Frozen World (Book 2): Silo [Hope's Return]

by Falconer, Jay J.

  Most of the crowd did the same with their arms and hands, answering back tenfold. “Long live Nirvana!”

  CHAPTER 32

  Rod Zimmer pushed the door open to the locker room with a jam of his forearm, then walked the middle aisle, taking him past two guards who were bent over, lacing their combat boots on a raised bench. “Where’s your boss?”

  The larger of the two craned his neck to look up as he pointed to the right, aiming his finger at the door leading to the armory. “In there. But you might want to wait until she’s done.”

  “This can’t wait,” Zimmer said, his arms pumping to match the speed of his walk. He plowed through the second door, using the same stab maneuver he’d used on the first.

  “There you are,” he said when Krista’s face came into view. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Well, you found me,” she said, putting a pistol on the staging rack and grabbing the one next to it.

  “What the hell is going on? Why wasn’t I told?”

  “About what?” she said, pressing the magazine release button, then racking the slide. It locked open. She checked the contents of the chamber, then freed the slide before putting the magazine back into the weapon and slotting it in the rack.

  “About this new Triad Council—”

  “—Ruling Triad.”

  “Okay, Ruling Triad, or whatever the hell you three are calling it.”

  She shrugged. “Your consult wasn’t needed, Rod.”

  “You can’t do an end run like that. I’m a member of The Committee, in case you’ve forgotten. All major decisions require a vote. In other words, they must go through me.”

  “Not anymore. That’s been disbanded.”

  Zimmer sucked in a lip, holding back what he really wanted to say. “You can’t do that, Krista.”

  “Well, we just did. What’s done is done.”

  Zimmer wasn’t sure how to respond, her words and her tone taking him by surprise.

  Krista continued inspecting pistols, looking more interested in her routine weapons check than in dealing with the heat in his words. She pinched her brow, never taking her eyes from the gun in her hand. “Nirvana needed a new direction, Rod. Something to galvanize the citizens and serve as a distraction with all that’s happened. So we girls got together and decided to make a few changes. For the greater good.”

  Rod snorted a breathy huff. “You know, history is full of power-hungry dictators making changes that were supposed to be for the greater good. Like Germany of the 1940s. And we all know how well that worked out—for the greater good.”

  “All we did was form a new ruling team. That’s all. Nothing sinister, I promise you.”

  “No, what you did was choose Summer over me.”

  “Relax, Rod. You’re completely misreading the situation. Nothing is going to change. I simply convinced Liz that it would be better if we grabbed some of the power from Summer while we could. You know, all in the name of showing a softer side with a woman-led team.”

  “Yeah, I get that part. I was there for the announcement, remember.”

  “Once she and I explained to Summer that a three-headed approach would help alleviate some of the anxiety in the ranks, the girl agreed. She’s not exactly the most confident leader right now. I had to move while I could.”

  “And you just tossed me aside in the process? I thought you and I were partners.”

  “We are. But there’s a new dynamic at play after what happened at the Trading Post. And with Morse’s cancer. Summer is vulnerable right now. I had to do this, before she found her footing. An all-woman council seemed like the easiest way to work myself inside.”

  “So where does that leave me?”

  “Your job hasn’t changed, except you’ll be reporting directly to me.”

  “That’s unacceptable. I demand to be heard.”

  “By whom? All that’s left of the Committee is Liz and me. And now Summer.”

  “That little snot—” Zimmer said.

  “This keeps me close to her and in the loop. Isn’t that what you wanted? For me to keep her in line?

  “Yes, but—”

  “This is the most effective way, Rod. Whatever you need can go through me. I’ll take care of it. She’ll be none the wiser.”

  He paced the room, walking from one end to the other and back again, turning every five steps.

  Krista stopped him with an arm grab. “Don’t make a big stink about it. Otherwise, all the groundwork I’m laying will be for nothing. I know what I’m doing.”

  Zimmer appreciated her candor and her softer tone, both working to calm the fire inside him. “You better be right about this.”

  “I am, trust me. This is how it needs to be. We stay close and lead from within. Right now, I’m in her circle of trust and I plan to stay there.”

  “Which is a good thing.”

  “She’s constantly asking for my advice, so this seemed like the right move at the right time, Krista said. “As long as she thinks I’m on her side and have her back, I’ll be able to control things. Isn’t that exactly what you wanted?”

  “Actually, what I wanted was for you to be in charge. We talked about that.”

  “That was before Edison’s dying wish. Don’t forget the Rules of Succession, Rod. What’s done is done. If I don’t follow the rules, someone will notice. Now is not the time to start breaking traditions.”

  “I still don’t like this one bit. Especially with Liz involved. She’s just another one of Edison’s clones, all kumbaya and hugs. You know how that’ll play out.”

  “Don’t worry about Liz. I can handle her, too. Her mind is in a million places right now, with Stuart’s death and all. They were more than friends, in case you didn’t know. That, too, makes her pliable. This is our shot, Rod. Right here and right now. I had to take it.”

  Zimmer nodded, but held his tongue.

  Krista let go of his arm. “You need to take a breath and let this go. I’ll work our agenda from the inside. Then we’ll reposition as we go. It’s the only way to get where we want to be.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you run with this and see how it goes.”

  “Don’t forget, Summer will be busy learning her new job and trying to deal with the aftermath of Edison’s death. You’ll be free to work your magic while nobody is looking. There’s real value in that.”

  “True,” Zimmer said, pausing while the scenario played out in his head. “But let me make one thing perfectly clear. If I sense, even for a second, that this is spinning out of control, I’m going to take that little shit out. And I don’t want you standing in the way when I do.”

  “I understand. In fact, if my plan doesn’t work, I’ll hand you the gun and step aside.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll be watching.”

  * * *

  Krista walked into the cafeteria, taking a hard right toward the table in the back, where she saw Summer sitting with Nick Simms—aka Simmer.

  When Krista arrived, Summer brought her head up. “There you are.”

  “You wanted to see me?”

  Summer pointed at the nice-looking blonde kid. “You remember Nick.”

  Krista nodded at him. “Yeah, one of my new guys.”

  “Not any more. I’ve just promoted him to administrative assistant. We need to start cross-training.”

  “Cross-training?”

  “You know, in case something happens to me.”

  “Ah, well, I’m not sure he’s the best choice,” Krista said, turning her eyes to the boy. “No offense.”

  Simms shrugged. “None taken. I was shocked, too.”

  Summer continued, “Like you and Liz said, we need an entirely new direction with Edison and Morse gone. I thought it would be good to start with a cross-training program, where everyone mentors an assistant to take over in case something happens to them. You never know with what’s going on out there. Or in here, for that matter.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Krista said, wondering how this greenh
orn leader came up with such a plan. Perhaps it was Simms, batting his pretty blue eyes at her and working himself a new job. “Just curious, Summer, how did you come up with this?”

  “Read it in one of my books. Something about prepping for the worst-case scenario. As in total government collapse.”

  “I might have to read this book.”

  “That would be a little tough to do. It’s in a secret library on Frost’s side of the line.”

  Krista took the girl’s words in and let them percolate for a few beats. That was when her mind latched onto a new revelation. “So that’s where you went all those times.”

  “Yes. My little home away from home.”

  “Did this book suggest anything else?”

  “Yeah, lots of stuff. But I think we should start with this first, until we deal with that other thing.”

  “What other thing?” Krista asked, her mind conjuring a list of items needing their attention.

  “The EOD thing in Morse’s lab.”

  “Right. Right,” Krista said. “In fact, that’s what I thought you wanted to speak to me about.”

  “I do, but first, I want you to start training a new assistant, too. Do you have anyone in mind?”

  Krista held for a few beats, searching the names on her list of guards. “Wicks is the obvious choice.”

  “The Neanderthal?”

  “He’s the most senior.”

  “A bit of a ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ type, don’t you think?”

  “On the surface, yes. But I can work with him.”

  “I don’t know about that one.”

  “Is it my choice as a member of the new Ruling Triad, or are you making all the decisions now?”

  Summer hesitated, bringing her eyes to Simms.

  The kid shrugged, then nodded.

  Summer did as well before focusing her eyes on Krista once again. “It’s your choice.”

  “Then he’s my pick.”

  “Okay then, it’s settled. We go with Wicks—for now. But he really needs to think before he acts. I don’t want any more situations like what happened with me and him.”

  “No offense, boss, but some of that was you, too. Not just Wicks.”

  “I admit I played my part in it. That’s why I’m letting you choose him. A second chance type thing.”

  Krista held back a roll of her eyes after the comment about Summer letting her choose. “I appreciate the support, boss.”

  Summer looked at Simms. “Why don’t you go check on the dog for me? Take him for a walk to get his legs moving. Otherwise, he won’t get stronger. I need to speak to Krista for a moment. In private.”

  Simms stood from his chair. “All right, later.”

  When he left the room, Krista took his seat. “Walk the dog? That’s your idea of cross-training?”

  “He’s got to start somewhere,” Summer said, her face flushing red.

  “I’ll admit, he’s damn cute. I can see why you chose him.”

  “That’s not it at all,” Summer shot back.

  “Well, it’s not up to me. He’s your assistant,” Krista replied, pausing. “But we do need to deal with that other thing.”

  “What do you think about Lipton?”

  “He seems capable.”

  “I guess it’s time to find out if he’s as good as he says he is.”

  “If not, then we’re screwed.”

  Summer smiled, looking proud of herself. “Good thing we didn’t leave them out there, back on that road.”

  “Roger that,” Krista said, wishing she didn’t have to agree, but she couldn’t deny it. “Sometimes we get lucky, even if the decision is tactically wrong.”

  “Nothing wrong with a little good luck now and then.”

  “No, there’s not. But the problem with relying on luck is that the luck always runs out, eventually.”

  “Then we’d better make this one count.”

  CHAPTER 33

  Nathan Wicks escorted Doc Lipton into what used to be Morse’s lab with Krista leading the way, while their new boss, Summer, brought up the rear.

  There was a strong vibe in the room, one Wicks could only describe as impending doom. The hairs on the back of his neck sprang to attention, putting his situational awareness skills on high alert. He could feel Summer’s eyes focused on him from behind. It was almost as if her thoughts had tunneled a hole into his skull, burrowing their way to the center of his brain.

  He couldn’t shake the sensation, wondering if she would soon take revenge for what happened earlier in the brig, when he’d gotten rough with her. Perhaps she had already taken out a blade and was about to jam it into the back of his neck.

  Wicks spun his head, peering back at Summer.

  “Something wrong?” she asked after a casual smile.

  Wicks stuttered through a few mumbles, trying to corral the words on his tongue. “Well, uh, no ma’am. Just making sure you’re okay back there.”

  “All good here. Thanks for the concern. Just keep an eye on Lipton.”

  Wicks brought his eyes forward, pretending to study the body language of the prisoner. Even though the sense of peril still lingered across his skin, he decided to let it go and trust that Summer was not trying to gut him.

  Summer moved ahead and took the lead from Krista as the group neared the worktable in the lab. Krista took a position next to her, the pair bracketing the radio in the middle.

  Summer held out a hand, pointing to the device. “Here it is, Doc. Same place as before.”

  Lipton came forward and activated the power switch on the radio. The unit roared to life, its cooling fan whirling and lights flashing.

  After the speaker crackled with static, Lipton took what looked like a measured path around the back side of the table, stopping at the rear of the transmitter. He remained there for at least ten seconds, his eyes scanning the back of the case before he continued on, stopping again at the cardboard box holding a stack of electronic parts.

  Krista was the closest to the man, leaning in and holding her gaze as his hands went into the fray and sifted around.

  Lipton pulled out a green-colored circuit board with a smattering of raised parts across its surface—most of them black. Wicks wasn’t familiar with them, each about three times the size of the normal diodes and capacitors he’d expected to see.

  Wicks took a step forward to better observe the box and its contents. The other boards didn’t appear to have the same distinctive look as the one Lipton grabbed, making him think the sheer oddity of its components was the reason Lipton had selected it.

  Lipton held the board up. “I saw this earlier. Apparently, your man didn’t.”

  “What is it?” Summer asked.

  “The answer to the problem.”

  “How could you possibly know that?” Krista asked, her eyes burning with intensity. “You barely even checked out the radio.”

  “First things first,” Lipton said, holding out his empty palm. “Where’s the mic?”

  “I’ll get it,” Summer said, turning and cruising to the desk parked along the back wall. She opened a drawer and pulled out a microphone and its cord before returning in a flash. “Here, but it’s not going to work.”

  Lipton plugged its adapter into the port on the device, then played with several of the dials and switches, as if he were searching for something. He brought the microphone up to his mouth and pressed the transmit button. “Mayday. Mayday. This is Doc Lipton. I’m being held prisoner—”

  Krista shot forward and ripped the mic from his hand. “I knew you’d try something like that.”

  “Relax, Ms. All-balls. It was only a joke. Nothing was ever going to be transmitted,” Lipton said, putting the circuit board down on the table. He sat in the chair and peered up at her, as if he were about to deliver a joke.

  Krista looked at Summer, her eyes holding tight. “Maybe we should rethink this idea, boss?”

  Summer shook her head, pushing her lips together into a tight line
before she spoke. “Don’t really have a choice, now do we?”

  “Like I said, you people need to chill,” Lipton added. “And loosen up a bit. It was a joke. As in levity.”

  Silence hung in the air until Lipton spoke again, this time changing his tone and his accent, sounding as though he had been raised in a backwoods town somewhere in the Deep South. “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”

  “Cool Hand Luke,” Wicks said, recognizing the catchphrase.

  “Precisely, my giant friend,” Lipton quipped, looking smug.

  “What does that old movie have to do with any of this?” Krista asked.

  “Not a damn thing. Just trying to lighten the mood. You people are simply wound much too tight to think straight.”

  “Okay then, explain it to us,” Summer said. “You seem to know everything.”

  Lipton pointed at the radio. “Simple reasoning, my little squirrel. First, your man Morse was somewhat capable, though a little sloppy with his math, as I mentioned earlier. Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that he had tested the power supply, the base circuitry, and the components responsible for transmitting before hitting a roadblock. Those are the normal steps when first performing a diagnosis on a non-functioning electronic device.”

  “Okay, I get that,” Summer said. “Sort of.”

  Lipton pointed to the box in front of Krista. “It also means he assembled those parts thinking he might need them at some point, whether now or in the fut—”

  “Actually, I collected them,” Summer said.

  “Interesting,” Lipton replied, holding his tongue for a long pause. “Regardless, one can further deduce that those parts are loosely related to this device, otherwise he would not have saved them when space in this silo is at a premium. Now factor in their close proximity to the radio and it means they are specifically designed for this unit, having been vetted through whatever research was available to him. Otherwise, they’d be on a shelf somewhere, collecting dust.”

  “Okay, I get that,” Summer said.

  “Therefore, there’s a good chance they hold the missing solution, given the quantity of parts and their apparent condition. Excellent, I might add.”