“Stay ready,” Willette said. “I’ll be in touch. It’s going down in a few hours.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Ben’s eyes opened long before the first gray fingers of dawn turned the eastern sky silver. He slipped quietly from the double sleeping bag and dressed in the darkness, his movements as silent as the morning.
He walked through the sleeping camp to the small tent that housed the ever-present urn of coffee and poured a cup of the hot, strong brew. He circled the camp, chatting briefly with each guard, even taking one sentry’s place on the line for a moment, allowing the woman to go to the bathroom.
Clearly embarrassed, the woman said, “Sorry about that, General.”
Ben laughed softly in the velvet morning and patted her reassuringly on the shoulder.
By nature an early riser, this hour was early even for Ben. He wasn’t certain what had jarred him from deep sleep, for he could almost always sleep very soundly. So what had awakened him?
He was aware they were camped in mutant territory, but he didn’t believe the mutants would attack a camp this large and well armed. No, the mutants had nothing to do with his awakening.
Then what?
Tony Silver, Captain Willette, Sister Voleta. That’s what had pulled him from sleep. Those three were in cahoots, he was certain of it. But what an odd trio. And did he, Ben Raines, represent such a threat to them-them being whatever in the hell the three groups personified-they would wage all-out war?
Why?
A supposedly semi-religious order, a hoodlum and a leader of a paramilitary group who had wandered into camp only a few months back.
Odd.
Ben was a hunch player, had been one all his life. Many times his gut reactions and mental warning system had saved his life. And right now, this minute, he had a hunch something was going very badly for someone very close to him.
But who?
Ben walked back to the tent and refilled his coffee mug, his thoughts many and very busy. He was viewing and rejecting ideas every split second, his brain working overtime. He walked to the communications vehicle and started the engine. He turned on the big radio and let it hum for a moment. Base Camp frequency was preset and the scrambler switch was in S position.
Ben called in to home base. No response. He tried again. Nothing. He went to the emergency frequency. Nothing. He tried once more. No reply.
“It’s gone down,” Ben muttered. “You bastards!”
He shook the radio operator awake. She came
awake instantly, eyes wide as she saw who was shaking her. “Move it,” Ben said tersely. “Something is very wrong. I’ve been trying to raise Base Camp. They don’t respond. You give it a shot or two.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dressing hurriedly, she ran to the communications vehicle. She worked frantically for fifteen minutes, meticulously checking out every possible problem. She finally shook her head.
“It’s all on the other end, sir. We’re OK here.”
“You’ve tried all frequencies?”
“Yes, sir. The last one I tried was the frequency to be used only in any life or death situation. If they didn’t respond to that…” She hesitated.
“Say it,” Ben told her.
“Sir … you know how our backup systems work; you designed them. There is no way for them to fail. The backups are on separate generators. Should the generators fail, the systems automatically switch to a battery bank. Nothing is fail-safe, sir, but this system conies the closest a human could possibly design.”
“Then they’ve been overrun at home base or the radio shack has been sabotaged. Is that the way you see it?”
“Yes, sir. That’s about the only two things that could have happened. I voice activated the alarm up there. No way anyone could have slept through all that. So that means the voice activation didn’t get through.”
James appeared quietly by the truck, Sergeant Greene and Captain Rayle with him. Ben met the eyes of each man.
“It’s begun at Base Camp, people. Roll the troops out. We’ve got to hunt a hole until we can figure out what’s happened and how to deal with it.”
“Where are we heading, General?” Rayle asked.
“Sumter National Forest. It’s only about twenty miles away. Let’s shake it, boys.”
BOOK TWO
They were going to look at war, the red animal- war, the blood-swollen god.
CHAPTER ONE
“You’ll never get away with this, Captain,” Colonel Gray warned the younger officer. “This is mutiny. And mutiny is punishable by death from firing squad. Be advised of that, sir.”
“You just keep your hands in the air, Colonel,” Willette said with a smile. The muzzle of his 9mm pistol did not waver. “And don’t get cute.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, old man,” Dan replied. “But don’t strain your resources looking for my Scouts. They’re not in camp.”
“Does that include the traitor, Tina Raines?” an older man asked.
Unanswered and confusing questions leaped into Dan’s eyes. “Traitor? What in the world are you talking about, Walter?”
“Oh, don’t deny it, Colonel,” the man’s tone was filled with disgust. “What you people have done is disgraceful. Knowing General Raines is mentally ill and refusing to help him.”
Cecil was pushed into the room, a rifle at his back. He heard the last part of Walter’s statement. His eyes touched Dan Gray’s steely gaze. “Dan, what in the hell is going on?”
“I haven’t the foggiest, Cecil. These bloody fools
wakened me by shoving the muzzle of an M-16 in my face. Now they’re ranting and raving about Tina being a traitor and Ben having gone bonkers.” “What!” Cecil shouted the words. “I believe you all have taken leave of your senses. Now put down those weapons and get the hell out of here. And that, gentlemen, is an order.”
“Shut up, Colonel Jefferys,” Willette said. “You people are all under arrest for treason against General Raines.”
Cecil frosted the man with an icy look. “That, sir, that last bit, is a fucking lie.”
“Watch your mouth, traitor,” Captain Willette spat the words at him. “I could have you shot, you know.” He would have liked to call Cecil, “nigger” but he needed the support of the young blacks.
Lieutenant Carter shoved Juan Solis and Mark Terry into the room. “Ro and Wade and some of the kids got away,” he announced. “Along with that damned old coot, Doctor Chase. But the camp is secure and it is ours.”
“Good work, Sergeant,” Willette said. “Take these men and lock them up. Don’t take any chances with them. If they try to resist or escape, you have my orders to shoot them.”
Cecil said, “Willette, when Ben hears of this, your life expectancy will drop to zero.”
Willette laughed. “Still denying your part in this treason, Colonel? It won’t work. We know all about your part in this. When we locate Ben Raines, he shall be so advised as to your behavior.”
A young Rebel, a scared look on his face, blurted, “What in the hell is going on around here?”
“Coup,” Cecil said tightly. “Willette and his bunch acted faster than we thought they would.”
“Slick,” Dan said. “Very well thought out and very slick. But it’s going to backfire on you, gentlemen. Believe it.”
“Wrong,” Lieutenant Carter said. “This coup is on behalf of a very sick General Raines. And don’t try denying your part in working against the general.” That was directed toward Solis and Terry.
“What?” Mark screamed.
