Holding Their Own X: The Toymaker by Joe Nobody

Author:Joe Nobody [Nobody, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic
Amazon: B00XO0BD1I
Publisher: Kemah Bay Marketing LLC
Published: 2015-05-13T05:00:00+00:00

Nick couldn’t believe his eyes.

They’d heard the first engine fire up just after dawn, a large bulldozer appearing from the tree line a short time later.

Soon after, another unusual sound echoed from the valley below - the whinny of horses. Lots of horses.

The Alliance team watched in amazement as dozens and dozens of wagons came bouncing and rolling into the valley below, their teamsters shaking the reigns to urge the beasts of burden.

Nick saw oxen, horses, and even mules pulling all sorts of wheeled contraptions. He even spotted a school bus “convertible,” sporting a topless frame, its seats still intact and full of people.

Another massive team of stout-looking plow horses came into view, straining as they pulled against the flatbed trailer of an over-the-road semi. All of the makeshift wagons were filled to the brim with people, shovels, rakes, and baskets.

Supervisors wasted no time issuing instructions, and in short order there were thousands of workers shoveling, hauling, and raking dirt.

Astonished at the scene playing out below them, Nick’s team stayed hidden, snapping pictures and trying to take notes and counts.

Butter scribbled a quick line that summed it up best, “This looks like those old movies showing slaves building the pyramids. It’s on that scale.”

Once they’d delivered their human cargo, the horses were put to work hauling, pulling, and assisting with a variety of other manual tasks. By mid-morning, Nick had counted five heavy, diesel-powered pieces of construction equipment supplementing the flesh and blood labor pool.

At 10:45 the supervisors began blowing whistles, motioning for all of the crews to move to the near side of the valley. From his elevated perch, Nick wondered if the workmen were being given a break.

Once the area was clear of occupants, another round of whistles and harsh shouts rose from below, and then the entire ground shook as a series of explosions rattled the New Mexico desert.

Huge, billowing clouds of dust and dirt rose into the air as tons of rock and sand rolled down from a hillside. The minute the fog of sand and soil settled, the heavy equipment teams rushed in and began working the blasted rubble.

The technology fascinated Grim. Logs, ropes, pulleys, and blocks were all being used to move earth and stone. He spied teams of well-coordinated men moving huge slabs of granite, while women with buckets of water lubricated the rollers and rope.

Nick was taking pictures when a new noise reached his ears. Glancing right and left, he couldn’t identify the source. It sounded like some sort of jet engine.

Motion from Kevin’s hide drew Nick’s attention, his son trying to discreetly point skyward.

Nick followed the boy’s finger, but still couldn’t see what his son was trying to point out. Finally, the small drone moved and that drew the Green Beret’s eye.

The big man watched as the quad-copter hovered above the activity down below. Slowly, so as not to draw attention, he moved his rifle’s magnified optic into place in order to study the airborne contraption.

What he found was a sophisticated looking array of black boxes, wires, and lenses hanging from the flying machine’s belly.

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