by Mark Tufo
“What about the human?”
“We’re going to have our own problems soon enough.” I turned the corner from the ensuing firefight. There was another traditional bullet fired and then the slamming of blue bolts into the wall of the house. Then once again we were cloaked in quiet, except it was not a comforting quiet. The Genos we had spotted earlier were close enough to where I could hear them breathing. I had a feeling from their trepidation they knew they weren’t alone.
Dee closed his eyes, simultaneously bringing up his rifle. I would have asked him what he was doing but I couldn’t have asked quiet enough to not be heard by others. He let out a soft breath, could have been a sigh, and then fired. A heavy thud landed no further than five feet from my feet. Blue streaks radiated out from roughly the same location. The same soft sigh from Dee as he fired again. This time I got in on the action, although I kept my eyes open. We were so close to one another we could have easily had a knife fight instead. A Geno warrior rushed my location, the barrel of my rifle making contact with his chest when I was able to pull the trigger. I was bowled over and damn near crushed as he landed on me. Dee had reached out and deflected enough of the dead Geno that I didn’t become road kill. I really think if I had gone out that way, I would have become a vengeful spirit and haunted the hell out of that corner of the street.
We’d dealt with what was directly in front of us, now we needed to find some cover. There was more rifle fire, which led me to believe the townsfolk had rallied. I was happy for that, but we were in danger no matter which way this battle went. If I could have found Paul I would have just headed further east and out of the kill zone. I wasn’t scared of the fight, just the outcome.
“Dee, we have to hole up before someone sees you in this swirl and takes a shot,” I whispered to him. We broke into what was once the post office. Not much mail was sent these days. The heavy brick and stone building would hold up well in an assault. I didn’t know it then but at that point we were out of the conflict. Now it was just going to be a waiting game.
There were a couple of times I thought we were going to have to get back in the action as rifle fire happened close by. For Dee’s sake I was glad that didn’t happen. It was Paul and his men I spied first through the window once the dust settled.
Of the sixty-seven or so Genos that had attacked, all of them were dead. Forty-six townspeople had paid the ultimate sacrifice. Paul’s gunner had died when a Geno had come out of the mist and twisted the man’s head until his neck snapped. He hadn’t even enough time to scream from what Paul had told us. A prevailing wind had come in, showing the devastation the short attack had brought with it. Five buildings were destroyed down to their foundations and two more were burning. Large divots on the street were going to need to be filled in before they could be used safely again. I needed to get Dee out of here as soon as possible. If the townies had dislike for the Genos before this last spate, this was sure to ratchet up that notion.
***
We were halfway home. Another shuttle had showed about a half hour after the first had crashed. Nobody had said much. Paul and Dee were both scowling. Dee, I would think because he had to kill Genos, and Paul because he hadn’t killed enough. I was trying to forget the events of the day. I’d received a local anesthetic and a couple of painkillers, a medic aboard the shuttle was stitching up my face after cleaning the wound and applying a liberal dose of alien cream. A couple of days and the scar would be barely noticeable. Then I’d have nothing to remember the day by. Cythion would still be dead, though. That was fine with me.
It took a shaking of my shoulder to either wake me up or pull me out of my trance-like state.
“What? What’s going on?” I asked, trying to focus my eyes.
“We’re almost back to your house,” Paul said. “I’ll give you a day to say your goodbyes. A shuttle will be here day after tomorrow to pick you up. You’re going to put the fear of something into the Progerians to get them to listen. This is your problem now.”
“You can’t order me around. I’m not in your goddamned army anymore.”
“Listen, Colonel, you either deal with this or I’ll toss your ass in jail for crimes against humanity.”
“Full-bird Colonel? Do I get a raise?”
“Just being closer to me should be enough. Mike, I need you for this. I can’t afford to be battling on two fronts. Are you with me?”
I looked into Paul’s eyes. “Bud, you know I’ve always been with you.”
“It doesn’t always feel that way.” I could see the hurt in his eyes. We’d competed at everything, almost from the first day we’d met, but never over a woman. As far as I was concerned we still weren’t, but apparently Paul didn’t see it that way. He had been in battle with me over Beth for close to three years and even though I didn’t want a thing to do with her, he was losing. Considering I wasn’t even trying--that was a blow to him. I wanted to tell him I wanted nothing to do with the psycho-bitch, but that really is a hard conversation starter.
“I’ll be ready,” I told him as I hopped off the shuttle. The truck ride from the landing strip to home was quiet except for the hum of tires on pavement. Dee looked like a museum statue from the Mesozoic era. It was late afternoon, coming up on early evening. There was plenty of sunlight left and Travis and Tracy were playing in the front yard. Dee got out, walked to his house and slammed the door so hard I thought the thing was going to end up on his lawn.
Travis’s arms had been outstretched for his uncle. When he realized that wasn’t going to happen he came running toward me.
“Well it’s nice to know where I fit in, little man!” I told him as I picked him up. I’d thought about swinging him around, but the pain from my injury said otherwise.
“What happened?” Tracy asked with concern. She came over and grabbed Travis. Can’t say that I blame her. I was covered in dirt, mud and a fair amount of blood. My clothes were torn in a dozen spots and I reeked of death.
“War. We’re at war with the Genos.” I kissed her lightly on the head and walked inside. I was halfway through a scalding shower when I realized just how tired I was. Adrenaline crash can be among the worst. Your system floods your body with a chemical that will keep it at peak performance to preserve its safety. You can see, smell, and hear better. You’re muscles are primed to kill or run for your life. It’s like having a current of electricity surging through your body. You feel invincible, but like all good things it comes with a price. The drain on your system is tough and you can only sustain the push for so long. When it’s run its course you feel as if you’ve been run through a car wash and forgot to take the car with you.
I had to lean up against the side of the shower, at some point I just slid down. My knees nearly touched my chest as I scrunched up at the bottom. It was a combination of the frigid water and Tracy pulling at my arm that told me it was probably a good time to get out. My teeth were chattering and I was shivering all over, partly due to the water, but I figured most of it was due to how close, once again, I’d come to losing everything that was dear to me. I kind of remember Tracy drying me off and getting me into some clothes—my brain was as foggy as the streets in Arizona. I shuddered violently as Tracy’s voice came in and out in waves. This seemed a little extreme for an adrenaline crash.
Chapter Twelve - Tracy
Tracy had come up to tell Mike that he was about as clean as he was ever likely to get. When she knocked on the bathroom door and heard no response, she wasn’t too particularly concerned. It wasn’t the first time he’d fallen asleep in the shower. She thought it funny when she’d go to wake him up and he was all folded up like a pretzel. This time was different, though. Generally she’d hear him flop about because she’d startled him. Besides the running water, it was bone quiet.
“Mike?” She knocked louder this time. “I’m coming in.” She’d always thought it strange that Mike never locked the bathroom door, now she was happy he hadn’t. He’d told her that she was always more than welcome to jo
in him in the shower.
“Haven’t you ever seen Psycho?” had been her response.
“If Norman Bates has such a personal grudge against me that he comes to my house to try and kill me, then a bathroom door isn’t going to stop him,” he had said in return.
“Mike?” she asked again. Her hand was shaking as she reached out to pull back the privacy curtain, certain that Norman had done just what Mike had joked about. The ring of blood and grime that outlined his frame on the floor only added to her horror. Mike’s lips were as blue as the sky on a summer day. His skin had the pallor of a ripe lemon. She couldn’t understand why she kept thinking in warm weather analogies to describe something that looked so cold.
She pulled him out from under the cold water. A large bruise the size of a grapefruit was on his side—fingers of deeper purple radiating from it.
“He’s bleeding out,” she whispered. She debated calling the base ambulance but knew she would lose precious time while waiting for it to arrive. She knew Dee was angry but this, however, superseded everything. She ran past Travis who was looking on with concern from the bathroom door.
“Daddy?” he asked as she ran out the door.
Tracy slammed her fists on Dee’s door. It took moments longer than she’d wished.
“I do not wish to be bothered!” he shouted from the other side.
“Mike’s in trouble!” she yelled back at him.
The door flung open, Dee quickly following the retreating form of Mike’s mate, grumbling the entire time. “Probably got his foot stuck in his rectum again.”
“Hurry! I need help getting him into the car!” Tracy yelled from upstairs.
In two strides Dee was at the top landing. He heard Travis crying and Tracy grunting. Dee took in the scene quickly; Mike’s semi-dressed lifeless-looking body was dripping on the bathroom floor.
“He yet lives,” Dee said as he scooped up Mike effortlessly and ran back down the stairs.
Chapter Thirteen - Mike Journal Entry 08
I awoke in the hospital tied up to enough machines that it was difficult to tell where they ended and I began. The irritating blips and whistles let me know I hadn’t passed over.
“What the hell is going on?”
Dee was sitting in a chair with Travis on his lap.
“It is good to see you awake.”
“That didn’t really answer my question.” I tried to sit up.
“You were bleeding internally, having suffered a hemorrhage where a broken rib had sliced through a fair amount of tissue.”
“Felt like I’d broken something.”
“You perhaps should have told someone.”
“I didn’t think there was a Geno or Olde Town doctor who would have been willing to help. I’m not even sure when it happened; it could have been when Cythion kicked me or tossed me off of him. Most likely he’d just set it up for when we crashed.”
“This is possibly true.”
“How’s Tracy?” I was looking over at Travis. He looked fine, the previous events having not affected him greatly. “Did she go to get food or something? I’m starving.”
“Are you sitting down?”
“What?”
“Is that not the appropriate expression to say when you have difficult news to deliver? Although I have yet to see anyone swoon from words. Is this perhaps a colloquialism?”
“Dee, I’m not prone to swooning and I’m indeed as horizontal as I can get.”
“Paul came to visit you while you were in surgery.”
“Okay,” I answered. I didn’t yet see where this was going.
“He promoted your mate.”
“Great, we’ll be able to afford brand name macaroni and cheese. What of it?”
“The Genogerian army is gaining strength and weaponry.”
And then he paused.
“Dee, if I have to get up and pull those fucking words from your mouth, I will.”
“The doctor said stress would not be conducive to your recovery.”
“Me getting into fisticuffs with you would not be conducive for my recovery.”
“Yes, you would lose. At least you are at a facility that could help.”
“DEE! I thought I could dodge a question.”
“The Genogerians are marching enforce to California. Paul sent Tracy to head them off.”
I would have sat bolt upright but moving more than an inch or two caused severe pain in my midsection.
“I have upset you.” Dee stood up to assist.
“What the hell are they thinking? I’ll kill them both. Why would Paul do this to me?”
“It was not a decision he took lightly. Your mate is a member of your fighting force and a good one at that. With you injured and unable to go on, he requested that she take command of the California defense initiative.”
My heart was racing; I heard its skittering on the machine next to me.
“How many men does she have?”
“Two battalions, Michael.”
“Three thousand men and women. And how many Genos are heading her way?”
“Perhaps as many as three hundred thousand. Genogerians are amassing all around the globe.”
“How can it be this orchestrated? How much of a head start does Tracy have on me?”
“You have been in a controlled coma for nearly a week. Your mate left soon after you came out of surgery.”
I winced at his response. I’d been hoping more for something like she just left. “How much longer do the doctors think I need for recovery?”
“Four days.”
“Damn you, Paul.” I had my finger depressed on the nurse call button. I know, however, those were about as useless as the button on a traffic signal. I’m under the belief that neither of those things is actually hooked up to anything. It just makes us feel better if we think something is going to happen on our schedule. “Dee, could you please get me a doctor and if he won’t come willingly...”
“He’ll come.”
Dee helped me sit up and then gingerly placed Travis in my arms. “Hey there, rugrat.” I smiled at him.
We played for a few minutes. Travis was unnaturally gentle, which just isn’t in his genetic make-up. Usually I come away with bruises from some well-placed knees and elbows whenever we wrestle. Seems the kid knew more than he was letting on. He sat quietly, which made hearing the disturbance outside our room and down the hall that much easier to pick up on.
“Well, that’s your uncle. He’s really a great people person.”
Travis giggled, that changed to a laugh when Dee walked back in holding a doctor suspended a few inches off the ground. The doc’s legs kicked back and forth, furiously attempting in vain to gain purchase on the floor. That was funny enough, however, it was the look of horror on his face that really took the cake. He looked like he thought Dee was hauling him off to be eaten.
“Sorry about the rudeness with which my friend brought you here, Doc, but I’m under a bit of a time crunch.”
“Could you please tell him to put me down?” He asked, not daring to turn and look at the ogre holding him. Dee gently placed him down. “As I was telling your…ummm....friend, I’m not your doctor. I work in neurology.”
“Perhaps you are the correct doctor then,” Dee spoke.
“Hilarious.” I told him.
“What is he talking about?” The doctor looked like he was going to make a run for it. Dee had the door covered though.
“I just need to know when I can get out of here.”
When the doctor realized he wasn’t going to be able to leave he grabbed the clipboard hanging from the footboard. He flipped through a few pages, reading through the notes. “You’re actually lucky to be alive,” he said as he finally looked up.
“Why does no one answer questions anymore?”
Travis shrugged. I didn’t know if he’d meant to but his timing was impeccable.
“Sorry, it’s just remarkable. This alien medicinal technology is incredible. Without it,
had you even survived, your recovery period would be close to a month. With it, that period is almost reduced by three quarters.”
“So in a roundabout way you just said I need to be laid up for another four or five days?”
“I would say so, according to this.” He flashed the clipboard. “Can I go now? My patients need me.”
“What would be the absolute minimum?”
“I just told you.”
“Listen, Doc, my wife is out there leading a couple of battalions of soldiers against a vast horde of Genogerians. It’s imperative that I get out of here as fast as I can so I can either help here or die with her.”
He looked taken aback by that last part. “Mr. Talbot, I understand how you feel. But if you leave now you will more likely do the latter rather than the former.”
“I hate that saying. I can never make sense of it, even when I use it. What’s he mean, Dee?”
“You’ll die.”
“See, Doc? That’s all I really needed. Dee, do you have any intel on when they will clash?” I couldn’t bring myself to say get “run-over”.
“The General has brought them to a place that he feels they can defend. They are digging in and receiving supplies now. The Genogerians will be upon them in approximately sixty hours at their current pace.”
I turned to the doctor. “Will forty-eight hours help?”
“Of course.”
“Doc, I promise I’ll make sure my friend will never bother you again. But I need double doses of the alien elixir.”
“Mr. Talbot, too much of a good thing can be worse than too little. It takes a toll on the body.”
“Doc, it won’t be the first time I’ve been over-juiced. This has to happen.”
The doctor acquiesced. Maybe it was the set of my features that let him know I was serious or it was the heavy breathing of the large animal behind him. Yeah, probably option “B”.
Dee moved so the doctor could get by. When the door closed he spoke.