Chapter 47: Flotilla
Tuesday, April 4th, 8:52 AM
Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf
A dark-gray cargo vessel appeared, chugging slowly through the thinning fog toward the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. The pilothouse high above its stern had bullet holes in its windows. Its weathered exterior showed signs of rust, and many humans lined its deck. Uncertain of what else I could do to prepare, I assimilated the entire wharf.
I added a quartet of minion highways from the shore beneath the wharf, skirting under the heavy, tar-laden timbers, steel, and asphalt of the wharf’s construction. Then I strengthened and hardened the entire structure, including the pilings that dived into bedrock below the seabed.
[A ship is approaching the wharf, and it looks like there’s been a gun battle on board. I’ll keep you all updated as I learn more. My Devilflies and spiders are heading out there, just in case.]
“I appreciate it,” said Mike.
He and old Jeffrey tended the crab and vegetable skewers being cooked for everyone over hearthstones inside two large barbecue grills that I’d installed in the castle’s kitchen.
“I hope they’re friendly.” Michael wrinkled his brow.
“Yeah, that would be best, but I wouldn’t count on it,” Joe said flatly through a mouthful of food.
Most of my human denizens and the recent arrivals had already been served, also enjoying ripe fruit from my trees. The UCSC students went crazy exploring the castle, with many eager to try out the Dungeon as well.
Mocha and Turd tried in vain to herd their thirteen young, who darted from tiny tunnels to snatch morsels of fish dropped by the unsuspecting humans. Only the appearance of Nino and Hanzo cowed the mice. They fled in terror for the security of their home near my old core room.
By that time, four more ships had drawn near the wharf as the fog dissipated. Another thirty-three ships had anchored offshore. All were fishing or cargo vessels.
If the people on those ships turned out to be an invading army, the wharf would receive a massive, deadly trap I’d designed, before they came close enough to prevent its installation. I already had the parts in my inventory—the only reason I hadn’t installed it was that my instinct didn’t relish the thought of wasting another trap outside the main Dungeon.
My forty Devilflies came to rest just inside the tunnels I’d made beneath the wharf to await my command. Dire Widows and Canopy Crawlers would take a few more minutes to arrive. I tensed as sea lions dove from their resting places on low timbers and the first vessel’s crew secured it alongside the pier.
“Who the hell’s Kee-ara?” a squat, burly sailor with a thick brown mustache asked after four men stepped onto the wharf and looked around.
“Shut up, Pete. You’re just hearing things again. Dungeon, my ass. Time for you all to lay off the—what the hell?” a brunette smirked at Pete until she stepped off the plank and froze.
“Told ya.” Pete raised an eyebrow.
“What the hell could it be?” she asked.
“Dunno, but we’re stuck here for now, so let’s make the best of it,” said Pete.
“This old dock’s sturdier than she looks,” a dark-bearded man in a red-and-black checkered flannel coat smiled as he struck the charred wood railing with the flat of his callused hand. It hardly made a sound.
A gaunt, long-nosed man with graying hair who was staring at the shoreline said, “The Boardwalk is… missing. I don’t like it.”
“I hear ya. It’s too quiet. I visited this town a decade ago. Must’ve been a hell of a bombing campaign to blast everything clean away, but they left the pier relatively unscathed.” The bearded man shook his head while threading a large rope through one of the wharf’s heavy steel cleats.
“Here’s hoping the locals aren’t hostile. I don’t want to deal with another Seattle, but word is, some other ships don’t have enough fuel to travel much farther.” An older, balding man squinted and scanned the shore.
The dark-bearded man replied, “I still can’t believe what happened up north.”
“Siding with the enemy… damned crazies,” a blond man spat while threading another heavy line through a cleat to secure the ship.
“Wish we’d got that radio warning about the One World Order a few hours earlier. Could’ve prepped better and maybe saved more of those prisoners before their reinforcements pushed us out,” a man in a hooded camouflage jacket with dark circles under his eyes said.
“Yeah, some of those women and kids are nearly dead and the rest are getting sick. We don’t have the supplies to do anything more for them. It’s Santa Cruz or nothing.” The old man grimaced.
“Just keep your eyes open and your sidearm handy,” said the bearded man.
[I’m not exactly sure who they are, but they’re talking about a problem they had in Seattle. It sounds like they saved some people and fought against the One World Order. The prisoners they rescued are really sick.]
“I’ll be back” Joe abandoned his half-eaten breakfast on the counter beside Mike, slipped between the students on his way out of the castle, then took off running.
“Well, it’s better than an invasion,” Mike shrugged.
I decided.
[Girls, I need you to go with Joe. There are lots of humans who need our help.]
[Sunny will help!]
[Okay Mommy!]
My Labs raced along the beach and caught up with Joe as he crossed the harbor bridge at high speed toward the open gate.
I took a minute to clear the thinning snow from their route, then considered the new arrivals.
In plain view, I cleared away the burned wreckage of the Wharf’s shops and restaurants.
“Shit, the wharf’s collapsing! Untie the ship!” the dark-haired man spat.
“Uh, Trent…” The man with graying hair tugged at the frantic man’s checkered sleeve, slacked-jawed, as he pointed a callused finger where I was already replacing the buildings with hardened stone approximations of what I remembered.
“What in the name of Beejezus and Seejezus?” Trent muttered, catching my attention for a moment. He inclined his head as he blinked a few times at my work.
Full bathrooms and kitchens took shape, and I gave them dormitory-style beds in rows, then separated those with stone partitions. I arranged many stone tables with bench seating like a cafeteria, to accommodate their numbers.
Then I realized those buildings didn’t have access to fresh water, so I claimed Neary’s Lagoon and fashioned a hardened stone pipe to a sizable reservoir I hollowed out beneath the wharf. From there, it was a simple matter to create a sizable pair of pressure vessels to feed hot and cold water up through a pair of thick compressed stone pillars to the plumbing.
They’ll also need food.
By the time I finished, I’d grown sixty fruit trees above the beach and there were enough beds on the wharf for over 400 people.
I hoped it would be enough.
Joe and my girls arrived and as they passed the new buildings I’d made, he muttered with a grin, “Damned magic.”
Sailors from the first vessel had herded dozens of people onto the wharf while the other three ships tied up further out.
“Someone’s coming.” The oldest sailor on the wharf paused to stare at Joe while helping to carry an older woman.
“I want three riflemen ready, just in case.” A balding man barked at the others who were still on board, then said, “Trent, you’re up. Find out if this guy knows anything about… that.” He pointed to my buildings.
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Joe slowed his pace and waved as he neared the dark-bearded man who jogged to meet him. The man waved back.
[Hey Joe, until we know for sure about these people, don’t let them know that I can hear everyone.]
“Ah, you have doubts?” asked Joe.
[If there’s another Nicolas or Mitch—]
“That’s healthy skepticism, but don’t drag any of these people to an early grave until you know for sure. None of us had a problem with you eating those two, but they earned it.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[What do you mean, Joe?]
“Thoughtcrime isn’t actual crime. If someone talks about doing something awful, that’s one thing. Acting on those thoughts is when they’ve stepped over the line.”
[What about the One World Order?]
“If anyone sides with them, they’re enemy combatants. Why ask about those bastards if these people fought against them?”
[Because there are two more groups approaching. A few hundred students from UCSC, and an armed mob twice as large from along Highway 17.]
“Sonofabitch. Can you hear what the second crowd is saying?” asked Joe.
[Not yet, but I’m almost there.]
Fuck. This was already shaping up to be a hell of a day.
“If they’re traitors, do what you can to stop them,” Joe muttered.
Sunny and Sandy trotted ahead of Joe, and their tails wagged as the man neared.
“Welcome to Santa Cruz. I’m Joe,” Joe said as he slowed to a walk and stuck out a hand.
The bearded man took it with a grin. “Trent. Nice to meet a friendly face for once.” He released Joe’s hand to pet Sunny and Sandy, who panted happily.
“Hah. You can say that again. The Dungeon’s preparing this place for you all. If you’ve got sick and wounded, get them inside and they’ll recover. I’m… a medic. If anyone’s in bad shape, I can help.”
Trent inclined his head. “That’d be helpful. Wait. That voice we heard… the—uh… those trees and buildings—”
“It’s the Dungeon,” said Joe.
“Dungeon? How in the—”
“Magic.” Joe held up his hands, palms facing Trent. “I know, it sounds like bullshit, but if you’ve got any injured, I’ll prove it. I can heal people.”
“Heh, I’ve got a banged-up shoulder. We had some rough seas during that snow squall.” Trent grimaced.
Joe touched Trent and the man stiffened as Joe’s hand glowed.
“Sonofa… you’re not bullshitting.” Trent covered his mouth with a hand, wrinkling his forehead as he worked his shoulder.
“No, I’m not. The dogs can talk, by the way,” said Joe.
[Hi Trent!]
[Sunny likes Trent.]
[Smells like good human.]
Trent breathed hard as he dropped to one knee and held out a hand.
Joe smiled. “They’re good girls.”
[Sandy loves Joe.]
[Sunny too!]
The pups stood to lick Joe’s hands, then turned back to Trent.
Frowning as he rubbed the dogs on their necks, Trent said, “Well, we’ve got a lot of folks who are in a bad way—mostly women and children. Radiation sickness and a host of other crap.”
Nodding at the ships, Joe started toward them. Trent followed with the Labs.
Joe said, “Let’s get them onto the wharf. They’ll recover inside those buildings. The Dungeon heals people, too. It’s much slower than my magic, but it’ll help.”
“Are you shitting me?” Trent paled.
Four armed men stepped off the nearest ship and approached, Trent waved to them, and they relaxed.
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Siobhán charged toward the wharf with Joy, Michael, and Rihelah after everything they’d heard.
[Will you all meet with that group from UCSC while Joe handles the wharf? They were following the path I’d cleared like the others from yesterday, until they saw the ships. I need you to lead them here.]
“Me and Joy are headed for the students, ProfCon.”
Rihelah replied, “There are sick people at the wharf, and I can help. The students from UCSC will be fine with Sio and Joy.”
“I’m going with Rihelah,” said Michael.
[You can’t heal, Ryebean.]
“Not with magic, but in case you’ve forgotten, I am a nurse. I can help,” Rihelah said stiffly.
[Right. Be ready to divert if there’s a problem. The armed group is huge, and—damn it! They’re One World Order, and they’ve got some weapons that look like they were taken from the military. I’m sending my minions after them.]
“Shit,” Michael frowned as he and Rihelah turned to cross the railway bridge over the San Lorenzo River and Siobhán continued with Joy along East Cliff Drive.
[You should have Nita conceal herself, Soybean. The students will panic if they see her.]
“Oh—OH. Yeah. Uh…” Siobhán stopped to fret with Nita still clinging to her.
What do I do? The Prof’s right, but I need my Nita nearby.
[I have a solution.]
A hole opened in the pavement to the left of Siobhán and Joy, large enough for Nita to pass through. They came to a stop.
[Tell Nita to head through my tunnels. I’ll dig alongside you two and make sure there are exits so she can rush out if you need her.]
“Thanks, ProfCon.” Siobhán smiled as Nita skittered into the Dungeon’s tunnel network.
She and Joy took off running again. “Stupid boobs,” Siobhán muttered at her chest.
“Huh?” Joy looked askance at Siobhán.
Siobhán groaned, “They’re always in the way when I wanna go fast.”
“But you were fine a moment ago?” Joy sounded confused.
“I need a better bra—Nita does a great job of keeping these stupid things from bouncing everywhere.”
Joy snickered. “I guess there’s one way that I’m lucky.”
“You’re also tall enough that you don’t need a stool to reach things in a normal house,” Siobhán griped.
“Yeah, well you’re cute enough that…” Joy trailed off and grimaced.
“Joy,” Siobhán slowed and Joy matched her pace.
“What?” Joy’s ears were red.
Siobhán caught Joy’s hand and they stopped.
“Don’t you dare talk like that about yourself.” Siobhán hugged Joy, then pulled back to consider her, but Joy was staring into the distance.
“Joy, look at me. No. Down here.” Siobhán pointed to her eyes and Joy finally did.
“You’re my best friend, and I love you, Joy. Not like that, dork!” Siobhán smacked her friend’s shoulder when Joy opened one eye wide, while the other squinted and twitched.
“We’ve talked about this. We have to play the cards we’re dealt.” Siobhán took Joy’s hands and squeezed, but Joy pulled away.
“Some of us weren’t dealt a very good hand,” Joy muttered.
Siobhán searched Joy’s eyes. “I like you the way you are.”
“Whatever. Let’s just… I’m sorry for bringing it up.” Joy looked at the sky.
“Sure. Love you, dork.” Siobhán stuck out her tongue and winked.
“Love you too… bitch.” Joy crossed her eyes and made fish lips.
They laughed as Siobhán tugged at Joy’s hand. and they ran.
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Emmanuel’s brow furrowed and he tapped Matt Dunn on the shoulder.
Matt raised his long arm and the crowd stopped.
“What do you see?” Matt stared intently at Emmanuel.
It was that bad feeling again like he witnessed a power greater than himself.
Turning slowly to meet Matt’s unblinking gaze, Emmanuel said, “The ground. No. It’s below ground—the same as Natural Bridges. Something… is underneath us.”
“Is it Joe?” Matt asked through clenched teeth as his lip curled into a sneer.
Emmanuel replied, “No, Mister Dunn. Joe heals people. But this… it’s bigger.”
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Floors: 2
Minions: 240/240
Residents: 12/12
Denizens: 73977
Traps: 6/10