FOUL
PLAY
Wipeout Series
Book 2
By
E.S. Richards
Mike Kraus
© 2020 Muonic Press Inc
www.muonic.com
***
www.esrichards.com
www.facebook.com/esrichardsauthor
***
www.MikeKrausBooks.com
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/MikeKrausBooks
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, without the permission in writing from the author.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Want More Awesome Books?
Want More Awesome Books?
Find more fantastic tales right here, at books.to/readmorepa.
***
If you’re new to reading Mike Kraus, consider visiting his website and signing up for his free newsletter. You’ll receive several free books and a sample of his audiobooks, too, just for signing up, you can unsubscribe at any time and you will receive absolutely no spam.
***
You can also stay updated on E.S. Richards’ books by checking out her Facebook page or heading on over to her website.
***
Special Thanks
Special thanks to my awesome beta team, without whom this book wouldn’t be nearly as great.
Thank you!
Wipeout Book 3
Available Here
Chapter 1
“Status report. What’s the latest in Chicago?”
FM waited for her report to finish printing, holding her hand out beneath the crisp, white page that emerged from the machine at a painfully slow speed. Command still demanded reports be kept in a physical state as well as digital, their actions in the last week proving just how fragile the digital world now was. It made sense, but it still didn’t make anyone locked underground in the bunker feel any more faith in their leaders.
“The city has entered total lockdown,” FM replied once she could finally read from the page. “All travel in and out has been halted and while thousands of residents flee north for the border with Canada, there are equally as many trying to get into the United States creating chaos on the streets and throughout border control.”
“Estimated losses?”
“At present, roughly three hundred.”
“Excellent. What about the west coast? Who has reports from California?”
“Hollywood continues to burn,” AC replied with a slight smirk, unable to deny he was taking a fair amount of joy from watching the world around him crumble. “Wildfires are catching throughout the state with hundreds of homes already destroyed and thousands of people running to the beaches in terror. There’s no word on an estimated death toll yet, but currently the Americans here are banding together to try and repel the fires. They’re not having much luck, and I estimate that soon they will start fighting amongst themselves as well.”
KW nodded, turning her head to the next of her team and raising her eyebrows. FP was the quietest amongst her group and the man that she knew the least about. He was however – after her – the most talented hacker among them which made KW feel slightly wary around him. Their social activities down in the bunker weren’t exactly high fashion, but even so when the rest of them spent time together, FP chose to distance himself and remain aloof.
“The effect is starting to snowball across the continents,” he reported, his voice monotone and uninterested. “In Europe, the UK has all but entirely run itself into the ground. The tiny island has been unable to survive for longer than a day with any sense of normalcy. The mainland is just a step behind, but they are all starting to crumble too. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in search of food and water, following large stores being destroyed by the riots. In the Vatican, all religious deities have been overthrown and a rebel group has taken over, closing off its borders to anyone else. It seems they’re trying to make a micro-community that can outlast this and avoid the repercussions, but already groups in Italy and further afield in Germany are amassing to fight back against them. I predict that within a matter of weeks we could be seeing full blown warfare across several of the European countries.”
“The death toll?”
“Already in the thousands. But news media went dead a few hours ago. It’s becoming more difficult to receive credible updates in real time.”
“What are you doing to combat that?”
“I’m working my way into personal systems,” FP replied immediately, the professional already having a solution. “As well as being hooked up to the CCTV that covers every street corner, I’ve broken into one of the service providers so I’m able to overhear conversations and in some cases even get into personal computers. The targeting is fairly random as of yet though – I’m working on a way to focus on certain individuals, but that will take more time.”
“Good,” KW nodded, impressed by FP’s skills. “Consider the satellite images too. That goes for everyone. We’ve got full use of the systems so we need to take advantage of them. Include large infrastructure changes in your reports and try to identify any travel patterns. Was there anything else?”
FP shook his head, the last question directed at him. His reports were already the most detailed of the group and he knew he could uncover more. Unlike everyone else in the bunker, he didn’t have anything pushing him to return to the surface world. FP was more than happy to spend the rest of his life underground; it was being inside the systems that made him feel alive. So long as there was an electronic current running through the machinery in his hands, then he was happy.
“Good. What about our corner of the world?” KW turned to DM, the only one in their group yet to speak. “How are we holding up?”
“Okay so far,” DM replied. “We’ve had a bit of trouble from the south but thankfully with those surrounding us being so far outdated in terms of technology and power, they’re less reliant on money and so haven’t been hit as hard. It’s working out exactly as we had planned – we don’t seem to be in any danger.”
KW grinned. Despite their aim being to bring as much damage to the United States and the rest of the world as possible, it was still important to keep their own country safe. DM’s report was probably the most important. KW was incredibly pleased that the meticulous planning and targeting they had spent weeks pouring over before the attack took place had all been worth it. Their leaders would be happy with these results. Perhaps even happy enough to let them go at the end of it all.
Because no matter how hard KW now threw herself into her work and focused on the task at hand, her freedom was always at the back of her mind. She was angry at their leaders for lying to them and not keeping to their word and if she could, she wanted to find a way to fight back against them. Though in a bunker where her every word was listened to and her every move kept track of, it was near impossible to plan against them.
Time was on her side however. With very little else to focus on, KW had the opportunity to sit back and let her mind do the work for her, capitalizing on th
e only asset she had that her government didn’t yet control. There was more to life than the underground bunker and what it held and KW was determined to sample that for herself.
Chapter 2
“Do you have any rope, or a climbing harness or something?” Austin asked hopefully, looking at Samuel who gazed out of his bedroom window over the city. For days the two of them had been locked up inside his apartment, not daring to leave because of what they might run into outside. Enough time had passed now; Austin was determined to get back out into the world and track down his family. There was no way he was staying inside any longer.
Samuel didn’t respond. The sights outside of his window kept him entertained for hours on end each day, fascinated by how quickly the population of New York City had descended into madness. It truly brought to light the fragility of the human race and how quickly the most powerful species ever to live could be brought to its knees.
“Sam? Earth to Samuel. Are you in there?”
“Huh, what?”
“Rope?” Austin repeated, growing tired of how easily Samuel could snap in and out of focus. “Do you have any? We need to finish packing our kit bags.”
“Oh, sorry,” Samuel shook his head. “No, I haven’t got any rope.”
Austin sighed. He was finding very little of the supplies he wanted for the run to his family in Poughkeepsie. Samuel Westchester wasn’t exactly the outdoorsy type. He certainly wasn’t prepared for what had happened. Austin wasn’t either, but he knew the basic things they should be taking with them on this journey. It was the sort of thing no one could really prepare for. As a result, they had to prepare for everything.
It made Austin question whether it was a good idea for Samuel to be joining him. The two of them had discussed their next steps at length over the last few days and Samuel was dead set on his new mission to help others. He had talked to Austin about the shame he felt because of what he had done since the collapse – and while he hadn’t shared all the details, Austin could see that Samuel was desperate to make a change. Therefore, when he had decided to travel to Poughkeepsie to reunite with his husband and son, Samuel had promised to accompany him. Austin had already saved his life by helping him to escape from Trident and Samuel was unwavering in his decision to repay Austin.
But Austin knew it was one thing to want to help out and another thing to be capable of doing so. The trek back to his family wasn’t going to be easy. From just looking out of the window both Austin and Samuel could tell that leaving the city could likely take them a couple of days. Austin had no idea how long it would be before he would see Dante and Bowie. The last thing he wanted was to bring Samuel along and then discover he wasn’t up for the task.
He considered telling Samuel this, but couldn’t bring himself to do so. The man’s attitude had changed over the last few days and he wouldn’t take no for an answer now. Being chased out of Trident and labelled as the face of the collapse had done something to the man – more than he had let on already. No matter what ended up happening or where they ended up going, Austin realized that he needed to keep a close eye on his newfound friend.
“We’re going to have to hit up a camping supply store,” Austin announced, looking down at his rucksack and sighing again. “We don’t have even half of what we need.”
Turning away from the window, Samuel cracked his neck from side to side and tried to focus. “What more do we need?”
“Well for starters,” Austin spoke with a wry smile, “we could probably do with some better bags. No offence Sam, but these old things look like they could fall apart at any moment.”
Austin was right. Samuel didn’t have much in the way of travel gear and so the only rucksack’s he’d been able to dig out of the back of his closet were ones he hadn’t touched for well over ten years. They were old and torn in places, one of them the very bag he’d used in college.
“Valid point,” he smiled back. “Not a necessity though,” he added. “What else?”
Austin ran through the checklist of everything he believed the pair of them needed for the journey. They both hoped they’d find a car once they were out of the city, but knew a large chunk of the journey would have to be made on foot. Neither of them was dressed for that sort of hike and the clothes in Samuel’s apartment didn’t bring much to the table in that department either. Too many years of living in offices and hotel rooms had limited his options to crisp white shirts and intricately patterned ties.
On top of that, they needed more food and water and what Austin deemed the most important item: a method of protection. They had both stood in the window and watched riots and looting take place across the city; they had seen people chased through the street – much like they had been – and murdered for no apparent reason. If Austin hadn’t been convinced of it at first, he now believed the two of them needed a way to fight back if they wound up in any trouble. Yet another resource that couldn’t be found in Samuel’s apartment.
“So what do we have?” Samuel lamented, Austin’s list not reassuring him at all that they were ready to go outside.
“You’ve actually got a surprising collection of battery powered equipment. Would’ve thought you’d have upgraded to all the latest technology.”
Samuel laughed. “It’s probably because I use those sorts of things so infrequently I didn’t realize they were out of date. Which ones are you talking about?”
“Well this wind-up radio for one,” Austin remarked, pulling it out of the rucksack. “I don’t think they even make these anymore, Sam. It’s practically an antique.”
“That works?” Samuel was shocked by the revelation and burst out laughing.
Austin looked confused.
“I thought it was broken,” Samuel explained, “I’ve never been able to find a station on it.”
Austin shook his head, astonished by Samuel’s lack of basic skills. If the man couldn’t even get a radio working, how much hope did he have of surviving outside in the madness?
“What else?”
“You’ve got a lot of battery-powered flashlights,” Austin continued, pushing his worries to the back of his mind. “And plenty of batteries too which is good. Then there’s this old Walkman and a camcorder, though I’m not sure how much use either of them will be.”
“You never know,” Samuel replied. “I’d still bring them, just in case.”
“Okay,” Austin nodded, returning the items to his rucksack. “There’s still a lot more that we need though. And I don’t see how we’ll get it without looting the stores like everyone else. My only worry is that everything will have already been taken.”
“I hear that,” Samuel said, well aware that a lot of stores had been picked clean by looters and of how violent the streets outside had quickly become with law and order dissipating into the skies like dust. “I don’t think we have a choice though.”
“What’s it like now? I’d still rather wait until its dark.”
“I don’t know,” Samuel replied, turning his head to look out of the third-floor window once more. “I think we’re safer in daylight.”
When to leave the apartment was the key thing that the two men had struggled to agree on so far. Samuel had spent a lot more time watching the streets and listening to the people outside and he was convinced things got worse overnight. Austin knew that he was probably right, but to avoid being noticed by as many people he still favored the cover of darkness. As of yet they hadn’t managed to reach a decision on when exactly they would leave.
“Is there even that much more we can do in here now?” Samuel asked. Austin stood beside him and they watched as a scruffy teenage boy hustled down the street below, a filled-to-bursting canvas bag thrown over his shoulder. A man stood on the sidewalk a few houses down and yelled at the boy to come back, but he didn’t give chase. A woman and two small children loitered on the front porch, watching. As the boy disappeared, the man sighed and trudged up to the porch, gathering the woman and children into his arms and guiding them bac
k inside.
Austin thought for a moment, his mind running back through his mental checklist of what they needed for the journey to Poughkeepsie. “I guess,” came his response. He had gathered together everything of use in Samuel’s apartment and that hadn’t taken more than half a day. Beyond that the pair of them had just been delaying, both more frightened than they would admit at the thought of going back outside.
But it needed to be done. The streets below were ever-changing and if they remained inside waiting for that golden opportunity, they might end up waiting forever. Sooner or later the two of them had to leave and as he accepted that fact, Austin also accepted that he was fed up of waiting.
“Let’s do it then,” he announced, taking Samuel by surprise. “Let’s go.”
“Now?”
“Yeah,” Austin nodded. “Why not? You said it yourself, there isn’t really anything more we can do here. I want to see my family again, Sam. So, let’s get out of here and make that happen.”
“Okay,” Samuel replied after a brief pause, the reality washing over him that they were about to step back outside into the city. “Let’s do this.”
The two men walked away from the window in unison, both letting the magnitude of their decision wash over them. Austin picked up both rucksacks – one practically empty still – and took them into the kitchen with Samuel following behind. There he started filling them with the tins of food they’d lined the workspace with, spreading it evenly between both bags so neither had to carry the full load, and also because Austin doubted how much weight a single bag could take on its own. Finding a supply store needed to be their first task, they couldn’t make it very far on what they currently had.
“Where are we heading first?”
Wipeout | Book 2 | Foul Play Page 1