Killing Rhinos

by Herb Hughes

  “Don’t be such a wimp,” the deep voice said. “We were in a vulnerable position. Something had to be done to ensure our long-term safety. It made sense and we did it. So cruzzles.”

  “What about the Inui-Tee?” Avery asked. “Didn’t you worry about them evolving intelligence?”

  “No,” the deep voice said. “They are engineered to live for only a few days once they emerge. Since they’re sterile, they cannot reproduce. This ensures they will not evolve and be a danger to us. There won’t be any more of them after all the seeds are gone.”

  “That’s good news,” Jack said, “But they are a danger to us now. Rhinos are coming out in large numbers, all over the planet. They’re killing people, far too many people. How long will it take for the seeds to be used up?”

  “It was designed as a long-term deterrent to intelligent life. If intelligent life continues to be present on the planet, they will continue to emerge for roughly, oh, about a hundred and eighty million years.”

  “My god!” Avery exclaimed. “How many seeds are there?”

  “They were placed on a grid of two lindels by two lindels.”

  “How long is a lindel?”

  “I would say about, twelve times the length of my tank,” the high voice said.

  Avery looked at the tank and did some quick mental calculations. “About four meters. You mean there’s a seed every four meters in both directions?”

  “Yes,” the deep voice said, “If your four meters is equal to two of our lindels. But only in the land areas. We didn’t seed at the bottom of the oceans, not in the deepest parts. Too difficult. And we didn’t seed around the dream rooms. We didn’t want them close to us, of course.”

  “My god,” Avery said. “Just how many seeds did you plant?”

  “Roughly four billion, three hundred seventy-five million,” the high voice said.

  “Oh, cruzzles,” Avery said.

  Chapter 51

  She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He smiled as she caressed him slowly and sensuously, stroking his face. How could he have been so lucky? He lay in her arms, her soft skin tenderly against his.

  “Got a pulse! He’s not dead. Not yet. Looks like he’s coming around.”

  Who was that? What were they talking about? Go away! Don’t interrupt this beautiful woman. Please…

  “He won’t last long. We’ve got to get him to Doc.”

  No! He didn’t want to go anywhere. He shook his head.

  “He’s awake. Hey, fella, you’ve been shot. We need to get you to the doctor.”

  “No,” Dokie said weakly. He opened his eyes. The beautiful woman was gone. Crap! An old man was leaning over him, wiping Dokie’s face with a wet, dirty rag. What the hell? “Where is she? Bring her back.” His words came out muttered, unclear. He could feel a gurgling in his mouth as he talked.

  “Where’s who?” the old man said.

  A young man leaned into Dokie’s vision. “You’re hurt bad. Who shot you?”

  Suddenly, it all came flooding back. He was conscious again. “My horse!” he tried to shout. Red drops spewed into the air. “Where’s Satin? I’ve got to go. Got to find Lobie Tate.” Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth and ran down onto his neck. “Let me up.”

  “Your horse is right here,” the young man said. “But you don’t need to be riding. I’m a friend of Lobie’s. Name’s Slim, Slim Ryman. I know where he is, but you don’t need a smith. You need a doctor. And quick.”

  “No. I’ve got to get something to Lobie. Now. Jack Wheat’s life may depend on it.”

  “Jack Wheat?”

  “Yes. I’ve got to help Jack.”

  “Me, too,” Slim said. “Is he in trouble?”

  “If you don’t get to a doctor right away,” the old man interrupted, “You’re not going to help anybody. You’re going to be dead. Simple as that. Let’s get you on my wagon, and I’ll take you to town. If this is as important as you say, Slim can go get Lobie and bring him to the hospital.”

  “Okay. Bring Lobie. Quick. I’ve got a message from Jack.” Then Dokie remembered the rifle, hidden in the extra-long saddlebag. “But my horse…”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll tie your horse to the back of the wagon.”

  Lobie came into the hospital room, wiped his hand on his sooty apron, and extended it toward the doctor. The doctor looked at Lobie’s black hand and shook his head. “Germs,” was all he said. He turned back toward Dokie and continued, “Hard to believe this gentleman is still alive. The bullet pierced the bottom of his right lung. We have to operate right away.”

  The doctor turned back around to Lobie and said, “He won’t let us start until he talks to you. Please finish quickly. We’ve got to get that ball out and repair the lung as best we can.”

  “Lobie,” Dokie said. “Pleased to meet you. Jack told me to bring this to you.” Dokie patted the saddlebag that lay by his side.

  The old man who had helped to bring Dokie in said, “He wouldn’t even come into the hospital till we handed him this bag.”

  “What is it?” Lobie asked.

  “Open it and see,” Dokie said.

  Lobie lifted the bag off the bed, getting soot on the sheets in the process. The doctor’s brows lifted in disapproval. Lobie opened the bag and pulled out the rifle. “What is this? It ain’t like no homebuilt I’ve ever seen.”

  “The answer to Rhinos,” Dokie answered. “A repeating rifle. All you’ve got to do is pull the trigger. The clip holds forty bullets in two rows of twenty. And you can carry more loaded clips on your belt. If you get in a tight spot, you slide in another clip. No stopping to reload. We can kill the Rhinos before they kill us.”

  “I’ll be damned,” Slim said. “I want one!”

  “Don’t that beat all,” Lobie said. “Where’d you get it? Who’s making them?”

  “Jonathan McGurke. But while people are getting slaughtered by Rhinos, he’s keeping it a secret till he can steal the Mayor’s office. Then he’s going to make himself King of Agrilot, and he’ll have all the repeating rifles to back up his claim.”

  “Then I ‘spect you want me to start making them,” Lobie said, “So’s Jack and his friends can defend themselves.”

  “Yes. Rifles and bullets. For Jack. He wants you to make as many as you can, as fast as you can. He said to get them to the rangers, but McGurke’s taken control of the rangers. Colonel Andropov was with me till McGurke’s thugs killed him. Get the rifles to a guy named Stan Whitson. I can tell you where to find him. He’s on our side. He’ll know what to do with them. We’ve got to stop Jonathan McGurke, or we’ll all be bowing down to him. Well, you will. I won’t be able to bow. He’ll make sure I’m six feet under.”

  Lobie looked over the rifle carefully. “For Jack? Yeah. I can do it, sure ‘nuff. Better than this one. It ain’t the best workmanship I’ve ever seen. You think you can handle the stock, Slim?”

  “Faster than you can make the rifles.”

  “We’ll see about that. The bullets could be a might tricky, though. Gunpowder’s no problem. But the rest of it… I’ll have to look into it, take one apart.”

  “Yesterday would be a good time to start,” Dokie said.

  “Please, gentlemen,” the doctor said. “If you are quite finished, we need to get this man prepared for surgery.”

  Chapter 52

  “Damn them!” McGurke screamed at his huge office. He slammed the small newspaper down on his desk, sending other papers flying and toppling several small objects onto the floor.

  Lowell stood in front of the businessman, as impassive as always. He said, “It is being given away on the streets. They don’t even charge for it.”

  “The Lisbon Truth? This… this ‘newspaper’ is undoing everything I’ve done. Wheat must be behind this somehow. I bought out every newspaper in town and got non-compete agreements. I’ve got all their old printing equipment locked up where they could never find it. There shouldn’t be anything else out there. If one o
f those publishers has breached our contract, I’ll see him hung for it!” McGurke slammed his fist down on the highly polished surface of his massively large desk. “This is the last damned thing I needed.”

  “There’s more,” Lowell said. “The guards thought it was Jack Wheat who used the inventor’s automobile to break Edwards out of jail. They were able to verify this by interrogating the companion Edwards left behind, Theodore Cheng.”

  “Wheat is back? Bonner was supposed to have taken care of him. Apparently, Mr. Bonner has failed to get the job done. A shame. And that awful little excuse for a man is still free. This may be worse news than The Lisbon Truth! I need them both deceased and out of my way!”

  “Edwards may already be dead,” Lowell said. “The body has not been found, but he was hit when we killed Andropov. We followed a trail of blood, a lot of blood, deep into the trees before we finally lost it. It is unlikely he could have survived.”

  “Keep looking. He may have had my rifle with him. We can’t afford for word about repeating rifles to get out. Not yet. We can spare four men to hunt for his body. That should be sufficient. The rest of our men must be interspersed with the rangers to ensure things are done our way.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Have the search party spread out in all directions from the point where you lost him,” McGurke continued. “If you still haven’t found his body in the next day or so, send those men to Wilsey and look there. Thank goodness that idiot Andropov is out of the way, but we’ve got to find that little criminal. If he is not dead, we need to insure that he becomes dead. And we’ve got to put a stop to this Lisbon Truth. You’re the head of the rangers now, Captain Lowell Johnston. Find this newspaper and put them out of business for working without a license. Destroy all their equipment, so they will never publish again. Then round up the rabble giving these things away and put them in jail for loitering. What’s left of the damned jail.”

  “I have instituted the vagrancy arrests, sir, but the word went out ahead of us. There were hundreds of low-lifes giving this newspaper away, but they have changed their method. Now they’re doing it in groups, and they have watchers. As soon as they see a ranger, they hide.”

  “Use what’s left of our guys, if there are any. Street clothes, so these vagrants won’t know the law is watching them.”

  “Yes, sir. Right away.”

  “We’ve got to shut this paper down. That’s the first priority. The Lisbon Truth, indeed,” McGurke spat out between clenched teeth. “What bullshit! A newspaper is a tool. Whoever this fool is, he doesn’t understand business at all.”

  “People are listening to what his paper is saying. You can sense a mood shift in Lisbon. They believed in Wheat before, and this is giving them reason to believe again.”

  “He’s a damned cheat!” McGurke screamed. “He doesn’t deserve to have people believe in him.”

  “Talk on the street says a second edition will be out soon, with even more so-called revelations.”

  “Dear God! If this keeps up, we could lose the special election next week. After all my hard work! That would be grossly unfair. We’ve got to find that press and shut it down. If we could get our hands on Wheat…”

  “I’m not sure Wheat is responsible for this,” Lowell said. “He’s gone again. He was only here long enough to break Edwards out of jail. The car was spotted racing toward Deaton, but our men were unable to keep up with him.”

  “If that’s true, it makes things more difficult,” McGurke said as he studied the top of his desk. Lowell remained silent. “Wheat has to be involved. This new paper is doing its best to make a hero of him. He must be complicit. I don’t believe the inventor has the guts for this sort of thing. Hmmm. Perhaps, I have underestimated him. But it is more likely Wheat has borrowed or stolen the automobile. Wheat and the scum he calls friends could be printing the paper in a small town, Wilsey or Deaton or wherever, then shipping it in. You said he was headed toward Deaton?”

  “I’ve got men on all the roads, sir.”

  “Yes, of course. And you still have a surveillance team on the inventor’s residence?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Have you questioned the men you’ve arrested for handing out this newspaper?”

  “We’re getting nothing useful out of them, sir. They say bundles are delivered to them by strangers in unmarked wagons. When they finish giving out the newspapers, they are rewarded with a small bottle of whiskey.”

  “They are being bought off with booze? Figures. They’re mostly drunks to start with. But I bet they know more than they’re letting on. Liquor them up. Once they get started drinking, the promise of more liquor will loosen their tongues. Do whatever it takes, Lowell. Find this damned paper and shut it down!”

  Chapter 53

  “This is a city? Why it’s… it’s a shamble. Archaic. Poorly built frontier shacks,” the deep voice said.

  “Oh, but it’s a beautiful little town,” the high voice said as they overlooked Lisbon from the high ground before the road sloped down into the valley. “It’s so… so quaint. The architecture is… quite, ah, unusual.”

  “I’m sure it does not compare to the cities you were used to,” Avery said, “But it has come along quite well considering the circumstances we were thrown into.”

  “Yes,” the medium voice said. “It appears to be a thriving city. Considering the level of technology you have attained, I’m sure it is an accommodating place. I cannot wait to see your home.”

  “That may have to wait,” Jack said. “Since I broke Dokie out of jail using Avery’s automobile, I suspect McGurke will have a watch on the house. McGurke is the bad guy we told you about.”

  “But I have some friends,” Avery said. “They are inventors, like me. I know they would love to meet you, Braindon, and I’m sure we will be quite comfortable at the house where we will be staying. It belongs to one of my scientist friends. You will find it a pleasant setting, with a running stream in the backyard. No one will think to look for us there.”

  “It sounds lovely,” Braindon’s high voice said.

  “Don’t forget the batteries,” Braindon’s low voice said. “Get your fellow inventors to help. Time is of the essence!”

  “McGurke will have his men posted on the road,” Jack said. “He’ll be watching all the roads in and out of Lisbon. We’ll leave the automobile at the bottom of the slope, hide it in the trees, and use the extra horses we picked up in Deaton.” Jack pointed down the hill to the right, some distance away. “See that creek about a klick south of the road? It runs all the way to the lake in town. It’s the same creek that is in Avery’s friend’s backyard. We’ll ride along the creek until we get to his house. It will be tough riding, but we don’t have a choice.”

  “Oh, dear,” Braindon’s high voice said. “Have we been invited? I would hate to be a burden on anyone.”

  “I talked to him before I broke Dokie out of jail,” Jack said. “I explained everything and told him we might need his help. He was quite willing to do so. I also told him where Stan was. He was supposed to get in touch with Stan and offer assistance.”

  “What an intelligent plan,” Braindon’s high voice said.

  “Just don’t bump the carriage into anything and spill my fluid,” Braindon’s low voice said.

  “If the rangers find us,” Jack said, “They might dump your fluid out on purpose. It would be best if we don’t talk once we start riding through the fields toward the creek. There are houses here and there, and possibly rangers as well.”

  “Oh, dear!” Braindon’s high voice said.

  “Oh, cruzzles!” Braindon’s low voice said.

  By the time they got to their destination, it was dark. None of Braindon’s three voices had said the first word after they left the automobile hidden under a layer of branches. Avery knocked on the back door and his friend, a fellow inventor named Durban, opened it. Before they could say hello, Rose Wesley burst through the door.

  “Jack! Thank Go
d I found you. You’ve got to come to Borderton. Now. It’s Sheffie.”

  “What’s wrong? Is she hurt?”

  Avery’s inventor friend, Durban, quickly glanced around his backyard. He looked at both neighbors’ yards then said, “Let’s go inside. It’s safer.”

  Avery hustled the others in then asked Durban to help him with Braindon’s cart.

  “What in blazes is this?” Durban asked. “It looks like a brain.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what it is,” Avery said. “I’ll explain later.”

  “What’s wrong, Rose?” Jack asked once they were inside.

  “Greg Bonner went to the library. He was looking for you. He hurt her, Jack. That big jerk beat her up bad. The doctor says she will survive, but he doesn’t know if there’s any permanent damage. He said it could be days or even weeks before they will know. She needs you.”

  Jack looked at Avery then turned back to Rose, “I’ll leave tonight. How did you get to Durban’s house?”

  “She was asking for you on the streets,” Stan said. “We were lucky she asked some of Dokie’s distributors before she could ask the wrong people. The guys told me. I found her then brought her here. I didn’t know where else to go.”

  “Good choice,” Avery said.

  “One other thing,” Stan said. “I hate to say it, but Alexandre Andropov is dead. They brought his body into town and claimed he and Dokie tried to ambush some ‘deputized’ rangers. That’s a euphemism for McGurke’s thugs. But Alexandre didn’t go down without a fight. He killed one and wounded two others.”

  “What about Dokie?” Jack asked.

  “They didn’t have his body with them. Word on the street is that he was wounded but managed to get away.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Avery said. “I knew we could depend on Dokie. I hope he’s not seriously injured.”

  Jack looked down and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. “If I leave tonight and sleep only when I have to, I can get to Borderton in less than three days. I don’t have time to look for Dokie. All we can do is hope he made it.”