The Dragons of Men (The Sons of Liberty Book 2)

by Jordan Ervin

  “I’d like to think of myself as the innovator,” the man replied. “Someone who’s trying to figure out how to best fight the madness sweeping this country.”

  “Where are your friends?” Eric asked. Judah shifted his gun uneasily as he scanned the base outside for a sign of the men the stranger was talking about.

  “They’re watching out for any Imperium soldiers that might have escaped,” the man replied. “Now if you’ll lower that gun and let me radio them, I can tell them to come here with their guns down.”

  Eric nodded, though he didn’t lower the gun as the man radioed his men, telling them to approach with their weapons down. Eric turned to Judah and spoke quietly. “Keep your eyes open.”

  Judah nodded, though he couldn’t help but scan the dead men strewn about again. He couldn’t figure out how this one man had managed to kill them all so quickly. “What did you do to them?” Judah finally asked.

  “To them, nothing,” the man replied with a laugh, looking around him like an artist happy with the finished product. He tapped a few buttons on a screen attached to his forearm and looked at them victoriously. “Hell, I wasn’t even sure it’d work. I mean, I knew I’d eventually get it—every lock eventually cracks when I’m hammering away at it—but you never really know for certain until you try, am I right?”

  Three men decked out in military gear approached the front of the store, holding their hands up.

  “Now let me see some ID,” Eric said. The three soldiers tossed Eric their identification cards and began introducing themselves one by one. Eric glanced down at them before nodding. “Rangers, huh?”

  “Yes sir,” the oldest soldier replied.

  “Well, it’s good to see some American troops again,” Eric said, looking around at the motionless black-clad soldiers. “And whatever you just did, you have my thanks.”

  The meek man with the glowing screen on his wrist smiled and approached, gripping Eric’s hand and shaking it before moving to Judah to do the same. “I say any attempt to kill those treasonous assholes is time well spent. The name’s Trey Webster.”

  “I’m just Eric,” Eric said with a nod of his head, “And this here is Judah.”

  “Nice to meet you both, just Eric and Judah,” Trey said with a grin as he shook Judah’s hand. The oldest of the three Rangers—a Lieutenant named Collin Rue—introduced himself and the other soldiers. As they spoke with Eric about their military background, Judah focused on the man who had been talking at first. He was a strange man, completely out of place with the Rangers. After the three soldiers and Eric finished greeting one another, Trey spoke up again. “We’ve been waiting for this group ever since the base was bombed.”

  “You knew they’d come?”

  Trey nodded his head. “The Imperium has been bombing every base this side of Birmingham. Each time it’s been the same. They move in fast with fighters and low-level bombers, take the base out while losing a couple of their birds, and wait for a few days to move in with small teams to search the base for anyone that survived and didn’t decide to run. Lucky for you my pet project finally worked. Now am I to believe this kid here was the one bellowing like a girl, or is there someone else hiding back there?”

  Eric looked back toward the rear aisle and shouted for the girls to come out. Sarah and Alexandra slowly emerged, their eyes wide as they surveyed the carnage.

  “My God,” Sarah said. “What did you do?”

  “What I do best,” Trey said, flashing a conniving grin before introducing himself to the girls.

  “That still doesn’t explain what you did,” Eric said once they were finished. “Why are you with Rangers if you’re not one of them?”

  “Before the Imperium—way back before Lukas was even the president—I was a hacker. I’m not talking about the ‘buy an app and see what your cheating boyfriend sees through his nVision,’ though I did code a handful of those for the fun of it. I was more along the lines of an information broker.”

  “An information broker?” Judah asked.

  “Yeah,” Trey replied. “If someone had something hidden…I dug it up and decided if it was worth selling.”

  “Selling secrets,” Eric said with a shake of his head, though he smiled. “I’m surprised you’d admit to something like that.”

  “What, are you going to report me to the authorities?”

  “No, I guess I’m not,” Eric replied with a grin.

  “Well, back when things started collapsing last fall, I stumbled upon some information about a drone army approaching from the south.”

  “You mean Lukas’ army?” Eric asked. “The one he used to attack Fort Bragg?”

  “Far as I can tell, it wasn’t Lukas Chambers’ army until just before the fighting started.” Trey shook his head, glancing around at the dead men again with a sigh. “No, I’m talking about an army of ex-Soviet tanks and planes—the ones Russia didn’t recycle during their illegal wars a few years ago. They were retrofitted to be unmanned, controlled by less than twenty people and able to wipe out whatever the hell they wanted from afar.”

  “And you found all this out while the United States government didn’t see it coming?” Eric asked.

  “You think they were capable of that after all the blundering intelligence mistakes over the past twenty years?” Trey shook his head, laughing lightly to himself. “If they wanted to really know what was going on in the world without getting caught, they would have privatized their intelligence agencies long ago.”

  “So what did you do?” Judah asked. “I mean, after you found out about the drones.”

  “Like I said, what I do best,” Trey replied with a smirk. “Those drones have got about the most complex code I’ve ever seen. I can’t even hack in for more than three seconds at a time before the firewalls manage to lock me out. Even so, I still couldn’t figure out how to shut them down in that short of a time. So I don’t. I stopped attempting to disable them. Instead, I insert a quick recode that causes them to target every beating heart within range of their guns. I’ve got to be within fifty feet to successfully hack ‘em, but I can be sneaky enough when the need is there.”

  “So their own drone gunned them down?”

  Trey laughed as though the men who had died were the butt of some grand joke. “Slain by their own guardian angels.”

  “Impressive,” Eric said with a grin, turning to the Rangers. “And let me guess—you guys sit back and watch the perimeter in case anyone manages to survive and make it out?”

  “Yes sir,” Lieutenant Rue replied.

  “And how did you three find Trey?”

  “We didn’t,” the Lieutenant replied. “He found us. Half of Fort Benning took all the equipment they could and fled west to join Texas after Bragg seceded. After DC was lost, command issued orders for everyone else to retreat to Texas to consolidate our forces.”

  “Cause that makes a hell of a lot of sense,” Eric said coldly.

  “Tell me about it,” the Lieutenant replied, shaking his head. “When America needs us most, the brass decides to flee. I guess that’s what we get for allowing our brilliant leadership to replace any general that has a pair with a desk jockey who’s afraid to cross a vacant street without checking both ways twice.”

  “So you stayed behind?”

  The soldier nodded his head. “About two hundred Rangers ignored command’s orders and remained behind to guard the base.”

  “I bet that went over well with your COs,” Eric said.

  “Surprisingly, yes. They didn’t try to stop us. They even allotted us a dozen anti-air Stinger systems.” Lieutenant Rue paused to shake his head again before continuing. “It was strange, you know? I was a career man putting in my twenty and never disobeyed an order without getting my ass handed to me. But then we say no to the retreat and they helped us out before leaving for Texas. It was almost like they knew we were the only men doing the right thing.” The soldier stared off to the side, looking at the blackened base. “I don’t know. It fel
t right staying to fight, but when those jets came in the following day, we didn’t stand a chance. Trey located us a few days later as he was scouting out the base to try and find a drone to test his program on.”

  “How many of you made it out?” Eric asked.

  “You’re looking at us,” the soldier replied.

  “My God,” Sarah said quietly.

  “No offense, lady,” Trey began, “but you can save your breath.”

  “What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

  “God’s not here,” Trey said before spitting on the ground next to him. “He gave up on America a long time ago.”

  “And I’d disagree,” Sarah replied. “After everything we’ve survived, I don’t see how God isn’t here protecting us.”

  “Is that so?” Trey said as he cocked his head back. “So I take it you’re a Christian?”

  “I am,” Sarah replied.

  “And you believe God’s still looking out for you as he guides you on a path to safety?”

  “I do.”

  “Tell me,” Trey began, “which way does that God of yours have you heading?”

  “We’ve been heading southwest toward Texas if we can make it by foot; the Gulf if not. If we’re forced to the coast, we’ll find a ship and make our way over to Texas’ shores.”

  “Indeed,” Trey said sarcastically. “Well that might sound like a mighty fine plan right now—standing around the dead men who would have killed you had we not shown up—but you’re going to need to do more than pray over the next few days. Especially if you hope to survive the path your God has laid out for you.”

  “Why is that?” Judah asked.

  “The Imperium might not be down there in the Gulf yet, but that doesn’t mean someone else just as dangerous isn’t setting up shop.” Trey held up his arm to show them the curved, digital screen that covered half the length from his elbow to his wrist. “This here is my own custom tech. I call it the Featherweight. It’s linked solely to my nVision and I use it to remotely hack whatever my little heart desires—be it someone else’s nVision, a personal computer, a government server, or a drone like that one over there. With this, I can usually break through any wall that’s trying to block me out. Still, even with a piece of equipment designed by the undisputed hacking champion of North America, I can’t crack the code that’s shielding my eyes from catching a glimpse inside. Naturally, because of some…intel I found before the madness, I’d have to assume that those friends that Lukas scorned have shown up and are itching for a fight. You go south and…well, you know what they say. You fly too close to the sun and you’re bound to get burned.”

  “We can manage,” Eric said dryly. “We have a pre-Thirty hunting radio that helped us get footage inside the East Coast. There’s a few more of us nearby and—”

  “Like you managed here?” Trey asked, motioning to the dead soldiers on the ground. “Besides, that radio of yours is shit compared to what I got. They’ve blocked those channels days ago. You might think you’re capable, but you won’t survive a week on the road.”

  “Then come with us,” Sarah said, earning a shocked glance from both Judah and Eric. “You said God’s not watching out for us. Maybe he is. Maybe he sent us you. Maybe it’s better if there’s more of us traveling together.”

  “Sorry, but God’s never guided me one way or another.”

  “How do you know?” Sarah said.

  “Because I’m a practical man and God’s an impractical fairytale.”

  “She’s right though,” Eric interjected. “Look, we’ve been fortunate with food. Well, fortunate enough to avoid starvation. There’s a few more of us close to here and if you’re so practical then you know there’s strength in numbers.”

  “Not going to lie, it’s all rather tempting, but Trey’s right,” Lieutenant Rue said. “We’re going to respectfully decline. My men died at Benning because we chose to face those who were coming. Trey here might not be the most courageous trooper, but I’d like to try and think I’ve still got enough backbone to stand against a tyrant when no one else will.”

  “What makes you think we’re not fighting the Imperium?”

  “It’s a moot point,” the Lieutenant replied. “He’s the best chance we have at downing those drones and if he’s not going then neither are we.”

  “Fine, but I could sure use a skill like that on the road,” Eric said. “Maybe you could share your secret on how you take those things out.”

  “That’s like asking Mozart to share his secret,” Trey said with a condescending smile. “Look, you might be good with a gun, but I doubt you can puncture through the madness of twelve layers of an ever-changing code before the devil knows you’re sneaking around his dungeon.”

  “You mean to tell me all that’s not automated?” Eric asked.

  “An artist never automates his work.”

  “I don’t know,” Eric said as he shook his head. “I still think we could use your help and I’d hate to find a group of men like you four only to part ways. I know it might feel like retreating, but I’m sure Texas could utilize your skills to take the fight back to the Imperium.”

  “Right,” Trey said with a laugh. “You know they’ll be just as corrupt as the assholes that were running DC before this country died. If you ask me, all those bastards dying when Lukas took over was about the only good thing that happened in the past few months.”

  Trey’s smile vanished as Sarah’s right hand caught him hard across the face, causing the man’s eyes to go wide with shock. Judah had clinched his own fist, nearly striking him for his comment.

  “How dare you say something like that!” Sarah said angrily. “My husband was Adam Reinhart—a United States Congressman—and he died eighteen days ago trying to take Lukas Chambers down. He died trying to defend you and your right to fight back against a corrupt government!”

  Trey’s eyes widened even more as Sarah spoke. For all his smooth talking and silver-tongued comebacks, the man actually appeared stunned.

  “Mom,” Judah said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. They saved our lives and he didn’t know. Let’s just get back to the others.” Judah looked back at Alexandra and nodded, moving to the front door.

  “Wait!” Trey said quickly. “Was your husband really Adam Reinhart? I mean, the Adam Reinhart from Colorado? The brother of Joe Reinhart?”

  “Yes,” Sarah said slowly. Judah eased his weapon, vaguely aware of Eric doing the same thing. His father might be dead, but he had quite the bounty on his head before the battle that claimed his life. Though Judah had been quick to trust this stranger and the Rangers with him, he also began to wonder if that might have been a mistake.

  “Ma’am,” Trey began slowly, while rubbing the red imprint on his cheek, “I apologize. I am completely sorry for my rude comment. I meant no offense, and yes, your husband was a brave man.”

  Sarah nodded in return, though Judah didn’t completely lower his weapon, mostly because Eric hadn’t yet either.

  “Maybe,” Trey began, looking back at the other Rangers. “Maybe we could go with them after all.”

  “Are you serious?” Collin asked before Trey nodded. “After all that? Why the sudden change?”

  “Because my enemy—the real enemy—is Lukas Chambers. Not a group of twelve freshly dressed soldiers patrolling a base. And ma’am, with all due respect—if he killed your husband, then I don’t believe I can ally myself with a more devoted group of individuals. I don’t know if Collin and the others are on board, but you can use my skills so long as you promise me a chance to take my war to that bastard one day.”

  “Deal,” Eric said. “But don’t think I won’t be watching you or giving you a gun.”

  “Never even fired one,” Trey said with a smile.

  “And what about you guys?” Eric asked the others.

  Collin paused, glancing over at his two men who eventually gave him a nod. “Trey’s been our only hope for fighting a drone army. Like I said, where he goes, so do
we.”

  “Good, let’s get back to the others and get ready to move,” Eric said, pulling out an old travel map of the United States. “If the Gulf States have someone pushing inland, then we need to move west quicker than they move north. I say we cut straight across to Montgomery, Jacksonville, and then cross the Mississippi at Vicksburg. From there, we stay west till we reach whatever border Texas has set up. You guys have a vehicle?”

  “Does anyone have a working vehicle this side of the Mississippi?” Trey asked as he shook his head. “If we find a battery powered car that hasn’t been stripped then sure, but gas is practically non-existent.”

  “So be it. We get the others and set out on foot before anyone comes to figure out why these men haven’t reported back in yet. If we hit the road tonight and stay the course, we’ll be passing through Montgomery within ten days.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Trey said, bowing and holding out his hand in an overly boisterous manner. “Lead the way.”

  They quickly set out for the others, Trey speaking nonstop once they gathered the others and their gear. He spoke of his career as a hacker—told them of the wild secrets he had uncovered while searching for the next payday. It was all one outlandish tale after another. Some were startling revelations about yesterday’s hottest superstars, proving once and for all that the nation’s most irritating celebrities were capable of keeping up with the apocalypse. Well, Trey couldn’t actually verify who lived and who didn’t in the dream world that was Hollywood, but the memory of their strange cultural dominance had unquestionably endured the trials of war. Still, Judah, kept asking himself the same question about the strange man.

  Why did this Trey Webster change his mind so quickly at the mention of my dad’s name?

  But as the night drew on and they hit the road once more—zombies clinging to the shadows as they left yet another desolate wasteland—Judah found himself listening less and less to the man’s wild stories and paying more attention to the girl who walked beside him.

  That is, the girl who now risked an occasional glance his way.