Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn (The World After Book 3) (19 page)

Chapter 22

September 7, 2029

Boise Airport, Boise, Idaho

   The hail of bullets from the Red Berets had shredded the
pickup’s tires and prevented them from catching the fleeing soldiers. Derek had
watched in disgust as the Red Beret’s technical had rolled up into the cargo
plane. The plane was in motion as soon as the SUV was on board and it took off
almost immediately. He and Rora had watched helplessly as it had soared away
from them. He banged repeatedly on the roof and yelled in frustration.

   “Calm down!” Rora yelled up at him. “We can still catch
them.”

   “How? The private jet might be fast enough to catch up to
them, but we have no way of forcing them down before they get to U.S.T.G.
territory.” He snapped.

   “Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.” She replied
calmly. “We should at least make the attempt.”

   “Alright.” He agreed reluctantly. “Maybe we can crash
into them or something. I assume you know how to fly the plane?”

   “Not really, but I figured you were trained to drive or
fly anything?”

   “I can fly a helicopter and drive any ground vehicle, but
a plane is a little more complicated.” Derek informed her.

   “Hmmm. Well, I suppose they have a manual I could look at
and I bet it’s not that different from the helicopter. We have to at least
try.” She insisted.

   “I can fly the plane.” The Voice interrupted. “You just
need to plug me in.”

   “Good to hear from you.” Derek joked. “I thought we had
lost you.”

   “You didn’t need me, so I was quiet.” The Voice replied
smoothly. “Now you need me.”

   “Okay, let’s go.” Derek agreed.

   He and Rora jumped out of the disabled pickup and headed
for the small private jet. As they approached it they saw an object suddenly
appear over Boise and then crash down into the city. They could feel the shock
of the impact all the way at the airport. Both of them nearly fell as the
ground shook and rippled.

   “What was that?” Derek asked out loud.

   “Unknown.” The Voice replied. “But it approached the city
at Mach 6 and was roughly man sized.”

   “I don’t know what it was, but I don’t want to wait
around and find out.” Rora exclaimed.

   “Agreed!” Derek and the Voice said simultaneously.

    The plane was empty and quiet. Derek jumped into the
pilot’s chair and plugged in the phone that housed the Voice. After a minute
the lights came on and the control panel lit up. The engines turned over and
the Voice began running a pre-flight check. Rora and Derek waited impatiently
as the electronic entity prepped the plane for takeoff.

   “We will be ready in a couple of minutes.” He informed
them. “The plane is fueled up so at least the militia helped us out there.”

   “Can you track the cargo plane?” Derek asked anxiously.

   “I have them on satellite and they are well ahead of us.
However, in reviewing the specs for this plane; I believe we can catch up to
them just before they reach the edge of U.S.T.G. territory.” The Voice replied.

   “Just out of curiosity, what kind of plane is this?” Rora
asked.

   “A Gulfstream G650. According to the registry it was made
right before the Collapse and is in perfect shape according to the maintenance
log.” The Voice informed them.

   “That explains the leather seats and opulent interior.”
Derek noted with sarcasm. “How did this guy get this plane?”

   “Looks like he stole it from the rightful owner in Vegas,
a Martin Sands.” The Voice told them.

   “Perfect. One more problem.” Derek muttered.

   “What’s the problem?” Rora asked, confused.

   “Martin Sands is a Don in the Cartel, one of the top
guys.” Derek explained. “Now we have his stolen plane. I doubt he is going to
wait for an explanation once he catches up with it.”

  “As long as we are gone before he catches up with the
plane it won’t matter.” Rora pointed out.

   “We’ll see. My luck hasn’t exactly been running that way
lately.” Derek said pointedly.

   “This is interesting.” The Voice interjected as the plane
taxied onto the runway. “There appear to be several modifications to the plane
that are not standard.”

   “Like what?” Derek asked.

   “It has concealed weapons.” The Voice told them as they
lifted off.  “A Gatling cannon in the fuselage and fired through the nose, and
flare and chaff dispensers under the wings.”

   “Nice!” Derek exclaimed. “We can shoot down the cargo
plane before we get there.”

   “It also has a high end jamming and electronic
countermeasures suite.” The Voice continued.

   “Awesome!” Derek said excitedly. “So we can sneak up on
them and shoot them out of the sky. Maybe it would be worth it to hang on to
the plane after all?”

   The plane lifted off from the runway and rapidly gained
altitude. Looking out the windows they could see Table Rock and the devastation
the exploding reactor had caused. The mountain was now considerably shorter and
had a smooth bowl shaped depression on top. The explosion had blown off the top
and actually melted the rock.

   Rora shook her head. It seemed like they always left a
path of destruction behind them. Derek was simply unbelievable in the amount of
destruction he could create. It was almost impressive. Well, it was what it
was, and there was no way she could control it. So she sat back and tried to
enjoy the ride. It was her first plane ride.

   “We have a problem.” The Voice informed them after ten
minutes. “We have three incoming bogies.”

   “A fighter escort for the cargo plane?” Derek asked
quickly.

   “No, they are coming from Boise. The size indicates they
are Collective UAVs.” The Voice replied calmly.

   “Take evasive maneuvers!” Rora yelled frantically.

   “Wait, we may not need to.” The Voice said slowly. “They appear
to be on an intercept course for the cargo plane.”

   “That doesn’t make sense.” Derek replied. “That’s well
outside the patrol range for the Collective and they don’t deviate from that.”

   “And yet they are.” The Voice pointed out. “I agree it is
a new development, but things are in a constant state of flux now. Maybe the
Collective is also making changes?”

   “Let’s hope not. Their constant predictability has been
their one Achilles heel.” Rora warned.

   “We’ll have to worry about that later.” Derek said
seriously. “Our immediate problem is that they might shoot down the plane and
kill our target.”

   “There is nothing we can do but wait and see.” The Voice
informed them. “The UAVs will pass us shortly and then intercept the C17 in
about thirty minutes.”

  “Can’t we try to shoot them down?” Derek asked in
frustration.

   “They will pass by too quickly for us to line up a shot.”
The Voice explained. “And then they would probably engage us. They would
definitely shoot us down in such an engagement.”

   “I guess we wait then.” Derek huffed as he sat back.

    They watched the three UAVs fly by in the distance and
then disappear from sight as they headed to intercept the escaping cargo plane.
Derek fidgeted constantly as they waited for news of the fate of the cargo
plane. Sitting still wasn’t his strong suit. He craved action and being in
control. This was the worst of both worlds for him. Rora laughed inwardly, at
times Derek could be such a child. Finally the wait was over and the Voice gave
them an update.

   “The UAVs have engaged the cargo plane. The cargo plane
must have taken damage because they dropped altitude. Wait. That’s interesting.
Two of the UAVs just dropped off the radar.” He informed them.

   “They have stealth capability?” Rora asked in surprise.

   “No, I don’t think so.” The Voice replied. “I think the
Red Berets shot them down somehow.”

   “Remarkable.” Derek said begrudgingly.

  “The plane is continuing to slow and lose altitude
though.” The Voice continued. “The remaining UAV has pulled back and stopped
attacking. It would seem their goal was to bring the plane down instead of
destroying it.”

   “Curiouser and curiouser. “ Derek murmured. “Who is this
guy really that everyone seems to want him alive?”

   “Perhaps they are after the location of the ARK also?”
Rora offered.

   “Possibly, but I doubt it.” Derek replied. “The Red
Berets seemed interested in him directly, not what he might know. And the
Collective would have been pursuing it before if they were aware of it. I guess
we will find out when we land. Voice, can you figure out where they are going?”

  “Based on heading and their likely range, I would say
Omaha has the best airport for them to land at and is closest to the U.S.T.G.”
The Voice responded.

   “Great! Take us to Omaha.” Derek ordered.

   “What is the story on Omaha?” Rora asked as they changed
course.

   “It was too far outside the U.S.T.G.’s zone of control
and didn’t have any resources they needed so it was left to take care of
itself.” Derek replied. “The harsh weather and somewhat isolated location
caused huge devastation and loss of life during the Aftermath. The city slowly
fell into ruin and the population was reduced to one twentieth of its original
size. Last I heard it was a constant battleground amongst warlords and gangs.
It’s a total warzone.”

   “Sounds like your kind of place.” Rora said
sarcastically.

   Derek gave a small chuckle. “Before this all happened, it
was a nice place.” Derek said sadly. “But the World After is a harsh place and
it has destroyed almost everything of beauty in this world.”

   “If we can retrieve the ARK, maybe we can bring some of
that beauty back. That’s what we’re fighting for.” Rora responded softly.
“That’s what Project New Dawn was all about.”

   “I hope you are right.” Derek replied with a shake of his
head.

   “Get some rest. I’ll notify you before we land.” The
Voice suggested.

September 7, 2029

Omaha Airport, Omaha, Nebraska

   The jolt of the plane landing woke Rora from a dreamless
sleep. She glanced over to see Derek wide awake and busily scanning the
airport. The runway they had landed on was clear, but they could see that the
terminal and all the other buildings had been reduced to rubble. Burned out
vehicles dotted the tarmac and there was extensive evidence of prolonged
fighting at the airport. It looked as though the runway had been recently
cleared by bulldozers, with the debris and wreckage pushed to the sides.

   They taxied to a spot near what had been a cluster of
hangars. The cargo plane sat nearby, but it looked abandoned. As they got
closer they could see that two engines had been destroyed and there was
extensive burn damage to the plane. Bullet holes scarred the fuselage and
wings. The rear cargo hatch was open and they could see the SUV was gone. No
crew or soldiers moved around the plane or stood guard. And there was no sign
of anyone else around. Although Rora knew that could change in an instant. It
seemed like airports were a good place for an ambush.

   “I don’t like this.” Derek stated with a frown. “Where
are the Red Berets? Did they already get picked up?”

   “Satellite coverage is spotty here, but no other aircraft
have entered this area in the last twenty four hours.” The Voice informed them.

   “So where did they go?” Rora asked, puzzled.

   “Maybe they are planning on driving the rest of the way?”
Derek wondered aloud. “It is only a two hour drive to Des Moines, Iowa.”

   “They couldn’t have fit everyone in the SUV.” The Voice
pointed out. “There should still be crew with the plane.”

   “I’m going to get out and investigate.” Derek told Rora.
“Stay here and be ready to take off if something goes wrong.”

   He strapped on his gear and weapons and exited the plane.
A quick dash had him just outside the cargo plane. Drawing his shotgun, he
carefully swept inside. After a few minutes he exited the plane and shook his
head to indicate no one was inside. He shrugged and began searching around the
plane.

   The answer arrived a few minutes later as a convoy of
technicals rolled onto the tarmac. Three armored SUVs with machine guns mounted
on top arrived accompanied by three outriders on dirt bikes. Derek rushed back
to the jet as the convoy approached. The armored vehicles surrounded the plane,
blocking their escape and armed men poured out.

   “Let me do the talking, I have an idea.” Derek instructed
Rora.

   The men were all dressed in a motley assortment of casual
clothes and BDUs. They were all wearing body armor of various types and carried
a widely varying assortment of weapons, from shotguns to AK-47s to M-16s. One
man was dressed differently. He did not have body armor and he had on neatly
pressed blue BDUs and he held a megaphone. He stepped forward and raised the
megaphone to address the plane.

   “You are trespassing on the sovereign territory of Omaha.
Identify yourself and your business.” The man’s voice boomed through the
megaphone.

   Derek moved to stand in the plane’s exit hatch. “I’m
Derek Storm, and I’m here to offer my services to your boss.” He called back.

   The leader spoke into a walkie talkie briefly and then
nodded. “Okay, he says he would very much like to talk to you. Come with us,
but you have to leave any guns on the plane.”

   “I’m not going to go unarmed. The guns come or we leave.”
Derek insisted.

   The man frowned. “I think we have you at the
disadvantage. Do as we say.”

   “If you know who I am, you know that probably isn’t
true.” Derek stated confidently.

   The other men began to shift around nervously and mutter
amongst themselves. The leader silenced them with a gesture. Then he had
another brief conversation over his radio. Rora could tell he was unhappy and
arguing with the person on the other end. Finally he shook his head and ended
the conversation.

   “Fine. But keep them stowed or we will shoot you.” The
man said begrudgingly.

  “Great.” Derek agreed as he started down the steps. “Let’s
go Rora.”

  She grabbed the phone containing the Voice from the
console and her gear and followed Derek down the steps. They were ushered into
the middle SUV by the leader, who never introduced himself. He got into the
front seat and whispered instructions to the driver. Derek and Rora were guided
into the second row of seats and two other men sat behind them in the third row
with guns ready. The leader made a gesture and the convoy started to roll back
out.

   The convoy headed into the city using the highways. The
roads looked to have been similarly bulldozed clear. The convoy moved at a high
rate of speed and didn’t encounter any roadblocks or obstacles. After about ten
minutes Rora realized they hadn’t seen or heard any fighting. She leaned
forward and addressed the group’s leader.

   “Excuse me.” She said politely. “I thought Omaha was a
warzone with constant fighting between warlords?”

   “The fighting is over.” The man informed her. “One man is
in charge now.”

   “Oh, who is that?” Derek asked, now curious.

   “The Prince rules Omaha now.” The man stated simply.

   “When did that happen?” Derek pressed.

   “The Prince finished his consolidation of Omaha two weeks
ago, and we have been busy rebuilding since then.”

   “How did he manage that feat?” Derek asked in amazement.
“Omaha has been a battleground for over ten years.”

   “The Prince is a great man with great vision; he didn’t
have any trouble convincing people to follow him. And those that didn’t, we
eliminated.” The man replied passionately.

   “He sounds impressive; I’m looking forward to meeting
him.” Derek added, only slightly mockingly.

   “And he is looking forward to meeting you.” The man
responded with a nasty smile.

   “What about the other plane?” Rora interrupted. “Where
are the people that were on it?”

   “They are already meeting with the Prince.” The man
snapped. “No more questions. Everything will be revealed when you meet the
Prince.”

   Rora shared a look with Derek. That didn’t sound good.
Who was this mysterious Prince? And what was his interest in Derek?  Was it
someone Derek had wronged in the past? She shifted uneasily in her seat as she
pondered the implications. They needed the hacker and whatever they had stolen,
but she also needed Derek alive to complete the mission.  

   The trip lasted another fifteen minutes until they passed
through the gates of a well-defended compound. A low barrier made of concrete
and rubble topped with razor wire surrounded a large two story building. Wooden
guard towers had been erected at various intervals and at the gate. All of them
were manned by men with machine guns and rocket launchers. Additional armed
guards stood watch at the gate, but they just waved the convoy through.

   The vehicles pulled to a stop in what had once been a
large parking lot in front of the building. The sign on the building said
Oakview Mall. Rora had never been to a shopping mall before, so this could
prove interesting. She had read about them and seen pictures, but that wasn’t
the same as going in one. More armed guards stood at the mall entrance. It had
once been glass, but had long since been covered over with plywood.

   The leader exited the vehicle and gestured for Rora and
Derek to follow him. Armed men surrounded them as they walked into the mall.
Rora began to feel increasingly uncomfortable as the number of armed men
increased inside. The men looked at them with barely concealed anticipation,
and even predatory looks. The inside of the mall was filled with empty
storefronts that had obviously been looted and the dark interior was lit by
lights strung along the ceiling. They must have a generator or generators
nearby.

   Their guide ushered them through the throngs of men to an
open area at the center of the mall. A large balcony overlooked the open area
and inoperative escalators ran up the sides. She could see the outline of where
a fountain once graced the center, but had been removed. A glass dome once hung
over the mall center, but it had been shattered in the fighting. Clear plastic
now covered the hole and Rora could see gaps where it had torn. It did allow
outside light to filter in, but the center was also lit up by large floodlights
hung overhead.

   Armed men surrounded the open area in a solid cordon.
They were all dressed similarly to their escort in mismatched street clothes
and BDUs. All of them were dirty and their clothes worn. She could sense their
eagerness as they slowly pressed closer; wanting to make sure they had a good
view for what was to come. Their guide melted back into the crowd, leaving them
all alone in the center. She saw Derek look around with growing concern. This
was definitely not what he had been expecting to encounter in Omaha. Many of
the men leered at Rora and made kissing noises. She shivered a little at the
thought of them touching her.

   Silence fell as a man appeared on the balcony looking
down on them. He was well dressed in a perfectly pressed black business suit
with a white shirt and red power tie. His attire was a jarring contrast to the
horde of fighters surrounding them. Even more jarring was the mask that he wore
covering his face. It looked like rubber or latex and was very realistic
depiction of a man’s face, except that it was painted bright gold. The man
grasped the banister with both hands, revealing black leather gloves, and
addressed them.

   “Derek Storm.” He thundered, his voice carrying in the
large open space. “Finally we meet. You have taken much from me and it’s time
for some retribution.”

  At that, the crowd surged forward and seized Derek and
Rora. Derek reacted quickly and managed to knock down a few of the attackers,
but there were too many men and they were overwhelmed. They were stripped of
their weapons and gear, including Derek’s body armor. Zip cuffs were used to
secure their hands behind their backs and they were forced to their knees. As
the crowd was restraining them, the man in the silver mask strolled down an
escalator to come stand before them.

   “I am the Prince of Omaha.” He said as leaned close. “But
I was once Erik Prinz, CEO of The Outfit.”

   He waited for that statement to sink in as he stared at
Derek with hate filled eyes. Now that he was closer, Rora could see that he had
no hair and that burn scars covered his head and neck. Derek stared back
unbowed and unfazed. That seemed to amuse the Prince instead of angering him,
and he laughed.

   “I see you are exactly as advertised.” The Prince
announced. “You killed my protégé and ultimately caused the destruction of my
company and the death of my people. For this you must pay. But you were not the
only one. Bring out the other!”

   A gap appeared in the crowd and men dressed in the cleaner
blue BDUs dragged a man into the circle. Rora could see it was the Red Beret
captain. He looked worse for wear having been savagely beaten.  The guards
forced him to his knees alongside Derek and Rora. He also stared back at the
Prince defiantly, despite being badly battered. He tried to rise but was struck
by a rifle butt and forced back down.

  “There is justice in the world.” The Prince boomed. “Fate
has placed both of the men who wronged me in my power at the same time.”

   “I have never wronged you.” The captain interrupted,
earning another blow from the rifle butt.

   “You led the assault on my compound and murdered my
people!” The Prince spat at the captain.

   “I was just following orders…” The Red Beret captain sputtered.

   “Just following orders, the last refuge of every fascist
lackey.” The Prince said mockingly. “That doesn’t justify the murder of women
and children and noncombatants. Just because that dictator Chesney tells you
something, doesn’t make it true. “

   The captain didn’t reply. He merely glowered at the man
standing over him. Rora watched in fascinated silence. If the Red Berets were
prisoners then perhaps the hacker was still here. If they could get out of
this, maybe they could still retrieve the hacker and whatever he stole. All she
needed to do was convince the Prince to let them go.

   “He was protecting me!” She suddenly called out.

   “What?” The Prince snapped as he turned his attention to
her.

   “Derek was protecting me from your man. You said the
murder of noncombatants, children, and women was unjustified. Well I’m all
three.” She pointed out.

   That caused the Prince to pause for a moment as he
considered her argument. “He didn’t have to kill him; he could have just
disabled him and let him go.” The Prince replied unconvincingly.

   “First rule of the wasteland; kill or be killed.” Rora
retorted boldly.

   That drew a reaction from the crowd. She could see many
of them nodding or murmuring in agreement. The Prince looked around and could
see he was losing support among his men. He moved to address Rora directly.

   “That may be, but Marc was like a son to me. His loss
hurt more than the burns inflicted upon me during my escape from the captain
here.” The Prince informed her coldly. “Someone has to pay. My first rule is
that revenge is always right. So I will have my revenge. But…to show that I am
not a merciless tyrant, like the U.S.T.G., I will allow you both a chance to
win your freedom.”

   The crowd got excited at this pronouncement. They began
stamping there feet and banging on their guns. The Prince played to the crowd
like a carnival ringmaster. He circled around with his hands thrust in the air,
allowing the energy to build before he spoke.

   “A fight to the death!” He proclaimed loudly, causing the
crowd to roar in appreciation.