“Christ.” Robi shook her head. “This comes up so much that this place better exist.” And on that note, she finished her drink.
Chapter Ten – Back Track
July 22nd - Los Angeles, CA
Jeb’s excited, “Oh, yeah,” was followed by a grin as he watched the first mage appear on the large screen laptop. “Beautiful.” Even hunched over, Martha slept peacefully in the carrier on this back. He then looked at Michael.
Michael Mathews was one of the survivors from Andrews Air Force Base. He claimed he wasn’t their leader, but everyone in his group looked to him as such, perhaps because he portrayed a sense of calm and was even keeled. Almost like a peacekeeper.
He reminded Jeb of a fair-skinned Bob Marley, except Michael had braided his long hair instead of doing dreadlocks. A mixed-race man, tall and fit in his thirties, he was a computer tech guy who gave up the overwhelming career to be a pharmacist. He was only in his third week at his new job at the hospital when the drop hit.
“It’s not a big deal,” Michael said. “It’s a laptop. We charge it with the generator. We use them only for gas, so why not for technology? Honestly, Jeb, just because the world ended doesn’t mean we need to bury the tech stuff.”
“You have a point.”
Mas smiled and did his usual happy clap. “Much intelligence you do have and sense. Need we do for building of city?”
“Need you do,” Michael said. “Of Bob the Builder, he’s amazing. He really knows his shit. He built the Lane building and redesigned our ventilation system for the bunker when we had to retreat.”
Mas nodded. “Builder of Bob with us he has been working. Impressed I am.”
Michael winked. “Yeah, I know. You guys have kidnapped him. I haven’t seen him in over a week.”
Mas gasped. “Kidnapped we do not do. No.”
“I’m joking.” Michael reached out and laid his hand on Mas then turned to Jeb. “I can’t believe you guys don’t use any of the remaining technology.”
“What’s the point?” Jeb asked. “We were just looking for you.”
“You could have found us on the net.” Michael shrugged. “We kept a server going for a while.”
“Okay, okay, we suck at that, but this …” Jeb pointed. “Your men brought back some awesome shots.”
“Now you can see them really well,” Michael said.
“And these were taken near Roswell, Nevada?” Jeb asked.
“Yep, all of them. Near the proverbial Area 51, two miles from that diner.”
“Look at the diner.” Jeb titled his head. “These are the Atranda?”
Mas nodded. “Yes, those are what attacked you. But you destroyed them all. More have returned.”
“And …” Michael pointed to the screen. “A whole slew over Roswell.”
“No one is there or at the diner,” Jeb said.
“Or is there?” Michael asked.
Robi cleared her throat with an edge and stepped in speaking in an edgy voice. “What’s going on?”
Nonchalantly, Jeb replied, pointing to the computer. “Michael’s men returned with photos from the Nevada area. Check out …”
“When?” Robi asked, reaching out and checking on Martha. “Why is she sleeping? Did she heal?”
Jeb shook his head. “Not that I know. And one question at a time. You’ve asked three.”
Robi grumbled. “Okay, since Michael’s men took these shots, when did they return?”
“About an hour ago,” Jeb replied.
“And you didn’t come and get me?”
“I saw no need,” Jeb said. “You were working on supplies. I got this.”
“You … got this?”
“I got this.”
“Since when do you … get this?”
“What the hell are you talking about? I would assume that since you talk about my skills as a soldier, this is my domain,” Jeb said, his tone picking up.
Michael interjected. “I’m gonna …. go check on my men, and, uh, let you two go.”
Robi looked at him. “Thank you.”
“There’s no need,” Jeb said. “There’s no argument or more discussion needed here.”
Michael looked at Robi just as her eyes widened. “I was married twice. I’m … going. I know that look.” He turned.
“Are you happy? You scared Michael away.” Jeb said.
“Don’t change the subject, big man, back it up a few seconds to your comment of … your domain, discussion over.”
“Okay. I’m backing up. My domain, discussion over.”
“You’re domain may be security, but I run this group, Jeb. It was decided, you decided. I sent Michael’s men out there nearly two weeks ago on this mission. I contacted them daily. I worried when we lost contact. I prayed for them …”
“Oh, yeah, praying. That’s the big leader thing.”
“You’re an ass. I’m not dealing with this attitude, especially when you’re holding my daughter.”
“My daughter,” Jeb corrected. “And if you want to be the leader, then act like it. Delegate responsibility, and trust those you delegate it to. Don’t micromanage.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. If you don’t like the way I do things, then … then …”
“Then what? Go?” Jeb asked. “You want that? I don’t think so.”
“Why are you giving me so much shit?”
“Because you did,” Jeb snapped. “I was fine. I was handling things. You come in here throwing your estrogen weight around, all pissy because we didn’t tell you. Let me tell you something, missy, I would have told you everything once I had my facts straight and was able to brief you with all the Intel when I had it together instead of wasting your time on piecing together the puzzle. Get it? No, you don’t. You jump down my throat …”
“Hey!” Robi blasted.
Mas whistled, and both Jeb and Robi grew silent in the heat of growing confrontation. They both looked at him.
“Work my whistle did,” Mas said with a smiled, and then grew serious. “Time is not to fight each other. Time is to fight Atranda and Loomis. Jeb, hard it is, I know to understand. After injury same you are not. But Robi is. Same she is. Respect shall you give her, as always you did.”
“Ha!” Robi said snidely.
“Rob-Bee.” Mas turned to her. “Hard it is for you, to understand Jeb. Trust you must do, as you did before. Hurry you must feel over what you have lost with Jeb. But respect you must give as well, as you always did. Job he knows. Alleviate responsibilities of some for you. Hmm?”
“Ha!” Jeb mocked Robi,
“Shut up.” Robi turned and walked away.
“Mature. Very mature.” Jeb shook his head. “Okay.” He exhaled and returned to the computer. “Let’s look at these images and figure them out so I can present it all to Napoleon.”
“Who?” Mas asked.
Jeb shook his head. “Never mind,” he said, and returned to the images on the screen.
<><><><>
Nick Pierce had heard the term ‘Got a tic in my eye’ from many grownups, but he never really understood it until he got one. His left eye twitched and he couldn’t figure out why. He brought his finger to his eyelid and held it there.
“Got something in your eye?” Eva Weston asked.
Nick shook his head and continued going through the boxes of items people had brought in from scavenging, non-essential things that Robi wanted the teenagers to sort through to see if there was anything useful.
Apparently, Nick thought, those who went out scavenging thought they were useful. Nick just wanted to get through it and head back down with the eccentric alien scientists, which was much more fun and educational watching them work.
There it was again … that tic.
Nick looked at Eva. She was a nice girl and all, but he didn’t know how to take her. Tomboyish and hyper, she wore her hair back in a ponytail and talked a lot. She had a thick country twang to her voice, so much so that it was sometimes hard to understand he
r. Nick thought maybe she would have lost some of it being with them a month, but she hadn’t.
The old saying was true: “You can take a person out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the person.”
“Why’s your eye twitching?” Eva asked.
“Don’t know.”
“Think you’re having like a brain thingy happening?”
Nick shook his head. “Probably nerves. I don’t want to do this. It’s boring.”
“Well, we can talk,” Eva suggested. “You ain’t doing much of that.”
“Okay, we can talk. About what?”
“Your Ma.”
Nick groaned.
“Why you make that noise? Don’t you like your Ma?”
“I love my Ma … I mean, mom. Gees.”
“I do, too. Think she’ll marry my Pa and be my Ma?” Eva asked.
“She doesn’t need to marry your Pa,” Nick replied. “You can adopt her as a mother. She won’t mind. She likes you.”
“I like her. She’s gonna be the closest thing I had to a Ma my whole life.”
“Why are you so obsessed with my mom?” Nick questioned.
“I don’t know.” Eva shrugged. “Lots of reasons I suppose. She gives good hugs. She’s nice. She’s pretty... and... me and her are alike. We don’t need to be all girlish.”
Nick snickered.
“What?”
“Well, my mom used to be really girlish.”
“No way.”
“Way.” Nick nodded. “I mean, she was in the service and all, but the last five years she got real prissy. She got her hair done all the time, and her nails, too. She was always doing girl things.”
“What happened to her?”
“End of the world.”
“Think she misses being girly?”
“I don’t know.” Nick shrugged. “Ask her.” He reached in his box and held up the rolling pin.
“What is that?” Eva asked.
“How can you be a girl and ask that question,” Nick snapped. “It’s a rolling pin. This whole box is kitchen stuff. A rolling pin is for flatting things like dough.” He put it in another box.
Eva pulled an item from a box. “What the heck is this?”
“An egg slicer.”
“Why in the world would folks need an egg slicer to slice eggs?”
“Makes hard boiled eggs even I guess.”
“Well, this goes in the useless pile.” She set it aside. “Of course, every time we put something in the useless pile, big ol Jeb comes right along and takes it.”
Nick laughed. “He does. It’s weird.”
“He’s weird,” Eva said. “I miss him.”
“What?” Nick asked chuckling. “He’s here. How can you miss him?”
“Cause he ain’t the same,” Eva said. “He’s all mellow. He don’t pick on me and fight with me anymore. He don’t even remember me shooting him with the BB gun. He’s all nice. It’s not the same.”
“I know,” Nick lowered his head. “It’s odd. I know exactly what you mean. He’s not even loud anymore.”
“It’s almost like he’s been hypnotized or something.”
“Or like he’s in a trance.”
“Oh my gosh, you think maybe the aliens put a spell on him or injected him with something to make him like that so he ain’t big and mean and can’t defeat them?”
“You know what?” Nick said. “With all that’s going on, that sounds possible. Kind of like all he needs is a hard jar to the head to knock some sense into him.”
Eva gasped.
“What?” Nick asked.
“That’s it.”
“What is?”
“We hit him on the head.”
“Eva,” Nick laughed her name.
“No. Don’t make fun. I’m serious. I saw a movie once, The Avengers. One guy was possessed by an alien, and they clocked him and he was normal again. Seriously. The brain controls the way we think and feel right.”
“Yeah.”
“If something caused the brain to work wrong, it figures another knock would make it work right.”
“So we just clock him?” Nick asked.
“Seize the moment.” Eva nodded. “We have to take a chance. We need old Jeb back to fight the aliens, cause this nice Jeb may just shake their hands. What’s it gonna hurt to try?”
“Jeb. It’ll hurt Jeb?” Nick asked.
“He ain’t gonna get hurt. Not him. He’s too big and lumpy.”
Nick nodded. “You gotta point.” His eyes widened. “He’s coming. Shh.”
“Seize the moment.”
“What now?” Nick asked. “You’re nuts.”
“I got an idea.” Eva winked and then smiled as Jeb walked toward their area. “Hey, there, Jeb, how’s it going?”
“Good. Good.” Jeb looked at the table. “I see you’re sorting kitchen supplies.”
“Ain’t you just bright,” Eva taunted.
Jeb smiled.
“Shoot.” Eva cringed. “Anyhow, yep, kitchen supplies. Dividing it between useful and useless.”
Nick pointed. “That’s the useless pile.”
“You guys are doing a great job. We appreciate all …” Jeb slowed his words and reached out his hand. “Oh, wow, an egg slicer. I’ll take that.”
Eva whispered to Nick. “The moment.” She then knocked a can opener to the ground. “Oh, shoot, I dropped that. Could you get it for me?”
Jeb looked at Nick who stood right there. “What about him?”
“He’s waiting,” Eva said.
“For?” Jeb asked.
“The moment.”
Jeb shook his head. “Teenagers. I’ll never understand you.” He bent down for the can opener, and as he did, Eva yelled ‘Seize him!’ Jeb barely got out a ‘huh’ before Nick leapt on his back.
“What the hell?” Jeb called out.
“I can’t hold him,” Nick grunted, hanging on to Jeb’s back. “Hurry.”
“I can’t get a good shot,” Eva said. “Hold him still.”
“I’m trying.” Nick was being flung back and forth like a rag doll from Jeb’s back.
“Nick, get off my back,” Jeb told him.
“Little more weight on him,” Eva said. “He needs to be down a little. I can’t reach him.”
“I’m trying.”
“Now I dropped my egg slicer, thank you very much.” Jeb paused in trying to shake Nick from his back and reached for the fallen egg slicer.
Clunk.
After a second, Jeb dropped completely to the floor and Nick fell directly on top of him.
“You okay?” Eva reached to Nick, helping him up.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Nick got his balance and stared down to Jeb who was on the ground face first. “He’s not bleeding.”
“He ain’t dead, is he?”
Nick nudged him with his foot. “No. He’s out. Maybe this might work. He wakes up and is back to normal.”
“Should we wake him?” Eva asked.
“Give it a minute,” Nick suggested, and then he backed up. “Mom?”
Robi rushed over. “What happened to Jeb? Did he fall?” She started to crouch down.
“I hit him on the head,” Eva stated.
Robi paused. “You hit him on the head? Why?”
“Well … we thought if we knocked him on the head, it might make him normal again.”
“We?” Robi questioned. “Nick?”
“”She hit him, I held him.”
Eva nodded. “It was an impressive battle.”
Jeb groaned.
Everyone stepped back.
He drew himself up to his knees and then stood, holding his head and wobbling some before catching his balance. “Did you two attack me?” He asked.
Eva peered at him. ‘You gonna yell at us, call us names?”
“Why would I do that? I may scold you, but … ow.” He grabbed his head. “I have a lump.” His eyes sifted down to Eva’s hand. “Did you hit me in the head wi
th a rolling pin?”
Eva nodded.
“Why?”
“Well …”
Nick quickly interjected. “We thought there was one of them alien bugs on your head. We swore it was there. We didn’t want to freak you out or anything, so we thought we’d team up and swat it from you.”
Jeb cringed. “Well, that wasn’t smart. Just tell me there’s a bug on me. Gees. You can’t hit people on the head with a rolling pin. You can kill someone.” He snatched it from Eva’s hand and huffed.
“Sorry.” Eva lowered her head.
“Me, too.” Nick lowered his head as well. “Sorry.”
“Did you at least get the bug?” Jeb asked.
“Um …” Nick raised his eyes. “Yeah, we got it. All’s good.”
“Smashed it,” Eva replied.
“Good,” Jeb stated then turned sharply to face Robi who was giggling. “And this is funny to you?” He shook his head, reached down, and grabbed his egg slicer from the floor. “I’m heading out to see the aliens. You’re the leader, scold them or something. Put them on a time out.” With another shake of his head, Jeb walked off, mumbling that he was at least glad his egg slicer wasn’t broken.
Robi swiped the smile from her face.
Eva exhaled. “It didn’t work.”
“It was a valiant effort.” Robi placed her hand on Eva’s back.
“You ain’t gonna scold us?” Eva asked.
“Nah, you had good intentions.”
“Mom? Can I go down with the aliens and Jeb?” Nick asked. “I’ve been doing this all morning.”
“Um, sure. Go on.” Robi kissed him on the cheek. “It’ll give me and Eva some girl time.”
Eva grinned and nodded excitedly. “Yeah, go on, Nick. I’m gonna hang with your Ma. Go see, maybe the knock on the head had a delayed reaction or something.”
“Good thinking.” Nick backed up. “I’ll let you know.” He turned and darted away.
Laughing, Robi put her arm around Eva, bringing her close for a quick ‘one arm’ hug. No sooner had she released Eva, Eva wrapped both her arms around Robi and held tight.
“My goodness,” Robi embraced her. “What is this for?”
“Nothing. I just like getting hugs from you.”
“Any time.” Robi embraced her some more and kissed her on the forehead. “I like it too. And …” She moved back. “I’m liking our girl time. Maybe we’ll sneak off today and hit that store across the street, get some new clothes for us.”
The Last Mile Trilogy Page 58