“The stuff doesn’t matter, Brian.” Hal said. “There’s plenty of places around here we can move into. Losing my brother though… that one’s gunna take some time. At least we still have Liv.”
“Thank goodness for that.” Nora added. “Thank you for keeping our baby safe, guys. Losing her too… it would have been too much to take.”
“I’m sorry I had to bring her, guys, but I needed her help to find your friend.” Stu said. “I tried to keep her out of it, but…”
“…Yeah, we know, Stu.” Hal said, knowing exactly what he was going to say. “She’s her mother’s daughter.”
“Good luck talking her out of anything.” Nora said. “I’m happy that she’s here with us now at least.”
“I assume you got Rob’s note.” Hal then said, surprising them both.
“You knew about the note?” Stu asked. “I assumed the two of you were at odds about us coming to help. Did I miss something with that ‘Saddleman’ message?”
“Ha! No, sounds like you got it right, Stu.” Hal said.
“When Hal sent that map out to Donny’s place, we had no intention of ever asking for help.” Nora said. “Hal and I just wanted to give our niece a place to escape to if things got really bad.”
“Rob and Liv wanted to fight, though, so the idea for a secret message came to me.” Hal said. “I knew you’d remember our discussion about favourite movies.”
“I did.” Stu said. “If you come after me, you’ll regret it. I might have to give that movie a chance someday.”
“Don’t bother, Stu.” Nora said. “It’s complete garbage.”
“Will you two let me finish?” Hal asked.
“Sorry, dear.” Nora said.
“Once those pricks started beating everyone, I knew we needed help. It wasn’t just a matter of being forced to work for them anymore. Someone was getting pounded on everyday, usually for nothing at all. The three women they were keeping with them in the house were a terrible mess, walking around like damn zombies. The way those men were looking at Nora and the other women, I knew it was only a matter of time before they got bored and came looking for somebody new.
“Unfortunately, my Saddleman message was already on that map out at Donny’s place. There was no way for us to get to it and scratch it out, so we decided to send the list of observations that Rob had been writing down. In hindsight, I suppose we could have added another message to Rob’s list. ‘Ignore Saddleman reference,’ something like that.”
“It wouldn’t have made any difference, Hal.” Stu said. “Our two groups are together and there was no way we could have lived with ourselves knowing that you guys were suffering.”
“In the end, we lost a lot fewer people today.” Nora said. “Mia, that poor woman, overheard them saying that they planned to kill us all.”
“We’ll always appreciate what your group did for us today.” Hal said. “No apologies necessary, fellas.”
“Thank you for saying that, Hal.” Brian said as he emptied another bucket.
“The water level in that tank has stopped falling, Brian.” Hal said. “I think she’s sucked up all she needs. Let’s stoke up the fire while Stu cranks on that pump for another minute. Then we’ll close up and go see how our friend’s surgery is going.”
As they began walking back up to the road, they saw a soldier jogging towards them.
“Sir, Colonel Bennet would like to have a word with you in the command tent.”
“Of course.” Brian replied. “May my friends tag along?”
“The invitation was extended only to you, sir. I’m sorry, but the colonel’s orders were very clear.”
“I understand.” Brian said, raising his eyebrows to Stu.
Brian jogged off with the soldier and left Stu, Hal and Nora to walk the rest of the way on their own. Brian had no idea what Colonel Bennet could possibly want with him, but as he stepped into the tent the answer became obvious.
Shit, they found our guns.
◆◆◆
“Hey… there you are.” Stacey said. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m numb from the neck up… so, pretty much normal.” Corey replied with a weak smile.
“You beat me to it.” Stacey said with a smile of her own.
“Am I in an Army truck?” Corey asked.
“Surgical truck, yeah.” Stacey replied. “Only you would be lucky enough to get hit when there was a team of doctors and a rolling operating room on stand by.”
“Ha. I don’t feel so lucky.” Corey said. “How are you doing, Stace? Your nose looks a little scuffed up there. Did that asshole hit you?”
“No, I beat the crap out of him and then tripped over my own feet on the way to the door.”
“You beat the crap out of that guy? I only caught a glimpse of him, Stace, but he looked pretty big.”
“What can I say? He shouldn’t have turned his back to me.” Stacey said. “If I didn’t lose my karambit, I would have ended him right then and there. I wound up smashing a chair over his stupid head instead.”
“Damn, Stace… remind me to never piss you off.” Corey said with a grin.
Stacey just held up a fist and shook it menacingly at him.
“Hey, babe, is my gear in here somewhere?” Corey asked.
“Yeah, your stuff is in the corner there. The soldiers searched it, but they brought it all back. Colonel Bennet asked me where you got all the Army stuff.”
“Uh-oh.”
“No shit, ‘uh-oh.’ I basically told him the truth, but I can fill you in on the details later. I guess Bennet has a guy here in his unit that’s the brother of one of the dead soldiers in Monroe.”
“Seriously? Is his name Tupp?” Corey asked.
“Yeah, same as the badge you carry around in your pocket.” Stacey replied.
“Damn it… I’ll have to get Bennet to send for him. That guy should know about his brother.” Corey said. “Can you grab my jacket for me, please? I need something out of it.”
“Sure. What are you looking for?” Stacey asked as she picked it up and passed it to him. “Can I get it for you?”
“No, I got it.”
Feeling around the outside of each pocket, Corey felt what he was looking for and carefully placed his hand inside. Then he pulled out something that brought a huge smile to Stacey’s face.
“Oh, come on… Where was it?” Stacey asked.
“It was in the snow over by the dump truck.” Corey replied while he proudly displayed Stacey’s karambit. “I’m really looking forward to learning how to use this thing. It’s gunna look great with my outfit.”
“Do I have to remind you already not to piss me off… Captain?”
Oh for fuck’s sake…
◆◆◆
Brian’s escort immediately began frisking him as a second soldier stood beside his commander with his rifle at the low ready position. In front of Bennet, spread out across a table, laid every firearm that Brian’s people owned.
“Take a seat, Mr. Baker.” Colonel Bennet said from his chair across the table. “As you can see, my soldiers found some rather interesting ‘artifacts’ in the forest. I already have an inkling where the C7 rifles came from, but I have to admit… the M16 and the bag full of dynamite has me at a loss.”
As he sat down in the chair opposite Bennet, Brian studied the table and looked about the room, but Donny’s bag was nowhere in sight.
“It’s not in here with us.” Bennet said. “I insist that my tents remain an explosive free environment. In B.C. several American colleagues of mine were lost when they allowed a mole to bring an explosive into a tent with them.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Colonel.” Brian said. “I also apologize for not telling you about our weapons, but we didn’t want to lose them. They’re the only reason we’re still alive.”
“You’ll forgive me if I ask you a few questions anyway.” Bennet said.
“Of course, Colonel.”
“I’ve been on this mission for
several months now and I’ve encountered some very large groups. Some of them had some serious weapons with them as well, but nothing like the artillery I’m seeing here. You people are by far the most heavily armed group of civilians I’ve come across. You’ve even managed to get your hands on a .50 calibre rifle, for Pete’s sake. Along with the pile you see here and the dynamite outside, there are AR-15s and handguns spread out all over the damn place out there. I’m told some of those trucks have crates full of ammunition in them as well.”
“None of the weapons and ammunition you found inside the resort belong to my people, Colonel.” Brian said. “They all belonged to the gang that took over the place. In fact, this rescue mission has pretty much eaten up the last of our ammunition and we were hoping to claim theirs as our prize.”
“We’ll see about that, Mr. Baker, but the weapons are only the beginning of my concerns. We found something else out there today that has me deeply suspicious about your group’s activities.”
“Please, Colonel, feel free to ask me anything you’d like. You’ll get nothing but complete transparency from me from here on out.”
“Have you been aiding the North Koreans in any way?”
Brian was completely taken aback by the unexpected question. He couldn’t even imagine what would prompt such an inquiry, but he knew that his response better be convincing.
“No sir, absolutely not. We haven’t even seen any North Koreans. We were hoping that they were all taken care of out west. I assure you, Colonel, we’re all Canadian patriots. A few guests of the resort are from the States, but they’re all military families that love their country as well.”
“Well, that’s all fine and good, Mr. Baker, but I’m curious as to how you know about the invasion out west at all?” Bennet then asked. “Where would you get that kind of intel without comms?”
“It wasn’t exactly intel, sir. I had a functioning shortwave radio.” Brian replied. “I was about to tell you about it when the firefight started down by the cabins. We were listening to a live broadcast when your division was flying out there, a radio operator by the name of Zenith… if that name means anything to you.”
“It does not. What else did you learn about my mission?”
“I’ll answer that with a question of my own, Colonel.” Brian replied boldly. “What does the word ‘JADE’ mean to you?”
Bennet’s face turned to stone as he stared silently at Brian.
“I’ve reconsidered, Mr. Baker. I believe I will see your credentials.”
“I understand entirely, sir.” Brian said as he carefully pulled his wallet out and handed it over. “I’d ask you to take note of the ‘ETS3’ and ‘1.4A’ seals in the lower right hand corner of my ID, Colonel.”
Bennet took a good long look at Brian’s shield and ID badge and handed his wallet back. Brian couldn’t tell if Bennet had a look of relief on his face or uncertainty, so Brian decided to help him along.
“As a senior operative with CSIS, I have Enhanced Top Secret, Level 3 clearance on matters of national security. As I’m sure you’re aware, Colonel, that 1.4A seal from the U.S. government gives me a substantial level of clearance from the Americans as well. I realize that you wouldn’t normally receive general officer level briefings, but these are hardly normal times. I believe that you may know what I’m talking about. I would, however, need to be certain of that before proceeding any further.”
“I see.” Bennet said.
“You’ve questioned my loyalty, sir.” Brian continued confidently. “Now I’m telling you that I have no intention of divulging top secret information to you or anyone else without the proper clearance. If you can tell me what JADE is, I can tell you what I know about your mission.”
Colonel Bennet was impressed with Brian’s resolve, but he was still uncertain of what he could share with a civilian authority. He rarely had any dealings with CSIS and his knowledge of their inner workings was extremely limited. After considering his options, he decided to ease into the topic as a test and give Brian as little as possible.
“Alright, Baker, I’ll play along.” Bennet said. “Just know that if I find out you screwed me over, I’ll shoot you and then throw your body in a hole.”
“Understood, Colonel.” Brian said, a little less confidently.
Colonel Bennet stared at Brian as he pulled his pistol from its holster and rested it on the table. He didn’t point it at Brian, but his hands never left the weapon either.
“Turner, Lawson, get out.”
“Aye, sir.” The two corporals said as they hurried out of the tent.
Once they were gone, Bennet started the chess match.
“JADE stands for ‘Joint Air Defense Edict.’ Now you give me something.”
“They would have set up a base of operations in the high north, probably Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.” Brian said, countering with an equally useless piece of information.
Bennet exhaled loudly and added, “JADE is a secret military cooperative between the Royal Canadian Air Force and the U.S. Air Force.”
“Their singular purpose, their only reason for existence, is to neutralize any foreign military that gained a foothold in North America.” Brian said.
“Alright, enough of this back and forth bullshit.” Bennet said. “I’ve got no rhythm, so there’s no sense trying to dance with me, Baker. What the fuck do you know about my mission?”
“Why the fuck did you think I was working for the enemy?” Brian asked in return.
Exasperated, Bennet finally relented and decided to give Brian an explanation for his suspicions.
“We’ve been pursuing a small cell of North Koreans for months.” Bennet said. “We found some enemy documents in a camper down by the lake and some more in the cab of that dump truck. When that truck went over onto its side, it also spilled a ton of cartridge casings to the ground. Many were common 5.56mm NATO, but most were 5.45mm, the cartridge that the enemy uses in their Type 88 rifles. Those vehicles out there were being used by the cell that we’ve been looking for. Since you were in possession of said vehicles, I have to assume that you know something about that.”
“That dump truck, camper and whatever other vehicles you found today were brought here by the assholes that took over my friend’s resort, Colonel.” Brian said. “I can certainly understand your concern, but we never even saw those vehicles before today.”
“I see.” Bennet said. “Are you aware of any connection those men may have had to the North Koreans?”
“No sir.” Brian replied. “We still hadn’t cleared the area when you arrived, let alone started looking through their belongings.”
“What else do you know about what I’m doing out her, Mr. Baker?”
“Our radio died when the second round of EMPs were detonated, so my knowledge ends at that moment, Colonel. I can only tell you what we learned up to that point. I think it’s safe to assume that you know more about JADE’s involvement than I do, but I’m willing to share all of the intel that CSIS has gathered on the North Korean military. I’m also willing to offer you any theories that I may have on what this cell you’re looking for might be up to.”
Brian went on to brief Colonel Bennet fully on what he had heard over the shortwave radio and everything he knew about the enemy he was pursuing. It wasn’t much, but Bennet was pleased with the additional information nonetheless. He was also finally confident enough in Brian’s authenticity to place his weapon back in its holster.
In return, Bennet informed Brian of what had happened out west, before and after the warplanes had fallen from the sky. He learned how JADE and the armies of Canada, the United States and Great Britain had been victorious in the Rockies. They had assumed that all enemy forces had been destroyed, but weeks later they would discover that a small unit of North Korean soldiers had managed to escape.
It had taken several weeks for the cargo planes from overseas to drop in enough supplies and equipment. By the time the military and civilian population were resuppl
ied sufficiently and the horrific mess on the Trans-Canada Highway had been cleaned up, the surviving enemy unit was long gone. When Bennet’s division finally moved out again, reversing course back towards Calgary, the trail of dead bodies they found gave them their first indication that an enemy cell was still active.
Once enough military vehicles were flown into Calgary and the British brigade had boarded the transports back to England, Colonel Bennet was assigned a new mission. He was placed in command of a smaller mechanized battalion of 500 soldiers and ordered to pursue and destroy that enemy cell. Countless interruptions had hindered their efforts terribly. Civilians in desperate need of aid and long delays in resupply would have them falling further behind and after months of pursuit, the trail had finally grown cold… at least until today.
Colonel Bennet exhaled loudly and stood up. He had heard enough to convince him that the answers he was looking for didn’t lie with Brian. As relieved as he was to learn that this group of civilians weren’t traitorous scumbags, it meant that he wasn’t any closer to finding his enemy. Fortunately, Bennet wasn’t out of options yet.
“Please follow me, Mr. Baker. Do you have any experience in interrogation?” Colonel Bennet asked as he quickly walked down the line of trucks.
“Yes sir.” Brian replied, trying to keep up. “Mostly working with the RCMP, CIA and MI5 though. I don’t work with the military much.”
“That’s fine. I want a civilian authority on this as well.” Bennet said. “I’ll handle the majority of the questioning while you watch for anything that I might miss.”
“You got it, Colonel.”
The two of them arrived at a truck and Bennet was crisply saluted by the two guards.
“Those three been any trouble?” Colonel Bennet asked.
“No, Colonel.” One of the soldiers replied. “They haven’t made a sound, sir.”
“One of you follow us in. We need to ask them some questions.”
“Aye, sir.”
When the soldier pulled the back flap of the truck open, all three of their prisoners immediately sat up straight. True to form, they had once again taken the opportunity to catch a little nap.
EMP [Collateral Darkness] | Book 4 Page 45
