The New World: Crimson Winter

by Andy Skrzynski

  He pointed his finger directly at his confidant. “You need to have a heart-to-heart with Caru and talk this thing through. She probably has similar reservations.”

  Queasy feigned a scowl. “Now, get me that analysis!”

  Scanning the room, he chuckled. Just a decade ago, half of the equipment in his makeshift lab didn’t exist. The old solar panels and windmills they relied on back then lacked the capacity to power all the advanced devices the Texas Freedom Defenders sent to improve their operations.

  The primitive life and equipment that followed the World Annihilation Period had made it difficult to investigate dead bodies and strange beasts, but he did the best he could. If not for Halo Power, I’d still be stuck with crude dissections and analysis.

  Teli’s voice broke his thoughts. “It’s done!” He squinted. “But I can’t believe my eyes! No wonder the blood has such a weird color!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The fluid includes a high concentration of copper — more than 40%.”

  Queasy lifted his brow. “Blazes! How can blood with so much metal flow through its arteries? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  He scratched his disheveled hair. “There’s no creature I know of that could survive even small doses of copper. Have you heard of any?”

  His student’s eyes shifted to one side. “Nah, nothing I’ve ever read of.”

  Teli glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s about time for our chat. Maybe the Texans can shed some light on what we’ve found so far.”

  “I don’t know how, but I guess we’ll see.”

  Far to the West of Ukkiville

  Working from his deceased uncle’s cavern deep within Erik the Red Mountains, Zo, the leader of the Skalags, peered into a microscope. He applied the final touches to his sister’s latest cloned mutant, a larger more-venomous concoction of the sting-sucker denamod unleashed on Ukkiville during the last battle.

  Even though it had been 12 years since his ma’s brutal death, the hatred in his heart burned more deeply — not less. He glanced at his two siblings creating denamods on the other side of the cool, damp cave. “The Ukes will regret the day they killed our parents and uncle.”

  Zo turned toward Jrok. Wrinkles from a hard life and years of caring for him and his siblings wore deeply across her face.

  A smile cracked her weathered cheeks. “You’re agitated again.”

  She touched his neck with her crusted but gentle fingers. “You’re red hot. Don’t get yourself so fired up.”

  Pulling away, he huffed. “Can’t help it. Just the way it is.”

  He bit his lip. “Hey, how’s that latest crop of mushrooms coming? Winter will be here anytime now. Need to stock up on biofuel.”

  “We’ll have plenty. I’ve used all of the lower section of the caverns for the latest batch. The pickers are already at it.”

  “And the power stations on the summit? They done yet?”

  “Just got Kree’s report last night. The large wind turbine and most of the solar panels are repaired. Everything should be a go by next week.”

  “Great! With the cold coming soon, we’ll be spending much more time in these caves. I don’t know what I’d do without you and Kree.” He smiled and returned to work.

  His 18-year-old sister, Vra, approached and placed a set of test tubes on a nearby table. “Why did you end up putting our lab in this cave?”

  Zo tightened a screw of a large glass enclosure. “Mainly for protection and to keep the Ukes from discovering what we’re doing. This used to be our uncle’s lab. We spent a week removing all of his booby traps to make it safe.”

  Vra wrinkled her nose and warily quipped. “Should I be worried. Any more of those things left?”

  Her lower lip curled. “You don’t think something like that happened to that little girl, do you?”

  “What girl?”

  “You know; the one that’s been missing for a month now.”

  “No. She wouldn’t have been in here. She and her parents live in the South Cave.”

  “What about the Ukes? Could they have taken her?”

  The mention of his nemesis shot a twitch to his right eye. “Don’t think so, but we’ve still got warriors scouting the mountains and forests. I’m sure they’ll find her.”

  An icy twinge of revenge shot through his heart. Caru and her villagers should have found my little gifts. Must be on killing sprees by now.

  He whispered under his breath. “Can’t believe I actually liked her at one time. I’ll never make that mistake again! Caru will see what it’s like when we release more of our denamods!”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  He shook his head. “Ooh, nothing. Just mumbling.”

  Vra stared at him. “Better not mention Caru in front of Kree. She’d spit fire if she heard that name. She’s got a jealous streak worse than anybody I’ve been around.”

  “Believe me I know, but she means good. She’d do anything for me.”

  His sister’s stern face softened. “I feel the same as you most times. I miss Ma, and I’ll always hate those Ukes!”

  Her eyes turned angry as she flung a canister against the stone wall. The sharp clanks reverberated throughout the vast network of tunnels.

  Zo’s gaze remained fixed on her light steel-blue eyes. “Don’t let hate rule you. That’s what killed our parents and Grandpa Zolokt. You gotta learn to control your anger with thought and creativity. Let it drive your efforts to make more vicious denamods to destroy the Ukes, as Grandpa used to tell Ma.” He was guilty as anyone of letting rage get the best of him, but he still hoped his siblings wouldn’t.

  Blowing a lock of her wavy, blond hair from her face, Vra scoffed. “Easier said than done.”

  She removed her furry vest and tossed it on a crate in the corner. “I’ve finished cloning another batch of those mosquito-wasps. They’re mean as ever and ready to go.”

  Strolling from the other side of the cave, her older brother, Gno, stood next to his sister. “Overheard you talking. Tell us again. How were they killed?”

  Zo pursed his lips. “Our Uncle Scientokt was fried by some bright beam from the sky when he was operating Quaker. Never saw anything like it. When I told the traders about it, they were sure it was some kinda drone. Now, we have one, and we’ll use it to unleash havoc on Ukkiville as they’ve never imagined.”

  Vra cocked her head. “And Ma? How did she die?”

  “Hard to explain. Somehow, a little girl killed her and much of our clan. I’m not even sure what really happened.”

  His heart burned. “Once they were there, then some invisible blast seemed to obliterate them. From where I watched in the mountains, there wasn’t much left after they exploded into tiny pieces.”

  Zo glanced at the ground and shook his head. “I really don’t want to talk about it anymore. I just know we’ve got to avenge our parents and kill as many Ukes as we can. We’ll be smarter about it this time.”

  He gripped Gno’s muscular shoulders and forced a thin smile. “Wow, you’re growing fast. Last time I looked, you were shorter than me. Now, look at you.”

  A grin spread across the young man’s face before his expression turned serious. “By the way, the workers are closer to finishing Quaker 2. It should be ready for its first test in a couple of weeks.”

  “Can’t wait to see it in action! Our uncle’s Quaker shook Ukkiville to its core, but mine should be much more powerful. None of the Ukes will be safe.” Zo shifted his gaze. Especially Caru.

  Wanting to kick her out of his head, he peered at Gno. “How are your denamods coming?”

  His brother’s deep brown eyes glistened. “My prehistoric masterpieces will be ready in a couple of weeks.”

  Zo smirked. “Good. They’re eating way too much! We’ll starve if we keep them too long.”

  Pausing, he smiled. “And your latest denamod?”

  The young man’s face lit up. “It worked! I’ve modified a pterodactyl’s DNA to incl
ude a scaled-down T-rex head. Several have hatched and are walking around, flapping their wings. The pterror-rexes are already acting starved. I almost lost a finger trying to help one out of its shell. I wouldn’t want to be in sight when they’re unleashed.”

  “Great! When will you be ready to clone more?”

  “There’s 15 about to hatch. It won’t take but a few weeks for all of them to be ready for a feeding frenzy.”

  “Fantastic!” He stared at his brother. “You didn’t forget to install the self-destruct strand in their DNA, did ya?”

  Gno vigorously shook his head. “No way! I always add it. I don’t want any of those things eating me in a few months.”

  “Perfect. We’re gonna take a little trip and release Vra’s latest batch of Uke-killers. I want you to see how it’s done right, so you don’t end up being one of their meals.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” The young man’s eyes widened. “Hey, there’s been talk of weird clicking and chirping in the mountains after dark.”

  Vra spoke up. “I’ve heard it too. Keeps me up most nights. Could it be the Ukes?”

  “Hard to say. I’ve sent trackers to check it out, but they didn’t find a thing. Just make sure you don’t step outside after dusk like I warned you.”

  “Believe me. With those kinds of sounds, Gno wouldn’t dare step outside at night. He’s a sissy.”

  Her brother snarled. “Shut up!”

  He looked at Zo. “You don’t think it’s some of the old denamods that survived after the battle, do you?”

  “Not a chance. Like I said before, Ma and I have always modified the DNA to limit their lifespan and keep them from reproducing.”

  “But what if it didn’t work or you forgot one time?”

  “Ah, you worry too much. You’re starting to sound like me when I was younger.”

  He feigned a scowl. “That noise ain’t coming from denamods! We’ll figure out what’s making all that racket sooner or later. Probably just coming from some crazy insects that didn’t live here before. I’ve heard that cicadas from the south make really weird noises. Maybe it’s something like that?”

  Zo stared at both siblings. “You’re getting on my nerves with your jabbering and worrying too much about nothing. Get back to work. We’ve got a lot to do!”

  Shuffling back to his corner, Gno mumbled. “It’s not just us; everybody’s talking about it.”

  He stood near the cage full of winged pterror-rexes and stared at his creations. Several of the carnivorous dino-chicks snapped and glared back as if afraid of nothing.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Halo Chat

  Back in Queasy’s Cabin

  Growing impatient, Queasy looked at his friend. “Is the equipment ready for our Texas chat yet?”

  Teli poked his head from around a desk. “Just a couple of minutes. Something must have come loose during the move. Be patient.”

  “What move?”

  “You’re not supposed to ask. It’s just a stupid catch-phrase when the equipment doesn’t work.”

  As his pupil scrambled to fix the problem, memories of his deceased mentor floated across Queasy’s mind. “Hmmm, I can’t help but think how Intellulka would be amazed at how we power Ukkiville today.”

  Teli’s head popped above a stack of books. “Shocked is probably a better word.” He disappeared again.

  Queasy creased his forehead. “In the least, the Old Man would have been impressed by Halo’s utter power. He used to tell me about cabin-sized computers and how they shrunk over four decades to fit on a desk. Eventually, they scaled them down to something called smartphones that could fit in the palm of their hand. While he certainly would have been intrigued that a small sphere could power all the village’s utilities and operations, it would have taken something like the creature we just found to actually shock Intellulka.”

  He shook his head. “I wish he was still with us these days.”

  The voice of his student floated from behind the equipment. “Yeah, I wish I could have met him. By the way, Where’s your wife? I haven’t heard a peep from her all morning.”

  “Aluki’s next door performing surgery.”

  Teli hopped to his feet. “There, I finally got it! We can start.” He rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt that looked like a checkerboard with red and black squares. “Surgery? On who?”

  “You better not say a word to anybody, but Drew’s knees have been hurting. She’s cleaning them up. You know how he hates people talking about how old he’s getting. He’s only in his 50s, but you’d think he was in his 70s the way he complains about his aches and pains.”

  “I’ll bet it’s his fancy cowboy boots causing all the trouble. Guess he’ll be out of commission for a while.”

  “Not too long. Aluki’s using a technique she learned from the Texans. He’ll be up and at it in about a week, give or take. Now, come on. Let’s get this chat going!”

  “Alright.” Teli raced to his seat. “Ready when you are.”

  Looking at a large panel hanging from the ceiling, Queasy uttered the command. “Halo, initiate chat with the Defenders.” The screen flickered, and the likeness of his distant friends appeared.

  Teli waved at the screen. “Good morning, Speedy. Sorry we’re late. Had a little technical problem. Is it still warm down there? It’s been pretty cool here the past few days.”

  Colonel Santo’s squeaky southern accent pierced the built-in speakers as he grinned. “Hot as a skillet over a fire. Still in the 90s most days. Y’all got any snow yet?” The speed at which words flew from Speedy’s mouth hadn’t slowed one bit over the years.

  “Not since spring, but we’re expecting some anytime now.”

  Admiral Sultenfuss’ booming Texas accent penetrated the room. “I don’t envy y’all over the next few months. My rickety old bones wouldn’t take to such cold.” Salty smoothed a wrinkle on the lapel of his decorated uniform. “How are those Halo Globes working out?”

  Queasy stared at the cantaloupe-sized sphere suspended in midair near the corner of the room. The complex contraption’s ionized gel constantly glimmered with a multitude of wavy colors.

  “They’re amazing! We use one of the globes as our centralized computer in my lab and the other to charge all of our specialized equipment. You know: the drones, armored vehicles, and such. Halo Power fuels all of Ukkiville’s critical operations now. Our solar and wind stations are only used for nonessentials and backup. Thanks for helping us set them up. We owe you.”

  Speedy chortled. “Think nothing of it. We’re thrilled to help. Besides, it’s only payback for the laughs y’all provide with the video feeds of your brain games. That last one you sent a month ago had us rolling on the floor. Putting that cam on Chili’s head was brilliant. The fear in Proto’s eyes during the chase was intense. Have y’all thought about strapping one to that pet eagle during your head games?”

  Queasy glanced at Teli and laughed. “Yeah, but Hoot won’t let us near Slasher with one of those contraptions. She’s worried her protector would get hurt. Speaking of head games, we’d like to learn more about your AI stuff. Hey Tiger, got any androids you don’t need? We’d love to study one and learn more about Artificial Intelligence.”

  In her usually firm but feminine voice, Lieutenant Hastings blurted. “Hi y’all. I think we might have just the thing.” She flashed her patented glare at Major Acosta, and the slender, curly-haired man nodded. Tiger’s piercing eyes could cast the spell of a predator, so mesmerizing you’d stand frozen knowing she’d rather eat you whole on the spot than kill you any other way. Off the battlefield, she was the nicest person ever, but in a war, she’d be the last warrior you’d ever want to face.

  Brushing her satin-blue bangs from her brow, she continued. “We’ve got a couple of new prototypes. They think of themselves as brother and sister. We’ll send the female by drone and tell y’all about her.”

  Teli’s eyes lit up. “What do you call her?”

  Speedy slather
ed his southern drawl like thick peanut butter on sliced bread. “Well, we pulled a Ukkiville and waited until we watched her reactions and operations before giving her a name. We call her Andralec. She’s a smart alec of an android. Challenges just about everything we say and makes us feel stupid most times.”

  The student’s brow rose. “Can’t wait to get Andralec and let it follow Caru around for a while. My pain-in-the-butt sister’s always giving me a hard time.”

  Major Acosta, a prankster prone to sneak up from behind when you least expected it, smirked. “Has Storm learned how to operate the armored vehicles with the latest modifications? He’s had a month to get used to the improvements.” Ambush loved ribbing the man who wore shades even on cloudy days. “Does that old fart still wear Speedy’s sunglasses?”

  Teli laughed. “Of course! He wears them all the time, especially when he and Hound Dog take Terminator for a spin. They’ve been having a blast for the most part. Wolfuk and Tropokt have been testing Slayer to make sure its enhancements work smoothly.”

  Queasy interrupted. “Yeah, Storm was thrilled until this weekend.”

  Ambush loosened a button of his navy-blue uniform, adorned with a few medals like the other Freedom Defenders but not nearly as decorated as the admiral. “What happened?”

  “He decided to practice using the refined hollower laser to slice a three-inch hole in the biggest oak on his property. Hound Dog set the mark and fired. Unfortunately, they took out the trunk of the tree, and it fell over, smashing Storm’s porch. Hound Dog accidentally set the size for a three-foot hole. Storm was none too happy. Needless to say, he doesn’t practice on his property anymore.”

  Everybody participating in the chat roared.

  After the laughter died, Tiger perked up. “When y’all gonna send more videos of your brain games? Can’t wait.”

  Teli’s smile broadened. “We’ll provide the feed from yesterday’s activities later this afternoon. Oh yeah, I want to thank you for adding more movies on our Halo server. I’ve been showing them to the village in our outdoor theater.”

  Clearing his throat, Queasy lifted his finger. “This has all been fun and good, but we’ve got something much more important to discuss at the moment. There was an incident yesterday at Bartuk’s farm.”