“You got it!” she called as she moved to the centre of the roof and near the door for the access.
* * * * *
The cabin on the edge of the river was just above where the river would flood. It was an old cabin built before High Falls had been a town, let alone the ghost town it would eventually become.
Garrett had plugged the holes in the roof with whatever he could scavenge from the old ghost town and what sometimes washed down the river. Derek knew with proper tools, however, he could easily take the ramshackle log cabin and turn it into something five star.
The five of them fit into the cabin as well.
“So, why are you down here and not up at High Falls?” asked Derek.
With a snort, Garrett answered, “My so-called assistant decided to stage a mutiny. Unfortunately, he succeeded… almost. I’m sure he thinks the fall off the dam after throwing me from it killed me and he definitely managed to mutiny because I’m here and not there.”
Shit, thought Derek, feeling like the world had dropped out from under him. This is worse than right before Christmas when everything simply ended. We really could have used that dam.
“So, what happens now?” asked Aidan. “We found who you wanted to find. We could head back and make a few people extremely happy.”
Derek and Garrett looked at each other knowing it was not an option.
“No,” answered Gina for them. “We need the dam, and we need the solar field up and running. Both things up and running will give us an advantage.”
The problem was the small group who mutinied—not the others at the dam. And using anything larger than small arms runs the risk of damaging the dam or the equipment. Neither one is an option. We just can’t order what we need to fix what breaks, Derek thought as he paced the small space. Garrett poked at the fire inside the cast iron stove. “So, the big issue appears to be gaining control of the dam,” said Francis. “What would happen if we just happened to roll on up there and talk to these people?”
“What do you mean?” asked Aidan. “You heard the man—they took the dam, by force, by throwing him off it.”
“No offence—” Francis looked at Garrett, and then back to the others. “—We just don’t take Garrett with us. We go up… the three of us. Garret and Derek head up the other side with that long shot camera in my truck. We three talk to those up there while Derek and Garrett take pictures of those we talk to. Then we all come back here and Garrett identifies the troublemakers. Once identified we go in under the cover of dark and eliminate the issue. No mess, no fuss. The next day we take Garrett back to his dam.”
“Makes quite a bit of sense,” mused Derek. “What do you think?”
“It’s smart,” admitted Garrett. “And it would result in the least amount of property damage. I think we need to fine tune it a bit, but it’s definitely workable.”
“So, this camera of yours…” started Derek.
“It’s actually mine,” clarified Aidan. “And it’s not anything fancy. Just a decent point and shoot.”
“It’s a start,” said Garrett. “Go get it, if you’re open to us using it, and Derek and I will figure out how to use it before we go so we’re not trying to learn how later when we need it to work.”
Aidan pulled his camera from his pack and handed it over to Garrett. “It’s not that hard to use. I have more complicated SLR’s sitting at home,” said Garrett, after taking it from its case.
“Guess who’s using this thing, then,” said Derek. “So, where’s the best place to take the pictures, then? We can’t just pick a place at random and then we need to make sure we actually are in the area when you are.”
Francis blew out a breath. “That I’m not sure about,” he admitted.
“Might be easier to just scope out the area and not worry on timing. Send the three up under the guise of setting up a trading route between the two camps,” pointed out Garrett. “Just don’t mention the last name of either Shiloh or Sheridan.”
“Or do it and we’d know who is who just by how uncomfortable they are,” pointed out Gina. “Who gives who an uncomfortable side glance?”
“Good idea,” admitted Derek.
“I like it better than hoping to take pictures,” pointed out Aidan. “It still means we have to leave Garrett behind, or at least take him with us but make sure he’s not seen until it’s time to reveal the bastards in the lie. Then at least we all stay together.” He turned to look at Garrett. “You said it was only a few who mutinied—not others. Those others may back you up. If it was me I’d be pretty pissed off.”
“So would I,” agreed Gina. “I’m with Aidan on this.”
“And if things go pear shaped?” asked Francis. “We’re talking some serious fighting we’ve just caused… with no cover other than the truck.”
“Garrett?” asked Derek. “It’s your call here. Your dam.”
The other man thought for a moment. “I’m not one for sneaking around and people know it. If we go a bit more direct the good news is there is a spot, with plenty of cover, but nothing of any real value to meet the others at before we get to the dam. If we do it this way, I’d roll up there and then stop and wait for them to come to you.”
* * * * *
Jeremy pored over the various bits and pieces of paperwork while trying to make sense of it. He could not help but think if he had access to a computer he could build a program that would do all this for them instead of using paper.
Actually… it was not that bad an idea.
There was a laptop—even if an older model—kicking around somewhere. It ran a version of Windows a few years out of date but he was not about to complain too much. It would do.
He just had to find it first.
“If I was a junk computer owned by Terrence, where would the rat bastard stick me?” he wondered as he walked out of the room while ignoring Marissa’s laughter from behind him.
He walked down the back hallway to the other end of the house and into Terrence’s office.
Normally this would have been when Terrence looked up and asked him what he was doing here.
Everyone else had mourned the man. Jeremy felt it was sad that he was gone. He had been a real arse sometimes, but he had always been cool to hang around with. Rude, yes. Definitely not someone to introduce to your mother—but always a real riot at the bar.
Jeremy thought for a moment before he walked over to a filing cabinet, pulling out an old IBM ThinkPad. “How long have you had this?” asked Jeremy as he held it in his hands. “Wait, one of those rugged beast you can run over. It at least runs Windows Seven.”
Jeremy walked to the office space he shared with Marissa. Marissa looked up as Jeremy went in to the office with the computer in his hand. “I’d ask but…” she began.
“It’s all fine and good to use paper but, seriously… where are we going to get the paper once we run out?” asked Jeremy.
“Good question,” agreed Marissa. “And if it crashes?”
“We make back-ups,” he answered. “And we can overwrite back-ups and other things. Instant organization.”
“Amazing… we’ve been forced to go paperless entirely by the end of the world,” she mused. “In one part we are in the stone ages because of communications and in another we’ve jumped forward a few decades.”
The Last Iron Horse
The next book in “The Kingdom of Walden” Series
To be released October 2015
Also from KCEDITIONS
The Archer
Tony Spencer
Welsh longbow maker and archer, Will Fletcher, sees an ancient bow that looks familiar and is drawn into remembering a good deed that he has long strived to forget.
The Zombie, the Cat, and Barack Obama
Christopher Meade
This comic/horror zombie story quickly morphs into an outrageously funny satire on conspiracy theories.
The Last Iron Horse
Kristan Cannon
Derek swore he would ne
ver get pulled into another adventure after nearly being killed protecting Lively, but after returning to Whitefish he learns Garrett was at the nearby High Falls.
The Complete Selena Grey Collection
Forward by Kristan Cannon
Compiled by Tony Spencer & MJ Spickett
From dragon living the life a human in the basement of hapless secretary to a ship’s AI just wishing to be human—these short stories chronicle the beginning of Kristan Cannon’s writing career before she dropped the pen name. The best have been picked by the board of KCE for this special release.
After Oil Page 35
