“I’ve made it a point to tread lightly with these people,” he said. “I haven’t liked it in the least, but I’ve done it.”
“Yes,” I said. “You needed to do that. I don’t. I won’t deal with anyone who won’t step out and deal with me. I have something almost every person in this city needs. I’m giving it away. All I require is for each person to come and accept the gift personally.”
He had his back to the building as he grinned. The grin turned to a scowl before he turned around to face the guards. Then he walked back over to talk to them.
“I was just about to accept the envoy,” Pop said, “but you’re right. No favor for any of them.”
“Has to be that way, Pop—” I shrugged “—or I have to go back through and fight the ones who don’t run their zones like we think they should. We have to be a neutral party at the beginning. Our only standing rule can be the slavery. We take them with us if they want to go. If they don’t, there’s nothing else we can do for them right now. After this is established, we can work on the other things.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this,” he said.” I thought you wanted to destroy it.”
“I still may.” I looked back toward the Obsidian building. “But when we stepped into this zone, I could feel a difference. These people may not all be good, but they aren’t anywhere near the wickedness we’ve already seen on our way into the city. I expect there are a lot of zones that are much worse than what we’ve seen. What do we do about it? If we give to some and not to the others, those without will attack those who have, and everything falls. We begin as neutrals.”
“I guess we’ll find out about these folks today.”
Wilderman was walking back in our direction.
“They’d like for their envoy to come see what’s being offered,” he said, “but you’ve got them. They’re hungry just like the rest of us. They’ll come out. Frankly, I’m curious to see who’s in there besides the ones I’ve met.”
“If they want you there, you’re welcome to join us in giving out the chips,” Pop said. “You’re a known quantity; they may be more comfortable with that.”
“Then I’ll be getting back to the wagons,” I said.
“One thing they requested,” Wilderman said, “they want you out here. I asked them why, but they wouldn’t tell me.”
“The Corporation isn’t making rules anymore.” I shook my head. “They still think they’re in charge.”
“It was a request, not an order,” he said. “I think they want to ask you some questions.”
“Just do it, son,” Pop said. “I can’t see the harm in it, other than that it irritates you. A person needs to do some things he doesn’t want to every now and then.”
“Okay, Pop. I’ll come back with the wagon.” I pointed at Wilderman. “You and he can give out the chips while I’m getting them over here. Tell them to send their envoy with me, and we’ll look the wagon over before we bring it back.”
Wilderman waved toward the building, and a short man exited. He was just a few inches over five feet and looked like he might have been Chinese. Maybe Korean.
“You can inspect what we’re offering,” I said to the man as I turned and walked toward the supply wagon. “Frankly, I don’t think I’ve ever had to work this hard to give away free food.”
“Pardon me if we have a distrust of most of the people we’ve encountered. Our company was a large part of what’s happened to the world, and many would kill us just for existing.”
“I get that,” I said. “Thing is, Obsidian doesn’t exist anymore. You may have a bunch of guys in that building who worked for them, but that’s all you are now. You’re just another person who survived the end of the world.”
“It may take some time before those I serve understand that, Mister…?”
“Pratt. Zebadiah Pratt. And you are?”
“I am Doctor Jeong-Chung Lee.” He was watching me more closely than I was comfortable with. “Does the phrase Alpha Romeo Eight Six Four Gamechanger mean anything to you?”
I stopped and looked at him, and I think he mistook my reaction as something else. He smiled. “Please return with me, Agent.”
“I’m no Agent,” I said, and I saw his eyes widen in fear. “I’m not one of the Teledyne Agents either. The old world is dead, Doc. Get that through your head. I don’t know what that little phrase was, but if I hear those words again, I think I’ll shoot you just because I’m pretty sure it’s some sort of special code. You think you’re safe inside that building. What I can do is much the same as one of those Agents, and I hold no love for Obsidian. Don’t try me again.”
He swallowed. “I won’t, Mister Pratt.”
He walked in silence beside me to the wagon, and he even stopped shaking by the time we reached it. It took a lot of nerve to try something like that if the phrase was what I suspected. I was just glad Jimmy wasn’t there.
Lee took one of the MREs Frank Tully handed him from the wagon. After inspecting the seal, he handed the ration back to Frank.
“I’ll report to my boss.”
“Do that,” I said. “Wagon will be out front for three hours. Then we pack up and leave, whether you get fed or not.”
We returned to the Obsidian building in silence, and I watched him meet another individual near the door.
“They have a bunch of MREs. They’re Teledyne packages. He’s not an Agent, or his code is broken like the other one who left.” He was unaware I could hear him from the distance between us. There were some advantages to the heightened senses I’d developed since Jimmy had given me the transfusion. “I don’t think he’s Teledyne either, though, despite the packaging. After I used the code, he gave me a warning. If the code’s spoken again in his proximity, he’ll shoot me. I’m assuming that goes for anyone, so I suggest you tell all the techs they better not get any ideas when they notice what he is.”
“And what is he, Lee?”
“I don’t know where he came from, Sir, but he’s someone who could take out everything we have in about three minutes without a weapon. He’s carrying a lot of weapons, Sir. My advice is not to test him.”
“Good job, Lee,” the tall, dark-haired guy said. “You’ll make management one day. I guess I’ll go tell the boss he’s not getting a pet today.”
“Sir, there’s one thing he said that you may be interested in. He said that Obsidian is gone, and we’re just like everyone else now. We’re just survivors. I think we need to listen to that.”
“Maybe I spoke too soon,” the tall man responded. He shook his head and returned to the building.
Lee turned to look back at me, and I smiled. I could see his hand shaking from where I stood. He looked away. About fifteen minutes later people started exiting the building to line up where Pop and Wilderman had been patiently waiting with a bag of chips.
I was mulling over what I’d heard from Lee and the other guy. An Agent had been here and left. I wondered if it was Jimmy. I also wondered if there was an Imprinter inside the place. The only way I could get my brother back to his old self would be with the use of an Imprinter. I needed to talk with Jimmy when we got back to the Farms. I was also curious about the guy we’d found on the road. Maybe he was the one who’d walked out of here.
I’d have to come back here someday and have a talk with these people. They might know what happened. What had caused them to destroy so much of the world? Why was that the answer? Is there anything left out there beyond our own little slice of hell? Maybe the guy back at the Farms would know. The car had Florida plates. Had he driven from Florida? I looked back at the line of people from the building. Was it even possible to fix my brother?
“They keep looking at you,” Pop said. “What did you say to that envoy?”
“He had this idea I was an Agent,” I said. “Seems there may be a code to control one of them. Didn’t work, and I told him I’d shoot him if I heard the phrase again.”
“A control code?”
“He e
xpected it to work. Ordered me to accompany him back to the building. Thought about shooting him, but warned him instead.”
“Don’t think I like the idea of a way to gain control of an Agent with a code phrase.”
“Me neither,” I said. “I’m really thinking about shooting them.”
“We’ll just have to keep Jimmy away from here. If we need to take them out, I doubt they’re going anywhere.”
“Yeah, this has been the best of the zones I’ve seen since we got here. He was lucky he had a strong police presence so close.” I was watching the big man as he greeted the folks from the Obsidian building. “I have a suspicion the guy will know everything about the place by the time we make it back here.”
“I never really liked how he did things back before all this, but I have to say, he’s surprising me. Yeah he’s set up his own little empire here, but his people are still fed, they haven’t resorted to cannibalism, and I’ve seen girls walking around without escorts. It looks a lot like what we have at the Farms.”
“We need to make sure we can keep supplies to places like this,” I said. “These people still remember what it means to live in a civil environment. No doubt they’ve fought for it, but the troops we saw on the way in looked pretty tough. I have a feeling they can take care of themselves.”
“Now we see how civil he stays when I invite volunteers to come out to the Farms.”
“I think we should skip that part here,” I said.
“What?”
“That code phrase worries me, Pop. If they get their claws sunk into Jimmy, it could get ugly.”
“You have a point. I’ll forego it this time.”
Sometimes a little caution goes a long way in this Fallen World.
* * * * *
Chapter 11
“That’s a pretty sight,” Gary said.
“The Farm? Or the Fontane girl?” Pop asked.
We could see her blonde hair from the road as she ran to the wall to see the approaching wagons. I looked over at Gary, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s the girl, Pop,” I said.
“I figured as much.”
I jumped down from Dagger’s back and waved to the boy, then pointed at the big black horse.
“Go on, Gee.”
He jumped down from the wagon and climbed onto Dagger. The black horse took off like a bullet when Gary kicked his ribs.
Gary let out a yell of pure joy.
“You know he’s the only other person who’ll ride that crazy horse of yours, don’t you?”
“That horse wouldn’t hurt any of you for anything. We’re his herd.”
“You have a lot of faith in him.”
“We’ve been in battle together, Pop. He’s got my back, and I’ve got his.”
We watched as Gary reached the wall and Dagger let him step right off and drop onto the other side. The big horse turned his head to look back at us, then took off at a run in our direction.
“Reckon he’s coming back for you.”
“He’s a good one, Pop.”
“I know he is. Wish he was a stallion. I’d love to breed a whole damn herd of him.”
“Me too.”
The big black horse was running full tilt at us and Pop stepped sideways a couple of steps. I just stood my ground and waited. We played this game all the time. He skidded to a stop inches from my chest and pushed me.
“I know, boy,” I said. “It’s good to be home.”
I stepped around and jumped up on his back without using the saddle horn.
“Gonna go check on our guest, Pop.’
“Alright, I’ll get everyone settled.”
Then I saw Deli round the corner with Allie in her arms. “On second thought, I’ll go see to him in a minute.”
I nudged Dagger’s ribs, and we moved forward at a slow canter. “Let’s go see that little girl first.”
He snorted.
We swung through the gate and turned toward the main house. Deli was waiting patiently, but the little one was squirming like crazy.
As I dismounted, Deli said, “She’s been crawling around getting into everything. Gets squirmy when she wants to explore.”
She stepped closer and started to hold Allie out to me. She stopped as I shook my head.
“Those nanites have been working on me ever since I left. I have to get to a point where I can be certain I won’t hurt her.”
“Just keep your hands open,” she said. “You’ll be fine.”
I held my hands out and took the squirmy little girl. She laid right into the crook of my arm and stopped squirming.
“All she wanted was her daddy,” Deli said. “Just go sit in the lounger on the porch and hold your daughter.”
I did as I was told, and I was still sitting there with a sleeping child in the crook of my arm when Pop walked up onto the porch an hour and a half later.
“Afraid to move,” I said.
“That’s fine, boy.” He grinned. “I used to sit and hold all you boys every chance I got.”
“I hate to get up, but I have to go see about some things. You wanna hold your granddaughter for a while?”
“Absolutely,” he said and slid his hands under the sleeping baby. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing this little girl as much as you have. Let me know what you find out about the Agent.”
“Will do, Pop,” I said as I watched him ease down into the seat with a slight wince. “Riding is getting harder on you.”
“Hell, I’m gettin’ too old for this shit.”
“Still in your fifties,” I said.
“Some of those years have been rougher than others.”
“No doubt,” I said. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“Take your time,” he said, looking down at the little girl. “And don’t call me Shortly.”
I chuckled and left him sitting on the porch.
As I got closer to the Infirmary, Sampson Chaney stepped up beside me. “Figured you need to know that Drager has been doing his level best to convince the Guards who were left to help reinstate the Council.”
“He’ll have a hard time turning the Guard against Pop.”
“He has some of the other Councilors helping,” he said. “Just wanted to let you know what you’re walking back into.”
“Thanks, Sam,” I said. “Thanks for this, and thanks for you and Deli taking care of my little girl. I reckon it’s time I did something about Hollis. I really don’t want to kill him and leave his kids without a father. If we exile him, the kids are out there with him.”
“It is a quandary,” he said. “Perhaps a jail is something to consider building in the future.”
“Maybe. I need information about what he’s saying. A lot depends on what he’s asking the Guardsmen to do.”
As Sam began talking about what the witnesses had been telling him, I got a familiar twitch in my right eye.
“Go tell Pop everything.”
“You need to speak to several of them he’s approached.”
“Alright, Sam,” I said. “After I go check up on the new guy we sent in with Jimmy, I’ll get with you, and we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
As Sam walked away, I shook my head. What was I going to do with the man? I already wanted to kill him after he refused to send the Guard after Pete and Neave. I’d moved to the point where I was ready to accept that he didn’t deserve to die. Then this.
Jimmy was sitting in a chair in front of the infirmary. He was just sitting there. The old Jimmy would have been reading or something. He’d have fidgeted around after sitting for any amount of time. I’d glanced toward the Infirmary as I rode in, and he’d been sitting in the same place close to two hours ago. I missed my brother.
“Jimmy,” I said as I stepped up on the porch. “How’s our guest?’
“He’s almost healed up and thinking of escaping.”
“He’s not really a prisoner.”
“He hasn’t figured that out yet.”
“I’m
going in to talk to him,” I said. “You can go take some down time if you want.”
“I have nothing else to do,” he said. “I’ll wait here.”
I nodded. I really missed my brother.
I walked in the door to see the Agent sitting on the bed.
“Oh, great,” he said. “Another one.”
“Looks like you healed up well,” I said.
“I heal fast.”
“Agents are made of tougher stuff than normal folks,” I said. “That is what you are, correct?”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“I have a few questions for you,” I said.
“I figured I was being held here for a reason.”
“You’re not a prisoner,” I said. “You can walk out of here right now and choose not to talk to me. I won’t stop you.”
“What about him?”
“Jimmy won’t stop you either. You’ll be escorted out of Farmer territory, and you can go about your business.”
He grinned and stood up.
“Or you can have a small conversation with me, and we’ll draw the gas out of your car. The suspension is trashed after that drop into the ditch. We’ll put the fuel back in another vehicle and give you supplies to get you where you are headed.”
He stopped after taking three steps toward the door.
“What is it you want to know? We’ll go from there. I almost lost my patience and bolted, until I saw the guy out front knock down a horse. It was spooked by a snake while we were walking…more like while I was walking around, and he was following me. It was running straight for one of the youngsters when he bolted forward and hit the horse with a shoulder. Tumbled a damn horse. Figured I could wait a little longer.”
“Jimmy’s an Agent,” I said.
“I’ve been around a bunch of Agents, and they never knocked down a horse,” he said. “So, let’s have this little conversation. I would so much rather leave here without tangling with him.”
I chuckled. “I can certainly agree with that. Nobody wants to tangle with Jimmy. Nobody with any sense, anyway.”
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