Darren Wearmouth - Second Activation

“That lying piece of shit,” Jack said. “He shot Brett.”

Lea let out a deep sigh and shuddered. “Doesn’t surprise me. A group of survivors attacked Hart Island two nights ago. They failed, but our techy guys reported it. HQ is nervous about tech falling into civilian hands and are furious that they got so close.”

“Why don’t the techs tell HQ they’re still on Hart Island?”

“They don’t need to. As soon as they sent out the second activation, Headquarters would pick up device activity on their network. Anthony doesn’t know it.”

“Christ,” I said. “Sounds like it’s all falling apart. I’m surprised it hasn’t descended into full-scale mutiny.”

“Trust me, it’s close. If I ran GA, I’d be kicking their asses too.”

“What about you?” Jack said. “Anthony and Jerry just let you tag along? I find that hard to believe.”

“I’m safe as long as I’m with Martina. She’s memorized the launch codes. If they touch me, they get no activations.”

The information came at me in an overwhelming flood. But it sounded good. Others had attacked the GA team, and Anthony had plunged the local team in even deeper shit. HQ still provided the unknown, but at least they weren’t coming for us, not at the moment.

At the end of 47th, we headed for a small industrial structure with two silver columns protruding from the top. Manhattan stood directly behind it, separated only by the river. Quite a spectacular view for such a dull building. I was surprised that hotels, housing companies, and leisure complexes hadn’t taken over these kinds of spots. It happened everywhere in Manchester city center.

“This way. I saw it from the bridge, and it looked quiet,” Lea said.

Lea squeezed through a gap in the chain-link fence and headed toward a series of small brick buildings. She walked between two of them and leaned against the wall.

I glanced around. We were obscured from any view unless somebody entered the complex.

“I’ll guard one way, you the other,” Jack said to me.

I trained my rifle back toward the road. “What happened after you left us in Monroe?”

In my peripheral vision, Lea lowered her gun, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

“When I split from you guys, I dodged the patrols and headed for Martina’s house.”

“We heard a shot,” Jack said.

“I think they found someone else. I don’t know. She lives by the airport on the other side of town. I went to her yard and waited. Where did you go?”

“We lay in a pit of rotting bodies,” Jack said.

I wondered if a day would go by where I didn’t think of that experience. I was sure it would haunt me for the rest of my life.

“Gross. No wonder they couldn’t find you. I heard all hell breaking loose in the town and wondered if you’d come back to get me. I figured you knew why I slipped away without telling you.”

“We worked it out,” I said. “I might have done the same thing if this idiot was hiding out in Monroe.”

Jack laughed sarcastically. Lea continued, “It had gotten dark, and I heard a vehicle approach the house. They dropped Martina off and sped away. When she went through to the kitchen, I knocked on the window, giving her the fright of her life.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t shoot you after what happened with Ron,” I said.

“She was angry and upset. We had a fight in the kitchen but quickly made up.”

“A physical fight?” Jack asked.

“Mostly shoving and screaming—it wasn’t pretty. Anyway, I told her about our journey from New York, and she began to understand the situation. Although I did tell her I tried to stop you from killing Ron, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“Fine by me,” I said. “You did what was needed to survive. It’s understandable. Does she want us dead?”

“She did at first, but we’ve got bigger things to think about. I’ll get to that part. Martina uses the codes to keep us both safe. Anthony and Jerry are both furious that they didn’t have time to get them from Ron.”

“I’m glad. Pair of assholes,” Jack said.

“I’m surprised they just didn’t torture them out of her,” I said.

Lea took another drag of her cigarette and blew smoke out of the corner of her mouth.

“I worried about that, but she’s memorized them and said she’d rather die than give up our safety. There are plenty who don’t like Anthony and Jerry. Most of the GA guys I’ve spoken to have been forced into the organization in one way or another.”

“Why don’t they rise up and kill them?” Jack asked.

“Nobody knows who to trust locally, and Headquarters holds family members and loved ones hostage.”

“Brett told us about that,” I said.

“On our way down to New York, one of the guys called Anthony a prick. Not to his face, but he managed to hear about it. He sliced his throat in front of the convoy. That had a funny way of keeping things quiet.”

I thought about how good it would be to teach Anthony a lesson. Not a quick bullet to the head—he deserved something far more slow and painful.

“What happened when you met Jerry and Anthony?” Jack asked.

“Jerry keeps his distance and is always sneering. He’s constantly asking questions about you. Apparently, he’s like an expert hunter.”

“He’s not much of an expert. We’re still here, aren’t we?” I asked.

“And now he knows it. Man, he’s neurotic. Wanted to know your habits, what food you like, what you said before I left you, where you’re from. He recorded every last little detail in a notebook. HQ has taken a back seat in his mind. If GA suspends him, I get the feeling that you’ll become his life.”

“Suspend him?” I asked, confused about the choice of words. “Wouldn’t they just kill him?”

She shrugged and had another drag. “They’re losing men every day. Anthony thinks Headquarters can’t afford to kill their own staff.”

“But he can?” Jack asked. “You know he cut a woman’s throat in Monroe and blamed it on us?”

“I heard about her. Poor woman. There’s a rumor that he took a boat out to South Bass Island and killed two GA members for raising a false alarm about you.”

“No, that was us,” I said. “Although you don’t have to spread that around.”

“Honestly? None of the other guys I’ve spoken to give a shit about you. It’s only those two, and I think you know why.”

“What did they expect us to do?” Jack said. “Bring them a picnic hamper?”

Lea shook her head. “Jerry’s been kissing Martina’s ass because she holds the power with the launch codes. He boasted to me yesterday about digging up Bernie’s corpse as a message for you.”

“Did you tell Martina?”

“She doesn’t care about Bernie or you. She might not want you dead anymore, but that’s as far as it goes.”

“Did he tell you he booby-trapped it?” I said.

“No, what did he do?”

“He wedged a knife through a grenade pin and stuck it in Bernie’s body. The poor bugger got blown to pieces.

Lea screwed up her face and cursed under her breath. I had a hard time believing that she just went along with GA. I could see her motivation in terms of Martina, but it all seemed bizarre with Anthony and Jerry involved. I suspected Lea wasn’t reading them correctly. There had to be more to their motivations and actions involving her.

“How much sway does Martina have?” Jack asked.

“She sits on a council with Jerry and Anthony. They speak at ten every morning, whether that’s face to face or over a radio.”

“Jesus, a council? She’s in this right up to her neck,” I said. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“She’s kept me alive, hasn’t she?”