(Flipside 02) The Savageside [A] Page 20

  “That’s not what I meant,” Raff said. “I think…”

  “We leave Pytor with him,” Cash said. “The man is a trained soldier and has been surviving out in Flipside for a while.”

  “Can we trust him not to kill Haskins?” Raff asked.

  “Why would he?” Barbara asked.

  “I don’t know,” Raff said. “Russians are bad.”

  “Christ, Raff, you are losing it,” Cash said.

  “But did I ever have it to begin with?” Raff asked, holding a finger to his chin. “Hmmmm…”

  “And with Pytor here, it is one less mouth to feed on our little hike,” Dr. Xipan said. “We do not know when we’ll come across more food and our rations are very low. Correct, Operator Bellows?”

  Raff glanced in his pack and nodded. “Yep. We’re very close to fucked.”

  “We can hunt along the way,” Cash said.

  “Maybe,” Barbara said and pointed at the huge dinosaurs that were waiting until they started walking again. “I think they’re keeping all the smaller dinos away. We haven’t seen anything except for some wingers here and there.”

  “We can eat wingers,” Cash said and wrinkled his nose. “We can eat insects. Those ants back there were probably full of protein. We come across another nest and we pick up some road snacks.”

  “Road snacks. Good one,” Raff said.

  “Um, hello?” Pytor called.

  They turned to face him. Pytor was standing between them and Haskins. He moved to the side.

  Haskins was staring at everyone. But there was no life in that stare.

  “Fuck!” Cash yelled and rushed to Haskins.

  He crouched down and started CPR, but after several minutes of zero change, he fell back on his ass and held his head in his hands.

  “That solves that,” Dr. Xipan said.

  “Shut up,” Cash said. “Grab a shovel and dig. We bury him then get moving again.”

  Barbara was the first to dig. Then Raff. Then Cash. And even Dr. Xipan.

  They got Haskins’ body in the ground, covered him over, stood silent for a couple of minutes, then walked off in the direction they had been traveling for the past couple of days.

  Far behind them, the herd of Diplodocus watched the humans go then started to follow them once more.

  But they paused at Haskins’ grave, each one of the massively huge dinos giving the grave a sniff then a snort before stomping across the landscape once more.

  ***

  “I’ve done everything I can,” Mike said as he and a group of techs stood around the base’s generators, grease everywhere. “They’re dead.”

  The generators gave a last loud whine then there was a good amount of crunching followed by a full stop of all turbines. The assembled group stared at the dead machines until the smoke filled the underground bunker enough where breathing became an issue.

  Tressa, Olivia, Mike, and the techs, stumbled up out of the generator bunker and into the morning light.

  Operators were rushing across the base, fully armed and geared up.

  “Shit,” Tressa said and took off after them.

  Everyone else joined in the chase until they reached the main gate.

  Tressa could hear a voice shouting from outside. She climbed the ladder up to the walkway and peered over at Colonel Petrov who was standing just outside the closed gate, his face turned up, a smile splitting his cruel cheeks.

  “Ah, Ms. Thompson,” Petrov said and pointed at the gate. “Would you care to let us in now?”

  Tressa glared at the man and studied the dozen armed operators that stood behind him. All of them were ready for a fight. Then Tressa turned to look both ways up and down the walkway, studying her own people. They looked half dead and most were coughing hard.

  Of the couple dozen operators that were on hand, Tressa doubted half of them could put up a fight longer than a few minutes, even with the strategic advantage of being inside the base. Two operators fell to their knees while she stood there and thought about what she could do. One of those coughed up enough blood that Tressa had to wonder if he had any left inside his body.

  The operator collapsed then rolled and fell off the walkway. The thump from below made her flinch.

  “I’m not opening the gate, Colonel,” Tressa said. “You and your people can sit out there and starve.”

  “Starve?” Petrov replied. “Ms. Thompson, this world provides. There is plenty of food if you know how to catch it. Ask your father. I believe he is returning from a hunting trip right now, if I am not mistaken. Perhaps his catch will be the bread we break as we start our new journey together.”

  “There will be no journey, Colonel,” Tressa snapped. “I am not opening the gate.”

  “You are,” Petrov said. He cupped a hand to his ear. “What is that I hear?”

  He snapped his fingers and one of the Russian speed rollers fired up and sped away from the group, headed around the rear of the base.

  “Follow that!” Tressa snapped at two operators.

  The man and woman looked exhausted, but they nodded, climbed down from the walkway, and sprinted away, headed for the opposite side of the base.

  “Colonel, whatever you have planned, you can forget it,” Tressa said. “We have the advantage here. You cannot approach the base without us seeing. And you are looking at the only way in and the only way out. Give up and go away.”

  “How long will you last without power, Ms. Thompson?” Petrov asked. “Do you and your people know how to live Savageside without your generators running?”

  “We will get them running again,” Tressa stated.

  “How? How many of your personnel have the training and skills to get the generators running again? None. Why? Because that kind of tech fails here. It fails every time.”

  Petrov turned and pointed at his rollers.

  “They are dirty engines, comparably, but they work. Let us in and we will get this base operational once more. Not all of those that are sick must die, Ms. Thompson. We know how to treat them. But you must let us in so we can restore power to the base.”

  Petrov’s grin spread and filled his whole face. It even reached his eyes, which was more disturbing to Tressa than if it didn’t.

  “I mean, my base,” Petrov said. “It is now my base.”

  Gunfire erupted from the rear of the base.

  “Find out what that is!” Tressa shouted.

  No one moved.

  She looked down at the ground and saw Olivia staring up at her. Mike was crouched in the dirt, his head on his knees.

  “Liv? See what that is,” Tressa ordered.

  Olivia gave Tressa a sad nod then sprinted across the base.

  A group of base personnel had gathered and stood looking up at Tressa. She counted twenty people, all of them terrified.

  “Ms. Thompson?” Petrov called as the gunfire continued. “My offer is one of peace. Open the gate now and none of your people will be harmed. As I said, we have the means to help you. But if you do not open this gate, and I am forced to enter using violence, then that violence will not stop at this structure.”

  Petrov slammed a fist against the gate.

  “I will kill my way through the base until every single one of you is dead. That is a promise.”

  The gunfire had stopped. Tressa stood there, as terrified as the people below that were looking to her for guidance. What choice did she have?

  Before she could respond, the Russian roller returned, pulling up only a couple of meters from Petrov and his operators. Behind the roller, being dragged through the dirt, were the carcasses of two dinos. Tressa instantly recognized the gear used to drag the carcasses along.

  “What did you do to my father?” Tressa yelled. “You want in? You had better not—”

  “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Thompson said as he hopped out of the Russian roller. He had a hand to his left bicep, and blood was seeping through his fingers, but otherwise, he did look fine. As fine as any of the personnel from Fl
ipside BOP could look. “Let them in, Tressa.”

  “Dad…”

  “Do it, Tressa. They won’t kill us. They need us as much as we need them.”

  “This is true, Ms. Thompson,” Petrov said. “My people have certain skills, but so do your people. Your Michael DiCenzo will be of great use. As will you and your father as we attempt to recreate your Brain AI.”

  Tressa’s eyes widened and Petrov laughed.

  “Oh, you thought we only wanted the safety of your walls? No, Ms. Thompson, we want a way back to our homes. To our families.” Petrov’s smile became a sneer. “To our time. And you will help achieve that goal, yes?”

  Petrov snapped his fingers and no less than four rifles were aimed at Thompson’s head.

  “Or you watch your father die right here in Savageside.”

  “Flipside,” Tressa yelled down.

  “What does the name of this Hell matter? Will you kill your father or make the right choice so he might live a little longer?”

  “They have a cure, Tressa,” Thompson shouted. “They can stop everyone from dying.”

  That got Tressa’s attention. She had been wavering back and forth, but the thought of having a cure for the disease that was wiping out her people quickly tilted her thought processes in one direction.

  “Tressa!” Olivia yelled from below. “I can’t find your father!”

  “He’s out here,” Tressa replied. “They have him.”

  “Shit…” Olivia climbed the ladder fast enough that she skipped several rungs. “What are you thinking? We can’t let them in!”

  “They have a cure,” Tressa said.

  Olivia sputtered then shook her head. “No. That can’t be. If they had a cure all this time…”

  “I will count to ten, Ms. Thompson,” Petrov yelled. “If I reach ten, then there will be no more negotiations. No more discussion. Ten is death for your father, for you, for everyone in that base.”

  “I thought you needed us!” Tressa shouted.

  “Perhaps not everyone will die,” Petrov said. “But those that do survive will wish they had. One.”

  “Tressa,” Olivia pleaded. “We can fight them.”

  “Two. Three. Four.”

  “We can’t and you know it,” Tressa said.

  “Five. Six. Seven.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Petrov,” Tressa snapped. “I’m opening the gate. You let my father in first, though. I want him safely in my arms so you can’t betray us.”

  “Of course,” Petrov said. More finger snapping and Thompson was shoved forward until he was in front of Petrov and first at the gate. “There. Happy?”

  “I will never be happy with you alive,” Tressa said.

  “That could very well be true,” Petrov agreed. “Now. Open the gate.”

  “Tressa…” Olivia grabbed Tressa by the shoulders. “Think.”

  “I am, Liv,” Tressa said and yanked herself free of Olivia’s grip. “And there is no winning scenario here for us. You heard what…” She stopped herself. “You heard what we were told. Six years. We make whatever happened earlier happen. Look for Ivy. We have to do this.”

  Olivia tried to argue, but the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. Tressa watched the woman splutter then slump in defeat.

  “Fine,” Olivia said.

  “Open the gate!” Tressa ordered.

  There were a couple of seconds of hesitation where Tressa wondered if she was going to have a revolt on her hands, but then the gate began to open. She rushed down the ladder and was there to embrace her father.

  “Ow,” Thompson said. “I could use a little medical assistance.”

  “We will make sure you are back to fighting shape,” Petrov said then shook his head. “Perhaps not fighting shape…”

  Petrov shoved past the Thompsons and regarded the base.

  “It is not as impressive as I thought it would be,” Petrov said and turned to regard Tressa. “But then, you have had such a difficult time these past weeks.”

  “The last year hasn’t been fun, either, asshole,” Olivia said, joining Tressa and Thompson.

  “Ah, you,” Petrov said. “The schoolteacher? Do you know what happens to school teachers when there is a regime change?”

  “No!” Tressa yelled.

  Before anyone could do a thing, Olivia was grabbed by two operators and dragged away toward the rear of the base.

  “She is to be shot in the head and thrown over the back wall,” Petrov ordered, his eyes locked onto Tressa. “This will be your first lesson as to who is in charge. Whenever there is any hint of dissent, I will have that person, or persons, shot and thrown over the back wall. There the bodies will rot and be picked apart by scavengers. If any of your people need reminding about who is in charge, they will be forced to look over that wall at their friends and colleagues.”

  “You son of a bitch,” Tressa said.

  Olivia was struggling with the Russian operators until one of them slammed the butt of his rifle into her temple. She crumpled and was picked up, carried over the shoulder of the other operator.

  “How about you give me a tour on our way to observe your friend’s execution?” Petrov said, as if he was suggesting a flavor of jam to go with a morning biscuit. “I believe it would be beneficial for you to witness this so that you know I do not give second chances.”

  “I have already figured that out,” Tressa said.

  “Yes, but there is nothing like a live demonstration,” Petrov said. “Not for you, but for me. I want to see the realization in your eyes when the trigger is pulled. Then I will know for certain that you understand where you and I stand.”

  Petrov began walking then paused and looked back at Tressa.

  “Now, Ms. Thompson,” he snarled.

  “My father,” Tressa said.

  “He will be tended to immediately,” Petrov said. “And I will have my people administer the cure to the disease. The good news is it can be dispersed within the water supply. As can many other substances, so do not test me today, Ms. Thompson.”

  Tressa reluctantly joined him as two Russians took Thompson away.

  “Lead the way,” Petrov said.

  Tressa did. She walked Petrov through the entire base, showing him the mess, the barracks, the infirmary, the schoolhouse, the armory, Elvis’s pen.

  Elvis…

  “The dino that was with my father,” Tressa said. “What happened to him?”

  “The famed Ankylosaurus?” Petrov asked then turned and spoke to one of his operators in Russian. He nodded. “Lost to the wilds. A shame. I always envied you Americans for domesticating a dinosaur. How much fun to ride such a beast into battle.”

  “Elvis was an herbivore and not a killer,” Tressa said.

  One of the operators spoke up, his face pinched in anger.

  “That is not true,” Petrov said. “It sounds like your herbivore trampled two of my men while trying to protect your father. There is a little killer in all of us, even inside your precious pet.”

  “Fuck you,” Tressa snapped.

  They reached the back wall and Olivia was being held by two operators up on the walkway.

  Tressa climbed up and was joined by Petrov and his people.

  “I will need you to repeat after me,” Petrov said, staring Tressa directly in the eye. “Olivia Herndon…”

  Petrov waited.

  “What?” Tressa asked.

  “You will say these words,” Petrov explained. “Olivia Herndon…”

  “Olivia Herndon,” Tressa repeated.

  “You have been sentenced to death…”

  “You have been sentenced to…death.”

  “For your defiance of our leader, Colonel Igor Petrov….”

  Tressa swallowed hard.

  “For your defiance of our leader, Colonel Igor Petrov,” Petrov growled.

  “For your defiance of our leader, Colonel—”

  “Oh, fuck this!” Olivia shouted and slammed an elbow into the chest of one oper
ator, ripped her arm away from the second operator, and leapt over the side of the wall.

  “Liv!” Tressa yelled and rushed to the side.

  Olivia was down on the ground, barely moving. Blood matted her hair to the back of her head.

  “Shoot her,” Petrov ordered.

  The operator Olivia had elbowed leaned over the wall, took aim, and fired four shots into Olivia’s back. She went still and blood seeped out into the grass.

  “There. Now you see that I will follow through,” Petrov said. “And next time, you will repeat what I tell you to repeat immediately or I shoot people at random. Do we understand each other, Ms. Thompson?”

  “Yes,” Tressa said quietly.

  “I could not hear you.”

  “Yes! You motherfucking—!”

  Petrov held up a finger and Tressa shut up.

  “Yes,” she said in a loud, even voice. “But I have one thing to say.”

  “Say it, please,” Petrov responded, his head tilted, expression curious.

  “You play this dictator thing too heavy-handed, and I’ll slice your balls off and feed them to you,” Tressa said.

  Petrov’s eyes went wide then he laughed. He laughed hard. Tears streamed down his cheeks. None of the other Russians even cracked a smile.

  “I’m not joking, Colonel,” Tressa said.

  “Oh… Oh, I can see that,” Petrov said, gasping for breath. “And despite my wanting to see you try, I do hope that day never comes. I will not play the dictator as long as you keep your people in line and we make progress on our single goal.”

  He stepped in close and all laughter was gone.

  “The goal of getting us home.”

  Fifteen

  It took forever for night to arrive.

  Olivia lay there, her body wracked with pain and agony, her mind close to giving up, as the sun rose overhead, beating down on her for hours, then slowly set.

  Once the sun was gone, and the pitch blackness of night arrived since the base’s generators were not able to power the klieg lights, Olivia began her slow, excruciating journey away from the base.