The Apostates

by Lars Teeney

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  PARTISANS

  “Where did you get that fancy suit anyway? It’s a shame you got it all muddy!” Teri Greenbaum exclaimed, making a vain attempt to remove caked-on mud from Dmitri Zhukov’s suit.

  “I come from a very prominent background. My father is a Cardinal in the Church of New Megiddo leadership, and I am the head of the Zhukov family agricultural enterprises. This...is where the nice suits come from. You should see my penthouse suite in downtown Santa Cruz! Perhaps I will take you there some day!” Dmitri laid a finger on the tip of Teri’s nose and made a “boop” sound. She giggled with delight. and flashed eyes that were enamored with him.

  “But, do you even still have all of this? I mean, why were the Ranger’s after you?” Teri made an attempt at critical thinking.

  “Because, my dear, just like your family and these good people, I also believe the establishment corrupt. They have branded me a traitor for it! They have my honorable father. I will not rest until he is free!” Dmitri proclaimed for the starry-eyed, young woman.

  “You mentioned agriculture? I’ve got a green thumb. What’s your business like?” Teri asked with piqued curiosity.

  “We do very important work! Very important, indeed. Our scientists improve crops; we build upon what nature provided, and make better, stronger, more nutritiou,s and resilient to the elements. Of all the official, government-sanctioned cropsand all the main fruits, our organization comes up with the prototype seed. We distribute the seed to Virtuous farms which are contracted with the Regime, to grow the crops that keep your belly full.” He placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed it while flashing a smile. She flinched like she had been tickled and squealed with glee.

  “Also, we seek out and report any illegal farming operations, that do not follow proper Regime guidelines—at least—that’s what I used to do. But, I assure you, when this farce is over with and we overthrow the tyrants, I will resume my important work.” Dmitri looked troubled for a moment, then, went back to smiling for the girl.

  “Oh! We used to have an urban farm. Does that mean we were doing something illegal?” Teri scratched her head.

  “Yes, yes. I am afraid so. But, now you are here,” Dmitri told her, looking deep into Teri’s eyes. The two of them were in Teri’s tent: a spacious, heavy canvas structure with a metal spine, that she shared with her brother. The tent was separated in two via a retractable canvas flap that spanned its middle. They were the only individual’s in the Greenbaum’s cluster of family tents currently. Her mother, Gertrude, was on kitchen detail for the day, her brother, Jacob, was out fortifying the perimeter, and her father, Ernest, was helping Head Ranger Rick with the logistics of running the camp. The families were allowed to leave one member to tend encampments while others were away at work detail: that was Teri’s job, and was she ever tending camp.

  “My family was talking about a resistance movement planning something against the Rangers! Maybe you can help them? You seem to have connections!” Teri blurted without really thinking.

  “Are they indeed? This could be mutually beneficial for all of us. You’re such a smart and beautiful girl,” Dmitri told her. He stroked his fingers through the hair above her ear. She smiled at him and then planted a kiss upon his lips. This caught him by surprisel. She pushed him, back first, down on her bed and removed her shirt, exposing her black lacy, floral-print bra. He scrambled to remove his own shirt, and she helped him, all while they continued to kiss. Dmitri grabbed her and roughly pivoted her so that she was underneath him with her back on the bed. Teri was surprised by the rough treatment, but it turned her on so she laughed it off. He kissed her once more and groped her chest. She moaned with delight. He ground against her with his pelvis. She arched her back and thrust back in response. He reached down to undo her pants and she stopped him, “No, I’m on my period!” she whispered. He froze up. Exasperated he dropped his head on her stomach.

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t think we—” She was interrupted.

  “Father...father...please!” Dmitri whimpered.

  “What?” She asked him, puzzled.

  “No, father! I won’t...I love her!” He began to sob on her stomach.

  “What—why are you crying? What’s wrong?” She put a hand on his head. She had a troubled look on her face. Suddenly his face shot up to meet her gaze. It was red with fury.

  “I won’t! I won’t do it! You can’t make me! I fucking love her!” Dmitri grabbed her by the throat and began to throttle her. Teri was terrified and tried to scream but only managed to get out a guttural, croaking noise. Dmitri had a glazed-over look in his eyes. He was somewhere else, but his strength and rage were not. He squeezed tighter and she gasped for air and choked, flailing her arms in a vain attempt to free herself. Teri rapidly lost strength and the world was fading away.

  Teri would have died had it not been for the Ranger entering the tent, sticking his rifle around Dmitri’s neck, and putting him in a strangle hold with the length of his gun. The tables were turned on him and he relinquished his grip on Teri’s neck. The Ranger picked Dmitri up off the ground with his head and neck caught between the rifle and the armor over his chest. Dmitri was now hacking and gasping for air, as his legs flailed while he tried to gain a footing.

  “Father! Please save me! Father, save me!” he managed to get out between hacks. Teri looked at him and thought he was praying to God. She held her neck and recoiled at the scene of violence. With one quick jerk to the side with the Ranger’s left arm, he wrenched Dmitri’s head in an unnatural direction. A series of snaps could be heard, then, Dmitri struggled no more. The Ranger let the limp body fall to the floor.

  “Good thing I had my eye on that one,” the Ranger said casually.

  “Y-You killed him!” Teri managed to get out while wailing.

  “Yes, and he was about to kill you. You wouldn’t have been his first.” The Ranger tossed Teri her shirt. “You better put that on. Things are about to happen,” The Ranger instructed her.

  With a look of confusion, Teri quickly pulled her shirt over her head. She cowered and sat with her legs tucked up under her arms.

  “Apostates, Apostates: this is Pride-Swarm. The time is now, I repeat, the time is now!” The supposed Ranger spoke through his neural implant. Teri wondering who he was talking to, but whoever it was it seemed to get results because she heard the sound of gunfire outside her tent.

  “Get under the bed! Don’t come out! I’ll be back for you,” the man who called himself Pride-Swarm checked his rifle and then and ran out of the tent. Teri took the man’s advice and crawled under her bed, where she tried to stay quiet, but the sobs just kept coming.

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  Inside Ranger Rick’s command tent, Ernest Greenbaum had been busy analyzing the inventory of the camp’s supplies. He had crunched the numbers as he always did for the past two weeks while they had waited for transport across the Great Lake. The ferry that had never come, the terrible living conditions in the camp, and the killing of several townspeople by Rangers during a scuffle had brought the situation to boiling-point. Ernest, who himself, was suspecting that his son would be found guilty by a Ranger inquiry into the matter, had taken no chances. Ernest had sought out the leaders of the brewing resistance among the townspeople. So, he plotted alongside the leadership. He kept a low profile and a stern poker face; he was good at that, having plenty of experience in business matters.

  Ernest had figured he would be a valuable member to the resistance because of his direct access to Ranger Rick’s command center. So, this is where he found himself working when he received the message from Pride-Swarm: a leading agitator among the camp’s resistance. Ernest became nervous. He wondered why action was called so hastily, and why in the middle of the day? When Ernest heard the sporadic gunfire outside he knew that events would only escalate from here.

  Ernest heard yells and cries outside in the encampment, but he was in the heart of the Ranger command post. He could
n’t just run out and join the others. Just then, Head Ranger Rick burst into his command tent. He yelled at a subordinate outside,

  “I don’t give a shit what you have to do! Put this mutiny down, whatever measures you need to take!” As he entered the tent he caught a glimpse of Ernest toiling away on the central table in the room. Ernest nodded in respect to the Ranger, who returned the nod. Ranger Rick walked over to a locker behind his desk, and he prepared to change his undershirt. He unfastened his armored cuirass. He also placed his sidearm on his desk. Ranger Rick began to speak to Ernest while he faced the locker, “God damned, ingrates! The lot of them. All we were ever doing was escorting them to the B.A.G.! They were all going to receive the Lord’s salvation! Now look at this mess. That’s why I like you, Ernest. You’re loyal. Always efficient, no questions asked!” Ranger Rick sprayed some deodorant under his arms. Ernest got up out of his seat, staring at the Head Ranger.

  “Maybe I’ll have you go out there; talk some sense into that rabble. They would certainly listen to you. Tell them to lay down their arms. I can’t totally promise your safety, you realize? Might brand you a traitor. But, you’d risk that to be loyal, wouldn’t you, Ernest?” Head Ranger Rick rambled on. He pulled an undershirt over his head, and plucked out a fresh uniform button-up top from his locker and swung it over his shoulders. Ernest approached and stood over the side arm that laid on the desk.

  “Of course, if you helped put down this rebellion, I’d make certain that you and your family were treated exceptionally. For the rest, however, I cannot promise them leniency. Someone will have to pay for this mess. They will be made an example of.” Head Ranger Rick finished buttoning his shirt and reached down for his metal cuirass. He began to refasten it.

  “So, what do you say, Ernest? Ready to make New Megiddo proud? Do your duty?” The head Ranger asked. He reached down for his sidearm, and it wasn’t there. He heard the hammer cocking and turned around quickly.

  “You’re right, Ranger Rick. Someone needs to be made an example of.” Ernest pulled the trigger and sent a round flying that hollowed out the core of the Ranger Rick’s head and deposited its contents inside his locker. Ranger Rick’s body fell back against the locker. Ernest rushed over to the entrance of the command tent and peeked out. He saw that the Rangers were engaged elsewhere so he rushed out of the tent with the side arm tucked into his waistline. Ernest made his way over toward the food service area to try to find his wife.

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  By the time the carnage had began, Jacob was already exhausted from a full day’s work digging in the trenches. When the firing started he had laid low and kept his shovel handy, for any attack he could possibly launch on an unsuspecting Ranger. He could see that the Rangers that had overseen his section were drawn off by the gunfire. So, now the men around him were unsupervised, and so Jacob rallied five other laborers to rush a guard tower position, just off a corner of the encampment. One Ranger remained in the tower, and his attention was diverted elsewhere, firing across the camp, at a group of resistance fighters who had overpowered Rangers and stolen their guns.

  Jacob and the other laborers stayed low and ran to the tower’s base via the half completed trench. The Ranger continued to trade fire with mutineers on the far side of the camp, unaware of Jacob’s band. One man used a shovel to force the locked door open, and the rest of the men poured in. Jacob and the other men ascended the internal staircase, then reached the top level. The sound of gunfire was close. Jacob signaled to the men on the count of three, that they would take the Ranger. On three, the men rushed the Ranger as he fired from the side of the tower. Most of the laborers stayed low but one man ran right out with his shovel held overhead, going for a wide swing and was unlucky enough to catch an incoming round to the chest, that had been aimed at the Ranger. The sound of the impact startled the Ranger, as he turned around to find the five laborers rushing him with shovels and picks. He tried to bring his rifle to bear, but before he could he was shot in the back by the mutineers from the far side of the camp.

  Jacob sent a shovel flying into the Ranger’s facemask. He dropped his rifle, which Jacob picked it up for himself. Another man grabbed the Ranger’s side arm, and yet another took the Ranger’s bayonet dagger. The other laborers found additional side arms in a locker, to the rear of the room. As fast as the men stormed the tower, they were now descending the stairs in an effort to find other areas of conflict.

  Along the perimeter they traveled, using the trench they had dug as cover. They could hear the sound of a firefight getting closer. The group of armed laborers rounded a corner and halted. They spied a group of three Rangers huddled down behind building supplies, exchanging fire with a mob of mutineers. It was an asymmetrical engagement because the mutineers were not trained and they ran out, firing wildly, getting picked off, while the Rangers waited patiently, aiming. The Rangers fired in short, controlled bursts, as their training had instilled in them. The sight of seeing so many of his fellow townspeople being brought low enraged Jacob. The other laborers felt a similar anger. One of the laborers fired his sidearm, which ricocheted in the dirt near the group of Rangers. The Rangers flinched and reacted by instinct to the new threat on their flank. One Ranger returned fire catching the laborer in the throat. He hacked and gasped as he fell to the dirt. Shots now blanketed the area where the laborers crouched. They also returned a terrible hail of lead in the Ranger’s direction. None of the shots were particularly well placed, but some struck knees and an arm of two of the three Rangers. The one uninjured Ranger fired back, more effectively laying low another of Jacob’s company. Jacob felt piercing pain in his stomach and looked down to the sight of blood. The Ranger stood upright now, advancing slowly but surely as he fired. Jacob’s company of laborers were hit one after another, falling where they stood. Jacob crouched down behind the earthen embankment. He prayed to his God, as earth and rock were torn up all around his position, where bullets impacted.

  “Jacob!” He heard his name called. He looked over to the adjacent direction and spied his father, Ernest, with an outstretched arm, firing a pistol. He peeked up over the embankment and saw that his father had gunned down the Ranger that threatened him so. The Ranger fell back on his rump and then hunched over, dead. His father rushed over to Jacob. Jacob looked down and saw that it was worse than he expected, the adrenaline rush had masked the pain. His father reached out and supported Jacob’s head.

  “Jacob! Oh my son, my boy! Look what they did to you.” Ernest cried out, as he tried to put pressure on the wound. It was apparent that the wound was deep.

  “Father! Don’t fret so. It’s not as bad as you think. Soon, we’ll all be back home in Ukiah.” Jacob smiled and his eyes grew lazy. He was having trouble keeping his head aloft. Jacob drifted in and out of conscientiousness. His father tried to rouse him, then it was obvious what was happening. Ernest recited a Viduy prayer, in Hebrew for his son, in those final moments. Then he slipped under for the last time while Ernest held him.

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  Pride-Swarm had dealt with a sizable group of Rangers himself; he had been able to surprise them. He had, long ago been recruited by Graham Wynham, and had been in deep cover ever since. In fact, there were hundreds like himself: “sleepers” waiting until the right time to act. Pride-Swarm had gunned down the last of Ranger resistance, after his betrayal the remaining Rangers did not know who they could trust, so they threw down their weapons and surrendered. The Ranger prisoners were herded into the central area and sat down at the picnic tables. They were kept under armed guard. The surviving townspeople also gathered there. Gertrude and Teri looked around in the crowd for Ernest and Jacob. They combed the crowd and asked as many people as they could. No one had seen either of them.

  Gertrude began to fear the worst; tears welled up in her eyes when she saw that neither Ernest nor Jacob was anywhere to be found. Teri asked her mother if they had been killed. Gertrude said nothing in return. She collapsed onto a bench, and Teri sat be
side her. Gertrude was coming to the realization that she and he daughter would be alone in the world. They embraced each other. The survivors were deliberating on what to do next. There were still some devout followers of the Church who wanted to continue on to the B.A.G. Others were quick to remind them that they were all now fugitives in the eyes of the Church and Regime; Apostates. A shouting match broke out between the followers and those who wanted to return to their homes.

  “Quiet! Quiet everyone. Look we all don’t have to have to go to one place. If you people who are still believers want to take your chances with the Church, be my guest,” Pride-Swarm yelled as he took off his Ranger helmet. Gertrude looked up at the man. She thought she knew who the man was, or at least, who, he had looked like. But, she couldn’t quite place it.

  “Now, look. You’re all free to go wherever you want. I am guessing many of you will want to return to your home. Please do. Of course I will be returning to the east, from there I will rendezvous with allies, who like me, have helped others like you. We will be leaving New Megiddo. Anyone is welcome to join,” Pride-Swarm said his piece. The crowd was silent for a moment, then, someone spoke from the back of the crowd.

  “I for one have lost too much just abandon my home. I will go back to Ukiah, and I believe my family will join me,” Ernest Greenbaum spoke. He held his deceased son, cradled in his arms. Gertrude heard him speak and she climbed to her feet. She caught sight of Jacob in Ernest’s arms.