Not on my Watch

Chapter 24

He who is best prepared wins his fight before he ever sets foot on the battlefield.--Nightwing, from Of Mice and Magic.

                                                        April 1, 2014

                                                  Washington, D.C.

            John Croxmeller turned off his fax machine and smiled.   He had just faxed off a message to the general of his army that he was to resume the march to Colorado.  Before long, he'd have the traitors in his hands.  It shouldn't be more than three or four weeks.

                                                     April 1, 2014

                                 Somewhere in the west desert

             Astrid was having a chat with Kirk.  It was late at night, after everyone else had gone to bed.  They were trying to determine how to get their urgent message off to Mesa Verde.  There had been no radio contact in weeks.  There had only been sporadic communications with the rebels, whenever one of them had been able to sneak into a nearby town and send an encoded message with a runner.  It took runners two or three days to get to the park, and about the same time to get word back.

           Vin had sent a note about a week or so ago explaining that the radio fuse had burned out, and so far, no one had been able to locate the extra fuses.  They'd have to get more, and it may take awhile.   She remembered how, in his message, Vin had also broken the news to her of Jaylon's fiery death, and how it had confirmed her nagging suspicions that something had happened to her lookalike.  On the very night Vin said Jaylon had been flamed by Topaz, Astrid had been sound asleep when she suddenly felt as though she'd been punched in the gut.  She couldn't remember dreaming, and there was nothing in her surroundings to indicate why she felt that way.   She had simply felt the punch, and after, it was like there was a void in her mind she didn't know how to explain, yet she had the feeling Jaylon was gone.  She hadn't known her sister while they were growing up.   After she'd met her, they were never particularly close, and her hijacking and imprisonment had made her dislike the woman who was her twin.  She definitely didn't think of her as a real sister.  Apparently, though, they'd had a form of the psychic bond twins are said to have, and she felt like part of her was missing.   Strange.

           It was disquieting to have little communication with their group, and the camp meeting that had been held that day had made it extremely imperative for them to contact Captain Frost as soon as they could.  At the meeting, the entire army had been informed that their orders were to march to Mesa Verde, get there as soon as they could, which probably wouldn't take more than a month, surround the rebels if possible, and capture the leaders.

           Astrid finally came up with a feasible plan to let Frost know what was going on, explained it to Kirk, and he liked it.   They needed sleep, but would carry out the plan at first light.

             At sunrise on April 2nd, the daily runner who brought news and letters from the closest town to the army entered the first row of tents.  On her way to the commander's tent to share her report, she almost ran into Astrid, who stepped right in front of her and stopped her, handing her a sealed envelope.  "I need you to deliver this for me to one of the teenage assistants, but it needs to be kept quiet that it came from me."   She then discreetly slid a big wad of cash into her hands.  "If I find out that anyone knows I sent the envelope myself, I'll come and get the money back from you.  Believe me, I have my ways."