Redeemables Read online

  Something big screamed behind them, followed by a bellowing roar.

  “We definitely don’t have enough ammo to take care of whatever the fuck that is,” Reen said.

  “We’ll be out of here dreckly,” Booker said as the tree line broke and they stumbled across the sand toward the gate.

  They crossed the twenty or so meters of partially burned sand that rimmed the jungle of the Zoo in a gold and black-charred ring. The guards manning the anti-tank gun at the top of the wall signaled them to run faster. One of the Ma Deuces opened fire and the machine gun’s stuttered cry jarred Mick awake again, but not for long. Another Ma Deuce fired, but they didn’t look back to see what the guards had targeted.

  They reached the wall as the gate slid open.

  The flamethrowers coughed to life and a wall of heat enveloped their backs as the team of five slipped into the dark passageway. There were several roars, and the ground trembled as the gate snapped shut behind them.

  The blue running lights were a stark contrast to the blinding Saharan sun they’d been in moments before. The cool of the concrete passageway was a welcome feeling.

  “We made it,” Charles said, but he still didn’t put Mick down.

  Booker pressed his fingers to Mick’s neck. “We still need to hurry. His pulse is slowing.”

  “You can’t fucking die on us now, mate,” Roo said.

  “I’m not dying,” the man moaned. “Can’t a fella rest his goddamn eyes?”

  “Just keep talking,” Reen said.

  “Fuck you.”

  The gate ahead of them slid open and they were again in the blinding sun. The guard nodded to them but went back to looking at the men on top of the wall.

  They walked along the designated path, careful not to step off or become victims to whatever lay in wait beneath the sand. Warning signs glared at them from the walls, each bright color promising death.

  “Can you radio for a vehicle?” Booker asked the guard at the second wall. “We need to get our man to the infirmary as quickly as possible.”

  “You got it, boss,” the guard said and punched in the code to let them through the second wall.

  They wound their way through the concrete obstacles that filled the sandy space between the second and third walls. Then they were through and into the Harvesters Camp.

  An old ambulance, the side riddled with bullet holes, screeched to a stop in front of them as they exited the final wall. Two burly men in black scrubs leapt out and rushed to get Mick off Charles’ back while he told them hastily what had wounded his teammate. They loaded him onto their stretcher and raced back to the ambulance.

  The vehicle accelerated and the team followed on foot.

  Charles pulled his shirt off.

  “Uh, what are you doing?” Booker asked.

  “I don’t want his blood on me anymore,” Charles said. He threw the shirt into a firepit as they walked past and shook his arms an in attempt to get his blood flowing again. “I’m really getting tired of carrying people around.”

  “Too bad you’re a hulking black dude who’s built like a linebacker,” Reen said. “I think you can handle it.”

  “I was a linebacker.”

  “See what I mean?”

  “Do you think he’ll make it?” Roo asked. “I don’t know what I’d tell his ma and pa if he didn’t. I’m the reason he’s here.”

  Booker clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. We got him in just in time. The French Quarter might not be the most high-tech place, but their docs know their shit.”

  “It’s just too bad we won’t be getting anything for that shit show,” Reen said.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Charles said. “A man’s life is more important than material gain.”

  “Yeah, about that,” the Aussie said.

  The three looked at him with raised eyebrows and he smiled. He opened his pack and revealed three sample containers full of silver plants with small purple flowers.

  “Where the fuck did you get those?” Booker asked.

  “I ripped them up during the first attack. You guys were doing such a bang-up job distracting the wankers and I took advantage of that,” he said. “So it won’t have been for nothing.”

  They arrived at the infirmary and Booker asked the nurse at the main table about Mick.

  “The Aboriginal guy?” the nurse asked.

  They nodded.

  “Yeah, you brought him in just in time. Doc got him stitched up and we’re addressing his broken arm. He also had to have a blood transfusion. You guys were lucky with your timing. Any longer and he would’ve lost too much blood to save. Lucky for him, the poison on whatever attacked him was pretty mild, and we were able to administer a general antidote to neutralize it. He should be out of surgery in an hour.”

  “So, he’ll be fine?” Roo asked.

  The nurse held his hands up. “Don’t see why not. We’re giving him an extra help up with some new medicine that’s apparently been synthesized to speed up healing or something—some new cutting-edge trial they’re running or whatever.”

  “That’s not going to turn him into a mutant or something, right?” Reen asked.

  The nurse laughed, then seemed to realize she wasn’t kidding. “Oh. Uh. No. It’ll just speed up the healing process. Help knit everything back together faster. I don’t know the whole science of it, but someone apparently thinks they’ve discovered something that can make a difference and I guess they want to test it in the field before the Army accepts it.”

  “If it does anything to fuck him up, I’ll come find you,” Roo said. “I don’t forget a face easily.”

  “Right. Well, I’ll leave you to wait, then.” The nurse hurried away but looked over his shoulder once as if wondering how serious he was.

  “I’ll go take the containers to Franco’s, then,” Booker said. “I’ll be back in time for Mick to be ready to go home.”

  “Want to grab me a shirt while you’re at it?” Charles asked.

  He nodded and walked out of the infirmary.

  “You really going to cover up so soon, Charles?” Reen asked.

  Roo rolled his eyes and the American laughed.

  “You like what you see?”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” the other man said.

  “Jealous, Roo?” she asked.

  He merely raised an eyebrow challengingly.

  “Besides,” she said, “I’m definitely in a ginger phase at the moment.”

  The man stood a little straighter and ran his fingers through his short, red hair.

  She smirked at him and winked at a nurse who walked past, her strawberry-blonde hair in a bun on top of her head. The woman giggled and waved at her.

  Charles laughed. “You should see the look on your face, Roo.”

  “Fuck you,” his teammate retorted and his two companions laughed at him.

  After half an hour, Booker returned to wait with them and confirmed that they had been paid. They saved the details for later, though, as nurse came up to them soon after he arrived.

  “You three here with Mick?” he asked.

  “We are,” the Brit said. “I’m Booker. We’re with BOHICA Warriors.”

  “Right. Sure. Well, he made it through just fine and the drugs are wearing off,” the nurse said. “He’ll need some time to rest, but he should be okay. We put a few screws in his arm to hold the bone in place. His arm’s in a cast at the moment, but he should have that off in a month or so. Just make sure he doesn’t do anything too strenuous. He’ll also have to take medication for the next two weeks to make sure the poison has been completely flushed from his system and no alien crud takes ahold.”

  Mick was wheeled out from the back of the infirmary. Booker was about to stand but the nurse pressed him back into his seat.

  “We’ll need you to pay for his treatment,” the nurse said. “Ivan can take your payment.”

  A tall man with a scan pad approached him.

  “Let me guess,” he
said, “you’re Ivan?”

  “At your service. Your friend’s care will be eighty grand. How would you like to pay that? Cash or electronic transfer?” the man asked with a grin.

  The Brit sighed. “Electronic transfer.”

  Roo helped Mick out of the wheelchair. “How you feelin’?”

  His teammate shrugged, then winced. “Like I got hit by a truck and the wanker backed over me again just to be sure he ran me over properly.”

  “You want the good news or the bad news?” Reen asked.

  “What? There’s bad news?”

  “Sure,” she said. “The good news is, you’ll get better and out of that cast in a month. The bad news is you’ll be better and out of the cast in a month.”

  “Oh, joy.”

  “Let’s take this party back to home base, shall we?” Booker suggested.

  “Please,” Mick said. “I feel like I can sleep through that month of this cast.”

  They walked out of the infirmary and to their building.

  Chapter Two

  The Zoo - Thor

  The need for blood pounded through Thor’s veins and pulsed in the forefront of his mind. The whole Zoo thrummed with it—bloodlust, revenge, and self-preservation were a potent cocktail.

  He raced through the jungle with his pack. The older demiwolves led the charge, snarling and howling. He wasn’t as fast as the others but did his best to keep pace.

  The others reached the humans first, but he stopped. He became confused. The Zoo pressed him to attack and rip the humans apart for trespassing. Thor only had one reason to hesitate—Charles.

  The man was there with the other humans and some of their scents were still familiar. It was Charles who had made a lasting impression on his mind, though. He wouldn’t attack that man.

  So, he pulled back from the fighting. He paced alongside the others, deeper into the vegetation, and watched as the other Zoo animals answered the call to which he was unwilling to respond.

  Thor rammed his horns into a nearby tree because he needed to channel his aggression somewhere. He scraped against the tree. His horns were knotty, unlike the curling horns of his pack. Their obsidian color swirled with red at the tips. They started between his ears and curved back in an arc, following the shape of his spine like an ibex’s horns. He tossed his head and scored the tree’s trunk until sap oozed out.

  Caught in the overwhelming urge, he snorted and growled and attacked the tree again. Finally, with a groan of complaint, it shuddered and fell to land solidly with a thud. The noise snapped him from the near trance-like state he’d been in.

  He looked around and no longer heard the sound of fighting. The desire to destroy the humans had diminished so he went to investigate.

  A path of destruction followed the humans. The bodies of the Zoo animals were already being re-absorbed by the Zoo. The path was riddled with half-dissolved carcasses.

  Thor stood over what remained of three of his kind, their bodies twisted and broken. The ground lapped up the blood and fur and churned the bones into dust. They weren’t from his pack—their scent was unfamiliar—but it still bothered him. He raised his head and uttered a mournful howl. Several calls answered his call.

  He needed to rejoin his pack but for some reason, continued to follow the trail the humans had taken. The smell of the injured Zoo was heady, the air thick with the scent of crushed plants and the herby-metallic odor of dead animals.

  A different type of scent, clashing with the others, reached him and Thor’s heart rate accelerated. It was human blood. He rushed forward to investigate. It was slowly being absorbed into the ground, but there was enough of it there that he could still make sense of it. He sniffed at the dark stain and a feeling that could have been categorized as relief filled him. It was human blood, but it wasn’t Charles’. The scent that clung faintly was completely unfamiliar.

  Driven by an inward need he didn’t understand, he followed the trail until it led him to the wall. He stopped in the tree line, immediately before the sand, and remained in the shadows. His gaze focused on the wall and he was filled with longing to cross the barren space. He wondered if it was because he missed Charles. On some level, he missed playing fetch with the old tire and he missed Charles always having food for him. But there was something else, too. It wasn’t completely about wanting to be reunited with him and the other humans. In the jungle around him, other animals moved forward. His pack soon joined him and fanned out in a line.

  A giant, scaly monster crept forward, surprisingly silent for its size. Thor watched as the black, iridescent scales on the creature’s body began to change. They shimmered and deepened in color, then lightened dramatically. The gorgorex stretched a leg forward and dragged one long talon through the sand. The scales covering its foot turned the same buttery beige color as the desert. It clicked its sharp teeth together and stared at the wall. Strings of milky blue saliva dripped from its jaws.

  Thor looked at the wall again. He sat and prepared to wait—but for what, he wasn’t sure.

  Chapter Three

  Fiddler’s Green, Harvesters Camp

  Roo closed the door to Mick’s room. He’d had it to himself since Lester was killed, the BOHICA Warrior’s first fatality. The Aussie went to the dining area where Charles, Reen, and Booker were waiting.

  “He’s sleeping,” he said. He scrubbed his hand over his face. “What exactly happened out there, huh? What made those bloody wankers go apeshit like that?”

  “I feel like the monsters in the Zoo have been more aggressive lately,” Booker said. “That’s the fifth or sixth time something’s tried to breach the wall. The guards keep repelling them, but do you think they can keep it up?”

  “I don’t see why not. They’ve lasted this long. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a Ma Deuce,” Reen said.

  “It seems like all the attacks are in small numbers,” Charles said. “If the animals worked together as a big wave, the guards’d be hard-pressed to push them back, I think.”

  She sighed. “Don’t be such a Debbie Downer, Charles.”

  He ignored her.

  “I don’t think we’ll be able to figure it out just by gabbing about it. I need a fucking drink.” Roo stood from the table and stretched. He cracked his neck. “Do you think Mick’ll be fine if we leave him alone?”

  “He’s a grown-ass man. He’ll be all right for a few hours. Besides, he just broke his arm. It’s not like he’s completely incapacitated,” she said.

  “To the Wateringhole we go,” Booker said.

  The Aussie opened the door a crack to check on the wounded man on their way out. He snored softly so he shut the door again.

  The usual crowd of off-mission mercenaries filled the bar. The four made their way to the back and settled at a corner table. A waitress swung past and took their order.

  “I definitely think something’s changed,” Booker said.

  “What are you talking about?” Roo asked.

  “With the Zoo,” he answered. “I mean, think about it. The last couple of missions we’ve run have ended in near-disaster.”

  “I think Lester being ripped to shreds would be considered a disaster,” Charles pointed out.

  “Exactly. Something’s bleddy off. We consistently get attacked in the Zoo but lately, it’s been extra ferocious. It’s like the whole jungle wants to destroy anything foreign.”

  “Ironic, isn’t it?” Reen said. “They’re the aliens but we’re foreign material.”

  The waitress brought a pitcher of beer and four glasses to them. Roo winked at her, but she ignored him and walked away. He glanced at the others, hoping they hadn’t seen the interaction.

  Reen grinned. “Losing your touch there, Casanova?”

  He gave her a two-finger salute and she laughed.

  The table beside theirs was full of drunk men. Their conversation grew louder and Roo, who was seated closest, glanced at them when he realized that the BOHICA Warriors were the subject of their convers
ation.

  “Look at them,” a man said, “they think they’re hot shit. But they sure as hell aren’t. They’re just pretending like they’re still the best.”

  “Let’s be fair now, Craig,” another said, “they used to be the fucking kings. Pride comes before the fall.”

  “BOHICA, my left foot,” Craig scoffed. “Seems they’re the ones on the receiving end.”

  The others at the table laughed.

  “BOHICA Warriors? More like BOHICA Wimps! What fuckwads.”

  Roo, who grew redder the longer the conversation went on, stood. He turned to the table of drunks. They looked at him expectantly and laughed.

  “Listen up, you fucking wankers,” he stated belligerently. “I don’t see you assholes doing anything on our level. In fact, you’re so goddamn below us we’re on a different planet.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Roo, sit back down,” Booker said.

  Charles pulled him back into his chair.

  “Yeah, sit back down, little man,” Craig said. “We don’t want you hurting yourself.”

  “Fuck me dead,” he muttered and ground his teeth together. His hands were in tight fists.

  Reen raised an eyebrow. “Three…two…one,” she said to Charles.

  The Aussie launched himself out of his seat, bull-rushed Craig, and knocked him on his ass. The other man didn’t have time to react before he cold-cocked him. His opponent’s three companions jumped forward to pull Roo off.

  Charles stood and intercepted one man before he reached his teammate. The large man threw a quick right hook and his target reeled back.

  Craig managed to get out from under Roo. They struggled to their feet and squared off.

  “This is almost déjà vu,” Booker said. He drained the rest of his drink. “Right. Here we go.”

  The loudmouth was focused on the Aussie and paid no attention to the others so he didn’t see Booker’s front kick coming. He stumbled sideways and barreled into another table to spill their beer and food. The table collapsed under him.

  Reen stood beside Charles. “Your lip’s bleeding, Roo.”