Bug Out! Part 9

RV Ambush

Robert G Boren

Contents

Previously - From Bugout! Part 8

Chapter 1 – Fishing with the Boys

Chapter 2 – Camp in the Canyon

Chapter 3 – All for One and One for All

Chapter 4 – Stowaway

Chapter 5 – Mortars on the Ridge

Chapter 6 – Fire in the Canyon

Chapter 7 - Street Pickup

Chapter 8 – Roadside Inferno

Chapter 9 – Canadian Passage

Chapter 10 – Wally World

Chapter 11 – Home Movies

Chapter 12 – Family Plot

Chapter 13 – Party Wagon

Chapter 14 – The Slow Twins

Chapter 15 – Traitor at the Base

Chapter 16 – Old Friends

Chapter 17 – The End of the Beginning

Copyright - About the Author

Previously - in Bug Out! Part 8

Frank and Jane stay one step ahead of the enemy, escaping with their friends into Kansas. They take over an abandoned RV Park on the old highway, where Frank races to finish the technical work that they need to win the war. Terry and Trish’s relationship blossoms. Tragedy strikes, as General Hogan is captured by the enemy. Can our friends rescue him? There is a dark secret at the RV Park, and our friends discover it in an underground torture chamber. Other people are very interested in their discovery – Malcolm Davis and George Franklin. Dangerous men. Will they help our friends, or will they lead them down the path to destruction?

Chapter 1 - Fishing with the Boys

The sun was bright, and the morning was heating up fast. Dobie, Gabe, Jake, and Terry were lifting the dog kennels off of the truck bed, and setting them down next to Dobie’s fifth wheel.

“These aren’t as heavy as they looked,” Gabe said.

“Thank the Lord for small favors,” Jake said.

“Okay, Reverend,” Gabe said, cracking up.

Jake smiled sheepishly. “You doubt my calling?”

That brought more laughs.

“So, who wants to go into town with me?” Dobie asked.

“I’ll go, but I’ll follow you in the Suburban, just in case,” Gabe said. “Might take quite a while to mount a new fifth wheel hitch.”

“Okay, thanks,” Dobie said. “I’ll put Duchess in the cab with me.”

“You guys need me?” Terry asked.

“Maybe it’d be good for you to ride shotgun,” Jake said. “If Trish doesn’t get too upset, that is.”

“I heard you,” Trish said, coming out of their trailer. “If he goes, I go.”

“Okay, honey,” Terry said. “Maybe we should hide a gun in the back for you, just in case.”

“You guys really think there’s going to be problems?” Gabe asked. “It was okay yesterday. The apps should tip us off if anybody bad shows up.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Terry said.

“Well, I’m bringing my side arm,” Dobie said. “Just in case, but I don’t expect problems.”

“Okay, let’s take off now, so we can get back before it gets too late,” Gabe said. “I think our guests are supposed to arrive today. I want to be back here before then.”

Frank and Jerry were standing outside the clubhouse with their coffee when the two vehicles drove out of the park.

“Well, there they go,” Jerry said.

“Gabe’s following,” Frank said. “Good.”

“What’s on the agenda today?”

“Firewall,” Frank said. “Should only take a few minutes. Then I’ll see what happened with the compiler.”

Jerry nodded. “Well, let me know which firewall to install and I’ll get the laptops loaded too.”

“Okay,” Frank said, walking inside to the PC. He pulled a flash drive out of his pocket and plugged it into the USB port. Then he plugged the network cable back in. The machine connected to the internet right away.

“You going back out there?” Jerry asked.

“Yeah, just long enough to pick up this program,” Frank said. He navigated to the site and downloaded the firewall. “There it is.”

“Good,” Jerry said, watching as Frank installed it.

“Alright, we’re done,” Frank said. He pulled out the flash drive and handed it to Jerry. “Self-explanatory. I’d get it on everybody’s laptops.”

“Got it, thanks.” Jerry said. “Any way to tell who was looking?”

“Yeah, probably,” Frank said. “I have all of the important stuff encrypted, so they aren’t going to get anything from whatever they might have downloaded.”

“Could your Belgian friend break it?” Jerry asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Frank said. “What I did is way overkill. I made it a lot tougher than the encryption they used for the chips.”

“Well, that’s something. Can the enemy tell our position, if it was them?”

“Only if they have somebody inside at the Satellite provider,” Frank said. “I’d be more worried if we didn’t have air superiority.”

“What if it wasn’t the enemy?”

“You think it was some random hacker?” Frank asked.

“What if it was the serial killer who owned this park before? Scott, wasn’t it?”

“Oh,” Frank said. Jerry could see his mind start to work. His brow furrowed. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Who you calling?” Jerry asked.

“The satellite provider,” Frank said.

“Hello, this is the Kansas Prairie RV Park. I’ve got a question about our service.”

“Okay, sir, please hold while I look up the account.”

“Thank you,” Frank said, looking at Jerry.

“I have your file, sir. What can I do for you?”

“Are we on the same IP address that the former owner used for this location?”

“Why, yes.”

“Could we change that to something different, please? The former owner broke into our system last night.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry sir. Sure, I’ll do that right now.”

“Thank you.”

“Done. Reboot your modem, and the new IP address will become active.”

“Thanks very much,” Frank said.

“You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“No, thank you. Have a nice day.”

Frank put his phone back into his pocket. “Let’s take a walk over to the barn.”

“They were using the old IP address? Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Frank said as they walked. “Wouldn’t make a stitch of difference in any situation other than the one we’re in.”

They walked into the barn. Frank pulled the power cable out of the modem, and they waited.

“So, I guess we know that Scott is alive, now, don’t we?”

“Well, either Scott or one of his friends,” Frank said. “We’ll have to mention this to Malcolm.”

“Think Scott’s on his way here now?” Jerry asked.

“Possible, I suppose. We don’t know how far away he is, so we might want to keep our eyes open,” Frank said. “One thing to think about, though. He might’ve been planning to come back, before he found out that there’s somebody here. He might flee the other way rather than come back here now. He has to know that we’ve seen his stuff.”

“True,” Jerry said. “I’ll bet he’s scouring the local news, trying to figure out if we’ve notified the authorities yet.”

“Yeah,” Frank said. He plugged the modem back in, and the lights slowly cycled through as the modem made connection.

“We should check the IP address, just to make sure that took,” Jerry said as they walked back to the clubhouse. Frank sat down at the PC and brought up the router configuration screen. He wrote down the IP address, and then put a new user name and password on the system.

“There wasn’t even a password on there?” Jerry asked.

“Nope,” Frank said. “That’s how I was able to get it working so fast. Since we aren’t using the wireless, I didn’t see much of a need. This guy won’t get far enough in to see the firewall now.”

“He probably thinks we’re idiots,” Jerry said.

“Maybe, but maybe not. I recognized somebody was on the system. Most people wouldn’t have.”

“True,” Jerry said. “I’ll go get on the laptop firewall loads.” He left the clubhouse. Frank got back to work.

In Wyoming, George woke up when a beam of sunlight hit his face. He felt panic for a moment, and checked his phone. It was not quite seven. He laid back, relieved. Heidi stirred next to him.

“Hi, honey,” she said, eyes still closed. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah,” George said. “The big rigs woke me up a time or two, but we got to bed so early that it didn’t matter.” He got up and put his clothes on. Heidi got up after he left the bedroom.

“Shall I go get coffee and breakfast?” George asked.

“I’ll go with you,” she replied. They went outside into the bright morning sunshine. Malcolm was already up, checking out his rig.

“Something wrong?” George asked.

“Good morning,” Malcolm said, smiling. “Just taking a quick look. That was a long drive yesterday.”

“We’re going to the store for coffee and breakfast,” Heidi said. “Want something?”

“I’ll go with you guys,” he said. “We need to get onto the road quickly. Today’s going to be a longer drive than yesterday.”

“Yeah, I saw that on my phone last night,” Heidi said. “It should be easier, though, right?”

“Yeah, we’re past the Rockies, at least,” George said. “How many hours we looking at?”

“If we put in a stop for lunch, we’re pushing about eight hours,” Malcolm said.

“That’s a little too long,” Heidi said. “We should stop somewhere along the way.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think it was going to be that long,” George said.

“You have to factor in that we’re going out of the way,” Malcolm said. “We could save a lot of time going through Denver.”

“No thanks,” Heidi said. The men both started laughing. They entered the store. Heidi took a look at her phone while the men were getting coffee. “Hey, how about Sidney, Nebraska? It’s about four and a half hours…probably five with a lunch break, and then it’s only about three and a half hours to Sharon Springs. We could be there tomorrow morning before noon.”

Malcolm and George looked at each other, both of them thinking it through.

“Well, it would be better if we arrive at the park in the daylight,” Malcolm said. “I’m fine with that plan.”

“I’m for it too,” George said.

“Okay, let’s do it, then,” Heidi said.

“I’ll send off a quick e-mail letting Jane know,” Malcolm said.

They carried their food back to the rigs. “See you guys later,” Malcolm said, climbing into his coach. He got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. While it was warming up, he sent a quick e-mail to Jane’s address.

Back in Sharon Springs, Dobie drove into the RV store and parked, watching Gabe’s SUV pull in next to him.

“You guys going in?” asked Dobie asked Gabe through his rolled down window.

“Maybe we should stay here and keep an eye out,” Gabe said.

“Okay,” Dobie said. He walked through the front door, and back to the long counter. There was a burly man with a shaved head and a goatee leaning on the counter, reading a newspaper.

“Good morning,” Dobie said as he walked up. The man looked up from his paper, and smiled.

“Good morning to you,” he said. “I’m Gary. You must be Dobie. Howard called me.”

“Yep, I’m Dobie. Looking for a fifth wheel hitch.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” Gary said. Then he chuckled. “In fact, you’ve come to the only place.”

“Good. You want me to move my truck to the back?”

“Yeah, pull around the right side of the building. There’s a gate over there. Just drive through and pull up in front of the first bay. I’ll get somebody on it.”

“How long will it take?” he asked.

“Oh, a couple hours tops,” Gary said. “Don’t you want to know how much it costs?”

“Yeah, I was getting to that,” Dobie said.

“Well, the hitch is about nine hundred bucks. I’ll charge you about one fifty for labor. That okay?”

“Yeah, I can handle that,” Dobie said, “if you throw in the trailer wiring. I have the harness.”

“Done. If I was you, I’d watch the hitch install,” Gary said. “This is something you can do yourself. Sometimes you’ll want to use your truck to haul stuff, after all.”

“Good advice. I’ll do that,” Dobie said. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” he said. “Glad to have your business.”

Dobie went outside and talked to Gabe.

“He said it would only take a couple of hours,” he said.

“What’s the damage?” Gabe asked.

“Not too bad,” Dobie said. “Under twelve hundred for everything, by the time you add tax.”

“Okay,” Gabe said.

“He suggested that I watch the installation, so I’ll know how to put it on and take it off myself.”

“Alright,” Gabe said. “Maybe we’ll run over to Walmart for a little while. We need a few things. Some fresh produce, for example.”

“Alright, sounds good,” Dobie said. He got into his truck and drove it around to the service bay, as Gabe backed out of the parking lot.

Back at the RV Park, Jane and Jasmine were walking over to the barn, carrying their laptops. Jerry saw them as he came out of the clubhouse, and trotted over.

“Hey, you two, I need to load a firewall onto your laptops,” Jerry said.

“Because of that person who was on the PC last night?” Jane asked.

“Yeah,” Jerry said.

“I hope it’s not the enemy,” Jane said. “We’ll have to keep a close eye on the apps.”

“It wasn’t the enemy,” Jerry said.

“Who was it?” Jasmine asked.

“Probably Scott,” Jerry said. Both Jane and Jasmine got white as a sheet.

“How can you tell?” Jane asked.

“George called the satellite provider, and checked to see if they kept the same IP address that this place had before. They did.”

“Crap,” Jasmine said. “Shouldn’t the password on the router have kept him out?”

“Well, since we aren’t using Wi-Fi, Frank never bothered to put one on,” Jerry said.

“That was a mistake,” Jasmine said. “He fixed it, I hope.”

“Yes, he took care of that a little while ago. Between that and the firewall, nobody’ll get in again.”

“This is scary,” Jasmine said. “Is Scott going to come here now?”

“Frank and I were talking about that a few minutes ago. We’re thinking not.”

“Why?” asked Jasmine.

“Because he has to know that we’ve found his stuff, that’s why. He doesn’t know if we’ve told the cops yet or not. He probably thinks he’d be walking into a trap if he came back here.”

“I don’t know,” Jane said. “Some of these folks are crazy.”

“It’s a good idea to keep our eyes open,” Jerry said. Jane’s machine was booted up, so Jerry put the flash drive in her USB port and loaded the firewall. It only took a second. “There, you should be good.”

“Thanks,” Jane said.

Jerry did the same for Jasmine’s laptop, and then was turning to leave. “I’ll go do our other laptop, and then see if I can get to the rest of the laptops around here.”

“Whoa, e-mail from Malcolm,” Jane said.

“Uh oh,” Jasmine said, getting closer so she could see the screen.

“What does it say?” Jerry asked.

“They’re going to be here tomorrow – mid morning,” Jane said.

“Oh,” Jasmine said. “Anything else?”

“Nope, that was it,” she said, while typing a reply.

“What are you telling them?”

“Just that we got the message,” Jane said. She clicked send.

“You think Frank knows the IP address that was used for the break-in?” Jasmine asked.

“Don’t know,” Jerry said. “You could go ask him. I’ll talk to you later.”

Jerry walked off towards their coach, and Jasmine looked at Jane. “Should we?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Jane said, locking her screen. They walked over to the clubhouse.

“Hi, Frank,” Jane said as they approached the PC desk.

“Hi, honey,” he said, looking up at them. “Hi Jasmine. What’s up?”

“Can you tell us the IP address that the break-in came from?” Jane asked.

“I don’t know, maybe. Let’s see.” Frank started working on the PC.

“Keep your fingers crossed,” Jasmine said to Jane.

“Bingo,” Frank said. He wrote it down on a slip of paper and gave it to Jane. “You’re going to try to place Scott, aren’t you?”

“Yep,” Jane said. “If we can find out the area that this IP address is from, we can start searching for murders and kidnappings in the area.”

“Good idea,” Frank said.

“Let’s go, Jasmine,” Jane said. They turned to leave.

“Good luck,” Frank said.

“Thanks, honey,” Jane said as they walked out the door. They went back to their laptops, and Jane started checking.

“Ohio,” she said. “Columbus area.”

“Okay, I’ll start searching for murders in that area.”

“Yeah, me too,” Jane said. They were both silent for a while, glued to their screens.

Out at the lake, Jeb, Kurt, Charlie, and the Sheriff were rigging their fishing poles.

“Hope there’s really fish here,” Kurt said.

“I thought you saw a fish jump yesterday,” Charlie said.

“We did,” Kurt said, “but it could have been a carp.”

Jeb cracked up. “Well, if it was, I’ll bet Rosie knows how to cook it.”

“I’ve got my heart set on some largemouth bass,” Kurt said.

“I should have picked up some fishing line when we were in town,” the Sheriff said, looking at his line as he attached a lure. “This is getting pretty old.”

“Walmart,” Charlie said. “We can make a run.”

The Sheriff cast out a bass plug, and started slowly reeling it in.

“So, when are the bounty hunters showing up?” Charlie asked.

“This afternoon or tomorrow morning,” Kurt said. “Hope this is going to work out alright.”

“Me too,” the Sheriff said, a grim look on his face.

“You aren’t happy about this, are you, Sheriff?” Charlie asked.

“It may be fine, but we need to be really cautious around these guys,” he said. “I agree that we aren’t their targets, but these guys are nuts. They take chances, and it might lead to one of us getting killed.”

“Wow!” said Kurt in a loud whisper. “Just got a strike.”

“Good,” Charlie whispered. He had his lure on, and cast out the first time, over on the right side of the opening they were in, amongst the reeds.

“Got one!” Jeb said, his pole bending. He loosened his drag, and fought it carefully, bringing it up to the shore. It was a medium sized largemouth, about three pounds, its green-gold scales shimmering in the morning sun. Jeb pulled the hook out and tossed it on the bank behind them. “There’s one.”

“Nice, Jeb,” Charlie said, as he cast out again.

“You see Dobie and Gabe take off this morning?” the Sheriff asked.

“Yeah, they were leaving as I was walking away from my rig,” Kurt said. “Hope they’re careful.”

“I don’t think there’s any bad guys around,” Charlie said. “Been watching the app. Nada.”

“Got one!” Kurt said. He fought it in, his reel bending and bouncing. He got the fish to shore and unhooked it, throwing it onto the bank by Jeb’s fish.

“That one’s a little bigger,” Jeb said.

“I’m going to walk over to the other side,” Charlie said. “I like the look of those reeds over there.”

“Okay,” the Sheriff said. “I’ll probably move in a few minutes too,”

Charlie picked up his tackle box and carried his pole, the lure dangling on a few inches of slack at the tip. There was another opening to the shore about twenty yards away, with dense brush and reeds on either side of it. He changed lures, picking a color that was similar to what Jeb was using, and cast out. Something bumped his lure, causing Charlie’s heart to pound. He reeled the rest of the way in. There was a little grass on the treble hooks of his lure. He pulled it off, and then cast out again. Bam! A fish attacked. His pole bent down hard, and his drag squealed. He slowly worked the fish in. It was larger than Kurt’s, looked to be about five pounds. Charlie turned to toss it onto the bank, and then saw that it was too steep, so he walked back past the reeds and set it down on the trail.

Then it caught his eye. Against the curtain of reeds. Black plastic.

“Uh oh,” he said to himself, setting down his fishing pole. His fish flipped on the dirt, startling him. His heart was pounding harder. He walked over to the bag and looked down on it. It was torn and weathered. He squatted down next to it. There was a twig sitting on the ground. He picked it up and poked at the remains of the plastic, pulling it back. There was a bony hand on the end of a forearm. No skin was left, but part of a sleeve was still around the bone, the cloth weathered and rotten.

“Sheriff!” he cried.

“What?” the Sheriff called back.

“Better get over here,” Charlie said.

Chapter 2 – Camp in the Canyon

The Sheriff ran over, followed by Jeb, and Kurt.

“What’d you find?” the Sheriff shouted. Then he saw Charlie kneeling by the black plastic.

“Some of Scott’s handiwork, I suspect,” Charlie said. “Looks like an upper arm, wrist, and hand. Years old. No flesh left.”

The Sheriff kneeled down next to him and took a close look. “Son of a bitch. Look at the silt in the bottom of that bag.”

“Could have been rain washing sand in,” Kurt said.

“Yeah, but it also could have been in our lake there. Maybe some boar drug it out,” Jeb said.

“Does this lake feed our water system?” Charlie asked.

“I doubt it,” Kurt said. “There’s that reservoir at the back end of the park. I saw a two inch pipe coming into it, and there’s a stream flowing out, down the back side of the park.”

“We should double check that,” Charlie said. “Might want to avoid telling the women about this until we’re sure.”

Jeb chuckled. “Yeah, you got a point.”

“So what now?” Charlie asked.

“I’m gonna go trace that pipe back to see where it’s coming from,” Kurt said. “I say the rest of you guys keep fishing, for now.”

“I’ll help you,” Charlie said. “By the way, look at that monster I caught.” He pointed to the fish.

“Damn, that is a monster,” Jeb said. “I’ll take it over by the others.”

Charlie followed the men over to where they were fishing, and set his pole and tackle box down. He and Kurt walked over towards the reservoir.

“I hope you’re right,” Charlie said, “about the water source, that is.”

“I think I am. Maybe we ought to rig up a grappling hook to the backhoe and drag that lake,” Kurt said.

“I’d let the authorities do that after we’re out of here,” Charlie said.

“Yeah, probably a better idea,” Kurt said. They were almost to the end of the lake. There was a small stream flowing in, heading off towards the park.

“Uh oh,” Charlie said.

“Look at the flow. It’s going into this lake, not coming out of it. The reservoir is feeding the lake, not the other way around.”

“Oh, I see,” Charlie said. “You’re right. Good.”

It was another couple hundred yards to the rear end of the park. As the two men approached, they could see the large pipe coming in from almost straight behind the park.

“There it is,” Kurt said. “Let’s follow it back.” Charlie nodded, and they followed the pipe.

“Look how far back that goes,” Charlie said. “It’s up in that little hill there, where the trees are.”

“Yeah,” Kurt said. They continued to walk. The pipe went for a good 600 yards, disappearing into a rock outcropping on the little hill. The two men climbed up.

“This is it, alright,” Charlie said. There was water coming down the rocks. Behind the rocks was a stainless steel box, submerged in a pool of water. Water was trickling out, feeding the trees and shrubs on the little hill. The pipe was connected to the bottom of the box.

“Nice setup,” Kurt said. He opened the stainless steel top of the box, laying it back on its hinge, and stuck his hand in the water. “Damn, this water is cold.” Then he laughed.

“What?” asked Charlie, straining up to see into the box.

Kurt pulled back his sleeve, and stuck his arm into the water, shuddering at the temperature. He came out with a bottle of gin. Then he went back in, and pulled out a bottle of vermouth.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Charlie said, laughing. Kurt went in one more time, bringing out a martini glass and a jar of olives.

“Maybe Scott wasn’t all bad,” Kurt said, laughing. “Sorry, I guess that’s kind of sick.”

“Seriously,” Charlie said, shaking his head. “What now?”

“I’ll just put this back,” Kurt said. He put the martini makings back into the spring box and closed the lid.

“So, we know our water is safe,” Charlie said. “How about those fish?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” Kurt said. “You know what they feed tilapia at the fish farms, right?”

“Don’t tell me,” Charlie said. “I love tilapia.”

Both men chuckled, and started walking back towards the lake.

“It okay?” Jeb asked as they walked up.

“Yeah, that reservoir in the back of the park feeds this lake, not the other way around,” Kurt said.

“Good,” Jeb said. “Look.” he nodded over at the bank behind him. There were three more bass sitting there.

“Wow,” Charlie said. “Nice going.”

“I think we ought to play up the fact that we found the body parts outside of the lake,” the Sheriff said, chuckling.

“Yeah,” Jeb said. “C’mon, boys, get your lines wet. We need more to feed everybody.”

In the clubhouse, Frank was looking at the PC, making notes, a smile on his face. His long range close in view program was working. The last compile had to be restarted, but it finished successfully, and the program was working well enough to distribute. He pulled his cellphone out.

“Jerry?”

“Yeah, Frank, what’s up?”

“How far along are you with the firewall?

“I’m about done,” he said. “Why?”

“I got the program working, so bring the flash drive over here, and I’ll load it on.”

“Excellent,” Jerry said. “Nice work. Be over in a few minutes.”

Frank waited for a few minutes, then decided to take a look at a couple of news sites.

“Shit,” he said to himself as he read about Denver. The enemy was making progress, getting themselves dug into the western suburbs. They controlled several neighborhoods now, and were causing a lot of havoc. Most of the citizens in the occupied areas were either dead or gone. The few that were still alive were being killed if they didn’t agree to convert. Lots of beheadings and torture.

“Hey, Frank,” Jerry said, walking over with the flash drive in his hand. He noticed the concern on his face. “Uh oh, what’s wrong?”

“Just looking at the news from Denver,” Frank said. “Why is the army letting these creeps burrow in like that? They’re taking over whole neighborhoods, and they’re doing that convert or die crap again, too.”

“I can’t explain it,” Jerry said. “We ought to drop Mexico like a rock and flood the Denver area with troops.”

“Wonder why we aren’t?”

“I don’t know,” Jerry said. “I used to spend time looking at the news sites. Lately it just pisses me off. I thought things were going to get better after the Administration was brought down, but in some ways, things are worse.”

“Let’s see who’s hanging around Washington D.C. these days,” Frank said, bringing up his new program. “Wow, more enemy personnel in the Pentagon now. How are they pulling this off? You think they’re turning people?”

“Check the offices around Congress,” Jerry said, looking over Frank’s shoulder as he navigated over.

“There,” Frank said.

“Son of a bitch,” Jerry said. “Look at all those hits.”

“You know what this tells me?” Frank asked.

“What?”

“Two things,” he said. “One, this infiltration has been going on for years. And two, the President may have been the least of our problems. Wonder if he had a chip?”

“There’s a good question,’ Jerry said. “Wonder where he’s being held?”

“Might be worth looking into,” Frank said. “Let’s check the White House.” He navigated over there.

“Not as many as congress or the Pentagon, at least,” Jerry said.

“I count eight,” Frank said. “Mixture of 3s and 10s.”

“This is far from over, isn’t it?” Jerry asked. “Even with your apps.”

“I wish I wouldn’t have been so hasty with the publish date,” Frank said.

“You can’t stop it, can you?”

“Nope,” Frank said. “I allowed for the chance that we get taken prisoner before the apps get released. I didn’t want the cretins to be able to force me to stop it.”

“Oh,” Jerry said. “Actually, I think that’s still the good play.”

“I know, I agree, but I didn’t have any idea how many bad guys were hiding in D.C.”

“You think they’re going to de-chip themselves as soon as this hits?”

“Yeah, Frank said, “but all isn’t lost. We just make sure that everybody who’s still alright checks for bandages and incisions. I wish I could get into that damn enemy system. It sure would be nice to know the names of the traitors. Then the timing of the apps won’t matter nearly as much.”

“Maybe you should continue to work on that, then,” Jerry said.

“Oh, I will,” Frank said. “Hand me that flash drive.”

Jerry gave it to Frank, and he plugged it into his USB port. Then he copied the files over.

“Here you go,” Frank said, pulling the flash drive out and handing it to Jerry. “There’s a self-extracting file, so go for it.”

“Alright, Frank. Good luck with hacking.”

“Thanks,” Frank said. “I did get an idea last night about Daan’s security, when I was lying in bed. I’ll try it.” He watched as Jerry walked out the door, and then closed all of his programs, and brought up his development screen.

In Sidney, Nebraska, Malcolm drove into the truck stop, followed by George and Heidi. They pulled into the pump lanes, and started to top off their tanks. Heidi went to the store again, as Malcolm walked up to George.

“Well, I got a reply from Jane,” Malcolm said.

“Any news?” George asked.

“Naw, it was just an acknowledgement,” he said.

“Anything from Ted?”

“Not a word,” Malcolm said.

“We going to stay here tonight?”

“I don’t know,” Malcolm said. “I don’t mind hanging out in these joints for a quick overnight, but it’s only about 2:00 pm. “Maybe we should see if there’s any boondocking areas on the east side of town, or a good RV Park.”

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” Heidi asked as she walked up. “We really going to stay here? This place kinda sucks.”

George was looking at his phone. “There’s a huge RV Park on the southeast side of town,” he said. “Maybe we ought to go there. It’s got Wi-Fi.”

“I’m good with that,” Malcolm said. He looked over at Heidi, and she nodded.

“Alright, then, it’s settled,” George said. “It’s right where I-80 meets Route 17. You can’t miss it. Look for the big water tower.”

They got finished fueling up, and drove through Sidney, seeing the RV Park on the way out of town. They pulled into the staging area, signed in, and got their space assignments. Malcolm led the way. Their spaces were nice big pull through sites. No need to unhook their toad vehicles.

“Wow, this is nice,” Heidi said as she came down the steps, looking around. George put out the awning, watching it unroll itself, and then followed her outside.

“I’m getting the chairs set up out here,” he said. “Maybe it’s time for a beer or two.”

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Heidi said, grinning. “You’ve been a good boy.”

Malcolm walked over, an open beer already in his hand. He helped George get the chairs out of his storage compartment. They carried them under the awning.

“Already started, I see,” George said, laughing.

“I’d offer you one, but I know you’re still hung up on that IPA stuff. I wanted something a little lighter.”

“Yeah,” George said. “Be right back.” He went into his coach, and came out with a bottle of Sculpin IPA.

“Wow, expensive tastes, I see,” Malcolm said.

“This stuff is primo,” George said, taking a deep swig out of the bottle.

“Where’s Heidi?”

“She wanted to check this place out,” George said. “It looks pretty nice. Maybe we should hit it again on our way home, and stay a day or two.”

Malcolm looked around. “Yeah, it does look kinda nice. It’s owned by that big sporting goods chain, you know.”

“Thought I recognized the name,” George said.

Heidi came back to the space, grinning. “They have really nice showers. Think I’ll go use them,” she said. “I feel a little grimy.” She disappeared into the coach.

“That’s not a terrible idea,” Malcolm said. “I could use it. Later, though. I want a few beers first.”

“Likewise,” George said, taking another swig.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Heidi said, coming out of the coach in her white terrycloth robe, with two towels in her arms, and a bag of toiletries. She walked away.

“How’s she doing?” Malcolm asked.

“We’ve had some time to talk. We’re okay.”

“Good,” Malcolm said. “We’ll have to be careful around the folks at the RV Park.”

“We aren’t going to hurt them,” George said.

“I know, but we’ll also have to get their trust. That won’t be too difficult in your case, but a lot of people know of my exploits.”

“Never going to live down the Red Dagger thing, are you?” George asked, chuckling.

“Probably not,” Malcolm grinned, “but it has been good for the game. I had no idea how many friends that creep had.”

“Well, maybe not friends, but admirers.”

“Earl was a partner, and Jason was a friend,” Malcolm said.

“True, but do you really think there are still people in that clan out there? The Red Dagger thing was fifteen years ago.”

“Yeah, George, I think the person we’re targeting now is close, and I suspect that there’s more than one generation involved. Look at how long the killings have gone on. Early 60s into the 2000s. No way is that one guy. That’s 40 years.”

George took a big swig of his beer, and thought for a minute. “Alright, you have a point. You’re thinking father-son?”

“Yeah, or uncle-nephew,” Malcolm said. “I think the second generation is still active. I think they moved east. There are some unsolved events in New Jersey, also around Philly, and Baltimore. The most recent have been in Ohio.”

“Somebody moved to Ohio on purpose?” George said, laughing.

“Be nice. Ohio isn’t that bad,” Malcolm said, taking a swig of beer.

“You were saying we should help the resistance. We going focus on that, or the game?”

“Both,” Malcolm said. “I guess it depends on if something presents itself that we can help the folks with. They might just be laying low now, you know. They barely escaped Utah and Colorado.”

“And Arizona, from what my sources tell me.”

“Yeah,” Malcolm said. “If there’s nothing to do, so be it, but that hasn’t been the pattern with these folks.”

“You think they’re looking for action?”

“No, George, I think they’ve become targets for the enemy. They’re probably safe right now, because they’re in Kansas, and it’s pretty locked down. The way things have been going in Denver, I wouldn’t relax just yet, if I were them.”

“If they found something by that RV Park, and our current target can hack even half as well as Jason Beckler could, they might be in danger from him.”

“Yes, George, that’s been in the back of my mind too.”

Heidi walked back over after a little while, her hair tied up in one of the towels. “That was heavenly,” she said, smiling. “You should go get your shower done before you crack another one of those Sculpins, Georgie.”

“Yeah, Georgie,” Malcolm said, chuckling. “You go ahead. I’m going to go check out the Wi-Fi for a few minutes.”

George downed the last of his beer, and followed Heidi into the coach. He emerged wearing swimming trunks, carrying a towel in one hand, soap and shampoo in the other, in a drawstring bag. He walked over to the men’s shower building, input the code, and went in. Heidi was right, it was a nice facility. He picked one of the large shower stalls and got started. He was enjoying the warmth of the water, feeling it relieve the tension in his shoulders. He finished and shut off the water, reaching for his towel. As he was drying himself off, he heard somebody come in. He was talking on his cellphone quietly, just above a whisper. Is that Arabic? George froze, trying to be silent. He heard the man end the call, and then heard the stall door open, a few stalls down from him. The man got back on the phone. This time he spoke English.

“Phillip, I’m in Nebraska now. The others are in that motorhome we stole, waiting for me. We’re going to go out and scout in the van. We’ll find a place where we can hide a few hundred men, and stay there. You know how to find us.”

George’s heart started to beat faster.

“Yes, I know that, Phillip. We know which bridge to blow. After the men have arrived, we’ll move the motorhome over there, and get the job done. Then we’ll head into the east side of Denver and open a new front.”

George smiled. Want to bet?

The man ended the call, and turned on the shower. While it was running, George quietly slipped his trunks back on, and gathered up his stuff. He snuck out the door silently, and waited in the bushes, of to one side. There was a bench there, so he sat. It seemed to take forever for the man to finish, but he finally emerged from the shower building. He looked Arabic to George, but he’d been over there. The man was trying to look Hispanic, and it probably fooled most people. George waited until he got down the path a ways, and then followed him. He got into a big diesel pusher, towards the back of the park. There was a van sitting next to the rig, with the side door open. George was careful not to look too closely. He hurried back to his space, and went to Malcolm’s rig.

“Hey, George, that took a while,” Malcolm said. “Ready for another beer?”

“No,” he said, looking out the passenger side window. “See that coach?”

Malcolm looked out the window. “You mean that big pusher with the van parked next to it?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Enemy. I overheard the guy talking in the shower room. They’re going to take off in that van in a little while, and go scope out a place they can hide a few hundred men.”

“Oh, crap,” Malcolm said. He walked over to the sink and poured out his beer. “Let’s get one of the jeeps unhooked.”

“How about yours?” George asked. “I’ll go get dressed while you’re working on that.”

“Roger that,” Malcolm said. They both left the coach, Malcolm walking to his jeep, and George going into his coach.

“Feel better?” Heidi asked as he walked in, not looking up from her iPad. He didn’t answer right away, so she looked up. “Uh oh, what?”

“Enemy fighters,” George said.

“What?” Heidi asked, looking concerned.

“I overheard a conversation while I was in the shower room. They’re about to go scout a place for several hundred men to hide. Malcolm and I are going to follow them, and ruin their fun.”

“I’m going too,” she said.

“No, I need you to stay here and watch their rig. If it leaves, we need to know about it right away. It’s over there,” George said, pointing out the window. Heidi looked.

“The big diesel pusher next to the van?” she asked.

“That’s it,” George said, going into the bedroom. He got dressed in a flash, and came back out, carrying a pistol and a rifle. He stuck his head out the door and looked around. Nobody there, so he hurried out the door with the guns, stashing them in Malcolm’s jeep.

“What you got?”

“Magnum pistol and the .270,” George said.

“I’ve got the M-16, a shot gun, and my .45 auto,” Malcolm said.

“Good, let’s sit down where we can see the van,” George said.

“Yeah.” They went over to their chairs and sat, watching as several men loaded supplies into the van. “Look, George, they’re planning on camping out there for a while. Wonder how many folks are going to be left at the coach?”

“Don’t know. I told Heidi to call us if that thing moves while we’re gone. It’s probably loaded with explosives. The guy was talking about blowing a bridge.”

“They’re in for a surprise, aren’t they?” Malcolm said, laughing. “This is gonna be fun.”

“They’re leaving,” George said, getting up. He got into the passenger side of the jeep, and Malcolm got behind the wheel. They watched as the van got onto the road going out of the park.

“That ought to be enough lead,” Malcolm said. He drove slowly out onto the road, watching as the van made a left turn. They followed them, several hundred yards behind.

Chapter 3 – All for One and One for All

Dobie watched as the fifth wheel install was getting finished.

“That wasn’t as difficult as I expected,” he said.

“Yeah,” the tech said. “After you get the holes drilled, it’s not bad at all.”

Gabe walked over. “Almost done?” he asked

“Pretty close,” Dobie said. “The wire harness is installed and tested, and they just buttoned down the hitch.”

“Good,” he replied.

“How’d it go at Walmart?”

“Good. We got quite a bit of food, and some other staples. The place was almost deserted. I think people are getting the willies because of what’s going on in Denver.”

“What’s going on in Denver?” Dobie asked.

“You haven’t been listening to the radio?”

“Nope,” Dobie said.

“The enemy is advancing, taking over several neighborhoods to the west. The army is retreating.”

“Dammit,” Dobie whispered. “Looked at the app lately?”

“It’s been a while,” Gabe said. He pulled his phone out. “Crap, I see some hits northeast of Denver. In Nebraska, along I-80.”

“Son of a bitch,” Dobie said. He pulled out his phone and took a look. “They could get to us along route 83.”

“There’s a small clump a ways in, not far from Sidney, and a large group moving towards them along I-80,” Gabe said.

“They’re going to try an assault on East Denver,” Dobie whispered. “Where the hell is the army?”

“Okay, Dobie, we’re finished,” the tech said, walking up. He noticed the worried look on his face. “Everything alright?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Dobie said. “Just worried about Denver.”

“You and everybody else. My wife wanted me to stay home today, and pack up the truck.”

“You guys think the enemy’s going to come this way?” Dobie asked.

“I don’t, but a lot of folks do. I’ve seen a lot of people taking off for vacation,” the tech said.

“C’mon, Dobie, let’s get going,” Gabe said.

“Yeah, I’ll just go settle up,” he said. Then he looked over at the tech. “Thanks, man. Nice job.”

In Nebraska, Malcolm was carefully following the enemy van. They turned off the highway, taking a small two-lane road to the north of I-80.

“They’re going off into the boonies,” Malcolm said.

“Of course,” George said. “What were you expecting?”

“Oh, I don’t know, someplace with a building perhaps. An abandoned factory or something like that.”

“There’s a lot of hills back here,” George said. “Those oil rigs over there?”

“Looks like it,” Malcolm said. “They don’t look active.”

“They’re turning left,” George said. “Into that hilly area over there.”

“I’ll drive past the road a ways. Keep your eyes open.”

“Okay,” George said.

They went past the fork and George took a good look.

“Looked like an oil road, didn’t it?” Malcolm said. “Just saw them rounding the bend around that rocky hill.”

“Yeah, that’s what I saw. Wonder how far back they are?”

“Good question,” Malcolm said. “Should we turn around?”

“Yeah, but stop before we get to that road. See if you can find a good place to park. We don’t want them coming out and seeing us.”

“Okay, then what?”

“Let’s climb up the side of that hill and check out the terrain. Maybe they’re close in enough that we’ll see them.”

“Should have brought the M107,” Malcolm said.

“If they’re back there in the kind of terrain I’m hoping, then I say we wait for their friends to arrive, and then we use the M107 to give them a real bad day.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” Malcolm said, as he pulled the jeep up against the hill. “How’s this?”

“It’ll do,” George said, getting out and grabbing his rifle. He slung it on his shoulder. “C’mon.”

The two men started looking for an easy place to get up the hill. They found a trail, down from their jeep about fifty yards. They started up. The dirt was loose. Malcolm almost started to slide.

“Careful,” George whispered.

“Sorry,” Malcolm said. “Not as young as I used to be.”

They managed to get up to the top of the ridge, but it took them about twenty minutes, and they were both tired. George pulled a water bottle out of the bottom pocket on his cargo shorts, and took a swig. He handed it to Malcolm.

“Thanks,” he said, taking a drink. Then they crept up to the edge of the ridge and peered over.

“Wow, this’d be a perfect spot for an ambush,” George said. “Talk about a turkey shoot.”

“Seriously,” Malcolm whispered. They watched as the team pulled tents out of the van and started setting them up.

“I see six…no…seven guys,” George whispered. “All armed.”

“I’m taking the GPS coordinates down,” Malcolm said, his iPhone in his hand. “You ought to do the same.”

George nodded and pulled his phone. “What now?”

“I say we go back to the RV Park, and watch their coach,” Malcolm said. “When it leaves, we’ll know the enemy troops are here.”

“We’ll have to let the folks in Kansas know we’ll be a few more days.”

“I know,” Malcolm said.

“Maybe we ought to invite them up,” George said. “Having a few more snipers would really help with this operation.”

“You think they’d trust us enough for that?”

“Maybe,” George said. “Especially if we can talk them into getting on the phone with us.”

“Alright, I’ll start with an e-mail to Jane,” Malcolm said. “Why don’t you drive us back so I can send it on the way?”

“Sounds like a plan,” George said. “Now let’s see if we can get back down this hill without killing ourselves.”

“Seriously,” Malcolm said.

They got down to their jeep without a problem, and drove back towards the RV Park.

Back in Kansas, Dobie and Gabe were driving through the gate.

“Hey, look,” Terry said to Gabe and Trish. “Jeb, the Sherriff, and Charlie are on the roofs, with their rifles.”

“Uh oh,” Trish said.

“They saw the cretins coming into Nebraska,” Gabe said. “Wonder if they’re coming this way now? I haven’t looked for about half an hour.”

“Good question,” Terry said. Gabe drove over to the trailers and parked. Dobie pulled up next to his fifth wheel, got out with Duchess, and quickly let Simon and Peabody out.

“Not worried about the fence situation?” Gabe asked, walking over to Dobie.

“Something’s up,” Dobie said. “Princess will keep them in line. Let’s go to the clubhouse and find out what’s going on.”

They all headed for the clubhouse. Trish looked like she was going to cry.

“Glad you guys are back,” Jerry said, as he hurried over to them. “Been watching the apps?”

“Yeah, we saw the folks in Nebraska. Are they on their way here now?”

“Not yet. We see two groups,” Jerry said. “A large one that’s slowly making its way east on I-80, and a group of about 10, in two clusters. Looks like the largest group of them are in the sticks, in a canyon. There’s a few in an RV Park in Sidney, too.”

“Isn’t it a little early to be putting snipers on the roofs?” Gabe asked.

“Well, they wanted to get set up,” Kurt said, walking over. “They’ll probably be back down here in a few minutes. We’ll have enough warning for them to scramble back up.”

Jane ran into the room, out of breath. “Hey!” she shouted.

“What?” Frank asked, getting up from the PC desk.

“New message from Malcolm,” she said, still trying to catch her breath. “I forwarded it to you, Frank.”

He sat back down and pulled it up. Everybody in the room rushed over and gathered around.

Friends,

George, Heidi, and I will be a little later than expected. We overhead some enemy fighters talking in our RV Park up here in Sidney, Nebraska, and followed them. They are setting up a camp for a larger group of enemy fighters, in a canyon outside of town. We would like to take them on. Are expecting a group of about 100-200 in the next day or two. Are you interested in participating? We could use additional snipers. Please call us. 555-344-5820.

Regards,

Malcolm

“Holy Shit,” Jerry said.

“Go get the rest of the group in here,” Frank said. “We need to have a quick chat.”

“Yes, definitely,” Kurt said. He trotted outside and called everybody in. It took about five minutes for everybody to show up, Jeb and Rosie coming in last.

“Okay, what’s up?” asked Charlie.

“Jane just got an e-mail from Malcolm,” Frank said. “Gather around the screen here and read it, and then let’s talk.”

The people who hadn’t already seen the e-mail huddled around the PC screen.

“Okay, everybody done?” Jerry asked.

People nodded as they walked away from the PC.

“So what do we do?” Charlie asked.

“Here’s my proposal,” Frank said. “We call them, get them set up with the apps, and then decide during our conversation if we should go help them.”

“You sure you trust these guys?” the Sheriff asked.

“We know they aren’t lying about the two small groups of cretins,” Jerry said. “Frank’s new long range PC program has the enemy pinpointed within a few feet. The larger group is in a canyon that is a perfect kill zone. We could rain bullets and mortar fire in there. Love to send some Willie Pete their way.”

“I’m ready for a turkey shoot,” Jeb said. “Let’s do it.”

“Call them,” Charlie said.

Frank looked over at the Sheriff. “Any objections, Sheriff? Now’s the time.”

“No, I don’t think we have any choice,” he said with a sigh. “If we don’t help, we’re liable to get a visit down here from the enemy. It’s a short drive. Get them on the horn.”

Frank pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the number.

“Malcolm Davis.”

“Hi, Malcolm, this is Frank. I’ll put this on speaker.”

“Good, I’ll get George and Heidi into my rig and put this on speaker too.”

“Thanks.” Frank put his phone down next to the PC and hit the speaker button.

“Frank, still there?”

“Yes, Malcolm. Our whole group is in here listening.”

“Good. Thoughts?”

“Do you guys have smart phones?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“What kind, Malcolm?”

“iPhones.”

“Which version?”

“Mine’s the oldest. It’s an 8. Heidi and George both have the new 10s.”

“Good. You guys know how to side-load apps?”

“Yeah, I do,” George said.

“Good. I’m sending you two apps via e-mail. You’ll want them.”

“What do they do?” Malcolm asked.

“The first app will show the position of enemy fighters on a GPS map. It’s long range. The other app is peer to peer, and tells you if there are any enemy fighters within about half a mile of you, even when there’s no cell coverage.” Frank send the e-mail message.

“How the hell are you doing that?” George asked.

“All enemy fighters have a chip planted in their triceps. They’re similar to RFID, and activated by LTE signal.”

“Son of a bitch,” Malcolm said. “You going to release this to everybody?”

“Yes, in about a week and a half. Long story. We’ll fill you in completely when we meet. Suffice it to say that the release will come after we’ve taken out as many leadership folks as we can.”

“You can tell where the leadership is?” George asked.

“We can see the numeric codes that are in the message payloads,” Frank said. “Rank number 1 is leadership. The ranks range all the way down to 16, from what we’ve seen.”

“How do you know this?” Malcolm asked.

“I broke the encryption for the chips, but I don’t have everything we need yet. I’m trying to attach names. That data is not in the chip payload, but I’m hoping that I can tie the serial number to a name by hacking into their system.”

“Where are the leadership now?” George asked.

“The head of the Islamist forces is in Capitol Reef, Utah. One of the heads of the Militia forces is at an air force base south of Colorado Springs.”

“You know what the names are?” Malcolm asked.

“The militia guy is named Phillip.”

“Really?” George said. “That’s who the enemy was talking to on the phone.”

Frank looked at the others, and smiled. “Well, that is interesting.”

“What’s the name of the Islamist leader?”

“I can’t pronounce his real name, but he goes by a nickname. Saladin.”

“George, what’s wrong?” Malcolm asked. “You look white as a sheet.”

“Later,” he said, trying to calm himself down.

“You guys alright?” Frank asked.

“Yeah,” Malcolm said. “Are you guys interested in joining our operation?”

“What do you think, guys?” Frank asked.

“Let’s go get ‘em,” Jeb said.

“I’m in,” Kurt said.

Jackson, and Earl both nodded.

“Looks like we got four,” Frank said.

“That would be great,” Malcolm said. “That leaves you enough to protect yourselves, right?”

“Yes, we’ll be good, plus we can see them coming from a ways away, thanks to these apps.”

“We’ll be bringing along some toys,” Jeb said. “A couple mortars, with some conventional rounds, and some Willie Pete.”

“You guys have mortars?” Malcolm said, chuckling. “And Willie Pete?”

“Yeah, most of it captured, although General Walker gave us some of it.”

“General Walker,” George said. “Now there’s a blast from the past. He was one of my friends, back in the day. How’s he doing?”

“You haven’t’ heard, have you?” Frank said.

“Oh no,” George said. “He bought it?”

“Yeah, at an RV Park in Utah. We barely got out of that one alive ourselves.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that,” George said, choking up.

“You don’t know General Hogan, by any chance, do you?” Jerry asked.

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” George said. “Another friend. Please don’t tell me he’s gone too.”

“We think he’s still alive, but he’s being held prisoner by the enemy. We were going to ask you guys to help us spring him.”

“I’m in,” George said, without hesitation.

“If he’s in, I’m in,” Malcolm said.

“You guys are in that big RV Park just east of Sidney, correct?” Jeb asked, looking at his phone.

“Yep, space 411,” Malcolm said.

Good,” Jeb said. “See you soon. By the way, I’m Jeb, and the others coming with us are Kurt, Jackson, and Earl. Should we bring our bows? A couple of us are experts.”

“Yeah,” Malcolm said. “See you soon.”

Frank shut off the call. “Okay, folks, we’ve just committed to a new partnership.”

“All for one and one for all,” Jackson said, laughing. “Let’s go get ready.”

The men left the room. Jane followed Frank back over to the PC. “You really think this is going to work out?”

“Yeah,” Frank said. He opened his programming screen again.

“You making any progress?” she asked.

Frank looked up at her and grinned.

“I’ll leave you alone, then,” she said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Outside, the men had a quick huddle.

“Think we ought to take a coach there?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah,” Jeb said. “I was going to offer to take mine, with the jeep behind it.”

“What about Rosie?” Jackson asked.

“She can stay with Jerry and Jasmine, or she can come along if she wants to. It might not be a bad idea to have somebody watching the home front while we’re busy.”

“Okay, let’s get the mortars loaded, then,” Earl said.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Jeb said, walking back to the clubhouse. Rosie was sitting next to Mary, Jasmine, and Hilda, talking.

“Hey, honey,” Jeb said, walking up.

“You go now?” Rosie asked.

“Yeah, in a few minutes,” Jeb said. “You want to stay with Jerry and Jasmine, or you want to go with us?”

“You take your rig?” she asked.

“Yeah, and the Jeep.”

“I go,” she said. “If don’t mind. I watch while you guys gone.”

“Mom, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Jasmine asked.

“Yes,” Rosie said. “I go with my man, just like you go with your man. I can’t walk good, but I can dial phone. If trouble at RV Park, I call. If trouble happen at ambush, I call.”

“Okay, honey, then let’s go,” Jeb said. He helped her up, and the two walked out the door.

“I don’t blame her,” Mary said. “I’d like to go with Kurt, but I think it’d be better for me to stay.”

Jasmine sighed. “I know. We can’t lose our doctor.”

Jane walked over. “Jasmine, you tried that new PC app on your laptop yet?”

“No, but I know Jerry put it on.”

“Let’s go get used to it. We might be useful as the eyes for the away team.”

“Okay, Jane, that’s a good idea.” The two walked back out to the barn and got on their laptops.

Back in town, Howard was at his truck stop, helping customers, with one eye on the TV that was behind the counter. He was worried about Denver, and so were his neighbors. He was selling fuel hand over fist. At the rate it was going, he’d have to arrange for an extra delivery of gasoline, and diesel was selling at a fast clip too. His phone rang.

“Hi, Howie,” said the muffled voice on the phone. Howard’s heart started to pound.

“Who is this?” Howard asked.

“You know who it is, Howie,” the voice said. Howard heard a snicker, and his blood ran cold.

“No way,” Howard said. “Your house was too near the blast. They found your body, and your family.”

“That was convenient, Howie. It was time for a fresh start. It was a gift.”

“Where are you?”

“A couple of states over, but I’m getting ready for a road trip. Sounds like I got to put some things right around there.”

“You’ll get caught if you come back here,” Howard said. “There’s people living at the RV Park now.”

“Yeah, that was very clever of you, Howie. Didn’t want that place hanging over your head, but what could you do? If you stumbled on it yourself, there’d be a lot of explaining to do.”

“They probably haven’t found anything, and they’ll be leaving soon, anyway,” Howard said, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“Why do you think they haven’t found anything?”

“They haven’t said anything.”

“Don’t be stupid, Howie. They don’t know who to trust. I’ve been following these guys. Got just enough info on them to figure out who they were.”

“How’d you do that?”

“I was on their PC, until somebody saw me. There’s somebody clever there. All the useful stuff was encrypted beyond what I could deal with. Now I’m locked out completely.”

“Everybody here thinks you’re dead,” Howard said. “You can’t just show up. Why don’t you take advantage and start over? How many people get a chance like that?”

“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? You must have been popping the champagne when you heard what happened in Jersey. I was the only person left who knew you were a participant. I’ll bet you thought you were home free.”

Howard hung up the phone, trembling, heart racing. The phone started to ring again. He unplugged it.

Chapter 4 - Stowaway

“We almost there?” Rosie asked, sitting in the passenger seat of Jeb’s rig.

“Yeah, about ten minutes, I’d say,” Jeb said.

“Good,” she said. “You afraid?”

“No,” Jeb said. “I’m anxious.”

“Okay, then I be afraid enough for both,” she said. Jeb looked at her and chuckled.

“It’ll be okay,” Jeb said.

“Hey, Jeb, the bigger group of cretins is only about two hours from Sidney now,” Jackson said, “but they aren’t moving very fast. Probably traffic getting out of the Denver area.” He was sitting at the dinette with the other men.

“Not surprised,” Jeb said. “Everybody’s trying to high tail it.”

“We’ll have to arrange a nice welcoming party,” Earl said.

“Hey, I just thought of something,” Kurt said. “We’re going to have to be careful at that RV Park. Remember that our pictures made their wall of shame. Some of them might recognize us.”

“Shit, you’ve got a point,” Jackson said. “Maybe we should call Malcolm and let him know about that.”

“Yeah, one of you do that,” Jeb said.

Kurt pulled out his phone and dialed the number.

“Malcolm Davis.”

“Malcolm, its Kurt. I’m one of the team coming to help you guys. We’re about ten minutes out.”

“Ah, very good,” Malcolm said.

“We just remembered something. Thought we’d better tie in with you.”

“What’s that?”

“Our pictures got put up on one of the Islamist’s web sites. Good pictures, which a traitor Lieutenant took of us while we were at my RV Park. We’ll need to make sure we stay out of sight when we get there.”

“Okay, thanks for letting me know. You know what space we’re in, right?”

“Yeah, 411, correct?”

“That’s it. Both 412 and 409 are open. Might want to pick 409. That way our coaches will shield you from the enemy site at least partially.”

“Okay, we’ll try for that one. Is it pull through?”

“Yeah. George and I’ll help you with the outside tasks. What are you coming in?”

“Big Newmar diesel pusher, towing a silver Jeep.”

“Okay, we’ll be watching for you, Kurt. Talk to you later.”

“See you soon,” Kurt said. He put his phone down. “Okay, Jeb, we’re good. He said to get space 409 if we can, but 411 would be the second choice.”

“Got it,” Jeb said.

They rode silently for the next few minutes. Then Jeb saw the sign for the junction with I-80. He moved into the right lane, and took the ramp. Sidney was only a few miles away, to the west.

“You nervous now?” Rosie asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Jeb said. “Maybe a little bit. I’m always a little nervous before action.”

“You never look nervous,” she said.

He looked over at her and smiled, then put his eyes back on the road. He could just make out a big red water tower. “Hey, I think that’s it,” Jeb said. “Saw that tower on the park’s website.”

Jackson came up to the front and looked. “Yep, that’s the park alright. It’s huge.”

The other men came up to look too.

“Here comes the off ramp,” Jeb said. “Better grab onto something.”

The men sat down again as Jeb drove down onto the surface streets. He followed the signs to the front gate of the park, then entered and pulled up in the staging area.

“I’ll go in,” Kurt said. He left the coach, walking to the office.

“Hopefully there aren’t any cretins in there,” Jackson said.

Kurt was back in a few minutes with the tag. He came back in the coach.

“Bought three nights, just in case,” Kurt said.

“You get 409?” Jeb asked.

“Yeah,” Kurt said, handing the map to him. It was marked with black felt tip pin. “Follow the line.” He tossed the tag onto the dashboard.

Jeb looked at the map and nodded. They drove down the road.

“There it is,” Jeb said, rolling up slowly and making a wide right turn into the site.

“That must be Malcolm,” Kurt said, seeing a lanky black man of about sixty walk out of a big pusher and wave to them. He smiled. He was joined by a white man in early fifties and an attractive blonde in her late thirties. When they stopped, Malcolm walked to the door and knocked. Jackson opened the door, and Malcolm came up the steps.

“Hi, everybody,” he said. “I’m Malcolm Davis.”

Everybody looked over at him and smiled. Jeb got out of his chair and walked over to shake hands.

“I’m Jeb, and that there’s Rosie,” he said, pointing to her in the passenger seat. “Jackson opened the door for you. That’s Earl and Kurt over by the dinette.”

“Pleased to meet all of you,” he said. “Thanks so much for coming. Oh, and this is George and Heidi.” The two walked up into the coach and joined them.

“Hi, folks,” George said. “Read a lot about you guys. Impressive.”

“Would you all like some coffee, or a snack?” Heidi asked.

“I think we’re good. Wish we didn’t have those damn pictures out there. Love to stretch my legs,” Kurt said.

“So how the hell did you guys come up with those apps?” George asked. “That’s a game changer, you know.”

“Frank,” Jeb said. “The guy’s a genius.”

“Obviously,” Malcolm said. “I’m glad we found each other. I think we’ll have an amazing partnership.”

“Where are the cretins?” Jeb asked.

“See that big diesel pusher over there?” Malcolm asked, pointing out the front windshield.

“Yeah,” Jeb said.

“That’s them. From what George overheard, that coach is full to the gills with explosives. They’re planning on blowing a bridge.”

“There more than the four hits I see on the app over there?” Kurt asked.

“Nope, we’ve only seen the four,” George said. “There are seven guys at the canyon. Looks like two of them drove into town to pick something up.”

“You know how it is,” Jeb said, chuckling. “You always forget something on a camping trip.”

Everybody laughed.

“We might want to put a hold on the social hour for a while, guys,” Kurt said. “The bigger group is still on its way, and they’ll be there by nightfall.”

“Yes,” Malcolm said. “We’ll need to set up after dark.”

“Expecting that rig to join them out there?” Jeb asked.

“That’s a good question,” George said. “The terrain isn’t something I’d like to drive a rig like that into. It might head out directly to the bridge and meet the rest of the men there.”

“This is going to take some coordination,” Kurt said. “If we take the coach too early, they’ll tip off the group in the camp.”

“Yeah, and you know as soon as we take out the camp, that coach is going to high-tail it,” Jeb said. “Not going to be a problem, though.”

“Because we can see them with the app,” George said. “In fact, we might want to take out the camp, and then follow them. It would be good to know what they wanted to blow up.”

“Yep,” Jeb said.

“Okay,” Malcolm said. “So at night fall, we should take off for the canyon, but separately, so we don’t draw any attention from our friends there. I’ve got GPS coordinates.”

“It might even be a good idea to leave this place before it gets dark,” Jeb said. “Why startle them with headlights? There’s not exactly a lot of night life around here. They’re gonna wonder who’s leaving.”

“You know, that’s a damn good point,” George said. “How much stuff do you guys need to load into the jeep?”

“Well, the mortars and rounds are already in there, along with a few grenades,” Jeb said. “So it’s just the rifles and the bows.”

“Good,” George said. “I’ve already got the M107 loaded in our jeep.”

“You guys have an M107?” Kurt asked, chuckling. “Holy shit.”

“Yes, nice little gun,” George said. “I’ll take the OICW too.”

“Now where the hell did you get one of those?” Jeb asked.

“No comment,” George said, grinning.

“What’s an OICW?” Jackson asked.

“The gun that can shoot around corners,” Malcolm said, laughing.

“It’s a weapon that fires programmable bullets,” George said. “It has a laser rangefinder and computer. If somebody is hiding behind something, you take range off the structure they’re behind, and then fire a bullet to the side. It blows up at the distance that the range finder detects.”

“Oh,” Kurt said. “I remember reading about that thing. Didn’t the army deep six that program?”

“Yeah, too expensive and too fragile,” George said. “Pity. I’ve only got about fifty rounds left, and when they’re gone, that’s it.”

“Wonder if Jerry, Frank, and Gabe can figure out how to make more,” Kurt said. “Wouldn’t put it past them.”

George laughed. “Well, I must say, I’m pretty damn impressed with these apps. Why is Frank so worried about getting the names?”

“We’re seeing a lot of hits in Washington DC,” Kurt said. “Pentagon, Congressional Offices, and even the White House. If we could get to the names, then even after the cats out of the bag with the apps, they won’t be able to hide themselves.”

“We have enemy operatives in our government?” Malcolm said. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I still have some connections that I trust in the agency,” George said. “I could pass the apps along to them.”

“The Guardian Angel?” Heidi asked.

“Yeah,” George said.

“Do you think he could keep his mouth shut?” Jeb asked.

“Yeah,” George said, “but one thing at a time. I’ll put an e-mail together. If something happens and it looks like we’re not going to come out of this alive, I’ll send it.

“Send to Heidi and me,” Rosie said. “Get us message, and then one of us can send.”

“Yeah, George, that’s a good idea,” Heidi said.

“Okay,” George said. “I’ll do that now, but the rest of you’d better get busy. Think you could get this rig plugged in, honey? We don’t want our friends being seen, and it’s going to get hot in here.”

“Of course,” she said, as she left the coach. “Jeb, the compartments locked?”

“Yeah,” he said, tossing her the keys.

“I’ll go get your toad unhooked for you,” Malcolm said.

“You got your rag top for the jeep?” Kurt asked. “Might make it harder to see us.”

“Yeah, it’s in the big storage compartment, under the awning.”

“I’ll put it on,” Malcolm said. “I know how. Got a jeep too.”

“Thanks,” Jeb said.

The four were alone in the coach for a few minutes.

“Well, what do you guys think?” Earl asked.

“I like them,” Jackson said.

“Me too,” Jeb said.

“Yeah,” Kurt said. “Not sure why the Sheriff is worried about them.”

“I understand why,” Earl said, “but it’s not going to be a problem. I can tell.”

Back in Kansas, at the truck stop, Howard ran out of gasoline to sell. He put signs out on the driveways, saying Closed - waiting for fuel delivery. When the last customer left the store, he locked the doors, and checked out back. Only one big rig out there, but it was getting ready to clear out. He took one of the ice chests he had for sale, and filled it with food and drink, then grabbed other supplies, and loaded them onto his flatbed hand truck. His heart was racing. He kept feeling like somebody was watching him. He pushed the hand truck outside, and opened the side door of his Class C motorhome. He looked around, and then lifted the supplies in. The big rig was leaving, so he went over to the big gate and slid it shut after it drove off the lot, waving to the driver, who stopped and rolled down the window. Howard recognized him as a regular customer.

“You aren’t clearing out too, are you?” he shouted.

“Out of fuel,” Howard shouted back. “Might as well take some time.”

“You can still sell stuff from your store, though, can’t you?”

“Yeah, but the real money is in the fuel, so it’s a good time to get away. I might not get re-supplied until the middle of next week.”

“Okay, Howie, good luck to you.” The truck lurched forward and headed to the interstate. Howard locked the gate and hurried into the back of the store with the hand truck. He didn’t see the shadowy man hiding in the bushes next to the far side of the building. The man ran in a crouch over to the Class C and snuck in the door.

Inside the store, Howard picked up dry goods and some of his clothes. He threw them onto the hand truck. Then he went to the safe behind the counter and opened it, looking around warily. He still felt like he was being watched. He checked the monitor for his security cameras. Nobody in any of the views. He removed all of the cash from the safe, and put it into a cloth bank deposit bag. He threw that onto the flatbed, and pushed it onto the parking lot.

There was a big rig sitting outside the closed gate. “You open?” the driver shouted.

“Nope, sorry. Out of fuel. I’m leaving.”

“Okay,” the driver said. He drove on.

“I’d better not open that gate until I’m ready to pull out,” he said to himself. He hurried the flat bed over to his rig and stashed everything, some in storage compartments outside, and some just inside the door of the coach. He slammed the door shut, and pushed the flatbed back into the rear of the store. Almost ready to go. He took one last look around the store, locked up, and then trotted over to his rig, getting into the driver’s seat. He started the engine, drove over to the gate, and took a quick look around. Down the street, in both of his mirrors, and at the front of his lot. He jumped out and opened the gate, then hurried back to the driver’s seat and drove the Class C out onto the street, parked, and closed the gate up tight, his heart pounding. Finally he was on the road, heading for the interstate. His heart rate started to slow down as he got up to speed, heading east.

Back at the Kansas RV Park, Jasmine and Jane were all set up in the barn, running the new PC app on their laptops. Jane was following the two hits who had gone into town. They were both ranked level 4, and were now on their way back to the canyon. Jasmine was watching the larger group on the road. They were in a number of vehicles, all stuck in traffic now, crawling along with the rest of the people trying to get away from the Denver metropolitan area.

“I think I’ll call Jeb,” Jane said, “and let him know that we’re set up.”

“Good, but don’t let it ring too many times, just in case. Or better yet, send him a text.”

“Ah, yeah, text,” Jane said. “Why didn’t I think of that?” She started typing on her phone.

Jeb – Jane here. We’ve got new long range PC app working. Jasmine and I are watching. Let us know if you want a close look at anything. Right now, the large group, in many vehicles, is stuck in traffic on way out of Denver. Jane.

She tapped send. About five seconds later, Jeb replied.

Thanks, Jane. We’ll be watching your messages. Might want to Group message to all of us. Jeb.

“Okay, he’s got the message,” Jane said. “He suggested group messages to all of them.”

“In case any of them gets killed,” Jasmine said, her brow furrowed. “This is gonna be scary. I’ll warn them if the truckloads start moving faster.”

“I hope Mary’s doing alright with this,” Jane said. “And you. Your mom is there.”

“I’m extremely worried, but no way was I going to be able to talk her out of it.”

“If something happens to the team, can she drive that motorhome?” Jane asked.

“Probably, if her knees can take it,” Jasmine said. “As you might have noticed, she’s not afraid of much.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Jane said, smiling. “She’s a strong person.”

“To a fault,” Jasmine said. “I’m glad our men are sitting this out.”

“Me too.”

Out in the trailer area, Terry, Trish, and Jake were sitting under the awning, having coffee. Gabe and Dobie walked over.

“Kinda late for coffee, isn’t it?” Gabe asked.

“It’s gonna be a long night,” Terry said. “I want to stay sharp.”

“What do you think is gonna happen?” Gabe asked.

“Could be almost anything,” Terry said. “Up to and including having to go there and bail out our friends.”

Trish got a horrified look on her face. “No,” she said.

“It probably won’t come to that, sweetie,” Terry said, “but if it does, I’ll be ready. They’d do the same for us.”

“Oh, I know,” Trish said. “I don’t have to like it.”

“No, you don’t,” he said.

“Better get some coffee myself,” Dobie said. “Now you’ve got me nervous. We might need my pistol.”

“It’ll be hard to get all that way in time, you know,” Jake said. “We’re talking a three hour drive. I’m more worried about unwelcome guests here.”

“We’ll see them coming,” Gabe said.

“Yeah, with as little as three hours warning,” Jake said.

“Shit, he’s right,” Gabe said. “Alright, coffee it is.”

“I think I’ll put on my Glock, too,” Dobie said. “If you guys don’t mind. The dogs are still on patrol. I was going to bring them in for the night, but maybe I’ll just feed them and let them go out again.”

“Why are you guys so scared?” Trish asked. “You’re getting yourselves all worked up.”

“We’ve got members in action, and the enemy is on the move, honey,” Terry said. “I’ve been with this group for a long time now. Things happen fast. I want to be ready.”

“Then maybe we ought to be getting the trailers hitched up,” she said. “We’ve never even tried moving any of these. We might even want to tow them around the park a couple of times to get the feel for it.”

“Not a bad idea,” Jake said. He pulled the bobtail keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Terry. “Have at it, son.”

“Yeah, that is a good idea,” Terry said.

“I should try that too,” Dobie said.

“Likewise,” said Gabe.

Back in the clubhouse, Frank was typing at the keyboard quickly, his face intense, his brow furrowed. The security bots were watching him, trying to force him out of the enemy system. He was out, but then he was back in, then out again, then in again. Cat and mouse. He started a download of files three times. Not the names files…he didn’t want them to know what he was after. He got shut down before the file downloads finished. Each time, the bots had been able to delete the file out from under him, but he was finding backup copies all over the system. Sloppy. The current download was at about 70% and screaming. He had a second and third session open now, and the bots were fighting with them. Maybe they didn't stop his file download because of that. If he could overwhelm the bots with the right combination, then he’d go find the names file. Get it and get out. Cover his tracks.

Jane walked in and saw the intensity. She got worried. “You okay?”

He waved her off, but as she looked concerned, he smiled at her. He’s onto something, she thought to herself, and left.

Chapter 5 –Mortars on the Ridge

“Ready to go?” asked Jeb.

“Yeah, we’re taking off now,” Malcolm said.

“We’ll be behind you in about fifteen minutes,” Jeb replied. He sat back down in the driver’s seat of his coach and looked out through the front windshield. The shadows were getting long, but it was still over an hour before sunset.

“You be careful,” Rosie said. “I want to see my man again.”

“I will, honey,” Jeb said. “Don’t worry. We’ll be alright.”

“Come here and give me kiss,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears.

He got up and kissed her, then stared into her face for a few seconds, brushing the tears away. Then he got up and went to the back, to grab his handgun and his bowie knife.

“Just about time, Jeb?” Kurt asked.

“Another few minutes,” Jeb replied.

“Good. Looks like the two pajama boys that went to town are back at the canyon now. The big group is still slogging along. Traffic must be a real nightmare leaving Denver.”

“Yeah,” Earl said. “Must be flat out panic going on there. Where the hell is the damn army?”

“I hope a lot of citizens are joining the fight,” Jackson said.

“Well, we are,” Jeb said. “Let’s go.”

Rosie watched the men slip out of the coach, and then she heard the jeep’s engine start. She watched them drive away. Then she broke down.

The road ahead was deserted. Jeb drove down the Interstate for a few miles, and then got off onto the local highway. George and Malcolm were on the side of the road, at the first intersection. Jeb pulled up next to them.

“Hi, Jeb,” Malcolm said. “There’s a dirt road up ahead about ten miles, on the left side of the road. Past that is a hill. The ridge at the top is where we’ll need to set up, but we’ll have to take the jeeps a little ways past that and walk in, so we don’t get seen when the bigger group shows up.”

“Any chance the big group will come from the other direction?” Kurt asked.

“Not that I can see on the map,” George said. “That road doesn’t link up with a highway in that direction. It just peters out.”

“Good,” Kurt replied. “At least it should be dark before the big group arrives.”

“Yeah, I see they’re still bottled up,” George said, looking at his phone. “Everybody got their phones on silent? Better double check.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Malcolm said. The two jeeps took off down the road as the sun slowly went below the hills.

Back at the RV Park, Dobie, Terry, and Gabe, were taking turns pulling their trailers around the park. Charlie and the Sheriff came out on the porch in front of the clubhouse to see what the noise was.

“Practicing, I see,” the Sheriff said. “Smart, in case we need to high-tail it out of here.”

“Yeah,” Charlie said. “I’m glad they decided to do this. Might pay off big.”

“You think the enemy is going to show up here?”

“I don’t know, but I’m worried about it, Sheriff.”

“Why?”

“We might not have roadblocks on the highways down from Nebraska,” Charlie said. “Been thinking about that for the last couple of hours.”

“Oh,” the Sheriff said. “I’m pretty sure this group coming east is focused on Denver.”

“Hope so,” Charlie said. “Hope our guys survive this.”

“Yeah, and I hope they give ‘em hell, too,” the Sheriff said.

“That fifth wheel looks a little big for Dobie’s truck,” Charlie said, as he watched him drive by.

“Oh, I think it’ll be fine. He’s got a better truck to tow with than my buddy had, and he pulled a bigger fifth wheel all over the country.”

“Wonder how Mary’s holding up?” Charlie asked. “This has got to be tough. Hell, Kurt hasn’t been healed up all that long, either.”

“I think she’s okay, Charlie. I mentioned to her that if there were problems, we’d get out there in a hurry.”

“Good.”

“I’m glad Terry isn’t with them this time,” the Sheriff said.

Dobie pulled his fifth wheel back over to his space, and got out to unhook the truck.

“How does it pull?” Gabe asked.

“Feels huge, but the truck wasn’t even breaking a sweat,” Dobie said. “How was yours?”

“Not bad. When we have more time, I’ll want to make some adjustments, but it’s good enough to flee if we have to. I think I need an anti-sway bar for this thing.”

“Maybe Howard has one,” he said.

“Nah, it’s going to be that place that you got the hitch,” Gabe said. “Too much of an RV specialty for Howard’s joint.”

They heard an engine start up in the barn, and the tow truck rolled out.

“That Jake?” Dobie asked.

“Yeah, I guess he’s going to give his a try,” Gabe said. “That tow truck is over-kill for that little trailer.”

“He knows not to mess around in there a lot, right? Because of the evidence?”

“I think so,” Gabe said. They watched as Jake backed up, Terry guiding him to his trailer’s hitch. Trish watched, still looking nervous.

“Well, he’s the last of us,” Dobie said. “No big problems so far. If we have to take off in a hurry, we can. I feel confident about that.”

“What are you going to do with the dogs, now that your kennels aren’t in the back of the truck?” Gabe asked.

“I’ll put Duchess up in the cab with me, and the other three in the trailer,” he said. “I might be able to squeeze the kennels in there, but it’ll be tough. When I pull the slides in, it gets pretty compact in there.”

“There he goes,” Gabe said, nodding. Jake pulled away, the trailer rattling as it went by them.

“That’s an old trailer. Hope he fixed everything up,” Gabe said.

“I know he put new tires and bearings on her. That ought to be enough.”

Howard had been driving for just under two hours, getting deeper into Kansas, watching the peaceful farm land roll by. He was finally relaxing. Then he heard a noise in the back. He tried to look back, but visibility into the coach wasn’t so great from the driver’s seat in his Class C.

“Pull over,” said a voice behind him. Howard’s blood ran cold, and his heart started to pound.

“What the hell? Scotty?”

“I said pull over,” the voice said again.

“Screw you,” Howard said. He sped up. Then he felt the cold steel of a pistol barrel pushing on the back of his neck.

“I’m not going to ask you again.”

“So shoot me. Then we’ll crash.”

“Oh, I could do that, Howie. The result would be that you’re dead for sure, and I might get hurt. You sure that’s good for you?”

“You’re going to kill me either way,” Howard said, heart still pounding.

“No, I’m not,” Scotty said. “I’m just going to encourage you to join the game again. It’ll be like old times.”

“I didn’t like the old times,” Howard said. He sighed, and pulled his rig over to the side of the road. “Okay, now what?”

“Come on back, and let’s chat for a few minutes.”

Howard came into the back and sat on the couch. Scotty was leaned up against the door. He was about forty years old. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was a normal family man. Trim dark brown hair, parted on the side, a little gray starting up at the temples. Clean shaven. A warm smile. Slight build. Button down shirt and Dockers. Leather Nike shoes, white.

“Alright, I’m listening,” Howard said, heart racing, head aching.

“Now don’t be nervous, Howie,” he said, smiling. “It’s gonna be okay. You know how crazy things are now. It makes the game much less dangerous.”

“What do you want to do, Scotty?”

“Take on the interlopers, of course,” he replied, smiling.

“Those guys will eat you alive. You know how many enemy soldiers they’ve killed?”

“Nonsense,” Scotty said. “All I have to do is grab one of the women, but I’ll have to get among them somehow. That’s where you come in.”

“I figured. You want me to bring you in, because you think they’ll trust anybody I’m with?”

“Why, yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking, Howie.”

“Well, you can forget it,” Howard said. “You’re gonna lose, and they’ll kill both of us. Don’t underestimate these folks. They’ve probably found your little torture room.”

“Oh, I’m sure they have, Howie. There was one thing I was very careful about, though. There aren’t any pictures of me down there. Not one. I’m not even in any of the videos.”

“Yeah, but there are some of your dad, and you guys look a lot alike. What do you think you’re going to do, anyway? Take them all on? There’s a lot of them.”

“No, of course not. We’ll slowly take them out, one by one. They won’t know who I am until we have a more reasonable number of targets left.”

“What’s all this ‘we’ stuff?” Howard asked. “I’m not going to participate.”

“Oh, yes you are,” Scotty said.

“Or else what?”

“I know where your daughter is,” Scotty said. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out. Idaho isn’t that far away. You have lovely granddaughters, by the way.”

Jane and Jasmine were in the barn, watching their laptops silently.

“Look, the big group just picked up speed,” Jane said. “I’ll send a text.”

Jasmine nodded, looking over. “No movement of the guys at the RV Park yet. They haven’t even left the coach to go to the bathroom. Seriously, this app is amazing.”

“Yep, Frank outdid himself with this one,” Jane said as she picked up her phone. She started texting.

Hey, boys, enemy has picked up speed. Must be past worst of the traffic. Get ready. Looks like about 30 vehicles total, a little separated from each other.

“Sent,” Jane said.

Jane’s phone buzzed.

“They got it?” Jasmine asked.

“Yeah,” Jane said. “I hope they’re careful.”

Malcolm slowed down his jeep, looking for a sheltered spot on the road.

“We’re getting kind of far down the road, aren’t we?” George asked. “We’ve got a lot to carry.”

“I know,” Malcolm said. “I’m just a little worried. The cretins are going to get here after dark. What if they overshoot that road? We need to be out of sight if possible.”

“Well, look there,” George said, pointing. “Dirt road. Goes around that mound.”

“Excellent,” Malcolm said, making the left turn. Jeb followed. The dirt road went back a little ways, then led around the back of the big mound. There was plenty of space to park, out of sight of the road.

“That looks like an easy way up to the ridge,” George said, pointing up at the side of the hill. “Can we be that lucky?”

“Hopefully,” Malcolm said, parking the jeep. He got out as Jeb pulled up next to him.

“Nice spot,” Jeb said. “I was getting worried.”

“Seriously,” Jackson said. “That the ridge up there?”

“It wasn’t where we went up originally,” George said. “But it may lead to where we were, or another good vantage point. We’ll see.”

“Should we wait until it’s all the way dark?” Earl asked.

“No, I think we ought to get up the back side of this hill now,” Malcolm said. “Then we can wait till sundown to set up if we need to.”

“We’ll have to be careful,” Jeb said. “There’s a moon out tonight.”

“Yeah,” George said. “These guys might be smart enough to watch the ridge.”

“Maybe,” Jeb said. “Some of the pajama boys are pretty stupid, though. Wonder who’s running this little operation of theirs?”

“Good question, Jeb. Let’s saddle up, guys,” Kurt said. The men started to get their equipment out.

“Too bad we don’t have your dog anymore,” Malcolm said to George.

“I know,” George said. “I miss Jackie. She would’ve been good to leave with the jeeps.”

“Maybe we should’ve brought Dobie,” Jeb said.

“Who’s Dobie?” Malcolm asked.

“One of our group. K-9 trainer. He’s got four Dobermans back at the park.”

“We needed to leave him home,” Kurt said. “To protect the park. Besides, Dobie’s not a rifle shot. He’s a lot better with a pistol. This is a sniper job.”

“True,” Jeb said.

The men were all heavily weighted down. Jackson and Earl had the mortars, along with their rifles. Jeb and Kurt had bows and rifles, and each carried a bag with mortar rounds and grenades. George had the M107 and OICW, in their cases, with a .270 slung over his shoulder. Malcolm had his crossbow, another .270 slung over his shoulder, and an M-16. They slowly made their way up the hill.

“We need a couple more guys, just to carry,” George said, chuckling. “This is pretty tough.”

“Yeah, but this part of the hill is easier than where we went up before,” Malcolm said. “That was steeper. Remember when I almost slipped?”

“Yeah,” George said. “I guess we aren’t getting any younger.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jeb said, grinning. “You doing okay, Kurt?”

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to get this bag of mortar rounds all the way up here. Still not a hundred percent after that last incident.”

“I’ll get it,” Jackson said. He went over to Kurt and picked it up.

“What other incident?” George asked.

“Kurt was gut shot in one of the battles back in Colorado,” Jeb said. “Talk about lucky. Bullet went through, didn’t hit any organs bad enough to do a lot of damage. The enemy’s using hardball ammo, mostly.”

“Who patched him up?” Malcolm asked.

“Mary, my wife,” Kurt said, sounding a little short of breath. “She’s a doctor.”

“Ah,” Malcolm said. “Good to have around.”

“I’ll say,” Kurt said. “Hey, my phone just buzzed.”

“Mine too,” Malcolm said.

“Yeah,” Jeb said.

“It’s the short range app kicking in. We must be close enough now,” Kurt said. “We’d better be quiet, in case they have any sentries posted up here.”

“That’s why we brought the bows,” Jeb whispered.

They continued the long climb up, in silence now, as the light grew dimmer. The sun was behind the mountains completely now, but there was still enough glow left to light their way.

“There’s the top of the ridge,” George whispered. The men got up to it, and laid in the dirt, scooting up to look over the edge.

“There’s the camp, but it’s too far away,” Malcolm whispered. “We’ll have to follow the ridge over to the left a ways. We’d better go down a little lower for as long as we can, so nobody sees us.”

“Maybe we ought to stay here for a few minutes and rest,” Kurt said. “It would be better if it was a little darker.”

“Yeah, I agree,” George said.

The men set down their stuff and slid down a little further. Jeb pulled out his phone and went through the hits on the local app. “Looks like seven hits,” Jeb whispered.

“That’s the right number,” George said, looking at his phone. “The big group is about half an hour away, from the look of it.”

“Your phones are gonna buzz like crazy when they get close enough,” Jeb said. “Don’t get too startled.”

“Maybe we ought to set up the mortars here,” George said. “The camp is well within reach, and they’ll have a hard time picking off whoever is manning them at this distance.”

“Fine by me, as long as you can do without our sniper rifles,” Earl said.

“I suggest we leave one here, and move the other one closer,” Jeb said.

“Who’s the best sniper of you two?” Malcolm asked.

“Earl,” Jackson said. Jeb nodded in agreement.

“Okay, why don’t we have Earl come closer then?” Malcolm whispered. “Not all the way in where most of us will be, but within sniper range.”

“I’m good with that,” Earl said.

“If the enemy starts to flee in this direction, I can pick them off,” Jackson said. “They might, you know. Look at the topography.”

“Good point,” George whispered.

It was getting darker by the minute. The group sat silently and waited for a few more minutes. Then Jackson moved over to a spot with a little stable ground, and started setting up his mortar.

“Okay, men, I think we can get going,” Malcolm whispered. They picked up their gear and started moving left along the ridge, as quietly as they could. Malcolm stopped to put an arrow in his crossbow, and took up the rear.

It was slow going. The ground below the ridge was a little slippery. It would have been impossible if not for a goat trail that meandered along, about fifteen feet from the crest.

Then came the buzzing. The men all jerked, startled, but settled down quickly as the hits continued. Jeb turned and looked back, grinning. “Come on down,” he whispered.

They continued along, until they could barely hear talking and laughter over the ridge. They stopped, and George set down his gun cases and snuck up to the top of the ridge. He peered over, then looked back at the group.

“Still a little far for the snipers,” he whispered, “but great place for the other mortar.”

Earl nodded and looked for a small flat spot to set up. The rest of the group moved along further.

The talking got louder. Some was Arabic, some English. They got about fifty yards past where Earl was set up, and George poked his head up again. He turned and looked at the group, nodding to the left, indicating that they should go further. He put his finger to his lips.

They went another thirty yards, and George saw a flat spot close to the ridge, big enough for the M107. He peeked over the ridge. It was a good spot. He set down his gun cases and took the .270 off his shoulder.

“I’m going to set up here,” he whispered. “You guys keep going a little further, and space out maybe twenty yards apart.”

The men nodded and kept going as George took the M107 out of its case and unhooked the tripod. He positioned it on the flat spot, quietly put a full magazine in, and removed the scope lens caps. He got behind it and looked through the scope. Perfect. He could take out all of the men in view on the canyon floor before they even knew what hit them. He only counted four down there, though. Sentries. Where are they?

Kurt, Jeb, and Malcolm continued on, Malcolm still at the rear. Jeb stopped and got up to the ridge to look over. Then he heard footsteps on the loose dirt, and looked up. An Islamist had an AK-47 pointed right at his head.

Chapter 6 – Fire in the Canyon

Jeb froze as the young Islamist pointed his AK-47 at him. Then the Islamist heard a click. He looked up just as an arrow from Malcolm’s crossbow struck him in the chest. He fell to the ground, his rifle falling out if his hands and starting to slide. Jeb lunged for it, grabbing it before it could make a noisy fall down the side of the hill.

“Freeze, one of them is looking up here,” Kurt whispered. Jeb stopped, his heart racing, afraid to move a muscle.

“Okay, he turned around,” whispered Kurt. Jeb slowly backed up and over the ridge, out of sight.

“Good thing these pajama boys are wearing black,” Jeb whispered. “They probably can’t see him lying there.”

“Yeah,” Kurt said. “That was close.”

Malcolm came over. Jeb looked up at him and nodded. “Much obliged,” he said. “Nice shooting.”

“Don’t mention it,” Malcolm said. “I only see four men below, but it’s a little hard to tell because of those tents. There could be two more sentries up here. I suggest you guys get your bows ready.”

“Yeah, and we should stay out of sight until the large group gets here,” Jeb whispered. “We don’t want to scare them away from the party.”

“You got that right,” Kurt said. “Looks like George is set up with that .50 cal. Can’t see Jackson from here very well, but I can see Earl over there. He’s got his mortar set up. I think we’re in good shape, as long as another sentry doesn’t end up over here.”

“The larger group is getting close,” Jeb said. “Maybe about fifteen minutes.”

“Good,” Malcolm said.

“Jane sent a text a little while ago. She said that the big group is in about thirty vehicles.”

“Shit,” Kurt said. “That’s a lot. We’re going to have to be patient as they arrive.”

“When they all get here, we should disable the last vehicles that come in, so they’ll make it harder for the others to escape,” Jeb said.

“Now that’s a good idea,” Malcolm said. “Let’s text George, Earl, and Jackson about that. Seal up the kill zone, and then rain fire and brimstone on their asses.”

“Literally,” Jeb said, chuckling quietly, “when the Willie Pete hits them.”

Malcolm smiled. The men all sat back against the far side of the ridge and waited.

Howard was back on the interstate, driving his class C, with Scotty sitting in the passenger seat.

“Okay, we’re going east,” Howard said. “Where to?”

“Back to my home base in Ohio,” Scotty answered.

“Why?”

“Orientation,” Scotty said. “You used to love the game. We’re going to play a little bit on the way there, to whet your appetite. I know you’ll come around.”

“You don’t know me anymore,” Howard said. “The thought of the game repulses me.”

“No it doesn’t,” Scotty said. “I’ve been watching your internet habits. Pretty sick, old friend.”

“Watching and doing aren’t the same.”

“Oh, really?” Scotty said, laughing. “We’ll see.”

“What are your plans after that?” Howard asked.

“Then you go back home, re-open your truck stop, and wait for me to contact you.”

“You think I’m just going to hop to when you call me, Scotty?”

“Oh, I know you will,” Scotty said. “Because you know that I’ll pay a visit to your daughter and her family if you don’t.”

Howard was silent for a few minutes, going over his options in his head, but then he felt it. Creeping in. The excitement. The yearning for terror, and the release it used to bring him. He hated himself for it, but now that it was here, he knew he couldn’t deny it for long. Dammit.

“You okay over there?” Scotty asked, seeing the gears turning in Howard’s head.

“Yeah,” Howard said, looking over at him. He sighed. “When do you want to start?”

“I thought so,” Scotty said. “I knew you couldn’t back away.”

“Whatever. Where?”

“I think we should enter the State of Misery.”

“Misery?” Howard asked, looking at him.

“Missouri, dummy,” Scotty said, snickering. “I know a few good pickup points in Kansas City. We’ll do one there, then maybe one in Indiana, and one in Ohio. Then you’ll be free to go.”

“I don’t think ‘free’ is the way I’d portray it, Scotty.”

“You’ll thank me. After we take care of the interlopers, there will be many more adventures for us to enjoy.”

“You’re going to end up like Jason, or Dagger,” Howard said. “You know that, right?”

“I don’t think so.”

“What makes you more special than them?” Howard asked.

“I’m smarter.”

Howard shook his head and sighed again. They settled in for the drive. It would be over six hours.

Jane walked into the clubhouse, and turned on the lights. “You almost done for the day, honey?”

Frank looked up from his monitor. He looked beat. “Oh, I suppose. This is frustrating.”

“You looked like you were making good progress earlier.”

“Well, yes and no,” Frank said. “Daan has a good set of security bots watching things on his system. I’ll have to overwhelm them somehow, but if I get too heavy handed, he’s going to take notice. The last thing we want is for him to realize what I’m after.”

“He can’t figure out it’s you that’s looking, can he?”

“No,” Frank said. “I’m running most of the attacks from a series of company servers. It would take a long time for Daan to realize that the attacks aren’t really coming from El Segundo, Colorado Springs, or Philly.”

“This isn’t going to get Rami in trouble, I hope.”

“No, it shouldn’t,” Frank said. “I’m not using servers that he has control over, but I am on the user ID that he’s been protecting.”

“Can you break now?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’m just spinning my wheels. I made a good discovery, at least. I found the names file, and several backups.”

“But you can’t grab it?” Jane asked.

“No, if I try, the bots will stop me before the download gets over, and then they’ll know what I’m looking for.”

“Well, sometimes you solve problems like this after sleeping on it, you know,” Jane said.

“I know. That’s the point I’m at now, I’m afraid. Let’s go.” He logged off of his computer, and pulled the network cable.

“Why’d you do that?” Jane asked.

“Just in case somebody figures out how to follow me home,” he said.

They left the clubhouse, turning off the lights on the way out. It was peaceful. The other coaches had their lights on now.

“You look worried,” Frank said.

“Of course,” she said. “We have friends in harm’s way. They could get killed or captured, and it could come back to bite us here too.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Franks said.

“Our new trailer owners were all practicing this afternoon,” Jane said.

“Practicing?”

“Yeah, hooking up their trailers and driving around the park.”

“Oh,” Frank said. “They’re afraid we’re going to have to flee again.”

“Yes,” Jane said. “Wonder if we should have our slides in and our levelers up?”

“Nah,” Frank said. “If the enemy could sneak up on us, it won’t matter. They’d kill us on the road just as quick as they would here.”

“You always know how to make me feel at ease, don’t you,” she said, chuckling.

“You already knew the answer to the question before you asked it,” Frank said.

“I know,” she sighed. “Sometimes I need reassurance.”

They got to the coach, and Frank opened the door, standing aside for Jane to enter.

“No, I’m just bringing you home, Frank. Sleep. Recharge. I’m going back to help Jasmine be the eyes in the sky for our away team.”

“Oh,” Frank said sheepishly. “I should have known. Maybe I should keep working.”

“No, you’re stuck. Sleep on it. Really. You’re the most important resource we have.”

“Oh, that’s not true,” he said.

Jane just shook her head. “Yeah you are. By the way, you really outdid yourself with the new PC app. We can tell how many vehicles the enemy is coming in. It’s that detailed.”

“Good,” Frank said, smiling. “I was hoping. It can be a little buggy.”

“Its fine, Frank. Go to bed. I’ll be home later.”

He went up into the coach, and Jane walked back over to the barn.

“Anything happen?” Jane asked.

“The big group is getting closer,” Jasmine said, turning towards Jane as she walked up. “Looks like our guys must have taken out a sentry. Up on the ridge. There’s been no movement on that icon.”

“Can you see any other sentries on the ridges?”

“Good question,” she said. “I’ve been watching the trucks, mainly. I just went back to the canyon and noticed that sentry a few minutes ago.”

“Well, take a closer look,” Jane said. “Our team might not see them. You could text the info to the team. I’ll go check on the caravan.”

Jasmine nodded, and turned back to her screen. “Shit,” she said.

“What?”

“Two more sentries. One is on the ridge on the far side of the Canyon. The other one is at the mouth of the canyon. They might have a decent chance to see our guys. I’ll let them know.”

“Good,” Jane said, as she focused in on the string of icons along I-80.

Jasmine got on her iPhone.

Guys, see 3 sentries on ridge. 1 appears dead, hasn’t moved. About where I’d expect to see you guys, on ridge closest to road. 2nd sentry by mouth of the canyon, probably watching for caravan. 3rd on far ridge. Be careful, they might see you easier than the ones on the canyon floor.

“Okay, message sent,” Jasmine said. “How close is the largest group?”

“The first vehicle is just about to pull onto the dirt road now,” Jane said, her voice trembling. “The rest will follow pretty quickly. They spaced themselves out a little wide on the freeway, but I expect them to tighten up on the dirt road.”

Jane and Jasmine’s phones both dinged.

“Jeb,” Jasmine said. “He got the message. They did take out one sentry.”

“This program is going to be a big help.”

“You got that right,” Jasmine said. “Too bad we don’t have an iPhone version.”

“Frank told me the small portables don’t have enough power to run it,” Jane said. “Oh, there we go. First vehicle is in the canyon. The four men have swarmed around it. Number two is about a hundred yards back, and gaining fast.”

“Here it starts,” Jasmine said. “I’m really nervous.”

“You and me both. They’ll let all of the vehicles get in the canyon before they open fire. It’s going to take at least 15 minutes for all of them to get there, unless they tighten up in a hurry. Oh, there, second vehicle in the canyon.”

“No movement of the sentries, but the icons on the canyon floor are wandering around in pairs. I’ll bet they’re carrying things out of their vehicles.”

“Oh, no,” Jane said.

“What?”

“The last three vehicles that were on I-80 kept going. The rest are on the small highway now, headed for the dirt road in a hurry.”

“Uh oh. Wonder if the three are going to meet up with the motorhome?”

“Could be,” Jane said. “It might be their demolition team. Two more vehicles just got inside the canyon. They’re really tightening it up now. It won’t take as long as I thought.”

“I’m going to text the team and let them know that three vehicles have split off,” Jasmine said.

“Good. How many people are we talking?”

“Twelve,” Jasmine said, as she typed into her iPhone.

Jeb, last 3 vehicles, 12 men total kept going on I-80. Rest are on their way to the canyon. Maybe those 3 are going to link up with motorhome.

“Okay, sent. How many more vehicles yet to go?”

“I count sixteen that are still on the road. I see the ones in the canyon moving inside deeper to make room, too. Must be getting crowded in there.”

Their phones both dinged.

“Jeb got the message,” Jasmine said. “They’re getting ready.”

“The rest of the vehicles are bunched up at the entrance to the canyon now,” Jane said. “Looks like they’re having to jockey around to get the vehicles all out of sight.”

“Yeah, I see that,” Jasmine said. “Where are the three that split off?”

“Nearing the off ramp for the big RV Park,” Jane said. “We’ll know in a few seconds if that’s where they’re going.”

“Good. Only three vehicles outside the canyon now. Icons swarming all over the canyon floor. Too many to count.”

“The three vehicles just took the off-ramp to the RV Park,” Jane said. “Better call your mom.”

“Yeah,” Jasmine said, voice wavering. She wiped tears out of her eyes, picked up her phone, and dialed.

“Mom?”

“Jasmine, what go on?”

“Three of the enemy vehicles split off from the main group and are heading into the RV Park now.”

“I tell Heidi. She gave me radio. How men doing?”

“They’re all set up around the ridge, and all the cars just got inside the canyon.”

“Good. I hope we take out trash. Thanks. I call Heidi now.”

“Be careful, mom.”

“I will,” she said. Jasmine set her phone down.

“How’d she take it?” Jane asked.

“No problem. She’s going to tell Heidi.”

“Good. There’s going to be action any second now. All the vehicles are inside, and the men are unloading things.”

“Whoa,” Jasmine cried. “Both sentries down. Icons moving fast on the canyon floor!”

“Yes, I see it. Looks like an ant hill after you dump water on it.”

On the ridge, the men watched as the last of the vehicles moved all the way into the canyon. Jeb got a text message, from Jackson.

Jeb, I can take sentry on far side of the canyon. I’m closer than you guys.

Jeb replied okay. Then there was the crack of a rifle, and the sentry fell and rolled down the hill. Everybody in the canyon froze, looking up at the ridges in a panic. Then there was a loud bang from the M107, and the other sentry got hit so hard that he flew off the ridge and onto the ground hundreds of feet below.

“Get the cars near the entrance,” Kurt shouted. Then there was the muffled pop of Jackson’s mortar, and a blinding flash near the canyon entrance. No cars hit, but now there was a big crater. Jackson backed off a few degrees and then dropped another mortar round in. The round popped, and then there was an explosion right on top of the cars, turning that side of the canyon into an inferno. Shots started to ping around them now. George started up with the M107, hitting the vehicles in the engine compartments as quickly as he could, as Earl loaded up a Willie Pete round. The other men were firing away with their hunting rifles.

“Hit them with the Willie Pete!” Jeb shouted.

“Way ahead of ya,” Earl said. Then there was the pop, and a rush of heat and light as about a third of the canyon floor went up in flames. The snipers fired away at the men trying to escape.

“Oh, my God,” Earl said, looking down. Then he adjusted the mortar deeper into the canyon and dropped another Willie Pete round in. There was a pop, and then that rush of light and heat again.

“That’s pretty good coverage,” Malcolm yelled. “Concentrate on killing the survivors before they can get up the hills.”

The men all had their rifles in hand now. George was going crazy with the M107, firing round after round. Jackson’s rifle cracked a couple of times, hitting two Islamists who were trying to flee in his direction. There were several following them. They dived behind one of the bullet-riddled cars and opened fire in Jackson’s direction, forcing him down. George opened up on them from the other side, and they crept further behind the wrecked hulk of a car, towards the far side of the canyon.

Several Islamists made a run for the opening of the canyon. Jeb, Malcolm, and Kurt got a bead on them, and opened fire. They got behind cars and fired back.

“Hey, George, you think you could shoot through these cars?” yelled Malcolm.

“In a minute,” he said. He was raising the OICW and pointing it at the car close to Jackson. The Islamists behind it were still wailing away at Jackson’s position. George pulled the trigger. There was a pop, and a sizzling sound as the projectile flew down towards the car. Then an explosion. The Islamists fell dead.

“Wow, that thing is something,” Earl shouted.

“George!” Malcolm yelled.

“On it,” George shouted back. He got back on the M107 and riddled the cars with .50 cal rounds. A couple of Islamists tried to run, but George and Jeb shot them dead. Then there was silence.

“Think we got ‘em all?” Kurt asked.

“Let’s get the girls to look for movement,” Jeb said. “Also, refresh your short range apps.” Jeb pulled out his phone and started texting.

Jane, any moving? Think we got all of them, but hard to see.

“I only see about twenty icons now,” Malcolm said, looking at his iPhone. “Shouldn’t they all show up?”

“The fire,” Kurt said. “It ruins the chips. That tells me most of the bad guys burned up in the Willie Pete and gasoline fires.”

“Jane replied,” Jeb said. “She’s not seeing any movement here, but she said that there’s a lot of activity back at the RV Park.”

“Shoot,” George said. “Any movement towards our coaches?”

“She didn’t say, but I’ll text her and let her know to watch for it,” Jeb said.

“I think we ought to get back there,” George said. “Just in case they want to carjack any additional motorhomes.”

“He’s right,” Jeb said. “Let’s get our asses back there.”

“We don’t want to make sure everybody down there is taking a dirt nap?” Earl asked.

“I wouldn’t bother,” Malcolm said. They have no vehicles left, and we’re a ways into the boonies. If we go down there, one of us is liable to get killed by a survivor. Screw it. If they’re wounded, they won’t last long anyway.”

“That was a lot of fire,” George said. “The authorities might be on their way here, too, you know. Time to get out of here, but keep your eyes open. Don’t expose yourself to the canyon floor on the way out, just in case.”

“Text Heidi and let her know we’re on our way,” Malcolm said.

“I just texted Rosie,” Jeb said. “She said that the cretins are getting ready for something. They’re loading stuff from their cars into that motorhome.”

The men started picking up their equipment and headed back to the jeeps.

Jane turned to Jasmine. “The boys are leaving,” she said.

“Good. I don’t like all of those bad guys within a hundred yards of my mom.”

“Seriously,” Jane said. “Maybe one of us should stay focused on the canyon, and one of us on the RV Park.

“Agreed.”

“Wonder if the enemy leadership has any idea who just hit them?” Jane asked.

“Good question,” Jasmine said. “Shoot! The Islamists are in two of the coaches near their site.”

“Uh oh. How close are they to ours?”

“Not very,” Jasmine said. “They’d have to come quite a ways to grab ours.”

Jasmine’s phone rang.

“Mom?”

“Hi, honey. Bad guys just grab two more motorhomes.”

“What happened to the people in them?”

“Too far to see good, honey. They not coming over here. Too many other coaches between us and them. Just got call from Jeb. They on way back now. Better keep eye in sky, and tell them how to sneak in.”

“We are, mom. Be careful.”

“I okay. See you soon.”

“Any movement in the canyon?” Jasmine asked.

“Nope, not yet. There’s not very many icons left there, either. Only about twenty. The rest of the bad guys must have burned up.”

“They hit them with the white phosphorus, I suspect,” Jasmine said.

“Willie Pete,” Jane said. “Bad way to go.”

“Serves them right.”

“Uh oh,” Jane said, voice trembling.

“What?” Jasmine asked.

“I just zoomed out a ways. There’s another group of enemy icons showing up, coming east on I-80.”

Chapter 7 – Street Pickup

Jeb’s jeep led the way this time, with Malcolm’s following closely behind. They raced down the dark highway, heading for the interstate.

“Any other movement?” Jackson asked, seeing Kurt looking at his iPhone.

“At the RV Park? No, still the same number of icons. Hope Jane and Jasmine are watching. They get a lot more detailed view. I can’t tell if they’re heading towards our coaches or not with this app.”

Jeb’s phone dinged. He pulled it out and looked at it as he drove.

“The girls?” Kurt asked.

“Here, read it,” Jeb said, handing his phone over to him. “I’m about to get onto I-80.”

Kurt nodded and looked at the text message. “Uh oh.”

“What?” Jeb asked.

“There’s another group of cretins heading east on I-80.”

“Really? How many?”

“Jasmine’s saying about forty. Probably wondering why they lost contact with their away team.”

“That means they’ve probably alerted the cretins at the RV Park.”

“Probably,” Kurt replied.

“She also says that they’ll guide us into the park when we get there. We’ll want to sneak in.”

“Should we take the cretins at the park out?” Earl asked.

“No, I’d say we stick to the plan. Try to follow them to the bridge they were gonna blow, and ruin their day,” Jeb said. “We’d better make sure they can’t follow our coaches back to Kansas when we’re ready to leave.”

“Roger that,” Jackson said. “Wish we had a safer place to hang out.”

“You and me both,” Earl said.

“Well, better get ready,” Jeb said. “It’s only a couple of off ramps up.”

“Here’s your phone,” Kurt said, handing it to Jeb. “I’ll text the girls on my phone.”

Jeb nodded as Kurt sent the text.

Only 2 off-ramps away from RV Park. Should we drive in?

Jeb’s phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it.

“Jeb?”

“Hey, Malcolm. Almost there.”

“Yeah. We were thinking that we should go in first. Maybe you guys could hang back a few blocks from the park for a few minutes. We’ll call you.”

“Sounds like a plan. See you soon,” Jeb said. He put his phone back in his pocket.

“George and Malcolm are going in first. We’ll hang back for a few minutes.”

“Good,” Kurt said. His phone buzzed in his hand. “There’s the short range app kicking in. We’re within half a mile.”

“Yeah, mine went off too,” Jackson said.

“Me too,” Earl said.

They took the off-ramp, and went down a couple of blocks, looking for a good place to park.

“How about that grocery store parking lot,” Jackson said. “Looks like the store is still open.”

“Good idea,” Jeb said. He turned into the parking lot and stopped, in-between two cars, not too far from the front entrance. “Refresh your short range apps.”

“Yeah,” Kurt said.

Malcolm drove slowly onto the RV Park driveway, and input the code. The gate rolled open. It seemed so loud to him, and his heart started to beat faster.

“Should we turn off the lights?” George asked.

“I think not,” Malcolm said. “If the bad guys see us driving around with our lights off, they’ll know we’re trying to sneak in. I say we just drive in around the back of the park. They probably won’t even notice us.

“Okay,” George said.

They went slowly down the road, through rows of coaches, most of them with their lights on. There were a few people sitting on the veranda of the clubhouse, chatting and drinking beer.

“Maybe I won’t go all the way to the back,” Malcolm said. “Better to be in amongst the coaches here. We can get all the way to our space this way.”

“Yeah,” George said. They rolled along, getting to their coaches in a couple of minutes. Malcolm parked behind his, out of sight of the enemy space.

“Let’s go,” Malcolm whispered. They quietly opened the doors and got out, checking their handguns as they stood up. Heidi came out of the Tiffin and walked quickly over to George, hugging him.

“Getting a little spooky here,” she whispered. “Those enemy fighters got here and loaded a bunch of stuff into their coach. Then they went into the coaches on either side of them. I think I heard some silenced gunshots.”

“Rosie okay?” Malcolm asked.

“Yeah, we’ve been in radio contact the whole time,” Heidi said. “I just told her that you guys pulled up. Where are the others?”

“We told them to hold back for a little while,” George said. “They’re in a grocery store parking lot, about a quarter mile back.”

“Good idea,” Heidi said. “I was watching the enemy with the binoculars. I don’t think they noticed you guys.”

“That’s good,” Malcolm said. “Let’s get inside.”

George reached in and picked up the cases for the OICW and the M107. “Damn, this M107 case is warm.”

They all went into the Tiffin, and George stowed the gun cases under the bed. He grabbed the shotgun on the way out to the front of the coach. Malcolm was behind the driver’s seat, looking at the enemy with the binoculars.

“Yeah, they didn’t notice us,” Malcolm said. “They’re getting ready to leave, though. One of the guys is undoing their water and sewer now.”

“They probably heard about our handiwork,” George said, grinning.

“Did you guys kill all of them back at the canyon?” Heidi asked.

“Probably,” George said. “We thought it was too risky to go down there and poke around, but we ruined all of their vehicles. Anybody who lived through it is goint to have to walk out.”

“Good. I’m glad you guys didn’t go down there.”

“Should I call Jeb?” George asked.

“Give it a few minutes,” Malcolm said. “I think they’re going to take off any second. They’re unhooking the two coaches they hijacked, too. Rather not have them meet the boys at the gate.”

“Okay, I’ll text them,” George said, pulling out his phone.

Jeb, cretins getting ready to leave. We’ll let them go & text you. Better avoid meeting them at gate.

Heidi, why don’t you get Rosie on the radio and let her know, so she doesn’t sit there and worry.”

Heidi nodded and picked up the radio.

“Rosie?”

“I here.”

“Jeb and the others are safe. They’re parked at the grocery store. We’ll let them know when the bad guys leave, and then they’ll be back here.”

“Okay, thanks Heidi.”

George’s phone dinged. “Jeb got the message,” he said.

“There goes the main coach,” Malcolm said, watching it pull away.

“How many getting into those other coaches?” George asked.

“Looks like there was five in one, and six in the other. The main coach must be pretty full.”

“Refresh your short range apps,” George said.

“There goes number two,” Malcolm said. “Number three just pulled behind it.”

“The local app is showing they’re all in those coaches,” George said.

“You guys are going to follow them tonight, aren’t you?” Heidi asked.

“Probably,” he replied. “We can’t have them blowing up a bridge that the army needs.”

“Looks like they cleared the gate,” Malcolm said. “Watch them on the apps, or better yet, contact Jane and have her let us know when they’re on the interstate.”

“Good idea,” Heidi said. “I’ll text her.” She typed on her phone.

Jane, check bad guys heading out of park. Please let us know when they’re on the interstate.

There,” Heidi said. Her phone dinged right away. “She got it, said will do.”

“I could get used to this style of warfare,” George said, laughing. “Those guys in the canyon had no idea.”

“These cell phones aren’t very secure, though, you know,” Malcolm said. “And pretty soon the apps are going to be released. That will change the dynamic. It’ll be bad for the enemy, but it will make our operations more dangerous too.”

“True,” George said. “Hope Frank can come up with those names pretty soon.”

Heidi’s phone dinged. “It’s Jane. All three enemy coaches are on I-80, heading west. That other group that’s coming east is bogged down in traffic again. Denver must be a madhouse of evacuations.”

“I’ll tell Jeb to come on in,” Malcolm said. He typed into his phone.

“How far ahead can you guys let them get?” Heidi asked.

“We have some time,” George said. “Blowing a bridge takes a while. I think we ought to get after them when they are about 40 miles out.”

Malcolm’s phone dinged. “They’re on their way,” he said.

“Good.”

Howard’s Class C was off the interstate, cruising through the Kansas City streets.

“Park right there,” Scotty said, pointing to a spot on a quiet side street, just a block from the University.

Howard nodded and parked the class C on the curb. There were apartment buildings on both sides of the wide street.

“Okay, we’re here. What’s the plan, Scotty?”

“We wait and watch for a pretty young thing to show herself. Then I’ll show you the beauty of the passenger side coach door.”

“You grabbed them using RVs before, I take it.”

“Yeah, Howie. When everybody got cellphones, the tow truck routine got too dangerous, remember? Let’s get out of the front seats. We can watch from behind.”

Howard got up. He was throbbing with excitement. It was written all over him. Scotty noticed, and chuckled.

“Doesn’t take long, does it?”

“Stuff it,” Howard said. “I’m not happy about this.”

“You will be. Look,” Scotty said, nodding forward. A lone student was coming, phone glued to her ear, books in her arms. She looked like she was about to drop something, and she was walking fast. “Watch the master, and learn. You’ll grab the next one. Get ready to drive.”

Scotty got by the door, watching out the window. When the girl was just slightly past it, Scotty opened the door, bounded out, and grabbed her around the waist. She screamed, and her books and phone went flying. Scotty yanked her through the door, shoved her onto the couch, and slammed it shut. She continued to scream, and he slapped her across the face several times. She fainted and fell to the floor.

“Drive, idiot,” Scotty shouted, adrenalin pumping, eyes wild.

Howard jumped into the driver’s seat and took off. Scotty picked the girl up and started taking her clothes off. She came to and started screaming again. He slapped her a few more times, and continued pulling her clothes off. She started kicking and clawing. Scotty got a grin on his face as he fought her. “This is the part I love. Take us out of town. Fast.”

“Okay,” Howard said, sounding out of breath, voice trembling. He headed for the interstate and got on. “How far?”

“There’s an off ramp right outside of town,” Scotty said. The girl tried to claw his eyes, but he grabbed her wrists. “Take it and roll towards the back country. I’ll be in the back entertaining our guest.” He dragged her kicking and screaming into the bedroom and shut the door.

Howard’s heart was beating a mile a minute. He could hear the struggle going on, the girl’s screaming, and Scotty laughing like a maniac. He knew what was going on back there. He was ready for his turn. He drove faster. No traffic. Good, he thought. His wickedness was awake again. His only thought was to enjoy the prey…enjoy the kill. He knew how he’d feel afterwards. He’d feel free for the first time in years.

Jeb drove the jeep next to his coach, and everybody got out. He rushed to the door, going inside and giving Rosie a hug. She started to cry, but had a big smile on her face.

“I told you it’d be alright,” Jeb said.

“It not over,” Rosie said. “But you do good.”

Jeb nodded. “I know, we have to be after the others. In a little while.”

The rest of the men came into the coach, and went to the fridge. They pulled out snacks and soft drinks.

“How long until we follow them?” Kurt asked.

“Don’t know,” Jeb said. “Let’s go talk to Malcolm and George.”

Just then there was a knock on the door. Malcolm, George, and Heidi came in.

“Nice job,” George said, smiling.

“Same to you,” Jackson said. “We make a pretty damn good team.”

“Sure do,” Malcolm said. “We aren’t done yet, though.”

“Yeah, we know,” Jeb said. “How much of a lead should we give them?”

“Maybe forty minutes, max,” George said. “Once they get to the bridge, it’ll take them close to an hour to get the charges set. We should arrive when they’re busy.”

“Just what I was thinking,” Earl said.

“Jane and Jasmine are still watching,” Jeb said. “I’ll text them, and ask that they let us know if they stop somewhere.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Malcolm said.

Jeb picked up his phone and typed.

Girls, we’re all safe, giving cretins some lead time before we go get them. Let us know if they stop anywhere. We don’t know which bridge they’re headed for.

He got an immediate response.

On it. Be careful.

“They’re on it,” Jeb said.

“Good. This is going to be a different kind of operation,” George said. “It’ll be more dangerous.”

“Yeah,” Jeb said. “We probably won’t have cover.”

“They’re going to be watching, too,” Malcolm said. “Assuming they know what we just did. And now we have that second group coming.”

“Yeah, better check on them,” Kurt said. He pulled out his phone and loaded the long range app. “They’re trying to link up. I’ll bet they’re coming to guard the folks blowing the bridge.”

“Shit,” George said. “We should go now, and take out those coaches on the road.”

“Yeah, if we wait until they’re working, we might not be able to get to them,” Malcolm said.

“Agreed. Saddle up, guys,” Jeb said. “We can probably catch up to them if we leave now.”

The men grabbed their weapons and got back in their jeeps. Heidi stayed in Jeb’s coach with Rosie this time.

Jeb led the way, Malcolm following, as they quickly drove out of the RV Park.

“We still have some grenades left, right?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah, we didn’t use any of those at the canyon,” Jackson said. “We’ve still got the mortars, too. I could set one up fast.”

“Any Willie Pete left?” Kurt asked.

“Only one,” Earl said. “The rest are conventional.”

“If that main coach is full of explosives, a regular round would be better anyway,” Jeb said. “One of you should be on the app at all times.”

“I’m on it,” Jackson said.

“Me too,” Earl said.

In Malcom’s jeep, George was trying to re-arrange the weapons.

“Ever drive this thing with the windshield folded down?” he asked.

Malcolm laughed. “I know what you’re thinking. You want to use the M107.

“Yeah, I could rest the tripod on the hood,” George said.

“Well, I think that’s a great idea, but let’s not put down that windshield until we get closer. Neither of us have goggles.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think of our friends?” Malcolm asked.

“One of the best groups I’ve ever worked with. I can’t believe they’re amateurs. They’re battle hardened.”

“Yes, but that’s not all. The support team. Frank, of course, with his apps and hacking ability, but also Jane and Jasmine and several of the others.”

“Wars aren’t only fought on the front lines,” George said.

“I’m enjoying the hell out of this, and we haven’t even gotten to the Nighthawk case yet.”

George’s phone dinged. So did Malcolm’s.

“Text coming in,” George said, pulling his phone out. “Jane. That other group of enemy fighters just got past the Denver traffic jam; they’re heading towards the other group in a hurry.”

“How far away are our targets?”

“Looks like about twenty miles. We’re gaining on them slowly but surely.”

“We’re going to beat the other group to them, though, right?” Malcolm asked.

“Oh, yeah. By over an hour,” George said. “You know they might not be heading for the demolition team, though, right? They might be going to rescue the larger team.”

“I know,” Malcolm said. “We won’t know until after we’ve taken out the demolition team.”

“Maybe we should lay off the Willie Pete this time. Might help us if their chips are still working.”

“Thinking about a trap, huh?”

“Well, yeah,” George said. “If the chips stop in a place where they shouldn’t, it might draw the larger group over to investigate.”

Malcolm laughed. “I almost wish these apps weren’t going into wide distribution. This is too much fun.”

“If they don’t, I think we’ll lose a lot of citizens.”

“I said almost,” Malcolm said.

George chuckled.

Back at the Kansas Park, Jane and Jasmine were still at their laptops.

“Getting tired?” Jasmine asked.

“Yeah, but we can’t stop now,” she said. “Not with our guys still in the thick of things. Hope they’re not getting too tired.”

“They’re going to beat that new group to the smaller team, at least,” Jasmine said. “What’s going on back at the canyon?”

“There was one icon that moved slowly for about twenty yards. Probably crawling. Then it stopped. I’m guessing dead or unconscious.”

“Good,” Jasmine said. “No other movement out of the Denver area?”

“Not that I can see,” Jane said. “There are still icons moving into the Denver area from the west, though.”

“Where are all these folks coming from?”

“I’ll zoom out and take a look,” Jane said. “Canada. A new route has been opened up, from the look of it.”

“The demolition team is slowing down,” Jasmine said. “I think they’re getting off the road.”

“I’ll text the guys,” Jane said. She started typing on her phone.

Enemy slowed, probably off interstate now.

“They stopped,” Jasmine said, “but there’s one problem I see.”

“What’s that?”

“There’s no river there. Not in miles and miles. What bridge are they going to blow up there? Maybe it’s not their final destination.”

“I’ll look at Google Earth. Coordinates?”

“Looks like about 41 degrees north by about 103 degrees west,” Jasmine said.

Jane studied her screen as Google Earth found it. She zoomed in.

“There it is. This is brilliant, really,” Jane said.

“What?”

“The railroad that goes into Denver,” Jane said. “It’s under an I-80 overpass. They blow that, they take out both the best rail route and a major highway route towards Denver.”

“Better text the guys,” Jasmine said.

“Yeah.”

Chapter 8 – Roadside Inferno

“We’re only about three miles out,” Jeb said. “Let’s keep our eyes open.”

“All three coaches look like they’re together,” Earl said, looking at the app.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m seeing,” Jackson said. “That other group is a long ways off. Maybe we can take out these guys, and then lay in wait for the second group.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jeb said.

Kurt’s phone rang.

“Kurt.”

“Malcolm here. We’re going to stop for just a second.”

“Why?”

“George has this hair-brained idea that we should fold the windshield down and stick the M107 out there.”

“You know, that’s a damn good idea. We’ll slow down for a few minutes.” Kurt put his phone back in his pocket.

“What?” Jeb asked.

“Slow down for a few minutes. Malcolm’s going to pull over, so they can fold the front windshield down.”

“Why?”

“So they can stick the M107 out the front and wail away at the enemy.”

Jeb started laughing. “Cool. Rat Patrol.”

“What’s Rat Patrol?” asked Jackson.

The other three men started laughing. “Kids,” Jeb said. “Wonder why they never re-run that one?”

“Good question,” Kurt said. “Always wanted a jeep when I was a kid. It was because of that show.”

“I’m surprised Earl remembers it,” Jeb said.

“My dad loved that show,” Earl said. “He bought all the episodes on VHS. I thought it was stupid until I actually sat down and watched it.”

“Somebody going to tell me about this?” Jackson asked.

“It was a show about World War II, set in North Africa,” Earl told him. “The US Army had jeeps with machine guns mounted in the back. They used them to go after the Germans. I’ll never forget the shots of those jeeps flying over sand dunes, catching air, with the machine guns blazing.”

“Oh, I get it,” Jackson said. “Cool.”

“How’s George gonna control that M107 when it’s not tied down?” Kurt asked.

“Well, I doubt that they’ll be catching any air going over sand dunes,” Jeb said, laughing. “Going down a straight smooth highway, it’s probably doable. I’d fold this one down if we didn’t have the rag top on it.”

“Here they come,” Jackson said, looking back. “Damn, the barrel on that sucker looks huge.”

“Seriously,” Earl said. “Better start slowing down. We’re getting close. Glad there’s a moon out.”

“Look, there they are, just past the off-ramp,” Kurt said. “Do we go down the ramp, or past?” Just then Kurt’s phone rang. He answered.

“See them there?”

“Yeah, Malcolm. Going down?”

“We can see all three coaches from the road. We’re going to stop and wail away at them with the M107. We’ll try to concentrate on the original coach, since we know it’s got explosives in it. Why don’t you guys go past the bridge and hit them from the other side?”

“Sounds good. We have some grenades left.”

“Perfect, Kurt. Talk to you in a few minutes.”

“Go past the bridge a little ways, then we’ll attack them from that side,” Kurt said. “Maybe lob some grenades down on them.”

Jeb nodded and kept driving, going over the bridge and down about fifty yards. “I don’t think they can see us here.” He pulled over to the side, and the men jumped out with their weapons and grenades, just as they heard the M107 open up.

“Thar she blows,” Jeb shouted. They ran over to the bridge in the darkness. One of the motorhomes was already on fire, lighting the whole area under the bridge. A second coach was smoking, but the original one was still rolling, attempting to escape down an access road. Jeb and Kurt opened up, shooting at the tires. A rifle barrel came out one of the side windows and started shooting at them, but it was too late. Two tires were done, and the coach sank. The M107 opened up on it again. Jackson ran up close to the bridge with a grenade and threw it. It didn’t get under the coach, but it got close enough. It went off about three feet on one side, and the hot shrapnel hit the gas tank, causing a fire to start. Men were running out of the door in a panic as the fire started to rage, but Malcom and George were hitting them as they ran. Then the motorhome exploded, lifting up in the air about three feet and then falling down, losing its driver’s side wall and part of the back end.

“Wow,” Jackson said. Then a bullet whizzed by his head, followed by more rounds from several other AK-47s. He dropped, and crawled over to the edge of the bridge, another grenade in his hand. He pulled the pin and tossed it down. It went off, and then there was silence, until the second motorhome caught fire. Somebody screamed from inside, and then took off running through the door. Kurt and Jeb opened up, sending him sprawling to the ground with several bullets in him.

“Got any grenades left?” Malcolm shouted.

“Yeah,” Jackson yelled back.

“See if you can roll one underneath that last coach.”

After that, several men rushed out of that coach with their hands up.

“Guess they know English. No prisoners,” Jeb shouted. All of the men opened up on them, while Jackson pulled the pin and tossed the grenade under the coach. It blew up and became an inferno right away.

“This is why we don’t want to get into a battle on the road,” Kurt said, looking at the three ruined coaches in flames. “A motorhome is a rolling tinder box.”

“Seriously,” Earl said.

They waited for a few minutes. It was silent below.

“Should we go down there and check it out?” Kurt asked.

“There might be somebody waiting for us down there,” Jackson said. “I didn’t see enough men show themselves.”

“Wait a minute, there goes George,” Jeb said, pointing. He was carrying the assault rifle that Malcolm brought.

There was some gunfire, and then some shouting in Arabic. Malcolm got behind the M107, aimed it, and fired. There were screams down below, and then another man ran out from under the bridge. Jeb’s rifle cracked, and he hit the ground dead.

“All clear,” George shouted, coming out into the open. “Let’s meet over there, in front of that bluff.”

Jeb looked over at the bluff. “I think I know what he has in mind,” he said. “We can see the whole area from there. Good place to ambush the other group.”

“If the other group comes here,” Kurt said. “I’m still not convinced they’re on their way here. I think they might have been sent to the canyon.”

“Well, let’s go over there and see what they’re thinking,” Jeb said. The men walked back to their jeep and took off across the bridge, linking up with Malcolm and George on the other side.

“Nicely done,” Jeb said, getting out of the jeep. The others bailed out, and looked up at the bluff. “You’re thinking we should take the jeeps up there?”

“Good vantage point, from the look of things down here,” Malcolm said.

“If they’re sending forty men, they’re going to be in a lot of vehicles,” Kurt said. “We might be biting off more than we can chew, unless we can wait until they go down under the bridge and bunch up. I wouldn’t count on that, unless they’re really stupid.”

Jeb’s phone dinged. “Text message coming in,” he said, pulling the phone out of his pocket. He got a strange look on his face, a mixture of fear and relief.

“What is it?” George asked.

“The second group of cretins turned around. They’re high-tailing it back to the Denver area.”

“They know we can see them,” Malcolm said.

“I’d say that’s a pretty sure bet,” Kurt said. “What now?”

“Let’s go back to the RV Park and get some shut-eye,” George said. “Then go to Kansas in the morning.”

“Yeah,” Kurt said. “We’ll be able to see anybody else coming.”

“I’m good with that,” Jeb said. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m bushed.”

The men got back into their jeeps and headed for Sidney.

Howard drove the Class C east on the interstate, until they were just outside of Kansas City. He pulled off onto a small highway. The bedroom was still noisy. Lots of bumping noises and grunts, but no more screams. He hoped she wasn’t dead yet. That wouldn’t do. There was a dirt road coming up, which curved off into a stand of trees several hundred yards down, bordering the back pasture of a farm. He turned onto that and drove the heavily rutted road, the coach bouncing and creaking, pots and pans making noise in the kitchen cabinets. He slowed down some more, but he wanted to go faster. He couldn’t wait to get back there. Suddenly the bedroom door slid open.

“She’s all yours, old friend,” Scotty said, pulling his pants back on.

“She still alive?”

“Yeah,” he said. “She passed out, though. Had a lot of fight in her. She’s stronger than she looks, so be careful. I’m thinking soccer or track, maybe softball.”

“These trees look okay?” Howard asked, his adrenalin building fast.

“Yeah, it’ll do. I’ll keep watch. Enjoy.”

Howard parked, and practically leaped out of his seat, rushing back as Scotty chuckled, a smug look on his face. The door slid shut, and then there was a scream as the victim woke up again. It sounded like a brawl was going on in there. Scotty chuckled again, and went out to the front passenger seat. He started to work out his disposal plans as he looked out the windshield.

Jane and Jasmine sat, staring at their laptops with tired eyes.

“Well, the boys are going back to Sidney, and they’ll be here in the morning,” Jane said. “I say we hang it up for the night.”

“Agreed,” Jasmine said. “It was a good day.”

“Yes,” Jane said, as she shut down her laptop. When it was off, she closed the lid and slowly got off the stool, shaking her legs.

“Yeah, I’m a little stiff too,” Jasmine said. “That was a long time in the saddle.” She shut the top on her laptop, and they left the barn, walking back to their coaches.

“You think the other group turned around because they know we can see them?” Jasmine asked.

“That makes the most sense, but who knows,” Jane said. “It’s possible that they just needed the men for something else.”

“We did poke the hornet’s nest, you know,” Jasmine said. “It’s liable to come back and bite us.”

“Maybe, but I’m too tired to think about that now. See you in the morning,” Jane said. She walked to her coach and quietly entered, trying not to wake up Frank. Lucy came running to the door, jumping up and down.

“Quiet down, girl,” she whispered. “I know you were out earlier.”

She walked into the bedroom, stripped, and climbed carefully into bed. Frank didn’t even stir.

Sun broke through the gaps in the curtains, hitting Terry in the face, waking him. He looked over at Trish, still sleeping, light brown hair spilled over the pillow. He sighed. How did I get so lucky?

He tried to get out of bed without waking her, but she stirred and turned towards him, groggy.

“Sorry,” Terry said.

“I need to wake up anyway,” she said lazily, smiling. “I guess you aren’t tired of me yet.”

“Well, we are still newlyweds, you know,” he said as he pulled on a t-shirt. He smiled at her. “I love you more every day.”

“I know, me too,” she said, pulling back the covers and sitting up. Terry sucked in air when he saw her uncovered, and she looked over at him, her eyes dancing. “You want to get back into bed, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Terry said.

“Well, later,” she said. “We’re going to have a busy day today.”

“You think we’re going to have to leave?”

“No. At least I hope not,” she said, getting dressed. “The away team should be back, with our guests.”

“Oh,” Terry said. “I’m a little nervous about them.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” she said. “I’d worry about the former owner of this park, though. I don’t think those guys would bother coming here if they thought he was dead.”

“That thought has crossed my mind,” Terry said. “I’m glad we got the trailers ready to go.”

“Me too,” Trish said, looking around it as she walked out of the bedroom. “This little home of ours is really growing on me. It’s so cozy.”

“Yes,” Terry said. “It’ll be a nice start for us.”

“We need to talk about something,” she said, as she filled the coffee pot with water and put it on a burner. She looked serious.

“Uh oh, should I be worried?”

“No, silly,” she said, seeing his concern. “I’m heading into my most fertile time. I can feel it.”

“Oh, really,” Terry said, smiling. “You want me to use birth control?”

“Maybe, but I want the two of us to decide on it,” she said. “What do you think?”

“Do you want to be pregnant during this?”

“I’m craving that, but maybe that’s all emotion. Maybe we should use our heads instead of our hearts.”

“I’ll go along with whatever you think is best,” Terry said.

“No, you aren’t going to get away with that,” she said, looking at him seriously. “Not with me. I’m not going to decide. We’re going to decide.” She turned towards the counter and grabbed the can of coffee, spooning some into the percolator’s brew basket.

“You want my head or my heart?” Terry asked, walking over to her, putting his arms around her shoulders and neck from behind, pulling her close.

“Both,” she said, putting her hands on his arms and settling into him.

“Good. I think they agree, actually,” he said. “But turnabout is fair play. I’ll tell you what I want, but that doesn’t make the decision.”

“I know,” she said, turning around towards him, looking into his eyes.

“I don’t think we should make the final decision right this minute, but I’ll tell you what my gut tells me,” he said.

“Okay,” she said, trying to read his eyes.

“I want you pregnant.”

She continued to watch his eyes. Then she looked down for a moment, pulling him closer.

“Alright,” she said. “That’s what my heart wants too. My head’s going to need some time to wrap itself around it. I’ll tell you what I think tomorrow morning. Then we’ll talk some more. Fair enough?”

“Yes,” he said. He raised her chin with his hand and kissed her.

Jane woke up with a start, thinking she must have overslept. She felt over where Frank should be, but he wasn’t there. What time is it? Her phone said 9:30. Urrggg. She got up, dressed in a hurry, and headed to the clubhouse.

“Good morning, honey,” she said, as she approached Frank. Lucy ran over and jumped at her shins, tail wagging. He looked up from his monitor briefly, smiled, and then looked back down. He needs to keep at it, she thought to herself. She got a cup of coffee from the big pot in the kitchen, and then went out to the barn and turned on her laptop.

“Morning, Jane,” Jasmine said as she walked up. “Sleep well?”

“Overslept.”

“Me too,” Jasmine said, opening her laptop and turning it on. “Frank back at it?”

“Yeah, he didn’t even want to talk. He was up before I was.”

“Jerry’s been burning up the internet with his iPad,” Jasmine said.

“About what?”

“Serial killer activity around here, and stuff about Malcolm and George.”

“He worried?” asked Jane.

“No, I think he’s more fascinated. He’s been keeping track of what the away team’s been doing, too. I filled in some blanks for him after I got back to the coach last night. I think he’s at the point where he looks at Malcolm and George more as good guys than bad guys.”

“I guess I should text Jeb and see where they’re at.”

“I already talked to mom,” Jasmine said. “They’re on their way here, should be here in about an hour and a half.”

“Good,” Jane said. “Any activity with the enemy?”

“All quiet,” Jasmine said. “I did a search before I left the coach. Icons under the bridge and in the canyon unchanged. Same number, no movement.”

“I’m surprised.”

“Why?” asked Jasmine.

“Don’t you think the authorities would have been out there to clean up by now? Maybe not in the canyon, but at that bridge, at least. You have to be able to see those burned out coaches from the road.”

“Good point,” Jasmine said.

“Oh!” Jane said, looking at her screen. “There we go. I can see movement at the bridge. Looks like the bodies are being carried. One vehicle full is driving towards Sidney right now, too.”

“Hopefully the coroner,” Jasmine said.

“Nothing at the canyon yet,” Jane said. “Wonder if the TV news has anything yet?”

“Good question. We could go check in the clubhouse.”

“No, let’s leave Frank alone in there,” Jane said. “He might be on the verge of cracking the security around that names file.”

“Okay,” Jasmine said.

“Hey!” Jane said. “All of the icons around the bridge just disappeared.”

“Maybe the paramedics did something,” Jasmine said.

“Maybe,” Jane said. “The ones on the road to Sidney disappeared too. That’s odd.”

“Uh oh, maybe the enemy is on to us,” Jasmine said, looking white as a sheet. “I’ll check the Canyon.”

“I’m looking at it now,” Jane said. “Nothing. All of the icons are gone.”

“Shit!” Jasmine said. Just then Jerry ran into the clubhouse.

“Something’s wrong,” he said, trying to catch his breath. “All of the icons in Denver just dropped off the screen.”

“Oh no,” Jane said. “They know. They changed something.”

“Or they took their chips out,” Jerry said.

“I doubt that,” Jane said.

“Why?” Jasmine asked.

“Think about it,” Jane said. “We just saw the bodies being moved out of the bridge area. Those folks were dead. They couldn’t have removed their chips, and I doubt the coroner would do that, either, especially timed right with the rest of them going dark.”

“You’re right,” Jasmine said, “and just because the chips are out, doesn’t mean they’re invisible. They’d have to be destroyed or shielded for us not to see them.”

“Yeah, this had to be a system change,” Jerry said. “If the timing wasn’t right on, I’d be worried that it isn’t the coroner at the bridge. The timing is too much of a coincidence. We’d better go talk to Frank.”

“Okay,” Jane said. “C’mon.”

“Should we tell the snipers to get on the roofs?” Jasmine asked.

“Not yet,” Jane said. “We know there were no live ones any closer than about four hours out.”

The three trotted over to the clubhouse.

“Frank!” Jane said. “All of the icons have disappeared.”

Frank stood up and looked over at them as they approached, still deep in thought.

“Frank!”

Chapter 9 – Canadian Passage

“Frank!” Jane cried, as the others studied him. He looked like he was waking up.

“Don’t worry,” Frank said, finally paying attention. “I knew they’d do this. The apps are searching for the new keys now. Shouldn’t take more than about fifteen minutes.”

Jerry looked at his phone. “Can I tell it’s doing that?”

“No, I didn’t build an indicator into the program for that. Maybe I should.”

“What if they start doing this really often? During a battle, for instance?” Jerry asked.

“They won’t,” Frank said. “It’s a really big job for them.”

Jane walked over to Frank and hugged him. She had a look of relief on her face. “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” Frank said. “This tells me that they’re onto us now, though. It might change things a little.”

“Think they’ll take out the chips?” Jerry asked.

“I doubt it,” Frank said. “That’s their whole command and control system. They’d have to halt operations, at least for a while.”

“You looked like you just woke out of a sleep when we came in,” Jane said. “What’s going on?”

Frank smiled. “I think I cracked the problem. I was getting ready to run a test when you guys came in.”

“Good, you keep at it, Frank,” Jane said. “We’ll just wait over there.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

“Let’s go in the kitchen and get more coffee,” Jerry said. They walked over there and stayed for a while, quietly chatting, Jerry checking his phone every couple of minutes.

“Hey, the icons are back,” Jerry said, grinning.

Jasmine looked at her phone. “Yep, they are. Looks like the meat wagons picked up everybody from the bridge site. Icons moving along in several vehicles, towards Sidney.”

“Good,” Jane said. “Maybe we ought to leave Frank alone.”

“Yeah,” Jerry said. They walked out of the kitchen, heading towards the door. “Thanks, Frank. They’re back.”

Frank nodded, and went back to the PC as they left the room.

“Well, that was scary,” Jasmine said. “Let’s make sure the PC apps are working again.”

Jane nodded, and they the two of them went back to the barn. Jerry went back to the coach and picked up his iPad. It was back to normal - icons showed up in all the places he expected. He went back to his reading about Malcolm and George.

Scotty sat in the passenger side front seat of Howard’s Class C. The noise was still coming from the bedroom. “Hey, better wrap it up,” he shouted.

“In a minute,” Howard shouted back, sounding out of breath.

Scotty got a wicked smile on his face. He wished they weren’t on the road. This one would last a while in the dungeon. A lot of them don’t.

Howard finally came out, dressed again.

“You kill her?” Scotty asked.

“No, she passed out again. Want to tie her up?”

“No, we’ll have to dispose of her and get moving,” Scotty said. “I want to leave a trail going in the direction of Ohio.”

“How should we do it?”

“I’ll let you make the choice,” Scotty said. “Enjoy, and then hang her in one of the trees.”

“You want to use any of our markers?”

“Of course,” Scotty said. “Like I said, I want to lead a trail going east.”

“You don’t think you’re going to re-settle at the park, do you?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Scotty said, smiling. “It has lots of features that I’ve missed.”

“People in town are going to recognize you. They all think you’re dead.”

“How many are we really talking about, Howie? It’s been a few years, and most of the folks I knew that stuck around were dad’s friends. If they aren’t dead yet, they’re close. All of my buddies blew that burg years ago. No work.”

Howard thought about it for a few minutes. “You have a point, I guess,” he said. “There’s a few older folks that are still there, but they’re too old to get around anymore. Shut-ins. Some of your old friends do show up from time to time, though. Visiting the old folks, mainly. You won’t be able to hang around town a lot without taking on some risk. There’s somebody you aren’t thinking about, too.”

“Who?”

“Sherry.”

“She’s back? I thought she moved to Hawaii with that dweeb.”

“He up and died on her, so she moved back in with her mom a few years ago. Then mom passed, and she took over the old house.”

“Hmmm, how did hubby die?”

“Accident,” Howard said. “Wait, you don’t think…”

“She didn’t want to stop the game, remember? That guy knocked her up.”

“Oh, yeah, the kid,” Howard said. “She doesn’t have a kid with her anymore.”

“Well, that is interesting,” Scotty said. “Maybe we can rekindle.”

“Don’t you think she’d be back at it if she wanted to? Now that her mom’s gone, she has no supervision. She could have at it. That old house has a huge basement, remember?”

“She got friends?”

“Not that I’ve heard,” Howard said. “I ran into her at the grocery store a while back. She looks good for her age.”

“You didn’t try to move in?”

“C’mon, Scotty, I’m a lot older than her, you know. She’s closer to your age.”

“Didn’t seem to matter before.”

“That was about twelve years ago, in the heat of the game. We didn’t have a thing, anyway. She was always interested in you.”

“Nah, she was always interested in herself,” Scotty said. “I’ll have to poke around about her hubby. I’ll bet she took him out.”

Something fell in the bedroom. Scotty and Howard grinned at each other.

“Our plaything is awake,” Scotty said. “Know how you’re going to do her?”

“I’ll drag her outside and strangle her,” Howard said, getting up. “I like that look they get in their eyes.”

He walked back into the bedroom.

“We get close,” Rosie said, looking out the windshield from the passenger seat.

“Yeah, the road is coming up,” Jeb said. “It’s a little hard to see, but that’s good. Kurt, probably time to call our friends and let them know.”

Kurt nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Malcolm?”

“Yeah, Kurt, we getting close?”

“Yep, just a mile or two away from the small road. We’ll be making a left turn, then we’ve got another five miles or so. The road’s thin and a little bumpy, so we’ll have to slow down a tad.”

“Roger that. Thanks, Kurt. I’ll call George.”

“Thanks, Malcolm.”

Kurt stuck his phone back in his pocket. “I’m anxious to ask Frank about that outage we had a little while ago.”

“Seriously,” Earl said. “That was scary.”

“Remember what he said,” Jeb said. “If the enemy changed the frequency or the code, the apps will figure it out and adjust.”

“I don’t remember him saying that,” Jackson said.

“Maybe he told me about it when we were walking around back at Gabe’s place,” Jeb said.

Jeb made the turn. Malcolm and George followed.

It took another ten minutes to get to the front gate. Jeb drove in, and went directly to his space. George and Malcolm pulled up into the staging area next to the office and the clubhouse. Mary saw the coaches drive in, and hurried out to Jeb’s coach. Kurt got out and she rushed into his arms.

“Oh, honey, I’m so glad you’re back,” she said, resting her head against his chest.

“You and me both, sweetie,” He said. Jackson and Earl came out with their weapons in hand, smiling. They went to their coaches to drop them off. Then Jeb helped Rosie out the door.

“Good to be back,” she said, smiling. “Where daughter?”

“I’m here, mom,” Jasmine said, running out to meet her. Jerry came out of his coach and trotted over. Charlie, Hilda, and the Sheriff walked over too, beaming.

“Hell of a nice job, guys,” Charlie said.

“Thanks,” Jeb said. “Missed you guys. No problems here, I hope.”

“Nah, it’s been quiet,” the Sheriff said. “We’d better go greet our guests.”

“Yeah,” Hilda said. “I’ll go make sure we’ve got plenty of coffee. Will you guys round up the others?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said. He started off towards the trailers to round up Gabe, Dobie, Jake, Trish, and Terry. The Sheriff joined him.

Jake saw them walking up. “Time to meet our guests?” he asked.

“Yep,” Charlie said. The others heard and came out of their trailers.

“Nobody got hurt?” Trish asked.

“Not a scratch,” Charlie said, smiling.

“Great,” Terry said.

“Let’s go,” the Sheriff said. They walked towards the clubhouse.

It only took a few minutes for everybody to gather in the clubhouse. Hilda had the big coffee pot brewing a fresh batch. Malcolm, George, and Heidi walked in together, chatting with Jeb and Rosie. They got up to the front of the room, and the group gave them a round of applause. Then Charlie stood up and addressed the group.

“Thanks for coming,” he said. “As you see, we’ve got some guests.”

“Hi folks,” Malcolm said. “Thanks. I hope we can turn out to be good friends and allies.”

George and Heidi nodded in approval.

“Okay, let’s do introductions, for those that you haven’t met yet,” Charlie said. “Frank is over there at the PC. He’s responsible for those apps you guys have been using.”

“Kudos on that,” George said. “I think it’s going to turn the tide of the war.”

Frank nodded, smiling, looking a little embarrassed.

“Next to him is his wife Jane.”

“Oh, we know who she is,” Malcolm said. “And Jasmine too. You two were our eyes and ears on these operations. Nicely done.”

“Thanks,” said Jane, smiling. Jasmine looked over, grinning.

“They’re good in a fight, too,” Jeb said.

“Yes, they are,” Charlie said. “This is my wife Hilda next to me.”

“Glad to meet you,” Malcolm said. “That coffee smells good. Thanks.”

“It’ll be ready in a few minutes,” she said, smiling.

“Over there is the Sheriff,” Charlie continued. “Excellent tracker and marksman.”

“Sheriff?” Malcolm asked. “Active?”

“Afraid not,” the Sheriff said. “Got my town shot out from under me.”

“That was a town back in Utah, near Hilda’s RV Park,” Charlie said. “It got overrun by the enemy, same attack that killed General Walker.”

“I’d love to see any info you have on that,” George said. “General Walker was one of my best friends, back when I was in Special Forces.”

“We have a bunch of video you can review,” Jerry said, “from the security camera system we set up at Hilda’s park. It shows the leadership. Some of it’s hard to watch, though.”

George nodded.

“Oh, that’s Jerry, by the way. Jasmine’s husband,” Charlie said.

“Good to meet you,” George said.

“Over there we have Jake, Gabe, Dobie, Terry, and Trish,” Charlie said.

“We’ll need to get you introduced to the guard dogs,” Dobie said. “After this, perhaps.”

“Sure,” Malcolm said. “Thanks.”

“The lovely lady next to Kurt over there is his wife Mary,” Charlie said.

“Ah, the doctor,” Malcolm said. “I was impressed with your husband.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I’m proud of him, but I’m glad he’s back.”

“I think that’s everybody,” Charlie said.

“Good, because the coffee’s ready,” Hilda said.

People started to get up and head for the kitchen. George made a beeline for Jerry and Frank.

“Tell me about this video,” George said.

“It’s grizzly stuff,” Frank said. “The end of the video shows General Walker, Major Hobbs, and the doc with their heads on spikes.”

“Animals,” George said. “Any idea who the leadership is?”

“There’s a guy named Philip who’s the militia leader, a tech guy named Daan Mertens, and the Islamist leader who goes by the nickname Saladin.”

“Wonder if it’s the same Saladin I know,” George said. “I’ll probably be able to tell from the video.”

“You knew him?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, he was my opponent in the last engagement I participated in,” George said. “He’s the only one that got away. General Walker went up against him a couple of times, too.”

“We know where he is,” Jerry said.

“Well, we’re pretty sure anyway,” Frank said. “We know where the number one ranking Islamist is.”

“How can you tell, when you don’t have names?” George asked.

“The chips have a couple of codes that are useful,” Frank said. “Rank, from one to about sixteen, and country. USA is number one. We know what the Islamist country codes are, but we can’t tell exactly which country.”

“So I take it you see a number one from an Islamic country somewhere?”

“Yeah, Capitol Reef National Park,” Jerry said.

“How did you figure out these codes?” George asked.

“We captured a bunch of chips and kept track of who they came out of,” Frank said. “We had a rank 3 militia guy’s chip, for example. A man named Simon Orr. We also captured a medium rank Islamist, and a bunch of grunts, both Militia and Islamist. We have a pretty good idea what we’re looking at.”

“How many number 1 ranked folks can you see?” George asked.

“Two – the one in Capitol Reef, and one at the base that we think General Hogan is being held at,” Jerry said.

“You’re ex-military, aren’t you, Jerry?” George asked.

“Yep,” he said. “It’s come in handy.”

“I’ll bet,” George said. “I’d say General Hogan is our highest priority.”

“Agreed,” Jerry said. “I hope he’s still alive. We don’t think that whole base is under enemy control, just a building. That PC app that Frank developed is telling us that.”

“Which base?” George asked.

“Schiever,” Jerry said. “Colorado.”

“Shit, that’s Satellite Ops,” George said. “Bad place to have enemy operatives.”

“Yeah, we were thinking the same thing,” Jerry said.

“That’s going to be a hard place to assault,” Frank said. “We need to figure out who we can trust at that base.”

“I still have some connections,” George said. “I’m going to go get a cup of coffee, if you don’t mind. Be back in a few minutes.”

Jerry and Frank watched him walk off.

“Well?” Jerry asked.

“I’m glad they’re here,” Frank said. “It’ll be interesting to see if they change their focus after they see that dungeon.”

“Wonder if anybody spilled the beans yet?”

“Maybe,” Frank said. “We didn’t talk about it beforehand.”

“I’m actually kind of anxious to see what they think about it,” Jerry said. “I’ve been researching the killings for the last day or so. I don’t think the guy stopped after he left here. I’m not so sure he got blown up in Jersey, either.”

“It would be good if they kept focus on the enemy for a brief period,” Frank said.

“There’s a ‘but’ in there,” Jerry said. “Out with it.”

“The person who broke into the PC,” Frank said. “It had to be the former owner. It’s the only theory that makes sense. He knows we’re here. We might get a visit.”

“If the killer shows up here, he’ll get a nasty surprise.”

“Hopefully,” Frank said. “Things don’t always work out as you’d expect, though.”

“Here they come,” Jerry said. “You know how you want to handle it?”

“Yeah,” Frank said.

Dobie caught them as they were on the way, and escorted them outside.

“Introduction time,” Jerry said.

“Just as well,” Frank said. “I’m about ready to run a test. Want to watch?”

“What are you going to do?”

“Keep the security bots busy with a low level attack, and see if I can download a file.”

“The names file?”

“No, not yet,” Frank said. “I want to make sure this works before I tip our hand.”

“Makes sense, although they do know we can see them now,” Jerry said. “Hope they aren’t smart enough to delete the files we need.”

“You and me both,” Frank said. “Here goes.” He typed some commands and waited.

“Wow, they attack fast,” Jerry said.

“Yep,” Frank said. “Let’s grab that file.”

“What’s in it?”

“Who cares?” Frank said. He clicked on it, and the download started. He watched as the progress bar moved along.

“Got it!” Jerry said.

Frank shut off his attack right away.

“How’d you solve it?”

“I programmed a bot just like theirs to do the download. It got ignored by the security bots.”

“Oh,” Jerry said. “So you get a conventional attack going to keep the bots busy, and then you launch the phony bot?”

“Exactly,” Frank said. “Let’s see what this file has in it.”

Frank opened it as Jerry watched.

“It’s encrypted,” Jerry said.

“Of course. It’s okay, I know their algorithm now.” He brought up another program and typed in some commands. A new file appeared and opened up, with the un-encrypted contents.

“Holy crap,” Jerry said. “That’s the contacts and routes for the enemy fighters coming down from Canada.”

“Yep,” Frank said, chuckling. “This might be as important as the names file. Wonder if George has a good contact for this info.”

“Well, here he comes,” Jerry said, nodding over to the door. George saw them looking, and walked over with Heidi, as Malcolm walked over to the kitchen to get more coffee.

“You guys need me?” George asked.

“I just figured out how to download files from the enemy system,” Frank said.

“You get the names file?” Heidi asked.

“Ah, you know about that?” Frank asked, smiling.

“Jane, Jasmine, and I had some conversation,” he said.

“Good,” Frank said. “Yes, I’m working on getting the names file, and I’ve got a method to do that now, but I wanted to try it out on another file first, so the enemy wouldn’t figure out what we were after. You won’t believe what we’ve got here.” He turned the screen towards George and Heidi. George’s mouth dropped open.

“Holy shit,” George said.

“Yeah,” Jerry said, chuckling.

“You have a trustworthy contact who could use this info?” Frank asked.

“Yeah,” George said. He pulled out his phone and hit a contact.

“Sam?”

“George? How the hell are you?”

“Good, Sam. How are you?”

“Been better. We’ve got real problems. I don’t suppose you’d like to come back?”

“Nah, but I think I have some info that you might be able to use.”

“What kind of info?”

“My drop box is still active. I’ll send it to you through there.”

“Okay, George. You don’t want to tell me what it is?”

“Not over this line. How much of your team do you trust?”

“My immediate team? All of them. A few layers down? It gets spotty.”

“Keep this one close to the vest.”

“Okay George. I’ll look for the file.”

“Good. Talk to you soon.”

“Wait a minute, George. There was some action in Nebraska yesterday. Kinda looked like your style.”

“No comment.”

“Good. Talk to you later.”

“Bye Sam.”

George put his phone in his pocket.

“Who was that?” Jerry asked.

“Sam Hinton,” George said.

“Whoa,” Frank said. “I know that name. I’ve seen him on talk shows.”

George just smiled. Malcolm walked up.

“Okay, what are you boys up to?” he asked, grinning.

“We just passed some info to Sam Hinton,” George said.

“Ah, Sam. How’s he doing?”

“He sounded worried to me,” George said. “Frank, could you e-mail me that file?”

“Yeah. Address?”

George held his phone up to Frank, and he typed the address in, attached the file, and hit send. George’s phone dinged in a few seconds.

“That was fast,” George said. He sent the file on to his secure drop box.

“What’s in the file?” Malcolm asked.

“Contact names and routes that the enemy is using to move fighters across the Canadian border.”

“Geez,” Malcolm said.

“So, what’s your priority here?” Frank asked.

“What do you mean?” George asked.

“You came out here because of the local serial killer, not to join the war. Which are you interested in?”

George and Malcolm looked at each other.

“I’ve told you what my top priority is, regardless of why we came,” George said.

“And that is?” Malcolm asked.

“Rescue an old friend, if possible,” he replied.

“General Hogan,” Malcolm said. “I’m good with that. The hobby will keep.”

“Okay,” Frank said. “It’ll take me a little time to get us ready for that, and I need to keep on the names file.”

“What’s so important about the names file?” Malcolm asked.

Frank brought up the long range, close in app, and turned the screen back towards Malcolm and George.

“Is that the Pentagon?” George asked, eyes wide.

“Son of a bitch,” Malcolm said.

Chapter 10 – Wally World

“That’s way too many enemy operatives in the Pentagon,” George said, a shocked look on his face.

“Look here,” Frank said, focusing on the congressional offices.

“Shit,” Malcolm said.

“A little infiltration is going to happen in any conflict,” George said. “This is critical mass. If we don’t do something about this, we’ll lose our country.”

“Look what’s been going on in Denver,” Jerry said. “No way should the enemy have a chance there.”

“Okay, so now I get the reason that the name file is so important,” George said. “How soon until these apps hit the street?”

“Pretty soon,” Frank said. “Just over a week.”

“I hate to say this, but that’s more important than General Hogan at this point. My advice is to stay on it. How close are you?”

“Really close,” Frank said. “That file you just sent to Sam Hinton was my final test.”

“So you could go in now and get it?” Malcolm asked.

“I need to wait a few hours,” Frank said. “Just in case. I’m thinking late afternoon today.”

“Alright,” George said, grinning.

“In the meantime, want to see what we found here?” Jerry asked.

“Yeah, it’ll keep us out of Frank’s hair, for one thing,” Malcolm said.

“Okay, then follow me,” Jerry said. They walked out of the clubhouse, which was now empty, leaving Frank to his work.

“Where’re we going?” George asked.

“The dungeon,” Jerry said. They entered the barn. Jane and Jasmine saw them come in.

“Taking them down there?” Jasmine asked.

“Yeah,” Jerry said. “Frank isn’t ready for the next round yet.”

“Is that a trap door?” Malcolm said, seeing the door propped up next to a big rectangular hole in the floor.

“That leads to the lounge,” Jerry said, a grin on his face. “C’mon.” He went down the ladder, George, Heidi, and Malcolm following. Jerry led them through the shop and storage area and into the lounge.

“Wow, this is nice,” Malcolm said. “That bar stocked?”

“Sure is,” Jerry said, grinning. “We spent more leisure time down here before we found the dungeon. There’s a few bedrooms and a bathroom down that hall over there, and you can see the kitchen to the right.”

“This looks like a pretty extensive bunker,” George said. “Look at the phony window in the kitchen. Interesting.”

Jerry pointed to the hallway that headed back in the direction of the clubhouse. “That hallway goes into a big pantry, under the kitchen in the clubhouse.”

“Oh, so you can get from the clubhouse to the barn underground?”

“Yep,” Jerry said.

“This looks like a bomb shelter to me,” George said. “Look at the ceiling. It’s concrete.”

“Definitely a good place to use if a twister shows up,” Jerry said. “We thought that’s what it was for at first.”

“It’s a little beyond your common root cellar,” Malcolm said, laughing.

Jerry went over to the rug near the recliners and rolled it back, revealing another trap door. “The dungeon is down here. Give me a hand. This trap door is heavy.”

The men helped Jerry lift the trap door and lay it back on the floor. Then Jerry went down the steps a little ways and pulled the chain for the light.

“Look at the rubber seal around this door,” George said.

“Soundproofing,” Malcolm replied.

“Come on down,” Jerry said. Malcolm and George followed him into the dimly lit room.

“Good Lord,” Malcolm said, looking around when he reached the floor.

“Are there bodies down here?” George asked.

“Maybe. There’s a part of the floor over there that’s dirt,” Jerry said, pointing. “Might be body parts buried there.”

“I doubt it,” Malcolm said. “Most of the victims were found, along Nighthawk Road, remember?”

“Hence the name Nighthawk,” Jerry said sheepishly.

Malcolm had an intense look on his face as he scanned the room. Jerry walked over to the workbench and pulled the light chain. Malcolm saw the bulletin board become visible. His mouth dropped open, and he rushed over there.

“I recognize some of these women,” Malcolm said, scanning the pictures. “Thought to be victims of the Nighthawk Road killer. I guess this confirms it. You haven’t told the authorities about this, have you?”

“Not yet,” Jerry said. “Our plan was to give Frank some time to finish off the apps, then try to take out the enemy leadership, and tell the authorities on the way out of here.”

“So you won’t have the damn media showing the enemy where you are,” Malcolm said.

“Exactly,” Jerry said. “Then we got contacted by you guys. I’ve done a little research on this. I think the son is still out there.”

“You agree with Malcolm, then,” George said. “He’s had an eye on this one for a while. Know who the owner of the park was?”

“Yeah, a man named Chet, who passed away six or seven years ago, and his son Scott.”

“Who told you that?” Malcolm asked.

“A guy named Howard, who owns a truck stop in town,” Jerry said. “Kurt, Hilda, and Charlie knew him from the old days, through Chet. There used to be an RV Park Owner’s Association; they all met because of that. Hilda’s late husband was apparently a good friend of Chet’s.”

“And Howard is the guy who told you about this RV Park?” George asked, as he watched Malcolm staring at the pictures on the board.

“Well, not exactly,” Jerry said. “We needed a place to stop after we got into Kansas, and Kurt thought that this park might still be open. He asked Howard about it when we arrived in town. Howard told us that it was deserted, and that Scott died in the New York City nuclear attack. He helped us get this place going again. Took a little wrangling with the local government.”

“Hey, Malcolm, what’re you looking at so closely there?” Heidi asked.

“Want to see Red Dagger? Here’s a picture.”

George and Heidi walked over and looked. “Scary looking character,” Heidi said. “His eyes remind me of Jason Beckler…the nose too. You don’t think they were related, do you?”

“Good question - and by the way, he was worse than he looked,” Malcolm said.

“No way, that’s Red Dagger?” Jerry asked as he walked up.

“Yeah,” Malcolm said. “Younger, of course. He was getting up there when I finally took him out.”

“Read about that,” Jerry said. “Nice job.”

Malcolm looked at him and grinned. “What, no questions?”

“Oh, I’ve got plenty of questions,” Jerry said. “But you won’t get any condemnation from me.”

“You okay, Heidi?” asked George, watching tears forming in her eyes.

“All these poor girls,” she said, looking at him and Malcolm with glassy eyes. “They were somebody’s daughters, and girlfriends, and sisters.”

“That’s the way it always is, honey,” George said, pulling her close and caressing her head as she started to sob.

Malcolm opened one of the top drawers on the work bench. It was full of teeth and glasses. Heidi looked in, and turned away quickly, still crying.

“Maybe you should get out of here, Heidi,” George said softly.

“This doesn’t bother you?”

“It very much bothers me,” he replied.

Malcolm opened up another drawer. There was jewelry and other personal effects in that one, mostly things that a teenage girl would have. Heidi glanced at that, and then left, climbing quickly up the steps.

“This was the first time she’s seen physical evidence of what the victims left behind, wasn’t it?” Malcolm asked.

“As far as I know, yeah,” George said, sighing.

“Maybe it’s good,” Malcolm said. “She might not be so bothered by our tactics.”

“Tactics?” Jerry asked.

“Yeah,” George said. “The killers that we go after usually don’t survive, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I did notice. Like I said, you’ll get no condemnation from me.”

“Well, how was it?” Scott asked as Howard got back into the coach.

“I feel dirty,” he said, as he went to the sink and washed his hands.

“You liked it, Howie.”

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s why I feel dirty.”

“How was she?”

“Defiant almost to the end. There’s always that point where they realize they aren’t going to live. It took a long time for her to get to there, but it was sweet when it happened.”

“You see, if we still had the dungeon, we could’ve had fun with her for weeks,” Scotty said.

Howard froze, and then shuddered. “Stop,” he said, sounding ashamed. He dried his hands and came back to the front of the coach, getting into the driver’s seat. “Where to now?”

“We ought to find some good action in St. Louis,” Scotty said. “Think you can drive 250 miles today?”

“Yeah, but I’m getting hungry,” he said as he started the engine, “and I didn’t have time to stock up the coach very well. Kept feeling like I was being watched as I was getting ready to leave my truck stop.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Scotty said, laughing. “Let’s go shopping before we leave the area, then. I know a place.”

Howard drove back onto the road, and got onto the interstate.

“So tell me about the interlopers,” Scotty said.

“Hell, they’re just old people,” Howard said. “Friends from the old days; you probably met Kurt and Hilda’s husband Ger when you were a kid. They used to go hunting with Chet every once in a while. They also stayed at the park back in the day.”

“How far back?”

“I’m guessing 60s or 70s,” Howard said. “Kurt was fond of your dad. I could tell by the way he talked about him.”

“My old man could be a charmer, and he only liked the teenage to early twenties women, so his friend’s wives were probably safe.”

“Yeah, probably,” Howard said.

“Get off here,” Scotty said. “There’s a Walmart down the road a piece.”

“Wally World, eh,” Howard said, getting off the interstate. “I used to have fantasies about grabbing somebody there, during an overnighter.”

“I have,” Scotty said. “Wouldn’t try it in broad daylight, though, so don’t get any ideas.”

“There it is,” Howard said. He made a left turn onto the lot, and parked in the far section, near two other motorhomes. As he shut off the engine, he saw a girl in her late teens come out of one of the coaches, crying. She rubbed her eyes and moved her long black hair back on her head as she hurried towards the store.

Scotty saw where Howard was looking. “Don’t get any ideas.”

“I’m not, just looking. C’mon, let’s get this over with. We have a lot of miles to go today.” They left the coach, heading for the front of the store. Howard grabbed a shopping cart on the way in.

“How long can you be away from the truck stop before it kills your business?” Scotty asked.

“Oh, probably about a week,” he replied as they headed for the grocery section. “I was going to be shut down for almost that long anyway. Ran out of fuel, and with the problems in Denver, all the deliveries are delayed. I’m going to need to call in, though, and postpone the delivery I set up. I’ll miss that by a day or two, and if they come out and can’t deliver, it’ll be another week.”

“I’m surprised you don’t have any help,” Scotty said. “To watch the store, that is.”

“Well, I do, actually, but I sent them all a message to take the week off. Don’t have anybody capable enough to run the place that I can trust.”

“Pity,” Scotty said. “Seems to me that you could use an extended road trip.”

They navigated the grocery aisles, grabbed what they needed, and headed for the checkout. The lines weren’t bad, and they were pushing their cart out onto the parking lot in no time. Howard unlocked the door of his coach, and held it open as Scotty carried in the first load. Howard loaded himself up with several bags and followed him in.

“Any more?” Scotty asked.

“Yeah, but I’ll get it. You go ahead and get stuff loaded in the fridge. There’s a pantry on the other side, by the bathroom door.”

Howard stepped out again, and picked up the last few bags. He put them on the kitchen counter, and then got out to push the cart over to one of the holding areas. He saw the girl coming back, and gave her a look. They locked eyes briefly, and then Howard looked away, embarrassed. He walked back over to the coach. She caught him by the door.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hi there,” Howard said, his heart beating harder. She was pretty, with blue eyes and pale skin framed by her straight black hair. She was trying to look sexy.

“Where you guys going?” she asked.

“East,” Howard said.

“Any chance I could catch a ride?” she asked.

“Now why would I want to take you anywhere?” Howard asked.

“I’d make it worth your while,” she said, smiling, looking hopeful.

“How old are you?”

“Old enough,” she said. “How old do you think I am?”

“Sixteen or seventeen,” Howard said, as he studied her.

“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling. “I ain’t jailbait. I’m nineteen.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Howard said. “Why would you want to go with us?”

“To get away from my bitch of a stepmother,” she said, her brow furrowed. “My dad passed, and I got left with her. I’ve had enough.”

Howard stood there, looking at her, gears turning in his head.

“Hey, Howard, c’mon. While we’re young,” Scotty said as he came out the door. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the girl. “Well, my my, who is this?”

“I don’t know,” Howard said. “She wants to escape her stepmother with us.”

“Really, now,” Scotty said. “That true, missy?”

“My name is Bree,” she said. She studied him, and he smiled back at her, turning on the charm.

“Forget it, Scotty,” Howard said. “Let’s take off.”

“Wait a minute,” he said. “We have room. Maybe we should help this poor girl out. What’s the harm?”

“You sure?” Howard asked, looking worried. “It’ll disrupt our plans.”

“We’ll just make her part of the plan,” Scotty said. “Where do you want to go, honey?”

“Away from here,” she said. “Where are you guys going?”

“East,” Scotty said. “We’ll try to make St. Louis today.”

“St. Louis, eh,” she said, smiling. “I could probably find work there.”

“Probably,” Scotty said. “C’mon, what do you say, Howie?”

Howard shook his head. “Fine, but let’s go.”

“You need to grab anything?” Scotty asked.

“Yeah, but it’s already in a bag, so it’ll just take a minute.”

“Okay, missy, go get it, and let’s blow this joint,” Scotty said.

She smiled broadly, and ran into the coach. There was yelling coming from inside. Then she bounded out of the door with a duffel bag, and ran over to Howard and Scotty.

“Everything alright?” Scotty asked.

“Not for her,” she said. “Most of daddy’s money is in a trust under my name.” She climbed into the coach, as a nasty looking, dried up old lady stomped over.

“You come out of there right now, Bree!”

“Screw you!” came from inside the coach.

“I don’t think the young lady wants to go with you,” Howard said politely. “Please leave.”

“Like hell I will,” the woman said, attempting to kick Howard in the groin on the way into their coach. Scotty pulled his pistol and stuck it into her face. She froze.

“Hey Bree, what do you want me to do with this bitch?” he shouted.

“Kill her, for all I care,” she spat.

Scotty hit her on the head with his pistol, knocking her out cold. Howard caught her before she hit the pavement.

“Dammit, Scotty, there’s probably surveillance cameras all over the place,” Howard whispered, looking around.

“Let’s drag her in the door,” Scotty said. The two men wrestled her up into the coach.

“Drive,” Scotty said.

“Wow, did you really kill her?” Bree said, her eyes on fire, a scary grin on her face.

“Not yet,” Scotty said. “We’ll drive her out of town a ways.”

“You’re not really going to kill her?” she asked. “Are you?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Wanna help?”

Bree got a look of terror on her face, but it melted into a sly grin.

“Can I do it?” she whispered. Her face was red, her eyes wide and dilated.

“Seriously?” Howard asked from the driver’s seat, as he was pulling out of the parking lot.

“C’mon, Howie, what happened to your fun-loving nature?”

Howard sighed, and continued to drive. “Okay, we’d better do it before she comes to. I don’t want blood all over my coach, either.”

“I know a good dirt road nearby,” Scotty said, looking up at Bree. He winked at her.

They drove down the highway a few miles, silently. Scotty watched Bree’s face. Her excitement was starting to turn into apprehension. She just talks big, he thought to himself.

“How far?” Howard asked. “Getting sparse out here already.”

“Another mile, then take a right. You’ll see a couple of mail boxes,” Scotty said.

The stepmother started to moan, and move slowly on the floor.

“Dammit, she coming to already?” Howard asked.

“Yeah, but don’t worry about it,” Scotty said. “Turn there.”

Howard saw the road and slowed down, turning in, hitting the rough surface, coach jumping and lurching.

“Slow down,” Scotty shouted. The step mother tried to get up, but Scotty kicked her in the head, and she dropped down, breathing hard, wide eyes afraid to look around.

“Maybe we shouldn’t do this,” Bree said, looking scared now. “I was only kidding.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll just scare her a little,” Scotty said, trying to calm her down. It didn’t help much.

“Here?” Howard shouted back as they approached a clearing with some trees.

“Yeah, pull around so we’re headed out,” Scotty said.

Howard made a wide turn, and then parked.

“Grab step mom, Howie,” Scotty said. “I don’t think she’s out now. Careful.”

Howard came back, opening the door and locking it back. Then he grabbed the stepmother by the under arms. She started kicking and screaming. Howard dragged her down the steps to the dirt, and then pulled her a few feet further. Bree hurried out the door too, looking terrified.

“Don’t hurt her too bad,” she said. “Really.”

Scotty came up behind Bree and pulled out his hunting knife. He slit her throat. She fell to the round and looked up at him, shocked and gurgling, drowning in her own blood. The stepmother screamed, and Howard twisted her neck, breaking it. She fell to the ground.

“Dammit, Scotty, did we really have to do this?”

“Make our marks,” he replied. “This was an added bonus. It’ll feed the narrative of our movement.”

“They’ll know we weren’t with them,” Howard said.

“So what? They’ll figure out this wasn’t planned. They’ll put two and two together when they find the motorhome at Wally World. You’re just upset because we didn’t get any play time.”

Howard shook his head, and the men put their markers on both victims. Then they pulled the bodies over under the row of trees.

“Still hungry?” Scotty asked.

“Yeah,” Howard said.

“Good, let’s eat before we take off, then.”

“Seriously? What if somebody comes?”

“Nobody can see us here, and nobody heard, either, because we didn’t have to shoot them,” Scotty said. “You need to lighten up a little bit, Howie. It’ll be days before they get found.”

Chapter 11 – Home Movies

Charlie and the Sheriff sat in the shade of the awning on Kurt’s rig, drinking lemonade that Mary had just made for them. Kurt came down the steps of the coach and sat down next to the Sheriff, and Mary followed him out with a pitcher and a few glasses.

“I’m going to take this over to the girls,” she said. “It’s getting a little warm.”

“Thanks, honey,” Kurt said.

“Yeah, thanks, this is good,” Charlie said. The Sheriff raised his glass and nodded in agreement.

“George and Malcolm down in the dungeon?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah, saw them follow Jerry down there a little while ago,” the Sheriff said. He took a sip of the lemonade. “Damn, this tastes good.”

“You still apprehensive about them, Sheriff?” Charlie asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Obviously they’re on our side in the war. When the focus is on that, I’d say we’re better off having them here. I’ll get a little worried when the focus goes onto the dungeon.”

“If Scott is really dead, how can that be dangerous?” Kurt asked. “You heard what Howard said.”

“I was talking to Jerry this morning,” the Sheriff said. “He’s been doing some research on his own. Sounds to me like there’s a better than even chance that Scott is still around, and still active.”

“What do you think those two would do to put us in danger?” Charlie asked.

“Use us for bait, or set up a situation where our safety isn’t the highest priority,” the Sheriff said. “They’ve done it before.”

“You really think they’d put us in danger? After what we’ve been through with them?” Kurt asked.

“Well, maybe not, but we know something of their character. They pay no attention to the relative guilt of participants. That Sadie Evans thing is a good example. We studied that one during one of my Continuing Ed classes. They treat their operations like a war. Works well when it really is a war, as we’ve just seen. Works lousy when some of the people involved are less guilty than others. The person who only drove the getaway car may not deserve the death penalty.”

“I don’t know, Sheriff,” Kurt said. “I’m a pretty good judge of character. They seem more than alright to me. We would’ve lost Jeb if it wasn’t for Malcolm.”

“So I heard,” the Sheriff said. “Like I said, in warfare, these guys are good to have around.”

“Still not getting the apprehension, I guess,” Kurt said.

“I understand it,” Charlie said. “In a civil society, the police aren’t also the judge, jury, and executioner.”

“These guys aren’t the police,” Kurt said.

“Malcolm was the police during the Red Dagger event,” the Sheriff said. “He should’ve been prosecuted for that. The department finally got enough pressure to make it tough for him to stay on the force, but there are detectives out there still using this guy, and looking the other way when he goes too far.”

“So what do you want to do?” Kurt asked. “Kick them out?”

“No, it’s too late for that,” the Sheriff said. “Just keep your eyes open, and remember what we’re fighting to preserve. Our laws mean something, as does the Bill of Rights. Question them when you think it’s warranted. Keep at least a thin layer between them and our inner circle.”

Malcolm and George were still down in the dungeon. There was so much to look through. Heidi left the room after seeing the personal effects of the victims. Jerry finally left, too. He could only take the feeling he got down there for so long. That left Malcolm and George alone. They’d just finished looking through all of the drawers in the workbench area, and Malcolm took pictures of all of the bulletin boards with his phone, focusing in on certain pictures in particular.

“Any of this surprise you?” George asked.

“The fact that it still exists, and was found by somebody who’ll let us look at it - that surprises me. Can you imagine what would happen to all of this evidence if Barney and Friends got down here un-supervised?”

“I was talking about the evidence itself. Obviously we’re lucky that some friends found it, and we got to it before the local PD got here.”

“You think they’re our friends, George?” Malcolm asked.

“As a matter of fact, yes, I do,” George said. “It’s not okay to play around with their safety. I mean it.”

“I know, I know,” Malcolm said.

“So why the comment?”

“Oh, nothing, I just noticed the way that the Sheriff looked at us,” Malcolm said. “It’ll be okay, really. I think we have a significant partnership with these folks, at least until this war is over. I can tell how much you want to get involved.”

“It shows, huh?”

“Yeah, and I’m feeling it too,” Malcolm said. “I may play a little fast and loose with the rules, but bottom line, I love this country. If there’s anything I can do to keep it from going down the tubes, I’m right there with you.”

“Good,” George said.

“These folks are going to need our protection, you know,” Malcolm said.

“Why?”

“The son is still alive. He’s been active since that nuke attack. I’ve seen his markers on more than one victim since then. I’ll lay you ten to one he knows that his place has been compromised, and I’ll bet that he’s going to react.”

“How could you know all of that?” George asked.

“Mostly a hunch, but I’ve learned to trust them over the years.”

“He’d be crazy to try to take these folks,” George said.

“Look at the environment we have now,” Malcolm said. “Perfect for these creeps to operate in. There’s way too much wartime mayhem going on for the authorities to spend time chasing them around, and they know it. We need to keep an eye out for reports of possible new victims.”

George was silent for a few minutes, thinking. Then he glanced over at the embalming table, and saw it had cabinets under it. “Hey, look, more storage. Wonder what’s in there?”

The two of them walked over. George opened the first cabinet.

“Holy crap, look at all of these VHS tapes,” he said, pulling out the box. “And these super eight film reels.”

Malcolm’s eyes focused on them, and he got an intense look on his face. “Wonder if there’s a projector and a VCR around here?”

“Let’s keep looking,” George said.

Howard and Scotty were traveling towards St. Louis. The miles rolled by easily. Both men had been silent for a while. Scotty was watching Howard’s expression, trying to gauge how far back into the life he’d gotten so far. Howard looked over and caught him watching.

“What?” Howard said.

“You thinking about that girl?”

“Bree?” Howard said. “Yeah. We didn’t even get a chance to strip her. Maybe you shouldn’t have slit her gullet so fast.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get another plaything soon enough.”

“We won’t get enough time with the next one either,” Howard said.

Scotty started laughing.

“What’s so damn funny, Scotty?”

“I’m sitting here trying to figure out if the old lifestyle has taken hold in you again, and you’re more into it than I am.”

Howard got a grin on his face. “Alright, you found me out, jerk weed. This is what years of repression does to a man.”

“Why’d you stop after I left?” Scotty asked.

“Why’d you leave?”

“You know why,” Scotty said. “Cindy was starting to figure it out. She kept wanting to come out to the RV Park when I wasn’t around. I had to get her out of the area, and I had to let things cool down for a while. The timing worked out, too. All the old folks were gone by that time. The park was empty except for the occasional overnighter.”

“Cindy,” Howard said. “Always wanted a piece of her. Soccer mom types are the best if you can get them.”

Scotty looked at him, offended. “She was my wife.” Then he cracked up, and Howard joined him.

“She was you’re cover,” Howard said. “I always knew that. She was fine, though. Where is she now?”

“She really was in Jersey when that bomb went off. I was lucky. I was on a business trip.”

“You lucky son of a bitch,” Howard said, laughing again. “So she vaporized?”

“Close. Same with the kids.”

“You don’t sound too upset about that,” Howard said.

“I didn’t want the kids,” he said. “She tricked me into that. Bitch was supposed to be on the pill.”

“I could believe that once, but you had three.”

“Well, after the first one, I figured what the hell. Good cover.”

“You never got to love them?” Howard asked, studying his face.

“Oh, I enjoyed them sometimes. Especially Jacob. He had a nice mean streak.”

Howard rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. I love my kids, and I loved my wife. If it wasn’t for that damn cancer, I’d still be with her.”

“How did you keep her from finding out?” Scotty asked.

Howard started to laugh, almost hysterically.

“What?”

“She knew, dummy,” Howard said. “Don’t you remember how I met her?”

“No, guess not.”

“She was Sherry’s best friend.”

“Oh, yeah, forgot about that,” Scotty said. “Sherry never mentioned anything about that.”

“She earned her wings with Sherry,” Howard said. “Once the first kid came along, that was the end, though. It changed her. No more nonsense after that, but she always enjoyed hearing about anything we were up to.”

“I can’t believe you told her,” Scotty said. “I probably would have killed both of you for that, back in the day.”

“You would’ve tried, pipsqueak.” Howard said, laughing.

“Guess what?” Scotty said, a smug grin on his face.

“What?”

“You’re back. We’re gonna have fun.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Scotty,” Howard said, getting serious. “I’m not happy about this. I had a good life. I was on the wagon. It was going to stick. You had to bring it back out again. This will be my ruin.”

“A tiger can’t change his stripes, Howie.”

Howard sighed. “Ah, forget it. It is what it is.”

“How much further to St. Louis? I’m getting anxious.”

“Couple more hours,” Howard said. “Where do you want to go?”

“Near a University again,” he said. “Works every time.”

Jane and Jasmine were keeping watch on their laptops, still sitting in the barn. Jake walked up. “Think it’s time to get some Wi-Fi going?” he asked.

“Don’t tell me, let me guess. You’ve got the hardware in the back of your bobtail,” Jane said, grinning.

“Yep,” he said.

“Well, I have no problem, as long as it doesn’t slow Frank down right now,” Jane said. “We might want to wait until he’s got that names file.”

“I can do the setup and placement of the access points before connecting up to the modem,” Jake said.

“You might not want to make it too permanent,” Jasmine said. “It’s likely that we’ll have to leave after the next phase of the battle.”

“Oh, I know. Not a problem,” Jake said. “When we leave here, we should take everything we can carry, too. Lots of stuff here that we could use, and I’ve got plenty of space in that bobtail.”

“Here comes Jerry,” Jane said, looking over. He was coming at them at a full run, his iPad in his hand.

“Malcolm and George still down there?” he asked, trying to catch his breath.

“They didn’t come out this way,” Jasmine said. “Maybe they left through the kitchen, though. Why?”

“New victim, with the same markers as the Nighthawk victims,” he said. “Kansas City, yesterday.”

“Oh, no,” Jane said. “He’s heading this way.”

“Maybe,” Jerry said. “I’m going back down.”

“Nothing’s happening up here, so I’ll join you,” Jane said.

“Me too,” Jasmine said. They went to the trap door and started down. “You coming, Jake?”

“Nah, I have enough trouble sleeping. Talk to you later.” He walked back towards the trailers, working out the Wi-Fi layout in his head.

“Malcolm! George! You guys still down there?” Jerry asked.

“Yeah,” Malcolm said “What’s up?”

“New victim in Kansas City. Yesterday. Looks like it might be this guy.”

He came down the steps, followed by Jasmine and Jane.

“Where did you see that?” George asked. Malcolm started walking over.

“Internet,” Jerry said, holding up his iPad.

“I didn’t think we had Wi-Fi,” Malcolm said.

“This is an LTE model,” Jerry said. “Check it out.” He handed the iPad to Malcolm.

Jane looked over where George was standing. He was stringing film onto an ancient looking movie projector. “You’re going to watch those movies?”

“Of course,” George said. “We want to watch the VHS too, but I couldn’t find a VCR down here. Seen one anywhere?”

“No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody in the group has one,” Jane said. “I’m going to leave when you turn that on.”

“Probably a good idea,” George said. “It’s not going to be pleasant.”

“I think this is him, George,” Malcolm said. “I smell a rat, though.”

“What do you mean?” Jerry asked. “You think it’s a copycat?”

“No, the body was too easy to find,” Malcolm said. “He used to at least try to hide things. He loved the cat and mouse. This is an advertisement.”

“Why would he do that?” George asked.

“Not sure yet,” Malcolm said. “But if I’m right, there’ll be another one soon. My guess is he’s preparing to come back here, but wants to put out a signal that he’s going somewhere else.”

Charlie, Kurt, and the Sheriff came down the steps.

“What’s going on?” the Sheriff asked. “We saw Jerry run over here.”

“It looks like Scott might still be alive,” Jerry said. “I found a story about a killing. Looks like his markers.”

“When?” the Sheriff asked.

“Yesterday…Kansas City.”

“Howard thinks this guy’s dead,” Kurt said.

“I’m afraid that your friend is mistaken,” Malcolm said. “I’ve seen other killings since the New York Harbor attack that look like his MO. Here, Sheriff, take a look.”

The Sheriff walked over and took the iPad, reading, and scrolling, as Charlie and Kurt looked on. Then Kurt noticed what George was doing. “You’re going to show those old Super 8s?” he asked.

“Yeah, if this thing works,” George said. “Any of you guys have a VCR?”

“I used to,” Charlie said. “Left it at my park.”

“Me too,” Kurt said.

“I haven’t had one of those in years,” the Sheriff said. “Might ask Jake. He’s got a lot of stuff in that bobtail.”

“Walmart still carries VHS players,” Jerry said. “Maybe it’s time to sneak into town again.”

“I think I’m ready,” George said, looking at the projector. “Looks like the best place to show it is on that white cabinet over there.” He pointed to a tall metal double door cabinet, painted white.

“I’m getting out of here,” Jane said.

“I’ll probably be sorry, but I’m going to stick around,” Jasmine said. “This is fascinating.”

“Okay, girl, I’ll see you up top,” Jane said, as she walked towards the steps.

“Here goes nothing,” George said. He flipped the switch, and the projector sprung to life, shining on the cabinet. It was out of focus, so he started to turn the main lens. It sharpened, but then the bulb went dark.

“Shit,” Malcolm said. “Afraid of that.”

“Don’t worry,” George said. “There were a couple extra bulbs in the case. I’ll change it. Could one of you guys hit the light over that workbench? It’s too bright over by the cabinet.”

Jerry nodded and pulled the chain on the light, then came back over by George. It took a few seconds to change the lightbulb.

“Ready?” George asked.

Everybody gathered around silently. George hit the projector switch again, and it whirred into motion, the picture hitting the cabinet. He turned the front lens until the image on the cabinet was sharp.

The picture showed the wall next to the cells. It was brightly lit, and the light beam moved as the camera panned.

“Sun Gun,” Charlie said. “Used to have one of those.”

“Look at that girl,” Jasmine said. “She looks only about sixteen.”

An old man was bringing the shivering naked girl over to the wall. He turned her front to the wall, and fastened her arms to the cuffs hanging there. The camera moved around for a second, and then stabilized.

“I can’t see his face well enough,” Charlie said.

“Somebody just put that camera on a tripod,” Kurt said.

“Wonder what year this is?” Jasmine asked.

“Good question,” the Sheriff said. “Look, he’s turning around.”

“Hell, that’s Chet,” Kurt said. “I remember that shirt, too. This is late 1960s or early 1970s. I can’t believe it. Don’t you recognize him, Charlie?”

“Not really,” he said. “But I only saw him once or twice. He was really Ger’s friend. I just went with him to hunt a time or two.”

“There’s the other guy,” Charlie said. “Is that a paddle he’s got in his hands?”

“Looks like it,” Malcolm said.

“It’s got bolts sticking out of it,” Jasmine said. “Geez. I don’t think I can watch this.”

“Why don’t you go back up top, honey,” Jerry said. She nodded and left.

“You guys sure you want to hang around?” George asked. “This kind of thing can stick with you for too long.”

“Maybe Kurt should stay around until this second guy turns around,” Malcolm said. “He might know who it is.”

“Oh, that has to hurt,” Jerry said, hiding his eyes as the grainy figure on the screen hit the girl in the rear.

“Sick,” Charlie said.

“It’s going to get worse than this,” the Sheriff said. “You sure you want to stick around for this?”

“No,” Charlie said. “But I think I should.”

“How long is he going to keep hitting her with that?” Jerry asked, tears forming around his eyes, shining in the reflected light from the image.

“There’s no reason for you to hang around,” George said to him.

“I can take it,” he said. “Wait till you see that footage from Hilda’s park. It’s worse.”

“Finally,” Kurt said. The man left the screen. The girl was passed out. She was no longer standing. She was hanging by her wrists, motionless.

“Shoot, here he comes again,” Charlie said. “Clothes off now.”

“Yeah, same with the other guy,” Kurt said. “This is gonna get rough.”

“C’mon, man, turn around,” Malcolm said.

“Watch, he’s turning now,” the Sheriff said.

“No!” Kurt said, squinting, trying to make out the features. “Don’t you guys recognize him?”

“No,” Jerry said. “Who is it?”

“Howard.”

Chapter 12 – Family Plot

“Howard?” Charlie said. “That doesn’t make sense. He knew we’d find this.”

Kurt had a shocked look on his face, and leaned against the wall, thinking. George shut off the projector.

“I’ll bet Howard didn’t know about the movies still being here,” Jerry said. “If you take those out of the equation, it might make sense that he sent us here.”

“Yeah, if he’s out of the life, it’s like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head,” Malcolm said. “How hard did he push you guys coming here?”

“Let’s back up a little and think about this,” Kurt said. “He had no idea he’d ever see me again. It’d been years. I haven’t been here since Hilda’s husband died; in fact it’d been several years before that, because Ger was sick for a while.”

“You remembered the place, though, right?” George said.

“Both Kurt and I remembered it,” Charlie said. “On the drive here from Colorado. We thought we would just be overnighting here, and then continuing on to the east a little further.”

“So you guys went to Howard’s truck stop and asked him if it was still open?” Malcolm asked.

“Yes,” Kurt replied. “He said the place was deserted, Scotty was dead, and there were no heirs left to take it over or sell it. He helped grease the skids for us to set up here.”

“How?” Malcolm asked.

“He said that the local government would gladly allow us to take it over,” Kurt said, “as long as we started paying taxes on the place. We sent a team out here and found that it was salvageable, so we made a deal with the locals. It’s actually deeded to us now.”

“Interesting,” Malcolm said. “Been back to the truck stop lately?”

“Dobie went into town to get a fifth wheel hitch for his truck,” Jerry said. “He got the referral from Howard for the place. Don’t know if he stopped by to say hello to Howard or not.”

“Maybe we ought to go pay Howard a visit,” George said.

“Ten to one he’s gone,” Malcolm said.

“Why do you say that?” Kurt asked.

“That job in Kansas City,” Malcolm said. “It’s pretty tough to pull a daylight grab in a busy area by yourself. The girl got snatched a block from the University. You need somebody driving for you while you subdue the victim.”

“You don’t think Howard’s involved? Isn’t he a little old for that?” Kurt asked.

“How old is he?” George asked.

“Oh, about mid-sixties, I’d say,” Kurt said. “About my age.”

“That’s not too old,” Malcolm said. “Need I remind you of your recent battle participation?”

Kurt smiled. “Okay, you’re right. You can’t count us old codgers out.”

“I hope this whole thing isn’t a set up,” Jerry said, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Seems like us showing up was pretty random to me,” Charlie said.

“Oh, it was,” Jerry said. “But remember why Frank had me put those firewalls on everybody’s PCs?”

“Wait, you guys have had a cyber-incursion?” George asked.

“Yeah, and the more I think about it, there’s no way it wasn’t Scott,” Jerry said.

“Why?” Malcolm asked.

“The damn satellite provider put the old IP address back in place when they re-started the internet service for us,” Jerry said. “We didn’t change any settings on the router, either. The service got turned on, and it just worked. The door was wide open for somebody who knew what the address was.”

“And the former owner would know,” Malcolm said, scratching his chin, thinking. “So the question is was it Scott, or was it Howard. Did they get anything?”

“Frank didn’t think so. They were looking around on the clubhouse PC, but we didn’t have anything about this park on there,” Jerry said. “Frank also had encryption on the hard drive.”

“I assume you guys beefed up security since then,” George said.

“Yeah, we got the IP address changed by the satellite provider, put security on the router, and put firewalls on all of the PCs we have, although only a few have even been on the internet connect here. We don’t have Wi-Fi set up yet. Just an Ethernet connection in the clubhouse, and a small hub in the barn that the girls have been using.”

“So only a few people have been on?” George asked. “Who exactly?”

“The PC Frank’s been using, which belongs to Kurt. Jane and Jasmine’s laptops, Frank’s laptop, and my laptop.”

“The person who broke in got the most important info they needed,” Malcolm said.

“What’s that?” Charlie asked.

“They know somebody is here, and is settled in enough to turn the internet service back on.”

Suddenly George’s phone rang. He answered it.

“George?”

“Yeah. Sam?”

“Yup. Check your drop box.”

“Okay, will do.”

George put his phone back in his pocket. “Sam Hinton. There’s something in my drop box. I’m going to go up top for a few minutes and check it out.”

“What part of St Louis do you want to head for?” Howard asked.

“Get off at South Florissant Rd,” Scotty said, looking at his phone. “Go south to Arnold B Grobman Drive. That’ll put us in the thick of the campus area.”

“Where do we go after we make the grab?”

“East, past old muddy. We’ll have this one for a little while. You ought to like it.”

“You thinking of taking her back to Ohio?”

“No, she won’t last that long, and I want the trail to be there. We’ll do her before we get to Indiana, and take another one when we get to Indianapolis. The last one will be in Columbus, and then you’ll need to high tail it back home.”

“So how is this one going to last longer?”

“We’ll do an overnighter with her. I know a place,” Scotty said.

“Where?”

“Southeast of Troy,” Scotty said. “Abandoned farm that used to belong to my uncle. There’s an old barn on the property. We can pull this rig right in.”

“Old barns have a way of falling down. You see it lately?”

“Yeah, on the way out here,” Scotty said. “Stayed there for a night. Nobody around. It’s in decent shape. If I could get title, I’d grab it and set it up similar to the RV Park in Kansas. I know the house has a basement.”

“Who owns it?”

“My stupid cousin,” he said. “She sold off most of the farm land, but the house and the barn are on land she still owns.”

“Why didn’t she sell that?”

“There’s a family burial plot between the house and the barn. Generations of my family are there going back to the early 1800s. I tried to get her to sell it to me. Even promised to take care of the graves. She wouldn’t do it. It’s not like she ever goes there.”

“Where does she live?” Howard asked.

“Michigan. Runs an old folks home. Probably a racket. She’s a little sketchy.”

“We going to leave the body there?”

“No, Howie, it’ll take a long time for anybody to find it there. I’m thinking the outskirts of Troy.”

“Why don’t you take out the cousin and grab the property?”

“She’s got kids, Howie. It’ll just go to them.”

“Oh. Figures.”

“Actually, if I could get them all in one place, might be worth it,” Scotty said, chuckling. “Always hated her, and the feeling was mutual. I think her mom knew what my dad was up to. Since her mother passed, she’s avoided the family like the plague.”

“Well, you guys are a little dysfunctional,” Howard said, laughing.

“Yeah, I guess,” Scotty said sheepishly.

“What’ve you been doing the past few years, Scotty? I never heard anything.”

“Making money, mostly,” Scotty said. “That job I had in the city. Made a mint. Been socking it away. I won’t have to work again. Ever.”

“Stocks or something, right?”

“Real Estate investing,” he replied. “I suffered through the family life as best I could, but I was playing around with some of my co-workers. Lots of action after hours in the city. Cindy was getting wise. That nuke attack was a gift.”

“So you haven’t killed anybody for a while?”

“Oh, I snuck out every so often,” Scotty said. “I was in Ohio setting up the new place when the war started.”

“You didn’t use the markers, though,” Howard said. “I would’ve seen it.”

“I didn’t use the main markers,” Scotty said, looking over at him and grinning. “Don’t forget, those are clan markers. Not my personal markers.”

“Oh, please,” Howard said.

“Hey, solo is different than the group,” Scotty said. “You know, like there’s the Beatles and then there’s the solo stuff. The solo stuff still has part of the feel of the Beatles, but it’s not the same. There are things missing.”

Both men laughed.

“Yeah, you’re a true artist,” Howard said sarcastically.

“If you know what to look for, there was some connection there. It was subtle, but I made sure that an expert would know. I’m surprised you didn’t pick up on them. Maybe even a little disappointed.”

“Yeah, well, whatever. The news media might not have included any of it, and maybe the cops didn’t want to spell it out to them, either. What were you going to do with Cindy? Just take off?” asked Howard.

“No, I was going to have to off her,” Scotty said. “Think about it. I had all my money in joint accounts. If I disappeared, she would’ve gotten all of it. Hell, she would’ve gotten half of it in a divorce. Neither was acceptable.”

“If she was so suspicious, why didn’t she just leave you?”

“I think the poor dumb bitch actually loved me,” Scotty said. “We were good together in the sack. She could be a real wildcat. That’s worth something, but not half of everything I’ve earned.”

“You are a prince among men,” Howard said, laughing.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. How much longer till we get to the Troy area?”

“Another couple of hours. It’ll be dark, though.”

“Not a problem.”

George stood outside the barn, listening to the phone messages in his drop box. He had a grim look on his face. He slipped his phone into his pocket and went back down to the dungeon.

“What’s up?” asked Malcolm, when he saw George coming back down.

“General Hogan had a traitor in his ranks,” George said. “That’s what led to his capture.”

“He’s really being held at the base we were thinking?” Jerry asked.

“Sam thinks so,” George said. “The enemy knows about the apps - that much is certain. The only good news is that they don’t appear to have a copy. The General was able to dump his phone before he was taken prisoner. His son recovered it.”

“Ah, so they know it exists, but they might not know that it will search out the new frequency and codes as soon as they change them,” Jerry said, chuckling.

“Yes,” George said. “That’s really the strongest edge we have at this point. Well, that, and the possibility of getting that names file.”

“Are they acting on that info we gave them about the Canadian routes?” asked Charlie.

“No,” George said. “They don’t want the enemy to know that the app still works. At least not yet.”

“You look pretty worried,” Malcolm said. “Why?”

“Sam is almost certain that the enemy knows where the apps came from, and we know now that not everybody working with the enemy has a chip implanted. General Hogan didn’t see this coming. He should have.”

“Shit. So somebody could sneak in here, and we wouldn’t know they were on the enemy’s side,” Charlie said. “That’s been in the back of my mind all along. These folks aren’t stupid. Sounds like we still have a big target on our backs.”

“It’s not that big of a problem,” Jerry said. “We just go back to the way we handled things before. We don’t allow strangers in. We assume they’re bad guys.”

“Sam asked if there was any way we could postpone the wide release of the apps,” George said. “Is there?”

“Nope,” Jerry said. “Frank assumed it was likely that we’d be killed or captured trying to take out the leadership, so he set it up in such a way that he can’t undo it.”

“How?” George asked.

“Well, I know the distribution points are many - far and wide - so I suspect he’s got them under user IDs which now have passwords he can’t figure out. It’s probably just as well, anyway.”

“Why do you say that?” George asked.

“He didn’t trust anybody in the government, and neither do I,” Jerry said. “Even if we don’t get all of the leadership, the wide release of these apps will nail them good. It will take their main advantage away.”

“He’s right,” Malcolm said. “I’m glad we can’t stop it. The government isn’t doing the job. They’ve been corrupted. Time for the people to go around them.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what Frank was thinking,” Jerry said.

“Alright, then I’ll put that message into the drop box,” George said, heading for the steps. “We’d better be pretty careful around here. I don’t think the enemy knows where we are yet, but it’s only a matter of time. A squad of five or six guys without chips could cause real problems here.”

George went back outside and sent the reply to his drop box. Then he went over to the workbench in the barn, where Jane, Heidi, and Jasmine were talking.

“How’s it going?” Heidi asked.

“Howard was in the movie,” George said.

“No!” Jane said. She looked at Jasmine, horrified.

“What else?” Heidi asked. “You got something from Sam, didn’t you? I saw with your phone over there. You looked pretty worried.”

“Yeah,” George said. “They think that a traitor in General Hogan’s staff without a chip was responsible for his abduction.”

“Uh oh,” Jasmine said.

“There was some good news,” George said. “Sam doesn’t think they’ve captured the app, so they can’t reverse engineer it. They might think that we can’t see them anymore.”

“After they changed the codes this morning,” Jane said, looking thoughtful. “Good.”

“So what now?” Jasmine asked. “We can’t count on the apps for early warning anymore.”

“Well, it’s not as air-tight as we thought before, so we need to keep our eyes open,” George said. “I wouldn’t worry too much yet, though. Most of the bad guys still have chips. We can still see them. Just the same, I’m glad those Dobermans are wandering around.”

“What are we going to do about Howard?” Jane asked.

“That’s the immediate question,” George said. “The boys are talking about that down there.”

“Oh, is movie time over now?” Heidi asked.

“Yeah, I shut it off. We’ll get back to that later.”

“So what now?” Heidi asked. “It’s starting to get dark.”

“Let’s go get the coach set up,” George said. “We’re still parked in the staging area.”

“Good idea,” Heidi asked. “Which spaces are good?”

“The first four rows have been checked out,” Jane said. “Take your pick.”

“Great, thanks,” George said. “I’m going to tell Malcolm. He probably doesn’t know it’s getting dark already. It’s like another world down there.” He walked over to the trap door and went down.

“I’m going to go see how Frank’s doing,” Jane said as she shut down her laptop.

“Okay, I’ll go round up Jerry,” Jasmine said. “Maybe we should get together for dinner in the clubhouse after our guests get settled.”

“That’d be nice,” Heidi said. She walked over and met George, who was coming out of the trap door. They got into their rig and drove over to the spaces. Malcolm was up a few minutes later. The rest of the men followed him, chatting amongst themselves.

Jane entered the clubhouse just as Frank was connecting his phone up to the PC.

“How’d you do?” she asked. He looked up at her and grinned ear to ear.

“Hit the lights, will you, honey?” he asked. “Getting a little dark in here.”

She turned on the lights and walked over. “You got it, didn’t you?”

“Yep,” he said, looking at the PC monitor. “I’ve got a revised phone app set up. Was just about to check it. If it works, we’ll need to round everybody up so I can get them updated.”

“Good,” Jane said. “We were just talking about getting some dinner cooked up in here for everybody. What does the update do?”

“It’ll link the chip serial numbers to the names,” Frank said.

“Ah, very good,” she said. “That’s exactly what you were hoping.”

“Yeah,” Frank said. “Couldn’t have worked out much better.”

“They don’t have any idea you got it, I hope,” Jane said.

“They have no clue,” Frank said. “And by the way, we were right with our assumptions. Phillip is at the air force base, and Saladin is at Capitol Reef.”

“Any notables on the list in DC?” Jane asked.

“Don’t know yet,” Frank said. “When we get everybody in here, I’ll display the long range detail view. I added the new capability to that program already. We’ll be able to see who’s there. I’ll bet George will be helpful in making sense out of that, since he still knows folks back there.”

“Should I bring the laptops in here?”

“Yeah, but let’s get the phones set up first,” Frank said. “Oh, there. Mine’s done. Take a look.” He pulled the phone off the USB cable and handed it to her.

“The screen is a little busy,” Jane said, looking.

“I know, couldn’t help that,” Frank said. “You can toggle it off and on this way.” He showed her the new button on the side of the screen.

“Excellent. What now?” she asked.

“Hand over your phone,” Frank said. She slid it over to him, and he connected the USB cable to it.

“Shall I go get the others?” she asked.

“Sure,” Frank said. “I’m ready. This won’t take long.”

“Okay, see you in a few minutes,” she said, walking to the door. It was almost dark now, the air cooling off quickly. She walked over to Jerry and Jasmine’s rig first.

“Hey, guys, Frank’s got the new app set up,” she said through the open door.

Jerry rushed out. “He got that names file, eh?”

“Yep,” Jane said proudly. “Want to help me round everybody up?”

“Sure,” Jerry said. Jasmine came down the steps and joined them, a wide grin on her face. They walked back towards the other spaces.

Frank took a look at the long range detail app while he was waiting for people to start coming in. He didn’t recognize any of the names in and around the Pentagon, In fact, there weren’t many there. He started to get nervous about that, and then remembered that it was about 8:00 pm in DC. He chuckled to himself.

Charlie and Hilda were the first in the door.

“I’m going to go get the oven heating up,” Hilda said, handing her phone to Charlie and taking off for the kitchen. Charlie walked over to Frank and put the devices in front of him on the table.

“Pulled it off, did you?” Charlie asked. “Knew you’d do it. Think the cretins have any idea?”

“Nope, not a chance,” Frank said. “I could’ve muscled the file out a little faster, but I wanted to make sure they didn’t know. We’re good.”

The Sheriff walked in with Kurt and Mary. Then came Jeb, helping Rosie along. Earl and Jackson followed.

“Hi, everybody,” Rosie said. “Happy hour?”

“Well, I guess we have cause to celebrate,” Jeb said, laughing. “Frank, I’m amazed and impressed as usual.”

Frank got an embarrassed smile on his face.

Trish and Terry came in, with Gabe, Jake and Dobie following, all of them chatting happily. Jerry, Jasmine, and Jane followed.

“George, Heidi, and Malcolm will be over in a few minutes,” Jane said to Frank as she walked up. “They’re just finishing their hookups.”

“Oh, yeah,” Frank said. “Their coaches were sitting in the staging area all day. They must have found some interesting stuff in the dungeon.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Jane said. “Howard was in one of the old home movies.”

Frank got a worried look on his face. “Participant or bystander?”

“Participant,” Jane said. “Oh, and Kurt recognized Chet too.”

“So two serial killers know where we are,” Frank said. “Great.”

Chapter 13 – Party Wagon

The group was milling around in the clubhouse, waiting for George, Heidi, and Malcolm to show up. Hilda came out of the kitchen and motioned to Jane and Jasmine. They went over. Trish saw and joined them.

“I was going to crank up the oven, but then I thought what the heck am I going to cook in there? There’s some big cans of chili down in the pantry. What do you think?”

“I’m good with it,” Jane said. “No need to be fancy.”

“Turn the oven on anyway,” Jasmine said. “I saw some cornbread mix down there.”

“Oh, yum. Good idea,” Hilda said. “We picked up some onions on the way out of town. I put them down there. Might as well bring up the bag.”

“I’ll bring the chili cans up,” Trish said.

“Thanks, sweetie,” Hilda said. “How do you like being a newlywed?”

Trish smiled at her. “I can’t believe how happy I am,” she said. “He’s such a good man.”

“Well, we all love him,” Jane said. “He’s saved people too, by the way.”

“He saved my dad and me, when we were coming to Gabe’s park,” she said, a proud look on her face.

“I’m glad you’re with us, and your father too,” Hilda said.

Charlie walked into the kitchen. “The meeting’s going to start in about ten minutes, girls.”

“Oh, you can start without us,” Hilda said.

“No we can’t,” Charlie said. “Not ever. If you need a little extra time, you just let me know.”

Hilda walked over and kissed him on the cheek. “Okay, honey. We were just going to start heating some chili and put some cornbread in the oven, but it won’t take long, so we’ll focus on mixing the cornbread and cutting onions, and hold off on the cooking until after the meeting.”

“Good,” Charlie said. He walked back out.

“You’ve got a good man too,” Trish said.

“Yes, I do, sweetie,” Hilda said, blushing. “Thought it was over for me.”

The evening traffic in St Louis was light. It was a little past rush hour.

“There’s South Florissant Rd, Howie,” Scott said, looking out into the darkness.

“I see it, numb nuts,” Howard said. “What was that second street again?”

“Arnold B Grobman Drive,” Scott said. “C’mon, sharpen up your mind.”

“My memory isn’t as good as it used to be, Scotty. Not a lot I can do about that.”

“My dad was sharp as a tack right to the end, and he was a good fifteen years older than you by that time.”

“So go dig him up and have at it,” Howard said. “Geez.”

Scott shook his head, a sarcastic grin on his face. “Alright, don’t get offended. Just give it a little more effort, okay?

“Whatever. You dragged me back into this.”

They made the turn onto the first street, then turned right on the second street. It looked a lot like the place they grabbed the first girl. Rows of dorm buildings on either side of the street, tucked tightly next to each other. Both sides of the street were jammed with parked cars.

“Going to be hard to find a place to park, Scotty,” Howard said. “Especially with this damn motorhome. We stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Double park, and wait,” Scott said. “It’s Friday night. You don’t think a lot of these kids are going out to the clubs? We just need to find a solo girl.”

“Okay,” Howard said. He pulled close enough to the parked cars on the right side of the street so another car could squeeze through, and put on his flashers.

“Hey, look,” Scott said. “Two young lovelies coming this way, looking at your rig.”

Howard squinted as he looked out through the windshield glare. “Yeah, I see them, but we want one, not two.”

“We could handle two,” Scott said. “Trust me. My dad used to handle two all the time when he was hunting with Dagger.”

“Red Dagger,” Howard said, chuckling. “Now there was a crazy son of a bitch.”

“Shut up about him,” Scott said. “Here they come.”

There was a knock on the door. Scott smiled over at Howard, and then went to the door and opened it.

“Hey, mister, nice rig,” one of the girls said, craning her neck to see inside. “I grew up in one of these. Can we come in and check it out?”

“Why sure,” Scott said, holding the door open for them. “C’mon in.”

The first girl walked up, smiling, looking around. She was a small girl, with dark brown hair, olive skin, and a bouncy personality. She had a beak-like nose, giving her the look of a bird, but she still had a cuteness about her.

“C’mon, Amanda,” the first girl said to her friend. “It’s okay.”

The second girl came in cautiously, looking around.

“Want a beer?” Scott asked. “My name is Scott, but you can call me Scotty.”

“I’m Kayla,” said the first girl, grinning. “Sure, a beer would be good, but we can only stay for a little while.”

Scott pulled to beers out of the fridge and opened them, handing one to each of the girls.

“Thanks,” Kayla said.

“Can we drop you girls somewhere?” Scott asked.

Kayla looked at Amanda. Amanda looked back at her, nervous, not saying a word. She finally shook her head yes.

“Sure, could you take us into the city?” Kayla asked. “The Blue Room. We’re meeting some people there.”

“Why sure,” Scott said. “Head downtown, Howie.”

Howard drove off, heading for the road out of town.

“What were you guys doing here?” Amanda asked, her dark eyes shining out under black bangs. She was larger than Kayla, with a beautiful face.

“We were hired out to a few guys. You know - party wagon,” Scott said. “They didn’t show, so we were hoping to find somebody else that wanted to party.”

“We have to pay you?” Amanda asked.

“No, no,” Scott said. “A bunch of rowdy boys do, and we were providing booze and food for them. We’ll drop you two off free of charge. No problem. We don’t have anything better to do.”

Amanda shot a worried glance over at Kayla.

“I forgot something,” Kayla said. “Can we turn around?”

“Too late, honey,” Scotty said. “We’re already rolling.”

“What do you mean, too late?” Amanda said. “Stop this thing right now, and let us out.”

“I’m afraid Mr. Smith won’t let me do that,” Scott said, grinning.

“What? Screw this,” Amanda said. She headed for the door. Scott pulled his revolver out of his pocket and pointed it at her head.

“Sit down, honey,” Scott said, still grinning. “Mr. Smith says you’re not going anywhere.”

Kayla screeched, and leapt towards Scotty, trying to surprise him. He pulled the trigger, hitting her square in the chest. She crumpled onto the floor, as Amada screamed, frozen in terror.

“Dammit, Scotty, I said no blood in my rig,” Howard shouted.

“Shut up and drive,” Scotty scowled. He grabbed Amanda and pulled her close, pushing the revolver up under her chin and pulling back the hammer. “Do I need to worry about you?”

Amanda was trembling, mouth open, unable to scream. She shook her head no.

“Head for the farm,” Scotty said. Then he dragged Amanda into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. Howard tried to concentrate on driving while listening to them. It wasn’t easy.

George, Heidi, and Malcolm came into the clubhouse, and walked over to Charlie.

“You guys all set up?” Charlie asked.

“Yes,” Heidi said. “Sorry it took so long.”

“Nonsense,” Charlie said. “We’ll get the meeting going in a few minutes, and then we’ll have dinner. Chili and cornbread alright?”

“That sounds great,” Malcolm said, smiling.

George nodded, and walked over to Frank. “So, I hear you figured it out?” he asked.

“Yep,” Frank said. “Part of the reason for the meeting is to update everybody’s apps.”

“The bad guys have any idea?”

“I don’t think so,” Frank said. “I also wanted to focus in on the DC area and see if you recognize any of the names, but I think we’ll have to wait until morning to do a good job there.”

“Why?”

“It’s late. Not many people hanging around the offices now.”

“Oh,” George said, laughing. “You’re right.”

“By the way, you wanted to see our video of Saladin and the other leadership. I’ll pull it up.”

“Great,” George said. He caught Malcolm’s eye and motioned him over.

“What’s up, guys?” Malcolm asked.

“Frank’s going to pull up that video of the enemy leadership,” George said.

Frank opened the video file and started to fast forward through it. There were flashes and people running.

“Wow, looks like a lot of action. We’ll have to watch the whole thing when we have some time,” Malcolm said. “What happened?”

“The enemy sent a wave of several hundred troops in, from both sides of the RV Park,” Frank said. “Plus some of the troops who were there turned.”

“You could see that?” George asked.

“Yeah, especially in the area behind the park, where they’d brought in some new recruits towards the end.”

Jerry walked over and looked at the screen. “Ah, going to show the footage of the enemy?”

“Yep,” Frank said. “It’s about here.” He let the video play. Philip came into the frame, with Simon Orr.

“Who are those guys?” Malcolm asked.

“Militia leadership. Philip, and Simon Orr,” Frank said.

“And don’t call him Phil,” Jerry said, chuckling. “What a blow hard.”

“One of our test chips came out of Simon Orr,” Frank said. “He was a level three. Pretty high up.”

“How’d you get that?” Malcolm asked.

“He tried to get the jump on us over at Gabe’s park. Lucky for us, Jeb saw what was happening and shot him with his bow and arrow.”

“Really?” Malcolm said. “That kill him?”

“Almost,” Jerry said. “General Hogan finished the job with a grenade.”

“There he is,” George said, a grim look on his face, pointing to the screen as Saladin came in from the right. “I’d know that son of a bitch anywhere. I’ve got a score to settle with him.”

“Get in line,” Frank said. “Jeb’s told us how he wants to gut him.”

“Nothing wrong with a team effort,” Malcolm said.

“Oh, shit,” George said. “Daan’s with them?”

“Afraid so,” Frank said. “You know him?”

“Yeah, I was supposed to kill him,” George said. “He managed to escape. We’re pretty sure he ended up in Belgium, under the protection of his family.”

“Yeah, big EU muckity-mucks, apparently,” Jerry said.

“He’s brilliant, you know,” George said. “I take it you’ve met him.”

“Yeah, before he got himself into trouble, he was making the rounds of the big corporations, trying to sell his data security consulting service,” Frank said. “And by the way, he stole a lot of the ideas for chip security from yours truly. That’s why I was able to figure things out so easily.”

“You find him with your apps?” George asked.

“No, we’ve found Phil and Saladin, but haven’t seen him yet.”

“He’s probably smart enough not to put a chip into himself,” Malcolm said.

“Either that, or he’s in a location where there’s no cell coverage,” Frank said. “I suspect no chip, though.”

“How much does he know about you, Frank?” George asked.

“We were just acquaintances, but he knows my work, and he’s read my books. We discussed a lot of technical issues over the several years that I was in contact with him. My company wanted to hire him, but I objected. I was CIO at the time, so I got my way.”

“What were your objections?” George asked.

“I thought he was unstable.”

“Good call,” Jerry said, laughing.

“Seriously,” Malcolm said. “How worried do we need to be about this guy?”

“We’ll probably never get close to him,” George said. “Unless he happens to be with the other targets when we hit them. I’d be surprised if he’s in North America very much of the time.”

“Why was he at that RV Park, then?” Malcolm asked. “That was a tactical attack.”

“No it wasn’t. It was strategic,” George said. “They had two objectives. Take out General Walker to stop the partisan resistance movement, and capture Frank. Daan was there because of Frank.”

“Yeah, I figured that out as soon as I saw him on the video,” Frank said.

“How are we gonna take these folks out?” Malcolm said.

“Saladin will be one of our classic jobs,” George said. “He’s holed up in Capitol Reef. Great place to set up an ambush. If we’re lucky, it’ll go like the Sadie Evans/Jason Beckler job.”

“Maybe we can skip the part where I get shot this time,” Malcolm said, chuckling.

“It’s going to be dangerous,” George said. “No doubt about that.”

“What about General Hogan?” Jerry asked.

“We need to get to somebody inside that base,” George said. “We’ll need Sam’s help on that job, but I think it’s important that we take out Saladin and his leadership team first.”

“Why?” Jerry asked.

“I know why,” Malcolm said. “They took General Hogan to protect Saladin, and to take another stab at grabbing Frank.”

“So they think we’ll rush our merry little band over there and try to rescue him?” Jerry asked.

“Yep,” George said. “We’re going to have to think strategically here. You guys mentioned General Hogan’s son. You have a way to get to him?”

“I have a number,” Frank said.

“Good. I’ve got an idea,” George said.

“Hey, Malcolm, what’s up?” Jerry asked, watching his face turn to worry as he looked at his cellphone.

“Later,” Malcolm said. “Let’s get through this meeting first. I see Charlie trying to get people’s attention.”

Charlie was in the front of the room, Hilda by his side.

“Hey, everybody, let’s talk,” he said.

The murmur in the room died down, and everybody looked up to the front.

“Go ahead, Charlie,” Jeb said.

“Okay, thanks folks,” Charlie said. “Most of you know the main reason for this meeting. Frank figured out the names file, and he’s updated the apps and the PC program to show that data. After we’re done talking, we should form a line over by Frank, and he’ll get everybody upgraded.”

There was applause in the room. Frank grinned at the crowd, looking a little embarrassed.

“What does it do?” Jackson asked.

“I put a new toggle button on the app,” Frank said. “You can press it, and it’ll show the names attached to the serial number on the chips. For the phone app, there’s not a lot of screen real estate, so you won’t want it on most of the time. It works better on the tablets and PCs.”

“You got a full listing of the names too, I take it,” Kurt said. “We gonna send it around to some reliable people?”

“Yeah,” Frank said. “That’s the most important piece of this. The names file confirmed what we already knew…Saladin is at Capitol Reef, and Phil is at the Schriever Air Force Base. Not much difference to us from a tactical standpoint. It will be important in exposing the traitors at the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and the White House. I suspect we’re going to find a lot of bad guys scattered around various state houses as well. We can root them out with the list, even if they remove their chips.”

“So it’s going to be published far and wide too?” Earl asked.

“Yep, that’s the plan. I’ll do a mass publish of the file on the same day that the apps are released. It’s already set up.”

“And hopefully this is another job that can’t be undone,” Jeb said.

“Sure is,” Frank said. “They can kill all of us, or take us prisoner, but there’s no way they can stop the distribution. This is going to be the end of them.”

“There’s still going to be a lot of bloody fighting,” Jeb said. “You guys know that, right?”

“Damn straight,” Jerry said. “I’m still worried about the army being so over-taxed. We need to destroy the enemy before they can develop a new set of tactics, or this is war is going to go on for quite a while.”

“We’ve got traitors advising our elected officials,” George said. “That’s a huge advantage that the enemy has right now, and they’re about to lose it. So yeah, the cleanup is going to be bloody, and it’s going to go on for a while, but the enemy will lose. They have no way to win now.”

“I hope you’re right,” Kurt said. “What’s our next step?”

“I saw George and Frank chatting intensely over there,” Charlie said. “Got any ideas to share with us, guys?”

“Yeah,” George said. “We set up an ambush at Capitol reef, and take out Saladin and his leadership. That kind of operation is right up my alley.”

“What about the General?” Jeb asked.

“We’ve got some ideas there, too,” George said. “We need to contact the General’s son. We won’t be able to do a classic assault at Schriever Air Force Base, but we might be able to alert people we can trust at the base that the General is being held there. Then we set up a fake operation, to make Saladin think that we’re taking the bait.”

“Taking the bait?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah,” George said. “We think the General is being held in order to draw us out, keep the pressure off of Capitol Reef, and capture Frank.”

“How do you know they’re trying to capture Frank?” Jane asked, a terrified look on her face.

“Sam Hinton told me that the enemy knows Frank cracked their system and developed the apps,” George said. “I’m pretty sure the surprise attack on the RV Park in Utah was partly to capture Frank. Daan Mertens knows who Frank is, and what he’s capable of.”

“You don’t think the focus of that attack was General Walker?” Earl asked.

“Oh, that was at least half the reason for the attack,” George said. “No doubt about it.”

“So where are you coming up with the idea that Frank was a target?” Jane asked.

“Daan Mertens was there,” George said.

“Okay, then it sounds like we need to plan an ambush,” Charlie said. “Who should be on the team for that?”

“Jeb, Kurt, Earl, the Sheriff, George, Malcolm, and I,” Jerry said. He looked over at George. “Sound okay?”

“Perfect,” George said, smiling. “With Frank for technical support.”

“What do you want me to be doing?” Charlie asked. He looked a little hurt.

“Well, now’s as good a time as any to discuss our other problem,” Malcolm said. “We’re going to need the rest of you for that.”

“Other problem?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah,” Malcolm said. “I’ve been watching for activity of the Nighthawk Road killer.”

“Oh,” Charlie said. “Go on.”

“There was a coed’s body found yesterday with all the right markers, right outside of Kansas City. I just saw another report a few minutes ago. Two more bodies, a little east of where the first one was. Same markers.”

“Yeah, so?” Earl asked. “Sounds like whoever it is might be leaving our area.”

“Too many coincidences happening here all of a sudden,” Malcolm said.

“Coincidences?” Earl asked.

“The former owner of this park tried to get onto Frank’s PC,” Malcolm said. “You guys know about that. Then we saw Howard in the old home movies down there. A few of you know about this already. Howard was a participant with Chet, back in the old days. As far back as the mid-60s.”

There was a gasp from the group.

“When did you guys find that out?” Jackson asked.

“Right before we left the dungeon to get our rigs set up,” Malcolm said. “The Sheriff, Jerry, Kurt, and Charlie saw it too.”

“So what are you saying?” Dobie asked. “You think he’s coming after us?”

“I’m almost positive about that,” Malcolm said.

“I’ve got to concur,” the Sheriff said, a grim look on his face.

“Why?” Gabe asked. “Those guys don’t usually come over to poke the hornet’s nest, do they?”

“George and I have been watching this guy for a while now. I’ve seen the most recent action from this killer around Columbus, Ohio,” Malcolm said. “It was after the New York Harbor attack.”

“Shit,” Dobie said.

“The markings used on the bodies were subtle, but un-mistakable. He was still trying to lay low. Now we’re seeing new killings just east of here, and the killer is obviously trying get our attention. They’ve gone back to the full classic markings. I’m thinking that Scott was just here, in this town, to pick up somebody. Now they’re trying to make sure that we think they’re moving away from us. They’re going to double back and hit us, probably in the near future.”

“Who’s they?” Jake asked.

Malcolm looked over at Kurt. “You do as I suggested?”

“Yeah, been trying to raise Howard at the truck stop for the last couple of hours,” Kurt said. “No answer. I believe you’re right. He’s working with Scott. They’ll find their way back here, probably sooner than we think.”

Chapter 14 – The Slow Twins

“So you’re telling us that Howard took off?” the Sheriff asked.

“I can’t think of any other reason that he wouldn’t answer his phone for this long,” Kurt said.

“I wonder if he knows that those home movies are down in the dungeon,” Malcolm said.

“I was wondering the same thing,” Charlie said. “Why don’t we get the lineup started for the app upgrade? We can talk about this more later.”

Everybody nodded, and started towards Frank, forming a line. Jane watched for a few minutes, and then walked over to Jasmine.

“Time to go mess with dinner?” Jasmine asked.

“I was just thinking. I wonder if anybody told George and Malcolm about Earl Wilson.”

“That’s right, his name was on the registration for that tow truck. Shit, how could we have forgotten that?”

“They’re first in line for the apps. Let’s catch them when they’re done.”

“Okay,” Jasmine said.

Hilda walked over. “You two want to help with dinner?”

“In a minute,” Jane said. “We need to pass some info on to Malcolm and George that we forgot about.”

“Okay, see you in a few minutes,” she said, walking towards the kitchen. Trish joined her.

“Here they come,” Jane said. They walked over.

“Guys, could we have a word?” Jane asked.

“Of course,” Malcolm said. George nodded, and they went over to an empty table.

“We forgot to mention something earlier, when we were down in the dungeon,” Jasmine said. “It’s about that tow truck.”

“What’s that?” George asked.

“The tow truck is registered to Earl Wilson,” Jane said.

George and Malcolm looked at each other.

“You don’t look too surprised,” Jasmine said.

“I found that picture of Red Dagger down there,” Malcolm said. “I wasn’t thinking about the ramifications at the time, but this makes perfect sense.”

“Oh yeah,” Jane said. “Did you ever hear of Chet?”

“Never by name,” Malcolm said, “but the Nighthawk Road murders went on for a lot of years. Back as far as the early 60s at least, and I’ve seen some articles talking about activity as far back as the late 40s.”

“Earl Wilson was Red Dagger’s cousin, right?” Jasmine asked.

“Yep,” Malcolm said. “I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that Chet and Scott are related to those two in some way. By blood, or close family friends, or grew up together.”

“There was a connection like that between Jason Beckler and Earl Wilson, wasn’t there?” Jasmine asked.

“Yes, they grew up together. You know about that incident, eh,” Malcolm said, a twinkle in his eye. “Don’t believe everything that you read.”

Jasmine chuckled. “I’d love to hear all about that someday, but it doesn’t have to be now.”

“I’m always ready to have an off the record discussion about it,” Malcolm said, grinning. “And the incident with Sailor Boy that followed, too.”

“Who’s Sailor Boy?” Jane asked.

“Let’s not go down that rabbit hole now,” George said. “You find any other documentation that mentions Earl Wilson?”

“Not down in the dungeon,” Jasmine said. “You know, it might not be a bad idea to check out the front office. I saw some file cabinets in there. They were all locked up. We haven’t looked in any of them yet.”

“There are nooks and crannies all over this place,” Jane said. “There are closets and nightstands in the bunker bedrooms that we haven’t searched yet, for instance. And closets.”

“Sounds like we have some fun times ahead,” Malcolm said.

“Indeed,” George said, smiling.

“Okay, we just wanted to let you know about that,” Jane said. “We’re going to go help with dinner.”

“Thanks,” Malcolm said. “We’ll talk later.”

They watched the two women walk off.

Heidi walked up. “What was that all about?” she asked.

“They found registration in the tow truck, and wanted to tell us about it,” George said.

“Why?”

“The truck was registered to Earl Wilson,” he replied.

“Oh,” Heidi said, a disgusted look on her face. “That sicko. Not surprised, since you found that photo of Red Dagger on the bulletin board down there. Wonder if we’ll find anything about Beckler here?”

“You should have been here for that last conversation, Heidi,” Malcolm said, laughing. “I’d be surprised if we don’t. He’s probably been in this room.”

“Looks like everybody’s got their apps upgraded,” Heidi said. “I’m going to wander over to the kitchen and see if they need any help.”

“Okay, sweetie,” George said. He watched her walk away.

“Things seem to be good between you two,” Malcolm said.

“Yeah, they are. I’m glad she puts up with me.”

Howard made the turn off the main highway, and was heading to the barn. Scott’s instructions weren’t bad…he only had to double back once, and it was mostly his own fault. The noise finally died down in the bedroom. Howard heard the door open, and Scott came out, dragging Amada along behind him. She was a wreck. Her clothes were off, her hair matted, her eye makeup running down her cheeks. She wasn’t crying anymore. She just looked around, passive, as if she didn’t care anymore.

“You didn’t break her, did you?” Howard asked, turning around and seeing her.

“She’s still in perfect working order,” Scotty said, chuckling. “She’s pretty shell shocked, though. Look at her. She sees her friend lying there in a pool of blood, and doesn’t even seem to care.”

Both men laughed. Amanda looked up, trying to say something, but only a croak came out.

“Give her some water, Scotty,” Howard said.

“Good idea,” he said, heading for the cupboard. He saw a robe hanging in the bathroom, and reached for it, tossing it over to Amanda. He pulled out a glass and filled it, then handed it to Amanda as she was putting the robe on. She drank the water down quickly, and then took a deep breath.

“Now what were you trying to say, girlie?” Howard asked.

“I said that bitch wasn’t my friend,” Amanda said. “She was stupid. We drew straws on who was going to keep track of her downtown, and I lost. That damn sorority sucks.”

Both men started cracking up.

“You actually enjoyed that back there, didn’t you?” Scotty asked, looking at her.

“Not at first,” she said. “It got better, but that doesn’t make you less of a pig.”

“Well, what do you know,” Howard said.

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” she said. “I hate both of you creeps. You’re the worst form of scum.”

“That’s true, girlie,” Scotty said. “Hey, Howie, that’s the barn up ahead. Pull right in through the door.”

“I see it,” Howard said. He turned off the road, hitting the gravel driveway that led into the gaping doors. He pulled in towards the rear, and did a K-turn to get pointed outwards. Then he shut off the engine.

“We’re home,” Scotty said, grinning. “Let’s get this meat sack out of here.”

“What about Amanda?”

“You aren’t going to give us any trouble, are you, honey?” Scott asked, pulling the revolver out of the back of his pants. “Mr. Smith wouldn’t like that.”

“I’ll stay here,” she said, looking at both of them. Then she leaned back on the couch and watched as the two men wrestled the dead girl out the door and carried her to the far side of the barn.

“Well, how was she?” Howard asked as he and Scott walked back to the coach.

“She didn’t fight as much as I like,” Scott said, “but she’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah, I got eyes, numb nuts,” Howard said. “Nice body, that’s for sure. How long we keeping her?”

“Well, we have a little added flexibility, since we’ve already got one body to dump here. Shoot, we gotta go put on the markers.”

“I’ll do it,” Howard said. “You go tend to the girl - and don’t kill her yet.”

“Alrighty,” he said. He walked slowly towards the coach, and Howard hurried over to the body and made his marks. He was done before Scott got to the coach. Howard watched him climb the steps, and then there was a blood curdling scream.

“Scotty!” Howard cried, running towards the coach. Amanda was sitting on top of Scotty, holding a knife in his abdomen and twisting it, a wicked grin on her face. He reached under Scott and pulled the revolver out, then pointed it at her. “Stop. Now.”

Amanda backed up. Howard moved forward and pulled the knife out. Scott wasn’t conscious. He looked like he was going into shock, but he was still breathing.

“He’s not dead yet,” Amanda said, still holding the evil grin. “Let me stab him a few more times.”

“Shut the hell up,” Howard said, pointing the gun at her face. “Help me move him, and I might let you live.”

That snapped Amanda out of her crazed state. “Where, in here?”

“Hell, no,” Howard said. “I was trying to figure out how to get rid of this maniac. You just helped. Pick up his legs. I’ll take his arms.”

“You aren’t going to kill me?”

“I might kill you, if you don’t shut up and follow instructions,” Howard said sternly.

“Okay, okay,” she said, standing and picking up his feet. Howard grabbed his arms, and they dragged him roughly down the steps and onto the dirt, a few feet away from the coach.

“What now?” Amanda asked.

“Now I drop you off somewhere, and we forget we ever met,” Howard said. “If that’s alright with you.”

Amanda shook her head yes, silently, tears starting to flow now. Scott started to move. She saw that, and got a terrified look on her face.

“Howard,” Scott said weakly. “Get me to a hospital. Quick, or I’ll bleed out.”

“Get in the coach,” Howard said to Amanda. She hurried up the steps. Howard followed her.

“Hey,” Scott said. “Stop. Help me.”

Howard didn’t turn around. He got into the motorhome and got behind the driver’s seat, starting the engine. “Get in the front seat,” he said roughly to Amanda. She sat down, and they took off down the road.

“You’re crying,” she said, looking at him.

“He used to be my best friend,” Howard said. “I wanted it to end, but not this way.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going home. I’ll drop you off near where we picked you up. Can I trust you to behave until then?”

“Yes,” she said quietly, trying to keep her eyes on the road instead of on him. “He’s not dead yet, you know. He might live through that.”

Howard gripped the wheel tighter as he drove. Chet’s voice kept playing in his head over and over again…don’t kill my boy.

Back in Kansas, dinner was about over, and people were slowly starting to leave the clubhouse. Frank motioned Jerry over. George and Malcolm were sitting nearby, with Heidi, Jane, and Jasmine. They all gathered around.

“What’s up?” Jerry asked.

“I think we should try to get ahold of General Hogan’s son again,” Frank said. “What do you think?”

“I think we should do that,” George said. “I also think we should put a copy of that names file in my drop box for Sam.”

“I was going to suggest the names file, too,” Jerry said. “Maybe they can quietly start rounding people up.”

“Well, they can at least plan it out,” George said. “My advice would be to wait until exactly the right time, and nail as many of them at once as possible.”

“Yeah,” Jane said. “Otherwise some of them are going to disappear.”

“Exactly,” George said.

Frank pulled out his cellphone and hit the contact for General Hogan. It rang for several minutes. Frank stopped the call. “Let’s give it a minute. Worked last time.”

“I hope the kids didn’t get snatched,” Jerry said.

“You and me both,” Frank said. “I’ll try it again.” He hit the button again. It rang twice, and then there was a click.

“Frank?”

“Is this the General’s son?”

There was silence on the line for a moment.

“Yes.”

“He’s still being held at the base?”

“We don’t know. Are your going to help?”

“Is the entire base under enemy control?”

“No. We were there today. He might not be there anymore. We looked around, and didn’t see anything.”

“Do you know how to use the app on this phone?”

“Yes, my dad showed me. There are bad guys showing up around the base still.”

“Good. We can see the bad guys. They’re in one building…according to the map of the base, it’s building 395.”

“I remember it, Frank. It’s a warehouse building. There wasn’t anybody around there. It looked like it was sealed up.”

“Yes, that’s what we figured. We need to alert the commander of that base, but we need to make sure he’s careful in how he handles things. Your dad’s life depends on it. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

George got Frank’s attention.

“Hold the line for a second.”

“Okay, Frank.”

“What, George?” Frank asked.

“See if you can find out the name of the commanding officer or any of the other high ranking people there. I can put it in the drop box and have Sam get in touch with them.”

“Great idea,” Frank said. He put the phone back to his ear.

“Hello?”

“I’m still here, Frank.”

“Good. Do you know the name of the commander at that base, or any other high ranking officers?”

“Yes, General Kincaid is the commander. Major Healy is over security.”

“Good, then sit tight. We’re going to see if we can alert them through DC.”

“Okay. Do you want me to do anything?”

“You aren’t on the base, are you?”

“No, I’m hiding in the city nearby, with the rest of my guys.”

“Why?”

“Dad told us to lay low until we got contacted. It’s been too long. That’s why we went to the base today, but we came back here afterward.”

“How’d you get on?”

“We went to the PX. We have IDs.”

“Okay, I’ll get back with you. Keep out of trouble.”

“Thanks, Frank.”

Frank put his phone back in his pocket.

“You guys know that was pretty risky, right?” Malcolm said.

“Yes, I know they might be monitoring that phone,” Frank said. “We’re running out of time. George, how quickly can you get ahold of Sam?”

“I think I’d better just call him,” George said. “Malcolm is right, this is risky, but the clock is running on the app release. We’ll need to work quickly, and come up with some back story on how we found General Hogan to fool the enemy.” George pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed.

“Sam?”

“George. How are you?”

“We need help, and we can’t wait for the drop box. This line isn’t very secure.”

“It is what it is. What do you need?”

“We know where General Hogan is being held, right down to the building. He’s at the base we discussed.”

“Shit, so he’s right under our noses. Building number?”

“It’s 395. Just a sec.”

“Frank, what was the commander’s name again?”

“General Kincaid,” Frank said.

“Sam, the commander is General Kincaid.”

“Yeah, I know him.”

“Can you trust him?”

“I think so, George. I’ll get him on the horn, on a secure line this time.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t mention it. You wouldn’t have done it this way if you didn’t have too. Hopefully the bad guys aren’t listening in. I’ll leave a follow-up in the drop box.”

“Good, I’m putting a present in there for you, too. It’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Great. Stay out of trouble, old friend.”

“You too.”

George took his phone away from his ear. “The names file?”

“Already emailed it to you,” Frank said. “It’s not a huge file. It’s just text.”

“Okay, I see it. I’m sending it to the drop box now.

“How about the General?” Jerry asked.

“Sam’s going to contact the base now, and get General Hogan freed, given a little luck, of course.”

“Hopefully he’s still alive,” Jerry said.

“So what do we do now?” Jane asked.

“We wait,” George said.

Scott was in intense pain, crawling over to the wall of the barn. He pulled himself up along the wall, lifted his shirt, and looked at the wound. He was bleeding, but not as bad as he expected. What about internal bleeding? That knife wasn’t very sharp but it hurt like hell going in. He wasn’t dizzy enough to have really fast internal bleeding. Can I walk? He tried a couple of steps along the wall. He started to fall, but caught himself on the rough wood of the barn. He kept walking along the wall until he got to the door. He managed to keep going, letting go of the wall. He was outside now. I might have a chance.

“Howard, you bastard,” he shouted at the top of his lungs as he tried to get over to the road. He saw a light come on in the house, down the road about a hundred yards. Is that the old family farm house? He continued to stumble forward, breathing hard, but he wasn’t feeling dizzy anymore. He was getting tired, though. He needed to sit, but if he didn’t get down the road, he’d die. Yell!

“Help me!!!!!” he shouted. He walked a few more steps. “Help me!!!!! Please!!!!! I’m hurt!!!!”

The porch light turned on, and he could barely see the front door open. Keep going. “Help me!!!! I’m hurt!!!!” he shouted again at the top of his lungs.

He felt suddenly dizzy, and fell onto the gravel road. He could hear wheels approaching. He got up on his hands and knees, then fell, then got up again, and crawled. He could see the headlights now. “Help me!!!!”

The car was almost to him. He heard it stop, sliding in the gravel. Then he heard two car doors open and close, and the sound of footsteps on gravel, getting closer and closer. Suddenly there was a flashlight beam hitting him. He looked up as the two men approached.

“You okay, fella?” asked a voice. Scott could only see the flashlight beam.

“I’ve been stabbed,” he said. “Abdomen. Hurts like hell.”

“Who did that?” asked another voice.

“Some dumb bitch,” Scott said. He felt hands on both of his shoulders, pulling him up, dragging him to the car. They opened the back door and slid him onto the seat. They got back into the front, and started driving. Scott got dizzy again, and felt himself starting to pass out, but he fought it as hard as he could. No use. He drifted off. He woke up when he was being carried up onto the lighted porch, to the door of the house. The two men laid him on the couch and turned on more lights. He felt somebody lifting his shirt.

“This doesn’t look as bad as I expected,” the first man said.

“C’mon, Kerry, you ain’t a doctor,” the second man said.

“I know that, Blake. Don’t you think I know that? Geez.”

“Hey, he looks familiar,” Kerry said. “That’s Cousin Scotty!”

“Oh, hell, you’re right,” Blake said. “Scotty, can you hear me?”

Scott opened his eyes. It was his cousin’s boys. The twins. He started laughing. They weren’t too bright, and they looked even dumber than they were.

“Call Johnny,” Blake said.

“He’s only a paramedic,” Kerry said.

“He’ll know how bad it is,” Blake said. “Maybe he doesn’t need to go to the hospital.”

“Mom’s going to find out where we are if he does,” Kerry said.

“We can’t just let him die,” Blake said. “He’s blood.”

Chapter 15 – Traitor at the Base

Daylight. Terry was startled awake by the wind, rocking the trailer. He could hear it rushing through the trees. Tornado season? No, it’s a few months before that starts. He raised himself enough to reach the curtains and pull them back a little. Dust was blowing across the park. He saw Jake, Gabe, and Dobie walking, hunched over a little, holding their hats. They were heading for the clubhouse. Princess followed Dobie closely, looking around while she walked.

“A little breezy,” Trish said lazily, turning towards him, watching him look at her form under the sheets. “You like?”

He answered her with a kiss, which she broke quickly, laughing.

“What?” Terry asked.

“Our breath,” she said. “Geez, doesn’t that bother you?”

“No,” he said, kissing her again. She started to get into it now. He moved closer to her.

“My dad isn’t outside, is he?” she whispered.

“No, I saw him, Gabe, and Dobie walk over to the clubhouse.”

“Good,” she said, smiling, pulling him closer still. They melted into each other, their passion building. Terry pulled back the sheet, feasting his eyes on her, and started kissing her all over as she moaned. They were beside themselves now, passion building to a fever pitch.

They lay on their backs next to each other afterwards, hands with fingers intertwined, still breathing fast, but slowing, faces still red.

“Did you decide yet?” Terry asked, looking at the ceiling.

“I wasn’t going to decide,” she said, turning to look at his face. He turned towards her. “I was going to think about it. We are going to decide.”

“Okay,” Terry said. “Which way are you leaning?”

“Which way are you leaning?”

Terry chuckled. “It’s going to be like that, is it?”

She giggled back at him, and pulled her hand loose so she could tickle his side. He convulsed, laughing.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what I’m thinking,” Terry said. “I think we shouldn’t decide yet.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because we’re days away from actions that will either end this war or, or at least blow everything wide open. It’s gonna get crazy. I think we should watch what happens for a little while.”

She studied his face, as he watched her for a reaction. She was silent long enough for Terry to get uncomfortable.

“Well?” he asked her.

“I think you’re right,” she said with a sigh. “I wish you weren’t. It’s going to be hard to wait. We’ll have to start using protection, then. We pushed it a little this morning.”

“I’m good with that,” Terry said. “We have something to look forward to, and that can be delicious, you know.”

“I know,” she said. He touched her face, and she flushed, moving herself closer to him, trembling. “Geez, I want your baby in me so badly. I’ve never felt like this before. I’ll be fighting myself. You’ll have to be strong.”

“I know. We’d better get up, or we’ll be back at it,” he said.

“We can play longer, you know,” she said.

“I hear your dad and the others coming back,” he said. He stretched his neck up and peeked through the curtains. “Yep, there they are, carrying coffee. The wind died down. They’ll probably plant themselves under one of the awnings.”

She pulled him over for one more kiss.

Frank got out of bed. Jane was still sleeping. He got dressed quietly, and then snuck out the bedroom door. Mr. Wonderful walked over, tail in the air, meowing at him. “Good morning sir,” he whispered. Lucy trotted over too, tail wagging. She stretched and yawned, looking comical. Frank chuckled as he bent down and petted both of them. “Our children,” he whispered to himself. He heard the bedroom door slide open, and Jane came out, giving him a groggy smile. She was dressed already.

“Good morning,” she said.

“I thought you’d sleep a little longer, honey,” Frank said, while he turned on the coffee maker. “You didn’t even stir when I got out of bed.”

“That wind woke me up earlier,” she said. “I was just dozing.”

“Yeah, I heard the wind. It died down all of a sudden. Strange.”

The coffee machine rumbled and creaked as it heated up. He went to get the k-cups.

“We’re running low on those, Frank. Maybe we should sneak into town and hit the Walmart.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t mind going there anyway. I’d love to see if Howard is around or not.”

“You feel a little less pressure now?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Frank said. “I’ve done about all I can do at this point. I’m sitting on pins and needles about the file, though. Anxious to find out what Sam Hinton thinks about it.”

“I’m sitting on pins and needles about General Hogan,” Jane said.

There was a knock at the door. Lucy barked, and Mr. Wonderful headed for the bedroom. Jane looked out the window. “It’s Jerry.”

Frank opened the door. “Hey, Jerry, what’s up?”

“You been looking at the apps?” he asked, smiling, walking up the steps into the coach.

“Not yet,” Frank said. “Just getting up. Why?”

“The icons at the base are in a different building now, and two of them are missing.”

“Really,” Frank said.

“I hope that’s good news,” Jane said. Just then Frank’s phone rang. It was still in the bedroom. He ran back and grabbed it.

“Frank here.”

“Frank, it’s General Hogan.”

“Oh, thank God.” Frank made the thumbs up sign to Jane and Jerry.

“I’ve got to thank you, Frank. You guys saved me.”

“General Kincaid got you freed?”

“No, he was a traitor. Sam Hinton figured that out, and went around him, to the security chief.”

“Oh, yeah, a Major, right?”

“Major Healy.”

“Anybody get hurt, General?”

“A couple of our guys got killed, and a couple of the bad guys. We captured Phillip. You were right about him. He’s a blowhard. Way too stupid to be leading this thing.”

“Daan Mertens is the brains. Maybe Saladin too. Don’t know him. You know we’ve got some help now, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Frank. Don’t mention his name anywhere. If Saladin finds out he’s involved, he’ll probably try to leave the country.”

“What are your plans now?”

“Sam Hinton is asking for your location, via the drop box. I’d like to pay a visit, and plan some strategy with you and our friend.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. Your kids alright?”

“Yes. I’ll bring them along.”

“Good.”

“We’re going to win this war, Frank. The hardest part will come later.”

“What’s that?”

“Rooting the evil out of our government without destroying our whole society. Talk to you soon.”

Frank put his phone in his pocket and walked out to the salon.

“He’s safe?” Jane asked.

“Yes, he’s safe, and he’s coming for a visit. We need to get George to put our location in the drop box.”

“I’ll bet he’s already done that, but let’s go make sure,” Jerry said.

“How about some coffee first?” Jane asked.

“There’s some in the clubhouse,” Jerry said. “Let’s go.”

Howard drove the class C through the morning sun. He was running on pure adrenaline at this point, after not sleeping at all. He didn’t drive all night. He found a place to park, pretending he would sleep. He didn’t. The sound of Scotty’s pleading voice kept playing back in his mind over and over. That wasn’t all that was in his mind, though. There were the images of Amanda, naked, under him. Fighting, clawing, and crying. The feel of her neck in his hands, throbbing. Wide eyes staring, then empty. He looked over at her. She was snoring. The robe had come open, giving him a hint of what was underneath. I can’t take it.

He was about to transition over to the main route into St Louis. He went the other way, out into the empty land. He was going to do it. I can’t help myself. He drove down the small two lane highway for miles, until there weren’t houses and businesses and other cars passing him. She woke up when he turned onto the dirt road.

“Where are we going?” she asked, eyes filled with terror. She closed the robe around herself.

“I need a bathroom break,” he said, as he guided the coach down the rutted road.

“You could have pulled over anywhere to do that,” she said, starting to get up.

“It’ll take me a little while, and your friend’s blood is all over the floor. Probably on the steps, too.” He parked, and got up as if he was going to the bathroom. When she started to follow him, he whipped around and grabbed her arms. She fought him, screaming, flailing at him, but she wasn’t strong enough. He elbowed her in the face, causing blood to gush from her nose, and then dragged her into the bedroom, pulling the robe off as he went. He threw her on the bed and got on her, assaulting her over and over, for more than an hour. His hands went around her neck, and she fought harder, eyes wide, in a panic. As she was starting to black out, her eyes showed Howard what he wanted to see. Her life was going to end. Then she was still, and he let go, her eyes open, staring into nothingness. Howard got up and went back into the front of the coach. He sat down and cried. “What have I done?” he asked himself.

He picked up his cellphone and called Scotty’s number. It rang and rang. No answer. Dammit. He went back into the bedroom and took several pictures of Amanda’s lifeless body. Then he put them into a text and sent them to Scotty.

“Time to go,” he said to himself. He picked up Amanda and took her outside, laying her against the roadside. He made his marks, and then cried over her one more time. Why can’t I stop myself?

He got back into his coach and drove to the two-lane back-top, heading for the highway. He drove too fast, racing back to the barn. I hope he lived.

Jerry went to his coach to wake Jasmine. She was already awake, having morning sickness again. She came out of the bathroom, using a wet paper towel to clean her face.

“I’ll be glad when I get past this part,” she said, looking at Jerry, trying to smile.

“I know, sweetie,” he said.

“You look like you’re ready to go,” she said. “What’s up?”

“General Hogan is free. He just called Frank.”

“Oh, thank God,” she said. “What now?”

“He’s coming here to talk. I was going to go meet up with Frank and Jane in the clubhouse. We need George to put our location in the drop box.”

“Good,” she said. “I’ll get dressed. There’s probably coffee in the clubhouse already.”

“There is,” Jerry said. “Already had some.” He waited until Jasmine got dressed, and watched her walk out of the bedroom. “You’re so beautiful.”

“I’ve seen that look before, and it led to this,” she said, smiling, pointing at her stomach. “C’mon, let’s go.”

They left their coach and met Frank and Jane on the way.

“Look, there’s George and Heidi, coming out of their coach,” Jane said.

Frank waved, and pointed to the clubhouse. George nodded, and knocked on Malcolm’s door.

“He got the message,” Frank said.

“Wow, I can smell the coffee from here,” Jasmine said as she got onto the steps of the porch.

As they entered the clubhouse, Charlie and Hilda turned around, grinning.

“It’s on the news,” Charlie said. “The General’s safe.”

“He’ll be coming here soon,” Jerry said.

“Have some coffee,” Hilda said.

George, Heidi, and Malcolm walked in.

“Damn, that smells good,” Malcolm said, heading for the kitchen.

“You’ve heard?” Frank asked him.

“Yeah, George just told me,” he replied.

“Hey, George, is our location in the drop box?” Jerry asked.

“No, but I’ll do it in a few minutes,” he said. “Best morning I’ve had since we started this trip.”

“Seriously,” Malcolm said.

“I’m going to crank up the PC app and watch Capitol Reef,” Frank said. “If those guys decide to run, I want to keep tabs.”

George nodded as he joined Malcolm in the kitchen. Heidi followed, then Jasmine, Jane, and Jerry.

Frank got the app loaded, and navigated to Capitol Reef. Most of the icons were still in about the same area as before, but as he zoomed out, he saw another small concentration by the front gate. Jane walked up to him with two cups of coffee, and handed one to him.

“Still there?” she asked.

“Yeah, but there’s some activity at the front gate. Look.”

“That’s where the tank was,” she said.

“That’s right. Been a while since we did any poking around here.”

Jerry walked up with Malcom, Jasmine, and Heidi. George went outside, onto the porch.

“Ah, the front gate, eh,” Jerry said. “Wonder if the tank is still there?”

“Tank?” Malcolm asked.

“Yeah, we saw it using the park’s surveillance system,” Jerry said. “Hey Frank, can you still get into that system?”

“Good question,” he said. “The connect info is on my laptop. I’ll have to send it to this machine.”

“I probably still have it on mine, too,” Jerry said.

George came back in. “Okay, the General will have the location soon,” he said, sitting down next to Heidi, sipping his coffee.

“We’re getting close to another battle, aren’t we?” Heidi asked. “I can feel it. Makes me nervous.”

“You and me both,” Jane said.

“We might be able to let the army do the heavy lifting this time,” Frank said. “Maybe we’ll just be their eyes and ears.”

“Doubtful, if the General is coming here,” Jerry said.

“Yeah, I’d have to agree,” George said. “They’re going to need our capability. A big army operation is going to get noticed by the wrong people. Too hard to keep secret, and we know there are some enemy operatives without chips.”

“Yeah, like General Kincaid,” Jerry said.

“What are you doing?” Malcolm asked, watching the PC screen.

“Pulling back a bit,” Frank said. “Look at that line of icons on the road in.”

“Are they leaving, or coming in?”

“Coming in,” Frank said. “Maybe the enemy is gathering for a meeting.”

“Perhaps it’s a good time to hit them,” Malcolm said.

Scotty awoke with a start, as the door opened. He heard Kerry and Blake coming in, and another man’s voice. There were heavy footsteps, and he heard a plastic box being set down on the wood floor next to the couch. He opened his eyes and looked up.

“Can you hear me?” said a voice he didn’t recognize. Scotty tried to focus. Most of the pain was gone. It was a dull ache now.

“Scotty, you okay?” Blake asked.

“Scotty, can you hear us?” the other man said.

“The wound is under his shirt, Johnny,” Kerry said.

Johnny looked over his shoulder at Kerry. “Must be why the blood is on his shirt, I suppose, dummy.”

Scott tried to talk, but nothing was coming out. Then he watched Johnny pull a foil package out of the big plastic case on the floor behind him. He snapped something and held it under his nose. There was a searing pain in his nostrils, and then he was much more awake.

“You hear me now?” Johnny asked.

“Water,” Scott croaked.

“I’ll get it,” Blake said, trotting out of the room. He was back in a few seconds with the glass. Johnny took it, lifted up Scott’s head, and put it to his lips. Scott felt the cool liquid break its way down his throat. He coughed.

“Is he gonna be alright?” Kerry asked.

“Well, he’s still alive,” Johnny said. “Why didn’t you guys call 911?” He stood up and looked at both of them, his muscular body looking huge to Scott.

“We will if we have to,” Blake said. “We don’t want mom to find out we’re here.”

“Where are you supposed to be?” Scott croaked.

“At the center,” Kerry said. “We ain’t going back there.”

“The looney bin,” Johnny said, laughing. “You guys sure this is your cousin?”

“Yes,” Blake said.

“Okay, let’s take a look at this wound,” Johnny said. He kneeled back down and lifted Scott’s bloody shirt.

“Ouch,” Scotty cried.

“What does it feel like?” Johnny asked.

“Dull ache, unless you mess with it,” Scott said, wincing as Johnny probed at it.

“This isn’t too bad,” Johnny said. “You really should go into the hospital, though. I can’t tell for sure if there’s internal bleeding.”

“Should I sit up?” Scott asked.

“No, I’d stay like this for a while yet,” Johnny said. “Drink more water. If you start to feel light headed or you get real short of breath, you’ll need to get to a hospital. Fast. Do either of you inbreeds drive?” he asked, looking at them.

“What’s an inbreed?” Kerry asked.

Scott started to laugh. “Shit, that hurts.”

“Want me to get the number for their mom and call her?” Johnny asked.

“No, she hates me,” Scott said. “I’ll take my chances with these two.”

“Who stabbed you?” Johnny asked.

“He said it was some dumb bitch,” Blake said.

Scott started to laugh again, but it turned into a cough. Johnny got a concerned look, and pulled out a small flashlight. “Open your mouth.” Scotty complied, and Johnny shined the light in his mouth. “No blood that I can see,” he said. “That’s good. Let’s take your blood pressure.”

Johnny got out his blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. Kerry and Blake watched as he took the blood pressure.

“Normal,” Johnny said, removing the cuff. “You’re probably going to be okay. I’ll get a dressing on that wound. You’ll want to change it a few times in the next couple of days.”

“Thanks, doc,” Scotty said.

“I’m just a paramedic,” Johnny said. “If I were you, I’d go to the emergency room, but I get the impression you aren’t going to do that.”

“Not unless I have to,” Scott said.

“You’re really their cousin?” Johnny asked.

“Yeah,” Scott said.

“We told you that already,” Blake said.

Johnny ignored him. “You Chet’s kid?”

Scott’s eyes got wider. “You knew my dad?”

“My dad and my uncle knew him,” Johnny said. “I was too young. Hell, I’m younger than you.”

“Really? What’s your last name?”

“Beckler.”

Scott got a sly grin on his face. “Really, now. Was your uncle named Jason, by any chance?”

Johnny got a scared look on his face. “You’re like them, aren’t you?”

“What’s he talking about?” Kerry asked Blake, who returned a dull glance.

Scotty just smiled. “We should talk.”

“I got to go,” Johnny said. “The boss will be wondering where the hell I am.”

“You’ll be back?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, we can catch up then. Get some rest.”

Johnny picked up his stuff in a hurry, shoving it into the plastic case. He rushed out the door.

“Hey, inbreed number one,” Scott said.

Both of the boys looked over at him.

“What does that mean?” Blake asked.

“It means you’re both special,” Scott said. “Is that basement room still set up down there?”

“We don’t go down there,” Kerry said. “Scary town.”

“Is there something I can sleep on down there?”

“Yes, there’s beds,” Blake said.

“Good, then you two carry me down there, and bring some water and food down.”

“Okay, Scotty,” Kerry said.

“If anybody comes to the door, don’t tell them about me. Understand?”

Both of the boys nodded yes.

Chapter 16 – Old Friends

“You got another Ethernet hub, by any chance?” Frank asked Jerry, as they were sitting around in the clubhouse.

“No, I don’t, but I’ll bet that Jake does. Why?”

“I thought it’d be nice to be able to connect more than one machine in here.”

“We could set up the Wi-Fi. Jake was talking about that yesterday.”

“That’d be good too, especially for the RV spaces, but in here, a hub would work fine. Let’s go ask him.”

“Okay,” Jerry said. The two men got up and walked out the door, heading for the trailers. Jake was sitting under Dobie’s awning with Gabe.

“Good morning, guys,” Frank said.

“Good morning to you,” Gabe said, smiling.

Jake nodded, smiling too. “Heard about General Hogan. Good news.”

“Sure is,” Jerry said. “Hey Jake, you wouldn’t have any Ethernet hubs in your warehouse there, would you?”

“Yeah, I have a few,” he said. “Need one?”

“We were thinking about setting one up in the Clubhouse.”

“Let’s go,” Jake said. “It’ll be in the back of the bobtail.”

“Thanks, Jake,” Frank said.

“I’m still planning on getting the Wi-Fi hooked up too,” Jake said as they walked. “You okay with the bandwidth usage?”

“Sure,” Frank said. “I think we’ll be fine for the number of coaches we have, and I’m done with the hacking.”

“What are you guys gonna do next?” Jake asked.

“I’ve got the connect info for the National Parks system on my laptop. I wanted to use it to do a little spying on our friend Saladin, if the video cameras are still working. We’ve got a bunch of people showing up at Capitol Reef as we speak.”

“Gonna hit ‘em?” Jake asked, grinning.

“Probably,” Frank said. “The General will be coming to see us soon. I bet we’ll be working with him on this.”

They got to the bobtail. Jake pulled a full key ring out of his pocket.

“Damn, Jake, that’s a lot of keys for a pocket,” Jerry said, chuckling. “You need one of those cable spool things.”

“I know,” Jake said, chuckling. “I should weed through them. I can’t even remember what some of them are for anymore.” He found the key for the padlock on the bobtail door, unlocked it, and rolled it up.

“You’ve got a hell of a lot of stuff in here,” Frank said, watching Jake climb in.

“Yeah, but some of it got a little shot up,” Jake said. “Damn pajama boys.”

“Hopefully they didn’t hit the hubs,” Jerry said.

“Here’s one,” Jake said, turning towards them, holding it up. “No holes in the box.”

“Good,” Frank said.

“Holy crap, that’s a 24 port hub,” Jerry said. “Wow.”

“Yeah, these are nice,” Jake said. “You can run a whole damn office with this sucker.”

“Good, we can set it up by one of those long tables, and get a lot of PCs connected in the clubhouse,” Jerry said.

“Well, here you go,” Jake said. “Just a sec, I’ll get you a bundle of cables.” He went back into the truck, and came back with a handful of them.

“Perfect,” Jerry said, taking the cables from Jake.

“If that’s not enough, come on back and I’ll give you some more,” Jake said. “Think I ought to work on the Wi-Fi?”

“Why don’t we wait until after the General’s visit,” Frank said. “We should have a better idea of what the future will hold after that.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Jake said. “If you need anything else, you just let me know.”

“Thanks,” Frank said. He walked back to the clubhouse with Jerry, and they got to work setting up one of the long dining room tables.

Jane walked in. “What’s that?” she asked.

“We got an Ethernet hub from Jake,” Jerry said. “It’s like the one out in the barn, but it’s got 24 ports instead of just 4.”

“Oh,” she said. “Maybe Jasmine and I could set up in here, then. It’s cold out there in the morning, and hot later in the day. This is a lot nicer.”

“Sure, go ahead and bring your laptops over here,” Frank said. “I’m going to go get mine from the coach. I’m hoping the connection info I have on there for the National Park system still works.”

“Ah, that would be good,” Jane said. “I’ll go grab my laptop. I think Jasmine’s still out there. She’d probably rather be in here too. I’ll let her know.”

“Good, we’re almost done setting up,” Jerry said.

Scott woke up, and looked around the dark recesses of the basement, laying on a small twin bed against the dirty brick wall. He felt at home, but he was antsy. He kept running through last night over and over. I thought I had Howard. Did he just get scared? I can’t lose him yet. I need his help to take back my park.

There were footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked over and saw Kerry and Blake, one with a tray of food in his hands, the other with a pitcher of water and a glass. They hurried over and put them on a table next to the bed.

“Time to eat, Scotty,” Blake said. “Johnny said you need to keep your strength up.”

“Is he coming back soon?” Scott asked.

“Yeah, he said he’d be here before noon,” Kerry said.

“It’s scary down here,” Blake said.

“I’ll let you boys go in a minute. Did either of you see my cell phone?”

The two looked blankly at each other, then back at him. They both shook their heads no.

“Maybe I dropped it on the road, or in the barn. Would one of you go look for me?”

“I will,” Blake said, getting up, looking ready to bolt for the stairs.

“Good, Blake,” Scott said. “It might be in the barn. There’s a girl sleeping in there. Don’t wake her up. Don’t even go near her, okay?”

“A girl?” Kerry asked.

“Yeah,” Scott said. “A friend, but she’s feeling a little under the weather, so we need to leave her alone.”

“Maybe Johnny can help her when he comes,” Blake said, as he climbed the stairs.

“Yeah, maybe,” Scott said.

“Are you feeling better, Scotty?” Kerry asked

“Sure, I’m a lot better,” he said. “Thanks for helping me.”

“You’re blood,” Kerry said, smiling. “Better eat something.”

Scott propped himself up on his elbows and took a drink of water. Then he picked up a piece of toast off the tray and ate it.

“This is good, thanks,” Scott said. “Does your mom ever come around here?”

“No, never,” Kerry said, eyes wide. “You aren’t going to call her, are you?”

“No,” Scott said. “Why doesn’t she come here?”

“She says it’s evil here,” Kerry said, eyes still wide. “She says Uncle Chet and his friends did bad things here with her daddy.” He paused, looking around. “I don’t like to talk about this, Scotty.”

“Why?”

“It reminds me of the noises. When I was a little kid. And the smells.”

“That was scary?” Scott asked.

“Yeah,” Kerry said. “Did Uncle Chet hurt you?”

“No, he was my dad,” Scott said. “He treated me well. I miss him.”

“He told Blake and me that he was going to cut us up,” Kerry said, looking down.

“Why would he do that, Kerry?”

“We snuck down here one time, and caught him.”

“Caught him doing what?”

“He was hurting a girl,” Kerry said, eyes starting to tear up. “He was on top of her, and he hit her. She was crying.”

“Oh,” Scott said. “Did he ever hurt you?”

“No, he said he wouldn’t as long as we didn’t tell mom.”

“Did you tell mom?” Scott asked.

“Oh, no, we didn’t,” Kerry said, looking frightened again.

“Don’t be scared,” Scott said. “Chet was only kidding, and he’s dead now. He can’t ever hurt you.”

Suddenly there were footsteps above them, and Blake came running down the stairs with a big grin on his face. “Look, I found it,” he said, beaming.

“Oh, great,” Scott said. He held out his hand, and Blake placed it there, then backed up. “I didn’t wake up the girl. She’s still asleep.”

“Good, thank you for that, Blake,” Scott said.

“Is that the dumb bitch that stabbed you?” he asked.

“No, it was her friend,” Scott said. “She left in a big motorhome with my friend.”

“Oh, a motorhome like Uncle Chet had?” Blake asked.

“Yeah,” Scott said. “If you see a motorhome drive up to the house, you come get me right away, okay?” He looked at the two of them. They both looked worried.

“She’s not coming back to hurt us, is she?” Blake asked.

“No, no, don’t worry about that. My friend might come back, though.”

“Okay, we’ll watch. Can we go upstairs?”

“Sure, Blake, go ahead,” Scott said. “Thanks for the food and water.”

The two smiled and nodded, then went back up the stairs.

“Geez, how did those two get here?” Scotty said to himself, wondering if he had anybody else to worry about. He brought his phone up to his face. There was a text message waiting, from Howard. He opened it. Amanda. Death pictures. I still have him. He smiled, and ate some more.

Frank had his laptop set up on the table next to the PC desk. He navigated to the link for the National Park system and got on. No problem; the access was still there. He navigated to the video system at Capitol Reef, and brought up the grid of cameras. It looked like they were still working. He heard Jane, Jasmine, and Jerry walking in, chatting. They lined up on the table, setting up their laptops.

“Can you still get on the system?” Jane asked, scooting over closer to him.

“Yep,” Frank said. “Look.” He turned his laptop towards her so she could see the screen.

“Why didn’t they didn’t shut down the cameras?” Jasmine asked.

“I know why,” Jerry said. “If they go dead, the Park Service might send a crew out there.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Frank said, as he brought up the camera nearest to the hiding spot. “They are being careful, though. This camera in the back is pointed in a different direction now. It’s not covering that overhang. Somebody climbed up on the pole and turned it.”

Jane and Jerry came over and looked. “Yep, you’re right,” Jane said.

“How about the front gate?” Jerry asked. “I’m still seeing icons around there.”

“Let’s see,” Frank said. He selected that camera. It was pointing at the gate and the road into the park. “Looks the same to me. Hey, here comes an SUV.”

“Looks full,” Jerry said. “Look how low it’s riding.”

They all watched as it rolled through the gate. Nobody else was around. Frank went on to the other cameras, checking them all.

“A few of those cameras in the trail and camping area aren’t pointing where they were before,” Jerry said.

“Yeah, that’s what it looks like to me, too,” Jasmine said.

Frank rolled his chair over to the PC and looked at the close-in program. There were still icons on their way in, and still a cluster by the front gate. He zoomed in. They were in the storage building.

“Remember that building that the tank came out of?” Frank asked. “That’s where the icons are. They’ve set up shop in there.”

“Saladin in there?” Jerry asked.

“No, he’s in the back, under that outcropping. There’s mostly low level Islamist types in the front, along with a couple of Militia guys, and one level four person.”

“They’re checking people in, I suspect,” Jane said.

You hear that?” Jerry asked.

“What?” Frank asked, but then he heard it. A chopper, approaching. “General Hogan!”

They all got up and hurried out to the porch. They could see it now, approaching quickly.

“Chinook,” Jerry said. “Wonder who he’s got with him?”

“He said he’d be bringing his kids,” Frank said. “Look, there’s Dobie rounding up the dogs.”

They watched as Dobie called them all over and got their leashes on, Princess at his side. He walked them back by the trailers.

“Looks like everybody’s heard it,” Jane said. All the members of the group were walking up to the clubhouse now, slowly, some carrying cups of coffee.

The chopper set down on the large flat area in front of the clubhouse, sending a torrent of dust flying in every direction.

“Too bad we don’t have grass there anymore,” Jasmine said, covering her eyes.

“Seriously,” Jane said.

The chopper engines shut down, the rotors slowly spinning to a stop. The back door opened.

“Here he comes,” Frank said. “He’s limping.”

“Yeah, he’s not looking so good, is he?” Jane asked. “They probably beat him up.”

“Let’s go meet him,” Frank said. He walked off the porch, heading the chopper, with Jane by his side. Jerry and Jasmine followed, and then Charlie and Hilda. The rest of the people filed into the clubhouse.

“Hi, General Hogan,” Frank said as he walked up and shook his hand.

“Frank, great to see you,” he said. “Hello, Jane. You’re looking lovely.”

“Thanks,” she said. “We were so worried about you. I’m glad you made it out okay.”

“And this is Jerry and Jasmine,” the General said, smiling, shaking hands.

“Good to see you again, sir,” Jerry said.

“Likewise,” the General said. “Charlie and Hilda, right?”

“You’ve got a good memory, General. Nice to see you,” Charlie said, shaking his hand. Let’s go into the clubhouse. There’s some coffee in there. We could rustle up a snack too, if you’re hungry.”

“Coffee sounds great,” General Hogan said.

They started towards the clubhouse. Frank turned towards the privates and smiled. “Great to see you men,” he said.

“Same here,” Private Brown said. “Thanks so much for helping us get my dad back.”

“You’re welcome,” Frank said. “Glad things turned out alright.”

They got inside, and Hilda led the General Hogan and the Privates to the kitchen for some coffee. Then she joined Charlie at the front of the room. Everybody was there, sitting at the rows of tables facing the stage.

“How’s everybody doing?” Charlie asked.

“Glad to see the General,” Jeb said, smiling.

“Me too,” Kurt said. There was a murmur of agreement floating through the room.

General Hogan and the Privates sat down at one of the long tables, facing the group. Then the General stood up and smiled at the crowd.

“Good to see all of you,” he said. “I want to thank you for helping to free me.”

“Ah, Frank did the work on that,” Earl said.

“True, but your team kept him safe, and allowed the work to get done,” the General said. “You all had a part in this.”

“I agree with that 100%,” Frank said. “All of us have our talents, and our contributions.”

“This is a formidable team,” the General said. “And we’re going to have to call on you one more time.”

“We know,” Jerry said. “Saladin.”

“Yes, Saladin,” General Hogan said. He scanned the room, and then got a huge grin on his face. “George!”

“Hi, General. How the hell are you?” he asked.

“I’ve been better, old friend. You’ve thrown in with these folks. Good.”

“Yeah, we have,” George said. “Good group of people. We’ve already seen action together, too.”

“Yes, I was briefed about that ambush, and the incident at the bridge. Nice work. We’ll catch up later, I hope.”

“Of course,” George said. “Oh, this is Heidi. You’ve probably heard of Malcolm Davis.”

“Yes, fascinating stories,” General Hogan said. “Glad you’re here.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Malcolm said. “Glad to be here.”

“Okay, let’s get started,” Charlie said. “Where do we stand, and what do you need us to do?”

“I’ll lay it out,” General Hogan said. “Things are still shifting a little, though.”

“Understand,” Charlie said. “Go ahead.”

“We know, thanks to Frank’s apps, that there’s a group of enemy fighters at Capitol Reef National Park,” the General said. “We also have the names file, and have put plans in place to nab all of the enemy operatives at the Pentagon, and in the Executive and Legislative branches of our government.”

“Good, Sam Hinton gave you the file,” George said.

“Yeah, but we’re afraid it’s only a partial list, after the incident with General Kincaid.”

“We are going to have a complex timing issue,” Jeb said. “Right?”

“Yes, Jeb, you hit the nail on the head,” General Hogan said. “We have a huge advantage at the moment, but it’s fragile.”

“The enemy thinks we can’t see them anymore,” Kurt said, chuckling. “Right?”

“Yep, from what we can tell, they think we’re in the dark,” General Hogan said. “It won’t take much to make them realize they’re in trouble, though. We’ve got a big event coming, too.”

“The auto-release of the apps,” Earl said.

“Precisely,” the General replied. “We need to load the bases before Frank hits the ball out of the park, folks. That’s what I want to plan. We have a team in DC that’s getting ready to nail the operatives there. We need a team here to hit Saladin, and we’ve got to be very careful about bringing in Army assets.”

“General, there’s been some upgrades to the apps,” Frank said. “I don’t know if you’ve been told about all of them yet.”

“I know you added the country codes and ranks,” he said. “I assume you’ve also added names by now.”

“Yes, the names are added, and you’ll all get upgraded mobile apps as soon as we’re done talking. What’s turned out to be most important, in some ways, is the new long range close-in view program.”

“What does that do?” the General asked.

“It’s like the original long range app, but it has much greater resolution. We can zero in on buildings or even rooms with this app. There’s only one problem with it.”

“What’s that?”

“It takes a lot of computing power, so I can’t put it on phones or other mobile devices. It runs best on a PC or a higher end lap top.”

“Interesting capability,” the General said. “We can probably find a use for that.”

“We already have,” Jerry said. “How do you think we found out what building you were in?”

“Oh, really?” the General asked.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you, dad,” Private Brown said. “I probably didn’t explain it very well.”

“I get it now,” the General said. “Sorry, son. I assume, Frank, that you’ve already used this thing to zero in on Capitol Reef?”

“Yes, General. In fact, it’s on the screen right now, if you’d like to step over here and take a look.”

“Why, yes,” the General said, getting up and following Frank over the PC. Frank sat down in front of it, and the General stood behind him, looking at the screen.

“The highest concentration of icons is in the back area of the park, under this huge outcropping of rock, and the surrounding ravines,” Frank said. He toggled on the names. “Look, there’s Saladin.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” he said.

Frank moved to the front gate. “There’s a new concentration, in this warehouse building behind the front office,” he said.

“There’s also a tank in that building,” Jerry said.

“You can’t tell that with this app, can you?” the General asked.

“No, we got onto the video camera system a while back, and were watching when it appeared. Remember that ambush that they tried to set up? We saw the enemy get chased in here by some of your guys, and the tank opened up on them. Not a pretty sight.”

“Oh, yeah. I remember,” the General said grimly. “You still have access to the cameras?”

“Yeah, but they moved a few of them, so they’re no longer pointing in an advantageous direction.” Frank zoomed out further. “Look at this.”

“Is that more people coming in?” the General asked, with a grin on his face.

“Sure is,” Frank said. “They’re getting ready for a meeting or something.”

“Well, this confirms one thing,” the General said, chuckling. “We were right. They think we can’t see them anymore.”

Howard was driving down the dirt road, towards the barn. Nobody was around. He pulled his class C inside, doing a K-turn to get it pointed back towards the doors. He shut down the engine and rushed out, looking for Scott. He wasn’t there. The girl’s body was, though. It was already starting to smell a little ripe. He looked closely at the straw covered floor, and could see where Scott crawled towards the wall. Then he saw a few drops of blood, long the wall leading to the doors, and around the outside. He got out of here. He’s probably still alive. Howard followed the trail. It led out to the gravel road that continued past the barn.

“Tire tracks,” he said, looking down. “Fresh.” Then he noticed the old farm house, with its wrap-around porch. It was down the road about a hundred yards. The house looked deserted, so Howard approached, squinting to focus in. The door suddenly pushed open, and a young man stepped out onto the porch, scanning the area. Howard tried to get behind something, but he wasn’t fast enough; they made eye contact, and then the young man went back in the door. A second later he was back out, with another young man who looked just like him. Twins?

Chapter 17 – The End of the Beginning

“You really think this movement of enemy fighters to Capitol Reef means they think we can’t see them anymore?” Earl asked.

“I do,” the General said. “They probably think we’ll crack it again, though. This rapid influx of fighters smacks of panic to me. They want to accomplish something before they’re exposed again. I can feel it.”

“We gonna hit ‘em?” Gabe asked.

“That’s going to be my suggestion, but you guys are going to need some help,” he replied.

“Perhaps we can do something similar to what we did to that away team,” Jeb said. “Set up an ambush, and slaughter them. They aren’t too bright.”

“Sometimes yes, sometimes no. We’ve got to assume that they are watching for that,” General Hogan said. “Judging by how many of them have infiltrated the Pentagon and other parts of the government, they might have access to all kinds of capability.”

“Let’s brainstorm this, step by step,” Frank said. “We know where the leadership is hiding. We can place them within yards. We can also see where the men protecting them are.

“Yes,” the General said.

“Let’s eliminate the obvious things first. We know we can’t drive in the front gate. They’re watching, and they’ve got men and a tank in place,” Frank said.

“I’m with you,” the General said.

“We also know that they can monitor the video cameras around the park,” Jerry said.

“How do we know that?” the General asked.

“Because they’ve turned the ones that were pointing to sensitive spots,” Jerry said. “We saw that today.”

“That’s good, though,” Frank said. “We know what they can see, and we can monitor it on the fly, too, even while we’re there. Looking at the video stream doesn’t take much bandwidth, so we can use phones or tablets to do it.”

“So basically what we’re saying here is that we need to avoid the park cameras, but they aren’t a big help or a big threat,” George said, walking to the front of the room.

“Precisely,” Frank said.

“Okay,” General Hogan said. “I’m following. Go on.”

“We know they are going to be watching for an assault, as you said,” Frank said. “There are several ways they can do that. First, they can do it the old fashioned way. They can have sentries placed in various positions.”

“True, but that might not be as old fashioned as you think,” George said, “because they might have night vision.”

“They probably do,” General Hogan said. “They’ve been surprisingly well supplied.”

“Okay, so sentries with night vision are the baseline capability that they have. We’ve also seen them use low-flying, short range drones,” Frank said. “We can hear those coming, but if we shoot one down, we’ll tip them off.”

“True, it would tip them off, but if we’re ready to hit them at that moment, it won’t make much difference,” Earl said. “Remember what happened behind Gabe’s park? We took out their drone, and hit them before they could re-group.”

“Okay, so we’ve highlighted two ways they can protect themselves…sentries and small drones,” Charlie said. “What about their own video camera system?”

“There’s a good chance they’ll have something like that,” Jake said. “That’s cheap hardware, and it’s simple to set up and monitor.”

“We’ve done that ourselves, at two of the parks we’ve been at,” the Sheriff said. “Didn’t help us that much, though, except after the fact.”

“After the fact?” General Hogan asked.

“Yeah, we were able to view footage of the attack on Hilda’s park that took out General Walker,” Jeb said.

“Jeb’s right,” Frank said. “That’s where we saw Saladin, Daan Mertens, and Phillip all together. It doesn’t really come into play now, though. Suffice it to say that they may have a string of video cameras placed around the perimeter.”

“They could have something as simple as trip wires or mines, too,” Kurt said.

“True,” General Hogan said. “What else?”

“How likely is it that they might have access to either satellite imagery or high-flying drones?” asked Jerry.

“I’d say there’s zero chance that they have access to any of our military drones,” General Hogan said. “It takes too many people to operate those. Satellites are another matter. They’re always up there. The number of people they’d have to turn to get what they need from those would be less. A lot less. Maybe just one or two people with the right access.”

“Could General Kincaid have given access to anybody?” George asked. “We all know what Schriever Air Force Base is for, after all.”

“That is one of my greatest fears, actually,” General Hogan said.

“We have the tools to do something about that,” Frank said.

“How so?” George asked.

“I can get into most of the Satellite infrastructure systems. I can do things like scan who has requested access to any of our military satellites.”

“How the hell can you do that?” General Hogan asked.

“No comment,” Frank said, chuckling.

“What good is that going to do, though?” George asked. “I was looking at that file. There’s hundreds of thousands of names on there.”

“No problem,” Frank said. “I’ll just write a quick program to compare the list of requestors to the list of enemy operatives. It’s a ten minute job. We’ll get back a listing of hits.”

“If you can do that, I can go through the proper channels to stop their access,” General Hogan said, smiling. “I assume you can access the satellites, if you can get to the infrastructure stuff.”

“Yes, I can,” Frank said. “I’m doing it in a rather clandestine manner, though. You could probably provide better cover.”

“Let’s not go down that road,” the General said. “We don’t know who we can trust in my chain of command.”

“Okay, so let’s say that we can neutralize any satellite access the cretins have,” Charlie said. “How are we going to get close enough to take out this Saladin character? We can’t just drive in. Last I checked there were over a thousand icons in that area.”

“We got three jeeps between us,” Jeb said. “So we can sneak in the back way.”

“There’s a Humvee in the Chinook too,” General Hogan said.

“Okay, so we get into the park,” Charlie said. “That still doesn’t get us in a position to hit him. How do we get up close and personal with this guy?”

Private Brown stood up. “We won’t have too. We’ll only have to get within view of his location.”

George laughed. “You’ve got some laser target designators with you,” he said.

“Yes sir,” Private Brown said. “And we have some people we can trust to deliver the missiles.”

“These guys are hiding in the rock formations at Capitol Reef,” Kurt said. “The Feds aren’t going to let you blow that area up.”

“We don’t need to blow it up,” the General said. “We can use anti-personnel weapons that won’t do much damage.”

“You’re not talking about chemical weapons, I hope?” Jane said.

“No way,” General Hogan said. “Couldn’t get any of those if I wanted to. I’m talking about Napalm and White Phosphorus. Fuel Air bombs.”

“Alright, we have enough ideas to start making plans,” Frank said.

Jerry looked at him and smiled. “I’ll take a shot. Step one – find out if any enemy operatives are using our satellites to protect their site,” Jerry said.

“Yes, I’ll start working that now,” Frank said, typing onto the PC as he was listening.

“Step two – start our own monitoring of the area, with a combination of real time satellite imagery and our applications.”

“Yes,” George said. “We’ll need people here on those PCs, using the long range detail app to help us locate the exact spot. That was a godsend when we did that ambush.”

“We should be able to see where their sentries are with the satellite imagery, right?” Jerry asked.

“Yes,” General Hogan said.

“Step three – take the info we get from the satellite imagery to plan our assault,” Jerry said. “I have a feeling we’ll be needing our archers again.”

“I’m ready,” Jeb said. Kurt nodded in agreement.

“Count me in too,” Malcolm said. “Mine’s a crossbow, so I’ll have a little more range.”

“Step four – turn off the enemy’s satellite access, if they have it,” Jerry said, “and step five – get our team into place on the perimeter of the park,” Jerry said.

“We bringing the same stuff again?” Earl asked. “The M107 and OICW, and the mortars?”

“I would,” General Hogan said. “But we’ll have to be careful with the mortars. We don’t want to do too much damage.”

“We still have quite a few rounds of Willie Pete,” Jackson said.

“Good,” the General said. “That would help.”

“I think we can start doing the detail planning for the assault team,” Jerry said.

Howard wasn’t sure if he should run back to his rig and drive away, or go to the house. The twins saw him from the porch, and ran back inside the house. After a couple of minutes, they came back outside and started slowly walking in his direction, looking scared.

“I might as well go face the music now,” he said to himself, as he started towards the boys, meeting them in a few minutes.

“You Cousin Scotty’s friend?” Blake asked. Kerry was next to him, looking ready to run.

“Yes, I am,” Howard said. “Is Scotty okay?”

“He’s much better than he was last night,” Kerry said. “He wants us to bring you down. He’s in the basement.”

“He’s really your cousin?” Howard asked.

“Yes, sir,” Blake said.

“My name is Howard. Lead the way.”

The three started towards the house. Howard could feel the rubbing of his pistol. It was in the waistband of his pants, in the back, under his shirt. Just in case.

“You two live here by yourselves?” Howard asked.

“We ran away from the center,” Blake said. “We’re hiding. You won’t tell our mom, will you?”

“No, of course not,” Howard said. Blake smiled at him. Kerry still looked pretty scared. They went into the door, and down the stairs to the basement.

“How was Amanda?” Scott asked, looking up at Howard from the bed, grinning.

“You saw my text,” Howard said, forcing a smile.

“Why don’t you boys go upstairs,” Scott said. “Let us know if anybody comes.”

“Okay, Scotty,” said Kerry, looking relieved. The two shuffled up the stairs.

“I’m sorry, Scotty,” Howard said. “I got spooked.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Scott said. “Let’s consider ourselves even.”

“Even?”

“Yeah, I kinda forced you back into this. You didn’t want it at first, but you came around enough to come back for me. We’re square.”

“You sure, Scotty?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Now, how was she?”

“She was a lot better than I expected,” Howard said. “She knew pretty quickly that I wasn’t really going to let her go, so she fought like a wildcat.”

“Then you got better from her than I did,” Scott said.

“We need to move the little one in the barn somewhere else,” Howard said. “Before she gets too gross to handle.”

“I was already thinking about that,” Scott said. “It doesn’t have to be far. We’ll blow this joint as soon as I can get around a little better.”

“How bad are you hurt?”

“The boys knew a paramedic, and he came over and patched me up. He thinks I’ll be fine,” Scott said.

“Is he coming back?” Howard asked. “Should I be worried?”

“He’s supposed to be back here by about noon, to check on me,” Scott said. “And get this. His last name is Beckler.”

“No way,” Howard said. “Related?”

“Yeah,” Scott said. “He didn’t look too happy when he found out I was Chet’s kid, that’s for sure.”

“You think he’ll call somebody?” Howard asked.

“I doubt it,” Scott said.

“What’s the story on the twins?”

“They’re my cousins. Remember that bitch I was talking about that owns this place?”

“Yeah.”

“Those are her retard twins. They escaped the institution they were in. I’d love to know how they got here. This place is off the beaten path a ways. We need to keep an eye out. Somebody else might join the party.”

“What are the boys doing for food?” Howard asked. “Do they have a car?”

“Not that I’ve seen so far,” Scott said. “Maybe Johnny is helping them.”

“Johnny?”

“That paramedic I was talking about,” Scott said. “The Beckler kid.”

“Oh,” Howard said. “Okay, I’m going to get that girl moved out of the barn before any uninvited guests show up. Be back in a few minutes.”

“Okay, Howie,” he said. “Just take her down the highway about a mile south. There’s a dirt road you can turn down there. Good place to dump.”

Howard nodded as he walked up the stairs.

“Hey, boys, I need to go run an errand for Scotty. I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Bye, Howard,” Blake said. “See you later.”

Howard walked back to his coach, looking around warily. He checked his watch. 10:30. He’d have the girl out of here long before the paramedic showed up. The barn door gaped ahead of him, foreboding even in the daylight. He opened the door to his coach, and then looked around. There were some pieces of cardboard laying against the back wall. He picked one of them up and watched a huge silverfish scurry away. These will do. He picked them up, shook them off as best he could, and carried them to the coach, putting them on the floor just inside the door. Then he dragged the body over and struggled to hoist it up the stairs. He got her on the cardboard, and then sat down on his couch to catch his breath. She was heavier than she looked.

“Time to go,” he said to himself, getting into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and drove away. He felt a twinge that maybe he should run, but he knew he wouldn’t.

General Hogan walked up to George and Malcolm, who were talking, sitting at a table by the windows. “How did you guys end up here, anyway?” he asked. “I didn’t expect to see you. Did you decide to join the resistance?”

George laughed. “You know, if I’d have known about these guys, I would have been tempted. That’s not what happened, though. We’re here because of Malcolm’s tracking program.”

“Tracking program?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Malcolm said. “I’ve got a program that looks for unusually high numbers of searches on specific series of murders. It saw Jane doing searches on the Nighthawk Road killings.”

“Serial killers,” the General said, chuckling. “I guess I should have known. I can’t see you making a dangerous trip just because somebody did a bunch of internet searches, though.”

“It wasn’t just the searches. That killer was active in this area, for many years, starting as early as the late 1940s. When somebody does so many searches from the area that the crimes happened, it’s likely they found something.”

“Oh,” General Hogan said. “When’s the last time this killer was active?”

“Around here? About six or seven years ago, but he moved east, and has been active right up to a few days ago.”

“Wait a minute,” the General said. “Late 1940s, all the way to a few days ago. You know how old that would make this guy?”

“This is multi-generational,” Malcolm said. “The father has been dead for years. We have very good evidence that the son followed in his footsteps, being helped by several other people in the area.”

“Really,” the General said. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

Malcolm and George looked at each other.

“You won’t believe what we found,” George said. “There’s a dungeon here, under the barn. We found all kinds of evidence, including Super 8 movies, VHS tapes, and lots of personal effects and pictures.”

“Wow,” the General said. “You’ll have to show it to me.”

“We will,” Malcolm said. “There is a danger that you need to be aware of.”

“What’s that?”

“There’s a pretty good chance that the killer is on his way here. He might try to create some havoc in order to take his property back.”

“Oh, he owned the park, huh,” the General said. “Have you spoken to the local authorities about this?”

“We can’t,” George said. “Not yet.”

“Why…oh, never mind, I get it,” the General said. “The enemy would love to find our friends. A media circus would be very dangerous to the group, and to our mission.”

“Exactly,” Malcolm said. “So we decided to sit tight on this for now, while we do what the country needs us to do.”

“Got sucked into the struggle, eh?” the General said. “Good.”

“I’ve got a personal stake in this,” George said.

“Saladin?”

“Yes, Saladin, but also Daan Mertens.”

“We don’t think Daan Mertens is in the USA right now,” General Hogan said. “We think he’s back in Belgium.”

“I’m thinking the same thing,” George said, “and so is Frank. He knows Daan, you know.”

“From his earlier life as a Chief Information Officer, I suspect,” General Hogan said. “We’ve heard that Mertens used to sell security consulting to the major firms.”

“Yeah, that’s how Frank knew him.”

“They weren’t friends, were they?” the General asked.

“No, just acquaintances,” George said. “Frank recommended against his company hiring this guy.”

“Interesting.”

“Oh, and by the way, the chips that Daan developed are based on research that Frank did. That’s why he was able to crack them so easily.”

The General laughed. “This is classic, just like I always talk about.”

“What?” Malcolm asked.

“In all of the major conflicts of mankind, going back to the dawn of time, there’s always a handful of people in the exact right place, at the exact right time, with the exact right talents. Frank. He’s that person here.”

“For our side, yes,” George said. “But that works both ways.”

“You referring to Saladin or to Daan?” the General asked. He had a sly grin on his face.

“I was thinking more of Daan.”

“Those guys are just the hired help,” General Hogan said.

“I sense a conspiracy theory coming,” Malcolm said, chuckling.

“Doesn’t it seem a little strange to you two that most of the United States is still open for business, even with this war on?” the General asked.

“Yes, I must admit I wondered about that,” George said. “I was surprised when the people joined the fight so quickly, and so effectively too.”

“That was not expected,” General Hogan said, the sly grin back on his face. “In much the same way that both Napoleon and Hitler underestimated the Russian winter, our enemies have underestimated the American character.”

“So who is it? The President? Is he really out of power?” Malcolm said.

“These people are not above sacrificing their own when they need to. It was a good way to get past the failure of martial law.”

“So what you’re telling us is that, even if we take Saladin and Daan Mertens, this isn’t over?”

“There’s an old quote that fits our situation like a glove, gentlemen,” General Hogan said.

“What’s that?” Malcolm asked.

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

“Who said that?” Malcolm asked.

George looked over at him and smiled. “Churchill.”

Continued in Bugout! Part 10, available now!

Copyright

Bugout! Part 9 copyright © 2015 by Robert G Boren. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Thanks to Laura Thomas for editing this book!

About the Author

Robert G Boren is a writer from the South Bay section of Southern California. He writes Short Stories, Novels, and Serialized Fiction. Most of his work is about people from the South Bay.

Other Books by Robert Boren

Never A Loose End - The Franklin and Davis Files Book One

Serial Killers. Maniac Ex-cops. CIA Assassins. White Slavers. Strippers

In "Never A Loose End", they all come together, racing towards their frightening destiny.

This is the story that started it all for George Franklin and Malcolm Davis. Some of you know them from the later episodes of the Bug Out! series, set seven years later. This is the story of how they met, and the battle that forged them into a formidable team.

George and Malcolm are both targets, marked for death, but why?

A clan of Serial Killers is active again, after hiding for years. What has brought them out?

Follow George and Malcolm as they dash through the Southwest in their Motorhomes.

Murder, gun battles, bombings, and general mayhem reign in "Never A Loose End"

Who will survive? Will the hunted be brought down, or will they become the hunters instead?

Find out in "Never A Loose End - The Franklin and Davis Files Book One"

Note: This full length novel carries a hard R rating, unlike the PG-13 Bug-Out! series. "Never A Loose End" contains graphic violence and sex. Discretion is advised.