Iss My Apocalips

Kiss My Apocalips

The story of Jacob Jones and the end of the world

CHAPTER NINE -- Rocko the Brave

Starting at this point on in our tale, it's going to be difficult to describe Doriana. From the moment she came into our lives, she had always been a complicated personality. After a while, you might think you'd get to know a person; her needs and desires, her goals and fears and feelings about life. Following this particular interaction, I thought I'd made a bit of a breakthrough toward these insights, but I was mistaken. I don't think I've ever encountered a person so passionate about so many different things. At times, she was as close as anyone I've ever met to someone who personified the definition of "sex slave." But that was only one side of this remarkably multi-faceted woman.

After Wanda drove off, I took the knapsack that she'd delivered into the bunker and started unpacking the things inside. Glancing toward my recently-fucked companion, I asked: "Do you intend to get dressed again?"

But she simply blushed and responded: "Do you want me to?"

The question threw me. "Do you think you should be naked during our little war?"

She flushed even darker. "I'll do whatever you want."

I walked back to her and gave her a hug, then held her at arm's length. "I'm afraid I'd be too distracted to do my job safely and efficiently."

"Then I'll get dressed."

"And I need you to be safe and efficient, too, Doriana! Can you do that for me?"

"I'll do anything for you, Jacob. I love you."

I put my right palm against her left cheek, and she closed her eyes and snuggled into it, shuddering slightly. "I love you, too," I responded. "But now, I need you, Doriana. I need your skill and your expertise to get us through this ordeal. Can you still do that?"

"Anything, Jacob."

I let her go, and she surprised me by leaning forward and arching up onto her toes to kiss me softly on the lips. Then, she turned and started picking up her clothing.

In the knapsack were two plastic wrapped sandwiches and two cans of soda. I found and turned on one of the tablet computers. This was one of the new ones, and it was about the size and thickness of a piece of stiff cardboard; but it was actually a tough piece of touch-activated plasticized glass with microcircuit tech throughout. I tapped the center of the screen and it lit up with the message "Host will join meeting in:" and there was a countdown clock that was just passing the eleven-minute mark.

I heard another golf cart in the distance, but somewhere in front of us. Looking out in the downhill direction from the bunker, I could see one of the Sallys stop a vehicle next to the open front gate. She got out and tossed all the weapons they'd abandoned when they first drove up to the compound into the back of the cart; then she climbed aboard and drove back up the hill as the gate slowly swung closed. I wondered silently if we'd ever have the chance to open it again.

Doriana was beside me, leaning heavily into me, and she sighed contentedly, as if she was exactly where she wanted to be. "Are the drones all prepped?" I asked her.

"Yes, Jacob."

"Okay, listen," I told her earnestly. "I love you, too. But if you really want to please me, you won't turn into some fawning teenager with a crush so huge that she can't function. Understand?"

She gave me a laugh that was part giggle. "Yes, Jacob. Of course. The drones are all ready to go. What do you want me to do with them?"

The comment made me reassess. "Tell you what," I said levelly. "Launch them all on a pre-programmed flight. Once around the mountaintop, return and land."

She stopped laughing but maintained the smile. "I only have three controllers. I'll launch the three largest ones." And she turned and left the bunker. I watched her fiddle with them for a moment; then I went to fetch the folding chair we had used during our little tryst. There was a second chair, as well; and I put them near each other, looking out our long observation window. Finally, I set up one of the slim tablets so we could watch it, and I started unwrapping the two sandwiches. The drones spun up in their distinctive whining buzz, one after the other, and soared into the sky.

"Jacob! You just launch dose drones of yours?" Dmitri's voice barked over the walkie talkie.

Truth be told, Doriana had completed her task in a fraction of the time I thought it would take. "Yes. We're just testing the programming," I answered.

"You give me heart attack!" the man complained. "You gots to tell me before you do someting like dat. What you think if I do something like DIS without telling you?" And one of the guns in our bunker fired off a shot down the hillside. I almost jumped out of my skin.

"Alright! Alright!" I barked. "Point taken! I'm sorry I didn't warn everybody! The drones are going to make one circuit around the farm and return to land."

"Okey Bedokey! We have conference call in just a few minutes."

"We've got our tablet. We're ready when you are," I responded and set the comm device down as Doriana walked back in and sat in one of the chairs.

"Wow, that rifle is loud in the confined space," she commented. "Maybe we should get some sound suppressors to wear if these things are going to be going off a lot tomorrow."

I handed her one of the sandwiches and a soda. "Keep your strength up," I told her. "You're eating for two."

She dutifully took a bite. "I wish I was having your baby," she told me wistfully. "Back in that other quantum timeline, or whatever you call it, I'm giving my husband the child he wanted. But here, now, with you ... I wish it was yours."

"It's ours," I told her definitively. "It takes a village. He or she will be the first child in OUR village, and I can't wait to meet the little tyke."

She sighed. "Wow. You say the right thing most of the time. You're making me want you again."

"Most of the time?"

"Well, you are a man, after all."

The tablet suddenly lit up, showing two rows of three square images: six video scenes. As is usually the case in video conference calls, somebody in each scene seemed to be leaning forward, adjusting the camera angle. I did the same, so that the two of us were centered in our frame. Dmitri and my teacher, Mr. G, were in the first image, and they were obviously in the long command room in the lodge. The second video box contained Juanita, Sadie and the prof, apparently in one of the big conference rooms in the upper floor of the barn. Hannah and Wanda were in the last image in the top row, and they were seated in one of the golf carts on the barn's main floor. In the bottom row, Doriana and I were first, then the sheriff and the two Sallys in another bunker, and finally Mrs. G and Sofia in the lodge's big kitchen.

"We gots lots to discuss," Dmitri told us.

"First," Juanita interrupted, "we need to thank Sadie for hooking up this secure Bluetooth communications network. It's completely impregnable by outside forces, and the perfect setup for us. We'll get everyone extra charging devices that should keep us all up and running for a few days, if necessary. We also have enough headsets to keep us all in constant communication, once we've activated the ICS function of the link she designed for us." Sadie smiled shyly next to her. "And now, lover, what's first on the Hit Parade?"

"I do not know dis parade of which you speak," her new fiancée told us. "But my source of information inside evil doctor's ranks has flew the coop."

"You going to tell us who he is?" the Sally on the left asked.

"No point keeping secrets anymore," he answered. "It Sanchez, one of de two chief pilots. Both aircraft, dey stop at Reserve Army base in south part of Oregon. In Mathkalam ... uh ...."

"Klamath Falls," Mr. G interjected.

"Yes. Dat what I said. Him and his copilot, Schutte, dey stay and fuel up aircrafts while others go find trucks on de base. But Sanchez and Schutte, dey not want any part of dis fight, so dey fly off and leave everybody else dare. Dey sabotage other Valor by stealing parts; so, de bad guys, dey not have any working aircraft no more."

"Ah, Jason Schutte," Sally-on-the-left said dreamily. "I'm very glad he's on our side. He's a very ..."

"Attentive lover," Sally-on-the-right said, an identical look on her face.

"TMI!" Sofia interjected.

"So, no more Valors," Juanita summed it up.

"What's a Valor?" Wanda asked.

"The advanced model of the V-280 built, built by Bell Textron," Sadie said. "Took the place of the Army's Black Hawk in the mid-30's. A tilt-rotor craft that can carry twenty fully-equipped troops, with a combat range of 800 nautical miles."

"She read an article once," Sofia guessed.

"SO," Dmitri took charge of the conversation again. "Mister Teacher here says takes five or six hours to drive truck from there to here. I don't tink dey start attack until dey recon this place in daytime, but we gots to be ready. Everybody stays where dey are now. Barn control room identify targets and operate bomber drones. Mr. Teacher and me, we fire our weapons from here. Peoples in bunkers reload automatic computer-rifles and provide close-in defense. We gots four XM7's dat we brought wit us. We distribute one for each bunker, along with five twenty-round mags of six-point-eight millimeter ammo. Yes? Jacob, I try come around later, we squeeze off a round or two. No? Just for practice, you and me. Sally, she can teach sheriff, if he needs it."

"What about the Pilatus?" Juanita asked.

"Dat little airplane pretty neat stuff for rookie pilot like me," Dmitri answered. "It got us here, but it was never meant for doing anyting like fighting. I tought maybe I use for recon, yes? But Mr. Teacher right, I tink. It gonna rain soon. Plane no good for nuttin' in bad wedder. I stay here and fight with our new friends."

"What's the P.O.D., chief?" Sally-on-the-right asked. "Give us the R.O.E."

"Yes," Wanda interjected. "And give it to us in E.N.G.L.I.S.H."

"The Plan Of the Day," Juanita said smiling, "is that everybody stays right where they are for the duration of this engagement. We know they're coming, but we don't know when they'll be here. We'll get SOME notice from our sensors before any attack, but possibly not enough time to get all of us from the lodge to our fighting positions. So, we maintain battle stations. The Sallys can stay in the north bunker for now; but they have to reach their battle stations in the east and west bunkers in two minutes. Hannah and Wanda will use the golf carts to get everything distributed to the people who need it. That includes food, which will be prepared in the kitchen by Sofia and Mrs. Gonzales."

"Thanks for the great sandwiches, ladies!" I chimed in, and everyone added their voices to the compliment.

"Our logistics team will also take sleeping bags to our bunker buddies, along with extra batteries, ammo for the primary weapons, plus anything else you might need.

"The Rules Of Engagement," Juanita continued, "are that we hope to do all the shooting from our command centers. We are going to do everything in our power to discourage our former fellows-in-arms without actually casualties; but we'll use lethal force immediately if we think our lives are in imminent danger. Consider yourselves Weapons-Free with handheld munitions if you see your target and you're being fired upon; but remain in cover as much as possible. No unnecessary risks."

"One udder little info piece," Dmitri commented. "Evil Doctor Hyphen is with dis group dat comes for us."

"What?!" the professor exclaimed. "Barrington-Smythe is with them? I find that hard to believe! I've always considered the man a wretched coward!"

"It makes perfect sense," Sadie interjected. "We've more-or-less taken away his reason for existence in this universe. We've made revenge his primary goal in life."

"Plus, he needs to keep providing some sort of incentive for his troops," Juanita added. "We don't really know what that is yet, but it must be something pretty compelling to lead his entire military contingent against a civilian target inside the United States."

"We find out dat soon enough," Dmitri said. "As for now, you peoples in de bunkers, you our best line defense. We want give you everything you need. What tings you want most? We have Hannah and Wanda bring more clothes, bedrolls, food. What else?"

"Sound suppressors," Doriana chimed in.

"Most excellent suggestion," Dmitri commented. "What else?"

"Toilet paper," I thought out loud.

"Even better suggestion."

"Don't worry, you guys," Wanda interrupted. "Hannah and I will take care of you. If the golf carts start running low on charge, we'll use the black pickup."

"I be around soon to de bunkers and show how to reload stationary guns," Dmitri concluded. "Juanita and Sofia have a few new toys for you to play wit, too. We have anodder conference call at dinnertime. I know we make good fighting force. I very proud to serve wit you. For now, stay alert. Goodbye."

And the screen of the tablet went blank.

The drones returned shortly thereafter, and Doriana and I busied ourselves with plugging in new batteries, while putting the old ones into their chargers. My companion was uncommonly silent during this chore, and I questioned her if anything was wrong.

"I ... I'd like to go talk to Dmitri about something. Would you mind holding down this fort while I do it, please?"

"About what?"

"Can I tell you after I get back?" she asked shyly. "I'll do whatever you tell me, of course. And I'll never keep secrets from you. But if I tell you now, you won't let me do what I think needs to be done."

I stepped back a pace and studied her. "Wow. I've never known you to be so mysterious." I considered her request for a long moment. "Let me think about it. I'll give you my answer in an hour."

But I didn't have to. As I predicted, Dmitri showed up himself for a visit, just as he said he was planning. He was riding in the passenger-side of a golf cart being driven by Hannah; but one look at our newest "family member" let me know that she, too, had something serious on her mind. Even the normally-happy-go-lucky Russian wore a slightly sour, overly-thoughtful expression that I guessed wasn't directly connected to our current military tactics problem.

"Dimitri," Doriana blurted as soon as the cart's electric motor chugged into silence, "I'd like to talk to you about something!"

"Um ... Doriana ...." I tried to interject.

Our new friend held up his hands in mock surrender. "Enough! Please! You only want to say what udders already have! All you lady women people please keep quiet and let us men people talk for five minutes! You can stay and listen. If you still want to yell at poor Dmitri after dat, you free to do it. Deal?"

"What the hell is this all about?" I asked everyone, exasperated.

The man climbed out of the cart and strode into the bunker, slapping me on the shoulder and motioning me to follow as he passed. He pointed to one of the two folding chairs, and I sat, waiting as he plopped himself into the other one. He regarded me thoughtfully.

"Jacob, my friend, I gots to know! How you manage to find five, FIVE, beautiful women dat love you so much? It took me my whole entire life just to find ONE! And she all I can handle! I ain't never gonna look at no udder one as long as I live! Swear to God! But dese womens of yours, dey worry about you wit all de love a woman can give a man! Dey not jealous. Dey just in love."

"What in God's name are you talking about?" I asked.

"Every one of dem, dey come to me and say same ting! Dey tink I come here, take over operation to protect farm! And it not my place! Dis YOUR farm, dey tell me! Farm belong to Jacob, dey say! I should be in bunker and YOU should be in command post! But Jacob, my friend, I swear on stack of bible books, me and Juanita and Sally, we come here to try save and protect Professor Doctor Sarah Greenflow! SHE de one who say we gots to protect everybody in dis farm! DAT why we try make military operation! Dat just someting we know how to do! You understand, my friend?"

I looked toward the doorway leading into the bunker where both Hannah and Doriana stood listening, and I glared at the woman I'd made love to a half hour earlier. "THIS is what you wanted to say to him?" I asked pointedly.

Just a few moments before, she had been shy and submissive, but she returned my gaze firmly. "Jacob, you aren't even out of high school, and you're the smartest man I've ever met! And the bravest! YOU should be in charge! Always! We all need to follow YOU!"

I sighed and nodded. "Okay, I think I understand now. If you two lady women people would please keep quiet and let us men people talk, I'll use my superior judgment to make a decision." They each had the good grace to smile at my joke. I turned back to my new Russian friend. "Dmitri, what is it you want to do when this is all over?"

The question clearly caught him off guard. He shifted and shrugged. "Military all I ever do. Juanita, she wants us to get small farm. Raise chickens and make babies. If dat what makes her happy, den I suppose I do dat."

I nodded. "Okay then, I would like to hire you as a mercenary group; you and your Warrior Women. You run this military campaign, and if you are successful, I will pay you half of the livestock on this farm. That's one female calf, one filly, four sheep, three pigs and a whole bunch of chickens. I'll also have Doriana and Hannah help you set everything up. There are literally hundreds of abandoned small farms all around Acton; so, if you pick one of those, you'll be close enough to drop in and visit from time to time. Do we have a deal?"

For a moment, I didn't know what he was doing. He was laughing. "Warrior Women," he chortled. "I like dat." He stood and extended his right hand. I stood, as well, and we shook. "You de boss. We gots deal. Me and de Warrior Women, we protect you. Den, I hang up my gun and become farmer-man. Me and Juanita, we raise chickens and pigs and sheep and make babies. Now, let me show you how to reload computerized gun." He reached into his back pocket, pulled out a magazine full of ammunition and strode over to the nearest gun emplacement.

But before I could follow him, someone grabbed my right elbow and spun me around. And just like that, I was in Hannah's arms, which snaked around my neck as she pressed those massive breasts into my chest and assaulted my mouth with eager, soft lips. Realizing surrender was my only sane option, I reached around her, pulled her more tightly into myself, and allowed my hands to explore her back. However, it took me the better part of a full minute to determine that she had no intention of ever breaking the kiss; so, I gently took her by the shoulders and pushed her far enough away from me to force our lips apart. We were both struggling for breath, and her eyes were having trouble focusing for a moment before they locked onto my own.

"That was ... masterful," she whispered. "I ... I need to give myself to you! I need to make you understand that I am yours! That I belong to you!"

I smiled at her raw urgency. "I hope that very soon, we can give ourselves to each other," I told her softly. "But this isn't really the time."

She stepped back away from me, looked down at her shuffling feet, and blushed. The sight of her was enough to make me laugh, but I somehow held it back and turned toward the staring man at the mounted rifle.

"Holy fuck, Jacob!" he said quietly. "How de hell you do dat? Women, dey can't control selves around you!"

"Trust me when I tell you that before the apocalypse, girls didn't want to have anything to do with me!" I confided.

Doriana barked a laugh. "High school girls! All they can think about are cliques and phones and football players. They have no idea what to do around a REAL man! And they need a little experience before they can recognize one!"