“You’ll need to remove everything from your homes and these buildings. At least, anything you want to keep,” he told them.
They looked at him for an explanation.
“Okay. If it was me leading this operation, and one of the men I trained will no doubt be in charge, this is what I would do,” he said capturing everyone’s attention. “If I was turned back at Bardin,” he said indicating the East passage, “Then I would ignore it as it is too much of a choke point, and nobody lives there anyway. I don’t think they would want to travel to Gateway and have one of their flanks exposed to Mezzo. Plus, it’s too far out of the way. That leaves Mezzo. I’d level the village with either rockets or mortars, fire smoke into the valley, then assault with my men. You wouldn’t even have a chance to mount any kind of resistance. Once I captured Mezzo, I’d cut the valley in half, and secure each half, one at a time.”
“So you are saying there is nothing we can do but fight and die,” one of the men asked.
“Well you could, if that’s what you want to do. But I have an alternative,” Bishop said with a faint smile. “Is there anyone here who is good with computers? I mean, hackers, someone who can get into a system and take it over?”
“Moore. Johnny Moore. He was a crewman on the Texas. He’s always talking about what he used to do with them. I guess you would call him a computer geek,” Weston replied.
“I’d like to speak with him,” Bishop said.
“No problem.”
“If he can do what I need him to, then I think I have your plan.”
He had everybody’s attention now.
“Clear out the buildings, make sure there are no animals or people nearby, watch your village get destroyed, allow them to come in without resistance, and then defeat them without firing a shot or anybody getting hurt,” Bishop said with a large grin on his face while the others looked at him as if he was out of his mind. When he was sure he still had their attention, he explained his plan in full detail, “Here’s what you’re going to do…”
Bishop and Weston were talking amongst themselves while the others were busy making preparations.
“Are you sure there is not some type of compromise we could reach with your father?”
“No, none at all. What he has in mind is his perfect new world. A heavy price has been paid to get them where they are now, and he won’t jeopardize that for the sake of a few survivors.”
When he finished his statement, Johnny Moore walked up to them.
“Johnny, Bishop has some questions for you,” Weston said.
“Shoot,” Moore said.
“I hear you know a lot about computers. Do you think you could hack into a system?”
“What kind of system,” Moore said as he took a seat across from him.
“A closed net; you would have access to a monitor linked into that net.”
“I haven’t played with computers in years.”
“Since nothing new has come along,” Bishop said with a little sarcasm, “the technology is the same as when you last used one.”
“Okay,” Moore said not catching on to the barb, “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“The whole net functions together. They have a closed circuit radio and video broadcast system. I need you to access them, take control of them for a short period of time, and keep anyone from shutting you down.”
Moore thought about it for a moment. “I don’t think that would be much of a problem. I wouldn’t have time to set up a firewall, but I should be able to buy you a few minutes at the least,” he said confidently.
Bishop smiled, “A few minutes is all I need….Next question, can you make it out on the rim?”
Moore looked a little uncomfortable with that question. “I can make it okay.”
Bishop noted the hesitation in his voice, “What is it? I don’t need any surprises when we’re out there.”
Moore looked sheepish, “I get sick is all. I throw up. Once I do, I’m okay, but I hate throwing up.”
“Is it something chronic?”
“No. It usually just happens once about ten minutes or so after being out there. The doc never explained why it happens, but he is sure I’m like some of the others here who make it alright.”
“Will you go,” Bishop asked.
“To operate again? Yeah, I’ll go,” Moore said with excitement. “Can I bring one back?”
“You can bring anything you can carry. I don’t know how much good it would do you here though,” he said although he knew Moore was not looking at things the same as he was. If he wanted a computer to play with for a few hours, why not. “Meet me here before sunrise, and we’ll be on our way.”
“You got it,” Moore said as he stood up to leave.
“He still seems like a kid,” Bishop said to Weston after Moore had gone.
“He is. I mean, he still acts the same way now, as he did before all of this happened. I’m glad of that. It’s nice to have a reminder of the innocence lost.” Weston said, his thoughts reflecting on former times. Then he looked Bishop in the eyes, “Look after him. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him.”
“Don’t worry.”
“You keep telling me that, but it doesn’t really help you know.”
Bishop’s smile was so wide that it became infectious. Weston was at ease for the moment, but that was once again replaced by the concern he had for the people who had become his family, and the responsibility he placed on himself for their well-being. He had a quiet childhood, a loving family, and a successful career. That was all gone. Although these people had become his family now, there was a difference. They looked to him for stability and direction whenever something presented itself they could not handle on their own. He, on the other hand, had no one he could turn to. Through no fault of his own, he carried the weight of responsibility for each and every member of their community. It was a matter of life and death.
Forty-one men suited up in the staging area. They loaded down both four and six wheeled battery operated vehicles with everything they could carry in addition to the soldiers. They would leave as soon as visibility allowed. The stories had circulated that a group of MuTerra killed several of their people while on patrol. They were going out to bring order to that part of their region. Wallace had no trouble soliciting the help he needed. There was the excitement, common before an operation, felt once again by those who had been dormant for so long. The previous night was filled with hours of preparation. Not that it was an intricate operation, but safety concerns and the limitations of their protective gear had to be considered.
To ensure communications could be maintained, they would drop off one man, at a halfway point, who was responsible for relaying transmissions from the team, to the mountain. Jim Forrest would be their operations officer. The few other staff working in the facility offered what help they could. They were scientists, but the excitement of the activity infected them as well.
Each man knew not only his role, but also the role of every other member. They had one chance to accomplish what they needed in the time necessary, and they were not going to fail. They lost friends, and they were not about to let the savages get away with it. Only Wallace knew that they would remain to occupy the valley once they reached their objective. He decided it would be counterproductive to have any additional fears play on the minds of his men. He had enough trouble maintaining control of his own. He thought it best to present that part of the mission as a fait accompli.
“Alright,” Wallace said to get everyone’s attention, “Let’s suit up. We leave in five minutes.” He walked over to Jim Forrest. “We’ll establish contact with you when we drop off our relay, then again right before we engage.”