Holding Their Own: The Toymaker (10 page)

Nodding, she understood his concern. “We can ask Diana for help… or Nick… or Pete. Hell, half of the Alliance owes you big time, Bishop. We’ll be okay. We’ve got tons of friends.”

“No,” he barked, then was embarrassed at the harshness of his response. Softer, he added, “We can’t burden our friends. Times are tough for everybody, and the last thing they need is us showing up with our hands out. We have to be able to make it on our own.”

Terri smiled, her husband’s pride and spirit part of the reason she loved him so. She decided to let him settle down and changed the subject. “Well, we’re not going to figure this out standing here in the sun. Why don’t you help me get my stuff inside the camper, and I can fill you in on all the latest while you play with Hunter. I’ll make us supper in a bit.”

“Sounds good,” he replied, bouncing Hunter up and down. “My son and I have some catching up to do. I can’t believe how much he’s grown.”

“No kidding. I’ve had to lug that little monster all over town the last few days. I’m going to have bigger muscles than you if he keeps putting on weight.”

The family settled in, Terri unpacking while Bishop made up for lost time by playing peek-a-boo with Hunter. When she finally exited the bedroom, both of them were asleep on the couch.

Terri stood, gazing with admiration at her boys, enjoying the precious moment. Hunter was lying on his dad’s chest, the top of the baby’s head nuzzled against Bishop’s neck.

Even in sleep, both of Bishop’s arms were wrapped around the baby, holding him securely so he couldn’t roll off. “You’ve always taken care of us, Bishop. I know you always will. As long as we’re together, we’ll be all right.”

“The military guys have all the cool toys,” Diana noted, entering Bliss’s communications center.

“We get all the girls, too,” Nick winked, walking along beside her.

“Not if you keep spouting that crap about going to Vegas and having Elvis perform the ceremony,” she teased.

“Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea…” he started to reply.

The couple approached a young enlisted man sitting at a console lined with radios, blinking lights, and digital meters. Seeing General Owens, the specialist nearly tripped over himself trying to stand and salute. “At ease,” the general snapped, seemingly more worried about the expensive-looking hardware than being properly acknowledged.

Glancing at Diana, the radio operator said, “Ma’am, my counterpart at Camp David said the president will be on the air in three minutes. We are using an encoded, half-duplex shortwave, which means only one party can talk at a time. Furthermore, we are using an encryption device on both ends, so there is a delay. You should speak into this microphone. You push this button to talk, and make sure you let up when you’ve finished. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Are you leaving?” Diana asked, suddenly nervous about the equipment and operating it properly.

“He’s not cleared for this communication,” Owens replied.

“Ah. I see. Okay, I think I’ve got it.”

Smiling, the specialist nodded in Owens’s direction. “Ma’am, the general is familiar with this equipment as well. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

And with that, the soldier rose and looked at his superior, “With your permission, sir.”

“Dismissed, and thank you, specialist.”

Nick indicated Diana should sit in front of the microphone while he rolled over a chair for the general and himself.

A voice sounded through the speaker, “Bliss? This is Camp D. I have the president here. Everything ready on your end?”

Looking at Nick and receiving a nod to continue, Diana hesitated only a moment before pushing the mic’s button. “This is Diana Brown from the Alliance. Good afternoon, Mr. President.”

Nick had to tap her shoulder, motioning for her to let up on the button.

It was a few seconds before a familiar voice boomed across the airwaves. The president was clearly upset. “Miss Brown, I wish I could return your polite greeting, but that is beyond me right now. What the hell is the Alliance doing in New Mexico? Why have you attacked and killed our people?”

“Mr. President, I promise you, the Alliance had nothing to do with anything in New Mexico. General Owens assures me that there are no authorized operations there, and the council isn’t aware of any activity on the civilian side. Trust me, sir, we’ve got our hands full on our own street.”

The Alliance leaders were unsure if the pause that followed was due to a communications lag, or because the man on the other end was digesting Diana’s statement.

“I want to believe you,” a calmer voice sounded through the speaker. “But if not the Alliance, then who? Someone is going to answer for this outrage, believe me.”

“It would help if we knew what was going on,” Diana answered. “Honestly, sir, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Of course. My apologies, Miss Brown,” the president responded.

The U.S. leader then proceeded to provide a full five minutes of debriefing, describing the activity in Los Alamos, the missing nuclear materials, and the massive maze of earthworks.

“The last contact with our team on the ground has led my people to surmise that someone is indeed planning to turn the desert into a mini Garden of Eden. Whoever is behind all this… they now have over 80 pounds of very potent radioactive material.”

It was Diana’s turn to get angry. “And you didn’t inform us of this?” she snapped into the microphone. “Someone is attempting to reroute the water that is the lifeblood of the Alliance’s agricultural output, and you didn’t let us know?”

“We just arrived at that conclusion a few hours ago, Miss Brown. And to be honest, the fact that it doesn’t make any sense for you to cut your own throat is the only reason anyone in Washington is going to believe that the Alliance isn’t involved in the nuclear theft.”

The general moved closer, looking to Diana for permission to address the president. With her nod of approval, he pressed the button to talk. “Mr. President, this is General Owens. Sir, I can have a crack platoon of troops in Los Alamos in less than two hours, sir. We consider rogue nuclear materials as much of a threat to the Alliance as your people do to the United States.”

“Normally, General, I would seriously consider your generous offer, but this situation is a bit more complex. Whoever is building those earthworks is organized, capable, and well-equipped. They have demonstrated both the proficiency and the will to execute violence, and shown a level of competence that is troubling.  The message their leader gave to our people on the ground at Los Alamos was chilling, and given what little we know, my experts warn that they might just be able to pull off the nuclear threat.”

Diana moved closer to the microphone, “What do you propose, Mr. President? I’m sure you can understand our concerns. Having what sounds like a terrorist in our neighborhood isn’t acceptable.  Cutting off the water that supplies our primary agricultural region isn’t going to fly either. We can’t just sit on our hands out here, sir.”

A grunt came across the airwaves, but it was impossible for Diana to tell if it was sarcasm or amusement at her diplomatic understatement.

“Yes… yes, I suppose that would be somewhat of a concern for the Alliance. As far as the next step, we’re analyzing various options at the moment. I would ask that you hold tight and let us handle our own problem.”

That statement provided Diana the first hint of the president’s position, and she didn’t like it one bit. “I was hoping you would assure us that you were addressing the issue, Mr. President. The activity isn’t taking place in our territory, so technically I have no authority to do anything. On the other hand, this is a direct threat against our national security, and we can’t just stand by and let that happen.”

“Your territory? Your national security? You speak as though Texas was officially a separate nation. The last time I checked, that status was informal… at best,” came the gruff response.

Diana inhaled sharply, her temper about to explode. Only Nick’s hand squeezing her shoulder stopped what was sure to have escalated into a diplomatic incident. The president’s voice came back across the radio’s speaker as she gathered herself.

“Miss Brown, if it were up to me, I would’ve granted Texas its independence years before the collapse. But I’m just the president, not a dictator. And not even an elected Commander in Chief at that. Senators and Congressmen up here think that our countrymen in the Lone Star State have gone too far. They believe strongly that we should shorten your leash and push all of this Alliance nonsense aside. So going back to our little issue in New Mexico, I would advise you not to send in military force. That would appear as though you were trying to expand the Alliance’s territory, and I would be pressured to respond in kind. And if your actions didn’t go as planned… if there was a disbursement of radioactive materials… that would be considered an act of war.”

Diana didn’t like being threatened or bullied. “I don’t think you or the U.S. military is up for a conflict with us, sir. In the last two years, we’ve twice engaged in what can only be described as preliminary steps to civil war. A lot of men died in those skirmishes, Mr. President. We were lucky cooler heads prevailed. So I don’t think either of us want to let the situation in New Mexico lead to another conflict.”

“Things are different now, Miss Brown,” came the steady voice from Washington. “Just like the Alliance, we’re slowly recovering. If you move into New Mexico with military force, the optics here in Washington will be extremely unfavorable. Even if you went in and got right back out, it would still appear as though you were trying to squelch American citizens who were simply trying to better themselves. Now, please understand what I am trying to tell you. In a way, I wish our entire nation was addressing its problems like the people in New Mexico. We’d all be much better off. I am just saying we need to be aware of how this action might be perceived and used to further another political agenda.”

“So what do you propose we do about this, Mr. President? We won’t just stand by and let our people starve.”

“Miss Brown, I am a man of action more than words. Now, I must ask that you trust me. We simply don’t know enough to propose any action or recommend any solution –
at this time
. There is a tremendous void of facts, and until we figure out who and what we’re dealing with, I’m not going to order more men into an unknown environment. We’ve already been surprised by these people twice, and I’ve got nothing but a body count and missing fissionable material to show for it.”

Nick leaned in close, pushing the talk button. “Mr. President, this is Nick. Perhaps we can help with some Intel. I have teams that specialize in performing reconnaissance in just these types of situations.”

Again, a pause from Camp David. “I’m aware of your SAINT teams, Nick. But the concern here is the warning issued by the people in New Mexico. If your people were discovered, it might result in a full bucket of radioactive hell being dumped on both of our heads.”

“But the warning was for the U.S., not the Alliance, sir. I know I’m splitting hairs here, but we’ve got a lot at stake in all this. Probably more so than your side of the table.”

“That’s true,” came the considered response from Camp David. “Let me talk it over with my people here. In the meantime, I ask for your commitment that you’ll sit tight.”

Diana shook her head, not wanting to make any such promise without more time to think. “Like you, Mr. President, I need to consult with my experts.”

Something changed in the president’s voice on the next transmission. “I see,” he said in a monotone. “Could I ask for a private word with just Nick and Diana, please?”

It came across as just plain weird, the Alliance leaders exchanging puzzled looks. Shrugging her shoulders, Diana pushed to talk and responded, “I don’t see why not, Mr. President.”

General Owens mouthed the words, “Good luck,” and then left the room.

“Okay, sir, it’s just the two of us here at Bliss.”

“From this point forward, I want you to know this is an unofficial, off the record conversation. Is that acceptable?”

Diana frowned at Nick, not knowing where in the hell the man on the other end of the microphone was going. Finally, she pushed to talk, and answered, “Of course, sir. Off the record.”

“I can tell by the sound of your voices that you’re inclined not to stay on the sidelines. I just wanted to assure you that this matter will get our best resources and full attention. You see, my own son may be a hostage. He was with the Special Forces team that got shot up. Furthermore, if you go in there and make things worse, I’m going to take it personally. I ask that you keep that in mind. We’ll be in touch as soon as we know more.”