by Robert Boren
“No,” Harley said.
“Good, let’s go up.” He went to it and climbed up, opening the trap door. Harley followed him onto the roof. Richardson already had his phone out.
“What’s going on?”
“I got buzzed when we got here,” Richardson said.
“Buzzed?”
“I have a lot to tell you. First, let’s see your upper arms. Roll up your sleeves.”
Harley gave him a strange look. “What, you think I have one of those chips?”
“Trust me,” Richardson said. “You’ll want to do this to anybody new you bring on the team, including contractors.”
He nodded and rolled both sleeves up. Richardson checked for scars. “Good, you’re clean.”
“Of course I’m clean,” he said. “What’s going on?”
Richardson ignored him, refreshing his short range app. The phone buzzed again, and four icons showed up. “Dammit. Not enough detail to show which buildings.” He sent a quick text to Juan Carlos and Brendan, then turned back to Harley.
“What?” he asked.
“Your techs are enemy plants,” Richardson said. He held up the phone. “This is top secret. Tell nobody. Understand?”
“Yes,” Harley said. “What is that?”
“It’s an app that reads enemy RFID chips,” Richardson said.
“Son of a bitch. Where did you get that?”
“General Hogan’s team,” Richardson said. “We might not have it for long. It was only supposed to be available to us until we got to Brownsville.”
“Why?”
“It’s missing a couple of key features, and we don’t want the enemy to know about this capability until we have those key features. Once we have them, the apps will be released wide. Everybody will get them.”
“So what can you do with it now?”
“We have a short-range and a long-range app,” Richardson said, moving closer so Harley could view the screen. “The short-range app will buzz when you get within half a mile of an enemy fighter. It will show you their approximate location.”
“Wow,” Harley said. “That would be game over.”
“Well, it’ll certainly help. Here’s the long-range app.” Richardson loaded it.
“Shoot, that looks like the map program.”
“Yep,” he said, focusing on the Rio Grande near the ruined base. “See all these icons? That’s enemy troops massing by the river, ready to cross now that the area is un-protected.”
“Holy crap,” Harley said. “What are the new features?”
“Name, rank, and country of origin, from what I’m hearing.”
“Oh, I get it,” Harley said, grinning. “We’re gonna be able to root the traitors out of our institutions with that, assuming that they all have RFID chips.”
“Exactly, and they do,” Richardson said. “All the way up the chain of command.”
“So what do we do about the four traitors here?”
“We’ll kill them all, but not right away. You know they’ve compromised that communications equipment, of course.”
Harley sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Wasn’t your fault,” Richardson said. He typed a text and sent it.
“Who was that to?”
“Director Wallis,” Richardson said. “We’re gonna find a new contracting agency.”
The two men snickered. Richardson’s phone dinged with a text message. He read it and laughed.
“We need to make another conference call.”
“We’re gonna test our theory, aren’t we?”
“Yep,” Richardson said. “Let’s go.”
The two men went down the spiral staircase, through the office, and back to the bar.
“You don’t think these four guys will try to off us, do you?” Harley whispered.
“No, they want this communications equipment to be available to them for a while. We’re probably safe as long as they think we’re clueless.”
“I’ll call Harry, then. He hasn’t trained me on how to run this yet.”
“Good, do that,” Richardson said.
Harley pulled out his phone and hit a contact. “Hey, Harry, come on back here. We have to make another secure call.” He turned to Richardson and nodded.
“There any beer in that walk-in?”
“Stocked to the gills,” Harley said. “Should we be drinking?”
“I need to relax,” Richardson said. He grabbed one just as Harry trotted in. “You guys want one?”
“Sure, I’ll take an IPA,” Harley said. “You want one, Harry?”
“Really? Sure, I’ll take a lager.”
“You got it,” Richardson said, smiling. He brought the beers to the bar and opened all three. The men grabbed them, then Harley and Richardson watched as Harry set up the call.
After a few seconds, Gallagher and Wallis’s faces were on the screen.
“Good to see you again so soon,” Richardson said. “What’s up?”
“We changed our mind about you going back to the river today,” Wallis said.
“Oh, really?” Richardson said. “What do you want me to do?”
“Go back to the Brownsville base, salvage what you can, and bring it to the new base,” Wallis said.
“That sounds like a suicide mission,” Richardson said.
Wallis chuckled. “We have twenty thousand Texas National Guard troops dug in along the bank, and I just received the services of four AC-130s. They’ll pound the crap out of the enemy fighters we saw massing on the Mexican side via the drones. They’re in for a nasty surprise.”
“Excellent,” Richardson said. “I’ll get our boats ready. How soon?”
“Leave in forty-five minutes,” Gallagher said. “It should be about over by then.”
“Okay, talk to you soon,” Richardson said.
“That’s it, Harry,” Harley said. “You can shut it down now.”
“Okay, boss,” Harry said, shutting down the system.
“Wait, show me how it works, okay?” Richardson asked.
“Sure thing,” Harry said. He took about five minutes to show Richardson and Harley how to work the system, and then left the bar.
“Let’s go talk to my guys,” Richardson said. Harley nodded and they walked out onto the dock.
“Damn, they already have the first one running,” Harley said.
“So it would appear,” Richardson said. “These techs been around the boats?”
“Nope,” Harley said.
“Good.”
“Hey, Richardson,” Juan Carlos said, coming onto the back of the deck. He helped him on, then gave a hand to Harley.
“When are we gonna kill those creeps,” Brendan asked, coming up from below.
“Have patience,” Richardson said. “We’re gonna use them a little first.”
“This is scary,” Madison said. “What if they slit our throats while we sleep?”
“They won’t,” Brendan said. “They’ve got an intelligence source that gives them access to Wallis, Gallagher, and even Nelson himself. They’ll try to preserve that. If they kill us, it’s gone.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Lita said, “but it still makes me nervous.”
“What was wrong with the engine?” Harley asked.
“Engines,” Brendan said. “This puppy has two big diesels. The owner pulled some wires and stashed them in a storage locker. It was easy to find.”
“So this is a fast boat, then?” Richardson asked.
“Oh, yeah, baby,” Juan Carlos said. “These big sport fishers haul ass.”
“See somewhere good to mount the mini gun?” Richardson asked.
“Only one place makes sense,” Brendan said. “Where that fighting chair is there.”
“Ah, I could see that,” Harley said. “Wish there was a way to mount one in front.”
“This baby is fast enough that the enemy will always be behind us,” Brendan said.
Richardson chuckled and shook his head.
“When are you gonna check for the enemy’s new position?” Juan Carlos asked.
“Soon,” Richardson said. “Another ten minutes.”
“Hey, what are you guys doing down there?” Harry asked, walking towards them on the dock.
“We got the boat running,” Harley shouted. “The owner just pulled some wires and stashed them.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really,” Harley said.
“Well, good, then,” Harry said. “The dockside power should be on now.”
“Great, thanks,” Harley said.
“No problem. I’ll go help the other guys with the last two consoles.”
“Talk to you later,” Harley said.
Richardson shook his head, then took the phone out of his pocket, moved his fingers on the screen, and laughed.
“Did they take the bait?” Harley asked.
“Yep,” Richardson said. “They’re heading south in a hurry, away from the river.” He sent a text.
“I hope you’re telling Wallis where they’re going,” Harley said.
Richardson nodded yes. “They’re gonna burn.”
Chapter 28 – Cemetery Road
Junior and Rachel drove the off-roader back to their motor home. Junior brought it around the back and hitched it up while Rachel went inside the rig. He joined her in a moment.
“Ah, home sweet home,” he said, plopping down on the couch.
“Oh no you don’t,” Rachel said, pulling him up by his arms.
“Got a job for me?”
She pulled her top over her head, and walked towards the bedroom.
“Yes,” Junior said, following her. They had each other with passion, then lay on their sides facing each other.
“I needed that so badly,” she said, stroking Junior’s face. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.
“I love you so much, sweetie,” he said. “Seems like pregnancy doesn’t hurt your libido any.”
“Well, for now it’s not,” she said. “Wait till I’m huge. Then you might have to be a little more patient.”
“I know,” he said. “We should catch a quick nap. Once that barricade is cleaned up, we’ll be on our way again.”
“I know,” she said, eyes already getting heavy. “Nothing puts me to sleep better than what we just did.
They both fell asleep quickly, waking as they heard engines around them starting up. Somebody banged on the door.
“Junior!” Kelly shouted. “We’re leaving now.”
“Told you,” Junior said, smiling. Stay back here and sleep a little longer if you want to.”
“No, I’m good, just needed a cat nap,” she said. “We’ll crash hard tonight, I’m sure.”
“Yeah,” Junior said, standing and dressing.
“Junior!” Kelly yelled.
“I hear you,” Junior shouted. “Thanks. The engines woke me up.” He opened the door. Kelly was standing there with Brenda.
“You got the off-roader hitched up?” Kelly asked.
“Yep,” Junior said. “We’re ready to go.”
“Good,” Kelly said.
“Your shirt is on backwards,” Brenda said. She snickered, Kelly joining her.
“Oh, that’s what you were doing,” Kelly said. “Lucky you.”
“You’re damn right he’s lucky,” Rachel said as she walked past the door to the passenger seat. “Junior, fix your shirt.”
“I know,” Junior said. He took it off and put it on the right way, then climbed into the driver’s seat. “See you folks at the next stop.”
“Okay, brother,” Kelly smiled, walking away with Brenda. Rachel closed the door and then sat in the passenger seat as Junior rolled forward.
“Take a look at the app for that bridge,” Junior said. “Let’s see what kind of a hornet’s nest we’re cruising into.”
“Already on it,” Rachel said, moving her fingers on the phone screen. “Hundreds. Doesn’t look like it’s grown, though, at least. They’re less bunched up by the bridges. They’re taking positions a little further out.”
“Wonder if the tanks can do enough damage from further back?” Junior asked.
“I hope so,” she said. “I suspect we’ll have the off-roaders in action.”
“Probably,” Junior said. “If we are successful here, though, this job is gonna get a whole lot easier. What’s going on with the reservation?”
“Just a sec,” Rachel said. “I’ll check.”
Junior watched the long convoy ahead of him as they pulled out of town. “Wonder if we’ll run into any other barricades?”
“Good question,” Rachel said. “The enemy icons are all sitting with the first batch at the reservation, from the look of it.”
“Good,” Junior said. “That probably means the Injuns won. Otherwise we’d see them traveling back to the air force base by now.”
“Unless they’re doing an occupation,” Rachel said. “I doubt that, though. They’d probably just kill everybody there and leave. There’s no strategic value to that reservation, from what I can see.”
“Yeah,” Junior said. “See anything along our route to Truth or Consequences?”
“Looking now. Nope, but the presence around the bridges has spread out a little bit more. They’re several miles this side of them now.”
“Dammit,” Junior said. “They’ve probably parked out there far enough where we have no sight line with the tanks.”
“Think they know we have them?”
“Yeah, we’ve used them several times now, and remember who we stole them back from.” He snickered.
“Oh yeah.”
“Wonder how long it’s going to take to get to Truth or Consequences?”
“I’ll check,” Rachel said.
Junior glanced at her. “You’re so cute when you’re concentrating.”
“Ah shucks,” she said, shooting a smile at him. “I can’t believe how hard I’ve fallen for you.”
“Yeah, who’d have thunk it?”
“It’s a two-hour drive, but remember that the bridges are a little ways past the town.”
“I suspect we’ll stop in Truth or Consequences and take the off-roaders down for a look see.”
“Yeah, probably,” she said. “No enemy icons in Truth or Consequences.”
“That has to be the best name for a city I’ve ever heard.”
Rachel snickered. “Yeah, I always wondered what the place was like.”
Both their phones dinged with a text message.
“Wonder if it’s a broadcast?” Junior asked.
“Yep, looks like it. They want us to stop to the north of Truth or Consequences. We’ll take the off-roaders closer to check out the situation.”
“Like we were saying,” Junior said. He pulled the phone out of his pocket. “Check to make sure, okay?”
She took the phone and looked. “Yep, same message.”
“Just put it back on the center console,” Junior said.
There was another ding. Rachel looked at her phone. “Dirk asking where to get off.”
Another ding went off. “Jason said will advise, but probably Cemetery Road, going west.”
“How fitting,” Junior said.
“Don’t say that,” Rachel said.
“I wonder if Dirk and Cindy are gonna work out?”
“They’ve kept to themselves about this,” Rachel said. “Not sure why. Maybe Cindy doesn’t want to offend the rest of the biker group.”
“One of them was trying to court her,” Junior said.
“I know, and he’s not happy, apparently.”
Junior chuckled. “Yeah, not surprised. Hope it doesn’t cause us any problems.”
“Me too.”
They settled in for the drive, the sparse desert flying by on both sides. It was more than an hour before they talked again. Shadows were getting longer as the afternoon wore on.
“It’ll be dark when we get there,” Rachel said.
“Yep. Looks that way. Wonder
if we’ll scout tonight or wait until morning?”
“Good question,” Rachel said. “None of us know this area, so it’ll be tough tooling around with no lights on.”
“We should have a moon tonight,” Junior said. “but it may not be enough.”
The phones dinged. Rachel picked hers up and read the text. “Confirmation that we’re getting off on Cemetery Road and going west.”
“I figured,” Junior said. “Nothing about when we’re going to scout?”
“Nope. We’ll probably talk about that when we get there. This off-ramp is close to some places, like a Denny’s and a couple motels. They might see us.”
“Then I hope it’s dark,” Junior said. “We’re making good time, though, so it might not be.”
Junior’s phone rang.
“Want me to put it on speaker?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah.”
Rachel answered the call and hit the speaker button.
“Junior?” Jason asked.
“Yeah, we got you on speaker. Rachel’s here.”
“Good. I’m bringing on Kelly and the others.”
“Okay,” Junior said. They waited through the beeps and hellos as everybody got on the call.
“Everybody hear me?” Jason asked.
There was a smattering of yes responses.
“What’s on your mind, pencil neck?” Curt asked. Several people cracked up.
“Brainstorming,” Jason said. “The enemy has the sections near the bridges blocked off on all sides. We don’t have enough people to defeat them over that wide an area.”
“Yep, that’s what I’m seeing,” Eric said. “This is gonna be tough.”
“We don’t have to take them all on,” Kyle said. “We just have to clear a path someplace.”
“We don’t want this to be a suicide mission,” Cindy said.
“True that,” Dirk added. “We need to blow this and get on to the next target.”
“Exactly,” Jason said. “That’s why we’re brainstorming.”
“Any chance that the Injuns will show up and help us take them on?” Junior asked.
“Way to go with the Injuns comment, pencil neck.”
“So sue me,” Junior said. “Answer the question.”
“We don’t know,” Jason said. “I’ll try to raise Stanton Hunt. Tried earlier. No answer.”
“That might be bad,” Don said.
“Maybe,” Jason said. “Maybe not.”
