Chapter 12: Another Drone Bites the Dust

We spent the rest of the day cutting tubes to specs and preparing them for weld-up. I taught Trinity how to bevel each joint with a grinder and she arranged them according to their layout on the CAD. As a stick welder, she proved to be very competent and I felt she was nearly ready for field certification in that process, I also let her use the MIG wire and flux core to get used to them. The tubes required TIG though, and she was nowhere ready for that. Since I was 6G rated in all processes, I did the majority of her welding on the roll cage and undercarriage.

It was late afternoon when we looked up from our work in the carport and noticed the off-green Honda Civic entering the clearing. We were covered in soot and grease from hours of cutting, grinding, and welding, and we both wore welding helmets and heavy gloves as we turned and watched them approach. They both wore troubled expressions as they parked and got out of the car.

“Hey ladies, what’s up?” I asked as they stepped closer together in front of their car. They were quietly hugging themselves when Jenny finally spoke up.

“Carter...” she hesitated, clearly troubled by her expression, “have you been spying on us?”

I looked askance at her, “Come again?”

“You ... know. Watching us when we are in the pool?”

Shit! Did they notice the cameras? How was that possible when they were so high up and well concealed ... I felt uneasy as I regarded them both.

“Funny thing is, you’re not the first to accuse me of that,” I replied, I could feel Trinity shift uncomfortably beside me, “but to answer your question—No. We have been right here working on this frame since we last saw you.”

They both looked to Trinity who nodded readily. “It’s true.”

“It’s just that ... we were relaxing together and heard this ... noise,” Jenny continued and I immediately felt my pulse quicken as my vision and hearing began filtering out all distractions so that my senses could expand and begin sorting signal input, “it was like a bumble bee sort of, but higher pitched.”

Fuck me running! Another drone? I turned and found Trinity looking back at me with wide eyes.

“Get in the house! All of you!” I ordered, removing my helmet and gloves and looking up into the sky above the clearing. It was approaching dusk, so it wasn’t so bright to look around and let my peripheral vision try to pick it out.

Trinity tossed her helmet and gloves aside and grabbed both of the girls by the arms, leading them quickly toward the ISO Shelter.

“What’s going on?” Suzy asked with alarm in her voice.

“I’ll tell you inside,” Trin replied quietly, “let’s go!”

I pulled my cell out of my back pocket and called Gil, hoping he wasn’t busy sluicing or framing the walls with the generator running.

“Yup,” he answered.

“We got another drone,” I replied, “we might be expecting visitors any minute.”

“Copy that,” he hung up.

I walked toward the house, keeping my eyes and ears peeled for any hint of the drone, but sensing nothing. When I entered the house, I found Jenny and Suzy sitting on the couch and Trinity checking several of her magazines before placing them in her back pockets.

“Did you see it or just hear it?” I asked as I reached over them and grabbed the space-age jammer gun from behind the couch.

“We both heard it and Suzy thought...”

I looked at the older woman expectantly.

She shrugged. “It was really high up and I thought maybe it was dark red or maybe black,” she looked frightened, “it seemed like it was coming towards this area, that’s why we ... Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said, “it could be nothing at all or something very serious,” I nodded to Trinity, “Trin will show you where to hide in the back and how to get out if you have to. When the time comes, go over to the shop and enter the same way you leave here.”

“Carter, you’re starting to freak me out!” Jenny sobbed. She was near panic.

“I’m sorry Jenny,” I replied softly, “we are going to treat this as if it’s very serious. If you stay here and stay low it will be okay.” With that, I stepped outside to the porch and closed the door behind me. I remained on the porch for a full minute taking in every clue and signal my senses could detect, before stepping out onto the clearing.

I had only gone three steps when I saw/felt/heard something far above me. Looking up but not directly at the source, I was able to spot the drone. It was far higher than the previous one and nearly impossible to see. I wondered what the range was on the jammer blaster as I raised it to aim at the little electronic bug. I squeezed the trigger, not sure what to expect. It was rather disappointing when there was no reaction or change other than a rapidly flashing red LED near the end of the barrel. No high-pitched whining, no buzzing, no rattatattatat. Not even a vibration or warm feeling. Still, I kept the trigger squeezed and the barrel aimed at the distant drone as best I could, waiting for something ... anything to happen.

The first thing I noticed was a change in its noise. The buzzing began to cut out. Very quickly after that, I saw it growing bigger as it descended quickly. It would start buzzing steadily and arrest its descent before cutting out again. After jamming it for over a minute, it finally dropped down onto the clearing 20 yards from where I was standing. I ran over and stepped on it, crushing it beneath my boot. I pulled out my phone and sent a multi-text to Trinity and Gil: Drone is down, be ready for visitors.

It was growing dark fast as I returned to the house. Trinity was standing by with her NVGs around her neck and her shortened baton tucked in her belt. I nodded to her. “Good girl, as soon as it’s dark enough I’m going up on the roof to mask my heat signature. I expect Gil is already up near the pool. You get to the shop and take them with you. If anything comes through the front door without the Shave and a Haircut knock ... kill it.”

She nodded bravely then ran over and hugged me tightly. “I know I look brave, Carter but I’m scared shitless right now. Be careful, please. I love you!” She turned and bolted for the bedroom before I could reply.

15 minutes later it was nearly pitch black out and I went out the back half door, shutting it before climbing up onto the flat roof and crawling back toward the front. I could feel the heat from the gas radiators through the metal surface. I slipped on the NVGs and immediately saw the red signature like a curtain around me. I switched from IR to starlight and my vision cleared up as if it were nearly daylight. I crawled quickly forward and peered over the porch towards the clearing and the valley beyond. I saw nothing out of place even with magnification so I switched back to IR. The first thing I saw was Travis drinking from the creek. His heat signature was very bright but then dogs run hotter than humans.

Looking to the south I saw two more heat signatures approaching the clearing from the road. I sent a quick text relaying this. I received one back from Gil that said Obsv 2 here.

There had to be more than 4 infiltrators on the hit squad. Didn’t there? Stick to the issue at hand. I turned and watched as the two approaching from the south spread out. The one on the right gave hand signals and the one on the left acknowledged by crouching low and approaching the shop. The other was coming right at me. I had time to tap out a second update and then switched my NVGs back to Starlight. The guy approaching me was much easier to see now and in greater detail. He was dressed all in black with a full tactical load out. He carried a mean-looking assault rifle and wore NVGs over his Kevlar-looking helmet.

Gil texted back: Track 2 bound 4 cedar bridge. armor!

My guy was 20 yards from me and closing as the other one moved to within spitting range of the shop. Suddenly the huge diesel generator cranked to life with a roar. I think the other stalker nearly pissed himself as he dropped down and hugged the dirt. I nearly laughed out loud as I silently congratulated Trinity for her ingenuity. I could tell by the small windows that the shop remained pitch black inside. If that poor fucker walked in wearing those NVGs and she hit the lights...

My stalker decided to approach the house from the north side so I shifted my position to the right as he slowly crept closer and closer to the kitchen side of the shelter. As soon as he was within range, I pulled my NVGs off and sprang outward leaping from the roof to land feet first directly on the dude’s shoulders. As he crumpled, I stayed directly above him, driving him down into the ground like a hammer. He grunted in pain as I crouched, driving my knee into his chest. I felt both his shoulders pop and crunch when I landed. ‘That had to hurt.’

My hands patted him down as I stayed crouched over him. He had a long knife strapped to his hip. I jerked it from the sheath and shoved it upwards under his chin, stabbing it deep inside his skull. I leaped up and peered around the front porch just in time to see the second stalker push the shop door inward. He started to step inside when several shots rang out. I could see the flashes from the fabrication area in the middle of the container, the dark figure lurched several times and cried out as several bullets smacked into him. She kept firing and he fell backwards, lurching with each hit. Several more shots rang out and then stopped as the guy collapsed into the dirt. She must’ve emptied an entire magazine into the poor guy.