Wasteland Rules: Die Fighting (The World After Book 4) (4 page)

Near El Paso, Texas

September 12, 2029

   On the way to El Paso Derek took a short nap. He
was still tired from his last escapade, and he figured that if past history was
an example he wouldn’t be getting any sleep for a while. Rora nudged him awake
as they neared their destination. He snapped awake and looked around.

   “The Voice.” She said pointing at his pocket.

   Derek now felt the phone vibrating and he removed
it from his pocket. He placed the earpiece in his ear and switched it on.

   “Nice to hear from you again…” He said
sarcastically.

   “Nice to talk to you too.” The Voice replied
smoothly.

   “Did you figure out how they jammed you?” Derek
asked.

   “I was unfortunately correct. They were somehow
able to lock into my frequency, break the encryption, and keep shifting with
me.” The Voice explained.

   “How could they have known about you and the
specific frequency you were using?” Derek wondered.

   “I’m not sure. But you don’t have to worry about it
anymore. I have written a new algorithm that is much more complex to shift
frequencies now; they should be unable to replicate the effect in the future.”  The
Voice informed him unconcernedly. “Where are you headed? I show you in N.R.T.
airspace.”

   “The desert near El Paso. Augie got intel that the
Olympus computer core fell near there. He and Rora think we might be able to
figure out when the Faceless removed the ARK from the caves and where they took
it.” Derek told the Voice.

   “That sounds good in theory, but I have some doubts
that the core would have fallen in the desert there.” The Voice said
cautiously.

   “Why?”

   “Debris fell all across the American Southwest and
Northern Mexico, but most of it was small pieces of the station’s ring. The
main piece fell into the Gulf. The computer core should have been inside the
main piece.”

   “Hmmm. That does make this unlikely.” Derek agreed.

   “What?” Rora interjected.

   “The Voice says it is unlikely that the core would
have fallen into the desert outside El Paso.” Derek told her.

   “Augie said his source was very specific that the
computer core fell there.” Rora insisted. “The N.R.T confirmed that debris did
fall outside El Paso.”

   “Did the N.R.T. confirm the location?” Derek asked.

   “No. We didn’t want to give them the exact location
because we didn’t want them to grab it for themselves.” Rora explained. “They
agreed to escort us and allow us access in exchange for the core itself once we
got what we needed.”

   “So this could be a trap?” Derek pointed out.

   “I guess it’s possible.” Rora reluctantly agreed.

   “That area is empty and desolate and not really
under N.R.T. control. It would be a good spot to lure us to and then capture or
kill us.” Derek explained. “No witnesses and no support other than the escort.
There is a lot of broken terrain and abandoned buildings that a large number of
troops could be concealed in.”

   “We have to take the chance.” Rora maintained. “We
need that core. If it’s there we have to recover it.”

   “Okay.” Derek agreed as they began to descend into
El Paso. “But we go into it assuming it is a trap.”

   “Agreed.”

   The plane descended slowly into El Paso
International Airport, not that the airport had many international flights
anymore. The airport was south of the city proper and it was surrounded by sand
berms and fortifications. El Paso had been the scene of heavy fighting between
the N.R.T. and Aztlan. The siege of El Paso had only been lifted when the
N.R.T. attacked across the Rio Grande towards Monterrey. Aztlan units had been
pulled back to try to stop the drive but had failed.

   The N.R.T. had captured Monterrey in heavy
fighting, but had given it back in the truce negotiations. The border was still
very fluid in most places since it was mostly long stretches of uninhabited
desert. Already fairly inhospitable before the Collapse, now it was a downright
hostile environment. No one lived out there anymore and keeping an outpost
manned was almost impossible. No one went out there unless absolutely
necessary.

   That had led to numerous skirmishes between the
Texas Rangers and the Aztlan militias known as Reconquistadors. Aztlan had been
formed when Mexican immigrants and the Mexican-American descendants of
immigrants had flooded back into Northern Mexico during and after the Collapse.
Better educated and more organized than the locals, they had quickly taken
over. Armed with weapons looted from army bases and police or personal weapons
legally owned in the U.S., they had proved more than a match for the
disorganized and corrupt Mexican Army and Federales.

  They only claimed Northern Mexico so it could be
assumed that the Mexican government got their act together and stopped them
further south, but no one knew for sure. It was rumored that everything south
of Aztlan was in complete chaos and that cannibals and worse ran things. Maybe
with the satellites back up, someone would find out for sure.

   Not satisfied with Northern Mexico, Aztlan had
looked to reclaim territory lost to the U.S. in the Mexican-American War and
subsequent land deals. They had little problem taking most of Arizona and the
very southern tip of California and they struck a deal with G-21 around L.A. before
then turning their attention to Texas. Many in Aztlan still harbored resentment
about the Alamo and the loss of Texas. So they launched an attack on the
fledgling N.R.T. and laid siege to El Paso.

   That proved to be the defining and coalescing
moment for the nascent N.R.T.. Texans and others rallied around the defense of
their homeland and propelled a conservative former land commissioner into
power. His only platform was defending Texas’ sovereign territory and punishing
anyone who attacked it. Until his ascension, the politicians had been fighting
on every level over who was in charge. There were even some still loyal to the
U.S.T.G. even though they had not provided any help so far.

   Average citizens volunteered in droves to fight
under his leadership. His fiery and passionate speeches about the great state
of Texas inspired and motivated the masses. Former U.S. Army and National Guard
units declared their loyalty to him and the power shifted overnight. The
elements loyal to the U.S.T.G. were purged or went deep underground. He was
made the de facto Commander in Chief of the N.R.T.’s military and he proved to
be a brilliant commander.

   Or rather he proved brilliant at delegating. Rather
than micromanage the war like so many previous government officials, he turned
the veteran commanders of the former Army units loose. He only ordered them to
deliver a flaming sword to Aztlan like he had promised the people. Without any
ethical or moral restrictions on their rules of engagement, the military
commanders unleashed a scorched earth campaign unlike anything the Americas had
ever seen. Sherman’s march to the sea paled in comparison to the hell they
unleashed.

   The rules of the Geneva Convention were thrown out
and the Texas troops used everything they had in their arsenal.  The military
bases in Texas were a treasure trove of weapons and they were able to arm every
single man or woman who wanted to fight. Volunteer troops were given free rein
in captured territory and they raped, looted, and burned. Artillery was fired
and bombs dropped indiscriminately without regard for civilian casualties. To
the N.R.T. forces, no one was considered a civilian. Many felt they were
fighting back an invasion that had been going on for decades, even prior to the
Collapse.

   The superior firepower of the N.R.T. forces had
rapidly pushed the Aztlan forces back and allowed them to capture Monterrey.
Not wanting to rule over hostile territory and having seen the folly of nation
building in the past, the N.R.T. forced Aztlan to the negotiating table and
dictated the terms of a truce. The border roughly corresponding to the Rio
Grande was created, although the N.R.T. kept a small swath on the southern side
as a buffer zone.

   That included Juarez, which was merged into El
Paso. That had caused some rioting amongst the formerly Mexican population and
there were still a few Aztlan sympathizers living there. But the N.R.T. had
mostly solved the problem by resettling any troublemakers outside the N.R.T.
Meaning they kicked them out without anything but the clothes on their back and
threatened to kill them if they came back.

   Tucson and west was ceded to Aztlan as the
demographics made that make sense. Phoenix had already been destroyed during
the Collapse due to the weather shifts and a viral outbreak so there was no
value in claiming it. It was pretty much a dead city overrun by the shifting
sands. Scavengers still roamed the ruins as did some Raiders, but the permanent
population was almost zero.

   The area around Tucson was fairly empty, but still
had some settlements and resources. That border was ill defined by the truce
agreement and had caused ongoing conflict. About a year after the truce, Aztlan
sponsored militias had popped up in the border areas. The government denied
involvement, but it was an obvious fiction. The Reconquistadors claimed to be
patriotic groups dedicated to reclaiming lost land. They mostly operated in the
disputed territory, but they had also graduated to terrorist attacks inside the
N.R.T.

   The N.R.T. military and the Texas Rangers had shoot
on sight orders and were very aggressive in combatting them. This had nearly
led to a second border war when Texas Rangers had pursued a Reconquistador unit
into Aztlan territory near El Paso. Aztlan had obtained more modern military
equipment and the technical ability to use them in the intervening years; and
the N.R.T. didn’t want to get into a shooting war on more equal terms, so the
situation had resolved diplomatically. The fledgling country had morphed into a
booming and successful self-sustaining country. Their prosperity and success
meant that there would be much fewer volunteers and much less support for a
costly war. But it left the Texas Rangers questioning the Texas government’s
commitment to their security.

   The volatile situation made this mission into the
contested area risky and indicated how much the N.R.T. wanted the core. But they
were hedging their bets by only sending a squad of Texas Rangers instead of a
battalion of soldiers. Derek supposed they wanted to avoid provoking Aztlan too
much and a stealth mission would also attract less attention. No need for
Aztlan or anyone else to discover what they were after. Having the core would
give them a major tech advantage and it would be even more effective if no one
knew they had it.

   The N.R.T. hadn’t entered what was being called the
Second Civil War, but eventually they probably would. They couldn’t really
allow the C.C.A. to fall to the U.S.T.G. That would give the supposedly
legitimate U.S. government too much power and territory. The N.R.T. knew they
would be next and without the military strength of the C.C.A. to aid them, they
would fall as well.

   But again they were hedging their bets. If the
C.C.A. could stand on their own, there was no need to antagonize the U.S.T.G.
Everyone knew what had happened to Cincinnati and Atlanta. And there were still
nukes out there that could be used. Texas had no desire to become a glassy
wasteland. So they would wait until absolutely necessary before they
intervened.

   The impact of the plane landing jolted Derek out of
his thoughts. He looked out the window to see a small contingent of Texas
Rangers waiting to meet them. They were all dressed in their now iconic white
cowboy hats. They all wore tan dusters over tan BDUs with Modular Tactical Vest
body armor over them and desert camouflage combat boots. None of them carried
rifles, but they had pistols in tactical holsters on their hips. Everyone in Texas
went armed at all times; it had become a thing after armed citizens had stopped
a Reconquistador attack. Three technical SUVs painted tan with .50 caliber machine
guns on top were parked behind the Rangers.

   On closer inspection the SUV technicals seemed to
be purpose built with the armor being part of the frame. The rear axle had
double sets of wheels and based on the lack of sag in the oversized tires, they
were solid rubber. The machine guns were mounted onto a ring turret that
allowed a full three hundred and sixty degree range of motion and a metal
shield framed the gun itself, providing some protection the gunner. A large
steel brush guard, also painted tan, covered the entire front of the vehicle.

   Derek knew that a GM plant in Arlington, Texas once
manufactured extended size SUVs. It was likely that the N.R.T. had converted
that plant to make these technicals. In the desert and semi-desert terrain in
and around the N.R.T. these smaller and more maneuverable vehicle made more
sense than the heavy gas guzzling MRAPs or Strykers. Not to mention that the
N.R.T. didn’t have the capability to manufacture new AFVs, and they wouldn’t
want to risk a precious combat vehicle getting stuck in the desert somewhere.

   Derek pulled on his gear and weapons and followed
Rora out of the plane once the pilot had parked it and the steps lowered. He
grabbed an M4 carbine with an underslung 40mm grenade launcher and a bandolier
of grenades from the onboard armory. Rora had already snagged a carbine and
some clips for herself. One of the Rangers, wearing a silver star in a wheel
badge, stepped forward to greet them. Derek flinched a little internally. The
last time he had encountered Texas Rangers it hadn’t ended well for him.