World Down: Episode 1 - River's Rising

by Dan McNeill

Chapter 7

  Salome rushed out from behind the reception desk. Tucking her gun back in her holster, she ran to the drone lying on the ground. Stopping, she rolled Po over to his side, removing the white helmet.

  “Help me get this armor off so we can stand him up!”

  “What?”

  "Shut up and listen!" she yelled as she unclasped the latches along the side of his leg and chest armor. "I ripped down the network relay. The other drones won't see this floor for another ten, maybe fifteen minutes, but no longer. After that, the data blasts fill in the gaps. We gotta get him up now!"

  “But he's dead! Look at him!”

  “Are you cracked? You think I'd take you all this way just to pop a cap in him? I just stunned him! Now hurry and do what I said!”

  The clothes Raymond had laid out for Po yesterday morning. They were still on him. His baggy red corduroys and plain white sweatshirt. His lime-green windbreaker. Force of habit of course. Po could quite easily pick out his own clothes. But Raymond liked doing it. And Po let him.

  Raymond did as she said, lifting Po to his feet while Salome struggled to hold up his other side.

  "This way!" Salome said, walking quickly now down the hall.

  "Where are we taking him?"

  "To someone who can help."

  Holding Po by the shoulders, they carried his slumping body down to the far end of the hall. Turning the corner, Salome flipped the visor on her helmet down.

  Already coming towards them were three Chosen guards, each of them armed. "Over here!" she yelled to them.

  "What the hell?" Raymond said to her.

  "Play along," she said through gritted teeth.

  In a few seconds, the three guards were on them.

  "This one was trying to escape," Salome said, letting Po drop to the ground. "We caught him."

  The three guards seemed to be ignoring her. The tallest of the three, a tall man with a long dark beard approached them. "Security breach," he said to Salome. "Someone pulled down the drone relays. Put your hands up, both of you. We need to be sure."

  "Of course you do," Salome said, a tinge of excitement in her voice. Raising her hands, she let the buzz of her pink pistol envelop them. All three of the guards dropped to the floor in silence.

  She quickly went through the pockets of the guards until she found something she was looking for. Smiling, she removed a white key card from the lead guard's pocket.

  "Come on," she said, once again lifting Po up by the shoulder. "Your brother doesn't have much time."

  Raymond said nothing as they lifted him to his feet. He was just dead wait. His skin looked pale and lifeless and his breathing was becoming shallow. Raymond followed Salome's lead until they came to a door.

  Salome took out the keycard and inserted it into a notch just above the door handle. With a clicking sound, she pushed opened the door, dragging Po through the threshold. Getting a few feet into the room, Raymond looked up, noticing the two prisoners sitting on metal cots. His arms grew suddenly limp.

  "Son of a bitch!" Raymond dropped hold of Po and charged.

  One of the men, Raymond had never seen before. He wore faded green army fatigues and a black shirt. His dark blond hair was parted down the middle, flowing evenly in a loose wave above his broad shoulders. He quickly stood up as Raymond ran towards them, his muscular arms supporting his rock-solid frame.

  The other prisoner was this man’s polar opposite. The gangly stance. The nose piercing. The black trench coat he would wear, even in the summer. The gaunt cheeks and the greasy black hair – now at shoulder length. Nothing had changed. Raymond's fist connected with this one's jaw just a second before the other prisoner pulled him back.

  “Hello Raymond,” Abraham said, getting up to his feet as he spat up a modicum of blood. His arms were no longer gangly, Raymond noticed. While not nearly as muscular as the other guy, Raymond could tell his brother had been engaged in exercise that required more than a keyboard or joystick.

  “I’d say thanks," he continued, looking now at Salome, "but I’m fairly certain someone used her feminine charms to lure you here.”

  Salome dragged Po into the room by herself, handing her off to the blonde guy. She looked at Abraham and bowed. "He's been droned, Prophet," she said softly. Stepping back, she looked to Raymond.

  “Sorry Raymond,” Salome said. "The Elected want all of the Beans. You, Po." She stopped and dropped her gaze. "And I knew you'd never help me if you knew you were going to rescue Abraham.”

  Raymond said nothing, shaking his head. "So the train..."

  "All for the cause handsome," she said softly. "All for the cause."

  "Enough!" Abraham commanded. "Get him on the bed!" He gestured for the muscular guy to move. "Jake!" he said, pointing to the man in the army fatigues, "Cover the door! If anyone tries to get in, kill them. My brother's life depends on it."

  Placing his hands on Po's temples, Abraham swallowed hard and began. On Po’s skull, there was a black plastic fitting. In the middle of the fitting, a small silver pin, not much thicker than a strand of hair pushed through a tiny red flap. He tossed the black electrode square to the ground. As he did, Po began to moan.

  Salome kneeled down across from Raymond on the opposite side of the cot. Clearing her throat, Salome put her backpack on the cold prison floor. Unzipping it, she removed something, placing it on Po's chest. It was his Superman doll.

  Abraham paused for a moment, holding his breath. With steady hands, he began slowly pulling out the silver pin. Po’s moaning grew louder.

  But as Raymond listened closer, it wasn’t a moan coming from Po’s sad face. It was a word.

  “Jooowie...” Raymond could hear Po whimper. Tiny tears formed in the corners of his blue eyes. He pushed his head down into the pillow on the cot and started rocking it slightly, as if he were recoiling from something horrific.

  The Julie Kramer incident. Back in high school, Po was in love with a girl named Julie Kramer. She was perfect for him, at least in Po’s mind. They were both seniors (although Po was a little more senior). She was a long-haired brunette with a gorgeous smile. Even though Raymond was a freshman at the time, he remembered her as one of the popular girls that every guy wanted.

  So Po was no exception. But Po was luckier than most guys because he was actually seeing Julie Kramer on a regular basis. Every Saturday at noon she’d come over to the house to tutor Po, part of some service project she was doing at the church. She’d read to him and play games and Po loved it.

  Po also apparently loved Julie Kramer. Every time she’d come over, Po would put on his best clothes and splash on way too much of their dad’s aftershave. He did this every week, for six weeks. On the seventh week, he actually put on the tuxedo he had worn from their cousin’s wedding he was in the year before. Unfortunately for Po, Julie Kramer’s service project only lasted six weeks. She neglected to tell Po this.

  Po stayed in his room, alone and devastated. Raymond could remember his sad howls echoing through their small ranch-style house. Mom ran straight to him. As it turned out, Po had decided to wear his tuxedo because he had a surprise for Julie Kramer that afternoon. He was going to propose to her. He even had a ring (one Raymond later learned was a piece of plastic “bling” he had gotten from a gumball machine at the grocery store). Po was a pretty happy-go-lucky guy. Not much seemed to bother him. But whenever he happened to catch a true glimpse of the world, in all of its wretched glory, their mom knew exactly how to set things right. She would sing to him.

  Raymond looked down at his trembling brother right now and hoped he could carry an Elvis tune as well as his mom did that Saturday afternoon.

  “Wise, men, say...,” Raymond began singing. “Why do fools, rush, in...” Po turned his head slightly towards the sound of Raymond’s voice and stared. Raymond continued. As he did, Abraham grabbed the tip of the metal pin and began pulling. “Cause I, can’t, help, falling in love, with, you...”
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  The pin was much longer than Raymond thought possible. Abraham concentrated on keeping the pull steady and straight while Raymond finished humming the rest of the tune. Po didn’t seem to mind. His lips had turned from a small pout into something on the brink of becoming a grin.

  Clutching his Superman doll, he began to sit up. Abraham put his hand behind Po's back, helping to support him. He turned to Abraham with a smile, a mild look of surprise and then a great big hug that nearly knocked him off the cot. Abraham hugged him back.

  "Abey!" Po yelled. "Is it you? Is it really you?"

  "It is my fine man, it is!" he said. He looked over at Jake who was still standing by the door to the cell. He was shaking his head.

  "Po missed you so much! How've you been?"

  "Er, capital, sir, I'm sure." Abraham took Po by the hand. "I'll tell you more about it once we're out of here. You ok to move Professor X?"

  Po let out a snort, looked at Abraham and nodded.

  "Good. Because we're going to play a game now Po. The same game we played at Mrs. O'Flynn's house. Remember that one?"

  Raymond remembered that one well, even though he wasn't there. Rosie O'Flynn was the older lady who lived in the cottage across the lake. She'd survived the virus too, for a time. But slowly, she began to change. Small tumors began to form on the back of her head and she became irritable and easily agitated. One day, when Abe and Po were there, she just snapped, trying to cut Po with a shard of glass. Abraham said that the only way he got Po out in one piece was by pretending they were playing hide and seek. Po wanted to try to fix her. When they came back with Raymond the next morning, she was dead, floating in the lake. Apparently she tried to swim across to finish what she started.

  "Po understands Abe," Po replied.

  "Good," Abraham said. He looked at Salome and nodded. "Let's move."

  Everyone started towards the door.

  "No!" Raymond shouted. "What Abe, you up and run off three years ago and suddenly we're just supposed to trust you?"

  “Waymond,” Po said. “It doesn't matter where he was! It just matters he's back now, right?”

  “Sure it matters Po!” Raymond yelled. “For the last three years, you thought he was fucking dead!”

  "Waymond!"

  "Drop it Po! I'm just getting-"

  Before Raymond could finish, Jake had pulled Remmy off of Raymond’s shoulders, crouched and fired.

  “They’re here!” Jake barked. He threw the rifle back at Raymond, who caught it as he ran ahead to the door. Scooping the gun out of the hands of the drone now lying on its back on the floor outside the cell, he looked back at Abraham. “Your orders sir?”

  “Up top,” Abraham said. "We won't have this opportunity again."

  Jake nodded, stepping quickly into the hallway. Salome followed through the door, her pink tazer at the ready as she ran ahead of him down to the end of the hall, stopping at the sound of gunshots. Peeking around the corner, she returned the fire then flashed Jake a thumbs-up sign.

  Abraham took Po's hand and led him out of the cell, towards Salome.

  "I suggest you follow, Ray," Abraham said back to Raymond as he ran ahead with Po. Raymond looked into the hall to see Jake grinning. He winked at him as shots fired out. "And I suggest you run dipshit!" Jake shouted back.

  Things were moving too fast for Raymond to argue. Keeping site on Po, he followed as more shots were fired from behind. Jake turned back, aimed and fired a shot that Raymond could feel as it flew by.

  “Hurry up people!” Abraham yelled from up ahead. “We’re almost there!”

  They came to a chained up door. Jake fired a single shot to blast off the lock. Kicking it in, he stepped inside as the others followed behind.

  Raymond could smell the grease. Grease and motor oil mixed with the pungent stink of stale cigarette smoke and cleaning solutions. It smelled like the machine shop at the airport that Grandpa Frank had his retirement party at. Pneumatic hoses snaked down from the ceiling, wrapping their tentacles around band saws and under workbenches. In the back, Raymond could here a very loud humming sound that seemed to make the entire room vibrate.

  “What is this place?” Po asked. "It seems kind of familiar to Po."

  “I'm sorry,” Abraham said, running to the controls. He shot Raymond an uneasy stare. “This here is the generator room.” He punched some buttons on a panel next to a drill press, making some lights dim out. An alarm begin to blare. “It's the heart of drone processing. No way in hell I was going to leave before shutting it down. Might be temporary. But at least it’ll give them a few more days of peace.”

  Jake returned. “I think I managed to pull down the main,” he said. “All we gotta do now is kill the back-ups.”

  “Very good,” Abraham said, patting him on the shoulder. “I’ll try to pry open the worker’s panel into the transformer. You find me something we can use that'll generate an explosion!" He looked feverishly around the room for something he could wedge into the panel as Salome came running towards them.

  “We’re gonna have company boys!” she screamed.

  She ran off while Abraham bolted over to the side of the transformer. About the size of an old SUV, the cylindrically shaped transformer looked pretty secure. Near the bottom of the transformer however was some type of control panel.

  “Po!” Abraham shouted. "Grab me a phillips head from the workbench."

  Po nodded, running to the workbench. Looking around, he spotted the correct screwdriver and quickly ran it back to Abraham.

  “All right guys!” he yelled. “The battery inside this panel is just a dummy. All the controls for each of the main generators here at Camp Glory are controlled from a central location. However, if we remove the battery casing, it'll give us direct access to the guts of this generator, allowing us to take it out. Once Jake returns with something to blow it up with, that is.”

  "So what do you need us to do Abe?" Po asked, ready to help.

  "The battery casing is at least five hundred pounds. It's going to take all three of us to get it out."

  Glaring at Abraham, Raymond jumped down to the middle of the panel to help his brothers. He shoved Abe to the side to get a grip just as Salome bounded back into the shop.

  "We gotta get out of here NOW!" she hollered.

  Abraham ignored her, pulling harder. Po, sensing how important this must be, dug in, and with a grimace, gave the casing one final yank. It gave just as Jake ran back into the room. Empty handed.

  “I couldn't find anything sir, sorry,” he said.

  "Come on!" Salome pleaded, grabbing Abrahams's arm. "We need to be gone!"

  "No Salome! Not until we do this!"

  She cocked her head, getting up close. "Abraham," she said softly. Her dark eyes cast a deep gaze that spoke of pain. Like a friend passing on news of sorrow. "We have no other choice. They're coming!"

  A barrage of shots rang overhead as three drones charged through the door behind them, taking defensive positions behind another set of work benches and shop equipment.

  “Now what?” Salome said.

  “Give me a second to think!” Abraham shouted.

  Quickly, he eyed something on the bench where he found the crowbar. A coffee machine. He ran to the old machine, swiping a tall glass jar filled with white powder off a dusty table standing next to it.

  He sprinted back towards the propped open service panel as one of the drones took aim and fired, barely missing Abe before he reached the panel. Striking a pack of matches, he lit a clump of paper towels and threw them into the space where the casing was just as Jake stepped in and fired back at the drone, taking it out.

  "Catch," Abraham said, tossing the glass jar at Raymond.

  Grabbing it, he looked at Abraham and frowned. "What the hell's this for?"

  "You're the football star, right Raymond?" He started running as six more drones entered the room.

  "What?"

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sp; Abraham looked to everyone as the drones started moving in. “Everyone,” he shouted, "Up the ladder!" He motioned for everyone to climb, grabbing Raymond by the hand. “As soon as the drones are close, toss the jar at the fire!”

  Raymond followed Abraham up the ladder as the drones poured in. With everyone climbing through the opening at the top of the roof, he heaved the jar.

  He never even heard the shatter. The explosion knocked him forward as the surviving drones began firing through the fiery orange smoke.

  Regaining his balance, he closed the hatch and met up with the others gathered now at a spot on the corner of the roof. The generator fell silent as the lights in the facility went suddenly black.

  "What the hell was in the glass jar?" he shouted to Abraham.

  "Coffee creamer," he said with a smug grin. "One of the benefits of not having had a packed social life was that I got to watch a lot of Myth Busters!"

  Jake stood motionless, listening to the wind. "You did it sir," he finally said. "It's quiet. You took drone processing offline!"

  "For now," Abraham said.

  "Abraham!" Salome yelled. “Down there!”

  Abraham stood on top of the roof, looking down. They were everywhere. A flurry of red lights piercing through the darkness, swarming to their position as the alarms throughout the camp began to blare.

  “Good job!” Raymond yelled, grabbing Abraham by the scruff of his leather trench coat. "We're trapped!" He looked him in the eyes. Those spoiled rotten eyes. The kid who got everything handed to him because everyone thought he was sick and helpless. The kid who even after he was better used that for years as an excuse to get out of chores. The kid who always thought he knew everything.

  “Sorry,” he said to himself. “I thought providence would show us a sign. After what we did.”

  Raymond let go of him, shoving him aside with a grunt. He wasn't worth it. Pathetic, spoiled child.

  “Hey guys!” Po yelled, pointing at something with marked curiosity. “What is that?”

  Anchored to the roof by a thick metal chain was a giant red hot air balloon. It floated blissfully above wooden stairs. On two sides of the giant gondola were black mounted telescopes.

  “A scout ship,” Jake said. "I do believe you've found your sign sir."

  "All right people," Abraham yelled. "Get on board!"

  With everyone on, Jake unhooked the chains and Abraham started the burner. Flames igniting propane began to grow, filling the balloon with heat. Slowly, the balloon began to rise into the sky. They were gone. Into the night. Away.