The moment had finally arrived.
10
We had two hundred and forty rifle rounds between us and planned to take single aimed shots unless things got out of hand. The Army had taught us to make every shot count, to only spray if you could afford to or if the situation was desperate at close quarters and there was no other way. I felt confident in our ability to fire under pressure and calculated that we had more than enough ammo, if Lea’s numbers were correct.
“We’ll rendezvous at the pontoon on Hart Island if we get split. Our secondary RV will be the boat we arrived on, okay?”
“Got that. What if one of us…” Jack trailed off.
“If one of us gets wasted, I’ve got a feeling we’re both screwed.”
“I’d hunt GA until my final breath.”
I admired his sentiment and would probably do the same thing, but we didn’t need our minds clouded by depressing thoughts. I preferred to think of our mission as the starting gun for the destruction of Genesis Alliance.
“Let’s not think about it just yet. Anthony seemed capable. We take him first if we can.”
“He’s my number-one target. Don’t worry about that.”
I looked over to Hart Island and noticed a dim light.
“Still no sign of their HQ,” I said. “Reckon it was a scare story to keep them in line?”
“I think it’s way more than that,” Jack said.
We waited between two dry-docked vessels. Jack rapidly tapped his right boot on the ground, a sign of his nerves and excitement. After fifteen minutes, the buzzing noise of an engine drifted over the water.
“Here we go,” I said.
A small boat split the moonlit waters, coming from the direction of Hart Island, leaving a disappearing white trail behind it. Its engines whined in reverse, and it stopped at the end of a long wooden pontoon.
A single figure jumped off the boat, quickly secured it with a thick rope, and walked toward the yard.
“It’s her,” Jack said as Lea got closer.
I stepped from between the boats. She flinched and reached toward her hip holster.
“Weren’t expecting to see us?” I said.
“I didn’t expect you to be waving flags,” she said. “You can’t be too careful.”
“Are we good to go?” Jack asked.
“We’re good to go, but we need to hurry. There’s only one guard on the island. Jerry, Anthony, and Martina are in the control room. They’re preparing a presentation for Headquarters.”
“A presentation?” Jack repeated.
“They’re coming up with ways to justify the delayed activation and the Manhattan device configuration. Anthony’s made up quite a back-story for you two. HQ got in touch with them this afternoon. They’re heading this way and might be here in a couple of hours.”
“No time to hang around then—straight in and out,” I said. “Where’s the guard?”
“He’s outside the control room. We’ll be able to walk right up.”
“Are you sure? You left on your own but return with two people?” Jack said.
“Who will they expect it to be? You casually walk right up, in the dark. Before they realize”—she made a two-fingered pistol gesture with her right hand—“Paw!”
“What excuse did you use to get away?” I asked.
I still had a gnawing doubt at how easy this seemed to be. The potential prize helped to quell it—and the fact that we had someone on the inside helping us.
“I told Martina that I needed some sleep. Anthony and Jerry didn’t question it. Martina backed me up.”
“Where did the others go? We didn’t see any big patrols go out,” Jack said.
“Twenty left from the other side of the island an hour ago.”
“Do you know when they’re coming back?” I asked.
“Not until tomorrow morning.” She flashed me a wicked smile. “You’ll love this: they’re actually scouting Elmhurst, looking for you.”
“That’s sweet,” Jack said. “While they’re looking for us we’ll be taking out their base.”
“There’s something else I need to clear with you guys before we go over.”
“Clear with us?” I said and stepped closer to her. “Why don’t I like the sound of this?”
She sighed and looked away. “Martina started getting cold feet this afternoon.”
“Spit it out,” Jack said.
“You know there’s nothing any of us can do against Genesis Alliance, and the world’s fucked, right?”
“Go on,” I said.
She bowed her head. “What if we ran the U.S. operation of GA with Martina?”
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Jack said.
“Just think about it for a minute. We could make a difference. People wouldn’t have to be processed. We’d give them a chance to build a community together. We need to make sure what’s left of the population can try to rebuild.”
“Jesus, Lea,” I said, barely believing her suggestion, especially at this last stage. “Listen to yourself. You sound like Ron.”
“I don’t sound anything like Ron. I’m being serious,” she snapped.
“You sound exactly like him,” Jack said.
“This is her, isn’t it?” I said. “She doesn’t want to let go of power, with those launch codes. Has she even considered what is going to happen for not following HQ’s orders?”
Lea paused for a moment and looked to the sky. “I told her it was a stupid idea, but she wanted to back out.”
“You really surprise me sometimes,” I said. “You had the guts to go back to GA, knowing you could be killed, and found a window of opportunity to take them out. Now you’re asking us to replace them? What did you think we’d say?”
“I told her you wouldn’t go along with it.”
“We’re destroying that control unit, whether she likes it or not.”
“We could pretend to go along with their plans while neutralizing as many people as possible,” she said.
“Bollocks to that,” Jack said, his voice rising, probably along with his blood pressure. “I’m going over there to kill Anthony and Jerry. This isn’t a negotiation. Bigger boys are coming our way, and we need to move.”
“There’s no arguments over Anthony and Jerry. It’s what happens after that.”
“There’s no arguments from our side,” I said. “Do you expect us to leave that thing intact so GA can carry on terrorizing? Do I need to remind you about Bernie? Or everyone out there?”
“I can’t believe you’ve come out with this shit,” Jack said.
Both Jack and I knew how poor leadership and muddled planning without clearly defined objectives could lead to disastrous consequences. Any other lover of military history would know the same things. The centuries were stuffed with examples.
Lea paced around the yard with her hands on her head. Jack and I leaned against a boat and glared at her. Once we were taken to Hart Island, nothing would stop us from smashing up the control unit if we had the opportunity. If she didn’t take us, I decided, we were going anyway. This was too good an opportunity to miss.
Genesis Alliance was a large, powerful organization. Did she seriously think they’d let a large section of their operation free to do as they pleased, helping out survivors that they tried to kill? The Lea I knew would see straight through her partner’s cyanide-tipped olive branch.
When dictators in rogue states are deposed or die, it’s very rare that something better takes their place. We were all supposed to fall into line and salute the Arab Spring, but I knew deep down that armed men in pickup trucks rarely formed a cohesive democracy, especially when it was won with blood.
Lea finally stopped in front of us. “How about a compromise? We make the place safe, and the four of us discuss our options?”