Tom Brand Escapes

14- Escapes NJ

The drive to Washington D.C. was uneventful. The Cape May base commander had been more than happy to provide them with a car and get them off the base. Even though they were the source of their trouble and they could have been thrown back into the brig, if there still was one, the Commander opted to look the other way. Brand's warning about the bombs and delay of detonation had bought them precious moments to evacuate and had saved lives. Except for the ensign and Mike Smetterelli, whose bodies had not been pulled from the rubble by the time they left, there were only minor injuries and structural damage. There was much to be investigated and explained but Brand made it clear they wouldn't have stuck around for that, anyway. He was still on a mission.

That mission had changed, however. Brand had no intention of delivering Leah to the government. Petras was furious with him for this, so much so that when Brand dropped Kate at the Port of Baltimore to catch a train back to New Jersey, he left Petras there, too. There was no point in Petras going all the way to D.C. with them, especially since he was being annoying as hell. Brand laughed his ass off at the shocked look on Petras' face as he and Leah drove off. Let him stew for a while – they would make amends later. Petras always came around.

It was very late in the evening when they arrived at a little diner off C Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. It was crowded, filled mostly with tourists who had taken the last of the late tour buses. After they were there for about ten minutes, a young red-haired man sat down next to Leah in the booth. They hugged for a long moment.

"Brand, this is my brother, Liam," she said, her eyes bright with tears. Liam's eyes were equally shiny.

"I was so happy to hear from you, Leah. I almost couldn't believe it when I heard your voice.

To get word to Liam, Brand had pick-pocketed a guy at a rest stop and then purchased a disposable phone with one of the credit cards he had boosted. They used it only for that call and destroyed it immediately after. Leah was already taking enough chances with her life. If BANTER realized she was still alive and they couldn't bring her in, they would not risk her falling into the hands of the US government. If they had gotten word she was a spy all along, she likewise was dead.

"Do you know if you've been followed?" Brand asked Liam.

Liam shook his head, "I'm sure I haven't. These blokes shoot first and ask questions later. I've been carefully shadowing them and Leah since I got to the States. When the bombs at the base exploded, I was able to remotely change the frequency of Leah's chip."

"So you're a whiz at this tech stuff, too?"

"I wouldn't say I'm as good as Leah, but as soon as she told me about the chip, we started looking into how to deactivate it. She was finally able to secure one of the RFID readers for me before she left but it took some time to hack it. When I saw you were back on the move, Leah, I wasn't sure if it was you or just your body. Then you got too far away and I lost the signal again."

"So BANTER can't track her with that chip anymore?"

Laim nodded. "That's right. I wasn't able to manipulate the programming on it while they were locked on. They briefly switched off the frequency a couple of times but it never gave me enough time to do it. I was afraid they'd get suspicious if they suddenly couldn't read it. When the explosion occurred, BANTER went completely out of range. I was close enough and there was enough time for me to do it. The explosion was actually great cover. I have to assume they think the chip, and Leah, were destroyed."

Leah shivered, "If not for Brand, I would have been." Leah hugged her brother again.

Brand thought how lucky it was Liam hadn't changed the frequency sooner. Had he, the bomb would never have paused and none of them would be alive. He wondered if Leah would ever tell him that.

Leah held her brother at arms length by his shoulders, "Liam, I have to warn you. The American government wants me dead now, too."

Liam looked grim but it seemed not to shock him, "That's bad news, but we'll work around it."

Brand was impressed by his confidence, "How are you getting her out, Liam?"

"I paid off a couple of tourists to give us their seats on a bus headed for New York. I told them my sister is ill but she can't fly and it was the fastest way. I don't know if they bought it, New Yorkers aren't so trusting, but they were happy with the money. It's enough for a hotel, new tickets, and to keep their mouths shut. I don't think it will be any trouble."

"And after that?" Leah asked.

"I have some friends in the city. They'll help us. You'll need to lie low for a while but we'll get you out safely."

"Back to Ireland?" she asked hopefully.

Liam pursed his lips. "I doubt that will be possible for a long time, Leah, but I think we can set you up nicely in London or one of the larger outlying counties. They're big enough for a person to get lost. You'll have to cut and dye that beautiful hair of yours and get some contacts, too."

Leah laughed, "I never expected to get a makeover out of this."

She turned to Brand and grabbed his hand, pressing it warmly.

"I'm so grateful for your help. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Leah. He stood up. Good luck to you both."

Brand left the diner with a clear mind, certain he had done the right thing. Liam had a decent plan and resources. Leah could make it. He considered also that perhaps Petras was right and it was time for him to take a step back from his work. Maybe he would but first he would see Russom.