The Future Was Now by J. R. Harber

Author:J. R. Harber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: River Grove Books
Published: 2020-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

As they approached the building, Asa saw people outside; two men were shouting, talking over each other so that the argument was unintelligible. He glanced at Eve, who was still staring straight ahead, but she seemed to feel his eyes on her, because she turned her head for the first time since they had been accosted. She grinned quickly, but the smile did not touch her eyes.

“I’ll kill you!” someone shouted, and Asa spun around, bracing himself.

The threat had not been directed at him. One of the men arguing lunged at the other, but before he could make contact, the second man reared back with a closed fist and punched him in the face. The first man stumbled back, then hurled himself at the other, knocking him to the ground. Something jabbed Asa in the back, and he jumped.

“Keep moving.” The man behind him nudged him again with the wide end of the stick.

Cyrus was already at the wide metal door of the building, speaking with two large men who had been standing outside, either guarding the entrance or simply waiting.

“But …” Asa glanced around incredulously.

The two men were still fighting, struggling viciously in the dirt, and he could see that one was already bleeding from the nose. A woman and two men were standing a few feet away, shouting encouragement to one or the other—or both—while Cyrus and the others ignored the outburst. No one was rushing in to stop the fight. Asa looked to Eve, and he nodded toward their captors.

“Wasters,” he said under his breath. “What do you expect?” But Eve still looked a little shaken.

“Come on.” The butt of the stick jabbed him again, and Asa kept walking.

The hulking guard looked Asa up and down as they approached the door, then did the same to Eve. “The big man wants to see these two,” he said.

“Big man?” Asa repeated.

Cyrus grinned for an instant, then his face turned stony again. “First among equals. He wants to see you,” he said, starting forward, but one of the guards shook his head. “We already searched them,” Cyrus said, but the guard eyed them skeptically.

“What about the girl?” he asked.

“I searched the woman,” Lilith said, irritation in her voice. “They’re clean. They had some tech on them but nothing dangerous.”

“Anything’s dangerous if you use it correctly,” the guard muttered.

He stepped back, and his oversized companion heaved open the door. Asa and Eve stepped inside, flanked by their captors, and the door swung shut behind them immediately, closing with a loud bang and a rush of air.

The building was a single immense room, the ceiling high enough for a two-story house to fit under. It was empty except for two enormous rusting machines in the center; they looked a little like oversized tractors, though Asa knew that could not be their purpose.

Relics from the days before the Founding, he thought with a sudden jolt of excitement, and he nearly took a step toward them. Eve touched his arm, stopping him.

He heard

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