“Clever. So you’ve been spying on the UAE all this time?”
Howard smiled wickedly and shook his head.
“Then why put Stacy Reid at risk, Howard? Why use her as a double agent if you could spy on my every mo…” Simon nodded his head once he made the connection. “The written communication, of course! I guess I was right to be paranoid. She reviewed all my memos before I sent them to the regional governors. How is she, by the way? Nasty business with the finger. That was rather insensitive of me.”
“She’s fine. Benjamin Black’s people stopped the infection and saved her hand.”
“I can’t believe you were controlling Black from all the way up here.”
“I wasn’t controlling him. He simply hated the UAE and joined my network of spies. He handed you over to the provost marshall at Fort Polk. Colonel Sanderson was more than happy to permanently leave the UAE and deliver you and Jackson Butler to my front door. Black hauled ass back to Disney World to get ready for the upcoming fight with the Chinese.”
“Howard, this is all well and good, but why are we having this conversation?”
“I despise you, Simon, with every fiber of my being. You murdered my best friend, and I hold you personally responsible for the state of things in this country. Your brief, tyrannical rule did far more damage than I could possibly have imagined, and you left the front door wide open for the Chinese. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but I have no choice but to put all that aside in the face of our common enemy.”
“What do you expect me to do about the Chinese? If what you showed me was true, they wiped out my entire military west of the Rockies. Command and control of what is left of the UAE is hanging in the wind.”
“They might be weak on command, but they’re still fighting, nonetheless. Before the chaos with Hal, intelligence reports showed the UAE and various militias in The Pulse Zone are holding back the Chinese at the Mississippi. Even The Silent Warriors are joining the fight.”
“The Silent Warriors? You must be joking!”
“The Great Empire of Iran isn’t willing to share anything with the Chinese. Once they have Europe tied up in a neat little bow, they want this country to themselves. They’re kicking Chinese ass in California.”
“What do you want me to do?’
“I want control of your military and you out of the way.”
“Get me out of here and you have it.”
“Good. I thought you would see reason.”
“Howard?”
“Yes, Simon?”
“What are we waiting for? Why are we still down here?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
CHAPTER FORTY
General Richard Dupree’s stealth jet was flying Mach 3 toward Beck Estates. Once he reached cruising altitude he settled in, anxious to get Max and Elizabeth up-to-date on the situation at hand.
“When Howard lost Beck Estates and had to destroy Hal’s primary cores at the mansion, he arrived at Beck Castle worried about Hal’s continued existence. Hal’s system at the Castle was supposed to be the backup. Since the failsafe was now the primary system, Howard knew he needed to build another backup of Hal.”
Elizabeth clung tightly to Richard’s hand. “Is that where we’re going? The backup site? Don’t tell me that crazy genius has another bunker.”
Richard smiled. “Elizabeth, you’re in the backup.”
“What? This little jet?”
“Hal has twelve primary cores, and each of Howard’s stealth jets contains one of those cores. Each jet is permanently linked to the others and serves as the perfect backup of Hal’s systems.”
Max was puzzled. “So why don’t we have control of Hal’s primary system in the Castle?”
Richard began to explain but Hal interrupted. “Sir, my sister A.I. is convinced that Howard is at Beck Estates. Her loyalties reside with the imposter. She believes Howard’s son attempted to overthrow his father and take control of the PSA. She commandeered my primary systems at the Castle, and I have been unsuccessful in convincing her to relinquish control.”
“Who in the hell could pull off something like that?” asked Elizabeth.
“Suffice it to say the Chinese have been working for years to accomplish the task.”
“Where’s Howard?” asked Max.
“He had to stay behind or the Chinese would have slaughtered everyone in the Castle.”
“Then why the hell are we going to Beck Estates? We need to head straight to the Castle and get Howard!”
“Elizabeth, calm down. Howard’s right where he wants to be. He has a plan.”
***
“How long do we have to wait?”
“Simon, I’ve been in here with you this whole time. How should I know?”
“So we’re just going to stay here and wait for the gallant conquerors to show up? I’m starting to have serious doubts about your plan.”
“I don’t think it’ll be much longer.”
As if on cue, Hal spoke. “Sir, it is time for you and Mr. Sterling to come topside.”
“See? Told you it wouldn’t be long. Let’s go.”
Hal opened the door for the pair, and they plodded toward the elevator like two men marching to the death chamber. Simon had serious doubts that Howard knew what he was doing but decided it was best to just play along. As they exited the elevator and stepped onto the hangar deck, a great dome retracted above them. They watched as the desert floor opened like the doors of a storm cellar, and the he hangar deck rose to meet the surface.
“Howard, you have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Simon was staring at over a hundred Chinese soldiers and more than a dozen assorted military vehicles. The hijacked Hal system had also rounded up eight additional robots, along with the four that had escorted Howard and Simon to the surface.
“Wait for it.”
In a flash, three stealth jets decloaked above the formation of soldiers and began zipping left to right and up and down, firing missiles and machine guns as they darted across the sky. Several Chinese armored personnel carriers managed to fire off a few rounds, and the last dozen or so soldiers left standing emptied their magazines but their efforts were in vain. The three stealth jets slaughtered the Chinese contingent in less than ten seconds.
Simon was speechless. “Told you I had a plan! C’mon! You wanna stay here or come with me?”
“Howard, you never cease to amaze me. I’m happy to surrender myself as your prisoner.”
“Stop being so dramatic, asshole. Hurry up.”
The two men climbed aboard one of the remaining stealth jets and strapped in. Howard had always hated flying, but this time he was happy to be onboard. “Hello, Old Man. Excellent work.
“Thank you, sir. I’m glad to see that you are safe. What are your instructions?”
“All three of these jets have their full complement of drones and robots?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Leave all of them behind. First, clean up this mess and collect all the Chinese weapons for battle with the hijacked robots in the Castle. Their primary objective is to secure the facility and lock it down just in case the Chinese want to try to retake it. How many compromised robots are still in the Castle?”
“Four, sir.”
“Good. Your robots armed with machine guns shouldn’t have any trouble.”
“No, sir, it will be a simple task.”
“Excellent! Secure the subbasement and take the hijacked system offline. Remove cores one, five, and nine; that should do the trick. The robots should be able to manually retract the roof of the hangar deck and secure the Castle from outside forces.”
“Yes, sir.
“Howard, why are we leaving? Shouldn’t you be fixing things here yourself?”
“Simon, I want to take my house back and kill the bastard who hacked into my system, but first I want to know how he did it.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“Son of a bitch! I told you this wasn’t over! I knew it was too easy! No way th
at crazy bastard would give up without a fight!”
“Jackson, your language, please. I know you’re upset, but please keep a level head and be civil.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Can we take back the Castle or not?”
“I assure you, our employer is determined to take it at any cost. They’re moving three battalions into position as we speak. Tell me, Jackson, what’s his next move? You know the man better than I do.”
“The first thing he’s going to do is take the hijacked Hal system offline. Then he’s going to move every asset he has to the top of the Castle to defend it.”
“Well, he can try all he wants to, but he’ll never be able to pull it off.”
“Never? You sure about that?”
Charles smiled. “Hal?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Who am I?”
“You are Howard Beck.”
“Who created you?”
“You did, sir.”
“Does that answer your question, Jackson?”
“Your son is capable of anything. You do yourself a disservice by underestimating him.”
“I’m afraid I disagree with you, Jackson. I think he’s coming here to find me. If my assumption is correct, he’s in the process of locking down the Castle, and no one will ever be able to get inside no matter how hard they try. He wants to face the man who defeated him; he wants to know how I did it. His ego and, more importantly, his pride have been gravely wounded.”
“You’re not seriously going to face him, are you?”
“I’m not planning on it. Our employer wants my son publicly executed. They want to destroy the Pacific States of America and crush their spirit. You and I have been tasked with his capture. If my son wants to come here, we wait for him. The Chinese want him. They want him so badly they’re willing to threaten nuclear war to ensure his surrender.”
“That won’t work. It’s an obvious bluff. The Chinese want this entire country from coast to coast.”
“I concur, Jackson. It’s an empty threat; let’s hope my son doesn’t call their bluff.”
***
Richard Dupree kicked Simon Sterling square in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground. Richard drew his sidearm and dug the barrel of the pistol into the disgraced man’s forehead. “Howard! Why in the HELL did you bring this man? Give me one reason, just one reason why I shouldn’t blow his brains out!”
“Richard! Stop right now! We need him!”
Richard cocked the hammer. “Like hell we do.”
Howard pleaded. “Please, Richard, please trust me. We need him alive. He’s going to surrender the military forces of the UAE to us. We need him alive to do it.”
Richard leaned forward. “Is that right, Mr. President? You gonna play ball with us?”
“Yes! I swear it! I swear it, General! Please, don’t kill me!”
“I love hearing you beg, you piece of shit. Stand up.”
Simon got to his feet and dusted himself off. He looked at the group and saw nothing but contempt reflected in their faces. Simon realized his delusions of forgiveness were foolish. He’d mistakenly thought that if Howard trusted him, the others would do the same.
The group had been reunited in a deserted stretch of land between Montrose, Colorado, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Hal had landed the fleet of nine stealth jets and waited for Howard to bring the three remaining jets to the rendezvous point.
“Maxwell, how are you feeling?” Howard asked.
“Well, Howard, let’s see. I had a crushed vertebra replaced and was placed in a drug-induced coma to escape the Chinese. Then we ran over one of your psychotic killer robots. Now I feel like I’ve been beaten half to death with baseball bats, and here we are.”
“That requires so much more explanation, Max, but it will have to wait for another time. We have much more important things to do.”
“All in good time, Howard, all in good time. What’s the plan?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to Richard about. Tell me, General, do you think these twelve jets could take back Beck Estates?”
“If the Chinese have the place locked down like I’m certain they do, we’ll lose half the jets attempting to do so. Would we lose Hal in the process?”
“We would. Three of those cores are crucial to keeping Hal online. We lose those three and he won’t survive. The risk is just too high .
Richard glared at Simon. “What about the UAE forces at Beck Estates? Can we get them to turn on the Chinese?”
“They’re no doubt taking orders from Regional Governor Butler. He probably has them under the delusion that the Chinese are allies. If I declare Butler a traitor to the UAE and the Chinese as our enemies, they’ll turn on them.”
“I like those odds much better. We assign an escort for each of the vital jets and we can pull it off.”
Howard turned to Simon. “Who do you trust in Jackson’s camp?”
“Matt Bankhead is an old salt. I can talk sense into him.”
“Wait. You mean Butler’s old top NCO? The guy who helped him kick me out of my own house?”
“Yes, Matt has a secret hatred for officers. He despises the ass-kissing and politics, and the officers love him for it. They’ll listen to him and turn on Butler in a heartbeat.”
Howard struggled to believe that one of the men who’d taken his house from him was now going to help him get it back. “Simon, I’ll compile a data file you can send to show him what the Chinese have done to the West Coast. The thousands of dead UAE troops will be enough to illustrate what Butler is hiding from him.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Command Sergeant Major Matthew Bankhead was torn between his loyalty to the United American Empire and a gut feeling that something was very wrong with the country he had sworn to protect. He mourned the death of President Sterling, a man he’d admired a great deal. The Silent Warriors, the cowardly bastards, had attacked the president in Miami and killed not only the president, but some great men and women of the UAE, and Matt hated Iran all the more. Despite mourning the loss of a great man, he was happy to celebrate the man’s successor, President Jackson Butler. CSM Bankhead had served as first sergeant under Jackson Butler while the man was still a captain
What was troubling Bankhead was the mysterious man that walked right into Beck Estates like he owned the joint. President Jackson Butler was the most powerful man in the empire, but the stranger treated him like an underling. This puzzled Matt a great deal. The only logical assumption Matt could make was that the man was an agent of the Chinese government. Matt had tried to broach the subject with the president, but the only answer he got was “He’s my advisor, I trust him and that means you do, too. Understood?” Matt had snapped a smart salute and left the room. He didn’t even know the mysterious man’s name. No measure of loyalty to President Butler would ever mean he trusted the president’s so-called advisor.
Matt was in his office when his aide knocked on the door and handed him a tablet. Matt dismissed the aide and stared at the tablet in front of him. The screen contained three simple lines:
From the Office of the President
Top Secret – Eyes Only
Enter Security Encryption Key Omega to Continue
Omega? The Omega encryption was discontinued when Jackson took office. What the hell? Matt typed in his Omega encryption code to find four separate video screens. He clicked on the first one and watched in horror as Chinese soldiers ransacked the streets of San Francisco, engaged in combat with UAE soldiers, and murdered armed citizens who dared to resist the invasion force. The second screen provided an aerial view of the decimated remains of Edwards Air Force Base. The third and fourth screens showed similar destruction at Fort Irwin and the Presidio. Matt was speechless; this had to be some kind of joke.
As the last video ended, a new screen appeared: Incoming Video Conference. Matt clicked the “accept” button to find the face of a dead man staring back at him.
“Hello, Serg
eant Major. It’s been a long time.”
“President Sterling? You’re alive?”
“I am, Matt.”
“But, but … how? What’s going on?”
“The explanation is really quite simple: Jackson Butler was responsible for the attack in Miami and he betrayed us to the Chinese.”
Matthew Bankhead stared back at the screen, a whirlwind of confusion rendering him speechless.
“Jackson has been lying to you, feeding you false reports. Your battalion is protecting the traitor and his Chinese agent. The Chinese hold everything west of the Mississippi.”
“I don’t believe it. This can’t be happening!”
“It’s happening, Matt, and I need your help to stop him.”
“The Chinese have two battalions here on the grounds. We’re outnumbered but we’ll fight!”
“Excellent, Sergeant Major, that’s what I wanted to hear. You won’t be alone. Help is on the way.”
“Just say the word, and we’ll have the element of surprise on our side. I’ll shoot Butler and his chink spy right in the head.”
“You’re to do no such thing. A great deal depends on them being captured alive. Do you understand? Detain them, nothing more.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“Matt, your tablet is recording this conversation. Show the videos and our conversation to Colonel Hagglund and her officers. You have to convince them to join the fight.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. President, they’ll join the fight or be detained as traitors. I can’t believe Butler is doing this. We’re protecting a traitorous piece of scum-suckin’ filth!”
“Matt, I’m glad you agree. And please address me as Mr. Sterling.”
“Sir?”
“My allegiance lies with the only true patriot to hold steadfast to the principals of democracy—our true president, democratically elected by the people, President Howard Beck. What’s left of the UAE on the other side of the Mississippi will join forces with the PSA. Together we will stop the Chinese.”
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