Deadrise 2: Deadwar (30 page)

So it was with Gabriel achieving sentience and the birth of the child. It was a sign of the pattern, signifying that the rise of his self-awareness was just as significant to the fate of this world as that child’s birth. He knew now that he could never deliver that child to Mordecai Necrotura. The child was his enemy. A threat to his very existence that was to be hunted down and killed. And after he finished the child, he would set his sights on Mordecai.

It was time to test a theory.

Gabriel made his way through the heavy forest to the nearest team of
Fedayeen
, camped a mile outside the southern border of Rainbow Lake. Before he made his final approach his expelled four slugs from his body where they slithered about his feet as he held them is thrall. He mentally commanded the slugs to follow him then continued toward the squad. The sentry saw him coming and alerted the rest of the unit, and by the time he entered their perimeter all of them had their weapons ready. But these men knew Gabriel, had been on missions with him before and knew his arrival usually meant it was time for action. They welcomed him with customary cult of Necrotura greetings, just as he had hoped for. As the four Fedayeen gave him their full attention he directed the slugs to approach the human hosts and when all four within striking distance he gave the command to attack.

Almost simultaneously the four Fedayeen began hopping around, slapping at their legs as the slugs slithered upward, seeking an orifice to enter the body. Gabriel quickly pulled a silenced Beretta 9mm from a holster at his shoulder and put two bullets into the chest of the nearest Fedayeen who dropped instantly. He was not dead, and the slug would be able to enter his body unimpeded. Gabriel turned and fired two rounds into another Fedayeen. It was unnecessary for him to shoot the other two because the slugs had already gained entrance to their bodies. All four Fedayeen now convulsed on the ground as the slugs attached to their spinal column and began to rapidly transform them into Sentinels.

Gabriel watched intently. He had never witnessed the metamorphosis from human to Sentinel before and he found it fascinating. The veins bulged with black blood, thin tendrils spreading from the veins, infecting and transforming flesh in its wake. It took two minutes give or take a few seconds until all four bodies became still. Gabriel could feel the pulsing furnaces of their minds, raw, burning with hatred and malice as the instinctive nature of the slug merged with the conscious energy of the dying human in a chain reaction both physical and metaphysical.

ARISE!
He pushed his will against theirs as he gave the command, just as Mordecai Necrotura had done to him. He felt resistance from all of them, and for a moment he felt as though they would repel his domination, but then as a group they caved, dropping their mental defenses and succumbing to his will, allowing it to engulf them. And like that, they were his. He probed each of their minds, looking for any spark of sentience…but there was none. They were drones. Automaton who existed only to carry out his will. Much as he had been himself just days ago…

He ordered them to split into pairs and each pair seek out a squad of Fedayeen and convert them into Sentinels. Gabriel would take care of the final squad himself. They instantly went into action, grabbing up the fallen weapons and disappearing into the night. His theories on Sentinel control had been correct. Gabriel felt a strange new sensation deep inside him…pride.

‘
GABRIEL!’
He felt Mordecai’s mind blast before he heard it and he was easily able to put up his mental defenses and repel it. A flash of anger pulsed through Gabriel and he sent out a mind blast.

‘
I AM YOUR SLAVE NO LONGER MORDECAI NECROTURA!’

He felt his blast crash against Mordecai’s own mental defenses with the sound of cracking thunder.

‘
So it would seem, dog!’
More minds blasts followed but all of them crashed harmlessly against Gabriel’s mental shield.

‘
I have learned much from you, Mordecai Necrotura. I owe my freedom and my sentience to you and for that I thank you. But have no illusions, you are my enemy. After I destroy the child and convert this outpost of humans into Sentinels, I am coming for you.’

Mordecai responded with cackling laughter.

‘
Laugh all you wish my cruel, former master. But I will kill you myself… With my bare hands… Mark my words.’

‘
It is you that should mark mine, my wayward angel…’
Mordecai let out another burst of laughter. ‘
You will pay for your treachery. My twelve remaining Fedayeen have been alerted to your betrayal, as have my agents inside Rainbow Lake. They will deliver me the child and you will be destroyed. No creature betrays Mord-‘

Gabriel blocked him out completely. He wasn’t about to listen to Mordecai’s rambling. It would be a pleasure to kill the wicked old fool…

CHAPTER 45

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Rainbow Lake, UT

12:45 AM

“Wake up my love. The time has come…” She pulled his naked body closer to hers, stroking his back. “The time has come for you to prove your true devotion to me…” She kissed his neck, his cheek. “Open you eyes my love. The time has come…”

He resisted. He knew this day would come, had know it for some time, but he had been powerless to resist. His lust for her was all consuming. He would do anything; smash any obstacle, kill any person that that stood between him and her soft, perfect flesh. There was magic, some kind of evil magic in her body, her touch, possessing him like some kind of…
spirit
that completely engulfed him in euphoric fire.

“Open you eyes my love…” Her voice was like sweet music, its tone and pitch only enhancing his ecstasy. He revisited…and he failed. He opened his eyes to see her face above his, smiling down at him. Her green eyes burned with passion, her long red hair falling down to drape his chest.

“The time has come my love, as you knew it one day would. You must prove your true devotion to me. I serve a higher calling, and I ask that you serve it with me.”

“A-anything you ask.” And once he said it aloud, he finally accepted it. And any trace of resistance was washed away. He was her slave.

“Thank you my love, for I have much to ask of you. But first, one last bout of lovemaking to ease you tensions and center your mind for what’s to come this day.” She straddled him, and within seconds began to do that…
Thing
of hers; to expertly ride him with a rhythm and pulse that seemed to sync his breathing and pulse with her own, placing her lips gently on the center of his forehead, each eyeball, at the base of each ear right behind the lobe, each time holding them there for several seconds and humming with the pulse of their lovemaking. And like always his pleasure soared into pure white light…

And she possessed him…

CHAPTER 46

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Rainbow Lake, UT

3:00 AM

It was the gunshots emanating from somewhere out in the forest that alerted the Rainbow Lake sentries to the invaders presence. On the north end of the lake, about a mile out from the security checkpoint a gun battle was taking place. The sentries relayed the word to Command Center and they in turn spread it out across the community.

As luck would have it, Jenkins had woken up with a massive hangover a couple of hours ago and unable to return to sleep, had wandered down to Command instead. He was just finishing his second cup of coffee when the sentry reported to gunshots.

“Do we have a patrol out there?” Jenkins asked.

“Negative, sir.” Captain Jordan replied. “I’ve sent the alert out.”

“Tell everyone to remain calm. We are not under attack yet.” There was irritation in the General’s voice. Things were already wound tight enough around the community, the last thing they needed was to be riled up into a panic by a false invasion alert. But he knew it was already too late. False alarm or not, the community was still on the razors edge from the invasion a week ago. Today was supposed to help bring back some semblance or normalcy to the community when elections for the vacant Council seats were held, but this possible second invasion would turn the place into an angry anthill once again. All of that on top of his pounding hangover made him want another drink. His stomach lurched, but he bit down, keeping it under control. He had a bottle of whiskey in his office, he could go in, take a few good pulls and then spice up his coffee and inside ten minutes he would be good as new.

“Commander King has the Tincan warming up now, he should be online in ten minutes. Alpha Onesquad is ready to roll sir…” Captain Jordan looked at him, awaiting his command.

“Tell Commander King he has five minutes. Tell everyone else to stay put! Set the dogs loose and see what they sniff out.” The Rainbow Lake Militia had over fifty dogs, all of them trained to seek out intruders and reveal their location.

Jenkins walked towards his office located near the back of the Command Center. Just before he entered he saw Captain Jimenez enter the Command Center. The kid saluted which Jenkins acknowledged with a slight pain-rattling nod of his head. Jenkins opened the door to his office, stepped inside and closed it behind him. He sat down behind his desk and pulled the bottle from the side drawer. Whiskey. The bottle was still one third full. His mouth had dried up and his heart began to hammer, causing his head to pulse even harder. He popped the cap of the bottle and shakily took a first pull off the bottle; the first drink went down hard but the second and third was each smoother than the last. The boiling pit in his stomach had soothed to a warm menthol. He leaned back in his chair and took several deep breaths. The warm glow in his belly was now spreading throughout his body, working its way to his head. He took another pull from the bottle, this one as long as the first three combined. That was enough to wash away the pounding headache. He looked at the bottle. Barely enough left to spike his coffee, which he did.

He stepped back into Command, feeling much better. Now that his hangover was under control he could give all of his focus and attention to defending the community. Captain’s Jimenez and Jordan both looked glanced at him then looked away.

They know you’re a drunk.
It was his fathers voice he often heard in his head these days, when he was most critical of himself.
They are embarrassed for you. Worse yet, they are losing their respect for you.

But then he would laugh at his father’s voice. Jimenez was a pothead and Jordan a borderline drunk and pain pill popper. Who was either of them to stand in judgment of him? Everyone did what they did to get by, to keep it together and it had always been that way and it probably always would. It had been the same in the Military before the deadrise, the same at the U of U campus after the deadrise and it was the same here in Rainbow Lake.

Fuck you, old man.

As he made his way over towards the two Captains, Colonel McReedy walked into Command. He was dressed in full combat gear and brandished an AK-47 in his hands. His face was set into a snarl, and his eyes sparkled with a madness Jenkins had never seen before. He aimed the AK-47 towards Jenkins and fired. His weapon was on single-shot and the bullet went wide, missing Jenkins by an inch. Jenkins darted back towards his office, dropping his coffee as he ran and reaching for his sidearm. Another shot rang out, the one splintering the wall ahead of Jenkins.

Two pistol shot rang out, followed by three more rifle shots, all in quick succession. But they weren’t aimed at Jenkins. As he reached the door of his office and opened it he peered behind him to see the Mac had focused hi attention on the two Captains. Jordan was still sitting at his post, his face wide with shock, but Captain Jimenez lay on the ground, his chest full of blood, his arm reaching for his fallen pistol, his face twisted with pain. His eyes met Jenkins, widened with fear and desperation and false hope. And then Colonel McReedy stood over him and put three more bullets into his chest, killing him.

Instead of stepping into the office and closing the door Jenkins drew his 9mm sidearm. Mac had now focused his attention on Captain Jordan, who finally began to scramble for safety, but he was moving too slow. Jenkins raised his pistol and aimed for the back of Mac’s head. Just as he squeezed the trigger Mac moved, and the bullet hit Mac behind the left shoulder. The Kevlar of his combat vest absorbed most of the impact but the force of the blow spun him around, causing him to abort his attack on Captain Jordan. Jenkins fired two more quick shots, both drilling Mac in the side. Again the armored vest absorbed the bullet but the impact was tremendous, knocking Mac to the floor where he rolled around in pain, clumsily trying to bring the AK-47 under control one-handedly.

“Drop it Mac!” Jenkins screamed. He didn’t want to blow his friends brains out. Despite what the bastard had done to the poor kid Jimenez. He stepped forward and kicked Mac in the stomach, the toe of his combat boot digging deep, shattering a few ribs. Mac’s body crumpled around his foot, and he could hear the bastard gasping for air. Jenkins brought the butt of his pistol down on the back of Mac’s head, right behind the ear and he withered into unconsciousness.

A trio of guard burst in, weapons drawn, ready for action.

“Stand down!” Jenkins barked. They quickly surveyed the situation and complied. “Colonel McReedy went crazy. He killed Captain Jimenez before I could disable him.”

“We should kill him!” snarled one of the guards. The stripes on his uniform marked him as a Private. Jenkins didn’t remember ever seeing the kid before, but things had been moving in a whirlwind even since Matt and Susan’s deaths.

“No! I want him for questioning. Take him to the Hospital. Tell Doc Norris to sedate him, make sure he’s ok then you get him down into the stockade.” Jenkins looked at the soldier's nametag…DeMarco. “Its your number one priority. Do you understand Private DeMarco?”