Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn (The World After Book 3)

by J. G. Martin

  “Sounds like your kind of place.” Rora said sarcastically.

  Derek gave a small chuckle. “Before this all happened, it was a nice place.” Derek said sadly. “But the World After is a harsh place and it has destroyed almost everything of beauty in this world.”

  “If we can retrieve the ARK, maybe we can bring some of that beauty back. That’s what we’re fighting for.” Rora responded softly. “That’s what Project New Dawn was all about.”

  “I hope you are right.” Derek replied with a shake of his head.

  “Get some rest. I’ll notify you before we land.” The Voice suggested.

  Chapter 24

  September 7, 2029

  Omaha Airport, Omaha, Nebraska

  The jolt of the plane landing woke Rora from a dreamless sleep. She glanced over to see Derek wide awake and busily scanning the airport. The runway they had landed on was clear, but they could see that the terminal and all the other buildings had been reduced to rubble. Burned out vehicles dotted the tarmac and there was extensive evidence of prolonged fighting at the airport. It looked as though the runway had been recently cleared by bulldozers, with the debris and wreckage pushed to the sides.

  They taxied to a spot near what had been a cluster of hangars. The cargo plane sat nearby, but it looked abandoned. As they got closer they could see that two engines had been destroyed and there was extensive burn damage to the plane. Bullet holes scarred the fuselage and wings. The rear cargo hatch was open and they could see the SUV was gone. No crew or soldiers moved around the plane or stood guard. And there was no sign of anyone else around. Although Rora knew that could change in an instant. It seemed like airports were a good place for an ambush.

  “I don’t like this.” Derek stated with a frown. “Where are the Red Berets? Did they already get picked up?”

  “Satellite coverage is spotty here, but no other aircraft have entered this area in the last twenty four hours.” The Voice informed them.

  “So where did they go?” Rora asked, puzzled.

  “Maybe they are planning on driving the rest of the way?” Derek wondered aloud. “It is only a two hour drive to Des Moines, Iowa.”

  “They couldn’t have fit everyone in the SUV.” The Voice pointed out. “There should still be crew with the plane.”

  “I’m going to get out and investigate.” Derek told Rora. “Stay here and be ready to take off if something goes wrong.”

  He strapped on his gear and weapons and exited the plane. A quick dash had him just outside the cargo plane. Drawing his shotgun, he carefully swept inside. After a few minutes he exited the plane and shook his head to indicate no one was inside. He shrugged and began searching around the plane.

  The answer arrived a few minutes later as a convoy of technicals rolled onto the tarmac. Three armored SUVs with machine guns mounted on top arrived accompanied by three outriders on dirt bikes. Derek rushed back to the jet as the convoy approached. The armored vehicles surrounded the plane, blocking their escape and armed men poured out.

  “Let me do the talking, I have an idea.” Derek instructed Rora.

  The men were all dressed in a motley assortment of casual clothes and BDUs. They were all wearing body armor of various types and carried a widely varying assortment of weapons, from shotguns to AK-47s to M-16s. One man was dressed differently. He did not have body armor and he had on neatly pressed blue BDUs and he held a megaphone. He stepped forward and raised the megaphone to address the plane.

  “You are trespassing on the sovereign territory of Omaha. Identify yourself and your business.” The man’s voice boomed through the megaphone.

  Derek moved to stand in the plane’s exit hatch. “I’m Derek Storm, and I’m here to offer my services to your boss.” He called back.

  The leader spoke into a walkie talkie briefly and then nodded. “Okay, he says he would very much like to talk to you. Come with us, but you have to leave any guns on the plane.”

  “I’m not going to go unarmed. The guns come or we leave.” Derek insisted.

  The man frowned. “I think we have you at the disadvantage. Do as we say.”

  “If you know who I am, you know that probably isn’t true.” Derek stated confidently.

  The other men began to shift around nervously and mutter amongst themselves. The leader silenced them with a gesture. Then he had another brief conversation over his radio. Rora could tell he was unhappy and arguing with the person on the other end. Finally he shook his head and ended the conversation.

  “Fine. But keep them stowed or we will shoot you.” The man said begrudgingly.

  “Great.” Derek agreed as he started down the steps. “Let’s go Rora.”

  She grabbed the phone containing the Voice from the console and her gear and followed Derek down the steps. They were ushered into the middle SUV by the leader, who never introduced himself. He got into the front seat and whispered instructions to the driver. Derek and Rora were guided into the second row of seats and two other men sat behind them in the third row with guns ready. The leader made a gesture and the convoy started to roll back out.

  The convoy headed into the city using the highways. The roads looked to have been similarly bulldozed clear. The convoy moved at a high rate of speed and didn’t encounter any roadblocks or obstacles. After about ten minutes Rora realized they hadn’t seen or heard any fighting. She leaned forward and addressed the group’s leader.

  “Excuse me.” She said politely. “I thought Omaha was a warzone with constant fighting between warlords?”

  “The fighting is over.” The man informed her. “One man is in charge now.”

  “Oh, who is that?” Derek asked, now curious.

  “The Prince rules Omaha now.” The man stated simply.

  “When did that happen?” Derek pressed.

  “The Prince finished his consolidation of Omaha two weeks ago, and we have been busy rebuilding since then.”

  “How did he manage that feat?” Derek asked in amazement. “Omaha has been a battleground for over ten years.”

  “The Prince is a great man with great vision; he didn’t have any trouble convincing people to follow him. And those that didn’t, we eliminated.” The man replied passionately.

  “He sounds impressive; I’m looking forward to meeting him.” Derek added, only slightly mockingly.

  “And he is looking forward to meeting you.” The man responded with a nasty smile.

  “What about the other plane?” Rora interrupted. “Where are the people that were on it?”

  “They are already meeting with the Prince.” The man snapped. “No more questions. Everything will be revealed when you meet the Prince.”

  Rora shared a look with Derek. That didn’t sound good. Who was this mysterious Prince? And what was his interest in Derek? Was it someone Derek had wronged in the past? She shifted uneasily in her seat as she pondered the implications. They needed the hacker and whatever they had stolen, but she also needed Derek alive to complete the mission.

  The trip lasted another fifteen minutes until they passed through the gates of a well-defended compound. A low barrier made of concrete and rubble topped with razor wire surrounded a large two story building. Wooden guard towers had been erected at various intervals and at the gate. All of them were manned by men with machine guns and rocket launchers. Additional armed guards stood watch at the gate, but they just waved the convoy through.

  The vehicles pulled to a stop in what had once been a large parking lot in front of the building. The sign on the building said Oakview Mall. Rora had never been to a shopping mall before, so this could prove interesting. She had read about them and seen pictures, but that wasn’t the same as going in one. More armed guards stood at the mall entrance. It had once been glass, but had long since been covered over with plywood.

  The leader exited the vehicle and gestured for Rora and Derek to follow him. Armed men surrounded them as they walked into the mall. Rora began to feel increasingly uncomfortable as the nu
mber of armed men increased inside. The men looked at them with barely concealed anticipation, and even predatory looks. The inside of the mall was filled with empty storefronts that had obviously been looted and the dark interior was lit by lights strung along the ceiling. They must have a generator or generators nearby.

  Their guide ushered them through the throngs of men to an open area at the center of the mall. A large balcony overlooked the open area and inoperative escalators ran up the sides. She could see the outline of where a fountain once graced the center, but had been removed. A glass dome once hung over the mall center, but it had been shattered in the fighting. Clear plastic now covered the hole and Rora could see gaps where it had torn. It did allow outside light to filter in, but the center was also lit up by large floodlights hung overhead.

  Armed men surrounded the open area in a solid cordon. They were all dressed similarly to their escort in mismatched street clothes and BDUs. All of them were dirty and their clothes worn. She could sense their eagerness as they slowly pressed closer; wanting to make sure they had a good view for what was to come. Their guide melted back into the crowd, leaving them all alone in the center. She saw Derek look around with growing concern. This was definitely not what he had been expecting to encounter in Omaha. Many of the men leered at Rora and made kissing noises. She shivered a little at the thought of them touching her.

  Silence fell as a man appeared on the balcony looking down on them. He was well dressed in a perfectly pressed black business suit with a white shirt and red power tie. His attire was a jarring contrast to the horde of fighters surrounding them. Even more jarring was the mask that he wore covering his face. It looked like rubber or latex and was very realistic depiction of a man’s face, except that it was painted bright gold. The man grasped the banister with both hands, revealing black leather gloves, and addressed them.

  “Derek Storm.” He thundered, his voice carrying in the large open space. “Finally we meet. You have taken much from me and it’s time for some retribution.”

  At that, the crowd surged forward and seized Derek and Rora. Derek reacted quickly and managed to knock down a few of the attackers, but there were too many men and they were overwhelmed. They were stripped of their weapons and gear, including Derek’s body armor. Zip cuffs were used to secure their hands behind their backs and they were forced to their knees. As the crowd was restraining them, the man in the silver mask strolled down an escalator to come stand before them.

  “I am the Prince of Omaha.” He said as leaned close. “But I was once Erik Prinz, CEO of The Outfit.”

  He waited for that statement to sink in as he stared at Derek with hate filled eyes. Now that he was closer, Rora could see that he had no hair and that burn scars covered his head and neck. Derek stared back unbowed and unfazed. That seemed to amuse the Prince instead of angering him, and he laughed.

  “I see you are exactly as advertised.” The Prince announced. “You killed my protégé and ultimately caused the destruction of my company and the death of my people. For this you must pay. But you were not the only one. Bring out the other!”

  A gap appeared in the crowd and men dressed in the cleaner blue BDUs dragged a man into the circle. Rora could see it was the Red Beret captain. He looked worse for wear having been savagely beaten. The guards forced him to his knees alongside Derek and Rora. He also stared back at the Prince defiantly, despite being badly battered. He tried to rise but was struck by a rifle butt and forced back down.

  “There is justice in the world.” The Prince boomed. “Fate has placed both of the men who wronged me in my power at the same time.”

  “I have never wronged you.” The captain interrupted, earning another blow from the rifle butt.

  “You led the assault on my compound and murdered my people!” The Prince spat at the captain.

  “I was just following orders…” The Red Beret captain sputtered.

  “Just following orders, the last refuge of every fascist lackey.” The Prince said mockingly. “That doesn’t justify the murder of women and children and noncombatants. Just because that dictator Chesney tells you something, doesn’t make it true. “

  The captain didn’t reply. He merely glowered at the man standing over him. Rora watched in fascinated silence. If the Red Berets were prisoners then perhaps the hacker was still here. If they could get out of this, maybe they could still retrieve the hacker and whatever he stole. All she needed to do was convince the Prince to let them go.

  “He was protecting me!” She suddenly called out.

  “What?” The Prince snapped as he turned his attention to her.

  “Derek was protecting me from your man. You said the murder of noncombatants, children, and women was unjustified. Well I’m all three.” She pointed out.

  That caused the Prince to pause for a moment as he considered her argument. “He didn’t have to kill him; he could have just disabled him and let him go.” The Prince replied unconvincingly.

  “First rule of the wasteland; kill or be killed.” Rora retorted boldly.

  That drew a reaction from the crowd. She could see many of them nodding or murmuring in agreement. The Prince looked around and could see he was losing support among his men. He moved to address Rora directly.

  “That may be, but Marc was like a son to me. His loss hurt more than the burns inflicted upon me during my escape from the captain here.” The Prince informed her coldly. “Someone has to pay. My first rule is that revenge is always right. So I will have my revenge. But…to show that I am not a merciless tyrant, like the U.S.T.G., I will allow you both a chance to win your freedom.”

  The crowd got excited at this pronouncement. They began stamping there feet and banging on their guns. The Prince played to the crowd like a carnival ringmaster. He circled around with his hands thrust in the air, allowing the energy to build before he spoke.

  “A fight to the death!” He proclaimed loudly, causing the crowd to roar in appreciation.

  He turned and faced Derek and the Red Beret captain. “If one of you manages to survive, then you can walk out of here with your people.”

  “Wait!” Derek shouted and the crowd went silent at his outburst.

  The Prince turned to him and studied him for a moment before responding. “What? Do you want to beg for mercy?”

  “Oh no, I can’t wait to fight for your amusement.” Derek said smartly. “But one stipulation. If I win I get his prisoner too.”

  “Interesting. The fact that you both want this man must make him very valuable indeed. Maybe I should take him and trade him to the U.S.T.G. myself?” The Prince mused. “…No, you can have him. If you can live long enough to take him.”

  With that the Prince spun and walked away dramatically to the cheers of his men. As he walked up the stairs, the crowd surged forward again and grabbed the three prisoners. Rora was separated from the other two and hauled up the escalator to join the Prince in the balcony. It looked like some sort of eating area based on the broken signage, but he had installed a large throne in the middle. The Prince resumed his spot holding onto the banister and presiding over his minions. Rora was dragged over to stand next to him by two of his bodyguards.

  The hacker stood there guarded by more of the Prince’s henchmen. He had an almost bored look on his face and seemed unconcerned by his predicament. He smiled at Rora and gave her a knowing look followed by a casual wink. Then he went back to looking disinterested and ignoring everything and everyone.

  “Don’t worry my dear; if he dies you can stay here with me.” The Prince informed her casually. “I’m sure my men would love to entertain you.”

  That drew chuckles from his bodyguards and made Rora throw up a little in her mouth. Derek better win this, or it was going to get very ugly for her. She was fairly confident he would win. The Red Beret captain was beaten up and Derek had already bested him twice. He should be able to make short work of their nemesis and then it all hinged on whether the Prince would actually let them go.


  Chapter 25

  September 7, 2029

  Oakview Mall, Omaha, Nebraska

  Derek and the captain had been dragged off into another part of the mall while she had been dragged upstairs. She didn’t know what was happening to them, but she figured it wouldn’t take long because everyone was still standing around waiting. A few minutes passed and Derek emerged from an empty store shirtless with segmented metal armor covering his left shoulder and arm. His machete was in his right hand. He looked like a gladiator from the Roman Coliseum.

  He glanced up and gave her a confident nod. The crowd booed as he entered. Derek merely sneered at them and feinted towards a couple of the Prince’s gunmen. They flinched and he laughed at them. This only made the crowd boo and jeer louder.

  His opponent emerged from another storefront, but to her surprise it wasn’t the captain. It was one of his men. It was the man Derek had been battling in the village before they had picked him up. He was also clad in armor like a gladiator, but he carried a samurai sword. He was slightly smaller than Derek and possibly older, but she had seen him fight in the village and she knew he was skilled. He was stripped down to his standard issue urban camouflage BDU pants and he had on a leather chestplate and had metal bracers on his forearms and metal greaves covering his knees and shins.

  Her breath caught, when a second soldier followed him out. This man was black and he was larger and well-muscled. He was also younger than Derek or the other man. He carried a sledgehammer and had a very grim look on his face. He wore similar armor to Derek’s except he also had on a metal bracer on his right hand and metal greaves on his legs. The crowd let out a loud cheer as he appeared.

  “What? You thought I would have Derek face a beaten up man without his physical advantages?” The Prince said mockingly. “This makes it a more fair fight don’t you think? I wouldn’t want my men to miss out on a good fight.”