Downtime and Death (Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut Book 5)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Sammi ate a few more bites, then set down her spoon and sighed. “I need to go. The new system will start tomorrow. Thank you, Alvin, and thank you, Jarvis, for this.”

  “You are quite welcome, Sammi.”

  “Thank you for asking me,” Alvin said. “Why the change from just doing it without telling me?”

  “We’ve been told that we need to communicate with our remaining players more,” Sammi grumbled, “as if balancing the damned thing isn’t hard enough. We can’t take the whole thing down and just do hard fixes, noooo. Only…” Sammi trailed off, visibly fighting to contain herself. “I need to go. Thank you all.”

  “Sammi,” Becky said, smiling brightly at the other woman, “thank you. I fully approve of this change.”

  “Oh… You’re welcome, uh, Gothy.”

  “I’d like to suggest a simple code change,” Becky went on.

  Sammi went suddenly wary, “What?”

  “A purchase to change one’s name in the system.”

  “You want the system to register you as Gothy instead of Rebecca?”

  “I would also like that option,” Kuro added.

  “That…” Sammi paused as she considered. “I’ll see what can be done, but it might have to wait until after we finish the quest implementation.”

  “I don’t mind a wait,” Becky replied, a wide, bright smile lighting up her face. “Thank you. Even if it doesn’t happen, just seeing if it can be done is more than I’d thought you would do.”

  “Do I seem like that much of a bitch?”

  “No,” Alvin said, “but consider Gothy’s history and you can figure out why she doesn’t expect much from anyone.”

  “Oh, right. You’re welcome.”

  “Thank you from me, as well,” Kuro added.

  “You three…” Sammi murmured, and vanished.

  “I’m glad you all enjoy my cooking,” Jarvis said after a moment of silence. “I hope the buff helps, and I also hope it isn’t needed.”

  “I’ll take two points to Hardiness,” Alvin said, seeing the buff appear once he had eaten half of his breakfast. “Would that buff push me past Human maximums?”

  “I am unsure, sir. We can test it once you increase your Hardiness again.”

  “That’s going to be a while,” Becky said. “We should target the kiosk upgrade for the next big investment. That’ll give us more flexibility with the quests.”

  “That’s a good point,” Alvin agreed. “I swear, the more we get, the more it seems we need.”

  “Isn’t that always true, Hero?” Kuro asked between bites.

  “Fair enough, Mousie, fair enough.”

  They left the base ten minutes later, only to find more than half a dozen people waiting for them by the Humvee. “You know, this is why I went around yesterday and said goodbye,” Alvin told them as he got out of Bill’s truck.

  “If you hadn’t waited so long to leave, you could have avoided this,” Terry said. “Instead, you gave us all time to finish up our duties and wait for you.”

  “Sorry, Hero,” Becky said, walking over to David and giving him a hug. “Take care of your fiancé. That means no stupid shit when making bombs.”

  “Yeah, I know, sis,” David replied, giving her a hard hug. “Make sure to keep yourself safe.”

  “Looks good,” Bill told Alvin as he looked over his truck. “How is it?”

  “About ninety percent repaired,” Alvin shrugged. “Justin could finish it off without any trouble.”

  “Thank you for giving us some hints, Al,” Susan said, giving him a friendly smile and light hug. “We’re going to be busy with the kids for the next few months, and trying to find the best upgrades for us.”

  “There’s another big change coming, but it’s an addition rather than a complete rework.”

  “For the best or worst?” James asked, giving Alvin a bro-hug.

  “Best. I don’t think I’m supposed to go blabbing yet, but let’s just say that everyone will be able to find goals to meet soon.”

  David’s head snapped to Alvin, “You mean—”

  “Ixnay,” Becky said, stepping on his foot and giving Bridget a hug. “Please take care of my little brother. He can be dense.”

  “I find most men can be,” Bridget smiled. “Your brother at least listens when I talk, which is a vast improvement over others.”

  “All men should learn to listen,” Kuro sniffed.

  “Some just need the right woman to listen to,” Megumin added, giving Kuro a light hug. “Safe travels to you all.”

  “You all stay safe, and don’t do anything crazy about the fish-demon unless you need to,” Alvin said as he opened the driver’s door on the Humvee. “If we find anything that can help, we’ll make sure to send word.”

  “Next time, warn us when you’re coming,” Susan said.

  “No promises,” Becky grinned as she got into the passenger side.

  “Sis...” David said with an exasperated sigh.

  “See you again,” Bill said, stepping back from the Humvee. “Maybe we’ll surprise you when you come back.”

  “Maybe,” Alvin said as he shut his door. Opening the window, he toggled the Humvee switch to get it warming. “By then, we might have explored half the continent.”

  Everyone laughed, but knew that it was entirely possible that Alvin was being serious. The Humvee rumbled to life and Alvin closed his window. He, Becky, and Kuro waved to their friends as Alvin got them rolling toward the open gate.

  “It was nice of them to show us off again,” Becky said as they rolled out of the settlement. “And this time, there was no flyover to overshadow our departure.”

  “That would have been bad,” Alvin chuckled. “If it happened again, they might ask us to not come back.”

  “Southern Colorado is our destination?” Kuro asked.

  “Yeah, it’ll take us into the Rockies, which will mean biting winter weather. Luckily, we’re all prepared for that, and the Humvee shouldn’t have any real problems with it. I have a course plotted that avoids all the larger towns and cities. We’ll be on ranger trails more than major roads, but that’s for the best.”

  “Until they give you a ‘find X number of settlements’ quest,” Becky said.

  “If the reward is worth it, we’ll take some chances,” Alvin replied. “I’m not worried. I have you two beside me, which increases my chances of survival by a massive amount.”

  “Same for us, Hero,” Becky replied.

  “Agreed,” Kuro nodded. “I wonder what we’ll encounter first?”

  “Let’s find out,” Alvin replied. “Radio, a random selection of our favorites.”

  “‘Highway to Hell?’ How appropriate,” Becky laughed when the first song started playing.

  “We’re headed toward Texas, so it might be accurate,” Alvin laughed.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  The road out of Green River and onto Interstate 70 was wide open. Alvin waved to the two men on duty where I-70 and the town intersected before turning toward Colorado. Letting out a deep breath, Alvin grinned, “Car, follow planned route.”

  “How many trails are we going to follow?” Becky asked.

  “Most of them. Ten miles out, we turn to Moab, then we hit the trails around there, drop back onto US-191, and take Utah State Route 46 to La Sal. That’s a small town with about a hundred houses, so a bit of excitement, maybe? We’re gonna follow that into Colorado until it turns into Colorado State Route 90, pass by Paradox and Bedrock, hit the 141 near Naturia, skirting it to connect to the 145 and pass Redvale, Norwood, and Placerville. Then, we’ll hit the trails through San Juan National Forest and Rio Grande National Forest.”

  “How long do you think?”

  “A couple of days, depending on what we find and whether we have to backtrack at all; the normal. After that, we get to the plains and then it’s just a matter of backroads around the towns before dropping down into Texas.”

  “Where it’ll be hard to avoid all the towns and
cities,” Becky said.

  “Pretty much, but that’s true across all the plains states, too. We could go north through the Dakotas... that would be easier for missing people, but we’re going to need to find other settlements.”

  “We will go where you go, Hero,” Kuro said.

  “They really cleaned out the interstate near the town,” Becky said as they cruised down the road.

  “Thankfully,” Alvin said, “but looks like they only got out this far.” He motioned to the cars ahead of them. “The few miles of free sailing were nice, but now we get to play ‘avoid the wrecks.’ Though it does look like someone has made a path for us.”

  “I wonder for how far?” Becky mused.

  “Hopefully for the next few miles,” Alvin chuckled, slowing the Humvee and following the path that was just wide enough for them.

  The exit to US-191 was coming up, and Alvin was grateful that the path included the off-ramp. “Remind me to thank Bill for whoever made this path.”

  Before anyone could respond, a loud boom echoed from underneath them, and a concussive thump hit the Humvee. Alvin cursed when he felt the Humvee lift and tip. Metal screeched as the Humvee bounced off one of the wrecks, tipping it further. When they stopped moving, the Humvee was on its passenger side.

  “Gothy, Mousie, you two okay?” Alvin asked as he took stock of his own state.

  “Shaken, but fine,” Kuro replied.

  “Annoyed as shit. What the fuck happened?”

  The sudden sound of gunfire and ricochets off the Humvee startled all three of them. They peered out the windows as best they could, trying to find the source of the gunfire. “I don’t see them,” Alvin grunted. “Gothy, unbuckle and move into the back. Mousie, open the gunner hatch; we’ll go out that way. Stay in cover and see if you can get eyes on them.” Once the women were moving, Alvin unbuckled carefully so he could turn in his seat and not fall.

  The gunfire was nearly continuous, meaning there was likely more than just two people firing on them. Alvin slipped out of the Humvee after Becky, using it as a shield. Bullets continued hitting the far side of the vehicle.

  Kuro was peering around the back bumper and pulled back once Alvin was out. “Hero, I see a couple of men on the other side of the highway.”

  “Okay, we were ambushed,” Alvin growled as his Type 56 appeared in his hand. “Been a few days since I killed a person, but today seems like a good day for it.” The whizz of a bullet going past his head made Alvin hit the ground instantly. “Down!”

  Becky went to the ground next to him with a grunt, “Fuck! Someone just shot me from the off-ramp!”

  “They have us flanked,” Alvin hissed. “We deal with the ones near the off-ramp first, and use the other vehicles as cover from the ones across the way.”

  “Hero, I can take those across the road,” Kuro said. “Once you draw their attention toward the off-ramp, I can use the distraction to get to them.”

  “No,” Becky said firmly. “Not letting you do that.”

  “Please, Gothy, have faith in me,” Kuro asked, sounding almost plaintive.

  “You wait until they turn on us, then go wide around them,” Alvin said. “If you die, you’ll be going without sex from either of us for a week.”

  Kuro stiffened and nodded, “Understood, Hero. I will not die.”

  “Hero,” Becky asked, “why?”

  “I want them all dead, and the best way to make sure that happens is to split up so they can’t run away.”

  “Fine,” Becky growled. “Let’s go kill these fuckers and give her the opening she needs.” Pushing off the ground, Becky went in a low run toward the next vehicle, trying to find a line of sight on their attackers. “Set.”

  Alvin pushed past her, bullets hitting the cars he passed. A few bullets hit him as he ran and went into a crouch beside the next truck in line. “Go!” he shouted over the mic. He fired down the path they were following, trying to drive the people back some.

  The moment Becky passed him, Alvin stopped firing so she could get to the next vehicle. Becky came to a stop and ducked as bullets flew at her. “Go,” Becky said, giving him cover fire.

  Alvin leapfrogged her as they got closer to the exit. Up ahead, he could see five people waiting for them. Slamming into the side of a car to avoid the barrage of gunfire, Alvin paused. “At least five, all of them ready for us,” he told Becky.

  “Understood.”

  “I’m about to make my dash,” Kuro told them. “Can you give me some fire on the two I’m after?”

  “On it,” Becky said, peeking around the back of the car she was next to. “On three, Mousie. One… two…” Becky began to double tap the trigger of her Tommy gun, “three.”

  Alvin glanced back and saw Kuro’s dark lithe form darting across the median, and one of the two men turning toward her. Popping up, he fired a quick burst at the man, hitting him with several shots and forcing him to duck. Dropping back into cover, Alvin spoke into the mic, “You’re on your own now, Mousie.”

  “Thank you, I have it from here,” Kuro replied.

  “You ready, Hero?” Becky asked as her gun reloaded.

  “Go.” Alvin took a step to the side and held down the trigger after switching the Type 56 to full-auto. The five men ducked behind their cover, avoiding Alvin’s shots. Alvin nodded and ducked back into his own cover as Becky went racing past him.

  Becky gasped in pain when two rounds impacted her as she slid to a halt behind a truck. “Oh, you’re dumb fucks. Hero, it’s Joshua and Eric.”

  “Well, that makes a bit more sense,” Alvin replied. “Guess they didn’t listen to what they’d been told. Our armor is going to need some love again after this.”

  “Yeah,” Becky sighed. “Good thing we have a room for that now, huh?”

  “Ready?”

  “Yes, but I wish we had stopped by Beatty and picked up our grenades,” Becky replied. “Or had him send them to us.”

  Masculine screams from the far side of the road got everyone’s attention, and Alvin rushed forward without hesitation. “Going!” He fired off a few more rounds to force Eric and his pals to duck as he closed the distance. Getting to within a dozen yards of his objective, he slid to a halt behind an RV with Becky right behind him. Looking toward the screams, Alvin grinned as he watched Kuro butcher the two men she had gone after. “Fuck, she’s sexy.”

  “That’s our toy,” Becky agreed. “Now we have to deal with our own problems.”

  “We have the armor to withstand this,” Alvin said. “It just means we’ll have to break out the back up armor for a few days or weeks.”

  “There is that,” Becky nodded.

  “Or I can use one of the explosives we got from David,” Alvin chuckled. “Throw it, wait for it, then go in?”

  “That sounds like my kind of plan,” Becky grinned.

  Pulling the small square box from his bag, Alvin put fifteen seconds on the timer. “I’m going to throw it under the car they’re using for cover. If we go at the same time, they might not even realize it. Just remember to brace for it.”

  “I’ll go around this side, so maybe we can catch them in a crossfire.”

  “I’ll throw in three.”

  Becky nodded, shifting forward so she could go when he called for it. Alvin rose to his toes and started counting. When he hit three, he threw the bomb with his right hand, randomly firing his UMP with his left to try and distract them. Alvin grimaced as rounds peppered his chest and face, annoyed by how much his armor was being worn down by the sheer amount of firepower being directed at him.

  “He’s alone— where did the bitch go?” Eric shouted as he ducked to reload. “The other one is killing Skippy and Gilden. We need to go help them, too.”

  Alvin ducked next to a flipped truck. Boom motherfuckers. The explosive went off and was followed by a lot of cursing. Gunfire erupted once again as Becky went around the far side of the RV. Alvin sprinted past the truck, coming up on the other side of the group. He joined Bec
ky firing, both of them aiming for the one man who was down and bleeding.

  “Fall back!” Joshua screamed, hunching his head down and trying to return fire while falling back.

  Four of them started back, then one of them shouted, “Claude!”

  “Leave him! We need to regroup,” Joshua snarled and aimed for Alvin.

  Claude was not a problem for long. He was not wearing any armor on his head, and between Becky and Alvin, they were able to splatter his brains all over the asphalt.