Another voice then spoke over the loudspeaker. "This is Colonel McBride. Sergeant Kuchinsky, who else is present?"
Kuchinsky reeled off the names and then handed back to his superior officer.
"I have received your report, Mr. Masters, and also your wife's account of her experiences in the south."
Solly saw Bella tense, and almost open her mouth to correct McBride’s misunderstanding of their marital status. She thought better of it, satisfying herself with a quick glance in Solly's direction.
"I have also been contacted by Sheriff Ramos. Taken together, these reports corroborate and enhance what we've learned through our own intelligence sources. Permit me, then, to outline the tactical situation as I see it."
Solly put his hand up and Kuchinsky gave him the handset. "Solly Masters here, Colonel," he said. "Forgive the interruption, but what is the situation of Sheriff Ramos? Over."
Solly imagined McBride bristling at having his monologue disrupted. "She contacted me from outside Arbroath, Washington State, to say that a small force of Chinese soldiers had garrisoned the town. Somehow, she overcame them, but they have recently been replaced by a much larger force. She was safe, at the time of her last report. Is that satisfactory? Over."
It wasn't satisfactory, but it was all Solly was likely to get, so he thanked the colonel. There was clearly a much larger story behind his brief report, but that could be said of all the people there.
"I'll begin with the tactical situation to the east. The state of New York is entirely under the control of the Lee Corporation and we have no intelligence sources there. LC forces are engaged in operations to destabilize the Federal Government and the situation in DC is extremely problematic.
"To the south, a rival government that styles itself the TLX formed shortly after the collapse of the federal authorities. We have learned that its president, a veteran by the name of John Murphy, was recently assassinated."
"Oh my God," Bella said. "Luke. It must have been Luke."
Solly felt Ross go tense beside him, but the colonel, who couldn't hear any of this, continued.
"President Blaise considers the TLX to be a long-term impediment to the re-establishment of the union, but we, as a nation, now face a much greater threat.
"Chinese and North Korean forces have landed on the West Coast. We have confirmed landings at San Diego, which appears to be their main southern port of entry. In the north, they have landed near Seattle and seem to be cooperating with the Lee Corporation forces. It seems, therefore, that these three operators—Lee Corp, the Chinese and the North Koreans—are working in concert to subdue and occupy the United States of America."
Solly knew, or suspected, most of this already, but it seemed so much worse coming from a person of authority. McBride was painting a bleak picture indeed.
When the colonel had gone quiet, Solly spoke into the handset. "Thanks for the update, Colonel. Do you have a plan of action? Over."
"The fact is, we do not have the strength to oppose these multiple vectors of attack. We have established communication with some small groups under military leadership, but, aside from the contingent here at Wright-Patterson, we have no other substantial units.
"At present, I see little prospect of overall victory, so I will focus on my duty, which is to protect the seat of our Federal Government. Accordingly, I will be sending a task force to DC. If it is successful, then we will face the next challenge. Frankly, it would be difficult enough if we were facing only human opponents, but your reports of these drones, these 'Reapers', suggest that if the enemy is able to mobilize these in significant numbers, then they will be unstoppable when used against civilians and perhaps also our armed forces. Over."
Solly pressed the handset button. "You paint a bleak picture, Colonel." He looked up to see Scott waving his hand animatedly. "Scott Lee wishes to speak to you."
"Put him on," McBride said, unable to suppress a sigh.
"Colonel, I wish to update you on our progress with our captured Reapers. Over."
"Will this impact on our ability to fight back against these machines?"
Scott nodded. "Yes. We have managed to recreate a fully working Reaper from the two damaged units we obtained."
"What the f—" Solly cried out.
"It is safe," Scott said. "We've deleted its programming. Our plan is to install Alison into it and use her to probe for weaknesses. It will also be useful to have our own Reaper, for protection. Over."
This time, Solly managed to suppress his anger. Alison was under his care, and yet neither Scott nor Al had mentioned this to him. The last time she was inserted into a Reaper, it almost drove her mad. But this was a discussion for later.
"Do you have any results of your research to share with me? Over." McBride said.
"Not yet, but we are ready to move to the next stage. Over." At this, Scott looked directly at Solly.
"Then I suggest you report back when you have something use—"
Kuchinsky jumped up. "What the heck?" He seized the handset from Scott and then ran over to the transceiver.
"Wilbur Station, Wilbur Station, this is The Creek. Do you receive?"
Solly watched the sergeant as he repeated this over and over again while he flicked switches on the device.
"The signal's gone," he said, in the end.
"What does that mean?" Bella asked. "Could they be under attack?"
Kuchinsky shrugged. "Could be. Or one of the signal boosters has failed."
"Or been taken down," Solly said. "It could be random vandalism, or maybe the Lees know about our communication network."
"You don't think they were listening in, do you?" Ross asked.
"We were using military encryption," Kuchinsky said, shaking his head. "Ain't nobody gonna crack that."
Solly and Ross exchanged meaningful glances as they both remembered the conversation they'd had about using Alison to hack into the Lee Corporation's transmissions. If she could do it, maybe they could too.
"Well, whether it was deliberate or not, chances are we're out of contact with Wright-Patterson," Solly said.
Kuchinsky ordered a subordinate to keep trying to raise the base, before turning to the others. "I'll send a team out tomorrow to check the transmitters. Assuming it's that and not an attack on Wright-Patterson, they'll send a team to check from their end and one of us will find the broken link. For now, though, we're on our own, and the colonel's report was mighty bleak. I guess I'll be reassigned to the task force going to DC. As for you folks, you're gonna need to look to your own defense soon enough."
He turned on his heels and scurried out.
"Tell me, Scott," Solly said once the sergeant had left. "What do you plan to do with your rebuilt Reaper? Aside from probing for weaknesses you know you won't find?"
Al looked surprised at this, but Lee took it in his stride. "If nothing else, we'll have a working Reaper to protect us."
"Protect us, or to be Scott Lee's bodyguard?"
He knew, from the look on Lee's face, that he'd hit a nerve.
"Boys!" Bella called out. "We've had enough bad news tonight, let's not fight among ourselves."
"We're supposed to be finding a way to fight back," Ross said, directing himself at Lee.
"What can we do?" he responded. "You heard what the colonel had to say. There's no hope. The best we can do is hide and use our Reaper to defend ourselves."
Solly shook his head. "There's no hope in that, either. They'll find us eventually, and one Reaper won't win against however many they've got. No, like Ross says, we have to fight back. While McBride stops DC falling, we have to take action."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lee said, incredulously. "We have one Reaper; they probably have hundreds by now. How do we fight back with odds like that?"
Solly sat back down and scratched his chin. He'd finally seen the whole jigsaw when McBride's call had been dropped. There were many steps in the plan, and he couldn't see how they could possibly achieve them, but
he did have a plan.
"I've got an idea," he said, finally. "But first, we need to talk to Alison."
Chapter 6
Paulie and Mary Vogelbach stood beside the bed looking down at the still form of Nicky Friedman.
"You got back just in time with the insulin," Vogelbach said. "But we won't be able to move her for days."
Paulie shook her head. "We've got no choice, Mary. The Chinese are here already. If we don't head east right away, they could be ahead of us by the time we do."
Friedman had been moved into a small bedroom at the front of the house. On the floor beside the bed was a roll-up mattress where Vogelbach had spent the past two nights.
"Do you ever think about the folks from Arbroath?" she said.
"Every single day. I've got vivid memories of that military base in Seattle and I shudder to think what the Lees and their Chinese allies have got in mind for our people."
Vogelbach sighed, her gaze fixed on Friedman's face. "Maybe we should have tried to rescue them. Maybe we still could."
"That's not fair," Paulie snapped. "You know I would go for them if there was any chance we could get them out, but the Lees own Seattle. I barely got out of there with my life last time. And anyway, my responsibility right now is to the people in this house. If we don't get out of here, stat, we'll be in the same situation as our friends in Seattle, or worse."
"But Nicky can't be moved. What's the point in saving her only for her to die in the back of a truck?"
Paulie reached down and took Friedman's hand. It felt cold and bony. It was easy to forget in this new and chaotic world that Nicky Friedman was a deputy, and this only added another layer of responsibility to their relationship.
"Is she the only one we can't move?"
"The doctor's not happy but, yes, he says we can move the others."
"And how long does Nicky need?"
Vogelbach shrugged. "Ideally, a couple of weeks. I mean, she's been barely conscious for more than a few minutes at a time. She needs to build herself up again."
"Mary, the Chinese could roll in here anytime. We don't have a couple of weeks. We can't risk everyone for the sake of one person."
"I know, Paulie. But we can't leave her behind either."
"No way!"
Marvin Tucker's expression had gone from confusion to outrage as she explained her plan to him.
"Please, Marvin. I can't do this without your help."
"Then I'll stay! You go on with Luna and the others. I'll catch up to you."
Paulie stroked his arm and shook her head sadly. "It has to be me, Marvin. Nicky is my responsibility."
"So is Luna. She's your daughter."
"You don't have to remind me of that," Paulie snapped back. She breathed out and looked him in the eyes. "Look, I have to take care of this, but I can't do it unless I know Luna is in safe hands. I trust you to look after her better than I could—you've proven that already. You're a better parent to her than I am."
Tucker's face flushed. "Now you're talkin' out of your butt, Sheriff. That girl loves you, and I know all about bein' a bad parent." He subsided into an uncharacteristically reflective silence for a moment. "Well maybe that's why me and Luna make a good pair. She misses havin' a father figure…not that I'm claimin'…"
"You're a better pa to her than the two-timing scum who fathered her."
Tucker shuffled uncomfortably, fixing his gaze on his feet as he unwound his thoughts. "Well, my daughter—I called her 'pumpkin'—I really messed up with her, so I guess I'm tryin' to learn from my mistakes."
A single tear rolled down his cheek as he kept his eyes downcast. Paulie felt her heart break for the guilt he carried on his shoulders. She pulled him into an embrace that he resisted for an instant. She could feel the tension there, a terror of letting down defenses that were holding back an ocean of grief and anger.
She withdrew before it became uncomfortable for them both and looked up at him as she wiped the moisture from her eyes. "Let me do this, Marvin. I left Nicky behind in Arbroath when I went looking for you. I'm responsible. If you lead everyone else, and take care of Luna, I’ll stay here until she can be moved, and I'll come find you."
"Where are we gonna go?"
"The only safe place I know—Wright-Patterson Air Force Base."
"Where's that?"
"Ohio."
Marvin threw his arms in the air. "That's clear across the country."
"You've done it before. And have you forgotten what we've got in the back of the truck?"
He thought for a moment. "The Reaper?"
"Yeah. I have a feeling Colonel McBride would like to get his hands on it."
"But where are we gonna get the gas from to go so far? Some of these folks can't walk."
Paulie shrugged. "You're the most resourceful man I know, Marvin. I'm sure you'll find a way. We'll agree way points on the route, and I'll catch up to you. Trust me."
"Come on, girl, let's walk the perimeter," Paulie said, patting Dany on the head. Marvin had reluctantly agreed to lead the convoy of military trucks out of the settlement, on condition that the dog remain with her. In truth, Paulie was happy to have the company and she knew that Dany would hear any approaching vehicles long before she would.
Between them, Paulie, Marvin and Vogelbach had agreed a route. The mayor had never traveled farther east than Yellowstone, but she’d seen enough of the Chinese to want to keep as far ahead of the inrushing tide as possible.
Their first task was to head back into deserted Tacoma in search of gas. Marvin's best estimate was that the two Chinese trucks they'd liberated from Arbroath had a range of around 500 miles when fully fueled, so it was essential that they topped up before beginning their voyage east. They would then be relying on dumb luck to find more fuel on their journey.
They'd left the previous day so, all being well, they'd be out of Tacoma and on the interstate by now. She had no way to contact them as she'd insisted Marvin take the transceiver with him so he could get in touch with Wright-Patterson. Their first potential meeting point was Marvin's home town of Spokane in a week's time, but Paulie doubted she'd make that. Friedman had been awake for longer today, but she was still incredibly weak and Paulie was yet to have a coherent conversation with her.
She crunched down the gravel driveway as the sun descended behind the pine trees on the western side of the little compound. She was heading for a point on the bend of the approach road from where she could see down to the highway below. Dany padded beside her, growling at the local coyotes as they sung the sun down.
Paulie sat on the rock and stroked the dog as the light began to fade. Ten minutes or so later, a series of headlamps heading east passed along the highway. How many had landed? The USA was a huge place, but the Chinese army was massive. Had it escaped the Long Night entirely? She found her mind returning, yet again, to the puzzle of why the Lee Corporation, if it was working with the Chinese to gain control of the West, would decimate its population rather than subjugating them. Solly had theorized that slavery had been their intent, but something had gone wrong. Or perhaps the Chinese wanted their land and just enough slaves to exploit it. Was anyone that genocidal?
She got up and wandered back toward the house. Good, there was no light leaking from the living room and the bedroom Nicky slept in; the shutters and blackout drapes were doing their job. They had to remain unnoticed for a few more days. Just a few more days.
Paulie shivered as she walked back along the drive. They were a little higher up here and the temperature seemed to drop quickly, so she was relieved to get inside. She hadn't dared to light a fire in the hearth, but they'd found a gas heater in the garage which was now warming Nicky's room.
Friedman was still asleep, completely unaware that Paulie had been out. Tomorrow, perhaps she'd wake up tomorrow.
"Paulie, are you there?"
She shuddered awake, then grimaced as pain seared through her shoulder. Paulie could feel dried-up slobber on her cheek where she'd s
lept with her mouth open. She hadn't appreciated just how exhausted she’d been. Coming around, she got onto her knees and peered over the edge of the bed.
Nicky Friedman had rolled over to face her. "Oh, thank God you're here. I thought I was on my own."
"Yeah, I'm here. We talked a little yesterday. Don't you remember?"
"No, not really. I mean, I knew you'd been here and that the others had gone. But what happened? My insulin had run out."
"Don't worry about it," Paulie said. "The main thing is we've got a supply now, and when you're well enough we'll head east and meet up with the others."
She got up and pulled the drapes back, wincing as sharp spring light flooded the little room, before examining Friedman. She looked thin and weak, but alive and recovering.
"I'll fix you some breakfast," she said. "Can you handle your insulin shot?" Paulie hadn't enjoyed administering it the previous day. Death, blood and gore she could handle. Needles were another matter.
Nicky gave a weak smile and Paulie caught a glimpse of the pretty young woman behind the near-death experience. "Sure. I'm used to it. As long as you promise to tell me the full story of how you got the insulin."
"How'd you know it was me who got it?"
Friedman tilted her head with a derision Luna would have been proud of, so Paulie shrugged her shoulders and went down to the kitchen.
Friedman's progress that day was remarkable. By mid-afternoon, she was sitting up in bed and even capable of using the bucket in the corner without assistance, although Paulie still had to empty it. No longer worried about whether she'd recover, Paulie's thoughts turned to how quickly they could get away. When they'd first arrived here, they'd found a station wagon in the garage. Marvin had jump-started it and revved all the gunk out of the engine until it was purring. It was still in the garage so that anyone approaching the house wouldn't be attracted by it, but they could be ready to go with ten minutes' notice once Nicky was fit enough.
The day after tomorrow. That seemed reasonable. Friedman wouldn't be in A1 condition, but she should be capable of walking to the car and, if they left in two days, they might just make it to the rendezvous in Spokane.
Showdown: Book 6 in the Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival series: (The Long Night - Book 6) Page 5