The Prize: Book One

by Rob Buckman

  NOOOOO!” He screamed, backing away, but there was no place to run. His back was to the wall of the pyramid that stretched away in both directions. His one avenue of escape was the portal Penn and Ellis had walked through. As the monster walked closer, he turned and ran like a frightened rabbit through the portal and into the pyramid. Penn and Ellis on the other hand, stepped through the portal into an ordinary, but well furnished living room, like you'd find in any upscale neighborhood, instead of the pyramid control room.

  “Good God!”

  “What on Earth! What gives, Michael?”

  “I took the liberty of building a home for you and the children.”

  “But… but… neither of us ever saw anything like this.” Ellis looked around the sumptuous living room.

  “That is incorrect Alexis. Both of you read your magazines with pictures of what a home should be. I merely recreated this from a compilation of those images.”

  “I for one am not complaining. Michael, I was wondering what we were going to do with all those children from the Palace.”

  “Hope the place has a workshop.” Penn muttered to himself.

  “With the number of young people involved I thought it best to build sufficient facilities to cover all eventualities.”

  “Such as?”

  “A swimming pool for one, stables for another, audio-visual classrooms, library…”

  “We get the picture, Michael. You needn't go down the whole list.”

  “I have also created several utility units to help around the house.”

  “Bots?”

  “Yes, Richard, as you say, bots. How soon do you wish me to transport the young ones down?” Penn and Ellis looked at each other for a moment.

  “Oh lord!” Richard blew out his cheeks as he flopped down onto the couch. Ellis followed his example. Now he needed to get use to having bots around. That was going to take a little getting used to.

  “You know that this means don't you?”

  “What?”

  “We have to start playing mommy and daddy.”

  “Like right now?” Penn looked at her, blinking.

  “We can't very well leave them sitting… well wherever they are sitting, forever.”

  “But… but… what about food? Clothes…” Suddenly, the prospect of actually taking care of a bunch of frightened kids seemed more daunting than assaulting the Imperial Palace.

  “I have replicated sufficient clothing for all the children. I will replicate food on a continuing basis as needed.”

  “Michael… how many children did we rescue from the Palace?”

  “Twenty six in all, ranging in age from seven to fourteen. Twelve males ranging in age from nine to thirteen, and fourteen females ranging in age from seven to fourteen.”

  “Were there any other human slaves in the Palace?” Penn asked.

  “I'm sorry to say, no.” Ellis stifled a sob. There was no need to ask what happened to any child over the age of fourteen.

  “What did you do to the rest of the slaves, Michael?”

  “I returned them to their planet of origin as close to the place they were taken suitably clothed, with food, water and Imperial credits.” Under the circumstances, it was the best I could do, but they were free, and hopefully they'd stay that way.

  “Bring the children down, Michael.” Ellis said in a firm voice, seeing Penn give her a raised eyebrow look.

  A while later they heard a door open, and looking around they saw a file of children walking into the room. From what they could tell, the oldest girl led the line holding onto the hand of the youngest two, a boy, and a girl. All were still dressed in what they’d worn in the Palace, and Ellis had to steel herself to stop from bursting into tears. Penn beckoned them over, but remained seated. From the outset, he didn't want to appear to be standing over them. They had enough of that in their young lives already. As they hesitantly walked over, Penn motioned them to the other couches and easy chair arranged around the center. Eyeing the two adult with some suspicion they did as Richard directed, some sitting, other kneeling on the floor, while other sat on the arms. The two youngest cuddled up to the oldest girl, who put her arms protectively around each. All of them looked at Richard and Ellis with eyes wise beyond their tender years, eyes that had seen far too much of the darker side of life.

  “Hi, my name is Richard, and this is Ellis… I mean Alexis…” that was going to take some getting used to, “…and from now on you are going to be staying with us.”

  “For how long?” One of the boys asked, sounding slightly belligerent.

  “For as long as you like.” Ellis answered. As she spoke, one girl got up and came over holding something out to Penn. It was the young girl he'd first met in the Palace grand audience chamber.

  She looked into his eyes for a moment before dropping them to the floor. Penn held his hand open under the girl's, and she dropped the electronic lock pick into his palm.

  “Thank you, she whispered. Very slowly, Richard lifted his hand and placed one finger under her chin, feeling it quiver as he did.

  “Never look down again little one, not ever. You are human, just like Alexis and I. Human's do not look down for anyone, understand?” The girl's chin pressed against his finger as she nodded. ”Good, and that goes for all of you. Never again look down or kneel to anyone, is that understood?” Penn looked around the room, seeing uncertainty in their faces. In time, they would learn.

  “Do any of you have names?” Ellis asked, receiving blank looks in return.

  “I do” The oldest girl answered at last. “I am forbidden to say it, but I remember. It is Alice.”

  “Well Alice, it looks as if you will be helping me.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. Are any of you hungry?” Nodding heads greeted her question.

  “Michael? We need to get these children fed and into some proper clothes.”

  “I concur Alexis.” To Penn and Ellis's surprise, all the children cringed hearing Michael's voice issuing out of thin air.

  “I think you'd better introduce yourself, Michael.”

  “Yes, Richard.” Saying that, the familiar reddish ball of light popped into existence in the center of the room. The children drew back, fear in their eyes.

  “It's okay. This is Michael, and he is a… friend.”

  “Hello.”

  “Michael will be your friend as well, and ready to give you whatever you need.”

  “It he hot? He looks hot.” Alice whispered to Ellis. She laughed.

  “Good heavens no. He's just a living being, just like you and I. He just looks strange.”

  “I have the bots prepared a meal, Ellis. Would you bring the young ones to the dining room?”

  “Lead the way, Michael.”

  With the glowing ball in the lead, two adult human's and a gaggle of whispering children followed. They all ended up in a huge dining room and a table full of food. If there was one thing to break the ice, it was children eating. Neither Richard nor Ellis felt hungry, and they sat together drinking real coffee and watched in amazement at the prodigal amount of food that seemed to evaporate off the table.

  “Thank God we have Michael, and a replicator.” Ellis leaned over and whispered in Penn's ear as she kissed him.

  “You think this is bad? Waiting until all those hungry soldiers arrive in about a month.”

  “Oh yeah. I forgot about them.” She looked off into the distance for a moment. ”Richard?”

  “Yes?”

  “I still don't think I understand what this Prize thing is all about.”

  “What's there to understand?”

  “If it's all about finding someone to run things, and if we won, what do we get to run?” She saw a smile spread across Penn's face.

  “It's a little more complex than that. According to our glowing friend, there are one or two perks that go with the job.”

  “Such as?”

  “For one, near immortality from what I can understand.” Ellis shot hi
m a dubious look. Penn saw it and chuckled.

  “I'm serious. Michael tells me that he fixed that ten year death sentence our beloved government stuck us with.”

  “So what do we get to run, Earth?”

  “You have to be kidding! I don't want to run Earth. What do you think I am, some sort of King?”

  “So, what are you going to do once the order arrives for all Imperial troops to leave Earth, sit back and just let them get on with it?”

  “Hadn't really thought ahead that far.”

  “You know what will happen if we aren't there to do something, don't you.

  “Yes. Some asshole will decide he wants something someone had and go and take it. Another someone, will come along and want to take what he had, and the whole shooting match will start all over again.” He sighed.

  “You've got that right! While the Imperial garrison is still there, we… you have to get things rolling and stop the madness from starting all over again.”

  “Oh right, me and who's army?”

  “Well you sure as hell can't wait for the other one to arrive, let alone train them into any sort of fighting force in time.” Penn nodded.

  “I agree, but coming on as the big bad man with an army to back him up isn't the answer.”

  “Then what is?” Penn turned and looked out the window toward the pyramid dominating the horizon.

  “Don't tell me you're going to do it the hard way.” She then looked in the same direction. ”Oh right.” Ellis chucking.

  “If we are going to fight the Empire, which we will in the end, we need to do it on equal terms, with equal weapons. We'll use our brains, and guts and see who comes out on tops. I'm betting on us.”

  “With Michael helping, why not.”

  “Earth and its people can't be handed their freedom, they have to earn it themselves like they always have, or it will be worthless.” In a weird way, it made sense.

  “But what about the innocent people who will die?”

  “Only people who want to fight, and are willing to sacrifice their lives will reap the benefits of a victory. We can build on that, and create something better for the future.” He sighed. ”Have you thought what happened was inevitable?” He looked at his beautiful wife and raised an eyebrow.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If, before all this happened, by some miracle we'd got into deep space on our own and ran into someone like the Thrakee. Or the Silurian, let alone the Empire, what do you think our chances of surviving would be?”

  “Not a snowball's chance in hell... we weren't ready,” Ellis answered after a thoughtful pause.

  “Exactly. We have to find out right now if the human race has what it takes to survive, morally as well as militarily. This is our moment.”

  “Yes, you are right, as usual,” she groused.

  “So what are we sitting around for? Let's go save the human race!”

  “After dinner dear,” she said, patting his hand, “once we've put the kids to bed and tucked them in.”

  EPILOGUE: Endings and Beginnings

  A hot bitter wind pushed a small dust devil down what was once a clean urban street, growing as it picked up odd bits of trash, dust and discarded debris, tasting of alkali, rust, and concrete.

  “This is the place?” The yellow-eyed man asked. His female companion sighed, and nodded in reply.

  "Yes, I'm sorry to say it is."

  "This place is a shithole if you ask me."

  "Yeah, it is now."

  Tucson, Arizona was once a bustling, modern metropolis, but the center of the once proud city was now nothing more than smashed rubble, full of scavengers, four legged and two. The apartment buildings and warehouses now eroded into dilapidated slums, home to a ragged band of human survivors left over from the rebellion against the Tellurian Empire. The relentless sun still beat down on the inhabitants in the summer, and the cold winds froze them in the winter. It wasn't a place for the faint of heart. Twenty-odd years after the KEW smashed the city flat, few survivors even remembered air-conditioning, or central heating. Those on the outskirts didn't have much of either before the destruction, except maybe in the local bars or supermarkets. Those businesses were gone, along with the never-ending supply chain of big rig trucks that once crisscrossed the state.

  “Damn. It's a wonder there are any people left.” Richard Penn looked around at the inhospitable desert behind them and shook his head. He liked it green and wet, instead of hot and dry.

  “Those that stayed don't have any place else to go,” Ex-Sub-Major Ellis, late of the Tellurian Military murmured, ”none of the other Major cities are in any better shape than this one, so why move?”

  In some way, the dusty streets made Richard Penn think of what this place must have looked like back in the days of the so-called 'old west'. The one resource they still had in abundance, was what had put Tucson on the map in the first place, water.

  Cracked streets with plank sidewalks, and small businesses eking out a meager living lay on either side. Since the regular supply of diesel and gasoline had stopped, horses had come back into their own, standing at an old-fashioned hitch rail, flicking their tails to chase away the biting flies. This, in turn, restarted, such things as corrals and stables. An old Hertz sign caught Richard's eye, and he smiled slightly. Someone had taken over the establishment, and crossed out the 'Car' in the sign. It now read, 'Hertz Horse Rental'. There were a few old cars and pickup trucks parked along the street, so some gas, and diesel was getting through from somewhere. Probably from the old refineries near producing oil fields that still worked. The supply was strictly regional, or, as always, for the rich. Electricity came in spurts, evidenced by the flickering neon light over the entrance to the saloon. The scene brought a smile to Richard's face. He'd seen places like this, in old videos, back when such things existed. The hot wind flapped the ends of their long, dark brown leather coats against their legs, giving quick glimpses of what was underneath. Richard preferences ran to dark blue silk shirt, dark pants, and sturdy boots, under the long coat. Ellis leaned to the wild side with an electric blue body suit that clung to every wonderful curve of her beautiful body in a daring open display of femininity. Richard didn't really mind, but he reminded her that she was liable to start a fight dressed like that.

  “Bring it on! I'm in the mood to kick some ass.”

  “Yeah? You could try me.”

  “You're no fun. I can hardly land a punch on you, let alone hurt you.” Ellis fluffed her red gold hair in answer. ”Besides, we usually end up doing something else instead of fighting.”

  “Yeah, true, but what a lovely way to end a fight,” he laughed softly. ”You sure this is the place?”

  “I'm sure. If my grandfather is still alive, someone here will know how to get to Stone Mountain.”

  “Hell of a place to start building an army.”

  “We have to start somewhere. There are a whole lot of warriors around here someplace, just waiting for a chance to kick someone's ass.”

  “Let's just hope it's the Empire's ass they want to kick.” Ellis knew what he meant. The click-clack of her high-heeled boots masked Penn's soft footsteps as they walked along the short section of cracked sidewalk. They could feel the hidden, hungry eyes of the citizens watching their progress toward the saloon.

  To them, this young couple was a fortune on the hoof in today's currency, and too many eyes thought them ripe for the picking. Not that Penn, or Ellis worried about such things. If they came up against something they couldn't handle with their hands, hidden beneath the folds of their open coats was enough firepower to stop an Imperial MBT. Richard also carried his favorite weapon, a razor sharp short sword whose twenty-four inches of super hard steel that could cut through bone, or if need be, steel, with ease. As for incoming ordnance, up to and including pulse blaster rounds, their long leather coats that weren’t, were actually made of anti-ballistic material, and each wore a small shield generator in the form of a gold bracelet on each wrist. Thei
r target was the blinking neon sign advertising a saloon.

  Now, as back in the days of the old west, the saloons weren't just a place to get a drink. It was a meeting spot, an information exchange, a whorehouse, gambling den, sometimes even a post office. They became the center of life around which all activity revolved in these dirty pockets of the city, and Penn and Ellis walked through the bat-wing doors together in step, hearing the 'flap-flat' behind them as the bat-wings slowed to a halt on squeaky hinges. The placed smelled of stale beer, cheap booze, and even cheaper perfume, with a hint of garlic. Only three people, and the bartender inhabited the place. Two guys playing cards near the door, and a drunk nursing an empty bottle sprawled across a table in the corner.