Several hours went by and no one saw the mysterious cargo van. Ray and Cassandra checked at every restaurant, diner, and motel on the highway, but nothing. They snooped around at four battalion command posts but no white van.
“We’re getting close to the Canadian border. This is ridiculous, Cass. Call up Armstrong and ask him what he wants us to do.”
Cassandra did so. “He told us to turn around and retrace our steps. They haven’t had any luck either.”
“Christ! This is so fucked up, Cass. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, and it’ll be dark in a couple hours.”
“What happens then?”
“We’ll just keep going. That’s all we can do now.”
Cassandra began sobbing. Ray glanced over to her as if to say “what’s wrong”, but didn’t say anything.
“It’s all my fault,” she mumbled. Ray said nothing.
“If I hadn’t….”
“Hon, we said we’d forget about it.”
“But I can’t forget,” she said through sporadic tears. “First we and Dennis tried to tear him apart, then I got him put into prison, let Dennis rescue him, only to put him in Hell House, and now he’s been kidnapped, and for all we know, he might be dead right now.”
“First, it was Casimir, not you. He was the instigator to everything—it wasn’t us. There’d be no need for us to get involved if it wasn’t for Casimir. The moment he found Catherine, Eugene’s whole world collapsed. That was the moment the reality of this fucked up world hit home. All we did was make him understand that.”
Cassandra still had tears in her eyes when she turned to Ray. “Do you think they’re still alive?”
“Yeah.” But he didn’t sound convincing.
The pulsating rhythm of the road had a hypnotizing effect on Ray. He’d constantly look up at the traffic or the trees to keep from nodding off, though he was tired. Daydreaming became an uncontrollable comfort.
“They’re going to disband us,” Colderon said.
Ray was too upset to respond. He kept thinking about his brother Dennis. Colderon looked at him with a smirk.
“You’re such a damned idealist.”
Ray glared at him. “At least my life has meaning.”
“Mine too. And, unlike you, I want to keep what I earn. Ray, you’re too idealistic. This is an opportunity man—you and me—we can make a fortune. With your muscle and my organization skills we could be the fiercest duo in America. You recruit the muscle, I recruit the customers, and we keep what we make—no turning it over to a bunch of losers.”
“You don’t understand, Carlos. We’ll all be losers. Martinez and that hack, Casimir, will fuck us over at the first opportunity. If you want to be a winner then know that we have to overthrow this moldy old regime and become part of the New World.”
“The only thing you’re going to get is prison or a bullet.”
“You okay, Ray?” asked Cassandra.
Ray didn’t answer.
“You look like you want to swat something. I hope it isn’t me.”
Ray came out of la-la land as he turned to his wife.
“What?”
“Were you thinking about your brother?”
“No… well, maybe a little.”
“It’s this world we live in. It corrupts us all one way or another. Pamela said Eugene talked about surrendering, and letting them use the brain probe on him.”
“What? You got to be kidding. He’s got to be kidding. Why would he say a thing like that?”