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Post by 223shootersc on Mar 21, 2024 16:53:00 GMT -6
MOAR Hounds, I was able to get a little more writing in the last couple of days and I have to go out of town for work tomorrow. Thus I am dropping this Chapter a little early. Hope you enjoy and comments are always appreciated by the author. Hope you enjoy the work.
Chapter 8
At the FPM & Co. warehouse Petrus was introducing Jane Casey to his family and Bram was not agreeable to the new addition to the Fourie Clan. Gerrit seeing his older brother about to lose control over his son stepped into the family quarrel. “Bram let me set you straight, you need to show some respect for your father and mother. Bram you are nothing but a little spoiled rich kid. One who greatly over estimates their worth in life and how far they can press the hand that feeds them. See that fancy truck you drive over to the fancy private school that your dad had to pay extra to get you into for let us just say a less than spectacular academic record. I know you have been told you are all that because you inherited the Fourie DNA for height and are pushing six eight and are just seventeen. Your dad has been paying for basketball camps and private trainers and coaches to work with you since you were ten. I am guessing you think you got invited to all those camps because of your talent and not your families check book. The straight answer is no you did not get invited on merit to any of those top-rated camps. Heck, your dad paid through the nose for the coaches votes for All-State last season. I can see from the stupid look on your face that you are in disbelief. It is amazing what money can buy, the new wing at the business school at the University of South Carolina insured the scholarship offer to play basketball for at least one year, no playing time guaranteed. If you do not believe me I, have it all on video just in case the administration wanted to back out on their end of the deal. I will be glad to show it too you over the next few days. I also have multiple vids of your so-called girl friend or is it fiancé, leaving her house. Then going and meeting other fellows after you let her out at home after your dates. My advice to you is shut your yap, or get and that fancy truck and go see if your girl is at home right now. If she is I say you stay with her and if you are still alive three weeks from now, we will let you back in here to see your mom and dad. I know they love you too much to say these things to you. However, my brother and I have many talks about how he spared the rod when you were young and he regrets it because of what you have become. The one thing that we always hated when we grew up in South Africa a spoiled brat who treated us farmers as if we were not equal to them. Now you have two choices as I see it, get in your truck, and leave or accept the fact that you are what you are because of your mom and dad. Thank them for all they have done for you and promise to make them proud from now on of your own merit. Either way do not be mad at them be mad at your uncle Gerrit.” Gerrit turn and gave Petrus and Aletta an I am sorry look and started to walk away from the three of them for them to have some alone time. Taking Jane by the hand to go and show her room, he was about to be hit in the back with a metal tray by Bram when Jane let go of his hand and hollered, “Look out.” Turning away from Gerrit and towards Bram who was about to hit him with a heavy metal tray she palmed her Eafengrow 335 lock blade from her right front pocket. She palmed the blade still closed and delivered a blow to the right wrist of the attacker. The blow hitting a pressure point she had learned in her study of Kali Eskrima. Bram dropped the heavy metal tray and screamed in agonizing pain from the pinpoint strike Jane had made to his arm. As quickly as she had struck her Eafengrow went back into her pocket and she assume a stance that would allow her to access both of her weapons if the family retaliated.
Gerrit saw the lioness put her knife back in her pocket and assume a defensive Krav Maga stance that he was familiar from his military days while his useless nephew was now on the floor crying like a little baby. Gerrit spoke, “My young lioness Jane, you need not worry about retaliation from my brother or myself. Thank you for defending me from my stupid and what would have been a feeble attack by nephew. I had heard his attack coming and had looked to make sure he was not attacking you, to defend you from him. I honestly did not think he had the cajónes to attack me, figured he was more the attack the defenseless young woman type. I guess we were both wrong. It is evident that there is more to you than what meets the eye. I am sure we will have some time soon to discuss your training and maybe even do a little sparring in our down time. I look forward to the opportunity, if you promise not to be too hard on an old man who is out of shape and training. The second thing is I guess Bram has been told for so long that he is superman that he believes it. Maybe your little show of force will be just the medicine for his ego to bring him back to the here and now. As Clint Eastwood said, ‘a man has to know his limitations’ you know what I mean, Ms. Jane?” Jane just grinned and curtsied as Petrus clapped for her performance and Aletta went to her son who was complaining that his arm was broken.
Jane walked over and squatted down beside the moaning Bram and said, “Hold still for one second and I will take the pain away.” Looking to Aletta to sooth Bram with an assuring look to his mother. Aleeta said, “Bram, be still now, honey and let Jane fix the arm.”
Jane caught his arm near his elbow joint and then took her left hand about half way down his forearm and pushed two fingers into a place between the bones and pushed down hard and released the pressure point. The Acupressure relieved the pain almost immediately. It did not however remove the big bruise or the ache from the delivered strike she had delivered. Jane looked to Aletta and said, “He needs some Advil or Tylenol for the bruise and swelling to come. Might want to wrap it in an Ace bandage or something just to keep him from hitting or bumping the bruised area for a day or two. Ma’am. Sorry for hitting your son. The blow will do no permanent harm to him. He will be good as new in three or four days. I could not let him attack Gerrit from behind. I hope you understand.” Making eye contact with Aletta, woman to woman to make sure there was no latent animosity she would need to deal with in the future. Seeing none, she smiled at Aletta and bow her head a little as she got up to go with Gerrit and see about her new home. Walking up to Gerrit who was talking with his brother and they were both listening to someone on the phone. Jane just stood a few feet away, as to not intrude on the phone conversation of the brothers that she could tell by their attentiveness was a serious phone call of some type. She guesses the call had something to do with the events that Petrus had warned her were scheduled for the next day. She watched in amazement at the look on the two South Afrikaners faces as they had apparently lost contact with whoever they had been conversing with on the phone.
After listening for about a minute to his friend Calhoun, Tom asked, “Calhoun now let me make sure I got this straight. At three am this morning the order will be issued for the attack by the Russians in Moscow. Best guess it we have no more than five to ten minutes before the birds fly from Russia towards America then we have thirty minutes or so of flight time to American soil. Is that right?” Looking at his Seamaster he saw that it was two-fifty-eight and he began to sweat like a whore in church.
Calhoun replied, “More or less. If they have anything in the Gulf that lets loose the nuclear beast or is they have Submarines off either coast or in the Gulf of Mexico then the flight time would be minutes to shore facilities like Houston, Fort Hood Texas, any of the bases along the coastlines or even a couple of miles inland would be less than ten minutes till splash in Washington, DC, or New York City. By four am EST we will have bombs on American soil if we cannot knock them down. The good news is we bought all the systems from Israel besides the Patriot systems we have Arrow-2, Arrow-3, David’s Sling and the famed Iron Dome in place and our techs have upgraded everyone since we got them and sent the engineering upgrades back to Israel. We also have the space-based weapons that everyone thinks we might have but are not sure they even exist. Best guess from the think tanks is we get ninety-to-ninety-six-point five percent of ICBM’s what they shoot at us. That still leaves anywhere from nine or ten to twenty-five getting through. Not to mention the submarine-based missiles they fire, that we probably do not get many of them. We have set up pickets with our ships on the east coast around the Virginia coast and all along the west coast. As you know they will not get them all, really our space-based lasers are our best bet. They will get some of them they will not get them all. Tom, I wish Ruth and you the best. I need to talk with my wife and kid before we go black. As they say my friend duck and cov….” The phone line went dead and the lights in the plant blinked.
Tom took a deep breath and announced, “Hey everyone, listen up. That was my friend Calhoun from the agency headquarters in Langley. He was telling me that the Russians were giving the order to attack at three o’clock this morning. I lost contact with him at almost exactly that time according to my watch. That is when the lights blinked here also. Our electricity is hardened to EMP here at the plant. I need for Nat or Jerry to take the elevator to the top floor it will exit to the roof of the plant to look and see if the electricity is out. Guys it is right over there. Better yet both of you go and one can hold the door open while the other checks around for lights. Do it quick but give me three-sixty degrees check now go….” Nat and Jerry went straight to the elevator, the three of them had talked about this scenario while they were drinking beer and waiting. Tom walked over to the phone on the wall and was about to call Robbie when the elevator to the basement R& D area opened and Robbie came out saying, “Tom, I think we have been hit with an EMP or something. The electrical readout showed a big spike and I lost contact with Charlie about a minute ago, the line just went dead and I could not get her back on the phone. Last update on her whereabouts had her about nine miles from here on the Interstate just passing Grey Court. Tom, should we send someone out to check on them? The EMP might take out there car completely or make it where you cannot drive it without power.”
Tom thought for a second and replied, “Robbie, get the ladies down below and situated, then come back up here. While you are doing that I am going to see if we even have a way to go see about them. The Travelette and the Excursion both should be shielded. I paid a bunch to get it done by one of the boys from the technology division to do it for me. It will have to be the Travelette because the Excursion is still hooked to a trailer. Ladies, please follow Robbie and hurry. We do not know how much time we have.” Robbie led the wives to the elevator without a word being exchanged. Candace looked like she was in a state of shock and had to be pulled along by Ruth and Christen one lady on each side guiding the shell-shocked Candace to the elevator. Tom thought that her being catatonic for right now might be the beat as at least she was not causing problems. Getting to his truck he opened the door and turned the switch to let the glow plugs warm up and was glad to see that all the gauges had lite up when he turned the switch. The truck FM radio came to life and it was one of the emergency broadcast system warnings being transmitted. The electronic voice told everyone to seek shelter as the Russians had fired numerous ICBM missiles aimed at the continental United States of America. Reminding everyone that they needed to stay sheltered for a minimum of fourteen days and preferably up to forty-nine days if they were in a heavy contamination zone. The broadcast also told of two EMPs being already exploded over middle America one on each side of the Mississippi for maximum effect. While listening to the emergency announcement he saw the glow plug ready light and started the truck and it ran like a new one as always. As he was beginning to start turning the truck around to head out to check on Charlie and her friends, Jerry and Nat came out of the elevator and walked over to him.
Jerry spoke first, “Nat said there were still a few lights around and a few cars on the Interstate still moving but nothing like usual for Greenville and Mauldin area.” Tom looked to Nat for his version of what he saw on his scan of the area.
Nat replied, “Looked like it was probably fifty percent or more down from what I would normally see. Now I have never looked from the top of this building. This is just my opinion it looked like west side of Greenville towards Anderson and all had more than the downtown area. My guess is maybe they get their electricity from Oconee Nuclear and it was hardened for EMP several years ago. I read about it in the paper, some grant from the DOD for Oconee Nuclear and the one in Jenkinsville, VC Summer Nuclear and another somewhere else in the lower part of the state. I do not remember where it was located. Looking south and east from the roof it was dark. I do think that is more rural and maybe the lights are less or blocked by more trees. Just my guess. Why are you in the truck? You making a late-night nuclear attack beer run?” Then had a little nervous laugh slip out. As he was saying this Robbie emerged from the elevator from the basement with full battle rattle.
Robbie said, “We need to go Bossman and see if we can go find our wayward child and her friends. The way I figure they were less than nine miles when I last got and estimate and we talked for another thirty to forty-five seconds before the phone went dead. They cover over a mile in that amount of time and if they could still steer the car at over a hundred miles an hour, they should have been able to probably coast to the Highway 418 exit or close.”
Tom said, “Give, Nat your rifle. I have mine in the truck. Robbie, one of us must stay here that knows how to lock this place down and keep it running. That is you, I was trained but I do not know the system near as good as you. That makes you the candidate to stay. That and I have seen you drive under normal conditions and there is no way you are driving my truck.”
As Robbie was begrudgingly handing his H&K 416 SBR to Nat. Jerry was opening the bay door for Tom to head out to find Charlie. Jerry had the door open and Tom was driving towards the exit when Jerry stopped him and said, “Tom back up, we have a big SUV coming up the ramp and a lady hollering out the window to let her in and get the outer gate closed.”
Robbie hollered, “Thank you Jesus!” While running full blast towards the bay door almost knocking Jimmy into the path of the kamikaze Cadillac as it barreled through the door, way too fast to make the almost ninety-degree turn into the plant loading bay. She did manage to get through but not unscathed ad she hit a bollard by the right-hand side of the door doing considerable damage to the doors on that side of the vehicle. Neither door would open and the both passengers had to crawl out the driver’s side doors.
Tom parked the Travelette backing it out of the way and then took over the three ring circus that was happening with the new arrivals. Tom whistled an ear splitting whistle and said, “Now, that I have your attention. I need all of your suitcases out of the car and heading towards the elevator. Nat help Charlie and her friends. Jerry get the bay door closed and locked down then open the little box on the wall by the chain locking mechanism, push the two switched to the down position and get out of the way. Robbie go get the elevator ready to go down and then shut the outer gate and raise the bollards, then kill the power to the gate security system. Be ready to secure the lockdown of the plant when the last of us gets downstairs. Everybody get to it now….” Nat handed the rifle back to Robbie and started getting suitcases out of the massive rear storage area behind the third seat of the Escalade. Nat laughed as his mind thought these ladies have to be kin to Candace as there were ten or twelve suit cases and none of them were light in weight. Nat thought the ladies either had to be Olympic weight salespeople or they carried a lot of tools. Charley came and grabbed the handles of two of the big bags after throwing a big duffel over one shoulder. Nat decided right then and there he did not want to mess with Charlie. The girl must have been six three and was strong as an ox if she could carry those three bags at one time. She did and it was if she was not fazed by the weight. The other girls each got a couple of bags and that left four for him and he threw one over his shoulder stuck one under his left arm and picked up the other two. Thinking to himself that he probably had overestimated his abilities and was struggling towards the elevator when Charlie showed up with a big smile and said, “I see that the Testosterone is going to be rampant here. Before you get mad, any friend of the Bossman is never going to be a soyboy with a top knot. It was a compliment and none of us are feminazis just do not think we cannot handle our business and we will be cool, ‘kay.” With a big grin and a lot of teeth. Nat could not decide if she was being nice or showing him, she was a shark and would eat him alive, if she was riled. Either way he was glad to give her two of the suitcases before he had permanent back problems.
Jerry got the somewhat buckled rollup door finally pulled down and locked in place then found the small switch box. Opening the box he easily located the two switches as there were only two in the box. Starting to pull the two switches they did not want to cooperate with him and close. Finally right before he was about to call Tom for some help, he noticed the safety locking mechanism that he had to lift before the switches could go down. All happy with himself he pulled the switches into the down closed configuration and completely forgot about Tom’s specific instructions to get out of the way when he activated the switches. The solid steel door that came down out of the ceiling much faster than anything that big and thick had any right to almost landed on top of him. It did get his left shoulder knocking him down in the process and separating his left shoulder and spraining his right wrist in the fall landing. The howl was heard by everyone still above ground and in the plant and possibly anyone in Greenville and Laurens counties that was listening and above ground.
Charlie and one of the other ladies that had arrived with her took off towards the injured man they had just met. Tom and Nat were heading towards their brother and brother-in-law and hoping he was not injured beyond their abilities to treat. Tom knew there was a aid station downstairs and Charlie had administered a few stitches and did some hearing test for the people in the R&D lab but he had no idea what the full capabilities of the aid station were. Charlie and her friend got to him first. They would find out later her name was Anita Shaw from Northern Virginia. Anita had dual certifications as an AEMT and Paramedic. She had decided to get the Paramedics license after being advised by several of her Superiors that with her abilities and smarts she should get the Paramedics certification. Charlie’s other friend was Joy Grubbs from Cross Hills and was a Botanist for a local nursery who had been a four hundred meters runner and still ran about three to four miles four times a week.
The ladies got to Jimmy as he was rolling around on the flooring in a lot of apparent pain. They did a quick assessment and triage of his injuries. Anita pulled a fiberglass splint out of her bag and took care of the wrist as Charlie tied immobilize his shoulder till, they could get him down stairs and into the aid station for some x-rays of both limb injuries. After completing the preventive medical procedures, Charlie asked, “Jerry, it is Jerry, right?”
Jerry nodded and moaned, “Yeah, it is Jerry and I do not mean to whine. You promised me something for pain when you got through with your bandaging my arm and shoulder. Can I please have something. I think I am going to throw up if I cannot get some of the pain relieved and I cannot even imagine how much that would hurt. It hurts to breath.” This got him a grin from Charlie and then she replied, “I did and I will give you something as soon as we get downstairs. My question is can you get up and walk or do we need to get a stretcher from down in the aid room?”
Jerry responded, “Might need some help to get up. I think everything that has to do with walking is fine. I am not hurting anywhere but, in my arm, and shoulder. Help me up and let’s get downstairs the Russians are sending bombs this way and I am hurting enough without having radiation sickness or whatever you get.” This got a big laugh out of Anita and she said, “I think he is going to make it. He still has a sense of humor.”
Nat said, “We need to check his head, he must have been hit in the head because my brother sure had no sense of humor before he got hit.” This got a laugh from Tom and Nat and a cross look from Charlie and Anita. The ladies got him up and headed towards the elevator as it opened with Robbie standing at the door. Come on people according to our computers we are within ten minutes or less of bombs being here in America and two from a submarine in the Gulf of Mexico have already hit Houston and New Orleans. This information got a quickening of heartbeats and feet from all of them and the pain seemed to be a little less for Jerry as he concentrated on getting his butt to the elevator and to safety below.
Forty minutes or so later below ground at the chemical plant everything had been shut down and Tom with Robbie were trying to monitor and analyze everything they were receiving from the different agencies. One of the last things that had came down the line from the president before he went underground was for all intelligence to be shared freely between all the agencies, foreign and domestic. While they were doing this Joy Grubbs was getting to know Ruth, Christen, and Nat. Charlie had finished the x-rays of Jerry’s wrist and shoulder. The shoulder had a class three separation, which she explained was the highest classification of separations. She did add that he was on the low end of the Class Three which was good news. The wrist was not broken, but it was a sever sprain which would take a long time to heal. Anita was going to set the separation as she had done it a few times in the past and Charlie had only seen it done while in training. While Anita was working with Jerry, Charlie was examining his wife. Candace was not showing any positive signs of coming back to reality and Charlie after examining her got on the aid station server and started looking for medications and treatments for shock and mental fatigue. Hoping that she could help the lady and they had the necessary medicines for the treatments.
Robbie said, “What do you think we should tell the others about the attacks? It is an intelligence nightmare. Heck some of the data is from MI-6, the French DGSE, the Mossad from Israel, the Indian Intelligence Bureau, the ASIS from Australia and the Naicho from Japan. Should we even attempt to explain all the various data from these agencies?” Robbie was shaking his head in the negative response and his body language was in a negative posture.
Tom was observing and listening to his old war horse and on most levels and any time before an hour ago he would have agreed with his assessment. Tom looked to his friend and said, “Robbie under any other circumstance than the one we find our selves this morning I would say that not only we should not but we might be shot for sharing. Today is a new day and I am afraid a new world. I want to summarize to you what I think we need to tell everybody. Starting about forty-five minutes ago our world changed. First, we tell them about the two EMPs that were exploded over our country taking out almost seventy percent of the electricity in America except some isolated Coal fired plants in the Appalachian and West Virginian mountains. Almost all of the Nuclear plants and a few hydroelectric plants. The one thing these have in common is that the green idiots wanted them shutdown and they could not make it happen so they made them update their plants and make them EMP compliant to try and economically put them out of business. The damn green taxes were good for something other than lining the pockets of the democratic parties’ friends. n we will go over the other things topically. I am sure there is going to be a long discussion.”
Robbie shook his head in dismay, saying, “Hearing it spoken out loud is hard on the soul. I think there will be crying and gnashing of teeth and questions. Maybe some high-level anger mixed in on the emotional side. I know, it makes me angry. You know?”
Tom said, “It ain’t going to get any better. We may as well get everybody together in the conference room and get started.”
About ten minutes later everyone was in the conference room but Candace whom Charlie had sedated and put the restraints on her in case she awoke and tried to hurt herself. Tom started, “Thanks, guys, and gals. We need to talk about the elephant in the room. First, I would like to give a brief synopsis of what is happening outside the friendly confines of our new home. Everybody get comfortable because it is a lot of information to be delivered….”
“The Indian navy’s submarine was able to sink the Russian carrier and the two troop transports and three other support ships in the first armada headed towards America before being sunk. The second group was hit by a flight of two B-1B Lancers hit the second armada with nuclear payloads and the footage showed the bombs going off over the center of the battle group, no battle damage assessment is available at this time. We are awaiting another satellite pass over the area. Here in America our combined missile defenses were able to get all but nine of the Russian nuclear missiles and seven others that must have been Biological and or Chemical weapons. The Russians sent over a hundred and fifty missiles our way and the Chinese threw another fifty or so our way in a second way. Good news is the Chinese missiles were all defeated except one that hit Honolulu.”
“One of the Russian missiles exploded over Atlanta and another over St Louis, the third hit over Indianapolis, fourth was over Omaha, fifth exploded over Des Moines, the sixth hit Birmingham, and the biggest one was over Dallas/Fort Worth. Missiles from a submarine in the Atlantic got New York City and Washington, DC. One of the nine that got through hit almost exactly between Philadelphia and Washington. They hit San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle on the west coast and Denver. Miami, Chicago, Phoenix, and Memphis. Besides the two early birds that got Houston and New Orleans. One estimate was over sixty million just in the cities from the nuclear bombs. They were almost all clean bombs except DC, New York, Chicago, and LA which were their big boys and dirty as they could be, probably a hundred years before anyone will be able to live anywhere near those areas. Before you ask, we do not have real numbers of casualties, one expert estimated the nuclear attack would cause casualties over the next year in the fifty plus million and could go as high as twice that due to complications, like lack of nutrition and medical supplies. The big question is what is going to happen long term with the biological attacks.”
“For those of you who want to know what we did to retaliate, Russia is no longer a viable country. I think we sent something like dozen ICBM missiles into the Russian countryside and cities. They all were successful and on target. Moscow, Leningrad, and Kola Peninsula including Murmansk were leveled with Thor Weapons System the rods were ejected from the satellites and destroyed their targets. The Russians never thought we had the capabilities. We also hit most of their weapon’s industrial complexes and all key forts and naval facilities along with every major air force complex. We killed everything they had to make war with, today and for the next ten years at minimum.”
“As far our friends from the orient, the Chinese and the North Koreans, it was a clean sweep. We hit the Three Gorges Dam, Beijing, Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou all with nuclear and Shanghai with precision missiles delivered from a submarine off the coast of China. On that same note our real friends the Japanese took the time to take back all their ancient lands by lobbing a bunch of missiles at the Chinese for good measure. The North Koreans were hit hard by us and the South Koreans along with a few other countries that they had bullied over the years.”
“Of course, the nations of India and Pakistan decided to end all old and perceived debts. The Indians had a lot more spears and were a lot better at making war than even America had thought and won handily. The Pakis did do a lot of damage to India and what infrastructure they had standing at the time is mostly not anymore.”
“The middle east is being devastated as we speak. The only thing that the intelligence agencies can say is that the Israelis are kicking but and taking names. The Muslims are all ganging up on them but the real power Iran was leveled by Israel in the first wave of missiles. The Brits were hit by Iran in the first wave and a lot of Briton is burning and dying as we speak. In the summary the world has went to hell in a hand basket in the last hour ad is still heading in that direction. Oh, one other thing the Russians did manage to hit both Toronto and Montreal with nuclear missiles and I think Winnipeg got hit with the biological agents. Australia and New Zealand were hit hard by the Chinese for some reason before we flattened their ability to fight. Somebody also hit Brazil with nuclear weapons attack them and Argentina. We are not even sure who at this point. Also, the Russians hit Europe with EMPs at the same time they hit us. Seems the only continent that did not get hit was Africa.”
“I know you do not want to hear this right now. I think we need to take a few minutes and use the restroom if you are like me or get something to drink. Ruth, could you get me a Mountain Dew and I want to talk with you while we break?’
Ruth smiled a halfhearted smile and nodded the affirmation to the question at her beloved, watched him head briskly towards the little boys’ room and went to get her and him a soda. Walking over towards the small kitchenette/canteen area, she was joined by Nat and Christen. Jerry was heading towards the aid station to check on Candace. Nat said, “That was a lot to take in and process. What do you think it says for us and the future?”
Ruth replied, “We ain’t in Kansas anymore Toto.” Then smiling at Nat and Christen she continued, “I think we are lucky that my husband has lied to us for years but it was a good lie and we are the lucky ones in the world today. We have a safe place if there is one anywhere anymore and we have enough food to last us over a year not counting what we brought in the trailer. We brought a fifty-five-gallon drum of dried beans, another of wheat berries and three thirty-five-gallon drums of rice, and a fifty-five of dried popcorn. Tom has been putting that stuff back for the whole time we have been married and had some of it before we married. I guess he was right, even though I thought he was crazy to get all that food. We have cases of can goods and another pallet of freeze-dried meals that is a year for each of us. I think he told me we have a years’ worth of food for almost five people and that does not count what you and I packed into boxes Christen and loaded on the trailer from our pantry. Now, I am sure glad I did not do what I wanted to and make him give it away to a soup kitchen or something.”
Nat replied, “I sure never thought Tom was a take charge kinda guy. I know that people will ask him all kinda questions and he is smart. I always thought he was a little bit of a nerd, not a manager of a secret government facility. Both that Robbie and the lady jump when he speaks and never even question his orders. That and they are top notch people you can tell by the way they take charge too. I will admit, he has gotten my attention and I am thankful he counts Christen and I as friends. He could have brought us home and said see ya, wouldn’t want to be ya and came here with you. He never even seemed to think about not bringing us from the beginning. Does that make sense?”
Christen added, “I consider his hidden profession a blessing not a lie. Ruth, he is not my husband and I know you might feel betrayed by him not telling you about his real work. I could see how I might would be hurt. He just did not tell you the whole truth, he was the Operations manager at the plant. You know what mean?” Smiling at her friend and hoping she had not made her mad with her words.
Ruth smiled and replied, “At first, I felt hurt when he told me. Then I realized he had to protect his cover for his position. Telling me or anyone for that matter could have caused him trouble and may have even been dangerous. It is funny that he got a paper check from the plant and his government stipend was a direct deposit into an account that I never even knew existed. Funny thing that he told me about his stipend check. As soon as it hit the bank he went and drew the money out and turned it into cash, gold, silver, and stuff. Bought me that fancy baking oven with the money for my birthday two years ago. Told me he won it in a card game at work. I guess in a way what he did with his money was a card game. Just for the record, Christen I am not upset with what you said. It is a blessing that we are enjoying the benefits. On another note, what are we going to do with Candace and Jerry. I think Jerry is about to lose it over her being freaked out or whatever you call her condition. Charlie was not sure she knew how to help her, or even if the aid station had the proper medicines for her. I need to get Tom a soda and talk with him can you all check on them for me?”
Nat replied, “Sure…. I think that would be a good idea. We might cannot help Candace but we can be there for my brother.” Nat and Christen went to the aid station and Ruth went back to the conference room to see Tom with their drinks. He would have to live with Diet Mountain Dew as that was all they had in the frig. She found her husband in a deep conversation with Robbie and looking at an ASUS notebook in the conference room.
Walking in she stared, “Hey babe. I brought your Dew it is a diet. See you are busy you want me to just leave it here on the table?” Sitting the drink can down and starting to retreat out of the room, she was stopped by Robbie.
“Ms. Ruth, you might want to see this it is our latest data dump from what was the Pentagon. The Lancer’s attack was not as successful as hoped. The second armada only lost four ships in the attack, two destroyer class vessels, a large troop transport, and a cruiser class ship and they have two that are damaged badly and being towed. What is left of the first group is waiting on their fellow Russian navy friends to join them in the Indian Ocean. We have submarines heading to intercept, the Russian diesel boats have been doing some heavy damage. They had more than we knew or had accounted for in our analysis, it would seem. We are slowly rooting them out as they make attacks on our boats. The Russians and Chinese were either working together or had the same agenda and time schedule as we have documented a large group of Chinese containerships headed this way. Attacks across our southern border with Mexico seem preeminent. Satellite reconnaissance show some troop movement and armor has just appeared about fifteen miles from our border. The armor has been identified as Type 96 and 99A2 Chinese tanks. We have not identified their artillery currently as they are a little different than the Chinese PLZ-05 self-propelled howitzers. Army Intelligence best guess is it is a new variant with a larger gun than the 155mm on the PLZ-05. The consensus opinion in what is left of the Pentagon is that the attack was going to be coordinated with the war games off Cuba that were scheduled by the Russian Confederation of nations. Good news is that Cuba is no longer a port of call for the Russians or anyone else for that matter and our attacks on the combined Russian Fleet in and off the coast of Cuba was brought to its knees and destroyed by our friends in the Air Force.”
Tom took over when Robbie stopped speaking. “We have other problems too. The nation is in shambles and the teams that came in when President Pudding Pop Bedum had our borders wide open for the illegals to enter are already causing problems in some parts of the nation. One other piece of news has come through the Chinese did get two missiles through our net. One hit Seattle and the other for some reason hit in Montana. Best guess is the Montana bomb was knocked off course or its computer was programmed in error. It probably killed more Elk than people but it was a dirty ground blast and will cause radiation problems. The good news is that almost all our planes that were in their hangers and shelters and fighting equipment survived the EMP attack. Europe is almost completely dark as the only countries that had protected their grids were the Swiss of course, Norway, Finland, and France of all places. The Brits are begging for help from their low-class country cousins from America. Speaking of France, they were left out of the attacks except for their Muslim population who are now rampaging and burning the country to the ground. The French Foreign Legion has against orders from the nut job President Attal, started taking care of business. Germany did nuke the Russians as they came out of Poland and stop their march across Europe.”
Ruth had been biting her hand while listening to first the awful report from Robbie and then her husband finally spoke, “Guys, the two of you just know how to really cheer a girl up. It is so refreshing to hear all this about sunshine, rainbows, Eater bunnies and unicorns being spoken about. It just makes me feel like I can do anything.” Tom and Robbie were looking at Ruth like she may have caught the same bug as Candace. Then she laughed and said, “Gotcha, my dad always told me that losing my head to emotions was a good way to fail. Told me to make lemonade when I was given lemons. I think the other analogy he told me really applies here though.”
Tom asked, “Bay, what was that. I need cheering up myself.” Ruth smiled and replied, “You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken sh!t. It just does not taste right…. To me this just does not taste right and I think somebody made the chicken salad out of the sh!t. If you know what I mean?” Robbie busted out laughing and holding his tummy.
Robbie answered after he controlled his laughing, “Ms. Ruth, Tom always told me how blessed he was to have you as a wife and friend. I am thinking now he was even more blessed than he even imagined. What a treasure…. What a treasure, you surely are Ms. Ruth. That was just what an old war horse needed to get back ready for war and trust me and make no mistake we are truly having World War III as we speak. It will require all our efforts for us to survive and ensure the next generation gets to live free.”
Tom smiling from ear to ear at the high praised being adorned on his wife, was just about to speak when Anita, Joy, and Charlie walked back into the conference room. Charlie, was the first to speak. “Bossman, we cannot have people coming into the aid station. I know they are your friends and all, it just needs to stop, now. Two reasons, the station is too small for more people than is required for the patients. The second reason is more obtuse, Jerry her husband does not need to see his wife in her present condition. I basically have her in a coma and restrained in case she comes awake and freaks out. I know that does not sound professional, best I can do, not really my area of expertise, so I am just treating it like battlefield stress syndrome. Do I have your permission to institute a no visitors policy?”
Tom replied, “Charlie, you are our medical expert and that makes you in charge of all decisions based on treatments and limitations for troops, even over my objections. Those rules are put in place for a reason, remember your training. I will support all your orders, as per our general orders. I know that we have never really had any medical issues in our past orders here at the facility. As Robbie reminded me earlier, we are now at war. Probably with most of the world and here at home. If you think we need to make the aid station off limits to all but patients and staff, make it so.” Looking to Ruth, Robbie, and Charlie like a different person than they had ever witnessed before. Robbie’s thoughts were of a special forces soldier had just reemerged and came back out to play and it was a good look on young Thomas Sexton. Anita and Joy both felt shivers go down their backs and they no longer had any questions as to who was in charge.
Joy finally got the courage to speak and broke the deafening silence that abounded in the conference room. Saying, “Mr. Sexton, I know what we are going over is very important. The truth is I have not been to bed in over twenty-four hours and it is getting closer to forty hours since I have been to bed to tell the truth. I stayed out all night yesterday partying, thinking I would sleep on the plane ride. I thought I would sleep on the ride back; the car was loud and Charlie’s driving scared me to death. I will quit rambling now and ask where can I find a place to lay down and get some sleep? The Adrenalin from the ride is gone and I am afraid I am going to fall out somewhere.”
Tom perked up and realized he had not thought about his charges and realized that he, Ruth, Nat, Christen, and Jerry had been up almost twenty-four hours also. Tom said, “Robbie, changed of orders. The two of us will reconvene this analysis in five hours at zero nine hundred hours. Robbie, now please show everyone where the cots are located and assign them sleeping areas. Do not forget about Jerry and Candace. Why don’t we put Nat, Christen, Candace and Jerry in the conference room. Charlie and you will use your office’s and I guess Anita and Joy can bunk in the QC office since Raymond and Victoria are not here. That sound good to you?”
Robbie replied, “10-4 Bossman. I will get everybody situated and then report back. Will you be here or in your office?”
Tom replied, “No report needed. I will be in my office and if I am needed. If I am not stirring by zero eight give me a holler. Somebody is going to have to feed this bunch. I guess we need to plan to make some assignments of duties after our brief interlude. Thanks, Old Man.”
At the R&D facility everyone, including Jerry who Charlie had given a sedative to make sure he got some sleep, were in La La land. Across the way off Woodruff Road the Fourie’s including Bram who had finally accepted his verbal attitude adjustment by his uncle and his physical adjustment from Jane Casey were all asleep and breathing filtered air. The rest of the south and Midwest were being silently attacked by biological warfare agents delivered by the Russians in their attack. The only good thing that could be said about the agents was that only about ten percent of the weapons carrying the death from breathing had made it through the American missiles defense systems. One of the bombs it did not work as designed due to poor manufacturing practices and burnt up the agents on explosion of the warhead. The airborne biological agents only lasted about twenty-four hours outside of a controlled environment and were not communicable. Murphy had showed up and brought hurt on not only Americans in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where one of the bombs carrying the biological agents had exploded but the staged Chinese troops in Mexico. Sixty mile per hour winds in the area blowing south and west had taken the agents towards the areas between Nuevo Leon and Chihuahua Mexico right into the path of attack for the Chinese sitting and ready to attack. The biological agent would kill many Americans in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Abilene, and Austin areas of Texas. It would devastate the troops of the Chinese boarder east of Chihuahua. It did not however effect any of the Chinese Assault forces in Senora or Mexicali. As the two groups slept the rest of the world was tearing each other apart in armed conflict. By the time that Tom rose from a hard four hours of sleep and with Robbie’s help started cooking breakfast for what would soon be known to the world as the Sexton Back and Sharpshooters.
Tom was scrambling up the two and half dozen eggs that he and Ruth had brought from their home. Robbie had a big pot of grits cooking on the stove and was pouring in some chicken broth and crème as they cooked. Tom asked, “You think everybody will eat Spam. I have a can of Bacon flavored and one of Jalapeno flavored, I was going to fry after I finish the eggs?”
Nat walking into the small canteen and kitchen area said, “If they do not, more for us Tom and you know Jerry will eat anything.”
Robbie added, “I love Spam myself; I say go for it. If there is any left over, I will make me a sandwich later with the leftovers. That goes for the eggs and the grits, we need to conserve our food. You know at least till we have more info on how long we have to say in containment.”
The guys continued to cook the breakfast and discuss their immediate and long-term future of the group. A lot of coffee and ice tea was consumed by the trio but not much consensus on what the future held for their party and the world. As Tom was buttering toast, he said, “Nat you have the un-thankful job of getting everybody up for breakfast.”
Nat grumbled, “With friends like you Tom, who needs enemies.”
Tom smiled and replied, “If it will help, I will get Ruth up and maybe Robbie can get up Charlie and she can get her friends, Joy and I do not remember the other ones name up.”
Charlie walking in the door, said, “Who is taking my name in vain? And where is that awesome smelling coffee and a mug?”
Robbie answered, “The urn is full and as far as a cup. Nat and I are drinking out of our Yeti mugs. Tom is drinking ice tea out of a thermal cup, I think he said his was from Wally World a cheap imitation, I think is the way he described his tumbler. Don’t you have your mug in your office?” Charlie turned on the balls of her feet and exited at a fast pace headed towards her office as Nat followed her out the door.
Tom said, “Robbie, hold down the fort till I get back with Ruth. Cool?” Heading out the door towards his office and his wife. When he got back to his office the two large cots were folded and stored and his wife was missing. Smiling he noticed her toiletry kit was missing and knew his wife like he had earlier was taking a shower in the small locker-room. Going back towards the kitchen he met Charlie and asked her about Candace and Jerry. She told him he would have to wait; coffee was more important to her ability to function efficiently than patient analysis to the boss. Tom just laughed and looked towards the locker-room door when he heard it open and watched the love of his life prance out of the door like a gigantic pixie. Ruth was the morning person in his family, he got up earlier usually than her but she was more awake in the a.m. than he ever would be. Smiling at her he walked to meet her and get his everyday start of the morning kiss and hug. Nat was slowly awakening his wife Christen and Joy and Anita were both awake. Charlie had stuck her head in the door and extolled to them that it was time to rise and shine. Both ladies had groaned, rolled back over on their cots pulling their blankets that had been delivered by Robbie over their heads. They were debating harry carry or getting up, the two twenty somethings decided they would make the sacrifice and get up to look for Tylenol and caffeine.
Tom and Ruth had made it to his office before they kissed and hugged, after their long kiss, Tom said, “Thanks for getting the cots and bedding put away. I guess we are going to have to figure out, where the office ends and the bedroom starts. I think I will take out the two chairs and that will give us more room for beds.”
Ruth looked at the office and replied, “I will rearrange our new home. I am going to start by moving the three large file cabinets out of here. That will be a good starting place. By the looks of them I will need some help and a set of hand trucks to move them. I am hoping all those files on top are there just because you are slack and not because there is no room in the cabinets to put more files.”
Tom grinned and replied, “Guilty, as charge my love. I am not very good at keeping up with my filing of paper work. Charlie usually comes in about once a month and puts them in their proper place. Kinda like a filing elf. I leave at night and the next morning they are put away. I did not know who did it for a while. I thought it was Robbie, as he was the one who bitched about the mess all the time. I told him a bunch of times that if he did not like the way it looked to quit piling files on my desk or clean the place up himself. Finally, one of the other weapons techs told me it was Charlie when I could not find a file, one I had not finished with that had been on my desk I thought. I was mad and he was hearing it and decided it was better to be a rat than the object of my wrath.” Grinning at Ruth who was shaking her head at her husband.
Ruth stated, “Tom you must be bipolar or something, as I have never seen this side of you at home or even when we were in school together. Where was this hardass at home all these years?”
Tom threw his arms up as if to say, do not know or who me, she could not decide. Then he answered, “Hard to say. I guess you never showed me a stupid side of you. Stupid, is about the only thing that gets me going. Like someone coming in my office and messing with a perfectly good system. It may not look organized; I know what pile it is in and I have a hard time with the companies stupid filing system. You know, like when I call you and tell you to go in the garage and go to the third set of shelving from the back and look on the bottom shelf in the middle box. What happens when you go and look where I say?”
Ruth smiled and admitted, “Whatever you had me looking far for your present project, that is where I will find it. That is if I have not borrowed it and not told you….” Giving Tom an impish grin. And said, “You know like that heat gun I borrowed and even I forgot that I had in the craft room, when I was working on the Christmas wreaths. Oppsy!”
Tom took her in his large arms and said, “That right there is why I have not ever gone off on you. You are just too cute when you are trying to explain whatever I am upset about and I lose my mad. We need to go and get breakfast; it was done when I came looking for you and after that I want to go and see Candace and Jerry. Before we get caught up in doing something else.”
Ruth agreed, “Food sounds like almost as much of a winner as when you decided we all needed sleep this morning. I am ready to eat. We need to go and get some before the rest of them eat it all. I think I smell bacon. Yum.”
Tom grinned and replied, “Maybe not yum. The bacon smell is bacon flavored Spam. Have you ever had Spam?”
Ruth answered, “It was a fall-back staple at our house growing up. I never bought any because I did not know if you liked it. I have not ever had bacon flavored Spam though. Sounds good to me. Come on, Loverboy.”
Tom growled and popped her on the backside as she headed towards the door and said, “I will show you Loverboy, anytime you want. Do not let your mouth overload your cute backside, my love.”
As breakfast was breaking up at the CIA R&D facility and everyone had eaten their fill. Under the Fourie’s precious metals facility off Woodruff Road, Petrus and Aletta arose to find that Bram had left the facility while they slept. Gerrit told his brother and sister-in-law that Bram had left the facility about two hours after everyone had went to bed. Gerrit told them that the internal cameras showed him sneaking out of the basement area and taking his truck and leaving out the main gate. Gerrit told them he had even made sure the gate closed before he pulled out of the outer parking lot and headed towards Woodruff, Road. What the cameras did not show was that by the time Bram had made it back to Thornblade his girlfriend, her mom, dad, and brother were already very sick and dying from the quick action biological agent the Russians had dropped on the southeast. Arriving at his girlfriend’s home he went around to the back of the house and climbed up a trellis to his girl’s room. Opening her window the sight he found would be etched in his mind for the rest of his life. He found his girlfriend lying face down in her own bloody puke. She had evidently choked to death on her own stomach contents. Holding her for about an hour until he started to feel like his brain was about to fry and he started vomiting blood just like his dead girlfriend. He made it two steps out her bedroom door looking for helps where he saw her dad laying dead with blood running out of his mouth and eyes. Bram fell in a heap landing on top of what in the next few years he had expected to be his father-in-law.
Gerrit had to stop Aletta and Petrus from leaving the building and chasing after their son. Gerrit showed them CCTV film off a couple of people staggering around and dying out at the road. The two runners had apparently gone out for their morning runs as was their usual regiment. The couple had died as they ran by and were caught on the security cameras. The video showing their death throes and the violently projectile black vomit. Just as he was explaining this to his brother Petrus and Aletta, he received a text from his friends in Amsterdam explaining about the biological agents and telling him they needed to stay inside for a minimum of seven days and if possible two weeks. Showing the text to Petrus ended the argument of going after Bram and put the brothers to deciding on a course of action for the next two weeks. Petrus said, “I think one of us should be always awake now. We need to monitor the security cameras and just in case Bram has somehow made it through to let him back into the shelter.”
Gerrit replied, “I agree we need to have someone always watching the security feed and ready to act. If anyone comes into the shelter they need to be decontaminated before they come inside.”
Petrus inquired, “Brother, have you seen Jane this morning?”
Gerrit grinned and replied, “She is in the gym on the rowing machine, last I checked. She told me she had already done some other work before the rowing machine. The young lady was soaking wet with sweat. Looked like she had just fell in a pool with all her workout clothes on and climbed out. I think she is a keeper, brother. Now, I think it is time for some chow.”
Aletta still not knowing how to take the fact that Bram had left the shelter over his parent’s denials. She wanted to think in her heart that he was okay and alive. In her mind after seeing the two joggers and seeing the text from their friends she knew her sweet boy would never be back. Aletta looked skyward and asked her lord and Savior to look after Bram and accept him into heaven. Then continued asking God to give the family what they need to make it through to the other side of this new position they found themselves facing. After she finished praying, she followed her husband and Petrus to the kitchen area of their refuge. Passing the gym and seeing the young woman her husband had picked up at the grocery store, she decided it was time she introduced herself formerly to the almost grown lady.
After checking on Candace and Jerry and receiving disturbing reports on Candace. Tom made a command decision and told Jerry in no uncertain terms that he was needed by his country in the protection services of the R&D laboratory. Jerry had tried to object to Tom’s commands on the grounds he was needed at his wife’s side at least until she regained consciousness. Tom said, “Jerry, if you refuse these direct orders from a superior officer, I will be forced to have you retained for treason during a time of war. Everyone in this site has been deemed necessary to the defense of the facility and commandeered under my orders to the services of the United States of America’s Central Intelligence Agency for the duration of the war plus six months. Under Treason charges I have the authority to establish a Tribunal of the top three officer in this command and try you for Treason and enforce sentence if found guilty. This offense of Treason during war time is punishable by death. Jerry, I love you like a brother. Do not put that on me. Now get up from that chair prance yourself over to the kitchen where you should have been for the last half hour and get some breakfast. Then report to my office for further orders. Do you have any questions?”
Ruth appalled asked, “Can you really do what you just told him? That is insane. I have never heard such a tale in all my life, Tom.”
Charlie answered, “Ruth, I signed as the second witness last night for the paper work drawn up by Robbie under orders from Senior Special Agent in Charge Langley Section Ramon Calhoun directly to Senior Special Agent Thomas Sexton R&D Section Southeast. These orders gave him authority to commandeer people, equipment and assets as needed to defend the facility and the United States of America under the Acts of War clause to the CIA’s charter and Executive Order from President DJ Orangeman dated yesterday. The names of all the people that are in the facility, including you Ruth, Candace, Jerry, Christen, Nat, Anita, and Joy. These orders give him the authority to do exactly what he told Jerry.” Ruth looked like she had been poleaxed, turning her head back and forth from Tom to Charlie and then back to the other about a dozen times.
Ruth finally asked, “Tom, why would you sign such orders. Those orders are insane.”
Tom replies, “Ruth, I had two choices and only one. I could sign those orders and bring you all under the protection of the CIA and the American DOD or you could have stayed outside and would most likely be dead or dying by now. If I did not sign the orders none of the people Charlie just called by name could have entered the facility. Not only that, I would be bound by duty to enter the facility and defend it from all enemies foreign and domestic. I hope you see why I signed the orders….” Hoping that she would find it in her heart to forgive him. As he was looking at his wife out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jerry rise from his chair.
Jerry spoke very softly, “Tom thanks for what you have done for me and your sister…. Charlie, will you let me know if there is any change in Candace’s condition. I would be greatly appreciative. I am going to get something to eat. I am hungry. Thanks again, brother.” Turning he reached out and took Tom’s hand and shook it clapping him on the back and nodding affirmatively as he walked out.
Ruth somewhat in awe of what she had heard and just witnessed, said, “Baby, I guess I owe you a big apology. What you told Jerry I found appalling, to say the least. It seems he took it a lot better than I did. Even before you explained that it was the only way to save us from the Nuclear and Biological attacks. Robbie explained to me at breakfast while you were walking around talking to everyone that the biological sensors had went off numerous times outside our walls. He also told me that the sensors could not identify the agent but it was from the viral hemorrhagic fever line of infectious diseases according to the computer analysis from the system. Robbie has asked for confirmation from the CDC or any other agency that might have information on the viral agent. Tom, I questioned your reasons for making such a decision without ever thinking of how you have always gone the extra mile in making all the hard decisions in your life. You have never let your emotions decide or put yourself first. The fact that you would have either had to let us in or die outside with us or break your oath to the country had to be a hard decision. Thanks for making the right one for all of us.”
Charlie had been listening with astute interest in the conversations, finally added, “Ruth, you do not know this but Tom had sent Robbie and the rest of you down into the R&D center and was coming to look for us risking only himself to find us when he thought the EMP might have gotten our vehicle and we were walking and would never make the time limit. I did not know if Anita and Joy would be able to get into the basement or not. I knew they would be safer in the Chemical plant than anywhere they had to go. The design here has a dual air system and the one up above is a ninety-five percent efficiency system the one down here is four nines efficient. The plant system is even less efficient in the case of radiation efficiency. The roof is only two inches of reinforced concrete and a membrane of some kind. The lab is protected by the plant roof and six inches of concrete and another sixty-mil membrane. The plant facility is much better than any regular home basement but is not considered a survival shelter like the lab facility.” Tom was nodding his agreement with the words that Charlie was telling his wife when Ruth dropped a nuclear bomb of her own.
Ruth asked, “Charlie, you are the second in Command at the facility, I have been told. If I understand correctly that would put you in charge if anything happened to Tom, is that correct?’
Charlie replied, “That is correct? May I ask why you asked that question?”
Ruth smiled a devious smile, “I was just asking as I have been told that you have feeling for my husband. To be specific you have loving feelings for Tom, is that correct?” The smile had left Ruth’s face and all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room with this bombshell of a question. The one saving grace was at that moment Candace asked for a drink of water. Charlie rushed to Candace and started asking questions and taking her blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate at the same time. After Charlie had asked her about fifteen rapid fire questions, Candace asked, “Now can I get some water and get the restraints removed. A girl has one little mental episode during the start of WW III and she gets sedated and put in a straight jacket.” Laughing at the look she received from the doctor that she had never seen before and motioned for Tom and Ruth to come to her aid with her head and eyes.
Charlie was a little perturbed with the attitude of her patient, and said, “As soon as I get through with the exam. I will give you some water. The restraints are to protect you from yourself. We will just have to see about them.”
Tom came to the aid of his little sister, thankful for once in her life that she had been the saving grace and not the horse’s ass. Saying, “Charlie, this is my little sister Candace and she is a pain in the ass most of the time, even under ideal situations. I think we need to cut her a little slack under the situation we now find ourselves….” Looking Candace straight in the eye he asked, “Candace, I am glad you are back with the living. I do have to ask, have you ever been diagnosed with any type of bipolar disorder, ADD, or ADHD or anything like that? If so, we need to know.”
Candace replied, “Yeah, when I was in middle school. The guidance counselor along with saying my IQ was over one forty, that I might be bipolar and recommended to mom and dad that I needed to be checked out. She even went so far as to schedule a couple of visits from some body from the district office to come talk with me after mom and dad refused to agree for me to go and see a psychologist, or a quack as dad told the counselor. The person from the district was not a doctor of psychology but had a PhD or something in psychology. The lady thought that I might be bipolar and was sure I was ADHD after doing some testing. That was a long time ago and I thought I had grown out of it. The counselor told me as I matured and got through puberty it sometimes went away. Now that I have told you all my secrets can I have that water and my hands freed?” Looking to Charlie and then back to Tom and Ruth. Ruth walked over to the sink and got a paper cup from a dispenser and filled it with tap water brought it to Candace. Ruth held the cup to Candace’s lips with one hand and pulled her head up with the other.
Ruth looked to Charlie smiled, and said, “Now, back to my original question. Charlie are you in love or lust with my husband?”
Charlie calmly started undoing the restraints from Candace looked straight at Ruth and replied, “Both…. Before you freak out and shoot me or claw my eyes out. My emotions for Tom have never been acted on and Tom and I have never been together in any way except professional. Truth is your man had to be told by Robbie that I was throwing myself at him. He frankly did not have sense enough to see it and I was blatant about the fact that I was available to him. The truth is he is madly in love with you and made that perfectly clear when Robbie, Tom and I met and I was told to stop it or be sent to another project. I worked to hard to get this assignment to let my personal thoughts get in the way of my career and I asked him not to give me a reassignment which would have destroyed my career. I have never been in his office with the door closed or he in my office with the door closed, except when others are in attendance for meetings or closed-door discussions for work. We good, or do we need to fight or something?” Looking like she could bite a nail into, she was so mad.
Ruth said, “He is a good one and worth fighting over. Seems to me he had been a perfect gentleman that I know him to be. I will admit he is sometimes oblivious to the effects he has on the opposite sex. I had to hit him over the head with a club and drag him back to my cave to get him myself. I am good if you are good, but I am not willing to share.” Smiling at Charlie she looked to Tom and he looked like he had been beaten with a stick.
Tom said, “The two of you know, that I am here and have heard every word exchanged between the two of you. Ruth, I hope you would know that I said I will love you till the day I die. Charlie, you are a great lady and any man would be lucky to have you as a spouse, just not me. I am already taken and accounted far with Ruth.”
Candace joined into the conversation, “Tom is my brother and I must agree he is a good guy and that he would not know a woman would ever be interested in him. When we were growing up ever girl in the small town we lived in and half the grown women were after him and I do not believe he had two dates before he left for college. Truth is Ruth, he may have never slept with anyone else other than you. Now there is something I did not ever think we would discuss sister-in-law. Maybe my extended sleep session and drug therapy, had given me a new outlook on life. Or maybe I just needed a moment to digest the fact that we were being nuked, you know there are not many people before today that could say that. Know what I mean?”
Robbie came walking into the aid station and said, “Figured you were here since you were not in your office. I have news, good and bad…. Which do you want first?”
Tom answered, “Good news first?”
Robbie replied, “The info from the CDC or what is left of the CDC says that the biological agent is a stone-cold killer almost ninety-five percent plus kill ratio. The good news is it is fast acting and none transferable. If you are out of range and do not come in contact you will be fine. It also does not last long in the wild, probably less than twenty-four hours and less than thirty-six hours for sure. Some limited analysis is saying eighteen hours outside of a host. The other thing is it is affected by pH less than six point one and it is already raining from Texas to Alabama and coming this way. The rain should be here withing ten hours or less and the acid rain that all the greenies hated will kill the agent. Also, the winds in Texas before the rain blew the agent into Mexico right on top of the Chinese waiting to attack across the border.” Robbie took a quick bow and waited for a rebuttal.
Tom said, “I will agree that is a wee bit of good news. Now give me us bad news.”
Robbie started, “Our original analysis of the nukes that got through our missile defense system was erroneous. Chinese missiles did hit Sacramento, Seattle, Portland, and Area 51 near Las Vegas. It did not actually hit Area 51, it hit between there and Vegas. We have no idea if it was aimed at Vegas and missed or if it was aimed at Area 51 and missed. The Chinese also hit the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado with two bombs. The bombs were timed to hit, with the first one hitting and opening the mountain and the next one taking out the complex. Original estimates for dead and dying in America from the Russian and Chinese attacks is order of magnitude one hundred twenty million plus in the first ten days. Collateral damage from no electricity, lack of medicines and other disruptions another forty-five to sixty million or more in ninety to one hundred and fifty days. After that it is at best a guess, but more for sure. More than half of America and that does not include a couple of million in the Hawaiian Islands. Best guess world wide we are looking at over six billion and counting.”
Continuing, “Another good news is that we still have two of our carrier groups pretty much intact and a third of our planes that were in the air are good or salvageable. The ones in our underground or concrete hangars are still flight worthy. At least that is the assumption of the tech wizards. We have no new orders, other than to maintain the R&D Laboratory and its abilities to make war. Fort Hood in Texas was hit for sure with biological agents lots of other bases were in the drop radius's of bombs, both nuclear and biological with devastating effects. The armor at Fort Hood is still viable on some level and our people that are able are working around the clock getting ready for the invasion. We will meet the Chinese when they cross the border. As soon as it is okay to get out, we have numerous airstrikes scheduled for the Chinese on the border and at the docks in Manzanillo.”
Tom asked, “Robbie have we tried to make direst contact with any of the other agencies or our chain of command in Langley?”
Robbie replied, “Bossman, I have tried the direct line, all three of our satellite phones and my mobile. No luck, they all ring but no answer anywhere. The ham is just picking up static. I am not sure; I think that is because of all the charged particles floating around in the atmosphere. Not my area of expertise, my second Donald was our guy on the communications systems especially radio. Hopefully, in a few days maybe the hams will work and we can get some real time info. I will keep you up to date on all the going on. I was able to get Nat up to speed on watching the security feed and how to change the views and do all the zoom, pan and tilt, along with the three forms of night vision and how they work. He is a quick study and a will be a lot of help.”
Tom said, “Good job on keeping me informed and getting Nat up to speed. We need to get Jerry up and running on the security of this place and issued some new pistols. He needs something besides his Ruger’s. I guess we need to get Anita and Joy up to speed and assigned some duties. I need to check out TO for running this place in an emergency. I am sure it probably calls for our normal fifteen operations people and maybe some supplemental operators. We only have three operational staff at present and seven add on personnel. Even if the TO just calls for fifteen operational staffing members to man this place, we are five slots short.”
Robbie replied, “Bossman, fifteen is minimum operational staffing not including officers. Full operational tasking and security is twenty-five minimum plus a Commander, 2IC, an G2 Intelligence Officer and the TO recommends and calls for a G4 Logistics Officer for optimum staffing. That would be twenty-nine for full tasking operations. That puts us one third of staffing or combat ineffective in my terms as the old war horse.”
Tom said, “I think I know where we might be able to pick up some help….” Turning to his sister who was still lying in her bed, even after having her restraints removed.
Tom asked, “Candace, you know Gerrit and his brother better than I do. What is your opinion on bringing them here? Not only bringing them here, if we offer would they even come. I know Gerrit alluded to their having a good setup and I am sure that includes protecting their precious metals and other assets. I am guessing their Gold and Silver is worth a minimum of twice what it was worth yesterday. That precious metals pricing number could easily be five times the value of twenty-four hours ago.”
Candace tried to sit up and was able to get propped up with the help of Charlie and Ruth. The two ladies seemed to have at least come to a détente accord for the time being. If asked Tom would have told anyone who would listen that he hoped the peace accord stayed in affect forever. His thoughts were that as Commanding Officer it would not be a good look for him being pulled in half by the two, she wolves as they struggled for him, killing him, or badly damaging him in the process of their war. Candace finally replied, “Brother it is my opinion that they would join forces. I do not think they would want to be under someone else leadership. They made promises a long time ago to not ever be at the mercies of someone else’s leadership for their lives. I do think they would be good allies. I could be wrong. I do not think that I am.”
Ruth added, “I would agree with her. I think they would want to keep their assets to them selves and not lose control. I am guessing based on how hard it is to get into the place under normal circumstances that today it is even harder. You know like the big steel doors coming out of the ceiling and the big bollards coming up out of the ground in front of the gate here. Know what I mean, hubby.” Winking at her husband, the gesture saying I am not just all good looks, I have a brain too.
At the Fourie compound after a harsh talk with Aletta and a big breakfast with the family, Jane was contemplating her future. Aletta had come to her all sweet as summer honey, talking to her about how nice it was to have another lady here at the warehouse. Two minutes into their impromptu conversation, Jane saw through her act and knew that Mr. Petrus’s wife thought she was the reason that her son had left the compound. Jane thought people can justify anything in their own mind, it was evident to a blind person that her son had left to go back to his girlfriend. She knew from her ride with Petrus to the compound that he had almost had to hold a gun to their son’s head to get him to come here in the first place. This because her parents did not approve of the boy dating their princess, or his family either. Their son, she thought his name was Brad, then remembered it was Bram, like Abraham from the Bible. Only knowing him for a short time and seeing his interactions with his parents she knew that the rod had been spared on Bram and it had spoiled the child. That and the fact that he was some big-time athlete at the high dollar private school in downtown Greenville. Remembering that her high school had beaten his team handily last year and realizing that was where she had seen him before. The high school girl in her had to admit that he had cut a nice look in his uniform.
Thinking to herself, to get her head out of the sky and back on task. Listening to Gerrit and Petrus talk at the big breakfast that Gerrit had cooked she knew that things had started and there was no gong outside at this time. Gerrit explained about the joggers perishing as they ran by the building and it being caught by their camera surveillance system. In her heart she new that Bram was now dead and that his mother would at some point hold her responsible for his rash actions and subsequent death. Her first thoughts were that Gerrit had offered to teach her how to shoot at the small indoor range they had in the basement where they were now confined for some duration. She knew a little about guns because her foster father, dang that is a oxymoron. If he was a father the woods are full of them. The man liked to shoot and had taken her a couple of times to the range and let her shoot his rifle. It was a nice rifle or at least he had told her how great the little Ruger twenty-two long rifle would shoot. Telling her how he had built it himself and it was called an Ultimate 10/22 rifle. She had to admit it was fun to shoot, she really liked shooting at the thing he called a tree and flipping the targets from one side to the other. It was almost too easy with that rifle. Deciding right then that she was going to see if Gerrit could start giving her lessons on shooting today, because who knew when that training would be needed. Having read a lot of Zombie fiction, she figured if the nuclear genie had been let out of the bottle as Petrus had talked about at breakfast, she decided it was a skill that would be needed soon. Getting up from the small chair in her room she went on a quest for Gerrit and her new skill set he had promised. As she walked, she thought maybe he will even give me a gun of my own, then remembered what her foster had told her. Guns were like the canons on ships. A handgun was either a pistol or a revolver and a pistol took a magazine not a clip. That and the four rules of shooting were drilled into her head each time they went shooting. She could here him saying: One: All weapons are loaded Two: Never point a weapon at anything you are not willing to kill Three: Keep your bugger finger off the trigger, until you are ready to shoot Four: Always be sure what is behind the target and your line of fire
Jane almost always laughed when he told her to keep her bugger finger off the trigger. She had to admit, it made the rule easier to remember that way. Then she thought about the fact that her foster family was probably all dead. She really would not miss the foster parents but the two little fellows Ron and Keith her foster brothers she would say a prayer for their safe delivery and acceptance to the pearly gates. Looking heavenward she silently asked for God’s deliverance of her brothers. Then she headed towards the small office where she had last seen Gerrit.
Back at the R& D lab in Robbie’s office said, “Bossman, I have one other piece of intelligence and it needs your immediate attention. I did not say anything in front of the others. We received and email on the open server and it is for you. Past that fact I have no idea what it means. Might be like a onetime pad code or a proprietary message. I ran every code analysis we have in the main computer and zilch, nada, nothing.”
Tom said, “Well, what did it say and how do you know it is for me and not Charlie or any of out other operators or techs?”
Robbie laughed and replied, “The email was addressed to R+D Bossman, and the first words in the text were, ‘Tango Sierra this is your Puzzle Palace buddy Charlie from down under’. I am guessing Tango Sierra, is Tom Sexton and Charlie is Calhoun since that is all I have ever heard you call him.” Looking at Tom to see if he was agreeing or was drawing a blank. The smile on his face let Robbie know that he was right and the strange message was from Special Agent Calhoun.
Tom replied, “Yeah, that is my friend Calhoun. He always told me that instead of R and D the name should research plus development. His reasoning was that you never did development without doing the research first and if the research did not come through one never did development. Over the right amount of beer, he could expound on that theory for another three or four beers. The down under part was that he was from Southeast Georgia, specifically Pooler and it sits under South Carolina on the map. Tango Sierra is definitely his way of referring to me. What else did my knuckleheaded friend have to say? Maybe that will give us more info on why he sent it indirectly to me.”
Robbie read the rest of the email while handing a copy of the print out to Tom: Forty-niners to play in LXV or LXVI Super Bowl Star Shadow carrying mail 2 Endzone Charlie + + 2 Uniform Sierra Whiskey 3 Notel Overlord Indians in henhouse Tango Sierra powder dry Lima & Lima Charlie Yankee Sierra - Charlie Oscar
Tom thought for a moment and then started scribbling on the print out paper and smiling, then exclaimed, “Calhoun you nut job and perfect bastard! Robbie nobody would ever figure out this stuff. It is a drinking game we played sometimes. The first line says, our friend Frank Knox is coming here in five to six days from now. But it is really eleven to twelve days, most likely eleven. The second line is telling me that he is bringing his two girlfriends Star and Shadow and they are bringing gifts to us. The third line says Calhoun is coming with his wife and daughter to the Upstate, in three weeks. The Fourth line is an easy one, do not report to the bosses. The fifth line explains why, we have traitors in the chain of command and it is above our pay grade. The sixth feline says, Tom Sexton to keep my powder dry and be locked and loaded from now on. The last line says, see ya soon, I am out or better translation is Calhoun bye. I guess we need to get to making that roster rotation and assigning everyone weapons and get some baseline on everyone’s ability to help us defend this place and our people. What cha think?”
Robbie thoughtfully replied, “We are going to be some tired people in eleven to twelve days and two people is not going to make much of a difference in twenty-four hours per day coverage. That is why we need like thirty people in our site TO and a minimum of fifteen to keep this place running. That is what I think, Bossman.”
Tom replied, “I know you are the man to get us a plan together. I will take the night shift; you know me I do not sleep much anyway. I will cover the time from twenty-two hundred to zero four hundred every night and I want you to take zero four hundred till zero eight thirty or zero nine hundreds what ever you think. Charlie and Nat will be good ones for coverage during the day and work hours. I think that will get us through the first week at least while we are training. That way I will be up by zero ten or eleven at the worst, to do training and filling in where needed for additional coverage.”
Robbie answered, “Well get out of my office and go bother someone else I have my orders. Oh, I think Ruth and Charlie are going to be okay. Getting it out in the open was the best way to handle the situation.” Tom looked at his master gunsmith like he had lost his mind.
Tom replied, “Easy for you to say. I was the one that, may have died in the fight between those two. No matter who won, I would have lost. Even if it was my beloved, Ruth. She would have never looked at me the same. You know, what I mean?” Robbie just nodded his head and replied, “Aye.”
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