Dark Titan Journey: Finally Home (28 page)

“What do I get out of it if I talk?” Lonny asked.

“No excruciating pain, for starters,” Nathan said, pulling out his knife.

“Then you will just kill me,” Lonny said.

“Yes, but without the excruciating pain,” Nathan said, moving the knife down to Lonny’s shot knees.

Lonny sucked in breath, watching the tip of the knife slowly circle his shot knees. “If you leave me, I’ll tell you whatever you want.”

“I’ll leave you here,” Nathan said, smiling.

“Alive,” Lonny demanded.

Narrowing his eyes, Nathan glared at Lonny. “Alive. But if you don’t answer, I’m getting medieval on your ass.” Lonny sighed, closing his eyes, and nodded his head. “What the fuck is that thing called?” Nathan said, pointing at the box and tablet.

“E-M-F-T-U, second generation. Electro Magnetic Field Tracking Unit. We call it Mew,” Lonny told him. Nathan nodded and went over to the buggy. He pulled out a first aid kit and started bandaging Lonny’s knees.

Nathan pointed at the screen. “Why is your dot red and mine is red and white?”

“I don’t have an EMF from an electrical source on me. You do?” Lonny answered. Nathan started patting down, making sure his radio was off. Lonny shook his head. “No, you have a watch on and I see some kind of hearing aid in your ear.”

Nathan looked at Lonny, shocked. “Those fields are very small.”

“I doesn’t matter, we can see them,” Lonny said, grimacing as pain shot up his legs. Nathan reached in the kit, pulled out a bottle of pills, and tossed them in Lonny’s mouth. Then, pulling a bottle of water out of the buggy, Nathan let him have a drink.

“How the hell can you pick up a human without an electromagnetic field?” Nathan asked.

“All humans have an EMF, we just figured out how to detect it,” Lonny answered.

“How far out?” Nathan asked.

“Electronic EMF we can pick up thirty-four hundred meters away. Human, eighteen hundred meters,” Lonny replied.

“What’s your code?” Nathan asked as he started writing.

“Code?” Lonny asked as Nathan stopped writing and picked his knife off the ground.

“Seven, seven, five, three,” Lonny snapped, and Nathan dropped the knife. “How did you know it had a code?”

“Your buddy over there told me,” Nathan lied. “Besides, what computer doesn’t have a code to get in it?”

“What all did he tell you?” Lonny asked as Nathan quit writing and picked up the knife again. “Okay, forget I asked.”

Dropping the knife, Nathan started writing in his notebook. “How many teams out here?”

“Eight that I know of,” Lonny said.

“Where?”

“We are spread out from Laramie to I-25. My team is the most northern because I’m group leader,” Lonny replied.

“Mission?”

“Stop travel on major roadways and report defector troop movements,” Lonny said.

“You can’t use radios around the boxes,” Nathan said, picking up the knife.

“Wait!” Lonny shouted. “You’re right, the M-U can be damaged by a powerful radio up close, but if you turn it off you can use one.”

“How many M-Us were made?” Nathan asked, dropping the knife.

“I know of three thousand for Homeland, but if others were made I don’t know,” Lonny asked.

Stopping his writing, Nathan looked up and pointed at the M-U. “I caught a Homeland Regional Section chief. He never said Dark Titan involved anything like that.” The color drained out of Lonny’s face. “Yes, I know a lot, and just because I’m not reaching for knife doesn’t mean I don’t know you’re lying. It just means you are pissing me off.”

Lonny nodded. “Our mission also includes targeting insurgents that haven’t reported to FEMA camps.”

“Civilians?” Nathan asked.

“Insurgents,” Lonny said, and Nathan reached for the knife. “Okay, civilians.”

Nathan looked up. “How could you do this to your own countrymen?”

“If everyone had just let us fight crime and protect them I wouldn’t have gone along with this. But no, they demand all American terrorists have a right to trial. People think they have the right to stand up and tell the government no. Only the government needs weapons, not the population. If they had allowed us to do that this wouldn’t have been necessary,” Lonny said.

“You basically said the Bill of Rights and Constitution are crap, but yet you swore to uphold them,” Nathan said as he started writing.

“It’s two hundred years old,” Lonny said.

“It’s not working out too well for you, is it?” Nathan said, writing.

“A few bumps in the road,” Lonny admitted.

“No, canyons in the road. You never knew a CME could detonate satellites carrying plutonium. It detonated the satellite Homeland put up with warheads to launch EMPs across the continent,” Nathan said, still writing. “Now before I grab the knife, I’ve never heard of that.” He motioned his head toward the M-U.

“Unless they were in terrorist suppression division, no one would’ve known,” Lonny answered, happy Nathan didn’t reach for the knife.

“So you just drive around with these, finding people?” Nathan asked.

“No, it can’t be close to a large EMF. There are some mounted in vans but they aren’t turned on till the van is shut off. We couldn’t insulate the units enough,” Lonny said.

“The radios that were issued after the event, how do you disable the tracking feature when you turn it on?” Nathan asked. “I’ve gone over the circuitry and didn’t find a broadcaster,” Nathan lied.

Lonny just looked at Nathan in utter shock. “The tracking unit is in the battery pack, not the radio.”

“Why do you target kids before adults when you fire?”

“We found if we shoot to wound a kid, adults will attempt to do anything to get them to safety,” Lonny said. “You do realize, when they catch you, and they will, you are dead. With what I’ve told you and what you already know, they will kill your neighbors.”

“No one is going to catch me,” Nathan said. “The Homeland boy I let go in Arkansas said I wouldn’t make it out of the state, and here I am.”

“You let him go?” Lonny asked with relief.

“Yes, he answered my questions. So did the colonel who was with him.”

Lonny nodded. “Very well. What else?”

“What other bullshit do you have?” Nathan asked.

“The house we were staying at has my laptop. On it is a file of new developments and an overview of Dark Titan,” Lonny said.

“Ah, no, government laptops broadcast location,” Nathan said.

“No, they don’t, in case we get traitors inside the department. We don’t want them to be able to track us if we are in the field. Despite what you were told, the radios don’t broadcast location till they have been away from net for seventy hours. If you charge two of them side by side they won’t broadcast location when you turn them on,” Lonny said.

Impressed with that logic, Nathan stared at Lonny a long time without saying anything. Lonny was getting scared when Nathan spoke. “What the hell are you doing in the field? You’re not a field agent or operator.”

Lonny smiled. “Very good, you’re right. I’m deputy director of anti-terror division.”

“What are you doing out here?” Nathan repeated.

“I wanted to see how the war was going,” Lonny said. “What was the name of the regional officer you caught?”

“I’m not telling you, I gave my word just as he gave his,” Nathan said as he looked down and started writing. “What is the death toll here in the states, the real one?” Nathan asked.

“I haven’t been updated in two days, but it was seventy-three million then,” Lonny said as Nathan grabbed the knife. “Hey, you asked.”

“I know I did; this is for the next question. When do you report in?”

“Day after tomorrow, oh-eight-hundred hours. Helicopter transport will be here to pick me up,” Lonny said quickly.

Nathan motioned to the first man he killed. “He told me this afternoon at sixteen hundred.”

“He’s full of shit,” Lonny proclaimed.

“If he is, that means they will start to look for you,” Nathan said, flipping the knife around in his hand. “I shoved this very knife in his arm to get him to answer. He never got the choice you did because he shot one of the kids I was with.”

“Look, whoever you are, he’s just a contractor or shooter. First, no one calls in during the afternoon; that’s when all the missions are running. Second, all air assets are tied up by the afternoon, so you have to wait. If you call in the morning, you have clear air and assets on call,” Lonny said.

“How many contractors do you have?” Nathan asked.

Lonny shook his head. “You really don’t like life.” Nathan flipped the knife in the air, catching the handle. “We hired over a two hundred thousand security contractors last year and had them in place. They’ve all been issued Homeland ID. We have another three hundred thousand on the ground as contractors.”

Nathan dropped the knife and started writing. “Password to your computer?”

“TGJK45781,” Lonny said, looking at the blood-soaked knife on the ground.

“Password to Homeland database?” Nathan asked.

“The same,” Lonny said, looking away from the knife.

They talked for another hour till John came over the hilltop. John froze, seeing Nathan had bandaged the man’s wounds. Nathan looked up and waved John over. John stared at the man with hate-filled eyes. “Jasmine wants you.”

Nathan stood up. “John, I’m letting him go like the last ones if he continues to cooperate.”

“Nathan, he’s one—” John stopped as Nathan held up his hand.

“John, if he continues, he goes free. Now help me pack up this stuff,” Nathan said.

Lonny leaned his head back on the buggy, smiling despite the pain, knowing he was going free. He was very thankful for the pain medicine he was given. He would go free and find this group if it was the last thing he did. Even with the man recording him, Lonny wouldn’t get in trouble, it was obtained under duress. He would find out the name of the regional chief that was released and have him crucified.

Nathan stepped over Lonny, blocking the sun from his eyes. “I’m putting you on the hood. No, you aren’t getting inside, in case there is a distress button inside. Play nice or the deal is off. I’m taking you to the rest of my group.”

“Just be careful with my legs,” Lonny begged. Nathan walked away and came back, carrying several sticks. Not gently, he made splints for Lonny’s legs. Lonny smiled. “Thank you. And you’re right, the distress box is under the passenger seat.”

“Where is the tracker?” Nathan asked.

“These aren’t Lo-jacked. We don’t want people to find us,” Lonny said. Nathan untied Lonny and picked him up, laying him across the hood of the dune buggy.

Nathan tied Lonny’s hands to the frame again. “I’m finding that part hard to believe. If I get out my bug detector and it goes off, deal’s off.”

“I know. You seem like a smart man, except for wanting to know too much. Do you really think we want something transmitting our location? The military units that are still loyal to the president learned that the hard way. They left their vehicle ID transmitters on and three Apache gunships knocked out a Stryker brigade. The German regiment that attacked the Texans, same thing, they had NATO Lo-Jack, vehicle ID. Wiped out almost to the man,” Lonny said.

Nathan nodded, then helped John carry the M-U over and set it in the passenger seat. John climbed in the gunner’s seat as Nathan drove over the hill. Lonny sucked a breath when they went over the hill and he slid down the hood. His tied wrist stopped him from sliding off. Lonny grimaced and reminded himself to not provoke them so he could go free.

When Nathan stopped, Jasmine came out of the barn to see Lonny tied to the hood. As Nathan got out she pulled her pistol, and Nathan went over and talked to her. Lonny sighed, seeing Jasmine take her hand off her pistol. John got out and started taking the equipment off.

Finished talking to Jasmine, Nathan untied Lonny and carried him inside the barn. Seeing the kids, Nathan carried Lonny over to the other side and tied him up to the boards on a horse stall. Nathan looked down at him. “I wouldn’t talk to them. They all want to kill you no matter what deal I made. Don’t give them a reason.”

Nodding, Lonny looked at the group with fear on his face. Then he looked up at Nathan, pleading. “Don’t leave me with them. I’ve kept my promise.”

“We’ll see,” Nathan said. “I’m going to use your buggy to go radio some friends who have hacked into Homeland. If they confirm what you said, then the deal stands, if not, they can have you.”

“Hacked into Homeland?” Lonny said in a disbelieving voice.

“The regional director was most accommodating, and with your password they can confirm more,” Nathan said, smiling.

Lonny looked around, scared, then back to Nathan. “There are twenty teams under me operating above Cheyenne. They stretch to Scottsbluff. The closest is five miles to the east.”

“If you are telling the truth, I will let that slide,” Nathan said.

“Everything else is the truth,” Lonny said, letting out a long breath.

“We’ll see,” Nathan said, walking away.

Picking up Emma, he stopped beside Jasmine, who was looking over the girls. He knelt beside them. “How are you guys doing?”

Amanda looked at him with glassed-over eyes. “I’m glad you threatened to kick my ass if I didn’t wear that stupid vest.”

Nathan looked at Jasmine with raised eyebrows. Jasmine smiled. “I gave them some Percocet.”

“Don’t overdo it; they are smaller than an adult,” Nathan said.

“I used your dosing book for kids,” Jasmine said. Then she whispered, “I told everyone what you told me.”

“Just do that and leave him alone. I need more information,” Nathan said, standing up. “One of you stay up on guard.”

“We need two at least,” Tom said walking over. Nathan pointed at the M-U and explained how it worked quickly. “That is bullshit,” Tom said when he was finished.

John looked at the unit. “Damn, and I thought you were a Jedi.”

“I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour,” Nathan said, walking outside. Everyone except Amanda and Casey followed him out.

Jasmine ran in front of him. “Nathan, someone needs to go with you.”

Nathan considered her. “John, get in the passenger seat and don’t reach under it; there is a switch that calls for help, the bad kind for us.”