Endworld - Atlanta Run Part 6

"Do they hurt each other?" Chast.i.ty asked, looking at him.

"Now and then," Hickok admitted. "But for the most part, they treat each other kindly."

"We try to live by the Golden Rule," Rikki interjected.

"What rule?" Chast.i.ty wanted to learn.

"We do to others as we would have them do to us," Rikki detailed. "We try to live Spirit-led lives.""What's that?"

"Did your mother instruct you in the ways of the Spirit?" Rikki asked.

"Do you mean G.o.d?"

Rikki nodded.

"Oh, sure. Mom told me all about G.o.d. She whispered."

Rikki's forehead furrowed in perplexity. "Why did she whisper?"

"Cause you're not allowed to talk about G.o.d," Chast.i.ty said.

"It's illegal to talk about G.o.d?" Rikki inquired in amazement.

"Yes," Chast.i.ty confirmed. "But Mommy told me about G.o.d anyway.

G.o.d lives in a big house in the sky, and he loves everyone, and he likes harp music."

Rikki smiled. "Your mother must have been very religious."

"She loved G.o.d," Chast.i.ty said, the corners of her mouth drooping. She sniffed loudly.

Hickok glared at the martial artist and silently mouthed the word "Idiot!" Then he quickly changed the subject. "Do you know I have a little guy about your age?"

"You do?"

"Yep. His name is Ringo, and he's a chip off the old block."

"Ringo?" Chast.i.ty said, and laughed. "Another funny name!"

"Our names are funny?" Hickok responded.

Chast.i.ty nodded. "I never heard your names before. Hickok. Ringo. And Ricky-Tickle-Taffy."

Hickok had to cover his mouth with his left hand to suppress his mirth.

"It's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," the martial artist told her."It's still funny," Chast.i.ty said. "Where did you get it?"

"I selected my name."

"Your mommy and daddy didn't give you your name?" Chast.i.ty inquired, astonished.

"They gave me a name at birth," Rikki answered.

"What was it?"

"Brandon."

"Then why isn't your name Brandon?"

"I'll try and explain," Rikki said patiently. "At our Home, when we turn sixteen, we are allowed to pick a new name for our very own. Any name we want."

"Why?"

"The man who founded our Home started the practice," Rikki replied.

"He wanted his followers to never forget about the war, about the reasons the human race almost destroyed itself. He believed history was very important. So he asked all of his followers to go through the history books and pick any name they wanted as their very own on their sixteenth birthday." He paused. "Now we select our names from any source. We call this ceremony our Naming. I picked the name of a mongoose."

"What's a mongoose?"

"Do you know what a ferret is?"

"No."

"Well, a mongoose and a ferret are a lot alike. They're about the size of a cat."

"What's a cat?"

"You've never seen a cat?"

"Nope."Rikki looked at Hickok.

"Don't they have cats in Atlanta?" the gunman inquired.

"Nope."

"What about dogs?" Hickok asked.

"Nope."

"Are there any animals in Atlanta?"

Chast.i.ty shook her head.

"No one has a pet?" Hickok questioned skeptically.

"No," Chast.i.ty answered. "The Bubbleheads get you if you have an animal."

Hickok gazed at the city thoughtfully. "The Big Guy shouldn't be down there by his lonesome."

"The Bubbleheads will get him," Chast.i.ty said.

"He won't be caught," Hickok stated.

"He will," Chast.i.ty insisted. "They'll know he isn't a Citizen."

Hickok locked his eyes on hers. "What are you talkin' about?"

"His clothes."

The gunman gripped her shoulders. "What about his clothes? You said the people don't wear special clothes, that they don't wear outfits like yours."

"Not blue ones."

Hickok grit his teeth as he glanced at the metropolis.

"Blue was the only color we could wear," Chast.i.ty went on. "Blue was the color for our cla.s.s, Mom said.""And the other folks?"

"Everyone wears different colors."

"But are the clothes all styled like yours?" Rikki interrupted.

"They're all pretty much the same," Chast.i.ty verified.

"Blast!" Hickok declared, pounding the ground in frustration.

Chast.i.ty, startled, cringed. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, little lady," Hickok told her, and looked at Rikki. "Do you want to flip for it?"

For an answer, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi rose and raced toward the highway.

Chapter Five.

Blade halted behind the last tree before the highway and looked in both directions. The Bubbleheads were 50 feet to his right, heading for the wall, now 500 yards distant. To his left the road was deserted. He decided to keep hidden until the four silver figures were closer to the city.

A bird was chirping across the highway.

The Warrior heard the rumble of a motor coming from the city and crouched alongside the trunk. He spied a green car speeding toward the Bubbleheads, and watched as the vehicle rapidly covered the intervening span and braked. The silver forms climbed inside and the car executed a U-turn and retraced its route, returning to the open gate and vanis.h.i.+ng within. The gate was promptly closed.

Blade stood and walked to the highway, then made for Atlanta. He adopted a nonchalant att.i.tude, strolling along as if he didn't have a care in the world. All the while he scrutinized the wall. He wanted to enter the city without a hitch, but he spotted several problems as he drew nearer.Foremost was a metal gate limiting access to the metropolis, with six guards, all of whom were wearing dark blue uniforms, posted outside to screen entrants. Three additional guards were on the rampart above the gate.

This was not good.

He should have asked Chast.i.ty whether the people of Atlanta were required to carry indentification cards. If so, he wouldn't make it past the gate. He toyed with the notion of ducking into the brush, but he noticed that the guards on the rampart were regarding him critically. They might sound an alarm if he acted suspiciously. His best bet was to hope he could bluff his way into the city.

From somewhere deep within Atlanta a siren wailed.

Blade advanced boldly, never slackening his pace. He saw the six guards fan out the width of the road, blocking the gate, and he knew they would stop him. Undaunted, he continued, and when he was within 60 yards of the waiting men in blue he noticed one other person near the gate, sitting on the left side, back to the wall.

A person he'd seen earlier.

The elderly man in the bedraggled clothes.

One of the guards took two strides forward, his hands on his hips.

Blade smiled as he approached the men in blue. None of the guards sported firearms. Every man, though, had a thin leather holster attacked to his belt, some with the holster on their right hip, others on their left.

The guard in front was a burly character with bushy brows and a glowering countenance.

Blade glanced at the elderly man, who was observing him sadly. Why?

"Halt!" the burly guard barked when the giant was ten yards off.

Blade complied.

"Raise your arms straight out and turn around slowly," the guard directed.The Warrior obeyed.

"Okay, stranger," the guard said when the giant had made a complete revolution. "Come here."

Blade walked to within a foot of the head guard. "h.e.l.lo," he said pleasantly.

"Where are you from?" the man demanded.

Obviously, they knew he wasn't from Atlanta. "I'm from Miami," Blade replied.

"Miami, huh?" the guard commented. "We get about a dozen from the Miami area each year. What's your business in Atlanta?"

"I'm trying to find a cousin of mine," Blade lied.

"You have a relative here?"

"I was told that my cousin lives here," Blade answered. "Maybe you know her. Her name is Llewellyn Snow."

"The name doesn't ring a bell," the man said. "What's yours?"

"Jack. Jack Snow."

"Well, Mr. Snow," the guard stated, "I'm Officer Connery. And I'm going to tell you how it is. Although you're not a Citizen of Atlanta, you're ent.i.tled to certain rights by decree of the Civil Council. You have the right to an attorney at any time. Should you violate a law, you have the right to a preliminary hearing within twenty-four hours of the offense. Bear in mind, an accused person is always considered guilty until proven innocent. This-"

"Guilty until proven innocent?" Blade repeated. He had the impression Officer Connery was reciting memorized information. "Isn't that backwards? Before the war, a person was viewed as innocent until proven guilty."

Officer Connery studied the giant. "You must be literate."