B. E. V. (22 page)

"Oh, no!" Kat pointed at something out of my sight.

"What?"

Her voice trembled. "More troops."

I hauled myself back far enough to see the screen.

Behind the soldiers, on the horizon, a second wave of vehicles and men raced toward us in a ragged line.

"There's nothing we can do right now," I said. "Let's worry about this bunch first – we'll deal with those other guys later."

At the wall, a backup of soldiers developed. The electrical trap was down, probably over-loaded, but piles of bodies and the debris from Pop's trebuchet, made it impossible for Morgan's men to advance in any order. On top of the wall, four figures hurled canisters down on the remaining troops. A poisonous fog swirled along the ground in puffs where they landed.

Out on the field before the town, the sides of Morgan's army curled around the wall on either side. One flank drifted toward the river.

"Bev, quick! Drive those soldiers back – they're gonna capture Pop and the others."

She shifted gears with a lurch, disengaged from the fight, and made a long, looping swing, which brought her to the end of the enemy line. Copying an enraged bull, Bev dove into the men tossing them aside, while flashes of light from lasers winked on and off her screen. She slowed, picked up speed, as she plowed up along the wall.

"I – I did it," Bev moaned.

"Get out of there, Pop," I muttered. "We bought you time,
now git.
"

He must have read my thoughts because the figures vanished.

"Our dads and the others are taking off," I said to Kat. "Let's give these guys one more kick in the rear and do the same."

Our first and second batch of spider bombs had scampered away, lost among the advancing troops. I hauled the last two crates of bombs to the hatch and tossed more out. "After we dump these we'll blow the whole thing, okay, Bev?"

"Tr-tr-try," she stuttered. "Too many, hurt, can't control –"

"Hunter, mo – more troops coming from the northwest," whispered Kat in desperation.

I started tossing out the contents of the third box, laser fire hit Bev, and another rocket slammed into her body. I heard her moan.

"Hunter, those other troops – they're not Morgan's men – it's Mr. Whitehorse and his people."

"You're kidding?" I emptied the remainder of the crate and crawled back to my seat.

A line of motorhomes surged toward the rear of Morgan's army. Horses raced alongside, their manes flying and tails straight out, while the men and women sitting on their backs fired rifles and screamed. Behind the first line came other cars. The whole mob yelled their heads off.

High above our heads, the helicopter sent rockets streaking downward to explode among the advancing Amerijuns. One of the motorhomes burst into flames as it took a direct hit.

"We have to do something," Kat moaned. "Morgan will kill them all."

"Bev, what do you have left to stop the helicopter?" I yelped. "Something – anything!"

"No-no-noth –" her voice stuttered. She lurched forward, slowed, and shot off.

The flying ball rattled back against my chair. I pointed to it and whooped, "Use it! Bev – your eye – see if you can hit those blades."

The orb rose, shook itself, and zipped around the cabin, banging into the walls before it flew out the hatch. It streaked for the sky heading for the helicopter.

"Hunter, I can't believe it! Those other troops aren't Morgan's either. Captain Smith and his soldiers are attacking," Kat whooped, bouncing in her seat with joy. "We might win this thing after all."

The freedom fighters drove in on Morgan's troops from the other side in ten ancient army Humvees with battle flags streaming behind.

Explosions started going off around us – the spider bombs, shaking Bev side to side. "Bev, not yet!" I screamed, "I still have one more crate to throw and we're too close." I sprang out of my seat toward the hatch to drop the last box.

The crate had disappeared.

A huge explosion rocked us. Bev hurled into the air, a feather blown in the wind, and slammed to Earth. I smacked into the deck and crashed against the ceiling at the same time. The air whooshed out of my lungs and I couldn't breathe. Everything flashed grey with white light, streaking across my mind. In the background, Kat cried and a soft weight landed on my back.

"Hunter," she sobbed, "are you all right? Please, say something."

My lungs started pumping and I replied, "Ugh."

Kat grabbed me by my side, hauling me over as if I was a rotten log. Eyes stared in mine and her hair covered my face. I blinked, struggled to stand, and she pushed me back down. I mumbled, "What happened?"

"Bev set off all the bombs at once." Kat allowed me to sit up and tried pulling me to my chair. "A whole bunch exploded right under us."

"Huh?" Why was Kat trying to drag me? I weighed twice as much as she did. I touched my pants – blood covered my bum leg. I didn't feel a thing.

We were speeding up and slowing down, running in crazy cuts as if Bev were out of control. I shook Kat's hands off and staggered to my seat.

Bev had dropped into manual. I grasped the steering yoke, yanking until I brought her under control, and straightened us out. I fed power to the propulsion system and she took off in a straight line again.

On my right, the shattered ground fractured into huge pits, ruts and mounds of earth lay everywhere in front of the wall. I glanced to my left; Mr. Whitehorse and his horde swarmed over the balance of Morgan's men with hoops and savage bellows. In front of me, Captain Smith's band made a flanking movement, crushing the side of Morgan's men who tried to escape in every direction.

Above, grey smoke dissipated, the helicopter was gone – so was the flying orb.

John and Robert Whitehorse rode by on ponies, waved rifles at us, and kept galloping. A bloodstained, mud splattered motorhome passed us. I just had time to see Annie waving to me from the passenger's window before they too, disappeared from view.

I twisted Bev's yoke, and we fell in behind the motorhome until it stopped in front of the ruins by the town's gate. Kat and I stumbled out and met Mr. Whitehorse and Annie, John and Robert rode up next. Dust and sweat covered both brothers along with the largest smirks I'd ever seen.

"Where'd you guys come from?" I found myself beaming, too.

"The council agreed to keep traveling south and see if we could help your town," Mr. Whitehorse said. "Probably the first time in history the Amerijuns saved the settlers from the cavalry." He laughed aloud.

John dusted himself off and said, "When we heard the sounds of the fighting Dad tromped on the gas." He nudged Robert. "Some ride, huh?"

"Yeah, same as I imagined our people did in the old days." Robert glanced at the motorhome. "Sort of, anyway."

"Hunter, you're hurt!" Annie dropped to her knees, dabbing at the blood congealed on my thigh with the tail of her shirt.

Kat hooked me by the arm. "This way, Hunter. Let's take you back to Bev and find a dressing for your leg." As she pulled me away, I heard her mutter under her breath, "Before she takes her whole shirt off."

We climbed into Bev with grunts, and Kat made me sit down in the cargo bay. My pants leg already had a rip where flying metal nicked me, so Kat tore it more until a long, ragged gash showed running down my thigh. My stomach got queasy and I could almost feel the pain, whatever slashed me cut me good. Kat rummaged through the lockers searching for the first aid kit with no luck.

"Bev, where do you keep the bandages?" Kat complained, slamming the door. "I have a wounded warrior here who needs attending."

No answer.

"Come on, Bev, stop playing around, this is serious." Kat wrenched another locker open and dumped the contents of the drawers onto the deck. "Oooh, never mind! I found it myself."

Kat hurried back and cleaned out my wound by pouring stinging stuff on the gash, which burnt crazy. She squeezed antibiotic on a dressing and wrapped my whole thigh in gauze. "I'm the walking wounded," I chuckled. I touched all the padding on my leg. "Good job."

Kat kissed the tips of her fingers and placed them on the bandages. "There, mamma fixed – all better."

"Thanks. Now help me up." We hauled me to my feet and I limped back to the controls. "We might as well drive into town and down to the river – make sure our dads set off all right."

Mr. Whitehorse and John poked their heads in the door and Mr. Whitehorse hollered, "We'll be out with our people. Where can we find you when we're done?"

"Straight along the main street," Kat called back. "You'll see the high school on the left, the river on the right. We're checking to see if our dads have left."

I had a thought. "Oh, and Mr. Whitehorse, you saw those other soldiers? They're on our side."

He nodded. "I figured as much when they opened fire on Morgan's soldiers. Don't worry, they're safe, we won't attack any."

I sat back, took a deep breath, and let it out in a slow sigh. "I think we did it, Kat." I slapped my armrest and said, "Fighting's all over – we won. Bev, down to the river and we're done for the day. You're a hero, well done, kiddo."

Bev still refused to answer.

I figured she was mad at me. She had a right after what I'd put her through. "Oh, okay," I said, patting her controls, "be this way. I guess you deserve a rest. I'll do it myself."

I guided us around the wreckage clogging the streets and to the beach. The dock was empty. We got out and walked to the end. I heard a yell from downriver. Cruising into view around the bend was a boat with four people: Pop, Mr. Brennan, Bill, and Roy. They waved and motored up to the dock.

"Dad!" Kat ran out and hugged her father. I hobbled after her.

"Hunter." Pop grabbed me in a bear hug and lifted me off my feet. "What happened?" He saw the bandages on my leg. "Are you all right? We heard all the explosions and decided to return and make sure you two escaped. Where's Morgan's army? Are they still attacking?"

"Destroyed." I told him about the spider bombs, Mr. Whitehorse, and Captain Smith and his men. "It's all over. I saw a helicopter in the air – I think it was Morgan. It's disappeared."

Bill and Roy volunteered to sail downstream and tell our people it was safe to return.

A light mist started falling and it grew dark. We decided to leave and return to the gate when Mr. Whitehorse and his family arrived. Captain Smith pulled up next in his Humvee, right behind the Amerijuns, with the rest of his men in a long column.

I made introductions all around. Captain Smith said, "I'm taking my men and heading upriver to make sure none of Morgan's men escape." He slapped me on my back, almost knocking me over. "It seems you and your machine have everything under control here."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Mr. Whitehorse, Pop, and Mr. Brennan cheered Kat and me. "We'll try our best."

Captain Smith leaped into his Humvee and shouted to us, "This is one defeat Morgan won't forget. His power has been broken in this sector for the time being, I'm sure of it." He drove off with his men trailing him.

Mr. Whitehorse said to Kat and me, "It's raining and becoming late, you kids must be dog-tired. You're welcome to spend the night with us," he gestured to the motorhome, and then to the school. "It doesn't appear there's anything livable in the town for warriors – always glad to have more company."

Annie giggled and took a few steps toward me, nodding her head.

Kat said quickly, "We don't want to put you out, Mr. Whitehorse. I think we'll sleep in Bev tonight. Mr. Greene, Dad? Want to have a victory celebration?"

Mr. Brennan released a tired groan and scrubbed at his face. "We would probably be more comfortable in the motorhome with the Whitehorses," he replied as he surveyed Bev's burnt exterior, "but if you want us to stay in your machine, we can. It won't be much of a party, though," he let out a sigh, "I'm dead-tired." He ruffled her hair. "I'm surprised both of you aren't out on your feet."

"Yes, it is getting late," Pop agreed. "Why don't you two go ahead and settle down. I need to speak with Mr. Whitehorse for a minute. We will be right along in a minute."

I wanted to stay and talk too, but Mr. Brennan was correct, I could barely keep my eyes open and yawns kept escaping my mouth. Kat tugged on my sleeve, dragging me away from Annie and toward Bev. "Let's go, Hunter. I want to find spare blankets and pillows."

"Oh, all right," I grumped. "Your dad has a point anyhow. No fun tonight – I can hardly stand up."

"Nonsense," she beamed as we crawled into Bev's cargo hold. She called out, "Hey, Bev, we're having another slumber party!" She pounded on the wall, "You ready to get down and dirty, you naughty little girl scout?"

When Bev made no reply, I said, "Bev? Are you still mad at us? Everything is all finished, honey, no more fighting, I promise. Please talk to us."

I heard a sound, a faint whisper.

"Help."

"Bev?"

"Bev!"

She never spoke again.

 

 

We rebuilt Paradise Cove. With the addition of all the refugees from the other towns, and Mr. Whitehorse's people, the work went fast. It was also more crowded than ever before.

Captain Smith and his men stuck around for a while scouting. They rounded up dozens of Morgan's soldiers, deserters who used the opportunity of the defeat to escape. A few of the single men enlisted with the rebels, most thought they still had families alive somewhere and left to find them.

After his last scouting mission, Captain Smith reported he could find no trace of Morgan's army in the area, also work on the road ceased; Mr. King's work crews had vanished along with the prison labor.

"Might be pulling back to regroup," Captain Smith stated to Pop and me, before he left, "Maybe he lost too many men and feels he can't hold the territory he has. I'm taking my people and heading up north to see what's doing, joining together with another company fighting a would-be war lord attempting to set up a kingdom."

He said to me, "Any time you want to enlist with us, you're more than welcome. We need men such as you with spunk."

"Gee, thanks," I replied, surprised at his offer, "but I have to stick around, there's still high school to finish."

"Well, if you change your mind." He threw us a salute and drove off.

We heard later from the skel rumor mill a lot of fighting occurred up north afterward. I guess free men just have to fight for freedom.

The Amerijuns had a small group with their party who called themselves the Plain People. They might have been plain, but they were workhorses when it came to building, and brought their own tools. Even kids younger than me knew how to use a hammer and saw. Before we'd completely cleaned up the evidence of the battle, they were banging away and erected houses for everyone.

The town's buildings took longer. We needed to clear the streets again, and material located for construction, before we rebuilt the business district and high school.

For a lot of this work we used Bev as a plow and tractor. She worked fine in manual, and Kat and I hauled concrete and garbage from early morning until late at night. We would pack a lunch and eat while working, sometimes getting so tired by nightfall we'd sleep in Bev rather than go home. You could say she, Kat and I rebuilt Paradise Cove single handedly. Well, we did have help, but we did a major portion.

When we put Bev in automatic, however, and gave a command, she stood, unmoving. No amount of coaxing or pleading would make her move or say a word.

After we'd finished in the town, we drove Bev out to Pop's new farmhouse and repaired the rips and cracks in her hull. We cleaned off all the burnt stuff and repainted Bev with her favorite colors, pink and purple.

Pop and Mr. Brennan examine the controls and couldn't figure out what was the matter, in fact, they didn't understand how she worked in the first place. She contained no engine, power pack, or circuits. They concluded Doctor Krumboton developed some kind of metal acting as a giant, integrated computer chip, and did everything in one shot. The thin coating they discovered shreds of on the outside of the hull, which made her shiny, they theorized generated a personality.

"I can only guess, of course," Pop explained, "But she sustained so much damage during the battle some of her higher functions were lost. If the covering she wore made her talk it would certainly have been the case, the continuing blasts she took burnt it all off. Your Doctor Krumboton might even have designed her in such a way."

It didn't make sense and I said so.

Pop sat on the grass in front of Bev and patted the ground next to him for me to sit. I eased myself down and he pointed to Bev's exterior. "Think of it this way, son. You see how chewed up she is? Bev's body is the same as yours. You can lose your sight, an arm," he pointed at my leg, "the ability to walk and still function, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, Bev was built the same way. She lost her personality, she cannot talk, or act on her own, but she works fine as long as someone operates her. Understand?"

I did, but I didn't enjoy it.

In Mr. Whitehorse's party, he had other engineers who examined her, even going as far as cutting open one of the bot rats we still carried, and examining the insides. After splitting the casing using a laser beam, they discovered an empty shell. They suggested a whole mess of theories and different conclusions, which contradicted each other, but I guess the old nursery rhyme was true, "All the king's horses, and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again."

We tried getting back down to the lab to ask Doctor Krumboton what was wrong with her, but found it impossible. You see, Doc locked his placed down tight, blast shields and everything, and Bev was the one with the codes to unlock the doors, only she wasn't talking.

We left Bev parked at the farmhouse and Kat and I made her our official clubhouse, planted black-eyed Susan's around her and everything. We even celebrated our sixteenth birthday in her. Kat baked a cake, put candles on top, getting chocolate frosting all over her fingers, and we sang happy birthday to each other. I made a party hat for Bev, and we placed a piece of cake on a plate by her front, but it wasn't the same without the dumb remarks.

After we cleaned up Paradise Cove, and the steam, electrical, and water restored again, one of the first things to reopen was the high school. I guess the adults wanted a place to stash us kids during the day so we wouldn't get into trouble. Mr. Whitehorse, Pop, and Mr. Brennan even talked about starting uni courses, at least in the major subjects, for the older kids. Higher education didn't worry me too much, I still had to survive the eleventh level.

Kat and I were walking down the new hallway – I was burdened down with a double load of books. Kat made me carry them for her.

Hank and Sonja strolled the other way. They were back to full speed, thinking they ruled the school again, which made Kat and I laugh. We started a football team this year, but every other town within fifty miles had disappeared, the people dispersed by Morgan's army, or lived in Paradise Cove as refugees, so the team was more symbolic than anything else – also the cheerleaders.

"Hey, it's the geek," Hank quipped as he and Sonja blocked our path, "the hero of the town!"

"And the geekess," Sonja added with a scratching motion of her nails. "The
Kat's
meow."

Kat tried to ignore them and walk around. I stopped and said, "We gonna have a winning football season this year, Hank? Should be easy, you have no one to lose to. No competition."

Kat giggled and said, "Maybe you can play the cheerleaders," she gave Sonja a laugh, which showed all her teeth. "If I remember right, they enjoy rolling around in the mud, black roots and all."

Sonja sputtered incoherently. Hank shot back, "Sure, maybe we'll use the old wreck you keep in your yard. We'll need the piece of junk for the barn fire celebration."

"You leave Bev out of this," I said. "She's done more for this town than you ever will."

Hank snorted and said, "Oh, yeah? What's the great Bev doing now? I heard you're growing flowers in it, about all it's good for, right? Find your loony doctor and you can play ring around the rosy."

When I didn't answer, he laughed. "Well, see you later losers, got to go." He slapped the top of the books I carried, knocking them to the floor, as Sonja and he cut around us.

I bent over to pick them up, swinging my bum leg out so I could get to one knee. Hank slammed into my foot, tripped, and pulled Sonja down with him in a heap of arms, legs, and curses.

I finished collecting our books, and Kat and I walked to class. My leg didn't hurt at all where it had been kicked.

I think Bev would'a been proud.