Cyber Apocalypse (Book 3): As Our World Burns

by Hunt, Jack

  “Why now?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?” Margot replied as they rounded two concrete pillars and ascended a rusty staircase to a second level.

  “You could have taken me when I was thirteen.”

  “You know why.”

  He pursed his lips and nodded. “I just hoped to hear it from you.”

  “I know it doesn’t make sense right now but in time you will understand why we did what we did. It was the only way forward.”

  “Killing thousands?”

  She glanced at him. “If you see only one side of the coin it looks a little distorted. You need to see the other for it to make sense.”

  “Is that how you both feel?”

  She stopped listening each time they were given instructions to change direction. Ryan already had a good idea what was happening. “You have someone working on the inside, don’t you?”

  “Of course. How else do you think we could stay ahead?”

  They continued, walking fast at times, jogging sometimes and then holding their ground. Whoever was working for them had access to where the feds were searching. They were being guided through a labyrinth of passageways to avoid capture.

  “You still haven’t answered the question. Why now?” Ryan asked.

  “Because your cover has been compromised.”

  “It was compromised when they threw me in jail.”

  “We had that under control. We knew they would pull you out.”

  “Really?”

  “Ryan, there is nothing that has happened so far that hasn’t been planned out. They are nothing but pawns in a bigger picture.”

  “Is that what I am? A pawn?”

  She snorted. “You’re our son. And a hero to Iran. Your work will go down in history.”

  “Is that all that matters to you?”

  “What higher calling is there than to serve your country?”

  “I could think of one.”

  Margot looked at him. “That woman really got in your head, didn’t she?”

  “At least she’s in my head.”

  Margot scowled. There was no connection. No motherly love. How could there be when for fourteen years he hadn’t been around them? They knew nothing about him and all he had to go on was headlines in a newspaper, mugshots and a skewed ideology pushed by a radical organization. The only reason he agreed to meet with them instead of going back to jail was to see what kind of people they were. His belief had been confirmed. They were single-minded, focused on nothing more than being operatives for a country that was an enemy of his own.

  He stopped walking. Margot looked back at him.

  “Come on. We can’t stop now.”

  “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going.”

  “What?” She turned to the others and told them to give her a minute. She walked back to him. “Ryan, this is not the time. I know you have questions and we will give you answers but we have to leave now before it’s too late.”

  “Tell me this one thing. How does a mother leave her two-year-old child with a hospital and walk away?”

  “This is not the time.”

  “Margot. We need to go,” his father said urging her on.

  She took a hold of his arm and went to pull him but he yanked it free. “Answer the question!” he bellowed, his voice echoing in the tunnel.

  Margot scrutinized him. “What do you want to hear? That it broke my heart? Would you have preferred we took you with us? Moving from city to city, never staying in one place?”

  “Yes. But you didn’t give me that choice.”

  “You were too young to know. We did what was right at the time.”

  “Oh bullshit! You act as if you were saving me from a life on the run when really you were just setting me up for a life in service to you, to Hezbollah, to Iran. And for what? So one country, one organization, one belief system can elevate itself above another?”

  “Ryan.”

  “And you think there’s no greater calling than that?” He shook his head in disbelief. “So many atrocities have been committed but for what? So your names can be remembered in history? Well news flash, your name, my name, it will all be forgotten.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “Am I?”

  His father Samuel was cradling an M4 as he made his way over. He looked around nervously. “What is the problem here?”

  “No problem,” Ryan said staring at his mother. “Just truth.” He glanced at his father for a second and walked on. He wasn’t sure what he hoped for but it wasn’t this. In and out of foster care he’d come across good people, well-meaning people but most had an agenda, a reason why they were doing it — for some it was a paycheck, for others social praise (you’re a foster parent, wow, good on you) and for others it was because they felt a higher power had called them to it. Maybe that’s why he’d never bonded with anyone. Perhaps his short-lived time with Alex and Sophie had shown him what a real parent was like. Individually they were messed up but in this world who wasn’t? But together, the one thing they agreed on was family, and they had moved mountains to get back to Elisha. There were no strings attached. They didn’t require Elisha to do or be anything except herself.

  He glanced at Margot and Samuel.

  Disappointment, a letdown. That’s all he felt.

  Would living on the road have changed that? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. The questions had circled in his mind for years but were never fully actuated until now. Like someone wanting to ski down a mountain and then realizing it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be, halfway down.

  It was in that moment his decision was made.

  For another thirty minutes they weaved through the passageways, stopping and starting, climbing steps, descending others. Eventually they paused at the foot of a stone staircase that went up to a steel door.

  “Go now!” Samuel barked, ushering each of them on.

  They double-timed it up as if their lives counted on it.

  Margot was the first through the door, she looked both ways before beckoning the rest of them out. When they emerged they were in the basement of a seemingly unknown building. No information came across the radio as to where they were, only which way to go. The signs on the walls gave them no indication but that didn’t matter.

  More doors were unlocked, staircases were climbed.

  Within minutes they burst through double doors into a huge auditorium, a concert hall. At first the place looked empty as the small group fanned out in the center and made their way toward the aisle, then it happened.

  In an instant, SWAT came into view, guns racked, people bellowing to drop their weapons and get on the floor. A few rounds erupted, a couple from the group were hit while the others surrendered. The timing was just right. A second too soon and they could have easily scurried back into the underworld, disappearing into the endless maze of tunnels. As they hit the floor, Samuel turned to Margot, hands out, his face pressed to the floor. “How could they know?”

  “Erickson. He screwed us over,” Margot replied through gritted teeth.

  “No,” Ryan countered, getting both of their attention. “I did.”

  It was a chaotic scene when Sophie emerged from the bowels of City Hall. SWAT was there to meet her and hustled her into the back of a waiting cruiser. No one told her anything more than teams were at different locations throughout the city. It was while she was on route back to speak with Danielle that she heard the news over a radio.

  “They have them?” she asked a heavily armed individual sitting upfront.

  His response was a nod.

  “Ryan. Is he alive?”

  No reply.

  Little information was relayed but she couldn’t imagine it would have ended well. Danielle had spoken about martyrdom being the driving fuel behind the radical group that his parents were involved in. Whether that would be embraced when they were cornered was to be seen. The cruiser sped through the streets taking corners so fast she thought the tires wouldn’t st
ay on the ground.

  By the time they made it to the location on Grand Avenue, lots of federal vehicles, police and military were there. They were outside the Walt Disney Concert Hall, a mammoth artistic building that stood out from the rest with its unusual design that looked almost alien. As soon as the driver eased off the gas, Sophie pushed out and tried to get close but she hadn’t made it more than twenty feet through the crowd of officials before she was strong-armed over to a black van and bundled into the back.

  She was so focused on escaping the grasp of an agent that she didn’t see the occupants.

  “I know my rights. Get off me.”

  “You can let her go,” Danielle said.

  Sophie turned and looked into the customized van which was outfitted with computers and monitors. Ryan wasn’t inside.

  “Is he alive?” she asked immediately.

  “He is,” she nodded.

  Sophie exhaled a sigh of relief.

  “We have them in custody. You’ll get to see him shortly.”

  She nodded. “How did you get them?”

  “We have Ryan to thank for that.”

  Sophie frowned. “What?”

  “We couldn’t tell you because we believed there was someone on the inside helping, and well, we needed to sell it. The less you knew, the better. Fortunately because of Ryan we have that person in custody now.”

  “Who was it?”

  “A member of staff. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Sophie nodded. “So you knew about the tunnels?”

  “Of course. I had to pretend I didn’t as again I didn’t know who it was that was helping them but, yeah. You think we would send you into this blind?”

  “You did. I could have died down there. They could have shot me.”

  “Yeah, unfortunately the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many.”

  “Son of a bitch.” Sophie wanted to lash out and slap her across the face but she maintained her composure. Danielle went on to explain.

  “After Ryan came clean. He agreed to help us on one condition, that we allowed him to go in with you. It wasn’t because he needed them to buy it but he wanted to see what their reaction would be to you and have the chance to apologize.”

  “You’re saying he always intended to hand them over?”

  Danielle nodded.

  “But the video, the audio, it stopped working.”

  “We knew it would. Countersurveillance. However we used the same device we did before to track him, which he turned on once he was topside. We took a risk and it paid off.”

  “But it could have gone the other way, right?” Sophie said.

  “That’s the price we had to pay.”

  “You had to pay? I was the one down there!”

  Sophie gritted her teeth.

  “I’m not sure what to say. Thank you.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it. You’ll get a chance to speak to Ryan before you’re taken home.”

  “You’re not letting him go?”

  “Of course not. I told you that.”

  “But he helped you.”

  “That he did, and it will be taken into consideration. Ryan knows that. He’s accepted this, Sophie. He understands the role he played in helping them. Without him, chances are they wouldn’t have been able to pull this off.”

  “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Believe what you will. Look, I need to go now but I’ll see you back at Edwards Air Force Base. These men will escort you.” And just like that it was over. She was whisked away with some promise of seeing him, something Sophie wasn’t putting a lot of hope in.

  However, Danielle was true to her word.

  Hours later, after the sun had set and she had eaten a hot MRE at the base, she was led to a room by an officer. He unlocked the door and inside was Ryan. Coffee in hand, looking cleaner than before. The clothes he was wearing were bland, government issued, a navy blue Air Force sweater with white logo, and cream-colored pants.

  A small table separated them. There was a one-way mirror dividing the room and an observation room. The door closed and for a second or two they stood there staring at each other before she moved toward him and hugged him.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “As good as can be I guess.”

  She nodded and they took a seat across from each other.

  Sophie looked at the one-way mirror. Was anyone watching? Listening? Were they recording the interaction? Probably. The government had very little trust.

  “They’re sending you away.”

  He nodded. “I know.”

  She breathed in deeply and narrowed her gaze. “You know you won’t see Samuel and Margot again,” she said.

  “I’ve survived this long without them. I think I’m good.”

  Sophie ran both hands over her face and sighed. “I wish things could have turned out differently.”

  “Me too.” He nodded. “Would you do me a favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “Would you write to me?”

  “Write? What if the power comes up again?”

  “It’s up in parts of the country. At least that’s what Danielle said. Homeland Security feels they can turn this around now that they have my parents in custody.”

  “Were they the ones running this?”

  “No but they are key players and I’m sure the government has ways to get them talking. I’ll assist in helping them locate the rest of the sleepers in safe zones.”

  She smiled back and nodded. “Write… why not email?”

  “Nah, it seems so impersonal,” he replied.

  She smiled. “I guess it does.”

  Sophie reached across and placed a reassuring hand on his and squeezed it. “You did a good job, Ryan. I’m proud of you.”

  “Figured it was a step in the right direction.”

  Ryan ran a hand over his eyes and kept it there for a moment as if trying to hide his emotion. He may have been a hacker, he may have assisted a terrorist group but he was still a kid, someone vying for his parents’ attention. That was the bottom line. His escapades as a hacker were nothing more than a doorway into some weak connection with his mother and father. Over the following hour she sat with him, mostly in silence but occasionally answering his questions about Elisha, Alex, the situation in Willits and what she would tell them. He didn’t seem overly concerned how anyone viewed him, only that they knew he had tried to right his wrongs.

  14

  Willits

  Mendocino Resort was one hell of a place. Nestled deep inside the forest and perched on the western edge of Lake Pillsbury, it truly was an oasis in a barren land. After a long, dusty, and bumpy drive, they’d arrived and he was taken into a huge two-level cabin at the heart of the resort. Alex pressed the instant cold pack against his swollen ankle and winced. “Thank you,” he said as Jodi and her three boys looked at him.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “You own this place?”

  She nodded then whispered something to her sons and they headed out of the room. He’d been brought into a living room with high cathedral ceilings, pine walls, and hand-crafted beams. There were four sofas, a couple of throw rugs, and wall to ceiling glass that offered a breathtaking view of the lake.

  “How many of you are here?”

  “Besides my boys, four families. They’re the leftovers from those that came to stay over the summer. We usually have over two hundred, families, singles. Most stay for a week or two but when the bombs hit, they headed out.”

  “Why did the other families stay?”

  “They were from out of state. They flew in. No planes, no point leaving, right? Besides, two of them are almost like family. The Clarkes and Brauns have been coming here for almost six years. As the bombing happened in the first few weeks of our season, we had more than enough supplies.”

  “Is that why you radioed out for othe
rs to come?”

  “Not exactly.”

  They stared at each other and then he clued in. “In numbers there’s strength.”

  She nodded.

  Alex continued. “I agree. Though you were taking quite the risk of broadcasting a safe zone. A town a few hours north of here did the same and they were overrun by an outlaw biker gang.”

  “That’s why we opted to meet north of the lake.”

  “Right. About that. In hindsight I can understand why you were hesitant. Sorry for coming across as a jerk. Just, we’ve been through a lot over the last five weeks.”

  He brought her up to speed on who had brought him out to California, Michael, what he did for a living before this and the trouble they’d encountered and the hope they’d witnessed in different towns throughout the country. When he was finished, Jodi’s eyebrows were raised, her arms folded.

  “Damn, that’s quite the story. Iran? Who would have thought. I figured it was China, Russia, or North Korea.”

  He shifted his foot on the couch and readjusted the cold pack. “What can I say, you prod a wasp’s nest, you have to expect to be stung.” He lifted the pack and took another look at his ankle. It was not much better but certainly wasn’t as painful as it had been.

  “That’s for sure.”

  He leaned back in the comfortable brown leather. “So… you’re not married?”

  “Was,” she said. She removed the rifle slung over her shoulder and set it down.

  “Divorced?”

  “Nope. He died.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, me too.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “You want a drink?”

  “Would love it.”

  “Beer, spirits?”

  “You got whiskey?”

  “We’ve got it all. Be right back.” She wandered off and he gazed out the window through the thick green pines and looked at the sun glistening on the lake. It was peaceful. A real break from the horrors of the world. From Willits it would have taken a good hour to reach the lake, and the path to the resort wasn’t easy. He could see how this place could operate as a safe zone but if he was in her shoes he probably wouldn’t have broadcast a message and invited others to join.