The Crash Box Set, page 136
part #1 of EMP Crash Series
“But I haven't lied, not really. I saw the end of the world as a chance to be a better man, and to make up for all the mistakes I had made in the past. I've been reading the Bible every night, and I've believed every word I've said when I've been standing up there,” he said, pointing to the stage.
“I will tell them, in my own time, but please, all I'm asking is that you don't go blurting out the truth to them at the first opportunity. I'm not proud of what I was and, all things being equal, I'd have preferred never to speak of it again, but I think I have the right to decide when and how I tell everyone, and that's all I'm asking.”
Freddie looked at him skeptically. As a counselor, he was experienced in dealing with complex minds, but it was hard to look at this situation clinically because Hank was one of Freddie's most trusted friends. Eventually Freddie agreed, on the condition that Hank would reveal the truth, and soon. Hank thanked him, but there still was tension between the two men, and there would be for a while because this wasn't a revelation that could be dealt with in a simple manner. It would take time and a lot of compromise on both sides. When Freddie looked at Hank now he didn't see the man he saw before, and he wasn't sure he ever would.
“Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?” Hank asked.
“Actually, yes, there was,” Freddie said, and tried shifting his mind to other matters so he could concentrate on all the other things going on in New Haven.
He told Hank about the vote and the new mayor, and that Mack was no longer going to be in charge. Hank looked downcast, declaring it was a sad day for them all, and that he regretted being so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't been paying enough attention to what was going on around him.
“So many people would have been looking for guidance...” he said mournfully, but Freddie kept on speaking, not wanting to let him lose himself in his thoughts again. He'd spent enough time away from New Haven.
“We don't know what's going to happen now, but I wanted to tell you just so you knew. But since you're here,” Freddie said, turning to Gus, “perhaps you can tell us a little bit about our new mayor?”
Gus poked a finger into his ear and wiggled it around, inspecting the residue when he pulled out. “Well, in all honesty, I can't say too many kind things about him. He's not exactly what you'd call trustworthy. I think he's just been able to take advantage of the situation, and he's riding a wave of goodwill. I never had much time for him myself. Typical sniveling politician. When we were down below, he mostly spent time with his two cronies, planning and plotting, while the rest of us got on with our lives. He might have led us down there, but we were the ones who made it a place to live.”
Freddie listened carefully, and was not filled with hope at the man’s words. He looked to Hank, and the two men realized New Haven was going to have a challenge. Over the following few days they observed quietly, and did the duties they were asked to do without causing any difficulties. Although they also kept their distance from their friends, as it seemed their friends were doing, too. Mack had been spending a lot of time with Anna, and Grace had been withdrawn as well. Freddie didn't like the idea of lying to his friends, so he took the opportunity to keep to himself, and Hank had already been withdrawn, and he had much to think about before he could talk to the others. While they were dealing with their own personal problems New Haven was on the verge of catastrophe.
Chapter 15
“There's a problem, you must come quickly!” Daisy shouted through the door of the sheriff's office.
Maggie and Luis had been discussing plans for certain eventualities when the interruption came. The sheriff and her deputy grabbed their gun belts and strapped them around their waists, wondering what could have caused such urgency in Daisy's voice. They ran out and followed the young woman around the block, and from a distance they could hear the grunts and cracks of a fight. The commotion had caused a bit of a stir, but thankfully, Daisy was one of the first ones to respond, and she had sprinted to the sheriff's office before it could get too out of hand. Two men standing next to each other, one looking the worse for wear. Maggie knew one of them was a sewer-dweller and the other was a member of New Haven, and she groaned inwardly because this only played into the infighting that had been reported and proved that all their fears were grounded in reality.
The sewer-dweller had had the upper hand, and the person from New Haven had a bloodied nose and a black eye, and he was so groggy he barely could keep his balance. The sewer-dweller showed no mercy, though, and continued beating him, even after Maggie told him to stop. Luis leaped in and, using a move Maggie had taught him, tried subduing the sewer-dweller, who was a brute of a man and fought back, throwing Luis to the ground.
Annoyed, Luis pushed himself back up and kicked out at the man's knee, making it buckle. Then Luis grabbed the man’s wrist and pulled it behind his back, curling his arm in an unnatural position. He knew no matter how strong you were, that was going to hurt. Luis pulled it back a little farther than was necessary, but felt it was needed to make sure this man got the message. While he did this, Maggie went over to the victim and examined the wounds, leading him over to a place where he could sit down. After determining there wasn't anything serious, Maggie told a couple of other people to watch over him, and then went to Daisy to ask what had happened.
“I heard the two of them talking, but it didn't seem to be about anything controversial. I looked away for a moment, and the next thing I heard was this big crack. I turned back around and saw this guy punching the other one, who had blood streaming out of his nose. I ran to get you immediately.”
“Did anyone else know what they were fighting about?” Maggie asked, but none of the onlookers had anything to say. They just shook their heads. The other man still was too groggy to talk properly.
“Well then, I suppose I'm left with you,” Maggie said, turning to the arrested man who was on his knees. “Care to explain why you attacked this man?”
“I didn't like the way he looked at me,” the sewer-dweller sneered, and then spat on the ground.
Maggie rolled her eyes and shook her head. This was the last thing she needed. Although there had been tension between those who were native to New Haven and the new people who had arrived from the sewers, there had yet to be an actual fight. However, Maggie was aware that once one happened, a domino effect could well ripple throughout the settlement, and she wouldn’t be able to contain it all. She'd seen it when the sailors had been here, and now she was seeing it again. She wasn't one to condemn anyone quickly, and as the sheriff she had to be impartial, but it was pretty clear to her the sewer-dweller had been responsible, he hadn’t been provoked. Those in New Haven were peaceful and weren't the kind to start fights that were unwarranted. She looked at Luis.
“Let's get him back to the holding cell,” she said. They dragged him back and locked him into the cell, and then Maggie told Luis to go around and speak to the witnesses again to see if any of them recalled what the fight was about.
Luis left, and Maggie was left alone, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. She didn't want to go to the mayor with this as she had a feeling he wouldn't look at things too kindly. She knew if she couldn't maintain law and order in New Haven, she quickly would find herself looking for a new role to fill, and the mayor would replace her with someone he wanted. She didn't like how he had placed people he trusted in positions of power, and left those who were familiar with New Haven without any power at all. She was hoping Mack would be able to find a way back through all of this, but she also was worried it would lead to a civil war. She'd seen too many people get hurt over the years, and just when they thought everything was starting to settle down, this had happened. She wondered if the end of the world ever would bring peace, or if this cycle of violence always would continue.
She hoped not, and not just for her sake, but for that of her son's as well. For the first time in a long time Tristan seemed to be happy, but she knew how fragile he was, and didn't want anything to cause another crisis for him. However, he did have Sharon now, and although at first Maggie had had her misgivings about the young girl, she had to admit the two of them made a fine pair. They were helping each other get through things, and it was nice to see her son happy again.
It wasn't too long before Luis returned, and with him came an explanation. “I managed to piece together something from what other people have heard. I spoke to the victim as well, and what he said corroborates the witness reports.” Maggie had to smile, for Luis was sounding like a real cop. When he first had volunteered to be her deputy, she didn't think the day would come when he would fit the role so well.
“Go on,” Maggie said.
“Apparently, the two of them were working on something together and the attacker, Jason, accused the victim, George, of taking one of his tools. George tried explaining that everything in New Haven was shared by everyone, and that that's how they were used to doing it, but Jason didn't seem to like that explanation and told George that nobody ever stole from him, and without any warning that's when he hit him.”
“Fantastic,” Maggie replied dryly.
At this point, Gary arrived, looking exhausted. Sweat dripped from his face, and he leaned against the doorway as he caught his breath.
“Are you alright?” Luis asked. Gary nodded. The sheriff and deputy waited patiently for Gary to catch his breath, but when he did speak they were sure they had heard him wrong, and had to get him to repeat what he had said.
“You have to let Jason go,” Gary said.
“Why's that when I have witnesses to the crime? We know what happened. That man brutally attacked another for no good reason!” Luis yelled.
“I know,” Gary said, still gasping for air, meaning that he took longer than usual to complete a full sentence. “It's on order of the mayor. He doesn't want Jason kept here. He said if you want a letter, he'll have one for you.”
Maggie shook her head and Luis threw up his hands up in disgust.
“How can you go on being like this, their little errand boy?” Maggie said spitefully.
It was perhaps more harsh than she intended, and certainly more harsh than Gary deserved, but if there was one thing Maggie hated, it was guilty people being allowed to get away with crimes, and she wasn't in the mood to keep a lid on her emotions. When Gary left he was on the verge of tears, and Maggie felt bad. However, she didn't have the time to go after him because she had a prisoner to release. Jason had a smug look on his face as Maggie told him the mayor had ordered his release, but also warned him that he better not try anything such as that again. The threat didn’t affect Jason at all, though, who saw himself as untouchable, and whistled as he walked out of the door.
Maggie and Luis scowled at each other, and both moaned about the mayor, but at the moment the two of them were powerless to do anything about it. Although they did spend the rest of the day coming up with ideas about how to take down the mayor.
Meanwhile, Tristan and Sharon were sitting outside, cuddling together, while talking about nothing and everything as they enjoyed the occasional kiss. To them, the world outside their little bubble meant nothing, and all that mattered to them was the way they felt about each other. They shared a soft kiss, and then laughed because the cold air meant their noses were turning red. But then a shadow loomed over them, and a burly man who spoke with a low voice rebuked them for sitting down when there was so much to be done.
“Shouldn't you be in school?” he asked gruffly.
“No, we're too old for that now,” Tristan replied, putting a protective arm around Sharon's waist.
“Then what about work? You shouldn't just be sitting around here when there's so much else to do. We've got a city to rebuild! Get up and go and help someone,” he said, and from the tone of his voice and the ugly scowl on his face Tristan and Sharon knew they had no choice but to follow his orders.
They sauntered away, giggling at each other as they noted the smell of the sewer-dwellers. Then they walked through the barriers to one of the buildings near New Haven, where Saul was directing things along with some of the other children who were helping out. Some children did not have the aptitude for school, so instead of having a full curriculum, they were allowed to apprentice under Saul and others to learn valuable skills, although the mayor had made noises about scrapping this and placing everyone under a standardized education system.
“We were told we had to come help,” Tristan called out to Saul.
“I bet you were,” Saul said. “Grab a shovel.” Tristan looked around and saw that people were clearing the way of waste and debris.
“This is going to be fun,” Tristan said. Sharon laughed.
“Oh yeah, I can't think of any other way I'd rather be spending my days,” she said.
Because the two of them had been so caught up in their own affection they hadn't quite understood the consequences of the mayor being in charge. However, they soon were about to see them as they heard a shriek and turned to see one of the kids under a rock, his leg having been crushed. His face was deathly white, and he screamed at the top of his lungs. The shrill tone turned Tristan's blood cold. For a moment, everything seemed to stand still for the young man, and everything was silent except for the boy’s screams, and then he heard yelling, too.
Saul was standing by the boy, his bearded face contorted in agony as he strained to pull the slab of rock off the boy, and Tristan realized Saul was calling to him for help. Tristan ran to the two of them and began hefting the slab, straining his muscles, trying not to look down at the boy, for it made him feel nauseous. Other people came to help, and with them all summoning their strength they were able to lift the slab and toss it to the side.
Many of them then instantly looked away upon seeing the boy’s withered, crushed leg. Tristan gulped, but he didn't have time to be worried for Saul called for others to make sure everyone else was safe as he picked up the boy carefully in his huge arms, cradling him as he carried him to the medical center. Tristan and Sharon, not knowing what else to do, followed him in case Saul needed anything else. As they ran back into New Haven people stared at them in horror, wondering what had happened to the boy Saul was holding. When they got to the medical center Mindy and a few other people she had trained were there. Saul placed the boy down onto a table and Mindy got to work, as Saul told her what had happened.
He turned to Sharon and Tristan, and Tristan was frightened for Saul was trembling with anger. “This should not have been allowed to happen. I told them there weren't enough safety precautions in place and that we should have taken more time looking at the area. But no, they wanted to get as much done as quickly as possible. Typical bureaucrats, never caring about the people actually doing the work,” he said, spitting as he fumed.
“How could they do this? How could they let this happen?” Tristan asked.
“I don't know, but it can't be allowed to continue,” Saul said, and Tristan was surprised that he didn't knock over a table or chairs, for he was seething with anger.
Tristan looked over at the medical team. They were preparing a splint, but from the state of the leg that Tristan saw, he would be surprised if the boy ever walked again. All that was happening suddenly dawned on him, and he knew that New Haven was in dire straits.
“Whatever you need, I'll help you,” Tristan told Saul. Sharon echoed his words. It proved little comfort to the big man, who felt a hole in his heart, for the kid who had been put through so much pain, and who was lying on that medical table, probably never was going to walk again.
Chapter 16
Another week or so passed in New Haven and things were not getting any better for those who were not favored by the mayor. The people of New Haven felt as though their freedom was being taken away from them, and whenever they tried to protest they were silenced. The mayor had placed his own people in control of different departments throughout the settlement. It certainly wasn't the same New Haven that people were used to, or that they had wanted.
Maggie and Luis, as the only two, aside from Mindy, who still were in charge of medicine, as nobody else had the required skills, were chosen as spokespeople by those in New Haven who had problems with the mayor. Those people begged them to take action. Maggie and Luis listened to all their problems, but said that she was as powerless as they were. The mayor just was looking for an excuse to relieve her of her position, and treason would be as good as reason as any. It felt as though there was little hope. Mack was a secluded figure, staying in the shadows. Although this is what he had planned, it left those who had trusted him feeling as though he had abandoned them. The people who had stood together to protect New Haven were separated, and it made the future look bleaker than ever before.
The only consolation was that they had food in their bellies and didn't have to worry about starving. Yet, no matter how flavorful the meals were, every bite brought with it a bitter taste, since they knew the price they had paid for this food was too high. In some ways, many of them would have preferred to starve rather than having welcomed the tyrannical mayor through the gates of New Haven, surrendering control of the settlement to him. He was warping and twisting their dreams into a nightmare, and none of them saw any way out. They were stuck there, too, because there was no way any of them were going to venture out into the city and beyond. Especially not in the winter, as they would most likely would have frozen to death, and there was no sense in simply becoming a corpse. Many people felt helpless, and weren't sure how they were going to fight back against the mayor and the other sewer-dwellers who had taken over so much of New Haven, and turned their bright hope into a dark portent.
