“There was a base called Mount Weather Emergency Ops Center. Everyone thought the bigwigs would hide there when things crashed. Fort Hill was really where the elite wanted to be,” Jerimiah said. “Most of them never made it, and many who did weren’t admitted.”
“Who stopped them?” Milly asked.
“You’re about to find out. We’re here,” Jerimiah said.
To their left, the guardrail disappeared under snow and the forest gave way to a road. Larry squawked overhead and landed on a pile of snow to their right. Thin leaf-bare oak surrounded a giant snow-covered piece of green metal which had a long cylinder sticking from its front end. The road was maintained and cleared of snow, and before them stood a fortification of wood, cement, and debris. Two greenies stood guard outside the checkpoint, and a white box with a glass front was mounted on the wall behind them and it rotated back and forth.
“That’s an old tank there,” Tester said. He pointed to the left of the fort’s entrance at a green metal nightmare with a huge gun mounted on its front. She’d read about war machines, but seeing one brought home the savagery of the gone world. There had been old guns and vehicles at the armory, but they’d been rusted and decayed. This thing was green, and vibrant, and alive. She didn’t doubt it could roll over them should the greenies want it to.
Cables were strung on poles, and on one pole, a white metal box with a glass eye rotated back and forth, scanning the area. Her mouth fell open a crack. Someone was watching them. A steel girder ran over the road covered in brown kudzu except where large white letters stated: Fort AP Hill.
“Guys, do you…”
Milly didn’t finish her sentence because men dressed in dark green swarmed from the guardhouse and surrounded them. Tye put up his hands and Milly and the rest did also. The greenies held fancy guns, their identities hidden behind tinted face shields.
“Hands up,” the lead greenie said.
A brown fence ran to the forest on both sides of the guardhouse and two soldiers swung open a gate. A car rumbled through the opening. Milly had seen so many piles of metal rubble she recognized it immediately. This one had no roof, and a woman sat behind the wheel. The truck sputtered and popped and came to a stop before them. A tall woman with long blonde hair exited the vehicle and went to Jerimiah.
“How many feet does a sea serpent have?” the woman said. Her long golden hair fell across her shoulders and the breastplate of her gray body armor. She wore a sword on her hip, along with a pistol and an odd-looking weapon that looked like a metal baton. She was big, almost as tall as Tye and just as thick. Her face was scarred, and her left eye sagged in its socket.
“Seventeen, lord commander,” Jerimiah said.
“Well met then, eh?” The woman hugged Jerimiah like they were good friends, but Jerimiah made a face of disgust. “What have you brought with you, eh?”
“This is Tye, Tester, Milly, Robin, and the young one there is Ingo. He’s a reborn. The others followed the turtle and seek Dr. Kim. May I take Ingo forth?”
“Hey, do we…” Milly said.
“Be quiet until we are through. You are a guest here, madam, are you not?” the woman said.
Milly nodded. The bitch had a point.
The woman turned to Ingo. “I am Georgina of Vantros. I am a knight of Argartha, and Lord Commander of Fort Hill. Has Jerimiah explained things to you?”
“Not really,” Ingo said.
Lord Vantros turned her cool blue eyes on Jerimiah and he flinched beneath them. “You are different from your friends? Yeah?” the lord said.
Ingo nodded.
“Therefore you will travel a different path to Argartha. You will go with Jerimiah,” Lord Vantros said.
“What about my friends? I want to be with them,” Ingo said.
“Maybe you’ll see them again down the path,” the lord commander said.
“Maybe?” Ingo said. “What of the animals?”
The knight of Argartha said nothing.
“Tell me or I’m not going with him,” Ingo said.
The big woman sighed. “Only you are guaranteed entrance. Most likely your friends will join you in the city, but there’s a chance some of them, or all of them, won’t be admitted. The animals can go with them if they wish.”
“Wait. What?” Milly said.
“I told you the trials weren’t over. Be honest and everything will be OK. They will know if you lie. They can check the past, and I’m not just talking about reborns. Ingo and I will see you in the city if you stay true. Come, Ingo,” Jerimiah said.
The sixty-year-old teenager looked to Tye and Tester, and both men nodded. “It’ll be all right,” Tester said. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Milly’s stomach turned and grumbled. She looked at Tye who confirmed her doubt. She had a bad feeling they were walking into something that wasn’t what it seemed.
Chapter Thirty-two
Year 2076, Fort AP Hill, Virginia
The snow started again, and a thin curtain of white shrouded Jerimiah and Ingo as they disappeared into the guardhouse. The greenies closed ranks around the fellowship, guns at the ready. Tye looked at Milly, who shrugged. They couldn’t fight their way out of this one. They’d committed to the turtle and now they’d have to follow it through. A gust of wind stirred the snow. Soldiers stood on both sides of the guard booth. Nobody spoke. No animals bleated. Only the frantic cawing of Larry rose above the wind. The white one-eyed crow sat on the sign that spanned the road.
“You will give us your weapons and form a single file line. It is my job to make sure you enter the outer lands clean and free of disease. You will follow my instructions, or you will be dumped on the road. Approaching this outpost a second time means death. You get one chance. No exceptions. So choose wisely and show respect. Do you understand?” the lord commander said.
“Yes,” Tye said.
“You all understand. Good. So I don’t need to kill anyone today. That would be a good day, eh?” the lord commander said. “I’m going to split you up now, but don’t worry. You’ll be back together soon. Who will bring the cat and dog with them?”
“I will,” Milly said.
“Why must we be split up?” Tester said.
The knight lumbered over to Tester and got in his face. She was massive, and looked the part of a modern knight with her gun, sword and gray Kevlar body armor. There was nothing feminine about her. Her voice was a rasp, and she had no breasts pushing out the breastplate of her armor.
“Are you going to be a problem? I realize you people are used to doing whatever the hell you want all the time, but here there are rules. If you can’t handle this basic request, I’m telling you now Argartha isn’t the place for you. So I ask again, are you going to be a problem?”
“No, lord commander,” Tester said.
“Get in a line. Now!” She spun on a heel and strode back to her truck. It started with a rumble and puff of smoke and when Tye saw the look on Milly and Robin’s faces he almost laughed. “I’ll see each of you soon.” The rear wheels shot dirt and snow, and the truck fishtailed for an instant before she brought it straight and disappeared back through the open gate.
Larry still sat perched on the steel beam. Nobody seemed to notice the one-eyed crow any longer because he’d stopped cawing. Pepper and Turnip stood by Milly, the cat watching everything with eager eyes, and Pepper focusing on Milly.
“You greenies will bring us to Argartha?” Milly asked.
“No, and we’re squires. Use the correct term,” said the lead soldier. “I am Captain Trumont. I’m in charge of processing at Fort Hill.”
“Why squires?” Robin asked.
“Isn’t that obvious enough? We serve the knights,” the captain said. “If you keep asking questions all day, you’ll miss chow.”
“Chow? What the hell is that?” Milly asked.
“Food,” Tye said. “You aren’t going to show us the way?” Tye thought he knew the answer, and didn’t think Captain Trumont would answer the question, but
Tye was surprised when he did.
“Squires aren’t allowed in Argartha,” Trumont said. “You’re worrying about the wrong things. Stay focused and be honest, and you’ll make it to the end of the path.”
“Wait, please,” Tye said. “Why do you do this if you’re not allowed in Argartha?”
Captain Trumont looked to the sky as if asking for divine intervention. He stood frozen that way for several minutes, not moving, snow covering him in an icy sheen. When he came back from wherever he’d been, he said, “They all ask that question.”
Tye said nothing.
“Will you stop asking questions if I answer?” Captain Trumont said.
Tye nodded.
“You’ll find this out soon enough, anyway.” He sighed. “Squires are infected with XK119 and receive a shot each week. If we don’t get the shot, we’ll die or become zombies,” Trumont said. “Great, huh?”
Tye’s head filled with questions, but Trumont left him and hurried toward the guardhouse. A woman stepped forward and said, “Please follow the captain. Single file.”
Larry squawked and flew off. Tye had a sinking feeling he’d never see the bird again, and his chest ached. The crow had saved their asses so many times he’d lost count and not having him watching their backs might be fatal. A gust of wind pushed away the snow, and Larry disappeared over the brown fence.
Tye and company entered the guardhouse. An electric light fixture illuminated the hallway, and Robin gasped. They’d seen broken light fixtures on the ceilings back home in Citi, and all throughout their travels in the gone world, and they’d seen some work in Stadium, but despite this there were still bits of magic from the gone world that amazed.
There was an open window in the wall before him, and beyond it four tube TVs sat on shelves. They showed pictures of the front gate, and other buildings. A man sat behind the window at a desk. Tye looked back at Milly and Robin. They were mesmerized by the TVs.
“You’ve seen one of those work before, old timer?” the soldier sitting at the desk said.
Tye stood before the service window. “Yes. I have. A very long time ago.”
“Name and birth origin,” the soldier said.
“Tye Rantic, born in Ohio, April 15th, 2008.” He’d turn sixty-nine soon.
“Ever contract XK119 that you’re aware of?”
“No, sir.”
“Step through there and wait,” the soldier said. He pointed toward an open door to Tye’s right.
Tye turned and looked at Milly, Tester and Robin, and gave them a tight nod. “Turnip, with me,” he said, and the cat looked up at Milly, who nodded.
Tye stepped through the door into darkness, and someone took his arm and closed the door behind him. He was walked in a circle for a few minutes and placed in another room and left alone. There was an electric light fixture on the ceiling, but it wasn’t lit. Faint light seeped through a high window on the far wall, and a syringe rested on a table along with plastic gloves, and two glass bottles, one big and one small. A camera was mounted above the door and a lens telescoped out, and the pinprick of red atop the camera sent swords of light across the shadowy room.
The door opened, and a solider dressed in green and wearing a white lab coat entered. He wore a surgical mask and a clear visor over his eyes. The man flicked the light switch and studied Tye like he was a cockroach he meant to stomp on. His deep blue eyes were like x-rays, and Tye got angry. He felt dirtier in that moment than at any other time in his life. He was the gutter scum, and he didn’t like the feeling.
Turnip sat on the ground beside him, staring at the newcomer and licking his lips.
“I’m going to give you an injection, that OK?” the man said.
“What is it?” Tye said.
“Standard required inoculation. No idea what’s in it,” he said.
“You just inject people with shit and don’t even ask what it is?” Tye said. “I find that hard to accept.”
“Believe what you want. You gonna roll up your shirt or not?”
Tye nodded and rolled up his sleeve. The soldier stuck the end of the needle into the smaller bottle and pulled back the plunger. He watched Tye as he did this, an awkward smile spreading across his face that said he knew everything and Tye knew nothing. When the needle was full, he dumped alcohol on the rag, swabbed a spot on Tye’s arm, pushed the syringe in, and depressed the plunger.
The needle came free, the soldier wiped the area where it had pricked, and left the room without a word. Turnip hissed at the man as he left. Dust moots floated before the window in the faint light, and somewhere a woman screamed. Tye got up and checked the door. It was unlocked, so he opened it. He’d taken two steps into the hallway when he was met by a soldier.
“Mess is this way, sir,” the young man said. Tye followed him with Turnip in tow.
Milly and Robin were already there and Tester arrived soon thereafter. The animals were fed, and they lay at ease beside the table. Tye gave Pepper food off his plate. The party ate in silence, the unspoken knowledge that they were being monitored zipping their lips.
Half an hour passed as they ate, and finally Milly spoke. “Everybody all right?”
Tye nodded, as did the others. “You all get shots?” Tye said.
More nods.
Tye yawned. He was bone tired, and his head pounded. Since he’d gotten that shot it was as if every muscle in his body had doubled in weight. He rubbed his eyes. “You think they can hear us?” Tye said.
Tester rubbed his eyes, then bent over and looked under their table. When he emerged, he looked up at the light fixture above the table. “They might have a high-gain microphone on us, but I doubt it. Did you see those TVs? They had tubes. That shit is old,” Tester said.
“Probably have a thousand of them in a warehouse somewhere,” Tye said.
“What do you think the shots were?” Milly said
“I don’t want to think about it because the conclusions I’m drawing aren’t good,” Tye said.
“Like they infected us with XK119 so we’ll have to take their shots every week. That we might now be slaves in a community we know nothing about,” Tester said.
“When you say it that way,” Tye said.
“He’s got a point,” Robin said.
“Oh, you don’t say shit for two hours and now you have an opinion?” Tye said.
“Cut it,” Milly said. “Are you kidding me? We’re almost at the end of the path and you’re bickering like little children. Tester, you may not understand this, but back home we put stock in leaps of faith.”
What Tester had said got Tye thinking. They had walked into a total unknown. It was getting difficult to keep his eyes open. The room was fading, the overhead lights dimming to an orange glow. His heart pounded in his ears, and he felt hot. What did they really know about Argartha? Myths? Fantasy? Nausea rose in him like a stinking tide.
Tester put his head down on the table, and Robin’s head flopped to the side as she fell asleep. Milly’s eyes were wide, her face etched with terror. “I can’t move,” she said.
“Tye? Tye?” It was Tye’s mother. She sat on the table bench next to Milly.
“Yes, momma, I’m here,” Tye said. The last time he’d seen his mother he’d gotten cracked on the head and knocked unconscious.
“You remember what I told you the day your daddy died, boy? Think hard now, you might not see me again until your time’s up,” she said.
“Yes, momma, I remember,” Tye said. “You said I was the man of the house. That I had to take care of you and Lois.”
“You need to take care of yourself now, you hear?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said.
Milly flopped onto the table, and snored.
Tye was falling, the world spinning away from him, bile creeping up his throat. His mother called out to him, and he reached for her, but she disappeared as the blackness took him.
Chapter Thirty-three
Year 2076, location unknown
Mill
y sat with her feet dangling in dirty water. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Bright sunlight overexposed the world, the air thick and hot and wet. The porch she sat on was half submerged, the entire area flooded. She didn’t recognize the house behind her, but it appeared freshly painted and clean, as did all the houses on the street, which now looked like a canal. A rowboat was tethered to the porch, and two fishing poles rested across its gunnel. Where the hell was she? She sure wasn’t in the hills of Virginia. The edges of her vision blurred, and when she moved her head, she became dizzy.
The world shifted and Milly stood in an octagonal room before an open hole in the ground, its dark maw staring up at her like a giant accusing eye. Rot and decay assailed her, and she covered her nose. A thin path trailed around the hole, and the sides of the chamber disappeared into blackness above. She pinched her nose and put her back against the wall, getting as far from the hole as she could.
The scene changed yet again, but this time Milly sat at a table with Peter in white nothingness, like they were inside a cloud. “How are you?” the aberration of Peter said.
Her heart pounded. It was his voice, and his face, but she knew it couldn’t truly be him. “Fine. What is all this?”
“You’re under the influence of mindbender,” Peter said. “A drug that allows the Argartians to determine your true self.”
“My true self? You mean if I’m smart? Or strong?” Milly said.
“No, those things will determine what you do. There are workers of every trade in Argartha. Everybody who meets our basic criteria is accepted,” Peter said.
“Basic criteria?” Milly said. She recalled a line written on the guidestone, “Prize truth — beauty — love — the reborn – seeking harmony with the infinite.” The reborn were the chosen people, no doubt about that. In Argartha, she’d serve them.
“You’d be serving yourself also, and those you care about,” Peter said.
“Stop reading my mind. What of this service?” Milly said.
“You must agree to the tenets of Argartha and be thoroughly vetted,” Peter said. “There is no other way. Or, you can go home.”
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