Chapter 53 – Active Missions
Tuesday Morning, July 28, 2308
At four in the morning, Ashley's phone went off. She answered, still groggy with sleep.
Ross's voice came both over the phone and from right outside the door. "Time to get up. I want you and the little guy dressed and in the kitchen in five minutes.”
A few minutes more than five minutes later, Ashley and Geoff walked down the maintenance hall toward the kitchen. The lights were still off, and no light came in from behind the pulled shades and blinds.
Ross met the children halfway to their destination. "First things first...”
Ashley’s Journal, Tuesday, July 28, 2308
After early morning patrols, we had breakfast and talked about ways to improve security. Ross had all the correct answers, but he wanted us thinking about it. We discussed the finer points of distributing weapons, ammunition and first aid supplies where they could do the most good.
He explained that you had to think about it as Fortifying Your Base. As if you were always less than six hours from an actual attack.
Where would you want weapons and ammo stashed during a firefight?
It's a bit of a tie, actually, between the bathroom and the kitchen. The bathroom has a reinforced tub and a window you can occasionally escape through, but it’s also called a Kill Box for a reason.
Tuesday Morning, July 28, 2308
The micro-transmitters Croswell had sprayed at Stanwood’s home informed the secretary that Stanwood had finally returned home for the first time since shooting Fox.
In full battle armor, Croswell arrived at Stanwood’s residence. Hovering overhead, he performed an intimate scan. He read the security entries and the residential event logs. Stanwood had opened the fridge, taken nothing out, proceeded to the bathroom where the relieved himself, showered and was now asleep in his bed.
Von Kalt was nowhere to be seen.
Secretary Croswell, having already hacked the rudimentary security system, instructed it to open the patio door as he arrived. It closed a moment later, after Croswell had invisibly entered, having made zero contact with the domicile.
The Secretary checked Stanwood’s room to be sure it was actually him and that he hadn’t somehow been duped.
It was indeed the Intelligence Director whom Jim had known since grammar school, lying fast asleep.
Croswell drifted into the living room and fixed himself a drink. He was in no hurry. As long as Stanwood was here, there was little possibility that he was piloting a war machine at the same time.
The Secretary relayed his location to the other members of his team. First Sergeant King acknowledged, from his place above the orphanage, as did Captain Snow, from her monitoring station above St. Vincent’s.
Ashley took notes in her journal as Ross spoke, “There's almost never a way out, plus lots of tile and glass. So where bathrooms are concerned, if you don’t know ahead of time, avoid it. The kitchen is better for hiding weapons and ammo, and there's usually a backdoor, but it's mostly open and indefensible. They will believe that our transportation is out in the garage, making that a definite target.”
"So that will be the first thing they go after," Geoff said,
"Exactly right. They'll try to disable any escape," Ross said.
"So they'll be watching the other exits too, right?" Ashley asked.
"Yes. We've got two sets of bad guys to worry about: those with limited budgets and exposure and those without limits. That means, the people who want to keep their activity a secret and those who can send forty agents after us."
"They're going to keep looking for us, as long as we have this." Ashley pulled out the black rectangle and set it next to the maps.
Ross smiled. "Despite how valuable it is, that's just a piece of hardware. They want you.”
"Loose ends," Ashley said. "We're just loose ends.”
"You're not 'just' anything," Ross said. "They want me, Mr. Reid, and a couple of other guys, we're loose ends. You are about profit and power. We stay together, we stay alive, and we go to Canada.”
"I don't want to run. I don't want to go anywhere," Ashley said.
"I want my old life back and I want them dead." Ash said, coldly.
Both Geoff and Ross remained silent for a few moments.
"In the trash cans," Geoffrey said. "Under the garbage bags.”
"What?" Ross asked.
"In the bathrooms, that's where we put the guns," Geoff smiled.
Ross nodded and smiled. "I've mapped out the best escape routes.”
He laid out some local maps, showing the nearby streets and buildings. "There's a twenty-four hour public parking structure here. If you have to detonate this place, go there." Ross pointed to a square four blocks from their location. "And another one here," Ross pointed to a second location, on the other side of the map.
“Whichever direction you find yourselves going, just go. You can get to either of them almost unseen by taking this street and this alley, here." Ross laid out the trail with his finger on the map. "I traced it yesterday. Once you get there, in each garage is a black transport. Ditch the sedan.”
Ross handed them an electric key. "Hit the button and the closest one will come to you.
"We're going to be the Roberts family, Ashley, your new name is Erin. Geoff, you are Michael, and I am Michael Senior. Once we're over the border, we pick up a second set. All we have to do is get there.”
"Did you get a chance to check on the security footage, at our house?" Ashley asked.
"I checked. The house looks secure, but I spotted three roving patrols and two stationary units. It was too dangerous to go inside.”
"We should just go after them, find out who they're working for.”
"It's not that easy?"
"We can't just let them get away with it," Ashley argued.
"They already did," Ross said.
"What's the point of learning how to fight and fortify your base, if you're just going to run all the time?" Ash asked.
"You're too young," Ross said.
“They know you're helping us. They're going to have the borders covered. They won't be expecting us to attack.”
"They will destroy any evidence we don't already have. As much as you may want this, we don't have the resources.”
"I'm not leaving," Ashley was serious.
Geoff looked at her, shocked.
"I'm going after them. My father was a good person. He never hurt anyone and our mom was super-nice. They killed her, and I'm not just going to run away and forget. I'm going to find out who did this, and I'm going to stop them!”
Geoff and Ross were both quiet in the wake of her determination.
Finally, Ross spoke. "We still have some time, and we need to be prepared to escape at any moment, but there is such a thing as overwhelming firepower and the odds are against us.”
"Maybe we can use the Micronix to get the footage," Geoff suggested. "We just need to move to a better wired community. There's not enough bandwidth here for me to get inside.”
"We need to set a trap,” Ash said. “Catch someone who knows something and make an example out of him. If they're staking out our house, then let's grab one of them. I'll make him talk. You don't have to do anything." Ashley was dead serious.
"For one; You are Insane. For two; too many things can go wrong. There's too few of me here to try that. I appreciate your motivation, but you're still kids. Maybe we'll try Geoff's plan, tomorrow, maybe. End of discussion," Ross said.