First Activation

“We’ll smash it up then,” Jack said.

“It wouldn’t make a difference. The radius of each device overlaps to ensure all areas are covered if one malfunctions.”

“Where are the other devices? Do you have a map?” I said, grabbing Jerry by the ear.

“No. They’ve all been placed in position over the last few years. That one has been in my barn for two years. I know Anthony has one in his garage, he might know the other locations.”

Jack’s anger showed no signs of weakening. He was staring down at Jerry with vicious intent in his eyes.

“Who has been placing these devices? Who has the technology to create them?” I said.

Jerry laughed again.

“That’s the point you fucking retards.”

Jack swung the bolt cutters into Jerry’s forehead and his head slammed back onto the table.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist it,” Jack said, he grabbed Jerry’s chin and shook it. “He’s out cold.”

We’d have to wait to speak to Jerry again. In the meantime, we inspected the device. It didn’t appear to be anything special. It was just a shaped piece of metal that could have been seen in any trendy furniture shop. When Jack tried to push it over so we could check the bottom for markings, he couldn’t. It seemed to weigh a ton. We both grabbed the chrome pole protruding from the black box and managed to pull the whole thing over after a couple of heaves.

The only thing on the bottom of the box was a line of unrecognisable symbols.

“Do you think its code?” Jack said.

“I’ve no idea. I’m guessing whoever made this wouldn’t exactly advertise themselves on it, so maybe you’re right. Who could create such a thing?”

“I don’t know, but I am going to smash it open. We might find some names on the parts inside.”

Jack found an axe in the corner and started attacking the large, heavy, black box. I could see that he was putting all his strength behind the blows, but he struggled even to put a dent in the cover.

“Christ, it must be made of titanium,” he said.

“You keep going at that,” I replied, “I’m going to have a look around the barn.”

I left Jack chopping away as I went back to the radio. I recognised it as a HF radio because of the frequency range on the dial. This meant Jerry might not have been lying about Control being in Michigan, as distance was no object, especially during daylight hours.

Lying on the desk next to the receiver was a sheet of white paper. Jerry had been drawing childish pictures of naked women on it with a pen.

“Jack, you’ve got to see this.”

Jack stopped chopping at the black box, turned to look at me, “Genesis Alliance?”

“No, look at these pictures Jerry has been scribbling, the desperate pervert.”

As I turned the sheet of paper around to show Jack, I saw the other side.

Genesis Alliance — Voice Procedure for Operatives

The page contained basic procedures for radio conversation along the lines of what we had heard Jerry using. It was pretty standard stuff, but at least we now had a name for the people who were behind all this.

“Did you have any luck with that device?” I asked.

“No, breaking into Fort Knox would be easier.”

“Okay, let’s wake him up and find out who this organisation is.”

Jack took a bottle of water from the stockpile, opened it, and poured it over Jerry’s face.

He came around, thrashing and shouting, “No!”

“We’re not waterboarding you, yet. Who are Genesis Alliance?” I said.

Jerry’s eyes widened. “Who told you about that?”

“The sheet of paper by the radio. The one you had been scribbling dirty drawings on. Did they place the devices?”

“Maybe.”

Jack slapped him across the face.

“I mean yes. Yes, it was Genesis Alliance.”

“Why? Who are they?” Jack replied.

“You’re going to kill me. Why should I keep talking?”

“We’ll let you go if you tell us everything you know,” I said.

“Do you expect me to believe that? You’re even more stupid than you look.”

He must have realised by now that we were not joking, but whenever we gave him a short break, he slipped straight back into being an arrogant bastard.

“I guess it is time for phase two, Jerry,” Jack said before pulling the right shoe and sock off his foot.

He held the bolt cutters open by Jerry’s little toe.

“Stop,” Jerry screeched. “They activate the devices remotely. It’s done from a place just south of Detroit, called Monroe. That’s where Control is.”

Jack squeezed the bolt cutters around Jerry’s big toe, I leant close to his face, “Who are they?”

“Genesis Alliance. There’s no way you can take them out.”

“What is the distribution area of these devices?”

Jerry looked straight into my eyes.

“Global. I’ve told you, its taken years to build the network.”

I put my hands over my face and shouted, “Fuck!”

Jerry had confirmed our worst fears about the scale of these events. I looked at Jack who was repetitively shaking his head. Lea had been peeking her head through the door and was open mouthed.

I grabbed Jack by the arm and led him out of the barn. He, Lea, and I, all stood in silence for a minute, contemplating what Jerry had just said.

“What do we do now?” Jack asked.