Ross stopped in mid-sidewalk. “News travels fast.”
Sebeck could see the feed alert appear in his HUD display: Greeley Blockaded by Security Forces. It was a highest priority alert, quickly getting upvoted. He knew that soon the system would automatically put someone in charge of dealing with it. “We’ve been surrounded?” He more closely examined the virtual photo floating in D-Space.
Ross pointed at creeks, rivers, and roads at the edge of the county. “Three-mile radius. They’re setting up checkpoints on all roads, and they’ve got unmanned surveillance drones watching the terrain. They’re cutting power lines, communications—all connection to the outside world. And we’re not the only ones. . . .”
Ross presented a digital map of the Midwestern U.S. “There are news feeds reporting similar blockades of towns in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Indiana. . . . It’s a carefully orchestrated campaign to isolate darknet communities.”
Sebeck studied the map. “And we’re at the center of it.”
Ross tilted his head. “So we are.” He looked up. “Does that mean the Daemon had advance notice of this?”
“You mean because the Thread was keeping me here?”
Price shook his head sadly. “Dude, why the hell wouldn’t it just warn us? Now we’re trapped here—surrounded by . . . ?” He looked to Ross.
“Corporate military would be my guess.”
Sebeck was at a loss. “But they can’t just—”
“Check your history, Pete. This wouldn’t be the first time corporate combinations attacked people in the United States. Based on the brain scans of that so-called insurgent you brought in, and the scans of others captured elsewhere, it looks like we’re facing a who’s who of mercenary companies that have supported repressive regimes around the world.” Ross was clicking on D-Space, examining feeds and quickly reading. “Here’s a high-rep journo with pictures of armored cars coming in by train, at night under tarpaulins. Light attack helicopters . . .”
Sebeck leaned in to look. “How can they get away with this? Where the hell is the U.S. military? Where is the government?”
Price leaned in as well. “Check out the media blitz they’ve been putting on nonstop. ‘Anarchy in rural America’—the economy spiraling downward. They’re making people desperate for security.”
Sebeck pondered their situation. “We need the National Guard.”
Ross shook his head. “I don’t think we can count on government intervention to help us, Pete. Something’s going on behind the scenes. Something we can’t see.”
Price threw up his hands. “So what does that mean? Internment camps? Worse?”
Sebeck sat down on a nearby public bench and put his head in his hands. “So they cut the power, but we still have electricity because we’ve been using local sources.”
“Right.”
“And we still have communications with one another and the outside world because we’re using a wireless mesh network.”
“Yes—although, I imagine they’ll have electronic warfare people trying to locate and destroy all the nodes on our perimeter as soon as possible.”
Price interjected. “But the factions outside the quarantine will keep throwing down more to keep us connected. And infrastructure defense factions will get involved in this at some point.”
Sebeck sat up straight. “Yes, but my point is that the darknet gives us some resilience. We’re not reliant on those things—they know that—so why are they bothering to cut them off?”
Ross shrugged. “There are still a lot of people in this region who aren’t on the darknet. Those folks have been plunged back into the Stone Age by this—no power, no cell service, no Internet. These guys want to control the message coming out of this region. The general public can’t read darknet news feeds. They won’t hear the truth, so it’ll be like this never happened.”
Price sat down next to Sebeck. “Just the official story. Which will no doubt be of the valiant private security forces containing looting and anarchy in the Midwest.”
They all stared at one another.
Price crossed his arms. “We are fucked, man!”
“We’ll be all right, Laney. We’ve been in tighter spots before.” Price narrowed his eyes at him. “No we haven’t!”
Just then Sebeck sat up straight, and stared in complete astonishment.
Both Ross and Price noticed the look on his face.
Ross asked first. “What’s wrong, Pete?”
“The Thread is back.”
Price concentrated as if he could see it by squinting. “Why now?”
Ross considered the question. “It must be linked to this news event. Maybe that’s what you were here for?”
Price shrugged. “Well, it’s not like we have much of a choice. Where’s it leading us, Sergeant?”
Sebeck pointed at the horizon. “Straight through enemy lines.”
In the predawn of a moonless night, Sebeck, Price, and Ross moved along the edge of a field. A chorus of frogs and crickets filled the stillness. Sebeck wore his suit of ceramic-composite armor and enclosed helmet. He held a multibarreled electronic pistol with a suppressor attached and scanned the path ahead with white phosphor night vision. He then signaled it was clear.
Sebeck lifted his visor as Price and Ross ran up and knelt next to him. “I still say this is a mistake, Jon. These townspeople are going to need all the help they can get.”
“Pete, the Thread was what brought you here in the first place, and if what Sobol said was true, then recent events have redirected it.”
“But it could wait. I could stay here and help fight first.”
“Do you really think you’re going to make a difference here?”
They exchanged grave looks in the dim light.
“You’re staying.”
Ross nodded. “I don’t have a high quest to complete. It would be wrong for me to go. Besides, the town will badly need my surveillance drones.”
They just looked at one another.
Ross grabbed Sebeck’s armored shoulder. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Price and Sebeck didn’t look convinced.
“Personally, I don’t envy you for having to slip through the blockade. I have your coordinates on my listing now, so I’ll know when you’re clear. Be careful. And good luck.”
They shook hands and slapped backs. And then Sebeck and Price moved along in the darkness again—Sebeck following the Thread as it led down into a tree-shrouded creek bed and into the night.
Chapter 31: // Extermination
Private Military Contractors to Restore Order in Midwest—Beleaguered local residents in six Midwestern states cheered the arrival of private security forces, Saturday. William Caersky of Patterson, Kansas, felt the cavalry had arrived just in time. “It’s been a nightmare. With sky-high food and gas prices, armed gangs have ruled the streets for days. The government did nothing. Thank god for these guys. . . .”
Henry Fossen looked up from cleaning a rifle barrel as the wail of tornado sirens pierced the night. He stood up and glanced at his watch: 3:42 A.M.
He dropped the barrel onto a cloth on the kitchen table and vaulted up the back stairs, shouting. “Lynn! Jenna! We’ve got to go! Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
As he ran down the upstairs hall, Jenna was already exiting her bedroom, dressed and clutching a backpack. She looked rattled. “They’re moving in, Dad.”