Bea Cannon - A Small Gray Dot

“Dump them out. I don’t know what that is but it’s not flammable.”

They began pouring the liquid out into the trash can and handing me the bottles. Duncan helped insert the rag wicks and I quickly filled each one about three quarters full. We tightened down the lids, then wiped down the outsides thoroughly. In about fifteen minutes, we had them ready. It would be enough.

Duncan handed me a lighter and we piled into the car.

“Okay,” I said, as I cranked it up. “Let’s do this.”

IT WAS HARD TO SEE BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO advertise, so I drove with the lights out.

It didn’t take long to reach Semptor Labs, and as before, the stinging in my eyes increased that close to the company, though it currently wasn’t as irritating as it was on the day I’d gotten lost.

I didn’t drive all the way to the gate. Instead, I swung the car around so that it pointed back the way we’d come and parked it about a hundred feet away pulling to the side near the trees. We got out taking the Molotov cocktails and the gas container with us. We kept close to the trees as we approached the company gate. There was a jeep parked directly in front of it, a Wrangler, the kind with a retractable fabric top popular with off roaders before the Event.

“That’s the jeep the guards use,” said Duncan. “Must be what they used to bring your girl down. Wonder why they left it out here? Normally, anybody going in by car drives around to the vehicle gate and into the lot. You have to go about three blocks to get to it but if Morgan was as groggy as Harlow said, and they had to carry her, you’d think they would’ve used it.”

I considered it for a moment. This gate was closer to a building. “Perhaps they didn’t want to bother with driving around to the parking lot. Maybe they expected to dump her and come right back out.” I wondered why they hadn’t returned, though. There’d been plenty of time.

I looked out across the lighted lot. It was the only place in Blue Heaven where I’d seen that many lights in the same place that actually worked. All the buildings were dark except the nearest one. Light glowed in three of the big front windows on the second floor.

“What’s in that building, Duncan?” I asked.

“That’s Henderson’s main office. He’s got a smaller office in an extension he added on the other side but since the lights are on in his main office, I figure he’s there.”

The add-on wasn’t visible from our position but it had to be the one Dr. Bennett had mentioned. There was no way to be sure of where they had Morgan but I didn’t think she was in the extension, or in the living quarters. Because of the lights, my bet was she was somewhere in the main office.

I checked out the row of delivery vans and trucks parked on the lot where the pavement picked up at the bottom of the grassy slope.

“How’re we gonna git down there without bein’ seen?” asked Percy.

“Yeah, Tenn. They have cameras all over the place. No way we can sneak up on them,” added Duncan.

That was an observation I’d already made.

Unless… “What about those trees over there?” I asked Duncan. There were two strands on either side of the paved path that led down from the gate, but I was most interested in the one to our right that marched down the slope almost to the side of the building.

“There’re a few cameras in the trees, too. Hard to get through them without being seen.”

If they were diligent about watching those cameras, they would see us no matter which way we went, but the trees might afford us a little protection and if we could create a diversion…

I judged the distance from where the trees ended to the lot. Only about fifty feet. From there, I could throw far enough to reach the first couple of vehicles. I was pretty sure the guys could, too. We needed a distraction until we could get down the approximately two hundred feet to the bottom. Something that might take attention away from the cameras.

“How can we get in without going through the front door?” I asked.

Duncan pointed. “See the door on this side? That’ll get us in, and there’s also a back door.”

“They keep them locked?”

“I don’t know.”

I nodded. The back door was going to be better and I could get it opened if necessary. And I thought of a use for the jeep.

I studied the gate and the path leading down. Wide enough.

“We’re not going to exactly sneak,” I said. “I believe Morgan is somewhere in Henderson’s office building, up where the lights are, so that’s where we have to go. But we need a diversion. Hand me the gas can. This jeep is about to take a trip.”

Duncan cocked his head over, then said, “I believe I see what you have in mind but it won’t have enough speed to do much damage by just pushing it. Slope’s not steep enough.”

“We won’t be pushing it.” I pulled the jeep’s driver side door open and peered in.

“What’re you doing?” asked Lem. “You’re ain’t gonna drive it down, are you? They bound to see you, and how’re you gonna get it started?”

“I don’t intend to drive it down, but If they’re watching, they’ll see us anyway, Lem, and I’ll start it with the key.” I held it up. I could’ve started it without the key but having it was better. And a little quicker.

Percy shook his head. “You mean th’ dummies left it?”

“No reason to take it,” said Duncan shrugging. “Nobody in Blue Heaven bothers the jeep.”

Until now.

I peered back into the jeep and spotted a metal cup in a holder. It had old coffee in it, which I dumped and poured in gas. I got in and switched on the power without starting the jeep. I pushed the switch to open the windows, found the one to retract the fabric top, then I turned the power back off. I dumped the rest of the gas over everything except the driver’s side. It was a five-gallon can and was full except for the amount I’d used for the incendiary bombs and what I’d put into the cup, which totaled less than a gallon, so it was quite a bit. I had Lem start dipping the cocktail wicks into the cup of gas.

I needed something to hold down the jeep’s accelerator. I looked around. There were no convenient heavy rocks lying about – or none I could see in the dark. Puffing out a breath of frustration because the longer this took the greater the chances were that someone was going to notice us on one of those cameras and come running, I looked in the back of the jeep. Nothing there except an x shaped lug wrench. It gave me an idea.

I went back to the driver’s side, pulled the thick floor mat forward until it covered the accelerator, mashing it down. To keep it that way, I set the lug wrench on top of it on its end, turning it so one side wedged snuggly under the seat and the other under the dashboard. It would do. I got in and turned the ignition. It started up with the engine racing. I was going to have to be fast.

“Open the gate.”

Duncan pushed until it swung back and banged against the fence. I slammed the jeep into gear and jumped, rolling from it as it cleared the gate. It was a dangerous move but one I’d made before. The timing had to be right but I knew it could work. The jeep shot forward heading straight for the first delivery van. Unless it hit something that turned it too much to the left, it would hit the van broadside. The open driver side door caused it to veer slightly to the right but it was almost a straight clean shot and within seconds, it made a satisfying loud crash as it smacked into the van, pushing it into the one beside it. It kept revving and its front end bounced up, as if it was trying to mount the van.

By that time, the guys had run through the entry and into the trees carrying the cocktails, and I scrambled to join them. We got to the edge of the trees and I grabbed one of the cocktails, lit it, took aim, and lobbed it hard toward the growling jeep.