No Way Back: A Sheriff Duke Story (Forgotten Fallout Book 3)

by M. R. Forbes

  Natalia bit her lip, considering. Then she nodded, beginning to feel some of the excitement Hess was exuding. “Okay, Doctor. Let’s run with that. If we assume there are still signals passing through the khoron’s comms system, then it stands to reason we can listen in, is that right?”

  Hess nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly. Take a look at this.” He pointed at a display next to the table. “I’ve been trying to measure the movement of the branches. This machine is fairly basic, so it’s only calculating changes and reporting differences, but there are definitely differences.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning if we can figure out what the alterations mean, we might be able to translate them into something useful. Something we can understand.”

  “Even if we can record the changes, even if we could convert it, wouldn’t the data be in an alien language? We could capture it, but we wouldn’t be able to understand it.”

  Some of Hess’ excitement faded at the statement. “True. Did Grace leave anything on the alien language?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Hmmm.” He stared at the output of the machine. “Back to square one?”

  “No. This is a good start. If we can figure out how the Relyeh communicate, we can try to take advantage of it.” She paused, noticing the neural interlink out of the corner of her eye. The tech in the interlink could already translate brainwaves of a human to something a goliath understood, and vice versa. “What’s our first step?”

  Hess snapped his fingers, his excitement returning. “We need to find a way to manipulate the root ball. Sound waves, magnetic fields, whatever it responds to. If we can send it data we understand and see how it reacts, then we might be able to reverse-engineer how it functions.”

  “Right. It’s a good thought. But if we start fucking with it, won’t whatever data we send start transmitting on the Relyeh Collective?”

  “Good point. It probably will.”

  Natalia was hesitant to show her hand when it came to their research on the khoron. They were getting closer, but she didn’t want to be reckless and put anyone in more danger as a result of their experimentation.

  “We need to come up with something more innocuous. Maybe we can model it on a workstation first, using the data you’ve already collected.”

  “That’ll take time.”

  “I know. I’ll get every engineer on my team working on it with your input.”

  Doctor Hess nodded. “I’m not sure if more hands will save more time, but you’re the Governor.”

  Natalia was about to answer when her new badge flashed. “Governor, this is Fry. We need you up in Law asap. We’ve got a goliath sighting.”

  Natalia’s heart started thumping heavily in her chest. Things had been quiet for the last couple of days, and she had been hoping Haven was an isolated incident.

  That hope was gone now.

  “On my way,” she said. She glanced at Doctor Hess and then hurried out into the main lab. “Lutz!”

  “Here, Governor,” Lutz said, looking up from a workstation.

  “Doctor Hess has a job for you. Parse it to the rest of the team. It’s top priority.”

  “Pozz that, ma’am,” Lutz replied.

  Natalia ran to the lift, hitting the panel. She had locked down one of the cabs for emergency use, and it was already waiting for her. She hit the button to go up to Law, emerging there within a minute of Fry’s report.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Fry was at the comms station, typing something into the terminal. The other officers present were tense and silent, waiting for news.

  Natalia circled behind Fry, looking down at the terminal and quickly reading the prior transmits.

  > SANISCO HQ. LAVEGA MAIN PRECINCT REPORTING. SPOTTERS HAVE EYES ON GOLIATH AT THIRTY KM.

  > COPY LAVEGA MAIN. ALPHA?

  > ALPHA CONFIRMED. HEADING DUE NORTH TOWARD THE CITY.

  > PLACE CITY IN ALERT STATUS RED. ALL CITIZENS TO SHELTER.

  > ALERT STATUS RED CONFIRMED.

  Fry noticed Natalia, looking up at her. “Governor. Did you read?”

  “Yes,” Natalia said, her whole body turning cold. She had thought Shurrath would send the goliath north, not east to Lavega. The son of a bitch was hitting their main population centers in order.

  “What should we do?”

  “There isn’t much we can do. If the people get underground, they should be safe.”

  Natalia wanted to scream. Hiding wouldn’t help their infrastructure. Haven was already as good as gone. No power. No water. No food. No connection to the rest of the UWT. They had deputies in the area. Most of the population had survived, but they were barely scraping by while they waited for word that it was safe to start migrating north.

  And the damage would take years to rebuild if they ever rebuilt at all. The people could move to another part of the city, but it would still take time to get everything up and running again.

  Natalia could only imagine how pissed Hayden would be if he knew how much damage Shurrath had done.

  And how much more he was about to do.

  They had one photon rocket. A single missile with the explosive power to down a goliath. It was loaded onto the Iroquois and ready to fire, but Natalia was hesitant to use it. If Shurrath could capture one goliath, what was preventing him from capturing two or more besides a lack of need. At least a dozen of the giants roamed the nearby landscape. What if Shurrath seized control of all of them? That was more likely to happen if he saw they could kill the creatures.

  Her eyes shifted as a new line was added to the bottom of the transmit.

  > SPOTTERS REPORT ALPHA IS NOT ALONE. ESTIMATE FOUR THOUSAND TRIFE.

  “What?” Natalia said breathlessly, her heart somehow finding a higher rate.

  “Governor, we need to send Hicks to Lavega,” Fry said. “The trife will get into the garages where the goliath can’t go. They’ll slaughter everyone in the city.”

  Natalia knew it. Her body shook from the chill of the cold truth as tears formed in her eyes. “We can’t get them there in time,” she said softly, fighting every urge to panic. “God help them all.”

  There were close to eight thousand people in Lavega. They were all going to die.

  And there was nothing Natalia could do about it.

  “Keep me posted,” she said, running from the office.

  “Governor?” Fry said in a quaking voice. “Where are you going?”

  She entered the lift and hit the button without answering him. She returned to the lab, sprinting across it to her engineers, all of them gathered around Doctor Hess.

  “No time,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “There’s no time. Whatever we have to do, Doctor. Whatever risk we have to take. We need to make this work. Now!”

  Chapter 37

  Sophia walked behind Grace, making sure to keep the muzzle of the MK-10 pressed against her back as she paraded her through the streets of downtown Tijuana.

  Everyone they passed stopped to stare, unaccustomed to any of August’s people returning with another person in tow, instead of whatever belongings they had managed to take. From the looks of the population, August ruled the city the way any power-hungry despot would. The way a khoron-infected leader would. The people were filthy and rail-thin, dressed in rags and starving, their fear and pain written across their smudged and wrinkled faces, loud and clear in the sweat on their brows and the calluses on their hands and feet. August was treating them the way Shurrath would one day treat all of Earth’s surviving population, save those he selected for his military.

  It was a chilling foreshadowing of what the planet might become if Grace failed in her task.

  From an outsider’s perspective, it would appear as if she had already failed. She was on the wrong end of the gun, hands bound behind her and feet restricted by chains, forcing her to shuffle through the street. Sophia was carrying all of her gear and holding her rifle, suggesting she was a prisoner.

  S
he wasn’t. The frightened woman had listened to her plan and agreed to help her, with the hope that together they could help everyone in the city. August’s followers were many, the members of his militia numerous, but nobody had ever come to Tijuana and obliterated a collection squad before, and especially not single-handedly.

  Grace’s promise to help free the city was relatively empty at the moment, but if things worked out in her favor, it might not be for long.

  “We’re almost there, Señorita Grace,” Sophia said as they continued down the street.

  Unlike the cities to the north, Tijuana seemed to have been spared the worst of the fighting against the trife. Its buildings were showing signs of their age and state of disrepair, but they weren’t torn into twisted girders or broken in half like the skyscrapers Grace had seen on her way south.

  Grace spotted an old monument up ahead, resting in the center of an old traffic circle. Two dark stone pillars tapered into points, reminding her of the business end of a pair of scissors.

  “A monument to our gracious leader, Señor August,” Sophia said. “One point represents him, and the other represents his master...our god.”

  “Does your god have a name?”

  “It is forbidden to speak it without Señor August’s permission.”

  “I see.”

  They walked toward the monument. There were more people in the streets here, gathered around the installation on their knees as if praying to the split obelisk.

  “What are they doing?” Grace asked.

  “Begging for favor. August controls everything. If you want scraps, you must act like a dog.”

  “What about you? How did you end up with the collection squad?”

  “Randomly chosen from the masses. We all must pay for what Señor August provides.”

  “I see.”

  They kept going. Grace recognized the militia members as they got closer to the monument. They were all men, standing outside the group and keeping watch over them. They wore mismatched black uniforms and carried old firearms of various types. They started watching Grace and Sophia when they were still a few hundred meters from the monument, moving in when the pair got close.

  “Collector,” one of the militants—a small but muscular man—asked in Spanish. “What is this?”

  “I bring a prize for Señor August,” Sophia replied.

  “Where is the rest of your squad?”

  “Muerto,” Grace said with a smirk.

  The man’s open palm hit her face with a loud slap. Grace turned her head to the side, cheek burning. “Quiet. No one told you to speak. This girl killed everyone in your squad?”

  “Si. All but me.”

  “And how did you survive.”

  “I got the drop on her and hit her with the rifle. Then I tied her up and brought her to you.”

  “Are those her things?”

  “Si.”

  “She has many guns.”

  “Si.”

  “They have value. This girl doesn’t.”

  “I disagree,” Grace said in Spanish. “Señor August will want to see me.”

  The man raised his hand to strike her again but changed his mind. “I suppose there’s no harm in bringing you to him,” he said. “You can’t hurt anyone with your hands tied behind your back and a gun in your rear.” Grace didn’t respond. “And you’re learning already. Pablo, take her.”

  “Wait,” Sophia said as the other man approached. “I’ll bring her.”

  “You? You’re a collector. Worse than a dog.”

  “I captured her after she killed everyone else. I brought her back. I didn’t run.”

  Pablo and the other man looked at one another. The man nodded. “Very well. If you want a reward, I’m sure Señor August will give you one. If she’s as valuable as she thinks she is.”

  “Gracias, Señor,” Sophia said.

  “Pablo, bring them to Señor August.”

  “Yes, sir,” Pablo said. He grabbed Grace roughly by the shoulder, shoving her forward. “Walk.”

  Grace walked ahead of Pablo and Sophia. She was at least partially reliant on the other woman to help her get free of the bonds, and now that she was in the custody of August’s militia, she started to wonder if trusting her had been a mistake. It was all too easy for people to turn on one another out here; lying and cheating were as much a part of survival as stealing. But she had gotten a good feeling from the woman.

  She hoped her time under the khoron’s control hadn’t damaged her instincts.

  They crossed the traffic circle, continuing toward a spherical structure to the north. It was made of a light colored stone, stained with dirt and cracked in multiple places.

  More militia members were standing guard outside the sphere, gathered in groups watching the surrounding area with limited interest. There were more people on their knees in front of them, worshipping the sphere. Or more importantly, the man residing inside.

  The sight of it made Grace sick. Señor August was no prophet, and Shurrath was no fucking god. But she had witnessed similar scenes before in other places she had traveled in search of her father. Shurrath brought misery to the many while raising the few to higher status. She knew firsthand now how intoxicating the fear could be with a khoron rooted inside.

  “What is this?” the guard in front of the entrance to the sphere said as Grace approached, with Pablo and Sophia behind her.

  “A gift for Señor August,” Pablo said. “I captured this prisoner at one of the collection points.”

  “You?” Sophia said. “I—”

  Pablo’s look stopped her cold. Of course he was trying to take credit. He wanted whatever reward August would provide. Grace had to suppress her smile. His treachery would help cement Sophia’s loyalty in her favor.

  “Señor August has no interest in women,” the guard said.

  “She was carrying this,” Pablo said, pointing to the pack Sophia was wearing. “Guns and munitions.”

  “You know where to bring spoils. Go away.”

  “Guard,” Grace said. “Tell Señor August that Grace Salk is here.”

  The guard glared at her. “You don’t tell me what to do, prisoner.” He raised his rifle, ready to hit her with the butt. Grace glared up at him, practically daring him to do it. The challenge gave him pause. “One moment.” He vanished through a heavy steel door to the inside, emerging again a short time later. He looked at Grace, his fear increased. “Señor August says to bring her in immediately.”

  Pablo smiled and shoved his gun into Grace’s back. “Move.”

  Grace spared a glance back at Sophia, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

  They were in.

  Chapter 38

  There were no windows in the spherical building, leaving it near pitch black inside. A single tiffany lamp rested on a table at the front of the room, its bulb casting soft light from behind the stained glass of its shade. The lamp was on a stage the front of the room, surrounded by chairs looking forward toward a massive stained and torn movie screen. A projector was casting soft light forward to the screen, its dying bulb leaving the old film barely visible. The sound from the film was a soft murmur that echoed in the space, but was difficult to discern.

  Señor August was sitting in a section a few rows back. The original seats there had been pulled out and replaced with an old recliner, which August had pushed back, his feet up. A table rested next to him, laden with fruit, bread and what appeared to be chocolate.

  Pablo guided Grace down a ramp to the stage, and then across to where the lamp was resting. August only moved once she was in position there, a big hand reaching to the side of the chair to raise himself back into a sitting position.

  He was a large man, obese and ugly, with dark hair and small eyes. He wasn’t the typical follower in that regard; the khoron normally kept its host in good health. He stared at Grace for nearly thirty seconds before smiling.

  “There you are,” he said. Only Grace knew immediately she wasn’t talking t
o August. She risked a glance at Sophia, who nodded slightly again. She was ready.

  “Shurrath,” Grace said. “I’m surprised you bothered for me.”

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking, Grace, but whatever your plan, it isn’t going to work.”

  There was movement near the door. A pair of guards came in. They raised their rifles as one, and fired two rounds into Pablo, dropping him.

  Sophia screamed.

  Shurrath knew her well enough to know her surrender was a trick.

  “Shall I kill the woman too?” Shurrath asked. The guards adjusted their aim.

  “Go ahead,” Grace replied. “She’s nothing to me.”

  “What? Señorita Grace, no.” Sophia took a step toward Grace. She was rewarded with two rounds to her chest. She fell to the ground at Grace’s feet.

  Grace fought to keep from showing any emotion. She wouldn’t give Shurrath the satisfaction. She had expected August to be here, not him. Why was he so interested in her?

  “But I’m not here for you,” Shurrath said as if reading her mind. “I didn’t know you had survived. And I didn’t know you were coming for me again.”

  “Not for you. For my father. It’s always been about my father.”

  “Yes. The loyal daughter still trying to grant daddy’s last wish to kill him. You may get your chance sooner than you think.”

  “What?”

  Shurrath laughed. “I told you, I’m not here for you. I’m connected to August here because someone else is coming. Someone more valuable than you will ever be. He’s slipped through my fingers twice already. I’ll personally see that it doesn’t happen again.”

  The guards started down the ramp toward the stage. Grace glanced down. Sophia’s job was supposed to be running interference while Grace got free. Clearly, she couldn’t do that now. At least Shurrath wasn’t planning to kill her immediately, or he would have done it already.