Copyright© 2024 by A Well Traveled Man

This story is a continuation of Book 1. Please read it first, as it will be difficult to understand what’s happening without it. A brief recap: Chad Chambers graduated from college at 15 with doctoral degrees in computer programming and chemistry. He bought a ranch in New Mexico to continue his Uncle Charley’s work. Chad discovered tunnels in the mountain on his property and found aliens had crashed there a long time ago.

Chapter 1

Chad woke up early Friday morning on his ranch in New Mexico, exercised, showered, and ate breakfast. After breakfast, he drove the Jeep to the market and stocked up on supplies, bottled water, and the ingredients for the protein bars. On the way home, he noticed a tail, so he stopped at the truck stop for fuel. While filling up, Chad watched them park down the street and wait for him to leave.

When he finished and was ready to go, he waved and gave them the one-finger salute, hopped in the Jeep, and drove right at them. They put their SUV in reverse, backed up, then spun the vehicle around and raced off. When he arrived home, Chad set the traps, unloaded the groceries, and then parked the Jeep. After everything was put away, he started the protein bars. It was a simple recipe with peanut butter, oatmeal, honey, chocolate chips, and other ingredients. He substituted the alien plant mix for protein powder.

When it was done, he put them in the refrigerator and then ate lunch. Chad had been on high alert since Nancy’s phone call, so it didn’t surprise him to see the SUV park 50 yards from the gate. Chad put on his camos, grabbed the backpack, and checked the contents. Two dart guns loaded, four extra darts, rope, water, a Glock 19, and a survival knife. He added the stun baton and phone in his pocket, then ran towards the front fence. When he arrived at the fence, Chad looked over it and saw two men in the SUV. He waited until they turned their heads, jumped over the fence, and blur-walked into the woods.

When he passed the SUV, Chad walked up to the SUV in their blind spot and shot both of them through the open window. While interrogating them, Chad found they were part of a multi-agency task force dispatched here to end this threat against the government. He programmed them to think they were on a secret mission to catch traitors within the government agencies. Their mission was to record all meetings and forward them to their boss (him).

He gave them the email address for the reports, then cloned their phones and added his email photo program. Walking away, Chad hoped he didn’t make a mistake letting them live. Sitting in the kitchen, eating one of the energy bars, he watched as they woke up and drove away. Chad put on the special heat-hiding poncho, blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, and then went to the grow room. The plants had grown six inches, so he raised the lights, trimmed the lower leaves, and put them in the mulch pile.

After checking the water level, he went to the workroom and asked Al to find out where the federal agents were staying while in town. She said they were staying at the Holiday Inn Express and had reserved 12 rooms on the second floor, as well as the conference room. Chad asked about security cameras, and she said one in the lobby, covering the check-in desk, and one outside the entrance, covering vehicles entering and exiting the property.

He thanked her for the information and returned to the cave. Entering the vault, he picked up four special mix darts, put on the poncho, and blur-walked to the gym. Chad tried to kill the heavy bags, but they survived, so he finished the workout on the dummy with debilitating, targeted hits, then went to the shower. After his shower, he ate dinner and planned his attack for tonight. He looked up Google Maps and got a sky view of the hotel parking lot.

Chad guessed they would all park together near the rear door, which would make his job easier. Gathering his supplies, he put them in the F150, then ran his tracking wand over all his vehicles. The Jeep had two trackers, so he removed them and put them on the workbench. He checked the license plate frame LEDs on the F150, and they still worked, so he went back to the house and went to bed.

Waking up at 12:05 a.m. Saturday, Chad dressed in black, put on a ski mask and gloves, then drove the F150 to the Holiday Inn Express, parked behind the motel, and waited. At 1 a.m., he picked the first SUV door lock. At 2:15 a.m., he was driving home with a truckload of equipment. They had enough equipment to start a war, and it was left unattended in their vehicles. Chad parked the truck in the pole barn and went to bed.

He woke up again at 9 a.m., and his phone rang. Chad answered, saying, “What am I being accused of now?” Nancy, his lawyer, laughed and said there was a theft in the motel parking lot where the feds were staying. He asked if she had called him by mistake instead of calling the police. She said the police had already investigated the thefts and had no clues. Oh, so they want to hire me to track down the thieves and get the stolen items back for a reward?

She laughed again and said no, but they worried about the stolen contents. Ok, so if I understand you correctly. The fumbling, bumbling idiots left their arsenal in their vehicles unattended, and some intelligent thief cleaned them out. They’re calling you a superhero, hoping you can use your superpowers to get the items back. She was laughing so hard that it took a few seconds for her to say no. They called to ask if you knew anything about the theft.

Chad told Nancy to call them back and say, “You’ve had my client under illegal surveillance since you arrived, so tell me where he was other than at home in bed.” And thank you for the additional evidence to present at trial, then hang up. We ended the call, and he laughed at the comedy circus their visit created. Chad checked the photo email program and saw several men in a conference room. One man is standing at a whiteboard, drawing a diagram.

It was my front gate entrance, so he checked the email he gave the agents yesterday. Their report was that the group would break through the gate and storm his house to kill me. New supplies were due by 6 p.m. this evening, and they would breach the gate at midnight. Chad thought about the best way to handle it, and involving the media or law enforcement wouldn’t work. They would have to disappear, but the vehicles were a problem.

Then he had an idea: hide them in the barn at his new ranch. Let them sit for a few months, then dump them somewhere after the heat is off. So, he loaded up the mule with the joint task force supplies and drove to the tree stand by the front gate. After putting the supplies in the tree stand, he checked the traps and the electric fence. Returning to the pole barn, he parked the mule and went home to eat dinner. After dinner, he lounged around until 11 p.m., dressed in camos, and jogged to the front gate. Climbing into the tree stand, Chad set out three smoke and three percussion grenades, then got comfortable.

At 12:10 a.m. Sunday, Chad heard the SUVs coming up the road. He loaded the crossbow and crouched down, waiting for them to breach the gate. They came in fast and suddenly stopped when their headlights shone on the center post. It was a 6”x6” steel post that would ruin the SUV hitting it. Everybody got out, a debate took place, and one man went to the gate. He attempted to climb the gate and was electrocuted. It was funny to see him shake and then collapse to the ground.

The other five gathered around, and one climbed over to the fence next to the gate. I shot him with the crossbow as soon as his feet hit the ground. He fell and didn’t move, and the other four got nervous, so I threw a percussion grenade into the group. When the explosion went off, they were screaming, holding their ears, so he got out of the tree stand and shot the remaining four with his special mix of tranquilizer darts.

He reloaded the dart guns, shot the electrified man on the ground, then checked on the man Chad shot with an arrow. He was dead, so he dragged him to the last SUV, loaded him in the rear, and pulled out the arrow. After disabling the traps, Chad put the other 5 in the same SUV and drove the other two inside the gate. He got the F350, hooked it up to the car dolly, then hooked up the remaining SUV, towed it about 20 miles out of town, and parked.

Disconnecting the SUV from the car dolly, Chad drove as far off the road as possible, then stopped when the SUV got stuck. He staged everyone in the SUV, used their service weapons to shoot each other, jogged back to the truck, and drove home. He moved the other two SUVs to my new ranch, parked them in the barn, and then returned home. Walking into the kitchen, Chad noticed it was 5 a.m., so he fixed breakfast. While eating, he reviewed what had happened and felt comfortable with the outcome. There was no way he could let them live and keep trying to kill me. Let the agencies sweat, not knowing what happened to their agents.

Drinking his special protein brew, he read the news, deleted his programs from the agent’s cell phones, and then went to the pole barn. Chad drove the mule to the front gate, removed any sign of a struggle, and then returned to the pole barn. Putting on the poncho, he blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, then went to the grow room. The plants had grown another 4 inches, so he adjusted the lights and checked the water levels on the barrels.

Chad left, went to the workroom, put the stun baton on the charging bench, and asked Al if she had heard any news about the lawsuit Nancy Greer filed. She said the agencies panicked, and the AG was very nervous, too. The evidence was overwhelming, and they were discussing their options. He thanked her for the update, then went to the medical bed, stripped, and lay down. He was out before the lid closed. Chad remembers feeling the blue fluid around him, but he wasn’t awake yet.

When he finally woke up, the top was up, so Chad got out of bed and felt great, like he had a good night’s rest. While dressing, he asked the knowledge block what adjustments had been made, and it said, “just fine-tuning your structure and cells.” One more treatment, and you can return to explore the shipwreck. Leaving the workroom, Chad returned to the cave, put on the poncho, and blur-walked home. When he entered the kitchen, Chad noticed it was after 5 p.m., so he made dinner. After eating dinner, he checked the news, then went to bed.

Chad woke up early on Monday morning, exercised, showered, and ate breakfast. Then he drank his protein drink and read the news, and there was a story about missing federal agents. Their vehicles were gone, and they hadn’t paid for their rooms. However, their clothes were still in the rooms, so the police issued a missing person report on the six men.

He thought about the vehicles and didn’t check if trackers were attached. After breakfast, he got the tracking wand, drove to his new ranch, and checked the two SUVs. He was relieved there weren’t trackers attached to the vehicles, so he went home. When Chad arrived, his phone rang, and he answered, “What did you do now?” Nancy replied that was my question.

Have you heard the news about the missing federal agents? Chad said yes, but I am only concerned about the ones threatening to kill me. Fewer federal agents in the area is a good thing in my book. Nancy said the police will want to interview you about them. Tell whoever calls that I have no interest in speaking with them about agents who have reportedly gone missing. They had no interest in arresting or investigating fake agents operating in the area.

But, if they persist, tell them we will be happy to include them in the lawsuit we filed. Nancy said you have no choice if the Judge demands you answer their questions. Chad said that if that happens, he will only answer questions via Skype, not in person. I am not leaving my property until we get an answer on the lawsuit you filed. For all I know, they sent assassins here to kill me, so the case goes away.

By the way, what are the names and the agencies of the supposed missing agents? What were they sent here to do, and why were they armed to the teeth for an investigation? What are their backgrounds, and why haven’t they investigated anything since they arrived? I have many questions for the police if they want to get into it with me. Chad told her to let me know what happens, and we said goodbye.

Chad worked the rest of the morning on server maintenance on his server farm, then ate lunch. After lunch, he called the fence guy and asked him to come over to add fencing to the front entry. Chad hopped on the dirt bike, rode to the gate, and looked at the setup. He wanted to stop someone from using speed to bust down the gate like the federal agents tried to do. He also wanted to build a small gate so he could ride the dirt bike or the mule to the other ranch. Nothing too noticeable, but it could be easily used for escape.

He turned around and rode to the back fence, and all looked good, so he rode back to the barn and parked the bike. Chad put on his poncho, blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, and then went to the grow room. The plants were growing like weeds. He raised the lights again, ground the mulch, placed it around the plants, and added water to the supply barrel. As Chad walked to the workroom, he thought about the plants’ chemical and mineral properties and whether they would help with Uncle Charley’s project.

When he arrived, Al said the recent download from the DOD satellite showed twice as many pictures as the previous downloads. She said I changed the satellite’s programming to take photos of the Arizona-New Mexico border so the memory banks couldn’t hold any more pictures. It would be best if you were still careful when the satellite passes overhead at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Chad thanked her for the information, went to the replicator, removed his new dart guns, and carried them to his workbench. Picking up the insertion tool, he put one of the finished crystals in the device. Then he opened the gun’s side cover and carefully inserted it into the opening until he heard a click. He closed the side panel and repeated the process on the other dart gun. The new dart guns were more compact and held six darts each.

However, he needed more material to make the custom darts; hopefully, I can get it this weekend. Chad put the dart guns on the charging bench, returned to the cave, put on the poncho, and blur-walked to the gym. He took out his frustrations on the heavy bag and the dummy. Walking to the shower, he started to feel more relaxed. After his shower, Chad ate dinner, and when he finished, Nancy Greer called. She informed me we had a Skype call scheduled for tomorrow at 9 a.m. with the police and the Judge. Chad said ok and ended the call.

While drinking his protein drink, he thought about how to handle the call tomorrow. After looking online, he identified the two detectives who worked on the missing agent’s case and asked Al to conduct a deep background check on both, including banking information, if possible. He also had her do a background check on Benny Wentz, who worked at the bank and was the money man for the gambling group. We’ll see what tomorrow brings, as he went to bed and fell asleep.

Tuesday morning, Chad exercised and did forms, ran, showered, and ate breakfast. Al notified him that Detective Larry Gains has a gambling problem and was over $50k in debt with the gambling operation. He received a $50k wire transfer the day he began investigating the agent’s disappearance. His partner, Cathy Norman, gets $500 a week from the gambling operation to watch Larry and notify them if anyone is looking into their operation. Benny Wentz is an account manager at the bank. He has six accounts open at the bank under different names and is laundering gambling profits through the bank.

Chad thanked Al, drank his protein drink, and waited for 9 a.m. The Skype rang, and he logged into the group. The Judge, detectives, and Nancy Greer were in her chambers when she took charge. The Judge said the detectives had some questions for him about missing agents. Larry Gains started to talk, and Chad interrupted him, asking for his name, his partner’s name, and his partner’s position with the police. He said it didn’t matter, just answer my questions, so he disconnected the call.

When his Skype said he had an incoming call, he answered and said if that asshole opens his mouth again, I will hang up and file a lawsuit against the department for harassment. Who are the two people in the room, and what position do they have with the police department? The Judge said the one with the big mouth is Detective Sargent Larry Gains, and his partner is Detective Cathy Norman. Chad said, “Great. Now, who is missing, and which government agencies do they work for that claim they are missing?”

When the detectives didn’t respond, Chad asked the Judge how the police were conducting a missing person investigation without that information. Can I see the missing person report, please? Detective Cathy Norman said no report had been filed. We are just following up on an unpaid bill by the agents. Chad asked the Judge why he was ordered to answer questions about missing persons who aren’t missing. And now we find I am supposed to answer questions about an unpaid bill that wasn’t mine.

The Judge looked at the Detectives and said they lied to her about the meeting and ordered the police department to pay Nancy Greer’s bill. She also told the detectives to stay away from Chad Chambers and issued a restraining order against the police until they could show just cause. I will be talking with the Chief of Police about your conduct today. The Judge asked me if I had anything to add. Chad told Judge that when my attorney said I had to answer questions about missing agents, I didn’t know; I smelled a rat.

Chad said he did some checking on my own about the detectives. Larry Gains has a gambling problem and was in debt of $50k. When the detectives began their investigation, Mr. Gains’s debt had been fully paid off. Rumor has it Mr. Gains received a wire transfer of $50K Monday, which was immediately transferred to another bank account. Now Cathy Norman works for the gambling operation and receives $500 a week to keep an eye on Mr. Gains and to notify them of any investigation. I also found out that the money man for the gambling operation works for the bank, and his name is Benny Wentz, an account manager.

Having Detective Sargent Larry Gains tell us who paid him $50k to conduct an illegal investigation would make our meeting worthwhile. The Judge asked Chad how he knew all this, and he said I learned about the crooked card game about a month ago. I met a victim of the gambling operation at a yard sale. He said he had played cards on Saturday nights for years and never lost more than $500. Then one weekend, the ownership changed, and he started losing.

They extended credit, and he owed over $50k, like Mr. Gains. They showed up when he sold his property and demanded all the money. He said the only other person who knew about the sale was Benny Wentz at the bank. The rest was easy if you knew who to talk to and asked the right questions. Oh, I almost forgot they have a prostitution operation too. While the husbands play cards, they get the wives to turn tricks to pay the vig on the debt. From what I understand, business is excellent. He saw Larry Gain’s face turn bright red, and he said I’ll kill those SOBs.

Two US Marshals entered the room, cuffed both detectives, and took them away. The Judge said there is never a dull moment in my courtroom with you. Chad said, just trying to do his civic duty, your honor. Both the Judge and Nancy were busting up laughing as they said goodbye.

Chad went to the pole barn and reviewed the items he acquired from the agent’s SUVs at the motel. He had 6.308 rifles with night scopes, 6 AR-15s, 24 grenades in a case, 1 case of smoke and concussion grenades, one tranquilizer rifle and pistol, and six Glock .40 caliber pistols. In addition, he had three fully stocked field kit first-aid backpacks, six radios with headsets, and a remote-controlled drone. Chad was surprised they had real grenades with them. He loaded everything in the mule, drove to the drop-off point by the cave, unloaded, and returned to the pole barn.

Chad put on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, and moved the items into the vault. After drinking some water, he went to the grow room. The plants were doing fine. After checking the lights and water, he went to the workroom and checked with Al about the chatter at the government agencies. She said the only one panicking was the DOD. Sam Raymond at the DOD has sent several texts and emails to Ryan Services and has not received a response. The texts and emails get more desperate and threatening with each one he sends. His last was to cancel the operation, extrude, and return all funds. He is also trying to reach someone in town via the local government email server, using the email address lawman43625.

Chad asked Al what Larry Gains’s badge number was, and she said 43625. He asked Al to gather all the information on Sam Raymond she could find, and he went to the knowledge block. He put his hands on the block and was frozen in place. His headache started to build slowly, and he soon felt like his head would explode, then he passed out. When Chad came to, he was lying on the floor in a fetal position, holding my head by the knowledge block with a severe headache.

After about 30 minutes, the pain eased, and within an hour, he was back to normal. Chad got up, went to the charging station, and picked up the medical wand. Running it over his body and head made him feel a lot better. When the green light came on, he returned the wand to the charging bench and went to the cave.

While drinking some water, Chad wondered what information would cause him to pass out. So, he put on the poncho, walked to the new cave exit, and checked his emergency motorcycle. It started right away, and he let it run for a while, then revved it a few times and shut it down. Chad was about to exit the cave when he abruptly turned around and ran back into the cave. He opened the emergency exit and blur-ran to the entrance. Taking out his .308 rifle from the protective cover, Chad loaded a round in the chamber and peeked outside.

A helicopter quietly descended hard and fast, then the side doors opened, and ropes dropped out. Bringing up his rifle, he shot at the main rotor and scored a direct hit. Smoke started pouring out of the rotor, and the helicopter banked hard right and headed towards the interstate.

Chad put the rifle back in its case and ran back to the cave. He blur-ran to the pole barn, hopped on the Harley, and raced to the interstate. Seeing smoke in the distance, he slowed down and cruised toward it. The helicopter crash landed beside the interstate, and several cars stopped to film the wreckage. He could see the ropes still out the side doors, and the men in full combat gear were standing and lying on the ground away from the helicopter.

Then, while filming the crash site with his phone, the aircraft exploded, and a huge fireball rose above it. He could hear the sirens, so he turned his bike around and rode home. After parking in the pole barn, he went into the house and played the video on his surveillance cameras. One picked up the helicopter as it descended, side doors opened, and the ropes dropped. Suddenly, the chopper banked, and he could see smoke trailing the aircraft.

Chad recorded the segment on a USB stick, then called Nancy Greer. He asked if she was still at the office, and she said yes. He told her to check her email and call me back after she saw the video. Chad mixed a protein drink, drank it fast, and ate an energy bar while waiting. When she called back, she asked if it was the same one that crashed on the interstate. He said yes, and the helicopter had an assault team on board. Check out the following video and call me back.

He sent her the one from his phone and then made dinner. She called back and said she needed an expert to view the footage and warned him not to answer any questions or calls about the helicopter crash. Chad said, yes, ma’am and hung up. While eating dinner, he asked Al to check the helicopter’s tail number and find out which base it came from. The adrenaline wore off a while ago, so he went to bed.

Waking up Wednesday morning, Chad exercised, showered, and ate breakfast. He read the news about the helicopter crash on the interstate. Reporters wanted to know why an attack helicopter with special forces on board was flying in our area. The aircraft belonged to the army and had no business in our area. I’ll bet the Air Force brass was happy another service branch was taking the heat off them. Al said Sam Raymond was arrested this morning by the FBI at his home.

They wouldn’t comment on the charges, but military investigators were present when he was arrested. News crews captured the FBI taking over 30 file boxes from his home. Chad thanked her for the update. Nancy called and said to sit tight and wait until someone contacts us. She said I don’t think the army wants this to go any further. Chad said OK, as long as they left me alone and hung up.

The intercom rang, and it was his fence guy, so he got in the mule and met him at the gate. He said he would make it a two-stage gate if I were you. Put another gate across the road and run another intercom to it. That way, it would require them to pass through it to reach your other gate. The gate will be made of bar steel, and he showed me how it would operate. Chad agreed to his plan and gave him the ok to start. It wasn’t like the main gate; it would stop a truck with no problem, but a person could hop over it.

Chad showed him where he wanted another gate installed, and we agreed to start the following Monday. On the way back to the pole barn, he had an idea, so after parking the mule, he went to the house, called the local Goodwill store, and asked for the manager. When he answered, Chad asked him what they did with the old electronics they collected. He said we pile them in the rear of the warehouse and pay a company to pick them up once a year.

He told him I was a technical school professor who needed old electronics to practice on for the class. Chad asked if he could collect some and give a cash donation to Goodwill for helping us out. He said, “Come on down and take as much as you want, and it will save us money.” So, he did. Chad drove the F350 to Goodwill and loaded the truck bed with old, broken electronics. He gave the manager $500, thanked him, and drove home.

Chad filled the back of the mule, then went to the drop-off point, unloaded, and returned to the pole barn. He spent the rest of the day moving the electronic junk to the workroom and filling the replicator. When the replicator was full, Chad programmed the new darts into the computer, returned to the cave, and went to the grow room. The plants had grown another six inches, so he raised the lights, added water to the barrels, and then returned to the cave.

After drinking some water, he put on the poncho and blur-walked to the gym. Chad attacked the bags with a three-attacker scenario and beat the living shit out of them. He finished with targeted strikes on the dummy, then took a shower, ate dinner, and went to bed.

Chapter 2

Chad exercised and did form early Thursday morning, then ran, showered, and ate breakfast. After breakfast, he put on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, and went to the grow room. Everything was fine, so he went to the workroom, picked up his new darts from the replicator, and then went to the workbench.

The new darts were smaller and more aerodynamic in shape than the old ones. He was anxious to try out the new darts and guns to see how they performed. So, he picked up the darts, went to the charging bench, picked up the new pistols, and then went to the cave. Chad filled 12 darts with his tranquilizer mixture, then loaded both guns with six darts each. The dart guns were half the size of the government’s single-shot dart guns. These were the size of concealed carry 9mm pistols.

He went to the stream, drank some water, put on the poncho, and blur-walked home. Chad put one of the new pistols in the backpack by the door and the other behind his back, then went to the pole barn. He got into the F150, drove to Home Depot, bought 10 more metal storage racks, then went to the gun store. He found inside the pants and shoulder holsters that fit the gun perfectly and returned home. Loading up the mule with the shelving, he drove to the drop-off point, unloaded, and returned to the pole barn.

Chad spent the rest of the day moving and setting up shelving in the storage room. When he finished, Chad asked Al if she had any updates. She said the agencies were pressuring the AG to take action on the lawsuits because they had received notice of depositions and discovery materials. Someone leaked the lawsuit to the media, and they are now being grilled over the charges. The budget hearings start in two weeks, and they want it settled by then. Chad thanked her for the update, went to the cave, put on the poncho, and blur-walked home. While eating dinner, Nancy Greer called and said the AG had offered to settle the lawsuit.

He said, “Please tell me about the incredible offer the AG made.” She laughed and said he offered to write a letter stating that no further interference by any US agency or military service would occur. Chad laughed so hard he dropped the phone. When he picked it back up, he responded with three words. “Kiss my ass.” Nancy laughed, saying it was counterproductive and that we needed to counter their offer. Chad said, “Okay, have each agency put 10 million into a trust fund managed by a third party.” If they violated the agreement, the money would be dispersed, and the agency would have to refund the trust.

All your attorney’s fees would be paid by agencies defending me against their illegal activity. The agreement lasts ten years. If no claims were made against the fund, all money would be returned to each agency. If a claim were made against the fund, a refund would be issued for 10 years from the date of the last claim. The third-party administrator would evaluate each claim and decide whether to pay or not based on the evidence.

Nancy said I couldn’t have come up with a fairer and more thorough proposal. I’ll let the AG know the terms and language are non-negotiable and that it’s a take-it-or-leave-it trial offer. She said the counteroffer would go out today. Chad asked her if we could send the AG offer and our counteroffer to all the parties. And let them decide and agree, and thus opt out of the lawsuit. She said that was a great idea and hung up. Chad finished a cold dinner and went to bed.

Chad awoke sensing danger at 1 a.m. Friday. He jumped out of bed, ran to the kitchen, and dressed in his camos. Chad grabbed the backpack and blur-ran to the tree stand by the gate. When he got settled in the tree stand, an SUV came racing down the road toward his gate. He took out his AR-15 and emptied a clip into the hood of the SUV. It veered off the road into the bar ditch and crashed. He reloaded the AR and approached the SUV. As both men tried to get out of their seat belts, he shot them with his new tranquilizer gun. The new dart gun worked great, and the accuracy is dead on at close range.

He interrogated the men and found they were contractors hired by email two days ago. Chad pulled them out of the SUV and then removed all their equipment. He kicked them both in the head, then jogged back to the house, got the F150, and returned. He loaded them in the back with their equipment and drove to their motel. After casing the entry and parking lot, Chad drove to the alley and parked behind the motel. Grabbing their key cards, he opened their motel room, packed all their belongings, and returned to the truck.

Chad carried them inside, beat them up, stripped them, and put them in bed. Taking their clothes and suitcases outside, he put a do-not-disturb tag on the door, threw their clothes and bags into the truck, and left. Stopping at the Salvation Army donation box, Chad put their clothes and suitcases in the donation slot, drove home, and went to bed.

Waking up late, Chad skipped his workout, ate breakfast, and called the fence guy. He told him about the attempted breach last night and the damaged SUV in the bar ditch. Chad said if someone wanted to remove it before he called a tow truck tomorrow, he won’t lose any sleep, then hung up. He knew the fence guy would pick it up in a few minutes, strip it clean, and dump the frame. So, putting on the poncho, he blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, and then went to the grow room.

The plants grew another 6 inches, so I raised the lights, added water to the supply barrel, and then went to the workroom. Climbing up the vertical tunnel was almost as easy as walking now. Chad asked Al for an update, and she said the agencies had received my lawyer’s settlement proposal. The AG recommended not signing the proposal. So, it looks like three and possibly four will sign the agreement just to put the matter behind them. However, the AG, DOD, and DARPA are against signing the document, so it’s a wait-and-see.

Chad asked whether those agencies opposing the settlement agreement generated any emails to Rafe Dobbs’ email address in the last 3 days. Al said an email was sent from the DOD newsroom three days ago, using a burner phone. He thanked her, went to the storage room, and got to work. Chad filled five shelving units by noon and went to the cave for a lunch break. He got a strange feeling, so he went to the new cave opening and saw five men in camo combat gear walking up the road.

He ran back to the cave, put on the poncho, and blur-ran to the house. Changing into his camos, grabbed the .308 rifle and crossbow and blur-ran to the tree stand at the gate. When settled in, they were almost at the gate. Chad picked the last man and shot him with the crossbow. Reloading quickly, he shot the second-to-last man. He had just reloaded when they stopped and saw the two men down. Chad shot the group’s leader, switched to his .308, and wounded the last two.

Chad turned on the video function on his phone, walked to the two wounded men, and then shot them with the dart gun. He interrogated both wounded men, and they told him the DOD hired them to kill Chad Chambers and then set fire to his house to cover the crime. He asked how they would notify the DOD when the job was done. Chad was given an email address with a coded message to send, and the final payment would be made once the message was received.

They told him where their van was parked by the interstate with all their equipment. Then he asked where they were staying and learned they planned to camp in the woods until the final payment was made. They didn’t trust the man who ordered the operation and chose to camp out for security reasons. Chad ran back to the pole barn, hooked up the car dolly to the F150, drove to the gate, loaded the men in the back, and went to their van. After hooking their van to the car dolly, he drove out of town and pulled off the interstate into the woods.

Chad unloaded the men, placed them in a circle, and emptied the van into the pickup. Taking the leader’s cell phone, he emailed the code to the provided address and drove home. Just as he pulled off the interstate, a loud explosion happened behind me. When he got home and parked in the pole barn, Chad asked Al if she had picked up the communication. She said the email was received at the DOD on a burner phone. Then a message was sent from the same phone to another cell phone in our area.

He thanked her for the information, unloaded the truck, and ran the tracker wand over the pile. He was relieved that no trackers were discovered. Chad put all the personal clothing back into the truck, then separated the equipment into piles. They were prepared for anything that could come up, and more, looking at a shoulder-fired missile launcher with four missiles. When he had everything separated, he stacked the equipment in the back of the pole barn to move later.

Knowing it was late, he went to the gym, took out his frustrations on the heavy bags, and finished on the dummy. Walking to the shower, what Al said about the phone making a call here hit me. Someone placed a bomb in or under the van with a cell phone activation. While in the shower, I thanked my lucky stars for not parking the van in the pole barn.

While eating dinner, Chad thought about calling Nancy Greer, but she beat me when his phone rang. When he answered the phone, Chad said, “You knew I was thinking about you.” Wow, you have ESP now, too. She laughed and asked if that explosion off the interstate was my doing. Chad said I’m hurt you would think I blow things up. I may sometimes shoot a person, but I don’t mess with explosives. She had to take a minute to think about what to say, then she asked, “What people did you shoot?”

Chad said I swear it was self-defense, your honor. She laughed and said, “So you don’t know anything about the explosion?” No, not about the explosion, but a team of five hired killers attacked the ranch today, and it didn’t end well for them. Two were wounded and confessed on video that the DOD hired them to kill me and set my house on fire to make it look like an accident.

They died shortly after confessing, so I put them in the van, drove to their campground, and left them there. I was almost home when I heard a loud explosion. If I were to guess, whoever hired them wanted to tie up the loose end and set off the explosion. If you’re interested, I can send you their confession, but it would do neither of us any good to release or use it. They were the second hit team the DOD sent. The first was a two-person team, and I was able to overpower them.

All they suffered was a bad beating. The second group was five men armed to the teeth, and I had no choice. Nancy said I was right about releasing the video or bringing it up because it would muddy the waters of the settlement. But she wanted me to bring in the video so she could see it herself. Chad agreed and hung up, then went to bed.

Waking up early Saturday morning, Chad exercised and did forms, ran to the fence, showered, and got dressed. Then, he drove the Jeep to the diner, ate breakfast, and read the paper. There were two yard sales today, so he drove to the first one. Not seeing anything worthwhile, he left and went to the second yard sale. The older man was a retired machinist and had his workshop in the back. It was empty now but had a lot of scrap metal, so he bought all the scrap he could fit in the Jeep and drove home.

Chad loaded the scrap metal in the mule, went to the drop-off point, unloaded, and returned to the pole barn. Putting on the poncho, he blur-walked to the drop-off point, moved the scrap metal into the cave, and then drank some water. Next, he went to the grow room and checked on the plants. Everything was fine, so he returned to the cave, moved the metal to the workroom, and stacked it next to the replicator. I saw a plug outlet on the side of the control panel, so I examined it. The receptacle was something Chad hadn’t seen before, and he wondered what it did.

So he went back to the storeroom. He looked through the shelving, then went to the corner where he found the replicator. A plastic-looking box was 2’ tall and 2’ wide in the same corner, so I opened the lid and examined the contents. Inside was a wand with an 8’ cord and the correct plug for the replicator’s outlet. Also, in the box were overlays for the computer control panel and a small square box. He took the plastic container out into the workroom and set it on a shelf by the replicator.

Taking out the wand and cord, Chad plugged the unit into the replicator, and the wand lit up. He figured it was a scanning device, so he ran to the cave, got the drone he purchased at the Army Surplus Store, and returned. Chad put the drone on top of the replicator, ran the wand over the drone, then lifted it and scanned the bottom. The replicator produced a red box warning image that flashed. Thinking for a second, he went to the shelf, removed the small square box, and placed it on the replicator.

A hologram projected above the replicator, and Chad could see red areas. Looking at the computer screen, he touched the red indicator button and saw the changes to the drone’s design. Chad put the drone into the replicator, returned to the storeroom, and continued organizing the mess. When he finished the last shelf, all left were boxes and containers. He had no idea what they contained. Chad left the storeroom and noticed the replicator was finished, so he removed the drone and placed it on his workbench.

Picking up the drone controller, he ran the wand over it, repeated the process on the control panel, put it into the replicator, and went to the cave. Al said we have an intruder on the grounds, and he is approaching the house. Chad put on the poncho and blur-ran right at the intruder, and the target struck his stomach as he passed. He stopped and turned around, blur-walked back, and target struck his spine. He was lying face down in the dirt, not moving. Chat shot him with a tranquilizer dart, then went to the pole barn. Hopping into the mule, he drove to the intruder, loaded into the mule, and drove to his favorite spot.

When Chad had him stripped and staked out, he started interrogating him. He was an actual DOD employee, and his name was Alan Brown. He was an assassin employed by the DOD overseas to eliminate problems. Alan’s specialty was killing people and making it look like an accident or natural cause. His section chief, Thomas Redding, recalled him to the States to eliminate a significant problem. He found out where Thomas Redding worked and the car he drove.

Alan didn’t know where Thomas Redding lived, but Chad got more than enough information from him. His rental car was parked off the road in the trees, and he had his motel and room number, so Chad left him and drove back to the pole barn. It was still light outside, so he went to the house, ate dinner, dressed in black, and drove the Jeep to Alan’s motel.

He stood by the door and sensed the room before moving further. It was a good thing he did because there was a trip wire next to the bed tied to a hand grenade. Chad disarmed the trap, carefully picked up the laptop and bags, and then put them on the bed. One bag had Alan’s work toys, and the other had clothes and a travel kit. The travel kit contained five different IDs and a lot of cash. He had a bad feeling about his laptop, so Chad took it apart, took the hard drive, and put the shell in his suitcase.

When he left, walking to the Jeep, the clothing suitcase expanded and returned to its natural size. Chad put everything in the Jeep, drove behind a restaurant, dumped his clothing, and drove home. He stopped at Alan’s car, removed his supplies, and then drove home. After parking the Jeep in the pole barn, he went to bed.

Early Sunday morning, Chad exercised and did forms, ran to the fence, showered, and ate breakfast. While drinking his protein drink, he asked Al to find everything she could on Thomas Redding, who works at the DOD. He put on the poncho, went to the pole barn, picked up Alan’s bag of tricks, hard drive, and travel kit, and blur-walked to the cave. Chad put his bag of tricks and travel kit in the vault, then went to the computer and checked out his laptop’s hard drive.

First, he ran a virus scan, checked his folders, and discovered his work journal. Alan Brown kept precise records of each job, from who and how he was contacted to how the target died and how he did it, then his final report to whom it was sent. The man was through, and I could tell it was a cover-your-ass journal. If someone got cold feet or ordered a hit, and an investigation was launched, he didn’t want to be the one holding the bag.

Chad found his file, copied it, and emailed it to Nancy Greer with “FYI” in the subject line. She called him 15 minutes later and asked how I got it. I told her Alan Brown was a DOD assassin sent to kill me, and I recovered his laptop, going through his things after he died. And don’t ask any more questions you don’t want the answers to, because it’s safer that way. I have his complete work journal with everyone he killed, who ordered the hit, and the final report. Alan Brown killed over 45 people while employed by the DOD. Most were overseas, but a few were here in the US. I’ll bet if I published his work journal, it would be a best-seller, and some high-ranking officials would be in deep shit.

As you can see, Thomas Redding, a section chief at the DOD, ordered my termination. He was probably responsible for the blast outside of town the other day, and for the two hit teams before Alan Brown. What do you recommend we do with this information? Nancy said I don’t know what to do so I told her I would handle it and hung up. He put a USB stick in the computer and copied the journal and his email file. Shutting down the computer,

He went to the grow room and adjusted the lights. The plants were growing faster than the first planting with seeds. They will be ready to harvest next week. Leaving the grow room, Chad went to the workroom and plugged the laptop’s hard drive into Al. He asked her to search for hidden or deleted files and let me know what she found. Going to the replicator, He removed the drone controller and went to his workstation.

Chad opened the drone’s access panel and saw a mini-computer circuit board that required two crystals. He went to the charging station, picked up the tools, and returned. Selecting two crystals that were close in size, he began shaping them and then sanded the rough edges. When he finished sanding, Chad polished the crystals and then put on the optivisor magnifier to align the pathways. Using the insertion tool, he carefully inserted the crystals into slots on the circuit board and closed the access panel.

Chad found a round access panel on the other side of the drone, and when he opened it, a round metal ball fell out. It was the size of a large marble and split into two parts when he twisted it. Chad knew right away it was the drone’s battery and what needed to be put on each side. Opening the controller, He found it required a crystal and had the same type of battery compartment. He took one of the finished crystals from my workbench and used the insertion tool to place it into the controller. Taking the batteries down to the cave, then crushed some of the energy rock and filled one side of the batteries.

Then he took an eye dropper, filled it with water from the stream, carefully filled the other side of the batteries, and closed both units. Returning to the workroom, Chad put the batteries in the drone and controller. When he turned them on, they began syncing communications. When the sync was completed, the drone flew around the workroom and returned to his workstation. It hovered in front of me, and Al said,” So that’s what you look like,” then the drone landed on the workstation.

Chad was shocked at first, then began to laugh. He realized that when it started syncing, Al picked up the signal and took control of the drone. She informed him that if he made a few more drones, they could patrol the property under her control. Chad said that it was a great idea and he would start on them tomorrow. Turning off the drone and controller, he returned to the cave, drank some water, put on the poncho, and blur-walked home.

While eating dinner, Chad asked Al if she found any hidden or deleted files. Al said she found several hidden files. One was recordings of his phone calls to and from the DOD. Another contained pictures of targets and surveillance. The last was a book he wrote about working for the DOD as an assassin. It’s complete and quite good reading, but needs some touch-ups in a few areas. He thanked her and went to bed.

Monday morning, Chad exercised and did forms, ran to the fence, showered, and ate breakfast. While drinking his protein drink, the fence man rang the intercom to let me know he was there. He went to the pole barn and rode the dirt bike to meet him. His crew was already working on the second gate, and Chad asked him if he needed a car. He looked at me, and I pointed into the woods. As we walked to the car, Chad said it belonged to someone who had paid an unexpected visit this weekend. He said sure, and what about that SUV over there pointing to an SUV covered in leaves and dirt? Chad said shit, I forgot about that one. It’s been out here for over six months.

He said sure I’ll take them both, and we walked back to his crew. Leaving them working, Chad took off on the dirt bike, rode to the back fence, and then returned to the pole barn. Putting on the poncho, he blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, then went to the grow room. The plants grew another six inches, so he raised the lights, added water to the barrels, and then went to the workroom. After programming the replicator to make two drones, he checked the computer to see what materials it needed. He fed the material into the replicator until its stores were full, then pressed start and went to the computer.

Next, Chad plugged in a USB stick and asked Al to download the book. He put the USB stick in his pocket, returned to the cave, and read the book. He wondered whether she had made any adjustments to the book, since it was perfect. AI said she only made a few changes, so the story had a better ending. Chad thanked her for the help and signed on to his Swiss company website. From there, he sent an email to the DOD. It said I had just purchased a book from your former employee, Alan Brown.

I have to tell you it is fascinating reading. According to the publishers who have read it, it will be a bestseller. Now I wanted to give you a heads-up because a few of your employees could be arrested for murder, attempted murder, and murder for hire to name a few. I understand Thomas Redding, a section chief at the DOD, has his balls in a vice on this one. He sent hit teams to kill an American citizen. Isn’t that illegal on US soil? That alone is terrible, but send your employee.

Chad said I’m sure you can figure it out. By the way, we’ve decided to self-publish because you Americans have this thing about national security and will try to stop the book from being published. So, you can read it online tomorrow, and please review it honestly. Chad hit send and waited online for their response. Thirty minutes later, an attorney said they would sue me for publishing the book. So, I replied, not if it’s true.

Let’s see CNN, MSNBC, oh so many news services to contact with so little time. When I hit send, I got an instant reply from a non-lawyer. What do you want? I replied I want nothing from you. The purpose of the email was to notify you about the book and to let you know that your illegal actions at home and abroad will come to light tomorrow. So, prepare for the shit storm. I wish you well and have a good day, and hit send.

Going through Alan’s files, he found emails ordering Alan Brown back home and describing the job. Chad found a phone call with Thomas Redding, in which Thomas told Alan about the failures of the two previous teams he sent and his order to terminate me ASAP. He copied the emails and sent them to the DOD along with the emails from Thomas Redding to Alan Brown, recorded a phone call to the CNN news desk, and then went out to check on the fence crew.

He figured the shit storm would start soon. Chad hopped in the mule and drove to the gate. The fence crew was finishing up on the new gate. They had already installed my sliding access gate to my new ranch, and he could hardly tell it was there. The new gate was a hollow steel bar anchored between two steel posts on one side of the road. When opened, it lifts like a railroad crossing gate. When closed, no one can drive through it. The gate was bright yellow with reflective stripes, so it was visible at night.

One worker handed me two new remotes with two buttons each. He said the left button was for this gate, and the right was for the second gate. Chad gave each crew member $100, thanked them for their excellent work, drove back to the pole barn, parked the mule, and went to the gym. The attacker scenario today was one in front of me and one behind. After defeating them for the third time, he went to the dummy to practice his debilitating targeted strikes, then headed to the shower. After showering, he ate dinner and read the news.

CNN’s lead story was about DOD assassins operating within the US, and Thomas Redding should be charged with murder and attempted murder. They displayed their evidence, followed by footage of the helicopter crash and the explosion outside of town, and the legal experts said a blind man could connect the dots. The DOD denied involvement, but when the phone call was played, they got quiet and said no comment. Thomas Redding’s life was turned upside down when the FBI raided his house and arrested him. News crews caught his perp walk, and the boxes of evidence were removed from his home. He turned off the computer and went to bed.

Early Tuesday morning, Chad exercised and ran, then showered and ate breakfast. As he was drinking the protein drink, Nancy Greer called and said all parties agreed to your proposal, so it’s done. Did you have anything to do with the shitstorm yesterday? Of course not, I’m a Boy Scout, and I was helping old ladies cross the street yesterday. She was laughing as she hung up. Chad put on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, and then went to the grow room.

The plants had grown another 6 inches, so he raised the lights, checked the water, and then went to the workroom. He pulled the drones out of the replicator and began working on the crystals. Chad completed cutting and shaping, then sanding and polishing by lunchtime. Taking a break, he went to the cave for lunch and charged the battery packs. Returning to his workstation, he put on the optivisor magnifier to align the pathways of the four crystals. Finally, Chad took the insertion tool and installed the crystal in the drones and the battery packs. He pressed the power buttons on the drones and controller, and they began to sync.

When the sync was complete, Al had them flying around the workroom and then landed on his workbench. Al asked him to take the drones outside and find a safe place they could land between surveillance flights and bad weather. Carrying the drones back to the cave, he thought about where they could be safe and away from the weather. Putting on the poncho, Chad blur-walked to the pole barn and looked at the horse barn. An idea began to form, and he would start on it tomorrow. He ate dinner and then went to bed.

Waking up Wednesday morning, Chad exercised and did forms, ran to the gate, showered, and ate breakfast. Then he drove the F150 to Home Depot and got a sheet of ¾” plywood, 4 2x4x8, and a small piece of sheet metal, then returned home. He got out the ladder and cut a 2 ft high and 3 ft wide hole in the horse barn at the back. He installed a platform level with an opening, then put a skirt around the platform. Last, he put an awning over the entrance to keep the rain out.

Next, Chad went to the pole barn, picked up the drones, and told Al the drone house was complete. They took off and followed him to the back of the barn, and he pointed to the opening. Chad watched them fly in, then out, hover, then return inside. Al said their home was perfect, so he went to the house for lunch. When he finished, Chad hopped on my dirt bike and used the new sliding gate to ride on his new ranch. He checked out the mountain as he went to the entrance gate. It was still locked and undisturbed, so he checked the house and barn, then rode home.

When he arrived at the pole barn, Chad saw the drones leave. Putting on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, then checked on the plants. They would be ready to harvest tomorrow, so he raised the lights, checked the water, and headed to the workroom. Al had the drone’s cameras on the monitor, and he could see one flying toward the back fence. Chad saw movement in the woods and asked Al to have the drone enter the woods and circle back.

The movement was four men in ghillie suits walking through the woods. Chad asked Al to have the drone pull back and follow the men. He ran to the cave, loaded six darts with the 50/50 mixture, put on the poncho, and blur-walked home. He loaded the new darts in one gun and put it in the shoulder holster. After putting on my camos, he grabbed the .308 rifle and backpack, then went to the pole barn. He got in the mule, drove to the trail, and parked in the woods.

Chad asked Al where they were, and she said they were halfway through the woods and taking a break. Walking through the woods on the other side of the trail, he stopped about 50 yards in, went across, climbed into a tree, and waited. When he saw them, Chad knew they were experienced operators. But he had the element of surprise on his side. The way they were moving, they didn’t expect confrontation. When they passed, he shot them with his new formula tranquilizer darts.

He confirmed they were down by kicking them in the balls, and there was no movement. Chad interrogated each of them with his phone recording, then took pictures of their faces. When he had all their information, Chad pulled out the dart gun from my shoulder holster and shot them again with the 50/50 mixture of tranquilizer darts. The combination of the two darts would screw up their memory for a few days, and they wouldn’t remember being here.

He got the mule, loaded them in the back, and drove to the pole barn. Chad stripped them to their underwear and threw them in the back of the F150. Going out of town, I looked for a spot to pull off the highway into the woods. He saw the perfect place, exited the highway, drove about a mile, and stopped. Removing each one from the pickup, Chad worked them over like they were my heavy bag for the day, then left for home. I parked in the pole barn and went home. He took a shower, then ate dinner and watched the news. The news media weren’t going to forget what the DOD did. he shut everything down and went to bed.

Chapter 3

Chad exercised, ran, and showered early Thursday morning. After breakfast, he put on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, and went to the grow room. He harvested the plants and planted the cuttings to start new plants. He stripped the plants of their leaves, put them in separate bags, then chopped the stems into tiny pieces and added them to the mulch pile. He carried the four trash bags to the cave, put on the poncho, and walked home.

Getting out the food processor, Chad ground the leaves into liquid and filled 8-gallon freezer bags. He put the bags in the freezer, made a protein drink, and ate an energy bar. When he finished, Chad went to the pole barn and drove the F150 to the back entrance of his property off the highway. He followed the dirt road and found the intruder’s van. stripped everything out of the van, parked it off the highway, jogged back to the truck, and drove home.

After parking in the pole barn, he put on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, and went to the workroom. Chad walked up to the medical bed, stripped, and lay down. He was out before the cover closed. It seemed like he was dreaming when he felt the water swirling around me. When Chad woke up, he felt great as he got out of bed and dressed. He went to the knowledge block, placed both hands on it, and froze.

Chad could now see all the information being transferred to him in data stream bursts. He absorbed the knowledge without a headache and was thankful for that. When the transfer was complete, his hands were released, and Chad knew he could explore the ship wreck again. He still had to wear protective gear and a breathing apparatus, but he wouldn’t be affected by minor exposure like before. Returning to the cave, he put on the poncho and blur-walked home.

While eating dinner, he reviewed his interrogation of the four intruders; they weren’t active-duty military. They did contract work for several agencies, but mostly worked in South America for the CIA and the DEA. The contract came through normal channels for this job. It was a snatch-and-grab job; they were to interrogate me and dispose of the body. It was identical to the jobs they do down south, so it didn’t raise any concerns for them. Chad had the email address they were supposed to confirm when the job was complete. He asked Al to send the coded confirmation to the email address and attach bots to the message. After dinner, he went to bed.

After breakfast on Friday morning, he called the fence guy and said he might find an available van parked off Highway 25 at mile marker 15 if the guy was interested, then hung up. Putting on the poncho, he blur-walked to the cave. After drinking some water from the stream, he went to the grow room. The plants have started growing, so there is no need to raise the lights. The water level was fine, so he went to the workroom and checked in with Al.

She said the bots were released when the email opened, and that Jackson Carr on the CIA’s South American desk received it. We now have access to his files, and I’m sorting through them. Chad asked how the drones were doing, and their cameras appeared on the monitor. All three were out flying patrol, and he noticed one drone was at the front gate of the new ranch. He watched three men leave a car and walk to the gate. They had a conversation and then got back in the car.

Chad asked Al to zoom in on the car’s license plate. While watching them leave, he asked Al to run the plate and get an address and registered owner. She said his name was Will Francis, the president of the Farm and Merchant Bank. Al said she took pictures of the other two men and sent them to your computer to run their faces through your facial recognition software. Chad had an idea, so he went to the cave, picked up the signal jammer, and returned to the workroom.

Setting the signal jammer on top of the replicator, turning it on, and running the wand over it. A holograph appeared with several red areas highlighted. He pressed the red button on the computer screen, and the shape completely changed. It now resembled a rifle, so Chad inserted it into the replicator and pressed the start button. When the process started, He asked Al if we could program the drones to alert us when they see a vehicle or person near or on our property.

She said it would be easy to do and that they would download the update when they returned to base. He felt something was going to happen at his new ranch soon and wanted to prepare for it. Going back to the cave, Chad put on the poncho and blur-walked to the pole barn. He loaded up the mule with supplies from the corner of the pole barn. He put in a tree stand, sleeping bag, camo tent, six smoke grenades, 12 tear gas grenades, a .308 sniper rifle, an AR-15 with six loaded clips, and two 9mm Glock 17s with extra ammo.

Stopping by the house, Chad picked up 12 bottles of water and mixed his protein into each bottle. He added six energy bars and took off to the new ranch. Upon arrival, he surveyed the property around the house and the gate. He selected a tree between the house and the gate, then installed the tree stand. Chad set up the one-person camo tent in the tree stand, then moved all the supplies into it. Returning to the mule, he looked up, and the tree stand blended perfectly into the tree line.

Driving to the gate, he staked out a series of trip wires and connected them to tear gas grenades. Driving home, Chad knew something was going to happen tonight. Parking the mule at the house, he put on the poncho and then blur-walked to the cave. He reloaded all the tranquilizer darts and then returned home. He set everything he needed by the kitchen door and ate dinner. Finishing dinner, Chad put on his camos, picked up the backpack, and drove the mule back to the new ranch.

He parked the mule in the barn and walked to the tree stand. Chad got comfortable lying on the sleeping bag and drank a protein drink while reading the news on his tablet. Getting bored, he switched to playing games. At midnight, a pickup truck pulled up, and two men got out. One had bolt cutters, and the other had a large gas can. He got the .308 and loaded a round in the chamber. When the man with bolt cutters got close to the gate, he shot him in the shoulder.

Reloading quickly, he shot the second man in the ass as he ran back to the pickup. Climbing down from the tree stand, Chad walked over to the two men and shot them with tranquilizer darts. He put them back into the pickup truck and interrogated them. The gambling operation was getting too much heat in town, so their new money man suggested using a vacant ranch as their base of operations. Their idea was to burn down the structures and set up a mobile home.

They could move to another location quickly if necessary. Chad got all their banking information and access codes, then poured the gas all over them and inside the cab. He pulled a cigarette out of the pack on the dashboard and lit a cigarette. Chad put it in the man’s mouth, threw the match on the floorboard, and ran. The fire started slowly, and then suddenly, the truck was consumed in flames. He watched the fire for a while to ensure it didn’t spread, then drove home. When he got home, Chad accessed their bank accounts, transferred the money out of the banker’s reach, and then went to bed.

Early Saturday morning, Chad got dressed, grabbed the backpack, and headed to the pole barn. On the way to town, he asked Al for Will Francis’s home address. When he arrived, he parked around the corner and walked up the alley to his house. Picking the kitchen door lock, he walked to the master bedroom. Will was in the shower, so he waited for him to come out. When he did, Chad shot him with a tranquilizer dart and then gave him a beating he will never forget.

After that, Chad interrogated him, emptied his bank accounts using his laptop, then drove to the diner for breakfast. While eating breakfast, he thought about the gambling group. The two dying in the pickup and Will’s beating will be tied together. There were no yard sales today, so he thought he would visit Lightning at the stables.

When Chad arrived, Cheryl hugged him and said she missed me coming by the stables. He asked if Cora and Lightning had eloped yet. She laughed and said no, but your boy has been busy keeping the fillies happy. We walked it to the barn, and he stopped, turned, and stared at a young Lightning. Cheryl said yes, he’s Lightning’s offspring and looks just like him. Chad walked over, and he came over to the gate and nudged my chest.

Chad scratched him behind his ears, talked to him, and continued our walk to Lightning’s stall. He was waiting for me, and the look he gave was what took you so long. Chad could tell he wanted out, so he opened the gate and led him outside to the corral. He ran around a few laps, then stopped before him and stared. Cheryl said I think he wants to run. Chad went into the barn, got a blanket and saddle, and then returned. Lightning danced around for a while, then settled down so he could get the saddle on him and clenched tight. Chad looked at Cheryl; she said Cora left Thursday for a ten-day cheerleader camp. As he mounted Lightning, Cheryl opened the gate, and we raced out to the pasture at full speed.

Chad let him run until he slowed and trotted for a while. We returned an hour later after he had his exercise. He cleaned him up and then returned him to his stall. Cheryl was exercising two horses in the corral when he returned. She said Lightning knocked up three mares and will have to expand the stables. The problem is the bank won’t loan us the money because the president doesn’t like horses. So, he asked how much she needed to do it right by right, expanding to anticipate future growth.

When she quoted him the price, Chad said, “Hold on, and let me call the contractor I used for my barn. He gave a reasonable price and did excellent work.” When he got home, Chad called his contractor and asked him to visit the stables. I told him to anticipate future growth and let me know how much it would cost. He laughed and said, “You’re paying for this, aren’t you?” Chad told him how the bank treated Cheryl so that he would finance the expansion himself. He understood and would call today to make an appointment.

Chad put on the poncho and blur-walked to the cave. He drank some water from the stream and went to the grow room. The plants had grown four inches, so he raised the lights, checked the water levels, and then went to the workroom. Opening the replicator, he removed his new signal jammer and took it to the workbench. Opening the access panel, he saw two slots that required crystals, so Chad went to the charging bench, got the tools, and selected two crystals.

He shaped, sanded, and polished, then put on the optivisor and aligned the crystals’ pathways. The process seemed to go a lot faster this time. Then, using the insertion tool, Chad put the crystals in the signal jammer, opened the battery compartment, and took the battery to the cave. He filled the battery with energy rock and stream water and returned to the workroom. When he put the battery into the signal jammer, the lights on the access panel lit up.

He was anxious to test it, but needed to be careful. Chad didn’t know how powerful it was or how it would affect electronics. Just then, Al said a vehicle was approaching the first gate. Chad saw it was an SUV with only one person in it. The man got out and pressed the intercom. Chad said what do you want? The man said I work for the federal government, and I need to ask you some questions. Chad asked Al if she had a photo of Jackson Carr at the CIA. It surprised him to see his picture in the corner of my eye.

Chad told him the gate controller broke yesterday, so he needed to go out there and manually open it. He watched the man look up at the sky, knowing something was wrong. So, Chad took the signal jammer down the tunnels to the new cave opening and peeked outside. There was a drone, maybe 50 or 75 yards above him. He pressed the power button on the signal jammer, aimed at the drone, and squeezed the trigger. The drone started to lose altitude fast, so he set the signal jammer down, blur-ran past the entry gate to the fence, and stopped. When the drone crashed, Chad jumped the fence, blur-walked to Jackson Carr, and struck his stomach with a targeted punch as he passed. Then, turning around, he struck Jackson in the lower back, and he fell face-first to the ground. Chad looked into the SUV; a man was lying in the back seat, holding a drone controller.

He was still trying to get it to work, so Chad opened the door and pulled him out by his feet. His head hit the SUV door frame, and the ground knocked him out. He kicked them both in the nuts to be sure they were out, then ran to the house and got his dart guns. Chad drove the mule back to their SUV and shot both with a tranquilizer dart. Throwing them into the back of the mule, he drove to his favorite spot, then stripped and staked them out.

He interrogated Jackson Carr, and he was pissed about losing his two best operatives. He was determined to kill me for what I did to his team. Chad tried to find out why he sent the team, but his mind was screwed up. He crushed their cell phones with a rock, picked up the pieces and their clothes, and put them in the mule. He drove the mule to the drone crash site, picked up the pieces, and noticed it had a gun mounted. Then he went to the SUV, stripped it clean, and drove to the pole barn.

While going through their clothes, he found a key card for the Holiday Inn Express, so he set it aside and continued looking through their belongings. Chad put their clothing in a trash bag and put the pieces of their cell phones and the drone parts in another trash bag. He ran a tracker wand over their supplies and put them in the back corner. It was getting late, so he went home, ate dinner, and went to bed.

Waking up at 12:10 a.m. Sunday, Chad got out of bed, showered, dressed, and then went to the pole barn. He hooked up the car dolly to the F-150, then hooked up the SUV to the dolly, and Chad drove to the Holiday Inn Express. He left their SUV on the street a block away, went to the motel, and entered through the rear door. Taking the staircase to the second floor, Chad entered their room, collected their clothes and laptops, then returned to his truck and drove home. After parking the truck and disconnecting the car dolly, Chad took the drone parts and their laptops to the cave, returned home, and went to bed.

When Chad woke up, it was after 10 a.m., and he was starved. He fixed a large breakfast and ate while reading the news. After breakfast, he drove the mule to check on the boys. They were gone, so he cleaned up the area and returned to the pole barn. Chad put on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, and then went to the grow room. He adjusted the grow lights and trimmed the lower leaves, setting aside one leaf from each grow bed and then putting the rest in the mulch pile.

Returning to the cave, he crushed one leaf, put some into the analyzer, and started the machine. Then he went to the new cave opening, picked up the signal jammer, and returned it to the vault. Gathering the drone parts and laptops, he went to the workshop and set them on his workbench. Chad took the drone parts and controller to the replicator and set the drone on top. Putting the drone together as best he could, Chad pressed the start button and ran the wand over the parts. A holograph showed several red areas; the most noticeable was the gun area. He pressed the red button, and the image completely changed. It looked more like a plane than a drone. He put the parts into the replicator and pressed the start button.

Returning to his workbench, Chad took apart the laptops, plugged the hard drives into Al, and asked her to review the files. He took the laptop shells and the cellphone pieces and fed them into the replicator. He didn’t want to take a chance that a signal could be sent or received, so we were safe now. Returning to the cave and checked the analyzer.

The process was complete, and he reviewed the report. It identified several vitamins and minerals, but three items it didn’t. I repeated the process with the second leaf and returned to the workroom. The replicator had completed the drone, so I removed it from the unit and took it to his workbench. It looked like a V-22 Osprey with dual gun ports under the cockpit.

Opening the access panel, he saw it required the same crystals but didn’t see any area for ammo loading, so he wondered what it fired. Returning to the replicator, he scanned the controller, corrected the errors displayed on the hologram, placed it in the replicator, and pressed start. Sitting at his workbench, he selected two crystals and began cutting and shaping them, then sanding and polishing. Taking a break, Chad went to the cave for a late lunch and charged the battery pack.

Returning to his workstation, he put on the optivisor magnifier to align the pathways of the two crystals. Finally, he used the insertion tool to install the crystal in the drone and the battery pack. It was ready to go except for syncing with the controller, so he called it a day, returned to the cave, put on the poncho, and blur-walked home. While eating dinner, he kept thinking about what the drone weapons shot, and it bugged him until he fell asleep.

Chad exercised, did forms, and ran to the fence early Monday morning. Then he showered, dressed, and ate breakfast. Reading the news, the CIA said two of its agents didn’t return from a weekend trip and that the agency was worried. His contractor called and said he met with Cheryl, and the price for a 12-stall addition is $65k. He told Chad she canceled several additions to make the barn more energy-efficient and to update the current structure. He asked what the upgrade cost was, and he said about $10k more.

Chad asked what asked about his work schedule? He said it’s dead now, so he priced it to keep his crew together. Chad told him to plan to start tomorrow morning, and he will give him $25k to start if you can meet me in town today. Putting on the poncho, he blur-walked to the cave and went to the vault. He counted twenty-five grand, put it in a backpack, then blur-walked to the pole barn and drove the Jeep to the stables. When Cheryl came out to meet him, he saw the sad look on her face as she said, “I couldn’t afford the addition without a loan from the bank.”

He said,” No problem, I’ll loan you the money, and if you promise not to sell Lightning Jr. “ She asked how he could afford that kind of money, and Chad told her he sold some software and could easily afford it. Construction on the barn starts tomorrow, so be ready for noise and extra people around here. Chad waved goodbye, and he drove away to meet the contractor. He smiled as Chad handed him the backpack, then gave me a receipt and left.

On the way home, he stopped at the diner for lunch. As he ate, Chad people-watched and listened to conversations. Then Will Francis, the Farm and Merchant Bank president, entered the restaurant in a power chair. His face was black and blue, and the general mood of the people in the restaurant was disgust and hate. The waitress asked him what he wanted, and he said, “Lunch.” The owner came out of the back and said, you’re not welcome here, so get your bigoted ass back outside before I throw you out.

Everyone clapped and hollered as he made a U-turn in his power chair and left. While paying his bill, the waitress told Chad the bank had turned down the restaurant owner’s loan request to remodel the diner. He said Mexicans are a terrible credit risk, so he asked to speak to the owner. His name was Santos Garcia, and he asked what I wanted. Chad told him of Cheryl’s problems at the horse stable, then asked him to write out what happened when he applied for the loan.

Chad told him he was going to Albuquerque later this week to meet with the CEO of the Farm and Merchant Bank. There is something seriously wrong with our bank here, and he will report his findings to them before going to the FDIC and the OCC. Rumors are that the bank is laundering money for illegal gambling and prostitution, and the bank president is involved. I suspect Will Francis is making fake loans to cover the illicit cash deposited at the bank. The bank can lend only a certain percentage of its deposits.

That is why the bank can’t make loans to local businesses. Chad gave Santos his email address to forward his information and said that if I can’t correct this at the corporate office, I’ll loan you the money as I did with my friend. We shook hands, and Chad went to the Jeep. When he got in, he noticed the police and fire department vehicles at the next intersection. As he drove by, Chad saw a mangled power chair on the sidewalk and a covered body in the street.

When he got home, Chad put on his poncho, blur-walked to the cave, drank some water, and went to the grow room. The plants grew 6 inches, so he raised the lights and added water to the supply barrel. Walking back to the cave, he checked the analyzer. The analyzer identified different vitamins and minerals in the first leaf. It couldn’t identify three ingredients. Chad crushed the third leaf, put it into the analyzer, and went to the workroom. He went to the replicator, removed the drone controller, and then went to his workbench. He opened the access panel at the bottom.

The battery rolled out, and he saw where a crystal chip was required. He picked up one of the small finished crystals with the insertion tool and inserted it into the controller. Taking the battery to the cave, Chad added some crushed energy rock and some stream water, then returned to his workbench. He inserted the battery, closed the controller access panel, and began the sync process. When it was complete, it took off, flew around the workroom, and landed on his desk.

Al said this drone would fly a lot faster than the surveillance drones. He asked what the guns shot, and Al said it was a pulse gun. He was about to ask what a pulse gun did, but a description of its function popped into his head. It was a non-lethal weapon that would incapacitate a person, somewhat like a target strike he practiced. Al asked him to take it outside so she could test it. Picking up the drone, he went to the cave, put on the poncho, and blur-walked to the pole barn.

After setting the drone outside the barn, Chad went to the gym and began his workout. The attack scenario today was a one-man attack from behind. After killing him three times, he went to the dummy, practiced his targeted strikes, then took a shower. While eating dinner, he read the news, and there was a story about Will Francis, the Farm, and the president of the Merchant Bank. He died crossing the street when he was hit by a garbage truck.

Witnesses said Mr. Francis attempted to cross the street at a red light and drove his power chair under the rear wheels of the trash truck. In national news, the two CIA agents are still missing, and they turned the case over to the FBI. He said good luck with that and went to bed.

Waking up Tuesday morning, Chad exercised, showered, and ate breakfast. Al said she completed the hard drive analysis, and the one belonging to Jackson Carr contained a lot of information. He took bribes from one cartel and directed the Mexican authorities to their competitors. His success rate skyrocketed after he received information from the cartel, and he was in line for a promotion. He also had four offshore bank accounts that had over 10 million in them.

Chad told Al to move all the funds into a single bank account and change the access codes. Then he asked if Jackson had any information in his files about him. She said nothing in the files or in the email communication that referenced you. While walking to the pole barn, he asked how the new drone worked. Al said it worked great, and we need two more to respond quickly to intruders. Chad told her he would work on them this afternoon and got on his Harley.

Leaving the last gate, he saw a pickup truck parked in the woods, so he ducked down and accelerated to the end of the road. When he reached the interstate, Chad notified Al of the pickup truck’s location, then rode to the stables. Cheryl was out watching the crew when he pulled up and parked. She came over and said they had started at 7 a.m. and that the framing was almost complete. Chad told her they did a great job on his barn and finished it from scratch within a week.

What do you think Cora will say when she sees this next week? She’ll flip out for sure. We walked into the stables, and Chad stopped and said hello to Lightning Jr., then went to Lightning’s stall. He was dancing at the gate, so he figured he heard my Harley pull up. Chad led him to the tack room, put his blanket, saddle, and bridle, and then led him outside. He barely allowed me to get in the saddle before taking off. Chad let him run until he had enough and slowed to a lope.

We reached the end of the pasture, so he turned him around and let him run back. He slowed down just before reaching the stables, and Cheryl was there to open the corral. He removed his saddle and bridle and let him loose in the corral. Cheryl said Lightning missed Cora, taking him out for his runs every day. Chad told her I’d come by and take him out as much as possible this week. He told her he was flying to Albuquerque on Thursday to visit the corporate office of Farm and Merchant Bank.

They screwed over the owner of the diner in town, refusing to lend Mexican Americans money because they were a terrible risk. She just shook her head and said that prick should have his head cut off. Chad laughed, said he died yesterday afternoon, and then told her the story. She said it served him right, but he took the easy way out. I would feel better if he were sentenced to 20 years in jail. He agreed and then rode back to the house.

Stopping as he got off the interstate, Chad asked Al what she had found out about the pickup truck. She said a man was in the woods by the entrance gate putting up a tree stand. The attack drone shot him climbing the tree, and he’s unconscious now. Chad asked her to keep an eye on him until he got there and drove to the pole barn. He got the mule, stopped by the house to pick up the backpack, and then drove to the gate. Opening the gate, he walked to the man and shot him with a tranquilizer dart.

Interrogating him, Chad found out he was a private investigator hired by a guy named Dave Phillips over the phone. The down payment was wired to his account, and reports were emailed to a Hotmail account. Chad put him in the mule and drove to his pickup truck. After removing all his equipment, He put him in the truck’s bed and drove to the liquor store. Chad bought a fifth of cheap whisky, then dumped him in an alley. He worked him over so it would look like a mugging, then poured half of the bottle down his throat and the other half over him.

Chad parked his pickup off the road about two miles from his exit and jogged to the mule. After putting his supplies in the mule, drove to the pole barn and unloaded his supplies in the corner. He went to the F350, loaded the mule with another batch of old electronics from Goodwill, drove to the drop-off point by the cave, unloaded, and returned to the pole barn. Putting on the poncho, he blur-walked to the drop-off point and moved the electronics into the cave.

It took him an hour to get the electronics to the workroom and disassemble them. Chad fed the parts into the replicator and programmed it to produce two new drones. Leaving the workroom, he asked Al to send a report to the Hotmail account he had given her. He asked AI to attach bots to the following message. I have arrived and set up an observation post. No activity yet to report. I will send another report this time tomorrow. Chad asked Al to find out who received the message and get as much background information as possible.

Arriving at the cave, he put on the poncho, blur-walked home, and ate dinner. Reading the local news, they found a man stabbed to death in an alley near downtown this afternoon. He didn’t have any identification, but investigators said it looked like a mugging/robbery. The victim was beaten and then stabbed several times. Nothing else was of interest, so he went to bed.

Chapter 4

Early Wednesday morning, Chad exercised and did his forms, then ran to the fence, returning to shower and eat breakfast. While getting dressed for riding, he drank the protein mix and drove the Jeep to the stables. Entering the stables, he grabbed an apple, cut it into quarters, and gave some to Lightning Jr. while Chad talked to him. He has the same disposition as his father, listening to him and then nudging me in the chest.

Chad took him out of his stall and put him in the corral to get some exercise. When he got to Lightning’s stall, he was ready to go. He didn’t want the apples, so he let him out and took him to the tack room. After he got his saddle and bridle on, Chad told him to settle down and walked outside. When he mounted him, he held the reins and told him to walk until we reached the pasture. Chad held on tight, then said, “Go,” and we were off like a rocket.

We made several trips around the pasture until he settled down. Riding back to the corral, Chad took off his saddle and put him in the corral with his son. They checked each other out, then Lightning ran after Junior, nipping his rear. They both stopped by me, and I gave them both attention and then led Junior back to his stall. Cheryl showed up and said she would take care of Lightning and put him in his stall. Chad asked how the crew was doing on the addition. She led me to the connection point to the existing barn.

He could see they had the roof on and were working on the walls. The contractor pulled up as he was leaving, and Chad asked if he needed more cash. He said yes, we spent everything on supplies to get this far. Chad told him he could write him a check or give him cash early tomorrow morning. He said cash was better, so we arranged to meet at the airfield tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.

Parking the Jeep in the pole barn, he put on the poncho and blur-walked to the cave. After drinking some water, Chad went to the grow room and checked the plants. They grew three inches overnight, so he adjusted the lights, checked the water, and went to the workroom. He removed the drones from the replicator, took them to his workbench, and retrieved the tools from the charging bench. Selecting a large crystal, he carefully cut four pieces from it and then began shaping the crystals.

After shaping, he sanded and smoothed the rough edges, then polished the crystals. Putting on the optivisor, he aligned the crystals’ pathways, then used the insertion tool to place them in the drones. Chad took the batteries to the cave, charged them with power rocks and stream water, then returned and inserted them. Al took over and had them flying around the workroom while he took the tools to the charging bench. They hovered over his workbench, then finally sat down and turned off.

Al asked him to take them outside so she could test them. Chad asked about the email she sent to the Hotmail account. Al said Anthony Conroe read it at the CIA. He was Jackson Carr’s boss at the CIA, and now our bots are in their mainframe. Chad thanked her for the update and took the drones to the cave. The analyzer finished reading the third leaf, so he put in the fourth leaf and started the machine. As he put on the poncho, he glanced at the report, which had three unidentified compounds.

Chad picked up the drones, blur-walked to the pole barn, put down the drones, and then went to the gym. Today’s attack scenario was four men with weapons, so he needed to strike low, then high, and avoid the middle part of the body. After killing them multiple times, he finished on the dummy and headed to the shower. While eating dinner, he read the local news.

Police found a burned-out vehicle on a remote dirt road with the remains of two bodies in the vehicle. They couldn’t determine how long the vehicle or bodies had been there or the cause of death. The fire destroyed all the evidence, but they found a gas can in the passenger seat and part of a cigarette outside the vehicle. Well, he thought, at least they cleaned up the mess outside his gate to the new ranch as he went to bed.

Waking Thursday morning, I exercised, showered and ate breakfast. Chad put on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, and went to the vault. He counted out $25k, added some for his shopping trip, put it in a backpack, and went to the grow room. He raised the lights, added water to the supply barrel, and then blur-walked to the pole barn. Chad drove the F150 to the airport and met the contractor. He gave me back my backpack from Monday, and I gave him mine filled with cash. He said they plan on finishing Monday or Tuesday and took off.

The flight to Albuquerque seemed to go by fast, and when he landed, Chad rented an SUV and drove to the main branch of the Farm and Merchant Bank. Walking inside, he stopped at the reception desk and asked to speak to the bank president. She asked his name, and he said to tell him Chad Chambers was here to see him. The receptionist called, then said he was busy and asked to make an appointment.

Chad said no can you show me where I can close out my accounts? She looked nervous and pointed to a man sitting behind a desk. He walked over, introduced himself, and said I wanted to close my accounts. He punched at the computer, then his eyes got huge. Chad said he would like a certified check for each account, please. He asked why I was closing my accounts, and I said I refused to bank with idiots and assholes.

He got up, said he would be right back, and almost ran to the receptionist. After a brief conversation, he went to the elevator and continuously pressed the button until the door opened. About 15 minutes later, a short, overweight bald man walked toward him and said I’m Gerald Small, the bank president. He extended his hand, and Chad looked him in the eye and asked where his checks were. By now, everyone in the bank was looking at us, so I asked again louder that I wanted my money, and I wanted it now.

Gerald Small’s face turned white, and he said a large withdrawal would take several days. So, Chad spoke louder and said you’re telling me you don’t have enough to cover my withdrawal, right? Someone behind him whispered in his ear. Then he repeated that it would take several days. Chad asked if I called the FDIC and the OCC, would they support your statement? His face turned bright red, and he shook and passed out. Chad took out his phone and dialed information, then asked for the FDIC’s local branch.

He called the number and told them of his problem trying to close his accounts, and the bank wanted to hold my funds for several days. The man at FDIC said it sounded like the bank didn’t have the cash reserve to cover his accounts, so they had to borrow money to cover the withdrawal. He asked for the bank’s name, and when I told him the line was quiet for a while, he said, “Get your money out asap,” and hung up. Chad went online, transferred all his money to his trust account, and closed the application.

The paramedics arrived and looked at the bank president on the floor. They put him on a gurney and took him to the hospital. Chad walked out of the bank and drove to the army surplus store. When he walked in, Chad heard someone yell, “Where have you been?” Trying to earn some money so I could afford to come back. He laughed, and we walked into the back room. Chad asked what he had that was new, and he said it was mostly weapons you don’t need.

I’ve got some new tranquilizer darts that will knock you out and screw up your memory. I have 48 of those, and Chad asked if he had any point-to-point beams that could hook up to his alarm system. He dug around, found a case, and then set it on top of some boxes. When he opened it, he found two point-to-point units with spikes used to mount the beams. He said the special forces used these for perimeter protection while camping. You drive the stakes into the ground and mount the beams.

He said the problem with these beams was that they were too large and heavy to carry in the field. Special ops chose to use a nylon fishing line and grenades instead. He said if you buy the beams, I’ll throw in a tranquilizer rifle for free. Chad got three more spike strips with speed bump covers and checked out. Carrying his purchases out, he seemed really happy. Chad asked him if he banked at the farm and merchant bank. He asked why, told him they were in trouble, and said the feds would arrive soon to take over.

His smile disappeared, and he said shit, how long do I have to transfer my funds. Chad told him to do it quickly because they don’t have the cash reserve to cover withdrawals. Driving back to the airport, Chad thought about Cheryl and the restaurant. He doubted either one had over $100k in the bank, so he didn’t worry. Chad loaded his purchases on the plane, returned the rental, and took off. The flight seemed to take longer, and he hit turbulence on the way home.

After parking the plane, Chad loaded his purchases in the truck and drove to the stables. Lightning and Junior were happy to see him, and Cheryl said to let Junior run behind us to get some exercise. We had a blast, and Lightning kept looking back to see where Junior was during our exercise. Chad put them in the corral and told Cheryl about the bank problem. She moved her funds to New Mexico Savings and Loan when they denied her loan. She said to leave them out in the corral to cool off, and she will put them in their stalls.

Driving home, Chad could wait to see what the replicator could do with the point-to-point beams and the dart rifle. After parking in the pole barn, he put on the poncho, blur-walked to the cave, and drank some water. When finished, he went to the workroom and put the point-to-point beams on the replicator. Chad ran the wand over the beams and spikes, then looked at the hologram. Several red areas needed improvement, so he pushed the red button and displayed the redesigned beams.