Soldiers of Fame and Fortune Full Series Omnibus: Nobody’s Fool, Nobody Lives Forever, Nobody Drinks That Much, Nobody Remembers But Us, Ghost Walking, 12 Book series...

by Michael Todd

  Sarah shrugged. “It was actually four broken ribs, a bruised spine, and a sprained knee. The tree took me down.”

  Holly shook her head. “What about the jag?”

  Sarah’s eyes lit up. “They brought it back with them, and I actually got to study it. Turns out there were human characteristics to the animal, but it was definitely eighty percent alien. Even the DNA strands were twisted in a different way. It was insane. There were things in its body I had never seen before. After that, I was hooked. It wasn’t until I got tired of giving reports on how to kill the animals that I finally decided to leave, and now I’m a merc.”

  Holly was in disbelief. “That’s nuts, but awesome at the same time.”

  Sarah smiled. “Yeah. I mean, I really do love what we do. The adrenaline, the action…the payday. But there are times that I miss the norms.”

  Holly furrowed her brow. “The norms? What do you mean by ‘the norms?’”

  Sarah waved her beer bottle in a circle, looking around the room. “You know, the rest of the world. The people going to normal jobs every day. The holiday parties. The barbecues. The terrible weddings. Being single, and that being your biggest problem. Finding a good place where you can afford rent. The things that keep normal people up at night. The normal shit we take for granted almost every day until you no longer have to worry about it anymore. I mean, fuck, what I wouldn’t give to have to shovel fucking snow so I can walk down and get my mail!”

  Ivan grabbed a fry from her plate. “You wouldn’t give this up for that.”

  Sarah pointed at Ivan, sliding the plate to him. “You’re right. I wouldn’t give it all up, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss being part of the rest of the world.”

  Holly shook her head, dipping a chip in the cheap nacho cheese. “So you aren’t part of the world?”

  Dan chuckled and leaned back, sipping his beer. “None of us are. You stay here too long, and the Zoo will suck you the fuck in. Either the feeling of being alive, the feeling you are missing out—”

  Sarah cut in, “Or the feeling the rest of the world are all living a boring life while you are here learning what being human is all about. Trust me, you never think about your humanity until you are facing something whose only similarity is fear. Even then, you question whether they really feel like you do.”

  Dan snickered. “Yeah, kind of like religion.”

  Sarah gritted her teeth. “Not this conversation again. This is not like religion. Religion is bigger than all of this.”

  Dan leaned forward, dumbfounded. “How can you believe in a higher power when it drops shit like this on us? Either God is perfect, or he made mistakes; he can’t be both. And if he made a mistake with the man-eating jaguar-deer thing, he is not actually a god. I don’t get it.”

  Sarah put her hands up in the air. “Of course you don’t get it. You see things in black and white.”

  Dan shook his head. “No, I see them for what they are, not some fairytale that I want them to be.”

  Sarah shrugged and looked at Dan. “I guess you’re right. Either you get religion or you leave the church.”

  Dan looked at Holly. “And by that, we mean by plane or by crate. No expensive coffins out here.”

  Holly looked sadly at Sarah. “So you’ve seen a lot of people go out that way?”

  Sarah pushed at her meal. “That’s the way most of us leave. Or you are here temporarily. The vibe of the Zoo will push you out. Most can’t handle the stress of being part of the system.”

  Holly tilted her head to the side. “The system?”

  Dan took a long drink from his beer, his mood darkening a bit. “Yeah, everyone changes here. Don’t matter what you do, anyone can die at any moment—including me, and I don’t travel into the Zoo anymore. At least, not right now I don’t. That’s the thing, I never know from one day to the next what will come up.”

  Sarah looked at Dan, and Holly noticed that understanding passed between them. “You don’t go to the Zoo right now. That’s what’s important.”

  Dan lifted his beer to her. “Social norms aren’t…normal. You come here to get rich or die trying. That right there changes people. The soft are hardened or are dinner for the creatures in the Zoo. Usually, this occurs by walking in there and dying really fast. The Zoo has its own delivery service. You can tell who is not meant for the deep green of the leaves and the monsters that live inside. People run hard and run fast to get the fuck out. Some of them make it, and some don’t. Most don’t.”

  Sarah took a deep breath and faked a smile. “Not everyone dies, though. Most who leave after a time here end up still affiliated with the Zoo. It’s like when people are in the military twenty years…it’s all they know. You can’t unlearn out there with the norms what you know is real here. It’s impossible. You can’t wake up normal after living on the knife’s edge. There is too much freedom out there. Living wild and being structured at the same time is what keeps us alive.”

  “And,” Dan shrugged, “for those who need it to feel alive every day, they realize nobody lives forever.”

  Dan’s eyes floated upward, lost in thoughts and visions that no one else could see. “Too many of us are biding our time until we have to go in again ourselves. The temptation is always there.”

  He looked at Holly and paused for a moment before finishing, “Even for me.”

  Sarah reached across the table with her beer and clinked it against Dan’s, exchanging something between the two of them that Holly couldn’t understand. She realized then that she could meet all the people she wanted, and even get close to them. In the end, she would never be one of them—not unless she went into the Zoo herself, something she had serious reservations about. The draw wasn’t there for her, but then again, she had never even been close to the place except for driving past it.

  Sarah and Dan pulled their beers away and looked at the others, singing in harmony, “Nobody Lives Forever.”

  Chapter Ten

  Holly sat there watching everyone dig silently back into their food. They were all content with what had just happened, but Holly hadn’t been part of it. She took a deep breath and wiped her mouth. “It has truly been awesome getting to know you guys. I think I’ve had enough tales of torture for the day, though. I’ll try to come here tomorrow for more stories from JB. If you aren’t out at the Zoo, swing by and I’ll buy you all your first round.”

  Sarah smiled and leaned forward, pulling Holly into a surprise hug. “If you don’t have to do it, then keep your norms. It’s times like these I feel I might have made a decision I can never backtrack on.”

  Holly pulled back and looked Sarah in the eyes, deciding a nod was probably the best answer to what she was saying. She didn’t know what else to do. She had no words of wisdom or anything that would be of help to the other woman.

  She turned and fist-bumped Dan, nodding toward the bar. “Don’t forget your cigar is up there. I’ll be here tomorrow if you’re interested.”

  Dan nodded and sipped his beer. “It’s been fun so far, Miss Holly. Stay safe tonight, and don’t go wandering around.”

  Holly smirked, nodding at the others as she stood up and pushed in her chair. She pulled a hundred from her wallet and walked to Paula. “Will this cover the food for the table?”

  Paula laughed. “Girl, that would cover the food for the whole bar. It was crappy nachos and frozen burgers.”

  Holly smiled. “Good. Keep the change.”

  Paula looked at her for a second, then shoved the hundred between her cleavage. “I ain’t going to argue with the pretty girl from the city.”

  Holly watched as Paula walked toward the crowd, shouting at the guys, “Yeah, yeah, keep your tiny peckers in your pants. I got shit to handle around here. I don’t have time for your bull. David, what did I say about calling out my name?”

  The guy snickered. “You were going to show me what it felt like to sit and spin on a chair.”

  Paula looked at Holly and winked before turning back to th
e group. Holly laughed and made her way back to her seat at the bar. JB was down the counter from her talking to a couple of guys. “Yeah, I heard he never came back. It’s a damn shame. Heavy Metal rarely loses guys, and he was a good one for sure.”

  The others agreed with him, nodding. JB looked at Holly and excused himself. He meandered over to her, handing over the ashtray with her cigar. “You have a good time listening to the new generation of stories?”

  Holly nodded. “Even more so, I felt bad for them. They seem almost lost when they aren’t in the Zoo.”

  JB picked up her cigar and handed it over, pulling out a book of matches. “Yeah, that is something that really affects us, but we go on, and we get through it. That is what we are made to do.”

  Holly put the cigar between her lips and leaned forward, puffing as he held the match in front of it. She watched him as he closed his eyes and took in the sweet smell of the cigar. She could tell he really enjoyed it, but for some reason, she knew he would never smoke the one he had. There was something almost sad about what was happening there at the bar, and although Holly was getting the information she’d come to get, she needed to get out of there for a bit.

  She had been all over the world and met all kinds of people, but these people drew her in. In a way they were right; they weren’t normal anymore. The Zoo had changed them, morphed them like the animals that crept in the shadows deep inside. Holly wondered whether it would look human or like the jag they had brought back for study in the lab if you pulled their DNA. The difference was they were human, and they were part of everything at that point.

  Holly pulled a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet and put it down on the bar, looking at JB and smiling. “I don’t have time for another story today. I think I got my fill from everyone. Maybe another drink with a story…say, tomorrow midafternoon?”

  JB eyed the twenty and looked at Holly. “You paying ahead again, or is this one for the road?”

  Holly laughed and shook her head. “I definitely don’t need one for the road. Besides, I bought some wine last night on my way back, and I might get comfy in my room and break open a bottle. That’s for tomorrow if you’ll take an advance. I’ve got a hell of a memory, and your stories are very real. I can’t get this information out of a book about the Zoo. If nothing else, I want to hear your stories, so they never die.”

  JB stared at her for a moment. “I suppose you’re right. Either we will stop the spread of the Zoo, or it will take over the entire planet. Either way, one day all this will end and either become memories from the past or our regular lives.”

  Holly looked around. “In a way, it’s an evolution of man in the same way it is for this alien goop that is morphing and changing everything it touches.”

  JB nodded. “I suppose you’re right. But yes, I will take your twenty bucks. You are renting the stool, and the first drink will be free. You don’t show up, I’ll keep the fee.”

  Holly nodded with a laugh. “Pretty damned mercenary for a bar owner.”

  JB leaned forward and whispered, “You have no idea, young lady. You find mercenaries in the strangest of places. Gotta keep a tight ship around here, or all these wackos will try to take over.”

  A couple of guys who had walked up next to them put up their hands playfully. “Hey, what wackos? We are sane as hell.”

  JB rolled his eyes. “Yeah, if I compare you to a mental patient. Even then, I’m not sure either of you would pass that. Miss Holly here might be the only one.”

  Holly snickered and took a deep breath, shoving her cash in her back pocket. “You gentleman keep JB company. I am going to go relax.”

  The guys nodded and waved at her as she turned to leave. She smiled at JB, who let one side of his lips curl up. Holly put her hand on the door. “See you guys around here for the next story!”

  JB chuckled and placed the twenty-dollar bill in a special box. As he opened it, pictures and mementos were visible in the bottom. He closed the lid and latched it, looking around at the bar. One of the guys lifted his empty glass. “How about another over here, JB?”

  JB nodded and grabbed the glass, going to the wall of liquor. He pulled down the different ingredients and made the guy’s drink. When he was done, he turned to the guys who had come in and put his hands on the bar. “Jack, you old bastard! Haven’t seen you in here in ages. What do you want that has Vermouth in it?”

  Jack groaned and threw his head back. “You still got a hard-on for making me try that wine shit, don’t you? You are a persistent sonofabitch, JB.”

  JB looked at the front door and smiled. “Always, Jack. I always get what I want.”

  When the door to the bar shut behind her, the sounds and smells went with it. Holly took a step forward and looked back at the FUBAR sign hanging lopsided over the door. She thought about JB and the day she’d had, then smiled slightly and shook her head. Taking a deep breath, she dropped her cigar on the ground and stomped it out before heading back to the hotel.

  In the lobby were several guys checking in, fresh from the planes and vans. Holly stopped at the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. Behind her, she heard two young ex-military talking to each other. One of the guys told the other, “This shit is better than our last barracks, at least.”

  The other guy scoffed. “Yeah, except we have to pay for it until either we leave or the fucking thick swallows us whole.”

  The first guy sounded slightly worried. “You think we will make it out of here alive?”

  Holly turned around.

  His buddy glanced at Holly and put his arm around the guy. “Yeah, sure. You got this, buddy. You are hard as steel.”

  Holly watched them walk away and headed up the stairs to her room. Once inside, she put down her coffee and untied her boots, letting the sand filter off onto the tiled area of the floor. She picked up her coffee and walked to the window, looking at a fresh group of mercenaries making their way through the streets. She thought about Jack Flash, and what the others had said about the Zoo changing people. Holly couldn’t help but wonder who of the fresh crop of guys and gals would harden, who would get out, and who would be swallowed whole by the Zoo. It was almost too morbid for her to think about.

  She sipped her coffee for another minute, starting at the sound of her phone beeping. She opened the text messages from Rod and laughed. There was a picture of him and Elaine at her favorite sushi restaurant downtown. They were rubbing it in her face that they were dressed to the nines and eating expensive cuisine while she was out there flapping around in the dusty breeze, but this time it didn’t faze her. She was learning about something she never thought she would have in her life. It was an experience she wouldn’t regret even if she didn’t choose to become one of them.

  Holly shut her phone and walked to the desk, opening her laptop. Suddenly she realized that she should have a video waiting in her email. More excited than she should be about a video of someone’s death, she quickly logged in. There it was, just as JB promised—the video of Jumping Jack Flash. She grabbed her earbuds and plugged them into the side before pressing Play.

  In that little room in the middle of the desert, her eyes widened as the crazy, wild end of the story of Jumping Jack Flash came to life.

  Author Notes - Michael (Todd) Anderle

  December 18, 2018

  THANK YOU for not only reading this story but these Author Notes as well.

  (I think I’ve been good with always opening with “thank you.” If not, I need to edit the other Author Notes!)

  RANDOM (sometimes) THOUGHTS?

  Explosions…

  On Covers.

  I just looked at the fourth Kurtherian Endgame book cover from artist Andrew Dobell (actually, twenty-fifth in the series, but the series was broken up) and I’m loving the Bethany Anne amalgamation of a suit of armor (rendered in Daz3D) and the model (Helen Diaz—she’s awesome.) At the bottom of the cover are flames and explosions behind her.

  Now, I asked for explosions, so that isn’t strange
. However, I started wondering if I should ask for more explosions, or fewer explosions.

  Maybe just take the one main explosion and narrow it down? Damn, who knew explosions were such a problem?

  Then, I begin wondering as I talk to you about this if explosions are like putting a sexy person on the cover?

  At least for Space Opera.

  If that is true (explosions are sexy), then our last cover for “Through the Fire and Flame” was the sexiest Space Opera cover ever (it wasn’t—I can think of another by Heinlein that was much better—but it had no explosions.)

  The last cover was nothing but one big explosion with Bethany Anne walking through it in her armor.

  So, explosions on covers. Sexy or not? Tell me in the reviews or over on Facebook.

  HOW TO MARKET FOR BOOKS YOU LOVE

  We are able to support our efforts with you reading our books, and we appreciate you doing this!

  If you enjoyed this or ANY book by any author, especially Indie-published, we always appreciate if you make the time to review a book, since it lets other readers who might be on the fence to take a chance on it as well.

  AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

  One of the interesting (at least to me) aspects of my life is my ability to work from anywhere and at any time. In the future, I hope to re-read my own Author Notes and remember my life as a diary entry.

  Dec 18,

  So, I’m back in the Trophy Club Country Club restaurant using their internet for work. We are selling our Texas house (I hope so, anyway. I’d like it to go to another family that could use it, preferably at a large enough sales price to cover all the loans against it.) (Editor’s Note: What are the lawn gnomes going to do? They will be bored without you tossing snippets to them!)

  Our house has no cable internet. I’ve used up TWO phones’ worth of tethered Internet, and the super-special puck for Internet around the world has damn near dial-up speed.