by David Meyer
“I didn’t see you volunteering to go to Danter,” Mills said.
“What can I say? I don’t care for losers.”
Caplan opened his door and stepped outside. Morgan climbed out of the back and joined him in front of the cabin. He could see crushing disappointment etched into her exhausted, dirty features. Clearly, Danter’s demise had brought an end to her hopes, her dreams. Well, it was better off that way. Forget thriving, he sang silently. Just keep on surviving.
He led the others into the cabin. He packed a few things. Then he grabbed a spare backpack from his room and began to fill it with strips of smoked meat.
“Hey,” Elliott shouted from outside.
Caplan’s ears perked. Elliott never raised her voice. She barely used her voice. If she was shouting, something was definitely wrong. “What is it?” he called out, rising to his feet.
Her reply came quickly. “We’ve got company.”
Chapter 13
Date: November 25, 2017, 10:18 p.m.; Location: North Maine Woods, ME
A helicopter, outfitted with camouflage paint, paused about fifty feet above the clearing. Its dark windows revealed nothing of its interior. Its sleek metallic sides cast off blinding streaks of moonlight.
Caplan started for the van, but a sudden burst of gunfire cut across the soil, inches from his feet. Bitterness filled his mouth as he came to a halt. For seventeen long months, he’d fought to protect his people from the dangers of this new world. He’d procured supplies amongst raging behemoths and herds of reborn megafauna. He’d dealt with countless liars, crooks, and murderers who lived along the open road, preying upon the weak and innocent. And all the while, he’d endured hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. It hadn’t been easy. But he’d managed to keep his people safe, to maintain at least some control over their precarious situation.
Between Perkins’ death, the events at Danter, and the helicopter’s arrival, he felt that control spinning away from him. Had he ever had control in the first place? Or was it all just an illusion?
The chopper descended toward the clearing. The landing gear touched ground. The whirring blades slowed to a halt. Then the side door opened and six soldiers emerged from the rotorcraft. They wore bulletproof vests and other gear. Long rifles were slung around their necks.
The warlord emerged from the helicopter. Taking the lead, she walked forward with strong, purposeful strides. She was middle-aged and of Native American descent. Her dark hair was tied back into braids. She sported a round face, a severe nose, high cheekbones and heavy earlobes. Her almond-shaped eyes were hooded and her lips were long and plump.
Engines rumbled softly from within the surrounding forest. Caplan couldn’t see the vehicles or their occupants. But he knew they were there. Like it or not, he and his friends were surrounded.
Elliott slid to his side. Others emerged from the cabin. He gave them a quick look, seeing everyone but Mills. Part of him hoped she was making a run for it. The other part knew she’d never leave them behind.
“If it isn’t the one and only Zach Caplan,” the woman exclaimed. “We’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
Shockwaves roiled his gut. Who was this woman? And how in the world did she know his name?
“Just so you know, an autograph will set you back a cool twenty,” he replied.
She smiled. “Is that why you went to Danter? To share your fame with the little people?”
“It definitely wasn’t for the night life.” He shrugged. “What can I say? Executions just aren’t my thing.”
“And here I thought we had so much in common.”
“At least we’ll always have Danter.”
“Ahh, memories.”
She spoke to him in a familiar tone, almost as if she really knew him. Had he met her before? He racked his brain, but couldn’t recall her face.
“My name is Chenoa Roberts,” she continued. “I run Frontier Rising. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
“I have.” Toland’s visage darkened. “Frontier Rising is a private military company based out of Boston. It’s part of the Corbotch Empire.”
A lightning bolt shot down Caplan’s spine. The Corbotch Empire was the colloquial name for the vast business holdings of James Corbotch. Originating in the seventeenth century, it had eventually grown into the world’s mightiest conglomerate.
All of them, at one point or another, had run afoul of the Corbotch Empire. Corbotch, in turn, had tried to murder them. Seventeen months ago, he’d dumped Morgan, Elliott, and Toland in his killing ground, a field inhabited by reborn saber-toothed tigers. And he’d secretly infected Caplan with HA-78, expecting this would spread the disease to Morgan. Fortunately, they’d all survived, due in part to Perkins’ help.
The last time Caplan saw Corbotch, the man was in the middle of the Vallerio Forest, surrounded by fire and facing the behemoth known as Saber. All this time, he’d figured the man for dead. Could he have been wrong? Had the elderly patriarch of the Corbotch family somehow survived?
“That’s correct,” Roberts said.
Morgan tossed back her hair and tied it into a ponytail. “I figured the Corbotch Empire would’ve dissolved by now.”
“Without completing the Apex Predator project?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
The more she talked, the more Caplan’s muscles tensed up. He had no illusions about the situation. Roberts was there to kill them.
He’d spent the last seventeen months living by a simple principle. Namely, that there was no way to fight the terrors of this new world. So, he’d hidden from them instead, squirreling his friends away in the middle of nowhere. And it had worked.
For a little while.
“I’ve been looking for all of you ever since you inadvertently launched the Apex Predator project.” Her gaze flitted amongst them. “You’re Brian. You must be Amanda. And I’m pretty sure you’re Tricia. Where’s Derek Perkins? And Bailey Mills?”
“Derek died a few days ago.” That was true, of course. But what about Mills? Where was she? “We lost Bailey a long time ago,” he lied.
“Is that right? Then I suppose you won’t mind if I take a look inside your cabin?”
“Would it matter if I did?”
“Not really. Why don’t you give me the tour? Your friends can wait here. Oh, and one more thing. I don’t like liars. So, if I find Derek or Bailey in there, I won’t just kill them.” Her smile turned cold as winter. “I’ll kill you, too.”
Chapter 14
Date: November 25, 2017, 10:27 p.m.; Location: North Maine Woods, ME
“What’s that smell?” Roberts sniffed as she strode into the cabin. “Columbian mammoth?”
“Woolly,” Caplan replied.
“Impressive. How’d you kill it?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Static buzzed. A masculine voice filled the common room. “Commander Roberts? Over.”
“I need to get this.” Keeping her gun steady, she unclipped a radio from her waist and pressed a button. “Go ahead, B-Box. Over.”
Caplan scanned the cabin, searching for signs of Mills. He didn’t see her. So, where was she?
“One of our drones spotted a colossus. It’s about eight miles south of here. Over.”
“What type is it?” Roberts asked. “Over.”
“Dire wolf. Over.”
“Try to steer it away. If you can’t, we’ll cut short and retreat. Over.”
“Roger. Out.”
As Roberts returned the radio to her belt, Caplan rubbed his jaw. “A colossus, huh?”
“What do you call them?”
“Behemoths. We ran into that dire wolf behemoth two nights ago. That’s how Derek died.” His heart twinged just a bit. “But it was a lot farther away than eight miles.”
“It could’ve tracked you here. They can do that, you know. Colossi are regular bloodhounds.” Pushing Caplan ahead of her, she conducted a quick s
earch of the cabin. Afterward, she took him back to the common room. “It looks like you were telling the truth.”
“I’ve been known to do that sometimes.” He adopted a bored look even as his brain worked in overdrive. “So, what now? Are you going to execute me here or outside?”
“Oh, I’m not going to execute you, Zach.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You’re letting us go?”
“I didn’t say that.” She paused. “I work out of Savage Station. Ever heard of it?”
The name meant nothing to him, but he recalled Corbotch’s plan to save a small slice of humanity. The best, brightest, and youngest, as the man had put it at the time. Were those people now living at Savage Station?
“No,” he replied. “But it sure sounds warm and cozy.”
“It’s got food, water, electricity, recreation … everything you could ever want.”
“And we’re going there?”
“Going? Yes. Staying? No.” A light smile crossed her lips. “Savage Station is the last bastion of civilization on Earth. Or at least it will be come December Third.”
December Third? That was just a week away. “What happens then?”
“Stage Three, of course.”
His brow furrowed. According to Morgan’s research, Apex Predator consisted of three stages. Stage One had centered around the creation and global dispersal of reborn megafauna and behemoths. Stage Two had focused on the deadly HA-78 compound. Unfortunately, all information about Stage Three had been lost to fire damage. But he was pretty sure it didn’t involve sunshine and rainbows.
“What’s Stage Three?” he asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Can’t wait,” he said, as she prodded him toward the door. “I’ve got a question for you. How’d you end up in Danter? It’s not exactly a booming metropolis.”
“The same way we found the other cities, towns, and outposts. Namely, satellites and drones.”
“And you’re targeting all of those places during Stage Three?” He shook his head. “That’s dumb. Who are you going to steal supplies from once they’re gone?”
“Blackmailing Danter was a temporary solution to a temporary problem.” She shrugged. “Frankly, we thought we’d be living in a more abundant world by now. But Stages One and Two merely slowed the Holocene extinction. Stage Three, fortunately, will end it.”
As he neared the doorway, Caplan looked around the cabin, his gaze lingering on light fixtures, old paintings, and that little spot in the corner where an eight-year old version of himself had secretly carved initials into the baseboard. He had lots of memories of this place, both old and new. He didn’t want to leave it. But what choice did he have?
Roberts grabbed her radio. “B-Box, are you there? Over.”
“Yeah, I’m here. Over.”
“We’ve got four newcomers. We’ll be taking them aboard shortly. Over.”
“Roger. Out.”
Using her rifle, she prodded Caplan outside where he rejoined Morgan, Elliott, and Toland. With several guns upon them, they made their way to the chopper.
A soft whistle caught Caplan’s ear. Swiveling his head, he saw Mills hiding in the shadows just outside the clearing. Her quiver was slung over her shoulder and she held the collapsible bow in one hand. Her lips moved silently, mouthing the same sentence over and over again.
It’s him.
Chapter 15
Date: November 25, 2017, 10:43 p.m.; Location: North Maine Woods, ME
Him? His brow furrowed. Wait. Is she talking about …?
Alarm bells blared in his head. He wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go.
Hemmed in by soldiers, he and the others followed Roberts to the helicopter. And all the while, he tried to think of a plan. But after months of beating the odds, he drew a complete blank.
The helicopter’s cabin door slid open and a man emerged into the night. He was tall and middle-aged. A tailored white shirt, topped off by a gray sport coat, covered his muscular form.
Caplan would’ve recognized the man anywhere, even without the seamless and substantial plastic surgery. It was the man who’d tricked him, who’d secretly infected him with HA-78. The man who’d single-handedly obliterated the human race. “So, you’re alive.” He stared into James Corbotch’s eyes. “What a shame.”
Chapter 16
Date: November 25, 2017, 10:44 p.m.; Location: North Maine Woods, ME
“Hello, Zach.” Corbotch smiled, causing his face to wrinkle ever so slightly. “Long time no see.”
“Not long enough,” Caplan replied.
“Amanda. Brian. Tricia.” He nodded at each of them in turn. “Where’s Bailey? And that turncoat, Derek?”
“We found no sign of them,” Roberts replied. “Supposedly, they’re dead.”
“Too bad.” He glanced at the Rexto. “Is that my helicopter?”
“The one and only.” Toland cocked his head. “By the way, that’s some impressive plastic surgery. Don’t get me wrong. You’re still ugly. But at least you look younger.”
“I don’t look younger. I am younger.” He touched his cheek. “Not all of my genetic engineering efforts went toward megafauna, you know.”
Morgan recoiled in horror. “You genetically engineered yourself?”
“I was going under the knife anyway, thanks to that forest fire.” He spoke in a calm, relaxed tone. Like they were lifelong friends. “Anyway my drones have been searching for you for months. I can’t tell you how ecstatic I was when you popped up in Danter. Even now, I can barely believe we’re together again.”
“It’s like a high school reunion,” Caplan said. “With that jerk you always hated showing up at the last minute.”
Roberts gave him a nasty look. “Show some respect. Mr. Corbotch is saving the world.”
“Could’ve fooled me. Last I checked, he was busy wiping out our species.”
Corbotch’s mouth formed a thin smile. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Mass murder? Yeah, I’d say that’s a bad thing.”
“For Earth to heal, humanity must die.”
“Nice slogan. You could’ve made a fortune in the greeting card business.”
“Why does humanity have to die?” Morgan asked. “We didn’t cause the Holocene extinction. The Mammalian Plateau did.”
“That’s true.” Light glinted in his eyes. “I see you’ve been studying that logbook Bailey stole from me.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“No, I didn’t. The problem with humanity is that it only exists because of the Mammalian Plateau. The colossi, if nature had been allowed to take its course, would’ve kept the Homo genus from ever expanding past the archaic phase. In other words, we’re a mistake.”
“You’re part of that mistake.”
“Yes, but a small contingent of people is necessary to end the Holocene extinction as well as to keep a watchful eye on the natural world.”
“You’re insane.”
“Not to mention delusional,” Toland added. “You’ve created Franken-nature and you don’t even know it.”
“Oh?” Corbotch gave him a fleeting glance. “Then why don’t you enlighten me?”
“Your behemoths or colossi or whatever you want to call them didn’t come about via millions of years of evolution. And so they don’t have millions of years of instincts to draw upon. The same goes for the reborn megafauna. All of these new creatures are blank slates, unleashed upon a foreign world they can’t possibly understand.” He shook his head. “No wonder they’ve got bloodlust.”
“You’re assuming that bloodlust, as you call it, is natural.”
Morgan frowned. “You’re manipulating them?”
“Yes, via very complex microchips. There are a variety of reasons for this but in general, we’re helping the current generation of animals adapt to the rigors of this world.”
“You sound like you’ve got everything figured out,” Caplan said. “Except, that i
s, how to actually stop the extinction.”
Corbotch’s face twisted just a bit and for a brief moment, Caplan saw frustration in the man’s eyes. Then he blinked and the frustration was gone. “It’s taken a bit longer than we expected,” he admitted. “Fortunately, Stage Three will solve everything.”
“What is Stage Three?” Morgan asked. “Is that where you finish off the human race?”
“You’ll learn all about Stage Three soon enough.” He gave them a broad smile. “Are you ready to go?”
“Where are we going?” Toland asked.
“Savage Station.” Corbotch’s smile widened. “It’s in the Vallerio Forest.”
“Do we have a choice?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Roberts snapped her fingers. A couple of soldiers produced metal restraints.
Caplan steeled up. He couldn’t allow his friends to get on that helicopter. To do so, he knew, would bring them certain death.
He lunged at Corbotch. A powerful fist struck him in the jaw. Another one caught his belly. Stunned, he crumpled to the ground.
“My scientists didn’t edit my genes to merely heal me,” Corbotch said, rubbing his knuckles. “They improved me. Take my bones, for instance. My LRP5 gene underwent a slight modification. This caused my bones to harden a great deal. In fact, they’re virtually unbreakable. I’m more resistant to disease now. Stronger and faster, too.”
“But definitely not smarter.” Caplan dug his fists into the soil. Flinging them upward, he sent dirt into the air. It mixed with soil already churned up by the rotors. The result was a small dirt cloud, which cut visibility to inches.
“Run!” he shouted.
Chapter 17
Date: November 25, 2017, 10:48 p.m.; Location: North Maine Woods, ME
A stampede broke out as Caplan’s friends sprinted for the tree line. He tried to follow suit, but Corbotch’s blows had left him winded.
A hand reached under his armpit and jerked him to his feet. Looking back, he saw Mills’ determined visage. “Come on,” she whispered.