Deadman

Book 2 Chapter 21: Detour

I stepped out of Nicos house, and headed toward the eastern district of the city. I felt heavy, but when I checked my pack and did a quick inventory I couldnt find any noticeable difference in anything. When I picked my pack back up, and continued walking I realized that I was being followed. I ducked down a few side paths, and did a loop to confirm it. They were not subtle, and seemed unsure of how closely they should be following. Eventually I sighed and turned down a dead end between three domes, turned around, and waited with my arms folded.

Three deadmen, realizing Id noticed them, followed me in. One of them had a two pronged pitchfork, another a small club, and the third nothing, though he was physically larger than the others. Maybe six foot 1 or two, so around a head shorter than I was, though roughly twice as broad. I looked them over and decided to offer a courtesy I wouldnt have offered humans that had done what they were doing.

You dont want to do this.

They looked at one another, the one with the pitchfork looked particularly hesitant, but the one without a weapon stepped forward. You're damn right we dont want to, but you keep dragging deadmen into human affairs and were sick of it. If you wont see reason on your own, its our responsibility to do what we can to stop you.

I rubbed my forehead for a moment. I was trying to be nice, but, clearly it wasnt my wheelhouse. Listen. I took a shit this morning that was scarier than you three. Ive killed monsters the sight of which would haunt your nightmares forever, and slain literal, I did a quick mental count, hundreds of men. Think about this.

The one with the pitchfork and the one with the club stepped back. The unarmed deadman looked down a moment, and seemed to lower his guard before he stepped quickly forward and tried to sucker me.

There was a problem Id noticed with the deadmen whod been raised their whole life in Potts. They had no sense of the scale of how fucked everything is, and a highly inflated sense of self esteem. In some ways this had benefits, Deux for all his faults seemed all the better for it, but in this case it was a distinct negative. I dodged his sucker punch and slammed my own fist into his gut hard enough to lift him off the ground. He collapsed, gasping for breath, tears forming in the corners of his yellow eyes. If hed been human, the hit may have killed him, but I wanted to do just enough damage to him to discourage his friends from rushing me once I was done.

I stepped over him and tipped my hat to the other two who stepped aside to let me through. I then got back on my original path and followed it until I was leaving the last of the domes behind me. Their attitude explained the dirty looks and increased nods Id been on the receiving end of since arriving back. I could understand why some people would blame me for the shifting tides in Potts. To a certain extent they were my fault, but at the same time all Id really done was speed things along. The Remnants wouldve arrived whether Id been involved or not, and somehow, someway their impact wouldve been felt in Potts, no matter how hard it tried to bury its head in the sand.

Once I was out of Potts it was almost a full day's travel to reach the rally point. Potts had been placed that deep into the radiation of the Cut by design, in order to keep it too far for any human to reach. The time passed uneventfully, aside from a single notification I received when I was roughly two thirds of the way there.

Congratulations Citizen! You have earned a rank in walking! A great way to see the beautiful vistas of this great nation

Id likely rank up that skill quite a few more times before my trip across the Cut was over. Couldnt say that was a prospect I was looking forward to.

Night was falling as I felt the radiation wane and fade, the warmth it seemed to generate leaving me as I left it. It wasnt much further that I saw a Shrike, the remnants silent aerial vehicle, a short distance ahead of me. I got closer and saw Leah, pacing up and down next to it, and Graves leaning against the Shrike, scanning the horizon in his massive armor. His helmet turned in my direction and he raised a hand to acknowledge me.

I returned the gesture, though as I continued to get closer Leah didnt acknowledge me and I realized that she was pacing with her eyes closed. The same way she did when she was monitoring something with her agent abilities, though she tended to stay still when shed done that in the past. As she walked I noticed she was also rubbing her neck along her severe burn scar.

She stopped in front of me, her eyes still glazed over, then she blinked and suddenly they were clear. We have a situation, she said, in her gravelly voice, her usually slight smile nowhere to be seen.

I activated my lie detector ability. Situation? I asked.

The slight smile returned for a moment. Im a green three headed giraffe that can breathe fire.

TRUTH came the message in my vision, her health readings and heart rate unchanged. I sighed, I shouldnt have been surprised. I turned the sensor briefly onto Graves even though I didnt expect him to say anything, and while I didnt get any indication of TRUTH or LIE, I did see a number of red indicators by all of his health readings.

Thats all the time we have for playing. We have a situation, and wanted to get your support before you made your way to the Cut.

I shook my head. Doesnt seem like my problem.

Get in the Shrike and Ill explain on the way. If you want us to deposit you as we move I can send you the coordinates where we found the deadman from the other side of the Cut and drop you off.

Broad strokes before I get onto the Strike, I replied. Id likely have the advantage in the close quarters of the vehicle anyway, but I didnt like the idea of being trapped in the air without knowing where we were headed.

Leah didnt hesitate to answer. We landed the last of our assets from space. There was an error, and instead of landing in the designated drop zone they landed square in the middle of The Republic, and theyve refused to hand them over.

I paused for a moment, that was dangerous, and from what little I knew about the Republic I didnt like the idea of them having the kind of weaponry the Remnants had their hands on, still I had my own priorities. I think Ill just take the coordinates now. I doubt Id be much help anyway.

You wouldnt be involved in the main thrust. You and I would be infiltrating to retrieve someone we had embedded within the republic.

I shrugged. The Cut is my destination.

The person were retrieving is Mercy.

I sighed. Mercy was a Marshall, an explosives expert and a native of the republic who Id worked with when wed sieged the production facility V had control of. Id sold her a book, and just recently one of her bombs had saved me from killer hummingbirds. I want the pay I was promised for the cut doubled, and Ill need to talk with the cabinet again when were through. Mercy had done me a good turn, and I intended to return the favor, but I wasnt getting involved in what was clearly a shitshow for free.

Leah didnt hesitate. Deal. Now get into the shrike while we go over the details.

I followed her and hopped into the vehicle, Graves was already inside when we began walking toward it. I took a seat in the back across from her, and braced myself slightly as we began to rise into the air.

What should we expect? I asked. What kind of assets did they seize?

Suits of power armor, lasguns, munitions of various kinds, schematics, large amounts of medical equipment, about thirty personnel.

They know how to use any of it?

She nodded. Weve already got confirmation of lasgun fire and enemy combatants in power armor. Its believe they tortured the personnel for information on their functions.

Whats been done so far? Are we expecting backup?

A diplomatic solution was attempted, but they were killed. Before this theyd seemed open to negotiations and according to the intel I got from Mercy they knew that annexation was inevitable. Their walls are surrounded both by Remnant and STAR forces, but no major assaults will take place until we make it inside.

Howre we going to manage getting inside? You mentioned walls? I assume theyre manned.

Leahs smile returned again, and she reached under her seat, pulling out what looked to be a metal backpack. The walls wont be a problem.