Conquest ~ Indian Hill 3 ~ A Michael Talbot Adventure (51 page)

Dee snorted again. “Move and do not make me laugh again. “We Genogerians are a very serious species.”

The weight of the Colt
.
45, strapped to my leg should have been comforting but its added weight seemed to be dragging me down. My legs were becoming
wooden, and the kicker was that I had volunteered for this. Who volunteers for this kind of crap?

Some indistinct command rang out from atop a guard tower, I would imagine it was
‘
h
a
lt’
or ‘Drababan, where are you going with Michael Talbot
,
the escaped prisoner
?
’ It was most likely ‘
h
alt’ though because we weren’t shot on sight.

The guard motioned us forward with the wave of his rifle
.
Dee pushed me
toward
a rapidly opening gate.

“They travel a million light years in advanced spaceships and they can’t do any better than a chain link fence for a gate?” I asked Dee.

Dee pushed me in response. “Bigger and better fortifications will be up soon
,” he whispered
.
“
Stay quiet now
.”

“I have a prisoner, I would like to put his filthy vile self into the stockade before he ruins any chance I have of eating a meal.”

“You should have just eaten him
,”
t
he guard said pointing
toward
a small building that had no windows
.
I
t looked to be a storage shed for a mechanics garage at one time before it became a prison.

“Move!” Dee shouted
,
pushing me in the back.

Another guard was outside the small structure
,
waiting to let me in.
The guard sneered at me as Dee shoved me into the darkened building. His nose wrinkled as I
passed him by
,
but he didn’t stop me to question
further
.

“You will need to report to the Camp Commandant
,” the guard said
,
speaking to Dee
in their native language. He would explain later the exchanges.

“Not that I care too much, but don’t eat that prisoner until he speaks with the Camp Commandant.”

“I’ve already eaten and if he tastes as bad as he smells
,
I don’t want any.”

Dee snorted a little then
spun on his heel and went to find the Commandant.

The room was dark but enough light was streaming in that I could tell there were others
nearby
.

“Sit your ass down before you step on someone
,
” I heard someone snarl to my right.

Always the diplomat
,
I told him to kiss my ass
.
H
e didn’t rise to the taunt. The gloom was making identification of the others impossible
.
Spindler had a slight build and I might be able to recognize him that way but most everyone here was on the floor wrapped up in whatever was available.

“Listen
,
buddy, I’m not going to tell you again, sit your ass down.” The man was now literally breathing down my neck.

He was a little bigger than me and was trying to use his size to intimidate me
.
Did he think this was prison and he had to convince everyone he was the head bull?

I turned to face him, a small penlight lit up my face, recognition dawned on his.

He began to stammer. “I’m…
I’m sorry
, I
—um,
do you want my blanket?”

“Where’s Spindler?”

“Who?”

“Go sit down.”

“Yes
…
yes
, sir
. And feel free to have my blanket.”

“Don’t intend on staying long enough to get cold. Give me your flashlight.”

The man almost dropped it in his haste to hand it over. “Spindler
,
I know you’re here
,
just show yourself
,” I said
as I started to check out every human pile. The one with the covers drawn over his face I figured to be him. I walked over, the covers literally began to quake.

“Who wants to know?”
h
e finally said in defiance, pulling the covers back and shielding his eyes from the intense light.

“It’s Michael Talbot
,”
t
he man whose flashlight I had taken answered
.

I could see the wheels spinning in Spindler’s head. “You destroyed my Cadillac.”

“It was an accident.”

“My insurance company wouldn’t pay me for it
.
T
hey said I had done it myself and that it was fraud. Almost went to jail because of you.”

“It was a prank that got out of hand.”

“Why are you here now?
N
ot to offer an apology
,
I would imagine.”

“What have you told the
Pr
ogerians?” I asked him flatly.

Spindler might be a sniveling little shit but he was a smart sniveling little shit. “I’ve told them nothing. What could I tell them
?” he asked
trying to redirect the conversation.

“You grew up in Walpole, you sat on the board of trustees, I think you could tell them a lot. Especially to save your skin.”

“Have you seen what they do to their prisoners?”

“I’m well aware.”

“I guess you would be.”

“Spindler, what have you told them?” I asked again with a little more force.

“It’s true then,
isn’t it? I’d heard rumors I figured it was pretty far-fetched but now here you are.”

“Spindler
,
you’ve got two options. Either you escape with me
or I will kill you.”

Spindler scrambled back at the words, but he didn’t quite cower as I had expected. “There’s a third option
,” he said
smiling.

Why the fuck I hadn’t just put a bullet in him at that point I’ll never know.

“Guard
!” he screamed
.
B
efore I
could react
,
he yelled again. “Michael Talbot is in here and he is trying to kill me!”

The light that flooded in from the door nearly blinded me as I dropped the small flashlight and pulled the hidden pistol from my hip holster. The guard hadn’t even decided to discriminate as he began to blow holes in everything that moved. I dove to the side as blue bolts whizzed by. I brought my pistol up and placed a hasty shot in the
Geno
’
s
knee, the
.45
round shattering his knee cap. The next round caught him in his chest plate, I could hear the air rush from his lungs from the impact but the body armor had stopped the round. The third caught him in his open mouth, the blue bolts stopped.

I could hear more heavy footfalls running for the hut
.
I had to get the guard
’
s gun. The man who had initially threatened me was closest and ran over to grab
it
. “They’ll kill us all
,” he said
turning to level the gun on my chest. “Spindler
,
you’re an asshole
,” the man said
turning to point the gun back outside.

A shock of adrenaline coursed through my body, giving me the pins and needles sensations through my arms and hands.
Dodged another one
,
I thanked a silent God.

Alien rounds peppered the building
.
I
f I was going to die
,
I had to make sure
I had at the very least accomplished what I had set out to
do. I turned to face Spindler, he had pulled up some supplies and was attempting to barricade himself against the oncoming onslaught.

“I don’t think that’ll stop them
,” I told
him. “Or me for that matter.”

“And what of it
,
Mr. Talbot? Will you just gun me down like a common
cur?
I did not realize that arsonists became murderers but I guess somehow it is a natural progression.”

I’d killed a lot of men, but this was different
.
I had gone on a mission, this was a planned assassination. And the taste of that was not sitting well in my stomach.

“You’re right, you were a royal pain in the ass when I was a kid and it doesn’t look like that has changed much. But it’s not enough
to kill you.” He s
a
nk
farther
into his hastily built fort as I removed the
chaff
to get at him. “You’re coming with me
,” I told
him as I ripped him onto his feet.

“Where?” h
e sniveled.

“I think you know where.”

“The silo? I can’t go to the silo, they’ll kill us.”

“They’re going to kill us now
.
W
ould you rather have it happen now or we delay it for a little while?” I asked him.

“They’re coming and fast
,”
t
he man at the door yelled.

“What’s your name?” I asked the guy.

“Wamsley
,”
h
e shouted over his shoulder. “Brian.”

“Listen
,
Brian, I came in here with one of those
Genos
.
I
f you see one
that seems to be acting a little different, do not shoot him.”

“You came in here with one of them
?” he asked
, I could see his shudder from here. “How the hell am I going to tell
?”

Our shed was being rocked from the assault the guards were placing on it, I was having my doubts about Dee being able to do anything to get us out of this mess. Well at least Spindler wouldn’t be able to betray the human race.

“They’re setting up a perimeter
,”
Brian shouted.

“Shut the door and get in here
,” I told
him.

He did as I asked.

“How much have you told them?” I turned asking Spindler.

“I had to—
they would have killed me
,”
h
e whined.

“I’m going to ask again and I’d really like you to be more specific.”

Spindler was eyeing the door, and my gun. I kn
e
w he was weighing his options, but for him to run out that door was suicide
by Genogerian gunfire
.

“Why’d they stop shooting?” Brian asked peeking out the door.

“I’ve got a feeling they got orders from a higher authority
,” I said
never taking my eyes off my old principal.

“Your friend?” Brian asked.

“No,
he’s too far down the chain of command. I think the Camp Commandant might have put a halt to this.”

“Why?” Brian asked.

“I think Spindler may have saved our lives
,” I told
him. “Inadvertently maybe, but he saved
our lives. I think he promised them a lot of information and has yet to deliver. Am I close?” I asked Spindler.

“It’s too bad you never used that brain of yours when you were in
school
,
Mr. Talbot
,”
Spindler replied condescendingly.

“How much
do they know? I’m not going to ask again.”

Spindler licked his lips. “I’m not a complete idiot.”

“That’s debatable.”

He continued with a slight sneer. “As soon as I gave them what they were looking for
,
they would have killed me. I gave them the armory location in Norwood. They know there’s a base nearby
.
I don’t know how and it’s only a matter of time until someone tells them.”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes but it most certainly won’t be you.” He tried to shrink back down. “I’m not going to kill you.” Spindler visibly relaxed. “Unless you give me reason to, but you are coming with us if we get out of here.”

“Puny hu-mans, you
must come out at once
!
”
a
booming voice shouted.