Previous Story: 97. The Big Escape - Aureus Gate Crossing

Rhino was glad to be rid of the do-gooders and on the move. But, as he and the rest of the Dragons walked through Narim, he began to think about the city. It had been messed up before, but now it was totally messed up. And if the Dragons hadn’t escaped, they would have been exterminated by the government. Rhino had never liked the authorities — they were always getting in his way — but now he hated them.

"At least we’re alive," said Fei, who was walking beside him. "Poor Gudu. She didn’t deserve that."

"Poor Gudu?" retorted Rhino. "Are you serious? That woman enjoyed inflicting pain more than anyone I’ve ever met. She was arrogant, too — cost her her life in the end."

Rhino grimaced as a strap bit into his shoulder. All of them were carrying bags containing their personal belongings plus Rose’s cash and other valuables. The stash had been taken from the SUVs, which they’d been forced to leave on the bridge.

To Rhino’s left, H3x had just grabbed a branch and was using it as a walking stick. "I’m not normally one for the outdoor life, but it’s actually pretty nice here. Air smells clean. Fresh."

"Better than the air in SL," said Rhino, "that’s for sure."

"I wonder what she’s thinking," said H3x quietly, nodding towards Lady Rose, who was walking ahead of them with Little Jenny plus the bodyguard’s aunt and sister. Trailing faithfully behind Rose was the Komodo dragon, Xi.

"Who knows?" said Rhino. He was unsure about the future, but Rose had always been a good leader. If he thought there was still money to be made, he would stick with her.

----- 

After two hours of walking, they reached a highway, which enabled Rose to orient herself. An hour after that, they arrived at an isolated house surrounded by a wall.

Rose used a BioAuth implant to open the gate and led them along the drive. "That’s a relief. I wondered if this place might have been looted. I’ve not been here in almost a year."

"Never figured you as the type for a vacation home," said Rhino, earning a sharp glance from his boss.

"It’s called long-term planning — you wouldn’t understand."

"Fair enough."

Once inside, they dumped their bags, all tired from their exertions. The Komodo dragon sped into the kitchen and could soon be heard clawing at something.

Lady Rose gestured to the stairs. "There are only four bedrooms, so some of you will have to share. Except Rhino, I suppose."

"Shame," he said with a grin. 

"Like anyone would share with you," countered Fei.

"Make yourselves at home," added Rose. "I’m sure Aunt Grace will help me rustle up some dinner."

Jenny’s aunt nodded politely. It seemed to Rhino that she was more than a little shocked by the company she was now keeping.

"And then we’ll talk," said Rose, eyes moving from face to face. "There’s no denying that we have lost a great deal: our base, several of our number, some of our resources ... and numerous opportunities. But, we still have much that I consider valuable, and I’m not just talking about the contents of these bags. I want to talk about the Red Dragons. And the future." 

-----

They had to break into Ryder Arcadia’s Ashland mansion. By then, it was almost midnight and, while the others settled down to sleep, Goddess went from room to room, collecting all the pictures of Ryder. She was in some of them herself, but hid every last one. She didn’t need reminders.

Around 7 a.m., she heard someone moving around downstairs and went to investigate. There she found Crimson, packing some water and packets of crackers.

"What’s going on?"

"Sorry. I just didn’t want a big scene. I can’t stick around any longer."

"Your husband?"

"I have to find him."

"I understand. Will you be all right?"

"Sure. I’ve got plenty of money saved up. Just need to find an ATM!"

Goddess found a smile. "Best of luck."

"Thanks, Elaheh. And for getting us all out. You did well." With that, Crimson quietly left.

-----      

In mid-morning, Beater and Zephyr headed out on a scouting mission. They had been disappointed to hear of Crimson’s departure, but wanted to know more about their surroundings.

Goddess was on the patio, drinking coffee with Kuznetsov and the other four Cynfo employees that had escaped with them. They had spent most of the morning talking about their plans. The Russian engineer and the others had also discussed Ryder when they thought Goddess wasn’t listening. They were speculating on his changed character and how something had influenced him to help the CyMS. There were numerous suggestions of what that something might be. Goddess was occupied by thoughts of her daughter. Somehow, she had to see her.

When Beater and Zephyr returned, they poured themselves some orange juice and sat down.

Beater spoke first: "We spoke to some old guy — he told us that the area around SL is quarantined due to the actual flu pandemic. But, within that area, people are free to move. I guess if we try to go too far, we’ll run into a roadblock or something."

"Saw a couple of patrols, too," added Zephyr. "Looked like regular Army."

Kuznetsov then spoke up: "Ms. Mazanderani, I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say we’d like to know of your intentions."

"Of course, Vitaly. It’s fairly straightforward. Anyone who wishes to leave is free to do so. But Cynfo Tech is still a company. All our products and most of our files are backed up at our server facility in New Amsterdam. And, we still have some valuable clients. For those who wish to stay onboard, we will rebuild." She turned to Beater and Zephyr. "I’m going to need a new head of security, but they do say two heads are better than one."

She was concerned to see an anxious glance between the Brazilian siblings. "Problem?"

"We were thinking of heading home," said Beater. "It’s been a crazy few months."

"And, if I offered to double your wages? Thanks to my access to Ryder’s BioAuth, I now control the Cynfo accounts."

Zephyr exchanged a grin with his sister. "God bless America!"

-----

Lucky was surprised by how positive he felt. Despite the loss of Gadget and Lance and all the other poor people left behind, he and his allies had escaped and saved dozens of lives. He had been touched by all those who spoke in glowing terms of Gadget and the sacrifice he’d made. Lucky told them all that it was typical of the man: Mou-Man Ko had spent his entire life putting others first.

It was no surprise to anyone that the Survivalists were in their element amid the wilds of Narim. Artemis and Seeker had found a prime location with a stream nearby and routes of escape if needed. They had now been there for two days and had constructed waterproof shelters. Food would soon become an issue, but several forage parties had returned with supplies from abandoned vacation homes and closed-down stores — the impact of the flu epidemic had clearly been severe. Artemis had also killed three deer. She had offered to show Lucky how to hunt game, but he wasn’t interested in seeing more blood and death. 

The Peacemakers were also a practical bunch, particularly the military pair of Nix and Bolt. Buck, Pai and Flash also put in plenty of work at the camp, though all were as anxious about the future as Lucky.

As for the Creators, Cyborg and his friends didn’t seem particularly happy with all the boy-scout stuff. Neither did Dr. Altmann, though the St. Mary’s kids were clearly enjoying themselves. They had brought along a football, which was already getting plenty of use.

A meeting was scheduled for that night. Buck was keen to make contact with some trusted police contacts, while others thought they might be at risk given their knowledge of the Omicron Protocol. Lucky wasn’t sure what to think. But he was a street kid and knew he could adapt to anything. He just hoped he wouldn’t lose any more friends.

He was about to help Seeker collect some firewood when he saw Nix emerging from the trees. The ex-soldier had been on a solo mission to find his military contact. 

"Hey, Lucky." Nix then glanced over at the clearing where the Animals had based themselves for the last two days. "Where did they go?"

"We’re not sure. Walter said goodbye this morning, and off they went. Charger, too — I guess without Lance he’d rather be with them."

"Walter — that’s the talking chimp, right?"

"Right." 

Nix shook his head in disbelief.

"Did you find Mike?" asked Lucky. 

"I did. And he had some information on the Scientists."

"I guess we should make contact with them."

"We should, but it’s not going to be easy — they’ve been evacuated to Los Diablos. We have to try, though. They’re the only ones I trust. We have to work together." Nix nodded back towards San Lazaro. "So that something like that never happens again. I’ll brief everyone fully at the meeting later."

"Nix, this is too important. Let’s get everyone together now."

-----

Find him!

The dog. Jugger had dreamed of the dog. And, when she awoke, she learned that all the other Animals had dreamed of him, too. They didn’t know his name or why he was important, only that they had to find him. 

They’d left the zoo behind and the city behind, and now they left the humans, too.

Find him!

SEASON 1 - THE END

Next Story: 99. The Raid of Comstock Tower - The Approach