Chapter 11 - Tasha
Three months after the event, things were finally coming together. The Citadel was starting to live up to its name. With a population of over five hundred, a ruling council, a small army and a small fleet of airships, the future looked like something they might survive to see. Winter was almost here, food was not exactly plentiful and there was not the variety there had been, but they wouldn't be hungry. Land had been cleared and prepared for planting in the spring, heritage seed was carefully stored, and water reserves were in place, with two large water tanks on towers giving running water to most of the community and several large underground reservoirs nearly full.
The buildings were coming along nicely with a combination of actual construction, magic and the loan of Carl from the Dwarfs. Carl actually designed the Capital building, although the name was changed almost immediately to The Enchanted Castle, thanks to the thick stone walls, towers, crenellated parapets, etc. John almost tore it down, but he was outvoted unanimously in council. They were way too amused at his discomfort at living in an enchanted castle to care about what was actually needed. Besides, they didn't vote against him very often and if they were going to, it was better over something that wasn't important. Well, not to anyone but him, at least.
Construction with magic wasn't much different than regular construction, except for the power tools. You needed a plan to follow, you needed to understand the purpose of the building, plan for the flow of traffic, bathrooms, plumbing, lighting, the list was endless. John's first efforts weren't much better than huts, but he learned fast from his mistakes, many of which were glaringly obvious once you walked inside.
An architect was a find, as was a civil engineer and half a dozen other professionals. John drew the line at practicing lawyers and politicians, there being no need for them or their line of work. Most of them became Goblins, anyway. Any people who were willing to work for a living or learn a new trade were welcome. A few farms had been built, barns, stock pens, chicken houses, with the few remaining cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, guineas, ducks and geese, horses, donkeys and so on.
Business's were starting up, with a carpenter and a cabinet maker getting together, a tailor shop, quickly becoming a clothing store, with a dozen people working for him and a need for sewing machines. There was the power plant, with steam engines, boilers and fire boxes awaiting the insulation for the wiring that would let electricity flow once again.
Grain mills, needing only the wind for now, with silos of grain recovered from the Midwest, wheat, corn, oats, barley, buckwheat and even rice from ships found drifting ashore along the gulf coast. Leather found in warehouses and in one, a large craft warehouse, leather, hardware and fittings, tools and instruction books on leather craft as a hobby. Shoes and boots were a problem and one day they would need to find a shoemaker or find a way to train one.
A trip to South America, what was left of it, had supplied them with a source of natural rubber and the large airship sent to find it was so loaded it had trouble lifting off. Trips were taken every few months to stockpile the rubber supplies. With woven cotton tubes coated in rubber, the rubber being mixed with a plant Joshua recommended, milkweed, they were well on their way to having insulated wire for lights and power in the houses, maybe even radio and telephones, next year. A lot of electrical equipment did not have synthetic materials but were composed of ceramics, glass and wire. Some appliances were fine and a lot of electric motors could be used with some modification, because the windings were encased in varnish of some kind. Some of it was made of natural materials and once the plastic gloop had been cleaned out and replaced with ceramics, mica or glass, they should work when the electric generators finally got power from the steam engines.
Several former power plant workers had been located and were busy making sure that they had a job for years to come. The flexible metal conduit found almost everywhere in the country before The Day, was again in use, being stockpiled against future needs.
Recovery teams were still working, searching out the supplies the colony needed and reporting whatever else they found, to see if there was a use for it or if it should be marked and left for another time. The lists of needs changed, based on the reports of what was found, like the marine supply store.
Discovering a large supply of rope, block and tackles, rigging tools and materials made the team realize that they simply didn't know enough about what was needed, much less what was out there. Do they need rope? Yes. Do we need a block and tackle? What's a block and why do you need to tackle it? John had a large knowledge base, from a long life before all this, but he knew he was not up to this challenge. They needed experts and they were all dead, so they did they best they could and produced list of new finds and new materials for the general population to look over and see if they knew what something was for. They also asked people what they needed or wanted and gave these lists a slightly higher priority, if the logic was good enough and the need was sufficient.
For a time, TV's were high on the lists of wants and John was more depressed than he had been since this all started. How could people be so stupid? Why would you ask for a TV when you needed so many other things just to survive? Even if TV sets were not mostly plastic and other synthetics, even if there was the right electric current, there were no broadcasts available to watch. Want a DVD player? What is a DVD disc made of? What was modern society built on but fossil fuels and synthetics. Clothes, cars, the packages our food came in, our entertainment, our communications equipment, mp3 players and computers and on ad infinitum.
At the town meeting, John was doing his best not to make them feel like idiots, but he was trying to make them see their situation a bit more clearly. He suddenly knew what Moses must have felt like when the children of Abraham wanted to return to slavery so they could have garlic again. The difference was that the garlic was real and they could have turned back. That was not the case here and there was no going back for these people, not any of them.
John pounded the gavel on the podium again. When the room started to calm down and he could be heard above the crowd, he tried to explain it to them again.
“What you are asking for, the questions you are asking, these have all been gone over in every meeting we have had. There is no other government left except this one. We took many of you to the site where Washington used to be and you saw the waves breaking over the White House, the Washington Monument and the Senate. The seat of government for the United States is under forty feet of ocean. We have continuously taken representatives with us on our trips around what's left of this country and they have reported back to you what they have seen. Fifty thousand people may have survived the event in this country and perhaps as many as one million may have survived worldwide. Since the event a lot more have died or changed into another species. There may be as few as fifteen thousand Human beings left alive in this country. Here at the Citadel, we have five hundred and sixty eight and can support perhaps another two thousand.
“Other places with a Human population have been found, almost forty towns and villages and we have made contact with most of them. Some wish to come here, some wish to remain where they are and several with our assistance, have joined together into a larger and more viable community. All have asked the same questions. Where is the government and when are they going to fix this? I tell them all the same thing that I keep telling you, that the people you picked have told you. We are the only government you will ever see. We are the only organized relief force left in this country. We are the help you keep asking for and we are on our own.”
The crowd got loud again and John tossed the gavel aside after he broke the handle. Lifting his fist, he threw a bolt of lightning above the heads of the crowd and blew a small hole in the back wall. The room got quiet and the crowd hit the floor, only looking up when Christine handed John a new gavel which he tapped lightly on the podium.
“Folks, we can't keep doing this. I wish we could go back as well, I wish my family was not dead, I wis
h all those people were not dead, I wish I could watch TV and go to the grocery store and throw a dinner in the microwave. I suggest you wish in one hand and sh . . .”
“John! Be nice.” Christine and Jenny each had a hand on an arm.
“That was nice, considering my current mental state,” he whispered. Then, turning back to the people on the floor, he pointed at one man in the front. “What's your name?”
“Me? I'm Charles Benton.”
“What did you do before?”
“I was a chemical engineer.”
“Can you explain what happened to all the plastics? And maybe the other materials we can't seem to find anymore?”
“No. I can say that they have broken down, that they have become water soluble, that they are poisonous and a possible mutagen. I have no idea why or how.”
“Can I ask why you haven't come forward and offered your services as a chemical engineer? You do know we are looking for specialists in all fields?”
“I didn't see any point. The chemicals I worked with all my life don't exist anymore. What good would I do? I was raised on a farm, so I figured I could do more good there.”
“That sounds reasonable on the surface, but you still have skills we need. What do these new chemicals do? What are they good for? Can they be neutralized without a Wizard? We need fuels for lamps and lanterns and we only have so many natural wax candles. Bees, damn, we need bees. Jenny, make a note about bee keepers. Sorry, back to our discussion. Even when we get the electricity back up, it's going to be pretty wimpy compared to what we were used to in the past. The steam engines take a lot of wood. I will not cut down every tree on the plateau to feed the boilers so we need to find other sources. Do you think you might find something useful in one of these areas?”
“What about candle berries?”
“What's that?”
“It’s a bush that has a heavy wax like substance in the berries and the leaves. My mother used to use them to make candles.”
“Do you see what I mean, Mr. Benton, you just gave us one more tool. If you can get with the resource officer after the meeting we will see if we can find some of those plants. If you're willing, we can set you up in a research lab to start working again.”
“I, I'd like that. I didn't think I would be needed like that. I guess I should have said something earlier.”
“It's said now and we will work you hard, I promise you that.” John looked around the room again. “Do I need to ask each one of you, individually? So be it. Miss Ashley, please make a note to set up a small committee to start a census board.”
Miss Ashley, an older woman, had been a professional executive assistant for some big corporate honcho. She was now the official council secretary and was in charge of records, note taking, and general organization. She even had a small staff and EVERYONE called her Miss Ashley. She made a notation in an indecipherable shorthand language that she still used and listened again for the next comment. There were actually three people taking notes at these meetings but she was the official record. The other two were only taking notes on the highlights or things that sounded worth pursuing later.
In the pause that the conversation had given them, the people started talking again and getting louder. John reached for the gavel but before he could pound the podium, Christine stood and said, in a loud voice, “I move to adjourn.” Joshua seconded before Christine finished speaking. John shrugged and followed the procedure, calling for the vote and when the hands were counted, ended the meeting.
“What was that about?”
“You are not going to convince these people that the United States is gone. I am having a hard time believing it and I have been out there as much as you.” Christine hugged her arms close to her body, and Joshua put his arm around her and pulled her close. “She's right John. Quit beating a dead horse and move on to the next step.”
“What next step?”
“A new society or a new version of an old one. Feudalism, perhaps, a monarchy of some kind perhaps, a mageocracy or a fascist state. We will pick one we think can work as a model and change it to meet our needs.” Professor Johnson scratched his head, then continued. “A feudal monarchy would probably be good for us. You are already giving land grants to the peasants, you have the beginnings of a royal court and the founders of the Elfish royal house are your allies and councilors. Most of these people just want to live normal lives, as much as possible and won't care what form of government we have, as long as it works and sorry to say, they don't have to think too much.”
“King John? Wasn't he Robin Hood’s nemesis?”
“He also signed the Magna Charta, the basis of the modern Bill of Rights. Of course, he was forced to do so, by his Nobles.”
“Nobles. Dukes and Counts and Lords and Ladies. What are we getting into?” John shook his head. “I don't know that I even believe it's all gone. How can I expect these people to accept it? Let’s consider the options and the council can meet for lunch tomorrow.”
The group broke up, and went their separate ways.
“Majesty, the heads of the clans are here, in the small chamber.” The Goblin Herald bowed before Tiffanie. She glanced up from the papers she was looking at and nodded to him, letting him back out of the room before rising. Tiffanie had no problem setting up a monarchy, although it wasn't based on Human history. Goblin society traditionally was based on chieftains, and King or Queen was just a small step away.
Tiffanie was wearing leathers and some plate armor strategically placed to attract attention to her body. While it covered everything important, it also suggested a great deal, like sexual prowess, vicious pleasures and, from the assorted ears and fingers dangling from her belt, success in battle. She carried a long knife at her waist, and a flame shaped dagger in the opposite boot. Her long blond hair was still worn in a braid, but colorful ribbons, small gems and crystals were woven into the braid. She looked every bit like the barbarian Queen she was. She moved with a grace that belied her Goblin nature and walked slowly into the small chamber where the 'guests' were waiting.
When she entered, everyone dipped their heads at least, with a few actually touching the floor with their faces, before the Queen. When she motioned, they straightened up. The herald came forward, introducing the clans one by one, as they each dropped to the floor, prostrating themselves and pledging their people to be ruled by the Queen. That done, Tiffanie led the way to the hall where the gifts were being cooked and, seating herself at the head of the table, waited for the first course and the first of the entertainment. The food, starting with mutton, arrived as soon as she was seated and after the first bite, she nodded to the others, who sat and were able to begin serving themselves.
The main course, still being turned on a spit over a large fire, would come later and only for herself and those who were highly placed in her council as well as these clan heads who had just given her another thousand followers. The teenage Human was crisping nicely, and would be ready when this first part of the ceremonial meal was ending. Outside the hall, the rest of the warren was also feeding, but not a nicely nor as neatly as those within. This clan was still mixed, the different casts not yet knowing enough about who they were to separate, different casts preferring the company of those similar.
As she nibbled on the mutton and fish, Tiffanie was planning her next move. She knew the Humans on the plateau were too strong to attack, even if she could get her army through the swamp and up the cliffs in the first place. The Western Sea had finished covering the sinking landscape and had joined with the swamp and marshes in the south, cutting off any path in that direction. North and east were still open and if they went north they could cross to the west easily enough around the newly formed coastline. She didn't know if anything was left of Florida and the Carolinas, being cut off by water, but she could get to Atlanta and from there, she would control most of the dry ground left in the eastern US. Most of the survivors were in small groups, three hundred or less and would be easy pickin
gs for her army. They would have few problems with those few groups left in Georgia and Tennessee and her power base would grow.
She knew there was another Goblin Wizard to the east of Atlanta and that he also had a large clan and a crystal supply. She would need him to take the Citadel and she knew he would not want to be her servant. Compromise would be needed, until she had her victory, then she would deal with him, in her best wifely manner. After all, she would need an heir and a Wizardly union would almost always produce a Wizardly offspring. A daughter would be nice, to train up as the next Queen.
She smiled at the thought and her followers watched, ready to run, if needed. Her smiles were frequently the only warning they had of a rampage, a cleansing, she called it, of the old and weak. When she didn't draw a weapon, they relaxed, slightly and continued with the feast and with their own plots.
The difference between Tiffanie and Dogg was more than just male and female. All Goblins were not created equal. Dogg and his people were more primitive, living closer to the earth and the ways of the ancient Goblins. Tiffanie had solar cells outside, powering low level electric lights throughout her caverns. In her former life, Tiffanie had designed power systems like the one she was using, her skills coming in very handy in her new life. Her people bathed and dressed differently than Dogg's, who preferred to paint themselves and wear mud and dung in their hair. Tiffanie was a mixture of modern Human and ancient Goblin.
There were Goblins of the deep earth, of swamp and forest. There were even those who preferred water, like the few who were with Charlie in the beginning, their scaly hides like that of a fish. They had one thing in common, their hatred of all things not Goblin.
The forests they had been passing over had given way to brown, rocky hills, looking dry and very flammable. There were a lot of plants, shrubs, bushes, and grasses, but badly in need of rain. The climate was going crazy, with snow in the south, arctic weather in the northern states, swamps and seas growing and coastal cities flooded heavily. Nobody wanted to think what might be happening further north, like Canada, or Alaska.
After about eight hundred miles of flight, their goal was in sight. John and Joshua were both glad to see it. The Army base wasn't totally deserted, but the population had shrunk from several thousand to about four hundred and fifty. Many were soldiers, about two hundred, the rest were civilians, either military dependents or just people from the area who had made their way here to find help. Joshua was looking out the side window at the crowd starting to gather below and taking notes.
“We do tend to draw a crowd fast, you know. We could do something stealthy instead of these broad daylight visits.”
“What's the fun in that? Besides, if we do a night flight, we can't see as much and we won't see their reaction to visitors. Just the fact that we are drawing a crowd tells us that they are still looking for relief, that they haven't had any attacks and that we may have an opportunity for allies.” John grinned, “Besides, I get to show off my pilot skills to a new audience this way.”
“I see a few uniforms or at least parts of uniforms. How did the people from the West Base still have full sets of BDU's and everybody else wakes up naked? I've been meaning to ask that.”
“They woke up naked too. They had some materials that others didn't, like cotton uniforms and even wool, that were in storage from a few years ago. Suki said that, at one time the army was still using natural fibers, mostly out of habit. When synthetics came in and the new ACU's, they stored a lot of uniforms for years, in some places. This was one of those places, so, we are hoping that they still have some and are willing to trade. I'm landing, right next to that building with the flag pole.”
The airship touched down without a bump and Joshua opened the door, which formed the ramp. He stepped out into the bright sunlight and shaded his eyes with his cap, looking at the small group of uniforms heading for him. “Company, John.”
“I'm coming. Just pulling the key.” John referred to a safety device Suki had insisted on installing in every one of the airships, a simple plug that could be pulled out and turned around before replacing it. It looked the same in any position, and wasn't different from the other parts of the controls, except if it was turned around, the controls wouldn't work. It had dummy connectors on one end, which prevented the controls from working. Just in case someone walked in and was an unknown or unfriendly Wizard. The soldiers, carrying a mixture of old rifles, were now surrounding the airship and what could be an officer was waiting in the center of the group, in front of the ramp.
“Hi there. We were looking for a coffee shop. You got one around here?” John asked. Joshua rolled his eyes.
The officer stepped forward and spoke. “This is a restricted area. You are under arrest and this vehicle is now the property of the U.S. Government. Any attempt to resist will be fatal. Any questions?”
“You didn't say if you had a coffee shop.”
The officer looked unpleasant and waved his men forward. As they were marched off, Joshua mumbled to John, “Coffee shop?”
“I was hoping.”
“No talking.”
“Saw THAT coming.”
The rifle butt caught him in the shoulder and John winced. “Did you see that smart ass?”
“John, they know you already.”
The second rifle butt caught Joshua in the back. “Shut up.” They walked the rest of the way in silence. They were separated once inside the building and taken to rooms with a table and two chairs. John was pushed down into one of the chairs and his hands were tied behind him. A Sergeant entered the room and asked the guard for his belongings. Obviously, the soldier hadn't searched John, so he was untied and searched, the wands, Sallie, a couple of knives and a tomahawk as well as other odds and ends put in a wicker basket and carried out of the room. The soldier on guard got wide eyed at the amount of nasty looking weapons John carried. John waited quietly, having untied his hands before the Sergeant had shut the door behind him. He held the rungs on the back of the chair, to maintain appearances. Joshua, a few doors away was doing the same. When the officer showed up, John smiled and waited.
“What's your name, and where are you from?”
“John, the Citadel.”
“What's the Citadel?”
“The new seat of government for the former United States.”
“You’re saying you are a representative from the President?”
“No.”
“You're a representative of the U.S. Government?”
“No.”
“Then why did you say you were from the government?”
“I didn't say I was from the government. I said I was from the Citadel. You asked what the Citadel was, and I told you. I never said I represented the U.S.”
“Then who are you?”
“I'm the King and Head Wizard.”
The officer leaned across the table and grabbed John by the front of his shirt. “This is not a game. I don't know what's going on out there! I have no communications with anyone and I have people disappearing left and right! You two show up in an airplane with no motors and no power source, that doesn't work and give me stupid remarks. If you don't give me straight answers, I will have you shot.”
“With what? Guns don't work, your technology is gone and all you have are blades, people and shrinking resources. Your options are very limited.” John stood up and pulled the Colonels hands off his shirt. This was a surprise to the Colonel who thought John was tied to the chair. The guard at the door raised his rifle and John waved his hand at him, sending him crashing into the wall, where he slumped to the floor, dazed. “Maybe you should rethink your strategy, just a little.” John let him go and motioned him to take the other chair. He did, but not before looking at the soldier on the ground. John walked around the table and checked him before setting down in his original chair. “He's fine, should come around in a minute. What's your name?”
“I'm Colonel James Davis, US Army.”
“Nasty Girls?”
/> “What? Oh, yes, national guard. Who are you people?”
“I told you the truth the first time. I'm John. My friend is Joshua. We are from the Citadel, the current seat of government and the only relief you are likely to see for the duration. We started out just a bunch of survivors, grew, developed technology that works under our current situation, established first, that there was no organized government left, Washington DC being under forty feet of water, then established ourselves as a government and a relief center, organizing assistance and gathering survivors into a central location in order to rebuild something and save who and what we can.”
Colonel Davis was barely hanging on here and knew that this base was one mishap away from disaster. Resources were short, people were still coming in and he was out of options.
“How did you knock out Williams?”
“Magic. I told you I was a Wizard.”
“Right. You've got secrets and you aren't talking. What do you want here? I may not have guns, but I still have a large force on hand.”
“Actually, I'm commandeering them. I am the head of this government and all armed forces fall under my command, including you.” John wasn't sure he would be believed, but if he made it big and bold enough, he could at least keep this guy guessing. His head was starting to hurt from the field he was broadcasting, but he could maintain it a while longer.
“No, I will not surrender my command.”
“It's not your command. You weren't stationed here; you just fell into the situation and did your best to keep things under control. You did pretty well, so far and you will not be surrendering anything. I told you that I am your commanding officer. I did not say I would be relieving you. You are still in the chain of command, just no longer the senior officer. Do you understand?”
Williams sat up, and rubbed his head, then jumped up and reached for his rifle. John startled him again by barking out an order. “At attention Williams. Pick up that weapon and square yourself away. What do you think you're doing here, playing house? Move, soldier.”
Confused, Williams picked up his rifle and slung it, then tried to straighten out his uniform, which was a bit too big for him anyway. “Sorry Sir, we haven't had much resupply.”
“Shut up, Williams. He's a prisoner, not an officer. Keep him covered.”
Williams looked like he was in serious trouble now, not sure what was going on. But he once again pointed his rifle at John.
“I'll overlook it this time private, but only this time. When I give an order, I will expect your obedience from now on. You understand me?”
“Yes Sir. No, Sir. I don't, I mean Yes sir.”
“I think you're confusing him, Jim. Let's take a walk and I'll explain the situation to you. Williams, go and have the men assembled outside, so I can address them.”
Williams looked at the Colonel, but he didn't speak. He couldn't right then, since John had his vocal cords tied up. Williams saluted and left, while John stood up. After Williams had left, John released the hold on Davis voice. “How did you do that?”
“Magic. Let's walk down to get my friend, shall we.”
Joshua was waiting outside the door. “Took you long enough, didn't it?”
“Sorry, we were playing cards and the time just got away from us.”
The Colonel actually led the way to the parade ground, but wasn't able to speak again. Joshua handed John his things back and once the weapons were back in their proper place, John held up his wand like a baton. “May I have your attention please. At this point in time I regret to inform you that this country, the United States, no longer exists as a political entity. There are no longer any organized countries, to my knowledge, anywhere on earth. There is government and you are still in the armed forces of that government. This is a lot to hand you and I can understand if this is a little difficult for you to grasp all at once. Take a minute to let it set in and then I'll try to answer a few questions. Colonel, if I'm reading this situation correctly, you have been here from the first week of this event.”
Colonel Davis, way over his head at this point, nodded.
“How many days of supplies do you have left?”
“Thirty, if we start rationing immediately.”
This was met with some consternation from the troops and the civilians who had also gathered. After the noise had died down and a few threats were tossed against the Colonel, John called for quiet and spoke again.
“The fact that you have survived this up to now is due to the Colonel. He did his best in a tough situation. A lot of people died, you lived. You owe him your thanks, not your threats. Secondly, I do not appreciate you people threatening one of my officers. Yes, one of MY officers. This base and all personnel are now under my orders and you will behave accordingly. My purpose here is to determine whether it is feasible to maintain this base or to evacuate it back to our headquarters. If we maintain the base, supplies will be delivered. If we evacuate, all civilians will be airlifted out first, then the base personnel. I will make my determination within the next few hours, so don't wander too far. Now, we have time for a few questions.”
Of course, every civilian started talking at once and John waited for a few minutes then lifted his wand again. Joshua backed up a few feet and the Colonel, seeing that did the same. The lightning bolt was exceptionally bright and the thunder was very crisp and clear. The silence following was spectacular.
“You will behave. If you have a question, raise a hand and I will call on you. You first.” He pointed at a Sergeant.
“Sir, Staff Sergeant Collins. How did you do that?”
“You are aware that the old things, the old technology, doesn't work? Synthetic materials are breaking down and some people woke up from the event, different. They were changed, some a little, some a lot, some, in a way that is a danger to all of us. One of the changes was genetic. This man and I, along with a few others, have a gene that enables us to work a technology that did not exist before the event. This,” John said, holding up the wand again, “is a part of that technology. It contains more than just wood and wire. I am not at liberty to discuss the details of its construction, but as you have seen, it does work. Our airship also uses this technology. It is not currently available for everyone, but we have a research team working on that.
“Now, I know you're thinking that this looks like a magic wand. That's fine, because we have code named this technology magic and we actually call these things, magic wands. Not my choice, but there it is. That is not called a magic carpet, however.” Laughter, right on cue, “That is called an airship. OK, let's have a civilian. You, the teenage girl with the pretty green eyes.”
Joshua casually walked around John and looked at the girl. About sixteen, strawberry blond, petite, brilliant green eyes and a twin to Christine.
“You said people changed and some of the changes were dangerous. What kind of changes are you talking about?”
“What's your name, please?”
“Oh, sorry. It's Tasha.”
“Were you born with green eyes and strawberry blond hair?”
“They were brown, before. Both hair and eyes.”
“That is one of the safer things that happened. It could represent other changes, including possibly the gene that enables us to work this technology. We can test you later to determine what those changes might be but hair and eyes by themselves have not proven to be a danger. In your case, it could lead to broken hearts but that's a danger all of us will just have to live with.” People laughed again and one of the other girls nudged Tasha with her elbow. Tasha blushed and ducked her head.
“Were there other changes? Body, age?”
“Yes. Um, I'm actually older than I look and I used to be, I used to be fat. Really fat.”
“That's a good change. I'm also older than I look. A lot older. Why don't you come up here and we will talk when this meeting is over. Bring your friend for moral support if you like.”
Tasha nodded and grabbed the girl next to her befo
re she could protest and walked up to the front. Joshua held out his hand and introduced himself. They stood next to Joshua while John continued. “We will do a few more questions then I will need to meet with the officers. Do we have another question? Of course we do. Private Williams, your turn.”
“You didn't have a wand inside Sir, and we didn't find anything else on you, earlier. How did you knock me out?”
People looked at Williams and then at John, suddenly even more interested than before.
“Sorry about that. I had to demonstrate my credentials to the Colonel and because we didn't know if this was a real base or a pirated base we were not sure of our reception. You did not find everything, just the things we let you find. Let’s have one more civilian. You, the gentleman with the sharp looking leather coat.”
“Thanks. Names Thaddeus, but everyone calls me Badger. Just how bad is it? I mean, what happened and what's the casualties like. We haven't seen hardly anyone since this happened and with everything breaking or melting, it's kinda scary. More than scary, but you know what I mean, right.”
“Yes, I know what you mean. Much more than scary, terrifying. Casualties. Very heavy. Damages worldwide, beyond worldwide. I'm told by one of my team that the original moon was affected, that craters are missing. That Mars has lost both moons, we seemed to have gained one more and that even the stars are not quite right. This is bigger than just this planet and we don't think it will ever turn back the way it was. You all may remember the news about the sky changing and the strange things going on in space? There are no countries left on earth, only scattered survivors like you. We think, based on what we have found so far that the casualties are approximately seven billion.”
There was a sharp intake of air by almost everyone and the small chatter that had been going on in the background stopped.
“Isn't that like the whole population of the planet?”
“Yes.” John paused to let that piece of information sink in. “We think there might be ten to fifteen thousand people left in this country, maybe a million worldwide. We're guessing on that and we can't be closer than that without going everywhere and getting more information. We have no satellites or communications, pretty much beyond eyesight or earshot and transportation is very limited unless you have the gene and can fly one of these ships.
“I am not going to try to sugar coat any of this. Mankind may not survive this. We, the people standing right here, right now, may not survive this. If the gene pool dwindles much more, if the population shrinks much more, we will not make it. Every person is important.
“Another thing that is causing us a problem is the loss of skills. There were over ten thousand different jobs or trades in existence before and many of them are now useless knowledge with the loss of computers and electronics. The skills we do need are not commonly known or used any longer, but in this more primitive society we have to learn them or die. We don't even have as many people as there are skills. Libraries, schools, bookstores are all being looted systematically. Of course, we don't call it that sounds too much like anarchy. Joshua, what do we call the looting teams?”
“Recovery Teams. We have six teams out now, each looking for specific items but each has orders to report any usable materials.”
“Thank you. This gentleman is Joshua, code name Elfin Lord; I'm John, code name The Great Wizard, because I'm in charge. And, no, that wasn't my choice either. That wraps up this session. Thank you for your patience and after we have had a chance to talk to the officers and confer with our base, we will call another assembly and lay out our plans. Colonel, dismiss the men.”
“Yes Sir. Lieutenant, Dismiss the men.”
The Lieutenant saluted and dismissed the men, who immediately started talking among themselves. No one seemed to be interested in leaving the area just yet, as John and Joshua led a small group, including the two girls into the building. When inside, John asked for an office to talk to the girls and asked the Colonel to join them. Outside, the civilians gathered into small groups and waited.
“What do you think, Badger? These guys for real?” Martinez, a local rancher was asking.
“Maybe. I saw that air thing fly in and the army brass all over it when those two were taken away. They couldn't get it to move. I know that John fellow is right about the skill thing. We got no electric, no radio, phones, computers, nothing works that was electronic. If it's all really gone, then we have to start over with muscle and wind power and there aren't many people left who know much about the old ways.”
“Like all that stuff you do, huh?”
“Yeah. I just do leather work, some wood, a few things like that, not everything we need. We're gonna need horses, blacksmiths, everything like back in the 1800's, before there were cars. Steam power maybe. We might be in even bigger trouble than we thought, but if these guys can still fly, maybe we need to listen to them. Magic. Hard to believe.”
Martinez nodded. “I still use a few horses, for riding the fences. Cheaper and better than a truck, for some places and I can shoe 'em myself, too. But I don't make the shoes. I had a few and I only got one left and he's a gelding, so he ain't much good for breeding stock. I only have about twenty head of cattle left too and the bull didn't make it. Not much there but meat and hide. I think you're right about us being in trouble.”
John pulled the chairs out and waited for the girls to sit, before he sat and looked at the others in the room.
“Everyone have a seat, I'm not much on ceremony. Now, if I may ask, just how big an age difference did you experience?”
“Ten years. If I can ask, how much did you?” Tasha responded.
“Sixty one years. A little more than most.”
“You're eighty? You're kidding? You're not kidding? Wow. You look good for your age.” Maria said in a surprised tone.
“Well thank you. I'm sorry, what's your name.”
The girl who came in with Tasha looked nervous and took a second to answer. “I'm Maria. Sanchez. Maria Sanchez.”
“Little nervous, are we? It's OK, you're safe with us. Thanks for coming in with Tasha. I'm sure she appreciates your company. OK, Tasha, moment of truth. Hold out your hand.” John smiled at the two.
“It won't hurt, will it?”
“No, only if you stare at it. I mean that. Just let this sit in your hand.” John held up a crystal and when Tasha gingerly held out her hand, he dropped it into her palm. The crystal immediately lit up with enough light to make everyone squint.
“Ouch. I stared at it. You were right. Does this mean I can work the other stuff?”
“It sure does. Let me have that back before you put an eye out.” John took it back and the light stopped.
“Why doesn't it light up for you?”
John held up his hand with the crystal in it and said, “I told it to stop. Do you have any leather gloves? Leather insulates.”
Tasha shook her head no. “You told it to stop? You can do that? I can do that?”
“Yes to all those questions but don't worry about it. We will supply you with training and equipment. With very little training, you can control on and off as well as brightness, assuming you want to join us. We don't force people into hard labor until after they say yes.”
Tasha and Maria looked a little concerned with that last remark and Joshua joined the conversation.
“He drives us all crazy from time to time. He says it's to keep us on our toes but I think he just enjoys it. We have several younger girls, ten, twelve years old on our staff and they are taken good care of. We have a house mother at the door of that wing on the Citadel. We train together and we have a school with a lot of subjects being taught, from math and history to magic and black smithing. Several of the ladies have friends who followed them and live in the wing with them.
“Christine, one of my, uh, Elf group, is thirty two and could be your twin sister. She has Tricia, an eight year old girl she found after The Day. Almost everyone who joins us has friends or family they bring along, so i
f you were to join the team and Maria wanted to, she could share a room with you in the castle.”
“Castle?”
“Yeah. I wasn't crazy about that, either. It's a real castle and it's where we hold school classes for now. It's also the seat of government. You think about it. You can look the place over first, spend a little time talking to the others but I think you will join the team. You have too much to gain and nothing to lose. I trust that the rest of you have been paying attention to all this?”
John looked at the rest of the people, the officers, who were all around the office. Tasha hadn't noticed when they had filed in and was startled by their appearance. John continued. “I need to know if this place is viable or if it's a lost cause. Give me opinions and facts; I'll sort them out as we go. No, you ladies can stay. “Tasha and Maria had stood up to leave. “We will be telling everyone what's going on as soon as we're done here. Just relax and get used to being in the know.”