Bug Out! Atlantic Book 4, page 16
“Holy shit, what’s in this?” asked Jones.
“Tools of the trade,” Freeze said as they set the trunk on the floor and rolled it out the door, Moth and Hickey getting the second one. They pushed them through the front door to the elevator, Moth rushing into Dannon’s flat to close the vault, locking the front door as the others got into the elevator.
“All right, have your guns out when we get to the garage,” Freeze said. “If we’re gonna get hit, that’s probably when it’ll happen.”
The others nodded, pulling their pistols, checking the magazines. The elevator went all the way to the bottom, the bell dinging as the doors spread apart. Freeze slipped out, gun in his hand, looking around. “Nobody here.”
“Good,” Jones said.
The men rolled the trunks out to the van and loaded them, then got inside, Freeze back behind the wheel, starting the engine. “So far so good.”
“Let’s blow this joint,” Moth said from the passenger seat. They left the garage, getting back into the city traffic, on their way home.
***
“The EU Navy, huh?” Mayor Fine said. “They’ve got their nerve, don’t they?”
“Wonder if our Navy would stop them?” Julio asked.
“One would hope,” Mayor Fine said. “Let’s see if we can get Jared on the line. He might know something.”
“I’ll see if he’s available,” Penko said, typing on his PC. “Yeah, he’ll come on in a second. Center screen.”
The group watched as the screen lit up, Jared’s face showing, looking tired.
“Hello,” Jared said. “Something happening?”
“You look tired,” Albena said. “Everything okay?”
“The enemy is giving us a hard time in California. We just lost an important person.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Tracy said.
“What’s on your mind?” Jared asked. “Only got a few minutes.”
“We’re getting reports that the EU Navy has entered Long Island Sound,” Mayor Fine said. “We think they’re coming to help the UN Peacekeepers at Randall’s Island.”
“Oh my,” Jared said. “You want to use drones to attack them? That might start an international incident that gets out of control quickly.”
“We can’t do that,” Tracy said.
“What we need is information, if you have it,” Mayor Fine said. “What do you know about the current state of the US Navy?”
Jared smiled. “They’re similar to the Air Force.”
“Meaning they’re on our side?” Julio asked.
“Meaning most of that branch is on our side,” Jared said. “I can do some checking around, and make sure they’re notified of the incursion.”
“Please do that,” Mayor Fine said.
“What are you planning to do about the Peacekeepers on that island?” Jared asked.
“We’re working a plan to get weapons from the National Guard Armory in Harlem,” Penko said. “They’ve got mortars and other nice toys which we could use on the enemy position at Randall’s Island.”
“I can get that stuff for you, but it’ll take a week. Maybe two.”
“I’d say send it, but if we can use what the National Guard has, it’ll help us,” Mayor Fine said. “We don’t want to break in and steal it, though. We’re trying to find a contact.”
“The first three people on Penko’s list aren’t answering,” Jace said, looking up from his phone, “but I’ve got ten more names to get through.”
“Okay, I’ll get off the phone and make some calls to my contacts in the Navy,” Jared said. “I’ll text you what I find out.”
“Thanks,” Mayor Fine said. Jared’s image left the screen.
“I don’t like the way he looks,” Albena said.
“I know, it worries me too,” Kate said. “Wonder what happened in California? Hope it doesn’t put the resistance there in too much danger.”
“Got one,” Penko said. “I’ll put it on speaker, he said okay.” He clicked a few times with his mouse.
“Hear me still?” Penko asked.
“Yes sir,” he said. “Who are you?”
“Resistance,” Penko said. “Mayor Fine and Governor McCain are with me.”
“Hello,” Mayor Fine said. “Who am I talking to?”
“Gosh. Major Phillips of the National Guard. What can I do for you?”
“We’re looking for weapons to use against the UN Peacekeepers on Randall’s Island,” Mayor Fine said. “We obtained an inventory of the armory in Harlem, and would like to discuss a loan of some mortars and other things. Can you help us out?”
There was a pause on the line for a moment.
“Still there?” Mayor Fine asked.
“Yeah, sorry. My senior officers have all disappeared, so I guess it’s my decision. I’ll work with you.”
“The enemy hasn’t taken the weapons yet, or another resistance group?”
“No sir.”
“You’re positive?” Penko asked.
“I’m here at the armory right now. It’s safer than anywhere else, and my family was too close to the bomb.”
“Oh no, we’re so sorry,” Tracy said.
“Thank you, Madame Governor,” Major Phillips said. “I’m glad you called. Love to do my part. I was a trainer in the Army and again in the National Guard. I can help you guys.”
“Perfect,” Mayor Fine said. “Time is of the essence. Can we send a group there now?”
“Yes. Call me at this number when you’ve arrived and I’ll open the door.”
“Thank you, Major Phillips,” Mayor Fine said. “We’ll get ready to go.”
“Yes sir.”
The call ended.
“We aren’t really going to waltz right in there, are we?” Jace asked. “That would be nuts. He might be with the enemy.”
“Let’s get Cary up here,” Taylor said. “We should take some falcon drones, and get them in the air before we approach, both to look, and to attack if needed.”
“That’s smart,” Mayor Fine said. “Call him up here now, and let’s get Chief Harvey on the line. I want this to be as official as possible. That means we send police officers, not you guys.”
“We’ll be there, though, right?” Jace asked.
“Yes, with the drones, but you won’t reveal yourselves unless we have no choice,” Mayor Fine said.
“Chief Harvey will be on in a few minutes,” Penko said.
“Guess we’ll have to plan the press conference a little later,” Tracy said.
“Sorry.”
Tracy smiled. “Rubbish, this is more important at the moment.”
***
Ashley came into the Boston intel room. “Jaak, all of the core Paine Society members check out just fine.”
“Good, let’s notify them, and make arrangements for a conference call.”
“I’ll set that up. How soon?”
Jaak thought about it for a moment. “An hour. I need to have that chat with Sunshine and Jacob. I have them coming in a few minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll set it up, hon,” Ashley said.
Sunshine and Jacob arrived a moment later.
“Good, you’re here,” Jaak said. “Henry will be here in a second. I thought he should be in on the meeting.”
“Yes, he’s got some skills in this area,” Sunshine said.
Henry breezed in. “We ready?”
“Yep,” Jaak said.
“We put together a web page for you two to look at,” Jacob said.
“Already?” Henry asked.
“Jacob is good at that,” Sunshine said. “I didn’t know.”
“I’ve been a blogger in the past,” Jacob said. “Ran several pages over the years.”
“Let’s see what you’ve got, then,” Henry said.
“Gather around,” Jacob said, sitting in front of a PC and logging on. He navigated to the page. The banner was a picture of the American rebel leadership from Boston, with the name Sons of Liberty across the top in lettering like the Declaration of Independence.
“Kinda brings tears to your eyes,” Henry said. “Very well done, Jacob. I’ve always loved that portrait of Samuel Adams.”
“This isn’t out on the internet someplace, is it?” Jaak asked.
“No, it’s on our private server for now,” Jacob said. “I’ll migrate it when it’s finished and approved.”
“Those are some of your articles, Sunshine,” Henry said. “That’s good. They’ve had a nice following.”
“Content drives traffic,” Sunshine said, “but we need to beef up the links section.”
“What’s in that section now?” Jaak asked.
“Links to Craig Smetana articles and excerpts from John Clancy’s newest book.”
“That book just came out,” Henry said.
“Yeah, is this legal?” Jaak asked.
“John Clancy put the excerpts out there himself,” Jacob said. “I picked up a chat engine. Haven’t added it yet, but when I do, we’ll try to get participation there. Most of the instructions would be sent out via pinned posts on that system.”
“I want to contact John Clancy and see if he’d come on and say a few words from time to time,” Sunshine said. “He’ll be interested in helping the resistance. I can tell by his work.”
“Is Craig Smetana still in prison?” Henry asked.
“As far as we know,” Jacob said. “His articles say in the spirit of Craig Smetana, but I know it’s him. If he’s in prison, he’s writing and sending it out somehow.”
“There are patriots everywhere,” Jaak said. “What do you think, Henry?”
“I think it’s fabulous,” he said. “Very impressed. You should be writing new articles for this, Sunshine.”
“Oh, she will, and so will I,” Jacob said, “and we’ll encourage others to join in. We want this to be the go-to site for the Boston resistance. We’ll replicate it all over the place, so it will be hard to take down for more than a few minutes.”
“The enemy will be able to take it down?” Jaak asked.
“Yeah, but then we’ll just switch it over to a new server. The internet has made things more difficult for despots.”
“They did a good job in China,” Henry said.
Sunshine laughed. “Yeah, they think they did, but free content still gets out. It’s nearly impossible to stop it completely.”
“Okay, this is good,” Jaak said. “When do you think it will be ready for launch?”
“Tomorrow night,” Jacob said. “Right, Sunshine?”
“Don’t ask me, you’ve got to do the hard parts. I don’t know anything about setting up a chat engine.”
“I’ll teach you as we go,” Jacob said. “We need more than one person who knows how to work with it.”
“Perfect,” Henry said. “Thanks.”
“See you later,” Jacob said, logging off the PC and leaving with Sunshine, the two holding hands.
“They’re a nice couple,” Henry said. “Makes me want to be young again.”
Jaak smiled. “Well, they’re certainly talented. I know who’s helping John Clancy. I believe I can get him involved.”
“Who?” Henry asked.
“Salvatore.”
“The mobster?” Henry chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t know why I’m surprised. They can be very liberty-minded.”
“Yeah, it’s not like they don’t get involved in politics, either,” Jaak said. “Look at the history of our state.”
“You have a good point there, sir.”
***
Janey pulled over to the side of the road, an hour north of Halifax, outside a town called Brookfield. She picked up her phone, put the battery back in it, and waited for the phone to get back on the network. Then she hit her mom’s contact.
“C’mon, pick up mom,” Janey whispered to herself as the phone rang. Then she heard a click and some rustling around, then some cursing in her mother’s voice.
“Sorry, Janey, dropped the phone on the floor,” Carol said. “Where are you?”
“Just south of Brookfield,” Janey said. “You left home, right?”
“Yes, and it’s a good thing we did. Ken saw UN vans pull into our driveway and into the alley as we were leaving.”
“They didn’t see your car?”
“We took Uncle Ted’s van,” Carol said. “It’s not registered to us.”
“They’ll figure that out pretty quick, but good thinking,” Janey said. “Where are you going?”
“The houseboat.”
“New Glasgow. Good, that’s the general direction I went. They might figure that out, you know.” Janey’s eyes darted towards the road as a car flew past her.
Carol chuckled. “That boat belonged to your father’s business. When it went under, he never re-registered it. They might figure it out, but there were partners, and he wasn’t the main person. Should slow them down. It’s seaworthy enough to handle the Gulf of St. Lawrence, this time of year at least. We could get lost in Quebec or someplace else. We’ll make it to Truro in about twenty minutes. Why don’t we meet there, and you can dump your Accord. They know about that car.”
“Okay, mom, I’ll do that. Stay off the phone as much as you can. They might be able to track us that way.”
“Oh, geez, didn’t think about that. Okay, honey, I’ll sign off now. Call me in a half hour and we’ll meet.”
“Thanks, mom.”
Janey set her phone down on the seat next to her and got back on the road, turning on the radio, looking for any mention of the goings-on at the Halifax UN Base. There was nothing, only reports about illegal attacks on UN Peacekeepers in the Boston area and New York City. She turned off the radio. Her phone rang a few minutes later. The call had a Halifax base prefix. She looked at it through several rings, picking it up, accepting the call but saying nothing.
“Janey?” asked a young woman.
“Kara,” Janey said.
“What happened? I heard Mateo was chasing you into the parking lot, and that you crashed through the fence.”
“Who’s with you?”
“Nobody, I’m in my room,” Kara said.
“Mateo raped me and beat me. He was trying it again this morning. I kicked him in the balls and ran. I can’t stay on long, they might be able to trace my phone.”
“You’re not coming back?”
“They’ll kill me if I do. They already tried to get my mom and brother.”
There was silence on the line for a moment.
“You still there?” Janey asked.
“Charles said he saw Shelby and Dupont’s bodies being taken out the back door,” she said in a hushed tone.
“Mateo called me with Shelby’s phone. Said they were both dead, and that he was going to kill me after he raped me again.”
“Oh God,” Kara said.
“I can’t talk any longer. If I were you, I’d get out of there. You’re too pretty. Dupont wasn’t dangerous, but he’ll be replaced by somebody soon.”
“Okay, I’m getting off now,” she said. “Crap, somebody’s at my door. They must be monitoring the phones.”
“Get out of there, Kara,” Janey said, her heart racing.
“No, don’t!” Kara shouted, several sharp clicks coming over the speaker. “He shot me! It hurts!”
Janey burst into tears, ending the call, taking the battery out of her phone again, pushing the Accord back up to ninety.
{ 14 }
Escape to the North
J ace and Taylor were in their hybrids, driving north on Manhattan Avenue towards the National Guard Armory in Harlem. Slash, Tad, and Zev were staging to leave at three-minute intervals, the SWAT team staged and waiting in unmarked vans and one of their armored vehicles.
“When are we moving east?” Taylor asked.
“Let’s turn right on 128th Street when we get to St. Nicholas Park,” Jace said. “Take Frederick Douglass up the rest of the way. Malcolm X is still a big mess after the battle.”
“Then take a right on 142nd, right?”
“Yeah,” Jace said.
“Heard that,” Slash said. “Just left. Where should we release the drones?”
Cary’s voice came on. “Do it from the trees at the park across the street.”
“Yeah, that’s perfect, dude,” Hector said. “They’re all primed with fuel. All you have to do is turn them on and set them on the pavement, so we can take them off. They’ll land on the roof of the armory, and the building next door.”
“Why not have them hidden in the trees at the park?” Taylor asked.
“Best that they can dive, and that takes more height,” Laleh said.
“Oh, good, you’re gonna be driving drones again?” Taylor asked.
“Her and Eve,” Cary said. “All you have to do is place them, then pick them up afterwards, if possible.”
“You mean if we survive,” Slash said.
“Don’t say that, sweetie,” Laleh said. “Not even as a joke.”
“Sorry,” Slash said.
“Hen-pecked already,” Jace quipped.
“It’s worth it,” Slash said.
“The SWAT team just took off,” Jace said.
“Think we can trust this National Guard guy?” Tad asked.
“We don’t, that’s why we’re bringing the drones,” Zev said, “and us, of course.”
“I don’t want you guys getting into a battle there,” Mayor Fine said.
“I second that,” Chief Harvey said.
“Oh, didn’t know you two were on,” Jace said. “I agree, we don’t want to assault the armory. They’ve got weapons that can get through our armor.”
“Exactly,” Chief Harvey said. “You’re there for drone delivery only.”
“I see the park up ahead,” Taylor said. “We’ll be making our turn soon.”
“Anybody giving you the eye?” Cary asked.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Taylor said. “Not many people around, actually.”
“Something’s going on up ahead, see it?” Jace asked. “At the park. Lot of people hanging out there.”
“Go around any problem you see,” Chief Harvey said. “Remember your mission.”
