Raiders

by Malone, Stephan

  “Yeah,” Kama replied. She looked down at her foot and it appeared intact and injury free. “First time, they never attacked when I was on foot.”

  “You were in a group, right?” Revon asked. “With the other Raiders I mean.”

  “Of course. Always,” Kama said.

  “That’s why. On these bikes we trigger their predator instinct,” Revon observed.

  “Makes sense,” Kama said.

  “Don’t worry, it’s rare, probably won’t happen again,” Revon offered.

  “If you say so, heh,” Julian weighed in with a hesitant laugh.

  Aurelia shook her head. “Play music, genre vapor rock,” she said to her Personal Assistant band. “I’m gonna tune out for a bit,” she said.

  Revon nodded from the front of the pack.

  They traveled down the long abandoned highway which was not much more than a hardened path about eight meters wide and impossibly free of detritus. “Been here once or twice,” Kama said. “Feels different riding on it though.”

  The remainder of their journey to the forbidden Raider city of Reso went smoothly. At last they arrived at the outskirts. They stopped at the Western edge of a derelict bridge that crossed a wide, smooth river. “We call this the River Of Islands,” Kama said.

  Revon projected a holomap from his Personal Assistant band on his arm which showed the waterway labeled the Mille Isles, a forgotten name long lost to time’s flow. “We can cross it but we have to go slowly. This bridge isn’t safe,” he said.

  Revon squinted across the span. “There’s a Raider over on the far side! What do you think Kama?”

  She considered options. “I think we should see how they react. It's strange that there's someone here though,” Kama explained.

  “Alright,” Revon responded. The four slowly advanced across the weather-beaten bridge as they maneuvered their Solarbikes around holes large and small. The maws ominously revealed the river far below. “Careful now.”

  The single Raider resolved from a darkened, distant speck into a man who appeared to be pushing a cart in front of him. When they drew to within two hundred meters of the man he ceased his push and froze straight away in his tracks. They calmly and cautiously rolled up to him and then stopped. Kama went ahead of R and lowered her battlesuit collar a little in order to make her esoteric tattoos more viewable.

  The Raider removed his hands from his cart and fell to his knees. He said something to them in Mandarin. He appeared to be fearful and in the presence of greatness. The Raider's leathered and grey-rough clothes waved against the afternoon air while he slowly bowed up and down before her.

  Kama said in Mandarin, “Get up,” and he did. He attempted to stifle his excitement and his sheer awe at this rare and strange apparition. It was unthinkable, one of the Chosen, consort to the great Elders, right here on his very bridge. He had perhaps crossed his bridge hundreds and thousands of times over the many years to scavenge and pick at the Outer Ring but had only seen three other human beings, two fellow Raiders and a stray in all that time. Nobody ever came out this far except for the Elder’s Armymen and certainly never across his old forgotten bridge. But there she was. It was like meeting a wickedly advanced alien being, or maybe even a god of some form. An improbable encounter, to be sure.

  “My Chosen, my Chosen,” he nervously said to Kama, “You are most worshipful and of light but,” he paused and looked at the other three behind her. “Who are these people? I only ask so humbly, please spare this old bridgeman, my Chosen!”

  “New captures, my dear song. I caught them myself,” Kama sternly said to the bridegman in Mandarin. “I will present them to convert to our Jia Ting!” Her Mandarin slipped slightly. Getting used to English did that to her. “They were lost out in Wastes but I take them to serve us! The Elders are always in need of fresh servants you know,” Kama said and then winked at the soil infused bridgeman.

  “But my Chosen,” he whispered to Kama as he looked up to her and squinted against the latter afternoon Sun, “You, you, they are not bound! You travel on these, carts?” He pressured down his voice even further. “Are you really the bound one, my Chosen?” the old man nervously breathed and smashed his eyes.

  Kama froze, unsure what he was going to do next. “No, no! You see, they know that if they run away from me then I will kill them right off with my Coilgun. Trust me and my words my dear song, for I’m a Chosen!”

  “I, I don’t believe you my great! Your beauty and strength will I save, NOW!” The bridgeman sprang up and produced a junk rifle that was heretofore nestled within his wraps. On reflex Kama shot him in the forehead before he could gain balance on stand. The bridgeman's bloodveined head jolted back and he collapsed as a string-bare marionette onto the ground with a pillowdusted thwummmp.

  “Too fast for me! Shit,” Revon said to Kama as he walked up to her. “I barely had time to flinch! I'm impressed. Shame you had to do that though,” he said.

  “No choice. He would have tried to kill the three of you if he could. On pure instinct,” Kama said.

  Revon responded, “Hah, really. That old man?” He pointed his rifle at the bridgeman's body. “And why is that?”

  “Because,” Kama said. She turned from Revon and looked down at the dead bridgeman as she rested her Coilgun against her shoulder. “Because.”

  The bridge seemed out of place for there were no signs of overt civilization or metropolis anywhere excepting subtle melted hints of artificiality. There was a concrete wall here or a rounded off square mound there but for the most part only the relatively open path that was once the Trans Canadian Highway stretched before them. On either side were fields and some oddly shaped mounds that could have been anything four hundred years before. A building, an aircraft or a car or a bus perhaps, but who knew? Trees grew large as they happily overarched the trail forward on. The River Of Islands provided them with plenty of nourishment juxtaposed to the rains that passed over Reso once or twice a month but never more often than that.

  They rode toward the underground City for another two kilometers. Kama said, “We need to stop now, we’re too close as it is.”

  Everyone followed Revon’s lead as they hid their Solarbikes behind a twelve meter mound. “Sun’s goin’ down in two hours. We should get movin',” Julian said.

  “Need help setting the cannon?” Aurelia asked him.

  “No, thanks baby,” Julian responded. After they rested for a few minutes he set up the auto-cannon only this time he deployed it in silent mode. The cannon would not send out any audible alerts and would use an invisible infrared laser to scan around them. After he assembled the cannon’s base Julian firmly smacked the head assembly down. “Alright, she’s tied in,” he said and then pointed his wrench to Revon and Aurelia. “Anything comes within two hundred meters you’ll get a vibe,” he said. “You will feel one per enemy engaged so pay attention to how many times it goes off.”

  “Got it, thanks,” Revon said. He broke his rifle open to inspect.

  Kama said, “We have to make you look like you’re my prisoner. You look too clean.” She walked up to Julian with a small tactical folding knife.

  Aurelia scrambled in between them and yanked the knife from Kama’s hand. “Yeah let me do that,” she hurriedly said.

  Kama raised her hands up and said, “Fine.”

  An hour later Kama and Julian were ready. “Showtime.” After a long hug and kiss from Aurelia, Julian tramped closer to the Northwest entrance of the great City below, his hands lashed behind him with rope. Kama followed behind with her Coilgun charged to fire and aimed directly at his back. Julian considered that Aurelia had perhaps tied him a little too snug but then again it had to a be convincing lash.

  “Another two kilometers,” Kama said. She didn’t turn around to look but supposed that Aurelia stared holes into her back as they marched away. “You okay?” she asked Julian.

  “Yeah she just tied it really tight,” Julian said.

  “You’ll be fine. Once we find
them I’ll cut ‘em off and you’ll be back to normal,” Kama responded.

  “So this is passable huh? Damn she really scraped up my armor pretty good,” Julian asked.

  “Sure. Aurelia did a great job beating you up,” Kama said. “Must be love, I guess.”

  Julian turned his head to the side as they trudged ahead. “Must be.” They walked for another forty minutes until they could see a small number of Raiders in the distance. “I can see them now,” he announced.

  “Don’t be shocked by what you see. Just keep walking, I’ll tell you where to turn,” Kama said.

  “Right. Okay.” The Raiders drew closer as they marched along the road. Even from seven hundred meters away Julian could tell the Raiders were idle and calm. “These are the Outer Ring Raiders?”

  Kama adjusted her Coilgun to make it appear more attentive to her false capture. “Yeah. They have no laws or anything out here so like I said don’t be shocked by what you see.”

  “I think I can handle it,” Julian answered. As they neared the Outer Ring the Raiders took notice. Kama and Julian could hear the Raiders shout to one another in Mandarin. “Can you make out what they are saying?” Julian whispered.

  “They’re trying to figure out who we are,” Kama replied.

  “Great.” Julian wriggled his binds while he shuffled. “They don’t look armed.”

  “Don't be so sure. Most of them are addicted to synthmeth or alcohol or whatever they can get their hands on,” Kama said. They continued their shuffled walk and as they did the Raiders who lined the road’s sides fell silent and simply stared at the two as they passed by. They were gathered in small groups of ten to twenty along the roadside. Kama shouted out in Mandarin, “I have a capture! Leave us to pass my songs! For I am your Chosen!” She yelled into the street.

  The Raiders in this Outer Ring were indeed without moral conviction. Some were nearly naked, others totally so. Julian briefly glanced to the left. A man and woman writhed against each others bodies as they moaned and sighed right in plain sight of everyone. The man reached out and swigged a drink from a cream colored clay jar. Julian guessed the jar was filled with alcohol but there was no way to really know. A young boy watched the naked adults as they wrestled and they orgasmed up as if the spectacle were an everyday affair of little significance. Julian reflexively stopped in horror at the sight of the poor child.

  Kama butted Julian with her Coilgun, against his armor just hard enough so the sound was believable but not so much that her action inflicted any injury. Bbwwapp. Julian got the message and immediately snapped out of his train.

  About half the Raiders stopped what they were doing to see what Kama was going to do next. To see a Chosen outside of the Reso underground was not an uncommon sight. To witness one of these elite women parade herself down a commoner's road with prisoner at gunpoint, however, was.

  “We already have enough attention. Don’t draw any more,” Kama said.

  “Yeah, you were right. Wasn’t expecting that, though,” Julian responded.

  “Gonna yell at you in Mandarin now. Pretend that you are scared, when I do,” Kama said.

  “You sure they don’t understand us? Can they understand English or not?” Julian asked while he shuffled past a throng of Raiders who reached out to touch him in teased curiosity.

  “No,” Kama answered. “Now shut up.” She spoke aloud, “I said BE QUIET my capture! Or I shall cut your unworthy head! I’ll cut it right off and give you away! A souvenir for my songs here!” She butted his back with her Coilgun in believable presentation.

  The Raiders nearby clapped and jeered at them. “Do it my Chosen!” they yelled in Mandarin. “Do it!”

  Kama smiled back to her former Raiders in visaged facade. “This one is for the Elders my songs! Be patient! For I will bring you more!”

  She wasn’t sure if they would buy it. But they did for the Raiders roared and cheered as their leatherbound idol marched by them, her metal ringed dire blonde hair confidently bobbed and lulled itself while she walked.

  One of the Raiders, a man who appeared to me in his middle twenties ran up to Kama in a flash. His eyes pushed themselves out of their sockets a little and his mouth itself gaped wide. He breathed heavily and tremored while he held out his hands. He was tweaked on synthmeth, probably something else too.

  Kama wanted to block his advance but could not lower her Coilgun against Julian for fear that the performance would be given away, and all would be lost. “You!” the crazed man said, not wanting to waste another second on words. The man wrapped his arms around Kama and kissed her deeply, his tongue somehow forced itself past her teeth and met hers overcome with lusted waves. A single kiss with a Chosen was certainly worth his life. At least he believed it to be true within his drug induced mindstate.

  Kama bit down hard and the crazed man sprang back and yowled and collapsed to the ground. He covered his mouth in a futile attempt to stop the flow of blood. A pressured torrent emitted from his face and wrapped itself around his hands and arms.

  “Him!” Kama yelled out, her mouth streaked with the assailant’s blood. “He dies, this man for what he has done!” She breathed deeply in exasperation and jutted her head toward the man who lay on the ground at her feet. She never lowered her weapon from Julian's back, not even for half a second and then kicked the crazed Raider where he lay.

  Julian stood still. He wasn't sure what to do next. He did his best to hold himself in role, to appear captured.

  A group of nearby Raiders piled onto the man after they withdrew their knives and their handspears and their small canes from leather and cloth alike. The prone man let out a muffled moan and held out his arms against the rush but it was no use. Twenty seconds later the mob got up from the pile and revealed what remained. Two Raider men picked up the wretched bloodied heap and tossed him into a firepit about ten meters away.

  Kama and Julian continued their trek toward the City. They arrived at a tunnel entrance. Reso lay below, a wide staircase about thirty meters wide that led gently down. Oddly there was nobody at all on the entire staircase for as far as Julian could tell. He had expected at least some kind of military presence. Some guards or checkpoints perhaps or at least an unmanned auto cannon. But no, there was nothing.

  “Not far now,” Kama said.

  “Good. The sooner the better,” Julian said. They straggled down the dimly lit stairwell with strings of neverfail lights as their only illumination. Small vines and plants rebelliously and impossibly lined the metal stair edges and crevices. They arrived at the lowest step and then touched the level ground.

  Reso.

  “Welcome home,” Julian said to Kama.

  “Doesn’t feel like home. Not any more,” she said.

  “Now what?” Julian asked.

  “Another half kilometer. We’re going to an Elder’s place. Used to be a hotel centuries ago.”

  Julian shrugged. “What the hell is a hotel?”

  “Travelers used to pay to sleep there once. That’s what they told me.”

  “So like renting a Pod for a day or two.”

  “Something like that,” Kama said. They walked through tunneled ways and passages lightly populated with more Raiders only this time they were well scrubbed and appointed unlike the Outer Ring’s populus above. Curiously they did not seem alarmed nor surprised at Julian and Kama's presence. Kama received silent respectful nods from several passers-by. At last the tunnel's end opened into a large underground atrium that was five levels high. Shops and stores and what appeared to be living quarters ringed the outer walls above and below.

  Julian could not help but notice how nearly perfect everyone looked, almost as if he walked into a city of alien supermen and women both. None of the Raiders appeared overweight nor inflicted with any overt chronic conditions. They were well toned and perfectly proportioned and beautifully heeled. There was no sign of any military or police presence anywhere. Nobody raised their heads in alarm when Kama and Julian entranced into the g
reat atrium, she with her Coilgun charged and him with his hands firmly bound in.

  For the Raiders of Reso, any activity that a Chosen partook in was to be considered normal, mundane, ignored. You could question a Chosen elite, sure. But then consider if such action is equally valued to losing everything, your life not shielded from exclusion, at that very moment.

  They entered a structure with a sign in front. Faded letters spelled out HYATT in white near the structure’s topmost floor about thirty meters overhead.

  “This is just weird,” Julian said.

  “Shh. Don’t say anything,” Kama said. They walked across the spacious entry foyer toward an ancient elevator that amazingly enough was operational. Julian stopped, unsure whether he could trust walking into a cramped and windowless box. The elevators back home were roomy and inviting by comparison. “Get in,” Kama said.

  Julian decided he had no choice but to do so. What else could he do?

  “Kama, level six,” Kama hoarsely spoke in Mandarin to the elevator console.

  A female Assistant voiced itself from the brushed chromeblue metal. “Identification failed. Please exit the car,” it said in Mandarin.

  Kama realized that her voice was a little off, probably from dehydration and dust alike. She cleared her throat and then repeated, “Kama, level six!”

  Two high pitched blips emitted from the plate. “Welcome back, Kama.” The elevator jarred itself to life. Julian shuffled his feet to gain balance with his wrists yet bound. Ten seconds passed until the elevator door silently slid open. And then they stepped out of the car.

  Fifteen

  Julian stopped after only three steps from the elevator and as he did Kama nearly bumped into him but stopped short. He turned round and nodded sideways to her. She looked ahead and saw an Elder about fifty meters away. He lay reclined on an oversized bed in the distance with two Chosen girls. One woman appeared young from across the large temple room. The other he could not see save for her buttocks which protruded above a veiled curtain that circled the bed. Kama jangled her head forward and whispered, “Just walk. It’s fine.”