“Kate, my whole family is in this lab right now,” Sammy said. “You all are the only ones I got left. And frankly, I’ve spent enough time with you three.” She gave Kate a grin. “But you have other people to see. Other people who need you, even if it’s only for a moment.”
Kate got the message. Her team was right. There was no way any of them could know what might happen tomorrow, but she could control what happened now.
“Thanks, I hope you all know how much you mean to me,” Kate said. “I’ll be back soon as I can.”
“Don’t hurry too much,” Sammy said, giving her a wink.
Kate left the hospital and melted into the throngs of civilians and soldiers flooding through the streets of Galveston, finding new temporary shelters or carrying out orders to bolster the island’s already formidable defenses.
She hoped that all this extra effort was enough, because every single person she cared about in this world was on this little patch of Texas.
In front of the apartment building where her family was sheltered, she saw Beckham was already outside with Javier at a table. Beside him was Horn and Jenny. Spark and Ginger were playing tug-of-war with a branch.
Kate almost broke at the sight of what would have been a normal day back at their former home on Peak’s Island. She halted to watch them from afar for a few seconds, remembering those days when safety was not an illusion.
She took a mental snapshot of the scene to save for what would come tomorrow. When the enemies were barreling down on the walls and the horror of monsters returned, she would have this image to inspire her and keep her fighting.
“Kate,” Beckham said. He stood and waved her over. “What are you doing here?”
“Turns out my team could handle things on their own for a bit,” she replied.
Javier ran over and hugged her. “Second time in one day. This is great, I’ve got something to show you.”
“Oh yeah?” Kate looked at Beckham suspiciously.
“I was just telling Dad that I’ve been practicing some boxing moves Connor taught me,” Javier said. “I’m ready to fight some Variants.”
Kate pulled him close against her side with one arm. Normally she would have scolded him, but today he needed confidence and she had to admit it was good he was learning to defend himself.
She waved at Connor, the Secret Service agent that had been protecting Javier and the girls. He was watching over them all now and gave a friendly wave back.
“Where’s Tasha?” Kate asked.
Jenny gave her a playful smile. “She’s with Timothy.”
“They went for a walk together,” Horn said. “Told ’em to stay within view of other humans.”
“And you think they’re going to listen to that?” Kate asked with a laugh. “Big Horn, I imagine you still remember when you were a teenager.”
“God damn…” his words trailed off.
“Give them this time together,” Beckham said. “They deserve it as much as anyone else.”
“He’s right,” Kate said. “I’m just glad we’re all still together. For better or worse, we’re all one big family now.”
“We’re just missing Fitz and Rico,” Beckham said.
“They’re off on a ‘walk’, too,” Horn said, using his fingers to indicate quotation marks in the air.
“Days like this I really wish Mom was here,” Jenny said. “I can hardly remember her now.”
“Oh, honey,” Kate said. She went to the younger girl and gave her a hug.
Horn sulked. He rarely spoke of Sheila anymore, but Kate could tell the big guy was thinking of her now.
“When this is all over, are we going to move back to Maine?” Javier asked.
Beckham and Kate exchanged a glance. Even if they were victorious, returning to Maine was probably not an option.
“What about a nice house along the Gulf, somewhere we can enjoy the beach almost every day instead of just in the summer?” Beckham asked. “I kind of like it here.”
“The beaches in Mexico are better,” Horn said. “But I can’t speak Spanish worth shit except to order a cerveza. So Texas will have to do.”
“Gingers like you don’t do well in the sun,” Kate said with a slight smile.
“I’ll make sure he wears sunscreen,” Jenny said.
That earned a few laughs from the group.
“Really, I like it here and so do the dogs,” Jenny said. “Tasha seems to like it too, when Timothy is around.”
“Oh, we’re not letting that young man stray too far ever again,” Beckham said.
“No, we aren’t,” Horn agreed. “I’m keeping my eye on him. For more than one reason.”
Kate spotted two more figures walking toward them. “Speaking of lovebirds…”
Fitz and Rico waved as they crossed the streets and joined the group at the tables.
“Please, help yourselves,” Beckham said.
Jenny held out a plate of cut apples.
“Thanks,” Fitz said. “Sure is a nice day.”
“You always liked the calm before the storm,” Rico said. She gave him a playful elbow in the ribs. “But don’t lie, you’re just happy ’cause you’re with me again, aren’t you, Fitzie?”
Horn laughed. “You know, I’m pretty sure the guy used to hate it when you called him that.”
“Oh, he still does,” Rico said. “But he’s learned to deal with it.”
“Because deep down he actually likes it?” Kate asked.
“Nah, that isn’t it,” Fitz said. “I just realized Rico’s too damn stubborn to ever stop doing something I dislike, and I use up all my energy fighting monsters to fight her on it.”
“It only took him eight years to learn that,” Rico said with a laugh.
“At least he figured it out,” Beckham said.
“Hey, where’s Dohi?” Javier asked. “I wanted to show him some of my new moves.”
The young boy kicked the air and chopped it with his hands.
“Nice,” Fitz said. “But I’m afraid Dohi’s looking after someone right now.”
Kate had a feeling it was the captured Chimera Corrin.
Ginger and Spark grew tired of the tug of war and trotted over to Jenny and Javier. Spark dropped the stick on the ground and Javier picked up the slobbery toy.
“Gross, guys,” Jenny said.
Javier threw the stick and the dogs rushed after it, barking. Jenny laughed and ran after Spark and Ginger. They bounded over the grass, stumbling over each other in a desperate attempt to get at it first.
Kate relished those moments. The conversation, playing with the dogs, and just being with those she loved more than anything had been something she had missed desperately. It was just the break she needed from work, and a good reminder of why they were fighting so hard.
Part of her felt like she should be working, but now she was enjoying the moment with no idea if there was a future where she could enjoy time like this again with her family and friends. Besides, they had prepared as much as they could, and the kids needed something to look forward to. Some hope to cling to when all else appeared dire.
— 20 —
An hour after lunch with the family, Beckham sat in a seat next to Horn in the cramped Galveston hospital room where Ruckley was being treated.
“Damn, you look like the female version of Rocky Balboa after a debut with Variants,” Horn muttered.
“And you smell like a garbage can,” Ruckley said, her voice coming out in nearly a croak. She cleared her throat. “I keep having nightmares about ugly monsters, then I wake and see something even worse.”
She looked at Beckham. “Not you, Captain.”
Horn laughed. “Us ugly people got to stick together, that’s why I came to see your mug.”
“You do smell,” Beckham admitted.
“You kidding?” Horn asked. “I showered. The girls made me do it, too. They said I was stinking up the whole shelter.”
Ruckley smiled, but it turned to a grimace.
“Exhausted now, but I’ve dealt with worse. I’ll get out of this bed soon. I’m not going to let you guys go back out there without me.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Beckham said.
Ruckley gave him a glance that flitted from his prosthetics to his face. He knew what she was thinking, but she respected him enough not to say anything.
He held up his partially melted prosthetic hand with his other hand defensively. “All right, just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Then he felt the smile fade, and he leaned in toward the hospital bed. “In seriousness, I also came to thank you.”
“For what?”
“You helped keep Timothy safe,” Beckham said.
“And he helped keep me safe.”
“He’s a good kid.”
Ruckley nodded. “He’s a man now, don’t forget that.”
“You’re right,” Beckham said.
“Damn straight,” Horn added, grinning. “Anyone who goes into battle as many times as Timothy has is a real man, and a brave one at that.” His smile faded, and he patted the handrail alongside the bed. “You know, you scared the shit out of me. And that’s not an easy thing to do.”
“What do you mean?” Ruckley asked.
“We’ve lost too many good people,” Horn said.
Beckham heard an unusual slight crack in Horn’s voice.
“I was worried you were going to be one of ’em, and frankly…” he looked at Beckham, his freckled face turning a bright red.
Realization set in, and Beckham held back a smile.
My god, Big Horn actually likes a woman, he thought.
Horn had never even laid eyes on the opposite sex over the past eight years since he lost his wife during the fall of Fort Bragg, but Beckham had always encouraged him to find love again.
That was the last thing he had expected to happen in the thick of the new war.
“I was worried you weren’t going to make it,” Horn said after the long pause.
“Don’t worry, bub,” Ruckley said. “It’s going to take more than a crumbling casino to kill me.”
“I’m just glad to see you back to your old self,” Beckham said. He started to stand, checking his watch. “I’ve got to talk to Commander Jacobs and Corrin. Big Horn, buddy, why don’t you stay here?”
Horn shrugged.
“Yeah, keep me company,” Ruckley said. “Long as you don’t get too close.”
“I really smell that bad?”
“Yeah,” Beckham said with a grin. “Yeah, you do.”
“Hey, Captain,” Ruckley said.
Beckham paused and turned toward her.
“I promise, even if the doctors don’t like it, I’m getting out of this bed to join the fight before they come,” she said. “I can’t sit here while people die for me out there.”
Beckham opened his mouth to speak, but Ruckley cut him off.
“Don’t try to convince me otherwise. I’d rather die in the battlefield defending this country than in a damn hospital bed.”
With that, Beckham left the hospital and headed back out toward the street. Crowds of civilians walked in large clumps as soldiers ushered them to shelters. Many were new arrivals, people who had fled the fallen outposts, somehow managing to make it here with their lives.
Beckham couldn’t help thinking how many people were still out there in this country, fighting for survival like Ruckley and Timothy had. They deserved help just as much as anyone inside these walls.
He shook the thoughts aside as he entered a former history museum that now served as Jacobs’ headquarters on Galveston. Stairs took him down to a floor filled with what had once been expensive jewelry ranging from near prehistoric times to the modern era. Beyond the glitter of the jewels and gold was another room guarded by six men.
Commander Jacobs stood outside of it talking to Dohi.
Corrin stood behind them, his hands shackled.
“You don’t need to put this guy in cuffs,” Dohi said. “He’s not an animal.”
“We’re taking a big risk parading him around already,” Jacobs replied. “I trust you, but I trust those shackles more.”
“If Ace were here…” Dohi’s voice trailed off as Beckham approached.
The burn scars across Jacobs’ face glistened in the intense overhead lights.
“Captain Beckham, we’re just about to begin our test,” he said.
Beckham glanced at Corrin. The Chimera was quiet, but he wore a scowl.
“Maybe Dohi’s right,” Beckham said. “The shackles might be too much.”
“If we want this charade to seem real to the Chimera we have locked in here, we’ve got to treat him like the other beast,” Jacobs said.
He indicated the door to the vault. Where the museum curators had once stored valuable artwork and historical artifacts, Jacobs’ men now kept the Chimera prisoner that Beckham had captured outside of Houston.
The plan was simple. They would lock Corrin in the cell with the other beast, and Corrin would hopefully get them some much needed intel.
“Remember, we need confirmation of where the Prophet is, any verification that the science team is right about Los Alamos,” Beckham said to Corrin. “If there’s any intel we can get about that site or the New Gods’ forces, it might be helpful to our cause.”
Corrin nodded.
“You backstab us, I will drive my own knife straight into your skull,” Jacobs said.
“And I would welcome it,” Corrin replied.
“Just get this over with,” Dohi said.
Jacobs glared at the Chimera. “Team Ghost speaks highly of you. I still can’t decide if they’re crazy, but I hope you prove them right.” Then he gestured at the guards. “Take him away.”
The six guards grabbed Corrin roughly. He struggled against their grip, thrashing, as soon as one unlocked the prison cell.
Jacobs beckoned Beckham and Dohi to a computer monitor set up nearby. The view on the monitor showed the concealed CCTV camera inside the cell where their prisoner Chimera was already chained to a wall.
The guards secured Corrin and his shackles next to the prisoner. One kicked Corrin’s gut for good measure, and Corrin wheezed.
Beckham didn’t like it, and neither did Dohi, but he knew it would help sell the lie to the other Chimera that Corrin was loyal to the New Gods.
The guards left and locked the door. For a few minutes, Corrin huffed, catching his breath. The other Chimera stared at him.
“Heretics,” Corrin hissed, his voice crackling over the computer’s speakers.
“Vile creatures,” the other Chimera agreed. “How did they catch you?”
“A scouting party.”
“The Prophet sent others?”
“Yes, after your team went silent,” Corrin said. “He sent us to find out what happened. Evidently like you, we failed.”
The other Chimera let out a low roar. “These heretics will pay.”
“The Prophet knows that we’re here, and he knows that the president is here. He’ll help us seek revenge.”
“The Allied States president is here?” the Chimera said, all but confirming to Beckham that this was a recent revelation to the New Gods.
“Yes.”
Even through the computer monitor, Beckham could see the enemy Chimera salivating.
“When I break from these chains, I will slaughter the filthy heretics,” he said, snarling.
“We must first find a way to break the chains, but we would be wise to be careful.”
“Yes.”
“I overheard them talking about the Prophet and Los Alamos. They know more than we thought. Perhaps it’s best for us to find a way to free ourselves, then take the head of the president back with us on our own.”
The enemy prisoner tilted its own misshapen, scarred head.
This was their chance to find the true locatio
n of the New Gods, and if Corrin had blown it, then they would gain nothing from this Chimera.
“Los Alamos?” the Chimera said quietly.
Corrin nodded.
“You’re right. If we can kill her and return to the Prophet with such good news, we will be rewarded with all the flesh we can eat.”
Jacobs looked at Beckham. “Maybe this Chimera of yours isn’t so bad after all.”
“Elijah told me if I returned to him with the head of any member of Team Ghost or the generals here, I would be made a member of the Council,” Corrin said, reciting a lie he had prepared before.
“Elijah said that to you?” The Chimera sounded eager. “He made me similar promises. I was supposed to try and bring my trophies back alive.”
“Alive? Why?” Corrin asked.
“To serve us. And if they don’t do it willingly, they can join the ranks of the slaves and the Fallen.”
At Commander Jacobs’ command, one of the guards rapped on the cell door. “Shut your mouths before I crush your faces in!”
The theatrics seemed to help convince the Chimera he was talking to a fellow prisoner.
“The Prophet wants Reed Beckham and his family more than any of the others,” the enemy whispered.
Beckham froze.
“That son of a fucking bitch,” he whispered.
“I do not know what the Prophet wants with them, but it should be beautiful,” the Chimera said, nostrils flaring.
The conversation continued until Beckham and Dohi were satisfied. Now he had questions. He nodded, and Jacobs ordered the guards to intervene. Two of them opened the cell door and one slammed the stock of his rifle against the enemy Chimera’s mouth. The other kicked Corrin back.
A group of four more soldiers in riot gear rushed in to restrain him and make it look even more realistic.
“You’re going to your own separate cell, you piece of shit!” one of them yelled. “After I beat the hell out of you.”
The cell door slammed shut behind them, and the guards let go of Corrin. The Chimera joined Jacobs and Beckham, wiping blood from his fresh wounds.
“How did I do?” Corrin asked.
“Well done,” Beckham said. “But I have a question. What exactly are these Fallen?”
“I’m one of the Fallen,” Corrin said. “Scions—Chimeras—who haven’t been brainwashed into their cult. We’re the ones who they treat like slaves after they’ve turned us into these disgusting monsters.”
Extinction Cycle: Dark Age Box Set | Books 1-4 Page 120