by Dan McNeill
“Even if you found it John, do you even know how it works? There’s only one man who understood that infernal machine and he’s-”
“Dead?” Jehu laughed. Red hues like fire spread rapidly over every muscle of his body while his shout echoed along the dry river basin. “Maybe, maybe not."
Zephaniah stared down at him, shaking his head. “Please John, we’ve been through this many times before. You just don’t remember anymore. That’s part of our problem. We have the Rager variation, you know that. It's just a matter of time before the half-ass cure I concocted loses its ability to keep us…”
Before Zephaniah could finish, Jehu had lifted him into the air and hurled him into the backyard of a nearby cottage.
“Doesn't matter doc," he said, landing in a controlled crouch right next to him. "I have Bean’s kids. All three of them. If one doesn't talk, the other dies. Figure I got me three chance to pull out the intel.”
“No, John. We've done enough killing," he shouted. Leaning back against the cottage's brick exterior, he turned just enough to avoid another powerful blow from Jehu's fist. The impact turned the aging brick to shards of pebble.
"You were a decent man once!" Zephaniah pleaded. "Dammit! Fight it off! We take the blood, we end our madness and we leave the Bean family alone. Now get out of my way.”
Before Zephaniah could take a step, Jehu grabbed him by the back of the arms and sent him soaring back across the dried riverbed. His body flailed as it was thrust forward through the air, the moonlight flickering within Zephaniah’s now rapidly color-shifting eyes.
“Oh Zeph, haven't you worked for me long enough to know never to turn your back?” he thundered. He rocketed into the air as Zephaniah bounced to a stop, his face slamming solidly against the edge of a half-buried pontoon boat. As he hit it, the dried seaweed shook off the hull to reveal the name, “Enterprise” on its side. With an evil smile, Jehu lifted his foot.
"One to beam up." Still smiling, he thrust his boot down hard onto Zephainah’s leg. With a single sickening crack, blood sprayed up over Jehu's black boots. Zephaniah's screams went on forever as Jehu paced jubilantly back and forth, wiping the mess from his boots onto the side of the pontoons. His smile grew as he began to walk towards Po.
“What you call madness Zeph, I call glory.”
With a deep howl, Zephaniah snapped his leg back into place. Through the tear in the man's robes, Raymond could see a bubbling of the skin surrounding the spot where the leg had been broken at. Slowly, around the edges of the gash, more color changes as the wound healed itself completely.
“The rate of deterioration John,” Zephaniah said, rising to his feet. “It’s alarming. We had thought ourselves immortal.” He shook his head. “Months. Perhaps only weeks.”
Jehu turned around with a growl. “Enough! If we find Adam Bean, none of this matters!” He looked at Zephaniah and howled, his skin shifting colors. Raymond even thought he could see his skin moving as the man continued to look up into the night and scream.
“Look at yourself John!” Zephaniah countered. “Do you think we’re normal? Each day, we slip into bouts of insanity. Look at Boorwhich! The Mother, John, really? She's so far gone she actually believes she can make the world immortal! She truly thinks she's the bride of God!”
Jehu bounded towards Zephaniah with another growl. “Watch your blasphemous tongue old man!”
Zephaniah didn't waver. “Even me old friend, there are hours that I can’t recollect, and when I do, I wish I hadn’t. All of us, we’re all growing more irrational and xenophobic by the day. Even now,” he said, looking Jehu in the eyes. “I feel certain…urges. Urges that I find…unnatural. Splicing their genes into us was always supposed to be a stop-gap measure, never a permanent cure.”
"You're an idiot Zeph! A goddamned idiot! A cure!" He stopped and looked off at the dam and the swirling spotlights. "Immortality Zeph! That's what I'm after. It's the only way to ensure the survival of our species." Slowly, his mouth twisted in a grin, he stepped towards the older man like a mountain lion stalking a doe. "Of course...how does that old Springsteen song go? Poor man wants to be rich, rich man wants to be king?" The stripes on his bare chest churned a hot red. "Sure, we'll make the masses immortal, like the stupid bitch says. But in a world of immortals Nick, there still needs to be gods!"
Screaming, Jehu shot out his arms, trying to grab Zephaniah by the shoulders again, but he was too slow this time. Shooting up into the night sky, the older man landed several yards away. This time he was ready.
“It doesn't matter," he said, breathing heavily. "Immortality's a fool's errand John. We'll never get there. You know that our deterioration proceeds unabated. The grafting of their DNA strands onto our own may have slowed the effects of the nano-virus. Despite Boorwhich's delusional grasp of the truth, it even gave us a limited version of the powers possessed by the test subjects. But it has not eliminated the infection.”
Zephaniah looked over at Po and smiled, as a buoy, covered in dark dried seaweed smashed into his skull. Within moments, Jehu landed again at his feet.
He looked down at Zephaniah, whose face was bloodied from scraping along the rocks and debris from the dry river bottom. Even now though, those scrapes and cuts were busy healing themselves, like mini-menders stitching away the hurt.
“That was always your problem Nicky. You and all your scientist friends down at Costello. Too small-minded. Bean though, he was different. He saw the greater potential.”
“Yes,” Zephaniah said, while blood still trickled out from a rapidly healing wound in his skull. “But he was wise enough to destroy it.”
“Oh he didn’t destroy it Nick,” Jehu said, stepping directly onto the spot on the old man's leg that had been crushed earlier. Raymond could hear the bones once again splitting and snapping as Jehu’s foot continued to drive into his flesh. As the bubbles formed, Jehu would step on it again. And again. Each time, the bubbles took longer to come back. Finally, the wound just bled.
Jehu removed his foot. “Oh, we’d have known if he destroyed it," he smiled. "Something like that just doesn’t get unplugged. Adam Bean locked it away somewhere. And his kids here are the keys to get it back.”
With great pain, Zephaniah attempted to straighten out his contorted legs, though it seemed his shattered bones weren’t healed enough to do that. “Stop him!” he shouted through gritted teeth to his contingent of drones.
But they stood at attention. Motionless. Jehu began to laugh. “I made the Guardians, you old fool,” he bellowed. “They do what I say!” He rubbed his hands together before combing them through the strands of knotted orange hair coming out the sides of his helmet.
“Come here little Po-Po,” Jehu teased. “That’s what your daddy used to call you, isn’t it? That guy was so proud of his little Po-Po.” As he walked closer, Jehu signaled Zephaniah’s drones to follow him, which they did, along with more than two dozen others that suddenly emerged from the forest along their sides, a clanging cacophony of metal armor, swarming into formation.
Raymond got in front of Po who had his head down, sobbing. Another bully looking to tear him down. “Get away from him!” Raymond shouted. He cocked his rifle, raising it to eye-level. “Now!”
Jehu waltzed towards him with a grin. “How are you gonna stop me little Ray-Ray?”
The drones surrounded them now in a circle. Smiling like a jackal, Jehu crept through, stopping just a few feet from Raymond, his palms out in a mocking gesture of peaceful atonement. “Come now Raymond, I respect your devotion to family. You want to protect your brother. That’s good. Family’s all that matters kid. Too bad your old man never got that. He took his eyes off the prize."
He stepped closer to Raymond. “As for your brother, the tortures I have planned for him are simply delightful,” he said. "You're gonna wish you kept him droned." That same rancid scent of aftershave and whiskey filled Raymond’s nostrils as Jehu’s smiling face stepped in to size up his prey. Raymond’s eyes, as if in genu
flection, gazed upwards.
A rush of purple streaked across the night sky as Zephaniah landed square on Jehu’s shoulders, pinning him to the ground. The drones drew away from Raymond and the others and focused on this new threat. “You know Jehu,” he said, punching him in the ribs so hard that Raymond could hear them crack. “This man-crush you got on Adam Bean really is getting to be a problem." He punched him again and again in the rib cage, making sure to strike him in the exact same spot
“When...I...heal...” Jehu muttered, blood pouring from his lips.
“Yes, when you heal,” Zephaniah said. “But by that point, I’ll have already extracted enough blood from young Po to-” He looked around. They were gone.
Raymond looked back to see Jehu struggling to his feet. Hunched over, he was already barking orders to his drones. Grabbing Po by the hand, Raymond ran hard to keep up with the others. Abraham was out in front, running fast. Passing through a row of densely packed cattails, they emerged at once to a graveyard of party craft.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Raymond shouted, catching up to Abraham.
“Yes ‘Ray-Ray” Abraham mocked. “I know where we’re going.”
"Good, because when we get there, I'm going to beat you bloody."
Raymond looked back to see the rapidly approaching red lights of the drones poking holes through the forest. Ahead of him, Jake spotted a blue Dodge Challenger, dried weeds covering its wheels. He quickly grabbed a clump, jammed them into the gas tank and lit it up.
“If the fuel hasn’t evaporated, it may buy us some time," he shouted.
More bright red dots beamed out from the forest and the drones emerged onto the street. Raymond and the others took off quickly as the fuel left in the gas tank ignited. With a loud boom the car exploded into a fireball of mangled blue metal, forcing the drones back.
Raymond and Po followed the others around the corner to a vine-covered brick colonial on an acre lot that backed to where the river used to be. Abraham ran fast along its side. “Get down!”
“You have no idea where we’re going, do you?” Raymond yelled.
“Listen Raymond,” Abraham replied. “You don’t try running from the Elected, especially Jehu. It’s what he expects. He makes a game out it.”
“So what," Raymond said furiously, "we just stay here? Wait until the killer robots slaughter us? Some things never change, do they Abe. Still a wussy.”
Jake grabbed Raymond by the arm, pulling him close.
"Watch your mouth sally girl!" he shouted. "Abraham's the bravest guy I ever..."
Abraham raised his hand, cutting him off. "Don't waste your time Jake, it's not worth getting in the middle of this fight. It's pointless."
"I'm sorry sir, I just don't like little pricks like this one talking shit about..."
Jake paused, looking up at Po who was glaring at him, his eyes narrowed.
"Um, what did I do to piss off this one?" Jake asked, slowly letting go of Raymond's arm.
Raymond jerked it away and stepped back.
"Oh," Abraham said with a grin. "I should have warned you. Po doesn't like potty mouths."
"Uh, sorry kid," Jake said. "But I'm an ex-Marine..."
"Guys!" Salome yelled out. "I think we have bigger things to worry about right now!" She peered out over the dry riverbed up to the dam. Standing on top of the dam, right at the middle of the walkway, was Jehu. Drones in a tight formation surrounded him on both sides.
He seemed to be looking directly back at them as he paced along the edge of the massive dam, peering over it. He raised his hands to his mouth.
“You know,” he shouted down to them. “I love fishing. Why, I remember once, before the Rapture, I took my yacht out to this little freshwater inlet off the coast of Cuba. Yep, just yours truly, some chiquitas from Miami and a suitcase full of coke.”
Raymond stood in silence, watching every move the cocky bastard was making as he monologued over the dam’s walkway.
“Well we're there all day and I'm not catching a thing. That doesn't sit well with me, you know? Just doesn’t fit my personality. I’m kind of a type A, you know? I like to get things done quick. So, you know what I did?”
He stood at the top of the dam, peering down its steep edge, into the valley below. He waited patiently, as if expecting to receive an answer. The flanking drones, which had to number in the several dozen, stood motionless.
He raised his hands back to his mouth. “I blew ‘em out of the water!” He casually walked behind the line of drones, over to the other side of the dam.
“Suicide!” he shouted. All at once, the drones lowered their heads and dropped their weapons. The red lights on their face plates began to flash.
“Goddamit!” Jake said, almost to himself. “He's blowing up the dam.”
“What?” Raymond yelled.
“He issued a self-destruct command to the drones. It overloads the tri-lithium batteries that power their suits.” He turned suddenly to Abraham. “Sir,” he said. “Do you remember the safe house in Milwaukee?”
Abraham lowered his eyebrows and nodded.
“One single drone,” Jake continued, “took out an entire four story building. It left an impact crater six feet deep! There are 36 drones positioned on top of the dam, ready to blow. And when they do, watch out. There ain’t going to be a thing left of this dam but dust.”
“How much time do we have?” Raymond frantically asked.
Jake tightened his lips and shook his head slowly. “None. None at all. I sure hope someone brought bubble bath.”
“We have to run!” Salome shouted, grabbing Abraham by the arm.
“Yeah,” Abraham said. “let’s go!”
Jake stood up. “I told you, there ain’t no time! When the dam blows, this entire basin's gonna be gushing some twenty feet deep with the Chosen’s holy water faster than you can say a Hail Mary.”
"Hail Mary," Raymond said to himself, looking down the dry riverbed. “All of you, follow me,” Raymond yelled. "I think I have an idea." Without waiting for the others, he started running towards the dam.
Po ran right beside him. "Hey Waymond," he shouted. "Just in case you didn't know, the bad guys are right where you're running."
"I know Chewie," Raymond shouted back. "That's the plan."
“What the hell are you doing?” Salome yelled. "We need to run away from the dam muchacho, not towards it!" Shaking her head, she darted down the hill after Raymond with Jake and Abraham close behind.
"Not this time," Raymond yelled back. “You ever go white-water rafting?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jake said with a snarl.
“The pontoon boat! The one that Jehu threw the other guy into! We might not have time to out run the water, but we may have time to out ride it!”
Confused, Jake looked over at Abraham, “Sir?”
Abraham narrowed his eyes. “Folks took us white water rafting on the Colorado River when we were freshman. I stayed with Po exploring the canyon. Raymond broke his arm and nearly drowned. This should be good. That is, if we don’t die of course.”
“Oh we’re gonna die,” Jake barked. “And you know death by drowning isn't even on my top ten list! Well, maybe the Chosen keep piranhas in that lake. Least that'll be close to making number seven.”
Making it to the overturned pontoon boat, Raymond glanced up to the dam to see that the blinking eyes of the drones had stopped. At once, a high pitched screech like the sound of stereo feedback from a misplaced microphone began to emanate from the top of the dam.
“Get ready people!” Abraham shouted. “The 19 be with us!”
The boat was turned on its side, with the pontoon marked “Enterprise” partially buried in the dirt of the dried river. “Come on!” Raymond yelled, pushing his shoulder into the side of the overturned boat while Po leaned in his broad shoulder, offering immediate assistance. “Give us a hand! Let’s see if we can push this thing back over.”
Jake and Abraham rushe
d to Raymond’s side, pushing hard with all of their might. Salome found a spot and began pushing forward along the top of the padded seats.
Raymond looked up to the dam as they continued to try to get the boat to budge. The sound of the drones had risen so high now that it was almost undetectable. Somewhere, off in the distance, Raymond thought he heard a dog howl. He could only hope it was their red rascal.
With a final push, the buried pontoon budged and the boat fell down with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Raymond rushed to get on board. “Find a seat and grab hold of something!” he yelled.
Reaching the front of the boat, he stood behind its controls and grabbed hold of the steering wheel. Like that would even matter. He looked up to the dam to see Zephaniah flinging himself onto Jehu’s back. Like two battling titans, they tumbled off the face of the dam as the drones exploded into a nebulae of burning blue.
Then came the roar.
Chapter 9
The bottled fury of the Fox Lake was unleashed like the mighty buffalo herds that once roamed the Illinois prairie. Their thundering hooves echoed across the dry basin while chunks of debris from the dam collided with the power station near its base. The mighty buffalo, hurling themselves free, were raging towards them from behind the crest of a wave that was at least fifty feet tall.
Jake shot up from his seat and squeezed close to Po. He stared like a madman at the approaching waves, whipping one arm outside of the boat, gripping its side like he was going to bend it in half. The other arm gripped tightly around Po. The buffalo were here. Holding his head back in a defiant rage, he screamed.
“Here she comes!”
The waters cascaded over them with such force that Raymond had to wrap his ankle around the narrow steering column to keep from being tossed into the chaos. He hardly imagined how the others could still be there. Part of him hoped that one of them wasn't.
Like Raymond's take on Abe, the boat refused to budge, stubbornly keeping its pontoons planted in the now churning river bottom. But then, a chunk of something solid brushed against the boat’s side and it had a change of heart. And like the cork from the champagne bottle Coach Salerno popped when their football team won state, the boat shot to the surface.
