by Jake Bible
“I don’t know,” Agnatha said as she motioned for the women to fan out and check the buildings and homes. “If it is a trap it is bizarre one.”
“No one here,” a woman called out as she came out of a small shop. “Lights off.”
More and more women reported the same. By the looks of it Eden was deserted.
“What the hell is that?” Jenny asked as she pointed to a rock in the middle of the street holding down a piece of paper.
“I’ll bet it’s for me,” Dog said as he held his hand up. The women all stopped and Dog walked slowly to the rock, his eyes scanning the buildings around him, watching the windows and rooftops, waiting for the ambush.
But nothing stopped him from approaching the rock. He lifted it up and grabbed the paper before it fluttered away in the slight breeze.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dog said. He walked back to the group and handed the paper to Jenny. She read it and then handed it to Agnatha.
“Why bother with any of this shit if this is where it all leads?” Jenny asked.
“I don’t know,” Dog said.
“Because he needs it to be official,” Agnatha said. “Change must be fought for in Eden.”
“I’m trained for combat and nothing but combat,” Dog said. “So why risk his life?”
Agnatha grinned. “He has to show that you are the right choice. Even if it kills him.”
“Whatever,” Dog replied. “Guess I don’t really have a choice.”
“You do not,” Agnatha said as she turned to her women. “The arena. That is where all of Eden awaits.”
***
The Mayor was waiting for the group at the entrance to the arena, flanked by his wives and several guards.
“Good to see you made it,” the Mayor grinned. “I wasn’t sure for a bit there. You had a rough go of it.” He exchanged a quick glance with Agnatha.
“You were watching?” Dog asked. “What am I saying? Of course you were.”
“I like to keep tabs on those sent into the Maze,” the Mayor responded. “It helps me learn the individual’s strengths and weaknesses. I know where to place them in Eden once they are settled with their wife. Jobs and placement must be earned.”
Everyone around the Mayor, and even most of the slits from the Maze, nodded in agreement.
“So now what?” Dog asked. “We fight to the death?”
“Perhaps,” the Mayor smiled, reaching for Dog. “Perhaps not. Come and speak with me a moment.” He nodded to everyone. “Alone.”
Dog turned and looked at Jenny. She gave him an almost imperceptible shrug. He looked to Agnatha, but her face was stone as she watched the Mayor closely. Dog shook his head and stepped forward.
“I guess if you wanted to kill me I’d be dead,” Dog said as he followed the Mayor into the arena. “So tell me what you need to tell me.”
As they walked further into the building, Dog could hear the hum of the crowd. When they came to the end of the corridor Dog stared at the arena floor then up at the stands. The entire place was full, with many having to stand on the sides and in the stairways.
“Look at them all,” the Mayor said. “They know only Eden. Many of them have lived their entire lives here. Some came from places a thousand times worse. Such as your village.”
“So?” Dog asked.
“So what will happen to them when I am gone?” the Mayor asked. “Who will take care of Eden?” He looked right at Dog. “This isn’t a democracy, boy. This isn’t built on everyone has a say. This is built on strength and power and keeping it all together with an iron grip.”
“Which isn’t my thing,” Dog replied. “I like the whole freedom idea.”
“Do you?” the Mayor asked. “Then why join up with the UDC and become a mech pilot?”
“To get away from the fucking cage fighting,” Dog said.
“And you ended up cage fighting because?”
Dog saw where the mayor was going. “Because I had to get away from the Boilers and the Boss.”
“From your own father,” the Mayor nodded. “If you couldn’t trust your own father then who could you trust?”
Dog didn’t answer.
“Exactly,” the Mayor nodded as if Dog did answer. “You can’t trust anyone. Same here. I can’t trust anyone to keep Eden what it is.” The Mayor took a deep breath and watched the crowd grow restless as they waited for action. “And I certainly can’t trust anyone to take Eden into the future. To change it, to mold it, to make it more than what it is.”
“You’re losing me,” Dog said.
The Mayor sighed. “I don’t have long,” he said. “I have the wasting disease.”
“Cancer?”
“If that’s what it is,” the Mayor shrugged. “Our medicine here is good, but basic. It is a failing of mine as Mayor and I am paying for that. It is just one thing that must be changed for Eden to thrive. The time for these people to just survive is over. The city/states are done and destroyed. Civilization is back to survivor pockets spread across the wasteland.”
“There’s the Stronghold,” Dog countered. “Capreze has built something there. More will join him and he will help rebuild what he can.”
“Which is commendable,” the Mayor nodded. “But a civilization cannot be built on only one society. Especially not a military one. There must be more.” He spread his arms wide. “There must be Eden.”
“So what does that have to do with me?” Dog asked. “Why choose me and not someone from here? I’m not part of Eden.”
“Not now,” the Mayor said. “But you will be. You are the future of Eden. You are the only one that can claim my place here without Eden falling into civil war. Family is what makes up Eden. And you are family. That cannot be denied.”
“I don’t want Eden,” Dog said. “I’m a mech pilot.”
“You’re a fighter,” the Mayor corrected. “And Eden needs you to fight for it. There is a change coming to the wasteland. We have the rest of the world looking to overtake this land, as abominable as it is, and assert their control over it all. The mechs are Capreze’s responsibility. Let him worry about that. You’re a Boiler, boy. You’re from the wasteland. You need to worry about that.”
“Jeezus,” Dog swore, as he rubbed his temples. “You keep saying the same shit. But what you aren’t getting is I don’t wantthis. Eden is messed up. This place has some serious issues, least of all is the fact you lock your girls up in a deader infested Maze. That’s fucked up.”
“Then change it,” the Mayor said. “Change it.”
“What…?”
“Change it,” the Mayor reiterated. “Take over control of Eden and change what you don’t like. Make it less brutal. Make it more free. Make it whatever you want. I left the Boiler village because my brother, your father, the Boss, refused to change. He was a sick, sadistic bastard and he wanted to keep things as they were to satisfy his sickness.”
The Mayor was quiet for a minute and Dog watched him closely.
“Eden isn’t perfect,” the Mayor said. “It couldn’t be. I had to build it from nothing and I had to fight and scrape my way every single second of every single day. Eden is what it is so it could become something.” The Mayor took Dog by the shoulders and held him tight. “I need you to be the one that oversees that something, whatever it may be. They won’t listen to me. If I try to rip it apart and make huge shifts I will have a revolt on my hands by many that don’t see the big picture. They’ll want to keep it as it is. That is stagnation, boy. That is failure.”
Dog thought about those words for a while.
“You want Eden to change?” Dog asked finally.
“It must,” the Mayor nodded.
Dog thought some more.
“If,IF, I agree then I have total control?” Dog asked. “I stop this stupid slit bullshit. I destroy the Maze. I make Eden free. And you have no problem with that?”
“It’s not whether I have a problem,” the Mayor smiled and gestured towards the crowd. “It
’s whether they do. Convince them that they don’t.”
“And how the fuck do I do that?”
“By beating me in the arena,” the Mayor smiled. “Take my power and make it yours.”
“This is bullshit,” Dog said. “Total fucking bullshit.”
“No doubt about that,” the Mayor smiled as he motioned for Dog to follow him. “But that is life, boy. Nothing but bullshit.”
***
Dog looked down at his body and frowned as the crowd roared and hollered.
“Loin cloth?” he grimaced. “Jezzus...”
“It must be simple in the arena,” the Mayor said as he stood next to Dog. His body was riddled with scarred over puncture wounds and knife cuts. He was wiry and muscular. If he was dying of cancer then Dog didn’t see any evidence.
“This is bullshit,” Dog reiterated. “Total bullshit.”
The Mayor nodded, but didn’t say anything as Right Hand Wife stepped to the edge of the box seats and motioned for the crowd to be quiet. Silence fell almost instantly.
“Below is your Mayor!” she announced. The crowd cheered then quieted. “And his nephew, the Rookie.”
“Dog,” Dog shouted. He glanced at his uncle. “Can’t hide who I am.”
The Mayor nodded.
“Dog,” Right Hand Wife repeated and the crowd ooh’d and ahhh’d. “They are here to fight to the death. The winner shall lead Eden into the future! With our loving Mayor Eden will remain as it is. With Dog there will be changes as is his right! Do you agree?”
The crowd silently shoved their right fists into the air.
“It is agreed,” Right Hand Wife acknowledged. “To the death a leader will emerge.”
“I don’t want to kill you,” Dog said.
“I don’t want to die,” the Mayor said. “But I don’t get to make that choice. I die here today or I die slowly and painfully later. Today would be best for Eden.”
“No weapons!” Right Hand Wife yelled. “Just skin and muscle.”
“Skin and muscle!” the crowd cheered.
Right Hand Wife locked eyes with the Mayor and he nodded.
“Begin!” she shouted.
Dog didn’t even see the blow to his ribcage. He felt electric pain in his side, right where he knew he’d cracked a rib in the Maze, and then doubled over onto the ground.
“Jeezus!” he shouted as he scrambled back and got to his feet. “Where did that come from?”
“You forget,” the Mayor smiled. “I grew up in the pits just like you.”
The Mayor bounced on his toes and rolled his neck. Dog couldn’t help but smile at the familiar family affectation.
“I really have to kill you?” Dog asked.
The Mayor shrugged, then dodged left, ducked right, rolled and came up, his fist landing squarely in Dog’s solar plexus. Dog fell backwards, all breath gone from his body, his mouth agape.
“You ain’t gonna win them over by falling down every time I hit you,” the Mayor said as he brought his foot down. Dog rolled to the side, barely escaping a stomp that would have crushed his face. “There ya go. Now get up and actually fight, you damn pussy.”
Dog sucked in some air and shoved himself up. He danced backwards, putting some space between himself and the Mayor. Then it was his turn to bounce on his toes and roll his head, letting the feel of his neck cracking shudder through his body.
“Okay,” Dog said. “I get it. You aren’t going to give me a choice are you?”
“Nope,” the Mayor said as he rushed Dog.
“Then I’ll just have to make my own,” Dog said as he stood his ground until his uncle was on him. He barely pivoted, but moved enough that the Mayor stumbled past without connecting.
The crowd cheered.
Dog heard the encouragement and flashed on when he was little and had to fight in the pit before escaping the Boiler village. His mind raced to when he was captured and was forced to cage fight for Legit back in Foggy Bottom. He thought about his battles as a mech pilot then his fight to escape the Maze.
His whole life he’d been fighting.
“I don’t want to do this,” Dog said as he kept his arms at his sides. “That’s my choice.”
The Mayor shook his head and frowned. “That’s too bad, boy. Because it’s the only way. You fight me or you die.”
“No,” Dog replied.
“No? No what?”
“No, I won’t fight you and no, I won’t die,” Dog said. “That’s what no means.”
The Mayor lunged at Dog, but he was able to get his hands on the man’s chest and grabbed his loincloth, flipping him over onto his back. The Mayor’s breath left him instantly and he looked up at Dog with blinking eyes.
“I’m not going to kill you,” Dog said. He turned to the crowd as he walked away from his uncle’s gasping form. “I will not kill him!”
The cheers and chants died down and all eyes focused on Dog
“He says I have to kill him in the arena in order to gain your trust,” Dog shouted as everyone watched him. “I don’t fucking buy that!”
“They’re…gonna…tear…you apart,” the Mayor gasped as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. “You’re making a deadly mistake.”
“No, I’m not,” Dog said.
The crowd began to grumble and complain to each other.
“You want a leader that can make changes and bring Eden into the future?” Dog shouted. “Fine. That I accept. Some of you are my kin. I may not be connected to Eden by history, but I am by blood.”
The crowd began to grumble louder, but Dog pressed on.
“I have no problem leading Eden,” Dog said. “I have watched enough leaders now to know who sucks at it and who doesn’t. There is a right way and a wrong way.”
Boos began to be hurled at him as the crowd grew restless, their taste of blood stolen.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Agnatha’s voice boomed as she and the other slits walked into the arena. “LISTEN!”
The crowd quieted down.
“Go ahead,” Agnatha nodded at Dog. “Finish.”
“I have done nothing but fight my whole life,” Dog said. “From when I started to walk until this very moment. No chance for rest, no chance for peace, no chance for a life beyond the blood.”
Dog felt a hand slip into his and he looked over to see Jenny beaming at him.
“As of this moment I agree to take over for the Mayor,” Dog said. “And there will be a few changes.”
Some of the crowd started to shout and protest, but others turned on them to be quiet. Dog smiled.
“These changes will be for the benefit of Eden,” Dog continued. “They are necessary so that Eden can take its place in the wasteland as an example of how a society should be.” He swept his arms around. “The arena is for games now, not for blood. Combat will not be to the death or even to maim, but for training and to keep our skills sharp.” He took a deep breath. “ALL citizens of Eden will be trained in ALL forms of combat.”
Many of the men, and some of their wives, stood up and started cursing and swearing at Dog. He faced them full on. Others looked as if they were hiding grins. Sick fucks.
“Where I come from women are just as likely to kick your ass with a sword, a gun or a mech,” Dog said. “It isn’t about tits and pussy, it’s about skill and drive. And just because you have a cock and balls swinging between your legs doesn’t mean you’re more rational or even better skilled. It just means you have a cock and balls between your legs.”
More stood and cursed him. Agnatha and the slits stepped forward, their swords raised. Many started to sit and quiet down at the threat, but there were still some that wouldn’t be silenced. And others that appeared to be almost laughing and not hiding it well.
“Quiet them,” Agnatha ordered and several slits ran to towards the seats.
“No!” Dog shouted. “No one will be quieted. No one will be silenced. You all will have your say, but believe me when I tell you that the old ways of Eden are don
e! Get used to it, get over it and get ready! Because the wasteland is a big, nasty place and Eden will need to be whole if we are to survive!”
Dog turned and walked to the entrance. He ignored the threats shouted down at him and smiled at the shouts of agreement. He hadn’t reached them all, but he’d reached enough. When he was in the dark of the tunnel that lead out of the arena floor, he turned around, not surprised to see the Mayor limping along behind him.
“Good little speech,” the Mayor said. “I think you’ve convinced them. You’ve convinced me.”
“Maybe,” Dog said. “You still want to fight to the death?”
“Never really did,” the Mayor smiled. “Just needed to test you. Make sure you actually wanted this.” The Mayor grinned and beckoned for Dog to follow him back into the arena.
At the sight of the Mayor and Dog the place went silent. But they were all smiling. The hidden grins weren’t so hidden anymore.
“What the fuck?” Dog whispered.
“Thank you, everyone,” the Mayor said. “You have all done your parts splendidly. I know we lost a couple of our young women in the maze. I regret that had to happen. Their families will be taken care of and I expect every single one of you to go out of your way for their sacrifice.”
“What’s going on?” Dog asked as he watched people stripping off rags and torn clothing. They picked up backpacks and began to pull out clean clothing. Clothes that weren’t torn. Mothers were busy washing the faces of their children with damp cloths. Others started checking vid tablets and activating coms. Dog couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “What the hell is this?”
“The end of the illusion,” the Mayor said as he gestured to his wife. She walked over and hugged her husband then moved forward and hugged Dog.
“He had always said that you would succeed him,” Right Hand Wife smiled. “Then he lost you when you escaped your village. It took him years to find you.”
“Dog,” the Mayor said. “This is my only wife, Talaria.”
“It is a true pleasure and honor,” Talaria smiled.
“Wait? What?” Dog said, incredibly confused. “Only wife? But I thought…?”
