Deadrise 2: Deadwar

by Steven R. Gardner

CHAPTER 49

  Wednesday, June 26, 2002

  Rainbow Lake, UT

  6:17 AM

  An emergency Council meeting had been convened before the sun had even come up. Jenkins, Sheriff Busley, Patty, David, Dr. Norris and Lucas Casey were all that remained. David attended via two-way intercom as he refused to leave the baby alone and Dr. Norris was at the hospital, attending to Colonel McReedy and Guy Livingston. For the past several minutes a tense, confusing mish-mash of questioning and conversation had taken place as each tried to piece together what had happened. It was a question from David that silenced them all, focusing their attention.

  “How many more spies for Mordecai are among us?”

  “Wouldn’t they have acted when the others did?” Patty asked.

  “Not necessarily.” Jenkins answered. “Mordecai may be holding them in reserve.”

  “How the hell will we know who they are?” Sheriff Busley asked. “Who would have guessed that Guy Livingston was one of them ‘em? Guy for Christ’s sake!” The sheriff threw up his hands in exasperation. “I’ve known the man nearly twenty years and for all that time he’s been meek…timid.”

  “And what about Mac?” Lucas said. “He was stationed at Ft. Douglas in Salt Lake City. He came to the lake with you guys. How could he have been connected to Mordecai?”

  “I’m hoping the Doc can give us some answers on that. I’m betting Hammonds has one of those chips in his head.” Jenkins said.

  “What about Mac?” Lucas asked.

  “I don’t think so. I think his woman was the spy.”

  “Are you saying she brainwashed him?” Patty asked.

  “Think about it. It wasn’t until he hooked up with her that he began to change. He became more withdrawn, less social. He began to become derelict in his duties. I’d been meaning to say something to him… I’ve discussed it with you several times Patty.”

  She nodded. “He was obsessed with her. That much was obvious.”

  “I’d bet anything she had a chip in her head too.”

  “Where did she come from?” the Sheriff asked.

  “Park City.” Jenkins said. “She came in with several other refugees.”

  “We need to x-ray everybody’s head.” David said.

  “What?” the Sheriff asked, looking at the intercom.

  “We need to have the Doc x-ray everybody’s head. Yours… Mine… Everyone at Rainbow Lake, to see if we have chips in out heads.”

  “That will take some time.” Lucas Casey said.

  “I know. And we should go first. The Council should lead by example.”

  “And what if someone has a chip in their head? Then what?” Patty asked.

  “We arrest them for certain.” The Sheriff said.

  “And then what?” she asked again.

  “We interrogate them.”

  “And then what?”

  “We execute them.” Jenkins interjected. He didn’t like the self-righteous tone her voice had taken on. “That’s the punishment for treason.”

  “What about Councilman Hammonds and Colonel McReedy?” she shot back. “You may despise the Councilman but Mac was your friend. Will they be executed as well?”

  Everyone present had gone still, watching the power struggle.

  “They die. Both of them.” Jenkins snarled quietly.

  “But Mac was brainwashed?” David pleaded over the intercom.

  “He betrayed us David. He killed Captain Jimenez.”

  Jenkins swept his gaze around the conference table, his furious eyes daring anyone to object. It was David that broke the tension.

  “I just got a message from Doc Norris…”

  Colonel McReedy and Guy Hammonds had been stabilized and were under guard by a trio of militiamen. As it turned out, Guy Livingston did have one of the small microchips embedded in the center of his brain, clearly visible on an x-ray. Colonel McReedy’s head had been clean though, validating the brainwashing theory.

  Jenkins wrapped up the meeting, anxious to get back to the Command Center. The Council members drifted off, silent, sullen. He watched Patty, but she would not even meet his eyes. More than likely their relationship had just ended, but she had pushed it, climbing up on her high horse, passing her old world judgment on him doing what was necessary to survive in this deadly new world. Fuck her.

  He hurried to the Command Center, where Captain Jordan sat constant vigil.

  “Where is Zack, Captain?”

  “His ship is parked at the cemetery and he has gone out to patrol the woods for that pack of Sentinels.”

  “Good work, Captain. I’ll be in my office.” Jenkins hurried in and closed the door. He sat behind the desk and pulled a fresh bottle of whiskey from his desk. He popped the cap and gulped a swallow, leaning back in the chair. He took several deep breaths, feeling the whiskey spread its warmth. He took another, more conservative pull before setting the bottle down and calling David on his desk intercom.

  “I’m here, Jenkins.”

  “I have a contingency plan.”

  “For what?”

  “Our survival. And I’m going to need your help to get it ready.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “This has to remain top secret David. Until we sort out who’s a spy, this stays between you and I.”

  “On my fathers name.” David swore.

  “We have to leave Rainbow Lake.” Jenkins paused, waiting for David to reply, but the kid was silent. “Things are spiraling out of control. The community has been infiltrated by the enemy and Zack says it won’t be long before other communities make their move on us, trying to possess the baby.”

  “Where would we go?” David asked.

  “An island.”

  “What island?”

  “Any island would do. But I have a particular location in mind. A small tourist island about one hundred miles north of the Hawaiian islands.” Jenkins began tapping at his computer, opening a file containing photos and video from a spy satellite that David had hacked a long time ago. He shared the file with David.

  “A tourist island?”

  “Yeah. The whole island is one big resort. Docks, hotels, a small town to serve the tourist trade.”

  “Why there?” David asked.

  “Because its far away and remote. Other resort islands are near bye for easy raiding. Its tropical and food is naturally abundant. We can hunt and fish and harvest the land. Most of the resorts are solar powered, and what’s not will have gasoline powered generators.”

  “How do we know there aren’t people already there?”

  “Look at those photos; nothing but zombies staggering around. And once we clear them out we won’t have to worry about them anymore.”

  “What about survivors on the other islands? Most likely they will be hostile and just won’t allow us to take what we want.”

  “C’mon David. You know how we handle that situation.”

  “How will we get there?”

  “Two ways; First of all there is Zack. His ship looks big enough to transport fifteen to twenty people a pop. I’m guessing it wouldn’t take more than a few hours for him to reach any spot on the planet. He could transport the first landing and assault teams.”

  “What’s the second way?” David asked.

  “I’ve cut a deal with a couple high ranking officers at Hill Air Force Base and acquired a refitted USAF Boeing 314A. A flying boat.”

  “You are the only one that can fly that thing.” David said.

  “Not anymore… Those two high-ranking officers at Hill I told you about? They and their families coming along are part of the deal. And both of them are pilots… The Boeing will carry about seventy people plus an additional fifteen thousand pounds of cargo. The island is about 3000 miles away and the Boeing has a range of almost 3700 miles, so we would make it in one direct flight. We would have Zack following along to provide protection.

  “I’m pulling the spec’s up now.” David said. There was a long pause as Jenkins wa
ited for David to glance over the planes specs. “Is it still at Hill Field?”

  “Nope. Its docked at a small lake east of Evanston. One of the pilots is there on standby around the clock. The other pilot and both their families are five minutes away in Evanston.”

  “We’ve put a lot of time, energy and resources into the community here.” David said.

  “I don’t want to leave David. I just don’t feel we have any choice.”

  “Do you think the Council will fight you on this?”

  Jenkins snorted with contempt. “I don’t give a shit what they think. I’m this close to abolishing the whole thing. The Council!” He snorted again for good measure.

  “Do you care what I think?” David asked.

  “What the hell kind of question is that?” Jenkins barked angrily. “Of course I care what you think. But on this, you’re going to do what your told. You and your family are going to that island.”

  “So you’re going to force everyone to go?” David asked.

  “Of course not. If somebody really wanted to stay, that’s his or her choice. But I don’t see too many people wanting to stay behind. There ain’t no future in it…”

  Jenkins waited for David to argue, but the kid remained silent.

  “Sorry to be an asshole, kid. But we haven’t got time for that kind of bullshit. This relocation is going to be a motherfucker… Logistically, physically, emotionally. I need you to be in top gear for this one…”

  “You can count on me Jenkins. You know that.” David said.

  “I know. I need you to crunch some numbers and give me an outline that we can show to the Council.”

  “It is better if you work with them.” David said. “They only want what’s best for the people of the community. And despite what you think, they hold more power than you realize.”

  “Oh, believe me, Kid, I know what kind of power they wield. But other than Lucas, none of them have the ball’s to use it. That’s why none of them dare get too far out of line.”

  “I don’t like where this conversation is going.” David said.

  “Hey, I’m just a realist. If there were a new way…a better way, I’d be the first in line…”

  CHAPTER 50

  Saturday, June 29, 2002

  Rainbow Lake, UT

  9:14 AM

  It had taken three days of working around the clock to x-ray the skull of every member of the Rainbow Lake community, including the Mountain View colony. Mordecai had spared no expense when outfitting his mansions medical wing and the x-ray machine, like every other piece of equipment was cutting edge technology. In the case of the x-ray machine, it was operated from a computer terminal that gave nearly instant, viewable results. Working like an assembly line they could process a patient nearly one per minute. Most people submitted themselves to the procedure without complaint, glad to be free from suspicion and wanting to weed out the traitors. Even most of those that grumbled still went peacefully into the Doc’s office. Everyone who willingly submitted to the x-ray did not have a chip in the brain. But three civilians simply disappeared before their scheduled x-ray while two others went on suicidal rampages, killing nearly a dozen people before being gunned down. Their corpses had been x-rayed, and both of them had the microchip implanted in their brains.

  The three people that had disappeared were all civilians. Jenkins got a good amount of satisfaction knowing that none of his militiamen had been agents of Mordecai Necrotura…

  The morning after the x-rays were completed Jenkins called a Council meeting. As always, David remained at his terminal and attended via intercom. Without much small talk Jenkins laid out his plan for evacuation to the resort island. David had been crunching numbers for him the past two days, plotting the whole evacuation out for him on spreadsheets that broke it all down.

  “I think it’s a great idea.” Lucas said. “I volunteer for the beachhead team.” That elicited odd looks from the other Council members.

  “I’m not so sure I agree.” Sheriff Busley said. “My wife…well she’s pretty fragile right now. I don’t think she would be up for the trip.” His wife had fallen ill over the winter and although she had pulled through the sickness had left her…depleted.

  “She’ll make it, Ross. Norma is a tough old bird. ” Jenkins tried to reassure the Sheriff. “Doc?”

  “I think we can prep her well enough for the flight, Sheriff.” Doc Norris said, following Jenkins lead. “I’ll fly over with her myself if need be.”

  “And she won’t come until the island is completely secure.” Jenkins said. He looked to Patty. “What do you think?”

  “Its risky. We don’t have any idea how many zombies are on that island, let alone other human outposts.”

  “The islands dead, Patty. Look at the videos. Nothing but zombies.”

  “Approximately two to five thousand of them.” David piped over the intercom.

  “Two to five thousand…” Patty repeated.

  “That’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. The island is a little over five miles long. They are pretty spread out. It shouldn’t be any worse than Evanston or Green River. This is our chance to finally, truly be safe for a while. Just think about it, our own tropical paradise, zombie-free. And end to the nightmare, at least for a while. We can start over…rebuild… Maybe even try things your way…”

  “How can I say no to that?” Patty said with a smile.

  After the evacuation was discussed, talk inevitably turned to Colonel McReedy and Guy Livingston. Patty spearheaded the plea for leniency, arguing that Mac had been brainwashed and was not responsible for his actions and as for Guy Livingston?

  “Look, Patty, we’ve been over this before. He’s a traitor.” Jenkins said. “So long as he’s alive Mordecai will always have a spy among us. He dies. Mac too. They both betrayed us. Brainwashed or not, the Mac we knew is gone, controlled by Mordecai. Even without a chip he was manipulated into turning against us. They are both compromised.”

  “But that doesn’t mean we have to kill them. We can isolate them, keep them under guard.”

  Jenkins laughed at her. “Put them in prison? So much for your new way.” He laughed again but the other Council members just stared at him.

  He needed a drink…

  CHAPTER 51

  Tuesday, July 2, 2002

  Rainbow Lake, UT

  7:03 AM

  Today was the hangings. A gallows had been constructed over the past couple of days on the back yard of the Main House. It would not be moved. The hangings were going to be public for all too see.

  Patty Marshall sat in her office, sickened by it. Public hangings! What would be accomplished by such a display other than terrorizing the people into submission?

  It was true that Mac and Guy had betrayed the community and murdered several people. But did that mean the justice was to be equally barbaric? Capital punishment in general was a barbaric form of justice and hanging in particular one of the more inhumane methods. Patty refused to take part in it. She would not attend and she had urged the other Council members, and as many civilians as possible to join her in her boycott. It would send a message to the General that the path he had chosen would not be tolerated.

  He had gone mad with power and was on the verge of subjugating the Rainbow Lake community to his insane tyranny. She had known for some time that he was struggling under the enormous responsibilities he carried, perhaps she had even seen some signs of cracks, but what was she to do? She too carried great responsibilities and sometimes she could barely manage her own burden. But there was still hope. At the Council meeting he had suggested that he would relinquish his unilateral authority and try a new way of doing things. And she was very excited by his plan to relocate to the island. As he had said it was remote, isolated, food was naturally abundant. Once it was cleared of zombies they would truly be safe. A tropical paradise to build a new society. A society where things such as crime and capital punishment didn’t even exist. If ever there was a cause that sti
rred the activist inside her, this was it.

  Although Patty would not participate in the spectacle of the hangings, she decided to pay the condemned prisoners one last visit. They had been transferred to the Main House and were being held in holding cells located in the basement. But before she went she needed something to bolster her courage and resolve. She picked up her cup and drained what remained, grimacing as the vodka laced coffee scorched its way down to her belly. There. That hit the spot. Now she could face the prisoners.

  She exited her office, located on the first floor of the Main House, as were all the Council members offices, and walked down the hall into the foyer. Reconstruction of the foyer and kitchen had begun, but it was still a cluttered mess of plywood, sheetrock and carpentry tools. The stairs were at the back of the kitchen, and guarded by a pair of Militiamen. They let her pass of course, but radioed down stairs that she was on her way. Patty admired the efficiency of the Militia. Jenkins had polished them into a well-oiled machine. Even with the recent casualties, their morale had stayed high and their loyalty to their General never wavered.

  At the base of the stairs was another guard and he waved her ahead. At the back of the basement two storage rooms had been converted into holding cells. The doors had been reinforced with heavy locks and small windows covered with sliding steel doors had been cut in the center of each. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her hands were shaking. She needed a drink.

  She stopped in front of the first door. Guy Livingston sat in this cell. She had known Guy for several years. Like her, he had been one of the pillars of town politics before the deadrise. He had always been quiet and mousy and cynical…almost cowardly. To think that had all been a disguise for a cold blooded assassin. She took one more deep breath and slid the cover away from the window. Guy Livingston lay on his cot, staring at the ceiling. His left arm had been amputated just below the shoulder and his left leg just above the knee. He turned to look at her, his face a mask of self-pity and misery.

  “Patty…” he said, his voice pathetic and pleading. “What is happening?”

  “Your to be executed. You are a murderer and a traitor.” She couldn’t believe the words coming out of her own mouth.