Paul was already in Laughlin leading the construction crew, and nobody in Omega could remember that in any briefing. All Carl knew, Bruce had drawn very detailed schematics on a vehicle, from the few glances he got. One of the few who had the nerve to get close to the group was Paul, but he didn’t bother them. Leaning over and peeking over shoulders at drawings, Paul left the hangar with a wide grin.

  Angela and Stephanie didn’t count because they would leave Prometheus, that was parked right outside the hangar, to check on Bruce, Mike, and the kids, then head right back to run the air operations. Ted had tried to get information out of them, but Angela and Stephanie just shrugged.

  Before Mike even landed, Nancy had called when she’d found Mike had just jumped in a jet and hauled ass across Texas. When she heard what was going on, Nancy left Hope in a state of panic with images of the group blowing up the Rocky Mountains. As she headed to the airport for a jet, Joe met up with her because word had spread fast that Bruce was working on something with the kids.

  Many had expected fireworks when Nancy landed. Walking into the hangar, Nancy seemed a little pissed but as she talked to Mike, who never stopped drawing, Nancy relaxed. Kissing Mike, then all the kids, Nancy stopped at Bruce to rub his shaved head and then went to Prometheus to talk to Angela and Stephanie before heading back.

  Joe had followed Nancy in, but never said anything. Instead, he looked at each of the drawings, then started making phone calls.

  Mindy and Buffy never sat at a table but would move among the group, watching and helping. The help consisted of grabbing stuff, but it let the others continue. Joe was still making calls moving from table to table, looking over shoulders, but he was never on the phone when he was looking over shoulders.

  Walking up behind Carl and taking his helmet off, “You know, seeing Bruce, Mike, and the kids grinning like they are, if I was a blue I’d drown myself,” Ted admitted and Carl agreed with a nod. The smiles on all their faces were a bit malevolent mixed with joy. Basically, the smiles were fucking creepy. It wasn’t helping that Buffy would dance around every so often.

  “You find out anything new?” Ted asked, and Carl just shook his head. “Can we send Bonnie over? I don’t think any of them would hurt her.”

  It was a few seconds before Carl finally spoke. “I told her to get a closer look and Bonnie pulled her knife on me,” Carl informed him. “She said that was a suicide order and she had the right to defend herself.”

  “Damn, that girl is smart,” Ted chuckled.

  “What the hell are you two doing standing out here?” Stephanie asked, walking up wearing a coat because it was still nippy and when the sun went down, the forecast was that the temperature would hit freezing. The next few days would be cold, but the lows were only predicted down to the upper forties.

  “Staying out of their way,” Carl told her flatly.

  “Stephanie, what are they working on?” Ted begged.

  “Vehicles,” she answered. “I’m waiting till they are done because now all they talk is gibberish because they’re too excited. Why don’t you go closer and look?”

  “Fuck that,” both sang out.

  “Pussies,” Stephanie laughed.

  “Why the hell was Nancy mad when she landed?” Ted asked, hoping for more information beside ‘vehicles ’.

  Rolling her eyes, “Nancy was afraid nobody was supervising them and they were going to blow up the Rocky Mountains or build something to reverse the rotation of the planet,” Stephanie answered.

  Slapping Carl’s shoulder, “I told you blowing up the Rockies wasn’t far-fetched if Nancy thought of it too,” Ted snapped.

  Watching the group in wonder as they toiled away in a happy bliss, “Why are the kids helping?” Carl asked.

  “Duh,” Stephanie laughed. “You know how many four wheelers, tractors, cars, trucks, and engines they have helped Bruce and Mike build? A shitload. All the vehicles at the farm at the beginning were bought rundown and broken. They rebuilt them.”

  Finally turning away from the group, “Why isn’t Steve here then?” Carl asked. Steve was over the air and on Spartan One. He had landed around ten, but only stayed a few minutes before taking off again.

  “Steve is a fly boy now,” Stephanie smirked. That, Carl and Ted understood. Steve flew every day unless there was harsh weather. Like most in the family he could fly planes, but Steve stayed with his helicopters. When Steve was flying, he was always grinning. “Now, if Bruce was designing a chopper Steve would have his ass in there, but what they are working on doesn’t fly with a blade overhead so Steve would only help if they asked.”

  Taking a deep breath, “What kind of vehicles?” Carl asked. The last time Bruce had designed a vehicle, Prometheus was born. They didn’t need new command vehicles.

  “I told you I don’t know, but they both have tracks,” Stephanie replied, and they caught ‘both’ so knew it was two.

  “Damn, they are still going,” Gene laughed walking up.

  Ted and Carl spun around. “When the hell did you get here?” Ted asked.

  “Few hours ago,” Gene grinned. “Heard they were designing something.”

  “What is it?” Ted asked hopefully.

  “Shit if I know,” Gene confessed. “I was waiting until they took a break,” he said, and Stephanie laughed at that.

  “Go over and just peek,” Ted offered.

  “Boy, you can kiss my black ass,” Gene barked. “When Bruce is working like that, you leave his ass the fuck alone. I don’t want to know how his kids react if they are interrupted.”

  “Jake is the worst if you interrupt his train of thought when he’s working,” Carl admitted.

  “Figures,” Gene said, turning to Stephanie. “Are you going to ask?”

  “Yes,” she smiled. “I’m not scared of any of them.”

  “You’re married to Bruce and his kids call you Momma, what the fuck should you be scared of?” Gene replied. “Bruce’s kids were willing to fight him for you and Angela. There’s nothing on the Earth you should fear with that on your side.”

  “Why are you out here then, if you didn’t come to ask?” Stephanie just grinned.

  “To see if they at least pause and I can find out what they are working on to see if I could help,” Gene answered.

  “Gene, they aren’t going to stop until they are done and it may be a day or two,” Stephanie told him.

  Cocking his head to the side, “Even Mike?” Gene asked in a high voice.

  Nodding, “When Mike is focused on a task, he’s actually worse than Bruce. That’s why Nancy was worried, both get excited and focused. I can confirm, in the past that was when Mike and Bruce always got in trouble. They passed that along to the kids, so I can see why Nancy wanted to confirm with her own eyes what the hell they are doing,” Stephanie told him.

  The three looked at Stephanie in various states of bewilderment.

  “Stephanie,” Gene said, clearing his throat. “It seems you’re suggesting Mike and Bruce together isn’t a good thing.”

  “I didn’t suggest shit,” Stephanie spat. “They know together, they do shit that isn’t right. It does amaze me that they know it and actually avoid it.” The bewilderment went into utter shock. “Guys, that’s why Mike and Bruce are not on the same team. If they had ever been, I’m nearly certain both would have died long ago. You can see it when we are at Hope. The longer they are in close proximity to each other, the bad tendencies start to increase. Yes, Mike is much better at defense, but each one chose where they were going to be. Why? Because they know together they can get wild and irresponsible. Mike loses his rational side and Bruce’s wild hair up his ass turns into a fucking beard.”

  “Wow,” Ted mumbled. “That’s very mature,” he noted.

  “Trust me, it kills them that they aren’t fighting side by side, but both know it’s for the best,” Stephanie told them.

  “You’re that sure?” Gene asked, just not being able to fit Mike acting like Bruce in his mind.

  “You’ve heard of their trip from the hospital, right?” Stephanie asked and Gene nodded. “Knowing Mike like you do now and Bruce from your past, would either have attacked a gang as large as the one that was holding Conner?”

  Shaking his head, “I still can’t believe Bruce even did that,” Gene admitted.

  “Yeah, Mike put up a token opposition but even Nancy will tell you, Mike wanted to attack. Mike feels and is the reasoning side of the two, but that goes away quickly. Together they feel they can take anything and the longer they’re together, the feeling grows. I’m pretty sure if they hadn’t come home after that attack, Mike and Bruce would’ve just moved across the state killing blues or gangs, it wouldn’t have mattered. It would’ve been a game, but one that would’ve killed them and us.”

  Gene started getting lightheaded as pieces started falling into place. That was why Mike and Bruce were rarely out fighting at the same time. Mike knew Bruce was better, letting Bruce take the lead and stayed behind on his own because nobody tells Mike what to do, except Nancy. The few times they were out at the same time, only a few of those times were they ever close and never fought side by side. Bruce was clearly the wild influence, but Mike knew he could back Bruce up on anything, even if he was at Hope and Bruce was in the field. In close proximity, the two lost any desire for control because they felt together nothing could stop them.

  “Whoa,” Gene mumbled at the realization and fought the desire to tell Bruce and Mike to separate.

  “Exactly,” Stephanie smiled and strolled off heading to the hangar.

  “Angela and Stephanie need to get a tighter rein on Bruce,” Carl said with a shiver and both turned to look at him. “Nancy is the one controlling Mike and Bruce and it’s wearing her down.”

  “We are setting Nancy up for a day at the spa at Base Hope,” Gene informed them and they liked that idea.

  Walking over and standing behind Bruce, “Hey, baby,” Stephanie said, kissing the top of Bruce’s head.

  “Hey, Little Red,” Bruce replied but didn’t look up as he continued working, drawing a line on a ruler he was using.

  “Baby, you promised Sandy some lab rats and we found a gang north of Comstock. It’s more than twenty, but no more than fifty,” Stephanie said looking at the drawing. It was a profile of what looked like a very long tank. Because of Bruce, Stephanie knew the tank was larger than an Abrams. The turret was much farther forward and the barrel was very tiny. A large tank with a tiny gun went against everything that was Bruce. Not about to disturb the thought process, she knew in time it would become clear.

  “Uh huh,” Bruce replied, nodding slightly as he repositioned the ruler.

  “Can we send some to pick them up?” Stephanie asked as she started rubbing Bruce’s shoulders.

  “Okay,” Bruce agreed, grabbing a protractor.

  “Who do you want me to send?”

  Finally, Bruce lifted his head up and saw Ted, Carl, and Gene standing just outside the hangar looking toward him in what looked like shock. “Ted! Carl!” he barked, then went back to drawing as they both jumped and sprinted inside.

  “Yeah, boss,” Ted said, stopping on the other side of the table as Bruce continued to draw.

  “Get the team gathered up and go get this gang and bring them back. Sandy needs lab rats,” Bruce told them then turned around. “Buffy,” he called out, and Buffy skipped over with a grin. Sliding a page over with columns listing various dimensions of metal, “Get the calculator and give me a rough estimate on weight,” Bruce told her and Buffy went to work.

  “Anything special on the gang you want done?” Carl asked, putting his helmet on.

  “Just as many alive as you can get,” Bruce answered, toiling away.

  Stephanie kissed Bruce on the head again and as she went to leave, couldn’t help but grin watching Cook rolling a cart into the hangar loaded with plates of food. “Make sure they eat,” she smiled at him.

  “They all ate everything I brought for lunch,” Cook laughed, passing her.

  Gene joined them as they passed, heading for Prometheus. Before they got there, Sandy came out carrying a cardboard box nearly three feet long and a foot tall and wide. The way she was holding the box, it seemed heavy. “Sandy, I told you I would get that,” Gene called out, rushing over and taking the box.

  “I didn’t want to forget, and specimens become lost or damaged through punitive actions.”

  “So, we're going to get you some lab rats?” Ted laughed and put his helmet on.

  Turning to Ted, “I like lab rats, they are nice. You are obtaining me cocksuckers,” she told him flatly.

  “How many do you need?” Carl laughed.

  “Bruce had an addition to the Blue Analysis and Experimentation Area built. It can house a hundred cocksuckers. I’m sure with a hundred, I can successfully evaluate the four peptide markers needed for innate immunity.”

  Both stopped laughing instantly at that. “Sandy, you’ll have your hundred before we get back to Hope,” Carl pledged.

  Smiling and leaning her head on Gene, “Gene told me he was going to procure some cocksuckers, but I don’t want it viewed as favoritism since we are married,” Sandy told them.

  “If any person ever called that favoritism, I’ll tell Buffy they called Herman gay,” Ted blurted out.

  “Dude, that’s just cold,” Carl said, glancing over. Then changed his opinion, “I’d back you up on that.”

  Looking up at Gene, “I thought the young man’s name attempting to court Buffy was Marty,” Sandy said.

  “Herman is Buffy’s knife, and she really loves her knife,” Gene smiled, and Ted and Carl didn’t like the word ‘court’ applied in the same sentence with Buffy.

  Reaching in the box, “I brought some of the devices Bruce has at the Analysis area used to control blues,” Sandy said, taking out what looked like a police baton. Ted and Carl stepped closer, noticing it was fatter than a baton and wasn’t wood.

  “I thought they had guys in suits to handle the blues,” Ted said, noticing two probes at the end and thick wires that ran along the shaft.

  “They do, but these are used to teach the subjects they are behaving improperly,” Sandy told them, holding it out. Carl had seen similar things used in prisons around the world, but never with wire along the shaft. It was a human cattle prod. “It will subdue a blue with one discharge despite state of anxiety or size,” Sandy told them.

  “Bruce made this,” Carl stated confidently, taking the baton. “I got to see the first blue prod in action.”

  “Cocksuckers are rendered unconscious after an application, regardless of a strike or jab,” Sandy said and both looked up at her.

  “Yeah, Sandy’s used them on the cocksuckers she has now,” Gene smirked, trying hard not to laugh.

  “How many do you have?” Ted asked, leaning closer to look in the box.

  “Two dozen,” Sandy answered and Ted took the box from Gene.

  “Want me to come?” Gene asked, hugging Sandy tight to his side.

  “You have your suit?” Ted asked and Gene shook his head. “Then you can’t come.”

  “He could ride up front with a driver,” Carl pointed out and Ted nodded at that.

  “I’ll let you boys take care of this, but don’t act stupid or Bruce will flip out on your ass,” Gene warned.

  “Please, after our runs with Bruce? Omega can take prisoners with ease,” Ted scoffed as he spun around and walked off.

  “We’ll be back shortly with your cocksuckers,” Carl laughed and took off after Ted, calling for the protection detail to mount up. They didn’t like leaving Bruce, but he was surrounded by family and they each had members protecting them. Besides the fact, Bruce told them to go and get Sandy some lab rats.

  Reaching in the box and taking out a baton, “I get to use it first,” Carl said pressing a button on the handle and electricity arced between the two probes at the end but also along the wires that ran along the shaft.

  “Excuse me?” Ted scoffed as the team loaded up.

  “You got to drive the babies twice before we left,” Carl informed him. When Ted went to complain, “Keep on and I’ll use it on you,” he warned.

  “Fine,” Ted sighed as Bonnie climbed behind her gun and they told her what the mission was.

  Snatching up a baton, “I’m using one,” she said.

  “Okay, but I get to use it first,” Carl told her, and Bonnie didn’t even argue because she'd gotten to take the babies riding on a tractor which had pissed both Ted and Carl off.

  Chapter Eighteen

  North of Comstock, Texas, in a large wooden barn, Art Culver looked out over the scrub grass and mesquite trees to the small rolling hills in the landscape as the sun set. Off in the distance, he could still hear helicopters flying and knew it was Omega. He had encountered Omega nearly a year ago in South Carolina and was one of seven that survived. The rest of the ‘Bones’, over six thousand, had been wiped out.

  One of the survivors with Art had been in the military and said Omega had dropped MOABs. It would’ve only taken two, but Omega had dropped six. Shank had sent Art and the others to make contact with a military group in Pennsylvania to join up. They had been twelve miles away when the explosion hit. All six bombs had hit simultaneously, obliterating the eight square miles the Bones had set up.

  Before Art reached the military group, somehow a horde had formed and wiped the base out. They were less than fifty miles away when calls started coming out of a horde moving across the land. There was no doubt in Art’s mind, Omega was responsible for that horde. He didn’t know how, but he was certain. After that, Art had one goal: Get the hell out of North America.

  He was the only one of the original seven to make it this far. Four had died and the other two had stayed in Ohio with a group on Lake Erie. The group didn’t call themselves a gang because they were run by a bunch of former rich pricks, but they were a gang because Art knew gangs.

 

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