“Smith! It’s David! You have to see this,” he called from the outer office.

  I stowed the knife and walked out. “What are you talking about?”

  “Just come with me,” he said and walked quickly back into the hallway where he waited to see if I would follow.

  I shrugged and walked out after him, at which point he broke into a run. I jogged to keep up, and he led me to a house in the neighborhood about a block away. I could smell it before we even got onto the property. Death.

  “Wait here, David,” I said, when I saw that he was starting to turn green.

  He nodded and bent over, hands on his knees.

  I walked into the house and looked around. A few anarchy symbols spray painted or carved into the walls made it clear who the place belonged to, and the smell made it clear what it was used for.

  I walked deeper into the house and found a room that was piled with corpses. They were in various states of decomposition, and the smell was horrific. Even with all the things I’d been through and seen, this was definitely the most offensive smell I’d ever encountered.

  I walked back outside to join David and Donald who were standing across the street. “Really no way to identify them,” I said.

  They both shook their heads.

  “I guess those are the folks who wouldn’t pay and their children.”

  “What?!” David’s eyes grew wide.

  “I doubt you were able to stay in there long enough to notice, but there were children’s bodies in there. Now, I’m very glad I made them suffer. I only wish I’d made it worse. That’s okay. Once we find the real leader, they will suffer.”

  “The real leader?” Donald asked.

  I nodded. “The Anarchists Legion. Jackson and his crew worked for them.”

  “Okay,” Donald said, “I’m in.”

  * * *

  That night, I secured my office and left to go back to the plaza for a few days. I’d let Donald know I’d be gone, so he would handle anything that came up. Trust was slowly being built, but one thing I was sure of was that anything he did would be good for the people who lived there.

  I’d taken to going out at night when I needed to. For others, it was more dangerous. For me, it was safer. Plus, nighttime was when I was most likely to see any problems that might be coming. That night, however, was uneventful. Not many people were on the streets, and those who were, traveled in groups. Some carried torches for light, others used the half-moon’s light to see what they could.

  I felt and saw the difference once I crossed Church Street. I saw a pair of armed people mounted on horseback, carrying flashlights that would probably only last a few more nights, patrolling. I was surprised, once I moved another block toward the plaza, to see streetlights on here and there. They had been busy.

  As I had before, I eluded the guards on the street in front of the plaza and shook my head. They really had to work on their situational awareness. Once I entered the plaza, though, I was stopped by someone I hadn’t seen before. He was wearing an actual uniform, so I figured he was one of the soldiers who’d been in hiding under the stadium.

  “Just where do you think you’re going?” a man wearing corporal stripes asked me.

  “I’m going up to my apartment. Excuse me,” I started to push past him, and he leveled an automatic rifle at me.

  I tilted my head to get a better look at the profile of the weapon and nodded. C7A2 automatic rifle. Standard choice of the Canadian military, when there had been such a thing.

  “Who are you?”

  “Son, my name is Mr. Smith, and if you don’t get out of my way, you’re going to eat that rifle.”

  I saw another soldier, who was trying his best to remain hidden, in the shadows of the far corner of the lobby. “And tell your friend he’s doing a shitty job of concealment.”

  “One moment please, sir.”

  I sighed and nodded. “Very well. You have one minute.”

  The one who had been in the shadows walked into the security office and came back out a few minutes later. “It’s him; he’s clear.”

  “You’re fortunate I’m in a patient mood tonight,” I said as the soldier lowered his weapon.

  “Mr. Kent would like to see you immediately, sir. In the boardroom,” the soldier at the far end said.

  I got into the elevator and swiped my card to take me up to the top floor. Goodie! Jeremy wanted to chat.

  The doors opened to reveal Bill and Ted, who looked slightly disheveled. “Tell me he didn’t get you two up on my account.”

  They both nodded. “They weren’t too happy when you disappeared,” Bill said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, let’s go then, and I didn’t disappear. I walked out in broad daylight.”

  They stopped at the door, and I walked in and closed it behind me. Jonathan and Jeremy were already there. They both looked like they’d just woken up from a good night’s sleep. No real surprise.

  Jeremy gestured to a seat. “Please, have a seat, Mr. Smith.”

  I sat down and leaned back in the chair. “Yes?”

  “So, where have you been?” he asked.

  “If you don’t know where I’ve been, your intel sucks, and you should probably fire Jonathan.”

  Jeremy frowned. His sense of humor hadn’t improved since our last encounter.

  “Okay, fine,” Jonathan said, “we know where you’ve been. What we’d like to know is what you’ve been doing out there.”

  “Things. You know—getting rid of people who were extorting the locals for protection, making sure a school with enough solar power and batteries to run 24/7 was actually utilized. Things you didn’t do.”

  “Mr. Smith, we need to be aware of what’s going on around us,” Jeremy said in a frustrated voice.

  “Actually, you have absolutely no need to know what I’m doing. Let’s make this perfectly clear. I don’t work for you. Either of you. I came here to speak to you as a courtesy. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” I stood up.

  “No, I won’t!” Jeremy slammed his palm on the table. “You will tell us what you’re up to. Now. If I think you’re operating against us…even you can be eliminated, Mr. Smith.”

  Jonathan glanced at me, then looked at Jeremy.

  “Is that how you feel as well, Mr. Hammond?” My expression remained completely neutral, but I had already decided how to kill them.

  “Look, we owe you for disarming the nuke—we know that—but we can’t work against each other,” Jonathan reasoned.

  I considered him for a moment, then nodded. “I’m coordinating a group of locals so that they are safe and can defend themselves. I’m also making sure the school is being used appropriately, for shelter. That’s it, for now.”

  “Why? You’re the one who convinced us to consolidate!” Jeremy said.

  I shrugged. “Seemed like the thing to do at the time.”

  “We need to secure the weapons you still have in your apartment, Mr. Smith,” Jonathan said. “I figured you’d have them secured, but I’d feel better if they weren’t in the building.”

  “And where do you propose to put them?” I asked.

  “There’s a secure building at the base under the stadium, properly rated for weapons.”

  I rubbed my chin, absently thinking I could use a shave. “I’ll want to see this building, of course.”

  He nodded. “First thing in the morning?”

  “Fine. Anything else?”

  “Not for now,” Jeremy said shortly.

  I turned to leave but paused and turned my head to speak over my shoulder. “Mr. Kent, if you ever threaten me again, you’d better have a gun to my head and enough people to hold me down.”

  I waited a moment for that to sink in. When he didn’t respond, I walked out and headed for my apartment. I was somewhat surprised that Bill and Ted followed me. “What, they have you watching me like guard dogs now?”

  “Nope,” Bill said.

  “What then?” I asked and turned to face them when we got to my door.

  They glanced at each other. “Can we talk in private?”

  I raised an eyebrow. Now I was intrigued. I already had a feeling these two weren’t happy with the leadership, but it seemed to go deeper than I thought. They’d already overridden Jeremy once, after all. I was somewhat surprised they were still here.

  * * *

  We sat in the living room of my apartment, and I spread my hands. “Well?”

  Bill leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “Mr. Smith, we’re not happy with how things are going around here.”

  “I gathered that.”

  “You seem to be the only one doing anything that’s actually helping people. Honestly, we’re a bit confused by that, but no matter your motives, you’re saving people.”

  I nodded. I should have been offended by my motives being questioned, but I wasn’t. I was smart enough to understand that I was the outsider here and a former enemy.

  “What can we do to help?” Ted asked.

  I rubbed my chin. It would be helpful to have a few agents on my side.

  “Gentlemen, thus far you have shown that you care for the people of the city, but I have to consider that you may be doing this at the behest of Jeremy or Jonathan, to keep an eye on me.”

  Bill nodded. “I can understand that, and there’s really nothing we can do or say to prove that we aren’t, other than give you our word.”

  I studied Bill’s body language for a moment and carefully watched his face, then turned my attention to Ted. “You agree with this? You want to work for me, and it’s of your own free will?”

  “Yes, Mr. Smith.”

  I didn’t see any evidence of deception from either of them, but I couldn’t let my guard down. They could easily be trained or programmed to lie without giving themselves away.

  “Okay, I accept your offer. Be ready to go in the morning. We’ll deposit the chemical weapons at the arsenal under Rogers Centre, then I’ll take you to where I’ve been working.”

  They stood and extended their hands. From experience, I was always nervous about handshakes. I’d killed a few people that way. Against my better judgement, I stood and shook each of their hands in turn.

  “Good evening, Mr. Smith.”

  I looked at the door for a few minutes after they left before I walked over to secure it. I had either just made two useful allies or dug my own grave. Only time would tell in this Fallen World.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next morning, Bill and Ted came to my apartment. I’d secured the containers and let them carry them downstairs. Jonathan was waiting with an SUV. He seemed genuinely surprised to see Bill and Ted with me.

  “Didn’t expect to see you two this morning.”

  “Mr. Smith asked us to tag along,” Bill said as he loaded the cases into the back of the truck.

  “I see. Very well, let’s get going.”

  I could see their bodyguard training kick in, as I was ushered into the back seat, while Bill sat in the front passenger seat, and Ted sat beside me in the back.

  Jonathan noticed as well. The recognition and surprise on his face betrayed that. It was minute and would have been missed by most, but I saw it and suppressed a grin. More and more, I thought he was never actually in operations, but just sent others to die to get intelligence.

  The short drive to Rogers Centre was uneventful, and he pulled the SUV up to a reinforced structure that resembled a stand-alone bank vault. It even had an old-fashioned tumbler combination lock. A basic examination told me it was probably built to resist anything short of a high-powered military explosive. Even a shell from a tank would probably only dent it.

  Jonathan unlocked the vault, and even with his augmented strength, it took effort to pull the door open. My assumptions were confirmed. The door was at least a foot thick and likely solid steel. It was purposely built to store things you really didn’t want anyone to get to.

  I walked inside and looked around while Bill and Ted brought the cases in and stacked them next to similar cases that were already present. I shook my head as I took a mental inventory. A few of the cases looked like briefcase nukes. Many people thought they were a myth, but I knew from personal experience, they were real. With a yield of about one kiloton, they were small, but nasty. One of those would destroy everything within a half-mile of the detonation and damage structures up to two miles away.

  I walked out of the vault and stared at Jonathan. “What the hell are you doing with those?”

  “Keeping them safe, Mr. Smith.”

  “They should be disarmed and disposed of.”

  “That’s not your call.” He pushed the door closed and locked the vault after the last case was deposited.

  I shrugged. “Okay, then.”

  The ride back to the plaza was tense and quiet. The sound of the decaying asphalt under the tires and the filtered sound of the engine was all there was.

  Once Jonathan had parked the truck, we all got out, and I immediately walked east, toward the school.

  “Come on guys,” Jonathan said to Bill and Ted.

  “We’ll see you later,” Bill said as they turned and jogged a few steps to catch up with me.

  I heard Jonathan go back inside after cursing under his breath. He either forgot I’d be able to hear him or didn’t care.

  “So, where are we going?” Ted asked.

  “To a school I’ve set up in Cabbagetown.”

  “What’s on the agenda?” Bill asked.

  “We’re going to come up with a plan to deal with Jacob once and for all.”

  We walked the rest of the way in silence, which suited me. I had to adjust my plans since I had two agents at my disposal now.

  * * *

  Once we arrived at the school, rather than go to my office, I steered toward the teacher’s lounge. We had claimed the room for operational planning and organization. Donald was keeping track of who lived where, who needed help, and who was armed and could help in the event of an attack, among other things.

  I was glad to see that Donald, David, Cindy, and Paul were all there, looking over a map of the area.

  “Good afternoon, lady and gentlemen. Meet Bill and Ted. They’d like to help.”

  Donald stood up straight and nodded. “Mm hmm. Why now?”

  “Let’s just say, we’ve removed the blinders,” Bill said.

  Donald nodded. “I’ll buy that. I don’t suppose either of you has medical training? That’s becoming a problem.”

  They both shook their heads. “Nothing beyond basic battlefield triage.”

  “I’ll see what we can do about that, Donald, but right now, we have work to do,” I said. “This isn’t a local issue, but it’s one that could spread. There’s a thug who’s taken over the old aquarium named Jacob. He and his crew have been a problem downtown, and it’s time to remove him.”

  Paul and Cindy nodded, but Donald didn’t seem convinced.

  “Look, Smith, I’m sorry they’re having problems downtown, but we have our own problems.”

  “Everyone has problems, Donald. This one nearly used sarin gas. I’d like to deal with him before Jonathan or Jeremy decides that’s the only solution and tries it again.”

  “Fair point. What do you need?”

  “A small team,” I said. “I don’t like big and loud. There are non-combatants present, and I don’t like collateral damage.”

  David sighed. “I twisted my knee yesterday moving some stuff around; no way I’m stealthy right now.”

  I nodded. I was glad he recognized his limitation and didn’t have some sort of hero complex.

  “I’m in,” Paul said.

  “And me,” Cindy quickly followed. The look Paul gave her said they’d be talking later, but at least they didn’t argue here.

  “Where you go, we go,” Ted said.

  “Okay, five-man team. That should work. Paul, do you have night vision equipment?”

  He nodded. “Several setups from my task force days.”

  “Good, you’ll probably need them.”

  “What about you three?”

  I grinned. “We don’t need it.”

  “Sonofa…More of that stuff they did to you?”

  I nodded. “Something like that. Now, get some rest, we’ll set out after dark.”

  * * *

  I watched the sun set from the roof of the school, something I’d rarely done in the past few decades. I closed my eyes and thought about the last time I’d done that with my son. Sometimes, I wished my memory wasn’t as good as it was.

  The small team for tonight’s operation gathered on the basketball court. Paul and Cindy arrived together. They both wore light body armor and carried suppressed rifles. Bill and Ted joined them soon after, wearing heavier armor. Full tactical setups. I needed to see if I could get access to more of those. I would never wear it myself, but it would benefit others. Then again, it was probably so old that it was well past its expiration date. The protection was still there, but it was significantly degraded.

  I silently crept down the ladder from the roof and came up behind Bill. I tapped him on the shoulder, which caused him to jump slightly and turn with his rifle ready.

  He cursed under his breath. “Dammit, Smith, that’s a good way to get shot.”

  I shrugged. “I was just wondering how trained you were in field ops. I’m a little disappointed.”

  He rolled his eyes and lowered his rifle. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “We sneak in, kill Jacob and anyone else that gets in our way, detain the rest, and determine who’s worth saving.”

  “What do you mean, determine who’s worth saving?” Paul asked.

  “Paul, I know this may not sit well with you, but I’m not going to set anyone loose who might be a further danger,” I said. “If I feel they will be a threat, I will have no problem executing them on the spot. Anyone in there who is carrying a weapon is trusted by Jacob, so they’re a target.”

  He still seemed a bit unsure but nodded once.

  “Cindy, are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked. “This is a stealth mission.”

 

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