Speaker 1: Chapter ten, Mannie, it couldn't have been much past ten
Speaker 1: in the morning when they arrived at the City of Wheels,
Speaker 1: Topaz and Skullfucker. Mike had helped him and Reggie into
Speaker 1: an open topped red buggy they had apparently driven out
Speaker 1: to the ambush. The old vehicle beat the hell out
Speaker 1: of walking, but it had not been built with comfort
Speaker 1: in mind. Every bump and jostle on the road sent
Speaker 1: Payne shooting up from Mannie's fucked knee to what felt
Speaker 1: like a small forest of tears in his shoulder muscles.
Speaker 1: Mike the driver kept the vehicle at a conspicuously slow pace,
Speaker 1: but he heard all the same. The ten minute drive
Speaker 1: was agony, but then rolling Fuck came into view and
Speaker 1: all thought of pain faded from Mannie's mind. The main
Speaker 1: structure of the city had once been a colossal Bagger
Speaker 1: two eighty eight strip mining machine. It looked like a
Speaker 1: sideways skyscraper sized spider made of scaffolding and cranes. At
Speaker 1: the center of the vehicle was a four story building
Speaker 1: on a massive set of treads. Four spindley towers rose
Speaker 1: up out of that main structure and in a giant
Speaker 1: half circle in the air around it. A gantryway the
Speaker 1: length of a football field connected the spindles to a
Speaker 1: mighty steel arm at the end of the structure. It
Speaker 1: had once housed an enormous wheel bucket mining apparatus, but
Speaker 1: that had been replaced by a queer cube structure. It
Speaker 1: sat high in the air and gleamed in a shade
Speaker 1: of black that made Manny's stomach hurt. The overwhelming motif
Speaker 1: of Rolling Fuck was after market. The spindle towers had
Speaker 1: originally looked like scaffolding and mainly existed to offset the
Speaker 1: weight of that Titanic arm, but they'd been built on
Speaker 1: and added to with a series of tree house looking contraptions.
Speaker 1: He saw people, hundreds of them, climbing from door to
Speaker 1: door via a series of ladders, ropes, and what looked
Speaker 1: like vines. Below the main body of the city, a
Speaker 1: series of vehicles surrounded the vast rolling building that made
Speaker 1: up the city's foundation. Many saw long haul trucks, deuce
Speaker 1: and a half army transports, and at least one old
Speaker 1: Abrams tank. Hundreds of sets of solar panels glistened under
Speaker 1: the Texas sun. God Reggie whispered ah temporarily overwhelming his pain,
Speaker 1: but didn't realize any of the road tribes with this lodge.
Speaker 1: There were easily two or three thousand people visible in
Speaker 1: the sprawling camp. Mike glanced back at Reggie a somewhat
Speaker 1: stern look on his face. This is not a tribe,
Speaker 1: it's a city, oh, said Reggie. That's just how a
Speaker 1: lot of people back home refer to I get it,
Speaker 1: Mike interrupted, But there are actual indigenous tribes out on
Speaker 1: these roads, Comanche bands and the Panhandle roving up from
Speaker 1: New Mexico to Colorado. We've got defensive and trade agreements
Speaker 1: with a few different groups of Apache out west. The
Speaker 1: Navajo have the only stable territory south of Mormon Land
Speaker 1: and north of Albuquerque. Mike glanced back at the road
Speaker 1: long enough to steer around a pothole and turn them
Speaker 1: in the direction of what looked to be a greater station.
Speaker 1: Then he continued, anyway, there are tribes out west, but
Speaker 1: we're a city. The fact that we don't hold any
Speaker 1: land or control any territory is important to most of
Speaker 1: the folks here. Think of it as a kind of
Speaker 1: rebellion from people born to a settler culture. Ah. Reggie nodded,
Speaker 1: that's absolutely fascinating. I have so much I want to
Speaker 1: ask in good time, Buddy Mike said, Let's get y'all
Speaker 1: settled in first. Manny knew that every foreign correspondent he'd
Speaker 1: never met would kill to have the opportunity Reggie had
Speaker 1: just lucked into the road. People were a popular topic
Speaker 1: in world media. He supposed that wasn't surprising. They all
Speaker 1: led visually spectacular lives. Rolling Fuck was just the grandest
Speaker 1: variation on a theme. It was famous across the West
Speaker 1: for having the highest proportion of post human citizens. Something
Speaker 1: like a third of them were chromed enough to no
Speaker 1: longer fit into the Homo sapiens category. Manny had never
Speaker 1: heard of them traveling this close to Dallas before they
Speaker 1: were banned in all of the Republic cities. People with
Speaker 1: military grade mods were uncontrollable. That and cultural PTSD from
Speaker 1: the war made them pariahs pretty much everywhere. The main
Speaker 1: structure of the city was encircled by a ring of
Speaker 1: thirty ish large and heavily customed to r vs. A
Speaker 1: few dozen smaller vehicles, many of them bearing sundry armaments,
Speaker 1: were scattered throughout the campground. The only thing that resembled
Speaker 1: a checkpoint was a tidy, little one room trailer with
Speaker 1: a bright welcome sign above it. Mike steered them into
Speaker 1: park in front of it. The guard who approached them
Speaker 1: was a shirtless, dreadlocked person with dusky brown skin and
Speaker 1: an automatic shotgun to pass kissed them. Then the guard
Speaker 1: greeted Manny and Reggie, Welcome to Rolling Fuck. Rules are
Speaker 1: don't start, no ship, won't be no ship cool. Manny nodded,
Speaker 1: so did the brit All right, they said, enjoy. Manny
Speaker 1: was a little shocked by how loud it was. Several
Speaker 1: of the camps appeared to have been built mainly out
Speaker 1: of speakers. There were a handful of open air bars
Speaker 1: outside the main structure of the city, heterogeneous mixes of
Speaker 1: teaky torches, brightly colored silk shade structures, and scrap metal
Speaker 1: bar tables. Despite the early hour, quite a few people
Speaker 1: were drinking and dancing. Manny noted more p what we're
Speaker 1: doing the former than the latter. Most people were either
Speaker 1: naked or wearing a few pieces of light ornamental clothing.
Speaker 1: Nearly everyone carried a firearm. He looked over to the
Speaker 1: journalist and noticed that Reggie was blinking rapidly and working
Speaker 1: his jaw. His arm was still dislocated, and it seemed
Speaker 1: to pain him as much as Manny was pained by
Speaker 1: his leg. Manny sense of professional pride lit up again,
Speaker 1: and he leaned forward to speak to their hosts. I
Speaker 1: don't mean to seem ungrateful, he said, but is there
Speaker 1: some way we could see a medic? We're pretty shredded
Speaker 1: back here? Yeah? Yeah, skullfucker Mike grunted topes, and I
Speaker 1: got some meta ship in our trailer. We'll get you.
Speaker 1: Just suck it up a bit longer, and oh. He
Speaker 1: popped open the glove compartment. Inside it, Manny could see
Speaker 1: a handgun, a battered can of Miller High Life, and
Speaker 1: a large bottle of pills. Skullfucker Mike passed the bottle
Speaker 1: back Boxy printed him out myself like two weeks back.
Speaker 1: Probably shouldn't take more than two or three unless you've
Speaker 1: got a robust, fucking Narco suite in your brain. Meat.
Speaker 1: Manny took two, Reggie took four. Mike added the little
Speaker 1: buggy through the organized chaos of the encampment and towards
Speaker 1: a large silver air stream parked about a dozen feet
Speaker 1: away from what Manny guessed was the backside of rolling fuck.
Speaker 1: He guessed that because someone had bolted a twenty foot
Speaker 1: tall license plate to that end of the city. It
Speaker 1: said honk please in glowing white letters. The Bucky slowed
Speaker 1: to a stop and skullfucker Mike hopped out. He put
Speaker 1: out a hand as Manny and Reggie started to stand,
Speaker 1: Hold up, guys, y'all are just covered in pieces of
Speaker 1: dead people. He went up to the air stream and
Speaker 1: came out moments later with one armful of towels and
Speaker 1: a large jug of hot, soapy water. Manny and Reggie
Speaker 1: washed their hands and faces, pulled off their shirts, and
Speaker 1: scrubbed the blood from their chests. The brit looked over
Speaker 1: at Topaz when it came time to take off his pants. Um,
Speaker 1: he said. When she made no motion to hide her face,
Speaker 1: she asked, would you mind turning around? Oh? She seemed surprised.
Speaker 1: Her face went a bit red, but not with embarrassment
Speaker 1: at their impending nudity. I didn't even think about it.
Speaker 1: Do people come from the world? She turned. Reggie and
Speaker 1: Manny scrubbed most of the blood off their aching wounded bodies.
Speaker 1: Skullfucker Mike brought them a pair of fluffy white robes,
Speaker 1: buddled them up and ushered them inside the air stream.
Speaker 1: It was tame by comparison to the grand weird wheeled
Speaker 1: city above them. The gleaming silver vehicle had been modified
Speaker 1: with a roof top greenhouse that was filled with pot
Speaker 1: plants and some squat bush with red berries Manny had
Speaker 1: never seen before. The back had been extended, and the
Speaker 1: stainless steel replaced by an enormous bay window. As he entered,
Speaker 1: Mannie was hit by a wave of cold air and
Speaker 1: the strong smell of marijuana. Roughly half the trailer's interior
Speaker 1: was taken up by a huge popissan bed covered in
Speaker 1: velvet blankets and dozens of furs. A circular table started
Speaker 1: right where the bed ended, and the rest of the
Speaker 1: trailer was a large glass walled combination bathroom bar. There
Speaker 1: did not appear to be a kitchen. Manny's leg had
Speaker 1: started throbbing as soon as he stood up to eggit
Speaker 1: the buggy, so he dropped into the first seat he
Speaker 1: could find, a little padded bench by the table opposite
Speaker 1: the bed. Reggie sat down on the other side of
Speaker 1: the table table. Manny noticed that he looked nervous, sweaty.
Speaker 1: The journalist's hand shook just a little. His skin seemed pale.
Speaker 1: Topaz came in after them, followed by skullfucker Mike. She
Speaker 1: hopped over the table with a grace of a deer
Speaker 1: jumping a fence, and in one smooth motion, spun round
Speaker 1: and settled into a cross legged sit on the plush mattress.
Speaker 1: Schoolfucker Mike walked up to the bar and pulled down
Speaker 1: a large white bottle with the words Rufies written across
Speaker 1: it in black marker. He took two pint glasses, filled
Speaker 1: them three quarters up with the white liquid, and then
Speaker 1: added a splash of cranberry juice to each glass. Scully
Speaker 1: Topaz sounded reproachful. Mike stiffened, then dropped his shoulders in contrition.
Speaker 1: He turned towards them, Sorry, guys, my manners are burnt out.
Speaker 1: Would either of you like a G teeny? Neither of
Speaker 1: them answered for a long second. It was Reggie who
Speaker 1: finally responded, gee teeny. Mike laughed, Yeah, that's what Topes
Speaker 1: and I call G HB and cranberry juice really hits
Speaker 1: the spot after shooting something, I can make you, guys,
Speaker 1: some human sized portions. No thanks, Manny and Reggie said
Speaker 1: at the exact same time. The big man handed one
Speaker 1: glass to Topaz and belted down the other himself. The
Speaker 1: woman took two gulps to finish hers. She handed her
Speaker 1: cup to Mike and he walked back to the bar
Speaker 1: to fill both glasses again. Reggie looked shocked. I'm fairly
Speaker 1: certain you just ingested enough GHB to kill two normal humans.
Speaker 1: Tope has shrugged. Let's say what we've had so far
Speaker 1: as only or so of a fatal dose for some
Speaker 1: one your size and metabolism and mods Scully is better
Speaker 1: at drugging people, though, skullfucker. Mike finished pouring two more
Speaker 1: g tenys and nodded, She's about right. The brit drinks more,
Speaker 1: though I'd say he could take a heavier dose than
Speaker 1: what what was your name again, Manny? Manny gasped out,
Speaker 1: and would it be too much to ask for like
Speaker 1: some medical care? We are both in tremendous pain. Topaz
Speaker 1: and skullfucker Mike looked ashamed. Geez, Topaz side fucking hell, guys,
Speaker 1: We're so sorry, added Mike. Then he grabbed a long
Speaker 1: knife from his belt and gouged it deep into his wrist.
Speaker 1: Reggie damn near jumped out of his chair. Manny kept still.
Speaker 1: The pills had started to help, but he was in
Speaker 1: too much pain to react to anything with Gusto. It's
Speaker 1: all right, Topez assured them, and the kind of voice
Speaker 1: Manny remembered his mom using on their cat when it
Speaker 1: was sick. I know it looks weird, but he's helping, helping,
Speaker 1: Reggie gasped as Skullfucker Mike positioned his open wound over
Speaker 1: a shot glass, jammed the knife and slightly to the left,
Speaker 1: and let a thick strand of his syrupy red blood
Speaker 1: fill the glass. He filled a second one in the
Speaker 1: same manner. Then he pulled the knife free, set it
Speaker 1: on the bar counter, and handed the shots to Manny
Speaker 1: and Reggie. By the time he reached them, many noticed
Speaker 1: that the big man's wounded arm had already scabbed over.
Speaker 1: Don't worry, skullfucker, Mike smiled. My blood's pretty sterile, and
Speaker 1: it's full of good robots. They'll take care of you.
Speaker 1: Manny took the shot right away. He knew it was
Speaker 1: working when he felt pain from the wounds in his
Speaker 1: back again. That meant Mike's blood had fixed whatever god
Speaker 1: awful thing had happened to his knee well enough that
Speaker 1: it barely throbbed. Mertus Santa, the curse slipped out. Man.
Speaker 1: He felt better, great, in fact, but kind of queasy.
Speaker 1: At the same time, he felt somehow in motion, almost
Speaker 1: as if his whole body were shifting and burbling, like
Speaker 1: the contents of his gut. The fixer glanced at his
Speaker 1: journalist and nodded to the empty shot. It's a it's good.
Speaker 1: Reggie looked terrified. His knuckles were white. The journalist gripped
Speaker 1: the edges of the table like he was holding on
Speaker 1: for dear life. I am fine, he gritted out, A
Speaker 1: damn it, Scully. Topaz said, you've scared the poor kid
Speaker 1: with your damned wizard blood shit, said skullfucker Mike. Sorry,
Speaker 1: we were trying real hard not to trip your head.
Speaker 1: Topaz nodded. The gesture looked a little telegraphed, as if
Speaker 1: she were out of practice with making it stock Sapiens
Speaker 1: like yourself don't always do well around folks like me
Speaker 1: and Mike. We moved too fast, or we've got too
Speaker 1: many weird extra parts. I don't know. It's probably different
Speaker 1: for every one of us, but your brains definitely read
Speaker 1: monster when you see us. Oh, Reggie croaked, You're not
Speaker 1: mom sters. You've both been very polite private hoasts ah,
Speaker 1: said Mike. It's got nothing to do with how nice
Speaker 1: we are, aren't. It's how your brain reacts to the
Speaker 1: way we look and move. It's because we're fucking monsters, Scully,
Speaker 1: She fixed her eyes on the journalist. I don't mean
Speaker 1: that in a bad sense, but like we've taken a
Speaker 1: big damn step out of anything near to nature. Nothing
Speaker 1: is supposed to be the way we are. It's normal
Speaker 1: for humans to feel weird when they're around us for
Speaker 1: the first time. Oh well, said Reggie. Maybe don't slice
Speaker 1: your wrists open in front of company in the future,
Speaker 1: or at least do it behind a screen. Mike nodded
Speaker 1: as if that had been a profound suggestion. Then he
Speaker 1: handed Topaz her second g teny and belted down his own.
Speaker 1: They were both visibly intoxicated now. Topas his eyes looked unfocused,
Speaker 1: and she sprawled out backwards on the bed and cuddled
Speaker 1: absent mindedly with one of the fur blankets on her bed.
Speaker 1: Mike drifted off to tapping his foot to a beat
Speaker 1: Manny couldn't hear, and drumming his fingers on the bar
Speaker 1: top to what looked like a completely different beat. The
Speaker 1: journalist stared at his bloodshot. It looked like it had
Speaker 1: begun to clot. A thin rind had formed across the top.
Speaker 1: Reggie was an obvious pain, but he was just as
Speaker 1: obviously too squeamish to drink a stranger's blood. Manny felt
Speaker 1: a lot better, though it was weird how fast Mike's
Speaker 1: blood had worked. He found himself worrying at the scab
Speaker 1: for a gash he'd received on his forearm, only for
Speaker 1: the scab to fall away and reveal clean new skin underneath.
Speaker 1: An hour ago it had been a bleeding wound. It
Speaker 1: really works, man, he told Reggie. Just trust me, choke
Speaker 1: it down. Reggie didn't look convinced. Think about what a
Speaker 1: story this will make for everyone back home, Manny said,
Speaker 1: you escaped to kill your drone and drink the blood
Speaker 1: of an immortal. You'll dine out on that for years.
Speaker 1: Reggie still looked pale and rather disgusted, but he put
Speaker 1: his fingers around the shot, closed his eyes, and then
Speaker 1: gulped it down. Many heard him wretch once and then twice.
Speaker 1: Tears beat it at the corners of the journalist's eye,
Speaker 1: but then he swallowed and slumped back in his chair. Schofucker.
Speaker 1: Mike was hard at work mixing up another batch of cocktails.
Speaker 1: These ones seemed to just be normal gin and tonics,
Speaker 1: four of them. There's not anything fucking crazy about those drinks,
Speaker 1: is there, Manny asked. Mike shrugged two shots of gin,
Speaker 1: splash a tonic. Nothing you normies can't handle. Neither of
Speaker 1: us asked for a drink. Manny said, yeah. Topez yawned
Speaker 1: from her place stretched out on the bed. But he
Speaker 1: almost died today. You should always have a drink after
Speaker 1: almost dying. Listen to Topez, said Mike, as he passed
Speaker 1: out the drinks. She's almost died more than almost anyone
Speaker 1: I know. Reggie came alive as his hands touched the drink.
Speaker 1: He gulped it down faster than either of the post humans.
Speaker 1: Manny took a couple of slight SIPs of his own.
Speaker 1: It was heinously strong before he sat the glass down
Speaker 1: and asked, polite as he could manage, So why are
Speaker 1: we here and why were you there? That kind of
Speaker 1: luck doesn't just happen, and now we're just all gonna
Speaker 1: what hang out in your trailer getting lit? Would that
Speaker 1: really be so bad, asked Mike Scully. Topaz said, in
Speaker 1: a warning tone, He's right, and it'd be rude of
Speaker 1: us to pretend we've got altruistic motives here. She looked
Speaker 1: Manny in his eyes. It was a little unnerving because
Speaker 1: her left eye was a notably different shade of brown
Speaker 1: than her right one, and then there were her metal fangs.
Speaker 1: Look kid, she said. We got a duty to help
Speaker 1: strangers in immediate need. It's rule number one for all
Speaker 1: the monsters here. But we were out there because we
Speaker 1: were looking for someone like you, a fixer. He felt
Speaker 1: dumb as soon as he asked to her credit, Topas
Speaker 1: just smiled. A citizen of the Republic of Texas, one
Speaker 1: who's not afraid of dangerous work, Mike added, and judging
Speaker 1: by the day you've had, I'm I guess you've a
Speaker 1: certain familiarity with danger. What about me, Reggie asked. Mike
Speaker 1: put a hand on the journalist's shoulder. Man He guessed
Speaker 1: it was meant as a calming gesture, but the Brits
Speaker 1: still flinched at the contact. Don't worry, Guy said, Mike.
Speaker 1: We'll get you back to Austin or wherever's got an
Speaker 1: airport that'll fly at home. Your friends the only one
Speaker 1: who's help we need. What help do you need? Manny asked.
Speaker 1: The best person to take that question is up in
Speaker 1: the city. Topaz said, you guys up for a bit
Speaker 1: of a trick men. He stood halfway to test the
Speaker 1: strength of his knee. It felt good as good as new.
Speaker 1: In fact, his back and shoulders, which had been peppered
Speaker 1: with shrapnel, just itched now. He didn't even feel particularly tired.
Speaker 1: On the other side of the table, Reggie looked to
Speaker 1: be doing well too. He worked his formerly dislocated shoulder
Speaker 1: in its socket and gave Manny the thumbs up. Apparently so,
Speaker 1: he said. Rolling Fuck had not been built by the
Speaker 1: mines or for the comfort of mortal men. That much
Speaker 1: was obvious. The second the elevator doors closed, the narrow
Speaker 1: metal box launched up with the force of a rocket.
Speaker 1: It climbed six stories in the space of about a second.
Speaker 1: By the time it stopped and the doors slid open
Speaker 1: with a pleasant ding, Manny and Reggie were both on
Speaker 1: the edge of vomiting. A ship topes, Mike said, you
Speaker 1: forgot to drop the speed back down to normal. Topez
Speaker 1: looked genuinely distraught. Fuck me with a splintery dick, she cursed.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, guys. This is the nearest elevator to our trailer.
Speaker 1: It doesn't normally take humans. The city's got an elevator
Speaker 1: under each spindle, Mike explained. There's also a big lift
Speaker 1: under the main roller that's what we call the big
Speaker 1: building on treads in the middle, and another behind the
Speaker 1: rear roller. Humans tend to stick to the rollers. It
Speaker 1: gets weird up in the spindles. Weird, Reggie asked, weird skullfucker.
Speaker 1: Mike leaned down and hissed the word into the journalist's ear.
Speaker 1: He winked at the brit in a way that somehow
Speaker 1: suggested both coitus and violence. Topaz punched Mike's shoulder and annoyance.
Speaker 1: She gestured for Manny and Reggie to follow her down
Speaker 1: the narrow metal hallway. We live life on a different
Speaker 1: scale than the rest of you, she said. We see
Speaker 1: more colors, hear more sounds. Most of us have at
Speaker 1: least a thousand times as many nerve endings, and no
Speaker 1: fear of mortality to draw the line between pleasure and pain.
Speaker 1: The kind of environments we enjoy can be intense to
Speaker 1: unmodified humans. Right as she said humans, the group emerged
Speaker 1: from the hallway into a wide, open gantry way. There
Speaker 1: were no there was no ceiling above them now, and
Speaker 1: a huge rectangular metal frame loomed over them, connected to
Speaker 1: the other spindles of the vehicle city via thick metal
Speaker 1: tension wire. The surface of the spindles had been covered
Speaker 1: in colorful bits of metal and wood, welded and nailed
Speaker 1: into dozens of crude structures that stippled up the iron
Speaker 1: frames like technicolor mushrooms. Everything was covered in lights and
Speaker 1: screens and buzzed with the hum of a thousand speakers.
Speaker 1: Reggie's pace slowed, the journalist's jaw was slack. He mouthed
Speaker 1: what must have been a curse, and then asked their guides,
Speaker 1: Is it okay if I record Skullfucker might grinned and
Speaker 1: clapped him on the shoulder. Of course, it's okay. If
Speaker 1: you ask nice, I might even let you film me
Speaker 1: in one of the fondel boats. What the hell is
Speaker 1: a Reggie started to ask, but then the first fondel
Speaker 1: boat came into view. At least many assumed that's what
Speaker 1: it was. A very large lifeboat hung off the gantry
Speaker 1: as if it was the deck of a cruise ship.
Speaker 1: The interior of the boat was all soft cushions, pillows, blankets,
Speaker 1: and about two dozen writhing naked people. Some of them
Speaker 1: were surely having sex, but it was hard to tell
Speaker 1: exactly what was going on. Manny saw several tails curled
Speaker 1: around limbs or jerking spasmodically in the air. His eyes
Speaker 1: were drawn to one mechanical limb that looked like a
Speaker 1: large metal chicken's foot. He watched it kick repeatedly into
Speaker 1: the chest of a young woman. She cried with joy
Speaker 1: at every impact. The whole mass of coiled post humanity
Speaker 1: gleamed wet in the morning light, coated with a mixture
Speaker 1: of blood and what looked like motor oil. Christ Reggie whispered.
Speaker 1: Mannie was at a loss for words. He felt a
Speaker 1: bit nauseous. He never considered himself a prude, but something
Speaker 1: about what was going on in the fondel boat just
Speaker 1: seemed wrong in the physic sense, not the moral sense.
Speaker 1: Probably best not to watch, said Topaz. It can make
Speaker 1: humans sick er. Yeah, Reggie coughed. Is that a common sight?
Speaker 1: Mike shrugged, It's not uncommon. We try to keep stuff
Speaker 1: like that on the outside spindles away from the rollers
Speaker 1: as a courtesy. They walked on, passed the boat and
Speaker 1: threw another covered section of the gantry way, surrounded by
Speaker 1: a half dozen little buildings that looked like shops. Many
Speaker 1: saw fruits and vegetables hanging in one, an assortment of
Speaker 1: labeled decks and other electronic googas on tables in another.
Speaker 1: It had the look of a Middle Eastern bazaar, but
Speaker 1: with no shopkeepers present. Y'all want food. Topaz stopped and
Speaker 1: gestured at the shop filled with produce. Manny held up
Speaker 1: his left hand, which had his cash ship, and planted
Speaker 1: in it. I've got Republic of Texas currency and some
Speaker 1: Californian crypto, if you guys take either. Mike and Topaz
Speaker 1: both laughed, and then Mike grabbed an apple and tossed
Speaker 1: it Manny's way. Many caught the fruit, although it was
Speaker 1: a near thing. We don't use money, not within the city, skullfucker,
Speaker 1: Mike explained. We do sell a lot of what we
Speaker 1: grow for foreign money's but that's mostly used to book
Speaker 1: bands or buy stuff. We can make. Nothing costs anything here,
Speaker 1: not to us and not to our guests. Y'all are guests.
Speaker 1: Topaz clarified. Manny hadn't really had time to think about
Speaker 1: his stomach in the hour since their explosion he wake
Speaker 1: up call. They'd been on the run and endanger the
Speaker 1: old time, but now that he had a moment to think,
Speaker 1: he felt a mild gnawing sensation in his gut. The
Speaker 1: journalist must have been in the same way, because he
Speaker 1: immediately set to piling fruit, bags of nuts, and a
Speaker 1: paper sack of vat grown jerky into his arms. Manny
Speaker 1: went for a bag of shelled pistachios himself, and the
Speaker 1: two munch to Skullfucker. Mike and Topaz led them across
Speaker 1: the spindles gantry and down towards the main roller. The
Speaker 1: main roller had once held the control center and engine
Speaker 1: room for the gargantuan strip mining vehicle and its conversion
Speaker 1: to rolling fuck. Two new levels built from a half
Speaker 1: dozen sorely abused airstream trailers had been added to the
Speaker 1: top four of the spindles, met on the roller's roof,
Speaker 1: which also hosted a lively cafe. There were around a
Speaker 1: dozen patrons drinking at the circular center bar, and perhaps
Speaker 1: a dozen lounging on cushions around low slung Moroccan style tables.
Speaker 1: Most of the customers looked human to Manny's eye. They
Speaker 1: wore an assortment of colorful, loose fitting garments, sarongs, long skirts,
Speaker 1: and caffeia's. Most of it looked handmade, although Manny was
Speaker 1: hardly an expert on such things. As they walked past
Speaker 1: the bar, Mike scooped up four pint glasses of dark
Speaker 1: brown lagger. He kept them in one hand. As he
Speaker 1: opened a metal hatch on the rooftop, Manny could see
Speaker 1: a ladder that led down into semi darkness. Mike nodded
Speaker 1: towards the ladder. Down you go. Beer. At the bottom,
Speaker 1: Manny and Reggie descended into a luxurious conference room. It
Speaker 1: was candlelit, dim enough to seem intimate, but bright enough
Speaker 1: for human navigation. A single redwood table dominated the space.
Speaker 1: It was twelve feet in diameter and low to the ground,
Speaker 1: like all the tables he'd seen in the cafe. Cushions
Speaker 1: and other colorful, lumpy, soft things surrounded it. One man
Speaker 1: and one woman were already seated cross legged around the table.
Speaker 1: Manny was shocked to see they were both quite old.
Speaker 1: The man was heavy set, with a lot of curly
Speaker 1: black hair piled atop his head and around his craggy
Speaker 1: lined face. Startlingly bright blue eyes stood out over the
Speaker 1: flickering candle light. He wore an old fashioned suit with
Speaker 1: a necktie and everything. It was the kind of suit
Speaker 1: a banker might have worn fifty years ago. If the
Speaker 1: old movies man he'd watched were close to act, You're it.
Speaker 1: He looked to be in his sixties, while the woman
Speaker 1: next to him seemed considerably older. Her face was so
Speaker 1: lying and her skin so thin she almost looked fake,
Speaker 1: like some kind of animatronic creation. No one looked that
Speaker 1: old anymore. The Austin Autonomous Region wasn't wealthy, but basic
Speaker 1: juven treatments were cheap and heavily subsidized. Even the poor
Speaker 1: could afford to combat the worst side effects of aging.
Speaker 1: Things were different in the Republic of Texas proper, but
Speaker 1: none of the poor there lived long enough to look
Speaker 1: like this woman. She wore high waisted purple yoga pants
Speaker 1: and a very tight T shirt with a faded print
Speaker 1: of a five fingered bart Simpson flipping the bird. Her
Speaker 1: hair was completely white and bound behind her in a
Speaker 1: tight ponytail. She smiled at Manny when he looked at her.
Speaker 1: The old woman's teeth were as white as her hair.
Speaker 1: Hello there, young men, she said, in a voice that
Speaker 1: evoked the platonic ideal of a grandma. Hello, Topaz, Mike schofucker, Mike,
Speaker 1: ma'am skullfucker. Mike correct at her. As he came down
Speaker 1: the ladder. He handed Manny and Topaz each a beer
Speaker 1: and then found a cushion large and plush enough for
Speaker 1: his bulk and dropped down. Manny took his cue and
Speaker 1: found a seat. Reggie grabbed the cushion next to him.
Speaker 1: Topaz leaned against the back wall but stood as she
Speaker 1: introduced them. This is Mannie Sanchez, he's a fixer from
Speaker 1: the Austin region. And this is Reggie Sullivan. He works
Speaker 1: for the BBC. Manny Reggie, this is Nanna Yazzie, she's
Speaker 1: our eldest. And the less old fart is Donnie Ferris.
Speaker 1: He's a guest and a brit too. Wait the Donald Ferris,
Speaker 1: Reggie asked, the guy who made visions of blood. Yes,
Speaker 1: said the old man. Did you actually watch it or
Speaker 1: have you just seen a handful of ten second clips
Speaker 1: in your media feed over the years? Both actually, Reggie
Speaker 1: replied Donald grunted. Many had heard of Visions of Blood
Speaker 1: back in school. It was a documentary released a year
Speaker 1: before the Second American Civil War caught fire. It followed
Speaker 1: two Navajo Special Forces veterans as they organized a massive
Speaker 1: direct action campaign that started in Santa Fe but spread
Speaker 1: throughout the Southwest. His textbook had called it one of
Speaker 1: the major seeds of the Old u s as elapse.
Speaker 1: Reggie was clearly starstruck by Donald. Manny was more curious
Speaker 1: about the old woman. No matter where he turned his head,
Speaker 1: he couldn't quite seem to escape her eyes. She had
Speaker 1: this strange way of staring at him without really staring.
Speaker 1: It made Mannie feel somehow naked and vaguely comforted all
Speaker 1: at the same time. Nana meant grandma, which made sense,
Speaker 1: but he wasn't sure what the rest of her title
Speaker 1: meant exactly. Are you in charge, then, he asked her.
Speaker 1: In response, everyone but Reggie chuckled. No one is in
Speaker 1: charge here, said Nana Yazzi. That will become increasingly clear
Speaker 1: the longer you stay. I'm the eldest, which means exactly
Speaker 1: what it sounds like. I'm old as dirt, and I'm
Speaker 1: older than any of the other dirt around here too.
Speaker 1: She eyed Donald Ferris and continued, when I give advice
Speaker 1: or have an opinion, some people listen. This is not
Speaker 1: a state, and I am not a head of state,
Speaker 1: but sometimes I play one for the folks outside or
Speaker 1: in policy, diplomatic relations, that sort of thing, mainly because
Speaker 1: no one else can be arst by the way. She added,
Speaker 1: Welcome to the city of Wheels or she frowned a
Speaker 1: little rolling fuck. I argued rather strenuously against that name,
Speaker 1: but I was outvoted. I like the name, said skullfucker Mike.
Speaker 1: It's fun city. Shouldn't take themselves too seriously. That's when
Speaker 1: the problems start. So why are we here, Manny asked.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm grateful, and all we're grateful. He nodded
Speaker 1: to Reggie. But I know y'all aren't just being nice.
Speaker 1: Mike said, you had dangerous work. Skullfucker Mike. Skullfucker Mike
Speaker 1: insisted again. Nanni Yazzi ignored him and replied to Manny,
Speaker 1: we do have a job for you, Miho. You are
Speaker 1: not required to take it, though if you say no,
Speaker 1: we'll still return you when your journalist friend to Austin,
Speaker 1: and if you do help us, you'll be compensated. So
Speaker 1: what is it you need? The old woman snapped her fingers.
Speaker 1: A projection screen hummed to life on the wall of
Speaker 1: the room that faced Manny and Reggie. It displayed three faces,
Speaker 1: two women and one man. They all looked young, although
Speaker 1: that meant very little. One woman was white and kept
Speaker 1: her hair in a bright purple mohawk. The other was
Speaker 1: as bald as skullfucker mic, with round cheeks, green scowling eyes,
Speaker 1: and skin a little darker than Manny's. The young man
Speaker 1: was very pale. He appeared to be of Chinese descent,
Speaker 1: and his exposed skin was covered in scarified symbols from
Speaker 1: a language Mannie didn't recognize. From left to right, Marigold Fulton,
Speaker 1: Tooley Black Elk and Rick Hartford. They're all citizens and
Speaker 1: they act as our negotiators when the city is in
Speaker 1: the southwest. Two days ago they arrived in Plaino to
Speaker 1: negotiate a trade deal with the Republic of Texas. We
Speaker 1: have quite a lot of processed coffee, and we were
Speaker 1: hoping to trade it for She trailed off a bit
Speaker 1: and her cheeks reddened. Manny thought she looked embarrassed for snacks. Snacks,
Speaker 1: Reggie asked, yes, she nodded. The Frido Le Corporation is,
Speaker 1: or at least was still headquartered in Plaino. The junk
Speaker 1: food they produces harder to find out west. We mostly
Speaker 1: wanted Cheeto's. Topez licked her lips. For whatever reason, the
Speaker 1: imitations we print out here just don't cut it. We
Speaker 1: barred everywhere we go, Nana Yazzi continued, and since posthumans
Speaker 1: aren't welcome and most populated areas, our negotiators are all
Speaker 1: pretty close to baseline. They traveled unarmed into Plaino. The
Speaker 1: city fell six hours after they arrived. Reggie grunted. Two
Speaker 1: days ago, people were telling me the kingdom was on
Speaker 1: its last legs. Yes, Nana Yazi said, it would appear
Speaker 1: they are not quite the paper tiger everyone expected. We're
Speaker 1: still scrambling for good data, but it's safe to say
Speaker 1: they've pilfered the majority of the Republic's heavy equipment and
Speaker 1: converted as much as half their standing army. At the
Speaker 1: same time, Plaino fell, dozens of Christian militias across Texas
Speaker 1: launched fresh offensives. Galveston is still holding, but that could
Speaker 1: change at any moment. Houston blew their levies and flooded
Speaker 1: half the city in order to save the other half.
Speaker 1: But that also means the Kingdom can move on to
Speaker 1: Austin without worrying about their flank. They pushed the stf
Speaker 1: entirely out of Siada de Muerta, so there's nothing left
Speaker 1: between them and your home. Donald Ferris spoke up grave
Speaker 1: and gravelly. We know that the offensives started with dozens
Speaker 1: of autonomous car bombings at checkpoints and fortifications. We don't
Speaker 1: know how they managed it. What's important now, Nana Yazzi continued,
Speaker 1: is that three of our people have been captured. Manny
Speaker 1: fought down a spike of anger. With all due respect, Nana,
Speaker 1: he said, in a deliberately neutral tone. They just conquered
Speaker 1: the city I was born in. I've probably lost a
Speaker 1: dozen friends in These god fascists are only what two
Speaker 1: hours away from Austin ninety minutes. Donald said, they seem
Speaker 1: to be a holding position now, digesting them meal, but
Speaker 1: they'll be on the march soon. I expect the vaunted
Speaker 1: Austin defense forces will be able to hold them off
Speaker 1: for oh a good four or five days, maybe a week.
Speaker 1: Unless he glanced over to Nanni Yazzi, she nodded in agreement. Unless, asked, Manny,
Speaker 1: Unless Nana agreed, unless our militia comes to their aid.
Speaker 1: We're not in the habit of fighting other people's battles,
Speaker 1: but we're also not in the habit of letting regressives win.
Speaker 1: I asked for a vote. Once we learned our people
Speaker 1: had been captured. Our fighters, most of them agreed to
Speaker 1: stop the Heavenly Kingdom's advance and give your people time
Speaker 1: to coordinate a proper defense. But there's a catch, ah,
Speaker 1: Manny was starting to get it. If you step in,
Speaker 1: they'll kill your people. Nani Yazzi nodded, yes, and none
Speaker 1: of our fighters are willing to risk that. Well, I'm
Speaker 1: not sure what you want from me, Manny said, I'm
Speaker 1: a talker, not a fighter. A talker is exactly what
Speaker 1: we need, Immanuel Nani Yazzi assured him. Many winced in
Speaker 1: irritation at the use of his full name, Manny. He insisted,
Speaker 1: in the same tone, skullfucker might get used a little
Speaker 1: earlier as you say, what kind of talking do you
Speaker 1: want me to do? He asked. I'm sure you've all
Speaker 1: got better negotiators than me, perhaps, but you've got something
Speaker 1: none of our people possess. You're a citizen of the Republic,
Speaker 1: and the Heavenly Kingdom has just issued a general amnesty
Speaker 1: for all citizens willing to repent and declare allegiance. You
Speaker 1: know how the people in this region talk. You won't
Speaker 1: arouse suspicion if you enter. So you want me to
Speaker 1: find your people and then what break them out? I
Speaker 1: can barely shoot straight. I don't think I'm the man
Speaker 1: to execute a prison break. They've got plenty of fight
Speaker 1: a son, Donald Ferris growled. But if two peas and
Speaker 1: schofucker Mike han' keyed you in on this, the chrome
Speaker 1: don't exactly good at blending. He's right, Nana smiled sadly.
Speaker 1: We'll pair you with someone who could do the violence,
Speaker 1: but we'll need you to get them close enough to
Speaker 1: find our people in effect an escape. You'll need to
Speaker 1: help our person maintain their cover. Many felt a powerful
Speaker 1: anger boil up inside his belly. So basically, you and
Speaker 1: your militia are holding my homeland hostage, and if I
Speaker 1: don't risk my coulo to save your negotiators, Austin dies, Miho,
Speaker 1: it's nothing as sinister as that our people want to fight.
Speaker 1: But but Donald picked up, we're all family here, and
Speaker 1: family comes before corrupt, fractious foreign militia's and equally corrupt
Speaker 1: fractures foreign cities. Old told I'd say it's a good
Speaker 1: deal for you. What was your plan before this meeting,
Speaker 1: Nana Yazi asked. Many opened his mouth to respond, but
Speaker 1: realized he did have a clear answer. He hadn't exactly
Speaker 1: had much time to puzzle that out, and any time
Speaker 1: he'd tried, he thought about Oscar, his missing stringer, and
Speaker 1: that made him want to panic. He's dead or worse,
Speaker 1: and there's nothing you can do about it. What you
Speaker 1: can do is by a fucking plane ticket and begged
Speaker 1: the Germans to take you in as a refugee. That
Speaker 1: seemed like a good plan, or at least the best
Speaker 1: of a bunch of shitty options. But a scornful voice
Speaker 1: rose up from the dark recesses of his semi withered conscience.
Speaker 1: What about his wife? Are you just gonna leave her broken? Widowed?
Speaker 1: You have to at least give her something. I'm flying
Speaker 1: to Germany, he said, or maybe France, wherever I can
Speaker 1: get the cheapest ticket, either in Austin or El Paso.
Speaker 1: How much money do you have saved up, son, Donald
Speaker 1: Ferris asked, they won't issue a long term visa unless
Speaker 1: you've got at least sixty grand Californian Manny hit a
Speaker 1: little more than half that less once he paid off
Speaker 1: Oscar's wife widow. Fuck man, you sent him out there.
Speaker 1: The uncertainty and despair must have been obvious on his face.
Speaker 1: Both Donald Ferris and Nana Yazzi gave him the sort
Speaker 1: of looks normally reserved for wounded kittens. I may be
Speaker 1: able to help, the old brit said, I do have
Speaker 1: some connections in Germany, people who might sponsor your visa
Speaker 1: if you help. The thought of a visa, the mental
Speaker 1: image of seeing one stamped in his otherwise worthless passport
Speaker 1: was intoxicating Mann. He'd never traveled outside of Texas, but
Speaker 1: he had kept at all times an active passport. It
Speaker 1: had been the physical anchor for his wildest dreams, and
Speaker 1: now Donald Ferris was telling him he could make something
Speaker 1: as magical as a visa real Manny almost swooned. Do
Speaker 1: I have to decide now? He asked, careful to keep
Speaker 1: his tone as calm as he could manage. Of course not,
Speaker 1: Nana Yazi said, that would be terribly unfair. You should
Speaker 1: get some sleep and then a proper breakfast. There's certainly
Speaker 1: enough time for that. And you look exhausted he was.
Speaker 1: Now that the excitement of the morning had faded, he
Speaker 1: felt gripped by a bone deep weariness that was not
Speaker 1: at all helped by the dim lighting and comfortable cushions
Speaker 1: around him. Reggie should have been even more tired but
Speaker 1: with the jet lag, but the journalist looked hurt, jittery,
Speaker 1: despite the bags under his eyes. If it's possible, Reggie said,
Speaker 1: and you have one, I could really use a high
Speaker 1: speed data connection. My deck's been spotty since the shooting started.
Speaker 1: I've got a lot to upload to the company's servers,
Speaker 1: and I should probably check in with my editors, let
Speaker 1: them know I'm not dead, etcetera, etcetera. That won't be
Speaker 1: a problem. She stood, and her knees popped audibly with
Speaker 1: the movement. She grunted, and then continued. Topaz and Mike
Speaker 1: Schofucker Mike. We'll show you to a nice, relatively sound
Speaker 1: proof room. They'll hope you get onto our data tower.
Speaker 1: To Reggie, thank you. She looked at Manny again and
Speaker 1: fixed him with her sad grandmother's smile. We'll give you
Speaker 1: as much time to decide as we can. We expect
Speaker 1: the kingdom to hold for a few days, but we
Speaker 1: didn't expect them to launch an attack like this. So
Speaker 1: take that with a grain of salt. I'm texting Nana,
Speaker 1: Manny said, I take everything with salt. Hey, everybody, Robert
Speaker 1: Evans here. I hope you just enjoyed the chapter you
Speaker 1: listen to. I hope you enjoyed the chapters to come.
Speaker 1: If you would like to need the text version of
Speaker 1: this book either on the web or on your e
Speaker 1: reader as an e pub, you can find those on
Speaker 1: the website a t r book dot com. So again,
Speaker 1: the free ad free e pub and the text of
Speaker 1: every chapter will be on a t r book dot com.
Speaker 1: Thanks