The stranger then turned to face Lezad, who had gotten to his feet but was not putting much weight on his wounded leg. The stranger held out his sword, pointing the tip at Lezad’s eyes, and slowly advanced.
“I won’t surrender,” said Lezad defiantly.
“No one’s asking you to,” replied the stranger.
Lezad struck the stranger’s extended blade to the side and lunged for his stomach, but the stranger blocked the attack with his sword. Stepping to his left, he drove his dagger deep into Lezad’s side between his ribs. Lezad attempted a final swing at the stranger but fell to the ground instead. He coughed up some blood then was silent.
The stranger walked toward the three prisoners, who had gotten to their feet. They backed away, uncertain of what would happen next. He reached out and caught Lena’s arm. Then he cut her restraints. He did the same for Logan and Cap.
“Leave the battle packs but get the weapons, including swords and bracers,” said the stranger. “You’ll probably need them.”
“Who are you?” asked Logan.
“You can call me Kane,” said the man as he retrieved a small compound bow and a quiver of arrows from behind a tree. “Now let’s get going. And don’t forget the sergeant has a few things of yours in his pockets.”
Logan looked at the other two and then at Kane as he walked away. “Where are we going?”
“Point of Rocks for starters,” said Kane as he climbed into the MPV’s driver seat.
Logan, Lena and Cap looked at Kane. Cap whispered, “How do we know this is the guy Attika said we were supposed to meet?”
“Attika said he would have a scar around his wrist.” said Lena. She was about to say something to Kane when Cap cut her off.
“Lena, who are these people we’re mixed up with?” he asked. “I’m here to help Logan, but I’m not here to kill Republican Special Forces soldiers. I’m not a traitor.”
Lena took a step forward and looked Cap in the eye. “What if helping Logan makes you a traitor? What if they’re the same thing? You made your choice when I got you out of that SPD patrol car. I said you’d be on the run.” She poked a finger in his chest. “Well, now we’re on the run. This is what it’s like.”
Cap stepped back and held up his hands. “Easy, easy,” he said. “All I know is my world has gone to shit. One day I’m on track to be a fighter pilot. The next day I’m running for my life because Logan didn’t want to cooperate with the SPD.”
He looked at Logan. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m with you one hundred percent. I just want to know why we’re doing this. If it’s worth the risk.”
Logan waited a moment before replying. Then he said, “I want to know too. Each of us has a lot of questions that need answers. But for now, we need to focus on staying alive.”
Cap looked into the distance, thinking about what Logan and Lena had said. Then he looked at Logan. “I had a lot of shitty foster parents growing up,” he said. “You know that, Logan. But Mrs. B was a good woman. I got lucky when I landed in her house down the block from you and your mom. She put up with a lot of crap from me. And I guess I didn’t listen to her as often as I should have. But one thing she used to say has always stuck with me. You pays your money and you takes your chances.”
Cap’s voice broke when he recalled the words, though he smiled. “I never understood what she meant, but now I think I do. You don’t know what will happen in life, but you’ve got to decide what you stand for and put your money down. Decide and then live with it.”
Cap looked at Logan and then Lena. After a few heartbeats, he said, “I’m in. For whatever’s coming, I’m in. But we have to stick together. Us first, always. We have to agree to that.”
“Agreed,” said Logan. “We stick together.”
Cap looked at Lena. “Agreed?”
“Agreed,” she said, nodding her head and smiling.
Logan walked to Sergeant Lezad’s body to retrieve the sphere and medallion. He pulled the sphere out of the side pocket of the soldier’s camo fatigues. Then he searched his breast pockets for the medallion. He pulled open the Velcro flaps and probed with this fingers. As he searched, Lezad’s dead eyes seem to stare right into Logan’s. Logan looked away but kept searching until he found the medallion and pulled it out. He stood and joined the others at the MPV. Kane had gotten out and was leaning against the grill, arms folded.
“You children have a nice chat?” asked Kane when Logan arrived.
Logan looked at Kane for a moment, taking in the man’s features. Logan guessed he was in his mid-thirties, but his weather-worn face and a few strands of gray hair mixed in with the thick tangled black made him seem older. He was a little shorter than Logan, and though he wasn’t powerfully built, Logan knew from watching him defeat the Red Legs that he was strong and athletic.
“Show us your wrist,” said Logan. Cap and Lena, who were on either side of Logan, each took a step forward.
A hint of a smile touched Kane’s lips. He raised his right arm and pulled his coat sleeve up to reveal a thick scar around his wrist. He held his hand high for everyone to see.
“Now that I’ve established my bona fides,” said Kane to Logan, “you can help me get this body out of the truck. One of you other two children needs to tie up those two soldiers. Or finish them off.”
No one spoke for a moment, uncertain how to respond. Then Cap said, “I’ll tie them up.” He shot Lena a concerned look.
“Good. Here’s some rope. Don’t forget their feet. Don’t want them hoppin’ up and runnin’ back home.”
Cap caught the rope Kane threw at him and walked to the two soldiers. Miller was still unconscious. Lee was awake, but the pain caused by the arrow embedded deep in his leg had nearly knocked him out. Cap checked their wounds to make sure they were not bleeding too severely and dragged them behind the nearest house. Cap tied their hands and feet and returned to the MPV. As soon as Cap was in the vehicle, Kane gunned the engine and headed south down the road.
“Don’t you think we’re a little conspicuous driving in a Special Forces multi-purpose vehicle?” asked Logan. “It won’t be long before someone sees us.”
“Would you prefer we left it on the side of the road?” asked Kane. “We’ll hide it in Point of Rocks. It’s just a few klicks south of here.”
“And the tracking system?” asked Lena. “They’ll find us pretty fast once they know we have this MPV.”
Kane reached between the driver and passenger seats and pulled up a small black box with four severed wires coming out one end. “I think we’ll be okay.” He dropped the box and said, “I’m more worried about high-altitude recon, but we’ve got friends jamming their signals, at least for a few hours.”
After a few minutes Lena asked, “How did you know where to find us?”
“Word travels fast,” he responded. “They’ve mobilized everyone in uniform across all agencies, so communications weren’t coded. Wasn’t hard to figure out where you were from all the chatter.”
A few minutes later, Kane turned off the main road and drove down a narrow dirt lane. Soon they reached a cluster of houses. Solitary flickering lights shone through a few windows but as the MPV approached, they went black. Kane pulled up to an empty garage and parked the vehicle inside. They got out and he swung the wooden garage doors shut.
“Let’s walk,” he said.
Kane led them farther down the dirt road past the little houses of Point of Rocks to a barn about half a kilometer away. He pulled open the large half-rotted door and led them inside. Inside the barn there were a dozen or so empty wooden stalls and some badly rusted farm equipment in the far corner. Half of the hayloft had collapsed to the ground, and Logan could see a few large holes in the roof.
“What, no horses?” asked Cap with a grin.
“Not unless you’re hiding one somewhere,” replied Kane as he entered one of the empty stalls. He returned with a pack on his back. He had slid his sword and dagger between two straps on the side of the pack.
They looked in the empty horse stall and saw three packs. Each person picked one and slid their swords under straps on the sides
“Where are we headed?” asked Logan as he adjusted the shoulder straps on his pack.
“Deep Pool. It’s about seventy-five klicks northwest of here on the Potomac. We’ll walk by night using Traveler trails. We’ve got about five more hours of darkness left, so let’s make the best of it.” Kane started walking. Lena fell in behind him, followed by Cap and Logan.
“What’s in Deep Pool?” asked Lena.
“Not what, who,” replied Kane. “We’re meeting someone.”
“Okay then, who?” she said.
“A man named Ravenwood.”
“Why are we meeting him?” asked Logan.
Kane didn’t respond. He held his hand up and listened. Logan thought he heard the revving of a distant engine, but he couldn’t be sure.
Kane motioned for them to follow. They quickly crossed a grassy field behind the cluster of houses that made up Point of Rocks and soon came to a line of trees. Kane led them through a dense growth of brush and thorns. They struggled through the thicket for about twenty steps until they found a narrow path. Kane turned to his right and walked up the trail with the others in tow.
“Not much of a trail,” observed Cap as he pushed aside yet another low-hanging tree branch.
“It’s a deer trail,” said Kane. “They crisscross these forests. Travelers use them to move unseen by SPD visa patrols. But don’t worry, the trails up ahead will be broader and easier on your tender feet.”
“Just keep walking,” said Cap, annoyed. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be right behind you.”
“Sure thing, tenderfoot,” said Kane.
“A minute ago, you mentioned someone named Ravenwood,” said Logan. “Who’s that?”
“Hard to say exactly who Ravenwood is,” replied Kane. “I suppose he’s a kind of emissary. He travels from place to place, city to city, talking to people, trying to prepare everyone.”
“Prepare for what?” asked Lena.
“For war,” said Kane.
“Because of the trouble on the frontier?” asked Cap. “Is the People’s Republic making a move to get the clans under control?”
Kane scoffed. “Those so-called clans are just unfortunate folks who happened to be living between the Alleghenies and the Ohio River Basin when the PRA decided to push its borders west. That was fifteen years ago, and they’ve been trying to get rid of you ever since.”
“That’s not how the story is told where we come from,” said Logan. “If you ask anyone in the PRA they’ll tell you those areas had been part of the PRA when Malcom Weller was in charge. After his death, the clans infiltrated the population and encouraged the people to rebel. Those lands were simply being reincorporated into the PRA when the Guardians initiated the Rededication.”
“That’s a nice story. Now they’re all back in the loving embrace of Guardian Harken, right? One happy family,” said Kane. “And you can add the people of Chicago and Detroit to Harken’s list of reluctant fellow citizens. Now he wants to reach across the Mississippi.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” objected Cap. “I understand why Harken wants to reunite the land east of the Mississippi. But why cross the river? Why invade the Waste? There’s nothing there worth having.”
“Grand Guardian Harken wants to reunify the entire former U.S.,” said Kane. “Isn’t that the point of the Rededication?”
“The Rededication is his excuse to maintain a tight grip on the country,” said Lena with a bitterness in her voice Logan had never heard before. “It’s a control mechanism. People will put up with a lot of abuse as long as they feel they’re part of a grand vision, one that gives them hope. And visions don’t get more grand than reclaiming the glory and territory of a past great power.”
Kane held up his hand. They all stopped and listened. Logan heard the sound of distant engines for a few moments. Then all was silent.
“They’re at Point of Rocks,” said Kane. “We have to pick up the pace. Stay close.” He turned and walked swiftly along the barely visible deer trail. With his long legs, Logan was able to maintain the pace, but Lena and Cap had to occasionally break into a trot to keep up. After they had walked twenty minutes, Logan reached his hand into his coat’s inner breast pocket to feel the sphere’s cold metal, making sure it was still there. It was already costing people their lives. How many more, he wondered, and would his or his friends be among the tally?
“How did you know the Red Leg sergeant had the sphere?” he asked Kane.
“Because I watched him take it from you,” replied Kane in a matter-of-fact tone.
Logan thought for a moment about the sergeant’s accusing dead-eye stare. It reminded him of the fearful gaze of the SPD officer from whom Logan had retrieved the medallion a few hours earlier.
“Do you know what the sphere is?” asked Logan.
“I know what it might be,” answered Kane.
“What might it be?”
“I have my suspicions, but Ravenwood will know more. He usually does.”
“What if he’s not in Deep Pool?” asked Lena. “What if there are SPD or Red Leg patrols and it’s not safe for him to stay there?”
“Then we will press on,” answered Kane.
“To where?” asked Cap.
“Across the Mississippi to the League of Free Cities.”
Cap scoffed. “I still don’t see how running away to a handful of squabbling, ruined cities, each one surrounded by kilometers of useless desert, is supposed to help us.”
“Unfortunately for you three, it’s your only option,” said Kane. “But that’s enough talk for now. Your Red Leg friends are on our heels, so keep your mouths shut and your ears open.”
Except for the occasional curse from Cap as he swatted away a tree branch or mosquito, they walked in silence. Kane led them through a network of hardly visibly trails, but always northwest toward Deep Pool. From time to time there was a break in the trees, and they could see they were walking along a line of bluffs overlooking the Potomac River. The moon was half full and it illuminated much of the river valley below as well as the forest on the opposite side of the channel.
After an hour and a half of walking, they took a brief rest and drank some water from the canteens attached to the sides of their packs. Kane said he estimated they would arrive in Deep Pool the following evening, but they had to keep up a good pace.
A few minutes later, they stood and put on their packs. They’d walked a hundred meters when they were surprised by the thunder of a helicopter passing low over their heads, its searchlight flashing through the forest. They instinctively ducked and watched it as it flew down to the river valley, where it swung south, periodically hovering to thoroughly search a spot. Then it disappeared.
“You three are popular,” observed Kane. “We were lucky they didn’t see us with their night vision equipment.”
“Are we going to make it to Deep Pool?” asked Lena. “I mean, what are our chances if they’ve got helicopters looking for us? The infrared cameras will spot us eventually. And what about high-altitude surveillance?”
“Friends are jamming their drones’ signals, at least for a few more hours, but helicopters are a problem. Everyone, look in your pack for a sheet of green camouflage material,” said Kane.
They did as he asked. Logan pulled out a rolled up metallic-feeling sheet.
“Keep it handy,” said Kane. “If a helicopter comes near, get underneath it. It’ll keep them from detecting you.”
Logan partially unrolled the camouflage colored material and inspected it suspiciously. It was some kind of reflective material, no doubt. But it was very thin and looked like it would rip easily. He tested an edge, but he could not tear it. He folded and unfolded it and saw that it did not wrinkle or crease.
Kane looked at each of their faces and said, “We’ll be fine if
we’re careful. But if they’ve got helicopters in the air, you can bet they’ve got plenty of troops on the ground, too. Best get moving. And keep it quiet.”
Chapter 27
“Wake up, Mr. Schaefer.”
Colonel Linsky prodded the corpulent naked man in the stomach with a standard-issue SPD nightstick, causing the man’s body to gently swing back and forth. Linsky repeated himself, this time a little louder and with more encouragement from the nightstick, but there was no reaction.
“Water,” said Linsky, nodding to a large bald man dressed in brown work trousers, brown boots, and a black t-shirt, which fit tightly around his muscular torso and arms.
The man reached down and removed two metal prongs from a bucket filled with water. The prongs were connected by insulated cables to a large black battery next to the bucket. He picked up the bucket and threw the water over the hanging man’s head.
Dripping wet, Ronnie Schaefer slowly opened his right eye and tried to focus on his surroundings. The left eye was too swollen to open.
“Mr. Schaefer. Please wake up. This is no time to rest. We still need your assistance with our investigation,” said Linsky.
A low moan arose from deep in Schaefer’s throat. He twisted his bloody hands in the manacles, but they were fastened too tightly for him to get free. His toes nearly touched the ground, but the thick chain through which his handcuffs where strung kept him suspended from a hook in the cement ceiling.
“Mr. Schaefer,” continued Linsky. “You were just saying how you had provided one of the insurgents with a Special Investigator’s code and seal. What prompted you to do that? What are they planning to do that required one of them to be an S.I.?”
A string of bloody drool flowed from Schaefer’s lower lip. “No time,” he whispered. “No time.”
“No time for what?”
Schaefer closed his eye and began to softly weep.
Colonel Linsky put his face close to Schaefer’s and said in a loud voice, “You’re not making sense, Mr. Schaefer. Stop crying and answer the question!”
Schaefer closed his right eye and tried to look away.
The Navigator (The Apollo Stone Trilogy Book 1) Page 14