The Ranch

by Sean Liscom

  “I wish I knew the answer; I really wish I did, but I don’t have a clue as to how he plans on dealing with them. I’m surprised he didn’t give you any of the details when you met with him.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

  “He told me that he told you all about this, said he dumped it all on your desk,” all of a sudden little alarm bells started going off in my head.

  “I’d never heard of your father until Major Jackson brought me up to speed,” she replied.

  “What?”

  ‘I’ve never met your father, Jason. Dennis is the one who told me about this,” she insisted.

  “Son-of-a……. He lied to me! Dammit! Why would he lie about something like this?” I asked the ceiling. “Did he tell me the truth about anything?”

  “Sorta,” Braden answered from behind me. I twisted in my chair to see him and my sisters standing in the entrance to the dining room. Braden was holding the legal pad he had been using for notes from the journals. All three looked exhausted.

  “What?”

  “Here....” he handed me the yellow pad. “We haven’t quite finished yet. We’ve still got to get through the 44th journal. He switched ciphers on us, and the girls aren’t familiar with it. We thought you should see what we’ve got so far though. It’s scary as hell!”

  “Did you find the coordinates for the ARK?” I asked as I leafed through the pages.

  “Yeah. I ran ‘em down to Bill as soon as we found ‘em.”

  “Can I get an outline of what I’m looking at here?” I flipped a few more pages.

  “Okay, yeah. You were right about the shift in the coded message corresponding to the shift in the two sets of journals. The first 22 journals talked, in depth, about his regrets where we were concerned. Number 16 is when he introduced us to our step-mother, 19 is when we get to meet our sisters.”

  “There was a lot of talk about wanting to bring all of us together but for whatever reason, it never happened. Obviously. When we started on the 23rd journal, it was as if it was written by someone else.”

  “How so?” Jill asked.

  “Well, it doesn’t take long to degrade into one big rant. A lot like the rants we were witness to. He would go on and on about how society was falling apart. About how the family unit was being destroyed and so on. I think what scared me was that he was actually right on some points. That bothered me.”

  “From there, he goes into this diatribe about every government on the planet being complicit in this. He talks about how wars were orchestrated to meet end goals of bringing a one world government into play. At one point he even suggests the 9-11 attacks were used to give us a reason to go into Afghanistan and eventually Iraq.”

  “Seriously?” Jane asked from across the table.

  “Yes, ma’am. If I were to lay all of this out on the wall with pictures and locations and draw lines between those events, people and locations, it would look like a spider web on the wall, a giant web. It’s crazy stuff!”

  “He goes into a bunch of other stuff about the central banks and how they controlled economies and citizens. Funny thing is, he makes the connection between both Iraq and Afghanistan NOT being a part of the central banking system and flat out refusing to join them. Two countries we went to war with. Two more were wiped out when we dropped the bomb on them.”

  “Iran and North Korea?” Jane asked.

  “Yes. It would seem irrelevant because there really isn’t a banking system left anywhere on the planet, right? Well, it’s relevant because, according to Jacks ramblings, the Rothschilds and their central banks were supposed to be the ones to bring the world back together in what they called a New World Order. One government running the planet.”

  “I’ve heard of this, well, read stuff about it on the internet and it all sounded just as crazy as you telling me about it now,” I said. “It sounds to me like Jack had seen to many movies.”

  “I don’t know, Jason. He goes into a lot of detail about how power mad these people were. They really did want to live like gods among men. That Ashton Blake guy he talked about was brilliantly insane. He really thought he was a god. What’s worse is that he was the guy at the helm.”

  “Great,” I muttered.

  “It gets worse,” he started again. “By the time we get to the end of the 43rd journal, he starts talking about how maybe civilization really does need to be reset. He’s actually agreeing and going along with the plan the elite have put in place.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, its crazy talk, Jason. He goes on and on about how the weak will perish and the strong will survive. It’s bizarre because it’s almost like he’s having a conversation with himself and he’s weighing the pros and cons. He even talks about how we would be safe here after the EMP and we would have time to get stronger before the end really hit,” he took the pad back and started flipping pages.

  “Here, there’s a timeline of when all of this was supposed to take place,” when he found what he was looking for he handed the pad back. “According to this, the biological attack was originally slated to go off on April 1st, 2017. The EMP was slated to go off six months later. For whatever reason, their timeline got all screwed up.”

  “Does he say why?” I asked as I scanned the page.

  “No, he doesn’t, but this could account for Ray Judge and Paul Wesson being out of the ARK at the time. Doesn’t matter now. Go to the next page,” he ordered. I flipped the page and immediately saw the date that had been circled.

  “Braden? This is today's date....” my voice trailed off.

  “I know! Today is the day the second part of the operation was to commence. Today is the day they originally planned to set off the EMP. If the original steps have been reversed.... I mean, what are the odds of Jack showing up here, then escaping and heading to the ARK? On this date of all dates?”

  “He’s trying to get there before they launch the second part of their plan?” I questioned.

  “OR, he’s the one who will pull the trigger and launch the bioweapons……”

  “No, no way!”

  “Jason, you haven’t read what I’ve read.... The man is certifiably insane. Not only is he insane, but he’s headed to a place where he can assume control of weapons of mass destruction. Bat shit crazy and WMD’s don’t go real well together....”

  Monday, September 4th, 2017

  Deep Springs, California.

  “Jack, vehicles coming,” Ruiz said from his lookout at the front window. Jack closed the book he was reading and put it on the couch next to him.

  “Is it them?” he asked. Ruiz put his rifle scope to his eyes and studied the approaching vehicles for a moment.

  “Yeah, Assad’s in the lead car,” Jack glanced at his watch.

  “They’re late,” he grumbled as he pushed himself off the couch. Melissa started to get off the other end, the look that he shot in her direction told her to stay. She did just that. “Don’t move, don’t say a word,” he ordered and moved to the open doorway.

  Since their arrival late last night, they had done nothing but wait. For what, she wasn’t sure. Wilcox had left the building an hour earlier and hadn’t returned yet. When she’d asked Jack what this place was, her question was met with silence.

  She heard the vehicles come to a stop in front of the building. When they shut down, she heard several car doors open and then close. Jack stepped through the front door, his hand resting on his handgun. While neither Ruiz nor Jack seemed concerned, the tension in the room was suddenly thicker with the arrival of their guests.

  “Nigel,” she heard Jack say in greeting.

  “Mr. Kenshaw. It’s a pleasure to see you again. It’s been a long time,” the voice had a heavy British accent.

  “You’re late, and the others aren’t with you. Why?”

  “Yes, about that. Can we go inside and speak? It’s hot out here.”

  “What’s this about, Nigel?” Jack asked, irritation evident in his voice.


  “Mr. Kenshaw, others feel that you’re moving too quickly. They feel that to return to the original timeline now would not be a prudent course of action.”

  “Don’t tell me, they’re having a change of heart. That could have.... Tragic consequences. I believe I made myself perfectly clear to you and the others.”

  “Well, yes, it’s just....” Nigel’s voice trailed off.

  “Just what? Are they still pissed off about being locked out of the ARK’s?”

  “Among other infractions, Mr. Kenshaw. You’ve not made many friends….”

  “I told them, I warned them not to cross me. Yet they felt the need to kill my wife. What did they think, I was bluffing?”

  “Begging your pardon, but you killed Gary Wesson, a member of the council, inside his own office in the ARK. You sir are the one who broke the rules in the first place. The council felt you needed to pay for that infraction. There are rules in place, a code, a code you helped implement. You should have known what would happen….”

  “They’re the ones who made it personal, Nigel. I was more than happy to live out my life in Costa Rica. I was more than happy to walk away from all of it even though I knew what was coming. They should have left well enough alone.”

  “May I also remind you, sir; they did nothing more than honor the code. They have continued to honor that same code even after your dubious rise in the council. With the presumed death of Ashton Blake, you were the next man to fill the seat and they allowed you to ascend.”

  “Then why are they getting cold feet? I gave very specific orders and yet, here you are telling me they’re backing out, why?”

  “As I said, they think you’re moving too quickly. They believe that the plan is moving along rather nicely, for now anyway. I understand the first phase was premature and that affected the entire operation, but I assure you, Jerrod and Blair are quite happy with the results.”

  “Would I be correct in assuming they are withdrawing their support? Have they lost their will to move forward? Is this the case?” Jack asked.

  “Well, I’m afraid so, Mr. Kenshaw. They feel that to move forward with the project, at this juncture, would also be premature.”

  “That’s.... Unfortunate. Tell me, have they moved the ships into position, or have they been wringing their hands on that account too?”

  “My apologies, Mr. Kenshaw. Like I said, they feel that to do so at this time would not be productive nor prudent.”

  “Tell me, Nigel. Who’s sitting in the big chair now? Is it Blair? She’s just the type to send you out here because she doesn’t want to get her dainty hands dirty.”

  “Yes, Miss Richards has been in charge in your absence,” Nigel answered.

  “That figures. I’ve always hated that bitch. I should have made sure she was locked in the ARK with Ashton. Could have saved myself some trouble,” Jack mused. “What do you think, Nigel? Do you think my plan is the wrong course of action?” Jack asked flatly

  “I believe they have made the correct decision. Please forgive my insubordination.”

  “Tell me one more thing, Nigel. She sent you and these eight thugs out here to fulfill a kill order, didn’t she?”

  “Mr. Kenshaw, you know that I’ve always respected you and had your back, right? I convinced her to let me bring you in alive....”

  From where Melissa was sitting, she saw Jack draw his pistol and fire. It happened so fast; she wasn’t even sure if it really happened. The thud of a body collapsing on the wooden deck and the screams of pain that followed told her otherwise. The rapid report of Ruiz’s suppressed rifle also told her the fight was over before it ever started. The whole scene played out in fractions of seconds and they took no return fire from the men that had come with Nigel.

  “We started with a circle. We went to a square. Now we have a triangle,” she heard Jack say as he knelt next to Jerrod. He was writhing on the deck clutching his stomach. Dark red blood was seeping from between his fingers. Jack reached down and yanked a silver chain from Jerrod’s neck. He held it up and looked at the silver pendant that dangled from it. When he stood again, he shoved it into his pocket.

  “Melissa, come here,” when she was standing beside him, he pointed to Nigel. “Finish him,” he ordered and handed her his .45.

  “Jack!”

  “Before another word comes from your mouth, let me tell you about Nigel here. Nigel is the man who oversaw the human experimentation at the ARK. He is the man responsible for hundreds, thousands of deaths. The blood of men, women and even children stains this man’s hands all in the name of what he called science. The one trait he lacked was mercy. You will show him mercy and put a bullet between his eyes. End his suffering.”

  “I....” her voice faltered.

  “The choice is simple. The order is clear. Either you end Nigel or Ruiz will end you and then carry out the order himself,” he nodded to the man standing behind her. She turned to look at Ruiz and found him with his rifle pointed at her. There was no emotion in the man’s dark eyes. Melissa slowly turned back to the man on the ground. Their eyes locked and without saying a word, she felt his pain and anguish. He slowly relaxed and laid his arms by his side.

  “Do it,” he said in a barely audible whisper. Blood leaked from the corners of his mouth. She slowly raised the pistol and slipped her finger onto the trigger.

  “Do it,” Jack ordered again.

  “God forgive me....” she said as she squeezed the trigger. The .45 bucked once and she heard the spent casing bounce across the wooden deck. Nigel’s body went completely rigid, his labored breathing stopped and then his muscles began to relax. Her aim was true and there was a neat hole in his forehead, just above the bridge of his nose. Without warning, she dropped the gun and ran to the waist high railing. She began to violently heave the contents of her stomach over the side. Jack walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.

  “The first one is always the hardest. You’ll get used to it,” he offered as she collapsed to her knees.

  Monday, September 4th, 2017

  The Ranch.

  “How credible is the threat?” Jane asked. The alarm in her voice was unmistakable.

  “I’d say take it seriously, Jane. This was written by a man who was on the inside. He did say they were getting ready to move to the second phase,” I replied. I’d had to put the pad of paper on the table to avoid anyone seeing the shaking from my hands.

  “He could have written that after the fact.”

  “Jane, this was written well ahead of the first attack....”

  “Shit,” she growled.

  “Braden, I really need to know what’s in that last journal,” I said as I turned to face him again. “I need all of the intelligence you can glean from those pages and I need it now.”

  “We’ll get back on it but there’s something else you need to see,” he picked up the pad again. “Right here, he talks about the circle of five and actually names four of them.”

  “Circle of five?” Jane asked.

  “Yeah, we were talking about this when we told Dennis what was going on. If you want to run an operation as massive as this, you have to compartmentalize everything. If you don’t, you’d never be able to get enough people to buy in. Especially if they know the WHOLE story.”

  “In this case, five people knew everything about the operation. Think of that circle of five standing on the top of a pyramid. As information goes farther and farther from the top, there is less and less information. The guy at the bottom only knows he’s supposed to drive a truck from point A to point B. See what I’m getting at?” Braden explained, Jane nodded.

  “The five at the top are the masterminds behind the EMP attack and the possible pending biological attack. It was their plan, their baby.”

  “You said he named them?” this was Jane again.

  “Yeah, let me see, Ashton Blake, Jerrod Hickham, Blair Richards and Nigel Assad. Nowhere in here has he named the fifth. I’m hoping we can find that when we break in
to the 44th journal.”

  “Did you also find the coordinates of the other ranches?” Jill asked.

  “No, we haven’t. Again, hopefully in the last journal. Kari and Isabella gave your dad the general locations, they pointed them out on a map for him. As for the exact coordinates, still nothing”

  “Why would he do that?” she questioned.

  “I don’t know. It tripped me up too. I mean, wouldn’t the location of the ARK be as much or more of a secret than the ranches? It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” Braden answered and headed into the kitchen to grab himself some coffee. The President, who had been listening intently, leaned back in her chair.

  “Question,” she said.

  “Yes?” I turned back to look at her.

  “Other ranches?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

  CHAPTER 15

  Monday, September 4th, 2017

  Deep Springs, California.

  “What do you wanna do with the bodies,” Wilcox asked Jack.

  “Let ‘em rot for all I care. If you need ammo, take some of theirs but we need to get moving. Look around and see if they have a radio, Blair wouldn’t have sent them up here without some form of communication.” he replied and then walked back into the building. He looked at Melissa who was staring back at him. Her face was nearly chalk white and she was unable to control the shaking of her hands.

  “You knew those men?” she asked.

  “Nigel, yes. The others weren’t anything but hired muscle.”

  “And you’re going to just leave them where they fell?”

  “I’m sure there are some hungry coyotes or buzzards,” he saw the look on her face change a little. “Circle of life and all that crap, my dear. Better get used to it, kid. You ain’t seen nothin yet.”

  “What are we doing? Why did you make me do that?”

  “Don’t play the sanctimonious card with me. I know you’ve killed before.”