by L M Lacee
From the corner of her eye, she could see her friend Isobel releasing the woman and children from the cages that were loaded onto land vehicles. It had been a long time since anyone had captured women and children for the slave trade. Because the government had stepped up their presence, or at least the troopers had. Since weapons had started being produced in quantities again, finding people to sign up to join the troopers was easy. Especially when they were not worried about being killed for lack of weapons and armor.
‘What you were doing is also against the law.’ She told the women as she set another charge.
‘What law?’ Asked a woman who had no teeth, which was uncommon as implants were cheap and available everywhere.
Peyton grinned as she told her. ‘My law.’
‘You going to blow us up?’
‘Of course.’ Peyton set the last charge and looked at the twenty women in the two cages. ‘You reap what you sow, you reaped death. Trust me, it is kinder than what the government troopers would do to you.’
With that, she flipped her face guard up and threw several small balls into each of the cages. They exploded causing the women to go unconscious. Peyton had made improvements on the delivery system and sleeping agent since her time with Naya and her family. She walked from the enormous travelling bubble and waited for Isobel to join her.
A few minutes later, the tall athletic female jogged over and asked. ‘All done?’
‘Yep, you?’
‘Yep, all on their way to their homes. There were enough vehicles to take them, and they swore to say nothing of who released them. Oh, and they said to say thanks.’
Peyton grinned. ‘All in a night’s work.’
Isobel was the complete opposite to Peyton, where she was short, blonde and green-eyed, and more comfortable behind a computer or fixing something. Isobel was tall, dark haired, dark eyed and more comfortable doing something athletic and mixing with people. ‘We should go, don’t you think?’ She now asked Peyton, who blinked several times and nodded.
‘Sure, why not?’
They walked up the hill to Peyton’s large land vehicle, which she had brought in case they had to deliver the women back to their towns. It was fully stocked with food, water and a first aid station along with bathing facilities. They climbed into the front cab and saw lights from several vehicles appear over the ridge. Peyton tapped the code on her screen and the encampment erupted into several fire balls that shot into the sky.
Isobel asked. ‘You think they saw that?’
Peyton grinned. ‘Got to have. So you still leaving?’
‘Yeah, my kid wants to live with my mom and my family, who can deny that?’
‘Not us.’
Isobel and Peyton had been friends since Peyton arrived back from her trip to kill the Data Master. She had come across Isobel and her daughter Mia on the side of the highway, her land vehicle disabled. Isobel was returning to her town of Sunnydale, where she had just taken over the position as assistant to Sunnydale’s mayor. She and Mia had only been living there for three months.
Peyton had been charmed by Isobel’s two-year-old daughter Mia, who was a small copy of her mother with the same open, friendly personality. They had spent the time it took Peyton to fix her vehicle comparing Peyton’s town of Runnerdale to Isobel’s town of Sunnydale and found they were not that different.
Over the intervening two years, they met regularly for meals and movie nights. After Naya, Adam, and Tim, Peyton was cautious in believing that Isobel’s hand of friendship was real. Although under Isobel and Mia’s warm affection, she eventually accepted their honest friendship and returned it. She often went to Sunnydale to repair bots and other appliances for the townspeople and would usually spend the night with Isobel and Mia. Whereby Isobel would cook for her and lecture her on living alone.
On one of those nights, a few months after they had met, Peyton told Isobel what had happened on her trip away. Isobel was five years older than Peyton, with many more years of experience. She had taken what Peyton told her and broken it down, allowing her to see the experience in a fresh light. She then showed her how closing herself off from people did not teach her anything. She gently reminded her she was young and inexperienced, then asked her how she saw that as a fault. Isobel explained that it was an example of experienced people who lived a deceptive life, not trusting their instincts. Because if they had, they would have explained who and what they were to Peyton as soon as they met her.
She had grinned and said. ‘Because girl, there is no one more honest or smarter than you. I mean, that is what I did. I took one look at you and thought, honest, knows the difference between right and wrong. A very nice person, I can trust her with my Mia.’
A high honor, Peyton knew, Mia was Isobel’s life, and she did not trust her with just anyone. Peyton had taken Isobel’s viewpoint and analysed what happened using Isobel’s insights over the following weeks. Finally accepting Isobel was right, and instead of looking at what she perceived to be a failure. She decided to take it as a learning experience which would serve her well into the future.
On and off over the years, they discussed what they would do if a gang like the Warren sisters ever came to their towns.
Now two years later the unthinkable had happened, as the assistant to the mayor of Sunnydale. Isobel had learned three weeks ago that a gang were raiding towns for women and children and it appeared they were heading their way.
After reading everything they could about the gang being sought by the troopers. Isobel decided they were extraordinarily clever as they were able to hide their tracks or they had an informer in the trooper’s organization. Either way, it appeared they were heading for Sunnydale and Runnerdale. The latest report said there was a hope they would be captured before reaching their towns. But Peyton and Isobel were concerned their proximity to their towns was too close.
It had taken Peyton three days to track their whereabouts and devise a plan to release the captives and serve her form of justice. Once she explained her plan to Isobel, making sure she understood what she was going to do with the members of the gang. Isobel had stared at Peyton for a full minute, then nodded.
‘Okay, we both know what the troopers will do to them.’
‘Yeah, at least this will be quick and painless.’
Everyone was well aware of the trooper’s form of punishment. Something like that was found easily on the Net. When and if crime gangs were caught, the troopers held public executions in the town the gangs either belonged to or had created the most harm in. Peyton always wondered if it really was an effective deterrent, as the government said it was.
Although she had to admit crime was steadily decreasing since they had started their barbaric punishments. Isobel said it was because there were fewer people to commit crimes against, and fewer people committing crimes. Peyton often hoped Adam and his family were not part of that form of justice.
As the lights from the troopers' vehicles drew closer, Peyton and Isobel drove slowly away from the fires.
‘So when are you leaving?’
Isobel drew in a breath as she said. ‘Tomorrow morning, I am packed. Mia left this morning with my mom. You want to come stay the night?’
Peyton thought about it, then shook her head. ‘Nah, I’m good. I will miss you Isobel.’
‘Yeah, I will miss you too, but you will be okay, there are more people out there for you to meet and become friends with. You just have to open yourself up to them.’
Peyton shrugged. ‘Yeah okay, although other people are not like you and Mia.’
‘Peyton, you have a large capacity to love all bottled up inside that huge heart of yours. Try to share it with others, like you did with Mia and me. You will find it will come back to you tenfold. You are lovable, you know.’
‘Maybe. I will miss you though.’
Isobel refused to let the tears fall, knowing they would upset Peyton who did not deal well with emotions. She would cry later when she was alone, for hers
elf and for the lonely friend she could not take with her. Sadly, she had tested positive the previous week for the Virus. Settling her baby girl with her family before she passed away ensured she would be taken care of. Not telling Peyton broke her heart, but she knew her friend. She would shut down again if she knew she was dying. It had taken her two years to get Peyton to open herself up to other people. So blaming Mia’s need for her family and the move back to her hometown, she knew was cowardly, but she hoped kinder.
Peyton viewed her and Mia moving as the right kind of loss, which puzzled Isobel, to her loss was loss. But in Peyton’s world there were degrees of loss. They had argued this fact for years until finally Isobel concluded Peyton’s way of looking at death allowed her to move on from grief.
‘I love you Peyton.’
Peyton smiled as she said. ‘Yeah… Yeah.’
‘You know you can say it back.’
‘You know how I feel, why wear the words out.’
Isobel grinned as she snarled. ‘They are words Peyton, they cannot wear out.’
‘So you say!’
That set the tone of the drive back to Peyton’s home, where they said their final goodbyes.
SIXTEEN:
For three days after Isobel and Mia had left, Peyton had been restless and unable to sleep. This morning after another restless night, she drank her first cup of coffee and made her decision.
Three hours later she walked into the mayor of Runnerdale’s office and sat behind the reception desk, then turned on her computer. At ten o’clock, when Sybil Hugh, the mayor and her five close personal friends or councillors arrived. They came to a halt when they found Peyton occupying the empty receptionist’s desk.
Sybil demanded. ‘Who are you?’
Peyton looked at the time on the wall clock, which had all six women doing the same. She was amused to see Sybil’s lips tighten in annoyance, as she stated. ‘I am your assistant.’
‘I don’t have one.’
‘You do now.’
‘Well, I don’t need one.’
Peyton smiled, making the six women take a step back. ‘And yet you have one.’
Sybil looked at her friend’s stunned expressions and said. ‘But…’
Peyton sighed, then said. ‘Don’t argue please, it has taken me all morning to make sense of the town’s accounts. I am irritated, as it seems one account has lost credits. I cannot as yet find out where they have gone, but don’t worry, I will find out or hire someone to do so. Also, I will require my own office, which I will see to, and we really need to hire a receptionist.’
She looked up at the stunned women, saying with a smile.
‘I know you are busy.’ Once more her eyes moved to the wall clock, causing Sybil this time to blush. ‘So I will see to that as well.’
Sybil did not know what to say to the woman sitting there with a serious expression. If she had been smirking or had an expression of smug satisfaction, she could have ordered her from her office. Although it was possible the blasted woman would not have left.
Sighing again, Sybil knew she had been on borrowed time. Three years of doing as she pleased, was all she was going to get. It looked like the government was reeling her in. She had been expecting they would get around to setting a watchdog on her at some point. It just seemed to be her rotten luck, that it was this creature with the piercing green eyes.
‘So, I assume the government is paying your wages?’
Peyton’s eyebrows rose at her conclusion, she hid her grin; if that was what Sybil wanted to believe, so be it. ‘Okay. Don’t worry, I have it under control.’
‘Oh, I see.’
Sybil felt the noose tighten a little around her neck when Peyton asked. ‘Did you know that a slave encampment in our district was raided last night?’
‘Ahh, no. I knew those despicable people were in the territory but not near us, obviously!’
Peyton looked at her, and Sybil was sure she saw flames in her green eyes as she said. ‘I see… well now, you don’t have to worry about problems like that. When and if it ever happens again. I will make sure the townspeople are informed and made aware to take precautions. After all, that is our job isn’t it, to protect our people.’
Ashamed as she had not even thought to notify the public, Sybil stiffly asked. ‘What is your name? I don’t think I was made aware of it.’
‘Peyton St. Hill.’
‘I see, and you live here in Runnerdale?’
‘I do.’
‘Well, isn’t that wonderful?’ Sybil looked at her friends and said. ‘Ladies let us adjourn to my office, we have council business to attend to.’
Peyton bet they did, probably trying to figure out how they were going to work around her. She laughed when she thought of them actually being able to do so. She had been busy since arriving this morning, tapping into all their computers and celltexes. Seriously, these women had very poor security.
She opened a file and made her employment official with a wage equal to her abilities, which the mayoralty account would be responsible for. While she was there, she drew up an employment notice for an actual receptionist and assistant for her.
Meanwhile Sybil and her friends rushed into her office. She knew where the credits had gone, and as soon as Sybil reached her desk. She opened her computer to her personal accounts and transferred the credits back into the mayoral account. While her friends watched with fascination, the report from the Net of the previous night’s raid on the slavers that had ended in disaster.
Peyton was not surprised to see the credits returned to the account within the hour. Nor was she surprised that over the next week the councilors and Sybil arrived just after nine each morning, usually with a smirk for her. There was definitely no surprise that the mayor and councilors ended up each day with an increased work load.
Documents would be placed on their desks every morning for them to attend to. Most of them were back dated almost to the time Sybil and her friends had taken over the office of running the town.
The Mayor was not pleased, especially with the amount of grumbling she had to endure daily from her friends. Or the hours she was now expected to put into being mayor. She was not the only one to try to hand her duties over to Peyton, which were always met with a hard no, and the words. ‘I am not employed for that.’
Sybil found this very annoying, as Peyton would not tell her or her friends what her job actually entailed. This morning, only seven days after Peyton had installed herself in the mayoral offices and Sybil’s life. She had arrived at work to find Peyton had hired a new perky receptionist, named of all things Milly.
Sybil was sure Milly had orders to report to Peyton, when she arrived in the morning. She also would not be surprised if she had instructions to report each time she or her friends left the building. Sybil paced her office as she fumed. Damn the woman, she would have to hide out in her office or have an excellent reason to leave.
As she paced, Sybil worried away at the problem, she had things she needed to do. Things she would rather Peyton did not know about. Well, she decided she would just work around the woman, she could not be everywhere at once. Just then there was a quick tap on her door and it opened to admit a woman around thirty with short black hair and serious brown eyes.
‘Yes, can I help you?’
‘Yes Mayor, Peyton asked me to give these to you.’
With that, she handed the tablet to Sybil as she asked her. ‘What are they?’
‘Requests for you to attend events.’
‘I see.’ Sybil walked behind her desk and asked. ‘Who are you?’
‘I am Joan Newton, Peyton’s assistant.’
Sybil sat hard in her chair, her voice shrill as she asked. ‘Her Assistant?’
‘Yes Mayor.’
SEVENTEEN:
Age Twenty- three.
Peyton rolled over and yawned as she heard the ding of her computer announcing there was someone wanting to talk to her. She sat up and scratched her head, causin
g her hair to become even more unruly.
‘Who calls this early in the morning?’ She mumbled around a yawn as she squinted at her clock and groaned loudly when she saw she had only been asleep for three hours. Saturday mornings were for sleeping, not answering rude people who should also be asleep.
‘What.’ She snarled as she answered the persistent demand for her attention. Then blinked several times to clear the fog from her eyes, as a woman with piercing black eyes and chin length black hair appeared on screen. She was dressed in the new world army uniform of black and red. The front of her uniform held so many medals and ribbons it was hard to count them all. ‘So, are you from Asia then?’
Melody James, Lieutenant General of the Americas army, raised an eyebrow as she replied. ‘No, a wayward ancestor supplied the DNA. I am Lieutenant General Melody James.’
‘Huh, so what can I do for you, Lieutenant General, if this is about using my town for a base? I had that discussion already, and I said no.’
‘Oh, I know you did.’ She smiled with delight, causing her stern expression to dissolve, allowing the young twenty-nine-year-old woman to shine through. ‘I just wanted to meet the woman that could run a Two-Star General out of her town.’
‘And you thought seven o’clock in the morning was a good time to do that?’
Up went the eyebrow again. ‘Only time of the day I have free. Obviously, I woke you, sorry.’
She didn’t sound sorry, Peyton thought, but all she said was. ‘Yep, only got to bed at four.’
‘What were you doing?’
‘Oh, you know this and that.’ Peyton replied evasively. She didn’t want to tell her she had been snooping in the mayor’s computer, reading her mail and finding out what else Sybil was not concerning herself with. For Peyton thwarting, Sybil Hugh, mayor of Runnerdale, was a full-time job.
Melody shrugged. ‘Nah, I don’t really. Normal life is not my thing.’
Peyton heard loneliness and wistfulness in her voice, she yawned again. ‘Yeah, Melody, I get that.’
