Bobby looked back at the line, but no one moved toward them. They were probably more concerned with getting into the warmth themselves than investigating what he and Yuri were doing. He hauled on Yuri’s arm, half dragging him into the lee of the building where an overhanging canopy had left a snow-free chunk of sidewalk.
He raised the Russian’s head. Yuri’s eyes didn’t open, he simply stood there, supported by Bobby. He needed to get inside to warm up. Bobby realized, with crystal clarity, that if Yuri didn’t make it, then all their efforts would have been useless. He wore the data card on a chain around his neck, but the encryption code was in his mind, and he’d never revealed it to Bobby.
Bobby half dragged Yuri along the wall toward a fire escape door. To his relief, it was open a crack and he peered inside to find only darkness. “Come on, let’s get out of this weather.”
Helping Yuri down until he was sitting against the wall next to the now-closed door, Bobby fumbled around in the Russian’s pack until he found a glass bottle. He unscrewed the cap and put it to Yuri’s lips.
“So…so cold.”
Bobby unrolled Yuri’s sleeping bag and wrapped it around him. “Wait here, I’m going to see if there’s anywhere we can hide up here.”
He moved off along the corridor toward where a dim light streamed in through open doors on either side. He couldn’t hear anything above the general murmur of people talking some way off—he had no sense of them being even in the same part of the building.
Bobby peered through one open door and found a science lab with pairs of wooden benches running in rows toward the window. He looked back to where he could see Yuri lying slumped against the door.
With a quiet curse, he went back and hauled Yuri to his feet. “Come on, just a few yards.”
Somehow, he got his friend into the science classroom and helped lean him up against the row of benches nearest the window where they’d be out of sight of anyone who came this way.
He pulled out a pair of Bunsen burners, connected them to the gas taps and, after searching in the teacher’s desk drawers, found a box of matches. The rubber pipes of the burners were just long enough to hang over the side of the lab bench and warm the air around Yuri.
Bobby found a ration pack and activated it before going back to the door and listening. He heard the same murmur and, reassured, returned to his friend.
“How are you doing?”
Yuri forced a painful smile. “Peachy.”
“We’ll have to hide here for the night. There’s no way you can move again.”
“Sorry.”
“Just sit there and get warm. I’ve activated an MRE, but I want to go check that we’re not going to be disturbed. You okay if I leave you for a few minutes?”
“Sure. Be careful.”
Bobby patted him on the shoulder and headed back to the door, before double-checking that Yuri couldn’t be seen and then heading along the corridor.
As he crept along, moving from the shadows into the half-light as he passed each door, the noise of talking grew steadily louder, and he could now hear and feel boots moving back and forth. Finally, he slowed right down in case he might emerge into the middle of the gathering, but then the corridor ended in a door. Light escaped around the frame and he pressed his ear to the wood, eyes scanning the corridor behind him in case anyone came that way.
As he listened, the general hubbub died away, and a single voice spoke. “Welcome to those who have been selected. You will now begin the process of becoming soldiers in the army of the new United States, under the leadership of President Chester Schultz, the only man capable of uniting our country. Be in no doubt of the danger facing the American people! We are beset on all sides by enemies while the so-called president cowers in the Jarvis.
“Nature has risen up against us, but make no mistake, the actions of men and women are the ultimate cause. We choose not to prop up the impotent old government, but to here establish a new constitution and fight for our freedom and that of all true Americans.
“Now, take with me the new pledge of allegiance to the true and rightful president of the new America.”
Bobby kneeled, open-mouthed, as he listened. Was what this man said truly surprising, or was it just that hearing the words spoken out loud made them suddenly have a power they’d previously lacked? He found himself mesmerized by the voice and agreeing with the sentiment. The country was in a state of war, from nature, from within and from without. He’d seen evidence that Governor Booker—who, like Schultz, called himself president—had some connection to the Chinese, and Bobby couldn’t see how that would work out to the long-term benefit of the country.
On the other hand, he’d seen next to no evidence that the constitutionally legitimate President of the United States was anything more than a spent force, with control of little more than wide stretches of water and ice.
Perhaps they were trying to get to the wrong president. And maybe fate had brought them here, to the heartland of the new America, where all they’d have to do is make themselves known to Schultz’s people and hand over the data. Surely there was something there that could be used to fight the country’s enemies? It seemed insane to try to find a so-called president who, if she were even here, wasn’t in control, when the true power was right there beyond the door.
His legs ached, so he sat on the floor, still listening to the voices of people within. The man who’d been addressing them had stopped speaking, but the enthusiasm emanating from the other side of the door was infectious. Bobby pulled his coat tighter around him, noticing for the first time since he’d left Yuri how cold he was. All it would take was to open the door and go in. He’d be fed, recruited and Yuri would get medical attention.
His mind screamed at him to do it.
But something held him back.
Then he heard the sounds of movement coming from somewhere to his right, so he retreated from the temptation of the door, and headed back to the last intersection. As he stood there, shivering, he made a deliberate mental note of the turning that led back to Yuri’s lab, then headed off into a wider corridor lined with student lockers, the new voices becoming louder.
He almost walked in on them, but stopped himself just in time, ducking below the window and freezing, listening for any indication they’d heard him.
“…but I’m an American citizen!”
The voice was that of a young man.
“Look, son, just be satisfied with being let go, okay? If you take my advice, you’ll head out of the city.”
“I was born here! I signed the loyalty pledge.”
Bobby heard footsteps on the floor as a shape passed across the window. Then the flicking of blinds being opened and shut again.
“Now you listen to me. You are disqualified from serving in the army, and that’s final. I don’t agree, but I’m bound by my own oath to follow regulations.”
“What kind of insane regulation says that people like me can’t serve? I was in the National Guard!”
“I understand your frustration, but your safety is at stake. Have you got family?”
“Yeah. I got married last year. Kid on the way.”
“Then for the love of God, get away. Find somewhere safe for you. You’ve got to understand. When folks get frightened, they turn on people.”
There was a short silence, then the older voice continued. “Look, there’s nothing I can do. I can’t lie because your ethnicity is obvious. You could go over my head, but that’s likely to end badly for you. This army doesn’t tolerate dissension. Get yourself and your wife away. Please.”
“All because my parents came from Hong Kong?”
“Yes. I’m afraid so.”
“But I’ve seen Black soldiers.”
“Well, I can’t say anything about that. But you won’t see any Black NCOs or officers. Goodbye, son.”
Bobby panicked as he realized the footsteps were coming in his direction. He only just had time to make it into the classroom opposite and cr
ouch down before the door opened. He listened as footsteps echoed down the corridor he’d just come up, and he followed them at a distance, fearing that they would lead past Yuri’s classroom. But whoever it was had no interest in anything other than getting out, and Bobby felt the cold air sweeping in as the fire escape door slammed shut.
He found Yuri still propped up, enjoying the warmth of the Bunsens, and he decided to say nothing about what he’d heard. They would find another classroom that wasn’t near the fire escape, sleep there tonight and, tomorrow, find the President of the United States. Because Bobby wanted to fight for a country, and a philosophy, that was worth saving and he knew, after listening to that last conversation, that this meant POTUS and no one else.
#
Bobby woke up to a pain in his side that turned out to be Yuri’s finger poking him.
“Night is almost over.”
Bobby groaned and tried to massage the feeling into his backside as he pulled himself upright. “Yeah. How are you feeling?”
“Okay. Ready to find president. You think we can do it today?”
“We’ve got to. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough. And if she doesn’t know that the governor is raising an army, then we need to tell her.”
Bobby glanced out of the window as he put his boots back on. “The snow’s stopped. At least that’s something.”
“Da. Let us eat and use school bathroom. Then let us meet your president.”
My president? Bobby thought. He decided not to tell Yuri how close he’d come to betraying her. Standing here, looking out onto the snow-choked city in the gathering light, he felt all doubt melt away in an overwhelming need to see the job finished.
Chapter 16
Interrogation
They’d barely made it down to the first floor before a man and a woman in Men in Black uniforms emerged from the stairwell’s shadows.
“Come with us, please,” the woman said, holding up her badge.
“FBI? Are you serious?” Ellie responded, her insides turning to ice. Then she calmed herself. Perhaps they were here to smuggle them back to Buchanan.
“I am Special Agent Lefebvre, this is Special Agent Dawkins. Please don’t make a fuss.”
“First tell me who you really represent. A federal agency? Under President Buchanan?”
The woman, who had black hair and tinted glasses, smirked. “No. The federal agency under President Booker.”
Ellie groaned inwardly. Even the FBI was no longer the FBI, it seemed. “And what do you want with us?”
“We will explain in private.”
“No, you will explain here and now or I’ll make the fuss you’re so keen to avoid.” Three members of the Chinese delegation walked past them, casting glances over their shoulders as they went.
Lefebvre moved closer. “You’re suspected of espionage.”
Ellie forced a laugh. “Us? Are you serious?”
“You know what they do to spies, I suppose?” the agent continued. “Now, if you want an easy time of it, come quietly or we’ll add resisting arrest to your list of charges.”
“Are we being arrested?”
“You will be.”
Jodi pushed the male agent away as he tried to take her by the arm. “Does my father know about this?”
“He will, soon enough. But if you’ve been doing what you’re accused of, he won’t be able to help you.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Ellie said, aware of the shrillness of her voice. “Do we look like spies to you?”
Lefebvre smiled. “Well, you’re certainly not professional agents, I’ll give you that. A professional would have checked for bugs in their bedroom before they shot their mouth off about betraying us to the puppet president in Denver.”
And with that, Ellie allowed herself to be dragged away, imagining a huge black hole swallowing her and, for the second time in a week, the prospect of a firing squad in her immediate future.
#
Jodi and Ellie were bundled into the back of an SUV with tinted windows and driven a short distance into Santa Clarita.
Their captors said nothing, merely guided them out of the car and across the parking lot to the sheriff’s office before leading them into an interview room.
Lefebvre gestured to them to sit down on the opposite side of the table as her colleague left. Ellie looked around the room, determined not to be the one to start the conversation. She fixed her eyes on the many dents and cracks in the wall that suggested this place had seen violence.
The door opened and Ellie turned to see a woman in a Chinese army uniform enter and take a seat next to Lefebvre.
“I am Captain Wu Ai of the—” She then spoke some words in Mandarin that Ellie couldn’t make out. “This is the intelligence agency of the People’s Republic of China. You have been accused of treason against the Pacific Coast States. I am here to observe and report to my superiors. I encourage you to be transparent and candid in your answers.”
Ellie leaned back in her chair. “I don’t recognize your right to be part of this interview.” She decided that attack was the best form of defense. It might not get her anywhere, but she felt better about resisting, however temporarily.
“I’m afraid I do not need your permission to be here,” Wu said. “I am here at the pleasure of President Booker’s administration.”
Her accent was so perfect she must have been educated in the US, Ellie thought. Charming. The enemy among us.
“Let’s get on with this, shall we?” Lefebvre said, pressing a button on the interview recorder. “Interview with Jodi Baxter and Ellen Fischer, arrested on suspicion of committing espionage on behalf of a foreign state. Special Agent Laura Lefebvre attending. Captain Wu Ai representing the government of the People’s Republic of China, observing.”
“A foreign state?” Ellie spat. “There’s your foreign state sitting right there!”
“You will conduct yourself in a civil manner, or this interview will be concluded and you will be placed in solitary confinement until you will be compliant.”
Ellie grunted, trying to hide her terror. “Good luck with that. You don’t know me well if you think threats are going to work.”
Wu shook her head. “So naïve. You understand, do you not, that we have complete control over your fate? Your president is shortly to declare military rule, and there will be no place for niceties such as lawyers or due process. If I were you, I would negotiate now, while you have the chance.”
Ellie stared into the eyes of her opponent and saw not an inch of give or mercy there. She said nothing.
Lefebvre focused on Jodi. “You’re Jodi Baxter, daughter of the president’s special advisor, Joel Baxter. Please confirm for the record.”
“Yes,” Jodi said, sounding more like a little girl than Ellie had ever heard before.
“Have you told her father that you’re holding her?” Ellie asked.
Lefebvre flicked her eyes toward Ellie. “That is not your concern.”
“Why can’t you answer a simple question like that? Surely she has the right to have her father here?”
“She is not a minor, so no, she doesn’t have that right. But Mr. Baxter has been informed. He will be permitted to visit with you,” her eyes flicked back to Jodi, “once we are done here. If we’re satisfied with your answers.”
Jodi shrank into her chair and Lefebvre turned back to Ellie. “Now, why don’t you tell me how it was that you came to be working for Vice President Buchanan?”
“She’s president,” Ellie said. “You know the Constitution well enough to understand the succession rules.”
“The Constitution you refer to does not apply to the Pacific Coast States, not since the act of federation that was passed in the senates of Washington State, Oregon and California. I use Buchanan’s former title for convenience. She has no Constitutional authority here.”
Lefebvre sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Look, we can dance around this, or you can be direct. Either way, we’
ll get the answers from you, but if you are candid, as my colleague here has explained, you will find that this is the less uncomfortable route to the truth.”
“What do you want to know?” Jodi said, taking a deep breath.
“How it is that you came to be working for Buchanan.”
“That’s easy. She told me my father was alive and Ellie and me came here to be with him.”
Putting down her pen, Lefebvre said, “You traveled through territory controlled by the so-called Union of the Mountain States.”
“So?”
“How is it that you were able to do so without being detained?”
“We were lucky, I guess,” Ellie said.
Lefebvre looked doubtfully at her. “And you drove from Denver to Edwards, where you were detained?”
“No, we stopped at Ragtown for a few days.”
“And how is it that you were permitted to enter and leave Ragtown? My understanding is that they have tight security.”
Ellie shrugged. “I have family there. My daughter and my ex-husband. Look, what point are you driving at?”
“I’m merely trying to establish your movements.”
“To trap me in a lie?”
“Those are your words, not mine.”
Wu raised her hand and Lefebvre paused. “I agree with Ms. Fischer. I do not see the relevance of this line of questioning, Agent.”
Lefebvre raised her eyebrows and seemed on the verge of protesting, but then she turned back to Ellie. “Very well, I shall be succinct. At Edwards, you were arrested, were you not?”
“Yes, as you know.”
“And you were accused of collusion with the authorities in Denver, were you not?”
Ellie nodded.
“What was the result of the investigations undertaken at Edwards?”
“You know well enough.”
Lefebvre looked down at her notes as if she needed to remind herself what they said, then she glanced at Jodi. “Your father ordered your release, is that not so?”
Lost: Deluge Book 5: (A Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival Story) Page 14