Conspiracy at World's End Read online

  Cross looked on with regret; she hated setting anyone up even a suck like Morgan.

  He really did believe everything these Enforcers told him. He was a proven outer of homosexual activities, a true nark for a gay person.

  He was not an innocent; the man had sent loads of people to the conversion camps. Yet it didn’t feel right to use him like that.

  Boofhead had found some flour and made damper. There was some preserved jam; it went nicely with the warm damper. Santanna felt full and content.

  The hulk took her to meet Lenny; the man she hoped would fix her bus. He led her through the back streets dodging debris here and there coming across a run-down cottage.

  They ventured into the back yard where Lenny was busy at his Moonshine still. He was brewing some concoction in order to drown his sorrows.

  The minute he noticed them, Lenny grabbed for his rifle, aiming it at the woman, “You better not have brought a fuckin Enforcer to my digs.”

  “No…this is the girl I was telling you about.”

  The man relaxed, putting away his rifle. He grabbed a jar dipping it into a garbage bin of grog, filling it up before passing it to the woman, “Ladies first.”

  Santanna grimaced at the murky, dark brew, sniffed it once before accepting it. The drink tasted like soar piss, but as she sipped, her mouth began to get use to it. She was getting a slight buzz from the grog, already.

  She passed the jar to Boofhead who guzzled a mouthful before passing it back to Lenny.

  The man took a sip, “So…ya got a problem with a bus, hey?”

  “Yes. I would be grateful if you could look at it,” replied Santanna, smiling, feeling relaxed.

  “Ok…but ya gotta do a job for me in return,” put in the man.

  “Fine, what do ya want?”

  Lenny pointed to a couple of cardboard boxes that were packed in a corner, “I need some grog delivered to a guy in Dubbo. It’s not outta the way. I promise.”

  Santanna couldn’t believe it, now she was trafficking illegal booze. Oh, for a quiet life, as soul inhabitant of a town where nobody bothered her.

  Sam took a plate of damper, smeared with jam, into the bus for Marlin. He hadn’t eaten for a while.

  He found the man staring out the window, a shadow of his former self. He was scared. The world outside was dangerous. He was safe in here.

  “I’ve brought you some food.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “But you have to eat something.”

  “No I fucking don’t! Just leave me alone.”

  Sam placed the plate on the floor, hoping that if he got hungry enough the man would eat it.

  “I’m sorry this happened to you…but don’t blame us.”

  Marlin snarled at him, “I don’t! I’m the fucking weak gutted faggot who couldn’t even defend himself. I feel shame…but he was just so strong.” Sam went to hug him but Marlin backed away, “No…please don’t touch me. I’m feeling so disgusted…so dirty…ugly. I let it happen…well not again.”

  Marlin turned away from him, curling up in a ball, shutting out the world.

  Sam was in despair not being able to help the man that he cared about. He wanted to take away his pain, make him the man he once was.

  Sam retreated from the bus, feeling helpless.

  Commander Roth returned to the control room, removing her black leather gloves that were now smeared with blood. She got no admission from him yet the woman had a feeling he never would spill his guts. He didn’t do it.

  It hadn’t stopped the commander from enjoying herself though, inflicting pain on a pathetic man. He had no courage. No pride. He was a sniveling wretch by the end.

  Roth’s new quest was to prove the blond piggy tailed bitch had done it. The woman just had to wait and see what Cross did next.

  Cross rose from her console, anxious to find out what had happened, “Did he confess?”

  “No, denied everything right to the end.”

  “He’s dead!”

  “His heart gave out. He probably wasn’t tough enough to be a true Enforcer.”

  Cross felt like being sick. She had caused this man’s death. She had tried to stay clean of bloodshed in her time as an Enforcer but finally her hands were stained. She was tainted.

  Cross excused herself leaving the room.

  Commander Roth looked on, smirk on her face. She was close to cracking.

  Roth just had to apply even more pressure, and then Miss Cross would find out what happened when someone betrayed Commander Angelica Roth.

  Santanna stormed onto the bus, fuming like an enraged bull. She had enough of his bull shit. He was drowning in self-pity.

  “Right! That’s it fuck-face! Get up!”

  “No…go away!”

  “Don’t give me that shit! I have just about had enough of this pity party you’ve arranged for yourself,” spat Santanna, angrily. “If you keep going like this that bastard is gonna win. Do you want that! He may have taken your ass but don’t you dare let him take your spirit.”

  Marlin pleaded with her, “I don’t want to be like this…but I just can’t get off this seat.”

  Suddenly, Santanna grabbed him by the legs and began dragging him off the seat. He clutched on to the edge with all his strength, feeling his shoulders about to pop.

  The woman wasn’t letting up; he needed to get out of this self-imposed prison he’d erected around himself. He would then begin to heal.

  He kicked out, bellowing like an angry bear. Santanna held on, determined to get him off that damn seat. She got him down on the floor and then began hauling the man outside like a sack of potatoes.

  The cool air slapped his face that seemed to bring him back to reality again, “How could you treat me like that?”

  “Well you did say you couldn’t get off the seat. I was merely giving you a hand with some positive encouragement.”

  “That was downright brutal”

  “You’re negative is my positive…I saw that on a bumper sticker once.”

  Marlin began to laugh, as the absurdity of the situation, a grown man being dragged from a vehicle as if he were a boy refusing to go to school.

  She wrapped her arms around him, holding the man tightly until he could face the next stage on his own.

  The Aboriginal woman came into the wreck of the once majestic bar, where Joh Kincaid sat in a corner drinking sly grog from a jam jar.

  His eyes gleamed with mischief as he spotted her, “Ya want a drink?”

  “No, I’m looking for Boofhead. I want my bus fixed by dawn.”

  Joh rose from his seat, approaching her, his eyes so compelling that she couldn’t look away, “You know, there are much more fun things we could be doing than discussing a broken down rust bucket.”

  “Back off, fuck-face, I haven’t forgotten that you left us for dead.”

  “You seem perfectly fine to me. So it mustn’t have been too dangerous.”

  The man moved around behind her, beginning to massage her shoulders.

  Santanna sighed, it felt so good, his fingers were kneading her shoulder muscles like a pro. She instantly relaxed. She felt all her stress melt away.

  He began to kiss her neck that sent ripples of pleasure through her body. His hands began to travel down toward her breasts, reaching inside her shirt, caressing them lightly. Santanna moaned, feeling sensual once more, a woman.

  She turned her mouth to the side connecting with his lips, their tongues exploring, deeply.

  Suddenly, Boofhead burst into the room. Santanna instantly leapt away from Joh, clutching her chest, waiting for her heart to ease.

  Joh turned on his side-kick giving him a back hander across the neck, “You fuck head! Why couldn’t you have waited a little bit longer?”

  “Sorry boss…I was just coming to check on the missus,” spoke Boofhead, cowering away from him.

  Santanna swung around to confront Joh, slapping his face, “He’s not the fuck-head. You are. Now get outta my way.”
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  The woman stormed out of the bar looking for some cool air to quench the fire inside her body.

  There was no running water in the town, so with a bucket of water and a cloth, Marlin climbed inside a bath tub amongst the ruins of a house. He soaked the cloth in water before scrubbing the filth away.

  Soapy water cascaded over his body as a dirty puddle, tainted with blood, collecting at his feet.

  When he had finished cleaning himself, he poured the whole bucket over his head washing away the scum, feeling cleansed.

  Sam came into the room, clutching a towel and some fresh clothes for Marlin. He passed the towel to him, watching his lover dry off.

  It was only yesterday when they first had sex but it seemed a life time ago, so much had happened. It was such a beautiful experience that he would never forget it. Now, he was facing a different man.

  When he was dry, Marlin put on some clean underwear feeling less vulnerable.

  He looked up at Sam, apologetic, “I’m sorry…for being a shit.”

  “I’m just glad you’re going to be ok,” spoke the younger man. “I was so happy. I finally found you. The person I was trying to find all my life, but after Winter, I don’t know where I stand anymore.”

  Marlin kissed him on the lips, taking the man’s hand in his, “Just give me some time…this isn’t going to be easy. I may never be that same guy again.”

  “I don’t care about that…I just want you, whoever that is.”

  Sam put his arms around him, gently, conscious that Marlin would still be feeling sore from his ordeal. It felt good to hold him once again.

  Santanna was crossing back toward the bus where she could see Lenny working away at the storage cells.

  She didn’t hear the vehicle until it pulled up before her. Her mind was on other matters.

  A strange duo climbed out of the Kombi van; a red headed posh bitch, a man in drag and a dwarf.

  “I say, you couldn’t spare some water for some wandering travelers?”

  “Fuck off!”

  Santanna stomped away to check on her bus.

  Francis looked on speechless for a moment until she found her voice again, “How rude. Don’t you agree Max? Max! Did you hear me?”

  Thank god for the dirt track they had used to bypass the town of Narra.

  Max had stayed with them as he had no other purpose. He was lost. His plans to deal with Roth were gone, now that his allies had been incinerated in the flames of Narra.

  In the darkened control room, Cross returned finding that everyone had been stood down for a meal break. Commander Roth was being awfully generous; she normally just worked people until they dropped.

  Cross had decided to bring forward her plans due to her superior officer sniffing around like a bitch on heat. This seemed the perfect opportunity.

  The woman glided about the consoles, placing small electronic devices underneath each section of the controls.

  They were explosives that would set off a chain reaction, wiping out much of this section. It wouldn’t take long for a fire to consume this wooden structure.

  Her cover would be blown but this base would technically be useless.

  Cross thought of her lover. She last heard that Patty had found sanctuary at the Church of Forgotten Souls. She hoped her lover was safe.

  Cross stepped back to admire her work, just as every light in the room was switched on blinding her.

  Commander Roth entered the room with a smirk on her face. She went over to a console and retrieved an explosive device, examining it.

  “How ingenious! If you weren’t a traitor I’d promote you,” spat the woman.

  A couple of Enforcers came in behind the commander, securing Cross with handcuffs. The woman stood there, looking defeated. She had failed.

  Roth looked at her face, devastated, “No final words.”

  “Yes…I wish to speak to the Superior Commandant.”

  Roth scowled, “But it would take him at least an hour to get here.”

  “It is my right as an Enforcer to have my case reviewed by a Superior before I am executed.” Cross turned to the two troopers beside her, “You’ve heard me say it now you are required to report it if that woman goes against my wish.”

  Commander Roth saw this woman’s ploy to delay her execution which would do her no good as the evidence was damning, “Fine. I will make the call.”

  Cross smiled, as she was being led away, Plan A was still up her sleeve.

  Chapter 8

  Marlin and Sam were passing by the new arrivals. Francis and Bettina sat with Boofhead who was being educated in the finer arts of taking tea. Max had been standing away from them as if to distance his involvement.

  Max spotted Marlin, instantly recognizing him from photos he had seen, “Marlin! Marlin Vickers!”

  The little man race toward him, ecstatically jumping for joy, “I thought you’d gone up with Narra…I’ve been looking for you.”

  The little man went to hug him but Marlin pulled away still sensitive of any human contact, especially a stranger.

  Sam stepped in, to block the man, “Look, his not well…perhaps you could wait a little bit longer.”

  Francis heard this, stepping forward, “Oh no! That’s dreadful! I have a complete chest of medication. What ails him?”

  Joh appeared on the verandah of the bar, smirking, “Don’t worry, darlin, he just got fuck up the ass a little too hard. I would have thought a fag like him would have enjoyed it.”

  Francis took exception to his remark, ascending the stairs, poking a finger in his chest, “You sir, are a rotter…perhaps you deserve similar treatment maybe than you’ll have some compassion.”

  “Steady on, sister, I was joking.”

  “Jokes are the commonest form of verbal interaction.”

  Francis stepped down from the verandah turning her attention toward Marlin, taking him by an arm leading him toward the bar.

  Max followed on behind them, babbling excitedly. Francis just stopped, turning to face him, placing a finger to her lips, “Max…hush!”

  Max stepped back. Bettina smiled at him. She knew only too well how overwhelming Francis’s personality could be at times.

  Cross was thrown into one of the cells in the detention wing of the building. The four cells were side by side separated by metal bars, each one backed onto a wall that faced the outside.

  Inside each cell was a wooden bed base with a mattress.

  There was also a hole in the floor, covered by a lid, which replaced a toilet.

  Cross’s guts wanted to wrench violently at the smell. She closed her eyes trying to distract her mind from the stench. She went over her plans once more.

  Max fronted up before the small collective; Francis was holding court talking of their adventures together. Bettina had been summoned to her side.

  Marlin winked at Bettina, a knowing look upon his face of their mutual inclinations. Bettina smiled back, sinking into the background. Sam looked at her, perplexed.

  “Samuel…we are not a cod fish,” spoke Francis, closing Sam’s open mouth.

  Max interjected, “We need to talk…about Narra. It was no accident.”

  Marlin rose from his seat, “So what’s your connection to the town?”

  “It was my idea…well the experiment at least.”

  Marlin nodded his head in understanding, “So, you’re the one responsible in making those children orphans.” He began to clap, rather loudly, causing everyone outside the small circle to look up. “Well congratulations…but I’m not interested in what you have to say.”

  Marlin barged passed the scientist in a bid to get away from him before he committed an act of crime upon the little man’s person.

  “Oh…and we were having such a lovely time too,” put in Francis, disappointed.

  “Francis! Fuck up!”

  With that, Max rushed after Marlin begging the man to stop and listen.

  This caused Santanna to look up from where she was assisting L
enny with his work on the bus.

  “Marlin! You must listen to me,” spoke Max. “I am just a little fish, let me help you get the sharks.”

  Marlin thought about his request, perhaps he could be of help.

  Santanna marched over to them, “Is this little prick giving you a hard time?”

  “No, on the contrary, this little prick is going to tell us everything he knows about the Enforcers,” spoke Marlin, bending down toward the little man, his grimace inches from Max’s face. “This game just got a whole lot personal.”

  “Are you forgetting about your sister?”

  “No, but I could bring down their whole regime taking with it those conversion camps,” spat Marlin, turning his intensity upon Santanna. “Then, there will be no need to employ monsters like Winter to find escapees.”

  “You need to rest,” Santanna took him by the arms, guiding him back toward the bar.

  “I’ve got to do this!”

  “That’s right, and we will once we rescue your sister.”

  Marlin smiled, nodding his head, feeling exhaustion begin to creep in.

  He had to focus on one thing at a time, one foot in front of the other and the rescue yet to come. He just had to think about that and nothing else for now.

  The hour ticked by so slowly for Cross as she sat on the

  bed. She had been visited once by the troopers, and now was left alone.

  She removed a badge from her uniform, turning it over to reveal a maze of wires connecting a small droplet of a jelly-like substance to a small timer.

  She used the very tips of her fingers to activate the button.

  She sighed, when it came to life, already counting down to the time when the superior commander would enter this room.

  Cross placed the device closest to the cell entrance.