"How rough? Don't send me in blind, but be careful what you say."
"Slavers."
That one word brought mutters from the half a dozen men now lingering around the radio truck and Adrian keyed the mic, "Do any of you know Morse code?"
"No... Wait."
There were a few seconds of silence.
"We know it."
Adrian waved a hand to Kenn and the Marine opened his notebook, slid into the other chair. "Get ready for a message. Word for word, Marine. Don't miss one."
"Go ahead, Safe Haven."
Adrian gave Kenn the mic. "Say the number, five."
Kenn tapped and they waited.
"Five."
"Say the state, Nevada."
"Nevada."
Kenn gave Adrian a nod and got ready to work.
"We will fight for you, protect you, and feed you. In return, you'll be expected to obey and work for it."
There was a lot of tapping and silence, and Adrian waited impatiently for this part to be over so he could get to the information he needed.
"Agreed, but everyone goes."
Kenn handed the mic back to Adrian, and the leader's voice was flat, "We don't leave Americans behind. I've got some questions. Ready?"
"Roger that, Safe Haven and thank you. You're the first Americans we've heard, who aren't in the same boat as us."
Kenn took the mic back, frowning. "Tell exactly double the number of people you have. Include everyone."
"Seventy."
"How many fighters? Double it."
"Ten."
Both men winced. "Weapons?"
"Limited." Tap tap tap tap tap. "A few hand guns. No ammo."
"Have you seen the Slavers?"
"Yes. Twice, from a distance."
"How many are there? Double it and add a hundred."
"Not exact, four hundred?"
Adrian's frown was deep. "Where are they now?"
The taps went on for a long time, Kenn's hand flying, and then he was circling an area on the map and holding it up for the boss to see. Adrian counted quickly.
Tap tap tap tap tap…
He looked over his Marine's shoulder, reading out loud: "Heard them this morning. They spend a few days each time they take a town. Most people here are from the places they've invaded."
Kenn gave Adrian a look. "Based on his calculations, they're only four towns away from Cheyenne. Two and a half weeks."
Adrian nodded, the plan falling into place in his head. He didn't like it, but it was the only thing he could do. "Tell them to be ready from the 21st. Radio silence until then, unless they see or hear of the Slavers reaching Wellington. Switch to channel 18 and say double the date I've just given you."