Anthony DeCosmo - Empire

“Yeah, yeah I know, I know.”

“Ground patrols now believe that about two thousand Hivvan infantry have mustered in Bladen Lakes State Forest, mainly around the intersections of 701 and 41 by White Lake. We can’t be sure though, it might be a little more.”

Trevor sighed, “So they are reconstituting. Just friggin’ great.”

“Other groups of a thousand here, five hundred there, are forming in a couple of places. Some of them have set up supply caches. It’s just a matter of time before their lines of communication are such that they can reform into their entire corps.”

Trevor said, “And when that happens all they will need is a healthy dose of supplies to march out of our trap and make for Columbia.”

Knox hit him with an alternative possibility.

“Or march forward, right back at Raleigh.”

Trevor shook his head. “That sounds too aggressive for Hivvans. They like to play it safe.”

“They’ve had Screamers airborne. They know about Stonewall’s column, they had troops deployed to meet him outside of Dillon. You have to figure that the Hivvan commanders have intel, too. Assuming they haven’t spotted Shepherd’s column, then they’ll think we only have one division in Raleigh. If they have spotted General Shepherd, then they know there are only garrison troops at Raleigh. Either way, it would be a tempting target and a way to stop our advance and put us on defense again.”

Trevor reacted as if hit with an electric shock.

“Jesus Christ! New Winnabow. I’ve been so caught up with my son, I mean, where the Hell is Evan? I sent him and Dante down there three days ago.”

He expected an answer from Knox. Gordon responded with a shrug.

Trevor picked up the phone on the desk and buzzed security.

“Yeah, Wilson, um, how’s the head? Great. Who’s the watch commander down there? Yeah, send him up.”

Stone slammed the phone onto its cradle.

“Okay, go ahead finish it up.”

“Stonewall pushed through and is ready to take the supply point at Dillon at any time. But that’s just going through the motions. After yesterday’s defeat we noticed the lizards weren’t sending convoys through Dillon anymore. They’re counting entirely on Conway to supply that pocket now.”

“Good,” Trevor nodded his head in approval.

“Not so good,” Gordon corrected. “We haven’t gained anything yet. As long as there are supplies rolling in it doesn’t matter where they come from. You have to push through New Winnabow and do it soon, or we’ll be in bad shape.”

Ray Roos knocked and walked in.

“You wanted to see me, Sir?”

“Yeah, Ray, right? Is Evan Godfrey back in town yet?”

Roos glanced around the room, fidgeted, and then answered, “I wouldn’t know, Sir.”

“You wouldn’t know? I thought the Watch Commander coordinated protection duty for all council members. How can you do that if you don’t know if he’s in town?”

“You’re right, Sir, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Yeah, he’s back in town. We had a couple of guys meet him when he arrived.”

“I assume you know where he is, then?” Stone asked.

“Um…Yessir.”

“Get him for me.”

“Um, Sir, he was going to a meeting at his newspaper.”

Trevor glared at Roos. “I don’t care if he’s in a meeting with the Almighty. You grab that toad by the ears and pull him over here. He was supposed to report to me as soon as he got back. If he doesn’t come…” Trevor considered. “If he doesn’t come tell him I’ll be sending some K9s over to fetch him.”

Ray Roos gulped.

“Yes, Sir. I’m hearing you loud and clear, yes I am.”

“Gee, Evan, really nice to see you could join us,” Trevor said as Godfrey walked in to his second-floor office just as Gordon Knox walked out. “Where is Dante?”

“He’s coming back tonight,” Evan said. “We stayed a night in New Winnabow then in Raleigh. He was staying there a little while longer to set up some security stuff.”

“So you arranged for us to pass through?” Trevor led.

“Trevor,” Evan licked his lips. “I know how important this operation is. I understand why you sent me down there. I met with their council. I spent an evening there and walked around that amazing town. You saw it, too. They have a theater. They have classrooms and apprenticeships. They’ve got country doctors who make house calls. At dinner time the town almost shuts down as all the families eat together. Those who don’t have families are invited to a different dinner table each night.”

Trevor, pacing, waived his hand, “Yes Evan, I know. It is peaceful. It is calm. They are so wonderful. But Evan, they don’t have antibiotics, so kids with strep throat may end up dying. Chicken Pox is a life-threatening disease. They don’t have surgeons, Evan. Better not have your appendix burst. What about diagnosing skin cancer before it is too late?”

“Maybe some things in life are worth giving up so that the quality of that life is better.”

“Easy for you to say,” Trevor said. “You’re not a slave in Columbia.”

“The whole time we were there the worst we saw was a Skip Beetle.”

Trevor opened his mouth, ready to bat another volley in the conversation, but he stopped, refocused, and went to the point. “Why are we arguing this? You weren’t sent there as a sociologist. Are they going to allow us to pass, Evan?”

Godfrey went quiet. He licked his lips again, threw his eyes to different spots around the room, and flexed his fingers. Body language spoke the answer he hesitated to say.

The realization of failure swept across Trevor Stone, covering him like a blanket. His eyes glazed over, his pacing stopped, and he slowly — very slowly- eased to the seat behind the desk.

Evan finally said, “They aren’t going to let us pass. Not without a fight. I spoke with their council. They are united in this. No one is going to change their mind. I think they’d rather die than give in.”

“I see,” Trevor mumbled.

“But Trevor, listen, you have to think of this as a chance. A chance to try something new,” Evan tried to persuade. Trevor did not react. “This is a chance to change who we are. So the Hivvans get away this time, so what? It’s a shame about Columbia but instead of forcing your way through New Winnabow maybe we can learn from them.”

“Yes…maybe…”

“Maybe Parsons can tell us how they’ve done it. I’ll be happy to be your ambassador to New Winnabow. It’s amazing what they’ve done down there! Amazing!”

“Amazing…yes.”

“Trevor, I am sorry that I failed. Truly I am. I hope you believe me. You trusted me despite everything we’ve been through, I won’t forget that.”

“Of course not…no.”

“I gave it my best shot. I tried to convince them. But maybe this is a sign. A sign that we can start changing things here so we can be more like them. Thanks for listening, Trevor,” Evan finished. “I think this might be a new leaf in our relationship.”

“Yes…a new leaf.”

Evan smiled, nodded his head, and left the room.

Trevor Stone sat there, in his empty office, alone.

Evan walked out the front door of the estate to the driveway where his Mercedes sedan idled with an Internal Security driver at the wheel. He jumped in and found Ray Roos in the back seat waiting for him.

The car swung about and exited the grounds.

Roos sat there, staring at Evan who finally asked, “What?”

“Are you just something? Sure you are. You are just something.” Roos shook his head in admiration with a smile on his lips.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, now, come on now, I didn’t just fall off the cabbage truck. I know what’s going on in Carolina. You know I hear things. Of course you do. That’s why you like me so much. I hear things that can help you out.”