by M. R. Forbes
He remembered everything now. Even in his calmed state, he smiled at the irony of the outcome. He had been trying so damn hard to get to Edenrise to speak with Tinker, and just when he was on the verge of death, it was Tinker who had saved him so they could have that talk.
He hadn’t wanted to do it like this. He wanted to confront Tinker on his own terms, with options to stop him from launching his assault on both the trife and humans. He wanted to be more clandestine in his entry to the city, and his approach to its leader.
He didn’t have any options now. He didn’t even have hands. He was at Tinker’s mercy.
It wasn’t a place he wanted to be.
Tinker didn’t need to talk about how he could help Hayden. Tinker already had what he wanted. So why would he bring him here? Why would he keep him alive? It wasn’t for Hayden’s sake. It wasn’t for the sake of the humans still beyond the walls of Edenrise. Tinker wanted something from him. Something that would benefit Tinker.
What?
The door opened again. The first woman returned with a second woman he didn’t recognize. She had a hard face, serious and cold.
“Sheriff Duke,” she said. “I’m Doc. How are you feeling?”
“Is this Edenrise?” Hayden asked.
“Yes. You’re in Edenrise.”
He started to laugh. Maybe it was because of the meds, but he couldn’t help it.
“What’s funny?” Doc said.
“How quickly luck can change.”
“You’re still alive.”
“Is that a good thing for me, Doc?”
She didn’t answer the question. She took the edge of his sheet and pulled it down to check his wounds. He glanced down too. He had a large patch over his chest. She grabbed the edge of it and slowly pulled it away, revealing fresh pink scars across it. They were claw marks from something much bigger than a trife.
“That’s healed just fine,” she said. “You were lucky you were wearing the bodysuit.”
“Am I?”
She checked his right arm. He noticed the makeshift ring Pyro had adjusted for him was gone, leaving only the scarred stump.
Pyro. Where was Pyro? He had left her out there. Had she escaped?
“You’re also lucky we got you when we did. Your control ring was getting infected. Your botter didn’t use proper aftercare.”
Hayden laughed again. Aftercare? He had been thrown into an arena to fight Nathan to the death within hours of receiving the limb.
“You going to get me a new one, Doc?”
“A new control ring? That’s up to Tinker. My job was to make sure you didn’t die.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“Not sleeping. In a drug-induced coma. Three days.”
Three fucking days. That’s as long as he was supposed to be gone. Natalia was probably playing it strong for Hallia and the others, but he knew she would be devastated that he hadn’t come home. She would get past it. He knew she would. But her current pain hurt him. No sedatives could stop that.
She put the sheet back over his body. “You’re recovery is going well. The lacerations have all healed. You’re going to have some new scars, but you’re no stranger to scarring.”
“I’m gorgeous, aren’t I?”
“It speaks to your strength and will. I’m sorry we’re on opposite sides.”
“Me too.”
Someone knocked on the side of the open door. Hayden looked up at the same time as Doc. An old man in a wheelchair was stopped right outside the room. He was wearing a USSF service dress uniform that hung off him like a cloak, a weight of hardware over his chest, along with a silver name badge that read “Gen. J. Stacker.”
Was this the Iron General?
“Sir,” Doc said, seeing him there. “I. Uh. I wasn’t expecting. How did you know he was awake?”
“I’m hooked into the network,” the man said. “I saw his heart rate monitor spike and settle, and I knew he was up. Is he stable?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Get out.”
Both Doc and the other woman left the room in a hurry, making their way around the man in the wheelchair. He used controls on the arms to guide the chair into the room, and then reached over and pushed the door closed behind him.
“Sheriff Hayden Duke,” the man said. “Sheriff. Hayden. Duke.” He said it slowly the second time as if he was absorbing so much meaning with the name.
“General James Stacker?” Hayden said.
“What makes you think -- oh.” The man looked down at the uniform. “Right. I forgot I was wearing this thing. I like to put it on when I broadcast, to remind me what it’s all about.”
Broadcast? Hayden stared at the man. He had to be at least eighty. “You’re Tinker.”
“I am Tinker,” the man replied. “This uniform did belong to General James Stacker though. The original James Stacker, not the one I made.”
“James Stacker was a Centurion,” Hayden said.
“No. That’s a long story, Sheriff, and not the one I want to get into right now. James said you wanted to talk to me.”
“I do.”
Tinker rolled over to the side of the bed, getting close enough to Hayden they could look one another in the eye.
“I’ve been working with the Trust a long time,” Tinker said. “A long time. I hate those fucking bastards. You have no idea. They wanted you dead. They wanted everyone who came after Nathan dead.” He cackled lightly. “They wanted Nathan dead too.”
“James said you want me dead.”
“I did. You’ve done a lot of damage to my interests, Sheriff. You killed a lot of good soldiers. My best Liberators. You survived Crosston and put the efficacy of my virus into question. You made a mess at Fort McGuire, and you killed my Hellion.”
“It almost killed me.”
“It didn’t almost anything, Sheriff. Except in your case, I suppose. I had plans for the Hellion.”
“Sorry to ruin them.”
“Bullshit.” Tinker wheezed and cackled again. “Damn, I like you already, Sheriff. I had a feeling I would. Do you know why?”
“I have no idea.”
“James Stacker was a fighter. When the ships left Earth, he could have had a spot on board. He could have left the planet behind and lived out his life with the other deserters on Proxima. Him and Mary, his wife, they could have been comfortable, popped out a few more babies, all the good stuff. He gave up his spot. He didn’t go. He didn’t accept the war was over. He didn’t accept that humanity had lost to trife. You don’t accept defeat either, do you?”
“No.”
“Exactly.”
“You sent James and Nathan to kill me.”
“Yes, I did. Nathan’s an interesting case, Sheriff. He was supposed to die, but James disobeyed me and let him live. He’s never gone against my will before, which told me how important it was to him. He wanted a brother. Someone like him, who understood him. I love James. I couldn’t deny him that. But I had a problem. Well, a few problems, but mainly I was worried he couldn’t be trusted. James was made here. He knows all about the war, and how hard it is for people on this planet. He knows what needs to be done. Nate’s still a bit of an idealist. He thinks everything can end happily ever after. I needed him to realize that it can’t. That real life doesn’t work like that. That there are casualties and losses and hard decisions that have to be made. Do you follow, Sheriff?”
“Well enough.”
“Good. Nathan felt a kinship with you because you earned his trust. I feel a kinship with you because you’re a fighter. You can see why that’s a problem for me, one that had to be handled.”
“You know I won’t stop coming until I’m dead.”
“Exactly. And I don’t think my goals are in line with yours. James told me you wanted to talk about killing trife and saving people.”
“I have a community back west. They could benefit from the energy shield surrounding this city.”
“I’m sure they could. Yo
u’d never be able to power it.”
“Why? What’s it running on?”
“A specially modified reactor. There’s only one on this planet. So you see, even if you could have convinced me to spare your tribe, it just can’t be done.”
Hayden was silent, letting the truth of that sink in.
“We’ve been able to clear hundreds of square kilometers of trife without resorting to chemical warfare,” he said.
“How many per day, Sheriff?”
“On average? One or two.”
Tinker laughed again. “I’m talking about cleaning the entire planet in two days. An idealist fighter. That’s what you are, Sheriff. I respect your morals and your goals, but there’s no way to make that work. You do understand that, don’t you?”
He didn’t like it, but he did understand it. “Pozz.”
Tinker hesitated a moment, translating the word. “Good.”
“You brought me here for a reason. You fixed me up for a reason. You changed your mind about killing me.”
“All true. I like that you want to get right to the point, once your request is denied. That’s strength. That’s purpose. There aren’t enough men like you out there, Sheriff. Maybe if there were, this wouldn’t be necessary.
“I’m looking for something. An alien artifact, dropped to the planet when the trife arrived. The USSF had it last, and I’ve recently recovered both the key to activate it, thanks to Nathan, and a USSF mainframe that held the data related to its discovery, use, and relocation to a secured site.
“Now, I don’t need you to help me. I can do this with or without you. But I want you to help me because your activity the last few days has shown me that maybe I was a little reckless in my approach and underestimating the general state of the world. Up until you showed up with a group of Centurions, I would never have guessed anyone else on the planet had contact with anyone from Proxima.”
“You lost me there,” Hayden said. “Alien artifact? How can I help you with that?”
“I’m in a bit of a catch twenty-two here, Sheriff. I have the virus. I have the delivery vehicles. It will all be ready to go in seven days. If that’s all there were to it, we’d be prepping the party hats and streamers and no big deal. The trouble is, I need the artifact before I launch Armageddon, so I have to retrieve it before we can schedule the big day. The trouble with that is manifold, but mainly centers around Proxima and your potential relationship with the Centurions.”
“What does my involvement with Proxima have to do with your quest for world domination?”
“It isn’t domination. I don’t want to rule the world. I want to turn it over to the Others.”
“The Others? I heard you mention them on one of your broadcasts.”
“Oh? Did you listen to me? How nice. The Others are an alien race. One that has the technology to stand up to the aliens who sent the trife. They’re the only ones who can protect this planet once my work is done. From the return of the enemy. From Proxima. From everything.”
“And this artifact has to do with that?”
“Yes. Which is my dilemma. I’m on the clock, Sheriff. I betrayed the Trust. James destroyed Proxima’s orbital sensors. The Centurions will know I’m rogue within the next four days. Seven to ten days later, they’ll have their response prepared. That doesn’t leave me a lot of wiggle room.”
“No, it doesn’t. I still don’t see where I fit in.”
“I’ve been poring through the data recovered from the USSF mainframe. As near as I can tell, the artifact was moved to an existing military facility and buried deep underground. I’m certain that facility is on the west coast. The problem is there are no coordinates or any hint of the actual location provided. The USSF clearly didn’t want the artifact found. In all of the documentation, in all of the communications, it’s referred to only by a code that I don’t understand.”
“But you think I will?”
“Maybe, maybe not. It was worth keeping you alive on the chance that you do.”
“And you think if I do, I’ll tell you what I know?”
“I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to get it out of you, Sheriff. Make no mistake about that.”
A chill ran down Hayden’s spine. Even if he didn’t know anything, Tinker would have to be sure, and there was only one way to do that.
Now he was sure his luck had gone to shit. He stared at Tinker. Tinker stared back at him.
“John Wayne, Sheriff,” Tinker said at last. “The code name is John Wayne.”
The heart rate monitor began to beep frantically, matching Hayden’s uncontrolled reaction. His whole body shook, his heart both sinking and aching.
Of all the places in all the world.
He knew precisely where Tinker was referring to, and now Tinker knew it too.
The man cackled with excitement. “You know where it is, don’t you, Sheriff? You know what John Wayne means.”
Hayden didn’t say anything. If not finding the artifact left Tinker in a bind, then let Tinker stay in a bind.
“Opting for the hard way, Sheriff?”
Hayden stared at him but still didn’t speak.
Tinker’s smile faded. “Fine,” he hissed. “We’ll see how much of a fighter you are. We’ll see how much pain you can take.”
He put the wheelchair in reverse, rolling back to the edge of the bed, turning it and heading for the door. He spun it around as he reached it. “If you won’t talk, Sheriff, I’ll find someone out west who will. Maybe it’ll be someone you know. Maybe it’ll be someone you care about. You’re only delaying the inevitable.”
Hayden clenched his eyes closed. He didn’t speak. Tinker was in for a surprise if he thought he could head out west and do whatever he pleased without resistance. The Iron General was tough, but he had never gone up against a Goliath.
“Good luck,” Hayden said.
Tinker scowled and rolled out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Hayden could hear him screaming for Doc as he rolled away, telling her to bring Hayden to some other location.
Good luck.
They were both going to need it.
Thank you for reading Earth Unending
If you’re here, I’m assuming you’ve read the first three books, which is awesome. I hope you’re still enjoying the books as much as you were when you started.
If you are still loving the series, please let me know how much by leaving a review, and letting everyone know what you think of the books. It’s the second best way you can help show your appreciation (after buying and reading in the first place).
Earth Undefeated, the fourth book in the Forgotten Earth series, is coming soon. Do you want to know when it’s available? Click here.
Haven’t read Sheriff Duke’s origin story yet? Make sure you pick up Forgotten.
Want to read more of my stuff? Awesome! There are a few first in series at the end of this book, or you can check out my backlist at mrforbes.com/books.
Again — thank you so much for your support. If you have Facebook, please stop by my page sometime at facebook.com/mrforbes.author. I’d love to hear from you.
Cheers,
Michael.
Other Books By M.R Forbes
M.R. Forbes on Amazon
mrforbes.com/books
Forgotten (The Forgotten)
mrforbes.com/theforgotten
Some things are better off FORGOTTEN.
Sheriff Hayden Duke was born on the Pilgrim, and he expects to die on the Pilgrim, like his father, and his father before him.
That's the way things are on a generation starship centuries from home. He's never questioned it. Never thought about it. And why bother? Access points to the ship's controls are sealed, the systems that guide her automated and out of reach. It isn't perfect, but he has all he needs to be content.
Until a malfunction forces his Engineer wife to the edge of the habitable zone to inspect the damage.
Until she contacts him, breathless and terrified, to tell hi
m she found a body, and it doesn't belong to anyone on board.
Until he arrives at the scene and discovers both his wife and the body are gone.
The only clue? A bloody handprint beneath a hatch that hasn't opened in hundreds of years.
Until now.
Starship Eternal (War Eternal)
mrforbes.com/starshipeternal
A lost starship...
A dire warning from futures past...
A desperate search for salvation…
Captain Mitchell “Ares” Williams is a Space Marine and the hero of the Battle for Liberty, whose Shot Heard ‘Round the Universe saved the planet from a nearly unstoppable war machine. He’s handsome, charismatic, and the perfect poster boy to help the military drive enlistment. Pulled from the war and thrown into the spotlight, he’s as efficient at charming the media and bedding beautiful celebrities as he was at shooting down enemy starfighters.
After an assassination attempt leaves Mitchell critically wounded, he begins to suffer from strange hallucinations that carry a chilling and oddly familiar warning:
They are coming. Find the Goliath or humankind will be destroyed.
Convinced that the visions are a side-effect of his injuries, he tries to ignore them, only to learn that he may not be as crazy as he thinks. The enemy is real and closer than he imagined, and they’ll do whatever it takes to prevent him from rediscovering the centuries lost starship.
Narrowly escaping capture, out of time and out of air, Mitchell lands at the mercy of the Riggers - a ragtag crew of former commandos who patrol the lawless outer reaches of the galaxy. Guided by a captain with a reputation for cold-blooded murder, they’re dangerous, immoral, and possibly insane.
They may also be humanity’s last hope for survival in a war that has raged beyond eternity.
(War Eternal is also available in a box set of the first three books here: mrforbes.com/wareternalbox)
Hell’s Rejects (Chaos of the Covenant)