Boom Town

by Craig Martelle

  “Where we going?” he asked.

  She slowed her step, then took his left arm in both of hers, like sisters did with their brothers. They’d always been together, even when the rest of the world abandoned them. Two orphans against the world. Two real orphans, not these pretend runaways like that Ruby Miranda girl. He wondered where she was. Ike had talked a lot about her. The man really didn’t like her, resented her like they had been born rivals somehow.

  Dregg didn’t understand that. He was glad Ike was still locked up. The man was unstable.

  “I’m going to show you Dixie’s real secret,” Dedra said.

  “How do you know all this?”

  “I pay attention. And sleep with the right people. Calm down, brother. You know I only do what I have to do. I never enjoy it. It’s just a thing,” she said.

  Dregg tried to calm down but couldn’t. He gave her the silent treatment, which he knew never worked. Dedra was a force of nature, immune to all forms of manipulation. She was the master of deceit, not the victim of it.

  They walked for a time, going farther and farther into the Unglok neighborhoods. They stopped at a filthy greenhouse. He imagined they grew vitamin mulch or something inside.

  “Don’t worry, brother. You’ll like what’s inside,” she said.

  Dregg pushed his way past a noisy Unglok who didn’t speak a word of Galactic Standard. What he saw took his breath away. The outer shell of the greenhouse was a dirty sham. Inside, it was full of state-of-the-art grow lamps and irrigation systems. He plucked one of the peaches from a branch and bit into it.

  “Mrrmmrrmmmn…that’s delicious…”

  Dedra took one of his arms in both of hers again and hugged him with her face buried in one side of his chest. “I’m glad you like it. Don’t eat too many. We need to save some for the food fight.”

  “Food fight?” Dregg said as he chewed.

  “Dixie expects us to come after her girls, maybe even break up the Mother Lode. When this place burns down, it will break her heart. She’ll be worse off than that big Neanderthal following her around,” Dedra said.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  There’s Going to be a Job Opening

  Shaunte waited until everyone but Thad was inside the cave, then tried one last time. “Thaddeus Fry, I really need you.”

  This stopped him in his tracks. He turned away from the entrance.

  She moved closer, careful to hide her limp and keep her hair hanging over the bruises along her neck and one side of her face. She doubted he was an expert on women’s makeup but also knew he’d been married about six or seven times and could probably tell something was wrong with her face.

  He stepped toward her with his thumbs hooked through the straps of his backpack. “I’m not trying to be difficult, Shaunte. I’d rather go back to Darklanding with you and put things right.”

  “Do you know what kind of messages I just muted and put on hold? They could cost me my career—and a fine. This unnecessary adventure of yours could destroy everything I’ve worked for. Do you think Darklanding will be better off with somebody else running it? Because that’s what you’re making me think you believe.”

  “That’s not it,” he said.

  “Then get your ass back to town and deal with these people who smashed up the Mother Lode,” she said.

  Anger flashed across his expression. She had no doubt he wanted to get payback. He wasn’t weak or timid. He was a guard dog like no one she had ever met. There were times when her biggest worry was that he would go too far to exact his revenge. There were dozens of complaints on her desk, most correlating to laws and regulations he had enforced. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. His methods didn’t matter to her so long as the company remained profitable. Everyone on the planet signed a waiver of their rights when stepping onto SagCon property—which was all of Ungwilook.

  “I will, Shaunte. As soon as we take care of this ship and get Cornelius Vandersun out of our hair, I will dedicate myself one hundred percent to Darklanding. Do you really want a Vandersun meddling in your business?”

  She shook her head. No way.

  “I handled Ike and his goons. I took care of the outlaws in Transport Canyon. I can handle a bunch of upstart prostitutes and a bouncer pumped up with steroids. You said Sledge was in town. No one’s going to do anything with him around. When I get back, the two of us will straighten everything out.”

  “When I get back, I’m sending out a request for a new sheriff,” Shaunte said. The words came out of her mouth before she realized she was going to speak them.

  He stared.

  “You aren’t giving me a choice. If you don’t do your job, I have to find somebody who will.”

  He looked at the ground, turned, and walked into the cave without another word.

  * * *

  “You could muchly go back and let me handle this,” Mast said.

  The passageway dropped sharply. Thad marveled at how high the ceiling was and how wide the passage was. From inside his airship, it had seemed much tighter. He wasn’t an expert on mineral deposits, but the area appeared rich, and they had only descended two hundred meters.

  “Thank you, Mast. I keep telling myself that this is just one of Shaunte’s powerplays. I know how to do my job, and I’ve seen boomtowns before. SagCon is making money hand over fist, which means Shaunte is making money hand over fist. Sledge and Pene are hanging around the Mother Lode. They can help Pierre if it gets too wild.”

  “Thank you for coming on this last part of my spirit quest. You are a true friend,” Mast said. “I do not believe ‘thank you’ is what Miss Shaunte is muchly saying right now.”

  Maximus barked.

  Thaddeus shined his light into the shadows, looking for more of the strange creatures that seemed to be associated with the ancient ship. Mast had tried to explain that these were different than the creatures that followed him up from the ship he found under Darklanding. When Thaddeus looked for details, the furtive monsters seemed exactly the same—spiderlike and afraid of light. In fact, they seemed afraid of everything.

  Cornelius and Ruby led the way, setting a brisk pace. This was her third trip. Each time they arrived, the ship was different. Thaddeus thought it was turned slightly, but Cornelius assured him that was impossible.

  “I think the ship moves while we are away,” Thaddeus said.

  “It is covered with a greatly large amount of dust. If it moves, it must move very slowly.” Mast’s eyes widened. “If it moves, then maybe there is something inside of it, operating the controls.”

  “That’s not the way the ship works,” Cornelius said without looking back.

  “How does it work?” Thaddeus asked.

  Ruby answered, “The ship picks a pilot. My money would be on Mast since he is native to this planet and the ship had to have picked this planet for a reason.”

  “Or it has waited so long because it does not like my people or think we can go with it to the stars,” Mast said.

  “Regardless of what happens, I will need Thaddeus to hide this place when it is done. We can’t have TerroCom poking around.”

  “There’s something you’re not telling me,” Thaddeus said.

  “You survived this cave complex once before, correct?” Cornelius asked.

  “He very muchly did,” Mast said.

  “Good. The last ship I found decided to bury itself rather than be taken. We probably should’ve brought Foreman Dickles and some of his miners with us,” Cornelius said.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Blood

  Dregg shouted at his workers.

  “I don’t think we should be doing this,” one of the old men said. “That sheriff ain’t one to mess with, and this is his girl’s stuff.”

  “I’m not paying you to talk! Load up these peaches and get a move on! Haven’t choked anybody all day and you’re looking like a good candidate,” Dregg shouted. “I’m doing the responsible thing by stealing as many peaches as possible before we burn
this place.”

  The man let go of the cart he was pushing and backed toward the door. Dregg charged him, grabbing him by the hair and slamming him on the ground. He kicked the man several times and punched him in the gut when he finally managed to stand up.

  “You’ve already been paid fifty percent in advance. Do your job and keep your mouth shut and I’ll give you the other fifty and a bonus,” Dregg said. “Or I use you as a punching bag until I get bored.”

  Dedra waited calmly in the shadows. “I didn’t think this lot would be so much trouble. Are they really so afraid of the sheriff?”

  Dregg thought about it. “I know how to intimidate people. There’s an art to it. This is different. They all talk about him being a heavy-handed thug, but sometimes, there’s a hint of admiration in their stories. The tough guy who terrorizes me is tougher than the tough guy who terrorizes you kind of thing. Dude talk. Bragging rights. They act like the man is a living legend.”

  Dedra touched his arm. “Like when they talk about you. Every one of these louts wants to be you. Big and strong and good-looking.”

  Dregg stomped forward to whip his crew into line. “Load them up, throw them in the cart, and get ‘em out of here. Save one cart for me. I’m taking it to the Mother Lode.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” one of the men said.

  “Who said that? Who the hell said that!” Dregg clenched his fists and stomped up and down the line of workers. “That’s what I thought. I give the orders, not you. Anyone have a problem with that? I didn’t think so. Now, get back to work!”

  They hadn’t stopped working, but their orders were too loud and plenty clear. They finished quickly.

  “Okay, brother. I think they have the message now. I’ll show them where to put these. You go do your thing,” Dedra said.

  Dregg grinned wickedly and pushed the cart toward the Mother Lode.

  He wasn’t surprised when the fire alarm sounded near the greenhouse district. Volunteer firefighters and citizens of Darklanding rushed to put out the flames. He pulled his cart into an alley and watched Dixie race ahead of the crowd. The two retired SagCon SIs chased after her.

  Dregg counted to twenty before continuing. The vacant lot where the sheriff and his cronies exercised was dark and silent. He pushed the cart off the street and went to the corner where the tires were stacked. Whistling an off-kilter melody, he urinated on the tires. Then he took one of the hammers and threw it on top of a building.

  “And now, for the main event,” he said as he approached the front of the Mother Lode.

  His best men were waiting. A couple of them had Dixie’s girls sitting on their laps. They stood up and dumped the working girls on the ground, laughing when they cursed.

  “What’re you doing here?” one of the girls yelled.

  Dregg threw a peach at her, striking her in the shoulder when she ducked. “It’s a going-out-of-business sale. You might want to make yourself scarce. All you girls are on the menu since you don’t have a cooler to protect you.”

  Old Pierre stepped onto the porch with a shotgun, but Dregg was already too close. He snatched it away from the much smaller man and punched him in the face. Pierre fell flat on his back and didn’t move.

  “You dead?” Dregg asked, pushing the proprietor of the Mother Lode with the toe of his boot. “Nah, you’re breathing.”

  He stepped over the man and laughed as he watched patrons and employees fleeing before him as if he were Genghis Khan. Dixie’s girls ran for the stairs. Patrons and busboys ran toward the kitchen. Dregg’s best enforcers spread out behind him with clubs and axes. They smashed furniture and chopped apart what wouldn’t break easily.

  Pierre the younger stood in the same place as last time, behind the bar. He had one hand under the counter and the other holding a phone to his ear. His skin was pale. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

  “I hope for your sake you have a shotgun under that bar,” Dregg said. At the same instant, he signaled his men to rush the kid. He took the direct path while his flankers swooped in from both sides.

  Pierre the younger retreated deeper into the bar. He had a shotgun in one hand, but there was no way he could load or shoot it while he was still on the phone.

  “Where the hell are you going, kid?” Dregg asked.

  “Just get outta here. The sheriff and a bunch of his new deputies are on the way.” Pierre stood to block something in the corner, just out of sight of the main room.

  “Is that a painting easel?” one of the men said. “The little pervert is back there painting titties on his lunch break!”

  “Am not! These are mountain landscapes.” Pierre dropped the phone and racked the shotgun. “Get back!”

  He aimed the gun at Dregg and jerked the trigger hard, yanking the barrel down without an explosion.

  “Dumbass doesn’t know about the safety!” Dregg sprinted for all he was worth, jumping onto the bar and over it in a fluid motion. He laughed, knowing people didn’t think he could move like that. He was too big and muscular to be quick. Or so people thought.

  He tackled the kid, wrapping his arms around his waist and slamming him down on the hardwood floor. His weight fell on his victim, driving his shoulder into his kid’s diaphragm. The young Pierre’s head made a wet thump on the floor.

  His men laughed as they gathered around. “You’re just too fast for us, Dregg. Man, he don’t look good.” Several of the men held up their hands in contorted patterns and twisted their heads around on their necks, tongues protruding. Dregg’s men looked like deranged clowns. They shambled away laughing and making rude sounds. The Cheap and Easy enforcers spread across the bar, breaking chairs, glasses, and anything that wasn’t nailed down, all the while drinking Mother Lode whiskey. He looked down at Pierre the younger.

  That was when Leslie, Chelsie, and several of their patrons swarmed down the stairs with clubs and table legs for weapons.

  “Let’s get theses sons-of-bitches!” Leslie screamed.

  “Put away your guns! Bring me that one naked!” Dregg said as he pointed at Leslie.

  She flew off the stairs, kicking a Cheap and Easy enforcer in the chest. He stumbled backward and fell. She landed on his chest with her knees, slamming her table leg on the man’s face. That wasn’t the worst part. She bit his nose off, spat it out, then sprang to her feet with an ululating war cry.

  Two or three of Dregg’s men turned and ran—some of his new guys. The others were professional tough guys. Dregg had spent a small fortune on steroids and barbells at his home base. They practiced cage fighting every day, lifted weights, and ate amphetamines like candy. One crazy berserker woman wasn’t going to scare them off.

  Miners, dock workers, and prostitutes clashed with Dregg and his crew. He threw people over tables and slammed them on the ground. He kicked one of the women so hard she flew out a window. Another he grabbed by the throat and choked her as he fought men trying to rescue her. Dragging the woman like a panicking ragdoll, shaking his long hair, and screaming death metal lyrics was the high point of his life. This was what he was meant to do.

  No one bothered to turn off the auto-piano. Bottles flew through the air. Men and women were smashed across tables. Neither of the Pierres made an appearance.

  Then it all went wrong.

  Sledge bulldogged his way onto the saloon room battlefield, his thinning hair still smoking from putting out the greenhouse arson. There was nothing extravagant about the way he fought. If he hit a man, that man went down.

  Dregg rushed him, diving for a tackle. Sledge caught him by the shoulders and smashed him chest-down to the floor, covering him with his own weight. The move was a classic takedown defense, pure Greco-Roman wrestling. Dregg found himself face-down on a blood and booze slick floor with two hundred and sixty pounds of angry SI on top of him.

  He did a push-up with all his strength, then twisted free, scrambling away from Sledge as a crowd of Cheap Easys swarmed the big, knuckle-dragging brute.

  Pene
lope executed a spinning back-kick that Dregg thought might have killed a man—which made him think of Pierre the younger behind the bar. He jumped to his feet. The last thing he needed was another murder rap.

  Leslie landed in front of him, pointing her table leg at him. “You want a piece of me, do you, freak!”

  Dregg grabbed one of the other Mother Lode girls, lifted her above his head, and threw her on Leslie. “Didn’t see that coming, did you! Crazy bitch!” He surveyed his crew. “All right, you dogs! We’re done! Rally at the Easy!”

  He fled the scene with whoever was smart enough to follow.

  * * *

  Penelope dodged Sledge as he staggered drunkenly. For a moment, she’d thought the fight had sobered him up. “Should have known better. You’re a mess.”

  “What are you talking about, Pen! We thumped ‘em.”

  “That muscle-head should have never gotten away from you,” she said.

  Leslie screamed from the behind the bar. “They killed Little Pierre!”

  Something smashed through a front window. Penelope spotted the molotov cocktail pinwheeling through the air. If it hit the floor, it would break and there would be a second arson in Darklanding. She flashed toward it, slapping it back the way it had come.

  Fire spread across the wide porch of the Mother Lode. A half-dozen homemade firebombs hit the front of the building and the porch.

  “Bucket line!” she screamed, then put patrons and prostitutes to work fighting the fire. “Call the volunteer brigade. We’re gonna need their water truck.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  A Ship for Ruby

  “Leaving her behind really is for the best,” Cornelius said, patting Thaddeus on the shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  Thad kept his gaze forward and continued to walk, less and less impressed by the dark grandeur of the caves. He was tired and worried about the argument with Shaunte. She liked to yell. They argued more often than he had with his ex-wives, yet it didn’t feel the same this time. He sensed something was wrong, something worse than previous Darklanding disasters. Of which there had been many.