by E A Chance
“Simple,” Dashay said. “We were taken hostage by the same madmen.”
“I see,” Conrad said. “Are you trying to cross the border to escape Kearns?”
“Yes and no,” Riley said. “Dr. Cooper and I got stranded at a medical conference in DC. I’m from Colorado Springs. We’ve been heading there since the CME struck. My two youngest children are with my parents there. My oldest daughter was with me at the conference. She’s fourteen.” Her voice caught, and she had to take a few breaths to continue. “We got separated.”
Bailey gave her a sympathetic look. “That’s rough,”
Conrad got up and ran his hand through his hair, just the way Coop always did. “This is unbelievable,” he said. “Crossing paths with you was a one in a million chance.”
“You weren’t searching for us?” Adrian asked.
“No. We saw the truck off the road and stopped to help. We were shocked when we saw it was you treating the victims. To us you were assassins trying to save the lives of strangers. It didn’t compute”
“Then why did you bring us here?” Coop asked. “Tell us who you are.”
Conrad turned to Bailey and she gave a quick nod. “We’re members of a task force for President John Breckinridge of the Western States of America. We cross the border covertly and recruit people who would be assets to our new country. This is our most forward staging area.”
Riley wanted to shout for joy but restrained herself. She reached for Coop’s hand and held it between both of hers. “This is the best news we’ve had in longer than I can remember.”
Conrad faced them, looking like he’d just won the lottery. “For us, too. Not only are you trying to cross the border, but you have valuable intel on Kearns that must get to the President. We hit the jackpot with you.”
Coop held up his hands to quell Conrad’s enthusiasm. “It’s not that we don’t appreciate the help, but why not just remove Kearns and get your president elected in her place?”
“That’s our end goal, but for now there’s a continent and Kearns’ forces between us, and she still has powerful allies,” Bailey said. “It was more expedient to create our new country and work from there.”
Coop nodded, but his question got Riley thinking, so she said, “What guarantee do we have that conditions are any better over your border? We could be running headlong into a worse situation than the one we’re fleeing.”
Bailey said, “I would ask that question in your position. All I can do is assure you conditions are far better in the WSA. Kearns’ border guards stop anyone from crossing the border to get out. Our president’s guards don’t do the same. Anyone who would like to go back is free to do so. No one does. If you get to the WSA and find it’s not what you’d hoped for, you can head right back to the USA.”
Adrian said, “I’m all for crossing the border with you, but I don’t remember volunteering to take my story to your president. That hasn’t gone well for me in the past.”
Paul locked his eyes on Adrian. “We won’t force you, Dr. Landry, but don’t you have an obligation? You said you regret not taking action to warn people about the CME. Isn’t this a chance to redeem yourself?”
Adrian stared at the floor and stroked his beard while he considered Paul’s point. Finally raising his eyes, he said, “I can’t prove it. Kearns and I were alone in the Oval Office. What good would it do?”
“You don’t need to prove it,” Conrad said. “All it takes is an idea. We have undercover officers infiltrating Kearns’ military and traveling east, fueling unrest against her. Not that it takes much to do that. If we spread the truth about her refusal to warn the country, we would win a huge propaganda victory. We won’t need to force her out. Her own citizens will do it for us.”
Adrian looked like he was going to be sick. “I’m a nobody. I’m not prepared to take down the government of the most powerful country in the world.”
Riley reached over and patted his shoulder. “Remember the millions that may have died due to her actions. Think of those who gave their lives in Charleston rather than succumb to her rule. What about all the people she forced into her Residential Zones? She ran my family off the ranch they’ve owned for generations. That’s just some of the havoc she’s inflicted. Why wouldn’t you want to stop her?”
“Listen to Dr. Poole,” Paul said. “You have the chance to be a hero and save countless more lives.”
Riley felt pity for Adrian as she watched his shoulders slump under the weight of the decision he had to make. It was hard to believe he was the same man that not so many months earlier she would have gladly abandoned him on the side of the road.
“You don’t have to decide today,” Bailey said. “Our more pressing priority is getting you over the border.”
“You’re not taking us?” Dashay asked.
Conrad shook his head. “We need to maintain our cover and can’t risk crossing, but we’ll do what’s necessary to get you to the other side.”
Coop stood and helped Riley to her feet. “First, we need rest and food, especially Riley.”
“Of course,” Bailey said. “Come with me.”
As they all started for the stairs, two trucks pulled in front of the house. One pulled a horse trailer and the other a flatbed carrying their cart. Riley rushed to the doorway and watched as two men led Biscuit out of the trailer. She ambled down the steps and hugged her friend. He seemed overjoyed to see her.
“Hello, boy,” she said, as she scratched behind his ears. “You didn’t think I’d leave you behind, did you?”
She heard Conrad’s booming laugh from the porch. Riley couldn’t predict what awaited her on the other side of the border, but any organization that would spend valuable resources to bring her that silly horse and rickety cart couldn’t be all bad.
A delicious meal of ribeye steaks, a luxurious hot shower, and a four-hour nap in an actual bed restored Riley to an almost human state. She was the last one downstairs and found the others seated around a kitchen table covered with papers. Coop pulled out the chair next to him and she lowered herself into it.
After glancing over the papers, she said, “What’s all this?”
“In four days, just after sundown,” Conrad said, “we’ll drive you to a small, remote town north of the last outpost of Kearns’ troops. The town sits a few miles from the two-hundred yard ‘no-man’s-land’ at the border. You’ll go three miles on foot after we drop you to meet your guide.”
Riley frowned. “We can’t take Biscuit?”
“Sorry, but no,” Bailey said. “He’s too conspicuous and the terrain is too rough for a horse.”
“I have an idea how Biscuit can play a role, but we’ll get to that later,” Conrad said. “When you reach the town, you’ll proceed to a bar called the Dancing Ghecko and look for Baily’s cousin, Jax. He’ll escort you through no-man’s-land. We’ll provide his description and code words to give him.”
Dashay chuckled and said, “Seriously? Code words. Can’t we just walk up to him and say, ‘hey, Jax?’”
Paul glared at her. “This is no joke, Dashay. Kearns does not want her citizens leaving the country. She has her spies posing as residents of western states desperate to get home. She’ll stop at nothing.”
“I apologize,” she said. “Continue.”
Conrad nodded and went on. “Jax will get you over the border, then you’ll walk two miles to another staging area. A driver will meet you and take you to Denver. He’ll explain what happens from there. Adrian, if you decide to meet with President Purnell, and I strongly encourage you to do so, I’ll send a note for you to give the driver. He’ll know how to arrange it.”
Riley got up and walked to the window. Biscuit was munching on hay in the shade of the only stand of trees near the house. “And Biscuit?” she asked.
“We’ll use him as a decoy. We’ll have a team disguised as the four of you ride Biscuit and the cart south to deflect attention from you. If anyone is tracking you, it’ll throw them off course. By t
he time they discover the mistake, you’ll be safe in the WSA It could help us get our hands on this Yeager character. If he’s in direct contact with Kearns, we can pump him for information.”
“I’ve got to ask. How are you conducting these operations without phones or other electronic communications?” Adrian asked. “You can’t be doing it all with radios.”
“Hams, short range radio relay stations, good old-fashioned letter carriers,” Bailey said. “There’s even talk of resurrecting telegraph lines.”
Adrian scratched his head. “Fascinating.”
“Yes, fascinating,” Riley said, short on patience. “What happens to Biscuit after the mission?”
“I’ll return him to you somehow,” Conrad said.
Riley said, “Keep the cart. Just take care of my horse and bring him home to me.”
Bailey stood and gathered the maps and papers. “We’ll go through the plan in more detail over the next few days. In the meantime, relax, rest, and recover your strength.”
Coop stood and stretched. “Don’t have to tell me twice. Too bad we can’t take that bed with us.”
Riley took one last peek at Biscuit before letting Coop lead her up the stairs. The plan for getting them into the WSA was solid, but not without risk. They’d been through worse. Her thoughts flashed to the night they escaped Branson’s compound, hoping that was far more harrowing than the border crossing would be. This time they had as entire task force backing them up, and no matter how they felt about the rest of them, they’d do whatever it took to get Adrian to the president alive.
Nico finished patching his last patient from a border patrol gone bad just as the sun was setting. He cleaned up and grabbed a quick dinner in the mess before going on his nightly walk into the desert. That evening, he headed toward the far northwestern edge of the encampment. His commanding officer had ordered everyone to stay within the camp boundaries, but he was off duty and needed time away from the crowds and noise.
He walked for an hour past the last tents in camp, then turned west for the border. When he reached the barbed wire fence, he sat on a boulder and stared into no-man’s-land, reflecting on his long trek to reach that point. It hadn’t been the journey he’d started out to make but had ended up as the one he was meant to take. Part of him longed to cross the wire and head to New Mexico. It was a cruel fate that he’d made it that far and was stuck on the other side of the border.
If Dashay had survived, she was likely on the opposite side of the border, too. A day hadn’t passed since Yeager captured him that he hadn’t thought of her. As much as he missed her and would love to spend the rest of their lives together, their fates had sent them on different paths.
Over the months of transfers to units heading west and stops at bases along the way, he’d had nothing but time to consider what he’d do when he reached the border. The news that the western states had seceded and formed a new country was a shocking blow. Even though his family and the love of his life were in the new country, crossing would make him a deserter. That was something he couldn’t consider. He had no love for Kearns and her rouge government, but he still felt fealty for his country.
He pulled the four wanted posters from his pocket and studied each one. He’d never questioned that Dashay, Riley and Coop were innocent. Theirs was guilt by association. His feelings toward Adrian weren’t so black and white. He’d asked himself a hundred times during his trip to the border if he could trust the story Adrian had given them. He wasn’t a malicious or violent person, but he certainly was odd. He’d been alone in that room with Kearns before the CME and only the two of them knew the truth. Nico hoped with all his soul that Adrian was the one in the right.
Odds were that he would never know. Those people had passed out of his life and he was alone to make his way. With civil war looming on the horizon, no one could predict what their futures would hold. He just hoped that one day, his would bring him the answers he sought.
Riley stood on the front steps watching Biscuit ride away, sure it was for the last time. For all Conrad’s assurances, if it was so difficult to get people across the border, how did he plan to do it with a horse? It just wouldn’t be worth the risk. She’d spent extra time brushing him and feeding him apple slices before the decoy dressed as Coop hitched him to the cart. The draft horse had trotted away with no clue what awaited him.
When the cart was out of sight, Riley went upstairs to finish packing. Bailey had assured them all they needed was one change of clothes and basic first aid supplies, but she’d persuaded her to let Coop carry an extra med pack. The one thing she’d learned on their harebrained field trip, as Coop had taken to calling it, was that their adventures never went according to plan.
Coop came in and pulled her into his arms. “We made it, Babe. Only ten miles to freedom.”
She pulled away and spit three times on her knuckles. “Remember when we were trying to reach the ranch, and we kept saying, ‘we’ll be there tomorrow,’ or ‘we’ll be there in a few hours?’ It took weeks and weeks and almost dying multiple times to make it.”
“We were alone and clueless then. We’re veterans now and have experienced people helping us. How are you feeling?”
“Excited. Anxious. Wishing we were already home.”
Coop looked over her head to the window. “Turn around.” They faced the window together and watched the sun slip below the horizon. “What a sunset.”
“You can’t know how I’ve missed that,” Riley whispered. “The Rockies are just beyond that horizon. Can you imagine how many times on those flat, dusty plains I wondered if I’d live to see my beloved mountains?”
“I knew. Every day, I knew.”
She put her arms around him and gave him a tender kiss. “None of it would have been possible without you. Julia and I would have been dead within a week.”
Coop let out his glorious laugh. “Not Warrior Princess and Red Queen.”
Dashay tapped on the open door. “You two lovebirds coming? Conrad’s already pacing in the front yard.”
“On our way,” Coop said. He helped Riley with her pack, then threw his two packs over his shoulders. “Showtime.”
They were on their way fifteen minutes later. She watched out the back window of the vehicle as the house receded. Once again, she was saying goodbye to her sanctuary, but for the first time, she was eager to go.
The drive to the drop point took longer than she’d expected, but soon, Paul pulled off the road and killed the engine. Her heart pounded as they climbed out of the car. She looked around and was confused to see they were surrounded by nothing but dusty plains and tumbleweeds.
Conrad hugged Dashay, then kissed each of her cheeks. Riley noticed a look that passed between them as they stepped apart and couldn’t wait to ask her what it meant. Conrad moved to Riley and gave her the same hug and kisses, but not the look.
“I’ll deliver Biscuit personally, so keep an eye out for me and take care of that little one.” He shook Coop’s hand, then walked to Adrian. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he said, “You have the note for the driver on the other side. I hope you’ll put it to use. Your country needs you.”
He shook Arian’s hand. Then he and Paul got back in the car and drove off without another word.
Dashay faced west, and whispered, “I thought I knew the meaning of middle of nowhere, but I was wrong.”
“Three miles,” Coop said. “Piece of cake.”
He took Riley’s hand and whistled, Heigh Ho, as they started for the town. Though Riley felt the weight of her pregnant belly, it was good to walk. She’d grown soft riding in the cart and sitting around at the safe house.
To take her mind off what was coming, she let go of Coop’s hand and slowed to walk beside Adrian. “Have you made up your mind?”
Adrian took his time answering. “I haven’t. I don’t understand why someone else can’t tell President Purnell about Kearns.”
“He needs to hear it firsthand from you. Deep down, you know tha
t. He’ll want to question you about the details.”
“I suppose that makes sense.” Adrian was quiet for a moment, then said, “It was nice in those early days after we left the compound. No one knew who I was or what I’d done. Until we found out about Yeager, I thought I’d put it behind me. Now, I’ve lost my family because of it and these people want to use me to take down Kearns. It’s worse than ever.”
“Don’t forget what Paul said. This is a chance to redeem yourself. Think of the lives you can save. It could prevent a war.”
“I still have time. Let me give it more thought.”
Riley stepped in front of him, making him stop. “I will, Adrian, but remember that once you’ve performed your duty, the new government will be grateful. They could help you find your family.”
He looked her in the eye. “I hadn’t considered that. Thank you, Riley.”
She patted his shoulder, then motioned for him to continue as she waited for Dashay to catch up to her.
“Adrian doesn’t respond well to pressure, Riley,” she said. “You know he mulls things forever before he decides.”
Riley smiled. “I do. I was just adding fodder to the mix. On a different subject, I know it’s none of my business, but what’s the deal with Conrad?”
“I don’t even need to look at you to feel you judging me, but I’ve been lonely these last months, and it was something to pass the time. He’s an impressive man, though. As unlikely as it is, I wouldn’t mind crossing paths with him again.”
Riley chuckled. “Who am I to judge? I’d known Coop for a few days before we were making out in the hotel lounge. But what about Nico?” When Dashay kept her eyes straight ahead and didn’t answer, Riley said, “None of my business.”
“Of course, it is, Riley. I just wasn’t sure how to answer. Nico feels like a different lifetime, and you know what the odds are of us finding each other. Nil.”