Nomad Mortis

by Craig Martelle

  He should not have been surprised.

  “Mr. Smith! I came to you because you are the most powerful of our kind that I know of. What can you do about Walton?” the Forsaken pleaded.

  “I am doing what needs to be done, collecting information and building a plan. When the plan is complete and the time is right, we’ll take care of this pseudo-human and his pets. You really should put your fear in a dark closet somewhere and lock it away. It is not a good look on you,” Mr. Smith replied.

  “But what do we do?” the Forsaken asked, his voice an octave higher than it should have been. He’d left the remnants of his world behind, only to find that his new situation was no better.

  Something would have to significantly change before he could get back to an acceptable status quo. He had been someone back in LA, but here, he was back to the bottom of the pile.

  He sighed heavily as he tried to tolerate his new role, hoping to be given the opportunity to work his way up.

  “What can I do to help?” the Forsaken asked Mr. Smith, putting proper deference in his tone.

  Mr. Smith smiled at the groveling, fawning refugee. The Forsaken would find something for the newest addition to do.

  North Chicago

  “Run!” Lieutenant Boris screamed, furious at the slow pace the newest recruits were setting.

  After returning from Mammoth Cave three months earlier, the colonel had demanded a significant increase in manpower. The mayor and the Council of Elders readily approved it because the Forsaken threat had landed on their doorstep.

  Terry made a compelling case that he needed the manpower to take the fight to the enemy, keep the Forsaken away from North Chicago, away from people’s homes. The colonel wanted to knock the Vampires back on their heels and keep hitting them until there were no Forsaken left.

  Chief Leaping Deer, Eldie as Terry Henry Walton called him, was instrumental in throwing his full support behind the Force de Guerre. It meant extra work for those who were associated with the tribe, although that was a loose configuration at best. The citizens of North Chicago were integrating in such a way that people embraced the diverse lessons that best suited their individual situations. There wasn’t a separate tribe anymore, although the tribal council and celebrations lived on.

  Blood meant less and less, because everyone was in that thing called ‘survival’ together. The Wasteland was a terrible place, and even though the community had carved out a small paradise, humanity’s existence was only tenuously moving forward.

  Food, water, and power dictated the terms of how fast they could go. Man had not yet mastered his new environment, but he was at the tipping point.

  There was one hitch, as they had recently seen. The Forsaken would prevent them from heading into a new and better millennium. The Forsakens’ narcissistic personalities would not let them sit idly by while humans rebuilt the world. And Terry Henry Walton simply could not have them interfering. He demanded that the Unknown World leave the people alone to determine their own way ahead.

  Which meant that they needed to feel safe. Terry could only do that by conducting a major and worldwide offensive against the Forsaken.

  That meant a war, which meant a greater need for personnel and logistics support.

  Lieutenant Boris had replaced the retired Blackbeard. People were moving up, and the FDG was becoming a real career.

  “For fuck’s sake, get the lead out of your asses!” Boris bellowed, feigning exasperation. The junior members of the Force were providing additional incentive by pushing the newbies as they ran alongside.

  “That’s one lap! Congrats, ladies. Only ninety-nine left. You’ll run until I’m tired!” Boris added as the mob passed, already strung out as the formation had lost integrity halfway through the first three-quarter-mile lap around the former sports fields.

  Boris figured that two more would probably be enough that ninety percent of the recruits would make it, but they’d be sucking wind. He didn’t care if they struggled.

  He cared if they quit. That would require additional incentive training, but Boris hated it and expected that they’d end up dropping the recruit in any case.

  At this point in their training, he only wanted to see the effort. They’d get stronger and faster over time.

  For Boris personally, he did not want to disappoint the colonel. Terry Henry Walton was fanatically committed to the people of North Chicago. Boris could be no less committed. Even though he didn’t have the colonel’s special enhancements, commitment was a state of mind independent of any physical boost. Boris was confident that he was every bit as committed.

  “Ladies!” he bellowed, straightening his uniform as he ran after the mob to better encourage them to power through.

  ***

  “Grow the pack?” Char asked. TH knew that the question wasn’t for him, and since he was the only other one there, he waited while she worked it through.

  “I’d rather kill that pig Jonas than invite him to join the pack,” she stated definitively.

  Terry nodded. “We may just go kill him anyway. He rubs me the wrong way. And he’s too close for comfort. Maybe we simply encourage him to move,” Terry offered. “But I had forgotten about him. I was thinking of the three that you said you felt in Kentucky. They might make good additions, although we won’t know until we talk with them.”

  “Three isn’t a pack. I wonder if they found each other or if they’re all that remain,” Char said as she chewed on her lip.

  Terry leaned back in his chair, making it creak. “Only one way to find out,” he suggested. “No time like the present?”

  “No time like the present. Let me round up a few volunteers,” Char told him as they left their room and headed down the row of quarters where the Were folk lived.

  She hammered on doors as she passed. Timmons and Sue appeared, looking like they just woke up. Terry looked surprised. He pointed to the sun and then back to them.

  “What?” Timmons asked as part of a yawn and rib scratch. Sue snuggled under his arm.

  “We’re leaving in five!” Char yelled at them, thrusting her chin forward dominantly. They jumped and hurried back inside to get ready.

  Aaron and Yanmei appeared from behind the building.

  “We’re leaving in five,” Char said, waving for them to follow. They joined her without question. “Do you know where Merrit and Shonna are?”

  “At the plant?” Aaron ventured without dipping into the etheric to find them.

  “I’ll go get them,” Terry offered. Char closed her eyes for a second to make sure that Aaron was correct. She nodded, and he ran for the motor pool.

  “You want any excuse to drive that beater!” she yelled after him. Terry gave her the thumbs up over his shoulder as he disappeared around a corner.

  “Go find Gene and meet us at the LZ,” Char ordered Aaron. With a nod to Yanmei, they took off running.

  Char tapped her foot impatiently until Sue and Timmons reappeared. The sound of the jeep starting sent a flock of birds chirping skyward. She waited as she listened to the engine rev, and the sound of the vehicle driving away.

  Char turned and walked away. Sue and Timmons caught up quickly and together they headed for the LZ.

  ***

  “Pull that into place, lame ass!” Shonna growled as she struggled with the oversized valve. Merrit was trying to loosen a bracket to align the pipe to the flange.

  “Fuck off! The pipe is warped and the shit isn’t cooperating,” Merrit shot back.

  “There’s only one stupid fucker here who isn’t cooperating.” Shonna glared at her mate.

  Ted strolled in, looked for a moment, then walked twenty yards down the line where he cranked three times on a jack supporting the pipe’s elbow. The end in Merrit’s hand dropped and slid into the flange.

  Merrit grunted an apology as he clamped the two ends together to prepare them for welding.

  Terry waited out of the way until the cursing and glaring was finished.

  “
Pack up. We need to go,” Terry told them.

  Shonna slowly turned and fixed him with an angry stare. “No. Can. Do,” she said, emphasizing each word. Terry raised his eyebrows. She raised hers in response.

  “Sorry, hon. Duty calls,” Merrit apologized as he set his tools on the floor and hurried away without looking at Shonna. He motioned with his head that Terry should follow.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the sounds of the power plant.

  “Run!” Merrit yelled as he bolted for the door. Terry didn’t question it. At least he was able to get one of the two. If there were only three Werewolves where they were going, they would have plenty of horsepower. He had forgotten to send for Gene, but figured Char found him. She was the alpha and this was her mission.

  Terry stopped when he reached the jeep, but Merrit had already raced past and was running down the road. Terry started the jeep. When he looked at the power plant, Shonna was there, watching. He waved and smiled.

  She reared back and hiked a wrench in his direction. He floored it just in time. The wrench clanged off the roll bar behind his head.

  Terry spun the tires as he aimed the jeep’s nose toward the road. He gunned it until he caught up with Merrit. “What in the fuck did you do, and how in the holy hell did I get roped into your mess?” Terry called when he was even with the Werewolf.

  Merrit motioned and Terry slowed. Merrit hopped in when his pace matched.

  “Whew! That was a close one.” He laughed and slapped Terry on the shoulder.

  “If she’s still mad at me after we get back, I’ll beat the snot out of you,” Terry grumbled.

  “She’ll be fine. I want to get a dog, and it went downhill from there,” Merrit explained.

  “It better be fine, because if she throws another wrench at me, I’m beating both of your asses!” Terry kept his eyes on the road.

  It was two miles from the power plant to the new barracks and landing zone. Terry made the return drive in less than three minutes.

  When he pulled up to the LZ, Char, Sue, and Timmons were waiting. He left the jeep on the old road between the barracks and the athletic fields. “Did we lose somebody?” Terry asked.

  “They went to get Gene,” Char replied. “Didn’t you go for more?”

  “Merrit has issues. I thought it best not to bring both of them. Together. In the same vehicle. Anywhere near me,” Terry explained ambiguously.

  Char gave Merrit the stink-eye.

  “They’re in cahoots,” he said out the side of his mouth. Terry covered his ears.

  With one last glare, Char headed for the pod. The others followed.

  Together, the four opened the pod, which was sitting next to the materiel that would be used to build the hangar.

  “Don’t you have something to do with that?” Terry asked, looking at Timmons.

  “Sure, but I’ll wait until Shonna is in a better mood,” he answered, looking purposely at Merrit.

  “You knew and you let me go up there? I almost got a wrench in the head, thank you very much.”

  Char looked at all of them. “Shut your mutton holes and listen up!” she ordered, glowering. “We’re going after the three Weres we sensed in Kentucky. The pack has gotten too small and we have to grow. With the planned increase in op tempo, we don’t want to spread ourselves too thin.”

  Terry wanted to ratchet up the operations tempo. Removing the Forsaken as a threat to humanity would take more of a physical presence than the FDG currently had. Besides adding warriors, he knew it was even more important to add Weres.

  What better to fight in the Unknown World than those who made it their home?

  The FDG’s human warriors were important in dealing with the Forsaken’s minions, the slaves, and the supporting cast. The warriors could be equipped and trained to fight the Were folk, the Forsaken, and the enhanced. As long as the FDG had numbers and firepower, along with a certain amount of silver, they would always be a force to be reckoned with.

  Terry thought of the FDG as a force of nature. Their determination gave them an edge. Their leadership was far superior to anything the Forsaken could manage. Leading through fear wouldn’t bring out the best. Terry only put others in charge of his people who lived up to the same standards he did.

  Honor. Courage. Commitment.

  Military words from a long time past, but they still applied. Justice never went out of vogue, not for Terry Henry Walton.

  Integrity in all things. Integrity first.

  Terry looked away as he didn’t want anyone to see him questioning himself, wondering about his motivations. Kirkus had made him angry, but was he unleashing his anger in a healthy direction? His moral compass guided them all.

  Char was with him as she didn’t want to relive that day. She was angry, too, murderously so. They were all on edge.

  Shonna had thrown a wrench at him. That wasn’t about a dog. It was about Terry Henry Walton and his moral compass, always demanding something from the pack.

  But it was their purpose to follow the alpha. He probably should have stopped the jeep and dragged her out of the plant. Members of the pack couldn’t be allowed to be so belligerent.

  And he was angry all over again. “I’ll deal with Shonna personally when we get back,” Terry snarled. Timmons raised his hands in surrender. He wasn’t going to get in the way of an attitude adjustment.

  “Whatcha doin’?” Joseph said as he angled with his wide-brimmed hat to protect more of his face.

  “We’re going to have us a conversation with a few Werewolves. See if they’d like to join the cause of the righteous!” Terry said boldly. “We’re waiting on Gene, and then we’ll be off.”

  “Riding in style. I’m good with that,” Joseph replied. “They’ll be here momentarily.”

  He brushed past Terry and boarded the pod. They followed him in. Terry started tapping the screen of the computer interface.

  “Ted activated the verbal interface. You can use the EI to fly the ship,” Char suggested.

  “Mister Pod! We would like to fly to the location where we saw the three Werewolves. Prepare to take us there,” Terry commanded regally, smiling as he looked at the others. Char rolled her eyes.

  “Voice command not recognized,” the pod replied.

  “I guess Ted programmed that, too?” Terry wondered.

  No one would look at him.

  “Mister Pod! We would like to fly to the location where we saw the three Werewolves. Prepare to take us there,” Char parroted.

  “Thank you. The ship is in preflight mode and will be ready to depart on your command.”

  Terry clenched his jaw. “You’ll get Ted to fix that?” he asked coldly.

  Char chuckled and nodded. A dog barked nearby. They didn’t have to see who it was, because the coonhound’s bray was unmistakable. Cory ran up the ramp and into the pod without hesitating. Clovis was right there with her, not stopping until he jumped on Terry.

  “Get down!” Cory told the dog, while stopping to give her mother a hug.

  Clovis had no intention of getting down. Terry was hard-pressed to keep the dog’s tongue from touching his face. Cory swatted at the dog, and he danced away. Gene rolled in, still looking tired. Fu was with him, along with Aaron and Yanmei.

  “Fu,” Terry started to say, but Char put a hand on Terry’s arm. He looked at it briefly. “Make sure you buckle in tightly.”

  She didn’t speak English, but they all talked to her as if she did.

  “I think we have a full load. If you’ll do the honors?” Terry asked, still upset with Ted for programming the computer to not accept Terry’s verbal commands.

  “Please don’t be angry with Ted,” Sue insisted, knowing exactly what Terry was thinking. “I suspect he did it so you wouldn’t take off by yourself. No one wants to see you disappear again.”

  “Since you put it that way, I sound like a jerk, don’t I?” Terry looked at the collected faces. No one said anything.
“I will promise not to take it out without you good people. Will that work?”

  Sue nodded, but said, “No, Ted won’t change it, but I think between Timmons and me, we’ll be able to fix the programming. Just don’t let Ted know!”

  “That works for me!” Terry said happily. He leaned back in his seat. The pod was accelerating at an easy pace, allowing people to relax in comfort. Clovis was running free and decided to join Terry because he always got his ears scratched vigorously by the big human.

  “When are you going to train this dog?” Terry asked. Cory shrugged one shoulder.

  “I didn’t hear you say ‘as soon as we get back’,” Terry clarified.

  “Mother?” she asked, looking for moral support.

  “Train that dog,” Char said dismissively, closing her eyes as if going to sleep.

  “See?” Terry pointed to his wife, smiling broadly while scratching Clovis’s ears with one hand. “Better rest now. We have no idea what we’ll run into when we get there.”

  Terry crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He was asleep in seconds. Cordelia looked at him as if he was an alien.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Japan

  Akio studied the data. It was a whole bunch of nothing. Emissions had dropped off in one regard while the technology of the world was coming back to life.

  Radios were starting to reappear, and Japan was leading the way in reintroducing technology.

  The Japanese were the quickest to recover from the WWDE, almost as if nothing had ever happened. They had a functioning government, power, and a thriving people. The Japanese were taking their ships and manpower to nearby ports to trade, get raw materials that could be turned into the technology of a new civilization.

  Japan was the new world’s leading producer of radios. Arguably, they were the only producer, which put them head and shoulders above the rest of the world.

  If heavy industry was to restart anywhere else, they would need machines manufactured in Japan. The hard-working people who had been isolated for decades were poised to lead the world away from the fall, putting the World’s Worst Day Ever far into the history books. Earth was ready to move on.