I had to hand it to Hamilton, he knew exactly how to narrow down an opponent’s weaknesses and go right for the kill. Thankfully I was still high on my own supply, so it was almost easy to let his accusations bounce right off me.
“The booster cocktail, if you really want to know,” I informed him. “Remember what happened the last time I was on that? Which was before I had the metabolism to actually use it as it’s intended. Right, I killed enough of your people to get me a deserved space on your most-wanted list, and spring my people, who you happened to be too stupid to execute the moment you could. Now just imagine what havoc I can, and will, wreak today.”
Goading Bucky wasn’t easy, I realized, when once more I got only a scoff. “And still you claim you’re not here for bloody murder.”
I shrugged, doing my best to make myself seem relaxed. Or as relaxed as one could be in full gear, M4 in semi-lowered but still ready position.
“As I already said, only a single man has to die tonight. And I promise you, after I’m done explaining, you will thank me for taking that problem off your hands.”
I hadn’t expected that statement to get so many amused murmurs from the peanut gallery, but I ignored them. Just glancing along the ranks of soldiers made it all too obvious that I was right—and not in the sense of them being a bunch of gigantic assholes. Hamilton went as far as to nudge the red-haired guy by his side with his elbow before he replied.
“Please, tell your sob story again. Still baffles me how you could motivate anyone to join you on that alone, but that just underlines what a hopeless bunch of losers you all are. Which reminds me.” He looked up from me to the silent crowd at my back. “Once we’re done wasting time here, I have an offer. Any able-bodied fighter just now realizing that you’ve been lured here by a bunch of lunatics and hypocrites is free to join us. General amnesty on whatever you’ve done before now. Too many people have died senselessly already. I will not waste another life that I don’t have to.”
I did not like the murmurs rising in response to that, but at least it was fewer than the taunts I’d received. Pretending like I didn’t care, I laughed softly.
“Gee, and there I was about to offer the same exact thing to your people. Just tells you that we actually do have a very good foundation to negotiate a truce, here, tonight. We might have to let our inflated egos get pummeled a little, but that’s a small price to pay on the grand scale of things.”
Hamilton continued to sport that superior grin, mouthing “hypocrite,” but then indulged me with what looked awfully like a benevolent leader’s nod. “Please. Enlighten us. I can’t wait to have yet more reason not to take you or your inane cause seriously.”
What was it with people demanding I give speeches of late? But this one, at least, I’d had plenty of time to prepare. Now I just had to manage to persuade the soldiers, and not get crucified by my own people. This had sounded a lot better in my head before Jaymie had shared her concerns with me this morning. More to prep myself than for anyone else to hear, I muttered, “Here goes nothing,” before I turned to the fatigue-wearing mass spread out across the other side of the room. I could see a few women among them, but few enough to make me guess that they hadn’t been selected to be cannon fodder.
“I know exactly what you think I’m going to say now. As your great and infallible leader put it, my ‘sob story.’ Because, you know, nothing says you’re anything but a bunch of assholes than ridiculing women for not wanting to get raped.” I only paused to take a deep breath, talking right over the laughs I knew were about to come—and they didn’t disappoint me. Putting a smile on my face wasn’t easy, but picturing myself punching those grins right off theirs helped. A lot. “Hey, I get it. You all think you deserve it. To let off some steam, have some fun, after all the hard work you put into rebuilding civilization and shit. I obviously lack the anatomy to sympathize, but it must be nice to get your dick sucked after spending weeks on the road, killing zombies. You deserve it. That has to be one ungrateful, frigid bitch that doesn’t see that.” Some were still laughing, but discomfort was spreading, shutting most of them up. I couldn’t help but smirk. “Still, pro tip on the side, from someone who’s both a woman, and has banged women. We do kind of appreciate that whole not being taken for granted thing or getting reduced to our genitals. But most of us don’t really have high expectations. We’re not that complicated, either. We like to bang heroes, you know? The kind of man who will go out there and make sure we get to live for another day. Who sees it as his duty to protect and serve his country. I may be wrong, I’m neither an Army wife in the common sense nor have I served, but isn’t that the bullshit your recruiters told you when you signed your name on the dotted line? Just a thought.”
I let that hang in the air, vindicated at the anger seeping into the murmurs. “Whatever. As I said, I’m not here because I’ve spent a lot of time picturing in minute detail how, painstakingly slowly, I will dismember the asshole responsible for the rape and horrific death of what must have been way more women than we can spare to lose, although a single one would have been enough. Sure, that’s why most of them...” I indicated my fellow scavengers “...are here today. They are sick of getting slaughtered, getting violated, and above all else not being able to live the life they want to. We all know how bad last year was, but that should have been the worst our nation had to suffer through, not the setup for stage two. If hunting down the motherfucker you all so adore had been my agenda, I would have done that with a small group that would have had a much better chance to extract him so I’d have all the time in the world to take out all my many misgivings on him. I’m well aware that this will always have to remain my favorite fantasy. At best, I’ll get a clean kill, but I’m ready to sacrifice my need for vengeance for the greater good.”
Hamilton’s laugh made me pause just long enough for him to offer an acerbic, “All words, no content, as usual.”
I didn’t even give him the satisfaction of scoffing. “I’m here because he screwed all of you over. Think the girls he locked in his cells had it bad? The number he’s pulling on you is much, much worse.” I laughed when confusion and irritation washed through the soldiers. “Oh, that’s so precious. You still don’t get it, do you? Well, if I was about to slowly turn into a mindless zombie after someone had promised to make me a badass super soldier, I’d be in denial, too.”
Bomb, dropped, and my, did it cause ripples in the previously united front before me. The smile creeping onto my face was a real one, and it grew when I saw the utter lack of surprise on Hamilton’s—and also Stone’s—face. There was denial, too, mostly and most vehemently coming from Taggard himself, but I still didn’t allow myself to focus on him. Breathe. Go on.
“Don’t believe me? Take a look around. As in, turn your head right, then turn it left. Realize how many of the guys standing right next to you are still staring straight at me, at us, the enemy, because someone told them to stay ready to fight at the drop of a needle? Now look at your great commander. You don’t have to believe me. You can read the truth right off his face. How does that make you feel? How does it make you feel that a scavenger whore had to shoot her way through your ranks to be the first to tell you that your own people are not only using you as cannon fodder, but have already turned a chunk of your forces into mindless automatons?” Only then did I let my gaze stray right until I was looking straight at Taggard’s crazed expression, while talking to Hamilton. “As I said, I’m here to relieve you of your problem. To sacrifice your scapegoat so you, and whoever stands behind you, don’t have to take the fall. And all I ask for in exchange is that you conniving assholes stop systematically eradicating the people who don’t agree with you.”
Everything else I might have tried to say got swallowed by the many raised voices, starting to argue, offering their denial, or just plain out cursing me. On both sides, but that had been inevitable. I dropped my M4 onto its sling and pulled my Beretta out of its holster—not “my” Beretta, that first one Nate had g
iven me back on that field by the barn for my first practice lesson; likely not even the fifth, considering a couple had malfunctioned and I’d lost two at raids, one at the factory, and one more when Taggard’s people had kidnapped me—but like no other weapon it felt like my gun. Tearing my gaze away from Taggard shouldn’t have been that hard, but I managed, finding Hamilton staring with a stony expression at me. I could see that he and Nate must really have been close before whatever had caused the divide between them had happened; they were working from the same playbook. “Your decision. Give him up, and we can talk. Don’t, and you will get to experience first-hand exactly how much of a crazy bitch I can be.”
Hamilton took his sweet time replying, to the point where I was tempted to shoot him just to get an answer. Any answer, really, as my rising pulse was demanding. I couldn’t quite understand why he dragged the inevitable out that long when all he could do was lose face the more time passed. He didn’t even give me the satisfaction of agreeing, but instead had his red-headed lieutenant do it, giving a curt nod to him. The moment someone behind him gave Taggard a shove that made him stagger forward, I shot, hitting him right between the eyes. He dropped dead to the floor before any of the startled, and now decidedly blood-splattered, soldiers around him could wipe the gore off their faces.
Terribly anticlimactic, and so not what my very soul was craving—but I’d been honest when I’d told Bucky that I was ready to make some sacrifices.
People shouted all over the mess hall and momentary confusion broke out, weapons rising and warriors on both sides of the divide dropping into defensive stances. I allowed myself to stare at the lifeless corpse on the floor for a good five heartbeats before I put my gun away, telling myself repeatedly that it was enough. The fact that Hamilton had given Taggard up that easily confirmed my guess—somewhere along the way Taggard had been shot up with the exact same serum that he used to turn his disciples into mindless sheep, and there likely hadn’t been enough of him left that I could have made him pay for everything he did. I’d had suspected for a while now, once the worst of the haze after getting out of that underground compound had worn off. He’d put me through hell, no question, and he was one relentless fucker if I’d ever gotten to meet one, but if he’d actually wanted to break me, I wouldn’t have made it out of that cell. Even then he’d started to lose it, playing sadistic games rather than following along with the plan he’d been set on. That the serum hadn’t been his idea was obvious, and now it was Hamilton’s job to continue to guard the people responsible. What Taggard had done to Ethan, skinning him alive so we could find him there, turned, dangling from the ceiling, had just been the last straw. That Stone was behind Hamilton now confirmed that he’d been in cahoots with them from the start, but that shouldn’t have been a surprise. Unless, of course…
Turning back to Hamilton, I crossed my arms over my chest—well, vest—and shouted over the din, “I am here to negotiate a truce. Are you ready to hear my terms and conditions?”
People quieted enough to be able to listen, although tension remained high. Hamilton allowed himself a brief glare, but when he answered, his voice was that of a reasonable statesman. “Speak.”
I didn’t miss the venomous glare Nate shot my way, but did my best to ignore that like everything else I didn’t want to deal with right now. “First, you will stop hunting down my people. That means all scavengers, traders, and other unaffiliated folks not under your command. You need us as much as we need you, and that is a lot if we don’t want to sign the execution order for the human race tonight. I have no quarrel with your faction personally. I can’t speak for all of my people and the beefs they still carry, same as you must have soldiers under your command who have reasons to hate us and want to hunt us down like animals. That we all will have to deal with, but on a personal level. This idiotic, senseless civil war ends tonight. And none of that senseless segregation anymore. If the settlements want our help and our wares, they will damn well pay us, and that includes giving us shelter as often and as long as we need it.”
Hamilton let me stew for a full ten seconds before he inclined his head. “Agreed.”
Breathing was a lot easier once the impact of that single word registered. I’d done it. I’d pulled it off. Not like I’d wanted to, and very likely not without fallout, but after how our previous confrontations had gone down, this was marvelous progress.
“Second. We agree on the general amnesty you proposed for my people joining yours, and vice versa. I think that a lot has been revealed today that will make people second-guess their choices and convictions. Let’s let them decide, without consequences, where they want to cast their lot. We are the free, unrestrained, unrestricted loners on the road. You are what remains of one of the most powerful military forces in the world, with centuries of tradition and knowledge. Our country needs you, and I’m sure that, all bullshit aside, there are many who still believe in the ideals you stand for. We may agree to disagree on almost all points of life and conduct, but, by God, the country’s fucking large enough that we can easily coexist without having to eradicate each other.”
Hamilton’s answering grin was a small, wry one, but again he inclined his head. “As long as you are aware that certain elements aren’t welcome—on either side, I expect—we can agree on that.”
“Splendid. And don’t worry, I can’t think of a single reason why I’d ever come knocking on your door again.” He left that uncommented, so I went on to the last point. “Third. You, either willfully or by accident, infected scores of your own people. They are your responsibility. You will take care of them. And by that I mean, you, or rather, your scientists, will do their humanly best to find a cure. You can’t just take them out back and shoot them like rabid dogs. This one shouldn’t be a hard one to swallow. You owe them this.”
The agreeing nod came quickly on that. “Anything else?” Hamilton inquired, his tone indicating that he was about done letting me dictate the terms.
I hesitated, but shook my head. I could have brought forward a lot more demands—like forcing him to publicly exonerate Nate, and likely, me as well—but I felt like I was already pushing my luck.
A satisfied look crossed Hamilton’s features, making me wonder if I’d just made a grave mistake. “Am I allowed to offer my own terms and conditions now?” he asked with a lilt in his voice that made my hackles rise further.
The sound of gunshots outside the mess hall started up just in time, and I only waited for a second to get the confirmation for my guess from the murmurs rising behind me.
“Actually, I think you’re in too much shit to dictate anything,” I surmised. “After all, we shot your defenses to hell, killed a good chunk of your men, and if we withdraw, the undead will eat every single last one of you. You need us to make a stand here and weather the storm until we’ve killed all of them together. And that’s by far a better deal than you deserve.”
“It was you who brought them here,” Hamilton accused with a sneer.
I countered with a cool, “All of the zombies are those you kept tethered around should you ever need them. We could have never brought so many along if you’d done the cleanup every sane man or woman would do so close to their chosen home.”
Hamilton opened his mouth to object, but Stone spoke up before he could. “She is right. And those are terms you can live with. Accept them while you can still come out ahead. The winter will be long and hard, and we can always shuffle the deck anew next year. You’ve heard the instructions from up high. It’s your mission to secure our place of power in this world and stop the constant infighting. With slaughtering them to the last man and woman off the table, this is your best option.”
My, wasn’t that an endearing speech—and still, something about the way Stone kept glancing in my direction when he was sure Hamilton couldn’t see it made me pause. It was not what he said, but how he said it. With that insufferable grin that made me want to punch him in the face…
And that’s when I realized where
all the intel that had turned the tide for us must have come from. Who had known about the stolen beacons and roaming zombie mobs, had access to blueprints, and was in the position to send a squad of soldiers to us to deliver all that. Who was non-threatening and unimportant, and had been best buddies with the spymaster sitting like a fat spider in the net he had cast, smack in the middle of unbreachable New Angeles. Fucking Gabriel Greene messing with me all over again. But, I had to admit, I could never have delivered my speech with such conviction if I’d known that Brandon Stone was his mole—and not done being so by a long shot.
It cost me not to start laughing at the top of my lungs, but I managed, somehow.
Shit, but I was getting too old for this.
“Shall we shake on it? Or shall I give my people the order to fall back? Your choice,” I offered.
Hamilton looked ready to chew stones, but then stepped forward, his hand extended. I did the same, trying hard not to wince when we did our best to break each other’s fingers. As soon as he let go, I joined Nate, trying hard not to take it personally that he didn’t even deign to ignore me. Yet in the hours of fighting that ensued, he always remained within shouting distance of me, making sure that I got out on the other end alive so he could continue to heap scorn on me as long as he saw fit. Exhausted, bloody, and bruised, I still marveled that he’d let me have my victory at the cost of his own vengeance. I was sure that he wouldn’t let me forget about that any time soon.
The sun was rising to the east by the time the last shambler’s head had been smashed in, the soldiers and scavengers parting quickly now that their common enemy was done for. Not all of them returned to the factions they’d belonged to when we’d brought down the mountain earlier, but enough to make it obvious that our truce wasn’t going to herald a time of great change. I made sure to stay far away from the soldiers, not wanting to give anyone an easy opportunity to hash out any remaining misgivings. With the help of the cars of the other incursion groups we got busy pulling those vehicles out of the rock slide that looked even marginally salvageable. It took us several hours to get that task done, but we managed. I was surprised to see the Rover start after it had been towed clear of the debris and rocked back onto its wheels. It was banged up beyond saving, but I might still get a few more miles out of it.
Green Fields (Book 6): Unity Page 39
