Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn (The World After Book 3) (27 page)

   “What about the object they are trying to retrieve?” Tom
asked.

   “Don’t worry about that. We are more interested in
preventing them from getting the object.” The man explained. “If they retrieve
it, bring it to us. But feel free to use explosives to bring down the cave if
you have too, we aren’t worried about collateral damage.”

   “And once I succeed?” He asked the man.

   “We will have someone watching and we will contact you to
collect the girl. But once you finish this, you are free to do whatever you
want.” The man explained.

   “Sounds like a deal.” Tom said with a wicked smile. “Just
get me to Kentucky and I’ll take care of the rest.

September 10, 2029

Hills North of Asheville, North Carolina

   Major Gray met Derek and Rora at the given coordinates. He
was accompanied by two young men in worn tan, brown, and white camouflage
hunting jackets and faded blue jeans. They wore camouflage ball caps and
carried high powered hunting rifles.  Well-worn hiking boots were on their feet
and they had fingerless gloves. To a casual observer they looked like the
locals who had hunted these hills for centuries.

   Major Gray was similarly attired but he carried a Benelli
M4 semi-automatic shotgun with a pistol grip and additional shells on an
attached bandolier. His two escorts had their rifles in their hands and were
continually scanning the surrounding countryside, but the major had his shotgun
slung over his shoulder. Derek noticed he also carried a Beretta M9 pistol in a
tactical holster on his leg.

   The meeting place was north of Asheville, North Carolina
in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. A little town called Weaverville
had once been nearby. But it was abandoned now, victim of the Collapse and the
Aftermath and then the Reapers. The helicopter had dropped Derek and Rora off
and then fled back towards NASA. The C.C.A. contingent had appeared from hiding
once the chopper had left.

   “Major, Rora, welcome to Weaverville.” Major Gray said
quietly. “This is Dyson and Green.”

   “Why are we all the way out here?” Derek asked, nodding
at the two escorts.

   “The local tribe made the Biltmore Estate their home,
which is in the southern part of the city. But Carlson and his guys come out
here to communicate with their handlers and to take breaks.” Major Gray
explained. “They should be here tomorrow for one of their visits.”

   “How sure are you about that?” Rora replied.

   “One of their guys brought a couple of local girls in
this morning.” Major Gray informed them. “Dyson and Green have been sitting on
this place for a couple of weeks gathering intel. They always show up the day
after the girls arrive.”

   “So what’s the plan?” Derek asked the major.

   “We have a small cabin north of here that we have been
using as a base. A bluff nearby overlooks their base.” Major Gray told them.
“Derek will use a sniper rifle we brought to assassinate Carlson when he arrives.
Then we will ambush the others when they flee. Dyson and Green will dress up
like Reapers during the attack. We will leave one survivor to report back that
the Reapers betrayed them.”

   “Won’t they just send replacements?” Rora asked.

   “That’s why phase two of the plan is to dress up as the
Red Berets and attack the Biltmore.” Major Gray replied with a smile. “We don’t
have to do much damage, just do enough to convince the Reapers that the
U.S.T.G. is turning on them.”

   “That sounds like a fairly solid plan.” Derek agreed.
“Let’s go get this done.”

   Major Gray had a beat up, tan colored SUV parked nearby.
It was an old Tahoe that had seen better days. The paint was faded and it was
covered in rust spots. The hub caps had been long lost and the seats had their
stuffing bursting free in multiple places. But once they all climbed in and
Dyson fired up the engine, Rora could tell that there was more to the vehicle
than it appeared.

   Major Gray nodded and they drove slowly into the
mountains. Dyson took them up along a winding fire road that was barely
passable. After a long slow drive, they arrived at a well concealed hunting
cabin. The location would have been beautiful before the plant virus had wiped
out almost all the world’s trees and flowers. Once it would have been pristine
forest and woodlands. Now it was rocky, dusty, and covered in the ubiquitous
brown weeds.

   They parked the vehicle and while Major Gray led Derek
and Rora away, Dyson and Green concealed it with a camouflage cloth. The Major
led them past the cabin down a small, barely discernable trail to a bluff
overlooking a small valley. Below them was a run-down house and separate
garage. Looking through the binoculars, Derek could see old cars and farm
equipment rusting in the yard around the house.

   The house itself looked stable despite the run-down
exterior. All of the windows had been covered from the inside so it was
impossible to tell how the interior was. But it was likely as run-down as the
interior. No smoke escaped the chimney, but the new lock on the door indicated
someone was using the house.

   “Is anybody home?” Derek asked the major.

   “Not sure, only the girls were there when we came to pick
you up.” The major replied. “But the Red Berets usually show up at night and
only stay for a couple of days. We think the girls are drugged and chained up
while the Red Berets are gone.”

   “Nice guys.” Rora murmured sarcastically.

   “You don’t know the half of it.” Major Gray replied
softly.

   “Taking them out is practically a public service.” Derek
agreed.

   “We’ll take turns keeping watch until they show up.” The
major informed them. “Carlson and McKay always show up last after they make
sure everything is secure. So once the others are here we can set up the
ambush.”

   “Sounds like a plan.” Derek said with a nod. “Your guys
can take first watch; I’m going to go get some sleep.”

   And then he walked back towards the cabin. Major Gray
gave him a dirty look and clenched his jaw. Rora merely laughed and followed
Derek. They wanted Derek to do the dirty work, so it was only fair that they
did the grunt work. Besides, he wanted to be fully rested when they did this.
The shot wasn’t very difficult, but it would be challenging in the dark. That
wasn’t why they brought him. The attack on the Reapers was why they brought
him. This shot was just a way to tie him into the mission and make him an
accessory.

   Not that it mattered to him. Killing Carlson would be a
pleasure. He had personally seen that monster rape and kill innocent civilians,
and command hadn’t stopped him. When Derek had reported him, they merely moved
Carlson to another unit. That had been the beginning of his doubts about the
U.S.T.G. and its leadership. Without any supervision, Carlson had probably gone
on to do more heinous things. And from the sound of it, his crew wasn’t any
better.

   Derek went to the cabin and racked out on one of the
small bunks. He was shaken awake hours later by Dyson, who gestured for him to
follow. Night had fallen, but the sky was clear and the moon provided a good
deal of illumination. Derek followed him back to the bluff where they joined
the major and Rora. He joined them on the ground as they watched the house.

   “Hartnett just arrived with two others.” The major
informed him in a hushed voice. “Carlton and McKay are likely on their way. Get
ready.”

   Dyson handed Derek a Dragunov SVU sniper rifle with a
night vision scope and laser sight attached. The rifle was old having been
manufactured in the late nineties, but it was a common weapon in former Soviet
countries. Since the Reapers had all been equipped with Soviet surplus weapons
it was the most likely weapon to be used by a Reaper sniper. He checked the
weapon over, and was pleased that it was in excellent condition. Whoever the
previous owner had been he had taken pride in his weapon.

   “The rest of us will go back to the cabin and get ready for
the ambush.” The major said quietly. “Kill Carlton as soon as you get the
chance. If you have a shot at the others take it, but stop firing after the initial
burst so the others will flee and run into the ambush.”

   “Got it.” Derek whispered as he began to get comfortable.

   He kept an eye on the house and the road in as the others
went back to the cabin. The ground was rough but that didn’t bother Derek. He
was used to worse. They key was to focus on your target and block everything
else out. So he watched the house with laser focus. He saw Hartnett go outside
and do a quick patrol several times, taking turns with the other two. All of
them had on body armor over their shirts and were carrying the new rifles the
U.S.T.G. had started issuing to the Red Berets.

   Oddly, they were not patrolling far from the house. It
was as if they were unconcerned about anyone shooting at them from the high
ground. It was unlikely they knew about the cabin and the fire road had been
hard to find, but still. These were highly trained Special Forces operators;
you would think they would have thoroughly scouted the area.

   As more time passed and Carlton and McKay didn’t show,
Derek started to get worried. He realized that Major Gray had not left him a
radio, so he had no idea what they were doing or any way to warn them. This was
looking more and more like a trap to him, and they needed to know that. It was
doubtful the major would call off the operation, but at least they would be
prepared for the possibility of a trap.

   A scuff of a boot on rock alerted Derek that someone else
was nearby and he rolled away from his position and aimed the rifle at the
approaching person. Major Gray froze as he saw Derek aiming at him and held the
shotgun he was carrying up in the air. The moonlight illuminated the shocked
look on his face.

   “Don’t shoot! I just came to give you a radio.” The major
said, clearly rattled.

   “What about the others?” Derek asked.

   “I sent them down already. I realized you didn’t have a
radio and decided to bring one back to you.” Major Gray explained. “I didn’t
want you to be out of contact.”

  “Okay.” Derek agreed cautiously. “It’s a good thing you
came back though. Carlton and McKay haven’t shown up, and the others are
behaving strangely. I think it’s a trap.”

   “How could they know we were coming?” Major Gray asked in
confusion. “My team and I were the only ones in the C.C.A. to know the
coordinates.”

   “I don’t know, but we have encountered a lot of traitors
and spies over the last few months. So anything is possible.” Derek informed
him.

   “So it’s possible your side has a mole and told them what
we were up to?” Major Gray hissed.

   “It’s possible, but unlikely.” Derek argued. “The only
people who knew were Rora, myself, and the two leaders at NASA. I feel a pretty
high level of trust towards them.”

   “I don’t like this.” Major Gray said, shaking his head.
“Let’s go collect the others and regroup.”

   “I agree.” Derek said with a nod.

   Together they headed back to the cabin. Derek let Major
Gray lead the way. As they approached the cabin, he could see the SUV was
parked next to it facing the trail. Next to the SUV was another vehicle, which
looked like an open topped Jeep. Derek turned and dove for cover as the
headlights of both vehicles burst on, blinding them. Major Gray stood frozen in
place, silhouetted by the lights. After a moment he recovered and rushed to
join Derek behind some rocks.

   “Come out Storm!” A familiar voice called out.

   “Not likely Jasper.” Derek called back.

   “Don’t make me hurt this pretty little thing.” The Red
Beret leader yelled.

   Derek held his position. He couldn’t see well with the
lights from the vehicles blinding him. So he would wait and see what was really
going on before making his move. As he waited, a large man dragged a struggling
form in front of the headlights. Derek could just make out Rora in the light.
She had been gagged and her hands bound in front of her. He assumed the man
holding her to be McKay.

   “You’ll kill us both if I come out.” Derek yelled back.

   “I promise I’ll let her go if you come out.” Carlton said
loudly.

   “Where are your guys?” Derek whispered to the major.

  “I don’t know. I left Rora with them, so I assume Carlton
killed them.” Major Gray whispered back. “What are we going to do?”

   “They have us outnumbered, but if you can circle around
and take out the other two guys I think they have with them, I can handle
Carlton and McKay.” Derek told him. “We’ll go out and then start spreading
apart. You keep going while I hold their attention and you should be able to
get a better angle.”

   “Okay.” The major agreed reluctantly.

   “Alright. I’m coming out.” Derek yelled to Carlton.

   Derek discarded the rifle and drew his pistol and the
shotgun as he and Major Gray left their cover and began spreading out. He held
the pistol in his right and the sawed off in his left. His eyes were beginning
to adjust to the bright light and Derek could make out the forms of three other
men next to the vehicles. He couldn’t distinguish who was who yet though. It
was obviously McKay holding Rora, his size gave him away. He had on the same
outfit in the picture but he was also wearing light body armor that covered his
chest. He held a large knife to Rora’s throat.

   “Let her go!” Derek demanded.

   “Drop your weapons first.” Carlton demanded in reply.

   Derek marked his position based on that reply. The man
standing in the center just behind McKay was Carlton. The other two men
flanking the vehicles were his henchmen. They were probably equipped like the
others down at the house. But they weren’t the primary concern, Carlton and
McKay were. Hopefully, the major could kill at least one of the henchmen to
help with the odds.

   “Come out and face me you coward!” Derek goaded Carlton.

   That drew a laugh. “Why would I give up my advantage
Storm, you know better than that.” Carlton yelled to him.

   Derek was just stalling to give the major more time to create
some distance. He was about to needle Carlton some more when he noticed that
Rora was blinking furiously. He watched closely and realized she was blinking
in Morse code. She was repeating the word boots over and over again and looking
at Major Gray. Derek looked over at the major’s boots and then promptly shot
him in the side of the head.