Apocalypse Slaves Pt. 05

"Man," Caine draped an arm over Henry's shoulders, hugged him close, and smiled. "I don't know if I want to kiss you or slug you." He said as he beamed at his beloved bike. "I love ya, dude!"

"Hey; if I didn't take it, someone else would've. Anyway. So, I used your bike and your name to start keeping things equal around here."

Caine's face fell. THAT was why everyone was looking at him like he was the second coming of Christ. "So help me God if I go somewhere and people start singing The Hero of Canton in my honor, I'm gonna come back here and kill you."

"I think that they actually changed the name and lyrics to The Man we call Caine over in Canton." Henry mused with mock seriousness.

"I take it all back what I said earlier; I fucking hate you." Caine couldn't keep up the pretense as he was still smiling.

"It needs a little work and can use a tune up," Henry said, motioning to the bike. "But I remember that your father was a mechanic and had taught you how to maintain your own equipment. You're the only other person aside from me who knows how to fix it. But my age is catching up to me fast and I can't maintain it like I used to."

Caine nodded. Indeed, the top-of-the-line survivalist motorcycle cost dad an arm and a leg but the thing was guaranteed to never have tire punctures and would only go flat if the air pressure wasn't maintained since it was designed to air bleed with normal use. Thanks, Dad, Caine thought in silent prayer to his father's memory.

"This..." Henry was saying, "This is what I want you to take over. I want you to be the infamous Caine; protector of the innocent. The Killer of men. The Wooer and Protector of Women. It's why I gave you the cleric's overcoat and pants to wear. That's what I wore when I was younger and doing this. It's not just a fancy coat. I did some tinkering over the years and got some ballistic weave into it and had even found one of those experimental rigs that'll deflect metal a bit. Watch." He took a piece of metal off of a workbench and tossed it towards him, fast. The metal's flight arc bent and twisted away from Caine. "In that coat, you'll not only look cool in the day, stay warm in the night, but you can take a few shots and shrug them off. It's saved my life on more than one occasion. So you should be able to kill people while staying alive."

"Woah! Wait!" That took Caine aback. "Me? You want me to be a killer? I've never killed anyone in my life..." His voice faltered. "Well... except for those three schmucks who jumped me back at my property yesterday."

Henry gave him a steely-eye look. "Then let me give you some motivation to get you started then. Just to give you some comfort last night was not the only reason why I sent Lauren to you. You all talked about her past, I assume?"

"Well, yeah," Caine shrugged. "She told me she came from one of the cities. K.C., I think. She left on her own and got caught by Raiders that you all killed."

"Mmm-hm," Henry nodded. "Did she tell you WHY she left Kansas City Hab in the first place?" Henry grinned when Caine shook his head and took a picture out of the breast pocket of his suit to show his friend the picture of a middle-aged man who looked like he should be on the cover of Forbes. "This is Richard Gatling; CEO of Gatling Industries down in K.C. On the surface, they're a multidivisional corporation. In reality, they're pretty much hired mercenaries that other Hab cities contract out to deal with your average raider in the area... or anything else that a wealthy city might need. He pretty much runs K.C. now and has very powerful connections. The problem is that he's getting too powerful for his own good and has taken to persecuting people in his own city as well as the people in the neighboring communities. He's been reaching out to the Corning Crusaders here lately in order to stretch his reach out."

"Corrupt politician and a corrupt business. What else is new? We had pond scum like this back in our day."

"Did I also mention that he was Lauren's employer the moment she got out of High School and turned eighteen and that after she was working for him for six months he started blackmailing her for sex?"

Caine's blood ran cold. Then his temperature shot up through the roof as he saw red. "The fucker..."

Henry nodded again as he met Caine's gaze. "Given your family's history, I figured that'd get your attention and see things my way." He reached behind the bike and took out two swords of different lengths. Caine recognized it at once as a daisho set; a combination of katana and wakizashi swords. "Recognize these?" he asked Caine.

"I should; they're my dad's. They were on the mantle for years."

"As the infamous Caine, I used these to make my kills. I left 'The Mark of Caine' on people by cutting across their faces as a signature in a C pattern." Henry reverently held the blades out to Caine. "And now I return them to their rightful owner to continue on in my stead." Caine accepted the blades back and they bowed heads to one another at the transfer. "I figure that you can get this back into the garage over at my place so that you can repair your bike, get back into shape..."

"I never left it. I've been frozen, dumbass."

"...and start your killing career with CEO Gatling down in K.C." Henry said. "Caine has been gone for far too long. And if you weren't too absorbed in what had happened, you'd have seen that the people of my town were looking at you as well while we walked here. They see you in that coat and they are wondering if Caine has indeed returned. Most think he has but there are some that are dubious which is why you need to do something and fast." Henry gave him an even, measuring look. "The world needs Caine and people like him. So, what do you say?"

Caine pulled his katana from the scabbard and looked at the well-oiled blade as it gleamed in the lighting of the garage. Before, he didn't think that he'd be able to exist in this world but now he found that he had a reason to live in it; Lauren. Then a second reason; killing people that would do women just like Lauren any harm. "I think..." he said slowly, "I think that Caine is indeed coming back... and hell is coming with him."

*

"Caine?" Lauren called out as she entered the garage. It was after nightfall and she hadn't seen him since him and Mister Bailey had walked out this morning. Missus Bailey had said that Caine had come back just after dinner after working on a project for her husband. Lauren got permission from the manor mistress to go down to him with a quip of getting some for her as well. Now Lauren looked around for her newfound lover. Something clanged on the floor as it was dropped and she could hear him swearing. "Caine? Are you okay? It's late!"

"Is it?" Caine called back. "I've been working on this thing all day!" His voice sounded muffled. Lauren moved further into the huge garage, turned a corner, and found him flat on his back on the ground underneath of what was probably the most famous motorcycle in the entire continent.

"Oh my God!" Lauren gasped. "Is that... Is that really the Horseman of the Apocalypse?" She looked down at him.

"What?" Caine lifted his head. "OW!" his head dropped back down as he hit a pipe underneath of the bike. "Is THAT what they're calling it?"

"Oh my God, YES!" Lauren exclaimed as she rushed over and started looking it over, moving around in circles around the bike. "They said that Caine, THE Caine that is, rode upon the Horseman as he delivered death down upon those who deserved it." She looked down at him in shock. Then she saw his helmet and overcoat that he was known to wear. Was he really The Caine of Legend? Mister Bailey seemed to say as much around the manor.

"Glad to know that my ride has installed so much fear into others," Caine grunted as he tried twisting a nut underneath of the engine block. Changing the oil had been a bitch and he spent a good part of the afternoon scrubbing the insides of the holding tank. Thankfully that was the only fluid he needed as the bike itself ran off solar power... and there was plenty of that nowadays.

"Wait, what?" Lauren paused at his feet and looked down at him. "What do you mean by 'your ride'? This belonged to..."

"To me before the Wave hit the planet. Henry... sorry, Mister Bailey to you, swiped it out of my garage, took my name and my swords," he waggled his right foot in the direction of the workbench where they were sitting at, "and used them to wreak havoc across North America. I've been finding out from everyone in town today exactly what I've supposedly have done over the years."

"Wait, what? Mister Bailey is... was... Caine?" Lauren blinked in disbelief. So this Caine is not THE Caine of legend?

Underneath of the bike, Caine chuckled. "Not living up to your expectations, is he?"

Lauren was thinking it over and everything seemed to match in her mind. "Well, that does explain why Caine hasn't been seen in the past ten years or so." She looked back down at him. "Wait... so if you're fixing the Horseman... does that mean that..." Her voice trailed off.

"Caine..." he grunted as he turned the fussy bolt, "is taking back his name and going back into the already established business."

"YAY!" Lauren cheered, clasping her hands to her chest.

"Glad to know my comeback is having a good effect on morale around here."

"Why don't you take a break? Come to bed... with me." She added with a waggle of her eyebrows. Knowing that she was sleeping with the real Caine turned her on all of a sudden.

"I'm almost finished." Caine grunted again before swearing under his breath as another nut was sticking.

"It can wait until tomorrow," Lauren prodded. "We've waited this long for Caine to resurface. So, another day won't hurt." When he didn't move, Lauren dropped to her knees between his legs. "Or do you need some enticing?"

"Hm?" Caine glanced down where Lauren was already unbuttoning his fly. He'd changed out of the Caine-Cleric outfit and was back in his jeans with no shirt on. "Uhm..." he said as she reached into his pants and gingerly pulled his cock out.

"Don't mind me," Lauren said, bringing her lips down to his cock and taking him into her mouth. Her eyes flicked up when Caine let out a deep groan of pleasure when she started to suck on the head. His cock went rock hard in her hand in an instant so she took him all into her mouth and bobbed her head back up.

"Holy Fuck..." Caine breathed, the work on his bike now forgotten. He laid his head back, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the feeling of her lips wrapped around his cock. "You're evil, you know that?" he said and she laughed right back at him.

"Well," Lauren said, straightening up and fixing her maid's outfit. "I think that's enough for now. If you want more, you know where to find me."

"Wait, what?" Caine started shuffling out. "Girl, you just gonna leave me hanging like that?"

"I think I'm going to bed." She gave him a yawn and an exaggerated stretch.

"I'm going to get you back for this."

She put the back of her hand up on her forehead and struck a dramatic pose at the doorway. "I breathlessly await your revenge, sir." She then let out a giggling scream as Caine was now on his feet, moving towards her. She had to admit that this had been a long time fantasy of hers and now it was playing out in real life. He had her pinned against the wall in a second and she melted against his body as their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Caine reached down and grabbed her bottom, lifting her up. Lauren let out a squeak of surprise as her feet left the floor. But Caine didn't let her fall or slide back down as he kept her in place with his body. His hands came down to her knees as he lifted and she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Then she felt his hands coming up to her panties, hooking them with his index finger to move them aside as he then, clumsily, got his cock into position.

"AHHHH!" Lauren gasped as she was then suddenly speared by his manhood as her body settled down into position. "Oh my God!" she breathed. This was a new position for her and she was loving the spontaneity of it. Plus, when he drove into her, his pubis smashed into her clit just right and his cock tore up and down the front wall of her pussy. As she was already hot and bothered when she went looking for him, got even more turned on when she found out who he was, and found it very erotic in teasing him, she came within five strokes into her. "OH MY GOD!" she cried out in passion as the sudden orgasm ripped through her.

Caine kept on fucking her up against her as he was just now getting into his stride. "You know, we called this move 'wallpapering' back in my day." He grunted between thrusts

"I don't care what you call it, just keep doing it!" Lauren panted, burying her face into his shoulder. "Just keep doing it!" And he did just that, fucking her into another screaming orgasm as he plastered her up against the wall.

***

CHAPTER 43: The Return of Caine

"Good Morning, sir," Gatling said, sticking out his hand in warm greeting. When Caine just looked down at it with a disdainful expression from behind his shades, Gatling pulled it back and withered slightly. "Please, come in to my office. Sit down, make yourself comfortable. I, uh, I can get you some refreshment. A girl to blow you while we talk perhaps?" he snapped his fingers at his buxom blonde secretary. "Cindy! Get me one of the interns and then come in yourself. Bring glasses of water!"

Caine was shown to the simple chair that sat across from the ornate chair at the equally ornate desk as Cindy the Busty Blonde Secretary hustled out. Gatling held out the chair for him and Caine took it, folding his hands in his lap as Gatling sat down in his own seat. "I, uh, am sorry, sir, but I didn't catch the name?"

"No, you didn't," Caine said coldly as he studied every tic and mannerism that Gatling had. Caine had ridden into K.C. under the cover of night, stashed his bike, did a quick side trip, and then was standing in the lobby of the building like a ghost appearing out of nowhere by the time day broke. The locks on the front doors were laughably easy and there was no such thing as electronic surveillance anymore. Such luxuries were reserved for the bigger hab cities like New York and Seattle. He had to suppress the urge to comment out loud about how habs have changed since when he was a kid. By the time the first worker arrived and found him standing in the lobby, Caine simply said "I have an appointment with your CEO," and continued to stand there waiting. Gatling was calling for him to come up minutes later as word reached him.

"Right," Gatling laughed nervously. Caine could see that it was really getting to the man. Gatling was a man who was used to knowing everything. Having an unknown element in front of him was apparently unnerving him. "So, what can I do for you? You're obviously a man who commands respect and knows what he wants. So, what do you want from Gatling Industries?"

"I want to know about you," Caine replied as he continued to study the ornate office; everything from the lavish décor, to the archways that led into executive rooms, down to the pictures of family on the desk to one side. "I want to know what kind of man I'm getting into business with," he nodded towards the pictures, "for example; are you a family man?"

"Hm?" Gatling seemed to be caught off guard by the question as he looked at the pictures. "Oh yes. Married for twenty years now. My daughter just turned eighteen and has a job as a secretary for the Governor of the Hab here. She'll never have to worry about the lottery and soon I'll set her up for marriage to the Governor's son," he said, beaming with pride.

Caine nodded thoughtfully as Cindy came back with an equally blonde girl in tow wearing a Catholic Schoolgirl's outfit. Gatling gestured to them. "Which one would you like to sample?" he asked, standing up to take the water glasses from Cindy. He handed one to Caine before draping his arm over Cindy's shoulders. Cindy, for her part, squirmed just slightly. Caine noticed that she wore a diamond choker, a gift from Gatling, no doubt.

Standing up, Caine made a show of looking the girls up and down. He had to admit that Gatling did have a good eye for the ladies. "Girls, give us some space for a moment, please?" he asked them, shooing them away. They retreated over to a nearby wall while Caine drained his glass and set it down on the desk. "You fuck your staff?"

Gatling shrugged. "Who doesn't?"

Caine walked over to the family picture and picked it up. "Even though you're married?"

Now Gatling snorted. "Please, what kind of archaic world are you living in? She knows what kind of world we live in."

"Mmmm-hm..." Caine mused. "You know, it'd be a shame if something happened to them."

Gatling's face turned hard. "Are you threatening me? Who the fuck are you?"

Caine took a photo out of his pocket and held it up to Gatling. Gatling snagged it and looked at the photo. His face turned to outrage as he looked at his wife and daughter tied up, gagged, and blindfolded while in a woodshed somewhere. It was the side project that Caine did before coming to the building. When he confirmed that Richard Gatling was spending the night in his office, banging his newest intern, he waltzed in and took Gatling's wife and daughter. It didn't take much, really. All he did was tell them who he was, what Gatling was up to, and why Caine was there to kill him. They both volunteered to be his slaves on the spot. So, he tied them up still in their clothes that they were wearing when Gatling last saw them in, took the pictures, shoved them into their woodshed on their own property, and told them that he'd be back later.

Gatling was quivering with anger. "WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FAMILY!" he demanded.

"The sins of the father fall to that of the daughter," Caine quoted in a philosophical way. "If you are not called to account, then your daughter will be in your place. And I assure you that I'll take my time with it just like you've done to each and every one of your... interns." He said with a pointed look over to the secretary and intern.

"You son of a bitch!" Gatling thundered as he took a step forward.

That was all the distance he got as Caine dropped the framed photo, grabbed his katana, and swiped out, down, and to his left the moment it cleared his back scabbard. Gatling staggered back a couple of steps as he was caught across the forehead. Caine pressed the attack, looping the blade down, and then to the right. A bright crimson 'C' was now prominent on Gatling's face. Gatling fell to the floor, looking up at Caine in bewilderment. "Who are you?"

Caine smiled down at him cruelly. "You already know who I am."

"Please..." Gatling now mewed pathetically, "whatever you do to me... just... just don't hurt my little girl. She's innocent."

Reaching into his pocket for another photo, he held it up for Gatling to see. "So was Lauren," Caine said coldly. Then he ran Gatling though the chest with the katana, killing the man instantly.

He pulled the katana up and out of Gatling's body, stepping back to avoid the spurt of blood that came with it. Caine then took care to wipe the blade off with Gatling's pant leg before putting it back into its sheath and walking to the door. That's when he remembered the two women who were now cowering off to the side. He paused and looked back at them.

"Who..." Cindy managed to sputter out. "Who are you?"

Smiling, he said over his shoulder to them; "I am Caine."

*

Kansas City went to hell in a handbasket with the news that Caine had assassinated Richard Gatling in his own office in front of two witnesses and then absconded with the man's wife and daughter. From his hiding place in Gatling's own mansion, he watched on the flatscreen TV the continuing news coverage. He'd come straight here after he'd left Gatling lying in a growing pool of his own blood. He moved the women from the woodshed back to the house, letting them take care of things, before telling them to hide in the basement. Jessica Gatling, Richard's now-widow, knew of the perfect place for her and her daughter, Claire, to go.