Call Me Mr Smith, page 1
part #6 of The Fallen World Series
Call Me Mr. Smith
Book Six of The Fallen World
By
Alex Rath
PUBLISHED BY: Blood Moon Press
Copyright © 2019 Alex Rath
All Rights Reserved
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License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
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Dedication
For my Mom and Dad, without whose tolerance of my love of role-playing games way back when, the imagination I use to tell my stories might not have led me to where I am today.
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Cover Design by Elartwyne Estole
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Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
About Alex Rath
Titles by Alex Rath
Connect with Alex Rath Online
Excerpt from Book One of The Fallen World
Excerpt from Book One of The Devil’s Gunman
Excerpt from Book One of The Shadow Lands
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Chapter One
My eyes popped open, and I was instantly awake. I heard it again, footsteps outside the door of my suite. Someone was trying to be quiet, but whoever it was apparently didn’t know much about me. I glanced at the clock—3am—good time choice. That’s when most people are deep into REM sleep. I quickly slid on a pair of silk pajamas that had been a gift from Jonathan Hammond. A surprise since he’d been the primary person trying to kill me before the war.
I picked up the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm which was always on or near me, and crept out of the bedroom and stood beside the door. I wasn’t crazy enough to look through the peephole. Some people didn’t realize that even though it’s meant for looking out, if you knew what to look for, you could tell when someone looked out of it. All that did was make you a target for whoever was on the other side of the door.
I considered. I could easily crack the door open and put a few rounds into whoever was sneaking around, but that wouldn’t be very hospitable of me. I decided on a nicer approach of letting them come in, and then kindly asking them what they wanted. I grinned as I slid to the other side of the door so I would be behind it when it opened. I carefully picked up a wedge, normally used to prop the door open, and put it down on the floor. Now, even if they threw the door open, it would stop at 90-degrees, hard. That served two purposes. One, it would throw them off balance, since the door might spring back on them, and two, it would save me from being slammed against the wall.
I yawned and frowned. Staying here was nice, but I was afraid I was going to lose my edge if I didn’t do something. Even down in the bunker, I’d kept up my daily training routine; I’d let that slack too much.
Finally, after a few more passes by the door, I heard a key slide into the lock. Okay, so it wasn’t someone from outside. I wondered where Bill and Ted, my supposed bodyguards, were. I decided that instead of doing things the hard way, I’d take a simpler approach and knelt on one knee.
First the deadbolt, then the main door lock. The intruder slowly turned the handle and started opening the door. I rolled my eyes when I saw he hadn’t bothered to take out the hallway lights, so I was able to judge his height by the shadow he cast as the door opened. I crept to the edge of the door and, as soon as he slipped in, slammed the butt of my pistol into the sciatic nerve on his left leg.
He dropped his gun and fell to the ground. He didn’t even scream because he instantly went into shock from the blow. I pulled him the rest of the way into the room and closed and locked the door after securing his pistol. It was a Glock 17M, standard issue for the Ontario Provincial Police, so it was probably heavily used around here, too.
I put both guns on the counter in the little kitchenette and sat him in a chair, where I zip tied his feet to the legs and his hands behind his back. I could tell by his weight that he wasn’t an Agent. That was something at least. Lastly, I shoved a dishrag far enough into his mouth that he couldn’t spit it out, but not far enough to choke him.
“You just sit here and think about what you’ve done. I’ll be right back.” I patted him on the head. “Good boy.”
* * *
I picked up the guns, went to my room, and put on a CADPAT–Canadian Disruptive Pattern–operational uniform, previously used by the Canadian military. It had been another gift, since I hadn’t returned to my own place to get my clothes yet. Once I was set and had filled my various pockets with the knives and other toys I liked to have with me, I walked out of the bedroom, into the kitchen, and leaned back against the counter.
“Well, looks like the shock is wearing off. Let’s see who you are.”
I flipped on the light switch, which caused him to squint and turn away.
“Hmmm,” I searched my memory but couldn’t place him. “Well, it seems I don’t know you, so why don’t you tell me what you want?”
He mumbled around the dishrag.
“Oh, right, I guess that would help.”
I reached forward and smiled as I jerked the rag out of his mouth hard enough to dislodge his top two front teeth. He screamed as blood poured into his mouth, then down his chin. I tossed the rag into the sink and leaned back against the counter again.
“Don’t be such a baby, it’s just a few teeth. What, no dental plan?”
He stared at me for a moment, panting with his mouth open.
“Well? Do you speak? Speak boy! Speak!”
“Screw you!”
His speech was slightly affected by the missing teeth, but I understood him well enough.
“No thanks, you’re not my type. Is that what you’re here for? Because if so, I’m afraid you’re going to leave disappointed.”
“You killed my brother!” he shouted.
I scratched my head. “Did I? What was your brother’s name?”
His breathing was finally coming under control.
“Kaleb Campbell.”
“Hmmm.” I thought about the name and finally remembered the mission. “Oh right. That was a long time ago. You must be Holden. The file said he had a brother, but there was no picture.” I tilted my head. “You don’t look anything like him.”
“Just kill me like you did him! Get it over with!”
“If I wanted you dead, Holden, you’d have been dead before the door opened. Do you have any idea at all who I am and what I’m capable of?”
“You’re a worthless piece-of-shit assassin.”
I walked over to open the refrigerator and poured a glass of orange juice, which I set down on the table. I walked around and turned his chair to face the table before I sat down across from him and took a sip. It was from some sort of powdered concentrate; it was crap, but it was something.
“Well, you’re part right. I was an assassin, that’s true, but I’m actually worth quite a lot, even today. Piece of shit? Well, I suppose that’s subjective, so I’ll let you see that one from your perspective.”
There was a loud banging on the door, which caused me to sigh.
Holden jerked his head around and screamed, “Heeeeelp! Heeelp!”
“Oh, shut up.” I got up and slapped him on the back of the head as I walked toward the door.
This time, I did use the peephole. “Well, well, Bill and Ted finally decided to show up for my adventure. Should we let them in?”
They banged on the door again. “Mr. Smith, are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Just having a chat with an unexpected visitor.” I turned my head to wink at Holden.
“He’s nuts! Get me out of here!”
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask to come in, Mr. Smith,” Bill said.
“Oh, alright. But remember, this is my party.”
I unlatched the deadbolt and opened the door with a sweep of my arm. “Welcome, gentlemen.”
They walked in and swept the suite with guns drawn. I rolled my eyes as I closed and secured the door, then I returned to the table and drank the last of my OJ.
“We’ll wait for them to come back. Wouldn’t want them to miss the fun.” I smiled at Holden.
“You guys! Get me outta here! He attacked me and dragged me in here!” Holden screamed.
“You know, people are trying to sleep. Shhhhhh.” I put my index finger over my lips.
He stared at me, and I gr
Bill and Ted walked back into the room and holstered their sidearms. “What’s going on here, Mr. Smith?”
“I was just about to find that out. Holden here had a key to my room and decided to come in without knocking. I killed his brother some years ago, and I was about to explain why when you decided to join the party.”
“We’ll take care of him.” Ted pulled out a knife to cut the zip ties.
“Hey now. I’m not done with him. I really do want him to know why I killed his brother.”
Bill and Ted exchanged glances, then shrugged and waited on either side of him.
“Okay, Holden, I think we’ve established that they’re not here to rescue you, and you’re screwed. Right?”
Tears fell down his face, and he sobbed and nodded.
I threw up my hands. “Screw it, get him out of here. If I ever see him again, he’s a dead man—and I mean that—if I even see him.”
“Wait!” He sniffled and took a few deep breaths as Bill reached down to cut him loose.
“Yes?” I said and raised an eyebrow.
“I know I’m dead anyway, but I have to know. Why?” More sniffling as he got himself under control.
I nodded, and Bill stood up again.
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table to look Holden right in the eyes.
“Kaleb Campbell was a spy. His primary role was industrial espionage. I’m not sure what story you got from Obsidian, but he was a mole in Teledyne Industries. He got in pretty deep—he impressed me with that—but I did eventually find him. And yes, I killed him for that. It could have been several people, but I got the order. I broke into his apartment, much more efficiently than you broke into mine, and killed him in his sleep. We already knew what he was doing, so there was no need for an extensive interrogation. If it’s any consolation, he didn’t suffer.”
Holden swallowed hard, and the tears started again. He spoke through the tears, which made him even harder to understand with the crying and missing teeth. “He was my big brother. The only family I had.”
I shrugged and leaned back. “I had a job to do, kid. I’m sorry about your situation, but I’m not sorry for doing my job.”
I nodded to Bill, who leaned down and cut him loose. As they were dragging him toward the door, I stood up.
“One more thing…how did you get a key to my room?”
He spat blood on the floor.
“Well, that was rude. Bill, I assume you can get that information out of him? I’d like to get a little more sleep.”
“We’ll take care of it, Mr. Smith.”
“Good. Please let Jonathan know I want to meet with him in the morning; we really have to talk about your security.”
Ted nodded, and they dragged Holden out of the room and down the hallway.
I sighed and shook my head as I looked at the kitchen floor and the path to the door. “Blood…so hard to get out. Oh well.”
I turned off the lights and went back to my room. Rather than getting undressed again, I just laid down on top of the covers and went back to sleep. Even fully dressed, sleep is always a luxury in this Fallen World.
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Chapter Two
I leaned back in a chair in the conference room that was on the same floor as my suite and waited. I’d gotten a note that Jonathan Hammond, former head of intel for Obsidian Industries in the Northeast Sector, would meet with me at noon. I hoped he would bring lunch.
Right on time, Jonathan walked in with Bill and Ted. They looked like they hadn’t slept since our early morning get-together.
I smiled and stood as Jonathan extended his hand so I could shake it.
“Lunch will be along shortly. I hope you don’t mind them joining us?” He motioned to Bill and Ted.
“Not at all, they’re rather germane to the topic of discussion actually.”
Jonathan and I took seats while Bill and Ted took up stations on either side of the door.
“They filled me in on what happened last night. I’m rather surprised Mr. Campbell survived the encounter.”
I shook my head. “Sometimes I think you don’t get me at all. I don’t kill for fun, Jonathan. Well, not often.”
He grunted. “Fine. Still, someone breaks into your room, and all you do is knock out a few teeth?”
“Hey, that wasn’t my fault. He chomped down on the rag when I was pulling it out of his mouth.”
He looked at me skeptically, and I shrugged. “It’s the truth. Anyway, I hope my warning was passed along.”
“It was. He’s already out of the building. He’s being detained for breaking and entering and attempted murder.”
I chuckled. “Damn, still trying to enforce law and order, eh?”
Jonathan nodded. “It’s a start, Mr. Smith. Rules are necessary in a civilized society; wouldn’t you agree?”
“Since when does Obsidian, or Teledyne for that matter, give a shit about a civilized society?” I didn’t wait for him to answer; the question was rhetorical. “Get anywhere with how he got a key to my room?”
Ted nodded. “His girlfriend is one of the building’s housekeepers. She made a copy for him.”
“Wow, great security you have here! If you need me, I’ll be in my bunker.” I stood up.
“Mr. Smith, we’re going to move you to the top floor. It’s keycard access only, and we’ve done extensive background checks on everyone with access. They’re all former Obsidian employees. A few of my analysts are combing through the list again to determine if any of them had family members, or friends, who were labeled KIA or MIA over the past three decades.”
“That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.” As I stood there considering, there was a knock on the door, and a cart with lunch was rolled in. I could smell the food as soon as it came into the room…lasagna?
“Well, I suppose I should at least have lunch before I decide.” I smiled and sat back down.
Jonathan chuckled and shook his head.
Bill and Ted joined us, and we ate in silence until the plates were clean.
“Sure you want to leave?” Jonathan grinned.
I sighed; I still didn’t like being around people. Twenty years alone in a bunker had made me a bit anti-social, but it was something to do. “At the very least, I do want to go back and get some equipment and more clothes. I mean, I appreciate the uniform and all, but it’s just not me.”
He nodded. “We can arrange that.”
“I don’t suppose you’d just loan me a truck and let me handle it on my own?”
He shook his head. “You’re a valuable asset, Mr. Smith. You’ve already disarmed a nuclear weapon and saved the area from devastation. We know you’re capable of more.”
I grunted. “I’ve heard that before.”
“I’ll have Jim and Scotty waiting for you downstairs in about an hour.” He fished a keycard out of his pocket. “That’ll get you up to the top floor. There are only five residences up there, and one of them is yours now. The rest belong to the other executives in charge of our operation.”
“Other executives? Whoah…”
He grinned. “Yep, congrats. You’re an executive of New Toronto, Incorporated.”
“Shit.”
* * *
The trip back to my bunker was, thankfully, uneventful. It took me about an hour to pack up some clothes and a few of my laptops. I had bugout bags ready in case I ever had to leave, so it didn’t take much effort.
I also turned on the external network feed, which went through Skynet 5, a former military communications satellite system used by the UK. It was something Teledyne had set up for me before the war. I also had access to the satellites Teledyne had controlled.
There wasn’t really an internet anymore, but the network feed would allow me to connect to the servers that were set up in the bunker. It also let me keep an eye on my security cameras and get alerts if any of the sensors were set off.
