By the time they had changed back into their regular clothes and emerged from the stairs to the belfry, it was after 9:00 in the evening. They picked up the missing stylus from under one of the pews, briefly showed it to the minister, and made a point of walking out the after-hours door of the church arm in arm. They headed back to the hotel. The C wing of the hotel had the only movie theatre in Sykesville. When they reached the hotel, Colt paused to examine the marquee. It listed “The Return of Zorro” as the late show. He inserted his ID card in the charge scanner and led Lindsay inside. “That’s to make sure anyone who is looking for me will know where I am,” he said.
After the movie they stopped long enough to ditch the plastic pipes and darts under some shrubbery. Then they walked arm in arm back to their room. Colt opened the door.
A voice from inside said, “Come in, we’ve been waiting for you.”
###
Colt froze in the doorway, staring at the three men inside the room. He threw out his right arm to block Lindsay from entering. Each of the men wore khaki-colored uniforms and had a stunner on his hip. The man nearest the door had a star shaped badge, apparently a town marshal.
A quiet voice behind them said, “Go on in. We don’t need a scene.”
Lindsay looked back to see a fourth man, also wearing a badge, standing behind them. She turned furious. “What right do you have to break into our room while we’re gone? Citizens have rights, or have they been suspended for the duration.”
The man inside the room closest to the door looked uncomfortable and took a step forward. “Ms. Hansen, please calm down and come in the room. We’re not particularly happy to be here either.”
“Not until you tell me what this is all about,” she shot back.
The man looked apologetic. “I’m sorry we have to trouble you, but we have no choice. Please come in, and we’ll explain.”
Lindsay continued to look angry, but she stepped into the room. Colt followed her, keeping an eye on the deputy behind them.
“I’m Deputy Marshal Owen Tucker.” He flashed his ID. “These are Deputy Marshals Ho, Breitmann, and Czerwinski. Where were you around 8:50 tonight?”
“You haven’t told us what this is about,” Lindsay demanded angrily.
Colt held up his right hand. “It’s okay, Lindsay. These men are just doing their jobs.”
Tucker nodded at him. “Thanks, Mr. August.” He turned back to Lindsay. “We got a call from the Commandant’s office that told us to find out where you were. Apparently Mr. August’s tracker has stopped working and they want to know why. When the Commandant tells us to do something, we don’t have to like it, we just have to obey orders.”
Colt pulled his sleeve back, showing the bracelet.
Tucker said, “I thought so.” He nodded to Breitmann who produced a multiscanner. Colt held out his wrist, and Breitmann put the scanner next to the tracker for a half second.
“The circuits are fused. Looks like an EM pulse of some sort.” He looked at Colt and asked, “Were you near any heavy duty medical equipment this evening?”
“We were at the Bright Mountain restaurant and the First Universalist Church,” Colt answered. “We had gone to the church earlier to talk to the minister and schedule a wedding.” He looked at Lindsay. “Our wedding. After we left, we discovered Lindsay’s stylus was missing. We went back to the church to look for it.”
“How long were you there?”
“I don’t have any idea. While we were in the church the first time, we wandered around the whole facility. When we went back, we had to look under and behind a lot of things before we finally found the stylus. By the time we left and walked back here, we barely had time to catch the last movie.”
“Do you have any witnesses?”
“Well, we checked in with the receptionist when we started looking and with Reverend Riemann when we left, but we did the searching by ourselves.”
Tucker nodded, “That’s easy enough to check, and you’re obviously wearing the tracker. If you’re going to be hanging around after tonight, you’ll need to get another at the reception center. Otherwise, just turn this one in when you leave.
“I had a feeling this was going to be pointless. Sorry to have bothered you folks. Let’s go, boys.”
The four men walked out of the room. Colt nodded to each of them as they left and closed the door quietly behind them. Then he plopped down on the bed. Mindful of possible bugs in the room, he said, “Well, that was a bust, but at least we know now.”
Lindsay nodded. “So now what? I don’t know about you, but I’m up past my bed time. Where … ?” Seeing him looking strained, she stopped abruptly.
“After that episode,” Colt said, “I need a breath of fresh air before I go to bed. Care to join me?”
Once they were clear of the hotel, Colt whispered, “I’m concerned that there may be a bug in our room. I think we’ll need to sleep in the same bed and pretend to be loving partners.”
“How far do we have to go?”
“A simple good night, darling, with a kiss is all.”
Somehow the simple kiss turned into something far more passionate.
###
Colt raised up on an elbow and looked at Lindsay lying next to him. Memories of the previous night rushed back to him, and he stared at her face, aware once again of how beautiful she was. She stirred and her eyes opened. “Good morning, Sleepy Head,” he said. He leaned over and kissed her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss enthusiastically. “Good morning yourself. Did I dream last night or was it real?”
“It was real, and we need to talk about it, but not here.”
Chapter 24
Lindsay was silent on the way to the parking area, and Colt couldn’t read her expression. After she lifted off the van Colt broke the silence. “I don’t do one night stands,” he said, “if that’s what’s bothering you.”
Lindsay turned to look directly at him. “What exactly did happen last night?”
Colt shrugged. “If you don’t know …”
“I don’t mean that way.” She slugged his right arm. “We were supposed to make loving sounds, not make love. What set us off?”
“I’m no psychologist, but I’d guess it had something to do with the adrenalin rush from breaking into the relay station.”
She smiled. “I’m glad it happened, and if it happens again, I won’t object. But I’m still not sure I’m ready for something permanent. I mean, it happened so impulsively.”
“I know, making love and being in love aren’t the same,” Colt said. “But it was a first step.”
“We’ll see. I’m glad you’re with me, yes, but I need time to unscramble how I feel.”
Colt turned to face forward. “I’m no expert on love, and I’ve never been very good at expressing my emotions. In a way I was lucky. Rachel and I were high school sweethearts, and at some point she became the most important person in my life. But I never really thought about how I felt. I just knew she was the one.” He looked back at her. “Now I know you’re the one.”
“Please don’t rush me,” Lindsay said. “This happened too soon. Last night I let passion take over, and I liked it, but I don’t know whether you’re the one for me.”
“I’ll accept that for now. The last thing I want to do is rush you, but the door is open.”
###
Doctor Strauss met them on her porch. “Lindsay, why don't you go on in? Toby Walker's inside. I'm sure he'd be glad to see you.”
She caught Colt's sleeve as he started to follow Lindsay. “Gus, I need a word with you.”
Colt looked at her, waiting.
“The way you’re grinning, I assume something happened on your trip,” Lois said. “And I don’t think it has anything to do with finding a useable subspace transceiver.”
“I admit I’m walking on air, but am I that obvious?”
“So what happened?”
“Let’s just say we made some progress
— no commitments yet but promising.”
“Good. Just continue on. It’ll happen soon enough.” She smiled. “You’ll see. Now let’s go inside.”
As they entered the house, she said, “Toby and I have been friends for over twenty years. I’m his son, Jake’s, godmother. Lindsay has known him since she and Ed moved here. I can’t speak for Lindsay, but I’d trust him with my life. He came to me a few days ago saying he was organizing a local defense team to keep the separatists from taking over the valley. He said he could use someone who could whip untrained recruits into shape. When I was sure he was serious, I suggested I knew someone who might be able to help.”
Colt shook his head, thinking. “I’m not an advocate of involving private citizens in war,” he said. “But it may fit in with what I’m planning to do. I’ll hear what he has to say.”
Inside, he found Lindsay talking to a tall, heavyset man with a weathered face and thinning brown hair. Colt immediately saw the resemblance to the younger Howard. They both noticed Colt and stopped their conversation.
“Gus, this is Toby Walker, Howard’s brother,” Lindsay said.
Walker extended a calloused hand, “Real pleasure to meet you, Gus. I can’t thank you enough for pulling Howard out of the lake. I’ve heard good things about you.”
“Lois speaks highly of you as well,” Colt responded.
“Then she’s probably told you why I’m here.”
Colt grinned. “Yes, she did. And even though I don’t favor involving civilians, I think a self-defense force can be a good idea as long as it’s handled correctly.” He paused. “However, I’m beginning to believe that the rebels aren’t the real problem.”
Walker cocked his head, “What do you mean, the rebels aren’t the problem?”
“Right now it’s just a gut feeling. Too many things aren’t adding up. For instance, there was an attempt on Billy Hargety’s life a couple of weeks back. All the evidence pointed to the rebels, but since he’s the rebel leader, that doesn’t make any sense.
“Then there was the nuke used on Kyoto. Either Hargety was genuinely out of the loop on that, or he’s a much better actor than I give him credit for. On top of that, it was a really bad move for the rebels, so why did they do it? Who gave the order?”
“No one said the rebels know what they’re doing,” Walker said.
Colt barked a short laugh. “True, but the whole situation looks suspicious. I’m beginning to wonder if someone is using the rebels, and I don’t think that most of the rebels even know it.”
Walker considered that. “Interesting concept. Can we sit and discuss this further?”
“I’m afraid not right now. We just stopped by to pick up Brady before we go home and unload our supplies.”
As if on cue, Lindsay walked into the room with Brady. “If you two have finished talking business, we need to get home.”
Colt looked at Walker. “Give me a call later this evening, and we can talk.”
###
That evening, when Lindsay returned from putting Brady to bed, Colt had just connected on the web to Fitzhugh in his Dennis O’Toole guise. He broke into a broad grin when he saw Colt. “Gus, me boy, it’s good to see you again. It’s been ages. How’re ye doing?”
“Can’t complain, Dennis. How about you?”
“Doin’ well, thanks.” He looked approvingly at Lindsay, who had walked up behind Colt. “Is that the lass you’d be marryin’?” he asked.
Colt looked back at Lindsay. He waited a moment, deciding that their personal status didn’t need to be aired, before saying, “That’s the story for public consumption. We’ll see how it actually works out.”
He turned to Lindsay. “Lindsay, this is Dennis O’Toole. Dennis, this is Lindsay Hansen.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. When’s the big day?”
“We reserved the church for July fortieth. Are you going to be able to make it?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” He turned back to Colt. “I looked into the things you lost in shipment. I believe they’re on their way to a warehouse in Dixon on Baldric Avenue. They should be there by the weekend after next. It appears that they won’t be available until then because of some personnel shuffling.” A map popped up in a separate window. “That’s the location. The proprietor is Margaret Gilford, and you can reach her at Dixon Central Mail Service.”
Colt nodded. “That actually works. I met someone today that I think can help me get started on my original project here.”
“And what would that be?”
“Some people around here are getting tired of this fighting and want my help settling things down,” Colt responded.
“Good luck to you. We could stand getting back to peaceful times.”
“Thanks, Dennis. I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly about my shipment. One other thing, have you heard from Jana?”
“Not a peep. It’s like she dropped off the grid.” Fitzhugh glanced at his watch. “Would you look at the time? It’s been great talkin’ to you, Gus. Next time you’re in First Landing, we’ll have to get together at McGinty’s.”
After the connection was broken, Lindsay said, “I thought you weren’t supposed to hold conversations with him in the clear.”
“Well, first of all it wasn’t in the clear. It was encrypted. You were out of the room when Jeffrey announced it. Second, what would anyone make of what we said?”
“If they were doing something at the address he gave you, they would at least be suspicious.”
“Ah, but they’re not,” Colt replied. “That’s just where he’s leaving the information.”
“And some equipment,” Lindsay surmised.
“You got it.”
“What did he mean by ‘personnel shuffling’?”
“My guess would be that the rebels are moving my crew around to keep them from being pinpointed.”
She frowned. “You’re going to Dixon to break them out, aren’t you?”
“I have to,” he said. “Back before The Event the military adopted a policy of ‘Leave no one behind.’ It’s a good policy, and if my people are being held, I have to do what I can for them.”
“Won’t that be risky?” She looked concerned.
“It could be, but I won’t do anything to get captured or killed myself unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“It means that I’m going to avoid being captured, and especially killed, unless it will improve the military situation here from the Republic’s standpoint. I can do more if I’m unrestricted, so unless my sacrifice would put a division of Imperial Marines on the ground to end this situation, I plan on staying alive and free. I’ll be careful. I value my life. But I knew there were risks when I signed up for this job.”
“I know.” She wrinkled her brow. “Is it okay if I worry?”
“Does this mean you’re developing feelings for me?” He resisted the urge to brush his fingers across her forehead to smooth away the wrinkles.
“I already said I like you. You’ll have to settle for that — for now.”
“Ah, there is hope.”
“When are you leaving?”
“It should be easier after dark, so probably the following Saturday around sunset.” He paused. “I need to contact Toby. I wasn’t able to commit when he mentioned the town meeting Friday night. Now I know we can make it, and I have some ideas I want to discuss with him. If we can organize a resistance in the province, it will help put a stop to the rebellion.”
He stood up and stretched. “I’ll talk to him in the morning. Meanwhile, I have a pump to install tomorrow and a fence to repair. I think it’s time to get to bed.”
“After last night there isn’t any point in using the guest room,” she said. “You’re welcome to sleep with me.”
“What about Brady?”
She paused. “That is a problem, isn’t it? We’ll think of something.”
Chapter 25
; Two nights later, the school gymnasium was filled with families from all over the southern half of the province, a few from as far away as Sykesville. All the chairs and bleachers were taken, and an overflow crowd stood at the back of the room.
Toby Walker stepped onto the dais and surveyed the audience. When he cleared his throat, the AI focused the sound pickup on him. There was a brief squeal of feedback as it adjusted the level. Then Walker spoke, “Neighbors, you all know why we’re here tonight. There’re some people who are trying to take over the planet and kick the Republic off by force. Right now they only hold a few places.” He looked at the couple from Sykesville. “Bonny and Vince can tell you what it’s like living under them, but so far it’s been mostly restrictions on movement. One thing we’ve noticed; they don’t like people disagreeing with them. I’m sure you’ve heard about Howard’s little adventure.
“A lot of us are getting worried that they may try to move in on us next. We can either stand by and let them take over, or we can tell them to stay out. If we tell them to stay out, we have to be ready to back it up. Also, I’ve been talking to some people who have the feeling the separatist militia won’t just pack up and go home if the Republic leaves. I personally don’t want to trade Republic citizenship for a military dictator. If we want to stay free, we’ll need training and organization. We’ll need someone with serious military experience to guide us.”
He stepped back from the edge of the platform. “I only know one person in the province who fits that description, and he’s here with us tonight. He was a full commander before he left the navy to join us in homesteading. He’s already shown me a thing or two that tells me he knows what he’s talking about. For those of you who haven’t met him, here’s William August. Come on up, Gus.”
Colt bounded up onto the platform, and the AI focused sound pickups on him. “Thanks, Toby.” He turned to the families gathered in the gym. “Folks, I’ll get right to the point. The people who are holding Sykesville are led by professionals. Most of the militia are made up of civilians, but they take orders from people who know what they’re doing. If you find yourself facing a large contingent of them, you have three choices: run, hide, or surrender. Do not try to fight them. They will kill you.”
Peacemaker: The Corona Rebellion 2564 AD Page 19