“We’re smarter than you,” Duane said, his tone soft. “We’re always a step ahead of you. If you think Chris didn’t have plans for something like this happening, then you’re absolutely wrong. Do you think he called someone to come pick him up today? No, plans are in place for any situation that arises. So even if you catch us off guard, we already know what our next move is. We never have to make a decision on the spot.”
“Well, I’d say I caught you off guard. What was your grand plan for being kidnapped by the Road Runners?”
“You played dirty. You know we have a universal agreement regarding the use of freezing time. You and whoever assisted you—probably that British fuck—will receive your justice for these actions.”
“Drop the shit, Duane. We all know you’re the last people to administer justice—get off your high horse. Chris killed civilians in our hotel—and that’s another universal agreement, so I guess we’re even now.”
“You don’t know shit about our laws or way of life. You’ve barely been in the time travel world for what, two years? If that. Don’t act like you know everything, because you don’t know shit. You’ve been brainwashed by these people to think you’re someone important. You’re just a pawn in their desperate game to save themselves from their demise. There’s a reason the genocide works in the future, and it’s not because you’re all the geniuses you think you are.”
“Big words for a guy handcuffed to a chair. Gerald, unless Duane here has anything to offer us in terms of who else he’d like to have as a roommate, please take him back to the holding cell. I don’t want to see him until it’s time to ship him off to the island.”
“Yes, sir.”
Gerald stood and uncuffed Duane from the chair, leading him out the room without another word. Gerald returned a minute later, shaking his head. “When did you become so callous?”
“What do you mean?” Martin asked, frowning.
“I mean it as a compliment, don’t get me wrong. You were flat out cold-blooded. I’ve known you as a reserved guy, even after winning the election, but that was impressive. You tore him to shreds, and anything he said to you bounced right off.”
“I don’t know what you want me to stay. I genuinely hate the Revolution. I’ve seen what they do to the world and have experienced it myself. I don’t need any more motivation than closing my eyes and picturing what they did to my mom. One hundred percent unforgivable. They can all burn in hell, and I’ll see to it that they do.”
Gerald laughed. “You keep doing your thing. What’s the plan for getting this Mario guy?”
“I received confirmation that he’s in Nevada, not in any particular city, just in the middle of the desert nowhere near any roads. I’m thinking you and I fly in and take him, no need to freeze time or anything if he’s in such a remote location.”
“Don’t you think Chris will be on his way there?”
“We’re keeping an eye to see if arrives there, but I don’t think so. It wouldn’t be wise for him to go to such a remote place. He needs all of the protection he can get right now. I think he’s going to hide out where there is much heavier traffic.”
“And no word on Sonya yet?”
Martin shook his head. “I suppose Chris has a better chance at finding her first, but we have people looking. She could be anywhere—she’s resourceful. I wouldn’t be surprised if she found a way to Europe or Africa to hide. Which, if that’s the case, we’re wasting our time.”
“Nothing is a waste of time if it leads us to Chris. When do you want to leave for Nevada?”
Martin checked his watch, lips pursed as he thought. “Might as well leave now. No point in sitting around. The quicker we can get this done, the quicker we can send a message to Chris.”
“I’ll call the pilot and have him prepare the jet. Meet me in ten minutes to drive over?”
“That works.”
Gerald let himself out of the office, leaving Martin to stare at the wall of past commander portraits, each one with a shit-eating grin on their face.
“You all failed,” Martin said to them. “But I won’t.”
23
Chapter 23
Duane was right; the Revolution had a plan ready for any possibility that might arise. The fall of the mansion in Barrow was no exception, the house equipped with an alarm system that notified critical personnel in case of an attack. Once the alarm tripped, the private jet’s pilot was instructed to get out of Barrow and fly 200 miles east to Prudhoe Bay. A helicopter was stashed five miles south of the mansion where four Revolters lived, their sole purpose to get Chris out of Barrow as quickly as possible should a situation arise. They lived in solidarity, not a single road reaching their home.
When the alarms sounded, they sprang into action, abandoning their house and heading for the collapsed mansion. Within two hours they dropped off Chris in Prudhoe Bay where his jet awaited, and returned to their personal homes in different locations across the country.
As much as he loved it, the mansion wasn’t everything. Chris had half a dozen other properties to work out of, not to mention the hundreds of offices around the continent where Revolters gathered every day.
The true pain in the ass, for this particular circumstance, was the need to find an entirely new crew of soldiers to protect the next property. He would need to call Duane back from Florida—and how he’d hate him for doing so—but these were desperate times. He didn’t fear the Revolution was in any serious danger, but if swift actions weren’t taken, the Road Runners’ next attack could prove costly to their stability.
Teams already lived in each of the properties scattered around the continent, mainly to monitor the area for Road Runner activity. After a conference call with each location, Chris chose the small town of Three Creek, Idaho. Located on the southern border of the state, it remained a remote town with no reported population. An hour drive into Twin Falls was all it took to find grocery stores to stock up on supplies for the house.
Chris had become used to the glory of his own privacy in the mansion, but that would quickly end. While he’d still have his own office and bedroom, the house in Three Creek was a ranch-style home with a basement, equipped to shelter a maximum of ten people.
Unlike Barrow, Three Creek did not have its own airport, leaving Chris to fly into Twin Falls and catch a ride south to his new home. Chris wasn’t concerned about any of these logistics, however. He had people to make sure everything ran smoothly for his arrival. All he cared about was Sonya, and he phoned Thaddeus, who was leading the mission of finding what exactly happened to his missing daughter.
“Tell me you have an update,” Chris said, bemused as he stared out of his jet’s window.
“We have everything you need,” Thaddeus said, a clear smile visible in his voice. “A gentleman by the name of Steve Scott let Sonya know she needed to run.”
“Steve?!” Chris gasped. “My Steve? Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. He told her we were coming and helped her out of the Denver apartment immediately. Sonya asked no questions and went along with it.”
“Goddammit!” Chris punched the arm rest on his lounge chair.
“Calm down, Chris. We know where she is.”
“Already?” he asked, rubbing the side of his hand where he had struck the chair.
“It’s not that difficult to track someone down when they are stuck in the same year. We spotted her driving east and followed her to D.C. She’s living outside the city in a little ramshackle apartment building. We’ve had a car parked outside for the last two days, just watching her routine.”
“Thank God. Does it look like an easy place to break into?”
“One of the easiest. There’s not any sort of security, or even a person who’d give a shit if we went in and pulled her out of the building.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Can your team stay there for a couple more days?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem, but why?”
“Have them stay alert.
I have a hunch the Road Runners are trying to find her. No clue if they’re close, but if so, they’ll send Martin Briar to try and lure her out.”
“The new commander? Why would he risk himself like that?”
“Let’s just say he’s a man who can’t help but follow his heart. If he does show up, you have my blessing to wipe out any and all of the crew traveling with him. Then bring him and Sonya to me. What a little party that would be.”
“And if he doesn’t show up, when can we plan to take her ourselves?”
“I’d like to do it myself, if you don’t mind. If I know my daughter, she’ll put up a fight against you, might even kill some of your people. She can try that with me, but she’ll get nowhere. Whatever you do, don’t kill her. We need her alive.”
“Understood.”
“I need to make another call. I’ll reach out tomorrow,” Chris said, and ended the call, quickly dialing Duane.
He waited as the phone rang and rang. It never went to voicemail, and after a whole minute of no answer, Chris hung up and tossed his phone aside.
“You’re killing me, Duane.”
As if answering a prayer, the cell phone rang, showing Duane’s name on the caller ID. Chris snapped it up and answered. “Don’t you know we’re in a time of crisis, Duane? Do you not check your emails?”
“Hello, Chris. How are you doing?” a familiar voice asked.
“Martin? What are you doing with Duane’s phone?”
“Didn’t Duane tell you? We’re best friends now. I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, and now he’s a proud Road Runner.”
“I call bullshit. Duane would never do that.”
“Then why do I have his phone?”
“You kidnapped him, you son of a bitch. Where is he?”
“I’ve never seen you so angry, simmer down. I’ve also never seen you with black hair. I understand that vinegar and shampoo will get that soot right out and have you looking good as new.”
“Tell me where Duane is—I need him.”
“What’s the matter, Chris? Afraid you can’t keep going without little ol’ Duane? He told us how you treated him like shit, made him do all the dirty planning for your attacks. And then you tried to refuse to let him spend the final days with his dying mother. Duane hopes you burn in hell.”
“You cocksucking LIAR!” Chris shrieked.
Martin laughed into the phone. “I won’t lie, I love seeing you like this.”
“I’ll have you know that we will find Duane and then remove you from this planet.”
“That’s big talk for a guy with nowhere to live.”
Chris smiled, reeling in his emotions, understanding how his anger might show as weakness to Martin on the other end of the phone. “Marty, my apologies. I’m sure you can appreciate that I’m upset. Is there perhaps something we can negotiate for Duane’s release?”
“No.”
“I can offer you Sonya.”
“You don’t have Sonya.”
“Ahhh, that is correct, but I do know where she is. And I have a team just waiting for her to step outside.”
“Even if that’s true, you wouldn’t give us Sonya. We’ll just kill her. You might as well sign your own death certificate.”
“Has being commander changed you that much, Marty? I thought you loved Sonya. Why on Earth would you allow her to be killed?”
“I wouldn’t, but there are too many people here who would. I can only do so much.”
“But you’re the leader. Do you not have the respect of your followers?”
“I have more respect than you’d ever know. People fear you, but they don’t respect you.”
“I suppose that’s a fine line, wouldn’t you say?”
“I’d say you’re a murderous dictator, and I’m someone trying to cleanse the world of you.”
Chris howled with laughter. “There he is, I knew the old Martin was still alive in there. It’s a shame we had to meet at this particular moment in time. I do believe you and I could have made a great team under different circumstances.”
“Tell me where Sonya is. She doesn’t deserve to live as a prisoner with you.”
“Prisoner? She’s my daughter. She’ll have a fabulous life without ever having another worry. Certainly won’t have to look over her shoulder to make sure you Road Runners aren’t hunting her down. Imagine a life of peace for the woman you love.”
“Peace doesn’t exist with you around. You’re a magnet for chaos and death.”
Chris giggled like a child. “I’ll be sure to put that on my gravestone. I see I’m getting nowhere in this conversation, Marty. Unless you’re going to make an offer to release Duane, then we have nothing further to discuss. I need to get back to work on how to send the knockout blow to your pathetic organization.”
Chris hung up the phone without giving Martin the chance to respond. Anger boiled within, but he would find Duane and free him. And soon enough he’d have Sonya back by his side, and the world would be right again. The jet started its descent into Twin Falls, and Chris reclined to try and relax before heading to his new home.
24
Chapter 24
Martin had brought Duane’s cell phone with him on the plane ride to Nevada, knowing Chris would attempt to reach out to his most trusted confidant. He enjoyed listening to Chris lose his mind at the onset of the call, but the fun ended once Chris grew serious. It was only a matter of time before Chris retaliated, and Martin needed to counter with urgency of his own.
Gerald joined him on the jet, taking a much-needed nap during their ninety-minute flight, but Martin was wide awake, and would have been even if Chris never called. There were too many possibilities brewing in his mind for a nap. He issued a call for more security at the Denver office now that they were hosting a prominent Revolter, hopeful for a second on their return flight home.
If Chris really knew where Sonya was, he’d have to go into 2064 to get her. Martin called for more eyes in that particular year, sending all available agents to keep an eye out for Sonya without entering the big cities and risking their lives.
Two weeks into the role of commander, Martin had cultivated a strong understanding of all the resources available to him. He had sent out a request for numerous reports over the weekend, and some started to trickle into his inbox. The one he most looked forward to was from the Road Runners’ historians, outlining their past attacks against the Revolution and how long it typically took for Chris to retaliate. On average it was a week, but Martin wanted to prepare for the worst case scenario of three days, just in case. He believed it might even be a couple of weeks, being that Chris had to adjust to a new lifestyle and find a new circle of soldiers to keep around him.
“Commander Briar,” the pilot announced over the plane’s PA system. “We have a situation—you may want to come take a look.”
The crackled voice through the speakers woke Gerald, slow blinking as he cleared the fog out his head. Martin didn’t wait for him and entered the cockpit.
“What’s wrong?”
“Our destination has just come into view,” the pilot said, raising a finger out the windshield. Martin looked, but had no idea at what. He saw the vast desert, its solid sandy color stretching as far as they could see. “Use these and point them to that small blob.”
Martin saw now that it had been pointed out, and grabbed the pair of heavy-duty binoculars the pilot handed over. They were perhaps one hundred miles away, but these binoculars showed a clear view of the Wealth of Time store. The nostalgia of seeing that building made Martin dizzy to the point of swaying off-balance.
Parked outside of the store were six different cars, all of them black.
“Mario is not alone at that store,” the pilot said.
“Impossible. We had scouts check out the area last week. They said three days passed without a single person stopping at the store. There aren’t even any roads that lead there—I don’t understand.”
“Then it has to be Revolters,” Gera
ld said from behind, his massive frame filling the entire doorway to the cockpit. He ducked his head and stepped all the way in. “If no one else can reach it, then they have to be people who know about it. Chris probably called for reinforcements at all of his properties as soon as we blew up the mansion. He has the resources to make that sort of call. I’m actually surprised there’s only a few cars there and not a whole army.”
“What are we supposed to do?” Martin asked. “Go home?”
“That’s the safest bet,” Gerald said, scrunching his face. “I can’t think of any nearby locations we could pull Road Runners from to help us. The closest is Reno, and that’s a three-hour drive.”
“These jets don’t come with any guns on them?” Martin asked.
“I’m afraid not,” the pilot said. “They are built to absorb any potential hits, but that’s it. If we were the size of a commercial airliner, we could probably land and I’d just run the building over. But it looks a little too big for this jet to do something like that.”
Martin sighed. “Why don’t we have an air force?”
Gerald chuckled. “Because the real Air Force would just shoot us down. We already have a hell of a time getting flights approved by air traffic controllers, but we’ve been able to get some of our own into that department. I’ve heard in the 90’s you’d have to wait six hours or so for clearance to hop in the jet and takeoff. There’s a reason we keep our attacks at ground level—nobody’s trying to get locked up in the American justice system. That puts all of us at risk if our secret was to leak, and would make things too complicated. We have to fly under radar and be crafty.”
“That all makes sense. Goddammit, turn the plane around. I can’t believe this is happening.”
“That’s the right call, Martin,” Gerald said. “If it were even a couple people, I’d say let’s just show up and kick ass. But that many cars in the lot? There could be up to twenty of them inside. We’d have no chance.”
Zero Hour (Wealth of Time Series, Book 5) Page 15