Necrotic Earth

by SW Matthews

  “I’ll notify the pilot,” Max replied, and walked off.

  “Thanks, Doc,” said Andy. “Take good care of them.” He helped Piper to her feet, and Bandit lifted Kat from her seat.

  Not so fast,” said Doc. “I’m coming with you. There’s nothing else I can do here. Rosie is doing everything possible. I want to find those boys.”

  Chapter 70

  Back in their own aircraft, Andy and Piper headed for the cockpit while the others settled into the passenger cabin. Doc closed the door to the cockpit, then turned to his son.

  “Bandit,” he said. “We need to talk.”

  Bandit wouldn’t even look at his father. He stared out the window at the rainstorm outside.

  “Hold on,” came Andy’s voice over the intercom. The helijet lifted into the air and accelerated away from Rainier Island.

  “Bandit, please,” Doc pleaded. “Believe me, I had no idea.”

  Bandit finally looked at his father. There were tears in his eyes. “I know you didn’t,” he whispered.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Bandit struggled to maintain his composure. “I think, at the time, I didn’t want to get Cinco in trouble. I didn’t want you to be mad at him.”

  “But after what happened with Willy? And your grandma?”

  “I didn’t know about all that. But you always talked about Cinco, and how you had always tried to be like him. I didn’t want you to be mad at me for getting him in trouble.”

  Doc shook his head sadly. “Oh, son.” He sat on the arm of Bandit’s chair and embraced him. “I failed you. I’m sorry.”

  “You didn’t fail me, Dad.”

  Doc held his son’s face in his hands. He kissed him on the forehead, then looked him in the eyes. “I did. I led you to believe that Cinco was more important to me than you were.” The tears were running freely down his face now. “I promise you, that has never been the case. I love you more than anything in the world. You and your sister are my entire life. I’m sorry for what happened to you, and I’m sorry I didn’t see it and stop it. I would have beat the hell out of Cinco if I had known.”

  Bandit managed a weak smile. “You’re no fighter, Dad.”

  “No, I’m not. But I would’ve made an exception. I wish he were still alive so I could kill him.”

  Bandit grinned. “Thank you.”

  They hugged again.

  When Doc pulled back, he noticed a calm look on Bandit’s face, a look he hadn’t seen in a long time. “You look… relieved.”

  “I am,” said Bandit. “Whenever I talk about it, no matter how difficult it is for me, I always feel better afterward.”

  “You’ve talked about it before?”

  Bandit nodded. “With Pol.”

  “Of course,” Doc said. “That’s why you two would disappear for hours at the lake.”

  Bandit smiled. “He understood, due to his… history. He really helped me deal with the anger. He’s very wise.”

  “I’m glad you two found each other. But I have to admit, I’m a little jealous. I’ve always wanted us to be able to talk about anything with each other.”

  Bandit patted his father’s leg. “We can, Dad.”

  Doc smiled. “Anyone else know?”

  “Andy.”

  “Andy?”

  “Not the whole story. We were on our way to save Piper, and it just… came up.”

  The aircraft leveled out and stabilized above the storm clouds. The cockpit door opened, and Andy and Piper stepped into the passenger cabin.

  “Okay,” said Andy. “We’ll be in Lhasa in a few hours. Now, we want to know everything that’s happened since we left Denver.”

  So do we,” said Kat.

  Chapter 71

  “I told you he couldn’t be stopped,” said Gill.

  He was sitting on the conference table next to Leef, who was crying. President Ru and Prime Minister Aigu had just explained that China had been hit with numerous nuclear missiles.

  “What’s the extent…?” asked Zhen.

  “It’s difficult to fully assess right now,” said Ru. “We’ve lost contact with everyone. It’s almost as if we are the only ones left. We were able to get a few satellite images, and it doesn’t look good at all. Once the sun comes up we can get a better idea of what exactly happened—but it appears catastrophic.”

  “The Xanwiti…” Pol said.

  “All dead,” Aigu replied. “Along with all of our military forces and probably most of our citizens.”

  “The ideals will live on. We will continue,” said Mr. Ken.

  Mr. Bo nodded silently.

  “How?” Aigu asked. “Everyone is dead, Ken. Braxton won. He stole our tech and our best scientists, then bombed our country to hell. If he had known about this base, we would be dead too.”

  “Some Xanwiti remain in the mountains. We will not give up.”

  “Never,” said Mr. Bo quietly.

  Pol shook his head. “I can’t believe my grandfather would order a nuclear attack.”

  “I want to go home. I want to see Mom and Uncle Doc,” said Leef, wiping his eyes.

  “Is it safe to leave here?” Pol asked.

  “For us it is,” said Gill.

  Ru nodded. “It’s been several hours since the last detonation, and we are many miles from the city. According to the readouts in the core, the winds have been continuously from the south, so the fallout is moving away from us. It should be safe to go outside.”

  “For what purpose, Ushi?” Aigu asked. “We have supplies here to last for years! All we would find out there are the dead and dying.”

  Mr. Ken stood. “I will go back to the workshop. I will gather the remaining Xanwiti, and we will come to find survivors.”

  “Survivors?” Aigu said. “Anyone that ‘survived’ this will die soon enough, Ken. All you will do is expose yourself.”

  Mr. Ken looked at Aigu silently for a moment, then turned and walked out the door. Mr. Bo and the boys followed.

  “I’m going to help,” Zhen said. He glared at Aigu before stepping through the doorway.

  “Egg,” Ru said, “if anyone is alive out there, they are suffering. We may be able to help them.”

  “We’re safe here, Ushi! We haven’t been exposed, and we have enough supplies to survive until everything is settled down out there. There isn’t much of a country left, but it still needs leaders. We need to protect ourselves so China can live on!”

  “No. I can’t just hide in here while our people die. I’m going with them. Goodbye, Egg.”

  Outside, The lights at the guard post seemed exceptionally bright in the vast darkness. The only other lights were the small fires burning in what had been Lhasa.

  Mr. Ken, Mr. Bo, the boys, Zhen, and Ru, along with several soldiers, stood within the lit area looking toward the destroyed city.

  “We need to organize our troops,” Ru said. “Start sending them in at first light to provide whatever services we can.”

  “You should wait at least two days,” said Mr. Ken.

  Zhen and Ru looked at him curiously.

  “You forget, I was an engineer for many years. Much of my work was in and around nuclear reactors. I still remember a few things. After twenty-four hours, eighty percent of the radiation will be gone. In forty-eight it will be negligible. You should spend that time trying to establish communications and loading up all the supplies you have hidden in your fortress. I will return within forty-eight hours. There are approximately eight thousand Xanwiti still in the mountain workshops. They will all come, along with whatever supplies we can carry. When I return, we can start to rebuild China, together.”

  Mr. Ken began walking up the mountain, Mr. Bo at his side. Pol, Gill, and Leef started to follow, but he stopped and turned to face them. “My friends, I would appreciate it if you would stay here for now.”

  “But why?” asked Pol.

  “I want to help you,” said Leef.

  Mr. Ken smiled. “I am sure that you do,
Mr. Leef, and you can. The best way for you to help now is to stay here. I would truly appreciate it if you could keep an eye on these leaders and ensure they do what I have asked.”

  “But we could help tell everyone what happened here. We could encourage them to come and help.”

  Mr. Ken knelt down by Leef and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yes, you certainly could, but I assure you that Mr. Bo and I can rally support on our own. And someone must help guide these men while we are gone. Someone with the correct intentions, who cannot be silenced or stopped. That is you, Mr. Leef.”

  Leef looked at his brothers, then nodded.

  Mr. Ken stood. “We will tell everyone that the three wise men are waiting for them. We will return swiftly.”

  Mr. Ken and Mr. Bo disappeared beyond the reach of the light.

  “He is a good person,” said Leef.

  “Yes, he is,” Pol replied.

  “I would like to be like him someday.”

  “You can.”

  “Wow!” said Gill, who had wandered into the darkness. “Pol, Leef! Come look at this!”

  The two brothers followed his voice, and soon they were all standing away from the light, in the darkness, staring up at the clear night sky.

  “Are all of those stars?” Leef asked.

  “Mostly, I think,” Pol answered. “Some may be planets? It didn’t seem like there were this many in Lakeland.”

  “It’s amazing!” said Gill. “I knew there was more to explore, but I had no idea how much. I want to go there.” He turned to Pol with a wild and excited look on his face. “I want to see them up close!”

  “You can,” said Pol.

  “What is that one?” asked Leef, pointing at a light that seemed to be moving toward them.

  Chapter 72

  “There’s nothing left,” said Piper.

  Bandit and Doc were in the cockpit with Andy and Piper. The helijet was approaching the coordinates for Lhasa, but only small fires were visible. Every building was leveled, much like every other city they had passed on their way.

  “How are we going to find them?” Doc asked.

  “The sun will be up in a couple hours,” said Andy. “We’ll be able to find them then.”

  “Could they really have survived this?” Piper asked Doc.

  “I don’t know. I hope so. I think so. It just depends on how close they were to an explosion, I guess,” he replied sadly.

  Bandit pointed. “What’s that?”

  “A light!” said Doc.

  Andy aimed for the sole artificial illumination. “Let’s check it out.”

  ***

  Pol, Gill, and Leef remained in the shadows, but as the helijet landed, Ru, Zhen, and two soldiers cautiously approached.

  The cargo ramp opened, and Andy and Piper descended. The soldiers raised their weapons.

  “Whoa, whoa!” said Andy. “Hey, we come in peace!”

  “Unlikely,” said Ru. “Your aircraft carries the name of our destroyer.”

  Andy grimaced. “Yeah, I know, but ya see, I stole it from him. I just haven’t had time to paint it yet.”

  “Andy Matteo! Piper Matteo!” Pol shouted. He ran into the light toward them.

  “Pol!” shrieked Piper. She knelt down and hugged him. Gill and Leef appeared behind him.

  “Boys?” Doc and Bandit hurried down the ramp to them.

  “Uncle Doc!” cried all three boys, tackling him. The four of them sat in a pile and laughed and cried. Bandit stood nearby, smiling ear to ear.

  Ru motioned for the soldiers to lower their weapons. “What is going on here?”

  “It’s our family,” said Pol. “Our good family. The ones who sent us here.”

  Ru stepped forward and extended his hand to Andy. “I am Ushi Ru, president of China, such as it is.” He motioned to Zhen. “This is Vice President Zhen.”

  Andy shook hands with Ru, then Zhen. Piper did the same. “Andy and Piper Matteo. We’re, uh, kinda like extended family.”

  Doc stood as the boys moved to embrace Bandit. “I’m Billy Braxton,” he said, shaking hands with the president. “I am the boys’ uncle, and William Braxton’s son.”

  Ru eyed Doc carefully. “It is your father who has wrought all of this devastation.”

  “Yes. We tried to stop him. If it’s any consolation, he’s dead.”

  “That’s good to know—but it has come too late.”

  Doc nodded sadly. “Yes. Many, many years too late.”

  “What are you doing here?” Zhen asked.

  Kat’s voice came from within the helijet. “Is that my boys I hear?”

  “Mom?” said all three boys at once. They leapt from Bandit’s arms and raced up the ramp, disappearing into the aircraft. Bandit, Piper, and Andy followed.

  Doc nodded back toward the craft. “That’s my sister, Katherine. She’s the boys’ mother. Come inside, meet her, and we’ll explain everything.”

  ***

  Kat was in the large leather seat in the passenger cabin, but now the chair also held her three sons, who were hugging her as they all laughed and cried.

  “I am so proud of all of you,” she said through happy tears.

  “We have a lot to tell you,” said Pol.

  “I’m sure you do. I have some things to tell you, too.”

  “About Grandfather?” Gill asked.

  Kat nodded. “He’s dead,” she said.

  “Good,” said Gill. The other two nodded.

  “And Tuck,” said Andy as he and Piper returned.

  “Tucker Zann?” Pol asked.

  Piper nodded. “He died a hero, though,” she said.

  Pol smiled sadly. “Then he died how he lived.”

  Doc entered with the two Chinese leaders. “Kat,” he said, “this is President Ru and Vice President Zhen.”

  Kat raised her frail arm and shook their hands. “Nice to meet you. I’m sorry for what my father has done.”

  “Thank you, but I doubt if you know the extent of his treachery. He has been trying to rid the earth of us for many years. It appears he has come very close to succeeding.”

  “Please sit and tell us.”

  The men obliged, and the group exchanged stories. When the entire tale, from all sides, was complete, Leef was the first to speak.

  “I want to stay here, Mom. I want to help Mr. Ken with the survivors, and with rebuilding China. He is so smart! I want to learn from him, and I want to try to become who he thinks I am.”

  Kat hugged him tightly. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. He is good, and I want to be good too.”

  “You are good!”

  “He will make me better.”

  She smiled and hugged him again. “You have to come visit me.”

  “I will.”

  “I want to be an astronaut!” said Gill suddenly.

  “An astronaut?” Kat asked.

  “Yes! I want to fly into space and see the stars and planets!”

  “Well, I’m sure you would make an exceptional astronaut, Gill.”

  “I’m going to be the best astronaut!”

  She laughed, then turned to Pol. “What about you, Pol? Have you had any revelations about what you should do with your life?”

  Pol thought a moment, then nodded. “Yes. I think I need to help with the Mars Project.”

  “How?”

  “I must study and learn all I can. Biology, chemistry, physics. I need to figure out how to save all of us, to make up for what Grandfather has done.”

  “An admirable goal,” said Ru. “I hope you can achieve it.”

  Pol nodded solemnly.

  “And you President Ru?” Kat asked. “Will you come back with us to America? Meet with our leaders and reestablish solid relations, so we can help your people and work together to save all of us?”

  “I’m not sure I have any people left, Ms. Braxton. My country is gone. There is no reason for me to get involved at all. Your country is the only powerful country left. You can do whatever you
desire.”

  “That may be true, but my hope is that our leaders will see our role as supportive, not suppressive. We should be working together, not just UNA and China, but all of the countries, no matter how small.”

  “I have heard these types of promises before, from the same country.”

  “But a different Braxton. I am not my father.”

  Ru nodded. “Very well. I will leave Zhen here. He can coordinate our troops with the Xanwiti. We will go and make the necessary arrangements.” He nodded to Zhen, and the two men rose from their seats and left the helijet.

  Bandit cleared his throat. “I am going to stay here as well.”

  Doc’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I want to help, and I can keep an eye on Leef.”

  “Are you sure, son?”

  “I am. I would also like to try and compensate for what Grandfather has done. I am no scientist, or astronaut, but I can be useful here.” He hugged his father, then Kat.

  “Take care of my boy,” Kat said.

  “I will, Aunt Kat.”

  She kept holding his hands after he rose after the embrace, and squeezed them as she looked sadly into the young man’s eyes. “You have been so strong, Bandit. Stronger than any of us could have ever imagined. Your strength and character will undoubtedly make a significant impact, here in China or wherever you choose to apply yourself.”

  Bandit took a deep breath, nodded, and thanked her with his eyes, then turned to Pol and Gill. “Good luck, cousins,” he said. “I know you will be very successful.”

  Pol hugged Bandit’s neck. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you,” Bandit replied.

  Leef gave hugs all around as well, urging his brothers to visit him, then took Bandit’s hand. The two of them exited the cabin.

  “I don’t want him stay here,” Doc said to Kat.

  “You can’t stop him, Billy. He’s a grown man.”