Days of Future Past - Part 3: Future Tense

by John Van Stry

We rode into Havsue on the first of August. We rode first to Paradise, which was another tech town like Havsue, located to the south of where Las Vegas had once stood. After a few days there we were able to join up with a regular trade caravan that went to Havsue and back twice a month. Trade between the two towns was rather brisk as they were only five days apart and it was normally a fairly safe journey.

  I looked around at the town as we entered it. The only time I'd really seen the outskirts of the town, I'd been leaving it, and during the three months I'd lived here, I'd never really investigated it all that much. I'd been so busy trying to raise money gambling that I really didn't have the slightest idea of just how things worked in town. I didn't know what, if anything, the town produced. Who ran it, how it ran, pretty much nothing. It was a fairly modern looking little city. Paradise had been pretty much the same, and Sarah's name had carried a fair bit of weight there when she'd asked if we could travel along with the caravan.

  "Hard to believe it's only been a year," I said looking around.

  "A year? We only left six months ago!" Sarah said looking at me funny.

  "Since I came here," I told her. "I left my home on July fifteenth. Nineteen ninety-nine. I was even supposed to go to a big party to celebrate the coming centennial." I shook my head, "Guess I missed it."

  "I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to that," Heather laughed shaking her head. "My husband is over four hundred years old.

  "But he does not look a day over twenty-five," Sarah smirked.

  "What can I say, I like 'em young," I replied, leering at the two of them.

  "Well, time to go face the parents," Sarah said as we rode in through the front gate of her family's compound.

  I think we got about three feet through the gate before someone yelled 'Sarah's back!' and people started to quickly spill out of the buildings.

  At least we didn't get swarmed until we'd all dismounted.

  "Everyone, SHUT UP!" Sarah yelled the moment her feet had touched the ground. I recognized her parents, with all the time I'd spent 'visiting' her, I'd actually met several members of the family. Especially with the money I'd been putting up for the original expedition.

  "You all know Heather; I think you all know Paul. We got married."

  "Actually, we already know about that," Sarah's mom said, "And we'll all yell at you later for not waiting until you got home. What your father and I want to know, however, is just where the hell have you been, young lady? The Navajo all came home a month ago! They told us all about you, Heather, and Paul."

  I just shook my head and walked up to her mother and gave her a hug, "Hi, Mom," then shook hands with her father, "Dad. It's a long story. How about we all go inside, get drunk, and then Heather, Sarah, and I, can all lie horrendously about everything we've been up to."

  Her father looked at me sideways, "That bad?"

  "Trust me; you won't believe a word of it! I don't, and I was there!"

  He laughed then, and we all went inside and pretty much did just that.

  Heather's parents showed up not much later. Her mother was a total sweetheart and a seriously attractive woman. Her father was a very gruff and rough individual. Strangely enough, they both liked me immediately.

  I listened as the girls told the story of everything that had happened since we split up with the rest of the group, who had returned back home. When Sarah's parents mentioned how much money I was owed from the sales of all the weapons, as well as the licensing to make new copies from the local production plants, I could at least tell why Sarah's parents were happy. All that money would be staying in the family now.

  I got a few looks when they got to the point about my helping Riggs destroy Aybem, but then I suspect that tale was all over the country by now.

  "The Moon? You really expect us to believe you went to the Moon?" One of Sarah's brothers laughed when she got to that part.

  "Our space suits are in our packs," Sarah said, scowling at him.

  "I'm more interested in that Groom Lake place you went to," Heather's father piped up. "That area has been a no man's land for as long as anyone can remember, and now you're telling us we can get food out of there, and tech?" He turned to Sarah's father, "I see some serious profit there, Stan. Preserved food that can be stored is always a good commodity. We should see if we can't set up for some trading with this 'Apollo' who runs the place."

  "My Dad does the books for Sarah's family," Heather whispered in my ear. I was kind of surprised. He looked a bit big to me to be an accountant.

  "I think that can wait until later, Larry," Sarah's mother said. "I think a little party is in order to celebrate Sarah, Heather, and Paul's safe return, as well as their marriage. Even if they did forget to invite their poor and long suffering mothers!"

  There was some laughter at that, and I guess some of the staff had been cooking and setting up something in one of the bigger rooms, because we did have a party, and it wasn't just Sarah's and Heather's families, or the staff who were there either. Quite a few people from Havsue showed up.

  I think I was finally starting to realize that Sarah's family really did have some influence around here, and apparently I now did as well.

  Later on, when things had winded down a fair deal and it was just the immediate family and some of the more familiar staff who might as well have been family too, I went outside and found a place to sit and just think a while, while looking up at the night sky.

  "So, what happens next, Coyote?" I asked. I didn't have to look. I knew he was there.

  "That's up to you now, I guess," He replied.

  "So I'm all done? Is that it?" I said and shook my head, "I somehow find that hard to believe."

  "Welllll," he gave one of those little bark-like laughs of his, "I don't think I have anymore life or death end of the world struggles left for you to help me with. But I might have a couple of small things, now and again, that I could use your help with."

  "Uh-huh," I nodded slowly. "I'd tell you to get stuffed, but after everything that's happened to me this year, I suspect that eventually, just sitting around is going to get boring."

  "Well, with children on the way, I don't think you'll be having too much time to get bored just yet."

  I turned and looked at him. "I thought the girls were both on birth control?"

  He just winked at me.

  I shook my head and chuckled, "They're going to kill you when they find out."

  "Care to bet on that?" Coyote said and gave another bark-laugh. "They didn't marry you just for your good looks and great bedside manner you know."

  I snorted at that, but yeah, he had a point.

  "So that Zhon guy," I said, changing the subject, "he just managed to bring down all of civilization and pretty much destroy the world all by himself?"

  Now it was Coyote's turn to sigh and shake his head, "He was just the catalyst. The agent of change that helped set everything in motion. The miners really were being terribly exploited, and not just by Earth's governments, but by lots of people. And they were smart enough to know it, resent it, and do something about it, once someone stirred them to action.

  "Then there were the people trying to colonize the Moon, the ones trying to colonize space in general. They weren't very happy either, with the ways they were being extorted and abused. No, something like this was going to happen, it was in the cards as they say. Zhon was just the one who triggered it all off with his combination of charisma and psychosis."

  "Still, all of those billions of people dying."

  "Well, if makes you feel better, about a third of the people claimed to exist on Earth really didn't."

  "What?"

  "Governments lie about their populations all the time. Even your country did it with their census 'estimates' to steer more power and money into the hands of the big cities. If the United States was exaggerating it's population by over twenty percent, how much do you think that the countries with more controlling governments were doing? They all lied about the numb
ers, for all sorts of reasons.

  "That's the one skill you get as a god, you know exactly how many people there are, and where they are."

  "I thought you weren't here before the war? I thought you came back when you heard the prayers of your people?"

  Coyote laughed again, "Paul, do you really think that people were praying for me to show back up? I never left. Like I told you before, I watched you grow up. You were an interesting study in bad luck. My AI friend back on the Moon would call you a 'statistical anomaly.'

  "No, the AI's provided a gateway, I provided the prodding."

  "So what happens to you gods next?"

  "Oh, we're going to stay around for a while yet. This time around it's a lot more fun than the last time. Smarter people, healthier, and they've seen actual proof of our existence in the form of both you and Riggs."

  "Why'd they leave the first time, anyway?"

  "They got bored. What the AI told you wasn't far from the truth; we can be very flighty and temperamental. We're gods, Paul. We have a lot of power, and not much in the way of a conscience. Everything is about us, and if it's not, well, we're not interested." Coyote gave another one of his bark-laughs again, "Hell, they've already moved on from Riggs, pretty much have forgotten all about him, now that his job is done and he's been sent back home."

  "But you haven't," I pointed out, "and you haven't forgotten about me, either."

  "Playing tricks requires a bit more of a familiarity with the human condition, the timeline, and the people on it," Coyote chuckled. "Plus I really am the most interested in humans of all the gods. They see you as pawns in their games, and live for the power that your praise and prayers give them. Me? I'm fascinated with people."

  "And messing with them to see what they do."

  "Of course! Though I'm far less crude than I was many millennia ago when I first became aware. Now I only use the big stick for the particularly dense."

  "So, did anyone out there survive?" I asked, gesturing up towards the stars, "Or are we all still just trapped down here?"

  "Oh, the generation ship they build survived. They're all doing rather well too."

  "Generation ship?" I said, surprised.

  "Well, originally it was just an orbital arcology located around the L-five point. But when they saw the writing on the wall, they got their hands on a couple of rather large engines and nudged themselves out of orbit and left the system. Another hundred years and they'll be entering orbit around a new sun, with new planets."

  "Cool," I said.

  "Well, see you around, Paul. It was great having you working for me."

  "Wish I could say the same," I chuckled.

  "Oh please, like you could have scored those two on your own!" Coyote said, and then disappeared before my eyes, starting at the tail and ending with his grin, which lingered on for just a moment.

  I was just about to point and yell 'copycat' when I heard Heather's voice.

  "What are you doing out here? Come back inside!"

  "Yes, Dear. Just talking with Coyote one last time."

  "Just as long as it's the last time," she grinned.

  "He told me you and Sarah are both pregnant now, that he messed with your birth control."

  Heather beamed rather brightly at that, surprising me. "Well, at least he was finally good for something."

  "You're happy about that?"

  "Aren't you?"

  I put an arm around her and we went back inside as I thought about that.

  Yeah, I was.

  # # #

  It was late out; I'd gotten one of 'those' urges while we were all sitting around eating dinner and chatting about our day. I'd gotten up after I'd finished and kissed the kids goodnight, then kissed Sarah and Heather and told them both not to wait up, and took the car down to the Gold Star.

  Havsue was still a very interesting and exciting town for me, though I still hadn't quite figured out how it ran. Libertarian policies had met reality here, and at times it left me scratching my head. But it worked, and that was final arbiter for any political system.

  "Mister Young!" The valet out front said, coming up to me as I climbed out of the car. "It's nice to see you again! Will you be staying long?"

  "Long enough," I laughed and slipped him a nice tip along with the keys. It still felt strange, even after a couple of years, to have all of these people deferring to me in town. I had married into big money, bringing a rather large share of my own to the deal, and everyone knew it. The locals also all knew about my role in the war. Well, those that cared about current events at least.

  Walking inside the casino I nodded to several of the staff who I recognized. I still played poker once a week, but that was usually down at the Silver Witch, and it was more for fun than for profit as Coyote never intervened or gave me clues. But everyone here at the Gold Star knew that when I showed up, it was going to be a high-stakes game.

  And that I wouldn't be taking any prisoners.

  "Mister Young!" The floor manager said coming up to me as I made my way towards the high-stakes tables in the back, "Your usual water?"

  "Yes, please. Thank you, Umberto!"

  "It's my pleasure, Paul!"

  I couldn't help but smile, as I made my way to the one vacant seat that had suddenly opened up as I came over to the table. Pulling out ten thousand dollars I set it on the table as I sat down in the chair and looked up at the dealer, who was also smiling. Everyone here knew that I always tipped generously.

  "Chips please, Scott."

  "Sure thing, Paul."

  It took me about fifteen minutes of playing to figure out just who my 'special friend' was tonight. I didn't know what they had done to provoke Coyote's ire, or why he felt they needed to learn a lesson. I'd given up looking into their pasts after the third one, as she and the previous two had most certainly deserved it.

  Looking at the size of their chip stack, I would undoubtedly be here until the wee hours of the morning. I'd already picked up enough clues about them from the game so far to know that they wouldn't give up until they'd lost their last chip.

  But then, they never did.

  I had to smile and just shake my head at that. Grandmother would be pissed at my waking her up in the middle of the night. She still told me I was an unlucky bastard and that she felt sorry for me, but she never refused the money I'd hand over to her.

  I had no idea at all what she did with it; that was her and Coyote's business. Though maybe one of these days I'd ask him just why he cared.

  "Want to share the joke?" My new friend asked me, as I met his last bet.

  "I used to work for the most unmerciful, deceitful, conniving and unforgiving bastard in the world. He got me stabbed, shot, poisoned, beat, you name it."

  "So?"

  "Yet, when he calls me up and asks for a favor, I'm out the door in a heartbeat!" I grinned at him, "Now, is that fucked up, or what?"

  "Sounds like you've got some issues my friend," he replied checking his cards and placing another bet as the river card came out.

  "I don't have issues," I laughed and raised him, "I have a subscription."

  END

  Afterword

  First off I would like to say that if you enjoyed this book, I would be grateful if you could share that appreciation by giving the book a good rating, and a good review. Which you can do on the next page (on most(?) kindles). If you want to see more stories from me like this, please check me out on Amazon, or go to my webpage at: http://www.vanstry.net/

  For all of you who have been faithful fans, thank you! I appreciate you very much, and I do enjoy the occasional comment on my blog, facebook, or email. If you want to know when my next book is out, please sign up for my mailing list.

  Writing this trilogy had some personal meaning for me. For one, I am part (though admittedly it is a very small part) American Indian. As a child we were told not to talk about it however, which was sad, because the people who knew the most of that part of our family history have long since p
assed on now that I'm an adult. So I've always wanted to do a story with a Native American aspect to it.

  There were also a few things in this trilogy that actually happened in Real Life, either to me personally, or to people that I knew rather well (the non-magical things, of course!) Some of those things were minor, some were not-so-minor, and it felt good to mention them at long last somewhere, even if it was only in a fantasy story (and no, no hints!)

  Again, thank you for buying and reading my books, I appreciate it tremendously, you folks have all been very kind to me and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have shared these stories with you.

  John Van Stry

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