Wasteland Rules: Kill or Be Killed (The World After Book 1)

by J. G. Martin

  “And creates a new threat to the legitimacy of the U.S.T.G.’s claim of U.S. sovereignty.” Derek interjected.

  “Exactly. If Atlanta is any indication they will probably attack us once the treaty is signed but before we can mobilize.”

  “A second Civil War…” Derek said softly.

  “We want history on our side when it happens, so that is why you need to be gone before they can use your presence as an excuse. You have eighteen hours to be out of CCA territory or we will be forced to arrest you.”

  “We will be gone at first light tomorrow.” Derek promised.

  With that the intelligence officer waved them inside and directed them to go to the hotel on the right. Rora and Derek got back into the SUV and drove into the parking lot. It was full of big rigs many of which seemed to idling. They managed to find an empty space and park the truck. Derek secured their gear and headed towards hotel entrance. As he walked he was examining the trucks with a look of confusion on his face.

  “What?” Rora asked him.

  “The trucks, there is something odd about them.” He replied.

  “Odd how? They look like normal tractor trailers to me.”

  “No, most of them are refrigerator trucks which are very expensive and somewhat rare. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many in one place. They must be hauling something since they are running the refrigerators right now, but there are very few refrigerated products traded nowadays. Well, maybe it has something to do with the increased military activity of the CCA. It is unusual though.”

  Once they checked in, Rora and Derek were able to grab a hot meal at the restaurant. A real treat since it was the first real food they had eaten in almost five days. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans all smothered in gravy. Their bellies full they headed back to the hotel. Guards were stationed in the lobby as well as patrolling the well-lit parking lot and they felt secure enough to open the window of the room. There was no air conditioning and the room needed airing out. Exhausted, they both collapsed into the comfort of the soft beds and promptly fell asleep.

  Chapter 36

  June 15, 2029

  Outside Roadhouse Near Pelham, Alabama

  Mark watched the roadhouse from interstate overpass a good distance away. There were too many guards to risk getting close until it was dark. They had also cleared the ground around the road house to keep clear sight lines and to remove cover for infiltrators. The CCA had become much more serious in the last few months. They believed, and they were probably right, that the U.S.T.G. would attack them soon. That wouldn’t be much of a fight since the U.S.T.G. had more troops and way more weapons, including heavy tanks and bombers.

  The U.S.T.G. had control of the only tank plant in the country, located in Ohio, and it controlled the former auto plants in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. As far as he knew the U.S.T.G. was the only faction still producing vehicles and weapons. The CCA would put up a good fight, but just like in the first Civil War, the manpower and technological edge would overwhelm them. If Texas joined them it would prolong the war, but defeat was inevitable. Texas’ cold war with Aztlan over the southern border would become hot and they would have to fight on two fronts limiting their impact.

  He had to get the device so the Outfit could stay on the good side of the eventual victors and claim their place in the new order. To do that he had to sneak into the road house and kill the Major and the girl. Feeling safe and secure inside the hotel they would be at their most relaxed and let their guard down. He could kill them in their sleep and snatch the device before anyone even knew he had been there.

  He had watched the interrogation with interest, but was unable to listen since they were out of range of the laser mike. The distance was too great to read their lips but based on their body language and their actions following, he determined they were not going to be detained. He watched them go eat with some jealousy, his only meal a ration bar, and then saw them go inside the hotel. He noticed that the Major had changed into a black t-shirt and had acquired another camouflage jacket.

  He passed the time by memorizing the patrol schedule and the locations of all of the guards and security features. Patiently, he waited until the lights in the hotel went dark. Only minimal security lighting remained on. They might have power, but that didn’t mean they would waste it. Every non-essential light was turned off in the post-Collapse world. The moon was still out but the suit would absorb the ambient light it projected. He wouldn’t need any light; the suit’s goggles would allow him to see in almost total darkness.

  Mark approached the compound slowly and carefully, crawling along the ground on the same side as the interstate. The raised road would prevent his silhouette from standing out as he crossed the cleared zone. The suit would prevent anyone from detecting him on the ground. Like a snake he slithered rapidly across open area surrounding the roadhouse. He reached the wall undetected and counted the time between patrols before engaging the suit and ascending the wall. The suit protected him from the barbed wire and he dropped lightly to his feet on the other side.

  Dodging the guards he made his way to the hotel that the Major and the girl had entered. Using a slingshot he disabled the security light on the wall he needed to climb. Using the infrared function on his goggles he had determined there was only one room with two people in it. That had to be where Storm and the girl were staying. He doubted the Major would let the girl stay in her own room where he couldn’t watch over her.

  Silently Mark climbed up the now darkened wall. He only had a short time before the guards realized the light was out and came to investigate. When he reached the room he thought they were in he couldn’t believe his luck. They had left the window open. Slicing the screen carefully he made entry into the room through the window and climbed onto the ceiling until he was hanging upside down over the beds. He positioned himself over the bed with the larger form in it. On the other bed he could see the girl fast asleep.

  Drawing the ninja-to from the sheath on his back Mark released the spider grip and dropped down plunging the blade into the still form on the bed. He was surprised when his blade met little resistance and plunged straight into the mattress. The body on the bed was pillows staged to look like a person. A shape rose from the gap between the beds and startled him. Rolling quickly away from it he evaded the blade the slashed down where he had been only seconds before. The shape revealed itself to be the Major and it followed him across the bed.

  Mark rolled to his feet and met the oncoming blade with his own. What he could now see as a machete clashed with his ninja-to and sent sparks flying. The commotion woke the girl and she jumped out of bed and started grabbing for a weapon. He lost track of her as he needed to focus all his attention to defending himself against the furious attack of the special operations legend. A well-deserved legend as Mark could barely hold the Major back. Their blades flickered back and forth in an intricate dance of death, the exchange increasing in intensity and speed as it continued.

  He lashed out with kicks and punches trying to slow the older man’s attack, but the Major blocked or evaded every strike and countered with his own. Fists, feet, and blades became a blur as the two men fought to the extreme limits of their abilities. Two highly trained warriors who knew that to lose meant death. Mark had been trained by the best the U.S. Army and the U.S.T.G. had to offer. He had been top of his class in his Operator Training Course and had never been defeated in hand to hand combat.

  He couldn’t understand how a man who was so injured earlier in the day could not only be fighting, but winning. His strength and speed was incredible. Mark’s limbs were getting tired and he was being pressed back towards the window, but the Major didn’t seem to be slowing one bit. This was impossible, this couldn’t be happening. The man shouldn’t even be able to see him in the darkness, but he somehow saw Mark clearly. He poured everything he had into the fight and used every trick and technique he knew but the Major countered every one and even used tricks Mark had ne
ver seen. He knew he was overmatched and he desperately started looking for an escape route and the only possible escape was to jump out the window, but they were up six stories.

  A stunning blow to the forehead stopped that thought process cold. As he crashed to the ground, Mark realized that the Major had pulled a strike and then struck in the head with the butt of his machete. A swift kick knocked the ninja-to from his limp hand and he was held defenseless at the tip of the Major’s blade. He tried to focus and recover from the blow so he could defend himself, but the Major was too quick and secured him with zip ties he had materialized from somewhere.

  The girl turned on the light and approached to look at him. The Major stood over him examining him as well.

  “What is that?” She asked.

  “Some sort of advanced stealth suit is what it looks like. Let’s see what’s underneath.” The Major replied and reached out for his head.

  Mark felt the hood separate as the Major peeled it off of his head. He blinked in the bright light of the room. In the light of the room he could see the man was still bandaged but looked perfectly fine otherwise, and he was barely sweating. Inside the suit, Mark was dripping from the exertion and his muscles were trembling. He couldn’t help himself, he had to ask.

  “How are you even moving? You looked half dead this morning.” He asked incredulously.

  The Major just shrugged. “I heal fast.” He answered offhandedly.

  “Nobody heals that fast…and you could see me in the dark. How is that possible?” Mark pressed.

  The Major laughed. “I have good eyesight. But that’s not important. What’s really important is who are you and who are you working for?”

  “Sergeant Mark Maxwell and you know who I work for.”

  “I know you are a member of the Outfit, but you guys are merks. Who is paying the bill on this one?” The Major demanded.

  “I can’t tell you that, we have a strict confidentiality clause on our contracts.”

  “I could beat it out of you…”

  “You know I’m trained to resist that. I’ll die before betraying anything.”

  “Have it your way then.” The Major replied coldly and stepped towards him.

  Mark saw the blade approach and didn’t flinch or try to avoid it. He knew it was over the minute the Major had captured him. The legend was true and the Major was everything they said and more. It was an honor to be killed by him. Mark preferred an honorable death to one to that of a coward who died begging and crying. His only regret as the blade plunged into his neck was that he had failed his boss and mentor and probably sealed the fate of the Outfit.

  Chapter 37

  June 16, 2029

  Inside Roadhouse Near Pelham, Alabama

  Rora had watched in amazement as Derek had battled the other man in the dark. She couldn’t see much except when sparks from the clashing blades had lit the room in brief flashes. But she could hear them grunting and groaning as they had struggled. And she could hear the dull thuds and smacks of blows being struck. Despite the intensity of the attack, it hadn’t lasted long before she heard a body hit the floor and she had dared to turn on the light.

  The light had revealed a man in a black full bodysuit complete with goggles slumped against the wall by the window. The suit looked like it was made of latex or some similar material and gave him an alien look. On the floor next to him was a short slightly curved blade that looked Japanese in style. Derek stood over him with his machete to the man’s throat. Somehow Derek had also immobilized the man with zip ties.

  She looked on with curiosity as Derek had peeled back the headpiece to reveal a young dark haired man with close cropped hair. He had a large welt forming on his forehead where Derek must have struck him. Derek’s interrogation of the man had been very short lived before he had shoved the machete into the man’s neck killing him almost instantly. A week ago that would have horrified her, but that was now her new normal.

  “Why didn’t you ask him how he found us?” She asked Derek.

  “Because I know how he found us, he has been following us for the past day or so.” He replied.

  “What? Why didn’t you say or do something?”

  “I did do something, I just killed him.” He said almost sarcastically.

  “You know what I mean.” She said in aggravation.

  He laughed. “I wasn’t sure exactly who was following us and what their intent was, so I needed to wait for them to make a move. Plus, I was kind of out of action after our run in with the hillbillies.”

  “What if he had gone for me first?”

  “I knew he would come after the biggest threat first, me. So I followed Rule #14, never sleep in the open, and I waited in between the beds.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about that rule?” Rora interrupted.

  “Because if he saw you were not in bed he would have known it was a trap, and if I told you someone might come in you never would have fallen asleep.” Derek explained patiently.

  “So I was bait?” She said acidly.

  He shrugged. “More or less. He needed to feel like he was sneaking up on us to make him feel safe enough to attack. It worked and we eliminated another threat.”

  “Hmm. He did have a good point. How were you able to see him in the dark and how is it possible you healed up so fast? You were on death’s door yesterday.”

  Rora moved towards Derek to examine his wounds, but they were interrupted by a banging at the door. A voice called out demanding to know what was going on inside. Derek quickly threw a blanket over the body before opening the door. Three guards stood there with weapons drawn but made no move to enter. They seemed afraid of Derek. The new t-shirt he was sporting may have had something to do with that. It was black and had Born to Fight in bold white letters on the front and Die Fighting on the back. It happened to match the tattoo across his back.

  “What’s all the noise about in here? It’s after curfew.” The lead guard demanded.

  “Sorry, the girl had a nightmare. Her father was killed by slavers and her home burned down, so she has had a rough time of it. We’ll keep it down from now on. Sorry.” Derek smoothly explained.

  They looked at her and she tried to look upset and apologetic. “Sorry…”

  “Ok. But keep it down, and remember the Captain wants you gone in the morning. We already put some cans of gas in your truck so you don’t need to stop again.”

  The guards left and Derek shut the door. Rora watched as he uncovered the body and inspected the man’s gear. He examined the short sword and removed a backpack the man was wearing. He pulled back slightly in surprise and whistled as the backpack unfolded into a rifle of some sort. Derek flipped it around looking at it in detail and then carefully put it aside. Then he stripped the suit off the dead body and held it up to the light.

  “This is seriously advanced gear. He must have been one of the Outfit’s elite operators. They must really want the device if they are committing these kinds of resources.” He told her.

  He held up the rifle. “This gun is a rail gun which uses magnetics to accelerate a round instead of gunpowder. I thought this was purely theoretical, but I’m holding one in my hands so apparently they exist. The scope looks like it connects to the headpiece of the suit.”

  “What is the suit made of?” Rora asked, curious.

  “It looks like Nomex, which is fire resistant, but it doesn’t have the same texture. It also seems to absorb the light and I bet it’s bulletproof. The weird part are the pads on the fingertips and toes, they feel, whoa!” Derek nearly dropped the suit when little metallic hairs popped out on the pads.

  “That’s how he got in the window.” Derek murmured to himself.

  “What?” She asked getting closer to look at the suit.

  “These function like a spider leg does, he used this to climb up the wall to get in. Very cool. I’m going to keep this stuff.” He said as he folded it up and stashed it in his pack.

  She watched him fold the rifle
back up and put it with their gear. Then he rolled the body up in a blanket and shoved it into a closet. Derek was an enigma to her in many ways. He was a cold blooded killer, but he was also honorable in his own way and had gone out of his way to protect her. He was also keeping his word even after he got the device. Maybe she could trust him with the truth.

  He interrupted her musing. “Get some sleep. We are going to leave in a couple of hours while it is still dark. I want to get rid of this infernal device as soon as possible. More people have tried to kill me in the past week than in the last ten years. We can have it to the drop off point in less than five hours.”

  “What if there was another option?” Rora asked quietly.

  “Another option for what?”

  “Another option for what to do with the device?”

  Derek moved closer to her. “What are you talking about?”

  She took a deep breath. “The device does more than just make you invisible to the Collective. Much more. Whoever controls it could do terrible things or save millions of lives.”

  “So you do know what it does?” He asked with a slight hint of anger.

  “Yes, my father told me years ago about his contingency plan. The secret of the device was supposed to keep the Collective from bothering us.”

  “How?” Derek asked, curious.

  “They knew he had created it but they didn’t know where he hid it. If he died or disappeared then it would be sent to one of their enemies. He agreed to be tagged somehow and our communications were monitored so they would know if he tried to retrieve the device or tell someone else about it.”

  “What changed? Why did they suddenly make a move to get a hold of it after all these years?”

  “My father had terminal cancer, leukemia. He wasn’t going to live much longer and they were worried his death would trigger the contingency so they acted.”