I am home.
He carried Fu to the outskirts of the new Petersburg. Some had been destroyed during the fall, but the Russians were a hearty sort and many people had survived and kept parts of the city alive.
Gene strode boldly down the middle of the street, Fu in arms. He came across an old woman, bundled against the cold.
“Dobriy den’,” he said in greeting. Good day.
“Tvoyu mat’,” she grumbled through a mouthful of missing teeth. “I Blyad.”
Fuck you and the whore.
“Ahh,” Gene sighed softly. “Just like I remember my Mother Russia. Give us kiss, darling babushka!”
Gene puckered up and leaned toward the old woman. She thrust her middle finger in front of his face. Gene leaned back and roared his laughter before moving on.
Despite his size, Gene was already blending in, returning to his roots. He looked and felt at home.
“Babushka,” grandmother, he said conversationally in Russian. “Where may I find work in this wonderful town so that I can feed my beautiful bride?”
“Work in this god-forsaken town?” she answered, leaning to the side to spit. “You look like you have a strong back. The cattle farm needs shit-shovelers. I’m thinking you will be good at that. Won’t require any thought from that pea brain of yours.”
“I want to kiss you right on your mouth!” Gene exclaimed. “Which way, lovely babushka?”
She pointed with a gnarled hand and stopped walking to put distance between her and the brute who had interrupted her reverie.
Gene waved as he headed in the indicated direction.
“Soon, my Fu, we will have place to stay, plenty to eat, and real vacation,” he said, pulling her close to him. She looked past Gene’s arm at the babushka. The old woman sneered at her before turning away. Fu buried her head in Gene’s chest and started to cry.
Tianjin, China
It was the middle of the night when they reached China. The chosen landing site well to the north of the port city was secluded and free of casual observers. They set down, opened the pod, and stretched their legs in the humid air of the Chinese coast.
Aaron and Yanmei held hands as they prepared to hike toward the port city.
“You didn’t want any of this, Aaron, did you?” Terry asked. Aaron cocked his head, wondering what Terry meant. “Being a Weretiger, returning to China, those kinds of things.”
“Not really,” Aaron countered, smiling at Yanmei, then turning back to Terry and Char. “They turned me into a tiger. I didn’t know what I was getting into, and then I was sent back to the States. Being a Weretiger there? Not fun at all, as I was alone. You and Char added me to the pack, and I was still alone. Then you introduced me to Yanmei. I love China and all that it has to offer. With Yanmei, in China, I feel whole for the first time in a long time, my friends. We will do as you ask, watching for evil to raise its ugly head. We won’t let it take root here, TH. That, I promise you.”
Shonna and Merrit looked on from within the pod. They’d been with the pack for so long they didn’t remember what it was like to be different from everyone else and be alone. Even with the pack, they’d never understood how much Aaron had been on the outside looking in. They always thought he was shy.
That was true, but even with all the time they’d spent together, he was close with Cory most of all. She was one of four people in his inner circle. Terry and Char took a long time to get inside, but Yanmei was a perfect fit and instantly his best friend.
Terry’s torturer was the best thing that had ever happened to Aaron since he’d been changed into a Weretiger. She made him appreciate what he was, his true nature.
And they were back in China.
“Take all the time you need. Do as you need to do. Stay vigilant. I think Mister Smith is Chinese. He may have come here. I ask that you not try to take him on yourselves, no matter how vulnerable he may seem. Call for help, and we will all come. I look forward to the day where we can live in a Forsaken-free world,” Terry stated.
“Forsaken who eat people. I like Joseph, and Andrew is growing on me,” Char clarified.
Aaron and Yanmei chuckled briefly, then waved as they walked from the clearing.
Terry watched them go, feeling better about the plan to put the pack in strategic places around the world. “Next stop, San Francisco, to check on our wayward party animals,” Terry said as they loaded back into the pod and took their seats.
San Francisco
“Where the hell are they?” Terry wondered as they looked around the wharf. Boris was there, waiting. None of the other warriors were present as two platoons were in various phases of training, while the third platoon was rotating its people through a variety of guard duties. If they weren’t on post, they were sleeping.
Boris found that was a better method to keep them out of trouble than any disciplinary measures. He thought it odd how the warriors accepted their punishment and flaunted it as a source of pride.
Terry was done waiting. He started to storm toward where Sue and Timmons were staying, a small condo beside the government building. He stopped when he heard Char clear her throat. Although it was the early morning, she could see that shops were starting to open.
Char held out her hand.
Terry looked at it, a blank expression on his face.
“Isn’t the love of my life supposed to give me money to go shopping?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head, batting her eyelashes for emphasis as she toyed with him
He held out his hands, showing her that they were both empty. Boris hurried forward and handed Char a stack of bills. She contemplated them briefly before taking half.
“Take it all. I don’t need it,” Boris said, pushing the bills toward Char. “Everything you’ve done for me? I get taken care of quite well here. I feel guilty about it sometimes. I’ve heard the saying that rank has its privileges. To me, more rank means more work. The colonel teaches that lesson pretty well. I like it here and that’s reward enough.”
“We’ll pay you back in some way,” Terry told him.
“You know, those Uzi submachine guns that you took down in Monterey? I’d love to have one of those,” Boris suggested.
“Done! Those things are fucking useless unless you’re inside a building and need to send a lot of rounds downrange in a short amount of time. You can have them both. They won’t ever be a T/O weapon for the FDG,” Terry replied.
The table of organization associated rank and position with combat equipment. The higher ranks carried pistols in addition to rifles. Everyone carried the same rifle when possible, the M4, to make sharing ammunition a seamless proposition.
During combat, looking for the right caliber ammunition should never be a thing. Uzis could rip through the ammunition in no-time flat.
“When the Uzi runs out of ammunition, you know you’ll be shit outta luck. You better hope you have plenty of backup. Then again, if you’re firing that thing with its two-inch barrel, you’re already neck-deep in the shit and ready to get fucked sideways,” Terry clarified.
“I’ll just have to make sure that I’m never that deep in the river of no return,” Boris replied, holding his hand out to shake on their deal.
Char waved over her shoulder as she took the full stack of cash and headed for the market district. Shonna and Merrit hurried to catch up. Terry thought he heard them talking about bikinis.
Ted appeared out of a small shack, waved, said ‘hi,’ and walked away.
“Hang on there, big fella!” Terry called and ran after him. Ted didn’t slow down. Terry increased his pace until he was able to get in front of him. Ted tried to dodge around, but Terry held out a hand.
“Time to go home to North Chicago, Ted,” Terry told him. “Pack your stuff. You’ll be leaving with us as soon as we can talk with Sue and Timmons.”
Ted stomped a foot and clenched his jaw, but he didn’t say anything. He also didn’t do anything that would indicate his intention of complying with Terry’s direct
ive.
Terry had been studying Ted for a long time and knew that the key to getting Ted to do anything was to make it about technology and that it was to help someone else out who couldn’t survive without Ted’s help.
“You have to go home, Ted. I’ve never seen Felicity more miserable. She is in dire need of what only you can fix,” Terry said cryptically.
“The old ball and chain, eh?” Ted replied.
Had Terry been drinking anything, he would have shot it out his nose. Terry found that he was unable to reply as he bit down on his tongue to prevent a further outburst.
“I guess so. This Mini Cooper is running flawlessly, of course, while I’m sure the one in North Chicago is out of calibration. Don’t want to lose power. Felicity likes her bathroom to work as it is supposed to. Give me twenty minutes,” Ted said and walked back toward the nondescript shed.
Terry scratched his head, wondering if Ted was living there, in a shed in the middle of the wharf. “And we need you to fly the pod. We barely made it here!” Terry shouted.
“Of course you do, and I bet it needs charged again. Ted, please charge the pod, we need to go on a trip,” Ted mimicked sarcastically. He didn’t do sarcasm well as he was completely serious. “I know we just got back, but please charge our pod as we want to take another joy ride. Can you shuttle us around, Ted, because walking hurts our feet? Can you get us closer to the door? We’re tired.”
Terry listened to the litany of whining and complaints until he could only hear the mumbling from within the shed.
“I don’t think I ever asked to be dropped off closer to the door because I was tired,” Terry told the empty wharf.
CHAPTER FIVE
Cancun
Ted didn’t even wave as Terry, Char, Merrit, and Shonna stepped off the pod’s ramp and into the jungle clearing. He secured the pod and took off, grumbling constantly as his fingers danced across the touch screen.
“All righty, then!” Terry declared with a big smile.
“I guess we’re on vacation,” Char said with a bit of skepticism. “We are on vacation, are we not, TH?”
“Of course! Why would you ask that?” Terry replied, wearing a hurt expression.
“Uh huh,” Char said, rolling her eyes. “How long have I known you? We spent two weeks with the kids where you taught them survival skills. That’s it. That’s the sum total of all the time off you’ve taken. If you try to work, TH, I’ll kick your ass.”
Terry’s smile returned. “You make me want to work, so I can get a right stiff paddling,” Terry taunted.
“I married a child,” Char said, shaking her head. “We better get to the beach before anyone changes their mind.”
“Talk about changing their mind, I don’t think Ted’s coming back for us. Not next week. Not ever,” Merrit said as the group started to head east, out of the jungle and toward the main town of Cancun. “I’ve known Ted a long time and it’ll take more than an act of congress to get him back here. I think he’s fed up with our taking his pod.”
“It’s not his pod!” Terry blurted.
“It ain’t yours either, but that’s how you treat it,” Shonna said. “Ted keeps it running. Just like that sailboat Ted used to have.”
“But Ted wrecked it!” Terry countered in disbelief.
“In his mind, you befouled it and ruined it for everyone. Same thing with the pod. He thinks of himself as the appropriate owner since he unlocked it and flew it away, completing its theft from the Forsaken. You’re just an interloper, Terry Henry Walton. Accept that, stick with driving your beater jeeps, and everyone will be better off,” Merrit suggested.
“It’s a conspiracy,” Terry replied, pointing toward Merrit and Shonna. “You’ll be hung for your treasonous acts.”
“I think we should be drinking mai tais on the beach,” Shonna suggested.
“Capital idea, dear,” Merrit replied.
Terry harrumphed as they kept walking. Their trip to disable and recover the transmitter had been inconclusive regarding the level of civilization that existed. Not long ago, they knew Cancun had power as there had been a well-lit section of the city.
And that was where they were headed.
The walk from the jungle took two hours and they were drenched with sweat as they strode down the main road of the strip of land that made up the recreational side of Cancun. It was the only part remaining. The real Mexican town of Cancun had withered and died without power that was exclusive to the peninsula. Those who survived the fall, and there were many, moved east and took up residence in one of the many hotels.
That was where most of them still lived.
With opportunity comes growth. Shonna and Merrit remembered when they had been there a long time ago, when Marcus was still the alpha and Timmons was trying to call the shots.
It had been a lovely place to pass the time until the Forsaken had shown up and they ran for their lives.
That wouldn’t be the case now, should it happen again.
With those thoughts in their minds, they strolled into the active part of the town and headed for the hotel where last they’d stayed.
“We’re visiting and wondered if you had rooms,” Char asked the young man at the counter.
“The resort maintains a small group for visitors, but I didn’t know any boats were scheduled for today,” he said, making it sound like a question.
“We came overland. We’ll take two rooms, please. How do you wish us to pay?” Char requested.
“Food or labor,” the man replied matter-of-factly.
“We will provide labor and within a day or two, we’ll be able to pay with food. Where do we start?” Char asked.
“A new load of fish has just been dropped off from the fleet. Down that hallway is the kitchen.” The man leaned over the counter to point the way.
“Our keys please so we can drop off our stuff, and then we’ll be right back down.”
“That’s not how it works. First, you do the job, then if it measures up, you get the room,” the young man replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Okay,” Char replied happily. She saw no sense in arguing with the man. If they were going to be there for a while, then they needed to establish and maintain the best relations.
“Thanks, wild man!” Terry answered before realizing the whole conversation was in English.
“Hang on,” he called to the others. “Two questions. Why are you speaking English? And is there a large sailboat that we might be able to use?”
“We all speak English here. After the fall, that’s what the founders spoke. They saved everyone so speaking their language was the least we could do. As for the sailboat, there are a number in the harbor, but all of them have captains. You might be able to work as a hand on one, if you dress the right way,” the man said suggestively, looking at Char.
“We know how to dress!” Char answered with a toss of her head. “As soon as we have a free moment, we’ll stop by and see what we need to do to work as deckhands. I much prefer the open ocean to a stuffy old kitchen.”
The group left the man at the counter. Char sneered once she was out of sight. “Fucking pigs,” she snarled.
“I know, lover, but I think I see your plan to acquire a boat. I suspect it involves those few strings you call a bathing suit and serious ass kicking,” Terry whispered as they approached the kitchen.
“You know me so well.”
“Oh my god, what’s that smell?” Shonna covered her nose, grimacing.
Terry pushed the door open and grinned at someone on the other side. “We’re here to work!” he called joyously.
“This is going to curl my hair,” Char claimed.
North Chicago
Kimber stood on her porch. Auburn was next to her with his arm wrapped around her waist. “I love having you home,” he told her.
“I love being home,” she replied, cupping his face in her hands. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned and dialed in her visio
n, counting on her nanocytes to give her an extra boost, to see a little more clearly at long distance.
She saw nothing out of place. The cattle wandered and grazed through the area where she thought she saw a movement. She was convinced someone was there.
“What are you looking at?” Auburn asked.
“I thought I saw something, but I guess not. What’s for dinner? I’m starved!” she told him.
They went inside together where Auburn had steak and potatoes ready to cook over an open fire. “Your appetite has tripled since you came back,” Auburn noted.
"It's the nanocytes. They require a lot of energy. More food equals more energy. I've been asking for as much as they have to give. As long as I eat, they'll give me that and a little more. It's weird, because I feel the same, like me on my best day but every day is like that now," she tried to explain.
He smiled and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just making small talk. There’s so much I want to tell you during the day, but when you’re here, none of that really matters. I want to experience life with you, and we don’t need to say anything to do that.” Auburn turned away as he got emotional. He had always tried to be the strong one in the relationship, even though Kim came to him as the complete package.
She hadn’t needed his manliness before, but he couldn’t change who he was, just like she couldn’t change who she was.
“I’m going to run out back for a bit. I want to check on something,” Kim told him. She left their cabin and started to run, increasing to enhanced speed. She jumped in stride, easily clearing a four-foot tall fence. She hit the ground with a thud and continued pounding her way into the pasture.
She dodged cow pies as if running through a minefield, then slowed as she approached the area where she’d seen the movement. Once up close, the hide site was obvious.
Nomad's Force Page 4
