Fall of the Cities_A Mercedes for Soldier Boy

by Vance Huxley

  Training and Tweaking

  Four days after delivering the radios and firearms, ET arrived to see if any of themwere repaired becauseCaddi wanted them quickly.Harold stared at what ET brought with him, perplexed. “You can’t pay with those. Well, you can, but you’ll not get much credit.” The Hot Rods were bringing boxes full of empty bottles and containers with screw tops up from theirvehicles. “Cripes, I didn’t think you’d got that many to spare.” The brewers in Orchard Close were always on the lookout for sealable bottles,because constant breakages and none for sale in the Marts had led to a real shortage.

  “We want you to fill all the empties with beer, not buy them. There’s a lot of them because we’ve nearly run out of home brew. Our last batch isn’t fit to drink. Even these drunkards won’t touch it.” ET scowled but perked up again. “Your beer is the best around here, so having to buy it is a win.”

  “Too true. Berry Beer rules!” The gangster carrying a big box full of empty bottles grinned. The other two with him nodded, making jokes about what berries might be in the booze.

  Harold smiled back. “You’re in a good mood today?” ET was, he’d been laughing and cracking jokes with his men as they drew up.

  ET let the others get a bit ahead. “I owe you a favour, Soldier Boy. Two actually. When you and Mercedes wound Bug up and chopped him down, I got promoted into the top group. I’m officially ET instead of E-Type now.”

  “Congratulations, I think.What’s the second favour?”

  “Ah, right.” ET spoke more cautiously. “You know the girl Caddi forced into your bed? The one who offered to be spanked?” Harold needed the clarification; Caddi had put women in his bed more than once.

  Harold scowled at him.”Yes. I noticed you’d taken her.”

  “Hey, I asked her, there’s a difference. She’s a lot happier than staying with Caddi or in the brothel. I look after her properly.” ET smiled happily. “That’s the other favour, whatever you said to Caddi. Helet her go after that because he didn’t want to use her to wind you up again. That lot call her Spanky, but she just laughs at them. Better still, they all leave her alone.”

  “Hasn’t she got a real name?” Harold suddenly felt a lot better because Caddi had got the message. All it had taken was suggesting the next person who tried to force a girl into Harold’s bed could end up crippled.

  “That’s private. Christ, what does it matter?” ET sped up to catch the rest at the gate. The Hot Rodkept his macheteunder the evolving rules, but his men gave up everything but a knife after a quick search. The shotgun and crossbows up in the guardhouse windowsreminded them to be good. “Can we get a beer while that lot is being filled?” ET nodded at the containers being carried away for filling. The brewery and beer stocks were kept well outside the area gangsters could visit.

  “Have you got any stew on the go? With chips?” One of the Hot Rods looked towards the canteen. “Or a burger, a real rabbit burger? Caddi still reckons we haven’t got enough rabbits to start eating them.” Harold didn’t have chance to answer.

  “Is Doll there?” This gangster waved his phone, no doubt hoping for a picture.

  “There’s always stew or soup, and probably chips. Come on, we’ll ask about burgers. Doll is resting at the moment.” Doll would be practicing with her machete,building back her muscle and speed for if she ended up fighting Hot Rods. She wasn’t happy about losing her fighting edge while recovering from being lungshot. Harold led them to the canteen whereall four promptly ordered a beer. ET didn’t pay for his first one, another perk of being promoted to a top ranked visitor. The three Hot Rodssoldiers had stew, fresh bread and a plate of chips each. They flirted with the waitress and the women eating there butkepttheir language clean,restricting themselves tocheeky, barely suggestive. Thatdidn’t come easily to the young men,but they seemed to enjoy the challenge, or maybe the novelty.

  Sharyn andTessa served them today, both laughing at the comments. Tessa’s clothingsurprised Harold, because she had worn plain and baggy whenever he saw her at the Mart. Now Tessa wore a knee-length skirt, a pretty blouse, a bit of lippy and a big smile, and lookedher real age of twenty-fiveinstead of five or six yearsolder. She seemed to have found her niche.Harold knew that Sharyn served gangsters becausethey all minded their manners around Soldier Boy’s sister.He suddenly realised the Hot Rods were treating Tessa with the same caution. He fervently hoped she didn’t realiseshe’d been tagged as Soldier Boy’s woman.

  Harold explained the work done on the gun and radio repairs, and the cost, privately, while waiting for the beer. By the time ET handed over the batteries, and counted out coupons to make up the balance, filled beer bottles were arriving back at the gate. Seth, Nigel and Berry, the brewers, didn’t take long filling the bottles and containers, but eight people had to wheel them back to ET. A lot more coupons changed hands, but Harold ran every one through his scanner.The little gadget checked that the thumbprint printed on each one when the government bus issued them matched the ink thumbprint applied later. The system meant stolen coupons were worthless, only the original recipient’s thumbprint could authorise them. These coupons were authorised by tenants paying Caddi for protection. “Hey, we won’t cheat you.”

  “One of your gang tried it with Patty.We check everyone’s now in case there’s a duff thumbprint. I don’t want to be dragged off to a work camp for using one at the Mart.” Harold pointed at the scanner. “That’s why the Marts sell these things, to stop someone setting up a rival. Rumour has it a couple of gang wars were settled like that.” He stacked the coupons. “Spot on. You can borrow the barrows to help carry that lot down to your motors.”

  “That’s handy.” ET hesitated, looking hopeful. “We could use them to take some spuds down there as well?”

  “Spuds?”

  “Yeah, the frost got to ours so chips have been rationed. The fighters aren’t happy.” The three Hot Rods definitely looked happier at the mention of buying spuds. They’d all bought extra chips in the canteen.

  “They’re old potatoes because none of this year’s crop is ready yet.” Harold fought back a big grin. “Worse, all veggies are Emmy’s children. You’ve got to persuade her you’ll treat them right, then pay her prices.” He wanted Emmy involved so he didn’t sell spuds she needed for growingthis years’ crop.

  “Hah, your vegare never cheap but they’re better than the crap in the Mart. Half the spuds there are mouldy.” The other Hot Rods echoed ET’s scowl. “We did buy some, and I swear the rats had been at them. Your dogs and cats must be better guards than the blokes with rifles at the Marts.”

  “Maybe our guards know they’ve got to eat the veg, so they’re a bit keener.” Harold sent a request for Emmy to negotiate for potatoes, and for garden gnomes to collect them. He enjoyed the next bit because Emmy didn’t let go of her veggies without persuasion, expensive persuasion.

  While the gardeners filled the barrow and Emmy counted coupons,ET had more news. “Your visit must have fired Mercedes up. We reckon she’s frustrated at not getting to kill you, because she’s taken another three pairs of ears,sentry ears. She opened a gap and we were in before the Murphies woke up to it. We got another two streets for sod all fighting. Caddi might invite you over before the next push to get her fired up again.” ET went down the access road with seven fixed radios and the repaired shotgun,still chuckling at the idea.

  Harold wasn’t chuckling, because Emmy wanted details about this Mercedes and how Harold had fired her up or frustrated her. From her expression, Emmy already had some gossip, but wanted sordid details to swap with Liz. She sobered when Harold explained the importance of two streets. They’d be two inhabited streets, so the area of ruins around them had also fallen to Caddi’s men.

  *

  Despite Caddi wanting the rest of his guns as soon as possible, Harold set aside some time to teach machete fighting to the new recruits. The trainees included Bethany, Fergie and Tilly, who had already had some practice, as well as several young women he’d never s
een much of before now. “We’ve joined Patty’s new squad because of the perks.” Fergie wore a big smirk. “We heard there’s hand to hand involved, and were hoping you were instructing.”

  “Naughty. You already had extra personal training at Christmas.” Harold turned to the rest.”This is deadly serious even if we’re using wooden machetes and sticks. They’ll raise a nasty bruise if you don’t pay attention.” He smiled at the apprehensive faces. “If you find someone to kiss the bruises better, that might include some hand to hand.”

  “Will we all learn to shoot? Patty says we’re her apprentices but she only uses a crossbow. I want a pistol.” Bethany pointed to her Gnome hat,folded to hide the first ‘Gnome’so it only showed ‘Sweet Gnome’ again. “I’ll need a new hat if I qualify, one saying Demon.”

  “Not Sweet Demon?” Harold didn’t mention Patty usually carrying up to three hidden handguns.

  “Yes!” Bethany high-fived the others. “Told you he’d call me Sweet.”

  “You’ll call me something else soon, after the first practice.” Harold lined everyone up, and started them on the exercises he’d developed from his first experimental lessons. Once the dozen women and two men had wooden machetes in one hand and a stick in the other, all the joking stopped. Every one of them wanted to be as dangerous as possible.

  By the time they’d done, their enthusiasm had been dented a bit. “Ooh, when do I get to actually fight?” Bethany rubbed her arm where her muscles were complaining. “I can stand some pain if I’m dishing some out, but I haven’t hit anyone yet. Worse still, Fergie had that private practice so she’s better than us.”

  “You can try sparring with me next time, then you’ll feel foolish and want to concentrate on exercises for a week. This makes you suppler, and works the right muscles. Cutting browse for the bunnies helps?” Harold smiled at the sceptical looks. “You and Tilly are Gnomes so you shouldn’t mind the extra exercise.”

  “Since my sore muscles are sweet ones, how about some of that slow hand stuff we’ve heard rumours about?” Bethany grinned and waggled her eyebrows.

  “Scat, or I’ll tell Emmy you’ve been skiving instead of gnoming.” Harold watched them going down the road in a laughing, jostling group. He wondered how many of them would be mentally capable of hacking a human being, becausenobody could be certain until the moment arrived. He set off to find someone who was very capable of killing close-up, to teach her how tokill long-range.

  Harold caught Pattyon her way to check on her squad, or those currently on guard. “I’m going to test a rifle and an experimental weapon. If you go and get yourtwo-twoyou can be my guard. We’ll see if you can hit anything with it.” Patty’s eyes lit up, and she took off like a whippet to collect the weapon.

  By the time Patty and her rifle arrived at the gun workshop, Harold had collected the other two weapons. “I’ll be firing the repaired two-two, but you’ll use that one and also watch my back.”

  “No problem.” Patty hesitated, looking down at her rifle. “Except I’ve only got duds for loading practice?”

  “That’s why I brought you some real ammo. These arefor close up.” Harold gave her a box of rounds and two pouches to fit on her belt. “One pouch is to collect your empty brass, so I can reload it. Sew some loops into a belt sometime,to hold a few rounds for easier access. You’ll be using those for practice firing as well.” He passed her five rounds stuck in a drilled block of wood. “Keep these separate.”

  Patty looked at the five rounds with a little red dot on the end of the brass. “What’s the red dot mean?”

  “Migraines.” Harold tapped his forehead and Patty smiled, a really evil one. “Aim between their eyes. Goodnight asshole because those have a hardened steel core. The rest are just lead but will work well enough close-up, in their chest or gut. If you get good enough, then you can be very dangerous with those at longer ranges.”

  Patty nodded eagerly.”How many shots do I get?”

  “It depends on the repaired one. I’m more or less sure the sights are rightnow, but I’ll probably have to adjust some more. I’ll take a shot to check.If that tells me what I need to know, you take a couple with your rifle. You’ve been practicing with the sights?” Harold laughed at the look on Patty’s face.

  “Do fish swim? I’ve been seeing my dreams through peep sights. Little dot on a stick in the middle of the fuzzy circle, not wandering about, smack in the middle and still. It seems a bitmore basic than the scopes on the scavenged crossbows, the modern ones?” Patty had moved onto one of her favourite gripes. “I have to admit it’s a bloody sight better than what’s on the new crossbows, even the Geek ones.”

  “I showed you the old targets from the rifle club. Even the two crossbows with telescopic sights can’t score bulls on those, but peep sights and that little rifle can. When you’re done we’ll test this as well.” Harold showed her the other weapon.

  Patty hurriedly inspected the single barrelled shotgun, almost hopping up and down with impatience. “What’s different about this one then?”

  “This is an experiment so we’ll move elsewhere and risk another three shots. If it works then the less shots the better. There’s a copper tube in there so .38 pistol rounds fit, and I don’t want to wear it out.” Harold realised Patty wasn’t really paying attention, she wanted to go shooting. “I’ll explain when we get back.” Patty nodded and headed for the door.

  *

  Harold took them over the rubble to a ruin with a good view down a deserted road,out of sight of Orchard Close and the Army.The remaining walls would muffled the sound a bit and conceal some of the flash. The test showed the rifle needed more work, butnot too much. Harold never made the guns he repaired for other gangstruly accurate. The weapon might be aimed at him one day.

  Patty’s first attempt went off into the ruins someplace, or maybe into orbit.”Cripes, cripes, cripes.” Patty unwound the sling from her arm.

  “Calm down. You can see the target?”

  “Yes, but….”

  “You can see that little stick and dot?” Harold spoke calmly and quietly, because he knew exactly what her problem was.

  “Yes, but the bloody thing is jumping about! It must be because we’re outdoors, or do real rounds weigh more or something?”

  Harold laughed quietly and shook his head. “No.Your arm is jumping about like a demented frog because your nerves are making it twitch. Buck fever. The sheer excitement.”

  “It’s all this sneaking about. That and I’m probably the third woman to learn how to shoot properly since the Crash.” Patty looked and sounded dejected. “Maybe I’m just crap with a rifle.”

  “You didn’t shoot your own foot or the instructor, and both have been done. Half the problem is we’ve snuck off with one ear open for a helicopter or some nutter, so we’re both nervous. Calm down. I’ll bet a lot of the Barbies have used a gun since setting up in Beth’s, some of them for the first time.” Harold put a hand on her shoulder and Patty jumped. “Sorry.”

  “It’s all right. I think you just made the point about nerves. It’s just that, well,it’s a rifle! Three years ago I’d never seen one or heard one except on TV.” Patty produced a magnificent sneer. “Barbies? None of them were ever trained, proper Army training, by an honest to God soldier.Cripes! Now I feel a complete prat.”

  “The Army didn’t train me. I learned in a rifle club with one of these, a two-two. That’s why I can shoot the thing in my sleep.” Harold smiled at Patty’s puzzled expression. “The Army had to break me of going for the bolt after every shot, but I could always hit the targets. It pissed off the instructors because I wouldn’t go for sniper.”

  Curiosity replaced annoyance in Patty’s voice. “Why not?”

  “I didn’t like the idea of killing people, especially without giving them a chance.” Harold didn’t usually tell anyone about it, but the talking wascalmingPatty down.She’d find this funny and relax even more.

  “Are you taking the piss?” Patty sounded suspicious,whi
ch was fair. Harold kept telling thetrainees to stick an arrow in the bastards from behind cover, in the back if possible.

  “No. I had to reassess.” Harold’s sombre answer echoed memories of what he’d gone through to learn his lesson. “Not only that, but there seems to be a lot of people around these days who really do need killing.”

  “Too true there are.” Patty tapped the rifle and nudged him. “Cheer up. This will help.”

  “Oh yes. Now,if you’ve calmed down a bit, wrap the sling round your arm again. Take it steady, make sure you do it properly.” Patty did as she was told. “Now let go with your other hand.” The rifle stayed rock steady, held firmly. “Perfect, which proves it isn’t the wind or the bullet weight or anything else, just your nerves. Now imagine the rifle is your crossbow. That target is some gangster sneaking over the wall after Elise, or Jilli.”

  “Got it.”

  Harold saw the set of Patty’s shoulders. “Gently, relax, you don’t want the bastard to get away. Just get the dot settled in, on that white square right in the centre of his body mass. Take up the pressure and breathe gently and then, when you’re ready, just…” The crack made Patty jump but the target jerked and twisted a bit.

  “Gottim!” Patty gave a short nervous laugh. “It surprised me when the rifle went off!”

  “It’s supposed to, unless you know the rifle really, really well.” Harold clapped her on the shoulder, gently. “Well done, you can shoot. Now there’s just practice and confidence so you can do it further and further away. After that you learn about wind and uphill and leading a moving target, but this is the hard part.”

  “How much practice?”

  Harold could hear the eagerness in her voice.”As much as we can. I’ll take you out as my bodyguard some of the time, so you can take an occasional shot where nobody can see.”