Through Many Fires (Strengthen What Remains) by Kyle Pratt Page B

me the father? He pushed that out of his
mind. Did she say anything about wanting to go with me to Washington? No!
But then has she had the chance to ask? No.
    He
grunted and walked slowly along as people passed him on all sides. They
would only complicate the trip. I’m not even sure I have this job.
    Someone
bumped into him. “Excuse me.”
    Caden
didn’t look up or reply. I can’t ask the governor to help strangers. He
walked in the direction she had gone, trying to decide whether to talk to her. I
don’t owe her anything. He winced. Yes, I do. She had saved his life
and that was a debt he was honor-bound to repay. Shuffling along, his eyes
fixed on the ground, he realized he had been thinking only of himself. Her
company was pleasant and he wanted to share with her all he had accomplished
during the day, but now he felt alone and his triumph was diminished. It
might be nice to have someone to talk to, if she wanted to come along. Even
Adam was growing on him.
    From
behind Caden heard a familiar voice call him.
    “ Were
you able to make the arrangements?” David asked.
    Caden
briefed him on his successful day.
    “ That’s
great.”
    Caden
smiled, but his heart was not in it.
    “ Come
back to my camp. I’ve got some news stories I want you to see. I figure with
your military and intel experience you might have some insights into what is
going on.”
    Caden
wanted to find Maria, talk with her, change flight arrangements so she could
come with him, but he felt obliged to go with David.
    As the
last orange glow in the western sky faded, a C5 cargo plane lumbered along the
tarmac. David led him away from the refugee camp toward the base administration
buildings at the far end of the installation.
    Dozens
of men with shovels and two backhoes dug a trench several hundred yards long
across their path.
    “ They’re
dividing this place into a secure military section and a refugee camp.” David
pulled a badge from his pocket and clipped it to his shirt as they crossed a
makeshift bridge over the trench. “In a few days civilians will need a Homeland
Security ID to get on this part of the base.”
    Caden
glanced at the badge. It was the same type he had been issued earlier in the
day.
    Moments
later, they walked around to the back of the administration building. “This is
my new car,” David said as he approached a silver Ford SUV.
    Admiring
the spotless car, Caden nodded.
    David
opened the side door. “I bought the car the day after the first attack.”
    Caden
thought for a moment. “You flew here with Governor Monroe and after the attacks
needed a way home.”
    David
smiled. “Pretty close.” He pulled out two folding chairs and motioned for Caden
to sit down while he shuffled through folders on the car seat. “The Governor
and I flew to Tallahassee to meet with Governor Hagen. Florida is a critical
swing state. But that night…the night of the DC attack, I was meeting with
campaign workers in Pensacola. I immediately contacted Monroe. We had a meeting
scheduled the next day in Atlanta. He decided we should all meet there,
but…well…you know what happened.”
    Memories
of Becky on the television at that awful moment shot through his mind. Caden
frowned and nodded.
    With a
weak grin on his face he said, “I paid for the car with a credit card.”
    “ I
don’t envy your payments.”
    David
was still for a moment. His eyes stared into the distance. “Will I ever make a
payment?”
    Caden
shrugged and felt strangely cold.
    Weston
sighed and pulled a folder from the floor of the car. “Here is what I wanted
you to look at.” He handed it to Caden and sat beside him. “It’s clippings and
photocopies from newspapers mostly. Anything I thought might lend some insight
into what or why this is happening.”
    Caden
opened the folder. Several reports near the top of the stack he had already
read. Setting those aside he came to an article from the Miami Herald.
    A group claiming to
represent the terrorists has