in to take a bath.

About two hours later, there was a knock on the door. Brad opened it and found new clothes for him and Lisa.

“See if these fit,” he said.

She went into the other room to try them on. When she came out, forty-five minutes later, she was as pretty as ever. Brad took a quick shower, shaved, dressed and was ready to go in fifteen minutes.

When they got downstairs, he was surprised to see the DWP man and a few others standing next to two skid-steer loaders, a backhoe and a dump truck. They were eating homemade donuts and drinking coffee.

The lead-man from Boeing walked up. “What do you think?”