Future Unleashed Read online

  “Rice it is. There are canals, too.” I picked out a series of more substantial buildings, surrounded by defensive walls. They were above a small bluff near the water. “There’s your castle.”

  “And there’s the road east. And a road north, too,” Neve said. The tracks were clearly marked, and well-used. “Think the Procs use that to go to Kassos?”

  “I think the Procs have a base that isn’t anywhere near Kassos, but if we’re ever going to find it, this is how it works. From the air, and without tipping them off,” I said.

  “I’m uploading all of this for later, but I want to take a pass on the other bank. There are even more houses over there, and another road,” Neve said.

  “Following,” I said, as she began to bank south. We soared in silence for some time, recording the span of civilization on a river that was wild and untamed. There were at least two collapsed dams, but neither of them did more than divert a small amount of the massive flow. In the shallows, the amount of animal signals was so dense I had to run a diagnostic to make certain we weren’t getting a false return. “Hippos?”

  “Maybe. If that’s what they are, then that river is a nightmare. What are those bogies in the middle, where the channel runs deep?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’d say they’re at least ten meters long. Must be a virus animal of some kind. There was nothing natural like that during my time. At least not in a river,” I said.

  “It’s a fish. I think,” Neve said. “Correction. Fishes. There are a few of them, and the center channel is at least fifteen meters deep. Been scoured by floods, I would imagine. See that escarpment? We can land there and process data. I’ve got to be honest, if we’re going to take this land, I have no idea even where to start.”

  “What the hell is that?” I asked, pinging a spot in the river where it turned in a lazy bend. The water was at least forty meters deep—or more, and something alive was taking up most of the pool.

  It wasn’t moving.

  “I don’t know, but it’s bigger than that Cleaner you killed. A water-borne Cleaner? Something viral, but aquatic?” Neve asked, her voice tense.

  “Mark it and scan. If it decides to move, it’s going to surprise a lot of people in Tegan’s land. If it doesn’t move, then it might be something entirely different, like a—hell, I don’t know. A giant clam or moray eel or who knows what. This planet finds new ways to shock me every day,” I said.

  “Marked. Saving data for later,” Neve said.

  “That’s all we can do for now,” I said.

  I looked carefully at the river winding below us, and all of the settlements that grew out from the central group of buildings where I imagined the decaying royals lived. I noted the roads, and the open territory without hills or mountains. It was perfect for a direct assault, but that was a long way off. For now, we would record the empire from our view high above, and then decide how to take it apart, piece by piece.

  “Do you think it’s safe for a daylight run?” Neve asked.

  “On the edges, yes. I don’t see anything indicating tech like ours, but it’s best to play it safe. Let’s land, and we can strike west once the sun is up before we go back to the Cache. I want all of this data in front of Aristine and Andi before I make a final call,” I said.

  A spot pinged on my display. “Clear ground there,” Neve said.

  “Looks good. Following you,” I said as she dipped a wing for her spiraling descent.

  Moments later, we were out of the Vamps and standing on the edge of a plateau some two hundred meters above the river plain. The night was filled with stars and colored like a deep bruise from the reflected moonlight.

  We stripped out of our suits and stood for a moment, letting the night air wash over us. “Thirsty?” I asked, handing my water to Neve. She drank, never taking her eyes from the plain that sprawled beneath us. There were occasional fires and the odd electric light, some even in patterns that followed the layout of an organized town.

  “How many people are down there?” she asked.

  “Hundreds, but more likely thousands. What the river doesn’t take, I bet the fucking Procs do.”

  “And only half of them here? Or working this area? Why?” Neve asked.

  We spread a thin sheet and sat down, crossing our legs and staring out over the scene. It was an unusual sensation, sizing up an empire to be taken apart and rebuilt under my command. I wasn’t uncomfortable with the task, but the reality of it gave me a moment of pause.

  “They need something from everyone, and I’m still not entirely sure what it is. I know they need people, but as to why, every answer I come up with is framed by my own time. I need to think about the problem with Procurator technology, not my own,” I said.

  “You mean a time with ‘bots instead of a time without them?” Neve asked.

  “Yes. And no. I don’t think the ‘bots are the end of their game, but it’s a good place to start. Tegan has been watching her empire come apart because of greed and stupidity, but what if it isn’t that? What if it’s because of the Procs, and something they’re doing to her people?” I asked, then shrugged. There would be time to consider all this when we looked over the data. “I’ll form my attack plan based on what I know, not what I suspect. To do otherwise would get people killed, and I’m never going to be the kind of leader who considers blood to be cheap.”

  Neve smiled at me in the starlight. “That’s why people come to the Oasis, Jack.”

  “Because of my battle plans? I never knew they were so attractive.”

  “Don’t be intentionally dense. It’s you and the people you gather around you. Like me,” she said, nudging closer to me. Even in the dim light, I could see the gold in her eyes. “Are you going to kiss me, or what?”

  I leaned down to taste her lips. They were full, parted, and pressed against me with a delicacy at odds with her skill as a pilot and soldier. She kissed me back. Her hands pushing at my shirt. “Off,” she murmured.

  “You too.”

  “Fair enough,” she said, eyes twinkling. In seconds we were nude under the stars. There were shadows in the divots of her hips, and all down the long lines of her legs. I saw two scars on her side but paid them no mind. No one in this world lived without scars.

  I bent my head to her breast, taking the nipple between my teeth. The skin was soft, a bit puffy, and it leapt to attention under the end of my tongue. She hissed and put a hand on my head, lifting a knee so that her legs fell open along my side. I went to the other breast, and then continued along the line of her ribs, kissing small places that got little attention. Tonight, they would.

  When I reached my destination, I parted her with my tongue, earning another long exhalation as she fell back on the sheet. I went to work, tasting her with care until I felt the first tremors begin in her thighs, running wild along her body until she gripped my head with both hands, urging my mouth further on. After the first orgasm, she became sensitive and let out a small laugh.

  “Touchy, touchy,” I murmured into her stomach, coming back up to plant a series of kisses on the ribs I’d just passed by.

  “Get in me, Jack.” Her words were simple, just like my motion as I took her, and she smiled again in the way that we do when we get exactly what we want.

  I took my time, because I sensed she wanted to savor everything. I switched to the side, entering her at an angle that earned me another sharp breath, then we found our pace and continued to build speed. I stopped short of our goal, faced her again, and began to stroke long and slow, kissing her with intent.

  Her climax began again, but this time, it was violently joyful, her beautiful face lit up from within by the sheer pleasure of it all.

  When we broke apart, she nodded to me. “Please. Go ahead.”

  I didn’t need a second invitation. I came hard, ending with a final pulsation as our bodies were pressed completely together, and her legs wrapped around me with a possessiveness that spoke of ever better times ahead.

 
“Stay for a minute,” she said.

  I stayed.

  When I didn’t flag inside her, she raised a brow. “Shall we?”

  I rolled over and put her on top of me, feeling her slide down my length in a warm welcome. When her hips touched mine, we both smiled again, our desire renewed. “Thought you’d never ask.”

  7

  I gathered my inner circle around the firepit the next night, when Aristine had processed flight data. There were nearly twenty of them in the command staff now, all looking to me for leadership as we drew closer to some kind of resolution with people who looked at us as things, not humans.

  “The Procurators are a new name, but and old idea,” Aristine began, speaking into the dim light. Every face turned to her expectantly. This was a war council, and we could feel it.

  “In my time, there were warlords like locusts, using the population as cattle, slaves, whatever you want to call them. They’re here, and they’re still the same,” I said. “But we have an advantage over this new breed if shithead. We have Andi, and the General, and Mira and Lasser right on down to Natif and Beba. We have everything we need to find and kill the Procs, but we have to do it without losing people. I’m not going to trade one kind of war for another just to build this place, and our world. I’m convinced we can do it without compromising the reason people trust me and the Free Oasis,” I said.

  “Other than the Vamps and our Cache tech, what can we do to find the bastards?” Mira asked.

  I grinned, and Aristine gave be a look. “We could go up top and use our tech, but that would reveal everything at once, and I’d like to save a nasty surprise for the Procs. When Tegan arrived,” I nodded toward her, smiling, “it occurred to me that we weren’t using the things right in front of us. Things that her people are using, but we have a slightly better version for our long-distance recon.”

  “What are my people using?” Tegan asked.

  “Hippos. As cavalry, which makes for a heluva good looking charge, but they’re not meant for long hauls over open desert. We have something that can do that. Konnodars,” I said.

  “Oooo,” Yulin said. There were other noises of agreement through the group.

  “What’s a—Konnodar?” Tegan asked, careful with the unfamiliar word.

  “A giant lizard that doesn’t get sunburned ears or need too much water. They can eat anything—and I mean anything—and they can cover far more ground than your own noble steeds. My apologies to the hippos, I really like them but they’re not meant for this mission. We’re going overland through desert, and we’re going to find and capture the Procurators who aren’t on the river. You said that about half of them were elsewhere, Tegan?” I asked.

  “At least. As to where, I have no idea. They’re not on our lands, and not on yours. They go to Kassos, but by what route, I don’t know,” Tegan said.

  “That means they’re in the north,” Aristine said. “They’re not between the Chain and Kassos. We would know.”

  “So farther north, toward what used to be Stillwater,” I said.

  “That’s just outside our active recon, but we can change that if you want, Jack, or we go in on dragonback,” Aristine said.

  “We go on Konnodar, moving fast, and in contact all along. We’re going to use the people against the Procs,” I said.

  “Will they help?” Andi asked. She was right to be dubious. When tyrants run wild, people are scared, and that keep them quiet.

  “I don’t need all of them to help. Just a few, and if they do, they become citizens. We’ll dispatch them south, so I’m going to need greeters at the door, so to speak. I’ll send anyone who helps to a specific point on the old highway system. I want people there with food, water, medical. This won’t be an empty promise, and if their families want to come, they can too. Later on, we’ll have a ready-made source of intel about the northern areas,” I said.

  “For when you strike north?” Tegan asked.

  “Yes. The north will be part of free lands. So will the south, east, and west, and I’ll reward anyone and everyone who is committed to the idea of a new world, free of people like the Procs. I intend to make it obvious that new management means freedom, not a different kind of slavery,” I said.

  “Good,” Tegan said. “I’m going with you then.”

  “No you’re not,” I said.

  Tegan looked around at everyone. “Raise your hand if you have experience as a cavalry officer riding a big, angry beast?”

  “I—okay, you have me there. I see your point. Still, the answer is no. You’re too valuable to your own people, Tegan. And to us. When we take your lands, you’ll have to assume control of your family and rebuild whatever is left,” I said.

  “And my people won’t accept me because they’ll see a gown and a scepter and not much else. Put me in my riding gear, and let me help? I’m a seasoned veteran who was instrumental in freeing the land,” Tegan said.

  “She’s right,” Aristine admitted.

  “Fuck all, this isn’t—Tegan, can you shoot?” I asked.

  “Rifle, pistol, spear? What range?” She quirked a brow at me. “I had four brothers and more guns than dresses. I’m not a pony. I’m a royal. Big difference.”

  I put my hands on my hips, thinking. “Can you lead a team to the north via the Chain?” I asked Aristine.

  “Of course. Daymares?” she asked.

  “Ten at most, but yes. Daymares, you, Yulin, and Neve. I want a fast party to cut off any Procs who catch wind of the net and bolt east. Got an idea for a chokepoint?” I asked.

  “Certainly. Name the place,” Aristine said.

  “You pick. It’s your territory, but I think your should cover known roads and likely escape routes. I’m working on the idea that the Procs have trucks or horses, at minimum,” I said.

  “I’ll have teams in place within two days. Me included,” she said.

  I turned to Breslin, who was lurking in the rear, his massive bulk a shadow at the edge of the fire. “You go west. You know the collapsed bridges we’re talking about rebuilding? I think you set up there, and we send a Condor out to cover you in lazy eights. Rules of engagement are simple—if they fight back, put them down. If you can take them out with a wound, we ask questions, but not on site. We do it in the Chain,” I said.

  “Understood,” Breslin rumbled.

  “Constant—and I mean constant— reports when you’re in contact with hostiles. I don’t want anyone vanishing in the filed because we got overrun. We can respond to larger threats, but not unless I know about them. Understood?” I asked.

  There was a chorus of agreement, and I stood in dismissal. They were good people—hell, they were great—but I didn’t want anyone playing hero and getting our core picked off because we lost comms in when things got hot.

  Tegan cleared her throat, then looked startled when she had everyone’s attention. “Lady?” I asked.

  She thought for a minute, then spread her hands. “When you say rules of engagement, what do you mean?”

  “We have to be in agreement about what to do with the enemy. If they raise weapons against us, they die. If they keep slaves, they die. If they rape women, they die. But if they choose to surrender and live under my rules—the rules of a Free Oasis—then they’re going to given a chance to live. This world has seen enough death for eternity, and wherever I can save people, I will. The same goes for ogres. We’re going to be better than the people we fight, but we can’t do that if I don’t make our policy clear, so—that’s our policy. What do you think?” I asked Tegan.

  She smiled. “I think I’m on the right side.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. We think you are too,” I told her. “We leave at dawn. Get some rack time, stay sober, and meet at north gate with your weapons and packs. Trucks will be ready to roll when the sky turns gray. Don’t be late.”

  8

  “Jack,” came Andi’s voice, soft but insistent.

  “Yeah?”

  “Two hours to dawn. Come with me
,” she said. She was dressed, eyes bright in the dim light of our house. We slipped outside without waking anyone, which I considered nothing less than a small miracle. There were my women, guests, and two of Breslin’s kids sleeping in various places throughout the rooms, their light snores and sleep noises regular and comforting. As the new generation of ‘bots in my blood settled in, I needed fewer hours of sleep, though I knew I would never be free of needing true quiet.

  Outside, the streetlights cast pools of light under the swaying trees. There was a light wind, and the sky was crystal clear. I heard the telltale sound of a frog to my left, then Andi took my hand and led me toward the original center of the Oasis, where we kept our seeds, some Hightec, and the protected water source.

  “We’re going under?” I asked.

  “I have something for you. From one of the Daymares, who was ranging out east. Think you might want this,” she said cryptically.

  We descended the steps into a world of sounds and the scent of water, though it wasn’t nearly as loud since we stopped using the underground flow for power. Now, it was more like a hidden relic of a time when I didn’t know if we were going to survive beyond the arrival of the Black Room.

  Andi turned the handle on a room I’d never been in—yet another bland office space our old government loved to use. We stepped inside as Andi thumbed the light plate, and the room was thrown into relief by a pair of small lamps on either wall.

  “Your office?” I asked.

  “A quiet place to work now and then. I need to see the big picture, and I can’t always do it up there, with everyone,” she said. There were maps of many kinds on the walls in an array that looked wild at first, but made sense once you began to see how they fit together. She stepped to a paper map of Oklahoma and dragged her finger east, stopping when she reached a small red pin. “Here is where he was. Another facility—ruins, but still worth looking into. Daymares have been discreetly combing in ever-wider rings as we stabilize sections of the highway. The farther Breslin pushes out with road, the more we can explore.”