Giles tried to protect his wife as they hid. “He’s right! We don’t have the right weapons to fight him!”
“Nero is losing his mind! I’m sure this level of insanity will become his downfall!” Reb insisted.
Malcolm ducked from the gunfire. “This guy is relentless!”
“I’m ready for someone to have a brilliant plan, otherwise we’re dead!” Beauregard yelled.
Nero laughed as he waved his gun through the air and shot more bullets. “What’s the matter? I thought Steampunks preferred to die in a blaze of glory!”
The bullets damaged the remaining catwalk, causing the handrail to dislodge. It fell and impaled Nero’s torso. The impact caught the mobster off his guard. He dropped the weapon and slid down the bloody handrail onto his knees.
Reb looked at the defeated mob boss. “When in doubt, wait for their ego to kill them.”
Nero could barely breathe. “This sucks. Can it get much worse?”
Part of the catwalk’s platform collapsed. It fell and sliced off Nero’s head. His severed head rolled across the desert ground.
Malcolm peered from around his hiding place. “I’m getting used to severed heads, but the decapitated corpse that’s kneeling on the ground is somewhat unsettling.”
Giles looked at the scene. “Beau, you should paint a picture like this.”
“No thanks. I prefer to stay away from the macabre,” Beauregard remarked.
Reb and Giles hugged each other and felt relieved.
“We make one heck of a team,” Reb proudly stated.
Giles continued to squeeze her and said, “Yeah, we need to keep that in mind when terrorists start attacking us again.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” Reb threatened.
Chapter 21
The foursome drove back to Las Vegas in Nero’s car. They were a dirty mess as they stumbled into Gable’s casino. Gable, Priscilla, and the kids quickly found them. The three kids rushed to the group.
“Did you get rid of the mobsters?” Oliver asked.
Giles patted Oliver’s shoulder while he said, “Definitely. You won’t have any more trouble from them.”
Parker gave both of his godparents a hug. “I was scared that something happened to you guys.”
“We’ve seen plenty of terrorists and none of them have killed me yet. I have many years left in my lifeline,” Reb replied with confidence.
“You guys are covered in dirt. What happened?” Maggie asked.
Malcolm tried to be brief. “Let’s see. A bunch of mobsters opened fire with submachine guns, and then the entire cargo hangar fell down on us.”
“That sounds pretty exciting,” Oliver commented.
Beauregard knelt in front of the kids and he individually shook each of their hands. “You know what? I’m really glad we met. You guys were really brave. Actually, I really like kids. I hope my own kids will be courageous like you guys.”
Giles tried to be sympathetic. “There’s plenty of time for you to start a family. You just need to find the right woman.”
Gable and Priscilla joined them.
“I was worried about you guys. It’s good to see you in one piece,” Gable said as he hugged Giles.
“Same here. I’m glad my body doesn’t have a bunch of bullet holes,” Giles responded.
Priscilla gave Reb a hug. “Thanks for getting rid of those mobsters. I guess your stubborn attitude comes in handy sometimes.”
“Determination is crucial in a Post-Apocalyptic nation. It’s nice to see you safe as well,” Reb mentioned.
Gable then gave a hug to Beauregard. “I can’t thank-you enough for helping my children.”
“They’re good kids. Maybe you should give Parker a chance,” Beauregard suggested.
Gable couldn’t argue with him. “Let’s see where their journey goes. I’m a believer of destiny. If Maggie and Parker have a future together, God will give us a sign one of these days.”
Priscilla hugged Malcolm. “You have a tendency to annoy me, but I’m glad it worked out.”
Malcolm felt oddly aroused while Priscilla’s chest was pressed against him. “Dang, you really do have huge boobs.”
She pulled away from the sports commentator. “Malcolm, try to keep some thoughts to yourself.”
Reb and Giles turned to their clients.
“Thanks for having our backs. Both of you were very brave, but it was dangerous,” Giles stated.
“Yeah, you didn’t need to take the risk for us,” Reb agreed.
Malcolm tried to remain proud and confident. “Nonsense. The Nelsons are like family to us. We take care of the people in our community.”
“You guys always kept us safe from danger. Sometimes, we need to give you guys a helping hand,” Beauregard commented.
Giles nodded his head. “I suppose that’s fair. It feels good to have trusted friends like you guys.”
Percy and Savannah barged into the casino.
“You’re alive! Thank goodness!” Savannah declared with exhaustion.
Both of the elder Nelsons hugged their children.
“We heard about the explosion on the news and we wanted to check on you guys right away. Unfortunately, we had a lot of setbacks. It took all night for us to get here,” Percy explained.
Gable laughed. “I’m flattered, but you missed the action.”
“Yeah, the two of you are late!” Reb complained.
Percy was confused. “Exactly what did we miss?”
Oliver tugged on his coat. “We can tell you all about it. I hope you have a strong stomach.”
Parker looked at Maggie and he said, “My parents are probably looking for me. Even though we had a rough day, I’m glad we met.”
Maggie shook his hand. “Me too. You’re a really cool guy. Stay in touch.”
Parker nodded his head. “I think you’re really brave. Let’s chat online some more. Maybe we can raise our video game scores.”
“For sure. I won’t forget about the day we met in person,” Maggie replied.
Ultimately, life returned to normal for the Nelsons, their friends, and the citizens of Las Vegas. Gable and Priscilla held a public memorial service for Edgar and his staff. They also donated large quantities of money to rebuild the damaged parts of Las Vegas.
Percy and Savannah took a short break from working and going on trips. They spent extra time at the spa and in other relaxing atmospheres. Due to the recent events, Percy and Savannah realized that life was brief and they needed to find ways to alleviate stress. Percy’s robots quickly became a hot commodity, but they were also controversial among crowds who weren’t part of the Steampunk culture.
Malcolm and Beauregard returned to their home cities and each dated a handful of women. None of them were suitable matches, but the two men still had fun. It gave them a chance to figure out the types of women who weren’t compatible.
Reb and Giles remained unsympathetic to terrorism and countercultures. They publically supported human and metal splicing along with the overall Steampunk aesthetic. Reb and Giles also planted billboards next to major highways that advertised scary messages about supporting anti-terrorism. In their opinions, the fight against terrorism was a normal part of dystopian life.
Oliver reached the top of his class and quickly built an impressive reputation as a competitive video game player. Maggie and Parker communicated online and felt like they grew closer together as friends.
One day, Parker received a phone call from Reb.
He picked up the phone and said, “Hi, Reb.”
Reb talked to the boy while she worked in her office. “I just wanted to check on you. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good. I had a great report card,” Parker proudly stated.
“Wonderful. I heard rumors that you have a big crush on someone?” Reb inquired.
Parker thought about it for a moment. “Well, I’m not going to mention a specific name. There’s a gal my age who’s really nice, smart, fun, and spunky. You woul
d like her.”
“I’m sure that’s true,” Reb said with a smirk.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
Southern Fried Steampunks
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Peril in the Stratosphere
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Steampunk Noir
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Vendetta Page 34