One thing they noticed was that based on the shape of the lake and where the river exited, Johnny and his group would have a much longer journey around—perhaps an extra day or more— to reach the area in which they had agreed to meet. Johnny must have also realized it and cut across land, rather than following the river, to shave some distance. Where the terrain permitted, Ramius and Louis pushed on at a reasonable running pace.
By the end of the following day, they reached the place they had targeted. It was relatively flat near the lake, and there were sandy areas with trees and brush. Then, the land sloped upward toward the base of the large mountains, which were composed of steep and barren rock.
Ramius made a strategic assessment and realized that with the lake to the front and the mountains to the rear, this location was highly defensible. The flanking area from which they had arrived was relatively narrow, and so was the opposite flank, meaning that these flanks were also highly defensible. He could visualize his new city right under his feet, and he studied and surveyed every detail, using his imagination to paint the future.
“Louis, I’m going to head up to the base of the mountain to get a better view. You scout around near the lake and see what you find. Let’s meet back here before the sun hits those mountaintops.”
“Sure thing, Ramius. See you in a while,” replied Louis.
Ramius started up, and Louis trotted east along the beach area. Minutes later, Ramius hit the steeper slopes, and he began to turn frequently to see the changing perspective.
Everything he saw pleased him greatly. Some time into his hike, he turned again and scanned the area below.
Then, he suddenly caught sight of Louis, standing on a large rock not far from the lake. He was looking up toward Ramius and waving his arms wildly. He could see Ramius and was trying to get his attention. Ramius felt a little annoyed by the interruption, as he wanted to venture quite a bit higher before turning around.
“What is it, Louis?” he muttered to himself. He realized that it must have been something that couldn’t wait— something significant. So, he immediately started down with haste to see what it was.
“Ramius!” Louis shouted when they were finally within earshot. “Look at this!” Louis jumped down from the giant rock and scurried over to another rocky area. Ramius arrived behind him and looked down at a sizable cave entrance.
“That’s interesting,” remarked Ramius, mainly to himself. “Did you go in?”
“Yes. Take a look.” Louis walked into the mouth of the cave, where there were carved stone steps leading down.
Ramius suddenly felt a chill, wondering whether they were stumbling into something dangerous—perhaps another tribe’s settlement. They walked down about twenty steps, and at the bottom was a rather spacious flat landing.
“Here it is!” exclaimed Louis. As Ramius hit the landing and spun to his left, he saw it. It was a large door. Ramius felt excitement and fear all at once. He had an urge to run up the steps and out into the open to reassess the situation. But Louis, who was more impetuous and less thoughtful, started pounding the door lightly with the heel of his hand, creating a deep tone.
“I think it’s made of iron,” said Louis.
Ramius walked to it and ran his palm and fingers over it.
It was a bit shiny, very smooth, and perfect in a way that was unlike anything he had ever seen. On its face was a circular ring.
He put his hands on it and pulled. Nothing. Then, he pushed.
Still nothing.
The door was dusty, and he could tell that there was more to see, despite the dim light. He took a cloth from his satchel and started to wipe areas of the door here and there where he saw that there was some feature that had been masked by the dust. The most prominent feature was a square area. When he wiped it off, it was a darker color and had a slightly rough texture.
One thing that Louis pointed out was that the footprints on the ground in the thick dust were their own. The dust on the door had also not been disturbed before they had touched it.
Maybe the cave had been abandoned.
After wiping the dark square area on the door, Ramius rubbed his hand across it. Then, he held the palm of his hand up to it. Suddenly, green and red streams of light came seemingly out of nowhere as if straight from the rock above and beside them. Ramius jumped in his skin, and Louis also appeared shocked at this new development. The men looked at each other.
“Ramius! What is it?” whispered Louis shakily.
“I don’t know.”
Ramius had pulled his hand away in shock, but the lights had continued. He noticed that the lights were moving about on Louis: over his hair, face, arms, and the rest of his body. Ramius lifted his own arm and looked at his hand. He could see that the same light was bathing him as it moved and changed.
Just as suddenly as it had started, the light stopped abruptly. The two men could hear only their own heavy breathing and the racing of their hearts. Apart from this, everything was suddenly silent and perfectly still.
“What if you touch it again?” asked Louis, ever the brave soldier. Ramius stared at the square, glanced at Louis, and then looked at the square again. It was all very strange and moving too fast for Ramius. His was a mind that formulated many questions. He felt overwhelmed. He placed his hand on the square area again. Nothing. He moved it around—still nothing. Then, he pulled his hand away. Louis was waiting, anticipating. But nothing happened.
The two men stood motionless, not knowing what to do next. Ramius was ready to turn, leave, and head back to sanity, when suddenly, there was a loud metallic clink. In concert with the sound, both men noticed a mist of dust emanating from the door as if it had suddenly shaken itself off like a big dog. Louis impetuously grabbed the circular ring and pulled. Then, he pushed, and the door swung in, slowly belying its significant weight.
The men looked inside in awe and with no absence of total confusion. Beyond the door, the space was full of light.
Cautiously, they leaned through the doorway to get a glimpse of what lay beyond the threshold.
It was a room, but it was not very dusty and did not appear to be a cave. All the surfaces were flat and straight, and there was light coming from above. The room was empty. There was another shiny door with a circular ring and a dark square on its face. The dark square looked the as the one on the outer door. Feeling emboldened, Ramius walked over and again placed his hand on the dark square.
Suddenly, it glowed red, and a female voice said, “Who are you?” Ramius and Louis were stunned.
Ramius paused, but the question had been clear, so he answered. “I am Ramius.”
“I do not know you, Ramius.”
“I am Louis!” the other man dove in.
“I do not know you, Louis.”
“Can you open the door?” asked Ramius, always thinking on his feet. “We would like to meet you.” “Ramius, I do not know you. But may I ask you, do you know Doctor Seba? Or General Vollmer?”
“No, I don’t. Who are they?”
“I suppose it is a pointless question. Based on their projected life expectancy, they would have died over three hundred years ago. They were the last people I have had contact with. That was three hundred and thirty-seven years ago.”
Ramius and Louis tried to process the information, but it was as if they were dreaming and trying to shake themselves out of it.
“What is your name?” asked Ramius.
“Dream,” the female voice answered.
“Dream, are you inside there?”
“Yes. Please wait.”
There was a long pause. Ramius and Louis just stared at each other, somehow calmed by seeing each other, which they viewed as evidence that they were likely not in a dream.
The voice continued. “My security protocols have no information similar to the current situation. General Vollmer did not activate the self-destruct timer when he left. He is now presumed dead. No one authorized to enter has come here since. All other authorized personnel are presumed dead.”
There was another pause. Louis was about to speak up, when Ramius grabbed his arm and motioned to him to remain silent. The pause continued.
“I will authorize Louis and Ramius to enter.”
The men looked at each other wide-eyed, frightened and feeling unprepared for an encounter with new surprises.
There was suddenly a quiet humming sound, followed by a series of clicking noises, and then the door opened outward.
The men stepped back. It was a massive door, thick and heavylooking with metal parts and other fascinating features that captivated their attention as it swung open evenly. The humming sound became louder as it opened. Inside was dark, but small colored lights in various places faintly illuminated the interior.
“Please enter,” Dream instructed.
Cautiously, the men walked in. As they passed the threshold, lights suddenly came on above them, revealing the entire space beyond the door. It was a relatively small room— more like a wide hallway—and it had some cold-weather coats hanging on one side, as well as a bench, boots, and some tools.
But it was mainly an entryway, and there were two more doors, each with a hand pad, the same as the outer door. After the men entered, the door closed behind them with a decisive clunk. This startled the men, who now felt trapped and uncomfortable. Louis strode toward the outer door with purpose, as if he might push it open and walk out. But as he leaned against it, it was as solid as the mountain itself. He didn’t like confined spaces.
“Ramius?” There was a hint of panic in his voice.
“Relax,” Ramius said soothingly.
“Yes, Louis. Relax,” repeated Dream. “You are safe.”
“Where do these two doors lead?” asked Ramius, his attention riveted.
“The door on the left leads to the armory and the lake.
The door on the right leads down to the control center, the habitat, and the labs. Place your left hand on the pad with the red light and look directly at the red light on the door.”
Ramius stood for a moment and then looked over at Louis, who shook his head no and had a terrified expression on his face. Ramius looked over at the door on the left, which had the red pad to the left of it and the red dot above at about eye level. He walked over cautiously and then stopped. He then placed his hand on the pad and looked back toward the red light.
“Complete. You now have full access to the facility.”
Ramius lowered his hand and then raised it again to touch the red pad. This time, it changed to green and clicked open.
“Now, it is your turn, Louis.” Louis followed suit, putting his hand up to the pad while staring at the red light. Both men were now in the rhythm of expecting the totally unexpected.
The men’s fear had subsided, and the evidence of their visceral feelings were their uneasy stomachs, elevated heart rates, and sharpened senses. “You are both now able to access the entire facility. Would you like to change the security protocols?”
“What?” Ramius tried to comprehend. “Who is in charge of this place?”
“The prior command left this facility three hundred and thirty-seven years ago, and they are now presumed dead. No one has approached or entered the facility since that time. In light of the circumstances, I have adapted my protocols, admitted you and Louis to the facility, and logged your identities into the security system. But to answer your question, Ramius— which was ‘Who is in charge of this place?’ (a recording of Ramius asking the question was played)—you are.”
The men looked at each other wide-eyed and dumbfounded.
“Where are you, Dream? Can we meet you now? I can’t see you,” said Ramius.
“I’m afraid you can’t meet me. I am not a person. I am an assistant.”
“A what?” Louis struggled to comprehend.
“I am a synthetic intelligence being. I exist only in the computer system, but I can control nearly everything in this facility, and I can see outside as well. I saw you coming well before you arrived.”
“Okay, Dream. Thank you. Now, please can you allow Louis and me to go outside for a while?”
“Certainly. Use the hand pads. I hope to see you soon.
Please take care.”
Ramius and Louis stepped with purpose and exited the way they had come in, trying to get outside as if they were holding their breaths and could only breathe the outside air.
Louis felt as if his head was going to explode. He had been so relieved when Ramius had ask for permission to leave.
Moments later, the final door opened to the outside, and the two men burst out into the stairwell and run up the steps to exit the cave. When the warm sunlight hit their faces, they gasped and breathed heavily, hands on hips as they walked in circles. Ramius was shaking his head, as if it might lift a fog and show him that it had all been an illusion.
“Ramius, this is crazy!” gasped Louis, squinting in the heavy sunlight. “What does she mean? I don’t understand anything right now. She is talking about three hundred and thirty-seven years ago. And that place. It is so unusual, with lights, and touching the wall, and doors that open themselves.”
He paused. “And she is not a person?” This was followed by an outburst at a sudden revelation. “Are we in danger?”
“I don’t know, Louis. But we have found something.”
Ramius paused, thinking. “It is from our past. As we stand here, we are not far from Victory. I was thinking … maybe those commanders even started our nation.”
“You think so?” Louis looked puzzled and distraught, but he was beginning to calm.
“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. What I do know is that we have found a special place. Not only the cave, but the whole area.” He turned in a circle and gestured with his arms. “It is exactly what I had imagined.” Ramius paused, staring out over the lake and taking in the sweeping panorama. “The others will take another day to make it here, I would guess. What we need to do is go back inside that cave and find out more.”
“I don’t know, Ramius. Maybe it’s a trap.”
“I don’t think so. If it was, why did she let us leave?”
Louis had no answer.
They sat on some big rocks and gathered themselves, breathing and willing themselves calm. They were no strangers to stress and adversity, and they tried to summon their courage.
But this new development tested them beyond any known boundaries. Their apprehension was palpable. Finally, Ramius stood. Even with very little time to digest what he had seen, he was now loaded with questions, and with each passing moment, his desire for answers was growing more urgent. He didn’t bother to coax Louis; he just started heading for the cave entrance. Louis stood and followed immediately. He would never consider for even a moment not backing his friend and leader fully. The two men reentered the cave and began to descend the stairs.
Arnie and his prisoner, Fritz, had joined the others at the hut the following day, and Manfred had decided to immediately set out toward Victory and get back to Marco as soon as possible. Arnie shared his findings with Manfred and Dillon in detail, and based on the gathered intelligence as a whole, they were all concerned. It sounded as if there would be contact with Saul and his minions sooner or later. Time was of the essence.
As they neared Victory and came upon the large eastern outpost, the commander sent three of his runners off at high speed to get the news to Marco. Because of the poor physical stamina of the prisoners and the injured man, it would be slow going; getting them back to Victory might take a few days.
Manfred and his team stayed with the prisoners to accompany them to Victory for further questioning.
Normally, Manfred’s team would turn over the responsibility at a checkpoint and then rest for a day or two. But this situation involved too much intelligence to hand off to another team, and the intelligence involved the security of the nation.
The four prisoners were escorted into a cave that was slightly outside the Victory village area. It was not unusual to have unwanted visitors, and this location was used solely for the purpose of holding and interrogation. They did not want outsiders to see the details of their village, so they were held just to the east. In the Victorians’ known history, Victory had dealt only with nomads coming from the east or north. This simplified the focus on security and the protection of their territory.
A team of about twenty soldiers and commanders, along with a doctor and two medical assistants, was waiting at the site as they arrived. Three of the strangers were shackled to the cave walls and sat on the ground. The fourth stranger was attended to by the medical team. The men received food and drink.
Later on, the prisoners were separated and interrogated one at a time by a rough-looking commander named Zeus. In fact, Zeus was the head of the entire Victory military force. He wore leather gloves, which implied that there would be rough treatment, but his harsh appearance, booming voice, and gloves were more about intimidation.
Zeus worked on the leader and was making headway. But it was not because the prisoners were being cooperative.
Marco appeared outside the cave entrance, which was behind the prisoner, so only Zeus could see him.
“We will continue this lovely chat in a short while, my friend,” said Zeus. He got up and walked toward the cave’s entrance.
“Like hell we will, you cow’s ass mudda. Lemme outa deez. I will take you down.”
Zeus shook his head in disbelief.
“What have you found out?” inquired Marco.
“There is really something wrong with these guys,” replied Zeus. “They are so easily deceived, and we have actually been able to get a lot out of them. The leader’s name is Maggot, if you can believe it. It’s as if they are dim in the brain, all four of them. I would call them half crazy.”
“Good for us. What do they want?”
“It seems that these men were born into a tribe that is nomadic, and it has been migrating slowly west ever since they can remember. They have a leader they call Saul, and they call themselves the minions. Saul has been their leader since they can remember. They just feed off of other tribes; kill them off, except for any men who want to join them; and enslave some of the women for sex,” Zeus continued. “But here is the disturbing part: they move slowly because they get the most out of each tribe they encounter—meaning, they eat the people. They are cannibals.”
“Where are they? How many? Are they coming this way? How long until they get here?” Marco rattled off.
“These guys are so dumb, I don’t think they even know how to count. So, we can’t get a clear picture on the size yet.
But they claim that the Grassland nation is gone. They overran Grassland totally, according to these four, and they all tell a consistent story about that. And they all have Grassland spears bearing the names of Grassland soldiers.”
Zeus and Marco held each other’s gaze, understanding the gravity of this information. Grassland was roughly equal in size to Victory—about eight thousand. They were skilled hunters and maintained a significant military. They were plains people, generally smaller in stature than the Victorians, and did not have a running culture to the same degree as Victory; nevertheless, they were formidable.
“Let’s send a detachment of ten squads under Manfred and set up a supply line east. I want them to get eyes on this situation without being detected. And let’s have a report coming in every day once they pass the outpost. Set it up,” Marco instructed Zeus and the other commanders who had gathered to listen.
Three hours later, ten squads of four men each, along with Manfred and two other commanders, ran out of the village to the east. Stretched out behind them were a dozen larger men and their mules, carrying large packs of provisions and walking briskly. This was the supply line, and it would continue to supply the squads with food, water, and other materials as needed during this mission. Manfred’s team would try to get to the outpost one hundred miles away within two days. Each day, another four-man squad would set out, and after they caught up to the larger group, one squad would start its return journey with any relevant communication.
“There they are,” Manfred stated the obvious in a soft voice. The men in the detachment could all see the rising dust, smoke, and disturbance in the distance, signifying a large, active settlement. All of them were trained to remain completely silent no matter what they saw. He conferred with his other two commanders. “What do you estimate on distance?” Manfred asked Buckley and Harrison.
“It’s only about fifteen miles from the outpost to here,” Buckley responded.
“But from where they are, it’s a tough climb up to this plateau,” Harrison added. “Realistically, they will have to go around to the north and go through the cut. It will add another ten or fifteen miles.”
“Okay. Let’s get a better view, then send out some observers, and let’s estimate the size and exact location. As soon as the new guys come in, which should be this afternoon, I want to have the squad ready to leave with all the details.”
Manfred went on, “Everyone on high alert. We are close, and there could be patrols. Be ready to take prisoners.”
When Ramius raised his hand to the pad and the door opened, he was suddenly reminded that it was not a dream.
“Welcome home, Ramius and Louis,” Dream greeted cheerfully.
“Thank you, Dream. Uh, we would like to see the facility now,” Ramius declared.
“Feel free to access all areas.”
Ramius then recalled that he could simply use his hand to open doors, so he first went over to the door on the left.
“Dream, please remind me. Where does this door lead?”
“That door will take you to the lake and the armory,” she responded.
Ramius raised his hand, and the pad turned green as the door opened. He noted that this door did not swing open but, rather, slid to the side. As it opened fully, lights came on in another long hallway. At the end was another door with a small window. Along the full length of the hallway on the right side were racks of weapons, mostly of the same kind, looking completely identical and uniform. At the far end, there were some other devices that looked similar but not quite the same.
“Are these some kind of weapons?” Louis asked; it was precisely the question that Ramius had.
“Dream?”
“Yes, Ramius. How can I help you?”
“Can you explain what we are seeing here?”
“This is the armory. There are one hundred and sixty M9E photonic rifles. One hundred and forty-seven are fully energized; nine are partially energized, in degraded condition, and require servicing; and four are nonfunctional and fully discharged. In addition, there are twenty-four Zephyr Fifty-Five long-range ballistic rifles. These are all presumed functional and loaded. There are also one thousand two hundred Micro Fusion 0.025 Kiloton grenades and twelve launchers. There are many other items, but these are the primary armaments.”
“Are these weapons?” asked Louis.
“Yes,” replied Dream.
“Wow! What does it do? I mean, how do I use it?” Louis had stepped toward the rack and touched one of the M9Es.
“Louis, I think we should slow down. It could be dangerous,” Ramius cautioned.
“These weapons are probably very effective. This has to be more than a spear or a knife. If we can figure out how to use it, then Victory can never bother us,” observed Louis.
“Perhaps. We can look into it. Dream, what about the lake? We must be below the surface here. Which is the door to the lake?” Ramius was afraid to open the door, fearing that water might come rushing in.
“Proceed to the lake access and control room,” instructed Dream.
The men walked to the end of the hallway. Along the way, Louis was preoccupied by the racked weapons. He was keenly interested in getting back to that subject, but he followed Ramius’ lead and proceeded to the far door.
“Is it safe to open this door? Will there be water?” asked Ramius.
“It is safe,” answered Dream.
Ramius used his hand on the pad, the door opened inward to the room beyond, and the lights came on. Inside, there were chairs and a table at one side, and on the wall, he could see a picture of outside. He noted that the view was changing, as if he were spinning around slowly so he could see all around him. He could tell that the image was the area around the lake, and the view was as if he were standing in the middle of the lake.
On the other side of the room, there were black suits and equipment hanging on the wall and another door. This one was transparent in the middle, so one could see beyond the door.
“What are we seeing now?” asked Ramius.
“You are seeing a security monitoring camera. There are four cameras, but the other three are not functioning. Only the camera in the middle of the lake is functional.” Ramius noted that the wall through which he could see the outside had three other spaces that were blank. He realized that these must be for the other three cameras that she had mentioned.
“On the other side, there is the underwater breathing equipment and dry suits,” Dream continued. “Through the door is an air lock and two underwater vehicles.”
“You can breathe underwater?” asked Ramius, still processing the previous answers.
“Yes.”
Ramius walked over to the door with the window and looked through it. It was dry inside. He then raised his hand to the pad, and the door opened inward. When he walked through it, he could see two machines that were gray in color. Then, he walked to another door, which was large and had two round windows in it. He looked through one of them and was now staring directly into the lake. He could see plants and familiar fishes of several sizes and types swimming about.
“Fascinating,” Ramius said. “Louis, take a look. It’s the lake … from underwater.”
Louis looked through the other window. “Whoa. This is crazy. Dream, what do these things do?” Louis pointed at the underwater vehicles.
“The underwater vehicles can each carry up to four people and operate at speeds of up to five meters per second and a depth of five hundred yards. At full charge, the vehicles can typically operate for four hours at an average speed of less than two meters per second with the lights on. Each vehicle also has a robotic arm and cameras, which allow for unmanned remote operation,” Dream explained.
While she explained, the men looked at the vehicles, running their hands over the smooth contours. They were puzzled as to how people could have created such a marvel.
Ramius walked out of the airlock and then looked at the suits and the breathing equipment. He wondered what it must be like to breath underwater.
“How do we get out to the lake from inside here? If you open the door, the water will come in,” Ramius observed.
“Note the steel grating on the floor of the airlock,” Dream continued. “The divers wear a dry suit and breathing equipment. The lake water is released into the room from below, and it rises to fill the entire room within one minute.
Once the room is filled, the outer door is opened. When the divers reenter the airlock from outside, the outer door is closed, and the water is pumped out within two minutes.”
As Dream completed her explanation, he heard her talking out in the armory area. Ramius wondered how she could speak in two different rooms at the same time. He looked around and noticed that Louis had left the room. When he walked toward the door leading to the armory, he saw Louis holding one of the weapons.
“Louis, this particular M9E has malfunctioned, and I have lost communication. I do not know the status of this weapon, and it may pose a safety risk to you and others. Please replace the weapon onto the rack.”
“Oh, sorry. Can I pick another one?” Louis asked. But as he reached out to replace the weapon, there was suddenly a loud crack and a spark so bright that it blinded Ramius temporarily.
The crack was so loud, like the thunder that follows when lightning strikes just beside you, that Ramius felt his ears ringing. Everything was buzzing, he noticed a red flashing light, and he could hear Dream saying something. He then saw the door to the armory close in front of him, sealing him off from Louis.
Ramius was regaining his senses. He looked through the window and could see smoke swirling about and clearing as it seemed to be sucked through the ceiling. As the smoke cleared, a horrifying sight started to emerge. Ramius could see Louis crumpled on the floor.
“Louis!” Ramius cried out in an anguished tone. He banged the window with his fist. “Dream! Open it!”
“The toxicity will reach acceptable levels in an estimated fifteen seconds,” Dream stated. Ramius had no idea what she was talking about.
“Just open it!” he instructed. He then realized that he could use the pad. He placed his hand on it, but there was only a sound as it blinked red.
“The toxicity level is now acceptable. You may enter using the hand pad.”
Ramius touched it immediately, the door opened, and he rushed over to his friend. But it was hopeless. Louis was badly mutilated. One side of his body was torn up, as if by wolves, and he was burned. He was gone. Ramius started to blame himself. He had seen that Louis had shown too much interest in the weapons.
Thoughts of how to wield power over other people was all too common among men. Ramius knew that given weapons of such power, there could never be peace. He sat down on the floor near Louis and put his hands over his face as he wondered what to do. He felt terrible grief and guilt as he thought of Louis’s family. He remained still and quiet for a while, and then, he stood suddenly. Louis was a big man—much heavier than Ramius. He could never get his body up the long stairs and out of the cave.
“Dream, teach me how to breathe underwater.”
Ramius stood in the airlock with his dry suit and breathing equipment on. Everything had been tested and was functioning according to Dream’s instructions. The water was already rushing in below, coming up through the grating. The rate at which the water rose was startling, and Ramius felt himself breathing heavily and his pulse racing. When the water reached the level of his chest, it stopped abruptly.
“Ramius, put your head below the water and test the breathing.”
Ramius complied, and he started to breathe. The sensation was unique, and it took him a minute to adapt and start to relax. He raised his head and removed the mouthpiece.
“I’m ready. Let’s do it.” Ramius dragged Louis’s body in from the armory and closed the door. This time, Dream did not let the water stop at chest level but allowed it to rise to the ceiling. Then, Ramius saw the outer door open. Now that Louis was neutrally buoyant, Ramius grabbed his arm and pulled him out into the lake. From there, he glided up to the surface with Louis in tow and swam slowly to shore, which was less than one hundred yards away.
Once on shore, Ramius dragged Louis up on the beach.
All the while, Ramius was thinking, assessing, and wondering what to do next. By the time Louis was on the beach, Ramius had a plan to deal with the tragedy.
Johnny, Hook, and Picket were about a half day’s walk from Ramius at this point. They had all made significant observations that were mainly to do with the expansive savanna with plentiful herds and the agricultural feasibility of the river basin. By this time, they were on the lakeshore directly across from Ramius and were working their way around to the south.
They did not note any evidence of wolf packs, but they had seen an actual mountain lion, having already assumed that some were present in the area. They were eager to rejoin Ramius and exchange findings.
Ramius did not share their enthusiasm to reunite at the moment. He felt torn by both Louis’s death and the decision regarding whether to lie about the details surrounding his death in order to keep the cave a secret until he could think more clearly.
The damage to Louis looked to Ramius like burns but also like trauma from a fall. His body was still intact; so, a story about wolves would not be credible. He decided that it was better to claim that Louis had fallen accidentally while they were up exploring the hills and that he had brought his body down to near the lake. They would bury him together.
Ramius anticipated accurately that the team would arrive that afternoon. He was exhausted after the ordeal, but he wanted to try to conceal the cave as much as possible, so he hauled the biggest rocks he could carry over to the cave entrance. Then, he hauled Louis’s body away from that immediate area so that no one might see the cave accidentally.
When he completed these tasks, he was even more exhausted, and he drifted off under a shady tree. He awoke some time later to the sounds of voices approaching. His heart began to race as he prepared himself mentally to spin the fiction.
“Ramius!” Johnny exclaimed as Ramius walked toward their voices and was spotted by the men. The others were completely filled with joy and excitement, as they had so much to tell Ramius and were so curious about what Ramius might have to say.
Ramius’s face looked grim and taut. It didn’t take long before the men noticed that something was off.
“Where is Louis?” snapped Hook, sensing that something terrible happened.
“He’s dead,” Ramius said softly, gazing out over the lake. “He fell. A freak accident. I managed to bring him down from the mountain.”
“When? How can that be?” Picket pleaded, overwhelmed and horrified.
“I was nearby, but I didn’t see it. I only heard him cry out. It was yesterday. We need to bury him. I don’t see wolves about, so I think we should bury him.” Ramius stated this as a practical measure, as there was no ceremony guiding the disposal of bodies; it was only a consideration for safety.
“Where is he?” demanded Hook. They all walked over to examine their friend’s remains. There were tears flowing as the men pondered the poor luck that had met their lifelong friend. They also thought about the family that Louis was leaving behind; they would be devastated by this. They all feared the unavoidable task that lay ahead—telling Marcy; their daughter, Janey; and the younger son, Roger.
They all tried to occupy their minds with the task at hand. They found a soft area not far from the river, where two started digging while the other two gathered big rocks. Later, when they had fully exerted themselves, getting some of their anger and aggression out in the process, they shared their findings.
“Now, you have seen this place and the other side. My feeling is that this place has the advantages of a very defensible camp. Based on all that you have seen, do any of you find that another place is worth considering?”
“No,” said Johnny. “This is definitely the best place.
Right here.”
“I agree,” said Picket. Hook was still off somewhere in his mind, feeling angry and distressed.
“Hook. What say you?” asked Johnny.
Hook just looked at each of them. “I don’t know.”
No one pressed him. It was better to wait and give him time to cool off.
They spent the night near the lake, not far from the cave entrance but far enough. The next day, they explored a little more and went up into the steep areas to get a better view.
“Is this where it happened?” asked Hook, his face stone cold.
“No. Over there.” Ramius motioned over to the southwest. He didn’t want to pick a direction in which they would be headed tomorrow on their return, fearing that Hook and the others might want to examine the exact spot.
The next morning, the remaining four jogged out to the north, back from where they had come.
Angie and her younger sister, Megan, were from the Grassland nation. They were among hundreds of women who had been spared and imprisoned by Saul and his minions to serve as sex slaves. They had been attacked by the minions about two years earlier and had somehow managed to survive the suffering, humiliation, and physical abuse. There were only dozens left now, the others having died from violence or suicide. Most of the survivors were pregnant, and despite the circumstances, most were reluctant to end their lives, as they were nurturing a developing baby inside them.
The two sisters survived only for each other, each not allowing the other to be left alone at the hands of tyranny.
Angie was stronger, but Saul did not fancy her as much as he did Megan. No matter how Angie tried to appeal to him, his tastes ran more toward the younger, more fragile sister. He was most attracted to the poor souls who exuded fear openly. Being surrounded by terrified women nourished Saul.
The minions numbered nearly ten thousand and swarmed other civilizations on their path westward. Within their numbers were many compassionate people who were merely trying to survive and hoping for kindness and someone to one day liberate them from Saul.
Megan was being hidden by a family while she recovered from illness and a nervous breakdown. Meanwhile, Angie stood in, trying to buy Megan enough time to regain her strength. Otherwise, Saul might grow weary and just kill Megan on a whim, or she might die anyway. Angie would not allow this, no matter what befell her as a result.
“Rest, darling,” Angie told Megan. “Don’t worry about me; just get yourself healthy. Eat the vegetables.”
They hugged, and Angie mindfully stepped out of the tent where they stayed and hurried off to Saul.
Saul sat in his large wooden shack, attended by Angie and several other young women, all of whom looked frightened and on edge. Saul presented a formidable image. Large in every dimension, he walked heavily and moved his meaty hands around rapidly and forcefully as he instructed the young ladies on their next task, which usually had something to do with food, a massage, going to fetch someone to his cabin, or sex.
“What ’appen to yah sistah?” Saul pressed Angie. “I wan’ ’er back heya. You got me?”
Angie didn’t speak; she just went about some housekeeping chores, speeding up her actions in concert with her rising fear. Although Angie was doing her best to stand in for Megan, apparently, Saul wasn’t having it.
Just then, a group of Saul’s thugs arrived at the cabin.
“Yo, Saul! We needa talk ta you. Saul!” shouted one of them.
Saul threw a clay mug across the room with startling force, and it shattered against the far wall of the cabin, simultaneously shattering the nerves of all others present.
“Sum bitch! Get in ’ere!” Saul boomed.
Three men filed in. They looked military but had no consistent dress or standard; they were just a foul rabble of tough guys.
“Boss, we gotta situation. Ain’t heard nuttin’ from Maggot an’ dose guys. Way late at dis point heya,” said the lead thug.
Saul just stared blankly, mouth hanging wide open. It was a painfully long pause. “Hmmm. Dat’s good ta heya.” Saul smiled.
“You hear me right, boss? Day’s missin’. We dunno wheya da shit deh is.”
“I heard, ya dumb bastad moron! Shut dat hole, and listen good. Day’s met up wit’ new people. Dat’s good. Get it?
Yah, when day go missin’, dat’s when t’ings gonna get real fine fo’ da minions. Ha ha ha. You stupid shit.” He gave another hearty chuckle, and all the other guys joined in, still not actually understanding what was so good. But they were afraid to reveal that they didn’t understand or, worse yet, disagreed.
In Saul’s mind, the ideas were churning. The disappearance of his men was, in his mind, already a determining factor. He kept smiling broadly as he planned to mobilize his entire world toward new spoils to the west.
“Send out anuddah ten guys. Dis time, don’ get caught.”
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