David Robbins - Seattle Run

“Carryin’?” Hickok exclaimed in concern. “Was he hurt?”

“I don’t know,” Hedy replied. “I can only tell you what I saw. They carried him away. Then Gar decided to split us up so we could look for the short guy and the guy in blue. But he sent Terry, Marsh, Benjamin, and me around front to see if any of the Sharks who’d been shot were still alive.

That,” she concluded, “was when we saw you.”

Hickok was trying to put the pieces together. The coyote named Oakes must have taken Blade out the back way while he was lying on the landing.

But why hadn’t Oakes sent someone after him? At least he knew what had happened to Rikki and Yama. They had gone behind the building by the time he came out the front, which explained why everyone had disappeared.

“Anything else you want to know?” Hedy asked.

“Where did Oakes take my pard? The big guy?” Hickok inquired.

“To Tiger,” Hedy said.

“And where would I find this Tiger?” Hickok demanded.

“You don’t want to find Tiger,” Hedy stated. “He’ll rack your ass as slick as shit.”

“Where would I find him?” Hickok persisted.

“Where Tiger always hangs out,” Hedy said. “At our headquarters. I think it used to be called the Seattle Art Museum.”

Hickok nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’re takin’ me to Tiger,” Hickok informed her.

“You’re wacko, mister. Tiger will kill you,” Hedy promised.

“You let me worry about Tiger,” Hickok said. “Just get me there and no harm will come to you.”

“Before we go, do you mind if I ask you a question?” Hedy queried.

“What is it?”

“We don’t see many strangers in Seattle,” Hedy said. “We heard a rumor Manta caught over two hundred people off some kind of boat four months ago, but we didn’t believe it for a minute.”

“Why not?” Hickok interrupted.

Hedy tittered. “Come on! There’s no boat that can hold hundreds of people! The story was another of Manta’s lies, a rumor he spread to make us do something stupid like invade Brethren turf. But the Sharks know better.”

“You do, huh? Well, for your information, the rumor is true,” Hickok assured her.

Hedy laughed. “Do you expect me to believe you?”

“Believe what you want,” Hickok said.

Hedy peered at him, trying to gauge his earnestness. “So what are you and your friends doing here?”

“We came to free the folks Manta captured,” Hickok divulged. “And I’m personally going to plant a slug in Manta’s head.”

Hedy seemed to be trying to swallow a watermelon whole.

Rikki slowed at the sight of the bridge.

“What’s the matter?” Gar asked. “Haven’t you ever seen a bridge before?”

Rikki was walking behind Gar and Fabiana. The point men, Tom and Earl, were fifty yards ahead. A few feet behind the Warrior was the grungy man bearing his katana, pouch, and backpack, the one called Buck.

Following Buck were 41 men and women.

“That’s the Montlake Bridge,” Fab said. “It’ll take us over the Canal.”

Rikki looked around him at the buildings they were passing. He was beginning to believe Yama had been right. A majority of the structures were not seriously damaged. A neutron bomb may not have been as destructive as a conventional nuclear weapon, but a neutron bomb would surely have caused more devastation than he was seeing. “I thought Seattle was hit during World War Three,” he commented.

“It was and it wasn’t,” Gar said.

“Our parents told us the bomb hit east of Seattle,” Fab elaborated.

“They said the blast was centered east of Bellevue, over Lake Sammamish.

I guess the Russians weren’t as accurate as they thought they were.”

“How far is Bellevue from here?” Rikki inquired.

Fab pondered for a moment. “The center of Bellevue is about ten miles from here. It was a shambles after the bomb hit. No one lives there now.”

“And that explains why Seattle wasn’t extensively damaged,” Rikki remarked.

“A lot of roofs were damaged, and the frame homes,” Fab said. “And eastern Seattle, along Lake Washington, is a real mess.”

Gar glanced at his sister in annoyance. “What’s with you? Why are you telling this moron everything?”

“I told you,” Fab declared. “I think he’s cute.”

“Then tell him about your birthmark, why don’t you?” Gar snapped in disgust.

Fab smiled at Rikki. “I’d love to show him sometime.”

Gar looked at the Warrior. “You must excuse my sister. She has the manners of a…” He paused.

“Of a what, dear brother?” Fab asked with a malicious gleam in her lovely green eyes.

“Of a vixen,” Gar said, tactfully finishing his sentence.

Fabiana laughed. “You should know, brother mine.”

Rikki noticed a sign they were nearing. MONTLAKE BLVD. He speculated on the reason Gar had stayed with the larger roads and highways as they traveled to the south. Was it because they could make faster time, or because they would be better able to spot the crabs and whatever else lurked in Seattle? He gazed at Gar. “You two surprise me,” he admitted.

Gar glanced over his right shoulder at the man in black. “Oh? Why?”

“You convey the impression of being more educated than the other residents of Seattle,” Rikki itemized. “You don’t wear rags. And, wonder of wonders, you appear to believe in the benefits derived from regular bathing.”

Gar unexpectedly threw back his head and laughed uproariously.

“Damn!” he exclaimed. “It’s so rare to encounter someone with a sophisticated sense of humor! My sister may have a point about you. I’m beginning to like you myself.”

“Enough to release me,” Rikki asked half-heartedly.

Gar cackled. “Can’t do that, little man. Tiger would have my head on a platter. But you are right. My sister and I are not like the rest of this pathetic rabble. We were taught to read by our parents, and to appreciate culture and fine art.” He signed. “Except for Tiger, I’m afraid the rest of the Sharks wouldn’t know refinement if it bit them on the ass.”

The Sharks? Was that what they were called? Rikki stared over his left shoulder at the line of men and women trailing them. He frowned, intensely upset by the fact he was putting more and more distance between Yama and himself by the minute. If he endeavored to escape now, he’d be cut down before covering ten yards. He reflected on whether to inform his captors about Yama. If he did, would they tend to his stricken friend or hasten his demise? And if he refrained from informing them and continued to the south, how long could Yama hold out without medical attention? The quandary was depressing.

“Why so glum, lover?” Fab inquired.

“I am not your lover,” Rikki told her.

Fabiana grinned. “You could be if you play your cards right.”

“Here we go again,” Gar muttered.

“I can not be your lover,” Rikki stressed.

“Oh? Why not?” Fab chuckled. “Don’t tell me you like men?”

“I am in love with another woman,” Rikki revealed.

“So? What’s that got to do with us getting it on?” Fab asked.

“I must be loyal to the woman I love,” Rikki said. “Such loyalty extends to our physical relationship.”

Fabiana did a double take. “Are you serious?”

Rikki nodded.

Gar chuckled. “How about this? Not only does he have a sense of humor, but he also has morals! The last of a dying breed!”

Fabiana did not appear pleased. “I’ve just been insulted.”

“No, you haven’t,” Rikki disputed her. “Were I in love with you, I would be as true to you as I am to the woman at my Home. You must understand. My Family is very idealistic. We believe in being guided by the Spirit in all of our activities. We also believe in truth, honor, and loyalty. Loyal persons are spiritually growing persons.”