Freelancers: Falcon & Phoenix

by Thackston, Anthony

  “Take it if you’ve got it!” Falcon hollers back.

  Phoenix fires off a round. It hits the glass but doesn’t go through. “Bullet proof!” she yells.

  “Two shots left,” Falcon says as though she needs to know.

  “Just let me go with my brother. I can convince him to let you go,” Little Wang says. His hands cover his ears. This is far more than he signed up for.

  “We get Daken off our backs first.” Falcon pushes on the gas pedal, desperately wishing it would go down further.

  Big Wang’s dune buggy swings around Daken’s truck, getting between it and the bus. “Brother!” he shouts. “Brother, come on!” But Little Wang is too close to the front of the bus and the passing wind and roaring engines make it impossible for his voice to be heard.

  Falcon notices a dirt road entering onto the main one. “There,” he says.

  The dune buggy hits the back of the bus, knocking Phoenix backwards and off her feet. She kicks her boots out to either side of the door frame to stop from sliding out then lifts her gun and takes aim at Big Wang. With only two bullets left it’s more of a threat than anything but Big Wang doesn’t know that. He immediately swerves out of her line of sight and pulls up to the rear side of the bus. Big Wang cuts the wheel and slams into them. Not being heavy enough to have much effect, the impact only causes the rear of the bus to move slightly. But the strike is hard enough to roll Phoenix to the side of the bus. She hits the wall, hard—more so than expected as she realizes that the bus is no longer going straight. She looks through the rear doorway and sees Big Wang and Daken make a wide turn behind them through a patch of tall grass.

  Falcon keeps the steering wheel turned to the right, cutting through the grass to keep the bus from rolling while at speed.

  “Hey. You’re going the wrong way. This wasn’t the deal,” Phoenix darts up to her feet and rushes to the front of the bus. “We need to go west.”

  “We have two maniacs on our tails, in a vehicle that can in no way out run them with less than half a tank and only two bullets. We go this way we get them off our backs.”

  Little Wang gets up and hurries to the front of the bus. “I know this road. No, no, no. This is bad. We can’t go this way.”

  As the bus straightens out, it kicks up dirt behind them. Clods of it hit Big Wang in the face. The dune buggy swerves left and right as its driver is temporarily blinded.

  Big Wang rubs at his eyes, trying to clear the flecks of dust from them. As soon as he can see well enough, he floors the accelerator in the hopes of getting close enough to the rear of the bus to avoid taking on anymore gravel and dirt.

  “We don’t have a choice,” Falcon says as the dune buggy gets close enough to the bus to rear end it again. The damage to the larger vehicle is no more than a jolt but it’s still enough to knock its occupants forward. Little Wang catches himself from falling by grabbing hold of Falcon’s seat. Phoenix catches herself on the front windshield.

  “I can’t go to the Freelands,” Little Wang tells him.

  “You said there wasn’t a contract on you,” Phoenix says.

  “There isn’t.” The dune buggy bumps the bus again. This time everyone is already braced for it causing nothing more than their knees to buckle. “It’s just that, I did some things to some people there and—”

  “You’re not the only one.” Falcon says, looking over his shoulder at the two vehicles in pursuit. A gunshot hits the back of the bus. Phoenix and Little Wang rush to the side and duck down, making themselves smaller targets.

  “You even have enemies in the Freelands? Are you safe anywhere in the seven nations?” Phoenix asks.

  “Believe it or not, the BSN.”

  “Great. The one place we’re nowhere near.” Phoenix flinches as another bullet hits inside the bus.

  “Ok, fine. We go to the Freelands. I can deal with that. But do we have to go this way. Can’t we just go around?” Little Wang’s voice is full of fear.

  “The shortest distance from where we are to the Freelands is through the Waste. We can lose them in there or in the Freelands, but either way, they’re off our backs.”

  “We’re cutting through the Waste?” Phoenix looks up at Falcon. Her eyes go completely wide from shock.

  Falcon turns around to look at her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to do.”

  18

  The dune buggy slows down, forcing Daken to hit his own brakes as the bus speeds away on the dirt road. The big truck pulls around to the side of the dune buggy.

  Daken rolls down his window and looks down at Big Wang. “Why are you stopping?”

  “You know what’s in there?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “People go into the Waste. They don’t come out.”

  “And they just took your brother in there.”

  Big Wang sits in the vehicle pondering Daken’s words but makes no move to chase the bus. He watches the gray and brown dust of the road start to obscure their prey's vehicle as it gets farther away.

  “They’re heading to the Freelands,” Daken says.

  “My brother will not be safe there.”

  “Then hit the gas.”

  Big Wang shifts the dune buggy into reverse and slowly rolls back. “It would be safer to go around.”

  “You Nation citizens are all weak, living under your rulers. You do what you want.” Daken switches to the gas pedal and takes off after the bus while Big Wang turns the dune buggy around and goes back to the main road.

  It takes a while for Daken’s large truck to catch up to the slower bus. The dust, kicked up from its tires, hits the wind shield of the truck, making for poor visibility. Daken pulls to the side of the single lane road where less of the dirt hits his windshield.

  Phoenix rushes to the back of the bus and watches the big truck gaining on them. “Does this guy ever give up?”

  “What?” Falcon calls back to her.

  “Daken. He followed us.” She walks to the front of the bus. “You said this would work.”

  “So I misjudged his tenacity.”

  “Is my brother still there?” Little Wang looks back and sees only the truck. “He didn’t come after me?” Shocked, he slumps to the floor.

  “At least you’re still alive,” Phoenix tells him.

  “Not for long.”

  “How deep do we go till we hit the Freelands?” Phoenix asks Falcon.

  “Farther in than I really want to. You’ve never been here?”

  “Just the outskirts. I didn’t have too many problems with it. Nothing like what I’ve heard. Is it as bad as they say?”

  “You should—”

  “Spare me the ‘hope you don’t find out’. What are we expecting?”

  Falcon ignores her question and looks over his shoulder to see Daken cruising along just behind them. “What’s he doing?”

  “Falcon,” Phoenix says. “What are you expecting in the Waste?”

  “People who think the war is still going on.”

  “That’s insane.” Phoenix looks out the front windshield.

  “That’s the Waste.” Falcon looks back at Daken. The truck makes no offensive movements. The narrow road is flanked on both sides by a dense line of trees too close to the road to drive around. Even if Daken did manage to work his way beside them, there isn’t enough room to pick up any sort of momentum for a good hit and the trees would catch the bus and keep it upright, anyway.

  Phoenix looks back toward the pursuing vehicle. “What’s he doing?”

  “He can’t do anything until the path opens up. That’s one less thing to worry about.”

  “For now.” Phoenix barely has time to finish her remark when the bus is violently rocked by an explosion. Both wheels on the right side lift off of the road.

  “Proximity mines!” Falcon turns the bus toward the trees while Phoenix grabs Little Wang and drags him to the raised side. The bus brushes against the tree wall, forcing the vehicle to stay upright while Phoenix and Little Wan
g jump up and down, trying to push that side back to the road.

  The tires hit the gravel and skid a little before finally regaining traction. Phoenix looks back to see Daken also regaining control of his truck.

  “Hold onto something. This road is probably full of them,” Falcon says as he tenses for the next unexpected explosion. The back of the bus is rocked forward as a mine is set off behind them. The blast throws Little Wang and Phoenix to the floor near the front of the bus. Falcon looks back and sees Daken swerving all over the road. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll hit another.”

  The bus’s front bumper hits a wire that would be practically invisible to anyone on foot. Definitely invisible to anyone driving. The big yellow vehicle drives straight through it. The connecting fragmentation mine explodes, sending hundreds of steel ball bearings through the bus, shredding a middle section of the metal body and putting a few holes in the other side. Phoenix watches one of the bearings that didn’t go all way through, rolls toward her. Before she has a chance to pick it up, another blast rips through the other side of the bus, creating nearly matching holes.

  “Are you ok?” Falcon looks back to see both of his passengers still lying on the floor.

  Phoenix looks up at him. “Get us out of here.”

  Falcon turns back to the front, determined but unsure of how that’s going to work. Another explosion blasts from behind the bus. Phoenix looks back through the rear doorway and sees the large truck fall to the road. “Daken rolled over one.”

  “He’s gone?”

  “No,” Phoenix says.

  “He’s got steel plating underneath. Of course he does.” The last sentence is heard by only him. Another explosion goes off on the right. Falcon veers away from it as much as he can before another on the left forces him back the other way to re-center the bus. A green object, sticking out of the dirt several yards ahead, catches his eye. He looks left then right. There’s no way to miss it. “Phoenix.”

  “What?”

  “I need those bullets.”

  She quickly gets to her feet and rushes to the driver’s seat.

  Falcon points at the land mine in the center of the road. “We hit that, we’re done.”

  Phoenix opens the entry doors and steps down the stairs. She starts to lean out of the doors when a pothole makes her lose her balance. Falcon’s arm darts toward her and grabs her hand. Leaning out of the bus, Phoenix aims the gun forward and pulls the trigger. It’s a miss.

  “One more,’ she says to herself. With the mine only a few yards ahead of them, she exhales and pulls the trigger.

  The bullet hits its target and Falcon jerks her inside as the mine goes off. The bus passes right through the explosive’s smoke and dust.

  Phoenix looks up at Falcon from the stairs. He could have let her go. Knowing her plan for collecting on his contract, he should have. It was a confusing move.

  The trees along the side start to lessen and the road begins to widen. Falcon closes the bus doors. “Everyone get ready.”

  Phoenix steps back up to the center aisle as the dirt road fades into a concrete one. Small ramshackle houses rest to the side. There’s no sign of life in any of them.

  “Here he comes,” Falcon says.

  Phoenix turns around and watches as Daken starts to pull his truck alongside the bus. Once again, Falcon finds himself staring face to face with the man. A slow, malicious smile forms as Daken raises his sawed-off directly at Falcon. Falcon glances back at the road and catches movement out of the corner of his eye. He turns to his right and sees a military humvee charging toward the bus.

  Falcon slams on the brakes and the tires of the bus lock. They skid across the concrete, leaving black rubber streaks on the pavement. Daken speeds ahead and the heavy military vehicle crosses right in front of the bus, slamming into the side of Daken’s truck, taking the two vehicles off the road.

  Phoenix and Little Wang watch as the humvee shoves Daken’s truck sideways. A blast of gun smoke fires out of the passenger window of the truck, shattering the humvee windshield. As the military vehicle slows down, Daken works his truck free and back toward the bus.

  Falcon and Phoenix both turn in the direction the humvee came from only to see a parade of Jeeps, troop transports and more humvees racing toward them. Daken slows down some, letting the bus ride between his vehicle and the oncoming military vehicles.

  The group on the bus watches as the vehicles enter the road in front of them and move into some sort of formation, blocking the path. A few of the Jeeps have mounted guns in the back. The other vehicles have soldiers readying their weapons. Suddenly bullets fly into the bus.

  Falcon dives out of his seat. Phoenix and Little Wang drop to the floor as bullets blast out the windshield. Many of them hit the ceiling, obliterating the painted words. Something pops and white smoke billows out from the front of the bus as the fire storm of ammunition rips into the engine. Only shear momentum keeps their vehicle moving forward.

  The smoking yellow bus finally comes to a gentle stop, just feet away from the blockade of vehicles. The firing ceases and the sound of doors opening and closing breaks the eerie silence that follows the noise.

  “Exit the vehicles with your hands up,” a voice commands through a bullhorn.

  Falcon looks at Phoenix and Little Wang. “Welcome to the Waste.”

  He slowly stands, making no sudden moves. Phoenix and Wang do the same. They walk to the door of the bus to see five soldiers aiming their guns at them. Falcon slowly moves his hand to the door lever to work the door open.

  Phoenix steps off first. She is immediately grabbed by two soldiers and put on the ground, face down.

  “Hey,” Falcon says. A gunstock punches into this stomach, forcing him to his knees. Two more soldiers shove him on the ground beside Phoenix.

  Before anyone has the chance to use the same force, Little Wang drops to the ground. He sees the soldiers putting Falcon and Phoenix’s hands behind their backs and cuffing their wrists. He puts his hands behind his back with no resistance.

  The three of them are jerked to their feet while three more soldiers walk Daken around to join them. He puts up a struggle, trying to get at Falcon.

  “That one’s got some animosity toward you.” A man in a hat points at Daken as he approaches Falcon. “Lady and gentlemen, I welcome you, to the United States of America.”

  19

  As the truck speeds forward, Daken fights against his restraints while burning holes through Falcon with his eyes. Falcon doesn’t struggle against the cuffs but he does return Daken’s stare.

  The man in the hat looks at Phoenix. “These two been at each others’ throats long?

  “We all just met yesterday.” Her tone is venomous.

  “Nothing like making friends, ain’t that right, boys?” the man asks the four troops seated in the back of the transport truck.

  “Yes, sir, General!” they say in unison.

  “You hear that? That’s discipline. Something this country seems to have lost completely.” The General takes off his hat and brushes his hand through his gray hair before putting the hat back on.

  “General?” Phoenix asks.

  “Excuse me. Where are my manners? That’s how we all got in this mess in the first place. Everyone just lost their manners. I am General Howard McCord. Leader of the American Joint Military. The last refuge of the greatest nation in the world.”

  Falcon finally takes his eyes off of his enemy. “Nation? The U.S.? Those days are long gone.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand. Not after the way things went. Now, you got your Black Sovereign Nations, Ivory Republics, Asian Empires and who knows whatever else.”

  “It was the only way to end the war,” Phoenix tells him.

  “End it? Who said it ended? Me and my boys are still fighting the good fight. Working to defend democracy for the people.”

  “We have democracy,” Falcon tells him.

  “That little patch up nor
th? Don’t make me laugh, son. Those people wouldn’t know how to govern themselves if you gave each of them their own island.”

  Falcon watches the grass and the trees in the distance as they speed by. He turns to the troop next to him. The soldier is dressed and sits like he’s on active duty. They really do believe they’re still in a time of war. There’s no doubt in his mind, these people actually believe in what they’re doing. New societies have grown up all around them and they’re still living in the old world.

  “You’re defending it? How often do you campaign for democracy?” Falcon asks.

  “The land you’re now on is the last vestige of it. We’re making sure it’s not taken away from us. Anyone who tries to come in here, like yourselves, trying to spread your propaganda, is severely dealt with.”

  Falcon turns to Phoenix with one raised eyebrow. Phoenix turns away from him, angry that he’s put her in this position. She watches as they pass blinking lights on the concrete. “Where are we?”

  “Young lady, you are entering the U.S. Airport.”

  “Catchy name. Very original.” Daken doesn’t even try to hide his sarcasm.

  “I’m glad you think so. Because it’s your new home,” McCord says.

  The four prisoners watch as they pass by a row of small airplane hangars. Most are completely intact, housing various vehicles and equipment. A few of them are hollowed out remnants of old structures. All that’s left standing are the four corner pillars.

  The transport truck crosses the runway, passing by troops marching in formation. Some at the end of the landing strip are target shooting. Other military vehicles are parked right on the runway. There isn’t an airplane in sight. Not even a wingless one. There’s no helicopter. No ultra-light gliders and no hang gliders. As airports go, the U.S. Airport is all but useless as a place for flying transport vehicles.

  General McCord leans over to the truck driver. “Has my air support come in, yet?”

  “Negative, sir.”

  “You let me know as soon as it arrives.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Air support?” Falcon asks.