Hi again.

The plot is getting so thick, you could eat it with a fork. Hope you all don't mind the cliffhangerish endings to most of the chapters.

Chapter 80

The Worst Laid Plans

Silence hung like a veil over the truck cab during the trip back to El Centro. The entire team had just spent the last hour looking over the raider ships engine room and had found three more signs of their own handiwork.

"Look at this way" Jack offered "If you all have been maintaining that ship, then I'd say you have a legal claim to use it."

Although he had succeeded in breaking the ice, Jack had not managed to raise the slightest hint of a smile from Cid.

"How did they do it Jack; how did they get us to fix the ships that would enable them to steal our food and equipment?"

"That's the million dollar question I suppose" Jack nodded.

"I feel like A DAMNED IDIOT!" Cid punched the steering wheel in frustration "The bunker guards are obviously in on it but... but... HOW?"

With no answer to offer, Jack fell silent once again until Cid speculated on something even more disturbing.

"The raiders were always better armed than we were; did they source their weapons and ammo from the bunker too."

"If they had more guns than you, why didn't they just take over?" Jack wondered.

"I always put it down to laziness and a sense of privilege" Cid replied "They would only ever get really violent when we'd try to run them off. The raiders were always content just to let us do all the work, and then they'd just take what they needed. Pathetic if you think about it."

"To think we came half way around the world looking for answers and only ended up finding more questions" Jack snorted.

"I wouldn't mind asking a question or two for myself" Cid noted with venom in his voice.

Cid wanted to start heading north as soon as they got back to El Centro but while they were loading the Bull Ant, one of the pickup trucks arrived back from the bunker and the driver was quite agitated.

"We just got the first message from Captain Branson" he told them.

"Have you read it?" Cid asked.

"Most of it, and its dynamite stuff."

Cid asked a few locals to help load up the Bull Ant while he and Jack went inside the house to study the small pile of pages they had received. Always one to stay in the loop, Haley followed them in and as they sat down at the kitchen table, she grabbed a few pages to peruse as well.

"I like the way these are written" Cid noted "Bullet points of information with detailed explanations underneath. This professor friend of yours is defiantly well organised."

"Yeah he's fifty percent scientist, fifty percent engineer and fifty percent academic" Jack grinned.

"That's not possible; it adds up to be one hundred and fifty percent" Haley pointed out.

"You don't know the Professor" Jack disagreed "I wouldn't be surprised if there was another twentyish percent of something else in there as well."

They sat in silence for the first minute until Jack found his first great revelation.

"Good Lord... Prime Governor Redding himself is still in charge and it says here that Professor Adisa has been finding out all kinds of information from him."

"How can the Professor do that if he's a prisoner?" Haley asked.

"It says here on my page that Redding likes to keep Linton and Henry close by" Cid read "Apparently he constantly brags about how clever he is and... wait... this is interesting; he has already given orders for your friends to be released if he dies and the Professor is sure it is because he wants the truth to get out so he can gloat even after he is gone."

"Well the truth is getting out a little early" Jack noted.

"Dad, look at this" Haley passed one of her pages over.

As Cid started to read, his mouth dropped open.

"Oh this is just impossible" he gasped.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"According to this, the Earth First protests from so long ago were only small until Redding and his Deep Council used them to form the EFA and literally take over control the entire world. Apparently there were never any major battles with EFA forces, just carefully manipulated skirmishes between allied groups who thought they were clashing with the enemy."

"That has got to be one of the most disturbing things I've ever heard" Haley said.

Just then, Cid and Haley noticed Jack had fallen silent as he read and the words on his page sunk in.

"I don't like the look on your face" Cid noted.

"And you're not going to like this either" Jack shook his head "Do you know what a Hyperloop is?"

"Never heard of it" Cid replied.

"Haven't a clue" Haley agreed.

"Well whatever it is, Redding has got one that starts in Sacramento and ends inside the far end of the bunker; I think it must be some form of transport."

"Sacramento is over five hundred miles way" Haley thought "Why would he want Hydroloop thingy to go there?"

"Hyperloop not Hydroloop, and I'm wondering if it has something to do with the Raiders" Jack put forward "There's a deep water shipping channel running from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay so if they have their base anywhere in that area, it explains how you guys ended up repairing parts from the Raider Ships. Also fuel is hard to come by these days and there are bio fuel refineries inside the bunker."

"Are you telling me we have been supplying fuel and parts to the same people who steal our food?" Cid gasped.

"Could be" Jack stated "It sounds like the kind of thing Redding would do to keep both groups dependant on him."

Cid looked to his daughter to see if she was just as upset as him, but was surprised to see her crying as she read another page.

"Sweetie... what is it?"

She clasped her hand to her mouth and pushed the page into her father's hand, so he started to read.

"The bunker here is of the same size and design as the Railgun Base in Sumatra but with many differences. Where there were huge farms for food production on the western side of the Pacific, here there is a private botanical garden for Redding and two European style villages for the Earth bound members of his Deep Council. Several farms do exist but are dedicated to the production of grapes and other botanicals for use in the production of wines and spirits, as well as exotic spices and herbs so the residents can enjoy high quality meals. Indeed I feel quite guilty eating this fare, but I cannot deny these are the best meals I have ever tasted."

"Don't stop Dad... keep reading" Haley sniffed.

"These gardens, farms and wineries are tended by... oh my god... by what can only be described as... slave labour. If I understand the procedure correctly, if more staff are needed down here, an accident is staged either here or in Sacramento and... and the apparent victims are taken deep inside the bunker where they live out their lives in servitude while their friends and families grieve for their losses."

Cid just stared off into the distance as the gravity of what he had read hit home.

"Mom's alive" Haley sobbed "Mom is alive and living as a slave inside that damn bunker; we've got to get her out."

"We can't be sure Haley but if she is, then we've got to get them all out; but we have to be smart about it" Jack said "Right now we have no chance in a straight fight with those guards but I know we can work something out if we don't rush it."

"What do you have in mind?" Cid asked.

"I must admit, I'm playing it by ear at the moment but I think the first thing we should do is see if we can get some information from one of the former raiders. If we can convince them that Redding has been playing them for fools, it would make our lives easier when the time came for a rescue."

"The ones we still have after the meteor strike are over at Smit Cloud Dancer's place, but I really want to get going north. If there are any survivors out there, I don't want to keep them waiting" Cid noted.

"How about we send off the Bull Ant while you and I drive over to Smits place?" Jack offered "It moves slowly so we can always catch up with it later today."

With this plan was agreed to, Jack tried to get it underway quickly, but someone simply did not want to co-operate.

"Come on DeGroot, why won't get off and stay here?" Jack asked the stubborn man.

"I have my reasons" he replied "I'll be helpful and I promise not to get in the way."

"But the One and All may be heading back to the Railgun someday soon. Don't you want to go too?"

"Not particularly Mr. Sumner" DeGroot answered.

"You infuriating little..." Jack mumbled as paced back and forth.

"Believe me sir, I know what I'm doing" the odd man insisted, so Jack relented.

"Alright but I want you on the top deck with a pair of binoculars looking for survivors; not hiding like you usually do" Jack ordered.

"Understood Mr. Sumner."

"Where did you find that guy" Cid asked.

"The real question is when can we lose him?" Jack replied.

For the small group leaving Mars, it seemed like the day of their departure would never come. But eventually April and her crew finally found themselves on their way to the hanger to board the ship that would take them away, possibly forever. A veil of dark silence hung in the air as they walked down the corridor, away from the only home they had known for over fifteen years. Each one of them knew it was the right thing to do but that knowledge did nothing to make it easier.

Something else that was not easy to face was the man waiting for them in the anteroom of the hanger.

"Well fancy meeting you here" Marshal Baron said ironically.

"To tell the truth, no!" April declared "Why are you here Marshal, and why are you wearing a flight suit?"

"It's all thinks to you April" Baron sneered "Because of all your baseless allegations and accusations, I decided the only way to bring back some badly needed trust in the Mars Government, was for me personally to go with you to the orbit station and prove that there is nothing wrong with the supplies we sent to your husband."

This truly did come as a surprise to everyone present and it even made April doubt her opinion of the Mars leader.

"Well then... let's get going" April said as she could think of nothing else to say.

"You can get going" Marshal corrected "Talon is coming with me."

"What?" April said.

"What?" so did Talon simultaneously.

"We will be going in a separate capsule and we'll meet you in orbit" Marshal informed them.

"I don't understand" April admitted "Why are you taking another capsule and why are you taking Talon with you?"

"I'm taking a separate capsule because when you realise how wrong you are about me and the rest of the Citizens Council, we still hope that you will change your mind and come back to Mars. This would be difficult if I take your capsule with me when I return in a week or two."

"What about Talon?" April checked.

"Well it doesn't make sense for you all to go on the one ship while I go alone on the other. Talon is the only person I can order to come with me but you're welcome to join us if you wish."

"No thank you" April sneered.

"How about Saffy?" Marshal asked "Would you like to send your daughter on my ship?"

"Mom?" Saffron looked at her mother with a very worried expression on her face.

"Saffy will be coming with me" April pulled her daughter in close.

"Of course she will" Baron stated "So do you see why it was foolish of you to ask why Talon is coming with me? I wouldn't even bother to ask the Kindermans."

"You can go all by yourself for all I care" April sneered.

"It's alright Mrs. Dias" Talon interrupted "I'll see you on station."

Tensions grew as the group made their way in relative silence into the hanger, although the presence of the launch technicians helped April relax as they busily prepared for the double launch.

"I can't believe you are actually doing this" April said quietly.

"I don't really have much of a choice" Marshal replied "Can't you see the damage you have done here?"

"Don't blame me for all this; it was the Deep Council who wanted me to head up the investigation and it was the Deep Council who blocked me at every turn."

"The Citizens are in charge now but you have made the whole base think we are all just puppets" Marshal hissed.

"And you think this stunt will make everything okay?" April smirked derisively.

"It's not a stunt; it has to be done to prove you were wrong."

"Even if I am wrong about the supply ship, I know I'm right about the murder of Leonard and Florian" April declared.

"Don't forget the medic; or doesn't he matter because he wasn't a close friend of yours?"

"Go suck a lemon!" April snorted.

One by one the passengers of the both capsules were assisted into their seats. Technicians fitted every seat harness and connected each suit to the internal air supply while others did final visual safety inspections inside and out. Because of the high gravity and thick atmosphere of Earth, each capsule would have to be mounted on top of a massive multistage rocket booster but here on Mars, a small reusable booster the size of a minivan was all that was needed to achieve orbit.

With all checks complete, the ships were moved into the airlocks on mobile platforms. Once they had cleared the outer doors, it was only a short ten minute trip to the launch site. Halfway through this journey, Marshal Barron switched on his intercom and was patched into the Main Base Communication System.

"Good morning everyone; this is Marshal Barron speaking. As of this moment I am officially stepping down as current head of the Mars Citizens Council because I am taking a little trip. Recently the trustworthiness of the Mars leadership has been called into question for a second time. I suppose this is understandable because we were all surprised to find out about the existence of the Deep Council, but some people have had a very hard time accepting the fact that they no longer hold any sway over the base. These people have even made baseless allegations about me, as well as about the supplies we have sent to the orbit station for our friends in space.

This is why I am leaving Mars in a few minutes to spend some time at the Orbit Station, where I will meet the new arrivals from Earth and sustain myself with the food many people believe has been tampered with. You may ask if I am worried about coming into contact with April's long lost son and the girl from Earth, but the answer is no. Everyone has done their time in quarantine so we can all feel safe about their arrival. Rumours have spread saying we on Mars do not want any visitors from our old home, but this is simply not true. We merely wanted to be sure all visitors were free of any pathogens that could harm our children, who have never been exposed the Earth environment; I'm sure you will agree it is a wise precaution to take.

I hope when I return, I will be able to resume my place on the Citizens Council, but I will not be seeking the leadership position for the time being, because we have many good and qualified people who could easily take on the next term as leader.

Thank you for listening and I will see upon my return; Marshal Barron out."

Gretel Descott stood in near the back wall of the control room, watching as the preparations for launch were completed. Barron's little address would surely set Martian tongues wagging as the populous began to doubt if the accusations of April Dias could be trusted. If she was wrong about the supply ship, maybe she is also wrong about the recent deaths being murder. A wry smile spread across Gretel's face at the thought of the tide turning against April when she was not around to defend herself. Gretel hoped the problems of the recent past would soon just melt away.

"Oh what is it now?" Gretel asked herself when her communicator buzzed.

"Is Marshal going in the same capsule as the others?" The voice on the line panted and seemed short of breath.

"Who is this?" Gretel snapped.

"Its Barry Fine and I think one of the capsules has been sabotaged!"

Without answering, Gretel closed the connection and moved into an empty back room. She presses a secret series of numbers on her communicator and waited impatiently for a reply.

"What is it?"

"I just received a call from Barry Fine" Gretel said with urgency "He says one of the capsules may have been tampered with so is there anything I should know; anything you want to tell me?"

"If any action had been taken, you would have been informed."

Without another word, the connection was cut so Gretel returned to the control room. Everything was proceeding as normal with only a few more seconds left on the countdown when the side door flew open and Barry Fine literally fell into the room.

"Oh no!" he said when he saw two ships on adjoining pads.

"What is your problem Fine?" Gretel snapped.

"A few days ago, I saw someone tampering with Capsule 3" he said "I tried to find out what they had done, but couldn't find anything wrong."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" The head controller asked

"Without any proof? If I had mentioned it, there is a very good chance I would have been the next one to turn up dead."

"So you did nothing and waited until now to tell us; are you crazy?" Gretel barked.

"I did do something about it" he answered.

Just then, the countdown reached its conclusion and the two ships slowly lifted off their pads.

"I swapped the Ident Transceiver from Capsule 3 with the one in Capsule 10. I figured if there was something wrong with 3, then we could try and find it later."

"What number capsule are Barron and my son in?" Gretel asked.

"Capsule 10, which would mean they are really in... Capsule 3" the controller admitted.

Although Gretel wanted to believe what the other Deep Council member had recently told her, she had a definite sinking feeling and it was only getting worse with every passing second.

With the temperature topping over 40 C yesterday, I went to the beach in the evening to just watch the sunset, float and chat with friends. When I got home there was a little orange cat in the driveway. He was very friendly and stuck around for a chin scratch before heading off. I hope he visit again because the black one hasn't been back.