Edge of Valor: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Thriller(87)

Hannah’s heart seized. Terrorists. Anger vibrated through her. She could feel Perez shaking at her side.

She placed a restraining hand on the other woman’s arm. They needed to do this very, very carefully. “I thought you weren’t supposed to involve yourselves with local disputes.”

His eyes narrowed. “We’re not. These orders came straight from the top. Brass says to jump, we say how high.”

“Do you know the specific target?” she asked.

He shot her a funny look. “We’ll be debriefed upon arrival. Why do you ask?”

She took a breath, steeling herself. “Major Hamilton, may I speak plainly? It’s important.”

He set down the half-loaded magazine and looked up at her. The jovial tilt to his mouth faded as he sensed the seriousness of their visit. “Of course.”

“If Liam were here, he’d be having this conversation with you. But he’s not. He surrendered himself to General Sinclair’s custody last night.”

Hamilton stared at her. “What?”

“We are those ‘domestic terrorists.’ The entire town of Fall Creek. Women, children, elderly—everyone. And Liam Coleman is General Sinclair’s number one target. An enemy of the state.”

Hamilton pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. “I find that difficult to believe.”

“That’s because it’s a lie. All of it. A cover up to justify one man’s twisted desire for vengeance.”

Hamilton turned and glanced at the map of Michigan hung on the opposite wall. Small colored pins were stuck in various towns and cities, most of them clustered in Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids.

Hamilton ran a hand through his scruffy, too-long hair. Gray stubble bristled along his jaw. He looked like a man in desperate need of a shower.

Perez started to say something, but Hannah shook her head. Perez shut her mouth and frowned.

“Coleman’s no terrorist,” Hamilton said. “I’ve known him for a decade. He’s a good man. A patriot. He served and sacrificed for this country same as I did.”

“He hasn’t changed. I can promise you that.”

“Have you spoken to the General yourself?” Perez asked, unable to help herself. “Did he give you the orders?”

“No, I haven’t. But they came through the proper channels. I can’t just defy orders from my superiors. It came straight from Lansing.”

“They’re relying on faulty information. The General is unhinged. According to our intelligence, he’s not even a real general. Not anymore. Years ago, he was dishonorably discharged. After the Collapse, Governor Duffield appointed him as his security advisor.”

“You have an inside source?”

Hannah nodded.

“I need to speak to them. Immediately.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t do that. He’s imbedded within the General’s inner circle. Liam was his point of contact, but Liam is in the General’s custody now.”

He paced the narrow room. His mouth pressed into a thin line. “I need to think about this.”

“There’s no time!” Perez said.

Hannah squeezed her arm. With a calmness she didn’t feel, she said, “Right now, a small band of citizens are making their last stand. They don’t expect to live through the night, but they’re fighting anyway, in the desperate hope of protecting what they love most.”

She took a breath. “American soldiers who don’t know any better are about to murder innocent civilians. While the real threat—the Syndicate—threatens us all.”

He stilled. “My orders—”

“You have your orders. You also know what’s right, and what’s wrong.”

He looked straight at her. “What do you want me to do?”

“My people are going to defend themselves. But they’re going to lose. None of us have the connections, clout, or authority to intervene. You do. If we don’t do something, there will be a bloodbath. Good people will die on both sides.”

Perez shrugged Hannah’s hand off her arm. “The Syndicate has crossed the Michigan border.”

Hamilton blanched. “What? We haven’t been informed of this!”

“That’s intentional,” Hannah said. “You can bet the General already knows.”

Hamilton signaled to the soldier waiting beside the door, who nodded and slipped from the room.

Hamilton headed after him. “I’m going to make a couple of calls on the sat phone. I need to verify a few things. If what you’ve just told me is true…” He paused in the doorway. “Stay here. I may need you to relay your intel to brass.”

Hannah nodded. Panic lodged like a stone in her throat, her nerves on edge. What if it was too little, too late? What if no one would listen?

It was the longest five minutes of her life. Neither she nor Perez spoke a word.

Several minutes later, Hamilton ducked back into the room. His expression was grim. “Governor Duffield is dead.”

Hannah gaped at him. “What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I’m figuring it out. Poe is attacking Fall Creek. He’ll reach them in a matter of minutes, if he hasn’t already.”

Hannah’s heart caught in her throat. “We have to do something!”