by Ryk Brown
Unfortunately, the Aurora had run out of fleet-issued hygiene supplies long ago, and they had been using Corinairan soaps, shampoos, and deodorants. They were similar but smelled unlike anything on Earth, having been made from plants indigenous to Corinair. Finding local replacements would be one of her first goals. She had purposefully dirtied her clothing up a bit in order to appear as if she had been traveling for some time. With any luck, her impromptu moonlight dip in the pond and her sweat would be enough to disguise any alien fragrances.
The road eventually began to follow a small river that snaked its way through the farmlands. She knew that the river led to the city; so as long as the road remained close to the waterway, she would be on the right track. The road’s roundabout course made for slow going, and she had considered heading east toward one of the main roads in order to hitchhike, but the bigger the road, the more likely it would have occupying forces traveling on it. That was another lesson they had taught her in spec-ops.
This road had been all but devoid of morning traffic. She made an effort to remain hidden from the few vehicles that passed by, usually by ducking behind nearby brush or trees. She had entertained the idea of hitching a ride from a local. Perhaps she’d pick up a little intel during the ride. In the end, she decided it wasn’t worth the risk.
A routine glance over her shoulder revealed a dust trail along a recently passed side road. A vehicle was approaching her road, and it was more likely to turn toward the city than away from it. She started looking for a new place to hide if the vehicle did turn her way but came up with nothing: no trees, no rocks, not even a large bush, just a dried-up drainage ditch along the right side of the road that didn’t appear to be deep enough to do the job.
Jessica watched the dust trail, walking backward as it approached the road. She could barely make out a faint glimmer of sunlight shining off one of the vehicle’s side mirrors as it came to a stop. It turned toward her.
“Crap,” she exclaimed as she spun around, searching one last time for a way to hide. The trees in the distance were still too far away. Running toward them would undoubtedly raise suspicion. Hide in plain sight, she thought. It was yet another lesson learned during her spec-ops training.
The sound of the vehicle grew louder, and the pitch of its engine increased. There was no doubt it was coming toward her. Jessica continued walking along the road’s shoulder, maintaining a normal gait as might be expected of someone walking toward a distant point. As the sound of the vehicle continued to grow closer, the pitch of its engine began to decrease. It’s slowing down, she realized.
The vehicle rolled to a stop right next to her. “You headed for the city, miss?”
“Yup,” she answered, as if it were not the first time she had been asked that question.
“You wanna ride?” the old man behind the wheel asked.
Jessica stopped a moment, looking toward the distant horizon as if trying to judge the distance remaining. “I don’t know,” she began tentatively. “How much farther is it?”
“Farther than a girl like you should be walking by herself,” the man said, “especially considering the times and all.”
“Yeah, well, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do,” she said as she started walking again.
The truck eased forward, the old man keeping pace with Jessica. “You know, the Jung usually patrol this road around noon. Might be better if you weren’t on it.”
Jessica stopped again and looked at the small truck. It was the kind used by farmers and ranch hands all over North America. He was a good-sized man, probably in his late fifties. He looked strong from years of work.
“I don’t have any money,” she told him.
“Don’t remember asking for none.” The old man laughed. “Besides, ain’t no one accepted money around here since the Jung took over.”
“How do I know you’re not some kind of serial killer that’s going to chop me up with an ax and feed me to your farm animals?”
The old man laughed. “Sweetheart, I’ve got two girls your age, both of them just as sassy. How would I look them in the eye knowing I did something like that to someone same as them?”
Jessica looked him over once more. Although he appeared to be big and strong, he did have a kind face, and by her estimates, it would still take another five hours of walking to reach Winnipeg. It was also an opportunity to ask a few questions and collect some intelligence on the occupation.
“Besides,” the old man continued, “you’re probably safer with me than you would be if you got picked up by the Jung.” The old man reached over and opened the passenger door of the old truck. A big smile covered his face. “See? No ax.”
Jessica eyeballed the old man one more time. She unslung her knapsack and moved toward the truck’s open passenger door. “I guess you’re right,” she said as she climbed in. No sooner had she closed the door than the old man gently pressed the accelerator pedal and began maneuvering the truck back onto the road to head out again.
The inside of the old man’s truck was no more attractive than the outside. Torn upholstery, a dashboard cracked by decades of sunlight, and a crack in the corner of the windshield all told of the many miles the old truck had carried its owner.
“Bill,” the old man said as he brought the truck up to speed.
“Jessica,” she answered as they bounced along down the road.
“Been on the road long?”
“Long enough,” she said, trying to avoid answering any questions that didn’t need to be answered.
“You got business in Winnipeg?”
“Trying to find my brother. He moved up there a few years back.”
“Up there? Where you from?”
“Cocoa Beach originally.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Florida?”
“Florida?” the old man exclaimed, surprise evident in his voice. “Little girl, you are a long way from home. Surely you didn’t walk all the way here.”
“Hitched some, walked some. Lately, more walking than hitching.”
“Where do you sleep, eat, wash up?”
“Whatever, whenever. Occasionally I got lucky and picked up an odd job along the way, usually from friendly people looking to help one another out. Do some chores for them to repay their kindness and such.”
“Lot of that going on, lately,” the old man said. “Where are your parents?”
“They were killed when the Jung invaded,” she said following the story she had concocted during her long walk toward the city.
“How did that happen?”
“We lived near the Fleet Academy. They got hit hard. The Jung bombed the nearby city as well. Not sure why. I was out of town when it happened.” The hint of grief on Jessica’s face was real, as she did not yet know the true fate of her family.
“So you’ve been on the road since?” the old man asked, again sounding surprised.
“Pretty much,” Jessica said.
“Is your brother expecting you?”
“Don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him since before the Jung came. I don’t even know if he’s aware that our parents are dead.”
“Surely he must know by now,” the old man said. “Communications are spotty, to be sure, especially long-distance stuff. But at least they work again. Have you tried calling him?”
“I tried, but it was disconnected.”
“How do you intend on finding him?” the old man asked.
“I’ve got his address, where he works, and the name of his girlfriend. I figure it’s a start.”
“Not much of one.”
They drove along for several minutes. Jessica could feel the old man’s eyes on her every few seconds. She wasn’t sure if he was nervous that he might have picked up trouble or was just a horny, old man le
ering at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention.
“What are you going to do if you don’t find him?”
She shrugged. “I guess I’ll just make do on my own. Maybe head up north, get away from the Jung. Nothing but wilderness up there. The Jung probably don’t even care about it.”
“Just as well you stay in Winnipeg,” he said. “It got hit pretty hard, but the Jung have been pretty good about rebuilding it so far. Besides, life up north is hard.”
“It doesn’t bother you,” she asked, “that the Jung just came in and took over?”
“Someone is always in control, darling,” the old man said. “Different name, different set of rules. The Jung, the NAU, the provincial coalition: in the end, it’s all the same to me. People need food. I grow it and get what I can for it.”
“Never thought about it that way,” Jessica said, fighting to control her outrage. She wanted to tell the old man that he was full of crap. Some things were worth fighting for. Some were even worth dying for, but she didn’t want to appear too radical. She just wanted to get to Winnipeg and find a way to covertly slip into the city.
The old man turned down a side road that headed into a thick grove of trees. The road was unpaved and bumpier than the river road they had been following.
“Where are we going?” Jessica asked.
“Shortcut,” the old man said, a grin on his face.
“Shortcut?”
“That road follows the river. It’s gonna bend right for a few kilometers and then come back again. Waste of time to drive it. This will save us at least ten minutes.”
Jessica held onto the handle above the door to her right, her other hand on the dash board trying to steady herself as the truck bounced along the bumpy dirt road. As she peered outside at the dense forest, she was well aware that the old man was enjoying the sight of her breasts as they bounced with the truck.
A few minutes later, the old man made an abrupt right turn down a narrow path barely wide enough for the truck to pass. Trees rushed past the outside of the truck, nearly making contact with the vehicle’s side-view mirrors.
“What the hell?!” Jessica yelled. “Another one of your shortcuts?” she asked, suspicion in her tone.
“Trust me,” the old man said, his grin becoming more lecherous than trustworthy.
The path made several more sharp turns before it finally opened up into a clearing covered with a small, grassy meadow. The old man slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop in the hard-packed, dirt road and sending dust swirling about.
Jessica coughed a couple times as the dust settled. “Wrong turn?” she quipped. She turned and looked at the old man as he pulled a long knife out of his boot.
“Time to pay for your ride, little girl,” the old man said as his eyes locked onto Jessica’s breasts.
Jessica looked at the old man, trying to appear frightened. “Are you going to rape me or kill me?”
“That’s up to you, little darling.”
“What about your daughters? How are you going to look them in the eyes?”
“I lied,” the old man said, his kindly old expression fading rapidly. “I ain’t got no daughters. But if my boys were here, they’d be joining in.”
Jessica continued her masquerade as the frightened, defenseless traveler, not wanting to put the old man on the defensive. “What do you want me to do?” she asked, her lower lip quivering.
“Do as I ask, and I might let you live,” he told her. “Make me happy, and I might even take you closer to your destination.” The old man stopped and leaned in toward her, brandishing his knife in front of her eyes. “Piss me off,” he began in a sinister tone, “and I’ll leave you out here lying in a pool of your own blood.”
Jessica maintained her act, all the while fighting to hold back her laughter. She took a deep breath, pretending to summon the courage to face the sexual degradations that the old man expected to inflict upon her.
“Very well,” she mumbled as if she were about to cry. She turned to open the door, but found the handle did not work.
“Eh!” the old man said. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I figured there would be more room outside,” she lied. “It’s kind of cramped in here, isn’t it?” She flashed her biggest, most innocent eyes.
He fell for it, grinning from ear to ear. “Wait right there,” he told her as he climbed out of the truck on the opposite side.
Jessica watched through the front windshield, maintaining her fearful expression as the old man came around the front of the truck to her door. She tried to avoid looking him in the eyes, wanting him to feel convinced of his domination over her as he opened her door. That was all she needed, some room.
Jessica stepped out of the truck, taking two steps back from the old man as he closed the door. Her fearful expression had vanished, replaced by one of strength and confidence.
The old man looked at her. “Well?”
“Change of plans, Grandpa,” she began, arrogance in her voice. “Put down the knife, apologize, and hand over the keys to your crappy, old truck. If you do as I ask, I might let you live. If your apology is sincere enough, I might even let you keep your truck… after we get to the outskirts of Winnipeg.”
The old man laughed. “Or?”
“Or I take the knife from you, slit your throat, and leave you out here lying in a pool of your own blood.”
The old man looked at her as she puckered up and winked at him. He laughed. “Oh, this is gonna be fun,” he said with an evil grin. He lunged at her, his knife hand extended and slashing from the center outward.
It was a dumb opening move. Jessica fired a quick right into the old man’s nose, breaking it and sending blood flying.
The old man staggered backward a few steps. “Fuck!” he screamed as he reached for his injured nose.
“What’s the matter, asshole?” Jessica answered, still in her combat stance. “Not the kind of foreplay you were hoping for?”
“I’m gonna cut you up, bitch!” he shouted, coming at her full force.
Jessica leaned slightly to her left, moving out of the way of the old man’s oncoming knife. She grabbed his knife hand with her right hand and pivoted on her right foot as his hand passed her. As she pivoted, she raised her left forearm up and slammed it into the old man’s upper arm, stripping the knife from his now weakened grip. Her left foot landed in the path of the old man’s right leg, sending him toppling forward so he slammed head first into the side of the truck.
Jessica stepped toward the fallen, old man, tossing the knife a few centimeters into the air so that it spun a half-circle before she caught it again with the blade now pointing straight ahead. The old man was face down in the dirt, dazed. She stepped up and planted her feet on either side of the old man’s legs, then bent over and grabbed his hair, pulling his head up and backward as she squatted.
Jessica put the knife up against the old man’s throat. “Had enough, old man?” She leaned in closer, her mouth next to his right ear. “Are you happy?”
“I got people, bitch!” the old man swore, spitting as he howled. “My boys will avenge me!”
“I shot an emperor between the eyes! You think I give a rat’s ass about a bunch of hick, northern farm boys?” Jessica slammed the old man’s head into the side of the truck again, rendering him unconscious.
Jessica dropped the old man’s limp body onto the dirt, then reached for his neck to check his pulse.
“You’ll live,” she declared as she got back to her feet. She looked around the clearing, checking to see if there was anyone nearby. She had no idea how far she was from the main road, and she had only a faint recollection of the number and direction of the turns the old man had taken to get them to this clearing. “Damn!” she yelled, kicking the unconscious old ma
n in the side. “I come all the way back to save this planet, and this is my welcoming party?”
Jessica took a few moments to gather her thoughts, recalling everything that had happened and the things she had said to the old man. “I probably shouldn’t have said that thing about shooting an emperor between the eyes,” she said to herself, “not that you’d understand the reference.”
Jessica squatted down next to the old man and started rummaging through his pockets, pulling out his keys, his wallet, and his phone, as well as a few small, plastic chips. She scrolled through the list of contacts on the old man’s phone. Finding nothing of interest, she pulled the battery from the device and tossed it into the woods behind her. She smashed the phone against the corner of the truck bed and flung it in the opposite direction of its battery.
She held up one of the small chips she had found in the old man’s pocket. There was an emblem on it, as well as some unusual writing. She had seen such writing before, back on the Jung gunboat in the outer edges of the Sol system’s Oort cloud. The chip had a magnetic data strip on one end.
“Don’t know what they are exactly, but they’re mine now,” she said, “as is your truck.” She stood up, walked around to the driver’s side, and climbed in. She started the truck and eased it forward and into a left turn, circling around the middle of the clearing. As she straightened out and pointed the vehicle back down the dirt road, she called out the window, “Thanks for the ride, Grandpa!”
* * *
Luis lay on the mattress in his quarters, his feet dangling over the end of the bed at his knees. He had just started to drift away when the beep of the intercom snapped him awake. He already knew who was calling.
“What’s up, Devyn?” he called out, his voice automatically opening the comm-channel.