Book 3 Chapter 59: Dig Two Graves

Book 3 Chapter 59: Dig Two Graves

I spent the next several days doing what I could to ambush any convoys that seemed to be transporting goods to Fort Matthews. Every one of them was a dead end. Theyd occasionally be actual deliveries of raw materials or food, but just as often they were transporting nothing, and existed only as a distraction. A way to drain anyone trying to discover what they were doing of resources and manpower.

It had worked on me, and I was nearly completely drained of ammunition, had been shot more times than Id care to admit, and was forced to rely on my sword. Power armored Remnants and STAR patrols hunted me constantly once they realized I was in their territory, and I was unable to rest. In large part this worked out poorly for them, but it did serve to wear me down. By the end of the week I felt raw, and on edge.

I made my way back to the dead-drop over the next few days, and found a small care-package of bullets, a las-pistol, and an update letter from Leah.

Donovan,

Ive joined the Khan at the front. Hes been steadily pushing toward Fort Matthews and intends to surround it and cut it off from the outside, sieging them the same way he himself was besieged at Medina. I will have a contact collect from this drop in case you have any information regarding what the Remnants are planning, but we cant wait forever, especially when the end of the war is so close. The Kaijin, the rest of the Deadman Militia, and the Horde all agree that this is the time to cut them off. Many of the STAR forces have deserted, the Republic is in open revolt, and all the major players of the Remnants are in the same place at once. Hard not to miss this opportunity, even if my gut tells me something else is going on. The siege wont begin until around a week after the election, so dont rush here to support if you dont need to, but I know we could use your help when the fighting starts. You may be exiled from Potts, but the Khan, Bastien, and I bet even Leroy would be grateful to have you here.

Hope to see you soon,Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

Nico

P.S. Mama says dont forget to vote, and Mercy says hello

Beneath that message, was another hat, an almost exact replica of the last one. This one had a simple note beneath it.

Donny,

Knowing you, youll need this already.

XOXO Deux

I chuckled, and placed the fresh hat on my head. That was just like Deux. I opened up the R.A.S. navigating to the election information.

Voting begins in 3 Days! Get ready to perform an Americans Greatest Duty!

I nodded. That would give me time to head back to my boat, resupply, take a day to rest, then turn around and reach Fort Matthews before the fighting began. Should even have time to participate in the planning or maybe be involved in any pre-siege operations.

I wrote a short message explaining what little information Id found, then placed it in the dead drop, and sealed it back up. After that I turned in the direction of Jasper and my deadzone, and got to walking.

I made it back to my deadzone in record time, with a hunk of meat I couldnt identify as either bovine or avian, that I placed in the usual spot for Gus, who didnt wait long to lumber to shore and eat. After that I went back into the comfort of my boat. I was tired, but took the time to prepare my pack for the next day, put together an updated list of items I wanted acquired by Bill, and took the time to update my journals and maps. Once I was done, I walked through the boat, and took my usual moments of satisfaction with what Id acquired, mapped, and accomplished. My maps on the walls, journals in neat rows beneath them. My old science fiction and fantasy paperbacks that had survived a war, and then some. I also had the stack of weapons, and items I still hadnt determined a use for from various bunkers and other situations. Maybe with the war coming to a close Id finally be able to rest and figure everything out, or even just spend a month in my deadzone reading with nothing else to do. I smirked, I doubted highly Id be able to stay still that long. It sounded nice in my head for a moment though.

I stayed up until it was the next day, and cast my vote for Mama at 12:01 am, I received a notification as I did,

Congratulations Citizen! Youve just earned an additional rank in NATIONALISM! Youre doing your part in recognizing that America is the greatest country in the world!

As I dreamt, I was surrounded by enemies. They were faceless, attacking from all sides. I cut into them, one after the other, with blade or claw until I was surrounded by blood I-

Something crashed into me with the force of a small missile. I felt my rib cage disintegrate and my spine snap, as I was hit from above with enough force to slam my body though the bottom of my boat. I opened my mouth to cry out, and irradiated water filled my lungs. Before I was able to fully realize what was happening, blows began raining down on me, barely slowed by the pressure of the water, caving in my face with incredible strength.

I brought myself to my feet again, and finished making my way to where the shots had come from, but once again, Leah was gone and all that was left was a smoking gun. This time, four turrets appeared and fired at me at once.

I fell in line, because thats what good Americans do. What I was raised to do, and trained to do.

I smashed one turret into another, and smashed the last two with a punch and a kick respectively.

Now Masters is using our greatest resource just to stop you and your kind. If we still had Matthews, wed maybe be able to use it more than twice, once for the test, and once for the execution, but without her technical expertise, it looks like my old home will die with yours. Fitting, huh?

I moved out of the thicket back toward the lake, my sense of smell was starting to recover. Before I could fully use it though, a massive white mass smashed into me, knocking me from my feet. It was Gus head.

It wasnt the best home, but it was a hell of a lot better than here. Clean, sterile, safe, equipped with a laser capable of leveling a city, great view. If theyd followed my advice they wouldve simply wiped out Fette with it before they even arrived, but they wanted to keep their ace in the hole I dont think they expected it to work anyway. Besides, Masters has his new superweapon now.

I held Gus head for a moment and found a wail coming from my throat unbidden. There was a cracking sound, and I was thrown backwards, the full force of a power hammer slamming into my chin. I flung myself to my feet, and snapped my shattered jaw back into place as I charged Graves.

Graves charged right back, his armor covered in fresh teeth marks and scars, leaking water from random holes, its servos screaming as he moved.

Before we reached on another, Graves brought his hammer down where he predicted Id be, I slid to the side, and he quickly brought up his leg to kick me in the chest, sending me several yards backward.

Masters is very excited to see how all the enemy forces are gathered before him all at once. In his mind, hes expecting to have the presidency, absolute victory over the Horde, and an end to Potts almost simultaneously.

Graves went to strike me again with his hammer, but this time, I caught the head of it, superheating my grip and melting it in my hands. He let it go to slam his fists into me, and I let him strike me, tearing into his armor with his hands as we both ripped into one another like mindless animals.

Personally, Im not sure itll be as easy as he thinks it will be. But hes our leader. Descended from the president that went up. Heh, were as bad as the Rens.

While my skin and bones healed with every blow, Graves' armor didnt grow back, and soon it was too damaged to strike me with more than the weakest of blows. His skin was exposed in several areas, and what I saw was shriveled flesh and atrophied limbs. I knocked him to the ground and tore of his faceplate last. I saw his eyes for the first time. They were grey, and I was surprised to see no hate in them, just determination, and maybe respect.

Do it. he said, his voice barely audible.

I thought he was referring to me, and moved to oblige, when I noticed small lights start to flicker across his armor. I jumped up off of him, but it was too late, and again an explosion consumed me. The force of it was as great as the one in the bunker, perhaps greater, and I could feel myself fly into a dozen different directions.

It didnt matter though. Id already done this once, and this time I was deep in a deadzone, and ready. I reassembled myself with ease, and the moment my senses returned I smelled Leah. I looked up to see her standing above a crater where Graves had just made his sacrifice, pouring what smelled like alcohol onto what was now his grave.

I approached her, ready to end this, but something was different, her smell, something was off.

She looked up at me, a smile on her face as always. I actually thought that might work. The bunker traps were Master's idea. I thought wearing you down with those, the traps here, Graves and me. I thought it would work.

I stared at her silently. She was wearing her anti-rad suit, but the hood was off her face. She was already dead, not to mention the poison I could smell moving through her blood.

She nodded understandingly at me. An agent ability. I can release the poison into my blood at will. She looked at the sun. Huh, thats odd. Looks like I attacked you a little too early. You may actually have a chance to warn Potts of whats coming. The satellites not meant to fire until the election has officially ended.

Why? I asked.

She shrugged. We were never going to win. Thats what I realized when Graves and I first got here. Even if we did, we wouldnt be what we were when we arrived, we wouldnt have been what we were in space. We would have been scarred. She raised a hand to her throat Maybe if wed just kept to ourselves and waited longer Looked for a different way, taken the time to figure things out. She shook her head. It doesnt matter. She took a swig of what remind of the booze in her hand and sat down picking up a piece of Graves faceplate. She gently traced it with a forefinger. The version of this story where Graves and I got to arrive whole and together, where we got to do things with as little bloodshed as possible, that was never going to happen, it was just what we were told to convince us to get into the pod.

I noticed her breathing start to speed up sharply, and saw her start to shake, but in spite of her clear weakening, she kept herself sitting up straight, and looked at me, her smile at odds with the look in her eyes.

You better get moving.