That makes eight of us. Eight guns. Eight pairs of eyes. Eight mouths to feed—
Mercy stood up and checked her watch, “Right, I’m going to get my gear. I’ll meet you all back here in thirty minutes. We can be at Weyers Cave airport in three hours. Brody and Dimitri will be glad to see us.”
Eight of us. This feels like a real before and after moment. I wonder how many of us will make it?
Chapter 3
Aviate Navigate Communicate
Mercy checked her watch; 2 pm. They had made good time to Shenandoah Regional Airport. Mercy spotted Dimitri in the distance.
Dimitri’s inspecting the runway again. We’re actually flying out first thing tomorrow morning. This is really happening. Dimitri is happy, Barnes is happy… well, as happy as he can be. We’ll be a party of eight in the Arizona desert. We’ll be in the big country with big skies, towards the end of the monsoon season… yeah, slap bang in the middle of that. So long as we can keep on the interstate we should be OK—
They rode behind Barnes across the airport apron and stabled their horses in one of the nearby hangars. Jade and Annalise immediately set to work, settling in the horses.
Brody’s not going to be happy about Jade’s decision to come with us. He’ll be losing Annalise and Jade. That’s got to be a big hit, but it’s Jade’s decision, if she wants to go he can’t stop her. At least we got his wife and son out of the prison, so he’s got the rest of his family around him. It’s hard running a group—
“Penny for your thoughts,” Rose said, sidling up to Mercy.
Mercy pulled a face, “Oh, just thinking about Brody. We got Jessica and Luke back for him but now we’re taking Jade away from him.”
Rose sighed, “Yeah, it’s tough being a parent, ain’t it? Well, it’s just the way of things, you don’t own your kids. You’re only their caretaker for a while, then they move on and live their lives. People have gotta do their own journey, make their own mistakes, and open their own doors. It’s all about moving forwards. You stay in one place for too long and something inside you dies.”
“Yeah, well, I hope we can all stop running, one day Rose. Stop, take stock, and watch the seasons. You know, stuff like that,” Mercy said.
Rose gave Mercy a sidelong glance, “You do talk bullshit sometimes Dawes. Wait… you’re thinking about a future, aren’t you?” Rose glanced at Flynn who had wandered over to Dimitri on the runway. “You and Flynn, you’re not thinking about happy families are you?”
Mercy rolled her eyes, “Jesus Rose, no. Don’t go there, you’re not even near the ballpark.” She paused, “Although, it would be good to get closure on this biotech. Who knows? Sometime in the future, if things changed, and the world became safe, well, then things could be different—”
Rose smiled, “That’s as close to an admission as I’m gonna get. I’ll take it.”
“What about you Rose? You know? In the future, do you see yourself with kids?” Mercy said.
“Are you serious?” Rose frowned, “Read my lips. No. Fucking. Way. End Of. That’d be selfish, criminal even… to inflict this life on a kid. Jesus. The way I see it is, we’re here to survive, as best we can. If we get good at it we might be able to make our lives a bit more comfortable; make a stable community, start to build a new society, all that stuff. But to bring a kid into this mess, no, not me, that would be insane.”
Mercy shrugged, “Maybe you haven’t met the right person yet Rose? You might change your mind if you meet someone you click with. All I’m saying is you’re too young to close down your options, just keep an open mind.”
Rose smiled, “You’re a piece of work Dawes, playing with my head like that. Haven’t you seen the calibre of most of the men we’ve met? The majority of them are out to kill us or rape us. Men regress under these conditions, they become medieval, just get a load of the warlords Barnes told us about. That one, the Judge, I just know what he’ll be like. They’re all so predictable.”
“Yeah, I know Rose. I just want a little light amongst all the darkness. You know, a little good old fashioned hope,” Mercy said. She pulled a packet of cheroots out from her chest pocket and offered one to Rose.
Rose smiled, “Yeah, but it’s not what you want that’s important, it’s what you need. Still, you know how to get into my good books Dawes.” Rose smiled, took the cheroot, and lit it. She inhaled the fragrant smoke deep into her lungs and let out a contented sigh.
“Barnes didn’t go into too much detail about the naval base. Stuff like who runs it, and why they didn’t join up with Constantine to fight the NSA. He just said they had their own issues to deal with but I never pinned him down on what they were,” Mercy said. She lit her own cheroot.
“Well, we’re not leaving until first light so you can ask him tonight. He’s been in contact with Constantine off and on, he must know more. Changing the subject, have you studied the map of Arizona? I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many national parks, national forests, national monuments, reservations, craters, recreation areas, conservation areas… all crammed into one state. It’s impressive,” Rose said.
“It should be, it’s the Wild West. It’ll be just like a giant Hollywood movie set. Wait till you see. Come on, let’s get our stuff inside. I could do with something to eat, there’s still plenty of MREs inside,” Mercy said. She grabbed her saddle bags and made for the airport terminal.
Two hours later they were gathered together in the departure terminal’s makeshift dining area. Annalise topped up everyone’s coffee. They had eaten their fill and had checked their gear for the following day. Silence descended on the room.
I wish we had a fire, you can lose yourself in a fire—
Mercy wandered over to the main table and studied the map of Arizona again.
Fort Defiance, Fort Apache Reservation, Navajo Nation, Hopi Reservation, Petrified Forest National Park, Canyon Diablo… so much history, so much heritage. This map is one giant movie set—
Barnes joined Mercy at the table, “You ready for this Dawes?”
“I don’t know. It feels like we’re going to the moon or something. Like we’re cutting ourselves off, it’s a long way away—” Mercy said.
“It can’t be as bad as what we’ve gone through here in the east, can it?” Rose said, turning towards them.
“Yeah, assholes are assholes everywhere, guns are guns everywhere, pain is pain everywhere… so no, there’s nothing new under the sun,” Annalise said.
“This country hasn’t broken me yet,” Mercy said. “I aim to get my life back… or die trying.”
“I’ll second that. I ain’t gonna hide in no bunker, not like some people out there,” Jade chipped in.
They gathered around the table, examining the map, concentration lining their faces.
“So, Barnes, this whole being an envoy thing… what’s the deal with that? What’s the job description? What does it mean?” Rose said.
Nice one Rose, straight in there—
Barnes looked up, “Well now, there’s a question. The truthful answer is; I don’t know. We’ll have to make it up as we go along. I guess there’ll be practical stuff like getting to know people, and finding out what resources they have to offer… and setting up trade. But there’ll also be political ideologies to hammer out, and agree on. The naval base people said they were a free state so we’ll need to see what they mean by that.”
Flynn pulled a face, “You mean they’re saying the United States is over?”
Brody nodded, “Well, the term Free State depends on the context. It’s been used in reference to slavery, independence from foreign occupation, also as an assertion of being a nation state. Sometimes it’s used as another term for a republic. In the past you had the Orange Free State of Southern Africa, the Congo Free State, and the Irish Free State… all with different contexts, nuances, and problems.”
“I’m going to miss you Brody, it’s been good to have a school teacher in our midst,” Flynn said.
“Ex-school te
acher,” Brody corrected.
“See, right there,” Tawny interjected, “that’s what Barnes was talking about. People and resources for the new America. The new world is going to need people of all kinds to rebuild. So, yes, like Brody here was a school teacher, Dimitri, a pilot, Barnes, a soldier. All these skills and knowledge will be needed, they’re precious and can’t be wasted. Without electricity we’re back in the Stone Age. Without knowledge, learning, and teaching we’re back in the Stone Age. So yeah, being an envoy, forming alliances, allegiances is what it’s all about, that’s what the future holds for us—”
“Yeah, but there’s always the idiots and bad guys out there who’ll have other ideas,” Rose added.
“And it was ever thus,” Mercy said. She turned to Barnes, “So, Barnes, what do you know about the command structure, the hierarchy of Naval Base Ventura? Who’s calling the shots there? What’s their back story?”
Barnes scratched his beard, “Constantine’s not sure. On the surface they seem reasonably democratic; there’s a council of sorts with a few key players. She’s been dealing with a guy called Morgan, he seems to be their main spokesman but she feels there’s another player behind him, pulling the strings. We won’t know until we get there—”
“So, we’re kind of like spies then?” Jade said.
The room fell silent.
Yeah, Jade, we’re kind of like spies—
The next morning dawned bright and fresh. They brought their gear out onto the tarmac and watched as Dimitri taxied the Beechcraft King Air 350i onto the apron. The twin Pratt and Whitney PT6A-60A 1,050 shp engines roared, the sound carrying across the airfield, and into the forest beyond. Mercy’s eyes went to the perimeter fence.
The noise will attract tropes, but with any luck we’ll be airborne by then—
Mercy checked her watch; 6:02 am. She turned to look at Jade and Brody. Brody was hugging his daughter, tears streaming from his eyes. Jade looked small and fragile in his big arms. Mercy stared at them and caught Brody’s eye.
Yes, I know Brody; look after her. I know, don’t let anything happen to her. I know. Except I can’t promise anything. We’re all adults here, and all we ever have is now—
Mercy blinked. The spell was broken. She turned away and watched the airplane turn to face down the runway. Dimitri waved from the cockpit and Barnes opened the rear passenger door. The others picked up their gear and started boarding. Brody’s men kept at a distance, on their horses. Mercy waited for Jade on the tarmac beside the plane’s boarding steps. A light drizzle started to fall from the oppressive low cloud. Jade left her father and walked briskly towards the plane. Mercy stepped aside allowing Jade to board. Mercy climbed the steps and waved at Brody. She hit the close door button and watched Brody disappear from view.
I can’t promise anything—
Chapter 4
Winslow-Lindberg Regional Airport
The Beechcraft King Air 350i sped down the runway and made a smooth take off. Annalise gasped and grabbed the armrests.
Annalise—?
“What’s wrong Annalise? Are you OK?” Mercy said, leaning across the narrow aisle.
Jade bent forwards and clasped Annalise’s hand, “Hey babe, it’s OK. It’s OK, it’s all good.”
Annalise nodded, she closed her eyes. She made a choking sound. “I’ve never—”
“My god, you’ve never flown before Annalise, have you? Is that it?” Mercy said.
Annalise shook her head, then nodded. “No, I’ve never… flown. My ears are popping—”
“It’s OK girl, this plane is solid. Dimitri’s got this, you’re fine,” Mercy said.
“I don’t feel too good,” Annalise moaned, she opened her eyes and choked.
“Hey, hey, easy, easy Annalise, we’re just gaining altitude, we’ll level out soon. Breathe, take a couple of deep breaths. Close your eyes, that’s it—” Jade said.
Annalise closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Mercy caught Jade’s eye. Jade nodded and gave a thumbs up sign.
“OK, you’re doing well Annalise, very well. So, why don’t you talk to me? Tell me about your friend. Big Bear was his name, wasn’t it? You said he was from San Francisco? What’s the story there?” Mercy asked.
Annalise gulped a lungful of air and nodded, “Yes, Big Bear, we grew up in Richmond. We were in the same school, we used to hang out and play video games… he liked the outdoors, we went on summer camp together, and he taught me to fish. He could tickle a trout like you wouldn’t believe, he had a knack for things like that. We liked the same music, he played guitar, I sang a little. We did a music spot for a while in the local folk club. We grew up, things changed like they do, but he was always there for me. For all the usual life crises; breakups and stuff. He got into home brewing and used to make his own beer, he had the knack for that too. He helped out with my mom when she fell ill, he did errands and helped me keep a lid on stuff when my dad was away in Norfolk earning money—”
Annalise stopped, she opened her eyes, “And then Big Bear’s dad got a job on the west coast. And they moved away. The last time I saw him was three years ago, we hiked a section of the Pacific Crest Trail in Yosemite. We kept in touch after that but you know how it is, life gets in the way. I’ve not seen him since then. It’s crazy but when you’re working and living your life, time just slips by. Time is an illusion—”
She’s rambling—
Mercy held Annalise’s hand, “Yeah, time is an illusion, sometimes I think life’s an illusion, it certainly feels that way.”
Annalise blinked, “Hey, we’re up, we’ve levelled off, my ears are clear. You talked me down as we were going up. It worked, I feel stupid, sorry for all the drama. I can shoot a trope in the face but I freak out on a plane, what’s that all about?”
Mercy smiled, “It’s all subjective, everyone has a history, everyone is a package of contradictions. The only rule you need is; there are no rules. Do what you have to do to get through life in one piece.”
Jade clapped her hands, “No rules. Amen to that sister.”
Mercy released Annalise’s hand and sank back into her plush leather chair, “So what does Big Bear do now? I mean what did he do before the Fall?”
Annalise shrugged, “He loved video games, I mean really loved video games. He wanted to know how everything worked, he was fascinated by virtual worlds, virtual reality, virtual existence. He got into writing code and that became his life. Code and beer. I heard he had trouble out west with the police, then the FBI. He became a hacker and had quite a reputation in that world. He kept his activities low key and avoided the theatrics of some of his peers. I believe that was part of the excitement for him, to stay one step ahead of the law. He used to say it was easy to hide in plain sight. Act as if you belong and you become invisible. I’ve not spoken to him for over two years now. I don’t even know if he’s alive—”
“What was his hacker name?” Mercy asked.
“Primary One, he liked the sound of that. There were others out there that were more flash, and reputation is everything in that world. Respect is everything. In real life he could seem awkward, out of place even, but once he was in his virtual world he became some kind of superhero and, at times something else—”
Mercy raised her eyebrows, “Something else? What do you mean?”
Annalise shrugged, “Well, I don’t know. He used to talk about battling dark forces, and being a dark force. The only way to defeat a dark force was to be a dark force. He became weird about that. I didn’t really know what he meant. He didn’t do drugs, just beer. He said you couldn’t do drugs and stay near the edge in that world. The edge was where it was at… the most exciting part. He did some deep hacking, and kept pushing, and maybe lost his way a bit. That’s when the Feds came knocking, they offered him some kind of deal but I don’t know what it involved. And that’s the last I heard, before the world went to shit.”
Mercy shook her head, “He sounds like quite a guy, this Big Bear, or should I s
ay Primary One? I hope to meet him some day.”
“His real name was Connor O’Neil. Big Bear was his nickname from school. Yeah, he’s a special guy. He’s either alive and thriving or very, very dead. I want to find out. I’ve got his address in San Francisco and once things have settled down I want to get up there and track him down. He could be useful in this big, bad world.”
Connor O’Neil, I like the sound of you. Yeah, you sound damaged too, I wonder what your demons are. We all have ghosts, demons, and skeletons to deal with—
Mercy rested her head back and closed her eyes.
Mercy’s head knocked against the cabin wall, waking her. The aircraft lurched and dropped through the air making her stomach flip.
What the hell—?
Barnes appeared in the aisle, “It’s turbulence, don’t worry. There’s a storm front up ahead. Dimitri’s going to take us to the plane’s maximum altitude at 35,000 feet to go over the storm. It’ll burn extra fuel but not as much as going around the storm. I’ll keep you posted.”
There it is, the shit is already happening. I wonder how much extra fuel this is gonna use? It’ll eat into our range, shit, we may not have enough to get to Flagstaff if Winslow airport’s been compromised. Don’t worry, there’s always a plan B… we’ll just need to find it. I’m sure Dimitri’s on it—
Mercy checked the time; 8:16 am. The plane was climbing, she looked out the window. In the distance bruised clouds pulsed with lightning.
Like a beating heart—
Annalise leaned in, her eyes glazed, “Barnes gave me a pill, I was freaking out again, but I feel OK now.” Her eyes widened as she looked out the window, “Wow, I’ve never seen purple lightning before, that’s awesome don’t you think?”
Barnes? Pills? Oh shit, Annalise’s pupils are tiny. Jesus, not again Barnes, where did you get more drugs from? I’m gonna have to have a word with you. Well, at least it’s done the trick for Annalise, she’ll be out of it for this storm which is just as well—
The Survival Chronicles | Book 8 | Final Mercy Page 2