“I’m Lila.”
“Of the famous Ben and Lila?”
“I guess that’s me.”
“Where’s Ben?”
“Not here at the moment,” she answered, not wanting to reveal too much information.
“All those stories true?”
“Yeah, especially the ones we weren’t even there for.”
Peter laughed, then said, “That’s the problem with a reputation.”
“One we never wanted in the first place,” added Lila.
She finished making the salad and they moved onto the deck. Lila’s first impressions of Peter were good. He seemed genuine.
“So where are you from?” she asked.
“New York,” he said. “I was in the Lincoln tunnel when it all happened. How about you?”
“Outside of Boston. Ben and I were in a walk-in freezer.”
“Do you ever wonder why you survived and so many others didn’t?” he asked.
“All the time. I never seem to come up with an answer though.”
From inside the house came a cry from Katie. Peter looked surprised.
“A baby?”
“Yes, her name is Katie. She’s two months old.”
“So that’s why you two dropped off the face of the earth.”
“That was our goal all the time. To find someplace quiet. We were never looking for any of that other stuff to happen,” explained Lila.
“Can’t imagine you were. I’ve been lucky. I’ve been able to avoid trouble. I’ve always been into camping and backpacking, so avoiding crowds is easy for me. I’ve spent much of the last year in the woods. I make occasional appearances just to catch up on news, then retreat again. But as much as I like solitude, talking to someone intelligent is a real treat for me. It gets lonely sometimes. Thank you for letting me come by.”
“My pleasure. I know exactly what you’re saying.”
“But at least you have Ben.”
Tears started flowing down Lila’s cheeks.
“The truth is,” she began. “Ben has been missing for four months. If I didn’t have Katie, I would have gone over the edge.”
“What happened?”
Lila told him the story.
“And you had Katie all by yourself. No help? No support? Lila, you are an amazing woman.”
She gave a sad smile. “Thank you. The worst part is that I have no idea what happened to Ben. None at all.”
“If he’s alive, he’ll make it back to you,” said Peter. “It’s obvious how strong the love is between you.”
“Thank you.” She remembered Dan saying the same thing months earlier when she was in the camp.
They spent the rest of the afternoon talking. Lila was thrilled to have his company. Katie finally woke up, and Lila very proudly showed her off. The sun started to go down and Lila invited Peter to set up his tent outside, or sleep in the living room. He gratefully accepted. Lila made a fish dinner from a catch earlier that morning, with some potatoes from the garden. After dinner, she put Katie down and came back out to the living room, where they continued their conversation.
They talked late into the evening. Finally, Peter suggested that she go to bed, as she would have to be up early with Katie. Lila agreed and stood up.
“I’m very grateful you saw the smoke from my cabin,” she said.
“Not as grateful as I am,” Peter answered.
She walked over to him and gave him a hug, then went to her bedroom while he spread out blankets that Lila provided.
She lay in bed for an hour, the ache in her heart pounding away at her very being. She missed Ben so desperately. She missed his touch … his warmth. Was he really out of her life forever? Finally, unable to sleep, she slipped out of bed and made her way into the living room, where she heard Peter’s steady breathing. She knelt over him, tears running down her cheeks, watching him sleep. Suddenly, aware of her presence, he opened his eyes.
“Could you just hold me?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “That’s all. I just need to be held.”
Without a word, he lifted the blanket and she slid in beside him. He put his arm around her, and she broke down, sobbing and shaking. Finally, exhaustion took over, and she slept.
The next day, she was up early making them breakfast. Peter offered to stay a few days and help her with chores she had been unable to do because of Katie’s birth. She happily accepted. They worked tirelessly side by side, and by the end of the day were worn out.
That night, the loneliness in her heart finally gave way to the kind of intimacy she had only ever shared with Ben.
Lila woke up the next morning in Peter’s arms. Despite their exhaustion, their night had been long and beautiful, but she found herself crying.
“What’s wrong,” asked Peter.
“Me. That’s what. I had a wonderful night with you. I so needed you with me last night. But …”
“But you feel guilty. You feel like you’ve betrayed Ben.”
“I did betray him.”
“Lila, I’m not here to take Ben’s place. I’m not the kind of person who can settle down. I need to keep moving. So if Ben makes it back—and I hope with all my heart that he does—I won’t be here. But if we can have some comfort with each other in the meantime, it can only be good for us.”
“But how do I deal with the guilt?”
“Let me ask you this: If you had to kill to get by, would Ben approve?”
“Of course.”
“Well, sometimes you have to love to get by. You don’t think Ben would approve of that?”
The fact is, he loved me so much, of course he would approve, as I would for him. I still felt guilty, but knowing that Peter had no intention of staying was somehow comforting to me. I was able to see it a bit more clearly … two people desperate for some love, no matter how fleeting.
I was kind of happy that Peter didn’t stay long for another reason. It was time—for better or for worse—to find out what happened to Ben.
Chapter 25
The cell was 6x10, with a bunk, a sink, and a toilet, and it had been Ben’s home for the last two months. It was in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover building, just a short walk from the mall. He basically did nothing all day. He ate in his cell, and was only taken out for exercise once a day for an hour.
I was a mess. After all we had endured, to now be sitting in a cell alone, dreaming about Lila—sick about her and what she must’ve been going through—I was climbing the walls. I could understand why people went insane in places like that. All I could do was think. I couldn’t act. Our six months together were months of action—granted, too much action most of the time—and our moments of reflection were moments we looked forward to. Now it was all reflection. The guards did bring in a few novels for me to read, a distraction I appreciated, but it took me a few weeks before I had the attention span to tackle them.
His only saving grace was that he had befriended the guards. As Dan had said, most of them were pretty good people. The soldiers had had no idea what was happening when they were assigned to the caves. And, as Dan had also said, they all lost family members. So they were sympathetic. Over time, he found himself immersed in philosophical and political discussions with them. When the legend of Ben and Lila was discovered, the guards sought him out for the stories of his adventures. There was a lot of discussion about President Tillman, and Ben was finding that there was much resentment toward their leader.
From what I could understand, the soldiers felt he was an idiot. They were fearful of life under him. There was too much secrecy. I spent a lot of time thinking about the civilization that had disappeared, and how it seemed almost destined that the catastrophe happened. I wasn’t the best read guy in the world, but some things were obvious. It was obvious that large corporations and people with money ruled the earth. Everything was done for profit. I learned from the guards that Tillman had a lot of connections with these corporations—but didn’t most of the politicians in some way have those connections? Many of th
ese were the same companies that were killing the earth. Then you get the egos involved, and it was a recipe for disaster. I think the only reason the disaster happened when it did is because we didn’t have the technology for it to happen earlier. Now that it happened, Lila and I had been thinking that the earth had a second chance to live. But if Tillman was allowed to refashion the holocaust into his own vision, it would be no different from what we had already experienced. Just more of the same, without any of the good parts of our old life.
The more I thought of Tillman—and all of the politicians in Washington—the angrier I got. But I felt that there was nothing I could do. So when a possible solution was finally presented to me, how could I refuse?
The rumblings of the earth were becoming more frequent and powerful. Ben knew it was only a matter of time.
Then one day, he had a visitor. The guards escorted a tall, well-built black man in military fatigues down to his cell. He had Colonel insignias on his collar and hat.
“Ben Jordan? I’m Colonel Jeffries. Wonder if you’d mind if I come in and talk for a bit.”
“Not at all,” replied Ben. The man was a professional, and Ben appreciated that. Although, if he was here just to repeat Tillman’s offer, Ben would send him on his way. But something told him this visit was different.
Jeffries had the guard unlock the door and lock it again after he entered. Then he asked the guards to wait outside the door at the end of the hall until he called them. That impressed Ben.
“I’m going to ask that what we talk about stays between you and me,” began the colonel.
Ben looked around him. “Not too many people I can tell.”
Jeffries chuckled at the comment, then turned serious. “And I apologize for that. I’m going to do what I can to get you out of here. Believe it or not, I only found out about you a couple of weeks ago. I was never consulted on this.
“Can’t you just let me out?” asked Ben. “I mean, you seem to be in charge.”
“I am, up to a point. But you’re the president’s pet project here. If I let you out, it will screw up plans that I have.”
Ben waited.
“From what I hear,” said Jeffries, “you and this woman Lila have the status of, well, let’s say, Robin Hood. I understand you’ve been separated from her for about four months.”
“And she was due to give birth two months ago,” said Ben, with anger in his voice. “When I got picked up, your Captain Stokes wouldn’t let me go back for her.”
“I apologize for his behavior. That should never have happened. Captain Stokes is a problem. But that’s for another time. I will get you out of here as soon as I can. But I need to ask you a favor. As I think you know, President Tillman was responsible for this obscenity. We’re taught in the military to follow our president, as the Commander-in-Chief, without question. I can no longer do so. The man was an embarrassment before this all happened, and he’s only gotten worse. His only good idea was trying to rebuild Washington. We need a government. Just not his kind of government.”
Ben was liking him more and more.
“You know the mood of the people. If a takeover happened, would they approve? You’re the only one I can ask this of without word spreading like wildfire. President Tillman would be after my head within minutes.”
Ben thought before answering.
“The things I’ve seen done to people over the last year have been sickening. It was one thing to have this event blow their lives to pieces, but to then have to endure the violence and madness that they’ve had to put up with, has many of them ready to just call it quits. I was kept apart from most of the people here, since I was labeled a troublemaker, but I didn’t see happiness around me. I didn’t hear sighs of relief that they were now in a safe, stable place. Lila had to endure a concentration camp-like place for a week or so. There’s not a lot of difference between that and this. There are two men in the troublemaker tent—at least they were there—Dan and Gordon. They’re good men. They can help.”
“If you were free, would you be willing to let people know that we are trying to rebuild our government?” asked the Colonel. “People seem to listen to you, from what I hear.”
“I don’t plan to see a lot of people, but yes, if my word means anything to people out there, then I would do what I could.”
The Colonel smiled. “I have a feeling you wouldn’t need to see too many people. From what I hear, once news began to spread along the trail, that’s all that would count.” He stood up. “I appreciate your comments. I’ll try to get you out of here as soon as I can. Now it’s up to me.”
He called for the guards, shook hands with Ben, and left.
This was the first good news Ben had heard in a long time.
A week later, Colonel Jeffries was back, but this time with a worried expression. Once again he was let into Ben’s cell and the guards left.
He got right to it. “I need your help. I’m in a difficult position. I need to take over the presidency quickly, but I need it to not look like a coup. Most of the soldiers here are loyal to me, but they are also loyal to the office of the president. I think the president knows how I feel, and I think he’s about to relieve me of my command. If that happens, all hell will break loose. The troops loyal to me will fight back. There will be other troops caught in the middle who won’t understand what’s going on and will naturally try to protect the president. Too many people will die. That includes innocent civilians. And if I let him relieve me of my command, this country will have no hope of ever succeeding.”
He took a breath and continued. “If I try a forceful takeover, it will also result in much bloodshed. It would be a bad way for this country to begin again.”
“So what do you need?”
“I need you to take out the president. Tonight. Also his new commander, a friend of yours, Captain Stokes. Now Colonel Stokes.”
Ben sat back and gave a little whistle. “Why me?”
“Because you’re not one of my men and from what I hear, you are very capable of performing the task.”
“But I will always be labeled as the person who assassinated the president.”
“If we do it right,” said the Colonel, “no one will know it’s you. We’ll say it was an unknown assassin. As far as anyone knows, you’re still in here. I just don’t want it connected to me. If, for some reason, you don’t make it, I will do what I can to clear your name. It’s not much, but it’s the best I can offer. I have about five men who know about this. They’ve replaced your normal guards, so I can get you out of here right now.”
“How do you know I won’t run?”
“I don’t. I can only hope that your vision for this country is enough to convince you to stay. Come tomorrow, if you’re successful, I’ll have one of my men drive you wherever you want to go.”
A couple of months earlier, I wanted to find a way to assassinate the president. Now it was being laid out in front of me and I was hesitating. Despite what I had been thinking, despite the fact that he was responsible for all of the sorrow of the past year, and despite the fact that I had already killed countless people, this was assassination. It had a whole different meaning to it. And he was right. There was no way I would accept the assignment and then skip. And it had nothing to do with the vision for the country. It had to do with my word. On the other hand, he was also right that if Tillman stayed in office, it could lead to even more sorrow, for decades to come. I could be on my way back to Lila the very next day. I knew that this decision could affect my life forever, one way or another.
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
Jeffries sighed. “Thank you.”
“One request. If something happens to me, can you get word to Lila and provide her with whatever help she might need? I can tell you where she is.”
“I will, and that’s a promise.”
He asked Ben what he needed, and called one of his men in and gave him Ben’s list. Then they discussed strategy. Two hours later, the man returned with
Ben’s items: a pistol with a holster—a Glock this time; an M-16, a large knife that he could strap to his leg; and a small flashlight. Ben had asked for a pistol crossbow, but was told one couldn’t be found, so he was presented with a second pistol, this one with a silencer attached.
“You might find this more mobile than the crossbow,” explained Jeffries. “It’s a Walther P22. A .22 with a silencer is about as quiet as you’ll find—probably not much different from the sound of your crossbow. I suggest you take this along.”
Ben thanked him and slipped it under his belt. He put on the Glock and the knife and slipped the M-16 over his back by the strap. Then they took him out a secluded exit. Jeffries shook his hand and wished him good luck.
Ben was free!
The sun was going down. Using parked cars and trees for cover in the waning light, Ben moved to a side road. Reaching the corner, he looked down the street. As expected, he saw no one. He stayed close to the buildings as he hurriedly made his way down the road. Time was of the essence. He had to get into a good position to make his move.
Jeffries had given him a little information. Tillman had three Secret Service men and about fifteen soldiers guarding him inside the building, as well as Colonel Stokes. Another ten men patrolled the grounds. Although Ben was to try to avoid killing anyone other than Tillman and Stokes, Jeffries was also an experienced enough military man to know that collateral damage was unavoidable. There were no alarms, and outside light was provided by spotlights powered by generators. Inside the building, only the offices and hallways around the oval office were lighted. Jeffries indicated that while all the outside areas were lighted, setting up generators for all of the inside had been deemed unnecessary. Too much of it was unused. So Ben knew where he was going in.
He heard voices and ducked into a store doorway. Two soldiers walked down the intersecting street, not really paying attention to anything around them. Why should they, thought Ben. Anyone who is in Washington is on the mall. He was hoping that the White House guards had the same lackadaisical attitude.
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