Post by 223shootersc on Apr 12, 2024 17:38:39 GMT -6
Hello MOAR Hounds,
Hope you are getting ready for a great weekend. As promised Chapter 9 is attached below. Hope you enjoy and it is a long one it is about a third longer thatn my regular chapters. Just could not find a natural break. Comments are appreciate. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 9
A week later in Fountain Inn it had finally stopped raining and at an undisclosed site on Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, Frank Knox, Star Fleming, and Shadow Smith three former Delta Force Operators that three days ago were part of a Black Ops team for the CIA were preparing their load outs for their coming trip to South Carolina. The trio were loading a custom armored M983A2 HEMTT A4 Tractor with a custom built M870A1 semi-trailer with a load for South Carolina. The tri-axle trailer had been converted to a quad-axle and extended from its stock forty-one feet eleven-inch length to a full forty-eight feet length to accommodate the extra axle and then they had attached five feet of duck tale deck behind the fourth axle. This allowed the installation of a thirty foot palatalized load shipping container on the trailer and still have room for a Flyer 72 Advanced Light Strike Vehicle on the back ready to be dropped and fought if needed. The trio was debating weather to bring their long-time friend and team Comms expert on their trip across the state and into South Carolina. Their discussions centered on the two known facts; one was Calhoun had expressly told them that it was just the three of them going to meet Tom Sexton. Going as far as to say that their old buddy Sexton being a stickler for regiment might shoot the lot on site if it was four that arrived instead of just the three of them, he knew. The second fact was their Comms man might look dimly on going AWOL during times of war. Their orders though not real were from the CIA command in Langley and it would be sure hard to check them since it was a hole in the ground now.
Shadow said, “The third thing is his name is not on the orders even if they were real. You know Dudley Do Right is not going to buy off on going on a mission that is not by the books. I say we just drop it and get ready for our trip. Technically it is only about a two-hundred-and-fifty-mile ride from here to the R&D facility in Fountain Inn. On a good day not that long ago even in the HEMTT pulling this big load we could make it in six hours or less. I am thinking we need to give our selves thirty-thirty-six hours you know just in case old man Murphy decides to show up along the way.”
Frank replied, “I agree with everything you just said. I really think we need a fourth and I would feel better with a whole squad of six for the trip. That way we could man both Ma Deuces on the HEMTT and have someone riding shotgun for the driver. Who knows what we are going to find out side the wire. It could be the Zombie Apocalypse between here and there for all we know. The more the better for all we know, would be better. We all know the intel sucks and that puts it mildly.”
Star decided to add her two cents to the discussion with a big grin, “The way I see it is this. We can try to contact the one and only choir boy in the CIA Tom Sexton and see if we can bring some more help. From all intelligence he is way short of his Task Order staffing level. We know that even with the three of us he would not be up to minimum staffing and that was if all his present staffing were operators. According to our data only like a third of his people are normally on the payroll and the rest are civilians….” Star said the word civilians like it was disgusting to her to even think about working with amateurs. In the times to come she would decide that the amateurs or civilians in Tom’s command as she called them were good help and life savers and widow makers.
Continuing, “We could always go by Charlie Mike’s. It opened back up yesterday afternoon and was still going strong this morning. One would never know that the world had ended as we know it except for everyone had their weapons out for everyone to see and some had long guns and most had on a battle belt if not a war belt.” Shadow laughed at her best friend’s description of the crowd and she got a funny face from Frank.
Shadow replied, “I guess you did not realize that our third partner must have been out partying last night. Did you not notice she reeked of beer and had on her battle belt and a shoulder holster this morning when she road in on her Indian Chieftain Dark Elite this morning. I would bet a C-note versus a dog turd that her saddle bag has that little SIG MCX Rattler SBR she loves so much riding snug as a bug in a rug inside.”
Star smiled and replied, “A lady never kisses and tells. But as I am no lady, yes, I do and a messenger bag with a half-dozen sixty-round magazines to boot, six extra twenty-six round magazines for my three Cz Shadow 2 pistols, and two frags. A girl needs to be properly always dressed for the occasion much like the boy scout motto of being prepared. If I am not mistaken you are wearing a battle belt yourself Shadow, were you and Frank at Legend’s last night as they were open also?”
This received a coy grin back from Shadow, then she replied, “Like you said a lady never kissed and tells.”
This got a big gut laugh from Star, who replied, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig, Shadow.” Tom was taking the banter from his two teammates in with a bit of mirthfulness. The two could go back and forth for hours cutting each other down, just do not let any body else say anything about either of them and the other hear it. That even went for him and on some level they all three were lovers besides teammates.
Frank said, “Star, did you have anyone in mine. If so, you might want to talk with them. Explain the deal, there will be no pay and this mission is not on the books and we ain’t coming back, soon, or ever. We will supply weapons if they need or want them. They can bring their own if they choose. Standard calibers only, if they want to bring something weird like a two-seventy rifle or a forty-one-caliber revolver, bring their own fodder. We can supply nine-millimeter, forty-five caliber, and thirty-eight-specials for handguns and five-five-six and seven-six-two for rifles and of course fifty-caliber if they want to bring a Barret or McMillan. Can probably round up some three-hundred-WinMag and three-three-eight if we need to before we leave. Just need to know if we need too in advance. I would say two for sure and possibly three, no guarantees till we talk with Tom.”
Star replied, “Yeah, I did have a couple or three friends in mind. Specifically, Eric Metz former E-7 Ranger was sectioned out about a year ago. You probably remember hearing about him getting his papers and the circumstances. Came home from the middle east a week early and found his wife in the act with that wet behind the ears twenty-one-year-old E-5 and proceeded to rip him a new one all the way out of his house. Through him out butt naked and bleeding. His Sergeant Major got him sectioned out with an honorable and twelve full and got him in a local national Guard unit at grade. This happening after a quick divorce and sending his whore of a slut wife on her way back home to backwoods Headland, Alabama where he met her while at a training class at Fort Rucker. He can fly most anything with wings and propellers. He was raised in a family that ran a small county airport and crop duster service out in the Midwest. His real talent his heavy weapons and running a team or insurgents. Thought he might come in handy if we need to train some fighters. The other is Doc Jen Jones, who migrated here from our buddy warriors the US Marine Corps. Medic and LRRP fighter who lost her foot in a training accident at the Depot in San Diego. The other is Alvin Nabors, you know him Frank he is the guy who always wins the local Glock matches shooting those PSA Daggers that he modifies himself. I think he was a leg Lieutenant with the10th Mountain out of Fort Drum when he did not re-up after his six had a problem with a REMF superior. Now he hangs out at the bar and does some work for a few of the local contract companies. Supposedly got his commission while at MIT doing his graduate work in electronics. The scuttlebutt is he is some kind of genius and has a few working patents that keep him in beer and Jack Black. If it is just two then Doc and Eric would be my first two choices. I think three would be better and like you said even four would not be out of the question. If we had four more operators we could put a scout team out in front of this big monster.”
Frank asked, “Shadow you have any comments, concerns, complaints, and / or additions to this bull session. Specifically, the one Star and I have just been having amongst ourselves?” Looking to her and hoping she had additions and would voice them. Sometimes Shadow would just sit back and not say anything until it was too late and the SHTF.
Shadow smiled knowing that it drove Frank crazy that she did not always voice her concerns or make additions or changes to Star’s and his plans. Knowing that she had some ideas on the plan she started, “I think we need the fourth and I know, Doc and Alvin personally. I only know Eric by reputation and it is a good one. The truth is having someone who could fly a plane or a helicopter which I think he can fly rotary stuff too, or at least that is what I have heard. I have also heard that he is a menace on a fifty and even better on a Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle, not a bad talent to have in one’s tool box. At least I think it is a force multiplier, like Star and her Barrett or you and the M32A1 grenade launcher. The thing I really think is that we are wasting out time until we talk to Tom Sexton. The fourth needs to be a grunt, we need someone to carry the heavy stuff.” Laughing at her last statement and getting a big smile from Frank on her deciding to come out and play.
Star added, “Shadow, do you know Eric. That man could carry a 155 howitzer into battle. He is I am guessing six foot seven and three plus bills and it is all in the right places and hard as a rock. That man is a show stopper when he takes off his shirt.”
Shadow smiled and said, “Easy Tiger, you are going to give Frank a complex and possibly make him cry and he will want us to let him prove how much of a man he is all night tonight.”
Star jumped in and replied, “Who said that wasn’t my reason for saying that? I cannot think of anyone that would be better than him for an all-nighter for and end of the world party.” Shadow tried to look like she was shocked and failed completely. Frank just shook his head at the antics of his best friends in the world, even if they were both a little touched in the head.
Frank said, “Well, I guess it is time for me to try and get in touch with our friend Tom. I am going to send him and email to the open mail box server like C did originally and hope he responds. Either with the extra hands or just the three of us we need to leave by noon tomorrow at the latest. While I am thinking about it, we better check with stores and find out about getting a Gustaf and three cases of rounds, no make that six. No telling if we will ever be able to find replacements. Go ahead and get them sent over here, just do not load them until we find out if the others are going or not.” Turned and headed back towards the shop leaving the supervision of the truck and trailer loading in the capable hands of his two ladies.
Mean while back at the R&D facility and at the Fourie warehouse basement the groups were getting a little stir crazy from being couped up underground. Robbie had informed Tom of the CDC and the CIA’s technical division or what was left of the two groups had sent communiques saying that the biological agents were for all practical purposes’ dead and no longer virulent. The technical scientific documents from both groups saying that the biological agents had short life expectancy and the agents were killed in pH ranges below pH 5.9 or less. The rains that had been raging for the past days had been measured at a pH of 5.0 – 5.4 during the storms that had came up out of the Gulf of Mexico and had covered most of the panhandle region and the southeastern states from Texas and Oklahoma in the west to Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia in the north and south all the way to the Key’s. Explaining the data to Tom, Charlie, and Ruth three times the day before and twice more today. Ruth and Charlie finally ganged up on Tom telling him in no uncertain terms that people needed to at minimum get out of the confinement of the shelter. Stating that even just getting out of the shelter and going up inside the chemical plant would help the situation. The group needed this for no other reason than for people to get out from under each other’s feet and the claustrophobic reaction of being enclosed in the basement. Tom finally gave in on a limited basis allowing two volunteers to go out for four hours while being monitored by the security cameras for possible effects.
Ruth said, “Tom, you know good and well that the area in the plant has been sealed up and has filtered and controlled air systems. What would that prove, if the people went up there for four hours?” Her words only received a big smile from her husband and she immediately hit him with a right hook to his bicep. The punch hard enough to possibly leave a bruise and it gathered no more response than her words.
Charlie tried a new approach to their stubborn leader, started, “Tom the other day you told me that I had authority over all situations that were medical. If that is true, I am now declaring it a necessity for our people to get some sunlight. I will allow for Robbie to go out first while in MOPP 4 IPE and take the biological and chemical detector for real time measurements around the outside of the building and the surrounding perimeter inside the fence. Do you find these orders allowable? If so, I think we do this as soon as we can get him donned in his gear and the equipment calibrated.”
Tom rubbed the side of his face more to get his arm limbered up than to look like he was being pensive. Finally, saying, “I ought to send the two of you out without IPE gear for ganging up on me. That is not fair and it will not happen again, do the two of you understand that? The people here are under my responsibility and I take that seriously and it is my wish that you would have considered that before you decided I needed to be scolded and countermanded in tandem. If we are going to send him out we need to do it by the book and have two more people dressed out ready to perform rescue if he was to succumb to even heat or have a heart attack. The major problem is that only three of us are certified in MOPP gear and we are the top three of the command structure at this facility. Not only are we the only ones trained, we are the only ones who know how to maintain and run the facility. Do the three of you see the functioning problems of Command, that I have already taken into my decision process on us sending someone outside the building?” Three chins immediately dropped to their chests. Ruth and Charlie because they thought he was just being obstinate because it was not his idea. Robbie’s because he knew that Tom had came to the same conclusion that he had before even telling him of the data saying it was good to be outside. His most compelling reason for dropping his head was he knew that it tore at the soul of the Bossman to have to chastise his wife and Charlie the way he did. Thinking and remembering how being in Command could be a real bitch at times. The hard stuff was just that and it was why some people were just not cut out for Command no matter how much others might want them to be.
Robbie immediately offered his services to the Bossman, replied, “I will get dressed in the gear if you calibrate the meter. I will go out by my self without any backups and rescue team. If I go down, I have had a good and long life of service to my country and countryman. Tom, it has been my pleasure to serve under your Command for all these years and hope to do it till my good Lord takes me home. If that is today, I will go with no regrets my friend.” The speech left the two ladies spell bound and it brought a small tear to the right eye of the Bossman. Tom turned his head quickly away from Tom and the ladies, not because he was ashamed. He did not want it to become a cry fest for the group and he sensed it very well could at any minute.
Tom replied, “The pleasure and privilege has been all mine, Colonel Batts. Now go get dressed out Robbie. Charlie it might be better if you do the calibration. I have only done one of those once in my life and that was in training. As I remember I had some help from a Spec Four who knew what he was doing that time.” Winking at his wife who knew him well enough to know when her dear hubby was telling a small fib or white lie as some liked to say. Knowing he was doing it as a peace offering to Charlie. Signaling to his wife that all was good with her also with his special wink, that most would not have even seen. The wink still sent chills from her toes to her noes and everywhere between if you can read between the lines. Charlie left to go and get the meter. As she was going out, she almost ran into Nat and Jerry who were coming from the indoor one lane shooting range, where they had been doing some training with Anita, Joy and Candace who was up now but still under the care of Charlie and a little by Ruth.
Jerry asked, “Hey brother-in-law you got a minute? We need to run some things by you before we go any farther.” Looking from Tom immediately to Nat as if he was looking for some backup from his step brother.
Nat sensing his brother was looking for some help, added, “It ain’t no big thing. We do think it would be something that would help us in the long run with the defense of this place. I will admit that little brother has come up with a good idea and he deserves all the credit. I am sure it will be okay we just wanted to make sure, before we ran off the cliff. You know?”
Ruth reached over and grasped Tom’s hand gave it a squeeze and mouth Love ya. Then Ruth turned and walked out of the door. Her exit leaving the boys to discuss whatever big plans they had arrived to discuss. With her darling husband and leader of the motley group of friends and acquaintances.
Tom replied, “I guess that was my cue to say something. Go ahead Jerry and tell me this grand scheme of things to help us defend the facility from the charging hordes.”
Jerry got a big grin on his face and replied, “First let me remind you about my fascination with long range rifles, either designed for personnel or equipment targets. One of my favorites of all times is the Ukrainian Snipes Alligator bolt action. The rifle is chambered for the 14.5 x 114 mm caliber round as opposed to the normal fifty caliber round like the Barret M-107. The 14.5 round weighs two point two ounces and the fifty caliber weighs only one point five ounces and almost fifty percent increase in mass. In the Ukrainian war with the Russians one of these rifles recorded a one shot kill at over 2700 meters. The rifle is an accurate beast….” Tom held his hands up to Jerry to stop his roll. Tom had seen and heard him before and knew he was about to get on one of his famous weapons dissertations of technical data and exploits of the weapon.
Getting Jerry stopped for a moment, Tom asked, “Jerry I know a little about the weapon in question, is there a point to this discussion other than it is and was a beast in the Ukraine and Russian war?” Smiling at his brother-in-law to keep him from being upset.
Jerry replied, “Why yes Tom! Tom, yes there is a point. The point is we have three of these monsters here in the arms storage vault. The rifles weigh over fifty pounds so they are not really made for dragging around the country side. Static defense though these things would be great against any type of technical or lightly armored vehicles that might approach the facility. In a conversation with Robbie, he told me that on the roof of the facility there are two hardened observation points. He gave me a copy of the plans to this facility and from the looks of things those OP sites would make dandy places to have a couple of shooters with Alligators set up on tripods. I know you can see the Interstate from the top of those distillation columns where the Ops are situated because if you are riding by on the Interstate you can see the columns as you drive by at seventy-five miles per hour. Two factors play into this theory the plant, was built on the highest part of the industrial complex. Adding to that the towers are over thirty feet tall above the top of this building which is twenty or more feet tall. I think you can probably observe as far as you can see from them.”
Tom was impressed with Jerry’s analysis and agreed that the weapon would be hard on even APCs and would hurt a Bradley possibly if it got a good shot from the right angle with an depleted uranium AP round or a Raufoss type round. Tom answered, “Jerry I am impressed and I think your plan has merit. I see one big hole in the plan on my first thoughts. The hole is unless you know something that I do not know, we do not have anyone who has ever even held one of these weapons much less shot it at something that shoots back. That my friend is not just a hole, that is the Grand Canyon or maybe even the Marianas Trench type of a hole in your plan. I am not saying it cannot be overcome, but it is a problem.”
Nat laughed at the look of utter defeat on his brothers face and said, “I told you he would find a problem that we had not thought about before you could say problem. I think we have enough shooters good that with just a little practice they will be able to make the necessary shots on target in no time. Do not give up yet little brother.”
Tom asked, “Jerry, do we even have any ammunition for those rifles? Sometimes we just analyze weapons for the DOD or some other group. We do this to see if we would possibly have a use for this weapon or one like the weapon. Other times we get weapons from the Army or our Black Ops group to either customize them or adapt them for their use. I am sure we have some ammo but maybe only a few dozen rounds or less just to check the feeding or the shell seating and extraction characteristics of the weapon.”
Jerry perked up and replied, “According to Robbie we have about four cans each of ball, and AP. Raufoss we have eighty rounds plus and another twenty something rounds of some experimental ammunition made just for the Alligator. The experimental rounds are according to Robbie more devastating on light armor than Raufoss or AP and in some cases may even penetrate main battle tanks. That is what the round was designed to do, by the experts at Lake City for the Ukrainians. The war ended before it was ever put into production. Robbie laughed when he told me that we might have the only rounds left on the planet.
Tom said, “I give you credit Jerry you have certainly done your homework on the matter. I am sure that the ballistics on these rounds were designed to mimic the ball or practice ammunition like Raufoss and AP rounds are for the fifty-caliber. Robbie will be able to give us that information. I think you have an idea that might be helpful to us at some point. The issue or alligator that is biting me in the butt at this moment is us leaving the friendly confines of our shelter. The ladies Ruth and Charlie specifically have decided we are sending someone outside. I wanted to wait the minimum two weeks like we talked about originally. We are only a half day into the second week and they ambushed me with the fact that we needed to send someone out of the building. Robbie volunteered to go out in MOPP gear and do some testing, without the normal rescue group ready to rescue him if he were to go down even with a cramp or something. We are going to monitor him with our security CCTV system while he is outside the building. Surely not optimal and as Commander it just is not the way I do things. Hard to argue with your wife and win. Jerry of all people you know what I mean when I say that. Jerry, how is my favorite little sister? I have not seen her since she got out of the aid station, I do not think, not even at meals.” Nat was able to keep from laughing by turning away from his two friends and putting his hand over his mouth.
Jerry answered, “Cheap shot Tom and your only sister so she must be your favorite by default. Candace is doing better and acting like she cares about others and not just herself. She still has her moments but she apologizes now and sometimes she catches herself even before she walks off into her stupid routine. You did not hear me say that though.”
As they were talking two things were happening, Frank’s email was hitting the R&D house email account and at the Fourie’s warehouse Gerrit and Petrus had decided to try and give Tom Sexton a call on their satellite phone. They had received a call from friends in South Africa with news of the dark continent and the Russian armada that had limped into port in Durban sinking two South African patrol boats that tried to stop them from entering the port. The Russians demanding that their ships be serviced and their soldiers and sailors be feed when they arrived. The Russian Marine taking over the port and killing anyone who tried to even delay the maintenance and repair work needed on their ships.
Gerrit said, “I will give Tom a call and see if they have any contact with their friends in Washington or wherever the central government is located today. I am hoping we can get through to him and his group. I hope they can take Ms. Jane; I do not know how much longer it will be before either Jane or myself is going to have to let Aletta know that Jane had nothing to do with Bram leaving. I hate to say it Petrus but please talk with her again. I am keeping Jane away from her the best I can with sparring sessions and shooting lessons. This place is not very big and we only have the one bathroom for the ladies. It is almost impossible to keep them apart without locking one of them in their bedroom. Help me out on this brother!”
Petrus bowed his head in acknowledgement of the words his brother had spoken. Then said, “Gerrit, I know Jane had nothing to do with Bram leaving and neither did I for that matter. I have been blamed for his death for bringing Jane here and not having the place locked up where he could not get out and go to his girlfriend. My dear wife I am afraid is either on the border of having another nervous breakdown or is already there. She is about out of her meds for depression and something else for her nerves she takes. When she runs out, we will have to go to a pharmacy and see what it will take to get some without a prescription.”
Gerrit laughed and replied, “Brother, I do not think a prescription for your wife’s medicine is out biggest problem. If it comes down to it, we have Walgreens, CVS, and a Wally World within walking distance of here. I am guessing if they have not been robbed for the narcotics yet they will be soon. This will happen for no other reason than other people in the same boat as Aletta and us. It will be a necessity for survival and we will do what we must do to get along. Fact is maybe Jane and I should go and find her some medicine before we send her to Tom and his group if they will even take her. It will be better if there are two of us, that way I will have someone to watch my back.”
Petrus thought for a moment and said, “And what you are not saying is that we cannot leave Aletta here and expect without supervision for her to be here when we get back from the meds run to the pharmacy. I hope we can trade silver for the medicine but that does not mean that someone will not try to take them away from you. Do you think Jane will be able to help you? How is she doing on her shooting, even?”
Gerrit laughed and replied, “You do not want her shooting at you that is for sure. I gave her my pair of Beretta Tomcat 30X pistols and she took to them like a duck to water. The little thirty-two ACP rounds are not much out past fifty feet but the Mossad have killed a whole bunch of people with them. I wish we had more weapons and at least a nine-millimeter or something to give her, as a primary handgun.”
Petrus stated, “Dangit, Gerrit! I have Bram’s pistol in with his stuff. He did not even take it. I saw it the other day when I was looking through his stuff to see if any of it would work for Jane. She does not have a lot of clothes and I gave her a pair of his Keen boots that she tried on and she could wear. That and some t-shirts and socks she took, that and his Carhartt Ranch coat. It only has five magazine two eighteen rounders and three eighteens with the plus three extensions on the magazine. It is a good pistol and shoots great. He wanted it because it looked cool, but when I checked into the weapon it got great reviews and it was cheap enough not to worry. Heck, the Canik TTI Combat with a case, a kydex OWB holster, a double magazine holster, cleaning kit and the three magazines it came with in the case. I bought him the two extra magazine he wanted it was less than eight hundred with tax out the door. I think there is a few boxes of ammunition she can have with the pistol.”
Gerrit smiled and said, “That will work, brother. Please go and get it I want to give it to her and see what she thinks. It will work out great if we can find a heavy enough belt for her. I have seen her little belts and they barely hold up her pants they are so thin.”
Petrus smiled and turned to go saying, “Bram has the heavy-duty riggers belt he used when we went to the range. It was like for up to a thirty-nine-inch waste but I think it was adjustable down to like thirty inches. I bet she could wear the belt down at the lowest length setting. I will bring it and any other regular leather belt he might have. We can always cut a leather belt to fit and punch some new holes for the buckle.” Gerrit watched his brother walk away and pulled the satellite phone out of its belt pouch, looking for the number for his new friend. Finding the number labeled big Tom S, he hit send and looked towards heaven for help.
Back at the R&D lab, Ruth was petting Sasha and trying to decide if they should have lunch before or after Robbie went for his walk about. The big Boerboel guard puppy loved to have her belly rubbed by her new master. Sasha sensing that his master was thinking about food started nudging her towards his food bowl with his head. Sasha was thinking about food herself and would be glad to help Ruth with the decision on when to eat and that was now. Ruth gave in and headed towards the kitchen / brake area of her new home. She met Robbie coming out of the kitchen with a Dr Pepper in his hand, she noticed his smell was like lavender or maybe it was Rosemary. Ruth spoke, “Glad you made it back from your adventure outside. Do we have the results of the testing yet? Oh, and one other thing what is that cologne you have on?” Sasha was sitting right beside her master and waiting if not patiently to go into the food place where her master would fill her bowl with food and water.
Robbie replied, “Glad to be back and unharmed. The radiation testing we did was a quick scan with a Geiger Counter and everything was good. I also pulled some more sophisticated samples and we have them in the instrument. The test takes twenty-four hours to complete. I also had a NBC instrument and all the testing on the instrument was good. I pulled samples for a more through test that Charlie is running right now. She should have the results for the wide spectrum biological and chemical testing shortly. And it is not cologne it is a bodywash, I found that keeps the creepy crawlies and the bugs off you and is very refreshing. It has Tea Tree Oil, Lavender, Rosemary, and Lemon oil in it and all are natural organic products. Probably my last bottle as I ordered it from Japan and thanks for noticing. I was smelling gamey after being in the MOPP gear and it being ninety plus degrees outside.”
As Ruth and Robbie were talking and Sasha was beginning to whine just a little and beginning to quiver a little. Across the open work area in his office Tom was deep in thought about today and the future. Watching the CCTV while Robbie had made the rounds to the front gate and over to look at the solar array, the high-definition color pictures made him realize why everyone was wanting to go topside. The sun and this time of year had always meant football and then going to the home ponds or some would call a lake. The biggest one of the Sexton ponds was over fifteen acres and the smallest of the five was a little over two acres. Tom and his fellow football players had spent many a Friday night after a big win on the gridiron doing what southern boys did. The night for the group of ball players would start with a big bonfire, cold beer, loud southern rock or country music, and beautiful girls. Then came dancing and after that inevitably someone was going swimming. Lots of nights after a few too many cold beers and some ‘shine the swimming became clothing optional for the young men and ladies. His thoughts took him to his best friend Terry who had been not been drinking so he left to go on a beer run. Spinning the tires as he left on his rebuilt 1968 Camaro SS, the original motor had been replaced with a five hundred and twenty-five horsepower Chevy LS crate motor by his dad for his birthday present a week before. Terry did not make the sharp turn onto the small bridge not two miles from the party. The right back quarter had caught the bridge and went him flying across the road and over the other side of the bridge and into the small river thirty feet below. The rock shoals crushing the front of the car and driving the motor and the steering column into his lap killing him instantly according to the coroner’s report. The thought that crossed his mind was that the good always die young and his friend Terry had been the best. His death had killed the football season, a team that had fifteen starters returning from a team that had played for the state championship the year before. Terry was a couple of years younger than the rest of the guys, but he was the best athlete on the team and had beaten out the two-year returning starter at quarterback. The returning starter moving to wide receiver which was his more natural position without a word of decent. The team was picked to win the state and had been celebrating a big win over the second-best team in the state. It was their third win in three games and everyone was thinking undefeated and state champs. The team never regained their momentum after his tragic death and finished the season eight and five losing in the second round of the state playoffs. Tom could not shake the feeling that just like back then he could not lead the team out of their funk as Captain. His thoughts were that the events of the past week would be the same results he just was not a good enough leader to take the team or his family to the promised land. Looking towards heaven he asked his God and Savior to give him whatever he needed to be the leader of this group. Repeating the mantra over and over that he was not able to do it on his own and asking for God’s strong shield over his family. Asking for the help and divine guidance of hie Savior to make it through these troubled times. As he was saying Amen, his satellite phone rang. It took him to the third ring to figure out what was happening. Picking up the phone off his desk, then looked to the number and did not recognize the caller, he answered, “Tom Sexton, R&D talk to me!”
Gerrit surprised and pleased to hear Tom on the other end of the phone he took a second to reply, “Tom, this is Gerrit Fourie, glad you made it through the Russian attack. Is everyone else in your group prima…, I mean okay”
Tom replied, “Yeah, all hands accounted for and okay. We had a little trouble with my sister, she went a little bonkers for about a day. She is doing well now. How about you and your family?”
Gerrit replied, “We all made it here to our redoubt in time. I am sorry to say that Bram, my brother Petrus’s boy left the warehouse sometime during the night of the bombings and we have not heard from him since. I am sure he did not make it, but our hopes are that he is out there in a shelter and we will see him again soon. I do not know how long this call will the last, it is the second that we had since the start of WW III. Our friends from Johannesburg rang us up and reported that the Russians have landed in Durban and basically taken over. They are there to get their ships worked on, there sailors into hospitals and from what I have found out they are requisitioning or stealing everything in the form of ships in the harbor. The bad news is one of our biggest naval ships was in the harbor, the SAS Drakensberg a replenishment ship. The SAS Mendi a guided missile frigate was stationed there and in port at the landing time of the Russians.”
Tom sat for a moment thinking strategically, then replied, “Gerrit I am sorry for the loss of your countrymen. I need a favor; do you think you could get a hold of your friends and find out exactly what the Russians still have in terms of ships and capabilities. That and I am sure we would love to know when they sail out of Durban? I know that is a lot to ask from a relatively new friend. Remember this they are coming to America to take over.”
Gerrit replied, “I will try and get with my people as soon as we get off the phone. I know that the Rusians are coming here to get their revenge as their country no longer exist from what we have been told. Normally, I would never ask for anything for doing my patriotic duty. I need a big favor from you if possible. My brother picked up a young lady the night of the attack and brought her back here to save her life. She was an orphan and my brother has a real soft spot for that as our mother was an orphan. She is a bright young lady about eighteen, I think and would be an asset to us for sure. The problem is Aletta, Petrus’s wife blames the young lady for Bram leaving the warehouse. The young girl had nothing to do with him leaving, he did not want to come without his girlfriend. Her parent thought we were crazy and would not let her come. When we all went to sleep that night, he slipped out and left the compound. Last we saw of him. I would like for you to take her in with your group, if possible.”
Tom replied, “I do not see any problem with that, except logistics. We only ventured out for the first time today and that was one person in level 4 MOPP gear. Our man took field NBC readings along with soil, water, and air samples for laboratory analysis. The field test all came out clean and our intel from the CDC says it is alright to go outside. Our site SOP calls for a minimum of two weeks in isolation under the scenario which we are now living. Our civilian population which is the majority of our people are getting cabin fever and I am sure they will not make it another week. I do want to wait until our lab analyzes the samples. The data will take a minimum of forty-eight hours for the water and air samples. We should have the soil samples analyzed by this time tomorrow. My best guess is sixty-eight - seventy-two hours for a rendezvous at your local. Can you wait for that long of a period for us to get to your location and pick-up the young lady?”
Gerrit answered, “I am not sure we can make a three day wait. I was hoping first thing in the morning at the latest for a pick-up of Ms. Jane. I can keep her away from Aletta for that long. The problem is only a one-hole bathroom with shower for the ladies. We are not set up for transport and protecting the warehouse at the same time. Our plan did not have contingency personnel or a place to put them if we had them during the bombing. Fact is the young lady; Ms. Jane Casey would be a great addition to our camp. She is a firebrand carried two big knives even before this happened and new how to use them, has some martial arts training and studied on her own to learn knife fighting, Krav Maga I think. She is good and the first day she was here she went and worked on her craft and fitness in our small gym. I have been teaching her to shoot and she is a natural. She did not have any bad habits and she took to shooting pistols like she was born with one in each hand. If it is going to be three days, I will just have to find something to keep Jane busy and hopefully Petrus can keep his wife from doing anything during that time. His wife is on meds and she is about out and has just been taking a half dose since the first day. She will be out completely on that fabled third day from now. Maybe we could kill two birds with one stone, when you come, we have a few pharmacies withing a mile or so from our location. Having some help along would be a blessing. I had planned on going tomorrow morning, I am going to wait now, if you are agreeable to helping. Seems like I am asking a lot of you and your group. We can pay in Gold or Silver as you know.”
To snickered and replied, “We can help and we are not mercenaries yet. Might give the young lady a little silver to bring with her. You know just in case she doe not like our group and wants to head out on her own or something.”
Gerrit replied, “Great minds think alike. Petrus and I had agreed to give her two ounces of gold in tenths and a hundred-dollar bag of dimes and quarters for her troubles. Funny think is she is a hardworking and industrious person who already carried a little silver. A big step for an orphan and foster child with sorry foster parents. Her words not mine. We are also going to give her the two Beretta 30x pistols and a Canik nine-millimeter so she will be armed. We do not have any extra-long guns as Aletta will need Bram’s rifle.”
Tom replied, “We can probably find her something here at our redoubt. We have a few extras, might not match our standard but it will be better than a sharp stick….” Laughing at his own joke about a sharp stick. “Gerrit, if you do not hear anything to the contrary, we will be at your site around zero eight hundred hours forty-eight hours from now. Does that work for you? I hate to cut you off but I am scheduled for a meeting and guard duty in five minutes and I am in dire need of a potty break before I go to the meeting.”
Gerrit thought that the good lord was truly blessing the Fourie family today and replied, “Thanks for the help my friend. Tom, please tell your sister I said hello, she will have my hide if you don’t. We will be waiting for you two days from now at eight o’clock. See ya then and I will try and have more intel on the Russian when you come.” The phone went dead in his ear and Gerrit chuckled thinking the big brother of Candace must have really needed to go to the bathroom. Thinking either that or he was one of those people that did not bother with the exchanging of goodbyes. He knew many people in industry that were so busy that they would just hangup when they were through with the conversation. Gerrit had always thought it was rude but an efficient method of time savings. Tom, he decided was efficient among other things.
Tom came out of the bathroom and was heading towards the meeting with Robbie, Charlie, and Ruth when he almost ran into Robbie rounding a hall corner. Robbie stopped short and said, “Just the man I was wanting to see. Bossman, we have another one of those crazy emails. This one is not from Calhoun though, it is from Forty- Niner’s or I guess Frank Know from what you told me before.”
Tom thought for a moment and replied, “I think it can wait till after our meeting. If you can print it out for me, I will try and figure it out during my time on the CCTV console. It may be a little harder from someone other than Calhoun. He and I kinda think alike and that is why we can use a code that nobody can cipher. It is almost one time pad good between the two of us. Someone else using it may be a little harder to figure out.”
Robbie replied, “I will be right back into the conference room for the meeting. I will go and print you out a copy right now.” Then turned without waiting for the Bossman to answer and walked straight to his office and printed the email. Hoping it was as good of news as the last one from Calhoun. A few minutes later even before Ruth and Sasha had gotten seated, Robbie returned and handed the email to Tom as he took his seat. Tom looked at the simple coded email from Frank Knox and read the note.
The email read as follows:
To: Tango Sierra
From: Forty-Niner
Copied: Twin girls
Trade Probe
Original order ? + four cases of different beer
On time transfer 65
More or less
Straightaway u-turn
Tom looked to Robbie and said, “Thanks everyone for coming. I am going to need a minute. Just keep your seats and I will explain everything when we get back to the meeting. Robbie, this is a time critical request from Knox. Can we reply the same way we got the email or is there some other way to reply?” Robbie nodded his assent that he could get a message back to the sender and said, “Yes we can!”
Tom said, “Knox wants to bring a plus four to the party. First off what are your thoughts. I know the first three and have worked with them at least on a limited basis and have been vetted by Calhoun. The others would only be vetted by Know, Star and Shadow. Is the additional man-power worth the chance that they may not be one hundred percent additions to our team? I guess Ruth and Charlie, we need your opinion on the matter. I know you are flying blind is the only reason I say I guess I need your input. I always need your input. That was a mess. What do you all think?”
Robbie replied, “That would add seven to our present ten people and the plus one from Gerrit would make us eleven to seven. The seven would be operators and we are only three on the operators’ side. If you figure that Knox, Star, and Shadow are already vetted then it would be six to four. I think we only approve two more and that way the numbers are in our favor still. Best I got, Bossman. That is why you get paid the big bucks.” Robbie looked to Tom and then to the ladies for help.
Ruth asked, “The plus one from Gerrit is the orphan girl you told us about. My thoughts are she could be a problem of a different kind. Bringing four extra people that have Black Ops experience could help with the safe guarding of our facility. The guard shifts are already beginning to ware on peoples’ nerves. I would say bring them on. We need the help and if anybody tries to take this place, we need them even more.” Tom looked straight to Charlie who was nodding off to sleep.
Tom asked, “Charlie, are we boring you with our discussions of the safety of the facility and our group?” Tom said Charlie at a voice much louder than the normal discussions had been held. It startled her and she almost fell out of her chair, she probably would have if Robbie had not have caught her elbow.
Charlie snapped awake and replied, “My bad Bossman. I will admit I would not know if the discussion was boring or not. Kinda zoned out about the time I sat down in the conference room. Been up all night trying to figure out why Joy has the diarrhea and what we are going to do about some different maintenance meds for the group. I know I was asked a question but I have no idea what it was or if I could answer it if I did. No excuses, Bossman.” Tom just grinned and looked to the others.
Tom said, “My first thought was no extras because of the vetting. Robbie, you said basically two more and Ruth you said add four. I say we split the difference and say add three. What do you all think about that brilliant logic or kicking the can. That is probably more like what I did on making the decision. We need the help; we also need to be safe. It is a double-edged sword it cuts in both directions. We can only hope we are doing the right thing.”
Charlie back with the living replied, “Why not take all four? Seems we need all the help we can get if things get as bad as all the fiction writers and the think tanks thought it would after the SHTF.”
Robbie answered before Tom could get his words out. “Charlie the plus four we are talking about have not been vetted by anyone other than the people that are bringing them here. That is the reasons for the concern.”
Charlie looked deep in thought, then replied, “Then I would say two or three and not the whole four. I think Ruth is like me and could use a little more sleep and that slanted her decision a little and Robbie your intelligence background and having non-vetted assets slanted yours to the lower number. Like Bossman said we split the difference and roll the dice.”
Tom said, “Send this to Knox:
Forty-Niners, + one for party
StarShadow + one, 2
Black Tie invitation only for party
And we will hope they figure out that is a plus three but if they think it is a just two extras then that solves our problem of two or three. We need to do it now as he wanted a quick reply if possible.”
Robbie got up and headed to his office the three remainders in the Conference decided the best part of valor was to find some caffeine for all concerned. Tom decided he was ready for some unsweet ice tea and new a large black coffee for Robbie was the ticket. Ruth and Charlie decided on Mountain Dews while they still had them. As the trio was setting back down in the conference room awaiting Robbie’s return across the county at the Fourie warehouse Gerrit had gotten the Canik TTI Combat and accessories from his brother and was looking for Jane. Gerrit found her in the gym working out ferociously on a heavy bag.
Before walking in he tapped on the door frame, getting no response from Jane he took his pocket knife out of his strong hand back pocket carry position and tapped the metal handle against the door loudly. After getting know response the second time he noticed that Jane had in earbuds as she worked out. Gerrit entered and walked over in front of the bag giving Jane a wide berth. Seeing Gerrit she stopped her workout and took her earbuds out, smiled and said, “Gerrit, what’s up? Am I in trouble with the Queen Bee again. I came in here because this is the one place I can go and I never see her…. That and I needed a good workout.”
Gerrit replied, “Jane you are never in trouble because of Aletta. Petrus and I know you had nothing to do with Bram leaving. That is the root of Aletta’s problems, you are just a target of opportunity. She knows better than to give me a load of attitude and Petrus is her husband and father of her missing son. That just leaves you for her to target. Wish it were different. Wishing in one hand and crapping in the other only one fills up.” The last part of what he had spoken to Jane got the desired effect. Jane laughed for about thirty seconds, holding up both hands moving them up and down like a scale.
Jane said, “Yeah, you are right about that. Wishing does not weigh much and you do not have to wash your hands after wishing….” She again laughed at her pun ad started taking off her gloves and undoing her wraps.
Gerrit started, “First let me say I have presents. The first one is in this Canik case. It is a very nice pistol chambered in nine-mil to go with your Beretta’s. We will look at it and you can drool, ohhh, and ahhh in a minute. The second one we will deal with first as it is a little trickier and you may be happy with it or it may make you mad. Before I tell you what it is, let me tell you that you have the option either way. It is your choice and Petrus and I will support your decision one hundred percent…. Understand?”
Looking confused Jane replied, “Maybe…, kinda. I do not know? Processing…, guess I need more info.”
Gerrit smiled and said, “I guess that is about the best answer, at this point. Well, here goes. I talked with a friend here in the Greenville area who is set up even better than we are here at the warehouse. He has a bigger group than we do. His place is set up for more than they have at their facility. Our facility is set up for four or maybe five. Their facility is set up for like thirty and they only have ten people. Because of the problems with Aletta and her obsession with Bram and his leaving, Petrus and I are afraid she might hurt you or herself.”
Jane cut him off and said, “I can take care of myself. Am I hearing you right you all are shipping me off to some other place where I do not know anyone?”
Gerrit saw the fire in her eyes and held his hands up and said, “Stop right there! I told you before I started that it was your choice either way. We would never ship you off anywhere. We would love for you to stay and we can use the help around this place. That is the selfishness in us, we have grown to really appreciate your company and consider you family. Our love and fondness of you is the reason we were trying to find a better place. Aletta has had a breakdown before and is on medication. She has been only taking half her prescribed dosage since this started and she will be out in the next few days. If we cannot find her replacements for her meds, she could become more obsessed and possibly dangerous to you and herself. Either way it is your choice go or stay, we will have your back and will still love you and think of you as family.”
Jane looked amazed, “Man, I am sorry…. I just thought she was a biotch. I never had any idea that her action could be cause d by mental imbalances. That explains a lot about her actions toward me, they are kinda irrational…. You know?”
Gerrit replied, “Yeah, Petrus and I know. The only good thing about irrational is she still thinks he is going to walk in here one day soon and say, ‘Hey Mom love ya sorry I left without saying anything.’ I think we all know that is not going to happen any time soon and ever for that matter.”
Jane asked, “What is the makeup of the group” Mostly men?”
Gerrit laughed and replied, “No not really. There are three married couples, one bachelor older fellow and three single ladies. The three married couples are kinda all family. Two of the men are brothers, step-brothers, I think. The leader is married to one of the ladies and another is his sister. I think that makes them all kin on some level, at least by marriage. I do not know much about the others, one of the other single women is the 2IC or second in charge of the bunch to my friend Tom Sexton. I have not known him long. I have known his sister for a few years. I can tell you this he is a smart dude and he looks you right in the eye when you talk to him or he talks to you. He is an old school type of person that thinks his hand shake is his bond. On the same hand if he shakes your hand, he expects you to honor your end of the deal. Is that enough information about the makeup of the group. Oh, another thing, Tom asked us all to join them if we wanted too. We would, just that we have too much invested here to try and move all the gold, silver, platinum, palladium, iridium, osmium, and rhodium and a very little Osmium that we have stored here. I think last inventory we had close to two tons of PM’s stored here in our vault. Some of it is ours and the rest is other dealer / brokers all over the state and across the lines into North Carolina and Georgia. We have dealers all the way past Charlotte to the east and north of Asheville. We have some in Georgia also, Toccoa, Lavonia, Commerce, Flowery Branch and Elberton to name a few. We supply them all with metals precious and industrial. One of our biggest clients is and industrial client over past Clemson near Seneca. They use lots of Gold, Palladium, and Rhodium in the manufacturing process.”
Jane looked at Gerrit like he had just sprouted horns and asked, “Just how rich are you and your brother? I knew when Mr. Petrus told me he lived at the Thornblade golf course he was rich. Where do you live the ‘Cliffs of Glassy’ or somewhere like that?”
Gerrit laughed and answered, “Jane, no I do not live at the ‘Cliffs of Glassy’ not much of a golfer like my brother and that would be way to far of a drive for me everyday for work. I live in a little secluded subdivision off Highway 14. It is located near to the warehouse and there are only eight houses in the whole subdivision and none of the lots are less than an acre. It was built before the urban sprawl thing took over the area. Sits in a neighborhood surrounded by subdivisions with lots of large homes on small lots. My home is on almost three acres and there is a wooded lot on two sides of the property that I have tried to buy. It is owned by someone in Texas that their parents left it to them and they are not interested in selling the property for some unknown reason. The other side is my neighbor and his lot is bigger than mine almost three and half acres. We have a big buffer of trees between us the other side is the road and I sit a hundred=fifty feet plus off the road.”
Jane put her hand to her mouth and said, “I know exactly where you live or at least close. I bet you are in those houses across from Ashton Springs development. Dang those houses are over three quarters of a million dollars and some may be topping a million now and those lots are half-acre or less. A friend of a friend of mine lives there and I have been there for a couple of her birthday parties. I am guessing your home must be twice that or more. My friend drove me through Shady brook to show me the house with the creek running through and under the middle of the house. It was cool to see the water just running right through the house. I think my friend told me that house was in Southern Living or some magazine because the floor over the creek is like plexiglass or something and you can sit over the creek and watch the water flow while in the house. Again, how rich are you and your brother? Inquiring minds want to know.”
Gerrit said, “We are worth a good bit. Our family left us the business and both of us large annuities. They were large farmers in South Africa and in the mining business, on a small scale.”
Jane said, “Your family-owned diamond mines? You have got to be kidding me. That is rich as five foot up a bull’s arse as my foster dad used to say.”
Gerrit laughed at Jane’s reaction and her verse, and replied, “No we did not have a diamond mine. Even though we did fine a few from time to time. Our family had a small gold mine in South Africa. That is why we are in the precious metals business. Our family has been in the metals business since the later 1800’s. Now we just trade it, before that we were producers of gold and silver….” Stopping for a moment he continued, “To your question we are well off. We would have been more well off if the new government had not have thrown us off our farm and took it for the good of the country. Sorry, sore spot. Grand dad, mom, and daddy did a good job of moving assets and us out of the country before it was all taken. Yes, we had inside information and no we do not lose one minute of sleep over what they did to protect our wealth and heritage.”
Jane said, “Good for you. I think you are the first multi-millionaires I have ever met. The people I went to the parties at the Ashton Springs Estates were in debt up to their eyeballs according to my friend. They had all the fancy toys and a place over on Lake Jocassee that they had to sell when her mom’s hours were cut back to only billable hours at the law office during COVID.”
Gerrit said, “Enough about being rich. We really need to decide if you want to go to the other place with my friends. That is what we need to decide to do today. If you decide then they are coming to pick you up tomorrow and help me find medicine for Aletta. I think it is best and if it does not work out then you come back here. What do you think?”
Jane rubbed her neck and then replied, “I do not know what I think. Seems, I was lucky in getting to put Mr. Petrus’s food order together and then I was even luckier that he brought me here. Especially not knowing me from Adam. It has been great except for Bram leaving and I know that has hurt all of you, not just Aletta. She has not found a way to cope with her grief other than take it out on me. A couple of times I have just felt like smacking her face and saying you are the grown up please act like it for once. Do you really think she might try and harm me? I had no idea her condition was that bad.”
Gerrit answered truthfully, “She has tried to hurt herself before. I think she could displace her grief and take it out on you. Just like she is already doing every day. It would just take one step on the elevator to bring something more sinister into play and I cannot let that happen to you, Jane. It would break us all, not just her. I think you need to go and that is why I tried to set it up. No one wants to send you away, we just cannot take the chance, you know?”
Jane got an impish look on her face and asked, “If I say yes to leaving can I shoot the first gift you teased me with before you hit me with the haymaker? I have been thinking about getting a pistol and the Canik or the PSA Dagger were the two that I thought might be in my price range. That is the base Canik and not the TTI Combat version of the pistol. No kidding aside it seems as if you and Mr. P have put a lot of thought in to this and are doing it in my best interest. I guess I will say yes with the caveat if I do not like these people or the place I can come back here immediately. Okay? Now give me my present and we will go shoot the new pretty.”
As Gerrit and Jane headed towards the lone shooting lane, at Fort Bragg Frank Knox had received the reply from Tom Sexton. Frank left the comms center and went walking back to where the trucks were being loaded looking for Star and Shadow to give them the news. It was evident that Tom wanted the extra help. The return message made it clear that he was skeptical of unvetted help. The last words were a clear threat that unwanted or invited guest would not be allowed. Frank smiled thinking about team leader Tom Sexton a no BS leader who led from the front. Thinking he took no crap from above or below and if you did not like his way, the highway option was available. Remembering being told in the first meeting that he only had one rule for his unit. Looking each member in the eye and saying, his team was a dictatorship and the only rule was he made the rules. Saying do your job like you are being paid to do and he would be happy and would always have your back no matter the outcome. Telling each one that he personally was responsible for what they did and if they followed his direction there would never be any pass through, he would take the self. If you did not follow his rules, you would face his wrath and not Commands wrath. Saying that his word was his bond and if any of them could not live with that set of rules then they needed to step forward and he would get them transferred to another unit, no harm no foul with his personal recommendation. This was the only free pass that he would ever offer. Frank remembered that Calhoun had told him he would either love Tom Sexton or hate him, there would be no lukewarm reaction to Tom Sexton’s leadership. Calhoun said the one thing you always knew what Tom thought, he always shoots straight with you and has your back. The man does not have the word backup in his vocabulary and is devoted to his people to a fault. Nearing where he left Star and Shadow, he saw that the trucks seemed to be almost loaded. He saw only a few cases that were still awaiting loading, but no Star and Shadow or any of the GI loopers that had been helping. Looking at his watch he saw that it was dinner time and he figured they had gone to the mess hall to grab a bite, Figuring he could eat whether he found them there or not. he knew he liked multi-tasking and looking for them on his trip to eat kind of fell under that broad definition of multi-tasking. A few minutes and a brisk walk later he walked into the mess hall, immediately seeing Star and Shadow sitting in the back corner facing the entrance door. The pair ready for any trouble out of old-time professional habits. Smiling he waved at his wards and got in line for some Salisbury steak and potatoes with green beans that looked like brown mush from being cooked to long. At least that was his hope for the reason they looked like something from a swamp.
Arriving at the table he sat down and said, “Gee thanks for waiting on the boss to eat. It makes me feel, I do not know…, loved. Nah, that is not right. What is it? Oh, I got it not needed or respected!” Almost pulling off the butt hurt look. Before Star and Shadow busted out laughing at their man.
Shadow was the first to speak, asking, “You heard the word from Tango Sierra and what was the dealio? I am all ears and do not touch the green beans for any reason. Those things are vile. That is if they are really green beans. I have serious doubts as to their identity or planet of origin.” Reaching and taking his hand and giving it a quick squeeze, while giving him the look.
Star said, “Really, get your libido in check girl. That or put a plug in it. We have work to do either way.” Starring at her two friends with a get real look.
Knox smiled at the two temptresses, then answered, “Like one of you told me, he only approved three. Then he sent fair warning about not being invited. The man did not even try for subtle just said by invitation only. Man did not even really use any code, just said the part was invitation only. I am going to take it one step farther on what I read between the lines. Our invitation can be cancelled if the other three are out of line in some way or fashion. We all three know he does not play unless he is going to win and that means we lose. We need to make sure that the three we pick are our best bets out of the four. I say we put it too a silent vote we each right down the three we would take and then see how it works out hopefully it will be a unanimous decision. If not then we will deal with the results and make our arguments. You have till I get through with lunch as the load out is different on the results of which three we take with us on the trip to see Tango Sierra.” Then started eating, the filling food that was by no means even one star cuisine. His mind went to times in the past he would have killed for the meal he was having including having to eat the questionable green beans. As he ate, he weighed the three choices and as he was finishing his meal, he decided his three would be, Doc Jones as they would need a good doctor and she was the best. The second was Eric Metz and his Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle expert, heavy weapons experience. The third would be Lt. Alvin Nabors 10th Mountain PSA Dagger shooter as he was walking death with those pistols and could walk from here to California and back being from the 10th Mountain. He hoped the ladies would come to the same conclusions.
A few minutes later the trio had concluded that their original three would be the three for the road if they all agreed to the mission. Knox believed the newest additions if they accepted the mission should take a MRAP like the Cougar, HE that he liked with twin fifty caliber machine gun cupolas front and rear. Star was in favor of a JLTV in the Close Combat Weapons Carrier configuration with a M230 30 mm cannon and the quad Javelin launcher in the cupola. Shadow thought they needed to take and old school up-armored HUMVEE with a Ma Deuce and the Mk 19gl grenade launcher. The trio finally agreed if they had Eric Metz a heavy weapons operator extraordinaire that the JLTV was the choice because of the quad Javelin launcher. All agreed that any of the choices would normally be good unless they ran up against even something like an APC, then they needed the heavy punch of the Javelin. After the discussions were decided Star and Shadow went to find their new teammates. Knox knew the girls had a better chance of motivating the needed operators if God, country, and adventure was not enough to get them to agree to come along on the mission.
As the girls were heading out to Charlie Mike’s and Legion’s to find their prospective teammates, back at the CIA R&D laboratory near Fountain Inn. Tom, Ruth, Charlie, and Robbie were discussing the latest data dump and the trip to the warehouse in the morning to pick up the young girl. They had agreed to going and getting the girl earlier and now the discussion was on going to the pharmacy with Gerrit. Tom said, “I have already agreed to helping Gerrit obtain the medicine for his brothers’ wife. She is already showing signs of losing control even on the half dosage she has been taking. Charlie, I ask you what will happen withing days when she is completely off her meds?”
Charlie replied, “That is just not fair Bossman. Just because I don’t agree with helping them you should not throw me under the bus. You know good and well in less than three days she is going to be a problem. We need meds for some of our people and it is a Catch-22 in that we need to wait to lesson the chance of attack. But if we wait and someone beats us to the pharmacies and takes all the medicine where does that leave us. Out in the cold is where. We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
Robbie chirped into the conversation, “I know it is next on the agenda, to talk about the data dump. I think this piece is relevant to this conversation. The Russian missiles hit two of the nation’s biggest caches for food and medicines. Mount Weather and the one in St Louis. The other thing that is in the report is the expected death tolls are heavier than the original estimates for thirty and ninety days and for sure the one-year number. The updated SWAG for thirty days is up to 200 million from one-fifty. The yearly number could be as high as two-eighty. They are predicting 250 million for sure. These numbers were expanded for just the reason we are debating lack of maintenance medicines for major problems, with depression being one of those. h big one is diabetes just like with Ms. Joy. She being one of the lucky ones that she is on a real low dose of Glipizide and just got her three-month prescription filled and they give her five milligrams and she only takes two point five milligrams. She has almost six months supply and she can almost control her condition with diet and exercise from the discussion I had with her about her condition. Others who have to have Insulin will not be as lucky, the same with people on heart medicine, blood pressure and other diseases will be gone in a hurry from the data dump.”
Charlie replied, “Yeah, and Candace is going to need some meds and Robbie you are on Atenolol for high blood pressure yourself according to your chart. We definitely need to go shopping at CVS or somewhere. I guess I am officially now a yes on helping Gerrit. That is bad when you lose a argument to yourself.” Her forlorn look and what she said broke up the room, with even Charlie laughing at herself.
Tom said, “With the argument over we need to decide on who is going. I think it should be me, Nat, and Charlie. I am open to discussion. The reason for Charlie is she can help us get what we need at the pharmacy. Nat and I have worked together on team three-gun shoots and some pistol range stuff are the reason for Nat and myself. That and the only people who can pull a trailer is Ruth, Robbie and myself and Robbie knows more about the running of this facility than anybody, myself included. The only other option to me is for Charlie to be replaced with Anita as she is our other medical person. After a little rethinking that is probably a better option as Charlie is our top medical person and does not need to be put in harm’s way.”
Ruth asked, “Why do you have to go? Jerry could go or I could go, if Robbie cannot go.” Folded her arms and gave Tom a look that only a wife can give her husband, the one that says you are in trouble. Anybody else giving him that look would get their eyes clawed out.
Tom replied, “I am the Commander of this mission and need to be there to Command. The other reason is I personally gave Gerrit my word that I would be there to help him and his brother. Besides that, I am the most qualified to be in the suck as I have been there before and that even includes Robbie. I have more time on the two-way range than everyone here.”
Ruth gave him a funny look and asked, “What is a two-way range? That sounds like something that you just made up to make yourself sound important.”
Robbie put his hand up stopping the Bossman from answering and said, “I got this one Tom. Ruth, two-way range is a military term. It means people are shooting at you while you are shooting at them. The Bossman is right he has been in the suck more than all of us put together. When, Frank Knox and the Bobbsey twins get here it will be different. For now, it does need to be him and for the record I agree on Charlie not going on the op.”
Ruth said, “Ohhh….” With a look like the lights had suddenly came on and almost blinded her in the process. Finally, she continued, “I guess that is another one of those things that was need to know and I did not need to know.” This time she gave him a loving smile that told him she loved him and was proud to be his wife and was not mad.
Tom asked, “Are we all in agreement on the team structure? If so, we need to go to load out. Nat and I are equipped on side arms and our suppressed H&K 416 SBR. I would like to take an M-302 grenade launcher and a standard six plus one load out of three M433 HEDP and three M406 HE rounds and one M576 buckshot canister. I know we have been having a little target practice and equipping everyone, where is Ms. Anita in this revolution?”
Charlie started to speak and this surprised Tom. Thinking that Robbie had been doing all the weapons training. “Bossman, “Anita is a country girl and has spent a lot of time shooting five stand and dove hunting with her dad growing up. We had a weapon that she was familiar with in our inventory. She is fully checked out on a Remington 870 Police with a twenty-inch barrel and eight round tube. As far as a handgun we gave her a Ruger LCRx chambered in .357 and we have her shooting thirty-eight specials and she can hit a man-sized target at fifty feet. She just could not handle any of the semi-autos we tried. That is the reason for the revolver and the LCRx model has the three-inch barrel gives her a little more sight radius. Good to go with her long arm, suspect at best with the handgun. That is where we stand, Bossman, sir.”
Tom smiled and replied, “Thank you. The news was better than I expected. I figured it would be that she was not qualified on any weapon and if we gave her one, she would be a danger to Nat, and I. We must remember we are in the middle of World War III and have already been in a nuclear exchange. Old man Murphy is alive and well right now and ready for business. I will plan on carrying a speed strip of ten rounds for her shotgun.”
Ruth said, “Aren’t you already going to be carrying the extra rounds for the grenade launcher. I think it might be better for Nat to carry her extra ammunition.”
Robbie said, “Good catch Ruth. It would be better for him to share the load out. I will set up her with a sidesaddle that holds six rounds and a bandolier with twenty-five. If she shoots that many rounds the group is in trouble, anyway.”
Tom looked at the group and said, “We need to remember, we will not have any backup and the airlift is not dropping more ammo. Robbie, will you prepare a second bandolier of mixed buckshot and slugs. I think we need a second bandolier with a half dozen sixty round 5.56 mm magazines for old ‘Justin Case’.” This got a laugh out of Robbie who was the only one who got the just in case pun by Tom. The meeting concluded after Robbie gave everyone the bad news about the state of the country and specifically the state of the American fighting forces. The only good news was that the satellite showed that the eastern set of Chinese troops had been decimated by the biological agents delivered by the Russian missiles and the western half had loses also.
In the other areas of the R&D laboratory, Nat and Jerry were giving Christen some pointers on her new brace plus one of PSA 5.7 Rock RK1 pistols. The three pistols had threaded match barrels and were set up for optics but she had opted for night sights instead when Robbie was setting up the pistols for her. Christen had taken to the light recoil pistols like a duck to water and they were a perfect match for her KelTec R50 Defender SBR. Robbie had reworked the stock making it a little stronger and added a half inch butt pad to the stock configuration and added a two-point sling to her rifle. Robbie had worked his magic and added a four-inch suppressor to the weapons nine and half inch barrel. The overall length of the weapon with the suppressor attached and the stock folded was a smidgen over nineteen inches. A whole lot of fire power in a small package that suited Christen to a tee. On the laboratory fifty-meter indoor range she could off-hand a complete magazine in the ten ring as fast as she could pull the trigger. Robbie had mounted a Aimpoint PRO with a 2 MOA dot on the carbine and Christen was in love with it and was thinking about having Robbie put an RMR on her pistols.
Christen said, “I am really getting the hang of these pistols. I love my red dot sight on the Defender. Do you think Robbie would put a red dot on my pistols?”
Jerry replied, “I am pretty sure that he recommended that he put them on in the first place. Right now you have put a couple hundred rounds through your pistols using the night sights. I think for now we need to go with the sight picture you are most trained with until we get a little more time. I do think he will do it. I just do not think we need to start over right now with your training. Besides you are shooting very well, with the sights you choose. Just my opinion. Nat may even think differently. What do you say, Bro?”
Nat said, “Christen as bad as it hurts me to say this, I will agree with my little brother’s assessment of the situation. Hope you are okay with that. I think for now it would be best to stay with what you know. Speaking of that, Jerry do you not need to shoot your new SBR that Tom issued you the H&K 416SBR just like the ones he and I have? Have you even ever fired the rifle? I know you have taken it apart and cleaned it. I saw you going over it with Tom helping you.”
Jerry replied, “I have fired a few rounds, dropped out the magazine and inserted a fresh one and shot a few more rounds. Tom then had me drop out the second magazine and put the first one back in and shoot another five or six round. I may have shot twenty-five rounds, so yeah, I have but not much. I guess should probably go get it and shoot a couple of magazines just to get use to firing the weapon and the sight picture like we have been training Christen. My bad. One of those do as I say, not as I do moments.” Jerry turned and headed to what was now his and Candace’s new home. It was once a large Quality Control officers office one of many open offices they had their pick. He had moved the desk to one side and removed the drafting table completely. He had made the office into a bedroom/sitting room. When he got to their room, he found Candace lying on her cot looking at her iPad Pro as if she was the Queen of Sheeba.
Jerry asked, “I thought you were going to help with cooking today? Did you go and help with preparing supper?” Looking at her in displeasure and knowing the real answer to his question was a hundred percent No. Thinking though he was going to get some long excuse and reason why she just did not go and do the work.
Candace looked up from her iPad and replied, “No I did not and why would I. Joy is perfectly capable of doing it without my help. She is a grown lady.” Then went back to looking at her computer as if that was a perfectly acceptable reason for her lying around and not even trying to help out.
Counting to ten, as was his habit before responding when Candace was acting stupid or at least like a prima donna. Finished his count Jerry replied, “Candace we have talked about this a dozen times. Everybody is needed to pull their own weight around here and you are not helping with anything. Why do you think that is fair?”
Candace laughed, sat her iPad down and answered, “First off, my brother Tom is in charge around here in case you are not smart enough to have noticed. That in of its self is reason enough for me not having to pull my own weight as you put it. The other reason is I did not even cook at home why would I do it now? That is just stupid on your part to think that I would do something so menial as cooking or cleaning. When it comes time for us to negotiate more funds from the government to pay for this place that will be when I carry my weight and not until then. So go back to doing whatever menial labor you were doing before you came in here and interrupted me catching up on the latest fashion. I saved this file to read when we were on vacation and I am just now getting to looking at it. I will need to order some new clothes in a couple of weeks when I get ready to go back to work. I cannot be seen in last years fall fashions.” Jerry looked at His wife like her head had just spun around mimicking the girl in ‘The Exorcist’ and headed out the door without saying a word to go look for Charlie and help.
As Jerry was looking for Charlie and help, at Fort Bragg Murphy had shown up with Shadow finding out that the first person on her list was not available. Lt. Alvin Nabors formerly of the 10th Mountain had left the base early that morning leading another group that had taken some of the top free lance operators with him to parts unknown. Luckily Eric Metz former E-7 Ranger -pilot and Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle expert, had not made it up for breakfast or lunch for that matter having indulged a little too much at Legion’s the night before. The group had passed on Doc Jen Jones former Army E-6 Marine corpsman and LRRP due to her limited mobility from her leg being lost in the cluster of the pullout of Afghanistan. Shadow had recruited Eric and Star had contacted Doc Jones and she was thrilled to be part of the A plus team as she had labelled the trio of Knox, Shadow, and Star. Both operators had been given two hours to get their affairs ready to travel and to get together a list of any special equipment needed for the mission. Both agreed that they would be ready and would meet them in an hour or less at the load out site ready to move out. Star and Shadow were getting ready to head back to see Knox and see what he thought when Chief Warrant Officer II Betty Mason came walking into Legion’s. The communications specialist walked in like she had a purpose and was heading to the bar to quinch that purpose. Shadow looked to Star and she returned the smile for the stroke of luck that had just walked through the door.
Star said, “Betty, hey can I buy you a drink? Shadow and I have a proposition for you.”
Betty quickly replied, “I have told you ladies before I do not roll that way. And just because the world has gone to hell in a hand basket that fact has not changed…. I will let you buy me a beer and a shot of Crown if you are still buying. One other thing there is a vicious rumor going around that you might be looking for a few good men or women as it may be for a trip south. Any truth to that and do you still need operators for the trip. I am ready to blow this Popsicle stand.”
Shadow replied, “We will buy you the beer and the Crown and yes, we are looking for some operators and we have one seat left on the get out of dodge train going south. Can you work with the three of us, Eric Metz, and Doc Jones?”
Betty grinned and replied, “I could do a lot more than work with that big hunk of a man Metz. Jen Jones is good people and I have worked with her before…. Yeah, I can do that alright. Where do I sign, what is the pay, and when do we leave?”
Star and Shadow looked at each other and replied, “One good thing about SHTF is there is not any paper work to sign. May not be any pay, except three hots and cot. We will furnish all the five-five-six and nine-millimeter you can shoot. Might be some spoils of war and the CIA might come up with some pay, doubtable. We will buy the beer and shots. As to when we leave, the schedule calls for tomorrow morning. You in?”
Betty Mason grinned, “Who could turn down a deal that lucrative and with good company? Beats anything else going around this ghost town. I am in….”
Star said, “You need to meet us down at the hangar in two hours ready to roll out. You will need to bring a go bag and any other things you need. This OP is open ended, may not be coming back here anytime soon and maybe never. Need to bring a list of anything you want to take along. We do have a open order for anything we want within reason.”
Betty smiled and replied, “If that is true, can I get a FN SCAR 20S setup as a DMR and a dozen magazines. The sidearm I would rather have is the Glock 19X instead of the piece of trash SIG M18. If I cannot get the Glock 19X the Glock 34 or a Beretta 92 INOX would be fine and I want a pair if possible.”
Shadow asked, “Would a Daniel Defense MK12 Alien Predator military variant set up as DMR with a Vortex Strike Eagle® 3-18x44 Riflescope and Cantilever Mount and a SureFire Suppressor work? I know we have one of those in the locker. It is not 7.62X51mm if that is problem. The Glock 19X is no problem, we have plenty of those. I can get you three if you want or even four.”
Betty grinned and replied, “The two of you do know how to make a lady happy. Beer, liquor, and fancy accurate rifles. The five-five-six is fine if we can rustle up some of that new seventy-nine grain march with the ballistic tips.” Then she raised her glass to Star and Shadow in a mock toast. Drank the shot and picked up her beer and finished it in one swallow. Got u from the table where they were sitting and told them she would see them in the time window allotted. Then salutes the pair and walked out the door of the salon humming some country ballad. The girls nodded and headed back to see Knox with the good news of their team additions hoping he did not have any problems with their choice of CWO II Betty Mason. They both looked at each other and said, “He will get over or not!” Then they both ordered a round of Yuengling draft tall boys to celebrate their good fortune.
Zero six hundred hours the next morning Tom and Nat had finished hooking up the enclosed trailer back up to the Travelette. They were getting ready to leave the building after telling Jerry to be careful with opening the door. The pair not so gently reminding Jerry that the last time he had dealt with the roll-up door it had kicked his butt. The trio getting a good laugh at the expense of Jerry’s prior misfortune. Jerry came back saying, “Real funny. I could be like Candace and just not do anything. That way I would not have to worry about the door kicking my butt the second time. See how funny that would be.”
Tom replied, “I had a long talk with Charlie and Anita last night about my sister. Hopefully we can get some medicine that will help her. I would hate to have to send my sister out into the world to fend for herself. The rules were clear when she came here. Jerry, I surely do not want to do that. You have done everything we have asked and more. It would be a shame to lose you also. I know you would not let her go on her own and it may be a death sentence for the both of you. I would lose much sleep over a decision like that.” Shaking his head at the mere thought of sending his sister and brother-in-law out into this new world after a nuclear exchange.
Nat asked trying to change the subject, “We still on schedule to leave at six-thirty this morning? I have not seen Anita yet this morning, is she not going?”
Tom replied, “As far as I know she is going. Robbie had her at the range last night practicing some faster reloads of her shotgun. That was after our briefing about the trip to the warehouse. You think we need to go and find her. We are scheduled for our final brief in like two minutes and it is being held right here.” Cranking the truck and pulling it and the trailer out of the building while getting signals from Nat in front of the truck and Jerry in back. As he pulled the truck down the ramp Anita, Joy, Robbie, and Ruth came walking down the ramp after him. They were all using them leaving as an excuse to walk outside for a moment.
Tom seeing them all coming out, noticed that Candace was the only person missing for the final brief and send off. Tom asked, “Where is Candace, I did not see her at breakfast, is she eating or watching the surveillance cameras?”
Charlie replied, “I gave her some meds to help her sleep, late last night. I bet she is still in her bed asleep.”
Jerry joined into the conversation, “She did not budge when I spoke to her this morning trying to wake her for breakfast. Just said go away and leave her alone and she would get some brunch later.”
Tom said, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to get this dog and pony show started. Normally this trip under ideal traffic would only take about twenty-twenty-five minutes. We do not know what to expect as to cars stopped in the road from the EMP or whatever. We may have to go around or push some vehicles out of our way. As we talked about, we are going to take the frontage to Harrison Bridge Road and then jimp on the Interstate to the Woodruff Road exit east. Then turn left onto Feaster Road and be at the Fourie’s warehouse in a jiffy from there. Anita, do you have the copy of the map that Robbie supplied everyone on the team?”
Anita patted her modified Tactical Assault Panel System (TAPS) in the middle top of the panel and grinned, “Right where you told me to store it, in the middle panel on the backside. I have our pouches with eight round speed strips, an IFAK, a pair of medical sheers and an extra tourniquet and a canteen on the panel. I also have Leatherman tool and a Bic lighter in the other pocket. Robbie mounted a TOPS Knives Eagle Shadow on the right-hand side harness strap in the handle down position, he called it. The CKRT Shrill is on my belt for week hand draw and I have a Glock 19 X and three extra twenty-three round magazines on my war belt, pistol strong side and magazines on the weak hand side. Ready to travel, Bossman.”
Ruth said, “Atta girl! Good answer and nice load out.” Ruth’s response got her a look from Tom, that she knew meant that she had overstepped and undermined his command in her zeal to praise Anita. She silently mouthed to Tom, “My bad.” On recognition of her faux pas.
After a quick briefing the team mounted up with Nat riding shotgun and Anita riding behind Tom watching his side while he drove. Robbie had gone back inside to man the gate for the team to exit. First he moved the cursor over and dropped the bollards in front of the gate then as Tom pulled up to the gate he actuated the gate and hoped it worked. Slowly the gate began to open and Tom drove through the big double sized gate as soon as it was open enough for the truck and trailer to move through. Once out side the gate he stopped and waited for it to close before pulling away from blocking the entrance. Pulling off he actuated the radio and called for a radio check with Robbie. After getting the affirmation of the radio check he turned onto the perimeter road of the Industrial complex and headed away from their sanctuary of the last ten days. Getting to the frontage road he turned left heading out towards Harrison Bridge Road and the Interstate. As they ran alongside the Interstate, Nat commented, “Tom, there is not any traffic on the Interstate. I have not seen one moving vehicle on either side of the Interstate.”
Tom replied, “That is both good and bad. Good that we do not have to deal with any hostiles and bad that it might mean that even more than the sixty-five to seventy percent of people have in this part of the country are already dead or at least not moving around. We need to keep vigilant; we are coming up to the interchange and it was a busy one before the attack.”
Pulling up to what just days before was a red-light he looked across the four-lanes of the highway to a still smoldering Quik-Trip gas station. The station and the two restaurants beside it were all still smoldering and he could see a few dead bodies from his vantage point across the road. Tom made a Command decision and started turning the truck and trailer around and heading back to the lab. Calling Robbie as he made the big loop around and telling him to have Jerry kitted out and ready to go as soon as they got back to the facility. Robbie said, “On it Boss…, anything else you need, over?”
Tom thought for a moment and replied, “Another six rounds for the Milkor M32 and another half dozen magazines for our SBR’s. Our ETA is three minutes, over.”
Robbie replied, “Bossman, base affirms, Jerry and ammo. See ya in two plus, over, and out.” Robbie busted out of the control room and started giving orders the first was to Ruth as she was the first member he saw. Telling her to find Jerry and get him ready with full load out to be picked up at the gate in two minutes. Finished, with his directions to Ruth he continued to the weapons locker and storage cage. Getting there he placed his palm on the door and getting the acknowledgement beep. Placed his pass key in the lock and turned it counter-clock wise to open the door. Robbie already had an extra six pack bandolier ready for the forty millimeter and the loaded sixty round magazines. Grabbing an eight-pack bandolier pouch for the magazines he placed eight magazines in the bandolier and headed to the elevator and back towards the front of the building. As he came off the elevator, he saw Ruth and Jerry walking out the door. As he followed them, he was thinking about the urgent message the R&D Laboratory had just received. The message from CENTCOM had read that the President and all aboard Air Force One had been lost from radar during the evacuation procedures from Washington and were presumed dead. The Air Force One beacon had not been activated. The general area was somewhere in the Appalachian Mountain range near the borders of Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Robbie decided that there was no use to give the Bossman any other thing to worry about at this time.
Tom pulled the truck and tri-axle trailer in through the gate and circled around to be heading out. Pulling in he saw Jerry and Ruth heading towards the vehicle and he pulled to a stop. Ruth came to his door and asked, “Why the change in plans?”
Tom replied, “The QT and the Hardees have been burnt to the ground and are still smoldering. We saw dead bodies around the parking lots of both buildings. It looked like there had been a small battle there in the last ten to twelve hours maybe less. I decided we needed to have at least four people so we could work in pairs and have a little more firepower….” Smiling at Ruth he continued, “Jerry, you got a full loadout? Did Robbie give you the extra magazine pouch and the bandolier for the M32?”
Jerry answered, “I have a full load out. I have not seen Robbie and he has not given me any extra ammo of any kind. Ruth was the one who told me to get ready to go with you when you got back.” As Jerry was finishing Robbie came up to the passenger side front door and knocked on the window almost making Nat wet his pants in fright. Robbie handed the bandolier and the magazine pouch to Nat. Then asked, “Why the quick change of plans?”
Tom looked across the truck and replied, “Got to go, already behind schedule. Ruth has info, lock this place up tight while we are away.” Waved at Robbie and turned and gave a air kiss to Ruth while putting the truck in gear and heading back out of the safety of their new home. The group retraced the ground they had just minutes ago covered, as Anita and Nat filled in an inquisitive Jerry as to why his presence was now needed on the trip.
A little over an hour later, they had successfully made their way to the Fourie’s warehouse and pulled up to the outside gate. The trip had been uneventful, as they saw no one else on the road. The Interstate and Woodruff Road were both littered with stalled and / or broken-down cars. The roadways were not completely blocked. To make it to the warehouse did require them to stop a couple of times and either push cars or trucks off the highway or drive in the median or on the shoulder of the roads. When possible, the system that worked best was for Nat and Jerry to bail out and go to the smaller vehicle and try to take them out of gear. Then Tom would ease up with his big bumper and push the vehicles out of the way. The trip was very nerve racking to the entire team and was especially hard on Anita. Many of the sites they saw were very unsettling and possible dangerous.
Stopping at the gate he pushed the button to talk and hoped for the best. A moment later, Gerrit replied, “Thomas Sexton, I am glad to see you, mate. I am opening the gate now pull completely inside as quickly as possible. Then after the gate is closed pull around to the side like you did before. I will be there to meet you and let you and your crew into the building.”
About ten minutes later, the group from Fontain Inn had been introduced to everyone of the Fourie family and Jane Casey. Gerrit asked after making the introductions, “What was the trip like? Any problems, getting here?” Looking very anxious for the answer.
Tom responded, “We had to move a few vehicles off the road and drive around some in the median. The trip was uneventful but took over twice as long as it would normally at seventy miles per hour on the interstate. We did see a few places burning and at least one place for sure where people had fought over something. It was at an adjoining restaurant and a gas station. The combatants could have been fighting for food or gasoline or maybe both. We saw dead bodies from what appeared to be two groups. We did not hand around to do a good recon of the situation to be frank.”
Aletta said, “When do you think everything will be back to normal, from what you have seen and heard?”
Tom thought the and Candace must be from the same genetic pool somehow. Tom smiled and answered, “Ms. Aletta, I hope I pronounced that correctly. I do not think we will get to witness normal again in our lifetimes. I hope I am wrong about things getting back to the way they were just ten days ago. I really believe we have a long road to come back. The latest data we have says that we are probably down over two hundred million people in America alone. In a year that number will be over two hundred and fifty million probably more. Seems old man Microsoft and the elites may have gotten the answer to their wishes for a world to have five hundred million instead of eight plus million people. The population factor makes it hard to think we will be back soon. We have lost a lot of no how with the loss of so many people. Sorry.” Aletta looked to all like someone had just stuck a pin in a ball and the air was being let out. Defeated would be the term that Anita would use to describe the way she looked later in the day when the group plus Jane Casey was making their way back to their citadel.
Tom asked, “I know it might not be the right time to ask. Geritt who from your group will be going to look for the medicine. Not only that will you be taking a vehicle or riding with us in the truck. I recommend that it be at least two. I know that limits you as there are only four of you. I suggest that Gerrit it be you and Jane. What do you think or what was your plan?”
Gerrit looked like a deer in the headlights. Finally, he stammered, “I hate to say this, but we were hoping that your group could go and get the medicine since you were going to get stuff for your self anyway. Now that I hear myself saying that. It was not only a stupid thought, but a selfish and reckless one.” Nat and Jerry were about to comeback when Tom spread his hand out stopping the two in their tracks.
Tom announced, “I think we can make that happen. We do need to know exactly what medicines we need to be looking for when we get there. I think we are going to the Wally World as our medical personnel agree it would most likely have the most diverse medicines and the biggest volumes. I do think that if she is agreeable, that Ms. Jane should come and work with Anita to find the medicines and get them packed up and ready for transport. Nat, Jerry, and myself will try to make sure it is as safe as possible for them to do so.”
Gerrit was amazed at the offer that Tom had made, it took him a second to respond. “Tom, I cannot speak for Jane. She may not wish to go with you on the recovery attempt. If she does, I will give her twenty extras one-ounce silver Eagles and I will send with you five ounces of Gold and a hundred ounces of Silver to procure the medicines. If it is truly a salvage project which I think it will be from what you have told me, then the metals are yours to keep. Not an ideal situation, the best we can do with our limited resources.”
Nat, Jerry, and Anita were just standing there waiting on directions and watching the interchange between Gerrit and Tom like a tennis match between two titans. Jane Casey broke the rhythm of the discussion by saying, “Gerrit, your family has literally saved me from death. I will go and help get the medicine for Ms. Aletta. You do not have to pay me to do the right thing for your family.”
Gerrit felt honored to know this fine young lady, answered, “Maybe we do not have to pay you. We will pay you, just like you going because it is the right thing to do.” With it settled that she was going on the recovery run and then back to the Citadel with Tom and his group. Discussions were made and a list of the medicines that Aletta was on and some blood pressure medicine for Petrus was also on the list along with multi-vitamins and some OTC medicines like Tylenol and Aleve were on the list along with paper towels and toilet tissue if possible.
As Tom and his new charge Ms. Jane Casey and group were mounting up to head to Wally World and the group led by Frank Knox were leaving Fort Bragg. Somewhere near the TN, VA, NC Tri-Point Marker west of Laurel Creek Trail and west of the tri-state borders lay the destroyed remains of Air Force One. This was their present locale as near as the pilot of the now destroyed Air Force One could calculate the position. Major Henrietta (Henri) Barnes US Navy Osprey and Air Force One pilot was one of three members of the plane crew and staff that had survived the crash landing of Air Force One. The other two survivors were Jim Washburn one of the Presidents close protection agents for the Secret Service detail for the President. The third survivor was the president who was completely unharmed in the capsule. The other two had various bruises and cuts and Jim most likely had a torn ACL in his left knee joint. Jim asked, “Major, did we get out a location for our landing site?”
Henri laughed and replied, “We got out two Mayday calls before we met Mother Earth to rudely to call it a landing. The aircraft did not respond as I was trained. I think it may have been results of the reconfiguration of the plane for the President, I am not sure. The bottom line was it fell like a stone from the sky at a rate much faster than the specifications in training described. I thought I would have had a lot more time. May have been better results if I had more time.”
President DJ Orangeman laughed and said, “Major, I thought any landing you could walk away from was considered a good landing.” Smiling at his two protectors and patriots.
Henri replied, “That is correct sir. The difference is that definition is for everybody walking away from the landing. Three out of eleven is not a good landing, sir.”
Jim Washburn asked, “Major, the plane did not burn and is mostly in one piece. Except where the propeller kinda cut through the p[lane when it hit the ground. Now that we have treated each other’s wound. I think we need to start salvaging the planes contents. I know there are survival packs and extra food, ammunition, and weapons. Do we have a beacon or something we need to dig out and activate or is that automatic?”
Henri replied, “The beacon is automatic and there is another backup emergency beacon in the capsule where the president was sealed. We need to get it activated it is the failsafe for the President.”
The President said, “Jim and Henri, I know technically you work for me. Right now, with the way things are in our country we might have to self-extract ourselves. I am going to help the two of you and carry my weight as best as an almost seventy-eight-year-old man can help. Before you start, that is an order from your Commander-in-Chief. Jim, I have a question. Did my pistols get loaded onto the plane?”
Jim replied, “Sir, your luggage and your pistol case was loaded long before you stepped onto the plane. We need to get started. Sir and Major, it is my duty to run the safe extraction of the President. I know you are both a million miles above my paygrade. However, this is what I have spent most of my adult life training to do. Major, I know that you carry all kinds of maps and stuff in the cockpit, please recover all your gear for navigation. The President and I will find the transponder and the other survival gear. After we have everything, we think we might could salvage and use we will take inventory and make decisions on what we can carry…. Come on Mr. President, we need to find the transponder and your pistols among the other things in the plane.”
The President replied, “I know exactly where the transponder is located. I should have brought it out when you opened the door for me to get out. It may even be part of the protocol for me to bring it out with me and initiate the beacon. Really, they ain’t no maybe to it. I am supposed to initiate even before I am released from the pod. May not be any body to get me out of the pod. My protocol is to start the beacon as soon as I am able.” The President and Jim made their way into the back half of the plane. It was much easier since the plane was almost cut completely in half. Henri had already entered the cockpit, witnessing again the remains of her Engineer who had been eviscerated by a large piece of one of the props from the right-side propeller. Grimacing as she had to move part of her friends remains from the cupboard that held the maps and the manual navigation equipment. Just for giggles she tried in vain the radio with another Mayday call. Thinking to herself, Henrietta you have procrastinated long as you can it is time to put on your big girl panties and do my job.
Frank Knox was following the JLTV Close Combat Weapons Carrier driven by Chief Warrant Officer II Betty Mason with Eric Metz manning the weapons system for the vehicle in the front passenger seat. Doc Jen Jones was riding behind the driver’s seat and had a M-249 mounted on the window. The group had a pintle mounted M-249 on the other back door. Star had asked on seeing the configuration why they had mounted M-249 machine guns instead of M-240 machine guns with the heavier projectiles. Eric Metz, replied, “The M-249 can be dismounted and used in suppressive fire a lot easier than the M-240. I have a M60 E4 Assault barrel variant in the back for my use if we need to completely dismount and need the firepower.”
Shadow called over the radio from the HEMTT, “Lead foot, Bravo Mike, how about knocking about five logs off that fire, comeback.”
Betty Mason replied, “Roger, Fort Knox One this is Lead foot, Bravo Mike acknowledging the removal of five logs of the firebox, over and out.” Betty brought the JLTV back to forty-five miles per hour as was the movement specifications plans rate of travel on the Interstate. The group had decided to take the southern route Interstate 95 to Interstate 20 to just east of Columbia South Carolina where they were going to cut cross country at the Highway 601 exit and take it to State Highway 34 towards Ridgeway and across to Interstate 26 west of Columbia. This route would take them around the South Carolina capitol and especially malfunction junction. The intersection of I-20 and I-26 in Columbia was a mess under normal conditions.
Star who was manning the Ma Deuce in the armored turret of the HEMTT called down to Shadow and asked, “Shadow, hey you got a scarf or a shemagh. The wind is chapping my lips and beating on my face.”
Knox took the gray shemagh he had on around his neck and replied, “Whine, bitch, complain and we have not made thirty miles. Do you need a pee break too?” Looking over to Shadow with a thieves smile and handed her his scarf for Star. Shadow grabbed the scarf from Knox and gave him a one finger salute. Then tapped Star on the leg and pushed the shemagh up through the cupola, holding it still until she felt Star pulling it out of her hand.
Star said, “Thanks, Shadow. I needed that.”
Shadow asked, “You need some lip stuff?”
Star replied, “Nah, I am good. Now. Tell FK I said thanks. I know this is his scarf I can smell his cologne. Out.” Laughing over the net, knowing they thought they had pulled one over on her. Star wrapped the shemagh around her face. The she adjusted her Oakley Juliet sunglasses and went back to watching the horizon in an about two-hundred-and-ten-degree arc from her high angle perch.
223shootersc
Hope you are getting ready for a great weekend. As promised Chapter 9 is attached below. Hope you enjoy and it is a long one it is about a third longer thatn my regular chapters. Just could not find a natural break. Comments are appreciate. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 9
A week later in Fountain Inn it had finally stopped raining and at an undisclosed site on Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, Frank Knox, Star Fleming, and Shadow Smith three former Delta Force Operators that three days ago were part of a Black Ops team for the CIA were preparing their load outs for their coming trip to South Carolina. The trio were loading a custom armored M983A2 HEMTT A4 Tractor with a custom built M870A1 semi-trailer with a load for South Carolina. The tri-axle trailer had been converted to a quad-axle and extended from its stock forty-one feet eleven-inch length to a full forty-eight feet length to accommodate the extra axle and then they had attached five feet of duck tale deck behind the fourth axle. This allowed the installation of a thirty foot palatalized load shipping container on the trailer and still have room for a Flyer 72 Advanced Light Strike Vehicle on the back ready to be dropped and fought if needed. The trio was debating weather to bring their long-time friend and team Comms expert on their trip across the state and into South Carolina. Their discussions centered on the two known facts; one was Calhoun had expressly told them that it was just the three of them going to meet Tom Sexton. Going as far as to say that their old buddy Sexton being a stickler for regiment might shoot the lot on site if it was four that arrived instead of just the three of them, he knew. The second fact was their Comms man might look dimly on going AWOL during times of war. Their orders though not real were from the CIA command in Langley and it would be sure hard to check them since it was a hole in the ground now.
Shadow said, “The third thing is his name is not on the orders even if they were real. You know Dudley Do Right is not going to buy off on going on a mission that is not by the books. I say we just drop it and get ready for our trip. Technically it is only about a two-hundred-and-fifty-mile ride from here to the R&D facility in Fountain Inn. On a good day not that long ago even in the HEMTT pulling this big load we could make it in six hours or less. I am thinking we need to give our selves thirty-thirty-six hours you know just in case old man Murphy decides to show up along the way.”
Frank replied, “I agree with everything you just said. I really think we need a fourth and I would feel better with a whole squad of six for the trip. That way we could man both Ma Deuces on the HEMTT and have someone riding shotgun for the driver. Who knows what we are going to find out side the wire. It could be the Zombie Apocalypse between here and there for all we know. The more the better for all we know, would be better. We all know the intel sucks and that puts it mildly.”
Star decided to add her two cents to the discussion with a big grin, “The way I see it is this. We can try to contact the one and only choir boy in the CIA Tom Sexton and see if we can bring some more help. From all intelligence he is way short of his Task Order staffing level. We know that even with the three of us he would not be up to minimum staffing and that was if all his present staffing were operators. According to our data only like a third of his people are normally on the payroll and the rest are civilians….” Star said the word civilians like it was disgusting to her to even think about working with amateurs. In the times to come she would decide that the amateurs or civilians in Tom’s command as she called them were good help and life savers and widow makers.
Continuing, “We could always go by Charlie Mike’s. It opened back up yesterday afternoon and was still going strong this morning. One would never know that the world had ended as we know it except for everyone had their weapons out for everyone to see and some had long guns and most had on a battle belt if not a war belt.” Shadow laughed at her best friend’s description of the crowd and she got a funny face from Frank.
Shadow replied, “I guess you did not realize that our third partner must have been out partying last night. Did you not notice she reeked of beer and had on her battle belt and a shoulder holster this morning when she road in on her Indian Chieftain Dark Elite this morning. I would bet a C-note versus a dog turd that her saddle bag has that little SIG MCX Rattler SBR she loves so much riding snug as a bug in a rug inside.”
Star smiled and replied, “A lady never kisses and tells. But as I am no lady, yes, I do and a messenger bag with a half-dozen sixty-round magazines to boot, six extra twenty-six round magazines for my three Cz Shadow 2 pistols, and two frags. A girl needs to be properly always dressed for the occasion much like the boy scout motto of being prepared. If I am not mistaken you are wearing a battle belt yourself Shadow, were you and Frank at Legend’s last night as they were open also?”
This received a coy grin back from Shadow, then she replied, “Like you said a lady never kissed and tells.”
This got a big gut laugh from Star, who replied, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig, Shadow.” Tom was taking the banter from his two teammates in with a bit of mirthfulness. The two could go back and forth for hours cutting each other down, just do not let any body else say anything about either of them and the other hear it. That even went for him and on some level they all three were lovers besides teammates.
Frank said, “Star, did you have anyone in mine. If so, you might want to talk with them. Explain the deal, there will be no pay and this mission is not on the books and we ain’t coming back, soon, or ever. We will supply weapons if they need or want them. They can bring their own if they choose. Standard calibers only, if they want to bring something weird like a two-seventy rifle or a forty-one-caliber revolver, bring their own fodder. We can supply nine-millimeter, forty-five caliber, and thirty-eight-specials for handguns and five-five-six and seven-six-two for rifles and of course fifty-caliber if they want to bring a Barret or McMillan. Can probably round up some three-hundred-WinMag and three-three-eight if we need to before we leave. Just need to know if we need too in advance. I would say two for sure and possibly three, no guarantees till we talk with Tom.”
Star replied, “Yeah, I did have a couple or three friends in mind. Specifically, Eric Metz former E-7 Ranger was sectioned out about a year ago. You probably remember hearing about him getting his papers and the circumstances. Came home from the middle east a week early and found his wife in the act with that wet behind the ears twenty-one-year-old E-5 and proceeded to rip him a new one all the way out of his house. Through him out butt naked and bleeding. His Sergeant Major got him sectioned out with an honorable and twelve full and got him in a local national Guard unit at grade. This happening after a quick divorce and sending his whore of a slut wife on her way back home to backwoods Headland, Alabama where he met her while at a training class at Fort Rucker. He can fly most anything with wings and propellers. He was raised in a family that ran a small county airport and crop duster service out in the Midwest. His real talent his heavy weapons and running a team or insurgents. Thought he might come in handy if we need to train some fighters. The other is Doc Jen Jones, who migrated here from our buddy warriors the US Marine Corps. Medic and LRRP fighter who lost her foot in a training accident at the Depot in San Diego. The other is Alvin Nabors, you know him Frank he is the guy who always wins the local Glock matches shooting those PSA Daggers that he modifies himself. I think he was a leg Lieutenant with the10th Mountain out of Fort Drum when he did not re-up after his six had a problem with a REMF superior. Now he hangs out at the bar and does some work for a few of the local contract companies. Supposedly got his commission while at MIT doing his graduate work in electronics. The scuttlebutt is he is some kind of genius and has a few working patents that keep him in beer and Jack Black. If it is just two then Doc and Eric would be my first two choices. I think three would be better and like you said even four would not be out of the question. If we had four more operators we could put a scout team out in front of this big monster.”
Frank asked, “Shadow you have any comments, concerns, complaints, and / or additions to this bull session. Specifically, the one Star and I have just been having amongst ourselves?” Looking to her and hoping she had additions and would voice them. Sometimes Shadow would just sit back and not say anything until it was too late and the SHTF.
Shadow smiled knowing that it drove Frank crazy that she did not always voice her concerns or make additions or changes to Star’s and his plans. Knowing that she had some ideas on the plan she started, “I think we need the fourth and I know, Doc and Alvin personally. I only know Eric by reputation and it is a good one. The truth is having someone who could fly a plane or a helicopter which I think he can fly rotary stuff too, or at least that is what I have heard. I have also heard that he is a menace on a fifty and even better on a Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle, not a bad talent to have in one’s tool box. At least I think it is a force multiplier, like Star and her Barrett or you and the M32A1 grenade launcher. The thing I really think is that we are wasting out time until we talk to Tom Sexton. The fourth needs to be a grunt, we need someone to carry the heavy stuff.” Laughing at her last statement and getting a big smile from Frank on her deciding to come out and play.
Star added, “Shadow, do you know Eric. That man could carry a 155 howitzer into battle. He is I am guessing six foot seven and three plus bills and it is all in the right places and hard as a rock. That man is a show stopper when he takes off his shirt.”
Shadow smiled and said, “Easy Tiger, you are going to give Frank a complex and possibly make him cry and he will want us to let him prove how much of a man he is all night tonight.”
Star jumped in and replied, “Who said that wasn’t my reason for saying that? I cannot think of anyone that would be better than him for an all-nighter for and end of the world party.” Shadow tried to look like she was shocked and failed completely. Frank just shook his head at the antics of his best friends in the world, even if they were both a little touched in the head.
Frank said, “Well, I guess it is time for me to try and get in touch with our friend Tom. I am going to send him and email to the open mail box server like C did originally and hope he responds. Either with the extra hands or just the three of us we need to leave by noon tomorrow at the latest. While I am thinking about it, we better check with stores and find out about getting a Gustaf and three cases of rounds, no make that six. No telling if we will ever be able to find replacements. Go ahead and get them sent over here, just do not load them until we find out if the others are going or not.” Turned and headed back towards the shop leaving the supervision of the truck and trailer loading in the capable hands of his two ladies.
Mean while back at the R&D facility and at the Fourie warehouse basement the groups were getting a little stir crazy from being couped up underground. Robbie had informed Tom of the CDC and the CIA’s technical division or what was left of the two groups had sent communiques saying that the biological agents were for all practical purposes’ dead and no longer virulent. The technical scientific documents from both groups saying that the biological agents had short life expectancy and the agents were killed in pH ranges below pH 5.9 or less. The rains that had been raging for the past days had been measured at a pH of 5.0 – 5.4 during the storms that had came up out of the Gulf of Mexico and had covered most of the panhandle region and the southeastern states from Texas and Oklahoma in the west to Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia in the north and south all the way to the Key’s. Explaining the data to Tom, Charlie, and Ruth three times the day before and twice more today. Ruth and Charlie finally ganged up on Tom telling him in no uncertain terms that people needed to at minimum get out of the confinement of the shelter. Stating that even just getting out of the shelter and going up inside the chemical plant would help the situation. The group needed this for no other reason than for people to get out from under each other’s feet and the claustrophobic reaction of being enclosed in the basement. Tom finally gave in on a limited basis allowing two volunteers to go out for four hours while being monitored by the security cameras for possible effects.
Ruth said, “Tom, you know good and well that the area in the plant has been sealed up and has filtered and controlled air systems. What would that prove, if the people went up there for four hours?” Her words only received a big smile from her husband and she immediately hit him with a right hook to his bicep. The punch hard enough to possibly leave a bruise and it gathered no more response than her words.
Charlie tried a new approach to their stubborn leader, started, “Tom the other day you told me that I had authority over all situations that were medical. If that is true, I am now declaring it a necessity for our people to get some sunlight. I will allow for Robbie to go out first while in MOPP 4 IPE and take the biological and chemical detector for real time measurements around the outside of the building and the surrounding perimeter inside the fence. Do you find these orders allowable? If so, I think we do this as soon as we can get him donned in his gear and the equipment calibrated.”
Tom rubbed the side of his face more to get his arm limbered up than to look like he was being pensive. Finally, saying, “I ought to send the two of you out without IPE gear for ganging up on me. That is not fair and it will not happen again, do the two of you understand that? The people here are under my responsibility and I take that seriously and it is my wish that you would have considered that before you decided I needed to be scolded and countermanded in tandem. If we are going to send him out we need to do it by the book and have two more people dressed out ready to perform rescue if he was to succumb to even heat or have a heart attack. The major problem is that only three of us are certified in MOPP gear and we are the top three of the command structure at this facility. Not only are we the only ones trained, we are the only ones who know how to maintain and run the facility. Do the three of you see the functioning problems of Command, that I have already taken into my decision process on us sending someone outside the building?” Three chins immediately dropped to their chests. Ruth and Charlie because they thought he was just being obstinate because it was not his idea. Robbie’s because he knew that Tom had came to the same conclusion that he had before even telling him of the data saying it was good to be outside. His most compelling reason for dropping his head was he knew that it tore at the soul of the Bossman to have to chastise his wife and Charlie the way he did. Thinking and remembering how being in Command could be a real bitch at times. The hard stuff was just that and it was why some people were just not cut out for Command no matter how much others might want them to be.
Robbie immediately offered his services to the Bossman, replied, “I will get dressed in the gear if you calibrate the meter. I will go out by my self without any backups and rescue team. If I go down, I have had a good and long life of service to my country and countryman. Tom, it has been my pleasure to serve under your Command for all these years and hope to do it till my good Lord takes me home. If that is today, I will go with no regrets my friend.” The speech left the two ladies spell bound and it brought a small tear to the right eye of the Bossman. Tom turned his head quickly away from Tom and the ladies, not because he was ashamed. He did not want it to become a cry fest for the group and he sensed it very well could at any minute.
Tom replied, “The pleasure and privilege has been all mine, Colonel Batts. Now go get dressed out Robbie. Charlie it might be better if you do the calibration. I have only done one of those once in my life and that was in training. As I remember I had some help from a Spec Four who knew what he was doing that time.” Winking at his wife who knew him well enough to know when her dear hubby was telling a small fib or white lie as some liked to say. Knowing he was doing it as a peace offering to Charlie. Signaling to his wife that all was good with her also with his special wink, that most would not have even seen. The wink still sent chills from her toes to her noes and everywhere between if you can read between the lines. Charlie left to go and get the meter. As she was going out, she almost ran into Nat and Jerry who were coming from the indoor one lane shooting range, where they had been doing some training with Anita, Joy and Candace who was up now but still under the care of Charlie and a little by Ruth.
Jerry asked, “Hey brother-in-law you got a minute? We need to run some things by you before we go any farther.” Looking from Tom immediately to Nat as if he was looking for some backup from his step brother.
Nat sensing his brother was looking for some help, added, “It ain’t no big thing. We do think it would be something that would help us in the long run with the defense of this place. I will admit that little brother has come up with a good idea and he deserves all the credit. I am sure it will be okay we just wanted to make sure, before we ran off the cliff. You know?”
Ruth reached over and grasped Tom’s hand gave it a squeeze and mouth Love ya. Then Ruth turned and walked out of the door. Her exit leaving the boys to discuss whatever big plans they had arrived to discuss. With her darling husband and leader of the motley group of friends and acquaintances.
Tom replied, “I guess that was my cue to say something. Go ahead Jerry and tell me this grand scheme of things to help us defend the facility from the charging hordes.”
Jerry got a big grin on his face and replied, “First let me remind you about my fascination with long range rifles, either designed for personnel or equipment targets. One of my favorites of all times is the Ukrainian Snipes Alligator bolt action. The rifle is chambered for the 14.5 x 114 mm caliber round as opposed to the normal fifty caliber round like the Barret M-107. The 14.5 round weighs two point two ounces and the fifty caliber weighs only one point five ounces and almost fifty percent increase in mass. In the Ukrainian war with the Russians one of these rifles recorded a one shot kill at over 2700 meters. The rifle is an accurate beast….” Tom held his hands up to Jerry to stop his roll. Tom had seen and heard him before and knew he was about to get on one of his famous weapons dissertations of technical data and exploits of the weapon.
Getting Jerry stopped for a moment, Tom asked, “Jerry I know a little about the weapon in question, is there a point to this discussion other than it is and was a beast in the Ukraine and Russian war?” Smiling at his brother-in-law to keep him from being upset.
Jerry replied, “Why yes Tom! Tom, yes there is a point. The point is we have three of these monsters here in the arms storage vault. The rifles weigh over fifty pounds so they are not really made for dragging around the country side. Static defense though these things would be great against any type of technical or lightly armored vehicles that might approach the facility. In a conversation with Robbie, he told me that on the roof of the facility there are two hardened observation points. He gave me a copy of the plans to this facility and from the looks of things those OP sites would make dandy places to have a couple of shooters with Alligators set up on tripods. I know you can see the Interstate from the top of those distillation columns where the Ops are situated because if you are riding by on the Interstate you can see the columns as you drive by at seventy-five miles per hour. Two factors play into this theory the plant, was built on the highest part of the industrial complex. Adding to that the towers are over thirty feet tall above the top of this building which is twenty or more feet tall. I think you can probably observe as far as you can see from them.”
Tom was impressed with Jerry’s analysis and agreed that the weapon would be hard on even APCs and would hurt a Bradley possibly if it got a good shot from the right angle with an depleted uranium AP round or a Raufoss type round. Tom answered, “Jerry I am impressed and I think your plan has merit. I see one big hole in the plan on my first thoughts. The hole is unless you know something that I do not know, we do not have anyone who has ever even held one of these weapons much less shot it at something that shoots back. That my friend is not just a hole, that is the Grand Canyon or maybe even the Marianas Trench type of a hole in your plan. I am not saying it cannot be overcome, but it is a problem.”
Nat laughed at the look of utter defeat on his brothers face and said, “I told you he would find a problem that we had not thought about before you could say problem. I think we have enough shooters good that with just a little practice they will be able to make the necessary shots on target in no time. Do not give up yet little brother.”
Tom asked, “Jerry, do we even have any ammunition for those rifles? Sometimes we just analyze weapons for the DOD or some other group. We do this to see if we would possibly have a use for this weapon or one like the weapon. Other times we get weapons from the Army or our Black Ops group to either customize them or adapt them for their use. I am sure we have some ammo but maybe only a few dozen rounds or less just to check the feeding or the shell seating and extraction characteristics of the weapon.”
Jerry perked up and replied, “According to Robbie we have about four cans each of ball, and AP. Raufoss we have eighty rounds plus and another twenty something rounds of some experimental ammunition made just for the Alligator. The experimental rounds are according to Robbie more devastating on light armor than Raufoss or AP and in some cases may even penetrate main battle tanks. That is what the round was designed to do, by the experts at Lake City for the Ukrainians. The war ended before it was ever put into production. Robbie laughed when he told me that we might have the only rounds left on the planet.
Tom said, “I give you credit Jerry you have certainly done your homework on the matter. I am sure that the ballistics on these rounds were designed to mimic the ball or practice ammunition like Raufoss and AP rounds are for the fifty-caliber. Robbie will be able to give us that information. I think you have an idea that might be helpful to us at some point. The issue or alligator that is biting me in the butt at this moment is us leaving the friendly confines of our shelter. The ladies Ruth and Charlie specifically have decided we are sending someone outside. I wanted to wait the minimum two weeks like we talked about originally. We are only a half day into the second week and they ambushed me with the fact that we needed to send someone out of the building. Robbie volunteered to go out in MOPP gear and do some testing, without the normal rescue group ready to rescue him if he were to go down even with a cramp or something. We are going to monitor him with our security CCTV system while he is outside the building. Surely not optimal and as Commander it just is not the way I do things. Hard to argue with your wife and win. Jerry of all people you know what I mean when I say that. Jerry, how is my favorite little sister? I have not seen her since she got out of the aid station, I do not think, not even at meals.” Nat was able to keep from laughing by turning away from his two friends and putting his hand over his mouth.
Jerry answered, “Cheap shot Tom and your only sister so she must be your favorite by default. Candace is doing better and acting like she cares about others and not just herself. She still has her moments but she apologizes now and sometimes she catches herself even before she walks off into her stupid routine. You did not hear me say that though.”
As they were talking two things were happening, Frank’s email was hitting the R&D house email account and at the Fourie’s warehouse Gerrit and Petrus had decided to try and give Tom Sexton a call on their satellite phone. They had received a call from friends in South Africa with news of the dark continent and the Russian armada that had limped into port in Durban sinking two South African patrol boats that tried to stop them from entering the port. The Russians demanding that their ships be serviced and their soldiers and sailors be feed when they arrived. The Russian Marine taking over the port and killing anyone who tried to even delay the maintenance and repair work needed on their ships.
Gerrit said, “I will give Tom a call and see if they have any contact with their friends in Washington or wherever the central government is located today. I am hoping we can get through to him and his group. I hope they can take Ms. Jane; I do not know how much longer it will be before either Jane or myself is going to have to let Aletta know that Jane had nothing to do with Bram leaving. I hate to say it Petrus but please talk with her again. I am keeping Jane away from her the best I can with sparring sessions and shooting lessons. This place is not very big and we only have the one bathroom for the ladies. It is almost impossible to keep them apart without locking one of them in their bedroom. Help me out on this brother!”
Petrus bowed his head in acknowledgement of the words his brother had spoken. Then said, “Gerrit, I know Jane had nothing to do with Bram leaving and neither did I for that matter. I have been blamed for his death for bringing Jane here and not having the place locked up where he could not get out and go to his girlfriend. My dear wife I am afraid is either on the border of having another nervous breakdown or is already there. She is about out of her meds for depression and something else for her nerves she takes. When she runs out, we will have to go to a pharmacy and see what it will take to get some without a prescription.”
Gerrit laughed and replied, “Brother, I do not think a prescription for your wife’s medicine is out biggest problem. If it comes down to it, we have Walgreens, CVS, and a Wally World within walking distance of here. I am guessing if they have not been robbed for the narcotics yet they will be soon. This will happen for no other reason than other people in the same boat as Aletta and us. It will be a necessity for survival and we will do what we must do to get along. Fact is maybe Jane and I should go and find her some medicine before we send her to Tom and his group if they will even take her. It will be better if there are two of us, that way I will have someone to watch my back.”
Petrus thought for a moment and said, “And what you are not saying is that we cannot leave Aletta here and expect without supervision for her to be here when we get back from the meds run to the pharmacy. I hope we can trade silver for the medicine but that does not mean that someone will not try to take them away from you. Do you think Jane will be able to help you? How is she doing on her shooting, even?”
Gerrit laughed and replied, “You do not want her shooting at you that is for sure. I gave her my pair of Beretta Tomcat 30X pistols and she took to them like a duck to water. The little thirty-two ACP rounds are not much out past fifty feet but the Mossad have killed a whole bunch of people with them. I wish we had more weapons and at least a nine-millimeter or something to give her, as a primary handgun.”
Petrus stated, “Dangit, Gerrit! I have Bram’s pistol in with his stuff. He did not even take it. I saw it the other day when I was looking through his stuff to see if any of it would work for Jane. She does not have a lot of clothes and I gave her a pair of his Keen boots that she tried on and she could wear. That and some t-shirts and socks she took, that and his Carhartt Ranch coat. It only has five magazine two eighteen rounders and three eighteens with the plus three extensions on the magazine. It is a good pistol and shoots great. He wanted it because it looked cool, but when I checked into the weapon it got great reviews and it was cheap enough not to worry. Heck, the Canik TTI Combat with a case, a kydex OWB holster, a double magazine holster, cleaning kit and the three magazines it came with in the case. I bought him the two extra magazine he wanted it was less than eight hundred with tax out the door. I think there is a few boxes of ammunition she can have with the pistol.”
Gerrit smiled and said, “That will work, brother. Please go and get it I want to give it to her and see what she thinks. It will work out great if we can find a heavy enough belt for her. I have seen her little belts and they barely hold up her pants they are so thin.”
Petrus smiled and turned to go saying, “Bram has the heavy-duty riggers belt he used when we went to the range. It was like for up to a thirty-nine-inch waste but I think it was adjustable down to like thirty inches. I bet she could wear the belt down at the lowest length setting. I will bring it and any other regular leather belt he might have. We can always cut a leather belt to fit and punch some new holes for the buckle.” Gerrit watched his brother walk away and pulled the satellite phone out of its belt pouch, looking for the number for his new friend. Finding the number labeled big Tom S, he hit send and looked towards heaven for help.
Back at the R&D lab, Ruth was petting Sasha and trying to decide if they should have lunch before or after Robbie went for his walk about. The big Boerboel guard puppy loved to have her belly rubbed by her new master. Sasha sensing that his master was thinking about food started nudging her towards his food bowl with his head. Sasha was thinking about food herself and would be glad to help Ruth with the decision on when to eat and that was now. Ruth gave in and headed towards the kitchen / brake area of her new home. She met Robbie coming out of the kitchen with a Dr Pepper in his hand, she noticed his smell was like lavender or maybe it was Rosemary. Ruth spoke, “Glad you made it back from your adventure outside. Do we have the results of the testing yet? Oh, and one other thing what is that cologne you have on?” Sasha was sitting right beside her master and waiting if not patiently to go into the food place where her master would fill her bowl with food and water.
Robbie replied, “Glad to be back and unharmed. The radiation testing we did was a quick scan with a Geiger Counter and everything was good. I also pulled some more sophisticated samples and we have them in the instrument. The test takes twenty-four hours to complete. I also had a NBC instrument and all the testing on the instrument was good. I pulled samples for a more through test that Charlie is running right now. She should have the results for the wide spectrum biological and chemical testing shortly. And it is not cologne it is a bodywash, I found that keeps the creepy crawlies and the bugs off you and is very refreshing. It has Tea Tree Oil, Lavender, Rosemary, and Lemon oil in it and all are natural organic products. Probably my last bottle as I ordered it from Japan and thanks for noticing. I was smelling gamey after being in the MOPP gear and it being ninety plus degrees outside.”
As Ruth and Robbie were talking and Sasha was beginning to whine just a little and beginning to quiver a little. Across the open work area in his office Tom was deep in thought about today and the future. Watching the CCTV while Robbie had made the rounds to the front gate and over to look at the solar array, the high-definition color pictures made him realize why everyone was wanting to go topside. The sun and this time of year had always meant football and then going to the home ponds or some would call a lake. The biggest one of the Sexton ponds was over fifteen acres and the smallest of the five was a little over two acres. Tom and his fellow football players had spent many a Friday night after a big win on the gridiron doing what southern boys did. The night for the group of ball players would start with a big bonfire, cold beer, loud southern rock or country music, and beautiful girls. Then came dancing and after that inevitably someone was going swimming. Lots of nights after a few too many cold beers and some ‘shine the swimming became clothing optional for the young men and ladies. His thoughts took him to his best friend Terry who had been not been drinking so he left to go on a beer run. Spinning the tires as he left on his rebuilt 1968 Camaro SS, the original motor had been replaced with a five hundred and twenty-five horsepower Chevy LS crate motor by his dad for his birthday present a week before. Terry did not make the sharp turn onto the small bridge not two miles from the party. The right back quarter had caught the bridge and went him flying across the road and over the other side of the bridge and into the small river thirty feet below. The rock shoals crushing the front of the car and driving the motor and the steering column into his lap killing him instantly according to the coroner’s report. The thought that crossed his mind was that the good always die young and his friend Terry had been the best. His death had killed the football season, a team that had fifteen starters returning from a team that had played for the state championship the year before. Terry was a couple of years younger than the rest of the guys, but he was the best athlete on the team and had beaten out the two-year returning starter at quarterback. The returning starter moving to wide receiver which was his more natural position without a word of decent. The team was picked to win the state and had been celebrating a big win over the second-best team in the state. It was their third win in three games and everyone was thinking undefeated and state champs. The team never regained their momentum after his tragic death and finished the season eight and five losing in the second round of the state playoffs. Tom could not shake the feeling that just like back then he could not lead the team out of their funk as Captain. His thoughts were that the events of the past week would be the same results he just was not a good enough leader to take the team or his family to the promised land. Looking towards heaven he asked his God and Savior to give him whatever he needed to be the leader of this group. Repeating the mantra over and over that he was not able to do it on his own and asking for God’s strong shield over his family. Asking for the help and divine guidance of hie Savior to make it through these troubled times. As he was saying Amen, his satellite phone rang. It took him to the third ring to figure out what was happening. Picking up the phone off his desk, then looked to the number and did not recognize the caller, he answered, “Tom Sexton, R&D talk to me!”
Gerrit surprised and pleased to hear Tom on the other end of the phone he took a second to reply, “Tom, this is Gerrit Fourie, glad you made it through the Russian attack. Is everyone else in your group prima…, I mean okay”
Tom replied, “Yeah, all hands accounted for and okay. We had a little trouble with my sister, she went a little bonkers for about a day. She is doing well now. How about you and your family?”
Gerrit replied, “We all made it here to our redoubt in time. I am sorry to say that Bram, my brother Petrus’s boy left the warehouse sometime during the night of the bombings and we have not heard from him since. I am sure he did not make it, but our hopes are that he is out there in a shelter and we will see him again soon. I do not know how long this call will the last, it is the second that we had since the start of WW III. Our friends from Johannesburg rang us up and reported that the Russians have landed in Durban and basically taken over. They are there to get their ships worked on, there sailors into hospitals and from what I have found out they are requisitioning or stealing everything in the form of ships in the harbor. The bad news is one of our biggest naval ships was in the harbor, the SAS Drakensberg a replenishment ship. The SAS Mendi a guided missile frigate was stationed there and in port at the landing time of the Russians.”
Tom sat for a moment thinking strategically, then replied, “Gerrit I am sorry for the loss of your countrymen. I need a favor; do you think you could get a hold of your friends and find out exactly what the Russians still have in terms of ships and capabilities. That and I am sure we would love to know when they sail out of Durban? I know that is a lot to ask from a relatively new friend. Remember this they are coming to America to take over.”
Gerrit replied, “I will try and get with my people as soon as we get off the phone. I know that the Rusians are coming here to get their revenge as their country no longer exist from what we have been told. Normally, I would never ask for anything for doing my patriotic duty. I need a big favor from you if possible. My brother picked up a young lady the night of the attack and brought her back here to save her life. She was an orphan and my brother has a real soft spot for that as our mother was an orphan. She is a bright young lady about eighteen, I think and would be an asset to us for sure. The problem is Aletta, Petrus’s wife blames the young lady for Bram leaving the warehouse. The young girl had nothing to do with him leaving, he did not want to come without his girlfriend. Her parent thought we were crazy and would not let her come. When we all went to sleep that night, he slipped out and left the compound. Last we saw of him. I would like for you to take her in with your group, if possible.”
Tom replied, “I do not see any problem with that, except logistics. We only ventured out for the first time today and that was one person in level 4 MOPP gear. Our man took field NBC readings along with soil, water, and air samples for laboratory analysis. The field test all came out clean and our intel from the CDC says it is alright to go outside. Our site SOP calls for a minimum of two weeks in isolation under the scenario which we are now living. Our civilian population which is the majority of our people are getting cabin fever and I am sure they will not make it another week. I do want to wait until our lab analyzes the samples. The data will take a minimum of forty-eight hours for the water and air samples. We should have the soil samples analyzed by this time tomorrow. My best guess is sixty-eight - seventy-two hours for a rendezvous at your local. Can you wait for that long of a period for us to get to your location and pick-up the young lady?”
Gerrit answered, “I am not sure we can make a three day wait. I was hoping first thing in the morning at the latest for a pick-up of Ms. Jane. I can keep her away from Aletta for that long. The problem is only a one-hole bathroom with shower for the ladies. We are not set up for transport and protecting the warehouse at the same time. Our plan did not have contingency personnel or a place to put them if we had them during the bombing. Fact is the young lady; Ms. Jane Casey would be a great addition to our camp. She is a firebrand carried two big knives even before this happened and new how to use them, has some martial arts training and studied on her own to learn knife fighting, Krav Maga I think. She is good and the first day she was here she went and worked on her craft and fitness in our small gym. I have been teaching her to shoot and she is a natural. She did not have any bad habits and she took to shooting pistols like she was born with one in each hand. If it is going to be three days, I will just have to find something to keep Jane busy and hopefully Petrus can keep his wife from doing anything during that time. His wife is on meds and she is about out and has just been taking a half dose since the first day. She will be out completely on that fabled third day from now. Maybe we could kill two birds with one stone, when you come, we have a few pharmacies withing a mile or so from our location. Having some help along would be a blessing. I had planned on going tomorrow morning, I am going to wait now, if you are agreeable to helping. Seems like I am asking a lot of you and your group. We can pay in Gold or Silver as you know.”
To snickered and replied, “We can help and we are not mercenaries yet. Might give the young lady a little silver to bring with her. You know just in case she doe not like our group and wants to head out on her own or something.”
Gerrit replied, “Great minds think alike. Petrus and I had agreed to give her two ounces of gold in tenths and a hundred-dollar bag of dimes and quarters for her troubles. Funny think is she is a hardworking and industrious person who already carried a little silver. A big step for an orphan and foster child with sorry foster parents. Her words not mine. We are also going to give her the two Beretta 30x pistols and a Canik nine-millimeter so she will be armed. We do not have any extra-long guns as Aletta will need Bram’s rifle.”
Tom replied, “We can probably find her something here at our redoubt. We have a few extras, might not match our standard but it will be better than a sharp stick….” Laughing at his own joke about a sharp stick. “Gerrit, if you do not hear anything to the contrary, we will be at your site around zero eight hundred hours forty-eight hours from now. Does that work for you? I hate to cut you off but I am scheduled for a meeting and guard duty in five minutes and I am in dire need of a potty break before I go to the meeting.”
Gerrit thought that the good lord was truly blessing the Fourie family today and replied, “Thanks for the help my friend. Tom, please tell your sister I said hello, she will have my hide if you don’t. We will be waiting for you two days from now at eight o’clock. See ya then and I will try and have more intel on the Russian when you come.” The phone went dead in his ear and Gerrit chuckled thinking the big brother of Candace must have really needed to go to the bathroom. Thinking either that or he was one of those people that did not bother with the exchanging of goodbyes. He knew many people in industry that were so busy that they would just hangup when they were through with the conversation. Gerrit had always thought it was rude but an efficient method of time savings. Tom, he decided was efficient among other things.
Tom came out of the bathroom and was heading towards the meeting with Robbie, Charlie, and Ruth when he almost ran into Robbie rounding a hall corner. Robbie stopped short and said, “Just the man I was wanting to see. Bossman, we have another one of those crazy emails. This one is not from Calhoun though, it is from Forty- Niner’s or I guess Frank Know from what you told me before.”
Tom thought for a moment and replied, “I think it can wait till after our meeting. If you can print it out for me, I will try and figure it out during my time on the CCTV console. It may be a little harder from someone other than Calhoun. He and I kinda think alike and that is why we can use a code that nobody can cipher. It is almost one time pad good between the two of us. Someone else using it may be a little harder to figure out.”
Robbie replied, “I will be right back into the conference room for the meeting. I will go and print you out a copy right now.” Then turned without waiting for the Bossman to answer and walked straight to his office and printed the email. Hoping it was as good of news as the last one from Calhoun. A few minutes later even before Ruth and Sasha had gotten seated, Robbie returned and handed the email to Tom as he took his seat. Tom looked at the simple coded email from Frank Knox and read the note.
The email read as follows:
To: Tango Sierra
From: Forty-Niner
Copied: Twin girls
Trade Probe
Original order ? + four cases of different beer
On time transfer 65
More or less
Straightaway u-turn
Tom looked to Robbie and said, “Thanks everyone for coming. I am going to need a minute. Just keep your seats and I will explain everything when we get back to the meeting. Robbie, this is a time critical request from Knox. Can we reply the same way we got the email or is there some other way to reply?” Robbie nodded his assent that he could get a message back to the sender and said, “Yes we can!”
Tom said, “Knox wants to bring a plus four to the party. First off what are your thoughts. I know the first three and have worked with them at least on a limited basis and have been vetted by Calhoun. The others would only be vetted by Know, Star and Shadow. Is the additional man-power worth the chance that they may not be one hundred percent additions to our team? I guess Ruth and Charlie, we need your opinion on the matter. I know you are flying blind is the only reason I say I guess I need your input. I always need your input. That was a mess. What do you all think?”
Robbie replied, “That would add seven to our present ten people and the plus one from Gerrit would make us eleven to seven. The seven would be operators and we are only three on the operators’ side. If you figure that Knox, Star, and Shadow are already vetted then it would be six to four. I think we only approve two more and that way the numbers are in our favor still. Best I got, Bossman. That is why you get paid the big bucks.” Robbie looked to Tom and then to the ladies for help.
Ruth asked, “The plus one from Gerrit is the orphan girl you told us about. My thoughts are she could be a problem of a different kind. Bringing four extra people that have Black Ops experience could help with the safe guarding of our facility. The guard shifts are already beginning to ware on peoples’ nerves. I would say bring them on. We need the help and if anybody tries to take this place, we need them even more.” Tom looked straight to Charlie who was nodding off to sleep.
Tom asked, “Charlie, are we boring you with our discussions of the safety of the facility and our group?” Tom said Charlie at a voice much louder than the normal discussions had been held. It startled her and she almost fell out of her chair, she probably would have if Robbie had not have caught her elbow.
Charlie snapped awake and replied, “My bad Bossman. I will admit I would not know if the discussion was boring or not. Kinda zoned out about the time I sat down in the conference room. Been up all night trying to figure out why Joy has the diarrhea and what we are going to do about some different maintenance meds for the group. I know I was asked a question but I have no idea what it was or if I could answer it if I did. No excuses, Bossman.” Tom just grinned and looked to the others.
Tom said, “My first thought was no extras because of the vetting. Robbie, you said basically two more and Ruth you said add four. I say we split the difference and say add three. What do you all think about that brilliant logic or kicking the can. That is probably more like what I did on making the decision. We need the help; we also need to be safe. It is a double-edged sword it cuts in both directions. We can only hope we are doing the right thing.”
Charlie back with the living replied, “Why not take all four? Seems we need all the help we can get if things get as bad as all the fiction writers and the think tanks thought it would after the SHTF.”
Robbie answered before Tom could get his words out. “Charlie the plus four we are talking about have not been vetted by anyone other than the people that are bringing them here. That is the reasons for the concern.”
Charlie looked deep in thought, then replied, “Then I would say two or three and not the whole four. I think Ruth is like me and could use a little more sleep and that slanted her decision a little and Robbie your intelligence background and having non-vetted assets slanted yours to the lower number. Like Bossman said we split the difference and roll the dice.”
Tom said, “Send this to Knox:
Forty-Niners, + one for party
StarShadow + one, 2
Black Tie invitation only for party
And we will hope they figure out that is a plus three but if they think it is a just two extras then that solves our problem of two or three. We need to do it now as he wanted a quick reply if possible.”
Robbie got up and headed to his office the three remainders in the Conference decided the best part of valor was to find some caffeine for all concerned. Tom decided he was ready for some unsweet ice tea and new a large black coffee for Robbie was the ticket. Ruth and Charlie decided on Mountain Dews while they still had them. As the trio was setting back down in the conference room awaiting Robbie’s return across the county at the Fourie warehouse Gerrit had gotten the Canik TTI Combat and accessories from his brother and was looking for Jane. Gerrit found her in the gym working out ferociously on a heavy bag.
Before walking in he tapped on the door frame, getting no response from Jane he took his pocket knife out of his strong hand back pocket carry position and tapped the metal handle against the door loudly. After getting know response the second time he noticed that Jane had in earbuds as she worked out. Gerrit entered and walked over in front of the bag giving Jane a wide berth. Seeing Gerrit she stopped her workout and took her earbuds out, smiled and said, “Gerrit, what’s up? Am I in trouble with the Queen Bee again. I came in here because this is the one place I can go and I never see her…. That and I needed a good workout.”
Gerrit replied, “Jane you are never in trouble because of Aletta. Petrus and I know you had nothing to do with Bram leaving. That is the root of Aletta’s problems, you are just a target of opportunity. She knows better than to give me a load of attitude and Petrus is her husband and father of her missing son. That just leaves you for her to target. Wish it were different. Wishing in one hand and crapping in the other only one fills up.” The last part of what he had spoken to Jane got the desired effect. Jane laughed for about thirty seconds, holding up both hands moving them up and down like a scale.
Jane said, “Yeah, you are right about that. Wishing does not weigh much and you do not have to wash your hands after wishing….” She again laughed at her pun ad started taking off her gloves and undoing her wraps.
Gerrit started, “First let me say I have presents. The first one is in this Canik case. It is a very nice pistol chambered in nine-mil to go with your Beretta’s. We will look at it and you can drool, ohhh, and ahhh in a minute. The second one we will deal with first as it is a little trickier and you may be happy with it or it may make you mad. Before I tell you what it is, let me tell you that you have the option either way. It is your choice and Petrus and I will support your decision one hundred percent…. Understand?”
Looking confused Jane replied, “Maybe…, kinda. I do not know? Processing…, guess I need more info.”
Gerrit smiled and said, “I guess that is about the best answer, at this point. Well, here goes. I talked with a friend here in the Greenville area who is set up even better than we are here at the warehouse. He has a bigger group than we do. His place is set up for more than they have at their facility. Our facility is set up for four or maybe five. Their facility is set up for like thirty and they only have ten people. Because of the problems with Aletta and her obsession with Bram and his leaving, Petrus and I are afraid she might hurt you or herself.”
Jane cut him off and said, “I can take care of myself. Am I hearing you right you all are shipping me off to some other place where I do not know anyone?”
Gerrit saw the fire in her eyes and held his hands up and said, “Stop right there! I told you before I started that it was your choice either way. We would never ship you off anywhere. We would love for you to stay and we can use the help around this place. That is the selfishness in us, we have grown to really appreciate your company and consider you family. Our love and fondness of you is the reason we were trying to find a better place. Aletta has had a breakdown before and is on medication. She has been only taking half her prescribed dosage since this started and she will be out in the next few days. If we cannot find her replacements for her meds, she could become more obsessed and possibly dangerous to you and herself. Either way it is your choice go or stay, we will have your back and will still love you and think of you as family.”
Jane looked amazed, “Man, I am sorry…. I just thought she was a biotch. I never had any idea that her action could be cause d by mental imbalances. That explains a lot about her actions toward me, they are kinda irrational…. You know?”
Gerrit replied, “Yeah, Petrus and I know. The only good thing about irrational is she still thinks he is going to walk in here one day soon and say, ‘Hey Mom love ya sorry I left without saying anything.’ I think we all know that is not going to happen any time soon and ever for that matter.”
Jane asked, “What is the makeup of the group” Mostly men?”
Gerrit laughed and replied, “No not really. There are three married couples, one bachelor older fellow and three single ladies. The three married couples are kinda all family. Two of the men are brothers, step-brothers, I think. The leader is married to one of the ladies and another is his sister. I think that makes them all kin on some level, at least by marriage. I do not know much about the others, one of the other single women is the 2IC or second in charge of the bunch to my friend Tom Sexton. I have not known him long. I have known his sister for a few years. I can tell you this he is a smart dude and he looks you right in the eye when you talk to him or he talks to you. He is an old school type of person that thinks his hand shake is his bond. On the same hand if he shakes your hand, he expects you to honor your end of the deal. Is that enough information about the makeup of the group. Oh, another thing, Tom asked us all to join them if we wanted too. We would, just that we have too much invested here to try and move all the gold, silver, platinum, palladium, iridium, osmium, and rhodium and a very little Osmium that we have stored here. I think last inventory we had close to two tons of PM’s stored here in our vault. Some of it is ours and the rest is other dealer / brokers all over the state and across the lines into North Carolina and Georgia. We have dealers all the way past Charlotte to the east and north of Asheville. We have some in Georgia also, Toccoa, Lavonia, Commerce, Flowery Branch and Elberton to name a few. We supply them all with metals precious and industrial. One of our biggest clients is and industrial client over past Clemson near Seneca. They use lots of Gold, Palladium, and Rhodium in the manufacturing process.”
Jane looked at Gerrit like he had just sprouted horns and asked, “Just how rich are you and your brother? I knew when Mr. Petrus told me he lived at the Thornblade golf course he was rich. Where do you live the ‘Cliffs of Glassy’ or somewhere like that?”
Gerrit laughed and answered, “Jane, no I do not live at the ‘Cliffs of Glassy’ not much of a golfer like my brother and that would be way to far of a drive for me everyday for work. I live in a little secluded subdivision off Highway 14. It is located near to the warehouse and there are only eight houses in the whole subdivision and none of the lots are less than an acre. It was built before the urban sprawl thing took over the area. Sits in a neighborhood surrounded by subdivisions with lots of large homes on small lots. My home is on almost three acres and there is a wooded lot on two sides of the property that I have tried to buy. It is owned by someone in Texas that their parents left it to them and they are not interested in selling the property for some unknown reason. The other side is my neighbor and his lot is bigger than mine almost three and half acres. We have a big buffer of trees between us the other side is the road and I sit a hundred=fifty feet plus off the road.”
Jane put her hand to her mouth and said, “I know exactly where you live or at least close. I bet you are in those houses across from Ashton Springs development. Dang those houses are over three quarters of a million dollars and some may be topping a million now and those lots are half-acre or less. A friend of a friend of mine lives there and I have been there for a couple of her birthday parties. I am guessing your home must be twice that or more. My friend drove me through Shady brook to show me the house with the creek running through and under the middle of the house. It was cool to see the water just running right through the house. I think my friend told me that house was in Southern Living or some magazine because the floor over the creek is like plexiglass or something and you can sit over the creek and watch the water flow while in the house. Again, how rich are you and your brother? Inquiring minds want to know.”
Gerrit said, “We are worth a good bit. Our family left us the business and both of us large annuities. They were large farmers in South Africa and in the mining business, on a small scale.”
Jane said, “Your family-owned diamond mines? You have got to be kidding me. That is rich as five foot up a bull’s arse as my foster dad used to say.”
Gerrit laughed at Jane’s reaction and her verse, and replied, “No we did not have a diamond mine. Even though we did fine a few from time to time. Our family had a small gold mine in South Africa. That is why we are in the precious metals business. Our family has been in the metals business since the later 1800’s. Now we just trade it, before that we were producers of gold and silver….” Stopping for a moment he continued, “To your question we are well off. We would have been more well off if the new government had not have thrown us off our farm and took it for the good of the country. Sorry, sore spot. Grand dad, mom, and daddy did a good job of moving assets and us out of the country before it was all taken. Yes, we had inside information and no we do not lose one minute of sleep over what they did to protect our wealth and heritage.”
Jane said, “Good for you. I think you are the first multi-millionaires I have ever met. The people I went to the parties at the Ashton Springs Estates were in debt up to their eyeballs according to my friend. They had all the fancy toys and a place over on Lake Jocassee that they had to sell when her mom’s hours were cut back to only billable hours at the law office during COVID.”
Gerrit said, “Enough about being rich. We really need to decide if you want to go to the other place with my friends. That is what we need to decide to do today. If you decide then they are coming to pick you up tomorrow and help me find medicine for Aletta. I think it is best and if it does not work out then you come back here. What do you think?”
Jane rubbed her neck and then replied, “I do not know what I think. Seems, I was lucky in getting to put Mr. Petrus’s food order together and then I was even luckier that he brought me here. Especially not knowing me from Adam. It has been great except for Bram leaving and I know that has hurt all of you, not just Aletta. She has not found a way to cope with her grief other than take it out on me. A couple of times I have just felt like smacking her face and saying you are the grown up please act like it for once. Do you really think she might try and harm me? I had no idea her condition was that bad.”
Gerrit answered truthfully, “She has tried to hurt herself before. I think she could displace her grief and take it out on you. Just like she is already doing every day. It would just take one step on the elevator to bring something more sinister into play and I cannot let that happen to you, Jane. It would break us all, not just her. I think you need to go and that is why I tried to set it up. No one wants to send you away, we just cannot take the chance, you know?”
Jane got an impish look on her face and asked, “If I say yes to leaving can I shoot the first gift you teased me with before you hit me with the haymaker? I have been thinking about getting a pistol and the Canik or the PSA Dagger were the two that I thought might be in my price range. That is the base Canik and not the TTI Combat version of the pistol. No kidding aside it seems as if you and Mr. P have put a lot of thought in to this and are doing it in my best interest. I guess I will say yes with the caveat if I do not like these people or the place I can come back here immediately. Okay? Now give me my present and we will go shoot the new pretty.”
As Gerrit and Jane headed towards the lone shooting lane, at Fort Bragg Frank Knox had received the reply from Tom Sexton. Frank left the comms center and went walking back to where the trucks were being loaded looking for Star and Shadow to give them the news. It was evident that Tom wanted the extra help. The return message made it clear that he was skeptical of unvetted help. The last words were a clear threat that unwanted or invited guest would not be allowed. Frank smiled thinking about team leader Tom Sexton a no BS leader who led from the front. Thinking he took no crap from above or below and if you did not like his way, the highway option was available. Remembering being told in the first meeting that he only had one rule for his unit. Looking each member in the eye and saying, his team was a dictatorship and the only rule was he made the rules. Saying do your job like you are being paid to do and he would be happy and would always have your back no matter the outcome. Telling each one that he personally was responsible for what they did and if they followed his direction there would never be any pass through, he would take the self. If you did not follow his rules, you would face his wrath and not Commands wrath. Saying that his word was his bond and if any of them could not live with that set of rules then they needed to step forward and he would get them transferred to another unit, no harm no foul with his personal recommendation. This was the only free pass that he would ever offer. Frank remembered that Calhoun had told him he would either love Tom Sexton or hate him, there would be no lukewarm reaction to Tom Sexton’s leadership. Calhoun said the one thing you always knew what Tom thought, he always shoots straight with you and has your back. The man does not have the word backup in his vocabulary and is devoted to his people to a fault. Nearing where he left Star and Shadow, he saw that the trucks seemed to be almost loaded. He saw only a few cases that were still awaiting loading, but no Star and Shadow or any of the GI loopers that had been helping. Looking at his watch he saw that it was dinner time and he figured they had gone to the mess hall to grab a bite, Figuring he could eat whether he found them there or not. he knew he liked multi-tasking and looking for them on his trip to eat kind of fell under that broad definition of multi-tasking. A few minutes and a brisk walk later he walked into the mess hall, immediately seeing Star and Shadow sitting in the back corner facing the entrance door. The pair ready for any trouble out of old-time professional habits. Smiling he waved at his wards and got in line for some Salisbury steak and potatoes with green beans that looked like brown mush from being cooked to long. At least that was his hope for the reason they looked like something from a swamp.
Arriving at the table he sat down and said, “Gee thanks for waiting on the boss to eat. It makes me feel, I do not know…, loved. Nah, that is not right. What is it? Oh, I got it not needed or respected!” Almost pulling off the butt hurt look. Before Star and Shadow busted out laughing at their man.
Shadow was the first to speak, asking, “You heard the word from Tango Sierra and what was the dealio? I am all ears and do not touch the green beans for any reason. Those things are vile. That is if they are really green beans. I have serious doubts as to their identity or planet of origin.” Reaching and taking his hand and giving it a quick squeeze, while giving him the look.
Star said, “Really, get your libido in check girl. That or put a plug in it. We have work to do either way.” Starring at her two friends with a get real look.
Knox smiled at the two temptresses, then answered, “Like one of you told me, he only approved three. Then he sent fair warning about not being invited. The man did not even try for subtle just said by invitation only. Man did not even really use any code, just said the part was invitation only. I am going to take it one step farther on what I read between the lines. Our invitation can be cancelled if the other three are out of line in some way or fashion. We all three know he does not play unless he is going to win and that means we lose. We need to make sure that the three we pick are our best bets out of the four. I say we put it too a silent vote we each right down the three we would take and then see how it works out hopefully it will be a unanimous decision. If not then we will deal with the results and make our arguments. You have till I get through with lunch as the load out is different on the results of which three we take with us on the trip to see Tango Sierra.” Then started eating, the filling food that was by no means even one star cuisine. His mind went to times in the past he would have killed for the meal he was having including having to eat the questionable green beans. As he ate, he weighed the three choices and as he was finishing his meal, he decided his three would be, Doc Jones as they would need a good doctor and she was the best. The second was Eric Metz and his Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle expert, heavy weapons experience. The third would be Lt. Alvin Nabors 10th Mountain PSA Dagger shooter as he was walking death with those pistols and could walk from here to California and back being from the 10th Mountain. He hoped the ladies would come to the same conclusions.
A few minutes later the trio had concluded that their original three would be the three for the road if they all agreed to the mission. Knox believed the newest additions if they accepted the mission should take a MRAP like the Cougar, HE that he liked with twin fifty caliber machine gun cupolas front and rear. Star was in favor of a JLTV in the Close Combat Weapons Carrier configuration with a M230 30 mm cannon and the quad Javelin launcher in the cupola. Shadow thought they needed to take and old school up-armored HUMVEE with a Ma Deuce and the Mk 19gl grenade launcher. The trio finally agreed if they had Eric Metz a heavy weapons operator extraordinaire that the JLTV was the choice because of the quad Javelin launcher. All agreed that any of the choices would normally be good unless they ran up against even something like an APC, then they needed the heavy punch of the Javelin. After the discussions were decided Star and Shadow went to find their new teammates. Knox knew the girls had a better chance of motivating the needed operators if God, country, and adventure was not enough to get them to agree to come along on the mission.
As the girls were heading out to Charlie Mike’s and Legion’s to find their prospective teammates, back at the CIA R&D laboratory near Fountain Inn. Tom, Ruth, Charlie, and Robbie were discussing the latest data dump and the trip to the warehouse in the morning to pick up the young girl. They had agreed to going and getting the girl earlier and now the discussion was on going to the pharmacy with Gerrit. Tom said, “I have already agreed to helping Gerrit obtain the medicine for his brothers’ wife. She is already showing signs of losing control even on the half dosage she has been taking. Charlie, I ask you what will happen withing days when she is completely off her meds?”
Charlie replied, “That is just not fair Bossman. Just because I don’t agree with helping them you should not throw me under the bus. You know good and well in less than three days she is going to be a problem. We need meds for some of our people and it is a Catch-22 in that we need to wait to lesson the chance of attack. But if we wait and someone beats us to the pharmacies and takes all the medicine where does that leave us. Out in the cold is where. We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
Robbie chirped into the conversation, “I know it is next on the agenda, to talk about the data dump. I think this piece is relevant to this conversation. The Russian missiles hit two of the nation’s biggest caches for food and medicines. Mount Weather and the one in St Louis. The other thing that is in the report is the expected death tolls are heavier than the original estimates for thirty and ninety days and for sure the one-year number. The updated SWAG for thirty days is up to 200 million from one-fifty. The yearly number could be as high as two-eighty. They are predicting 250 million for sure. These numbers were expanded for just the reason we are debating lack of maintenance medicines for major problems, with depression being one of those. h big one is diabetes just like with Ms. Joy. She being one of the lucky ones that she is on a real low dose of Glipizide and just got her three-month prescription filled and they give her five milligrams and she only takes two point five milligrams. She has almost six months supply and she can almost control her condition with diet and exercise from the discussion I had with her about her condition. Others who have to have Insulin will not be as lucky, the same with people on heart medicine, blood pressure and other diseases will be gone in a hurry from the data dump.”
Charlie replied, “Yeah, and Candace is going to need some meds and Robbie you are on Atenolol for high blood pressure yourself according to your chart. We definitely need to go shopping at CVS or somewhere. I guess I am officially now a yes on helping Gerrit. That is bad when you lose a argument to yourself.” Her forlorn look and what she said broke up the room, with even Charlie laughing at herself.
Tom said, “With the argument over we need to decide on who is going. I think it should be me, Nat, and Charlie. I am open to discussion. The reason for Charlie is she can help us get what we need at the pharmacy. Nat and I have worked together on team three-gun shoots and some pistol range stuff are the reason for Nat and myself. That and the only people who can pull a trailer is Ruth, Robbie and myself and Robbie knows more about the running of this facility than anybody, myself included. The only other option to me is for Charlie to be replaced with Anita as she is our other medical person. After a little rethinking that is probably a better option as Charlie is our top medical person and does not need to be put in harm’s way.”
Ruth asked, “Why do you have to go? Jerry could go or I could go, if Robbie cannot go.” Folded her arms and gave Tom a look that only a wife can give her husband, the one that says you are in trouble. Anybody else giving him that look would get their eyes clawed out.
Tom replied, “I am the Commander of this mission and need to be there to Command. The other reason is I personally gave Gerrit my word that I would be there to help him and his brother. Besides that, I am the most qualified to be in the suck as I have been there before and that even includes Robbie. I have more time on the two-way range than everyone here.”
Ruth gave him a funny look and asked, “What is a two-way range? That sounds like something that you just made up to make yourself sound important.”
Robbie put his hand up stopping the Bossman from answering and said, “I got this one Tom. Ruth, two-way range is a military term. It means people are shooting at you while you are shooting at them. The Bossman is right he has been in the suck more than all of us put together. When, Frank Knox and the Bobbsey twins get here it will be different. For now, it does need to be him and for the record I agree on Charlie not going on the op.”
Ruth said, “Ohhh….” With a look like the lights had suddenly came on and almost blinded her in the process. Finally, she continued, “I guess that is another one of those things that was need to know and I did not need to know.” This time she gave him a loving smile that told him she loved him and was proud to be his wife and was not mad.
Tom asked, “Are we all in agreement on the team structure? If so, we need to go to load out. Nat and I are equipped on side arms and our suppressed H&K 416 SBR. I would like to take an M-302 grenade launcher and a standard six plus one load out of three M433 HEDP and three M406 HE rounds and one M576 buckshot canister. I know we have been having a little target practice and equipping everyone, where is Ms. Anita in this revolution?”
Charlie started to speak and this surprised Tom. Thinking that Robbie had been doing all the weapons training. “Bossman, “Anita is a country girl and has spent a lot of time shooting five stand and dove hunting with her dad growing up. We had a weapon that she was familiar with in our inventory. She is fully checked out on a Remington 870 Police with a twenty-inch barrel and eight round tube. As far as a handgun we gave her a Ruger LCRx chambered in .357 and we have her shooting thirty-eight specials and she can hit a man-sized target at fifty feet. She just could not handle any of the semi-autos we tried. That is the reason for the revolver and the LCRx model has the three-inch barrel gives her a little more sight radius. Good to go with her long arm, suspect at best with the handgun. That is where we stand, Bossman, sir.”
Tom smiled and replied, “Thank you. The news was better than I expected. I figured it would be that she was not qualified on any weapon and if we gave her one, she would be a danger to Nat, and I. We must remember we are in the middle of World War III and have already been in a nuclear exchange. Old man Murphy is alive and well right now and ready for business. I will plan on carrying a speed strip of ten rounds for her shotgun.”
Ruth said, “Aren’t you already going to be carrying the extra rounds for the grenade launcher. I think it might be better for Nat to carry her extra ammunition.”
Robbie said, “Good catch Ruth. It would be better for him to share the load out. I will set up her with a sidesaddle that holds six rounds and a bandolier with twenty-five. If she shoots that many rounds the group is in trouble, anyway.”
Tom looked at the group and said, “We need to remember, we will not have any backup and the airlift is not dropping more ammo. Robbie, will you prepare a second bandolier of mixed buckshot and slugs. I think we need a second bandolier with a half dozen sixty round 5.56 mm magazines for old ‘Justin Case’.” This got a laugh out of Robbie who was the only one who got the just in case pun by Tom. The meeting concluded after Robbie gave everyone the bad news about the state of the country and specifically the state of the American fighting forces. The only good news was that the satellite showed that the eastern set of Chinese troops had been decimated by the biological agents delivered by the Russian missiles and the western half had loses also.
In the other areas of the R&D laboratory, Nat and Jerry were giving Christen some pointers on her new brace plus one of PSA 5.7 Rock RK1 pistols. The three pistols had threaded match barrels and were set up for optics but she had opted for night sights instead when Robbie was setting up the pistols for her. Christen had taken to the light recoil pistols like a duck to water and they were a perfect match for her KelTec R50 Defender SBR. Robbie had reworked the stock making it a little stronger and added a half inch butt pad to the stock configuration and added a two-point sling to her rifle. Robbie had worked his magic and added a four-inch suppressor to the weapons nine and half inch barrel. The overall length of the weapon with the suppressor attached and the stock folded was a smidgen over nineteen inches. A whole lot of fire power in a small package that suited Christen to a tee. On the laboratory fifty-meter indoor range she could off-hand a complete magazine in the ten ring as fast as she could pull the trigger. Robbie had mounted a Aimpoint PRO with a 2 MOA dot on the carbine and Christen was in love with it and was thinking about having Robbie put an RMR on her pistols.
Christen said, “I am really getting the hang of these pistols. I love my red dot sight on the Defender. Do you think Robbie would put a red dot on my pistols?”
Jerry replied, “I am pretty sure that he recommended that he put them on in the first place. Right now you have put a couple hundred rounds through your pistols using the night sights. I think for now we need to go with the sight picture you are most trained with until we get a little more time. I do think he will do it. I just do not think we need to start over right now with your training. Besides you are shooting very well, with the sights you choose. Just my opinion. Nat may even think differently. What do you say, Bro?”
Nat said, “Christen as bad as it hurts me to say this, I will agree with my little brother’s assessment of the situation. Hope you are okay with that. I think for now it would be best to stay with what you know. Speaking of that, Jerry do you not need to shoot your new SBR that Tom issued you the H&K 416SBR just like the ones he and I have? Have you even ever fired the rifle? I know you have taken it apart and cleaned it. I saw you going over it with Tom helping you.”
Jerry replied, “I have fired a few rounds, dropped out the magazine and inserted a fresh one and shot a few more rounds. Tom then had me drop out the second magazine and put the first one back in and shoot another five or six round. I may have shot twenty-five rounds, so yeah, I have but not much. I guess should probably go get it and shoot a couple of magazines just to get use to firing the weapon and the sight picture like we have been training Christen. My bad. One of those do as I say, not as I do moments.” Jerry turned and headed to what was now his and Candace’s new home. It was once a large Quality Control officers office one of many open offices they had their pick. He had moved the desk to one side and removed the drafting table completely. He had made the office into a bedroom/sitting room. When he got to their room, he found Candace lying on her cot looking at her iPad Pro as if she was the Queen of Sheeba.
Jerry asked, “I thought you were going to help with cooking today? Did you go and help with preparing supper?” Looking at her in displeasure and knowing the real answer to his question was a hundred percent No. Thinking though he was going to get some long excuse and reason why she just did not go and do the work.
Candace looked up from her iPad and replied, “No I did not and why would I. Joy is perfectly capable of doing it without my help. She is a grown lady.” Then went back to looking at her computer as if that was a perfectly acceptable reason for her lying around and not even trying to help out.
Counting to ten, as was his habit before responding when Candace was acting stupid or at least like a prima donna. Finished his count Jerry replied, “Candace we have talked about this a dozen times. Everybody is needed to pull their own weight around here and you are not helping with anything. Why do you think that is fair?”
Candace laughed, sat her iPad down and answered, “First off, my brother Tom is in charge around here in case you are not smart enough to have noticed. That in of its self is reason enough for me not having to pull my own weight as you put it. The other reason is I did not even cook at home why would I do it now? That is just stupid on your part to think that I would do something so menial as cooking or cleaning. When it comes time for us to negotiate more funds from the government to pay for this place that will be when I carry my weight and not until then. So go back to doing whatever menial labor you were doing before you came in here and interrupted me catching up on the latest fashion. I saved this file to read when we were on vacation and I am just now getting to looking at it. I will need to order some new clothes in a couple of weeks when I get ready to go back to work. I cannot be seen in last years fall fashions.” Jerry looked at His wife like her head had just spun around mimicking the girl in ‘The Exorcist’ and headed out the door without saying a word to go look for Charlie and help.
As Jerry was looking for Charlie and help, at Fort Bragg Murphy had shown up with Shadow finding out that the first person on her list was not available. Lt. Alvin Nabors formerly of the 10th Mountain had left the base early that morning leading another group that had taken some of the top free lance operators with him to parts unknown. Luckily Eric Metz former E-7 Ranger -pilot and Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle expert, had not made it up for breakfast or lunch for that matter having indulged a little too much at Legion’s the night before. The group had passed on Doc Jen Jones former Army E-6 Marine corpsman and LRRP due to her limited mobility from her leg being lost in the cluster of the pullout of Afghanistan. Shadow had recruited Eric and Star had contacted Doc Jones and she was thrilled to be part of the A plus team as she had labelled the trio of Knox, Shadow, and Star. Both operators had been given two hours to get their affairs ready to travel and to get together a list of any special equipment needed for the mission. Both agreed that they would be ready and would meet them in an hour or less at the load out site ready to move out. Star and Shadow were getting ready to head back to see Knox and see what he thought when Chief Warrant Officer II Betty Mason came walking into Legion’s. The communications specialist walked in like she had a purpose and was heading to the bar to quinch that purpose. Shadow looked to Star and she returned the smile for the stroke of luck that had just walked through the door.
Star said, “Betty, hey can I buy you a drink? Shadow and I have a proposition for you.”
Betty quickly replied, “I have told you ladies before I do not roll that way. And just because the world has gone to hell in a hand basket that fact has not changed…. I will let you buy me a beer and a shot of Crown if you are still buying. One other thing there is a vicious rumor going around that you might be looking for a few good men or women as it may be for a trip south. Any truth to that and do you still need operators for the trip. I am ready to blow this Popsicle stand.”
Shadow replied, “We will buy you the beer and the Crown and yes, we are looking for some operators and we have one seat left on the get out of dodge train going south. Can you work with the three of us, Eric Metz, and Doc Jones?”
Betty grinned and replied, “I could do a lot more than work with that big hunk of a man Metz. Jen Jones is good people and I have worked with her before…. Yeah, I can do that alright. Where do I sign, what is the pay, and when do we leave?”
Star and Shadow looked at each other and replied, “One good thing about SHTF is there is not any paper work to sign. May not be any pay, except three hots and cot. We will furnish all the five-five-six and nine-millimeter you can shoot. Might be some spoils of war and the CIA might come up with some pay, doubtable. We will buy the beer and shots. As to when we leave, the schedule calls for tomorrow morning. You in?”
Betty Mason grinned, “Who could turn down a deal that lucrative and with good company? Beats anything else going around this ghost town. I am in….”
Star said, “You need to meet us down at the hangar in two hours ready to roll out. You will need to bring a go bag and any other things you need. This OP is open ended, may not be coming back here anytime soon and maybe never. Need to bring a list of anything you want to take along. We do have a open order for anything we want within reason.”
Betty smiled and replied, “If that is true, can I get a FN SCAR 20S setup as a DMR and a dozen magazines. The sidearm I would rather have is the Glock 19X instead of the piece of trash SIG M18. If I cannot get the Glock 19X the Glock 34 or a Beretta 92 INOX would be fine and I want a pair if possible.”
Shadow asked, “Would a Daniel Defense MK12 Alien Predator military variant set up as DMR with a Vortex Strike Eagle® 3-18x44 Riflescope and Cantilever Mount and a SureFire Suppressor work? I know we have one of those in the locker. It is not 7.62X51mm if that is problem. The Glock 19X is no problem, we have plenty of those. I can get you three if you want or even four.”
Betty grinned and replied, “The two of you do know how to make a lady happy. Beer, liquor, and fancy accurate rifles. The five-five-six is fine if we can rustle up some of that new seventy-nine grain march with the ballistic tips.” Then she raised her glass to Star and Shadow in a mock toast. Drank the shot and picked up her beer and finished it in one swallow. Got u from the table where they were sitting and told them she would see them in the time window allotted. Then salutes the pair and walked out the door of the salon humming some country ballad. The girls nodded and headed back to see Knox with the good news of their team additions hoping he did not have any problems with their choice of CWO II Betty Mason. They both looked at each other and said, “He will get over or not!” Then they both ordered a round of Yuengling draft tall boys to celebrate their good fortune.
Zero six hundred hours the next morning Tom and Nat had finished hooking up the enclosed trailer back up to the Travelette. They were getting ready to leave the building after telling Jerry to be careful with opening the door. The pair not so gently reminding Jerry that the last time he had dealt with the roll-up door it had kicked his butt. The trio getting a good laugh at the expense of Jerry’s prior misfortune. Jerry came back saying, “Real funny. I could be like Candace and just not do anything. That way I would not have to worry about the door kicking my butt the second time. See how funny that would be.”
Tom replied, “I had a long talk with Charlie and Anita last night about my sister. Hopefully we can get some medicine that will help her. I would hate to have to send my sister out into the world to fend for herself. The rules were clear when she came here. Jerry, I surely do not want to do that. You have done everything we have asked and more. It would be a shame to lose you also. I know you would not let her go on her own and it may be a death sentence for the both of you. I would lose much sleep over a decision like that.” Shaking his head at the mere thought of sending his sister and brother-in-law out into this new world after a nuclear exchange.
Nat asked trying to change the subject, “We still on schedule to leave at six-thirty this morning? I have not seen Anita yet this morning, is she not going?”
Tom replied, “As far as I know she is going. Robbie had her at the range last night practicing some faster reloads of her shotgun. That was after our briefing about the trip to the warehouse. You think we need to go and find her. We are scheduled for our final brief in like two minutes and it is being held right here.” Cranking the truck and pulling it and the trailer out of the building while getting signals from Nat in front of the truck and Jerry in back. As he pulled the truck down the ramp Anita, Joy, Robbie, and Ruth came walking down the ramp after him. They were all using them leaving as an excuse to walk outside for a moment.
Tom seeing them all coming out, noticed that Candace was the only person missing for the final brief and send off. Tom asked, “Where is Candace, I did not see her at breakfast, is she eating or watching the surveillance cameras?”
Charlie replied, “I gave her some meds to help her sleep, late last night. I bet she is still in her bed asleep.”
Jerry joined into the conversation, “She did not budge when I spoke to her this morning trying to wake her for breakfast. Just said go away and leave her alone and she would get some brunch later.”
Tom said, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to get this dog and pony show started. Normally this trip under ideal traffic would only take about twenty-twenty-five minutes. We do not know what to expect as to cars stopped in the road from the EMP or whatever. We may have to go around or push some vehicles out of our way. As we talked about, we are going to take the frontage to Harrison Bridge Road and then jimp on the Interstate to the Woodruff Road exit east. Then turn left onto Feaster Road and be at the Fourie’s warehouse in a jiffy from there. Anita, do you have the copy of the map that Robbie supplied everyone on the team?”
Anita patted her modified Tactical Assault Panel System (TAPS) in the middle top of the panel and grinned, “Right where you told me to store it, in the middle panel on the backside. I have our pouches with eight round speed strips, an IFAK, a pair of medical sheers and an extra tourniquet and a canteen on the panel. I also have Leatherman tool and a Bic lighter in the other pocket. Robbie mounted a TOPS Knives Eagle Shadow on the right-hand side harness strap in the handle down position, he called it. The CKRT Shrill is on my belt for week hand draw and I have a Glock 19 X and three extra twenty-three round magazines on my war belt, pistol strong side and magazines on the weak hand side. Ready to travel, Bossman.”
Ruth said, “Atta girl! Good answer and nice load out.” Ruth’s response got her a look from Tom, that she knew meant that she had overstepped and undermined his command in her zeal to praise Anita. She silently mouthed to Tom, “My bad.” On recognition of her faux pas.
After a quick briefing the team mounted up with Nat riding shotgun and Anita riding behind Tom watching his side while he drove. Robbie had gone back inside to man the gate for the team to exit. First he moved the cursor over and dropped the bollards in front of the gate then as Tom pulled up to the gate he actuated the gate and hoped it worked. Slowly the gate began to open and Tom drove through the big double sized gate as soon as it was open enough for the truck and trailer to move through. Once out side the gate he stopped and waited for it to close before pulling away from blocking the entrance. Pulling off he actuated the radio and called for a radio check with Robbie. After getting the affirmation of the radio check he turned onto the perimeter road of the Industrial complex and headed away from their sanctuary of the last ten days. Getting to the frontage road he turned left heading out towards Harrison Bridge Road and the Interstate. As they ran alongside the Interstate, Nat commented, “Tom, there is not any traffic on the Interstate. I have not seen one moving vehicle on either side of the Interstate.”
Tom replied, “That is both good and bad. Good that we do not have to deal with any hostiles and bad that it might mean that even more than the sixty-five to seventy percent of people have in this part of the country are already dead or at least not moving around. We need to keep vigilant; we are coming up to the interchange and it was a busy one before the attack.”
Pulling up to what just days before was a red-light he looked across the four-lanes of the highway to a still smoldering Quik-Trip gas station. The station and the two restaurants beside it were all still smoldering and he could see a few dead bodies from his vantage point across the road. Tom made a Command decision and started turning the truck and trailer around and heading back to the lab. Calling Robbie as he made the big loop around and telling him to have Jerry kitted out and ready to go as soon as they got back to the facility. Robbie said, “On it Boss…, anything else you need, over?”
Tom thought for a moment and replied, “Another six rounds for the Milkor M32 and another half dozen magazines for our SBR’s. Our ETA is three minutes, over.”
Robbie replied, “Bossman, base affirms, Jerry and ammo. See ya in two plus, over, and out.” Robbie busted out of the control room and started giving orders the first was to Ruth as she was the first member he saw. Telling her to find Jerry and get him ready with full load out to be picked up at the gate in two minutes. Finished, with his directions to Ruth he continued to the weapons locker and storage cage. Getting there he placed his palm on the door and getting the acknowledgement beep. Placed his pass key in the lock and turned it counter-clock wise to open the door. Robbie already had an extra six pack bandolier ready for the forty millimeter and the loaded sixty round magazines. Grabbing an eight-pack bandolier pouch for the magazines he placed eight magazines in the bandolier and headed to the elevator and back towards the front of the building. As he came off the elevator, he saw Ruth and Jerry walking out the door. As he followed them, he was thinking about the urgent message the R&D Laboratory had just received. The message from CENTCOM had read that the President and all aboard Air Force One had been lost from radar during the evacuation procedures from Washington and were presumed dead. The Air Force One beacon had not been activated. The general area was somewhere in the Appalachian Mountain range near the borders of Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Robbie decided that there was no use to give the Bossman any other thing to worry about at this time.
Tom pulled the truck and tri-axle trailer in through the gate and circled around to be heading out. Pulling in he saw Jerry and Ruth heading towards the vehicle and he pulled to a stop. Ruth came to his door and asked, “Why the change in plans?”
Tom replied, “The QT and the Hardees have been burnt to the ground and are still smoldering. We saw dead bodies around the parking lots of both buildings. It looked like there had been a small battle there in the last ten to twelve hours maybe less. I decided we needed to have at least four people so we could work in pairs and have a little more firepower….” Smiling at Ruth he continued, “Jerry, you got a full loadout? Did Robbie give you the extra magazine pouch and the bandolier for the M32?”
Jerry answered, “I have a full load out. I have not seen Robbie and he has not given me any extra ammo of any kind. Ruth was the one who told me to get ready to go with you when you got back.” As Jerry was finishing Robbie came up to the passenger side front door and knocked on the window almost making Nat wet his pants in fright. Robbie handed the bandolier and the magazine pouch to Nat. Then asked, “Why the quick change of plans?”
Tom looked across the truck and replied, “Got to go, already behind schedule. Ruth has info, lock this place up tight while we are away.” Waved at Robbie and turned and gave a air kiss to Ruth while putting the truck in gear and heading back out of the safety of their new home. The group retraced the ground they had just minutes ago covered, as Anita and Nat filled in an inquisitive Jerry as to why his presence was now needed on the trip.
A little over an hour later, they had successfully made their way to the Fourie’s warehouse and pulled up to the outside gate. The trip had been uneventful, as they saw no one else on the road. The Interstate and Woodruff Road were both littered with stalled and / or broken-down cars. The roadways were not completely blocked. To make it to the warehouse did require them to stop a couple of times and either push cars or trucks off the highway or drive in the median or on the shoulder of the roads. When possible, the system that worked best was for Nat and Jerry to bail out and go to the smaller vehicle and try to take them out of gear. Then Tom would ease up with his big bumper and push the vehicles out of the way. The trip was very nerve racking to the entire team and was especially hard on Anita. Many of the sites they saw were very unsettling and possible dangerous.
Stopping at the gate he pushed the button to talk and hoped for the best. A moment later, Gerrit replied, “Thomas Sexton, I am glad to see you, mate. I am opening the gate now pull completely inside as quickly as possible. Then after the gate is closed pull around to the side like you did before. I will be there to meet you and let you and your crew into the building.”
About ten minutes later, the group from Fontain Inn had been introduced to everyone of the Fourie family and Jane Casey. Gerrit asked after making the introductions, “What was the trip like? Any problems, getting here?” Looking very anxious for the answer.
Tom responded, “We had to move a few vehicles off the road and drive around some in the median. The trip was uneventful but took over twice as long as it would normally at seventy miles per hour on the interstate. We did see a few places burning and at least one place for sure where people had fought over something. It was at an adjoining restaurant and a gas station. The combatants could have been fighting for food or gasoline or maybe both. We saw dead bodies from what appeared to be two groups. We did not hand around to do a good recon of the situation to be frank.”
Aletta said, “When do you think everything will be back to normal, from what you have seen and heard?”
Tom thought the and Candace must be from the same genetic pool somehow. Tom smiled and answered, “Ms. Aletta, I hope I pronounced that correctly. I do not think we will get to witness normal again in our lifetimes. I hope I am wrong about things getting back to the way they were just ten days ago. I really believe we have a long road to come back. The latest data we have says that we are probably down over two hundred million people in America alone. In a year that number will be over two hundred and fifty million probably more. Seems old man Microsoft and the elites may have gotten the answer to their wishes for a world to have five hundred million instead of eight plus million people. The population factor makes it hard to think we will be back soon. We have lost a lot of no how with the loss of so many people. Sorry.” Aletta looked to all like someone had just stuck a pin in a ball and the air was being let out. Defeated would be the term that Anita would use to describe the way she looked later in the day when the group plus Jane Casey was making their way back to their citadel.
Tom asked, “I know it might not be the right time to ask. Geritt who from your group will be going to look for the medicine. Not only that will you be taking a vehicle or riding with us in the truck. I recommend that it be at least two. I know that limits you as there are only four of you. I suggest that Gerrit it be you and Jane. What do you think or what was your plan?”
Gerrit looked like a deer in the headlights. Finally, he stammered, “I hate to say this, but we were hoping that your group could go and get the medicine since you were going to get stuff for your self anyway. Now that I hear myself saying that. It was not only a stupid thought, but a selfish and reckless one.” Nat and Jerry were about to comeback when Tom spread his hand out stopping the two in their tracks.
Tom announced, “I think we can make that happen. We do need to know exactly what medicines we need to be looking for when we get there. I think we are going to the Wally World as our medical personnel agree it would most likely have the most diverse medicines and the biggest volumes. I do think that if she is agreeable, that Ms. Jane should come and work with Anita to find the medicines and get them packed up and ready for transport. Nat, Jerry, and myself will try to make sure it is as safe as possible for them to do so.”
Gerrit was amazed at the offer that Tom had made, it took him a second to respond. “Tom, I cannot speak for Jane. She may not wish to go with you on the recovery attempt. If she does, I will give her twenty extras one-ounce silver Eagles and I will send with you five ounces of Gold and a hundred ounces of Silver to procure the medicines. If it is truly a salvage project which I think it will be from what you have told me, then the metals are yours to keep. Not an ideal situation, the best we can do with our limited resources.”
Nat, Jerry, and Anita were just standing there waiting on directions and watching the interchange between Gerrit and Tom like a tennis match between two titans. Jane Casey broke the rhythm of the discussion by saying, “Gerrit, your family has literally saved me from death. I will go and help get the medicine for Ms. Aletta. You do not have to pay me to do the right thing for your family.”
Gerrit felt honored to know this fine young lady, answered, “Maybe we do not have to pay you. We will pay you, just like you going because it is the right thing to do.” With it settled that she was going on the recovery run and then back to the Citadel with Tom and his group. Discussions were made and a list of the medicines that Aletta was on and some blood pressure medicine for Petrus was also on the list along with multi-vitamins and some OTC medicines like Tylenol and Aleve were on the list along with paper towels and toilet tissue if possible.
As Tom and his new charge Ms. Jane Casey and group were mounting up to head to Wally World and the group led by Frank Knox were leaving Fort Bragg. Somewhere near the TN, VA, NC Tri-Point Marker west of Laurel Creek Trail and west of the tri-state borders lay the destroyed remains of Air Force One. This was their present locale as near as the pilot of the now destroyed Air Force One could calculate the position. Major Henrietta (Henri) Barnes US Navy Osprey and Air Force One pilot was one of three members of the plane crew and staff that had survived the crash landing of Air Force One. The other two survivors were Jim Washburn one of the Presidents close protection agents for the Secret Service detail for the President. The third survivor was the president who was completely unharmed in the capsule. The other two had various bruises and cuts and Jim most likely had a torn ACL in his left knee joint. Jim asked, “Major, did we get out a location for our landing site?”
Henri laughed and replied, “We got out two Mayday calls before we met Mother Earth to rudely to call it a landing. The aircraft did not respond as I was trained. I think it may have been results of the reconfiguration of the plane for the President, I am not sure. The bottom line was it fell like a stone from the sky at a rate much faster than the specifications in training described. I thought I would have had a lot more time. May have been better results if I had more time.”
President DJ Orangeman laughed and said, “Major, I thought any landing you could walk away from was considered a good landing.” Smiling at his two protectors and patriots.
Henri replied, “That is correct sir. The difference is that definition is for everybody walking away from the landing. Three out of eleven is not a good landing, sir.”
Jim Washburn asked, “Major, the plane did not burn and is mostly in one piece. Except where the propeller kinda cut through the p[lane when it hit the ground. Now that we have treated each other’s wound. I think we need to start salvaging the planes contents. I know there are survival packs and extra food, ammunition, and weapons. Do we have a beacon or something we need to dig out and activate or is that automatic?”
Henri replied, “The beacon is automatic and there is another backup emergency beacon in the capsule where the president was sealed. We need to get it activated it is the failsafe for the President.”
The President said, “Jim and Henri, I know technically you work for me. Right now, with the way things are in our country we might have to self-extract ourselves. I am going to help the two of you and carry my weight as best as an almost seventy-eight-year-old man can help. Before you start, that is an order from your Commander-in-Chief. Jim, I have a question. Did my pistols get loaded onto the plane?”
Jim replied, “Sir, your luggage and your pistol case was loaded long before you stepped onto the plane. We need to get started. Sir and Major, it is my duty to run the safe extraction of the President. I know you are both a million miles above my paygrade. However, this is what I have spent most of my adult life training to do. Major, I know that you carry all kinds of maps and stuff in the cockpit, please recover all your gear for navigation. The President and I will find the transponder and the other survival gear. After we have everything, we think we might could salvage and use we will take inventory and make decisions on what we can carry…. Come on Mr. President, we need to find the transponder and your pistols among the other things in the plane.”
The President replied, “I know exactly where the transponder is located. I should have brought it out when you opened the door for me to get out. It may even be part of the protocol for me to bring it out with me and initiate the beacon. Really, they ain’t no maybe to it. I am supposed to initiate even before I am released from the pod. May not be any body to get me out of the pod. My protocol is to start the beacon as soon as I am able.” The President and Jim made their way into the back half of the plane. It was much easier since the plane was almost cut completely in half. Henri had already entered the cockpit, witnessing again the remains of her Engineer who had been eviscerated by a large piece of one of the props from the right-side propeller. Grimacing as she had to move part of her friends remains from the cupboard that held the maps and the manual navigation equipment. Just for giggles she tried in vain the radio with another Mayday call. Thinking to herself, Henrietta you have procrastinated long as you can it is time to put on your big girl panties and do my job.
Frank Knox was following the JLTV Close Combat Weapons Carrier driven by Chief Warrant Officer II Betty Mason with Eric Metz manning the weapons system for the vehicle in the front passenger seat. Doc Jen Jones was riding behind the driver’s seat and had a M-249 mounted on the window. The group had a pintle mounted M-249 on the other back door. Star had asked on seeing the configuration why they had mounted M-249 machine guns instead of M-240 machine guns with the heavier projectiles. Eric Metz, replied, “The M-249 can be dismounted and used in suppressive fire a lot easier than the M-240. I have a M60 E4 Assault barrel variant in the back for my use if we need to completely dismount and need the firepower.”
Shadow called over the radio from the HEMTT, “Lead foot, Bravo Mike, how about knocking about five logs off that fire, comeback.”
Betty Mason replied, “Roger, Fort Knox One this is Lead foot, Bravo Mike acknowledging the removal of five logs of the firebox, over and out.” Betty brought the JLTV back to forty-five miles per hour as was the movement specifications plans rate of travel on the Interstate. The group had decided to take the southern route Interstate 95 to Interstate 20 to just east of Columbia South Carolina where they were going to cut cross country at the Highway 601 exit and take it to State Highway 34 towards Ridgeway and across to Interstate 26 west of Columbia. This route would take them around the South Carolina capitol and especially malfunction junction. The intersection of I-20 and I-26 in Columbia was a mess under normal conditions.
Star who was manning the Ma Deuce in the armored turret of the HEMTT called down to Shadow and asked, “Shadow, hey you got a scarf or a shemagh. The wind is chapping my lips and beating on my face.”
Knox took the gray shemagh he had on around his neck and replied, “Whine, bitch, complain and we have not made thirty miles. Do you need a pee break too?” Looking over to Shadow with a thieves smile and handed her his scarf for Star. Shadow grabbed the scarf from Knox and gave him a one finger salute. Then tapped Star on the leg and pushed the shemagh up through the cupola, holding it still until she felt Star pulling it out of her hand.
Star said, “Thanks, Shadow. I needed that.”
Shadow asked, “You need some lip stuff?”
Star replied, “Nah, I am good. Now. Tell FK I said thanks. I know this is his scarf I can smell his cologne. Out.” Laughing over the net, knowing they thought they had pulled one over on her. Star wrapped the shemagh around her face. The she adjusted her Oakley Juliet sunglasses and went back to watching the horizon in an about two-hundred-and-ten-degree arc from her high angle perch.
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