"Miho, what do you actually think of me?"
"Sir?"
"Am I a good man? I have always told myself that I was a good man. I did bad things, but only so that one day I could have the power to make things right. Absolute power is the only way to fix anything."
"I would agree."
"Yes, but, here it is, I have absolute power and look at the mess that I've made of everything. I simply wanted to fix the tax code and now most of humanity has claws and eats human flesh. By most standards that's not a great success."
"I would agree."
"You're here, you're a part of this, Miho. You've been here all along. I'm not so foolish to think that I would be here without you. You helped get me here, helped the world get to where it is and I don't think you're a bad person. I truly don't. So I ask you again, do you think I'm a bad man?"
Miho looked at October, her almond eyes as piercing as ever, as she spoke, "Sir, you have absolute power. You have vanquished your enemies and installed yourself on the throne of all mankind. Are you a good man? This is a question you should have asked before. Now, when the world lives and dies by your decree is not the time for looking in, for introspection and soul searching. The military is with you, for now, not because they want to be, but because the people are against you and them both. That makes you allies. There is a Mutant Army at the edge of Los Angeles and an army of human survivors underneath it. They all want to kill you. These are things that must be dealt with. Something needs to be done and though I may not know exactly what that is, I know what it isn't. I know that it's not taking time for reflection and it's not beginning the inward search for enlightenment!"
Her deadly intensity continued to burn in the silence that followed. October tried to stand his full height, hoping that looking tall could pass for strong in this weak moment.
"Yes, yes. You're right, I'm being foolish. Something must be done."
He looked down at the small woman and he knew she was right. He was the most powerful man on the planet, but still, he wondered if people liked him.
Chapter 97
***
Caleb woke up half way out of his bed, being lifted by Bragg.
"Good news, you don't have to wait."
"What?"
Bragg set Caleb down on his feet with a huge smile on his face.
"You don't have to wait, Caleb. Apparently, the world was waiting on you. Grab your gun."
"What's going on? What happened?"
"You slept in and now your town is here and they're asking for you."
"What?"
"The survivors from the Ohio underground city have arrived."
"Mary?"
"I don't know."
Caleb put his pistol in his waist and together the men moved through the crowd of onlookers. As the crowd parted, familiar faces appeared to Caleb, though no one with a name he could remember, and then he saw her. Nicolette. She smiled at him as he approached. Tyler was beside her and as Caleb got closer, Tyler and his same old entourage, still impossibly huge, moved in front of her in a protective manner.
"Hey, Caleb, look at you. A big man now, huh?"
Caleb took a last step and then punched Tyler in the Adam's apple. Tyler's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground gasping. Caleb knew that he had succeeded in his attack on Tyler only due to surprise and prepared for the beating that would now come down as the entourage closed in. He cringed and closed his eyes as a huge fist came towards his face, but though there was a loud crack, he felt no pain. He opened his eyes to see the huge fist now held still, cracking sickly, in the palm of Bragg's hand. Bragg reached out his other arm and pushed Caleb behind him, positioning himself between Caleb and the other big men.
"Enough," Bragg boomed in a voice so loud that all of the men paused in their advance. As Bragg released the fist from his grip he continued, "You're all new here, so this trespass on our way of life will be overlooked. We don't allow violence in the tunnels. You may stay and be peaceful or leave."
The one man who stood larger than Bragg smiled briefly before saying, "Sorry friend, you're mighty big and I suppose that works on most, but I'm afraid you aren't big enough to tell me what to do. Step aside."
"You've been warned," Bragg said quietly.
The man lunged forward at Bragg. Bragg dropped his right shoulder and turned, catching the larger man in the solar plexus. Bragg's arms shot out grabbing the man under one thigh and over one shoulder. As two of Tyler's other friends moved forward, Bragg drew himself to full height, the man stretched across his shoulders. Bragg's hands shifted below the struggling man and pushed him high into the air. Bragg moved quickly back as the huge man, now the toy of gravity, came crashing down on top of the two charging men leaving them all in a tangled and writhing mass.
The entire population of the hall held their breath in wonder at the feat of strength. Bragg seemed unfazed, though there was a slight rip at the right shoulder seam of his jacket. As two blonde haired boys approached with smiles and rifles, Bragg turned to Caleb.
"You don't hit people here. You understand?"
"Dear God, that guy has to weigh over three hundred pounds and you just threw him into the air like he was nothing!"
"And I'd appreciate you not saying the Lord's name in vain either. Though that won't get you banished. Are we clear?"
"Yes. I’m sorry."
Bragg nodded as a few more blonde haired boys arrived.
"Take these men and show them the door, they aren't welcome here, maybe the mutants will have them."
Caleb turned to Nicolette.
"Hey Caleb, remember the night the world ended?"
"Where is she?"
"You're supposed to say: yeah that was nice."
"Nicolette, where is she?!"
Nicolette cringed under Caleb's angry glare.
"They kept her."
"Who?"
"The mutants. They held us in their camp when we arrived. They held us for days. Only this morning did they finally let us pass, except for Mary, they took her into the tent."
Bragg watched the realization pass over Caleb's face. Bragg reached out and grabbed the man's shoulder. Caleb turned, eyes wide and crazy.
"Let go of me, Bragg. I'm going over."
"To the tent?"
"She's there."
"They sent a message," Nicolette inserted. "The mutants, they said to tell Caleb and Bragg: "To come over. Just the two of you, unarmed."
Caleb dropped his gun and started walking towards the door.
Bragg looked at the crowd around him, his own men positioned in the corners. Without Bragg the flock could stray, but without Bragg, Caleb would get himself killed. Bragg bit his lower lip as he considered the decision. Then he dropped the gun he kept in a holster under his jacket and followed.
Chapter 98
***
"The maid used to make them. God, I must have watched her a million times," October smiled thoughtfully. "I swear that these are the ingredients she used. I looked. I looked at every jar, every can, everything, and there's nothing I left out, and yet… and yet… these are terrible enchiladas!"
October threw the platter across the room and as it shattered, spreading hot sauce and cheese on the wall, he grabbed the large kitchen table and flipped it over. The whole process left him out of breath and on his knees in the middle of the kitchen, as Miho and Flores looked on.
"Mr. President, did you hear anything I said?"
"Flores, you're a CIA man. A super spy, you must be able to find her. Find my maid. I need my maid. She doesn't even have to come here if she doesn't want to be seen as betraying, The People. She can just write down her recipe. I'll make it. I can cook, but I need guidance!"
"Sir!" Miho shook October until some degree of recognition showed up in his eyes.
"Your maid was a spy for the Founders, Mr. President."
"Oh, so what?! Look, Miho, I've never asked you about…"
"Enchiladas? No, you haven't, because up u
ntil this moment you weren't a complete lunatic! Focus, Mr. President, you have to focus! Bragg and the survivors have sent a message."
"What do I care? They have nothing to offer me. I need my maid! I need enchiladas!"
"Shut up, October! Just shut up you fat, stupid idiot and listen to me! Bragg killed Jacob and then defeated the Mutant Army! Jacob is dead! Nestor is dead! The Mutant Army is gone!"
October, still on his knees, looked up at the small woman with confusion.
"Gone?"
"Gone."
"We believe that?"
"A drone search confirms it! There is no Mutant Army left. The tent is destroyed and there's just nothing there. Nothing."
"How did Bragg manage that?"
"You can ask him that when he gets here."
Chapter 99
***
"Hey guys, I'm Jacob."
Bragg and Caleb stood in awed shock. The inside of the tent was almost empty. Jacob sat in a chair placed in the middle of the dirt floor, perfectly dressed, hair surrounding his face in a stylish halo. Jacob's face was a collection of strong angles and features that were oddly transfixing, his teeth even and white, his small manicured hands waving through the air as he spoke, one of them holding a cigarette. Next to Jacob stood a man in a white lab coat and glasses that he pushed back up his nose as he smiled nervously. There was a large row of IV's that stood unused to the bespectacled man's left. Behind the IV's, were three long tables covered with corpses, some of which were partially dissected. On Jacob's other side were five women, all far into pregnancy.
Bragg looked at the corpses. They had been cut carefully so that they missed precise chunks of flesh. Jacob followed his gaze and then nodded excitedly.
"We figured out the exact minimum amount of flesh you have to consume," Jacob said pointing to the corpses. "You don't want to burn through your flesh. It's not something we want to have to harvest more than is absolutely necessary. Of course, it turns out that we still may have a bit extra… shame, that."
"They said you took Mary, where is she?" Caleb hissed.
"See the door back there? That leads to a small room at the back of the tent, the computer room. She's in there, quite well I assure you. Go ahead, Caleb. You're safe here, you have my word," Jacob smiled showing his perfect teeth.
Caleb glanced momentarily at Bragg, who nodded, and then rushed to the door.
"I don't understand what I'm seeing here," Bragg said.
"Bragg, you're seeing the future," Jacob smiled. "We found the cure. Interesting side effect of the cure, it leaves you not only human, but potent! You see? So, we take those who had The Shot, give them the cure, humankind marches on."
"The dead bodies? The sections removed?"
"Those who didn't get The Shot originally, we give them a modified version which is much faster and less painful. They feed on the exact amount of human flesh that they need, nothing more. We give them the cure and they become human and potent. The only hiccup is that they must feed, but otherwise it's a very good system."
"This is amazing. So those survivors who've been trickling in…"
"Some are truly survivors, like Caleb's underground friends. Most were cured mutants, my army, cured and sent into your midst. I apologize for the ruse. It was necessary. You see I have a plan, which, by the way, involves you doing something for me."
"I don't work for people I don't know."
"You will. You will. You see, I need you to negotiate with October Carnegie."
"Negotiate for yourself."
"There's not a lot of love between me and October."
"Tell them him what you've done. You've saved mankind, Jacob! You can get whatever you want!"
Jacob laughed and stood up. He moved close to Bragg, blowing clouds of smoke to the side of them.
"No, Bragg. October and those who still hold the power on The Island, they'll see what I've done as simply depleting my army. If I don't have a Mutant Army, they'll send in the drones."
"But if we're all human, potent humans…"
"Bragg, do you know what absolute power does to a man?"
"Corrupts absolutely," Bragg shrugged.
"I have no intention of letting those fools on The Island stay in power. I'm not going to negotiate with them in some civilized manner that they didn't show to us. The men on The Island tried to kill us! They are the same selfish idiots that have been in power for generations. Centuries! And always they have put themselves first. Everyone has suffered as they've thrived. Now it's time for them to suffer. Now it's time for everyone else to thrive. Do you understand?"
"No."
Jacob paused and burst into hysterics. He placed a hand on Bragg's giant shoulder and squeezed it with affection.
"Bragg, this ends when all of those who've been in charge for so long kneel down and die. Until then, it isn't finished. We have to do it, you and I, because no one else can. No one else will. The military will side with those who are in power now, out of fear that we will seek revenge against them if we take over. How can they believe that we could forgive them for siding with those who tried to kill us? October has codes that will trigger self-destruct mechanisms on The Island, destroying everything of value, leaving us no better than we are. We can't just take their titles and their homes. They must be humiliated. They must kneel and give us everything, so that they cannot come back. They must kneel so that their defeat is so complete that no one will fight on their behalf. I need you to help me finish it, Bragg. Will you do that for me?"
"No."
"No? That's disappointing. I mean, I squeezed your shoulder," Jacob said as he burst into hysterics. He laughed so hard that he cried.
"Are you completely insane, Jacob?"
Jacob sat back down in his chair and dried the tears from his eyes. He looked at the pregnant women to his side and smiled before turning back to Bragg.
"Yes, I am. I'm insane, so what? We live in an insane world. I've simply evolved to match it. If you side with me, The Islanders lose and the mainland survivors, the victims that you protect, win. Mutant infection has been cured by the efforts of my insanity." Jacob lit another cigarette, while his other hand pointed at the closest woman's swollen stomach. "Potency has returned to mankind due to my inability to accept the reality that was thrust upon me. I'm insane, Bragg, because it's insane to think mankind deserves a second chance, to think that despite the entire history of our species we are capable of doing it right, capable of living in harmony on the earth, with the earth. I'm insane, just like you and every other man who has fought against insurmountable odds, against sense and sanity and the instinct of self-preservation, in the name of faith. I have faith in humanity. Now will you finish this with me? Will you set your people free and bring them into the light? Will you do it so those not yet born can live in a free world without fear?"
As Jacob's speech ended and silence filled the tent, Bragg turned and looked at the pregnant women. They smiled at Bragg while Jacob giggled in the corner of his eye.
Chapter 100
***
Caleb took a moment and just watched her working at the computer. She was completely focused, her back slightly hunched, her hair knotted and wild. She looked older. She looked happy.
"Hey, kiddo," he said.
She spun at the sound of his voice, lunged into him and held onto him tight.
"You made it," she sobbed into his chest. "I watched you. I watched you the whole time and I knew you'd make it. I knew you would."
"I'm so glad you're here. I didn't know if you'd… you've grown, Mary."
"As soon as I saw Nestor die and heard about Bragg coming to get you I came. I moved us out here. We had traded for cars, so we were right behind you."
"You moved the whole city? What do you mean?"
"Oh yeah! I took over and ran the city after you left. Isn't that cool?!"
"Um… yeah, that's very cool."
"I did just like you said, Caleb, and now we're here together again. Forever."
&n
bsp; Caleb wanted to say a lot of things, but instead he just hugged her back and cried.
Chapter 101
***
October sat down and watched the screen as Bragg appeared.
"This recording is for President Carnegie of The Island. My name is John Bragg. I am a member of the surviving humans who live in the tunnels of Los Angeles. In the past few days, me and my men successfully attacked the Mutant Army of Jacob Rothschild. He is dead, along with the majority of his army. The few who escaped now wander the sprawl alone. We understand that our two peoples, Mainlanders and Islanders, were forced by circumstances to be apart, but now, populations decreased, without the risk of contagion or violence, it is time we join back together. It is time that we coexist. I wish for the privilege to speak to you, President Carnegie, to come to an agreement. To show my good intentions, I will bring with me, as an offering, our most treasured possessions: women with child. Five pregnant women of our number even now are living beneath the city of Los Angeles, but they will call The Island their home if we may call the Islanders our friends. We await your response with arms wide open."
The screen went black and October turned to his two companions.
"Do you trust it, Miho?"
"I don't know, sir. I know that I trust you."
October Carnegie studied Miho's face and then stood up tall and started to laugh with joy.
Chapter 102
***
The ferry moved Bragg and the women across the water to The Island. Caleb, Mary and the rest of the survivors huddled in the main hall of the tunnels, named simply Tunnel Hall, and watched a camera feed that they had been granted access to only hours before, as an apology for their not being allowed to attend the ceremony. Occasionally someone would turn and glare at Mary as she gushed to Caleb in a failing whisper about her adventures in the underground city, but when they recognized the man with the scar that she spoke to, they turned back around. Caleb didn't notice the glares, or the turning heads, or anything else for that matter. His eyes had hardly left the little girl in days. In his peripherals he saw, on the huge makeshift screen on the other side of the main hall, the image of The Island and he felt a slight nervousness in his chest.
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