Nomad Omnibus 02: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (A Terry Henry Walton Chronicles Omnibus)

by Craig Martelle

  CHAPTER SIX

  Japan

  It was the middle of the night for Akio, but he couldn’t wait. He knew of Andrew from before the fall. They hadn’t crossed paths, otherwise the Forsaken would not be tormenting the world’s survivors.

  When the WWDE happened, very few of the Were folk and Forsaken died. If they weren’t at ground zero of a nuclear detonation, they survived.

  Akio knew that created a disproportionate number of enhanced beings compared to the regular population. He’d taken it as his mission to bring things back into balance.

  He had not believed that Werewolves could turn to the side of those rebuilding the world, but Terry Henry Walton had made it happen. Robert Martelle’s faith in the man was important in Bethany Anne’s agreement to help save his life, make him something more.

  Akio hadn’t known that Terry had survived the WWDE. He’d lost visibility of the man over the years, but was pleased with his reappearance and his mission to save humanity.

  If Bethany Anne had been there, it was what she would have asked of TH. Akio knew that it wouldn’t do to have a Forsaken kill Terry or any of the others with which he surrounded himself.

  Akio smiled as he boarded the pod, leaving Eve and Yuko behind. The ramp closed and the pod took off, accelerating to a degree that would have crushed a normal human. It sniffed at an exoatmospheric departure, before starting to descend at hypersonic speed.

  ***

  North Chicago

  A wave of fear and panic washed over the group. Terry dropped to a knee to gather his wits. The platoon broke and ran. Terry watched them go, knowing that they were powerless against the Forsaken and better off elsewhere.

  The Weres danced around. Ted stood steady, seemingly unaffected. The great cat crouched and snarled. Terry kept his distance as Aaron looked ready to lash out at anything or anyone.

  Gene stood on his back feet and roared. He charged through the dead boars, straight for Harold. The Werewolf tore out of his clothes as he changed into Were form, but it was too late.

  The Werebear caught him at the moment he changed and before he could open his Werewolf jaws, Gene slapped him in the head with a massive paw and drove his bulk into the smaller creature.

  Harold toppled over backwards as the Werebear straddled him, shredding the Were’s raggedy black fur with his bear claws. Gene’s powerful jaws clamped onto Harold’s neck.

  Gene was driven into a frenzy by the Forsaken’s projection, so the Vampire changed tactics, projecting ultimate calm and peacefulness. The Werebear shook Harold one last time, dropping him before sitting down as bears sit, turning his full attention to licking a blood-covered paw.

  The broken body of the Werewolf lay there, nearly bloodless but still alive. The dog pack howled with the smell of blood. The bull trailing the wagon sniffed and snorted.

  The air was crisp and clear, a slight breeze blowing inland from the lake. The wolf pack laid down and promptly went to sleep. The Werewolves sat, tongues lolling. Terry wasn’t sure how much they were affected by the Forsaken’s efforts. He was able to fight off most of the effects, but summoning the fury and holding it close helped him.

  Harold groaned in pain, only semi-conscious. Felipe started working with the elephant until the great beast laid down.

  A vehicle breaking the sound barrier cracked through the air, letting everyone know that Akio had arrived. Terry wasn’t sure how long it had taken, but suspected it hadn’t been longer than twenty minutes.

  The pod landed on the road behind the Werewolves. The ramp descended and Akio walked out, striding purposefully past the Were folk to join Terry Henry facing the enclosed wagon being pulled by the elephant.

  “Konnichiwa, Akio-sama,” Terry said with a bow.

  Akio respectfully returned the bow. “Good afternoon, Anjin-san,” he said softly. “Thank you for calling me. I’ve been chasing this one for decades. It will be nice to bring this chapter to a close.”

  Terry looked around, realizing that the wolf pack was up and alert. Gene was looming over Harold like he wanted to finish what he started. The Werewolves were standing and attentive. And the platoon was running full speed to get back into the game.

  “Thank you for coming,” Terry answered.

  Akio walked forward, avoiding the lake of pig blood from the slaughtered animals. He circumnavigated the wagon once, before returning to the rear and the way in. Akio pulled his katana. The blade sang with its freedom.

  In a blur, Akio was at the back door of the wagon and then through it. Swords clanged from within, but no other sounds. The wagon jerked side to side as two masters fought for supremacy within the small space.

  Swords whistled as they moved through the air, ending with the ring of sword on sword. The listeners could only guess what was going on behind the walls.

  Terry approached Gene and rested a hand on the Werebear’s head. Terry wasn’t sure if he wanted Harold to live, but he couldn’t kill him, injured as he was. Gene would have no compunction about doing it. With a bang and the splintering of wood, someone came through the side of the wagon and landed heavily on the ground.

  Akio threw himself through the hole, landing lightly to the side of the Forsaken.

  Andrew cried out in agony at being exposed to the sun. He covered his face with his arms. His skin burned and smoked. Akio took no mercy. He slashed, once, twice, and three times, piece-mealing the creature until its head rolled free. The corpse continued to smoke as it rapidly degraded.

  Gene stood on his back feet and changed into his human form.

  “Damn, Gene! How about a warning next time,” Terry said, covering his eyes with an arm. “Nobody else change! Go find your clothes, for fuck’s sake. Damn! I’m sorry, Akio-sama.”

  Akio chuckled softly at the humility and sincerity in Terry’s mind, while studiously avoiding looking at Gene parading around more than anyone was comfortable with.

  The Werewolves, joined by the wolf pack, turned and headed down the road toward the plant. Char and Sue disappeared across the tracks as they ran toward the base and where they’d dropped their clothes. Clyde ran after them.

  Aaron turned and changed to human form where he was, then picked up his clothes and dressed. When he turned back, he surveyed the damage before him.

  “I take it that we won?” Aaron wondered, looking at Terry.

  Terry nodded. “We did, but it looks like we’ve acquired an elephant and a mahout, along with this wrung-out half-wit.” Terry used the toe of his boot to prod the injured Were. “Sergeant Mark! Police up these bodies and deliver them to the chow hall for processing!”

  “Sir, yes, sir!” Mark shouted, ordering the platoon to sling their weapons. As the sergeant got close, he started stammering. “I’m sorry, sir, I have no idea what happened that we broke and ran. I understand if you bust me back to private. I deserve it.”

  Mark looked like a whipped dog.

  “Forsaken mind control, Sergeant. There was nothing you could do. When that happens, it’s my job to protect you. It’s our job, those who are special, to protect you. Your performance and the performance of the platoon was exemplary. If you had a service record, I’d write that in there myself.” Terry clapped the man on the back.

  “And, it’s time you took on more responsibility. I’m promoting you to lieutenant. James to sergeant in your place. You choose the next squad leader. Let me know what you decide. First order of business, get these hogs out of here. I already smell pork chops, and I can’t stop my mouth from watering,” Terry said, leaning close as he confided in his new lieutenant.

  Gene dragged the injured Were out of the blood puddle, opening up the area for the platoon to get to work.

  Akio still had his katana out. He stepped past Gene and with a flick of his wrist, separated Harold’s head from his body. Akio wiped the blade clean on the man’s clothes and slid the katana home. He deftly walked past the platoon and angled toward the mahout.

  He stopped next to the man for a moment before contin
uing to Terry Henry.

  “A word, please, Anjin-san,” Akio said warmly as he motioned for Terry to lead the way. They walked some distance before stopping.

  “Thank you for your help, Akio-sama. I was unsure if we could handle the Forsaken on our own. I would have simply burned the wagon rather than try to fight him within its confines,” Terry suggested, knowing that such an action would have not been the most honorable, but Marine Corps rules—the only fair fight is the one you lose.

  Of course, Akio was in his mind.

  “Maybe not the most honorable, but it would have been an effective approach, exposing no one to harm,” Akio offered, looking at Terry through his dark brown eyes. Akio looked to the sky and breathed deeply of the lake air. “It is nice here. You have chosen wisely.”

  Char appeared through the brush. She was carrying Cordelia. Terry smiled and waved her over. Akio stepped to the side.

  “Let me introduce our daughter, Cordelia,” Terry said proudly. Char shifted the baby, who was growing quicker than a human baby. She was not quite ready to crawl, but Terry gave it two more months and she’d be mobile.

  Akio gently caressed the baby’s head. He stopped to run a finger over Cory’s ear. “She is the best of you both,” he finally said.

  “Can you tell if she’s a Werewolf?” Terry blurted out. Char slapped his arm.

  “Why the concern, Anjin-san? Is she not healthy? Is she not happy? That is what she is. All will be revealed in its own time, as a butterfly escaping its cocoon shows the wondrous colors of its wings.” Akio continued to play with the baby’s ear. “I wish Yuko was here to see her. She was pleased to hear that you were expecting, Char-san, and I hope that my humble description does the baby justice. She will expect no less than a vivid image.”

  Without warning, Cory power-heaved, sending an arc toward Akio. Twisting his body, he rotated to the side and corkscrewed himself around the offending mess, making sure that not a single drop touched him. He straightened as if nothing happened. Char apologized as she wiped Cory’s mouth.

  Terry looked closely and saw that Akio’s clothes were immaculate, no blood, no sweat, no dust, and no baby spit-up. Terry looked at himself. He had a permanent stain on the shoulder of his shirt from the baby. The hogs’ blood had spattered him. There was a sweat-stain down the front, along with small tears in the material where something or other tried to take a chunk of his flesh.

  “When will the power be turned back on?” Akio asked, seeing in Terry’s mind a desire for a washing machine.

  “Soon, I believe. We’re working hard on all of it,” Terry answered.

  The train whistle sounded. It sounded again before the squeal signaled that Ted was moving the train. They could hear Gene cursing in Russian.

  “I don’t understand those two at all,” Char said, watching for the train to move, the Mini Cooper visible beyond the trees.

  Akio turned serious.

  “Terry Henry Walton and his partner, Charumati,” Akio said with a bow, looking from one to the other and back again. “You have a higher calling. Your service to the Queen is already greatly appreciated.”

  Terry understood what that meant. “I am forever in the Queen Bitch’s debt for saving my life, helping make me what I am today. We will do whatever you ask of us.”

  Char wasn’t sure that “whatever” was the right answer, but waited to see what Akio had in mind.

  “People are coming together around the world, reforming communities, rebuilding their societies. Humanity has survived the fall and is starting to grow. With that comes the influence of the Forsaken. Throughout the world, they survived at a much higher rate than humans, understandably so. But they are creating more Forsaken. This concerns us greatly. We will need you and your Force de Guerre to help humanity get out from under their influence. I’m sorry, but they are already marshalling armies to conquer and expand. The Chinese heartland is already in their control.”

  “A Chinese army?” Terry asked, almost pleading. “We only have thirty-four people, forty-four if you count the Weres and me. Although I am honored that you have such regard for our abilities, Akio-sama, I’m not sure we can fight an army.”

  “The army isn’t the problem, Anjin-san. It is the inner circle. With the pods, we can put you and your people close and extract you just as readily. It is the inner circle of fanatics, the type that you encountered in New York City. I was unprepared for their level of devotion,” Akio conceded. “Yuko, Eve, and I have changed our thinking on this, making it that much more important that you and your people are there to save as many humans as possible. Without the Forsaken, we believe they’ll return to an acceptable normalcy.”

  “Can we go back to New York, see how they’re doing?” Terry asked.

  “I think that’s wise, Anjin-san. A covert mission, where they never know you were there?” Akio suggested.

  “What if they need help? Maybe they could use someone to keep them from fighting over food,” Terry wondered, looking at the sky as he thought through the possibilities.

  “That is what you would find out on a reconnaissance mission, Anjin-san. Go in and learn what they need, then we can plan for what’s next.”

  “We.” Terry Henry mulled over the word. Integrity. Duty. Loyalty. Those words might not mean much when people are fighting over scraps of food. Billy had managed to lift the people to a cooperative level of existence. No one starved. Everyone worked. Everyone mattered.

  The words and what they meant mattered. Was Terry’s duty to the whole world? Were he and Char strong enough to carry such a burden? Were they to be selfish or selfless?

  He struggled to balance his selflessness with the needs of his family, with the needs of the town.

  “Fuck!” Jim howled. He was covered in blood from trying to carry one of the hog carcasses by himself. He dropped his burden and waved someone over to help him. There was a mess on the pavement, but Terry assumed the spring rains would wash it all away.

  “What would lighten your burden, Anjin-san, Char-san?” Akio asked.

  Terry looked at Char and then their baby. “That they are taken care of, no matter what happens. I owe it to the family I lost and to the family I’ve found.”

  “If anything happens to us,” Char said, emphasizing the last word, “we want our children to be well-cared for.”

  “If anything happens to you both, Yuko and I will raise them as our own,” Akio replied solemnly, the red glow of his eyes lessened in the late afternoon sun. He needed them both to be good with doing Bethany Anne’s bidding, as he understood her bidding to be.

  Char nodded to TH. “We can ask for no better,” Char said softly.

  “FUCK, FUCK!” Jim yelled again. Terry closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said as he jogged toward the remaining members of the Force who struggled with the last of the swine.

  Char watched him run, marveling at his physical strength, but knowing that his best attribute was his mind, and the honor he carried like a halo.

  Akio was in her mind. “You two are special indeed.”

  Char turned back to the shorter man. “We’ll do what you need, Akio. We’ll have a tactical team ready and the more intelligence you can share with us, the better we’ll be. That was a nasty surprise in Queens,” she said, neither judging nor condemning, but stating a fact. “If we’re going to be outnumbered, at least let us come up with a plan to give us an edge.”

  “I will give you all I have now, on a screen reader. I’ve also brought a solar charger for it,” Akio said. He looked like he was going to excuse himself but Terry’s antics with the remaining members of the platoon made for cheap entertainment.

  The carcass was on the ground and Jim and Charlie were doing pushups while Terry counted. The two warriors jumped to their feet. Terry yelled at them briefly before the two returned to the pushup position.

  They did five excruciatingly slow repetitions, before standing at attention.

  “Figure
it the fuck out and watch your language! We have a guest visiting,” Terry finished berating them, making a great show of throwing his hands in the air and gesturing wildly. When he turned back toward Akio and Char, he winked. Jim and Charlie attacked the boar with renewed vigor and quickly disappeared toward the chow hall.

  “I married a little boy,” Char said under her breath.

  “All women do, Char-san,” Akio added sagely.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Terry, Char, and Aaron watched as the pod lifted off and soundlessly accelerated away. Terry held the computer tablet that Char had handed to him.

  He turned it on and tapped a couple icons before getting to what he wanted: the intelligence summary of a place outside what used to be Poshangcun, located near a large reservoir southwest of Beijing.

  Terry panned out and then zoomed in, enjoying the embedded maps as if Google still functioned.

  “Sometimes I miss this, but most of the time, no,” Terry said while looking. Cory reached a hand to the screen and whisked her little fingers over it so quickly that before he could stop her, Terry lost everything he was looking at and the screen turned into something that wouldn’t recognize his touch. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

  “Sue will be able to help or Shonna or Ted, or well, any of them,” Char suggested as she lifted her daughter out of reach.

  Terry looked at the blank screen, hoping that someone could save him from having to explain to Akio how Terry broke one of the world’s last remaining computers after using it for a sum total of thirty seconds.

  He couldn’t find fault with his daughter. He held something shiny, and she wanted it. Cordelia was growing up quickly.

  Dogs barked from nearby. A great bull was still tied behind the wagon. The mahout and the elephant were still sitting.

  “I guess we better discuss the future with our visitors,” Terry said resignedly. The others followed as he walked back to the wagon.