After the Revolution: Chapters Nine, Ten, & Eleven

Episode Transcript
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I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get
your podcast. Chapter nine, Sasha, they unloaded her in plain o.
The porters who cracked open her crate, two men in

(02:12):
dirty jumpsuits seemed disappointed. That she wasn't food. One of
the men was tall and balding, the others shorter and
still fairly young. They had white skin burnt reddish by
the sun, and neither of them looked like they bathed
in quite some time. Their faces were gaunt. Sasha didn't
see any extra fat on either of them. Add Dang,
said the tall one, welcome, said the short one. I

(02:35):
hope you're ready for what this is. They were not
exactly the welcome crew she'd expected. Saul had told her
a man named David would be waiting, but neither of
the porters knew who David was. They seemed much more
frustrated than joyous at her presence. The building wasn't what
she'd expected either. It looked like an old FedEx facility,
with all the branding covered by red spray paint. There

(02:57):
was trash everywhere, mostly food waste from rates of aid
supplies that had been opened too late. The spoiled food
had been shoved into large piles and left to rot
In one center of the large room. Sasha guessed this
had once been a loading dock where delivery trucks would
have dropped off and received packages. The room was filled
with a mix of aid crates and miscellaneous boxes stacked

(03:18):
into piles by a ragged army of tired looking men.
Like the two men who had greeted her, they all
looked malnourished and skinny. The only people not dressed in
blue jumpsuits were a pair of armed guards. They stood
in the back of the room, near a door that
seemed to lead deeper into the facility. Both men had
white paint crosses daubed across the body armor on their chests.

(03:39):
Both carried very large black rifles. One of them ran
over once he saw her emerge from the shipping crate.
Welcome to the heavenly Kingdom, ma'am, the boy drawled. He
looked young enough to have come from her own high school.
There was a dusting of acne on his unlined face,
and his round cheeks still held a bit of baby fat.
Thank you, sir, she said, and pointed to the cross
on his chest. It's good to see that. The young

(04:02):
martyr smiled, Yes, ma'am, we wear the cross here. He
glanced at the porters and narrowed his eyes. Most of
us anyway. He extended his hand. Sasha took it, and
he helped her take her first few steps into this
strange new world. Her legs felt wobbly and unstable after
so much time crammed into a crate. She was grateful
for the help. I'm looking for David, she said, Do

(04:24):
you know where I might find him? No David here, ma'am,
the martyr replied, But Darrell's the team leader for this
receiving yard. He'll set you to rights. They walked through
the rear door and into the building proper. Sasha's escort
guided her past old offices and break rooms into what
looked like it had been a waiting area for customers.
It had been transformed into an office. The only occupant

(04:45):
was a single man, surrounded by four folding tables, each
piled high with a mix of paper shipping manifests and
folding e paper displays. He sat in the middle of
it all and scrolled feverishly on a heavy government issue
tablet computer. This man, dar role, was tall and broad shouldered,
but stooped forward. It looked as if his spine had
been bent at the mids shoulders. Sasha relished the deep

(05:07):
lines on his face, the bags under his eyes, his
receding hairline, and even the way His joints popped audibly
as he stood when she entered. No man she'd met
in the American Federation had aged so honestly, not even
her father. Sasha realized with a start that this was
the first older man she'd ever really seen. He must
be fifty at least. Hello, sir, she started, ah nuts,

(05:30):
He spat not another one? Ee you. The man had
a thick drawl. He sounded country in a way Sasha
had only heard in movies. Her voice caught in her
throat as she tried to respond, Sir, I'm I'm looking
for David. It he grunted you and every other teenager
what's come through my depot? I'll tell you the same
thing I told them others. Ain't no David here. Sasha's

(05:51):
eyes widened, She squeaked, and immediately hated herself for it. No,
no David. Darrel must have seen the fear in her
face and taken pity, because his tone softened. Listen, I uh.
He glanced at the small screen wrapped around his wrist,
tapped it a couple of times, and looked back to her.
I got about fifteen minutes left herefore, I got a
mating downtown. I can drop you off. Folks there can

(06:13):
help you get set up if and you decide to stay.
I would appreciate that very much, Sasha said. Her face
reddened again when she asked, is there a restroom I
can use around here? I'd like to clean up a bit. Ye,
the man grunted and nodded towards a red door in
the back of his office. That's brabit no shower, but
the water runs. Sasha couldn't really smell herself anymore, which

(06:36):
she knew she probably smelled terrible. The thing she wanted
most was a long, hot shower with shampoo. Holy God,
she realized, shampoo is amazing. She was so preoccupied with
the thought of clean hair that she didn't even chastise
herself for the blasphemy. Sasha knew she wouldn't find shampoo
in this restroom, but any kind of clean was better
than her current level of filth. She thanked Darrell and

(06:58):
stepped into his bathroom. Sasha told herself it wasn't the
worst bathroom she'd ever seen, even though that was a
clear lie. The floor, once white tile, was so crusted
with black and yellow she could only tell they'd ever
bin tile by the slight suggestion of squarish shapes underneath
the filth. The toilet had been shattered almost completely. All
that remained was a little circle of busted ceramic around

(07:19):
a hole in the ground. It seemed to function as
a squat toilet. Now. The sink was intact, but it
also looked like it hadn't been cleaned at all in
the last year. The metal of the faucet was green
where it should have been silver. Sasha held her nose,
turned the hot water on and hoped for the best.
It took her a round minute to stop hoping for
hot water. Of course, this place didn't have a functioning

(07:40):
water heater. This is a war zone, you stupid girl,
Sasha cursed herself. She felt tears at the edge of
her vision, but fought them down. Slowly, deliberately. She pulled
off her top, undid her braw and hung both from
the door knob. As she did, she thought of the
Book of Romans. We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that
suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

(08:03):
And hope does not put us to shame, because God's
love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit who has been given to us. The word of
God gave her some comfort, but Sasha's stomach still churned
as she scrubbed the grime from her body. She confronted
the fact that this was all real. Now. She'd fled
her home and her family, traveled to a war zone,

(08:24):
and now she was here. It was done. Her great
sacrifice was now real, not theoretical. The excitement she felt
that that realization was marred by an anxious kind of
horror at the things she'd never do now. She hadn't
really thought about that before she'd left, but now Sasha
realized that she was never going to graduate high school,
she'd never go to college, she'd never see her father's

(08:46):
face again. She started to cry. It surprised her a little.
For days now, her emotions had felt stunted, buried under
the very immediate concerns of escape and survival. But as
soon as she had a minute to breathe, everything she
hadn't been able to let herself feel flowed out of
her eyes. First, she tried to fight it, but then

(09:06):
she remembered something Pastor Mike had written in one of
his columns for Revelator. Embrace your pain, for you will
hurt again. Embrace your grief, for it is a gift.
Lean into the wounds the world gives you. Have faith
that the Lord God does not send us burdens we
are too weak to bear. She'd left behind a world
where people denied their age with science, saved their pain

(09:28):
with narcotics, and fought the natural order of the world
the Lord had built. Sasha had wanted authenticity. She'd wanted
to live the truth of Christianity without compromise. That meant
leaning into this pain and letting it lift her up
into the arms of God. So Sasha leaned in. She sobbed,
and sobbed and sobbed, shook and shuddered with a pain
more profound than any she'd known before. And then she stopped.

(09:51):
She dried herself off, pulled her one fresh pair of
clothes out of her backpack, and got dressed to go
and meet the heavenly kingdom she'd sacrificed so much to join.
Darryl banked twice on the door right as she slid
on her socks. Ma'am, I gotta get moving. Maybe do
the make up later. Sasha shoved her dirty clothes in
her backpack, zipped it up, and opened the door. The

(10:14):
Heavenly Kingdom included rather more ship and bullet casings than
Sasha had expected. She'd known, of course, that it was
a war zone. The whole Kingdom was less than two
years old. Plaino had been taken just days ago. It
had all been won by blood and violence. She just
sort of figured the Army of God would have cleaned
up after itself. Darryll's truck was the oldest vehicle and

(10:36):
the first non autonomous one she'd ever ridden inside. It
was frightening to think that one person's movements were the
only thing that stood between her and a grizzly death,
but her fear at that soon faded into anxiety at
the state of the world around them. The signs identified
this as plain O. She knew the center of that
city had been a stronghold for the Republic of Texas

(10:57):
and its corporate masters. They'd been content to leave many
of the surrounding cities in the hands of the Heavenly
Kingdom since that had meant more work for the SDF
in Austin. Despite its proximity to the front, Plano's status
as a stronghold for some of the Republic's wealthiest citizens
and corporations had made it seem unassailable. The notoriously stingy
Republic had spent heavily on the city's garrison. Sasha still

(11:20):
didn't know what had happened, how a Republican stronghold had
fallen so fast, but she saw evidence of how the
fall had gone down all around her. The city was devastated.
They drove past a police station that was filled with
bullet holes and burnt black around its windows. They passed
an elementary school that looked as if it had been barricaded,
turned into a fortress, and then blasted apart with rockets.

(11:42):
The streets they rolled over had been cracked and broken
by shellfire. Sasha stared out with wide, excited eyes as
they passed mansions that had completely collapsed under the weight
of heavy bombardment, and all around them the streets were
filled with soldiers. There seemed to be a checkpoint every
two or three minutes. The martyrs who manned those checkpoints
looked impossibly young. That made Sasha feel a little less lonely.

(12:04):
This is what it looks like when a generation comes
back to God, she thought, at each stop. Darrel pulled
a laminated paper id out of his pocket. The soldiers
would take it, look it over, and then asked him
about her. None of them met her eyes. Just arrived today,
Darrell always said, she's here to help build the kingdom.
Thanks be to God was the usual reply. Some of

(12:24):
the men at the checkpoints were enthusiastic and shouted it
with all the joy she'd expected to hear, but a
few of them just looked at her with eyes that
were half sullen, half hungry. Darrell, she asked, twenty minutes
and three checkpoints into their drive, what exactly happened here?
I left home the day after plain Oh fell. It
felt like just such a miracle. It seems impossible for

(12:46):
things to change so much, so fast. Darrell fixed her
with a look that Sasha couldn't quite read and made
her nervous. The next words jumbled up as they left
her mouth. It's just I mean, I know all things
are possible through God, But how how did we win here?
From what I read on the news? The older man laughed, Well,
there's your problem. Trust in the news. You ain't gonna

(13:08):
read much true about Texas. There all those foreign papers
love the s DF. He spat out the window for emphasis,
and they treat the Republic like a real government, not
like a collection of robber barons and their hired guns.
Truth is, their position was always rocky. People around here.
You'd rather live under God's law than the rule of
the rich or those Prance and Austin faggots. He spat again,

(13:30):
and somehow made the gesture look like an apology. Sorry
for the curse, Miss Sah, It's been a minute since
I spent much time around a woman. She smiled in response,
because she wasn't really sure what else to do. And
then they turned a corner pasted a mostly intact line
of shops and a sign that welcomed them to downtown
plan Oh. The wide streets had been cordoned off by
sandbags and what looked like enormous fabric cubes filled with rocks.

(13:52):
Several dozen armed men milled about, and in the center
of the broad thoroughfare, Sasha saw what could only be
a gallows built right in the middle of the two
lane street. It was her first gallows. Capital punishment was
illegal in the American Federation. She stared horrified at the
way the six corpses strung up there swung to and
fro with the breeze. Sasha squeaked just a bit in shock.

(14:15):
She was glad the bodies weren't very close. Darrell seemed
to notice her discomfort. He looked down at her with
a mix of pity and understanding, ain't always pretty what
we're doing, but it's the Lord's work. The truck rolled
to a stop outside of a large red brick building
that reeked of government. Sasha couldn't tell what it had
once been. The sign was too thoroughly burned. A new

(14:36):
sign made of white vinyl identified this building as the
House of Miriam. This be your stop, ma'am. Darrell said
thank you. She forced a smile and then asked, should
I just go in? I'll walk in, how about that?
Sasha nodded her gratitude. She wasn't a hundred percent sure
what was supposed to happen at this point. Revel latter

(14:57):
had claimed that every man and woman who journeyed to
the Heavenly Kingdom would be given meaningful work, food, and
as much shelter as the martyrs can provide. She knew
that she could expect to be housed with other young,
unmarried women at least until she and Alexander were finally together.
But this trip and the Heavenly Kingdom was already so
very different from everything she'd expected. That was reinforced when

(15:18):
she stepped out of the truck and directly onto a
pile of spent bullet casings. There were burnt cars in
the street, burnt buildings all around her, and a vague
but persistent smell of sour milk in the air. The
feeling of dread that had built inside her since she
had left the crate hit a new crescendo, and then
Darrell took her inside the House of Miriam, and everything
changed again. Sasha saw a middle aged woman sitting behind

(15:41):
a desk in a big white room while younger women
sat and lined the walls around her. The older lady
had loose, friendly jowls and a mop of gray hair
tossed into a lazy bun. She looked exhausted until the
moment she fixed eyes on Sasha. At that moment, her
eyes lifted, along with her lips, into a smile that
was the truest thing Sasha had ever seen. Praise be
to God, She cried, You've made it, and then a

(16:04):
sea of girls rose up around her. Most of them
appeared to have been sewing up military uniforms, but at
the moment's call, every one of them set their work
down and rose up to meet her. Sasha was swarmed
by a sea of smiling faces, as girls pressed their
hands to hers, or embraced her, or prayed over her
and chanted in tongues. A dozen people told her their
names at once. Sasha went stiff at first, shocked and

(16:27):
a little mortified by the mass display of physical affection
by so many strangers. But then the older woman made
her way through the crowd and put her hands on
Sasha's shoulders. She brushed a stray hair out of Sasha's
face and fixed her with a smile that was more
motherly than Sasha's actual mother had ever been. It's all
right now, she said, in a voice that was pure comfort.

(16:47):
I'm sure you're probably feeling frightened and overwhelmed, but you've
reached the heavenly kingdom. Loose yourself from the chains around
your NECKO, captive daughter of Zion. Your home now. Something
about the woman's voice and the way her hands felt
broke through the anxious wall around Sasha's heart. She found
herself in the older woman's arms. She sobbed, and then

(17:08):
she felt the press of bodies close against her. The
mingled sense of lavender, citrus and human beings filled her nose.
It comforted Sasha in a way she'd never quite known.
The anxiety and fear were gone now, but so was
any sense of motive inspiration. She let her sisters guide
her to a pillow on the ground. The room got

(17:28):
very busy. Girls scattered. They heated up water and prepared food,
and generally bothered themselves with every aspect of Sasha's comfort.
Soon she had coffee and buttered muffins and a heavy
jug of gatorade. A fan was moved into position where
it could blow more cool air onto her face. The
older woman sat down next to Sasha and started to speak.
My name is Helen, she said. I watch over the

(17:49):
newcomers here, and I helped him adjust to life in
the heavenly Kingdom. The most important thing for you to
know is that you are loved and wanted. Here. You'll
have food and shelter into purpose. Do you understand that, darling?
Sasha tried to smile, but realized her face was still
stuck in the same absent grin she'd worn since the greeting.
After a long pause, she managed to nod and speak, yes, er, sorry, Sasha,

(18:14):
my name is Sasha Marian. I'm from Virginia in the
American Federation, Sasha, Helen said, just Sasha, we have no
last names here and no nationalities beyond our allegiance to
God and his heavenly kingdom. Do you understand? Sasha nodded yes.
I mean, of course, I've I read every issue of
Revelator before coming here. I know that nations and states

(18:36):
are a worldly concept that only serves to separate us
from God Almighty. I memorize, Pastor, It's one thing to
read the truth, it's another to live it. Don't worry, child,
It'll take some time to unlearn your old habits. Helen
had cut her off, but she'd done it so gently
that Sasha didn't even take it as a rebuke. She
just nodded again, and then she remembered something. I need

(18:57):
to find a young man. His name is Alexander. He's
in a recognized infantry unit. I think he's a corporal,
and I have a picture of him printed out in
my bag. If it will help, Dear Helen's voice dropped
an octave. I know this is hard to hear, but
the martyrs have important work to do. They fight that
we might build the heavenly Kingdom if the Lord sees
fit to deliver him safe from the fray. Sasha really

(19:18):
didn't like the way she said. If then we will
find him and reunite you two. Re Sasha gave a
nervous laugh. Oh no, we we've never met except for online.
He convinced me to come. I mean, I didn't come
for him, but I was really on the fence until
I met him. Helen's expression shifted. She looked was that
anguished or angry? But Sasha didn't detect any anger in

(19:40):
her voice when she replied, I know it's hard, love,
but you're going to need to wait to hear from Alexander.
For right now, it should be enough that you're here,
you're safe, You've done it. Do you know what this means.
It means I didn't get caught. Helen laughed. She had
a beautiful laugh. Sasha wanted to curl up and fall
asleep inside it. No. I mean well, yes, of course,

(20:02):
she said, But more than anything, it means that for
all time, forever and ever, You're a person who made
the choice to be brave. You took a leap into
the dark and trusted that God's light would rise to
meet you. There were tears in her eyes, genuine tears
wrapped up in genuine wrinkles and laugh lines that had
never felt the touch of a surgical laser. That's the
most beautiful thing in the world, Helen said, I want

(20:25):
you to know that. Sasha started to cry too. Helen
embraced her, held her close, and Sasha was certain she'd
never been happier. What grows in the forest trees, Sure,
no one else grows in the forest. Our imagination, our

(20:47):
sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too, because
when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we
reconnect with each other. The forest is so then you think,
find a forest near you and start exploring. I Discover
the Forest dot Org, brought to you by the United
States Forest Service and the AD Council. Hello, and welcome

(21:10):
to our show. I'm Zoe de Channel and I'm so
excited to be joined by my friends and cast mates
Hannah Simone and Lamar and Morris to recap our hit
television series New Girl. Join us every Monday on the
Welcome to Our Show podcast, where we'll share behind the
scenes stories of your favorite New Girl episodes, revealed the
truth behind the legendary game True American, and discuss how

(21:31):
this show got made with the writers, guest stars, and
directors who made the show so special. Fans have been
begging us to do a New Girl recap for years,
and we finally made a podcast where we answer all
your burning questions like is there really a bear? In
every episode of New Girl. Plus each week you'll hear
hilarious stories like this at the end when he says

(21:52):
you got some schmid on your face. I feel like
I pitched that joke. I believe that. I feel like
I did. I'm not on a thousand percent. I want
to say that was I tossed that one out. Listen
to the Welcome to Our Show podcast on the I
Heard Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your
podcasts from Cavalry Audio. Comes the new true crime podcast

(22:12):
The Shadow Girls. I always wanted to know what it
felt like to kill somebody and started laughing. Prosecutors described
him as a serial killer, surt kicking up these girls,
getting him in a position of vulnerability when he got
hold of their neck. That was it. I'm Caroline Asia,
a journalist and lifelong resident at the Pacific Northwest. I
grew up near the banks of the Green River and

(22:35):
in the shadow of the killer that bears its name.
How many times did you bring the camera? One of time?
Just want He started fantasizing about having sex with his mother,
and he fantasized about killing her. But this podcast isn't
only about tracking down the killer. It's about the victims.
We stayed in the woods. He always liked to go
in the woods. All of the kind of strange you

(22:59):
know how it feels brock prostitutes. Listen to the Shadow
Girls on the I Heart Radio app on Apple Podcasts
or wherever you get your podcasts. Chapter ten, Manny. It
couldn't have been much past ten in the morning when
they arrived at the City of Wheels. Topaz and Skullfucker

(23:21):
Mike had helped him and Reggie into an open topped
red buggy they had apparently driven out to the ambush.
The old vehicle beat the hell out of walking, but
it had not been built with comfort in mind. Every
bump and jostle on the road sent Payne shooting up
from Mannie's fucked knee to what felt like a small
forest of tears in his shoulder muscles. Mike the driver
kept the vehicle at a conspicuously slow pace, but he

(23:44):
heard all the same. The ten minute drive was agony,
but then Rolling Fuck came into view and all thought
of pain faded from Mannie's mind. The main structure of
the city had once been a colossal Bagger two eighty
eight strip mining machine. It looked like a sideway skyscraper
sized spider made of scaffolding and cranes. At the center

(24:04):
of the vehicle was a four story building on a
massive set of treads. Four spindley towers rose up out
of that main structure and in a giant half circle
in the air around it. A gantryway the length of
a football field connected the spindles to a mighty steel
arm at the end of the structure. It had once
housed an enormous wheel bucket mining apparatus, but that had
been replaced by a queer cube structure. It sat high

(24:27):
in the air and gleamed in a shade of black
that made Manny's stomach hurt. The overwhelming motif of Rolling
Fuck was after market. The spindle towers had originally looked
like scaffolding and mainly existed to offset the weight of
that Titanic arm but they'd been built on and added
to with a series of tree house looking contraptions. He
saw people, hundreds of them, climbing from door to door

(24:49):
via a series of ladders, ropes, and what looked like vines.
Below the main body of the city, a series of
vehicles surrounded the vast rolling building that made up the
city's foundation. Many saw long haul trucks, deuce and a
half army transports, and at least one old Abrams tank.
Hundreds of sets of solar panels glistened under the Texas sun.

(25:09):
Good God, Reggie whispered, aw temporarily overwhelming his pain, but
didn't realize any of the road tribes with this lodge.
There were easily two or three thousand people visible in
the sprawling camp. Mike glanced back at Reggie, a somewhat
stern look on his face. This is not a tribe,
it's a city, oh, said Reggie. That's just how a

(25:32):
lot of people back home refer to I get it,
Mike interrupted, but there are actual indigenous tribes out on
these roads, Comanche bands, and the Panhandle roving up from
New Mexico to Colorado. We've got defensive and trade agreements
with a few different groups of Apache out west. The
Navajo have the only stable territory south of Mormon Land,
north of Albuquerque. Mike glanced back at the road long

(25:53):
enough to steer around a pothole and turn them in
the direction of what looked to be a greater station.
Then he continued, Anyway, there are tribes out west, but
we're a city. The fact that we don't hold any
land or control any territory is important to most of
the folks here. Think of it as a kind of
rebellion from people born to a settler culture. Ah. Reggie nodded,

(26:15):
that's absolutely fascinating. I have so much I want to
ask in good time, buddy, Mike said, Let's get y'all
settled in first. Manny knew that every foreign correspondent he'd
ever met would kill to have the opportunity Reggie had
just lucked into the road. People were a popular topic
in world media. He supposed that wasn't surprising. They all
led visually spectacular lives. Rolling fuck was just the grandest

(26:38):
variation on a theme. It was famous across the West
for having the highest proportion of post human citizens. Something
like a third of them were chromed enough to no
longer fit into the Homo sapiens category. Manny had never
heard of them traveling this close to Dallas before they
were banned in all of the Republic cities. People with
military grade mods were uncontrollable. That and cultural PTSD from

(27:00):
the war made them pariah's pretty much everywhere. The main
structure of the city was encircled by a ring of
thirty ish large and heavily customed r vs. A few
dozen smaller vehicles, many of them bearing sundry armaments, were
scattered throughout the campground. The only thing that resembled a
checkpoint was a tidy, little one room trailer with a
bright welcome sign above it. Mike steered them into park

(27:21):
in front of it. The guard who approached them was
a shirtless, dreadlocked person with dusky brown skin and an
automatic shotgun. Topass kissed them. Then the guard greeted Manny
and Reggie, Welcome to Rolling Fuck. Rules are don't start,
no ship, won't be no ship cool. Manny nodded, so
did the brit All right, they said, enjoy. Manny was

(27:43):
a little shocked by how loud it was. Several of
the camps appeared to have been built mainly out of speakers.
There were a handful of open air bars outside the
main structure of the city, heterogeneous mixes of teaky torches,
brightly colored silk shade structures, and scrap metal bar tables.
Despite the early hour, quite a few people were drinking
and dancing. Manny noted more people were doing the former

(28:04):
than the latter. Most people were either naked or wearing
a few pieces of light ornamental clothing. Nearly everyone carried
a firearm. He looked over to the journalist and noticed
that Reggie was blinking rapidly and working his jaw. His
arm was still dislocated, and it seemed to pain him
as much as Manny was pained by his leg. Manny
sense of professional pride lit up again, and he leaned

(28:24):
forward to speak to their hosts. I don't mean to
seem ungrateful, he said, but is there some way we
could see a medic? We're pretty shredded back here. Yeah, yeah, skullfucker.
Mike grunted topes and I got some meta ship in
our trailer. We'll get you. Just suck it up a
bit longer and oh. He popped open the glove compartment.
Inside it, Manny could see a handgun, a battered can

(28:45):
of Miller High Life, and a large bottle of pills.
Skullfucker Mike passed the bottle back. Oxy printed him out
myself like two weeks back. Probably shouldn't take more than
two or three unless you've got a robust, fucking Narco
suite in your brain. Meat. Manny took two, Reggie took four.
Mike guided the little buggy through the organized chaos of

(29:05):
the encampment and towards a large silver air stream parked
about a dozen feet away from what Manny guessed was
the backside of Rolling Fuck. He guessed that because someone
had bolted a twenty foot tall license plate to that
end of the city. It said honk please in glowing
white letters. The Bucky slowed to a stop, and skullfucker
Mike hopped out. He put out a hand as Manny

(29:26):
and Reggie started to stand. Hold up, guys, y'all are
just covered in pieces of dead people. He went up
to the air stream and came out moments later with
one armful of towels and a large jug of hot,
soapy water. Manny and Reggie washed their hands and faces,
pulled off their shirts, and scrubbed the blood from their chests.
The brit looked over at Topaz when it came time
to take off his pants. Um, he said. When she

(29:48):
made no motion to hide her face, she asked, would
you mind turning around? Oh? She seemed surprised. Her face
went a bit red, but not with embarrassment at their
impending nudity. I didn't even think about it. You people
come from the world. She turned. Reggie and Manny scrubbed
most of the blood off their aching wounded bodies. Skullfucker
Mike brought them a pair of fluffy white robes, buddled

(30:11):
them up, and ushered them inside the air stream. It
was tame by comparison to the grand weird wheeled city
above them. The gleaming silver vehicle had been modified with
a roof top greenhouse that was filled with pot plants
and some squat bush with red berries Manny had never
seen before. The back had been extended, and the stainless
steel replaced by an enormous bay window. As he entered,

(30:32):
Mannie was hit by a wave of cold air and
the strong smell of marijuana. Roughly half the trailer's interior
was taken up by a huge popissan bed covered in
velvet blankets and dozens of furs. A circular table started
right where the bed ended, and the rest of the
trailer was a large glass walled combination bathroom bar. There
did not appear to be a kitchen. Mannie's leg had

(30:53):
started throbbing as soon as he stood up to eggsit
the buggy, so he dropped into the first seat he
could find, a little padded bench by the table opposite
the bed. Reggie sat down on the other side of
the table. Manny noticed that he looked nervous, sweaty. The
journalist's hand shook just a little, his skin seemed pale.
Topaz came in after them, followed by skullfucker Mike. She

(31:14):
hopped over the table with a grace of a deer
jumping a fence, and in one smooth motion, spun round
and settled into a cross legged sit on the plush mattress.
Skullfucker Mike walked up to the bar and pulled down
a large white bottle with the words Rufies written across
it in black marker. He took two pint glasses, filled
them three quarters up with the white liquid, and then

(31:34):
added a splash of cranberry juice to each glass. Scully
Topaz sounded reproachful. Mike stiffened, then dropped his shoulders in contrition.
He turned towards them, Sorry, guys, my manners are burnt out.
Would either of you like a G teeny? Neither of
them answered for a long second. It was Reggie who
finally responded, gee teeny. Mike laughed, Yeah, that's what Topes

(31:57):
and I call g HB and cranberry juice. Really, it's
the spot after shooting something I can make you guys
some human sized portions. No thanks, Manny, and Reggie said
at the exact same time. The big man handed one
glass to Topaz and belted down the other himself. The
woman took two gulps to finish hers. She handed her
cup to Mike, and he walked back to the bar

(32:17):
to fill both classes again. Reggie looked shocked. I'm fairly
certain you just ingested enough GHB to kill two normal humans.
Top Has shrugged. Let's say what we've had so far
as only se or so of a fatal dose for
some one your size and metabolism and mods Skully is
better at drugging people, though, skullfucker. Mike finished pouring two

(32:38):
more g tens and nodded, She's about right. The brit
drinks more, though I'd say he could take a heavier
dose than what what was your name again, Manny? Manny
gasped out, and would it be too much to ask
for like some medical care? We are both in tremendous pain.
Topaz and skullfucker. Mike looked ashamed. Cheese Topaz side fucking hell, guys,

(32:59):
We're so sorry, added Mike. Then he grabbed a long
knife from his belt and gouged it deep into his wrist.
Reggie Damn near jumped out of his chair. Manny kept still.
The pills had started to help, but he was in
too much pain to react to anything with Gusto. It's
all right, Topez assured them, and the kind of voice
Manny remembered his mom using on their cat when it
was sick. I know it looks weird, but he's helping, helping.

(33:23):
Reggie gasped, a skullfucker. Mike positioned his open wound over
a shot glass, jammed the knife and slightly to the
left and let a thick strand of his syrupy red
blood fill the glass. He filled a second one in
the same manner. Then he pulled the knife free, set
it on the bar counter, and handed the shots to
Manny and Reggie. By the time he reached them, many
noticed that the big man's wounded arm had already scabbed over.

(33:45):
Don't worry, skullfucker, Mike smiled. My blood's pretty sterile, and
it's full of good robots. They'll take care of you.
Manny took the shot right away. He knew it was
working when he felt pain from the wounds in his
back again. That meant Mike's blood had fixed whatever god
awful thing had happened to his You well enough that
it barely throbbed Merta Santa, the curse slipped out. Man
He felt better, great, in fact, but kind of queasy.

(34:08):
At the same time, he felt somehow in motion, almost
as if his whole body were shifting and burbling, like
the contents of his gut. The fixer glanced at his
journalist and nodded to the empty shot. It's a it's good.
Reggie looked terrified. His knuckles were white. The journalist gripped
the edges of the table like he was holding on
for dear life. I am fine, he gritted out. A

(34:31):
damn it, Scully. Topez said, you've scared the poor kid
with your damned wizard blood shit, said skullfucker Mike. Sorry,
we were trying real hard not to trip your head.
Topez nodded. The gesture looked a little telegraphed, as if
she were out of practice with making it stock Sapiens
like yourself don't always do well around folks like me
and Mike. We moved too fast, or we've got too

(34:53):
many weird extra parts. I don't know. It's probably different
for every one of us, but your brains definitely read
monster when you see us. Oh, Reggie croaked, You're not monsters.
You've both been very polite, perfect hosts, Ah said Mike.
It's got nothing to do with how nice we are, aren't.
It's how your brain reacts to the way we look
and move. It's because we're fucking monsters, Scully. She fixed

(35:16):
her eyes on the journalist. I don't mean that in
a bad sense, but like we've taken a big damn
step out of anything near to nature. Nothing is supposed
to be the way we are. It's normal for humans
to feel weird when they're around us for the first time.
Oh well, said Reggie. Maybe don't slice your wrists open
in front of company in the future, or at least
do it behind a screen. Mike nodded as if that

(35:37):
had been a profound suggestion. Then he handed Topaz her
second g teeny and belted down his own. They were
both visibly intoxicated now. Topas his eyes looked unfocused, and
she sprawled out backwards on the bed and cuddled absent
mindedly with one of the fur blankets on her bed.
Mike drifted off too, tapping his foot to a beat
Manny couldn't hear, and drumming his fingers on the bar

(35:57):
top to what looked like a completely different beat. The
journalist stared at his blood shot. It looked like it
had begun to clot. A thin rind had formed across
the top. Reggie was an obvious pain, but he was
just as obviously too squeamish to drink a stranger's blood.
Mannie felt a lot better, though it was weird how
fast Mike's blood had worked. He found himself worrying at
the scab for a gash he'd received on his forearm,

(36:19):
only for the scab to fall away and reveal clean
new skin underneath. An hour ago, it had been a
bleeding wound. It really works, man, he told Reggie. Just
trust me, choke it down. Reggie didn't look convinced. Think
about what a story this'll make for everyone back home,
Manny said, You escape to kill your drone and drink
the blood of an immortal. You'll dine down on that

(36:39):
for years. Reggie still looked pale and rather disgusted, but
he put his fingers around the shot, closed his eyes,
and then gulped it down. Mannie heard him wretch once
and then twice. Tears beat it at the corners of
the journalist's eye, but then he swallowed and slumped back
in his chair. Schoffucker. Mike was hard at work mixing
up another batch of cocktails. These ones seem to just

(37:01):
be normal gin and tonics, four of them. There's not
anything fucking crazy about those drinks, is there, Manny asked.
Mike shrugged. Two shots of gin, splash a tonic. Nothing
you norms can't handle. Neither of us. Asked for a drink.
Manny said, yeah, Topas yawned from her place stretched out
on the bed, But he almost died today. You should
always have a drink after almost dying. Listen to Topez,

(37:23):
said Mike as he passed out the drinks. She's almost
died more than almost anyone I know. Reggie came alive
as his hands touched the drink. He gulped it down
faster than either of the post humans. Manny took a
couple of slight SIPs of his own. It was heinously
strong before he sat the glass down and asked, polite
as he could manage. So why are we here and
why were you there? That kind of luck doesn't just happen,

(37:47):
And now we're just all gonna what hang out in
your trailer getting lit? Would that really be so bad?
Asked Mike Scully. Topaz said, in a warning tone, he's right,
and it'd be rude of us to pretend we've got
altruistic motives here. She looked Manny in his eyes. It
was a little unnerving because her left eye was a
notably different shade of brown than her right one, and

(38:08):
then there were her metal fangs. Look kid, she said.
We got a duty to help strangers in immediate need.
It's rule number one for all the monsters here. But
we were out there because we were looking for someone
like you, a fixer. He felt dumb as soon as
he asked. To her credit, Topaz just smiled. A citizen
of the Republic of Texas, one who's not afraid of

(38:30):
dangerous work, Mike added, and judging by the day you've had,
I'm a guess you've a certain familiarity with danger. What
about me, Reggie asked. Mike put a hand on the
journalist's shoulder. Many guessed it was meant as a calming gesture,
but the Brits still flinched at the contact. Don't worry,
Guy said Mike. We'll get you back to Austin or
wherever's got an airport that'll fly at home. Your friends

(38:52):
the only one who's help we need. What help do
you need? Manny asked. The best person to take that
question is up in the city. Topas you guys up
for a bit of a trick. Minnie stood halfway to
test the strength of his knee. It felt good as
good as new. In fact, his back and shoulders which
had been peppered with shrapnel. Just itched now. He didn't

(39:12):
even feel particularly tired. On the other side of the table,
Reggie looked to be doing well too. He worked his
formerly dislocated shoulder in its socket and gave Manny the
thumbs up. Apparently so, he said, Rolling Fuck had not
been built by the mines or for the comfort of
mortal men. That much was obvious. The second the elevator

(39:33):
doors closed, the narrow metal box launched up with the
force of a rocket. It climbed six stories in the
space of about a second. By the time it stopped
and the doors slid open with a pleasant ding, Manny
and Reggie were both on the edge of vomiting ah
ship topes. Mike said, you forgot to drop the speed
back down to normal. Topez looked genuinely distraught. Fuck me

(39:54):
with a splintery dick, she cursed. I'm sorry, guys, this
is the nearest elevator to our trailer. It doesn't only
take humans. The city's got an elevator under each spindle,
Mike explained. There's also a big lift under the main roller.
That's what we call the big building on treads in
the middle, and another behind the rear roller. Humans tend
to stick to the rollers. It gets weird up in
the spindles. Weird, Reggie asked, weird skullfucker. Mike leaned down

(40:20):
and hissed the word into the journalist's ear. He winked
at the brit in a way that somehow suggested both
coitus and violence. Topaz punched Mike's shoulder and annoyance. She
gestured for Manny and Reggie to follow her down the
narrow metal hallway. We live life on a different scale
than the rest of you, she said. We see more colors,
hear more sounds. Most of us have at least a

(40:40):
thousand times as many nerve endings, and no fear of
mortality to draw the line between pleasure and pain. The
kind of environments we enjoy can be intense to unmodified humans.
Right as she said humans, the group emerged from the
hallway into a wide, open gantry way. There were no
There was no ceiling above them now, and a huge
rectangular metal frame loomed over them, connected to the other

(41:03):
spindles of the vehicle city via thick metal tension wire.
The surface of the spindles had been covered in colorful
bits of metal and wood welded and nailed into dozens
of crude structures that stippled up the iron frames like
technicolor mushrooms. Everything was covered in lights and screens and
buzzed with the hum of a thousand speakers. Reggie's pace slowed,
the journalist's jaw was slack. He mouthed what must have

(41:25):
been a curse, and then asked their guides, Is it
okay if I record skullfucker might grinned and clapped him
on the shoulder. Of course, it's okay. If you ask nice,
I might even let you film me in one of
the fondel boats. What the hell is a Reggie started
to ask, but then the first fondel boat came into view.
At least many assumed that's what it was. A very

(41:46):
large lifeboat hung off the gantry as if it was
the deck of a cruise ship. The interior of the
boat was all soft cushions, pillows, blankets, and about two
dozen writhing naked people. Some of them were surely having sex,
but it was hard to tell actly what was going on.
Manny saw several tails curled around limbs or jerking spasmodically
in the air. His eyes were drawn to one mechanical

(42:08):
limb that looked like a large metal chicken's foot. He
watched it kick repeatedly into the chest of a young woman.
She cried with joy at every impact. The whole mass
of coiled post humanity gleamed wet in the morning light,
coated with a mixture of blood and what looked like
motor oil. Christ Reggie whispered. Manny was at a loss
for words. He felt a bit nauseous. He never considered

(42:30):
himself a prude, but something about what was going on
in the Fondel boat just seemed wrong in the physics sense,
not the moral sense. Probably best not to watch, said Topaz.
It can make humans sick er, Yeah, Reggie coughed. Is
that a common sight? Mike shrugged. It's not uncommon. We
try to keep stuff like that on the outside spindles

(42:51):
away from the rollers as a courtesy. They walked on,
passed the boat and through another covered section of the
gantry way, surrounded by a half dozen little buildings that
looked shops. Many saw fruits and vegetables hanging in one,
an assortment of labeled decks and other electronic googas on
tables in another. It had the look of a Middle
Eastern bazaar, but with no shopkeepers present. Y'all want food,

(43:12):
Topaz stopped and gestured at the shop filled with produce.
Manny held up his left hand, which had his cash ship,
and planted in it. I've got Republic of Texas currency
and some Californian crypto, if you guys take either. Mike
and Topaz both laughed, and then Mike grabbed an apple
and tossed it Manny's way. Many caught the fruit, although
it was a near thing. We don't use money, not

(43:33):
within the city, skullfucker, Mike explained. We do sell a
lot of what we grow for foreign money's, but that's
mostly used to book bands or buy stuff we can make.
Nothing costs anything here, not to us and not to
our guests. Y'all are guests, Topaz clarified. Manny hadn't really
had time to think about his stomach in the hour
since their explosion he wake up call. They'd been on

(43:55):
the run and endanger the whole time, but now that
he had a moment to think, he felt a mild
gnawing sensation in his gut. The journalist must have been
in the same way, because He immediately set to piling fruit,
bags of nuts, and a paper sack of vat grown
jerky into his arms. Manny went for a bag of
shelled pistachios himself, and the two munch to Skullfucker. Mike
and Topaz led them across the spindles gantry and down

(44:17):
towards the main roller. The main roller had once held
the control center and engine room for the gargantuan strip
mining vehicle and its conversion to rolling fuck. Two new
levels built from a half dozen sorely abused airstream trailers
had been added to the top four of the spindles
met on the roller's roof, which also hosted a lively cafe.
There were around a dozen patrons drinking at the circular

(44:38):
center bar, and perhaps a dozen lounging on cushions around
low slung Moroccan style tables. Most of the customers looked
human to Manny's eye. They wore an assortment of colorful,
loose fitting garments, sarongs, long skirts, and caffeia's. Most of
it looked handmade, although Manny was hardly an expert on
such things. As they walked past the bar, Mike scooped
up four pint glasses of dark browned agger. He kept

(45:00):
them in one hand. As he opened a metal hatch
on the rooftop. Many could see a ladder that led
down into semi darkness. Mike nodded towards the ladder. Down
you go. Beer at the bottom. Manny and Reggie descended
into a luxurious conference room. It was candlelit, dim enough
to see him intimate, but bright enough for human navigation.
A single redwood table dominated the space. It was twelve

(45:22):
feet in diameter and low to the ground, like all
the tables he'd seen in the cafe. Cushions and other colorful, lumpy,
soft things surrounded it. One man and one woman were
already seated cross legged around the table. Manny was shocked
to see they were both quite old. The man was
heavy set, with a lot of curly black hair piled
atop his head and around his craggy lined face. Startlingly

(45:44):
bright blue eyes stood out over the flickering candle light.
He wore an old fashioned suit with a necktie and everything.
It was the kind of suit a banker might have
worn fifty years ago. If the old movies man he'd
watched were close too accurate, He looked to be in
his sixties, while the woman next to him seemed considerably older.
Her face was so lying and her skin so thin
she almost looked fake, like some kind of animatronic creation.

(46:08):
No one looked that old anymore. The Austin Autonomous Region
wasn't wealthy, but basic juven treatments were cheap and heavily subsidized.
Even the poor could afford to combat the worst side
effects of aging. Things were different in the Republic of
Texas proper, but none of the poor there lived long
enough to look like this woman. She wore high waisted
purple yoga pants and a very tight T shirt with

(46:28):
a faded print of a five fingered Bart Simpson flipping
the bird. Her hair was completely white and bound behind
her in a tight ponytail. She smiled at Manny when
he looked at her. The old woman's teeth were as
white as her hair. Hello there, young men, she said,
in a voice that evoked the Platonic ideal of a grandma. Hello, Topaz,
Mike schofucker, Mike, ma'am skullfucker, Mike corrected her. As he

(46:51):
came down the ladder. He handed Manny and Topaz each
a beer and then found a cushion large and plush
enough for his bulk and dropped down. Manny took his
cue and found a seat. Red She grabbed the cushion
next to him. Topaz leaned against the back wall, but
stood as she introduced them. This is Mannie Sanchez, he's
a fixer from the Austin region. And this is Reggie Sullivan.
He works for the BBC. Manny, Reggie, this is Nanna Yazzie,

(47:14):
she's our eldest. And the less old fart is Donnie Ferris.
He's a guest and a brit too. Wait the Donald Ferris,
Reggie asked, the guy who made Visions of Blood. Yes,
said the old man. Did you actually watch it or
have you just seen a handful of ten second clips
in your media feed over the years. Both actually, Reggie

(47:34):
replied Donald grunted. Many had heard of Visions of Blood
back in school. It was a documentary released a year
before the Second American Civil War caught fire. It followed
two Navajo Special Forces veterans as they organized a massive
direct action campaign that started in Santa Fe but spread
throughout the Southwest. His textbook had called it one of

(47:54):
the major seeds of the old u s has collapse.
Reggie was clearly star struck by Donald. Mannie was more
curious about the old woman. No matter where he turned
his head, he couldn't quite seem to escape her eyes.
She had this strange way of staring at him without
really staring. It made Mannie feel somehow naked and vaguely comforted,
all at the same time. Nana meant grandma, which made sense,

(48:17):
but he wasn't sure what the rest of her title meant.
Exactly Are you in charge, then, he asked her. In response,
every one but Reggie chuckled. No one is in charge here,
said Nana Yazi. That will become increasingly clear the longer
you stay. I'm the eldest, which means exactly what it
sounds like. I'm old as dirt, and I'm older than
any of the other dirt around here too. She eyed

(48:39):
Donald Ferris and continued, when I give advice or have
an opinion, some people listen. This is not a state,
and I am not a head of state, but sometimes
I play one for the folks outside, for in policy,
diplomatic relations, that sort of thing, mainly because no one
else can be arst by the way. She added welcome
to the city of Wheels, or she ound a little

(49:00):
rolling fuck. I argued rather strenuously against that name, but
I was outvoted. I like the name, said skullfucker. Mike,
it's fun, said he shouldn't take themselves too seriously. That's
when the problems start. So why are we here, Manny asked.
I mean, I'm grateful, and all we're grateful. He nodded
to Reggie. But I know y'all aren't just being nice.

(49:22):
Mike said, you had dangerous work. Skullfucker, Mike, skullfucker, Mike
insisted again. Nanni Yazzi ignored him and replied to Manny,
we do have a job for you, Miho. You are
not required to take it, though if you say no,
we'll still return you when your journalist friend to Austin,
and if you do help us, you'll be compensated. So
what is it you need? The old woman snapped her fingers.

(49:44):
A projection screen hummed to life on the wall of
the room that faced Manny and Reggie. It displayed three faces,
two women and one man. They all looked young, although
that meant very little. One woman was white and kept
her hair in a bright purple mohawk. The other was
as bald as skullfucker Mike, with round cheeks, green scowling eyes,
and skin a little darker than Manny's. The young man

(50:05):
was very pale. He appeared to be of Chinese descent,
and his exposed skin was covered in scarified symbols from
a language Mannie didn't recognize. From left to right, Marigold, Fulton,
Tooley Black Elk, and Rick Hartford. They're all citizens and
they act as our negotiators when the city is in
the southwest. Two days ago, they arrived in Plaino to
negotiate a trade deal with the Republic of Texas. We

(50:28):
have quite a lot of processed coffee and we were
hoping to trade it for She trailed off a bit
and her cheeks reddened. Manny thought she looked embarrassed. For snacks. Snacks,
Reggie asked, yes, she nodded. The Frido Le Corporation is,
or at least was still headquartered in Plaino. The junk
food they produces harder to find out West. We mostly

(50:49):
wanted cheeto's. Topez licked her lips. For whatever reason, the
imitations we print out here just don't cut it. We
barter everywhere we go, Nana Yazi continued, and since post
humans aren't welcome in most populated areas, our negotiators are
all pretty close to baseline. They traveled unarmed into Plano.
The city fell six hours after they arrived. Reggie grunted

(51:12):
two days ago. People were telling me the Kingdom was
on its last legs. Yes, Nana Yazi said, it would
appear they are not quite the paper tiger everyone expected.
We're still scrambling through good data, but it's safe to
say they've pilfered the majority of the Republic's heavy equipment
and converted as much as half their standing army. At
the same time Plaino fell, dozens of Christian militias across

(51:33):
Texas launched fresh offensives. Galveston is still holding, but that
could change at any moment. Houston blew their levies and
flooded half the city in order to save the other half.
But that also means the Kingdom can move on to
Austin without worrying about their flank. They pushed the stf
entirely out of Siada de Muerta, so there's nothing left
between them and your home. Donald Ferris spoke up Grave

(51:54):
and gravelly. We know that the offensives started with dozens
of autonomous car bombings at checkpoints and fortifications. We don't
know how they managed it. What's important now, Nana Yazzi continued,
is that three of our people have been captured. Manny
fought down a spike of anger. With all due respect, Nana,
he said, in a deliberately neutral tone, they just conquered

(52:16):
the city I was born in. I've probably lost a
dozen friends in these god fascists are only what two
hours away from Austin ninety minutes, Donald said. They seem
to be a holding position now, digesting them meal, but
they'll be on the march soon. I expect the vaunted
Austin defense forces will be able to hold them off
for oh a good four or five days, maybe a week.

(52:36):
Unless he glanced over to Nani Yazzi, she nodded in agreement.
Unless asked Manny, unless Nana agreed, unless our militia comes
to their aid. We're not in the habit of fighting
other people's battles, but we're also not in the habit
of letting regressives win. I asked for a vote once
we learned our people had been captured our fighters, most

(52:57):
of them agreed to stop the Heavenly Kingdom's advance and
give your people time to coordinate a proper defense. But
there's a catch, ah, Manny was starting to get it.
If you step in, they'll kill your people. Nani Yazzi nodded, yes,
and none of our fighters are willing to risk that. Well,
I'm not sure what you want from me, Manny said,
I'm a talker, not a fighter. A talker is exactly

(53:19):
what we need, Immanuel Nani Yazzi assured him. Manny winced
in irritation at the use of his full name, Manny.
He insisted, in the same tone, skullfucker might get used
a little earlier as you say, what kind of talking
do you want me to do? He asked. I'm sure
you've all got better negotiators than me, perhaps, but you've
got something none of our people possess. You're a citizen

(53:41):
of the Republic, and the Heavenly Kingdom has just issued
a general amnesty for all citizens willing to repent and
declare allegiance. You know how the people in this region talk.
You won't arose suspicion if you enter, So you want
me to find your people, and then what break them out?
I can barely shoot straight. I don't think I'm the
man to execute a prison break. They've got plenty of
fight a son. Donald Ferris growled, But if two Pez

(54:04):
and Schofucker Mike haven't keyed you in on this, the
chrome don't exactly good at blending. He's right, Nana smiled sadly.
We'll pare you with some one who could do the violence,
but we'll need you to get them close enough to
find our people. In effect an escape, You'll need to
help our person maintain their cover. Manny felt a powerful
anger boil up inside his belly. So basically, you and

(54:26):
your militia are holding my homeland hostage. And if I
don't risk my coulo to save your negotiators, Austin dies. Miho,
it's nothing as sinister as that our people want to fight.
But but Donald picked up. We're all family here, and
family comes before corrupt fractious foreign militia's and equally corrupt
fractious foreign cities. Old told I'd say it's a good

(54:48):
deal for you. What was your plan before this meeting,
Nani Yazi asked. Manny opened his mouth to respond, but
realized he didn't have a clear answer. He hadn't exactly
had much time to puzzle that out in any time
he'd tried. He thought about Oscar, his missing stringer, and
that made him want to panic. He's dead or worse,
and there's nothing you can do about it. What you

(55:09):
can do is by a fucking plane ticket and beg
the Germans to take you in as a refugee. That
seemed like a good plan, or at least the best
of a bunch of shitty options. But a scornful voice
rose up from the dark recesses of his semi withered conscience.
What about his wife? Are you just gonna leave her
broken widowed? You have to at least give her something.
I'm flying to Germany, he said, or maybe France, wherever

(55:30):
I can get the cheapest ticket, either in Austin or
El Paso. How much money do you have saved up, son,
Donald Ferris asked, They won't issue a long term visa
unless you've got at least sixty grand Californian. Manny hit
a little more than half that less once he paid
off Oscar's wife widow. Fuck man, you sent him out there.
The uncertainty and despair must have been obvious on his face.

(55:52):
Both Donald Ferris and Nana Yazzi gave him the sort
of looks normally reserved for wounded kittens. I may be
able to help the old Brits that I do have
some connections in Germany, people who might sponsor your visa
if you help. The thought of a visa, the mental
image of seeing one stamped in his otherwise worthless passport
was intoxicating Mann. He'd never traveled outside of Texas, but

(56:15):
he had kept at all times an active passport. It
had been the physical anchor for his wildest dreams, and
now Donald Ferris was telling him he could make something
as magical as a visa real Manny almost swooned. Do
I have to decide now? He asked, careful to keep
his tone as calm as he could manage, of course not.
Nana Yazi said that would be terribly unfair. You should

(56:37):
get some sleep and then a proper breakfast. There's certainly
enough time for that, and you look exhausted he was.
Now that the excitement of the morning had faded, he
felt gripped by a bone deep weariness that was not
at all helped by the dim lighting and comfortable cushions
around him. Reggie should have been even more tired but
with the jet lag, but the journalist looked alert, jittery
despite the bags under his eyes. If it's possible, Reggie said,

(57:00):
and you have one, I could really use a high
speed data connection. My deck's been spotty since the shooting started.
I've got a lot to upload to the company's servers,
and I should probably check in with my editors, let
them know I'm not dead, et cetera, et cetera. That
won't be a problem. She stood, and her knees popped
audibly with the movement. Oh, she grunted, and then continued.
Topaz and Mike Schofucker. Mike, we'll show you to a nice,

(57:22):
relatively sound proof room. They'll help you get onto our
data tower too. Reggie, thank you. She looked at Manny
again and fixed him with her sad grandmother's smile. We'll
give you as much time to decide as we can.
We expect the Kingdom to hold for a few days,
but we didn't expect them to launch an attack like this,
So take that with a grain of salt. I'm Texan, Nana,

(57:43):
Manny said, I take everything with salt. I call the
Union haul as his male alife and dear, I thank
these people of planning to kill Doctor King. On April four,
Dr Martin Luther King was shot and killed in Memphis.

(58:04):
A petty criminal named James Earl Ray was arrested. He
pled guilty to the crime and spent the rest of
his life in prison. Case closed right, James L. Ray
was upon for the official story. The authorities would parade
all we found a gun the James L. Ray bought
in Birmingham the killed Dr King. Except it wasn't the

(58:27):
gun that killed Dr King. One of the problems that
came out when I got the Ray case was that
some of the evidence, as far as I was concerned,
did not match the circumstances. This is the MLK tapes.
The first episodes are available now. Listen on the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

(58:51):
Hay Ley, the listeners take here. Last season on Lethal Lit,
you might remember I came to Hollow Falls on a
mission clearing my ant festinat and making sure justice was
finally served. But I hadn't counted on a rash of
new murders tearing apart the town. My mission put myself

(59:11):
and my friends in danger, though it wasn't all bad.
I'm going to be real. If you Tig, I like you.
But now all signs point to a new serial killer
in Hollow Falls. If this game is just starting, you
better believe I'm gonna win. I'm tig Torres and this

(59:32):
is Lethal Lit. Catch up on season one of the
hit murder mystery podcast Lethal Lit, a tig Tara's mystery
out now, and then tune in for all new thrills
in season two, dropping weekly starting February nine. Subscribe now
to never miss an episode. Listen to Leave the Lit
on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts. Look for your children's eyes to

(59:54):
see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook
world for them. You look and see a tree. They
see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched
to the sky. They see treasure in pebbles. They see
a windy path that could lead to adventure, and they
see you. They're fearless. Guide is this fascinating world? Find

(01:00:15):
a forest near you and start exploring it. Discover the
Forest dot Org brought to you by the United States
Forest Service and the ad Council Chapter eleven Roland Roland
loved fighting men in powered armor. The increased firepower and
durability gave them an outside chance, which made it fun,
and the sheer expense of modern suits made it feel

(01:00:37):
a little like wailing on rich kids with fancy toys.
But Roland did not like fighting normal humans. He'd hoped
the infantry coming up behind the armored troopers would run
like hell once he popped their vanguard, but instead they'd
insisted on a fight and started shooting at him with
very large guns. One explosive munition had hit nine yards
ahead of his position, and the other had impacted close

(01:00:58):
enough to pepper Roland's torso and face with shrapnel, so
regretfully he charged the enemy. The martyrs shot back. They
hit him a few times, but Roland paid their bullets
as much mind as he would a mild rain. He
drew close enough for visual contact. These martyrs were a
motley site. Several of them fought shirtless, with white crosses
daubed across their chests. Most of them wore body armor,

(01:01:20):
very little of it modern. Roland saw a lot of
old pre war plate carriers and surplus police vests. That
crap wouldn't stop military grade rifle rounds, although since the
only weapon in Roland's hand was a big guess wrench,
how these men were armored hardly mattered. They were mostly
armed with old M fours and a smattering of newer
assault rifles, probably pilfered from the Republic of Texas. Fifty men,

(01:01:42):
six technicals, two drone carriers. Rowland hit their skirmishing line
before the teams on the recoilists rifles. His first target
could reload. Roland's wrench broke jaws and orbital bones. It
cracked pelviss and shattered thighs. He dispatched the rifle teams
and then danced through the on rushing mob of militia
like some sort of compound fracture dispensing ballerina. And as

(01:02:03):
he fought, Roland felt the familiar sunlight warmth of serotonin
flowed his synapses. He remembered a little of how the
army had explained the battle. Drugs now flowing through his
brain a guarantee of sustained aggression. The longer he fought,
the harder would be for him to stop fighting and
to avoid killing Roland felt his self control begin to
fade as he knocked out his dozenth martyr. He started

(01:02:26):
swinging harder, his blows increasingly connected with clavicles instead of coxyxes,
and jaws instead of elbows, his hindbrain warned him. As
the kill likelihoods jumped from for to six percent up
to twenty thirty forty, he felt his conscience fade beneath
the uphoric red haze of narcotic splendor. Before he knew it,

(01:02:46):
the whole platoon of martyrs was either on the ground
or fleeing for the relative safety of their technicals. Roland
laughed a madman's laughed, tickled that they thought a bunch
of old Toyota trucks with machine guns in the beds
might slow him down. He put a fist through the
engine of one and ad a burst of fifty caliber
fire from the other. As he pivoted and launched his
wrench through the driver's side window. The improvised missile connected

(01:03:08):
with the face of the driver, who spun his wheel
hard to the left. The truck flipped forward onto its cabin.
Something about the wet crunch had maid sounded so familiar.
Oh God, Oh dear sweet Jesus, Please, sir. The National
Guardsman was nineteen years old. Randall Wallace was his name.
Roland knew that because his hind brain had sucked in
every piece of publicly available data on the boy once

(01:03:28):
it had scanned his face. It had done that with
all the occupants of the humvey and the four seconds
before Roland had blown it on its side. Wallace was
just the only member of the crew unlucky enough to survive. Please, Sir,
Roland stepped towards the broken, bloody boy. He came back
to himself, a bit disoriented, but none the worse for wear.
His hind brain and a lifetime of combat memories had

(01:03:49):
kept his body fighting in his mind's absence. Now wrenchless,
Rowland used his bare hands to tear open doors and
break faces. The gunners on the remaining technicals tried to
fire back, but their maneuver ability was limited by the
rubble choked streets and their own fleeing infantry. One minute
after first contact, the martyr contingent had been reduced to
a dozen shell shocked soldiers piled hastily on to the

(01:04:10):
tops of the retreating drone carriers. Roland hopped onto the
last of the technicals. He disabled it by pulling the
driver out through the front windshield and using the man's
body to beat the gunner into unconsciousness. Roland tore the
vehicle's twenty millimeter cannon free from its swivel mount and
sided in on the fleeing troops. His synapses promised him
more chemical rewards if only he'd pulled the trigger, but

(01:04:32):
something in Roland's forebrains stopped him. Under the joyous miasma
of the battle drugs, his conscience reasserted itself. He lowered
his weapon and watched as his enemies beat hell for
leather in the opposite direction. His hands shook, and he
felt the first symptoms of withdrawal. As his heart rate
dropped and the adrenaline drips stopped its flow, Roland closed
his eyes. He breathed in and out, and centered himself.

(01:04:55):
The crash came. Now that the fighting was done, Roland
had time to process the since data he'd pulled from
his enemies. He knew what the driver he'd ripped out
of the windshield had eaten for breakfast. He knew which
of the militia he'd crippled were fathers he knew, which
had wives, or at least girlfriends. He could smell traces
of football leather on some of their hands. One man
he'd wrenched had smelled of rosin a violinist. Roland couldn't

(01:05:18):
fight a man without learning much more about him than
any killer should know about their victims. That knowledge crashed
down on him in a hail storm of guilt. Roland
dropped the cannon into the truck's bed. He hopped down,
pulled Sardar's wrench free from the wreck of the second Technical,
and headed back towards Biggsby and his squad with a
heavy heart. Maadine and Asime both looked pretty seriously wounded.

(01:05:39):
Biggsby was helping to carry them both back to the
a PC while Will handled Overwatch with his grenade launcher.
Roland caught up with them and fell into step. Biggsby
looked over at him and grunted, are you gonna try
to take my nipple now? Roland shrugged. He wasn't in
the mood. His brain was in the dark, ugly place
that always went after a bloody fight, when the raw
data about all the men he killed or battered lingered

(01:06:01):
in his brain. Like a fart in the back of
a hum V. They reached the APC. Sardar gasped when
he saw them, Pedro vomited. Roland was confused until he
realized Biggsby and will had also started to stare. Roland
looked down at himself and saw that he looked like
a literal dead man walking. He'd been shot forty seven
times by his hindbrain's best count, and peppered with shrapnel.

(01:06:22):
On top of that, he had ribs showing through holes
blasted in his biceps, in his belly, and the bone
on his left thigh was completely exposed. It looks worse
than it is. Roland said, it looks like you should
be dead about five times over, Sardar replied. Roland looked
Sardar up and down. His hindbrain did the math eleven times.
If I were you Jesus, he handed Sarda the wrench,

(01:06:46):
now dented and bloodstained. A large clump of hair and
scalp was still stuck to the heel jaw. The mechanic
took his tool with one hesitant hand. He stared at
the gore on it until Biggsby started to yell again.
OHI fucos. In case you've forgotten, there's an army breathing
up our asses. Sar, you get to drive man Sardar
nodded his head. Then let's get the wounded in the
cab and power the funk out of here. Will stay

(01:07:08):
on watch, Will grunted and jerked his head at Rowland.
This funk erota cover us. He just took out half
a company on his lonesome. You trust him to watch
your six Biggsby, asked Roland. Only half heard them. He
stared off into the distance, worked his jaw and clenched
his left fist so hard his finger nails drew blood.
He was lost in his head, scanning scent memories and

(01:07:29):
analyzing the men he'd just beaten. He was drawn again
and again to the memory of one man. In particular.
He'd worn a tattered U S Army issue vest and
an M sixteen that posed as much of a threat
to Rowland as a drunken hornet. He'd had the scent
of a woman on him. He wasn't alone in that,
but the rich wave of oxytocin that had poured off
him was intense and real. In his memory. The man's

(01:07:49):
face kept twisting and morphing into the face of Randall Wallace.
Roland started to cry. Bigsby and Sardar loaded Ryan, Nadine,
and Asime into the transport. Will a stare at him,
his gaze locked on Roland's tears, as if each one
were the locknest monster. Roland didn't care. His hind brain
kept up its glitchy feet of data, a mix of
information on the men he'd just killed and the men

(01:08:11):
he'd killed years ago. Once the wounded were loaded up,
everyone filed into the Madis APC. Will popped the top
hatch and sat Gunner with his grenade launcher. Inside the APC,
Bigsby and Pedro did their best version of first aid
on their wounded companions. There wasn't much for them to do,
though everyone in the squad had fairly advanced healing suites.
Roland trudged into the APEC and took his seat. No

(01:08:33):
one made eye contact with him. Sardar kicked it into gear,
and off they went. Waco had always been one of
the worst cities in Texas in the late eighteen hundreds
that had been a refuge for former Confederate loyalists. In
the nineteen hundreds. It had developed a reputation as a
haven for KuPS and religious extremists. Caught between the economic

(01:08:54):
powerhouse of Dallas and the relative cultural mecca of Austin,
Waco was a second rate college town at best, and
at worst, a meth filled rest stop between Texas's good cities.
The revolution had changed that. After the lake would blast,
Dallas had bled sixty percent of its population. Most of
those people had fled to Austin since constant flooding had

(01:09:14):
rendered much of Houston uninhabitable, but half a million of
them ish had swelled Waco into something resembling a worthwhile
place to exist. The city had thrived in the post
revolutionary years. It was nominally controlled by the Austin regional government,
and so it had been spared the worst of the
Republic of Texas's corruption. But now it looked like Waco

(01:09:35):
would be the next city eaten by the expanding Heavenly Kingdom.
Roland could smell the stink of fear in the air
when they were still a half dozen miles out from
the city limits. Once they hit the city proper, their
convoy halted at a military checkpoint. Power armored Austin Republican
guardsmen opened the side hatch of the Maddis a PC
and inspected the squad Bigsby spoke for them, beamed over

(01:09:57):
some credentials from the SDF, and they were waved in.
They stopped at a fueling depot with the rest of
the STF column, and Roland hopped out of the a
PC to stretch his legs and roll another blunt. He
picked a cherry apple rap he dipped in a vat
of extra strength hydrocodone syrup earlier that morning. As he
rolled it tight and sealed the scene with his saliva,
he watched the st F unload hundreds of wounded warriors

(01:10:19):
from half tracks and a PCs in the beds of
flatbed trucks. Many of the walking men and women looked
wounded too. Most of the vehicles were damaged. Roland lit
the blunt and stared off towards Dallas. It was still
early in the morning, and the sky was streaked with
red and orange. On the horizon, black smoke rose to
meet the sunrise. Roland was struck with a powerful sense

(01:10:40):
of dejah vous. This wasn't the first time he'd watched
a great city burn in the light of the rising sun.
According to his hind brain, it was around the thirtieth time.
He recalled a few of those cities Denver, Baltimore, d C. Richmond,
but the particulars of each calamity were lost to his memory.
He wondered, not for the first time, if his broken
brain might be a blessing boy it was, Sardar. He

(01:11:04):
approached from the rear and stepped up to Roland's right side.
Rowland offered the mechanic his blunt, now half smoked, and
Sardar accepted it. He drew in a deep lungful of
medicated smoke, held it in his lungs for three long seconds,
and then exhaled with only a small fit of coughing.
This tastes like fucking cough, Sarah man. Yep, Roland agreed,
there's enough opiates on that to kill a small cat.

(01:11:27):
That's a weird thing to say. Yep, Roland agreed. Sardar
took a second hit and then passed the blunt back
to Roland. They stood in companionable silence for a minute
and watched the distant smoke mingle with the morning light.
Sardar spoke first, Jim's on his way out here. He's
flying in with three more squads. Austin's approved emergency funding

(01:11:48):
to stabilize the front. Apparently a chunk of that's coming
our way. Grats, said Rowland. Then he asked, what's the
money mean, do you? Sardar shrugged, Cascadia. Probably been saving
for a couple of years now. Fifty grand buy residency.
Another hundred grand or so to set me up for
the first year while I find work. Roland finished another

(01:12:08):
deep poll on the blunt and offered it to Sardar.
The other man declined with a polite wave of his hand.
Now thanks. Roland puffed again and asked, so, what's the
Pacific Northwest got that you want the future? Sardar said,
I mean, that's what it always meant in my head.
I grew up in El Paso, got trained up by
that army blooded in their first little civil war, the

(01:12:30):
Albuquerque Secession. Right, Sardar nodded. Didn't see much action then,
but I got Jim's attention. He made me an offer
when my term of service expired. The idea was I'd
be with him for five years and retire with enough
money to make a new start out west. I always
dreamed of a life in Portland. It seems nice there,
it is, Roland agreed, or at least I got nice memories.

(01:12:52):
I met a girl out there when I was younger.
I remember watching the fog rolland with her he ran
a hand over the stubble on his head. It was
weird to him that he'd been given so much control
over his bodily functions, and yet he still found himself
making nervous gestures. For some reason, talking about her made
him want to cover his face. The impulse was wired
into him deeper than the carbon fiber that laced his bones.

(01:13:14):
That uh sounds tough, Sardar said. He managed to look
concerned without showing pity. I can't imagine having all these
memories floating around with no through line to connect them together.
It must hurt. Roland shrugged. What hurts most is knowing
that it should hurt more. I don't remember enough to
give the pain its proper due. They were quiet for

(01:13:37):
a bit. Roland finished the blunt and put it out
on his right. In next finger, Sardar pulled a bronze
flask out from his jacket pocket, took a belt, and
then offered it to Roland. It was Lafroy whiskey. Even
if he hadn't been chrome to the gills, Rowland would
have recognized that smell from three feet away. He took
a gulp from the flask and passed it back. Sardar
broke the silence again. Look, maybe I'm reading things wrong,

(01:14:01):
but we've got some tents set up near the a PC.
You up for a fuck? Roland looked the man up
and down again. Sardar was a good looking guy, short,
broad and muscular, with a neat trimmed beard and curly
black hair. Yeah, all right, it was pretty good sex.
Nothing to blow Roland's mind, but the release provided a

(01:14:22):
quantum of chill to calm the pangs of memory. Afterwards,
Sardar fell asleep, nuzzled into his shoulder. Roland didn't particularly
feel like cuddling, but he since the other man needed
the human contact, so he laid there with him for
a couple of hours, rolled and smoked two more blunts,
and tried not to think about the lives. He didn't
died that morning. A little afternoon, Biggsby came by and

(01:14:43):
knocked on the tent flap zarre. Roland, l f's here,
clean up your fox. Stink and meet us by the
a PC. They did. Five minutes later, the whole squad
had assembled around the maddis. Ryan looked more or less
recovered from his injuries, as am A also seemed good
as new. Nadine was still pretty bandaged and her eyes
were litted and unfocused from blood loss and opiates. Will

(01:15:05):
had brewed up a large French press of coffee. He
busied himself pouring measures of it out into himp foam cups.
Roland took one and drained it in a single mighty gulp.
It was proper post human strength coffee. The caffeine rush
mingled with the opiates and THHC already flooding his synapses,
and brought him to a lovely, half lucid state of
quasi awareness. Did you guys fuck? Pedro finally asked, after

(01:15:28):
about a minute of staring at Roland and Tardar and
asking the same question with his eyes. Yes. Bigsby and
Nadine both replied. Sardar laughed at that, so did Roland.
For one beautiful moment he felt nice, a kind of
nice he was pretty sure he hadn't felt in a
long time, And then came a familiar pattern of bootsteps
tickling Roland's ears. Jim Roland turned just as Jim walked

(01:15:52):
into view. His legs were covered by a pair of
armored red leather chaps. His groin was wrapped up in
a thick kevlar thong, but his penis and as were
otherwise unguarded. He wore a double shoulder holster with a
pair of bone handled wheel guns under his arms. The
snake tattoos on Jim's chest and shoulders danced to a melody.
Roland eventually recognized as La kukaracha. Your ink looks good today, boss,

(01:16:15):
said Bigsby. Ass Lequer said, Sardar takes one to no one.
I don't lick ass Sarda replied haughtily. I eat it
like a starving hyena. More laughter and another fleeting moment
of community that was broken when Jim addressed the squad.
All right, so several bunks have been hummed here. This
Heavenly Kingdom's got at least ten thousand effectives in theater

(01:16:36):
with Almah artillery drones the works. A new employer, Austin
has about three thousand fighters here in Waco, plus now
the fifteen e U lot I flew in with Ajax
and Florin. They have prepping their squads now, Biggsby spat
Ajax fights about as well as a drunk dog in
a burlap sack. Will replied, you just saying that because

(01:16:57):
he choked you out in the blood Dome last year.
Big responded with a middle finger. Ahem. Jim hemmed, plenty
of time for Dick, measuring later, time enough for the
rest of you. At least this city doesn't have a
ruler long enough for my dick. He paused for a laugh.
No one obliged. Jim rolled his eyes, ass holes. So look,
we're in a bad position with funk All for reinforcements

(01:17:19):
coming in. Austin might be able to scrape up a
couple of battalions if they suddenly clear out the Houston front,
but that don't look likely. Enemy has another ten thousand
men there. Fuck. Sardar was the only one to actually
say it, but everyone else in the group mouthed the
word or some equivalent curse. How is that even possible?
As Amee's voice was still a little slurred from the painkillers,

(01:17:41):
but her eyes were focused now. Jim shrugged hard to
say exactly masked affections from the Republic at Texas. Intel
suspects the U c S probably sent in some spec
ops guys. I don't know, some sort of skulduggerous bullshit
went down. The how of it ain't really our problem today,
but now we've got to deal with the reality. The

(01:18:02):
snakes on Jim's torso stopped writhing. He locked eyes with Roland,
and Roland felt compelled to meet his old friend's gaze.
Can we count on your help? Jim asked, fuck no,
Roland said, I've killed enough naive young men today. I
don't aim to kill any more. To his surprise, Jim
nodded an acceptance. Understandable. This kind of fighting was a
violation of our contract. I regret that, Rowland. If I'd

(01:18:25):
known this was gonna be a meat grinder, I wouldn't
have interrupted your retirement. Roland wasn't sure he believed that,
but he kept his mouth shut as Jim continued, I'd
like to propose a renegotiation of our contract in a
lot of the changing situation on the ground, I'm not
blowing anything else up for you. That's fine. Jim put
his hands out in the sort of placating gesture. One

(01:18:47):
would use on an angry dog. I don't need you
killing us, I need your sneakiness. You can still take
faces right. Roland's memories of his time in the army
were as patchy as his memories of everything else. He
didn't remember much about how they used him, but he
knew that some of the wet where they'd installed in
him allowed him to modify his skin and bone structure
to full facial recognition scanners, thumb print readers, and of

(01:19:10):
course human beings. Yes, he said, but Jim cut him off.
You don't need to kill anyone. The face you'll need
is already dead. And what do you want me to
do with this man's face that isn't more murder? Jim's
lips curled up into a grin. The expression sent shivers
arcing down rolland spine. He felt like he'd seen that

(01:19:30):
grin before, never preceding good things. Rolling fuck is nearby
and in the city of Wheels, a six hundred or
so real scary bastards. I have it on good authority
that they'd be happy to throw down on our side.
But it turns out some of the negotiators were captured
back at the start. All this ship. No one in
the city will risk fighting until they pulled out safely.

(01:19:53):
Roland raised an eyebrow. So a rescue mission, then that's right,
Jim grinned in a a Roland didn't quite trust you'll
be saving lives. Roland's gut twisted into knots. The shades
of a thousand Memories spoke up and warned him not
to trust Jim at his word. But those shades also
drove him to take Jim up on the offer. He

(01:20:14):
wanted his memories back. Jim smiled that hackle raising smile again.
You don't have to agree and come to Roland funk
with me. We'll talk things over with the eildas. You
can do some of the fancy space drugs, and then
you can make your decision. All right, rolland side, but
only because you said fancy space drugs. They flew to

(01:20:35):
Rolling Fuck in Jim's hellicraft. It had been military issue originally,
but the interior had been redone to Jim's tastes. That
mostly meant a lot of the lure and a full
wet bar. There were four beers on tap just to
the right of a double barreled thirty five millimeter grenade
launcher mounted beside the door. Roland drank for the duration
of the ten minute flight. You know, Jim said, Topez

(01:20:56):
lives there now, been with the city a while, tope.
As Rowland asked, something shuddered in his gut. He felt
his hippocampus flicker with the dim light of recognition. He
saw that face again, the woman from so many of
his dreams and a few of his shattered memories. So
that was her name, it felt right now that he
knew it again. Do you remember her at all, Roland,

(01:21:17):
Jim asked, his voice uncharacteristically tender. Roland nodded and swirled
the beer in his hands to buy some time. I
remember snatches of her, he said, I remember loving her.
I remember enough that it hurts sometimes. Mostly it hurts
that I don't remember enough to be as sad as
I ought to be. There was a spark of real

(01:21:37):
sorrow in Jim's eyes. The other man's hand twitched in
a way that made Roland think he might have been
about to reach out to him, but Jim kept his
hand to himself. I'm not sure how much I should say,
he said, I'm sorry. There was something in Jim's face
when he said that it resembled regret or guilt, but
it passed quickly and nothing else was said. During the flight.

(01:21:59):
They landed on one of the top spires of Rolling Fuck,
on a landing pad that doubled as a nude bar.
He and Jim grabbed another round of drinks before they
proceeded down through the infinite party that was the City
of Wheels and on to the top of the main roller.
They grabbed another round of drinks there and sat at
the bar table while Jim waited for the word to
go down. It was late afternoon by this point, and

(01:22:19):
the evening had started to close. In the normal boiling
Texas heat was cut by a cool breeze. White clouds
rolled in around them. Rollan's hind brain told him there
was at best a twelve percent chance of rain, but
the clouds were still welcome. He and Jim drank in
silence for a few minutes until the other man tapped
his shoulder and said they are ready fororus. They stood

(01:22:40):
a bit unsteadily and headed towards the ladder down into
the main roller. They reached the ladder just as two
other people came up it, a man and a woman
the man's face triggered a flurry of memory fragments, fighting
back to back in the choking streets of Baltimore, drinking
heavily on the edge of a canyon in the Arizona Desert,
charging a riot line with pipes and hammers in their hands.
A name bubbled up from inside the memories. Mike, he shouted,

(01:23:03):
before he really thought about it. Hey, brother, schoolfucker, Mike Froze.
Roland was already half way to a hug when he
realized Mike wasn't feeling it. And then he caught his
first good look at the woman coming up the ladder
behind him. She had short, cropped teal hair, damascene fangs,
and eyes so loud he could almost hear her thoughts. Topaz.

(01:23:25):
She started to say his name, and then her voice
caught He heard the ghost of tears beneath it, and
then she finished, Roland, Yes, he said, not sure of
what else to say. Do you remember me? No, he admitted.
Part of him wanted to lie, but he couldn't. The
broken scraps that remained of his love for her made

(01:23:46):
it impossible. So we gave the honest answer, and he
watched her die a little inside. Topez nodded, She closed
her eyes for a second, bit down on her bottom lip,
and then she put a quick hand on Mike's shoulder
before she walked away up one of the gantries and
into the chaos night of rolling Fuck. Roland looked to Mike,
I'm sorry, skullfucker. Mike smiled sadly back, I know, buddy,

(01:24:10):
and then he left too. Roland felt confusion and a
distant hurt. He had a feeling that he should have
been crying, but for some reason he couldn't, and so
he didn't. Instead, he took a fistful of oxycontent and
stumbled down the ladder following Jim rolling Fox. Conference room
was sumptuous, elegant, and surprisingly professional. Two old people sat

(01:24:31):
at the far end of the conference table. Roland had
a vague memory tingle of having met the man before,
long ago, but neither of their faces brought a name
to his mind. Jim introduced them, but their names fled
his head a few seconds later. In fact, the first
minute or so of conversation flowed around him in an
indistinct haze that may have had something to do with
a soft ball sized mass of oxycontent he'd eaten. As

(01:24:54):
he'd climbed down the ladder with Jim. Rowland had assumed
the drugs would help him focus through the boredom. Apparently
he miscalculated. Okay, so the old lady said, with a
hint of finality, that's the situation we're in. Are you
willing to help us? In response, Roland blacked out, just
for a few seconds. He was reawokened by the thud

(01:25:15):
of his head hitting the conference room table. Fuck, that's
good oxy. He wished he could remember where he'd gotten it. Oh, dear,
said the lady. He's fun, Jim sighed, but we have
probably gonna need to start over. The lady brought him
some coffee and reintroduced herself as Nana Yazzi. Thanks to
the coffee and Roland's clearing head, her name stuck. This time.

(01:25:37):
It was hard not to marvel at her age, and
harder still to stop his hindbrain from calculating how much
longer till her human heart gave out. Roland smelled cancer
on the old man. Not serious cancer, nothing basic medicine
couldn't handle, but all the same, the odor that wafted
off him brought Roland a sort of primal discomfort. Or
maybe it was the old man's eyes that made his

(01:25:57):
guts warble. It was hard to say. There was something
disconcerting in the way he looked at Roland Rowland, Jim shouted.
Roland shook himself out of the haze and refocused on
Nana Yazzi. Sorry, he grunted. It's fine, she said, and
set into her spiel again. She showed him pictures of
her captured friends, explained the dire situation in North Texas

(01:26:18):
and the doom that marched towards Waco and Austin. It
was a sad story, but not one that compelled Roland
to action. Other than Topaz and Skullfucker Mike, the citizens
of Rolling Funk were total strangers to him. Austin was
just another little ailing republic in a continent full of them.
I'm sorry for your people, he told her, And I'm
sorry for Austin, but I really don't see how any
of this is might am business. Jim took those words

(01:26:41):
as his cue. Tullian Topaz are close, said Jim. His
voice was low, his tone smooth. The silk La Sisters
from what I hear, Marigold vouched for Topaz and skullfuk
a mike when they adjoined the city. She's all funked
up over this from what I hear, he added, so
let her do some about it. Then Roland muttered, just

(01:27:02):
got enough chrome to choke a river ship. The city's
got enough monster people to burn the eastern seaboard. What
do you need me? Because the modas aren't stupid, Jim said,
They are scanning for chrome, for bile, mods for everything
but the ship you've got, because no one left alive.
As packing the ship you've got. Roland grunted again. His
nostrils flared. There was something strange about the words Jim

(01:27:25):
had chosen. No one left alive? Had there been others?
He knew his mods had come courtesy of the old
U S Defense Department, but he didn't remember which unit
he'd been a part of, her what he'd done. There
was a bit of memory, hazy and fragmented, that popped
into his dreams from time to time. He was stuck
inside a long, cool metal pod. The cold black of
space unfolded around him. Roland felt warm bodies to his

(01:27:47):
left and right, smelled the comforting sense of men he trusted.
Red lights blinked above his field of vision. Something tugged
at his belly. There was a powerful feeling of inertia.
Roland closed his eyes, leaned forward, pinched the bridge of
his nose, and groaned just a little bit. When he
came back up, Nana Yazzi stared at him in confusion.
Jim looked, perhaps worried. It was hard to tell with

(01:28:08):
that guy. What's gonna happen if I don't do it?
He asked, Nana Yazzi, to you nothing, Roland shook his head.
Not to me. What are you guys gonna do if
I don't help? Oh, she frowned. I suppose we'll have
to mount an assault, send in a small team, four
or six commandos and try to pull them out. It'll
be bloody, Jim said. The old man frowned at that.

(01:28:31):
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something,
but the lady put her hand on his and gave
him a significant look. That's true, she said, it will
be bloody. Roland felt a twinge of anger, but he
couldn't blame Nana Yazzi for trying to manipulate him. The
lives of her friends were on the line. Roland knew
himself though, and he knew that missions like this always
went wrong. If he took this job, Roland knew he'd

(01:28:54):
take more lives. You'll save lives by being there, Jim insisted,
smiling that fucking smile. Roland was sure that Smile had
tricked him into dumb, violent things in the past. You're
the only one who can handle this with a minimum
of death. Roland didn't believe that, and at the same
time he had to admit it was technically true. He

(01:29:15):
just didn't trust himself, or reality or Jim. And yet
I'll do it, he said. I'm sure I'll regret agreeing
to do it, but whatever, I'll do it. Jim looked
satisfied with himself. Nanayazi looked relieved. The old man looked
somehow angry. Most of Roland's reason for agreeing to help
came down to Topaz. He hated to admit that, even

(01:29:36):
to himself, but it was true. The thought of her
in pain twisted something in the center of his heart.
He wasn't used to pain there, and his tolerance was
pretty low. This is so dumb, he told himself. You
couldn't even remember her name this morning. He and Jim
and the old woman shook hands on the deal. Then
they let him loosen their city to imbibe and fornicate
and test the limits of his wet wear. We have

(01:29:58):
things to plan, she said. Hey, I've written a novel.
It's called After the Revolution. You can find it as
a podcast under After the Revolution, and you can find
it at dtr book dot com as a free e
pub if you like it. I am crowdfunding the sequel
so that I can keep making my books free. That
will be it After the Revolution, the sequel on go

(01:30:19):
fund me. That's After the Revolution, the sequel on go
fund me. Raffi is the voice of some of the
happiest songs of our generation. Baby So who is the
man behind Baby Beluga? Every human being wants to feel respected.
When we start with young, all good things can grow

(01:30:41):
from there. I'm Chris Garcia, comedian, new dad and host
of Finding Raffie, a new podcast from my Heart Radio
and Fatherly Listen every Tuesday on the I Heart Radio
app or wherever you get your podcasts. Look for your
children's eyes and you will discover the two magic of
a forest. Find a forest near you and start exploring

(01:31:02):
a Discover the Forest dot Org brought to you by
the United States Forest Service and the AD Council. Look
for your children's eyes and you will discover the true
magic of a forest. Find a forest near you and
start exploring a Discover the Forest dot org brought to
you by the United States Forest Service and the AD Council.

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}After the Revolution: Chapters Nine, Ten, & Eleven