Solaris Mortem: The New Patriots (19 page)

“Where?” Rick asked. “Not at the SIFF, obviously.”

“No. Not at the SIFF. They are taking it outside of town. Everyone will be there. It could be an excellent opportunity, Sir…. To get rid of the problem—for good.”

Rick leaned back in his chair and locked his fingers behind his head. “I’m beginning to like the way you think, Comrade. What time is this little meeting of theirs happening?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Austin said. “They’re still planning it. All I know for sure right now is that it will be in the evening and a ways outside of town.”

“Very good, Austin. You may just have a future here after all.”

“Thank you, Chancellor.”

“Report back as soon as you have all of the details.”

“What are you doing here again?” Diane asked Terry.

“
Mom.
Don’t be rude. I asked him here,” Alisia said.

“I already told you,” Diane said, “I’m not leaving. Neither are you.”

Alisia looked down at the floor and a tear ran down her cheek. “I am, Mom. I’m leaving here tomorrow. And I really hope you’ll come with.”

Diane was aghast.

“Things are spiraling out of control,” Alisia said. “We
have
to go.”

“I don’t have to go anywhere,” Diane said. “You would do that? You would just leave me behind?”

“I don’t see that I have a choice,” Alisia said. “I won’t stay here for whatever’s next. I won’t. Plus—I’m as good as dead once…”

“Once, what?” Diane said. “What are you talking about, Alisia?”

“Listen, mom. I’m in this, okay? I have to go or they will kill me. I’m already in it.”

Diane laughed. “You and your theatrics. Ever since you were a little girl. No one’s going to kill you, Alisia. And running off out into the woods is suicide. Honestly—I don’t know
what
you are thinking about.”

Alisia choked up. It wasn’t working. She was going to have to leave her mother behind.

“Diane,” Terry said. “Alisia speaks the truth. We have to go and you need to come with us. It’s not safe here. It never was and it’s only going to get worse.” Terry felt a pang of guilt at the slight relief he felt that Diane might not be joining them. She was old. She was weak. She was entitled. Still, she
was
Alisia’s mother. “If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for your daughter. Please, Diane.”

Diane turned her head away, staring into space and held a fragile fist to her withered lips. “You would really leave me behind if I don’t agree to go?”

Alisia sobbed. She couldn’t speak and only nodded her head, followed by another bray of sobs. Diane waited a moment longer for her daughter to regain her composure.

“I’m sure you have your reasons; damned if I understand what they are,” Diane said. “But I do know that you’re a very smart girl, that you wouldn’t just dive into something like this without any forethought.” Diane sniffed and wiped an eye. “I can’t lose you, too, though. I can’t. My heart won’t bear it.” Tears began streaming from Diane’s eyes. “I’ll go with you. Wherever you go, I’ll go.”

Alisia ran to Diane and they hugged. Terry felt guilt pangs again for ever being so selfish.

“Thank you, Mom. I love you.”

Alisia stepped outside to see Terry off. “Thank you,” she said. “For everything. For helping me with my mom. I just don’t know what I would’ve done if she had decided to stay behind.”

“Anytime,” Terry said. “I’ve got your back.”

Alisa stood up on her tippy-toes and planted a peck on Terry’s cheek. He was glad for the cover of nightfall to conceal the blush he felt rise.

“Wow,” Terry said and smiled. “Good night, Alisia.”

“Good night, Terry.” She closed the door and latched it. Terry was enjoying his ride on cloud nine but had to shake his head straight. He still had to get home and talk to Kat and the kids.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I
t was past 10 pm when Terry finally got home.

“Where have you been?” Kat asked. “I thought you would be back sooner.”

“Yeah, so did I.” Terry peeled off his coat again and laid it on the back of the sofa. The air held a potent nip now. “A lot happened today.”

“Like what?” Kat looked worried.

“Well...the only way we can figure to get out of here is to disable the chips. Rick came to the clinic today and tried to take the chip flasher.”

“Oh no,” Kat said.

“Yeah. But we’re okay—
for now.
Alisia gave him a decoy.”

“Oh, good.”

“It’s good, but we’re not sure how much time that will buy us. If he finds out she gave him a fake, he’ll kill her.”

Kat’s face paled. “Do you really think he would do that?”

“Without question. Yes.”

“So, now what?”

Terry brought his hands to his head and rubbed his temples. “Now, we leave…tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow? Seriously?”

“It’s our best shot,” Terry said. “We should probably talk to the kids about it. Like,
now.
”

“Now? They’re asleep. I’m not waking them up to scare them with this, Terry.”

“I’m not asleep, mom,” Jonathan said. He was walking down the hall, out to the living room. “What are you guys talking about?”

Kat and Terry shared a glance. She gave him the non-verbal cue to go ahead.

“Here. Come sit down, buddy.” Terry patted the vacant space on the couch beside him.” Jonathan looked a bit unsure, but he took a seat beside his uncle. “You know how…things have changed? How everything’s so
different
here? Like, kinda
weird
?”

“Yeah,” Jonathan said. His eyes darted to meet Kat’s.

“Well, the thing is,” Terry continued, “we’re not so sure that all-of-this is for the best. That it might be dangerous. You understand?”

“I’m not a baby, Uncle Terry.”

“No, of course not. That’s why we’re talking to you about this right now. But—I don’t want you to talk about it with anyone else, okay? Not even your sister. No one.”

“Okay,” Jonathan said, “but—about what?”

“Everything is going to be fine. Okay, sweetie?” Kat said.

“
MOM.
”

“Right, sorry,” Kat said. “I keep forgetting that you’re
all
grown up.”

“The thing that we don’t talk about,” Terry said, “is that we’re leaving the city. We’re going to head out and make our own place. One that’s not so
weird.
”

“Where?” Jonathan asked. “And why can’t we tell anyone?”

Terry did his best to smile. “That’s one of the weird things, kiddo. They won’t let us leave. That’s why it’s so important that we sneak out of here while we still can.”

“Why? Why won’t they let us leave?”

Terry struggled for how to answer that one. What do you tell a nine-year-old to make him understand without scaring him witless at the same time?

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” Kat said, “but it’s about freedom. About being free and not having someone tell you where you can live, or where you will work, or how you can spend your money or your time.”

Jonathan looked perplexed, then something dawned on him. “Does this mean no more school?” He was semi-bouncing, waiting for an answer.

Terry and Kat laughed. Funny how everything is so simple when you’re a kid.
If it means no more school, then it’s all good.

“It means,” Kat said, “no more
New Patriot School
.”

“Huh?” Jonathan said, scrunching up his face.

“Yes,” Terry said. “It means no more school, but it doesn’t mean no more learning.”

“Yay!”

“That’s right,” Kat said. “You’ll still need to learn all of your reading and writing and math and such.”

You’ll just be learning it without all the propaganda is all,
Terry thought.

“Can we go tomorrow?” Jonathan asked. “If we leave tomorrow or the next day, then we’d never have to go back to school again!”

“Uncle Terry and I were just talking about that.… And, we're going to be leaving tomorrow.”

Jonathan beamed and sat bouncing on the couch.

“Let’s get you back to bed,” Kat said. “It’s awfully late, and you need your rest.”

“Okay, Mom. Night, Uncle Terry!” Jonathan ran back down the hall and jumped into bed.

“That was an easy sell,” Terry said and snickered.

Kat smiled but looked mostly terrified.

“It’s going to be okay, Kat. Everything is ready. We just need to gather up our personal effects and whatever food we have, and we go. Don’t worry.”

The next morning, everyone was up early. Though, truth be told, neither Terry nor Kat slept—not really. Too much to do, too much to think about, too much to worry about.

“Mom, did you tell Tabby yet? About what we’re doing?” Jonathan was still buzzing.

“Not yet, sweetie.” Jonathan was so excited he didn’t even notice that his mom had just called him
that name.
Tabitha glanced up at the mention of her name, but she hadn’t eaten yet. She was a little crabby before breakfast.
Just like her father,
Kat thought.

She wondered how Dale was getting along...
if he was dead
....

“Well, let’s tell her, Mom!”

“After breakfast,” Kat said.

“Okay….” Jonathan looked semi-defeated. It was always hard when the adults didn’t share the same level of enthusiasm. “Can I start packing my stuff after breakfast?”

“Yes. That would be fine, sweetie.”

Terry came down the hall, stretching and mewling large yawns. “Good morning, everyone.” Tabitha still couldn’t be troubled with pleasantries, but Jonathan and Kat returned the salutation. “Did you get any sleep, Kat?”

Kat laughed.

“Yeah. Me neither,” Terry said. “I was thinking we should head over to the commissary. Cash out our chips before we go off grid. No sense in leaving cash on there.”

“Okay.” Kat looked to the children. “I think we had better take turns, though. It’s all Jonathan can talk about. Probably safest not to take him out in public.”

“Hey!” Jonathan said.

“No, your mom’s probably right, Jonathan. You can hang out with me while she goes shopping.” Not that Jonathan
wanted
to go shopping, but the implication that he couldn’t be trusted touched upon his sensitivities.

Terry helped the kids pack while Kat went shopping. Not that they had much to pack; clothing, toothbrushes, a few small toys and some coloring books. When she returned, Terry went out to shop and meet with the others to finalize the plan.

Terry finished his shopping then he and the others met at the warehouse where Rick had first cornered Austin. He didn’t use it anymore now that he had an office at Command.

“Good morning, everyone,” Duncan said. “Today’s the day. Are we ready?”

“Just about,” Terry said. “We just need to finalize a couple of details and we are on our way.”

“Good,” Duncan said.

Austin cleared his throat. “So, where am I sending Rick?”

“Vince and I were talking about this,” Terry said, “and we were thinking the city hall building in Shoreline. Seems like a good spot. We’ve been out there to salvage, so it’s plausible, and Rick can find it without dragging you along for directions. He leaves, and then we leave.”

“We should siphon off his gas,” Vince said. “Just give him enough to get there and hopefully leave him stranded for awhile.”

“That’s a great idea,” Terry said. “But how can we do that without being noticed Or, what if they notice before they leave? We don’t want to tip them off.”

“I’m still thinking on that one,” Vince replied.

“That might work,” Duncan said. “
If
you guys can figure a way to do it without getting caught.”

“Either way. As long as they take the bait, head out of town, it buys us the time we need,” Terry said.

“You guys,” Alisia said. “What about their radios? If they can just phone home as soon as they figure out we're not there, siphoning their gas doesn't do us much good. We have to kill their radios.”

“Okay...but how?” Duncan asked. “I agree with you but how do we do it?”

“The flasher,” Alisia said. “The flasher is essentially a mini, short-range EMP generator. You hold it within a few inches of the walkie, push the button on the flasher, and you should get a dead walkie.”

“Will that work?” Duncan said.

Alisia shrugged. “It has to.”

“All the radios charge in Rick's office,” Austin said. “Get me the flasher...and I can do it.”

“But can you do it without getting caught?” Vince asked. “You lose that flasher, and we're all sunk.”

“I can do it,” Austin said.

Vince shook his head and scuffed the toe of his boot at the ground. “I don’t know, man. Terry? I mean, can we really trust him with this?”

“I don’t see as we have much choice. Do you?” Terry said. “And, yes. I think we can trust him to get it done. You can do this, Austin.”

Austin banged on Rick’s door, trying his best to convey his sense of feigned urgency.

“Good, God, what?” Rick said. “Come in!”

Austin pushed the door open, and the resulting whoosh of air blew papers off of Rick’s desk. “Oops, sorry,” Austin said. “I’ve got news–about the Antis.”

“Okay. Spit it out.” Rick twirled his finger in a hurry-it-up motion.

Austin eyed the bank of charging radios and inched over. “They’re meeting again. Tonight. North of town, up in Shoreline,” Austin said.

“Is that so?” Rick paused. “Why? Why now? They must be running scared if they’re meeting all the way out there. Do you know where at, specifically?”

“Yeah,” Austin said. He ran his hands through his hair and paced—then stopped—in front of the radios. “At the old city government building, City Hall.”

“Good. Very good. What time?”

“At 5 pm…or 1700 hours.” Austin wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be using civilian time or military time.

“Well,” Rick said. “We should be there to greet them. Don’t you think?”

“Uh, yeah.” Austin moved his hands to his back pockets, running his finger over the flasher.

“This will be the final meeting of the Anti-Movement. I’ve tried to send a message,” Rick said. “I thought it was clear. Not clear enough, I guess. They’ll get this one. I guarantee it.”