by James McEwan
Morning came early on the plains. One of the cowboys woke Thad and crew with the banging of an antique cowbell. “Grub time, time to get up and get some chow. Cookie has made something special for you guys, so get up and get going.”
Quincy lay in his bunk. “Oh come on mom, just a few more minutes.”
Thad had jumped up the second the man entered the tent. He was ready to kill even before he was fully awake. Thad shook off the warm embrace of sleep and refrained himself from killing the man who was just there to announce breakfast.
Doctor Hammer rolled out of his bunk surprisingly agile for a man of his years. Once everyone was up, they joined the others in the mess tent. There they found a spread of food from one end of the table to the other. Biscuits the size of a man’s fist, hard boiled chicken eggs, all kinds of fruit, meats of all kinds, and at the end of the table was a large bowl of white gravy.
Quincy said what they all were thinking. “You know, for a bunch of rough redneck types you sure do eat well. I can’t remember the last time I was so full.”
Rawhide laughed. “Well son, I’m glad you approve. Just because we work hard doesn’t mean that we don’t like some of the finer things in life. Food is just one of the many great joys of life, my friends.”
Quincy opened his mouth before his brain engaged. “Yep, the only thing that would make this better is if we have something better to look at then this dude’s hairy-ass face.” He was pointing at a rather large man with a bushy beard who was sitting across from him. “I mean, where are the ladies?”
The large man with the beard looked really annoyed with Quincy. So much was his annoyance that his hands were shaking as he crushed the metal cup in his hand. Thad saw this and worried that their welcome was about to run out when the man spoke. “We had some womenfolk travel with us, but they didn’t like my beard either, so I ate them.” he stared at Quincy.
The tension was broken by another cowboy that laughed. “Damn it! Now that’s funny, if you think about it! If anyone was going to eat anyone, it would be Jake here.” He said pointing at the man with the beard. The rest of the cowboys busted up in laughter.
Quincy leaned over to whisper to the cowboy next to him. “He didn’t really eat them did he?”
“You never know with Jake, but for you own safety I would stay away from him the rest of the time you are with us.” Quincy nodded and pushed his chair a little further back from the table.
After breakfast, they watched as the cowboys worked like clockwork. They were a well-oiled machine. They broke down camp and packed it up for transport. It did help that all the buildings in the camp were automated so they folded themselves up into little stackable cubes. The men just had to stack them in the back of the supply wagon, as they called it. It was really nothing more than a box trailer that had its own antigrav. It was pulled by two bikes and was steered from a position near the top of the trailer, making it look like an old wagon, well sort of, anyway.
Rawhide zoomed past them and yelled “let’s ride.” as he went past.
Everyone mounted up on grav bikes and because anti grav generates no sound, the grav bikes on Nueva Texas are fitted with speakers and a recording of a twentieth-century Harley with all its glory and with none of the pollution. It sounded like a group of outlaw bikers were whooping it up.
Then the whole group fell into line behind Rawhide and they moved out riding hard and fast. As much as Doctor Hammer did not like being placed in the situation, he still tried to find as much enjoyment as he could, and riding on the back of a bike watching the plains whipping away underneath his feet. The endless grass plains stretched out in every direction, but the group turned to the south and made their way around the backside of a herd of cattle. The flattened fields were covered in cow manure and the smell was enough to knock out a rabid bear. However, on the horizon was an army of massive machines all in line pressing forward at a steady pace. The first wave of machines was scooping up the cow dung and flipping onto conveyor belts, which fed into a huge tank that was on the back of the machine.
Inside the tanks, the dung was mixed with chemicals that broke it down into a liquid. It was then thinned a bit with water as it is pumped into another tank that is next to the first tank. Here the mixture is flash heated to speed up the fermentation process. Trailing behind the pooper scooping machines were much smaller machines that were connected with a pipe where the mixture is pumped too. There the mixture is mixed with new grass seeds and a green die to make the flattened fields look like they had just been painted green. Doctor Hammer had never seen any kind of operation like this before and he was impressed. Quincy on the other hand couldn’t care less, while Thad was amazed at the size of it all.
Rawhide’s voice cracked over the comms. “This is the recycle and re-seed operation, each city that runs cattle operates one. It’s something to see the first time.”
“Yeah, it is.” Thad said.
“We will ride south-west for another hour or so before we stop for lunch.” Rawhide said.
Doctor Hammer and Quincy groaned at the news, as they were not use to riding, and the long hours were taking its toll on them. Sore and stiff, Quincy just wanted off the bike. Thad, however, seemed to be enjoying the ride. For some reason, he seemed to be at peace when on the back of a grav bike. They rode in silence watching the recycle machines disappear behind them.
Chapter 9
Lunch consisted of steak, potatoes, buckskin bread with honey, several types of fruit, as well as a fresh salad. Quincy having been a low-income cabby who was not use to eating this well, and went back for seconds, thirds and Thad thought he saw him go back, for fourths. After lunch, Rawhide came over to Doctor Hammer with a small tin can in his hand. “Here, rub a little of this on your inner thighs, it will help with the soreness.”
Doctor Hammer took the tin. “Thank you, but how did you know?”
Rawhide laughed. “I have been riding out here most of my life, and I can tell by the way a man walks whether he is a green horn or not.”
“That obvious huh?”
“Yeah, the bow-legged waddle is what we call it.”
Their conversation was interrupted by one of the cowboys who ran up yelling. “Rawhide, we got a fast mover coming in about minute out!”
“Okay, rally the men!” he yelled back.
Doctor Hammer was not sure what was going on. “What’s up?”
“Not sure, but when a ship comes screaming in without announcing who they are it usually means bandits, but on the other hand,it could be military doing maneuvers or it could be kids joyriding, however, it is better to ready no matter what it is.” Rawhide said as he hurried off.
Thad was standing next to the bikes when the alarm when up, and all the men ran to the center of the camp. Where Cookie was handing out rifles and other heavy arms. He saw Thad standing there and pointed to him. “Hey you, you going to stand there or grab a gun, could be bandits on the horizon son.”
Thad didn’t say a word just ran over grabbed up a heavy cone rifle and a bandolier of magazines. He looked around and the scene that was unfolding reminded him of the movies had seen when the Indians attacked and the cowboys circled the wagons to make a defensive position. This was basically what they were doing they had pulled all the bikes into a circle and then stacked up crates to stand behind. They must have been tracking the ship for a while now because they were ready when it came screaming overhead.
“The first pass they make is just to make sure we are the kind of target they want.” said the man next to him.
Thad asked him. “Who are they and why would they want you guys?”
“Bandits most likely, but I have never seen a bandit with a ship like that.” said the man.
“And the second pass?”
Before the man could answer, Thad got his answer. The ground around them erupted with dust and rocks. The force of the blast forced everyone to the ground. Thad rolled to his belly and looked around. The middle of the circle had been hit where t
he resupply point was. Cookie had been standing there when they got hit, and now there was nothing but a crater. The extra ammo was gone.
Rawhide was back on his feet and barking out orders. “Dammit, I want that ship brought down now!” he yelled at two men that were operating the anti-air PML (Portable Missile Launcher).
The ship made a wide turn and slowed down for the next approach. Out of the side of the doors, they observed a series of flashes of light as troops with jet belts exited the ship. Just as the last man was out of the door the anti-air, PML roared skyward. A red plume raced towards the ship, whose pilot must have seen it coming because he fired off his counter measures and yanked up on the stick. The ship made a sharp climb, but it was not enough, because this PML was not a fire and forget missile, it was being piloted by the gunner. The missile hit just aft of the troop compartment near the engines. There was a long trail of black smoke in the sky, but the ship didn’t come back for a third pass.
“Nice shot!” Quincy yelled at the guys with the PML. They returned his compliment with a thumb up.
“Don’t get too excited, this is just getting started.” Rawhide yelled out.
He was right, seconds later the air erupted with laser fire. Bolts of burning death tore back and forth, as the Rangers returned fire. They had the advantage of cover and they made good use of it. The men who were shooting at them had nowhere to hide and their black uniforms stood out against the green fields making them terrific targets. They were staying alive by using their jet belts to skim along the ground a high speed, the soldiers were zigging and zagging trying to make it harder to hit.
“These guys are no bandits.” Rawhide yelled between shots. “Way too highly trained and equipped, maybe friends of yours?”
Thad shrugged his shoulders. “Friends, no! But I can’t figure out how in the hell they found us.” He squeezed off a round that struck one of the men in the jet belt. He was in mid-flight when it exploded, leaving a black and red streak across the green ground.
“I think you and your friends best get on your bikes and ride for New Houston. We will cover you.” Rawhide yelled, as he fired again hitting a soldier in the neck causing him to tumble out of control and finally coming to a stop, a broken bloody heap.
“Thanks.” Thad said, as he tapped Rawhide’s shoulder.
“Yeah, that is two you owe me now kid. Just make sure you live long enough for me to collect!”
The three men mounted the grav bikes and gunned the accelerators. The bikes zoomed away from the pitched battle as fast as the engines would allow. Laser bolts, con-rifle rounds, and every other manner of projectiles filled the air. They were almost clear when a stray bullet found its way into Quincy’s left arm.
Riding high on adrenalin and fear, at first, he had no idea he had been hit. He didn’t feel the bullet burn through the upper part of his arm, but as they rode on, he started to feel a burning in his arm that wouldn’t stop. Finally,he felt they were far enough from the battle that it was safe to look at his arm. At first, he could not see much, but blood was smeared backward due to the force of the air that whipped past him. He took another, better, look and he didn’t like what he saw.
There was a neat little hole through his arm on the far side of his body. Seeing the hole made him feel lightheaded and a little sick. Quincy pushed the comm button. “Hey guys, I think we need to stop, I got hit and I think I need some help.”
Thad instantly dropped back and pulled in next to Quincy who pointed to the wound. He nodded and then they all slowed to a stop. Doctor Hammer jumped off his bike and went to work cleaning and dressing the wound. “Sorry about this. I don’t have the proper medical supplies with me to do this right so we are going to have to do things the old fashion way.” he said as he tore strips of cloth from Quincy’s shirt to make bandages.
Thad stood watch while the doctor did his work. All things considered, Quincy was handling the wound well, with only a minimal about of moaning and groaning. The doctor pulled the bandage tight and that got a scream out of him. “Damn it Doc, any tighter, and my arm is going to fall off.”
Doctor Hammer didn’t miss a beat. “Not a problem, if it does, when we get to my lab back on Earth, I can grow you a new one.”
The color started to drain from Quincy’s face. “Really! You can do that?”
That stopped the Doctor dead in his tracks, he looked up at Quincy. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I can and besides you have nothing to worry about. Your arm isn’t going to fall off. Quit being such a baby.”
Thad could not help but laugh. However, Quincy didn’t think that it was that funny. “Gee Doc, you have the bedside manner of a wild Thog in heat.”
Doctor Hammer had no idea what a Thog was, let alone a wild one in heat. “A what?”
Thad stepped into the conversation. “A Thog is a bit like a Ralnai, but only bigger and a whole lot dumber. They are really nasty. So much so that the Ralnai have to fit them with control chips that shock the hell out of their pea size brains if they don’t do as they are told. Even with a control chip, Thog handlers don’t have a long life expectancy, so the job is given to those who have failed in battle and are deemed to be not good enough for the breeding pits.”
Doctor Hammer raised his eyebrows. “Well, they don’t sound like something that I would want to run into in dark alley.”
“Dark alley, brightly lit street, or anywhere else, if you ask me.” Quincy said, as the doctor tied off the dressing.
“There. That is the best I can do for you without the right equipment. As soon as we get somewhere with the medical equipment I will be able to fix it right and it won’t even leave a scar. You know you are really lucky. The bullet just missed the humerus.”
Quincy had no idea what he was talking about. “The what?”
Thad answered. “Your upper arm bone.” Thad didn’t like cutting in before the doctor, but he didn’t want the doctor to launch into a twenty-minute anatomy lesson. They just didn’t have the time.
Doctor Hammer reached into the saddlebag that the rangers had stocked for them and pulled out a bottle of water. He used it to wash the blood from his hands, Thad was watching the horizon nervously and Quincy was sitting on the ground next to his grav bike waiting for them to mount up and ride again. He was completely unaware of the true danger he was in.
Danger stalked them in the form of a small unimpressive green snake that was slithering its way towards them. It was not much longer than a foot and its skin was the same shade of green as the grass so it blended in perfectly. Thad walked past it twice as it made its way closer and closer.
Doctor Hammer was finished. “Quincy, you feel up to riding again?” he asked as he mounted his grav bike.
Thad mounted when Quincy said. “Yeah I think so.” He started to stand when the snake struck. “Ouch!” Quincy cried out as the needle-like fangs sank deep into the flesh of his left butt cheek. He followed up with a girl-like scream as the venom burned.
Thad was a little annoyed by what he thought was Quincy’s over reaction to the gunshot wound. “Damn it Quincy! Knock it off! It was just a little hole!”
Quincy was on his feet twisting and turning like a man on fire. “No, no, it’s my ass! It’s on fire!”
That took both Doctor Hammer and Thad by complete surprise. They looked at each other and shrugged. Doctor Hammer spoke first. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Nether was I.”
Quincy fell to the ground spinning around trying to grab his backside. He was screaming in real pain now. Thad and the Doctor realized that something was really wrong with Quincy. Thad grabbed Quincy by the shoulders trying to stop him so the doctor could get a better look.
“Hold him still.” Doctor Hammer commanded.
Thad was holding him as tight as he could. “I’m trying.”
Doctor Hammer examined Quincy’s backside and could see two small holes in his pants about dead center of his left butt cheek. “I think something bit you, now I need you to hold still and
drop your drawers, son.”
Quincy stopped wiggling around and stood up to his full height. “What? Here now, in front of you two?”
Hammer looked annoyed. “Yes right here, right now ... unless you want to die?”
“Die?” he asked, as his hands were a blur as his pants dropped to the ground. “I’m sorry, but I'm not used to baring my ass to a bunch of guys.”
“I didn’t know a Doctor and I constituted a bunch of guys, but I promise I will not look.” Thad said teasing him.
Quincy gave him a dirty look while Doctor Hammer examined his buttocks carefully and found two round red holes in his left cheek. He pushed on the holes, clear liquid came out of one, and a broken fang came out of the other. Quincy let out a proper scream when the doctor extracted the fang. Doctor Hammer held up the fang for Thad to see. “Well it appears that Mr. Jones has been bitten by something with fangs. I believe it may have been a snake by the looks of this fang here.”
Quincy was not having a good day, shot in the arm and now bit in the ass by a snake, it was too much for him to take. “A snake!” he said, then the color drained from his face and he passed out. He fell flat on his face with his naked ass in the air.
Thad watched Quincy take a nosedive then he looked up at Doctor Hammer. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Doctor Hammer returned Thad’s puzzled look and said. “Quite frankly neither was I.”
Thad stood there looking at Doctor Hammer. “Well what do we do now?”
A wicked little smile formed on his lips. “Son, we need to get as much as the venom out as we can, to slow down the effects.”
“Okay, how do we do that without a med kit?” Thad asked knowing he was not going to like the answer.
While the others were talking, Quincy came to and realized he was lying on his face with his bare ass still in the air. “Why am I lying on my face, and why is my ass so cold?” With his good arm, he felt his butt and then remembered the snakebite. “Oh that’s right, a snake bit my ass.”