"Mark!"
I fired a warning shot over the girl’s head, while Nakada popped the gunman in the shed and Nitta nailed the one behind the bushes.
Unfortunately, the girl ignored my warning and fired her rifle at my position. I rolled away just in time and the bullet whizzed past my head. I was about to call out to her to lay down her gun, but both Nakada and Nitta came out into the open and opened fire on her. Her body jerked around as several bullets hit her, and then she collapsed, her blood spreading out to soak the dusty road.
We rose from our hiding spots and stood in a circle around the girl while the rest of the refugees in the building screamed and cried in terror, afraid for their lives.
"What did you have to kill her for?" I demanded angrily.
The sergeant grabbed me by the collar and pulled me so close that his spittle hit my face as he shouted. "Pull a stunt like that again, Jones, and I’ll shoot you myself. You put the whole squad in harm’s way by refusing to shoot her. Next time I tell you to shoot someone, you do it – understand?"
"Yes sir!" I bellowed, though only in order to keep up appearances that I was a typical Ranger.
"Now help Nakada and Nitta get the rest of the raiders out of the building while Itoh gets the truck," he snapped.
Itoh brought up the large military-green truck we used to transport captured raiders off Hamamachi lands, and the refugees, terrified for their lives, climbed into the back. The rest of us Rangers climbed into the spacious cab next to Itoh.
We normally drove captured raiders a good half day's drive out of Hamamachi lands to discourage them from returning – which often didn't work – but I was baffled when Itoh drove us into the nuclear wasteland of Melbourne's southeastern suburbs. And then most unexpectedly, we reached fields of market gardens tended by Skel slaves, and then parked in the middle of the road not far from a rundown community centre.
Several hulking Skel came out of the centre and other nearby buildings and sauntered casually towards us as though they'd been expecting us. I had a very, very bad feeling about this.
"Follow my lead," the sergeant said as he climbed down out of the truck. The rest of us clambered out and fanned out behind him.
The sergeant moved forward to address the Skel leader. "Got another load of slaves for you," he said.
"They'd better be healthier than the last bunch, some of them didn't last more than a few days," the Skel grunted.
"Don't worry, there's some good stock in this batch," the sergeant laughed, and then turned back to us. "Right, bring them out."
Nakada, Nitta and Itoh headed for the back of the truck immediately, but I didn't move. "This is a joke, right, Sergeant?" I growled.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" he shot back.
"If you hand these people over to the Skel you're giving them a death sentence," I said.
The other three Rangers started pulling the terrified refugees out of the back of the truck and propelling them towards the Skel. Several started screaming hysterically the moment they saw the Skel awaiting them. Some tried to run, but were clubbed down by the Rangers with their assault-rifles. A few of the men even tried to resist, but gun barrels shoved against their heads got them moving. More of the refugees tried to escape, but the Rangers fanned out behind them, giving them nowhere to go. Skel came forward and started dragging the sobbing, screaming refugees towards the community centre.
And me – I was scared out of my wits. I'd never been this close to Skel before without trying to kill them, and them me. I knew I was supposed to go along with whatever the Rangers were doing and report their behaviour back to my boss. But this was nothing short of pure murder, and there was no way I was gonna let it happen and just report it later.
"That’s regrettable, Jones, but it solves two of our problems," the sergeant replied.
"What problems, Sergeant – how can you possibly justify doing this?"
"We give them refugees to be their slaves – refugees who would overburden Hamamachi if they settled with us – and in return, the Skel don't encroach upon Hamamachi lands or abduct our citizens."
"That's absolutely monstrous!" I declared, as rage slowly consumed me as I watched Skel and Rangers continue to drive the unfortunate people past me, striking or clubbing those who didn't cooperate.
The sergeant shrugged. "Hamamachi’s a small town and the tide of migrants from up north seeking shelter with us is steadily increasing. We don’t have the resources to put them up. It's an imperfect world, Jones, so get used to it."
"Well, it stops now," I declared emphatically. "Tell the Skel to back off and that we're taking these people back."
The sergeant sighed in exasperation. "Jones, either assist us with the handover or get out of the way. I'll be informing the colonel of your uncooperative behaviour when we get back. I'm surprised at you, to be honest. You've never shown a hint of this attitude before."
I was not cowed. "You will stop this transfer right now, Sergeant. This is my last warning." I readied my Austeyr assault-rifle, flicking the automatic lockout setting to the exposed position so that the gun would fire in semi-automatic mode. If I fired on full automatic, the magazine would be empty in seconds.
"Who do you think you are?" the sergeant bellowed, his face red with anger. "Hand over your weapons and get in the truck – and that's an order."
My actions were dictated for me before I could think of how to respond. A small boy, tears streaming down his face, tried to run but a Skel clubbed him to the ground before he could get away. The Skel lifted his club to strike the child again, but before he could do so I couched my gun and put a bullet through his throat, sending him crashing to the ground like a felled tree.
And everything instantly descended into chaos.
Seeing one of their number shot dead by a supposed ally, the rest of the Skel shrieked with rage and charged – some at me and the rest at the other Rangers.
Some refugees threw themselves to the ground and covered their heads while the rest scattered and fled in all directions. I darted through the midst of this bedlam, dodging crossbow bolts and clubs, taking down the Skel one by one with single shots to the throat. Unfortunately, more were running out of the buildings, coming to assist their fellows.
From the corner of my eye I saw the sergeant lower his gun and hold up a hand to a Skel who was about to attack him. "It's not us! One of my men's gone rogue – just stay back and let us deal with him!" And then I heard the sergeant's voice in my headset, loud and clear. "Take out Jones – and quickly – before the idiot destroys our agreement with the Skel!"
I heard Itoh come at me from behind, so I spun about, knocked his assault-rifle aside, and then drove my rifle-butt into his throat. He started to choke and gag, but when bullets began tearing into him as well as the refugees running past me, I grabbed him by the collar with my left hand to keep him upright and used his body as a shield. Nitta, standing over to my left, had gone nutso in her attempt to kill me, and was shooting everything in the way, even the refugees and Itoh.
Fortunately, the Austeyr was designed to be used as easily with one hand as two, so I put a bullet through Nitta's chest and she collapsed.
Nakada was next. He leaped out from behind the back of the truck, rifle at the ready. But he hesitated for a split second before shooting because Itoh was standing beside me. I took advantage of his momentary hesitation and shot him too.
I heard the sergeant cursing from near the front of the truck. "Idiots – must I do everything myself?"
I dived in front of a Skel charging me just as the sergeant brought his gun around to bear on me, throwing off his aim. I shot the sergeant first and then the Skel, and both hit the dusty road at the same time. The enormity of what I'd just done – killing my own teammates – hit me like a sledgehammer, but it was in self-defence and besides, I had to save the civilians at all costs.
So I kept gunning down Skel until the rest retreated back indoors or behind ruined walls or fences, where they popped up to fire
crossbow bolts at me at random intervals. Several more bursts from my assault-rifle and they kept their heads down too.
Silence fell and I shouted out to the refugees that I was not a Ranger but was working undercover to expose them. I asked if any of them could drive the truck, for we needed to get out of here pronto.
Their leader came forward. He was a large man with greying hair. He understood the urgency of the situation, bundled the surviving civilians back into the truck, and then quickly drove away while I provided covering fire. The Skel began their counter attack at that same moment, so I quit the area once the truck was safely on its way.
Sometime later, I was sitting dejectedly on a red brick fence, my assault-rifle on my lap and a Smartphone in my right hand. The faces of my teammates as I shot them kept going through my mind on continuous replay. I couldn’t remember having felt so dismal, so riddled with remorse. But I had no regrets. They'd left me no choice but to shoot them.
I heard a car draw near and park, and then heavy footsteps as someone approached me from the left. The driver came and sat on the wall beside me. "Are you alright?" he asked kindly.
"What do reckon? You asked me to infiltrate the Rangers to find out what they were up to – you never hinted they could be doing something so despicably evil, or that they'd try to kill me when I tried to stop them." My voice trailed off to a whisper. "You never mentioned I'd have to kill them."
"I am sorry, Ethan, if I had known it would come to this, I would not have asked to you infiltrate them."
"So what happens now?" I asked tiredly.
"There will be an internal investigation, but do not let that concern you. I will explain everything to them," he replied.
"Oh great," I sighed.
"In the meantime, I will have to ask you to hand over your weapons – it is procedure, that is all."
"You can have the blasted things – I never want to see a gun again," I replied despondently, my eyes still fixed on the ground. I handed him the Austeyr, and then unclipped the pistol and handed it to him too.
"I am sorry, but I have no choice," he said, and placed my pistol against the side of my head and pulled the trigger.
My last thought was of Nanako, my beautiful young wife, who was going to be a widow at the age of eighteen.
Chapter Thirty-Six
I woke with a start in the darkness, my cheeks wet with tears. I reached out for Nanako, but when I couldn't find her, I scrambled to my knees in alarm. And then it hit me – she’d been arrested by the Custodians and faced life in prison or worse. And where was I – hiding out in a dark, damp basement beneath an abandoned house while she was interrogated by brutal, corrupt Custodians who wanted nothing more than to destroy her. My heart felt like it was breaking into a thousand pieces, each piece dragged across an asphalt road.
And then there was the dream. I hadn’t committed suicide like Sergeant Tamura had claimed – someone did try to murder me. And that someone was a man who'd asked me to infiltrate the Rangers to find out what criminal activities they were engaging in. So why did he shoot me? More to the point, who on earth was he?
I had to see Nanako as soon as possible to tell her this wonderful news – that I hadn’t tried to leave her two years ago by attempting suicide like she feared. And I had to tell her she'd been right in her belief that I'd had no choice but to shoot my teammates.
But how could I tell her these things when she was locked up in Custodian Headquarters? I sat with my head in my hands and waited for dawn, listening to my three friends as they slept soundly on makeshift beds.
When the first rays of sunshine finally peeked through the basement's air vents, I opened the trapdoor and went outside.
* * *
I returned to the basement a couple of hours later, carrying a backpack filled with a selection of dried fruits, cooked chicken, nuts, bread, and bottles of processed water, which I'd bought from the market. For the most part, I'd avoided the Custodian patrols, but in order to be inconspicuous, kept the hood down on a hoodie I'd 'borrowed' from someone’s clothes line.
I parcelled out the food and drinks, which the others quickly consumed. I didn't eat, but paced up and down the basement in agitation.
My mood was further dampened since I'd had the misfortune of bumping into my father when I was out snooping around this morning. He'd been on the way to work, and thinking I may never have a chance to see him again, I'd snuck over to him.
"What have you been doing, Son. The custodians said you're a traitor, a terrorist – that you're working for the Japanese to destroy our town – is this true?" he'd asked me angrily.
"Oh don't be ridiculous, Father," I'd snapped back. "Who do you think took out the Japanese Ranger squad that broke into Newhome last night? I did."
"If that was true, why are the Custodians trying to arrest you? Seriously, Son, I don't know you anymore. You're life went to pieces when you met that girl. And within days of her coming back in your life, you've become a stranger to me, doing all these absurdly ridiculous things. When are you going to open your eyes and see that she's destroying your life?"
"This hasn't got anything to do with her!"
"Really? Then why are the Custodians claiming that the two of you are working undercover for Hamamachi?" he'd demanded, eyes wild with rage. "I did everything for you, Son, spared no expense, and this is how you repay me, by becoming a traitor?"
"I'm not a..."
"You've become an embarrassment to me! I never want to see or hear from you again – I never even want to hear your name mentioned in my presence – now leave me alone!" With that he'd hurried away without a backward glance. My own father had denied me, cut me off; chosen to believe Custodians lies rather than the truth from me.
David's voice suddenly shocked me out of my reverie. "You find out anything about Nanako while you were out?"
I stopped pacing but only glanced briefly in his direction when I answered. "She's to be executed on the charge of espionage at midday."
"What?" David said, jumping to his feet in dismay.
"They can't do that – she's innocent!" Shorty protested.
"They've been gunning for her since the day we got back," I spat.
"What are we gonna do?" David said, walking over to me.
A crazy plan suddenly took shape in my mind, so I picked up the backpack of C4 explosives and detonators I had taken from the Rangers. "What'll happen if we place all the explosives in this bag against Newhome's eastern wall and detonate it?"
David took the bag from me and examined its contents thoughtfully while Leigh and Shorty edged slowly away. "You want to blow a hole in the wall, Jones?"
"Yeah, a really big one. Is there enough C4 there to do that?"
"I reckon so, but why would you do that? Won't that let the Skel into Newhome?"
"No," I replied. "Well, perhaps a few, but not for long."
"How do you figure that?"
"Remember what happened when the Skel blew North End's gates open and came pouring in?" I asked.
"Every Custodian in Newhome rushed in there and eventually kicked 'em out again," David replied.
"Correct."
"So what exactly are you trying to say?" David demanded.
"I know how we can rescue Nanako, but we're gonna have to act fast. We've got less than four hours to get everything in place."
"Okay, tell us what to do," Shorty said, bouncing forward enthusiastically.
* * *
It was approaching midday, and as there was no sign of Nanako yet, I was beginning to panic. If there was a delay with the execution, my plan to rescue her was going to come crashing down about my ears.
I was in the Courthouse Death Chamber, a square room with walls made of wooden panels, where criminals were executed by lethal injection.
Having stolen a Custodian private's uniform an hour ago – he'd wake up with a rather massive headache at some stage later today – I'd simply walked into the Courthouse. Thanks to the bulky helmet and dark shades I
was wearing, no Custodians on patrol had even glanced at me.
Half a dozen Custodians were in the Death Chamber with me, standing at attention under the wall opposite the chair. None of them had paid me the slightest bit of attention when I went and stood at attention beside them, either. The Custodians were one big, happy family.
To the right of the Death Chamber, separated from the room by only a waist high wooden barrier, was the Witness Room. There were five women in the room, including my mother and sisters, come to offer Nanako what little comfort they could before the end. My little sister was weeping forlornly, her eyes bloodshot and red. My mother looked absolutely devastated and her hands were shaking. My older sister was seething with anger at the injustice of this absurd execution.
Standing on the far side of the witness room were two more women, and their presence almost sent me into a murderous rage. They were Sienna King and her mother. And they weren't distressed like my family, but rather, somewhat satisfied. In fact, Sienna had a smug look on her face, identical to the expression her brother wore when he changed the hydrogen bomb in Hamamachi to go off in five minutes.
My deliberations were interrupted when two six-foot-tall Custodians entered the Death Chamber from the left. One was the brawny Major Harris, the blond-haired, blue-eyed menace I’d come to despise so much. The other was your typical beef-and-no-brains private. My heart leapt into my throat when I saw Nanako sandwiched between them, looking so small, weak, and dejected.
The desire to rush over and take her in my arms was so powerful that it literally hurt. She must be going through hell right now – heartbroken over the loss of her baby and blaming herself for it; believing I'd didn't love her as she'd loved me two years ago; and as if that wasn't more than enough, she thought she was going to be executed like a common criminal in a few minutes.
After Nanako came the executioner, a slim, small man wearing a black ski mask and baggy black clothes. I wanted to rip the mask off the coward and strangle the life out of him, though to be honest, he wasn’t the problem, but the totalitarian government he represented.
Forager - the Complete Trilogy (A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Trilogy) Page 46