Broken Lives: A Tale of Survival in a Powerless World (Broken Lines Book 4) (16 page)

***

Kalen was crouched behind a building in an alleyway, waiting for the guards to disappear. She’d been squatting there for over an hour and her knees were aching. When the guards finally disappeared for their shift switch she almost fell over from getting up too fast. Her knees popped and cracked as she ran for the door.

When she made it inside she rushed to the back and hid between two aisles. She’d been waiting to get inside the armory supply since she got back from the bridge.

Once she was sure the coast was clear she started stuffing ammo, pistols, magazines, grenades, anything she thought would help her, into the duffle bag she brought. The last weapon she grabbed was an AR-15 that she slung over her shoulder.

Kalen snuck out of a window on the side of a building and landed in an alleyway behind a dumpster. She started heading to the back when someone covered her mouth from behind.

“Shh,” Sam said.

Sam grabbed the bag from her and opened it up. He sifted through the contents and threw it in the dumpster.

“Hey!” Kalen cried.

“What are you thinking?” Sam asked.

“My father’s alive.”

“And how were you planning on getting him? Going to swim across the Ohio River with all that gear dragging you down?”

Kalen slammed her back against the wall of the building and slid down.

Sam let out a sigh and joined her on the ground. He put her arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“From what I’ve seen your dad is one tough bastard. If he is alive, then he’ll find a way back, but for now you have to do the hardest thing anyone in your position can do,” Sam said.

“Which is?”

“Wait.”

She knew he was right. Her mind went back to all of those nights when she was out late with friends. Her dad was always up when she made it home, no matter what time it was. His face always had the same look each time. It would be relieved and then, depending on how late it was, upset.

Kalen couldn’t imagine the thoughts that went through her father’s mind during those nights, waiting for her to come home. She couldn’t comprehend the worry when he was separated from his family for almost a week as he trekked from Pittsburgh all the way to their cabin in Carrollton.

She had caused more stress in her father’s life than anyone she knew. And now she was sitting on the other end of it.

“I’m afraid I won’t see him again,” Kalen said.

“You will.”

Sam helped her off the ground and walked back with her to the hotel where her mother was waiting for her.

Anne squeezed Kalen tight.

“What were you thinking?” Anne asked.

“That I had to do something.”

Anne shook her head.

“Stubborn like your father.”

“Have you heard anything yet?”

“No, whatever they’re planning on doing isn’t a rescue mission. They’re acting like he’s—”

“Where’s Freddy?” Kalen asked.

“He’s down in your guys’ room. He won’t let anyone in,” Anne said.

Kalen knocked on the door, but Freddy didn’t answer. She jiggled the handle and tried pushing the door open, but something was blocking it.

“Freddy?” Kalen asked.

She pushed hard, muscling the door open. Freddy had moved the dresser haphazardly into the small foyer in the room.

There was a fort in the corner. Kalen flipped up one of the sheets and Freddy was tucked in a ball. He clutched the watch that Mike had given him in his hand.

“Hey, bud,” Kalen said.

He didn’t say anything as she crawled inside. She sat down next to him and he cuddled up into her lap. Kalen stroked the back of his head and his body started to shiver.

“Is Dad dead?” Freddy asked.

“No, he’s not dead.”

“Then where is he? Why hasn’t he come back?”

“You know Dad. He has to make sure everyone’s safe. That’s what he’s doing. Keeping us safe.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so.”

Kalen kissed the top of his head. She pulled the pocket watch from his hands and held it out in front of the both of them to see. It spun from the silver chain, twirling around and around.

“Is this the one that belonged to Grandpa?” Kalen asked.

“Yeah, Dad gave it to me when we were still at the cabin.”

“You’ve been keeping it in good shape?”

“Yup. I found some silver polish at school and cleaned it the other day.”

“Dad will be proud you’re taking good care of it.”

“When will he come back?”

“As soon as he can.”

Kalen handed the watch back to her brother, then wrapped her arms around him. When she looked up through the opening in the sheets her mother was standing in the room, watching both of them.

Anne got down on her knees and entered the small fort with her children. The three of them curled up together under the sagging sheets.

***

Mike closed the journal and set it on the nightstand next to the bed he was lying on. Everything he’d just read was racing through his mind: the Senate hearing, Bram’s partnership with Dr. Wyatt, the EMP device, the missile launches.

Mike shoved the journal back into his pocket. He found Wyatt in his room, reading by the glow of a single light next to his chair.

“When did you find out?” Mike asked.

“When did I find out what Bram was really planning on doing? When it was too late. I tried stopping him, but at that point everything was already in motion. Most of his men didn’t realize what was going to happen either, and a few of them joined me here in Cincinnati where we knew he would gather. We knew he had one of his major facilities here and it was close enough to his other resources to stage a formidable stand for a coup against Washington.”

“That’s why you blew up the bridge.”

“He already has men stationed in Columbus and Indianapolis. He’s been recruiting men since the power’s gone out to join his… cause. If he connects with his units in Nashville and Charlotte then he’ll be able to essentially divide the country in two with no organized forces to stop him.”

Mike sat down on the arm of the only other chair in the room. He lost his legs. During the entire time he was reading that journal he could think of only one thing: He left his family with that madman.

“What’s his play?” Mike asked.

“He’s manufacturing missiles at his factory here in Cincinnati. In Nashville they’re manufacturing the guidance chips. They’re planning on meeting in Lexington where there is a military base with launch capabilities. He already has men there preparing for both parties to arrive. I know their original timeline was to have everything up and running a week from now, but with the bridge gone I don’t know how long we’ve stalled him. I also don’t know how long it’ll be before his forces from the south make it up here to press us on both fronts.”

“How do we stop him?”

“We don’t need to take out all of the components of his plan; just one of them will cripple everything. We’ve been repairing boats in preparation for blowing up the bridge. We have enough to get everyone across, but we have no way of locating the factory or an understanding of their security structure.”

“That's why you captured me.”

“Yes.”

Mike wasn’t sure if he could trust Wyatt or not. For all he knew this guy was playing him too.

“Why should I believe you and your journal?” Mike asked.

“Because there is enough evidence in that journal to put me away for a very long time. Usually, bad guys don’t incriminate themselves like that to the people around them.”

“If I do this I want a guarantee that my family will be taken care of. That they are a priority for extraction when you make it across the river.”

“I promise.”

They drove west for almost thirty minutes. The road was in bad shape. It had been cracked and split into pieces from the weeks of bombardment from Bram and his men.

Dr. Wyatt sat in the back with Mike, while two soldiers rode up front. The top of the Jeep was open and they had to yell over the engine and wind to be heard.

“It’s just up the road here,” Dr. Wyatt said.

“How do you know Bram doesn’t know about this place?” Mike asked.

“His ordnance would have the range to take it out. If he knew, it would already be destroyed.”

They pulled into a small marina. There were dozens of boats lining the docks, ranging in size and function. Most of the boats had men still working on them but a few were being tested in the water.

“You’re sure there are enough to get all of your men across?” Mike asked.

“Yes, but it’s taken longer than we thought. We only had two marine mechanics. They’ve been working day and night and teaching our other mechanics as much as they could to help out,” Dr. Wyatt answered. “What we’ve really been short on are welders.”

“I can help with that.”

The welding equipment they had wasn’t the best, but Mike was used to working with older models. The steel mill back in Pittsburgh was always hesitant about spending money on anything that was new or worked properly.

Mike lighted the welding torch. It felt good to have familiar tools in his hand. He brought two pieces of metal together and sparks flew from the bonding. He could feel the heat through his gloves. He never thought he’d be happy to feel the singe of those sparks again. The focus and precision brought him a sense of normalcy that he hadn’t felt for a long time.

After a few hours of finishing up some projects that were high priorities Mike took his gloves off and started rubbing his hands. Dr. Wyatt came over and extended two pills and a bottle of water.

“How long have they been like that?” Dr. Wyatt asked.

“The past couple years.”

“We could have one of our doctors take a look at them.”

“I’ve had all sorts of doctors look at them, and they all tell me the same thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“Stop using them.”

The drive back seemed considerably shorter. They entered Wyatt’s headquarters and finished ironing out the details for the assault tomorrow.

“Bram’s men are going to vet you, and they might even try to kill you,” Dr. Wyatt said. “They won’t be giving you the benefit of the doubt, so we won’t have much time. You have to stay alive. If you can’t lead us to the factory, then we’re dead in the water.”

“Right. Well, when I left they still had the bridge heavily guarded. Most of the buildings within the city had two guards per structure. The armory, training facility, and heavy artillery are located here, here, and here,” Mike said, pointing to different areas on the map.

“As soon as you know the location of the factory, press this.”

Dr. Wyatt handed him a small remote, no bigger than his pinky.

“What is it?” Mike asked.

“It’s a low frequency radio transmitter. You hit that button and we’ll know the mission is a go. From there we’ll meet you at the rendezvous point along the bank,” Dr. Wyatt said. “We’ll have multiple teams landing in different locations, but we have some radios working now, so we’ll be able to communicate once you tell us where the factory is. All of our men have been briefed backwards and forwards on the blueprint of the city.”

“And what about my family?” Mike asked. “When do they get out?”

“When you rendezvous with our men after you’ve found the location of the factory, bring your family with you. We’ll have a craft waiting to take them across the river, away from the fighting.”

“So, how do I get back over there now?”

“Well, that’s where it gets tricky.”

Mike was led to the shore, over two miles north from the bridge, and given a small flotation device. He would have to swim for it.

“It’s about half a mile. The current shouldn’t be too bad,” Dr. Wyatt said.

“Right,” Mike answered, looking to the other side.

“It could be worse,” Dr. Wyatt said. “At least it’s not winter.”

“The chip will be able to survive the swim?”
“It’ll be fine. Good luck.”