Multiverse 2

by Chris Hechtl

  “We've got other packs too. And remember, the other side has them too boss,” Benny warned, holding a finger up to indicate caution.

  “Ah, remember, I built these things for years; there are dozens out there. UAVs too,” he smiled. “I don't think they realize I've got the code keys to the UAV and MIL-SPEC network. I can tap anything they do.”

  “Ah, good to know,” Benny said with a grin. A computer beeped. He turned his head to look, then frowned. “Hmmm …,” he checked. “Nope, just a deer.”

  Kelly sighed. “Good.”

  ======+======

  Several days later the steady whomp sound of a helicopter was heard in the distance. The helicopter landed in town on the landing pad of the local medical facility. The sheriff was there to meet them; she held up a hand to fend off the wind and sun.

  They shook hands as each agent came up to her. She talked small talk to the female agents as they made their way inside. “I'd say it's a pleasure to see you gals, but I'd be lying. This nonsense has put a big bee in my bonnet,” Sheriff Coltrane said with a shake of her head.

  “We will be taking over this investigation, Sheriff, it is our jurisdiction,” the lead agent told her flatly. They went inside the building and looked over a paper map. After a bit of debate, they asked about the hill road.

  Casey frowned. She'd sat out of it, standing behind them and simmering a bit. Now they turned to get her opinion. The local yokel on display, she thought. “It's a timber road. It's covered in timber. Pretty crowded since it's a bit overgrown,” she warned. “There is no way a truck could get in, let alone out of there, with the produce they were hauling. I think they came further out in the back country,” she stated.

  “It still it needs to be checked,” the lead agent insisted. “And the best quickest way is by air.” They decided to do it with the helicopter immediately.

  At the farm the kids were out playing soccer when they heard the sounds of the rapidly approaching helicopter. The agents had followed the twisting road to the farm down low but then climbed when they broke over the farm. They circled overhead for a moment then came right in. The kids scattered as the vehicle came in; the wash from the rotors kicking up dust and debris. One 4-year-old little boy was picking flowers along the stone wall; he was awestruck by the machine. His mother, Jill, rushed to him as the chopper landed. The agents got out and rushed to the boy, bowing over to avoid the rotors.

  They offered him a lollipop, but he refused, backing away. They bent over talking to him gently, trying to establish trust. One of the agents stiffened when she saw the waddling mother approaching them. The woman was obviously pregnant and not happy. “Ma'am, please stay back,” she said as she held up her hand. “This is government business, ma'am; I'm afraid we'll have to take the boy with us for his protection.”

  Jill's face worked as fear for her son tore through her. “No!” she snarled as one pulled a Taser, pointing it at her. “You are taking my little boy over my dead body,” she said, fists clenching into claws.

  “Damn it,” the agent muttered as the lead agent started to pull her sidearm. She pulled the trigger, tasering the woman.

  Jill felt the darts rip current through her body, paralyzing her. She fell to her knees and then onto her side as Billy screamed. His mother jerked and twitched on the ground writhing in the dirt. The child shrieked, rushing to his mother's side. “Run Bbiilly,” she croaked out when the agent shut the Taser off to keep from harming the boy too. One of the agents came up behind him. He saw the shadow and started to turn as she scooped him up into her arms. He fought in desperation to get away.

  She misted him with a spray she pulled from her pocket, and he slumped into her arms. The agents turned to leave, but a male voice called out. “That's far enough. Put the boy down,” he said. There was the ominous clack of rifles being loaded.

  They turned slowly to see a man holding an AK-47 on them. “Sir, you are interfering with government business,” the lead agent said, licking her lips and kicking herself for letting her zeal get in the way of her good sense. The situation was going south fast she realized.

  “The hell I am. That's my nephew you've got there, lady. I don't know what the hell you did to my sister, but you better damn well hope she's all right,” he snarled, eyes lit with anger. The agents froze. One agent thought he couldn't see her clearly so she started to creep her hands to a weapon.

  “I wouldn’t, bitch,” another person snarled, coming out of the trees. A truck pulled up in a cloud of dirt and dust, and men piled out all carrying weapons and body armor.

  “Oh, my God, it's the mother lode,” an agent murmured.

  “Put the boy down and leave. You and your kind are not welcome here,” Walker said coldly from the truck. The agents turned to eye him. He was cradling his rifle, not pointing it at them. He locks eyes with each of them. “We don’t want your kind here. Get out and stay out. You're trespassing, and that's a death penalty offense around here," he snarled.

  Slowly they looked at each other whispering, what were they going to do. The lead agent came to a reluctant decision after a moment. She gently put the kid down then walked backwards to the chopper, never turning her back on the group of heavily armed men and women. Her eyes roved them, taking in as much information as she could. She counted heads under her breath.

  The pilot was wide-eyed at the sight of so many men. She was frozen in shock. She felt a slap on her arm as the lead agent climbed in. “Wake up and get us out of here!” the agent yelled at her, not bothering to use the headset. She nodded and lifted off.

  “Yeah well, so much for hiding,” Benny said coming up behind the group as Doc came in and checked the mother and child over. They were both breathing. Some of the men and women were watching the chopper go. A few muttered about shooting the thing down. “A bit late for that. Let it rest.”

  “Jill has had a nasty shock, but she's going to be okay. Taser,” he reported. He pulled the barbs from her clothes and held them up. “Nasty these. They gave her quite a shock. It shouldn't do too much damage to her. Some minor burns but the shakes should end quickly. It is the stress I am worried about now. We should get some electrolytes into her as quickly as possible.”

  “I hope it didn’t hurt the baby,” Benny said pointing to her gravid belly.

  The doc nodded grimly. “Yeah. Well we better get her to the clinic and check her over.”

  “I'm all right,” Jill the mother said testily, one hand wrapping protectively around her baby bump. “I didn't land on it. Where's Billy?” she demanded anxiously.

  “He's right here, Jill,” Benny said as he held up the sleeping boy.

  Jill held out her shaking arms imploringly. He reluctantly put the sleeping lad into her arms. “Why? Why'd they do that? He was no threat! Is he okay?” she asked, stroking his hair with her fingertips. “Come on, baby, wake up for mommy,” she murmured rocking him.

  “It is sleeping gas,” Doc said. “Don’t breathe too close; it's all over his face,” he took out a rag and wiped at the boy’s face and neck.

  “Oh here, I'll do that. You’re just smearing the mud all over him,” Jill the boy's mother said, exasperated. She spat on the cloth then wiped vigorously. The menfolk smiled to each other and chuckled.

  “Well? What are you yucking about? Let's get out of here. Oh lord, my dress,” Jill said, looking at the mess of her best sundress. She sighed in frustration and anticipation at trying to clean it as they helped her to her feet. She wouldn't let the boy out of her arms however. They helped her to the truck.

  ======+======

  “Sorry, boss, I didn't see them on the radar until they were on top of us. I thought it was an over flight,” Kelly said dispiritedly.

  “Well, Billy and Jill are going to be okay in a couple hours,” the doc said, “so you can apologize to them.” Walker nodded. Kelly hesitated and then nodded as well. Walker judged that the apology would do a lot to get them taking the situation seriously. Seeing their friends and family hurt lik
e that drove the threat home to everyone. It was no longer a joke.

  “Now what?”

  “Now we wait.”

  “That's it?”

  “No, we can do one other thing to get their attention,” Walker mused. He didn't like the idea of shutting power off, but the perimeter defenses were going to need all the power. Besides, it just might get their attention. At the very least, it would inconvenience them.

  ======+======

  In town the sheriff was bawled out by the shaken agents. She was covertly surprised and amused by what had happened. Apparently they weren't happy about what had been going on right under her nose. Tough for them, though it didn't look so hot for her.

  She grew cold when she heard the pilot talking about the agents shooting the pregnant mother with a Taser and drugging the kid. Her eyes are cold as she turned on them. Her fingers drummed on her belt. “You did that?”

  “Standard procedure, Sheriff. None of your concern,” she was told.

  “Okay,” the sheriff said backing off. “You wanna play that game, fine,” she shook her head. “Your mess, you deal with it. Gotcha.” She nodded, taking a step back and placing her hands on her hips.

  After a moment of being ignored, she walked off. Outside, the shooter girl Trixie rushed past excited, then stopped and turned to the sheriff. “When do I get my reward?” she demanded breathlessly, eyes wide. “I want semen too! I wanted first crack, damn it!”

  Disgusted the sheriff pointed her finger to the agents. “You just toddle in there and ask them,” she said helpfully.

  The woman eyed her and then went inside and talked in earnest with the agents. The sheriff watched through the glass as the woman began to get more and more agitated, throwing her hands up in the air screaming, and then storming back out. “Whooo, I am so mad!” It was clear from her clenched teeth, flashing eyes, red face, and claws for hands that she was beyond furious. If the agents hadn't been armed, they would have gotten their eyes clawed out, Casey judged. “Damn no good, uppity bitches! They're holding out on the reward!” Trixie snarled, stomping off. “Well, we'll see about that! I'll tell the media!” she said over her shoulder as she stormed off.

  The sheriff sighed, shaking her head. “Just what we don’t need, those jackals,” she said as she eyed the agents. “Or maybe we do,” she sighed again, making a wuffling sound.

  Sharon came up beside her as she started to turn. “Quite a busy day, eh? You've been holding out on me, gal,” Casey said mildly.

  Sharon spread her hands apart. “I tried to stop it, Sheriff, honest.”

  Casey looked at her for a moment then heaved another sigh. “I know you did, kid,” she nodded. “Just for the record, how many are there?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Sharon shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. “I dunno, extended family? Sixty or seventy. Maybe more. Who knows,” she said. “They are quiet people. They just want to be left alone,” she said defiantly. “No laws broke, except that stupid one.”

  Casey pursed her lips in thought. She made a puttering sound her dad used to do, one that helped her and amused her. After a long moment, she shook her head. “Well, that ain't going to happen,” the sheriff said gently. “I wish, but it ain't.” She noted the agents on the phone. Suddenly the lights blinked and then shut off.

  “What the hell?” the agent said hollering into her phone. It was a landline; they still had spotty cell coverage in the area. “Can you hear me?” When she didn't get a response, she became annoyed and hung up. After a moment the agents came out and looked around in the dark. People were coming out of their homes, all concerned about the blackout. “Did someone forget to pay your power bill?” a black female agent asked.

  “Something like that. Or you could say, you just pissed them off so they shut off the power,” Sharon snarled, voicing her exasperation and disgust.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means they've been the one providing food, fuel, timber, and power to half the damn state this whole time,” Sharon said as she threw her hands up in the air. “Unfucking believable. We finally get things running smooth, and you jackasses step in and ruin it. Thanks. Thanks a whole lot,” she stormed off.

  “It seems like you’re getting on everyone's backside today,” the sheriff observed dryly.

  “Sheriff, we'll need a place to stay. Food too,” the lead agent said, eying her.

  Casey shook her head. “You city folk reckon to stick around? They don't want you around, you know,” she said tipping her wide brimmed hat back. “Sides, you told me it ain't none of my concern. You can sleep in your chopper. Night,” she walked off whistling.

  ======+======

  In Washington, D.C. the president was informed of the large pack of men in New England. She was amused by the concern. The Care and Welfare of Men Agency was deeply concerned and asked for help during the cabinet meeting. She looked pointedly to the JCOS who had been called in for the meeting. The marine general laughed. “Let me guess, you got your hand in to someone you can't handle, Bree?” she asked.

  The director was a bit of a tomboy, beyond even the marine general. She was square, squat, and blockish with close cropped hair and strong hands. She had a lantern nose and a square jaw of a lifter. She didn't take nonsense from anyone. According to some reports Bree was a body builder, or had been at some point in her past while being the warden of a men's correctional facility. She also took the perks of her job seriously, going to the various prisons and breaking in men she was attracted to. The grapevine said the men were docile and broken when she was finished with them. She also traded such favors to people of importance.

  “Something like that—armed men, automatic weapons. They are heavily armed and apparently well trained. We'll need to subdue them.”

  “That's not our department. We are here to protect the country from outside forces,” the marine general replied tartly, eyes flashing. “We're not your storm troopers out to rip families apart. You've made a point of keeping us on a short leash, remember?” she asked sweetly.

  Bree colored darkly, her eyes cold. She had indeed made it her personal project to hobble the military as much as possible, even protesting when they were used for storm cleanup. “That may be in the past. But they have a lot of men, and I have a finite number of agents to call on.”

  “And that's not the least of our problems,” the PR director said looking up from her phone. She held it up. “Madam President, it seems like word leaked before they cut power. Reporters are swarming the area. This isn't some small story like a grab of a male we can bury,” she warned. She shook her head. “We can't blackmail them anymore or hold back resources; the media is back on its feet.”

  “Yeah, and the public display of men being hunted, tranquilized and dragged off in cuffs isn't sitting well with the public now, is it?” the general asked adjusting her uniform.

  “Quite frankly? No. It is a PR nightmare. This mess has disaster written all over it. If it turns into another Waco, you can kiss our asses goodbye in the next election," the PR agent replied with a note of warning in her voice.

  The president froze. “I thought this was for their protection?” she asked, turning to the director.

  Bree shrugged. “Well, Madam President, it is.”

  The president frowned. “So what about the reward? Aren't they getting enough money to go to the facilities? It's only until we get back on our feet,” she replied.

  “Reward? What reward? Oh, you mean to the bounty hunters for catching them?” the general laughed. The health and welfare director glared at her. “The men don't get a cent. They are locked up, drugged, force fed, and raped daily. Who would want a life like that?” she asked laughing. The director snarled, clenching her fists.

  “What? I just talked to my husband yesterday. He said the facilities are great. I'm going to visit him next week,” the president said, dismissing the idea. “Sure he eats Dutch but that is fine. He needs to watch what he eats anyway,” the president said dismissivel
y. “They get three square meals and should be grateful for that. Not everyone does yet,” she said. The general cocked her head at her. “And he said they play tennis all the time!” She smiled. The director smiled indulgently.

  “Really? And you toured all the facilities, ma'am?” the general asked eying the director. “All four?”

  “Four?” the president asked, blinking in surprise. She looked uncertainty to the director. “Four?”

  The general nodded, still eying the scowling director. “Yes, Madam President. The public club med one, which is used for publicity. Then there is the mental hospital, the prison, and the crèche.”

  “I didn't know about the others,” the president stated. She turned to the director. “Come to think of it, I haven’t had a letter from my sons lately. Steve was quiet about them too. I think when I go see him we'll detour to see them as well,” she said. The director began to squirm.

  “That still doesn't solve this crisis, ma'am,” the White House chief of staff said. The director shot her a thank you look.

  The president gave her a lingering look then eyed the chief of staff. “And what do you propose we do about it?”

  “The agent on the ground isn’t getting much help from the locals. They aren't happy about losing power,” the chief of staff reported.

  “Then get the power back on. Why did you shut it off?” the director asked.

  “It's not that simple. The local area was actually supplied by the farm. We didn't know until now. The compound the men are in I mean.”

  “Huh? Just what are we talking about?” the director of FEMA asked. “I haven’t seen the records of that area yet.”

  “You should; that area hasn’t needed support because that farm has been providing everything they need—food, electricity, fuel, and timber, even some manufactured goods. It's one of the bright spots for the region actually,” she said as she shook her head at such blind stupidity. Why hadn't they looked into it until now? It was over now but still. “The governor was just on the phone. She is rather pissed about the situation and about being kept in the dark.”