The Sheriff 5: A post-apocalyptic sci-fi western (Sheriff Duke), page 1
THE SHERIFF 5
A POST-APOCALYPTIC SCI-FI WESTERN
M.R. FORBES
Published by Quirky Algorithms
Seattle, Washington
This novel is a work of fiction and a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by Quirky Algorithms
All rights reserved.
Cover illustration by Geronimo Ribaya
Edited by Merrylee Lanehart
CHAPTER 1
The Humvee ground to a stop inside the garage of an old car dealership, the engine rumbling in the exposed space for a few seconds before Reva shut it down. Opening the door and sliding out, she turned toward the rear of the truck, squinting her eyes in a vain attempt to see further back through the falling snow. Her boots crunched on the broken glass that lined the floor of the garage, along with cracks where vegetation had sprung up long ago, its growth impeded by the season.
Dressed in a fur-lined heavy leather coat over a simple red flannel shirt and jeans, she only felt the bite of the cold air on her face and ears, which were already undoubtedly reddening from the chill. Exhaling sharply, she watched her breath spread from her mouth like smoke.
She hated the north. Doubly so this time of year. The only thing she hated more were raiders.
They were such a damn waste of time and ammunition.
Reva reached back into the Hummer, grabbing her P-90 plasma rifle before locking the Hummer’s door and slamming it shut. Another glance out into the snow, and she was pretty sure she spotted the faint outline of a horse at the edge of her visibility.
Another sigh, and she retreated from the vehicle, walking over a fallen door to pass through the doorframe where it had once been mounted. She entered a short corridor and continued to the showroom. The glass face of the dealership had been shattered so long ago that a slowly advancing ooze of brown mud covered the bottom sill and spilled into the room. Oddly enough, the cars remained where they were parked when the demons had come and the world ended, though time and exposure had eaten away the rubber tires and rodents had taken care of the interiors. She saw a few of the little critters scatter at her approach, seeking cover beneath or inside the cars.
She crouched low as she made her way to the closest vehicle, using it as cover. Another glance outside confirmed the raiders had stayed with her, following the trail the Hummer’s big tires had left in the snow. She was relatively sure they wanted her truck more than they wanted her, though this far removed from the nearest occupied settlement there were no guarantees. They probably wanted both. A warm body, willing or not. Plus a warm ride that would fetch a premium in certain markets.
Reva had no intention of giving them either.
She sat with her back against the car’s fiberglass body and planted her plasma rifle’s stock against the filthy, dilapidated floor. Flipping a switch on the weapon, it hummed softly as it came to life. A screen displayed the estimated number of remaining shots in the cell plugged into the magazine well. Over two hundred. Way more than enough. If she had counted right when she blew through the raider’s roadblock, there were ten of them on her tail. Twelve at most. A tough go for most people who might encounter the raiders.
But she wasn’t most people.
And today, because they refused to take a critical eye to the clues and consider what kind of person might be driving around the wintery wastelands of the upper reaches in what had once been known as the United States Of America, they were going to die. Hopefully before her ears froze off.
She waited somewhat patiently for them to get closer, listening for the sound of hoofbeats, though they would be deadened somewhat by the snowfall. She had to be careful not to hit any of the horses. The Sheriff wouldn’t like it if she killed the animals, and she liked and respected him too much not to use caution. They were friends stuck on opposite sides of a manhunt that had spanned lightyears, each with their own agenda. It was a lousy place to be. But she had orders.
Nearly a minute passed before the sounds of the horses reached her ears. She could only hear six. Of course, the raiders could see the Hummer in the garage. She had left the door open on purpose. No doubt, they had decided to split up and surround the building. They didn’t stop to wonder why someone in a truck that could drive through the snow faster than their horses could run would pause to wait for them. Although in this case, it wasn’t solely to dispatch a nuisance like them. She had a more important reason to be here, even if here didn’t seem to be any more important than anywhere else.
The horses slowed, and Reva was confident enough she heard the riders dismount. Boots on snow actually crunched louder than hooves. Able to pick out each of the raider’s positions just based on the sound, she shifted from her sitting position to a crouch, ready to make her move. Plotting her attack in her mind, she shouldered the plasma rifle, made sure it was set to single-shot mode, and drew in one last breath. Her heart rate remained steady and calm, her focus all on the task at hand.
A whisper of a sound from behind her left shoulder stole her attention, and she whirled around, spotting one of the raiders just as he began to squeeze the trigger of his revolver. She rolled to the side as the round smashed through the car, barely missing her. Letting go of her rifle in mid dive, she pulled a knife and threw it. The blade dug into the man’s thigh, disrupting his aim as the muscle gave out, bringing him to a knee. His second and third round went high over Reva’s head.
He didn’t get a chance to fire a fourth round. She whipped her sidearm from its magnetic mooring on her hip and squeezed off four well-grouped rounds, all of which found the man’s chest. He looked down at the bloodstain growing across his shirt front before collapsing.
Another bullet whistled past Reva’s ear, this one fired from her opposite flank. She couldn’t believe how quietly the raiders were moving. She hadn’t even heard this guy approach, and he had to easily weigh a hundred kilos. At least his aim was off. She lunged forward onto one knee, two more bullets screaming past her as she brought her weapon to bear. Her rounds didn’t miss, one to the forehead, one to each eye. The raider toppled like a sack of potatoes.
“Reva!” The shout came from out in front of the building. She spun around, ready to shoot. The riders had remounted and reached the dealership while she was distracted by the two she’d killed. They all aimed rifles at her now. Plasma, just like hers.
These were no ordinary raiders.
“Drop the gun, keep your hands where we can see them, and you might not die tonight,” the apparent leader said.
“Who the hell are you?” she shouted back.
“Bennett sends his regards,” the man answered.
A chill ran down Reva’s spine. Those four words told her everything she needed to know about the riders.
Custodians.
“Is that why you haven’t shot me yet?”
“The only reason,” the man admitted. “He said you’d be willing to listen to reason. To be honest, we don’t really give a damn about you. We just want to know what you did to help the Sheriff, and where we can find him now.”
“You might as well be asking me which direction the winds on Proxima are blowing right now. I haven’t got a clue where the Sheriff is. Why do you care, anyway? Isn’t his wife’s clone the one you want?”
“Bennett’s heading up that side of the operation himself.”
“We drew the short straws. Ten days waiting in the cold for you to show up. At least his advice on how to corral you wasn’t all spitting in the wind.”
“You sound like you’ve been on Earth way too long.”
He laughed. “Maybe once I bag the Sheriff, Grimmel will let me go home.”
“Keep dreaming, buddy. There’s only one way to leave the Custodians.”
“I guess I’ll find out.” He slid his finger from the trigger guard to the trigger. “Maybe I believe you don’t know where the Sheriff is. But we know you led him somewhere. We know you gave him something. You’re going to tell us what it was.”
A soft tone buzzed inside Reva’s head, followed by three more in rapid succession. Reva looked away from the Custodian leader, glancing at each of the riders in turn. “Not the horses,” she whispered.
“Well?” the Custodian said. “Do I need to shoot you to get you to talk? C’mon, Reva. We don’t have to do things the hard way.”
She emphasized her sigh. “Fine. I took him to an old Organization safe house. I gave him a Bloodhound.”
“No bull?”
“No bull.”
He smiled. “See how easy that was?” He leveled the rifle at her. “I’ll kill you nice and quick for the—”
A plasma bolt shot from the sky, lancing straight through his skull and killing him before slamming into the asphalt with a loud crack between two of the horses. Both horses screamed. One reared, the other danced aside, bumping into another horse and distracting the rest of the riders. Before they could react, seven more bolts rained down, each burning through a Custodian before crashing into the ground. Not a single shot hit the animals. The dead Custodians were still sliding off them as Reva holstered her sidearm and retrieved her rifle.
Reva vaulted the car and hurried to the front of the dealership to watch the starship land.
CHAPTER 2
The Centurions had launched their assault from nearly
As their ship punched through the clouds, the blue glow of its main thrusters reflected off the falling snow. Dropping quickly, the angular, wedge-shaped craft barely made a sound as it approached. The glow of the engines faded as they neared the ground, replaced by a light hum of anti-gravity coils embedded in the hull. Rotating until the ship’s port side faced Reva, its skids extended and it gently touched dirt, sending the dead Custodian’s horses hightailing it for the hills.
A hatch opened halfway along the length of the dark ship, an inner light casting the silhouette of a man in the hatchway. Reva was surprised the Organization had sent a suit all the way from Proxima to check on her progress. It figured. She was already embarrassed enough that she’d needed help against the Custodians.
Walking with purpose, the suit descended a short ramp that extended out from beneath the hatch to the ground. His face remained in shadow as he walked toward her, his identity still a mystery. She glanced over his shoulder as a pair of Centurions descended the ramp to the bottom of it, taking up guard positions on either side. Unaccustomed to an uncontrolled climate, their heavy armor would help keep them warm planetside in such a cold climate.
“I expected radio comms,” Reva said to the suit. “You came a long way for an admittedly weak report, Mister…?”
An older man with a weathered but still handsome face and a thick head of salt and pepper hair, he finally got close enough for her to see his face and identify him. She immediately felt her cheeks flush, doubly embarrassed now that she knew who she was addressing with relative informality.
“General Haeri,” she welcomed crisply, snapping to attention and saluting. “My apologies, sir. Your presence is…highly unusual.”
“At ease, Captain,” Haeri said in a calm but strong voice. Reva shifted her posture to parade rest, knowing this man would look equally commanding if naked in a shower as he did in a room full of hardened veterans. She did her best not to let herself show how intimidating his military bearing really was.
“It was a long trip,” the General continued, “but this is important. As important as anything we’ve had to deal with since Hayden wiped out the trife. I don’t think I need to tell you how dangerous Natalia Duke’s clone might be. Besides, when it comes to news about Sheriff Hayden Duke, the last thing I want is a second-hand report.”
Reva tried to shake off her sudden chill. “Yes, sir. I’m sure you’ve seen my earlier reports. You know I witnessed the Natalia clone’s capabilities first-hand.”
“I do. Which is precisely why I wanted to meet with you in person.” He smiled. “I didn’t expect to find you knee deep in it.” His gaze drifted to the dead men, the snow already beginning to cover them.
“Custodians, sir,” Reva said, certain it was all the explanation Haeri would need.
His eyebrows furrowed. “They came for you?”
“They wanted to know if I knew where Sheriff Duke was.”
“Do you?” he asked, eyebrows rising expectantly.
“It was in my report, sir.”
“Was it?” he questioned.
Reva’s heart began thumping. She had left out the part about the safe house and the Bloodhound. But somehow, Haeri seemed to know.
“I also don’t think I need to tell you how dangerous Hayden Duke is when it comes to a clone of his dead wife,” Haeri added suggestively.
“He’ll do anything to make sure he gets to her first,” Reva said. “And if we get to her first, he’ll do anything to get her back from us.”
“And you do know that when you say anything, that isn’t hyperbole, don’t you, Captain?”
“Yes, sir.”
He stared at her for what Reva felt was akin to a lifetime. “I’m not trying to figure out why you would help him. I’ve met Sheriff Duke, so I understand. What I’m trying to deduce is why you would risk your career by trying to hide from me the fact that you helped him.”
Reva swallowed hard. “You came a long way to court-martial me in person, sir. To be honest, part of me feels honored.”
When Haeri smiled, Reva wasn’t sure if he was ready to completely chew her out or ask her out for drinks. “You’re the best operative I have down here, Captain. I can’t afford to waste that. And to be honest, outside of disregarding orders, I think you did the right thing. It’s better to let Hayden see you as more of an ally. It’ll help us get closer to him.”
“But we are allies, aren’t we, sir? He helped stop the invasion. He saved Proxima as much as he saved Earth.”
“In most things, we are indeed allies. But as much as I’d like it to remain true, when it comes to Natalia, I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Haeri motioned to the ship. “Why don’t we discuss this further inside? It’s colder out here than my ex-wife’s dead heart.”
Reva couldn’t help letting a small smile crack her mouth at his joke. “Gladly, sir,” she replied, following him back to the starship. The two Centurions flanking the ramp nodded curtly to her as she passed them before following her up in the spacecraft.
The journey from Proxima B took anywhere from four to seven days, depending on how close to Earth the semi-controllable wormhole dumped the ship out. The starship was barely adequate for a three person crew over that much time, let alone a VIP such as the General. Reva was surprised to see the interior had no modifications to make the journey more comfortable for the head of the Organization. To her left was the small flight deck where a single pilot sat at the controls. On her right, four tiny berths for sleeping lined the port bulkhead. A narrow aisle separated the bunks from a small round table and gear lockers situated against the other side of the fuselage. Further back, a tiny galley and head offered the only amenities the Centurions would have this far away from home. Even the ship that had brought Reva to Earth had been bigger than this one.
“Have a seat,” Haeri said, motioning to the bench seat that wrapped around three-quarters of the table. “Are you hungry?”
“No, sir,” she replied. “I have ample supplies in my truck.”
“Good.” Haeri sat almost opposite her. He put his elbows on the table and clasped his hands, but didn’t speak right away.
“How did you—” Reva started to say when the silence didn’t lift fast enough.
“The Bloodhound had a tracking beacon on it that activated as soon as it powered on,” Haeri replied. “Notice I said had. Past tense.”
“I didn’t remove it, General. I didn’t even know it was there.”
“Of course you didn’t, or you wouldn’t have turned it on in the first place. What I find interesting is that Hayden knew it was there. Did you know his wife was an engineer, Captain?”
“No, sir,” she replied.
“A damn good one, too.”
“Do you think the Sheriff found her already?” Reva asked.
“You seem perhaps a little too hopeful that that’s the case.” Reva’s face heated up again. Haeri smiled. “Relax, Captain. Like I said, I know Hayden. He’s the kind of man you find yourself rooting for, even when you feel like maybe you shouldn’t. What I can tell you is that the beacon went offline three days after you two parted ways. Which leaves me wondering. One, is it possible Natalia found him? Two, do you have any more recent news about Hayden’s whereabouts than the Bloodhound’s position as of four weeks ago?”
Reva shook her head. “I can’t picture a scenario where Natalia went back for him, unless it was to kill him. Whatever happened to the clone, she wants him dead. Then again, maybe that’s exactly what happened. It could be that the Sheriff is gone.”
“I doubt that very much. Natalia might be a clone, but she’s not as resourceful as the Sheriff is.”
“With Idhra’s protoplasm, she is, sir,” Reva argued, reminding him of the false Relyeh ancient.” She let her mind work through the problem for a few more seconds before speaking up again. “How do you know the Bloodhound’s tracker was removed, and not that it was destroyed?”
