The New World Order

by Robert Boren

  “You always enjoy this too much, dude,” Tad quipped.

  “Hey, you know what they say. Do what you love.”

  Taylor burst out laughing, Laleh joining her.

  “The two stationary hits are in the southeast corner of the facility, according to my map,” Eve said.

  “What?” Jace asked, answering a murmur which Eve couldn’t make out.

  “Didn’t catch that.”

  “Murphy says that’s lost and found,” Jace said. “Everybody except Taylor and I stay by the street entrances. Slash, direct fire if necessary. C’mon, Taylor.”

  “Be careful,” Eve said.

  “We’ve got this,” Taylor said, her breath coming hard from the running around.

  There was silence for a moment, Eve’s heart rate climbing again.

  “Both look dead,” Taylor said.

  “Check them, I’ll cover you,” Jace said.

  “Okay.”

  Another few seconds of silence.

  “Yes, they’re both dead. We should grab all these weapons on the way out.”

  “We can’t carry them,” Jace said. “Let the NYPD take them. We’re coming back, Eve, so don’t shoot us.”

  Eve chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” She watched her screen as the headset indicators approached from three different directions. “How are we gonna turn around in here?”

  Slash laughed.

  “Oh, I guess we forgot to mention that,” Jace said. “We’ll just go backwards the whole way.”

  “What?”

  “We’re on rails most of the time, so it isn’t as hard as it sounds,” Jace said.

  The group got back into the moles, cruising home, Jace stopping at the first of the subway cars, telling the people they should walk south to the next station.

  ***

  Jacob walked up the street with Sunshine and Todd, entering the Bow Street Pub.

  “After the attacks, this doesn’t seem like the same world,” Todd said as they climbed the stairs to the meeting room. Adrian and Trinity were there.

  “Hello again,” Trinity said to Sunshine. “This must be Todd.”

  “Yep,” Todd said, pushing back his blonde hair. “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Trinity, and this is Adrian,” she said. “The others will be along soon. Not sure about Jaak, though. He had something to do. Said he’d probably need help after the meeting.”

  Ashley, Dave, Ava, and Gavin entered the room, Jacob taking a moment to introduce them to Todd.

  “Great to meet you,” Todd said.

  “Thanks for helping out here last night, Sunshine,” Ashley said.

  “You’re welcome. It was nice to get to know all of you.”

  “You fit right in,” Dave said. “You guys heard much of the news this morning?”

  “I didn’t,” Gavin said. “Spent all morning cleaning up my place. Somebody threw bricks in three windows, and scared my landlady half to death.”

  “Oh, sorry to hear that,” Ashley said. “Any idea who did it?”

  Gavin shrugged. “The faceless mob. Could be worse. We could be in a blackout, with the UN taking over.”

  “I heard what the Pennsylvania governor did this morning,” Trinity said. “Bastard.”

  “Uh oh, what?” Ashley asked.

  “Martial law, and gun confiscation in cities of 40,000 or more.”

  “Son of a bitch, this is happening faster than I expected,” Dave said.

  “Seems right on time to me,” Adrian said. “Notice how there aren’t any comments coming out of our statehouse yet?”

  “Lord only knows what they’ll come up with,” Todd said. “Scares the hell out of me.”

  “It’ll be bad,” Jacob said. “The leftists have controlled this state for decades.”

  “There was a fire at the Harvard bookstore,” Sunshine said. “One of my friends told me about it.”

  Ashley nodded. “That’s just a block away. I smelled something burning, wondered what it was.”

  “There were fires all over town,” Dave said. “Savages. The lot of them.”

  Noise came up from the alley.

  “What is that, a truck?” Ava asked.

  “Sounds like,” Ashley said. “Don’t worry about it, Jaak said something was coming this morning.”

  “Deliveries from our funder, perhaps,” Adrian said.

  They heard footsteps trudging up the stairs, Jaak coming in the door.

  “We’ve got a change of plans,” he said. “Oh, you must be the visitor. I’m Jaak, owner of the bar downstairs.”

  “Good to meet you. I’m Todd.”

  “What change of plans?” Jacob asked.

  “Our funder has a better base for us. We need to move.”

  Dave chuckled. “You mean we’re taking all this stuff apart to load into that truck down there?”

  “In a few minutes,” Jaak said. “Let’s chat with Todd and Sunshine.”

  “I’ve already got a pretty good idea what your group is all about,” Sunshine said.

  Ava grinned. “I suspect you’ll follow Jacob wherever he goes.”

  “Ava,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “Not that I don’t like that idea.”

  Sunshine looked at him. “We’ll talk about that later. Go on, Jaak.”

  “How is the new base better?” Trinity asked.

  “It’s a clandestine bunker,” Jaak replied. “Fully outfitted with all the tools we need to give the enemy a real hard time.”

  Footsteps rushed up the stairs.

  “Hey, boss, turn on the radio,” Quincy said, huffing and puffing after the climb.

  “Oh crap, what now?” Adrian asked.

  “Governor Chaney. Just said he was gonna confiscate weapons in the big cities, and move us towards martial law.”

  “For what reason?” Todd asked. “We weren’t even attacked, other than the riots by these brain-dead students, and that’s been going on for months.”

  “Years,” Gavin said. “Should we turn it on?”

  “Time is of the essence,” Jaak said. “Let’s chat. They’ll re-run Chaney’s speech over and over until everybody has had enough.”

  “Yeah, I agree,” Jacob said.

  “Is your team para-military?” Todd asked.

  Jaak nodded. “We are, and we’re planning on significant expansion. We have a wealthy funder, so the things we need will be provided.”

  “What kinds of things?” Todd asked.

  “Weapons, ammo, specialized vehicles, and now this new base,” Jaak said.

  “You didn’t mention a new base before,” Jacob said. “What changed?”

  “Our funder became very alarmed at the goings on around Manhattan. He set up a bunker there, figuring it was over-kill. It wasn’t overkill. He’s going to improve it.”

  “Should we have the rest of our group here for these discussions?” Sunshine asked.

  “Get me all of their names so I can run the background checks,” Jaak said. “After this meeting is over. Then perhaps you can move into the base with us.”

  “We’re going to be living there?” Ava asked. “What’ll that do to my love life?”

  Dave smiled. “You still have me, baby.”

  Gavin and Trinity burst out laughing.

  “In your dreams,” Ava quipped, sending a wink at Todd.

  “You don’t mind if I join this crazy outfit, do you?” Quincy asked.

  “I thought you wanted no part of it,” Ashley said.

  “I didn’t really believe they’d do what they’re doing. This is war in my book. Time to pick a side.”

  “Welcome aboard,” Jaak said. “Sunshine and Todd, I’m going to talk about some things that can’t be shared. Do I have your words that you’ll keep it secret?”

  Sunshine nodded. “You have my word. I already consider myself attached to this group.”

  “I’ll agree to that,” Todd said.

  “Okay. Our funder is Jared Carlson.”

  Jacob chuckled. “I k
new it.”

  “How’d you know that?” Sunshine asked.

  “Jaak and Mr. Carlson were roommates in college.”

  “Shit, you’re talking about the guy who owns the Samson Corporation,” Todd said. “Sorry, didn’t make the connection right away.”

  “That man has resources,” Adrian said. “I was expecting this as well, by the way.”

  Trinity rolled her eyes. “You never said anything.”

  “Why would I? Knew we’d be told when it was time. This is an important group. More important than any of us know yet, and the only way that can happen is with the backing of somebody like Jared Carlson.”

  Gunfire erupted in the distance, everybody’s heads jerking towards the windows.

  “Now what?” Ava asked.

  “They’re probably starting their weapons confiscation program,” Gavin said.

  “I think we should gather the rest of our team and get the merge started,” Sunshine said. “What do you think, Todd?”

  “Yes, I agree. Shall we go now?”

  “Please do,” Jaak said. “Call Jacob with the names, Sunshine. We’ll get them checked out right away.”

  “Maybe I should go with you two,” Jacob said.

  “Don’t want to let her out of your sight, huh?” Ava asked.

  “Stop,” Jacob said, his face flushing.

  “It’s okay, they all know,” Sunshine said softly. “I don’t care who knows.”

  Jaak chuckled. “Okay, whoever is staying here, let’s take this furniture apart.”

  “Where’s the new base?” Dave asked.

  “You’ll see when we get there,” Jaak said.

  ***

  Mayor Fine and Chief Harvey sat staring at their MVS monitors after watching the battle for Penn Station.

  “We need to join with those folks,” Chief Harvey said. “Us and the NYPD.”

  Mayor Fine looked around to see who else was in the room.

  “You don’t want to talk to the others?” Chief Harvey asked.

  “Not yet,” he said. “The chances we can get out of here alive are slim. You know that, right?”

  “That’s crossed my mind.”

  “Might be best to stay here and coordinate as long as we can.”

  “You mean give up?” Chief Harvey asked.

  “I checked how many radiation suits we have, Chief. We have twelve. We’ve got double that number of people, and those suits might not be enough for the environment above us.”

  “Does this bunker have an exit into the subway system?”

  “Yes, but it’s probably contaminated too.”

  “Maybe,” Chief Harvey said, “but maybe not. The entrances might have collapsed, sealing off the tunnels.”

  “They might have collapsed between us and mid-town, too.”

  Chief Harvey chuckled. “Yeah, good point. Still worth checking on.”

  “There’s no airlock. If we open the vault door, we might flood our bunker with radiation.”

  “Okay, that is a real concern,” Chief Harvey said. “Wonder how Jared’s folks got to Penn Station? I don’t see them walking with M60s and M240s.”

  “Let’s get Jared on the line.” Mayor Fine buzzed Jean, who came in after a moment.

  “Where is everybody?” Chief Harvey asked.

  “Some are eating, some sleeping,” Jean said. “Want me to bring them in here?”

  “No, I need to chat with Jared Carlson. Could you get him and send the feed to the private call room please?”

  “Sure.”

  “You look a little tired yourself,” Chief Harvey said.

  “As do you,” she said. “I’m fine. I can catnap at my station. Did that a little earlier.”

  “Okay,” Mayor Fine said. “Let us know.” Jean went back to her desk.

  “You’ve got good people,” Chief Harvey said.

  “Don’t I know it. Wish I had more confidence in my ability to keep them safe.”

  “He’s coming on now, sir,” Jean called out from her desk in the next room.

  “Thanks. They went into the private call room, shutting the door.

  “Jared?”

  “Yes, how are you, Mayor Fine?”

  “Good as can be expected. Chief Harvey is in here with me.”

  “Hello, Chief.”

  “Thank you for sending help to my officers in Penn Station.”

  Jared chuckled. “I’m not running the day-to-day activities of the resistance team. They saw what was brewing and decided to send help on their own.”

  “Did you see any of it?” Mayor Fine asked. “Impressive.”

  “Didn’t have time to watch, but I had several people monitoring the situation. What can I do for you?”

  “We’re trapped here in the bunker, trying to figure out how we can get out before the assassins come in to kill us,” Mayor Fine said. “We’ve only got half the number of radiation suits we need for the team.”

  “What type are they?” Jared asked.

  “Level A Rear-Entry Encapsulated Suit,” Mayor Fine said. “Ansell.”

  “Probably the best you could get,” Jared said. “There’s a subway tunnel connection to the bunker, correct?”

  “Yes, but will it flood the bunker if we open the door?” Mayor Fine asked.

  “No, it doesn’t work that way. There might have been some particulates blown in there during the blast, but there won’t be any ionizing radiation in the tunnels. The amount of concrete over it plus the number of hours since the bomb have already reduced that danger substantially, even on the surface. What kind of door is there?”

  “Big vault door,” Mayor Fine said. “Most of what we have wasn’t designed for a nuclear blast specifically. The designer thought a chemical or biological attack was more likely.”

  “Probably why you have Ansell suits,” Jared said. “Is the vault door right next to the living spaces?”

  “No,” Mayor Fine said. “It is a couple floors above the bunker and down a long hallway, with several good steel doors before the vault. There is no airlock, though.”

  “Won’t matter, unless there’s poison gas or biological weapons, and we haven’t heard of anything like that in Manhattan,” Jared said. “I suggest you send somebody through the door in a suit and radiation tags. See how bad it is. It’s possible you won’t need a suit there. We have vehicles that could fetch you.”

  “Vehicles?” Chief Harvey asked.

  “We call them moles,” Jared said. “Nice little toys. Our team used those to get to Penn Station for the operation this morning.”

  “This is good information,” Mayor Fine said. “Thank you. I’ll suit up and check it out.”

  “Okay, let me know if you think an extraction is possible and we’ll see what we can do,” Jared said. “Talk to you soon.”

  Jared left the call. Mayor Fine turned to the Chief. “We’re in immediate danger from the surface.”

  “Yes, I picked that up. Thought ionizing radiation would still be present, but I’ll bet it’s already gone. Not that the particulate stuff isn’t dangerous, but the enemy could be coming to the entrance right now.”

  “They’ll have to dig their way in, but that will just slow them down,” Mayor Fine said. “Let’s grab suits and go upstairs.”

  { 5 }

  Bunker Siege

  G overnor Romano paced in the office of his mansion in Albany. His phone rang.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “You sound a little annoyed, Governor.”

  “Cliff. You made it here okay?”

  “Yes, I’m parking now.”

  “Okay, I’ll instruct my security chief to let you in, and bring you to my office.”

  “See you in a few minutes.”

  Romano ended the call, and continued to pace. How did they pull that off?

  A young woman, smartly dressed, came through the open door. “Cliff Bates is coming up the stairs, sir.”

  “Thanks, Carrie, I know. Could you bring a tray? Coffee and snacks
?”

  “Of course.” She hurried out of the office. Cliff came in a moment later.

  “Great to see you, Governor Romano,” Cliff said, extending his hand. They shook.

  “Call me Tony,” the Governor said. “No need to be formal. Sit.”

  Cliff sat on the couch, Governor Romano taking the wingback chair facing it.

  “I’m still not sure why you wanted me to come here, Tony.”

  “Things are gonna get rough in the city,” Romano said, seeing Carrie come in with the tray out of the corner of his eye. “Hold that thought.”

  “Is that coffee I smell?” Cliff asked.

  “Yes sir,” Carrie said, setting the silver tray down on the coffee table between the couch and chair. “Enjoy. Nice to see you again, Mr. Bates.” She left the room, shutting the door.

  “Wow, she’s so attractive.”

  Romano chuckled. “She’s married, so hands off.”

  “You never?”

  “My wife lives here, remember? Be careful with stuff like that. We’ve got enough trouble. You’re being groomed. Don’t force us to choose somebody else to run the city.”

  “Sorry,” Cliff said, pouring himself a cup of coffee, adding cream and stirring. “You were gonna tell me why I needed to come here.”

  “There will be a press release about you and several others attending meetings with me,” Romano said. “Meanwhile we’ll be working to lock down the city. We’ve already cut off the Boroughs from each other, for the most part.”

  “For the most part?”

  Romano sighed, pouring himself a cup of coffee, sipping it black. “We lost a battle at Penn Station. Still trying to figure out how that happened. Some of the reports are too wild to believe.”

  “Like what?”

  “Long, thin vehicles in the subway tunnels,” Romano said. He paused to take another sip of coffee. “Surveillance of the scene… I believe what we saw goes beyond a simple hack of the MVS system. Oh, and somebody shut down the video cameras in the subway tunnels. We’ve been locked out of that system.”

  “Put Lance on it.”

  Romano nodded. “Yep, I’ll be calling him in soon, but we can’t afford to get him too deeply involved. He’s got too much baggage. You won’t believe what we found out about him.”