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Within the next few hours, we were packed and ready to go, the group of fifteen of us divided between the three Condors. Will and I were flying with Agent Simms, along with Dalton, Maia, and Sam. We had enough fuel to fly straight through to Pennsylvania. The Network leaders from the north would wait for us there—along with the remnants of Stanton’s survivors. We said our good-byes to Colonel Harris and the good people of Belle Rosa Plantation, old Coop, his wife Jordan—a fit, pretty woman in her sixties—and Lita, all waving us off.
The colonel and several rebel groups would be banding together and traveling up the Mississippi toward Chicago. They would take on the warships that protected the waterways. The plan was to meet there in two days’ time to face Malevich and whatever security stood between us and the President. We had to free her and Will’s father before it was too late. Once Malevich put his plan in motion, there would be no reason to keep them alive. I only hoped that Sam and his Network friends were as prepared as they appeared to be.
The Condors soared in formation at top speed just above the tree line in an effort to avoid detection. Sam and Baxter had disabled the tracking devices on the aircraft, but they most certainly would show up on radar, and the last thing we wanted was to lead Malevich to the Pennsylvania outpost. We hugged the mountain ranges and stayed away from major cities under government control, Agent Simms leading the way.
The ground sped past—forests, hills, dried-up riverbeds, and areas of devastation flashing by like surreal paintings, each sight more fascinating than the last. The late afternoon sun glowed orange in the sky, casting a golden swath against the landscape, bright as molten lava. Where cities and towns had been abandoned, most had been reclaimed by nature, moss-covered buildings and root-cracked roads with trees erupting out of the tar. Valleys and forestland had taken over farms and industrial areas, places hit especially hard during the plague and unable to be salvaged by survivors.
The planet appeared to by trying to recover, a consideration that gave me a new spark of hope. Despite the heat—and maybe because of it—life was adapting and overcoming, the thick greenery below a sign of some form of consistent water source.
We reached the outskirts of Gettysburg before nightfall. A large contingent of survivors would meet up before moving on to the outlying farms, which had been set up as small, thriving communities in the region. Here, the Network would regroup and set their final plans in motion. As the Condor set down, I peered out the window searching for anyone I recognized in the crowd. Joe Johnson stood front and center, a grim expression etched on his face. My stomach took a dive.
It would be a bittersweet reunion for him and his sons. Josh’s loss would be a devastating blow to them all. My throat tightened another notch when I spotted Maggie and Nora, flanked by Bo and Pappy, the wolves the sisters had raised from pups. As soon as the engine shut down, I ripped off my harness and bolted off the aircraft to meet them.
Sam pulled Nora into his arms and kissed her as if his life depended on it. Will and I grinned at one another as the wolves wagged their tails furiously for attention. After years of tiptoeing around the inevitable, it seemed that Sam—or maybe Nora—had finally made a move while I was away. I ruffled the furry scruffs of each wolf in turn, planting a kiss on the massive heads of each of them before I let Will take his turn.
Maggie, Nora’s older sister and my mentor in the ways of healing, wrapped me in a warm embrace, teary eyed. “Oh, thank God you’re all right. We’ve been worried sick about you. She squeezed me, then she took my face between her hands, studying me as if I had grown warts. “You are okay, aren’t you? What happened? Did you find your brother?”
Sam cut her off as he released Nora. “We’ll fill you in later.”
Sam herded us through the crowd. I glanced back to catch the others disembarking. Robert Slate held his wife and children, the whole group of them in fits of happy tears. Maggie decided to stay behind to get the family settled. She said her good-byes to us and led the Slates off to join the encampment, while Rudy and Mr. Perkins, along with Garnet, Dalton, and Maia, fell in behind us with Baxter and Neri.
Militiamen, stationed throughout the field to ensure the safety of the new arrivals, parted the crowd to let us pass. Bo and Pappy would have to stay behind since there was no room for them in the vehicles. Nora sent them reluctantly loping off after Maggie.
We piled into transport vehicles and were rushed to a remote location another twenty-miles outside of Gettysburg. Our driver, a broad-shouldered young man with a thick jaw and a serious expression, introduced himself as Hans. He filled us in on the latest reports from Network sources.
“Baltimore and Philadelphia have been completely overtaken by Guardians and are now considered Red Zones. Our sources say Gettysburg is next. We’ve relocated our headquarters to an underground facility in the hills.”
“What about my sister?” Nora asked, panic edging her voice. “And what about all the others?” I knew that Mr. and Mrs. Higgins had made it out of Stanton, as had the Chengs and several other families, and my stomach lurched at the thought of them all being so exposed on the open battlefield.
“For now, they’re safe at the encampment. We have plenty of men for protection, and they have supplies. We don’t expect anything to happen for several days. By then, everyone will have been relocated to Hershey or Lancaster. We’ll start moving them out tomorrow.”
Nora’s features took on a hard edge as she eyed Sam, but he patted her hand reassuringly.
We wound into the hills, the road narrowing and leading into a State forest. By the time Sam had finished asking questions and ascertaining the details of the recent takeover of two of Pennsylvania’s most viable cities, we had reached our destination. A row of what appeared to be abandoned warehouses in the middle of nowhere cropped up among the trees. Deep in shadow with night falling, the place was eerily quiet other than the hum of nearby solar electric generators. The door to one of the buildings rose slowly, like the mouth of a dragon opening to swallow us whole, but a light inside led to a cavernous room bustling with activity. Trucks and military vehicles were lined up in rows with men loading supplies.
An older man with white hair and deep creases around his mouth met Sam and Dalton with a salute. Sam introduced him as General McAlister, Network leader for the Pennsylvania outpost. Fierce handshakes and solemn nods of greeting exchanged, the general led us to an elevator. It shot downward for several seconds and then stopped abruptly, opening into a hallway lined with doors.
“The rooms on the right are offices, communications, and strategic planning spaces. The rooms down the hallway to the left are living quarters. You’ll be staying there until we’re ready to make our move.” He eyed the troop of us, settling on Garnet, Neri and Baxter. “I don’t imagine everyone will be coming on this mission,” added the general as a statement of fact rather than question. “Those of you staying behind are welcome to remain secured here.” General McAlister nodded to two armed guards. “I would ask that any nonessential personnel take their leave and get settled into a room for the night. My men will show you where to bunk down.”
Neri yawned, clearly exhausted from all the excitement. “Are you coming, Bax?”
Baxter looked to her and then to Sam and smiled. “No. I think I’ll hang with these guys. I might be able to help.” I quickly filled the general in on Baxter’s gift, and after a minute of processing the implications, he agreed.
Neri’s brows drew together but she didn’t argue. Instead she clung to Garnet’s arm. “I guess it’s you and me again, roomie.”
Garnet glanced back at me, her face filled with disappointment as she allowed Neri to tug her down the hall behind the guards. I wanted to reassure her she’d done enough. The fight from here on was up to the militia. My part would likely include sharing logistical information about Vegas and healing the wounded in the aftermath, but I wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines now. When Maia stepped closer to Dalton, and I moved in beside Sam, Nora, and Will, the general raised a brow and then turned on his heels. Rudy and Mr. Perkins pulled up the rear as we turned the corner into an open room with several banks of computers manned by technicians, and a large set of screens filling one wall.
The place was a hive of activity, men and women scurrying about making preparations for the attack on Chicago. The energy in the room had my insides humming. This was the real deal. No more standing alone in the fight. Bolstered by the level of enthusiasm and focus surrounding me, I settled into a chair behind a large countertop and took in the scene.
General McAlister outlined the plan, pointing on a map to strategic arrivals of the various Network militia groups. Thousands of men and women from across the country would converge on Chicago, fighting with whatever weapons they had in order to take back their cities and the freedoms that were being stolen from them. Convoys of trucks, armored vehicles, and citizen soldiers on foot were about to wage war. Word had spread that President Callahan was being held hostage by the Vice President and certain members of the Assembly, who had orchestrated the political coup. Finally, the people would know the truth.
“Our next goal is to get word into the Red Zones. If we can convince the city dwellers to band with us, those Guardians can be neutralized from the inside.” The general shared a few quiet words with Sam and smiled, nodding approval to whatever my uncle had said. “By this time tomorrow, we’ll move into position to strike after dark. The first teams will go in...” He went on to outline every detail of the mission, but my attention was drawn to Hans, who burst into the room and addressed Sam and the general.
“Those two wolves are pacing outside the front gate. I tried to scare them off, but they won’t leave and the men are getting nervous. Should I give the order to shoot?”
“No!” I’d answered for the general, and all eyes turned my way. “I’ll take care of them.” Heart pounding, I followed Hans up to the surface, leaving Sam and Nora to explain about the wolves.
When I slipped out into the night, Bo and Pappy all but tackled me. “What is it, boy?” I patted each one in turn and then noticed a rolled piece of paper tucked into Bo’s collar. I bent to retrieve it and read the note.
Lily, Maggie has fallen ill. You must return to Gettysburg quickly. She asked that you not tell Nora and that you come alone. Maggie doesn’t want everyone worrying about her. She trusts that you can restore her to health. I have the utmost faith in you to use discretion.
Gladys Higgins
