There was another short pause, then Sandra Paul answered, her voice choked with emotion.
“Sir, you are a hero in this, your adopted country. I and my fellows here will never forget this. You may have provided a key for humankind’s survival, maybe even the expulsion of the Tschaaa.”
“I only do my job, Madam President. I am not special. The Avenging Angel’s mother, a Romanian also. My father knew her, she was a close friend of his. She, was special.”
“We will await you communication, Mikhail. May God be with you.”
“And with you, My President.” The connection was cut.
“Joe Biggs will insure the information on to how to contact that Breeder will get to us soonest.”
“Madam President, I cannot allow…”
“George, with all due with respect, this is my call. I am the President. And, if I die, there will be another one. I know people like you and Colonel Bender here will see to that.”
She fixed Torbin with a firm gaze. “What good is a Spine of Steel if you don’t use it. True, Colonel?”
“Ma’am, you tell me what you want done, I’ll see it gets done. But if I may be so bold to suggest, since the Breeder mentioned ‘We’, you do not have to go alone.”
“I can’t take a bunch of soldiers with me. That would no doubt scare the Tschaaa females off.”
An almost feral grin formed on Torbin’s face.
“You have forgotten, Ma’am, about your daughters. The ones with blades of steel.”
CHAPTER 34
CATTLE COUNTRY
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Malcolm Carter was shaken awake by a yelling Big Joe Forest. The Mayor of Atlanta and the Revolt in Cattle Country had stayed awake long into the night, listening to the updates from Hell Day in Great Falls, Montana. Former Islamic terrorist and trained intelligence operative Dawoud Amin had managed to get someone on their short wave radio, as well as erect a large retractable antenna on a nearby multi-storied building’s roof to pick-up clear air television transmissions from the Free States. They had watched the videos of the Eaters and Beasts being used to attack the Unoccupied States stronghold, in apparent response to the Grand Wedding and the Kraken Defeat in Bloody Kansas.
Just before Malcolm had turned in, he’d told the others of his inner circle, “Well, the Free Crackers have just caught shit again. They need to lay low for a while before they are added to Cattle Country just on general principles.”
Now his right hand man was jerking him awake, yelling, “Boss. Get up. They’re coming. All of them.”
Malcolm knew what “all” meant. The Squids were sending in Krakens, battle-robs, maybe even robocops. ‘I guess their patience wore thin,’ he thought.
“What time is it, Joe?”
“Two in the morning, Boss.”
“Rouse everyone, full defense mode.”
“Dawoud and Red are already doing that, Boss. Everyone just needs orders.”
‘Orders’, the Mayor thought.
“Hell, Joe, the order of the day is survive. Fight back if you can, hide if you can’t. Now, let’s get topside so I can see for myself just how bad it is.”
Ten minutes later, Malcolm and Joe had met up with Dawoud, peering from behind the still standing wall of a smashed office building. The three saw some two thousand armed human Krakens advancing, going from abandoned car to abandoned car, damaged building to damaged building, looking for hiding places of the some fifty thousand people of color still existing in what was left of Atlanta. Supporting the renegade humans were several groups ofbattle and harvester robots, the only difference between the two being the battle-robs had their blinding capture spotlights replaced with human built automatic weapons. Behind them was a thin line of the newer Soldier Class artificial beings, called Poor Man’s robocops by some. Behind the Soldier Class warriors were a half a dozen of real robocops, carrying the same electromagnetic bolt guns which outfitted the Soldier Class. The Enemy shot at everything that moved.
“Reports, my leader,” said Dawoud, “is that there is a reinforced ring of Krakens supported by a few battle-robs and such acting as a blocking force for any escape attempts.”
“So, this is it,” replied Malcolm.
“Yes, it appears so.”
“Just like the Warsaw ghetto, and we are the Jews. They, are the Nazis. And the Allies are not coming. History repeats itself in all its fucked-up glory.” He sighed.
“Well, no getting around it. Plan E for Escape it is. Dawoud, find a weak spot to bust out for us, one we can try and get as many people through to hide outside Atlanta. They may be able to sneak into one of the surrounding communities, stay alive a while longer. If we were closer to the Border, I’d say we try to bust out into the Feral Areas. But that is too far away.”
“What about us, Boss?” Big Joe asked.
“There is no ‘us’. You and Dawoud take Red and escape, try to set up life some other place. I stay here. This is my Alamo, remember? A black-assed David Crockett.”
Big Joe stared at him. ”No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
Joe pulled out his large bowie knife. “I’m Jim Bowie, remember? He stayed at the Alamo.”
“Goddamnit, that’s an order.”
“So shoot me, Boss.”
Malcolm gave Dawoud an exasperated look.
“Pretty bad when Joe disobeys me.”
“I must also, Malcolm Carter. It would dishonor me, my faith and my family to run from these evil Djinn, these demons.”
“What about Red?
“I will find someone to take her out after I find that weak spot for you. Then, I return to your side.”
Malcolm shook his head. “I guess I should have gotten you guys to hate me, then you’d be high tailing out of here.”
Big Joe grinned. “Hell, Boss, we love you. Don’t we, Dawoud?”
“Now don’t you dare get all mushy on me, Joe, no sloppy kisses.”
He looked at the two men who had become like brothers to him over the last few months.
“Okay, you hard-headed bastards. Find that weak spot and get Reggie Adams and Professor Bashir Gupta here with all their nasty improvised stuff. No use saving anything for a rainy day when the monsoons just arrived.”
The Final Battle for Atlanta Began. It was set to be a battle of extinction.
CHAPTER 35
KEY WEST, FLORIDA
President Abraham Lincoln once said ‘Nearly all Men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a Man’s character, give him Power.’ Perhaps If Director Lloyd had paid attention to this concept, he may have taken a different path.
- From the Works of Princess Akiko, Japanese Royal Family
Once again, Adam Lloyd had slept little, thanks to unannounced actions by Lord Neptune and the Krakens. Now, based on the broadcasts from the Unoccupied States and Free Areas, he was once again privy to added horror. Babies and infants had been targeted by Kraken controlled Eaters and Beasts. All this based on His Lordships orders. All this done with him, the Director, kept in the dark.
The attempts to assassinate Madam Presidents of the U.S.A. and Free Russia had failed. Through promises of complete independence and exemption from Harvesting, as part of the Protocol of Selective Survival, Quebec based French Canadian trained Special Forces had been included in the attack. The Quebecois had also been told by the Krakens that the Unoccupied States were planning to attack and occupy the province, in connection with surviving Canadian Military.
But once again, the same people that seemed to thwart the Krakens at every turn appeared. A certain Torbin Bender, now a Light Colonel, his Russian Military wife and some of those crazy New Vikings had derailed the attempt. And of course, there was the legendary Avenging Angel, now married to the Japanese New Samurai who had launched the nuke at Lord Neptune. They all seemed to form a tight knit group, a Family, which were a force hitherto never seen before.
They made all those comic book and action movie heroes of yore look like little ki
ds stuffed toys. They were the ‘real deal’. But for some quirks of fate and his own decisions, Adam Lloyd liked to think he could have been part of them.
The secure combination computer and communicator buzzed again. Lord Neptune was once again trying to contact him. And once again, he ignored it. He knew that things were reaching critical mass, leading to an explosion he may not survive. Adam did not care. All he really cared about were his wives, children, the Chief and a few close staff members. He felt responsible for all the other some six thousand souls on Key West, but push came to shove, he would leave them to their own devices. He glanced at the clock. It was barely 6:00am. The Tschaaa Lord must be nervous about something to contact him this early. Fine. Let him sweat, if Squids really sweat.
Mary walked into his barely lit office.
“Adam? You never came back to bed.”
“No, dear. I didn’t want to wake you, Kat and the kids.”
She walked over to him sitting behind his desk, and hugged him.
“You can always wake us if you have troubles. And I know yesterday was tough. That His Lordship kept you out of the loop again…”
Adam looked at Mary. “Dearest, this is all turning into one big lie, charade. I thought this whole idea of being able to insure the survival of some, hopefully many, for the sacrifice of limited others would work. The Protocol of Selective Survival…it was a sham.”
Mary stared into his eyes. “Why? Why a sham? We are alive, with children…”
“Because he sends Eaters and Beasts to kill children, not just to harvest them. He said it was just all about dark meat, finding a replacement for their home world primate meat source. So, they like veal like we do, eat the young of humans, other primates.”
Adam began to shake a bit from rage. “Yet now he uses surrogates to just slaughter, not for meat, but spread terror, to destroy those Humans who refuse to bend. But not the adults. He attacks the young!” He slammed his fist hard onto the table.
“Lord Neptune said the Tschaaa did not understand psychotic behavior, killing just for the thrill of killing, especially your own species. Now, he uses the abomination he once attacked as an unacceptable, basic evil. He uses humans and the creatures they control to search and kill babies. Just to make us scared. He lied! He has no respect for us, no plans to use us as a Client Species. We are just meat.”
Adam stood up from his chair, almost knocking Mary over. He grabbed a glass of scotch and smashed it against his office wall.
“I became a Himmler for him, an architect of his idea of the Final Solution for Humans. Protocol of Selective Survival. Hell, it is the Protocol for Selective and Slow Slaughter.”
His laptop/communicator buzzed again. Lord Neptune would not leave him alone.
“Please go back in with Kat and the kids. This conversation is not going to be pretty.”
Mary kissed him. “Just remember. We are always behind you, Adam my love.’
“I know. Just let me take care of this unpleasant business.”
Mary went into their private living quarters as he answered the call from His Lordship.
“Director Lloyd here.”
The well-known image of Lord Neptune appeared on the communicator screen.
“My Director. I have been trying to contact you. Is everything alright? “
Adam stared at the screen, knowing the Tschaaa Lord was looking directly back at him thanks to the wonders of modern science.
“You really want to know?”
“But of course. I care about you and your mates, your children. I have an extreme fondness for you and all your extended family as you call them.”
Adam felt his gorge and rage rising.
“Oh really? You care about our children, our Young? Then why did those creatures and beasts of your creation target newborn infants in Montana? Why did they indiscriminately kill women and children in a hospital? Tell me that, you’re so called Lordship. Explain ‘that’ to me.”
“Come now, Adam. That was the Krakens doing…”
“Excuse me. Do I have a large neon sign, a big red “S” for Stupid on my face? Have I ever struck you as being stupid, Neptune?”
“Of course not. I would not have made you Director if you were.” The Tschaaa Lords social tentacles began to move in a way that signified agitation, emotion.
“Then why in Hell are you treating me as if I am stupid? You don’t think I have it figured out that the Krakens and Reverend Kray act at your bidding? You think you and your fellow Squids have some higher moral level above us ignorant apes to justify using humans to slaughter human children? This, after you told me that the slaughter and eating of your own species was an abomination, applauded me for killing cannibal Krakens? Answer me!”
Lord Neptune’s body color began to darken, some areas almost black in color, signifying extreme anger. The translation device at first spit out snaps and crackles. Then it formed the Tschaaa Lord’s rage into human words. “You dare to question me? You dare to order me? You overstep your bounds!” The Tschaaa’s words were booming out as it did the equivalent of yelling in its own language, the translator then presenting it as humanlike raging.
“You exist because of me. If not for me, you and all the others would be hiding in caves after we had pummeled you with rocks and bombs. You were allowed to mate, sire children because of me, no one else.”
“Children that were screwed with genetically, without my knowledge!” Adam yelled back.
Lord Neptune’s body became almost completely black. The connection went dead for a few moments, then was back on, the Tschaaa Lord’s colors now beginning to soften and lighten.
“Congratulations, Director Lloyd. You were able, in your vernacular, to ‘push my buttons’, enrage me. A Lord of less intellectual ability would be sending resources to smash you into dust.”
Lord Neptune paused, then continued. “Everything I have done has been for your well- being, your fellow human’s well-being. Modifications were done to make you all better, as you did with your canine friends. And any other decisions I made in reference to those feral humans in the uncontrolled areas, I did to insure your survival.”
The Tschaaa lord manipulated his social tentacles to signify extreme caring and concern.
“You are one on the few beings, including my fellow Lords, which I have been able to converse with on an equal intellectual basis. Maybe I have allowed you too much independence. Maybe you are about to bite the proverbial hand that feeds and cares for you.”
Lord Neptune colors were finally back to normal. “I care deeply about you, Adam Lloyd. I think of you as a friend, almost a blasphemy to Tschaaa sensibilities. I tell you this because in some two to three of your weeks, I must meet with the other Lords to answer to what I have done. They blame me for an extreme surge in attacks during the past weeks on Tschaaa, robocops, grays and lizards by humans in their areas of control. Your fellow humans in the Unoccupied State, with the help of Free Japan and Free Russia, are inciting others to revolt against our control. That must not be allowed to continue.”
The Tschaaa Lord gave the equivalent of a human sigh through his bodily motions. “I must defend you to the others. Some of them even want the Krakens to be destroyed, Harvested, despite their use as a tool against other Ferals. That is how serious the situation has become.”
“Lord Neptune, you have to understand. You Tschaaa have killed off most of the sheep among us. What is left are sheepdogs, wolves and rats. I suggest you try working with the sheepdogs like myself. Otherwise, prepare to fight wolves and rats to the death.”
There was silence between the two beings, from different species, one the prey meat source of the other.
“I must go now, Director. You probably already know that I have ordered a final assault against the resisters in Atlanta. There will be much wasted prime dark meat. However, I can no longer try to starve and wait them out. I will look too weak.”
“Yes, Lord.” Adam said. He knew that they had reached ‘the point of no
return’. He knew that his survival and the survival of his loved ones were in jeopardy. Adam did not think this Tschaaa Lord would defend the Protocol of Selective Survival much longer. It would be easier to treat all humans as to what they had started out to be during the initial Invasion—meat, nothing more.
Lord Neptune cut the connection. Adam sat for a moment. He wondered if Andrew would suddenly appear, not as protector but as robocop Executioner. Then Adam would know in a micro instant who was independent and who was not. He hit up the Chief on his cellphone.
“Sorry, Willie, but the excrement just hit the rotating blade in epic proportions. I need you here, old friend.”
“Be there most skoshi, Boss.”
Adam smiled at the slang from their days in Okinawa. Too bad the Tschaaa had not invented time travel. He could sure use a do over.
CHAPTER 36
MINNESOTA, FERAL AREA
The two Osprey V-STOLS hummed along a hundred feet above the ground, using their terrain avoidance radar and sensors. Provided by the Nation State of Deseret at the insistence of General Huff, they carried some of the most important cargo in the history of North America, this third morning since Hell Day.
The lead aircraft carried four women whose actions could and probably would affect the history of humankind, at least on the North American Continent. The four women had gotten up at o-dark-thirty at the former Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, and had what had been known for decades as the fighter pilot’s breakfast—steak and eggs, high protein for potential hard action. The four women all knew each other well, were now a coherent unit of a type rarely seen before. Then again, the mission they were to perform had rarely, if ever, been done before.
During the cozy breakfast at chow hall, opened just for them, their air crew and ground personnel use, Brynhildr Jorgensen had dropped a bombshell.
“I went ahead and married Rolf two days ago,” she said between large bites of lean buffalo steak.
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