Cathy kicked my under the table and rolled her eyes. Thankfully, I was the only one who caught it. I had heard the rumors about what Ace and Jack were talking about, but I had never given them much thought. Many of those ideas had sounded outlandish to me, but they now sounded quite plausible. I gave Cathy a stern look and took my first spoonful of soup. I can’t say I’ve ever tasted anything quite like it. I’ll spare you the details.
“What kills me,” said Ace, “is the people who say it could never happen. You’d think they never cracked open a history book. Look at Nazi Germany. What about the Russian purges?”
“Or the American Indian?” asked Jack.
“Exactly. How can people think it could never happen again? I’m guessing there are still Americans out there who actually believe this was about guns. They’re probably sitting in their homes right now and thinking they’re safe. I know people like that.”
“First they came for the Jews,” whispered Jack.
“All right,” said Cathy, holding up her hands. “We’ve got young people here and I think they’re plenty scared enough the way it is. Would you guys mind if we changed the subject?”
“Not at all,” said Ace. “I’m sorry about that. Sometimes I just get so mad, that’s all.”
“Me too,” said Jack. “Sorry Cathy, we should change the subject. What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
Ace raised an eyebrow at me and I knew he was handing me the floor. “I have four thousand dollars,” I said, standing up and pulling one of the rolls out of my pocket and placing it on the table. “I have another roll in my backpack. I know it isn’t a lot of money, but it might be enough to buy the freedom of our people. We won’t know until we make the guards an offer.”
“Soldiers aren’t going to take your money,” said Cathy. “I ought to know.”
“But what if the camp isn’t being guarded by soldiers?” asked Ace. “With everything that’s going on, my guess is that the camps are being guarded by civilians. If we flash them some cash, they might just take it.”
“I have six members of my family locked in there,” said Lisa. “What makes you so sure they’ll take the money?”
“I’ve got eight hundred bucks,” said Jack. He stood up and reached in his back pocket for his wallet. He then flipped it open and fished out eight hundred-dollar bills. “I think it’s as good a plan as any. What other options do we have?”
“I was going to drive a truck through the compound,” said Ace. “From what I’ve heard, it isn’t much more than a warehouse with a twelve-foot fence around it. Sure, they have a few guard towers, but I could take those out in a minute.”
“And how many people would be shot?” I asked. “You’d probably be dead before you were within a half mile of the fence. I’m sure they’re watching for just that sort of attack.”
“I wish we had a few of those drones,” said Jack. “I’d give those bastards a taste of their own medicine.”
“I’ll bet I could fly one,” said Neil awkwardly. “Really, I’ve studied them. They’re really not all that hard to operate.”
“That’s great,” said Cathy. “I’ll just run on down to Walmart and pick up a couple. Get serious, Neil.”
“Hang onto that thought,” said Ace. “What if we found out where they’re launching those things from? I’m sure there will be security, but how much? Maybe we could attack them and gain control of the base?”
“And what do we do then?” asked Lisa. “Do you think you could just fly them into tanks? I don’t think so. I think that sounds like a crazy plan. Better to show them the money. It always works in the movies.”
“I agree,” said Ace. “Gary and I were just talking about that. The only problem we can see is that if they take the money, how can we trust them to make the trade?”
“I’ll bet hundreds of people have already tried the same thing,” said Jack. “If they’ve had any success, maybe they’ve already got some kind of system in place?”
Ace rubbed his chin. “I’m sure others have tried it and you might be onto something. Maybe we should start asking around? They can’t have the entire town locked up, not yet. Somebody is bound to know something.”
“They won’t trust you,” said Lisa. She got up from the sofa and returned to the table and stood behind Jack. “Think about it. What if someone you didn’t know came around and asked that type question? You wouldn’t trust them. I know I wouldn’t.”
I stood up and nodded. “She’s right. We’re going to have to be careful who we talk to. You see, this is why we need to figure these things out. I’m glad we stopped here. We need to come up with a plan.”
“We need to come up with several plans,” said Ace. “Contingency plans. I can tell you all this much--I’m not being taken alive. I’ll take down as many of those bastards as I can. You can take that to the bank.”
“Ace,” said Cathy, “would you mind if I asked you a question?”
“What’s on your mind?”
“Why did they take your wife and kids? I mean, why would they seek them out and take them away in the first days of the occupation? And where were you when they were taken?”
Ace frowned. “You like to go for the throat, don’t you?”
“You don’t have to answer me. I was just curious.”
I stared at Cathy through hooded eyes. The subject was obviously a painful one and if she wished to ask about it, I thought she should have done it in private. She looked back at me with feigned innocence.
“I was at work when they took my family. I’m a foreman on a crew that does track maintenance for the railroad. A neighbor stopped over to tell me what had happened and there was a note on my kitchen table telling me to turn myself in. I know why they were there. I belong to several online organizations that were suspicious of our government. That put me at the top of their list when the shit hit the fan. Do you think I’m proud of that? Let me ask you something, Cathy. Would it have been better to pretend I didn’t see it? Should I have buried my head in the sand like everyone else? I feel like shit that I wasn’t around to defend my home, but a man has to work in this world. I never thought it would happen so fast.”
“That’s exactly what happened to me,” said Jack. “I was at my job at the co-op when they came and carted Helen off. I know it’s because of what I was doing on the internet. And I’m with you, Ace. I’m proud of what I did to educate people on the net. Without people like us, I’ll bet there wouldn’t even be a resistance.”
Lisa set her empty bowl on the table. “Most people are too afraid to stand up. They’d rather hide until this is all over. This is just history repeating itself.”
“This ain’t China, Lisa,” said Jack.
“Do you think I’m Chinese?”
“Chinese, Japanese, what’s the difference? America hasn’t forgotten about Pearl Harbor.”
Lisa stared at Jack and let out an exacerbated sigh. “For your information, mister racist, I’m Polynesian. My family is from Hawaii. Now, what were you saying about Pearl Harbor?”
“Yeah, well you don’t look Hawaiian to me.”
“Stop it, you two,” said Ace. “Just let it go. We have the First Amendment here that gives us the right to say and think whatever we damn well please. And we got the Second Amendment to back up the First. This is bullshit and nobody is coming to my town and taking those rights away from me. Not anybody!”
I didn’t like what Jack had said and I hoped he had been joking. Still, what he and Ace were saying made perfect sense to me. Something inside of me had hardened and I knew there was no turning back.
“People called my dad a conspiracy theorist,” said Neil. “And he was on the internet all the time. He thought the United States government was behind the attacks on the Twin Towers. He also thought that the CIA used MK ULTRA to create the crazy people who went on those shooting rampages.”
“He was right,” said Jack, “on both counts. Where were you when they took your parents?”
“They di
dn’t take my parents. I’m from Ohio. I’ve been a guest in the student exchange program.”
“My daughter did that. She loved it. Where does your host family live?”
“We left them at the farm.”
“Dear God,” gasped Ace, “the farm where we were being held?”
Neil nodded and wiped a tear from his eye. “I found them like that. They had all been killed.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “But we thought Scooter and his brothers were responsible for that.”
Neil’s eyes were full of tears now and he angrily shook his head. “Those bastards lived next door. I was outside on the steps and they just took over. They beat me and bound me up. They knew my host family, they didn’t even care…”
“Holy shit,” groaned Ace. “Where were you when it happened?”
“I spent the night at a friend’s house. I should have been there. I’m going to kill as many of those assholes as I can. That’s a promise. I don’t have anyone to save, but I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I’ll fight; you’ll see. I’ll make them pay for what they did. I want my parents to be proud of me when I go back home.”
Lisa walked over and took Neil into her arms and he began to weep. She led him back over to the couch. Violet slid over and took his hand and Lisa sat down on the other side of the boy and pulled his head into her shoulder. For a long moment, the house was silent.
“Well,” whispered Ace. “That was a buzz-kill, wasn’t it?”
“We need to send more messages like the ones they’re sending us!” shouted Neil from across the room. “Ace was right, we should chop off the head of any soldier we come across and stick it on a post. Maybe then they’ll think twice about messing with us.”
“The kid has a point,” said Jack.
“He does,” agreed Ace. “We’re going to have to find a chainsaw. I don’t give a shit, I’ll do it. Maybe if we plant enough blue helmets those rat bastards will go home. I say it’s worth a shot.”
“Don’t you think we’ll only be making things worse?” asked Cathy.
I shook my head. “How much worse can it get? You weren’t inside that house. Ace is right, but we’re going to need more than one chainsaw.”
Jack pounded his fist onto the table. “You can count me in. Are we all in agreement that after we get our people out of the concentration camp, we’ll start hitting them with everything we’ve got?”
“I never thought any other way,” said Ace. “Once I’ve got my wife and kids stashed away, I’m going to go Rambo on those sons-a-bitches. Anyone in a uniform is getting shot. That’s what war is.”
“What about the soldiers who don’t want to be there?” asked Cathy, taking the last spoonful of her soup and holding it up to her lips: “You can’t really believe that they’re all bad.”
Ace stood up. “They know what they’re doing. Any soldier taking part in this occupation is no less guilty than the bastards who planned it. You don’t take up arms against your own people. Hell no. They’ll get exactly what they got coming to them.”
“That’s right,” said Jack. “Ain’t karma a bitch?”
I was still on my feet and Cathy looked up at me. “Sit down and finish your soup,” she said, with an odd twinkle in her eye.
I had been avoiding the soup. The iced tea soup was terrible and I had all I could do to eat what I had. I was no longer hungry, but I sat down. Jack and Ace left the table and as soon as they were out of the room, Cathy arched her back and stretched her arms. She placed her left hand high up on my thigh and I nearly jumped.
“I’m getting tired. I was hoping that you guys would let us ladies have the beds? Violet and I could share one of the bedrooms and Lisa could have the other.”
“I don’t care where anyone sleeps,” I said. “I’m sure the guys wouldn’t have a problem with that.”
Cathy gave my thigh a light squeeze. “I’d appreciate it if you slept in our room. On the floor, of course. I know we’d feel safer.”
I turned to look at her and she was giving me that same starry-eyed stare that she had given me in the kitchen. Before I could move, she planted a soft kiss on my lips. She lingered for a moment before pulling away. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been kissed like that, but I did remember what Cathy’s body looked like in a bikini and my head was a jumble of impure thoughts.
“Hey lover-boy,” said Ace, “would you mind joining me and Jack out in the garage?”
“Sure,” I said, “no problem.”
Cathy tilted her head and smiled at me. “Go on. I’ll clean things up in here.”
I walked outside and took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I had to get Cathy out of my mind; she was already clouding my thoughts. The sun had disappeared behind the trees in the western sky and it was nearly dark. The only sounds I heard came from the crickets and the occasional bullfrog. There wasn’t a single gunshot and I wondered about that. Had Ace been right? I didn’t know. In the shadowy light, I could see Jack and him out in the garage. I walked over to join them.
“I didn’t know you and Cathy were an item,” said Ace.
“Me either,” I admitted. “I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
“She’s a good-looking woman,” Jack said, offering me his flask. “Brandy. Care for a nip?”
I didn’t care for brandy, but I reached for the open flask and took a sip. I had to get the iced tea taste out of my mouth. The brandy instantly took care of that. I grimaced and handed the flask back to Jack. “Thanks.”
Ace chuckled. “You can be honest out here. That soup tasted like refried vomit, didn’t it?”
I nodded my head and laughed. “That’s what I was thinking.”
“I know,” said Ace. “That’s what we were all thinking. Still, we needed to eat and it served a purpose. We’ve got to figure out a plan. I want to get moving at dawn.”
Jack took another swig off his flask and offered it to us. Ace and I shook our heads and he slipped it back into his hip pocket. Again I was wondering about Ace’s ability to read my thoughts. This was the second time it had happened and I was uncomfortable with the idea that someone could look inside my head. I shook it off and told myself I was just being paranoid. He was right, we needed a plan and there was no time to waste.
The two-car garage was decades newer than the house, but it had been cheaply constructed and was already falling apart. The concrete floor was cracked and there were matching oil stains at the front of both stalls. Insulation had been tacked between the studded walls, but most panels were either flopped down to the floor or chewed up by rodents. A pile of trash had been heaped in one corner and a funky smell hung in the air.
“How would you feel about sending Neil and Violet up to the camp with a note?” Ace asked.
I had been thinking something along those same lines. I shrugged my shoulders. “They would have the best chance of walking away,” I said. “I don’t know how Cathy would feel about that and we’d have to ask the kids. What do you guys think?”
Jack crossed his arms. “I don’t like it, but I really don’t see another way. I think it’s our best option. We write them a note, maybe just to test the waters. I don’t think we should make an offer yet. We could be waiting someplace nearby and see what they come back with. Honestly, this whole thing could be over. I haven’t heard any gunshots since early this afternoon. Have you guys noticed that?”
Ace shook his head. “That’s possible, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I’m thinking that both sides are regrouping. Maybe they needed to pull the troops back into the cities. Something like that. I don’t think we should make any assumptions.”
“We don’t even know where the FEMA camp is,” I said. “Do we?”
“Actually,” said Jack, “we do. They’re using a warehouse on the west side of the freeway. That’s going to make it harder to pull this thing off. I’ve heard that they have all the bridges blocked.”
“They do,” I said. “And they’re patrolling the frontage roads.”
>
“We’re going to have to cross the interstate somewhere north of town,” said Ace. “I say we head west at the crack of dawn and try to cross it. There isn’t much over there and I think we’ll be safer once we make it into the woods. We head south and when we’re about half a mile from the camp, we’ll give the kids the note and send them in. I agree with you, Jack. We won’t make them an offer. We’ll just ask if they’d consider taking some money in exchange for our people. Do you think we should name them?”
“Hell yes,” said Jack. “If we hit pay dirt, we’ll want to give them the chance to round our people up. That way they’ll be ready when we make the switch.”
It all sounded too easy. “And how do we make the switch? We can’t trust the guards to just hand them over.”
“Maybe,” said Ace, “but maybe we can. If I’m right and the guards are civilians, they probably have families of their own. They’re going to know how we feel about them. My guess is that they’re only there because they need the money. All we’re doing is paying them off to look the other way.”
Jack nodded his head. “And they might already be doing it. They might already have a dollar figure set, like bail money. Actually, I’d be surprised if they didn’t.”
“All right,” said Ace, “we’d better get inside and catch some sleep. Do either of you think we should post a guard tonight? I think we’re pretty safe.”
“I’m beat,” said Jack. “We haven’t heard anything and I don’t think anyone saw us come in here. I think we can all get some shut-eye.”
I thought so too and I nodded my head. I stared up at the house. “What if Cathy won’t let Violet carry the note?”
“We’ll have to send the red-headed kid,” said Ace.
“And what if he doesn’t want to do it?”
“Then I’ll do it myself. For crying out loud, Gary. We’re never going to see our people again if we don’t take some risks. You’ve got to think positive thoughts. We’ve got a lot riding on this. One last thing, guys. Assuming this works and we walk out of here tomorrow, where the hell should we go?”
Stealing Second (The Amendments Book One 1) Page 15