Cole

Cole Harden rolled over and slid off the bed, crossed the room to the dresser ten feet away and silenced the phone. Harry. One of the computers on the desk in the corner had a screensaver that showed the time. 0432. Harry can wait. He dropped to the floor and began the hundred pushups that began each day.

The bedroom was as big as some apartments - twenty by thirty feet. And the bathroom was across the hall and the dining facilities in the apartment were minimal - a microwave and a small oven and coffeemaker. On the other side of the sink was a small bar. Every morning upon waking he did the hundred pushups before making coffee and today was no different.

Not that I usually begin this early. What's Harry want?

It would be urgent - Harry wasn't given to panic. If Harry was worried about something Cole probably should be or soon would be.

He put a K-cup of Folgers Black Silk into the machine and refilled the water tank. Pushed the button. Got a box of frosted cherry Pop-Tarts out and dropped a pair in the toaster.

Could be something in Kansas. Both the Northern Alliance and the Republic want to take Kansas and separate the coastal regions.

He had been expecting something there for a while and some of rumors wafting out of the powwow in Amarillo a couple of weeks had Kansas in them. Most of the rumors suggested a sabotage blitz to cut the country in two by cutting rail and highway traffic across Kansas.

Ballsy but makes sense. Why do I get the feeling I'm going to Kansas? What's that noise?

Miranda would still be asleep at this hour. A bottle of Arbor Mist and lovemaking until... three hours ago when he walked her to her room. Yeah. He stood still, the coffee maker had finished its work and the Pop-Tarts had popped.

I don't like cold Pop-Tarts. Or coffee. There it is again.

A six-hundred square foot bedroom has room for a lot of things and this one had a gunrack on one wall. He was in a T-shirt and pajama pants.

Pretty sure it's outside.

He slipped on a pair of his favorite Timberland boat shoes. Got the Ruger .44 carbine down. It always had one of the ten-round magazines he had had the foresight to buy when they were available. Cost an arm and a leg, or an arm anyway but cost hadn't been a problem in a long time. The little gun was light and handled easy and hit harder than a handgun.

No pockets. Miranda isn't going to be any help and anyway don't want to expose her.

An old M-65 was hanging on a chair. He put it on and dropped a couple of extra magazines for the Ruger into the lower pockets. He put on a crossdraw rig with a S&W Model 29 with the eight inch barrel, dropped a couple of speedloaders into the pockets.

He crossed the hallway into the office and looked at the monitors. There was no visible activity on any of the eight monitors. He replayed the last ten minutes of each camera on one of the main screens. Even at triple speed it took a while and that....

There. South gate. Of course. Three figures that would have been hard to see even with night vision but the thermal imaging overlay showed them.

At least they fear me enough to send three.

He watched playbacks of the other cameras.

And at least one in the getaway car. Wonder if I should just call it in and watch the action from here. No way they can get in in under a half hour even if they know the way in.

Play it safe. Call Harry. You're safe and can watch the fun.

"Nope," he said aloud. "I'll take care of it. Too bad I won't be able to rib Harry since he woke me up in time to catch them."

He went out the back door into the courtyard and went around to the west end of the house just in time to see the three men crossing the big front lawn. Spread out but heading for the other side. The service entrance.

They would know about that. And know that the place is only used for deliveries and maintence. And if they can get in there...

He ran across the lawn to the fountain and watched. They arrived at the entrance and one began working on the door.

Get in quiet. Probably have a plan of the house. Somebody has some explaining to do.

He moved behind one of the big oak trees that dotted the front lawn and leveled the Ruger and put the laser dot on one of them. They noticed immediately and turned towards the source of the beam, pointing some kind of weapons. He quickly nailed two and had a probable second hit on one of them. The other backed up into the doorway and tried to be invisible. Or at least harder to shoot.

His phone vibrated. He had put it in a breast pocket just in case. The shots had awakened Miranda.

"It's OK," he said. "Just hang loose for a few minutes." and put the phone back without waiting for a reply. Miranda had been in a few incidents and knew how to handle one. He called to the unshot guy - the other two were on the ground and whether dead or alive weren't moving.

"Move away from the building," he called. "You can't get away and backup is on the way. Keep your hands up." He put a round into the ground near the guy's feet to make his point.

The man moved away, holding his hands high.

The phone vibrated again.

"I called Control," Miranda said. "They'll have someone here in fifteen max."

"Good girl. How soon can you get down here?"

"On my way."

The vertical intruder hadn't moved - he couldn't see Cole and know he was using his phone.

"Let me check on these guys," the vertical man called.

"No can do. Talk to them if you want but stay still. One of them should still be alive."

Vertical intruder seemed to be conversing with someone, careful to keep his hands up.

"Can I put my hands down?" the intruder called.

"Put them behind your head," Cole replied. "That'll make it easier."

"Can you call an ambulance? They're both in a bad way."

Both alive, good.

"One's on the way. Stay still and don't make it worse."

Miranda arrived, in jeans and sweatshirt but carrying her favorite 10mm TNW carbine. She took up a position behind another tree.

"Sorry to wake you," Cole said.

"Not a problem. Just let me get some coffee quick."

"Will do," Cole replied. "Mine's already cold."

"You've got two rifles on you," Cole called to the vertical guy. "Toss your weapons and you can lie down. It's gonna be a few minutes."

Miranda pointed her laser at him to make the point. Vertical guy tossed a handgun and put his hands up.

"That's it," he said.

"It better be," Cole replied. "Now get down and keep still."

Several of the fifteen minutes had passed. Whenever help arrived it was going to be hours of debriefing. Harry would have to deal with it. Not that he wouldn't have already been advised. Cole dialed up the house system and activated the landing lights for the chopper.

The remaining minutes passed slowly, Cole and Miranda exchanged some small talk. Finally they heard the chopper overhead and waited as it landed. Cole and Miranda kept their guns on the intruders as several men exited the chopper and headed his way.

"Over there," Cole said to the leader. "Three guys, two probably wounded."

The chopper team took charge of the intruders and soon the two wounded were onboard and on their way to Equinox central. The third remained with two guards. He would get an early start on his interrogation.

Miranda came over and they watched as the wounded were removed. The undamaged one remained with a couple of Panthers as the unit at Pine Tree was the primary security organization for operations like his. Ground transport would arrive within the hour. The Panthers had cuffed the guy and he wasn't any further threat so Cole decided to go back in and get some coffee. They went up to his quarters and he made fresh coffee and ate the Pop-Tarts while Miranda enjoyed a fresh hot pair.

"How did that happen?" she askied.

"Harry woke me up," Cole replied. "Otherwise we wouldn't have known until they were trying to get in."

"For once he did something useful," said Miranda. "Too bad he he'll know."

"Yeah, I'd have liked to rag on him. Anyway I need to find out what he wants. He doesn't panic so it's probably something important."

"Hope you don't mind if I get some sleep," Miranda said. "I know it's selfish of me but..."

"Nah. Get a shower and back to bed. Call and have them do our rooms so everything will be all fresh and clean."

"I don't deserve you," Miranda said.

"More than I deserve you," Cole replied. "This is my job. You being endangered I don't like."

"Be safe, Cole," Miranda said.

"Aren't I always?"

"Sometimes it's been close," she said. "And they know about this place."

"That's why I'm going to have Harry put a team in here," said Cole. "If Harry doesn't get them here quick I'm coming back. And when I leave I want you to go to Tower 4 and lock down. There's plenty of supplies and a chopper can land on the roof. Be sure your kit is ready and you can leave fast if you have to."

"Where would I be going?"

"One of several safe houses probably. Depends on what Harry wants, how long I'll be gone."

---

Alpha Six had hosted forward operations for both the Alliance and the Republic. Harry was with the Alliance. Alpha Six was about a three hour drive with only two or three potential trouble spots. All were sleepy small towns before the war and the worst thing to expect was speed traps. Now there were infiltrators even in little wide spots in the road - they were more noticeable when they showed up but sometimes they were able to subvert a local who had been there for a long time and stay under the radar that way.

Alba was the first and most likely to have watchers. Population 3,324 according to the sign. A probable. Another twenty-something miles was Sullivan at 1138. Probably would have at least one. Assuming they still had that kind of reach. Perryville at forty-something more miles and 7,289 was more likely.

He selected the medium gray 2013 Ford Taurus. About as generic as can be for a twenty-something year old car. Toss the bag in the back seat and clip the Commpad to the bracket on the dash. Full load of fuel. What else?

Something. Last time I was up this way was six months or more ago. Suspicious incident... where was it? Perryville. Wreck at a traffic light. Two ambulances and two two trucks. Half your of waiting. Same guy walked past me three or four times while I was sitting there. Not a cop or anything official but if not for that John Deere baseball cap I might not have caught it. Trying too hard to blend.

All the guy did was walk past a few times and with his attention on him Cole might have missed other clues. What were the chances of here being more than one or two infiltrators in Perryville?

More than I'd like. Six months though? If I don't get delayed again probably good.

He plugged a USB stick into the sound system and the beginning of Ammonia Avenue began. He had the first ten Alan Parsons Project on both - one in alphabetical order and the other in chronological order. He was never sure which he liked better but the alphabetical order usually was the one he selected.