Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn (The World After Book 3) (6 page)

June 27, 2029

In the air, East of L.A., California

   “Cut them loose.” Augie instructed the flight crew as he
sat down facing Rora.

   “Gee thanks.” She said sarcastically.

   “General, what is going on here?” Commander Khodorov
interrupted. “Why are you wearing N.R.T. uniforms and flying an N.R.T. plane?
And why were you in L.A.?”

   “Come now Commander, you know I cannot answer that.”
Augie replied evenly.

   “Why the hell not?” Colonel Brandt demanded. “We crash
landed, were shot at, beaten, and nearly executed; and you mysteriously appear
to save us at the last minute. We deserve answers.”

   “Look, I would love to tell you everything but I can’t.”
The General informed them. “It is part of operational security. I assure you I
am here on Society business and that’s all you are cleared to know.”

   “I have the highest clearance possible.” The commander
insisted.

   “But you don’t have a need to know.” Augie told him
calmly.

   “I’m going to be talking to Dr. Banek about this when we
get back.” The commander stated emphatically.

   “You do what you feel you have to do commander. I would
just remember how I saved your bacon when you go crying to the good doctor.”
Augie said pointedly.

   The two astronauts grumbled to each other and gave the general
dirty looks but focused on getting circulation back into their extremities. The
cuffs had been very tight and Rora felt the same raw pain where the cuffs had
chafed and restricted blood flow. After a few minutes of further hushed
grumbles they turned their attention to Anna. One of the crew had already given
her a shot to sedate her, but they wanted to make sure their fellow crew member
was secure.

   Shaking his head with a wry grin, Augie addressed Rora in
a low voice. “Those two are so full of themselves.”

   “They did handle themselves pretty well in an unfamiliar
situation.” She informed him.

   “That may be, but it doesn’t dismiss years of prima donna
behavior. I thought maybe they would snap out of that now that they got their
hands dirty.” He replied.

   “What are you doing here?”

   “I came out here to pick you up at Edwards, but you
already had company by the time I got there.” He said innocently.

   “And you happened to have an N.R.T. uniform and plane
ready to go when you needed to get us from the gangs of L.A.?”

   “Rule #15, always be prepared…”

   Rora had to stifle a laugh at that one. “You weren’t
really just an Army general before the Collapse were you?”

   “I think you know the answer to that.” He said with a
smile. “And that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.”

   “So you aren’t going to tell me what you were doing with
the Imperator either are you?”

   “I think Rule #6, mind your own business, applies here
don’t you?” He said jovially.

   “You got me there.” Rora acknowledged. “What about the
deal you made? Are you going to honor it?”

   “That would be tough since the N.R.T. government knows
nothing about General Killian meeting with the Imperator.”

   “Won’t there be trouble when the Imperator doesn’t get
his payoff?” Rora asked with a little concern.

   “Screw the N.R.T. and G-21.” The General snapped. “They
wouldn’t help us, so they are on their own. Besides, the Imperator can’t do much
to hurt the N.R.T. and I’m sure they don’t care much what he thinks.”

   “I thought the Society was about helping mankind?”

   “Some of mankind doesn’t deserve to be helped.”Augie told
her. “And there will always be collateral damage. You have to try to do the
most good for the most people.”

   “Does Dr. Banek share that viewpoint?” She asked.

   “That is one point we disagree on. But he never argues
with my results, so I think we can see who wins the argument.”

   That was interesting to learn. The Society was not the
monolithic organization of do-gooders they pretended to be. Ultimately, they
were like everyone else. The ends justified the means. Their ends might be
nicer than everyone else’s but they were still imposing those ends on others.
She supposed that was just human nature. Still, she would have to be careful of
Augie. He had some hidden depth to him, and she wasn’t sure what he was truly
capable of.

   “What happened to the Major?” Augie asked interrupting
her musing.

   “I thought you might know?” She replied in confusion.

   “All I know is that he isn’t with you and you didn’t say
anything about him being killed, so…”

   “A group of armed men rushed us as soon as we exited the
shuttle. They tased Derek and then dragged him into a Humvee. We saw a plane
take off and fly east shortly after that, right before the gang members first
grabbed us.” Rora informed him.

   “Any idea who they were?”

   “Not a clue. They had no insignia, all of them wore face
masks, and the plane was unmarked. We have to find out who took him and get him
back!” Rora insisted.

   “When we get back I will check with my sources, but I
think we can rule out the U.S.T.G. I think they would have had insignia or
identifiable uniforms.” Augie mused.

   “We ran into the Red Berets on the space station, the
same ones from Florida. I think that is who the U.S.T.G. has pursuing Derek, so
I agree it probably wasn’t the U.S.T.G. But who else would want him?”

   “I can think of a few groups that might have an interest
in him.” Augie replied thoughtfully.

   “Other Illuminati?” Rora asked pointedly.

   “Some crazy things happened here after your mission. I
think maybe you better tell me everything that happened on the station and
after you crashed.” Augie told her. “Then maybe we can figure out what happened
to Derek.”

   It had been a hell of a couple of days for Rora. First
they had barely survived a crash landing in the shuttle. Then Derek had been
snatched from them while they stood by helplessly. Gang members had grabbed
them and they had been forced to make a bloody escape. That was followed by a
wild chase and desperate escapes throughout the city. It finally ended with
their swift capture and near execution, only for them to be saved at the last
minute by a miraculous intervention. She hoped the Red Berets who had shot up
the shuttle and nearly killed them were having as a bad of a day.

June 28, 2029

U.S.T.G. Military Headquarters near Joliet, Illinois

   The feeling of near drowning was indescribable and he
struggled not to panic as they poured the water over the cloth covering his
face. The enhanced interrogation had been going on for at least a day now and
Tom was beginning to weaken. Upon landing, the entire squad had been seized at
gunpoint by an entire platoon of troops. They had been separated and he assumed
they were all being similarly interrogated.

    He had been stripped, drugged, and interrogated
intensively. First had been the shock treatment and then isolation in a small
room heated or chilled to the extreme for varying times. Strobe lights flashed
at random intervals and loud music blasted in randomly as well. All the classic
techniques used for years by government intelligence agencies. The
interrogators had wanted to know why he had failed on the station and who he
was working for. They had asked over and over. He had no idea what was
happening to the others, but he assumed they were getting the same treatment.

   He couldn’t tell them anything because he was loyal and
had not betrayed the U.S.T.G. in any way. That damn Derek Storm had continued
to foil him at every turn. It was like the man was Superman or something. Tom
wasn’t even mad at the interrogators because they were doing exactly what he
would have done in their place. He had failed the mission and deserved what was
happening. His only hope, which he clung to desperately, was that he would be
given one more chance to get revenge on Storm.

   They had moved to the waterboarding after softening him
up first. Finally when he thought he couldn’t take any more and he started to
hyperventilate, they removed the cloth. Tom struggled to adjust to the sudden
light in the room. As he blinked rapidly, he heard the interrogators leave the
room. Someone else entered as they left and began releasing his restraints.
When his eyesight adjusted, Tom could see it was General Ross.

   “I’m sorry sir.” Tom mumbled the first thing that came to
mind.

   “Me too son.” The general replied. “I’m sorry this was
necessary, but we had to be sure.”

   “I know. I would have done the same thing.” Tom agreed.

   “Now that we are sure of your loyalty, we have a few
things to discuss.” General Ross informed him.

   “I’ve always been loyal sir.” Tom stated strongly.

   “I know Captain, but others had to be assured. Our
failure to get the device created great anxiety amongst the Party leadership.”
The general replied wryly.

   “What about my squad?”

   “They are fine; we cleared all of them also.” The general
informed him. “You can rejoin them once you and I talk.”

   “Do you have another mission for me, sir?” Tom asked
anxiously.

   “It’s a little more complicated than that. Come to the
briefing room and I will explain.” General Ross said as he handed a clean
uniform to his subordinate.

   Freed from the restraints, Tom grabbed the uniform and
quickly got dressed. He followed the general to briefing room. He was still
unsteady from the interrogation but he held no ill will for the treatment. All
that mattered was that it appeared the general was going to provide him another
chance. Tom could prove his loyalty and get back in Command’s good graces.

   The briefing room they entered was small and Spartan.
There was no one else in the room except himself and General Ross. The general
gestured that he should sit at the small table in the center of the room. A
large TV monitor took up the far wall. The general joined him at the table and
picked up the remote. He clicked on the TV and then addressed Tom.

   “Your mission was both a failure and a success.” General
Ross began, to Tom’s surprise.

   “A success?” He asked in confusion.

   “You may not have gotten the device, but it was
activated. The satellites magically came back online just before you exited the
station. We have full control of our satellites and we now have strategic and
tactical superiority in North America.” General Ross continued as he pointed
the remote at the TV.

   A map of the North America appeared on the map with color
shading indicating the various factions’ zones of control. There were also
markers indicating troop strength and disposition for all of the factions
except the Collective. The general clicked again and the map zoomed in on the
border between the U.S.T.G. and the C.C.A. Detailed troop movements and
dispositions were marked around Louisville.

   “We are going to execute Plan Delta Five and invade the
C.C.A. before they get too much more organized.” General Ross lectured. “We were
already in the final stages; but now that we can see their troop movements and
they cannot see ours, we have moved up the timetable. Our assault will begin
within the next twenty four hours following a prolonged artillery barrage and
air strikes on their bases.”

   “When do we go in sir?” Tom asked with barely contained excitement.

   “Actually, I have another job for you.” The general said
slowly. “It isn’t as glamorous, but it is far more important.”

   “You want us to eliminate Storm?” Tom snarled.

   “Not exactly. I want you to retrieve this man.” General
Ross informed him as he changed the picture on the screen.

   A slight man with unruly hair and glasses appeared on the
TV. He looked pale and weak; even his green eyes seemed washed out. The picture
was obviously from an ID badge based on the pose. He looked like an accountant,
but Tom couldn’t figure out what was so important about an accountant. This had
to be more than it seemed. The general wouldn’t assign him baby-sitting duty
while a war was going on. It was a colossal waste of resources.

   “Who is he?” Tom asked.

   “Jason Ducat. He used to work for us as a computer
programmer, low level stuff. But he disappeared three years ago. An
investigation into his back ground revealed that Jason Ducat wasn’t his real
name, we still don’t know what is, and that he is a genius hacker. He managed
to gain access to all of our systems; the computer guys are still trying to
figure out everything he did. We do know that he stole some seriously encrypted
files including personal data on the top leadership. We need to get him back
alive so we can find out what he stole.”

   “If he is such a ghost, how am I supposed to find him?”

   “When the satellites came back up we started getting
intercepts of all communications in North America. We intercepted a message
that indicates that he is trying to sell what he stole to the N.R.T. It details
a meeting to take place outside Springfield, Missouri with their
representatives. We want you and your team to crash that party.”

   “What about Storm?”

   “All we know is that after their shuttle crash landed at
Edwards he disappeared. No sign of him since then. The others were captured by
G-21 and ransomed to what turned out to be a fake N.R.T. general. We suspect it
was someone from NASA, but we couldn’t track them down. But we did confirm that
Major Storm was not with them when they were captured and there were no reports
from L.A. that he was still there.”

   “I want his head.” Tom grumbled.

   “I know Captain.” The general soothed him. “One thing at
a time. Find Ducat and bring him back. We will look for Major Storm while you
are gone. He cannot hide from us forever.”

   “Yes sir!” Tom responded with forced enthusiasm.

   He knew that this mission must be important so he would
make sure to succeed and regain his good reputation. But he also suspected that
if it was as important as he thought it was that Storm would probably show up
along the way. Maybe he could use Ducat as bait to lure Storm into a trap.
Either way, it would be good to get out into the field again. He hadn’t tangled
with the Texas Rangers before so he was looking forward to it.