Home Planet: Apocalypse (Part 2) (15 page)

“And the lignite? Where’s it come from?”

“The lignite comes from the mines run by Valdus’s agents down south. I simply transport it here.”

“You need some help there with that tarp, Cortez?” I said, getting to my feet again.

“Yes, please.”

I unfastened the tarp and we rolled it over the back, securing in place.

“I’ll sit up front if that’s okay,” I said.

“That is fine. Come on, we have to move quickly.”

He got the dogs moving and we slowly broke static resistance and edged away from the Cube building. A wave of relief washed over me, followed by a tinge of regret for those still under Valdus’s rule.

“Where we headed, Cortez?”

“South, to our homeland.”

“How long—”

From behind, the crack of gunfire pieced the still of night.

“Someone must have betrayed us!” said Cortez.

He pursed his lips to make a weird kissing sound, causing the dogs to speed up.

“
Gee!
” he called out to them and they started bearing right into the gradient of the slope.

I turned one-eighty, searching for our pursuers and saw a bright searchlight flashing through the darkness with the light of the Cube spilling out in the background. They pointed it ahead and down, no doubt looking for fresh sled tracks.

With another command, the dogs went straight, continuing up the incline until it flattened off and we started descending the other side. I guessed it was some sort of snow dune and we’d just crossed the apex. At least it meant no line of sight for the bad guys, not until they figured out where we’d got to.

“
Whoa!
” called Cortez and the dogs brought us to a halt.

“Here, take this,” he said, passing me a flashlight. “You and the girls go hide. They know how.”

“What about you?”

“I’ve taken care of myself for this long. I’ll rejoin the main route and wait for them. I know how to talk my way out of this. Right now get Myleene and Alexa and go hide!”

“Okay. Thank you, Cortez.”

The ladies were already on the snow, Alexa’s flashlight a beacon in the freezing, but clear night. I looked skyward and saw the dense star field of our galaxy in a way that wouldn’t have been possible here in 2070. From what I’d seen from space, clear skies on Earth few and far between. If I’d stood there, stargazing for longer, I thought the
Juno Ark
might pass overhead. But this wasn’t the time to relax. Who knew what they’d do if they hauled us back to the city. Nothing good. As I joined Alexa and Myleene, I heard the sled retrace its path down the other side of the snowdrift. Alexa was furiously digging into the snow while Myleene did what she could with her bare hands.

Myleene looked up.

“We’re digging a snow hole,” she said.

I helped them with the small shelter but began to worry about Cortez.

“I’m gonna check on Cortez. You two stay here,” I said.

“Okay,” said Myleene, uncertainly. “Just be careful, okay?”

“They know who you are, Luker. If they catch you, there’ll be no escape next time,” warned Alexa.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. I’ll be back soon.”

I left the snow hole, killed the flashlight and found the sled tracks. Walking along the left-hand track, I followed it toward Cortez’s sled illuminated in the bad guys’ searchlight. They’d stopped alongside in their own sled, maybe thirty feet away from Cortez. Standing a hundred feet upslope in the dark, I watched the old trader stand with his arms aloft holding a piece of paper.

One guard covered him with his rifle from the sled while the other went toward Cortez, his rifle raised. The guard stopped and said something I couldn’t hear. His gesticulating with the rifle told me it wasn’t a friendly encounter. I crept closer, sticking to the sled track where the snow was compressed. Ambient light was in short supply, and even if the guards’ eyes had adjusted to it, I didn’t think they’d detect me in their peripheral vision. The bigger risk was treading on virgin snow, making noise. Outside of the searchlight, sound prevailed over vision. Closer and closer I got, until the old man’s sled obscured the three men. Then the guard spoke.

“Throw down the manacles,” said the rough voice.

Then a rattling and a soft thud on the ground.

“But you haven’t even looked at my papers. I’m an authorized trader of—”

“We
know
who you are and what you’ve done. You’re the uncle of the Great Marshal’s out-of-favor plaything, Myleene.
She
is a convicted criminal and so now is the other one, Alexa. Now put them on before I shoot and say you were resisting arrest.”

This was
not
going to plan and soon there were sure to be search parties out looking for my two friends and me. I slipped down the side of the guards’ sled as one of their huskies barked, setting off the rest of them.

“Hush!” called the guard on the sled.

I used the noise as cover to jump into the back, which was full of the tools of war.

Too bad for these guys
, I thought, happy at finding weapons more potent than the flashlight.

I didn’t dare turn it on, so I felt around in the metal racks and boxes being ever so careful not to make a sound to out-do the fading canine cacophony. Then I reached a rack—just a small stand with a lattice grid on top, a grid full of knives. Much better than a gun when you need stealth at close quarters. Less likely to fail, too. Looking at the homemade pieces they carried, that seemed a real possibility.

The dogs fell quiet and the guard said, “Last chance, old man. Pick up the manacles… Now!”

With perhaps only seconds to spare, I climbed up the three rungs to the driver’s platform and the searchlight, beside which stood the nearest guard. Beyond him, fifteen feet in front, I felt relief at the time extension as Cortez bent down slowly and picked up the manacles.

The guard beside him looked edgy but completely focused on his prisoner.

Cortez looked up at me but averted his gaze quickly. Edging closer, the near guard was only two feet away when the other one turn around to see what had caught Cortez’s eye. It was now or never. I lunged with the knife raised, plunging it into the guy’s neck, then rolled off the sled as the other guard aimed and fired. Cortez grabbed his arms from behind and the guard struggled to free himself. The younger man worked free, donkey kicking Cortez in the shins and trying to elbow him in the face. I leapt up and powered toward the guard. Covering the distance in a few seconds, I drove my right shoulder into his side at full speed, knocking him down. He still held the rifle, but at close quarters and with his strength deficit it was more an impediment than a help. Holding the rifle with my left to keep its barrel away, I pounded his face time after time until he blacked out.

I caught my breath, wiped my bloody fists in the clean snow then got to my feet.

“Thank you,” said a relieved Cortez.

“Don’t mention it. I owed you one, anyway,” I said, smiling. “You okay?”

“Yes, but we cannot remain. We must go now before other loyal guards join the hunt.”

After retrieving Myleene and Alexa, Cortez persuaded them of the urgency of their predicament. They stocked up on weapons and some food from the guards’ sled and got ready to leave.

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?” said Myleene. “It is warmer where we are. You can make a life there.”

“You’d be a great asset to our tribe, Luker,” added Alexa.

“No, I can’t.  I need to find survivors from my ship. I need to find the truth about what happened. And now I have another thing I want to see done.”

“Okay, we respect your decision, Luker. Now we must leave before they come,” said Cortez. “Can we give you a ride away from here at least?”

“No, where I’m going isn’t far, but there is one quick thing. Hawaii—tell me more about Hawaii.”

“Such as?” said Cortez.

“Well, is it anything like here? A backward, hellhole of a place under the ice?” I asked Cortez.

“I only know what our tribal elders tell us from the legend—that the people are advanced and have built a city with technologies beyond our wildest dreams. One elder believes they did not come from this Earth, that Hawaii’s outlanders are not human. Sometimes, we don’t believe these legends, as they are not always accurate. Many say Valdus is a benevolent godlike being with magical powers, but I know
that
is a lie. What you choose to believe, Luker, is up to you. Now, we
must
leave.”

Two minutes and three goodbyes later, they disappeared into the darkness, leaving me with the flashlight and the guards’ sled full of gear hooked up to half a dozen dogs. I found a dubious-looking rifle and grabbed a pocket full of ammo and a new knife. Then came the food—little plastic bags full of a sugary gruel. I ate two and kept two more. It wasn’t great, but it was energy. Cortez was right—more guards would come soon, so I left the sled and the dogs and darted up the snowy slope. At the top, I got my bearings. Three buildings, all in a row. The smallest one, on the right, was the Cube. The tallest one, in the center, was Sigma Tower. And on the left, my destination—the Hertford Building, or what was left of it. The lights were on. Someone was home. I’m sure they didn’t want guests at this hour, but tough luck. They had what I needed and I was through being civilized with Valdus and his henchmen.

The handful of lights from the Hertford Building beckoned from about a thousand yards to the southeast. I counted four distinct areas of light, all low on the hundred and fifty foot protrusion of the derelict skyscraper. To the south stood the taller Sigma Tower, nerve center of the small tyrannical empire. As I jogged steadily on, there were still no signs of pursuers going after fugitives. I guessed they had either a shortage of radios or a shortage of un-bribed guards awake at this hour. I hoped dearly that Cortez and his brave tribeswomen escaped permanently. But with agents of Valdus in their tribal area, that was by no means assured. They were good people who deserved better. Maybe my plan would see to it. Maybe it wouldn’t. As a lone force against a whole army, I had no choice but to play the long game. However, it panned out, I had to keep on believing there was more to Earth than this stinking society—a place where the strong exploited the weak and where the virtues of merit would be as alien as a tall, non-fat latte with caramel drizzle. The truth about Earth, the
Juno Ark
and my family had to be out there somewhere. I’d heard Hawaii mentioned twice now—once by Valdus the Insane and again by Cortez. It made sense that the warmest places would prosper. Angels City was probably what it was for historical reasons—just as many cities were in 2070. Detroit didn’t just disappear because the car industry went down the can seven decades earlier. It reinvented itself and became prosperous once again. Valdus’s domain was prosperous for the few at the expense of the many, definitely not the first time and probably not the last. Maybe Reichs wasn’t so crazy after all. He might have the right idea in wanting to return to the stars and seek Aura
.

Fat chance with no fuel and half of Module 2 destroyed
, I thought.

As I reached halfway, having been running on autopilot, there was still no sign of troops. The first glow of sunrise shaded the sky. The clock was ticking and soon the advantage of darkness would be lost.

Let’s hope it’s deserted where I’m headed,
I thought.

Three hundred feet out, though, my hopes were dashed. A two-man patrol strolled past the dimly lit first floor in silhouette, their distant voices carrying through the night air. One laughed and the other stopped to demonstrate something charades-style. Both had their rifles slung and looked relaxed.
Good signs, but where was the ATV?
I thought.

They’d either moved it or it still sat there veiled in shadow.

The patrol rounded the building counterclockwise, so I crept around toward the northern side where I’d left the ATV. Light also shone from somewhere inside the second floor and as I got within a hundred and fifty feet of the building a figure emerged. Another guard, his rifle slung, silhouetted while looking out from the wall-less level.

A voice called from inside.

“Hey, come here. Runner brought a message.”

“Wait a minute,” said the nearer man before the pattering of hot pee on snow reached my ears.

He hadn’t bothered checking if the patrol was below. Perhaps he didn’t like them.

He disappeared inside and I took the chance to home in on the ATV’s last know location. When I reached there, it had gone.

“Damn it!” I whispered, now contemplating the twenty-mile trek back to the lifepod, a journey that they’d surely anticipate as one of my options. They may have been amateur in many ways, but they weren’t stupid. The key lay in getting there before daybreak, which wasn’t that far away. Once the sun rose, there’d spot me as easily as a fly in cream of mushroom soup.

Some voices broke the silence from somewhere on the first floor on the other side of the building. The bark of huskies filled the air, drowning the conversation. Seconds later, a new light scattered its photons around from behind the crumbling building. More barking preceded a crisp shouted command and the sound of a departing sled. News of the jailbreak had spread. I thought of my fleeing friends and wished them a silent Godspeed.

I stood by the threshold of the building near where my ATV had been. The shadow of the wall section kept me in shade as I heard the returning foot patrol. Why they hadn’t joined the manhunt, I didn’t know. As far as I could see, this place was empty and unused. And what could be higher priority than a finding a fugitive?

Despite the alert, they were still strolling along, shooting the shit. If I stood still and made myself small they’d walk right past. Or so I hoped. Perhaps I could make a break for it, slipping into the wilderness before they got too close. Twenty miles at seven miles an hour was just under three hours. The sun had continued its relentless rise somewhere below the horizon. A three-hour trek would leave me as a sitting duck. I decided to take the third option and reached for my newly acquired knife. They were still guarding the place for a reason and I thought I knew why—the ATV was still there.

They continued their leisurely patrol, closing in from a hundred feet away. I held my knife ready, getting a feel for it in my hand. It wasn’t lost on me that’d I’d opted to use a knife against two guys with rifles.

Never take a knife to a gunfight,
I thought once again.

I’d just have to make sure it didn’t turn into one.

I pushed my body flush against the old concrete wall section, ready to roll behind it if they spotted me. There was no way of hiding my plume of breath completely, but I did my best by covering my face and breathing into my jacket. Distance was the key. The closer they got the better my chances. I just hoped they’d maintain their inattentiveness.

“So when did you say he was coming?” said the guard.

“Tomorrow. He still has to rule on whether the outlander’s carriage is Godly or not.”

“Is that why no one’s moved it?”

Fifteen feet separated us. They kept on going, talking away.

“They
have
moved it … inside, out of the snow!” he said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, but no one’s
driven
it yet.”

“No one dares. Plus, they don’t know how it works.”

Six feet came and went as they got within touching distance.

Finally, the closest guy stopped, his eyes growing wide. The other guard didn’t notice and kept on going. Before he could scream, I exploded from the shadows, knife-first, sweeping an arc through the air and across the guard’s throat. A split second later, I grabbed the other guy around the neck from behind and held the knife in front of his face so he could see it. The gurgling sound from his buddy behind preceded the sound of his collapse. I eased the rifle off his shoulder, encountering no resistance. He was petrified.

Holding the blade to his throat, I said, “How many others are here, in or around this building?”

“No one else, the others left.”

“If you’re lying you’ll end up like your buddy. Got it?”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Where’s the ATV?”

“The vehicle?”

“
Yeah,
the vehicle.”

“Just inside, on the first floor, around the corner.”

“What have you guys done to it?”

“I don’t know—”

“Has anyone taken it apart or opened it up?”

“N-no, I don’t think so.”

“Right let’s go.”

We walked to the south side of the building where he’d indicated, passing the guard bleeding out on the ice. I didn’t want to take out Valdus’s minions if I didn’t have to but, at the same time, I’d lose no sleep over it. They wouldn’t if they killed me. Hell, they’d probably get a medal. These were armed men in the employ of a murdering, raping psychopath. And just following orders didn’t cut it.

A short walk revealed the ATV inside the dark section of the building, garaged out of the snowfall. I took the guard inside and found a sturdy piece of vertical rebar sticking out of the concrete wall.

Pushing him to the floor, I said, “Take off your belt. Remove your laces.”

He complied and I tied his raised wrists to the rebar with the belt and used the laces to bind his fingers. Freeing himself unassisted would be impossible. I took off his socks and stuffed them in his mouth, then returned to the ATV.

Getting inside was like stepping from the dark ages into the era I belonged: an age of computers, gadgetry, and cleanliness. Even the smell was great. The backpack was no longer in the cabin, but this wasn’t the time to check for it. I needed to get moving. After locking all the doors, I powered up, bringing life to the dashboard. A quick check showed no status warnings, so I reversed out of the derelict tower and out onto the snow. I slammed on the brakes, sliding on the loose snow before accelerating forward to bear due east. Within seconds, I was cruising along at forty miles an hour in a heated, hi-tech vehicle. The guard had been telling the truth, the ATV hadn’t been touched.

The orange glow on the horizon guided my way east. Along with the ATV’s inertial guidance system, it’d ensure I arrived back at the lifepod assuming no one came out to stop me. All going well, it sat just half an hour away. Prof. Heinz’s watch said 5:45 a.m., which meant sunrise would be in less than quarter of an hour. It looked like it’d be a fine day. It’d be even better if I could find a way out of there. The ATV had a limited range, after which it’d be nothing more than a shelter from the Arctic conditions. Another three sat idle inside the lifepod—that’s assuming Valdus’s men hadn’t already found it and secured it. I knew from something I’d learned in the dim and distant past that the scarcer resources were, the larger the hinterland of a given species. It was like nomads in the Sahara or wolves of the boreal forests. That and the fact that Valdus’s tentacles reached down to a southern tribe with a noticeably warmer climate told me twenty miles to my lifepod was well within their reach. I’d need to approach with extreme caution. The last thing I needed was to walk straight into another detachment of guards in broad daylight armed with a knife and a rifle that looked like it might work better as a bludgeon. On the plus side, they had the same rifles.

Even if they hadn’t found the lifepod yet, I didn’t think I could stay there for long. They’d track the ATV for sure and in absence of fresh snowfalls—which looked frustratingly unlikely—my tracks would be conspicuous for experienced trackers. So it came down to two options: pack up some supplies and put distance between me and Valdus or call on Reichs to launch another lifepod packed with supplies. In the long term I’d need that anyway, it was just a matter of where and when. Or maybe they’d created a third option in my absence. Both options spelled a bleak future, living in fear of capture by Valdus the Psychopath. Hawaii sounded like where I should head, but that would be impossibly far. It wasn’t like I could catch a commercial flight there. Maybe Reichs and Laetitia had gotten the shuttle and launch tube working. The possibility cheered me up, but I knew it wasn’t likely.

I pushed these weighty thoughts from my mind and tried to relax and enjoy the unspoiled wilderness. The sun burst over the horizon in just minutes. Its direct warmth on my face felt like a godsend after the days spent in the grim underworld ruled by the latter-day Hades. The time passed quickly as I sped over the snow and ice, eating up the last leg of the journey. Not a single living thing showed its presence, not even a gull. I now recognized the ridgeline to the north as the San Gabriel Mountains, once part of the Angeles National Forest. The blanket of continuous white and the thick glaciers had reduced the prominence of the peaks, many of which stood at ten thousand feet above sea level.

A dark speck revealed itself below the golden, dazzling sun. Detail was hard to come by in the glare. If an ambush awaited, they’d surely be smart enough to dig into the snow, camouflage themselves, or hide. I could’ve flanked around to the south and come at them from a different direction, but they’d see me coming anyway. There was no cover out here without snowfall or darkness—both in short supply. Besides, one thing I knew for sure was that they’d be tracking me and time was of the essence. The rounded conical shape, gray and space-aged grew in size and detail. I kept up my speed, ready to take evasive action should an unseen enemy open fire. But as I approached it became increasingly clear there was none. No machine gun nests, no patrols and no enemy vehicles. I slowed the ATV, its high-pitched whir calming to a hum as I maneuvered next to the lifepod. I sat back in my seat and exhaled, a wave of relief coursing through me. There was still a long way to go. The truth still eluded me and I had no idea what sort of future life I could build here. But I’d made it back in one piece and I’d vowed to take down Valdus whatever it took. As long as I breathed, there was no way a repugnant regime like his would inherit the Earth. As I shut down the ATV and stepped out, the unbelievable cold mounted a ferocious attack on my bare face. Once I’d recovered, I approached the lifepod and something caught my eye. Valdus’s troops may have been absent, but all was definitely not well.