Dead End Stories From the End of the World

by P. S. Power

  It was a micro-sleep thing, head bobbing suddenly, making him feel like he was falling. They laid him on his side and let him doze then, a warm water bottle being brought in to replace the girl after a while, then an electric blanket. The Vals actually had power still after all. It was nice, reminding him of what used to be, before some jerks destroyed it all.

  Oh, he got that they were actually trying to do the right thing, just like he was when he killed people. That didn't make it good though. They were evil. So was he, but that wouldn't stop him from finding them and taking them out. Not at all.

  Someone led him through things for a while, helping him shower, shave and dressing him in new white clothes that were designed to fit a girl, but were clean and shapeless enough it didn't look that funny. He was given something like beef broth every few hours while he napped, on and off. He thought it was just dozing, but apparently it was more like a hard sleep for several days. In the same room people were working too. They didn't stop, just because of him. When he finally got up to find the bathroom on his own, the building was surrounded by girls and women with weapons, facing outward, in case of attack.

  He found the little room without help, it being right outside the A-frame building to the right, and was back in a few minutes, to find that the scene inside had changed a lot while he was gone.

  For one thing people were busily teleporting into place. Mainly leaders for various groups, coming to see him. It was going to get crowded though and for some reason he didn't feel like going out into the cold.

  "Hi everyone. I'm alive. Please keep working." He shook hands, hugged a few people and then asked if there was anywhere they could store them other than the room they were in. From the door Yalla suggested they remove to her space, which was larger. There were a good ten of them by the time they started leaving.

  More came after that too.

  A lot more.

  It meant that, instead of doing what he wanted to, which was to have some warm food with more substance than broth, he got to walk outside again, his old boots missing, leaving him with a warm pair of snow boots that felt soft to his feet. He wished for a second that he'd had those on his feet for his ordeal, but that wasn't a helpful thought at the moment, so he followed Dave to where the various group leaders were being stored.

  They started with grumbling.

  "Those damned Scalliwagga did this! We should have a price of blood!" The woman that said this was clearly T'srith, one of the warrior groups, but he didn't recognize her. If she'd been around before he'd totally missed it.

  "Stop that." He didn't bark the words, but it got everyone to go silent anyway, as if it was shocking that he said anything at all.

  "Morten may, or may not, be working for our enemies, but he isn't his whole people. Let's not make trouble where we don't have too. From what I saw, my thought is that he was being influenced somehow. That could happen to most of us. We need to figure out if that's the case, and find out how to stop it, if it's going on. It... if they can do that to him, chances are a lot of people may be working for them. I have some leads to follow, but they might have just been delirium, so I don't want to say anything until I know for certain." Grinning, he walked to the woman that had spoken and touched her shoulder gently.

  "For now we need to make certain that everything keeps running smoothly. Have there been more attacks?" No one had told him, but people nodded.

  Yalla answered, her voice cautious for some reason.

  "Several. Bimps dropping more zombies at first, but then moving to fire bombs. They haven't hit anything thankfully, since Morris and his people located some shoulder fired rockets that can destroy the things. After we took the first three, they stopped coming. We don't know if that's because they don't have more or if they just don't want to waste their efforts."

  Jake nodded after a few seconds.

  "So... We're actually calling them bimps? OK." He didn't have anything else to add, but the others did. He'd been gone for nearly a month after all and things had escalated. The more area they cleaned, the harsher the attacks had gotten, trying to stop them. They'd also had people, ones that seemed like they might really be around, like Nate and Ken, walk into the manufacturing facilities and blow up.

  There had even been a Jake making an attempt in South America. They had a test for it though, that the Linsters had come up with. Everyone had to be checked out now.

  "I see. Did anyone check me yet?" He didn't remember it, but it would have been the first thing he would have done.

  Vicki nodded.

  "Hell yeah. Before I hugged you in Manitoba. Do I look stupid or something?" She pulled out the little device that looked like a cell phone done in silver metal. It didn't flip open though, it just buzzed if it was near a biological robot.

  "Good. I hate it when I'm replaced by killer... whatever those things are called. Clone things. Bio-bots? Did we lose many people?"

  No one said anything, not for a long time, until Dave shrugged.

  "Yeah. Twenty-three. Mainly new people, but a few that you knew. Um, Robin and George from your place, got caught in a blast. Ken... He's alive, but barely. He figured out that a fake Nate wasn't a telepath in time to tackle him, and save the House from another attack, but... it messed him up bad. Sammi and her Uncle are alive, but they nearly bought it twice. A lot of the bio-bots are attacking the Bawdri. Most of them. It's like they're the primary target. One tried for here, looking like Matilde, but I shot her first, before she got into the room. We had a code word that we use with each other each day, and she didn't know it. That was before the sensors."

  Jake nodded, feeling pretty down about the news. It was rough, getting it all at once like that.

  "We need to find these people, the ones doing this and take them down then. Anyone have a lead?" If not he'd have to do it himself and he wasn't absolutely sure he had a real one either.

  Nate stepped forward, looking tired and worn, more so than he had before even.

  "The Linsters think that the others are somewhere in Australia. There are consistent Technologist signals from there at least. It could be a relay station though. We have some people looking into it. I can't say who." He looked around the room as if expecting an argument about that.

  "Of course not. We can't let anything slip." Jake tried to listen for a while after that, so that everyone would feel like they were being heard. Most of it was pretty self-serving, the various leaders hoping to get his support on projects that would help their own people. Finally he grabbed his forehead and sighed.

  "I'll need this in writing. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you need to show how things help everyone. Sure, help your people too, but make sure it isn't at anyone else's expense, right? Do that and I'll probably throw in with you without question. Don't... and you may as well not mention it to me at all." Jake tried to look hopeful, but it was pretty clear a lot of them were going to think he was just pushing them around, saying things like that.

  Yalla ordered them all out about an hour later, suggesting that after what Jake had been through he needed to rest, or else he'd end up being sick or something. She wasn't wrong, but he couldn't afford to just rest like she said. Not with everything that was going on.

  Waiting for them all to leave took another ten minutes, almost all of them coming by to wish him well or try for some last second lobbying. Jake smiled through the whole thing, glad for the distraction and the stalling it let him do, but knowing that what he had to do was too important to put off. Of course he was probably wrong, which made his reluctance worse.

  Who listened to fever dreams... or dementia, whatever he'd been going through in the dark cold nights? Apparently him, but he'd be damned if he wasn't checking it all out first. Even the apology to Colleen was going to take some doing.

  Had he really hurt her that much, for so long? It was horrible, but that just didn't sound right. No one had ever loved him, had they? That was his main problem. Or it would be, as long as it turned out that things seen in the
woods should stay there and not be open to group discussion later.

  About ten seconds after the last person left he set the first part in motion, asking Yalla sweetly if she'd help him get some things done. It was fake of course, because he was way too numb to actually feel anymore, but she seemed more than happy to help, taking the time to touch him on the arm before leaving to talk to the needed people. The Vals were funny that way, he realized. Some of them were physically friendly with him, but they didn't touch each other much. True a lot of that had kind of gone away in the last year even at the House, but people still hugged their personal friends a lot, for comfort or to reassure others. The Valkyrie just didn't. When they did, it tended to be a back pounding kind of thing, instead of anything warm or overtly friendly. It meant that Yalla must have been pretty worried about him or something.

  The first people in were the Linsters, having planned to come visit anyway. They weren't brought over to the visitors center until Cam came though, having lifted the ladle like she was supposed to.

  "It took hours before she set it down. I had to wash dishes the whole time too." The girl pouted a little and held up her left hand to show the pruning.

  "Much more, and I'd chafe."

  The ladle didn't look special or anything, it was just silver metal with a big bowl on the bottom. Jake didn't really know what to do, it had just been in his visions, so he handed the thing off to Sara and waved at it.

  "What do you think of it?" Yalla gave him a funny look and Cam actually laughed out loud, a happy sound that Jake hadn't really heard from her before.

  "Yup, the best in modern American serving implement technology! I should have gotten her big wooden spoon set too, but I value my hide too much." Not that Lois would hurt her for real, being a pacifist.

  Sara Linster looked at it closely for about ten seconds, then pushed on the decorative end, which had a bit of texturing on it, making it look like a knob that couldn't turn. Pushing it firmly she twisted, which made a very soft beeping sound. A few minutes later there was a voice coming from the middle of the thing.

  "Is something wrong? You don't normally get in touch during the day. Tess?" They all just kind of stared at it. Finally Donald stepped forward, taking it by the bowl end.

  "This is Donald Linster. I just picked this up from a counter here... May I ask who this is?"

  "Linster? I didn't know you were with us. Marcus Sieve here. You might want to get in touch later. We're using L band frequencies for this. Can you get in on 304 after nightfall? Don't let them see you do it." The voice sounded pretty casual about the whole thing.

  "On it. Talk then. Someone is coming." Then he quickly twisted the knob on the top again until it clicked.

  Everyone looked at the thing for a while. Finally Jake just shrugged, feeling pretty miserable about the whole thing. He actually had kind of liked Lois. She'd always helped out and gotten her work done after all. Even when everything else was falling apart.

  "Yalla, we're going to need a full team for this. Um," he turned to the Linsters not sure what to expect from them at all. Not going directly against their own people.

  "Can you help with this? I don't know what she might do, or if you can identify her. If I remember correctly she used to look pretty young, before the whole thing happened. Now she looks about sixty-five. Is that something that can be done? Aging like that?"

  Sara looked to be thinking, her head still and face set after almost a full minute she looked at her husband.

  "Yes. She could have artificially aged herself, or gone to her normal appearance depending on actual age. We should be able to undo either state if you wish. I'll need some equipment from my lab."

  Cam closed her eyes and held out a single hand, which caused them both to vanish moments after the woman touched it. They were back about ten minutes later, both with loaded arms. It was mainly techno gadgets, but there was one that looked like a ray gun from an old movie and something that seemed to be a satchel made out of canvas. It was just a tan square. It got handed off to Donald, but the gun looking thing stayed with the woman. Hal took part of the other gear, which got Jake to grab a few things himself. Only what he could hold in his left hand though.

  "I need more ammo." He was out after all. That Windigo had caused him to use it almost all up.

  He wasn't going to get any though, until after they got to the House. Yalla offered him a different weapon to carry, that she had ammunition for, but he shook his head.

  "No. This is Lois. No matter what, I don't want to accidently kill her." It didn't leave him a lot to do with her though, but that got left unsaid. They didn't have prison anymore and even if they did... would it be enough for someone that had been helping to kill almost everyone in the world?

  Jake wanted to cry, it was just so sad. He felt betrayed, like it was all personal, but that was silly. Lois wouldn't have any reason to be out after him at all. If she had he would have been poisoned long ago or something. After all, she controlled all the food at the House. They could all have been dead if she wanted it. Still, he'd thought they were friends.

  He couldn't be close to anyone that tried to kill everyone though, that was just too much to ask.

  Things moved fast and they went directly to the House with twenty Valkyries in tow. They didn't have any kids in this group either. They were all adult women with hard faces, and heavy weapons. If she fought, they were going to make sure she didn't leave too easily. Jake asked them to stay outside though. He had to do it himself. It was his burden.

  He took the ladle and walked into the kitchen, which had only five people in it, three of them men for once, working away on the dinner meal it looked like. The rest of the people traipsed in behind him anyway, Vicki running into place by his side, Tipper in tow. They'd already been there, in case of Technologist attack. Neither one knew what was going on though.

  "OK, we need everyone for a meeting, we have news." He didn't get a chance to say more since several people ran over to him.

  "We'd heard you lived. Good to see you, man." Samuel spoke softly, his eyes looking genuinely pleased.

  "Um, you... know about Ken, and the others?" He said it slowly, as if someone might just have forgotten to mention it to him. He was probably right too, if Dave hadn't been around they might not have. Trying to protect him or soften the blow. It still hurt. He couldn't believe they were gone. It just didn't feel real to him yet. It would though.

  Robin... George...

  God knew who else. It all ached though, even the ones he'd never met. Feeling that kind of thing wouldn't help him just then though, so he tried to set it aside. Failing, he walked to the dining room quickly so that no one would notice the tears. No one behind him at least.

  "Yeah. Thanks Sam. I'll... we can talk about it all later, OK?" He didn't want to be rude to the guy, who was just trying to be his friend after all.

  "Sure. When you're ready." Not for the first time Jake wondered if Samuel wouldn't have made a better Very Good Man than he was. The man was just so laid back and calm all the time. Nice too. It was what he should have been.

  More like what he used to be, if he was honest about it.

  "Hey Lois..." He said the words calmly, since the kitchen boss had her back to the room, probably so the Linsters wouldn't see her face. She could have had anything in her hands the way her body was hidden. Being who she really was it could have been a ray gun or laser maybe. It wasn't though, since she started wiping down the counter with it, as an excuse not to turn around.

  "I found your ladle for you. Cam stole it again. Some kind of prank, or rite of passage, I think. She mentioned something about going after your wooden spoon set next." He set it on the kitchen table with a thunk, trying to smile.

  "Anyway, everyone to the dining room. Everyone please."

  That took a while, but the remaining people there gathered not five minutes later, half of them checking everyone else with the detectors the Linsters had given them, since it was just about a perfect opportuni
ty to kill everyone left. Close quarters, only two exits and armed people outside. If it didn't look like a trap then people weren't paying attention. Most of them got it though, seeming nervous and edgy suddenly.

  Nate looked at him and tilted his head a bit, more salt in his beard than there had been six months before. Stress was aging everyone it seemed.

  "So, news you said?"

  Jake nodded happily, feeling bad about it, but wanting to get Lois all the way into the room before confronting her. Maybe it was a trick or set up? Someone else framing the woman?

  "Yeah, I'm going to instate polygamy and marry six women. They'll let me get away with it, since I'm their messiah or whatever. Anyway, I was thinking we'd just throw out social rules and conventions. I still want a cake though. So I'm looking for suggestions, who do you think I should get hitched to?" He looked around and noticed something, to a man, woman and young Linster, everyone seemed to think he was serious and hadn't lost his mind at all. That was freaky, so he laughed. Like he could handle six women? So far he hadn't really managed one.

  While he tried to think of what to say next Donald snorted and walked over to the Lois, his hand on a small box with two rabbit ear antennae coming out of it, a whole copper and silver looking affair.

  He turned a small dial for a second and then hit the single button on the top. Lois hissed, but not in anger. It was more of a frustrated thing. She also seemed to grow younger, years peeling back leaving a woman that was fit looking, had mousy blond hair and looked about thirty. Still dressed in blue jeans and a loose blouse.

  "Aunt Tessa. So nice to see you." The man didn't growl the words, but also didn't seem all that pleased about it.

  Lois looked panicked for a few moments, but finally smiled, looking a lot more sane than she had for a good long while. Since the new telepaths had come in fact.

  "Vicki, Tip... Check her pockets please. Sara, if you'd tell them what to look for? Something that can block telepathy, I think."