by Tara Ellis
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
Montgomery stared evenly at Colonel Walsh for several heartbeats. Some deadly things had been put on the table and they weren’t easily swept aside. He knew his friend was looking for reassurance and he wasn’t ready to give it to him. He pushed his mug to the edge of the desk. “Get me some fresh coffee.”
Walsh struggled to keep a neutral expression as he took the cup and walked from the room without comment. When the door closed, the general rose and went back to his map. In spite of a bad start to the day, he was feeling much more optimistic.
Reaching out, Montgomery pulled the red stickpin that designated the town of Mercy. A smile that others might have mistaken for a sneer was his only outward expression as he replaced it with a green tack. “We’ll find out soon enough what other secrets you’re protecting,” he whispered to the empty room.
Chapter 23
DANNY
Main Street, Mercy, Montana
The sky over Mercy was painted with a mosaic of intense colors as the sun rose slowly above the rooftops of Main Street. Danny rode right down the middle, staring up in awe as her horse tread lightly over the cracked blacktop that was already filling in with hardy weeds. A ragged, wispy line of auburn-colored clouds reached out from the east and ended like a bullseye at a building wall of clouds to the south. Twisting in her saddle to look behind her, Danny marveled at how the color seemed to flow from the sunrise to the storm and infuse it with some sort of supernatural energy.
Trying to shake off the sense of foreboding, she settled back in the saddle and called out to Grace to keep her close by, reassuring herself that everything would work out. Danny had just left her father back at the water station on the southern end of town. He’d continue to fulfill his role as water-hauler while she helped out at the ranch for the next few days. Glancing up at the sound of a neighing horse, she was relieved to see a large group of riders still gathered in front of city hall. Danny knew they would wait until after daybreak to leave, but she was still afraid of missing them. She wanted to make sure her father’s medication was on the list of wanted items in the Pony Express riders’ saddle bags. Her other reason was to say goodbye to Tom.
A rooster crowed from somewhere up the road, and she figured it must be one of the many inhabitants of the farmer’s market. Danny had been through it once, briefly, and was amazed at how well organized it was. The bartering system was working well and she only heard one small disagreement that settled rather quickly. Her dad told her how it started with a few fruit stands and had rapidly grown to a large, covered area that spread from building to building across Main Street. It encompassed everything from small livestock, to all sorts of food items, and handmade goods like soap and toilet paper. Danny ended up trading a fish she’d caught for a couple of apples and a piece of pie. She already had plans for how she could contribute and gain from it.
Although it was early, a fair amount of people were already milling about. Danny was impressed with the tight-knit community and their willingness to work together. She had very limited knowledge of the town’s politics, but even if Patty was right to step down as mayor when she did, there was no denying what she had helped to build. As Danny drew closer to the group, she wasn’t surprised to see how many volunteers there were. Mercy was worth fighting for.
“Danny!” Tom called out when he spotted her, and she smiled at his enthusiasm. She wasn’t sure when the shift occurred and she started to care so much about how he reacted to her, but it was an emotion she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
“I’m glad I didn’t miss you,” Danny said as he walked up. He reached out to stroke the horse’s head in greeting and she saw how the mare immediately turned to him, wanting more attention. He definitely had a way with animals. Her dad said she was normally a skittish horse.
Danny was happy to see Chloe over talking with Bishop and Sheriff Waters. They could ride back to the ranch together. “Where’s Ethan?” she asked when she didn’t see the teen anywhere.
“He and Sam stayed back with my mom at the farm to get a jump on the hay,” Tom explained. “It was so hot yesterday that I think they’re looking forward to sweating a little less this morning.”
Danny chuckled as Grace finished running around greeting everyone, and plopped herself down on Tom’s feet. “She’s going to miss you.”
Tom knelt down and gave the retriever a hug, rubbing her head at the same time. “You take care of the farm, Grace.” Grace barked once in response and then ran off again.
“I think that was a yes,” Danny laughed. “We’ll both watch over the farm, but only if you promise to come back soon.”
Tom stood back up and looked as if he was going to say something, but Caleb intervened by slapping a large hand onto Tom’s shoulder. Danny noticed he winced and wondered if the healing bullet wound was giving him any problems. “Just got a weird message from station one,” Caleb said with some concern.
“Explain ‘weird message’,” Tom replied, rolling his shoulder slightly while he spoke.
“It’s hard to explain,” the older man said, frowning. “I sent my usual morning roll call and the response was basically the same as every other day, except that it wasn’t.”
Tom raised his eyebrows questioningly at Caleb, obviously wanting more of an explanation. Bishop and Sheriff Waters had just walked up in time to catch the gist of the conversation and the sheriff didn’t look happy.
“Q-Code is essentially a type of Morse code shorthand for ham radio operators,” Caleb said. “Just like with other forms of communication, each operator tends to develop their own recognizable tendencies and patterns. You know, shortening of words, dropping certain precursors and such.” Caleb ran a hand over his head and huffed in frustration. “I can’t exactly tell you how I know, but I don’t think I’m talking to Henry anymore. I’d wager money someone else is on that radio, only they’re trying to identify themselves as him.”
Bishop looked first at the sheriff and then Tom. Danny immediately picked up on an added layer of tension as soon as Bishop joined them. She watched the silent exchange between him and Tom and knew it had to do with more than the news from Caleb. Tom’s whole demeanor changed and the way he reacted to Bishop was like the old Tom, from when they were still out on the road. Actually, both men looked rather dangerous and Danny was suddenly more nervous about their planned attack.
“So, this special Morse code,” Tom said, turning to Caleb. “What are the odds that someone randomly overrunning the station would know it?”
“That pretty much nails my main concern,” Caleb said. “I’ve been an operator for a long time, but I started out in the Army. Whoever is using this Q-Code, chances are that they’re military.”
The comment drew another pointed look from Tom to Bishop and Sheriff Waters cleared his throat. “Mayor, how do you want to handle it?”
“Why don’t you wait until Caleb can determine more?” Patty said, walking up to her husband. “I’m fully aware I’m not the mayor anymore, Tom, but I don’t like this. You don’t know what might be going on out there.”
“No,” Tom said adamantly. “We go now. We can’t waste any more time waiting for something that may or may not happen. If whoever is on the other end of the radio doesn’t want us to know who they are, they certainly aren’t going to tell us. The only way to be certain is to go there and check in on them.”
“Isn’t station one near Helena?” Danny asked, trying to remember what she’d heard about it over the past couple of days.
“Yes,” Sheriff Waters confirmed. “A good two days’ ride farther than where we’re headed. I’ll have some riders continue on with Jed to the station and cautiously scope it out.”
“If the military is there, we’ll bypass them for the next station,” Tom said. “We can’t let them destroy what you’ve worked so hard for. This supply line is working, and it’s going to be critical to our chain of small communities in the coming months.”
“Not you, Mayor,” Sheriff Waters said gruffly. “You’ll be needed here in Mercy. We have plenty of volunteers who can handle the task just as well.”
Tom took his hat off and pursed his lips. It was obvious to Danny that he realized the sheriff was right and didn’t want to admit it. “I knew there’d be reasons I’d regret accepting this role,” he finally said, turning to Patty. “You sure you don’t want the title back?”
Patty slipped an arm through Caleb’s and grinned at Tom. “I’ll be here to help you through the mounting paperwork when you get back, Mayor,” she offered in reply.
“I’ll keep trying to talk to him,” Caleb said, turning away and taking Patty with him. “We’ll be able to talk on the handhelds throughout the morning, until you’re about ten miles south of town. I’ll let you know if I learn anything.”
“Come on,” Sheriff Waters said to Bishop. “Let’s go figure out who’s going to ride on with Jed and make sure they have enough extra provisions for the trip.”
“Can I take Grace inside with me?”
Danny turned to find Chloe standing behind her, holding on to Grace’s collar. “Take her where?”
Chloe gestured to the city hall building. “In there. I need to talk to Caleb. Grace was way too interested in the chickens roaming around up the road.”
“Sure,” Danny said, amused. “Take your time. I was going to check out the market before we head to the ranch. We can meet there.”
As Chloe ran up the steps with Grace, Danny was surprised when Tom took her arm and pulled her in the other direction. He didn’t say anything until they were a couple of buildings away and he glanced back over his shoulder first. “I need to ask you a favor.”
“Sure,” Danny said without hesitation.
“There’s a room in the loft of the barn.” Putting an arm around her shoulders, Tom turned her so they had their backs to the group. “I can’t explain why right now, but there’s a ham radio up there. I need you to go through everything you can find. See if you can determine exactly what sort of information was being exchanged.”
Danny’s thoughts reeled. “What?”
“And then I need you to go through Bishop’s things.”
The connection was clear, and Danny thought she had an idea as to why there was a new tension between the two men. Turning slightly, she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. When he flinched, her eyes narrowed. “What happened, Tom?”
He turned so that they were facing each other, and he stared at her with an intensity that was both chilling and electrifying. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” Danny answered without having to give it any thought. And she did, perhaps more than anyone aside from her own father. “I’d do anything for you, Tom.”
There was no shy glance at her mouth or flustered, unsure gestures that time as Tom lowered his arm from her shoulders and wrapped it around her waist, pulling Danny against him. She felt his other hand at the back of her neck as he buried his fingers in her hair and drew her in for a long, passionate kiss.
Danny responded with a raw need that was only partially satisfied before his lips moved from her mouth and to where her jaw met the curve of her neck. “I promise to come back, Danny,” he whispered before gently pushing away from her.
A strobe of lightning flickered in the distance as Tom took a step back, a physical ache replacing the heat of his touch. She fought her natural instinct to rebel against the intense emotions he was causing, refusing to allow herself to shut him—and the risk of being hurt—out. Perhaps, there in Mercy, Danny could do more than rediscover her passion for life. Maybe it was possible for her to find love.
Chapter 24
CHLOE
City Hall, Mercy, Montana
Chloe had been in Mercy City Hall a few times, but never in the basement. After chasing Grace around a floor full of mostly empty offices, she found the basement access near the back of the building. As Chloe crept cautiously down the shadowy stairway, she admonished herself for every horror show she’d ever watched. Before the world went crazy, if anyone had suggested she’d be legitimately freaked out over a dark basement, Chloe would have laughed. Except, not much made sense anymore and she wasn’t laughing.
At a turn in the second landing, the distant source of light became more apparent and Chloe sighed when she realized there were several solar lights set up. “Come on, Grace,” she whispered to the dog, unsure why she was trying to be quiet. She had noticed that there was something about the lack of electricity in large buildings that compelled people to move carefully and speak quietly. It was an interesting phenomenon and she had some suspicions, but nothing solid. At the moment, it was purely fear.
“Hello?” Chloe called out when she reached the bottom and stepped out into a large, open room full of boxes and supplies. It was like the holy grail of the apocalypse and she was amazed the stuff wasn’t under lock and key. Of course, there were probably only a few people who knew it was all kept there and most everyone was distracted at the moment with the posse out front.
Passing a stack of blankets and pillows, Chloe paused to look at a bag labeled “Toothbrushes”. Since she hadn’t had the nerve yet to tell Ethan his clothes weren’t the only thing of his she’d been using, she bent over to see if there was one with a purple handle.
“Hello?”
Chloe jerked upright, a sparkly green toothbrush in her hand. “Oh!” She gasped in relief when she saw it was Patty. “Bishop told me Caleb still has his ham radio down here. I wanted to check in with him on the whole ‘searching for parental survivors’ quest.”
Patty raised her eyebrows and looked at the implement in Chloe’s hand, as Grace ran over to great her.
“Umm,” Chloe blushed. “It might look like I was creeping around down here, trying to take things, but I honestly just happened to see this great big bag of toothbrushes and figured I could stop swapping spit unknowingly with Ethan.”
Patty put a hand up to stop Chloe when she took a breath to continue. “It’s fine, Chloe. You’re welcome to it. And follow me. Caleb’s radio room, as we’ve been calling it, is right over here.”
Chloe shoved the toothbrush in her back pocket and eagerly followed the older woman. “Why is he down here?” she asked, trying to read the labels on the boxes they passed. She could really use some new underwear.
“Oh, he managed to rig up an antenna he’s really happy with,” Patty explained. She stepped aside as they approached the “room”, where Caleb sat facing a desk, headset on and pencil in hand. He began tapping out some sort of message as they got close and the noise echoed through the cavernous space behind them. “That’s the main reason he’s chosen to stay down here,” Patty continued, pulling a chair over for Chloe. “He claims he doesn’t want to bother anyone, but I suspect it has more to do with not having anyone bother him. He’ll spend hours scanning and listening, and he needs it to be quiet. Anything?” Patty asked when Caleb turned to acknowledge them, removing his headphones.
“Not from the station,” he answered. “Caught a few more words from the weird one I was telling you about, though.”
“Chloe was hoping for an update on the search for her parents,” Patty said, gesturing to the teen.
Chloe took the offered seat and pulled her feet up under her. She’d been putting off asking any questions for days, because she was afraid of the answer. At first, she’d thought it would be better to simply not know. However, after spending some time with Ethan and seeing his reunion with his grandma, she’d been thinking more about her own parents.
“Any news?” Her voice sounded small and she cleared her throat. “I mean, I know you would have let me know if you heard something for sure…but, is there anything?”
Patty placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “Tell her what you know, dear.”
“I’m afraid it isn’t much,” Caleb said, pulling the headset the rest of the way down around his neck and giving Chloe his full at
tention. “My problem is that I don’t know the proper channels the local government or military uses for Washington state. I put out a request locally with our military contact before we pretty much stopped talking to each other. I know they were going to be working on getting lists together, so I’m sure we’ll hear from someone if there’s a match.”
Chloe tried to hide her disappointment by redirecting the conversation. “What’s the weird one?”
“Huh?” Caleb asked, thrown off by the change in subject.
“You mentioned a weird message to Patty. What’s that about?”
Caleb shrugged and picked up a piece of paper that was sitting in front of him. “I spend a lot of time scanning, but with all the atmospheric interference, I don’t get much. It limits the range, which means it’s even more important to be on the right channel to hear anything.”
“It’s not talking, though, right?” Chloe asked, genuinely interested. “It’s, like, just a tapping sound?”
Caleb smiled, and nodded. Grace approached him then and set her head in his lap, provoking a deep, rumbling chuckle from the man. As he rubbed at her ears, he surprised Chloe by handing the sheet of paper to her. “That’s correct. With the damage to the atmosphere it’s impossible to get a voice transmission out. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to establish that type of communication, other than by setting up a crapload of repeaters, which is what we’ve been planning to do.”
Chloe took the paper and looked at him questioningly before reading it. “What do you mean?”
“We’ve got several other smaller communities we’ve managed to unite, in a way, through our Pony Express. Eventually, we’ll need to increase our trading and exchange of goods and information and when the quickest way to say hello is by horse, things take way too long. We got our main station out by Helena set up with a radio a local there had, but that’s it. Once Tane managed to successfully get a repeater working here above Mercy, we began planning how to place a string of them between our valleys.”