Just before the sweep of their headlights came flying at her, she pulled the night vision goggles off her face with one hand while the fingers of the hand she kept on the wheel stretched to turn on her own high-beams.
A horn screeched and she blinked in the sudden blast of light, praying she remembered the road, at least well enough to stay on it while her eyes rapidly refocused. She tried to make out from the sound of its horn the location of the other vehicle.
She suddenly saw it, an open jeep careening toward her, and she swerved to the right to keep from colliding head-on. The jeep swerved in the opposite direction. She heard rather than saw the crunching of metal behind her as it rolled over. And over and over. That should’ve attracted some attention.
With her lights still on full power, she kept her foot mashing the accelerator to the floor to try and regain as much speed as she could. Hopefully she’d be able to finish the circuit around the grounds and hit the exit ramp back to the FURC before they even tried to stop her. But they must’ve been ready.
It was less than a minute before she heard their engines roaring to life from somewhere deep inside the Expo Center. It looked like she’d soon have her first chance to use the tactical driving training Tony had taught her. She hoped she’d be able to remember those long-ago lessons.
She was flying at over one hundred ten miles an hour and had almost reached the exit when she saw two of those monster trucks racing to intercept her. She knew she had to get past them, and away from the Expo grounds now, or she wouldn’t escape. And then they’d start looking for the others.
Slowing down wasn’t an option—it would have to be either around or through. And she didn’t want to test the armor plating by driving straight into one of those monster trucks. She wanted to live.
It would have to be around, and she was speeding along too fast to risk swerving around them like she had with the jeep. Which meant it was time to put this thing’s suspension to a real test. So instead of continuing along the curve of the road, Kat went straight over the concrete curb onto the dead grass that would probably have served for overflow parking if this place had ever opened. And the tank she was driving almost made it off the ground.
She did get a hard jolt, but it was certainly a lot softer than ramming those trucks head-on would’ve been. A little softer anyway.
Racing across the grass and bouncing over the uneven ground, Kat cut a diagonal toward the road she’d been bypassing, the one to the FURC’s north gate. Looking at the lights of those two trucks, she could tell she’d gained enough ground to keep them from being able to cut her off. But she maintained a high rate of speed to be sure.
When she raced at an angle up the berm to that far pavement, she thought for a moment she might roll over, but her momentum carried her over. She glanced back and saw the lights of the two trucks in the distance, but still coming. And more lights were appearing further back behind them. The chase was on.
Hopefully the whole lot of them would be after her now. She didn’t know how many that was, but the more she could keep pursuing her, the better. Let them think she was making for the north gate of the FURC. For now.
Confident she’d grabbed their attention, Kat returned her focus to the path ahead of her. And tried to remember where that old country road was—the one that weaved its way through the woods around the east end of the compound. It didn’t connect to this highway, so she’d have to go off-road again getting there. If she could find it.
The road she was traveling smoothly cut across the desolate fields, and she thought she could see the gate in the distance. She glanced back to make sure her pursuers weren’t too far behind and eased up on the gas a bit. Good.
She wanted to convince them she was abandoning her attempt to get into the FURC through that gate with them so close behind. And if she could see the gate, the guards there should be able to see the approaching headlights. It would put them on alert—if they were paying attention.
Not desiring that her pursuers should actually catch up to her, Kat turned off the highway, and this time she thought the APC actually went airborne for a moment as she sailed over the berm. She mashed the gas down again and sped toward the forest. The sparse trees there would slow her down, but they’d also slow the trucks chasing her.
She wasn’t worried about losing them now, not if that little tracking device had managed to stay put the way she was driving. So she raced for that tree line as if her life depended on it. She had to stay far enough ahead of them—not only to lead them away from MacTierney and the others, but so she’d be in control of choosing the ground when she was ready to fight them. That also meant she couldn’t get too far ahead of them, or they wouldn’t follow the trail she intended them to take.
As she neared the tree line, she slowed, searching for the widest path through. She’d need it to fit this wide tank of Fiona’s through. Not that she worried about scratching the sides, but she didn’t want to have to slow down too much.
She managed to keep her speed up around thirty, but it was a bit of a nerve-wracking experience. And a miracle she didn’t run into a tree. There were a few close calls, but then she suddenly darted out of the trees and onto the overgrown dirt road she had remembered.
Turning hard to avoid whizzing across and back into more trees, Kat accelerated again. As much as she could on this winding country road. Eventually it would curve all the way around the eastern side of the FURC and intersect with the main street of the small city that had grown up on the outskirts of the FURC land, opposite the main gate.
These same woods also separated the main gate from the now horribly misnamed Boom Town. The once prosperous city had imploded with the events of recent months to become a ghost town, and it was there she hoped to confound her pursuers. At least until she’d given MacTierney the time he needed to get into the compound.
Half an hour later, just driving around one side of the FURC must’ve bought him plenty. When she saw the intersection ahead of her she slowed, turning off her headlights and slipping her night vision goggles back on.
Stopping as she came up to that main street felt strangely surreal to Kat. And not only because she was seeing it from the wrong angle, in the enhanced imaging of her goggles. She remembered this road from when she had gone into the city shopping with friends in what now seemed a whole other life.
Now it seemed all the people who had lived and worked there had either been brought into the compound to join the FURC community—or they’d fled for refuge elsewhere. Likely those hadn’t wanted to be caught in the middle of a confrontation between the National Guard and the FURC. A conflict which never materialized.
Kat looked carefully in every direction. Sheriff’s deputies might still patrol these main streets, even though no traffic remained. Excepting herself.
From what she’d heard, even local law enforcement didn’t have warm fuzzy feelings for the FURC. Which might have something to do with their expelling Lt. Henson from the compound for those locals to have to deal with. Or resentment that they hadn’t invited everyone to come live inside the FURC. As if we could.
The remote possibility of running into a sheriff’s deputy meant leaving her lights off and her goggles on as she pulled out onto the main drag. She didn’t mind the idea of attracting the attention of the local LEOs—they’d be just as useful as state troopers—but she wanted to see them before they saw her. Then Kat could decide how best to incorporate them into her plan.
About a mile up ahead loomed the shadowy outline of the giant mall she’d used to visit. That was a different person, not me. Behind that mall was the residential section, full of short, twisty lanes seemingly intersecting at random like a mad maze. She hoped to separate her enemies there and take them in more manageable, bite-sized pieces. In that warren their tracking equipment wouldn’t help them.
As she reviewed her strategy and turned to head across the mall’s back parking lot, she almost failed to notice in time all the vehicles parked there. She was so
surprised she almost flubbed it. Thankfully, her instincts were faster than her thoughts.
With one hand she was ripping off the night vision goggles while the other flipped her high-beams on. Even as her brain was processing what she saw. A dozen sheriff’s cars and some trucks and a small fleet of state police, as well as a SWAT van and a few black SUVs, were all huddled together there behind the mall. A combination of forces belonging to both the local sheriff and Governor Roberts.
Having startled them with the sudden appearance of her high-beams, the engines of those vehicles were slow to come to life, their own headlights belatedly turned on as their occupants realized that they had company. Which was exactly the response she’d have hoped for if she’d had the time to consider it. She could use them, but not if they caught up with her.
As it was she had to keep her speed down as she circled around the edge of that back parking lot, to make certain they’d be able to follow her. She needed them to keep her in sight, for now.
Not having encountered any law enforcement—not for the entire trip back—now she’d run straight into a whole mess of them. Since a mess was what she wanted, she hastily came up with a new plan.
She sped out of the parking lot and down a road taking her past the main residential area, and back to the main drag. All she’d have to do now was lead them where she needed them to go.
Out on the main street again and checking her rearview mirror to see the lights that confirmed her new pursuers were keeping up, she headed straight for the golf course. Around the western boundary of that would aim her back toward the forest between the town and the main gates of the FURC—putting the forces of law and order on a collision course with the white supremacists. With her in the middle.
All I have to do is get out from between before I get crushed. And the two sides should distract each other long enough for her to get back into the compound, as well as MacTierney and the rest.
Having settled her new plan in her mind, then she wondered about the massive assembly of forces she’d discovered. Somehow Governor Roberts had to have convinced the local sheriff into joining him in an attack on the FURC, though she doubted even that impressive collection would be enough to make it through.
Hopefully she’d be back in time to help with the defense. Although the Aryans should keep this new enemy occupied, as well as vice versa.
She grinned. Two birds with one Kat.
Chapter 14
Storm Warning
7:20 p.m. Monday, March 3rd
ANTHONY leaned forward on the couch in his office with his pad in hand, scrolling through the most recent reports and occasionally switching to the call screen. It remained blank—no messages from Kat and no indication Ben’s program had been able to make a connection to send the message he’d prepared. If there were a way he could check that it was working properly, he didn’t know how.
It was ridiculous to think that Kat hadn’t passed a working cell tower in all this time, so the problem had to be with those closest to the FURC. And he didn’t like what that might mean. Nor did he care for the idea something might’ve happened to Kat.
Most of the time she could take care of herself, but if this were one of the exceptions and she needed his help—he’d have to know what the trouble was and where she was before he could do anything. He thought about going outside to search for a connection through another cell tower, one farther away. If that was his best option though, he was flailing.
Anthony glanced at the clock on his desk. Soon he would have to head over to the Community Hall. The meeting didn’t officially start until eight, but he wanted to get there early and make sure everything was prepared. And he ought to update Miles about how the investigations were progressing before announcing anything to the public. As security chief, Anthony would also have to bear the brunt of their questions.
So he’d have to save any desperate attempts to find out about Kat until afterward—though he could ask Ben to start working out the logistics for mounting an expedition to try to repair one of the closer cell towers.
Standing and setting the pad down on his desk, Anthony was about to turn and examine his appearance in the mirror when Officer Mori came striding in through his open door. Even when that door was open, most people knocked. Not Michelle—and she kept looking down at her FURCS pad until she came to a halt in front of his desk.
Anthony took a deep breath. “Officer Mori, you were supposed to go off duty a long time ago, more than seven hours ago in fact. You should be home, resting.”
Michelle fixed her eyes somewhere around Anthony’s chin. “I have a report to make, sir.”
“Report?”
She blinked at him. “The results of the ballistics tests, sir. I finished running them.”
“All of them?” At her nod, Anthony found himself standing straighter. “Alright, I’ll forgive you for working far too much overtime. This time. Which gun is the murder weapon?”
She looked around his office vaguely searching, for what he wasn’t sure. Her gaze landed on his chin again. “None of the firearms I tested could’ve been the weapon that shot the victim. There are no other nine-millimeters to test?”
“None that could possibly have been used in the commission of this crime. You’re sure about those results?”
“Of course, sir. Otherwise I would’ve qualified my remarks.”
He took in another deep breath, let it out slow. “I’d say this is quite a development.”
Michelle stood there blinking at him. “I hadn’t considered the meaning of these results, sir. That’s your job.”
Anthony reached down to grab his FURCS pad. “I want you to try to start thinking like a detective, Officer Mori. You’ve got the brain for it, so use it.”
“If you say so, sir.”
“I do.” He switched his pad to the authorization app and pressed his thumb to the screen for verification. “I’m changing the digital permissions so all security officers have access to their weapons. You did return the ones you tested?”
Michelle nodded. “At least, I returned our firearms to the armory here. The guns belonging to the guards are still locked in the laboratory safe.”
“They may need those weapons, and soon. Are you up to working a bit longer? I’d like to see those guns back in their proper hands right away.”
A rumble of thunder rolled in the distance. And the wind whistled against the side of the building.
“You want me to take the guards’ sidearms over to their HQ, sir?”
“That’s exactly what I’d like, Michelle. And you might want to take some other guns along with you. I sent Paul and Sara down there at the beginning of their shift, and Officer Courdray went back a while ago.” Susan still had her weapon. “And I think David is hanging around as well, if you want to return his nine-millimeter.”
“Yes, sir. You’re saying that these results show no guards or officers were responsible?”
Anthony grinned. “At least their guns weren’t responsible. And since whoever killed Crystal still has whatever weapon was used, everyone else needs to be armed as well.”
Michelle blinked rapidly. “There’s got to be a nine-millimeter handgun we don’t know about.”
“Precisely. And if there is an unknown firearm out there, in the hands of a murderer and saboteur, then I want my officers armed. Right now.”
She nodded and turned to go. When she’d left, Anthony grimaced. In a way it was the worst-case scenario—an armed and unidentified killer on the loose. Miles would have to decide whether or not he should announce that, too. On top of the poisoning and the hacking it might start a panic—or a riot. At least rumors weren’t circulating about the contamination of the wheat stores. Not yet. He didn’t want to imagine how people would react when they found out.
He checked his call screen again—still nothing from Kat—and set his pad back on the desk. Then he turned to the mirror to make sure he looked presentable. But then he heard the clatter of someone running down
the stairs.
Young Ben barged right in—without knocking. He stopped in the middle of the room, blinking and looking around as if he’d expected to find someone else in the office.
Anthony sighed. “Is this urgent? I should be getting over to the hall for the meeting.”
The boy stepped forward toward the desk with such a blank look that Anthony was sure Ben didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. But one had to make allowances.
The officer trainee smiled and held up a plastic bag with a FURCS pad inside. “You won’t be able to guess what I found, sir.”
“Is that the pad belonging to the victim?”
“Yes, sir. Officer Courdray gave it to me this afternoon to examine for clues. To look at the recent activity logs, as well as attempt to ascertain who the victim had tried to call just before she died. Except she didn’t.”
Anthony squeezed his eyes shut for a moment—he must’ve been more tired than he’d realized. “Just what are you trying to say, Officer Trainee Laskey?”
His tone was stern, but Ben didn’t seem to notice. “I mean that she didn’t try to call anyone or do anything. I’m not sure it was her at all. And when I looked back at the activity logs—I saw a number of times where her pad connected to the FURCSnet to apparently do nothing.”
Anthony paused. Is it possible? Then he realized that the hacking attempts had continued after Crystal’s death. “So what’s the explanation? That’s why you came running in, isn’t it?”
Ben’s smile turned into a guileless grin. “Every instance of Miss Sorenson’s pad being used to connect without operation coincided with an attempted hack. The attacks originated through her pad.”
“What do you mean ‘through’—it wasn’t Crystal but her pad behind the hacks? But the attacks have continued.”
“Well, the last time the pad was used, someone set it up to continue connecting to the FURCSnet at random intervals. Which it’s been doing.”
Starting the Slowpocalypse (Books 1-3 Omnibus) Page 37