Chapter 12
I allowed myself a few hours of sleep before I made the drive to Nebraska, because it had already been a long-haul of a night, and I didn’t want to end up falling asleep at the wheel. That would have been an underwhelming end to the man who was supposedly going to save the Earth, and I really didn’t want to end my short career as a superhero as just another statistic on a graph. So, I slept for about five hours, and when I finally peeled my eyelids open, I saw sunlight pouring in through my window and decided that it was definitely time for me to get my ass in gear.
I realized that I had slept in the clothes from the night before, including the suit that the AI had made me. My shirt and pants were wrinkled and slightly scratchy, but my duds from the AI were still surprisingly comfortable. I had a feeling that I would be spending quite a few nights in my second skin over the next few months, but I wasn’t complaining if it always looked this good.
“Good morning, Will,” Francine said.
“Good morning,” I said with a wide yawn. “God, you’re lucky you don’t need to sleep.”
“That is one of my better qualities,” it agreed.
“I’d better get a move on,” I said as I sprang up out of bed and made my way across the hall to the bathroom. “Those neo-Nazis aren’t going to wait around for too long. They’ll want to finish everything quickly before the government figures out what they’re up to.”
“Agreed,” Francine said. “The messages I have decrypted indicate that they intend to construct the bomb in Nebraska and then move it to the selected target.”
“Can you tell how long they’ll be in Nebraska?” I asked as I splashed some water on my face.
“I can find no record of a time period,” Francine said. “But they only arrived last night, so it is likely they will be there for a few days at least.”
“Alright,” I said. “That gives us time to get up there and scope out the place.”
“How are you feeling about the mission?” Francine asked.
“The mission,” I chuckled. “I’m not G.I. Joe.”
“Yes, you have much better hair,” it replied.
“Good one,” I laughed as I considered its previous question. “I suppose I’m nervous, but then, I’m also thinking about how I kicked ass last night, so I’m sort of in the middle, I guess.”
“You did indeed ‘kick ass’ last night,” Francine said. “Although, I will warn you that this group will be very well-armed compared to the brutes from the casino.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “And I really don’t want to get shot again. It hurts.” I rolled my left shoulder where the bullet had hit me and noted that there was still a dull ache from the impact beneath the skin.
I took off my clothes from the night before and pressed the chest plate on my protective suit underneath to take it off. It fell off me like running water and formed a heap on the ground around my feet. I quickly picked it up and hung it on the towel rack for the time being, and then I went to take off my boxers.
“A little privacy, if you don’t mind,” I said.
“Of course,” Francine said. “Although I would not have pinned you as a boxers man.”
“Francine!” I said.
“Alright, I am going,” the AI chuckled, and then I felt something disappear, though I couldn’t really describe the feeling.
But I knew the connection had been severed, so I used the toilet, showered, and did everything else I needed to before I wrapped myself in a towel, grabbed the suit off the towel rack, and sauntered back into my bedroom.
I quickly pulled on some clothes, some black cargo trousers and a green t-shirt, and combed my healthy hair. It was getting more and more difficult to tame it every day, and it reminded me of what it had been like when I was younger. I had always had tufts, wisps, and stray hairs sticking up off my head, and now the struggle of trying to get them to lie down had returned thanks to the nanobots restoring my youth. I might have to invest in a haircut soon if I didn’t want to look like Hagrid.
“Alright, Frankie,” I eventually said. “You can come back now.”
“Hello, Will,” the AI’s voice said almost immediately.
“You did leave, didn’t you?” I asked. “Because that was a little too quick.”
“Yes, I did,” it replied.
“Okay, I trust you,” I chuckled. “I’d better start packing.”
I emptied the clothes out of the bag I had taken to Vegas, and then I carefully took the AI orb out and laid it on the bed. I still had a section of it inserted into my suit, so I pulled it off the gray material and put it back into its shell. The golden light glowed brighter as the piece slid into position, and then Francine was whole again.
“Systems are still intact,” it said after a moment.
“Good to know,” I replied as I shoved clothes into my bag.
“Once we have the plutonium, though, they will be optimized, and I will be able to work more quickly,” it added.
“No pressure, then,” I sighed.
“I have located where the plutonium is being kept,” Francine said.
“Perfect,” I said. “How long is the drive?”
“It is approximately a five-and-a-half hour drive from your home to the Nebraska National Forest,” Francine replied.
“Do you think we have time for a stop along the way?” I asked.
“What do you need to stop off for?” it asked.
“Well, I’ve only got my old Ford F-150,” I said. “It’s fine for picking up supplies in town, but it’s probably not the most comfortable ride for a long drive. Besides, we probably have enough money to pick up a nice car along with all the supplies for the spaceship. Maybe something that will get us there faster.”
I had always wanted a Corvette, and I’d even visited the local dealer just a few days after I’d moved into the house. After that, I’d become a somewhat regular visitor, though I had yet to cave in and buy one. But I also knew that the Chevy dealership currently had one in a gunmetal-gray color that was an almost perfect match to both the suit and the gun that Francine had made for me, so clearly it was meant to be.
“We’d be able to make the trip in less than six hours,” I added as I grabbed my favorite old trucker hat and pulled it on.
“I suppose there is more than enough money to purchase a car,” Francine conceded.
I made a quick phone call to the bank, another to the dealership, and then hitched a ride into town with one of my neighbors. I’d still need the truck for hauling stuff around, so that meant a third call to the insurance company as we trundled along the old county road. But everything was ready by the time I stepped onto the lot, and in less than an hour, the dealer was handing me the keys to my new ride.
I took a moment to admire the sleek frame, the glittering paint-job, and the very large engine before I slipped into the driver’s seat. I’m sure I was grinning like an idiot as I ran my hands over the steering wheel, but I didn’t care. Once I had the seat in the perfect position and the roof off, I pressed the button for the engine and listened to it roar to life.
“Nothing beats a Corvette,” I sighed happily as I pulled out of the dealership.
As a man who’d spent most of his adult life driving across the country, I didn’t think there was anything new for me to experience on the road. But man, was I wrong. The Vette was like nothing I’d experienced before, and I found myself humming along to a song I could barely hear over the roaring engine and whipping wind. The sports car hugged the road, though it was a good thing I had the reflexes of a much younger man, or I probably would have sailed off the asphalt at the first sharp turn.
I finally slowed down when I passed a cop issuing a ticket to a woman in a Porsche, but at least I felt comfortable enough to take one hand off the wheel so I could take a sip of water from my long-ignored bottled water. We crossed the state line into Nebraska, and I waved to the state trooper who was staked out behind the first line of trees.
The sight of the official vehicle made me wonder if Agent Miranda and his band of NASA officials were keeping tabs on me or not. I couldn’t see why they would since I had given them what they wanted, but he had been so suspicious of me that I decided it was more than likely that he had eyes on me still.
“You seem very deep in thought, Will,” Francine said.
“Sorry,” I replied.
“Do not apologize,” it said. “What were you thinking about?”
“Whether or not those NASA guys are watching me,” I replied. “And then I started to think about how insane my life has become within the span of a week. I mean, I was a retired man who had sold his company, moved to the countryside, and had been enjoying his quiet little life on his quiet little farm. But now, I have an alien AI living with me that speaks to me in my mind, I have the government watching me from afar, and I’m on my way to stop a terrorist group from setting off a nuclear bomb, and oh, just happen to pick up some plutonium I need for my own spaceship while I’m there. Just another day at the office, right?”
“Your life has changed dramatically since my arrival,” Francine replied. “I understand that it has been a lot for you to take in, Will.”
“Yeah, it has,” I said. “But it’s pretty cool having you as my partner in all this. For the record, you’re pretty good company.”
“As are you,” Francine replied.
“It’s almost like you’re a real person,” I said. “Shit. Sorry if that’s offensive or something. If it was, I hope you know what I meant by that.”
“I am not offended, Will,” Francine assured me. “After all, I am a piece of technology, not another human being.”
“But you’re so different from the AIs we have on Earth,” I said. “Here we have things we can ask to turn the lights on or to tell the time. I think they’re developing some AIs that can walk around or something, but they’re nowhere near as advanced as you. You crack jokes, you learn, and you seem to have a personality to you that our AIs don’t have.”
“The AIs where I come from are far more advanced than on Earth,” Francine explained. “In fact, the beings on my planet have become somewhat dependent on AI in their day-to-day lives. Earth seems to be heading in the same direction, but it is nowhere near as reliant on technology as my homeworld.”
“I see,” I said. “I couldn’t imagine relying on AI for everything. I mean, I know I’ve been relying on you a lot so far, but it’s not like I ask you to make my coffee every morning.”
“I am only here because I was created out of necessity to save the universe.”
“I suppose so,” I replied. “I hope one day that I can thank whoever made you… If we survive that long.”
“I would like that, too,” Francine said.
We drove in silence for a while after that. I had all these images of where Francine had come from, where robots washed flying cars, and little intelligent orbs like Francine were carried around by the bipedal aliens that populated whatever planet it came from. However, Francine seemed hesitant to discuss her home planet any further, and I didn’t want to push my new companion to tell me more about it. I knew that we would eventually talk about this other world, but for now, I just needed to focus on the difficult task at hand.
So I pushed away my Jetsons-like visions and focused on what I should expect when I arrived at the Nebraska National Forest. Francine had told me that the plutonium had been delivered the night before, and that the other members of the group had been arriving over the course of the morning. The neo-Nazis were well-armed, and I had no doubt they were very familiar with the surrounding territory. They had the advantage, but I still had my special suit and an AI that needed me to succeed.
As we neared the edge of the park, the drought conditions became more obvious. The ground became cracked and dry, and the few plants I saw were little more than brown stalks by the side of the road. Dust followed behind me as the Corvette ate up the miles, and I opened up the engine again since I hadn’t seen a cop for miles.
The motel I’d booked the night before was the closest one to the forest for miles around. It was about a fifteen-minute drive from the parking lot to the nearest entrance, but there were so few signs of civilization along the way that I would have thought I was already in the park.
The Badlands Motel itself was only one story, with a forest-green roof and a plain wood exterior. There was a long porch that ran along the side of the building to protect the guests from rain and snow as they moved from the lobby to their room, though clearly it hadn’t been needed for some time. There was a large field next door, and I knew from the website that you could rent a space in the field for your tent or RV from the motel. There were quite a few tents and RVs already in place, and I could hear sounds of laughter as I climbed from my new car.
The place felt peaceful, and as I got out of the car, I looked over the wide expanse of the nearby fields, the hills in the distance, and the golden light that poured over the landscape. A young couple emerged from a van in the field and headed toward a small building marked as the canteen by a simple sign. A moment later, an elderly couple crossed the field and climbed into an RV, while a pack of kids tumbled into one of the larger tents. Everyone seemed happy and completely oblivious to the terrorist cell that was less than half an hour away from them.
The office was located at the end of the building where I’d parked, and I could hear the hum of the air conditioner as I stepped through the door. A woman sat behind the desk, but she was watching something on her phone. It sounded like one of the daytime talk shows, a fact confirmed when I heard a tinny voice from the phone declare ‘Brad cheated on her with that bitch’ and the audience hooted in response.
I cleared my throat to let her know I was there, and she frantically turned it off her phone before turning to me with cheeks that were red from embarrassment. She must have been about twenty-five, and she had a golden tan and a naturally beautiful face.
“Slow day?” I asked.
“Slow year,” she chuckled. “Are you checking in?”
“Yes please,” I replied. “Will Ryder’s the name.”
“Ah, yes, here you are,” she said as she quickly scanned a list in front of her. “Room number seven.”
She placed a check mark next to my name and then opened a drawer. I could hear the sound of key chains tinkling, and then she handed me a heavy ring with a single key and large piece of plastic with the number seven embossed in gold.
“Do you need any help with your bags, Mr. Ryder?” she asked.
“No, thanks,” I replied as I showed her the bag I had in my hand. “This is all I have.”
“Would you like any brochures on stuff you can do in the area?” she asked. “We’ve got a pool out back, and there are some historic sites nearby as well.”
“No, thank you,” I said. “I’ve sort of, uh, got my own plan.”
Nothing crazy, just stealing from a terrorist cell, I thought to myself.
“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay,” she chirped. “Breakfast is between seven and nine every morning.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I replied. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem,” she giggled as she looked me up and down. “Did you come with your girlfriend?”
“Oh, no, I’m just here on my own,” I said.
“Good to know,” she said as she bit her lip.
“She is flirting with you, Will,” Francine piped up.
“I can tell,” I muttered.
“What?” the receptionist asked.
“I can tell that I’m gonna have a great time while I’m here,” I said to quickly cover up my mistake.
“Well, you let me know if there’s anything I can personally do for you,” she said.
“Definitely,” I replied and gave her a wink.
I hurried outside a little faster than I really needed to, and then I climbed back into the car and drove slowly along the line of doors until I found number seven.
“It appears you are what they call ‘a catch’, Will,” Francine said as I pulled into a spot directly in front of my room.
“Don’t be silly,” I said.
“Am I reading these signals incorrectly?” it asked.
“No, I guess not,” I admitted. “I know I don’t look it anymore, but I’m still fifty-five years old. There’s a bit of an age gap between most of the women I have spoken to recently and myself.”
“Not physically,” Francine pointed out.
“Are you my wing-robot now?” I chuckled as I unlocked the hotel room door.
The room I stepped into was small, but ideal for what I needed it for. There was a double bed, some box lamps on dark, wooden tables, and an AC unit attached to the small window at the end of the room, which looked out over the outdoor pool and the fields beyond it.
I put my bag down and laid down on the bed, which was surprisingly comfortable. I suddenly became very aware of how exhausted I was, and that I had been practically running on fumes for days.
“I would recommend that you get some rest, Will,” Francine said as I fought to keep my eyes open.
“But what about the neo-Nazis and the plutonium?” I asked as I took off my hat and put it down on the bed beside me.
“They will still be at the base tomorrow,” the AI assured me. “You will be of more use if you are rested.”
“Well, I’m not gonna argue,” I said with a yawn as I finally allowed my eyes to close. “I am pretty tired…”
Suddenly, I jumped awake. I had no idea when I’d fallen asleep, but I could see that it was bright outside through the window. I wasn’t sure how long I had been out for, but it couldn’t have been long if it was still daylight. I felt incredibly refreshed and well-rested, so I sat up in bed, rubbed my eyes, and checked the time on my phone.
“Wait, what?” I mumbled as I saw it was six AM.
“Good morning, Will,” the AI said. “Do you know that you snore?”
“I don’t snore,” I protested.
“You do when you lie on your back,” Francine said.
“Well… I can’t help what happens when I’m asleep, can I?” I said. “Did I really just sleep right through the night?”
“Yes,” it replied. “I am quite impressed by how much you sleep.”
“Hey, a man needs his beauty sleep,” I laughed. “Or he just needs some alien nanobots, I suppose.”
“I would agree more with the latter,” Francine chuckled.
“Someone’s snarky this morning,” I said.
“My apologies,” Francine replied. “I have had all night to consider our next actions, and I am… anxious to start.”
I stood up and felt an enormous amount of energy rush through my body. In fact, there was so much energy that it felt as if it was starting to spill over the edge, like water in a bucket. I would need to release some of it, or I’d never be able to concentrate, so I quickly pulled on a t-shirt and shorts, and the sneakers I had brought with me.
“We can talk about it while I run,” I said as I stepped out of the hotel room and into the coolness of the morning.
I thought about jogging down the road, but I didn’t want to go too far from the hotel, so I started to jog around the field in front of the hotel instead. I stuck to the far edges of the field, where I wouldn’t have to worry about disturbing one of the other guests or someone overhearing my conversation with Francine.
“So, what’s the current situation at the neo-Nazi base?” I asked.
“From what I can understand from the encrypted message chain, a scientist is arriving within the hour,” it replied. “He will be responsible for building the bomb they are planning to use.”
“Jesus,” I said.
“The base itself is an old clump of abandoned farmhouses quite deep in the forest,” Francine continued. “Tourists tend to stay on the trails, and hikers never really go near that area, so there’s little chance of discovery. The group has guards posted as well to scare away anyone who might get too close.”
“So, I need to work out a way to get around those guys before I can even get to the base itself,” I said. “And they’re all armed?”
“I believe so, yes,” it replied. “Although, from what I can tell, most of them seem to be amateurs.”
“That being said, I don’t want to underestimate anyone,” I said. “That’s where mistakes are made.”
“Agreed,” Francine said.
“Obviously, I’m going to wear the suit and bring the gun,” I said. “But, if I can do all of this without being seen, then I’d much prefer that. I don’t want any innocent bystanders getting mixed up in all this.”
“I will be able to help you with that to some extent,” the AI replied. “But it all comes down to you, Will.”
“I know,” I said.
“You will have to be very careful,” Francine said.
“Sure thing, mom,” I chuckled.
“I would have preferred a less dangerous route to obtain the plutonium,” it replied. “But this was the best of many bad options.”
“We’ll get it done,” I said. “Don’t worry.”
“You will need to observe their movements first,” Francine said. “You will need to time their shift changes and make an estimate of their numbers before you attempt to enter the base.”
“Already working on it,” I said. “And I appreciate the concern. I promise that if things get too hairy, I’ll back out.”
“Good,” Francine replied.
I made two more laps of the field and then returned to my room. Even though I was about to head into the forest where I would get even dirtier and sweatier than I was at the moment, I decided to squeeze into the tiny shower next to the ancient toilet. Once I was clean, I pulled my nano suit back on, then added dark green khakis and a light-green shirt. My suit was just visible beneath the hem on my sleeves, so I pulled on a thin, light-green hoodie as well. While I had a holster on my right leg on the suit, I decided to put the gun on the attachment point on the small of my back for better concealment. Then, I shoved my favorite cap onto my head, as it was a scorching day. Finally, I took the small wire with the golden light out of Francine’s shell and inserted it into the chest piece of my suit.
I grabbed the rucksack I had brought with me and started to pack some supplies like water and food as well as a pair of binoculars. I probably packed more than I really needed, but I’d rather have too much than run out. Francine didn’t offer any advice while I packed, so I assumed the AI approved of my measures. When the pack was full but not too heavy, I slipped from the room, locked the door, and then climbed into the Corvette.
I drove off in the direction of the forest, and with every few seconds closer that I got, the more I felt my stomach tighten into knots. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and I couldn’t bring myself to sing along to the radio that morning. There was too much at stake and a lot of guns in the direction that I was heading, so a carpool karaoke seemed somewhat inappropriate.
“Pull over here,” Francine said when I was still five minutes from the nearest park entrance.
“Here?” I asked as I started to slow.
“Yes,” it said. “There is a place to stop on the left.”
I noted the indent in the undergrowth on the left-hand side of the road up ahead. There was a car-sized spot where the grasses struggled to grow, and I spotted a few tire tracks along the verge. The road was empty, so I did a U-turn and pulled into the spot, careful to park far enough off the road that no one would hit my brand-new car.
“Are you sure this is good?” I asked as I stared at the steep hills and endless trees.
“This is the closest place to park to their base,” the AI said. ”And it’s a popular place to stop, so no one will be suspicious of your car.”
“Then let’s go get us some plutonium.” I took a deep breath, and then I stepped into the shade of the trees.
The forest itself was beautiful. The trees were green and full, the undergrowth was thick and matted, and the hilly terrain allowed for the occasional stunning view of a grassy or rocky valley below. I hopped over roots, skirted around clumps of brambles, and trudged by boulders as I advanced deeper into the forest. I had started out on a dusty trail that had been worn down from years of footprints, but that path soon disappeared beneath the new growth. If not for Francine, I’m sure I would have gotten lost, but the AI kept me on track to the neo-Nazi hideout.
I was on edge as I crept closer to my destination. I was well off the regular track by then, but that didn’t mean that the guards couldn’t still sneak up on me. They certainly knew the area better than I did, and though I trusted Francine with my life, I was still worried that the AI might somehow miss one of the men guarding the perimeter.
A branch cracked at one point, and I spun around with my fists up, ready to attack, until I saw that it was just a family of ground squirrels. They looked over at me with kind eyes, and some of their calmness wafted over to me.
A chattering Blue jay broke the spell, and two deer slipped between the trees and out of sight. I sighed as I turned to continue on my own path, though I paid more attention to the local wildlife from that point on. I spotted a snake sunning itself on a rock, a flock of meadowlarks gathered on some old fence posts, and even a raccoon out for a leisurely stroll. Of course, the dangerous animals were still ahead of me, and I had to remind myself to be careful.
I’d just come around a small outcropping when I sensed a change in the atmosphere. I couldn’t quite explain what it was, but it was as though the air felt colder and more tense.
“I believe we have reached the perimeter,” Francine said.
“I figured as much,” I whispered.
I slowed my steps and watched the path for any twigs or branches that might announce my presence. There were still enough trees to provide cover, but I felt the hairs on my neck start to prickle. I knew a group like the neo-Nazis might have snipers on duty, especially if they were worried about government agents showing up, so I kept low to the ground and close to the ponderosa pines.
A few minutes later, I heard the sounds of voices which were loud enough to drown out the sound of my own shallow breaths. The voices were surprisingly close, closer than I would have thought, but they were still distant enough that I couldn’t make out any of the words.
I was close to the ridgeline by then, and the voices were coming from the other side. There were very few trees by that point, so I scanned the area for any signs of movement and then darted across the rocky terrain and slid down the other side into another cluster of trees. I froze once I was beneath the branches, but no one leapt at me, and the voices were still talking as if nothing was amiss.
I crept forward until a collection of old buildings that had clearly seen better days came into view. It looked like an old homestead farm, the kind that still dotted the fields and plains of the Midwest. I could just make out what was left of the old farmhouse, which looked like it had been destroyed in a fire, but the other structures were still standing.
And they were definitely in use.
I eased the binoculars out of my pack and studied the scene in front of me. A large group of mostly men were walking around the property which was enclosed by a brand-new chain link fence. The original barn looked like it had been repaired, and an old hunter’s cabin was still in decent enough shape that the neo-Nazis were using it for something. There was a large tent in the middle of everything, and I guessed that it was probably the place where most of the group members slept and ate. There was a dirt road on the other side of the compound that disappeared into the forest, and at least two manned gates, one of which was wide enough for the cars and trucks that were parked haphazardly near the far side of the fence to get through.
I turned my attention to the people then, and it was no surprise that everyone I saw was armed. Most carried handguns, but there were several rifles in the mix as well.
“Shit,” I sighed, though I’d expected the weapons.
“We still have several hours of daylight left,” Francine said. “We should be able to gather enough information to determine the best way to steal the plutonium.”
“My bets are on the plutonium being in the barn,” I whispered.
“Agreed,” Francine said.
“All we have to do is get inside,” I muttered. “Hey, no big deal, right?”
Francine must have sensed that I was being sarcastic, because the AI didn’t respond. I shook my head and then shifted around a bit until I found a good spot that would let me watch the camp without being too uncomfortable.
It was easy enough to figure out the neo-Nazis’ routine. There were patrols that walked the fenceline, and every hour, a new group would take over. Faces became familiar, so I was able to come up with an estimate on the number of people in the group, which I put at about fifty.
“There’s a lot more people than I thought there would be,” I whispered.
“Yes, it really is a proper operation they have here,” Francine replied.
“It’s gonna be hard to get in there during daylight hours,” I said. “Maybe I should wait until nightfall. Then I won’t be seen as easily.”
“I am afraid that is not possible, Will,” Francine said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I have just decrypted one of their messages that tells me they plan to leave tonight,” it replied.
“Damn,” I sighed.
“The scientist is arriving shortly to inspect the plutonium,” Francine said. “If all is well, they will be leaving to finish the assembly of the weapon in a secure location. I am afraid we do not have long.”
“Well, I’m not going in there guns blazing,” I said. “I trust the stuff you gave me, but not against fifty armed men and women all at once. It’s still pretty early, so I’ll try and work out when their shift changes are and see if I can work out a way to get in without sticking out like a sore thumb.”
“Good idea,” Francine replied.
After two hours of observation, I heard the sound of an engine on the dirt road, and a few minutes later, an old Jeep pulled up to the gate. The guy on duty didn’t even bother to check for ID before he pulled the gate back and let the Jeep drive onto the property. Other neo-Nazis approached the vehicle as it came to a stop near the barn, and there was definitely a giddy excitement in the air as two men and one woman climbed out. One man and the woman were armed, but the other man didn’t look like a typical fighter. He greeted a few of the members of the cell with a Nazi salute, handshakes, and a smile on his face that made me feel sick.
“Is this the scientist you mentioned?” I asked.
“I believe so,” Francine replied.
“And he’s supposed to build the bomb, right?” I asked.
“Yes,” Francine said.
“Over my dead body,” I growled.
The scientist was still grinning as he talked with two of the men, and then the small group started to head toward the barn. If I hadn’t known the man was there to work on building their weapon, I would have thought the scientist was about to join a Saturday night barn dance. Could someone really get that excited about killing innocent people?
I decided that I needed to get ready to go in there. I didn’t want the scientist guy to start messing with the plutonium before I had a chance to get my hands on it. I took out my gun and fiddled with the dial. I was tempted to set it to Electro-Launch. I didn’t really want to take lives, but these people weren’t innocent by any means and were, in fact, a danger to many innocent people thanks to their backward, heinous beliefs.
However, my main priority was getting the plutonium without being spotted or heard, and the stun mode was silent. So, I set the gun to stun and started to get to my feet.
I was wrenched from my thoughts by the sound of a twig snapping. I didn’t look right away, but something in my gut told me that there was someone close by. I kept my movements slow as I put down the binoculars, and then I stood up straight and peered into the thick forest to try to see who was coming.
“Someone is approaching,” Francine said.
“I’m aware,” I whispered.
My breathing became short and shallow, and my heart started to pound in my chest, but my mind remained calm. The person didn’t know I knew they were there, and they might not have even seen me yet, either. I started to hear the rustle of footsteps as they stepped on the leaves of the forest floor, and I knew the person was too close.
That was when I saw a movement in my peripheral vision, and that was enough for me to make a move. I whipped around in a flash with my gun pointed at the man from the camp.
But the man had his gun out as well, and we stood there for a second like a pair of desperados in an old Western.
“Would you look at that,” he said. “It’s a standoff.”