by Jake Bible
“The nanotech is localized in the brain only. None seems present in the rest of the body.”
“Okay. And the bad?”
“They get faster each time they repair the brain.”
“Which means what?” Bisby asked.
“Which means any inoculated zombie can eventually rebuild while taking damage.”
“Invincible zombies? Great…,” Bisby growled.
“Not quite. Fire will work. And decapitation should put them down, also.”
“I can work with that,” Bisby grinned.
***
“Down that? Are you fucking kidding?” Masters hollered, staring at the small hole in the floor of one of the holding pens. “We’ll never fit!”
The Rookie flipped his shotgun around and began hammering at the hole, sending chunks of concrete flying in all directions. The opening slowly widened with every impact.
The sound of wrenching metal echoed from above as the deaders breached the door into the holding area.
“Shut up and cover us!” Jay yelled, flipping his own shotgun around and joining the Rookie.
“This is going to suck,” Masters complained, taking a knee, auto-carbine at the ready.
***
Mathew took one last look at the waste storm then wrapped his mech’s arms and legs tighter together to increase the protection against the flying debris. He knew this was going to be a bad one and hoped he’d make it through. Hearing the intensity of the crashes and feeling the shudders as fragments of the wasteland were flung against his mech, Mathew’s hope began to wane.
“Hey baby,” he began to dictate. “In case I don’t make it through this shit, I want to say a few things…”
Outside, the waste storm enveloped the land, plunging everything into darkness.
***
Rebecca shoved against the cellar hatch with all her weight. Finally, it gave way and she was able to squeeze through.
“Hang on,” she called from above. “Let me clear away some of this shit.”
“How bad is it?” Olivia asked.
“It’s not a total rebuild, but it ain’t good.”
Olivia cursed. “I’m too old for this shit.” She glanced over at June, who was staring at the piece of jerky in her hand. “Girl, you have to eat. Whether you agree with our way of life or not doesn’t change the fact that if you don’t eat, you die.”
***
Gunshots rang out, making Masters duck. “Shit! I really fucking preferred it when deaders didn’t know how to use guns!”
“Fucking understatement of the century! Now quit whining and get in the mother fucking hole!” Jay yelled.
Masters fired off several shots and turned to look back at Jay and the Rookie’s handy work. “Ahhh, this is really gonna suck!”
“Shut the fuck up you big baby!” Jay barked. “Now. Get. In. The. Hole!”
“You two first!” the Rookie hollered, taking Masters’ place and pushing him towards the open sewer hole. “I’ll hold them off! I’ll be right behind you!”
***
June climbed from the cellar. “My God…”
Olivia and Rebecca’s shack had one collapsed wall and the interior was in ruins. June looked out upon the rest of the village and gasped. Many shacks were completely destroyed. People were frantically digging through the rubble, trying to get at those trapped underneath. Small fires burned here and there adding their smoke to the already dust laden air, turning the village into a surreal dreamscape.
June stepped out of the shack and wandered among the wreckage in a daze.
“We suffer the same as everyone,” the Boss whispered from directly behind her.
***
“Remember when this base was filled with personnel? Twenty mechs lined in a row. Another twenty out patrolling…” Capreze trailed off as he entered the hangar with Rachel. “It’s changed a lot since we first came here.”
“It’s not your fault,” Rachel said.
Capreze turned to his daughter. “I know that, Baby Girl. I just never thought the day would come that we’d have to evacuate, to leave this place because we couldn’t defend it on our own.”
“We’ll be back, don’t worry,” Rachel soothed, squeezing her father’s arm before joining the rest of the base staff standing at attention.
***
“They’re just people,” the Boss said, gesturing at the carnage. “You can hate me, and rightly so…” He leaned in close to June’s neck. “I am a bit of a monster.”
June squirmed away and the Boss caught her arm tightly, pulling her in close. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look out onto the village. “But don’t hate them. They’re just normal people trying to survive, just like you and your mech elite. Just like every living thing in the waste.”
Olivia cleared her throat from behind them. “Are you about done?”
The Boss walked away laughing.
***
“We have less than an hour before the storm hits us,” Capreze said, addressing the base staff. “All initial readings show this to be one big mother fucker.”
Capreze studied the faces before him. The resolve of the mech pilots, the worry of the doctor and the pain of the mechanic. “With the speed it’s moving we should be able to bug out within three or four hours, depending on the intensity of the tail end.”
“We’re leaving before the storm passes?” Themopolous asked.
“Yes. We need the head start and the cover to beat the transports heading our way.”
***
The Rookie dropped through the hole, landing in ankle deep filth. He flicked on his halogen and sprinted down the sewer tunnel.
“I took out the first wave, but we have maybe a five minute head start, tops,” he said, catching up with Jay and Masters. “Do we know where we’re going?”
Jay tapped at his tablet. “Readings are sketchy down here, but if we head straight we should hit the main junction. Get topside and we are only a quarter mile from the mechs.”
“Yeah, but what’s waiting for us topside?” Masters asked.
“Probably the whole city/state,” Jay answered.
***
Rebecca handed June a bucket. “Here, make yourself useful.”
June took the bucket and looked around. Rebecca took her by both shoulders, pointing here in the right direction. “The well’s that way. Help with the fires.”
Taking June by the arm, Olivia took over, holding a bucket of her own. “I can’t help you forever, girl. If you don’t shape up soon, the Boss will toss you aside. Trust me, it may not seem like it, but the Boss is all that’s keeping you from being torn apart here. There ain’t no love loss for you mechies or the UDC.”
***
“Double check time, people! We need to prioritize,” Capreze stated. “Themopolous? You need to list all supplies you think essential. Rachel? You’re on food. Harlow and Biz? Weapons and ammo. We have limited space and weight means energy used, so be careful and precise. The transport can recharge as we go, but the mechs will need down time to recharge weapons sytems. We may end up traveling at night and recharging and resting during the day,” Capereze looked about at his staff. “Any questions?”
“Where are we headed, sir?” Harlow asked.
“Deep, pilot,” Capreze answered. “As deep as we can.”
***
The villagers watched June like wild dogs: wary, expecting her to hurt them, but ready to rip her throat out if threatened.
June tried to ignore the stares, tried to ignore her own pain and hunger, and focused on the task of fetching water. She willed herself into mission mode, to put away her fear and hesitance.
She stepped up to the well and filled her bucket, but when she turned to leave she was relieved of her bucket and handed an empty.
June took the hint and stayed by the well, filling buckets as they were thrust at her.
***
“Hey Rookie?” Masters asked as the three men made their way through the sewage tunnel. �
��Can I ask you something?”
“What?” the Rookie responded.
“Back at base, when you and Harlow were sparring?”
“Yes?”
“You let her win, didn’t you?”
The Rookie was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, I did. But, not by much. She’d have been a champion in the fight cage.”
Masters laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure she would be. Hey, can you do me a favor?”
“Ummm, sure, whatcha need?”
“If we make it out of this, please never tell her you took a dive.”
“You got it.”
***
June worked at filling and handing off buckets until her arms refused to work. She slumped against the well and someone pushed past her, taking her place as if she wasn’t there.
“Come on,” Olivia said, once again coming to June’s aid. “The fire’s are out, they’re just smothering the coals so there aren’t any flare ups.”
June let Olivia help her to her feet and took a drink of the water she was offered. “Thank you.”
“Over here,” Rebecca called and Olivia directed June to a group of women, all busy working over a huge cookpot. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
***
Mathew checked systems as he walked his mech from the sanctuary of the cliff face and back out into the open of the wasteland. There was some minor damage, but nothing that would keep him from his mission or from defending himself if the time came.
He calculated the timing of when the storm hit him and when it passed by, figuring the mech base was right in the middle of a world of shit of their own right now. Nothing he could do about that now.
Mathew got his bearings and engaged his motor drive. Next stop: Windy City.
***
Masters, Jay and the Rookie stood in the sewer’s central junction. All three stared at the ladder that would lead them up to the streets of Foggy Bottom.
“Who’s first?” the Rookie asked.
“Don’t look at me, I never thought this was a good idea to begin with,” Masters said.
“Yeah, but you’ll think it’s a good idea when we make it out alive,” Jay growled.
“And I’ll be proven right when we’re ripped apart as soon as we’re topside. Funny how neither option fills me with a warm and fuzzy feeling.”
The three stood there staring at the ladder.
***
“Sir?” Jethro called from the transport, already in place for the evacuation. “We should be able to bug out in twenty.”
“Thank you, Jethro,” the Commander responded. “Okay, folks, time to get ready. Rachel, Harlow? Get in your mechs and take point. Bisby, Doctor? You two are with me. We have one last task to take care of.”
Themopolous sighed and grabbed a med kit. Bisby double checked his side arm then slung an auto-carbine over his shoulder. The three left the hangar and made the short journey through the base to the holding cells. To the zombies held within.
***
The odor emanating from the cookpot made June’s empty stomach churn and her mouth water at the same time.
The women began to ladle out portions of the stew and hand them out to villagers patiently lined up and waiting. June averted her eyes, fighting her rebellious hunger.
“Here, girl,” Rebecca said pushing a steaming bowl of stew into her hands. “You’ve been coddled enough. Now eat.”
“I won’t eat this,” June protested, setting the bowl aside.
“Won’t eat?” the Boss mocked, stepping next to June. “You hear that everyone? Rachel, our mech pilot guest, won’t eat!” the Boss bellowed.
***
“Sir? Do we have time for this?” Themopolous asked Capreze as they stood before the holding cells containing the deaders that once were the UDC med techs and train pilots. “I mean, they are already dead.”
“I agree with the Doctor, sir. Fuck ‘em,” Bisby chimed in.
“Do they look dead?” the Commander asked, gesturing at the uncharacteristically docile zombies. “You saw how they calmed down over the past couple hours. They are different.”
“So what do we do?” Themopolous asked.
Capreze pulled his pistol and shot each zombie between the eyes. “Let’s bag ‘em up and load them up.”
***
Two massive fists emerged from the storm swept earth of the wasteland. Shiner reached up and pulled himself from his hole, shaking the dirt and debris out of his limbs.
He scanned the surrounding area, hoping the live mech hadn’t escaped him. He was relieved (another new sensation) to find the mech at the far edge of his scope. He made sure his jamming was in place and set off to pursue the live one.
He calculated the heading, knowing what he’d find. The live mech was still traveling to Windy City. And almost certain death. Probably for them both.
***
The street was deserted. Not a car was moving nor a pedestrian walking. The sounds of the city/state were absent completely.
Jay, Masters and the Rookie noticed this immediately as they emerged from the manhole.
“Um, I think I would have preferred a zombie horde,” Masters whispered. “This shit’s creepy.”
“No shit,” agreed the Rookie.
Jay checked his tablet. “We’re only about five blocks from the UDC hangar. This way.”
The three men set out in the direction Jay indicated, their entire beings listening for the sounds of approaching death.
“I mean it. This is fucking creepy,” Masters whispered again.
***
“This mech brat, this privileged, spoiled little daddy’s girl, thinks that our food is beneath her, that our very way of life is beneath her. Should I stand for that?” the Boss addressed the hungry, exhausted villagers.
June sat there, terrified, waiting for the group to call for her head. But none spoke, none responded to the Boss’s question. They all just glared at her, seeming to know what would come next.
“No, we can’t stand for this.” The Boss turned to face June “Until you eat…none eat.” He grinned, wide, and swept his hands about, including the entire village.
***
“Should you start the mechs up?” Masters asked Jay as they rounded a corner and saw the entrance to the UDC hangar.
“What?” the Rookie asked. “I thought you said you couldn’t remotely control the mechs?!?”
“Not with any accurate movement control,” Jay answered, tapping at his tablet. “But, I can run the start up procedure and have them both ready to go when we get in there.”
“You think they’re waiting for us in there?” Masters asked.
“I’d be,” the Rookie responded. “Not that we can guess how these things think anymore. All bets are off on that front.”
***
Even though it was daytime, Mathew knew what he was looking for and quickly spotted the same anomaly on his sensors.
“What are you and why are you jamming my sensors to your presence?” Mathew asked. He figured that since the thing hadn’t made a move on him it couldn’t be a dead mech or hostile waster. “What the fuck are you?”
He checked his headings and figured he’d be almost to Windy City by nightfall. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to find once he got there. He hoped the Commander was overreacting.
He’d know soon enough.
***
Undead UDC troops poured from the hangar door. Masters, Jay and the Rookie ducked into an alleyway, hoping they hadn’t been spotted.
“Guess that answers the question of where the troops are,” Masters whispered. “Waiting for us.”
“You say you can’t accurately control the mechs, right?” the Rookie asked Jay.
“Yeah, so?” Jay responded.
“Well, we don’t need accuracy, do we? We just need the mechs,” the Rookie smiled. “Can you bring them through those walls to us?”
Jay grinned. “Sure I can. Let me check the mechs’ positions…Okay, they’re ready.”
&n
bsp; “Good,” the Rookie said. “Bring ‘em to the streets.”
***
Bisby secured the four bagged, bound and still unmoving deaders into an outer storage compartment on the transport. “How long do you think until their brains rebuild, Doc?” Bisby asked as he shut and latched the compartment hatch.
“Probably another hour or so. That seemed to be about the length of time it took Sergeant Major Crowley’s brain to repair the first time,” Themopolous answered.
“Good, plenty of time for us to be on our way,” Capreze called from the transport.
“Speaking of ‘on our way’, sir, we need to get moving or we’ll loose the storm cover,” Jethro said.
***
Concrete and steel exploded outward, crushing many of the UDC troops as Masters’ mech burst from the hangar.
“Get it close!” Masters yelled at Jay. “I’ll get up in there and give you cover to get to yours!”
Jay shakily maneuvered the mech over towards the alleyway.
“That’s as close as I can get it without risking us getting squashed!” Jay said.
“Fine. You got me?” Masters asked the Rookie.
The Rookie knelt by the mouth of the alley, auto-carbine at his shoulder. “Ready.”
Masters sprinted to his mech, the Rookie layed down cover fire as the UDC troops recovered.
***
June looked into the clay bowl in her hands and then out at the villagers. None of them averted their eyes. All watched her, waiting.
“Well, Rachel Capreze? What will it be? Eat the stew now? Or be the stew tomorrow?” the Boss laughed. He leaned in close to her ear, his breath foul and hot on her cheek. “And trust me, dear, dear Rachel. I will have my fill of fun before I hand your carcass over to the cooks. Now… Pick. Up. The. Spoon. And. Eat.”
June lifted the spoon, squeezed her eyes closed and opened her mouth.
***
Masters slipped into his cockpit and strapped in just as the salvage mech burst from the wall, widening the already massive hole. The hangar began to sway and buckle from the lack of support.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you,” he almost purred. With practiced speed and efficiency, Masters took control and began to stomp and blast away at the undead UDC troops. “Come on! Move, move, move!” he yelled into his com.
“Go! I’ve got you covered!” the Rookie yelled, slapping a fourth clip into his carbine. “Move ass!”
