Tom: Makes sense. Nottingham needed help to isolate the experimental groups. On the beacon front, we almost had one. Travis Wayne and Robin had the run-in with Ralph Malph.
Kelly: Okay, we should figure out who is on what side. These alliances are more complicated than Survivor.
Robin: It’s not Merry Men versus experiment groups any longer. Or at least not completely.
Tom: Barb, I know how you are with lists. Have you been working through this?
Barb: The Merry Men started with sixteen. I believe we have on our side, Scarlett, Sunny, and Robin.
Robin: We have T.C. Friar too. He’s inured. We left him at a secure location and plan to meet him later. He helped us piece together the clone and wormhole stuff.
Barb: We believe Nottingham has Jon Little. Then there is a group led by Jacki Kingston consisting of Artie Bland, Clorinda Aquino, and Duke. They spoke of a war.
Jasper: This is Jasper Oliphant, a criminal profiler with the FBI. I’ve been working with Reagan on dossiers of the Merry Men. We are under the impression they are all still working for Nottingham. Since losing their leader, Gilbert, I believe there was a power struggle for a new leader. As we’ve said, Jacki is leading one group of enforcers. I believe it leaves Guy Gisborne in control of the others. Rick English and Lee Richards are his chief enforcers. It is my impression he can control Elaine Dale and Bill Stutley. He’s the oldest of the group and used to taking control. I find it hard to believe Guy would take orders from anyone.
Robin: That part is dead wrong. Sorry.
Jasper: Well any good profiler knows their analysis could be incorrect. We haven’t had any experience with those people. I’m going purely off of a letter we found from Gilbert Whitehead. I’d be interested to hear what you think I have wrong.
Robin: Guy is not a leader. He’s more like some mafia thug. Bill Stutley is the obvious alpha of this group. And he isn’t working with Jacki. His group is going after gold reserves in a fort in Nebraska. T.C. told us Jacki is after the whole enchilada. She wants power.
Tom: She’s planning a coup.
Reagan: A hostile takeover of the technology. We came to the same conclusion. We don’t know what it means for us. Artie made a spiel about not wanting to do what Nottingham tells them. Who knows if it was real or just smoke.
Tom: We’ll flesh out a plan. We’re fighting too many different groups; time to pool our resources.
Reagan: The timing has to be perfect, otherwise we could cause another switch-a-roo. But first, we have our missions.
Tom: Our side has to find Campbell. He should have a beacon on him. We’ll also try to figure out how to get our hands on a transponder.
Barb: Meanwhile we’ll find Scarlett and Sunny.
Kelly: Guys listen. Once those things are completed, we must resume radio contact. Contact is easier near the wormholes. That’s a convenient little nugget courtesy of Nate Campbell.
Tom: Upon finishing the mission, get to a wormhole and attempt radio contact. I don’t know all the rules, but maybe one of us being near a wormhole works. Worse case for us, we get back to the radio tower.
Travis Wayne: Should we decide on the rendezvous site?
Reagan: It makes sense to wait until later. Any number of things could happen between now and then. We don’t have guns anymore, but we have horses.
Tom: We’re burning daylight. I love talking to you guys and I hate to break contact, but time to get cracking.
Barb: Everyone be careful out there.
Chapter 29 – Tomorrow Is Another Day
Reagan
“These ropes aren’t necessary,” Nate Campbell said. “I assure you I won’t try to escape.”
“Can you blame us if we don’t take your word for it?” Scotty asked as he jerked on the rope and led Nate Campbell to the hayride wagon.
“You and Travis Wayne said something about us not seeing animals?” Annabeth asked. “Then why do we have the horses or Mickey?”
“Maybe Nottingham wanted transportation for the Merry Men.” Kelly shrugged. “Who knows?”
“Or the horses are anomalies like some of the people,” Granddad said. “Whatever the reason, I’m glad we have them, and another wagon.”
“Can I ride the new horse?” Annabeth asked, referring to the sorrel quarter horse mare. She had three white stockings. Reagan named her Boots.
Reagan consented before returning her focus to the group. The Caribou Crew loaded the remaining supplies in the wagon.
“I don’t see why we’re all packing to leave the security of the farmhouse,” Meredith bellyached.
“We have to be ready to move.” Reagan tilted her hat. “Once we get Scarlett, things could happen quickly.”
“I don’t like the idea of us separating again,” Granddad said.
Jasper plopped into the wagon. “Me and the old man finally agree on something.”
“Kelly and I can move quicker on our own.” Reagan buckled the cinch of the saddle.
“Besides, our entire posse might spook Scarlett and Sunny,” Kelly said.
Scotty secured Nate Campbell to the wagon. “Nice and comfy?”
Reagan chuckled at the hogtied prisoner. “Make sure no one uses our wormhole before we get back. We can’t afford to lose it to the Merry Men.”
“You got it, boss,” Scotty said with a salute.
The wagon rumbled toward town to guard the wormhole while Reagan and Kelly backtracked to the Texas/Louisiana border. Kelly led the way to Scarlett’s camp in hopes they hadn’t moved. They galloped in a race against the setting sun. Kelly pointed to billowing smoke on the horizon. “That’s them.”
“How far?”
“A quarter-mile through the trees.”
Reagan dismounted and tied Bailey to an oak tree. “We should continue on foot.” She drew their only gun, the Glock. She checked the magazine, a full fifteen rounds.
Kelly eyed her. “Scarlett and Sunny are with us, you won’t need a gun.”
“It’s not them I’m worried about.” Continuing in the direction of the smoke, the waning sunlight poked through the trees, blinding them at times. Reagan dabbed the sweat from her brow.
Kelly used her floppy hat as a fan. “The camp is just through the trees.”
Motioning for Kelly to stay put, Reagan crept, scanning the perimeter. A campfire smoldered in the middle of the clearing. A collapsed green tent swayed in the wind. Combat boots poked from underneath the canvas material.
“What happened?” Kelly asked in a gasp.
Inching closer to the boots, Reagan kicked at the sole, Glock drawn. The legs twitched and a moan sounded underneath the tent. “Kelly, lift the tent.”
Kelly whipped away the tent to reveal an Asian woman with a bloody forehead and a pistol aimed at them. “Drop the gun,” Reagan commanded.
“You first,” she said blinking through the blood.
“Hold it,” Kelly said stepping between the gunfighters. “Sunny, this is Reagan. We’re here for Scarlett’s help.”
Sunny holstered her weapon and removed a hunting knife from her combat boots. She sliced a piece of material from the tent and applied the canvas to the wound above her eyebrow. “Duke arrived and abducted Scarlett.”
“I’m beginning to really hate that guy.” Reagan kicked the smoldering ashes.
“Why’d he take her?” Kelly asked.
“He’s working for Jacki.” Sunny dusted her olive khakis. “If Jacki plans to steal the technology, she’ll want Scarlett’s expertise.”
“Where’d they go?” Reagan asked. “And how long ago?”
“I was only out a few minutes,” Sunny said. “They headed east toward the river.”
As Kelly checked the wrong direction, Reagan swiveled east. “On foot?”
Sunny removed a messenger bag from the fallen tent and tucked a leather notebook inside. “Duke was carrying Scarlett when he left, but he might have an ATV stashed nearby.”
“Should we go back for our horses?” Kelly asked.
Tucking the Glock inside the waistband of her shorts, Reagan assessed the new girl. “Sunny and I will go after Duke while you retrieve the horses. Meet us by the river.”
“Be careful,” Kelly said.
Reagan tailed Sunny as they sprinted through the woods. Sunny stopped for a moment to inspect a squiggly line in the dirt. “This way.” Never much good at tracking, Reagan deferred to Sunny’s expertise on the matter.
They continued through the forest until Reagan heard the flowing river. Sunny put a finger to her mouth as they tiptoed. On one knee, she produced miniature binoculars from a pocket. Switching to a horizontal position on her belly she focused. Squatting beside her new ally, Reagan squinted through the overgrown thicket.
Perched on a fallen log, Duke wrapped his beefy arm around Scarlett. He struggled to maintain his balance as he dragged her across the raging river.
“I don’t have a shot,” Reagan whispered. “Scarlett is in the way.”
“Me either.” Sunny dabbed a hand to her improvised bandage. “Be ready to shoot.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Distract him.” Sunny retraced to the trees and approached from downriver. “Duke!”
The Frankenstein man faltered as he spun in Sunny’s direction. Scarlett dove off the log onto the muddy bank. Reagan didn’t hesitate and fired two shots at Duke. His feet slipped and he splashed into the river. The strong current swept him downstream.
Dismissing the precarious log roll option, Reagan located a makeshift stone crossing. In an all-out hustle, she skipped across seven jagged stone footholds, varying in size, to the mud-covered redhead.
Scarlett dabbed at the muck covering her knees and elbows. “You must be Reagan. I’ve heard quite a bit about you.”
“We need your help, Scarlett. Your uncle is with us.”
“Uncle Nate’s here?” Scarlett frowned. “Why haven’t I seen him?”
“There’s a lot to talk about, but it can wait until we’re safe. Kelly’s on the way with horses.”
All eyes darted to the Tarzan scene. With cop sunglasses and a bandage on her head, Sunny swung from a vine over the raging stream. “You okay, Red?”
“Sunny, I must return to camp for my journal,” Scarlett said, unfazed by the grand entrance.
“I got it, Red.” Sunny motioned to the messenger bag.
“Grazie.” Scarlett crossed the log quicker than a gymnast on a balance beam. “We better hurry. I got the impression Jon is nearby.”
A few minutes later, Kelly arrived with Silver and Bailey. They doubled-up and made their way to the Texas State Bank in Paxton, Texas. Darkness engulfed the town making it difficult to locate the building.
“Where are your people?” Scarlett asked from behind Reagan.
Before she could answer a pained scream echoed through the ghost town. The horses charged in the direction of the noise and Reagan spotted the wagon surrounded by glowing torches. “What’s going on?”
Scotty turned his gun on her but dropped it once he recognized the voice. “Nate Campbell’s hurt.”
Scarlett pushed through. “Zio? What happened?”
“He was shot,” Barb said.
Worry filled Scarlett’s sea-green eyes. “How did this happen?”
Scotty rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re thinking Tom and his people may have shot the evil Nate Campbell.”
Scarlett produced a flashlight from the pocket of her blouse. “I need gauze, light, and for the rest of you to allow me space to work. It isn’t deep. I can feel the bullet.” Her gaze landed on Jasper. “Hold him down and make sure he doesn’t move any muscles.”
Chapter 30 – That Rascally Ranger
Tom
Tom signed off with reluctance, replaying Barb’s words as the afternoon sun neared the horizon. Not much for sappy and sentimental words, he regretted not telling Reagan or Barb he loved them. He sighed, deciding on optimism and the fact he would see them within a few hours.
Less than a third of the way down the exposed staircase, Tom froze. “What do you see, Hondo?”
“Birds,” Travis Wayne’s voice low and steady alerted them to a swarm of Hitchcockian menace approaching the highway leading into town.
“I hate to waste ammo, but those things can knock us off this tower.” Robin adjusted the sights on her rifle.
“Hold on.” Tom balanced on a railing between floors and studied the approaching black swarm. “Maybe we don’t have to find Campbell. Every time we see those birds, Campbell is nearby. He might be controlling these so-called birds. Maybe they’ll lead us to him.”
“I agree, Tom, but how do we get away from the birds?” Robin didn’t take her eyes from her scope.
“What’s the plan?” Travis Wayne focused on the swarm.
“The two of you fight them off. You can stay behind the satellite dish and blast away with impunity. While you draw their focus, I’ll get to the ground. Once you’ve thinned the flock, locate Campbell. My guess is he’s in one of those seven buildings closest to the tower. If you spot him, pepper some lead into his building. I’ll find him.”
Travis Wayne and Robin positioned themselves as Tom double-timed to the ground. Staying low, he waited until the ear-shattering gunfire erupted. A metallic aroma filled the air as lead bullets made mincemeat of the artificial birds. Dozens plunged to the ground, then hundreds. Tom crawled from the radio tower through a ditch on the side of the road. He hid near the building as birds splattered.
Glancing high into the sky with eagle-eye vision, he spotted Robin’s white and black jacket, Travis Wayne’s green backpack, and smoke from rifles. The pitter-patter lessened and birds looped to the town. As Tom left the cover of the building, he hugged the treeline off the highway and hesitated with a check to the tower. Robin waved her arms and he craned his neck to the building she plastered. One hundred yards away, paint peeled on the largest structure near the street – a warehouse with an opening for trucks and a smaller door on the southwest corner connected to a shed.
Sprinting across the highway, Tom initiated a Pete Rose, headfirst dive behind a hedgerow thirty yards from the building. He duckwalked from the hedge and hurtled a fence before hiding behind a pine. From the tower, Robin signaled. She fired at the door of the building as fewer birds remained. Tom bounded from the tree as shots from Robin and Travis Wayne tore into the warehouse.
With Campbell trapped, all Tom had to do was to smash through the door and take the fake park ranger alive. As Tom shattered the door, something told him to hesitate. It paid off as bullets tore into the doorframe. Sliding low, he steadied his heavy pistol and squeezed two shots near Campbell’s head into the wall behind him. “Don’t move, Slick.”
Campbell didn’t abide. Tom aimed and blasted into his upper right arm. The Ranger’s gun rattled to the ground as the man melted like the Wicked Witch when the water hit her. “Who are you guys?” Campbell muttered.
Campbell didn’t talk through several rounds of interrogation inside the warehouse. He possessed neither a beacon nor the transponder. At long last, he lifted his chin. “I have a general idea about the wormholes, but I have not been able to travel through them. At this point, I assume them only hypothetical.”
“Listen, Campbell, we have intel on you.” Tom paced around the bound man. “And about your former colleague, Dr. Nottingham, and how you tried to stop this experiment and about your niece infiltrating his group of Merry Men.”
Campbell’s smirking face masked the truth. “Nottingham stole almost everything from me. If you people work with me, I’ll make you rich.”
Robin kicked his leg. “At this point, we want to get home. Money is of no concern.”
“Wealth and power? You don’t want either? All you want is to go home? You’re extremely short-sighted, young lady.”
From outside, Travis Wayne’s voice echoed. “We have company.”
Leaving Campbell tied, Tom and Robin hustled to join Travis Wayne. “What is it?”
“Check out the curve of the highway.” Travis Wayne pointed.
Tom gripped his rifle and patted his pistol as a shadow danced on the road. A man rested under a sprawling pine.
Robin’s head jerked, binoculars dangling. “T.C.”
T.C. dragged his battered body to the warehouse door. With a few words, he proved far more useful than Campbell. “I figured out the location of a wormhole.” He held a fist full of papers. He jutted his chin to Campbell on the floor. “I followed Dr. Campbell. He uses the lighter in his backpack to summon the birds. If you take the cover off the battery, you’ll see a small electronic device. The other end is a laser pointer. He shoots the laser and the birds go after the dot doing what they do.”
“What else did you find?” Tom asked.
“He holed up in a lab on the edge of town. A chemical research facility. He left a ton of notes on a table inside. This one labeled wormholes. Only one is active at a time. The nearest one is at the airport, but based on his notes, I’m not sure it is active.”
Travis Wayne flipped through the pages to the map. “I know where the active one is.”
Tom, Travis Wayne, Robin, T.C. and the cuffed Campbell made good time to their crow’s nest mountain hideout before the sunset.
Chapter 31 – Last Call
Reagan
As Scarlett dug a bullet out of Nate Campbell, the radio crackled to life. Annabeth passed it off as if playing a game of hot potato.
Reagan pressed the receiver. “Daddy? We’re in position. Our wormhole is active. Do you have the evil Nate Campbell?”
“That rascally ranger gave us some trouble but we got him. Do you have your squint?”
“Scarlett and Sunny are with us,” Reagan said.
“Tom what about a beacon? Did the evil Nate Campbell still have it with him?” Barb asked.
“No. But it turned out we’ve been sitting on a wormhole for the last few days.” Tom’s voice blared on the speaker. “Our base of operations, a secluded country club, is right in the center of a wormhole.”
Apollo Project Page 38
