Call Me Mr Smith, page 21
part #6 of The Fallen World Series
I brought the pistol up and fired four shots. Two shots to center mass of each man in the street, then I stood still and waited. They both fell forward and lay motionless, but still, I waited. Body shots were usually reliable, unless the target was wearing body armor. Since I knew the leader of the pair had an automatic rifle, I was being extra careful.
After a few minutes of no movement, and the start of blooms of blood from under both bodies, I cautiously stepped out of my cover. I kept my gun aimed and ready.
As soon as I stepped out, Cindy slid around the corner and aimed her rifle at them.
Knowing they were covered, I checked up and down the street and watched for any movement as I crossed toward the bodies. If anyone else was around, the gunfire would have caught their attention. The cold air tended to carry sound further.
Thankfully, it seemed no one else wanted to play. I got to the bodies and checked them. “They’re both dead. You did great.”
She let out a deep breath and lowered her rifle. “Thanks.”
I checked the bodies for anything I could use to identify them, but there was nothing. I was able to retrieve the rifle and two extra magazines. Those would be useful. I stood up and slung the rifle. “Come on, let’s get moving in case someone else is just slow to respond.”
I kept my pistol in my hand as we moved on, more quickly this time. Soon, the bridge was in sight, and we crossed back into home territory. We didn’t stop as we waved to the Defense Force guards, and I led her straight back to the school.
“Go, get some rest. The adrenaline will wear off any time now, and you’ll really feel it,” I said.
She smiled weakly and said, “Yeah, already there. Goodnight, afternoon, whatever.” She headed off down the hall to where she slept.
I grinned and walked toward my office. Donald was sitting in the outer office and stood up when I walked in. Without a word, he opened the door for me. “You can tell me all about it tomorrow,” he said.
I nodded and walked in. I took long enough to shed the rifle, my pack, and the top layer of clothes before I lay down and went to sleep.
* * *
I slept the rest of the day and through the night. Unusual for me, but it felt good. Shortly after I woke and got myself together, there was a knock on my door.
“Mr. Smith, it’s Bill.”
“Come on in, Bill,” I said as I settled in behind my desk.
Bill came in and closed the door behind him. He looked tired.
“Have a seat, Bill. How are you doing?”
He sat and shrugged. “Ready to get back to work.”
I nodded. “Good. We have our work cut out for us. I think I’ve found where the anarchists are hiding.”
His expression changed, and he became instantly more alert. “Oh?”
“Pickering. I wondered why they hadn’t taken control of it, as well as Darlington. Now, I have my answer.”
He grunted. “Figures. So, what’s the plan?”
“I’m not sure yet. We just got back yesterday afternoon, and I just woke up. It was a busy few days out there. Problem is, I’m not sure who to trust with the information or to help plan the assault. It’s not really in my wheelhouse.”
He grimaced. “Yeah, I can see that.”
I filled him in on the events that had taken place while he’d been taking care of his fallen brother and the scouting expedition Cindy and I had undertaken.
“Damn…I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help,” he said.
I shook my head. “No need. You know I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“I know, still…” He shrugged.
“Are you sure you’re ready to be back at it, Bill? I need to know, because things are about to get more difficult, I’m afraid.”
“I need to. This is what I do. Ted would never forgive me if I didn’t quit feeling sorry for myself and get back to it.”
“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear. I have a feeling I’m going to need someone watching my back.”
“You can count on me, Mr. Smith.”
We both stood and shook hands. “Glad to hear it, Bill,” I said. “Do me a favor and find Cindy and meet me outside in ten minutes. We’re going to go up to the plaza and brief Jonathan, even though I still suspect he’s involved somehow.”
Bill considered for a moment, then shook his head. “I think you’re wrong there, Mr. Smith. He always butted heads with Mr. Kent and Ms. Evans. Even more, once he got back a few years ago.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” I said and we headed out.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, the three of us walked into the boardroom on the top floor of Scotia Plaza and found Jonathan and Colonel Hawley already seated. Hawley was just rolling up the floor plans of City Hall I’d seen him and his staff reviewing a few days ago.
“Mr. Smith. I’d been wondering when you’d turn up again,” Jonathan said.
“Why? Did you expect something foul to happen to me?” I raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“No. I just knew you were going out of the city and wasn’t sure how long you’d be.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Colonel Hawley said and started to rise.
“Actually, you should hear this too, if you have a few minutes,” I said as I took a seat.
He shrugged and sat back down. “Sure. We’re not scheduled to kick off for another few hours.”
“Taking down City Hall today?” I asked as Cindy took a seat beside me, and Bill took station behind my right shoulder.
“That’s the plan. We figure the process will take the better part of the day, into the evening.”
I launched into detailing the findings of our scouting mission, though I did leave out the Teledyne extraction team’s existence. I figured I’d keep that ace up my sleeve.
Jonathan sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “Dammit. It all makes sense now.”
“What does?” I asked.
“I’d pushed for taking Pickering, but they always said it would be a waste of resources since we already controlled Darlington.”
“They could make dirty bombs from what they could access there, if they have the knowhow,” Hawley said.
“Based on the demolition at Port Lands, let’s assume they do. The stakes just went up,” I said. “They’ve had it for a while, so I don’t consider it any more urgent today than it would have been yesterday. I’d say proceed with setting the mayor up, and then we’ll figure something out. It’ll give me time to think.”
Hawley nodded and stood. “Good enough. I’ll be off then.”
As he left, Jonathan stared at the table. “Mr. Smith, could I have a few minutes alone with you?” he asked.
I nodded. “Sure. Cindy, Bill, I’ll meet you at the elevators when we’re done.”
Cindy stood and went to the door, but Bill looked down at me. “Sir?”
“I’ll be fine, Bill,” I said and winked at him.
He nodded. “Whatever you say.” He and Cindy left the boardroom and closed the door behind them.
Jonathan pulled a folder from a briefcase he set on the table and slid it across to me.
“What’s this?” I said as I opened the folder.
“I decided to go through some of the files on operations Bethany organized a few decades ago, some of which I’d never been briefed on, and found that.”
I frowned and looked down at the file. Clipped to the front page was a picture of my family. Me, my wife, and my son. I licked my lips and slid the photo aside. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I read the details of the operation that had killed my family. I had always figured I had been the target, and they were collateral, but I was wrong. Bethany had come up with an operation specifically to kill them. The file went on to detail how they obtained the intelligence on their identities. It had come from Kaleb Campbell, the brother of the man who had tried to kill me my first night in the plaza.
I closed the folder and worked to control my breathing and my rage.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Smith. It’s not an op I knew anything about. I never went after family like that,” Jonathan said quietly. “You were the boogeyman in the sector. The one everyone was afraid of. But we could never find you. She took matters into her own hands.”
“She’s incredibly lucky I didn’t find this out before she was killed,” I said, almost in a whisper. I saw Jonathan shiver, like a chill went up his spine, from the edge of my vision.
I stood slowly and picked up the folder. I glanced over at Jonathan with a look that made him sit back a little further in his chair, before I walked out of the room to the elevators.
Cindy was at the window, but Bill saw me coming. He took one look at my face and muttered, “Oh, shit.”
“Let’s go,” I said quietly.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” Cindy asked and walked toward me.
I shook my head. “Not the time, Miss Todd.”
She looked at Bill, and he simply shook his head as he hit the down button. The elevator opened immediately, and he ushered Cindy in and waited for me.
I walked onto the elevator and turned to face the doors as they closed, the folder gripped firmly in my hand.
When the door opened on the first floor, we walked out, and I paused. “Bill. There’s a list of names on the last page of this report. I want you to find out if any of them are still alive, and if so, where they are.” I held the folder out.
He took it hesitantly. “What is this?”
“Just do it. I need to be alone for a while.” I turned and walked out before Cindy could object or offer to come with me. Sometimes you need that in this Fallen World.
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty-Four
After several hours of walking around the area, mostly down by the shore of Lake Ontario, I went back to the school. Bill waited for me outside my office, and I gestured for him to follow me in. He did, closed the door behind him, and put the folder on my desk as I sat down.
“Well?” I asked.
“Everyone on the list is either known dead, or MIA. No idea where they might be,” he said.
I nodded. “Thanks for checking.”
“Look, Mr. Smith…”
I held up a hand. “Don’t. I don’t need any more apologies or sympathy. Let’s just focus on what’s ahead. Any news on the efforts at City Hall?”
“Still in progress. Seems to be going smoothly though. I haven’t heard any gunfire at least.”
“All right. Once they’re done, and the mayor has moved in, I want a meeting set up. Jonathan, Mayor Evans, Colonel Hawley, Cindy, Donald, Nathan, and David. And you, of course. We’re going to eliminate the anarchists once and for all. Let’s shoot for first thing tomorrow.”
He shifted on his feet. “We’re going to assault a nuclear power plant?” He sounded unsure.
“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?” I looked up and raised an eyebrow.
His eyes widened for a moment, and he shook his head. “No, sir.”
“Good. Get it set up, please. I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Mr. Smith…Cindy, she’s pretty worried.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. “Did you tell her what’s in here?”
“No, sir. Not my place, but…” he shrugged, “she looks at you as a father figure, you know? And the look on your face when you left…well, she’s worried.”
“It’s not me she needs to be worried about,” I said.
“So, you want me to tell her not to bother you?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s okay, tell her to come on in.”
He nodded and left.
A few minutes later, Cindy walked in and sat down. The concern was clear in her expression. “What’s going on?”
I tapped the folder. “This contains the details of the operation carried out by Obsidian to assassinate my wife and son.”
She gasped, and her eyes grew wide. “Oh…I’m so sorry.”
I waved my hand dismissively. “It’s in the past, and none of the people who carried it out are within my reach, lucky for them. So we move forward. Clear?”
She nodded. “If you say so.” She stood up and walked around the desk to look down at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Stand up,” she said.
I opened my mouth to object, and she stomped her foot. “Dammit! Think about someone other than yourself!”
I blinked, pushed my chair back, and stood up.
She wrapped her arms around me, buried her face in my chest, and started to cry. I hesitantly hugged her back and laid my cheek on top of her head. I closed my eyes and thought about the last time I’d hugged my son and wife.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, but at some point, she stepped back and wiped her eyes. “Thanks,” she said and left the office.
I sat down and looked at the folder. I didn’t feel sadness; I felt rage all over again. I’d already done my grieving. Now, I wanted to get my hands on just one of the assholes who had done this and show them what true pain really was.
Instead, I turned my attention to the anarchists. I grabbed my laptop and studied detailed blueprints of Pickering for the rest of the day.
Just as I was about to call it a night, Bill knocked once on the door and stuck his head in.
“Come on in,” I said and closed the laptop.
He stepped inside. “Just wanted to let you know, they got City Hall completely cleared, no casualties. They’re escorting the mayor there now. Everyone will be in the council chamber in the morning as requested.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Bill. Get some rest.”
He nodded and left.
Well, I thought, that’s one thing that’s gone as planned.
* * *
The next morning, Bill, Cindy, and I headed toward City Hall. Bill told me the rest would meet us there. The clouds had moved out, and the sun shone brightly on the snow, which was barely disturbed. The trek to City Hall took a while through the snow, but we eventually made our way inside, past two uniformed guards.
Inside, it was comfortable, so apparently the power here was working well. Interestingly, the interior didn’t look like it had been as completely trashed as I had expected. Mayor Evans stood outside an open door and waved us over.
We walked into what must have been one of the committee rooms. Jonathan, Colonel Hawley, Donald, Nathan, and David were all waiting for us in their seats at a U-shaped table. We took our seats, and the mayor closed the door and sat down.
“I expected the place to be in much worse shape,” I said.
Mayor Evans nodded. “So did I. Apparently everything was locked up so tightly, and there wasn’t really much in here, that it was left alone.”
“The glass is all ballistic and shatter-proof. You’d have to hit it with a car to get through it, and every entry door was locked. Thankfully, the mayor still had his keys, so we didn’t have to break in,” Hawley said.
“The main buildings?” I asked.
“They’re pretty much in the shape you’d expect,” Hawley said. “We’ve got information on everyone that’s living in them though.”
“Nicely done. Now, for the reason I asked you all here. I know where the anarchists are hiding out,” I said.
Eyebrows went up around the table.
“Are you going to make us guess?” Mayor Evans asked.
“Pickering,” I said and leaned back in my chair.
“The nuclear plant?” he asked.
I nodded. “The very same. And, I know they have at least one motorboat and fuel for it. No idea what else they have.”
“Great, so not only do they have explosives, and someone who knows how to use them, they have access to radioactive material,” Donald said.
“As long as they have the proper equipment, which would have been stored at the station, and knowledge of how to handle it without getting killed, then yes, they have that access,” I said.
“Shit,” David said.
“What is your recommendation, Mr. Smith?” Mayor Evans asked.
I shook my head. “I’m afraid this is not within the scope of my primary mission set. You want me to disarm a nuke? That, I can do. You want me to assault a nuclear facility? Not my specialty. We have to leave that planning to the colonel.”
Mayor Evans turned and looked expectantly at Colonel Hawley.
“Hell, you can’t expect me to come up with a plan on the spot. If we still had the vehicles, it would be one thing, but going in on foot and not knowing what they have?” He shook his head. “I’m going to have to send out recon scouts to watch the place for a few days and see what they can find out. Maybe even have someone sneak inside the perimeter and poke around.”
“Who the hell would be crazy enough to do that?” Nathan asked.
“I will,” Cindy said.
“Whoa there, ma’am,” Hawley said. “I’ve got troops who are trained in recon. They can handle it.”
“And my dad used to take me deer and moose hunting. I know how to move quietly and avoid being seen,” she said.
Hawley looked to me for help, and I shrugged. “Don’t look at me. She’s right. Those skills translate well to scouting a facility. This is an outside-the-box situation. Maybe we need out-of-the box thinking. Besides,” I said and leaned forward to look Hawley in the eyes, “I trust her. I don’t know your recon scouts.”
“You want to send a little girl to do a soldier’s work? Fine, but I can’t guarantee her safety,” Hawley said.
“I’m sitting right here, you chauvinistic ass,” Cindy said and stared at him.
I managed to stifle the laugh that wanted to come. David was not so restrained and snorted, which he badly tried to turn into a cough. Donald bit his lower lip, and Nathan did the same. Mayor Evans was stunned into silence and sat there with his mouth open.
For his part, Jonathan looked at me and grinned, then gave me a nod.
Colonel Hawley cleared his throat. “That’s not what I meant, Miss Todd. I have soldiers that have the training to move through buildings without detection and egress without raising alarms.”
