“It will take more than that to convert the sellouts,” Javier said.
“I agree. And because of that, I think you should also tell your story about the virus.”
Javier rocked in his recliner. “I want to go with the D.C. group. Maybe Kyle can tell about the virus too?”
“Why do you want to go to D.C.?” Kyle asked.
Liz turned her chair so she could see them both. Now that Kyle was back in her life, it seemed silly to not look at him.
Javier described what he’d told her about hitting LifeFarm in the heart. She wasn’t convinced that was in D.C.—their headquarters were in New York. But maybe he was right about Congress being the source of their power. LifeFarm was using the drug to control legislators, who in turn worked things in LifeFarm’s favor. So who was controlling whom?
“All right.” Robert stood. “Javier will go to D.C. with the Seeds. Kyle will head to New York with . . . what should we call your people?”
“I called them the Grays back in the compound,” Kyle said.
“Why?” Liz finally grabbed the sandwich she’d been eyeballing from the tray.
“They didn’t believe in the black-and-white reality that LifeFarm propagated. I could persuade the Grays to go against them, even though the odds were against us.”
“How did you do that?” she asked.
His eyes fixed on hers. “I told them what LifeFarm did to me. To you. It didn’t take much.”
All words left her. She froze holding the sandwich halfway to her mouth.
Robert brought her attention back to the group. “Okay, so now that we know where everyone is going, let’s talk it out. It starts by taking out the networks in New York and all electronics in D.C.”
****
Javier took Sam’s hand and they walked along the river. The setting sun gave everything around them an orange glow, and though the air was cold enough to give him goosebumps, Javier couldn’t remember feeling as warm as he did with her.
Tomorrow they would all leave, heading into what might be a hopeless battle. How could a few handfuls of people take out something as huge as LifeFarm? He pushed the thought from his mind. Whatever happened tomorrow had no bearing on where he was now or that his fingers were neatly laced between Sam’s.
They walked in silence as stars appeared. Looking up, Sam asked, “Are you scared?”
“A little.” He followed her gaze. “How many people will there be?”
“We have a lot, but losing the North Carolina Seed hurt us. After we take out their networks, we’ll be able to swarm them, I think.”
“Like Napoleon and the rabbits.”
She frowned. “Huh?”
Javier grinned. “It’s an old story from history class. Napoleon wanted to hunt rabbits, but in his location, there weren’t any. Someone brought a bunch in. But they were domesticated rabbits, not wild. They weren’t afraid of people.”
Sam laughed. “Uh oh.”
“Yeah. They swarmed him. The conqueror of most of Europe was almost taken out by rabbits because there were so many of them.”
“Maybe we’ll have the same good fortune as the rabbits.” Sam gazed at the sky, and the moonlight reflected in her eyes.
“Do you think we will?”
She smiled. “I hope so. How’s that?”
He laughed. “It will have to do, I guess.”
“The Seeds have been preparing for this. They’re ready.” She took his hand. “Your job is to stay safe so you can work on the vaccine later. Damien can help you with it.”
“Yeah. No problem.” He laughed.
“Just try, okay?” She sniffed, and her gaze went back to the sky.
Guilt struck him—she was scared and he’d teased her.
“Sam?”
Her attention stayed on the stars.
“I’m sorry. You’re worried and I didn’t get it.” Choking on his words, he brought his hand to her cheek.
Her eyes came back to him. Tears pooled in them.
His heart ached. Though they hadn’t had many private moments, she obviously felt more for him than he’d thought—of course, he wasn’t great at reading anyone, especially girls. At a loss for what to say next, he simply kept his hand on her cheek and brought his lips to hers.
She welcomed his kiss, bringing her hand to the back of his neck. Her lips warmed his against the cold night, and though he worried his lack of experience would be distracting, she responded to his every move. As heat coursed through his body, he pulled back, playfully brushing her lips with his.
Giggling, she pulled him close again, and any worries he had melted away. All that mattered was her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Charlie stepped onto the porch, interrupting Kyle’s conversation with Mattson. He’d overheard enough to know Kyle’s plan. “Why do you want him going with you?” Charlie was next in line for Robert to take back to the cars on the motorcycle, but he had to get this cleared up. “We’re supposed to go to D.C. with Robert and Javier.”
“He’s good with computers,” Kyle said. “He can help us take over the news networks’ broadcasts.”
“None of your ‘Grays’ can do that?” Charlie raised his eyebrows.
“They can, and they will. Mattson will assist, It’s just . . .” Kyle cleared his throat. “The night you guys left the compound, I fired a shot into the darkness in your general direction—”
“It was you.” Mattson brought his hand to his shoulder. “I haven’t been able to move it. Javier thinks the bullet got stuck in a bone.”
“I know. I feel terrible. My son is about your age, and if anything like this happened to him I don’t know what I would do.”
“Do you know it’s infected?” Charlie asked. Sure, the guy felt bad, but he had to make Kyle understand the gravity of his choice. Shooting into the air wasn’t without consequence. “Not to mention the bullet was inches away from his neck. You could have paralyzed him. Or worse.”
“Shit. Really?”
“Yeah. I treated it best I could but I’m no doctor. We need to get him real care as soon as we can.” Looking at Mattson, the weight of what could have happened settled on Charlie. The only reason Kyle hadn’t killed Mattson was blind luck. Literally.
Charlie clenched his fist, trying to ignore the heat building within him.
Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you have a fever? Feel sick?”
Mattson shook his head.
“Okay. After this is over, we’ll get him taken care of. I’ll make sure of it.” Kyle put a hand on Mattson’s good shoulder. “And I still want you helping my people, if you’re up for it.”
A smile crept across Mattson’s face. “You said something about computers?”
“I did. I don’t suppose . . .” Kyle leaned close and whispered, “you know anything about hacking?”
“Pfff. Only since I was ten years old.”
“I thought so.”
“Hold up. You’re a hacker?” Charlie asked. “You know LifeFarm could have had you arrested if you were caught, right?”
Mattson waved a hand. “Relax, Uncle Chuck. Your ride’s here.” He pointed to Robert driving up on the motorcycle.
Charlie glanced at Robert on the bike, then focused on Mattson. “I really think we should stay together. You’re hurt. It’s my responsibility to make sure it doesn’t get worse.” He couldn’t stomach that possibility.
Mattson put his good hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Wouldn’t it be safer for me to be hiding out somewhere with a computer instead of in the middle of a fight?”
“I guess, but—”
“Then this makes the most sense. Liz will be with us too. She can contact someone in your group if something happens, okay?”
Charlie pursed his lips. When did Mattson get to be so smart?
“I’ll make sure he stays out of danger,” Kyle said. “I know I have no right to ask for your trust, but I’m asking.”
Robert honked the motorcycle’s horn and revved the e
ngine.
“God. Your mother is going to kill me.” Charlie stepped off the porch, pointing at Mattson. “Okay. But you stay out of anything dangerous. Got it?”
Mattson saluted.
Smart ass.
****
Javier held Sam’s hand in the back of Jonah’s SUV as they headed to Washington. Damien twisted around in the passenger seat and reviewed the smaller details of the attack plan with them on the way—what to expect from an EMP, who would go where, what to do in case of gunfire from bodyguards. Miles and hours passed quickly, as if fate was in a hurry to get this confrontation over with.
For Javier, battling LifeFarm was only the first step—he still had to work with Damien to create a vaccine. He’d likely be starting from the beginning. And they had to get it completed before the weather warmed and mosquito populations took off.
“Are you okay?” Sam asked.
“Oh. Yeah.” He squeezed her hand and offered a polite smile. “Just a lot on my mind.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Still have questions about what’s going to happen?”
“Yeah. How did you guys get an EMP device?”
“We actually have three. A few of the Seeds with more technical know-how were put in charge of that.”
“Three? Because we’ll use all three or in case the first two don’t work?”
“Both. Best case scenario, we use all three. They’re kinda small so the range isn’t as good as you might think. We need to disconnect Congress from LifeFarm while Kyle and his Grays hijack the news networks and everyone from the Seeds moves in. But if one doesn’t work, we have two backups.”
“How do you know all this?” He smiled. She’s so smart.
“I dated a guy who worked on one in the Seventh. He filled me in.”
Oh. “How long ago was that?” He tried to keep from visually cringing, unable to keep his imagination from picturing Sam with another guy.
She leaned close, gazing into his eyes. “A while. You’re not the first guy I ever kissed, you know.”
“Hey, I don’t need to know that,” Jonah said from the driver’s seat.
Heat rushed to Javier’s face. He sat back, playing it cool.
“Wait a second.” She placed her nose an inch from his and whispered, “Am I the first girl you’ve kissed?”
In response, he gave her a quick peck on the lips.
She giggled.
“This is the part where you say I’m a natural,” he said.
After another quick laugh, she pressed her lips against his.
“Come on. Knock it off.” Jonah honked the horn.
Damien chuckled under his breath.
“Anyway . . .” she sat back in her seat, “any electronics within range of the EMPs will be wiped out. If we can get the entire Capitol Building while Congress is in session and the Seeds move in, they’ll have to pay attention.”
An hour later, as Jonah turned onto the highway leading to D.C., his phone rang. He passed it off to Damien.
After a short conversation, Damien disconnected. “They’re in New York City. We’re on schedule.”
Javier swallowed. That meant in about two hours, the question of whether LifeFarm stayed in control would be answered.
****
“There they are.”
Kyle’s words snapped Liz out of her dream—leaving the cabin well before dawn had worn on her. She didn’t remember dozing off.
He leaned towards his window.
Liz leaned over him, eyeing a crowd that filled a field adjacent to a small playground. Crowds weren’t uncommon in New York City. Maybe only some of these people were his. Around them, skyscrapers loomed and drivers voiced their displeasure with traffic with yelling and honking. For a secret mission, this location was anything but secretive. “Are all of these people yours?”
“Yep. Ben, stop over there, by that tree.”
The driver parked, and Kyle hopped out. Those on the edge of the gathering smiled upon seeing him. Liz eased her way out and into the bright afternoon sun, but it did little to warm her.
Kyle hurried to the group while she and Mattson lingered behind. After he shook hands and received hugs, Kyle waved them over. His smile was as bright as the daylight.
This is what he’s been preparing for. She took a calming breath. This is why he didn’t come back to me.
She reminded herself that he didn’t know during all those years he would have help from thousands of people living in the Seeds, and he likely didn’t think he’d be engaging LifeFarm this soon. Would it have been another ten years or more? How long would it have taken for him to train enough people for it to not all be a waste?
After Kyle introduced them to a few people, a young woman with dirty-blonde hair pushed her way through the group. “You made it!” She focused on Liz.
“I’m sorry?” Liz racked her mind. Was she supposed to recognize this person?
“I was one of the agents who was supposed to take you and Mendez into custody back in Colorado. My partner forced you off the road and you landed in a river.”
“Oh.” Images from that day flooded her memory, along with the fear she’d had at losing control of the vehicle and the cold that reached her bones that night. “I thought you guys were gonna kill us.”
“Those were our orders, and my partner was anxious to follow them. I stopped him. When I found out what Mendez had been doing, in finding the virus . . . I had to make sure he made it out. Is he here?”
“No, he’s with the other group.” Liz studied the woman—would she and Javier have died without her? Or could they not have been run off the road in the first place? “Why didn’t you stop him from ramming us, if you were so concerned?”
“I tried. He didn’t go for it.” She held out her hand to shake Liz’s. “I’m Kristen. I’ve been a mole inside Homeland Security for Kyle for the past six years. Most of us have worked undercover in one form or another. How do you know him?”
Liz offered Kristen a limp handshake. “He was . . . is . . . my husband. I thought he died in the war.”
Kristen’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God. You’re her. Kyle talked about you a lot. You have a son, right?”
Liz shivered, though maybe not from the cold. “We did.”
After a few seconds of contemplation, Kristen nodded. “Well, your husband is the reason we’re all here.” She offered a gentle smile. “I think we’re ready.”
Liz politely smiled back, and as Kristen made her way over to Kyle to say hello, Liz sneaked back to the car. Kyle’s words directing his Grays into small groups followed her as he instructed them on the plan they would execute in two hours. He was their general again.
Her heart filled with a combination of pride and jealousy. These people had spent time with her husband, time that was supposed to be hers. It was silly to be jealous—Kyle could be the reason LifeFarm released its grip on everything. Wasn’t that worth losing him for a decade?
As she fell into the car and closed the door behind her, silencing his words, she hoped his time training these people wasn’t fruitless.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Javier watched the Capitol Building loom in the distance. He’d never visited D.C. before. He’d wanted to for years, to see the monuments and take in the history, appreciating a time when the government existed for the good of the people. It was created to gain freedom from oppression. Now, he and the others would get that freedom back.
Jonah parked behind an abandoned warehouse. At the back of the SUV, Damien distributed walkie-talkies as Javier, Sam, Charlie and Jonah gathered their supplies.
“Really?” Javier examined the device in his hand. “Kind of archaic, aren’t they?”
“Archaic will keep us from getting caught. The EMP won’t affect the simple batteries in these. It probably won’t affect cell phone batteries either. That’s why we’re hitting the tower.” Damien zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He twisted a knob on the top of Javier’s walkie. “Channel fou
r. I’ll say ‘set’ when I’ve triggered the EMP that will take out the nearest cell tower. That one should take out the perimeter cameras too. You do the same when yours has fired so Sam knows when to do hers. That will take out the wired electronics inside the building.”
“Then we smoke them out. Just like the jail in Phoenix,” Javier said.
Charlie clicked on his walkie talkie. “First, you have to trigger the second EMP, or the whole building will still be connected to New York and have operative internal cameras.”
“I know that.” Javier scowled. “I got you out of the jail, didn’t I?”
“I think the smoke did that.”
Javier buried his irritation.
Charlie strode ahead of the group, catching up with Jonah, who casually walked down the sidewalk. Javier and Sam headed down an adjacent side street for a block, where Sam branched off.
“Test, test.” Damien’s voice crackled through the walkie talkie.
Javier found the button and pressed it. “I hear you.” Charlie and their others echoed their confirmation.
Go time. Javier took a long breath.
****
Liz joined Kristen and a handful of other Grays who waited in a grocery store across the street from one of the cable networks and a block away from LifeFarm. She stayed close to the window, keeping an eye out for the signal. Everyone else pushed carts in the aisles, careful not to draw attention to themselves.
Somewhere in a neighboring building, Mattson and Kyle worked with a few other tech-savvy folks on breaking into the news stations’ networks. If the D.C. group was on schedule, they’d hit the Capitol Building in fifteen minutes. Then, it was New York’s turn.
Hack the network, hijack the signal, and blast their own message over the airwaves. Easy.
Liz laughed to herself.
She meandered around the displays in front of the windows, occasionally picking something up and pretending to look at it. As each minute passed, the knot in her stomach grew. If they moved before the D.C. group knocked the Capitol Building off the grid, she and everyone here could be arrested. Or worse.
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