Deep Freeze: Protocol One, Book 2 (Protocol One Saga) (11 page)

Fueled by anger and not quite coherent enough to make sound decisions, I fled from the safe room, making it topside and to the Humvee before I was noticed.

Some lame guard called out for me to stop, but I didn’t. I wasn’t even wearing a coat. The snow had started to melt, and following fresh tracks was impossible. My only guess is they were headed south, maybe even back toward Pittsburgh.

In a barren world, there is no traffic, few sounds, and visibility was good. It took me twenty minutes at uncomfortable fast driving speed to spot them just outside Elwood City. When I did, I beeped my horn and flashed my lights. It didn’t take long for the van to pull over.

I drove up alongside of them, and Spencer who had been driving was out of the van before I slipped from the Humvee.

“Anna, what the hell?”

I caught my breath.

“Where is your coat?” Spencer asked.

“Really? You guys are exiled and you ask where my coat is?” I laughed. “I’m sorry. I just … Peter got me and told me. I had to chase you down.”

Craig, Skyler and Duke had exited the van.

“What happened?” I asked. “Tell me exactly what happened?”

Craig started. “I got the knock on the door just before five, pretty much Gil and two guards telling me we were out. Just like he said. They had a packed van and said bye.”

“Why didn’t you fight?” I asked. “Find me or Tony?”

“We were escorted,” Duke said. “To the door. There wasn’t time. Skyler barely caught us.”

“What a dick,” I shook my head. “He acted as if it was over. Good thing Peter saw and got me.”

“Anna,” Craig reached out to my shoulder. “We appreciate you coming here, but we aren’t going back. We talked about it. We aren’t.”

“We’re a team,” I said. “A family. We’ve all been through the worst together. Melissa, Nelly none of us want to be separated.”

Craig nodded. “I understand. I do. But we can’t live like that. We mess up we’re out. So if you came out here to get us back. It’s not gonna work.”

“I had a feeling about that. How much gas do you have?”

Spencer answered. “A full tank and ten gallons spare. They gave us supplies and food. He …” Spencer chuckled. “Didn’t exile us empty handed. So we figure go south, and find a place to start over.”

“Good.” I said. “Not good you’re leaving, but good. Maybe you can get it started for all of us.”

“What do you mean?” Duke asked.

I lifted a finger, opened the Humvee door and retrieved the papers I took from Peter.

“Down near Charlton, West Virginia is a small fuel repository. I don’t know how much is there, it is more of a filler station.” I handed the sheet to Duke. “In Virginia, there is a food repository. Located under an old factory. The factory may be gone, but there is an underground hatch.” I handed another sheet to Duke. “And finally, in South Carolina is the Dylan camp. A former plantation that Gil purchased and had fenced in. It’s bare. It’s not build up. It needs to be primed for planting. All the information you need to find the stuff is right there.”

Spencer looked over Duke’s shoulder to the papers. “These are like the places out west. Not as big though.”

I shook my head. “Remember Gil saying he had the fan out method for building camps. This location is one of the locations. He has no clue that I have this information. So secure it. Hopefully we will be there before Gil decides to send a team there.”

“He needs people first,” Spencer said. “He’s not really gathered survivors yet. He will though. It’s the plan for May and June.”

“We’ll beat him to it. You get it ready, if you want …” I pointed. “And the rest of us will join you. It may take a while. But we will be there. This is a solid place for you to go.”

Craig asked. “You have everything you need in that bunker Anna. Why would you want to go to a place and start from scratch?”

“Well, I really won’t be starting from scratch. You guys will start from scratch. But I do have everything I need at the bunker, except freedom and open air. Do this. I’ll be there. But the main reason is, we have been through this all together. We’re family. Family sticks together.”

Spencer embraced me. “We’ll do this.”

“I know. Now go there, directly there. Don’t stop for anything.” I told them. “Find radios. If you can, radio in as some random survivors in a random location. Keep me posted if you can.”

Craig held up a ‘scouts honor’ and stepped to me. “I will. We have a radio. Thank you. Stay safe up here.” He hugged me, stepped back and stopped. “Oh, Anna, should we only expect you, Tony and the others from the bunker or should we prepare for you to be like Moses and lead a large pilgrimage.”

“Play it by ear,” I smiled.

I said my goodbyes to them all, wishing them the best of luck. I felt good about giving them the information and I also felt confident they would have no problems pulling off the preparations. After all, anal Gil, set up the system. He was just not expecting me to be involved.

After watching them drive off, I turned the Humvee around and headed back to the bunker. I had fifteen minutes until I returned and some thinking to do during the drive.

It was only a matter of time before someone figured out I had taken the Humvee and drove off. I wasn’t gone long, not at all. No one came after me and I was sure, though, had I not replied to Gil’s radio call, someone would have.

“Anna, do you read? Over.” Gil called out.

Finally, after several attempts, I answered. “I read.”

“Where are you? Over.”

“A few minutes outside the gate.”

“Coming or going?”

“Returning,” I replied.

Silence.

“I thought you left for good.”

“Don’t be silly, I’m not even dressed.” I hesitated before saying any more, quickly thinking of what I would tell him. ‘I just wanted to say goodbye to my friends and we’ll discuss this when I get there. Over. Out.”

I wanted to scream at Gil, plan the ultimate punch to the face. However, I couldn’t. If I wanted Craig and the others to arrive down south safely and unknown, if I wanted to stockpile my own supplies to take with me and do so unnoticed, I had to act as if all was fine.

In fact, anyone that wanted to leave with me had to act that way.

I didn’t need to be head of GSS or a master detective to see something was terribly amiss. Three men exiled quietly at dawn.

When I arrived back it was fifteen minutes after six. Tony probably didn’t even know I had left. Which was a good thing. I’d inform him of the plan when I returned to the room. Knowing Tony, he’d want to leave right away.

But just like we planned the bunker and got things going, we’d have to do the same. This wasn’t a onetime move. This was long term survival.

Gil was waiting in the bay when I returned. My insides shook when I saw him, yet I tried to remain calm.

“Anna, I know you’re angry.”

“Gil, I’m not angry. I’m indifferent.’

“I know you’re probably wondering why I did this.”

“I am.”

“Anna,” He leaned to me. “Things need protected. I have to keep up appearances. I wish I could say more. I can’t. I didn’t want to get rid of them, I had to. The long term plan had to be protected and to do so, I had to keep up appearances.’

“I understand.” I started to walk away.

“Do you?” he asked. “Because I hope you do. If I really didn’t care, if I really wanted them exiled, would I have given them as much as I did?”

Hearing that made me stop.

He was right. If he exiled them for crimes, why would he care if they survived?

“We’ll find them when we go out in a few weeks looking for survivors. We will. I gave them enough. And when they open the one food bag, they’ll find direction to a place they can go.”

“Where?” I asked. “Where did you tell them to go?”

“A depot I set up south of Pittsburgh. They can take shelter there. There are supplies.”

Was the depot he spoke of the fuel repository? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want him to know I had all that information.

“What are you keeping up appearances for, Gil?”

“Not what … who.”

A simply nod of my understanding and I walked away.

The who could only be one person.

Gwen.

Gwen came from the Presidential camp. She had information on things Gil had. That camp was the government, and like I originally thought, the government needed what Gil had.

<><><><>

“He did what!” Tony blasted.

“Lower your voice.”

Tony’s face crinkled up as if it took every ounce of what he had to contain himself. “Lower my voice? You come in here, tell me this grand plan how we are going south after we skim from the top and stockpile, and then you just say, by the way, four of our people were tossed out?”

“Because I knew you’d get out of control if I told you that first.”

“Damn right. He kicked them out. Under our noses.”

“He gave them supplies.”

“Oh, isn’t he a bleeding heart.”

“And he said he told them where to go.”

“That’s bullshit,” Tony argued. “Why are you believing him?”

“Because they told me how much they had. Duke said they weren’t short supplied. Would Gil have sent them out there with it if he were really all that bad?”

“If he’s not the bad guy, here Anna, who is?” Tony asked.

“Gwen.”

“Gwen is a princess, she’s not a mastermind. She’s not smart enough.”

“Tony she had all that information.” I said.

“So if she had it all, why do you think she wants more?”

“Because I think Gil has more.”

Tony shook his head. “This makes no sense. So he kicks out our guys?”

“Listen, I was thinking about this. He needs Gwen to see he is this big hard ass. He knows she knows things and doesn’t want that info to get back to the President’s bunker. So he appeases her. Joie even said she heard Gwen telling Gil he has too many secrets.”

Tony groaned. “Listen, this ‘I want to be Saint Anna, believing in the good of all’, has gone on too long. Okay? Here’s the deal. Gwen knows what Gil has because Gil told her. They faked the divorce so he could stock up for them both on the side. He had every intention of coming here as well as Gwen. You were a ruse. You were never meant to have this forever. Only to get here and get it operational and growing. We all did. Our job is done. Their first step to control everything. The government has nothing to do with this. It’s all Gwen and Gil.”

I shook my head in disagreement when a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” Tony called then looked to me. “If this is Gil, I’ll deck him.”

“You will not. You will stay calm. Pretend all is well until we have everything ready to …”

The door opened. “I’m sorry,” Peter said. “Did you say come in?”

Tony grumbled. “What, Peter?”

“Hey.” I snapped. “Be nice to my friend.”

“Aw, that’s nice of you to say.” Peter smiled.

“Oh my God. Anna,” Tony said. “Grab what you need. I’m getting my daughter and we’re getting out of here.”

“What about Melissa and Nelly?” I asked. “Tom?”

“Me.” Peter said.

“We all can’t up and go without preparing.” I said.

Almost as if dismissing me, Tony looked at Peter. “What did you want?’

Peter held up the phone. “I started hacking. We were right. It was a dedicated communication line to one person. This ‘D’ person.” He handed Tony the phone. “You can read for yourself. The whole entire stream of conversation I got, they were back and forth. Some inconsequential. But the gist of the one conversation was, they had info on what Gil had but D was sure it wasn’t all. Gil has more. Just like we thought. Gwen was to find out what else remained and…” Peter grabbed the phone from Tony.

Frustrated, Tony tossed out his hands.

“Sorry,” Peter said. “Just looking for the one ... here. D stated, ‘it is imperative you keep track of where they find survivors, you know the plan is to round them up like it or not’ and Gwen replied ….”

Tony snatched the phone from his hand. He sighed out and read with little enthusiasm. “She wrote, ‘Slavery of the future. Continuity of mankind comes with a price.’” Tony handed me the phone.

I reread the words. “Sounds to me like concentration camps to get things running. Still wanna argue?”

“Anna, I need to read them all the way through. All the messages,” Tony said.

Peter added, “I still have a lot more hacking to do.”

I gave the phone back to Peter. “I think it’s pretty obvious. Do you believe me now?” I asked Tony. “Do you still believe Gil is the bad guy?”

“Bad guy or good guy, doesn’t matter,” Tony said. “All this leads me to believe there is going to be a clash of power, somewhere , somehow, and I don’t want to be around here when it all goes down. I just want to live my life and survive with you and my child. We don’t need Gil or the government for that. ” On those words, Tony looking slightly defeated in the argument and walked into Joie’s room.