Bulletfoot One

by Marshall Rust

  She couldn't help a small smile and patted the shoulder armor of the Minato. "Yeah, I guess so."

  Chapter Eighty-Five

  Three Weeks Later

  People had only now begun to take those damn posters down.

  Jessica13 had absolutely no idea how much work would go into an election for a city this large, but sure enough, people had come out of the woodwork to decide who would be in charge of rebuilding the city now that the old regime had been overthrown.

  Hammerhand had insisted that he and the Knights would only remain for as long as it took for the people to establish their own government and would have no part in how the city was run beyond what he had already done.

  She wasn't sure how much people believed him, but it was nice to remain in the same place, at least for a while. Sleeping in an actual bed and being able to work with people to rebuild their homes while enjoying real food had been a treat as well.

  Now, however, the election was over, and she basked in the sunlight and enjoyed a cool drink of something sweet and orange.

  Robert7 dropped into the seat beside her, carrying a plate of food that had been served after the election finished.

  "Do you want some?" he asked and held it out for her.

  With a smile, she shook her head. "I already had my fill and was enjoying a quick break before I get back to work. People have offered me food all day since Erica8 was elected as the mayor."

  "Suit yourself. It means more for me. But you might want to rethink that. Hammerhand announced that he and the Knights will move out as quickly as possible now that everything's settled and the reconstruction is underway. Maybe he feels staying here for three weeks is a little too long."

  She nodded. "I suppose. He doesn't like to remain in one place for too long, and I have a feeling he won't want to stay in this one place in particular for any longer than he has to. There are too many bad memories for him, I expect."

  "Being in prison?" the pilot asked around a mouthful of what looked like meal cake.

  "I doubt that memory will haunt him. Tinker was one of his oldest friends and the loss impacted him more than he'll ever admit. I think he'll be on a revenge path from this point forward unless the Prophet can convince him to keep hunting for Citta Del Mar."

  "But Lady Hoot's raiders weren't responsible for any of the deaths as far as I heard. They weren't even involved in the fight."

  "No, but he'll still hold her responsible, I wager. Still, not much in the world can predict what he'll do next."

  Robert7 nodded and placed his plate on a small table next to his seat. "What about you? What do you think you'll do next?"

  Jessica13 straightened and narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

  "Do you think you'll head out with the Knights too or have you thought about staying? I know the folks around here wouldn't mind having someone of your skills to help get this city into working order."

  She pursed her lips. "I've thought about it, but… Well, the Knights may be a hokey bunch but they're my hokey bunch. I've come to believe in what they fight for and I think I belong with them, at least for now. There will be other FEMA Cities out there—other Auburns and other raiders. They'll need to be stopped, and if the Knights want any chance to succeed, they'll need to have me around. Especially now that—"

  While she didn't want to think about it, she also knew it was necessary, especially since it was likely that she would take over running the Beast now that Tinker wasn't there to do it.

  He nodded slowly. "I think I understand."

  "Besides, I've spent most of my life holed up in a bunker and I don't think I would ever be able to do it again, not since I've tasted the freedom of living Outside. How about you? Would you consider joining the Knights, wandering around and doing good deeds?"

  The pilot shook his head. "I don't think so. I was never a violent person, even before I was drafted. My place is holed up in a bunker doing research. That's my way of helping people, I guess."

  "And it’s perfectly valid too," she assured him.

  “I think I should thank you again," he said and looked away. "For saving my life. Back in Auburn, you know? Just… Yes, I think that needed to be said."

  “Well, consider it repayment for you not shooting me while I tried to help you heal your leg."

  He laughed and Mini drove the Minato closer to them from where it had stood a few meters away.

  "Human humor dictates that I request the two of you to find a room," the AI stated firmly.

  "I…what?" Jessica13 asked and frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

  Robert7's face turned bright red and his eyebrows raised as he once again looked away. "I have no idea."

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  It had been a long three weeks of dodging the Knight patrols and staying away from where people had gathered in large groups to debate the next mayor.

  Electing someone like Erica8 meant that the previous regime was certainly dead and gone, and they had been more than willing to turn the keys of the city over to the invaders. Whether it was because they were the first ones to break through Alpha Company's shield wall or not was up for debate.

  Or it would be, once they were gone and some semblance of normalcy returned.

  All he needed to do was wait until the Knights were gone and he could rejoin the new society. People always needed the hard types like Gustav15 to get the more difficult and tougher work done. He had lost his position among the Gene Guard but that didn't mean he needed to settle for being a farmer.

  There were a few people in the city who were still willing to house him, and he could stay with them until it all blew over. It couldn't take that long, right?

  After a furtive glance around the alley, he moved into the open but remained close to the wall as he moved toward his new home. Or temporary home, at least.

  He didn't need to turn to notice the two men following him. They hadn't moved much until he crossed into their line of sight and after that, they had walked at a matching pace with him through the streets and made sure not to lose him while they acted like they weren't following him.

  They weren't very good at it and losing them would be simple. A couple of alleys connected ahead of him, and he could use a door to hide and let them pass before he resumed his journey.

  Gustav15 timed his movements and slowed until they had almost passed him before he circled and slipped into the narrow street. He caught their sudden change of direction out of the corner of his eye. They were too far away and it wouldn't be difficult to hide and let them run past.

  When he twisted to make sure they were still following him, he ran into what felt like a wall. His speed didn’t help and there was no give to the obstacle, and the impact knocked the breath out of him as he dropped on the cobbles.

  A large, powerfully built man stared at him. His shoulders and arms were massive and his head looked like it had been recently shaven. A long scar stretched from the crown of his head to his jawline.

  He couldn't help a small shiver when he looked into the man's steely eyes, but even more chilling was the sight of a small knife in his right hand.

  "You want to rethink this," he said and pushed quickly from the ground. The man was large but he didn't have the training of one of the Gene Guard. All he needed to do was get that knife out of his hands and that would be that.

  Someone grasped him suddenly from behind and held his arms back as the scar-faced man advanced on him.

  "You should have thought twice about betraying the Knights Mechanica," Scar stated simply.

  Gustav tried to evade the thrust but was unable to move as the sharp blade drove into his stomach. A hand clamped over his mouth to prevent his scream as the knife continued to savage his abdomen and splashed blood over his attacker's hands. The assault seemed endless and he couldn’t scream into the muffling hands. It became too difficult to breathe.

  He felt like he was held up by the two men when Scar finally brought the knife to his neck and slashed
across it.

  It was almost a relief and the pain ebbed slowly. He didn't feel anything when he was flung onto the street before the men walked away.

  The world had already begun to go black when the weapon that had killed him clattered on the cobbles in front of his eyes.

  Love, A, had been inscribed into the wooden handle, barely visible through the blood.

  Chapter Eighty-Seven

  The train had long since left the rich green countryside. The terrain changed to look more like dry shrubbery that revealed the lack of moisture in the ground or perhaps only the lack of fertilizer. The heat grew more intense as well, indicative of the long trip south they were taking.

  It moved quickly. The nuclear-powered trains were capable of moving at high speeds over the longer journeys the New York Western Railroad Company preferred. Slow-moving trains were those usually caught by bandits and raided.

  Which was a little ironic, given their current circumstances. Levi Stone chuckled softly as he took another sip of the tea that had been prepared for him. There weren't many raiders who were effective enough to take on an armored train like this one, but there were many stupid enough to try. It was better to keep it moving quickly and avoid the hassle and paperwork.

  The shrubbery began to thin and all that was left were vast sand dunes almost as far as the eye could see. The only break was the mountains to the west, capped with snow. It had been a long time since he'd seen snow. Maybe he could talk his superiors into sending him to inspect their holdings there.

  He pulled the radio up from the table and keyed into the comm line. "This is far enough, conductor. Why don't you pull us to a stop?"

  "Will do, Mr. Stone."

  The train began to slow, gently at first to avoid damaging any of its cargo. Eventually, he could hear the brakes bear down on the wheels.

  Stone jerked his hand out to keep his tea from sliding across his table until the train rolled to a complete stop.

  Quite honestly, he had dreaded this part of the trip. The heat out there was scorching beyond words, but it was part of the deal he’d struck.

  With real reluctance, he climbed out of the passenger car he rode in and kept an eye on the workers who had already begun to open the cargo cars at the far rear of the train.

  He sighed and opened an umbrella to shield himself from the worst of the sun as he walked down the track.

  These weren't people he enjoyed spending time with, but deals had been struck and they needed to be observed by a certified auditor of the New York Western Railroad Company.

  The first one out of the cars was a large Excalibur mech. Unlike the others that he'd seen of the same model, this one had traded the rocket-powered hammer and ozone shield for an electrical spear. Abandoning defense for offense really did seem to fit Athena's type.

  "Are you sure this is it?" she boomed through her mech’s external speakers as her men climbed out of the other three cars that they had been riding in.

  "Of course. We at the New York Western Railroad company pride ourselves in mapping these abandoned areas," he stated and gestured with his hand across the barren landscape around them.

  "Why did you help us? I thought you were on Hammerhand's side?"

  "The New York Western Railroad Company takes no sides in internal power conflicts. We do, however, remember our friends and those who have helped us and assume the same courtesy will be extended in turn."

  "Sure." Athena grunted and turned away. "We'll be sure to remember who helped us."

  "Please do. Have a pleasant journey."

  The Excalibur led the raiders away from the train and Stone let the fake smile slip from his lips as he turned to head to his car. Hopefully, they had increased the cooling inside to make up for the doors opening. Otherwise, he would need to have another chat with the train's conductor.

  He climbed inside and keyed into the comm line. "We are ready to move again."

  "Right away, Mr. Stone."

  The train advanced once more.

  The End

  (For now)

  The Story Continues

  Bulletfoot Two from Marshall Rust is coming soon.

  Author Note

  From all of us behind Bulletfoot, we'd like to first express our gratitude to you for reading this. We hope you enjoyed it.

  We get it. Times are hard, friends. But we believe people are tough. So we wanted to write a story about people who get over adversity with their friends - as we all do when things get rough. A tale that covers the hope and grit of people in tough situations that will fight for revival and recovery in a world that is well past that. We wanted to share with you our own hope in and for a better world, that people, no matter how much things go badly around them, are good--can be good.

  That we believe all of us have the potential to overcome even the apocalypse.

  So thank you for joining us on this journey. Stay tuned, and let's get through the harsh world of Bulletfoot - together.

  - Rust, out.

  About the Author

  Marshal Rust was born in Boulder, Colorado, where he still resides to this day. His parents - both hard-working blue-collar folk - made sure he got a good education and ensured that included reading as many books as he possibly could. And it's no surprise he came to absolutely love science fiction and fantasy. He cut his teeth on the works of Heinlein, Asimov, Tolkien, and more. He later progressed to the works of Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, David Brin and Cormac McArthy, and many of their contemporaries through and over the years. He's worked in his father's trade as a welder, moonlighted as a delivery man, sold computer hardware, and done a brutal stint as an animal massage therapist (yes, it's a real job), and has even had to chase a goat that made off with his paper bagged lunch, but nothing makes him happier than clear skies and a blank sheet of paper to write on.

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