by Mainak Dhar
'Damn, reminds me of Iraq when an RPG hit our Black Hawk.'
I look at him, wondering how a man could have done this for a living. We are still in a descent when the popping sounds subside, and then the plane seems to be leveling out.
'Who the hell was shooting at us?'
Pamela looks at John, her own face drawn with tension.
'Hard to tell. A lot of old armories have been looted since Robertson recalled the forces to protect his own turf around Washington instead of maintaining law and order. Any crackpot out there with a gun can take a potshot at anyone.'
I note her tone and the fact that she just called Robertson by his name. Humans follow symbols just as much as Biters do, and Homelanders called Konrath either General or President. The fact that Robertson's own people refer to him as Robertson again make me wonder how much they obey him.
I look out the window and see a vast expanse of water below. Are we once again above some ocean? John answers the question on my mind.
'Sault St. Marie. We're over Michigan.'
The plane now takes a more gentle descent and I can feel it turning. The look on John's face turns to one of concern.
'Why are we slowing down? What's going on?'
Pamela does not respond but gets up and starts towards the cockpit. John is now more agitated and is hefting his rifle in his hands.
'Neil, something's not right here.'
'Why?'
'Because we're right above where that warlord Adam Tunks is based, and we're not flying to Washington. In fact, it looks like we're about to land.'
He points the rifle at Pamela and screams.
'Get us back on course!'
Pamela has her hands up but her face shows no surrender.
'Shoot me if you want. Shoot Melissa, but we are not turning this plane around.'
John tenses and I wonder if he will shoot, but then he lowers the rifle, muttering under his breath.
'Better to see what we have in store for us down there than to crash and die now.'
***
The plane comes in for a rocky landing and my body lifts off the seat several times as the plane finally comes to a halt. Melissa and Pamela both come out of the cockpit and open the cargo door and the sunlight streams in. As we walk out of the plane, I can see that we have landed not in any airfield, but in the middle of some park. Trees have been cut down to make a clearing for us to land, but other than the open patch where our plane is now parked, there are trees all around us. A vehicle approaches and I tense, and John raises the rifle to his shoulder.
If these are enemies, we will not go down without a fight.
Melissa and Pamela start walking away but before they leave, Melissa turns to John.
'If we wanted to harm you, we would have already done so. Don't believe everything you have heard and keep an open mind.'
They disappear into the woods and a few seconds later a large truck comes up towards us. John has his rifle pointed at the truck and I can see that he will open fire if there is the slightest threat.
The truck stops a few feet from us and a tall, thin man gets out from behind the wheel. Three more heavyset men get out from the back of the truck and stand around him. The tall man is smiling at us and has both his palms raised towards us. I cannot see any weapons on the men around him, but it does not take much to hide a pistol or a knife. John tracks the tall man with his rifle as he walks towards us. He stops just short of where we are standing and smiles. He motions for his friends to stay back and continues to walk towards us, his hands still held up. John has not relaxed a bit and now the man is close enough that if there is a threat, I can probably get to him and bite into his throat before any of his friends can intervene. As he takes another step forward, I growl a warning and he stops to look at me.
'Easy, Bunny Ears.'
I growl again, not sure how he knows my name. He starts reaching into the inside of his shirt and John's finger presses lightly on the trigger.
'Please, I have no weapon. Take this out yourself.'
John reaches forward and takes out a book. I have seen this book before. It was written by General Konrath after Alice and I came to the Homeland, chronicling her story. The man smiles at me again.
'I got a signed copy from the General himself, and have read all about you. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Captain Andrew Campbell, formerly of the United States Army and nowadays doing my time with the Whitefish Rockets.'
John speaks to the man, but still has his rifle pointed at him.
'What the hell are we doing here? I saw your crazy leader on the Net. What do you want with us?'
Campbell does not seem intimidated even with a rifle pointing at his face and he gently reaches out and lowers the barrel.
'Friend, I pose no threat to you. Neither I nor my friends have any weapons on us. All I ask is for you to come with us and meet Adam. You can then learn for yourself what he wants from you and also judge for yourself how crazy he is. He has a proposition for you, and we wanted you to hear that before you fly on to Washington.'
***
We have been driving for several minutes, and pretty soon it is clear that our unarmed escorts had a lot more firepower backing them up in case they needed it. We have passed at least four bunkers with men inside carrying rocket launchers and guns and three very large trucks with guns on top.
'Neil, those are radar-guided anti-aircraft guns. These guys aren't messing around.'
I take it all in, and by the time we arrive near a large lake, I am sure that this is no crazy warlord who has managed to get a message out. This man has a whole army at his disposal, and Robertson is right to be scared.
Campbell leads us out and into a steep set of stairs leading underground. We find ourselves in a passageway that leads into a large open space. Campbell asks us to sit.
'This used to be the parking lot of the old school here. The school's long gone, but we're using this for our meetings in case Mister Drone is up there watching. Wait here, the boss will be with you soon.'
I look at John. He shrugs but then looks down at his rifle. The fact that they have allowed him to keep his weapons tells us a lot about their intentions. While we cannot escape or indeed survive too long if we choose to fight, they are at least showing us that they do not mean to be hostile.
A strange sound comes from the next room and John mutters under his breath.
'Who the hell is playing a guitar down here?'
His question is answered shortly as a door swings open and a man walks in. I recognize him from the video in Wonderland. The same hat, the same long hair and the same guitar in his hands.
Adam Tunks.
The eyes are the same as well. A bit out of focus, as if he has just woken up, or perhaps he has taken some of the things humans seem so keen to intoxicate themselves with. He looks at me and then turns his head, as if not even wanting to acknowledge my presence, and addresses John.
'I am so sorry I had to use subterfuge to get you here, but there was no other way.'
Tunks is unarmed, but John refuses to lower his rifle.
'What do you want with us?'
Tunks smiles sheepishly.
'I'm so sorry, I am such a poor host. You've had such a long flight and I gather this is your first trip back to the United States since the Rising. Would you like a shower? And then we can meet over a lunch of steak and mashed potatoes. What do you say?'
John glowers at him, his rifle still pointed at Tunks.
'I don't need food or pleasantries. Tell us what you want.'
'Pity, I could have used some steak. Well, since you're all business, let's get to it. But before that, let me tell you a story.'
He motions for John to sit down, but John remains standing as Tunks continues.
'I was a teacher at the school here. Jack of all trades, you might say. I taught music, and also helped out with the football team. The good old Whitefish Rockets. My son was in the team. The quarterback—the best the school had in years. My wi
fe Paula and I were sure he'd go to the NFL. We weren't rich, but we were content, and we had such hopes for Josh. Then the Rising happened and when I got home, Paula and Josh had been ripped to pieces by Biters.'
He spits out the last word and looks at me for a second before continuing.
'Poor, brave Josh had gone down fighting to protect himself and his mother, but it wasn't enough. I snapped. Got my gun from the safe and then hunted down every Biter I could find. When the bullets ran out, I smashed their heads in, I caved in their skulls, I tore them apart with whatever I could find.'
I can sense his fury and also the pain behind it. Many humans have lost much, as have Biters, but this man has retained so much bitterness for so long that perhaps he has indeed lost his mind.
'For many years, that was what consumed me. I got some of the old football team back and we became a group—kept bandits out of this area and wiped out any Biters we saw. That was the only life we knew till Zeus began to show up. We had nothing—no money, no hope, no future—but we did have our freedom, so we went underground and fought on. When General Konrath started his struggle, I joined him and many more people joined our group and we slowly won independence for this area. Now, I am not going to give that back to Robertson. That traitor murdered the General.'
He pauses, winded by his long speech. John just keeps looking at him.
'What do you want with us?'
Now Tunks turns towards me.
'I would never allow a Biter here, but you are special.'
I wonder what he means when he completes his sentence.
'Because you will help me kill Robertson.'
***
SEVEN
Alice once told me something her father had taught her, or perhaps it was the one who had taught her fighting back in her settlement. Either way, it is a lesson that Adam Tunks would do well to learn.
Never fight angry.
When you let anger take over, you make mistakes, you stop thinking of what you might trigger by lashing out. As John and I sit in our room deep inside Tunks' base, we can see that he is making just such a mistake.
'Neil, assume for a minute we go on a suicide mission and manage to kill Robertson, what's in it for anybody? We're dead, the people of the Homeland have no government and a bunch of warlords fight over what remains. And as we have learned, when there is chaos here, Wonderland will be affected as well.'
'He is angry.'
'That would be an understatement.'
John chuckles and lies down on the cot that has been provided. We were sent to this room immediately after our meeting with Tunks, and while John still has his rifle, we are now for all intents and purposes prisoners here. The door swings open and Campbell steps in.
'Guys, sorry you won't get much more rest. Adam needs an answer and then you have to be on your way. A delay of a couple of hours can be explained away by detours due to fighting and weather, but if you stay longer, Robertson and his folks will be suspicious.'
Once again we come face to face with Adam, this time in a room that seems to be his office. There are maps with markings and arrows crisscrossing them on the wall behind him. On his desk, papers are scattered about, and there is a single photograph in a frame on the wall. His wife and son. Adam Tunks is letting his anger lead him, is probably a bit unhinged, but he certainly is planning and running his operations well. John watches the room and I can see that he feels the same way as well.
John speaks as Adam rises to greet us.
'You seem to be running a tight ship. Did you ever have military training?'
Adam smiles as he sits down.
'Two tours playing with the Taliban. Got shot and then left to settle down with my family in my old hometown right here in Paradise. Everything else I learned in the school of hard knocks.'
I can see John already regarding Adam a bit differently, a look in his eyes I have seen before, a look that says he has met a fellow warrior. Adam nods at John, seeing the expression on his face change.
'My friends in Wonderland tell me you were Delta. I was in the 101st, and once in a while, we'd have your boys over in joint ops.'
John looks at me and we both know that Adam has let us know a lot in that one sentence. He has connections in Wonderland, people who serve and support him covertly, much like Pamela and Melissa. People who would do his bidding. People who might cause harm to Wonderland and our friends. I growl and take a step towards him and Adam smiles at me, his eyes hardening.
'Come on, big boy. That's what you do best, right? Mindlessly rip someone to pieces. But you're the thinking and talking freak Biter, aren't you? So I suppose you'll think of your pals back in Wonderland before you do anything rash.'
I pause, though what I really want to do is rip this man's throat out. A voice is telling me to calm down, to not attack.
It is Neil.
Adam continues, now sure that I understand what he is saying.
'Robertson is an idiot. He thought getting small arms to those Red Guard stragglers would keep Alice and her pals busy and give him more leverage when it came to negotiating terms for food transfer to the Homeland. But he didn't know the extent to which I've got his forces infiltrated. He sent rifles, I added rockets. He gave weapons, I provided local guidance on gaps in defenses and downtimes when patrols weren't on duty. I wanted him to lose support in Wonderland and food supplies to dwindle, weakening him here, but you have given me a whole new opportunity.'
John takes a stride forward and grabs Adam by the neck, lifting him till he is almost on his toes.
'You bastard. Innocent people, kids, have died because of you.'
Campbell takes a step but Adam waves him back.
'More can die. Let me go.'
As John releases him, Adam nurses his neck and turns to me.
'There are many more rockets that can be sent, and much more damage caused, but I have no enmity with your people. You, Biter, are another matter, but an enemy of an enemy is my friend, or at least someone I'll deal with. Do as I say and you will not be bothered again by the Red Guards.'
As he outlines what he wants, I think how mad humans are. Someone is an enemy or a friend, as simple as that. Why make life so complicated by playing one against the other? No wonder the humans messed up their world as badly as they did.
***
The airplane rolls to a halt and as the cargo door opens, we see several armed men in uniform waiting outside. Among them is a tall, well-built man wearing a dark suit. As we begin to head out, Melissa taps John on the shoulder.
'We'll be your ride on the way back as well. We're assigned to this base, so whatever happens, find your way back here and we can fly you home.'
As we step into the sunlight, the soldiers snap to attention and the man in the suit steps towards us. His eyes are obscured by dark glasses and as he stretches out his hand to shake John's, a small pin glints on his chest.
Crossed thunderbolts.
The sign of Zeus.
As he looks at me, I growl in a low voice.
'You are a Zeus soldier.'
The man does not flinch, but looks straight at me.
'So you do talk. I'm not a soldier, my friend. My name is Kevin Kempton, and I am President Robertson's Chief of Staff. As for this pin, yes, I served the Executive Committee, as I now serve the President. I did what I thought was right for the nation, and I continue to serve now.'
As he motions for us to follow him, I see a large board near the airfield. The picture shows a smiling, benevolent Robertson and in front of him a man in a black Zeus uniform and another man in the uniform of Homelander soldiers—what John told me had been the uniform of the old United States Army. The words above the figures say, 'Reconcile and Rebuild.'
John has also seen the picture and is shaking his head.
'John, Zeus was the army that enslaved so many, the same army so many Homelanders fought against to win freedom. So why are they now part of the government?'
'Some things don't change, Neil. Bac
k in my day, our government armed people it called freedom fighters to overthrow regimes that wouldn't play ball, and then when the same folks turned against us, they became jihadis and terrorists. It's as Adam said, the enemy of an enemy is my friend.'
Kempton takes us to another corner of the airfield and then we pause before a large helicopter.
'Sir, I thought we were going to meet Robertson. Washington should be a brief drive away.'
Kempton's eyes narrow and he says through gritted teeth, 'That's President Robertson. And our plans have changed a bit. The President is occupied in an event to rally support against the warlords and in favor of a strong central government. But while he finishes and we come back to meet him, we thought your Biter friend could help the cause through a PR appearance.'
I wonder what he is talking about when the helicopter's doors open and Kempton announces, 'Enjoy your trip to Disneyland.'
***
The woman who meets us after our trip seems totally out of place considering her surroundings. Her hair is immaculately tied on top of her head, her face is painted the way humans seem to favor and her clothes are spotless. She is standing in front of the ruins of what must have been this Disneyland. She steps forward with a smile so broad it stretches from one end of her mouth to another.
'Good evening. I am Charlotte De Witt Richardson from HNN and I'll be hosting you here today.'
'HNN?'
'Homeland News Network. You know, I was with CNN before the Rising as a kid out of college dreaming of one day being on the news desk, and here I am. I guess all it took was for the world to end for my dream to come true.'
Then she looks at me and her face is all business.
'Oh, my. You know, these bloodstains won't look so good on camera. The crowd expects, how do I put it, the noble savage. No offense, but that's the way it is being spun, and the blood won't build that image.'