by J. G. Martin
“Get to the front with me!” Derek ordered.
The others hesitated. “I’m going to put them in front of us and you need to be ready to shoot. Concentrate your fire on the larger airboats engine.” He yelled back at them.
The three climbed up to the front with him and took up positions aiming forward. He could see that that all three had taken at least superficial wounds and were bleeding from multiple places. Either a round had hit them or splinters had gouged them or both. But none of them were complaining or quitting. That impressed him; maybe there was hope for this couple. You never knew what people were capable of until they were tested. That was part of what had led to the Collapse.
People had grown soft and used to the easy life where everything was handed to them. Overcoming adversity built character and forged who a person was. Someone who faced adversity and emerged on the other side was stronger and more capable. Those were the people Derek wanted by his side. The people who skated through life were weak and crumbled when faced with true adversity. Fortunately most of them had died in the Collapse and the Aftermath. The World After was no place for the weak.
As they reached the curve, he slowed the boat dramatically. The airboats buzzed across the spit of land that stuck out into the river and were ahead of them as he exited the curve. They hesitated as they realized that their quarry was now behind them. Derek took advantage and throttled up to full speed. The speedboat lurched forward and he aimed it at one of the smaller airboats. The airboat tried to get out of the way at the last minute, but Derek was faster and they were confused.
The larger speedboat struck the airboat broadsides and knocked it aside like a leaf in the wind. It flipped into the air and came crashing down upside down in the river. The men onboard flew through the air like rag dolls and splashed down into the cold water. The speedboat jolted at the impact but kept going. Derek could see some damage to the front, but it didn’t look serious. The others were knocked down but quickly got back up.
“Fire! Fire!” He screamed at them.
That startled them out of their shock at the collision and they opened fire on the larger airboat as they sped by. The men on board the boat returned fire but it was disorganized and sporadic, their confusion at becoming the hunted preventing them from reacting in time. Sparks flew from the airboat fan and engine as Rora and the couple poured it on. All three fired their entire clips into the engine and it died in a small explosion of flame. The airboat stalled and the men on board watched helplessly as their quarry raced under a bridge and disappeared.
The other two airboats pulled back and returned to the disabled boats, apparently deciding that it wasn’t worth it to continue the pursuit. Derek looked back and smiled. The others dropped down in the boat, sagging with relief. Rora began bandaging their wounds as their adrenaline began to fade. The Cajuns were gone, but Derek knew they weren’t out of trouble until they hit open water. There were still several bridges where the Order could cut them off.
He tossed them a canteen of water and told them to drink. “Rule #8, water is life. You need to stay hydrated.”
All three took turns slurping greedily at the canteen. Derek kept the throttle open and they raced towards New Orleans. After a few minutes passed with no pursuit, the others visibly relaxed; but Derek couldn’t. Rule #7 always pay attention echoed in his head. As they approached the first of the three bridges that crossed the river into New Orleans he saw activity. There were headlights on the roads running parallel to the river entering the city. Too late to get to the first bridge ahead, but very possibly they could reach the second first.
They roared under the first bridge and headed into the curves before the second. When they exited the curves and the bridge popped into view, Derek knew they were in trouble. There were lights from multiple vehicles on the bridge and he could see a lot of movement. Within seconds floodlights snapped on stabbing out towards them.
“Hang on!” He called to the others as the bullets started to fly.
Based on muzzle flashes Derek counted at least ten men firing on them. The air filled with lead and the rounds tore into the speedboat. Fiberglass splinters flew as the bullets shredded the frame of the boat. They all pressed themselves as flat as they could inside the boat. Miraculously no one was hit, but the boat couldn’t take too much more damage or it would begin to take on water. The river was narrower here so there wasn’t much he could do to avoid the gunfire. They would be through soon and he would just have to hope nothing critical was hit.
A more pressing problem presented itself as he saw the telltale flares of RPG ignitions. A single hit from one of those would obliterate the boat. The two rockets raced towards them and the others looked on in horror as they got closer and closer. Derek held firm and waited until the last second. Right before the rockets could hit them, he wrenched the wheel hard to the left. The boat lurched and dodged the rockets with only inches to spare. The rockets hit the water and exploded. The resulting waves launched the boat into the air and they nearly capsized. But Derek regained control and narrowly avoided striking the center pylon of the bridge as they blasted through.
Gunfire and more rockets followed them, but the river had another hairpin turn shortly after the bridge and they were able to get away without any more damage. He knew they probably wouldn’t be so lucky at the next bridge, and it could be worse if the Order blocked the channel. They had to find another way out. There was really only one other way, so he turned the boat around.
“What are you doing?” Rora screamed.
“There is another bridge ahead and I don’t think we will be as lucky the next time. I don’t know much about New Orleans, but I’m pretty sure that the lake on the other side of the city is now a bay with direct access to the Gulf. So I’m going to head through the city and hope it’s flooded enough for us to make it through.” Derek explained.
He had spotted a break back towards the curve they had just passed. He motored back slowly. They didn’t have a lot of time, but this wasn’t a river channel. There could be all sorts of things sticking up from under the water that would tear out the bottom of the boat. As they got to the break, he could see it was shallow. Their current draft wouldn’t allow them to pass, but he could see it was deeper further in.
“Everybody out.” He ordered. ”We are going to lift and push the boat across the road here and then we should be able to go through the city.”
They all climbed out, albeit with grumbles from the couple. The water was freezing and everyone started shivering, even Derek. That just motivated them to quickly slide the boat through the shallow water, the hull scraping on the pavement. The boat caught for a minute and it looked like they might be stuck, but Derek gave a herculean shove and it popped free with a loud screeching noise. They all got back in quickly, grateful to be out of the frigid water but worried that their pursuers had heard the screeching of the hull.
Derek eased the throttle up slowly. They had to go slowly and quietly through the flooded ruins of the city. He knew that the Order could catch up to them anytime, but he couldn’t risk damaging the boat. Keeping the engine low would also make it harder for the pursuers to locate them. So they drifted slowly through the ruins of the city. Technically they were west of the city in what looked like what had been an industrial park. The burned and twisted ruins spiked out of the water like the fingers of a giant metal god. He kept moving them forward slowly; the only noise the low hum of the engine.
Rora and the couple barely breathed as they tried to keep all sounds to a minimum. They made their way slowly north towards the lake and possible escape. The boat eased past an abandoned shopping mall, the water covering most of the first level. The massive windows that had graced the entrances were long gone and the opening looked like a giant mouth waiting to swallow them. Ahead of them loomed the heavy concrete structure of an expressway and they had to travel along it until they found an underpass they could squeeze under.
The underpass must have been for a drainag
e channel and allowed them to bypass the next expressway as well. They passed through a tunnel underneath that was so tight the top of the windshield scraped the roof. Lights and engine noises on the roads let them know the Order was still looking for them, but had no idea where they had gone. If they kept quiet, they should be able to get through the city undetected. So they rode in eerie silence broken only by the occasional animal cry.
The remains of ruined houses lay on their right and more industrial buildings to their left. Derek saw movement amongst the houses, but didn’t mention it to the others. It was likely Drinkers, but since they couldn’t swim as far as he knew, he wasn’t that worried and there was no need to alarm the others. He was more worried about the searchlights that had begun to appear. Helicopters had joined the hunt for them and were slowly sweeping back and forth across the city. He pulled the boat under the shelter of a small bridge and they waited silently as the helicopter passed by.
The channel opened up as they passed through the ruins of what must have been a flood control station. The hurricane and flooding must have overwhelmed it and when it broke the resulting rush of water had torn the structure apart. It looked like a straight shot out into the former lake but Derek resisted gunning the motor. There was no point in drawing any attention, Rule #19. It seemed like forever, but the finally were out onto the open waters of the lake turned bay and everyone released the breath they didn’t realize they had been holding.
Derek risked the noise and picked up some speed as they turned and headed towards where the Gulf would be. They passed under the Interstate and he could see that the way was open into the Gulf. He throttled the engine all the way up and they raced across the flooded spits of land and out into the Gulf. He kept the throttle open until he was sure they had evaded all pursuit and then slowed the boat to a steady cruising speed. They still had to avoid U.S.T.G. patrols out of Pensacola.
“That was exciting…”The woman suddenly exclaimed.
“And terrifying.” The man added. “How do you handle it being like this all the time?”
Derek shrugged. “I enjoy it, it makes me feel alive.”
“Adrenaline junkie.” Rora joked.
“Seriously. If this is what it is always like out here, how have you survived?” The man pressed.
Rora beat him to the punch. “You follow the Rules.”
Chapter 17
June 20, 2029
Flamingo Marina, Everglades National Park
The trip back to the former Everglades Visitor Center was filled by Derek explaining the rules to a skeptical couple. But when Rora began to provide the examples from their recent journey, they became more and more convinced. By the time they reached the marina in the Everglades, the couple was sold on them. Derek even gave them the extra rifles and pistols they had collected from the Order guards. He genuinely liked this couple and hoped they could survive long enough to get to their family in Houston.
As they approached the dock, he could see Mario’s large motorboat docked there. It was cloudy day, but it had gotten bright enough for Derek to get a good view of the entire area as they slowly motored in. Several guards were roaming the marina and kept them under careful watch as they approached. Derek could see Mario standing there with two men and a woman, whom he assumed to be the NASA scientists. They were not cuffed or secured in any way, but they were being guarded by two more of Mario’s men. He and Mario were old friends and they had a deal sealed with blood, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
Derek keyed the phone. “Hey, I need a favor.”
The Voice popped on almost immediately. “What do you need Major?”
“Can you scan the surrounding area to see if anyone else is around?”
“Give me a minute…” The Voice replied. “I don’t see anything and the other boat arrived alone.”
“Thanks.”
“Any time, Major.”
Derek took the boat in to the marina. As they pulled along the dock, one of the guards threw them a line and then pulled the boat in. Derek and Rora got out and went to meet Mario and the scientists. The couple stayed in the boat. Derek had asked them to wait until he and Rora left before they took the boat. Unasked, one of the guards guided the boat down to a gas pump and began refueling the speedboat. He thought that was very generous of them, but odd.
“Derek.” Mario boomed. “Great work in Baton Rouge!”
“It wasn’t a drug lab…” Derek started.
Mario waved it off. “No worries. Mission accomplished.”
Derek bit his tongue. Mario had either known it wasn’t a drug lab, or the effects of destroying the chemicals were the same so he didn’t care. As long as he kept his end of the bargain Derek didn’t care either. Mario waved to the guards and they pushed the scientists forward. The scientists stumbled towards Derek and Rora. They looked tired and a little rough around the edges, but otherwise seemed okay. They had a glazed look in their eyes and Derek realized they may have been drugged.
“Here is your reward, as promised.” Mario said.
“They look a little out of it. What did you do to them?” Derek inquired.
“Don’t worry; we just had to keep them calm. They will come out of it shortly. We didn’t harm them if that’s what you are worried about. NASA can have their precious scientists back. Just keep them out of our territory in the future. Next time I may not be so accommodating.” Mario warned him.
“And their research?” Derek asked.
“In that case. Everything is there; I didn’t have much use for it.” Mario said as he pointed to a large metal case on the ground next to them.
“I’m keeping the boat also.” Derek informed him.
“I see you picked up a couple of new friends…I guess they didn’t like the Order’s hospitality?”
Derek laughed. “You could say that.”
Mario’s jovial manner turned serious for a minute. “You should keep the boat yourself, you may need it.”
Derek frowned. “I have a chopper coming in to pick us up.”
“Even so.” Mario replied cryptically.
He reached out his hand and Derek moved to shake it, but Mario pulled him in to a hug instead. “If the NASA thing doesn’t work out and you need a job in the future let me know. I’ll always be your friend, no matter what happens. Vaya con dios, mi hermano.”
Mario turned and walked back to his boat, his guards following. They cast off and slowly left the marina. Mario was standing in the back of the boat looking back at Derek with a sad smile on his face. Something was wrong but Derek couldn’t put his finger on it. He had called the helicopter pilot on the ride in and told him to be ready to pick them up. Now he triggered the phone and let the pilot know it was safe to come in. Within minutes he could hear the whir of the chopper approaching. Oddly, Mario’s boat was still slowly leaving the inlet. They could have left quickly but it was like they were waiting for something.
The minute Derek heard the slight whoosh in the background, he knew what it was. A missile was launched from the trees in the distance. It trailed flame and smoke and Derek followed it in slow motion as it reached up towards the chopper. Rora’s face was frozen in a look of shock and horror as it moved closer and closer to the chopper. The helicopter exploded in a brilliant ball of fire after the missile struck it with a resounding boom. Burning parts rained from the sky across the inlet. He looked back to Mario. Mario gave him a sad shrug and put his hands up as if to say he was sorry but it was out of his control. His boat rapidly picked up speed and raced away.
The staccato sounds of gunfire snapped Derek’s attention back to his situation. Soldiers in heavy body armor and firing futuristic looking rifles had materialized from the woods surrounding the old visitor center. From their uniforms he could tell they were U.S.T.G. troops, but what was on their left shoulders really marked them. Red berets were tucked under loops on their shoulder armor. The red berets were the elite special forces of the U.S.T.G. Army. Derek would have been one of them if he
had stayed. Many of his former comrades were commanders in the Red Berets now. It looked like the government had decided to stop playing around and come after the device full force.
“Into the boat!” He roared at Rora and the scientists.
When the scientists froze, he grabbed them and hurled them bodily into the boat followed by the case. He shoved Rora toward the boat but she tried to come back. Bullets flew all around them as she resisted his order. The attacking Red Berets were getting closer and their fire was getting more accurate. He noticed one of them had an automatic grenade launcher. That would turn the boat into a flaming pile of scrap metal if they got a direct hit.
“Go! I’ll cover your escape! Get them to NASA! They won’t make it on their own!” He yelled.
She gave him a look, but realized he was right and jumped into the boat. They pushed off and sped away as Derek ran into the marina building. He positioned himself at a window and returned fire. He would hold them off while the others escaped. He also suspected that they only wanted him and the others would just be collateral damage. He stood the best chance by himself anyway. Without anyone else to worry about, he could do what he did best. Fight!
Chapter 18
June 20, 2029
Flamingo Marina, Everglades National Park
Tom smiled broadly as his ambush took shape. He had watched the exchange between the target and the Cartel boss with some concern. They seemed friendly and he was worried the Cartel boss would warn Major Storm about the ambush. The Cartel man hadn’t been too keen on selling his friend out, but the threat of the U.S.T.G. attacking the Cartel had proved a powerful motivator. They may not be able to get troops down to invade the Cartel territory, but they still had bombers capable of blasting them into the Stone Age. The old government wouldn’t have had the balls to do it, but the new one had no such reservations.