Read Tumultus for Free Online Page B

metallic glow of the laser gun.
     
    “Yeah, suppose I did.”
     
    Dublin had made her way to the back right corner of the room where a vast array of neatly labeled and boxed fruits and vegetable seeds were stacked.  She leaned down to better read the labels.
     
    “There must be nearly a hundred different types of seeds here, and thousands and thousands of seeds.  Why so many, Mr. Wyse?”
     
    “Call me Coop, everyone does.  Lots of people out there wanting to start up their own food gardens.  And after Alaska threw out the New United Nations, getting access to good quality seeds got a lot tougher.  Government is closing down the food shipments, hoping they can starve the people back into compliance.  So I’ve been doing my part to make sure that don’t happen.  These packets are delivered all over the state.  I heard you were something of a green thumb there, Dublin – that right?”
     
    Dublin stood back up and smiled at the compliment.
     
    “I enjoy it, getting them started, keeping them healthy, and then harvesting and sharing with others.  I had a nice greenhouse in Dominatus - I miss it.”
     
    Reese interjected.
     
    “So, we leave tomorrow then?  That’s the plan?”
     
    Mac looked up from the laser gun and nodded.
     
    “Yeah, that’s the plan.  What time you want to head out, Coop?”
     
    “I’ve been tracking the surveillance drones carefully for months now.  They go in ninety minute intervals around here, right over the hills behind us.  That gives us a decent window to get across the border and well into Canada without them knowing.”
     
    Bear remained uncertain over the use of horses for the trip.
     
    “Now explain to me again why we aren’t just shooting across the border in a vehicle?  Seems like we could make the trip a whole lot faster and to be honest, I haven’t done much horse riding.”
     
    Mac clapped Bear’s shoulder and laughed.
     
    “As big as you are, I feel more sorry for the horse!”
     
    Cooper Wyse ignored Mac’s joke and responded to Bear.
     
    “Like I said, anything mechanical sets off something in the drones’ surveillance system.  Seen it happen more than enough to know we don’t want to risk it.  I started out riding an old Yamaha 100 through a dried out riverbed to get across into Canada.  Every time there’d be a drone making its way right for me within ten minutes and within another twenty minutes there’d be another two or three of those things circling the sky.  First time I used a horse, nothing like that happened.  Don’t know if it’s the sound, the exhaust emissions…whatever it is, it’s just not worth it.  They’ll find us too fast, and we won’t make it.  Best chance we got of getting across without them knowing it is on horseback, same way I’ve been doing it for the past several years.”
     
    Mac let out a series of sharp coughs, bending over slightly as he cleared his throat.
     
    “Sorry about that, think I might have a bit of hay fever or something.”
     
    Dublin looked over at Reese, her eyes communicating she thought something wasn’t quite right with her longtime family friend.  Having spent so many years with her elderly grandfather before he finally passed, she knew the difference between a normal cough and one that hinted at something potentially more serious.
     
    Dublin began to make her way toward Mac but was waved off.
     
    “Said I’m fine, Dublin.  Hoping to get something to eat in fact.  Feels like dinner time to me.  Hey now, Coop, how about it?  You got some grub inside that place of yours?”
     
    Cooper Wyse’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked Mac over before answering.
     
    “Yeah, everyone follow me inside the house.  Plenty of food and drink.  Probably be a good idea to enjoy a real meal before we head out tomorrow morning.  Might be the last one we get for a spell.”
     
     
    V.
     
     
    The interior of the Wyse home was far more luxurious and spacious than the outside