Stealth Triumph Read online

  Table of Contents

  Stealth Triumph

  Prologue

  Part 1: Sowing

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Part 2: Reaping

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Part 3: Threshing

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Part 4: Triumph

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  The Last Chapter

  Books by Vikki Kestell

  Stealth Genesis

  Introducing The Tahoe Mysteries

  Laynie Portland

  A Prairie Heritage

  Girls from the Mountain

  Nanostealth

  About the Author

  Stealth Triumph

  Nanostealth | Book 6

  Vikki Kestell

  Also Available in Print Format

  The nanomites have uncovered a vast international intrigue, a conspiracy comprising thousands of individuals in key positions across many nations. They call themselves the Global Community, and they are led by the wealthy, powerful, and elite—militant ideologues who believe they possess the right to determine the future of humankind.

  The nanomites prefer the term Jayda and Zander have given the conspirators: the Cabal.

  Jayda Cruz, members of the Global Community speak of themselves in lofty, righteous terms; however, the noun “cabal” means a plot or scheme with treacherous objectives. “Cabal” more accurately expresses the Global Community’s agenda as well as their methodologies.

  It was the Cabal’s plan to engineer and deploy a highly contagious virus—a virus that has killed untold millions around the earth. The loss of life has crippled the world’s food producers, manufacturing industries, and supply chains. Under the weight of increasing terrorist strikes, abnormal crop failures, and natural disasters on a scale of Biblical proportions, nation after nation descends into famine and anarchy.

  As America faces food and fuel shortages never before seen in her history, panic grows. Urban infrastructures collapse. Law enforcement crumbles. Violent gangs roam city streets unchallenged, burning, looting, and murdering—and some of those gangs are paid to target opponents of the Global Community.

  When Jayda and Zander peer into the nanomites’ counterinsurgency activities, they observe odd movements within the Cabal’s leadership. They soon realize that they are witnessing a “bugging out” of top Cabal figures, a retreat to a safe haven somewhere in the Atlantic.

  What is this new threat looming on the horizon? Jayda and Zander can only surmise that it must be something more terrifying than what is already overwhelming the nations.

  Stealth Triumph

  ©2022 Vikki Kestell

  All Rights Reserved

  Faith-Filled FictionTM

  http://www.faith-filledfiction.com/

  http://www.vikkikestell.com/

  Dedication

  Dedicated to the faithful workers in Christ:

  Jesus told them,

  “The harvest is plentiful,

  but the workers are few.

  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore,

  to send out workers into his harvest field.

  Go! I am sending you out

  like lambs among wolves.”

  Luke 10:2-3, NIV

  Acknowledgements

  From my heart to yours,

  thank you,

  Cheryl Adkins and Greg McCann.

  Cover Design

  Vikki Kestell

  Scripture Quotations

  King James Version (KJV)

  Public Domain.

  New American Standard Bible (NASB)

  New American Standard Bible®,

  Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020

  by The Lockman Foundation.

  All rights reserved.

  New International Version (NIV)

  The HOLY BIBLE,

  NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.

  Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984

  International Bible Society.

  Used by permission of Zondervan.

  All rights reserved.

  New King James Version® (NKJV)

  Copyright ©1982 by Thomas Nelson.

  Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT)

  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015

  Tyndale House Foundation.

  Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Prologue

  Although contemporaneous in setting,

  this story is a work of fiction.

  I pray it strengthens the Body of Christ

  for what lies ahead.

  Be fruitful, my friends.

  May 1

  I sat on the sofa with Bonnie. She was fed, burped, diapered, wide awake, and perfectly content. And today she was three weeks old.

  “Who’s a pretty baby?” I cooed. Bonnie Lu’s eyes fixed on mine. She waved her arms and legs with uncoordinated excitement. Then . . . a wondrous thing happened.

  “Oh, Bonnie Lu. You precious girl!” I turned my head. “Psst. Papa, come here, quick! I want to show you something.”

  “Working on my message for Sunday, Jay.”

  “It will only take a minute—and I’m positive you’ll find the interruption worth it.”

  Zander left the kitchen table where he was eating lunch, his Bible on the left, his notes on his right. He plopped down beside me on the couch, and I placed Bonnie Lu on his lap so that her head rested on his knees and she faced him. Then I got up and moved behind the couch where I could watch.

  “What?” he asked. “What did you want to show me?”

  “Talk to Bonnie Lu. And smile while you do.”

  I hoped she would show him what she had showed me.

  “Talk to her and say what?”

  “Oh, the usual. You know—that you love her. That God loves her even more. That she’s beautiful, made in the image of the Lord.”

  “I can do that!” Zander bent to his task with enthusiasm.

  He smiled his love down on her. “Little Bonnie Lu? I’m your papa, honey. Hey, precious girl! Look here, baby. Do you know how much Daddy loves you?”

  Bonnie kicked a little and waved her hands. While Zander spoke, her dark eyes slowly tracked toward his voice and face. We both saw the moment she “found” him. Her little mouth opened, and her deep brown eyes widened as if she were amazed.

  “Hey, Bonnie Lu!” Zander crooned. Without taking his eyes off of her, he said to me, “So, what am I looking for?”

  “Keep talking and smiling. You’ll find out.”

  “Hey, little Bonita Lucia!”

  Bonnie gurgled . . . and it happened.

  Her mouth turned up in a toothless smile and two small dimples popped out on her pudgy
cheeks not far from the corners of her mouth. She kicked harder. She grinned up at her Papa.

  Zander gasped. “Oh, wow! She smiled!”

  “Was that worth the interruption?”

  Zander couldn’t answer; he was undone. “Oh, my Lord Jesus,” he groaned. “Oh, thank you! Thank you for this blessing! Bonnie, you are so beautiful!”

  Bonnie saw Zander’s countenance crumple. She went still. Her lower lip trembled.

  I leaned over Zander’s shoulder. Caught Bonnie’s gaze. “It’s okay, Baby Bonnie. Your daddy is okay.”

  Zander dragged his sleeve across his face. “I am never going to be ‘okay.’”

  I was right there with him—besotted beyond all belief and so happy that all my excess joy leaked out of my eyes.

  “Welcome to the first of many firsts, Papa. Guess I need to record this in her baby book, huh? Today our Bonnie Lu smiled for the first time, and it was glorious!”

  We have recorded this important milestone for you, Jayda Cruz.

  “Thank you, Nano.” When I added to Bonnie’s baby book, the nanomites’ records would prove invaluable.

  Zander rose from the couch, lifting Bonnie into his arms. I laughed as, with his free arm, he drew me into his embrace. With Bonnie nestled between us, Zander leaned in for a long, unhurried, and deepening kiss.

  It was getting good, really good . . . when the nanomites interrupted.

  We must now return to our work, Jayda Cruz and Zander Cruz. If you need us, we will bring our attention back to you.

  Zander and I snickered. Our eyes but inches apart, I mouthed the word “clueless.”

  Not pulling back an iota, that glint in his gaze promising me we were not finished, Zander replied, “We understand, Nano. The Lord bless your work for him and oh, by the way? Lights out.”

  Part 1:

  Sowing

  When the Lamb opened the third seal,

  I heard the third living creature say,

  “Come!” I looked, and

  there before me was a black horse!

  Its rider was holding

  a pair of scales in his hand.

  Then I heard what sounded like a voice

  among the four living creatures, saying,

  “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages,

  and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages,

  and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

  Revelation 6:5-6

  Chapter 1

  By the time the first full week of May drew to a close, Zander and I were convinced that the fabric of American society was unraveling right before our eyes—and we saw no way to slow or stop it. The ordinary freedoms and carefree lives we’d known while we were growing up were gone, and they would not return. Disease, disaster, crop failure, and ongoing supply chain issues were impacting all aspects of what we had taken for granted for decades.

  Instant gratification? Instantly vanished.

  Limitless varieties of imported fruits and vegetables? Gone like they’d never existed.

  Availability of chicken and eggs? Decimated by avian flu.

  Shelves fully stocked with more food than we needed? Empty more often than filled.

  The independence on which we Americans prided ourselves to the point of idolatry? Swirling around the drain in an agonizing death spiral.

  Being a loner and “doing things my way” in this changing world was no longer tenable. No longer an option.

  Few were prepared for what overtook us. Most eyes peeping out from behind masks were drowning in fear. Radiating a palpable anxiety.

  The virus raged hotter, hospitals continued to overflow, thousands died and were buried in mass graves. Houses stood vacant; entire neighborhoods went quiet.

  The most vulnerable of our citizens disappeared into their homes lest they join the ranks of the infected. Overnight, this “ghost” population became totally dependent on family or the kindness of friends to bring them their medications and enough food to get by.

  That’s part of what I meant when I said that being a loner was no longer an option.

  Sporadic brownouts rolled across the country, leaving cities in temporary darkness and creating gaps in every sort of service dependent upon the electricity and internet—phones, social media, credit cards, direct deposit, and electronic banking, to name a few.

  We had a standing video call with Roberto, María, and Izzie every Tuesday evening, but our last call with them hadn’t happened until Sunday afternoon. A storm had knocked out a substation in southwest Texas. The added load had, in turn, overloaded power grids across Lea, Eddy, Otero, and Doña Ana counties. When Las Cruces lost power, Zander’s parents’ place went dark. No cell service? No scheduled video call.

  It only took a few of these experiences for people to realize how fragile our infrastructure really was . . . and how dependent we were on technologies that could fail at any time.

  School buildings remained closed. Teachers used whatever form of distance learning their district adopted. Businesses that weren’t designated “essential” stayed shut down or operated remotely. Those businesses that switched to a remote work environment could function only when the electrical grid and the internet were up and running.

  At the same time, some designated essential services, unable to staff appropriately, had to close their doors anyway—adding to the “pinch” citizens were already feeling. Stores that managed to stay open had to employ armed security guards by the dozen or arm their workers to discourage the brazen robberies that had become quite unremarkable.

  With refineries understaffed and unable to meet demand, gas stations rationed fuel or shut down. In turn, truckers carrying the nations’ food supplies occasionally found themselves stranded . . . and robbed at gunpoint. In response, trucking unions formed convoys and hired armed “shepherds” to see the convoys safely to their destinations. The strategy protected the trucks and their cargoes—but it radically slowed deliveries and drove up prices.

  BEFORE THINGS STARTED to get really tight, I bought up a substantial amount of extra nonperishables, thinking to create a small buffer for ourselves, Abe, and Emilio. Then I started spending more than my usual amount on groceries each week, picking up whatever was available in quantity to add to our buffer.

  Zander and I set our hearts not to hoard, only to pad Abe’s and our cupboards in addition to what we needed for the week. However, if an item was low on the shelves, we took our share, no more.

  Emilio, going on twelve, now spent two nights a week with us. We found that he managed to pack away as much food as Zander, yet another reason to stock our shelves deeper. We made sure Abe had plenty to feed that boy, and we no longer took Abe’s money when I went to the store.

  “Feeding Emilio is our responsibility now,” Zander told Abe. “We’ll keep your fridge and cupboards stocked; you use the foster money to see to his other needs and keep some back for unexpected expenses, okay? Hopefully, the courts will open in a few months and the adoption will go through. Then he’ll move in with us and visit you.”

  Abe grinned. “Grateful to God ever’ day for bringing that boy into my life. Sure do love him.”

  We sure did too.

  But over the following week the nanomites blew us away. Apparently, they had located online sources for bulk foods. The next thing we knew, boxes of freeze-dried meat, fruit, soup mixes, and main courses landed on our porch. Cases of powdered eggs, canned bacon, baby food, and other necessities arrived via UPS.

  Zander Cruz, Jayda Cruz, these supplies are for long-term storage and emergency use.

  “Nano, where in the world do we even keep this stuff?” Zander asked, surveying the abundance stacked in our living room.

  We recommend that you put them in the printer room. You will need them.

  “Right . . .”

  Initially, when the lockdowns began and we went to online church services, the board had been concerned that offerings would decline, that expenses would outstrip giving. Zander, thinking to econo
mize, had tried to decline a salary. What Malware paid us for “my” research and analysis work was more than enough to meet our simple needs.

  But offerings hadn’t declined. In fact, the members of our congregation were giving more generously than usual and our online worshippers were also giving. This enabled the church to contribute substantially to several food pantries across the community, help those in the church who were hardest hit by the pandemic, and reach out to others in our community who were in danger of losing their homes or cars.

  And the board insisted that Zander receive a monthly salary.

  We prayed over the extra money, asking the Lord what he’d have us do with it, asking him for both wisdom and selflessness. We tithed, paid our adoption lawyer ahead of schedule, added to our savings account, and we socked away a bit of cash, an emergency stash in case the banks closed permanently.

  We squirreled our emergency cash away in the garage basement along with our emergency rations. Not only was the existence of a room under the garage a closely held secret, but a body of newly minted nanotroops also guarded the printshop.

  Our troops can float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, Zander Cruz—a bee loaded with no more than a few milliamps of current—yet a sting sufficient to take down an assailant. Our tribes will knock out all comers without harming them, but they will stop them. As you know, we require the printer far more than you need these emergency funds. They will protect the printer for us and protect the money and food for you.

  Shaking his head, Zander enlisted Emilio to help him mount shelves in the printer room and stack our “Zombie Apocalypse” supplies there—the stuff that would keep for twenty years . . . the stuff we wouldn’t use unless our situation became drastically worse.

  Worse? We had no idea.

  WEEKS LATER, WHEN THE ability of grocers to stock their shelves declined further, people panicked. Riots broke out in three stores. People loaded carts and ran them to their cars without paying. One store was stripped to its bones in less than an hour . . . and virus cases, traced to the riots, surged.

  In response, the managers of groceries across Albuquerque formed an alliance. In the alliance’s first act, they lowered the number of shoppers allowed inside their stores at any given time and set strict limits on how much of any given item or food type a shopper could buy. Then they set a total dollar limit per visit as well. In this way, they announced, everyone could leave the store with a smaller but balanced amount of food.