Death and The Divide Read Free Page B

secret meeting with the IPP tonight and he couldn’t miss it. The group was making headway with its propaganda campaign. Unfortunately, they still had some members who tended to more radical ideas, advocating violence. He wanted to make sure that element didn’t make any inroads.
    After a stop at a quick food outlet, he sped from Mobile to Montgomery. He checked his dashboard control panel. He’d make it in time if no accidents blocked highway lanes. This road hadn’t installed navigation tracks yet, and humans sure loved to speed through here.
    He arrived five minutes before the meeting started. Someone had chosen a house on the outskirts of town in a wooded area as tonight’s designated spot. He had no idea who owned it. After passing several men with double barrel blasters guarding the long driveway, he parked among a field of other vehicles. A few men and women milled about on a porch that ran across the front of the house. They froze and glanced to the drive when he pulled in, then resumed their conversations when they identified the newcomer.
    His friend, Jack, came down the porch steps and shook his hand. He was about fifty with black hair graying at the temples. He maintained a commanding, charismatic presence that drew many followers. “Glad you made it. What happened in Mobile?”
    Linc shuddered then gave a brief description of the tragic scene. “One of my team suggested it might have some link to the seagull incident in Tampa and the dolphin killings in Texas. That would mean this is a bigger issue than a random anomaly of nature. I have to admit, the similarities of the occurrences are little too coincidental for my peace of mind. I mean, we’re talking about animals attacking their own. The basic rules of survival of the species should eliminate such evolution.”
    Jack put a calming hand on his shoulder and guided him toward the house where others also made their way. “This is disturbing. Any ideas what could cause animals to attack in that manner?”
    Linc rubbed his forehead. “Not yet. We’ll have a look at the tissue samples tomorrow, and I’m going to contact whoever has the bird and dolphin remains. If this is cross species, we could have a catastrophe on our hands.”
    “I hear you. We’ll make sure the members are aware of this situation in all districts of the South. National disasters have to be accounted for in our planning.”
    “Any new ideas for a takeover?” Linc asked. The Independent Progressive Party was not allowed a legal place in the South’s political system, but the underground movement had grown over the past ten years. They actually stood a chance to replace the ultra-conservative leadership that currently ran the government. They hadn’t conducted an official meeting of the leadership in two months, so he suspected some inside discussions may have led to opportunities not yet made public to the general membership.
    His friend grinned. “You’ll have to wait to hear with everyone else, my friend.”
    After guards scanned their I.D.’s, they gathered in a large underground bunker where lines of chairs awaited in auditorium style with a podium at the front of the room. Chairs scraped the floor, and murmurs faded as members took their seats.
    Jack stood before them and held up his hands, his commanding presence ending any remaining conversations. A heavy sense of anticipation weighted the silence that enveloped the room. Linc sat near the rear and leaned forward in his chair, eager for news. Jack had also asked him to monitor members’ reactions during meetings. Rumors of dissidents had the leader worried.
    “Greetings, fellow members,” his friend said. His deep voice penetrated the silence without a microphone. “As you know, we have not called a local meeting in a couple of months. That’s because I had to travel to a gathering of our supreme council a few weeks ago. What I have to tell you tonight is a result of the information I received there.”
    A few