The Weak Shall Die: Complete Collection (Four Volume Set)

by Taylor Michaels

  "Charles, you get fifty percent discount. Two hundred dollar hooker."

  "You only gave me twenty percent," said John. "What gives?"

  "Wu Chan give big discount. Crazy girl have no head for business. Really like Charles. She miss you, Charles."

  "I've missed her, too."

  Masako had maintained her composure as long as she could. Tears began to drip down her cheeks.

  "What wrong, sweetie," said Cho, pulling a tissue from a pocket and handing it to Masako.

  "I know about the virus, but I'm beginning to wonder what I've gotten into. Who are you people? All this talk about what kind of discount you should get from a prostitute, like you are buying a used car instead of misusing a human being. In Japan, we have Geishas. But it's not the same thing."

  "Exactly same thing," said Cho. "Old business. All over world. Not new. Not only in China."

  "I'm sorry, Masako. My spying operation was not legal or moral from any point of view. But, I'm sure that what I learned will save many lives. At the least, it should save ours."

  "John practical. Cho always like that."

  "I always hated that," said Masako, drying her eyes.

  "Charles, I mentioned my father's place. It has shelter, wood for heat and water from a well in addition to several springs on the property. The plan is that we stock up with everything we'll need, then fight off everybody who tries to take it. We plant a garden and live out our lives the best we can as long as we can."

  "John, I've had better propositions from people who hated me. Have you thought about any of the details?"

  "No, not really. Thinking about details only began less than a week ago. I had expected it, for the last two months, but I didn't think it would really happen. And definitely not so soon. Maybe, I never thought about what I would do if it did happen. Like you say, 'the details' will be important, but so far, I'm still working out the big picture."

  "We'll need to spend some time talking about it. If we're going back by boat, we'll have time."

  "Going back to the US is my first priority. The second priority, to accomplish what I've told you, is a team. No small group would last long alone. The cities will degenerate to gang control quickly and some of those will head out into the country, to take what they can find. A small group would be wiped out by a gang of any size. At the same time, if the group is too big, food becomes an issue. It has to be big, but not too big, and small, but not too small. We only have a month and maybe only a few weeks to become established. And it will be a week or more before we're there."

  He paused, but all of them remained quiet, interested in hearing more of their future. This was the first time John had talked about it with any specifics.

  "Sounds like the big picture is more complicated than I thought."

  "Maybe so. It's hard to believe we've come to this. Over the last couple of weeks, I sent messages back to the government that this could happen. I believed it could happen. I thought the probability was high, but I didn't think it was dead certain. I knew the Chinese had developed the weapon, but I didn't imagine they would use it on themselves. And definitely not so soon."

  "Really, perhaps it was accidental," said Charles.

  "Maybe, but a doomsday weapon is of the greatest value when used only as a threat. To make people do what you want without ever using it. You can threaten people a dozen times, but you can use it only once. I figured they would just send out rumors that they had it and wait for people to start being nice to them."

  "Cho hear that scientist making vaccine. Government not want vaccine. Tell someone to send out virus. But virus much more powerful than anybody know. Little bit go long way. Right John?"

  "Maybe. My problem was that I was emotionally detached from it all. Like a historian recording the end of the world. I forgot to think how it would affect me. In the past, when my predictions came true, I was promoted and had a bigger budget. I forgot that if these predictions came true, nobody would be around to give me a promotion or a raise and there would be no place to spend the budget. I mean, I had my bug-out bags, and some escape plans, but nothing else. A vague idea to go to my father's old lodge. That's it. No real details. No matter how much you prepare, you can't prepare enough."

  "I think you've done the right thing. If you botch the big picture, it doesn't matter what kind of details you figure out. It sounds like you have a solid plan for now, John. We'll fill in the details on the boat."

  "Sounds like a great trip," said Masako. "Planning how much rice we will eat for the rest of our lives. How many beans? How many packages of seeds? How many garbage bags?" Cho smiled.

  "Thanks Charles. That sounds good coming from you. We'll have a week on a freighter to think about details. I agree with Cho that they let the virus out intentionally to see how potent it was. It was probably like your warehouse. The government did test it, but somewhere else first, and they were quickly convinced that it was exactly what they wanted. Then, they let it out in Ruhan to silence everyone who knew about it."

  "Sad situation," said Charles, a frown on his face. "It's amazing anyone would have that much power."

  "They probably didn't realize how powerful it was. They just didn't know that the people in Bug City had already mistakenly let it out a number of times. So, those closest to it and some of their friends and relatives had become immune. I wouldn't be surprised if the government hasn't gone in and shot all those people to keep them quiet. They had the ultimate weapon and they didn't want their own people making a vaccine because they didn't want that to get into the hands of their enemies. A bit paranoid, I'd say, and not too smart. They wanted the ultimate power over everybody. We always plan for failure, but we rarely plan for success, or too much success. That's what this was."

  As they passed into Saudi airspace, the stewardess collected all the alcohol and locked the liquor cabinet. It took two hours to unload the camels and the boxes, during which they all had breakfast. After another thirty minutes, they were out of Saudi airspace and the liquor cabinet was again open and the questionable future appeared a little less horrible.

  After five hours of planning, hypothesizing and drinking, they were in London, but definitely not sober. Charles tried to interest the stewardesses in dinner, but they had other plans, although the blonde did appear torn. His Scottish accent never hurt when he tried to make new friends. John couldn't help but wonder how long the stewardess had before the virus struck her.

  Chapter 10 - Tom Porter

  After landing in London, they took a taxi to the hotel John had frequented, the Leichester, just off Oxford Street. He called his stepfather's best friend, Terry Porter, who immediately invited them over for drinks.

  "So, who is this guy we're going to see, John?" said Charles.

  "Terry Porter. My stepfather worked at the American Embassy in the Mayfair section of London for two years. He worked with Terry Porter in the British Embassy almost every day. We lived on the same street, only a few doors apart. Terry was a spy at heart, but was too successful, a problem most of us rarely worry about. Terry was promoted into management and gave up day-to-day spying. Claimed he really missed it, but I think he enjoyed pulling the strings of power much more."

  "I understand," said Charles. "I should have such problems."

  "Me, too. He assembled a giant collection of favors. He never had a problem knowing who to call when he needed a favor himself. He also had a large file of skeletons he could use to encourage people to provide whatever assistance he needed."

  "You joke. Skeletons," said Cho. "I not believe this."

  "That's short for skeletons in the closet. It means secrets that people kept. He knew lots of important people's secrets."

  "Like John. You knew everybody's secrets," said Masako, leafing through the City Guide.

  "I tried, but most, while interesting, weren't useful or valuable. Terry and my stepfather became good friends and they encouraged Tom and I to be friends, especially for school activities and outings. Tom was actual
ly Terry's grandson, but he was only a few years younger than I was."

  "Did he like spying as much as you."

  "Masako, nobody enjoyed spying like John. And he was good at it," said Charles. "Had a natural talent for ferreting out information. For reading people. Knowing who had a secret."

  "Terry's son never really liked spying. Tom, on the other hand, started on his own at an early age and his grandfather was delighted. He often made Tom gifts of various pieces of spy equipment such as a pair of binoculars, various bugs, a parabolic microphone and tiny video cameras and transmitters. Tom hid those inside other items like clocks. He gave so many clock presents to his neighbors that he had to stop because all his receiving channels were full."

  "Enterprising young lad," said Charles.

  "I always assumed that my stepfather encouraged me to associate with Tom because he wanted me to spy on Terry Porter and find out what the Brits were up to. That was the way it had always been. I was always spying on somebody. Tom Porter was brought up as I was and he also assumed that his grandfather wanted him to spy on me and my stepfather to find out what we Americans were up to, and, of course, we Americans were always up to something. Neither of us was ever sure who was ahead or who managed to steal the most secrets. But, as games went, it was fun and always challenging."

  "I played a lot of football when I was young," said Charles. "Challenging, but not the same."

  "To each his own, but it was fun. I searched Terry Porter's house a dozen times. Each time I found a bug, I threw it out and replaced it with one of my own. Each of us reported everything we found to our contacts. And, we each loved every minute of it."

  "My childhood was not so different," said Masako, "as you know." She finally closed up the book and laid it on the coffee table. "An enterprising young man. He would have been near the top of our class." She quickly added, "Just behind me and right in front of John."

  "Ha. You wish." John gave her a sly smile. "He would have enjoyed it. He spied on a local high-end hotel and managed to uncover a few spies. One probably contributed to Terry Porter's promotion into management."

  "I never thought about promotions," said Charles. "I enjoyed what I did. That was good enough."

  "The secret to life," Masako said with a smile. "You should like our new world. No more promotions. No police. Just plant corn and watch it grow. God, how boring."

  "Plant corn in the ground or plant us all in the ground. Not much choice, eh," said Charles. "Plant corn and watch it to make sure nobody steals it. I guarantee it will not be boring. Our life will be exciting. You won't die of boredom. A thousand other things, perhaps, but not boredom."

  John decided that Charles was getting too realistic and continued, "At thirteen, Tom met and fell in love with Elspeth Potter. They were students in the same private school. In England, private schools are known as public schools. That never made any sense to me, but many British things never did. The sidewalk is called the pavement. Anyway, they went everywhere together and did everything together. At first she thought spying was silly and a waste of time."

  "Not surprising," said Charles. "Most spying is boring. Not like the movies at all. I used to drink three canteens of coffee on my stakeouts."

  "Me too," said Masako. "But my coffee was really sake. I enjoyed it. Such a mild, subtle flavor. I'll miss it."

  "Their stakeouts weren't as boring as yours. From time to time, their stakeouts turned romantic. Then she began to see value in the game. But after a few years, she and Tom found a Russian spy and he was deported. Elspeth began to believe it was not only fun, but patriotic. It gave her a sense of power over her life and her country as well. In time, she enjoyed spying as much as Tom and whenever they uncovered another spy, she almost exploded with joy and they would have a 'special celebration.' "

  "Cho know all about 'special celebration.' Two girls and extra drugs. Triple price."

  "No extra girls. Only Elspeth. People frequently confused their names and in the early years, thought they were brother and sister. In recent years, people thought they were married. Elspeth claims to be independent, but I don't think she would mind being married. But Tom has always liked his current arrangement with Elspeth, whatever it is. He's a firm believer in the maxim, 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it.' "

  "I'll buy that," said Charles. "Don't change it if you don't have to. Too many variables to consider. Unintended consequences. Collateral damages."

  "Men," said Masako. "No commitment. Get what you can."

  "Right. And with the climate in England being what it is, most social activities were indoor and involved alcohol, or drink as the Brits call it. But Elspeth never had the tolerance for alcohol that most Brits have developed. If you know what I mean."

  "I get the picture," said Charles.

  "Forget picture," said Cho. "Those days over."

  "One of the things Elspeth brings to our little group is that she can shoot. We're going to need all the firepower we can get, especially when food begins to grow scarce. Elspeth always had an odd attraction to firearms and she joined a number of gun clubs. Considering the legendary British dislike of guns, I never understood that. I figured this reinforces the old saying that 'statistics are great for describing people but terrible for describing a person.'

  "She must have cashed in a big favor with Terry Porter," said Masako. "You said he had a lot of influence."

  "Yes. Actually, the elder Porter secretly envied Tom. He thought Elspeth was the ideal woman, five six, one hundred pounds, brown hair, green eyes, attractive, sexy, independent, tough, understated, quiet and with sufficiently loose morals, and most importantly, she was a dead shot with a forty-five. Women just weren't made any better than that, as far as he was concerned."

  "Forty-five make too much noise. Wake up whole city. Twenty-two much better. Quiet. Automatic with silencer make no noise. Just thump and splat. Fall on floor."

  "If you don't miss."

  "I not miss, Mama miss. Cho dead shot. John get it wrong."

  "Sure. You wish. And another thing. Elspeth even preferred beer to wine. So many young British women have decided they are too good for beer. They will refuse a pint because they have to have their imported Chardonnay. From France of all places. Just not Cricket, according to Terry. He thought Elspeth's only character flaw was her tendency to salty language. But then, sometimes, he enjoyed that too."

  "Ladies should be lady-like," said Masako. "Salt is for popcorn."

  John couldn't help himself and threw in a retort. "And spying is for ladies?"

  "You never heard of Mata Hari from the first World War? Agent H21? She was also an exotic dancer. Gorgeous and sexy. Quite successful in obtaining secrets from men and always in great demand."

  "Anyway, she's a decent shot and likes to shop. We will be doing a lot of shopping."

  "She sounds like an only child," said Masako. "Spoiled."

  "No, Elspeth has a younger brother, Harry. He idolizes her. He also idolizes the whole Porter family and he told Terry several times that he would be interested in a career as a spy. So far, Terry hasn't said anything to him about it, but secretly, Terry has put forth Harry's name. Had the World not started falling apart, Harry would have received an invitation to a summer training camp within a few months."

  "How do you know these things, John?"

  "They read my blogs and they try to decode them. I read theirs and I decode them. Also Facebook and emails. Spying has changed a lot in this electronic age. I'm glad the spying is over, but I'm not looking forward to what is to come."

  Chapter 11 - The Gathering, England

  Walking down the street from the hotel, John saw a group on one street corner. "You guys keep walking. I'll go see what's up."

  "Let me take it." said Charles. "I'll catch you up."

  "No. You watch the women. I'll do it. If it's the virus, I may be immune." After he said that, John thought, maybe not. Maybe Cho was wrong. Maybe this is a totally different virus.

  John crossed the
street and walked toward the group. He pretended to stop at a shop window to look at bathing suits. Without attracting attention, he peered into the group and listened. After a few people moved around, he could see a body on the sidewalk. Nobody knew who he was, but somebody said they had called the police. John could see the man's face was red and his cheeks were puffy. Was it the virus? He thought he heard the word virus spoken. If so, it was the first victim he had seen. He turned and retraced his steps before crossing the street and turning again to follow Charles and the ladies. One block later, he caught up as they pretended to stop and look into a shop.

  "So, what's the story, John?"

  "Dead body. Face was strange looking. Like he had been beaten up. Someone in the crowd claimed it was the virus. Could have been a street crime. We need to be careful," said John, stopping in front of what looked like a typical, staid, white, two story brick, Mayfair townhouse with a black, wrought iron fence bordering the sidewalk.

  "This is house?" Cho said, as John checked the number on the building. "Look like business. Maybe cathouse. I do good business here. Upscale, as John say. People pay big bucks."

  Masako broke out laughing as John replied, "Maybe a business, but not a cathouse. You would have to charge a fortune to afford this place. But, yes, it is a house. I used to live up the street in a similar house. A little smaller. You wouldn't believe what this place is worth. With that money, I could buy two square miles of land back in North Carolina."

  "It's sad to think what it will be worth in six months," Masako said.

  "That's depressing and I'm too busy worrying about tomorrow to think about things six months away," John said. "We're in danger and we need to get to safety."

  "Our minds need to be in all the future, tomorrow and six months and beyond," said Masako. "Forget something now and we will never be able to buy it later. It makes me feel bad. Almost as bad as the day you told me I was spying on my father for another country."

  "It wasn't my fault. I was just the messenger. Remember?" John said, pressing the doorbell button.