Part 12 (2/2)

He had turned his theory into fact back in theTri-States. He had proven that a society can exist without criminals or crime. For if you don't have one, you won't have the other.

And Ben's philosophy was instilled into the hearts and minds of his Rebels.

Ike's contingent hit the IPF hard, taking no prisoners. In less than half an hour, the battle was over; all that remained was the dust and smoke that lingered like a bitter reminder over the compound.

”Radio Eagle One that Woodland is ours,”

the section leader said.

The Rebels now controlled nine of the IPF'S outposts, stretching from Youreka down to the Napa Valley.

Then Ben abruptly called a halt to it, confusing all his teams and team leaders, including Ike.

It was late afternoon when Ike finally got through to Ben.

”Cease and hold, Ben?” he questioned.

”Yes. I want to discuss it, but not over the air. There is always a chance our transmissions could be descrambled. I've already spoken with Dan. You both have access to small planes and people to fly them.”

He gave Ike map coordinates. ”Meet me there in the morning. We'll go over the plans.

I'll see you then.”

Ben signed off.

Ike scratched his head and looked at his XO.

”What's up, Ike?”

”With Ben, you just never know. But whatever it is, the Russian and Hartline ain't gonna like it, you can bet on that.”

”Another outpost cannot be reached, General,”

Hedda reported to Striganov.

”You mean the signals are garbled?”

”No, sir. Silent.”

Georgi turned slowly in his chair. He sighed deeply; a man in frustration. ”Raines,” he said. ”He's making his move. I was wrong and Hartline was right. But where is the son of a b.i.t.c.h?”

”Hartline?” Hedda asked, confused.

”No! G.o.ddammit, woman.

Raines.”

Hedda wisely chose to remain silent.

”He's pulling something. But what?-other than the obvious. Raines is a wolf. He's circling, not yet showing me his plan. Just as sure as I commit personnel to one place, the guerrilla b.a.s.t.a.r.d is going to pop up in another. I know how his mind works.”

Wrong. He did not know how Ben's mind worked.

He just thought he did. Arrogant people always think they're much smarter than they really are.

”Yes, sir,” Hedda said. She would never admit it to the general, but she was very frightened of Ben Raines and his Rebels. They were savages.

Brutal Vikings. Ben Raines and his Rebels paid no attention to the rules of warfare. They wereall, to a person, thugs.

”Contact Hartline,” Striganov ordered. ”Have him fly down here first thing in the morning. We have to start planning our strategy. We cannot allow Raines to get the upper hand, in anything.”

”Yes, sir. Will that be all, sir?”

”Yes.”

When Hedda had closed the door behind her, General Georgi Striganov's face tightened as he jerked out a map of his IPF'-CONTROLLED territory and quickly scanned it. With a colored pen, he carefully Xed each outpost that had a garbled signal, and the one that had gone silent.

He stared at the map. He could make no sense of any of it.

There were two hundred and fifty miles between the northern outpost and the southern outpost. Raines just didn't have that many men.

Or did he?

Striganov leaned back in his chair, his mind busy. Perhaps Raines had recruited more people ...

Yes!

That had to be it. Just as he had recruited-or rather, Hartline-those warlords, Ben Raines had probably done the same.

But that would not be like Ben Raines. Raines hated even the thought of warlords.

But would he use them as a last resort?

Yes, Striganov thought, he probably would.

The end would justify the means.

The Russian carefully noted each position he had marked on the map. Raines would be the strongest south of Highway 20, he felt. At least four of his outposts, probably five, had been knocked out there. So it reasoned that Raines would be the weakest at Youreka ...

No!

Big Lake. Raines would have teams spread out north and south along Interstate 5. Big Lake would be stretching it thin for Raines, out of his supply route.

Big Lake would be the first outpost the IPF would retake. But first he and Hartline would monitor the transmissions coming from the outposts. Raines would make a mistake; he would slip up. Striganov was sure of that.

And then the IPF would pounce.

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