"And you’ll let me go and trust me to do this?"
The drone swayed a little as if amused. "Trust has nothing to do with it, General. Your implant has been upgraded. We will hear everything you say. We will know about everything you do. If you betray us, we will stop your heart."
Bevan involuntarily slapped his hand over his heart.
"That's the idea! Now, be a good boy and rejoin your president. You have five days."
He could feel his heart pounding away in his chest. George Bevan's mind compiled an instant showreel of his life in the military. He had given everything for his country, and it would cut him to the core to become a stooge of America's enemies. But if he agreed, he could earn a five-day hiatus. That would be the logical, sensible thing to do.
General George Bevan, decorated hero of multiple campaigns, looked up at the thing hovering above him. Playing along would be the sensible option, but he was aware enough of his own limitations to know that he wouldn't be able to keep the act up for long and, after decades in the service of his country, he was owed one moment of satisfaction before he died.
Slowly but steadily he lifted his hand, one finger raised to the sky. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Chapter 12
It was Kuchinsky's idea to head into the center of Lexington, one hundred miles to the east of Louisville. He, Scott and Solly had debated the best strategy for reaching the skyscraper with the Lee Corporation transmitter at its summit, but it was all just guesswork without knowing what was happening in the city. Was Oscar Weinstein still in control there, or had Lee Corp taken over?
Kuchinsky's theory was that Lexington was far enough away from Louisville to stand a chance of being outside the Corporation's sphere of control, but close enough to know what was happening there. But it was a risk. They'd avoided built-up areas on the journey here because, even though they were relatively heavily armed and well protected, they could still be overpowered by an ambush in a city street.
It had been two days since they'd left the farmhouse. So far, they'd been able to stay in contact through the network of military relays that Solly had helped create. Kuchinsky had set the receiver to a different channel to the one used by McBride, so they'd been able to communicate with those they'd left behind without being overheard.
Bella had been incensed at Solly's sudden disappearance, but it had been his private chat with Maddie that had been most upsetting. She'd only just been reunited with her father—having thought him dead—so was devastated that he'd "walked out on her".
And then there was Ross. To Solly's disappointment, his adoptive son hadn't reacted well to being left behind after all. Solly had hoped he and Maddie would be a comfort to each other, but it seemed they were actually simply fanning the flames of each other's resentment.
But, for all the guilt and the sour words, the farther they traveled, the more certain Solly felt that he was right to leave Bella and the others back at home. He needed to know they were safe or, at the very least, safer. And he needed to have somewhere to return to if, against the odds, they succeeded in their mission.
Kuchinsky had done most of the driving and so he was at the wheel when they were stopped by a group of armed men and women beside a makeshift barricade.
A large man in a camouflage jacket over blue denims approached the window as Kuchinsky rolled it down. "You folks military?"
"My name's Sergeant Joseph Kuchinsky of the Ohio National Guard," Kuchinsky said, wearing his most winning smile and extending his hand to the man.
"Chester Schwartz. You're a long way from Kansas, Dorothy," he said.
"We're on a scouting mission," Kuchinsky lied. "D'you have any government here?"
Solly, who was watching the exchange, could see the man's face brighten with pride. "We sure do. Mayor Greene got things straight pretty soon after things went all to Hell. If you want to know how things stand here, she's the one to ask."
"Where will we find her?" Kuchinsky asked.
"Now hold your horses. I'll send a runner down to find out if she wants to see you. We don't let many in. That's how we've stayed safe," Schwartz said, his fat face coloring a little. "So, you just pull over there and wait."
Kuchinsky was going to protest, but Solly touched his shoulder and leaned past him to speak to the man. "Thank you, Mr. Schwartz. We'll take a rest break—will you join us for a coffee?"
It took an hour to hear back from the mayor, but Solly had put that time to good use by buttering up Schwartz and plying him with questions. Lexington, it seemed, had fared better than most cities, and that was partly because, by sheer good fortune, the mayor had survived the night, though her family had not. Mayor Greene had galvanized the surviving members of the emergency services, the police and the military so that the descent into chaos typical of every other city Solly had visited had not happened here.
Everyone who'd remained alive after those first few days had been housed in the center of the city. Many of them shared former office blocks and government buildings, but by coming together into a confined space, they were able to put a defensive ring around them and fight off the inevitable raids from armed groups in the following weeks.
Since then, a second ring had been built several blocks farther out and many survivors had been moved into more comfortable housing outside the inner defenses. Chester Schwartz had been placed in command of one barricade, and it was obvious that he took great pride in that appointment, though Solly wondered why a former government employee with no military experience had been given such a responsible position. Maybe the mayor wanted him out of her hair. After an hour in his company, Solly could understand if she had.
A boy ran up to the Humvee as Schwartz concluded a long account of the mayor's plans for the future of Lexington. He took the slip of paper with some irritation, having enjoyed his attentive audience—and if there was one skill Solly had acquired working for a big corporation, it was the ability to feign interest without missing the occasional nugget of useful information.
"The mayor says she'll see you," Schwartz said pompously. "She's down at the old courthouse on Main Street. Just head south along Newtown Pike, then southeast along Main Street. You'll be stopped soon enough, and they'll send you along. Here, take this to show them."
He handed the note to Solly, who shook his hand and thanked him with a couple of chocolate-covered protein bars.
"You must be Sergeant Kuchinsky," Mayor Greene said, holding out her hand and stepping down from the judge's seat to greet them. She was a short, middle-aged woman of neat, efficient appearance with a round face framed by a perfectly coiffed auburn bob.
"It's an honor, Madam Mayor," Kuchinsky said. "May I introduce my colleagues; Solly Masters and Vivian Richards."
Greene shook each of their hands. A firm, efficient handshake, Solly thought.
"I was told that there are four in your party."
"Our companion has remained with the vehicle, Madam Mayor," Solly said.
She smiled at that. "You do not trust us? Perhaps you believe we would steal your Humvee?"
Kuchinsky went to open his mouth, but she raised her hand to stop him. "No need to apologize, or deny, Sergeant. A perfectly sensible policy, though you will know by now that we have more than enough firepower of our own to take your vehicle if we chose. I'm sure Schwartz has told you everything. He never could stop his mouth from running off."
She looked from one to the other, then smiled again and said, "But you have no cause for concern. Your vehicle and colleague will still be there when you return to it. Now, tell me of the situation in the country."
Mayor Greene then grilled Kuchinsky and Solly for the best part of an hour while Vivian, ignored by everyone, spent her time slouching in her chair and staring at the ornate ceiling of the courthouse.
They'd agreed not to mention the Lee Corporation, Alison and their mission and it became quickly obvious that Greene knew they were withholding information as they described what they'd seen. Kuchinsky defe
rred mainly to Solly who had, after all, seen much more of the country in recent months.
"And you're heading to see Oscar Weinstein?"
"Yes," Solly said. "Do you know how things stand there?"
"Look, let's cut the crap," she said. "You want to know if the Lee Corporation's in control of Louisville."
Solly opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the right words.
The smile returned to the mayor's face. "Don't look so surprised. You've traveled too widely not to have encountered the Lees or their stooges. They've been here, offering to help, but I saw it for what it was—the beginnings of dependency. I didn't study Native American history without learning a thing or two about this tactic."
"And they let you be?" Solly asked.
The mayor shrugged. "Not exactly. They've been back several times, hoping, I suspect, that I might have been deposed in the interim. Each time, they've been sent on their way. We've arrested the occasional operative, but it seems their attention is focused on lower-hanging fruit than us."
"Such as Louisville?"
"Old Oscar has done his best to resist them. He set up a comms link with us a few weeks back…oh, you know of this?"
Solly, who realized his expression had given him away, nodded. "Janice and I installed a transmitter while we were there last—I guess he's using that to contact you."
Greene let out a little chuckle. "Naturally, Oscar took the credit when he contacted me. Your name didn't come up at all, I'm afraid.
"But to answer your question," she continued. "No, I don't believe he has been compromised. Louisville is still operating independently, though, no doubt, with agents at large. Oscar wasn't quite as efficient as my administration in keeping them at bay. So, my advice is to be careful."
Quite suddenly, she got to her feet and thrust out her hand. "Now, we have exchanged news and you have your intelligence about my city. I have matters to attend to, and I'm sure you wish to be back on the road. Good luck in Louisville."
They found Scott Lee fast asleep in the front seat of the Humvee. He rubbed his eyes as Solly rocked him. "Nice one, Scott. Just as well they didn't want to steal the Humvee."
Lee yawned. "I don't know what came over me. Just knackered, I suppose."
He climbed into the back seat alongside Vivian.
"What did you make of her?" Solly said to Kuchinsky as the sergeant steered the Humvee out of the courthouse's parking lot.
Kuchinsky shrugged. "I like her. She's sure taken this town by the scruff of its neck. I figure this is the safest place I've been since I left the air base."
"Yeah, she's got this city under her heel, that's for sure. Can we trust her, though? What d'you think?"
The Humvee roared onto Main Street and headed north. "Well, she let us go, didn't she?"
"Oh man, you two is so stupid!" Vivian roared from the back seat.
Solly, who'd forgotten that Vivian was listening, twisted around to look at her. Her pretty brown face was twisted in exasperation. "What d'you mean? You didn't say anything while we were in there."
"Well, while you two were fallin' under the spell of the evil queen, I was watchin' and listenin'. Now, I can't say why, but I didn't believe a word of what she was sayin'."
"You're sure it's not that you were fuming because she didn't talk to you?"
Solly ducked out of the way just in time as an empty can flew from the back seat. "I ain't that childish, Solly Masters. No, I was just listenin' to her speak and all that talk of seein' off the Lee Corporation was just that, I reckon—talk. I mean, how many soldiers did you see in the city?"
"Not many," Solly acknowledged. "I guess she's got the center secure, so she has them manning the barriers in the second ring."
Vivian snorted. "If that's true, why was that bozo Schwartz put in charge of one o'them?"
"Look, I don't know, Viv," Solly said, suddenly feeling very tired. "But she's letting us go, and all she said about Weinstein checked out with what we already knew, didn't it?"
"Yeah, well, just you take care, Solly. I don't trust that woman; I don't trust her at all."
#
"They have passed through the outer ring, Madam Mayor."
"Thank you, Carter. You are dismissed."
The guard nodded respectfully and withdrew, pulling the old wooden doors of the courtroom closed behind him. Sarah Greene leaned back in her chair and gave a deep sigh.
"Well done, Madam Mayor." The voice was coming from the shadows of the passageway leading to the judge's chamber.
Greene didn't turn around. "You are satisfied, then, that I have betrayed them?"
She heard footsteps on the polished marble floor and imagined she could sense evil approaching. Still, she didn't turn. She knew what he looked like. Imagine the blond, blue-eyed monster on a recruitment poster for the Schutzstaffel of Nazi Germany. Such was Herman Muller.
"It is a small price to pay for the continuing freedom of your people," he said, his soft voice echoing around the courtroom
"Their temporary freedom," she responded, fighting to keep her voice calm.
He came into view, almost seeming to float into a position facing her, before fussily brushing away a speck from his perfectly pressed black suit. "Everything is temporary, Madam Mayor. You and I, we are temporary. But your cooperation ensures that, for now at least, the people you serve remain at liberty and blissfully unaware that they scurry beneath the lifted boot of the Lee Corporation. Their freedom is at our pleasure. I'm sure you will not forget that."
"How can I? You remind me every day."
He ignored that. "I am glad to confirm that your man was successful, and our operative is now in place and activated."
"I don't understand why you didn't simply arrest them when they were here. Why let them do?"
Muller shrugged. "We could have done that, of course. But we do not as yet know what they plan to do. So, we will allow them to believe that they have escaped and may continue. When we are satisfied that we have learned all we can, we will terminate them. We might, possibly, interrogate them first…"
She looked into his deep blue eyes and saw the soul of the beast leering back at her. He relished the prospect of torturing those who defied him.
"…but then they will die. You chose wisely when you agreed to work with us, Madam Mayor. Your people ought to be grateful. They will, at least, survive the current unrest because of your sacrifices. That is true leadership."
"I had no choice," she said, her head dropping as she felt her energy dissipating.
"Of course, you did. You could have refused us."
Her head felt impossibly heavy as she shook it. "You would have killed or enslaved everyone if I had. You made that quite clear."
"But you still had the choice. All we did was to demonstrate our superiority to you, personally."
She ran her right hand down her left shoulder, wincing as it found the scar. They had come as friends, and then, when she'd welcomed them into her home, they had killed her guards and had forced something into her back, something that changed her BonesWare. They called it an upgrade, but she knew it to be the sword of Damocles. Fail to obey their every command, and she would die instantly. And then her people would suffer the same fate. By cooperating with the Lee Corporation, Lexingtonians would wake up tomorrow as free as they had been the previous day. At least, they would believe they were free, and that was better than obvious slavery.
Looked at that way, she was a true hero to her people, though she doubted they would see it that way.
She got up from her chair and walked past Muller. She needed to breathe the fresh air and imagine, for a little while, that she was still the mayor of a plucky city that had survived the fall and was now rebuilding. In a few hours, she would return to her apartment, have something to eat and then stay up reading for as long as possible, holding off on going to bed until she was so exhausted she would hope for a dreamless sleep. For if she did dream, she would see only ghosts.
Chapter 13
They decided to stay the night in Shelbyville, a small city to the east of Louisville, and eventually found an auto service center with a basement so they could activate Alison in relative safety. This would be their final chance to go over their plans, although, as Solly readily admitted, they would probably have to make things up as they went once they'd arrived in Louisville itself. Vivian's warnings about the mayor of Lexington had been playing on his mind as they'd covered the seventy miles to Shelbyville and he couldn't help thinking she had been more perceptive than either he or Kuchinsky. He'd seen a capable politician who'd pulled a town together in the worst circumstances. Viv had seen the snake that lurked behind the mask.
Scott Lee had barely spoken a word since they'd left Lexington. He told them he'd become drowsy while waiting for them to come back from meeting Mayor Greene and was obviously feeling guilty for falling asleep when he was supposed to be guarding the Humvee. But the charismatic fake priest that Paulie had described to Solly was long gone and, in his place, was a sullen man showing every sign of deep depression.
The Humvee had been parked in the servicing bay while Solly and Kuchinsky checked the place. It had, of course, been looted, but though boxes of car parts lay littered everywhere, there had been nothing edible here, so the place itself was undamaged and empty.
As the sun set, they pulled down the shutters and lit their camping lanterns, spreading them around the Humvee and rolling out their sleeping bags. There had been precious little conversation as they’d warmed and eaten their rations. Kuchinsky and Vivian seemed lost in their thoughts while Scott Lee mechanically spooned food into his mouth, his eyes fixed on his plate, and said nothing.
When the meal was over, Solly opened up the trunk of the Humvee and ran his hand over the shiny black surface of the object that lay there. He shivered as he touched it, remembering the utter terror of being chased. Twice, Alison had rescued him. Third time would be the charm.
Showdown: Book 6 in the Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival series: (The Long Night - Book 6) Page 10