Battle Lines (The Survivalist Book 5) (17 page)

When Jozef next spoke, there was a nervous rattle in his voice.

“Don’t tell me you’re the kind of paranoid nut who sleeps with a gun under his pillow?”

General Carr smiled. “You bet your ass I am.”

General Carr studied himself in the mirror. The would-be assassin had bitten off most of his earlobe, but the rigid cartilage at the back still remained intact. He dabbed at the wound with a wet rag. It burned, and he had to clench his teeth to keep from screaming. He looked over at Jozef’s dead body. Surprisingly, even after firing three shots, no one had come to check on the commotion. That, he thought, was probably by design. Whoever had arranged for the killer to be in his room had also arranged for the vicinity to be clear of possible witnesses or Good Samaritans.

He turned back to the mirror. His eye was already swelling and turning black, but his vision remained clear, which meant there had been no damage to the eyeball itself. All in all, the fight could have gone better. Then again, he thought, glancing over at the body lying face down on the floor, it could have gone a hell of a lot worse.

He checked his watch. It was nearly four in the afternoon. He had already left messages calling together the six people President Glass trusted to keep her secret, and he would have to keep that meeting. Afterward, he would need to flee Mount Weather for good. Once Pike got word that his assassin had failed, he might well decide to make a second attempt.

The small conference room was quiet, as if its four occupants were being forced to sit in after-school detention. Jack Fry, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sat with his wheelchair positioned at one end of the table. At the other end, Bill Baker, the Secretary of Energy, leaned back with his arms crossed. The room’s two other occupants were Tom Pinker, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and Dr. Sara Green, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jack finally broke the silence.

“I assume we’re all here for the same reason.”

“I received a note from General Carr asking me to meet him here,” said Pinker. “He indicated it was a matter of grave importance. He also said that I should tell no one about the meeting.”

Bill Baker and Dr. Green both nodded, confirming they too were there by the general’s invitation. Before anyone could speak further, General Carr burst into the room. He quickly checked the hallway before closing the door behind him.

“General, why have you called us here?” demanded Dr. Green. When she saw his ear, she exclaimed, “Oh my Lord, what happened to you?”

Carr said nothing as he took a quick roster of those in attendance. Two of the six he had delivered notes to were not present. Perhaps they had thought better of accepting his cryptic invitation. Unfortunate, but certainly understandable.

“Were you in some kind of accident?” she continued.

The general gently touched the bloody flesh that remained of his ear.

“This was no accident.”

“No? What then?”

“Someone tried to kill me.”

Everyone in the room sat a little straighter.

“Who?”

“One of General Hood’s men, if I had to guess.”

Dr. Green looked to the others for an explanation. No one offered one.

Tom Pinker studied the general. Pinker was a serious, quick-witted man who had spent the early part of his career working in the intelligence field. Because of that, he had a reputation for getting straight to the point.

“Why would General Hood try to have you killed?”

“Because he’s a real tool, and I mean that in every sense of the word.”

Bill Baker cracked a smile. Everyone else seemed to miss the humor.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” said Pinker. “Why does he want you dead?”

“Nearly a month ago, I discovered that General Hood and Lincoln Pike murdered a compound of US Marshals in a plot to undermine President Glass. When President Glass revealed her plan to bring them to justice, they had her brutally stabbed.”

“What are you talking about?” said Dr. Green. “President Glass was attacked by her own Chief of Staff, not some military assassin.”

“That’s true, but I have since discovered that Yumi Tanaka and Lincoln Pike were lovers.” Everyone at the table except Pinker reacted with surprise. “I see that at least one of you already knew this.”

The other three turned to face Pinker.

“Is it true?” Bill asked in a raspy voice. His vocal chords had been damaged from a bayonet wound suffered in Africa some twenty years earlier, and if anything, his voice had only deteriorated with time.

“I had heard rumors to that effect, yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about it after the assassination?”

Pinker shrugged. “It was only a rumor. Besides, there was no proof of wrongdoing by anyone other than Ms. Tanaka.”

“There
is
proof,” said General Carr, “but we don’t have time for that now. I’m not trying to stage a coup against President Pike. Not yet, anyway.”

“Then what are you trying to do?” asked Jack.

General Carr shifted his gaze from one person to the next.

“Before I tell you, I need for everyone to realize that the secret I’m about to share is extremely sensitive. Lives depend on your ability to keep it.”

Pinker met his stare. “General, I think you knew before asking us here that we are all capable of keeping secrets. What is it that’s so sensitive?”

General Carr hesitated. Once the genie was out of the bottle, there was no putting it back in. Despite his reservations, the decision to let others in on the secret was not his to make.

He straightened. “President Rosalyn Glass is alive.”

Murmurs broke out as everyone at the table turned to the person next to them.

“That’s impossible,” said Jack. “We all went to her funeral.” His voice was shaking. President Glass had been a close friend for more than decade, and hearing that a loved one had returned from the dead was understandably unsettling.

“As you may recall, I was the one who first discovered President Glass.”

“So?”

“When I came into the room, I found her lying across the table, bleeding out from wounds to her neck and chest. After dealing with Yumi, I worked with Secret Service agents to stabilize and transport President Glass to the medical center here at Mount Weather.”

“We all appreciate your efforts, General, but President Glass died hours later in surgery. Dr. Tran made that very clear.”

“Yes, he did.”

“Only she wasn’t dead,” Pinker said, quietly putting the pieces in place.

“No.”

Dr. Green shook her head. “Why would you and Dr. Tran conspire like that? It’s surely a criminal act, not to mention immoral on so many levels.”

“Perhaps, but I was convinced that the killers would try to finish what they’d started.”

“And when you say killers, you mean President Pike and General Hood?”

“That’s right.”

She stood up and stepped away from the table.

“I’m sorry, General, but I’m no longer comfortable with this meeting.”

“Of course you’re free to leave. Understand, however, that you were one of six people specifically named by President Glass as someone whose support she seeks.”

Dr. Green hesitated. “My support? Even if what you say is true, what could I possibly do for her?”

“As the Director of the CDC, you speak from a position of great influence, especially in a world struggling to recover from a global pandemic.” He looked around the table. “Each of you exerts similar influence or control. President Glass needs you to unite and stand beside her. It’s that simple.”

“Why doesn’t she just come out of hiding?” asked Bill. “She’s the president for God’s sake. If she’s physically able to resume her post, Pike will have no choice but to step down.”

“Do you really see Lincoln Pike voluntarily surrendering power? In my experience, vicious dictators do not go quietly.”

“What are you suggesting?” said Dr. Green. “That Pike will have her killed?”

“Are you kidding? He would cut her throat with a box cutter and never think twice about it.”

Dr. Green’s face turned an unpleasant shade of red.

“Forgive me, General, but why should we believe you? About President Pike. About Rosalyn Glass. About any of it.”

“That’s a very fair question, and one that we anticipated.” He reached into his jacket and removed a small stack of white envelopes with a single name written on the face of each. He walked around the table, handing one to each person. Two envelopes remained, both of which he placed back into his pocket.

Jack opened his envelope immediately and began reading the small handwritten note inside. The others quickly followed his lead. Even Dr. Green sat back down to read the words that Rosalyn Glass had penned to her. When everyone had finished, Jack set his note on the table.

“She’s asking for our help, for our allegiance.”

Bill haphazardly folded his note and shoved it into his shirt pocket. He looked up at General Carr.

“If what you’re saying about President Pike is true, we’re in danger meeting like this.”

“I would think so, yes.” Carr looked around the table. “If anyone leaks information from this meeting, we will all surely suffer the consequences.”

“I, for one,” said Dr. Green, “don’t plan on mentioning this meeting to anyone. Frankly, I wish I hadn’t even been invited.”

“It’s our duty to go to President Glass,” said Jack. “To help her in any way we can.” He turned to Carr. “When are you going back?”

“Tonight.”

“That soon?”

“I had planned on staying a couple of days, but the attempt on my life has moved up the timetable. I will speak to a few trusted military officers and then fly out. Wheels up at 2300 hours. Any of you who wish to come are welcome to do so.”

“Where exactly would we be going?” asked Bill.

General Carr shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. Suffice it to say that we’ll go by helicopter.”

“I’m definitely coming,” said Jack. “Do you think I can get a little help with this?” He patted the wheelchair.

“Not a problem.” Carr turned to face the others. “What about the rest of you? Are you in or out?”

Bill leaned back and crossed his arms, thinking.

“If she’s really alive, Rosalyn Glass remains the elected president.”

“Does that mean you’re coming?”

He nodded. “To see the truth with my own eyes if nothing else.”

General Carr turned to Tom Pinker.

“What about you?”

“I took an oath to serve my country and that extends to its rightful government. If President Glass requests my service, I will give it to her.”

Everyone turned to face Dr. Green. She sat, wringing her hands.

“I have a daughter, and she has a husband and child who both survived the virus.”

“We could arrange to get them out as well.”

“No,” she said quickly. “We need to keep this as small as possible. If President Pike or General Hood were to find out…” She shook her head. “My family can’t know anything about this.”

“So, that’s it?” said Jack. “You’re going to continue serving a killer to protect your family?”

She met his stare. “I would do anything to protect my family. Wouldn’t you?” Before he could berate her further, she said, “But that’s not what I’m proposing.”

“What are you saying?” said General Carr. “Spell it out for us.”

“The way I see it, you’re going to need eyes and ears back here. Once all of you disappear, they’re going to know something’s up. That might give me an opportunity to get close to President Pike and discover his plans. Maybe even warn you, if it comes to that.”

Jack looked at her in disbelief.

“You’re going to spy on them?”

She looked up at Carr.

“Would that be helpful, General?”

“Of course, but are you sure you’ve thought this through? Spying is a dangerous game.”

She closed her eyes, giving the matter one final round of consideration. When she opened them, they were clear and focused.

“Let me worry about that.”

Chapter 13  

The temperature was a comfortable seventy-five degrees, but Tanner was in no way thankful for having to take a bath in the grimy river water. He quickly bobbed to the surface to get his bearings. The current was mild, but he had already drifted twenty feet from the boat. If he didn’t get busy, the river would take him all the way down to the Chesapeake Bay.