The Road to Round Mountain II - The Alliance: By C.G Roberts

by C. G. Roberts

  A Chevy I’ve heard of, a Bel Air, why would you name a car Bel Air? “Are we going to wait to make sure that Charles and Dumar follow before we move”? The Captain looked at me like I was the one that planned all of this. “Yeah, from the casino, we can see Charles pickup truck and then what ever Dumar is driving, and as soon as they take off, then we wait five minutes for them to gas up and drop off our backpacks and then we take off”. This just might work. I hope our pod

  people have plenty of ammo.

  The Sheriff came out of the bathroom first and went directly into the casino. His body double came back to where we were seated. He nodded as he sat down as the Captain got up for his turn for fashion swap. The Sheriff’s body double was pretty close, but the Sheriff was a bit taller and heavier, though I doubt anyone else would notice, especially Charles and Dumar. Speaking of Dumar, I hope the Sheriff brought up the fact that Dumar was a trained sniper.

  I didn’t even see the Captains significant other go in the bathroom, but when he came out, I thought he was the Captain. That was a good swap, as both were the same height and weight and close in age. The new Captain had a seat with

  me and a Sheriff to be named later. I finished my Dr. Pepper and followed suit to

  the bathroom.

  I was there only a moment before my pod person entered. Not bad, he was

  maybe an inch or so taller, but like myself he had very little facial hair and a

  similar build. We swapped clothes and I did remember to empty the pockets of my jean jacket before turning it over to him. I’m sure that I would need my smokes later. We changed without as much as a word. When we were done I offered, “Good Luck”. He replied, “Don’t need any; all of our luck is out in my buddies pickup down the road”. He left without another word.

  I put on his greasy red Chevy ball cap. It smelled like feet. I was hoping that others would not get close enough to me thinking that I need a good scrubbing. I exited the bathroom and remembered to go to the casino instead of our table, I mean their table. This wasn’t confusing when the Sheriff was explaining all of this. I passed the old guy in the jean vest with white tee shirt and greasy black ha ir who was monitoring those entering the casino.

  “Back for more Rick”, he said and startled me? “Yeah, one more round”, I

  replied and kept walking. Cool, I was in the casino. There must have been sixty slot machines making all sorts of noises as I casually walked over to where the Sheriff was playing one called triple sevens. This slot machine had a good view and if you leaned just a bit to your left, you could see Charles in his pickup truck talking on his phone. Either they sense that something is wrong or falling for it hook, line and sinker. We would have to wait for the results.

  Our three amigos were at the lobby checking out and soon were heading out the door. They went to the Buick as if they owned it and for all practical matters

  they did. The Sheriff double got in started the Buick and did a U -turn to head west on highway 6. I sat down on the stool at the slot machine next to the Sheriff and was watching our watcher.

  Sure enough Charles started his truck, but turned his head as an older late red nineteen sixties Ford Mustang pulled out of the parking lot. It must have been Dumar as Charles pulled out directly behind him.

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  “Very good Charles, did you come up with this on your own. I’m not asking to impugn your work but to say kudos. I’m not sure how you came up with the story line but that was pure genius. Now when might I be expecting our prized project”, Mr. Catrell asked with the giddiness of a teenager getting their driver’s

  license?

  “An h our or maybe two at the most, Dumar is about half a mile behind them

  and I’m about the same from him. We are going to let them think that they are

  out of harm’s way and then Dumar will work his magic to get them to stop”,

  Charles explained.

  “They did seem to leave in a hurry, you must have put quite the scare into

  them”, Catrell was impressed. “I would like to think so. I would also like to

  extend my congratulations to you, not only for your new position, but the manner

  in which you helped expedite the manner”, Charles touted.

  “It was nothing Charles; I was dealing with a dying old man who was too focused on his damaged son to pay any attention to me. All I did was turning the speed up a bit. Who has the dart gun, you or Dumar”?

  “Dumar has the dart gun, and as soon as their vehicle is stopped, he will hit Billy with the dart first and then deal with the other two, plus I will have already shown up to help dispose of the two old fossils”.

  “Very well, make sure that he gets here today, he may be seventeen, but he is

  a wise seventeen so play him carefully Charles”. “I will sir”.

  Catrell end ed the call and contacted his new second in comma nd Jeffrey

  Samuels. “Samuels, how is it going with Myers, have we figured out why his programming failed”? “We have double and triple checked his programming and came up with nothing. He just complete a series of tests and passed them with flying colors, so the only theory we have so far is that it may have something to do with the human emotion, for which we cannot control at this time. Perhaps he saw something that triggered a memory. Sorry for that answer, but that’s what

  we have so far. Until we get to the point of taking his brain out and replace it with better technology, then we might have to accept some of these actions as normal”, Samuels explained.

  “You’re right, that’s not the answer I was hoping for, but I to have seen him

  hesitant on a few occasions. Continue as planned and have him fully charged by

  nine A.M., I’m expecting company”, Catrell added.

  Catrell knew if anyone could get Myers to the point of being a sellable commodity it was Samuels. He liked Jeffrey even though he was a foot shorter than him. His expertise in Bio-mechanical engineering made him indispensable. Even though Samuels was the same age as him, he was hoping to see perhaps a thinning hair line or some other age related issue such as greying of the hair.

  Catrell was petty that way and he knew it, and he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting his future army of indestructible soldiers ready for market.

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  62

  I succumbed to peer pressure and plopped a few quarters into the slot

  machine I was parked in front of. Stars and Stripes were the name of it so I gave it

  a shot. I slid a quarter into the slot and must have looked like an idiot trying to figure out how to play. The Sheriff noticed my inability to read and pointed at the ‘spin’ button.

  Three quarters and nothing to show for it so I asked the Sheriff, “How long do we need to hang out here”? The Sheriff looked at his watch and muttered, “Three more minutes and we’ll take off, now hush and play your machine”. Fine example he’s setting for me, letting a seventeen year old gamble. If I must, I

  must. I could feel the excitement build, or even anxiety rearing its ugly head, but whatever it was, I could feel it piling up inside of me. I was ready to attack and destroy. I wanted my life back, and was tired and angry at these shitheads keeping me from it.

  I was giving myself a headache so I decided to use the rest of the change in my pocket. I don’t remember putting in the quarter because I was too busy thinking about how angry those folks have made me. Spinning lights and sirens erupted as I touched the spin button. I thought that I had broken it and the Sheriff immediately had us switch stools.

  “The last thing I need is for them to find out that you’re underage and that you’re with me”, he explained. We did a quick switch as some of the other patrons were coming over to view how much the prize was showing on the

  machine. They started mumbl
ing over what was showing on the screen. The Sheriff took a quick peak and added, “Damn Billy, you broke the machine, what came up on the display is not a winner”.

  I guess I have still have enough juice flowing through me to make things malfunction when I get riled up. “Try and tone it down some Billy, we’ll be leaving shortly”, The Sheriff pleaded.

  The old greasy haired guy at the front of the casino made his way back to us.

  He took one look at the machine and hollered, “What the hell did you do to our

  machine”? The Sheriff took offense to his accusation and stood up from the

  stool. At full height, the Sheriff was a good head taller than his accuser. The greasy haired guy in the jean vest settled down quick and replied, “Oh, that machine, we’re supposed to get that one replaced”, As he tucked tail and ran.

  I was amazed at how fast ole greasy could move. The Sheriff gave me a tap on the shoulder, “Come on, it’s time to get out of here”. Once the Sheriff gets those long legs moving he’s hard to keep up with. The Captain followed behind us as we made our way outside and turned right for the parking lot behind the Hotel.

  Around the corner awaited our chariot and I only say that since the car we

  traded for was old enough to be one. It’s hard to tell what the original color of it

  was. It’s currently rust over rust with a busted out right rear window. The Sheriff just looked at me and shrugged and opened the door which let out an enormous howling creak. He tossed his travel bag in the front seat and got in. The shocks voiced their disapproval when the Sheriff sat down.

  I popped the back door open and tossed in my backpack and almost fell as

  there was no floor in the back as it was all rusted out. I scampered back up onto

  the back seat and voiced my concern. “Uh, Sheriff I’ve got a small problem”. The Sheriff turned his head and looked down. Evidently he has ridden in style like this before as he replied, “Just keep your legs up and you’ll be fine”.

  As long as we don’t hit any bumps in the road I suppose I could do that.

  The Chevy didn’t exactly roar to life so much as it cough ed and wheezed and finally had an engine like sound to it. We all looked at other wondering if this thing was going to make it to Round Mountain. I had my doubts. The Sheriff put it in gear and it felt like the engine had fallen out as it responded with a heavy thump. I could hardly wait to see if we actually make it out of the parking lot.

  Uttering a slight protest, the Chevy was able to pull forward as we turned left

  onto highway 6 heading for the shell station. Ten bucks says we don’t make it.

  It may have been only a five minute drive for vehicles in normal repair, but our trip took over ten minutes as the Bel Air took forever to get up to speed. The Shell station finally came into view as the Sheriff turned right and pulled past thepumps and turned right along the side of the building.

  The pickup truck was right where our body doubles said it would be as the Sheriff pulled the Chevy up next to it and the Captain got out and retrieved the two backpacks filled with our high power explosives from the bed of the truck. He placed the backpacks in between him and the Sheriff. “How long do you think this thing will take to get us to Round Mountain”, I inquired? “In this thing, I’m guessing about an hour and a half”, as The Sheriff glanced at his watch. “It’s six thirty now so we should get to our point where we pull an unauthorized inspection of the delivery truck by around eight and wait for his arrival at nine”.

  “Once we get there, Bill and I will go over the plan to high jack the truck and we’ll just waltz inside the compound like we own the place”, The Sheriff spouted proudly. I was ready to become a land owner though all I actually wanted to do was to level the place if possible. Hope springs eternal.

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  The Buick filled with the imposters was flying around a corner onto a gravel road that was headed over a steep hill. The sun had made an appearance over the mountains and the early orange glow made it easier to see the clouds of dust

  being tossed by the Buick. Dumar was having a hard time navigating his Mustang

  over the uneven terrain since pulling off the highway. He was able to follow the lingering trail of dust left behind by the Buick without any problem, but could not catch up. Dumar had his phone to his ear keeping Charles updated. “They hauled ass on this gravel road, but I can’t see worth a shit form all the dust their kicking

  up. Let me know when you get to the turn off, it’s just past an old Stuckey’s worn

  down sign and the road comes up out of nowhere so be careful”, Dumar

  instructed.

  “Don’t worry about me, just keep up with them and try to figure out where the hell they’re going. The sign is coming into view so I won’t be far behind. If you get a clean shot at Billy with the darts, take it and we’ll worry about the other two later”, Charles added.

  The Buick took a little air as it topped the hill and quickly slowed down came to a stop and was quickly thrust into reverse to back up to a shady cliff overhang

  which can’t be seen from the other side of the hill. Sheriff number two got out

  and had Billy number two, take two of the c-4 blocks that he lifted from one of

  the backpacks and run them about thirty yards down the path. Billy number two

  placed one on the right side of the path and one in the middle of the road.

  Captain number two had the other two c-4 blocks and had climbed up and around

  the cliff that was hiding the Buick.

  The c-4 explosives were about four inches wide and six inches long andabout two inches thick with two inch antenna sticking out of the end of it. After placing the explosives, Billy number two scampered around a small rocky butte just to the right of the gravel path giving him a clear view of the explosives and for

  when their company arrives. The c-4 blocks are beige in color and blend in well

  with the multi colored rocks that inhabit the terrain. Billy number two pulled out

  his nine millimeter and used the rocky terrain to brace him self for a clean shot.

  Captain number two had placed the other two c-4 blocks similar to how his counterpart placed his. One in the middle of the path and one about ten yards farther away on the right side of the path. The Captain imposter hid behind a large boulder in between the two explosive blocks. He had a clear view of both c-

  4 blocks. Sheriff number two was using the Buick as a brace for his shot at one of

  the blocks. It didn’t matter who shot one of the blocks, they just agreed to make

  sure that the vehicle was close enough to blown to bits.

  Dumar had just crested the hill and carefully maneuvered his way around a couple of large boulders and started to head downhill. This is much better, he thought, the dust cloud had cleared up so he should be able to catch up in no time. But wait, why is there no dust cloud? If they’re still moving there should be debris flying about so he could see them in the distance. The only explanation was, “Shit, they’re hiding”, he spouted.

  He hit the brakes of his Mustang and skidd ed to a halt. He turned to look out the back window and saw nothing which pissed him off. Putting his Mustang in reverse, he slowly backed his way up the curvy path.

  Dumar had no clue he had just straddled a large explosive. Billy number two had taken careful aim and squeezed off a shot just underneath the Mustang. The explosion caused Billy number two to drop down from his perch and cover his head as pieces of Mustang were landing all around him.

  He poked his head out from around the small butte and saw the Sheriff imposter giving him the thumbs up sign. He also saw the fiery remains of what was once a fine classic Mustang. There were no signs of the driver, but he wasn’t overly concerned that the driver was just going to appear out of nowhere. Billy number two was confident that their pursuer had perished.

  Charles had heard the explosion as he was making his way up the hill in his

 
; Ford F150. He slowed down as he approached the top of the hill. He slapped the

  truck into park and got out of it without realizing that his pickup was parked on top of a block of c-4. He pulled out his revolver and kept it by his side as he got to the ridge looking down at the inferno below him.

  Captain number two wasted no time by firing his shotgun, a thirty- thirty that put a hole in Charles back the size of a baseball. He fell and was likely dead before he hit the ground, face first. Imposter Captain started walking around the boulder he was hiding behind as imposter Sheriff climbed up the ravine to meet

  him.

  They both smiled as they headed back down to the Buick, but before they got very far, Sheriff Number two took his gun and aimed at the explosive under the truck. He pulled the trigger and the truck went flying and landed about twenty feet from where it was parked. The F150 was mostly intact but that would soon change as it caught fire quickly.

  “Why did you waste the truck”, Imposter Captain wondered? “Are you kidding

  me, he was blocking the road. A lot of inconsiderate people these days”, As

  Sheriff Number two laughed at his own response as they got back into the Buick

  to head back into town.

  64

  The old Chevy sputtered and wheezed as if it had emphysema but maintained enough speed to keep our hopes up to get us to our destination.

  Once we pass through the bustling metropolis of Downtown Round Mountain, we look for a sign that reads ‘CSL Laboratories’, and set up shop.

  I knew that the Sheriff and Captain had spare uniforms in their bags, but our

  little high jacking is going to look somewhat suspect conducting our business out

  of an old rusted out vehicle. I would need to think on that one and bring it up to

  the Sheriff.

  We approached downtown Round Mountain from what was appropriately named, ‘Dump Road’. We took highway 6 east to highway 376 north and had to go up and around the town since there was no direct way into town from the