LAND of the FREE

by Michael W. Huard

  From one of the doorways appeared a stocky, shirtless Puerto Rican dude with dark hair and several tattoos. "What's up, ladies?" he blurted out before any introductions were made. Kalina went on to explain that the long dark-haired Asian, who Mahira had first danced with at the club, was a roommate, which also explained the décor. But who was this other fellow standing in the doorway?

  Kalina, still holding on to Mahira's arm, announced him as her boyfriend. "Oh, this is Malice, he's cool, and sort of my man, ya know?"

  Mahira was more than a little buzzed with soaring adrenaline after the fight. "So you have two roommates?" Mahira asked.

  "Before you say anything," Malice added, "no pressure, I got some good smokes here, lots of sake too . . . and this face isn't that bad looking, right? Kick me out, let me party with yas, whatever you decide, just chill, babes."

  Mahira looked to her sultry female friend. "He's kind of cute," she remarked. Mahira jumped on the king size bed to the right of them. It was covered with furry, white and brown cheetah patterned blankets. "The real question is, is he crazy?" asked Mahira in a fun and teasing way.

  Malice chuckled. "You see these twenty-five tats?" he laughed, lighting up a joint. "I'm a crazy motherfucker, but hey, listen, I have a kind heart." The most dominant tattoo was the angel wings on his back, which he now turned to show the Mystical Slayer. He was glad she seemed to approve!

  The ladies joined together on the bed, whiskey was poured, and the joint was shared. Malice was happy just watching as the girls caressed one another, made out, and explored their shapely, very fit bodies. "Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Mahira, looking over at Malice. He grinned in amusement. "Neither of us are that interested in your soft heart tonight, but I can think of something else we'd enjoy." It took Malice less than two seconds flat, and he was on the bed with them.

  Chapter 19

  Lomax had a job to do. He had to use his access as a reporter for the Y-Wood R-Bel news station and hack into their biggest, deepest, and darkest secrets. This would be very dangerous.

  This work could reveal his whereabouts and put the entire underground Boston complex at grave risk. So he took all his equipment and made his way on foot to another location. He had a little private hideaway in a tall building nearby. This loft would be his workstation for the next forty-eight hours. He packed water, food, and all the technological devices that he could fit into a large carry bag. But before setting out, he made his way to see Johan.

  "Daddy," the small boy yelled as his father entered the room. Lomax ran to him as the boy came over, arms outstretched. He picked up his son and swung him around, giving him his biggest hug ever. "Can we play today, Dad? Can we do the game? I wanna do more puzzles! It’s fun, Dad, I like our time together."

  "I like our time together too," Lomax agreed as he finally placed his boy down from the massive hug. He then knelt before his son.

  "I need to tell you something, son. I have been meaning to say this for a while now. The day you were born, Johan, was the best day of my life. It was the day I could believe in miracles again, because you appeared right before my eyes." Johan smiled as his father continued. "I love you, buddy, your mother and I are proud of you, and we know you will be okay."

  The boy seemed fine. "I’ll be okay, Dad. Do you have time to play today?"

  Lomax laughed. To kids, the world was so small, and the little things are all that really matter. He found himself facing the most important upcoming days of his and Raegan's life, but his son had no idea what all of this could turn into. This could be the end, and his son wanted to just play. "I can't hang out today . . . I wish I could, but Daddy has something very important he has to do. Make sure you give your mom a big hug for me, and I’ll see you later, alright?"

  The young boy nodded. He was sad. "I’ll miss you, Daddy, I love you."

  The undercover rebel newsman padded his son on the head. He then walked to leave the room. "I’ll miss you too, buddy."

  Lomax then made his way out of underground Boston. He found himself jogging for a while to the more inner section of the city. Most areas were in ruins, while other spots hid hovels of activity.

  He stepped through a doorway and went up a decent stairway to another door on the level above. Once in the room, he climbed up onto an old, beaten desk to open a trap door which led him to another higher room. The loft overlooked the wasteland of the city that Boston had become. Lomax pulled open a large, dirty window before sitting down at his solid oak desk. He laid out all his electronics on the top and began his search for answers and the hacking of Y-Wood International. He was a computer expert, a hacker of the highest ability.

  Years of seeking passwords and ways of getting through to the places he would seek tonight, were finally falling into place. However, there was still the danger of getting caught. There always had been, so the risk was one he had avoided fully, until now.

  Y-Wood had the ability to dispatch drones immediately to any region if any such hack into their main computer systems was being attempted. The location would be blown up, destroyed, and whipped from the map. This was common knowledge and had occurred before in spots all over the country. Lomax had spent years working towards this point today, and it just had to be done. The girls needed to learn and know everything they could about the Corporation. He would do his best.

  Lomax settled in and overran the protective firewalls which had initially blocked his seeking. First of all, he had to find a way to open the necessary doors to get the ladies inside the headquarters, as well as distract the drone sky-watchers away from the ladies' soon-to-be-movements, so as to gain access to the ground level. Then there were all the guards, the traps, and the alarms to deal with. He spent the entire afternoon and evening working on these important factors; so far, so good.

  Lomax followed his findings throughout the Y-Wood complex. Hacking into the world's richest, most protected system in the world was a pretty amazing accomplishment. He used every single source he had known, saved, or stolen to get by the various firewalls which were themselves behind other password encryptions, and then even more hacks and passwords were needed. Any single tiny error would trigger the Rutheys. Rutheys were a creation of the Corporation, so named for their ruthless behavior. A Ruthy was a black robot, bent on destruction. Seek and destroy was their single objective. These armored machines had no emotion, yet enough intelligence to hunt their prey. The Ruthy target would see nothing but black plated armor and scary, very deadly, glowing green eyes when they appeared. One look and the target knew instantly what was before them.

  First things first, to avoid detection by security at the Old Fenway compound, official access passes and proper contact lenses would be needed. He had already given these to both Mahira and Raegan. With the help from their insiders, Zaey and Sinaye, Lomax was confident Mahira and his wife could bypass the barriers which were sure to be waiting for them. His job was to make it easier.

  A few modifications to the outside patrol units would give both girls a passage in. As he scanned for ways to change the codes and program the droids to overlook their entry, he ran into some interesting observations. No robots were allowed to fire on pretty girls. He wondered what the hell that was all about? A scan from a robotics guard or half-human clone associate would distinguish if the law was to be followed or not. The codes were crazy. Skin, eyes, nose, ears, hair, smell, weight, grace, feet, breast size; everything was in code, so the guards could then make a choice of whether or not to fire. Lomax was still dumbfounded by this, yet it was still interesting. Someone in the Corporation did not want beautiful, sexy human women to be harmed. It was all very odd.

  There was an override feature, of course, which any top associate or leader at Y-Wood could put into action if they needed to. This code was either a verbal or manual type-in from the main server override. Lomax studied the code and name. It was a series of numbers . . . 886886886 . . . then letters, spelling out "cedar". That was it; he altered the number
s and the cedar password. The override code had now been changed.

  Inside the stadium, a series of traps and eye scans would also await the ladies. They would also need a key card to gain access to the various floor levels. He could not undo all the traps until the women were actually there.

  The aspect of the secret door which the ladies had encountered at the grand ball became his next hacking destination. However, the only places left to look were well protected by serious encryption. One such file was named The Great Hunt. A second was labeled The Queen of the World. These, he knew, must be very important.

  Lomax, no matter what he tried, could not get into either; not just yet. He did, however, see the entire complex on his screen, mostly via blue prints; floor plans which were now being downloaded onto microchips for Raegan. When the updated chips, entry cards, and the eye lenses for scanning entry were all ready, he packed up his stuff and stopped to take one last look at the two files he hadn't been able get into. There were also a few spots on the floor plans which he couldn't get to; perhaps there was a connection.

  Once he had returned all this information to the underground, he would get right back here later tonight to figure out these missing pieces. He set off back to the underground to discuss his findings and see his family.

  ***

  The women made their plans for what would be a true day of reckoning. They would be infiltrating the Y-Wood main facility before the Corporation could destroy every bit of hope they still had.

  The time had come. Through decades of training, studying, and trying to maintain their hope, the sisterhood had reached a point where there was no other option than to go all out. Corporation drones were now being seen daily and were closing in on their location. The years, in one way, had made the Mystical Slayers stronger; but then again, time and resources were not able to overcome the sheer power of the Corporation. The sisterhood, in essence, was fading. There were but a few left with the fortitude to offer freedom to the world.

  Raegan, Mahira, Sinaye, Zaey, Jansa, and Chaya all gathered together, perhaps for one last time. Raegan was first to speak as they formed a united circle in their underground Boston sanctuary. "Sinaye and Zaey leave in the morning. Once they start to play the Corporation's games, we can only hope they are able to weaken their inner defenses, send us intelligence, and also create enough extra time for myself and Mahira to get in to breech that secret door and their prized chamber, which we now believe to be the source of all Y-Wood power."

  Sinaye was next to talk. "Once we have dealt with their case on the explosion in California, I'm sure we can find a way to stick around another day. Zaey and I will look for any weak points in their defenses for sure."

  Mahira interjected, "Stay undercover for as long as you both can, it's better they know nothing of your connection to us."

  All the girls paused for a moment, now looking to one another as if this might be their last memory of each other.

  Raegan looked to Jansa. "I know it's difficult for you, Chaya and Envy, to do as I have asked. Yet, who better to stay back and help the others fight for survival than our very own amazing doctor and our inspirational Chaya? Plus, my son, Johan . . . " she paused as tears fell from her eyes " . . . he needs someone like you to take care of him."

  Chaya embraced Raegan and tried to ease her pain. "Both of us will be there for your boy, always," Chaya had also been asked to remain in underground Boston in case their people needed help, and in case the big attack went any way other than in the girls' favor.

  "I will do my best," spoke Jansa. "I believe in all of you. We have half of the main Y-Wood military forces heading out to Mars, two of our best are going to be inside their headquarters, unbeknown to them, and when joined by you both," she pointed to Mahira and Raegan, "that place will fall. I just know it! Johan will be by our side, no matter what. As you have requested, Chaya, Envy and I will look to the inner states of Mississippi, Utah, Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina for help going forward, even if something should go wrong."

  Chaya added, "I will continue to try and inspire every former state in the country too. We'll never give up!"

  Zaey reached out and motioned for all the sisters to hold hands in the circle. "Always remember what we stand for," she reminded them all. "We are the restorers of balance and harmony, the seekers of values in patriotism, a democracy regained, and the love of our country. Everyone in this world needs hope, faith, and the courage to believe there is someone watching over them. I love you all; together we can do this."

  "I'm ready," insisted Mahira, "It's time to kick some Y-Wood ass, for Blu, Wynne, Tyne, and everyone else!" The others all agreed. This was their big chance; everyone, in the back of their minds, was thinking the same hopeful thing.

  Chapter 20

  The Gen-Virus was something the sisters had all heard about over the years. In small parts at least. In this time and age, Gods and Goddesses were a thing of the far past. Through the centuries, the world had become more and more of a mixed race society, especially in America. Everyone thought they had an answer to a figurehead watching over the world. But, in truth, all of them believed in one God.

  There had been so many named omnipotent lords in the past thousand years, most were just shrugged off, and all were forgotten after the religious wars put a ban on any so-called myths.

  When the Corporation took to becoming a world leader, no one with any sense of mind spoke of such watchers. But Y-Wood still made a decree as to the fact of the matter. If a person spoke of some sort of higher power, they were simply ruled as insane. Their mind would be probed and essentially they were put to death, or brainwashed otherwise.

  However, for many decades, the leader of the Mystical Slayer sisterhood remained diligent on that very subject. They believed a higher figure did exist. But the people of the world would not believe themselves. What if it just was a ruse? What if this higher onlooker was no more than just a person themselves, thinking someone cared about their life?

  The Mother, her sisterhood, and others, kept their thoughts guarded so as to keep themselves safe from such claims of insanity. But there was no doubt. Buried somewhere in far off history, the ideal or truth that someone, or something, existed, was always there.

  But what does it all mean? Every single sister in the group sat and discussed it all before coming to any conclusions. They needed a way to rally the people. They desperately needed hope, something to stir the rebellion. They needed a theory to knock the Corporation to its knees, to smash the technological lifestyle and robotic, artificial universe into oblivion. And now, finally, a discovery that would put it all in perspective. Their discovery of a time capsule which would reveal a doctrine of such possibilities.

  The supreme mother had always said there had to be more, "We’re too special, too amazing, miracles beyond comprehension. There is someone watching over us, be it a saint, a voice, or a God."

  These were writings of love, sacrifice, and courage.

  Written many centuries ago, and simply called The Holy Bible, this artifact had real merit. How much merit was yet to be determined. The women needed a way to get this artifact into the mainstream, to crush the beliefs of those who had no faith. They would name it the Gen-Virus. Gen, meaning a new dawn, a new beginning, and virus, as in a painful awakening for those who held onto the notion that our very existence was one of nothing but randomness. They knew what they had to do!

  Chaya could not hold back any longer. "You know what this really is? It’s a presentation of salvation. Life is not meaningless, we live surrounded by God’s love." The other women were listening very sincerely to her words. "I have been reading this every chance I have had. God has reconciled his created but fallen world through the death of his son, and renews it into a kingdom of God by using his spirit. We must teach and carry this spirit, and his voice, to all in this world."

  All nodded their heads in agreement, silence filling the room.

&nbs
p; Raegan took a deep breath and asked, "Does everyone have everything?" The girls all did a double check in their minds to ensure they were ready. "Make sure you all have a full can of IHF," the Mystical Slayer's leader added. She then pulled out a thumb drive from her pocket. "This Gen-Virus is going to change the world," she proudly announced. The girls again all agreed. Raegan then calmly stated, "Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. We’re those people! And we shall be the voice of God!" She then clenched both her fists together in the air. "I believe in all of you, I love you girls, this is our toughest test, and the time is now."

  "You have two days," Raegan added, speaking to Zaey and Sinaye. "Mahira and I leave tomorrow. We will be close by and ready to enter Y-Wood as soon as you send us the okay, or if we feel the time presents itself."

  "Oh, I almost forgot," spoke Mahira. "We all know what Y-Wood stands for; you will obey or die! As if they were trying to keep that a secret from the world. I just wanna say, it's them who will be dying and it's about damn time! I say, for all of us, live free, or die!"

  With that, the sisters stood together side by side, like a scene from an old school movie, and walked forward to their destinies and in the direction of salvation.

  ***

  Later that evening, Lomax and Raegan found a quiet spot to talk. He explained his findings to her and she was very appreciative. "Everything you have done, all the hard work and undercover research, it's unbelievable," Raegan said as she looked into her husband’s eyes. "I love you so much, and Johan loves you too." She kissed his lips. The two just stared at one another for a while. The chamber had the smell of mint spice incense, and the draperies were a yellow cloth decorated with sun and moon designs, which covered the doorways leading out to various spots in the underground city. The couple held one another for quite some time. Lomax finally pulled back.