Thick Black Theory: A Symbiont Wars Book (Symbiont Wars Universe) Read online

  When the horses had settled into a mile-eating canter, she pulled up alongside Jordan. “I hope I can come back some day,” she said, raising her voice so as to be heard above the drumming hooves.

  Jordan tugged his hat down and smiled at her. “I hope you can too.”

  “I just hope I can get back to the store without being shaken to pieces,” said Bernard. “I haven’t ridden a horse in decades.”

  Kaitlin glanced over. Bernard seemed to be keeping his seat without trouble. “Just like riding a bike, right?”

  Bernard glanced back at her. “Yeah, just a lot bumpier.”

  Chapter 20 — Pump shot

  They walked the horses—letting them cool down—on the last two miles to the Wet Gulch store. During the ten miles from the ranch, they’d rotated through different gaits to keep them fresh.

  They paused at the Wet Gulch creek where the horses tried to drink, but Jordan wouldn’t let them take much. Taking chill from the water wouldn’t be good for them.

  Jordan had to swat Bernard’s mount to get it to move along. It almost unseated Bernard when the bay leapt out of the creek—even though he’d been warned and had grabbed hold of the saddle horn.

  At the base of the camouflaged tree blind, they waved to Roy, today’s sentry. Then, they tied their mounts at the rear of the store by the old bathtub the Wet Gulch folk had made into a watering trough for when Hidden Creek folks came to visit.

  Kaitlin walked around the corner of the store and onto the parking lot then stopped to take in the scene. The lone tree on the west end of the lot shaded a huge SUV with its hood propped open. A rangy man, with a stubble of dark hair on his head and face, stood stripped to the waist in chocolate-chip, camo pants. His upper body glistened with sweat as he leaned over the engine with an expression of utmost disgust on his chiseled face.

  Another man, younger looking, blond-haired and... prettier, sat on one of the picnic tables with a bullpup rifle across his knees. When he saw Kaitlin, he sat straighter; reminding her of Jordan’s hunting dogs. He stood and said something in a quiet voice. The other man wiped his grease-smeared hands on a rag then turned to face Kaitlin, belatedly remembering to wipe the disgust from his face as well.

  Kaitlin continued toward them, behind her, she heard Bernard and Jordan walking with her. “Good morning,” she said. “Would one of you be Mister Daniels?”

  The shirtless man put down the rag. “It’s just Daniels,” he said and held out his hand.

  Kaitlin took his hand and shook it. “Glad to meet you at last, Daniels. I’m Kaitlin.”

  Daniels looked at the badge pinned to her shirt. “Sheriff Kaitlin?” He raised an eyebrow.

  Kaitlin paused. She wouldn’t downplay her office. It would disrespect those who’d chosen her. “Oh, you’ve heard of me then,” she said with a small smile.

  “Actually, Sheriff, I think he may have been demonstrating his ability to read,” Jordan said with no trace of humor in his voice. “I’m pretty sure he isn’t from around here.”

  “Well, reading is good. He can’t help it if he isn’t from around here, can he?” she said, nodding toward the SUV. “What seems to be the trouble?”

  “The water pump is shot,” Daniels replied.

  “Do you have it off yet?” said Kaitlin.

  “Why would I take it off? It ate an armor-piercing round about 100 klicks down the road and we don’t have a replacement. We’ve had to stop and let it cool off every time the engine got hot since then.”

  “Then we need to get it off so Bernard can fix it.” Kaitlin turned to Bernard. “Would you mind taking a look at it Bernard?”

  “Not at all, Sheriff.” Bernard said as he walked toward the SUV.

  “Thank you, Bernard. We’ll have some lunch ready in a few minutes. Do you want a drink while you’re working?”

  “Let me see how easy it is to reach. I’ll come get something if the motor’s designer was afflicted with a hatred of mechanics and it looks like it will take a while,” Bernard said.

  Kaitlin nodded to herself. Bernard had perked up a little. It was good for him to have something to do right now.

  She turned to Daniels. “Would the two of you like to join us inside for lunch? Or would you rather we brought it out to you?” She glanced at the other man, including him in her invitation.

  “We’ll stay on guard out here. No offense, but like your friend here says, we aren’t from around here and we have procedures to follow in the field.”

  “I understand.” Kaitlin said and turned to Jordan. “Do you want to call Greg down from the eastern lookout station so he can eat and have a break? I’m sure our new friends here can keep the south side secured.”

  Jordan nodded and pulled the walkie-talkie from his belt as he turned and walked to the bench in front of the store.

  Kaitlin turned back to Daniels. “You can use our lookout station if you like. Greg will be happy to show you where it is. He’ll be coming from that direction,” she nodded to the south. “... so don’t shoot him, please.”

  Daniels nodded for an answer and turned to the other man. “Drew, head south to meet up with their guy and check out his lookout station.”

  Drew nodded and moved out, scanning as he went.

  Kaitlin followed Jordan to the store. “Can you tell Greg to show him the alarm signals? I expect Just Daniels will want to keep their own radio communications, but they might give us a courtesy signal too.”

  “Sure, in the meantime, I’ll sit right here to keep an eye on them, if you can handle making lunch by yourself.”

  Kaitlin patted his shoulder as she passed him on the way to the door. “Thanks.”

  The gallon-sized plastic bags of peanut butter were still stored in a metal container and a loaf of bread was in the breadbox. Jordan’s peanut crop had been good, so there was plenty of hand-ground peanut butter. Kaitlin opened a new jar of fig preserves, pausing to run her fingers over Bernice’s handwriting on the label.

  The bread slices were huge, and she spread them generously with peanut butter and figs. In short order, she had seven sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper and a jug of lemonade ready to serve. She poured the lemonade into gatorade bottles, put everything in a basket and took it all outside. Greg was talking to Jordan on the porch bench.

  “Thank you, Sheriff,” said Greg. He stood, taking two sandwiches and bottles, and headed towards Roy’s tree stand.

  Kaitlin held the basket out for Jordan to get his lunch then crossed the asphalt to where Daniels was sitting on the picnic table.

  She handed him two sandwiches and two bottles. “Lunch for you and Drew.”

  Daniels nodded. “I’ll give it to him when we switch places. But first, I’m curious to see what your friend Bernard has to say about the water pump.

  Kaitlin nodded and continued toward the SUV. “I have a sandwich and lemonade for you, Bernard,” she said to Bernard’s back as he leaned over the front bumper, hands thrust deep into the gap between the radiator and the engine block.

  “Thanks. It will be out in just a minute. Would you mind getting my tool bag from the Westy? I need a few things from it to make sure it’s just the water pump.”

  “If it is just the pump, what might we have to do to fix it?”

  “Well, there we might be in luck. This thing has some modifications, but the motor is just a 6.7 liter Cummins diesel. There are two Ram 3500s parked within a mile of here that have the same pump. We’ll need to replace the radiator too though, so that will add a couple hours labor to my invoice, but the parts should be easy to get. We might want to get the pumps and radiators out of both of those trucks in case we need a backup. I’d also like to put a piece of steel in front, like a cowcatcher, to prevent this happening again. If we set it at an angle, it will bounce any rounds coming from the front up and away rather than killing the motor.”

  “I’ll be right back with your bag. Do you know where we can find a cowcatcher?”

  “I’ll talk it over with Jordan and let
you know.”

  Chapter 21 — Liabilities and Assets

  Kaitlin stood on the roof of the Subaru Forester they were using for the auto parts scavenging run and scanned the surrounding horizon with the scope of her rifle. “I’ve got a pack of seven dogs heading our way, Bernard. They have our scent, but they are taking their time, but I expect they’ll be here in about five minutes.”

  Bernard grunted. “I should have the last part by then. Are the rest loaded?” he said from underneath the truck.

  “Yes, sir,” said Drew, the new arrival who’d come with Kaitlin’s ride. “All the parts are loaded as well as the diesel fuel from the tank.”

  Kaitlin sat just in front of the Subaru’s moon roof, resting her boots on the windshield and steadying the rifle on her knees. “The alpha male is a pit bull. He was neutered and looks well-fed. I’m seeing tags too, so I’m betting he’s had his shots.”

  “You’re looking for a new pet?” Drew’s puzzled voice sounded at her side. Kaitlin looked over to see him leaning on the hood, bullpup rifle and scope trained on the pack.

  Kaitlin snorted.

  “How is he the alpha-male if he’s been neutered?” said Drew.

  “It’s just pack dynamics. He’s still the toughest.”

  The sun beat down comfortably on Kaitlin’s back. It was beautiful today. The air was dry, and a breeze blew from behind her, carrying their scent to the dogs.

  “I make the range about two-hundred meters now,” Drew said. “Do you want me to take the shot?”

  “No need. They’ll keep coming. I’ll take the shot at eighty yards. At that range, the noise should be enough to scare away the others, and it cuts down on my walking distance.”

  “Walking distance? I’m confused.”

  Kaitlin turned her head to regard him. “I’m getting that,” she said, shaking her head. “Where have you been the last seven weeks?”

  “Sorry, Daniels would scalp me for saying something out of turn about our movements.”

  “Or lack thereof,” Kaitlin muttered.

  Drew laughed.

  Kaitlin made sure her earplugs were settled and put her eye to the scope as she snapped off the safety. “Taking the shot.”

  Her rifle kicked, but she managed to keep the scope on the pack leader, to see his head snap down and his body drop to the ground. The rest of the dogs were running.

  Kaitlin reset the safety, loaded another cartridge in the bolt-action Ruger and jumped to the ground.

  “Where are you going?” said Drew.

  Kaitlin pointed at the pit bull. “Where do you think? To get dinner—neutered, well-fed, disease free. You didn’t think I’d let meat go to waste did you? Life is precious.”

  ∆ ∆ ∆

  Kaitlin was nearly finished chopping the meat when Jordan came out of the store. He’d agreed to prepare the citrus and lemongrass marinade since Kaitlin was busy finishing the butchering and they needed to have the meat soaking for at least a few hours before they started grilling. Now he walked with measured steps, trying not to slosh the pot he was carrying.

  Kaitlin tossed the final chunks into the biggest stewpot. When Jordan had transferred the marinade, Kaitlin used her fingers to mix the lemongrass and lime juice concoction with the meat before putting the lid on the pot and rinsing her hands and Blondie in the washtub.

  After taking a minute to dress Blondie’s edge, she slipped the blade into her pocket. “Bath time for me,” she said to Jordan. “It’s still early in the day, but I’ll get mine out of the way since I don’t plan on doing any more dirty jobs today, and I hate bathing in the dark.”

  She glanced to where Bernard was working on the SUV. It looked as though he almost had the new radiator connected. The water pump was in already.

  “Do you want me to stand watch, or should I get Roy or Greg for you?” said Jordan.

  “No, but thanks,” Kaitlin said. “I’m going to get the one named Drew to stand guard for me. Right after I get Daniels to agree to raise my security clearance.”

  Jordan raised an eyebrow. “Daniels seems kinda close-mouthed.”

  Kaitlin smirked. “I guess your special-ops secret handshake didn’t work to get him to open up then.”

  Jordan chuckled. “What? Like I’m going to show my cards?”

  “Fine, I’ll just use my feminine whiles then.”

  “Now this should be interesting. Wouldn’t that work better after you take a bath?”

  Kaitlin winked at him and—tugging her hat into place—marched across the pavement to the picnic table where Daniels was studying Bernard’s Texas Gazeteer and Atlas. “I thought you might find that helpful,” she said. “I find hard copies of maps much easier to work with in the field than electronics, don’t you?”

  Daniels nodded, pursing his lips.

  “It looks like we’ll have the repairs done to our transportation soon. If we leave tomorrow morning, we can stop at Hidden Creek and pick up some supplies for the next leg of the journey.” Kaitlin smiled, sat down across from him and leaned forward. “Tell me, Daniels,” she whispered. “Have you finally started to view me as an asset, or are you still stuck on my apparent age? Or is it, perhaps, the fact that I don’t have a dick swinging between my legs?” She waited.

  Next one to speak loses.

  Daniels sighed. “Okay, you’re an asset.”

  “I’m glad you can see it. That gives me more confidence in your leadership. It certainly took you long enough to admit it though.”

  Daniels raised a hand. “Understand my perspective, please. You met Amber, my commanding officer. Her assessment called you a kid with a lot of promise. Now I come along, and you’ve got combat vets from some tough outfits and an honest-to-god Special Forces Ranger who all kowtow to you like you invented law-and-order all by yourself and tell stories about you that make you sound like Pecos Jill.”

  He scratched his head. “So, I have to ask myself. What are you? It seems you must be either a messianic occurrence or the greatest con artist that ever breathed.”

  Kaitlin sighed and turned to beckon to Jordan. When he reached the picnic table, Kaitlin nodded him to the bench. “Jordan, remember you mentioned that Daniels wasn’t from around here? He doesn’t understand the whole shared myth as a foundation for a successful organization concept that way we do it in Texas. And since he’s an ally rather than a citizen, here is what I want us all to agree to.”

  Kaitlin turned to Daniels. “Daniels, I need a bath. While I’m doing that, I am asking Jordan to tell you the straight truth. His evaluation of whatever abilities or shortcomings I have. In return, I would like my security clearance raised one notch right away so your guy, Drew, can fill me in on what you two have seen on your trip here and what you’ve been doing the last eleven weeks.”

  Kaitlin smiled. “That shouldn’t be a security risk. I’m sure plenty of people behind you already know different parts of that information and anyone following you could piece it together. But...,” she said, tapping the table. “... since I’m sure you know the value of local intel—when you’re satisfied you have your questions about me answered—I want to know our next destination so we can work together to make sure we get there. The only other people who know that will be Jordan, Bernard and you. Jordan will be the only one left behind who knows which way we’ve gone, and he’s trained to withstand interrogation. Believe me. I’ve interrogated him.” She grinned. “Does that sound fair?”

  Daniels returned her smile and pulled the walkie-talkie from his belt. “Drew, can you come fill Sheriff Kaitlin in on the events of our trip here?”

  Chapter 22 — New lifeguard

  Kaitlin stepped out of the store and opened the string bag containing her new clothes. She tossed in the loofa and a bottle of organic soap then slipped her arms through the strings. The smell of dog clung to her, and she was looking forward to her bath—especially since they still had a good supply of Dr. Bronner’s soap in the store’s inventory.

  Bernice had written down som
e procedures for making soap, and Kaitlin had a copy in her notebook, for when they ran out, but, at the moment, she was grateful for the tea-tree-oil variety she’d put in her pack.

  Kaitlin sat on the bench by the door and closed her eyes, savoring the breeze that had been blowing from the northeast for several hours. The last two weeks had been cooler now that August was waning, and it was a relief, but the idea that winter was on the way made her even more relieved that she hadn’t been stuck in Virginia when the power grid went down. She wondered if people in the North would choose to migrate or stockpile to get through the winter.

  Brian and Marlee.

  The thought of her friends so far away, made her wince, but she fought down the worry with the knowledge that Brian had been prepared.

  The sound of boots coming across the asphalt told her Drew, responding to Daniels’ call, had arrived, and she opened her eyes and stood.

  “Congratulations,” Drew said with a lopsided grin. “You got Daniels to agree to talk.”

  Kaitlin nodded. “Yep, I guess I made a compelling case. Can you help me with a few things while you fill me in?”

  “Sure. What can I do for you?”

  “First off, you can help me get the meat for supper down to the springhouse so it will stay cool while it marinates.”

  “The dog meat?”

  “Did you bring any other?”

  Drew sighed. “No.”

  “I have to admit...,” said Kaitlin as she came down the steps. “I’m curious how you’ve managed to sustain the ‘dogs-aren’t-food’ notion in a time when packs of wild dogs are hunting humans and humans themselves have eaten all the dry kibble stored at PetSmart just to survive.”

  “It does sound ridiculous when you put it that way, but Daniels and I had a good supply of MREs in the SUV. Those lasted a good while. We supplemented that with some fishing. Daniels is a really good shot, so he shot a couple of geese and a chicken that was running loose too.” He shrugged, turning to follow her across the asphalt. “I guess I’ll have to get over it.”