Chapter 18
Gary had run, tumbled, and fallen his way down to where he had left his motor bike. He had then made as much speed as possible through the forest on the deer trail. He knew he had limited time. So he made the most of the time he had. If the bastards had satellite coverage as of the time he had attempted to kidnap the Generals daughter, then it wouldn't matter. He was gambling that the resources were being used elsewhere though. He figured he might have as long as 30 minutes to an hour before the satellites could be refocused to this area.
He knew he was leaving a trail, but it couldn't be helped. He would transfer to a different mode of transportation shortly. He would have to abandon his motor bike though. Gary winced as another branch whipped across his face. Damn it, it should have gone better, or he should have been better prepared.
When he got to where the trail split off in three directions, he stopped the bike and hide it in the under brush. Retrieving a backpack that he had placed there earlier, he quickly made his way up the left trail, going back up the mountain. Finally he saw his destination. It was a little wash that ran with water down the middle of it. It was not deep, and would cover any tracks he made. He entered the wash, the water climbed up to mid thigh level on him. He waded upstream until he came to where it came out from the wall of a high cliff.
Removing his backpack, he checked everything inside and assured himself that all within was still sealed in water proof bags. Removing a rope from the bag, he attached one end to his waist and the other end through the carrying straps of the backpack. Taking a deep breath he submerged, and entered the small hole the water was exiting the cliff from. Pulling himself along, he quickly went through the small 3 foot tunnel, and then was able to stand, in water that was only waist deep.
He immediately turned to his right, and felt along a shelf. He found by touch what he was looking for. A flashlight. After turning it on, he immediately felt better. He settled the flashlight back on the shelf and started pulling his bag through the tunnel. Shortly, he had his backpack and he placed his rope back in it, retrieved his flashlight, and started the two mile underground trek that would let him out not 500 yards from his house. If he got away, he would be back, he vowed to himself.
It had been three days since the attempted kidnapping of Jessica and the shooting of Adam. Although he had been shot, Adam was recovering from the wound. Prompt medical attention was the only thing that had saved him. Jessica and Tracy spent as much time visiting and doing what they could to ease his discomfort. In their eyes, he was a hero. He was a hero in General Baron's eyes as well. He personally checked on the boy daily.
None of the satellites had been able to spot anyone close enough to have been involved in the attempted abduction. The trail of the man had been found and followed. They lost it as it entered a stream. Try as they might, the search party lost the trail. They searched up stream, and down. No sign of where he had exited the water could be found.
Security was beefed up again. Guards were doubled at the entry road to the lodge. Guards were placed at the dam. A rotating shift of 10 guards were always awake 24/7 at the lodge from this point.
In China, starvation was killing people at the rate of thousands a day. The most populated country in the world could not feed it's survivors. Russia was also in dire straights. The brief nuclear exchange with China had not only killed and destroyed over a million men from both sides, it had contaminated a prime water source with radiation. People drank the irradiated water and died a horrible death from radiation poisoning.
In Australia, the people were better off. Australia was emerging as the world's greatest naval power. Although a great portion of it's fleets had been destroyed, it had enough ships left that had been protected to begin exploring, salvaging equipment and items from other lands. Australia was experiencing a beneficial side effect from the disaster. A portion of Australia that had been suffering a drought, was no longer suffering. Water was abundant, and they were busy growing crops at a heretofore unheard of rate.
Richard Ellis, commanding the combined troops of general Baron's hastily put together defense force, was finally getting somewhere with the local people of the area they had defended from the French invasion. It had helped that Cheyenne Mountain had come through with some much needed medical attention in the form of a permanent doctor assigned to the area. That and the medical supplies and relief food shipment turned the tide. With the relief shipment, the people of the area were now eating slightly better, and the backlog of medical problems resolved changed the local leaders' minds.
To be sure, they still resented the Federal Governments high handed intrusion, but they had been short of a lot of supplies that the Government came through on after the invasion was over. A large holding area had been set up for the prisoners, and questioning was still going on. It was becoming more and more clear that with the exception of about 100 combat troops, most of the invasion force were conscripted French and foreign nationals. Commander Ellis was at a loss as to what to do with these people. Communications with General Baron still contained no final disposition of the prisoners.
On his own authority, Commander Ellis had started a work program for the conscripted and displaced French harvesters. They settled into a routine quickly, and as fast as a person could be vetted, he was released to the locals and assigned a job. The military personnel were an entirely different matter. Commander Ellis had an idea that most likely executions were going to be the order of the day when everything was shaken out. They could not send the people back. They could not release these people to the local population. Commander Ellis did not think there was any place to hold these military people for an indefinite period of time.
Colonel Ellis, rank temporarily assigned him by General Baron, was going over the updated capture list of supplies and trying to make sense of certain discrepancies, when he received word that he was wanted in the communications tent for a satellite call. Finally! General Baron would clear up a couple queries he had sent in earlier.
Making his way quickly to the tent he soon found himself in a conference not with General Baron, but with a General Avery from Cheyenne Mountain.
"Ah, Colonel Ellis. I have been hearing good things about you. General Baron speaks highly of your abilities." General Avery stated through the video feed.
"Thank you sir. I had been hoping that this call was from General Baron. I need some guidance on a certain problem I have brought to his attention." Colonel Ellis reported.
"Yes, I know. It is the conclusion of the president that at this time no person partaking in the invasion can be returned or repatriated back to France. So you are ordered to give the people whom you captured a choice. They can immigrate to the US and become productive citizens, or you can have them shot as invaders.
"It will be up to you to decide if they are a threat to the locals, or if in your opinion they can acclimate to the situation. If in your opinion they can become good citizens, then by all means, release them to the locals as workers. If they are perceived to be a threat, then you have the authority to have them executed." general Avery stated with finality.
"Yes sir. I understand. May I ask how things are going for General Baron back at the lodge sir? I haven't heard anything since he left." Colonel Ellis asked.
"Well, things have settled down on that front. A boy was wounded defending the general's daughter and her friend, and the gunmen got away. The boy is recovering from a gunshot wound to the side. The General's daughter is safe, and we are taking this as an isolated incident, but also taking it very seriously.
"The Government has always condemned this type of behavior and we are diligently searching for him. It appears he got away before we could get satellite coverage reestablished to that area. No form of attack or terrorism on an official or his family can or will go unanswered. From this point forward, you should coordinate all of your actions with Cheyenne Mountain. General Baron is no longer to be bothered with any of the operations you're carrying out. Avery out." The video image blanked out.
Gary sat at the table in his kitchen and planned. He had indeed gotten away with his aborted kidnapping attempt. If it hadn't been for that dam boy, he would have succeeded.
Security had been beefed up to the point where it would be impossible to approach and perform a similar plan. No, he would have to modify his actions. He still wanted to lash out at the general, but he wanted him to know why it was happening. He worked for hours, coming up with and discarding different plans before he came to the conclusion that doing anything to the generals family at this time was not possible.
He looked at the high powered rifle that had been his father's final gift to him. It was a scope mounted long range kill weapon. As a matter of fact, it was an assassin's weapon. He had over twenty rounds for it, and had an additional 50 empty cartridges which he could fill with powder for various ranges. He had the equipment to make his own ammunition for it.
He rarely used it. Once he had expended the ammunition he had on hand, including the fifty rounds he could make, there would be no more ammunition for it. It was an unusual make and model of weapon. His father had smuggled it back from Bosnia.
He looked again at the photograph of him and his little brother that had been taken just 6 months before the disaster had occurred. Both he and his brother were dressed in hunting clothes and were carrying hunting rifles in the photo. Gary sighed as he remembered how his brother used to follow him around when he was little. Gary had been 12 years old when his little brother had been born. He had been a good boy. After his father had died, Gary had raised his younger brother himself. There had been enough money from insurance, and with Gary's job to keep the brothers living, if not luxuriously then at least comfortably.
Tears formed in Gary's eyes, and he vowed silently to the photo that
revenge would be had on this damned General Baron. The General would
come to regret his having killed Gary's brother, and would know
eventually how and why what was going to happen was happening.