by Liscom, Sean
“Mr. Mayor, now that you have had a few hours to review our agreement, may I assume you are still onboard with helping me out?” Braden asked.
“Yes..... Of course, sir.” Jim stammered.
“That's great news. I realize that the hour is late and there is not much you can do tonight. I'll let you gentlemen get some rest, in your own beds, and we can get a fresh start in the morning. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, I just have one question.”
“I'm sure you will have a lot of questions, Mayor,” he chuckled. “What can I help you with?”
“Are you sure this is going to work?”
“I'm quite positive of it, Mayor. The heavy handed tactics that Ray Judge liked to use were very unproductive. I'm of the school of thought that says we need to coexist. Unfortunately, not everyone is from that same school,” he paused to look at Pete's body. “Pete, for example, was
incapable of making change in his life. Sad, really. All he had to do was get along with everyone,” Braden looked at the other enforcers. “You fellas aren't going to have any problems helping the Mayor and his team, are you?”
“No, sir. We're all for this merger, as you called it. It will be very beneficial for everyone,” one of the enforcers answered. The other two nodded emphatically.
“You see, Mayor. This is so much better than being at each other’s throats. The city is yours again, you are in charge. These three men will be your go-to people for whatever you need. Per our earlier discussion, I expect you to take responsibility for the security of your city. I also expect you to get your people back to work tending the crops and the herds. That's your end of the bargain. My enforcers will abide by your decisions so long as they are in line with my objectives. Are we still clear on this agreement?” Braden asked Mayor Calvert.
“Yes, we're clear on the agreement.”
“Good. The only thing that I want done before I leave tonight is to have all of the armored vehicles moved to the secure parking area behind this building. I'll have my men stay behind to man the radio in this office and provide security for the armor. Sometime tomorrow, that responsibility will fall on you, Sheriff. Can you handle that?”
“Yes, we can handle that,” Darren replied.
“Well, there you have it gentlemen. This wasn't nearly as hard as Ray made it out to be. I'll check back in with all of you sometime this afternoon to see what progress you've made. Until then, I'd like to remind you of the consequences if we cannot make this work,” Braden again looked at Pete's body.
Friday, August 18th, 2017
Southern Nevada.
After the small convoy rolled out of sight and we could no longer hear them, we cautiously made our way back to the motorcycle. The only light in the area was the burning truck and it caused the shadows all around us to dance with a life of their own. The whole situation was eerie.
“Who the hell was that? Ray's men?” Melissa asked.
“If that were Ray's men, we'd be in the middle of a gunfight. I think it was the Ghost Crew that Major Jackson has been after. I think they beat us here and killed all of Ray's men,” I answered.
“If that's the case, we're on the same side. Why didn't they stop and give us a ride?”
“I don't know. If I had to guess, they want to remain anonymous. I really want to know if they were watching us the entire time we've
been here,” I said, throwing my leg over the Harley again. Melissa didn't say anything. She just got on the bike behind me. I started it up and pulled out to the main road and turned north again. The convoy had gone south. According to the gas gauge, we were going to be on foot again before we reached our next stop.
Duckwater was about 65 miles due north of our current position, the bike might get us halfway there. It was imperative that we keep moving now. We had destroyed two Ray's communications relays and taken out one of his patrols. It wouldn't be hard for anyone to figure out which direction we were heading. As much as I wanted to get home, I was going to have to change up what we were doing.
I'd been thinking about it for a while now and the only plan that I could come up with would be a gamble at best. I knew that Melissa wouldn't like it but I didn't really see any other choice. Duckwater had been friendly before and I was really hoping they still would be. There was only one way to find out.
Friday, August 18th, 2017
The ranch.
“Jill..... Jill, wake up,” her father, Bill, urged. She was sound asleep on the downstairs couch in her house. “Jill!” he said louder, shaking her foot.
She finally stirred.
“Yeah, what's the matter?” she asked groggily.
“A patrol of Ray's has failed to check in and another relay station has gone off the air.”
“Where?” she asked, trying to shake off the cobwebs.
“The patrol went to Rachel, Nevada and never checked in. They have been trying to raise them for a few hours now with no luck. The relay station was located at or near Adaven,” Bill replied.
“Where are those places in relation to the last relay station that went offline?”
“Damn near due north.”
“What's north of Adaven?” she asked.
“Duckwater.”
“How far between the two?”
“As the crow flies, about 60 miles.”
“As soon as we can get some wheels, that's where Dan and I will head first. Hopefully we can catch them there.”
“Jill, you can’t be positive that it’s Jason and Melissa. There could be any number of explanations for what’s happening,” Bill said quietly.
“You’ve said it a million times, dad. You don’t believe in coincidences and neither do I. I have to tell myself they are still alive and trying to get back here. I have to try and find them,” she
said as she pushed herself up off the couch. “I refuse to believe they are dead.”
“I get it, Jill, but all we have to go on is secondhand information, at best and there are some strange things happening down that way right now.”
“What’s the word from Elko?” Jill asked, ignoring her father and walking toward the kitchen.
“Too early to tell. Braden hasn’t come back yet. If everything goes according to plan, he should be back here in the next hour or two.”
“Okay, as soon as he gets back, Dan and I are going to ride into town and get a vehicle,” she said.
“You may have a problem with that,” Bill said.
“What problem?”
“Our fuel tanks are empty, they were completely drained by Ray’s men. The only thing we have left is propane.”
“Then we will get gas in Elko.”
“My guess is they took all of their fuel too. I was talking to that guy, Don, while you were sleeping. He told me they were taking every drop of fuel they could find and leaving behind any vehicle that they couldn’t find fuel for. That jives with the two empty Stryker’s sitting in our parking lot.”
“DAMMIT!” Jill blurted out. “Fine! We’ll be
leaving as soon as humanly possible on horseback then. Find Dan and tell him to get his shit together and be ready to leave when Braden gets back!” she snapped.
Bill stared at his daughter for a moment. He knew how head-strong she could be and trying to argue with her would be like trying to argue with a brick wall. She got herself a glass of water and downed it like a shot of whiskey. Slamming the empty glass on the counter, she pushed her way past her father and headed downstairs, into the underground, to get her gear.
Saturday, August 19th, 2017
Southern Nevada.
My initial planning told me that we would make it another 30 or so miles on the gas that
was left in the Harley. I was way off. The road that took us up and over the top of the mountain range was akin to a Jeep trail, if not a little worse. We’d made it about 15 miles in two hours before the big street bike gave up the fight.
On foot again, we followed the road until we dropped down into the vall
ey. The sun was just beginning to crest the ridge to our east, bringing the heat with it. While we still held the high ground, we stopped and spent a half hour watching the valley below us. There was a huge
dry lake bed that we needed to cross with
highway 6 on the other side of it. Near the edge of the massive playa, we spotted two areas with trees growing.
These weren’t the indigenous Pinyon-Juniper trees but looked to be big oak or elm trees. It wasn’t that odd to see them in the middle of the desert. They were normally indicative of water and ranch houses. We didn’t see any signs of life from our vantage point but we were still a few miles away.
Even with what lie ahead of us and the heat of the day fast approaching, we elected to keep moving. After everything that had transpired in the last couple of days, Ray’s men were sure to pick up our trail. The farther we could get from Adaven, the better.
Melissa and I were once again silent as we concentrated on the task of moving forward. It seemed like wasted energy to try and carry on a conversation. We took turns shouldering the backpack that had our supplies in it and we kept putting one foot in front of the other.
The silence between us gave my mind time to work. First, I was playing out how Melissa was going to react when I told her we would be parting ways after Duckwater. It was there that our missions would become different in nature. If I could get the supplies I needed, she would leave me behind and head for the ranch. I would be turning back toward the south-east.
I wanted to draw any tail that we might have picked up in the wrong direction and let her make a clean escape. The second part of that is that I wanted to take out another communications relay. The more that I could cripple their communications with their northern units, the better the chances for the ranch and Elko. I’d already made up my mind that this was going to happen.
The other thing that was running through my head was the sighting of the Ghost Crew. Who were they? Could it be some crack military team that was out doing the same basic thing that we had been doing? Eliminating enemy targets of opportunity? Could be I guess but that
doesn’t explain why they drove right past Melissa and I last night.
Driving blacked out like they were could only mean that they were using night vision and by all rights, they should have seen the two of us. Unless….. Maybe the light from the fire actually camouflaged us from their view. That was a strong possibility. It still made me wonder if we hadn’t interrupted their attack on the relay though. If we had, they would have known we were there. It was driving me nuts trying to figure out exactly what happened.
There was one more thing on my mind and I was trying desperately to stay away from that subject. Jill. It was absolutely killing me being out
of communication with her. Had she used the advantage I gave her by having Melissa take her place? I knew that given a half of a chance, she could use her cunning personality and quick wit to seize any opportunity, but had she?
Just thinking about her made me begin to doubt my plan to leave Melissa and carry on with my mission. I knew I couldn’t let that happen. As much as I wanted to go home and see her, I couldn’t. It was torture of the worst kind.
CHAPTER 24
Saturday, August 19th, 2017
The ranch.
Braden had gotten back to the ranch a little after three in the morning and debriefed Jill, Bill, and Dan Hawkins on what was happening in Elko. He told them that Mayor Calvert was back in control and that as far as he knew, he would stay that way. All of Ray’s conscripted soldiers followed their orders to the letter and the enforcers weren’t going to be a problem.
His briefing ended at 3:30am and by 3:45, Jill and Dan were on horseback, headed south from the ranch. The two of them were silent until just after the sun came up. Dan let her lead the way and he followed a couple of lengths behind her. Just after sunup, he caught up and rode beside her.
“You mind filling me in on your plan?” he asked. She looked over at him and gave him a half smile.
“You mean that you’re following me and you have no clue what the plan is?” she asked.
“He’s my friend and she was one of my students, Jill. I’d follow you blindly if it meant getting both of them back. You should know that.”
“I do know that,” she shifted in her saddle a
little. “Well, there has been some strange goings on that started north of the ambush site in Amargosa. A comm’s relay went silent, then a patrol didn’t check in when they went to Rachel, then another comm’s relay went dark up in Adaven. All three of those sites are due north of Amargosa. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence. The little town of Duckwater would be the next logical step if it really is them trying to get home,” she explained.
“So, we’re going to Duckwater?” he asked.
“I think it’s the best place to start.”
“What if they haven’t seen them?”
“Then we will continue south and visit the places that have gone dark. Hopefully we will find a clue or two along the way.”
“Okay,” he said thoughtfully. “We should be there Monday night or Tuesday morning. If they are moving as you suspect, we will need to keep our eyes peeled. I know Jason and he won’t stick to the main roads. More than likely, he’ll go cross country.”
“I know. I’m just hoping that we can get to Duckwater about the same time that they do and I’m praying we don’t miss them somewhere along the way,” she replied.
Saturday, August 19th, 2017
Southern Nevada.
After walking all day, we finally made it to the other side of the dry lake bed and across highway 6. Melissa and I were both exhausted from the trek and the heat. There was no breeze to offer any relief either. Combine that with nearly being out of water and it had been a really long day.
Instead of shadowing the highway, we continued on a straight path for Duckwater. Our hope was to make it at least a part of the way up the mountain range before full nightfall. If we could get a decent nights rest, we should make it to the tiny town late the next afternoon. With a little more luck, we could find some drinkable water along the way. It wasn’t looking good though.
A little after 9pm, Melissa and I stopped walking and sat down where we stood. Exhaustion had finally won out. Since it was my turn to carry the backpack, I opened it and pulled out two cans of food. With no labels, it was impossible to tell what they contained.
“Which one do you want?” I asked as I held them up. She pointed to the one on the left and I handed it over. Both cans were the pop top kind and when I opened mine, the joke about dog
food that I made to Monica Danville came back to haunt me. That’s exactly what it was.
By the look on Melissa’s face, she’d gotten the same thing. It didn’t seem to faze her though,
she stuck her fingers in the can, pulled some out and put it in her mouth. I was so hungry that I didn’t care either. Both of us cleaned the cans out and we were still hungry. After washing it down with a sip of water, both of us stretched out on our backs.
“Pizza,” Melissa said.
“What?”
“I miss pizza the most. Nothing fancy, just a good ole pepperoni and cheese pizza.”
“Well, when we get home, I’ll ask Megan if she could make something like that,” I replied.
“Hmmmm, that would be nice,” she said ruefully. “I saw you limping today. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just overdoing it on the leg,” I said.
“If you need me to take the pack and some of your gear, I can handle it.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. Listen though,” I sat back up and looked in her direction. “After Duckwater, we’re going to be altering our plan a little.”
“Oh?”
“My hope is that we can get some transportation and some supplies. If we can, I’m going to send you north, to the ranch,” this caused her to sit up also.
“What? Where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m
going to head back south, probably Caliente and then on to Vegas.”
“You’re not going without me!” she
protested.
“Yes, Melissa, I am. I need you to get back to the ranch and see who’s in control. If Ray’s men are still in charge, keep going north. You’ll find help up in Idaho.”
“No way! I’m not leaving you behind!”
“You will! If we are back in control of the ranch, I need you to tell them about the upcoming attack that Wesson has planned in Vegas. I need you to muster up the cavalry and send them in my direction. This is going to be the one shot that we get at taking out Adolpha,” I told her.
“Why can’t you come? Why are you heading down there alone?” she questioned.
“I need to do some recon. If the cavalry is coming, I don’t need them rushing in there blind. If I can get there a day or two ahead of them, I can put together a strategy.”
“Then send me! I can do the scouting and you can go back to the ranch,” she plead. I let out a sigh.
“No, Melissa. I need you to head north. It’s nothing personal but this is just one of those things that I have to do myself. I can’t trust it to anyone else.”
“But, Jason….” she started.
“There is no but about this, Melissa.”
“Why though?”
“I’m the guy in charge. If, somehow, we
manage to pull this off then you guys get to be the heroes who freed all of the prisoners and beat back Adolpha and her reign of terror. If it fails, then the blame falls squarely on my shoulders. As a leader, that’s how it works. I cannot and will not ask anyone else to take on that responsibility.”
“There’s time though. Both of us can go to the ranch and get help. Then we can take a forward scout party down to Vegas,” she tried to reason.
“One thing I’ve discovered, Melissa. There is never enough time. Not before the EMP and not now,” I said. She pondered this for a moment before speaking again.