Wasteland Rules: Born to Fight (The World After Book 2) (4 page)

June 17, 2029

Entrance to NASA Complex

   He moved swiftly down the road to the entrance
gate avoiding the slightly raised ground that concealed the mines. Rora
followed carefully behind him. He heard her gasp, which indicated she probably
almost stepped on a mine, but he couldn’t look back or he would risk a misstep
himself. The lack of an explosion was a good sign she was okay. Despite his
pace, the minefield was deep and it took them almost ten minutes to reach the
gate.

   As they reached the gate automated gun turrets
came to life and swung their guns to bear on the pair. The turrets stood over
twelve feet high allowing them a clear field of fire over the gate. Heavily
armored they contained video cameras for aiming and what looked like twin 20mm
auto-cannons for vehicles and a minigun for people. Derek froze as they zeroed
in on him and he hoped that Rora did the same.

  “Don’t shoot! We aren’t Reapers!” He screamed.

  He could see the video cameras zooming and
refocusing on him as the people inside scoped him out. An agonizing silence
hung for a few minutes as he assumed the people inside were debating what to
do. He felt Rora come up next to him and saw the cameras move again.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” A tinny male
voice finally asked from a speaker in the turrets.

  “My name is Derek Storm and I was instructed by
Dr. Carter to bring his daughter here after he died. You need to let us in
before the Reapers come back.”

   “How do we know you aren’t working for them and
trying to get us to open the gate?”

   “Do we look like Reapers?”

   “You can’t be too careful these days.” The man
replied sarcastically.

   Derek couldn’t blame them. They were following
Rule #10, always watch your back. “Look. We sabotaged the trucks supplying the
Reapers with bodies and triggered a massive firefight. But they will probably
have a winner shortly and come back for the rest of their gear. You have to let
us in.”

   “If that’s true, thanks for cutting their
numbers; but we can’t take a chance. Sorry.”

   Derek was about to start screaming at the man
when Rora took a small step forward and said something in a foreign language he
couldn’t even identify. There was a moment of silence and then he heard the
gate click open and the turrets swiveled back to their rest position.

   “What the hell was that?” He demanded.

   “Something my father taught me. He said to say it
when we needed help the most.” She explained.

   He knew she was again holding something back, but
he wasn’t sure what. There was something slightly off about the girl that had
become more and more obvious. He just couldn’t put his finger on exactly what
it was. She knew things that she shouldn’t and she learned things in the blink
of an eye just from watching. There was much more to her than some simple girl.
But he didn’t have time to worry about that. In the distance he could hear the
engines of the returning Reaper vehicles. The winners would be returning to get
their spoils.

   “What about the truck? It’s got valuable
supplies.” He called out to the man inside.

    “No time. Get inside before we reactivate the
turrets.”

   Derek growled in frustration. Another vehicle
lost. This was becoming a horrible pattern, and this one had a ton of gear and
supplies. He started to argue when the truck blew apart under fire from an
approaching armored car. The resulting fireball was increased by all the extra
fuel they had been carrying. The heat and force of the blast were enough to
knock Rora down. He hauled her to her feet and they ran for the gate. It was a
very heavy steel gate that had been opened just enough for them to squeeze
inside. They made it inside as the turrets began to fire on the onrushing
Reaper vehicles.

   As the gate closed behind them, Derek could see a
glimpse of the Reapers pulling up just short of the minefield and then
retreating from the withering fire of the turrets. The complexes defenses were substantial
and had obviously kept the Reapers out all this time, but he didn’t remember
NASA having anything like this when he had been in the U.S. military. Mostly
because NASA had been largely shut down and didn’t have anything worth
protecting to justify such measures. Who had built them and what were they
protecting?

   They had started walking down the road inside the
gate when a small armored golf cart like vehicle pulled up to them. An older
man with close cropped salt and pepper hair and dressed in what looked like
U.S. Air Force BDUs was driving. He had an M-4 Carbine on the seat next to him
and had body armor over his uniform. The stripes on his shoulder indicated he
was a sergeant, but he had no other indications of what service he was in.

   The man smiled at them. “Hop in. I’ll take you to
HQ.”

   Derek eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you and
what branch of the service are you in?”

   The man laughed. “Where are my manners? Sergeant
August Tanner at your service. My friends call me Augie.”

  “And what are you a sergeant in?” Derek asked
coldly.

  The man laughed again. “I’m sure you have lots of
questions, but they will all be answered at HQ. Come on, let’s go.”

   Rora gave Derek a look that said, “Shut up and
let’s go, you’re being a jerk.”, and she hopped into the back seat. He didn’t
like this, but he got on anyway. The sergeant floored the accelerator and they
raced back the way the vehicle had come. The road was in surprisingly good
shape and the grounds along it looked neatly tended. As they drove further away
from the gate, they could see the buildings of the main complex in the
distance. But most surprisingly, they came upon other signs of habitation
first.

   Fields of crops and fruit orchards popped up
along the way. Long constructions of pipes transported water for irrigation and
ended in what looked like automated sprinklers. Neat rows of grain and fruit
trees stood in stark contrast to the wasteland beyond the fence. A few people
drove around in similar vehicles to the ones they were riding in and looked
like they were checking the crops and the irrigation. There were enough crops
to feed a substantial population and definitely warranted the heavy security
the complex now had. But again, nothing like this was ever in NASA’s purview or
mission.

   The sergeant must have noticed the surprise on
Derek’s face in the rear view mirror because he addressed it. “Pretty sweet huh?
We have enough food to feed our people and even sell some of the surplus, at
least before the Reapers trapped us.”

   “How are you growing all this? I’ve never seen
anything like this, even in the U.S.T.G.” Derek asked.

   “I guess it’s not a secret. We are using
everything NASA learned from their experiments in growing plants in space and
in preparation for terraforming Mars.”

  “Seriously?” Derek asked in disbelief.

  “Seriously. Just because everyone else thought it
was science fiction didn’t mean that the eggheads here thought so. And there is
no reason that what is being done here cannot be done everywhere else. The
U.S.T.G. doesn’t want it because it would up end the new social order they have
built.” Augie replied.

  “That I can believe.” Derek agreed.

  By the end of the conversation they had gotten
much closer to the complex and the fields gave way to houses and storage
buildings. There were many more people here including children. The houses
looked pre-fabricated but were solid and painted bright colors to compensate.
The children were playing and everyone looked happy. Again, it was a jarring contrast
to the wasteland outside their fence.

  “Who are all these people?” Derek asked, curious.

  “Families of the scientists and the troops
protecting the facility.” The sergeant answered vaguely.

  “How did all of this get here?” Derek pressed.

  “All your questions will be answered when we get
to HQ.” The sergeant answered cryptically.

  Rora shot Derek a dirty look that told him to be
quiet. Normally he would have kept quiet and tried to follow Rule #6, mind your
own business, but this was just too crazy. Outside the fence of this complex it
was a dog eat dog world painted in shades of brown and covered by weeds. Almost
everyone lived hand to mouth and no one was safe or happy. But here, there
seemed to be plenty of food and shelter and everyone seemed happy. What made it
even weirder is that he hadn’t even heard a rumor about this utopia. There should
have been a line of people at the gate trying to get in, but the only ones
apparently interested were the Collective and the Reapers. Although, every
utopia had a dark side; he just hadn’t seen it yet.

   More compelling was where it all had come from and
who had organized it. The fields and housing showed a level of organization and
funding that NASA had not had prior to the Collapse. They had become a second
tier organization after more and more money had shifted to social programs.
Space exploration had become an afterthought as more focus was placed on
earthly needs. Derek had believed that to be a mistake since history had proven
that the space race had resulted in miracle technologies that had impacted
everyday life. The least of which was the microwave. But the government and the
people had short memories and were looking for instant gratification. So
funding to NASA had dried up considerably in the run up to the Collapse.

   They finally arrived at the front of the large
glass and steel building that was the Operations Headquarters for the NASA
complex. All of the signage had been removed and there were no indications that
they still considered themselves NASA. Armed guards dressed identically to
their driver patrolled around the building and two sandbagged machine gun nests
protected the front door. All of the soldiers kept a wary eye on the newcomers
and instinctively swiveled their guns to keep them covered.

   The sergeant killed the engine and hopped out.
“Okay, we’re here. Follow me inside.”

   Derek suddenly got a bad feeling but he didn’t
have much choice except to follow Rora as she went inside after the soldier.
They passed by the armed guards who maintained a lock on them at all times.
Then they went through a glass atrium and stood in front of a giant airlock
that had been recently installed in the entrance. It was definitely not part of
the original construction and looked capable of withstanding even a large
explosion.

    The sergeant stood to the side and waved Derek
forward. “After you.”

June 17, 2029

NASA HQ Cape Canaveral, FL

  Despite his misgivings Derek entered the airlock
and the door hissed shut behind him. He found himself in a small circular room
completely devoid of any furniture or decoration. On the ceiling he could see
cameras and other devices that he couldn’t identify behind plastic shells. There
were no buttons or anything to push to open the airlock door on the other side.
No way out and the walls and door were too thick to shoot his way out. As he
considered his situation a deep drawer slid out from the wall.

  A voice issued from a hidden speaker. “Put all
your belongings in the drawer. Even your clothes.”

  “Is this necessary?” Derek asked caustically.

  “Put everything in the drawer and wait for further
instructions.” The disembodied voice replied clinically, almost bored.

  “And if I don’t?”

  “We will disperse toxic gas into the room and kill
you.” The voice replied, again dispassionately.

   “What is the purpose of this?” Derek asked with
some curiosity.

  The voice sighed. “Fine. We need to scan you to
make sure you are not carrying any hidden devices or the bearer of any viruses
or diseases. Standard procedure for new arrivals. Okay?”

   “Since I have no choice…”

  “You don’t. Please place your belongings in the
drawer.”

   Derek shook his head and did as asked. He really
didn’t have a choice. Hopefully the payoff at the end of this would be worth
it, and he had to admit that his curiosity about what was going on here was
outweighing his caution. He stripped off his weapons, gear, and clothes and
placed everything in the drawer including the earpiece. He couldn’t resist and
flexed a little for the cameras.

  “Like what you see?” He asked sarcastically. “Keep
in mind it’s cold in here.”

   “Stand in the middle of the room with your legs
slightly spread and hold your arms up in the air.” The voice replied
emotionlessly.

  He shrugged and did as asked. Red laser lights
came on from a device above and scanned his entire body. Likely to create a 3D
image of him. Then he heard whirring from the sides of the room as a full body
scanner activated. Finally, jets of air blew up from the floor carrying any
particles on his body up to an awaiting collection device.

  After the air finished blowing, a device dropped
from the ceiling with goggles on it. He was instructed to put the goggles over
his eyes and keep them open until the scan finished. Blue lights came on and he
could see them doing a retinal scan. These guys were pretty thorough, which
meant they must have some database to compare it to. The device retracted and
another device with what looked like an arm cuff came out of the wall.

  “Last test. Put your arm in. You will feel a
slight pinch. Wait until we tell you to remove your arm.”

  “Oh good, I was afraid you might do a cavity
search.” He replied sarcastically.

  So they wanted a blood test. That made sense; they
needed to check for any contagions or blood diseases. They obviously took
security very seriously and wouldn’t want to risk exposing their people to any
outbreaks. But they hadn’t had to do this to get to the building meaning they
could have exposed the people outside, and he couldn’t imagine them doing this
every time someone entered the building. But again, he didn’t have any choice.
So he went over and stuck his arm in the device. He felt the pinch as they drew
blood.

  “Remove your arm and stand in the center of the
room. Wait as we check the results.”

   A few minutes passed as Derek waited patiently. He
felt a little silly standing their naked, but he wasn’t going to give them the
satisfaction of making him uncomfortable enough to cover himself. As more time
passed he became worried that there was a problem. The last time he had
subjected himself to an automated check he had ended up fighting a giant ex-pro
wrestler in an underground prison. The slight hissing alerted him that he may
be in grave danger, but with nowhere to go there was nothing he could do. He
had ignored Rule #12, the safest looking place is always a trap, again!
Something he obviously needed to work on. He slid into darkness as the gas
overcame him.

   He awoke to find himself strapped to a metal
chair. At least they had given him some clothes. He could feel fabric covering
his body arms and legs, so probably a jumpsuit. He could feel leads attached to
his chest and head and there was something on his fingers. Probably a heart
rate monitor. His training prevented him from immediately opening his eyes and
he remained perfectly still. He would pretend to still be unconscious and maybe
he could learn some valuable intelligence.

  “Nice try Major.” A cultured voice informed him.
“We are monitoring your brain wave functions and we know you are awake.”

   Derek smiled and opened his eyes. “It was worth a
try.”

   Looking around he could see that he was in an
office that had been converted into an interrogation room. He was secured by
vinyl straps to a metal chair bolted to the floor in the center of the room. In
front of him was a mirror that was obviously one-way, allowing the people watching
to maintain their anonymity. A bright light glared at him from above, almost
blinding him with its intensity. Video cameras in plastic bubbles were in
either corner of the ceiling. A large black man with his head shaved and no
insignia of any kind on his BDUs stood directly in front of him.

   “I’m trained to resist torture and as you can see
by the scars on my body, there is nothing you can do that will make me talk. So
you might as well just let me go.” Derek argued.

  “What makes you think this is an interrogation?”
The man asked wryly.

  “Oh, I don’t know. The lights, cameras, and the
chair I’m strapped to. Although this could be a movie audition, all we need is
some action.”

  This man laughed. “The chair is for your own
protection. People have a tendency to injure themselves under the effects of
the serum.”

   “Truth serum isn’t going to work on me. I’m
conditioned to give babble in response under the effect of any drug.” Derek
informed him.

  The man paused. “I’m not sure I believe you…”

   “Look. Just tell me what you want and why I’m
strapped to the chair and we can get this over with. The longer you have me
strapped down, the angrier I’m going to get. The angrier I get the more likely
I am to snap your neck.” Derek informed him with a dangerous look on his face.

   The man hesitated and involuntarily took a step
back. Derek smiled nastily at the response. The man stood there looking at him
for a minute before he responded. “Who are you and why are you here?”

  “You already know who I am. You scanned me quite
thoroughly. I’m here to drop off the girl as a favor to her father.”

  Again there was a pause before responding. “You
are supposed to be dead, how do we know you are not a clone?

  They were worried he was a clone. Interesting.
There was definitely something going on between NASA and the Collective. “I’m
not dead. They threw me out of a helicopter but I survived. They recorded me as
dead because otherwise they would have to explain why I wasn’t executed… Why
are you so worried about the Collective?”

   There was a much longer pause this time. He had
hit a nerve. “Where is the device?”

   Unreal. These guys wanted it too? But more
importantly, the question meant Rora hadn’t told them they had it. So she
hadn’t betrayed him. Where was she and what had they done to her? It was time
to stop playing games.

   He addressed the man in the room. “Let me talk to
your boss, the one actually asking the questions.”

   “What makes you think I am not in charge?” The
man asked quietly.

   “You keep pausing after I answer. Someone is
feeding you questions through an earpiece. Also, you just glanced back towards
the mirror when I asked the last question. Who is behind the mirror? Let me
talk to them directly.” Derek demanded.

   The mirror suddenly cleared revealing a good
looking older man in a white lab coat standing there. He was tall and thin with
piercing blue eyes that sparkled with intelligence. He was older, maybe in his
fifties, but had thick blond hair. He had a sharp patrician nose and regal
features that just screamed Ivy League yuppie from the Northeast. He smiled at
Derek like an adult might smile at a child.

   “Very well Major. I am Dr. Dirk Banek. I am in
charge here. Tell me where the device is and we will let you go.” He said with
a slight New England accent.

   “What about Rora?” Derek countered.

   “She is right here. Nothing has happened to her.”
The scientist replied smoothly.

   He gestured slightly to someone off to his side
and the sergeant from earlier dragged Rora into view. She looked unharmed and
was unrestrained. She tried to speak, but the sergeant silenced her and dragged
her back out of sight.

   “Happy? Now where is the device?” The man asked a
little more forcefully.

  “Why am I strapped down? If this was standard
procedure you would have gassed me first and done the tests second.”

  “You are very difficult aren’t you Major?” The
scientist asked; his veneer of niceness slipping.

  “My parents used to say it was my middle name.”
Derek joked.

   “Fine. You are strapped to that chair because
your blood test revealed that you have non-human DNA and that you are not in
fact Derek Storm.”

   Derek was caught completely off guard. That was
just about the last thing he had expected the scientist to say.

  “I thought that might get your attention.” The
scientist continued with a smirk.

  “What are you talking about? I’m not a clone, I
don’t have the markers.”

   “That is true, but your DNA has been
fundamentally altered to the point where you are not the man you were. Your
bone density and muscle density are ten times that of a normal man’s. You heal
a hundred times quicker than a normal human and you can reportedly see in the
dark. Perhaps most disturbing is that your adrenal glands are three times the
size of a normal human’s. At a cellular level you have cat, gorilla, eagle, and
lizard DNA spliced into yours. Are you saying you don’t remember having that
done?” The scientist asked, curious.

  “You are lying.” Derek replied angrily.

  “I assure you we are not lying. At some point
someone altered your DNA completely. The work resembles an early project of the
Collective. Are you sure you are not working for them? Maybe unwittingly?” The
scientist questioned patronizingly.

  “I wouldn’t work for those freaks.” Derek replied
forcefully. “They were feeding cloned bodies to the Reapers. Plus they and
practically everyone else have been trying to kill us. The Collective, the
U.S.T.G., Raiders, Burners, and even the Outfit are after us for the device.
Now you too. What is so important about the device?”

  “The device has the power to change the world. We
want to use it for the betterment of mankind. But others seek to use it to
increase their power and control. We are the good guys Major.”

   “Do the good guys strap people to chairs and
interrogate them?”

   “The paradigm has shifted; even the good guys
have to take extreme measures now. This is too important to take any risks.”

  “Do the good guys still value their team members
enough to negotiate for them?” Derek asked coyly.

  “What?” The scientist replied in a confused voice.

   While they had been talking, Derek had slowly
been stretching the straps that held his hands to the chair. He only needed a
tiny bit of slack. The soldier in the room had glanced back at the mirror every
time the scientist spoke and when he glanced back after the last question,
Derek struck. He folded his thumbs under his palms and yanked his hands free. A
strap across his chest would have interfered with the leads so they hadn’t
secured him that way. He levered himself to standing position. His feet were
still secured, but the soldier was within reach.

   Derek grabbed the man by the shoulders of his
uniform jacket and dragged him close. He spun the startled man around and
placed him in a rear naked choke hold. The soldier struggled, grasping
desperately at Derek’s arms; but Derek’s grip was too tight and he couldn’t get
free. Derek squeezed tighter and tighter until the man passed out. Derek stood
there holding the man’s limp body and stared at the scientist behind the glass.

   “I will snap his neck right now, if you don’t
bring Rora back and let me talk to her.” He calmly informed the shocked
scientist.

   The man stood speechless for a minute as he tried
to process the situation. Derek knew he would cave. The man was a scientist, an
administrator, making cold blooded decisions to allow an employee to die in
front of him was beyond his capability. Allowing the unseen people outside the
complex to die a horrible fate, the man could stomach; but in person and
someone he knew? There was no way.