Radio Hope (Toxic World Book 1) (24 page)

As he hurried toward the fighting he ran into a group of Merchants Association men headed the same direction.

“What are you doin
g out of hiding?” Marcus asked.

“Shooting looters,” one of them grinned
, missing the sarcasm. “Now we’re going to beat off this attack.”

They arrived on the scene to find the scavengers were doing that just fine. The razor wire came right down to the water so when the boatmen got to the shore they found they didn’t have anywhere to land. They stood waist deep in the sea, hacking at
the wire with machetes and a couple of rusty wire cutters while their companions on the boats tried to give them covering fire.

They made easy targets for the scavengers, who picked off the riflemen on the boats first, then slaughtered the men at the wire. By the time Marcus and the patrol got there it was almost over. Most of the rafts w
ere emptied of their crews, the few survivors swimming madly away as the rest bobbed dead in the water or hung bloodied on the wire.

Marcus told the Merchants Association to check the other side of the peninsula, from which he could still hear firing, and without bot
hering to see if they did what they were told he hurried back home.

Rosie
stood at the door with her rifle in her hand. Tears ran down her cheeks. Marcus stopped short.

“Is he. . .?” he couldn’t finish the question.

“He lost consciousness half an hour ago. Now his heartbeat is irregular.”

Marcus looked at his wife, then turned and sprinted for the warehouse. He didn’t even notice his sciatica anymore.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

When they got back to the others
, Jackson saw Ha-Ram handing over the radio direction finder to three masked figures. One of them, more heavyset than the rest, detached himself from the group and walked over to Jackson.

“She got him,” the sentry told his friend.

The other man nodded. Jackson thought it strange to see two nearly identically dressed men in identical masks talking to each other. It gave them a mirror-like quality that made the scene seem surreal. He supposed that was part of the point. The heavyset man put a hand on Jackson’s shoulder.

“Ha-Ram here tells me you
didn’t know any more than Annette about the true reason for your journey.”

Jackson tensed. It was weird feeling so familiar a gesture from a masked stranger.

“Once I figured it out I planned to stop them,” Jackson said.

Annette pointed at a Kalashnikov lying in a pile of weapons taken from the cultists.

“Isn’t that Mitch’s AK?” she asked.

Jackson nodded.
“I disarmed him once I realized you led him in the wrong direction. Thank you for doing that. I should have trusted you earlier.”

“There’s been quite a bit of backstabbing in your little group,” the heavyset man said. His mask made it look like he was laughing at everything. “So where is he now?”

Jackson thought for a moment. “Well, the cultists didn’t get him. I figure he’s heading back to the city.”

Then a terrible thought came to him. He looked to Annette, who gave him a troubled look in return that said she was thinking the same thing.

“He needs to be stopped,” Jackson said. “He’ll tell Abe where the transmitter is. He doesn’t have the topo, but he knows the location close enough that it wouldn’t take long to find this radio station.”

“That won’t help,” Ha-Ram said, ge
sturing at the radio tower. “It’s a repeater. I couldn’t tell until I got close enough.”

“A repeater?” Jackson asked.

“It picks up a signal from somewhere else and boosts it. Radio Hope could be hundreds of miles away,” Ha-Ram explained.

The heavyset man tensed. “If you’re going to join us you need to learn when not to reveal what you know.”

“What!” Jackson and Annette exclaimed.

Ha-Ram grinned. “I managed to convince them.”

“How?” Annette asked.

“You’re joining them?” Jackson asked, trying to keep up with the conversation.

“That’s right,” Ha-Ram nodded. “Well, while this is a only a repeater, it wouldn’t be hard to find the original radio signal if you stood at this vantage point. And since I’m the only person in New City who knows how to make a radio direction finder. . .”

He turned and smiled at the members of Radio Hope. Their mask
s smiled back at him with frozen mouths.

The heavyset man still had his hand on Jackson’s shoulder. He
gave Jackson a friendly squeeze.

“Tell me, how did old Casey Andrews end his days?”

“You knew him?” Jackson asked.

“Every
one from that time knew your father.”

“He died several years ago. He joined New City in the early days, when I was so young I don’t remember. He became a citizen but always fought for a better deal for the workingman. He was the one who established the idea of associate status, something The Doctor didn’t w
ant. He got citizenship extended to more farmers too.”

“Sounds like he was true to the last.”

“He was. There’s still plenty of work left to be done, though. First thing is to stop Mitch.”

Jackson glanced at
Annette, who looked decidedly unhappy.

“Try to reason with him,” Ha-Ram said.

Yeah right. Mitch is just like Brett, another lackey running to get approval from his master.

“Before you go I have a gift for The Doctor,” the heavyset man said. “Wait here.”

Jackson’s tension eased. So they really were going to get to leave. Ha-Ram had certainly helped with that, and his own and Annette’s actions had shown what side they were on. He looked at Annette with new appreciation. She just gave up a place within the walls for the sake of the greater good. That was hard for anyone to do, let alone someone with children.

The heavyset man
and the woman walked away in the direction of the repeater tower and were soon out of sight. A few minutes later they returned. The leader carried a large case with red lettering and a logo Jackson immediately recognized.

“Medical supplies,
” Jackson said as he took it.

“Give this to The Doctor. He’ll use it well. While he and your father didn’t always see eye to eye, he is a good man at heart.”

“A good man?” Jackson scoffed. “Have you noticed the brand on my cheek? That good man ordered it put there!”

The mask smiled back it him. Jackson
felt an urge to punch it.

“You knew when you spoke out that such a thing would happen,” came the reply. “The Doctor was only bending to your will.”

Jackson blinked. The masked man went on. “You have marked yourself as a rebel, an outsider. It is people like you who often change society the most, whether for the better or worse depends on your choices, and your perspective.”

Jackson had no response to that. The medical pack had a strap,
so he put it over his shoulder. He picked up Mitch’s Kalashnikov from the pile of weapons and two of the cultists’ rifles and ammo as well.

Might as well get something out of all this.

“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell us who you are or what your final intentions are,” Jackson said.

“Both those questions are answered well enough in our broadcasts,” the masked leader said.

Jackson shook his and Ha-Ram’s hand. Annette did the same.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Jackson said.

The technician nodded. “I may never see New City again, so best of luck to both of you. Tell Pablo I think he’d make a great radio man.”

Annette laughed, “He’ll love that.”

They walked away. After a few yards they turned and waved goodbye. Ha-Ram and the men and women from Radio Hope waved back before then turning and walking toward the repeater.

“I wonder how many of them there are,” Jackson said in a quiet voice.

“I wonder how many repeaters they have,” Annette replied.

That question sparked Jackson’s imagination.
From what Ha-Ram had taught him on this trip, he knew that an AM radio signal could go hundreds of miles if it had enough power, and if a repeater could boost that signal hundreds of more miles, then Radio Hope’s base could be anywhere. They could be transmitting over the whole continent.

And their leader, or at least the leader of that scouting party. He had known Dad. His evasive response about everyone knowing Casey Jackson was just a dodge. From the way he talked it sounded like he actually knew him
personally.

Jackson shook his head. There was no way of knowing now. Radio Hope wanted to stay secret, and that was for the best.

“I wonder what Abe had on Ha-Ram that made him willing to leave New City behind,” Annette said.

“Abe has his tentacles in everything,” Jackson said.

“He’s not going to honor our deal,” Annette said.

Jackson nodded sadly. “I know.”

Poor Olivia. She’ll be stuck in Toxic Bay. I’ll have to convince her to at least move to the Burbs. Assuming the Burbs are still there. I hope she got inside the walls. Abe promised. He’ll go back on that promise once we return empty-handed, but in the meantime if New City is safe then she’s safe.

Assuming she made it to N
ew City. Assuming Abe wasn’t planning a double cross, refusing to see Olivia and ordering Mitch to gun me down and take my topo.

My topo!

Jackson stopped.

“Can I have my map
back now?” he asked Annette.

She stopped and thought for a moment, then slid her shotgun out of its case and pointed it at him.

“Drop your guns, Blamer,” she said, glaring at him.

“You backstabbing piece of. . .”

“Drop them!”

Jackson did as he was told. He couldn’t believe it. How many times had he had guns pointed at him today?

A broad grin lit up Annette’s face. She reached into her shirt, pulled out the topo, and tossed it to Jackson.

“You need to learn to trust people more,” she laughed. “Come on, pick up those guns, we have a long trip ahead of us
and the hard parts aren’t all over yet.”

They sure as hell were
n’t. They got to the bridge in the late afternoon. Jackson had been dreading it every step. He couldn’t shake the image of Brett plummeting to his death.

“We can camp here for the night and try in the morning,” she offered
with a sympathetic look.

Jackson shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t get any sleep. Let’s get this over with.”

Olivia is on the other side of that bridge
,
he told himself
.
And an approaching column of the Righteous Horde is on this side.

That was the last though
t he allowed himself. Without hesitation he walked out onto the bridge, keeping his eyes on his feet until the way narrowed. Then he got on his belly and, focusing on the asphalt in front of his eyes, wormed his way forward.

Before he knew it the way opened up again. He was across the narrow point. He kept on his belly for several more yards before he had the guts to get on his feet
again. Annette joined him.

“If it’s any consolation that
scared the shit out of me too,” she said.

“I never thanked you for coming back to help me.”

“It’s all right,” Annette said, looking embarrassed.

They hurried down the road, making good time as it wound down the mountain pass. As they came around a corner Annette stopped short.

“What?” Jackson asked.

She pointed. Far below, he could make out a figure jogging along t
he road in the failing light. It was passing between two hills that blocked the view of the road and would only be visible for a minute.

Annette pulled out her sniper
’s rifle and gazed through the scope.

“It’s him,” Annette said, her voice wavering.

I was dreading the bridge; she was dreading this
,
Jackson thought.

He put a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can find another way.”

Annette shook her head. “There is no other way. He’ll tell Abe where the repeater is.”

“But they don’t have a direction finder.”

“If Ha-Ram could figure out how to make one, another technician could too. It’s only a matter of time. Besides, when he hears what we did, what do you think Abe will do to us?”

Jackson paused. He hadn’t thought of that. Abe was a power to be reckoned with. If he w
anted to crush someone, he could. He had no shortage of thugs at his command. A staged bar fight could turn lethal and Annette could end up dead. He could disappear one night, or Olivia could.

“I’ll do it,” Jackson said.

Annette shook her head again. “You’ve never used this rifle. It’s tricky at this range and I only have two bullets left.”

She was in a prone position already, gazing down the sniper’s scope. She paused for a second, blinking, and wiped a tear from her eye.