“All that trouble, the excellent work you and your squad went to, just to . . . see it all go up in smoke. Why?”
Clark reached over and carefully peeled the tape from across Walker’s mouth. Walker stretched his lips but said nothing. Then . . .”I do good work, don’t I, General? Hell, it’s all the same to me, putting them up or pulling them down.”
“Who’s behind it?”
No response to that, just a sneering chuckle.
“How long have you played this deception, Don?”
A great sigh, then, “General, I tried to tell you. You wouldn’t listen. Prime Directive shit, living underground. It’s crazy. You said it. We’re the most powerful nation on earth, and, by God, we mean to stay that way. We’ll stop this business—this peacenik thing, up to and including nuclear. Oh, yeah. Get rid of all of you—them, I mean—in one shot.”
‘You don’t want to do this, Don. Just show us where you’ve planted the charges and we can—“
He laughed raucously. “You’ll never find them. Anyway, it’s not my decision, I just carried out the . . .”
“Orders from whom? General Furness and who else? Stander and—oh, sure, Philips.”
Another derisive chuckle. “Lots more, but that wasn’t the important stuff. People can come and go, but not weapons. It was my idea to lock up the ordnance depots on every base and ship and sub . . . my buddies in supply, see? Even if you round up the leaders, it won’t stop us taking down this stupid fantasy!”
“Don, there were fourteen million Americans on that march, and now another twenty million are waiting to—“
“Oh yeah? Not after they see this place go up. Like the 4th of July!” With a scowl at himself—he’d said too much—he clamped his mouth shut and dropped his head again.
Crossing the dark parking lot, Clark thought about what Walker said then carefully repeated it to the trio in the heated jeep.
“So he’s really willing to sacrifice his life,” said Richard glumly, “and almost two hundred members asleep in their—“
“Yes he is, or was, but no,” corrected Penny. “Should’ve told you before. He doesn’t know we evacuated the members and most of our troops. They’re all at hotels in Trenton.”
“Oh. Maybe I should go tell him it’s a waste to sacrifice himself alone?”
“No, dear, I don’t think it’d matter. But he did say something interesting. ‘Wait till they see this place go up. Like the 4th of July.’ Didn’t he just imply that we’re being watched, monitored? Not nearby, ‘cuz we’ve scouted for at least a mile. Ah, of course; by air, probably a helo. And I bet they won’t come until just before five.”
“And that means?” asked Anne.
Penny sighed. “Sorry, but if they fly over at five o’clock this morning and see nothing . . . ? It kinda means we must sacrifice the dome and your cosy shaky cabin—sorry.”
Over groans of despair, Clark spoke up. “Pen’s right. No telling what they’ll throw at us. Up to and including nuclear, Walker said. And that’s not from politicians, that’s the Pentagon talking. A couple of side-winders can do the job. We’re lucky nobody will be killed, even hurt.”
Richard, somewhat mollified, said, “Has Walker said or hinted that he’s planted explosives inside the commune? Our shaky cottage can go up, we’re almost moved into our suite. If it’s just the dome, it can be replaced, can’t it?”
“Mm . . . a week to clear, two or three to put back up,” said Clark.
“Then shouldn’t we get out of here?” said Anne. “What if those charges got wet or something and decide to go off early?”
Clark chuckled. “I wouldn’t fret, Anne. If nothing else, he’s damned good at his M.O.S. If he says five, five it is.”
“And,” from Penny, “we’re going to wait till the last minute for out ace in the hole.”
“Walker’s family!” cried Anne. “But where are they?”
Penny grinned. “Somewhere between D.C. and that airport. The missus is under orders from Walker. We don’t wanna spook ‘em and lose ‘em, so we wait.”
“I can’t just sit here,” said Anne, frustrated. “There must be something we can do.”
“You will stay put,” said Penny. “No two individuals are more indispensable to the future of the Society. Take a nap. You’ll need it.”
Quite soon, helped by the exhausting, stressful day, the four of them were asleep.