by Tom Cain
"Yeah but the problem is it never stops running, so we gotta jump on it when it comes, and there's always some greeners causing some kind of shit onboard." said John.
Fonz now looking past John starts to look nervous.
"Hey John, can you hear that noise?".
"What noise?" asked John.
A low pitched rumbling sound emits from the distance and a blurry object takes shape over the horizon. It is the Terror Tram.
"Marko" John calls. no reply.
"Marko? Where are you? The trams here and you’re gunna miss it".
Marko appears from a darkened building on the other side of the tram tracks.
"What were you doing in there Marko?" Fonz asked.
"Ah, I was just having a look about, you never know where these strange types will be hiding waiting to jump you and take your shit, especially as the clouds are moving over now." Marko exclaimed.
The tram is getting closer, all three stand in wait for the jump that has to be made, the now partially rusty wheels of the tram creating a grinding noise as it approaches, but the sound of the powdered green rails and the old battered heavily armored tram wasn't the only sound emanating from the distance. As predicted, there were Anti-Greeners onboard. These were groups of stir crazy bandits who after the event lost their rational mind and turned primal and extremely aggressive. Some killed each other and others decided to band together and kill greeners, there were five of them inside and three of them hanging off the tram.
"Oh shit they must have gotten on up on Growden and Hirth, either way we got ourselves some AGs on board" Marko exclaimed.
"I got the big one then" Fonz shouted at the others.
The tram now making the ground tremble.
"Just make it quick" John commanded with a low voice.
All three prepared to jump onto the tram now under three hundred feet away. As the tram hurtles towards them John makes an early pounce cracking the concrete beneath his boots with a powerful jumping dash onto the front of the tram. Fonz and Marko on either side of the track jump on board and start cutting into the metal armor casing of the tram, quickly dispatching the bandits who were hanging on to the sides.
John with two strikes with his metal right hand breaks through the steel grate at the front of the tram grabs the driving bandit by the throat, dragging him through the hole he made with his fist and throwing him under the front of the speeding vehicle.
"This is your stop asshole". John proclaimed and smiled at himself realising the corn.
Marko is first to make it through the outer shell of the tram and comes face to face with five weapon wielding anti-greeners.
"Ok guys how do you want it?" Marko demanded an answer.
One of the larger bandits steps forward and gives Marko a confused look.
"With you in a body bag dipshit" the creep slobbered, dribbling and talking to the air.
"We all know that ain't gonna happen here big guy, all of you are going down you just gotta pick which one is first" Marko looked at all five of them standing ready for the ensuing action.
Fonz walks up the centre aisle and passes Marko and with one swift motion swings his axe up and over his head and planted it into the shoulder of the large bandit standing at the front,
"Enough talk now, Fonz is getting bored." Fonz took a breath in and unleashed his fury at the remaining four. Marko dashed across a few chairs to get some action and with ease dispatched the second foe with a bullet to the chest with his modified revolver.
There were three left, Fonz was having a wrestling match with one of them, Marko squared off against the second and the third was deciding which of his friends he would help first.
Fonz grabbed the collar of his opponent tightly and smashed him against the trams inner walls, the creep pushes back and manages to lever a knife from his boot placing it up against Fonz's head, Fonz meets the thrust and holds onto his wrist.
Marko puts his revolver away and takes out his club hammer always keeping eye contact with a scrawny looking bandit in front of him. The creep stares back at Marko and licks his lips, saliva falls from his mouth and onto his shoe, Marko watches it drop and land, as his eyes follow up back towards his foes face, he hears a shuffling of feet and the creep is on him holding and struggling to get the hammer out of Markos hand whilst trying to reach for his own weapon.
The third bandit hasn't decided which of his accomplices to help and is still darting back and forth from behind trying to dodge Marko's tussle and Fonz’s wrestling match. The sound of metal grinding and creaking breaks through the struggling sounds and the front grate of the trams is ripped clean off and thrown to one side like a toy, John steps through the front window opening and into the tram carriage grabbing the indecisive bandit by the his overly surprised face, smashing it against the wall and throwing him out of the window.
The two remaining bandits now look at each other but as they turn back to face their opponents they too are both thrown through a window.
Marko dusts himself off and picks up his club hammer.
“This is the way man, woohoo” Marko shouts a big grin on his face.
“Yeah I missed this shit” Fonz added clearing his throat.
“When you two ladies are finished we need to get ready, we got to jump soon.” said John.
Marko takes a seat on one of the dirty blue metal benches with his elbows on his knees and takes a deep breath in.
“At this rate we ain't even going to get to the zone”.
“What are you worried about Marko? I thought this was your idea of fun” John asked with a grin.
“Fuck you Test” Marko retorts smirking.
As John sniggered the interior lights start flashing red as they do when you are about to enter a new zone. These lights are triggered by sensors placed inside the shell of the armored tram by the BCC to detect an approaching Border Control Company Station.
The three tighten their straps and exit to the outside of the tram to make the jump, they must get off before the station else they will have to go through the BCC control processes and more than likely be arrested and executed.
Fonz holds on tight and makes the jump first, crashing through a makeshift shed, Marko is next and lands on the ground rolling several times forward and disappearing into the darkness. John braces himself to jump, just before letting go he takes out a gear shaped pendant from around his neck and kisses it. He jumps and lands on his feet but the forward motion pushes him forward faster than his legs can take him and forces him also into a forward roll slowing him down enough to stand straight back up in one swift impressive motion, totally unscathed. The Terror Tram tore off into the distance and disappeared through a bunch of bunkers and buildings and onto the BCC control point a mile ahead.
“Marko?... Fonz? Where are you guys?” John Shouted for them.
“Over here!” Marko said with his gun in his hand.
“Guys I am over here” Fonz said faintly.
“What? Say it again Fonz where are you man?” said Marko looking around the darkening surroundings. Fonz is standing in a pile of wood and concrete, staring strangely at the other two.
“Something's wrong guys” Fonz takes two steps towards them and falls to his knees and then falls flat on his face. Fonz has sustained a massive injury to the back of his head, a large piece of wood had been wedged inside his skull and was protruding about eight inches. Marko darts over and picks him up to rest Fonz's back on his knee and propped him up, he was alive.
“Shit Fonz, you ok? You got something in your head man” Marko said staring at the wood looking worried.
“Yeah I know, I can feel it. This might be my stop boys” Fonz said touching the wood lightly and bleeding from the nose.
“No Fonz just pull the damn thing out and let your green heal it up” John said calmly.
“It kinda don't work like that Test, I can take a hard hit but if something gets stuck inside, it can't close up, hold on I will try and get this son of a bitch out.” Fonz r
eached for the wood with both hands, his hands now shaking a little as he grabs the wood with both hands and winces.
“I can't do it from this angle. Marko get me up, at least to my knees”. Marko gets Fonz up and stabilizes him on his knees. Fonz for the second time grabs the wood with both hands, but this time something is different, his face changes from struggle to anger to surprise to shock. A slither of dribble tumbles out of his mouth and hits the ground. A splinter in the wooden shard flakes from the main bulk, pierces his brain and kills him instantly. Fonz falls to the floor face first; John and Marko stare on in shock.
“Ahh shit, God dammit it Fonz” Marko and John say in tandem.
John kneels down over the body, removes the wood and turns him over.
“Can he come back from this? I saw him heal through four broken ribs and a punctured lung in under three minutes”. asked Marko.
“I don't know if he is going to come back from this one Marko”.
“But, he, argh shit Fonz, not like this” Marko looked away.
“He was one heck of a merc, he earned his notches, this time he just got unlucky. I'm going to get whichever one of the Eight did your brother Fonz. See you in the next life.” John Spoke quietly getting back to his feet.
“Hey, come on John let's go, we gotta get past the border control yet and it ain't going to be pretty. Fonz died like he wanted, fighting.” Marko turns away again staring into the middle distance.
“That's cold, We gotta bury him Marko he deserves that much” John looked sternly at Marko.
The pair stared at Fonz for some time, John knew Fonz from a while back but the two were never particularly close. John respected his ability to destroy greeners. Marko on the other hand had grown close to Fonz over the year, his military training meant he was able to swallow the lump forming in his throat.
“Ah shit you do have a heart, yeah you’re right man, let's do this”. Marko replied, breaking the silence.
John and Marko laid Fonz out on the ground, as flat as they could get him and gathered up stones and blocks and rubble from the surrounding buildings. They laid building blocks around the body and sealed Fonz in a makeshift tomb. John rested Fonz's axe on top of the grave along with a tin of grease found in Fonz jacket.
“Goodbye Fonz” John murmurs, after a long stare at the grave they move on, towards the Border Control of Zone three where they face spot lights, watchtowers, sentries, traffic light scanners and a large gathering of BCC troops.
CHAPTER THREE
ZERO
The Border Control checkpoint is half a mile away now and it was getting dark. John and Marko are weary that they need to get through before the new day and the light comes in.
The BCC created a large gap and tunnel for the passing of the tram, as the tram didn’t stop the company had to make a way for the tram to pass through the checkpoint unhindered but safe. Wall mounted scanners and non lethal weapons were equipt to the sides of the tunnel.
The Border Control checkpoint is the centre crossing point between the five zones in New Kansas, the solid stone and steel reinforced walls running all the way down the border of each zone is a means to control the inhabitants crossing over and infecting or causing trouble with the business of Ivan Swiss. The actual main control building is made up of four high watch towers located at each corner of the control point, a truck sized gap for any vehicles coming through and on either side of the gap were two black conveyor belts for pedestrians.
The process was, you must exit your vehicle, it would be searched and scanned by the Traffic Light Scanner and then you need to stand on the conveyor belt and be scanned manually by a member of the BCC staff with a handheld scanner. Your fingerprints, iris scans and picture would be taken, digitized and stored in large database held under Swiss Towers. After this your Green Flash mutation would be registered if it hadn't been already and the senior officer on at the checkpoint would decide whether you are safe enough to move into the next zone or even sometimes take you back to FADE Labs to experiment if they felt your ability could help them in some way. Some mutations were more dangerous than others, one in particular was a strain very similar to that of the Anti-greeners. The blood contained the ability to infect and mutate others for better or for worse. Some business types caught these infected greeners and sold a potential ‘power’ to those without. A lot of the time it went horribly wrong, but for some it was worth the gamble. Taking a fifty fifty chance of death or gaining a helpful mutation or dying at the hands of a gang, the BCC, hunters, creatures, starving to death or any other number of horrible ways to go in this now incredible harsh world.
Some of the populations liked the BCC zone crossings because it meant some of the more dangerous inhabitants of the zones wouldn't make it through to cause trouble, a lot of others thought it was too restrictive and just another way of Swiss controlling their liberty, coupled with the kidnappings and seemingly random executions it didn't make the control crossing points very popular.
"So you got a plan for this thing or what?" Marko asked John as they crouch down behind a nearby and burned out truck.
"What do I look like to you? I am thinking Marko, I am thinking.” replied John, his eyes flickering between the standing guards, the rails and the pedestrian walkways.
“Well I got an idea to get through the Traffic Light Scanners" Marko exclaimed while looking smugly at John.
"I’ve never had to deal with them before, always just found a way around, but the walls got bigger and so did the turrets obviously. What are the scanners anyways?" John asked.
"They are used to detect the weapons you are carrying and your green flash mutations. If your mutation is potentially risky like mine and yours we ain't getting through and they put you down on the spot." Marko explained.
"Right ok, how many men are usually at these things?" John asks.
"I can't imagine any more than fifteen men" Marko said confidently.
"Ok, I got it, let's go in and if they detect us we can smash them up" John stood up and before he could take a step forward Marko grabbed his shoulder.
"That ain't going to work man the turrets will mow us down, even with your skin we are stuck. I got a better plan there's a grate over the pass by the river, leads underground to the sewer system, we can get underneath those bastards, and they only station two or three men down there." Marko explained.
"Sounds like a plan, let's go" John asserted.
They both make their way over the dusty plain towards the sewer, when they reach the grate John grips two of the holding bars tightly and rips it clean off the wall from its welded moorings. They jump inside the damp opening and reach a turning about four hundred meters up. Already covered in dirty water and struggling with the smell they overhear two guards talking fifty meters down a tunnel.
"What the fuck are we doing down here anyway? The only thing that the sensors pick up is the rats and dogs?" one soldier asked the other.
"I know but at least we’re not going to get shot at down here." The other remarks and in an instant his head disappears and lands on the floor twitching.
"What the hell?" the remaining soldier shouts.
The tip of a chrome knife thrusts through his chest area, a quizzical look falls across the dying soldier's face. The knife is retracted and standing behind him is Marko and John. Marko wipes the blood from his knife and puts it back into his inner jacket holder.
"Get the uniforms" John ordered.
"Aye captain" said Marko pulling the jacket and trousers from the headless soldier.
"It may be a squeeze but I think that you will fit" John laughed.
"Why is it always me that has to fit into the small shit? Couldn't we have taken out some bigger grunts?" Marko said disgruntled.
John finds the second soldiers uniform reasonably well fitting and gets it on with ease. They both try and get as much blood off the pale cream uniforms as possible and make their way along and further into the sewer system. As they reach the opening at the other side
they hear a march going on outside, sounds like a lot of soldiers.
"It must be the changing of the control point guard" said Marko peeking around the corner and crouching down.
"We need to wait until we can get through them" John replied.
Twelve soldiers march in lines of four towards another group of the same size to swap positions, a siren alerts the gate guards of this and the crossing point shuts down momentarily. The soldiers that have been relieved of duty march towards a building that is next to the tunnel exit. As the soldiers cross paths and with the opening of the sewer exit very close to the march John and Marko quickly add themselves to the end of the line. As the soldiers enter the barracks building the two break off and make a run out of sight towards a derelict building on the other side of the road. Just as they get to the building they are stopped.
"Halt, What are you doing here? What's your numbers?" The soldier asked.
"Shit" John whispers.
"John…Smith Infantry 10552" John said in his gruff voice.
"Mark Jones Infantry 10335 Sir" Marko piped up.
"Take off your helmets and don't make any sudden moves you are both under arrest" The soldier stated while reaching for his radio.
John notices the soldier reaching for the device and has to act quickly before their cover is blown and the other soldiers are alerted, John's lead pipe is withdrawn from under his right arm and in one swift clean and clear motion wrapped around the head of the soldier knocking him instantly unconscious. Marko catches him and drags him into an alleyway next to the derelict building.
"You are always a subtle one ain't you Test" Marko said putting the body gentle down on the ground and in shadows.
"I had to shut him up somehow, and I maybe not subtle but sure am effective" John replied smirking and putting his pipe away.
Four soldiers march past followed by two others catching up with the main group, one of the two spots Marko and stops for a moment, Marko looks him dead in the eye.
"Hey!" The soldier shouts at the main group who stop "we got two border jumpers over here".