“Look, Mr. Thrush.” Bessie DuBlanc spoke to him in a tone of voice that promised disappointment. “The City of New Orleans appreciates everything you’ve done for us. Hell, we know that your team has been the only reason we’ve been able to catch a breath from those damn swamp monsters-”
“The Orakh, Mayor DuBlanc?” Dan asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Whatever they call themselves,” Bessie waved a hand dismissively. “They’ve encroached on our farming and scavenging operations more than once, killing our citizens and tying up our security forces. The people are sick of it, and they’re demanding answers.
“Your intervention has bought us enough time to arm and train the local police with heavier weapons.” Bessie leaned back in her chair, ignoring the creak of warning from the distressed piece of furniture. “More importantly, we’ve had the time to mobilize and secure supplies for the national guard. Finally, we’re about ready to make a major push to get them out of the bayou. If you’re in, that’s great, but if you’re not, I’m not sure how much work we’re going to have around here, once we clean ‘em out.”
“What about that warlord out of Florida?” Dan furrowed his brow. “He doesn’t seem like the type to play nicely with his neighbors.”
“He sent us an emissary.” She picked up a sheaf of papers from her desk. “Long and short of it is that he wants to unite the South with some sort of mutual defense pact. I’m not sure I buy it, but he’s willing to coordinate an attack on the toads, and for now, that’s enough. I’m not inclined to let his soldiers anywhere near the city, but that doesn’t mean we can’t cooperate to get rid of the aliens.”
“Honestly?” She shrugged. “He seems like a piece of work. But even if he’s as big of a sociopath as the rumors say, only an idiot would let those fucking monsters fester. There’s more of them every day, and even if we can hold them back for now, it’s only a matter of time before they manage to overrun everyone.”
Dan glanced back at Jennifer, indecision flickering across his face as he weighed his choices. They needed someplace to use as a base for their voidship, and so far, New Orleans had seemed like the best option. Pretty much everywhere else in the English-speaking world was under the sway of some oligarch or another, most of them too focused on arms races with each other as they struggled to collect as much of the Thoth Foundation’s old technology as possible.
The various local governments near the Orakh invasion sites were largely left to their own devices. In the former United States, that meant that New York City and Louisiana were on their own. The Manhattan invasion was at least partially contained. Dan had been more than a little surprised at the number of NYPD and national guard members that purportedly showed up to fight off the Orakh, but apparently he was the only one. According to Jennifer and William, the NYPD had about 38,000 officers and would be around the world’s 40th best-funded army if they were included on the lists. Between the police and the New York national guard, they were able to keep the Orakh confined to Manhattan.
Jennifer nodded quickly. Really, their options were New Orleans, New York, or overseas. With as much time and effort as they’d invested in the area, it seemed like an absolute waste of resources to just move on.
“We’re in, Mayor DuBlanc.” Dan’s forehead furrowed slightly. “But we’re going to need to work out some details.”
“Well, the troops will be glad to have you.” Bessie smiled, the corners of her mouth crinkling slightly. “Now, what sort of details were you thinking about? We can certainly provision you for the attack and continue with the usual payments of ammunition, food, and medicine. Beyond that, make your offer, Thrush.”
“That’s most of it,” he said with a chuckle. “The only other concession we’re looking for is the ability to set up our home base here and recruit from your population. Right now, there aren’t a whole lot of us who are fighting fit, and our plan is to turn this into a full-on mercenary company. We’ll need volunteers and a place to lay our heads for that.”
“Half of them are out of jobs, anyway.” The mayor smiled, extending her hand to Dan. “Some of the plants are still employing people, but no one knows if the other states are buying or even what they’d buy with. Layoffs have been hitting the area really hard. If you’re willing to step in and employ some of my out-of-work citizens while providing security for the area, I’m not going to say no.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page then,” Dan took her hand, his tanned skin contrasting with her dark mahogany. “Just let us in on the planning, and we’ll find a spot where we can do the most damage.”
“Be ready in ten days,” Bessie agreed, waving a hand toward the door. “I’ll have someone from the defense force get into contact with you in the next couple days so we can see how to best utilize you. Until then, feel free to set up a recruitment stand on Bourbon Street for all I care. You have my permission to hire anyone who wants to work for you.”
“That went well,” Jennifer chirped cheerfully as Dan and her left the mayor’s office. “She’s insisting on a stupid and potentially deadly course of action, but other than that, we’re all on the same page.”
“She has to have seen the reports from the deserters coming out of Florida,” Dan frowned. “No one is saying anything good about Bowman. It sounds like he’s gone completely off the rails.”
“I never got why Dad liked him,” Jennifer’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “He was always either pompous or dismissive. Like, the only times he would talk to me were when he was being condescending. He was always an asshole at parties. I guess without anyone keeping him in check, he can finally be himself. A glorious piece of shit.”
“I’m not going to argue.” Dan chuckled slightly. “I fully expect him to betray us the second he gets a chance. Still, what do you think about her proposal, setting up a stand on Bourbon Street?”
“Well,” a mischievous grin flickered across Jennifer’s face, “Abe did lose the last squad game of hold ‘em, and he has been a bit insufferable lately. It would only make sense that he pay off his debt in a suitably painful way.”
The next day, Dan sat at a folding table, head in his hands. About ten feet away, Abe was dancing to bad R&B while wearing a sandwich board advertising “Thrush’s Raiders,” absolutely having the time of his life. Next to him, Jennifer was absolutely laughing her ass off.
“COME ON, MY GOOD MAN!” Abe shouted, puffing for breath as he pointed at an unsuspecting stranger. “The world’s falling apart around your ears. Are you going to do something about it, or are you going to just sit here jumping at shadows?”
“What?” The man stared back at Abe blankly.
“Do you think that the ladies are gonna like you just sitting around and getting fat?” Abe shimmied, making Dan even more uncomfortable. “They’re going to want a provider! Someone that can sling lightning with one hand and punch an Orakh in the face with the other!”
“I’m married-” the stranger began, confusion wrinkling his brow.
“Then you, ma’am,” Abe turned from the lost-looking bystander to a woman who had stopped to take in the spectacle. “Do you want to be some sort of shrinking violet, or do you want to get out there, seize life by the throat, and set it on fire with your mind?”
“What do you mean, ‘set it on fire with my mind’?” she asked, her head cocked with a bemused expression on her face as she approached Abe.
“A lady after my own heart!” Abe stepped forward, grabbing her hand in both of his before getting down on one knee. “We are here to recruit the most august and noble of individuals to become mercenaries. The benefits include access to advanced and dangerous technology, as well as the ability to access and learn magic. Before long, you’ll be able to wield the very building blocks of the cosmos themselves as you smite your enemies.”
“Magic?” She glanced down at Abe’s hands on her own incredulously. “You’re gonna need a better pick up line than that. Unless you can actually start something on fire with your mind, I’ve got to get home.”
Abe pivoted on his knee and pointed at Dan expectantly. Grudgingly, he raised his hand, firing a Flame Jet into the air. Most people knew that magic existed now. There were too many videos from the conflict in Brazil for anyone to believe otherwise. It just wasn’t a common sight anywhere outside of Florida, where most of the campaign’s veterans had ended up.
Almost instantly, the clamor of people going to and fro stopped. Within thirty seconds, their table was surrounded by bored individuals, out of work and looking for some sort of show or entertainment.
“There is your magic, my dear!” Abe sprang to his feet. “The world is falling apart, and the Orakh are at your doorstep, but we aren’t helpless! Thrush’s Raiders are on hand, ready to hire those who are willing to fight. We will arm you, train you, and inch-by-inch, we will reclaim our nation from the aliens, with your help.”
“Aren’t you guys the team that’s been clearing the way for our patrols?” A male voice shouted from the sudden crowd surrounding their table.
“I’m glad you asked, good sir!” Abe pointed in the general direction of the speaker. “Mayor DuBlanc has contracted with us on numerous occasions to keep the Orakh’s numbers down, but soon we will be pushing into the heart of their nest. For that, we need volunteers. Plus, once New Orleans is safe, we’ll need to free Manhattan. After that, New Zealand, Madagascar, and Ceylon all need help. In this new and troubled age, there will always be a need for a strong and steady arm, and Thrush’s Raiders are angling to be the first and best answer to that need!”
Dan leaned over to Jennifer, who was doing her utmost to avoid snickering. “Do you have any idea where this came from? I thought you said you were trying to punish Abe, not us.”
“I probably should have guessed that he didn’t have a sense of shame,” she replied, her eyes fixed on Abe’s antics as she hastily covered her mouth. “I honestly don’t know how he’s doing this. I’m assuming he drank a couple hurricanes before he got started.”
“Of course, I’m the one that he keeps pointing at to perform tricks like some sort of trained monkey.” Dan rolled his eyes. “I swear to God, Abe missed his calling as a used car salesman to work in the special forces. No suburban window shopper would’ve been safe from him.”
“Now, line up, men and women!” Abe jumped to his feet, waving excitedly in Dan and Jennifer’s direction. “Together we’re going to clean your swamps of the invaders and take back what is rightfully humanity’s! With a little skill and daring, you could be a vital part of that process and earn some coin and learn a trade while doing so.”
Quickly, the crowd converged on their table. Over the course of an hour, they took at least eighty names and numbers of interested parties. With William’s help, they were able to cut those numbers in half.
It still took Dan a couple hours to awaken all of the candidates, but once they tossed out the individuals without a magical affinity, they were able to focus on the physically fit and those with dual affinities. Another day passed before Sam had the twenty selected for the company fitted with a copy of the system.
Dan was worried about her. Sam wasn’t the same vibrant and brash person he remembered. After he pulled her out of Ibis’ compound, she just wasn’t the same. Withdrawn and quiet, she did the work they assigned her, but she never smiled, secluding herself from the rest of the team.
Once they got a minute to calm down and talk, Dan was going to make her see a therapist. Sam had been through a lot, but dwelling on it wasn’t going to fix anything. She needed professional help if she actually wanted to improve her situation.
