WEBVTT - Chapter Fourteen 0:00:02.160 --> 0:00:07.640 Chapter fourteen Roland. Once he'd been dismissed, Roland had made 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:10.000 it his immediate business to get as high as post 0:00:10.039 --> 0:00:13.240 humanly possible before he was needed. This was not a 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:16.920 difficult task. Rolling fuck had been built to keep buzzes going. 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:20.279 The main roller's bar stocked an assortment of beers mixed 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:23.480 with LSD laudanum, dimethyl trip tomine, and a half dozen 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:27.120 shogun chemicals. Roland started off by sampling them all. He 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:30.400 drank until the fireworks showing his head was indistinguishable from 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:33.760 the actual fireworks outside and those real Am I just 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:37.680 fucking lit? Roland decided that answering that question wouldn't make 0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:40.879 him happier. He lost himself for a while and drifted 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:42.920 from one of the fondel boats to a dance party 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:45.960 in a field underneath the main gantry. After hours of that, 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:48.479 Roland had his fill of rhythm, so he found his 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:50.680 way to a coke benge in a weird purple house 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:53.080 atop one of the spindles. The rest of the night 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:55.520 he spent testing the limits of his talks and filters 0:00:55.640 --> 0:00:59.280 and his tolerance for human contact. The latter came first, 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:01.800 he had and in the coke party and stumbled through 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:04.520 rolling fuck until he reached a small booth with baggies 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.920 of umnuloch, a d M T based hallucinogen made from 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:12.440 synthetically grown giraffe liver. Thanks got fuzzy. After that, there 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:14.480 was a fireworks fight on a spindle that caught a 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:16.920 shack on fire. He downed a shipload of mescal and 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:19.760 as the sun breached, and then quite suddenly it was 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:22.200 afternoon and he was lying on his back across the 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:25.360 baking hot metal of one of the spindles. Schoolfucker Mike 0:01:25.400 --> 0:01:27.679 stood above him, naked as the day he was born, 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:30.120 and holding some sort of frosty purple beverage in a 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:33.679 large teaky cup. Hey man, Mike said, as he took 0:01:33.720 --> 0:01:36.440 a sip, Nanny as he told me to find you. 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:40.440 You straight enough to talk to people. Roland nodded. He wasn't, really, 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:44.240 but he could sober up fast. Maybe sober wasn't the 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:48.080 right word. His brain could flood itself with focusing drugs 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:51.160 to offset the hallucinogens, and he had a vial of 0:01:51.200 --> 0:01:54.360 liquid meth amphetamine somewhere in his pack that might do 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:57.640 the trick. Roland sat up, grunted, and waved a hand 0:01:57.640 --> 0:01:59.800 at Mike. Then he dug around in his pack for 0:01:59.840 --> 0:02:03.200 the vile. He found it and drained half. All right, 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.520 let's go, he said. Let's go to the place and 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:09.359 do the things. Mike helped him down the spindle. Roland's 0:02:09.400 --> 0:02:12.160 unsteady legs were proof that he'd managed to find himself 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:15.440 a worthy drug bench. The satisfaction he felt from that 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:18.240 mixed well with the initial meth euphoria. By the time 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:20.680 they reached the conference room, he was wired as fuck 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.120 and kind of wishing he'd picked a different drug to 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:27.040 spend his mood. Roland sat down and eased into his chair. 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.200 A short, young Anglo fellow entered next and sat down 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.959 on the opposite side of the conference table. He looked 0:02:32.960 --> 0:02:36.360 and smelled nervous. Roland paid him little mind. He was 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:38.840 too jittery from the meth to want to talk. He 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:41.440 decided a nice dose of some downers would help his 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:45.760 situation and rooted around for his heroine kit. At that moment, 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:49.280 another young man entered the room. He was short, Hispanic, 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:52.480 and about twenty one years old. Nanni Yazzi embraced the 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:56.080 kid schoofucker might clapped him on the shoulder. They started talking, 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:58.320 the kid said something that seemed to surprise most of 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:00.920 the people in the room. Roll and half paid attention 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:02.800 to all that while he loaded up his syringe and 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:05.560 tied off his arm. He stopped when he realized everyone 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:09.200 else in the room was staring. Hey, something wrong, he 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:13.160 asked Rowland. Nana Yazi said in a warm voice as 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:16.519 she gestured to the Hispanic kid. This is Mannie. He's 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:18.600 going to be your partner for the mission. He grew 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:21.440 up in the Republic and he's a skilled negotiator. He'll 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:25.120 help you blend in while you do your work. Er cool, 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:28.959 Roland grunted and returned to his heroine. Roland, if you 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:32.200 wouldn't mind, Reggie was about to speak. Nana yazi smile 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:35.600 was as indulgent as ever. He's uncovered something important about 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:39.400 the Heavenly Kingdom. It might be useful to you, Roland shrugged. 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:42.360 Mossy's galis to which bartenders and playing on make a 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.440 pass of a whiskey. Sara can't imagine caring. But if 0:03:45.440 --> 0:03:47.840 you let me finish this, he jiggled the syringe in 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:49.880 the air, I might be able to at least pay 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:53.080 attention right now, I'm quite too met out to focus. 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:57.480 The old man leaned forward and sighed. The kid looked horrified. 0:03:57.600 --> 0:03:59.960 He started working his mouth and what Roland was pretty 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:02.280 sure must be the prelude to some sort of expression 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:07.120 of shock or offense. Schoolfucker Mike preempted him. Lead Roland 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:09.880 shoot up. Trust me, drugs aren't going to make him 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:14.040 any more or less effective here. Rowland grinned. Skullfucker Mike 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.520 clearly knew him, even if he could only sort of 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:19.680 remember skullfucker Mike. He went back to tying off his 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:22.039 arm and shooting up, while the younger Brits stumbled into 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:26.080 the start of his speech. Yes, well, I've been going 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.000 over the last few days of successful vehicle based bombings 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:32.080 on checkpoints from Galveston and Lake Houston and all across 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:35.480 the Dallas Fort Worth area. In total, I've identified three 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.080 hundred twenty one bombings that appear to have been carried 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:41.200 out as part of this overall offensive. Two hundred and 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:45.160 forty of those bombings involve autonomous vehicles hitting dedicated autonomous 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:49.000 vehicle checkpoints. Right on cue, a projection map flickered to 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:51.680 life on the wall behind him. Hundreds of red dots 0:04:51.720 --> 0:04:54.640 populated a map of the conflict riddled regions of north 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:57.760 central Texas. It looked like the pattern of attacks you'd 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:01.000 want in order to funnel the stf's limited resources towards 0:05:01.040 --> 0:05:04.159 the least defensible chunks of their line. What was weird 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:07.080 was that so many bomb rigged autonomous vehicles had gotten 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:11.080 through the scanners. So Roland asked, how the fuckers do it? 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:14.680 Munch zero days. Reggie shook his head. That's what I 0:05:14.720 --> 0:05:18.000 thought at first, he said, But these attacks actually started 0:05:18.040 --> 0:05:20.360 more than a month before this offensive. If they were 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:22.800 relying on exploits, the s d F I T folks 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:25.840 would have caught something by now. The most likely explanation 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:28.320 is that the mattys found some way to make vehicles 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:33.359 that aren't autonomous. Seemed that way, yeah, Manny said. The 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:36.360 martyrs have tried to hide drivers and autonomous vehicles before 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:39.479 the s d F watches for it, which means the 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:42.919 martys have figured out something new, said the journalist, some 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:45.640 new way to hide a human driver that doesn't register 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:50.320 on conventional senses. And that way is nanny, Yazi asked. 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:53.840 Reggie's face reddened. He grunted and swallowed, and then spoke, 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:57.400 I've got no idea. But I think I know where 0:05:57.440 --> 0:06:00.880 they're putting these new vehicles together. He's Napta's fingers and 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:03.400 the projected image changed to a map of a city 0:06:03.480 --> 0:06:06.840 called McKinney and the Dallas suburbs. It zoomed into an 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:10.280 aerial shot of one enormous factory building near the outskirts 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:13.640 of the city. The Earth BBC pays for access to 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:17.279 a few independent satellites that overlooked this part of North America. 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:20.080 We also pay the s DA for limited access to 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:23.000 some of their drone surveillance footage. From all that, I 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:25.320 was able to trace out pass for seventy eight of 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.360 the vehicles used in these attacks. Every one of them 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:31.919 started their journey here. The projection changed again to it 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:33.960 looked like a stock photograph of the front of a 0:06:34.040 --> 0:06:37.799 large white factory building. The Tesla logo was displayed prominently 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.880 by the front door. It's an old Tesla plant. They 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:43.599 finished it about a year before the Civil War. It's 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:46.159 been in and out of operations since then. As best 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.640 as I can tell. The last normal vehicle rolled off 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:51.799 the line three years ago, before the Heavenly Kingdom started 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:54.880 cacking things up. McKinney was one of the first parts 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:57.200 of the old Metroplex to fall, so they've had plenty 0:06:57.200 --> 0:07:00.520 of time to fiddle with shit. Roland ray his arm 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:03.440 and realized belatedly that the needle was still dangling out 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:06.200 of it. The old man sighed again, but Rowland bravely 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:08.479 ignored him. So what does this have to do with 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:11.160 your captives, he asked. I didn't sign on to help 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:13.360 you guys spy or blow up a factory. Send this 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:17.120 data to the SDF for Austin if you think it matters, schoolfucker. 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:20.160 Mike put a hand forward in a placating gesture. We're 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:22.960 not asking you to do anything about this, he said, 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:25.080 but you and Manny will be our only eyes and 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:27.320 ears inside the Kingdom. If you get a hint of 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:29.880 how they've accomplished all this, it will be valuable to 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:32.560 us in the SDF. We'll find a way to make 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:36.080 it worth your while. I mean, the drinks are free, right, 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:38.320 Roland asked. I don't know what else you got that 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:42.200 I might want. Mike smiled and gestured to Roland's backpack 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:44.440 of narcotics, which sat next to him on the big 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:48.040 redwood table. By my account, you've gone through about half 0:07:48.040 --> 0:07:50.400 your stash that's coming out here. If you're able to 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:52.720 get us any worth while info, I'll make sure the 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:56.720 bags full before you leave. Roland narrowed his eyes. It 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:58.760 would be a giant pain in the ask to find 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:03.480 good percoset between here and Cammebltowe. He sighed, alright, fine, 0:08:03.640 --> 0:08:05.880 if we hear something, we'll look into it. But Donald 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:16.800 your breath. After the meeting, schoolfucker Mike took Rolland down 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:19.280 to the city's makeshift morgue so he could steal a 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:22.880 dead man's face. Rolling Fox Militia had found the fresh 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:26.000 corpse of some guy Roland's rough height and build. He'd 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:28.240 fled Dallas and made it almost as far as Waco 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:31.040 before getting hit by a drone attack. The four funk 0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:33.640 had been gutted by shrapnel, but his face was intact 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:37.280 enough for Roland's chameleon implant. Roland hadn't used the thing 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:40.400 in so long he worried it might not work. He 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:43.080 stared down at the man's face and took in his features. 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:45.760 The fellow was white, but his skin was burnt a 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:48.439 deep reddish brown. He'd clearly spent a lot of time 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:50.880 under the Texas sun. He appeared to be in his 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.840 early forties and clearly hadn't taken many juven treatments. His 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:57.240 hairline was fine, but the man's eyes and the edges 0:08:57.280 --> 0:09:00.280 of his lips were creased with wrinkles. His dead ring 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:03.360 eyes were blue. There were deep dark bags beneath them. 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:07.280 Plenty of time to sleep, now, Buddy, Roland thought. He 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.960 closed his eyes, focused on the dead man's face and 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:12.640 felt his facial bones start to tear themselves apart and 0:09:12.679 --> 0:09:15.880 then reform. He felt the pigments in his skin shift two, 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:19.480 which was always strange. The sensation of his pigments opening 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:21.400 up and taking in more light felt a little like 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:25.120 stripping off a thin layer of clothing. While Roland did this, 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:28.200 skullfucker Mike ran a scanner over the corpse and located 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:31.040 the I D card in its right forearm. Mike used 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:32.960 a tool that looked like a long metal straw to 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:35.160 suck the I D free and then shoot the tag 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:37.880 into Roland's own arm. He took a second for Roland's 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:40.640 body to pull the data. His name was erin Wether's. 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:43.040 He was single. He worked as a mechanic in Arlington 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:45.120 for most of his life. He had a clean criminal 0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:49.160 record save for a drunk driving arrest in his early thirties. Roland, 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:52.040 now Aaron, left the morgue with skullfucker Mike and headed 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:54.840 for the ride that would take him into the Heavenly Kingdom. 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:57.040 He used the walk as an opportunity to smoke a 0:09:57.040 --> 0:10:00.000 couple of grams of fine Afghan opium. He was still 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.319 smoking when they reached the battered old pickup truck on 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:05.840 the outskirts of Rolling Fox campground. The kid Manny was 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:09.280 in the driver's seat. Hey Manny said, and stared wide 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:12.240 eyed at him. You look different, he added, with a 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:16.240 forced smile. Yeah, Roland replied and pulled himself into the 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:20.480 passenger seat. Mike tapped him on the shoulder, What, Roland asked, 0:10:21.040 --> 0:10:23.240 I'm gonna need your bag, man. He pointed to the 0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:26.520 still smoking opium pipe in Roland's hand, and that the 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:30.160 Heavenly Kingdoms got a pretty strict policy on intoxicans. You're 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:32.400 not going to get a backpack full of narcotics through 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:36.600 their checkpoints. Roland growled at Mike. He couldn't fault the 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:39.160 other post humans logic, but he'd be damned. He was 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:41.280 going to spend several days surrounded by a bunch of 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:45.599 religious nuts and do its sober. Roland locked eyes with skullfucker. 0:10:45.679 --> 0:10:48.800 Mike opened his bag and grabbed a heavy handful of drugs. 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:52.520 He swallowed them all one by one, pillbottles and baggies, 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:56.200 vellucinogens and vials of amphetamines. He ordered his gut to 0:10:56.200 --> 0:10:58.600 reduce its acidity so he could store the drugs for 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:02.000 later regurgitation and can sumption. Then he took one last 0:11:02.120 --> 0:11:04.560 deep hit from his opium pipe and handed it and 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:07.920 the bag to Mike. Manny popped the car and to drive, 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:11.000 and they rolled off into the night. They drove in 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:13.960 silence for a while. Roland's hind brain would have marked 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:16.280 the time if he hadn't done such a successful job 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:19.400 of pickling it with opium before they left. The quiet 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:22.640 got awkward and boring pretty quick though. He considered putting 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:25.120 on music, but of course his head wear was severed 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:27.800 from all outside networks. He couldn't connect to the car 0:11:27.920 --> 0:11:30.760 anymore than he could blinks into an email. He decided 0:11:30.760 --> 0:11:34.319 to ask Manny to put something on, guy music, Can 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:37.319 you music? Roland realized he was slurring and his words 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:39.760 were not coming out the way he'd intended. The kid 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:43.600 Manny looked irritated. How fucked up are you right now? 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:47.920 Roland gave a shrug that meant very You know my 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:49.920 ass is on the line here too. I'm not made 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:52.040 of whatever fucked up science you've got in your veins. 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:55.560 I'd appreciate it if you took this seriously on an 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:58.440 objective level. The kid's request was fair. This must be 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:00.600 a big moment for him, going off on a dangerous 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.199 mission to enemy territory, et cetera. But to Roland, this 0:12:04.280 --> 0:12:08.080 was Tuesday or whatever day it actually was. He disabled 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:10.800 his clock and calendar years ago because funk that noise. 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:14.280 Funk that noise, he said, without meaning to good God, 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:19.600 I'm so high? What Manny sounded confused and perturbed. Sorry, 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:22.720 man Roland rubbed his eyes, a little dazed from the opium. 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.640 I wasn't talking to you. I am the only other 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:28.920 person in this car, Manny said, yeah, but you know 0:12:29.000 --> 0:12:31.840 I'm highest. Shit. Words come out sometimes they aren't meant 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:34.800 for anyone, and they just happened. The car slowed, and 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:37.720 Manny pulled over to the shoulder of the cracked old highway. 0:12:38.240 --> 0:12:40.080 When the car came to a stop, he put his 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:42.280 head in his hands, and breathed in and then out 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:45.599 very slowly. It took Roland a moment to realize the 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:48.640 kid was going through a panic attack. He's never done 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:52.240 anything like this before. Of course, he's terrified. Roland wondered 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:55.240 if he should do something to comfort the kid. You know, 0:12:55.559 --> 0:13:00.400 he said, I've killed about twelve thousand armed people. Many 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:03.360 turned to stare at him. He looked shocked, but Roland 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:07.920 noted with satisfaction the statement had disrupted his panic. What 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:11.280 what the I mean, give or take a handful? Roland continued, 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:14.120 I burnt my brains, killed canner out with crocodile and 0:13:14.240 --> 0:13:17.280 cheap vodka while back. Why would you tell me this? 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:21.000 Why would you think this would help? Because Rolland said, 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:24.000 we're about to go into a very dangerous place together. 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:26.760 You're scared you're gonna die, and I want you to know, 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:29.680 however many arm nut jobs are in that city, I 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:33.920 can murder them, all of them. Manny stared at him. 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:37.000 He still looked terrified and vaguely pissed, but his heart 0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:40.400 rate was steadier, his breathing had slowed. Roland declared his 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:46.160 gambit a success. Okay, the kid finally said, that's actually comforting. 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:49.160 Thank you. There was silence for a beat, and then 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:52.800 Roland spoke again that all sudden, I'd prefer not to 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.800 kill anyone. I'd really prefer that. I was on a 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:58.400 pretty good no murder streak until a couple of days back. 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:02.160 I'm trying to stay on the waggins talk well, be 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:04.320 a good face, man. This will all be easier if 0:14:04.360 --> 0:14:07.439 I don't have to commit murder. Manny looked a bit 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:09.880 nervous again, but he popped the car into drive and 0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:13.839 rolled back onto the highway. I'll do my best, he said. 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:16.880 They were an hour outside of Dallas when they hit 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:19.680 the first checkpoint and the Kingdom's guards ordered them out 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:22.480 of the truck. Roland stepped out with his hands up. 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:26.160 Manny had done the same. The guards scanned them, verified 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:29.440 their status as Republic citizens, and then the questioning started. 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:32.800 What brings you to the Heavenly Kingdom? Their leader, a 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:36.120 fat man with the kalashnikov, asked Manny. We heard about 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:38.640 the amnesty, Manny replied, and we thought it sounded good. 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:40.480 We we want to live under the rule of God. 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:45.880 The fat man grunted. So you're both good God fearing men, then, yes, sir, 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:48.640 Manny nodded, of course, and praise be to God for 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:51.600 all the victories you've won here. The fat Man sniffed 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:53.880 at the air and looked over to his partner. I'm 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:56.600 not wild about another skin here, Hanson. You think we 0:14:56.680 --> 0:15:00.200 need any more Mexicans? Hanson shrugged orders say you the 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:03.920 faithful are all welcome. Yeah, the fat guy continued, if 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:06.720 they're faithful. He looked back to Manny, why did it 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:09.280 take a couple of devout men like yourselves so long 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:11.600 to make a break for the heavenly Kingdom. We've been 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.479 at this fight for a while, you know, I. I I 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:17.160 mean we we were scared, and we didn't we weren't 0:15:17.160 --> 0:15:19.800 sure what to believe. What you're supposed to believe is 0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:22.560 the word of God, the man snarled. And that's as 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.520 clear as day to everyone who lives inside the kingdom. 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:27.760 He looked back at his men and smiled an evil 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:31.280 wolfie grin Hanson malloy, I think we might need to 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:36.120 question these two more intensively. Radio command, and that was 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:40.080 the last thing the fat Man said, probably ever. Roland 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:43.000 shoved a hand into the martyr's mouth, pulled downwards, and 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:46.280 shattered his jaw in four places. Then he leapt into 0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:49.800 the others. It went quickly. He gouged eyes, broke jaws, 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:52.600 severed tongues, and then started in on their limbs. By 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:54.800 the end of it, all four men were still alive, 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.080 but none of them were in any shape to report 0:15:57.120 --> 0:16:01.480 on what they'd seen. Manny vomited several times. What I 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:04.200 happened to do? In your best, Manny, Roland asked, more 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.960 irritated than angry. Once he'd finished, the kid recoiled, Roland 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:10.640 realized Manny had started to shake a little. He also 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:12.600 realized there was still a part of a man's ear 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:16.720 in his mouth. Hell, you scared him, Sorry, kid, he said, 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:19.720 and squatted down next to Manny. Look, the odds were 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:21.720 always good that this first tryal was going to be 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:25.000 a scratch. The good news is they've got other checkpoints. 0:16:25.040 --> 0:16:27.480 Will hop on the access road and find the next one. 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:31.840 It'll be fine. What did you too, Manny started? I 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:35.600 stopped them from talking, he said, very quickly. No one's dead. 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:38.520 There'll be uh. He glanced down at the burbling, bleeding 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:41.600 mess of shattered humans. They'll be I but we need 0:16:41.640 --> 0:16:44.240 to move now before someone else comes along, and I 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:47.840 gotta break them too. Roland popped open the cab so 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:50.160 he could change into a clean set of spare clothes. 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:53.080 He was grateful that skullfucker Mike had packed them bags 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:57.000 to lend their story extra versimilitude. Manny changed too, and 0:16:57.080 --> 0:16:59.360 once his hands stopped shaking, they rolled off to the 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:02.360 next check point. Roland tried not to think too much 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:04.959 about the men he'd just broken. That helped that one 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:06.840 of them had been an asshole. It helped that none 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:10.120 of them had died. But still they hit the next 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:13.560 checkpoint eight minutes later, and things went much better this time. 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:16.760 For one thing, it was busier. There were already a 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:19.080 dozen other cars in line when they pulled in. The 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.400 guy who was questioning them was less of an asshole, 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:25.040 and he seemed to buy Manny's claim. We weren't brave 0:17:25.160 --> 0:17:27.399 enough to make the journey until now, but we prayed 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:29.680 all night about this. I know it's the right thing 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:33.200 to do. Roland had to fight to avoid rolling his eyes. 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:36.200 The line worked, though. The man at the checkpoint waved 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.240 the men and issued them a temporary transit pass. This 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:42.639 is good for six hours, the checkpoint officer said. That's 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:45.560 plenty of time to find the immigration center. And poured in. 0:17:45.880 --> 0:17:48.480 If you're caught driving around the Kingdom after that, it 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:51.919 won't end well for you. They drove on, but it 0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:55.000 was slow going. After the checkpoint, the roads into Dallas 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.440 were choked with ruined vehicles and actual traffic. It looked 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:00.760 as if hundreds of people had taken a heavenly kingdom 0:18:00.840 --> 0:18:04.600 up on its amnesty offer. Roland couldn't fault them for that. 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:08.320 The Kingdom seemed to be winning. As they rolled towards Plano, 0:18:08.359 --> 0:18:11.199 they were stopped regularly by patrolling martyrs and asked to 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:13.840 present their papers, But bit by bit they made their 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:16.800 way onto and through the packed and crumbling highways of 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:20.640 Old Dallas. At one point they found themselves installed traffic 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:24.000 on Highway seventy five, overlooking the cratered ruins of the 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:28.000 Lakewood Blast. He felt cold October air. He smelled barrel 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:30.760 fires and heard the sharp crack of rifley. He saw 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:33.240 flashes of a face it might have been Gem's, and 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:36.000 he remembered the feeling of a cold metal handle attached 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:39.760 to something heavy dense. He remembered yelling to a small, 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:43.280 sweaty hand held tight in his own. He remembered guilt, 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:47.920 what's up, Manny asked. He looked over at Roland and 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:50.520 his eyes widened. Dude, you're shaking. Don't tell me you're 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:52.440 flipping out now. We're way too deep in this thing. 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:56.520 Roland shook his head. It's it's it's nothing, he said. 0:18:56.920 --> 0:18:58.720 Just a piece of an old memory hit me in 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:00.880 the face. I think I've was in town when that 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:04.280 fucker went off. The young man's pupils grew as big 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:09.200 as saucers virga, he spent. You're fullish shit, Roland shrugged. 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:11.439 I don't know. Maybe it's just a piece of a memory. 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:14.400 I might be confusing it with something else. Sure got 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:18.000 triggered by seeing the blast side, though Manny was not 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:21.640 satisfied by that answer. I refuse to believe that someone 0:19:21.640 --> 0:19:24.320 could watch an atom bomb evisceraate a city and not 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:26.280 have a clear memory of it. I had to take 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:29.760 anti Radtoll's my whole childhood because of that bomb. I 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:32.920 don't have any clear memories, kid, none from further back 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:35.480 than about I guess, five or eight years ago. I 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:37.920 don't have a whole lot of clear memories since then either, 0:19:38.040 --> 0:19:40.840 But that's from the drugs. What the hell happened to you? 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:43.800 Manny asked, I thought you post humans all had hard 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:46.159 drives running through your blood. Were you too cheap to 0:19:46.200 --> 0:19:50.199 pay for a photographic memory? Roland scratched his neck. He 0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:52.960 wasn't ditchy, it was a nervous gesture. He was a 0:19:52.960 --> 0:19:55.480 little fascinated at the fact that this line of questioning 0:19:55.520 --> 0:19:58.640 made him feel nervous. He really couldn't remember the last 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:01.439 time a conversation had made him feel that way. Weird. 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:05.240 I got hurt, was all he could honestly say. I 0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:08.119 don't remember much of anything from before the revolution. Help, 0:20:08.440 --> 0:20:12.320 I don't really remember the revolution. The line of cars 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:15.600 started moving again. Many popped the car back into drive, 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.800 and they rolled further into the Heavenly Kingdom. Both men 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:22.640 were quiet for a minute until Roland spoke again, That's 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:25.440 why I'm doing this, you know. He wasn't sure why 0:20:25.480 --> 0:20:27.639 he was saying all this, but Roland found he couldn't 0:20:27.680 --> 0:20:30.760 stop himself. Jim, the guy who brought me on, you know, 0:20:30.880 --> 0:20:33.560 some fucking East Coast search and who specializes in post 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:36.640 human brains. They think they can give me back my memory. 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:40.120 This rescue mission is That's how I pay for that. 0:20:41.040 --> 0:20:44.439 Are you sure you want those memories? Back. Manny asked, 0:20:44.840 --> 0:20:46.520