by M. R. Forbes
The perimeter of the Crossroads slowly materialized out of the horizon. A mixture of settling mist and dust was hanging in the air, keeping visibility low as they approached. Even so, Jake let out an audible sigh of relief to have made it to their destination before the sun had completely given up on them, and Hayden’s tired and sore body relaxed in response.
They had made it.
It seemed like an accomplishment, even if they hadn’t run into any other trouble after leaving the farmhouse and escaping the goliath. The overlying potential for confrontation hung ominously around them with every step they took, a dark cloud Hayden knew might never lift.
For them or for what was left of humankind.
Crossroads sat a half a kilometer off the main stretch of road, along a secondary track that passed beneath the one they had traveled on, still suspended by its original moorings despite the passage of centuries. One of the supports was cracked and broken, no longer holding up the heavy stone bridge, but it seemed the remaining two were enough to keep it upright. For now, anyway.
They hadn’t been able to see the safe house from up there, thanks to the dust and fog. They had followed a winding path around to the bottom, to the place where the Crossroads derived its name. The intersection of another road, one that Jake said didn’t go very far before falling into ruin. The name had stuck though.
The first thing Hayden noticed, the first thing anyone noticed, were the guns. They sat on large, cement blocks along the Crossroads perimeter, spaced evenly apart, a dozen in all. They were large, violent things, with massive barrels jutting out of steel casings, most of which had been dented and scuffed by bullets coming back toward them. At the moment, the turrets were at rest, facing downward. Hayden didn’t see any people nearby to man them.
“Wow,” he said, almost without thinking. He had never seen weapons like them. Even the limited military gear he had discovered on the Pilgrim looked ineffective in comparison. “We had guns like this, and we still lost to the trife?”
“The guns weren’t the problem,” Jake said. “The bullets were.” He shrugged. “We just couldn’t make them fast enough. Have you ever seen ants, Sheriff?”
“We had a few nature videos on the Pilgrim,” Hayden replied. “I’ve seen fire ants. They swarm together during a flood and make a raft until they find some other floating debris, and then they catch onto that. There were thousands and thousands of them.”
“Imagine those ants are trife and imagine the debris is a building like Crossroads.”
Hayden couldn’t see the building yet, not in detail, but he could make out the structure in the fog. It was at least ten meters tall, a solid block of concrete. There were spaces for windows, but it looked like they had all been filled in. He pictured the trife swarming it, covering it up.
And getting inside.
“A million bullets,” Jake continued. “Could kill a million trife, and there would still be a million more.”
“But not now.”
“Not after the goliaths came. We don’t even know how many of them there are, or how many trife they eat every day. It has to be a lot considering how big they are.”
“A lot, but not enough.”
“Things were worse before. We’ve been able to get some kind of civilization going, but it isn’t easy, I’ll give you that. We’ve got the basics. Clothing. Food. Shelter. Well, some of us, anyway. There are still plenty of poor to go around. King’s an asshole, but he’s been getting some things done. He’s making concrete. He’s producing new bullets and guns. He’s putting together cars. I’ve heard he has an aircraft, but nobody knows how to fly it.”
“I can only guess how he’s planning to use all of that. I have a feeling it isn’t to continue the war against the trife.”
“Not so far,” Jake agreed. “He’s been focused on expanding his empire and lording over folks like my dad and me with threats and fear, using his Scrappers like hungry dogs. If he has any intention of doing anything about the trife, he’s got a funny way of showing it.”
Crossroads came into full view as they passed between two of the turrets. The guns were even larger up close, coming up to the top of his head despite his height on the horse. Ahead of them, a single dark hole was the only break in the concrete of the massive building, an entrance to the safe house. To its left, he could see there had been a different type of doorway once, hundreds of years before. A round sign of filthy red and white rings was still hanging over the blocks of concrete that had covered over the entrance, and even that concrete was aged and cracked and covered in moss, showing it had been there for quite some time.
“What was this place?” Hayden asked.
“A store, a long time ago, before Wiz took over.”
“Wiz?”
“She’s the proprietor of Crossroads. Smartest woman I’ve ever met. And most dangerous.”
“How so?”
Jake looked over at him. “You did see the guns, right?”
Hayden smiled. “Right.”
They led the horses into the hole, which was hiding a ramp leading downward. A guard was stationed there, the first person Hayden had seen who wasn’t Jake, Hank, or a Scrapper. A man in patterned cloth that reminded him of military fatigues. He was carrying a rifle just like the one Hayden had found on the Pilgrim.
Where had he gotten it?
The guard waved at Jake as they rode past, apparently recognizing him. Jake waved back but didn’t speak. Then the man looked at Hayden, eyes landing on the small portion of the mechanical hand jutting out from his robes and lingering there for a few seconds, as though he understood what it meant. He didn’t react at all to the fact they were dressed as Scrappers.
Neutral ground.
“Ten more minutes, you would have been locked out,” the guard said, deciding to say something after all.
“I know,” Jake replied. “It doesn’t matter now.”
The guard chuckled. “True, true.”
That was the extent of the conversation. They continued down the ramp. It curved around as it descended, bringing them further beneath the building. The horses’ hooves echoed off the concrete as they reached the first level. Hayden could see the ramp continued deeper, but Jake led him off there.
The subterranean space was lit by dozens of bulbs strung to the supports that lined the ceiling, each of them giving off slight but valuable light. The first thing Hayden noticed were the cars. There were nine or ten in total, and he immediately recognized the three Scrapper vehicles with the big tires and the long, black car they had been chasing. The others were all modified similarly, with extra metal plating to protect the occupants and the vehicle itself from attack.
The next thing he noticed were the people. They were interspersed around the floor in individual small camps. Most had little more than small bedrolls and backpacks stuffed with possessions. A few were more organized, with cooktops like the one Pig had used, pop-up shelters for privacy, and game that had been hunted on the way there. They were all dirty, all tired looking. Hayden didn’t see the Scrappers among them.
“They paid for an upgrade,” Jake said. “To the upper floors. These people are travelers, mostly. On their way to Haven or the Fortress to join up with King.”
“Join up with him?”
“For most, what he offers is better than what they have.”
“It doesn’t matter how he gets it or how he uses them?”
“Not to most. Everybody needs to eat.”
“Needs to eat what? The Scrappers I ran into were cannibals.”
Jake’s face paled. “Yeah. Some of them are.”
“I want to go up to where they are.”
“Why?”
“I want to get to know them better. This seems like the best place to do it.”
“You’re still thinking like a Sheriff?”
“It’s all I know how to be.”
“It’ll cost.”
“You said I could pay.”
Jake smiled. “You can.�
��
Jake brought them over to one of the camps, dismounting as an older woman stood up.
“Jake,” she said. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see you too, Vera,” he replied.
“On your way to Haven for some work?”
“You know me. Still making herb runs?”
“We all do what we know how to do. Doc Klegg pays me well enough to keep it worthwhile.” She glanced at Hayden. “Who’s your friend?”
“Hayden,” Jake said. “He’s a stranger, turned up at my door half-dead. I put him back together as best I could.”
“Why?”
Hayden was surprised by the way she said it. Like Jake was an idiot for helping someone out for no other reason than because they were injured.
Jake lowered his voice. “He killed Pig.”
Vera looked at him with fresh eyes, her entire expression becoming warmer with the words. She smiled at him, showing him a mouth missing most of its teeth. “In that case, you’re my new best friend, Hayden. That grepping asshole took my daughter, and when he gave her back.” She shook her head, and then spit on the ground. “Good riddance.”
“Vera, can you keep an eye on Virgo and Cass for us? We’re heading up.”
“Come into some money, have you?”
“Not me,” Jake said.
Vera kept smiling at Hayden. “I see. Well, you keep this up, you’ll be a legend around here in no time.”
“I’m not looking to be a legend,” Hayden said. “I’m just looking for my wife.”
Her smile vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. “Don’t tell me-”
“Ghost took her,” Jake said.
Now she was afraid. “Ghost? Hayden, if you know what’s good for you, just let her go now. Save yourself the trouble.”
Hayden wanted to yell at her like he had yelled at Jennifer. But she didn’t know him; she only knew the people he was against.
“Can you watch Virgo and Cass?” Jake repeated.
“One note each,” she said.
“One note for both,” Jake replied. “I can find someone else down here to watch them.”
“Fine,” Vera said.
Jake dug into a pocket, pulling out a single torn piece of paper with the USSF logo on it. He handed it to Vera, who glanced around to make sure nobody was watching before putting it away.
Hayden climbed off Cass, patting the side of the horse’s head before turning over the reins. The horse leaned in, nuzzling him for a moment.
“I don’t know why she likes you so much,” Jake said.
“Me neither,” Hayden replied. He reached into his saddlebag to retrieve the laser pistol, tucking it under his robes.
“You won’t need that in here,” Jake said.
“I’m done taking chances,” Hayden replied.
“Suit yourself. This way.”
They walked through a ragged aisle that split the camps, across the floor to a doorway. A guard was stationed there, a woman with another one of the Space Force rifles.
“Two notes each to go up,” she said.
Jake already had the scraps ready, and he handed them to her.
“Good to see you again, Jake,” she said.
“You too, Sally.”
“You know everybody around here?” Hayden asked as they entered the stairwell.
They could go up or down, but they hadn’t paid to go down. They started to climb.
“Everybody who works here. I’ve been coming here at least twice a week for or so for the last ten years. Vera, she’s a good woman. She knows plants, and she collects herbs and stuff for Haven’s Doctor, Klegg.”
“Sounds dangerous. I didn’t see a gun.”
“She doesn’t have one. Most people don’t realize the trife don’t attack everyone. If you aren’t a threat, they leave you alone.”
“How do they determine if someone’s a threat?”
“Men are always a threat. Women? Usually by age.”
It was another interesting fact about the trife he would never have guessed. Where had the strange aliens come from, and why?
They reached the next floor, and Jake pushed open the door.
He nearly hit one of the Scrappers in the back with it as he did.
They were standing in a semi-circle in front of a wall, blocking whatever they were surrounding from view. The man they had almost hit turned around and glared at them.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll walk your asses right by.”
Hayden kept staring, managing to get a peek through the human barrier. One of the Scrappers had a woman pressed against the wall, a knife to her throat.
What the hell happened to neutral ground?
9
“I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE,” Hayden said.
“What did you say?” the Scrapper asked.
Jake looked back at him, fear in his eyes. “Remember what I said about once we leave Crossroads?” he whispered.
Hayden remembered what he said. He didn’t care. “I said, I’m not going anywhere. Whatever the hell you think you’re doing, it stops right now.”
The man turned around. He was bigger than Hayden by a head. He looked him over, recognizing the Scrapper robes.
“Do I know you, mate?” he asked. “You don’t look familiar to me.”
“I’m a Courier,” Hayden said. “Name’s Pozz.”
He almost winced when he said it. It was the first thing that came to mind.
“You new or something, Pozz?” the Scrapper said. “You don’t get how the family works?”
Hayden realized the other Scrappers had turned to look at him. He glanced over at the one in the center. The man was still holding the knife to the woman’s throat, but he was looking back, too.
“I get it,” Hayden said. “Thing is, I’ve been chasing that bitch for two days. My effort. My reward.”
The man in the center laughed. “Is that right, mate?”
Hayden nodded. “That’s right.”
“What’d she do to you?”
“I was sent to deliver a package to King. She stole it from me. She’s got it in that big ugly block of metal downstairs.”
The woman was looking at him now, confused.
“No wonder she jumped our checkpoint,” the Scrapper said. “I’ll tell you what, Pozz. You knock me down; she’s all yours. I knock you down; she stays with me.”
“Pozz,” Jake said, trying to warn him against it.
“Deal,” Hayden said.
The man laughed. “Move aside, boys.”
The half-circle opened to let Hayden in. The lead Scrapper let go of the woman, shoving her over to one of his lackeys, who grabbed her before she could get away. She struggled against him for a moment before settling, staring at Hayden, still trying to figure out what his game was.
“My name’s Orion,” the Scrapper said. “Here’s the rules.” He paused and then laughed. “There ain’t no rules.”
Then he lunged toward Hayden, leading with his knife. It was a large, thick hunting knife, sharp and ugly.
Hayden’s first surprise was that he was ready for the attack. He had already learned from Pig not to trust these assholes with anything.
His second surprise came when he reached out with his borg hand, wrapping the metal fingers around the blade of the knife and squeezing so hard it snapped off the handle.
The motion left Orion off-balance, and Hayden followed up his first movement by throwing his balled right hand into the Scrapper’s face.
The other Scrappers mumbled to one another behind him as Orion straightened up, his face angry. “You got a borg? That’s grepping cheating.”
“You just said there ain’t no rules,” Hayden replied, grabbing his pistol and pointing it at the Scrapper. He had been right to bring it after all. “Why don’t you fall? Now.”
Orion stared at the weapon for a second. Then he threw himself to the ground.
Hayden put the gun back under his robes. He turned to the Scrapper holding
the woman. “I’ll take her,” he said.
“Uh, Pozz?” Jake said.
Hayden looked over at him. A trio of guards had materialized in the hallway, and they had their rifles trained on the entire group.
“You all know the rules,” Sally said. She had emerged from the stairwell. “No conflict. No violence. You’re all spending the night outside. Anything you brought in becomes property of Wiz.”
Orion bounced back to his feet. “What?” he screamed. “Are you grepping kidding me, you little bitch? Do you know who we are? Do you know who we work for?”
“Save it, Scrapper,” Sally replied. “This is sovereign ground. Even King recognizes that.”
“Grep your sovereign bullshit,” Orion complained. “I ain’t sleeping outside, and I ain’t leaving my ride with you.”
“Officer,” Hayden said, getting her attention. “I’d like to point out that there was no violence taking place. No blood. No bruises. We’re all just having a little fun. No harm done.”
“Yeah,” Orion said. “What Pozz said. We’re all just having fun.” He laughed uncomfortably. The other Scrappers laughed with him.
Sally looked at the woman. The Scrapper had let her go, leaving her standing on her own with the group. “Is that true?”
The woman eyed Hayden again, hesitating. She was trying to decide if she could trust him or not, at least enough that being inside with him was better than being outside with her enemies.
“Yeah,” she said. “These boys were just having a friendly little game to see who would be the lucky one to take me to bed tonight.”
Sally looked them over, unconvinced. Then she put her hand up to her ear, distracted for a moment.
“Here’s the deal,” she said. “You, you, you, and you are coming with me.” She pointed at Hayden, Jake, Orion, and the woman. “The rest of you can go grep yourselves.”
“I ain’t coming with you,” Orion said. “You’re going to throw me outside.”