Wasteland Rules: Kill or Be Killed (The World After Book 1) (23 page)

  “The patch for one thing. But the questions were
more than a guard would ask, and you knew way too much about the broader
situation to be a guard.” Derek explained.

  The man leaned close to them and said in a lower
voice. “Well you aren’t the average traveler either, are you Derek Storm?”

  Rora’s eyes widened as the man revealed he knew
who they were. Was everybody in the wasteland trying to get them? Even a
soldier at a random roadhouse knew who they were. She felt Derek tense next to
her as he prepared to take action.

  “Relax Major; I’m not your enemy. I just want to
know what you are doing here. We have intercepted a lot of radio chatter about
you and your supposed exploits, which is all the more amazing since you are
supposed to be dead. We have a BOLO out on you, and lucky me, you fell into my
lap. So why are the U.S.T.G., the Outfit, the Collective, bounty hunters, and
even for 24 hours the Regulators, after you? What makes you so important?”

  Derek paused for just a second. “The girl, they
want the girl. Her father was once a member of the Collective and they think
she knows something. I came upon their village being attacked by slavers, who
turned out to be working for the Collective, and rescued them. Her father
sacrificed himself so we could escape. Before he died, I promised him I would
take her to NASA. So, I’m trying to do that.”

  The man looked at Rora. “Is that true?”

  Fortunately Derek had told enough of the truth she
didn’t need to lie, because she was a very bad liar. “That is true. Derek
rescued me and he did promise my father to take me to NASA.”

  The man considered their story for a few minutes,
looking back and forth between the two of them seeking some response or action
that might give away a lie. Rora started to sweat a little. If the man didn’t
believe them he might have them locked up, and the device would be lost. She
had to get the device to NASA, everything depended on it.

  Finally, the man relaxed a little. “Ok, you
probably aren’t telling me the entire truth but I have no reason to hold you.
But, you need to leave CCA territory as quickly as possible. We don’t want any
excuse or pretense for the U.S.T.G. to declare war on us. You can spend the
night but you leave first thing in the morning. We’ll give you some gas so you
don’t have to stop until you pass Tallahassee. Deal?”

  “Deal.” Derek agreed. “But just out of curiosity,
why are you so worried about the U.S.T.G. attacking you? What changed?”

  The officer looked at him with narrowed eyes.
“Where have you been for the last few months? The CCA held a formal
Constitutional Congress three months ago forming a more centralized government
and creating a unified army. Birmingham was declared the capital and elections
are underway for the new Congress and the Presidency. Texas is considering a
formal alliance and is likely to accept. This puts the outpost of Huntsville
and the enclave of Pensacola inside the expanded CCA territory.”

  “And creates a new threat to the legitimacy of the
U.S.T.G.’s claim of U.S. sovereignty.” Derek interjected.

  “Exactly. If Atlanta is any indication they will
probably attack us once the treaty is signed but before we can mobilize.”

  “A second Civil War…” Derek said softly.

  “We want history on our side when it happens, so
that is why you need to be gone before they can use your presence as an excuse.
You have eighteen hours to be out of CCA territory or we will be forced to
arrest you.”

  “We will be gone at first light tomorrow.” Derek
promised.

  With that the intelligence officer waved them
inside and directed them to go to the hotel on the right. Rora and Derek got
back into the SUV and drove into the parking lot. It was full of big rigs many
of which seemed to idling. They managed to find an empty space and park the
truck. Derek secured their gear and headed towards hotel entrance. As he walked
he was examining the trucks with a look of confusion on his face.

  “What?” Rora asked him.

  “The trucks, there is something odd about them.”
He replied.

  “Odd how? They look like normal tractor trailers
to me.”

  “No, most of them are refrigerator trucks which
are very expensive and somewhat rare. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many in
one place. They must be hauling something since they are running the
refrigerators right now, but there are very few refrigerated products traded
nowadays. Well, maybe it has something to do with the increased military
activity of the CCA. It is unusual though.”

  Once they checked in, Rora and Derek were able to
grab a hot meal at the restaurant. A real treat since it was the first real
food they had eaten in almost five days. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes,
and green beans all smothered in gravy. Their bellies full they headed back to
the hotel. Guards were stationed in the lobby as well as patrolling the
well-lit parking lot and they felt secure enough to open the window of the
room. There was no air conditioning and the room needed airing out. Exhausted,
they both collapsed into the comfort of the soft beds and promptly fell asleep.

June 15, 2029

Outside Roadhouse Near Pelham, Alabama

  Mark watched the roadhouse from interstate
overpass a good distance away. There were too many guards to risk getting close
until it was dark. They had also cleared the ground around the road house to
keep clear sight lines and to remove cover for infiltrators. The CCA had become
much more serious in the last few months. They believed, and they were probably
right, that the U.S.T.G. would attack them soon. That wouldn’t be much of a
fight since the U.S.T.G. had more troops and way more weapons, including heavy
tanks and bombers.

  The U.S.T.G. had control of the only tank plant in
the country, located in Ohio, and it controlled the former auto plants in
Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. As far as he knew the U.S.T.G. was the only
faction still producing vehicles and weapons. The CCA would put up a good
fight, but just like in the first Civil War, the manpower and technological
edge would overwhelm them. If Texas joined them it would prolong the war, but
defeat was inevitable. Texas’ cold war with Aztlan over the southern border
would become hot and they would have to fight on two fronts limiting their
impact.

  He had to get the device so the Outfit could stay
on the good side of the eventual victors and claim their place in the new order.
To do that he had to sneak into the road house and kill the Major and the girl.
Feeling safe and secure inside the hotel they would be at their most relaxed
and let their guard down. He could kill them in their sleep and snatch the
device before anyone even knew he had been there.

  He had watched the interrogation with interest,
but was unable to listen since they were out of range of the laser mike. The
distance was too great to read their lips but based on their body language and
their actions following, he determined they were not going to be detained. He
watched them go eat with some jealousy, his only meal a ration bar, and then
saw them go inside the hotel. He noticed that the Major had changed into a
black t-shirt and had acquired another camouflage jacket.

  He passed the time by memorizing the patrol
schedule and the locations of all of the guards and security features.
Patiently, he waited until the lights in the hotel went dark. Only minimal
security lighting remained on. They might have power, but that didn’t mean they
would waste it. Every non-essential light was turned off in the post-Collapse
world. The moon was still out but the suit would absorb the ambient light it
projected. He wouldn’t need any light; the suit’s goggles would allow him to
see in almost total darkness.

  Mark approached the compound slowly and carefully,
crawling along the ground on the same side as the interstate. The raised road
would prevent his silhouette from standing out as he crossed the cleared zone.
The suit would prevent anyone from detecting him on the ground. Like a snake he
slithered rapidly across open area surrounding the roadhouse. He reached the
wall undetected and counted the time between patrols before engaging the suit
and ascending the wall. The suit protected him from the barbed wire and he
dropped lightly to his feet on the other side.

  Dodging the guards he made his way to the hotel
that the Major and the girl had entered. Using a slingshot he disabled the
security light on the wall he needed to climb. Using the infrared function on
his goggles he had determined there was only one room with two people in it.
That had to be where Storm and the girl were staying. He doubted the Major
would let the girl stay in her own room where he couldn’t watch over her.

  Silently Mark climbed up the now darkened wall. He
only had a short time before the guards realized the light was out and came to
investigate. When he reached the room he thought they were in he couldn’t
believe his luck. They had left the window open. Slicing the screen carefully
he made entry into the room through the window and climbed onto the ceiling
until he was hanging upside down over the beds. He positioned himself over the
bed with the larger form in it. On the other bed he could see the girl fast
asleep.

  Drawing the ninja-to from the sheath on his back Mark
released the spider grip and dropped down plunging the blade into the still
form on the bed. He was surprised when his blade met little resistance and
plunged straight into the mattress. The body on the bed was pillows staged to
look like a person. A shape rose from the gap between the beds and startled
him. Rolling quickly away from it he evaded the blade the slashed down where he
had been only seconds before. The shape revealed itself to be the Major and it
followed him across the bed.

  Mark rolled to his feet and met the oncoming blade
with his own. What he could now see as a machete clashed with his ninja-to and
sent sparks flying. The commotion woke the girl and she jumped out of bed and
started grabbing for a weapon. He lost track of her as he needed to focus all
his attention to defending himself against the furious attack of the special
operations legend. A well-deserved legend as Mark could barely hold the Major
back. Their blades flickered back and forth in an intricate dance of death, the
exchange increasing in intensity and speed as it continued.

  He lashed out with kicks and punches trying to
slow the older man’s attack, but the Major blocked or evaded every strike and
countered with his own. Fists, feet, and blades became a blur as the two men
fought to the extreme limits of their abilities. Two highly trained warriors
who knew that to lose meant death. Mark had been trained by the best the U.S.
Army and the U.S.T.G. had to offer. He had been top of his class in his
Operator Training Course and had never been defeated in hand to hand combat.

  He couldn’t understand how a man who was so
injured earlier in the day could not only be fighting, but winning. His
strength and speed was incredible. Mark’s limbs were getting tired and he was
being pressed back towards the window, but the Major didn’t seem to be slowing
one bit. This was impossible, this couldn’t be happening. The man shouldn’t
even be able to see him in the darkness, but he somehow saw Mark clearly. He
poured everything he had into the fight and used every trick and technique he
knew but the Major countered every one and even used tricks Mark had never
seen. He knew he was overmatched and he desperately started looking for an
escape route and the only possible escape was to jump out the window, but they
were up six stories.

  A stunning blow to the forehead stopped that
thought process cold. As he crashed to the ground, Mark realized that the Major
had pulled a strike and then struck in the head with the butt of his machete. A
swift kick knocked the ninja-to from his limp hand and he was held defenseless
at the tip of the Major’s blade. He tried to focus and recover from the blow so
he could defend himself, but the Major was too quick and secured him with zip
ties he had materialized from somewhere.

  The girl turned on the light and approached to
look at him. The Major stood over him examining him as well.

  “What is that?” She asked.

  “Some sort of advanced stealth suit is what it
looks like. Let’s see what’s underneath.” The Major replied and reached out for
his head.

  Mark felt the hood separate as the Major peeled it
off of his head. He blinked in the bright light of the room. In the light of
the room he could see the man was still bandaged but looked perfectly fine
otherwise, and he was barely sweating. Inside the suit, Mark was dripping from
the exertion and his muscles were trembling. He couldn’t help himself, he had
to ask.

  “How are you even moving?  You looked half dead
this morning.” He asked incredulously.

  The Major just shrugged. “I heal fast.” He
answered offhandedly.

  “Nobody heals that fast…and you could see me in
the dark. How is that possible?” Mark pressed.

  The Major laughed. “I have good eyesight. But
that’s not important. What’s really important is who are you and who are you
working for?”

  “Sergeant Mark Maxwell and you know who I work
for.”

  “I know you are a member of the Outfit, but you
guys are merks. Who is paying the bill on this one?” The Major demanded.

  “I can’t tell you that, we have a strict
confidentiality clause on our contracts.”

  “I could beat it out of you…”

  “You know I’m trained to resist that. I’ll die
before betraying anything.”

  “Have it your way then.” The Major replied coldly
and stepped towards him.

  Mark saw the blade approach and didn’t flinch or
try to avoid it. He knew it was over the minute the Major had captured him. The
legend was true and the Major was everything they said and more. It was an
honor to be killed by him. Mark preferred an honorable death to one to that of
a coward who died begging and crying. His only regret as the blade plunged into
his neck was that he had failed his boss and mentor and probably sealed the
fate of the Outfit.