The Bonner Incident: Joshua's War (17 page)

Sonya patted his arm. “I’ll try to talk to her again babe, but don’t expect her to leave.”

Pulling out the two radios, Joshua sighed. “Okay,” he said and pointed at one of the radios. “This is the one that can do it all and the other only picks up some stuff. Think you can do something with them William?”

“Sure, but it’s going to take a while,” he said sliding them over.

“The battery is almost dead and the sun hasn’t been out in like forever,” Joshua almost growled. “My e-reader is dead, the other batteries for the radios are dead, my cellphone… I mean, come on, I just need a few hours of sunlight.”

“We can charge them here,” Ernest said looking at the radio with William. “May I William? I’ve worked with these many times.”

“You have any batteries? These jackoffs carry electronic everything, but only a few batteries. The codes and frequencies are in the small blue notebook.”

“We can hook you up,” Ernest said grabbing the notebook as Joshua started throwing electronics on the table from his saddlebags, backpack and his pockets.

He held up one of the satellite phones. “You know they make prepaid satellite phones?” he asked looking at Ben, Chris and Gene who all looked amazed. “And they cost over three grand each.”

When Joshua threw the PDA down on the table, William snatched it up. “Wow, Dad, where did you get this? It’s a Trimble Recon 400x handheld computer.”

“I just thought it was a PDA,” Joshua said as William held the device in his hands and used his thumbs to tap on the keyboard.

Laughing, “No, Dad, it’s much more powerful than a PDA,” William said as Sammy moved over to look over his shoulder and watch William tap the screen.

“He types faster with his thumbs than my secretary does with her hands,” Sonya mumbled shaking her head.

“Got it off the guy who had the Barrett and lucky for me, it has a ballistic program similar to mine,” Joshua said watching William’s thumbs. “It’s also got solitaire and a chess game, but I don’t know how to change the level on the chess game. It has to be set on a little kid’s level because I can beat it in ten moves.”

“Whoa, it’s got the wifi password and encryption code for the federal network terminals,” William sang out in awe.

Joshua leaned over to Sonya’s ear. “Is that the thing I’m always asking for the password?”

“I don’t know, I just hand William my laptop and tell him I can’t get on the internet,” Sonya said shrugging.

Ernest looked up from the radios and notebook. “William, can you hack into the network that they set up at their new command area?”

“There is no hacking,” he chuckled. “I have the codes now. Without them, it would’ve taken me weeks to break them.”

“Is it good to break them or bad?” Sonya whispered to Joshua.

“I think, since it’s the feds and you can break something, it’s good.”

William pulled out his cellphone and tapped the screen. “I’m downloading this,” he said with a huge grin and set the handheld computer beside his phone.

Joshua looked over and saw a status bar on the cellphone running up slowly in percentage. “How are you doing that? They aren’t connected. The kid I bought the phone from said I had to hook a cable to a phone to upload programing stuff.”

“Yeah, it’s much faster, but I’m just bluetoothing it.”

“Bluetooth? Like the thing I wear in my ear for my cellphone?” Joshua asked hesitantly.

“That’s right, Dad,” William said with a smile, and Joshua felt good he’d got that right.

“Joshua,” Ernest said and he turned to him. “The reason the first radio picks up everything is, it was programed with all the frequencies and codes. Whoever you took it from did it. I’m sure if the feds found out he’d done that, they would crucify him.”

“Well, that’s going to be worthless because I shot his ass.”

“No, I mean, he opened their entire network up with this one radio,” Ernest said and Joshua just stared at him, not understanding. “Um, he made this radio like generals would have, so they could talk to all their forces, but a general doesn’t have to worry about his radio getting captured.”

“Oh,” Joshua said understanding the significance now. “So, can you make the other one like that one?”

“Sure, but can I copy these frequencies and codes?”

“What codes?” Joshua asked leaning over the table and looking at the notebook.

Ernest pointed at the numbers beside every frequency. “These are the codes. The radio is loaded with over a million of them,” Ernest explained.

“Hey, I don’t care, but don’t talk to them on those frequencies because they will hunt you down fast. I heard several talking a few days ago, they did that to someone who was talking on one of the frequencies from the east side of the lake,” Joshua said as Sonya grabbed his hand to hold it. He looked at her smiling and extracted his hand and pulled off his gloves, then held her hand again.

Ernest gave a sly nod, “Yeah, that was one of us to see if we could jam them,” he grinned. “We were long gone before they got there.”

“So, you can hear them with regular radios?” Joshua asked.

“You hear a transmission, but it’s tones and pulses because they are transmitting on a coded frequency. That’s why I need the codes from this radio and the number of the code for each frequency.”

Looking over at William, who was still tapping away at the PDA. “William, did you understand that?” Joshua asked and Sonya snorted.

“Yes, sir,” he said as Sammy reached over, pointing at the screen. “That’s the encryption program for Wi-Fi,” William said and Sammy nodded.

“Chris, I want you to teach me something,” Joshua said lifting his other saddlebag to the table and pulled out a cloth pouch. “How do I use this? It has an instruction book, but the book looks like it was designed for third graders.”

Chris stepped over as Joshua pulled a claymore mine out of the cloth bag. “Where in the hell did you get that?” he shouted, picking it up as Joshua took the wire, clacker and blasting cap out of the bag.

“Two of the last ones I took out were carrying them and hand grenades,” Joshua said pulling out a hand grenade from his vest.

Chris looked over at Ernest. “You see what they are using on him?” he bellowed.

“Chris, it’s not the first time they’ve used military equipment to fight a civilian,” Ernest shrugged. “That’s why they don’t want the population armed with any type of firearm. But if we are to have weapons, they want us to have single shot, small caliber rifles, so they have fire superiority, always.”

Looking at the grenade Joshua was holding and then at the claymore, “This is wrong,” Chris mumbled.

Joshua shrugged, “They are just bringing in weapons since they are outgunned. Does it piss me off? You’re damn right it does, but it lets them and others know, ‘If you don’t fight them on their own ground, you can actually fight back’.”

Nodding at that, Chris grinned, “I’ll show you, it’s not that hard.”

“I want to learn,” Ben said leaning over.

“Oh shit,” Gene mumbled. “How about we let Josh and the family have a little time alone?”

“Hold up for a second Gene, you’re going to love this,” Joshua said, letting Sonya’s hand go and taking the ‘self-erecting pop-up’ tent off his backpack. Popping the straps, Joshua grinned and tossed the circle of cloth, watching it pop out into a tent before it hit the floor. Never getting tired of that, Joshua chuckled, “Now, that is cool.”

“Where in the hell did you get that?” Ben asked walking over and picking it up.

“Every searcher has one,” Joshua said taking the tent from Ben. He twisted and folded it until it was a two-foot cloth covered ring. Looking at Ben, he tossed it again, letting the tent pop out. “I love tents but don’t like the weight and the time it takes setting them up but damn, I like that one.”

Ben spun around staring at Gene. “I’m going to shoot one and take his tent.” Everyone busted out laughing. “What? That is awesome!”

Gene started coughing as he swallowed his dip and grabbed a bottle of water. After draining the bottle, he looked up at Ben, “Ben, we can’t just take off and shoot the feds to take their tents,” Gene said in a raspy voice. “We have more important things to do but I swear to you, if we take them down, you will get the first tent.”

Letting out a huff as the others continued to laugh, Ben picked up the tent, “Show me how to fold it up,” he said looking at Joshua.

Wiping his eyes, Ernest came over, “I can show you, I have one,” he said laughing.

“You can just buy these?” Ben shouted. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Chris had to help carry out Gene still bent over and coughing as Ernest pulled the tent out with Ben close behind. When the others were gone, Sonya looked at Joshua still laughing. “I now know why you always got Ben out of trouble, he’s hilarious. I know he’s your friend but my God, he can make you laugh not even trying.”

“You should’ve hung around us when we were younger,” Joshua grinned.

“Can you take off all that?” Sonya said waving her hand at the vest.

“Sure, I wear it so much, I forget it’s on,” Joshua said undoing the sides and pulling it over his head and dropping it on the table.

“And we want you to wear it, but we have a hot portable shower set up for you,” she said pointing toward the cave. “After you wash up, we can just sit and talk.”

“Oh man,” Joshua said kissing her and wrapping his arms around her tightly. “It really sucks washing and shaving in a mountain stream.”

“That’s why we have it set up,” she grinned. As Joshua stripped, she grabbed his clothes and tossed them in a bucket of water. When Joshua climbed in the shower, she and William washed his clothes and boots by hand.

Drying off and feeling much better, Joshua grinned, seeing them hang up his clothes to dry. “Guys, thank you,” he said wrapping a towel around his waist and pulling more clothes out of the backpack. When he was dressed, they sat at the table together and ate. They talked for several hours, not about what was going on, just talking as a family.

“I hate to say this, but I really need to get moving,” Joshua said getting up and hugging both of them.

“I know,” Sonya groaned as she and William hugged Joshua back. “But spend a little longer with the others.”

Letting out a sigh, Joshua nodded. “Okay, but I fear I may have been here too long as it is. I don’t want you and William to become targets.”

“We already are,” Sonya said and gave him an abbreviated version of what Buck had given them to keep safe.

“Shit,” Joshua mumbled dropping in his chair. Looking up at her, “Who else knows that you have this?”

“Gene, of course, with Ben and Chris, and we let Ernest know,” she said and Joshua nodded.

“Make sure that not many more know because if they find out, they will come hard, especially with what I gave you.”

“Dad,” William said looking up at him. “The feds don’t care about right or wrong anymore. They only want power.”

With a sad face, Joshua nodded, “Can’t be put much simpler than that.”

“William, would you go tell everyone to come back in?” Sonya said with a frown then kissed his forehead. William darted out as Joshua put on his boots.

“Damn it Gene, I’m telling you, I can get down there to Squaw Rd, shoot one, and be back in a few hours,” Ben said walking in with Gene. “Hell, I’ll shoot two and bring you back one of those tents.”

“Ben, you’re getting on my nerves,” Gene said digging in his pocket and pulling out his can of snuff.

Before Gene knew it, Ben reached over, taking the can and thumped it with his finger. “Hell, Joshua’s killed a bunch and he won’t mind if they think he’s killed a few more,” Ben said popping the top off and filling his bottom lip with snuff while Gene stared at him open-mouthed. “You think I can’t pull it off?” Ben asked closing the can and handing it back.

“You little snot-face shit,” Gene snapped. “You just take my snuff now without even asking?”

Shrugging, “Well yeah, after you pulled it out,” Ben said spitting. “I’m not digging in your pocket for it.”

With his face turning red, Gene glared at Ben as Chris walked over and took the can of snuff from Gene’s hand. “Thanks Gene, I left mine,” Chris said, popping the can open.

Sonya couldn’t help but chuckle as Joshua leaned over and whispered. “That’s why Gene quit the last time. I don’t think he’ll be dipping much longer.”

When Chris handed the empty can back, forcing it into Gene’s palm, Gene looked at the empty can. “I haven’t even got a dip from this can you two freeloaders,” Gene growled.

“Well, you have more,” Ben said and Chris nodded as he spit.

Ernest walked around the group over to Joshua, carrying the radio Joshua had wanted worked on. “Gene may be in his sixties, but I’m putting my money on him when the beatings start,” he said putting the radio on the table. “It’s like the other one now,” Ernest said.

“Great, now I can hide it and have a spare,” Joshua said as Chris and Ben walked over to the table. Mumbling unintelligible words, Gene tossed the empty can away and pulled another from his back pocket, heading over to the table.  

“That solar recharger on your saddle is what you’re using to recharge with?” Ernest asked.