Dodgers met him later at the aid station. They sipped at some hot tea of some kind, which tasted faintly of cinnamon to Jamie.
The server at the aid station let them know there was a makeshift food station set up further down the main street, so Jamie and Dodgers made their way there. They managed to get some of the ubiquitous green stew, and although Jamie was heartily sick of it, it was hot, and filling.
That night, they camped out at what had been a school, with other homeless and displaced beings. Jamie and Dodgers took it in turns to keep watch, as a deterrent to losing any of their meagre possessions, particularly their food rations, or from being attacked, not that any of the creatures huddled in family groups or individually, trying to sleep, seemed likely to do so. They were taking no chances though.
The next day, of course, was raining. Jamie was lucky his suit kept him dry, and Dodgers, as she liked to say, was fine, as 'it was all water off a duck's back to her.' They joined a ragged line of refugees from the town headed out on the main road, on the way to the next town, larger and more prosperous than this one, where refugees were hoping to find shelter, and which was on Jamie's route to Patchet's pub, as he continued to call his destination.
Hoping to get a lift on a car, truck, or wagon, they saw any carts and wagons were full of refugees, and didn't like to ask to take up space other less able beings should have. There didn't seem to be any cars, apart from some military looking vehicles going the other way into the town.
The two came upon a family of hogs, looking tired and depressed, and Jamie entertained the children for a while, giving them piggy back rides, and getting them to laugh at his poor language skills, and strange accent. He found it difficult making up jokes in the local dialect, but tried anyway, to great hilarity at the badness of them, and the mistimed humour. The children were cheered up, and the adults were grateful for some respite.
Continuing all day, and camping at night with some groups of refugees near a small tarn, taking turns again to keep watch, Jamie took pity on the other refugees, particularly children, and gave his rations of food away, much to Dodgers' disgust, because she felt she had to meet the example he'd set.
Two days later, they came to a large farm settlement, which had locked its gate and was being guarded by armed hedgehogs and hogs. Rather than take on the guards, armed with shot guns, hand guns, farm implements, and some lethal looking knives, swords, and maces, Jamie and Dodgers kept going.
Running out of food, Dodgers foraged for greenery in streams, and insects and bugs she found on the way. Jamie however was struggling.
Finally, they could see the town in the distance, and Jamie was astounded. It looked like a fortress, something he'd only seen in books. An actual castle on a hill, and town flowing down and around the hill, protected naturally by a rock hill cliff on one side, a river on the other, and town walls and fortifications in between. He could see the same 'bunker' style of buildings, only larger and more impressive.
They made their way towards it.
Thirty Two
The town was in a state of military-controlled chaos. Papers were being scanned or checked at the main gates into the city proper, although the town also spilled out beyond the walls, and across the river. Military vehicles were on the roads, and beings sporting green uniforms, including bird species, but not black ducks, were patrolling the city streets, rifles at the ready.
Jamie's disk meant he wasn't stopped at the checkpoint, however being an unknown alien, his details were taken down, while Dodgers passed through easily.
Finding a pub, Jamie had a solid meal of vegetables, and what seemed like chicken. At last something other than green mush.
The influx of refugees not only from the town they'd just left, but others in the surrounding part of the county, meant there was no accommodation left in town, and schools, meeting halls, and sportsgrounds were being used to house them, with a tent city sprouting on the field of the main sports arena, much to the disgust of the manager.
Jamie had only intended to stay long enough to get a lift on some transport going his way, but with the military lockdown, it seemed unlikely there would be much going anywhere. He might need to get work to earn enough for a ticket on a bus.
Dodgers was also going in Jamie's direction for some of the journey, as she was hoping to link up with a white swan detachment at the Main Lake. She could afford a bus ticket, but was happy to accompany Jamie for the time-being, and although he could look after himself in a fight, he didn't know the local language or culture well enough, and was likely to get into trouble without realising.
They discussed the war situation over a piss-weak pint, as Jamie liked to call them. Black ducks hadn't bombed this town, yet anyway, and Dodgers predicted they would follow with ground troops, having destabilised the area sufficiently. She was surmising the local government forces would probably retreat, the ducks would establish their territory, consolidate, and then take on the white swans.
"Why?" asked Jamie.
Dodgers looked at him curiously.
"Why?"
"Aye, why?"
"Because that's what the black ducks and the white swans do," she answered, as if it was obvious.
"They must have a reason."
"The black ducks don't need a reason. It's all about territory."
"Territory?"
"Yes. Isn't it the same with humans? The black ducks want to establish territory, and then fight off anyone challenging their territory."
"What about the brown ducks? Don't ye want territory?"
"We're not strong enough to challenge the black ducks."
"But the white swans are?"
"Swans challenge everyone. Swans think they own the world."
"But not the black swans?"
"The black swans do as well, they just like to be big fish in a small pond."
"Now ye're mixing metaphors."
"I can if I want."
Jamie laughed.
"Ye're all nuts as far as I'm concerned."
Dodgers put her head on one side, and considered Jamie for a moment.
"It depends on your definition of nuts."
"I'm not going there!" Jamie laughed again.
It was at this point two burly hogs stuck guns in their faces.
Thirty Three
"Don't move! You're under arrest!" yelled one of the hogs, dressed in military combat gear.
"Military arrest," clarified the other.
"Anyway, you're under arrest!" confirmed the first one. He added after a pause, "Both of you!"
"No, just the human," contradicted the other.
"I thought it was both of them."
"No, just the human," said the other good-naturedly.
"Oh." The first military trooper waved at Dodgers. "You can go," he said.
Dodgers sat with her hands up, looking at the two troopers with amazement.
"We're still taking her in though, for questioning. She's just not under arrest as such. She's a citizen."
The first military trooper looked at the other in exasperation, but then turned to Dodgers.
"Don't move!" he yelled.
Dodgers hadn't. Jamie was grinning at the exchange, but also concerned at why they were arresting him.
"I haven't done anything tae be arrested," he stated firmly.
The first trooper looked dumbly at the other.
The second trooper sighed.
"You're an alien non-citizen in a highly volatile military situation."
"Highly volatile," repeated the other.
"We need to interrogate you."
"But I have papers," said Jamie.
The first trooper looked disappointed.
"He says he has papers."
The second trooper raised his eyes to heaven.
"Doesn't matter, we're taking him in."
"Don't move!" yelled the first one. "You're under arrest!" He gestured with the gun at Jamie. "You're helping us with our enquiries!" he yelled at Dodgers, proud h
e'd got the terminology right.
The second one sighed again.
"Come with us," he said politely.
Jamie and Dodgers got up carefully, and exited the pub, followed closely by the two troopers. Jamie knew he could easily fight them off and escape, but was worried about Dodgers.
Herded to a military transport vehicle, heavily armoured, and painted green, a driver was waiting, and the two troopers indicated the back of the truck, and they all got in. The vehicle raced away.
The truck offloaded them at the castle on the hill. A military officer brown duck came out of the main entrance to the castle, and escorted them inside, followed by the two troopers, who brought their back packs with them. Inside, the officer dismissed the two troopers, and turned to Jamie and Dodgers.
"Sorry about all that," he said apologetically, as Jamie and Dodgers settled in an office space. "We wanted to make sure you came, and this seemed the best way."
Jamie was thinking exactly the opposite, but held that thought.
"We'd like your help," the officer continued looking at Jamie. He spoke politely and apologetically as before. "We've been talking to the police at," he mentioned the untranslated name of the previous town. "They said you'd been invaluable in shooting down the black duck heli-craft. When we heard you were human, we, well, we've heard the rumours humans are technologically advanced, and were hoping you could help us out."
Jamie was taken aback.
"I'd love to help ye, but I'm afraid I'm just one human without any access to the kind of technology ye're probably thinkin' of."
"Quite," said the officer. "They said," he read off a report in front of him, "'bomb fragments seemed to bounce off him.'"
Jamie didn't hesitate.
"That's nonsense. Just lucky."
"Hardly just lucky." The duck stood up, un-holstered a side arm, and pointed it at Jamie, and then at Dodgers. "I'm most awfully afraid, I have to search you."
Jamie considered the situation. They couldn't search him while the belt was on a defensive setting, but then he couldn't take it off, or it would soon become apparent it was generating the clothes he was wearing, as well as his weapons would be revealed. He couldn't let them take the belt, but he couldn't let them shoot Dodgers either.
He was suddenly glad he was wearing underwear.
He could shoot the officer, but it would bring a whole lot of shit down on them both. He smiled at the officer.
"Perhaps we can make a deal?" he said.
The officer still stood threatening Dodgers, who was sitting with her arms in the air again.
"A deal?"
"I keep my clothes, and help you with whatever you need, and you let Dodgers here go."
The officer considered, and sat down again.
"I'm wearing armour protection, but it's only set to my form, and my form only," he lied.
"We could study it, replicate and adapt it for our own troops," the duck officer replied.
"Nae possible. Without the specs, ye'd never be able tae do it." Jamie had no idea if this was the case. "I have nae idea how it works, meself," he said truthfully, his Scots accent thickening.
The duck considered them both thoughtfully.
"Ye'd be killing the goose that laid the golden egg," Jamie added. "I'd ne'er let ye have it, even if ye keep threatening Dodgers here."
Dodgers looked alarmed at this.
"I'm sure we can come to a civilised arrangement," said the officer, and smiled for the first time.
Jamie was sure the duck was considering gaining Jamie's cooperation, as well as taking the belt at some appropriate time. Although for a moment, he thought of letting them try, since it wasn't going to come off as a full suit, no matter what they did, since it wasn't really clothes, and there were no fasteners to undo. He pulled his thoughts back from the brink of laughing.
"I'm sure we can," he repeated, grinning broadly.
Thirty Four
Jamie looked at the heli-craft with some trepidation. Evidently, as the officer explained, it had come down intact, as the pilot made a forced landing. Their dilemma was what to do with it, and how to replicate it.
"We don't have access to anything like this," the officer said. "We're not sure where the black ducks have got them from. It's making it impossible for us, as the ducks can now use heavier missiles and bombs from the air, where this has never been possible at this scale before."
"Gun runners?"
"Perhaps. We're a bit out of the way here."
Jamie smelt a rat. A big sect-like, secret society sort of rat. The Brotherhood.
"Could you be able to tell us how to make them ourselves?"
"No," Jamie said simply. "I'm human, but not an engineer." He thought briefly of Patchet, who probably could. He considered the craft instead. "I could fly it for you, though."
He wasn't sure about this at all. But how hard could it be?
"Hmm." The officer didn't look very happy. "We need some sort of deterrent to the black ducks. We've also had intelligence the white swans are being supplied with weapons as well." He looked at Jamie. "Normally they spend their time fighting each other, and leave us alone, but not now."
Jamie looked again at the cockpit of the heli-copter. Built for a slightly smaller being than him, there was still enough space in the cockpit for him to squeeze in. There was also room for a co-pilot if small. The controls looked simple and straightforward, and didn't rely on having three arms. He'd need to spend some time sorting them out, but he was confident he could do it. Put him up in one of these, with an armed co-pilot, and he'd be able to take on any enemy flight. Perhaps the military could supply some air to air missiles while they were at it.
He explained what he wanted to do, and the officer agreed, but making sure if he went up, there would be one of his officers with him. Jamie would have preferred Dodgers, but saw the officer's point. In the air, Jamie and Dodgers could just fly off, and not return.
Jamie set to work with ducks and hogs assigned to help him with it. Dodgers stayed to help, but couldn't really add any expertise to the situation. Having gone over the controls, Jamie felt ready for a test flight. He was assigned a small duck co-pilot who looked apprehensive at not trusting to his own wings, rather than this contraption.
Jamie squeezed himself inside the cockpit. The duck did likewise. It was definitely a tight fit. Jamie made sure his suit would automatically adjust his temperature at altitude, and started the copter.
Lift was easy, but Jamie took a bit of time adjusting for trim, yaw, and tilt, and finally got the hang of it. He was just thinking it was easy, when the copter swooped towards the ground, and he pulled it up, giving the co-pilot a scare, and himself as well. They hovered, and then Jamie took it up and forward.
It gave him a thrill, flying in such close proximity to the environment around him. He excitedly tried out new manoeuvres, his duck co-pilot looking slightly ill, and narrowly missed a tallish building in the town. Whooping with joy, he buzzed some troops in trucks on the ground outside of the city, and returned to the field. He just had to land the thing. Piece of cake.
They landed with a thump, which shook the craft, and Jamie turned off the engine.
He un-squeezed himself, and jumped down to the ground, making sure he didn't behead himself on the still spinning rotor blades. The duck co-pilot followed, a bit unsteady on his legs, and Jamie thumped him on the back, in a hearty male bonding slap. The duck didn't look too pleased.
The duck officer stepped forward, and greeted them again.
"Fantastic!" he exclaimed. "If we could just make them ourselves."
Jamie was wondering why the military didn't just contact the gun runners, but could understand the Brotherhood didn't just make money, but also created political instability. The Brotherhood might not want to sell weapons to all parties, just some, to cause maximum mayhem, and leave the planet wide open to their criminal activities. But what were the Brotherhood doing here?
The copter was armed with missiles, a
lso bombs, but most of the bombs had been dropped already. The missiles were air to ground, and Jamie looked for air to air weaponry. There didn't seem to be any, as the black ducks obviously didn't expect to have competition, but there was provision for air to air missiles. Given the military didn't have any, Jamie looked for other means to turn it into a fighter.
He and the others went to work, to make it work with ammunition already available. Just having the hatches open, and fire at other copters with a rifle, didn't seem to be a workable solution, given the cramped nature of the cockpit as well.
The team found a solution, and were about to try it out, when the dinner break arrived. Jamie hung around to complete the work, as he wasn't up to more green stew, which seemed the only thing on offer. Dodgers stayed with him, and they were guarded by a hog trooper, who wasn't happy to be missing out.
As Jamie and Dodgers worked, a chopping noise could be heard in the distance. They looked up and could see a flight of heli-craft in the distance. Jamie could hear troops running towards them from the castle, as a siren began blaring. Jamie unhid his weapons, un-holstered one, and stunned the unsuspecting trooper. He grabbed the hog's gun, his backpack, and squeezed into the heli-craft cockpit. Dodgers was already climbing in with his gear on already, and Jamie passed her the guard's weapon. Jamie slung his backpack over one shoulder so it was hanging over the back of the chair, got the copter going, and they took off.
Jamie was heading towards the oncoming flight of heli-craft, when he could see troops running to the field they'd just left. He concentrated on what they had to do ahead of them in taking on the black duck craft, and recalled the many simulation sessions he'd had on Seasprite.
The flight of heli-craft was flying in strict formation over the town. Craft were falling out of formation to drop bombs and launch missiles. Jamie flew directly into the formation, on a collision course for the leading craft. He could see the duck in the cockpit looking in surprise as he bore down on him. Dodgers put an arm on Jamie's, knowing he was playing 'chicken' with the commander of the flight. At the last minute, the black duck pulled aside, and the formation broke up completely. At the same time, Jamie targeted his craft with a missile they'd retrofitted, and launched it, tracked it the short distance to the target, and watched it explode in a short blast.
A.I. Destiny 5 Talisman of Tomorrow Page 13
