Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn (The World After Book 3) by J.G. Martin Page A

the ground.
       The Praetorians quickly
and efficiently secured their hands and feet using plastic cuffs. Unlike the
gang members at Edwards, the professionals secured their hands behind their
backs and were using the more durable police versions of the cuffs instead of
zip ties from Walmart. Rora found herself dragged into one of the armored cars
and watched as they were all put in different cars. Then a black hood was pulled
over her head and she could no longer see what was happening.
       From the sounds and motion
of the vehicles they were being rushed out of the airport. Utilizing her memory
of the map and her recall of the turns and time in between turns, Rora was able
to determine that they were heading into downtown L.A. She assumed they were
being taken to the Castle to be interrogated by the Imperator. The trip ended
with them going downward into what she assumed was an underground garage, which
was rare for L.A.
       The Praetorians dragged
her out of the vehicle and through a series of twisting turns. They came to a
stop briefly and she felt the floor move and realized they were in an elevator.
It moved up swiftly and stopped suddenly. Rora was then dragged out of the
elevator and for another minute or so before being halted and held firmly in
place. She could hear other people moving around and talking including the
commander demanding to know what was going on.
       The hood was suddenly
ripped off her head and the bright lights temporarily blinded her. When she
looked up she could see that she was on the top floor of the Castle. Most of
the floor had been cleared to create a large open space with a large throne on
a raised dais at one end. Heavily armed Praetorians were placed strategically
around the room and were watching her warily. The bright light was being
provided by the windows that filled every wall providing an impressive
panoramic view of the city. She could see the others being held like she was
from the corner of her eye.
       On the dais sat a middle
aged black man dressed in a black uniform similar to the Praetorians. His uniform
however, was much fancier and had epaulets and gold braid on his shoulders. He
wore a simple gold crown on his close cropped head and held a gold scepter in
his left hand. He stared at her with piercing blue eyes as if trying to read
her mind. So this was the Imperator, he looked very impressive despite the over
the top uniform.
      To his left was the big
surprise. The Pope stood slightly behind him and to the right. When he saw Rora
his face turned white and he leaned down to whisper frantically in the
Imperator’s ear. The Imperator waved him away, but the Pope would not be
dissuaded. He continued to whisper animatedly to the Imperator until he was
lightly pushed away.
       “Enough!” The Imperator
commanded. “I don’t care if she is the consort of the True Messenger of God or
whatever gibberish you are spewing. Keep quiet or I will have you removed.”
      The frightened Pope stepped
back and held his tongue. He continued to stare at Rora with terrified eyes and
kept looking around as if expecting Derek to appear by magic. He fidgeted while
the Imperator sighed and stood up. Now that he was standing, Rora could see he
was relatively short at around five foot seven. She had heard that most men in
L.A. were actually very short. Despite his height he exuded an intense aura of
authority and menace.
       “You come to my city and
kill my men and destroy my vehicles.” The Imperator stated calmly as he paced
in front of them. “You present a challenge to my authority that I cannot allow.
Yet you present a unique conundrum. You arrived in a space shuttle. A space
shuttle…What knowledge might you have that could benefit me? That you could
trade for your lives?”
       “We work for NASA…”
Commander Khodorov started.
       “I’m not finished.” The
Imperator interrupted. “The gangs will demand blood for the men you killed and
the vehicles you