Your debt is to her now, he told himself before shaking his head to dismiss the frivolous fears.
“Where are we going?” he asked Soares after ten minutes of bumpy, silent travel.
“Chicago,” Soares said. Cole, as much as he wanted to, refrained from calling him an asshole.
“What route are we taking?” he asked, seeing the ghost of a smile on the older man’s face as though he’d just asked the right question, like he’d figured out that stupid questions found stupid answers. “Because unless the sun started to rise the other way, we’re heading north.”
“We’re hitching a ride north,” Soares answered, “because I don’t much feel like walking a thousand miles. We’re picking up wheels. Trust me, you’ll learn to love it.”
Chapter 6
Dex
It seemed like half the people in the complex were in the tunnel or outside the entrance as Dex emerged from the Reclaimers base. It was bright outside, the sun hanging low in the east, but beginning the day without a cloud in the sky. After a few days underground, the light stung his eyes, and he blinked the black spots away.
“You take care of yourself, Hunter,” a voice said, causing him to turn to face the source.
It was Monet, and she wore a smile. It looked good on her.
“I’ll do my best. Good luck on your mission,” he said, assuming she had one. Nobody had filled him in on what was going on elsewhere, and as Tom had suggested, that was probably for the best. He glanced around, but the longer-haired twin was nowhere in sight; probably already sent off someplace. He noticed the coyote near the younger native woman, and she rested a hand comfortably on its head. Dex had seen a lot in his day, but this was a new one.
Monet moved for the other woman’s side, and they grabbed flush packs, mounting them on their shoulders before walking off.
“Wait, Monet!” the other twin called, and Dex watched as he stopped to say goodbye to his friend. He tried to give them privacy as Alec had an awkward hug with the tough woman before the pair of women walked off, the coyote padding noiselessly ahead of them.
“Any idea what the hell’s going on, kid?” Dex asked Alec.
“Tom told me to meet him out front. You?” Alec asked.
“Same deal, kid. Seems like we’re in this one together,” Dex said.
Alec nodded, kicking a rock as they waited.
Eventually, Tom arrived in the driver’s seat of an old black Jeep. The tires were massive with thick treads designed to climb rough terrain. Seeing the car made him miss his own vehicle and he hoped he would be able to retrieve it eventually.
“Hop in,” Tom said. One of his uniformed people jogged from inside the tunnel, carrying a tablet. She passed it to her leader and took off. Soon it was only the three of them remaining outside the hidden facility.
“What’s that?” Dex took the passenger seat up front without even asking Alec. The kid didn’t seem to care as he filed into the back, sitting in the center of the bench and leaning forward to see what Tom had.
“It’s how we see any nearby Trackers and Seekers.” Tom zoomed out on the map, where five red dots were moving on the screen.
“Wait, those are what? Seekers?” he asked.
“Yes. Red for Seekers, Green for Trackers.” Tom zoomed out more, and there were a few green icons in the state of Colorado.
“This is wonderful. We can avoid them,” Dex said.
“Yes. We’ve managed to destroy a lot of enemy drones before, but there was something different about this SW-18 Alec’s brother shot. We found access to imbedded software we’d never seen before. It was as if the AI had found a pathway and left the door open for us to utilize.”
“Can I see?” Dex asked, and Tom hesitated before handing the tablet over. Dex used it to determine the closest Seeker and its trajectory.
“There are always a couple of them nearby… we have to be cautious at all times, but it used to take a lot more manpower to scout the terrain before moving through it. Now we’re going to be able to take the side roads through the pass and toward our destination,” Tom said.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to take the highway?” Alec asked. “We were on it until Monet blew the tire of the supply truck.”
“That’s how she did it,” Dex said. “That was a nice move. I can’t believe you two managed to sneak into the largest supply facility in the country before finding your way onto the very truck you needed to be on. How did you manage that?”
Alec poked his head between the two front seats. “Monet went to one of the trailers out front and found a manifest. She really knew what she was doing.”
“She’s smarter than I thought. I wouldn’t have considered doing that,” Dex admitted.
“Then it’s a good thing she’s on our side. I have high hopes for that one.” Tom drove the Jeep through an old worn roadway, which was now overgrown with weeds and saplings. The Jeep managed the bumpy path with ease, but Dex wished they’d pulled the T-top off as his head kept hitting the roof as they were all jostled around.
“Is the whole trip going to be like this?” Dex asked.
“Only the first fifty miles or so. I can’t risk the highways yet. Probably ever,” Tom said.
“Even with this?” Dex tapped the tablet.
“You understand better than I do. Hunters will be watching. Do you think they’ll let this go?” Tom asked.
Dex considered the facts. Three Hunters had gone missing. The one named Crash had killed one and stolen the hovercraft, then Dex had killed Kathy. They probably thought he was dead too. There would be chaos in his department. “They’ll be coming.”
“Will they find our camp?” Tom asked.
“I don’t think they’ll locate it. You moved my car, right?” Dex asked, suddenly wishing he was in it, windows down, music cranked up while he worked on a mission. Life was simpler before he’d gone and grown a conscience.
“We have it secured away. There’ll be no evidence of the struggle.” The Jeep bounced again, Tom slowing as they neared a fast running river of water from the mountainside crossing the road. He stopped, and Dex glanced up to see a deer grazing at the edge of the pathway. Another raised its head beside the first, and they chewed before bounding away.
“Crazy to think that we have been occupied, and the rest of the wild animals are probably happy about it,” Dex said.
“You’re right about that. Life goes on for everyone but humans,” Tom agreed.
Tom threw the Jeep into gear and kept driving. It was over three hours before they emerged from the rough roadways and out into the open once again. Tom slowed and pulled to the side of the road, before hopping out.
Alec followed out the driver’s side, and Dex took the opportunity to relieve himself and stretch his legs. He peered to the east where they were heading and was glad of the cloud cover this morning.
Tom came to stand next to Dex and showed him a map on the tablet. “We have to go around Denver, and for the sake of visibility, we’ll stay on the western edge before heading east.”
“How long is this going to take?” Dex asked. He was used to cruising the highways at sixty, not twenty-five on backroads with potholes the size of craters.
Tom shrugged. “We’ll drive straight through. With the tablet displaying where the enemy’s eyes are, this should be a lot faster than without. I’d guess a day.”
Dex nodded. A day. That wasn’t too bad. He couldn’t wait to reach the University. He’d already stopped there momentarily, and silently chided himself for not rushing inside to find the locker. He closed his eyes and saw Trent James being shot up by the Tracker. It felt like so long ago, but it had only been a couple weeks.
He tested his memory, repeating the numbers he’d forced himself to memorize. Locker Three One Alpha. 01-09-27.
Alec was beside Dex, gazing to the north. Dex hadn’t noticed the peaks of the skyscrapers before, but he could now see Denver’s inner city, albeit barely, in the distance.
“Everyone ready to
roll?” Tom asked.
They settled into the Jeep, and Alec tapped Dex on the shoulder as they drove away. “Dex, what was it like to be a Hunter?”
The kid’s question was double-edged, and Dex found himself not wanting to discuss it.
“I’d rather not…”
Tom cleared his throat. “Maybe you should tell him. Alec’s had it tough, and it would be good for you both to talk about your side of the Occupation. The more we understand, the better.”
Dex glanced at Alec, who was watching him with an innocent interest. “Fine, but do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t judge me too harshly. We all make choices in order to survive. I’m no exception. I just want to be better today than I was yesterday.” Dex grabbed his canteen and took a long swallow followed by an equally drawn-out steadying breath.
“Joining the Hunters was the easiest choice of my life. I was a guard, working at an agri-community in the middle of nowhere. I was a kid when it all went to hell, and was thrown into a work detail on a farm much the same. I hated them so much. The bastards took everything from me… from us. But even faster, I hated the other humans, the ones walking around on invisible leashes, taking orders from the aliens, then giving orders to their own people. Yet, when I kept my head down, the supervisor noticed my hard work and asked me to meet with him privately.”
Tom and Alec remained silent as Dex spoke. He’d told Tom a little about himself, but nothing in detail like this. Tom stared straight ahead at the road, but it was obvious he was soaking up every word.
“I hated my supervisor. He was an ass,” Alec said.
“Most of them are, in my experience,” Dex agreed. “This one was no exception, but he offered me a role as a guard. I was eighteen, more mature than most kids my age.” Dex scratched his thick black stubble. “I could also grow a mean beard, so everyone thought I was older than I really was.”
“What did you tell him?” Alec prodded from the rear seat.
“I didn’t say a peep. At first, I was taken aback, but then he said something I’ll never forget.” Dex turned to Alec and leaned toward him. “He moved close, like this, and whispered. His breath smelled like coffee. I’ve always remembered that, because it was a luxury none of the slaves were given.”
“What did he say?” Alec asked.
“He told me there was no going back. This was it. Either we worked with them or we died. He said it was just a job, and that it wasn’t much worse than his old life. He actually chuckled at that and corrected himself. He said before the Occupation, he was jobless and his wife had left him. He believed the Occupation might have saved his life. There was coffee, beer, cigarettes… anything you could imagine, as long as you didn’t imagine too much in the way of freedom.”
Tom was frowning, and Dex didn’t blame him. “I was a kid. Even though I felt like I had morals, his claims broke me. My parents were gone and I didn’t know what else to do. Someone had offered me a way out.”
“So you took the offer,” Tom said flatly.
“I took the offer.”
“Do you regret it?” Alec asked.
“Hell no. Not for a second. I could sit here and lie, and say I’d have been better off sticking to my morals and working as a slave for the last twenty-five years, but that’s not true. I’d likely be dead by now,” he said, not feeling an ounce of guilt.
“But the Roamers…” Alec started, and Dex shook his head.
“The Roamers were cowards. They left their people behind, and for what? To bleed out in a field somewhere. Can you guess how many Roamers I’ve found that had a big plan to avenge the Occupation? None. Maybe Trent James was the only one. He was running too, though.”
“He was coming to help us,” Tom admitted.
“He was?” Dex had assumed as much.
“In a way. He hadn’t figured out how to reach us, but we played a part in his escape,” Tom said.
“Well, it got him killed,” Dex told him.
“True, but what’s in that locker is going to turn the tides.” Tom clenched his jaw.
“I hope so.”
“If the Hunters are so good, how many Roamers can there really be in Chicago?” Alec asked.
Roamers in Chicago? This was news to Dex, and he stayed quiet, waiting for Tom to reply. The older man snuck a glance at Dex and didn’t answer immediately.
“Tom?” Alec nudged him.
“We’ll discuss that later. Our friend here isn’t privy to all our conversations, all right, Alec?”
Damn it. Tom was right not to trust him with all the details. If things went sideways when he returned to the Hunters, he’d do his best not to sing like a songbird, but the Colonel could be a persuasive son of a bitch. Dex subconsciously held his fingers in front of his face, imagining them being snapped one at a time by the interrogators.
He realized what he was doing and placed his hands on his lap. “Enough about me. What about you, Alec? What made you want to join the Reclaimers?”
Alec told Dex his story as they wound their way to Denver and beyond.
Chapter 7
Lina
Lina maintained an easy pace over the rough terrain, while the coyote mirrored her progress off to her left. Buddy made it seem like he was marking time waiting for the slow-moving people to catch up.
They’d hitched a ride like their companions, but they’d dropped them off near where she had first met the others. Memories of the fear she had felt when the Tracker had found them flooded over her.
“Slow down a little,” Monet said to her in a low voice.
“Why? Can’t keep up?” she answered, her voice full of child-like glee. As she spoke, she heard the low growl from the coyote, which had slunk close to her legs in a defensive pose.
“No,” Monet whispered as she reached out and pulled Lina towards her by the strap of her pack. “I can keep up just fine. So can bears.”
“Bears?”
“Yeah, so stop talking and come on.”
They backtracked a way, stopping at the far edge of a clearing with weapons raised in case they’d been followed. The coyote signaled that they were safe enough by dropping the alertness it had shown since its more sensitive nose had picked up the threat.
Monet led them west for a while before resuming their southern route. Lina relished in the sounds and smells of the forest; the scent of the dry pine trees set against the chill dampness of the air after heavy rain during the night.
As they relaxed, walking side by side on the flatter ground after emerging from the mountains, Lina admitted her fears to Monet.
“Why should they believe us?” she asked. “I keep thinking that my people…” She faltered, unwanted and unbidden memories assaulting her internally. “My people wouldn’t leave their land, not even if strangers arrived with bizarre things and told them all about it.”
Monet said nothing save for a noncommittal grunt.
“You think they will?”
“I hope they will,” Monet replied. “We really need them. If they want their way of life to continue, then they have to help us rid the planet of the aliens and their collaborators.”
“They’ll say that they have no part in the wars of others,” Lina explained. “That so long as they are left to live in peace, there is no reason to fight.”
“Do they drink water?” Monet asked, throwing the young woman off with the suddenness of the change of subject.
“Do they… yes. Of course.”
“Do they rely on animals to eat and work for them? Do they need bees to pollinate the crops?”
Lina stared mutely at her in reply.
“Because if they think the war against the aliens isn’t theirs, they’re cowards and fools.”
“I wouldn’t say that to th—”
“The way I see it is simple. They have two choices: do nothing and eventually be either wiped out by the aliens, or their pets, or their drones, or our planet will die when they’ve finished raping every
natural resource from it, or fight.”
“What if we lose?”
“Then the result is the same,” Monet reasoned, “only we didn’t lie down and take it like slaves.”
Slaves. That word again.
“Perhaps…” Lina began, the beginnings of an idea forming as it tumbled out of her mouth. She stopped herself, shaking her head.
“Go on,” Monet encouraged her. “Speak your mind.”
“Perhaps if we tell them about the slave camps?” she said uncertainly. “If they heard that our people—my people, at least those strong enough to work—were taken away as prizes to work as slaves, then they might want to help.”
Monet smiled at her, making Lina think she’d achieved some elevation in the woman’s opinion.
“We stop here for the night,” Monet said late in the afternoon. “We don’t want to be moving at night this high up in the hills.”
Lina didn’t argue. As much as she’d become a hardened traveler since meeting Cole, she was still exhausted. Her gaze directed to where Monet pointed, seeing a huddle of wooden buildings with a weak wisp of woodsmoke coming from one of the chimneys.
Lina expecting to find someone there as a dim fire was burning, but Monet’s behaviors suggested she knew they’d find nobody. The coyote slunk inside, moving low as though it constantly expected to be cast out. It melted into a corner of the single large room that made up the inside of the building, and after a while, it made its way stealthily towards the fire.
“Who lives here? Did they sense we were coming?” Lina asked.
“I don’t think so,” Monet said softly.
“Why is it safe to have a fire?” she asked, trying to undo her boots.
Monet smiled as though she’d finally said something worth answering. Leaning away on the bed she sat on, she pulled a small, black rectangle from the pocket on her leg and beckoned Lina over to her. She removed her second boot and made a noise of pure bliss before walking over to examine it.
Salvation (Rise Book 2) Page 5
