by James Hunt
“And how were you planning on getting him? Going to swim across the Ohio River with all that gear dragging you down?”
Kalen slammed her back against the wall of the building and slid down.
Sam let out a sigh and joined her on the ground. He put her arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“From what I’ve seen your dad is one tough bastard. If he is alive, then he’ll find a way back, but for now you have to do the hardest thing anyone in your position can do,” Sam said.
“Which is?”
“Wait.”
She knew he was right. Her mind went back to all of those nights when she was out late with friends. Her dad was always up when she made it home, no matter what time it was. His face always had the same look each time. It would be relieved and then, depending on how late it was, upset.
Kalen couldn’t imagine the thoughts that went through her father’s mind during those nights, waiting for her to come home. She couldn’t comprehend the worry when he was separated from his family for almost a week as he trekked from Pittsburgh all the way to their cabin in Carrollton.
She had caused more stress in her father’s life than anyone she knew. And now she was sitting on the other end of it.
“I’m afraid I won’t see him again,” Kalen said.
“You will.”
Sam helped her off the ground and walked back with her to the hotel where her mother was waiting for her.
Anne squeezed Kalen tight.
“What were you thinking?” Anne asked.
“That I had to do something.”
Anne shook her head.
“Stubborn like your father.”
“Have you heard anything yet?”
“No, whatever they’re planning on doing isn’t a rescue mission. They’re acting like he’s—”
“Where’s Freddy?” Kalen asked.
“He’s down in your guys’ room. He won’t let anyone in,” Anne said.
Kalen knocked on the door, but Freddy didn’t answer. She jiggled the handle and tried pushing the door open, but something was blocking it.
“Freddy?” Kalen asked.
She pushed hard, muscling the door open. Freddy had moved the dresser haphazardly into the small foyer in the room.
There was a fort in the corner. Kalen flipped up one of the sheets and Freddy was tucked in a ball. He clutched the watch that Mike had given him in his hand.
“Hey, bud,” Kalen said.
He didn’t say anything as she crawled inside. She sat down next to him and he cuddled up into her lap. Kalen stroked the back of his head and his body started to shiver.
“Is Dad dead?” Freddy asked.
“No, he’s not dead.”
“Then where is he? Why hasn’t he come back?”
“You know Dad. He has to make sure everyone’s safe. That’s what he’s doing. Keeping us safe.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so.”
Kalen kissed the top of his head. She pulled the pocket watch from his hands and held it out in front of the both of them to see. It spun from the silver chain, twirling around and around.
“Is this the one that belonged to Grandpa?” Kalen asked.
“Yeah, Dad gave it to me when we were still at the cabin.”
“You’ve been keeping it in good shape?”
“Yup. I found some silver polish at school and cleaned it the other day.”
“Dad will be proud you’re taking good care of it.”
“When will he come back?”
“As soon as he can.”
Kalen handed the watch back to her brother, then wrapped her arms around him. When she looked up through the opening in the sheets her mother was standing in the room, watching both of them.
Anne got down on her knees and entered the small fort with her children. The three of them curled up together under the sagging sheets.
***
Mike closed the journal and set it on the nightstand next to the bed he was lying on. Everything he’d just read was racing through his mind: the Senate hearing, Bram’s partnership with Dr. Wyatt, the EMP device, the missile launches.
Mike shoved the journal back into his pocket. He found Wyatt in his room, reading by the glow of a single light next to his chair.
“When did you find out?” Mike asked.
“When did I find out what Bram was really planning on doing? When it was too late. I tried stopping him, but at that point everything was already in motion. Most of his men didn’t realize what was going to happen either, and a few of them joined me here in Cincinnati where we knew he would gather. We knew he had one of his major facilities here and it was close enough to his other resources to stage a formidable stand for a coup against Washington.”
“That’s why you blew up the bridge.”
“He already has men stationed in Columbus and Indianapolis. He’s been recruiting men since the power’s gone out to join his… cause. If he connects with his units in Nashville and Charlotte then he’ll be able to essentially divide the country in two with no organized forces to stop him.”
Mike sat down on the arm of the only other chair in the room. He lost his legs. During the entire time he was reading that journal he could think of only one thing: He left his family with that madman.
“What’s his play?” Mike asked.
“He’s manufacturing missiles at his factory here in Cincinnati. In Nashville they’re manufacturing the guidance chips. They’re planning on meeting in Lexington where there is a military base with launch capabilities. He already has men there preparing for both parties to arrive. I know their original timeline was to have everything up and running a week from now, but with the bridge gone I don’t know how long we’ve stalled him. I also don’t know how long it’ll be before his forces from the south make it up here to press us on both fronts.”
“How do we stop him?”
“We don’t need to take out all of the components of his plan; just one of them will cripple everything. We’ve been repairing boats in preparation for blowing up the bridge. We have enough to get everyone across, but we have no way of locating the factory or an understanding of their security structure.”
“That's why you captured me.”
“Yes.”
Mike wasn’t sure if he could trust Wyatt or not. For all he knew this guy was playing him too.
“Why should I believe you and your journal?” Mike asked.
“Because there is enough evidence in that journal to put me away for a very long time. Usually, bad guys don’t incriminate themselves like that to the people around them.”
“If I do this I want a guarantee that my family will be taken care of. That they are a priority for extraction when you make it across the river.”
“I promise.”
Day 27 (Cincinnati)
They drove west for almost thirty minutes. The road was in bad shape. It had been cracked and split into pieces from the weeks of bombardment from Bram and his men.
Dr. Wyatt sat in the back with Mike, while two soldiers rode up front. The top of the Jeep was open and they had to yell over the engine and wind to be heard.
“It’s just up the road here,” Dr. Wyatt said.
“How do you know Bram doesn’t know about this place?” Mike asked.
“His ordnance would have the range to take it out. If he knew, it would already be destroyed.”
They pulled into a small marina. There were dozens of boats lining the docks, ranging in size and function. Most of the boats had men still working on them but a few were being tested in the water.
“You’re sure there are enough to get all of your men across?” Mike asked.
“Yes, but it’s taken longer than we thought. We only had two marine mechanics. They’ve been working day and night and teaching our other mechanics as much as they could to help out,” Dr. Wyatt answered. “What we’ve really been short on are welders.”
“I can help with that.”
The welding equipment they had wasn’t the best, but Mike was used to working with older models. The steel mill back in Pittsburgh was always hesitant about spending money on anything that was new or worked properly.
Mike lighted the welding torch. It felt good to have familiar tools in his hand. He brought two pieces of metal together and sparks flew from the bonding. He could feel the heat through his gloves. He never thought he’d be happy to feel the singe of those sparks again. The focus and precision brought him a sense of normalcy that he hadn’t felt for a long time.
After a few hours of finishing up some projects that were high priorities Mike took his gloves off and started rubbing his hands. Dr. Wyatt came over and extended two pills and a bottle of water.
“How long have they been like that?” Dr. Wyatt asked.
“The past couple years.”
“We could have one of our doctors take a look at them.”
“I’ve had all sorts of doctors look at them, and they all tell me the same thing.”
“And what’s that?”
“Stop using them.”
The drive back seemed considerably shorter. They entered Wyatt’s headquarters and finished ironing out the details for the assault tomorrow.
“Bram’s men are going to vet you, and they might even try to kill you,” Dr. Wyatt said. “They won’t be giving you the benefit of the doubt, so we won’t have much time. You have to stay alive. If you can’t lead us to the factory, then we’re dead in the water.”
“Right. Well, when I left they still had the bridge heavily guarded. Most of the buildings within the city had two guards per structure. The armory, training facility, and heavy artillery are located here, here, and here,” Mike said, pointing to different areas on the map.
“As soon as you know the location of the factory, press this.”
Dr. Wyatt handed him a small remote, no bigger than his pinky.
“What is it?” Mike asked.
“It’s a low frequency radio transmitter. You hit that button and we’ll know the mission is a go. From there we’ll meet you at the rendezvous point along the bank,” Dr. Wyatt said. “We’ll have multiple teams landing in different locations, but we have some radios working now, so we’ll be able to communicate once you tell us where the factory is. All of our men have been briefed backwards and forwards on the blueprint of the city.”
“And what about my family?” Mike asked. “When do they get out?”
“When you rendezvous with our men after you’ve found the location of the factory, bring your family with you. We’ll have a craft waiting to take them across the river, away from the fighting.”
“So, how do I get back over there now?”
“Well, that’s where it gets tricky.”
Mike was led to the shore, over two miles north from the bridge, and given a small flotation device. He would have to swim for it.
“It’s about half a mile. The current shouldn’t be too bad,” Dr. Wyatt said.
“Right,” Mike answered, looking to the other side.
“It could be worse,” Dr. Wyatt said. “At least it’s not winter.”
“The chip will be able to survive the swim?”
“It’ll be fine. Good luck.”
***
Kalen couldn’t sit still at her post. She was paired with Sam, at Sam’s request, and both were on security for one of the housing buildings.
She hated it. It gave her too much time to think. The brainless motions of checking ID cards for everyone that walked in, for six hours, was driving her crazy.
“What time is it?” Kalen asked.
“We’ve still got twenty minutes before our shift is over,” Sam said.
“We shouldn’t be here. We should be out looking for him. This is a waste of time.”
“Until they have a way to move a unit of men across the river, then there’s nothing we can do.”
She knew he was right, but she didn’t like hearing it. As soon as their shift was over they beelined for Cadogan’s office.
The colonel was sitting at his desk when his assistant ushered both Kalen and Sam inside. He was jotting down something on a piece of paper.
“Well?” Kalen asked.
“Same story as yesterday. We don’t have the boats to get across the river,” Cadogan said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. How have you guys not put anything in motion for that?” Kalen asked.
“Take it easy,” Sam said.
“If you just look at it from a strategic point it’s insane not to be scrambling to put a plan together.”
“Kalen.”
“But you’re just sitting in your office with your thumb up your ass waiting for something to happen!”
“Kalen!”
Cadogan didn’t lose his composure. He rested the pen on the desk, folded his hands together, and pushed the piece of paper he was writing on aside.
“Ms. Grant, the only reason I’ve allowed you this type of leniency is because of the delicate nature of your situation. If you talk to me like that again I will have you shot,” Cadogan said. “Is that clear?”
“Let’s go, Kalen,” Sam said.
She wanted to kill him. She could do it. She’d done it before. The strap of her rifle was still slung over her shoulder. It wouldn’t take long; just one quick motion, a squeeze of the trigger.
Every muscle in her body was tense. Her adrenaline was pumping so hard that she could barely feel Sam’s hand gripped around her arm.
Once they were out of the building Sam kept trying to talk to her, but she ignored him. The only thing she could focus on at the moment was not running back into the building and spreading Cadogan’s brains over the back wall of his office.
“It’s not smart to pick a fight with a guy who has hundreds of men at his disposal,” Sam said.
The adrenaline was subsiding. She could feel herself getting tired. The strap on her rifle was slowly sliding off her shoulder. She didn’t realize it was falling until Sam caught it.
“Are you all right?” Sam asked.
“It’s not fair, Sam.”
“I know.”
“This shouldn’t be happening to us. My family didn’t do anything. My dad didn’t do anything. I didn’t do anything to have this happen to me.”
Everything was becoming overwhelming. She looked down at her hands. They always seemed to have a red tinge to them now, as if they were permanently stained with blood.
Sam pulled her in close. She didn’t want to fight anymore. She didn’t want to be a part of this war. All she wanted to do right now was collapse into nothing. She didn’t want to think about her family, or where she was, or what she’d have to do tomorrow. She wanted to go back to the place where everything was normal, but she knew that part of her life was broken.
***
Nelson pulled a wrench out of the toolbox and tightened the nut on the water heater. He wiped the grease off his hands and headed back upstairs.
There was a young man in a shirt and tie standing at the sink in the kitchen when Nelson walked in.
“Try it now,” Nelson said.
The young man turned the handle of the faucet and the water came rushing out.
“It’s getting warmer. Thanks for coming down and looking at it,” the young man said.
“You’re welcome.”
This had been what most of his days had consisted of since he’d been in Cincinnati. There were more broken things to fix than he had time in the day, but he did what he could. He was one of only five other maintenance workers in the city.
When Nelson made it back to his office building there were guards stationed out front along with one of the military vehicles he remembered seeing when they first arrived.
Inside, all of the other maintenance workers were corralled in the break room. Each of them had his head down. The guards had their rifles aimed at Nelson’s coworkers.
“You’re part of the repair team?” Sergeant Blake asked.
�
��I am.”
“Have you had any experience with infrastructure damage in factories?”
“A little. There was a bad storm that came through Pittsburgh five or six years ago that damaged some of the buildings the company I consulted for were working on.”