The Phoenix Agenda: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 6)

by JC Ryan

  That night, at about the time when the chopper sunk to the bottom of the pool, Ryan, Luke and Ben, who had all grown up in the days of shortwave radios and bad reception, devised a crude but efficient gimmick by making an antenna out of an old-fashioned wire coat hanger that had somehow made the trip with one of the refugees. They then hid it very cleverly in a tree right outside the cave opening.

  They laid a thin electrical cord, which they buried and covered up with leaves, from the antenna into the cave, and then connected it to the radio. The problem was solved. They got good reception on FM and shortwave and listened to the news.

  At first, they were all shocked to hear what was going on. They were now not only cave dwellers trying to get away from an eminent dictatorial society, they were also real outlaws with every law enforcement agency in the world looking for them. The enormous rewards on their heads would also have inspired bounty hunters and adventurists to find them.

  A wave of relief swept over Sarah, Salome, and Rebecca with the realization that their men were obviously still alive, because if that were not the case, the news would have been different. Unfortunately, their joy was relatively short-lived as the realization also dawned on them that Robert was dead and Joseph most likely in the claws of Brideaux.

  When the news broadcast was over, chaos ensued with everyone asking questions. What happened? Was there a gunfight? How was Robert killed? Were some of them wounded? What about the helicopter? It sounded as if they had trouble with it? If that was the case, where were they now and how would they manage to get to the Rabbit Hole without it and avoid capture? What about the fact that Max Ellis’s name was not mentioned? Does that mean he is also dead? Brideaux had figured out that Mark and John were involved in their escape, why not Max Ellis?

  They asked the same questions Daniel and the rest had on their minds when they saw the news earlier – why only them? Why not the names of the other Rosslerites who escaped with them? It was Salome, a specialist ex-FBI profiler who pointed out that it could very well be a Brideaux subterfuge to get some of them to break cover.

  Finally, Sinclair was the one who managed to bring them back to reality, “We will have to let Roxanne, Helen, Sushma, and Jenny know what we have heard.”

  Rebecca, Salome, and Sarah decided it would be best that they go and visit the four women who hadn’t yet heard. They agreed that there was most probably no easy way to explain to Jenny what they’d heard, but it had to be done.

  Roxanne, Helen, Sushma and those children old enough to understand, were elated to learn that their husbands and fathers were alive. Three days of constant worry and doubt were at an end – for now.

  Breaking the news to Jenny turned out to be a bit easier than the three messengers expected. Maybe Jenny was in denial when she said, “It would have been nice to get the same news about Max as you got about your men. But I believe that he is alive with all of yours. I am convinced of that, and I’ll keep on trusting in it until I hear otherwise.”

  When they returned to the radio, now accompanied by the four other wives, they decided that they would draw up a roster and take turns, with someone listening to the news broadcasts so they could stay on top of what was going on in the outside world and with their loved ones.

  Over the days that followed, the media interest in the story dwindled, and soon none of the media outlets led with the story anymore. Some stopped mentioning it at all. For the Rosslerites, it soon became ‘no news is good news’. If their men were captured or killed, they’d be front page news again in seconds. Nevertheless, as the days of absence went on, none of them were successful at pacifying their growing feelings of doubt and uncertainty. On quite a few occasions, Rebecca had to remind them of the first Antarctica expedition, when they all turned up alive on the day of their funeral.

  “Remember, they have to keep a low profile,” she urged. “We have to keep believing they are on their way. Consider this; what if the helicopter broke down totally? They might even have to walk here.”

  The water has not receded as yet

  With Owen and Alison joining their group as the first recruits outside the existing Rosslerites, they busied themselves with planning on how to get the original seven to the Rabbit Hole as well as strategies for the future.

  They pulled out the maps they’d had in the chopper with them after Raj almost got a heart attack when Owen suggested they use online maps, “Man are you crazy? They track everything on the Internet; they store each and every search you make, they know about each and every site you visit. You will lead them right to us.”

  Owen, who still had to learn a lot about being paranoid, was scared out of his mind by Raj’s tirade and promised that he would not even get within five yards of his computer from now on. Raj disconnected it from the Internet, along with any other devices, just to be on the safe side. It was too easy to forget unless you were Raj.

  From Nucla to Billings was seven hundred and fifty-nine miles by car and a little more than three hours by air, if they’d still had that option. If their circumstances didn’t change in the next week or so, they would have to consider walking all the way, given the dangers posed by roadblocks if they tried to drive it. But then that meant they would have to leave Roy behind and possibly Doug, whose back may not allow such a long hike.

  It would take them at least thirty days, if not longer. The trip on foot in itself was not impossible, but it presented all sorts of issues, such as the increased risk of detection, how to get food and water and other unforeseeable problems. They decided to park that idea for now, and if nothing else happened that turned the wind in their favor shortly, it remained an option, albeit a dangerous one.

  It would have been ideal if they could get there by airplane somehow, but they soon concluded that the risk of attempting that far outweighed the convenience. Owen also didn’t know anyone, at least not anyone whom he could trust outright, for such an assignment. They decided that there were just too many lives at stake to give it any more consideration.

  Three days after they ditched the helicopter, Owen and Alison got into their truck and went for a drive to Montrose. They needed supplies, and their route meant passing through several small towns where they could also hear the latest gossip and find out if the police had learned more about the whereabouts of their friends.

  Daniel with his usual dry humor remarked, “Your trip reminds me of Noah in the Bible when he sent out the doves to find out if there was dry land somewhere.”

  Owen and Alison drove with no apparent hurry, passing through Naturita, Redvale, Norwood, Placerville and a couple of others on their way. Stopping often, they struck up conversations with the locals whenever they could, always steering the talk to what they knew and thought about those killers on the run. On their way back, late that afternoon, just outside Redvale, they were stopped at a roadblock. One of the police officers was James, who’d visited them on the farm a few days ago. He recognized them immediately.

  Owen saw the opportunity to get more information. “What are you guys looking for?”

  “Those Rosslers are still on the loose,” James told them. “But between you and me, none of us think they ever came this way. If they did, they or their chopper would have been spotted by now. To be honest we are getting more than a little fed up wasting our time in these daily roadblocks. Of course, orders are orders, so we're stuck with it until they're withdrawn.”

  When the two of them got back to the farm, Alison continued Daniel’s Biblical analogy of Noah when she told them about their trip, “Unfortunately we have to report that the water has not receded from the earth as yet. But we brought back an olive branch. The police are getting fed-up looking for you. Still, I’m afraid you’ll have to be our guests for a while longer.”

  Mark joined in, to the amusement of all, “Well I guess we wait another seven days and send out the dove again as Noah did. Because we are still fresh out of ideas to get us all home safely.”

  They decided there was not much else they
could do for now, other than to stay where they were until they could be sure that the search for them had lost its importance. The fact that the local cops were getting fed-up was a glimmer of hope. In the meantime, they agreed that it might be worthwhile to start thinking about the future after they managed to get home. The question was whether they should prepare themselves to mount a resistance or just accept that this was the way it was. The 11th Cycle would end, and all they could do was live out their days in isolation in the caves of the Gallatin National Forest.

  It didn’t take them long to reach the conclusion that none of them were willing to accept that scenario. They were in complete agreement about the necessity to at least attempt to reverse the situation. If Brideaux finally succeeded in realizing the much-feared one world government with the Beast that would control human behavior, and they didn't at least made an effort to stop him, life would not settle comfortably with them.

  They acknowledged the fact that they didn’t have much going for them at that moment, other than their absolute determination not to accept the new status quo. Nevertheless, they assumed that if Brideaux’s plans came to fruition there would soon be many more people who would share their sentiments. They were going to have to construct a plan to reach those individuals and get them to join forces in their mission.

  Their big advantage would be the possession of the 8th and 10th Cycle libraries that they believed would contain the key to their eventual success, as it had proven to so many times in the past. Roy, however, noted that as for the 8th Cycle Library, although they had the bulk of the information and Brideaux only a small part of it, he was concerned that Brideaux could very well have walked away with the most crucial part about the Beast when he confiscated their computers that night at the canyon.

  Raj then remembered that he had taken a copy of that information that night without anyone of them seeing him do it. He knew he was going to be in some trouble but had no choice; he had to tell them.

  He drew a breath and launch into his confession, "I have a confession to make. I actually copied everything that Brideaux has onto a mini-flash drive as we were busy translating things all those days when we were at the canyon.”

  With this revelation he had his hands full stopping his teammates from kissing him at first. That was until Mark brought order and immediately convened a kangaroo court and a jury of six, with Doug as the judge and he the prosecutor. Raj was charged with withholding vital information from his comrades in arms, giving them no aid and causing a lot of discomfort, along with a few other serious crimes.

  Raj, going along with the joke, tried to explain to the court that with everything he went through the last few days he forgot about the mini-flash drive, but he genuinely did not intend to withhold it from them. However, with no lawyer to state his case he was found guilty within a few minutes and sentenced to cook an Indian dinner for them the following night. The ‘judge’ followed his pronouncement of sentence with the stern warning not to muck it up, or he would be put on permanent kitchen duty and might even face solitary confinement.

  Luckily, Indian food was one of Owen and Alison’s favorite dishes and Raj found all the spices and ingredients necessary for an exquisite beef korma in her kitchen. The next night he got the last laugh when he added enough chili to bring tears to the eyes of his guests, all of them screaming for yogurt within seconds of taking the first bite.

  Daniel found himself thinking that the rescue party fit right in with the rest of them, and joined in the hilarity with the knowledge that a bit of fun lowered stress and helped them keep their spirits up.

  The Gardeners of Gallatin

  The Rabbit Hole was a beehive of activity with almost everyone assigned to one or more projects by the Steering Committee.

  Helen Bryant and Martha O’Reilly reported to them within a few days about the progress made by the GGS to provide fresh homegrown vegetables. It would be essential to produce vegetables with high vitamin and mineral content. Meat would not be part of their diet over the weeks ahead, as they couldn’t risk the noise associated with hunting game for their tables. What the future would bring for provision of meat remained to be seen. They were already busy setting up hydroponics systems with special lighting so it wasn't necessary to plant anything outside in the sun where they could be discovered. The areas close to the thermal pools had the ideal microclimate.

  A sprouting operation was in progress with stacks of sprouting trays using beans, alfalfa, sunflower, lentils, and peas, and the first harvest of sprouts would be ready in two days. Other batches would be reserved for replenishing the supply. They were also pleased to report that they would be producing healthy fresh vegetables in four to six weeks. Some of the plants would be grown for the sole purpose of harvesting the seeds to build up their seed banks and to make them self-sufficient.

  “Almost everything that can be grown outside can be grown hydroponically inside,” Helen explained.

  With no worries about insects and pests, which eliminated the need for pesticides, they could grow their food organically. They had already started to make their own compost and would educate everyone how to sort domestic waste so that it could be recycled through the compost factory. Human-feces-based fertilizer known as biosolids could be developed and would go a long way to sustaining their soil for bigger crops like wheat and oats.

  The big challenge would be to get their hands on earthworms. Then they could develop good soil and turn the Gardens of Gallatin into a paradise that would produce food for all of them and even flowers.

  Salome and Rebecca informed the steering committee about the expected psychological behavior of the group that they had alluded to a few days ago. It was to be expected that the current holiday and adventure feeling would wear out relatively quickly and that irritation, depression, and desperation could set in within a few weeks amongst many of them. The children would probably be the first group to be affected, as they would soon start to miss their friends from school. The adults would follow shortly after the children. It would be much worse for them as they began to lose the connections with all they'd left behind – their properties, friends and family. They were stuck here with the prospect of being cave dwellers for the rest of their lives.

  Another crucial aspect and potential contributing factor to psychological issues amongst the people would be the close family members that were left behind without being able to tell them where they were. People such as parents, brothers, sisters, and even adult children like Sarah’s sister, Meg, who lived in Florida. She was married to a police detective and had two girls, ten and twelve. Sarah and her parents were worried sick about Meg and her family. She knew that there were a few other families in the same boat. In fact, all families that were left behind would be subject to Brideaux's plans, and that was a terrifying thought. There was also the worry about the possibility that Brideaux might get it into his head to use those family members for extortion.

  They all agreed that it was something that had to be addressed relatively quickly. That meant they would have to somehow get in touch with those family members and offer them the opportunity to move in with them at the Rabbit Hole. After that, how to move them unnoticed was going to be a challenge.

  Salome suggested that they had to start right away to make sure that everyone was assigned to a project that would help to occupy their minds and made them feel valuable. Group activities for children and adults had to be devised, such as quiz and game nights, movies and other types of entertainment. It would go a long way toward preventing and addressing the imminent problem.

  Rebecca mentioned that she was already troubled about her parents, John and Jane Mendenhall. John had been the dean of a private college, and Jane, a primary school principal. They had both retired a few years ago and had been struggling to adapt to life without young people around them. They’d become withdrawn and isolated even before moving to the Rabbit Hole. Since their arrival they had not been part of any of the activities and did not even bother
to send in the skills list Sarah requested in the beginning.

  Security was a standing item on the agenda of the steering committee. Sarah wanted to make sure that everyone was still following the rules. Luke and Salome reported that was the case but that they would have to look at how they could allow people to go outside fairly soon. The potential risks were that campers and hikers might spot them, and there was the possibility, though less likely, that they could be spotted by drones and satellites.

  Luke and Salome explained that they had been working on a plan to try to get some of Roy’s hummingbird drones in operation so that they could send them out to be their eyes in the sky. They could warn them if any of those hazards were in the vicinity.

  As soon as they could get that going, they would be able to let people go out. However, with Roy not there to show them how those things worked it would take a few more days for them to figure it out. Ryan offered his help, and it was suggested that Stuart might also have some helpful ideas.

  As for satellites, they explained that detection by satellites was possible, but the chances of that happening would be negligible unless the satellites ‘knew’ where and what to look for. As long as no one knew their location and pointed the satellites in their direction, they would not be detected. Salome said she was aware of computer programs that could keep track of satellite movements. However, that was something Raj would be able to help with when he arrived.

  The meeting ended on a very positive note when Ryan invited them all for a look-see at a small steam generator that he and his team had constructed next to one of the hot pools.

  On arrival and a lot of excitement from his audience, he explained how, by cutting into the rock with one of Roy’s laser cutting torches, they'd diverted the already very hot water from the pool through the channels that they had cut into the rocks and turned it into steam. The steam was driving a turbine that in turn was driving the generator, an ingenious piece of work that impressed all of them. Ryan explained that it would be possible to build improved generators around the pool now that they had proved the concept.