Part 1 (1/2)
Fractured State.
Rogue State.
Steven Konkoly.
To Kosia, Matthew, and Sophia, the heart and soul of my writing.
PART I.
CHAPTER 1.
The dune buggy carrying Nathan and his family slowed with the rest of the convoy as they drew even with a dense stand of trees several hundred feet to the left of the road.
After bypa.s.sing a lifeless town along one of the few paved roads they had encountered, they'd driven at breakneck speed down this unimproved dirt path for the past fifteen minutes. This was the first time they'd slowed since emerging from the tunnel under the border.
The mix of tall Mexican elders and low, sprawling mesquite surrounded a modest, hacienda-style home, mostly concealing it from view. Some kind of rendezvous point, Nathan suspected.
The synthetic daylight image provided by Nathan's helmet-mounted night-vision goggles confirmed his suspicion. Two military transport trucks with covered cargo beds appeared beyond the far corner of the hacienda as their dune buggy continued down the road. A few SUVs were parked behind the military trucks. Nathan looked over his shoulder; the last compound they had pa.s.sed was a speck on the horizon behind the last dune buggies on the road.
”What is this place?” yelled Nathan.
The driver half turned his head. ”One of our staging areas. We'll swap the dune buggy for a more comfortable ride. We have a long drive ahead of us.”
Keira looked at him from the front pa.s.senger seat. He couldn't see her expression beyond the night-vision goggles pulled over her face, but he could guess what she was thinking. Where the h.e.l.l was Jose taking them?
The first dune buggy in the column turned sharply toward the hacienda, and the rest of the squat vehicles followed. Looking across the empty expanse of spa.r.s.e scrub brush between the road and house, Nathan wondered why they followed one another so closely. Then he noticed the signs. Yellow background with a black skull and crossbones on the top; black with the yellow words DANGER-MINES on the bottom half. Either the signs had been posted as a deterrent, or Jose wasn't messing around.
”Dad. Look.” Owen was pointing at one of the signs less than twenty feet from their vehicle.
”I see it,” said Nathan. ”I'm sure the driver sees it, too.”
”We're good to go,” said the driver.
The signs ended once they reached the trees, and the dune buggies headed toward the group of trucks and SUVs parked next to the hacienda. As soon as the buggies stopped, the soldiers that had hitched a ride with Jose's team jumped to the hard-packed ground and began unloading their gear. They were loading their spent parachutes and packs into the military vehicles before Nathan got Owen unbuckled from the dune buggy and lowered him to the dirt. The trucks' diesel engines roared to life moments later, carrying the soldiers back down the same path through the middle of the minefield.
”Almost like they didn't exist,” said Keira, standing next to him.
”Not 'almost,'” said a voice to their right. ”As far as anyone here is concerned, they don't exist.”
Nathan and Keira turned to face Jose, who walked briskly toward them.
”You're working for the Mexican government?” said Nathan. ”I suppose that makes sense.”
Mexico stood to gain from an independent California, particularly in terms of trade agreements. Federally imposed trade restrictions with Mexico had hit California hard, severely limiting the amount of petroleum the state could import. Even worse, the new ant.i.trade laws rendered California's plan to fund the construction of several nuclear triad plants in Baja California impossible. The deal surrounding the nuclear plants would have guaranteed a significant source of fresh water and electricity for California.
”Nathan. I guarantee you I'm not working for the Mexicans. I can't wait to explain everything to you, but it can't happen now. I need to get you on the road immediately. Grab your gear and follow me,” said Jose, gesturing for them to move toward the SUVs.
”Where are we headed?”
”Let's walk and talk. I seriously need to get you moving.”
Nathan helped Keira shoulder her backpack, then grabbed his own. They walked as a family with Jose to the running vehicles.
”I'm sending you about four hours south to a coastal town called Puerto Peasco, where you'll take a boat to Cabo San Lucas.”
Keira beat him to his question: ”How long will we be on that boat?”
He held queasy memories of more than a few spur-of-the-moment, beer-fueled Friday-night road trips to Cabo in college. The prospect of spending twenty-plus hours in a car driving through Mexico had sounded far less appealing the next day, nursing a hangover. If the trip to Puerto Peasco took four hours, that still left them with a lot of distance to cover-on a boat.
”Admittedly, the transit will take about twenty-four hours,” said Jose. ”But it'll take you completely off the grid for a full day. We'll sneak you ash.o.r.e in Cabo.”
”That's a long time in a boat,” said Nathan.
”It's a luxury yacht,” said Jose. ”Trust me, it won't be uncomfortable, and you'll be completely safe. Same with your accommodations in Cabo. Totally secure. You'll have a private beach-the works.”
”Whoa,” said Owen.
”It really is a nice place, and you guys deserve a break,” said Jose.
Nathan almost started to tell Jose about their plans to travel north and meet up with his parents, but decided to keep that to himself. Jose had s.n.a.t.c.hed them from the jaws of death, but he was still a complete stranger whose ultimate motivations were unclear. With Nathan's parents safely hidden in Idaho, there was no reason to turn down Jose's offer. Not that he really had a choice.
Jose ushered them to a white SUV and opened the rear gate so they could off-load their backpacks and rifles. While Nathan swung his pack into the cargo compartment, he saw a man carrying a body over his shoulder toward the next SUV in the column. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head. Keira stood next to him, watching the somber event.
”I'll see you in a few days,” said Jose.
”You're not coming with us?”
”Unfortunately, I have to tend to a few things before I can break free. I'll explain everything in Cabo.”
”What happens after Cabo?” said Nathan.
”That's completely up to you. I promise.”
Nathan shook his hand. ”Thank you.”
”My pleasure, Nathan,” he said, accepting Keira's hand next.
”We owe you for this,” she said.
”You don't owe me anything,” said Jose.
”Where's Mr. Quinn?” said Owen.
”He'll be in a different SUV,” said Jose.