by Lee West
“Not to mention the Fourth Amendment issues,” said Nancy.
“What Fourth Amendment issues?” asked Mike.
“Law enforcement is always looking for ways to skirt our rights. For example, the police are required to have a valid search warrant in order to enter your home. With DNA evidence, they can easily, almost effortlessly tag an individual to a crime scene and use that as the underlying justification for the warrant,” said Ed.
“Again, I don’t see the problem. Sounds like efficient police work to me,” said Joe.
“It is until the DNA is used for more than just placing people at a crime scene. We think the government is working with the pharmaceutical companies to experiment with DNA to root out people who may have certain tendencies to commit a particular crime. They could then use the DNA to bust a person’s door down and arrest them because they have a genetic propensity for certain behaviors. Regardless of whether they were at a certain location or even acted on a latent genetic propensity,” said Ed.
“Or they could use the DNA of a married couple to bar them from having children because they forecast that the child’s DNA suggests it would have a tendency toward committing certain criminal acts,” said Nancy.
“Or people could use it to selectively abort babies that don’t match their high expectations of what their offspring should look like or its intellectual potential,” said Brett.
“That’s some scary shit. Trust me. None of us should want the government looking at our DNA,” said Larry.
“The Sociology Department has been watching the government slowly eroding our Fourth Amendment rights for years. We’ve joined civil rights groups in trying to stop them. Gathering DNA by purchasing the information from genealogy companies is nothing short of an illegal search and seizure. It’s no different than the police deciding to randomly invade homes and search for evidence of a crime. Believe me, if they search hard enough, they’ll find something,” said Nancy.
“I see where you’re going with this. That is scary. What do we do now?” asked Joe.
“We resist. It’s all we can do,” said Ed.
“But how? By hiding here?” said Brett.
“Partially. We’re working on linking up with other resisters. We know they exist but haven’t been able to find them without risking detection,” said Ed.
“I met a group of them. We were downtown hiding. I wasn’t fast enough to keep up, and the group of resisters helped me out,” said Marvin.
“They even got us a ride out of the city before it was sealed,” said Nancy.
“They gave you a ride? During the day? How?” asked Larry.
“Apparently they have someone on the inside of the government who is working with them. He gave us a lift out of the city. We wanted to get information out of him, but weren’t able to. He basically dumped us on the side of the road and sped away,” said Brett.
“We also didn’t get any info out of the people who helped Marvin. They wouldn’t let any of us near them,” said Nancy.
“They wore scarves over their faces the entire time I was with them, which wasn’t long,” said Marvin.
“Good for them. Last thing they need is to be ID’d by the feds,” said Larry.
“They were also heavily armed,” said Marvin.
“Again. Good for them. We’ve got no weapons to speak of up here. It’s frustrating. I want to fight back. You know, bang some skulls,” said Larry.
He let out a low animalistic growl and punched his hands together. Nancy instinctively moved closer to Brett for comfort.
“I would love to talk to someone on the inside of the government. We could start to piece this thing together. So far all we’ve been able to do is nibble at the edges of this thing with very little verifiable information,” said Ed.
“I’d love to get my hands on some weapons,” said Larry.
Nancy resisted the strong urge to look at Brett. She also tried to control her facial features. The man made her uneasy without a weapon in his hands. She knew arming him would scare her immensely.
“I know where we might be able to get some weapons,” said Joe.
“Where?”
“My brother and his wife spend a couple of weeks every summer at a survivalist camp. They’re hard-core into surviving and like to use the camp as a way to hone their skills. Those skills include spending time at the camp’s firing range.”
“Do you think he’d still be there? Maybe he’d want to join us?” asked Larry.
“If he isn’t there, others might be. The camp is also a survivalist haven. People purchase space at the camp. In case something catastrophic occurs, they have a safe place to retreat to in order to ride out the event,” said Joe.
“Sounds like my kind of place. Wish I had known about it. It’s a great idea. I probably would’ve bought in,” said Nancy.
“The camp requires people who purchase space to have certain qualifications in order to be eligible.”
“Like what?” asked Brett.
“I think Jason mentioned people had to offer certain skills such as mechanical skills, building experience, proven gardening skills. You know, basic survivor stuff.”
“That takes care of that. They’d never let us in. We’re not the handiest people.” Brett laughed.
“It would be great to link up with them. Could you find the camp?” asked Ed.
“Maybe. I guess. I don’t know. I can recall the general area where the camp is located but not much else. I’d hate to waste time on a fruitless search.”
“Getting some real weapons would be well worth the effort.” Larry smiled.
This time Nancy could not resist a quick look at Brett, who also looked very uncomfortable with this mountain of a man being armed.
— 37 —
Ed arranged to have mattresses brought from the hospital for their use. Joe and Meg moved their mattresses as far from the others as they dared. Joe did not want to move too far away, because the last thing he and Meg needed would be to get lost inside the vast tunnel system. It seemed as though the people who had been there for a while quickly moved through the system. He knew from watching them that it would take time to get adjusted.
“You think you can find that camp?” asked Meg.
She snuggled close to him. The warmth of her body against his made him long for a more private space for just the two of them.
“Maybe. I hope so. Like I said, I wouldn’t want to just be out there aimlessly searching.”
“Me neither. I hope it’s not too far of a walk. I’m sort of burnt out on walking.”
He turned and looked at her. Until that moment it did not occur to him that she envisioned herself searching for the camp with the rest of them.
“I can’t allow you to come with us. It’s far too dangerous,” he said tenderly.
“Too dangerous? What about your safety?”
“I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
A commotion in the main part of the tunnel cut their conversation short. Ed ran past, screaming into his handheld, “CLOSE THE TUNNELS! CLOSE THE TUNNELS!”
He scrambled to his feet and caught up with Ed.
“What’s happening?” Joe asked.
An unseen voice crackled to life in the handheld. “Confirmed four vehicles! I’m staying put!”
“Okay. Keep hidden! What’s the status of the others?” asked Ed.
“I don’t know.”
Ed turned to Joe briefly. “Military vehicles just showed up on campus.”
The loud footfalls of people running through the tunnels echoed off the walls. Unfamiliar people sprinted through the tunnels in every direction.
“What can we do? We want to help!” said Nancy to Ed.
“Just stay put and keep quiet. We’re sealing off the tunnel doors. Hopefully this is just a drive-through.”
The loud slamming of doors startled Joe. Meg held him tightly as they waited for the danger to pass. People streamed through the tunnels from all directions.
Joe worried about their safety, but mostly felt frustrated that they were hiding like rats. Now he understood Larry’s eagerness to acquire weapons. After the people in the tunnels settled down, a person on the outside reported to Ed.
“Ed? You there?”
“I’m here. You okay out there?”
“I’m fine, but we lost one.”
“What do you mean?”
“One of our foreign students ran across the commons. Not sure why. Seems like he was on his way to the north tunnels. He should have stayed in one of the buildings.”
“Did they catch him?”
“No. They shot him.”
“What the hell? Are you sure?”
Silence.
“Yes.”
Silence.
“They chased him and then shot him in the back as he ran away from them. They left his body lying in the grass,” said the man with a shaky voice.
“You sure he’s dead? I can send someone to help him.”
“He’s dead. One of the guards hit him a second time after he fell to the ground. He’s gone.”
Ed hung his head down. Finally, he lifted his head, turned to Joe and asked, “You think you can find that camp? We might need to relocate.”
“I’ll give it everything I’ve got,” said Joe.
****
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FORTRESS
FORTRESS
Book Three in The Reckoning Series
— 1 —
Joe ran through the dimly lit east tunnel of the university. He and Meg had sought refuge at the university when troops took over Nancy and Brett’s house for quartering soldiers. The group barely made it to the university as the soldiers descended on the home. Once at the university, one of Nancy’s colleagues, Ed Camp, found them and took the group into the tunnel system for shelter. Roughly thirty people hid at the university in an effort to remain free from the heavily armed American soldiers who were rounding up all of the citizens.
They thought the university would be a place of refuge for them. Just as they had thought Nancy and Brett’s house, far into the mountains, would be a place of refuge. Neither location proved to be safe from the ever-searching soldiers. Instead, they planned to eventually leave the university to seek help from Jeff, Joe’s brother. Joe adjusted his pace as the group of people running in front of him slowed, stopping in front of a set of doors.
“This is it! Grab the bars!” yelled one of the men.
Meg and Joe stood shoulder to shoulder with the others in their small group. As a team, they passed metal bars, books and heavy filing cabinets to the people who barricaded the entrance.
“That should do it!” yelled another man.
One of the women banged on the door and yelled, “Ready in here!”
Unseen people on the other side attempted to open the door through the barricade. The barricade held, preventing the door from being opened more than an inch.
“We should add a couple more metal bars!” said one of the men.
“I agree. Then they won’t be able to open it at all. I don’t want the soldiers being able to look into this area. It could tip them off that we’re hiding down here,” said the woman.
“Alright, everyone. Drill is over. Nice work. Let’s restock this stuff for the next time.”
The team handed the barricade items back through the line, neatly stacking everything for use in an emergency. If the soldiers came again, Ed wanted the tunnel doors locked down within a couple of minutes, seconds if possible. Joe admired Ed for his leadership skills. He worked hard to keep everyone at the university safe. However, despite Ed’s best efforts, on the night they arrived, the soldiers had shot and killed a Chinese student as he ran through campus seeking shelter. The soldiers didn’t even bother to remove his body. They merely drove away moments later, as if killing the kid had been a routine part of the day. Joe’s stress level had skyrocketed when he learned of the killing. He needed to stay safe for Meg’s sake because without him, she had no one.
He grabbed Meg’s hand as they walked back into the main part of the tunnels. The tunnel system enabled the university staff to shuttle supplies to and from the on-campus teaching hospital. Normally, robots roamed the dark hallways, silently doing the bidding of their creators. After the electrical outage, Ed had moved those who remained on campus into the tunnels. They’d heard stories that American troops were actively seizing citizens. Those who stayed on campus sought refuge from that fate.
Once in the main spoke of the tunnel system, Meg flopped down onto the couch with a sigh. “I hope we don’t have to do that again for a while. I’m exhausted.”
“Me too. It’s tiring. At least we’re getting better at it. Remember the first time we did it? That one lady hit Marty in the face with one of the metal rods.”
“I’m glad he didn’t get hurt. But really, the scream he let out would’ve given all of us away!”
“I think if there were troops searching the areas aboveground and someone screamed like that, they’d get tackled by the rest of us,” said Joe.
Nancy and Brett entered the main area through the south tunnel. They had participated in the lockdown drill as part of another team.
“Hey, guys! How did it go?” asked Brett.
“Better than last time. No one lost an eye!” joked Meg.
“Yeah. Us too. We’re getting faster at locking everything down. We just need to work on reducing the noise we make,” said Nancy.
“Same here. Our team isn’t talking anymore while we move things, but we’re making a lot of noise setting up the barricade,” said Joe. “It would definitely draw the wrong kind of attention if the soldiers were close enough to hear it.”
Ed walked into the area with a clipboard in hand. He smiled at them and said, “That was our best drill yet! We’re getting faster at securing the tunnels, that’s for sure!”
“We were just saying that we need to get better at being quiet while we’re barricading the doors,” said Brett.
“Maybe. I’m not too worried about it. We have plenty of people outside in hidden watch locations all over campus, covering the main entrance and other access points. We’ll have plenty of advance warning to get the barricades up well before they even stop their vehicles. Noise shouldn’t be a problem. We just need to make sure everyone is working toward the same goal,” said Ed.
“I hope it’s enough next time. I don’t want a repeat of what happened the other night,” said Nancy.
Ed’s head dropped at the mention of the dead student. “Me neither.”
Although no one blamed Ed for the death, Joe could tell the man took responsibility for it.
“Speaking of lookout duty, how can we be part of that? I could use some time outside the tunnels,” said Joe, trying to take Ed’s mind off the murder.
“I have Larry coordinating the lookout rotation. You can catch up with him at lunch to arrange some time outside,” said Ed.
Joe had another reason for volunteering. The tunnels gave Joe a deep sense of claustrophobia. He never knew how much he depended on the reliable turning of night and day to regulate his entire system. Being underground without access to either the light of the sun or silvery moonlight disorientated him. He recalled feeling this way during his time in the Navy. Shipboard life did not allow for the opportunity to breathe fresh air and bask in the sun. Instead, long days and nights were spent on duty within the bowels of the ship. The thought of sitting on watch, even in an exposed area of campus, filled him with hope.
— 2 —
Meg rinsed her face with cool water from the bathroom sink. The water ran down her sweaty neck, cooling her. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of being clean. For a moment she pretended that nothing had changed in either her life or the world. Meg envisioned a normal Saturda
y morning with Joe, trying to decide if they should go to the farmers’ market or simply putter around the house. For just a few seconds allowing herself to indulge in the fantasy she had created.
She opened her eyes, facing the cold reality of their changed world. In her darkest moments of despair, she questioned whether stealing a lifeboat and fleeing the cruise ship had been their best course of action. She often wondered where they would be if instead they had chosen to stay with the ship as it sought safe harbor in a faraway port.
She glanced at herself in the mirror as she straightened up from washing. The image staring back at her looked distinctly different than her normal healthy, attractive self. Her once glossy, always clean hair sat in a stringy greasy mass on her head. Meg knew if things continued in the same way, she would be wearing dreadlocks as her hair began to clump and knot itself. Turning from the mirror, she reminded herself not to look at her image again.
“I’m starving. Let’s get some lunch,” she said to Joe when she emerged from the bathroom.
“Me too. Do you like the idea of standing watch? I thought it might be nice to get out of the tunnels a little.”
“I love the idea. I don’t even care if we aren’t as safe out there. The darkness is starting to play tricks on my mind. I’m seeing things in the shadows.”
“Me too. I think we need a break from the darkness of the tunnels.”
They walked to a nearby conference room. The people hiding at the university had turned the room into a windowless cafeteria, safe from the view of outsiders. The room also allowed them easy access to one of the tunnel entrances, a necessary feature to survive the frequent military patrols. Everyone needed to be able to quickly disappear into the tunnels with as little noise and chaos as possible if they were to remain hidden.
“Look, Mike and Frank beat us here,” said Meg.
“That’s no surprise. Those two are always eating,” said Joe, squeezing her hand.
“Hey, guys!” said Meg, joining them.
“I wonder what they have for us today?” said Mike.