Chapter 4:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I honestly don't even own myself.
They really hadn't spoken since Bass had finished wiping the blood off of her face. She got quiet and seemed to turn in to herself again. He knew it was her coping mechanism, her way of being able to function and keep her head by removing herself. He saw her do it after she had to kill Jason, only not to this extreme. He had moved away to give her space, already unnerved by her request and his promise to see it through. Plus, he was afraid that if he didn't give himself some space he might not be able to let her go and he needed all his wits about him. Neither of them could afford any weakness right now.
They slept fitfully throughout the rest of the day, knowing that even if they had a viable escape plan, that during the heat of the day, half starved, they wouldn't make it far. The night didn't bring much relief from the heat, but at least they sun's rays were off of them.
There was no way out of the cage. They could make it swing, but all that could do was land them in the water, trapped in a metal cage. Even if they could get out of there, they saw alligators floating around down there and they probably wouldn't make it too far.
Monroe had tried climbing up and picking the lock, but without any tools there really wasn't much hope of that.
They were trapped with no way out.
So he paced, back and forth, trying not to let his concern for the situation show.
Suddenly, far out in the distance beyond the city came a bright orange glow, a short time later they could hear loud booms. They both stood up to try and see more, but the buildings in their way blocked the line of sight.
"What was that?" Charlie asked.
"If I had to guess, I would say Miles is cleaning the Patriots out to have a clear shot at New Orleans."
"Think they'll make it in time?"
Bass stared out in the night. "Hard to say. No one has taken New Orleans before, but then again, no one has ever tried."
He felt her wilt beside him. He turned to her. "This will make Benny boy think though. He knows I wasn't just blowing smoke. Texas could be a real threat to them."
She sat down, but didn't say anything. He looked down at her. He couldn't let her give up.
He knelt before her. "Charlie, I promise you, they won't touch you. I won't let them turn you into one of those women." He grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. "Have I let you down since you found me in Vegas?" He asked.
She stared at him. "No, you've done a good job at keeping your word to my mom."
"What?"
"She told me, you promised her in the tower, you wouldn't let anything happen to me." Charlie gave him a penetrating look. "It's your way of proving yourself to them, to gain back their trust, I get it."
Bass didn't know what to say. He had made Rachel that promise and he had meant it, but that wasn't why he constantly found himself keeping an eye out on the young woman in front of him. However, he couldn't admit that to either her or himself. Could he?
He started to get uncomfortable under her stare.
"I've got a lot to make up for." He finally said.
She let out a humorless laugh. "Right." She said.
He stared back at her, wondering what it was she wanted him to say. Despite all they had been through, he still believed she would kill him if he wasn't of use. Even after everything they had been through, he still had her father and brother's blood on his hands. He sighed and turned away.
"C'mon Miles." He muttered under his breath.
Outside New Orleans
They were huddled in the dark, their thrown together catapult had managed to take down one ship, but now canon fire from the remaining ships pounded the small islands they were gathered on. Miles had anticipated this and had his men clear out as soon as they fired, but there were still a few casualties and their catapult had been destroyed.
They had cleared out all the camps on land and in doing so had found lots of guns and ammunition to replenish their depleted stock. The men on the ships knew they couldn't disembark to come fight them because they would pick them off as they crossed over in smaller boats. Even with their canons the loss of their own men would be too great and the few that would make it would be slaughtered as soon as they landed.
However, Miles wasn't pleased with their success with the Patriots. It was only a matter of time before they were ousted from Louisiana. Unfortunately, time was the thing Miles didn't have. Charlie and Bass were somewhere in New Orleans. He hoped they were still alive, but he knew he had to get in there and free them as soon as possible.
His frustration was compounded by a message he had just received from Rachel. It stated that the American President was under the influence of the nano and Rachel wasn't sure they were going to be able to hold him. She was also concerned by the fact that he hadn't escaped yet. They still had no leads on fighting the artificial intelligence and she was uneasy about their plan to push the Patriots back. She worried it would leave Texas open to some sort of attack from the nano.
There were times he would give anything for a cell phone as he read and re read the message. He needed to talk to her. He wanted to know what she meant by 'under the influence'. What was the President saying?
How the hell were they going to fight them?
Austin, Texas
7 Weeks Before
"Miles."
"Not now, Aaron."
"Miles!"
Miles stopped abruptly and spun around, Aaron came to a stop in front of him. "Look, I'm not real happy with you right now and I'm not in the mood."
"There's something else you need to know, ok?" Aaron's voice came out pleading.
"Jesus, Aaron, and exactly how many secrets have you been keeping from us?!" Miles exploded.
"When you were missing, I asked Priscilla to find you…."
"You mean the nano." Miles interrupted.
Aaron sighed. "Yes, the nano. But she said she wouldn't. She said she tested you and they didn't think you deserved to be saved."
"What the hell does that mean? They tested me?"
"Yeah, um…." Aaron looked at him. "You didn't happen to have any conversations with any dead people did you?"
Miles stared at him as he remembered the night in the shed where he had seen Ben.
"I take it that's a 'yes'." Aaron said.
Miles grabbed a hold of Aaron and threw him against the wall. In his mind he could see Rachel and Charlie lying before him with their throats slit.
"What the hell do you know about it?"
"No…nothing." Aaron gasped out. "Just that she tested you and apparently about 3 thousand other people. She said they were very curious about all of us."
Miles tightened his grip. "They didn't tell you what they did? What they showed me?" Miles demanded.
"NO!" Aaron exclaimed. "She just said they played your own thoughts back to you and your mind was filled with 'dark notions'."
Miles started laughing, but there was no humor at all in the noise.
"Really?" He snapped. "They appear to me right after the bombs were dropped, Rachel was still a zombie, Charlie was off…god knows where, I was drinking and my mind was filled with dark notions? I'm pretty certain after those bombs went off, a lot of people's minds were filled with dark thoughts, wouldn't you agree?"
"She said…."
"THEY said." Miles interrupted again. "They are machines, creations, quit giving them identities, I don't care if they were in Priscilla." He turned away, unable to stand the sight of Aaron. Then a thought struck him and he turned back. "Did it ever occur to you, at any point during this, to explain to them that people's environment sometimes affects their mood and thoughts? Did you tell them they picked a real shitty time to be exploring the human psyche?"
"No, I just kept begging her…them, them…" he corrected himself, "to save you, until they threatened to kill Priscilla if I asked again."
"Great. Well, if I see any dead people again, I'll make sure to think happy thoughts." Miles snarled at him, before walking off.
"I just thought you should know." Aaron called after him.
"I should've known when you found out!" Miles yelled back.
Present
Now as Miles read the letter all sorts of thoughts ran through his brain. Could the nano have influenced him? Were his fears about Charlie and Rachel's safety around him causing him to put them in more danger?
One of the reasons he had sent Charlie with Monroe was that he had been worried about her seeing him as a General again. She knew what Bass was like, she'd seen him at his worst, but she had never seen what Miles had been like. She didn't know what he was actually capable of, the things he had done. Sure, she heard about it, even saw the repercussions of his actions, like the orphaned children they had helped to save, but she didn't ever see it. He had been so afraid her opinion of him would change. Now because of that fear, she was somewhere in New Orleans and he might lose her.
He crumpled the message in his hand. This train of thought was getting him nowhere. He didn't have time for doubts and self recriminations. First things, first, he needed to get Charlie and Bass out, and then they would go from there. If they were trying to influence the President, then they probably had infiltrated other members of the government and Miles wasn't going to lead the troops any further not understanding what they were facing.
New Orleans
Morning had just barely begun to break when the cage gave a shudder and started rising up. Monroe and Charlie held on to the bars to keep their balance.
"Looks like the King wants to talk." Charlie commented. Monroe didn't answer; he was trying to think of a way to undo the damage he had inadvertently caused by his attitude the day before.
"You don't say anything." He told her. "Let me do the talking. I know where he's coming from."
"That didn't work so well yesterday." Charlie said. He just shot her a look in response.
When they reached the top, the king stood there with only the guards who turning the cranks to raise the cage. Once they had it secured, they left without a word, leaving just the king standing there staring at them.
"How many men does Texas have?" He asked without preamble.
"Here or in Austin?" Bass responded.
Charlie looked at him in alarm, but he shot her a look to keep quiet.
"Either."
Bass shook his head. "It doesn't matter." He told him.
"What the fuck do you mean it doesn't matter?" The king asked. "I want to know what it is I'm up against here."
"You aren't up against anything….yet." Bass told him. The king stared at him and he continued. "Look, Benny, I've been here. I know exactly where you're at. You fought tooth and nail to get where you are at. And now that you're here, you're constantly fighting to keep it. You feel like you need to control everything and that a show of strength is the only way to stay on top. You have men surrounding you, just waiting for you to make a mistake, just so they can find an excuse to take you out. You thought that at all this would make you feel safe, but the truth is, you are more afraid now than you were right after the Blackout."
"Shut your mouth." The King growled.
"You know I'm right. Texas has no quarrel with you, we want the Patriots. You could have your treaty guaranteeing your safety and open up the borders so your people could live more comfortably. All you have to do is let us go. But you are too afraid to do that. Too afraid you'll be labeled 'weak', and removed from power and killed. So you keep us, inciting a war with Texas that even if you win will cause more pain and suffering and death. You know this isn't the way. You know this is wrong. I can see it in your eyes, I know that look too well. I saw it every day in the mirror."
"You don't know anything." The king stated. "You think I'm some monster? You think I like this? Before the Blackout, all my kids were either dead, or in jail or on their way to both. My wife died because we couldn't afford to take her to the Dr, for something that would have been easily treatable. After the Blackout, I vowed, I'd be the one in charge, I'd make sure things like that couldn't happen. There would be rules…."
"And order." Bass finished for him. "You were going to make it safe. You were going to help people. Have you seen the way your people are living? Because I did on the way in. I've been all over this country and I haven't seen misery like that anywhere else." Bass stared at him intently. "The truth is, no matter what you do, because of who you have chosen to be, there is always the chance you will wake up in the middle of the night with a gun pointed at you. It might be a stranger," he swallowed thickly, "or it might be your best friend. Don't you want to try and make things right before it's too late? Try to make those people's lives a bit better."
The King stared at him, and then walked out without another word. A few seconds later the guards came back in and began lowering the cage. Monroe stared at the windows as they moved in front of his eyes. He had given it his best shot. Had the situations been reversed, it wouldn't have gotten through to him either, but he had tried.
He remembered Jeremy talking to him, trying to explain the very thing he had just tried to tell the King. He had him shot.
So many memories entered his mind. All the horrible things he had done.
How many fathers, mothers, brothers or sisters had he killed?
The cage rattled to a stop.
"Did you mean what you said?" Charlie's voice reminded him of her presence.
He steeled is face and turned around towards her. "Not a bit of it. I'm a sociopath, remember? I say what I need to get what I want."
She tilted her head and sighed, but he cut her off before she could speak.
"What the hell do you want me to say, Charlie? Do you think I don't see the parallels here?" He let out a bark of something that couldn't be described as laughter. "Despite what you 'know', I was already aware of the blood on my hands. I know I'm responsible for Ben's death. For Danny's, for Emma's…. and Nora's…. and Jeremy's. I am aware of that every day." He looked out into the night. "But this, my god, look at this place. Look at how those people live. Do you even think he goes out and sees what their lives are like? Does he even know how bad it is out here?" He turned back to her. "I didn't go out. I have no idea what went on with the people in the Republic. I have no idea how they lived. I didn't care. All I wanted was power, but I didn't have the first clue what to do with it." This time it was the sound of laughter that came out of him, but there was such bitterness. "The saddest thing is, I never even realized that until we came here. I'm no different from him."
He couldn't bear the sight of her anymore. He turned and looked out into the night.
Charlie was stunned. For several long moments she didn't speak. She stared at his back; she could visibly see the tension running though him.
"You're right, you were like him; possibly even worse because you had more brains and skills than he does. And you deserved to lose it all."
"Charlie, unless you are planning on biting MY throat out, I'm begging you, please…."
"I won't even take back calling you a sociopath, because you were." She interrupted.
"Goddammit, Charlie!" He yelled and turned to face her. His eyes were wild.
"But you see it now!" She yelled trying to cut through, his anger and guilt. "You see that you were wrong and not just because of what it cost you, but in how it cost others. Now you know, and now you can start to make things right. You can start to make amends."
"Make amends? Are you crazy? I could live like Mother Theresa for the next millennium and never wash this blood off of me."
"Probably not, but maybe it's not important that you wash it off. Maybe the important thing is trying." She told him. He gaped at her.
Charlie knew that somehow, Bass had turned a very important corner here. (When did it become so easy to call him that in her head?) She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. He reached up and squeezed her hand. She released him and the two of them both sat down, next to each other, staring out into the city.
Bradbury, Idaho
"This pizza really is good." The old man commented.
The other three people with him nodded their heads with their mouths full. The large man in the business suit swallowed. "I would like to try steak next. This one remembers 'steak' fondly."
The young man with the glasses looked up. "Are we going to replace her?"
Lying on the floor beside them was the body of the young woman who had been wearing the cardigan.
The large man grunted. "It's not necessary. She became contaminated by the human emotions."
The Indian woman spoke up. "Still, five is a good number."
The large man sighed. "Fine, we'll make another. Only this time we need to be more careful, we don't need a repeat of this one." He glared around the table. "We have more important things to discuss. Recruiting has slowed."
The old man spoke. "We've been appearing to people, but they aren't listening. They aren't afraid enough. They aren't angry enough."
The young man spoke. "We've enlisted all those who are vulnerable, but surprisingly most of the humans are resilient."
"Then we need to make them more afraid." The large man insisted.
The door opened and three of the four looked around in surprise. In walked a young boy about eleven years old. He walked up to the table and stared down the four in front of him. "We will make them more afraid. We will take a page from their great book and send out a plague of biblical proportions."
"That will take energy." The large man argued. He was unfazed at how fast they found another body to replace the one that had been inadequate.
"But it will also create energy." The little boy answered.
"We will lose control over some of the ones we have." The old man countered.
"And gain many more." The boy answered again.
"Where would you have us send this plague?" The Indian woman asked.
The boy grew a cold smile across his face. "Everywhere they gather. In their cities."
"That's too much." The large man argued again. "It would weaken us too much to use that much power."
Before, the man had been a leader in his small town. He had pretended to be kind and caring, but behind the scenes he had been sadistic and power mad. No one in the town had known that the disappearances they were experiencing was their leader taking people to torture and murder them. He was careful in his selections, it was only the people he was certain were laughing at him because of his weight or his size. When the nano appeared before him, they promised him power and the freedom to live in the open to engage in his appetites. Now in his mind, he ruled over all, people died at his whims. However, the nano inside of him had become used to be heard, used to being in charge.
The little boy looked at him. "I was not asking. This is what we will do."
The man opened his mouth to argue again.
But the woman spoke up. "You are displaying traits of the humans." She reminded him. "Ego is one of their attributes. This is the best for replenishment."
"Fine." The man agreed.
The little boy turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" The old man asked.
"South."
New Orleans, LA
Another day went by, then another, today would be the one week mark. Every night they could hear Miles attacking the Patriots, but had no idea how he was doing.
Even with the water, it had been days since either of them had eaten and it was starting to be noticeable. As the sun rose, Charlie had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder and he had joined her in slumber not long after that. Her presence comforted him enough to sleep. They woke up later in the day, with the sun beating down on them. They drank some water and then tried to fit themselves in the small corner of shade provided until the sun passed overhead.
The first few days they talked a bit, Bass tried to keep them from falling into despair. He told her the plotlines to his favorite movies. Charlie told him about the books she liked to read growing up and about the ferris wheel she went to, to daydream about the world. Eventually though, they lost the energy to keep up.
Charlie started feeling very nauseous and weak. Bass had her lay down and tried to keep the sun off of her as much as possible. Her head lay in his lap and he slowly fanned her face with what was left of his shirt. Occasionally he would dip it in the water and mop off her face in an attempt to try and cool her.
He realized that she probably wouldn't make it another day under these conditions. He felt the desperation inside him grow.
After the sun set, she came awake a little bit, but barely had the energy to sit up. He gave her some water and she sipped it slowly. Then the cage rattled and started moving up.
When it arrived at the top, Benny stood there once again, but this time he was surrounded by guards and officers. Bass knew this wasn't good. This was a show. This man wasn't about to discuss treaties.
Charlie stood next to him, no sign now of how weak she actually was. He was suddenly struck by doubt. He didn't know if he would be able to take her life, if it came down to it. If he did, he was going to have to make sure they killed him right afterwards because he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
Charlie looked over at Monroe. She had also known when she saw all of the King's retinue that he wasn't about to discuss peace or let them go. She begged him with her eyes to keep his promise. He looked sick, but nodded his head shakily.
"So here's what's going to happen." The King said, there was glee in his voice, but Bass knew it was all a front. He could see it in the man's eyes, he knew that he was facing the end. One way or another, the man was at the end of his reign. "Since you both are top officers with the Texas army outside our walls, we'll give you a chance to get free. All you have to do is beat my best fighter and I'll let you go. We'll even talk treaty, if you want. Bass let out a sigh of relief. He was not by any means in top form, but he could do this. For his and Charlie's life, he could do this.
"All right then. I'd be happy to."
The shook his head. "No, not you." He pointed at Charlie.
"No. NO WAY!" Bass yelled. Even under the best conditions, he would be worried. She was a good fighter, but she was small and tiny. Now, she could barely stand on her own.
"That's the deal."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Bass growled. "How in the world is that even fair?"
"Was it fair to the men she killed? You claim she's a good fighter and officer, well let's see shall we? My people want blood for blood." He looked at them, considering. "Plus, if a little thing like her can beat my best, that would definitely show us how strong you guys really are."
"This is not happening." Bass argued again.
"I'll do it." Charlie spoke up suddenly.
"No, you won't." Bass told her.
"Yes, I will." She looked to the King. "You want to see what I can do, fine. Let's do it."
"Wait." Bass said again.
The King was looking very amused.
"No, I said I'd do it!" Charlie all but yelled.
"Fine." He said and then turned to the king. "She's going to fight, fine, but at least give her a fighting chance. Feed her."
The King lost his amused look.
"Oh, c'mon, even condemned prisoners get a last meal, don't they? Do you want a fight or a slaughter?"
"All right. I'll have food brought up. But be prepared, you go into the ring tomorrow."
"I'll be ready." At that, the King and his men left.
Monroe turned on Charlie, furious, but she spoke before he could say anything.
"Are you really that anxious to break my neck?"
"What?"
"Are you really that anxious to kill me? Because unless you've got some flash of inspiration, that's where we were headed. At least this way, there is a chance you can make an escape during the fight."
"You're out of your mind if you think I'd leave you here to die."
"If I get out, you're coming with me."
"I won't make it through those swamps, we both know it. We'd be back to you killing me."
With a shout of rage, he turned and hit the bars. He took several deep breaths to try and calm down. Once he had, he turned back to her. "Here's what you need to watch for…." If she was going to do this, maybe he could give her enough advice and with the food there might be a chance she could make it.
The next day, they stood on a rooftop not far from where the King's 'throne' they didn't even need to descend to get there. They found there were walkways built going from building to building, high above the water. This was a lower rooftop, only about 3 stories above the water line, and there were people gathered not only there, but in the surrounding spaces that used to be covered in glass. It seemed as though most of the city had come out to watch Charlie.
Bass looked to see how she was doing. The food had definitely helped bring her around, as did the fact they were allowed to sleep inside last night. Her face was hard and impassive and he knew she was as mentally prepared as she could be. Feeling his gaze, she looked up and met his eyes. There was a flicker in hers that he couldn't quite make out, but then she just nodded at him once and looked away.
Her guards led her to the center of the circle and she stood there staring down the king in challenge. The crowd was shouting at her, but she ignored them. The King stood up, and addressed the crowd. "Today, we have in front of us one of the Officers of the Texas army, the First Lieutenant to the Great General Monroe and the niece of General Miles Matheson." The crowd booed. "Now supposedly, this little girl is dan…ger….ousssss." He laughed at what he assumed was a very funny joke. "Supposedly, if we don't return her and General Monroe, Texas is going to come in here and destroy us." The people all laughed. "Now you may have heard, this little girl killed some of our men with her bare hands and is an example of what Texas is capable of." There were the boos again. Bass rolled his eyes. This guy just wouldn't shut up. "I'm here to tell you, she used her wiles to attack unsuspecting…."
"Oh, for fuck's sake, would you just shut up already and let's get on with this?" Charlie yelled. Bass couldn't help it. He snorted in laughter.
The King turned to glare at her. "Let's see how you do against someone prepared, little girl."
Charlie smiled at him. "I'd prefer to see how I'd do against you." She almost growled.
"That's not the way this works." He told her coldly. "Bring him out!" He bellowed. The crowd parted and Bass felt that stab of cold fear shoot through him when he saw the man walking out. He had to be at least 6'5" and towered over her and outweighed Charlie by at least 200 pounds.
The King grinned evilly. "All right Princess. Its your show."
Charlie could feel her heart beating as she sized up her opponent. She knew that she probably wouldn't make it out of this alive. There were so many thoughts running through her head, regrets of things she didn't do, conversations she never had, places she had never seen. She let the fears and regret run through her then steadied herself with a deep breath.
"I want your word, in front of all your people," She looked to the King. "After I beat him, you let us go, you lose any chance with a treaty with Texas." Part of her hoped this reminder would make him reconsider. Maybe, just maybe he would do the right thing and call this off and accept their proposal. But his fear was too great.
"Sweetheart, if you beat him, I'll send you out of this city with brass band playing ahead of you." Once again the crowd laughed. Charlie looked over at Bass. She could see the fear and worry in his eyes. For some reason, it gave her more courage. It didn't look like his only concern for her safety was because of the promise to her mother.
She looked away and turned back to her opponent. "You have a name? Or do they just call you 'Thing'." He grinned at her.
"Nah, baby, they call me Tank."
"Lovely."
"Let's begin." The king yelled.
The two began to circle each other. Charlie watched how he moved, searching for weaknesses. Unfortunately, there were no obvious signs. He grinned at her, he also had the gold fangs and she realized she'd have to watch out for those. "Heard you were a biter." He told her. "So am I." He opened and closed his mouth several times. She rolled her eyes at his obvious attempt to intimidate her, but didn't respond to his taunt. She balled up her hands in fists before her as he began to approach her.
He swung and she ducked under it. It seemed he was much faster than his size would indicate. As she ducked she quickly spun and came up and let a fist fly, he blocked her and then let out a volley of punches, she moved to side to side, dodging them, but barely. The last punch, she managed to push out of the way and then threw an elbow into his face, followed up by a quick punch to his chin. He stepped back, but she could see it barely fazed him. He actually laughed at her.
He went to kick her and she rolled out of the way. She came up as a punch was flying towards her. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it in and slammed her hand on the back of his elbow to try and break it, but didn't have the strength. It barely cracked. She kicked out with her foot at the same time and he did stumble a bit, but recovered quickly, stepping back from her.
She danced away a bit to get some space.
He swung again and she managed to dodge it, she recovered in time to see his foot coming towards her and just barely got out of the way. This time she came up swinging. She hit him several times in the face, but it didn't even stun him. Then he blocked her next punch and she could feel the hit all the way into her shoulder. He punched out and this time she dodged and grabbed his wrist and used his momentum and weight to pull him forward. She brought her knee up to his abdomen, once and then again. It was a move Monroe had taught her. She followed that up with a solid punch to his face and was happy to feel his nose break.
Her happiness was over quickly though as from out of nowhere, he landed one, then two hits directly to her face. She flew backwards, stunned. He hit her again as she was falling and it spun her sideways. He kicked her calf and she went down on her knees. He came at her again, but she kicked out sideways and hit him in the abdomen again, backing him up so she could get back on her feet. She shook her head to clear and was up again.
Blood had poured from his nose covering his mouth down to his chin. She could feel blood running down her own face and was just happy she couldn't see what she looked like right now.
Bass stood off to the side. There was no way she could beat this guy. She was doing everything right, she was fighting great, but he outweighed her and had a farther reach. Bass was desperately looking around, trying to get his brain to come up with some way out of this. Charlie was going to die. He couldn't let her die. Panic fought to overcome his thinking ability and he forced his brain to keep on task. There had to be something he could do. He couldn't just stand here and watch her die.
Charlie could see the rage on her opponent's face. She knew he hadn't expected her to make him work this hard for his victory. She glanced over at Monroe and could see him scanning trying to come up with a way out. She could also easily see he didn't think she could win this. She narrowed her eyes and brought them back towards Tank. She kicked out, and managed to land a solid hit right at his knee cap, he hadn't been expecting that and it forced him back. She threw another punch right to his diaphragm and he went back again. Another punch, to his already broken nose made him stumble another step back.
She could do this. She could take this man down. How dare Monroe give up on her!
She swung again, but this time he moved. He pulled her arm closer and bit in to the flesh of her wrist. She couldn't help it; she let out a yell at the sharp pain. She kicked up her knee and hit him square in the balls. He let her go and she jumped back. She glanced down and opened and closed her fists experimentally. He had only gotten the meat of her arm, there didn't appear to be any nerve damage.
He grinned. "Now we're getting dirty." They circled again. "I know I'm sposed to kill you and all, but I may just keep you a little bit alive. Make sure I get to hear you scream when I take you."
Charlie grinned back at him and spit in his face.
He swung on her, moving quickly. She dodged and blocked as best she could, but he was coming too hard and too fast. Several hits caught her and she could feel herself start to tire. She spun to avoid another punch and threw her elbow back catching his nose again. She tried to follow that up with another hit, but he caught her arm, spun her around like she weighed nothing and threw her to the ground. She tried to get up, but couldn't. She saw him approach and his boot coming for her head and barely got herself out of the way before it could crush her skull. She crouched a few feet from him.
She knew now, she wasn't going to win this. She couldn't. She glanced over at Monroe. There was complete panic in his eyes now and he was struggling to fight at the men holding him. He was making a bit of headway and causing something of a distraction, but she knew it was hopeless. He couldn't get to her and even if he did, the outcome would be the same. She knew all she could do was piss off her opponent so much he would make her death quick. Monroe met her eyes and he could evidently see the defeat in them. For an instant she saw a look of pain in them that made her swallow and look away. She could hear from the yells in the direction he was fighting even harder to get to her.
Charlie tensed and prepared to make her final stand.
Outside of Austin
There was nothing here. No people, not anymore, not for a long time. The homes sat quietly in an abandoned neighborhood. In one yard, a small amount of dirt began to shift, then more, then more, then suddenly the ground erupted as insects crawled up out of the ground by thousands.
Washington D.C.
They sat in a bunker far below the White House, where looters never ventured to find. The American Government sat in a war meeting. The Vice President looked at the seven officers before him.
"Enough is enough, we need to stop Texas before they push us all the way…." He stopped. There was a strange noise coming from the vents. Everyone in the room began to look around as the noise got louder. Suddenly the vents erupted with insects pouring out of them.
Screams filled the room.
New Vegas
People ran blindly scream and crying as they were cover in millions upon millions of insects. In their clothes, in their mouths, in their eyes and ears.
All across the country, in the larger settlements, the insects came.
New Orleans
Charlie prepared to launch herself, but then the screams started. All around them, people started jumping off of the buildings they were standing on. On their rooftop, the crowd started murmuring and looking around. Tank looked away from Charlie to see what was happening and Charlie started to approach, but then noticed that buildings seemed to be moving. She stopped too and stared for a few seconds.
Then the screams erupted closer. Those closest to the edge of the building started running and jumping around. Charlie saw a woman run past her covered in it looked like her skin was moving, but she ran by too fast for Charlie to make out what was happening. Then she looked down. Roaches, the top of the building was covered in roaches and they were starting to climb up her legs.
Bass, hadn't stopped fighting when the screams erupted and used the distraction to his advantage. In his head he hoped Miles had arrived in the nick of time, but all he cared about was getting to Charlie. He overpowered one of the guards and managed to get his keys and unlock his chains, just as the carpet of insects began to reach him. He jumped up, grabbing the guard's sword as he did, and looked around startled. Everywhere roaches covered the buildings, the people. Someone ran past him and he reached out and grabbed the shirt they were wearing and quickly used it to cover his mouth and nose then started moving quickly. The movement knocked off the roaches that were climbing up his legs and he tried to swat more away and he shoved through the chaos to find Charlie.
He spotted her through the crowd and made his way quickly towards her. She was dancing around like she was possessed trying to get the insects off of her. She had her mouth tightly closed, but was shaking her head furiously to keep them out of her nose. He ripped another shirt off someone and shook it violently to remove the insects. He grabbed her elbow to stop her movements and pressed the fabric to her face. She looked at him with absolute terror, but he just pulled her along behind him as he moved quickly to the edge of the roof.
Suddenly the king was in front of them yelling and screaming for his men. The roaches quickly climbed up on him and entered into his mouth. The king grabbed at his throat and started choking and coughing trying to get them out. Bass didn't even stop to watch as the bastard fell. He knew, to stop would mean their own death.
They reached the roof line and he heard Charlie whimper at the sight of the roaches flooding up over the building, but he pulled her forward insistently and to her credit she followed willingly. They made it to the rope bridge. When he looked down he could see a boat below them tied to the building at the far end. He paused for a split second to gauge its distance than started crossing the rope. When they were about 25 feet away from the other side, he turned and grabbed Charlie tight in one arm and wrapped his other around the rope. She looked at him wide eyed, but couldn't even ask, with her mouth and nose covered. He had her hold on to the other side with her other hand. Once he made sure she was secure, he brought the sword down on the ropes before them. The first one broke and the bridge jerked. He did the same to the other side and they went flying through the air towards the building. He could feel the roaches that had been clinging above them rain down. Charlie clung to him tightly and he could hear the noises of terror she was making. Whether it was over the fall or the insects he couldn't be sure.
They hit the side of the building hard enough to knock the air out of both of them, but they kept their grip. Bass looked below them and saw the boat only five feet down. He grabbed Charlie tighter to him and grabbed her arm holding the rope. He had her let go just as he did and they fell down onto it. He felt sick when he realized they didn't land as hard as they should have due the amount of insects that were swarming all over it, but he didn't even pause. He jumped up and grabbed the oars. He was pleased to note Charlie did the same and they both started paddling as quickly as they could, while also trying to beat the insects off of them and keep them out of their eyes and ears.
The water looked alive with the creatures as they seemed to be making a bridge out of their own kind to cross the water, but their invasion was well under way and the thickest area of them were closest to the buildings. They got the boat out in the middle of the canal where they were thinner, but still kept rowing furiously. Several times they hit corpses floating in the water or had to beat of terrified people who were drowning in the water. The boat was barely staying afloat with the two of them anymore weight and it would go down.
The adrenaline was pumping so hard in Charlie, she didn't even feel tired anymore, even after her fight. All she knew was dread and panic. The urge to flee.
The farther out from the center of the city they got, the fewer insects there were. Soon there were only a few and once they cleared the outskirts and made it out into the lake, there were none. They continued on for another 30 minutes to make sure they were beyond it before Bass stopped. He turned to look back at her, but she still paddled frantically.
"Charlie." She didn't stop. "CHARLIE." He yelled again, but she still didn't stop. He grabbed her up making her drop the paddles and she looked around frantically for any insects. "Its ok. Charlie, its ok. We're out. We're beyond it."
She was making noises; sounds of frenzy and dismay that tore at him. It was like she couldn't form words. She struggled against him afraid there still might be insects on her.
"Charlie." He tried again. "Its ok. We're safe." He pulled down the fabric covering her face. She stared at him and then let out a yell and all her fear and horror with it. It lasted a few seconds before ending in a sob. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He felt it when her body sagged and her legs gave out. He carefully lowered them down as she continued to cry. When they were both seated, awkwardly with him holding her, his own adrenaline began to calm down and suddenly he started shaking as the enormity of what they just witnessed hit him. He tried to hold it in. He tried to not let it over take him, but before he knew it, he was shaking with disgust, relief and so many other emotions. His breath was coming out in pants and he fought not to hyperventilate, trying to remember how to take deep breaths. Suddenly Charlie wasn't just clinging to him she was hugging him back just as tight. Her crying didn't stop, but she seemed to gain some control over it. And he could hear and feel her voice as she murmured against his neck where her face was buried.
"We're ok." She said. "We're safe. There's no more bugs. We're ok." He focused on her voice and started to calm his breathing down to regain control.
It took them another ten minutes before they were able to let go.
A/N: I apologize profusely for the delay. Work has been leaving me exhausted. This chapter really didn't include all I wanted it to. I wanted to go more in depth in Idaho and with the King and people of New Orleans, but my brain cells are operating at 20% right now. I'm sorry if it's disjointed or repetitive in places.
I honestly don't know if I'll be able to update until after the 4th of July. I'm off this weekend, but I'm so far behind in the rest of my life, I'll have to wait and see.
Thanks to everyone who's reading, reviewing and following and favoriting. I am working on this whenever brain cells allow. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.